* Josh Marshall did a good job of connecting the dots between Trump and Brexit.
Put simply, Trumpism and the greater arc of rightist politics in the US in recent years seems to follow this pattern. A declining but still very large fraction of the population which feels that it is losing power, wealth and something between ethnic familiarity and dominance to rising segments of the society. To map this on to the specifics of US society this pits a one group that is both older and whiter against another that is generally younger and less white.
Two points are worth recognizing about this deep social and political cleavage. First, this rebellion on the right is based not on strength but on weakness, the loss of power, control, demographic dominance, privilege. Second, in key respects it is an accurate perception of the change overtaking America…
The future electorate of the UK wanted to remain in Europe. This makes me suspect that for all the differences there is some elemental similarity in play between here and the UK.
* Marshall was also able to capture Trump’s nonsensical reactions to Brexit in just one tweet.
Trump: Brexit is Obama’s fault; Also I predicted Brexit; Also Brexit is AWESOME! https://t.co/rZYj23kCcw
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 24, 2016
That is a perfect example of why it is a waste of time to try to analyze Trump’s position on anything.
* Speaker Paul Ryan continues his efforts to resurrect the GOP’s post-truth policies. On taxes, he simply harkens back to voodoo (or trickle-down) economics.
The tax plan would slash rates across the board — by 20 percent for businesses and 33 percent for individuals, simplify the tax filing process and restructure the international tax code.
The plan embraces long-standing Republican principles like cutting rates and eliminating deductions while embracing a business consumption tax that is increasingly popular in conservative think-tank circles.
Though the GOP proposal leaves out details — such as which specific deductions would be eliminated and how much the plan would cost — it offers a fuller alternative to the deep rate cuts pitched by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
As always, the reason they leave out the details is because a plan like this is post-truth. The fine print would show that what they want to do will increase income inequality while blowing up the federal deficit. Can’t let that cat out of the bag, so shhhh…
* Allow me to be a bit parochial for a minute because, as a Minnesotan, I loved this story.
For years, Sen. Al Franken has kept one of his most potent political weapons in check: his wit.
The former “Saturday Night Live” comic was determined to establish himself as a serious senator after winning his Minnesota seat by a razor-thin margin. So on entering the Senate in 2009, he embraced the low-key life of a freshman lawmaker, allowing his inner-nerd to flourish as he dove into legislation and limited his media contacts to home-state reporters.
Those days are ending. Since winning re-election in 2014, Franken has grown more comfortable with the national political spotlight. And he’s ready to use it to help unite Democrats behind Hillary Clinton.
My response: bring it on, Al!
* For you science geeks out there, this one is just for you: 100 Examples of President Obama’s Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation.
On January 20, 2009, President Obama issued a simple and powerful pledge: to restore science to its rightful place. Coming into office, the President was committed to reinvigorating the American scientific enterprise through a strong commitment to basic and applied research, innovation, and education; to restoring integrity to science policy; and most importantly, to making decisions on the basis of evidence, rather than ideology…
Today, the Administration is releasing a list of 100 examples of the profound impact that the President’s leadership has had in building U.S. capacity in science, technology, and innovation and bringing that capacity to bear on national goals.
* Finally, today it is official. The U.S. now has its first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights: the Stonewall National Monument.
