As you might have guessed, the absence of mid-afternoon posts was due to logistics–insufficient layover time in Phoenix, and then the decision to write a pretty long post about Sam Youngman’s pretty long article on his disillusionment with big-time political journalism

Anyway, I’m on a flight with internet service now, praise Jehovah, and the little Acer Chromebook I bought during the last trip to the ATL is ideal for this sort of space. If it concerns you that I have to buy my own tools of the trade, you could make things more abundant here at WaMo by making a tax-deductible donation. Thank you!

Here are some remains of the day:

* Not to be outdone by the Queen of Victimization, Ted Cruz weighs in on the horrible, horrible bigotry that may separate Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty fans. Cruz, naturally, says this is all about “the America usually ignored or mocked by liberal elites: a family that loves and cares for each other, believes in God, and speaks openly about their faith.”

* As MSNBC’s Adam Serwer notes, conservatives are contrasting Robertson with “Pajama Boy,” a “meterosexual hipster” (Really? How do they know?) in an Organization for Action ad promoting Obamacare.

* TAP’s Paul Waldman offers a less positive assessment than I did of the Sam Youngman opus.

* At Ten Miles Square, Raymond Smith argues that multi-party systems produce more cooperation than our own two-party system.

* At College Guide, Jill Barshay reports on the latest NAEP score, and notes some departures from the usual strong correlation of high scores and low poverty rates.

And in non-political news:

* More than 80 injured after roof collapse at London’s Apollo Theater.

That’s it for the day. I’m going to try to have a day of vacation and pre-Xmas shopping hysteria tomorrow, so Ryan Cooper will be at the controls (I may pop in with a post if something interests me or Ryan gets tied up). And Kathleen Geier will be back for the weekend.

Let’s close with one more Keith Richards classic, from Exile on Main Street: “Happy,” performed in 1972.

Selah.

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.