Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

You cannot shame the shameless.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

I really should read my own blog.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Republicans don’t trust women.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

I was promised a recession.

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

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Don't Agonize - Organize / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Hello, Dolly!

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Hello, Dolly!

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Sevier County native and country music icon Dolly Parton paid a visit to the center, located about a half-hour west of Knoxville, for a dedication ceremony to rename the facility the My People Senior Activity Center in honor of her parents, Robert and Avie Lee Parton…

Parton, who’s 72, joked with the attendees at first, saying she was a senior too.

“I am so excited to be part of this today. Of course, you know I’m a senior too. When I was over in Sevier County High School, I couldn’t wait to be a senior, and now that I’m in my second childhood, I’m a senior again,” Parton said. “Anyways, I saw one of my old boyfriends from high school. He said, ‘Dolly, you look like a million dollars.’ I said, ‘Well, thank you. That’s just about how much it’s cost to make me look like this.’ “…

“I just keep myself busy, and I think that’s the key to staying young, and I’m proud to be a senior citizen. Of course, we all wish we could stay 30 forever, but we can’t, so I think it’s important that we stay active,” Parton said. “We stay with a good attitude and get out and stay involved, make friends and be whatever, and I think being a part of this whole thing is really great, and it is my pleasure to dedicate this to my people.”…

And, as a number of twitter commentors pointed out, she did it wearing stilettos!
***********

I don’t often say this (since I was a Michigander for 15 years), but Ohio did good yesterday…


Reader Interactions

276Comments

  6. 6.

    Baud

    This is good.

    The reasons were clear even at Kucinich’s election night party, where voters who had considered Cordray to be too moderate on guns and health care said they’d back him in November.

    “I will be fine supporting Cordray,” said Melanie Wilson, 35, as she waited for results at Kucinich’s party in Cleveland. “We definitely want a Democrat to win in November in Ohio. We need that.”

    After he conceded defeat, Kucinich called on supporters to respect the voters’ opinion.

    “I think that all of us here should join in congratulating him on his election,” he said.

  8. 8.

    EveryDayIHaveTheBlues

    Good morning! Yes, OH did well and Corddray won. However, it was concerning to me that the total votes cast on the Rethug side for all Guv candidates was ~824,000, while, votes on our side were ~674,000.

    I hope we can pull it off in Nov. I’m gonna be helping the D candidate for our 1st congressional diatrict, Aftab Pureval, who is challenging the odious and corrupt Steve Chabot, he of the “the deep state is out to get Trump” idiocy.

  10. 10.

    Sloane Ranger

    Good morning Poco and all canines, felines and jackals.

    I’ve just been over to LGM and they are saying that the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran isn’t a done deal. They have to be authorised by Congress.

    If they are right, what are the chances of some of the Republican retirees voting with the Democrats to not put them in place, particularly in the Senate where it wouldn’t take that many to make the difference?

  12. 12.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    ‘Deeply Sorry’ Katy Perry Sends Olive Branch and Sweet Letter to Taylor Swift

    May 08, 2018 05:45 PM

    The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
    and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.

    Isaiah 11:6

    I never thought I’d live to see this day.

    Can be no doubt, Katy Perry will win the Nobel Peace Prize

  15. 15.

    Platonailedit

    Ending gerrymandering aka rethug voter fraud. Cordray asskicking that perennial whiner. Bet our Kay is on a long weekend bender.

  16. 16.

    Kay

    I was glad Cordray won but what it this? It’s a riddle.

    @RichCordray
    8h8 hours ago
    More
    My thanks to the people of Ohio. This victory happened for a reason. You demanded changed and we heard you. We want the same.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    So some Republican incumbent congressman lost his primary in North Carolina which improves our chance of picking up the seat.

  22. 22.

    SFAW

    @raven:

    The sky is green
    And the grass is blue

    I thought it was
    “The sky was yellow and the sun was blue”?

    ETA: By Dolly Lesh and Jerry Parton, among others, of course

  23. 23.

    JPL

    @Kay: To much celebration imo.

    I need a slow news day.. just sayin Trump needs to go play golf.

  25. 25.

    Sloane Ranger

    Reference by earlier post at #10.

    OK, I am now officially confused. I have now re-read the Lawfare article LGM linked to and in one para it says that under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Act if the President does not provide the required certification, “…Congress can (but is not required to) re-impose sanctions under expedited procedures…within 60 calendar days of the certification deadline.”

    But, in a later paragraph, it says “Trumps decision not to extend the statutory sanctions waivers will result in those sanctions being gradually re-imposed…If Congress is interested in protecting (the agreement) legislators may theoretically be able to push through legislation that would lift those statutory sanctions.”

    So, which is it? Is Congressional approval needed before sanctions are re-imposed or can the President re-impose them unless Congress stops him?

    Is Adam or Cheryl or anyone with legal training training out there who can explain this to me – pleease!

  26. 26.

    Brendan in NC

    @Baud: ah yes, the odious Robert Pittenger lost to the same preacher he beat 2 years ago.
    The biggest upset in my area of N.C. came in the Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) Sheriff race. The incumbent came in last in a 3 way race. He supports 287(g); his 2 rivals did not…

  27. 27.

    WereBear

    In my teens and early adulthood, I disengaged from the Southern Baptists and the Deep South Culture (and indeed, daylight cannot be seen between them) to the point where I fled the region entirely.

    I had no idea they would take over the entire nation just to make me miserable again.

  28. 28.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Redistricting reform passed overwhelmingly, too. People really, really hate gerrymandering.

    Ohio voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that will reform the state’s redistricting process, creating a mandate for bipartisanship in the decennial remapping process.
    With about half the votes counted a few hours after polls closed, about three quarters of Ohio voters backed the initiative, State Issue One.

    Democrats and good government groups hailed the measure, which puts Ohio in line with states like Iowa, Arizona, Washington and California, also states that draw lines in a bipartisan or nonpartisan fashion.
    “Tonight, Ohio voters sent a clear message to politicians and special interest groups across the country who continue to use gerrymandering to rig voting maps by choosing their voters to maximize partisan political advantage,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause.

    It was a compromise plan and Republicans took it because they know if they didn’t do something they’re getting something worse for them- something drawn up by the League of Women Voters and Common Cause.

    That “politicians choosing their voters instead of voters choosing politicians” is a good slogan. It’s easy to understand.

  31. 31.

    Kay

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:

    I’m taking Mary Taylor’s loss as a bad sign for the Trumpist wing of the GOP. But, Trump is popular in Ohio. Cordray will either have to get white suburban Trump voters in the eastern part of the state or drive up turnout among AA and young people to Obama levels to win. It won’t be easy. Taylor would have been easier to beat than DeWine.

    I really cannot think of a politician with fewer “principles” or real positions than DeWine. He will literally say or do anything. It’ll be like attacking Jello. I have no idea what he actually believes- none. Nothing. He believes nothing. Well, he believes one thing- he believes being rabidly and insanely anti-abortion this cycle is a winning issue.

    It’s kind of risky because they’re so unreliable but if I were Cordray I would focus on young people. He’s a long shot anyway and it might work. DeWine has been around forever and he offers nothing to younger people. Make that the choice- forward or back.

  33. 33.

    WereBear

    @Kay: It’s kind of risky because they’re so unreliable but if I were Cordray I would focus on young people. He’s a long shot anyway and it might work. DeWine has been around forever and he offers nothing to younger people. Make that the choice- forward or back.

    I know young people are “unreliable” but at least if we get out their vote we know they won’t want to go back to the bronze age the way a Republican voter will.

  35. 35.

    Kay

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:

    Ohio newspapers hate Cordray. I don’t know why but we’ll just have to overcome that, because they do. Expect a whole narrative about how he’s an egghead who doesn’t wear Carharts or something, you know, like they supposedly do. Not lunch-buckety enough.

  38. 38.

    Brendan in NC

    @OzarkHillbilly: it basically makes local police officers double as ICE. They check the immigration status of anyone (non-white) who is booked into the County Jail, and call ICE to deport anyone here illegally.
    That wouldn’t be an issue, but for the fact that it creates a lot of bogus “enforcement stops” that are really for DWH (driving while Hispanic)…

    ETA – BillinGlendaleCA got there before me…

  39. 39.

    Lapassionara

    @OzarkHillbilly: hey, Ozark. I missed some threads, so how is your wife doing?

    Good morning all.

    Re, Iran sanctions, evidently Boeing had a big contract to sell planes to Iran, to be made in SC. Hmmm, Senator Graham.

  41. 41.

    Quinerly

    @Juju: Was hoping you would show up! Leaving here tomorrow for Grifton. Still packing, organizing there. I’m around for awhile if you want to grab a drink in Greenville at some point. Back to PKS in about a week if you are around in that area. Poco sends tail wags. He’s now addicted to those TJ’s treats! He thanks you, again. ?

  42. 42.

    debbie

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:

    The Dem turnout was higher than in previous primaries, which I think is important. I’m more concerned that the state issue on redistricting has been oversold. I doubt it will work as written and I don’t want that citizens’ initiative which was scheduled for the November election to disappear.

  45. 45.

    Kay

    @WereBear:

    They really are infuriating though. Obama really courted them in Ohio- they put enormous resources into organizing college students and we were still begging them to vote on election day. Just to vote. All the people who said Obama should have held onto younger voters for midterms are kidding themselves- it is HARD. Politicians cater to older people for a really simple reason- they vote and getting them to vote isn’t labor intensive.

    It happens in all dynamics where young people don’t show up. I used to go to postal service labor union meetings and I was the youngest person there by 20 years. Younger people would complain that the whole focus was retirement and health care and that wasn’t a mystery- everyone there was over 60. They have to show up. There’s no getting around it. I can’t talk my electrician son into going to his union meetings. All he has to do is show up and they’ll immediately elect him to something because they are desperate for young people at these things. They don’t even want to run the whole show anymore- they’ve been doing it for 30 years.

  48. 48.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Cordray needs to hammer relentlessly on DeWine’s pandering statements, like PP steam-cooking babies. Keep that up and the youngs will flock to him. Calling DeWine on his bullshitting should be easy because there’s been so much.

  49. 49.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    The (awful) political team at the NYTimes is already setting the narrative- he’s boring. Unlike their boy Trump who is just super-exciting and mavericky! I can’t stand these people. I wish they would stay out of state races completely. It’s not enough that they destroyed national politics- now they have to cover state politics.

  51. 51.

    Sab

    @Kay: I think newspapers hate Cordray because their big advertizers (car dealers) hate him. As AG wasn’t he tough on their shady practices?

  54. 54.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    That was partly strategic on the part of Democrats. They didn’t want a more radical reform because if they get a wave they want max benefit from a wave and rigorously fair districts would then be a disadvantage for them. The thinking was that the GOP benefited from gerrymandering for 20 years and saw their position weakening so (now) agreed to more fair maps. That seems unfair to Democrats- that Republicans maxxed our gerrymandering and now Democrats can’t possibly do the same.

  57. 57.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Sloane Ranger: This is a good question. As I understand it, some of the sanctions were imposed by Congress, some by executive order. So Congress may be involved too. I haven’t seen anything on this, and I follow some of the sanctions specialists on Twitter. Will keep an eye out for more.

  58. 58.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: #48. Kansas, 49. Connecticut, 50. Louisiana. All with negative growth.

    I wonder why Connecticut ended up in such esteemed company?

  59. 59.

    Kay

    @Sab:

    He was tough on everyone’s shady practices. He’s a true believer in consumer protection. DeWine will attack him as “anti-business” but it isn’t that- he isn’t a Lefty. He thinks ethical business practices are good for markets, and I agree. They have to stop ripping off their customers. People have to be able to rely on something, some standards, in order to trust enough to sink money into things. You can’t expect ordinary consumers to volunteer to do hours of research before they buy anything. That’s too much to ask. People are busy. They have to take care of their own shit. They want to go to a bank and not have the bank secretly stealing from them, like Wells Fargo did. That’s not too much to ask. Your bank should’nt be allowed to steal your money. I think we can agree on that.

    US businesses have an ethical problem. They steal from their customers. They have to stop. If they won’t stop they have to BE stopped. That’s not a legit way to make money. They’ll have to come up with something else.

  62. 62.

    Juju

    Thanks for the tail wags, Poco. Gracie Lou and Heidi too send some tail wags back. The school year is wrapping up and I’m going to be busier than usual. I’ll see what shakes out. I’ll keep in touch rather than hiding under my rock.

  63. 63.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    A lot of political Democrats didn’t want reform at all. Their attitude was “fuck Republicans with their come to Jesus moment on good government- they took advantage of it for 20 years and if we prevail we want to take advantage of it too”.

    It’s true to a certain extent. Republicans maxxed out gerrymandering before they all miraculously discovered non-partisan district line drawing. They couldn’t exploit it more anyway- they had exploited it to the max.

  64. 64.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: Maybe the older folks who run meetings (labor union, county-level Democratic Party, etc.) need to rethink the meetings thing altogether. I see the same thing you’ve described in political groups I’m involved in locally — older people running the show, young people not showing up and/or complaining that old people run the show, and those youngs who do show up are pounced upon like fresh meat because the older folks are ready to relinquish their leadership roles. But they can’t get long-term commitments from the youngs.

    I’m middle aged, an empty nester and have a flexible schedule since I’m my own boss, and I hate the damned meetings. They’re so inflexible — you have to show up for two hours on a designated week night — and they’re so damned boring. No one gives a flying crap about the financial report, but it should be online anyway in case someone is interested, not read aloud from a PowerPoint while the audience goes catatonic with boredom. I get that there are bylaws and rules about how things are done. Maybe it’s time to change them.

  65. 65.

    mai naem mobile

    I saw somewhere that TulsI Gabbana ran an ad for Denis Kucinich. Did Tulsa Gabbard have a primary opponent? She smells of Russian Asset to me. Actually she stinks Russian Asset.

  67. 67.

    rikyrah

    Ok
    In this Netflix limited series, we now gotta cast Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti.
    I got January Jones for Stormy.
    Who for Avenatti?

  71. 71.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I wonder why Connecticut ended up in such esteemed company?

    Obamacare? [Meaning: CT used to be a big insurance company state, and with ZEGS, Turtle, and Lying Littledick doing their best to fuck over Obamacare, there’s probably collateral damage.]

    But that’s just wild speculation on my part, and probably not worth the paper it’s written on.

  74. 74.

    MomSense

    @Betty Cracker:

    God I hate the meetings. This is why my agreement with the local Dems is that I will make a ton of calls if they just let me log in and do it from home.

  76. 76.

    satby

    @Betty Cracker: anyone still working, and that’s most younger people, hates meetings. Even blue collar jobs have them now and they’re uniformly time wasters. Add in that most young people work long hours and they just don’t have the time to commit to a regular meeting schedule like older people do. They’re used to doing things online, but the olds running meetings don’t understand GotoMeeting or Webex either.

  79. 79.

    Betty Cracker

    Do y’all think it’s significant that Cordray not only beat Kucinich — he absolutely CRUSHED him? It was something like 62% to 22% last I saw. I don’t know Ohio politics very well, but it seems like if an Our Revolution candidate was going to break through, someone like Kucinich, who has a national profile, would be an ideal vehicle for it. But he got squashed like a rotten grape. Is that due to his personal kookiness? Is Our Revolution a paper tiger? Some combination of the two?

  85. 85.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker: It’s good news. The left in this country has more media than numbers, probably because they’ve learned that attacking the Dems gets them air time. But they can still play spoiler in close races, so we are a little stuck.

  86. 86.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:
    Kay,

    Did I miss you commenting on Avenatti getting those financials on Cohen and the LLC?

    I can’t believe that he got all that info.
    On Hayes’ show, it was $500,000 in the LLC. By the time LarryO came on, it was up to $ 4.4 million.

    Yet, Cohen needs to take out loans for paying lawyers???

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @OzarkHillbilly: Oh, and free beer. That’s how my local did it. The meetings still were slanted to the olds but there was always a significant # of youngsters too.

  90. 90.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    That’s true. As you know, though, the meeting process is cherished because it’s supposedly about transparency and due process. I had the funniest experience drafting bylaws for a community garden group here. I was telling them “you can write your rules” and I realized listening to them that they see these words as meaningless- they were pulling them from other bylaws and I would say “but why do you need that?” or even “what does that paragraph mean?” and they didn’t know. Really nice people so I wasn’t doing it to embarrass them- there’s just this strange disconnect. It was oddly conceptual- I had to start way back from “drafting” and find out what they intend these rules to accomplish. I succeeded eventually by telling them that they should go into this with a purpose for each rule- the assumption should be they will follow it because it means something. Once they saw that the rule involved some duty they were much more willing to leave it out. They’d stick one in and I’d say “okay, but now you have to meet MONTHLY, because that’s your rule” and they’d be like “oh, we don’t want to meet in January and February and March- we have nothing to say!” Leave it OUT then. I was trying to empower them :)

  92. 92.

    Baud

    Meetings are hard to do well. Even big companies where the people are on site have problems doing meetings well.

  93. 93.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    I haven’;t read the story, even, yet but my husband is all hopped up about it. He was just waiting for something like this- money changing hands. He’s Russia-collusion-skeptic but he’s coming around as more is revealed.

  94. 94.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: I wish Our Revolution hadn’t co-opted “the left” so thoroughly. I consider myself part of “the left,” but I’ve got no use for Sanders or his cult, so I get pigeon-holed with “the establishment.” That’s my personal reason to hope Sanders gets blown out in the 2020 primary and that OR endorsees face-plant nationwide prior to that election. (Obviously, I’ll vote for them if they’re the better candidate in a primary or the Democrat in the general…)

  95. 95.

    raven

    @Kay: God, my wife is always battling with the garden club and doggie parade people over meetings!!!

  96. 96.

    RedDirtGirl

    Open thread? Why is there nothing about the Israeli foray into Syria on the front page of the WaPo? Seems like it should be a bigger story, no?

  98. 98.

    OzarkHillbilly

    This is just shocking news, SHOCKING I tell you!

    People of color in the United States have dramatically more years stripped from their lives due to police violence than white people, according to a new study.

    “This is the first study that quantifies years of life lost due to police violence in the US by age and by race,” said University of California, Los Angeles researcher Anthony Lui. “We found that deaths from law enforcement are a major public health concern.”

    The researchers drew on data from The Counted, a 2015-2016 award-winning Guardian investigation into police killings, which concluded that Native Americans, black Americans and Hispanic Americans, in that order, were disproportionately the victims of fatal police violence.

    The new research added a fresh aspect to those findings by looking at the public health metric of “years of life lost” (YLL), which essentially subtracts the age individuals had attained when they died from their life expectancy, in order to find out how many years were “lost” by their premature death.

    The UCLA, Harvard and University of California, Berkeley researchers calculated that people of color comprised 38.5% of the population, but 51.5% of the years of life lost.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: Great story! I’d have probably been one of the people who latched onto a template just assuming there was a good reason to have those rules. I definitely shouldn’t be in charge of revamping the county-level Democratic Party meeting rules, but I can see it needs doing. The current structure irks me, and I am a lady of leisure compared to most of the folks we need to reach. I can’t imagine how single moms manage it!

  100. 100.

    SFAW

    So this is a statement from new SecState and Certified Dumbfuck Mike Pompeo:

    “Today what we’re hoping to do is – there have been discussions between that day to now, and we’ve continued to develop both administratively and sort of begin to put some outlines around the substance of the agenda for the summit between the President and Chairman Un. And today we’re hoping to nail some of those down to say – to put in place a framework for a successful summit between the two presidents.”

    Thank FSM Lying Littledick, Moron-in-Chief, is hiring THE BEST PEOPLE.

  102. 102.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker: We’ve always had a problem with labels. Sometimes, I say “left” to mean left of center and sometimes to mean far left. I use “progressive” interchangeably too.

    I get annoyed when people think Cynthia Nixon is a Bernie person just because she is to Cuomo’s left.

  109. 109.

    RedDirtGirl

    @rikyrah: Good morning, Rikyrah!
    It’s been mentioned here, but I don’t see it on the front page of the WaPo or the FTFNYT….Just seems odd to me.

  111. 111.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Morning BJ!

    Sitting here having breakfast and catching up on my technical reading. I’m afraid I must report that the takeover by our robotic overlords is going to be delayed a little for repairs.

  113. 113.

    Baud

    @rikyrah:

    Britain, France and Germany have issued a statement that they will comply with the deal, but then their companies face sanctions from us. Who knows how that will play out?

    And is Trump really going to sanction Russia for dealing with Iran?

    Too many unanswered questions.

  114. 114.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @rikyrah: Having Fox-filtered alternative facts helps. Was skimming through a comment section, saw somebody point out the obvious, “EVERYBODY on the Trump campaign had meetings with Russians” and it was immediately met with “so did everybody on the Hillary campaign”.

    I don’t know how to fight against alternate reality, so that kind of thing just makes me stop reading and huddle in a fetal position for awhile.

  115. 115.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    He loves Stormy. He thinks she’s brave and tough. It’s true – she’s not a whiner, that Stormy. She knew the assholes would fight her every step of the way. She expected nothing better from these people. Because she knows them.

    We do a lot of worshiping of brave whistleblowers in this country and for some reason that hasn’t been applied to this porn actress. It should be. She’s up against some powerful people, and they’re mean as snakes. I believe the Trump thugs threatened her in a parking lot and I would bet 100 dollars she’s not the only one. I mean, Jesus. Just looking at the Russian dissidents who have “accidents” is scary. This is Trump’s scummy crew.

  116. 116.

    satby

    @Baud: @Betty Cracker: @Kay: Meetings have to start on time, and end on time or early, and the leader has to control the discussion so that it doesn’t get derailed by that every-meeting-has-one loquacious crank. And that’s hard for people because it’s confrontational even if done well.

  117. 117.

    SFAW

    @rikyrah:

    The thread itself was OK, but at the end, some Shitgibbonista moron twatted “The pansy is gone for good.”

    Now whomever could he be talking about, I wonder?. Fucking moron. I hope the asshole strokes out while putting on a MAGA hat.

  118. 118.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Would Stormy be treated differently if she were some upper manager who worked for Trump Criminal Enterprises Inc and blew the whistle on Cohen? Yes. So, why? They had a business relationship with Stormy. This wasn’t a romance.

    It’s snobbery. She’s not a Edward Snowden figure because of the business she’s in and because of how she looks. She never would have gotten anywhere without a really aggressive and telegenic (and male) lawyer. The rest of the women who accused Trump were ignored.

  121. 121.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:
    I have to admit that I was skeptical of Stormy. Yes, because of her occupation. I didn’t see the possibilities. Be honest, did you see where this could go? And, yes, it’s about having the right lawyer. It’s a both/and situation.

  123. 123.

    zhena gogolia

    @Kay:

    When this is all over and if somehow we get through it, I’ll raise money for a monument to Stormy and Avenatti.

  125. 125.

    The Other Chuck

    @Kay: California, as usual, is instructive. Since they moved to a nonpartisan redistricting commission, there’s even fewer Republicans in state offices than before.

  126. 126.

    zhena gogolia

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    This was my experience yesterday trying to complain to the Hartford Courant about their cartoon slandering Mueller. The guy said, “Well, some people think Mueller isn’t playing it straight.” I said, “Where’s the evidence for that?” He said, “Well, where’s the evidence he is playing it straight?” I said, “His entire career.” He said, “You could have said that about the New York AG a few days ago.” GAAAAAH! And that reminds me THE HARTFORD COURANT IS A MISERABLE RAG

  129. 129.

    Elizabelle

    @Kay: Norma Rae of the porn set.

    Some good results yesterday. Yea Cordray; glad Blankenship’s bid foundered. NC congressman defeated in his primary. I’ll take it.

  130. 130.

    Elizabelle

    @The Other Chuck: Yeah. I would like to see California’s redistricting commissions go nationwide.

    Also like “the top two vote getters face off for the office.” So you might have two Democrats, or two Republicans, up on Election Day. Takes the decision from primary day (this extremist against this sacrificial lamb) to Election Day, with a bigger voting turnout.

  131. 131.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Elizabelle:

    Also like “the top two vote getters face off for the office.” So you might have two Democrats, or two Republicans, up on Election Day. Takes the decision from primary day (this extremist against this sacrificial lamb) to Election Day, with a bigger voting turnout.

    I hate, hate, hate the jungle primary.

  132. 132.

    WaterGirl

    Do we know how Bixby is doing? I was so appalled by Trump pulling out of the Iran deal that I just closed the computer around 8 and watched TV instead of reading the evening the evening threads.

    It must be the May sweeps because every show is killing off a beloved character, or leaving them in dire straits – stabbed, a heart attach, whatever. So much for watching TV as a distraction. I wonder if visits to therapists go up in May because even TV is super stressful.

  135. 135.

    satby

    @bemused: I despise them. And I used to have to run them and training meetings too, as well as attend millions of others. But, an occasional well run meeting that stays on track, gets everyone the same info to work from, and ends early if possible is doable. People come to them because they can add value, and they know they won’t be stuck in a coma-fest that runs late.

  136. 136.

    Elizabelle

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: You’ve mentioned that before. Why do you hate the “jungle” primary? (And I am not in favor of 50 candidates running in the primary.)

    Have you seen worse results in the fall from the system? (I might be missing a few obvious ones …)

  139. 139.

    Aleta

    Re: College students and voting
    My rough impression is that at least in Ariz and NC, college students have been active over the last 10 years in order to get polling places returned to sites on campus, after the sites were moved to places with (no surprise) inadequate parking, poor public trans, and long waits.

    I know the % of student voters has been low anyway. But now voter suppression is directed at students too. Eliminating early voting and same day registration, disallowing student IDs, intimidation. Preventing student candidates from running for for town council.

    On-campus sites and early voting are needed for low-/middle- income students who’re often working 2-3 jobs in addition to classes and sometimes kids. If they don’t yet have previous experience of voting, the blocks make it so much harder for them to form the habit.

  141. 141.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Elizabelle: First of all, there are 50 candidates on the ballot(OK, not 50 but we have 27 for on the ballot for Governor and 32 on the ballor for Senator), I really like political parties(one reason I don’t like open primaries) and the results can be perverse. If you have a number of Dems running in a Dem district and only a few Republicans, it’s possible(and I think it’s happened once) that you could end up with two Republicans in the general.

  142. 142.

    Yarrow

    @Kay:

    The (awful) political team at the NYTimes is already setting the narrative- he’s boring. Unlike their boy Trump who is just super-exciting and mavericky!

    Boring and competent is going to look really good in the upcoming election. Cordray got lucky with his timing, in that regard.

  143. 143.

    SFAW

    @Betty Cracker:

    As someone on Twitter (I think) proposed, Stormy statues could replace the Confderates!

    There’s a joke in there, somewhere, about erecting statues or some such.
    But I won’t go there.

  144. 144.

    Jeffro

    @Baud:(re: Cordray)

    Whatever else he does, he shouldn’t wear earth tones. Or invent the internet.

    That’s a good rolling start to…THINGS DEMOCRATS SIMPLY CANNOT DO!
    – wear earth tones
    – invent the internet
    – talk about arugula prices
    – promote healthy diets w/ lots of fresh fruit and vegetables
    – have a beer
    – note that their opponent is a ‘puppet’
    – be ill for a day or two
    – run a charitable foundation
    – have any sort of tension in their marriages
    – go windsurfing
    – have a purple heart or two

    Compare and contrast with THINGS REPUBLICANS CAN DO, NO SWEAT!
    – wear ill-fitting suits and overly long cheap ties with masking tape(!)
    – invent…nothing…except work for bankruptcy lawyers
    – eat nothing but fast food and burnt steak
    – imply that a Dem is ‘on her knees, begging for (it)’
    – be incredibly overweight, yet falsify one’s own doctor’s report for public consumption
    – use one’s foundation to buy goodies for oneself
    – not only be on one’s third marriage, but then humiliate that third wife when an affair with a porn star (among others) becomes public knowledge
    – refuse to exercise/need a golf cart for a short walk instead of walking with other world leaders
    – dodge the draft five times with a made-up medical excuse (that one can’t even remember later in life)

    Ah well…it’ll be good to get back to having standards again…just as soon as a Dem is in the White House…

  145. 145.

    Immanentize

    @Sloane Ranger:
    As @Cheryl Rofer: said. The set up for sanctions relief was unusual. First, we returned assets we seized under sanctions — that’s the “billion dollar pay off” Trump has complained about — it was seized Iranian property. Then, we ended some sanctions so that the financial markets could function in a reliable fashion. However, we also created a bunch of snap back provisions for a great number of sanctions on the chance Iran violated the agreement. These are the sanctions that still “exist” and will come back into play. Also, the President alone has the power to sanction for national security reasons and under the commerce power. I haven’t looked at them closely yet, but this is what Mnushkin is probably talking about in his bare bones 60 day/90 day lists.

    All that said, it is the US that is in violation of the agreement. Lawyers will be involved. As someone upstream mentioned, Boeing and a large number of US companies — including oil companies which is one reason Tillerson opposed dropping out — have made large investments in cracking Iran.

    Republican ideology created simply to oppose/hate on Obama once again bites Republicans in the ass.

  146. 146.

    SFAW

    @Yarrow:

    Boring and competent is going to look really good in the upcoming election. Cordray got lucky with his timing, in that regard.

    But his e-mails!

    I would bet a nickel that Pinche Sulzberger is having his ace investigative “reporters” looking into Cordray’s Benghazi involvement. Probably not Vince Foster’s murder, however — yet.

  147. 147.

    Yarrow

    @rikyrah:

    I honestly don’t get Russian collusion skeptics. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

    Yep. Completely agree. Nothing else makes sense.

  149. 149.

    SFAW

    @Yarrow:

    Not that anyone asked me, and maybe you’ve already thought of it, but:

    I think you should have someone translate “Tick tock, motherfucker” into Russian, and post/reply to any Lying Littledick tweet about Mueller. Hilarity would ensue.

  150. 150.

    Yarrow

    @Kay: Completely agree, Kay.

    @Betty Cracker: Good idea to frontpage it. It’s also good to recognize that Avenatti is playing Trump’s game with the media. He shows up all the time, he drops hints of upcoming news, he tweets out interesting info, he’s got bombshells for real. He’s good looking, fun to watch. The media can’t get enough of him. That’s Trump’s game and Avenatti is playing it and beating Trump at it.

  151. 151.

    JPL

    @WaterGirl: Just returned from the vet with my mutt. He had his annual heartworm test, but he’s such a big baby they have to pamper him. My sons never cried at a shot, but Finch does. oh well
    Like you, I am tired of shows that have characters die off. Spoiler Call the Midwife brought back a character to have her die.

  152. 152.

    rikyrah

    Trump suggests pulling credentials from ‘corrupt’ media
    By LOUIS NELSON 05/09/2018 08:41 AM EDT

    President Donald Trump complained Wednesday that his administration receives overwhelmingly negative coverage from network news outlets and floated the idea of pulling credentials from outlets whose reporting is deemed unfair by the White House.

    Trump cited a study from the right-leaning Media Research Center that showed 91 percent of the coverage of Trump’s administration from network news outlets through the first four months of 2018 was negative. In a Wednesday morning tweet, Trump said the negative reporting about his administration is “fake.”

    “The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),” the president wrote online. “Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?”

    Trump has complained often about the media and has on multiple occasions raised the possibility of taking retaliatory steps against the press, including canceling the daily press briefing and threatening to “open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”

  153. 153.

    The Pale Scot

    I was unable to avoid listening to the propaganda channel as they lambasted the “liberals” for picking on Melanoma. A whole half hour, and not one mention of plagerism

  154. 154.

    SFAW

    @rikyrah:

    “The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),” the president wrote online. “Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?”

    Fucking moron. If they were NOT cutting you major slack, it would be ONE HUNDRED FUCKING PERCENT negative, you WATB!

    Fascists ‘R’ Us, I guess

    ETA: And if the game weren’t so rigged, YOUR “credentials” would have been pulled on February 1st, 2017, you traitorous fuck.

  155. 155.

    Yarrow

    @SFAW: I guess Google translate could give some idea of what that translation would be, but probably better to have an actual Russia speaker, since it’s sort of slang.

    @rikyrah: Trump does threaten the press, but this:

    Trump has complained often about the media and has on multiple occasions raised the possibility of taking retaliatory steps against the press, including canceling the daily press briefing

    would probably be better for the country than keeping it. Letting his spokesliar stand there and spew lies while they all compete with each other to get their minute to ask a question is embarrassing. We’d all be better off if they did some real journalism. We’d also be better off if they got together, decided on the two or three questions of the day, then kept asking them until they were answered. She doesn’t answer, the next reporter asks the same question in a slightly different way. Keep pressing.

  157. 157.

    Brachiator

    Trump has complained often about the media and has on multiple occasions raised the possibility of taking retaliatory steps against the press, including canceling the daily press briefing and threatening to “open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”

    So, an ignorant Trump confuses the federal government with being a private citizen. Sad.

  158. 158.

    danielx

    Venting: seen three different specialists for three different conditions in the last four months and THEY ALL WANT TO CUT ON ME.

    What is it with medical professionals and knives?

  160. 160.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: Trump supporters would not care, if he did take away credentials from everyone except for the Murdoch crew.

  161. 161.

    Yarrow

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Question: Is the jungle primary generally popular or unpopular in CA? I’ve seen people here say it’s not a good system, but wondering how it’s seen statewide?

  162. 162.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Yarrow: Don’t know, I’ve not seen any polling on it. Madame’s reaction when she saw my sample ballot(her’s hadn’t arrived yet) was OMG there’s two pages of folk running for Governor.

  164. 164.

    Barbara

    @SFAW: Connecticut has insurance, but also aerospace engineering (Pratt & Whitney), one of the big gun companies (Colt or Smith & Wesson), and a lot of hedge funds. Most of these companies are in areas that I would characterize as relentlessly suburban. Then, there are the cities — Hartford, Stamford, New Haven, etc., that have withered on the vine as economic growth has taken place mostly in surrounding suburbs. Hartford is horrible after dark, not because it’s dangerous but because it’s dead. It has a higher percentage of acreage devoted to surface parking lots than any city of comparable size on the East Coast. People who work for the state in the capital city like their parking. It helps them get home to the suburbs fast. Anyway, Connecticut is like the opposite of what has been happening in other places, where cities draw young creative types who help to generate a dynamic place to live and work. Now, insurers like Aetna are fretting that it’s hard to get people to move to Connecticut because, basically, the cities are repellent, not attractive, and has made noises about moving its headquarters. Ditto with GE, which is in the process of leaving Fairfield. New Haven might have some potential, but perhaps more than any other Ivy League school, Yale seems to bear a kind of perpetual grudge to the town around it. So yeah, Connecticut has some serious issues. I assume the negative growth has to do with the departure of GE.

  165. 165.

    Yarrow

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Seems like that sort of thing would depress voting because people don’t know what to do, it’s too hard. Is there no minimum kind of requirement to get on the ballot? Signatures, for example?

  166. 166.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Brachiator:

    …ignorant Trump confuses the federal government with being a private citizen…

    L’État, c’est moi

  167. 167.

    rikyrah

    The Most Dangerous Thing Trump Could Do
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    May 8, 2018

    ………………………

    Now we have Trump poised to betray the slivers of trust that were developed during those negotiations. The president’s new spokesperson, Rudy Giuliani, has acknowledged that Trump joins the hawks in being committed to regime change once again in Iran, which is the underlying reason for why they oppose the agreement. When/if Iran restarts their nuclear weapons program, they have an excuse to launch a military intervention and overthrow the current government. Of course, the rest of us know how those kinds of plans have turned out in the past.

    I’m not going to make any predictions about what Trump will do today. He is managing to be unpredictable, as advertised, but word is leaking that he will announce that the U.S. plans to reimpose sanctions and violate the terms of the agreement. At this point, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran is basically saying good riddance to the U.S. if that is what happens.

    “We are not worried about America’s cruel decisions … We are prepared for all scenarios and no change will occur in our lives next week,” Rouhani said Monday in a speech broadcast live on state television and reported by Reuters. “If we can get what we want from a deal without America, then Iran will continue to remain committed to the deal. What Iran wants is our interests to be guaranteed by its non-American signatories … In that case, getting rid of America’s mischievous presence will be fine for Iran.”

    Donald Trump has done a lot of despicable things as president. But short of actually launching a nuclear weapon, nothing will be as dangerous to the course of world events in the future as an announcement that the U.S. will violate the Iranian nuclear agreement. Rather than taking a small step to resolve our issues with that country, he will alienate the United States from the rest of the world and add to the mistakes we’ve made in the past. I doubt we’ll ever get another chance for peace with Iran.

  170. 170.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Barbara:

    Hartford is horrible after dark, not because it’s dangerous but because it’s dead. It has a higher percentage of acreage devoted to surface parking lots

    That reminds me of downtown LA, fortunately they’re building on a lot of those parking lots now.

  171. 171.

    rikyrah

    The Defense Strategy of a Man Who Is Guilty
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    May 8, 2018

    For a while now it has been clear that Donald Trump and his enablers have been waging war against the Department of Justice as a way to discredit or halt the Mueller investigation into whether the president’s campaign engaged in a conspiracy with Russia to influence the 2016 election. One battle in that war has been an attempt to set up Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for impeachment.

    If you remember, the reason Rosenstein is in charge of the special counsel’s investigation is because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself after lying about contacts with Russians during the campaign. Over the last week, Rep. Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, added another dimension to the efforts of Trump’s enablers by threatening to hold AG Sessions in contempt of Congress. He reiterated that threat last night on Sean Hannity’s show.

    The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), said on Monday that he planned to press ahead with holding Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress unless the Justice Department relented on a decision to deny sharing certain classified documents with lawmakers.

    “It wasn’t a threat. It’s what’s going to happen,” Nunes declared on Monday night.

  172. 172.

    Barbara

    @Betty Cracker: Regarding Kucinich, this is speculation on my part, but his is probably a case of not being able to fool the locals about where it is you actually came from. Kucinich was the mayor of Cleveland and was the opposite of progressive on issues affecting race and gender. Now, all those people who knew him from way back are being asked to see him as the second coming of Bernie Sanders and they probably looked at each other and said, “say what?” Lack of authenticity might have been a problem.

  174. 174.

    SFAW

    @Yarrow:

    I guess Google translate could give some idea of what that translation would be, but probably better to have an actual Russia speaker, since it’s sort of slang.

    Agreed. I was hoping zhena gogolia (or some other speaker,native or otherwise) would offer to help. And, of course, it should be in Cyrillic.

    One possible alternative: transcribe some of the English phonetically into Cyrillic [ТИК ТАК, МОДДЭРФОККЭР]but that last word seems a bit clumsy, maybe substitute “МУДАК” instead?

  175. 175.

    rikyrah

    Things Black people can’t do – the list has grown longer.
    Now, we can’t buy Money Orders

    Schnucks CEO apologizes, fires employee who had run-in with black couple over money order
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch 3 hrs ago

    ST. LOUIS COUNTY • An employee who initially denied a Belleville man and his girlfriend a money order at the Concord Village Schnucks was fired, the company’s top executive said in a contrite statement Tuesday.

    “I deeply apologize to the customers and am incredibly disappointed in the poor judgment that was used in handling this incident,” CEO Todd Schnuck said.

    Kellen Hill shared video of the ordeal on Facebook on Monday, and the post garnered thousands of comment and shares.

    “It’s really sad that you can’t be black and buy a money order without being accused of fraud,” Hill said in his post.

  176. 176.

    SFAW

    @Barbara:

    I wasn’t aware Pratt was still thriving. I know they haven’t shut down, but my impression was that it’s a shadow of its former self.

    Wasn’t Remington the gun make? I seem to remember driving bu their plant, possibly on 91 between New Haven and Hartford?

    Can’t comment on the rest, and am certainly not arguing with your assessment.

  178. 178.

    The Moar You Know

    Why do you hate the “jungle” primary?

    @Elizabelle: Not the person you addressed this to but it’s a big deal waiting to blow up in our faces. Let’s take the race in my congressional district, to replace Issa. Ten candidates and growing. Three Republicans, six Dems, one Green or Independent or some shit like that.

    Top two vote getters make it to the general irrespective of party.

    Odds are, if the Dems were all polling evenly (and thank God they are not) because of the very real 50/50 split among voters in this district, the top two vote getters would be Republicans. because they only split the voters three ways and the Dems six. So we’d end up with the district staying in Republican hands, because those two Republicans were the top two vote getters.

    This is not an “outside chance” thing, this could easily happen this primary.

    Also, California’s jungle primary law allows parties to make their primary closed. Dems, since passage of the law, have open primaries, because we’re stupid I guess? Any Republican can vote in a Dem primary and many do. No Dem has ever been allowed to vote in a Republican primary, and the GOP will never allow it.

  179. 179.

    The Pale Scot

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    They need to hire some knockout models to run the meetings.

    Chuckle. But I think that is the problem. When I was just a youngin’, most of the older (than me) cousins were union. And they payed attention to the what about insurance, retirement etc. questions. But all these people were married and had kids by their early twenties, giving them a long term perspective. Don’t want to go all Catholicie, but the changes in our society are reducing social cohesion. MY mum died recently, she has a collection of beautiful plates and service. No one in my generation or the next is interested in having them. We don’t “entertain” like the olds did, and keeping light and mobil is a concern. 50 TV channels aren’t helping either.

  180. 180.

    Immanentize

    @Barbara:

    Kucinich was … the opposite of progressive on issues affecting race and gender.

    That sounds to me exactly like the second coming of Bernie Sanders

  181. 181.

    ruemara

    @Betty Cracker: people know he’s crap. He’s on Fox being a Trump apologist, Assad apologist & he’s a kook. If anything, it proves Our Revolution is a joke.

    @rikyrah: Well, it’s easier to be skeptical when your paycheck depends on it

  182. 182.

    Elizabelle

    I love our Virginia attorney general, Mark Herring. He is suing a company that was selling untrained 3 month old Labs as trained service dogs, for 25,000. (3 months old! That should be a tipoff right there.)

    WaPost: Company sold $25,000 ‘service dogs’ that were really just untrained puppies, Virginia says

    Customers turned to Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers for a potentially lifesaving tool: highly trained dogs that would alert them, with the nudge of a nose or paw, to spikes or dips in blood sugar. What they got, the state of Virginia alleged on Tuesday, were “little more than incredibly expensive pets.”

    A lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Mark R. Herring in the Madison County Circuit Court, accuses the company of violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act by charging $18,000 to $27,000 for 3-month-old Labrador retriever puppies that were unable to perform their task or even to walk properly on leashes, respond when called, or remain calm around loud noises or new people. Customers were told that they would receive ample “scent training” support; instead, their requests for assistance were regularly ignored, the suit says.

    … The lawsuit followed a lengthy investigation based on complaints from more than 50 customers, Herring’s office said. Beyond deceiving customers about the company’s dogs, the suit alleges, owner Charles D. Warren Jr. illegally encouraged them to solicit charitable donations. He also lied about having served in the military, according to the suit, which seeks restitution for customers as well as civil penalties and attorneys’ fees.

    …. Despite growth in the use of service animals and the agencies that provide them, no national certification, registration or training protocol exists. That means owners can easily purchase “service animal” vests for ordinary pets. It also means that there is no oversight of service dog companies. One voluntary accrediting organization, Assistance Dogs International, has sought to set training standards, and it counts dozens of the most prominent service dog groups as members. Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, which says it also provides service dogs for people with autism and post-traumatic stress, is not one of those.

    Some of the reader commenters were jesting dogs were from Trump U. And one reader:

    I feel like our society is being taken over by scammers and lying braggarts, like a house being overtaken by rust and mold. It’s making us sick.

    A reply by another reader:

    It can only happen when the populace is ignorant and gullible enough. The Republicans (aided by the combustible stew of Norquist/Gingrich/Kochs/Mercers/Limbaugh/Fox/Russians/NRA ie., the Republican agenda for half a century) have essentially guaranteed this illness.

  186. 186.

    EveryDayIHaveTheBlues

    @Kay: Thank you for this analysis. As you say, Cordray will have to work hard to overcome DeWine, who, from all his ads, seems excessively repulsive. I only moved to Cincinnati in 2008, so I’m not sure of the past history: do you think that DeWine’s success would also depend to a great deal on whether Kasich campaigns for him? One one hand, Kasich seems to dislike DJT (who DeWine has hugged to his bosom), but on the other, they’re both united by their love for controlling women’s bodies.

    I’m hopeful that the blue wave will push Cordray over. He seems like a decent fellow, and I remember your comment on an earlier post talking about how he was a “once-in-a-generation” style politician.

    Every time I think of these people, my instinctive reaction is of deep disgust and anger. “Motherfucker” is the only word that describes them adequately. For comfort, one recites Conan’s response to being asked what is best in life. It is worth working towards ensuring that all of these scum are crushed politically, and that their bigotry and corruption is spurned for decades to come. Alas, it appears that every third person one sees on the street is absolutely insane. I don’t know how to beat that.

    @debbie: Interesting… I didn’t know that turnout was higher (this is only my second vote, after last Nov’s local election). I know of some folks (from work) who voted “I”, but who will definitely vote for the “D” in Nov. Lets see if Warren comes to campaign for Cordray, that should definitely help. Plus, he needs to run ads on (strengthening) the medicare expansion and protecting folks from shark-like financial institutions.

    ETA: Noticed I’ve been misspelling “Cordray”. Apologies!

  187. 187.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: The D primary is probably more important than the election. The person who wins there will win the general. I don’t even know if an R is running. There was an R candidate and his mother gathering signatures to get on the ballot two weeks ago at the town meeting.

  188. 188.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @The Moar You Know:

    Any Republican can vote in a Dem primary and many do. No Dem has ever been allowed to vote in a Republican primary, and the GOP will never allow it.

    That part’s not true, decline to state can vote in the Dem primary but not Republicans, it’s not a fully open primary. You are correct that the Republican primary is closed.

  189. 189.

    The Moar You Know

    Donald Trump has done a lot of despicable things as president. But short of actually launching a nuclear weapon, nothing will be as dangerous to the course of world events in the future as an announcement that the U.S. will violate the Iranian nuclear agreement. Rather than taking a small step to resolve our issues with that country, he will alienate the United States from the rest of the world and add to the mistakes we’ve made in the past.

    @rikyrah: Was listening to the French and German foreign ministers on the BBC this AM. The words “unreliable” and “can’t trust their word” were popping up often in regards to how those countries now view America.

    I have never heard America described in those terms by people in other countries before. For me, it was heartbreaking.

  190. 190.

    Elizabelle

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: There should be a signature requirement, and some selecting process so voters don’t have ten candidates. Three is already allowing a spoiler.

    If you guys know some good groups that are working on this, let me know. Or a crusading newspaper (and they’re still out there) …

  193. 193.

    rikyrah

    HEALTHCARE?
    PHUCK.OUTTA.HERE.

    And now Novartis claims they hired Mr. Cohen for “healthcare” matters (they paid him approx $1 Million). Wow – he’s a doctor as well!! Very talented guy this Mr. Cohen. #basta

    — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 9, 2018

  194. 194.

    rikyrah

    LMAO!!!

    Priceless = Watching all of the companies that sent money to the LLC slush fund come up with different alleged reasons for hiring Mr. Cohen – “accounting advice,” “real estate consulting,” “insight,” etc. Who knew Mr. Cohen was such a brilliant renaissance man? #nonsense #basta

    — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 9, 2018

  197. 197.

    rikyrah

    @The Moar You Know:

    @rikyrah: Was listening to the French and German foreign ministers on the BBC this AM. The words “unreliable” and “can’t trust their word” were popping up often in regards to how those countries now view America.

    I have never heard America described in those terms by people in other countries before. For me, it was heartbreaking.

    I know…it really is heartbreaking, because you’re a true patriot that loves this country.

  198. 198.

    rikyrah

    National Themes That Emerged From Yesterday’s Primaries in Trump States
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    May 9, 2018

    Primary elections were held yesterday in four states that Trump won in 2016: West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina. While these were intra-party battles, it is worth taking a look at whether any themes emerged that might point the way for what to expect between now and November.

    As Ed Kilgore notes, party officials will be breathing a sigh of relief due to the fact that favorites won in nearly every election. The reason that will be good news is that it gives both parties the strongest candidate to take on the opposition in the general election.

    Nowhere did that happen more profoundly that in the Republican senate primary in West Virginia. After all the hand-wringing about convicted felon Don Blankenship surging in the polls, he came in a distant third. Attorney General Patrick Morissey will take on Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin in November.

    On the Democratic side, the race for Ohio governor pitted a favorite against an opponent who made people nervous. In that one, Richard Cordray handily beat Dennis Kucinich by a huge margin (63/22). Cordray will face Mike DeWine, Ohio’s attorney general and a former U.S. senator.

  199. 199.

    TS (the original)

    @Kay:

    The (awful) political team at the NYTimes is already setting the narrative- he’s boring

    That should be turned to good purpose. After 2 years of trump everyone wants boring – sane and boring – like no drama Obama.

  200. 200.

    Kay

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:

    I’m hopeful that the blue wave will push Cordray over. He seems like a decent fellow, and I remember your comment on an earlier post talking about how he was a “once-in-a-generation” style politician.

    He is and while I hate the celebrity-style analysis of politicians they do have to reach people- they do have to be charismatic. So if he doesn’t have that – and he might not, I don’t really know- it will be hard for him and it’s a not a straight “merit” thing.

    The kind of appeal Bill Clinton or Obama had is rare. It isn’t easy or common. You can count those people on one hand. All of these people who say “there are 350 million people! why don’t we have better candidates?” Because most people aren’t good at it. They lack something and I’m not sure what they lack can be learned or faked.

    Ohio had this “candidate school” once. I went, not as a candidate but as the treasurer for a candidate. The person running it wanted me to try to answer a question like I was on tv so they filmed this fake exchange with a “constituent”. One of the critics said “she seems tired”. That was true. I was tired that day. It’s hard to do it well.

  203. 203.

    bemused

    @Yarrow:

    The thought that savvy Avenatti, masterfully using media, constantly on air has got to really infuriate trump makes me very happy.

  204. 204.

    The Moar You Know

    He is suing a company that was selling untrained 3 month old Labs as trained service dogs, for 25,000. (3 months old! That should be a tipoff right there.)

    @Elizabelle: I raise puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. It’s a 1.5 to 2 year long process per dog, and that’s just the basics. They do another six months of advance training before (IF they pass) being paired with a human partner. The fake service dog thing sends me around the bend for several reasons.

    1. It’s understandable. We lock dogs out of a lot of public places where they don’t need to be banned from. Including most restaurants. Europe allows it and it’s fine. Of course, they bother to train their dogs. America needs to get serious about that.
    2. Also all too understandable: no safe way to transport a dog on a plane unless it’s in the cabin with you.
    3. Given 1 & 2 are legit problems, passing your dog off as an ADA service dog when it isn’t is immoral as fuck. You really can’t get much lower than that.

    People always ask “why is there no national registry?” For one, the ADA didn’t allow for one. That’s the public reason. The non-public reason is that the disabled remember very well what happened the last time a society set up a national registry of disabled folks (Germany, starting late 1920s) and that didn’t work out too well for them.

  206. 206.

    Tarragon

    @rikyrah:

    In this Netflix limited series, we now gotta cast Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti.

    Stormy is an actress; Why not Stormy as herself?

  209. 209.

    The Moar You Know

    I know…it really is heartbreaking, because you’re a true patriot that loves this country.

    @rikyrah: Never would have described myself as such, but I guess it’s true.

  210. 210.

    KithKanan

    @Elizabelle: There is a signature requirement (or in lieu of signatures a filing fee of 2% of the annual salary of the position), but it’s absurdly low – 7,000 signatures for statewide office in an state with almost 19 million registered voters – and the legislature passed a law last year decreasing that number of signatures (from 10,000) for reasons I don’t begin to understand.

    The whole concept of ‘some selecting process’ goes against the whole non-partisan jungle primary system. In CA, someone can put whatever party they want next to their name, but (aside from Presidential primaries) it has no legal effect. If the parties chose to endorse one person in the primary, they can, and it will be mentioned on a separate page of the voter guide/sample ballot. It’s a ludicrous system, designed by people who really hate political parties having institutional power – California may have a plurality of Democrats (44.6%), but in 2018 it has almost as many voters registered ‘no party preference’ as it has registered Republicans (25.0% vs 25.4%).

  211. 211.

    germy

    Last Thursday, Giuliani said 3 U.S. prisoners would be released from North Korea by the end of the day

    They have not been released

    The Secretary of State just confirmed there is no agreement

    WTF is Giuliani doing?

    https://t.co/gPxsbCUWDa
    — Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 8, 2018

    I honestly didn’t know anything about these prisoners until Rudy brought them up. I had no idea there were hostages.

    Back during the Carter administration, I remember the nightly news every night doing their top stories: “Iranian Hostage crisis! Day Five! Day Six! Day Seven!

    It was so relentless

    Chevy Chase mocked it on SNL’s weekend update in a parody of Johnny Carson’s “Great Karnac” routine. He held an envelope to his forehead and sang the calypso song “Day Oh! Day Oh!”

    Then opened the envelope and read “What is the day before the Iranian hostage crisis?”

    Why do some hostages get more attention than others?

  212. 212.

    Barbara

    @SFAW: When it comes to guns and aerospace the names usually escape me. Now, insurance companies I do know. Most of them have a large presence in Connecticut, but Aetna and CIGNA have a huge campus just outside of Hartford city limits.

  213. 213.

    Elizabelle

    @The Moar You Know:

    People always ask “why is there no national registry?” For one, the ADA didn’t allow for one. That’s the public reason. The non-public reason is that the disabled remember very well what happened the last time a society set up a national registry of disabled folks (Germany, starting late 1920s) and that didn’t work out too well for them.

    That’s cool that you work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. I’d love to do that, one of these days not too far off. Acclimate those puppies to being out and around.

    What do you mean by “no national registry?” Registry of what? Approved providers? Dogs? People needing service dogs?

    I was interested there aren’t certifications and standards for training and selling service dogs, although it sounds like they’re trying to formulate them. Hadn’t realized the industry was so scam-ready.

    What exactly did the ADA not allow for?

    And the comment about Nazis sounds gratuitious and kind of paranoid. Really? Maybe the “non-public reason” is crap and needs to be examined more carefully.

    Not trying to be harsh, but your comment struck me like those citing the Tuskegee experiments to say we should have no vaccine testing or provision, never, never, never.

  214. 214.

    Librarian

    Just get ready for the media orgasm over the release of the NK detainees. He’s going to milk it for all it’s worth, and the media will eat it up with a spoon. They’re already proclaiming it as a great victory for him.

  215. 215.

    rikyrah

    @bemused:

    The thought that savvy Avenatti, masterfully using media, constantly on air has got to really infuriate trump makes me very happy.

    Dolt45 WISHES that Avenatti was on his team.

  216. 216.

    rikyrah

    The discontents of modern conservativism

    ……………….

    What passes for the conservative movement is nothing but an old-fashioned, European-style fascist political moment. It is a movement based on racial animus. It is a movement based on blood and soil. It is a movement based on cultural chauvinism.

    And it is not new. This neo-fascism was always dormant among the right. When conservatives call liberals “fascists” for whatever malefaction we commit, it is nothing but projection. The John Birch Society was nothing but Nazism dressed up with an Orange County sheen. William F. Buckley, Jr., was no great intellect of high-minded conservatism, but as much of a gutter-dweller and anyone who wears a MAGA hat. “Conservative intellectualism” served merely to justify the horrible and unjustifiable.

    But even that veneer of intellectualism (remember, the Nazi Party was staffed by numerous men who possessed doctorates) has gone by the wayside. It was too pansy, too effeminate. It spoke in language which good, honest Americans couldn’t understand. It took too many words to lay out plain facts.

    No Republican Brahmin works for Donald Trump. No Republican Brahmin wants anything to do with him. The reason Trump hires awful people is because only awful people will work for him. Anyone with an ounce of self-respect has steered clear of the kakistocracy.

    What people like Jennifer Rubin and Steve Schmidt have realized is that the ideology they served no longer exists. In fact, it never existed. They were peddling for a world view which had no factual basis. They wrote screeds and worked for politicians who didn’t believe any of the conservative gobbledygook they sold to the lumpen menschen. They’re realizing how wedded to racist tropes and anti-liberal (liberal in the broadest sense of the term) ideology it is. It was clear to anyone from the outside viewing in how quickly the Republican Party was running towards fascism. It’s harder for someone on the inside to see the danger. It took a shock to the system like Trump to shake them out of their stupor. And you hear less and less talk about saving the party, or reforming conservatism. As it exists now, it is nothing but an ideological danger to the republic.

    So what now?

  218. 218.

    Barbara

    @Librarian: You know, I don’t think people at large care about North Korea. Seriously. They are going to be far more cognizant of rising gas prices because of the Iran sanctions idiocy.

  219. 219.

    KithKanan

    @Elizabelle: I ran out of edit-window, but there is a reason the jungle primary law is non-partisan. California has been open-primary-curious for a while, and voters passed an initiative in 1996 allowing for a completely open primary with the top vote-getter from each party proceeding to the general. It was thrown out by SCOTUS in 2000 on freedom-of-association grounds. Since the jungle primary ignores parties altogether, it avoids that complaint – which is also why Presidential primaries are the one primary that is open or closed at party discretion, since there is no way to make them non-partisan.

    For the 1996 open primary initiative, see https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_198,_the_Open_Primary_Act_(1996)

  221. 221.

    rikyrah

    On @Lawrence this was brought up. I watched ten different shows last night so I may be getting confused but I believe Lawrence did bring up the fact this could link to Trump and turn into BRIBERY (which is a crime) and that the RNC would be involved. https://t.co/WLkwePLkd8

    — Ale (@aliasvaughn) May 9, 2018

  222. 222.

    Elizabelle

    @KithKanan: I would love to be a California resident again, if I can ever afford it. Got to vote for Jerry Brown in 2010 — that felt good! Was out there for about 2.5 years; loved it because realized it was likely to be short-term.

  223. 223.

    zhena gogolia

    @SFAW:

    I’m going to go with Время пошло, подонки — but it ain’t perfect. You need a native speaker for this one.

    This is more like “Time’s up, bastards.” The “mother” curse words tend not to be nouns.

  224. 224.

    zhena gogolia

    @SFAW:

    Using Cyrillic puts me into moderation. I’m going with “Vremia poshlo, podonki” — but it ain’t perfect. You need a native speaker for this one. This is more like “Time’s up, bastards.” The “mother” curse words tend not to be nouns. You’ll have to figure out the Cyrillic because I can’t use Cyrillic on this blog for some reason.

  225. 225.

    The Moar You Know

    That’s cool that you work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. I’d love to do that, one of these days not too far off. Acclimate those puppies to being out and around.

    @Elizabelle: It’s emotionally grueling and not for everyone. They give you an eight-week old puppy, you raise the lil critter to be an adult, and then have to give him/her back right when you’ve got them dialed in. I think our next will be our last. But I’ve talked to some of the recipients. That helps.

    What do you mean by “no national registry?” Registry of what? Approved providers? Dogs? People needing service dogs?

    I was interested there aren’t certifications and standards for training and selling service dogs, although it sounds like they’re trying to formulate them. Hadn’t realized the industry was so scam-ready.

    What exactly did the ADA not allow for?

    No registry of approved dogs. No registry of recipients. No ID provided or required. You can, in theory, self-certify an animal. All this needs to stop. I’d like to see GDB and CCI certified and that’s all for a while, until other orgs have proven themselves able to handle it and not turn it into a money making circus.

    And the comment about Nazis sounds gratuitious and kind of paranoid. Really? Maybe the “non-public reason” is crap and needs to be examined more carefully.

    It’s not crap. I’ve spent plenty of time talking to the people who get these dogs. Given how we’ve treated the disabled in this country – never mind Nazi Germany – I would hesitate myself.

  226. 226.

    zhena gogolia

    @SFAW:

    I like podonki rather than mudak, because mudak can be just a harmless idiot. They are mudaki too, of course, but I think their podonki qualities are more dangerous.

  227. 227.

    Elizabelle

    @The Moar You Know: But a registry of approved providers for actually trained service dogs would be a great help to those who need a service animal.

    A lot of legislation can be made a lot better once it’s been in practice for a while. Consumer protection is sexy, especially when it benefits the most vulnerable among us.

    Again, applause for raising those lil pups. Very important work. I think I will look into getting on a list soon.

  228. 228.

    Yarrow

    @rikyrah: You and I know that OF COURSE the RNC is involved. As we said above, nothing else makes sense. They knew. They all knew. Trump, his family, his associates, his campaign staff, top GOP officials, some middle and lower level GOP officials. ALL TRAITORS. They knew. In some cases they even approved it. They took their cut. TRAITORS.

  229. 229.

    rikyrah

    @Yarrow:

    @rikyrah: You and I know that OF COURSE the RNC is involved. As we said above, nothing else makes sense. They knew. They all knew. Trump, his family, his associates, his campaign staff, top GOP officials, some middle and lower level GOP officials. ALL TRAITORS. They knew. In some cases they even approved it. They took their cut. TRAITORS.

    TRAITORS ALL!!

  230. 230.

    KithKanan

    @Elizabelle: I understand – I love it here, but the cost of living is completely out of control. I certainly question why I stay at times.

    The jungle primary was on the ballot in 2010, if you voted in the June primary that year. It was put on the ballot as a condition of my then-state senator (Abel Maldanado, one of the last moderate Republican holdouts in the state at the time) agreeing to a budget deal. I think he was hoping the lack of partisan primaries would force his fellow Republicans in the state to moderate to get on the general election ballot, but in practice it doesn’t seem to have worked out that way. Voters who still call themselves Republicans are anything but moderate, but about 10% of registered voters have stopped calling themselves Republicans since 2006 (about 2% became Democrats, the other 8% no party preference).

  232. 232.

    J R in WV

    @Brendan in NC:

    The biggest upset in my area of N.C. came in the Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) Sheriff race. The incumbent came in last in a 3 way race. He supports 287(g); his 2 rivals did not…

    For those of us not intimate with NC issues, what the heck is 287(g) and how does it affect RWNJs running for office in NC? Please?

    ETA: Thanks all for more details already in the thread!!!

    Read the thread, then comment! When will I learn that?

  233. 233.

    Elizabelle

    @rikyrah:
    @Yarrow:

    I would love, love, love if Mueller referred a RICO investigation (or indictment) against the RNC. Cohen can be the door in. (And we all remember — here at BJuice anyway — about Steve Wynn and how he was a huge RNC finance guy. Down the memory hole, off the front pages. Big Money protects itself.)

    This is a big and terrible hydra of corruption, and you have got to whack it back. It’s compromised our democracy. It is criminal.

  238. 238.

    Mike J

    @Elizabelle:

    There should be a signature requirement, and some selecting process so voters don’t have ten candidates.

    The selecting process would be a primary run by the parties.

  240. 240.

    john b

    @Baud: That incumbent who lost (Pittenger) is in a neighboring district (used to be my district before maps were redrawn) and all he does is kiss Trump’s ass and talk about abortion. Thank goodness he’s gone. Also, more voters voted for the Dem primary candidate than total voters for the R primary for the same seat, fwiw.

  241. 241.

    Yarrow

    @Elizabelle:

    I would love, love, love if Mueller referred a RICO investigation (or indictment) against the RNC.

    It’ll happen. There really isn’t another option. They are committed treason as an organization. They laundered Russian money. They will pay.

  245. 245.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @J R in WV: Well, since you’re in WV you can answer a question about your state. It’s good that Blankenship lost, because he’s a terrible person, a criminal, an unrepentant murderer. But the guy who did win the R primary, what’s he like and how are his chances?

  247. 247.

    Yarrow

    @Elizabelle: The NRA is also under investigation for laundering Russian money. One that hasn’t quite percolated up is the money laundering racket by evangelical organizations. Not sure when that one will get the air it needs.

  250. 250.

    Elizabelle

    @Yarrow: We just can’t keep up. And we are actually interested (and worry over the dangers these groups pose), unlike our buds in the elite media, no?

  251. 251.

    The Moar You Know

    But a registry of approved providers for actually trained service dogs would be a great help to those who need a service animal.

    @Elizabelle: Almost: it would be a tremendous help to the people who actually USE one. They get harassed all the time. If you need one, even under the current system you’ll get steered to the right folks.

    Again, applause for raising those lil pups. Very important work. I think I will look into getting on a list soon.

    Find your nearest chapter of Guide Dogs for the Blind or Canine Companions for Independence and talk to the group leader. They will probably have you come to a few meetings and then start off “puppysitting” for raisers who need a vacation and eventually graduate you to a full-time raiser. Took me about two years. They need raisers. Of the two I recommend GDB as they handle medical bills – not well, but they do pay. CCI, you pay for everything. You write it off on your taxes, but you pay for it all. Most people can’t afford to do that.

  252. 252.

    J R in WV

    @Yarrow:

    We’d also be better off if they got together, decided on the two or three questions of the day, then kept asking them until they were answered. She doesn’t answer, the next reporter asks the same question in a slightly different way. Keep pressing.

    But THAT would be COLLUSION against the President!!!

    Seriously, I get where you’re coming from, and I agree philosophically. But the nut jobs would howl about the collusion against OUR Presidunce. (sic, on purpose) You know they would.

  254. 254.

    Yarrow

    @Quinerly: I’m kind of shocked too. Even an open thread with a link to coverage via WaPo or something would suffice. Front pagers, where are you?

    @Elizabelle: It’s a firehose of treason. The elite media is too concerned with access. The best thing that could happen to them (okay, us) is to have their White House press passes taken away so they didn’t sit in the stenographer’s room and report verbatim what Lying Sarah says each day. Do some actual reporting.

  255. 255.

    eric U.

    the labs in the mechanical engineering building at Penn State were broken into and vandalized. Hoping none of the labs I’m affiliated with were involved.

  256. 256.

    Yarrow

    @J R in WV: So fucking what. Let them howl. Americans deserve to have questions answered and media that depends on “access” is easily cowed.

  258. 258.

    rikyrah

    @Yarrow:

    @Elizabelle: It’s a firehose of treason. The elite media is too concerned with access. The best thing that could happen to them (okay, us) is to have their White House press passes taken away so they didn’t sit in the stenographer’s room and report verbatim what Lying Sarah says each day. Do some actual reporting.

    ICAM.

    Force the muthaphuckas to do actual REPORTING.

    what a thought!!

  259. 259.

    Quinerly

    @Yarrow: Front Pagers picked a fine time to just abandon us. This Haspel chick’s hearing is stepping all over Trump’s gloating about the hostage release.

  260. 260.

    Elizabelle

    @Yarrow: I agree. I’d replace the fuckers in the DC press corpse with sports reporters. Or environmental reporters.

    Anyone who is fact-based and cares about outcomes. Unlike those dildoes.

  261. 261.

    Barbara

    Gina Haspel basically just said that waterboarding is okay if we do it because we follow laws but it’s not okay if anyone else does it because they don’t follow laws.

  262. 262.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Sloane Ranger: New sanctions aren’t worth the paper it would be written on; the rest of the world sees Iran as in compliance so all the Republicans are going to make some European reseller happy. And what is Trump planning to do, invade Iran, trash the country and then place the legally elected president of Iran on trial for what? Not being white? This isn’t like Iraq were Saddam was seen as little more than a mob boss calling himself president.

    I believe that’s why Cheryl and Adam see Trump as an easily manipulated sucker. The Iranians used Trump’s vanity to break the coalition that had Iran isolated.

  263. 263.

    Elizabelle

    @Barbara: Damn her. One of our biggest problems was allowing lawyers like John Yoo and David Addington into government service. They should have been disbarred and not be able to travel freely.

    No idea what Addington is doing now, but Yoo is a law school prof. It’s so wrong.

  265. 265.

    rikyrah

    #NAPPINGONCAMPUSWHILEBLACK
    ——————–
    Black student reported to YPD for napping in dormitory common room
    MAY 08, 2018

    Yale Police officers on Monday evening interrogated a black graduate student, Lolade Siyonbola GRD ’19, for more than 15 minutes, after a white graduate student reported Siyonbola to the police for sleeping in the HGS common room.

    “You’re in a Yale Building and we need to make sure that you belong here,” one of the officers said to Siyonbola, according to a video of the incident Siyonbola posted to Facebook.

    The incident gained significant traction on social media after Siyonbola posted two videos on Facebook on early Tuesday morning — one of her interactions with the white student and another of her interactions with the police. As of Tuesday evening, a video showing her interacting with police has garnered more than 324,000 views, 5,300 reactions, and 9,000 comments. Over 6,000 people have shared it. In the video, Siyonbula accused the police of harassing her.

    “I deserve to be here; I paid tuition like everybody else; I am not going to justify my existence here,” Siyonbola told one of the police officers on video after she was asked to “sit tight” while they verified her student information. “I am not going to be harassed.”

  266. 266.

    Jim

    Count me among those awful people who used to think of Dolly Parton simply as a caricature of herself. As I subsequently learned, she has done a lot of good with her money. Not that it will ever get me to go to Dollywood, but I have a much better appreciation of her than I used to.

  267. 267.

    Elizabelle

    Betty has just put up a fresh thread on the Haspel hearings.

    Nice that a torture apologist gets a hearing, but Merrick Garland did not. Grrrrr. Not watching.

  268. 268.

    Kathleen

    @Kay: My state rep’s district (29) is so gerrymandered no Dem ran for the seat. Used to be solid Dem district served by Steve and Denise Driehaus.

  271. 271.

    Ruckus

    @Kay:
    When I lived in OH I could never understand the concept that everyone belongs to the Carhartt/lunch bucket bragade.
    None of my neighbors or co-workers did.

  272. 272.

    J R in WV

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Patrick Morrisey won the R primary for the Senate seat. He’s stupid, currently the AG, proud of various law suits he joined in to attack the Great Society, the New Deal, Reproductive Rights, GunSafety, Medical Insurance, hmmm, I’m sure I’m leaving some out…

    A mad dog RWNJ, actually. Who made and ran repeatedly a commercial with Morrisey in a gun shop, surrounded by enthused Republican supporters, unable to hold a rifle properly even there in the gun shop. I was amazed, did he never watch a John Wayne movie, or a SWAT team tv show? Evidently not. That film clip disappeared from the commercial after he was made fun of by everyone else.

    He and his wife were part of the DC swamp, he now has a house in the far Eastern Panhandle of WV so he can claim to live here, along with lots of other commuters who take the socialist train into town every day for work. While he fights the opioid epidemic, his wife lobbies for drug companies. He used to, but moved on up into elective politics. I hope I haven’t mixed up commercial claims between candidates, there were a lot of ads that last week or so.

  273. 273.

    J R in WV

    @J R in WV:

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: just to add, I’m late responding to your question because I hit the shower to prep for routine semi-annual dentist appointments early this afternoon. Been seeing the same folks for at least 20 or 25 years, they do a great job. Plus I had to build up to discussing the slime mold that won the R primary.

  274. 274.

    Kathleen

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: I know thread is dead but yes! A friend of mine was volunteer coordinator for his Clerk of Courts campaign. Love that guy. Will try to catch up with you on a more current thread! I met you at our meet-up!

  275. 275.

    Procopius

    @WereBear:

    … if we get out their vote we know they won’t want to go back to the bronze age the way a Republican voter will.

    Problem is, the Centrists (i.e., New Democrats) who run the DNC/DCCC/DSCC don’t want to spend money on getting voters to vote. They believe it’s much more effective to buy TV and Facebook ads and hire consultants (who also run the committees).

  276. 276.

    EveryDayIHaveTheBlues

    @Kathleen: Oh, of course. You were sitting one removed from me. Yes, I remember now! I was thinking that the name was familiar… we’ll definitely catch up on a current thread.

Comments are closed.