Joe, you're pretty funny - a Bulwark trademark, I guess - like with Andrew Yang, "... used his success to spin off a new political party that doesn't take positions on anything". Well done!
I missed the martyrdom message where you say, "I did this so you won't have to." You know, like Trump, taking a bazillion indictments on a gazillion charges so his base will be even more indebted to him for his largesse.
Wow you have no appreciation for fair food. All but two of your picks sounded awful and not even that badly disgusting. You don't use a plastic knife and fork on a pork chop, you pick it up with your fingers and chew it off a bite at a time. However those turkey eggs looked amazing though you never really had a picture giving folks an appreciation for their size.
IMO, Perry Johnson's candidacy is focused solely on the American economy, but with an incredible amount of spin. His plan, which he calls "2 Cents to Save America" (also the title of his book), cannot be taken seriously. The proposal sounds very doable: shave two pennies from every dollar of discretionary spending. Two cents on the dollar doesn't sound like much, but put a different way, he is proposing a two percent blanket reduction on *all* discretionary budget items, which is about twenty five percent of the entire POTUS proposed 2024 budget. His plan lacks any analyses of how and where these cuts should be made, he is looking at every line item as if they are of equal importance to the functioning of the government or the well-being of the American people.
On top of this, this idea will only lower the total budget by 0.005%, which doesn't seem like much when claiming you are balancing the budget. But this amount can add up to a heavy hit for those who depend on the government for their very existence. Yes, government spending is out of control, but this cannot be considered a serious effort to cut federal bloat.
The plan appears to lack any concern for the day to day lives of Americans. As a businessman he has spent his life with an eye on the corporate bottom line, the employees are just a part of the equation.
As POTUS Johnson would need to alter his focus to see that the "employees" - those of us who live in the US or are expats - are paramount to the country's balance sheet.
BTW, Johnson is 75, so doesn't he have the same complaint against him that is being used for Mr Biden, and to a lesser extent, the Apricot Arthropod, that the odds are of him dying while in office are fairly high according to actuarial tables? Maybe one's age is only a concern if you have a D after your name.
I didn’t know anything about Johnson before, but it seems he’s just another “businessman” (all quotes added by me, somewhat arbitrarily) looking to bring “common sense” solutions to address the Nation’s economic “woes”. Another ear winner. *sigh*
As a fellow adherent to a low-glycemic-index diet, the piece about Iowa's food options was almost panic-inducing to read. Why are there no vegetables available in America's agricultural heartland? The bit about the primal desire for dense, walkable spaces had me in stitches.
I'm ready cry about America's obesity rate, dry my tears with my MPH, and move back to France now.
Thanks for being the Bulwark Boots-On-The Ground in the political spectrum!
Q. If you can discern, how MAGAty is the crowd that attends the GOP political debasement shows at the Iowa State Fair?
I live in Hoosierland (a transplant, so not sure if I'm an official "wash ashore"* on the banks of the Wabash River) and have met many old timey normie financially successful, Mainline Protestant, family comes to Grandma's house on Sunday at the lake for dinner Republicans/Right-leaning Independents.
Ours is a suburban-like urban center...not many high-rises, but many small businesses, professional consultancies, mid-upper retail shops and restaurants --- you get the picture.
These Republicans more than probably voted for Trump in '16, casually thinking he was the "as seen on TV" successful businessman, maybe didn't vote for him in '20, but certainly not for Biden.
That said, they would have totally restacked that CBS/YouGov chart about "Who would you believe more to tell the truth."
Here's my supposition:
#1 - Family and Friends
#2 - Religious Leader (Pastor/Priest)
#3 - Conservative Leaders (outside our region)
#4 - Trump
The scary part is that, although not turned-off by the Trump indictments, they see the '24 election as digital. "I can't vote for Biden, and maybe I'll hold my nose for Trump."
They don't seem to realize they don't have to choose either.
BTW - In '16, I got to vote for John F. Kennedy, since the first time around I was only 9 years old.
===============================================
* "Wash Ashores" - this is a term used on Cape Cod, MA to determine a true "grew-up on the Cape" person compared to those who have moved there after becoming a teenager (the wash ashores).
In the 90s, plants wanted leaner hogs with less fat on them, so that's what we bred. Turned out to be a terrible idea, you couldn't cook it without it drying up, yuck.
Now they've returned to a carcass with more marbling, so it's a crime to see pork that overcooked these days!
"I will go for weeks, sometimes even months on end without a single cheat meal."
Holy shit Joe. To quote the Gingerbread Man from Shrek, "You're a monster!"
But in all seriousness, as an Iowan, my go to State Fair foods are A) a turkey leg (it's literally a roasted turkey leg), and B) deep-fried Oreos. Like, ZOMG, just thinking about those things is making me salivate a bit.
I’ve never attended one of these bc am Brit. We do have agricultural shows which I guess are nearest thing. It’s been a while but I’m pretty sure you can get like, normal food at those - at this one could you not even get like, unhealthy stuff that’s at least small so not too many calories? Like a cupcake say?:)
One doesn't go to such events with dietary restrictions in mind.
Here in Hoosierland, my wife and I will be attending "Baconfest" in Delphi, IN, the home of the greatest thick-sliced bacon from Indiana Packers. Bacon has to be used in any food offering, even the ice crème!
The Packers tagline should be, "We Kill Our Porkers the Old Fashioned Way - Slow and Easy!"
The reason every young folk should work at a restaurant.
My uncle was a retired FDNY, and scored a job as a fire inspector in Manhattan. He said that kitchen safety had nothing to do with the quality or stars of the restaurants.
As an Irish immigrant, he begrudgingly (and lovingly) offered that the safest, cleanliest restaurants were run by Italian families.
I need to know more about the specifics of your diet. What’s a typical dinner?
The Washington State Fair features light scones, stuffed with butter and raspberry jam. Definitely worth the trip.
Joe, you're pretty funny - a Bulwark trademark, I guess - like with Andrew Yang, "... used his success to spin off a new political party that doesn't take positions on anything". Well done!
I missed the martyrdom message where you say, "I did this so you won't have to." You know, like Trump, taking a bazillion indictments on a gazillion charges so his base will be even more indebted to him for his largesse.
Wow you have no appreciation for fair food. All but two of your picks sounded awful and not even that badly disgusting. You don't use a plastic knife and fork on a pork chop, you pick it up with your fingers and chew it off a bite at a time. However those turkey eggs looked amazing though you never really had a picture giving folks an appreciation for their size.
theyre slightly larger than a normal egg, just barely.
IMO, Perry Johnson's candidacy is focused solely on the American economy, but with an incredible amount of spin. His plan, which he calls "2 Cents to Save America" (also the title of his book), cannot be taken seriously. The proposal sounds very doable: shave two pennies from every dollar of discretionary spending. Two cents on the dollar doesn't sound like much, but put a different way, he is proposing a two percent blanket reduction on *all* discretionary budget items, which is about twenty five percent of the entire POTUS proposed 2024 budget. His plan lacks any analyses of how and where these cuts should be made, he is looking at every line item as if they are of equal importance to the functioning of the government or the well-being of the American people.
On top of this, this idea will only lower the total budget by 0.005%, which doesn't seem like much when claiming you are balancing the budget. But this amount can add up to a heavy hit for those who depend on the government for their very existence. Yes, government spending is out of control, but this cannot be considered a serious effort to cut federal bloat.
The plan appears to lack any concern for the day to day lives of Americans. As a businessman he has spent his life with an eye on the corporate bottom line, the employees are just a part of the equation.
As POTUS Johnson would need to alter his focus to see that the "employees" - those of us who live in the US or are expats - are paramount to the country's balance sheet.
BTW, Johnson is 75, so doesn't he have the same complaint against him that is being used for Mr Biden, and to a lesser extent, the Apricot Arthropod, that the odds are of him dying while in office are fairly high according to actuarial tables? Maybe one's age is only a concern if you have a D after your name.
fnord
I didn’t know anything about Johnson before, but it seems he’s just another “businessman” (all quotes added by me, somewhat arbitrarily) looking to bring “common sense” solutions to address the Nation’s economic “woes”. Another ear winner. *sigh*
Perry Johnson vs. Perry Farrell
I'll you be the judge:
PF - Lead singer - on the song "Jane's Addiction" (with addition of Red Hot Chili Peppers' Dave Navarro on guitar and Flea on bass)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Q_8q3XXrQ
Johnson’s stage act would benefit immensely from the addition of shirtless Dave Navarro playing guitar.
Indeed...or even better --- Flea coming out in only his tighty-whiteies flogging his bass guitar.
As a fellow adherent to a low-glycemic-index diet, the piece about Iowa's food options was almost panic-inducing to read. Why are there no vegetables available in America's agricultural heartland? The bit about the primal desire for dense, walkable spaces had me in stitches.
I'm ready cry about America's obesity rate, dry my tears with my MPH, and move back to France now.
You don't go to the fair to eat healthily. It defeats the entire purpose. Eating healthy at the fair is like taking modest portions at Thanksgiving.
Bummed that Perry didn't make the debate stage. He's got terrible views and positions but at least he's an entertaining wild card
That photo of Perry Johnson makes him kinda like the late, great Gilbert Gottfried doing a send-up of a third-tier candidate.
He looks mad as hell, and he isn't going to take it anymore.
OMG yes
He even kind of sounds like him. Good observation.
Joe,
Thanks for being the Bulwark Boots-On-The Ground in the political spectrum!
Q. If you can discern, how MAGAty is the crowd that attends the GOP political debasement shows at the Iowa State Fair?
I live in Hoosierland (a transplant, so not sure if I'm an official "wash ashore"* on the banks of the Wabash River) and have met many old timey normie financially successful, Mainline Protestant, family comes to Grandma's house on Sunday at the lake for dinner Republicans/Right-leaning Independents.
Ours is a suburban-like urban center...not many high-rises, but many small businesses, professional consultancies, mid-upper retail shops and restaurants --- you get the picture.
These Republicans more than probably voted for Trump in '16, casually thinking he was the "as seen on TV" successful businessman, maybe didn't vote for him in '20, but certainly not for Biden.
That said, they would have totally restacked that CBS/YouGov chart about "Who would you believe more to tell the truth."
Here's my supposition:
#1 - Family and Friends
#2 - Religious Leader (Pastor/Priest)
#3 - Conservative Leaders (outside our region)
#4 - Trump
The scary part is that, although not turned-off by the Trump indictments, they see the '24 election as digital. "I can't vote for Biden, and maybe I'll hold my nose for Trump."
They don't seem to realize they don't have to choose either.
BTW - In '16, I got to vote for John F. Kennedy, since the first time around I was only 9 years old.
===============================================
* "Wash Ashores" - this is a term used on Cape Cod, MA to determine a true "grew-up on the Cape" person compared to those who have moved there after becoming a teenager (the wash ashores).
I feel you haven't experienced a state fair until your cholesterol count goes up 20 points.
I do like the funnel cakes, though and there's nothing like state fair donuts.
Also, having raised pigs for 30 years, I can say that chop looked over cooked and boring.
Nothing worse than overcooked swine --- the days of trichinosis is so Medieval. ;-)
Right?
In the 90s, plants wanted leaner hogs with less fat on them, so that's what we bred. Turned out to be a terrible idea, you couldn't cook it without it drying up, yuck.
Now they've returned to a carcass with more marbling, so it's a crime to see pork that overcooked these days!
"I will go for weeks, sometimes even months on end without a single cheat meal."
Holy shit Joe. To quote the Gingerbread Man from Shrek, "You're a monster!"
But in all seriousness, as an Iowan, my go to State Fair foods are A) a turkey leg (it's literally a roasted turkey leg), and B) deep-fried Oreos. Like, ZOMG, just thinking about those things is making me salivate a bit.
Deep fried Oreos are great, at least as I remember them from back when I could pretend I could get away with eating them.
Unless you're a diabetic... life's too short to say no to just one deep-fried Oreo :)
Matt,
WTF is the Oreo deep friend in...pork fat?
(I grew up in German-immigrant household -- always a tin of bacon fat at the ready!)
It's deep fried in some sort of oil- either vegetable or cannola.
I’ve never attended one of these bc am Brit. We do have agricultural shows which I guess are nearest thing. It’s been a while but I’m pretty sure you can get like, normal food at those - at this one could you not even get like, unhealthy stuff that’s at least small so not too many calories? Like a cupcake say?:)
Check this out Nic: https://www.iowastatefair.org/food/whats-new
I’ve no idea what salted coffee is but that would be my selection :)
Nic,
One doesn't go to such events with dietary restrictions in mind.
Here in Hoosierland, my wife and I will be attending "Baconfest" in Delphi, IN, the home of the greatest thick-sliced bacon from Indiana Packers. Bacon has to be used in any food offering, even the ice crème!
The Packers tagline should be, "We Kill Our Porkers the Old Fashioned Way - Slow and Easy!"
I guess it's good to see the political "attractions" at the fair.
Only out done by the greased pig chase!
Which candidate is the greased pig? Hee Hee.
My favorite fair food is funnel cake with powdered sugar. I'm generally to other items, if they are interesting but not weird.
After working in a funnel cake booth I'll never eat another one! 🤣
I know! I heard that people who work at See's Candies shops are allowed to eat all the candy they want. Apparently, it's a short-enjoyed perk.
Cindy,
The reason every young folk should work at a restaurant.
My uncle was a retired FDNY, and scored a job as a fire inspector in Manhattan. He said that kitchen safety had nothing to do with the quality or stars of the restaurants.
As an Irish immigrant, he begrudgingly (and lovingly) offered that the safest, cleanliest restaurants were run by Italian families.
Thank you again for going to Iowa. The fair food looks okay but no way the turkey egg is a 10/10.