Category: Our Long National Nightmare

Our Long National Nightmare

Will the Switch to Voting by Mail be an Empowerment or an Obstacle?

Four years ago, my uncle sent a mass e-mail to me and a bunch of other relatives asking us to make election prediction maps and explain our reasoning, and that he would send a token prize of $1 to whoever was closest.  I figured, if you want to make a specific prediction of outcomes rather than just repeat the probabilities that a model spits out, … Continue reading Will the Switch to Voting by Mail be an Empowerment or an Obstacle?

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Our Long National Nightmare

It Isn’t Just Trump’s Behavior

Miles Taylor, chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, was the author of “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” a 2018 New York Times essay published anonymously that led to a subsequent book, A Warning, also published anonymously. The essay was scathing, opening with an attack both on President Trump’s intelligence and his White House: “The dilemma … Continue reading It Isn’t Just Trump’s Behavior

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Our Long National Nightmare

Last, and Also Least

Yesterday was a milestone in our long national nightmare: the last debate of the 2020 election cycle!  Well, unless we really are in a time loop.  As FiveThirtyEight points out, probably more than a quarter of the votes in this election (including mine) have already been cast, and although voters who dislike both candidates and are still undecided in the last two weeks of the … Continue reading Last, and Also Least

Perry
Our Long National Nightmare

The Debates Are Better When They Aren’t Debates

Well, just as I suspected, there was no presidential debate this week.  After Trump tested positive for COVID, Biden refused to participate in the next debate, which was to be a town hall style event with questions from a live audience, if Trump was still contagious.  The Commission on Presidential Debates offered to hold a virtual debate, which Trump refused to participate in, and Trump’s … Continue reading The Debates Are Better When They Aren’t Debates

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Our Long National Nightmare

Brennan and Biden “scandals” show the gulf between conservative media and the world

Twice so far this election, conservative media outlets – chiefly Fox News and the New York Post – have tried to jolt the struggling Trump campaign with an October Surprise. The first happened when the Department of Justice released heavily redacted handwritten notes that showed that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign wanted to use Trump’s potential Russia connection against him; the Post pitched the notes … Continue reading Brennan and Biden “scandals” show the gulf between conservative media and the world

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Our Long National Nightmare

How bootleg merchandise could bring down the Trump campaign

You don’t have to look hard to find merchandise you can buy and wear to show your support for Donald Trump’s re-election. Hats, shirts, playing cards, wristbands, hair ties, sweatshirts – you name it. You can even get official Donald Trump beer glasses, a fun reminder that the president doesn’t drink. Maybe. None of this is a surprise, as Trump is, essentially, nothing more than … Continue reading How bootleg merchandise could bring down the Trump campaign

Perry
Our Long National Nightmare

In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality

From the staffs of KHN and PolitiFact October 8, 2020 The Trump administration’s pandemic response: decisive action that saved lives, or the greatest failure of any presidential administration? During Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, Vice President Mike Pence and the Democratic challenger, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, offered drastically different takes — from behind  plexiglass screens — on how the president has handled the COVID-19 crisis. … Continue reading In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality

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Our Long National Nightmare

Pence, Harris, and the night we’ll never get back

Hello, dear readers of Pyramid.  My post summarizing/reacting to/snarking about the first presidential debate was not originally written for this site — as you might have guessed from that introductory sentence that assumes you know where I stand and what I’ve written in the past.  Since you may well be thinking “who the fuck is this fuck?”, I thought it might be nice to introduce … Continue reading Pence, Harris, and the night we’ll never get back

Perry
Our Long National Nightmare

The first debate could have gone worse. Possibly. Somehow.

By Paul Wiele for Pyramid Welcome to my self-inflicted purgatory: the first 2020 general election debate! First off: as you know, I am not much of a Biden fan and absolutely despise Trump, so I will be replacing my primary “worst point by someone I like” and “best point by someone I dislike” with: Worst Expression of a Good Point: Trump is actually right that his … Continue reading The first debate could have gone worse. Possibly. Somehow.

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Our Long National Nightmare

Today in History: the Beginning of the 2008 Recession

Whether you want to call September 29, 2008, the “beginning” of the recession probably depends on the kind of economist you are (or aren’t). By today, both Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual had filed for bankruptcy, and Bear Stearns was long gone, having been sold through a government-arranged deal to JP Morgan Chase in March. It was clear that there was a financial crisis going … Continue reading Today in History: the Beginning of the 2008 Recession

Perry