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Last one of the year, people. And what a year it’s been; but hey, let’s not get into that now. To help us put a bow on 2020, we asked our official election law analyst, John Yoo to stop by to delve into the latest suits filed and what options are left (hie National Review piece published earlier this week worth reading before you listen to his segment). Then, we wanted to end things on a happy note, so we asked our podcasting colleague Arthur Brooks, host of Ricochet’s Art of Happiness podcast to help us reset our attitudes and psyches for 2021. We also asked to give some TLC to a certain misanthropic member of this crew. Did it work? Only time will tell. Finally, we do some spelunking of bad Christmas tunes (and some good ones, too) courtesy of Lileks Post of The Week winner @cliffordbrown. Also, are people with grad degrees doctors? What say you?
Thanks for sticking with us through a turbulent and yes, often contentious year. We very much appreciate the listens and your feedback. We wish everyone a happy and healthy Christmas break and we’ll see you back here on January 8th.
Music from this week’s show: Baby It’s Cold Outside by Ella Fitzgerald (feat. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five)
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Which for Biden may not be all that far off the mark.
And, tenure is not invincible.
As someone who (also) works at an academic institution, I can assure that while it’s not ironclad, it’s pretty darn close. And John Yoo remaining on ensconced on the faculty of <checks notes> U Cal Berkeley — arguably the most Progressive academic institution in the country (maybe the world!)– for over a dozen years now is the best argument I can think of for demonstrating that it is as close to invincible as possible.
Yeah, most of us are fine to consider the idea that the election was “stolen” but we want to see some actual evidence before we jump on board that claim. The evidence presented –witnesses with constantly changing stories, theories that were easily explainable (“I went to bed on Tuesday night and Trump was winning and when I woke up on Wednesday he was losing — STOLEN ELECTION!”), and of course the clown car that was the Trump legal team, never met the standard needed to change the results. I know, I know — you think it was an open and shut case and the rest of us are just Biden lackeys or sheeple who can’t see what you see.
I do believe that mail in voting regulations need to be looked at closely and the balloting process made more secure. Because mail in and early voting is here to stay. We’re not going back to the previous way now.
It is weird that here in CA, we’ve had mail in voting for (I think) 8 years now and the Republican Party has never challenged it once. They have (correctly) questioned the ballot harvesting process, but that’s not the way the majority of mail in voters here cast their ballots.
@jameslileks
James you mentioned rockabilly and discussed great Christmas music. About 10 years ago I saw the Brian Setzer Christmas Tour.
What a show! I couldn’t stop smiling for a week. This CD always gets repeated playtime this time of year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_7AvrTnMpY&list=PLCjCY_uSXhGeUU9b9D0OyWTGdxcSaNzpG&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXH7SSZFdH4&list=PLCjCY_uSXhGeUU9b9D0OyWTGdxcSaNzpG&index=5
The “classic rock” station that I listen to, has been adding occasional Christmas tunes, and sometimes what they play is from the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Good stuff!
I also have had this one for years, surprisingly fun.
“It is weird that here in CA, we’ve had mail in voting for (I think) 8 years now and the Republican Party has never challenged it once.” Motto of the California Republican Party: “Republicans Democrats can approve of!”
By all means, let all Republicans imitate the ones in California and become powerless losers. I have this mental picture of California Republicans on their hind quarters with tongues hanging out, begging the Democrats for table scraps.
One of the things that makes democracy work (to the extent that it does) is that you can’t get cretins to the polls.
But the Democrats have figured out that with mail ballots they can make sure that a ballot is submitted in the name of every cretin, even if somebody else has to apply for, fill out, and mail the ballot. As long as the same operative signs the application and the ballot envelope, it will even pass strict signature verification — not that Democrats will agree to strict signature verification. (“You demand that minorities to know how to sign their names, you racist!”)
No, I don’t think it’s “an open and shut case”, though I’ve not seen a good counterargument to the case that votes cast by ineligible voters in swing states were more than enough to give the election to Biden.
@blueyeti — You’re an academic on the West Coast? How come I’m not surprised …
Having a few well-behaved token conservatives on the staff is useful to any left-wing university. If the Republicans are in power, Marx forbid, somebody might have to lobby them on the university’s behalf.
A conservative heavyweight was visiting a liberal university and, to show they weren’t all left wingers, they trotted out two conservative faculty members. But, the heavyweight recalled, the same two faculty members had been trotted out to him on a previous visit, a quarter of a century earlier. Privately the two men told him that coming out of the closet had caused their careers to stagnate and, if they could do it over, they wouldn’t.
I can think of at least one alternative argument.
Fortunately, ballot harvesting and everything related to it is getting a massive light shined on it. This is a massive deviance from rational governance.
But will it make a difference? The left thinks ballot harvesting is just fine, because it helps them get what they want.
Time will tell. It’s obviously not very logical unless you are totally unproductive, don’t own anything, and don’t care about the future of the country.
Government Is How We Steal From Each Other™
I’m staff, not faculty. Not an academic. Sorry to ruin your surprise.
That’s not that much of a difference Yeti.
It’s a huge difference. I’m not subject to any of the litmus tests or the internal politics that faculty members are. I also (mostly) work remotely, which lessens my involvement/participation even more.
Mind if we call you “Bruce” just to keep things clear?
I have no idea what that means.
Nor I. I’m glad it’s not just you.
The video version is arguably better.
There are many Christmas songs I love. This one transcends them all.
God bless you and keep you all.
Always a better ending…….