Thursday Open Thread

14 thoughts on “Thursday Open Thread”

1. "Three-Headed Chimera of Trumpian Destruction." Josh Marshall at TPM

   Essential Reading, as always.

   There are three big factions operating in Trump’s government with currently overlapping but very distinct aims and strategies. First, you have MAGA, which wants to punish and displace the people who made life hard for Trump in his first term and replace them with loyalists. That’s mostly about power and personal fealty to Trump. Ideology is mostly secondary to the core aim. Second, you have Christian nationalists who want to seize the power of the state to execute a top down re-traditionalization of American society and culture. Russell Vought is key to this group. The basic theory goes back into the aughts, when a faction of conservatives decided (essentially a counsel of despair) that they had lost control of American culture and that state power was required to get it back. Third are people like Elon Musk who want to radically hollow out the government, outsource its functions and replace many of those functions with novel technologies — AI, cryptocurrency, etc. This is a mix of Silicon Valley “move fast and break things” business culture combined with “dark enlightenment” Yarvinian degenerate thought.

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   1. I'm hopeful that this will cause them lots of problems. A little with infighting but mostly because they'll be operating independently and crash in to each other lots.

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2. Really small consolation, but Tesla stock is down more than $60/share since Jan. 15. No gloating from me though, because everything is temporary, anyway.

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   1. I casually followed Tesla stock througout the day. At close today, it was down about $53.90 compared to Jan. 15. My post above was from the lowest point of the day. It closed down nearly $4 compared to yesterday. I fully understand one point in time or one single day is nothing to get worked up about, I was just curious.

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3. Democrat Al Green of Texas says he will bring Articles of Impeachment against Trump for “dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”  I guess this would be like the preemptive pardons  the Biden crime family got 15 minutes before the Feeble Feckless Fossile gave up the throne.

   The “dastardly deeds proposed” would cover a lot of ground, but just to be sure the Articles of Impeachment should also include ” dirty deeds done dirt cheap” and “failure to put down the toilet seat”.

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   1. Nice to see the fascist lickspittles resurface.  Your brownshirts are back from the cleaners, Qaren.  But do go on with your virtually puddle-deep knowledge of federal law.  It's fun to watch the brainwarp

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   2. lol

      The internet didn't really need yet another bog standard punch bowl shitter, but you've giving it one just the same. Congrats, I guess?

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4. Today's blog will hopefully be a lot less contenious. It's an interview with Gene Nelson of GreenNuke. His focus is California base load power.

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   1. When you start honestly counting social costs ( respiratory illness, cancers, environmental pollution, everlasting waste) into your fancy math which supposedly shows how nukes and gas extraction  should replace all wind and solar, then maybe you can get some clicks on your substack.

      Until then, you are just another dishonest industry apologist. 

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      1. I suspect also, Davids' zeal to discuss energy policy at great length, is intended as a distraction from discussing the Rape of America. David has always spoken as a wealthy man. 

         Long ago, I asked a VERY wealthy man, " What is the secret to becoming wealthy?" He told me the secret to gaining wealth is to always think of your money first. If it will cost you, the morals and ethics are secondary. I think Davids' money is his best friend. 

         Perhaps I am wrong, but that is my perception.

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         1. In fairness to David T, he's quite knowledgeable on computers and business. He does contribute to the Democratic Party by designing and Beta testing organizing software. I actually enjoyed all the euro pop music videos he used to post , too. 

            I would read his sub stack if it was about how to run a business, what AI is doing , and other topics that he is actually knowledgeable about. Energy policy, not so much. 

            He keeps  overlooking all the people that are "uncounted social costs" in his equations: the uranium minors that are suffering from cancer,  the people living next-door to nuclear waste, the folks downwind of fracking operations, breathing methane and harming their own   and their kids developing lungs brains. 

            And there are the severe environmental costs: methane makes fracking pollution as much of a global warming gas as coal smoke. And all fracking releases methane. And all uranium powered nuclear energy creates waste that lasts forever and is expensive to store. 

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5. "One Hard Lever of Power" for the Dems. Josh Marshall again from TPM.

   But there is only one hard lever of power currently available: that’s the help the White House needs from Democrats on a budget and the debt ceiling. This morning explainer from Punchbowl makes clear why that help is essential. It’s not just helpful. It’s essential. The GOP majorities are simply too small, especially in the House. The GOP is simply too fractious.

   This is the one area where it isn’t a matter of yelling as loud as you can when no one actually has to listen or working through a decidedly hostile judiciary. Trump needs this. It’s not a matter of working out a deal with Mike Johnson. Trump needs this help and there’s only one place to get it. It’s a not a discussion with John Thune or Mike Johnson. Only with Trump.

   I had been somewhat pessimistic about what I was seeing from Congressional Democrats on this front. But starting yesterday they began to change their tune and started saying explicitly that the budget and debt ceiling were a key lever for them in handling the situation. That’s real progress. But I think the terms need to be sharpened a lot. The standard should be no help on the budget or the debt ceiling until the law breaking stops. Period. End of story. No wilding gangs marauding through the federal government. End the criminal conduct. Period.

   That’s it. No nuance.

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   1. Democratic Senators can also gum things up by maximizing debate on nominations and legislation. 

      But beyond the appropriations process (budget or continuing resolution) and dealing with the debt ceiling (now using "extraordinary measures" which probably will run out this summer), there is little "must pass" legislation for the remainder of the fiscal year. Hope the House leadership can articulate what would be acceptable and the Senate leadership can maintain cohesion so they can force a deal.

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6. A social media paraphrase of reporting from WSJ:

   I linked DOGE staffer Marko Elez to a deleted X account that advocated repealing the Civil Rights Act, backed a “eugenic immigration policy,” and wrote, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity. He just resigned."

   As always, small consolation now that Marko probably gained access to everyone's DNA records or something, but hey, the court of public opinion of DOGE seems to be swaying a tad in the badder direction.

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