Accountability

Gorsuch throws a gang sign: "thin the herd"What do you think-- should senators be considered responsible-- by voters-- for the actions of Supreme Court judges they vote to confirm? I've always thought so.

Last November there were 5 congressional districts in Southern California with Republican Representatives that went for Hillary. In each one Trump did significantly worse than Romney had. In the district that straddles Orange and San Diego counties, CA-49, represented by Darrell Issa, Romney had won the district in 2012 with 52.4%. In November Trump got 43.2%, a 9 point drop-off. And Issa had the scare of his political life. His race was the last one decided in the whole country and in the end he edged out Doug Applegate 155,888 (50.3%) to 154,267 (49.7%).

Hey, who does the candidate recruiting around here?As everyone knows by now, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy pulled their TrumpCare proposal off the floor of the House for the second-- and final-- time yesterday. Good riddance to a bill that basically no one liked except Ryan himself and some fellow Ayn Rand devotees.

Justin Amash isn't hiding from his constituents and he's not hiding the media coverage of his raucous downhill meetings. He welcomes them and wants Michiganders to know about them. Amash's Grand Rapids-based seat is in a swing district (PVI is R+4); most of the voters coming from Kent (Grand Rapids) and Calhoun (Battle Creek) counties. Obama won it 50-49% in 2008, lost it 53-46% in 2012 and Hillary lost to Trump 51.6% to 42.2%.

It's an extraordinarily low bar but Kaine is better than PenzzzzzzzzzSomeone on Twitter was trying to promote the idea that putting Tim Kaine first in the line to presidential succession was not just less terrible than putting Mike Pence there but actually a good thing...

Saturday we asked if equal justice is ever possible with the kind of gigantic and growing economic inequality that disgraces America today.

Remember that horrific story-- about a decade back-- about cops in New Orleans shooting unarmed civilians running for their lives from the Hurricane Katrina flood waters? In 2007 5 white police officers were indicted for opening up with shotguns and AK-47s on two families of black people on the Danziger Bridge looking for shelter from the deadly storm.

Ken, Gaius, Noah and I have, over the years, written a good number of posts about coal baron/murderer Donald Blankenship, mostly asking why he isn't in prison or when will he be in prison. It's taken a long, long time but yesterday he was finally sentenced to a year in prison-- but not for murder. He's too rich for that.

You don't hear Snyder's name mentioned much any more as a plausible running mate for any like-minded Republicans-- he'd be perfect for Kasich-- but Michigan Governor Rick Snyder still isn't in prison or, as far as I know, even charged with a crime. And you know what that means: when they get away with it and there's no accountability, it grants permission for Republicans to just keep on poisoning the children of the poor and powerless.

MURDERERThe outrage has been building in me since I first started reading and hearing about how Michigan Governor Rick Snyder abrogated democracy in Flint and set about poisoning their water system. People are dead; people are sick; people will suffer for their entire lives; and Michigan taxpayers-- probably U.S.