Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Come on, man.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Second rate reporter says what?

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Not all heroes wear capes.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Everybody saw this coming.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

You are here: Home / Auf Wiedersehen

Auf Wiedersehen

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Looks like this second rate blog outlived Red State:

The influential conservative website RedState fired a handful of prominent writers on Friday in a move that appeared motivated, at least in part, by purging the outlet of anti-Trump voices.

The Daily Beast confirmed that among those laid off by RedState and its parent company Townhall Media were top editors and writers Caleb Howe, Jay Caruso, Ben Howe, Patrick Frey (who writes under the pseudonym Patterico), Neil Stevens, and Susan Wright—all of whom are often critical of the president.

Fired staffers learned about their dismissal either through their email accounts being locked or via a memo from Townhall general manager and vice president Jonathan Garthwaite. “[W]e are having to make changes to RedState effective today,” the memo read. “Unfortunately, we have reached the conclusion that we can no longer support the entire current roster of writers.”

RedState was founded in 2004, and soon after conservative pundit Erick Erickson was hired as its editor in chief. The site quickly grew into an influential blog among both Republican lawmakers and conservative activists. But the shedding of staffers on Friday marks a new chapter in its history and for some of those let go, it is a reflection of the drift that the conservative movement has taken during the Trump era.

It’ll just pivot into a more pro-Trump website and continue to serve as an important cog in the wingnut puke funnel. Basically, the owners wanted it to be more like the puddle of choad that is Ben Domenech’s Federalist.

Reader Interactions

237Comments

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    It’ll just pivot into a more pro-Trump website and continue to serve as an important cog in the wingnut puke funnel. Basically, the owners wanted it to be

    …a magnet and receptacle for billionaire RWNJ donors and Russian oligarch money. But I repeat myself, myself.

  4. 4.

    Chip Daniels

    Yeah, its like Trotsky in the head with an ice axe, except its a thousand bags of flaming poo mailed to Erickson.

  6. 6.

    bluehill

    Guess they weren’t red enough. Just call it Truth and be done with it. Putin will appreciate the nod.

  7. 7.

    Rommie

    I’m surprised it took this long; I occasionally scald my eyeballs and click over, and there’s always been a tension between the party line and we’re backing this idiot? in place. Guess that string’s been cut.

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    Let me dig out my Trikeforce sweatshirt and savor. The news, not the sweatshirt, ya gobs.

  9. 9.

    Corner Stone

    I’ve seen Ben Howe on TV a few times. I have no idea what filth he writes about but on the TV segments his ire was focused on Trump. So usually a good segment because it didn’t seem to cadge about like a Hewitt and don’t recall him whataboutting anything either. So, obviously, he had to go.

  12. 12.

    Mary G

    LA Times: When ICE sweeps up people, they don’t really know if they are citizens or immigrants. One American was in custody for 1,273 days.

    Since 2012, ICE has released from its custody more than 1,480 people after investigating their citizenship claims, according to agency figures. And a Times review of Department of Justice records and interviews with immigration attorneys uncovered hundreds of additional cases in the country’s immigration courts in which people were forced to prove they are Americans and sometimes spent months or even years in detention.

    Victims include a landscaper snatched in a Home Depot parking lot in Rialto and held for days despite his son’s attempts to show agents the man’s U.S. passport; a New York resident locked up for more than three years fighting deportation efforts after a federal agent mistook his father for someone who wasn’t a U.S. citizen; and a Rhode Island housekeeper mistakenly targeted twice, resulting in her spending a night in prison the second time even though her husband had brought her U.S. passport to a court hearing.

    They and others described the panic and feeling of powerlessness that set in as agents took them into custody without explanation and ignored their claims of citizenship.

    As the dates tell you, Obama let ICE do a sloppy job. Trump has given them carte blanche that has already turned America into a police state.

  16. 16.

    TenguPhule

    @Mary G:

    As the dates tell you, Obama let ICE do a sloppy job.

    What were the numbers for 2001-2008?

    President Obama was the only one I can recall that actually forced ICE to finally have some fucking basic standards.

  17. 17.

    p.a.

    @Mary G: America has been a police state. All slave societies and apartheid societies are police states. For some, of course. It’s been perpetual; just more obvious now with phone cams.

  20. 20.

    Fair Economist

    @PeakVT:

    Good bye, and good riddance.

    No, wait, I take back the first part.

    Why? It’s a very good bye.

    @rikyrah:

    6 writers. The right-wing media grift was real.

    *Is* real. The traitors are still getting paid.

  21. 21.

    Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)

    Jesus Christ. A post titled “Auf Wiedersehen” from a German American with a sweet little cancer-stricken dog? Don’t do that!

    Anyway. Glad to see it was actually about something fun. Freuding the schaden, this is.

  22. 22.

    TenguPhule

    Wapo Breaking: Trump administration prepares to unravel Obama-era fuel-efficiency rules for automobiles

    This draft proposal is so stupid I can only shake my head.

  25. 25.

    TenguPhule

    @ruemara: “How could I have known the leopard would eat MY face?!” sobbed the loyal member of the “Leopards eating faces” party.

  26. 26.

    Paul Montagu

    They might as well rename it TrumpState. I was a diarist there until they yanked my privileges this AM. Now us anti-Trump conservatives will have to go elsewhere.

  30. 30.

    Lit3Bolt

    Oh my god, how many articles can I write saying “Trump is the Living Christ?” – RedState Writer

    You can do this forever, my child. There is no God but Mammon. – David Brooks.

  31. 31.

    Baud

    @Mary G: I don’t understand why that hasn’t been litigated. I don’t think what they are doing is lawful or constitutional.

  32. 32.

    dmsilev

    @TenguPhule:

    This draft proposal is so stupid I can only shake my head.

    To save time, define a macro with this text. It seems to get used a lot.

  33. 33.

    dmsilev

    Got to hand it to Erick son of Erick of the House of Erick: He cashed out and left long before the purges began.

  34. 34.

    The Ancoent Randonneur

    @Mary G: ICE is filled with fascist scum. If anyone identifies themselves as an ICE agent they’re suspect until they prove they aren’t a racist pig.

  35. 35.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mary G: THIS is why madame got a “real ID” driver’s license when she renewed her license this year AND will be getting a passport card when she renews her passport(as will her daughter).

  37. 37.

    Yarrow

    @dmsilev: I was thinking the same thing. He left a few years ago, right? Now he’s on some website called The Resurgent. And he seems to be at least anti-Trump curious. Don’t really care and certainly don’t trust him, but it is kind of interesting to watch from afar.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    I’m not a conservative so I could be wrong, but Red State always seemed Bush-specific to me. They came about right at the height of Bush (he went nothing but down from 2004 on) and I felt like they fit perfectly with that version of the GOP.

    “Red state” was itself the phrase they used to crow about winning the 2004 election- the “red states” were the Real Americans.

  42. 42.

    RSA

    @Rommie:

    I occasionally scald my eyeballs and click over, and there’s always been a tension between the party line and we’re backing this idiot? in place.

    I’ve done the same, to see what conservatives are thinking. Not too many years ago, there used to be a few places worth visiting on the right, where you didn’t immediately think, “These people are crazy.” RedState had its crazies and its speech police, but it was readable for longer than many other sites.

  44. 44.

    Corner Stone

    @Yarrow:

    Don’t really care and certainly don’t trust him, but it is kind of interesting to watch from afar.

    Erickson is an unmitigated asshole that should be dropped from a plane, without a parachute, off the South African coast during Shark Week.

  46. 46.

    Mary G

    @Baud: They are required to do a legal review within 48 hours. They don’t. I read in a different article I can’t find now that the average American citizen picked up by ICE isn’t released for 180 days. Six months. American citizen.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: My housemates who are naturalized citizens always have their passport card on them at all times, even at the beach, along with having “Real ID,” which I had never even heard of.

  51. 51.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mary G: “Real ID” was mandated by Congress back in aftermath of 9/11, but got put off. California has just started issuing licenses that comply with the “Real ID” requirements. You have a choice when applying for a renewal, get a regular license or a “Real ID” license.

    ETA: Madame is a naturalized citizen, her daughter is native born. They both have concerns about “Papers Please” under this (mal)Administration.

  52. 52.

    ruemara

    @Mary G: I only have a green card. I’m lucky(?) that I rarely even have the time or the inclination to be out and about except in very much blue area style activities, like women’s marches. My renewal date is in 2019. We’ll see what happens.

    @Baud: Come on. We haven’t organized massive marches about it, no wealthy celebrities are tossing money at it and cute, smart little white upper class kids are out there pushing it. Don’t be surprised. If this was targeting cherub cheeked Canadians, Irish & French folks – then it would be on the priority list. it’s not.

  53. 53.

    Yarrow

    So I guess today’s firings show what we already knew–The Republican party is the party of Trump and conservatism (whatever that means) is Trumpism.

  70. 70.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Baud:

    What about the PB&TB?

    Soup, salad and smallpox?

    The Fox and malaria?

    (all names shamelessly stolen from tweet)

  73. 73.

    VOR

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: TSA will soon only accept ID which complies with Real ID. They announced it some time ago and have had to extend the deadline. In Minnesota, the Republicans passed a law preventing the state DOT from even planning for a Real ID compliant driver’s license. Not sure what the reasons were.

  74. 74.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Sebastian:

    It’s still a terrible name, no matter who came up with it.

    Yellow Fever is a killer disease, not a place to get delicious Asian food.

    It’s also uncomfortably close to the racialized and sexualized term “Asian fever”. All in all it should be changed ASAP.

  77. 77.

    MomSense

    I remember during The Drone Wars when I was accused here of being a red stater and then again during the Wikileaks/assange/Snowden/Greenwald scam I was an authoritarian for thinking they were less than forthright. Anyhoo, I’ve never read red state and I’m not about to start now.

  78. 78.

    debbie

    @Yarrow:

    So I guess today’s firings show what we already knew–The Republican party is the party of Trump and conservatism (whatever that means) is Trumpism.

    I see this as good news.

  83. 83.

    TenguPhule

    @Corner Stone:

    Erickson is an unmitigated asshole that should be dropped from a plane, without a parachute, off the South African coast during Shark Week.

    Why would you poison sharks like that?

  84. 84.

    Dave

    @HumboldtBlue: Not going to lie I actually love total when WTF were you thinking ideas make into the public. There is something almost precious and beautiful about how during whatever process happened no one at any time pointed out what a terrible terrible idea this is (assuming the end result is a product of stupidity and not malice that is). It’s why I always make a point to state the obvious because every once in a while it turns out no one actually did that super obvious thing we all just assumed would happen. Not sure if this is cynical or what.

  87. 87.

    Jay S

    Some history of Redstate, started as a conservative bloggers Joshua Treviño, Ben Domenech, and Mike Krempasky joint venture in 2004. Interesting in moving from disinviting Trump in 2015 to excising the never Trumpers today.

  89. 89.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    Other investment opportunities to consider:

    The Ebola Eatery
    Diarrhea Diner
    Gangrene Grille
    International House of Typhoid
    Crapplebee’s

  91. 91.

    ruemara

    @HumboldtBlue: What? Holy crap. Racism for lulz is not ok. And yeah, I see it’s founded by an Asian. That’s an internal joke that should be kept internal.

  94. 94.

    TenguPhule

    @VOR:

    In Minnesota, the Republicans passed a law preventing the state DOT from even planning for a Real ID compliant driver’s license. Not sure what the reasons were.

    I’d think the reason is completely obvious.

  98. 98.

    Mary G

    WaPo has more stuff on Lyin’ Ryan’s chaplain firing, in a shocking revelation, Ryan says nothing to do with the Muslim Imam subbing that time, or the tax bill day prayer:

    Ryan’s assurances did little to assuage concerns of Democrats and a number of Catholic Republicans who were close to Conroy. Absent a more fulsome explanation, several lawmakers speculated that his dismissal reflected anti-Catholic sentiment among evangelical conservatives.

    One of the Republicans:

    “I’m not aware of any discontent or any criticism, and to be the first House chaplain removed in the history of Congress in the middle of the term raises serious questions, and I think we deserve more of an explanation of why,” said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), who asked Ryan in the GOP meeting Friday to detail the reasons for his decision. “Paul said it was solely because he was not giving good service to the members. Again, I never heard that before.”

    A Democrat demanded a committee to investigate chaplaingate:

    The Republican-led House then voted mostly along party lines to quash the request. Two Republicans, Reps. Tom Reed (N.Y.) and Patrick Meehan (Pa.), stood with Crowley as he spoke and voted with the Democrats. Another three GOP lawmakers, Reps. David Joyce (Ohio), Thomas J. Rooney (Fla.) and Scott Taylor (Va.), voted present.

    Another unhappy Republican:

    Others were dismayed at the uproar the ouster has created. “This is an unforced error that I hope doesn’t lead to other unforced errors,” said Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.).

    Ryan had implied that Nancy SMASH was OK with it, then changed that to that she had not objected. Not so fast, says she:

    :In a statement Friday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) noted that Conroy had been elected to a two-year term by the entire body.

    “His abrupt, unjust dismissal is hard to understand and impossible to support,” Pelosi said.

    In a subsequent interview, Pelosi explained that she had repeatedly told Ryan that it was not a good idea to push Conroy out in several discussions the two had over the past couple of months. “I said no,” she said. “They said that’s what they wanted to do.”

  105. 105.

    trollhattan

    @TenguPhule:
    One day after Ford announces they’re ditching the car bidnez to focus (heh) on ess-you-vees and TRUCKS. Co-inky-dink?

    Time for a zesty round of $4.85/gallon gas.

  106. 106.

    Yarrow

    @Mary G:

    “This is an unforced error that I hope doesn’t lead to other unforced errors,” said Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.).

    That’s hilarious. This guy sounds hopelessly naive.

  109. 109.

    TenguPhule

    @Mary G:

    “I said no,” she said. “They said that’s what they wanted to do.”

    Interesting how Paul Ryan just ignores a woman saying no. Wonder how many times he’s done that in other settings.

  111. 111.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: I looked a little deeper. It seems that the ACLU is providing attorney to get the US citizens out and then filing civil suits for damages, but they have not yet filed a suit attacking the practice as a whole. You are right though. Detain some one where they can’t access their documents and then saying that you can’t release them until they show you their papers is both evil and a due process violation of massive proportions.

  113. 113.

    Brachiator

    Trump and Trumpism have posed a unique challenge for conservative media outlets, many of which have split between toeing the president’s line and sticking with longstanding conservative values.

    But I keep hearing that Trump is just a typical Republican, and that there’s nothing new or different about anything they might do.

    I never read RedState. It will be interesting to see whether any conservative resistance arises, or whether this bunch is so used to laying down for authoritarians that they will meekly surrender whatever values they have left.

  114. 114.

    TenguPhule

    @trollhattan: We went through that here in Hawaii after Bush Jr. invaded Iraq.

    I understand California also hit that point.

    Not fun times.

  115. 115.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @trollhattan:

    Time for a zesty round of $4.85/gallon gas.

    It’s creeping up here. Odd thing, when I went to do my last Milky Way shoot, I was running low on gas in the Prius. So I thought I’d get a couple of gallons at Frazier Park, when I saw the price, it was cheaper than Costco in Burbank, so I filled up the tank.

  117. 117.

    Dave

    @Anotherlurker: The thing is I can totally see the path to how that becomes a thing. A thing that should not be. All it needs is group think and a failure to state the obvious. Of course sometimes people can be so committed to bad ideas they ignore it when people do speak up a great example is when my Civil Affairs company deployed to Afghanistan in 2011-2012 with the call sign Crusaders. About half the company brought up multiple times that this was a horribly stupid idea and a stupidly horrible one but dumb people were attached to it so deploy with it we did. Until about 24hrs in the unit we were attached to called our CO up and was “WTF are you thinking?! Change it” pointless stupid own goal. Not sure why I’m sharing this on this thread I’m a bit worked up at the moment.

  126. 126.

    TenguPhule

    @Brachiator:

    or whether this bunch is so used to laying down for authoritarians that they will meekly surrender whatever values they have left.

    Implies values not in evidence.

  131. 131.

    TenguPhule

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Yes, but many of their voters don’t use private jets. If anything that would produce a greater Democratic advantage.

    White Republican voters will not be challenged for IDs at the polling place.

  143. 143.

    TenguPhule

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Which leaves less educated white voters who don’t normally use air travel (coming into regular contact with other regions or countries) as the remaining unquestioned majority voters.

  145. 145.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    So apparently Ford is going to stop selling cars in North America and is only going to sell trucks and SVUs domestically. I hate this country.

  146. 146.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @TenguPhule: I don’t think they require a college degree for air travel, these less educated white voters have money(usually because the own a small business). So not being able to travel by air could adversely effect their business.

  159. 159.

    trollhattan

    @TenguPhule: @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    Acquired the habit of recording my gas purchases (because, reasons) and the fuel cost yo-yoing over time is instructive. We (NorCal) came really close to $5/gal and yet a couple years ago were down at about $2.50. Memories are short and the fleet of Sequoias, Suburbans, Tundras and Eff-One-Fiddys has never been more prominent, in an urban center to boot.

  169. 169.

    TenguPhule

    Judge puts Stormy Daniels case on hold for 90 days, citing likelihood Michael Cohen will be indicted

    Wapo friday news dumped.

  170. 170.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mnemosyne: You didn’t have the option, they started issuing “Real ID” driver’s licenses in January. Your’s isn’t one.

    ETA: You have to request a “Real ID” DL, and I think they charge more as well.

  176. 176.

    Jeffro

    So at first it surprised me that the Red State thread had over 5x the comments that the see-no, hear-no thread about Nunes just below it.

    Then I read through and saw that, per usual at BJ, the Red State thread is about most everything but Red State.

    This blog oughta be called “Off Topic”!

    /crank-in-training

    Also, fuck Red State AND Devin Nunes

  188. 188.

    Corner Stone

    @Jeffro: And another thing. What is this shit the yoots call “music” these days?!
    In my day, people with stupid haircuts knew three chords. And we liked it!

  199. 199.

    TenguPhule

    @chris:

    Can she really refuse a request from the Senate Russia investigation?

    She can if Congress refuses to enforce its request.

  200. 200.

    Jay S

    @Jay S:

    Looks like this second rate blog outlived Red State:

    Where is your wikipedia entry then, eh?
    ETA they aren’t quite dead yet. Just a few amputations.

  201. 201.

    Jeffro

    @Corner Stone: Right! Exactly! Or at least two chords and a good effort! Not four turntables and a pair of headphones and shit. “Artist” – yeah RIGHT!

    (I’m going to be sooo good at this 20 years from now when I actually do retire)

    Also, fuck Red State AND Devin Nunes.

  202. 202.

    danielx

    @TenguPhule:

    Actually, that’s the Jackal unofficial blog motto.

    And all this time I’ve been thinking it was “fuck off! do it today!”. Thanks for straightening that out.

  210. 210.

    gorram

    @Baud: They’re too busy defending fascists’ right to march through majority minority or disproportionately Jewish communities

  214. 214.

    JPL

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: lol My teenager waited up for me outside the house with garage door open for me wondering why I was so late. He was eighteen at the time.
    As for the internet stuff, back in the days I would challenge people who quoted that. Now I say I don’t know that. Funny cause I don’t know that throws them off balance.

  215. 215.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    @Jay S:

    Redstate, started as a conservative bloggers Joshua Treviño, Ben Domenech, and Mike Krempasky joint venture in 2004

    Has Josh Treviño / Tacitus been heard from, since he was found to have pimped himself out to the Malaysian gubblement?

  217. 217.

    JPL

    @zhena gogolia: The friend who had the tickets which were front row seats was sent that clip by me. She didn’t vote for either candidate, although I accused her of giving a partial vote to Trump by doing so. Hope she is happy after viewing that disgraceful racist pig.

  219. 219.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mary G:

    Absent a more fulsome explanation,

    Whoever wrote that needs to know: “fulsome” does not mean full; it means nauseating.

  223. 223.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @trollhattan: Yup, madame had to go to the DMV anyway and took her expired passport(which the web site said was ok), she had to go home and return with her naturalization certificate.

    ETA: This “Real ID” thing is one of my pet peeves, if the federal government wants to require certain things then they should issue their own damned ID card.

  224. 224.

    Jeffro

    @HumboldtBlue: Nah…I’m just a crank-in-training right now, haven’t worked my way up to Full Crank yet. I think Get Off My Lawn! is a 400-level course.

    Also, fuck Red State AND Devin Nunes, and then fuck them again.

  226. 226.

    Jeffro

    @Corner Stone: It’s more a state of mind than an actual job status, don’t you think? I know my boss certainly feels that I’m semi-retired already…

  231. 231.

    Steve in the SFO

    @Amir Khalid:

    Whoever wrote that needs to know: “fulsome” does not mean full; it means nauseating.

    It certainly is nauseating when you’re stuck inside of prison and that train keeps a rolling on down to San Antone

  232. 232.

    Iron City

    @Aleta: But it is an outdoor stage, and all the men and women on it merely players, they have their entrances and their exits, and each in their time play many parts.

  237. 237.

    Sirkowski

    “Now, nobody expects NeverTrumpers to suddenly climb onboard Trump’s victory train, but I do hope they have the good manners to pipe down.”

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