A New Politics Thread? That's Gold Gerry(mandering); Gold!

by **drsmooth** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 23:41:26

jerseyhoya wrote:You probably could've just gone with it being a tweet from Robert Costa

ok

its just that I routinely forget who he is, or that he is anybody

by **swishnicholson** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 23:42:19

Two Randolph-Macon professors going head-to-head in the fall. Should make for some interesting staff meetings, anyway.

by **The Dude** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 23:44:19

wtf did you quote him then

by **dajafi** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 00:17:40

As hot takes go, I thought this was pretty good:

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/10/5798604/Er ... A-politics

The point about the Tea Party being great at enforcing ideological purity but lousy at actually winning/wielding power is obvious but also right on.

by **jerseyhoya** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 00:40:26

Think it's a weird, wholly ungrounded in reality thing to imagine that Romney could've won if he ran a more moderate campaign, and there's about a 0.1% chance the GOP loses VA-07. The guy who won tonight is an Econ Ph.D in a 57% Romney district. This isn't Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 01:07:42

The Dude wrote:wtf did you quote him then

I quoted Matt Yglesias quoting him, dumbass

by **jerseyhoya** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 01:10:07

Which isn't to say the tea party is good at winning shit. They clearly suck at it.

This particular primary outcome also isn't a great tea party thing. None of the big outside tea party groups spent any money for Brat.

Everyone's hunting for a narrative, but it doesn't fit neatly in any pre-fab model.

by **jerseyhoya** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 03:34:48

Dave Brat Talks Big Victory on Hannity - It's a Miracle

I personally wouldn't have suggested the god acting through humans bit, but I was pleasantly surprised by the interview. Guy sounds completely grounded and within the GOP mainstream and fucking loves free markets so much it might give docsmooth a stroke. Sounds like he'll be a good addition to Congress. Wish it didn't come with the disruption to GOP House leadership narrative, but I feel good for the guy, and feel a lot better about the election outcome than I did when I figured he was some bomb throwing populist know nothing sort.

by **Luzinski's Gut** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 06:39:03

"Some on the left are envious of the Tea Party's success at cowing Republicans. "The Left endorsed Cuomo; the Right successfully primaried the sitting House Majority Leader = how the country keeps moving to the right," tweeted Max Berger. Others voiced similar sentiments. But this isn't how the country keeps moving right. This is how the country keeps moving left."

It's not a simple either/or issue. The country is splitting to the margins on both sides.

by **pacino** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 06:39:09

well, that took all of 4 hours to talk yourself into backing this jerk

god damn populists!

by **pacino** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 06:40:40

TenuredVulture wrote:The Iraq invasion really is turning out well.

i heard it was for freedom

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 06:43:30

jerseyhoya wrote:I personally wouldn't have suggested the god acting through humans bit, but I was pleasantly surprised by the interview. Guy sounds completely grounded and within the GOP mainstream and fucking loves free markets so much it might give docsmooth a stroke.

yeah, he's insane - fits well within the GOP mainstream

but he sure looks good in a suit

by **pacino** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 06:44:43

was it versace

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 07:02:51

pacino wrote:was it versace

nothing tailored in a sweatshop I'm sure

I hope someone can explain Virginians' mania for immigration, illegals, amnesty for same; I look at that state's share compared with other places in the country and I'm baffled.

From the readily available figures, It's difficult to conclude that something other than some pestilent xenophobia/racism/mouth-breathertude fuels Virginians (more specifically, uber-rightwing VA-7ths) agitation about this issue.

& what brings a free-markets guy to insist the thing to do is put all sorts of clamps on human action? Hey, they're just being humans, acting in their economic self-interest, yearning to be free of silly government-imposed constraints. What does a rigid, racially-sensitive state boundary have to do with Randian principles? Something smells funny

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 07:22:52

Peter King's head is exploding over Brat

would pay actual money to watch Cruz & King in a prolonged bare-knuckles brawl

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 07:32:14

Brat's views on economics - what can be gleaned from the internets - appear to be a bizarro take on libertarian concepts.

For example, he seems to object to viewing economics as anything like science; free markets are more a matter of moral choices than the workings of an invisible hand. That's kewl, but seems out of character for a Randian free-markets bent guy.

So anyway, in the Brat conception, free markets apparently aren't really free, but formed by people, are intentional that is, rather than the result of physics, and/but can be formed only by 'right-thinking' people of the proper moral makeup, said makeup to be determined by....well, it gets hazy pretty quick

by **drsmooth** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 07:37:51

the internet cracks about CNN's indifference to the Cantor story whilst the network's OJ commemorative special was running are pretty funny

by **thephan** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 08:04:19

I think only people who did no research or are Tea Party fans are thrilled with this outcome. Brat has the potential to be far more damaging than Cantor ever was.

by **The Dude** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 08:12:08

drsmooth wrote:
The Dude wrote:wtf did you quote him then

I quoted Matt Yglesias quoting him, dumbass

No shit sherlock. Still doesn't explain why you would are

by **pacino** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 08:22:11

There are clues to Mr. Brat’s ideology in his academic CV. His current book project is titled “Ethics as Leading Economic Indicator? What went Wrong? Notes on the Judeo-Christian Tradition and Human Reason.”

His other published works include the titles “God and Advanced Mammon – Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism?” and “An Analysis of the Moral Foundations in Ayn Rand.”

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