Today, billboards just like these went up across Florida and Texas.
Happy Pride everyone. pic.twitter.com/QdXOcCyAR4
— Maura Healey (@MassGovernor) June 26, 2023
“@VP Harris made a surprise appearance at NYC’s historic Stonewall Inn to commemorate LGBTQ Pride Month…[her] appearance marked the first time that a sitting vice president visited the space.”https://t.co/poqni5AEYY
— Kirsten Allen (@KirstenAllen46) June 26, 2023
Anita Dunn: America will “lead the world – not just in innovation, but in manufacturing.”
“When a bridge gets rebuilt quickly on I-95 in Philadelphia, you feel that.”
“When your insulin that used to cost $200 a month costs $35 a month, you feel” it.
“That is Bidenomics.” pic.twitter.com/tMcGv3YBro
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) June 26, 2023
Americans are pretty chipper when it comes to the economy. https://t.co/N2xQs7RgAW
— Jim Kessler (@ThirdWayKessler) June 27, 2023
Biden has closed the Black-White Unemployment Gap for the first time in American history…seems like this should be a bigger deal. #Bidenomics pic.twitter.com/B4obRvlY9k
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) June 26, 2023
This is great news. It matters who is in the White House and who is leading these cabinet agencies. https://t.co/Sq4wD2y8Bm pic.twitter.com/w42vYmdADD
— chyea ok (@chyeaok) June 22, 2023
Guess who’s *not* happy…
In the weeks since threatening to cause a global economic crisis over their avowed desire to reduce deficits, Republican lawmakers are again pushing legislation that would increase deficits.°By billions upon billions of dollars. https://t.co/CG2tVSRZEo
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) June 25, 2023
America, the Unmatchable:
lots of countries think they can make America-scale mistakes (the UK with Brexit, Russia with Ukraine) forgetting that they are not America and don’t have a vast internal market that can sustain unmatchable levels of fucking around even after the finding out
— aioli chowder (@AioliChowder) June 27, 2023
Tony Jay
Apologies in advance, but I was a little bit bored at work, so……..
FIRST MAGOP PRIMARY DEBATE
HOST – “Goooooooooood evening Ameri-ca-ca-ca-ca-CA! First just let me thank the Almighty God above for the chance to be here and let you good people know what a sincere, a real, sincere pleasure it is to welcome you all to the magnificent Arkham Trucking & Payday Loan Arena, right here in the lifeless central highlands of the Upside Down, for tonight’s knock-down and drag ‘em out, no-holds barred, blood on the ropes, First Primary Debate for the Men and one other gender hoping to become YOUR choice to represent God’s Own People and the Republican Party in next year’s Prrrrrresidential Eeeeelection! I’m Vince McMahon, and I’ll be your host this evening for what looks set to be a pounding, pulsing, pelvic-thrusting, prize-fightapalooza of a primary punch-up! Now with no further ado, let’s meet the contestants and hear what they’ve got to say!”
(The Host advances across the stage while “Never Gonna Give You Up” booms from the loudspeakers)
HOST – “Introducing, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and author and businessman Perry Johnson! Give it up for Those Three Guys!”
(a spotlight illuminates a roughly chalked circle where three white men in torn suits grunt and grapple with each other in a roughhouse battle over a child’s plastic microphone. Spit, blood and teeth fly, but it’s too even a fight to pick a winner yet)
HOST – “Moving on and Straight Outta Compton or some other shithole decent people can’t live anymore, Woke Federal regulations say we gotta let them in, but we’re sure as hell not letting them out. Do your best to tolerate former Ambassador to the Godless UN Nikki Haley, rich guy Vivek Ramalamadingdongswamy, that voice off the radio you didn’t know was one of them Larry Elder, that other one from Florida Frrrrrrrransisco Suarezzzzzzzz, and Deep State R.I.N.O. plant Will Hurd! How do you plead?”
(the spotlight moves to a cage surrounded by barking dogs and armed men in tactical gear. Inside the cage is a painted red line behind which huddle five brownish people wearing red, white and blue minstrel gear and waving Confederate flags. Haley breaks out of the pack and runs for the bars)
HALEY – “I shouldn’t be here! I should be out there! You know me, I’ve always obeyed the rules! I shouldn’t be in here!”
(Hayley touches the bars and is thrown backwards by a flash of electrical current. Hurd steps over the red line to help her up and instantly the guards are pointing their guns)
GUARD ONE – “Stop right where you are and step back across the line!
GUARD TWO – “Don’t move a muscle and get on your knees!”
GUARD THREE – “Put your hands behind your head and keep your hands visible at all times!”
GUARD FOUR – “He’s got a gun and I am in fear of my life!!!”
(all four guards open fire in a hail of gunfire that goes on for at least a minute, with a couple of them reloading to make sure they hit their targets. As the gunsmoke clears and the roaring of the crowd fades, Guard Three casually tosses a handgun through the bars onto one of the bodies and they exchange high fives before filling out their incident reports together)
HOST – “Totally had it coming as far as I could see. No angels. But while that gets cleared up it’s time for the mmmmaaaaaaiiiin event! Are you ready to meet your heroes?!?”
CROWD – “MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! MAGA!”
HOST – “So, it’s with no further ado that I introduce to you in no particular order of awesomeness, here to make their pitch for YOUR support, the biggest names in conservative politics, the men you know have what it takes to pump the brakes on Cultural Marxism, the Mount Rushmore Five of Red State Jive, it’s your choice to make, meeeeeeeeet the connnnnnntestants!!!!!”
(the spotlight brightens and splits to light up five podiums, one by one the candidates step up to speak)
HOST – “Former Governor of Indiana and Vice President of these United States, the Silver Fox who irons his own socks. The whitest man in Milkistan. The mellowest, yellowest egg on display, he let you all down because he wouldn’t delay, it’s the man who shoulda died, it’s Mother’s Pride, it’s Mike ‘Psych’ Pence!!”
(the crowd boos, Pence stands staring dully into the camera, drool hanging from his bottom lip. He jerks awake, blinks, reaches for but doesn’t quite touch his junk, nods slowly and leans towards his microphone)
PENCE – “Babies. Bibles. Bombs for Jesus. We oppose the Soros of darkness by letting our Light shine, and by taking up the sword. It is the sword that conquers wickedness and the Truth shining in the hearts of the Children of Light. Gethsemane Rocks!”
(Pence moves away from the microphone and the fire in his eyes noticeably dims. He slumps. The crowd mutters)
HOST – “The hell was that all about? Am I right? Okay, get your motors running, folks, because he’s big, he’s brash and he’s killed more men than Johnny Cash. He’s the Outlaw Joisey Whale, he’s the Leviathan of Lakewood, he’s the only man to medal in the Man Versus Food Olympics three years running. He’s the Bully of the George Washington Bridge, he’s Chris ‘Mutherfucking’ Christie!!!”
(there’s a smattering of applause, a few boos, but mostly just the crinkling of popcorn wrapping and the slurp of juice being drunk. Christie glares at the other candidates like a boar just hounded out of its den)
CHRISTIE – “Fuck you! Fuck you an’ fuck you too, ya fuckin’ fuck! Fuck you an’ fuck yah mudda! Fuck him. Fuck him right inna face! Fuck his mouth. Fuck his eyes. Fuck his mudda’s eyes. Fuck youze all. Yooze alla fuckin’ wet bag a fuckin’ fucks. Vote fo-ah me or fuckyoo. Capish?” (punches himself in the face) “Bambinos!!!”
(gasps, outrage, but more applause and cheers. Christie grunts and starts angrily eating a bowl of pasta)
HOST – “That’s the shit right there! There’s the heat! Love to see it, big guy! Next up, he’s got less hair than a Brazilian au pair. He’s stolen more money than California’s sunny. He’ll drain you drier than a hooker from The Wire. He’s the Prince of Darkness, the Horrorshow from Flori-d’oh! The bloodless disaster that you can call Master. He’s the one and only Senator Rick Scott!!!”
(Scott is a shadowy, cloaked figure lurking at the very edge of the spotlight circle, emanating a fetid waft of frigid rot as he hisses and snarls at the crowd through a mouthful of thumb-sized fangs. An urbanely dressed James Mason steps up to the podium, lays aside a half-skinned puppy and smiles charmingly at the crowd)
MASON – “All my Master wishes to do as President is to help each and every one of you good people achieve the freedom and immortality you all so richly deserve. And in return, he asks for nothing more than your trust, your loyalty, and the thick, sweet nectar from your pulsing veins. Join with us in the Endless Night of Freedom, help us bring the Liberty of Life Eternal to all Real Americans, open this nation’s windows and veins wide and sate America’s hunger for juicy red Patriotism. I thank you.”
(Scott snarls approvingly and falls upon an unwary stagehand, the sucking sounds that follow are drowned out by a rumble of slow, robotic applause. McMahon backs away from the sight, blinking and confused)
HOST – “Jesus Christ!” (flinches) “Sorry! Sorry, Senator. We’ll get that, uh, get that cleaned up… when you’re ready! Just let us, uh… Next up! Ladies and Gentlemen, how do you follow… that? I’ll tell you how! He’s the Titan of Tallahassee! The Governor who ain’t afraid to Poke the Joke that is Woke! He’s the Man with the Plan to beat Bi-Den! He’s fixed what’s wrong with America’s Dong and he’s shown the Libs that they don’t Belong, it’s Governor Ron De Sssssssssssssantisssssssss!!!!”
(much more applause, even some cheering. RoDS stomps to his podium with arms held out and bent like a little teapot. He wears a padded leather biker jacket with Death To Liberal America stitched across the back over a normal suit, and his white boots reach up to his crotch. His mouth is wide, his eyes manic)
RoDS – “Witness! Hunter Biden! Hillary Clinton! AOC! Drag Acts! Gender Benders! Classroom Groomers! Illegals! Aborters! Activist Judges! Thugs! Dirty Books! I crush! I kill! I exterminate! All for you! All for You!! Witness! Flag! Apple Pie! Freedom! Eagles! Matlock! Guns! Jesus! Trucks! Good children! Security! Respect! Police! Soldiers! Fireworks! Heritage! I love! I protect! I enforce! All for you! All for you!! Accept programming! Visualise my Victory! Believe and Achieve! Obey Casey! Obey Casey!! OBEY CASEY!!! God Bless America!”
(RoDS looks left, looks right, looks baffled that you could hear a pin drop in the Arena. Looks behind him to where a despairing Staffer is sobbing into his hands and a white-faced Casey DeSantis glares daggers at him. He opens his mouth wide and makes a thumbs up gesture, she turns her back and stalks out. RoDS follows her)
HOST – “Oh wow. Awk-warrrrrrd. Never mind, everybody’s got at least one J.E.B. in them. But you didn’t come here for the support acts, did you? You came here for the main event. So let me do what I do and give you people what you want. What you need. What this country needs! I’m talking about the President for Life! The Political Prisoner with more stones than Namibia! The Man they Jailed because the System failed! Inmate Number 45. The candidate who truly needs no introduction. The Star of the Show! President Donald Trump!!!”
(the crowd goes wild, Chanting. Screaming. Stamping their feet. The spotlight concentrates on the last podium, twice the size of the rest, to which a trolley bearing a huge monitor is wheeled. The screen flickers and Trump’s face appears. The crowd howls even louder, but it’s clear that Trump can’t hear them. He’s bone white, his wig threadbare and on sideways. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, fresh gang tattoos glistening redly on his arms and face. Two meaty hands with 14 WORDS tattooed across the knuckles rest on his shoulders. He’s shaking and pale and terrified and clearly doesn’t know the camera has started streaming)
TRUMP – “Alpha. Alfie.. sorry, sorry, Alpha Wolf, Sir, listen to me, please. I’ll get you your money. It’s not a problem. No problem. I’m rich, see? I know rich people. They give me money. They love to give me money. Because they know. They all know. I’m going to be President. Me. President again. It’s all fixed. I’ve got this in the bag. Those losers need me. Millions of them. Hundreds of millions. They’re all losers because they can’t be President. Can’t do it. They’re weak. No pizzaz. No stardust. But I can. I did. They can do it through me. They need me because I’m a winner. See? I win. I won in 2016. Big win. Huge win. Biggest win ever. Crooked Hillary couldn’t stop me. Nasty Nancy couldn’t stop me. I got fifty states. They stole some of them. Dominion. Soros. Dominion mostly. Nasty people. I still won. I won in 2020 too. Even bigger win. They stole that one. You know. Everyone knows. I would have taken all the States, but they cheated. I said rise up. Take the Capitol. Save this country. But the losers, they couldn’t do it. Dumb fucks let me down. Then Sleepy Joe stole my papers. My papers! I had buyers for those! When I win again, I’ll get that money. Mohammed. Kim. Mr Putin. They all owe me. And you’ll get your money, Sir. It’s already in the bank. Just give me a little more time. Just a few more months. You like nice furniture? You can have an office. In the White House. I can give you a pardon. A job. Any job you want. Name it. Just let me do this dumb debate and get the morons all pumped up. Then you’ll see. I’m the real deal. I’m going to be President again. You just….. wait… how long has that fucking light been on? Are you fucking kidding me with this…”
(the monitor clicks off and goes dead. The Host is frantically waving at the tech teams, but half of them are lying dead and bloodless in a circle around a flushed Senator Scott. RoDS is holding a plug in his hand and making staccato laughing noises. The crowd surges forward, bellowing their anger, throwing things at the stage. Pence gets trampled, he doesn’t seem to notice. Christie is a hulking, flabby rock around which the flood parts. RoDS licks the plug he holds, sparks flash, a curtain catches fire and within a minute, flames are racing across every flammable surface and people are running for the exits. The Host scrambles onto a chair)
HOST – “That’s all we got time for tonight, folks! Join us the same time next week when we’ll be coming to you live from the Dunder Mifflin Aerodrome and Sarlaac Pit in Scranton!”
(there is a roar of triumph and Governor Doug Burgum rises from the carnage of the chalk ring, bruised and torn, one eyeball dangling across his bloody cheek, functioning arm raised in victory with the plastic microphone in his fist. He looks around, sees the stage empty and gives a gap-toothed grin. He didn’t intend to win the debate this way, but he’ll take it. Staggering to the edge of the stage he raises the microphone to his lips and clicks it on.)
CHILD’S RECORDED VOICE – “I love you. You love me. We’re one big happy fam-il-ee…”
FADE TO BLACK
Dorothy A. Winsor
LOL. Did you have fun writing that?
Anonymous At Work
@Tony Jay: Half-regular, half-decaf, or just full decaf, from now on. The DTs fade quicker than you’d think.
lowtechcyclist
Yeah, I’d think so. Maybe someone should tell Cornel West?
Baud
@Tony Jay:
Air traffic controller?
Ken
@lowtechcyclist: Nah, look at the graph. Trump did most of the leveling-out, by getting white employment down to levels not seen since the second world war.
Tony Jay
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I confess I did.
@Anonymous At Work:
That’s not bad advice.
@Baud:
Close. Nuclear safety technician. Red means okay, right?
different-church-lady
@Anonymous At Work: No no, let’s stick with the full-test and get him rigged up into a generator.
different-church-lady
@Tony Jay: Depends: which bit of cooling tower is red?
Tony Jay
@different-church-lady:
The bit that’s not on fire.
prostratedragon
@lowtechcyclist: It is a huge deal. I’m sure there will be analyses soon, but the size and the targetting of stimuli have to be major factors.
Ken
@Baud: Water quality assurance. Therese* Coffey has made the job a breeze, although it’s the kind of breeze that has you shutting your windows and grabbing a can of air freshener.
* I am aware her name has a couple of different kinds of accent marks over a couple of the vowels, but can’t be bothered to look it up. Also, don’t accents seem suspiciously un-British?
different-church-lady
@Tony Jay: light that bit on fire, see if it clears up the issue.
Caveatimperator
@Tony Jay:
I mean, Republican politics feels like professional wrestling these days. You just made it more explicit.
Dorothy A. Winsor
This was posted last night. The whole thread is interesting and shows Trump’s cracker-jack legal team in its typical crazy form:
Another Scott
The doomsters are in a panic because the economy hasn’t crashed by now. They’re finding their walking route with their sandwich boards to be not as fun as they used to be.
Take a look at this graph:
Good, good. More please.
(via nycsouthpaw)
Cheers,
Scott.
artem1s
Well, not Biden only, I’m sure the hard work on Black employees and a more informed and educated employers/companies has something to do with it (you might say they were woke or something). But that’s a BIG F**king Biden Deal. I predict a great wailing and gnashing of teeth in diners all over Ohio will commence at this news.
different-church-lady
@lowtechcyclist: You do not tell Cornell West things; Cornell West tells you things.
Miss Bianca
Oh, a Tony Jay posting, Ima gonna have to set down my coffee cup for this one…
but before we get started, I just want to say that that aioli chowder tweet is right on. Never thought about it that way before, but yeah…the US has more resources to burn through in sheer stupidity than most other countries can muster with the most careful husbandry, so kids…DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME ought to be the watchword for the world.
OK, on to TJ now.
Ken
@Caveatimperator: It could use a few more people being beaten over the head with metal folding chairs.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Dorothy A. Winsor: are we sure these guys actually attended law school?
Makes me think of Rudy’s comment, “we have lots of theories, just no evidence.”
different-church-lady
@Ken: What is this, baseball?
Tony Jay
@different-church-lady:
Well the alarms have stopped ringing, must be okay.
Hey, why’s the coffee in this pot bubbling when it’s not turned on?
Jeffro
WHERE ARE THE STORIES ABOUT THE LOW LOW LOW PRICE OF EGGS??
They’re practically giving them away! I know I paid less than $2 for 18 last week.
different-church-lady
@Tony Jay: Enthusiasm.
Ken
@Dorothy A. Winsor: But a surprise witness always works on Perry Mason!
stinger
Well… I’m speechless, Mr. Jay. I’ve been bored at work, from time to time, but….
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone 😊😊😊
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Ken:
Needs musical accompaniment
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@lowtechcyclist:
I suspect that is due to low immigration making workers so scarce they have no choice but to set their racism aside in order to get workers.
rikyrah
Representation Matters 🤗
Sesame Street does
Wash Day
All the little Black girls watching this 🥺🥺
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8eFGbK9/
lowtechcyclist
@Jeffro:
Stories like that would undermine The Narrative.
Bigredwookie
@Baud: I resemble that remark
Ken
@different-church-lady: No, it has nothing to do with a sports analogy, I just think all Republican debates could use a few more people being beaten over the head with metal folding chairs.
Jeffro
In addition to inflation rapidly decreasing, let’s also talk about this more and more, snooze media: here’s what Republicans consider a crime
Not crime: anything trump did, does, ever will do; any DOJ charges (unless they’re against Hunter Biden or Hillary Clinton); evading taxes or committing tax fraud, crimes committed in red states or under a GOP governor or that might reflect badly on Republicans as “tough on crime” in general; Hunter Biden’s plea deal; anything done by a trump family member or underling that is still in favor with trump; mishandling government documents when trump does it; sacking the U.S. Capitol and beating on police;
Crime: anything a Republican elected official imagines that Hunter Biden did; mishandling documents when Biden does it; abortion (the worst!); transgender care (ok, the WORST-worst!)
All in all, a pretty good snapshot of the Party of Double Standards.
eclare
@Tony Jay:
You dragged Rick Astley into this after his kick ass cover of AC/DC at Glastonbury? Boo!
BTW brilliant as always, Tony Jay
lowtechcyclist
@Ken:
Judging by their intelligence, are we sure this hasn’t already happened?
Betty Cracker
True, but eventually even the undisputed champeeeeeen of FAFO learns that a few trillion squandered assets here, a few sociopathic morons heading key branches of governments there, and pretty soon you’ve hollowed out your democracy, pissed away your shared prosperity and permanently beclowned yourself on the world stage. We’ve come perilously close; let’s hope we never get to that final stage of FO.
Jeffro
deleted – I guess I can’t post a copy of the EXCELLENT graphic that goes with the Republicans/crime piece. =(
Tony Jay
@eclare:
I didn’t, the logic of the narrative did.
What else they gonna play?
Scout211
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Thanks for posting that. What a wild thread of legal incompetence. They should just state to the judge (in every case), “My client is King so he can do anything!”
mrmoshpotato
@Caveatimperator:
@Ken:
@different-church-lady: STOP THE CHAIRS!
Click it. You won’t be disappointed.
Jeffro
also for the science-inclined among us: humans are actually affecting earth’s spin
(both by climate change AND draining massive amounts of groundwater)
(and also possibly by how much Dr. Ho’s pizza I had last night =)
mind-boggling to think about…
Ken
DINER PATRON: They’re taking our jobs!
WAITRESS (muttered under breath): You all don’t have jobs. You sit here for six hours a day nursing a cup of coffee and griping, then don’t leave a tip.
mrmoshpotato
@Jeffro:
😲 Makes me wanna go shopping for no reason – but that would require pants.
Omnes Omnibus
@mrmoshpotato: I was disappointed.
Jeffro
No surprise here: America is back to being far more globally popular and trusted under Biden than trump
(MAGA nation will ‘proudly wear this as a badge of honor’ like every other bit of data that shows trump sucks, but whatever)
eclare
@Another Scott:
Great graph! Thanks for the link.
p.a.
@lowtechcyclist:
Don’t you know? Republicans have a time machine too! Whatev good happens in a Dem admin is due to previous Repub actions, just as bad Repub results are due to… wait for it… FDR*!
*yeah, pace Obama, it’s ALWAYS the main class-traitor’s fault.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Omnes Omnibus: no accounting for taste.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Jeffro
Dems, here’s a golden opportunity for you to do the right thing and potentially drive some Rs further away from trump: point out that trump is trying his best to threaten Jack Smith’s family and friends with his rage-tweets.
Whether Dems step it up or not, I think there’s a fair chance trump slips up at one of his rallies or on one of his stupid videos and says something actionable enough to be charged with that, too.
eclare
@Jeffro:
I still can never hear or read “Clinton socks case” without thinking of their cat.
mrmoshpotato
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Did someone say musical accompaniment?
Roger Moore
@Ken:
Like the entire audience.
Scout211
Trump is back in court in a lawsuit for defamation of character. Stop laughing people. This is serious! His character was defamed!
CNN
Jeffro
@p.a.: If a story about lower inflation/nearly-free eggs ever DOES show up, I have no doubt it’ll be tied to the GOP taking the House last November, the debt ceiling deal, or some other completely unrelated yet pro-Republican excuse.
mrmoshpotato
@Jeffro: Great graphic (but imagine the madness if everyone could put images into comments).
zhena gogolia
That aioli chowder tweet is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mr. Bemused Senior: @Ken: @Scout211: I particularly liked that Trump’s lawyers violated a previous agreement with the DA to call that useless live witness.
Betty Cracker
@eclare: Same. The first time that sloshing bag of lipids and half-digested Filet-O-Fish sandwiches fake-tweeted “CLINTON SOCKS,” I dimly wondered what the Clintons’ late cat and/or current hosiery had done to him and had to Google for a translation. 🤔
zhena gogolia
@zhena gogolia: First, other countries don’t really look to us when they’re making decisions. Second, if we made as big a mistake as Ukraine, we would not be bouncing back from it either.
Omnes Omnibus
@Scout211: I heard about that last night, and my reaction was stunned disbelief. I mean, of course he would, but still. Come on, WTF?! A lawyer actually filed this? Was it the parking lot woman? I am more chaos-tolerant than most lawyers but there have to be some standards, and the guy who was just found liable for sexual assault can’t claim defamation because Carroll didn’t conclusively establish that he put his penis in. Jesus Fucking Christ!!! ::repeated headdesk::
Anonymous at Work
We need a repeat of the 2016 gem about the ranking the GOP candidates in a bar fight. Pretty sure Christie hasn’t lost any ability and Miami’s mayor might have actually been in a fight but the rest…dunno
rikyrah
More right-wing hate.
The Lawrence Times (@LawrenceKSTimes) tweeted at 6:24 PM on Mon, Jun 26, 2023:
Transgender Kansans who legally changed the gender on their drivers’ licenses or birth certificates will soon see them changed back by the state, Attorney General Kris Kobach said.
Via @ksnewsservice:
https://t.co/ygeDSwFAvl #ksleg https://t.co/8ahWLXdlBB
(https://twitter.com/LawrenceKSTimes/status/1673472384291012611?t=opv_hVqmbnk3Oke7VabegQ&s=03)
WereBear
@Tony Jay: Wonderfully cathartic!
rikyrah
Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) tweeted at 11:54 AM on Tue, Jun 27, 2023:
![]()
BREAKING: Pennsylvania Court REJECTS Republican effort to strike down Act 77, a 2019 law that established no-excuse mail-in voting. Another court win for @DSCC and @DCCC and humiliating defeat for the GOP. https://t.co/25fEzUywLX
(https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1673736687753494530?t=BaW3KqeHKO_9NDSQvQwEjQ&s=03)
eclare
@rikyrah:
I feel so bad for the people this affects. It’s going out of your way to hate, not just indifference.
kindness
Folks speak of Democratic messaging (and yes it could be a tad better), but the biggest issue we face continues to be how the MSM portrays modern America and Democrats effects on it. Much of middle America’s media still leads with Republican framing: Illegal immigrant hoards crossing the border (illegal (& legal) immigration is way down), crime is spiking in big cities (crime is massively less than what it was a generation ago), inflation is eating our paychecks (inflation is half what it was during Trump’s reign. I could go on but don’t want to beat this dead horse more. How do we change the MSM’s ways? Other than buying it outright like Musk did, we have to shove our faces in theirs and bring the stats when you do.
Matt McIrvin
I’ve been kind of fascinated by what’s happening with labor force participation/employment-population ratio in general–it’s completely contrary to “no one wants to work” whining and stories about the Great Resignation, which seem to have been greatly encouraged by temporary COVID pandemic disruptions.
Labor force participation was rising (with cyclic wiggles) until sometime in the late 1990s mostly from women entering the workforce, then it started dropping until about the middle of the Obama administration (again, with cyclic wiggles) and I recall a lot of handwringing about that.
But since then, it’s been rising again, except for this big one-time drop obviously caused by COVID–and once that cleared, it’s been rising at a ferociously increased rate. And, yes, racial inequality in the numbers is dropping while all that happens.
I don’t entirely understand this. It was true through Obama, Trump and Biden, though it slowed down a bit under Trump. Probably it’s driven by demographic trends somehow–the boomers were aging into retirement but then they started dying off, but not that many of them have died off yet, so that’s probably not the whole explanation. It seemed like young people were postponing entering the workforce for a long time; COVID wiped out a lot of entry-level service jobs but created a bunch of others. But the turnaround happened before COVID.
mrmoshpotato
@Omnes Omnibus: Color me unsurprised.
Roger Moore
@Omnes Omnibus:
At some point, the courts need to declare Trump a vexatious litigant and forbid him from filing suit without someone competent vetting it to make sure it has some semblance of reality.
Miss Bianca
@zhena gogolia: You don’t think that global trends like fascism are interconnected? I mean, it’s arguable that without Russian troll-farming, we wouldn’t have had a Trump election OR Brexit, so maybe it’s Russia that everyone is really looking to.
I think the poster’s point still stands – that the US has a lot more room to FAFO than other nations do.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare:
Their cat had an entire drawer.
Old School
@Tony Jay: Very entertaining!
But somewhere, Tim Scott is crying.
Omnes Omnibus
This struck me as funny.
mrmoshpotato
@Scout211: What character is there left to defame (Did Dump ever have any?) when it comes to the pussy-grabbing, fat, orange, fascist shitstain who’s been sucking Kremlin ass since at least 1987?
Omnes Omnibus
@Roger Moore: It was a counterclaim in the Carroll lawsuit. I don’t think you can ban even a vexatious litigant from filing a counterclaim. You, however, can dismiss it pretty quickly and award attorney’s fees.
Frank Wilhoit
“…unmatchable levels of fucking around even after the finding out.”
They who quote Adam Smith, to the effect that “there is a great deal of ruin in a nation”, should take note that we have already had most of ours.
He wrote in a nation shocked but toughened by centuries of revolution, civil war, and other irregular transitions of power — indeed, just then, without yet knowing it, entering upon a long period, only now ending, of greater stability than any they had previously known.
We read him as a nation of couch potatoes and spoilt children; the only thing that we remember about our own Civil War is that the side that “lost” actually won and we have spent the time since pretending otherwise. There is no way for us to “find out” anything, because what is unmatchable is our ability to shut out reality.
Ken
@Omnes Omnibus: Your link shows me “Bluesky will launch soon. Join the waitlist to try the beta before it’s publicly available.”
Which I suppose is kind of funny, but not what you’re talking about.
Omnes Omnibus
@Frank Wilhoit:
Well, aren’t you a little ray of darkness.
Matt McIrvin
@zhena gogolia: The closest comparable things in recent-ish US history would be the invasion of Iraq, and the Vietnam War. And I think it’s a bigger blunder even than either of those.
mrmoshpotato
@Roger Moore:
Which year of the 1980’s (70’s?) should that have been? :)
Roger Moore
@Matt McIrvin:
The labor participation rate stuff makes more sense if you look at a breakdown by age. If you look at prime age (25-54YO) rate, it looks to me as if there’s repeatedly been a small decline over the few years after a recession, followed by a bounce back if the recovery lasts long enough. That happened a little bit under Clinton, more under W, and again under Obama. Meanwhile, it looks as if the older worker (55+) rate took a big decline following the passage of Medicare, then crept back up starting under Clinton, then flattened out at a similar rate to what it was before Medicare under Obama.
What’s really interesting is that there’s been a big divergence after COVID. LPR dipped drastically during the shutdown, but it bounced back for prime age workers and didn’t for older workers. Prime age workers are now in the labor force at a slightly higher rate than they were before the shutdown. It’s getting into the same range it was in for most of the Clinton and W administrations. Meanwhile, the rate for older workers dropped about about 1.5% during the shutdown and has stayed there ever since. If I had to guess, a whole group of people took early retirement and have not been willing to rejoin the labor force.
catclub
@p.a.:
,
Jimmy Carter’s Community Reinvestment Act caused the housing bubble of 2008-9. The kerning proves it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ken: Interesting. It works for me. I might not be able to share the link with people who don’t have Bluesky. Testing with a link to a different post.
Matt McIrvin
@Roger Moore: Yeah, just speaking anecdotally, it seems to me a lot of boomers who had hung onto their jobs through the Great Recession and the subsequent recovery finally retired when COVID hit. I know some.
Tony Jay
@WereBear:
There’s zero funny in our politics these days, so poking fun at yours is all that I’ve got. 8-)
@Old School:
He’d better be careful. Cousin Rick will drink those tears and call them an amuse bouche.
Ken
@Omnes Omnibus: Same thing, must be bluesky.
Redshift
@eclare:
It’s the same for everyone!
Baud
@eclare:
I’ll join the chorus. I also thought of the cat.
RIP Socks.
Jim Appleton
@Omnes Omnibus: Plus the counterclaim draws attention to a comment few would otherwise recall.
Sanjeevs
@Scout211:
https://www.rawstory.com/ivanka-trump-2661978066/
Defamation case will go well
mrmoshpotato
@Omnes Omnibus: Cheer up bucco! At least the Brewers didn’t lose to the A’s yesterday. Haha, fuck the fucking Yankees!
Omnes Omnibus
@Ken:
Good to know. The first one was a picture of a very straight banana with the caption, “This is the straightest banana I think I’ve ever seen, it’s almost like it’s wearing New Balance sneakers.”
Matt McIrvin
@Roger Moore: This article is good– it was written several years ago but you can adjust the graph to see the present:
https://fredblog.stlouisfed.org/2015/08/the-composition-effect-in-the-labor-force-participation-rate/?utm_source=series_page&utm_medium=related_content&utm_term=related_resources&utm_campaign=fredblog
Looks like the decline from circa 2000 on was mostly young people extending their schooling and delaying entering the workforce. And now that’s reversed. That might not be entirely a good thing, might be because school is unaffordable or needs additional funding.
Meanwhile, old people were actually hanging onto their jobs longer and longer through the same period and are just now starting to retire out–their behavior is counter to the general trend.
NotMax
Delving deep into the weeds, but oh, what weeds they be (ignoring the sponsorship blurb in the final minute).
Betty Cracker
@Tony Jay: LOL! Your insights into Repub political culture are frighteningly astute. I think this was my favorite bit:
rikyrah
@Tony Jay:
Clap clap clap
Bravo
BWA HA HA HA HA AH AHAH HA HA HA
catclub
@Matt McIrvin:
The usual reason for staying in school, continuing education, is when you cannot find a job. So I view it the other way.
pat
@Tony Jay:
Thanks, Tony Jay. That cheered me right up.
Tony Jay
@Betty Cracker:
I thought you might. 8-)
I’ve got to admit to a bit of fondness for the reeking nightmare that is Rick Scott, and Joisey is always fun to write, as is The Prisonbound Pustule.
Pretty sure that’s the closest any of Those Three Guys are going to get to a podium finish, though.
Tony Jay
@rikyrah:
👍👍👍👍
@pat:
You’re very welcome!
lowtechcyclist
@Jeffro:
Obama got a Nobel peace prize for not being Dubya. Biden should deserve one even more for not being Trump. Where’s his Nobel?
lowtechcyclist
@Jeffro:
Unfortunately, just yesterday the Bogus Scotus raised the bar on doing that:
StringOnAStick
Tony Jay, you never fail to bring a wizened, knowing smile to my face. Maybe not actually living in the US makes you a better observer of our crazed politics.
Tony Jay
@StringOnAStick:
You also have a better cast list of grotesques.
Ruckus
@Betty Cracker:
THIS.
Actual governing is an ongoing sport that has to be played well at least most of the time if it is to succeed. And as should be obvious, actual governing is a requirement in any human endeavor to have more than two humans within several hundred miles of each other.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
You know how we have this image of Baud posting without pants (perpetuated by Baud)?
Well, for some strange reason, I have this picture of Tony Jay donning full white-tie, complete with top hat, waistcoat, and pocket watch, to prepare to comment on this blog.
different-church-lady
@Jeffro: “Eggs are cheap, for now”
Ruckus
@Tony Jay:
You also have a better cast list of grotesques.
A bigger list I’ll give you, but better?
A different list, sure, but better?
I believe a cast list of grotesques is an impossible thing to be better as long as it actually exists. And we all have lists……
different-church-lady
@mrmoshpotato: I know. it would turn into LGM!
Tony Jay
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
But no pants?
I’ll allow it.
Tony Jay
@Ruckus:
“Better grotesques” are like “amazing lies“ or “Greater Deutchlandes”, it’s decidedly not a compliment.
Uncle Cosmo
$0.99 for a dozen Grade A Large at the local Lidl yesterday. Those SOBs may be the most blatant “Buyer Beware, Better Read The Fine Print To See How We’re Trying To Screw You Over” operation this side of the $1.25Tree, but what the hey, I had a cheese fritatta for lunch today to celebrate.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Sanjeevs: That makes me almost feel sorry for Ivanka. Almost.
Sandia Blanca
Tony Jay, thank you! Best laughs we’ve had all day at Casita Blanca.
Tony Jay
@Sandia Blanca: 👍
Gravenstone
Google will translate authentic frontier gibberish now? Will wonders never cease?!