I mentioned that doolally conversation at Feminist Philosophers over “Becky” the other day.

Prof Manners introduced Becky in her first paragraph:

I’ve watched the last few days as philosophy social media and now blogs lit up with the crisis at Hypatia over Rebecca Tuvel’s article on transracialism. (Summary of some of the commentary here.) Throughout, I have been dismayed by the way that people I respect or whose work I admire have taken out after each other, engaging in pugilistic, hostile, sneering interactions that now apparently pass for debate. Along the way I acquired a more current insult vocabulary by osmosis. I learned that calling someone “Becky” is an insult, among other things.

And again in her last:

Behaving

Robert Reich boils down a Washington Post piece on why the Republican “health care bill” isn’t.

The 2 biggest lies at the heart of Trumpcare are:

1. It covers people with preexisting health conditions. It doesn’t. Trumpcare sets aside $138 billion over the next decade to cover such people. But the estimated cost of really doing so ranges from $150 billion to $330 billion. Worse yet, states could use the money to offset the health insurance costs of healthy people who buy insurance as individuals — which is what the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office expects they’ll do.

2. It’s a healthcare bill. It’s not. It’s a trillion dollar tax cut for the richest 2 percent that’s paid for with

Seen on Facebook:

… Read the rest

We’ve been talking a little about presidential pensions, and whether or not it’s regrettable for former presidents to accept huge speaking fees from banks and other obese felines, and why presidents get such a nice golden handshake when they leave. Something I didn’t know: it’s because Truman.

Wikipedia:

Once out of office, Truman quickly decided that he did not wish to be on any corporate payroll, believing that taking advantage of such financial opportunities would diminish the integrity of the nation’s highest office. He also turned down numerous offers for commercial endorsements. Since his earlier business ventures had proved unsuccessful, he had no personal savings. As a result, he faced financial challenges. Once Truman left the White House, his

Jia Tolentino read Ivanka Trump’s new book and found it wanting.

In the preface to the book—titled “Women Who Work,” after an “initiative” she launched, in 2014—Ivanka emphasizes that she wrote it before Donald Trump became President. She has since announced that she will donate the profits and refrain from publicizing the book “through a promotional tour or media appearances,” in the hopes of avoiding the appearance of ethical conflicts. (Instead, she has been shilling for the book on Twitter, where she has nearly four million followers.)

Which is a conflict of interest. What on earth makes her think it’s ok to shill for the book on Twitter? She’s exploiting her name recognition as the president’s daughter to … Read the rest

The House Republicans were carrying on as if throwing millions of people off health insurance were an exciting football game this morning.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and his GOP leadership team held what amounted to a pep rally for rank-and-file members in the Capitol basement Thursday morning as they predicted victory in their push to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Leaders played the “Rocky” theme song as lawmakers walked into the meeting. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) put an image of George S. Patton on the screen and read inspirational quotes from the general.

“Let’s get this f–king thing done!” Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) told her colleagues, according to sources in the room.

PAR-DEE!

Then they got that fucking thing done, … Read the rest

Just look at them.

Never forget the sea of smug white men celebrating after taking your healthcare away. #AHCA #voteorDIE LITERALLY pic.twitter.com/9nCm4JBVTt

— W. Hubbard (@whittyhutton) May 4, 2017

Here are the white men who just made domestic violence, sexual assault, C-sections and postpartum depression pre-existing conditions. #AHCA https://t.co/fzqNmvAejw

— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) May 4, 2017

A sexual assault offender can become President but a sexual assault victim cannot get healthcare. #AHCA

— Amy Esposito (@LegendofAmyAnn) May 4, 2017

Trumpcare isn’t a health care bill. A bill that destroys health care for millions to shovel cash to the rich isn’t a health care bill. #AHCA

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) May 4, 2017

This is the same cruel Trumpcare bill that

The fuckers passed it.

In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the House has voted to dismantle the pillars of the Affordable Care Act and make sweeping changes to the nation’s health care system.

The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces daunting challenges because of the same ideological splits between conservative and moderate Republicans that nearly killed it in the House.

Trump will hold a celebratory news conference at the White House, and GOP lawmakers are expected to take buses from Capitol Hill after the vote.

Yeah, you celebrate, you pampered rich boy piece of shit. You celebrate the millions of people you’re working hard to consign to premature death, untreated illness and disability, pain, … Read the rest

Here’s another example of that bizarro-world idea that women are now privileged unless they are also Of Color or trans:

I concur that it’s a mistake to treat the problem (of speaking from a privileged standpoint without full engagement with the work of those most vulnerable) as unique to any one person (or to any one group, like white cis women).

See that? We occupy a privileged standpoint now, just like that. Boom, feminism is over, women are dominant unless they are non-white and/or trans.

The author is not unique, nor is Hypatia unique in being willing to publish some work that handles race and gender identity questions in insufficiently attentive ways. Hypatia does, however, have a special commitment to

The House Republicans suddenly decided yesterday that oh yes they have the votes now so they’re going to hurry up and vote today to take health insurance away from millions of people.

THE BIG IDEA: Kevin McCarthy has guaranteed victory when the House votes today on a health care bill that would overhaul Obamacare. “Do we have the votes? Yes. Will we pass it? Yes,” the majority leader told reporters last night. The Rules Committee met late last night to take procedural steps and approve the compromises that have been made.

— Some guidance on timing, via Steve Scalise’s office: Around 10:30 a.m., the House will have its first votes of the day. Then the chamber will begin formal

White guy doesn’t like to see black guy get a decent pension. White guy gets to work to slash that pension.

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz suggested Wednesday that former President Barack Obama’s $400,000 Wall Street speech has prompted a coming measure to cap presidential pensions.

Utah representative Chaffetz plans to reintroduce a 2016 bill to the House that would cap presidential pensions at $200,000, with an additional $200,000 in expenses, USA Today reported.

Last July Obama vetoed a bill that would have curbed the pension of former presidents if they had an outside income of $400,000 or more and limited expenses at $200,000, arguing that if implemented it could have left staff of former presidents suddenly without work.