I almost never do this but I’d like you to help me raise some money for a local candidate. I live in New York’s 55th Senate District which has a 41-28 Democratic registration advantage, but has been represented by a Republican since 2014 (awful year for Democrats, if you remember). This year, the incumbent is retiring, so it’s an open seat and a great pick-up opportunity. I just got a call from the Democratic nominee (I used to be pretty involved in local politics and am still on a lot of lists), Samra Brouk, and I was very impressed with her. You can see her website here. There aren’t many candidates like her around here…I was going to explain this but I can’t without turning this into a podcast.
The truth is, this race is a slam dunk if Samra raises enough money. She’s running against a self-funder.
Update: Thanks everybody! The rationale for caring about this race is a good deal stronger than I originally though. Dems are nearing veto-proof majorities in both houses in NY and with members who are way to the left of Andrew Cuomo.
Celebrating Jackals: “The Fine Art of Rug Hooking” by donnah
Brett
Thanks for highlighting this race.
Nicole
Done. For you, anything. (Well, I guess for another Democratic pickup by a good candidate, anything, too. )
DougJ
@Nicole:
Thank you very much! She really seems like a great candidate.
Elizabelle
Samra sounds wonderful. Put in a small donation; look forward to donating to her again.
Thank you, Doug, for bringing Samra to our attention. It sounds like a winnable race.
Hey, and do the podcast on Samra and your district!
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Done! I can’t contribute much but I’m trying to put money in any race we could flip or are vulnerable in. Thank you for putting this up.
rikyrah
You keep on finding good candidates. Thanks. :)
rikyrah
Have you highlighted Lauren Underwood of Illinois?
A self-funding milk/ice cream mogul is running against her.
Nicole
@Elizabelle: It’s nice to have DougJ keeping us up to date on a lot of the races that aren’t getting as much media attention. I mean, while I obviously want Amy McGrath to win (slim as the chance is, I know), she doesn’t need any money from me; she’s raising plenty. It’s good to be directed to send some dollars to races where it is needed, and where there’s a better shot at a pickup.
I set up a small monthly donation to ActBlue back in 2016, when I was really in the pits of despair for them to direct wherever they saw fit. Administration costs are a thing, and no one ever wants to cover them.
Benw
Fine, take my $ :)
Thanks Doug
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Lloyd Cole?
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Harrumph. Neil Young!
germy
@Nicole:
McGrath was just on The View today.
Meghan McCain tried a bunch of “gotcha” questions, but McGrath handled them expertly. Made a good case for herself.
frosty
Great post title! One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums. Pitched in a few bucks.
Vidya Pradhan
Done. Happy to see my money going to a likely pickup for a change!
Stacy
Happy to support a Rochester Dem!
Another Scott
Happy to help.
Go get ’em Samra!
Cheers,
Scott.
Chyron HR
@germy:
Do any of the guests on The View ever tell the lesser McCain that she’s just a less talented Kardashian, or would that be too rude?
Yutsano
@germy: I’m going to look for those clips on YouTube a bit later. They usually don’t show up until after the Pacific coast airing. I would love to watch Meghan get swatted around for the second day in a row!
oatler.
@Chyron HR:
I just wish someone would call her out on her vocal-fried gabbling.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
however you feel about the Lincoln Project, I think this is fucking hilarious.
@Chyron HR: How dare you! The Kardashians are rich and famous for being famous. Meghan is rich and famous because her heiress- mother is rich and her dead father was famous.
I don’t know how she doesn’t get mocked more, honestly. All that un-self-aware self-importance makes such a huge target. I know SNL has taken a couple of half-hearted stabs at it, but maybe she’s not famous enough for people to get the joke.
WaterGirl
Doug, what would be “enough money” for a race at this level?
Ken
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
“You could become famous just for being, well, famous. It occurred to the Patrician that this was an extremely dangerous thing and he might probably have to have someone killed one day, although it would be with reluctance. (On his part, that is. Their reluctance probably goes without saying.)”
– Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures
Nicole
@germy: Oh cool! I can’t stand The View, but I may look up the clip just to see McGrath handle McCain. I enjoyed watching Mary Trump do it.
Elizabelle
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I laughed.
Have to watch that link, though. It goes into immediate repeat. Which might be another “gotcha” for The Donald.
Hillary warned us.
Elizabelle
@Nicole: Mary Trump was so cool in analyzing the lesser McCain’s jabs and responding. Impressive.
Kinda hope Megan goes on a three-year maternity leave. She does not make for good television. Do better, The View.
pamelabrown53
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Yep! Pretty hilarious! Did you see the reply about what is more trusted than Trump?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Nicole: Mediaite dot com, while fairly right-leaning, seems to do daily “What’s Meghan Shrieking About?” posts. She must drive traffic. I went to see if they have today’s, but I got distracted by this:
Gotta be Colbert, right? Maybe Kimmel? Kimmel’s more vicious, which would get his attention. I’ve gotten out of the habit of watching.
ETA: @pamelabrown53: those are great!
Ken
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s not like Trump has anything to do other than watch comedians on TV.
Ken
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The Lincoln Project cut really makes the hesitations when he’s reciting obvious. Like the one where he pauses after man and only continues after looking at the camera.
Also, on the last recital he does the first four words then they cut to the interviewer while he’s saying “TV”. Anyone got any sound analysis software, to see if that “TV” is identical to one of the others?
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Made a modest donation. A lot of the ills in this country can be traced to the Republicans successful focus on state legislatures, so it would be nice to flip as many of those seats as possible.
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Colbert seemed kind of lost for about a week, but I think he’s looked like he’s having a great time lately, seems to have settled into it very well. We were not regular late-night TV watchers, but we’ve been rotating between clips of Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Jimmy Fallon throughout lockdown. All of them adapted amazingly well as far as I could tell.
Colbert and Fallon have family to bounce the jokes off. And now Fallon is back in the studio. Trevor as far as I can tell is home completely alone, not even a pet, and he’s been doing great.
So as usual, I have no idea who Trump is talking about or what original factual thing that might have referred to before being laundered through the muck in his brain. Maybe he saw one of the Colbert shows from right after lockdown. Those were kind of sad.
James E Powell
@Elizabelle:
The people who run The View apparently believe they need a Resident Republican. Maybe McCain is the best of the lot?
Suzanne
Reposting from an earlier thread:
Oh, and BTW, the Arizona/Maricopa County Democratic Party office in midtown Phoenix caught on fire last night. It looks like the building is a total loss. Police are investigating the cause.
Two Confederate memorials in AZ were removed last night.
If this is a coincidence…. it’s quite a coincidence.
rikyrah
Don’t blame them. Protect yourself.
Costa Rica will ban American tourists from entering when it reopens airports to visitors from around the world next month
Costa Rica will permit travelers from the European Union, United Kingdom and Canada starting August 1
All passengers must will be required to show proof of negative COVID-19 tests and have medical insurance coverage
The Central American nation is banning tourists from the United States Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica’s capital San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in the northeast city of Liberia will reopen
Costa Rican government closed off its border to international visitors March 16
The Bahamas is another popular tourist destination that has banned American
By REUTERS and ADRY TORRES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Elizabelle
@rikyrah:
You will like this. I am told by a friend in Springfield that kids who graduated (virtually!) from the former
RE LeeHigh School will be receiving a second diploma this summer.In the name of John R. Lewis High School. Thought of you right away when I learned that. (On FB. I will be watching for follow-up evidence.)
JPL
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Are you sure that he’s not talking about Jack Parr? person woman man camera tv
oldster
That’s a very impressive life story. Strong candidate
Doug, are you hearing any rumors about the House race in NY-23? That’s Mitrano vs Reed.
Marcopolo
So I went to my campaign donation spreadsheet–yeah, I’m a nerd, typed in Samra Brook to create a new entry and found I had already donated to her! What a pleasant surprise. Apparently she was included in a Juneteenth candidate fundraising list put together by RunForSomething. This, of course, only makes my appreciation for the work that RunForSomething is doing even greater. Anyways, I wish her luck, threw her a little more today, and for anyone who is interested in checking out the 40+ folks that were on the RunForSomthing Juneteenth ActBlue page here it is.
JPL
I’m not sure if it has been mentioned but Barron’s school will not be fully opening in the fall.
JPL
@Suzanne: That is awful. It might be time to donate to the democratic party in AZ.
DougJ
@WaterGirl:
maybe half a mill. You’d want at least one mill ideally but she could probably pull it out with half a mill
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Colbert himself is pretty sure it’s him. He did a bit during his opening monologue last night. One of the Jimmys is off for the summer, and the other is back in the studio, so by process of elimination….
DougJ
@oldster:
No, what are people saying about it?
WaterGirl
@DougJ: For real? For a state senator race? Holy shit, that’s a lot of money.
JPL
OT The ghost of Leni Riefenstahl is in the White House. McEnany just showed a propaganda film in order to justify the secret police in Portland. I’m sick
oldster
@DougJ:
Beats me — I was hoping you had an ear to the ground.
Reed is one of the trumpiest of the trumpy, despite occasional attempts to disguise the fact. Mitrano appeals to the Ithaca edge of the district, but will have more trouble in the agricultural, Lake-Erie-adjacent western sections.
In a normal year, I would put Mitrano’s odds very low. But this year, things are different, and she may pull it off. Sending Reed packing would be an excellent outcome — let him go back to his former business, suing people bankrupted by medical bills.
dogwood
@rikyrah: Underwood is one of my very favorites. I’ve already given to her. She’s got a great resume and seems exceptionally committed to to public service. She’s an impressive, young black woman who doesn’t seem interested in the celebrity aspect of politics which is a plus for me. The camera obsessed on both sides of the aisle wear me out.
Lyrebird
@DougJ: Thanks for promoting this race.
Further east, I doubt we have a chance to flip a seat just west of Albany
..since we had a more capable challenger last time but didn’t prevail against Tedisco.
Sounds like local party leadership is a bit contentious too.
Brouk comes across as awesome and the State House could use some of that!
DougJ
@WaterGirl:
It’s very corrupt too. A lot of the money comes from god knows where. That’s part of why a veto-proof Democratic majority would be good. Better chance of ethics reform. My dream is that Spitzer comes back and runs against Cuomo. He was serious about reform. I realize he was imperfect in other ways.
DougJ
@oldster:
Going to be interesting to see polling this year on House races. Biden is running *way* ahead of Clinton with white voters, so there could be some unexpectedly tight races.
Yutsano
@Lyrebird: I love the last line of that article though. If that ain’t some true shit I don’t know what is.
Marcopolo
@rikyrah: I love Lauren Underwood. She was one of my red to blue candidates in 2018. In the current political environment I think she has a very good chance of winning re-election despite Oberweis’ deep self-funding pockets. Cook has it rated at lean D & Oberweis has a history of running & losing statewide & federal races:
I actually stopped drinking Oberweiss milk over a decade ago when I realized he owned the company (they actually have a couple Oberweis ice cream stores in St Louis County).
Marcopolo
@DougJ: From following Cook Political & Sabato’s Crystal Ball the current consensus on US House races is that as of a week or two ago Ds are now more likely to pick up additional seats than lose a few of the stretch seats they won in 2018. There were already the two gimme House seats in NC from redistricting but I think the election folks are looking at pick ups in TX, another seat in VA, maybe one or two in the Carolinas, and maybe AK or MT. The thinking at the beginning of the year was Peterson in MN was toast but I think they’ve backed off of that.
The seat I would really like to see flip is MO-2. I live in MO-1 right next door and knocked a lot of doors in 2018 leading up to a 52R-48D loss, which was a hell of a lot closer than anyone thought it would be. We have a better candidate this year–also better funded–and I am really hoping the suburban shift happening for Biden also happens for Jill Schupp.
germy
@Lyrebird:
Tedisco is dug in like a tick. He doesn’t do much but symbolic stuff. He’s been in politics forever.
germy
germy
Here’s something Tedra Cobb retweeted:
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
UNCW resident ass Mike Adams found dead in his house. No info yet on cause.
zhena gogolia
@germy:
I can’t stand Stefanik!
zhena gogolia
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
Wow, I hadn’t heard about all that.
germy
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
Maybe he cancelled himself.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: I never heard of Mike Adams and I had to google UNCW.
WereBear
We just watched the Democratic press conference and I have never seen the Speaker so fired up.
Lyrebird
Very apt. Thanks for reminding me to send a few bucks to Tedra Cobb, though!
@Yutsano: Yes, true words from someone who has persisted through some major hardship. Maybe she can take the mayor’s seat next time around, though frankly I am not sure I would wish the job on anyone right now.
Marcopolo
@JPL:
I think this makes a pretty good counterpoint to KM’s press briefing propaganda:
Kay
Trump congratulating his thugs for attacking his political enemy.
What’s the price tag on this campaign work they’re doing for Donald Trump? How much have they billed the US public so far for this stunt?
Homeland Security can’t manage to get PPE to nursing homes, but they apparently have endless amounts of funding and manpower to funnel to Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
germy
Kay
Are the “cancel culture” people embarrassed that the worst people in the country have grabbed their phrase and are now using it as a cudgel against 99% of the country?
No one saw that coming, huh?
They’re invoking “cancel culture” as a reason to grab demonstrators off the street and stuff them into unmarked vans.
Good job, elites! Stellar work, as always. We’re all going to die defending the “right” of 17 people to continue their employment at the NYTimes.
J R in WV
@Nicole:
We’ve been doing this since a long time ago as well, and it makes me feel better too! Funding the infrastructure is important!
WaterGirl
@WereBear: Is there a link?
Kay
David Brooks et al looked around at the smoking ruin of this country and said “the biggest issue here is that NYTimes editor had to resign”
If elites are wondering why they’ve lost so much ground they MIGHT want to consider becoming even somewhat relevant to reality. There’s a …disconnect.
Marcopolo
So here’s the latest reporting on the pandemic in MO: Missouri sees record-high numbers of new COVID-19 cases.
In the meantime, our Governor has embarked on a statewide tour to talk about his efforts to, yes, combat crime & promote law & order. He’s also just called a special session of the legislature to address this most pressing topic. Combined with his remarks about re-opening schools:
I really think he is trying to give Nicole Galloway, our D nominee for governor a chance to win. Polling that came out last week had MO basically tied for President (which is absurd in a good way but here we are). Galloway trailed Parsons by 7 or 8 in that poll, but the way things are going here in MO, I think there will be a real contest.
PS, there weren’t any comments on that Post Dispatch story yet, but we have a regular stable of covidiots who post on Covid-19 reporting. If you want a taste of what sane folks here are up against take a look in a few hours.
JimBrockmire
She looks like a great candidate. I currently live in the city just west of Alexander and I’m moving into that cutout in Brighton this fall so I won’t be able to vote for her but I’m very happy to throw some money her way
JimBrockmire
This inspired me to look up neighboring SD 56 where I have resided for about a year. Dems seem to have a similar registration edge here (43-25) and is also an open seat with a retiring Republican rep. Is Jeremy Cooney any good? Seems like another decent pickup opportunity.