CMRivdogs

Just as an aside, Happy Disco Demolition Day

The state GOP Legislature will find a way to nullify it like they did with Right to Work a few years ago.

Looks like God changed his mind...

Must hurt to be so close to a Giants farm team 😉 Funny i grew up as a Pirates fan, was 8 when Maz won the World Series. My wife jokes that our son was born 9 months after the '79 championship. When we got married I told her I'd follow her anywhere as long as it was a National League city. A few years later she asked me about Chicago, my response was "ugh, the Cubs". But seriously, I've found people are pretty much the same all over. You'll find a few jerks, but most are pretty good overall (as long as you don't talk politics or wear it on your sleeve or tshirt)

I thought North Carolinians weren't too fond of "Halfbacks". Or at least a few we ran into in Western NC around Franklin? Especially native New Yorkers, one would think they would feel the same way about Californians. Then again I think the "natives" around here feel the same way. Even with the tourist and student $$ I can't speak for the Triangle or Charlotte. They seem a bit more accepting however.

I'll place this here because it somewhat relates to the OP, and to the Electorial College. A letter from George Madison to George Hay on flaws in the constitution, in particular to electing an executive https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a2_1_2-3s10.html

Especially most of the proposals that were kicked around here were for relatively short periods. Meanwhile, road projects get kicked down the road because of lack of funding. And voters will scream when the taxes return. edit Just to be clear I was including state and local tax rollacks as well as federal ones

Including one where the House of Reps has to make a decision on competing slates. With each state getting one vote, you can probably guess the outcome. Especially one controlled by Republicans. I fear the aftermath as well.

That's my biggest fear. Enough people who actually believed the 2020 election was stolen get elected at the state and local level to tamper with the results, or state legislators voting to override the vote. This is actually my main argument for killing the Electoral College. Madison argued that he didn't want to put the election of the Executive Branch in the hands of the general voting public at the time. (White land owning males). Rather have local caucuses or state assemblies choose electors. Once the decision was changed to allow the popular vote I feel the EC became null and void. One of these days I'm going to be in CW when Madison is around. I'm not sure his character is allowed to talk about anything post 1776, but it would be an interesting discussion with the scholars.

I was seeing -+4.50 along 301 near LaPlata Maryland this morning

Adding to my previous post a bit of war gaming from Damen Linker….once again from the Bullwerk https://damonlinker.substack.com/p/bad-worse-and-worst-of-all?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

From today’s Bullwerk and JVL on whether DeSantis would be better, worse or the same as Trump. You could probably ask the same of other GqOP hopefuls The answer is a complicated. I could make three different cases for you: DeSantis would be better than Trump. DeSantis would be the same as Trump. DeSantis would be worse than Trump. Let’s take them in order. Better than Trump. In some ways, DeSantis would likely be less dangerous. For instance, I do not imagine that he would order an armed mob to storm the Capitol in an attempt to hang his vice president and disrupt the counting of electoral votes. Low bar? Sure. But also—it’s not nothing! The same as Trump. Whatever his personal preferences, DeSantis would be subject to the same pressure every Republican politician is these now: Their voters want authoritarianism. What does that mean in practice? Let’s just limit this discussion just to elections and not governing. If Ron DeSantis lost the 2024 election, would he attempt an Eastman-style “legal” coup? Whatever his own wishes might be, his voterswould certainly demand that he try it. So in order to do the thing that all normal Republicans did up until 2016—concede his loss and wish the next Democratic president well—DeSantis would have to buck his base. My question: What in the history of Ron DeSantis leads you to believe that he is capable of bucking his base? Worse than Trump. Which leads us to the possibility that, should he lose, DeSantis could carry out the maneuvers for a “legal” coup more competently than Trump and thus succeed where Rudy, the Pillow Man, and Kraken lady failed.

Just give me a glass of Petite Verdot

Because Trump endorses only the best people....

I have to say Richard "John Boy" Thomas made an excellent Atticus Finch.

Playing tourist in DC for a couple of days. Secret Service in bullet proof vests outside Treasury did seem a bit concerning at first. We saw To Kill a Mocking Bird last night. Really brought to light again the length of the festering hatred in the country. Sorkin stayed true to the basic aspects of the novel but did update the feelings from the 1930s and the 1960s classic screenplay.Tracing the roots of the farmer class hate back to the Civil War and a bit of foreshadowing the civil rights movements of the '60s. Then there was my favorite quote from the town "drunk" . When hate comes to supper it's usually dressed as a Christian" keep in mind that these thoughts are coming from an "upper class intellectual". Which would put me high on the totem pole.

A bit above estimates...

Some discussion I saw on line last night showed it looked like a homemade weapon. Much like a shotgun

Nothing official. Paramedics said he had no signs of life.