No One Cares Because Nothing Matters Anymore

[ousdahl]

The WSJ asked respondents whether they believe "the American Dream — that if you work hard you'll get ahead — still holds true."

Just 36% said it does hold true vs. 18% who said it never held true and 45% who said it once held true, but not anymore.

https://www.axios.com/2023/11/25/americ ... inequality

[Overlander]

I guess the Rubes have figured out that scraping by to afford a Carnival Cruise every 2 years isn’t actually winning?

[Shirley]

(Bloomberg) Saudi Arabia is asking others in the OPEC+ coalition to reduce their oil-output quotas in a bid to shore up global markets but some members are resisting, delegates said.

The OPEC+ leader has been making a largely unilateral supply cutback of 1 million barrels a day since July, and is now seeking further support from across the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners, said the delegates, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

Brent crude pared earlier losses and was down 0.5% at $80.15 a barrel as of 4:39 p.m. in London.

The Saudi proposal comes amid difficult talks for the producers’ group, which was forced to delay its policy meeting by four days to Nov. 30 as Angola and Nigeria resist reductions to their own quota limits for 2024, which were set out at the cartel’s last conference in June.

The producers were progressing toward a compromise on this matter before the weekend, but have yet to clinch an agreement, delegates said.

The 23-nation OPEC+ alliance faces pressure to intervene in crude markets, following a 17% drop in prices over the past two months amid plentiful supplies and a darkening economic backdrop. Markets could weaken further in early 2024, when forecasters including the International Energy Agency anticipate the emergence of a new supply surplus.

“With fundamentals softening and market sentiment bearish, OPEC+ may need to announce another formal cut,” analysts at Eurasia Group led by Raad Alkadiri said in a report. Anything short of a 1 million barrel-a-day reduction could send prices to the low $70s, they added.

Saudi Arabia’s voluntary production cut of 1 million barrels a day, implemented in tandem with a 300,000 barrel-a-day export reduction from Russia, is currently set to continue until the end of the year. Most analysts expect Riyadh and Moscow to extend those curbs into 2024.

Market watchers such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. have flagged the possibility that OPEC+ may cut deeper, and some — such as Commerzbank AG and hedge fund manager Pierre Andurand — have warned that prices may buckle further if they don’t. Brent futures traded near $80 a barrel on Monday.

Supply reductions across the alliance would probably win back oil bulls, but they could be hard to orchestrate. Iraq, Russia and Kazakhstan have recently been pumping over their quotas, while others like the African members have lost so much production capacity they’re in no position to cut further.

It’s also unclear whether the United Arab Emirates, a key member, will be under pressure not to proceed with a quota increase of 200,000 barrels a day permitted from January. Abu Dhabi secured the dispensation at the last OPEC+ gathering in June, in order to finally make use of recent investments in new capacity.

[Shirley]

Last Week in the Republican Party - November 28, 2023

[jhawks99]

Last Week in the Republican Party - November 28, 2023

Yikes

[Shirley]

"Crazy", "smug" Liz Cheney to be interviewed on the Rachael Maddow show tonight.

In the event you can stomach Maddow*.

*Maddow does great work, always asks her guests if, in her introduction of them if she got any of the details wrong and if so, to correct her. I just don't love her presentation, often taking way too much time, imo, to get to the point. Which is not to say I haven't learned a lot from her, often in the form of historical perspective, over the years.

[jhawks99]

"Crazy", "smug" Liz Cheney to be interviewed on the Rachael Maddow show tonight.

In the event you can stomach Maddow*.

*Maddow does great work, always asks her guests if, in her introduction of them if she got any of the details wrong and if so, to correct her. I just don't love her presentation, often taking way too much time, imo, to get to the point. Which is not to say I haven't learned a lot from her, often in the form of historical perspective, over the years.

Mrs. 99 has the same complaint. She will yell at the teevee, "get to the freakin point!"

[Shirley]

"Crazy", "smug" Liz Cheney to be interviewed on the Rachael Maddow show tonight.

In the event you can stomach Maddow*.

*Maddow does great work, always asks her guests if, in her introduction of them if she got any of the details wrong and if so, to correct her. I just don't love her presentation, often taking way too much time, imo, to get to the point. Which is not to say I haven't learned a lot from her, often in the form of historical perspective, over the years.

Mrs. 99 has the same complaint. She will yell at the teevee, "get to the freakin point!"

She's alway been an excitable girl.

Can't be easy to live with someone who's right all the time.

[Sparko]

I have exactly the same issue with Maddow. Meandering and didactic, almost condescending. Steve Benen did/does the hard reporting work for her. I loved his work at Washington Monthly, and kind of followed his new gig working for MSNBC. Wish he would get a show. Maddow keeps trying to schwack Olbermann too. He pretty much started her career and she seems to not want to have to acknowledge him.

[Shirley]

Liz Cheney's book is sold out, and on backorder. Audiobook apparently still available.

I don't intend to read it, I'm jussayin'. Although it does sound interesting.

Liz has been making the rounds in support of her book, so I've seen her interviewed several times. Nearly all of the interviews are about Jan 6th, the commission she worked on, and the threat she feels a 2nd Trump term would pose, but not all. If she hadn't put her career on the line and been willing to lose it because she not only has opinions, she has principles, as a skeptic, I could easily see her defense of our governmental institutions and our constitution as virtue signaling. Instead, I find myself agreeing with her about...everything.

After so many years of being opponents, it's been a stark reminder that, unlike with the current version of the republican party, when it comes to someone with her republican political pedigree and personal history, despite being nearly 180 degree polar opposites when it comes to policies on more issues than I could possibly name, there is still much more we have in common, than not. I think it comes down to the love we share for our country.

Or, although I'd like not to think so, is it more that we share a common, enemy?

They're not mutually exclusive, so I'm sure it's a combination. Still, refreshing, but kind of strange.

[Overlander]

Too bad she isn’t on a ticket.

Probably the only GOP member with testicles

[ousdahl]

[Sparko]

Lawrence's own. Great poem

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Lawrence's own. Great poem

His childhood in Lawrence wasn't so wonderful. Just sayin'.

[twocoach]

Liz Cheney's book is sold out, and on backorder. Audiobook apparently still available.

I don't intend to read it, I'm jussayin'. Although it does sound interesting.

Liz has been making the rounds in support of her book, so I've seen her interviewed several times. Nearly all of the interviews are about Jan 6th, the commission she worked on, and the threat she feels a 2nd Trump term would pose, but not all. If she hadn't put her career on the line and been willing to lose it because she not only has opinions, she has principles, as a skeptic, I could easily see her defense of our governmental institutions and our constitution as virtue signaling. Instead, I find myself agreeing with her about...everything.

After so many years of being opponents, it's been a stark reminder that, unlike with the current version of the republican party, when it comes to someone with her republican political pedigree and personal history, despite being nearly 180 degree polar opposites when it comes to policies on more issues than I could possibly name, there is still much more we have in common, than not. I think it comes down to the love we share for our country.

Or, although I'd like not to think so, is it more that we share a common, enemy?

They're not mutually exclusive, so I'm sure it's a combination. Still, refreshing, but kind of strange.

Liz Cheney and I have nothing in common politically except for our hatred of what Donald Trump, his cronies and his most fervent supporters have done to America.

[Shirley]

Liz Cheney's book is sold out, and on backorder. Audiobook apparently still available.

I don't intend to read it, I'm jussayin'. Although it does sound interesting.

Liz has been making the rounds in support of her book, so I've seen her interviewed several times. Nearly all of the interviews are about Jan 6th, the commission she worked on, and the threat she feels a 2nd Trump term would pose, but not all. If she hadn't put her career on the line and been willing to lose it because she not only has opinions, she has principles, as a skeptic, I could easily see her defense of our governmental institutions and our constitution as virtue signaling. Instead, I find myself agreeing with her about...everything.

After so many years of being opponents, it's been a stark reminder that, unlike with the current version of the republican party, when it comes to someone with her republican political pedigree and personal history, despite being nearly 180 degree polar opposites when it comes to policies on more issues than I could possibly name, there is still much more we have in common, than not. I think it comes down to the love we share for our country.

Or, although I'd like not to think so, is it more that we share a common, enemy?

They're not mutually exclusive, so I'm sure it's a combination. Still, refreshing, but kind of strange.

Liz Cheney and I have nothing in common politically except for our hatred of what Donald Trump, his cronies and his most fervent supporters have done to America.

And the threat Trump and his Christo-Fascist, white-supremacy cult pose, is serious enough, almost nothing else matters, to me.

[twocoach]

Reasonable, level headed Republicans are being forced out of the party. I'd love to say that this will stop once Trump is flushed from the system but his model of chaos and disgusting behavior has proven to work.

I really don't know where the GOP will be in 20 years but it doesn't feel like they will be in a better place than today.

[Shirley]

Reasonable, level headed Republicans are being forced out of the party. I'd love to say that this will stop once Trump is flushed from the system but his model of chaos and disgusting behavior has proven to work.

I really don't know where the GOP will be in 20 years but it doesn't feel like they will be in a better place than today.

^^^

I used to think removing the head of the snake would lead to a cure, but I've disabused myself of that delusion. Americans have trained republicans to expect no pushback or retribution for relentlessly attacking any and all of America's institutions, ("government is the problem"-Ronald Reagan), or acting against their interests. Democrats like Schumer and Biden think it's still the '80s, and that comity will be returned with comity...fools.

And while I think we all continue to hope that "...level headed Republicans..." will take back their party from the Trump personality cult, one need only look at how poorly someone like Chris Christy, Asa Hutchinson, et al, are polling in the Republican primaries, for a reality check.

That being said, hopeful?

Mitchell MInute 1748-A Second Trump Term Will Destabilize the US

[Sparko]

All we need to know to write-off the republican party as it currently exists today is the knowledge they are working in secret this week with Hungarian Dictator Orban, the Heritage Foundation and unknown others to basically do Putin's bidding. To HELL with them

[Sparko]

Lawrence's own. Great poem

His childhood in Lawrence wasn't so wonderful. Just sayin'.

And read the poem. . . .