I'm sure we'll hear from the press all about what an out of touch bit of royalty she is.

HRC: "Last time I actually drove a car myself was 1996. I remember it well. So does the Secret Service which is why I haven't driven since"

— David Chalian (@DavidChalian) January 27, 2014

This would pretty much be the end of any chance for a Republican. Of course, for a Democrat, especially Democrat Royalty like a Clinton this will either be ignored or spun as a story about how she has forgone the simple pleasures of life in service to her people.

Either way, it's another reason why Hillary is far more evitable than people think.

Even if the GOP can't figure out a way to use this, and given their track record there's every reason to believe they'd screw this up, I'm sure Joe "I'm from Scranton and I like Amtrak" Biden will find away to point out how isolated and disconnected Hillary is from the real world.

She's probably being briefed on this right now but someone really needs to ask her how much a gallon of gas costs.

Not to go all CAC two posts in a row but Scott Walker, he of the no college degree, vs. Hillary would be a fascinating contrast of a race. Of course, the GOP's likely answer to Hillary will be Jeb Bush or something and give up any hope getting on the right side of the "cares about people like me" question.

Fun thought...imagine if Mitt Romney had said this in 2012. Yeah.

Posted by: DrewM at 08:03 AM | Comments (293)
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As the saying goes, when people are free to choose, they choose freedom and Wisconsin union workers are choosing to free themselves from their unions.

The latest tax documents available show combined income of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) dropped 45 percent in 2012 — the first full year of the law, according to The Capital Times.

In 2011, the four councils that make up the state organization reported a combined income of $14.9 million. In 2012 that dropped to $8.3 million. Dues revenue dropped 40 percent to $7.1 million.

Walker and supporters of the law said it was a way to help local governments reduce the costs of employee benefits, but the legislation also included measures aimed at financially weakening unions by ending automatic dues deductions.

It's funny but liberals have never explained why the state should have been in the business of collecting dues for unions that the unions then used to extract more money from the state. Funny that.

I'll leave the Walker pimping to CAC (I like Walker though his coyness about amnesty bothers me. However if Boehner gets his way, it might be moot by then) but that kind of reform is going to very popular with conservative primary voters next year.

The big problem Walker has is that while most of the top tier candidates have already begun their campaigns to one degree or another, Walker has a tough reelection battle this year. So while people like Chris Christie are campaigning across the country and in early primary states for Senate and House candidates (while collecting IOU's, meeting donors and building statewide networks), Walker is going to spend this year campaigning in Oshkosh and Green Bay.

On the upside, he'll have some impressive accomplishments to tout should he run.

Still, the way the modern presidential campaigns are structured, missing out on this year is going to be a big disadvantage for Walker.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:04 AM | Comments (173)
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Happy Monday.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:26 AM | Comments (258)
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What the US Olympic Team Will Be Wearing in Sochi

These uniforms were designed by Ralph Lauren who seemed to have been channeling stoner chic and the July 4th issue of Crocheting Monthly. No wonder the State Department has warned US athletes not to wear their uniforms outside the Olympic Village.

But it could be worse - here are the Norwegian Olympic uniforms. These apparently were inspired by dazzle camouflage and the best of modern gulag attire. I guess the oft-repeated factoid that Scandi languages have no word for shame really is true.

Quote of the Day - Inter-level Combat Edition

yup. The truth is that I'm a socon too.
We are arguing here basically in D&D terms about a 7th level socon versus a 14th ( "name" ) level socon.

Posted by: ace at January 24, 2014 01:00 AM (/FnUH)

i think most conservative-leaning people are probably at least 4th level socons.

Posted by: ace at January 24, 2014 01:03 AM (/FnUH)

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:35 PM | Comments (679)
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For your non-astro needs, here's another open thread for ya, brought to you by 1 out of every 3 Twitter disagreements: more...

Posted by: CAC at 05:10 PM | Comments (87)
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• HSBC Wants Customers To Justify Large Cash Withdrawals Before Allowing Them
  
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• Republicans Tired Of People Talking About Them Winning In 2014, Put Forth Plan To Lose
  
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• The 49 Cent Stamp Won't Save The USPS
  
• Introducing Washington D.C.'s Hottest New Toys: The Kronies
  
• West Virginia House Race Could Be Bellwhether
  
• I Thought This Was America
  
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• When Asked About This Column, The Writer Chased Away Reporters While Throwing Cats At Them
  
• Video Of Aforementioned Incident
  

A compilation of nip slips from yesterday's Grammy Awards.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:03 AM | Comments (471)
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Well there is NFL football of a sort going on, the Pro Bowl.

It's not much football, as football goes but it is a game and all so what the heck.

I like Tampa Bay cheerleaders. They are the best.

Superbowl next Sunday.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:10 PM | Comments (141)
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[We Politely Request That All Off-Topic or Political Comments Be Directed to the Open Thread down page, Which Will Serve Officially as the Current "Active Conversation" Thread for All Discussions Not Related To This Topic. Enjoy!]

Welcome again to the Spaced-Out Challenge! Whether you have a question about equipment, a new astronomical discovery you want to expand on, or just want to kick back and enjoy the cosmos above, come one come all on our weekly astronomical journey.

This week, we'll aim our eyes and instruments at the closest supernova in decades, review the planetary positions for the week, discuss some positive news in the fight against light pollution, a crowd-sourcing project you can participate in to track it's spread (the Globe At Night), and rdbrewer briefly reviews and discusses Hawking's latest brain-burner on black holes. So, step outside, turn off the lights, and let me guide you through space and time. more...

Posted by: CAC at 05:13 PM | Comments (33)
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We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

C. S. Lewis

Posted by: Open Blogger at 02:10 PM | Comments (137)
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We Politely Request That All Off-Topic or Political Comments Be Directed to the Thread Directly Below This One, Which Will Serve Officially as the Current "Active Conversation" Thread for All Discussions Not Related To This Topic.

photo courtesy of tommy:eats

There are innumerable recipes for Buffalo Hot Wings, and most of them are good. It's difficult to ruin a combination of chicken skin, hot oil, hot sauce and butter. But I think the best fried versions are executed in commercial kitchens, where the copious amounts of aerosolized and splattered fat gets cleaned up by someone else. more...

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