Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

White supremacy is terrorism.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Cole is on a roll !

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

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

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

People are complicated. Love is not.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Summer Saturday Afternoon Open Thread

Summer Saturday Afternoon Open Thread

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GOP motto: The cruelty is the point…

At least the negotiators are having a better weekend than Ken Paxton:

Reader Interactions

248Comments

  1. 1.

    MomSense

    My good friend’s son is graduating from West Point this weekend.  We are having a graduation party for him Monday and I can’t wait to hear about the experience.

  2. 2.

    MattF

    That impeachment vote in Texas wasn’t close. Considering that Paxton is extremely lined up with Trump— makes you wonder…

  3. 3.

    Trivia Man

    Excellent news – Texas surprised me today. Personally, I thought he was a blatant and egregious criminal for years. I’m happy to praise Texas today.

  4. 4.

    trollhattan

    Area man ironically, if predictably lies about lying.

    Twitter has pulled out of the European Union’s voluntary code to fight disinformation, the EU has said.

    Thierry Breton, who is the EU’s internal market commissioner, announced the news on Twitter – but warned the firm new laws would force compliance. “Obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide,” he said. Twitter will be legally required to fight disinformation in the EU from 25 August, he said, adding: “Our teams will be ready for enforcement.”

    Twitter has not confirmed its stance on the code or responded to a request for comment.

    Dozens of tech firms both big and small are signed up to the EU’s disinformation code, including Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – as well as TikTok, Google, Microsoft and Twitch. The code was launched in June last year, and aims to prevent profiteering from disinformation and fake news, as well as increasing transparency and curbing the spread of bots and fake accounts. Firms that sign the code can decide which pledges to make, such as cooperating with fact-checkers or tracking political advertising.

    Under Elon Musk’s ownership, moderation at Twitter has reportedly been greatly reduced – which critics say has allowed an increase in the spread of disinformation.

    The social media giant used to have a dedicated team that worked to combat coordinated disinformation campaigns, but experts and former Twitter employees say the majority of these specialists resigned or were laid off. Last month, the BBC found hundreds of Russian and Chinese state propaganda accounts were thriving on Twitter.

    But Twitter boss Mr Musk claims there is now “less misinformation rather than more” since he took over last October.

  5. 5.

    Scout211

    I watched some of the Texas impeachment hearings and I heard far too many speeches from the GOP members trying to delay the vote or complaining about Paxton nor getting “due process.”  So the vote was surprising: 121-23, with two members voting “present.”

  6. 6.

    Kirk

    Paxton. Intellectually I knew the House voting to impeach was likely, especially given who was driving the other side (Speaker Phelan). But my gut said “Forget it, it’s Texas.”

    Now? 121-23 vote in favor from the house? I think he did something we don’t yet know and he’s gone.

    But my gut still reminds me we’re still in Texas.

  7. 7.

    Scout211

    @trollhattan: Mr Musk claims there is now “less misinformation rather than more” since he took over last October.

    Ha! It all sounds about right to him so it must be true!

  9. 9.

    dmsilev

    Does Paxton’s wife, who is a Texas State Senator, get to vote? Seems like a bit of a conflict of interest. Though it’d be hilarious if she voted to convict.

  10. 10.

    Alison Rose

    I don’t know if this was already shared in another thread, but this op-ed from Christian Cooper (NYT gift link), the Black man who was out birdwatching in Central Park and encountered a Karen in the wild, is absolutely beautiful. I’m a birb nerd, but the only birding I can do is watching the tree outside my windows. But I love how he writes about his experience with birdwatching and nature.

    I have been interested in birds ever since I was a young boy. As a Black kid growing up on Long Island in the 1970s, I was rarer than an ivory-billed woodpecker in the white suburban world of birding. I was also queer and nerdy and not particularly popular. I was suffocating in the closet, and birding offered me a way to escape.

    I’d watch American robins hop on lawns looking for worm sign, fire-truck-red cardinals adorn backyard shrubs, mockingbirds take to TV antennas (cable wouldn’t arrive into most homes for a few more years) to belt out medleys punctuated with leaps into the air, feathers of gray and white flashing against an Ansel Adams sky. For a moment, my Long Island rooftop would be as boundless as the West.

    Transported, even just in my backyard, I connected to something deep within myself. The youthful myopia that registered only my woes and the limitations of my life fell away for a little while. Suddenly, I could breathe again.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    @MattF: @Trivia Man: How bad do you have to be in Texas to make your fellow Republicans hate you that much?

    I guess 1.0 Paxtons bad. He exists to make Abbott seem humanlike.

  13. 13.

    sab

    @Alison Rose: That is a disturbing lovely article but several years old. I am so glad it continues to circulate. Just a normal guy trying to do normal interesting nature stuff in a big city

    ETA You aren’t out of date. I am. New article from the birder. Thanks for the followup.

  14. 14.

    Jay

    Got our spring covid boosters, which was a big surprise. The Province seemed to be holding off until the fall. Then calamari from the local Persian/Greek place. Pretty good day so far.

  15. 15.

    Danielx

    @dmsilev:

    Not all that far fetched, since one of the things that unctuous little shit Paxton is accused of is screwing a staffer in another senator’s office. His wife might well vote to hang him up by his nads.

  16. 16.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    According to NBC news, this is what finally pushed the legislature into impeaching Paxton:

    Four of the aides who reported Paxton to the FBI later sued under Texas’ whistleblower law, and in February he agreed to settle the case for $3.3 million. The House committee said it was Paxton seeking legislative approval for the payout that sparked their probe.
    “But for Paxton’s own request for a taxpayer-funded settlement over his wrongful conduct, Paxton would not be facing impeachment,” the panel said

  20. 20.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)

    Since it’s an open thread, I am heading home to San Diego this afternoon. My mom’s health has been deteriorating, almost as if she had given up on living. She was hospitalized on Wednesday with a light case of pneumonia. She refused just about anything. They sent her home Friday and started hospice. I scrambled to get a flight. My aunt let me know last night that she had passed. My dad lasted 6 months in hospice. My mom barely 24 hours. I am still trying to process it all. In any case, I am going to catch the plane and say whatever good byes I can. It hurts, though.

  21. 21.

    Redshift

    @MattF:

    That impeachment vote in Texas wasn’t close. Considering that Paxton is extremely lined up with Trump— makes you wonder…

    Maybe they’ve finally figured out that TFG doesn’t care about anyone but himself, so he won’t hold it against you if you go after someone “close to him.” Why anyone still wants that status remains a mystery.

  22. 22.

    Scout211

    @Nukular Biskits: I gotta believe there’s more to the story than what the TX Legislature is publicly sharing.

    Yeah, it does seem like there has to be more. As was discussed in one of the overnight threads, the DOJ public integrity unit coming in and removing the Texas-based federal prosecutors off Paxton’s corruption case could be one of the clues. 

    What were the GOP house leaders doing to cover up, ignore or take part in Paxton’s corruption? Are they complicit? Do they need to take this impeachment stand to throw Paxton to the wolves DOJ?

    There’s many unanswered questions. But the Senate trial is next.

  23. 23.

    patrick II

    @Scout211:

    Exactly.  Vaccines don’t work, the 2020 election was stolen, white Americans are the oppressed majority, LGBT is immoral (from the father of ? amount of illicit children) and Putin is a good guy who was attacked by Ukraine.  Those things are all true and we allow people to be truth-tellers on Twitter.

  24. 24.

    geg6

    Whose wife or daughter was this guy screwing?  Or how many of their wives or daughters?  I don’t believe his wanting to grift $3m off the tax payers could possibly lead to this.  They all grift off the tax payers.

  30. 30.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    What with SFB struggling to find/show any reasonable concepts  when he speaks, even just reasonable enough that his moronic followers can believe him, and a good part of the rethuglican party seemingly having gone off the deep end about governance in a democracy I would like to believe that at least some of them might, possibly, maybe even actually have decided that some of their leaders have gotten hold of some bad acid. Because otherwise the concept of mass stupidity is the only answer of why they haven’t learned to hate them before now.

  33. 33.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Danielx:

    one of the things that unctuous little shit Paxton is accused of is screwing a staffer in another senator’s office 

    State senators’ offices just scream sexy time apparently.  🤣🤷‍♂️

  34. 34.

    Dan B

    Ken, the dildo of karma seldom arrives lubricated.

     

    Borrowed from a JoeMyGod commenter.

  38. 38.

    The Moar You Know

    What the fuck did Paxton really do?  Republicans really don’t give a shit about anything they’ve impeached him for, they seem to consider it good form, usually.

  39. 39.

    JWR

    @Scout211:

    Ha! It all sounds about right to him so it must be true!

    Musk clearly lives in his own little bubble, don’t he? Oh well, as the saying goes, power corrupts… absolutely. (Just like it’s done to the damn USSC.)

  41. 41.

    sab

    @tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Very sincere condolences. My mother passed too quite suddenly just a couple of days after she got into hospice too late. Moms do that.  Wait too long. Drag their feet. Stall. Still protecting their privacy and also their kids.

  42. 42.

    Steeplejack

    Interesting tidbit:

    NEW: Texas AG Ken Paxton wanted his mistress to have a job in Austin, which investigators say he obtained for her, so he would not have to drive back and forth to San Antonio to see her, Rep. Ann Johnson said, in setting forth investigative findings.

    — Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 27, 2023

  45. 45.

    Dan B

    @schrodingers_cat:  Paxton was threatening Republicans on a regular basis even called and threatened four legislators during the hearing.  There were 20 counts in the indictment.  Things boiled over.

  46. 46.

    JWR

    @trollhattan:

    Okay, “He done costed us money!” seems like a bridge too far, for Kenny.

    Yeah, don’t they regularly shell out far more for police killings? Or is it different in the upper chambers?

  51. 51.

    JoyceH

    I’m trying something new. A little over 10 years ago, I bought a bike and did a bit of biking, for the first time in, oh, probably thirty years. I didn’t keep it up, though, I think because I was so much heavier. Anyway, the bike has been sitting in the garage ever since, so recently I got it back out and reinflated the tires. And man, that ‘like riding a bike’ phrase is SO wrong! Turns out that just lifting my leg high enough to get it over the center bar is a challenge, while as for balance – well! I’d been doing a lot of walking and rowing and was starting to feel pretty fit, but different physical skills don’t necessarily translate. I pedaled a few yards in the driveway alongside the car for balance. Wound up bringing the bike indoors – I’m going to do what I did ten years ago, do some practice biking in the hall until I get better at this, and then move to the driveway, where I will be for quite a while before I feel comfortable moving down to the road.

  52. 52.

    West of the Rockies

    @Steeplejack:

    Christ, hard to believe even one woman wanted to get with Paxton.  In a soul and charm way, he is such an uggo.

  53. 53.

    Jackie

    @Redshift: TFG vowed to target any Republican who voted to impeach Paxton.

    Apparently that threat isn’t as threatening as it would have been even 6 months ago. It’ll be interesting to see if TFG can even find anyone willing to challenge all *the disloyals* in the 2024 Primaries.

  54. 54.

    crimson pimpernel

    Any comeuppance is welcome news, but we still have to see how the Texas Senate deals with Paxton.  And my understanding is that Abbott gets to appoint his replacement and it’s not likely he’ll pick a Jimmy Stewart type.  Texas has a lot of crooks to choose from.

  55. 55.

    Jay

    @Dan B:

    btw, 1/4 strong soya sauce, 1/4 brown sugar, tablespoon of Montreal Steak Spice, 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke,

    marinate for a couple hours.

    Makes a mess in a pan, or on the bbq, (the sugar),

    I cook it in the convection oven on a sheet of tin foil.

    I always stick with wild caught, farmed fish are too fatty and no texture.

  58. 58.

    Jackie

    @tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s heartbreaking that you didn’t get the chance to see her and say goodbye before she passed. It sounds like she had made up her mind it was time. So please don’t feel guilty you weren’t there. Hugs!

  60. 60.

    sab

    We have a neighborhod dog howling like he is being murdered. Not quite. He doesn’t sound that desparate. More like normal dog desparate: my family is doing cool stuff while I am stuck at home ( possibly because I behave badly when I am out and about.)

  61. 61.

    Another Scott

    VP Harris’ speech at West Point was very good.

    […]

    Cadets, global security and global prosperity depend on the leadership of the United States of America. And a strong America remains indispensable to the world.

    Our democratic ideals of freedom and liberty inspire billions. Our vibrant economy creates unmatched innovation and opportunity and drives global growth.

    Our unrivaled network of allies and partners allows us to build coalitions and catalyze global action in a way no other nation can.

    And our military is the strongest in the world. Our military is a force that underwrites global stability and our national security.

    And it is this pillar of our strength where you, Cadets, have dedicated yourself to lead.

    Essential to our strength is the role, then, that you will play in defending our nation’s highest ideals.

    Because today, of course, is not only a graduation. It is a commissioning.

    In just a few moments, you will take an oath — not to a person, not to a political party, but to the Constitution.

    You will take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America” and, by extension, to support and defend our most sacred ideals: freedom, democracy, and rule of law.

    All across the world, the soldiers of the United States Army defend these ideals. And as Vice President, I have seen it firsthand.

    […]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  63. 63.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: Trump’s got so much to contend with he’ll likely forget about these threats by the time primary season rolls around next year. Or he’ll pretend to forget, because retaliation could wind up costing him votes in his own Texas primary.

  64. 64.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JoyceH: It definitely takes some time to get reacquainted with bike riding (both physically and mentally) after you’ve been out of the saddle for a while.  Sounds like you got a plan.  Keep at it. :)

  65. 65.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)

    Thank you so much, everyone, for the words of sympathy. It helps to know this place exists if I need to share.

    @sab: I hadn’t thought of that. She just seemed stubborn. Not willing to go to the doctor or going but not really listening to what she needed to do. I think what has shocked us is how quickly it happened.

    Off to Narita soon. It’s going to be a long flight.

  68. 68.

    Jackie

    @Geminid: Watching MSNBC… I had forgotten Paxton spoke at the J6 rally prior to the insurrection. I forgot how much of a MAGA toady he is.

    I really hope 60% of Texas’ senators vote to convict him!

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    @sab: Is a neighborhod different from a neighborhood?

    my family is doing cool stuff while I am stuck at home ( possibly because I behave badly when I am out and about.)

    Oh, is it storytime? 😁

  74. 74.

    mrmoshpotato

    The Killer Shrews in Svengoolie in 10 minutes!  Can’t be worse than The Mole People!

  83. 83.

    Jackie

    @JaySinWA: I’m rooting for later. Much later😁

    Unless Abbott finds an even bigger asshole to temporarily replace him with.

  84. 84.

    sab

    @tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Not stubborn. Just too protective when it was too late to protect you. Wish you well. I miss my mother enormously, but she was in such physical and emotional pain her death was a relief. Until later when it hit me that she was at peace but still gone.

  87. 87.

    billcinsd

    @dmsilev: One of the things he was charged with was getting his girlfriend a job in Austin so he would have a lesser drive to see her

  89. 89.

    El Muneco

    @tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): All my sympathies. It was almost exactly the same when my dad passed, even down to it almost seeming like fighting the pneumonia was too much for him, and he just decided to stop fighting it a few hours later. I hope seeing your family gives you some peace.

  90. 90.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @MattF:

    Considering that Paxton is extremely lined up with Trump— makes you wonder…

    I keep telling you folks, nobody gives a shit about Trump personally anymore, and they were never as in love with him as it looked.  Is Total War with Democrats involved?  No, this is an intra-party knifing.  Then Trump is just some blowhard.

  92. 92.

    JaySinWA

    @billcinsd: He was doing his bit to limit his greenhouse gas emissions. Come to think of it, this was probably part of the reason he was impeached. Lack of commitment to oil use.

  93. 93.

    Rebel’s Dad

    @MattF: That was wayyyyy more lopsided than I expected! I thought something like 80-6X would be a reach. Texas GOPniks smell blood in the water. I wish I had a Costco membership to go buy bulk popcorn for whatever comes next. I can’t believe that I’m saying I’m proud of my native state today.

  94. 94.

    Scout211

    @billcinsd: The job was with donor Nate Paul, who is deep in the scandal. Link From November 2020:

    DALLAS (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the center of criminal allegations against him, according to two people who said Paxton told them about the relationship.

     
    The two people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to fears about retaliation, said the high-profile Republican official acknowledged the affair in 2018 to senior members of his office and political staff. They said he told them that he had ended the affair with the woman, who then worked for a GOP state senator.
     
    Austin developer Nate Paul said in a deposition this week that Paxton recommended the woman for her job with Paul’s real estate company, according to a transcript of his deposition obtained by the AP. The woman had stopped working as a Senate aide at the end of 2019, though her reason for departing wasn’t immediately clear.

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    @JaySinWA:

    Sab appears to be at home, with or without family, stuck or unstuck. I think the key is the colon.

    More like normal dog desperate: my family is doing cool stuff while I am stuck at home (possibly because I behave badly when I am out and about).

  96. 96.

    Rebel’s Dad

    @Jay: If they didn’t name the restaurant Thermopylae or Salamis, then they failed us all.

  104. 104.

    sab

    @JaySinWA: sab not Sab, but thanks for the notice. Ponyo has mast cell tumor issues and is also quite itchy.  Histamines gone whacky in her.  Me not being medical professional  i think they are related. Just stuffed a benadryl down Ponyo’s throat. Hope she sleeps without scratching.

  105. 105.

    billcinsd

    @Jackie: I believe they need 2/3rds. Which is 21 of 31. There are 12 Ds, so about half the Rs need to vote to convict

  106. 106.

    Rebel’s Dad

    @tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Losing a parent is always rough no matter the circumstances, but I imagine it happening while you’re not with them is even tougher. I wish you a safe trip to SD, light, love, and healing in this time of pain.

  108. 108.

    RSA

    @mrmoshpotato:  The Killer Shrews in Svengoolie in 10 minutes!  Can’t be worse than The Mole People!

    Is this an MST3K comment?  About a Joel episode versus a Mike episode?  I’m a fan of The Mole People (Agar, Beaumont, Napier, and the load) but I haven’t ever seen The Killer Shrews.

  109. 109.

    Rebel’s Dad

    @Steeplejack: Makes sense, the 75 miles of I-35 between Austin and San Antonio is in permanent gridlock. That’s 4-5 hours a day he could spend practicing mattress gymnastics with her instead of stuck behind the wheel.

  113. 113.

    mrmoshpotato

    @RSA:

    Is this an MST3K comment? About a Joel episode versus a Mike episode? I’m a fan of The Mole People (Agar, Beaumont, Napier, and the load) but I haven’t ever seen The Killer Shrews. 

    Unrelated to MST3K.  The Killer Shrews is Svengoolie’s movie tonight, and The Mole People was shown a couple (three?) weeks ago.

    The acting in The Mole People was so wooden, that it’s an insult to trees! :)

  114. 114.

    Ken

    @Scout211: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair… The woman had stopped working as a Senate aide at the end of 2019, though her reason for departing wasn’t immediately clear.

    Maybe — and this is just the purest speculation — maybe the “bridge too far” for the Texas Republicans was that they’ve learned she got pregnant, and Paxton paid for her to get an abortion.

  115. 115.

    lowtechcyclist

    @JoyceH:

    I’d been doing a lot of walking and rowing and was starting to feel pretty fit, but different physical skills don’t necessarily translate.

    I remember this from when I first started cycling a lot as a teenager.  I’d done three seasons of cross-country running, but cycling either involved different muscles, or put the same muscles to work in very different ways, and I definitely noticed it at the time, even though you’d figure they’d be pretty close.

    I got over the hump pretty quickly because I was 16, but of course in middle age or later these adaptations take longer.

  117. 117.

    CaseyL

    FTFNYT is reporting that Biden and McCarthy have reached a deal.

    It will freeze federal spending for 2 years, and make some cuts to domestic programs.

    Its chances of passing in the House are… not real good

    ETA: (*shakes fist at Jim*)

  118. 118.

    Dan B

    @Jay:  Thanks.  The store I shop at has only wild fish.  I don’t think they carry liquid smoke or the steak sauce but I’ll look.

  120. 120.

    dmsilev

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Probably about that fast. If it’s anything like the preliminary versions being talked about over the last few days, the Freedom Caucus loons are going to go ballistic and will probably try to knife McCarthy.

  123. 123.

    Geminid

    @CaseyL: That will be an interesting vote next week. I think the deal will likely pass, but it’s still not certain. I believe each party will get some speaking time before the vote, and that ought to be good.

  125. 125.

    Baud

    @Ken:

    I’m kind of interested in MTG for once, because she was a big McCarthy advocate during the speaker vote.

  131. 131.

    sab

    @mrmoshpotato: Sorry. My sense of humor is fucked even at the best of times. “Ask our siblings. She (being me], is always clueless and mostly wrong.

  132. 132.

    RSA

    @mrmoshpotato:  Aha, thanks.

    The acting in The Mole People was so wooden, that it’s an insult to trees! :)

    Nice! Perfect MST3K fodder, as it happens.

  134. 134.

    dmsilev

    Via the Post, The Deal ™:

    The new blueprint lifts the legal maximum that the nation may borrow to pay its bills until 2025. It also essentially freezes domestic spending and institutes new work requirements on some Americans who [receive] nutrition assistance from the federal government, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to describe the sensitive talks.

    […]

    Conservatives on Saturday appeared on the verge of revolt, with some faulting McCarthy for failing to extract the same level of spending cuts that the GOP-led House adopted last month with no Democratic support. On Saturday, the far-right House Freedom Caucus tweeted that the initial reports of the deal were “unacceptable,” and one member — Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) — predicted it could mean “war.”

  137. 137.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @CaseyL:

    This sounds like the previously advertised deal, where Biden was going to shift money from the IRS (which will still be way over pre-IRA levels) to make up for the social services cuts which are in the bill as written.  If so, FUCK yeah, let’s pass that thing!  We are not going to dream of getting a better budget through a Republican House.  It must come with a ‘Democrats will stop McCarthy from losing his speakership’ deal because it’s an absolute pantsing for the Freedom Caucus.

    EDIT – New work requirements concern me.  We’ll see what they are.

  139. 139.

    Scout211

    @dmsilev: Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) — predicted it could mean “war.”

    Republican on Republican violence?

    I’m sorry I didn’t go to Costco like Jackie. I don’t have enough popcorn this week!

  140. 140.

    Dan B

    @Frankensteinbeck:  I read that the work requirements were that you had to apply for work of you had less than 30 hours of work per week.  You had to take any jobs that were offered.  People not offered jobs would not lose SNAP.

  142. 142.

    Barry

    @trollhattan: “Okay, “He done costed us money!” seems like a bridge too far, for Kenny.”

    OTOH, does any state legislature have a problem pissing away money?

  143. 143.

    realbtl

    Am I the only one thinking “Wait a minute, this is the Republican house, they will find some way to fuck things up.”

  144. 144.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Scout211:

    Republican on Republican violence?

    I’m sorry I didn’t go to Costco like Jackie. I don’t have enough popcorn this week!

    I keep a jar of popcorn kernels for just these occasions.  (Pops up nicely with some vegetable oil in a saucepan.)

  148. 148.

    TriassicSands

    @CaseyL: FTFNYT is reporting that Biden and McCarthy have reached a deal.

    Yes, but the inane headline in the Times is:

    White House and GOP Strike Debt Limit Deal.

    But your characterization is accurate, since there is no guarantee the GOP will go along with their highly respected, much feared, glorious Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy.

    …and one member — Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) — predicted it could mean “war.”

    Republicans aren’t shy about revealing just how stupid they are. No, Dan, it doesn’t mean war, it means, if there is no agreement, default. And, damn, Dan, your AR-15 won’t help much with that. People actually voter for Dan Bishop. Allegedly.

  149. 149.

    Jackie

    @Scout211: I got the Costco popcorn in anticipation of a Jack Smith/MAL indictment. I may have to go again sooner than my usual monthly run – what with the debit agreement implosions and Paxton’s impeachment! Which would be a win-win with an extra $4.99 rotisserie chicken for the month!

  151. 151.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Squeaker McCarthy just told reporters the vote on the debt ceiling package will happen Wednesday.

    It sounds like this deal takes care of spending levels for the next fiscal year, so if it passes there would be no prospect of a government shutdown on October 1st.

  152. 152.

    Shalimar

    @Dan B: Threatening Republicans on a regular basis is the same way DeSantis runs Florida.  It works until enough of them finally realize they have 122 other votes to impeach.

  154. 154.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    I thought this just set spending levels. Congress still has to pass appropriations. Although I suppose this deal makes that more likely.

  155. 155.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Dan B:

    Okay.  I’m not thrilled, but I guess it’s not awful.  On the tire rims and anthrax vs spaghetti scale, we’re getting a stale cheese sandwich.  Under the circumstances, that’s a triumph.

  156. 156.

    oldgold

    How well did Kamala descend the treacherous Democratic designed ramp at West Point following her graduation address?

  160. 160.

    japa21

    Here’s the thing on the budget deal. Everything that is cut, and it doesn’t seem to be much, can be reversed by a Dem House and a Dem retained Senate. Both of which seems more likely every day with the way the GOP keeps shooting itself in the foot.
    However, if we had gone into default, both of those things would have decreased in likelihood.

  161. 161.

    Another Scott

    @japa21: +1

    Reuters:

    “I just got off the phone with the president a bit ago. After he wasted time and refused to negotiate for months, we’ve come to an agreement in principle that is worthy of the American people,” McCarthy tweeted.

    He’s such a child.

    The deal would raise the debt limit for two years while capping spending over that time, and includes some extra work requirements for programs for the poor.

    […]

    Negotiators have agreed to cap non-defense discretionary spending at 2023 levels for one year and increase it by 1% in 2025, sources said.

    […]

    The two sides had struggled to find common ground on spending levels. Republicans had pushed for an 8% cut to discretionary spending in the next fiscal year, followed by annual increases of 1% for several years.

    Biden had proposed keeping spending flat in the 2024 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, and raising it 1% the year after that. He also had called for closing some tax loopholes, which Republicans rejected.

    We knew we weren’t going to like it. That’s the way closely-divided government works.

    But it looks like the GQP got rolled again. People who understand how government works are better at this negotiation stuff than bomb throwers.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  162. 162.

    Geminid

    So Joe Biden gets to celebrate with some ice cream and a good night’s rest. Should be good sleeping weather at Camp David.

    Kraven McCarthy will up a while still. He may be looking forward to a highball once he gets through with his phone call with his caucus. He’ll need it.

  163. 163.

    Baud

    @Another Scott:

    we’ve come to an agreement in principle that is worthy of the American people,”

     

    Looking forward to seeing him stand up for the American people when his caucus rejects the deal.

  165. 165.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: I wonder if this deal includes more money for Ukraine. The Omnibus spending billl passed before Christmas contained $44 billion in military aid. I think that may run out this summer.

  168. 168.

    TriassicSands

    @Baud:

    What is the record for the shortest tenure of a Speaker not caused by death?

    We could be looking at a record. In these difficult times, there is often so little to celebrate or even smile about, but the prospect of a new House vote for Kevin’s replacement does simultaneously bring a smile to my face and cause serious indigestion.

  170. 170.

    Baud

    @Another Scott:

    Republicans had pushed for an 8% cut to discretionary spending in the next fiscal year, followed by annual increases of 1% for several years.

     

    Goddamn, but that is a dumb proposal.

  171. 171.

    Another Scott

    @Geminid: AFAIK, all the negotiations have been about the non-defense side of the budget.

    Apparently, additional Ukraine funding is planned to come from “supplementals”. BreakingDefense.com (from March):

    While the Pentagon’s [FY24] budget request does include the “small amount” of $300 million in the base budget for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the senior defense official said other funds for the effort are not included.

    “If that is still an ongoing issue in FY24, we would expect to handle that by contingency or supplemental funding, which is the way that every emergent operation has been handled for about 50 consecutive years in this government; So, no difference here,” the senior defense official added.

    “[The war] is far too fluid for us to be putting anything now projecting into FY 24 what the situation might be,” the official said, noting that the Biden administration is committed to supporting Ukraine.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  173. 173.

    gwangung

    @Another Scott: So…what’s the chance that Biden made a deal that included a provision that Dems will would support McCarthy if challenged? (That seems to be something problematic for Dem reps with challengers on the left). And what are the chances of McCarthy ramming it through if he had all the Dems voting for it?

  174. 174.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @TriassicSands:

    What is the record for the shortest tenure of a Speaker not caused by death?

    This deal has to include Democrats promising to protect McCarthy’s speakership.  Otherwise, he’s giving away this hostage and all future hostages for… basically nothing.  Surely the actual deal was to save McCarthy’s ass.  Otherwise… even Kevin can’t be that incompetent.

  176. 176.

    Eolirin

    @japa21: The work requirements will cause significant harm to some of the most vulnerable people in this country. SNAP is already not generous enough, especially with the pandemic boosts to it having sunsetted, and people who qualify for it won’t get it because of the paperwork burden; this will mean more people will be starving.

    It’s very bad. But a default would be so much worse, and the 14th amendment solution is risky as fuck, so this is acceptable if not heartbreaking form of harm reduction. We need to reverse and expand poverty programs the second we have control again. The pandemic measures showed us very clearly how effective they can be when funded correctly. SNAP and EITC need to be put back to pandemic levels asap.

  179. 179.

    eversor

    @Dan B:

    Which is something that a good amount of Democrats want but need cover to do it.  That was always going to happen.

  180. 180.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: Politico Playbook lists the guests for the Sunday shows. Hakeem Jeffries will appear on CBS’s Face the Nation, and Pramila Jayapal is booked for CNN’s State of the Union.

  181. 181.

    Eolirin

    @Dan B: In practice in doesn’t even do that, it just makes it harder for people who already qualify to prove they qualify and fail to get the benefits they’re entitled to. It’s pure cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

  184. 184.

    Another Scott

    @gwangung: #1 – I would guess about 0%.  Biden has no power in the Congress.  He can’t make a commitment like that.

    #2 – I suspect that he’s going to find a way to get enough GQPers to claim that the GQP did it and very few of the bombthrowers are going to vote NO.  At the end of the day, party still matters more to them than anything else.  He may lose a few votes, but he won’t have to depend on Democrats.  It would be a political earthquake if he had to have Democrats save him – as in, I would expect him to be gone before the end of the year, and maybe before the Fall.

    We’ll see!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  187. 187.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Another Scott:

    Biden has no power in the Congress.  He can’t make a commitment like that.

    As an experienced negotiator, he has the power to check with his team ahead of time to find out if he can promise one of the biggest and most obvious bargaining chips on the table.

  188. 188.

    Baud

    @Eolirin:

    A handful maybe, but the idea that the lion’s share of Dems want it is one of those Q-Anon type myths that some folks on the left cling to.

  189. 189.

    Eolirin

    @Another Scott: I don’t think McCarthy can pass this with just R votes. He only managed to pass that insane bill that savaged spending with a one vote margin, I can’t see how he’s going to pass this one without Democrats, his majority is too small. But I think he’s going to get most of his caucus to go along.

  191. 191.

    Steeplejack

    @Dan B:
    When my family lived on Okinawa when I was in high school, we had a huge banyan tree in the backyard that was shrew headquarters. Every so often our miniature dachshund, Fritz (cliché name, but, hey, it was the ’60s, and at least he wasn’t named Snoopy—which was in the running for a while, but I digress) would go nuts and attack the sprawling roots of the banyan, digging and snorting until he was exhausted. Then he would allow himself to be brought back into the house for a bath to get the caked mud off him, and the look on his face was always like “Shrews, man. Shrews.”​

  192. 192.

    Dan B

    @Eolirin:  Oh, the GOP playbook.  The noble job creators (see Muskrat)  and the lazy druggy poors (see migrant labor in Florida).

  195. 195.

    Another Scott

    @Frankensteinbeck: Jeffries and/or his people were in the negotiations.  He can make that commitment, Biden can’t.  Joe could say, “Hakeem and his people says your Speakership is in no danger if we have an agreement…”, but Joe’s just relaying the message.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  196. 196.

    geg6

    @Soprano2:

    Not that I’m saying anyone else should react like me, but each of my parents went in opposite ways.  My dad died super suddenly of a major heart attack.  One minute I had spoken to him during a Steelers game and a building snowstorm, a half hour later he was gone.  My mother finally passed after battling various breast cancers since the 80s.  She passed in January 2001 after a long stint at home in hospice care and 10 days in a nursing home (a former student was one of her nurses).  My dad’s death was easier on me because, although shocking and sudden, it happened quickly and he never suffered.  My mother went through the nine circles of hell, including a broken neck for over two years due to cancer spread to her bones.  I wouldn’t wish that or having to witness that on my worst enemies.  Well, okay maybe the Trump family et al.  But that’s it.  Okay Ted Cruz.  But no more.  Okay, …

  197. 197.

    Jackie

    Just watched McCarthy speak re the debt agreement. He didn’t look cheerful at all. The two Repugs standing behind him looked close to tears.

    Dems spokesperson had a hard time concealing a smirk while speaking judicially.

  198. 198.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Another Scott:

    I agree.  So, my original statements stand.  Surely defending McCarthy’s speaker status is part of the deal.  McCarthy would be so stupid I have trouble believing it if that’s not in the (unofficial) agreement.  And I think he’s really damn stupid.

  199. 199.

    Dan B

    @Steeplejack:  My aunt and uncle and my cousins lived in Okinawa right after the war.  And I had a housemate from there.  His girlfriend was from the densest part of Tokyo.  Quite a contrast.

  200. 200.

    Chris T.

    @trollhattan: (quoting news item)

    But Twitter boss Mr Musk claims there is now “less misinformation rather than more” since he took over last October.

    I suppose it depends on whether you’re measuring with relatives or absolutes: after decimating Twitter, the mis-info to info ratio has increased, but the total mis-info and info numbers are both so much lower, that the sum total of mis-information has decreased.

    To put it numerically as an example, perhaps before it was “1 million actual facts, 100k lies” (per unit time, e.g., day) and now it’s “1 actual fact, 90k lies” (per same unit time).

  202. 202.

    Geminid

    @gwangung: I don’t think there will be many Dems with strong challengers from the left next year. A vote for McCarthy under these circumstances probably wouldn’t matter much anyway. Too “inside baseball.”

    Democratic leadership could ask for volunteers. My Rep would probably be willing; Spanberger’s always talking up her bipartisan credentials. I think most 7th CD Democrats wouldn’t bat an eyelash.

  204. 204.

    Eolirin

    @Eolirin: I should add, it really pisses me off that we need to throw the poor and the disabled under the bus to get this shit done, even if I recognize there was realistically no way other way this was going to play out.

    But it fucking sucks. I’m not sure most people here understand how shitty benefits programs already are, and how desperate things have to be for you to qualify for them in the first place. And even for all of that, they’re a fucking lifeline.

    We are staving off a debt default by literally starving more of the poor. Anyone decent should be furious that we’re being forced to make that choice.

  208. 208.

    Another Scott

    @Eolirin: It’s probably best to wait for the text and the details.  We know that Biden and his team did the best they could.

    Warning Politico:

    In a win for Biden, defense spending would be set at the level proposed in his budget for the coming fiscal year, representing a modest 3.5 percent increase over current funding levels — less than what many Republican defense hawks would’ve liked to see for the Pentagon in order to keep pace with inflation.

    The agreement includes new policy changes to the TANF and SNAP programs, including time limits on people up to age 54, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who was not authorized to share details publicly. The deal would include new work requirements in TANF for cash assistance recipients but a modified version of the House-passed bill. The changes are likely to be unpopular with House Democrats.

    But it imposes no new work requirements for Medicaid, a win for the White House.

    In other key wins for the White House, the agreement protects the environmental provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, including clean energy funding. It also doesn’t touch Biden’s student debt relief plan.

    Yes, assistance programs are too stingy and require too much busy-work and are too arbitrary. It is going to take big Democratic majorities in Congress to change that – it’s not going to happen in a rush to prevent national default.

    Eyes on the prizes.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  209. 209.

    Eolirin

    @Baud: Yes, much of the electorate is made up of people who aren’t decent.

    And that those people think about them as “the poor” is kind of the problem.

    People are just people.

    Some of them don’t have enough to eat. As wealthy as we are, we really should do something about that instead of making it worse.

  210. 210.

    Jackie

    @Geminid: I’m actually gonna watch some Faux and Friends in the morning to see if they throw Kevin under the bus. And their disgust of all the RINOs who impeached their beloved Paxton.

    Is it wrong to have🍿 for breakfast?

  211. 211.

    dmsilev

    @Geminid: One way to thread the needle is for the Democrats to promise to abstain from any Speaker vote. If McCarthy can get the majority of Republicans, rather than the 98-99% he’d need if the Dems actively voted for their own candidate (Jeffries, presumably), his job is safe, and no Democrat is on record voting *for* him.

  212. 212.

    Eolirin

    @Another Scott: I know, I know. And I’m not blaming Biden or the Dems here. It is what it is since we need to negotiate with the Republicans.

    But they’re fucking monsters for making that their demand.

    And it’s ugly, even if it’s necessary, that further kicking the most vulnerable among us is the kind of “smaller scale” collateral damage we can accept. It’s going to really hurt people. A lot less than any realistic alternative would, but it still sucks.

  213. 213.

    Steeplejack

    @Dan B:

    I lived there from 1967 to ’69. It was very busy then, as you can imagine—height of the Vietnam War. Two big air bases, a big Army base, at least two Marine camps that I can remember and all sorts of other outfits, military and civilian, some spooky.

    I came back to “the world” for my freshman year of college, went back and spent the summer of ’70 as a lifeguard at the officers’ club pool, then the whole family moved back in the fall—to remotest North Dakota. Back to college for me (in Missouri)!

  214. 214.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Eolirin:

    But they’re fucking monsters for making that their demand.

    I agree.  I was struck by how petty it is.  There is no real political win in that demand.  They could have insisted on something much more showy.  This is just cruelty for the sake of cruelty.

  218. 218.

    Geminid

    I think this deal also shields the Veteran’s Administration from cuts. But McCarthy’s brilliant negotiating strategy put 218 Republicans on record as backing a 22% funding cut for that agency.

    That will come back to bite Representatives like freshman Jen Kiggans. Her coastal Virginia district has a lot of active and retired military. Democrats have slready run anti-Kiggans ads over that vote.

  220. 220.

    gwangung

    @Geminid: My thought was that for Dems with challengers on the right, it’ll be no problem. And in the general, it definitely won’t hurt to burnish the bipartisan credentials.

  221. 221.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I like this analogy from Josh Marshall, who I believe has been pretty critical of the White House in recent weeks

    Josh Marshall @joshtpm 1h

    Yes. These are real concessions. But when we say they cld have gotten as much thu normal budget negotiation (correct) that means the whole hostage taking accomplished nothing. When you go into a Dennys with a gun and say gimme the money, if you just get breakfast that’s a fail.

  222. 222.

    Geminid

    Polling places in Turkiye will be open in 3 hours. Turks will be able to vote from 8am to 5pm local time. Participation on May 14 was high, 86% overall and over 88% of eligible voters living in Turkiye proper.

  223. 223.

    mvr

    @Another Scott: “the agreement protects the environmental provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, including clean energy funding. “

    This is the big thing for me. We have very little time to deal with climate catastrophe. The IRA gets us roughly half way to where we need to be. We got it past the Manchin veto. The Rs hated the IRA and were likely hoping more than anything to kill it with these negotiations. Saving it is crucial, though not sufficient. And the cost of doing that is not happy.

  226. 226.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I’m still wondering where the catch is.  This isn’t a hostage deal for the debt ceiling, it’s a clean debt ceiling raise combined with a budget deal better than we should reasonably have expected.  Budget negotiations were always going to hurt.

    EDIT – Maybe McCarthy thought, from his personal and selfish perspective, it was better to rip the band-aid off and have nothing else to fight with his caucus over until 2025?

  227. 227.

    Eolirin

    @Frankensteinbeck: I have a suspicion that this is just reflective of how weak the Republican position on this was. As much as there’s been all this posturing on being willing to default, I don’t think the majority of the caucus and definitely not their big donors want that to actually happen.

    But they can’t pass a bill that will get through the Senate with just Republican votes because being willing to blow up the economy is genuine for enough of them. So they need the Democrats to save them from themselves. We get to extract a lot of value for our votes because of that.

  228. 228.

    kalakal

    There’s no way Paxton wanting to grift 3mil from the tax payers is the reason he’s getting shafted. As well as all of his ‘colleagues’ he’s already pissed off I think he must have recently screwed over someone with a hell of a lot of clout as part of his criming and this is payback. He will have done someone a ‘favour’ that screwed over someone else. That someone else has a lot of power and is out for blood. I don’t we’ll ever know exactly why they’ve turned on him, the charge sheet is bad enough but they’ve been cool with him pulling that crap for years. Either that or the feds have found something really, really bad and he’s the one marked ‘it’ while the rest cover their asses

  231. 231.

    Kayla Rudbek

    All right, I finished my first weaving project and does it ever take a lot of yarn. 500+ yards of yarn to make two kitchen towels. I still don’t understand why weaving was invented before knitting…

  232. 232.

    mvr

    @Kayla Rudbek: ​
     This is the kind of comment where I want a like button. I have nothing to add to it but I want to give it its proper respect. (Which is not to say we need a like button.)

  233. 233.

    Geminid

    @gwangung: I will be interested to see how many Democratic incumbents of any type face strong primary challengers next year. My guess right now is very few, and I won’t be surprised if there are no successful challenges.

    Off hand, I think Kurt Schrader in Oregon was the only Democrat to lose his primary last year. Henry Cuellar almost lost his.

  236. 236.

    Geminid

    @Eolirin: Turkish journalist Ragip Soylu (@ragipsoylu) has reported a couple of polls showing Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu virtually tied. Other polls show Erdogan with a five point lead, which was his margin in the first round.

    Mr. Soylu should be a good source for election news. He’s chief Istanbul correspondent for Middle East Eye, and he’ll link to that site’s live election blog.in addition to commenting on his own.

  237. 237.

    Kirk

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Otherwise… even Kevin can’t be that incompetent.

    Bet? He can’t count, and he can’t negotiate – demonstrating both just in the window he was obtaining the office he now “holds”.

  238. 238.

    Eolirin

    @Geminid: Polling prior to the first round showed Kilicdaroglu ahead; he ended up 5 points behind. The one definitive data point we have suggests Erdogan only needs to pick up a tiny number of the supporters of the guy that dropped out with 5% of the vote and is endorsing him in the run off.

    I suspect he picks up the majority of them and we’re looking at close to a 10 point victory for Erdogan. But we’ll see.

  239. 239.

    gwangung

    @Geminid: Yeah, after thinking about, primaries for incumbent Dems are not going to be that strongly contested. They’re almost all coming out smelling like roses after this term.

  240. 240.

    Geminid

    @Eolirin: Some polls before the first round showed Kilicdaroglu ahead. Some showed a tie and some showed Erdogan ahead. The ones showing Kilicdoroglu ahead may have gotten more attention in the West because they projected the outcome favored by many Westerners.

    I suspect you are correct about Erdogan expanding his margin of victory. With its anti-immigrant emphasis, Kilicdaroglu’s runoff strategy has rattled some of his liberal supporters. Meanwhile, Erdogan has switched his shtick from pugnacious and divisive to positive and inclusive.

    Also, Erdogan’s AKP and its coalition partner still won a majority in Parliament, and some Turks may not want to vote for a divided government.

  244. 244.

    AlaskaReader

    @Eolirin: They are Republicans, imposing harm on ‘others’ has always been exactly who they are.

    Sadistic psychopaths vote for and elect other sadistic psychopaths who will craft laws and policies which will cause harm others.

    It’s who they are.

    Standard Republicanism.

  245. 245.

    frosty

    @Alison Rose: ​A great essay; thanks for that. I just finished a long day with a) a local bird club (three lifers!), b) a NWR (marsh wren, finally!) and c) a need to kill an hour … I had binoculars!​

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