24 Comments
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John Quiggin's avatar

I'm assuming that this is intended as hyperbole, but it is quite literally a necessary condition if US democracy is to be saved. Unless the Republican party is permanently driven from power, or reformed so radically as to be unrecognisable, a change of administration will merely delay the inevitable collapse into dictatorship.

And this will only happen if a large proportion of Republican voters admit, not merely that they made the wrong choice, but that they did so for stupid and evil reasons, and resolve never to repeat this error. So far there is no sign of this.

Greg Perrett's avatar

Even among those opposed to Trump, there is a deep resistance to assigning responsibility for his election to the American public. Any excuse will do, as long as ordinary citizens can be excused their grossly irresponsible votes.

This seems totally wrong to me. These voters need to feel shame. If they’re upset in the short term, so be it. But if they’re allowed to avoid responsibility in their own minds, they will learn nothing and will absolutely repeat the mistake.

Brad DeLong's avatar

No: it was not intended as hyperbole. But as a rule of behavior going forward.

foofaraw & Chiquita(ARF!)'s avatar

Clearly, popular performers were going to be drawing attention to Trump's evil with every cancellation.

Now they won't...

Graham's avatar

If it goes over budget does the attorney general open a criminal investigation into him?

Pete Shanks's avatar

Well, if the whole place is closed, Trump is not going to lose face because performers refuse to appear. Also, it is entirely possible that before the remake is completed, Trump will have left office, possibly carried out in a casket, or deposed under the 25th, or of course impeached (again), this time for real. Now, how do we stop the oversized arch?

TCinLA's avatar

We should just do what we didn't do in 1865 and hang all the traitors.

Jim Kruidenier's avatar

And they must "renounce Trump and all his works."

judy novey's avatar

Probably the same money he is using for the ballroom. There won't be enough for both and neither will be finished. Just two shabby, incomplete, construction projects

Patrick's avatar

Haven't we seen this movie before?

I could swear the plot and some of the supporting cast in previous "Melania"-like flops have been in the public eye before now.

Am I halalaubinating?

Henry's avatar

All those conspiracy theorists who are past experts on airline fuel explosions and pizza messaging systems will now pivot to expertise in general contracting.

Thomas L. Hutcheson's avatar

I think that is a reasnable compromise Trump puts his name on a venue with no performances.

TOM HESLEP's avatar

He's just pissed off that performers are cancelling and audiences are down. So he's taking away the toy. I wonder if he's thinking of tearing the entire building down and erecting a monument to himself.

TCinLA's avatar

Can't he just get on with having his long-predicted massive fatal myocardial infarction and Make America Truly Great Again with his permanent departure?

Gonna be a lot of "urban renewal" going on in DC in 2029, when the dancehall is reduced to its component atoms, as will be the Trump Loser Arc and whatever else atrocity he has committed against good taste.

mike harper's avatar

If the site needs major repairs, the cheapest way is to tear down and start over. I would think a New York property speculator would know this. I was party to a NASA project that would saved a bundle if they had just done that. The facility was only 40 years old.

Editor, Fabius Maximus website's avatar

Twenty seconds on Google:

AI Summary: “The Kennedy Center's FY2024 budget justification outlines critical infrastructure needs, including waterproofing, roofing repairs, fire safety upgrades, and 50-year-old mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) replacements. Major projects focus on the parking garage, plaza, and technical stage systems to maintain the aging facility.”

https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/our-story/mission/kennedy-center-fy24-budget-justification-to-congress.pdf

Henry's avatar

The pathetic thing about this comment is that the excuse was called out in the original post.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Feb 2
Comment removed
Henry's avatar
Feb 2Edited

`...and “if you really want to rework the building, you’d be better off closing it”?`

The word is "and"

The entire framing of the critique is around the different between "maintain" -- the word you quoted from your google -- and "closing it."

Editor, Fabius Maximus website's avatar

That’s quite a bit of wordsmithing. The report describes serious weakness in an “aging building” (quote from the 2024 report). The list of needed repairs is extensive.

The Board anticipates doing the repairs piecemeal over years, as Congress gives them funds. Why is difficult to imagine closing the facility to do everything at once, or that the engineers Trump consulted suggested this? It is a common procedure with aging infrastructure. Even heavily used vital infrastructure, such as bridges and interchanges.

The hysteria is quite odd about this proposal to the Board.

Patrick's avatar

Are you writing for SNL?

Get real...he wants the venue to be closed because he can't stand being snubbed by the performers who would have played there before his ego-stroking stupidity.

He's being snubbed by smart, actually talented people, and his thin skin is chapped!

TCinLA's avatar

You can always tell a really pompous MAGAt freakazoid from the common shit kicking hay shaking dentally-challenged Gamma variety by their adoption of ridiculous "Roman" names.

Go crawl your way back to Flyover Loserville, where the fact you are a drooling moron and a massive asshole lacking all talent and intelligence won't be so blindingly obvious you embarrassing worthless piece of shit.

Mark Field's avatar

There was a $250 million renovation in 2019. https://bsky.app/profile/normative.bsky.social/post/3mduugmazkc2b

Must have been as shoddy as we'd expect with Trump occupying the White House.

Brad DeLong's avatar

The lesson here, I think, is that even on SubStack opening up comments to other than paid subscribers immediately turns the comment section into a s***show Nazi Bar, with bad actors cosplaying as Roman aristocrats.

It was an experiment. Good to know:

> Editor, Fabius Maximus website: 'The report describes serious weakness in an “aging building” (quote from the 2024 report). The list of needed repairs is extensive. The Board anticipates doing the repairs piecemeal over years, as Congress gives them funds. Why is difficult to imagine closing the facility to do everything at once, or that the engineers Trump consulted suggested this? It is a common procedure with aging infrastructure. Even heavily used vital infrastructure, such as bridges and interchanges. The hysteria is quite odd about this proposal to the Board.

> There was a $250 million renovation in 2019. <https://bsky.app/profile/normative.bsky.social/post/3mduugmazkc2b> Must have been as shoddy as we'd expect with Trump occupying the White House.

Robert Haas's avatar

AI is America stupid.