Star Wars Prep

I enjoyed the first two Star Wars films ot be released and have yawned through the rest. But this pic may inspire you:

Or another pic from my favorite Star Wars scene:

Comments

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Couldn't stand any of them. They're not even science fiction; just some cheesy horse opera with a little dime store Buddhism and some 1950s plastic model "fighters".
They were mainly popular because for once you couldn't see the strings the little models were hanging from and the explosions finally looked kinda realistic.

[peter]

I never saw the original SW and have never seen any of the newer ones. Color me odd.

[Appalled]

Ignatz:

70s movies were so blooming bleak and depressing and slow paced, once you got past things like the French Connection and the first two Godfathers. I was in my teens when these came out, and they were such a breath of fresh air, because they were movies that were actually kind of fun.

Would I rather watch Gunga Din, or, heck, the Buck Rogers serial from the 30s? Yes. But the first movie did have a place (and the second one is actually good.)

[Jeff Dobbs]

My favorite lightsaber battle scene from the movie:

[Cecil Turner]

I'd think they'd qualify as space opera, which is generally considered a sub-genre of sci fi . . . but it's certainly not good sci fi. I did kind of like the first one, though (special effects being the main draw).

[Old Lurker]

Rush really taking it to GOPe.

Good on him.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

My perspective is probably skewed from reading as much John Campbell, Jack Vance, Poul Anderson, Von Vogt, Silverberg and the other greats from the SF golden age as I could.
The special effects of the first one were a new level of vitality but "story" is what I look for first and fresh-faced-young-gun and rough-but-lovable-side-kick matching swords with old bad guy in black hat was a snore fest for me.
And IMO Carrie Fisher was always about as hot as a sea monkey in drag, especially with the earmuff-do, so that angle was kinda missing too.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Six out of the first seven comments on topic.
A record?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Let's make it six of eight;
Omnibus bill quadruples H2B visa program.
In an economy suffering from multi-decade labor participation lows what possible sense does it make to import more low skilled labor?

[Cecil Turner]

Well, I'm not going to defend it on the basis of story line or artistic merit . . . because I agree with you.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Hmmm, what's the market on original Star Wars trading cards?

I've got a few.

I mean, after all, isn't the entire point of the Star Wars franchise the ability to make money off of it? I want my piece of the pie.

(btw, hit and run jr has started investigating the worth of his pokemon cards. he's got one he says is worth $100 on ebay)

[boris]

Never cared for Silverberg.

AEVV a personal favorite, eg Weapon Shops of Isher

Campbell okay Anderson better

Vance another favorite, eg Dragon Masters

Other favorites Zelazny, Niven, Pohl, Henlein, Kuttner, and did read quite a few of Andre Norton.

Liked first 3 Star Wars okay.

[boris]

Can't forget Philip Jose Farmer and James Blish.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I have to admit I was never a big Silverberg fan either but I was just looking for names and he did have a very good eye when assembling anthologies.

[JMHanes]

Well, well. Turkey and Israel have agreed to restore diplomatic relations. Wonder how that welcome develoopment finally came to pass:

Also on Thursday, Israel gave final government approval for a long-awaited deal that would allow an American-Israeli partnership to develop a large offshore natural gas field, allowing Israel to export gas to other countries in the region, including Turkey. Russia is a major supplier of natural gas to Turkey, and Mr. Erdogan’s government has been looking to reduce its dependence on Moscow, according to analysts.

[Rick Ballard]

I was going to go off topic by commenting on the perennial fantastic Christmas rally in the markets today but it appears to be off to a rather slow start.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Trump supports racial preferences.
Embedded link leads to 60 Minutes interview I forgot about from just a couple of months ago where he was still endorsing universal health care.
It would be a nice dose of black comedy to have him elected and he turns out to be the biggest GOPe of the bunch.

[Old Lurker]

Your Christmas rally is looking like the AK Budget correction Daddy linked the other day Rick. +300 can turn into -300 pretty damn fast, huh?

[buccaneer morgan]

That's known as a Pitney special.

[Thomas Collins]

Ignatz, Trump is a traditional big spending corporatist Dem. Most of those critters have morphed into conciliatory internationalists. Trump hasn't. In addition, Trump is happy to talk tough on border security. But I believe a Trump POTUSey would be a continuation of the attempt to spend before OPM runs out.

[JMHanes]

Ted Cruz, lambasting the omnibus spending bill, goes chapter and verse on how Republicans have betrayed the voters who elected them: Republicans in Congress Are Surrendering to Obama.

Ignatz:

"It would be a nice dose of black comedy to have him elected and he turns out to be the biggest GOPe of the bunch."

Is there really any doubt that he would be just that? That's the part of the whole Trump phenom that I find utterly incomprehensible.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Another Wretchard column; this time on lost opportunities in the ME.

There appears to be nothing the administration cannot screw up yet tout as a triumph. The transformation of an American hegemon into a water-carrier for Moscow, coupled with the loss of "won" Afghanistan not to mention the completely unnecessary squandering of the Arab Spring resulting in the wholesale destruction of the region must rank as one of the greatest reversals of all time. To invert Winston Churchill's famous phrase: never has so much been thrown away for so little.

The population of the Middle East has lived to regret the Arab Spring. The only question is whether the West will endure long enough to regret Hope and Change.

[daddy]

Rush opens with continuing accusations of the betrayal and surrender of the Republican Party in Congress. Rush plays a clip of Bill Kristol defending Paul Ryan being dealt a bad hand. Rush isn't buying it at all and paints Bill Kristol as an example of the problem.

Last night on local TV Lisa Murkowski was on saying that shutting down the government was what had to be avoided at all costs, and then she went on to talk about all the fabulous things in this bill for both sides of the aisle so she was hopeful the Senate would pass it.

[Stephanie]

I was working in a movie theater when Star Wars came out. We had 24 hour showings due to demand. We had two hour waits for the 2 am showings. It was insane. I lost count at 1000 on how many times I've seen the first one - probably closer to 1,500 times or so and I can recite the entire thing.

Ditto for Grease which wasn't as big but we had to dress 50s style for the first month of the showings. I can also recite that one by heart.

[daddy]

Who is the girl on the right of Princess Laia in the pic above? I don't recognize her. Anybody else not know who she is?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Is there really any doubt that he would be just that?--

I think there's a lot of legitimate doubt about what he would do.
I suspect it would be a philosophically incoherent mix of crony capitalism, populism, conservatism and liberalism.
My concern is exactly the opposite of his followers faith; I think a guy who mainly cares about how he comes off is extremely easy to manipulate. The most loud-mouthed talkers are in fact usually the softest marshmallows to the opponent schooled in manipulation.

[Miss Marple 2]

Bernie Sanders' manager just had a press conference and it was a doozy! Accused the DNC of improperly withholding the Sanders campaign's OWN DATA, demands an audit of who exactly accessed the data TODAY or they are GOING TO COURT! Accused DNC of undermining their campaign.

The guy was really hot, and it wasn't staged. He spoke without notes and was vehement that they did nothing wrong. They fired a staffer who accessed the data (but didn't download it or copy it) because although he was young and didn't realize he was doing anything wrong, their campaign has to not giv any impression of dishonesty. DWS actions are simply designed to keep them from getting data they need to GOTV and such.

Boy, that guys was mad!

[Miss Marple 2]

One GOOD thing in that bill is that it allows us to sell oil and gas overseas.

At least that's one way to look at it. If gas prices start going up at the pump, people will of course blame it on Big Oil and the GOP.

[Appalled]

Is there really any doubt that he would be just that? That's the part of the whole Trump phenom that I find utterly incomprehensible.

Trump's current orientation isn't that odd for a right winger. Really, he's sort of Pat Buchanan like these days. George Wallace/ John Connolly are also US antecedents. His approach is more typical of Euro-righties, like the guy who is the head of Hungary, and the LePen family. This isn't the kind of guy you elect if you care about shrinking the government, or care about constitutional governance. If immigration is the primary things that bugs you, though, the Trump attraction makes at least some sense.

[Thomas Collins]

Ah, Grease! My favorite song in the super silly category comes from Grease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TOxhzAm7fY

[Thomas Collins]

Appalled, I don't think Trumpster is the one if a voter's primary concern is the current immigration policy. I subscribe to Ignatz's view that Trump can be manipulated. I think that manipulation would be seen in Trumpster's immigration policy as well as elsewhere.

[Rick Ballard]

"is extremely easy to manipulate"

Putin's Pavlov bell sure got him drooling. I'm sure Vlad wouldn't mind another President Lickspittle, willing to demonstrate flexibility every time the soap drops.

[boris]

Daddy, if you're serious that is Queen Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones.

[Miss Marple 2]

http://toprightnews.com/miss-puerto-rico-slams-michael-moore-for-we-are-all-muslim-sign-with-epic-tweets/

WOW! You need to read this! She might lose her title, but it's amazing to read.

[daddy]

Rush wonders if the Repub Establishment has decided they can survive without their current base by purposefully going after all these new Lefty voters and having them vote Repub rather than Dem. He thinks that if that is their strategy, then it is understandable what they are doing---still trying to win the Presidency, but imagining that they can win the Presidency with a smorgasbord of new voters, not the angry old Conservative base.

If so, that would explain a lot.

[daddy]

Thanks Boris. I have never seen the show and have no idea who she is. All I know about that show is that it has a midget.

[James D]

I wouldn't be surprised if they do think that, daddy. But if they do, they're idiots. Because there's no way that "we're not nearly as racist and sexist as the Democrats say we are, and we'll give you 90% as much free stuff as they will" is going to move people, and that's ultimately all the GOPe can offer.

[Miss Marple 2]

Conservatives have done a very poor job of marketing themselves for a number of years.

They run crappy ads, argue about things which have no relevance to the average voter, do not explain things so the average guy can understand, and seemingly a large number of them are bought off when they get elected.

Trump's advantage is 1. Immigration, 2. Making America great (jobs and stronger military plus better deals overseas)3. Not beholden to big donors.

He speaks like the average guy, who is not particularly well-versed in conservative principles.

I doubt he can be manipulated as easily as you guys think. He might do a lot of stuff I disagree with, but I don't think it would be because of being manipulated.

The Putin thing seems to me no different than W talking to Putin right at the beginning of his administration. I happened to watch that press conference in Europe (summer of 2001) and the tone was much the same.

[James D]

The other thing that strategy misses, if it's really what the GOPe thinks, is that letting the base go means you're leaving 20% of the electorate without a party or any "respectable" voice.

20% of the electorate that pays a good chunk of the taxes; and disproportionately works in the jobs that actually feed the country and keep the infrasturcture running; and that has an awful lot of guns.

Totally disenfranchising that group seems like probably not the wisest thing that you could do, as a country.

[daddy]

Now Rush playing news clips of Chuck Schumer celebrating the passage of the new Bill at higher spending levels than the President asked for.

Schumer: "
This Bill is a great victory for the Democratic Party."

Steve Israel: Dem "This Bill is a victory!

[James D]

Another advantage Trump has is simply that he's already well-defined, and has been for 30 years.

It's not just simple name recognition; it's that everyone has mostly a solid idea of what they think of him.

Obviously that's a disadvantage in terms of his negatives and the % of people who hate him and are unreachable for him.

But it's an advantage both in that he doesn't need to spend a dime in telling people who he is. And also in that a lot of the attacks against him are just a waste of time. Not because his supporters are tuning out attacks or whatever, but because EVERYONE already knows he's a blowhard and kind of a buffoon. He's ALWAYS been one. So when pundits or reporters or opponents throw those words around, it's ignored.

It's like calling Rosie O'Donnell fat - yeah, she is, but we all know it already, and we've factored it into what we think about her. You gain nothing by saying it again. And Trump's opponents haven't figured that out yet.

[boris]

"never seen the show and have no idea who she is"

Her lover and father of her 2 children is her brother Jamie Lannister. Hence the side by side comparison.

[daddy]

Serious question all over again.

How can Hillary's 1.1 Trillion Budget plan now be honestly criticized by any one of the Republican contenders? All she has to do is point to Paul Ryan and the overwhelming support in passing this 1.4 Trillion Dollar Budget. Hell, she can even claim that at .3 Trilling less, she's actually being Fiscally Conservative.

We squandered every bit of integrity and power we had.

And here we are again. Waiting at an empty podium for a President Obama to show up whenever the hell he wants, to grace us with his latest bit of BS.

[lyle]

Who's this "we" you're referring to, daddy?

[daddy]

Obama:

Starts off with a Stars Wars joke. A star wars screening for kids at the White House.

Says his actions have rescued the economy, put millions to work and cut the unemployment rate in half.

Says Obamacare has put medically uninsured to smallest levels ever Says 6 million new people have signed up. Says it's great.

Says on Ckimate that his investment in Clean Energy has brought China to the table and forged the historic agreement in paris of 200 nations due to American Leadership.

Says we have a new landmark agreement with Cuba. Says merican Leadership did that.

And says we have Marriage Equality in all 50 states.

Now he thanks Congress of letting his sign an Education Bill that will leave no child behind. He signed an transportation Bill that could have ben better in his view. He is glad we got the XM Bank working again, and he likes the new Bill the Congress passed today. He mentions some of the great things about. especially that it eliminates the possibility of a shut down.

He says he still wants to work with Congress to reform our Criminal Justice System.

And he says his most important job is to keep America safe, so he reiterates how hard he has been hitting ISIS and pushing them back and that our men and women in uniform are doing great and we are thankful for them. Being them there will make it harder for them to hit us here. Says he'll visit San Bernardino later today.

Says we can all do do our part by "see something say something."

In short, very real progress these last 7 years, but more work needs to be done and he is more optimistic than he has ever been that he can do more in his remaining year as Prez.

[James D]

Wow.

So what did we get for electing a GOP House and Senate in 2014?

An education bill that's even worse than the travesty we had, filled with all the nightmares rse's been warning us about.

The Export-Import Bank reauthorized. Yay for cronyism!

A climate agreement that Congress gets no say in, but has agreed to pay for all the same, which will increase costs and reduce choices for the rest of us.

Full funding for ObamaCare, AND putting off the provisions that unions hated most until 2017.

At this point, I'm for whichever candidate is most likely to start a nuclear war, because that's probably the only way we'll ever see any real change in Washington is if it's hit with a hydrogen bomb.

[daddy]

Answering some question about lone wolfs here, but mainly stuttering sand mumbling stupidities since he is not reading his words off the teleprompter.

Says the issue of reviewing Social Media may have gotten garbled. We have to distinguish between what is social Media and what is private communications. Says our Professionals are always monitoring public Media, but says if you have a private communication by definition that is harder for us to read. We need to talk about how we can do a better job of tracking that. There are going to be feasibility issues there that are [probably going to be insurmountable. Overall I think we have struck the right balance. We have to honor concerns about Privacy. Blah, blah, blah

[Jeff Dobbs]

Insty has this:

THE UPRAISED-FINGER PARTY: A Twitter photo-juxtaposition worthy of Drudge.

Oh. Well. Why don't we just go there, already...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-what-story-behind-islamic-state-one-fingered-salute-1506249

We can call them ShahaDems.

[NK]

next time any Repub asks me for $$, I'll tell I spent it on nice ear rings for my wife.

[daddy]

A question about Gitmo:

Do you believe you have the authority to close Gitmo?

Obama: We have been working to reduce the Gitmo population. It's been determined that many of them can be transferred. By this time next year the numbers in Gitmo will be below 100. There may be an irreducible number. There' going to be a challenge there. I will present a plan to Congress about how we can close Gitmo. There will be significant resistance, but I think I can make a very strong argument that we should not be spending an extra 500 million for 60 or 70 people, We will wait for Congress to definitively say "no" before I make any statements about my executive power to close Gitmo on my own. I think it is preferable to get stuff done with Congress. Every once in a while Congress can surprise you.

Gitmo continues to be a key recruiting tool for the bad guys. It is really expensive. Each person is costing several million dollars. It will be an uphill battle. Every battle with Congress the last 5 years has been an uphill battle, but sometimes Congress surprises you.

[boris]

"a lot of legitimate doubt about what he would do"

I don't want a president Trump but doubt he is easy to manipulate.

IMO a president Trump would have to fundamentally change the rules currently favorable to progs in order to get something he considers success.

[henry]

If you don't want to spend money on the Gitmo gang, feed them to the sharks.

[daddy]

There has ben revisionist History. We did not depose Mubarak in Egypt. Ewe were working with him. The potion that we pulled the strings to get rid of him ids a mistake.

What is true iOS that at the point when it became a choice of mowing downs hundreds of people we thought there was a more peaceful solution.

With respect to Libya, it is sort of an alternative situation to Syria. Chaos had already broken out and the dictator was threatening to slaughter large numbers of people, so we worked with a large coalition to avert a large humanitarian catastrophe. many forget he had lost control of that country, and if we did nothing we should have another Syria in Libya.

We now have a very bad situation.

As far as Syria goes, we have to speak out in defense of our values. The notion that we would stand by and say nothing as he kills hundreds of thousands is not WHO WE ARE. The reason Assad has ben a problem in Syria is he has lost the space he had early on.

Missed the rest of it. The kids are awake and setting up XMAS decorations.

[Old Lurker]

Love it.

Where Chuck Hagel learns about lying down with dogs and getting up with fleas.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3365917/Former-Defense-Secretary-Chuck-Hagel-accuses-Obama-White-House-trying-destroy-forced-office.html#ixzz3uhG4Zjgw

[daddy]

Whatever.

[boris]

Boston Album tribute to James Blish:

[lyle]

I'm ready to renounce my US citizenship. If ever there was any doubt we have a uniparty rule, this GOPe sell-out--among now too many to count--should put those doubts to rest.

I have a tee shirt from '08 that reads, "We're So Screwed." Little did I know. Now? Let it fucking burn™.

[daddy]

Congress just enabled and empowered President Obama in a way that no other entity, not the Dems, not the Media, not anybody could do.

Thanks GOP. You have reassured a narcissist in his narcism.

He is invulnerable and 100% unleashed. There is no functional difference now between Obama and his power, and the power wielded by Augustus Caesar in the last decade of his reign.

Great job.

[daddy]

Obama: "Congress has reached the bar that I set for them in meeting the Trans Pacific Partnership deal." This is a bog deal and I think Speaker Ryan wants to get it down.

This will be a huge win for the American people. I am confident we can get even more done next year.

I also think we can create a more fair Criminal Justice System--more fair. I have really been impressed by Conservatives and Liberal Dems coming together and working on this sincerely so that e can get bi-partisan...blah, blah, blah. Those are just 2 examples of opportunity moving forward where we can work together.

[Puddin Floppy-Feet]

What makes everyone think Trump isn't a prog himself? There is nothing in his hagiography that indicates he is a fiscal, constitutionalist conservative. In fact, his whole life has been opportunistic without any rigid priniciple except to get the deal done for Donald.

You know what scares me? He gets elected and gets to choose the next 3 SCOTUS appointments. What kind of individual would he pick? Certainly not someone in favor of overturning Kelo. Does anyone think he is a staunch 2nd Amendment defender?

[Cecil Turner]

many forget he had lost control of that country, and if we did nothing we should have another Syria in Libya.

He had, but was regaining ground. I don't know who would have won if the West hadn't stepped in. And the situation currently is even more chaotic than Syria, so I'm not sure that's a plus (or if you're suggesting it is).

[Old Lurker]

I have this fantasy where Cruz calls a press conference and says the following (James is writing the actual words now):

Winning the nomination of this party is the definition of Phyric Victory. The best thing for the country is to lay it all on the line and give the country one last chance to avoid the abyss.

I am leaving the Republican Party to help found the new America First Party. Carly has agreed to come along as my VP. Our friend Donald Trump has agreed to be head of the party and chief spokesperson for the new administration if we win. We have commitments from John Bolton to become our SoS, Mark Levin to be our AG, Dick Cheney to be our SecDef, Carl Ichan to be Sec Treasury. ...Name some others... Announce there will be no need for Secretaries of Education, Commerce, Energy, Agriculture or parts of HHS because those department will be shut down. The EPA will be reduced to an enforcement division of the DoJ and assigned a maximum staff of two employees per state. On the Tax front, we intend to ...

You get the drift.

Fun, huh?

[Dave (in MA)]

Anybody else not know who she is?

That would also apply to me.

[Thomas Collins]

Have I missed Trump's denunciation of Pelosi's The Omnibus Reconciliation of Ryan Being Pantsed by Pelosi Bill? And a statement by Trump in which he (I) states that he will not sign an omnibus bill as POTUS, but will consider each separate appropriations bill Congress sends him, and (II) sets forth at least a few appropriations in TORORBPBP Bill that he would zero out? I must have missed it, because I would have thought that was the least a former Dem now running for the GOP nomination for POTUS would have clarified.

[Cecil Turner]

Decent NY Times article on the spending bill, and I'd highlight the silver lining:

After a period of belt-tightening in Washington — including automatic budget cuts imposed in 2013 — the spending measure for 2016 provides a notable $66 billion increase in federal outlays above previously agreed-upon limits, divided equally between military and nonmilitary programs. It also represents a return to a more traditional appropriations process, with lawmakers directing money to an array of their priorities, including a $1.4 billion increase for military construction projects and $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health.

While I would've preferred a Cruz-inspired shutdown strategy, we obviously don't have the spine or party unity for it. At least after this, the choice isn't between a shutdown and a continuing resolution. I think we all agree the GOP(e) paid too much for it, but . . .

[James D]

Couldn't have said it better myself, OL!

Cruz is the only candidate who I think even might try to do what needs to be done to keep us out of the abyss (if it's not already far too late).

[henry]

JiB, indeed. We now have a choice between Hillary, Trump, and a GOPe mope of the day. Congress is captured in full by the Chamber of Comintern and other transnationals. We are one SC vote away from residence in gulags, and that vote appears guaranteed.

[James D]

TC, Trump did have a statement:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/12/17/donald-trump-congress-threw-towel-budget-deal/

[James D]

CT, the GOPe paid even more than the Dems asked for!

There is NO silver lining here. A shutdown would have been better.

[daddy]

Are you worried a Repub Pres could destroy your Climate accomplishment?

Obama: I think it is fair to say I'll support the Dem candidate. I think the Dem will win and I think I'll have a Dem successor because they are more likely to share my vision where we should go.

People should feel good about the targets set in paris, even tho' not legally binding. People all around the world will see these are the goals we are going to be aiming at. What we saw in todays budget was an extension of the Tax credits for Solar and Wind that we fought for. Those Tax Credits are now extended for 5 to 7 years. As a consequence the Private Sector knows this is coming and is stable for the long term so they will jump onboard. That creates a different dynamic regardless what Congress does, and it creates something Congress will have to respond to. There's a big monetary incentive to get this right. Thats the history of Environmental progress we've come up with in America and we've now exported it around the world. Fuel efficiency on cars, clean air, acid rain, etc. (Here he praises GW Bush for acid rain legislation.)

Do I think there will be a lot of noise this campaign about stopping the Paris Agreement in it''s tracks?
Yes, but 2 or 3 years from now Repubs will say this was the right thing to do. The American Repub party is the only group in the whole world that denies Climate Change. Even the far right in many parts of the world who don't like immigrants believe we have to do something about Climate Change. This will not be a winner in the long run for the Repubs.

Questioner: Are you embarrassed for the Repub party?

Obama: No because I'm not a member of that party. And regardless what they say, they haven't stopped us rom getting this done. This happened because of American Leadership. And the same is true of the Iran Nuclear Deal and stamping out Ebola. At each juncture, American Exceptionalism is not just bombing somebody, but is instead a matter of us setting the agenda that is good for everybody, with us leading by example, and others joining in. This year you saw this strong steady leadership from us.

[Miss Marple 2]

Thomas,

Trump released a statement yesteday attacking the omnibus bill as too much spending and too much debt and a disgrace. I posted the link to it yesterday.

I can't remember the details, but it definitely wasn't complimentary.

[DrJ]

... and $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health.

Would it be uncouth of me to applaud this one? I have a good-sized proposal teetering on the edge of funding, and with the additional money NCI will get its odds of funding improve.

[daddy]

That he is talking so much tells me that he is happy as a pig in shit about todays developments.

I think his most important legacy is not that he has transformed America, but that he has transformed (i.e. castrated) Congress.

Trish Regan said we just heard the President take a "Victory Lap."

My guess is a word search within the next 24-48 hours will show that "Victory Lap" is the most repeated phrase from the MSM.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Daddy quoting Obama:
People should feel good about the targets set in paris

It would be unfair to take that out of context and read it as if responding to the terror attacks.

I am nothing if not unfair.

[Jeff Dobbs]

(grumble that Trump released his statement as an image in a tweet . . . i don't have time to transcribe it, and apparently no one else has taken the time to do so in full . . . but why not send it out as something that can easily be copy/pasted so it can be shared and spread more readily?)

[Miss Marple 2]

Indeed, Jeff.

I am all for being unfair.

Got to run some errands!

[Jeff Dobbs]

Aaaaannnnnndddddd, my 2016 work has come to a close.

To the pool hall! Yippee!!!!!

[daddy]

Brett Baire says Obama will visit Cuba in 2016. But of course.

Eff you Hegal. You were the dumbshit stupid enough to work for him, and you had plenty of opportunity to speak out multiple, multiple times.

Lie down with dogs...

[Thomas Collins]

OK, James D and MM 2, thanks. It was a good statement, if a bit general. By the way, I acknowledge that a Trump supporter might say why am I complaining that Trump won't commit to not signing omnibus bills and won't follow up with specific appropriations cuts when I haven't challenged Cruz to do the same thing (not that Cruz or Trump give a second class rat's petudie what I say about them). I believe Cruz has been on record to a greater extent than Trumpster about cuts. In addition, I think it is fair to be a greater skeptic of Trump being willing to challenge the entitlement state.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Applauding a return to traditional budgeting with this monstrosity is like finding a kernel of corn in a huge pile of shit. And yes, DrJ, you should quietly celebrate your potential good fortune without pointing it out.

[Thomas Collins]

Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll defect, daddy.

[Cecil Turner]

CT, the GOPe paid even more than the Dems asked for!

As that linked story enumerates, the GOP got several items they wanted (tax breaks, offshore oil sales). I'm not sure any of them are good for the country, but . . .

There is NO silver lining here. A shutdown would have been better.

A shutdown followed by capitulation (like last time) would be the worst of all worlds.

[daddy]

Brett Baire says he thinks the Prez has a rough road ahead in dealing with Congress going forward.

Why? What in the world leads him to that conclusion? I sure don't see it. Congress is neutered and irrelevant.

[Thomas Collins]

I'll come to stalwart defense of Prez Choom on the omnibus part of this mess. The omnibus tax and spending bill process has been going on long before the BarryO regime came onto the scene.

[Old Lurker]

Brett Baire is dead to me.

F'em.

[mockmook]

"He gets elected and gets to choose the next 3 SCOTUS appointments."

But, better than Hillary.

Which is why Glenn Beck is sometimes an idiot.

[mockmook]

"I think his most important legacy is not that he has transformed America, but that he has transformed (i.e. castrated) Congress."

Congress did that to themselves.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Baire is part of the GOPe cheerleading squad; what else would he say?

Back on topic: No Clifford Simak fans? Clarke or Olaf Stapledon?

[Thomas Collins]

"The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015"

OK, quiz time. The above title is:

(a) part of an Onion parody on how Congress and POTUS conduct federal tax policy;

(b) a new hip hop band that puts to hip hop songs that came out during months that actual tax reductions were enacted;

(c) the actual title of the tax part of the 2015 omnibus legislation; and

(d) a catchy name for a decision to go off the grid.

[Old Lurker]

Besides, SCOTUS only counts in a country of laws.

That is so yesterday in so many ways.

It used to be Libs could hide behind SCOTUS and say "they made me do it", if and when SCOTUS did something. These days Libs just do it anyway and don't bother asking. SCOTUS abdicated what was left of its leg of the stool under Roberts just as Congress was sawing off its own leg as fast as it could.

[lyle]

Obviously showing my ignorance but I have no idea who you are talking about, CH.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

SciFi writers, lyle.

[Cecil Turner]

Well, color me the odd man out, but I think Baier's Special Report is the best news show on television.(And yes, that may be damning with faint praise.)

[Threadkiller]

(grumble that Trump released his statement as an image in a tweet . . . i don't have time to transcribe it, and apparently no one else has taken the time to do so in full . . . but why not send it out as something that can easily be copy/pasted so it can be shared and spread more readily?)

He did.

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-statement-on-budget-deal

[rse]

The various ed blogs are consistently saying the onmibus provided even more money than was asked for.

DRJ-NIH along with NSF are the Holdren Office of Science and Tech Policy at the White House are in charge of the Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience that comprises more than twenty departments and agencies. Given that ESSA is a behavioral science bonanza through and through and the Senate passed the Education SETRA reestablishing the Institute of Education Sciences and other initiatives, do not think that NIH budget is for hard science research.

This is the age of engineering the student and citizen to be the silly putty the DEms and GOPe, the UN, the OECD, the World Bank and other institutions all need them to be.

I bet part of that $2 billion is entirely to implement fully Cass Sunstein's nudging agenda. That fits with other OsTP inititives I have tracked in last week and all going out within last 6 months.

[Appalled]

Daddy:

I think his most important legacy is not that he has transformed America, but that he has transformed (i.e. castrated) Congress.

I think you are on to something. Part of the work of the next GOP President should be rehabilitating Congress. That's not really his job, but a neutered Congress has been essential to Obama's project of perpetual Presidential overreach.

Needless to say, structural reform like that is not what Trump is about. Cruz is most likely to perceive this as a to do, but he kind of torched his relationships with his Congressional colleagues, and I worry that is going to be a continuing problem for him. TBD on Rubio -- I'm not sure I have a good feel for who he is yet.

[daddy]

Rush in Hour 3.

Says there actually was something the Left wanted that was not included in the Bill. Says something colloquially termed as "the Department of Justice slush fund for Lib Groups" didn't make the cut.

Beats me how that didn't get in there, but my guess is that with the Prez's comments about how Paul Ryan and some Conservatives really really really want to work with Libs on revamping our Justice System and making it more "equality" based, it's probably only a temporary setback.

[rse]

Here is a link of making the EITC and child care credits permanent and no longer subject to expiration in 2017. http://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/12-16-15tax.pdf

I think it is important to quit calling anyone who voted for this a 'conservative.' It is a word that allows wolves to deceitfully where a sheepskin that allows them to elude detection while they screw this country over.

[Publius]

What is most gut-wrenching sick about this is that Obummer's legacy will not be labeled as the worst president in the nation's history, as he so richly deserves to be, but as one of our more successful presidents, even up there with, or above, Lincoln and Washington.

This Congress has ensured that the rats nest we call academia, the institution which writes the history, will prevail for at least another 50 years.

They will codify all the accomplishments spelled out today by the chief jerk as glowing achievements which transformed this country forward into a new age.

Unfortunately for us, it appears we are entering a new Dark Age.

Gezzze, I can only pray that our future isn't as dark as it seems now.

[lyle]

Thanks, CH. I'm woefully under-read in that genre.