I’ve made this plea before, but, obviously, God wasn’t listening. Or, if God was, Bernie wasn’t. Bernie Sanders has no reason to listen to anyone. In 2012, the best election of his life, Bernie polled almost 300,000 votes. In 2016, he’s polled well over 9 million, which in political terms gives him the right to…
Author: Alan Vanneman
Ben Sasse, B.A., M.A., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Yeah, you read that right. Ben Sasse, junior senator from Nebraska, has more degrees than a compass: a BA from Harvard (government), an MA from St. John’s (liberal studies), and an MA, MPhil1, and a Ph.D. from Yale (all in philosophy). Yet he talks just like me and you. Most of the time. Ben has…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Grackles taste like shit, that’s why.” “That’s taking lazy to a new level.” “He’s got balls. You just can’t see them.” “It’s a mating ritual for morons, that’s what it is.” “Birds who play games with featherless bipeds end up featherless too.” “If old Furface could see…
The Koch Boys: Getting Wiser, Or Getting Richer?
Over at the National Review, Tim Alberta and Eliana Johnson have a nice, “inside” piece “In Koch World ‘Realignment’, Less National Politics”, basically claiming that Charlie and Dave have decided to cut back on their political spending, feeling that, even with a Republican Senate, they just aren’t getting much bang for their buck. This may…
What Doth Ryan Want?
I am one of the least known, yet most vociferous members of the Anti-Ryan Club, which is led, more or less, by Paul Krugman and Jonathan Chait. As both Paul and Jon will tell you, Paul Ryan will say and do just about anything, as long as it allows him to maneuver himself into the…
Bill Evans—“Round Midnight”
Live in Sweden, 1970, with Eddie Gomez, bass, and Marty Morrell, drums. Posted by Levent Parman
Paul Ryan, The Policy Wonk That Wasn’t
Unless you’ve been living under a blanket, or have a life, you’re well aware that House Speaker Paul Ryan just had a meeting with Republican presidential nominee to be Donald Trump. Virtually everything about the Republican Party is a joke these days—most of them, of course, very unfunny. The biggest, and least funny is the…
Thank you, Mark Perry!
A month ago, Politico ran an exceptionally stupid article by Bryan Bender that probably should have been entitled “The Russians Are Coming! And They’re Ten Fucking Feet Tall!” although (obviously) it wasn’t. I launched a brief riposte “We Suck, says U.S. Army”, saying, basically, that I didn’t believe a word Bryan said. Today, Mark Perry,…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “I know you’d kill on the stand. That’s what I’m afraid of.” “Yeah, but I don’t think they’d want to know your ‘real name’.” “Now, remember: The jury wants to like you. You just have to let that happen.” “One more thing: Ixnay on the ghoulish laughter. A quiet…
Ben Sasse, Wall Street Tool
Nebraska Junior Senator Ben Sasse recently posted “AN OPEN LETTER TO MAJORITY AMERICA”, bemoaning the fact that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump offers what the American people—the real American people, the folks down at the WalMart—really want. When ole Ben finally gets tired of patting himself on the back for being the fine, down…