The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Oh my God. I don't wish I'll on anyone, but this guy might be an exception.

[SteveP]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Wow. Just wow.

This whole "crisis" in Flint is nothing but a media-driven $hatburger.

From Kevin Drum at Mother Jones:

Since the middle of January, there hasn't been a single week in which the average was over 15 ppb, which is the usual level of concern. The average over the entire period since mid-January is 9.05 ppb. Needless to say, it would be nice to get the average level below 5 ppb, but even for households with kids the water in Flint looks pretty drinkable these days.

and from Sarah Frostenson at Vox:

...the rate of lead exposure in Pennsylvania is incredibly alarming. Nearly 10 percent of the more than 140,000 kids tested had levels of 5 or more micrograms per deciliter of lead in the blood (5 µg/dL) — this is the threshold the government uses to identify children with dangerously elevated blood lead levels. One percent tested positive for blood lead levels greater than 10 µg/dL.

Compare that to Flint, where state data shows the rate of lead exposure for 5 µg/dL from 2014 to 2015 as 3.21 percent. Other researchers have found that specific areas of the city have exposure rates as high as 6.3 percent. That's alarming, but still a lower rate than 18 of the 20 cities in Pennsylvania.

Not exactly right-wing websites downplaying the Flint problem. As Drum said, it would be nice to get the levels below where they are, but they're nothing compared to 18 cities in PA alone. And that's just two of several left-leaning blogs and websites found by searching "cities with higher lead levels than Flint" that are critical of the hysteria.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Not exactly right-wing websites downplaying the Flint problem. As Drum said, it would be nice to get the levels below where they are, but they're nothing compared to 18 cities in PA alone. And that's just two of several left-leaning blogs and websites found by searching "cities with higher lead levels than Flint" that are critical of the hysteria.

I think you are really missing the point of those findings.

Your house burns down. Oh, yeah? Well three houses on the next block burned down. So stop whining about your house -- you're just being sensationalistic.

But I know, I know, wingnut "austerity for those most in need" could never result in human tragedy.

[Rover]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

As they say when the plot thickens, the plot thickens...

Playing with the election map, if those four seats did happen to fall, we could be looking at Dem 54-46 or an 8 seat pickup:

D->R: none
R->D: NV, FL, NH, WI, IL, IA, MO, NC.

If we want to back off based on Sabato's ratings, taking the safe R off the board only loses us IA (53-47); while taking the GOP leaners off drops MO and NC (51-49).

Basically, the obstruction probably won't cost the GOP the Senate -- it would come into play in driving a majority of 2 up to one as high as 8.

Also keep in mind that this is the comical class of 2010. If the GOP does screw Drumpf, the Tea Party falloff could be decisive.

Well thought out article here:

http://blogs.rollcall.com/rothenblog...-probable/?dcz

I happen to agree. Saying Goopers will hold the Senate if Republican Jesus is the nominee is great, but its either going to be Trump or Cruz. I can't see how Ayotte and Toomey survive against a potted plant for an opponent having to make excuses for either of these guys. With that and the IL and WI seats that gets to 50-50. OH and FL are the next most vulnerable after that.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Well thought out article here:

http://blogs.rollcall.com/rothenblog...-probable/?dcz

I happen to agree. Saying Goopers will hold the Senate if Republican Jesus is the nominee is great, but its either going to be Trump or Cruz. I can't see how Ayotte and Toomey survive against a potted plant for an opponent having to make excuses for either of these guys. With that and the IL and WI seats that gets to 50-50. OH and FL are the next most vulnerable after that.

Hillary needs to really run hard against a GOP Congress. We need to remind voters just how the orcs have operated; they're unfit to manage a shoe store let alone a country.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

A political party in one tweet.

It's got it all: factually incorrect, nasty, and mind-bogglingly stupid. I give you the 2016 Republican party.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Precisely why I'm voting democrat this year.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Precisely why I'm voting democrat this year.

Though, to be fair, the Republicans have been factually incorrect, nasty, and mind-bogglingly stupid since about 1978.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

This whole "crisis" in Flint is nothing but a media-driven $hatburger.

From Kevin Drum at Mother Jones:



and from Sarah Frostenson at Vox:



Not exactly right-wing websites downplaying the Flint problem. As Drum said, it would be nice to get the levels below where they are, but they're nothing compared to 18 cities in PA alone. And that's just two of several left-leaning blogs and websites found by searching "cities with higher lead levels than Flint" that are critical of the hysteria.

The damage has already been done. Maybe the water is good. Maybe it ain't. But what are they going to do in the meantime? Erin Andrews got 55 million for being videoed naked. How much do these folks get for drinking lead?

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

For once I agree with one of scooby's hot takes.

Erin Andrews winning a(n absurdly) large sum and what do the residents of Flint get?

[Jimjamesak]

A political party in one tweet.

It's got it all: factually incorrect, nasty, and mind-bogglingly stupid. I give you the 2016 Republican party.

Well that pretty much sows up that race. JFC.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

How is the Andrews verdict absurd? I understand plenty of people dislike her (the supposed fling with Bret Bielema and whatnot), but she had a reasonable expectation of privacy in her own hotel room, and the video of her was/is all over the Internet - millions of creeps presumably beat off to it.

Besides which, it will definitely get reduced on appeal, as is customary. And the guy who filmed her certainly won't have the money to pay his share, because he'll be lucky to have any job at all with his felony record.

I think the argument with Flint is that a majority of Michigan voters put Snyder in the governor's office (twice!), so we the taxpayers of MI should all have to pay the piper and clean up Flint's water. If we're really POed enough, that's what the recall process is for.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

It's absurd because she didn't suffer damages of $55 million. This happens all the time and I hate it. This has nothing to do with her and everything with these astronomical judgements. While I don't want caps on judgements like I have advocated in the past, they should have a basis in reality rather than some creatively arrived at sum.

I hate these stupid judgements.

[jerphisch]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

How is the Andrews verdict absurd? I understand plenty of people dislike her (the supposed fling with Bret Bielema and whatnot), but she had a reasonable expectation of privacy in her own hotel room, and the video of her was/is all over the Internet - millions of creeps presumably beat off to it.

Don't have the link but the average award in a wrongful death case is about $3M, that's what makes $55M absurd.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: How Low Can They Go?

Exactly.