More Whataboutism November 16, 2017 Plus health care, dictatorship, a 24-hour marathon . . . But first: what about WheelTug? This 18-minute video in the style of a 40’s film noir would be excruciating for anyone expecting the The Maltese Falcon. (In real life, CEO Isaiah Cox talks as fast as Bogart, but here he is addressing airline executives for whom English is not their first language.) But for those of us who own shares in Borealis — bought only with money we can truly afford to lose, and with “limit orders” so as not to pay double what we need to — it may be of interest. As you’ll hear, the FAA approval process is underway, and “just last week they completed their PDR,” which stands for “preliminary design review,” a milestone of sorts. None of this guarantees success; but is surely, at very least, “the stuff that dreams are made of.” (Seriously? You don’t get that reference? Watch the trailer and then the film!) And now: Following up from yesterday’s post, one victim of whataboutism — John Podesta — writes that Trump wants to upend 230 years of constitutional principle: . . . What the Founding Fathers built with a written Constitution and 85 Federalist Papers, the president is trying to tear down 140 or 280 characters at a time. For months, Trump has been trying to divert attention from the walls closing in on his former campaign chairman, his former national security adviser and his own son Donald Trump Jr. . . . Trump has practiced some of the favorite tactics of his role model Vladimir Putin, labeling any damaging revelation as “fake news” and practicing a refined form of “whataboutism.” . . . But what appeared to be a typically Trumpian media damage-control strategy has taken a more lawless and sinister turn. This week, it was reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions — in an apparent effort to appease Trump — is considering appointing a special counsel to investigate Clinton’s role in approving the purchase of Uranium One . . . . . . a charge entirely debunked, as noted in the link from Fox News yesterday. It’s worth reading the full Podesta column. And find 4 minutes to watch Fareed Zakaria on how the world is shifting away from democracy — and not just in Turkey. It’s an overview everyone should have in mind as they watch Trump cozy up to Putin, Erdogan, Duterte and the rest . . . even as he dismantles our foreign service and cedes world leadership to one-party China. Republicans desperately want to help the wealthy by ending Obamacare (whose subsidies are paid for in meaningful degree by an extra $3.8 million in taxes on each $100 million in dividends and capital gains you earn) . . . and so they’ve done all they can to kill it. Yet enrollment is 46% ahead of last year’s pace — apparently, some people want it — and that’s good, because the Republicans have halved the enrollment period. I.e., get on the stick, people. If you know folks who need health insurance, shoot them this link and let them know they have just 29 days left to sign up. Meanwhile, what are you doing December 4th and 5th? Any interest in spending all or part of 24 hours circling the globe, trying to keep it habitable? Sign up to watch, free, from the comfort of your home. Have a great weekend!