June 17, 2022

What a dismal time for American politics! Fortunately, I have a solution (for myself).

Look at the lineup of items to be clicked on at Real Clear Politics this morning:

 

It's that approach to balance that takes the form of alternating between being for one major party and then for the other. Neither party has my support, so I see no reason to click on any of it. How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment. 

52 comments:

tim in vermont said...

Coke and Pepsi are both just caffeinated sugar water, but with different branding.

Gahrie said...

Republicans and Trump: Produce the strongest economy in decades, bring peace to the Middle East, turn America into an energy exporter.

Democrats and Biden: In under two years, destroy the economy, bring chaos to the world and reduce the U.S. to begging OPEC to produce more oil for us to buy.

You don't support either party?

rhhardin said...

You can like the politics but not favor either side on the rhetoric on the grounds it's amateurish. Occasional exceptions, Trump zingers, and Musk zingers today. Both are put-downs of what Althouse is complaining about.

Achilles said...

How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment.


It is almost as dreary as it is for non partisans that stand aloof above the fray casting bland aspersions at everyone they view as below them.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Robert Third Reich is unreadable.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I'm not looking for comfort or nourishment.

I want a government that isn't corrupt and works for us.

We do not have that.

Achilles said...

Wouldn't it be fun for former Democrat voters and Feminists to reflect on their contributions to the current body politic in an honest way?

Maybe there could be some reflection on how we could make things better.

An analysis of past policies adopted by different administrations and the results of those policies?

The only thing worse than trying and failing is not trying at all.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I'm not looking for comfort or nourishment.
I want a government that isn't corrupt. I want a government who works for us.

We do not have that.

I find I skip reading much pol-talk these days. It's all over-wrought BS.

D.D. Driver said...

Don't blame me! I voted for Kodos!

Bob Boyd said...

That settles it. I'm ordering the pigs in a blanket.

Narayanan said...

who initiates pardon process?

how does request for pardon reach President's attention?

Aggie said...

Maybe we shouldn't be looking to politics and politicians for comfort or nourishment. Maybe - just maybe - their comfort and nourishment should be something they seek from us, at our discretion to give or withhold. Just a thought, as we approach the 4th of July.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

There is no comfort or nourishment in the corrupt Biden administration.
The suffering is on purpose.

Hari said...

Right now on Memeorandum:

Ctrl F trump = 11
Ctrl F Biden = 6

The balance has not changed since Biden was elected

rcocean said...

I love the neutrality.

Dems: Going hard left, trying to win at any cost
Reps: Trying to stop them.

The middle of the road (Althouse) demographic: Why can't we all just get along!

It reminds me of a bully trying to beat up a kid for his lunch money, and the teacher comes in and says "Stop all this fighting"

rcocean said...

In America, You may not care about politics, but politics cares about you.

mccullough said...

Politics is a sport with only two teams. An occasional good player here and there. Most worse than the players 30 years ago.

rcocean said...

BTW, hundreds of Jan 6th protesters have been punished for the crime of tresspassing and being in an "Unauthorized area" with jail time, fines, and felony convictions. Others are still awaiting trial. Yes, you have that right, 1.5 years later! Meanwhile the killer of Ashli Babbitt is a free man and got a medal.

Getting upset at this isn't partisanship, its anger at injustice. Nor is getting upset at all the completely unneccessary suffereing caused by the current inflation and upcoming recession. Or the problems caused by Biden's gas hikes and refusal to secure the border.

Anyway, all the dumb "Normies" got what they wanted. No more Mean tweets!

Lurker21 said...

Lifestyle chitchat isn't dreary? Partisans like politics because they think it provides answers and solutions. They may be wrong, but lifestyle chatter often seems devoid of much point. Somebody somewhere is always saying something, or doing something, or thinking something. Tomorrow they will be saying. or doing, or thinking something else. Most of the country resists any trend, and the next trend is quick to replace the current one. Partisans still have a touching and endearing sense that society is following some narrative or direction, and that conscious and rational human action can change things in a serious and lasting way.

wendybar said...

Gahrie said...
Republicans and Trump: Produce the strongest economy in decades, bring peace to the Middle East, turn America into an energy exporter.

Democrats and Biden: In under two years, destroy the economy, bring chaos to the world and reduce the U.S. to begging OPEC to produce more oil for us to buy.

You don't support either party?

6/17/22, 9:45 AM



THIS!!!^^^^^

Sebastian said...

rc: "BTW, hundreds of Jan 6th protesters have been punished for the crime of trespassing . . . Getting upset at this isn't partisanship, its anger at injustice. Nor is getting upset at all the completely unnecessary suffering caused by the current inflation and upcoming recession"

Cruel neutrality means not having to worry about injustice and suffering. Wouldn't want to get too partisan. What's a couple hundred boring jail sentences or a few more inflation percentage points, or for that matter a few hundred thousand more invaders at the border, if moderate indifference helps the nice people in the middle maintain their self-regard?

Lance said...

The editors at RCP have always selected articles that way: alternating bombs thrown from one political trench to the other. Usually from well-known partisan soldiers like Reich, Levin, Hemingway, Friedman, etc.

I do like reading some of the RCP staff themselves, particularly when they offer analysis of polls and demographics. And the poll data is often interesting.

Christopher B said...

I've heard "Nice" wrote a Gospel.

I didn't know he wrote a political platform, too.

Michael K said...

Cruel neutrality means not having to worry about injustice and suffering. Wouldn't want to get too partisan. What's a couple hundred boring jail sentences or a few more inflation percentage points, or for that matter a few hundred thousand more invaders at the border, if moderate indifference helps the nice people in the middle maintain their self-regard?

Nice white suburban middle aged ladies.

Koot Katmandu said...

I am with you on that Ann. I looked at that same list this morning too and skipped right passed all of them. Is there any place right now where you can really get actual news and not just spin? I just unsubscribed to the Wall Street Journal even though they might be the most neutral but still too much B.S.

Temujin said...

It has the same level of nourishment as a bowl of Cap'n Crunch.

Buckwheathikes said...

I, and I suspect many others, don't care one whit about political parties.

Except gas is now over $5/gallon and I can no longer afford to buy the food I'd like to buy for my family when I go to the grocery store and for certain every member of the political party that brought that on is my sworn enemy right now.

If it was Republicans, it wouldn't matter to me. I'd still be enraged and you should be too.

And I'd vote them bums right the fk out.

It happens to be Democrats (again). And I'm voting them out too. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

Lance said...

“Wouldn't it be fun for former Democrat voters and Feminists to reflect on their contributions to the current body politic in an honest way?”

Yes. And I’d like to see the same from Republican voters who keep electing high-profile nobodies like Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham and Ben Sasse. Not to mention all the less nationally-known nobodies in the House.

Quaestor said...

How dreary to be chaff before the wind.

Wa St Blogger said...

When you come to the realization that most politicians are most concerned about what helps them gain and hold power and get rich, you begin to have little loyalty to the party or the politician and you focus on results instead.

Note what the Dems focus on to gain and hold power. Note what they do to gain and hold power. note what institutions do to keep them in power. Note who is directly impacted, and hurt by this.

Do not note who they SAY they ware helping or want to help. Look only at the results.

Advocate and vote accordingly, and be ready to jump ship as soon as the party you vote for begins to act badly or the party you don't support begins to act for good.

You can't live on legacy, parties shift over time. You should not be blase about it, real people are harmed by our failure to be responsible in our politics. Remember, we vote these people in, therefore we bear the responsibility for their actions.

Kate said...

Agree. Some days realclear lazily lists left vs. right positions. If I know what the article is going to say before I read it, I'll pass. (Unless the writer is someone I appreciate for their wit and perspective.)

Some days, though, realclear has a pleasant surprise. That's why I keep clicking.

mikee said...

So Real Clear Politics is not a news source, but an opinion site? OK, I will ignore it.

Enigma said...

The RealClearPolitics summary format is indeed dreary: YES! NO! YES, YES, YES! NO, NO, NO!

I find AllSides left-center-right aggregation style a bit easier to digest. They also collect and publish news source and fact check bias ratings.

https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

Yancey Ward said...

How dreary to be Somebody!
How public like a Frog
To tell one's name the livelong June
To an admiring Bog!"

effinayright said...

Achilles said...
How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment.

It is almost as dreary as it is for non partisans that stand aloof above the fray casting bland aspersions at everyone they view as below them.
***************

Yes. Many have noted that our Blogmistress seems to keep a perfumed hanky at hand, to sniff when deigning to comment on party politics.

Yes, Miss Ann, both parties suck. But since they have so much power over our lives, the citizenry----especially non-partisan people capable of attempting impartial analysis--- MUST understand what they are up to.

Lawrence Person said...

It's hard to express how little the American public at large cares about January 6th's half-assed riot.

When gasoline hits $10 a gallon, how well do you think "But Ma Insurrection!" will play with the voting public?

gilbar said...

tim in vermont said...
Coke and Pepsi are both just caffeinated sugar water, but with different branding.

and one has to be mixed with ice, or it's Gross.. The other is delicious Right Out of The Bottle
fify!

Achilles said...

Lance said...

“Wouldn't it be fun for former Democrat voters and Feminists to reflect on their contributions to the current body politic in an honest way?”

Yes. And I’d like to see the same from Republican voters who keep electing high-profile nobodies like Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham and Ben Sasse. Not to mention all the less nationally-known nobodies in the House.

There are still a few NeverTrumpers left.

I remember telling Romney Supporters in 2012 what damage they were doing to the Republican party.

They got mad at people who wouldn't vote for Romney in the General.

History has shown that Romney would have been worse than Obama.

But there are still a lot of republican voters who want a perfumed career politician to lead the party.

Ann Althouse said...

@Yancey Ward

Thanks! I was thinking that poem too, after I wrote "How dreary..."

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

The reason for the RCP alternating viewpoints is to encourage critical thinking. I'm surprised you're put off by this.

AmPowerBlog said...

You're not partisan, but you have an ideological inclination, no? So, if you see something at RCP that piques your interest in that respect, you should click. There's a lot of good writing on the culture, identity politics, health, science, etc., that may show up there as a "party issue," but is much deeper than that.

Clyde said...

Reminds me of the old Trotsky quote about War. You may not be interested in partisan politics, but partisan politics is interested in you.

Paul said...

"It's that form of balance that takes the form of alternating between being for one major party and then for the other. Neither party has my support, so I see no reason to click on any of it. How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment."

To not vote is to ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES.. whomever is electing is what you get.

So don't bitch if you get someone like Biden folks. Sitting on the fence tends to do more than just numb your butt.

Tough nuts.

Narayanan said...

It reminds me of a bully trying to beat up a kid for his lunch money, and the teacher comes in and says "Stop all this fighting"
===========
3 possibilities
Teacher sympathy with bully? Teacher fears bully?
Teacher sympathy with kid?

Narayanan said...

Sitting on the fence tends to do more than just numb your butt.
========
if actually sitting : butt hangs out one side ; legs and feet etc opposite side
if straddling : crotch balancing

Josephbleau said...

Neither party has my support! One because they are stupid and the other because they are Republicans!

Godot said...

Althouse said:
"How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment"

How dreary the idea that anyone would look to media for comfort or nourishment.

Mason G said...

"Nice white suburban middle aged ladies."

Not just middle aged, some of them are older than that.

Rusty said...

Michael K said...
Cruel neutrality means not having to worry about injustice and suffering. Wouldn't want to get too partisan. What's a couple hundred boring jail sentences or a few more inflation percentage points, or for that matter a few hundred thousand more invaders at the border, if moderate indifference helps the nice people in the middle maintain their self-regard?

"Nice white suburban middle aged ladies."
What it reminds me of is well paid, retired public sector employees. That;"I don't know what YOU'RE complaining about? Look at me. I'm doing fine." So therefore there is nothing wrong.

StephenFearby said...

"How dreary for the partisans who pick through that list to find some comfort or nourishment."

I go to RCP and RCI all the time, scan the titles of the articles they link to, but only click on the interesting ones. I'm neither a Republican or a Democrat...but a member in good standing of the Anti-Asshole Party.

(Cafepress.com sells anti-asshole yard signs, but sadly, none for the Anti-Asshole party.)

https://www.cafepress.com/+anti-asshole+yard-signs

On May 19,2019 RCP published an article on former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates's take on then-ass-hole candidate Biden:

'...CBS's "Face The Nation" host Margaret Brennan asked Gates if he stood by a statement from his memoir about Biden.'

"...He's a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks, and one of those rare people you know you could turn to for help in a personal crisis. Still, I think he's been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/05/13/gates_stands_by_statement_that_biden_has_been_wrong_on_nearly_every_major_foreign_policy_question.html

Cringe at most things Biden says or does. Same for his sycophants. Can't wait for the mid-term elections.