Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

The revolution will be supervised.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

I was promised a recession.

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

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

In my day, never was longer.

I really should read my own blog.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

No one could have predicted…

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Be Optimistic!

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Be Optimistic!

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Jen Rubin is still having fun handbagging her old GOP comrades, and I am here for it. “Be optimistic — unlike the sad-sack Republicans”:

… ABC News reports on its latest poll with Ipsos: “Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) are optimistic about the direction of the country.… The last time the country came close to that level of optimism about the coming year was in December 2006, when 61% said they were optimistic about where the country was headed.” (I promise, Americans won’t get tired of winning.)

Nevertheless, most Republicans remain grouchy, angry and depressed. The poll reports: “Partisanship appears to be the largest driver of pessimism with Republicans (60%) most likely to say they are pessimistic. Aside from Republicans, no other group appears to be more pessimistic than optimistic.”

These sad sacks would rather deny good news and continue to catastrophize about the downfall of Western civilization than acknowledge improved conditions as the country clears the 100-day mark under President Biden. They might be right to be gloomy, given that Biden’s success is a repudiation of the former guy; that a jury convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd (right-wing media seems crushed by the verdict); and that center-left policies remain popular. On that last score, 52 percent “think the federal government should spend to revitalize the economy, even if it raises taxes — including 80% of Democrats and 54% of independents.” Bidenomics seems to be doing fairly well…

They gripe about policy “crises,” such as the rise in unaccompanied minors arriving at the southern border. But as soon as the situation improves, they instantly lose interest. It seems their response to good news amounts to, “Well, that’s not going to work to inflame the base!”…

If the goal of Republicans is to create a parallel political universe that corresponds to their white grievance philosophy and antagonism toward functional democracy, I suppose they are right to be down in the dumps. The rest of the country can breathe easier, enjoying the presence of a decent, empathetic and generally competent administration.

And then there’s this guy…

Reader Interactions

131Comments

  3. 3.

    debbie

    Anything that kneecaps Stephen Miller is good for the country. More, please!

  10. 10.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Narya: ​
     

    That’s great. How do you feel? Are you working toward something?

    I’m a long-time ultramarathoner so always like to see people try running no matter the distance.

  11. 11.

    mrmoshpotato

    These sad sacks of shit would rather deny good news and continue to catastrophize about the downfall of Western civilization than acknowledge improved conditions as the country clears the 100-day mark under President Biden.

    Fixed.

  12. 12.

    Kay

    The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced today that it has selected Richard Cordray as the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid. Cordray is the former Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the former Attorney General of Ohio. Federal Student Aid is responsible for managing the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, including grants, work-study and loans for students attending college or career school.

    Thrilled. I could not be more pleased.
    This is especially important right now because Congress has allocated hundreds of millions to career training post-high school as an alternative to college. The vultures are already circling, hoping to rob 17 year olds with scammy programs. Fake “apprenticeships” that are really just low wage jobs, that sort of things. They’re popping up like noxious weeds.
    You need an obsessive like Cordray to keep the crooks, flim flammers and profiteers away from 17 year olds.
    Bravo. Good pick.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    Aside from Republicans, no other group appears to be more pessimistic than optimistic.”

    As it should be.

  14. 14.

    MisterForkbeard

    Since it’s an OT, I’m doing a (very) early morning work training thing and we were asked to come up with an innovative idea in 5 minutes that would improve something or solve a problem.

    My suggestion was to buy everyone a $40 USB-powered coffee maker they could run from their work desk. At US engineering prices, if you’ve made people stay at their desks for an extra hour over the course of the year you’ve saved money. It was supposed to be a joke, but the attendees really like the idea >_<

  17. 17.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    President Biden hoping out of the caravan is so quintessentially Joe Biden.  He really likes what he does, always has.

    “Some people” deride so-called career politicians.  Biden’s showing the best of that career path.

    I read story sometime in the last year about him meeting a guy in Union Station, 7-10 years ago.  Guy missed his ride or something.  Not sure if Biden knew him or recognized him from train rides, whatever.  Gave him a lift.

    Wonderful man to finally have as president.

  24. 24.

    Amir Khalid

    I slipped on an unexpected patch of wet floor this morning and fell. I have sprained my left knee, which is stiff and slightly swollen. I can still walk, and I’ll be fine again in a few days; but in the meantime, crap.

  25. 25.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    I’m so glad he landed there. He belongs there. When he was at the CFPB Cordray came up with a theory that student loan lenders were “banks”, which allowed him to regulate them :)

    You have to stay one step ahead of the crooks. They have all the fancy, high priced legal talent. We (the people) need equally aggressive lawyers.

  28. 28.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @germy: I would think Kissinger would be considered some dirty hippie by the Trump admin.

  30. 30.

    Ken

    @Baud: If you’re the sort of person who goes on Oprah’s show, and when she announces “Everyone gets a thousand dollars!” you complain because the guy sitting next to you doesn’t deserve the money, you can’t really expect to enjoy life.

  34. 34.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Ivanka was running the Trump federally subsidized career training initiatives. Not kidding.

    We would have just flushed hundreds of millions down the toilet. I can’t imagine what the skim would have been – 40%? Every Trumpster with an LLC would have gotten a contract. The My Pillow guy would have a vocational school.

  40. 40.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: I know the list of sketchy activities from the Trump admin is very long, and many of their cons were more consequential in life or death terms, but I do hope history catches up with Princess Complicity at some point. The career training thing was such an obvious scam. Remember that bogus website? Good lord.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Even before the stimulus they directed hundreds of millions in new spending to it.

    Ivanka, Betsy DeVos and Justice Scalia’s son would have been in charge of allocating it. Just pile it up and burn it on the sidewalk. At least then their cronies wouldn’t benefit.

  46. 46.

    Baud

    @MisterForkbeard:

    At US engineering prices, if you’ve made people stay at their desks for an extra hour over the course of the year you’ve saved money. It was supposed to be a joke, but the attendees really like the idea >_<

    Have you factored in the increased pee breaks?  Maybe you should sell the coffee maker with a bed pan.  Or adult diapers. Whatever is most cost effective.

  49. 49.

    OzarkHillbilly

    ‘Out-of-control’ Chinese rocket falling to Earth could partially survive re-entry

    Part of a huge rocket that launched China’s first module for its Tianhe space station is falling back to Earth and could make an uncontrolled re-entry at an unknown landing point. The 30-metre high core of the Long March 5B rocket launched the “Heavenly Harmony” unmanned core module into low Earth orbit on 29 April from Wenchang in China’s Hainan province. The Long March 5B then itself entered a temporary orbit, setting the stage for one of the largest ever uncontrolled re-entries. Some experts fear it could land on an inhabited area.
    …………………….
    On Tuesday the core was orbiting Earth around every 90 minutes at about 27,600km/h and an altitude of more than 300km. The US military has named it 2021-035B and its path can be seen on websites including orbit.ing-now.com. Since the weekend it has dropped nearly 80km in altitude and SpaceNews reported that amateur ground observations showed it was tumbling and not under control. This, and its speed, makes it impossible to predict where it will land when Earth’s atmosphere eventually drags it down, though McDowell said the most likely outcome is that it will fall into the sea, as the ocean covers about 71% of the planet. But McDowell says some pieces of the rocket will survive re-entry and that it would be the “equivalent of a small plane crash scattered over 100 miles”.

    Since 1990 nothing over 10 tonnes has been deliberately left in orbit to re-enter uncontrolled. The Long March 5B core stage is thought to be about 21 tonnes.

    “What’s bad is that it’s really negligent on China’s part. Things more than ten tonnes we don’t let them fall out of the sky uncontrolled deliberately,” McDowell said.

    Based on its current orbit the rocket is passing over Earth as far north as New York, Madrid and Beijing and as far south as southern Chile and Wellington, New Zealand, and could make its re-entry at any point within this area. Given its velocity, a small change in its path could make a big difference to where it ends up. It’s expected to return to Earth on 10 May, plus or minus two days. McDowell said once it’s clear the day it is returning to Earth, experts could predict its landing time within a six-hour window.

    Heavenly Harmony could end it’s sonata on a rather discordant note.

  50. 50.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    What I loved about it is “apprenticeship” has a meaning. She redefined that word to mean “low wage job”.

    The target audience for this is kids 14 thru 17. Lambs lining up for slaughter. The TIME they would lose, too. They would lose 3 or 4 years that they can’t really get back.

    When you take an apprenticeship at that age you’re committing time you could have been doing something else. It has to pay off.  DeVos trumpeted this program out of Fort Wayne Indiana in food service. So she’s sending them to work in a restaurant instead of high school? The wages for those jobs are about 11 dollars an hour. She’s robbing them.

  52. 52.

    Geminid

    I now live within range of one of Washington all-news WTOP’s transmitters. Because it was a local story, their lead news item yesterday was Biden’s visit to Virginia. Their report on the visit included a soundbite from Bidens remarks.

    The messaging was succinct:  the pre-K, day care, and community college funding initiatives were vital investments, he said, and are paid for, “because Corporate America and the wealthiest Americans will pay their fair share.” A simple message, and I think a good one.

  55. 55.

    Betty Cracker

    @germy: Nah, it’ll land on and destroy our brand new septic system that cost more than a frickin’ car.

  57. 57.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @rikyrah: 
    Liz Cheney is playing the long game. Cheney is going to run for president in 2028 as a “moderate” Republican.

  59. 59.

    Geminid

    @mrmoshpotato: I would find Mike Lindel teaching fellow prison inmates to make pillows a very inspiring human interest story. It could happen, too.

  60. 60.

    Ken

    @germy: @Betty Cracker: Hey, you two, it’s the Republicans who are supposed to be pessimistic. Think of all the things that it might hit whose destruction would be a civic or societal improvement.

  63. 63.

    Geminid

    @The Thin Black Duke: I also think Cheney’s looking at 2028. I’ve thought for a while that Paul Ryan has that cycle in mind, too. Ryan is laying low, but he’s not done yet.

  65. 65.

    narya

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage:  I am doing this year-long virtual challenge–the brewery running series folks are doing it. There’s a route in each state (and territory!), and there are little wooden state-shaped magnets for each state’s route you complete–I finished Montana today, as a matter of fact. I’m old and slow, and I don’t particularly LIKE it, but I feel so much better when I do it. Today’s run felt great, actually–I increased my speed at the end. And all because a few years ago I was trying to come up with some cheap cardio, and I found the IL Brewery Running Series. That tiny little bit of motivation/reward keeps me doing it, so . . .

  68. 68.

    artem1s

    @Kay:

     Richard Cordray as the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid

    love this guy and glad to see he is in a position where he can do some good. I would have liked to see him throw his hat in the ring to take Portman’s seat though.  But that’s probably a career killing campaign for any Dem in Ohio.

    In worse news Nina Turner is probably going to come out on top in the primary to replace Marcia Fudge.  Even worse news someone came to my door collecting signatures for the Cleveland mayoral race and Dennis the Menace has decided to crawl out from under whatever anti-vaxxer vegan rock he’s been hiding under just to get some attention and grift off the local green party some more.  I suppose he could win given the WWC economic anxiety of west side voters, anti-choice Catholics, die hard Berners and old timey Dixiecrats still left in the city.  More likely he will split the vote in ways that will guarantee some pretty awful extremist performance artist will take the seat instead of someone who actually understands the complexity of the job and how to get anything accomplished in a city so racially divided. Four years of obstructing every development project and city initiative except free weed is not going to help this city at all.

  71. 71.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @OzarkHillbilly: That’s the problem isn’t it? Considering what a freak show the GOP is presently, it would be easy for Cheney to sell herself as the only Republican brave enough to rebel against Donald Trump, especially when it’s true. And if the crazies cause the GOP to lose big again in 2022 and 2024, Cheney will be seen as the savior to bring the GOP out of the wilderness.

  73. 73.

    Kay

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I think her decision was easy. She doesn’t have any choice. Once she denounced Trump she either had to work for a post- anti-Trump GOP or quit. It’s an easy bet. She has absolutely nothing to lose.

  74. 74.

    NotMax

    Skimmed the thread and saw no mention noting it is Star Wars Day.

    Take a Wookiee to lunch. Outdoors.

  75. 75.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    A few days ago, one of the front pagers posted the twitter thread  and video from Emma Newman about Operation Mallard, which was about the hatching of a brood of ducks on a 150-ft-high balcony in England. (What was your plan, Mrs. Mallard?)

    That all happened last year. Mrs. Mallard came back this year, this time had 11 eggs, and they are due to hatch at any moment, possibly today (if so, it happened hours ago) or tomorrow.

    Here’s an update. Emma’s Dad this time has a more elaborate lowering system designed to resist the expected winds. It’s based on his experience in the Royal Navy.

  76. 76.

    Frankensteinbeck

    If the goal of Republicans is to create a parallel political universe that corresponds to their white grievance philosophy and antagonism toward functional democracy

    …they are doing what their base demands and has thrown screaming, death-threat shit fits if they’re not provided since Obama was elected. Anyone remember McConnell and Rove having to publicly apologize for saying Obamacare did not include death panels?
    @Geminid: ​

    Ryan is laying low, but he’s not done yet.

    He may not know he’s done yet. He’s the perfect example of a candidate whose only constituency is the media.

  77. 77.

    MattF

    Rooting for injuries: Politico reports that Tucker Carlson is denouncing Kevin McCarthy. No link from me, but YAY.

  78. 78.

    Kay

    @artem1s:

    Sherrod Brown’s campaign manager is starting some kind of Ohio “project” to elect Democrats. I met with him once here – he took 4 of us to lunch. He’s an older white guy who came out of labor organizing. He’s smart and sort of refreshingly soft-spoken for someone in that job. A good listener.

    Ohio D’s need leadership. They’re just flailing. I think they’re beaten up enough now that they would accept cat-herding.

  80. 80.

    Baud

    @artem1s:

    In worse news Nina Turner is probably going to come out on top in the primary to replace Marcia Fudge.

    That is depressing news.

  81. 81.

    Geminid

    @Kay: Cheney first has to fight a tough primary next year. She’ll likely win, though, especially if she faces more than one trumpist candidate.

    I’m especially interested to see how fellow impeachers Adam Kinsinger (IL), Peter Meijer (MI), and Anthony Gonzalez (OH) do in their primaries. These races will be a good gauge of the direction Midwest Republicans are going.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    Anthony Gonzalez (OH)

    Ohio Democrats think he will lose. Meijer might be in better shape. Michigan is Trumpy but not that Trumpy and you really cannot discount how his last name is a household word in Michigan.

  84. 84.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Booger: Yeah, but can several people shit in a car for five-to-eight years without worrying about it? HMMM?

    As a matter of fact, that very question was answered on a Prairie Home Companion episode. The answer is, “Yes.” Another question was answered in the same episode was “Can a Father ruin a homecoming parade in which his daughter is Queen by driving thru town with a ’57 Chevy septic tank hanging from the back of his tractor?”

    The answer to that question was also, “Yes.” A most emphatic “Yes.” at that.

  85. 85.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    It’s not that bad a bet. Trump could wither and die as fast as he rose and what was her alternative? Become Nikki Haley?  Just be a completely full of shit individual? I think she has too much self regard to do that.

    Things change and sometimes they change fast. If they do she’ll be positioned to a leader of the post Trump GOP. If they don’t she goes to some cushy think tank.

  87. 87.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Nina Turner has a ton of money, and there is no runoff, so she could win with a plurality. But the primary is not until August, I think. I am hoping that Shontel Brown can get some separation between herself and the other candidates, and make it a two woman race. Nina Turner is the last person I want to see in the Democratic Congressional Caucus.

  89. 89.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    The amazing part of GOP’ers following Trump like addled puppies is he did not win his re-elect.

    Incumbents usually win. He couldn’t even do that. They all have contempt for Romney because he lost but Romney wasn’t the fucking  incumbent.

    Trump should have won. Biden was an upset. It’s a measure of how much Trump sucks that he didn’t.

  90. 90.

    Betty Cracker

    Charlie Crist just announced he’s running against DeSantis for FL gov. I hope someone beats him in the Dem primary because I’m pretty damn sure he’ll go on to lose if he’s the nominee. I also worry a bit about his House seat, unless he plans to run for that at the same time. We can’t afford to lose any of those, and Crist won his handily, but it’s a somewhat swingy district.

  91. 91.

    germy

    We’re not just fighting for progressive policies—we’re fighting to elect more bold progressives across America.

    Thrilled to support @ninaturner’s bid for Congress so she can help us enact Medicare for All, College for All, a $15 minimum wage, and more.https://t.co/P2ozXKpTyx

    — Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) April 27, 2021

    I’m a strong supporter of @ninaturner and her run for Congress for #OH11 ! I encourage more of you who stand for justice to support her campaign! https://t.co/NtC6hyKcVQ

    — Danny Glover (@mrdannyglover) April 27, 2021

  92. 92.

    Barbara

    @MisterForkbeard: Once upon a time a friend worked at a law firm known for its very high flying and high dollar practice, and they ordereed and delivered lunch to every lunch every day of the week if they wanted it. An extra hour of billing was many times the price of a sandwich and chips.

  94. 94.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Kay:

    Trump should have won. Biden was an upset.

    Which is one of the biggest reasons the base are throwing a violent tantrum and directing spittle-flecked rage against anyone who denies that the Democrats CHEATED CHEATED CHEATED.  It’s not about losing Trump.  It’s about losing.

  95. 95.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    I think that’s part of why Cheney is so mad. Bush and her father WON their reelect. They have rewritten the “merit” rules to lower the bar for the Trumps. Now winning doesn’t even matter, there’s whining and making excuses and elaborate conspiracy theories instead of anyone asking the question- “why did this person we promote as wildly popular lose after people got to know him?”

    Republicans have just decided there will be no more analysis of their approach. There won’t be pre mortems or post mortems. They will just DENY he lost.

  97. 97.

    Geminid

    @Kay: I wonder about the new Ohio redistricting process. I noticed that one of the legislative sponsors of permitless concealed carry legislation said that it had to be done now, that more neutral redistricting would make the next legislature less Republican. He may have just been saying that to hype the bill, though.

  98. 98.

    Cameron

    @Betty Cracker: I think DeSantis will be really hard to beat, but he shouldn’t be.  He hasn’t done anything worthwhile for Florida; in fact, he’s been proactively evil.

  99. 99.

    Kay

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Absolutely. It’s also why they won’t get vaccinated. To get vaccinated is to admit that they were wrong and the virus is serious and controlling it is a matter of taking direction and simple steps. They’ve turned it into a political theory. It’s not that complicated! It’s not about “freedom” or “liberty” or any of that. It’s a dull, grinding public health problem and that’s how it will be solved.

  100. 100.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: ​Yep. I don’t like her a bit, but she has at least one principle she won’t sell out and she’s smart enough to realize that someday there will be a post trump GOP and the people who didn’t go along will be first in line to lead it.

    ETA it’s all about the timing, hers may be off but if so she’s going to land just fine.

  101. 101.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    I have to read up about it. I had a nice local woman ask me about in the office and I told her I don’t know. Good question, though! She’s in favor of neutrals doing redistricting. Good government. I love those people.

  103. 103.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Well, partly it’s self respect, right? There are things where you cannot remain “who you are” if you compromise. Haley is diminished by her groveling. She’s a smaller, lesser person.

  104. 104.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Kay: Especially since we already know that Trump put his thumb on the scale for his own re-election. His DOJ didn’t want to enforce election rules, the tried to rig a bunch of process, etc.

    It’s not even that he couldn’t win re-election, he cheated and he still couldn’t win re-election. You’re right – he should have won if he was any good at all. He’s not.

  105. 105.

    Kay

    Because we’re all vaccinated my daughter is bringing the baby to my youngest’s high school graduation.

    Thanks, scientists! You should all make as much money as CEO’s :)

  106. 106.

    Kay

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Absolutely. He held campaign rallies using federal resources. By the end he was parading his new SCOTUS and using her as a surrogate. Well, “using”. That assumes she wasn’t a willing and eager participant, which she was, the gross hack.

  107. 107.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Barbara: Yep. My wife used to work at a company that had a 4-star chef on hand to make lunch and dinner every day. Spending $250k/year to keep 100+ developers around during lunch or not leaving early for dinner was a very easy financial decision.

  109. 109.

    SFAW

    @MisterForkbeard:

    we were asked to come up with an innovative idea in 5 minutes that would improve something or solve a problem.

    I’m a little dismayed that your first thought/suggestion was NOT “jail or deport ALL Republican office holders and enablers.” That alone would result in an American Renaissance, with or without coffee.

  111. 111.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: Well, partly it’s self respect, right?

    I think it’s all self respect. If one doesn’t have that, everything else is subject to change..

  112. 112.

    Geminid

    @Kay: I am not very familiar with Ohio’s new redistricting law. It sounds similar to the method Virginia adopted last November as an amendment to the state contitution. There was pushback at the time by some Democratic leaders. They wanted to use their new majority in the General Assembly  to pick up legislative and Congressional seats through some gerrymandering of their own. But most people just don’t like gerrymandering, and the measure passed 2-1.

  113. 113.

    SFAW

    @Soprano2:

    Yeah, Paulie Blue Eyes always did have superior political judgment. Well, compared to Shrummie and Larry CoKedlow.

  114. 114.

    ReadWrite

    @Kay: One the central tenets of modern conservatism is that once you stake out a position, you can never admit being wrong. That’s one reason for the fire hose of bullshit that continues to spew forth from the RWNJ media and its followers. They simply can’t change direction (well, unless Uncle Rupert instructs otherwise).

    Admitting Trump’s approval never topped ~45%, and that he lost the election is simply not acceptable. Admitting that COVID has to be taken seriously is not acceptable. And so on…

  115. 115.

    SFAW

    @Betty Cracker:

    Charlie Crist just announced he’s running against DeSantis for FL gov. I hope someone beats him in the Dem primary  senseless

    That moron apparently doesn’t learn. What IS it about FL that most Dems shooting for statewide office seem to be clueless, politically? [Gillum perhaps excepted.] They haven’t had a serious candidate in years [Gillum excepted].

  116. 116.

    SFAW

    @Cameron:

    in fact, he’s been proactively evil.

    Feature, not bug, for Florida voters. [Betty, Adam, and other Florida jackals excepted, of course.]

  117. 117.

    Betty Cracker

    @Cameron: He’s been a disaster, and his full embrace of Trumpism should be a millstone around his neck, but since Trump actually outperformed his 2016 numbers here in 2020, I don’t think it will be. But really, who knows? There’s a lot that could happen between now and November 2022.

    Crist is a retread whom Republicans despise because he switched parties and a lot of Dems distrust for the same reason AND because of his reliance on big donors. I’m thinking someone shiny and new would be more appealing, but TBH, I thought that about Biden in 2020, so maybe I’m wrong about this as well. Shruggies!

  119. 119.

    Cameron

    When I moved to Florida, Scott was governor, so I’ve never experienced what good government here is (or would be) like.

  120. 120.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: I read that Crist expects Florida’s Republican legislature to redraw his district to his detriment, so he may be thinking it’s up or out for him. The same dynamic may work on fellow Canine Azul Stephanie Murphy, and cause her to not contest her House seat, but run against Rubio instead.

  122. 122.

    J R in WV

    Not a big Star Wars guy, not even a Trek fan so much. I read more than I go to the movies.

    But you guys have fun!!

    I’m not a spoil sport, you should all wear the costumes, play the games, have big fun!

  124. 124.

    SFAW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Not to be morbid, but Trump could drop dead tomorrow, and things could shift

    Morbid? How so?

    I guess I don’t see how something so simple, that would help America so much, could be considered morbid

    ETA: Unless you’re concerned about how his children would handle becoming fatherless, which would be very compassionate of you.

  125. 125.

    Betty Cracker

    @Geminid: Yeah, the redistricting situation in Florida is a microcosm of what’s happening nationwide in states with wingnut-led statehouses, and it’s not good. I’m pretty sure Crist would prevail in his House district regardless — it’s swingy but not wildly so, and he’s an incumbent who used to be governor. I’m not as familiar with Murphy’s district.

  127. 127.

    Pennsylvanian

    @Ken: Yep. It’s what they thrive on:

    By blogger/commenter Davis X. Machina, as spotted on Reddit:

    “The salient fact of American politics is that there are fifty to seventy million voters each of who will volunteer to live, with his family, in a cardboard box under an overpass, and cook sparrows on an old curtain rod, if someone would only guarantee that the black, gay, Hispanic, liberal, whatever, in the next box over doesn’t even have a curtain rod, or a sparrow to put on it.”

  128. 128.

    artem1s

    @Kay:

    Sherrod Brown’s campaign manager is starting some kind of Ohio “project” to elect Democrats.

    I love Sherrod! And he’s good at managing an array of constituents who often have conflicting interests.  But I believe he’s capable of pulling off an OH version of Emily’s List. The OH Greens, Occupy, and Berners hate him because he votes for manufacturing interests and brings big $$$ to Ohio.  And he’s an OLD!  So expect the usual whinging about him being a corporate sell out.  But Sherrod is a good role model to follow for anyone who wants to do the job of governing, not just put on campaign performance art for the media.

  130. 130.

    artem1s

    @Kay:

    “why did this person we promote as wildly popular lose after people got to know him?”

    not only that the GOP paved the way for him by allowing him a free pass in the GOP primary.  TFG didn’t have to spend a dime on defending his nomination or a minute answering questions or debating other voices in the GOP.  There were dozens of states that suppressed the primary votes of their own constituents just to give TFG an easy road to the GOP nomination.  Why were they so afraid of having an actual primary if he was so wildly popular?  At the time I thought they were trying to save money but now I think they knew he couldn’t even win the nomination unless they shut down every Never Trump challenger before they even got started.

    The GOP bungled that election in multiple ways just to give TFG an easy pass to a second term.  No wonder TFG thinks the election was rigged – it was – in every way imaginable – for him.  And he still managed to lose.

  131. 131.

    LadySuzy

    @rikyrah: Second time this week I see a national pundit calling Fox the “BS Factory”. Jim Acosta, and then Joy.

    I hope it becomes a meme.

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