Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

T R E 4 5 O N

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

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

American history and black history cannot be separated.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

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

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

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

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Progressing

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Progressing

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No pity, Repubs…

Reader Interactions

259Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    As a negotiator, Biden leaves GOP senators unsure how far he will go

    Are there people who negotiate by telling the other side their strategy and bottom line in advance?

  3. 3.

    Steeplejack

    Well, I updated to Firefox 89.0 this morning and am having a few nitpicky problems. I knew that a “redesign” was part of this upgrade, but it didn’t look too awful. And in fact I can’t really see some of the “improvements,” such as the “bigger, floatier” tabs.

    What I am having a problem with is the color scheme, or “theme.” The default one is very white-on-white, not good for readability. The few other “standard” themes are not any better, and so I embarked on a search through the bazillions of custom themes on offer. Haven’t found a good one yet, but I have wasted a ton of time, so at least there’s that. I am considering the horrific prospect of creating my own custom theme.

    If anyone has a readable Firefox theme that they like, please let me know.

  6. 6.

    Betty Cracker

    Interesting that Biden put Harris in charge of solving the Machinema conundrum. Maybe I’m missing something, but is there any other way to address the voting rights obstacles red state Republicans are so busily creating?

  9. 9.

    MomSense

    Damn my French is so rusty. Managed to help a lovely woman from Senegal figure out where to buy a bus card and bought her fare.

    Thinking about all the things a person has to navigate when they relocate to a new country is overwhelming.

    I need to work on my French.

  10. 10.

    Anne Laurie

    @Betty Cracker: Interesting that Biden put Harris in charge of solving the Machinema conundrum…

    I look at VP Harris’ new appointment this way:  On the one hand,  it’s a highly visible task, and it demonstrates (again) that Biden trusts her, and that she’s capable of doing great things.

    On the other hand, having the Uppity Black Lady in charge of voting-rights legislation will guarantee that every idiot Repub and their worst constituents demonstrate, day after day, exactly how essential this legislation really is!

  12. 12.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud:

    Me too

    ETA: I saw my trainer for the first time yesterday (I’ve been paying her all along), and she was talking about her visceral reaction to the sound of TFG’s voice and about how much she loved having Biden instead.

  15. 15.

    Geminid

    The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli lead Yair Lapid still has not finalized his “Change Coalition.” Lapid has until 11:59pm Israeli time to notify the President and the Knesset Speaker that he has a governing coalition. The proposed government would consist of 7 left, center and right-wing Jewish parties, plus the Arab party Ra’am. Lapid’s coalition is called the Change Coalition because it would oust Benjamin Netanyahu from the office of Prime Minister, and he and his allies have mounted a fierce campaign against it

    If Lapid misses the deadline, a 15 day period follows in which any Knesset member can try to form a ruling coalition. If that is not done, a new election will be held, it looks like in early November.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Steeplejack: I have no idea what you are talking about (I’ll wait until your done laughing to continue) but my Firefox is quite readable. I’m not sure which version I have but I just downloaded a new version a few weeks ago.

  17. 17.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    Years ago in NYC, I helped a group of French tourists figure out the bus fare they needed to board a city bus. My high school French was as poor as their English. The bus driver was unamused but surprisingly patient. The tourists ended up offering me their change and I would pick out the coins for their fares. They laughed and waved and shouted their “Merci”s as they boarded and took off. I can’t imagine something this pleasant happening in large parts of this country.

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @MomSense: Theoretically I think it could be addressed it on a state-by-state basis with ballot initiatives (assuming all affected states have that option), but that remedy would come too late to stop Republicans from rigging the vote in 2022. Also, I don’t know about other states, but in FL, Republicans have demonstrated repeatedly that they’ll just ignore or water down ballot initiatives they don’t like, as they did with the ex-felon voting rights restoration initiative.

  24. 24.

    Kay

    A Duval County teacher who hung a Black Lives Matter flag in her classroom says she heard she was fired through a YouTube video.
    On Monday, Amy Donofrio’s legal team released a statement criticizing a recent guest speaking engagement from Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran at Hillsdale College, a private conservative school in Michigan. Corcoran used Donofrio as an example while speaking about critical race theory and curriculum oversight and announced that he had her fired.
    In March, the school district announced Donofrio would be removed from her classroom while Duval Schools conducted an investigation for “several allegations.” The district declined to say what those allegations are, citing the active investigation. By April, the Southern Poverty Law Center announced it was suing Duval Schools on Donofrio’s behalf.
    “I’m getting sued right now in Duval County, which is in Jacksonville because there was an entire classroom memorialized to Black Lives Matter,” Corcoran said during his presentation. “We made sure she was terminated and now we’re being sued by every one of the liberal left groups who say it’s freedom of speech issue.”
    Duval County Public Schools told the Times-Union on Monday morning that Donofrio is still an active employee within the school district.
    “The employee is assigned to paid, non-teaching duties,” a spokeswoman said.
    Public records show that Donofrio’s teaching certificate is still active and that she has faced no disciplinary actions from the state department of education as of this time.

    It’s a lie that he got her fired – just the ordinary, daily lying of the Trump bullies– they brag a lot- and it’s also a lie that her ‘entire classroom memorialized Black Lives Matter’ but it is true that he is being sued.

    They’re sending in rabid Trumpsters from outside these school districts to police public school teachers and ban any mention of racism, because mentioning racism hurts the feelings of white (adult) conservatives.

  26. 26.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @MomSense: You gave her a kind welcome anyway. May she meet with many more kind people.

    @Baud: I woke up to a rejection so I’m hoping my daily horror is over. I have an 8am doc appointment for a follow up to a test that looked squirrely. Dr. Internet says it’s probably nothing.

  28. 28.

    germy

    Beef Shortages Are Probably on the Way, Thanks to Latest Hack
    Here’s my paranoid theory:  these Russian hacks are designed to inflate the prices and create shortages of the stuff Real Americans™ are passionate about:  their gas tanks and their grills.  And nothing gets done in Russia without the approval of the guy in charge over there.  He’s doing this to make trouble for Biden.  He wants everyone pissed off at 46.

    This isn’t about ransom.

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Laugh it up, bro’! There is a newer version—last day or so—that is waiting to get you. Go to Help | About Firefox to see which version you’re running; 89.0 is the latest.

  30. 30.

    rikyrah

     

    Qondi ? ? ?????? (@QondiNtini) tweeted at 0:40 PM on Tue, Jun 01, 2021:
    CEOs hate remote work because “corporate culture” has collapsed. The support structure made work bearable. Now people realize they’re unfulfilled and overworked. Also management doesn’t have fake reasons to promote their white bros like “team player” or “go getter” or “presence”
    (https://twitter.com/QondiNtini/status/1399782831191166979?s=03)

  31. 31.

    MomSense

    @Betty Cracker:

    If they do have referenda in off years it may be too late to qualify for the ballot.  Putting a referendum question could drive turnout – but maybe the wrong turnout.  Ugh.

    I hate that our SCOTUS is packed with zealots.  We desperately need to unpack the courts.

  33. 33.

    schrodingers_cat

    @MomSense: In my case I had to figure out how to stay warm in Maine winters without looking like the Michelin man

  34. 34.

    Spanky

    @Baud:

    Are there people who negotiate by telling the other side their strategy and bottom line in advance?

    “Impeachment is off the table.”

  36. 36.

    Kay

    This is the Koch-funded group policing public school teachers and trying to get them fired for mentioning racism so if they send some professional political operatives into your child’s school you’ll know who you’re dealing with:

    Parents Defending Education is a national grassroots organization working to reclaim our schools from activists promoting harmful agendas. Through network and coalition building, investigative reporting, litigation, and engagement on local, state, and national policies, we are fighting indoctrination in the classroom — and for the restoration of a healthy, non-political education for our kids.

    I count six “leaders” who are probably making a nice salary – far Right politics is lucrative and keeps the higher profile members of the base on a payroll between elections.

  40. 40.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: I’ve got some schadenfreude to share on Richard Corcoran, the lying Trump bully referenced in that article. He thought he was a shoo-in for the soon to be vacated post of president of Florida State University. It’s sort of a tradition at FSU — the outgoing president is also a Republican hack. But a faculty revolt tanked Corcoran’s chances, and FSU hired a vice-provost from Harvard. As a University of Florida Gator, I never, ever, EVER say this, but Go Noles! :)

  42. 42.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @germy:

    Here’s my paranoid theory:  these Russian hacks are designed to inflate the prices and create shortages of the stuff Real Americans™ are passionate about:  their gas tanks and their grills.  And nothing gets done in Russia without the approval of the guy in charge over there.  He’s doing this to make trouble for Biden.  He wants everyone pissed off at 46.

    I agree completely. They are blaming Biden for this, even though it isn’t justified.

  44. 44.

    WereBear

    @rikyrah: I left Florida many years ago, but still have people there.

    Part of the “trouble with Florida” is the giant numbers of retirees from elsewhere, especially the Midwest, who are more conservative than the natives, mostly don’t care about them, and outvote them because they are immune from the suppression tactics.

  46. 46.

    schrodingers_cat

     

    @Steeplejack: And layers. But it took me awhile to figure that out coming from Mumbai where temps rarely if ever go below 70 even in the winter.

    Plus I was broke and didn’t have a car  and had to walk to places in snow ❄️ and ice.

  51. 51.

    germy

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:

    Even the shitty little local Republicans I see interviewed on my local news channels, they’re all blaming Democrats for higher gas prices. Today they’ll start blaming Democrats for meat shortages.

    TV news is helping with the talking points:  Every other story is about  inflation.  When they’re not yelling about inflation, they’re doing their nationwide crime wave stories, somehow trying weave them around Democrats and the defund the police movement.

    The subtext seems to be:  “Democrats in charge! Can we really take much more inflation and crime???”

  52. 52.

    Starfish

    @Betty Cracker: Mississippi destroyed their ballot initiative process through the courts over having some marijuana ballot initiative. The  law for ballot initiatives said something about the number of signatures needed in all five voting districts in Mississippi. There have been only four for a while since they lost an electoral vote. Rather than interpreting this in a sensible way and understanding what they meant, Mississippi struck down the whole ballot initiative process.

  53. 53.

    citizen dave

    @rikyrah:  Not a Florida folk myself, but I liked how she uses the word corruption around 3 times to paint Republicans during the announcement video.
    Get out the vote, reasonable people of Florida!

  57. 57.

    prufrock

    @Betty Cracker: Republicans have been messing with FSU for years.  My poor alma mater almost had a chiropractic school forced on it by Jim King and Jeb! back in 2005, but a faculty revolt tanked that.

  58. 58.

    OzarkHillbilly

    BP buys string of US solar farms for £155m in clean energy drive

    BP has bought a pipeline of US solar farms, capable of powering more than 1.7m homes, for more than $220m (£155m) as part of its plan to distance itself from the fossil fuel industry.

    The oil company has agreed to snap up a string of development projects, totalling 9GW, from the independent US solar developer 7X Energy in a “significant step” towards its goal of securing 20GW by 2025.

    I await the exploding heads among Republicans.

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I espied a familiar name in this Guardian piece: Microwave weapons that could cause Havana Syndrome exist, experts say

    “The military loves death rays. Everybody loves death rays – and lasers had some of the characteristics of death rays so people kind of got excited about that,” recalled Cheryl Rofer, who worked on laser and auditory weapon research in the 1970s at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

    That auditory research eventually led to the Long Range Acoustic Device, or “sound cannon”, used by some police forces against demonstrators last summer. But it not lead to any “death rays”.

    “Thinking about something and actually building it are two different things,” Rofer said. And the experience of seeing billions spent over the decades with little to show for it, has left her sceptical about new claims of microwave weapons development.

    “The military has a whole lot of money sloshing around, and they will try lots of different things, and some of them are good and some of them are not so good.”

  64. 64.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    Oh, yay. If we want higher quality we have to stop promoting bad people. No one owes unemployed Trumpsters a job, Betty!

    I sort of love that he went to Hillsdale College and lied his ass off. Hillsdale is annoyingly sanctimonious about their Pursuit of Truth. Long story but I ended up as a guest at a wedding held there once- two alums getting married. They take themselves very seriously.

  66. 66.

    schrodingers_cat

    @MomSense: That was also me, in my Michelin man gear

    1st winter : Too cold

    2nd winter : Not cold but looked like Michelin Man

    3rd: Finally started dressing right after emulating Mainer friends and saving up enough to buy LLBean gear.

  67. 67.

    schrodingers_cat

    MAGA Haberman tweeted out yesterday that supposedly the Orange Clown and his seditious cronies think that he is going to be reinstated as President in August and the Do something Twitter is aflutter about it.

  69. 69.

    Another Scott

    @Steeplejack: Maybe try the “Reader” view?  It’s built in – look for the icon with the horizontal lines by the bar.  It doesn’t appear with every page though.

    HTH a little.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  70. 70.

    Kathleen

    @schrodingers_cat: I guess Axis MAGA understands she’s promoting sedition but doesn’t care because she hasn’t felt this gleeful and relevant since “Amy Chozick got her hands on Clinton Cash y’all” in 2016.

  76. 76.

    Ken

    @Baud: Cherubim with a flaming sword guards Eden = Martian tripod with death ray, at least according to Von Daniken.

  78. 78.

    Spanky

    @Baud: Really? I know Simon Peter pulled out his light saber when the guard came for Jesus, but I don’t recall any blaster. Must be Old Testament.

    //

  79. 79.

    Cameron

    So I went out and picked up my morning paper and this was the headline: “DeSantis signs ban on female transgender scholastic athletes.”  This is what the governor of Florida thinks is important.  I don’t want to live in this country much longer.  Haven’t been outside the USA in 35-40 years, but it’s time to go.  Screw this.

  85. 85.

    Patricia Kayden

    If you think Republicans won’t *really* rig national elections so they never lose, consider that they’ve gerrymandered the state legislatures & Congressional maps of MI, PA, WI so that Dems may never win a majority again, no matter what, despite going Dem almost every year.— Jesse Lee (@JesseCharlesLee) June 2, 2021

  90. 90.

    JWR

    @Steeplejack:

    About this Firefox 89 thing:

    What I am having a problem with is the color scheme, or “theme.” The default one is very white-on-white

    I use the old fashioned File Edit etc menu bar, and with the latest FF “upgrade” (89.0) that toolbar is now the same color as the tabs, which looks okay, but it’s not apparent when I open an additional tab. And my Bookmarks now have more upper and lower space between the individual item text. It’s different, but I’ll get used to it. (Though I did do a quick search for default FF 88 or older themes, just in case.)

  91. 91.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @schrodingers_cat: I assume you learned about layers from hundreds of natives offering unsolicited advice. We snow-country people like to share our winter wisdom everywhere. We are generous that way.

    Can I give you my 20 minute tutorial on clearing snow and ice from your car?

  92. 92.

    SFAW

    @debbie:

    Any time the GOP is caught off=balance destroyed or deported en masse is a good time for the country.

    Fixed

  93. 93.

    SFAW

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Can I give you my 20 minute tutorial on clearing snow and ice from your car?

    Please do, for the benefit of all of us. After all, we do love someone mansplaining* to us. One request: can you make it 30 minutes? That would really make an impression on us (and s_c, of course).

    * NB: I don’t recall if you’re male or female or non-binary, but I was using the term in a generic sense.

  94. 94.

    burnspbesq

    @Betty Cracker:

    Maybe I’m missing something, but is there any other way to address the voting rights obstacles red state Republicans are so busily creating?

    Litigation. Shelby County wiped out pre-clearance, but it did nothing to DOJ and private plaintiffs’ ability to enforce Section 2 of the VRA.

  95. 95.

    JMG

    The thing about Haberman isn’t that she likes Trump, it’s that she needs Trump to make news or she is of no value to the New York Times whatsoever. If Trump ever gets indicted and goes on trial, she’ll cover the whole thing with zeal. Maybe she could ghostwrite his prison manifesto.

  96. 96.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    We have vivid memories of the first dirt.

    Which is better than “the two dirts.* ”

    * Please forgive the really obscure blog ref. Not this blog, of course.

  97. 97.

    L85NJGT

    Stansbury performed as well as Biden and Haaland. If “specials are predictive” is your groove, then there’s a data point.

  98. 98.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @SFAW: Male. I do try to avoid mansplaining, I’d be hit upside the head with a frying pan if I tried.

    But let me mansplain to you why the ladies really like being mansplained even though they complain. I think I’ll explain periods and menopause too, in passing. You’re welcome.

    Edit to add: So you’re implying that the urge for snow people to offer snow advice ad nauseam to random strangers may be… gender specific?

  100. 100.

    Fair Economist

    @Betty Cracker: I think Biden is using Harris to get re-elected in 2024. She’s taking up the controversial (immigration) and difficult (voting rights) so Biden can get known only for COVID relief, vaccination, infrastructure, etc. It’s a very different use for a VP than we’ve seen before, but I think it’s a good one in the current environment where folksy old white male Biden defuses the hotbuttons the neofascist Republicans are using.

    I expect Harris is 100% onboard with the strategy.

  102. 102.

    Robert Sneddon

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: BP, Exxon, Shell and the other big “oil” companies are in the energy business, not just oil. They are aware that intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will need lots of fossil-carbon-burning instant-on generation to backstop them so investing in the renewables markets locks in demand for their primary product, fossil carbon. If they didn’t do that then the world might turn to non-CO2-emitting nuclear energy and then where would they be?

     

    The 21st century is being powered more and more by natural gas in the same way the 20th century was powered with oil and the 19th century by coal. There’s no real sign of a downturn in production and consumption of fossil carbon as more and more of the world’s poorer nations demand energy to light homes, run washing machines, purify water, provide transport etc. Renewables are mostly a feel-good potlatch for rich nations to pretend they’re being eco and all that and the world continues to burn.

  103. 103.

    SFAW

    @JMG:

    Maybe she could ghostwrite his prison manifesto.

    Maybe he’ll call it “My Struggle”? Or “My Fight”?

  104. 104.

    SFAW

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I’m not sure I’d find that all that useful.

    What makes you so special? I mean, outside of living in an area which gets about half an inch of snow per century. But if you really loved us, you’d “take one for the team.”

  106. 106.

    SFAW

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Edit to add: So you’re implying that the urge or snow people to offer snow advice ad nausea to random strangers may be… gender specific?

    No, just was using “mansplaining” in a generic sense, no (intentional) sex/gender bias implied.

  107. 107.

    Fair Economist

    @germy:

    Here’s my paranoid theory: these Russian hacks are designed to inflate the prices and create shortages of the stuff Real Americans™ are passionate about: their gas tanks and their grills. And nothing gets done in Russia without the approval of the guy in charge over there. He’s doing this to make trouble for Biden. He wants everyone pissed off at 46.

    That’s pretty plausible, IMO. One of the noticeable things about the 2016 Russian electoral manipulations is that they try *everything*.

  108. 108.

    SFAW

    @Cameron:

    You get a pass, since you’re suffering enough, what with DeathSantis and Voldemort and Little Marco and Cancun Cruz. [Just threw Ted in there for grins.]

  111. 111.

    germy

    The first hack, they released a statement (I paraphrase) “We don’t care about politics we just want money”

    Which I thought was laying it on a little too thick.

  112. 112.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Baud:

    BTW, I like waking up to good news after four years of morning horror. 

    Same!  Even bad news is tolerable because no one is wondering “So what jackass move will the orange shitstain pull to make this worse?”

  113. 113.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: McConnell has made it clear in advance that his only mission is to stop President Biden’s agenda so yes.

  114. 114.

    Fair Economist

    @schrodingers_cat:

    MAGA Haberman tweeted out yesterday that supposedly the Orange Clown and his seditious cronies think that he is going to be reinstated as President in August and the Do something Twitter is aflutter about it.

    She’s just shamelessly catapulting the propaganda at this point. If she were really a reporter, she’d mention that either Trump has lost his mind or he thinks his followers have, and discuss the problems they’ll face when this doesn’t happen.

  117. 117.

    Edmund Dantes

    @rikyrah: if he’s done his job and taken care of his constituents, he will be fine. There is nothing wrong with primarying someone and no one is entitled to a seat.

  118. 118.

    Fair Economist

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Another point in favor of the beef hack having some electoral motivation and support from the Russian government is that Biden shut down the organization that supported the Colonial Gas hack. The hackers have to know such a high-profile hack risks their organization and connections, and somebody would have to guarantee them support for them to go forward.

  120. 120.

    TS (the original)

    @Baud:

    Are there people who negotiate by telling the other side their strategy and bottom line in advance?

    I would suggest  Sen McConnell has done this many times. His strategy is No.

  122. 122.

    Jeffro

    @MomSense:Managed to help a lovely woman from Senegal figure out where to buy a bus card and bought her fare.

    Serious high-five here!   =)

  125. 125.

    Ruckus

    @Baud: 
    Yes.

    They don’t negotiate well because all their cards are on the table and they can be much easier played.

  126. 126.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: I thought for sure that second link was going to be to Rubin’s column yesterday:

    It has become increasingly evident why the right wants to excise part of our history: White people dread being confronted with evidence that racism is interwoven into our collective experience. Such a historical retelling undermines the notion that if Black Americans and others simply “tried harder,” they would erase gaps in wealth, health, longevity, housing, education and almost every other facet of American life. A clear-eyed rendering, the MAGA troops claim, is harmful to America (unpatriotic! too negative!) when in fact it is harmful to their self-satisfied notion that they do not benefit from systemic racism or that they are the real victims.

  129. 129.

    Ken

    @zhena gogolia: There are no free-lancers in Russia.

    Except for those people campaigning for the right to bear arms, as the activist Maria Butina assured us.

  133. 133.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: interesting that two of them are “Coalition for TJ” which is the group that sprung up when Fairfax County Public Schools decided to (finally!) take some steps that would make access to Thomas Jefferson High School (very elite magnet school) more equitable.  (said Coalition being against those equitable steps)

    As if their kids aren’t going to be successful going to one of Fairfax’s many well-resourced other high schools.  Nope, gotta get into TJ; therefore, gotta make it harder for others to get in!  /eyeroll

  135. 135.

    tybee

    @Steeplejack:

     

    https://old.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/nq6kto/if_you_dont_like_the_new_design_you_can_disable_it/

    1. Just go to the address bar and type “about:config”.
    2. Select I’ll be careful. (or something like that)
    3. In the next page you will see a new search bar. Type “proton” in it.
    4. In the result list, search for “browser.proton.enabled”
    5. Double click on it and now it will display false next to it. And with that it’s done.
    6. If you also don’t like the context menu, you can double click on “browser.proton.contextmenus.enabled” so it will also display false.
  136. 136.

    Steeplejack

    @JWR:

    I have gotten used to the upgrade. I noticed the greater spacing in the bookmarks list, and, though I can see that the tabs are a little bigger than before, they’re not as big as I feared, and I don’t see the “floaty” thing at all. The current tab is a little more prominent, but I’m fine with that. And I found a color theme that I like pretty well. The name is a bit of a misnomer; it’s more gray than blue. But the tabs and menu bars are very readable.

  137. 137.

    Ruckus

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    They were building gas stations with solar roofs over the pumps, 20 yrs ago, in OH. They installed enough solar that during the day they provided enough energy to the grid that their nighttime bill was zero.

  139. 139.

    Steeplejack

    @tybee:

    Thanks, always glad to get more under-the-hood information. But the upgrade was not as disruptive as I feared, and I have fixed the one thing that was really bugging me. I’ll keep this at hand in case I discover other horrors.

  140. 140.

    Kay

    @Fair Economist:

    She’s just shamelessly catapulting the propaganda at this point.

    Disagree. I was pleased she did it and it’s also news.

    Pretending that Donald Trump and the Republican Party will collapse into irrelevance has never worked- not once. She’s no more promoting insurrection than the weatherman is promoting rain. This is happening.

  141. 141.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: thank you, I got plenty of beef with the NYT in general and Maggie Haberman in particular. She studied journamalism at Broder U under Professor Maureen Dowd, but the idea that MAGAts are taking their cues from her twitter feed is… unpersuasive.

  142. 142.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    I just loathe political operatives who pretend to be something else. I literally have more respect for Bannon than I do these phony “grass roots organizers”. Just be political hacks – no need to dress it up in some faux concern for “education”.

  143. 143.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Heh. Great minds and all that. Happens to be the same theme I downloaded years ago for possible use but never switched it on after finding Soft Drawing Paper. Haven’t looked in the themes list at any I downloaded for possible use in ages. A glance there now shows the only other one besides Blue Carbon Fiber still cooling its heels in limbo is Purple Hexagon.

    Also have the Custom Scrollbars add-on configured to complement the look of the Soft Drawing Paper theme.

  146. 146.

    cain

    @Kay:

    Meanwhile – my gf and some of the other Beaverton and Portland school district are getting hammered because of a leaked equity summit meeting – it got covered by Fox News, and continues to be in some other news sites like Newsweek.

    In contrast, the Beaverton school district defended the gf – but also the fucking Proud Boys showed up to her school (middle school, she teaches kindergarten) with guns demanding she get fired. I don’t know how you can trespass on school grounds armed – that doesn’t make sense to me.

    My gf teaches critical race theory and other stuff – she just recently got a few more angry emails that Cc’d the superintendent, the state dept of education and the principal etc etc. Assholes.

  147. 147.

    cain

    @Kay: A PoC woman is getting targeted – and I’m absolutely sure that my gf is on the list of targets as well.

  149. 149.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: Instead of getting wall to wall coverage had he been ignored by the media for his birther nonsense and during his incendiary xenophobic primary campaign he would not have become the Republican nominee. The media exposure helped him.

    MAGAts are not getting cues from Haberman or the NYT but amplifying his message helps him and the seditious activities of his minions.

  150. 150.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Thanks, I’ll check out Soft Drawing Paper. Although I’m always a little leery of getting too deep into “look and feel” stuff, because you can wake up and find yourself sawing sawdust into finer sawdust. I remember one time when I got obsessed with customizing all the Windows sounds to be exactly like I wanted them. [shudder]

    . . . Okay, I downloaded Soft Drawing Paper and briefly installed it. It’s from that same designer, g.gecko, a good sign. It was nice, but the tab bar was a little light for my taste. Went back to Blue Carbon Fiber. But SDP is still there in case I want it.

  151. 151.

    schrodingers_cat

    The Orange Clown’s blog just got shut down. What MAGA Haberman is doing is helping the Orange Clown skirt the social media ban. She is not a fucking reporter, she is a political operative, MAGA nation’s  spokesperson.

  153. 153.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I just saw that. I’m actually surprised – it was getting miniscule traffic, but it was used as a platform for people to tweet statements and so forth.

    I would think he’d keep it around, but my guess is that he was ridiculed for it and the traffic was low, so he was humiliated. I think they’ve said they’re going to launch some other kind of ‘service’ anyway, so maybe that’s it.

  155. 155.

    smith

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’m guessing it was shut down because of the embarrassingly low traffic numbers. Interesting that people who so avidly followed him on twitter couldn’t be bothered to check his blog. Is it too much to hope that the Trump moment is fading, and that all the Republicans who have gone all in on Trumpism have made a bad bet?

  157. 157.

    Just Chuck

    @Anne Laurie: I think driving the bigots into hot frothy rage so that they continue showing their asses is just fine.  And for más sabor, they’ll be getting beat down by a girl.  And not The Dread Dragon Queen Killary either, but by a tiny woman who smiles all the time.

  159. 159.

    Kay

    @schrodingers_cat:

    The former President saying he plans to unseat the elected President in August is news. I also have no idea how this even remotely “helps” Republicans, but even if it did it is “news” under really any definition.

  160. 160.

    NotMax

    @Gin & Tonic

    Math WordPress is hard.

    //

    @Steeplejack

    Main reason I use Custom Scrollbar is so I can color the dang thing to better see it. Soft gray on lighter gray worked less and less well as the years passed for these eyes.

  161. 161.

    Kay

    @schrodingers_cat:

    You can’t go back. The man has tens of millions of rabid supporters and he absolutely controls one of the two political parties in the United States. There isn’t going to be a return to “normal”.

    If he’s saying he’s working with that Party to overturn elections I want to know about it. Not that it matters, really. Whether I choose to recognize it’s happening won’t have any effect on it at all. I do choose to recognize it, however. I’m glad she told me.

  163. 163.

    Barbara

    @Baud: ​

    Are there people who negotiate by telling the other side their strategy and bottom line in advance?

    It’s the kind of tell that a journalist has no clue how things work in the real world.

  164. 164.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Kay: There is also a strong element of old man shouts at clouds about it.  Trump is sui generis.  He may be an ex-president, but he is also just a crazy old man at the same time.

  165. 165.

    Steeplejack

    @smith:

    I don’t have a Twitter account, but, for people who do, isn’t part of the service that you (can) get “push” notifications of new tweets from people you follow? So the MAGAts would be getting a “personal” message from Fearless Leader for every tweet. Much easier than having to actively check a blog, especially when it is not updated very often.

  166. 166.

    Steve in the ATL

    @cain:

     

    critical race theory

    This is the current RWNJ bête noire, right? Saw in my local paper that RWNJs are screaming at school board meetings that it’s “Marxism”, which must have replaces communism and socialism as another current RWNJ bête noire.

    I know that they are just getting stupid talking points from fox, OANN, newsmax, their idiotic facebook groups, etc., but even I–renowned as a super smart and extremely creative person*–cannot think of a way to tie Marxism to critical race theory. These people get dumber by the day.

    *not intended to be a factual statement

  168. 168.

    Steeplejack

    @WhatsMyNym:

    Thanks, filed for future reference. I am finding that I like the newly loaded Blue Carbon Fiber theme even better than the (default) one I was using before. The “new tab” and “list all tabs” icons are much more visible than they were before. They were almost invisible, something like dark blue on black. Now they’re white on black—high contrast.

  169. 169.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: By this logic Twitter and other social media platforms should give him their platform because anything he says is news.

    She and the NYT are helping him in this new effort at sedition, the are not just “reporting the news” they are making it. They are accessories to his crime, like you lawyers like to say it.

  170. 170.

    Kathleen

    @SFAW: How about snosplain? SnoSplaining must be conducted outside in 20 below temp while wearing shirts and a T shirt because snosplainer is hardy Person of the Plains. I used to live in Minnesota.

  171. 171.

    smith

    @Steeplejack: It still seems like a weird disconnect to me. On the one hand, we’re told that most people who identify as Republican are passionately committed to sustaining TFG’s power, and on the other hand, can’t be bothered to read his deathless words of wisdom unless they are literally pushed in their faces.

    Also, why have there been so few posts on the TFG blog? He had the time and energy while in office to tweet multiple times a day at all times of the day and night. Nothing stopped him from doing the same on his blog, and given that Haberman and others are happy  to amplify whatever he posts on Twitter, why hasn’t he done that? He’s been remarkably tepid and low energy ever since leaving office. It will be really interesting to see what happens if he actually resumes his rallies.

  172. 172.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Steve in the ATL: Correct. The Right doesn’t have any idea what “Critical Race Theory” is, but they’re saying that even discussing race or that America has a problematic history is teaching CRT and “hating America”. Communism is another – everything is assumed to be “communism”.

    I literally had someone tell me last week that it was not a fact that America had used laws to enforce White Supremacy, and that I had been ‘indoctrinated’ by the liberal media. When you talk about the really obvious cases like the 3/5ths compromise or Jim Crow laws, it just goes right over their head.

    You can’t convince someone with facts and logic when they use neither to arrive at their conclusions.

  174. 174.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Baud:

     

    Are there people who negotiate by telling the other side their strategy and bottom line in advance?

    If there are such people, I want them on the other side of all my cases and bargaining. That would save me the trouble and expense of having my Russian friends hack their communications. That would free up my Bitcoin for hookers and blow!

  175. 175.

    JPL

    @Steve in the ATL: I’d donate to the first person who asked what they meant by the term.

    Also, I’m disappointed to find out you weren’t part of the Save the Whale movement.

  177. 177.

    sdhays

    @MattF: Well, he’s too busy to blog anyway. He’s being “reinstated” as Preznit in August, donchaknow. Coup fantasies won’t just make themselves up.

  179. 179.

    Another Scott

    @MattF: Yet another bit of evidence that no, 40-45% of the country really does not like him and want him back.

    Forward!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  181. 181.

    MisterForkbeard

    I see that the RNC is already threatening the presidential debate commission, saying the 2020 debates were partisan and anti-republican. They cite things like “plexiglas barriers” and having a virtual debate. And if changes aren’t made they say they’ll find somewhere better to ‘debate the issues in a neutral setting’.

    Because taking basic precautions during a pandemic was partisan, basically. Especially since Trump literally had Covid, and was likely contagious during one of the debates.

    To be fair, they also say the moderators and topics were all anti-Republican too. Fuck ’em.

    I just

  182. 182.

    prostratedragon

    @rikyrah:  Hey, that’s my Rep! I’ll have to wait and see, but I’m not automatically in favor of the challenge, for sure.

  183. 183.

    The Lodger

    So does this mean TFG’s blog (during its lifespan) was out of the top 10,000?

  184. 184.

    sdhays

    @Steve in the ATL: Marxism argued that the rich old white men who were running things were rich through the theft of labor. CRT similarly argues that the existing white power structures are built on theft and criminality from non-whites.

    For a RWNJ, it’s all practically the same thing.

  185. 185.

    Skepticat

    @Steeplejack:

    Just went to check my version, and it says it’s downloading a new version. I don’t need any more hassle, thanks, so I hope I barely notice. Good luck with yours.

  186. 186.

    Captain C

    @germy: So, time to hit the Cayman accounts of Putin’s oligarch supporters, and maybe confiscating their NYC real estate under RICO laws (and ideally turning some of it into low income housing).

  187. 187.

    sdhays

    @MisterForkbeard: At this point, I don’t really care about debates. They seem to get stupider every year and don’t seem to make any difference. Just tell the GQP that if they can’t handle CBS, NBC, or ABC (or CNN), they can’t handle governing a country of 330 million and just go home and wrap themselves in their favorite feces-covered blanket.

  189. 189.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Skepticat:

    There was nothing wrong with the upgrade per se. I just didn’t like the new color theme. All fixed now with Blue Carbon Fiber.

  191. 191.

    SFAW

    @MattF:

    I can envision low-income housing right around Columbus Circle.

    With Phase II encircling Mar-a-Grifto, and Phase III encircling The Traitor’s place in Bedminster

    ETA: I’d have mentioned Traitor’s Tower, but that should really be condemned and torn down for building code violations.

  193. 193.

    SFAW

    @sdhays:

    At this point, I don’t really care about debates.

    Are you saying you’re not eagerly anticipating questions such as

    “President Biden, can you say something nice about Mr. Trump?”

    “Sure! He doesn’t sweat much for a fat piece of shit.”

  194. 194.

    SFAW

    @The Lodger:

    So does this mean TFG’s blog (during its lifespan) was out of the top 10,000?

    He’ll claim it was just the opposite — that it was The Greatestest, Most Popularest Blog in the History of the Universe!

  196. 196.

    artem1s

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I see that the RNC is already threatening the presidential debate commission, saying the 2020 debates were partisan and anti-republican. They cite things like “plexiglas barriers” and having a virtual debate. And if changes aren’t made they say they’ll find somewhere better to ‘debate the issues in a neutral setting’.

    so I take it they are already planning on not having any GQP primary debates and are going to declare TFG the nominee. Wonder how that sits with all the Cult45 wannabes?

  199. 199.

    rikyrah

    @MisterForkbeard:

     

    Because taking basic precautions during a pandemic was partisan, basically. Especially since Trump literally had Covid, and was likely contagious during one of the debates.

     

    I will forever believe that he knew he had COVID and wanted to give it to Joe Biden.

  200. 200.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @smith:

    He’s been remarkably tepid and low energy ever since leaving office.

    I have wonders about this. We couldn’t avoid seeing his horrid painted face, ridiculous mop and bitty hands almost every single day for 4 years.  Why now no interviews, no video except for tiny snips of him ruining dinner out and weddings? This is the basis of my TOS Star Trek John Gill theory.

  201. 201.

    Eunicecycle

    @smith: I knew when he started it he didn’t have the smarts or energy to really make a go of it. Plus they didn’t allow comments, probably to keep out negative ones, so there was no interaction. It reminded me of Sarah Palin’s failed attempt at an internet channel. There was new content only about once a week, I hear. So it was too dull. Again, she is lazy and dumb, not good characteristics together.

  202. 202.

    dnfree

    @schrodingers_cat: ah, weather!  I live in northern Illinois, which gets pretty cold in winter, sometimes 20 below Fahrenheit. We had a recent college graduate from the south show up at work, one late October day when it was maybe 40, in a big woolly cap with earmuffs. We just looked at him in pity and told him that it was too soon for that hat,wait until January.

  205. 205.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah:

    I will forever believe that he knew he had COVID and wanted to give it to Joe Biden.

    Absolutely.  Same with Pence and our VP.  He did not look well.

  208. 208.

    Eunicecycle

    @WaterGirl: I haven’t thought of Mike Dense in months. Did he end up going back to Indiana and living in the Governor’s mansion? I think that was the address he used to vote absentee. It always seemed like voter fraud to me.

  209. 209.

    Steve in the ATL

    @MisterForkbeard: when I quit practicing law to make movies, my company will be named “Ownership of the Means of Productions”.

    @JPL: Save the Whales is too 70’s.  Anyway, we can’t risk having a large whale population knocking over off-shore windmills.

    @sdhays: I will update your dossier to reflect that you are a super smart and extremely creative person.

  210. 210.

    James E Powell

    The CRT poutrage is a coded way to shout “we hate black people as much as you do!” to their voters. It’s replaced “repeal Obamacare”

    And it will work. They will be on all the shows screaming that CRT is taking over schools & telling kids to hate white people, America, and the troops, Chuck Todd & the rest will nod & say, “I guess we’ll have to leave it there. Thank you for coming.”

  211. 211.

    Elizabelle

    Biden’s speaking on his COVID response now, encouraging 70% vaccination.

  212. 212.

    smith

    @rikyrah:

    Why isn’t he on Parler?

    Isn’t that where all his people are?

    Another part of the mystery. He’s got multiple channels available, but doesn’t use them. All the heat is being generated by his acolytes while he sits on the sidelines. One guess is that even though he has convinced his followers he’s not a loser, in his heart he knows he is. He’s deflated, the burnt out shell of the Hindenburg. Or maybe that’s my wishful thinking.

  214. 214.

    Baud

    Jokes on them. They be banning critical race theory and we’ll start teaching critical race facts.

  215. 215.

    Ken

    @smith: Or died two months ago of long COVID complications, but the grifters and his family — but I repeat myself — have kept that a secret to keep the money flowing.

  220. 220.

    smith

    @Ken: The NC Republican convention starts tomorrow, and his super-secret-locked-down-no-press appearance is scheduled for that, as I recall. Do you suppose they have an adequate body double lined up?

  222. 222.

    jimmiraybob

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    “CNBC says Trump’s blog has shut down.”

    Trump cancelling Trump has to be the height of Cancel culture running amok.  I blame ANTIFA.  And Obama….of course.

  223. 223.

    Elizabelle

    @JPL:   Biden’s COVID speech was incredible.  Deserves front-paging so as to get the information out.

    Pharmacies will be open 24 hours on Fridays in June to administer the (free) vaccine shots.  Free rides on Uber and Lyft.  Childcare for those who need it.

    This weekend, canvassers will be going door to door to encourage people to get the vaccine.

    It was an incredible list of incentives and actions to get holdouts or the extraordinarily busy to get out and get the shot.

    I think Biden is trying to pull out the stops to get to 70% vaccinated by July 4th, so that we can “declare our independence from COVID.”

    As Biden stepped away, a reporter shouted questions about how he would respond to the latest hack by Russia.  He did not get drawn into it, but I believe he said they were looking at it.

  224. 224.

    Another Scott

    Re Sinema and Manchin, dick_nixon has some thoughts…

    They like Manchin because he was a governor and he likes press and he's good enough at it. The more he puts his ass in the wringer, their asses stay out. https://t.co/IYX44RjRo2

    — Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) June 2, 2021

    Hmmm… A misdirection play? A sacrificial (but not really) lamb? Taking one for the team?

    We’ll see.

    It’s good she’s being questioned about it, and it’s good to remember that it’s still early. It will be interesting to see how she comes around (as I assume she will) to get (something approaching) the necessary bills passed.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  225. 225.

    dww44

    @Steeplejack: ​
      Thanks for the heads up. I don’t like a lot of change and I particularly don’t care for upgrades that hurt these aging eyes, i.e. the white on white deal. So I will avoid upgrading my Firefox browser for as long as I can.

  226. 226.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Another Scott: If you read between the lines you can tell the dick_nixon guy is really a Berniebro; if there’s a “Democrats are secretly Republican, they let Republicans obstruct them because they really want it” take, he’s probably going to go there.

    (he also annoys me a bit because, come on, if the real Nixon were still alive he’d just be a raging MAGA crank now, not this post-partisan canny statesman.)

  227. 227.

    Kay

    The Washington Post
    @washingtonpost
    ·May 29
    Melissa Smith’s community college course “Race and Ethnicity” is canceled for the summer while her school evaluates it in light of a new state law that bans teaching critical race theory

    Excellent work, America. The (fully enrolled) community college course she teaches and has taught for years is now banned.
    It’s the incessant fucking WHINING that gets me. Miserable people who have to ruin everything for everyone. Find your own class to take! Stop bothering us!

  232. 232.

    James E Powell

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Agreed. It annoys me that Nixon is promoted as a great political mind when he was really nothing but a shameless huckster who benefited from LBJ’s stupidity.

  233. 233.

    JPL

    @Elizabelle: The winners will be those unable to get the vaccine, because of age or preexisting condition.    The anti-vaxxers can move to Brazil for all I care.

  234. 234.

    Kay

    The whiners had to wear masks, so at least they were being asked to do something, although they’re whiners who can’t work with others so they all refused, probably killing some innocents, but no one is asking them to take a class. We all know they won’t ever take that class because it is not 100% about them. They have to ruin it for everyone else?

  236. 236.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: Kay, if any American is learning about CRT anywhere in these 50 great states of ours, none of us are truly free. //

    (Well, at least you’re not if you’re a wingnut…because apparently you can never stop thinking about what other people are learning/doing)

  237. 237.

    JPL

    @MattF:  ick..   I did have chocolate covered grasshoppers when I was quite young.   Monsignor gave me one to try, and if I refused who knows what would happen.   All I remember is that they were from S.S. Pearce and after one taste, a leg stuck out.

  238. 238.

    Kay

    The U.S. economic recovery is unlike any in recent history, powered by consumers with trillions in extra savings, businesses eager to hire and enormous policy support. Businesses and workers are poised to emerge from the downturn with far less permanent damage than occurred after recent recessions, particularly the 2007-09 downturn.
    New businesses are popping up at the fastest pace on record. The rate at which workers quit their jobs—a proxy for confidence in the labor market—matches the highest going back at least to 2000. American household debt-service burdens, as a share of after-tax income, are near their lowest levels since 1980, when records began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nearly 18% from its pre-pandemic peak in February 2020. Home prices nationwide are nearly 14% higher since that time.

    It is absolutely cooking here. It’s like people can’t really (yet) believe it- they expected to suffer and then… they were all just flush. We’re putting a new roof on our house in Michigan and the roofing contractor laughed out loud when I (jokingly!) told him I’d see him “soon”. He said “you’ll see me around Halloween”.

  241. 241.

    J R in WV

    @Steeplejack: ​
     

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Laugh it up, bro’! There is a newer version—last day or so—that is waiting to get you. Go to Help | About Firefox to see which version you’re running; 89.0 is the latest.

    Actually, the current version of Firefox also depends upon what operating system your machine(s) are running. We’re running an older (18.n LTS) version of Ubuntu and our current FF version is 88.0.1.

    When a new release is completed for Ubuntu, we will get an update message.

  242. 242.

    Geminid

    Yair Lapid’s Israeli coalition government is still hung up. Ra’am Party leader Mansour Abbas will meet with Yamina head Naftali Bennett to negotiate concessions favoring Israeli Arabs. That seems to be the last sticking point. But- even if Lapid and Bennett meet the midnight deadline to present their signed agreement of 8 parties to Israel’s President and Knessett Speaker, it still must be ratified by a Knessett vote. The speaker is a Likud man, and he may try to delay the vote a week or more.

    Netanyahu and his allies are waging a fierce campaign to torpedo the coalition. Others are issuing death threats.  Bennett and his deputy are being protected by increased state security. An MK from the liberal Meretz  party went into hiding after finding that a false death certificate with her name was being circulated on the internet.

  243. 243.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Excellent work, America. The (fully enrolled) community college course she teaches and has taught for years is now banned.
    It’s the incessant fucking WHINING that gets me. Miserable people who have to ruin everything for everyone. Find your own class to take! Stop bothering us!

     

    Kay,

     

    CRT is just an excuse.

    They hate anything that takes them away from their delusions about America.

    That’s the real reason why they despise Black people. Our existence proves that all the platitudes that they tell themselves about America are bullshyt.

    And, because, we are the group at the root of always trying to make America live up to its creed.

  244. 244.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    When my daughter was little she called people “ruiners”. Just sheer frustration- “she. is. a. RUINER”

    It’s such a good word.

  246. 246.

    Jeffro

    @rikyrah: so true

    It has become increasingly evident why the right wants to excise part of our history: White people dread being confronted with evidence that racism is interwoven into our collective experience. Such a historical retelling undermines the notion that if Black Americans and others simply “tried harder,” they would erase gaps in wealth, health, longevity, housing, education and almost every other facet of American life. A clear-eyed rendering, the MAGA troops claim, is harmful to America (unpatriotic! too negative!) when in fact it is harmful to their self-satisfied notion that they do not benefit from systemic racism or that they are the real victims.

    – Rubin

  247. 247.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: that’s excellent

    much shorter than ‘debbie downer’ (and much more fair to Debbies of the world)

  248. 248.

    Another Scott

    @Matt McIrvin: Interesting.

    I think he’s wrong about a bunch of things – like Harris – but I think he makes a decent case that Nixon knew how to get in front of where the country was going and have a hand in directing it closer to where he wanted it to be.  Sure, he was a SOB and horrible and all the rest, but he loved politics, loved fighting with the Kennedys, and knew how to do the job.  He changed with the times and was always his own guy.  (I think he would have disappeared into private life, kinda like he mostly did, rather than being a MAGA or Q or whatever.)

    I’ve never gotten the feeling that he’s a Berniebro, but maybe I’m missing it.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  249. 249.

    Another Scott

    @James E Powell: Hah.  :-)

    Nixon was a (very flawed) giant compared to the horrible little GOP men that followed him.  LBJ was also a giant, with very different flaws.  (Someone on the radio today said that LBJ was a grubby venal corrupt pol until he actually got power and then (at least in things like civil rights, etc.) he showed what good someone with those traits can do.)

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  250. 250.

    J R in WV

    I understand that Arlington — last resting place for way too many patriots — was once the plantation of traitor Robert E Lee, and that it is very nearly totally full with no more room for veterans going forward.

    So I have a proposal — we need to take the Virginia golf course(s) currently owned by the Trump Org via RICO for a new national veterans graveyard. Or offer him 3 years of reduction in his sentence if he “donates” the property to the military graves registration agency.

    Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C. is an 800-acre private golf club in the eastern United States, at Lowes Island in Potomac Falls, Virginia…

    Quite a bit of additional room for growth there if you ask me, even though no one did.

  251. 251.

    J R in WV

    @Eunicecycle: ​

     

    @WaterGirl: I haven’t thought of Mike Dense in months. Did he end up going back to Indiana and living in the Governor’s mansion? I think that was the address he used to vote absentee. It always seemed like voter fraud to me.

    I think the were couch-surfing with friends for a while there… dunno how long that lasted. Surprising they can’t afford a regular house!

    I guess they’re as terrible at managing their personal finances as they were at being in political office?

  252. 252.

    Tazj

    @Kay: They never gave a second thought to all the crap that Trump and his administration said that was hurtful to other people and sometimes resulted in violence but now they have to run around the country pretending that an honest examination of American history is too much for white Americans to handle. It’s just crazy and these are adults who are choosing their courses.

    I guess they think they finally found something that will excite their base and they’re going to run with it.

  253. 253.

    Kay

    southpaw
    @nycsouthpaw
    ·1h
    Robert Mueller, Aaron Zebley, Andrew Goldstein, and Jim Quarles will team up to teach a UVA Law class about their investigation, the law school announces.

    Oh no. I just don’t think this should be the model for white collar crime prosecutions. We need like…scrappy and combative personal injury lawyers or something. They can take a percentage of the ill-gotten gains.

  254. 254.

    Kay

    @Tazj:

    It just amazes me that there are adults who genuinely believe they learned some completely neutral version of “history”.

    That all by itself means they didn’t get a solid education. I think I knew by 6th grade they were cleaning it up. “Hmm. So Native Americans ‘traded’ what for …what? I don’t think so“

  257. 257.

    Geminid

    @J R in WV: Pence never made much money outside of government. I read this winter that his “wealth” consisted of pensions from several posts amounting to about $80,000 a year. But Pence took a job with the Heritage Foundation that will pay well (I guess) and maybe give him time to prepare for a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. A fool’s errand, I would say, but as Lincoln remarked, once it starts gnawing, the worm of Presidential ambition “gnaws deep.”

  259. 259.

    Steeplejack

    @dww44:

    There’s really no need to delay the upgrade. I presume it includes needed fixes, enhancements, etc., and the color thing is easily fixed with the now universally beloved Blue Carbon Fiber theme. The upgrade itself offers a few other color themes, but I thought they were mostly as bad as the white-on-white one.

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