WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025 In search of the missing 36 percent: Is "something wrong" with President Trump? Also, was something wrong with President Biden over the past few years? In each case, we'll guess that the answer is yes. We'll also guess that the two commanders were (and … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025 Also, the Wall Street Journal gone wild: "Back out of all this now too much for us?" So begins the poem Directive, a "wonderfully mysterious" later effort by Frost. You may find the poem "wonderfully mysterious." You may simply find it hard. We've cite … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 Also, secrets leak out on The Five: We know! This morning, in a burst of temporary madness, we promised to share the history of the naming of Denali—that is to say, of the former and possibly future Mount McKinley. According to the leading authority, the … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 Of our own pair of Kings George: When the madness surfaces in a King George, the silly stiff may surface first. So it was yesterday morning! As recorded by an invaluable drummer, here's what pretty much happened first: After the inauguration . . . I'm su … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025 "With God On Our Side" Again: As a general matter, we heard the same thing Frank Bruni heard—and we haven't even heard the whole speech yet. This was Bruni's instant take at the New York Times: The Line in Trump’s Speech That Will Echo in Time “American c … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025 Two roads diverged in a wood: In our view, it was an intriguing phone call. Borrowing language from the early Dylan, the phone call in question came from "somewhere out in the United States." More specifically, it came from Alexander from New York (as bes … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2025 One way we Blues have lost votes: In the face of our failing nation's ongoing "American carnage," we've been thinking—and thinking and thinking—about a certain old song. We refer to the old American song, Lady of Carlisle. For the record, this old Ameri … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025 Dana Perino's complaint: What kind of attorney general will Pam Bondi be? We can't tell you that. That said, we were amused by one part of the caterwauling on last afternoon's The Five concerning Bondi's confirmation hearing. The caterwauling came from Da … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025 The governor also uses: Let the word go forth to the nations: Peter Hegseth, the Trump nominee, uses a ton of hair product! Stating the obvious, it's his perfect right to do so. At this site, we're inclined to think it's a slightly odd look. But then agai … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025 How we Blues (may have) lost one vote: As part of its ongoing series of focus group sessions, the New York Times has spoken with twelve men who voted for Candidate Trump. The report appears beneath this headline: ‘Where’s Our Place in Society?’: 12 Men … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025 What they're permitted to say: Eight years ago, he gave his first speech as the American president. The speech had a slightly unusual theme. That theme was "American carnage." Fun fact—and at this point, is there any other kind: In President Carter's "m … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025 Also, how did we earn our way out? Even as we've "moved on" with our subject matter this week, we haven't abandoned this important basic belief: Those of us in Blue America need to develop a stronger sense of how and why we lost the last election. More … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025 The inspiring Hegseth doesn't: Full disclosure! We're so old that we can remember the murders in New Orleans. The rampage in question took place in the early morning hours of January 1 of this very year. Fourteen days later, the murderous rampage has d … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025 Jack Smith wouldn't quite say yes: Within the past week, we asked a basic question about the events of January 6, 2021: On January 6, 2021, did President Trump know there was going to be a riot at the Capitol Building? That was our basic question. Extend … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025 ...of our failing nation: We awoke today to what we'd call a stumblebum conversation. It occurred in the first half hour of this morning's Morning Joe. At issue was the FBI background check—or the lack of same—which has been conducted—or possibly not—on … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025 Also, a touch of the labyrinthitis: As it turns out, Pete Hegseth was a team player at the Fox News Channel. As it turns out, he had been working for weekend rates: Financial Disclosure Reveals How Much Pete Hegseth Was Making at Fox News The Washington P … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025 Every flyweight a king: We're prepared to assume that the fellow in question actually isn't a flyweight. We're even going to say his name: David Wallace-Wells Right there, that's the gentleman's name—the name of the person in question. You may not recogni … | Continue reading
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2025 ...is helped by our lack of language: The dumbest person who ever lived has succumbed to his latest brainstorm: Trump Calls Officials Handling Los Angeles Wildfires ‘Incompetent’ President-elect Donald J. Trump offered fresh criticism early Sunday of the … | Continue reading
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2025 Though also, in search of Obama: Finally! At long last, the rough, rude talk of real men is back! This very morning, these are the headlines which sit atop the posts at Mediaite: Trump Spikes the Football After Special Counsel’s Resignation: ‘The Stench o … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2025 Trap of Timpf stays shut: The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin once said. At long last, we can finally say that he seems to have had it wrong. It's true! A nation's cities can be devoured by flames. But a nation's capacity for intelligent discourse can be … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2025 World's richest nutcase relents: Just for the sake of preserving the record, here's the heart of the news report from CNN: Elon Musk now has a new, lower target number for DOGE’s budget cuts Elon Musk has walked back his previous claim that he could cut a … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2025 ...Fox News was devouring the discourse: What ever happened to all those drones—to the drones which were swarming all over New Jersey? We'd been wondering in recent days. Yesterday, somebody asked. As seen on the Fox News Channel, a reliable Stepford inqu … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2025 Cultures can be destroyed too: It's worth recalling that cities used to burn down fairly often. We were a high school student—in California, no less—when we first heard these lyrics from an old American song: The Baltimore Fire [...] Amid an awful strugg … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2025 Bogus claims can spread faster than flames: Here at this incomparable site, we've been trying to address a set of extremely important questions. As a general matter, those questions are variants on one basic point of incomprehension—on a bit of puzzlemen … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2025 ...he does what such people do: At Raw Story, Brad Reed reports the anger being directed at Donald J. Trump. The incoming president is expounding as Los Angeles burns. The report begins as shown: 'Hope he has a massive stroke': Critics pounce on Trump m … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2025 What did Jack Smith find? Future Supreme Court Justice Aileen Cannon has hauled off and done it again. That said, it seems that the DOJ still hopes to split the baby in question. Headline included, here's the start of the New York Times' breaking news r … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2025 Was the public lied to? Did we lose some votes this way? Also, was the public lied to? We'll guess that the answer to the first question is yes. For now, let's return to Clarence Page's column, the one in which he wrote about 2024's "Lie of the Year." W … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2024 We explored an award-winning text: We basically lost the whole day today on this, the latest of our alternate week Medical Mondays Plus One. Returning to our sprawling campus, we saw that other people had been exposed to the effects of Blue America's loss … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2025 Back to those alternate Tuesdays: We're losing a large chunk of time today. With the holiday season passed, it's back to those alternate Tuesdays. We won't be posting until mid-afternoon. Frankly, it's always something! | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2024 Sanders-Townsend jumps in: The very fact that the question could have been asked helps define the shape of this potentially disastrous era. The question was asked on yesterday's Meet the Press. Actually, we refer to a pair of questions: WELKER (1/5/25): Le … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2024 Ways we earned our way out: This is a story of human discernment—a quality which is often in short supply. More specifically, this is a story concerning the ways we Blues have earned our way out. You'll note that the key word there is plural. The key word … | Continue reading
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2025 We're going to go with a no: Jonathan Weisman's lengthy piece for the New York Times appears beneath this packaging: NEWS ANALYSIS How the Democrats Lost the Working Class The theory seemed sound: Stabilize financial markets, support the poor and promote a … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2025 Gödel, Escher and Bosh: "What Can I Do For You?" Once again, it was one of Dylan's questions, during his Christian period. Three albums emerged from that era, including Saved, the 1980 album which included this heartfelt cut. We're not religious ourselve … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2025 Dylan nails it again: What was the gentleman talking about when he spoke of "American carnage?" You're asking an excellent question! The speech in question can be read here. Eight years later, as a new year began, we were lost in American squalor: DONALD T … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024 This is the discourse we've chosen: "Th[is] darkest evening of the year?" These "darkest evenings" are rather common at this point in time. Yesterday morning, in the second half of the 10 o'clock hour, the broadcast team at the Fox News Channel got over … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 Trump won by millions and millions: Absent this morning's event in New Orleans, it might have been the leading topic on this morning's Fox & Friends. It could have been a contender! We're not even saying that would have been wrong! Even as we sit here t … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2024 Skidmarks in methland dismissed: Why did Lori Mosura, age 55, decide to vote for Candidate Trump after all these years? We can't exactly tell you. In a recent report for the Washington Post, Tim Craig offered this limited explanation: After backing Trum … | Continue reading
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2024 Donald Trump won in a landslide: Jimmy Carter was elected president in November 1976. In terms of Red/Blue party politics, the United States was a different nation then. Candidate Carter swept "the solid South," winning every state from North Carolina on … | Continue reading
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2024 ...other voters attacked: Based on Tim Craig's report in the Washington Post, life for Lori Mosura, age 55, "ain't been no crystal stair." (We're quoting Langston Hughes, Mother to Son. For the full text of the poem, click here.) Mosura lives in New Cast … | Continue reading
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024 What does a broken toy sound like? Has an incoming American president assembled a playroom of broken toys? If so, what does a broken toy sound like? Using seasonal language, a broken toy can also be described as a nut-ball or as a fruitcake. By long-stan … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2024 Plus, our own tribe's Angry Blue Males: Judging from the historical record, isn't easy being one of These Angry Male Comedians Today. A few days ago, we noted the fact that we knew Rob Schneider a tiny tad in the summer of 85. We were in San Francisco fo … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024 Why Fox News [HEART] Die Hard: We haven't seen A Complete Unknown, but we can answer a question about the new film. The question, which is perfectly sensible, appears in this review by Khari Taylor: [This] brings me to A Complete Unknown’s biggest prob … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2024 The New York Times serves a kibosh: Right here, on this very morning, we the people are being offered our choice of stories again. It all depends on where we turn! At the Fox News site, a giant presentation is offered today beneath these giant headlin … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2024 So too with our tribunes today: Different chroniclers of the first Christmas have left different stories behind. Wisely and helpfully or possibly not, Nicholas Kristof writes about this matter in this morning's New York Times. His column takes the form … | Continue reading
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024 So had the pitiful Musk: Some of the western world's most treasured stories are told at this time of the year. We humans are said to love our stories. It's said that we're inclined to gravitate to pleasing stores more than to verified facts. So it can go … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2024 We decided to give it a look: Yesterday, we heard a throwaway comment about "megalomania"—a comment directed at Elon Musk. That said, what the heck is megalomania? For example, is it an actual clinical term? We decided to give it a look. Below, we'll s … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2024 Arrival of the solstice: Tonight is a special night, NPR reports: Saturday is the winter solstice. Make the most of the shortest day of the year Saturday is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It's not only the shortest day of the year, but t … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2024 Could the problem (in part) be Us? Why did Candidate Harris (narrowly) lose to Candidate Donald J. Trump? The question deserves exploration. We restate a basic framework: On the one hand, it's amazing that Harris came so close, given the ridiculous circu … | Continue reading