It is possible that politicians frequently overstate or even lie about criminal activities of immigrants or people of color in general. Of course we all know that politicians really do lie about and overstate the alleged criminal activities of immigrants and people of color in general so the opening phrase allows the reader to think that maybe politicians, especially MAGA politicians, are telling the truth when they say immigrants from Haiti are eating peoples pet cats.
You are not actually honest or decent or kind if you are onboard with and supporting what the Trump Administration has done, is doing, or wants to do. You are also lying when you claim to be a Christian. You are play acting or you are just that way to certain people or in face-to-face situations where you might encounter kickback or an ass-kicking.
You learn a lot about people when they are acting in situations when they are anonymous or are insulated by tribal membership or distance or if they think no one is watching.
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Actually, a lot of people--especially people who have studied human cognition and behavior.
What get me so upset, is the same thing that gets me so upset about the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. They do terrible things then they lie about them. They are sloppy and lazy because they are so unqualified to do their jobs, and they don’t care. They do this by design because of the arrogance of their own ignorance, and they don’t mind if anyone suffers or dies from their lies.
They have an astounding ability to be cruel without caring.
Researcher here. I and pretty much any academic use reference software. If I find a reference online I go to the journal and download a pdf of the reference and READ IT. Only then would I include it in a reference list. Tried chatgpt to see what I got and got references that did not exist. That is went to the volume and page of the Journal that was cited and did not find what was supposed to be there. So I don't use chat GPT
If I remember correctly, MAGA hounded the president of Harvard out of her job for ‘citation errors and formatting issues’ in her decades-past doctoral thesis. The hypocrisy continues to astound…
Also- expecting ‘rigorous science’ from RFK is like expecting balanced nutrition from a cheese puff.
With respect to the citations in the MAHA report, I seem to remember reading somewhere that AI written reports were rife with incorrect and even fictional citations. Could it be........?
If the papers didn't exist, then CERTAINLY no one working for HHS read them (not unless those staffers frequently make use of interdimensional travel). If no one read them, they didn't contribute to any analysis or synthesis in the report.
So why cite them?
BS via bloated bibliographies?
Yes, Virginia, there are government 'researchers' who know their conclusions before they conduct a study. and they try to cover their butts by BELIEVING they make it difficult to check their claimed sources. Apparently they have no access to DOGE employees who could have told them there are Python scripts which can check all entries in bibliographies in PDFs.
It's entirely possible I have missed earlier references, but that is the first time I have seen Bill Kristol be so explicit about supporting Democrats in order to defeat the Republican party. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for that sentence.
I have disagreed with many of the things Mr. Kristol has written over the last few decades. None of that matters. Disagreements about optimal tax levels, appropriate safety net programs or military spending seems a bit like arguing in a burning house about the choice of wallpaper.
We don't have to give up core principles to form a common bond with our friends on the other side of the aisle in defense of our country. What the Democrats ought to be doing now is working to form a coalition with the never Trump wing of the Republican Party to defeat MAGA. That's priority one. Then we can go back to arguing about proper tax rates and regulation.
I don't know much about Bill's past, except that he was Quayle's chief of staff. So I likely would've been diametrically opposed to his politics back then. But he's come to rank right up there at the top for me in terms of whose thoughts at TB I'm most interested in.
I remember at one of the live events a year or so ago, Sarah said that people often ask her about what Bill is really like, and her response (if I remember precisely) is always, "Bill is my favorite person in the whole world!" The more I see of him the more I can see why.
Part of it is probably that Bill and I are close to the same age, and I appreciate the perspective he has from having lived this long. But he has so many admirable qualities -humility, vast intelligence, decency, etc. - that are sorely missing in the world today.
It takes a REALLY big person to make the political switch Bill has, for the reasons he has; and to be very open and honest about it. I'm so grateful he's on our side.
RFK Jr's efforts to "launder his own crackpot beliefs into official policy" would be meaningless if it weren't for the habit of mainstream news outlets to be the regurgitation of "official policy" statements as the sum total of all their reporting on any new issue.
Typically, it would be something like "A court blocked President Trump's Executive Order XYZ today. In a statement, the White House said this horrible judge is destroying the hard-working families of America. And in sports, the White Sox lost to the Rockies ..."
Regarding Press Secretaries: why do folks think that bandying about the term "transformative" somehow lends a constructive qualitative character to a thing? ... ummmm, there are any number of "transformative" states that can be considered, wholly, Destructive
It is possible that politicians frequently overstate or even lie about criminal activities of immigrants or people of color in general. Of course we all know that politicians really do lie about and overstate the alleged criminal activities of immigrants and people of color in general so the opening phrase allows the reader to think that maybe politicians, especially MAGA politicians, are telling the truth when they say immigrants from Haiti are eating peoples pet cats.
Bill,
Sadly, I think you nailed it about no hope for the GOP.
Thanks to you and everyone at the Bulwark. I am eternally grateful.
Best wishes,
Steve
You need to watch Josh Johnson on RFKJ. What is most dangerous about him is that he mixes common sense with insanity.
You are not actually honest or decent or kind if you are onboard with and supporting what the Trump Administration has done, is doing, or wants to do. You are also lying when you claim to be a Christian. You are play acting or you are just that way to certain people or in face-to-face situations where you might encounter kickback or an ass-kicking.
You learn a lot about people when they are acting in situations when they are anonymous or are insulated by tribal membership or distance or if they think no one is watching.
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Actually, a lot of people--especially people who have studied human cognition and behavior.
What get me so upset, is the same thing that gets me so upset about the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. They do terrible things then they lie about them. They are sloppy and lazy because they are so unqualified to do their jobs, and they don’t care. They do this by design because of the arrogance of their own ignorance, and they don’t mind if anyone suffers or dies from their lies.
They have an astounding ability to be cruel without caring.
Researcher here. I and pretty much any academic use reference software. If I find a reference online I go to the journal and download a pdf of the reference and READ IT. Only then would I include it in a reference list. Tried chatgpt to see what I got and got references that did not exist. That is went to the volume and page of the Journal that was cited and did not find what was supposed to be there. So I don't use chat GPT
"White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt..."
Minor nitpick, it's Karoline with a K. But I call her "Baghdad Bobbie" for reasons that should be obvious.
If I remember correctly, MAGA hounded the president of Harvard out of her job for ‘citation errors and formatting issues’ in her decades-past doctoral thesis. The hypocrisy continues to astound…
Also- expecting ‘rigorous science’ from RFK is like expecting balanced nutrition from a cheese puff.
Most if not all KKK members (not to mention WWII Nazis) loved their families. Very good people!
With respect to the citations in the MAHA report, I seem to remember reading somewhere that AI written reports were rife with incorrect and even fictional citations. Could it be........?
Let's be quite clear about the AI BS.
If the papers didn't exist, then CERTAINLY no one working for HHS read them (not unless those staffers frequently make use of interdimensional travel). If no one read them, they didn't contribute to any analysis or synthesis in the report.
So why cite them?
BS via bloated bibliographies?
Yes, Virginia, there are government 'researchers' who know their conclusions before they conduct a study. and they try to cover their butts by BELIEVING they make it difficult to check their claimed sources. Apparently they have no access to DOGE employees who could have told them there are Python scripts which can check all entries in bibliographies in PDFs.
It's entirely possible I have missed earlier references, but that is the first time I have seen Bill Kristol be so explicit about supporting Democrats in order to defeat the Republican party. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for that sentence.
I have disagreed with many of the things Mr. Kristol has written over the last few decades. None of that matters. Disagreements about optimal tax levels, appropriate safety net programs or military spending seems a bit like arguing in a burning house about the choice of wallpaper.
Anyway, thank you, Mr. Kristol, for today's post.
We don't have to give up core principles to form a common bond with our friends on the other side of the aisle in defense of our country. What the Democrats ought to be doing now is working to form a coalition with the never Trump wing of the Republican Party to defeat MAGA. That's priority one. Then we can go back to arguing about proper tax rates and regulation.
I don't know much about Bill's past, except that he was Quayle's chief of staff. So I likely would've been diametrically opposed to his politics back then. But he's come to rank right up there at the top for me in terms of whose thoughts at TB I'm most interested in.
I remember at one of the live events a year or so ago, Sarah said that people often ask her about what Bill is really like, and her response (if I remember precisely) is always, "Bill is my favorite person in the whole world!" The more I see of him the more I can see why.
Part of it is probably that Bill and I are close to the same age, and I appreciate the perspective he has from having lived this long. But he has so many admirable qualities -humility, vast intelligence, decency, etc. - that are sorely missing in the world today.
It takes a REALLY big person to make the political switch Bill has, for the reasons he has; and to be very open and honest about it. I'm so grateful he's on our side.
There ARE tons to be concerned, not There IS tons...
I was being facetious- she gave a heartfelt response ! You made me laugh.
RFK Jr's efforts to "launder his own crackpot beliefs into official policy" would be meaningless if it weren't for the habit of mainstream news outlets to be the regurgitation of "official policy" statements as the sum total of all their reporting on any new issue.
Typically, it would be something like "A court blocked President Trump's Executive Order XYZ today. In a statement, the White House said this horrible judge is destroying the hard-working families of America. And in sports, the White Sox lost to the Rockies ..."
This
Regarding Press Secretaries: why do folks think that bandying about the term "transformative" somehow lends a constructive qualitative character to a thing? ... ummmm, there are any number of "transformative" states that can be considered, wholly, Destructive
Sheesh
Seconded. Can we add “a fraction of …” to the list? Seeing as 9/10ths and 1/100th both are fractions.
(A *very unique* observation, I am sure…)