Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[lineygoblue]

The Dems used the filibuster over 300 times in the last year of the Trump Presidency.

Jemele Hill is a failed, Michigan State "educated", sportscaster. How in the world does she get a national platform to spew her hate? I'd love to see her debate Candace Owens.

Funny how people's opinions can change with an election, isn't it? Consistency and integrity isn't a strong suit for most politicians.

ESPN wanted nothing to do with Hill after several of her racist tirades. Oh, wait .. she's AA .. she CAN'T be racist ... silly me.

Since ESPN canned her, the platform she's on now is about the third time she's had to find another place that would give her an open microphone. If ESPN/ABC/Disney doesn't want her, she must be bad ....

[lineygoblue]

Own an original piece of the Mackinac Bridge. The Mackinac Bridge Authority is replacing several of the metal gratings which make up the left lane of each side of the bridge, and the old ones are being auctioned off. Nice conversation piece, but you'll have to find a way to haul a 38' piece of metal which weighs a couple tons.

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=186&acctid=8676

[THE_WIZARD_]

Cool...I've been looking to replace the metal plate in my skull...

[froot loops]

A quick reminder, Newcastle United Football Club closed out it's EPL campaign with 9 points from 4, losing only to the champions in a 4-3 thriller at St. James. They were fighting for their relegation lives for awhile, but the brave Magpies ended up a strong 12th and are, once again, set to bless the EPL with their special brand of dour, hopeless football.

Yeah the move from Rafa to Steve Bruce has been seemless in terms of results. When they beat the crap out of Liverpool I thought it was curtains for the Reds' UCL prospects.

[froot loops]

Indeed! Perhaps open a new thread, but spare us the silly boys running for one and a half hours before the shootout. TALK ABOUT EQUITY. A PERFECTLY WOKE GAME.

I've been told it is a "beautiful game", but there has to be another way to get together with your friends and get drunk. The acting is awful, too. When there might have been contact, the "offended" party goes down like he has been shot by a 30.06. Then the replay shows there was six inches between the players at all times. Soccer flopping is an integral part of the game. JUST AWFUL.

What I'd liked to see is any attempt by the announcers to tell the viewer about strategy (if there is any). I'd actually like to try to learn the game and see what the world sees in it.

One only needs to watch the telecast to hear about strategy.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Can't entirely trust Vanity Fair's reporting but this is a interesting read regarding Epstein and Les Wexner, once the most omnipresent billionaire around Columbus. I missed where he and his wife have been completely pushed out at L Brands. She's still a Trustee at Ohio State.

I know nothing about Wexner, really, but it's hard to not let your mind go to dark places when you ask why he would let Epstein have such total control over his finances.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/inside-jeffrey-epsteins-decades-long-relationship-with-his-biggest-client

[froot loops]

The filibuster should be gotten rid of no matter who is in charge, when your boy Trump lobbied to get rid of it, he was absolutely right.

[iam416]

Our Constitutional Republic permits the Federal Senate to create and abolish cloture rules by a simple democratic vote/majority wins. It's pretty easy to do. Just gotta have 50 votes plus the tiebreaker. If you can't muster that then I'm not sure what to say.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Our Constitutional Republic permits the Federal Senate to create and abolish cloture rules by a simple democratic vote/majority wins. It's pretty easy to do. Just gotta have 50 votes plus the tiebreaker. If you can't muster that then I'm not sure what to say.

Right, yeah the Dems could change things on their own if they really wanted to right now. And more of them than Manchin/Sinema want to keep the filibuster in place but are keeping quiet. It's mutually beneficial for all sides for Manchin to serve as a lightning rod. He gets to look independent and centrist to the folks back home; and him being so vocal takes the heat off other Dems who are more susceptible to being primaried from the Left.

[iam416]

Manchin and Sinema are great, as you noted, for the few Ds that are purplish states. I'm sure even some in the lock D states are hesitant.

But, eh -- I mean, people can complain about the filibuster all day as "anti-democratic" or whatever (again, we're a Constitutional Republic). But, at the end of the day, all it takes is a simply majority vote -- hell, a 50-50 tie even -- to end the filibuster -- pure majority rules (via the nuclear option technique, obviously). So, I certainly understand those who want to eliminate the filibuster, but I find those who want to eliminate it for "anti-democratic" reasons hilarious because it simply requires the barest exercise of majority rule to do so.

The fact that filibuster continues to exist means the means the majority of the Senate wants it. That's "pure" democracy.

[iam416]

Job openings are spiking through the roof: https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...utm_term=first

Like, not just high -- but way higher than anything we've seen for 15 years. And, of course, that is likely to stay somewhat the same as Chairmain Joe's precisionless Covid bill pays people not to work until September. Fortunately, as has been noted by many, including Biden's Press Secretary, some states are tackling this head on.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I seriously couldn't remember when there was an actual filibuster-proof majority in my lifetime and that's because...there never has been one. The closest was in Obama's first two years where there was a 59-41 split, if you count Bernie and Joe Lieberman with the Dems. Prior to that you have to go back to the post-Watergate Dems of the mid-70's. And prior to that, you need a 2/3 vote majority to kill a filibuster, instead of 60%. Of course, there also were other rules we've talked about that made using the filibuster much more unpleasant than they are now.

If anyone's curious the last time Republicans controlled more than even 55 Senate seats was before the Great Depression.

I've started looking at it a bit differently. Instead of being a powerful tool just for the minority party, it's also something very useful for the majority party to point to as why they can't accomplish the agenda they promised their voters.

[Mike]

I seriously couldn't remember when there was an actual filibuster-proof majority in my lifetime and that's because...there never has been one. The closest was in Obama's first two years where there was a 59-41 split, if you count Bernie and Joe Lieberman with the Dems.
.

Arlen Specter switched parties and gave the Democrats a 60-40 majority. That's how Obamacare got done.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Arlen Specter switched parties and gave the Democrats a 60-40 majority. That's how Obamacare got done.

Ah that's right. I forgot about Specter switching.

[iam416]

Then Kennedy died and eventually Scott Brown was elected -- stunningly -- bringing it back down to 59-41.