Democratic Convention Watch - Recent Comments

thanks

UplandPoet — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:44:53 GMT

on both counts

Sanford

tmess2 — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:53:51 GMT

My personal opinion is that it is hard to read anything out of the South Carolina race. On the one hand, it was a strongly Republican district (PVI of R + 11). On the other hand, Sanford was a flawed candidate. Both sides can easily spin the result -- the Republicans noting a solid win despite the flawed candidate, the Democrats noting the gains from the Romney, McCain, and Scott numbers.

538 has an analysis that says Sanford underperformed a generic Republican by exactly the amount you would expect someone who had been in a sex scandal to drop by.

Status

tmess2 — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:47:13 GMT

It is an individual challenge to an individual decision by the NLRB. Other courts have taken a different position on what qualifies as a valid recess appointment. The decision currently is only binding on the DC Circuit, but a lot of appeals of administrative decisions go to the DC Circuit. Presumably in any of those cases. if the recess appointee was necessary to a quorum or cast the deciding vote, the party will challenge the validity of the agency decision based on the court's decision in this case.

interesting

UplandPoet — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:56:32 GMT

so as it stands now, those recess appointments are not valid, or only the ruling against the canning company have been overturned? is there a stay leaving the current recess appoints in power until the appeal is completed?

also, in an unrelated matter, except that both are politics: what of sanford winning back his old seat? what of his close challenge in a very red district? does this race foretell of trouble for the dems, the gopers or not really have much baering on 2014 and will she run again in 2014 to try to unseat him?

St. Louis

tmess2 — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:12:46 GMT

To the best of my knowledge, the folks in St. Louis are giving serious consideration to making another try at the Democratic Convention.

Kansas City is considering whether to try for the Republican Convention.

FAA Funding

tmess2 — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:27:23 GMT

Today saw another reminder of how much people want government. Cutting government spending in general is somewhat popular, when that cutting is to a very visible program that has clear public impact, people want to think twice.

Apparently, the bill switches funding within the FAA from infrastructure programs to avoid the need to furlough air traffic controllers. As a fix, this avoids the immediate public consequences of the sequester. However, delaying needed expenditures to upgrade the air traffic system will bite us in the long run.

On a related note, the first estimate from the first quarter showed that, considering just the direct effect of reductions to federal government spending, budget cuts in the first quarter reduced GDP by 0.65% (i.e. without the budget cuts GDP would have grown by 3.15% rather than 2.5%. Of course, that ignores the multiplier effect of government spending (or reductions in government spending) on consumer spending and business investment (some of which will show up in the second quarter in three months).

your point? just being a jerk, or is there a point? pretty sure Doc has read at least as much as you have.

UplandPoet — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:18:56 GMT

i own about 3000 books and have read most of them, and am pretty sure Doc is better read than i am, too.

No hurricanes, at least either city

UplandPoet — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:16:37 GMT

no library near you?

trud — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:06:08 GMT

Fair Enough n/t

DocJess — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:10:33 GMT

Sure, but...

SarahLawrence Scott — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:22:01 GMT

...Kaczynski didn't take all those books out with him to a cabin in the middle of nowhere without electricity or running water because he thought they'd look good on the shelf...I don't think he had (or wanted) too many visitors there! And his writings make it pretty clear he'd read many of them.

When I was a kid...

DocJess — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:20:08 GMT

My best friend's mom went on a game show and won, amoungst other things, a complete collection of Shakespeare, leather bound. All through junior high and high school, I asked if I could read them. She kept saying not until I went to college.

One college break, I saw her and asked if I could read some of the books while I was home. She said no.

When I got out of college, I offered to buy the set.

Turns out, not a spine had ever been cracked. She liked how they looked on the shelf. Thought they made her husband and herself look intelligent.

About a year ago, I offered to buy the set. The spines STILL haven't been cracked, but it looks like I'm getting them in her will.

Just saying....owning isn't reading...

Here's his own list...

SarahLawrence Scott — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:08:12 GMT

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/f...

What did the unabomber read?

DocJess — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:07:06 GMT

I know he wrote a lot, but perhaps I'm missing something. And as always, willing to admit when I'm wrong.

Plenty of perpetrators of mass violence read a lot

SarahLawrence Scott — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:02:18 GMT

Many violent people who commit terrible mass murder read a lot. Think the Unabomber. Or the Virginia Tech shooter. Or most of the school-shooter types, for that matter.

I think people reading more is a good thing, but it doesn't seem to do anything to stop mass killers.