My well-timed cruise

The week before Thanksgiving, I went on my first vacation since covid: a Disney cruise.  I mention this because of this news just out today: "CDC: Avoid cruise travel regardless of vaccination status."  It looks like I made it just under the wire.

So, just by way of background, I've been nearly losing my mind stuck in my house (or work) since March 2020.  My wife and I made a last-minute reservation which then triggered the following steps just to get on the ship:

1. Upload of a scan of my vaccination card
2. Testament that I didn't have any symptoms
3. Nose swab and test at the dock

It was necessary to wear a mask whenever inside (except for eating), but the masks came off while on deck or at the beach.  As a result, a much needed escape from covid came with a near-constant reminder wrapped around my mouth.  Therefore, it was a mixed bag of a vacation.

The boat we were on typically accommodates 2700 guests; they told us there were only 900 on board.  This meant short lines everywhere.  But it also meant small crowds for some of the entertainment.  We saw the same people at trivia games and the lounges were barren by 11pm.  Disney usually has a whole slate of events but they were either cut back or cancelled.  The character greets were replaced with something they called "Appear and Wave" where you could take a selfie from a respectable six feet.

It was nice to get away for a week but, frankly, I can't see cruising again until covid is far in the rearview mirror.

Achievement unlocked

ABC News: "US shatters COVID case records, as experts predict infection rates will continue to grow."

Funny how these mistakes only go in one direction

Fox News: "The mainstream media's top 10 missteps in 2021 - Media pundits and publications spun on inflation, critical race theory, and more."

This is an actual article somebody wrote

The Week: "'Let's go, Brandon' and the politics of degradation - When did vulgarly insulting people become a form of politics?"

I read this whole POS article shaking my head in disbelief that there are people out there who think disrespect for a President started on January 20th, 2021.  Unbelievable.

Also: let's go Brandon.

Biden does a 180 on executive privilege

Hot Air: "Biden retreats, will shield some Trump January 6 documents".

I think the second reason that Biden’s team is citing is the one that really drove this development. They are citing concerns over executive privilege. Team Biden has never shown anything that would suggest he gives two hoots for Donald Trump’s executive privilege, but it doesn’t require any great stretch of the imagination to guess that he’s quite concerned about his own. This is something that I wrote about at length back in October, advising Joe Biden to “be careful what you wish for.”

Can you imagine the kind of meeting minutes that would come out of a Biden White House?  Most likely it includes a lot of Grandpa yelling.  

Cleanup on aisle 3

Twitchy: "President Biden is back to talking about his federal solution to fight Covid."

Yes, I totally believe that "President Biden" wrote these tweets. 

Extra - NY Post: "Biden’s COVID incompetence, hypocrisy and fact-spinning are only making things worse."  

You're on your own, America

Flashback: "Joe Biden Repeatedly Promised to ‘Take Responsibility Instead of Blaming Others."

Today: "Now he tells us: There's no federal solution to COVID, says Biden."

Then he flew off to Delaware for the weekend.

“Donald Trump still doesn't have a plan to get this virus under control. I do.” pic.twitter.com/QYnuaDuHq9

— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) December 27, 2021

What is worse than stiffing a waitress on her tip?

NY Post: "Zach Wilson gifts NJ diner waitress two tickets to Jets game on Christmas." 

Merry Christmas, everybody

This guy can't do anything right

National Review: "Biden Fails the Christmas Test" - "The White House had a head start on the task of getting Covid tests ready for the holidays, and failed miserably anyway."

When confronted about his terrible response to the predicted and predictable covid spike, Biden laughed then lied. 

Let's go Brandon

Hot Air: "New record on another key inflation measure as consumer spending slows." 

Then he jumped into his 18-wheeler with Corn Pop

Hot Air: "White House "clarification": Biden's story about Manchin admitting "misleading" him was false."

That’s one hell of a “clarification.” The entire point of that fake anecdote was to get Biden off the hook for bungling matters with Manchin, especially after his staff issued that blistering statement on Sunday afternoon. It’s a blame-shifting exercise using a lie to accomplish it by claiming Manchin conceded that he misled people at all — which would truly be amazing for someone who has been crystal clear on his red lines: an honest 10-year accounting for costs, a top line under $2 trillion, and a full pay-for without tax breaks for the wealthy.

This isn't the first time Applesauce Joe has invented a self-serving story out of thin air but at least the previous fabrications were imagined stories from decades ago.  What could possibly be his excuse for this latest false story from recent history?  Seriously, what's wrong with this guy?

Good thing the media decided to retire their lie counter and the nightly covid death count.

Democracy is in danger when we say it is

National Review: "AOC’s Grasp of American Governance Is a ‘Farce’."  It's a problem for the Democratic Party:

Whenever you point out that we’re not living in a democracy and that majoritarian rule is fundamentally un-American, illiberal, and authoritarian, you get lectures about how “democracy” doesn’t mean direct democracy. But what does it mean when historians, politicians, and left-wing leaders make statements such as, “Last time I checked, I didn’t vote for Joe Manchin for president”? Surely they understand that the president isn’t a legislator. Surely they comprehend that every senator is imbued with exactly the same amount of power. Or do they take the view of Bernie Sanders, who already speaks as if he’s living in a one-party state, that 51 senators are a minority if Democrats happen to make up the other 49? 

After all, when Democrats lose a presidential election, progressives demand that we eliminate the Electoral College. When Democrats don’t get their way in the Supreme Court, progressives demand that we pack the courts. When Democrats can’t get the votes to pass their legislation, progressives demand that we end the Senate. “What we really need to do is crack down on the Senate,” AOC said, “which acts like an old boys’ club.” (Isn’t a senator — supposedly acting alone against the wishes of his entire caucus — in a club of one?) Now, maybe progressives are just spinning their wheels in the short term, but they’re also normalizing a kind of radicalism within their ranks that threatens American governance.

I would have thought the Democrats would learn their lesson after exploding the "nuclear option" on judicial nominees, giving us Gorsuch, Barrett, and Kavanaugh.  But no.

Once again, the Babylon Bee is the most reliable news source out there: "In Stunning Blow To Democracy, Legislation Decided By Majority Of Elected Representatives." 

Can't wait for the press conference tomorrow

Applesauce Joe is going to answer questions after his big covid speech tomorrow, right?  Right?

The Dispatch: "Memory Hole: virtually every major health official in the United States has claimed that COVID shots stop the virus - And every single 'public health' pandemic policy is anchored to the idea that COVID shots stop the virus."

So much for that - "Jen Psaki suggests Biden won't answer questions after Tuesday COVID speech."

Remember when the Left loved a "maverick" bucking his party?

Good times.  CNN: "John McCain’s maverick moment." 

What, no love for Maverick Joe?  I guess that's (D)ifferent. 

"This is a no on this legislation"

Senator Joe Manchin on Fox News Sunday just now shot down the Build Back Better boondoggle.

Game over.

Here come all the breaking news stories: "Manchin a ‘no’ vote on Biden’s Build Back Better spending plan."

Politico: "Manchin crushes Biden’s megabill".  After telling the White House "no" for months, they're pissed Manchin didn't call to say it one more time:

Manchin’s rollout on Fox News infuriated Democrats Sunday morning. While the centrist senator’s staff informed White House and Democratic aides about his forthcoming blow to Biden’s agenda, some Democrats were steamed that Manchin himself hadn’t called Biden or Schumer.

"Manchin didn't have the courage to call the White House or Democratic leadership himself ahead of time,” fumed one Democrat familiar with internal conversations.

They simply refused to believe.  At Christmastime, no less!

There's more! - The Corner reports that Manchin had his office call the White House only minutes before his Fox News appearance.  Then when they frantically tried to call him, Joe didn't pick up his phone.  What a legend.

The old "the audio cut out" trick

Red State: "Kamala Harris Explodes in Angry Interview After Aide Unsuccessfully Tries to Shut It Down."

So now it looks like hiding both Applesauce Brain Biden and Kamala from the media is official White House policy.

Certainly not the Joe Biden standard

Hot Air: "What standard should we hold Joe Biden to on COVID deaths?"

Remember this gem?

220,000 deaths.

If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this: Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain President of the United States.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 23, 2020

As somebody noted: every covid death under President Trump was Trump's fault but every death under President Biden is America's fault. 

NewSpeak in the newsroom

National Review: "The Meanings of Words Are Negotiable to the Media If Democrats Contest Them." - "The term “gaslighting” and references to Orwell’s Ministry of Truth get overused in political journalism these days, but this is as vivid an example as you could ask for. Simply by insisting that a longstanding word’s meaning is in dispute, propagandists get the Washington Post to treat the literal dictionary definition of a term as just what “Republicans consider” it to mean."

Republican lexicographers pounce!

The Russian hoaxster himself

Federalist: "During January 6 Hearing, Schiff Doctored Text Messages Between Mark Meadows And Rep. Jim Jordan.  

It's time to beat Big Meat

Twitchy: "Jen Psaki reveals that meat’s gotten so pricey because those sneaky ‘meat conglomerates’ decided to get greedy after Biden took office."

Just after Biden took office and not before.  Plus they conspired with every other major food group.  This is a conspiracy of JFK proportions.

Extra - Ace: "Unexpectedly, Producer Price Index Rises by Nearly 10%, the Fastest Rate in 11 Years." 

Admit it: you thought the crocodile would eat you last

Hot Air: "Sarah Silverman: I can't believe I'm being accused of racism for criticizing Joy Reid." - "I can’t believe she can’t believe it. She’s over 50 and a lifelong leftist. She should be intimately familiar with what happens when you criticize a nonwhite person from the right."

Simpin' ain't easy

Fox News: "NBC's Chuck Todd says some factors for Biden's low polling are 'out of their control' and 'not his fault'."

* Simpin'

Math is hard

In this case: 52>48.  National Review: "Once Again, Bernie Sanders Struggles with the Concept of a Majority." 

Totally not another race hoax

Instapundit on the failed investigation at the University of Massachusetts:

When they don’t produce a culprit, it’s generally because they know who’s behind it and don’t want you to know.

That's my suspicion.  They know exactly who sent these racist emails but reporting that would be embarrassing. 

The case against Jussie Smollett

There's a YouTube channel called JCS - Criminal Psychology that is absolutely fascinating.  They only do about two videos a year but they review the minds of criminals and how police use certain psychological techniques to break down barriers.  They have a new video on Jussie Smollett (which for some reason does not show up on their regular list of videos).  Check it out:

Update: After racking up a million views, this video was put into private mode.  Hmm.

Printing money causes inflation? Who knew!?

Hot Air: "AP: Huh. Maybe we shouldn't spend $5 trillion with this much inflation." 

Biden on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

OMG.

The only reason I tuned in to this show is because I thought Biden would appear in-person without the benefit of off-camera cue cards.  Even with Dr. Jill on the sidelines, it was a train wreck.

This country won't survive three more years with this half-wit.

Brandon wanted to make history

And he has: most inept President ever.  (End of message).

NY Post: "Inflation soars as prices spike 6.8 percent, most in 39 years."  

This is fine

Breitbart: "Joe Biden reads the words 'end of message' off of his notes during Bob Dole eulogy."

Those crafty, tech-savvy, white supremacists

Good news, everybody: the University of Massachusetts has an update on those racist emails sent to black organizations at Umass back in September.  Here's the update: they got nothin'.

As you may recall, on September 27 the Chancellor announced that the university had retained the services of Stroz Friedberg Digital Forensics, a leading national firm in cybersecurity, to conduct the investigation. Stroz Friedberg investigators have been working closely with UMass Police, IT and other campus entities for more than two months, conducting an assessment of the hateful targeting of the UMass community across multiple sources, including dark websites, and leveraging custom tools in an attempt to pinpoint the origin of the emails. The process is painstaking and time consuming, and to date no perpetrator has been identified. The investigators caution that in cases such as the one involving our campus, it is not uncommon for the results of a cyber inquiry to be inconclusive and that it is possible that, despite their exhaustive investigation, they ultimately may be unable to identify the source of the racist emails. The potential challenges investigators cite are many, including the numerous free email accounts offered by providers, privacy rules and encryption software.

It's hard to believe they can't identify the digital signature of these emails that were definitely sent.  Those evil people must have routed them through a Romanian server farm using sophisticated 1024-bit encryption.  We may never know who really sent these emails, darn it.

Totally unrelated story - Legal Insurrection: "Jussie Smollett Held GUILTY On 5 Charges For Faked Hate Crime."  

"Not a joke. True story."

Joey Baby just can't let go of this obviously false story.  NY Post: "‘Joey, baby’: Biden shares false Amtrak tale for 6th time this year."

Definitely not drunk on power

Legal Insurrection: "Fauci Wants You to Check Your Family’s COVID Papers This Christmas - No vaccine? No Christmas for you, Grandma!" 

The credulous media

National Review: "No Sentient Human Thinks Biden’s Press Coverage Is Worse Than Trump’s." 

"They're building an echo chamber" said everyone in unison

This Axios article made me laugh: "Right wing builds its own echo chamber."

Conservatives are aggressively building their own apps, phones, cryptocurrencies and publishing houses in an attempt to circumvent what they see as an increasingly liberal internet and media ecosystem.

I see.  When conservatives complained about media bias, censorship on social media, and willing ignorance of stories critical of Democrats, the Left said "private companies can do what they want, build your own platform!"  And now that they are, it's an entire "conservative ecosystem."  Oh no.

What a maroon

Twitchy: "Jim Acosta’s attempt at smearing McConnell to convince Democrats to end the filibuster backfires."

In short, CNN's top dimwit (after Don Lemon) wondered what Mitch McConnell would do to the legislative filibuster if he ever had control of the Senate.  Which he did, a year ago.

The Biden economy strikes again

Babylon Bee: "Unemployment Rate Among Cuomo Brothers Rises To 100%."  

Well, businesses don't do a lot of hiring around the holidays

Daily Caller: "November Jobs Report Is One Of The Worst Since Biden Took Office."  

If only there were some red flags

I found this story on a Reddit thread about the Oxford, Michigan shooting: "Prosecutor: Michigan school shooting suspect wrote ‘help me’."

I had to read it twice because I could not believe the thorough and complete recklessness of these awful parents.  Then they abandoned their son and went on the run until they realized they were too stupid to last a single day on the lam.

That Y-axis

Twitchy: "DCCC hopes you’ll appreciate the graph they worked so hard on and join them in celebrating Joe Biden lowering gas prices."

Relevant: "How to lie with statistics." 

Update: "Washington Post mocks DCCC's tweet on gas prices: 'might be the worst defense of the Biden administration yet'." 

There he goes again, blaming the black men

Twitchy: "Jussie Smollett’s trial might not be going his way as evidenced by reporter’s thread."

Brandon's big amnesty bill

Independent Journal Review: "Report: Democrat Spending Bill Puts 3 Million Illegal Immigrants on Path to Citizenship." 

Related - Reason: "Passing the Spending Bill Could Doom Biden's Presidency - "Biden’s presidency is already failing. Build Back Better wouldn't help."

Remember the victims of race hate

PJ Media: "Remember Him? 'Joosie Smoolyay's' Delayed Trial for 2019 Race Hoax Is Underway."

I didn't think Jussie Smollett would be able to push through the pain he's experienced but he plans to defend himself from these scurrilous charges that he faked a racial attack from three years ago. 

In a totally unrelated note, it's been nearly two months since the University of Massachusetts launched an investigation into racist emails sent to black groups on campus; an incident that gained national attention when reported by the Associated Press.  

The university has hired a cybersecurity firm, Stroz Friedberg Digital Forensics, to investigate the source of the anonymous emails.

The investigation will also try to determine whether the emails are “an isolated matter or part of a larger white supremacist campaign,” he said.

C'mon, Stroz Friedberg, two months of justice delayed is justice denied!  Either these white supremacist email senders are incredibly sophisticated in covering up their digital tracks, or there's another explanation.  But what could that other explanation be?  Stay tuned!

We fear this "iceburg incident" will harm Capt. Smith's reputation

Also, those darn anti-Titanic critics will surely pounce.  Newsbusters: "ABC/NBC Most Concerned With How Omicron Variant Hurts Biden’s Agenda."

Extra - From Instapundit. 

More - Red State: "For those still harboring the notion that journalists at national news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and the like are focusing like laser beams on Omicron out of concern for how it may negatively impact the American people, news anchors at both NBC News and ABC News gave the game away during rather revealing segments this morning where they fretted on how a potential mass outbreak of the new variant on par with the Delta variant could … hurt Joe Biden and Democrats next year." 

Coercion breeds resentment

Tablet Magazine: "America by Gaslight" - "When institutions and authority figures present open questions as settled and use coercive power to get their way, the collapse of public trust is a predictable result."

Union rules

Reason: "The Build Back Better Bill Will Give You $12,000 for Buying an Electric Car. Unless It's a Tesla." - "Only vehicles made in unionized U.S. factories qualify for the full amount." 

OMG, YES!

Hot Air: "WaPo columnist: Isn't everyone tired of Warren's "corporate greed" schtick yet?"

The left’s rhetorical response to the rising political threat of inflation continues to evolve. First they said the problem didn’t exist, and anyone who claimed otherwise was acting in bad faith or spouting Republican propaganda. Then, they said inflation is real — but President Biden’s Build Back Better plan would fix it.

Now, they tell us, inflation might be happening — but it’s the fault of greedy corporations! And those companies must be punished.

The two things that drive me bonkers about Elizabeth Warren is her shopworn rhetoric that 1) everybody's a victim and 2) people have no agency.  We're all just helpless proles, bullied by those greedy corporations, and government intervention (and dependency!) is the only solution.

How's that defund the police effort going?

Glenn Reynolds: "A common thread in Waukesha tragedy, Kenosha shootings: Government failure." - "When is a racial hate crime not a racial hate crime? When it doesn’t advance the left’s, and the Democrats’, narrative." 

Extra - Kimberly Strassel: "Democrats Have a Waukesha Problem - The massacre at a Christmas parade reveals the dangers of their crime policies." 

Happy Thanksgiving

The Bills-Saints game is going to be good.

39 years old, you say

I listen to NPR (sometimes) on my commute and here's how they described the guy who mowed over and killed a half-dozen Americans with his car:

Police say the suspect is Darrell Brooks Jr., who is 39 years old.

That chronological advancement of the suspect is the only thing we know until "The suspect in the Wis. Christmas parade attack has a previous criminal record"

We've learned that the man accused of driving his vehicle into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wis., and killing five people had a history of criminal charges. Police identified the suspect as Darrell Brooks Jr., 39 years old.

Much later in the story, we get the very first description on the race of the suspect:

        YOUSEF: Well, Darrell Brooks is Black...

He is?  Wow, well, it took all of five words to blame this on those darn Whites:

...and Waukesha is 89% white. So predictably, extremists have been exploiting this to sow racial division.

Yes, it's the "Republicans pounce" trope.

Now compare and contrast simply the title of a similarly-charged article: "The trial of 3 white men charged with murdering a Black jogger is nearing an end."  

Gee, it didn't take long - at all - to inject race into this story.

I wonder why we know the race of the now-convicted suspects but not their ages.

Malaise? What malaise?

Reason: "Inflation Is at a 30-Year High. Biden's Big Economy Speech Barely Mentioned It." - "The president should be more worried about inflation, and government responsibility for it, than he's acting."

Today, Dementia Joe decided to "help" by releasing 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  Let's see how that worked out!

Reuters: "Oil rises 3% to one-week high after U.S. taps emergency reserves." 

It's a good thing I saved my Fourth of July cookout money:

"When will you answer our questions?"

Red State: "Reporter Asks *the* Question of the Day at Conclusion of Joe Biden ‘Presser,’ Gets No Answer."

This is normal.

Add it up

The Corner: "Cornyn Asks for CBO Score of Build Back Better without Gimmicks."  

I dunno, AOC is pretty dumb too

Hot Air: "Axios to Rashida Tlaib: Did you seriously propose a bill to empty all federal prisons?" - "I say this not to be mean, in the spirit of gratuitous partisan nastiness. I say it because it’s true: She’s the dumbest member of Congress."

It's refreshing to see a reporter commit an act of journalism.  

The ignorance is bottomless

Hot Air: "Misinformation: Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines and shot 3 black people after the murder of Jacob Blake."

Even at this late point in the Rittenhouse saga, the mainstream media and the liberal left (I repeat myself) can't get the most basic facts straight:

Joe gives the correct statement then ruins it with "clarification"

Red State: "Joe Biden and His Handlers Immediately Walk Back the President's Kyle Rittenhouse Comments."

Honestly, we should have expected this considering the White House has to clarify Dementia Joe's statements over and over and over again.  

Of course they did

The Corner: "New York Times Buried Kenosha Reporting until after Election, Says Ex-reporter." 

CBO says BBB will add $367 billion to the deficit

Twitchy: "Biden’s tweet about Build Back Better adding zero dollars to the national debt didn’t age well."

"Twelve Angry Men" in reverse

Instead of one holdout for acquittal, there's (potentially) one holdout in the Rittenhouse jury for conviction: "Rittenhouse Verdict Watch: Has Jury Foreperson Gone Rogue And Holding Back Acquittal?"  Legal Insurrection:

I have a growing suspicion that this jury has not yet arrived at a unanimous verdict of acquittal only because of the resistance of juror #54, a woman who also happens to be the foreperson, who seems to be the hold-out against acquittal.

The jury selection risk to Kyle was always going to be that a “mask Karen” type, usually of leftist political persuasion, bossy, entitled, and status-sensitive, would be seated on the jury.  Such a person would be most unlikely to ever vote for acquittal—her social group would necessarily know she had done so, given the unanimous nature of an acquittal.

This trial has been a train wreck from start to finish so a mistrial seems a suitable ending.

Hiatus

See y'all in about a week.  Chaeyoung can't wink at 0:16:

Dems hate living by the standards they set up for everybody else

Issues & Insights: "Joe Biden Said It: He ‘Should Not Remain As President’" - Quote: "220,000 Americans dead. You hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who … is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America." 

Keep it up

National Review: "The Left Doubles Down on ‘CRT Isn’t Taught in Schools’." - "Newsflash: Gaslighting voters — telling them that the curriculum that they’re seeing with their own eyes doesn’t exist, and that they’re racist for thinking it does — backfires. Who would have thought?" 

How you can tell a Democrat is in the White House

MSNBC deleted this tweet.

Not even MSNBC wants to keep defending this ridiculous take: pic.twitter.com/1l4oSRZZF8

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 9, 2021

Just here for the ratio

Red State: "San Fran Chronicle Gets Responses They Deserve After Ridiculous 'Tolerance' Suggestion on Burglaries."

This is how the law and order discussion evolves in coastal, liberal cities until eventually the populace has had enough and votes in somebody to clean up the mess: "Law and order Republican wins Seattle City Attorney race."  

Didn't make it three days

So much for all that: "US appeals court blocks Biden’s federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate"

A federal appeals court in Louisiana has blocked the Biden administration’s latest COVID-19 vaccination mandate, giving the government until Monday afternoon to submit a response.

An emergency stay, issued Saturday from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, prevents the White House from requiring all full and part-time workers at private-sector companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated or get tested weekly and wear face masks. 

In its decision, the court cited “grave statutory and constitutional” concerns about the government’s mandate, which is scheduled to take effect on January 4.

Now we know why it took the Labor Department two months to write this OSHA rule: it was a constitutional minefield.  Let's go Brandon.

Democracy dies in fiction

Twitchy: "Washington Post notes that Durham probe indictment casts doubt on previous WaPo reports alleging Trump/Russia collusion."

It was sure nice of them to admit fault in very small print in a tiny footnote. 

Maddow's gonna Maddow

Matt Taibbi: "Rachel Maddow's Shocking New Low" - "With last night's loony response to the indictment of Igor Danchenko, the MSNBC anchor takes a bold leap off the credibility cliff." 

Sheesh, this guy really doesn't like the infrastructure bill

Philip Klein: "Disgraceful House Republicans Rescue Biden’s Flailing Agenda."

I'm not reflexively against government spending: it should be used for bridges, roads, and shiny new aircraft carriers.  What it should not be used for is "life of Julia" dependence on the government, which is the basis for the bloated Build Back Better bill.

House moderates negotiated a vote on BBB in exchange for a score from the Congressional Budget Office. I suspect this will be the fig leaf they need to tank the whole bill since it will most assuredly show spending levels much higher and tax revenues much lower than advertised.

So we had a three-month delay on passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Squad ended up with nothing to show for that silly dilatory tactic.

Some emergency

National Review: "Have Fun Defending the Emergency OSHA Rule in Court"

The danger of covid is so grave it took two months to write the OSHA rule and it won't be enforced until January.

The Rittenhouse defense is doing a great job

Wait...that's the prosecution?  Oh, man, my bad.

Witness #1 today: "TRAIN WRECK: Rittenhouse Prosecution Implodes With State Witness Richard McGinnis of Daily Caller."

Witness #2: "Lead Prosector Said Rittenhouse Chased Rosenbaum. Then Showed Evidence Contradicting Him."  

Where the white women at?

This is what happens when you close schools for a year and then let the moms see what is being taught https://t.co/xZVSCa5OEi

— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) November 3, 2021

The moment I knew Youngkin was going to win

Right here: "Biden: We're going to win tonight in Virginia."

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure Youngkin would win tonight.  I spend quite a bit of time on the Conservative subreddit and red voters from Virginia were very down on his chances.  They said that McAuliffe was running commercials around the clock and that the northern counties would overwhelm the rest of the state.  Guess not.  It looks like that shock Fox News poll showing Youngkin winning by 8% is going to undercount his margin of victory.

There will be plenty of time for postmortems, but repeating "Trump" like a deranged Tourette's patient was a huge mistake, Terry.

Tax cuts for the rich

The Corner: "Democrats’ Shell Game on SALT Deduction." - "After all the talk about how everything was infrastructure, and the reconciliation bill was going to transform America, Democrats are prepared to make the single largest item in the bill the restoration of a tax deduction that primarily benefits the wealthy."

Gaming the CBO score

The Corner: "How Manchin’s Attack on ‘Budget Gimmicks’ Could Be Death Knell for Biden Agenda."

What he's talking about here is something I addressed last week when I wrote about the “Build Back Better” framework. As Democrats were forced to pare down the price-tag of the bill, one thing they did was to only fund certain programs for a few years, in hopes that as they gained a constituency, they would get extended indefinitely. In the meantime, they can create the appearance of a less costly bill.

CBO considers the impact of a bill over a ten-year budget window and its analysts can only evaluate what’s put in front of them. In the current framework, Democrats extend the per child family allowance for a year, expand Obamacare for four years, and create universal pre-K and child-care programs that are only funded for six. If the CBO were to score this bill, they would only consider the costs for one, four, and six years, respectively. But what Manchin is talking about when he says “if you extend it permanently” is that he is trying to think about the ten-year cost of the bill if these new welfare programs remain in place beyond the expiration dates laid out in the framework. Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute has said the true cost of the framework is close to $4 trillion over a decade on that basis.

This isn't the first time the Democrats have manipulated the CBO score:

“This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure CBO did not score the mandate as taxes,” Gruber explained to academics last year. “If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies. Okay, so it’s written to do that.”

As Gruber noted, it's important to take advantage of the "stupidity of the American voter." 

I called it

Hey, I got one right!

PJ Media: "The Southwest Airlines 'Let's Go Brandon' Narrative Appears to Be Crashing and Burning."

Twitchy: "A bit of social media sleuthing calls the Southwest Airlines ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ narrative even further into question."

Let's go, Braves!

This is normal

Extra - This is also normal: "Sidelined: Biden's odd position in the "family photo" says it all about his time at the G20."  

This doesn't pass the smell test

Fox News: "Southwest under fire after video surfaces purportedly showing pilot saying 'Let's go Brandon'."

The TikTok video in question is not of a cabin of passengers listening to the captain over the intercom.  It's a straight-on video of a man, apparently in a cockpit but with his face blocked, saying "Let's go Brandon."  So did the pilot record himself and then post this video?

The article says an Associated Press reporter was on the offending flight but is there anybody else who can corroborate this story?  It's got the "my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl that was on the Southwest flight" vibe.

Gosh, I wonder how this could have happened

Washington Examiner: "Trust of US media in ‘free fall,’ lowest in world." - "According to a recent survey conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford, among 92,000 news consumers in 46 countries, the United States ranked last in terms of media trust at 29%."

Cue the "Am I out of touch?" Principal Skinner meme.

What does the economy have against Mayor Pete's paternity leave?

Ace: "Crash: Economy Slows to Meager 2% Growth, the Worst Since the Start of Covid Recovery."

Watch for the covid excuse to promulgate, the one Zombie Joe bragged he was going to "shut down", the one that didn't affect the supply chain until a couple months ago.

Democracy for Dummies

The Corner: "Bernie Sanders Can’t Count to 52."

Taking the rings off your fingers

Reason: "Democrats' Proposed 'Billionaire Tax' Is Definitely a Wealth Tax, and It May Be Unconstitutional."

In addition to being unconstitutional, it's stupid and unworkable.

Friday's going to be lit, y'all

Hot Air: "Feeling Berned: Sanders insists on Medicare expansion, drug pricing for reconciliation."

Nancy Pelosi stated on one of the Sunday shows that there will be a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and/or the reconciliation bill.  At this point, it's impossible to see that happening considering that everybody is drawing red lines.

Bernie insists on his $3.5 trillion "floor" while Manchin is on record insisting on less than half of that.  Taxes will have to go up but Sinema says that's not going to happen.  For every public statement, there are a handful of others in Congress who are avoiding criticism when a single vote in the Senate and three in the House will sink any legislation.

The best-worst choice for the Democrats would be to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill alone but it's altogether possible some peevish progressives will sink the whole thing without Bernie's socialist agenda.

Lower your expectations, America

Federalist: "Media Demand You Stop Shopping To Shield Biden From Blame For Supply-Chain Nightmare."  

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete wants you to know that it's all covid's fault.  

$190 billion buys a lot of chalk

Reason: "What Did Public Schools Do With COVID Relief Money? Whatever They Wanted. = "Track and field equipment and salaries for custodians are among the goods and services school districts purchased with COVID-19 relief money. Figuring out what they did with the rest of it remains difficult." 

How many abandoned in Afghanistan?

Red State: "Confirmed: The Biden Administration Has Been Lying About Americans Trapped in Afghanistan."

The State Department initially said the number was "around 100" and, after all the evacuations, it's down to 400. 

Extra - The Corner: "State Department: Whoops, We Just Found a Lot More Americans Who Want to Leave Afghanistan."  

Manchin channels Judge Smails

Axios: "Scoop: “How about zero?” Manchin, Sanders get heated behind closed doors."

It's amazing that Democrats and old Socialists like Bernie still think they can somehow jawbone or threaten Manchin into supporting this multi-trillion-dollar pork train they're calling the reconciliation bill.  I feel like I read a variation of this same update every day.

Americans unappreciative of Afghan evacuation

Hot Air: "Cratering: New poll puts Biden approval below 40%." 

How to tell a Democrat is President, a continuing series

Fox News: "Washington Post crushed for piece calling on American consumers to lower expectations: 'Joe Biden's America' - "'Why breadlines are the new buffets'"

Expectations have been lowered:

The adults are back in charge. The stupid adults.

Spectator World: "Who knew that governing was so ‘complicated’?" - "Not the Biden administration, apparently."

We all know that Dementia Joe is a dimwit but what's the excuse of everybody else?  Mayor Pete is proving to be a disaster and Kamala Harris can't find the border or the Space Force.  Then there's this clown from Massachusetts:

There are no shortage of floundering amateurs in this administration. Former Boston mayor Marty Walsh was caught off guard in an embarrassing interview this week with Axios reporter Dan Primack. To be fair though, Dan did ambush him. Asking the Labor Secretary about jobs…how could Marty have ever seen that one coming?

Primack asked Walsh questions about why people aren’t returning back to work and how long can people afford to stay home before they have to start paying their bills. Walsh responded nervously, ‘These questions are asked every month.’ Primack pushed back and asked, ‘What’s the answer?’ Walsh replied, ‘I don’t think there is an answer.’

Doesn't anybody here know how to play this game?

Extra - Power Line: "Nine months into Biden's presidency, faith in government has plummeted."

It's come to this

Newsweek: "Photo Shows Dunkin' Store Out of Donuts as Food Shortages Hit U.S."  A Dunkin' Donuts in Baltimore, for the record.

At least no beloved American holidays will be ruined.

Some food producers have already issued warnings. For example, Butterball, which is one of the leading turkey producers in the U.S., has warned of a shortage of turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving in late November.

Great.

#BuildBackBetter pic.twitter.com/phdBnEBoGo

— Anna James Zeigler (@ajzeigler) October 14, 2021

Nine has been fine since 1869

National Review: "Nobody Cared About Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court Because It Was Pointless" - "Thing is, though: Democrats being a little sad does not a crisis make. Hell, it does not even a problem make. A few years ago, Joe Biden understood this. Today, like the rest of his party, he does not. Happily, though, the total lack of response to the Commission suggests that a majority of Americans still do."  

Joe got zinged!

Here's the single bit of satire aimed at Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live last night:

Weekend Update managed to squeeze in one Biden joke this Saturday, with co-host Michael Che saying a new report found Biden is, on average, 22 minutes late to events. 

"Worse, he only does it to appeal to Black voters," Che said.

Ah, yes, that's the issue that has driven criticism of Joe Biden: his lack of punctuality.

Apropos of nothing: "Dozens of American Children Remain Trapped in Afghanistan, and Biden Moves On." 

Biden plays the Grinch

NY Post: "Welcome back to ‘70s-style stagflation misery, thanks to Uncle Joe."

It looks like Dementia Joe is finally going to succeed where others have failed in cancelling Christmas.

Backfire

Politico, yesterday: "‘We’re going to make her life unpleasant’: Activists aren’t finished with Kyrsten Sinema."

Kyrsten Sinema, today: "Senator Sinema rejects vote on big Biden package before infrastructure."

U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a key moderate, told fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives this week that she will not vote for a multitrillion-dollar package that is a top priority for President Joe Biden before Congress approves a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, according to a source briefed on the meeting.

In fact, Sinema and Manchin told the Democrats they would not abide by any deadlines linking together the Infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Bloat.  These two haven't moved an inch since this invented crisis started and yet people like Bernie keep thinking they have some kind of leverage.

Spoiler alert: they don't.

"Another victory like that and we are done for"

Twitchy: "Jen Psaki explains that everything’s going the way it is because ‘we’ve made progress in the economy’."

Can we have a little less "progress" and bring back gas prices from a year ago?  

(Reference for title).  

Extra - Hot Air: "AP: Heating costs to soar as Biden begs fossil-fuel companies for rescue."

Funemployment all over again

Shot: "Inflation Rises To Highest Level In Over 13 Years."

How to tell a Democrat is in the White House chaser: "Brace for hot take! Biden will appreciate this assist explaining why rising inflation is a ‘net positive’." 

* - funemployment reference from 2009.

The narrative wins

Instapundit: "KATIE COURIC COVERED UP RBG’S DISLIKE FOR TAKING THE KNEE: Anchor says she edited 2016 interview to ‘protect’ the justice after she said people who kneel are showing ‘contempt for a government that made a decent life possible:’

In new memoir, Going There, Couric writes that she edited out a part where Ginsburg said that those who kneel during the national anthem are showing ‘contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life.’

The published story, which Couric wrote for Yahoo! News in 2016, did include quotes from Ginsburg saying refusing to stand for the anthem was ‘dumb and disrespectful’, but omitted more problematic remarks.

Can you imagine allowing the hoi polloi making up their own minds based on facts?  Crazy!

Sure, why not?

Politicians never tire of giving you "free" stuff.  Reason: "New York City Considers Requiring Landlords to Provide Free Internet to Tenants" - "A new bill introduced by Council Member Ben Kallos would require landlords to provide broadband internet. It would also forbid them from passing on the costs of internet service to tenants." 

The deuce you say, the New York Times?

I've been told they're the paragon of professionalism, according to the NY Times.  Reason: "The New York Times Spreads Misinformation About COVID-19." - "In general, her pandemic reporting has manifested a paranoid slant. But the Thursday article wasn't just slanted; it was wrong, wrong, wrong." 

Chuck roast

PJ Media: "McConnell Tells Biden, 'You're On Your Own' When It Comes to the Debt Limit."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has never been known as one of the brightest bulbs in the room. He proved it once again on Thursday night when he took off on an epic partisan rant against Republicans who had just thrown him a lifeline on extending the debt limit by agreeing to a short-term increase.

This would be the speech that Joe Manchin called "f-n stupid" and Mitt Romney complained was unhelpful partisan slander.  Even after announcing the debt increase deal, McConnell had to whip for 10 Republican votes to overcome the filibuster rules.  Now that Schumer's bad faith has been established, there is a slim chance Republican senators will fall for this a second time.

The good news is that Chuck has two months to assemble a debt increase through the reconciliation process.  Better get busy.

Extra - NBC News: "After McConnell's blink, Democrats hold a weaker hand - Analysis: Democratic sources say there is no plan for avoiding a messier debt limit fight in December — and the Senate minority leader insists he won't help again."

Throwing cold water

Twitchy: "A #NeverTrump conservative lawyer throws ice-cold water on the idea that the January 6 Committee was ever going to enforce subpoenas."

Stagflation is here

Hot Air: "Expectation deflation: US adds fewer than 200K jobs in September."

Yeesh.

Extra - Wall Street Journal: "U.S. Job Growth Falls to Slowest Pace of the Year." 

Related - NY Post: "Real cost of inflation to average American household: An extra $175 a month."

The still-failing media

Gallup: "Americans' Trust in Media Dips to Second Lowest on Record."

I like this subheading: "Democrats' Trust in Media Dwarfs Republicans' and Independents'."  Yes, I imagine it does.

How's that "language" coming along?

Federalist: "Joe Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Doesn’t Exist. It’s Just A Press Release - Americans are no longer living under representative government. We are living under government by the screen people, of the screen people, for the screen people." 

All kinds of time

Bluff called.  National Review: "Schumer v. McConnell on the Debt Ceiling."

Raising the debt ceiling through reconciliation would not affect Democrats’ ability to pass their social-spending reconciliation bill: “According to the parliamentarian’s office, Democrats could [raise the debt ceiling through reconciliation] without impacting the existing reconciliation package. That legislation would stay on its own separate track and not lose its privilege in the Senate, meaning it can’t be filibustered and would only require a majority vote for approval,” Punchbowl News reported on Monday.

But, as Phil notes, McConnell has now made Schumer an offer that makes it plain to absolutely everyone that Senate Democrats have the time and the power to raise the debt limit through reconciliation.

The Democrats are so used to favorable coverage from the press, I wonder if they think they can still press on with default and blame the Republicans.  I have my doubts if only because, driving home today, I heard NPR describe this as a kind of lifeline to Chuck Schumer and a way to avoid fiscal catastrophe.  NPR!

Burn the heretic!

Jim Geraghty: "The Piranhas Come for Kyrsten Sinema." - "The progressive Left — represented not just by Democratic politicians but by activists, aligned groups, institutions, cultural figures, and certain journalists — operates on the mentality that anyone who stands in the way of it getting what it wants must be destroyed."

I forget where I saw it but somebody quipped that Sinema is going to get so fed up with this relentless harassment that, by next week, she'll be wearing a MAGA hat.

Extra - Wall Street Journal: "Kyrsten Sinema, the Bad Maverick - While John McCain was cheered as a hero, the Arizona Democrat is treated as a traitor."

Restoring the norms of decency

Charles C.W. Cooke: "Chasing Kyrsten Sinema into a Bathroom Is Not Normal."

One imagines that this might be more obvious if the politics were slightly different. If, instead of a left-winger berating a moderate Democrat in the loo, a right-winger had berated a moderate Republican, it would have been the biggest news of the year. Within minutes, the occurrence would have had a name — the “Arizona Attack,” perhaps. Within a day, it would have been deemed to be representative of everything that was wrong with the American Right — and with the United States itself. Within a week, we would have been drowning in breathless TV segments, tendentious op-eds, and mawkish lectures about the sanctity of democracy in America.

I can hear the rhetoric now. Change a handful of inconvenient details, and this incident would be cast as an attack on “women,” on “the LGBT community,” and on “our democracy itself.” Put the motivating criticisms in the mouth of Tucker Carlson, instead of Chris Hayes, and the episode would be widely held as “the logical endpoint of the climate of hatred that has been whipped up.” Attribute the passion to a MAGA type instead of a progressive, and it would be said to “evoke the painful memories of January 6.”

This was such an easy lay-up for Biden who could have condemned the bathroom incident with a simple "that's not who we are"-type of statement.  But that demented fool forgot everything he learned from his days of Senatorial decorum and, of course, the media was ready to defend him.  

It is without fail that whenever President Joe Biden finds himself on the receiving end of legitimate criticisms from his political opposition (which is quite literally every day, almost every hour), there will be an array of Democrat apologists in the mainstream media who rush to his defense in order to suggest that whatever he said or did was either taken out of context or was really not the shocking moment people make it out to be.

Today was no exception.

Democrats never think their actions will boomerang on them (e.g. Joe Biden voting against debt limit increases, the nuclear option for judicial nominees) so they'll be shocked when people start following Chuck Schumer into the commode.

pic.twitter.com/Tqy9hRndlD

— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) October 4, 2021

Civil War

Hot Air: ""Inexcusable": Did Biden's infrastructure meeting with House Dems backfire?"  It sure looks that way and now Kirsten Sinema has a new statement out strongly suggesting she's washing her hands of the entire deal.

Extra - Politico: "The fact that the president came to the Hill and whipped against his own bill is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

"Be a maverick!" they said

Twitchy: "NY Times put a very different spin on 2 Arizona senators standing in the way of their party’s agenda."  

Why can't we have an honest discussion on natural immunity?

Mises Wire: "Why "Natural Immunity" Is a Political Problem for the Regime." - "At this point, it would be embarrassing for the regime to admit what actual scientific inquiry has shown: that natural immunity is generally superior to receiving the vaccine. The regime doesn't like to be embarrassed, and neither do the countless doctors and nurses who have long toed the regime's political line. So expect more of the same." 

Two stories out of Western Massachusetts

Here in my neck of the woods, two stories have been getting national attention.  Hot Air: "Smith & Wesson bailing out of blue Massachusetts."

This battle of cultures has been going on for ages here in the People's Republic of Massachusetts and about once a year the anti-gun protesters show up outside the Springfield factory.  Last month, a billboard was put up right across the plant on I-291:

Just over Interstate 291, a billboard appears a few hundred yards from the Smith & Wesson factory of slain high school student Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, who was shot four times with a M&P15 rifle made by the Springfield-based factory.

“I can’t turn 21 and enjoy my first legal beer because a Florida teen was allowed to get his first legal AR-15,” the billboard reads.

Now Smith & Wesson is moving some production to Tennessee and laying off 550 workers from really well-paying jobs.

The second story is a report that Black students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have received anonymous hate emails.  But the university is hot on the trail: "UMass Amherst enlists leading cybersecurity firm in effort to unmask sender of racist emails sent to Black student groups."

At this point, I'm 90-95% sure this is yet another hate crime hoax so if/when these cybersleuths uncover the actual perpetrator, the story will either be buried or turned into a "teachable moment" for us all.

Wait until the press hears about this

Federalist: "President Biden Governs Through Obvious, Ham-Fisted Lies - Biden’s most recently revealed Afghanistan lie is just the latest in a string of outright falsehoods and deceptions the White House is resorting to in the face of failure."

I'm trying to retire the "but Trump" trope but it was sure nice of the mainstream media to retire their Presidential Lie Count just in time for Zombie Joe Biden to take office.  Thank heaven Joey never lied about the size of the crowd at his Inauguration.  

About that House vote that's definitely happening tomorrow

Going down in flames.  The Hill: "House appears poised to pull infrastructure vote amid stubborn stalemate."  

Sad

Human Events: "Nearly 25% of College Students Say it’s Acceptable to Use Violence to Shut Down Controversial Speakers." 

Five trillion in new spending should solve this problem

CNBC: "Fed Chair Powell to warn Congress that inflation pressures could last longer than expected."

There's always a tweet

Irony can be pretty ironic.  Here's Nancy in 2018:

This didn't age well. https://t.co/lQ37iRSfQP

— Lindsey Michelle🇺🇸 Ⓜ️🅰️G🅰️ (@PoliticalLinz) September 27, 2021

Ice cream questions are acceptable

NY Post: "Joe Biden annoyed with US press asking off-topic questions, Psaki says." 

Democracy dies in dumbness

Fox News: "WaPo columnist savaged for downplaying $3.5 trillion bill and saying it will be paid for."

Prepare the popcorn

Red State: "Pelosi Backs off Monday Vote on Infrastructure, Which May Be the Death Knell of Biden's Agenda."

Briefly: Nancy Pelosi agreed to an up-or-down vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill tomorrow (9/27) and now it looks like she's going to break her word because she doesn't have the votes.  But if she doesn't hold the vote as agreed, moderate Democrats in the House claim they'll vote against anything and Kirsten Sinema (among other in the Senate) has stated she'll sink the reconciliation bill.

It's gonna be awesome.

Bounces off the crossbar for extra drama

Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens just broke the NFL record for a field goal at 66 yards.  The doink off the crossbar was (chef's kiss).

Update - Sorry, it looks like the NFL blocked this video.  You can see it here, I think.  

Norms restored

National Review: "Biden’s Shameful Attack on Border Patrol." - "After saying nary a discouraging word about the Taliban as they chased us from Afghanistan and held us to an exit deadline that meant abandoning American citizens, green-card holders, and Afghan allies behind enemy lines, Joe Biden has finally found a focus for his moral indignation — Border Patrol agents on horseback."

Unclear on the concept

First, a flashback to this headline: "US ranks last among 46 countries in trust in media, Reuters Institute report finds - Just 29% of people surveyed in the U.S. said they trust the news, compared to 45% in Canada and 54% in Brazil."

Have no fear, because the (checks notes) New York Times is on a mission to restore faith in the news.  Vanity Fair: "Crisis of Trust in the Media: Inside A.G. Sulzberger's Top Times Project"

“The media in general and The New York Times in particular have taken a lot of shots in recent years, and every poll will tell you that the media is not trusted,” one source said. “How do we, in this era of so much distrust in the media, show the rigor we use in preparing our report to sort of win people over?"

Oh, I have several ideas, but you won't like them A.G.  But do go on.

"The fact that we have a Supreme Court reporter who’s a lawyer, or that we have a medical doctor writing about COVID—we know that stuff, but how do we get that across?” The other source familiar with the project said, “It’s about ensuring that people understand how and why we do what we do.” And crucially, that this sense of understanding transcends the Upper West Side, or any other stereotypical Times constituencies. “This work, more broadly,” the source said, “will hopefully resonate with right of center people, centrists, left of center people—a lot of the work is just to ensure people understand what the Times does.”

So it looks like the plan here is an appeal to authority, with their lawyerly Supreme Court reporter, and not to consider the viewpoints of Americans in flyover country.

The last Republican candidate that the New York Times endorsed for President was Dwight Eisenhower.  A lot of Americans already understand how and why and what you do.

Extra - Remember this NYT gem from four days ago?

And this:

Remember when the ACLU defended the Constitution?

The Corner: "The ACLU’s RBG Tweet Shows Once Again That It Has Abandoned Free Speech." 

How to tell a Democrat is President

Financial Times: "Inflation is back with a vengeance — but is that a bad thing?"

Yes, inflation is the greatest gift since Obama's era of "funemployment!" 

"The Wonder Years" reboot - surprisingly good

Without getting too deep into the racial themes of 1968 Alabama, the show captured the spirit of the original with the confusion of a 12-year-old living in troubled times.

One aspect of the original "Wonder Years" that I always loved - carefully recreated here - is the strong father figure.  It seems like every other sitcom has the "silly Dad" Homer Simpson character, bum-stumbling from one crisis to another.  Dan Lauria's original dad was a hard-working, occasionally bitter man who above it all loved his family and wanted to do the right thing.  In the reboot, Dule Hill plays the cool and confident, nonplussed father, anchoring his own family.

By the way, I LOL'd when the parents suggested sending their daughter to Spelman College, a black all-female college, calling it a "win-win" proposition.  As in a "win-win" for the two parents.

Even Romney gets it

Ace: "Mitch McConnell: The GOP Will Not Vote to Raise the Debt Ceiling"

Mitt Romney, of all people, explains the thinking: If the Democrats are making all spending and taxing decisions without bipartisan give-and-take, why should Republicans have to help Democrats with this vote?

Youse guys wanna cram through historic, war-time spending?  Go ahead and cram through the debt increase, too. 

The NY Times is a parody of itself

This article is unbelievable.  What's in the water over there?  Newsbusters: "New York Times: Iran's Top Bomb-Maker Loved Persian Poetry, Drives to the Seashore."

Even for the woke NYT, this is a new low. Almost couldn't believe it was real at first.

— Archie N. 🇺🇸 (@ArchieN1966) September 19, 2021

Sinema calls the tune

Hot Air: "Sinema reportedly calls Pelosi's bluff: Pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill next week or I'll tank reconciliation."

A bit of background: some moderate Democrats in the House cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi.  She agreed to bring the infrastructure bill, that passed the Senate, up for a vote on September 27th.  She did this to buy some time to get the $3.5 trillion spending bill completed and pass the bills together.  Well, that ain't gonna happen.

If Pelosi calls for a vote on September 27th, progressive Democrats may balk and Nancy will need to depend on Republican votes to pass the infrastructure bill.  But if she tries to delay, Sinema will scotch the $3.5 trillion bill (which is probably dead anyway based on Joe Manchin's comments.)

My feeling is that Democrats will take half-a-loaf and pass infrastructure then the multi-trillion wish list will die in the Senate.

Adios, financial privacy

Reason: "Biden's Plan To Crack Down on Tax Cheating: Snooping on Everyone's Bank Accounts - The president says the IRS needs just two bits of information: all the money that goes into your bank account, and all the money that comes out." 

Doesn't anybody know how to play this game?

The Corner: "Biden’s Booster Bungle Shows a White House in Dysfunction." 

In pursuit of that fair share

Fox News: "Bill Maher calls out AOC's 'Tax the Rich' dress: 'Let's not lie' and say the rich don't pay taxes."

The top 1% pay more than the bottom 95%.  That seems like a lot.

Modern problems require modern solutions

Ace: "Lawless Biden administration changes FAA rules to block Fox from filming border chaos." 

Question: if the media refuses to cover the border crisis, does it matter that the Biden administration is preventing damning pictures? 

Never enough

Reason - "Taxing the Rich Isn't Enough to Pay for Democrats' Welfare State. They'll Need To Soak the Middle Class Too. - There simply aren't enough rich people to finance all the new spending."

Insulting allies in every hemisphere

Reuters: "France says Biden acted like Trump to sink Australia defence deal."

PARIS (Reuters) -France accused U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after Paris was pushed aside from a historic defence export contract to supply Australia with submarines.

The United States, Britain and Australia announced they would establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will help Australia acquire U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and scrap the $40 billion French-designed submarine deal.

“This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr Trump used to do,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told franceinfo radio. “I am angry and bitter. This isn’t done between allies.”

Mr. Competency and Foreign Relations, pissing off allies from Perth to Paris.

Australian media pounces

This is normal.  Politico: "‘That fellow Down Under’ — Aussies cringe as Biden appears to forget PM’s name."

SYDNEY — Pal. Fellow Down Under. Hey … you.

Sure, Washington, London and Canberra have just signed a huge new defense pact. But what Australians are talking about is U.S. President Joe Biden appearing to forget their prime minister’s name.

The American media covered up for Dementia Joe but the Aussies weren't quite as forgiving:

Twitter lit up with hundreds of comments calling out Mr Biden, with social media users describing him as "hopeless" and "embarrassing". 

Hey, man, he remembered Boris Johnson's name.  You can't expect him to remember the name of two guys.

Priorities

Federalist: "Victims Demand Justice After FBI Ignored Nassar’s Serial Abuse, Sexual Assault."

Daily Wire: "The FBI Sent 15 Federal Agents To Investigate Bubba Wallace Claim While Violent Insurrections Tear The Country Apart."

Fifteen FBI agents.