Althouse: At the Tuesday Night Cafe...

September 25, 2018

At the Tuesday Night Cafe...

... talk about anything.

66 comments:

sane_voter said...: "You need a date
and it’s getting late
so don’t hesitate
to call Renate."; 9/25/18, 9:22 PM
wildswan said...: Desperately Seeking Remedies to Get The Hearing Off My Mind.
So far only one remedy has been effective - reading PG Wodehouse. Leave It to Psmith.; 9/25/18, 9:23 PM
Original Mike said...: I’m reading Sobel’s “Longitude”.; 9/25/18, 9:27 PM
The Godfather said...: I just read that Ford's lawyers want to limit the number of press at Thursday's hearing, which is crazy. Why should she object to a lot of her supporters being in the room?

Then this thought occurred to me. On the first day of the hearings, anti-Kavanaugh demostrators entered the hearing room, disrupting and delaying the proceedings, and the Democrats on the committee followed a coordinated program of objections to do the same thing. Why doesn't anyone anticipate that Republicans will do the same kind of thing on Thursday to disrupt Ford's testimony? I can think of two answers:

1. Republicans are more decent people than Democrats. Or

2. Republicans think Ford's testimony will hurt the anti-Kavanaugh cause.

What do you think?; 9/25/18, 9:28 PM
Original Mike said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/25/18, 9:28 PM
Original Mike said...: Also Sabine Hossenfelder’s “Lost in Math”.; 9/25/18, 9:29 PM
FullMoon said...: Saw the vid of UN laughing at Trump.

Ne brags, a few people laugh at him

He smiles, says "I didn't expcet that, but OK"

More people laugh with him, and many applaud.

Kinda funny, really.; 9/25/18, 9:32 PM
Kevin said...: We are at the beginning of what's sure to be every celebrity and purported person of influence telling us time and again we must register and drag everyone we know to the polls.

It's going to be a tsunami of badgering by folks who know better than you what you need to be doing.; 9/25/18, 9:36 PM
Big Mike said...: @Godfather, over at ace.mu.nu they are answering your question: Only two more days before Christine Blasey Ford does not testify before the Senate.; 9/25/18, 9:41 PM
Kevin said...: What would the effect on the nation be if Ford shows up and has three breasts?

Certainly Kavanaugh and everyone else would have remembered her, right? Suddenly, everyone knows she's too memorable not to forget and the fact no one remembers her means they weren't there.

I mean, does everyone just nod their heads and close the hearing? Or do they go through the motions like an SNL skit?; 9/25/18, 9:41 PM
As my whimsy leads me.. said...: Original Mike, I loved “Longitude.” I need to dig it out and read it again. The way he brought together so many sources of knowledge that the trained scientists didn’t know was fascinating.
Toy; 9/25/18, 9:45 PM
wild chicken said...: "we must register and drag everyone we know to the polls."

Do they think they know how we would vote?; 9/25/18, 9:47 PM
Kevin said...: "Do they think they know how we would vote?"

They assume if you're not registered but can be bullied to do it on demand you're their kind of voter.

You must fit the DEMographic.; 9/25/18, 9:56 PM
actual items said...: As a parent to 3 elementary school children and thus having many working years ahead of me, I often daydream about a post-corporate life spent sitting at home, drinking coffee and reading and blogging the news.

But then a day like today happens, I have a stomach bug, and take my 1st sick day in 2 or 3 years, and spend the day at home reading online about the Kavanaugh situation.

And suddenly I cannot wait until tomorrow when I am back in the office and too busy to pay attention to this insanity.

I probably need to rethink my retirement leisure plans.; 9/25/18, 10:00 PM
Original Mike said...: ”I probably need to rethink my retirement leisure plans.”

There’s a place for vacation even in retirement. I’m currently on vacation and am paying much less attention to the news than usual.; 9/25/18, 10:08 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: Fun fact: If Kavanaugh is confirmed, the Court will have two justices who clerked for the same justice at the same time. Kavanaugh and Gorsuch both clerked for Kennedy in the 1993-1994 term.; 9/25/18, 10:08 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: Another fun fact: my former boss, Gary Feinerman, who is now a federal district court judge in Chicago, clerked with Kavanaugh and Gorsuch for Kennedy.; 9/25/18, 10:14 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: How weird is that? SOMEONE CALL JEFFREY TOOBIN!; 9/25/18, 10:15 PM
Kathryn51 said...: wildswan said...
Desperately Seeking Remedies to Get The Hearing Off My Mind.
So far only one remedy has been effective - reading PG Wodehouse. Leave It to Psmith.

God help me but I am reading vintage mysteries (Nero Wolfe) and "regency romances" (ultra clean - no smut, no violence, honor wins). Only antidote I can come up with.; 9/25/18, 10:16 PM
Kevin said...: Is Deborah Ramirez the left shark of the Kavanaugh hearings?

Is Michael Avenatti a dancing beach ball?; 9/25/18, 10:18 PM
Gahrie said...: Fun fact: If Kavanaugh is confirmed, the Court will have two justices who clerked for the same justice at the same time. Kavanaugh and Gorsuch both clerked for Kennedy in the 1993-1994 term.

There had to be some female clerks that year, liberal ones to boot. Why haven't we heard from them?; 9/25/18, 10:29 PM
CWJ said...: Enough of will she or won't she. Where is she? For someone who is the center of speculation, I'm amazed at the lack of any stories as to where Ford currently is. The press doesn't seem to be camped outside her door. Very strange in light of past press behavior. But the republicans better know where she is if they don't want to be blindsided.; 9/25/18, 10:30 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Psmith was always my favorite Wodehouse character. Perhaps because I actually knew some of those happy head-cases in high school and college. That sort of blitheness seldom survives adulthood but I still know one or two.; 9/25/18, 10:33 PM
CWJ said...: Kevin,

Close. She's right shark. The Republicans never expected her coming from that side.; 9/25/18, 10:33 PM
wwww said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/25/18, 10:54 PM
AllenS said...: Damn! How about those Brewers?; 9/25/18, 10:54 PM
Ken B said...: Misty has a post up about Ronan Farrow squandering the credibility he had earned. Can anyone think of a blogger who has squandered hers?; 9/25/18, 10:55 PM
Unknown said...: I’m reading Sobel’s “Longitude”.

That and "Galileo's Daughter" are probably Sobel's best, but I'm looking forward to reading
"The Glass Universe."

Original Mike, I loved “Longitude.” I need to dig it out and read it again. The way he brought together so many sources of knowledge that the trained scientists didn’t know was fascinating.

Sobel's a she, not a he. You sexist!
;-); 9/25/18, 11:18 PM
Original Mike said...: ”...I'm looking forward to reading "The Glass Universe."”

I didn’t know about it. That could be great. I have a great interest in stellar spectra. Thanks!; 9/25/18, 11:31 PM
eddie willers said...: Damn! How about those Brewers?

Couldn't tell you. My Braves cliched Saturday. But I'm glad Milwaukee is back in the National League.; 9/25/18, 11:42 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/26/18, 12:10 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/26/18, 12:12 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: Some CIA officials work under cover of US State Department officials in US embassies abroad.

Such arrangements might be relevant to a Daily Caller article titled Mueller Team Interviewed US Embassy Official About Papadopoulos Contacts, written by Chuck Ross.

The article includes the following passages.

-----

.... Terrence Dudley, a former Navy commander who works with the Office of Defense Cooperation, told The Daily Caller News Foundation [TheDCNF; i.e. Ross] that Mueller’s office contacted him to discuss several meetings that he and a colleague had during the campaign with Papadopoulos.

The former Trump aide [Papadopoulos] recently identified Dudley and his colleague, Greg Baker, in a tweet alleging that the pair were sent to spy on him on behalf of the U.S. government.

“I think it’s also important for me to detail my interactions with US intelligence officials from US Embassy, London. Gregory Baker and Terrence Dudley. Both wanted to ingratiate themselves in campaign via myself,” Papadopoulos tweeted ....

Both Dudley and Baker dispute Papadopoulos’ tweet, saying they reached out to Papadopoulos out of personal curiosity.

“We approached him from a more fascinated standpoint trying to figure out what his game was,” Dudley told TheDCNF by phone from London. “Who’s funding him to be here [in London]? How does he actually get away with doing that?” ....

Papadopoulos told TheDCNF that he has grown suspicious of Dudley and Baker because they unsolicitedly approached him and seemed eager to meet with him. ....

Papapdoulos also aired his suspicions about Dudley, Baker and several other encounters he had during the campaign in an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum.

“All of a sudden, I’m approached by two officials from what I think are the Defense Intelligence Agency of the U.S. embassy in London, who decide to meet with me and basically probe me about what’s happening,” Papadopoulos told MacCallum in a Sept. 18 interview.

The approach was made just before Papadopoulos had his now-infamous meeting with Alexander Downer, the Australian High Commissioner to the U.K. Information Downer provided from that May 10, 2016, meeting ultimately sparked the FBI’s collusion probe, which was opened on July 31, 2016. ....

Dudley and Baker said they were not aware that information from Downer was provided to Dibble.

Baker, who worked in a security role at the embassy and is now in the private sector, told TheDCNF he found Papadopoulos after conducting a Google search following a foreign policy speech that Trump gave on April 27, 2016.

Impressed with the speech, Baker contacted Papadopoulos through LinkedIn requesting a meeting. He said the Trump aide quickly accepted the request. Baker told TheDCNF that he and Dudley met with Papadopoulos four times during the course of the campaign.

A day before the Trump speech that caught Baker’s eye, Papadopoulos met with Joseph Mifsud in London. ...

Both Dudley and Baker said that Papadopoulos did not mention emails to them during their multiple encounters, but that Russia was a frequent topic of discussion.

Dudley said that “the hairs on the back of our neck stood up” when Papadopoulos discussed a potential reset with Russia should Trump win the White House. ....

Baker told TheDCNF that he was not troubled by Papadopoulos’ references to meeting with Russians, but said that he warned the Trump aide to “be careful.” Baker said he advised Papadopoulos that it would not have been a surprise if Russian operatives were searching for soft spots to infiltrate the Trump campaign.

Baker said he was not contacted by the Mueller team.; 9/26/18, 12:14 AM
Trumpit said...: How about asking the nominee if he/she has any skeletons in the closet, and make him/her sign under penalty of perjury that he doesn't. I'm sick of these perjurers like Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh thinking they are entitled to a spot on the highest court. As an aside, why was Brett Somers a fixture on the Match Game for so many years? Talk about dragging out your 15 minutes of fame ad nauseam. I doubt that Althouse has any skeleton in her closet, but she may have some fractals lying around. That may be equally disqualifying in this atavistic period that rejects pop art as subversive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Somers#Later_life_and_death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal; 9/26/18, 12:14 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I was reading about the claim from 4chan that Avenetti got played by hoaxers. They didn't offer any proof to the board that they actually did this, but they offered enough detail that Avenetti himself would know whether or not they are telling the truth. If Avenetti, suddenly abandons the story, that would be proof enough that he got fooled, and it does appear that Avenetti has abandoned it- not a peep out of him since last night that I can see.; 9/26/18, 12:46 AM
steve uhr said...: Lots of talk on tv about who has the burden of proof. This is not a trial. Each senator can vote as they see fit based on the information they have. They can believe her and vote to confirm or believe him and vote against him. They can decide they don't know who to believe and take that into account as they see fit. Discussing burden of proof is not very helpful to the debate.; 9/26/18, 1:01 AM
Yancey Ward said...: On the evidence in hand, there is not a lot of doubt that Kavanaugh is going to be confirmed- an unsupported accusation isn't enough. Even worse, though, is that the people cited by each accuser as a potential witness has failed to confirm the stories. And if Ford doesn't show up to offer sworn testimony, it is 99.99% certain he is confirmed. The Republican holdouts are only holding out to give her a chance to testify publicly- if she can't or won't make a better case, then it is over.; 9/26/18, 1:07 AM
Trumpit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/26/18, 1:36 AM
Trumpit said...: The GOP is replete with the vilest people imaginable. Senators Chucky "Friday the 13th" Grassley, Urrin "Stain" Hatch, & Addison "Monkey" McConnell are some of the worst men on God's green earth. I needn't mention cancerous, cantankerous, ignominious Donald Jackass Trump our train wreck of a president. If they are for some candidate or nominee, then it is safe to say that that person is a train wreck for hardworking Americans, the environment, & enlightment.; 9/26/18, 1:46 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: I see that former prez Soetoro's get all up in their face is really the way to be. Quite a memorable stance. Is it allowed in baseball? Perhaps in soccer? Certainly, it is the ultimate in inclusiveness. The right to be left unmolested... another victim of liberal "thought".; 9/26/18, 1:53 AM
Ralph L said...: Ronan Farrow squandering the credibility he had earned

It probably helps him in Hollyweird where he grew up and whose underbelly he exposed last year. The rest of us, not so much. But his article was clear that Ramirez wasn't.; 9/26/18, 3:44 AM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: Thanks for Leave it to Psmith, wildswan. I'm packing for a short trip, and maybe The World of Jeeves is a bit heavy, though I was thinking of Mulliner Nights.

Kathryn51, so am I. Just reread all my Margery Allingham over the past couple of weeks, and am now working through Catherine Aird, again. I could take a couple of hers, and maybe Edmund Crispin's Holy Disorders, though some things can't be reread too many times close together. I haven't actually encountered Nero Wolfe in print, though, only on TV, long ago. But the important thing is that it isn't the present, and has nothing to do with the Senate Judiciary Committee at all.; 9/26/18, 4:48 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Here's one from Mark Stein... These are the same people that are claiming that a male transgender has the right to expose himself to young girls and those young girls need to get over it; 9/26/18, 5:12 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Actual Items et al... I find refuge from the din by watching this, a positive helpful uplifting show https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/the-incredible-dr-pol
a country veterinarian
AND IT WORKS; 9/26/18, 5:22 AM
rehajm said...: It not a ‘sugar high’- you’re getting the benefits of the tax cut next year, too. There’s a compounding effect.; 9/26/18, 5:44 AM
rehajm said...: One downside- tax preparers trying to meet the October 15 deadline are dealing with ‘evolving’ rules in the new law. The professional tax software isn’t keeping up. It’s a bit of chaos at the worst possible time.; 9/26/18, 5:48 AM
Clyde said...: Kevin said...
Is Deborah Ramirez the left shark of the Kavanaugh hearings?

Is Michael Avenatti a dancing beach ball?

I'm thinking Avenasti is more like a poo emoji.; 9/26/18, 5:48 AM
Professional lady said...: Kathyn51 - I know what you mean - sometimes you just want to be entertained and taken to a different world. When I really need to relax, I read Georgette Heyer novels.; 9/26/18, 5:55 AM
stevew said...: I live in Massachusetts, am not a Democrat and not sympathetic to their candidates and causes. I no longer vote, as doing so is a waste of my time.

-sw; 9/26/18, 5:59 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Considering the "smart phone voting", are there federal verification standards the states must meet in national elections?; 9/26/18, 6:14 AM
Quaestor said...: I no longer vote, as doing so is a waste of my time.

Think of all the time you waste commenting on Althouse.; 9/26/18, 6:22 AM
Hagar said...: Rex Stout's 53 whodunits make a wonderful social mores history of the United States from the late 1920's to the early'70's.; 9/26/18, 6:28 AM
rehajm said...: Massachusetts has ballot questions. Votes for some questions are often close. They are supposed to be binding but the criminals in the Massachusetts legistlature have been known to ignore outcomes they find objectionable, like the tax cut voters gave themselves.; 9/26/18, 6:31 AM
Michael K said...: it does appear that Avenetti has abandoned it- not a peep out of him since last night that I can see.

Playing in the porn world is risky. See "Boogie Nights" for evidence.; 9/26/18, 6:56 AM
stevew said...: And so you expand my point rehajm!

-sw; 9/26/18, 6:57 AM
stevew said...: "Think of all the time you waste commenting on Althouse"

True, but this is fun and I don't have to go anywhere.

-sw; 9/26/18, 6:58 AM
Hagar said...: Wodehouse picked up too many Americanisms in his language after he moved to the U.S.; 9/26/18, 7:05 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Hagar said...
Rex Stout's 53 whodunits make a wonderful social mores history of the United States from the late 1920's to the early'70's.

9/26/18, 6:28 AM

Praise the Stout, to whom all praise is due. I battened on him as a yute, and often reread. True class.

For a real old school tale, read his "Under the Andes" which along with several short stories is available on Gutenberg.

But Hagar, late 20s? Fer-de-lance, NW#1, began with a little episode where Nero Wolfe sends Fritz Brenner to get "one of every kind procurable" of beer, due apparently to Prohibition ending. That would be '33 or later.; 9/26/18, 7:21 AM
Hagar said...: Published 1934, but attitudes linger.

Like Dorothy Sayers wrote 1924-35, but the society she wrote about was actually pre-WWI.; 9/26/18, 7:30 AM
Fernandinande said...: Why the Left Is Consumed With Hate
"Lacking worthy menaces to fight, it is driven to find a replacement for racism. Failing this, what is left?
by Shelby Steele"

HT whyevolutionistrue; 9/26/18, 8:09 AM
Andrew said...: This is apropos of nothing, but I just saw a Picasso quote that I really liked.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working."; 9/26/18, 8:09 AM
Andrew said...: I read Longitude years ago. It was one of those book experiences where it took over my life until I was done. Captivating reading.

"Sobel's a she, not a he. You sexist!"

Jaw drop! Women can write about science?; 9/26/18, 8:13 AM
Fernandinande said...: Think of all the time you waste commenting on Althouse.

Blogger doesn't (illegally?*) put my SSN on a public website (voting->juror list), then send me a letter telling me to contact private companies to see if their public SSN error resulted in "identity theft".

*IIRC the gubmint is not supposed to use SSNs for anything other than SS.; 9/26/18, 8:18 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I know the past is a foreign country, but the bit in "Fer De Lance" where Archie sets up what amounts to a sexual assault on a witness to make sure she testifies rankles. Even if she were never in any danger, *she* didn't know that.; 9/26/18, 9:36 AM
Just asking questions (Jaq) said...: Think of all the time you waste commenting on Althouse.

For some reason, this brings to mind “I spent most of my money on wine, women, and song, the rest I wasted.” But yeah, I understand why somebody would feel like voting in the state that re-elected John Kerry, who cheated on his Mass taxes, and re-elected Ted Kennedy...; 9/26/18, 9:59 AM
Just asking questions (Jaq) said...: Discussing burden of proof is not very helpful to the debate.

A US Senator has some burden of proof that an accusation is at least credible. But sure, if it’s any weapon to hand to beat. this guy, at the end of the day the only rule is. to get re-elected. Ask Bob Menendez or Bill Clinton.; 9/26/18, 10:01 AM