#movers and shakers bracket

[monstrous-tournament]

The Ankh-Morpork Movers and Shakers Tournament GRAND FINALE!

I know y'all know these two, but still, feel free to add your propaganda in the notes! 

[batt00ny]

ROUND 1: MATCH 21

[thesmartfashion1]

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 - 16" Extension - EGLF1-BK

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 – 16″ Extension – EGLF1-BK

Price: [price_with_discount] [ad_1] Featuring up to 150° of smooth swiveling capability, this large full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 132 lbs, you can rest assured your 37″ – 70″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be safe on the strong arm of this Echogear tv mount. What the H is “UL Certified”? It means we’ve tested this TV mount to verify…

[dallasareaopinion]

Continuing the madness on your average Tuesday

Well, what to say, President Trump has crowned himself again, The Republican National Convention is working hard to disenfranchise Republicans and they are so far up where no family man can mention they do not even realize they have been disenfranchised. Scary. They should be screaming they want a primary. Sure, let Trump run and be voted for, but have all the primaries. To take that away just proves how self-serving they are at the top and.... that we need new parties. (Had to get that in didn’t I)

Being lazy is self disappointing. I really want to make the effort to email a host of movers and shakers outside the current Republican debacle and yell at them to take action. There are hundreds if not thousands of people with the capability, ability, and resources to either force something in the primary or make a serious run as an independent candidate. As you know I do not think an independent President will be successful with policy. I have written on this topic before especially in the 2012 election and it boils down that the two parties in Congress would fight tooth and nail so as to not look like they caved. The self-serving natures of both parties at the national level cannot accept they might have to pass legislation that doesn’t benefit the lobbyists and an independent candidate could actually offer legislation that benefits the general good. 

For 2020 though most Americans want something different they just haven’t been able to wrap their heads around it yet. Whenever something new is needed it takes a large wave of cold water splashing them on the face for them to take action. They wave has come, the new action hasn’t yet for them to move on. So the wave and time are passing and we may be left with really ugly flotsam on the beach of the USA and no one left to clean it up if someone new doesn’t rise to the occasion. 

We are fast approaching, and people have mentioned this before, a rehash of Italy in the 1920′s. A dictator of a weak mind, propped up by the industrialists to prevent the socialists from taking over the government. And do not think that street fighting won’t break out in this country. It can and might. Again see above, we need someone to or some group to step up and take the heat, but seize the moment and bring back some rational dialogue to our country and they need to do it now. Add to the fact that the lust for money and power is exponentially higher than Italy in the 1920′s. The modern version of the industrialists just cannot give up the ghost. And what is funny is that they need someone to wrestle power away from Trump to save a reasonable amount of their fortunes. If not, the coming madness in this country and it may take a decade will destroy their fortunes entirely. They are so full of greed they have no clue. 

Okay enough complaining, I should act instead. I have a mental list hopefully I muster the courage to act. The time is now before it gets too late.

So instead lets talk of more fun topics. For all you baseball fans spring training is here. Let your annual optimism rule the day for the moment. May and reality will be here soon enough for most of us.

And speaking of May, many here in Dallas are still enjoying the possibility of watching the Mavs make the playoffs. I would love to see them climb a spot or two in the seeding, but just making the playoffs will be fun. There are teams they have a better chance than others. I think the Clippers are still the team that no one wants to face in the playoffs. So hopefully that won’t be our first-round match. Everyone else barring some luck and some health we have a chance against. It is fast approaching.

And speaking of basketball and fast approaching. One of the greatest three weeks in sports is right around the corner. March Madness is coming and is you bracket ready.

Cheers

[itsworn]

More than 200 Cobra Jet Mustangs at the 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion at Summit Motorsport Park

The Ford Performance 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion presented by TascaParts.com, held as part of the NMCA All-American Nationals at Summit Motorsport Park, was nothing short of epic. Everything Cobra Jet was celebrated, from classic and rare Cobra Jets, to the latest 8-second, supercharged, factory-built racecars. While the cars provided amazing eye candy, the iconic personalities who brought these amazing machines to life are what made the show special.

More than 200 Ford and Mercury-powered Cobra Jets filled grounds with a mix of show and race vehicles. They included almost a dozen of the original 50 lightweight 1968 CJ Mustangs, endless street-legal 1969-73 CJs, a ton of 2008-2016 modern Cobra Jets, and Ford Performance kicked things up with the 2018 Ford Performance CJ. With a new 5.2L supercharged engine, Fords says it will be the quickest and fastest Cobra Jet ever.

Steven Hall captured the Diversified Products Marketing Vintage Class win with his family-owned 1968 Cobra Jet.

“The 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion was the largest gathering of the most prominent and significant Cobra Jets ever,” said Mike Galimi director of content and marketing. “NMCA was proud to host this event for Ford, Ford Performance, the Tasca family, Watson Racing, Honeywell Garrett and, of course, the enthusiasts.”

Summit Motorsport Park in Norwalk, Ohio played host to the three-day event that was loaded with excitement. Fans enjoyed on track drag racing action, a fantastic show, special Watson Racing Cobra Jet luncheons, and a dinner banquet with more than 500 people in attendance.

Many types of CJ-powered Mustangs were on display, including the 428-cube 1969 Mustang.

Enthusiasts got up close and personal with the movers and shakers, who, over the last 50 years, designed, built, and raced Cobra Jets. Among the legendary ambassadors were Carl Tasca, Bob Tasca II and III, Tasca High Performance Sales Manager Dean Gregson, Jacky Jones, Rusty Gillis, Ford engineer Bill Barr, John Calvert, Don Keen, Richie Pauly and the ever-popular Al Joniec, winner of the 1968 NHRA Winternationals. Joniec was reunited with his 1968 NHRA Winternationals-winning Cobra Jet that’s owned by racer and collector Brent Hajek. Joniec was also a guest speaker at the banquet; his stories and slide show took us back in time, then powershifted us to the future.

In addition to restored cars, we found a few survivors in the mix.

Another special treat was seeing Joniec’s ’68 CJ paired for the first time with the 2009 Winternationals-winning Cobra Jet that was driven by John Calvert. This 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang is also owned by Brent Hajek, and prior to its debut in Pomona, Hajek lettered the car as a tribute to Joniec’s ’68 car. The fact that Calvert won the race nearly 40 years later made for a great piece of Ford history, and that fact that Joniec and Calvert were both in attendance made the moment even more special.

More than just a history lesson, the 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion included wheels-up action in Diversified Products Marketing Vintage and Modern CJs drag racing classes. Steven Hall proved victorious in the vintage class with his familiar 1968 NHRA Stock Eliminator Mustang. Hall took on the big-tire bracket CJ of Rod Heltzel in the final, who redlighted, handing the win to Hall.

Anthony Bongiovanni lasted until the semi-finals in Diversified Products Marketing Modern CJ with his Micro Strategies and Resource1-backed 2014 CJ. Bongiovanni is also a recent NHRA national event winner.

Heltzel was also driving in the Diversified Products Marketing Modern CJ class and his solid driving helped him advance to a second Final round. He faced chassis builder and racer Mike Pustelny who was better on the tree and that was enough to give him the win. Hall and Pustelny faced off for the King of the Cobra Jet runoff. The better light went to Pustelny, and he was able to hold off the classic CJ to capture the title and the crown.

These Platt & Payne cars were recreations, but it was great to see them running side-by-side.

We found great apparel and items at the 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion.

Mike Pustelny climbed the mountain and proved to be King of the Cobra Jets. Pustelny won the modern class and then he took the King of the Hill besting Steven Hall in the old-vs-new final.

Brent Hajek brought out two of the most famous Cobra Jets in history. The early car is the very CJ that Al Joniec drove to victory at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals and the 2008 model, wearing the same livery, is the one John Calvert won Pomona with in 2009.

This is a small portion of the show that was loaded with roughly 70 Cobra Jets.

Vinny Lyons brought out his one-owner ’68 Cobra Jet that he’s raced its entire life.

Former NMRA Cobra Jet Challenge winner Rod Heltzel made it to both finals, but he was unable to capture a win.

This “what-if” twin-turbo CJ was very cool.

Cobra Jet Reunion ambassador Al Joniec entertained the banquet attendees with a heart-felt speech and some great stories about his 1968 Winternationals win.

The Calvert racing team made the trip from California to attend the reunion.

Carl Tasca, son of Bob Tasca, continues the family’s racing legacy with his 2016 Ford Performance CJ.

Bill Skillman raced his new Cobra Jet but brought out this original 1968 CJ.

The entire Ford Performance team was on hand to speak with owners and enjoy event.

The ebullient Carl Tasca had the crowd rolling with his stories about the old days of racing.

The post More than 200 Cobra Jet Mustangs at the 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion at Summit Motorsport Park appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/200-cobra-jet-mustangs-50th-anniversary-cobra-jet-reunion-summit-motorsport-park/ via IFTTT

[consumerelectronicscollecti-blog]

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 - 16" Extension - EGLF1-BK

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 – 16″ Extension – EGLF1-BK

Featuring up to 150° of smooth swiveling capability, this large full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 132 lbs, you can rest assured your 37″ – 70″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be safe on the strong arm of this Echogear tv mount.

What the H is “UL Certified”? It means we’ve tested this TV mount to verify that it will hold 4 times the weight rating and some safety science guys (that’s a real thing) certified it. We’ll do the math for you… 4 X 132 = 528 lbs!

Tech Specs:

VESA Compatibility: 200×100 up to 600×400 (universal increments) TV Extension from Wall: 16″ Profile from Wall (Recessed) 2.6″ Swivel: Up to 150 degrees side-to-side (37″ TV) Tension Adjustable? (for smoother/stiffer articulation): Yes, using 7/32″ Hex Key on Joint Bolts Tilt: 5° up and 15° down Post-install TV leveling adjustment: 3.5° left or right Wall Plate Dimensions: 17.1″ (W) x 10.2″ (H) Max Mounting Hole Dimensions: 16″ (W) x 8.9″ (H) Wall Plate Openings for In-Wall Cable Management: 5.6″ (W) x 7.6″ (H) – Two Openings on each side Construction: 100% High Grade Steel with Plastic End Caps for TV interface Favorite Color: ECHOGEAR Orange

HDMI: v1.4 High Speed cable with bandwidth to support 1080p, 3D, and 4K/UHD 2160P picture @ 60 fps Length: 6 ft.

Install Hardware Included: 5/16″ x 2.75″ Lag Bolts (4) Lag Bolt Washers (4) M4 x 12mm Screws (4) M4 x 35mm Screws (4) M6 x 12mm Screws (4) M6 x 35mm Screws (4) M8 x 16mm Screws (4) M8 x 20mm Screws (4) M8 x 25mm Screws (4) M8 x 35mm Screws (4) M8 x 50mm Screws (4) M4/M5 Washers (4) M6/M8 Washers (4) 22mm (7/8″) TV Spacers (4)

Our heavy-gauge universal TV mount holds 37″-70″ TVs weighing up to 132lbs. Don’t worry, we’ll do the heavy lifting: ECHOGEAR TV mounts are tested to hold 4 times the weight they’re rated to. Safety Tested – UL Certified. Pulling out to 16″ and back in to 2.6″ from the wall gives your TV smooth moves. Swivel your TV 150 degrees to the left or right to get all the views your room could ever need. Mounting has never been so easy: 30 minutes to install on 16″ studs, with all hardware included and pre-divided. Our U.S.-based customer care team members will even pick up the phone on Sundays… seriously. Window glare bugging you? 15-degree tilt capability makes adjustments easy. No tools, no fuss, no hands. Just kidding, you’ll need your hands. Feel the love with our 5-year warranty – included with all of our TV mounts.

BEST PRICE RIGHT HERE: https://www.kuwiwi.com/product-search/?s=B00VMJEK2C

[rekomande]

Recomended Products

Featuring up to 150° of smooth swiveling capability, this large full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 132 lbs, you can rest assured your 37″ – 70″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be safe on the strong arm of this Echogear tv mount.

What the H is “UL Certified”? It means we’ve tested this TV mount to verify that it will hold 4 times the weight rating and some safety science guys (that’s a real thing) certified it. We’ll do the math for you… 4 X 132 = 528 lbs!

Tech Specs:

VESA Compatibility: 200×100 up to 600×400 (universal increments) TV Extension from Wall: 16″ Profile from Wall (Recessed) 2.6″ Swivel: Up to 150 degrees side-to-side (37″ TV) Tension Adjustable? (for smoother/stiffer articulation): Yes, using 7/32″ Hex Key on Joint Bolts Tilt: 5° up and 15° down Post-install TV leveling adjustment: 3.5° left or right Wall Plate Dimensions: 17.1″ (W) x 10.2″ (H) Max Mounting Hole Dimensions: 16″ (W) x 8.9″ (H) Wall Plate Openings for In-Wall Cable Management: 5.6″ (W) x 7.6″ (H) – Two Openings on each side Construction: 100% High Grade Steel with Plastic End Caps for TV interface Favorite Color: ECHOGEAR Orange

HDMI: v1.4 High Speed cable with bandwidth to support 1080p, 3D, and 4K/UHD 2160P picture @ 60 fps Length: 6 ft.

Install Hardware Included: 5/16″ x 2.75″ Lag Bolts (4) Lag Bolt Washers (4) M4 x 12mm Screws (4) M4 x 35mm Screws (4) M6 x 12mm Screws (4) M6 x 35mm Screws (4) M8 x 16mm Screws (4) M8 x 20mm Screws (4) M8 x 35mm Screws (4) M4/M5 Washers (4) M6/M8 Washers (4) 22mm (7/8″) TV Spacers (4)

Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs 30 minutes to install on 16-Inch studs, with all hardware included and pre-divided Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs 30 minutes to install on 16-Inch studs, with all hardware included and pre-divided 15-degree tilt capability makes adjustments easy Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs 30 minutes to install on 16-Inch studs, with all hardware included and pre-divided Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs Heavy-guage universal TV mount holds 37-70-Inch TVs weighing up to 132lbs 30 minutes to install on 16-Inch studs, with all hardware included and pre-divided 15-degree tilt capability makes adjustments easy 5-year warranty included

[monstrous-tournament]

Ankh-Morpork Movers and Shakers

(minus the Big Wukwuks Havelock Vetinari, Moist von Lipwig, and all Watch or Unseen University characters (they'll each get their own bracket, don't worry!)

Now, who are these Movers and Shakers?

These are (mostly) citizens of Ankh-Morpork, with some few visitors sprinkled in, who overtly or covertly move Ankh-Morpork's politics, fate, social landscape etc. etc. in good or bad ways (or both!)

This is going to be a big one, friends, with 32 contenders in the first round, and thus 16 brackets to vote in!!

These are as follows:

Lady Sybil Ramkin, Duchess of Ankh vs. Dr. Whiteface, Fools' Guild

Adora Belle Dearheart vs. Mr. Boggins, Thieves' Guild

William de Worde vs. Lord Selachii

Gaspode the Wonder Dog vs. Lord Venturi

Dragon King of Arms vs. Ronald Rust

Willikins the Butler vs. Topsy Lavish

Sacharissa Cripslock vs. Malvolio Bent

Mrs. Rosemary Palm, Guild of Seamstresses vs. Thomas Silverfish, Alchemists' Guild

Lady Roberta "Madam" Meserole vs. Lord Downey, Assassin's Guild

Leonard of Quirm vs. Cosmo Lavish

Carcer vs. Grag Bashfulsson

Reacher Gilt vs. Gunilla Goodmountain

Harry King vs. Mr. Slant

Mr Shine vs. Grag Ardent

Victor Tugelbend (aka Victor Maraschino) vs. Lupine Wonse

Theda Withel (aka "Ginger" and "Delores De Syn") vs. Queen Molly, Beggars' Guild

[batt00ny]

ROUND 2: MATCH 11

[danihost-blog]

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for 26-55 Inch TVs - Features 20 Inches of Extension, 15 Degrees of Tilt, and 180 Degrees of Swivel for Flat Screen TVs - EGMF1-BK

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for 26-55 Inch TVs – Features 20 Inches of Extension, 15 Degrees of Tilt, and 180 Degrees of Swivel for Flat Screen TVs – EGMF1-BK

Featuring up to 180° of smooth swiveling capability, this medium full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 60 lbs, you can rest assured your 26″ – 55″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be safe on the strong arm of this Echogear mount. What the H is “UL Certified” you ask? That means that we’ve tested this TV mount to verify that it will hold 4 times…

[thedietian]

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 - 16" Extension - EGLF1-BK

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 – 16″ Extension – EGLF1-BK

Price: [price_with_discount] [ad_1] Featuring up to 150° of smooth swiveling capability, this large full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 132 lbs, you can rest assured your 37″ – 70″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be safe on the strong arm of this Echogear tv mount. What the H is “UL Certified”? It means we’ve tested this TV mount to verify…

[topratedfishfinders]

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 - 16" Extension - EGLF1-BK

ECHOGEAR Full Motion Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket for most 37-70 inch LED, LCD, OLED and Plasma Flat Screen TVs w/ VESA patterns up to 600 x 400 – 16″ Extension – EGLF1-BK

Featuring up to 150° of smooth swiveling capability, this large full-motion TV mount is a real mover… not a shaker. Safety tested and UL Certified to hold up to 132 lbs, you can rest assured your 37″ – 70″ LED, LCD or Plasma TV will be protected on the strong arm of this Echogear tv mount.

What the H is “UL Certified”? It means we’ve tested this TV…

[andrewromanoyahoo]

The lessons Trump's 'Red Team' needs to learn about passing tax reform

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin leave the Rose Garden, July 25, 2017. (Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Remember the Republican Party’s crusade to repeal Obamacare? You know, the one that featured prominently in pretty much every GOP campaign ad between 2010 and 2016 — and then consumed the whole of President Trump’s legislative agenda for first seven months of the year before collapsing in chaos right before lawmakers left town for August recess?

Never mind all that. Next month, Republicans plan to move on to tax reform—and they swear that this time, everything will be different.

As Bloomberg Politics reported Wednesday, the White House is now seeking to advance Trump’s signature tax code overhaul and “avoid the missteps that doomed the effort to repeal Obamacare” by toning down president’s “improvisational approach” in favor of a more “tightly orchestrated process.”

The centerpiece of this strategy, according to the four anonymous White House officials who spoke to Bloomberg, is a weekly meeting of aides and advisors who have taken to calling themselves “The Red Team.” The name — an homage to the similar groups that formed during George W. Bush’s big legislative battles — is meant to convey “urgency and close coordination,” officials said.

“There is a concentration of the mind,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “They in the White House have done much more focused job of messaging this issue than earlier issues.”

But as Trump’s so-called Red Team schemes about messaging, its members would be wise to remember how rarely tax reform has succeeded in the past — and try to learn some lessons from the few times it has.

The last time Congress reformed the federal tax code was more than three decades ago. The story of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 is long and convoluted. But the one thing everyone seems to agree on — the key to the bill’s eventual success — is that it was a bipartisan effort.

Tax reform typically involves two related tweaks designed to simplify and stabilize the tax code: Cutting rates to provide relief to individuals and corporations, and broadening the base — i.e. taxing income that is currently untaxed (which is usually accomplished by eliminating various deductions and shelters). The reason tax reform is rarely enacted is that pretty much everyone — whether you’re an ordinary taxpayer or a powerful special interest — has a deduction they’d rather not lose: mortgage interest, charitable giving, etc. Taking away stuff that people like is generally considered bad politics.

The way Republicans and Democrats typically avoid shouldering the blame for the less popular aspects of tax reform is simple: They hold hands and jump together. In his 1984 State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan announced that he had directed his treasury secretary to develop a plan “to simplify the entire tax code so all taxpayers, big and small, are treated more fairly.” Democratic Sens. Bill Bradley of New Jersey and Dick Gephardt of Missouri were already touting their own proposal to reduce rates and eliminate preferences. When the Treasury finally unveiled its framework in late November, Democrats didn’t bolt; instead, two pivotal House leaders — Speaker Tip O’Neill and Dan Rostenkowski, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, quickly decided that “they should join [Reagan] and try to win some credit for the Democratic Party,” as the New York Times later put it.

What followed was one of the all-time-great demonstrations of across-the-aisle sausage-making. Rostenkowski declared tax reform his “mission in 1985,” then endorsed the principles of Reagan’s proposal in a primetime speech. Reagan undertook an extraordinary trip to Capitol Hill to personally lobby reluctant Republicans, flipping 35 GOP votes in the process. Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon, chairman of the Finance Committee, assembled a team of seven senators — four Republicans and three Democrats — to secretly craft an 11th-hour tax package, then convinced them to band together against any changes to the proposal.

The Senate eventually approved Packwood’s bill by a staggering 97-to-3 margin; to hammer out a final version, Packwood and Rostenkowski engaged in five days of nonstop man-to-man negotiations. In the end, Reagan signed the bill into law on the South Lawn of the White House as rows of instrumental Republicans and Democrats beamed behind him.

Lawmakers look on as President Ronald Reagan signs into law a landmark tax overhaul on the South Lawn of the White House, Oct. 22, 1986. (Photo: AP)

But that, of course, was then. In 1986, Republicans controlled only the White House and the Senate; the House was firmly in Democratic hands. Today, the GOP has total control in Washington — and as a result, its leaders don’t seem to think bipartisanship is necessary anymore.

“I don’t think this is going to be 1986, when you had a bipartisan effort to scrub the code,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters earlier this month.

The president appears to be equally unenthusiastic about pulling a Reagan.

“One of the worst ideas in recent history,” Trump wrote about the bipartisan, broadening-the-base aspects of the 1986 reform law.

Instead, the Senate GOP’s current scheme is to use the 51-vote budget reconciliation process to pass a tax bill along partisan lines—just like they tried to do with their Obamacare repeal plan.

The problem with this, as New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait has pointed out, is that reducing the universe of possible votes to the 52 Republican senators gives any three of them the power to kill the bill — which means that “eliminating deductions … is going to be virtually impossible,” because “almost every Republican senator is going to have at least one current preference in the tax code they want to keep.” In this scenario, the likeliest outcome is that Republicans skip the hard stuff and stick to what they can all agree on — and high-minded tax reform morphs into another big, unpaid-for, Bush-style tax cut.

There is, however, another path. Tax reform has occasionally succeeded without a divided government to necessitate bipartisanship — at least on the state level. Utah is probably the best recent example. In 2006, recently elected Republican Gov. John Huntsman Jr., — now Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Russia — took up the mantle of tax reform. (The push started with his predecessor.) By 2008, Utah had eliminated its old income tax structure — six brackets with increasing marginal tax rates — in favor of a single, flat, personal income tax of 5 percent; the state also replaced many deductions with a credit system that phased out as income rose. At the time, roughly three-quarters of Utah’s state legislators were Republicans.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. at a governors’ conference in Washington, Feb. 24, 2008. (Photo: Charles Dharapak/AP)

So how did Huntsman & Co. do it?

In a certain sense, it’s impossible to compare Utah and Washington. The former, a stronghold of Western conservatism and Mormon tradition, is relatively homogenous, both ideologically and culturally; the latter isn’t. Also, state tax issues tend to be lower stakes than federal tax issues, so the politics are rarely as perilous.

Even so, the movers and shakers behind Utah’s tax reform effort did manage (in a 2008 journal article) to distill their experience into a few simple lessons. The striking thing is how many of these lessons align with what federal lawmakers learned in 1986, and how few of them seem to have gotten through to today’s Republicans.

The first is that tax reform takes time. From the moment Reagan announced that simplifying the tax code was a top priority to the moment he signed the bill into law was a nearly three-year process. Same for Utah: Huntsman’s predecessor, Olene Walker, may have gotten the ball rolling in 2003, but a final bill didn’t pass for another four years. Trump wants a reform bill on his desk by October; Senate Republicans have said they’ll get the job done by the end of the year. Even that longer timeline is probably too optimistic, at least for real tax reform.

The second lesson from Utah is that principles matter, and that pursuing comprehensive reform may be the best way to preserve them. Walker and Huntsman — as well as Reagan and Rostenkowski — were committed to both cutting rates and broadening the base. That’s how they were able to pass reforms that might not have been popular in isolation but were designed to make the system more streamlined and equitable overall. As the Utah reformers have written, “true tax reform undoubtedly creates winners and losers,” so “attempting reform one proposal at a time” invites “opponents [to] selectively attack individually unappealing changes” and encourages “legislators to do the easy things first.”

It’s true that House Speaker Paul Ryan has been compiling his tax reform wish list for years. But right now there’s no actual legislation on the table and no one can even agree on what such legislation should include. McConnell, for example, has said that reform must be revenue-neutral; Trump, meanwhile, has said that he doesn’t care about raising the deficit. That’s a huge disagreement.

The final lesson from Utah is that tax reform needs a champion — “a political leader,” as the reformers explained in their article, “who understands fiscal issues but also understands the importance of the political process.” In Utah, Huntsman was that champion. He campaigned on tax reform in 2004; he called it his No. 1 priority upon taking office; and he fought through three regular legislative sessions — and called an additional special session — to make it a reality. Reagan acted similarly, introducing his plan in a primetime televised address, stumping for it in Oshkosh, Wis., and elsewhere during the spring of 1985, and personally lobbying for its passage on Capitol Hill.

Can Trump be an active, engaged champion for tax reform? So far, there’s little reason to believe he will try (given that he was largely absent from the recent wrangling over Obamacare) or that he would be effective if he did (given that his approval rating is a historically low 37 percent).

Still, the president’s Red Team, which is headed up by legislative director Marc Short and includes representatives from Jared Kushner’s Office of American Innovation, Steven Mnuchin’s Treasury Department, Gary Cohn’s National Economic Council and Vice President Mike Pence’s office, should probably look to the past as they plot the future of the U.S. tax system.

And they might want to give Trump’s new ambassador to Russia a call as well.

Read more from Yahoo News:

Democrats try to co-opt populist rage. Hilarity ensues.

Photos capture Trump playing golf during ‘working vacation’

The @nti-Trump: Rep. Ted Lieu hits the president where he lives

Trump endorsement puts new spin on fierce Alabama Senate race

Photos: Inside the North Korean military: A look at the rogue nation’s armed services

[monstrous-tournament]

The Ankh-Morpork Movers and Shakers Tournament!

I know y'all know these two, but still, feel free to add your propaganda in the notes!

[monstrous-tournament]

The Ankh-Morpork Movers and Shakers Tournament SEMI-FINALS!

I know y'all know these two, but still, feel free to add your propaganda in the notes! 

[monstrous-tournament]

The Ankh-Morpork Movers and Shakers Tournament!

I know y'all know these two, but still, feel free to add your propaganda in the notes!