IT’S NOT JUST FEINSTEIN: Democrats are dumping moderates.
Archive for 2018
July 16, 2018
SOCIALIST “IT GIRL” STUMBLES: The future of the Democratic Party has no idea what “occupation of Palestine” means, but certainly likes using it.
That puts Democrats who are rushing to get behind [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez in a bind, however. Will the news media start asking them about the “occupation of Palestine” in places like Indiana, West Virginia, and Ohio? Or how about even in New York, where Kirsten Gillibrand practically sprained an ankle attempting to embrace Democratic Socialism after Ocasio-Cortez’ surprise win? Does the Akin Rule apply to anyone else other than Republicans?
Just think of the media as Democratic operatives with bylines, and you’ll know the answer is, “No. Next question?”
METAPHOR ALERT: SF Mayor Says Her City Is Drowning In Poop.
“There is more feces on the sidewalks than I’ve ever seen growing up here,” Breed told KNTV. “That is a huge problem and we are not just talking about from dogs — we’re talking about from humans.”
The streets of San Francisco are littered with a “dangerous mix of drug needles, garbage, and feces”, KNTV’s investigative team reported in February after surveying the city’s streets.
“We see poop, we see pee, we see needles, and we see trash,” preschool teacher Adelita Orellana told KNTV. “Sometimes they ask what is it, and that’s a conversation that’s a little difficult to have with a 2-year old, but we just let them know that those things are full of germs, that they are dangerous, and they should never be touched.”
There are about 7,500 homeless people living in San Francisco according to the city, which will spend nearly $280 million this year on housing services for the homeless.
Incentives matter.
HARDBALL: US rejects EU plea for sanctions exemption.
Some of Europe’s biggest firms rushed to do business with Iran after the nuclear deal was implemented two-and-a-half years ago.
In 2017, EU exports to Iran (goods and services) totalled €10.8bn (£9.5bn; $12.9bn), and imports from Iran were worth €10.1bn.
Last month, ministers from the UK, France and Germany wrote a letter to Mr Pompeo and Mr Mnuchin saying that persevering with the existing nuclear deal was the “best basis on which to engage Iran” and address President Trump’s concerns.
The ministers warned against taking actions that could prevent EU member states from continuing to abide by their commitments under the nuclear deal.
That included imposing “secondary sanctions” on European companies and individuals doing business in Iran, particularly those involved in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, energy, automotive, civil aviation and banking sectors.
Mr Pompeo and Mr Mnuchin formally rejected the request for exemptions in a letter to European ministers that was leaked to the media on Sunday night.
Well, good.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Not Ready for Prime-Time Player.
BLUE STATE BLUES: These Tax Laws Are Holding Back California’s Housing Market. “The state’s efforts to save homeowners money are now keeping many of them locked in their homes — and potential buyers locked out.”
Virginia Postrel:
In pricey areas, two enormous tax distortions will still encourage California homeowners to stick to the old homestead. One is the federal capital gains tax, which kicks in on any profit of $250,000 or more for an individual or $500,000 for a couple. In a state where tiny bungalows routinely go for well over $1 million, that’s not much of an exemption. “There are people in San Francisco who won’t sell until they die because of the capital gains,” says Kevane.
Even when they die, their houses may never hit the market. In the same 1986 election in which voters passed Prop 60, encouraging older owners to move, they passed a different measure with the opposite effect. Known as Prop 58, it created a new class of landed aristocrats: the descendants of people who bought their homes at low prices.
The law lets homes (and up to $1 million in other property) pass from parents to children without a step-up in assessed value. Another initiative, Prop 193, does the same for grandchildren when their parents are deceased. Together these exclusions all but guarantee that a significant portion of California homes will never go on sale. They can, however, be rented out at market prices.
Maybe Sacramento ought to try passing a law against unintended consequences.
MARQUETTE IS A MESS: Latino student expelled over photos that sparked racism accusations. “Marquette University student Alex Ruiz was recently expelled after school officials deemed two photos inadvertently sent to a black classmate ‘discriminatory harassment,’ this despite authorities declining to press charges, saying there was no intent to harass anyone.”
AIRBASE 201, THERE IS A STORM ON THE HORIZON: An approaching sandstorm in Niger, June 24, 2018.
KEEP VOTING UNTIL THE POPULAR WILL PROPERLY REFLECTS ELITE SENTIMENT: New Brexit referendum ‘is only way to end deadlock.’
SO GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST: The brain may clean out Alzheimer’s plaques during sleep. Sleep is a “rinse cycle.”
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, LEGAL EDUCATION EDITION: LSAT Adopts 12 Different Gender Identity Options; GRE Only Has Two. So does that mean that law schools that have started accepting the GRE in lieu of the LSAT are bigoted?
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, DIVERSITY-PROBLEM EDITION: SUNY Albany only hosted two conservative speakers last year. Out of 85.
LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Trump Meets with Putin and Much, Much More. “Today, the president is in Helsinki, Finland, to meet with RUSSIAN President Putin and everyone is freaking out. The meeting comes on the heels of a conveniently-timed announcement that the Mueller investigation has indicted a posse of RUSSIAN operators for meddling in U.S. elections. Really, how about that timing? Right before Trump meets with Putin. It’s just so wild.”
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST: Watch: Ocasio-Cortez Attacks Israel Then Admits She Has No Idea What She’s Talking About.
GREAT MOMENTS IN INTERSECTIONALITY: Why are greens silent over this ongoing ecological war?
PRIME DAY: Get a 30-day Free Trial of Amazon Prime.
MANY OF THOSE ARE EVEN ALIVE AND U.S. CITIZENS: 2018: Democrats lead GOP by 12 million registered voters, 40% D, 29% R, 28% I.
Democrats hold a massive voter lead in states that require party registration, a gap of 12 million that could be key to whether the party takes control of the House and Senate in the fall midterm congressional elections, according to a new analysis.
Overall, 40 percent of voters in 31 party registration states are Democrats, 29 percent are Republicans, and 28 percent are independents, according to a new report of July numbers from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. The states include several with key battles over House seats such as California, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
The lead is significant, said Rhodes Cook’s analysis in Center Director Larry Sabato’s “Crystal Ball” newsletter, because in the past presidential election the majority party in 24 of the 31 states won, especially among Republican states.
This is why I say, if you want to make a difference, get off the Internet and go do real-world campaign work.