Only 25% of population trust economists compared to 71% who trust scientists. (“But we are scientists” say the economists dismissing poll.)
— Ann Pettifor (@AnnPettifor) September 17, 2018
Economics is not the dismal science, it’s just dismal.
Tag: Snark
Tweet of the Day
I thought i was mad bc the dem habit of taking my vote for granted while ignoring my material needs in favor of corporate interests will shorten my life by a decade due to lack of healthcare, but now that I’ve been scolded by a rich celebrity I realize it’s susan sarandon’s fault— Gallifreyan Jedi (@JediofGallifrey) September 13, 2018
No further comment necessary.
Snark of the Day
A Public Service Announcement
When Mark Penn says something mind buggeringly stupid, do not say, “F%$# him with a Narwhal.”
Narwals are beautiful and intelligent creatures, and they don’t deserve that.
Tweet Stream of the Day
Comparison of Silicon Valley and the the Soviet Union is genius:
Things that happen in Silicon Valley and also the Soviet Union:– waiting years to receive a car you ordered, to find that it’s of poor workmanship and quality
– promises of colonizing the solar system while you toil in drudgery day in, day out
— Anton Troynikov (@atroyn) July 5, 2018
– living five adults to a two room apartment– being told you are constructing utopia while the system crumbles around you
— Anton Troynikov (@atroyn) July 5, 2018
– ‘totally not illegal taxi’ taxis by private citizens moonlighting to make ends meet– everything slaved to the needs of the military-industrial complex
— Anton Troynikov (@atroyn) July 5, 2018
– mandatory workplace political education– productivity largely falsified to satisfy appearance of sponsoring elites
— Anton Troynikov (@atroyn) July 5, 2018
It goes on, but it is well worth the read.
Truly, America’s Finest News Source
Charles Krauthammer Has Ashes Spread Over Prosperous, Liberated Iraq
Normally, I try not to speak ill of the recently dead, but I’m down with quoting The Onion.
This Is Throwing Some Serious Shade
If you have been following politics at all, you know that Bernie Sanders has been doing a lot of campaigning for a lot of progressive candidates.
One that he hasn’t campaigned for is his son, Levi, who is running for Congress in New Hampshire.
Admittedly, it’s a remarkably lackluster campaign, but when asked about this, Bernie said the following:
Levi has spent his life in service to low income and working families, and I am very proud of all that he has done,” he said. “In our family, however, We Do Not Believe In Dynastic Politics.”
(emphasis mine)
Hmm ………I wonder who THAT comment referred to?
Tweet of the Day
People of all races, religions and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world. While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.
— Sanofi US (@SanofiUS) May 30, 2018
This is, of course, in response to Rosanne Barr claiming that Ambien made her tweet racist bullsh%$.
In less than 24 hours, Rosanne has had me compliment the ethics of a TV executive, and express admiration for the public relations activities of a large pharmaceutical firm.
Reality has exceeded my capability for satire: It’s like a hideous inverse function of a miracle.
Tweet of the Day
Unveiling slogans of #RealDemocrats for 2018 pic.twitter.com/OAhjtWkHVn— 🌐IPM 💯🏧💍🌈🚀🚩 (@IPM_Prime) May 9, 2018
It’s actually a tweet storm, and here are the a few more images.
The basic thesis is that the Democratic Party electoral motto, at least as put forward by the DNC, DCCC and DSCC, of, “Vote for us, we are marginally less contemptible,” is not a way to win hearts and minds.
Capitalizing on the weak points of one’s opponent is good tactics, but if you don’t go beyond this, you have no strategy
The Judges Give a 9.6 for Snark
Alexandr Petri opens up a major can of whup ass on pundits who think that they have the right to be published no matter how contemptible they are.
It is, of course, an allegory about the case of Kevin Williamson, whose very short tenure at The Atlantic was a result of his extremist views, has been on a major whining tour about how his call for hanging women who have abortions led him to be persecuted.
Just read the article.
Tweet of the Day
You know I try not to keep up with the latest happenings of ‘the resistance’ but am I to understand now they are protecting the powerless mom & pop business called *checks notes* Amazon from Trump? 💀— DarkSkintDostoyevsky (@daniecal) April 4, 2018
Yeah, pretty much.
Amazon got where it was from a huge number of subsidies, like not having to collect sales taxes, and has shown itself to be a toxic workplace. (And that’s not considering the tax subsidies that it gets for locating its warehouses, and the spectacle of them shaking down locan and state governments for a satellite headquarters)
If Amazon faces off against Donald Trump, I hope that there is a way that both of them can lose, but if not, I’d have a hard time selecting who I would want to be the victor.
BTW, also read Dave Dayen’s take on this. He does a good job of explaining all of this.
This May be the Best Twitter Exchange Ever
In response to attacks from Chris Cuomo proxies yesterday, actress, and now candidate for the Democratic Nomination for Governor, Cynthia Nixon Tweeted the following:
“When I announced yesterday that I’m running for gov, one of Cuomo’s top surrogates dismissed me as an “unqualified lesbian.” It’s true that I never received my certificate from the Department of Lesbian Affairs, though in my defense there’s a lot of paperwork required.” 🤷♀️— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) March 21, 2018
The response from Twitter user @mecreature was one for the ages:
You should take it. The oral exam is awesome.— MeC (@mecreature) March 21, 2018
MeC owes me a screen wipe, and we owe MeC a major book deal.
Tweet of the Day
If Corbyn is such a Russian stooge, how come the Russian oligarchs give all their money to the Conservatives?~Andrew Neil
— Joseph Dickerson (@joekaren46) March 19, 2018
It’s a valid point: Putin is clearly a dedicated capitalist, and Jeremy Corbyn is not.
H/t naked capitalism
America’s Finest News Source
I am, of course, Referring to The Onion:
FBI Warns Of ‘American Dream’ Scam
Noting that millions have already fallen victim to the long-running grift, the FBI warned Monday of the ‘American Dream’ scam. “Reports are coming in all across the country of Americans who were promised great prosperity and success in exchange for a lifetime of hard work, only to find themselves swindled and left with virtually nothing,” said agent Dean Winthrop, who explained that susceptible parties are made to believe that class mobility is possible simply through ability or achievement, despite the fact that innumerable social, economic, and racial barriers prevent the vast majority of U.S. citizens from attaining even marginal amounts of upward movement. ………
Brilliant.
Tweet of the Day
Sad photo of Wall Street traders reacting as stock market plunges. pic.twitter.com/671pG4Db4L— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) February 5, 2018
A remarkably on point statement of the modern stock market.
This Is a Truly Sick Burn
Donald Trump contacted the Guggenheim Museum and asked to borrow a Van Goch to hang in the Presidential Residence.
The museum declined his request, but offered a recently closed exhibit:
The emailed response from the Guggenheim’s chief curator to the White House was polite but firm: The museum could not accommodate a request to borrow a painting by Vincent van Gogh for President and Melania Trump’s private living quarters.
Instead, wrote the curator, Nancy Spector, another piece was available, one that was nothing like “Landscape With Snow,” the 1888 van Gogh rendering of a man in a black hat walking along a path in Arles, France, with his dog.
The curator’s alternative: an 18-karat, fully functioning, solid gold toilet — an interactive work titled “America” that critics have described as pointed satire aimed at the excess of wealth in this country.
For a year, the Guggenheim had exhibited “America” — the creation of contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan — in a public restroom on the museum’s fifth floor for visitors to use.
But the exhibit was over and the toilet was available “should the President and First Lady have any interest in installing it in the White House,” Spector wrote in an email obtained by The Washington Post.
BAM!
Tweet of the Day
At least Trump finally paid one of his subcontractors. https://t.co/9cOmK0spZd— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) January 12, 2018
Report: Louisiana porn star Stormy Daniels paid $130K by Trump attorney in exchange for silence. https://t.co/MCLfwapC6I pic.twitter.com/0AjQWK0pR9— New Orleans Advocate (@theadvocateno) January 12, 2018
This is a Pulitzer level of snark.
Snark of the Day
We all know about the skills shortage. Many employers can’t find workers with the necessary skills. For example, the NYT can’t find columnists who understand economics, so they had to hire Bret Stephens instead.
That’s gonna leave a mark.
OK, This is F%$#ing Amazing Trolling
This may be the best troll ever done on Twitter:
this is the best pic.twitter.com/VondMhYhgk
— sam glover (@glovelyjubbly) January 1, 2018
When I first saw this, I thought, “People should never quote that overrated hack ……… Ummmm ……… I mean Freidrich Hayek, not Selma Hayek ……… I’m fine with quoting her ……… OMFG! That pack of right wing nut jobs just got completely owned.”
Well played, my friend, well played.
You got movement conservatives saying that Freidrich Hyek used his looks to get ahead.
That is brilliant.
H/t DC at the Stellar Parthenon BBS. 
Facebook, Twitter, and Jewish Passover Songs
Someone on Facebook post complained about a Tweet calling Obama a Neoliberal tool.
I observed that many of his behaviors served the neoliberal playbook, and they replied, “You’re wildly wrong on the powers of POTUS if you think Obama was able to singlehandedly do quite a lot of that list,” and I replied:
He had a literal blank check or mortgage relief, and he “Foamed the Runways” (Geithner said that) for insolvent banks, it’s on him.
His decisions on target assassinations and his embrace of torturers and torture enablers were his decisions as CinC, it’s on him.
His decision not prosecute banksters was his AG’s decision, and he supported it, it’s on him.
He tried to push through TPP, it’s on him.
He did not lift a finger to support card check, it’s on him.
Sing to the tune of “Chad Gadya.”
I am feeling very smug about my bon mot right now.