Links for 12/3/19

Links for 12/3/19
Pence will try to make it right for PR if he survives. Trump will face massive disclosure to Congress on Monday when the Court affirms US v. Nixon (the case that made Nixon quit). Bolsonaro, like Trump and all fascists, tell Big Lies. It never ends well for them. Robert Barr is the bright, shiny object whose purpose is to let Trump think he is winning until McConnell lowers the boom. Ever watch The Entertainer? Cue music. As for Barr's speech, nobody cares.

Any morality that is not utilitarian is more about group loyalty than truth or love. The abortion debate, on the other had, is about legality, not morality. Few think abortion is a good thing. The question is whether it is possible (or practical) to give the unborn a legal right to the use of police power against their mothers. Anyone who says differently is selling snake oil. Kaveny's method works here too. Dignitatis Humanae applies here too. Cuomo and Biden should site it directly. It may not be what the Council Fathers intended, which is likely why it passed. It still applies.

On Harris, you are the victim of bad timing or blindness on reading the tea leaves. She is already pulling a Biden. At this point, Booker has the same intent. Ironically, Bloomberg and Patrick (who have no chance or desire to be VP) are splitting the anti-Warren vote. There are two camps - Clintonite and Sanders. The question may be settled by whom Pelosi picks as VP (or who Biden picks if Pelosi vacates the Speakership instead of serving out Trump's term. It could be Booker.

The only way the Public Option gets insurance company support is to drop pre-existing condition protections. Capitalism will then lead us to single-payer as the Public Option expands to include everyone who needs insurance. On a national scale, the Option only works if it is subsidized and replaces Medicaid for non-retirees. Retiree and Disability Medicaid should be federalized as Medicare Part E. As for costs, they are always minimized. The question is price.