The NYT’s Ezra Klein is confirming that most of the backlash to the so-called ‘Abundance’ movement is coming from a faction of the progressive left that fears it might displace the rise of its own views within the Democratic Party. … I wrote about ‘Abudnance’ – an agenda pushed by some Dems to reform government so it performs better –a few weeks ago. And I’ve previously touched on the general subject in posts here (“Wanted: Progressives who actually care about huge building-project cost overruns and delays”) and here (“Blue State Dems’ high-cost-of-living problem”)
Month: June 2025
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This ‘Abundance’ thing, Part II: The progressive backlash
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Think you know what happened at Omaha Beach? Think again
To mark yesterday’s 81st anniversary of D-Day, the Atlantic has republished a story from 1960 recounting what happened at Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. It’s more shocking than anything I’ve ever read or viewed before about Omaha, more shocking than the famous opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. … The graphic description by author S.L.A. Marshall — whose stated goal was to provide a non-sanitized account of the landing — starts at the seventh paragraph after a rather odd introduction.
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Musk Rehabilitation Watch: The beginning?
Trump loves it when people grovel. From Mediate: “Elon Musk Scrubs Trump Epstein Attacks From X as Trump Threatens Payback.” … But Musk has much more groveling to do. Maybe he’ll declare drugs were to blame, check himself into a rehab clinic, write some big checks to certain people and causes, and – voila – reconciliation has a chance.
Update — From Yahoo: “Trump says he has no desire to fix his relationship with Musk, even after the former ‘first buddy’ deletes his X posts.” … Like I said, Musk has much more groveling to do.
Update II – 6.8.25 — Elon’s dad has started the excuse making. Via U.S. Sun: “Elon Musk has ‘White House PTSD’ and thinks he made a mistake by helping Trump get re-elected, his dad has claimed.” … And where and when did his father say this? While attending a recent ‘Kremline-backed’ forum in Moscow. … Yes, it’s that weird. … It just hit me: Maybe I should have called it the Musk Rehab Clinic Watch, which may or may not lead to a Musk Rehabilitation With Trump Watch. Or maybe just the Musk Groveling Watch?
Update III – 6.11.25 — He’s getting there. From the Globe: “Elon Musk backs off from feud with Trump, saying he regrets social media posts that ‘went too far.’”
Update IV – 6.11.25 — He’s now going directly to the source. Via the NYT: “Musk Spoke With Trump Before Posting Message of Regret.”
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Musk Downfall Watch, Part III: The Freak-show Finale
I had a hunch the bromance couldn’t, and wouldn’t, last long. It’s why I started the Musk Downfall Watch way back when. But I had no idea it would end in such a spectacular, freak-show fashion. … I’m actually tempted to start a Musk Rehabilitation Watch. You can’t get too weird with this administration. And they’re both weird enough guys to do it.
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Bruins fans: Do not watch this Brad Marchand video
Bruins fans still bummed about the Brad Marchand trade probably shouldn’t watch this video of Brad scoring a clutch Double OT goal last night in the Stanley Cub Finals. … The celebration after his game-winning goal is painful to watch, seeing how joyous he looks out of a Bruins uniform. … At least the B’s got a first-round pick out of the deal. -
New York vs. New Haven pizza (sorry, Boston, you’re just not in their league)
The NYT has a fun piece on which pizza is better: New York pizza or New Haven pizza – and how little New Haven is aggressively taking the battle to the Big Apple. … It’s sort of like Ukraine versus Russia, when you think about it. … Anyway, a Hub Blog reader who’s familiar with both NY and NH pizza wrote the following in an email exchange:
“New York pizza is good to buy as a slice for a few bucks, fold in half, and shove down your gullet as you rush down the street to your next meeting. Its shape, crust, and consistency was designed by Joey Chestnut to eat fast.
“New Haven pizza is more like communion at church. There is a period of reflection and prayer anticipating its arrival, then that moment of divine ecstasy when you take the first bite, and then a period of contentment as you dose off on a post-pizza nap.”
I’m in the New Haven camp on this one. My father, the late Dr. Maurice J. Fitzgerald, grew up in New Haven and actually worked as a youth at the legendary Pepe’s Pizzeria. He turned me and my Hub Blog siblings into fanatical, lifelong Pepe’s devotees. … Btw: Pepe’s now has three locations in Massachusetts. They’re not bad, but not as good as the original. …. Sorry, Boston, but we’re just not in the same per capita pizza league as NYC and NH, though Santarpio’s does hold its own against the very best elsewhere.
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The immigration debate: the ideologues have taken over again
With each passing day, it seems the Trump administration is dropping the pretense that its immigration and deportation policies are all about law and order. The arrests of Marcelo Gomes da Silva and countless other non-violent immigrants have put that bogus argument to rest. Other obnoxious policy pronouncements (such as the latest anti-Harvard move and Trump’s travel ban) only reinforces the obvious: this is flat-out anti-immigration ideology at work. … But have you noticed how Dems are drifting more towards an outright opposition to all deportations, sometimes acting crazily in the process? The progressive wing of the party is successfully re-asserting itself — such as by demanding Gov. Maura Healey get more, well, progressive-like in her opposition to Trump – and you’re left with the general impression that the party is once again embracing a flat-out pro-immigration, identity politics-driven ideology. … The bottom line to it all: the ideological scorpions in the bottle are back at it.
Btw: Is there such a thing as a moderate position on immigration? I can’t speak for others, but my answer is, yes, there is a moderate middle. Here goes: Yours truly favors A.) closing the Mexican-U.S. border (which Trump has done – and which Biden pathetically failed to do) B.) arresting and deporting illegal-immigrant criminals and gang members (a policy Trump has aggressively expanded – and which Biden actually did rather well). C.) granting amnesty to most illegal immigrants because mass deportations are both cruel and unrealistic D.) Passing tough, comprehensive immigration reform that will make both conservatives and progressives yelp. … Well, at least moderates can dream, right?
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How do you change a state’s business model? You don’t
The Globe has a good story on all the different ways the Trump administration’s actions are going to hit the Massachusetts economy hard. I particularly liked the following quote from Jeff Bussgang, a general partner at Flybridge Capital, a Boston VC firm: “The Commonwealth’s business model is at risk.” … I know what Jeff is talking about. But his quote still got me to thinking: Is there such a thing as a state business model, in terms of actually planning out a specific strategy for an economy? And can a state business model be easily exchanged for another one? Answers to both: Of course not. We don’t live in command economy. There are no state Five Year Plans. There was never any government or secret capitalist cabal that decided, for instance, to wipe out Digital Equipment and Wang in favor of Biogen and Sanofi etc. Or wiping out our once mighty big local banks, like Bank of Boston, Shawmut and Fleet, in favor of BofA, TD Bank, Citizens, etc. It all just sort happened, for good and bad.
But here’s the thing: government may be capable of inflicting great economic harm on a region (such as Boston’s destruction of the old West End, suburban towns’ opposition to badly needed new housing, or Trump 2.0’s gutting of the NIH) yet it can greatly help an economy by creating a sound business environment, via wise tax, regulatory, education and infrastructure policies, and state leaders better start thinking along these lines right now. Because we’re going to need wise and better business policies if Trump 2.0 prevails, as the Globe piece makes abundantly and depressingly clear.
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The Houthis vs. the U.S. Navy: A battle that may have changed maritime warfare
Attention military history buffs: Ukraine’s bold and clever drone strikes on Russian airbases exposed how vulnerable U.S. military bases are to similar attacks, experts agree. But the U.S. really didn’t need Ukraine to prove the point about the effectiveness of cheap weapon systems in the hands of scrappy underdogs. The Houthis just taught the U.S. Navy a hard lesson or two on that score, the WSJ reports. It’s a pretty amazing David-vs-Goliath story – and we were Goliath.
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It’s still the ‘millionaires tax,’ and that’s that
Whenever I hear ‘advocates’ and government officials tinkering with word usage to advance a political/policy cause, George Orwell’s ‘meaningless words’ warning jumps to mind. … The “millionaires’ tax” is not the “Fair Share” tax, folks, despite what surtax proponents and government officials tell the Globe. … When you think about it, calling it the “millionaires’ tax” is probably why the referendum passed in their first place. It was a pithy, down-to-earth way to describe a tax on those making at least 10 times more than the median household income in Mass.
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