Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

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

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Books are my comfort food!

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

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

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

White supremacy is terrorism.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Fight them, without becoming them!

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Bring It, Hakeem!

Bring It, Hakeem!

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Dems fighting back!  I am seeing this more and more.

Hakeem Jeffries on a rant is a balm for the soul.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  2. 2.

    Jeffro

    I saw that clip too – SO EXCELLENT!

    Get up, speak out, throw some (verbal) punches, Dems.  No more of this “we need a healthy Republican Party” nonsense.  Call them all out.  Highlight the differences, make sure our side knows what’s really at stake this November.

  4. 4.

    Jeffro

    It’s quite clear that the GQP is going to run on inflation, Inflation, INFLATION all the time and never mention abortion, Ukraine, J6, or trumpov.  Let’s make sure voters hear all about those issues along with the obvious price gouging (that fuels stock buybacks and record CEO pay) too.

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    Well done Rep. Jeffries! It’s bad enough that an unelected cabal of religious fanatics are Star Chambering our broke-ass democracy. Having to listen to bullies whine about “bullying’ and seditionists complain about lack of acceptance of “outcomes” is too much.

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    Somebody on another thread asked for a tweet from our Actual Citizens United group to make it easier to follow us –  @Actual_Citizens – so whoever you are you can use the tweet above for that.

  9. 9.

    japa21

    @Betty Cracker: ​
      I heard that a judge threw out DeathSantis’s redistricting map. Probably won’t matter in the long run but good to see anyway.

  10. 10.

    japa21

    @WaterGirl:  Already retweeted this.  Would suggest everybody do so.  If we tell two people, and they tell two people, and they tell two people and so on and so on and so on.  And I am really showing my age.

  12. 12.

    Geminid

    Back in February, Hakeem Jeffries got a lot of attention among Black Twitter accounts when he took another Judiciary Commitee member, Burgess Owens (R-Utah), to the woodshed. That, like the one yesterday, was a short speech in commitee.

    People noted Jeffries’ use of language and phrasing characteristic of African American church sermons. Expressing  an idea in three ways, like when Jeffries describes Ginni Thomas’s goals on January 6, is an example of one such rhetorical device.

    Jeffries can also make a really good longer speech. I thought his nomination of Nancy Pelosi for Speaker in January, 2019 was a masterpiece.

  13. 13.

    Betty Cracker

    @WaterGirl: I read the judge who threw out the bogus map was appointed by Rick Scott when he was gov and then elevated to another level by DeSantis. A Trump judge will probably overturn that decision, but it’s nice to see county-level conservative hacks upholding the law every now and then.

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    @Betty Cracker: You’re right!  It was a right-wing judge, and I loved that it was someone the FL Republicans who put him in the position, but somehow overnight I conflated that with having been a Trump judge.   I will fix.

  18. 18.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: I think the Florida Supreme Court will have the final say in this case. They may uphold the lower court’s decision. I think this happened last time Florida redistricted.

    This case is similar to the one in New York state. Albany Democrats made a very aggressive gerrymander and bet that the Democrat-appointed majority in their highest court would uphold it. The legislators lost the bet and now New York’s districts will be drawn by the court’s special master.

    I read that Tallahassee Republicans told DeSantis his map was not viable. He insisted, so they went along. I also read that Steve Bannon egged DeSantis on.

  19. 19.

    Scout211

    Open thread so I will post this here.

    Speaking of haters . . I just can’t with these “conservative” parent haters!

    They have been successful at banning books, now they want to shut down student access to e-books.

    E-reader apps that became a lifeline for students during the pandemic are now in the crossfire of a culture war raging over books in schools and public libraries.
    In several states, apps and the companies that run them have been targeted by conservative parents who have pushed schools and public libraries to shut down their digital programs, which let users download and read books on their smartphones, tablets or laptops.
    Some parents want the apps banned for their children, or even for all students. And they’re getting results.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    @japa21: Thank you!

    Yes, it’s the exponential thing that hurt us with Covid but helps us with good messaging!

    Also, if folks are willing to search for #IfRepublicans or #ActualCitizensUnited on twitter … you will find that we are tweeting out some of the great “If Republicans…” ideas from my “TINY thing you can do” thread earlier this week.  You could retweet the ones our group is tweeting and even add some of your own.

    Please use the #IfRepublicans and #ActualCitizensUnited hashtags if you quote tweet.

    Please just don’t include anything that would refer to “Brandon” or “pedophiles” or anything that would inadvertently help promote the Republican propaganda.

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @Geminid: I wonder if DeSantis could appeal a SCOFL decision to the SCOTUS? If so, he’s got his pen pal Thomas onboard.

  22. 22.

    Matt McIrvin

    The Republican Party must be destroyed.

    We need multiple viable parties for a healthy democracy. But our constitutional system is such that unless we become an outright dictatorial state, a second party will arise. It doesn’t have to be the Republicans; it doesn’t have to be anything like the Republicans. It could be called “the Republicans” but that hardly matters.

    It doesn’t even have to be to the right of the Democrats. Most likely, the Democrats would fracture into two saner parties.

    But the Republican Party as it exists needs to go away, one way or another.

  24. 24.

    Gin & Tonic

    Open thread? Harvested a whole lot of ramps yesterday. Pickling today, then going back tomorrow to harvest some more. A great source, in a really out-of-the-way place. And no, I’m not going to tell you where.

  25. 25.

    Baud

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Most likely, the Democrats would fracture into two saner parties.

    That can only happen if millions of GOP voters vanish from the face of the earth.  I don’t see that happening.

  26. 26.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Betty Cracker: ​
      It depends on whether the decision was based entirely on FL law or if US Constitutional issues were addressed. If it is decided as a matter of FL law (Governor doesn’t have the power to do this or something like that), the FL Supreme Court is the final arbiter. If something like Equal Protection is invoked, the US Constitution comes into play and so does SCOTUS.

  30. 30.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: I guess DeSantis could try to get the Supreme Court to hear his claim. He’d have to get them to flip on prior rulings giving state courts deference in redistricting matters. That’s not to say they wouldn’t, but I think it’s unlikely.

    The Republicans in Florida’s legislature seem to have become passive-aggresive with regards to DeSantis. They’ll never say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them vote for DeSantis’ opponent this November. They can see how DeSantis is using them and the rest of Florida’s citizens as stepping stones.

  31. 31.

    narya

    Since it’s an open thread: the condo association sends pest control guy through our units every other month (bathrooms & kitchen, mostly). He showed up today, asked if I wanted service, and I took one look and said, “Not without a mask.” Nope–not having it.

  32. 32.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WaterGirl: They are more or less wild leeks, I think. The green parts can be used to make a pesto, or to flavor (and color) risotto. The white parts you can pickle. They are the first edible you can forage in the forest in the spring, and are very difficult, maybe impossible, to cultivate, so there’s a bit of a “hot commodity” nature to them. Trendy farmers’ markets may have them briefly, kind of like fiddleheads.

  33. 33.

    kindness

    I know all too many people and the MSM keep repeating that Democrats are going to lose in these upcoming elections, but I don’t think that is what is going to happen.  I see that others who normally don’t pay attention to politics are seeing exactly what we are seeing with conservatives/Republicans and it scares them too.

    I think Democrats will gain seats in both the House and the Senate.  We just need more impassioned addresses like this and for the MSM to shut it’s damn pie hole long enough for that silent majority to speak by virtue of their votes.

  34. 34.

    sab

    @WaterGirl: Ramps are wild onions that taste like a mix of onions and garlic. Initial tast is mild onion, then the garlic kicks in. Springtime thrill in Appalachia. Either you love them ( that’s me) or you think they should be banned ( my mom.)

  35. 35.

    oldgold

    @Geminid:

     

    They will do as they damn well please.

    They will decide their preferred result and then provide an analysis to dress it up as a reasoned opinion. See Bush v. Gore and Alito’s Roe draft.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    @Scout211:

    They want someone else to parent their children. It’s not the libraries job to limit your children’s reading material. If you want that, you have to do it. This basic idea seems to have gotten completely lost on the Right. They can raise them anyway they want, keep them swaddled in cotton batting for all I care, but THEY are going to have to do it.

  39. 39.

    ian

    @WaterGirl: I hate to disagree with you, but inflation is a real serious problem.  Dems need an answer to it (such as what Biden is doing with infrastructure, the worldwide impacts, how we are going to deal with it moving forward).  Treating inflation as a joke is asking for the fasc to take full control of government.

    Throw the bums out is a real attitude for hundreds of thousands of voters.  They might not know what causes inflation, but they know how to blame the party in power.  If we don’t have anything better than glib answers, we are F***ed in November.

  41. 41.

    MazeDancer

    Mr. Jeffries excellent tirade and Mr. Schumer’s lumbering Post Roe Vote finger wag all boil down to the same thing:

    “They want to take your rights!” 

    Which is what every Dem should be shouting all the time.

    The biggest place Dems can get more votes is from young people and the apolitical. Threaten them with permanent punishment maybe they’ll wake up.

    Dems need easy to grasp, short, loud motivations. “They want to take your rights could work.”

    After all, it worked for the GOP. They’ve been shouting the same thing. Gun rights, white guy rights, hater rights, religious tyranny rights and so on.

  45. 45.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Jeffro: Combine them.

    “We need a healthy Republican Party.  Not like this mother fucker who tried to overthrow the US government. And this mother fucker who pals around with Russia. Etc.”

    Go down the list, by name, with receipts for all the ways the various GOP members are corrupt.

  47. 47.

    Geminid

    @Gin & Tonic: I think they have at least one Ramp Festival in West Virginia every year. The ramp is to the “Mountain State” what the leek is to Wales.

  48. 48.

    Mike in NC

    We got word today that they’re demolishing the old Landmark Mall in Alexandria, VA. We lived nearby for 10 years and were frequent visitors. I think it was used to film the terrible movie “Wonder Woman 1984” a few years back. We bought two 2004 Honda CR-Vs from the dealership next door and my wife is still driving hers but wants to get a new hybrid.

  49. 49.

    stinger

    If we were Republicans (ptui)… sorry, burns my fingers to type that….

    If we were Republicans (ptui) and our position was pro-choice, we wouldn’t be saying, “Oooh, please pretty please leave us 15 weeks, we’ll be good, I promise.”

    No, we’d be saying, “To hell with your 15 weeks, to hell with your imaginary time limits altogether. My medical care is entirely between me and my doctor. Abortions should be safe, free, and on demand, and the details are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.”

    Republicans, even—or especially—when they are on the back foot, somehow know to stomp in and demand MORE, not settle for what they are given. Do Democrats watch the wrong movies or something?

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @ian: I wasn’t suggesting that we treat it like a joke, but I believe it is the new Benghazi.  What happened in Benghazi wasn’t a joke, either, but it was used to bludgeon Democrats, and the Republicans are happy to use misinformation, distortions and exaggeration to when it suits their goal.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    @stinger:

    If we were Republicans (ptui) and our position was pro-choice, we wouldn’t be saying, “Oooh, please pretty please leave us 15 weeks, we’ll be good, I promise.”
    ….
    Do Democrats watch the wrong movies or something?

     

    Which Democrat have you seen that do this? The President and every Dem in Congress except two are on record in support of codifying Roe.

  53. 53.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @stinger: If we were Republicans (ptui) and our position was pro-choice, we wouldn’t be saying, “Oooh, please pretty please leave us 15 weeks, we’ll be good, I promise.”

    Who is saying this?  Acknowledging that 15 weeks is the least bad result that could come from this Court isn’t saying that it is acceptable.​
     

    ETA: All I have seen from anyone but Manchin is willingness to fight on this front.

  54. 54.

    Geminid

    @kindness: Hakeem Jeffries was part of the Democratic House Communications team that gave guidance to House candidates for the 2018 midterms. For that election they advised pounding two issues hard- the trillion dollar tax cut for corporations and the wealthy, and the need to protect the ACA and its popular provisions. The advice couldn’t have hurt; Democrats flipped 40 seats that year.

  56. 56.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Here is a good summary of all the State Supreme Court elections happening this year.

    Spread the word and make sure your family and friends in other states know the importance of these races.  With abortion rights being about to be headed “back to the states” these races have never been so crucial.  Not to mention the role these courts may play in 2024 Elections when we know GOP fuckery is gonna be rampant.

  57. 57.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @ian: I agree that the Dems need to address inflation stat but the causes in this cycle are complex, varied and intertwined. The tired maxim that if you’re explaining, you’re losing is often true.

    I read recently that on an investor call, some Barclays Bank bigwig opined that companies should raise prices willy nilly because why not? It’s a fine time for a little excess profit taking because what can the rubes do? Blame inflation for our helping to accelerate it,

    A long long time ago, we taxed companies and the 1% to the degree that was required to combat this rent seeking with some success. This is why I’m of the opinion that the Reagan-Bush-Trump tax cuts harmed the US more than almost anything.

  58. 58.

    WereBear

    @Geminid: There’s a trio of books forming an incredible bio of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One chapter dealt with all the rhetorical tricks they were learning to do as preachers, and how much the congregation was going to mark high in the final grade for good sermons :)

  59. 59.

    Jeffro

    @Mike in NC: wow – truly the end of an era!  Looks like they are putting a new hospital and other stuff in there?

    If/when they demolish the old WMAL tower in Springfield, I am going to have to take the day off.

  61. 61.

    tam1MI

    @stinger: Do Democrats watch the wrong movies or something?

    Dems have been absolutely poisoned by THE WEST WING to believe that all it takes to win a political fight is for Martin Sheen to deliver a well written speech

  62. 62.

    Jeffro

    @Sure Lurkalot:A long long time ago, we taxed companies and the 1% to the degree that was required to combat this rent seeking with some success. This is why I’m of the opinion that the Reagan-Bush-Trump tax cuts harmed the US more than almost anything.

    YES – the latter two in particular.  100%

    If we cut their taxes, it just doubles their greed.  Plus, they use all that excess loot against us by buying Congressmen, Senators, etc.

  65. 65.

    Mike in NC

    @Jeffro:  My wife grew up in Springfield and attended what was then called Robert E. Lee High School. I had to educate her a bit about those traitors.

  69. 69.

    cain

    @Mike in NC:

    I suspect that hybrids and electric cars are going to be popular  purchases except for trump supporters who will stubbornly cling to their gas guzzlers

  70. 70.

    stinger

    @Baud: @Omnes Omnibus: Yes, the Dem House and Senate voted to codify Roe. I’m glad of it. But elected representatives aren’t the whole of the Democratic party, and there was plenty of discussion in several threads even right here as to the tolerability of 15 weeks. I’m saying we shouldn’t so much as repeat that number, shouldn’t give an inch of ground, should simply ignore it and demand more–everything. I’m currently reading Eric Metaxas’s Bonhoeffer, and it’s like the bad guys pull the same tricks over and over and the good guys never seem to learn.

    ETA: It’s like the Dems always think, “What can we realistically hope for?” and ask for that, while the Repugs think, “What do we WANT?”, up it by a few, and then demand that.

    And by “the Dems”, I mean all of us collectively.

  71. 71.

    eddie blake

    @MazeDancer:  i dunno. not “want to”.

    they ARE taking away our rights. all over the goddamn country.

    i gotta say though, as impressive as jeffries’ rant was, i’m SO tired of this “hater” bullshit.

    i mean, can we NOT dumb the discourse down further? it really is a race to the bottom with these motherfuckers. they’re not sending us their best nor brightest, we can argue with passionate intensity, but we don’t have to argue like addled schoolchildren.

    yeesh.

  72. 72.

    gvg

    @Betty Cracker: Say, did you see this? Dunno if it will help but…

    Manny Diaz
    @Manny_A_Diaz
    I am proud to announce that today we launched Blue Shift Florida, the Florida Democratic Party’s first ever statewide coordinated campaign. We are all united under one goal: electing democrats in November and creating an infrastructure for years to come.
    2:42 PM · May 11, 2022 from Coral Gables, FL
    Read the full conversation on Twitter

  73. 73.

    James E Powell

    @tam1MI:

    Dems have been absolutely poisoned by THE WEST WING to believe that all it takes to win a political fight is for Martin Sheen to deliver a well written speech

    And to be honest, most of President Bartlett’s speeches weren’t that good.

  74. 74.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Mike in NC: Are you saying that the movie was so bad that it drove the mall out of business, Because that’s a reasonable theory

  76. 76.

    Baud

    @stinger:

    If you want Dems not to speculate, I’m all for it. I never heard any here or elsewhere say that 15 weeks was tolerable.

    ETA: one thing we can start doing is stop criticizing ourselves all the the time.

  77. 77.

    pajaro

    Why is Justice Thomas a hater?  Word is, he never got over his confirmation hearing.  The rumor which was repeated pretty widely is that, in his desk, he has a list of each of the Senators who voted against him.  He sees Democrats and the left as his enemies, in forums with law students that I heard during the days when he would actually travel outside of the right-wing bubble, he would refer constantly to “those people,” which meant Democrats, liberals, people supporting gun regulation, etc.  He is a bitter, bitter man.  My guess is that he will never retire as long as there is one of the people he sees as his enemies still alive.

  78. 78.

    sab

    @pajaro: He was a hater long before his confirmation hearing. He was a hater when Anita Hill worked for him at EEOC. I think he came from a hateful family. His grandfather was mean.

  81. 81.

    Gravenstone

    @Baud: That can only happen if millions of GOP voters vanish from the face of the earth.

    Oh hey, it’s the Crapture!

  83. 83.

    JR in WV

    @Gin & Tonic: ​
     

    Harvested a whole lot of ramps yesterday. Pickling today, then going back tomorrow to harvest some more. A great source, in a really out-of-the-way place. And no, I’m not going to tell you where.

    How about which state? I’ve planted a ton of ramps on the hillside just outside our front door, where casual hikers will be unlikely to dig them all up.

    There are few to no wild ramps left here, as the subsistence farmers needed them to survive the time of no food left in late winter early spring, which is why I planted half or 2/3rds of the bunches we bought from road-side vendors..

    But I don’t have enough to dig a bunch for pickles, or even frozen for use later on. I fried a mess with potatoes a few weeks ago, they were great!

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