Today is my first day on the Biden-Harris re-election campaign and we are releasing a new digital ad focused on the work that @potus has done to improve Americans’ lives, and why he must be re-elected. pic.twitter.com/4xoLwFL74m
— Quentin Fulks (@quentinfulks) May 1, 2023
NEW: Biden is gearing up for the first big-money fundraising events of his 2024 campaign, with multi-million dollar NYC gatherings in the works for as soon as next week. https://t.co/2l4EgCE1mc
— Trevor Hunnicutt (@TrevorNews) May 2, 2023
Dem strategist @SimonWDC was subjected to tremendous abuse for predicting throughout 2022 that the "red wave" would be a mirage. He was right.
I talked to Simon about why he thinks MAGA is weak in 2024.
"This is not a time to be defensive," he says:https://t.co/i5btYG0Iit pic.twitter.com/Kl8Fd5FL92
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) April 25, 2023
Do you really think that they had to rearrange the primary to fend off Marianne Williamson. https://t.co/7Km6kMJ3l2
— Slope Slipperer (@agraybee) April 25, 2023
They changed the order of the primaries because Black Southern Democrats do a shitload of fundraising. Believe it or not, not all of politics revolves around trying to keep down left-wing insurgents. They're perfectly capable of keeping themselves down.
— Slope Slipperer (@agraybee) April 25, 2023
Baud
Yep, Astead is flat out lying.
Sanjeevs
Teri Kanefield, Emptywheel and the Daily Beast all seem to think the trial is not going well for Trump.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-lawyer-joe-tacopinas-terrible-cross-examination-in-e-jean-carroll-trial-gets-even-worse
Jeffro
Sign me up for grabbing MAGA real estate!
Er, you know what I mean… =)
Edmund dantes
Man. The trump reporter phone story and keeping it quiet for more than a month really drives home how much they are going to try to drag Trump back across the line and make him president again. So they can have easy profits again.
Jeffro
@Sanjeevs: if and when trump is convicted, I plan on asking all the RWNJs “what now? This still your guy? Still better than Biden?”
They followed him all the way down the spiral and dragged our country along with them: may as well make them feel some ‘pride of ownership’.
Kay
Senator Whitehouse’s open in the SCOTUS oversight hearing was so good. “The court has conclusively proven that it cannot police itself”
Jeffro
The WH is already firing back at some clown GOP congressman (Michael Cloud of Texas) who thinks he’s funny by mocking yesterday’s “memo” pic and saying Biden “doesn’t have operational control of the border”. The WH noted right back to him that the House GQP budget would cut over 2,000 border protection agents.
Keep at it, Dark Brandon!!
Gin & Tonic
@Kay: I enjoy having two good Senators.
opiejeanne
@Edmund dantes: What story is this? The Hillyard story?
Omnes Omnibus
@Jeffro: The E. Jean Carroll trial is a civil trial. No matter how badly it goes for Trump he won’t be convicted.
Baud
@Jeffro:
👍
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus:
Not with that attitude.
Gin & Tonic
@Omnes Omnibus: Clearly that’s Merrick Garland’s fault.
Kay
@Gin & Tonic:
I was impressed. Just perfect. I didn’t know that there was an oversight referral on Thomas for exactly the same issue in 2011 – same donor, same undisclosed gifts- and the court oversight enitity just never issued a report. Wow. They’re just thumbing their nose at ethics. They have no intention of policing themselves.
Steeplejack
@Sanjeevs:
Joe Tacopina would be rejected by Central Casting as too much the cliché of a thuggish, sexist, swinish New York mob lawyer. I’m amazed (although delighted) that the Trump team used him in the Carroll trial.
Gin & Tonic
Drones over the Kremlin less than a week before the big parade is certainly interesting.
Matt McIrvin
@Omnes Omnibus: On the other hand, this does mean the standard of proof isn’t a hard-to-attain “beyond reasonable doubt”.
Omnes Omnibus
@Gin & Tonic:
That is perfect on so many levels.
@Baud:
I will endeavor to improve.
Sanjeevs
@Omnes Omnibus: What’s the threshold in a civil case like this?
Is it unanimous verdict or simple majority of the jury?
Jackie
I’m feeling good about retaining the WH, and retaking the House. Holding the Senate is worrisome. The thought of McConnell in charge of picking judges and justices makes my blood pressure escalate.
Geminid
This election will be fought on a very different financial landscape than in 2020. Last time, Joe Biden’s campaign lagged badly in fundraising until a surge in August, around the time he selected Kamal Harris as VP.
His fundraising exceeded Trump’s somewhat in the next two months, but the Trump campaign had a head start. For example, they had extensive social media efforts in place a year before Election Day. This time, the Biden campaign is starting early and with a good plan.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Gin & Tonic: The Kremlin is claiming the drones were an assassination attempt on Putin. I admit I picture Putin dead sometimes. But maybe that wouldn’t leave anyone better in charge. I suspect there would be chaos.
On a totally other topic, I blogged about obsidian and how I used it in the book coming out Saturday. I like research and this was a chance to do some
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Jackie: We just need every voter with the right values to vote like their freedom, their lives, and their livelihoods depend on it.
And they just may….
Betty Cracker
@Geminid: True, and Trump had advantages other than financial in 2020 that he or whoever gets the GOP nom won’t have in this round, including the advantage of incumbency and willingness + opportunity to illegally use the White House and SCOTUS as campaign props, etc. He had big advantages and still managed to squander them!
@Kay: Whitehouse has always had the FedSoc’s number. He’d be a great chairman of that committee, IMO. I loved the part of that opening statement when he said of Leonard Leo, “He doesn’t have business before the court. His business IS the court!” So true!
Geminid
@Gin & Tonic: I see that former White House staffer Gabe Amo has entered the primary field to succeed David Cicciline, who announced he’ll be leaving the Rhode Island 1st CD seat later this year. Mr. Amo is 35, and has worked previously in the Obama White House, Senator Whitehouse’s office, and then-Governor Raimondo’s administration. Amo’s parents are Ghanian immigrants who met in Rhode Island.
If Amo wins the seat, he can join 39 year old Gabe Vasquez (NM-2) in a young Gabe Caucus.
Amir Khalid
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
The Russians shouldn’t be complaining all that much. Putin is the head of an enemy state and a legit war target for Ukraine. Just like Zelenskyy is for Russia.
Jackie
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I agree, but I don’t trust Manchin and Montana is plotting voting shenanigans *for just 2024* to oust Tester. Other senate races will be tight but winnable.
I’ll stay positive and hope voters have long memories and vote Blue.
Jeffro
@Omnes Omnibus: my bad, what’s the correct term – found liable? found guilty?
matt
Never heard of this Astead guy before. Good to know yet another media guy to read and take opposite conclusions from.
Betty
@Jeffro: If you know what kind of disinformation these people are fed daily, you don’t bother asking. Did you know that Joe Biden personally gets a cut on all the high gas prices? No wonder he wants to keep them high.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
I knew that about him. It must be nice for them when one of Their Personal Crusades goes national, and everyone sees the problem they saw. Short, clipped, easy to understand and extra points for noting that Thomas, the “textualist” didn’t follow the plain meaning of the rule. This story should start with Scalia too, so I was glad he started there.
Baud
@Kay:
Agree. I’ve been waiting for Whitehouse to get some recognition.
cain
Next year is going to be interesting – but I think the demographics is going to be good for us. I think the GOP has shown conclusively that they are an enemy of anyone who isn’t an old white male. But also shown through their budget that they don’t care about the border, don’t care about veterans, and are looking to take power away from women even further and going after their health.
We have an incredible wealth of information that we can use. What we need to figure out is our media plan against the FTFNYT and others who are invested in both sides, false equivalence messaging. I’m personally interested in putting money into independent money and raise their profile.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Jackie: Voters tend to notice shenanigans surrounding legislative attempts to game individual elections.
This could backfire on them. I would hope so.
cain
@Betty: and a George Soros check! Hell all of us Democrats get one.
Omnes Omnibus
@Sanjeevs: I am not licensed in NY, but it is my understanding that it is 5/6.
Jackie
@Jackie: OTOH this gives me hope!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/03/allred-senate-texas-cruz/
I really like Allred and hope enough Texans do, too.
Baud
@Jackie:
The Dem that beats Ted Cruz will be treated like royalty.
narya
@Matt McIrvin: Yes. Preponderance of the evidence is the standard.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
I’m ready to attach religious significance to just such an individual.
narya
@Baud: He’s on MSNBC some, and I always enjoy that–he’s an excellent messenger, and absolutely dogged on this subject. And Al Franken has had him on his (Franken’s) podcast, where he was also excellent.
Geminid
@Jackie: I don’t see how the new Montana voting system hurts Senator Tester. He’ll certainly advance from a jungle primary, and Rep. Rosendale and the Governor will still have to fight for a spot. The two Republicans will need to go negative against each other, and Tester will look the better for that.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Geminid: That’s true, if you can win a general election; all else being equal; you should at least be able to advance in a jungle primary.
Baud
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation:
Yeah, anyone can cure leprosy. Beating Cruz in Texas in a presidential election year is the real miracle.
Edmund dantes
@opiejeanne: the one where he threw the tantrum and picked up the reporters phone and tossed it because of how they asked questions.
it goes to show they just want the access. And will do anything to keep it. If that was any Dem, man. The coverage would be wall to wall.
It’s just a good reminder to remember what they are hiding about gop candidates to keep their access (and save for their book)
Gin & Tonic
@Geminid: The retiring Congressman’s surname is spelled Cicilline. Anyway, the field of announced Dem candidates is up to 14 already, with more thinking about it.
narya
Also: wild turkey (the bird, not the alcohol) is back on the menu at my house. My friend obtained a 21-pound jake in about two hours of opening day. (By comparison, some years he gets nothing, or takes multiple days of sitting in his turkey stand.)
Sure Lurkalot
@Betty Cracker:
Some journalist or blogger needs to do a deeper dive on Mr. Leo re his recent increased wealth and Opus Dei connections.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Good idea. Go for it.
Quinerly
@Steeplejack:
Check out his Wiki page. Lot of ground covered over the years. To refresh my memory on him, I looked at it when Trump hired him. I had remembered him representing Jordan van der Sloot. He was everywhere on tv when Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. Some of it has been scrubbed from my first reading …especially the reference to his friendship with Al Sharpton. The part about being named on Billboard’s most influential people in hip hop list in 2018 is still there. I am pretty sure the part about representing Kimberly Guilfoyle has been added since my first reading. He also has represented some of the 1/6 defendants.
Kay
@Sanjeevs:
Trump moved it from state to federal court. There are 9 jurors. Federal requires unanimous.
Geminid
@Gin & Tonic: Will there be a runoff? Without one, a candidate could win with 25% or less. I think Jake Auchingloss won his 2020 Massachusetts primary with under 25%.
Do you think Mr. Amo’s age will work to his advantage? Democrats often say they want younger Representatives.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Too cliché for central casting is one of Trump’s top hiring criteria, second only to intense loyalty/ indebtedness/ supplicancy.
Eolirin
@Jackie: Montana is going to be where control is decided I think. Which worries me.
If Tester holds on and Gallego wins in AZ good chance we’re at 50/50 again, but without Manchin and Sinema in the mix
Texas and Florida are our best states for pickups, so we can’t afford to lose more than Manchin.
Gin & Tonic
@Geminid: I don’t know the election mechanics, but I believe there’s just a primary and a general.
The age issue is a toss-up, I think. Dems say they want younger candidates, but RI is a relatively old state.
Jeffro
…by Republicans!
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Jeffro: I thought Republicans only treated their own elected officials like royalty.
Jackie
@narya: He knocked out Pete Sessions in an upset – which caught my attention and put him in my “candidate to keep an eye on” category. Allred is already throwing punches at Ted, reminding Texans that he fled to Cancun while his constituents were freezing to death, and reminded Texans Cruz was found cowering in a closet during the Insurrection.
He’s on both MSNBC and CNN a lot advocating for more gun control and dissing Abbott’s cruelty re shipping immigrants to northern cities in the dead of winter.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Elon Musk sent a message to NPR threatening to reassign the NPR twitter name to someone else if NPR stops tweeting. Does Musk not understand how the real world works?
Jackie
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Elon has proven he doesn’t know how ANYTHING works.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
No. In the real world people aren’t inheriting generations of slave diamond money with hangers-on lying to them about their genius in hopes of getting a few crumbs.
Eolirin
@Jackie: If we somehow take Texas we will have had an amazing night, and probably an amazing enough one that we break through gerrymanders and have a wave election picking up more than 30 house seats and maybe even letting Manchin win in West Virginia. I am not optimistic.
narya
@Jackie: I was talking about Whitehouse, but nevertheless appreciate the info about Allred! That would be sooooo sweeeet, with a soupçon of salty tears, much like sea salt on top of a chocolate caramel dessert
ETA: In fact, if that happens, I will create a dessert in honor of it.
Geminid
@Gin & Tonic: This looks to be a very interesting primary. It should get some national attention, as special elections often do.
Betty Cracker
@Eolirin: Two things the upcoming TX and FL races have in common: both GOP incumbents are universally loathed, and yet unseating them will be an uphill battle. At least there appears to be a credible challenger for Cruz. If someone has emerged to take on Scott in FL, I haven’t heard about it. No one comes to mind, tbh, which is a measure of how thin our bench is down here.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Betty Cracker: The Senate calls, Betty Cracker.
NotMax
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation
“Please, please, please allow me to represent you in court, Sir,” he implored, tears streaming down his cheeks.
//
dmsilev
@Dorothy A. Winsor: No, he does not.
“Nice Twitter handle you have there, it’d be a shame if something …happened to it. Oh, and could I interest you in paying me several thousand dollars a month?” is not going to go over well with any company that values its brand.
Jackie
@Eolirin: It’s too early to tell how Texans will take to Allred, but I think he’s got a chance – he’s a former football linebacker and that’s a positive for football worshipping Texas!🤞🏻
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@NotMax: Must be true. After all, all the best lawyers are in a cut-throat competition to represent Trump.
Could be a new show on NBC, The Advocate.
Kay
@dmsilev:
I love how NPR keeps kicking his ass in these “negotiations”. They have an advantage. They’re the customer and he can’t force them to buy his (shitty) product.
Geminid
@Jackie: I wonder if Virginia State Senator Aaron Rouse will come to Texas and campaign with Rep. Allred. Rouse is another former NFL player who entered politics, and he’s an up-and-comer in Virginia politics.
JML
@Geminid: the risk is that Tester has to spend to win and engage during the primary and the general, winning two elections instead of just one. You never know how those jungle primaries are going to shake out; maybe the GOP candidates mostly ignore each other and spend all their time going after Tester, maybe one of them fades quickly and is a non-factor.
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
And will have earned it!
Geminid
@JML: Tester will be spending through the entire cycle anyway. He can win a spot in the general election and have enough money for the general election. I think he will raise enough money to do both.
lowtechcyclist
@Eolirin:
Certainly the DSCC should be ready to dump a shitload of money into Montana next year.
Wouldn’t hurt to start now, really.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JML: I’m gonna review my monthly contributions and make sure I have one for Tester and one for Brown.
I like Alred a lot, but I’m skeptical that Texans, as much as they hate Ted Cruz, don’t hate Democrats more
lowtechcyclist
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
What he really doesn’t understand is that he’s coming across like a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum.
snoey
@Geminid: Tester for one believes that the Libertarian on the ballot helps him.
Geminid
@JML: It the Governor runs, he and Rosendale will be two of the most combative Republicans running in this cycle. Each will be in the other’s way, and will have to be taken down just to have a shot at Tester.
snoey
@Geminid: Montana legislature just adjourned ahead of schedule and I’m pretty sure the jungle primary is dead.
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone 😊😊😊
Geminid
@snoey: That may be why Montana Republicans went to a jungle primary, so they can knock the Libertarian out in the first round.
Now I see the jungle primary may be dead anyway. Hope that situation holds.
Sean
@Geminid:
I think it does make Tester’s road harder. Having 3 people on the ballot, including 1 far right person and one far right libertarian splits the GOP vote, allowing a well-organized Dem to squeak by. No Libertarian on the ballot, vote split is reduced. Harder to beat the GOPer.
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:
Sounds like a great idea to me!
But speaking of Virginia politics, how are things shaping up there for this fall? Think we can take back the House of Delegates? I’d love to see Youngkin in the position of having to veto a bunch of popular legislation while he’s trying to position himself for 2028.
oldgold
If the accounts I am reading concerning the Carroll/Trump trial are close to accurate, this trial appears to be going very poorly for Trump. In particular, the cross-examination of Carroll by Tocopina was disastrously bad. That is not how you do it. Two days of cross? 45 minutes is too much.
I would like to think that a jury in effect finding that Trump is a rapist might do some political damage to him.
Sure Lurkalot
@Eolirin:
So true! My niece has lived there for over 20 years. A decade or so back, she felt somewhat optimistic about being a cog in the wheel turning the tide but now is heading toward the exits. She had a failed pregnancy for which (in 2003) she was able to get a late term abortion. She and her 16 year old daughter know that would likely be impossible now.
UncleEbeneezer
@Gin & Tonic: Why didn’t Garland use his time machine to go back before the criminal statute of limitations had expired?!!
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Obama has the time machine booked until next week.
rikyrah
@Edmund dantes:
Very obvious how much they miss being stenographers.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@oldgold: I agree.
But I remember the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and subsequent cry-a-thon from Brett Kavanaugh made me think she’d won too.
Not so
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Senate hearings operate under different standards than a civil trial. That is to say a civil trial has standards other than “we rule.”
SFAW
@Baud:
He kind of blew it with his “Let’s go metric!” crusade.
[Cue Gin & Tonic telling me “that’s NOT who … ” in 3 .. 2 .. 1 …]
catclub
@Eolirin:
Agreed, if somebody beats Cruz in texas then Biden will win there also. Both highly unlikely.
catclub
… but why would he need to?
JML
@Sean: absolutely. Libertarian Party will do relatively well in MT, at least enough to draw down votes that would choose the GOP at their next choice. It’s always a little wobbly to declare that the 3rd party candidate will hurt one candidate or help another; there are definitely times where we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s pulling significant voters away from one candidate and in the end it’s not nearly as many as we thought because they pulled a surprising number from the other candidate as well, and a lot of their total vote was from people that would have otherwise not voted at all.
But if I’m Tester, I would rather have the Libertarian Party in the race, and I would prefer not to have to mess with a jungle primary.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Geminid
@Sean: Now I see that Governor Gianforte will not run for the Montana Senate seat. Instead, he has endorsed Tim Sheehy’s candidacy. Sheehy , a Navy veteran, is CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a Montana-based provider of aerial firefighting and wildfire surveillance services. Republican Senate Campaign Commitee chief Steve Daines is recruiting Sheehy, and Montana Rep. Zinke has also endorsed him.
It appears that Rep. Matt Rosendale is still in, so there will be two strong Republicans competing in the primary.
SFAW
@Edmund dantes:
Not getting the reference — which story was that? [I expect I’ll face-slap myself when you tell me.]
Matt McIrvin
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Musk does not understand the value of a social-media platform or where it comes from. He thinks that if he owns Twitter, he owns that value permanently and can dole it out or withhold it as he pleases without destroying it. Which means he doesn’t understand the first thing about it.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@catclub: ShhhhShhShhShh. We don’t apply logic to time travel questions.
oldgold
If anyone is interested in following the Carrroll/ Trump trial, it is being live blogged here: https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1653772618548359168
Tim C.
Needed this post today. Part of what broke inside a lot of us in 2016, is that we thought there was zero chance there were enough absoulte shit-birds that TFG could ever really win. That dark abyss is still threatening us. Hopefully that is part of Democratic strength as well. We really know what’s at stake and there will be no more idiotic “But Hillary isn’t perfect…” nonsense that keeps people from voting.
UncleEbeneezer
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Exactly. All she has to prove is that the rape more likely than not happened. Much lower standard than a criminal proceeding.
oldgold
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Trials in competently run courts of law are a far cry from Congressional hearings.
Matt McIrvin
@Tim C.: I still see a lot of progressive kvetching about how much Joe Biden sucks. But I don’t see any of these people planning to withhold their vote.
Omnes Omnibus
@catclub: That’s his business. Mind your own.
Sean
@Geminid: It looks like the bill to establish the jungle primary was tabled by the MT house all the way back on 4/19 (on a 17-1 vote in committee)! If they really have adjourned for the session, then Tester is likely breathing a sigh of relief that this scheme has failed.
Jungle Primary Bill Tabled
Geminid
@lowtechcyclist: I think prospects for Democrats in this fall’s elections are good. They will be run on a new, apparently neutral map, unlike the Republican House of Delegates gerrymander in effect since 2011 (the Senate map set that year seemed more about incumbent protection than partisan advantage).
The Blue Virginia site is a good source for these elections, with a Democratic perspective. Last month they published an article that reviewed partisan ratings for the new districts, based on numbers compiled by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. They showed Democrats with an advantage in both the House of Delegates and Senate races.
StringOnAStick
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Thanks for the obsidian research, very interesting! We live close to a volcanic national monument and one feature is an obsidian flow with an established trail system to walk around in/on it. Lots of huge “do not take rocks!” signs in the parking lot, but there are other public lands that have some to collect. Those freshly broken edges are stunningly sharp, mind the doggie paws!
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Matt McIrvin: There have been complaints about one decision or another. Still, few miss an opportunity to point out the Republicans are absolutely worse.
Then again, I’ve been in the habit a couple years of blocking unreasonable people from my Youtube.
Tim C.
@Matt McIrvin: Exactly. And hell, I’m a dreaded Center-Left type who loves and wants the more Leftist elements pushing on things. But the idea that giving the Republicans wins to get better liberals later, is ding-dong-mega-pants-on-head stupid.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@StringOnAStick: Cool. I’ve never seen obsidian that’s raw like that. I gather it really is glass, so I’m not surprised it’s sharp
Jackie
@catclub: I disagree. The midterms showed a lot of split ticket votes. Texas will undoubtedly vote for TFG, but they DETEST cowards – as Cruz has repeatedly shown to be as of 1/6/21.
Burnspbesq
@Omnes Omnibus:
Having to do a retraction and pay damages is going to hit Trump where it hurts.
Belafon
Anyone else remember all of the times that it was predicted Biden would “Pivot to the Center” after the 2020 primary?
The Thin Black Duke
@Tim C.: January 6 proved that the next time the GOP grabs the White House by the p*ssy, they won’t give it back. Give the motherfuckers nothing.
Kay
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I’m not confident either. The Epstein vicitims were teenagers – very sympathetic victims- when he assaulted them and he intially got off with a slap on the wrist. She’s an older woman in the middle of a “me too” backlash and attack on womens rights – which almost no one will admit but seems obvious to me. She has an uphill climb in this country, anywhere, with any set of jurors. I’m pullling for her but I;ve seen this movie before. I’m hoping for a surprise ending.
cain
@Matt McIrvin: these are the same people who want a revolution right now. Revolution and then be done by dinner and next day a glorious new day.
Eolirin
@Jackie: Biden has to come very close to winning the state in order for a non-incumbent Democratic senate candidate, even in Texas, to outperform enough to win in a presidential year. Cruz is hated but absent a more severe scandal like pedophilia he’s going to have a significant percentage of the Republican votes.
Vote splitting is never very many percentage points, though it does stack with incumbency advantages.
If Biden loses Texas by something like 2 points or less, maybe a really good Senate candidate can pull out the difference, barely. Otherwise I don’t see it being possible.
Belafon
@Steeplejack: Tacopina makes me think he got the short straw for which mob member would be required to go to law school.
sdhays
@Betty Cracker: Charlie Crist is rested and ready.
jinchi
You might be right, but I believe in the power of consequences as a prime motivator.
If every Hilter wannabe ended up dead in a bunker, it would probably make the next guy pause before carrying out war crimes.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@sdhays: You forgot tanned. (Broiled?)
Eolirin
@Kay: Epstein bought off the DA’s office and got a sweet plea deal. This in front of an actual jury. The dynamics will be completely different.
The way the powerful always avoid justice is by never letting it get this far.
Geminid
@sdhays: Retired Florida Representative Stephanie Murphy is a potential candidate. Her service on the January 6 Committee raised her national profile, and that could help with fundraising.
Jackie
@SFAW: Here ya go:
“Former president Donald Trump got so irritated with an NBC reporter’s questions about a Manhattan criminal investigation that he grabbed the journalist’s phones and demanded that he be removed from an airplane interview, according to audio of the exchange obtained by The Washington Post and as first reported by Vanity Fair.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/02/trump-manhattan-criminal-probe-reporters/
Jackie
@sdhays: How about Nikki Fried?
Eolirin
@Jackie: She’s running the party there now, yeah? I think we need her focused on that. But she has proven she can win statewide office.
Burnspbesq
@oldgold:
“Continuing persecution by the Deep State. Send money now to help me fight back.”
rikyrah
@Kay:
Glad they brought receipts
rikyrah
@Geminid:
We are rested and ready to fight for our team. That includes monthly donations.
rikyrah
@Betty Cracker:
Whitehouse has been on this topic….He’s terrific.
sdhays
@Jackie: It was (hopefully!) a joke – for some baffling reason, Florida Democrats have been convinced for a while that Charlie Crist is the answer to winning statewide, despite many demonstrations that he’s…not.
I have no idea who can win in Florida, but I hope that after all of these real-world experiments, we’re all convinced that Charlie Crist isn’t one of those people.
rikyrah
@cain:
Exactly.
Want to know what happens with Republicans are in charge?
We have a laundry list of horrific things to bring up. And, to nail the House and Senate GOP with….
rikyrah
@Jackie:
We have to support good candidates. Even in uphill races.
Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride
@Belafon: Meanwhile, George Will, the only columnist older than Biden and Trump put together, has come out as a cheerleader for No Labels (the no-party with no candidates, no platform, and no voters). Apparently, if he hates the thought of a Biden-Trump rematch, everybody else must too.
In my dreams, a state elections officer will refuse to certify No Labels for the ballot on the ground that to label your party “no labels” is a lie and an insult to the voters’ intelligence.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride: No Labels is of a piece with both sides journalism. Both sides are extreme, so we need to look to the middle for solutions. The American media’s view on what constitutes political wisdom:
Geminid
@sdhays: Florida Democrats chose Crist over Fried to run against DeSantis, but that’s not because they were convinced he could win. They just thought he had a better chance, and they wanted to win that race even more than did Democrats outside the state.
Looking at the primary from 800 miles away, I saw two candidates with different strengths and weaknesses. I thought that maybe one might run a couple points better than the other, but I could not tell which one.
evodevo
@StringOnAStick:
Yep…sharp as a razor…and why it has been a prized resource ever since the days of Homo habilis. Any tool made out of it can shave hair it’s so sharp. If you have access to a supply of it, you could trade it for almost anything. Humans have been businessmen/traders for at least a million years…
gvg
@sdhays: No, they just don’t know who is. Complete lack of candidates with a profile people know.
I did not like Nikki Fried myself because she fell for the cryptocurrancy fad. She actually seems like a lightweight to me, only looks good because the choices are so poor. Also I worry about the anti women backlash right now. sort of wanted to recreate Biden. Crist…..isn’t much. We don’t have someone really good and haven’t since about the 90’s. Did I mention there have been several corrupt democrats too? For very small sums. Some of them even get re elected after conviction because apparently no one else wants to try.
SFAW
@Jackie:
Thanks.
SFAW
@sdhays:
Neither Walt nor Roy Disney seems to have anything on their plate these days, so maybe …
SFAW
@Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride:
Sooper-Jeenyus Jeff Jacoby is right there with him.
SFAW
@evodevo:
I wonder if I could place an obsidian order with Amazon.
[For anyone who cares: Paul Dooley is 95 years old.]
Paul in KY
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I am fine with him being dead. He was instrumental in plaguing us with TFG. For that, he should die.
Paul in KY
@Baud: The Dem nominee will have to work very hard on peeling away his Latino support. I sure hope they speak Spanish, cause they will need to.
Paul in KY
@StringOnAStick: Broken obsidian can make a much sharper edge than anything we can make. They have done electron microscope comparisons of the edge of the sharpest metal blade and then an obsidian blade and the edge on the obsidian blade is much smoother than the metal edge.
Paul in KY
@Kay: I agree that it is a hard slog for her.
Origuy
@evodevo: Surgeons still use obsidian scalpels for really fine work, such as facial reconstruction.
Miss Bianca
@Origuy: I did not know this!
catclub
Yes, the Aztecs used it for cutting out hearts. and some more modern surgeons have also used it for scalpel material.
djwid
Has anyone else been following the story about Wizards of the Coast sending Pinkertons to a youtube streamers home over pre-release MtG cards? Not lawyers, not process servers but Pinkertons to intimidate a private citizen.
gizmodo.com/magic-the-gathering-leaks-wizards-wotc-pinkertons-1850374546 – I stripped the http so as not to be caught in spam filters.