A new level of absurdity in the White House, if that is possible...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/03/btrtn-day-or-two-in-life-of-wild-wild.html

"You have all heard the astonishing Beatles’ classic, 'A Day in the Life,' many of you perhaps a thousand times. It seems as if every Beatles’ song broke new ground, and with that song, the two strange upward orchestral crescendos were the news. These glissandos (the technical term) – performed by a 40-piece orchestra in the EMI Studios in London, conducted by George Martin and Paul McCartney – go on and up for only 30 seconds each, but they seem far longer – endless, in fact. And as they build ever higher, the notes become more screechy, the discordance more raucous and yet the clashing instruments continue, until you begin to wonder if they will ever resolve. And then they do, with the last one crashing into a dramatic single, resounding piano chord that itself extends, ever less audibly, for over 40 seconds.

Donald Trump’s presidency at times feels oddly similar, with all the endless, raging, rising cacophony of that piece (though none of the artistry), apparently barreling toward some resolution but not, as yet, giving any sign as to when that might come and in what form. And until that resolution comes, there is every evidence that the din will escalate beyond human comprehension.

Consider just the last two days in the life of the Trump Administration..."

A new level of absurdity in the White House, if that is possible...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/03/btrtn-day-or-two-in-life-of-wild-wild.html

Trump stumbles his way through a proper response to the carnage and the young voices that are shaming him into action:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-young-voices-carry.html

"Donald Trump, discovering exactly how bad this issue is for Republicans, suddenly started floating support for some of those same ideas before finally settling firmly on the NRA-backed position: let’s put more guns in the schools! Let’s arm teachers, not just any teachers, but military-based, weapons-friendly ones! Why, Trump estimated, some 10 percent of all teachers today have such a background! Since we here at BTRTN are careful about numbers, we in turn estimate that Trump is almost certainly off here, perhaps by as much as – ten percentage points.

The absurdity of this idea put off the notion that Trump may take the “Nixon in China” route of leading his own constituency to a more progressive future. Trump may also be..."

Trump stumbles his way through a proper response to the carnage and the young voices that are shaming him into action:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-young-voices-carry.html

The fourth installment of an annual series tracking the most fascinating player in the NBA, and his incredible career:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-part-4-jeremy-lin-saga-continues.html

The fourth installment of an annual series tracking the most fascinating player in the NBA, and his incredible career:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-part-4-jeremy-lin-saga-continues.html

A three-part plan to more moderation and compromise...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-cant-we-all-just-get-along-plan.html

"But our dinner companions did not want to hear it. They had something else in mind. Turns out she runs an education not-for-profit for inner city kids, and he’s an independent/Libertarian, and neither were particularly interested in tribal bloodlust. They had a worthier goal in mind – how do we make our politicians work together again, and find common ground?

So, with my friends as inspiration, I offer my non-partisan “magic wand” solutions to bringing “compromise” and “moderation” back to our national politics. I say “magic wand” because I have no illusions about the odds of making any of this happen. But they are concrete actions designed to appeal to those who want real solutions to fight for, and these ideas are legitimately within the realm of political possibility.

Each of the three parts seeks to remove aspects of our political system that incentivize polarization..."

A three-part plan to more moderation and compromise...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-cant-we-all-just-get-along-plan.html

Another terrible week in America, and a particularly bad week for Donald Trump and his administration...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-on-florida-and-simply-hideous-week.html

"Action now seems unlikely – if not Newtown, if not Las Vegas (bum stocks are still just fine), then why Parkland? But the inflection point of the civil rights’ movement was when Bull Connor turned the attack dogs and fire hoses on the children of Birmingham, Alabama on national television – perhaps the voices of these children can do the same.

Trump himself offered no “Nixon in China” hope that he would lead this charge; his message on Florida contained not a single mention of gun laws (this despite polls that consistently show that the vast majority of Americans of each party favor all sorts of potentially productive gun control legislation, including stronger background checks and closing the gun show loophole.) Without Trump’s leadership, the GOP can stay in its gun-protection hole until it is politically safer to come out...."

Another terrible week in America, and a particularly bad week for Donald Trump and his administration...
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/02/btrtn-on-florida-and-simply-hideous-week.html