Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Everybody saw this coming.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

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

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

I really should read my own blog.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

You are here: Home / Elections / 2022 Elections / Open Thread: Poor, Suffering Pundits, Pushed “Off Balance” By Reality

Open Thread: Poor, Suffering Pundits, Pushed “Off Balance” By Reality

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Josh Marshall is willing to be kinder — I think he makes an excellent argument here:

2/ This more or less non-story is like a pressure valve for the built up angst of bothsides journos who’ve been desperate for something to work with for months. For those who don’t like it, I respect the opinion. But I’d add these four points. First of all, in some cases …

3/ where Dems were allegedly boosting MAGAs its not even true. PA Gov is a good example of this. Where this has happened is in a number of House contests, run from out of the DCCC. Second, let’s be clear what this “boosting” or “running ads for” actually means.

4/ In every case it’s involved the DCCC running ads that say some version of, ‘This person is terrible. They’re totally loyal to Trump and want to overthrow the constitution.’ And that, we’re told, makes them irresistible to GOP voters. That makes it fairly clear where the …

5/ problem is. They’re not funneling money to GOPs or running sham campaigns to advantage Trumpers. They’re IDing them. Third, have great respect for Peter Meijers vote to impeach President Trump. A very honorable decision. But he is still a vote for Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker.

6/ He is still a vote for the GOP which is currently the party of the Big Lie and the party of Trump. That is reality. That one decision doesn’t change that. If you oppose the Big Lie and oppose the revanchist authoritarianism of Trumpism right now that means keeping …

8/ The contrary argument wld be, ‘How are pro-democracy Republicans supposed to reclaim the GOP if they can’t get nominated.’ This puts the whole matter in the proper relief. Democrats must not only win every election because the GOP has turned agst democracy itself.

9/ They’re also responsible for cultivating and protecting the handful of Not Always Trump Republicans who do things like voting to impeach the President when he leads a violent assault on the Capitol to stay in office in defiance of the constitution and American people.

10/ All of which is to say that Democrats are not only responsible for protecting the republic from Republicans. They’re also responsible for repairing a GOP that doesn’t want to be repaired. Has anyone asked why the NRCC or RNC or any other org wasn’t spending more …

11/ aggressively to defend Meijer? It simply asks too much. Fourth, the goal of people who run campaigns is to win them. In a handful of House races, Democrats decided they stood a better shot against a Loud Big Lie supporter than a Quieter one. They’re almost certainly right.

12/ They’re entitled to make that call without worrying what tsk tsking WaPo columnists or Republicans working to put the Trump GOP back in power have to say about it.

If — as the pundits continually whine — only Democrats have agency, let’s use that agency to protect democracy from the GOP Death Cult and its ‘savvy’ media enablers!

Reader Interactions

72Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    I’m so mad at Democrats for promoting fascists I’m not going to not vote against fascists.

  3. 3.

    Ken

    I’m debating whether to post, and risk my wisdom being forever lost if Anne Laurie yanks this post in favor of John’s…

  4. 4.

    RSA

    This is just a minor detail, but…

    Has anyone asked why the NRCC or RNC or any other org wasn’t spending more …

    Open Secrets lists Campaign Committee Fundraising, 2021 – 2022, for Meijer at $2,738,713, of which he spent $1,932,992.  Maybe someone should ask why Meijer decided to leave almost $900,000 on the table.

  6. 6.

    Edmund Dantes

    @RSA: Meijer also got up on stage with the guy that beat him and went along with the whole party unity thing.

    He’s real fucking tore up about the Dems doing him dirty. Must have forced him at gun point to support this horrible guy that the Dems ran ads for explains how horrible he is.

  8. 8.

    Ken

    @Edmund Dantes: Meijer also got up on stage with the guy that beat him and went along with the whole party unity thing.

    Maybe he was trying for a roundabout revenge, though it might be expecting too much of the voters to hope they’ll think “the impeachment traitor supports Gibbs.”

  9. 9.

    Geminid

    @Edmund Dantes: Meijer was going to lose that race regardless of any Democratic advertising, and I think he knows this. So should all the pundits, right and left, who’ve been stirring up this tempest in a teapot.

  12. 12.

    Dan B

    @HumboldtBlue: The guy in the orange is Homocon Brandon Straka.  So MTG is snuggling up to a known f*g!  He’s in trouble with a judge for other acting out.  There may be a genuine prison outfit soon.

  14. 14.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    OT: I got my Prius back from the dealer doing the repairs.  It seems to running quieter(more on electric) than it did before

    ETA: The repair was covered under an extended warranty for the IPM(which failed) and inverter.  While it was in the shop, I received a postcard informing of a proposed settlement to litigation for this exact issue.

  16. 16.

    Tenar Arha

    @HumboldtBlue: it’s worse, because they invited the “bugfuck fumbledicks” into the GOP. Kind of hard to reject, criticize, or even ignore people you decided to share bread & salt with, then gave them a few rooms, then the whole top floor of the house, then gave them the house, & then rebuilt the foundations to suit them.

    Anyway that metaphor is used up. I’ve got house on the brain tonight. Unfortunately my basement flooded in tonight’s severe thunderstorms.

  17. 17.

    JWR

    How many of us would love this to come true? Show of hands? 1234567…. yikes! 100%! But srsly, I really like the “RICO, as most suspect” line.

    The Fulton County DA’s Office has stated in a court filing that Lindsey Graham’s “actions certainly appear interconnected” to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
    If she’s planning to use RICO, as most suspect, Graham could be indicted as part of the conspiracy.
    — Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) August 5, 2022

  18. 18.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Dan B:

    Huh, I knew he was Jan 6 asshole, but knew of no details of his personal life.

    @Tenar Arha:

    Sorry to hear about the flooding. My niece and her husband were doing that this past weekend in WV.

  19. 19.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    Preach, Josh Marshall!

    Bothsides journos need to decide if they are willing do debase themselves with “opinions” and “bias” to protect democracy.

    You’re either with the Constitution or the insurgents. Pick a side.

  20. 20.

    Jay

    @Tenar Arha:

    do you know where the water came from ( floor drain? Cracked foundation? Basement stairs?)

    was it a finished basement?

    Was there much damage?

  22. 22.

    Ken

    @JWR: Careful! Between your post and the quote, you used the “R” word twice. Had you said it three times, PopeHat would emerge from the ether and lecture us on how the term was being misused.

  24. 24.

    Dan B

    @🐾BillinGlendaleCA: Hooray!

    We’re at the point in our lease (Nissan Leaf) that we have to renew or buy.  I love driving it but the backup camera goes haywire, flashing mostly black or T-Mobile pink.  Plus there are other models coming soon.  But… will the chip shortages make used models very pricey.

  25. 25.

    Dan B

    @HumboldtBlue: Straka seems to be a piece of work.  I’d like to know where his love of an openly homophobic party comes from but I don’t want to waste time researching it.  There are too many crazed gays out there.

  26. 26.

    patrick II

    I just finished watching ” Prey” on HuIu TV. It is a fantastic prequel to The Predator series of movies. An alien predator comea to earth in the 1700 ‘s but runs into the wrong Indian girl.

  28. 28.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Dan B: Recently bought a used 2020 Leaf with very low miles for a few thousand more than 2022 new MSRP.

  30. 30.

    Poe Larity

    If only Democrats would let us reclaim our reasonable MAGA Reich.

    What’s German for stabbing ourselves in the back?

  31. 31.

    Yutsano

    @HumboldtBlue: ​ Thank you.

    I didn’t really want to take over a thread, but the context for this:

    My 102 year old grandfather passed away this morning.

  32. 32.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Yutsano:

    I understand. I just didn’t want to comment in the twitter space, rather do it here where we interact much differently.

  33. 33.

    Tenar Arha

    @Jay: It’s unfortunately a re-occurring problem where the drain in an outdoor stairwell backs up with water, gets high enough to overflow inside,  comes in under the door, & then there’s mostly a lot of carpet vacuuming, at least now that everything is propped up on bricks or thrown away. Unfortunately I’ve just found out it turns out it isn’t the hatch that’s the real problem, bc the water isn’t building up by coming in from above since there’s 2 tarps over the hatch right now. So, clearly the water is backing up into the stairwell from below. I’m guessing my next step is someone coming in with a scope down that #%\$&@#! drain. /sigh

    ETA comma

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yutsano:

    Is life a boon?

    If so, it must befall

    That Death, whene’er he call

    Must call too soon.

    I’m sorry, Yutsy. My condolences to you and your family.

  37. 37.

    Benw

    @Dan B: we love our old Leaf (2012 model)! We want to get a newer one but right now it seems impossible to find one at the dealers. Caveat: I live on Long Island, so most car dealers are exclusively selling to assholes.

  41. 41.

    White & Gold Purgatorian

    OT health update:

    Surgery day plus 1. I am eating ice chips and swallowing pills. Feel like a cat, sleeping about 20 hours a day. The nodule they removed was “nothing to worry about” according to surgeon who read the pathology report. Today was better than yesterday and I hope that trend continues. I walked a bit, 2 turns around the nurse’s station.

  42. 42.

    Dan B

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: Thanks for the info.  I’ll relay it to my partner.  He’d love to have a T*#×la Y but over my dead body, thanks to Elon = Monster.  I think he’d really love the VW Van but they’re very spendy

    The Kia, Hyundai and Nissan Ariya also look great.

  46. 46.

    Jackie

    @Yutsano: I’m so sorry! I know at his age, it was just a matter of time, yet, it’s still a shock. My Dad passed at 99.5 years, and as my son said at his Grandpa’s celebration of a life well lived, “I thought he’d live forever.”

    No matter the age, it’s always gut-wrenching to lose someone we’ve known our entire lives and just expected them to “live forever.”

    Hugs and condolences to you and all who loved him.

  48. 48.

    geg6

    @phdesmond:

    He got on stage and shook his hand in front of FSM and everybody. No, he didn’t say the magic incantation, but how is that any different than what he did?

  49. 49.

    Dan B

    @Tenar Arha: Oh no!  My partner’s house has issues with the sewer backing up into the completely finished downstairs.  The line has been scoped and there’s a crack under the deck, which… just got rebuilt.

  51. 51.

    Dan B

    @Benw: We’ve got a great dealer in Everett who sells and leases more Leafs than anyone else in the state.  He might even be able to find one to ship to Long Island, although my partner would love to drive cross country.  I like the 2020 model much more than the older models: range, comfort, styling (still not great but better).

  52. 52.

    Jay

    @Tenar Arha:

    floor, patio and basement drains are often a PITA.

    People often sweep dirt into the drain rather than pick it up. That clogs the drain, which is hard to clear.

    Here in YVR, a bunch of older homes have their drains connected to the sewer system, so when they back up, it’s not water that floods into the basement.

    Backflow valves are now part of the building code.

    The difficulty of clearing the jam, is that the water compacts the debris into a concrete like mix. If the plumber is not careful and patient with the snake, and tries to BFI it, it get’s stuck. They have to poke a small hole, get the water flowing, which helps wash away some of the debris, pull the snake back, put on a bigger head, keep the water flowing, back and forth, bigger heads each time, until the drain is clear.

    Once the drain is clear, washing it out with a hose a couple of times a year, keeps the dirt and debris from building up enough to clog the pipe.

    Here, after the summer drought we had last year, tree roots made it worse. Other than sometimes wanted fruit trees, people don’t feed, water and root prune their trees and shrubbery. In a drought they will send roots long distances looking for water, and the tiniest gap, crack, hole in sewage lines, drain lines, means food and water in a drought.

  53. 53.

    phdesmond

    @geg6:

    i can’t answer your question, not being a pundit; and i’m not going to argue about it, simply because!

  54. 54.

    Tenar Arha

    @Jay: drains not supposed to attach to the sewer here in MA…tho’ that’s depending too on the building code the year the house was built. I’m pretty sure there’s no outlet into the sewer. Parents built the house, relative(s) still around suspect it drains into a  drywell, but I was 3 years old when we moved in so I’m  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  55. 55.

    Westyny

    @Jackie: Condolences to both you and Yutsano.  My father and stepmother both passed away suddenly within 12 hours of each other in December.  He was 94 and she was 93.  Like you I felt they would live forever, or should have.  They were yellow dog Democrats, deeply devout Episcopalians, fiercely independent, and above all, good company.  She had a fall and he had a heart attack.  Though they’d been having related problems for years we never thought they’d be gone in an instant.  They were even driving (to everyone’s horror) on their last day.  Life goes on, and we “kids” are closer than ever.  But I feel their absence every day.

  56. 56.

    Tenar Arha

    @Jay: Anyway, luckily the water’s just got dirt in it. Thanks for chatting. I’ll check back here in the AM if you add anything. Night!

  57. 57.

    Soprano2

    @Dan B: I don’t know where you live, but there are companies that line bad pipes so you don’t have to dig them up. With sewer mains they can do point liners, which is what it sounds like you need. I don’t know if they can do that on service lines or not, I don’t know much about repairs on private service lines. I wouldn’t think one crack would cause that much of a sewer backup problem. Does the line have a backflow preventer? Sounds like you would benefit from one if all the water is coming from the sewer.

  58. 58.

    Soprano2

    @Tenar Arha: Yep, that’s probably your next step. Do you know if the drain is connected to the sanitary sewer? ETA I see you answered this. Jay is right, it probably needs cleaned out.

  59. 59.

    Jackie

    @Westyny: Dad was the ultimate Democrat: His votes were always for women’s rights. He supported BC and abortions from Day One. He raised three daughters, and even before we supported a woman’s choice, he did. And explained to us why – “Until you’ve walked in their shoes, you can’t judge.” He was a man years before his time.

  60. 60.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yutsano: Condolences on your loss.

    As President Biden says, May the thought of him soon bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes…

  62. 62.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jackie:

    Such a good age, 99.5 years, and yet never quite enough! Hugs and condolences to you and to everyone who loved your dad.

  63. 63.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jackie:

    He sounds like someone I would have loved conversing with. I’m sorry that never happened, and will rely on you to share stories and memories.

  65. 65.

    Betty

    @Edmund Dantes: Marcy Wheeler pointed put that Meijer used Justin Amash’s vote for the first impeachment against him when he beat Amash for this seat. Ouch! How soon the pundits forget.

  66. 66.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Tenar Arha:

     

    @Soprano2: If it drains into a dry well the dry well could be filled with silt from the drain. In which case probably need to find it, clear the drain, dig it out and create a new dry well.

  68. 68.

    PaulB

    @Dan B:  I’d like to know where his love of an openly homophobic party comes from but I don’t want to waste time researching it

    Money. There’s more money to be had by being a contrarian than by being true to one’s self. Just ask Rhinestone and Burlap.

  69. 69.

    Geminid

    @Gary: British military historian Liddell Hart said that the German army was not “stabbed in the back,” but rather their high command “shot themselves in the foot.” When the French, British, and American forces broke through German defenses in late October, 1918, the German command lost it’s nerve and told the civilian government to call for peace. Within days, the Allied offensives had slowed and German commanders realized they could consolidate their lines and continue the fight.

    But it was too late; the shock of their temporary despair collapsed the government’s will and a ceasefire was made that amounted to a capitulation. Later, the army offloaded it’s responsibility for this onto the civilians.

  71. 71.

    Ibn Bob

    It isn’t any longer a matter of Good Guys reclaiming and purifying the Republican party. It needs to be subject to RICO and similar prosecutions. If individual Repubs can manage to go along with that, let ’em join the Forward party. Or re-found the Whigs.

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