The Off Topic Topic

[Admiral Yi]

I assume Yi does appreciate my intellectual honesty.

Actually I do.  Quite.

[DGuller]

I thought I already answered your question.  It's a reasonable explanation.  I think mine is too.

Why reject a nefarious motivation out of hand that fits the data?

Because it's wise to be a little conservative with making claims of nefarious motivation when innocent explanations are reasonably likely?  I don't know if you're realizing this, but you are kinda questioning my honesty with this line of arguments.

[Admiral Yi]

Because it's wise to be a little conservative with making claims of nefarious motivation when innocent explanations are reasonably likely?  I don't know if you're realizing this, but you are kinda questioning my honesty with this line of arguments.

I agree it's wise to be a little conservative.  Rejecting a controversial theory out of hand is not at all conservative.

I would call it more a case of cognitive dissonance than dishonesty.  I don't think you're posting things you believe are untrue.

[Ideologue]

I assume Yi does appreciate my intellectual honesty.

Actually I do.  Quite.

In fairness, I wouldn't necessarily ascribe my (legitimate) belief that the GOP's moderate wing represents a dire threat to America--that they could cause even more damage in the long term than their self-evidently insane rightward colleagues--to DG or CdM.  I know Money at least has been a big fan of some Republicans, including iirc GHW Bush.

And I suppose, if pressed, I too would rather live under a triumvirate of Giuliani, Christie, and 1990s McCain than the Ryan Chancellery.

[DGuller]

Because it's wise to be a little conservative with making claims of nefarious motivation when innocent explanations are reasonably likely?  I don't know if you're realizing this, but you are kinda questioning my honesty with this line of arguments.

I agree it's wise to be a little conservative.  Rejecting a controversial theory out of hand is not at all conservative.

I would call it more a case of cognitive dissonance than dishonesty.  I don't think you're posting things you believe are untrue.

I think my level of cognitive dissonance is vastly overstated.  I'm pretty honest my political leanings, though I think my level of intensity is misappropriated.  I'm not a rabid Democrat, I'm a rabid anti-Repbulican as the national party is right now.  I think Republicans in their current iteration represent most of what is wrong and ugly in America, and like a Ukrainian nationalist partisan in 1944, I'm kind of short on palatable potential allies.

I walk the walk in local elections, where thankfully there are still pockets of sanity within a Republican party, and where some Republican candidates are closer to my values than Democrats.  I didn't vote for Corzine in 2009, and I voted for Christie in 2013.

[Admiral Yi]

Kay.

[derspiess]

What is wrong and ugly in America, DG?

[Sheilbh]

Meh.  Christie got lucky that he ran against Corzine the first time.  Corzine has got to be the most incompetent smart man alive, and New Jersey was fed up with him.  Of course, once Christie got the job, he took the opportunity to become much more than the guy who was there to take the governorship that Corzine pissed away.

Nothing wrong with a lucky general, what matters is what they do with it.

Don't take offense at the truth.  The other national Republican you had a thing for was Guliani.

I think it's very easy to take immense dislike to Giuliani. I think Andrew Sullivan had the best line, he seemed like a small man in search for a balcony.

[Admiral Yi]

Hairplug Joe's line about verb and 9/11 was much better than that one.

[DGuller]

What is wrong and ugly in America, DG?

There are a lot of qualities that do not necessarily define America, but define and/or are advanced by a far-too-significant segment of American public.  Things like intolerance, anti-intellectualism, religious fundamentalism, wealth inequality, the resulting power inequality, or the insane "law-and-order" approach to criminal justice system.

[DGuller]

Meh.  Christie got lucky that he ran against Corzine the first time.  Corzine has got to be the most incompetent smart man alive, and New Jersey was fed up with him.  Of course, once Christie got the job, he took the opportunity to become much more than the guy who was there to take the governorship that Corzine pissed away.

Nothing wrong with a lucky general, what matters is what they do with it.

And it wasn't a criticism.  A lot of great men in history got lucky before they could prove that they were good.

[Savonarola]

The white man, Mike Duggan, won the mayoral election in Detroit. 

This is also the first year that 7 of the 9 council members will be elected by district.  The FREEP is already fretting that there might not be a "Sanity Caucus" in the city council.  ("Sanity Caucus" being former councilwoman Shelia Cockerel's term for the five members who usually vote on the non-crazy side of issues.)

[Grey Fox]

Detroit only has 9 council members?!?! What's the population of Detroit?

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

-17

[Admiral Yi]

Less than a mill now I think.  800k?