Tossing Out the Terrible Takes on the Political Open Thread

[Z is for Zangie]

Good Morning! Have a good one.

[Mike]

Normalcy? Check out Mr. Scott Rowe:

Here’s a guy in a hospital bed, with tubes stuck into his nasal cavity to help him breathe. Covid put him in the hospital, where he’s apparently been for many days (“I’m finally getting out of here”). Is he gonna get vaccinated? NO. Don’t ram your vaccine down my throat! he says, as he literally has tubes rammed down his throat. He won’t trust modern medicine to produce a safe and effective vaccine…. yet he trusts modern medicine to heal him from his viral overload. And as he sits in that bed, he absorbs resources that could be utilized for a stroke victim or a cancer victim or something. The bill for his care will be tens of thousands of dollars… and self-sufficient conservative Scott will not pay a dime. Either he’s insured, in which case our premiums will rise because of folks like him - or he will simply not pay, leaving govt holding the bag. In which case, of course, we again pay.

Reasonable people might disagree, but he and the tens of millions like him are just utterly fecken stupid.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

We got about a month of simi normal in Ca. Now we are trying to "Stop the republican recall of Newsom" by "Some of the same people who stormed the capital." Nothing hides incompetence like fear, ask baby Bush.

[Tarmaque]

Now we are trying to "Stop the republican recall of Newsom"

From what I understand the recall is unlikely to pass, so the candidates to replace him are a bit irrelevant. However I still wonder what happened to the lawsuit about putting Newsom on the list of replacements is going? The whole process seems shady to me. Shouldn't a recall election put the Lieutenant Governor in office until the next general election?

I know, I know. "California."

[Randi]

Normalcy? Check out Mr. Scott Rowe:

“And as he sits in that bed, he absorbs resources that could be utilized for a stroke victim or a cancer victim or something. “

It’s sobering for me to realize that had I been able to get Harry to a hospital in time to save his life, they may not have had the time or space to help him
He didn’t want to go to the doctor on a good day and Covid made that worse.
I’m about ready to start whacking anti vaxxers with my broom

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

From what I understand the recall is unlikely to pass, so the candidates to replace him are a bit irrelevant.

I was mocking the anti recall commercials that basically paint the whole thing as a second insurrection.

However I still wonder what happened to the lawsuit about putting Newsom on the list of replacements is going?

I haven't followed that part closely. I know we went through the same thing in Davis recall. I'm not sure I get it.

The whole process seems shady to me. Shouldn't a recall election put the Lieutenant Governor in office until the next general election?

I know, I know. "California."

I don't mind the special election connected to a recall. After all the Lt Governor is part of the same failed group.

[Mike]

I was mocking the anti recall commercials that basically paint the whole thing as a second insurrection.

Given the first Repub petition to recall Newsom occurred in spring of 2019, just a few months after he was elected to office in November 2018, you are correct. It is not the second insurrection… it is the first. It is merely the fascist GOP doing what they do now, which is attempt any/all methods of overturning free and fair elections that don’t go their way.

Reasonable people would not disagree that it is preposterous to label ‘failed’ a management group that has only been managing a few months.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

it is the first. It is merely the fascist GOP doing what they do now, which is attempt any/all methods of overturning free and fair elections that don’t go their way.

And those who signed the petition that are registered as democrat? I know, I know, keep reality out of your rhetoric. I mean obviously all proud boys in disguise.

[Mike]

Were democrats signing that petition in spring 2019? What did Newsom do in 70 days in office that earned him such instant regret among the 61% of Cali residents who voted for him? I can tell you with certainty that the first petitions - there have been FIVE of ‘em - were created and circulated by the GOP.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

Were democrats signing that petition in spring 2019? What did Newsom do in 70 days in office that earned him such instant regret among the 61% of Cali residents who voted for him? I can tell you with certainty that the first petitions - there have been FIVE of ‘em - were created and circulated by the GOP.

The only petition that matters is the one that was completed. And yes registered Democrats signed it. Petitions are almost always circulating. What really cost him the most was the French laundry hypocrisy in December of 2020.

[Mike]

Were democrats signing that petition in spring 2019? What did Newsom do in 70 days in office that earned him such instant regret among the 61% of Cali residents who voted for him? I can tell you with certainty that the first petitions - there have been FIVE of ‘em - were created and circulated by the GOP.

The only petition that matters is the one that was completed. And yes registered Democrats signed it. Petitions are almost always circulating. What really cost him the most was the French laundry hypocrisy in December of 2020.

So then. He gets elected. He takes office. 70 days after he takes office, the first of five separate recall petitions begins. Every one of the petitions was initiated by the opposing party.

Yet because some Dems have signed on because they were pissed that he went out to eat at a fancy restaurant, that means, to you, that this is NOT an attempt by the GOP to overthrow the process of representative democracy - a pattern they are engaging in across the nation, at every level. GOT IT.

FWIW, French Laundry was indeed a tone-deaf move on his part. I will not dispute that a bit.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

Every one of the petitions was initiated by the opposing party.

You think his own party was going to initiate such a petition?

Yet because some Dems have signed on because they were pissed that he went out to eat at a fancy restaurant, that means, to you, that this is NOT an attempt by the GOP to overthrow the process of representative democracy - a pattern they are engaging in across the nation, at every level. GOT IT.

Yes that is exactly what it means. It was the work of the people of California from both parties. Without signatures from democrats we wouldn't have enough signatures to have an election. The fact that members of his own party were willing to sign shows it's not simple partisan game play.

[Mike]

He says, as he ignores priming and all the other tools being deployed. No it’s not simple partisan game play - it’s very complex, manipulative partisan game play.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m aware there are legit reasons for, say, a Dem small business owner who is concerned that his business is going down the tubes to wonder whether a different governor could make better choices. But the drumbeat for recall has been incessant in California since March 2020, and there is no question where ALL of that drumbeat originated.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

He says, as he ignores priming and all the other tools being deployed. No it’s not simple partisan game play - it’s very complex, manipulative partisan game play.

ROFLMAO

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m aware there are legit reasons for, say, a Dem small business owner who is concerned that his business is going down the tubes to wonder whether a different governor could make better choices.

More then that. People are upset over the dinner thing, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal had Newsom not been so condescending with approach and then ignored his own rules. Further more the roll out of the vaccination was a disaster in ca. Our rule sets were overly complex in the name of "equity". This slowed things down considerably and our equity numbers have been as bad or worse then other states. At one point 80% of vaccinated people in California were wealthy white and male. He's also just generally annoying but that my personal thing. He is also driving state inflation very hard which is a problem for consumer and business owner.

I didn't support the Grey Davis recall. Voted to keep him in place. In that election the California Republican party did essentially create an false issue to run Davis out. That isn't the case with Newsom.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/elim ... ket-newtab

Here are some examples of fairly ubiquitous consumer technologies that allow for less human interaction.

Online ordering and home delivery: Online ordering is hugely convenient. Amazon, FreshDirect, Instacart, etc. have not just cut out interactions at bookstores and checkout lines; they have eliminated all human interaction from these transactions, barring the (often paid) online recommendations.

Digital music: Downloads and streaming—there is no physical store, of course, so there are no snobby, know-it-all clerks to deal with. Whew, you might say. Some services offer algorithmic recommendations, so you don’t even have to discuss music with your friends to know what they like. The service knows what they like, and you can know, too, without actually talking to them. Is the function of music as a kind of social glue and lubricant also being eliminated?

Ride-hailing apps: There is minimal interaction—one doesn’t have to tell the driver the address or the preferred route, or interact at all if one doesn’t want to.

Driverless cars: In one sense, if you’re out with your friends, not having one of you drive means more time to chat. Or drink. Very nice. But driverless tech is also very much aimed at eliminating taxi drivers, truck drivers, delivery drivers, and many others. There are huge advantages to eliminating humans here—theoretically, machines should drive more safely than humans, so there might be fewer accidents and fatalities. The disadvantages include massive job loss. But that’s another subject. What I’m seeing here is the consistent “eliminating the human” pattern.

Automated checkout:Eatsa is a new version of the Automat, a once-popular “restaurant” with no visible staff. My local CVS has been training staff to help us learn to use the checkout machines that will replace them. At the same time, they are training their customers to do the work of the cashiers.

Amazon has been testing stores—even grocery stores!—with automated shopping. They’re called Amazon Go. The idea is that sensors will know what you’ve picked up. You can simply walk out with purchases that will be charged to your account, without any human contact.

AI: AI is often (though not always) better at decision-making than humans. In some areas, we might expect this. For example, AI will suggest the fastest route on a map, accounting for traffic and distance, while we as humans would be prone to taking our tried-and-true route. But some less-expected areas where AI is better than humans are also opening up. It is getting better at spotting melanomas than many doctors, for example. Much routine legal work will soon be done by computer programs, and financial assessments are now being done by machines.

Robot workforce: Factories increasingly have fewer and fewer human workers, which means no personalities to deal with, no agitating for overtime, and no illnesses. Using robots avoids an employer’s need to think about worker’s comp, health care, Social Security, Medicare taxes, and unemployment benefits.

Personal assistants: With improved speech recognition, one can increasingly talk to a machine like Google Home or Amazon Echo rather than a person. Amusing stories abound as the bugs get worked out. A child says, “Alexa, I want a dollhouse” … and lo and behold, the parents find one in their cart.

Big data: Improvements and innovations in crunching massive amounts of data mean that patterns can be recognized in our behavior where they weren’t seen previously. Data seems objective, so we tend to trust it, and we may very well come to trust the gleanings from data crunching more than we do ourselves and our human colleagues and friends.

Video games (and virtual reality): Yes, some online games are interactive. But most are played in a room by one person jacked into the game. The interaction is virtual.

Automated high-speed stock buying and selling: A machine crunching huge amounts of data can spot trends and patterns quickly and act on them faster than a person can.

MOOCS: Online education with no direct teacher interaction.

“Social” media: This is social interaction that isn’t really social. While Facebook and others frequently claim to offer connection, and do offer the appearance of it, the fact is a lot of social media is a simulation of real connection.

This is an interesting point. The general technological trend today is to prevent human interaction. I'm also no fan of social media's influence on our society, but there is a general trend among us old folks to think that social media isn't real human interaction. It isn't human interaction as we would have defined it in our childhood, but social media is a collection of human beings interacting. The question is whether this type of interaction is a net positive of net negative for the company.