Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This really is a full service blog.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

So fucking stupid, and still doing a tremendous amount of damage.

Republicans do not trust women.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Everybody saw this coming.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / President Biden / TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Tell It True

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Tell It True

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There’s a fine line between warning people against the sociopathic Wingnut Wurlitzer performers, and furthering their reach. I know some of y’all will say I frequently fail to stay on that tightrope…


Reader Interactions

161Comments

  2. 2.

    brendancalling

    Good to see Biden turned David Hogg around. A few months ago DH was not being helpful, and blaming the wrong people.

  3. 3.

    Kay

    The Lexington Herald Leader has a worthwhile story about how women in Kentucky now get substandard medical care in Kentucky so must travel to other states for modern “standard of care”:

    “I don’t know what was more shocking: to find out the baby had anencephaly, or that I would have to go out of state to get this care,” Amy said. Kentucky’s abortion bans do not legally permit the standard of care treatment for a nonviable pregnancy like Amy’s. As a result, doctors must refer patients needing otherwise medically-recommended terminations out of state in droves, along with people desiring elective abortions, according to interviews with seven providers across four hospital systems. Providers who terminate pregnancies in violation of the trigger law can be charged with a felony in Kentucky. Though this scenario is increasingly common statewide, it’s one arbiters of the state’s laws have yet to remedy, and one lawmakers are not publicly working to resolve.

    To find news on how the new pregnancy regulations are affecting womens health care one must go to newspapers in each state- the large “national” news orgs in the US don’t cover it.

  6. 6.

    Betty Cracker

    Good for Mr. Hogg! I was a Joe Biden skeptic too, and I admit I was wrong about him.

    I figured Biden would be at the center of the party consensus, but he’s leading it in a better direction. From his senate career, I thought Biden would be hawkish, but he finally got us the fuck out of Afghanistan. I’m not sure anyone else could have rallied the world to support Ukraine like Biden did. He has also been a real leader on advancing women and POC — not just window dressing — representation that matters. Bravo!

    In 2024, I won’t just be voting against Trump or his afterbirth — I will be voting FOR Joe Biden.

  7. 7.

    Baud

    There’s a fine line between warning people against the sociopathic Wingnut Wurlitzer performers, and furthering their reach. I know some of y’all will say I frequently fail to stay on that tightrope…

    This is an issue I’ve had with our side for a long time, even though I recognize there’s no easy solution when it comes to striking the optimal balance.

  8. 8.

    satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: 😘

    Ignoring the crazy caucus, even for one day, lets their lies spread unchecked. Too many people rely on news sources that do not inform them of Republicans’ real plans for the nation. The Dobbs decision was the beginning of the wake-up call. Fox noise allows too many people to hit the snooze button and imagine the Republicans wouldn’t really do anything to SS and Medicare.  They need to be forcefully reminded daily that yes, the Republicans would.

    Edit, and not just Medicare and SS, all the Republican plans that make this a crueler, poorer, more ignorant nation.

  9. 9.

    Lapassionara

    I see by my morning e-mail that another NYTimes editorial writer has noticed that Joe Biden is 80 years old. Since Biden and I are close to the same age, I am personally insulted as well as enraged that this is evidently going to be the so-called “newspaper of record’s” drumbeat going forward.

    I thought 80 was the new 60.

    blech indeed

  10. 10.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Lots of states have now banned abortion.  I’ve heard precious little about how the women who live in those states are dealing.  Has an underground railroad to free states been put into place? Have birth rates increased in the oppressive states? No info.

  11. 11.

    NotMax

    Motley tales of monthly town trek.

    1) In search of a specific brand of product at Home Depot. Cannot see it on the shelves. Hike to customer service counter and after her consulting the magic computer was instructed to go to “aisle 6, bay 10.” Thanked her and dutifully strode there. Nada. Zip.

    Back to the same person at the counter, who once again fiddles with Mr. Puter. “This shows we have 18 in stock. If it’s not on display we must be phasing it out and can’t sell it to you.”

    2) Decidedly mixed message seen taking up almost the entirety of one corner of a major intersection in town. Well-coiffed woman standing there wearing a signboard around her neck prominently announcing “Poor and Hungry” plus some other words on a second sign hanging below the first, message in lettering too small for me to make out from the far lane in which I’m cooling my heels at a long red light.

    Arranged around her were two, possibly three shopping carts, contents concealed by bulging tarps (except for one headless, footless nude female mannequin displayed strapped to the side of one of the carts). Also one pooch patiently sitting beside her. Behind her a tent had been set up, complete with an array of large — as in 4′ by 6′ — solar panels (four visible from my angle of sight, possibly more at the rear) leaning against its sides.

  14. 14.

    Kay

    Good explanation of the lawsuit anti choice lobbyists filed to outlaw abortion drugs nation-wide.
    Decision could come next week:

    Could a federal judge really declare that an abortion drug used safely by millions of American women over more than two decades did not receive proper vetting and force it off the market?
    Normally, this would be an absurd scenario. When it comes to reproductive health, however, we have entered the realm of the absurd.
    Last year, after all, the U.S. Supreme Court revoked a half-century-old federal right to abortion when it overturned Roe vs. Wade, tossing the issue back to the states. About half of them have banned, or are expected to ban, the procedure. But tossing Roe did not satisfy the Christian right, which is on a mission to thwart women’s agency.
    Asking federal courts to step in now is a transparent attempt to supersede the power of blue states like California, whose citizens voted recently to enshrine the right to abortion in the state Constitution.
    In November, the right-wing Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of individuals and groups opposed to abortion. The ADF, founded to protect “God’s design for marriage and family,” is known for its legal assaults on LGBTQ rights. It alleges that medication abortion, which accounts for more than 50% of abortions in the U.S., is dangerous and should never have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

  19. 19.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    There is an “underground railroad” (of sorts)  to free states – interstate travel is still legal for women. We don’t need the rigidly conventional careerist assholes in political media reporting on that, though. They’ll ruin it.

  20. 20.

    Baud

    @Baud:

    To add, regardless of whether people take a day off from responding to the right, our side has historically done a crap job of boosting our own successes.  I think that has slowly started to change, but it’s still out of balance.  You’re far more likely to hear of some red-state atrocity than to hear about how some blue state moved the ball forward.  Too many people are  still wedded to the “not good enough” mindset, but I believe it hurts our efforts at winning over normie hearts and minds.

  21. 21.

    PBK

    @Baud: And how are they paying for this?  I could have a doctor across the street but if they’re not in my “network” I can’t see them.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    @Kay: Thanks.  I guess I’m not surprised that it exists, but I don’t have a sense of how big it is in terms of a replacement for in-state abortion services.  But you’re probably right that it is best left unreported on.

  23. 23.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I don’t love “underground railroad” because it’s (still) legal for women to travel to free states so I don’t think the two things are comparable, but I don’t have a better phrase to replace it.

    Driving enthusiasts. They’re drivers :)

  24. 24.

    artem1s

    The GOP is fine with letting billionaires and corporations not paying any taxes and defaulting on their debts. They are fine with bailing them out so they can get wealthier with stock buybacks. The GOP wants the middle class to pay the billionaires’ taxes and corporations’ bail outs by stealing it from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They want to default on the debt that is owed to American tax paying workers and senior citizens.

  27. 27.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: I’m sure they judge shopped for a judge who would actually entertain their absurd idea that a drug that’s been used safely for 20 years is actually dangerous and should be removed from the market. A judge who has no medical training or medical knowledge, but sure does know that only young sluts have abortions. *rolleyes

  29. 29.

    Eric S.

    @Baud: I don’t know details but here in IL, an island in a sea of forced birth states, Planned Parenthood has been creating mobile facilities they can take to the border.

  30. 30.

    zhena gogolia

    @Lapassionara: Not only that, but we liberals should learn from DeSantis. And yesterday that horrific op-ed by Caldwell about how we should respect Putler’s fee-fees appeared in my print newspaper. Somehow it was even more horrifying in print. They gave it half an op-ed page.

  33. 33.

    Baud

    @Lapassionara:

    I see by my morning e-mail that another NYTimes editorial writer has noticed that Joe Biden is 80 years old.

    Maybe we should bar old people from voting.

  34. 34.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I am not 100% sure on this, but I think Mitch is wrong.  I don’t think Scott’s desire to end Social Security will hurt him in Florida.  The seniors retiring there, who are so important to Republican elections and would be affected, just won’t believe it.  If they don’t write the whole thing off as a lie, no matter what evidence they’re shown, they will believe that it won’t take away their Social Security, only the unworthy.  This has been a standard conservative reaction to hearing their side wants to cut the safety net they personally rely on.

  38. 38.

    Jeffro

    We thought Santos was bad (and he is, he’s the worst) but it turns out there’s another complete fake in the House GOP caucus: Rep Luna

    Twelve years before she was elected as the first Mexican American woman to represent Florida in Congress, Anna Paulina Luna was serving at Whiteman Air Force Base in Warrensburg, Mo., where friends said she described herself as alternately Middle Eastern, Jewish or Eastern European. Known then by her given last name of Mayerhofer, Luna sported designer clothing and expressed support for then-President Barack Obama.

    By the time she ran for Congress as a Republican, she had changed her last name to Luna in what she said was an homage to her mother’s family. A staunch advocate for gun rights, she cited on the campaign trail a harrowing childhood that left her “battle hardened.” She said she and her mother had little extended family as she grew up in “low-income” neighborhoods in Southern California with a father in and out of incarceration. She said she experienced a traumatizing “home invasion” when she was serving in the Air Force in Missouri.

    Luna’s sharp turn to the right, her account of an isolated and impoverished childhood, and her embrace of her Hispanic heritage have come as a surprise to some friends and family who knew her before her ascent to the U.S. House this year.

    I’m sensing a theme for 2024 here, Dems…don’t waste it!

  40. 40.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Exactly.  They don’t suffer because they have a media apparatus, aka, a propaganda machine, that spins things however they want them spun.

    Goebbels would have loved the modern GOP propaganda machine and yes, I’m gladly Going Godwin here.

  41. 41.

    Betty

    @Betty Cracker: To be fair, Biden has some questionable policy advocacy in his history. His swing toward more progressive policies was a pleasant surprise. Rick Scott has dug out and posted Joe bragging about limiting SS and Medicare spending as a Senator.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    I’d also be interested in seeing how restrictive state laws have affected birth rates, out of state travel, etc. on a state-by-state basis. David Anderson might readily have that information, or be well positioned to get it quickly. I’ll bet there are academics who are busy aggregating and analysing these data right now.

  43. 43.

    topclimber

    @Kay: Free Womb Highway?

    Which is not really free for women who can’t afford to pay for travel or leave their family for more than a day. Not to mention paying for a procedure that might not be covered out of state.

    Are you aware of organized efforts to help such women?

  44. 44.

    satby

    @Frankensteinbeck: Exactly. Republican voters never believe any of the hateful stuff will affect them and seem unable to extrapolate the effects out to their loved ones. “SS sunsets in 5 years, who knows if I’ll even be around then? Besides, they’ll just renew it.” “No one I know would ever have an abortion, so restrictions aren’t a problem”

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    Fair warning.

    Windows update coming this month supposedly will be removing the last vestiges of Internet Explorer, Some versions of programs or apps rely on IE being present in order to operate so those may go dark.

    Guy I know who owns a computer maintenance and repair shop told me he’s carved out the morning after for the entire crew to be present rather than possibly be out making in person service calls in order to deal with anticipated phone traffic from the befuddled.

  47. 47.

    satby

    @Betty: Yeah, he dug out footage from what? 30-40 years ago? Everyone is allowed to evolve. I would even give Republican Mike Lee a pass on a twelve year old statement, except he still espouses the same view today and tries to pretend he doesn’t.

  48. 48.

    Betty Cracker

    @Frankensteinbeck: Unfortunately, I think you’re right about that. Retired Republicans who live in places like The Villages are in an airtight information bubble. They recently got screwed over on property taxes by local Republican pols/DeSantis cronies and come back for more. Spanish-speaking South FL Republicans are in a similar bubble, so Scott is probably safe.

    Still, Biden had his people leave a copy of Scott’s pamphlets on every seat at the event he held in Tampa yesterday. Good for him — you gotta try.

  53. 53.

    rikyrah

    I love that this President is taking them on HEAD ON!

     

    And, I love that the Democrats and the White House are bringing all kinds of receipts!

     

    Lie on you, Republicans?

    No, Boo – we’re telling the truth on you and doing it using your own words.

  55. 55.

    Almost Retired

    @Frankensteinbeck: ​
      I think you’re exactly right! My conservative acquaintances in my age cohort (ugh…60…) are quick to say changes need to be made for the future, but that current and near-retiree benefits shouldn’t be touched. Expectations and all that. Selfish ass-wipes.

  58. 58.

    eclare

    @Manyakitty:   From the get-go I said I would vote in the primary for whoever won SC.  I put my faith in Black women, and it looks like that was the right decision.

  61. 61.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    @topclimber: Such efforts exist. They are happy to receive donations but they aren’t wild about lots of publicity.

    People have already had a system in place to deal with getting people in states with more restrictive laws to states where they can still get help. If this hasn’t been a concern of yours, you probably wouldn’t have noticed, because they feel staying below the radar is safer and more productive. If you’re wondering why we’re being so terse and cagey, google George Tiller.

    Prosecution for abetting a felony isn’t the only risk.

  64. 64.

    James E Powell

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Agree that most older Republican voters will refuse to believe it or believe it won’t happen to them. Still think we should pound the message in Florida & every other state.

  65. 65.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Betty: Find me someone who has been politics for 60 years who doesn’t have some questionable.  Even Barbara Lee has had a couple of bad votes.

  66. 66.

    James E Powell

    @Baud:

    What the media will do instead is search every Democratic resume to find an exaggeration & declare a Both Sides Situation!

  67. 67.

    Almost Retired

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: ​
      Well, sure, raising the cap significantly would make a significant difference. But that might lead to more Americans enjoying a comfortable and secure retirement, so we can’t have that.

  68. 68.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Baud: Yup.  It’s hard to resist the urge to engage with trolls or dunk on preposterous shit being spouted by GOPers.  Made even harder because we believe in the value of pushing back and are encouraged to do so by marginalized groups etc.  But it’s important to always be on the look out for trolls who are just using our righteous instincts to amplify their bullshit and to see larger patterns that might indicate a Russian disinfo campaign.  It’s definitely better for our own mental health to learn not to get sucked into this stuff so easily and always remember that social media operates on the addictive dopamine hit we get from getting into online spats or dunking on something silly/bad.  I’ve gotten much better about simply blocking/pie-ing people instead of engaging with them and it has definitely made my life better and makes me happy that I’m a little less likely to be an unwitting contributor to the next version of Hillary’s Emails™.  But it’s a tricky dilemna, in general.

  69. 69.

    Kay

    @topclimber:

    I am, and it doesn’t cost the women a cent. One wouldn’t get into it unless one had resources sufficient to donate time, fuel, contributions to child care, etc. And, must like touring America’s highways and meeting new people! :)

    But that’s not a government effort, and, honesty Americans coukd give a shit about what women do so no one will pay any attention to private efforts, thank God. They’d only fuck it up if they covered it.

    I’m asking for reporting by national news orgs on new laws that deny women “standard of care” medical services in affected states. I think this is news.

  71. 71.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    “If it’s not on display we must be phasing it out and can’t sell it to you.”

    “Or we can’t keep our shelves stocked. But don’t make me go look in the back for one.”

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Was actually told by a manager at Safeway some years ago when was searching for a specific item purchased there previously, “Yeah, we stopped ordering that because it always sells out so fast.”

  74. 74.

    Betty Cracker

    It’ll be interesting to see if DeSantis caves to anti-choice extremists on Florida’s 15-week ban, which they hailed as a great victory before Dobbs but now see as weak sauce. FL GOP has promised to address “life” issues in an upcoming session. DeSantis is an anti-choice extremist himself but probably recognizes that ramming through a “heartbeat bill” might blow up in his face when he runs for president.

  75. 75.

    Roger Moore

    @Lapassionara:

    I thought 80 was the new 60.

    The real thing is that different people age at different rates.  Some people can be 80 and still active and engaged.  Some people can be 60 and suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.  The only way to tell is to look at what they’re doing, which isn’t comforting to people who want hard and fast rules about age.

  79. 79.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: I think it’s interesting, and good, that if one does a Google search for “abortion help” the first sponsored results have explicit, bold, “Does not provide abortions” text (presumably provided by Google) just below the URL.

    The monsters are trying to make the information hard to find, but it’s out there.

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  80. 80.

    NotMax

    @eclare

    An entire multi-volume set awaiting being written telling of customer service SNAFUs.

    British TV show Are You Being Served? barely scratched the surface.
    ;)

  82. 82.

    satby

    @Roger Moore: I was humbled both by visiting my active, much more spry than me 82 year young friend recently on my train trip. And my primary train buddy was an 84 years young gentleman who traveled from Buffalo to Salt Lake City to go downhill skiing. He did admit that his slalom game wasn’t as good as when he was younger though, so he now only skis open slopes rather than wooded ones 😳

    Assuming people are washed up at any particular age is just wrong.

  83. 83.

    Betty Cracker

    @eclare: He also had to walk it back in a hurry, and at the time, Roe was the law of the land. I’m not saying an anti-choice creep can’t win — after Trump, I won’t rule any foolishness out. But governors have records, and severe restrictions like heartbeat bills are unpopular.

  84. 84.

    Baud

    @satby:

    Assuming people are washed up at any particular age is just wrong.

    True.  I was washed up in my teens.  Everyone is different.

  87. 87.

    Baud

    @Another Scott:

    Yelp has sent a strongly worded letter to a group of state attorneys general who earlier this week criticized the online reviews site for its labeling of crisis pregnancy centers, Axios has learned. The company is also modifying the way it labels such services for added clarity.

    Between the lines: Yelp, along with Google, last year moved to more clearly label crisis pregnancy centers to distinguish them from agencies that provide abortions.

    Scoop: Yelp fires back at state attorneys general over crisis pregnancy centers (axios.com)

  88. 88.

    UncleEbeneezer

    1/ Tonight ABC News (and later NBC and the New York Times) reported that Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed Mike Pence for his testimony before a grand jury. This subpoena is very likely seeking testimony relating to Pence’s role on January 6th.

    2/ Pence is a key witness because Trump reportedly pressured him to refuse to certify the electoral votes on January 6th or to delay and send the matter back to the states. His staff testified regarding this pressure campaign, but Pence had some private conversations with Trump.

    3/ Because most of the other facts can be established by other witnesses, such as the Pence staffers who testified before the January 6th Committee, I expect Pence is one of the *last* witnesses Smith would call if he was building a case around the electoral vote certification.

    4/ For that reason, this suggests that Smith’s January 6th investigation is far along. It also suggests that he is pursuing that aspect of his investigation aggressively—he isn’t focusing largely on the Mar-a-Lago documents matter and putting January 6th on the back burner.

    5/ So does this mean Pence will try to fight the subpoena? Don’t be so sure. Often witnesses who want to testify *ask* for grand jury subpoenas so they can say they were compelled to testify even when they are willing (or even eager) to come in and talk.

    …

    9/ So does this mean Smith is building charges against Trump? We know that John Eastman is already under investigation, so it’s possible that Pence is being interviewed to build evidence against Eastman, but Pence is hardly a necessary witness against Eastman.

    10/ It’s more likely Smith is building a case against Trump. That doesn’t mean Trump will be charged, but today’s news should greatly concern Trump’s team. We now know Smith is pushing hard to investigate January 6th, and it looks like he’s developing a case against Trump. /end

  89. 89.

    Omnes Omnibus

    General announcement:  I am now on the whale site.  Woohooo!  I am kind of an early adopter for once.

  93. 93.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Betty Cracker:

    you gotta try.

    You absolutely do.  I think the Florida retiree community is unreachable in any numbers that matter, but you’ll make some liberals more motivated and some mushy moderates realize how big the difference is.  Particularly nationwide.  The Florida Republican voting pool appears self-selected and thus both extreme and impervious, but a percentage point here and a percentage point there in swing states can make all the difference.

    @Betty Cracker:

    DeSantis is an anti-choice extremist himself but probably recognizes that ramming through a “heartbeat bill” might blow up in his face when he runs for president.

    It will be useful information in judging the man’s future actions, yes.  My guess is that he’ll embrace the most extreme anti-abortion position his legislature will hand him.  He gets off on hurting people and his actions so far suggest he either doesn’t think what he does as Florida governor can follow him to the national level, or thinks sadistic extremism will play everywhere.  I don’t know I’m right, though.  There’s a lot of fine detail of the balance between cruelty and calculated politics with DeSantis yet to be plumbed.

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Flashing on an announcement heard over the P.A. system at a ski lodge. “It’s a beautiful day here at [name of ski area]. The slopes are just like skiing on a walnut sundae.”

    Sidled over to an acquaintance who made the announcement.

    “Huh? What are the walnuts?”

    (furtive whisper) “The rocks.”

  95. 95.

    cain

    @Baud: They are in the fuck around stage of that. It’s not going to end well especially as Gen Z starts hitting “start family stage” and realize that there are all kinds of risks that would lead to criminal prosecutions just for having a baby.

    Meanwhile the majority of their voting public tend not be at the start family stage are becoming smaller as time goes on. Things are in not gonna end well and they are gonna find out.

  106. 106.

    WereBear

    @NotMax: This is how capitalism destroys itself.

    Our most recent Masters of the Universe can’t think their way out of a wet paper bag. No wonder scams are so widespread. These people are all brain stem and adrenal glands.

  107. 107.

    Kristine

    @NotMax: I have also been a victim of the Home Depot “the item is in aisle x/no it’s not” situation. I learned that many items offered online aren’t sold in their physical stores, so no way to check out those counter chairs before you buy.

    Luckily, I was pretty happy with them.

  109. 109.

    NotMax

    Grr.

    There’s a special ring of Hell reserved for those who came up the plastic tray containers used by baked goods purveyors.

  110. 110.

    Scout211

    I too, am frustrated by the very limited media stories about the anti-abortion laws in so many states since Dobbs. I just read one this week on CNN.com that highlighted a couple’s tragic story of infertility and finally a pregnancy that was not viable. They finally had to travel to another state to get medical care because the doctors in Ohio were not able to treat her until her pregnancy was “life threatening” to her.

    The few people who are willing to share personal information with national news agencies seem to be the couples who want a child but are faced with a non-viable pregnancy that medical professionals are unable to treat until her life is threatened. And the media today seems to need that extra wow factor of a personal story to add to their stories. It leaves out countless untold stories and also leaves out the extreme politics invading and controlling reproductive health decisions and medical care for families and pregnant people.

  112. 112.

    eclare

    @NotMax:   Also for whoever decided to put scissors in a plastic clamshell.  I am buying scissors, don’t make me need the product in the clamshell to open it!

    I used a knife to open it, but it felt dangerous.

  114. 114.

    Brachiator

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I am not 100% sure on this, but I think Mitch is wrong.  I don’t think Scott’s desire to end Social Security will hurt him in Florida.  The seniors retiring there, who are so important to Republican elections and would be affected, just won’t believe it.

    You make a good point, but I think it is fairly easy to survey seniors on this issue. Where’s the nearest Applebees?

    If they don’t write the whole thing off as a lie, no matter what evidence they’re shown, they will believe that it won’t take away their Social Security, only the unworthy.

    Even the dumbest seniors know that Social Security doesn’t work like this.

  116. 116.

    The Lodger

    @Another Scott: As I recall, the Yellow Pages finally separated “Abortion Services” from “Abortion Alternatives” after someone made them do it. Good on Google for learning that lesson.

  118. 118.

    eclare

    @The Lodger:   Yes.  I read a story, I think in WaPo, about a chain of pregnancy centers in TX who made no bones about their mission being to trick women into coming in.

  119. 119.

    Gin & Tonic

    russian cruise missile launched from the Black Sea travels over the airspace of Moldova and Romania on its way to hit Ukraine. Last I checked, Romania was a NATO member. Its government seems not to be too concerned.

    But the Moldovan government, apparently unrelated to the overflight, has collapsed, with the PM resigning today.

  126. 126.

    trnc

    @eclare: I don’t know, TFG said that women who get abortions should be prosecuted for murder. Didn’t stop him.

    IIRC, plenty of anti-choicers jumped on him for that statement and he settled into their preferred narrative pretty quickly. At the time, it was considered more viable politically to just go after the providers. What a difference 6 years makes.

  127. 127.

    OverTwistWillie

    It’s a safe bet that Bill in Glendale is currently telling a customer:

    Sir, there is no “back”; you are standing in a warehouse and the inventory is on the racks….

  128. 128.

    Redshift

    @Betty Cracker: On Social Security/Medicare, it’s not just the information bubble. The conservative scam for decades had been to promise nothing will change for current retirees and people close to retirement age, and to propagandize younger people with the lie that without cuts it’ll be bankrupt long before they retire, so they shouldn’t care either way.

    When the effort crashed and burned in the Bush years, they were surprised to find out that most retirees care about their grandchildren and are not IGMFU (the Villages being an exception, presumably.)

  130. 130.

    Redshift

    @Kristine: It was a pretty big deal for me when I found out the Home Depot website will actually tell you what section of a specific aisle an item is in, because staff at my local HD will literally run and hide if they see you approaching to ask a question. The item may not be there, but at least I’m not searching the whole store to find out it’s not there, and often it is!

  131. 131.

    jonas

    @Kay: Until pols in red states start feeling the electoral heat over their insane abortion policies, nothing will change. So in other words, not until wealthier white people start getting pissed off. That point may come, but not soon, I fear.

  132. 132.

    Kay

    @trnc:

    Polling of anti choice voters shows a big majority want women punished. The worse you believe women are, the more likely you are to be anti-choice. For years I said “punish the sluts” was an oversimplification but it’s not. That’s the motivation and the goal. Women must suffer and die so religious zealots can go to heaven.

  133. 133.

    Redshift

    @Baud:

    This is an issue I’ve had with our side for a long time, even though I recognize there’s no easy solution when it comes to striking the optimal balance.

    I was in a refresher zoom for Indivisible’s Truth Brigade (anti-disinformation effort), and they had some really good stuff about countering it without spreading it. One of the big ideas (in addition to always leading with the truth, rather than be quoting the lie) is that a good chunk of people spreading this stuff don’t want to be repeating false information, and don’t realize they are. So if you use a friendly “did you know” approach instead of an arguing with winguts and proving them wrong approach, you can get them on the side of light. (And for committed wingnuts, proving them wrong doesn’t work anyway.)

  134. 134.

    Kay

    @trnc:

    They have a whole creepy section during anti choice marches where they celebrate the women who died in childbirth. The suffering is essential to the archaic belief system. Women are wicked. The only way they can redeem themselves is to sacrifice their lives for the good of others.

    Bleeding out in a bathtub after a miscarriage is what women deserve.

  135. 135.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Women are wicked.

     
    When you’re unwanted…

    Seriously, you’re right. Suffering is key. Religious zealots invariably want to recreate the afterlife on earth. And the afterlife of the right wing Christianity is about righteous people in heaven enjoying God’s presence while evil people are suffering in hell. The more suffering inflicted on the Other, the more validation the zealots have of their theology.

  136. 136.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Redshift: Also, use screenshots when you wanna debunk shit, rather than re-tweeting/sharing/engaging with the source.  So when you see something ridiculous, instead of clicking on “share/retweet/reply” just take a screenshot and then write your own “Here’s why this is bullshit” post to say whatever you want to say.

  138. 138.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Scott Lemiuex makes a good point about DeSantis:

    “He ran less than two points ahead of Rubio; the idea that he’s obviously some kind of generational political super-talent is just bizarre.”

  139. 139.

    Geminid

    @Roger Moore: I think comprehensive immigration reform would also contribute to a sounder financial footing for Social Security. That won’t happen in this Congress, though.

  140. 140.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Right. It’s what was so sad to me about the young mothers making the TicTok presentations where they explain that they can’t die in the course of a pregnancy not because their own lives are worth anything, but because they already have children.  It’s not “selfish”, their desire to remain alive- they must live ONLY because they are in service to others. I could weep, I swear. Brainwashed by our horrible misogynist culture.

  141. 141.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    It’s all right there in Genesis 3:16:

    Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

  143. 143.

    Montanareddog

    @RedDirtGirl: I have just signed up, too, so that my nym does not get “cetacean-squatted”.

    I opened a Mastodon account and use it a bit but it has not really got going for me yet in terms of content. The tech at Mastodon seems fine though that could depend on the server one is registered with.

    My first few searches in Spoutible have been slow. I think tech-wise, there will be need to be improvements.

  144. 144.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @topclimber:

    The axe is going to fall on those who don’t yet receive SSA: higher retirement ages, lower benefits. So, don’t count on the olds in Florida to give a crap.

    Absolutely. They will think its in their best interests to shore up their own benefits by cutting off everyone else. I mean, if like Rupert Murdoch and Mich McConnell, they are bathing in the blood of virgins to unnaturally extend their lives* they will need benefits for decades to come.

    *Irresponsible not to speculate.

  146. 146.

    kmax

    Speaking of disinformation I think I just heard my local ABC affiliate say 58% of democrats don’t want Biden to run again.

    Where did this lie come from?

    They double as a Fox affiliate so a lot of MAGA gets in their news stream.

  147. 147.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @NotMax: At the Home of the Orange Apron, if you know what you want, Buy Online and Pick Up In the Store(BOPIS).  They have staff(me) that will search for the item, even if it is not in the home position.  Order, wait two hours or until they email you that your order is complete and ready.  If we really don’t have it, we’ll cancel it.

  150. 150.

    Paul in KY

    @satby: What a dude! I gave up skiing at 38 after a particularly bad ‘yard sale’ fall. I do miss it though. So serene & beautiful when it’s going good on a pretty day…

  154. 154.

    Paul in KY

    @Kay: Not so much even the religious zealots going to heaven, it’s sticking it to those sluts who got to do what they wanted to do but couldn’t/didn’t.

  155. 155.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @Steeplejack: We, at the Home of the Orange Apron, don’t have a “back”, we have an “up”.  Unless you hit the store right after inventory, the on-hands will be crap due to shrinkage, product falling behind the shelving into the void…

    The best thing to do is order on-line, that way you have someone actually going to the location to see if we have it; either at the home, or in midbay, or in overhead.  There are situations where something will be in midbay and is behind other products and we may not see it, or if you’re ordering one item and it is in overhead and we’re too constrained on staff to drop the pallet(that can take 2 people 1/2 an hour to do when the store is open).

  157. 157.

    Ruckus

    @Kay:

    My religion allows abortion, birth control, trans humans (I hope I’m using this correctly!) etc and any religion that attempts to make laws against my religion is pointedly, absolutely blocking my religion, which is absolutely not freedom of or from religion.

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