REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - Scott Walker's Announcement Speech -- Abbreviated & Annotated

The Ledes

Thursday, July 3, 2025

CNBC: “Job growth proved better than expected in June, as the labor market showed surprising resilience and likely taking a July interest rate cut off the table. Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 147,000 for the month, higher than the estimate for 110,000 and just above the upwardly revised 144,000 in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. April’s tally also saw a small upward revision, now at 158,000 following an 11,000 increase.... Though the jobless rates fell [to 4.1%], it was due largely to a decrease in those working or looking for jobs.”

Washington Post: “A warehouse storing fireworks in Northern California exploded on Tuesday, leaving seven people missing and two injured as explosions continued into Wednesday evening, officials said. Dramatic video footage captured by KCRA 3 News, a Sacramento broadcaster, showed smoke pouring from the building’s roof before a massive explosion created a fireball that seemed to engulf much of the warehouse, accompanied by an echoing boom. Hundreds of fireworks appeared to be going off and were sparkling within the smoke. Photos of the aftermath showed multiple destroyed buildings and a large area covered in gray ash.” ~~~

The Wires

The Ledes

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

New York Times: “The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who emerged from the backwoods of Louisiana to become a television evangelist with global reach, preaching about an eternal struggle between good and evil and warning of the temptations of the flesh, a theme that played out in his own life in a sex scandal, died on July 1. He was 90.” ~~~

~~~ For another sort of obituary, see Akhilleus' commentary near the end of yesterday's thread.

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New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts.

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

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Tuesday

Jul142015

Scott Walker's Announcement Speech -- Abbreviated & Annotated

When Kevin Drum of Mother Jones abbreviated Hillary Clinton's economic speech to include only her specific proposals (see link in Tuesday's Commentariat), he inspired me to abbreviate & annotate the policy prescriptions in Scott Walker's speech announcing his run for the presidency. I easily whittled the speech from six full pages to a half-page, including his his lead-in & closing.

I love America. [CW: Does that include Canada & Mexico? How about Venezuela?]

The federal government needs to support strong families by ending the marriage penalty.... [CW: The “marriage penalty” does not affect low-income workers, & it usually benefits families where one parent stays home to care for the kids. Does Scottie know that?]

First, we must repeal ObamaCare.... [CW: Too bad if you get sick & can't afford medical attention.]

We need a President who will approve the Keystone pipeline on the very first day in office.... [CW: Sorry, environment.]

No Common Core.... [CW: But let's all use those Texas textbooks.]

We need to terminate the bad deal with Iran on Day One, put in place crippling economic sanctions and convince our allies to do the same.... [CW: Busy Day One, Scottie!]

That means lifting the political restrictions on our military personnel in Iraq so they can help our Kurd and Sunni allies reclaim land taken by ISIS.... [CW: So, declaring war before Day One. Okay.]

There should be absolutely no daylight between [the U.S. & Israel].... [CW: That is, the U.S. should allow Israel to dictate our international policy. Welcome, Co-President Bibi.]

That begins with rebuilding the Defense budget at least to the levels recommended by Secretary Gates.... [CW: Wherever will we get the funds to do that, Scottie? I'll bet I know.]

We need to … give [the military & veterans] the quality and timely healthcare they deserve when they return home.... [CW: So the only way to get government-assisted health care is to join the military. Uncle Sam wants you, poor people!]

God bless you. God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America. [CW: Which she will, because God told me, Scott Walker, to run for president.]

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Reader Comments (9)

If you think you're sick of Scott Walker, just imagine living here in Wisconsin where the media is so excited about our local pol running for President! They are all Walker all the time now.

My questions at the moment:

His supporters call him smart and articulate, which I think is easily disproven by his quotes. But what I really have trouble wrapping my head around is that some of them call him photogenic. To an unbiased person, can this possibly be true?

Will some MSM type note the irony of Walker calling for war on more fronts while his perfectly healthy 19 and 20 year old sons stand behind him, having taken time off from college not to serve in the military, but to campaign for their dad?

I fervently hope that once the next clown (Kasich?) announces, the media will move on.

July 14, 2015 |

Nadd2

@Nadd2 If you question Scott Walker's photogenic aspects, just for laughs go Google his name and click on the Images link! His candids are quite amusing.

I know we have been warned not to get snarky about Hillarys' fashion taste (tho' she'd vastly improved since the last run!) but since...The Donald is open game....I have to confess,
Scott Walker's hair comb is odd, too! It's that disproportionate mass of hair on his left side that makes his head appear strangely off balance.

July 14, 2015 |

MAG

On the morning commute, I listened to Tonette Walker's introduction of her husband, and she actually referred to him as "Fearless Leader."

I have been thinking of Boris, Natasha, Moose and Squirrel off an on all morning. Must be some kind of juvenile flashback.

July 14, 2015 |

Patrick

See Borowitz:

"Poll: Pain Would Bring Much-Needed Dignity to Republican Field"

http://links.newyorker.mkt4334.com/ctt?kn=2&ms=NzkwMjIwNgS2&r=MjczNzc0ODkyMDQS1&b=0&j=NzIxNzUyNDU3S0&mt=1&rt=0

July 14, 2015 |

D.C.Clark

Scotty was selected by the Koch brothers as their stand-in precisely because he can be completely molded in their image. A vote for Scotty is a vote for the Kochs. He is breathtakingly ignorant and socially retarded. Scotty could not pour piss out of a boot without carefully enunciated audio directions.

He is an especially pathetic little man, ripe for the using.

July 14, 2015 |

Diane

@Diane: Re: Piss & Boots, the Koch boys wrote the instructions on the heel.

Marie

July 14, 2015 |

Marie Burns

Marie - because the instructions are written on the heel, I'm guessing that is the reason that Diane said he needs clear audible instructions. Also, he could probably somehow mess up a ball-bearing welded to the deckplate. And someone would have to explain to him what those three holes are for on a bowling ball. You know ... moron.

July 14, 2015 |

Patrick

@Patrick, no doubt you're right on all counts.

Marie

July 14, 2015 |

Marie Burns

Marie,

Nice job translating Scottie's bilge from the original weasel speak.

We're going to have to compile quite a gloss to help decipher the actual meanings of speeches from this cadre of presidential wingnut losers. In addition to Walker Weasel Speak, we have Jeb! Speak, Trumpy Trumpetings and so on down the line. When I think of it, there isn't a single intelligent sounding, able public speaker in the lot.

It's just sad to think of the linguistic abilities of past presidents (including the present one) and compare them with this pack of barely literate monkeys.

If, as Nadd indicates, Walker's followers really do think he's articulate, they must be spending way too much time at the bar in the pool room.

"America is a can-do kinda country. And fortunate....we have a wash....in Washington....we have a...."

Tripping over your own tongue and being unable to even read a prompter correctly doesn't fill me with optimism about Walker's ability as a public speaker, or thinker of deep thoughts. Pericles he ain't. Seriously, if you fuck up something like an announcement that you're running for president, what hope is there?

Christ.

But here's a caveat. It won't do, this time, to trust that voters will be able to see or care that this guy is an empty suit, a dumb shit, and a right asshole. We we were all in shock after the Bush-Gore debates to hear that so many people thought Bush had won. I suppose seeing a chimp not fall off the stage was considered a great victory. But don't take this guy for granted. He may be stupid, but stupid is the GOP calling card these days. Fox has made millions suspicious of anyone who can spell prestidigitation. So don't misunderestimate this moron. He has billions behind him and he'll have plenty of help changing or disappearing votes when the time comes.

July 14, 2015 |

Akhilleus

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