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Democracy cannot function without a free press.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

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

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

The willow is too close to the house.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

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Their shamelessness is their super power.

When we show up, we win.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

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

Tick tock motherfuckers!

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Non-Compete (Open Thread)

Non-Compete (Open Thread)

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To me, a then-unreformed doom-scroller, Donald Trump’s 2021 ejection from Twitter was like the cessation of an airhorn that had been blowing in my face for five years straight. Tucker Carlson getting shit-canned by Fox News was a JV version of that phenomenon.

According to several outlets, including Vanity Fair, Carlson is anxious to get back into the wingnut media mix, but first he has to get out of his contract with Fox News, and they have no incentive to play ball since there’s every reason to believe he’ll torch them from a new perch:

“Carlson is preparing to unleash allies to attack Fox News in an effort to bully the network into letting him work for—or start—a right-wing rival,” Axios reported Sunday, citing a “close Carlson friend” who said that while the ex-Fox host initially said he wanted to be “quiet and clean” in negotiating his exit with Fox, “Now, we’re going from peacetime to Defcon 1. His team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom.”…

Carlson’s current contract expires in January 2025, after the presidential election; to get back on the air before then, he “needs Fox News to agree to a deal that would allow him to work elsewhere,” the New York Times reported, noting that such a deal “could require him to forfeit millions of dollars he is owed by the network.”

Rolling Stone reports that Carlson’s ouster may have resulted from his decision to try to get the network’s PR chief, Irina Briganti, a holdover from the Roger Ailes days, fired.

In pleading his case, Carlson argued Briganti spent too much time badgering on-air talent and the channel’s personnel; that she was generally incompetent and mean-spirited; and that she regularly engaged in dirty tricks against him and other hosts and contributors, when her job was ostensibly to protect them. One current Fox source with knowledge of the matter described the Carlson-Briganti feud as an intra-network “death match.”…

Word of Carlson’s attempt to get her fired got back to Briganti, exacerbating an already terrible relationship. Briganti “hates all the talent,” the former Fox News commentator says. “She was so disgusted by the level of fucked up idiots who work there, in her opinion, and had to clean up their messes and their overblown egos.”

I assume Briganti is an awful person since she’s the head PR flack at Fox News. But her disgust with the “fucked up idiots who work” at the network is certainly relatable. Anyhoo, I hope the Murdoch scumbags exercise every prerogative to keep the human boat shoe muzzled until January 2025 — and that their respective “teams” drop bombshell after bombshell on each other for the next 18 months.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

156Comments

  2. 2.

    Miss Bianca

    “Human boat shoe”. Heh.

    That’s it, that’s all I have to offer – kudos on your – as always – impeccable phrasing, BC.

  3. 3.

    different-church-lady

    But her disgust with the “fucked up idiots who work” at the network is certainly relatable.

    “There’s a right way to undermine democracy, and you idiots are fucking it up for all of us!”

  7. 7.

    bbleh

    I am far beyond caring other than idle rooting for injuries, but it does raise the question: I wonder (also idly) how many people — apart from the principals — DO care, and why, and what their feelings are about it.  I mean, arguably it’s a major soap opera, played out on a big stage, and there must be people invested in it.  Tucker stans like Rush’s dittoheads, probably some Tucker-haters, maybe some partisans of other “hosts” (same word as used for disease carriers — coincidence?), probably some other minor claques and tribes.  I bet someone could get at least a Master’s thesis out of it.

  8. 8.

    Scout211

    Oh, let this be so!

    ETA:  Just rooting for ego injuries, to be clear.  😉

    “Axios has learned that Carlson and Elon Musk had a conversation about working together, but didn’t discuss specifics.” t.co/WoKctE94dp— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) May 7, 2023

  10. 10.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    But her disgust with the “fucked up idiots who work” at the network is certainly relatable.

    Similar feelings about an exchange that was reported in the E, Jean Carroll case, TFG makes his announcement that he’s coming back “to confront Carroll”, the judge says to Tacopina “I thought your client wasn’t going to be in court” and Tacopina replies, “Your Honor, you know what I’m dealing here,”

  11. 11.

    Brachiator

    “Carlson is preparing to unleash allies to attack Fox News in an effort to bully the network into letting him work for—or start—a right-wing rival,” Axios reported Sunday, citing a “close Carlson friend” who said that while the ex-Fox host initially said he wanted to be “quiet and clean” in negotiating his exit with Fox, “Now, we’re going from peacetime to Defcon 1. His team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom.”…

    I sincerely doubt that Rupert Murdoch cares what Carlson wants.

    I am almost mildly curious to see how this plays out.

    I also wonder whether Fox News might dump a few more anchors in the near future.

  13. 13.

    Alison Rose

    I had to look this up because I remembered a terrific line about Carlson from John Oliver. This is in response to a clip where Carlson disingenuously asks for someone to explain to him “in very clear language” what a white supremacist is:

    “First, ‘very clear language’ feels like a high bar to clear for a man who spends 85% of his time making the befuddled face of a 13th century farmer learning about bitcoin,”

    Accurate.

  16. 16.

    PaulWartenberg

    I’ve just returned from a weekend visit to Daytona for my nephew’s graduation from Embry Riddle University. He’s got his degree in aeronautical engineering and a commission as 2nd Lt in the Air Force. Big day for my family.

  17. 17.

    MattF

    Carlson has always been pitting the players in the Fox News cast against each other— that’s his way of operating within his working environment. His present threats are just more of the same. His behavioral repertoire isn’t changing.

  18. 18.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Bex: Speaking as a person who is literally wearing a pair of Sperrys right now, fuck you.  No offense intended, of course.

  21. 21.

    Jeffro

    Carlson knows if he doesn’t get back in the game soon, the RWNJ mob will just move on to the next psycho commentator.  He saw it happen firsthand with Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly, and others.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    Just found out a friend who works at a Florida daily won a Pulitzer! So happy for her! We complain about the media a lot here, and with good reason because so many Beltway media celebrities are actively harming democracy. But there are thousands of non-celebrity journalists who work their butts off to report important stories, and most never get the recognition they deserve.

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    If only Fox News were HQd in California, the non-compete would be illegal here.

    Pity.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    For reasons unrelated to national or state politics, I’ve recently had the opportunity to read several articles written by Florida reporters and they have all been top-notch.  I don’t know why that is, but I hope it’s something that DeSantis isn’t able to destroy.

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    @Betty Cracker: ​Nice! Can only imagine how lonely a proper journalist must feel, living in a state where the government is actively engaged in ending the entire profession.

  33. 33.

    Jeffro

    Btw since this is an open thread, I have a quick Slice of Wingnut Insanity to share…

    Some years ago, just to see what would happen & what would come through, I got myself subscribed to an education-related RWNJ group’s mailing list.  They don’t seem to post stuff too often (or if they do, it doesn’t come through in my email very often – and I don’t visit their website) but once in a while a real doozy shows up in my inbox.

    Here’s a snippet from what showed up last week – an op-ed supposedly written by disgraced former general Flynn(!) (yes really!) (in what’s supposed to be an education group!):

    5. We have allowed the weaponization of the federal government to a degree our Founders would not even recognize. The FBI has used its powers to not just help the Democrats win elections, but to create a vast surveillance state in conjunction with social media companies in an effort to shut down the First Amendment rights of Americans who dare to question Biden’s policies.

    6. The return to race-based policies is destroying the American ideal. The Black Lives Matter riots over two years ago accelerated the idea that race, not merit, should determine advancement in society when it comes to employment, housing, bank loans, welfare, college admission, criminal justice policies — and the list goes on. This completely undermines Martin Luther King who, like most Americans, believed in a colorblind society based on merit and qualifications alone.

    7. Both political parties are following a foreign policy doctrine whose central theme is the concentration of power among global elites at the expense of American sovereignty. This uni-party has America continuing as an empire-building nation, but it is not our empire they are building.

    8. America’s founding Christian culture is not just being attacked but is under total assault and will soon disappear. We no longer have a culture that protects our families, our children, our values, our churches and our First Amendment rights. The sexualization of children alone is disgusting, yet perverse adults who claim to act in their best interests groom them for early sexual activity.

    9. Women’s sports are being taken over by fake women while real women lose college scholarships, national championships and Olympic team spots. Apparently, they now believe that the destruction of gender takes precedence over the rights of women, which tells us that today’s feminist movement is really not about protecting the rights of women to begin with.

    10. We have an energy policy leading to conditions reminiscent of the 1800s. The use of illegal federal laws and regulations to stop or restrict the drilling, transportation, refining and selling of gas and oil will result in corporations ceasing to invest in these energy sources. This is all being done to meet phony “climate change” goals. If the current energy trends continue, we are facing the reversal of 2,000 years of civilization, global economies will shrivel, and the world’s elites will live like kings while the rest of us slobs live in a very poor, slave-like society.

    This list is not inclusive nor prioritized. For instance, I did not mention the parts of the medical establishment that nearly destroyed America and the so-called “experts” who should no longer be trusted. America must now wake up to what is happening to our once-beautiful constitutional republic.

    This all leads to the $64,000 questions: 1) What to do next and 2) How will that be accomplished?

    We must first return to the Constitution, and I am not saying or even suggesting that anyone should refuse to vote. We should all vote just in case a miracle occurs. And yes, the real test comes in the 2024 elections. If, after destroying our economy, our military, our border, our culture, our Constitution and just about everything else, the senile buffoon somehow ends up with a second term, we will all know in our hearts that the 2024 election was stolen and that we will never again win the White House.

    Our governors must be at the forefront of any and all solutions. All governors, but especially red state governors, need to consider nullifying federal laws and regulations not specifically authorized by the Constitution.

    What’s striking is…this is nothing nuttier than what we see on Fox and NewsMax every day, right?  Besides the idea of nullifying federal laws, that is.

    The whole party, even the suburban mom coffee klatches, has been Flynn-i-fied.  Just crazy.

  35. 35.

    Jackie

    @twbrandt: Me, too. Tucker desperately wants to be kingmaker of the 2024 GQP nomination. His contract doesn’t expire until Dec ‘25. If FAUX holds him to it, Tucker will become “Tucker who?”  I’m rooting for FAUX.

  38. 38.

    rikyrah

    The non-compete clause is the non-compete clause.

     

    I’m not sure Rupert is willing to play nice.

    When has he ever?

  42. 42.

    Baud

    @MattF: I think he is, but this doesn’t prove it.  He would write the same thing if he were a grifter of people who are nuts.

  44. 44.

    Spanky

    Not entirely off the OP topic, fuck this guy. (Via WaPo) –

    Attorneys for Stewart Rhodes urged a judge to sentence him to far less than the 25-year prison term sought by federal prosecutors for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack — asking for a penalty of time served or roughly 16 months behind bars — citing his military service and his founding and leadership of the right-wing extremist group Oath Keepers.

  47. 47.

    Baud

    @Spanky: Everyone knows how the Nazis attempted to defend themselves after WWII on the theory that they were just following orders. Few realize that they also attempted to get a lighter sentence based on their leadership in the Nazi party.

  48. 48.

    Anyway

    OT- we sometimes talk about Blue slips and whether D Sens treat judicial noms differently than R Sens. Got this from LGM/HuffPo — looks like Durbin is still playing nice.

    The committee’s blue slip rule is not an official Senate rule. Instead, it’s a courtesy unique to the Judiciary Committee, where senators simply turn in a blue slip of paper signaling their support for giving a hearing to a judicial nominee from that senator’s state. If both of a nominee’s home-state senators turn in their blue slips, the nominee gets a hearing. If only one turns in a blue slip, or neither turns them in, the nominee doesn’t get a hearing.

    Republicans haven’t been signing blue slips for many of Biden’s court picks, effectively tanking their nominations in the committee as Durbin continues to uphold the tradition. He doesn’t want to get rid of the courtesy ― at least, not yet ― so his response to the GOP’s obstruction has been to ask them to please turn in their blue slips repeatedly.

    During a hearing last week, Durbin pointed out that Democratic senators had turned in 110 blue slips during the Trump administration. By contrast, Republicans have signed 17 blue slips so far in the Biden administration.

    “I plead with my colleagues to make a good faith effort to sit down and see if they can reach an agreement with the White House on nominees,” he said to GOP senators.

    HuffPost asked Durbin last month if he’s frustrated by Republicans not turning in blue slips for Biden’s court picks, effectively tanking their nominations.

    “Of course I’m frustrated!” he said.

    But asked if he’s frustrated enough to stop honoring the blue slip courtesy, Durbin said, “We’re not at that point yet.”

  50. 50.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Awesome! Have it bookmarked to read later.

    @Betty Cracker: And awesome news about your friend as well! Thank God for FL reporters – they’re the only reason I feel hopeful that your state may turn itself around some day.

    (Well, aside from you and Adam, that is.)

  51. 51.

    azlib

    @trollhattan: If only Fox News were HQd in California, the non-compete would be illegal here.

    My uneducated guess is Carlson would have to walk away from the millions he is owed under the termination agreement which was probably in his contract which he negotiated with Fox. I have a feeling he is reluctant to do that.

  52. 52.

    Craig

    @bbleh: John Oliver probably cares. He’s got jokes to write about Tuckums, but not till after the WGA comes back.

  53. 53.

    Spanky

    @Spanky: Wait! Time off for founding the Oaf Keepers??? Why yes. Yes indeed.

    They emphasized his formation of the Oath Keepers in 2009, saying the group provided hurricane and other emergency relief, security in cities experiencing rioting, and protective details for VIPs during President Donald Trump’s rallies after the 2020 presidential election.

    “If the history and character of a man is to be judged by what he creates and how that organization functions within and for the benefit of society, then it is imperative that the court give great deference to Mr. Rhodes for the 12 years of service and dedication of the Oath Keepers, as evinced through the organization’s history of community involvement and volunteerism in times of natural disaster and civil unrest,” Rhodes’s attorneys Phillip A. Linder and James Lee Bright wrote.

    The judge should take that in to account,  then nail his balls to the jailhouse door.

  56. 56.

    Kathleen

    @Scout211: Has anyone seen both of them after that meeting? For some reason I can see Musk having Tucker for dinner and marketing the product “Soylent Mean” on Twitter.

  57. 57.

    TriassicSands

    …on-air talent…

    i’m stuck on that last word.

    Carlson. Hannity. Kelly. O’Reilly. Dobbs. Bartiromo. Et al. Past and present.

    Talent? Usually that word is applied as something positive. I look at the short list above and think of all the other Fox News personalities and the word “talent” never occurs to me.

    For example, I would never write (about TFG) — “He has a talent for lying.” or “He has a talent for corruption.”

  61. 61.

    Miss Bianca

    Speaking of totally off the hook things floating around out there…has anyone else seen this allegedly AI-generated pizza commercial? I know the Writer’s Guild of America has expressed fears about AI taking their jobs, but…if this is the best that AI can currently come up with, I’d say those fears are…exaggerated.

    I also hear this one is even more horrendous with sound on. “Like family…but with more cheese!”

  63. 63.

    Baud

    In solidarity with Hollywood writers, I’m going on strike until Balloon Juice commenters are paid the same as front pagers.

  64. 64.

    Manyakitty

    @Spanky: wait, so the argument is that he should get credit for founding a criminal organization? Far. Out.

  66. 66.

    Geminid

    @azlib: Reports are that outlets like NewsMax have offered Carlson money as good or better than what he’ll get from Fox. They might not be able to pay that out of additional revenues, but I can see a Mercer- or Thiel-type picking up the difference just to stir up trouble.

    Carlson’s popularity might be a depreciating asset, though. He won’t have nearly the attraction in 6 months or a year that he has now. He has to break that contract ASAP, and Fox’s own interests require them to jam Carlson if possible.

  67. 67.

    karen marie

    @PaulWartenberg: Congratulations!

    I had a friend who attended and graduated from Embry Riddle back in the first half of the 1980s.  Her father was an airline pilot, and it was her life’s dream to be one too.  She was a bit let down by it because, she told me, flying is really very boring what with all the blue skies and nothing to look at when you’re at altitude.

  68. 68.

    sdhays

    It seems to me that there has to be some kind of clause in the contract that allows Fox to fire him “for cause”, and considering the little we already know, it seems like Fox would have a pretty good case if Tuckems wants to fight.

    But IANAL.

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    @sdhays: In the case of a host with less of a following, Fox might have fired Carlson for cause. They don’t seem to have fired him for anything though, but just took him off the air. That may be because they forsaw him working for a competitor, and wanted to keep him off the air even if they have to pay his contract.

    Ed. Carlson’s attorney is making some big talk about how Fox can’t keep his client from working for another broadcaster. I’m not sure the attorney can back that up, if Fox is determined.

  75. 75.

    Ruckus

    @Michael Bersin:

    No it does not.

    Turn about is fair play. At least in their world, just mind that you take off your shoes before going in the house, there is no way you can play their game without stepping in shit.

  76. 76.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @C Stars: @narya: @Old School: @Maxim: @eclare: @rikyrah: @Benw: @MissBianca: @Anyway: @Manyakitty:

    Whoa. I went to my book club and came back to find all these nice congratulations. Thank you. Scalzi is very generous to other writers. He’s a good guy.

    Book Club was interesting. We read MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Boylan. One of the book’s narrators is a trans character, and it was interesting to see the conservative members fumble around trying to talk about her. One woman repeatedly said she “blamed the schools.” About 2/3 of the members sounded much more open. They were encountering stuff they didn’t necessarily understand, but they wanted to learn.

    ETA: Moderation? Oh, too many links. OK. Moderate away.

  78. 78.

    Ruckus

    @Bex:

    Come on, Sperry Topsiders are a lot better than that. He’s more like that shit that Michael Bersin is going to have to scrape off the bottom of his shoes before he goes in the house…

  80. 80.

    Suzanne

    Briganti “hates all the talent,” the former Fox News commentator says. “She was so disgusted by the level of fucked up idiots who work there, in her opinion, and had to clean up their messes and their overblown egos.”

    My heart, it bleeds.
    I mean, yes, it sounds like a terrible job. They’re all terrible.

    Rod Dreher wants Tucker to run for president.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    Elon Musk
    @elonmusk
    ·May 7
    Replying to @wrong_speak
    Why didn’t they protest when the children were murdered at the Christian school?
    They are disingenuous.

    Sorry but he’s just dumb. He’s a dope. It’s no more complicated than that.

  83. 83.

    karen marie

    @Geminid:   I lose track of who’s being sued.  Is NewsMax one of those being sued by Dominion and/or Smartmatic?

  85. 85.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Miss Bianca:

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Is it like a shitpost somebody did or is it for real?

    ETA: Just looked it up. It’s a shitpost made by a redditor:

    Via Today.com

    While technology has the potential to take us all to a bright future, it also has the power to take us to some dark — and hilarious — (pizza) places in the meantime.

    On April 24, Redditor u/PizzaLater posted a 30–second video to subreddit r/midjourney that went so viral that everyone from iconic pizza chains to billionaires took notice. In the fake ad, the Reddit user utilized artificial intelligence to create an advertisement for an imaginary pizza place called “Pepperoni Hug Spot.”

  86. 86.

    eclare

    @karen marie:

    I still remember taking a flight in a small plane years ago.  The cabin door was open, and we could all see the pilot and co-pilot reading newspapers.

  88. 88.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    rupert kicked carlson out the door without releasing him from his contract. And has the money to make life completely, horribly crappy for him. And carlson knows this, probably better than anyone else. You can’t hear it but I’m laughing my butt off.

  90. 90.

    sdhays

    @Geminid: But if they fired him for cause, couldn’t they still enforce a non-compete since he’s the one who broke the contract?

  91. 91.

    Doug R

    @twbrandt:

     

    This is the first (and probably the last) time I have been in favor of non-competes.

    I’m generally not in favor of NDAs and non-competes BUT for TV/movies just before release date to save spoilers AND actual corporate secrets that you’re bothering to trademark or patent.
    HOWEVER if a media outlet is willing to pay the $ of a regular salary for a short period, I think a non-compete is fair.

  92. 92.

    Anonymous At Work

    Campaign fundraising question:

    I do plan to give to Biden/Harris now and during the general election.  When is optimal timing and pattern (several smaller or one larger) as far as the campaign operations go?

  94. 94.

    Baud

    @Kay: Is he talking about Tennessee where the legislature kicked out two members for protesting about inaction in response to the massacre?

  95. 95.

    Ruckus

    @Spanky:

    I sort of doubt the judge will go anywhere near that leniently for him, being the ringleader. And of course it is their job to ask for everything, doesn’t mean they expect it.

  96. 96.

    Baud

    I wonder if my active participation on this blog would be a basis for a reduced sentence.

  98. 98.

    Ruckus

    @Spanky:

    I am beginning to like your style.

    With an airgun nailer. Or drive them with a sledge, either way gets the job and the message across.

  99. 99.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kay:

    What’s the context?

    ETA: What Baud above referenced?

    Elon has got some fucking nerve complaining about the people protesting the Tenn leg expulsions when many of those protesters were teens who face the risk of a school shooting every day

  102. 102.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Kay: The whining about this is particularly bad, too – everyone and their mother is pointing out that there was an enormous protest – it even got 2 democrats ejected from the state congress!

    Elon’s defenders are saying that the protestors were protesting guns and not “trans ideology” or “the killing of christians” and therefore he’s totally right and libs are hypocrites.

    I don’t know precisely what to say to that – it’s so transparently bad faith and racist.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @sdhays:

    It likely depends on the original contract. I’d bet, that as rupert was paying a rather large salary he had every possible clause in there and as he was being paid a rather larger salary, he had no trouble signing it. Some employees can only learn the hard way…..

  104. 104.

    brantl

    @twbrandt:  Non-competes don’t work when you’re fired, unpaid, If you’re still being paid, as Tuckems is, that’s an entirely different thing. You can’t go work for someone else while they’re still paying you.

  105. 105.

    craigie

    @Jeffro: I am intrigued by the concept of “illegal federal laws”.  Would like more information about these chimera.

  106. 106.

    frosty

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Second that, Omnes. Sperrys were my business casual shoe and my all around slob summer shoe. Been wearing them for decades.

    Have you ever noticed they are the worst thing ever for boats? They don’t keep the water out, they’re slippery on deck when they’re wet, and they always come untied so you can trip on the laces and go overboard.

    @Bex: No offense intended from me, either!

  107. 107.

    pat

    the senile buffoon somehow ends up with a second term,

    Wait, he’s not talking about trump??

     

    eta:  Guess it was a while back that this quote appeared at 43, some screed from flynn…

    eta2:  33, not 43

  108. 108.

    Baud

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I don’t know precisely what to say to that – it’s so transparently bad faith and racist

     

    I think you said what needs to be said about it.

    There’s nothing about “trans ideology” to protest since there’s no ideology I’m aware of other than the principle of individual dignity.

    And we don’t distinguish between the killing of Christians and the killing of everyone else, which is what the protest about guns is about.

  109. 109.

    West of the Rockies

    @Brachiator:

    Tucker’s “team”…  what, maybe a couple dozen people?  Versus Fox News — hundreds of people…

    FOAD, Tucky.

  110. 110.

    karen marie

    @Geminid:  If that’s the case, there’s not going to be enough loose change to pay Mr. Boat Shoe what he’ll lose if he voids his Fox contract.

  112. 112.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @MisterForkbeard:

    @Baud:

    Does this guy think this is going to help him sell more Teslas? Conservatives are not going to be EV customers until they’re forced to be by widespread EV adoption, likely too late for Tesla

  113. 113.

    karen marie

    @Baud:   They win when they get you arguing about semantics.

    Can we have a Balloon Juice teeshirt to raise funds to push for gun safety that says “It’s The Guns, Stupid”?

    I did a quick google and didn’t see that phrase on a teeshirt.  I’d def buy one.

  115. 115.

    Baud

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I’m buying an EV.  I don’t know if I would have chosen Tesla even if Musk was a good guy, but him being a fascist definitely ruled out the possibility.

     

    @karen marie: Yes, they take advantage of liberals’ desire to debate. It’s useful to give ourselves talking points about why their BS is BS, but getting drawn into a serious debate with them is bad news because they are not bound by the same rules of honesty and consistency as we are.

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    @Jackie: ​
     

    Haven’t prisoners been dispatched under supervision to help fight forest fires?

    Here in California, prisoners are an important component in our wildfire fighting system. The inmates have to volunteer for the program*, and it’s only available to inmates who have good enough behavior in prison to justify being under reduced supervision. There are substantial perks for participating, both because life in the fire camps is nicer than in even a low-security prison and because prisoners who are successful as firefighters get better treatment after leaving prison. They can ask for their criminal record to be expunged and have an excellent chance of becoming regular employees of CalFire.

    *Though how much any inmate really has freedom of choice in a case like that is questionable.

  117. 117.

    Baud

    @Roger Moore: I’ve wondered about that.  We probably would support giving prisoners opportunities, but every opportunity comes with a risk of compulsion, so how do you balance the two?  I guess the fire fighting thing is state-run at least, so the profit motive is absent, unless other prisoner work programs.

  118. 118.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @different-church-lady:

    “There’s a right way to undermine democracy, and you idiots are fucking it up for all of us!”

    See also: Cheney, Liz; Romney, Mitt

  119. 119.

    Jeffro

    @Elizabelle: in all honesty, I have my doubts, they legitimately won it in 2016

    same here!

    Manafort didn’t share all that swing-state voter data with the Russians for nothing.

  120. 120.

    Roger Moore

    @Doug R:

    There’s a big difference between an NDA and a non-compete.  An NDA covers only specific information, so you can keep working as long as you don’t share whatever trade secrets you picked up at your old job.  It’s an appropriate thing for, e.g. preventing someone from leaking spoilers before a dramatic work is released.  Non-competes are mostly bullshit, since they massively constrain employees from working in their chosen field.  They do make some sense for very high-level employees.  As an example, it made sense for Unilever to include a non-compete clause that prevented Ben and Jerry from founding a new ice cream company for some length of time after they sold out.

  121. 121.

    Jinchi

    But her disgust with the “fucked up idiots who work” at the network is certainly relatable

    I get the feeling that all right wingers hate one another these days. Certainly in the case of TFG, I don’t think a single person will mourn his passing. Not his kids, not his wives, none of the myriad Republicans who go groveling for his approval.

  122. 122.

    mrmoshpotato

    @PaulWartenberg: Please stay on topic!  We’re talking about Faux News trash fighting each other! 😁

    A big congratulations to your nephew!

  123. 123.

    Jeffro

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): it’s always projection with them, always.

    @UncleEbeneezer: batshit indeed.  I wonder when we’ll find out what tipped Flynn over the edge?  Some weird sense of holy war?  Being fired by a Black president?  Accepting $$$ from Putin and then being owned by him?

    craigie: I think it’s kinda like all this “woke” stuff, where the definition is “stuff I don’t like”, EXTREMELY flexibly defined

  125. 125.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    I think the key way of avoiding the danger of a profit motive is to pay prisoners a market wage for whatever they’re doing as part of their rehabilitation program.  Some of the money could be used to pay for restitution, and maybe there ought to be deductions for room and board at a market rate.  But other than that the money could either go to help support the inmate’s family or be kept in escrow so they have some resources when they get out.  I suspect recidivism would be a lot lower for prisoners who leave prison with job skills and a nest egg than for ones who are tossed unceremoniously to their own devices.

  126. 126.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I think Musk is just using Twitter as his own personal blog and affirmation chamber. The side effect of promoting blue checks and being very friendly to white supremacists (and bots) means that he’s going to constantly be affirmed in all his wild-ass racisms, and he needs that. It doesn’t have anything to do with Tesla or any kind of business strategy.

    He’s basically a giant anchor around twitter, but no one has really come up with a good enough competitor yet that has sufficient user volume so the product continues. If anything else ever gets its shit together, I think twitter falls over.

  127. 127.

    Jeffro

    Getting back on topic and back to Betty’s original post: all of the parodies and satire about Carlson’s departure leaving this huge void for the RWNJs…”who will tell me who to hate NOW?”…were completely spot-on.

    It’s a little bit inside-baseball-y, but I sure would love me some Ohio diner safaris for once.  Interview those folks, snooze media!  Ask them how they feel about Tucker getting the shaft!

    Heck, even Brett “I’m Good With Using Welfare Funds For My Daughter’s Volleyball Gym” Favre was cranky about Tucker’s firing recently.  Go put those microphones in front of America’s best, media types!!

  128. 128.

    karen marie

    @Roger Moore:   “At a market rate.”

    Few places have SROs anymore.  What’s the going rate for a bed in a shared studio of six by eight feet?

  130. 130.

    Ken

    @MisterForkbeard: From my point of view, twitter fell over sometime today. When I click on any of the BJ links, or try to visit the site, the browser (Chrome) gives me an ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS. All HTTP 302, all the time. Clearing cookies (as suggested) and cache doesn’t help.

  132. 132.

    Jeffro

    @Jeffro: btw speaking of Favre and welfare scams…the reporter who broke the story just won a Pulitzer for local reporting!

    Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for her remarkable investigation “The Backchannel,” which uncovered the depth of the sprawling $77 million welfare scandal, the largest embezzlement of federal funds in the state’s history.

    The investigation, published in a multi-part series in 2022, revealed for the first time how former Gov. Phil Bryant used his office to steer the spending of millions of federal welfare dollars — money intended to help the state’s poorest residents — to benefit his family and friends, including NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

  142. 142.

    twbrandt

    @brantl: right, I understand that. It sounds like if Carlson were to resign or otherwise terminate the contract, he’d be prevented from going to another network or starting his own.

  143. 143.

    prostratedragon

    Spanky@44: citing his military service and his founding and leadership of the right-wing extremist group Oath Keepers.
    A masterpiece of missing the point.

  144. 144.

    Ruckus

    @karen marie:

    A flying career is 20 yrs of going through the motions, with possible random 15 minute bits of the worst thing imaginable, which far more often than not ends up being – just another 15 minutes. I’ve heard that it seems rather glamorous for the first year or so then it’s just another job, with a rather costly screw up clause.

  145. 145.

    Shalimar

    @Manyakitty: Credit for leading the Oath Keepers in times of “civil unrest.”  Which is exactly what he got convicted for.

  146. 146.

    karen marie

    @Jeffro:  I’m really impressed by Tate Reeves.  He was lt gov under Bryant when this shit went down but somehow he’s managed to avoid any stink getting on him – that I’ve seen.

    Focusing on Favre has annoyed me, because he merely took the money.  It was Republican state officials who gave it to him – and others — and schemed to keep their pilfering of funds secret.

  148. 148.

    karen marie

    @Ruckus:   I deliberately didn’t include what happened to my friend.  Forty plus years later and it still makes me blanch.  She didn’t survive.

  150. 150.

    Another Scott

    @Ken: I’m seeing the same things.  Opening a twitter link in a private browsing tab doesn’t help either.

    Supposedly Melon is deleting dead accounts.  Maybe doing so broke everything (again).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  153. 153.

    TooTallTom

    @Ken: ​
      The Birdy site broke for me too, on Firefox. Moving to MS-Edge solved my issue.

  155. 155.

    Manyakitty

    @WaterGirl: and I breathed happily for a moment, thinking of all President Biden has accomplished so far. And then…

    *Reality has entered the chat

     And my shoulders clench right back up to my ears.

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