Do one ever accused Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R) of being a moderate. He hasn't been in the Senate long and he's already run up one of the worst voting records of any member. ProgressivePunch rates him an "F," of course, but an F that equates to a 5.19, worse than extremists like Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for example.
Paul Ryan and his utterly dysfunctional House Republican conference is riven with so much in-fighting and back-stabbing and with so many ideological purity tests that they can't get anything done-- not even the most basic functions of government. The Florida delegation-- both Democrats and Republicans-- have been begging and are now demanding that Ryan call Congress back into session to deal with the Zika crisis.
I've been a big Clinton detractor and I don't plan to vote for her in November. That said, it's important to recognize the difference between her approach to the runaway prices of pharmaceuticals and Trump's approach. Trump doesn't seem intellectually capable of understanding the problem beyond a single incident and his "team" is ideologically bogged down to the extent of incapacity to recognize the systemic problem of monopoly.
This map shows anomalous U.S. methane emissions (or how much the emissions differ from average background concentrations) for 2003 to 2009, as measured by the European Space Agency's SCIAMACHY instrument. The Four Corners area [circled]—the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet—is the only red spot on the map.
Economist William Black discusses the Clinton transition team with The Real News. Continue playing after my programmed stopping point to hear Black discuss Trump's transition team.by Gaius PubliusThere is no question that if Donald Trump becomes president, corporations will have the run of the place. Trump is not a populist; he just plays one on TV.
Top Clinton insider Neera Tanden at a Google- and Elle-sponsored DC function (source)by Gaius PubliusShort and bitter-sweet. The primary election is mainly over (but not quite; there's still a black swan or two hovering overhead).
Trumpanzee is looking at a John W. Davis-sized landslideThe Public Religion Research Institute released a poll over the weekend that isn't just bad news for Señor Trumpanzee, but looks like band news for the Republican Party going forward.
Emissions from methane (natural gas) are replacing emissions from coal, but not petroleum (source; click to enlarge).by Gaius PubliusMethane ("America's clean natural gas") is being touted and sold as the "bridge fuel" from carbon emissions from all sources, including oil. In fact, methane is turning out to be a bridge fuel away from coal only.
My interest in the post-Bernie presidential election season is tempered by my dislike of both candidates left standing. Trump as a human being isn't even worth considering and Hillary is too much of a classic Republican to ever be my cup a tea. What does keep me interested however, is the fundamental partisan realignment that is ripping apart FDR's New Deal coalition.
