So, while I was away, did I miss anything?
Yes, okay, I did check in with the news a bit on my trip, and caught some of circus -- it would have been near-impossible to miss the three-day shutdown -- but a lot of the rest glided by, under the wire of headlines only. For instance, I only caught the slightest news about the intelligence services warning Jared Kusher that he might be at risk of China trying to use and develop him as an asset because it was believed his wife's close friend was a Chinese spy. And that he seemed unconcerned because he knew better than the intelligence services. (Yes, and how is that working out?) But I didn't see much more about it. But the story I find most noteworthy is one I'm only starting to catch up with, and that's the Republican's Really Big Devin Nunes Memo that they're trying to use to undermine the FBI. That's reprehensible enough, and dangerous, and I'm quite sure meaningless and idiotic -- which I say without admittedly having seen anything, but base my opinion on a) the fact that they refuse to show the memo to any Democrats, and b) my grasp of reality. But almost more pathetic than the memo in general (which is saying a lot) is the part of it that Republicans are picking up on and attempting to claim that there's a "secret society" in the FBI. I mean, there was an actual United States senator, Ron Johnson (R-WI), going on television and almost having his head explode with horror about this "secret society" of FBI agents meeting, like it was as big and important as pizzagate. And then the next day, he had to go back on TV on walk all that back a bit because some sane people likely cornered him and explained reality that he was coming across like a buffoon. And so we got, no, he wasn't really saying what he said the other day just that maybe there could possibly have been FBI agents doing something that potentially was otherwise because I heard that maybe some agents might have met after work. And this doesn't even take into consideration all the GOP congressman who are in a mad dervish trying to reveal this double-probation, decoder ring "secret society." Trey Gowdy (R-SC) and Matt Gaetz (R- FL) leading the pack. Along with Devin Nunes (R-CA), of course. Mind you, have you seen the text message in question? And yes, this is all about ONE TEXT MESSAGE that two FBI agents (who were dating and so were personally close) sent to one another. That text has come to light. Written by Lisa Page (and this is real), it reads -- "Are you even going to give out your calendars? Seems kind of depressing. Maybe it should just be the first meeting of the secret society." Yes, that's it. In its entirety. That's the Republican Party's evidence of a "secret society"!! Because when you're in an actual secret society (especially one in the FBI, known for its covert activities), that's what you do -- you text about your "secret society," which apparently has less stringent rules keeping it secret than Fight Club. On the other hand, more rational people would read the text message as evidence that two close FBI agents have a sense of sardonic humor. Or an invitation to get beers after work. The story is funny on the surface. But it's desperate at heart in its effort to trash those investigating corruption in the White House -- and sick, pathetic and disturbingly dangerous what elected Republican officials are trying to do to rip apart critical foundations of American society, all to protect a racist, narcissistic, misogynistic, egomaniacal con man. It's great to be back.
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Back from Chicago, and happy to see that the elves left the homestead (West Coast edition) in respectable shape, though the refrigerator has been emptied.
A little oddity on the taxi ride from Evanston to O'Hare. The cab driver got a call from a lady at the airport wanting a pickup. She gave her location, and he said fine -- but made clear to let her know that he was in Evanston at that moment, which is about 40 minutes away. In fact, he told her this twice. And she said "Okay." After the call, the driver and I thought this was quite odd -- why on earth would she wait 40 minutes (at least) for a taxi. Well, it turned out to indeed be odd, because she called back five minutes later, wondering where he is -- and he repeated that he was in Evanston. Finally, she got a little perturbed and started asking him about sending another cab instead. He said that he couldn't, that he was just a driver who she'd called. After she hung up, saying she'll have to figure something out, I asked the driver, "Why doesn't she just call the cab company and order a cab??" He had no idea either. The flight back was fine, though the American plane wasn't nearly as nice as the one outbound. Among other things, that had a high-end entertainment center with a huge selection of movies, TV shows and music to choose from on the personal video screen at each seat. (I watched "American Made" with Tom Cruise, which was very well made, and I enjoyed it. It's based on a true story which is fascinating, though a bit tough to get behind the main character who's a sort of rough cowboy pilot, doing a lot of work on behalf of the CIA, but on the side realized he can make A LOT of money running cocaine.) The return flight was a more basic plane, with small, distant screens showing some movie with Legos. I chose not to watch. Got a lot of reading done and also had used Amazon Prime to download one of their series to view. I thought the flight would turn out to be dismal, since there was a crying baby (well, more a whining baby) two rows ahead for the first 20 minutes or so. That's a lot of "mamamamamamama mamm mammm mamamamama's" But for whatever reason, all went well after that, and all was quiet. Anyway, I'm back, unpacked -- I'm one of those who like to unpack right away, and am a little beat, so I'll recharge, catch up on some paperwork, a few of the TV programs I recorded, and will be up and running tomorrow. Odd weather here, though typical for Chicago to be so changing. Two weeks ago, it was -8 degrees. Two days ago, it was bizarrely 52 degrees. And yesterday, it snowed, and was about 30.
Heading back to Los Angeles today. Leaving Chicago shortly. I should be back in California in the mid-afternoon so I hope to check back in later in the evening. Well, that was an odd evening last night.
I'm staying at quaint hotel in Evanston called The Homestead. It's not a crisp, up-to-date place, but a bit "frayed" is the best description I can make. To be clear, it's very well maintained, clean and in good shape. But it was built in 1927 (I think it has some local historic designation) and feels that way in its amenities. There's a radiator in the bathroom, for instance. The room is small. When the door is closed, it's not "tight," but light comes in the cracks. The front door is locked at 11 PM, and you have to dial a number to reach an on-site maintenance person if you haven't checked in yet. (If you have, you get a front door key.) And yes, you get keys, not electronic cards. But the whole place is wonderfully quaint and has its share of charm. And they suites, and refrigerators, so it's all very pleasant. There's also a well-regarded restaurant here, and they include a nice, lowkey breakfast buffet. Definitely not for people who prefer a modern hotel with frills, but I'm happy to be here. The lobby area is extremely lovely, the rooms not as much, but fine. I suspect if they had a lot of money they'd do a bit of upgrading of the carpets and some of the comforts, but they clearly don't have those high-end resources. Though last night was different. Not the hotel's fault, mind you. But at 11:30, as I was in bed, reading and watching the news...the fire alarm went off. When I stepped into the hallway, a women across the way sheepishly said there wasn't a problem, not reason to leave, but it was her fault, she'd lit a match. It turned out not to have been her fault, just bad timing making her think it was. Happily, I chose not to rely on her word -- hey, I figured if she was wrong, it was far better to be safe, and it helped in the decision that the alarm was Really Loud. So, I dressed, put my computer in my briefcase, got my coat and walked downstairs. (Again happily, I was only on the fifth floor, though there are only eight floors.) Half the guests were in the lobby, where it was warmer, but I figured that as long as I was downstairs because of a possible fire, it was best to go outside, though it was in the 20s. Eventually, I saw my "neighbor" there who was still sheepish but about having wrongly told me it was her fault. She'd spoken to the front desk to apologize, but they said that that wasn't the issue, there's been something on the eighth floor. So, she was thoroughly relieved. What the problem was, we still have no idea. But clearly it was minor. A couple fire trucks showed up, and a police car, but we were let in after about 10 minutes. A lot of people were waiting at the elevator (a wonderful, old creature with push buttons, not those new-fangled heat sensors), so I figured it would be slow going with a lot of stops -- whenever it showed up, so my neighbor and I walked back up to the fifth floor. (She was in town, staying at the hotel for the semester because she was teaching an art course at Northwestern, which is about two blocks away. She appreciated that I was wearing my Northwestern cap...) But in the end, all was well. And then he slept... And yes, the elves back taking care of the homestead appreciate that I'm staying at The Homestead and find it all amusing. And make clear that they've never set their homestead on fire. Yet. Okay, here 'tis. My annual, Really Really Incredibly Long overview about the Consumer Electronics Show. I posted a few brief looks at the show while it was going on, but this is article about the whole shebang.
As I say in the piece, and repeat every year, this is incredibly long. Not "Cute Long," but "Oh, my god, I can't believe it's really this long, agghhh!" Long. So, if you don't like articles that are monumentally long -- don't read this. And don't complain about how long it is, because you've been forewarned. But for the rest of you, those who want to have a look at how the entirety of CES came across and what my sense of what was all there, you can check it out here. The link to the article is on the WGA website, for whom the piece is written. And since it requires a lot of formatting and has a good deal of embedded photos, it's far easier for me to link to it, rather than repost and reformat the whole thing here. Being out of town and focused on other things, I haven't been able to spend much time coming to a proper conclusion about the deal to end the government shutdown. My impression is that, while there was an important settlement on the CHIP program, I don't think the Democrats got much and that it's a lousy deal...but probably necessary. As such, being probably necessary, I don't think this is "caving," but it's on the good side of the line.
The DACA matter is unresolved, there's no settlement on financing for the military, no resolution on opioids and more. And the most Democrats got was an assurance that Republicans will get a vote on DACA. I have no idea if Republicans will actually get that vote. And I wouldn't hold my breath on it, but it's possible. But even if it passes -- which it may not, but then it would still have to pass the House to become law, and that seems unlikely. But at the moment, I don't get the sense that Democrats had a strong enough hand to continue a government shutdown on behalf of supposedly "illegal immigrants" -- never mind that Dreamers are not actually illegal. And since we do have a Republican "promise", then one of two things will happen -- either Republican won't keep that promise which will be a terrible issue for them, or they'll vote and be on the record: and they'll either pass the measure which 80% of the country supports, or they'll be on the record voting against the measure that 80% of the country supports. And even if the Senate votes for the DCA measure, I don't expect the House to do so, as well, tarring the GOP with voting down something 80% of the country supports. And if they do pass it (which is highly unlikely), then it falls to whether Trump signs it or not. So, either he signs it and infuriates his base, or he vetoes something something that 80% of the country supports, demanding that the bill deal with chain migration and other matters of immigration and border security, convoluting the whole issue. At which point all this becomes a significant political issue for the 2018 mid-term elections, when it more-likely will be in the Democrats favor. Okay, that's enough of "If this, then that..." I don't think it's a good deal. But I think the way this was playing out was problematic for Democrats, especially with the next deadline so near at hand, less than three weeks away. In which case this all comes up again... Or not. I withhold all judgement on the above and remain open to being convinced otherwise, leaving the door open for changing my opinion as conditions befit... |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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