Haven't done one of these in a while, in part because I've been way too busy and in part because we had that brief period when Donald Trump didn't feel like the biggest threat to the lives of Americans. As nature calms itself down, he regains the title…
- As Kevin Drum notes, Trump could make life much, much better for insurance companies and the poorer people they insure. But Trump said Obamacare was dead and/or dying and Donald Trump's political health is more important than anyone's actual health.
- Daniel Larison notes that among Trump's Big Lies is this notion that he can scrap the old nuclear deal with Iran and negotiate a better one. It doesn't seem to me like our putative president even knows what a "better" deal would be except that it would be one for which he could claim credit. Even his most ardent supporters have to be a little disappointed in what The Great Dealmaker has done at the bargaining tables so far.
- Fred Kaplan applies some common sense to the problem of North Korea. Since what he says is common sense, you can bet a year's worth of Trump Steaks that this is not what the current administration will do.
- I agree with Michelle Goldberg. Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio mainly because it would piss off the people his base wants to piss off. And send certain messages about who's in charge.
- Ezra Klein interviews Hillary Clinton. I do not side with those folks who feel she'd do the country a huge favor to go away. I mean, I understand that sentiment coming from the ones who've never liked her and who have these long lists of crimes they're absolutely certain she committed and who've been telling us for a decade or two now that she will definitely be in prison next week. I have a little trouble understanding why folks who voted for her — or now wish they had — want the person who got the most votes in the last election to not have a place in the public dialogue.
- I really like Bernie Sanders and I will start to love him if and when a lot more of his rhetoric starts shifting from what should be done to how realistically to achieve it. I believe I will live long enough to be covered by national Single-Payer health care insurance. I don't think Bernie will; not unless someone starts getting more into the "how to get there" details than he has. There are a dozen articles up today by pundits who want to see us go where he wants us to go and wish he had a map to get us there. Here's Jonathan Chait expressing this view and here's Sarah Kliff with a detailed explanation of how Sanders is deficient in detailed explanations.
Lastly: Stephen Colbert hosts the Emmy Awards this Sunday night and there are a lot of Trump-bashing shows up for honors. The usual folks will all decry that Hollywood is "elitist" (a word which has become largely meaningless) and out of touch with America. The folks who feel that way might try looking at those polls that show The Donald hovering near a 60% disapproval rating. And my guess is that if he has 38% of the country, half of those wish they had a more competent, less embarrassing leader fighting for their causes.