Month: December 2021

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I am disappointed that Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema are still struggling with supporting President Biden’s recovery bills but I am no surprised. I am actually surprised that so many important people are. If they had ever said yes I am supporting the final bills whatever they are, I just need to iron out a few details. Neither of them ever did. I admit they have been cagey throughout the whole process but I don’t remember them doing anything that would make me think they publicly committed to supporting the bills.

Which sadly brings me to President Biden. I have never been wild about the man but, I have to also admit, that aside from Obama I haven’t really been wild about any of the Democrats running for president. I do vote for them and I will vote for him again if I am given the same choice we had in 2020. This is, however, embarrassing. Someone should have known long before December that Manchin was uncommitted to the deals. Nobody did.

The Democratic Leadership also bear some responsibility in this. It is December, for Christ’s sake. Why are we still messing with these bills? There is a very narrow majority in the Senate – the Vice President’s vote is it. They needed Manchin and Sinema from the beginning. Everyone knows it. There is no point in talking to Republicans so that leaves the two renegade Democrats. The bill had to make these two people happy or it was doomed. Once they committed, then, to show that they indeed backed the bill, Biden and the Democratic Leadership could have tasked them with publicly supporting the bill, going on television, talking about it with reporters. This way if either of them backed out there might be a remote chance that they would be concerned about how this makes them look.

But this isn’t how it happened. The White House allowed the negotiations to drag on for more than a year only to learn at the last minute that Manchin will oppose the one bill. Why are they still dotting i’s and crossing t’s here? It sounds like the bill became weighed down with pork that senators kept adding to the bill because they knew this bill would pass. Now, I like pork as much as the next man but there should be time limit on how long the BBQ continues particularly if you are framing the bills as an urgent matter necessary for the recovery of the country.

Maybe, Manchin pulled a fast on. That’s certainly possible but the senator covered his tracks in such a way that Biden looks like a chump. Now if the Democrats want to pass a bill, they will have to ask Manchin and Sinema to tell the what they want and they will do whatever it is they want to get the bill passed. This would have been far less humiliating for Biden earlier in the year and, more importantly, would have been a much less visible capitulation and done primarily behind closed doors.

If things weren’t bad enough, the White House called Manchin a liar. He may very well be a liar. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. But if you still need 51 votes to pass your bill, and Manchin is one of the two people you can hope to corral to your side, you might be a bit more judicious in your comments.

It is discouraging to see Biden flailing because I really don’t know where we go from here.

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Firstly, I am talking about the link below.

I love this Onion video. It shows the average Trump voter after he has read some writer who was an expert on Feminist Lesbian Theory. This white 50ish factory worker changed his mind completely after reading this treatise. He only wishes he read it before he had voted for Trump.

Since this comes from the Onion, I am pretty sure this is satire. I fear though that some people might mistake this for truth. If only people would read my obscure academic theory, a light will go off in their hand, they will understand what I am saying and change their mind. I can only give you my humble opinion on this matter but I can assure you when people start dropping names like Foucault or start talk about gender theory, I generally have the same reaction — why can’t I understood a single word this person is saying? Its like they are speaking a foreign language or something. Followed quickly by figuring out an exit strategy so I can leave this idiot and go to where the fun is.

The big problem with this kind of talking is it comes off as condescension. Often, when the speaker sees the glazed eyes of his listeners, he will say something like — to really understand what I am saying you need to read this book by so and so. Of course, the underlying message in such a statement is you are uneducated yokel. An incomprehensible message is a pointless and alienating one. How can you expect to win voters when you can’t make yourself understood? How are you going to compete with foreigners are taking your jobs, or your cities are being overrun by lawless hooligans?

The Link: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=917787202212037

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A scene in a Succession episode jarred me the other night. Succession is intelligent, witty, and funny television. I enjoy it immensely. In this particular scene (see link to scene below), however, the writers are trying too hard to show their intelligence and I came away annoyed with them instead. The show would have us believe that gruff self-made billionaire Logan Roy would use the word fungible while having conversation with someone he is incredibly angry with.

It struck me as out of sync with his character and a distraction from the plot. It didn’t help me that I had to look up the word to make sure I understood it correctly. Sometimes using big, unknown words is unavoidable and important for the plot. If it seems right, then I am all for using big words that may be unknown to me. In this scene, it seems completely gratuitous. Thrown in to the episode simply as evidence on how smart the show actually is. It was jarring particularly since the character who says it is more know for his profanity laced insults than using 50 cent words. I might believe him saying you are a dime a dozen or I can hire a recent college graduate off the streets who can do the job as good as you. But fungible never.

Worse still, it felt like contempt. Yes, we are using the word fungible. If you don’t know the meaning of the word, then look it up. We are not here to make it easy for you.

What concerns me is that it reveals just the elite condescension that right wing apologists complain about. It is unnecessary and unhelpful. Succession is great at showing the moral rot of the wealthy capitalists who run the world economy but, unintentionally, it shows the contempt that the media elites have for their own audience. This might cause some viewers to determine that these media elites are fungible with the capitalist elites so why exchange a new boss that is just as bad as the old boss.

Link to Fungible Comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ByzXJHDJ4

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I love this guy.

His boss hassled him whenever his company’s Instant Messaging software told the boss how long he has been gone. You know what I mean. Every employer uses some form of instant messaging software that always narcs you out — think Microsoft Lync that tells people how long you have been gone with the green light/yellow light red light gizmo. This tool fights the boss who needlessly monitors your work time when they are happy as a clam with you work otherwise. This guy’s device moves your cursor while you are away from your desk which tricks Microsoft Lync into thinking you are at your PC. Green light instead of yellow light or red light — if you know what I mean. And image what your boss will think with all of those nine and ten hour days. And, really, who gets harmed in the deal.

Here is the link. https://slate.com/technology/2021/12/mouse-movers-market-corporate-productivity-tracking.html