A HAPPY COUNTRY WOULD NOT HAVE MADE DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENT.

Not once, and surely not twice, but what came after has not been better.

That "American Rescue Plan?"  Printed money that allowed the tax-'n-spend states misgoverned by Democrats to paper over the effects of their social spending.  Now the money's running out, and the troubles return.  That infrastructure porkulus?  It won't even make good this year's wear and tear on the roads, bridges, water and sewer mains, and the Northeast Corridor.  The municipalities will have their ribbon cuttings, and then have to figure out how to maintain what Uncle Sugar has saddled them with.  The industrial policy stuff?  Consultants get to wet their beaks.  Politically connected information technology companies get money.  Those job gains? In Illinois, government hiring accounts for over 100% of the state's "job creation."  Mr Dworkin might pretend that a government monopsony "lowers prices."  Eventually there will be no suppliers.

That "transformational change?" It's not what voters voted for, nor what the Jarrett regency delivered.

It's still business as usual at Common Dreams, with Will Bunch pretending continuing that regency is fine.

The never-ending barrage of polls continues to show Trump in a virtual dead heat with President Joe Biden, perhaps leading slightly in the key swing states, despite the almost daily embarrassment of his Manhattan trial pegged to paying hush money to an adult-film star, as well as growing awareness of his open desire for autocracy. Trump’s shocking oratory of retribution his recent promise in Wisconsin not to accept the 2024 election result there if he loses, prompted Argentine historian Federico Finchelstein to declare: “This is how fascists campaign.”

And yet, two of the most tumultuous weeks in American society in over a half-century have only brought the nightmare of a second, more authoritarian Trump presidency closer to becoming a reality. The violent crackdown on campus protests against Israel’s U.S.-backed campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 34,000, many of them women or children, has dominated TV screens with scenes of domestic strife not seen since the 1960s and early 1970s. In the most shocking clash, at the University of California-Los Angeles, a generation raised on active-shooter drills looked up to see its own government firing rubber bullets at its pro-Palestinian encampment.

Fool me twice, shame on me.  "That's been my stance from the beginning, the Democrat establishment presenting Mr Biden as what I term an 'anodyne Democrat,' although if you were paying attention, dear reader, you would see that he was running on Bernie Sanders's platform, and his presidency is a destructive mix of that platform, Barack Obama's Weimar America freak show, and his vanity."

LET THE PUNISHMENT CYCLES CONTINUE.

There's another election coming up, and Craig "Streetwise Professor" Pirrong, who knows a thing or two about game theory, is apprehensive.

It is indeed possible that the Democrats generally and the Biden administration specifically will reap in November what they sowed in May (and in fact for many, months before that, and it many places beyond New York): the decision has sparked outrage, and not just among Trump’s existing supporters, or Republicans. But it remains to be seen whether this outrage will outweigh the burden of running for president as a “convicted felon.”

Alas, I believe the entire country will reap what the regime and its apparatchiks have sown, and for many years to come. The by-any-means-necessary use of lawfare has violated all pre-existing norms, and has set a precedent that will cast a shadow over American politics forevermore. There is no going back.

Yes, once the punishment cycles of the grim strategy outcome begin, stopping them is hard.  Mr Pirrong continues,

I was always astonished that during the Trump impeachment circuses that the Democrats smugly believed that this could not be used against them. They are similarly smug in their belief that they are immune from the type of lawfare they have waged since Trump left office.

Yes, their entrenchment in the deep, middle, and shallow states (to use the insightful desription of Jeffrey Tucker) does provide some immunity. But once a weapon has been unsheathed by one side, it is inevitable that the other will take it up as well.

2020s Lawfare will be to American politics what poison gas was to combat in WWI.

Lawfare–and especially the weaponization of criminal law–makes politics existential. All restraints are lifted in existential conflicts. We can only go downhill from here.

Perhaps if the Democrats could make a meaningful pivot to the median voters, or if the common sense caucus types from both major parties could offer a less unpalatable bundle than what passes for Trumpian populism or Obaman totalitarianism a temporary peace might be at hand.

HIGHER EDUCATION, FAILING ITS MARKET TESTS.

I'm not surprised that when the people running higher education trash their own value proposition, nothing good comes of it.  "Lest we forget, the responsibilities of the professor include saying no and upholding standards.  Institutions that respect that sort of discipline are more likely to survive the shakeout of excess capacity that is under way." We're still in the discontinue the accommodation trains and put more head end on the limiteds stage of the shakeout, but we're in a shakeout all the same.

IMMIGRATION IS A STRENGTH.

I keep preaching that both major parties are getting immigration policy wrong.  Maybe a video clip will reinforce the posting.

That's a conversation among World War II re-enactors at last weekend's Rails to Victory show along the rails of the Fox River Trolley.  (Pictures from a year ago here.)  Their unit is the Third Carpathian Division of the Free Polish Army.  In history, that division was with the British in Italy, but for re-enactments you find ways for all sorts of participants to get in on the action.  That included the Soviet Pacific Fleet operating on the Fox River.  Perhaps I will post an elaboration.

FEEL FREE TO BE PROBLEMATIC PEOPLE.

A few years ago I brought back a souvenir from San Antonio.

Apparently, that flag is among a number a recent Federalist post placed on a little list.  "The Top 11 Flags You Should Fly To Trigger Communist Enemies Of The People."

On their list are four flags that are in the Cold Spring Shops rotation:  Old Glory, Betsy Ross, Alamo, and the Navy Jack of the early years of this century.  The Flag Code neither forbids nor discourages use of older flags, which means there's a 48 star version up for several days in June as well as V-E and V-J Days and December 7; a 36 star version for Juneteenth and often for the first few days of July; a Liberty Tree often flies on Independence Day; and the Betsy Ross is on hand for Flag Day.  There is, of course, a suitable flag hoist for Mondays after Packer victories.

Sometimes, the best way to prevent a symbol being appropriated by others for their own purposes is to continue to use it for your purposes.  A Betsy Ross flag hoist for Flag Day is not of itself an endorsement of the Tea Party or Christian nationalism, nor is Appeal to Heaven on Independence Day a bat-signal to Trump voters.  Did you know that there are carvings of that tree on Nova Scotia's Oak Island: was some of the treasure used by Freemasons to finance the War of Independence?

Display what you wish, and disabuse anyone who is curious (most people mind their own business) of any Deeper Symbolism that you don't necessarily endorse.

I FAIL TO SEE THE PROBLEM.

Common Dreams offers a post by a group of gerontocrats who style themselves "the elders."  They give a post a title that ... suggests a desirable outcome.  "Failures of World Leaders Risk Collapse of International Order."

THE POLITICAL BUNDLES ARE UNSUSTAINABLY LARGE.

That's been a regular theme here for the past few years.  "Where you risk a true majority voting for awful things (for arbitrary values of awful) mightn't that good governance be minimal governance?"

In the midst of speculating over whether the Democrats will survive this fall's election (don't read too much into that, dear reader) American Thinker columnist Mark C. Ross, after listing a number of recent failures of the self-styled progressives, recognizes the same phenomenon.

In today’s world, one of our two major parties has been infected by ultra-leftist ideologies. Guess which one. Is this disease terminal? Only time will tell, and this year’s election may well be a harbinger of the eventual outcome.

My own guess is that both parties are in for a change. First off, the Republicans have a RINO problem (I prefer to call them Banana Republicans). Should the GOP achieve an overwhelming victory this year, then “movement” conservatives and Tea Party stalwarts may get around to pushing out the RINOs… who may then join up with the more centrist Democrats. Meanwhile, the uber-leftist Democrats will join up with the Greens.

I don't know, that coalition of "more centrist Democrats" and establishmentarian Republicans sounds a lot like the so-called Common Sense Caucus in the House, but so far, they've not found it in their interest to put forth a Speaker from one of the major parties and a Majority Leader from the other to make that sort of parliamentary outcome reality.  That might be the restoration of a tendency toward the median voter, although with it comes the risk of people believing the tales of Good Governance as Passing Legislation.  Meanwhile the Trumpians and the libertarians are not allies, nor will the urban socialists who style themselves as progressives always be on good terms with the more upscale environmentalist types.

MEGAN RAPINOE'S FAREWELL TOUR DIDN'T END WELL.

That provided the right-populist Internet no end of glee when the U.S. women's footie team failed to win a World Cup, yet again.  And women's sports types, particularly the alphabet people and the Blame America Firsters, are pretty good at undermining their value proposition.

Is history rhyming, this time with the U.S. women's basketball Olympic team?  "Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi Make Strong Statements After Controversial Team USA Selections."

The women's basketball community has been bemoaning the fact that Caitlin Clark wasn't named to Team USA's 12-person roster for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

And one big reason people are so upset is because they feel like Clark is more deserving than a few players who did make the cut; namely, Phoenix Mercury standouts Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

While Taurasi is undoubtedly a legend, she is turning 42 years old in a few days, and has already won five gold medals.

And Griner has been injured all season and just returned to the court.

Both acquitted themselves well in a weekend game that probably didn't sell out their arena.  There's still a lot of carping, particularly people raising the possibility that Ms Taurasi got brought back for one more run at the gold, which some not necessarily fans characterized as crowding out you-know-who.

It's all rather silly, but then people who are not serious are screwing other things up pretty well right now.

Let's see what happens when the games tip off in Paris.

ON MY WORKBENCH.

Well, that has been a stressful week on the current events beat, combined with some ongoing dental work that might not be completed until Oktoberfest season, and then the Brewers had runners thrown out at home three games in a row.

There's been time, though, to put the Victor E. Garden in, and resume work, now that the workbench has been put into a somewhat organized state, on Pullman cafe-sleeper Harvard Club.  (Has that project languished since the move to new quarters?)

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF TREATING STREETS LIKE PRODUCTIVE ASSETS.

Sorry for the clunky title, but don't say you weren't warned.

I've called attention to them for years.  "Make people aware of just how much they're relying on other people's money to keep their roads passable and watch the fireworks. But it's an idea that might just catch on, after Our Political Masters have tried everything else."  It doesn't matter who gets the credit for selling the idea.

The fireworks came to the Big Apple a little early this year.  "Hochul Condemned for NYC Congestion Pricing Flip-Flop."  It's not often you find me in agreement with the communists of Common Dreams, but I agree with New York's congestion pricing, and there's room for more markets allocating transportation assets.  "The roads are productive assets and perhaps the environmentalist wing of the self-styled party of science might be able to find common cause with libertarian-minded transportation advocates."

That sort of flips the script on "subsidize things we want to see," doesn't it? As a practical matter, almost any subsidy in practice leads to inefficiently much production of whatever is being subsidized, no matter how pretty the blackboard economics version of the policy is.

That's the way the infrastructure crumbles.  "[R]oad usage charges − also known as mileage-based user fees, distance-based fees or vehicle-miles-traveled taxes − are attracting the bulk of the academic attention, research dollars and legislative activity."  Governments, however, are not nimble institutions when it comes to pricing their productive assets.

Nor, apparently does pricing productive assets appeal to at least some of the governors' constituents, or perhaps somebody in New Jersey made her an offer she couldn't refuse?  Or she has to perpetuate the grand fiction.  "The error of any sort of socialism is in pretending that something that has scarcity value, whether it's medical care, food, housing, or transportation, ought a priori to be free. I've been toying with the idea that governments price services they offer as if they were in business."

FRIDAY short TAKES.

Another week with a longish prologue.  So it goes as the outlines of the saecular crisis emerge.

Thought itself can be sinful.  "The power elite have discovered that their cosplay revolution is seen as merely ridiculous. Minority groups don’t want the new names that have been issued to them. Straight people prefer not to be called cisgender, and gay people don’t like being submerged in a tide of heterosexuals who style themselves queer. Even The New York Times, that high conclave of official euphemisms, has begun to soft-pedal chilling locutions like 'gender-affirming care for minors,' instead referring honestly to puberty blockers and body-altering surgery."

Those best and brightest?  Not so much.  "The public concluded that the more elite the campus, the more ignorant, arrogant and hateful the students seemed."  You were warned.  Reap what you sow.  "Surprisingly few people consider college an opportunity to engage with complex ideas, develop their own perspectives on fundamental questions about human existence, morality and society, and appreciate diverse cultures, histories and forms of artistic expression alongside others who share those interests."  Time for a privilege check?  "Protest activity has been common, however, at elite schools with both low acceptance rates and few Pell students."

This time, we can't blame the lead in the pewter.  Seeking Tacitus and Gibbon?  "The Roman Republic fell when politicians began criminalizing politics."  We have much to look forward to.  "The Roman experience is that subsequent challengers of the status quo get smarter, more effective, and more ruthless."  Stir in a few mountebanks, and weep?  "If the US suffers from any potentially terminal condition, it is likely the metastasizing pathologies of its ruling class—that is, its elite."

Sometimes, Caligula's horse looks appealing.  Democracy.  "If voters decide to elect him, that will be the final verdict."  The choices aren't great.  "It is difficult to see an area of the world that is markedly better off since Biden took the White House.  There isn't an institution in the country Biden hasn't weakened."  He's Our S. O. B? "Trump is no longer Trump: he has been transformed into a living symbol of the progressive elites’ abuse of power and contempt for the principle of equality."  It's a dangerous game.  "By bringing such a dubious criminal case against a former president, the Democrats have now openly criminalized public policy differences. "  Go ahead, reject the false binary.  "A vote for Biden or Trump would be contrary to an adult lifetime of conservatism."

The weekly round-up of pithy elaborations on traditional Cold Spring Shops themes follows.

THE CORRUPTION GOES BEYOND THE MINIMAL PUBLISHABLE UNIT.

I endorse D. McCloskey's claim that academicians are participating in a conversation, and that the sole test of research is whether it is useful or not.  In academic economics, the job market has not so deteriorated that the obsession with the minimal publishable unit has ruined the discipline.  "Economics has a pretty good match of tenure-line openings and Ph.D. completions. But there is very much a pecking order of departments and journals, and the strategy of getting a lot of Minimally Publishable Units into archival journals will not win you tenure at the fifty departments claiming to be among the top twenty."  That's not to say that Minimal Publishable Units lack value.

It's not so much that the emphasis on research and publication is "excessive" is that in the absence of solid metrics for the quality of the research being done, professors think in terms of the "minimum publishable unit," and the cynic advises the tenure-trackers that deans can't read, but they can count.  Thus emerges the vanity press and archival journals and electronic publication, and the best efforts of faculties to rank journals or to calculate "impact factors" can be for naught.  Or they can lead ambitious professors to cut corners.

I've been retired ten years, and if anything, conditions have not improved.  "I have called attention to the administrative usurpations turning the calling of professor into the chore of special education teacher whilst requiring the sort of input-measurement useful in crafting a control panel in such a way as to encourage derivative scholarship of the minimal publishable unit form, rather than engaging in creativity."

How bad has it gotten?  Worse than faked minimal publishable units.  It goes beyond mockery now.  Read on.

I WONDER IF HE KNOWS THE REST OF THE STORY.

Milwaukeeans are going through yet another argument over whether to widen the expressways, or tear them down, or do nothing at all.  A special contributor to Milwaukee's Journal-Sentinel, urban transportation maven Charlie Rosenberg, suggests that the easterly extension of the East-West Freeway to the lakefront, whose construction required the removal of the North Shore Line's Milwaukee Terminal and the Everett Street Depot, be allowed to remain.

His column calls attention to a common phenomenon these days, namely the Credentialed Experts of years ago making decisions that turned out, retrospectively, to be wrong.

It was a no-brainer to tear down Park East, because it was a spur to nowhere. It went nowhere because, decades ago, a large number of people in Milwaukee said no to extending a freeway up the east side near the lakeshore. That was an example of popular revulsion stopping a project that political and business insiders had committed to without thinking things through.

The idea, back in the day, was that Park East would provide a faster way from the northwest side and the likes of Menomonee Falls and West Bend to the lakefront, and the Chicago and North Western's lakefront depot had to go to make that possible.  He goes on to explain why the easterly extension, which separates downtown from the Third Ward, still has its value.

What's interesting, though, is his conclusion.

Of course I favor mass transit. But until there is a high speed rail line from Delafield into downtown Milwaukee and then down to Kenosha, we need our existing freeway system to function smoothly for those who must rely on it.

I wonder how much of his city's history he recalls.  Delafield to Kenosha does not offer a proper value proposition for "high-speed rail."  Speedrail, perhaps.  Long ago, though, there was a through car in each direction, daily, offering dining car service between Kenosha and Watertown, on the long-gone interurban whose Rapid Transit Line was coveted by that previous generation of those Credentialed Experts to ... build the East-West Freeway, which swarms of motorists are now discovering is anything but free.

HOW BADLY HAVE WE SQUANDERED THE VICTORY DIVIDEND?

One reason the Germans discounted the possibility of OVERLORD landing on the Normandie beaches, that is, besides Der Führer having several intuitions that it would be there, was that there was no port of substance nearby.  Once the beaches were safe for the follow-on forces to arrive, floating caissons and derelict freighters were towed through the Channel chop to establish two MULBERRY harbors.  The Germans apparently never expected that.  Two weeks later, another Channel storm destroyed the installation at OMAHA.  The other harbor, at Arromanches, was broken up but put back into operation, and remnants of it, proving too costly to salvage or otherwise remove, remain today.

Perhaps it is fortunate that most of the soldiers and sailors who made these ports possible have passed on, in order to be spared the sight of today's idea of a portable port being poorly placed.  "Busted Gaza Pier Has All the Markings of a Joe Biden Op."

The Gaza Pier — you know, the one where the U.S. and allied countries unloaded food, so it could be stolen off trucks before reaching its intended destination — is no longer operational, and it will be out of operation for “at least over a week.” It turns out that the pier system was not intended to be used in waters with waves higher than three feet, and three-foot waves occur in that part of the Mediterranean Sea frequently. We know that Pentagon officials can read a weather and surf report. Now the question is, did someone in the administration tell them to go ahead with the operation, knowing the risks?

That's politics as usual though, take some action so as to claim you are taking some action, then, when it goes wrong, invoke your good intentions. "If the Gaza pier proposal appears half-baked, hastily assembled, and more driven by political fears than a clear-eyed assessment of the situation on the ground . . . it’s probably because that’s exactly what it is."  Thus does a saecular order lose its legitimacy, and thus does a justice-involved individual look more attractive as president precisely because he was convicted of something.  About the only thing we can do is look on with dismay, and mock The Best and The Brightest.

At the country's Populist Newspaper of Record, it's simply another handout to buy off a favored constituency.  "At publishing time, Hamas had been seen training scuba divers to retrieve large pallets of cash from coastal waters."

Our Credentialed Elite demonstrate their skill at destroying monuments on the expediency of the moment, and leaving only wreckage.

THE PRESENCE OF THE ABSENCE.

Just how loopy is John Feffer?  "The United States should be cooperating with China on how to push the world away from fossil fuels, not engaging in counterproductive trade wars."  Good luck with that, the trains carrying Crowsnest and Powder River coal to Pacific Northwest ports aren't sending those black diamonds to Newcastle the great way 'round.

DEMENTIA JOE CAN'T BE MORE LIKE TRUMP.

In a constitutional republic, when a politician changes policy course in response to popular opinion, is that being sensible, pandering to get re-elected, or flip-flopping?  (Summarize briefly why people don't like politics, please.)

So might it be with Our President issuing new ukases that will limit the admission of people to these United States to approximately the existing levels of immigration.

The change won't help. For the past century, the United States has imposed all manner of restrictions on who may enter the country and for how long.  It hasn't worked.

For the first century and a half of American history, "illegal immigration" was a nonexistent concept. Individual foreigners could be excluded by law for specific reasons — for example, being guilty of crimes of "moral turpitude," having a contagious disease, or being a known anarchist. Immigrants were not admitted if they were likely to become a "public charge," dependent on government assistance. Otherwise, almost anyone who could get to America was welcome to become a legal permanent resident.

In an attempt to secure the votes of undecided voters, the Jarrett regency's latest ukases have antagonized the people least likely to vote for Donald Trump.

The Democrat is expected to invoke Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was previously used by former President Donald Trump—the presumptive Republican nominee to face Biden in November—and sparked legal challenges.

"We will need to see the E.O. before making any litigation decisions," Lee Gelernt, an attorney who serves as deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, told Axios of Biden's expected move. "Any policy that effectively ends asylum protection for people fleeing danger would raise significant legal problems, as it did when Trump tried to end asylum."

In response to a social media account tracking "Biden's Wins," which welcomed the reported order, Gelernt's ACLU colleague Gillian Branstetter said: "This is not a 'win'—it's a monstrosity. Asylum is a human right."

Never mind that asylum seekers have the opportunity to make their request at the first available country.  Never mind that the American Criminal Liberties Union has turned itself into a political action committee for the communist wing of the Democrats.  Here's where the false binary really bites, doesn't it?  If you agree with the argument offered above, do you not vote to continue the Jarrett regency because it doesn't deliver everything you want, and risk getting more Trump.

UNEXPECTEDLY!

Economy is slowing much faster than the Fed expected.  (And you say you never use the pre-calculus math you suffered through in high school!)

What shall we call it?  A return of stagflation?  Malaise?  The fruits of many years of money-printing?

Disappointing economic indicators are taking hold as markets ready for an expected rate cut this July, and one prominent economist and educator warned there’s more of a slowdown than previously forecasted.

"So far, we've had disappointing retail sales. We've had disappointing PMI manufacturing numbers. The ISM numbers were disappointing. [Tuesday's] job vacancies were considerably below expectations," Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens' College at Cambridge University, said on "The Claman Countdown." "Citi has this ‘index of surprises,’ and we've had nothing but negative surprises."

"And all that is saying to us is that the economy is slowing much faster than most people expected, including the Fed," he continued.

Does slowing, though, mean an economy that is still growing, are we on track for those two quarters of negative growth that mean a recession?

YOUR MIDWAY RESEARCH COMPENDIUM.

Today marks the eighty-second commemoration of the Battle of Midway, which has provided material for lots of authors, whether as participants, reporters, or serious scholars.  We've called attention to a number of those books over the years: Midway, The Midway Campaign, The Unknown Battle of Midway, Shattered Sword, No Right to Win, and Never Call Me a Hero.

This reviewing season's Book Review N^o. 7 is Peter C. Smith's Midway, Dauntless Victory: Fresh Perspectives on America's Seminal Naval Victory of World War II (on the cover it looks like subtitles en echelon, fitting either for a combined air operation or an academician) and the book is clearly in the academic style.  If you prefer your footnotes on the same page as the text, that is what Mr Smith and Pen and Sword Maritime, a British publisher, serves.  The first appearance of each major figure, whether warrior, writer, or public official, comes with a footnote offering a biographical sketch including, as applicable, postings or engagements of relevance.  There are some pages that evoke the legendary Torah scrolls with one verse at the top of the page and commentary filling the rest of the space.  I approve!

Dauntless Victory might be more useful to an experienced student of the Navy and the battle.  It's written by a professor (of health policy, no less) and the writing style is not always sparkling.  On the other hand, it's as good a round-up of revisions to the historical record, of which there are many, and it includes, in addition to the commentary on the existing written record in English, summaries of reaction of the era from the other military powers, including, for what it's worth, a few kopeks and Pfennigs from the landlubbers embroiled in Middle Europe at the time.  A concluding appendix calls attention to the many errors in popular reporting and in film (the 1976 Midway has a "pathetic politically correct and totally irrelevant love-story sub-plot," for instance) which is useful to know.  That noted, if you're watching that movie, it had pretty good Sensurround and when it premiered, audiences were prone to applause as each of the Kido Butai carriers had their close encounters with those victorious Dauntlesses.  A more recent Midway movie appeared after Dauntless Victory was published.  There might be elements of that movie to fact-check once you've finished your reading.

Cross-posted to 50 Book Challenge.

DONALD TRUMP, JUSTICE-INVOLVED INDIVIDUAL.

The Masters of Inclusive Euphemism obsess over coming up with ways to hint at things without naming them.  In Illinois, it's the law.  An individual who has been arrested, indicted, or convicted is now officially "justice involved."  Their prissiness simply gives Militant Normals more opportunities to mock their pretensions.  What ever happened to good old, "Brutus is an honorable man" heavy mockery over Caesar's corpse?

So let it be with Donald Trump.

Given the uncertainties, one can say nothing more definite than that "something will happen"; where, when is unknown. The most important question to answer is what set of people we want in charge on the day. Or stated in the negative, who don't we want in charge?

— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) May 24, 2024

There's a bull session commenting on that observation at Chicago Boyz.

Unfortunately, neither of the principal collectivities of people who would like to be in charge, they call themselves Democrats and Republicans, are looking very good right now.  A team of Gannett reporters interviewed voters in swing states, and how they react depends on where they stand.  "That will make for a rocky, explosive, unprecedented presidential race that could fray the nation’s nerves."  I won't quote from the article, go, read, understand, recognize that it's predictable stances from predictable individuals.  Byron York notes, in any event, it might take a while for people to sort things out.

THE WNBA'S AUTHENTIC VALUE PROPOSITION.

Midday Saturday, and the Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever game was available on ESPN, which means on the cheapest version of cable pay-per-view.  The game might have been of more than passing interest, as Indiana's Caitlin Clark would renew her rivalry with Chicago's Angel Reese, while Chicago's Kamilla Cardoso would finally see action, playing against her predecessor at South Carolina, Aliyah Boston.

The opening few minutes of the third quarter, though, were an unedifying spectacle of turnovers and missed layups.  The most complimentary way the ESPN broadcaster could describe it was "sluggish start to the quarter."  Neither team played consistently, and the game was close right up to the end.

Then came the event that got the league back into the Culture Wars, just in time to ruin lesbian date nights all of June.

Here's an extended look at the Caitlin Clark - Chennedy Carter incident, there was more to it than the shoulder check and Clark was clearly talking to her on the way back up the floor from the prior basket by Indiana pic.twitter.com/1XG1RyzTw4

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 1, 2024

Red State's Bonchie weighed in shortly after the final whistle.  "The WNBA Has Decided to Set Itself on Fire."  His verdict:

That's someone named Chennedy Carter deciding to take Clark to the ground while shouting obscenities at her. Despite how violent it was, the referees only called a common foul. Angel Reese, a former LSU player who hated Clark throughout their collegiate days, then met Carter at the bench to hug and congratulate her for delivering the cheap shot.

The talking points went out to Townhall Media and Fox News and right-populist talk radio.  David "Iowa Hawk" Burge got the best quip off, "I have never seen a group of people so determined to give up chartered jets to fly Spirit Airlines again."  It might be that his Iowa loyalties contribute to him watching the games.