A bit of poli sci jiggery pokery that the Czar has learned tends to be alarming.

Interesting stat that 66% of Americans think everyone in Congress should be dumped. But it means nothing, usually, because Americans do not actually vote for everyone in Congress: they vote only for their own officials.

And, history suggests, Americans tend to keep re-electing the dumb bastards back into office. Why? Well, yeah—we hate Congress. But we like our guys. Sure, they’s schmucks. But their our schmucks.

In less cute terms, it comes down to the devil you know. We tend, as a political animal, to go with the person we hate but know more than the person we might not hate as much but do not know for sure.

This and only this explains Barney Frank.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.