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You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Rock Bottom (Open Thread)

Rock Bottom (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  July 6, 20233:49 pm| 198 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

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I love this so much...

The Ron DeSantis 2024 campaign is flailing so badly that Mike Huckabee — MIKE HUCKABEE! — has proposed an intervention! Via Florida Politics:

“I’m not sure who’s running his campaign and what their strategy is, but I would say that he probably needs to make some course corrections because at this point, he’s so far behind Donald Trump and some of the other candidates are beginning to approach his numbers,” Huckabee said. “He’s no longer that clear alternative to Donald Trump. He’s one of several alternatives to Donald Trump to those who want one. And that’s going to be a real challenge for him.”

“It’s not that he has to face Donald Trump and fear something coming at his face,” Huckabee added. “He’s got to fear there’s another 15 people who are going to be coming at him from his back.”

Huckabee specifically criticized the bizarre incel-themed ad Team DeSantis rolled out the other day that captured all kinds of national attention — in a bad way:

While Huckabee rejected the idea that the ad showed DeSantis was “homophobic,” Huckabee said the ad “probably wasn’t the best idea for an ad, in part because you win elections when you add people to your voting rolls, you don’t win elections when you keep subtracting them.”

“But the fact is there are many people in that community who are conservative and vote Republican. You want those voters and just in the same way that Donald Trump was very clear in saying he would protect Christian voters, pro-life voters, I think what he’s saying is that he wants to protect the rights of every American citizen … to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else,” Huckabee continued.

“That really is kind of the heart of what America is about.”

I’m sick of writing about Ron DeSantis. I’m sure everyone is sick of reading about Ron DeSantis. Soon I hope his shitty campaign implodes and that its foul, tattered remnants sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, bothering nobody outside of Florida ever again. But in the meantime, DeSantis is stepping on so many rakes that Mike Huckabee — MIKE HUCKABEE! — is begging him to get his shit together.

Open thread.

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Reader Interactions

198Comments

  1. 1.

    SpaceUnit

    July 6, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    No intervention.

     

    Keep fucking that pig, DeSantis.

  2. 2.

    Yutsano

    July 6, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    If there ever was a rooting for injuries scenario it’s this one. Sorry Mike, but your problem isn’t his campaign. It’s him. He just has no idea how to win outside of Florida and even then his first time was almost a loss. Republicans aren’t sold on him as the next Great White Hype.​

    EDIT: I’M NUMBER 2!

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 6, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    I’m sure everyone is sick of reading about Ron DeSantis.

    You got that right.

    Although, as long as he keeps making an utter ass of himself breathing and you keep posting about him, I’ll continue to read.

  4. 4.

    Suzanne

    July 6, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    I’m sure everyone is sick of reading about Ron DeSantis.

    Oh, fo’ sho’.

    I do think he’s sinking any hope of a future political career, though, and, well….. please proceed, Governor.

  5. 5.

    hells littlest angel

    July 6, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    ” I think what he’s saying is that he wants to protect the rights of every American citizen … to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else,” Huckabee continued.

     

    Or maybe the exact opposite of that. Opinions differ.

  6. 6.

    Brachiator

    July 6, 2023 at 3:58 pm

    It is strange that DeSantis is the Trump alternative. It’s like choosing between Atilla the Hun and Genghis Khan.

    Breaking news:

    The company that owned a submersible that fatally imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic said Thursday it has suspended operations.

    No surprise here.

  7. 7.

    Yutsano

    July 6, 2023 at 3:58 pm

    @hells littlest angel: ​Is this like a difference of definitions or something?

  8. 8.

    Wapiti

    July 6, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    DeSantis makes the Republican pathologies look nasty and evil. Of course Huckabee doesn’t like that.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    I think what he’s saying is that he wants to protect the rights of every American citizen … to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else,” Huckabee continued.

    “That really is kind of the heart of what America is about.”

    Yes, that describes DeSantis and the GOP to a tee.
    🙄

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    in the same way that Donald Trump was very clear in saying he would protect Christian voters, pro-life voters

    Is that what Trump was doing when he thanked God for “Making my smokin’ hot daughter”?

  11. 11.

    lowtechcyclist

    July 6, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @Brachiator: ​
     

    The company that owned a submersible that fatally imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic said Thursday it has suspended operations.

    Even if they had a spare submersible ready to go, somehow I doubt that people would be lining up around the block to sign up for the next available Titanic tour.

  12. 12.

    Cheez Whiz

    July 6, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    The DeSantis campaign will only implode after he loses enough primaries (where they still hold them) that his billionaires stop writing checks. Then he licks his wounds and does a Richard Nixon for 4 years and is the 2028 front runner starting out.

  13. 13.

    Spirula

    July 6, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    “saying he would protect Christian voters, pro-life voters, I think what he’s saying is that he wants to protect the rights of every American citizen”

    This is true only if part B of this statement includes only those people that fall into part A.

  14. 14.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    And Mike Huckabee can tell you a thing or two about failed Presidential campaigns.

  15. 15.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 4:12 pm

    @Brachiator: Suspending operations is step one. Step two is spinning off the operations into their own company, completely without assets but also completely responsible for any past operational mishaps. This frees the remainder of the company to continue innovating without the specter of a huge lawsuit.

  16. 16.

    MattF

    July 6, 2023 at 4:12 pm

    I think it’s very good news that DeSantis is doing so badly. His ‘No enemies to my right’ strategy is failing very badly— did everyone expect that to happen? Now, his complete lack of political skill plays a role in that failure, for sure, but I’ll take good news where I find it.

  17. 17.

    rikyrah

    July 6, 2023 at 4:13 pm

    I’m sick of writing about Ron DeSantis. I’m sure everyone is sick of reading about Ron DeSantis. Soon I hope his shitty campaign implodes and that its foul, tattered remnants sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, bothering nobody outside of Florida ever again.

     

    You might be sick of writing about him. But, I think it’s important that this muthaphucka not be allowed to fly under the radar. Everything he does, put it out there. Make it plain. So, none of that move to the middle bullshyt that the MSM would try and gaslight us with. I want his far-right hate stances made plain and clear.

  18. 18.

    Chris

    July 6, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @Baud:

    2008 was the first presidential campaign I really followed from the start to finish, and Huckabee was by far the candidate I loathed the most in that one, even if he never made it to the top of his primary.  This quote is a nice reminder of why that was.

  19. 19.

    oatler

    July 6, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    Huckabee’s tripping on his own Relaxium®.

  20. 20.

    JWR

    July 6, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    Sick of reading and writing about DeSantis? How’s about some MTG? From The Guardian’s live feed summary of today’s events:

    Here’s what else happened today:

    • Newly unsealed portions of the affidavit used to justify federal agents’ search of Mar-a-Lago last year revealed some fresh details of the investigation.
    • A top Senate Democrat vowed to move forward with legislation to impose a code of ethics on the supreme court after a term marked by controversies.
    • Marjorie Taylor Greene had a rough day, with Joe Biden zinging her in a speech and a group of fellow rightwing Republicans booting her out of their caucus.

    Biden’s zinger had to do with this happening in MTG’s district. (Gotta love it!):

    Speaking in South Carolina about his efforts to boost domestic manufacturing, he said he would attend the groundbreaking of a factory in the rightwing lawmaker’s district:

  21. 21.

    Origuy

    July 6, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    Warning:  If you delete your Threads account, you delete your Instagram account along with it.

  22. 22.

    Raoul Paste

    July 6, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    @Cheez Whiz:   DeSantis may not be the automatic front runner for 2028.  Let’s see what climate change does to Florida. In the meantime..

    And let’s see if his ambitious wife stays with him.  These people are something else.
    ‎

  23. 23.

    MattF

    July 6, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    @JWR: Also notable that MTG is likely to be expelled from the ‘Freedom’ caucus in the near future.

  24. 24.

    Torrey

    July 6, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    @Yutsano: ​
     

    I think what he’s saying is that he wants to protect the rights of every American citizen … to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else,” Huckabee continued.

    @hells littlest angel: ​Is this like a difference of definitions or something?

    Yes. Their definition of “American citizen” is a lot narrower than yours or mine. As their definition of who counts as “someone” who has “rights.”

  25. 25.

    Joy in FL

    July 6, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    I can’t believe Mike Huckabee let those words out of his mouth. ” ‘… to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else,’ Huckabee continued.”

    Those words are the opposite of everything the GOP publicly, explicitly, zealously are trying to do to anyone who lives in this country. Huckabee does not want me to live like I want, even if it hurts no one else (and even might be beneficial). He wants conformity and an all-powerful, single-focused theocracy. He is just f-ing lying.

    I might be a little angry about it.

  26. 26.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    @Ken:

    The sub was run out of Oceangate in Bermuda,

    The Sub builder/owner is Oceangate in Washington State,

    legally, two different companies as far as lawsuits go, ( depending on the contracts).

    Oceangate Everett pretty much has to shut down their operations because their “go fast and break stuff” model imploded, as the entire submariner community said it would long before it even got wet.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    July 6, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    @Suzanne: ​
     
    My feelings exactly.

  28. 28.

    Gravenstone

    July 6, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Huckabee is just testing out his advisory chops ahead of his stint in support of daughter’s forthcoming (failed) run in 2028.

  29. 29.

    Geminid

    July 6, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    Republican “thought leaders” sure were building DeSantis up over the winter months. They’ve been very quiet since DeSantis’s bumbling book tour this Spring.

    They really hoped they had a guy who could beat Trump. But DeSantis isn’t the one, and there does not seem to be anyone else either. Meanwhile, the big turnout Saturday at Trump’s Pickens, SC rally indicates that the Trump cult is still going strong.

    So what are Republican leaders to do? Normally, they would try to mitigate down-ballot losses by helping House and Senate candidates distance themselves from a nominee who is unpopular within the general electorate. Trump and his supporters will likely demand public expressions of loyalty though, putting purple district and state candidates between a rock and a hard place.

    This is starting to look more and more like a slow-moving but inevitable train wreck.

  30. 30.

    Almost Retired

    July 6, 2023 at 4:27 pm

    I predict there will be graduate level political science classes about the DeSantis Presidential campaign by 2030.  Students will sit gape-mouthed in awe at the venality and stupidity.

    What are his daily affirmations as he looks in the mirror each morning (if he can stand to)?  “I will alienate another voting bloc today” or “I will strive to engage in at least twenty awkward encounters with voters by sundown.”

    Next cycle, he’ll be campaigning for votes on “Dancing with the Stars,” at best.

  31. 31.

    geg6

    July 6, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    OT:

    Okay, considering the average age of the jackaltariat, this is going to sound stupid.  But I was today years old when I found out I have no choice but to sign up for Medicare in a few months or pay a fine later after I retire.  I’m still employed with excellent health insurance.  I don’t understand why I can’t wait until I retire.  This seems wasteful to me.  Is there some rationale to this that I cannot see?

  32. 32.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    @JWR:

    Haha. Freedom Caucus kicked out MTG. Sad!

  33. 33.

    Shalimar

    July 6, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    Are the Huckabees still Florida residents?  I knew them years ago when I worked for a charity because they were a big deal in this county, unfortunately.  I remember them selling their mcmansion since then, but not sure where they moved to.

  34. 34.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    @geg6:

    I’m pretty sure you can wait till you retire without penalty, but you should confirm.

  35. 35.

    SpaceUnit

    July 6, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    I watched the ad in question and it was bonkers beyond words.  I probably shouldn’t be laughing because it seemed intentionally designed to inspire school shootings.  It was some serious Clockwork Orange crazy horse shit incel-bait.

  36. 36.

    bbleh

    July 6, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    I’m sure everyone is sick of reading about Ron DeSantis.

    Depends on what’s being said about him.  And I’m willing to put up with it a little while longer, just to rub it in with every booster, tongue-bather, horse-race tout, and journalistic brand-builder who saw him as a ticket to fame and fortune.  “Boy that’s something, huh?  Remember when you were writing about him as the Great White Hope? Yeah, I have a whole sheaf of clippings …”

  37. 37.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @Baud: When you’re too wacky for the Freedom Caucus….

    Anything in particular, or the entire dreamy package?

  38. 38.

    rikyrah

    July 6, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @Geminid:

    Republican “thought leaders” sure were building DeSantis up over the winter months. They’ve been very quiet since DeSantis’s bumbling book tour this Spring.

     

    There is no difference, policy-wise, between him and Dolt45.

    Just completely full of hatred.

    They long for the Frank Luntz-approved dogwhistles of deniability.

  39. 39.

    Alison Rose

    July 6, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    While Huckabee rejected the idea that the ad showed DeSantis was “homophobic,”

    Of course he did. Homophobes never think anything is homophobic.

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    July 6, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    @bbleh:

    And I’m willing to put up with it a little while longer, just to rub it in with every booster, tongue-bather, horse-race tout, and journalistic brand-builder who saw him as a ticket to fame and fortune.  “Boy that’s something, huh?  Remember when you were writing about him as the Great White Hope? Yeah, I have a whole sheaf of clippings …”

    The gaslighting of the MSM, as every hateful piece of legislation that has come down the pike, and why it isn’t that bad, and how he’s the future of the GOP.

  41. 41.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    @geg6:

    https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-can-i-sign-up-for-medicare

    If you are still working, covered by Employer health insurance through either yourself or your wife, and sign up once your employer paid coverage ends, there is no penalty.

  42. 42.

    MattF

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @trollhattan: I think it’s the other way around. Freedom caucus thinks MTG is a RINO.

  43. 43.

    JWR

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @MattF: According to The Guardian, she’s already been thoroughly stomped on and kicked to the curb by the HFC.

    Couldn’t have happened to a sweeter gal. ;)

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    Brennan Center goes there: 18-year SCOTUS term limits.

    How to Fix the Supreme Court

    The growing number of ethics scandals involving the justices highlight the need to reform the Supreme Court. Not only do the justices require a binding code of ethics, but their close ties with wealthy special interests underscore their elite and unaccountable position — a status quo that harms our democracy. Ending lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court is a solution that enjoys broad, bipartisan support. A new Brennan Center report proposes establishing 18-year terms of active service and regularized appointments, which would help make the Court more reflective of the public it serves while preserving judicial independence.

    https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/supreme-court-term-limits

  45. 45.

    Dangerman

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @Raoul Paste: And let’s see if his ambitious wife stays with him.

    If Melania comes to her senses, Casey can make a run at being Trump’s 4th wife.

  46. 46.

    Eunicecycle

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @geg6: you do not have to if you have insurance, but this is only Part A and won’t cost you anything. It’s a pretty simple process and does make it slightly simpler when you do go to sign up. You won’t be required to sign up for Part B, which is where the cost comes in.

  47. 47.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @Jay: That’s right, I forgot that the owner/CEO had set up his shell company structure in advance. That was to avoid jurisdictions that would forbid his innovative approach to submersible engineering, but it may also prove useful for the upcoming lawsuits.

  48. 48.

    kindness

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    Actually I enjoy reading about DeSantis’s flailing about helplessly.  I also like reading about his wife mini-me-Jackie O becoming unglued.  I don’t think it’s evil in me.  It is a kind of karmic balance for all the hate and hurt the two of them have foisted on others.

  49. 49.

    geg6

    July 6, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @Baud:

    That’s not what it says on the site.   But perhaps I need to do more research.  A friend told me this today and I looked it up on the Medicare site and it sure looked that it was true.

  50. 50.

    Alison Rose

    July 6, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    @Dangerman:

    If Melania comes to her senses

    Objection: Assumes facts not in evidence.

    She’s just as much of a human trashpile as he is.

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    @MattF: Heh. That would put the Overton Window roughly aboard Curiosity Rover.

  52. 52.

    Citizen Alan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    @Baud: Makes perfect sense to me. I mean, Republicans don’t consider anyone outside the far left to be an american citizen. And they also think that LGBTs and minorities infringe on the rights of conservative Christians simply by existing in public.

  53. 53.

    JWR

    July 6, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    @Baud: Yeah, too bad. This is my happy sad face. ;)

  54. 54.

    Chris

    July 6, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    @MattF:

    The problem with DeSantis is that he’s trying to peddle something other than Trump at a time when the GOP base very much wants nothing but Trump, and is in fact feeling robbed that they didn’t at least get the full eight years out of him.  There’s a lot wrong with DeSantis, but honestly the biggest problem he has is one that literally anybody trying to run in the Republican primary in which Trump is expected to run will have.

  55. 55.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    @Alison Rose: One pillow, five minutes, come on Melanie, DO IT. You saw how easy it was for Ivana to forget how stairs work. “Blunt force oopsie.”

  56. 56.

    different-church-lady

    July 6, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    Shorter Huckabee: “Doing Fascism like that is going to give the whole game away.”

  57. 57.

    Betty Cracker

    July 6, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @Geminid: The FL GOP is requiring all presidential candidates to sign a “loyalty pledge” to support the eventual nominee and not run as a third-party candidate as a condition for inclusion on the ballot in the state. I wonder what kind of enforcement mechanism they have, if any? Trump will probably just lie.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @trollhattan: A few weeks ago the Freedom Caucus* was mad at Greene for not supporting their “file an impeachment every day until one gets through” plan for governance. It might have been over that.

    * Surely that name deserves a place next to “German Democratic Republic”.

  59. 59.

    rikyrah

    July 6, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @kindness:

    Actually I enjoy reading about DeSantis’s flailing about helplessly.  I also like reading about his wife mini-me-Jackie O becoming unglued.  I don’t think it’s evil in me.  It is a kind of karmic balance for all the hate and hurt the two of them have foisted on others.

    Thank you, especially for including his heinous spouse, who is up to her eyeballs in the hate that he peddles.

  60. 60.

    AliceBlue

    July 6, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @geg6: If your health insurance is equal or better than Medicare, you can postpone signing up for Part B without paying a penalty.  BUT…when I became eligible for Medicare, I was covered by my husband’s excellent health insurance so I didn’t sign up.  A few months later the company he works for changed his status from “Employee” to “Independent Contractor” meaning that he lost his health insurance and I had to sign up for Part B.  I had to prove that the health insurance I lost was equal to or better than Medicare in order to avoid paying a large penalty.  I was successful but I had to jump through a lot of hoops and it took months.

  61. 61.

    different-church-lady

    July 6, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @JWR: ​
     

    How’s about some MTG?

    Remember yesterday when Cole said he was sick of crazy people?

  62. 62.

    Citizen Alan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @trollhattan: Sadly, no. She was kicked out for not being bonkers enough for that freak parade.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    July 6, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @Ken:

    This frees the remainder of the company to continue innovating without the specter of a huge lawsuit.

    Past innovation seems to have been based on fantasy. There may not be much of a future.

  64. 64.

    eclare

    July 6, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @geg6:

    I don’t know, but pick plans carefully.  A guy in my neighborhood signed up for the wrong plan and then had to go back to work at 70 to get the health insurance that he needed.  Luckily he’s healthy.

    When I am closer to turning 65 I plan to meet with an attorney or consultant to get advice.

  65. 65.

    MattF

    July 6, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @Chris: Well, I’d like to claim that DeSantis’ undoing was at least partly political, rather than just the fact of not being Trump.

  66. 66.

    West of the Rockies

    July 6, 2023 at 4:42 pm

    @SpaceUnit:

    That’s no way to refer to Casey.

  67. 67.

    steve g

    July 6, 2023 at 4:42 pm

    @geg6:

    It is standard procedure and no big deal. I am still employed at 69 and still have the company health insurance. I registered for Medicare when I turned 65, Part A only, which is what is required. It made no difference in my health insurance – they expected me to do it, and asked for my Medicare number. I think they get some financial benefit from it. You can still put off doing Part B and D, or Part C, until you are retired.

  68. 68.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    @trollhattan: I can see some Constitutional objections since justices are to hold their offices during good behavior. On the other hand, “good behavior” is not defined anywhere, so why can’t Congress define it as “having spent no more than 18 years on the court”?

    They might want to add a few other conditions, like not taking free plane rides even if the seat on the billionaire’s private jet is empty.

  69. 69.

    Chris

    July 6, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    @MattF:

    He started off with an almost insurmountable handicap.  Doesn’t mean he didn’t proceed to make it much worse through his own… DeSantisness.

  70. 70.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    July 6, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    bothering nobody outside of Florida ever again.

    I won’t be satisfied till his political career reaches a point where he’s not bothering anybody inside Florida ever again. Not just for your sake, Betty, but for the entire nation’s.

    Maybe he can find a political home in an HOA or something.

  71. 71.

    japa21

    July 6, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    @geg6: You don’t have to.  At age 65 you will automatically be enrolled in Part A, hospital coverage.  You can delay Part B enrollment until you retire, but Medicare will want to see proof of your coverage from age 65 to then.

    ETA: Or as others have already explained.

  72. 72.

    Almost Retired

    July 6, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    @trollhattan:  Yeah, Ivana should have invested in an Acorn Stair Lift (and perhaps Acme Window Sealant) once The Donald started feeling cornered.

  73. 73.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    July 6, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    @Geminid: Fingers crossed

  74. 74.

    raven

    July 6, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    @geg6: The rationale is just sign up.

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    Good trouble.

    Climate activist Greta Thunberg will appear in court in July charged with “disobeying the police” during a protest, Swedish prosecutors have said.

    Ms Thunberg, 20, joined a group of young protesters blockading oil tankers at a port in Malmö in June. Police said she refused to leave when asked to. She could face a six-month prison sentence or a fine.

    A representative told BBC News that Ms Thunberg was not available for comment.

    The group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden or Reclaim the Future blockaded the Malmö port for six days in June. Some protestors climbed on top of oil tankers, the group said. “The climate crisis is already a matter of life and death for countless people,” Ms Thunberg wrote on Instagram in June when she joined the protest.

    “We choose to not be bystanders, and instead physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure,” she added.

    “The prosecutor has filed charges against a young woman who on June 19 this year participated in a climate demonstration which, according to the prosecution, caused disruption to traffic in Malmö,” the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.

    “The woman has refused to obey the police command to leave the scene,” it added.

  76. 76.

    Jackie

    July 6, 2023 at 4:52 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m happy to read about his almost daily implosions helping him sink further from contention. Wait until Pence elbows him out of the way!🤭

  77. 77.

    Cacti

    July 6, 2023 at 4:53 pm

    People thought DeSatan would be “Trump without the baggage”.

    He ended up being Trump without the charisma.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    @Almost Retired: The inside information that went to the sporty grave with her must have been considerable. And when one reaches an age when the filter begin dropping away….

  79. 79.

    CaseyL

    July 6, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    @geg6: I was surprised, too, as I had been told by numerous people in HR that, no, I didn’t have to sign up for Medicare if I were still working and covered by employer-provided insurance.

    They were wrong.  I checked with Social Security, and they said sign up for Medicare A once you reach full retirement age, or else your premiums (for Part B) will be higher when you sign up later.

    There’s no reason not to sign up*: the insurance you have through your employer is still considered your primary insurance. And Medicare A, IIRC, is the one that’s free.

    *One caveat: Signing up for Medicare might impact your HSA, if you have one.  I’ve heard that,  but I don’t know anything more about it as I don’t have an HSA.

  80. 80.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    @Brachiator:

    there isn’t. Their major “innovation” was to make the hull out of composite fibres. Everything else was off the shelf from the industry, commercial marine or software interfaces.

    Nobody makes composite hulls for deep dive pressure vehicles, because it fails.

    So basically, unless they want to take tourists out to a shallow reef off Bermuda, they have no product, and there are lot’s of companies doing it, in better vehicles.

    30 years ago you take one to tour the water features at West Edmonton Mall.

  81. 81.

    japa21

    July 6, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    @geg6: ​
      Sign up for Part A, do not sign up for Part B.

  82. 82.

    sab

    July 6, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    @Geminid: I hope you are right.

  83. 83.

    Ruckus

    July 6, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Trump will probably just lie.

    That probably is doing a hell of a lot of work….. And is totally unnecessary.

  84. 84.

    JWR

    July 6, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    I wonder what kind of enforcement mechanism they have, if any? Trump will probably just lie.

    I was reading about that last night, and I think the only enforcement mechanism is right here. (From Politico):

    All GOP candidates will have to pledge their loyalty to the eventual Republican nominee to make the March 19 primary, a contest that could tip the balance of the crowded race since Florida’s contest is a winner-take-all primary.

    So yeah, TFG will just lie about it, followed by similar from the rest of the field. As someone said, before TFG, they didn’t need a pledge.

  85. 85.

    jackmac

    July 6, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    Too bad this is happening so early to DeSantis. I’d have liked to see this self-destruction early next year when more people are paying attention.

    Then again, that DOES leaves the spotlight for another GQP candidate or candidates to step on rakes.

  86. 86.

    Taken4Granite

    July 6, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    @Ken:

    * Surely that name deserves a place next to “German Democratic Republic”.

    I’d put it closer to “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”, myself.

  87. 87.

    hedgehog mobile

    July 6, 2023 at 5:02 pm

    @rikyrah: Seconded!

    Also, I’m in favor of more rake stepping.

  88. 88.

    Chris

    July 6, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    @Cacti:

    People who want “Trump without the baggage” refuse to understand that “the baggage” is Trump’s appeal.  He’s a white Republican man who can do almost literally anything he wants, however much it breaks the law, however much it violates morality, however much it pisses people off, and still walk away with no consequences, because he’s a white Republican man.  He’s living the dream that so many racists and sexists want to.  He’s showing them the life that they desperately think they all deserve, and we’re keeping from them.

    The Republican Party serving up “Trump without the baggage” would be like McDonalds deciding that from now on all their food is going to be health food.  Sure, some people will still go for it, but it’s very much not what the average McDonalds customer is there for.

  89. 89.

    raven

    July 6, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    This guy lays it out.
    Medicare School Introduction: The Method To The Madness

  90. 90.

    Amir Khalid

    July 6, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    The most obvious reason Ron DeSantis is underperforming in the presidential race is that he’s a piss-poor person and politician. I don’t know how he got away with it when he ran for Governor, but I sense a bone-deep phoniness about the man. It comes across in his inability to smile and laugh like an actual person; in his obsession with waging the war on wokeness, even though a majority of Americans believe wokeness is a good thing; and in his pettiness toward those who disagree with him, be they children wearing masks or Disney. All the intervention in the world isn’t going to make him a better candidate.

  91. 91.

    topclimber

    July 6, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @Raoul Paste: Well, she might stay with him and run to replace him as governor in 2026, since he is term limited. She may be a bigger hater than even he is, which is the top GQP requirement for the job.

    Casey gets a consolation prize (governor vs. First Lady) and Ron gets to run for Pres again in 2028.

    Of course, GQP legislature only needs 60 percent approval to change the constitution, and they have more like 70% now. (Gerrymandering–the grift that keeps on giving).

    If they do, maybe she leaves him then. Depends on how he is polling I suppose.

  92. 92.

    Jackie

    July 6, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @JWR: Hmmm… how’s Marge going to handle this? Appear, insinuating she supported it, thus having to share the limelight with Biden? (who will be gracious if she attends.)

    Or not show up, allowing Biden to remind her constituents she VOTED AGAINST it?

    Sucks to be Marge!

    Oh, and getting kicked off the Freedum Caucus for being Kevin’s ass kisser! 🤣

  93. 93.

    Brachiator

    July 6, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    @JWR:

    All GOP candidates will have to pledge their loyalty to the eventual Republican nominee to make the March 19 primary, a contest that could tip the balance of the crowded race since Florida’s contest is a winner-take-all primary.

    I bet that the Republicans would not sign a pledge not to contest the 2024 election if a Democrat wins.

    And yeah, Trump will just lie.

  94. 94.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    @Geminid:

    Maybe the GOP will get Youngkin to reconsider!

  95. 95.

    Scout211

    July 6, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    @geg6:I’m still employed with excellent health insurance.

    Be sure to check with your HR department.  My husband worked until age 71 and he was required by his university to sign up for medicare at 65 and the university health plan became the supplement.  I think it saved them money since they were self-insured.  Not all employers require this, but many do.  I was still covered under the health plan as my primary insurance.

  96. 96.

    lowtechcyclist

    July 6, 2023 at 5:10 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    That’s no way to refer to Casey.

    I like to think of her as Dollar-Store Lady Macbeth.

  97. 97.

    VOR

    July 6, 2023 at 5:11 pm

    Hey, I was completely sick of Trump in 2015 and yet he’s still on my media. I pray that DeSantis has worn out his welcome but I’m not optimistic.

  98. 98.

    Alison Rose

    July 6, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    @Cacti: Trump with the same baggage at first glance, then you look closer and realize it’s knock-off Louis Vuitton that Casey bought out of the back of a Moms4Liberty bitch’s Chevy Tahoe in the elementary school parking lot.

  99. 99.

    Suzanne

    July 6, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Maybe he can find a political home in an HOA or something.

    Oh fuck no. I used to live in this condo complex where the head of the HOA was this crazy old white guy who would prowl around at night with a giant Maglite, because he was just itching to beat someone with it.

    This was back in the days of satellite dishes. That fucker had a ground floor condo, and he mounted his dish on the upstairs neighbor’s windowsill, blocking his view. He said the FCC allowed him to do it. We all told him he was a dick.

  100. 100.

    Chris

    July 6, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I don’t know how he got away with it when he ran for Governor

    The uncharitable thought is that it says really bad things about the Florida electorate that this is what they picked.

    But honestly, I think state elections are just a lot more forgiving in general.  Not as many people pay attention to them and it’s not as in-depth when they do.

  101. 101.

    Frank Wilhoit

    July 6, 2023 at 5:14 pm

    Huckabee is stupid and dishonest, and what he is quoted here as having said is stupid and dishonest.

    Subtracting voters is exactly the game!  We are fond of disparaging the generation of campaign consultants who took over the Democratic Party and brought us Bill Clinton; but it appears that the Republicans may now have their own generation of consultants whose watchword is purity.  The idea is that, for every voter you subtract, at least two others, who have not voted since the Great Betrayal because nothing sufficiently pure and extreme was on offer, will come off the fence and resume voting.  This is absurd on its face, but when did that ever stop a campaign consultant — or their employers?

  102. 102.

    Jackie

    July 6, 2023 at 5:14 pm

    @trollhattan: Not for being too wacky; MTG was too close to the Squeaker – the Freedum caucus’ enemy after back stabbing them by passing the “Biden”Debt deal.

  103. 103.

    Scout211

    July 6, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is set to mark her first solo appearance of the campaign cycle in Iowa Thursday for the launch of the grassroots group “Mamas for DeSantis” on behalf of her husband Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

    ::barfing emoji::

  104. 104.

    eclare

    July 6, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Very insightful.  How is your new kitty doing?

  105. 105.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    Reddit comment on MTG getting kicked out of the freedom caucus

    Why would hunter Bidens laptop do this

  106. 106.

    artem1s

    July 6, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    @Jay: you still have to register for Part A. Not registering within a specific time period is what causes the penalty later when you do retire and sign up for Part B. You can stay on your employers plan as long as you want and don’t have to sign up for Part B now. But you still have to register within so many months of turning 65 even if you don’t plan on retiring.

    You can’t contribute to an HSA after 65 not matter what your retirement status is.

  107. 107.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    @Suzanne: he mounted his dish on the upstairs neighbor’s windowsill, blocking his view

    “Fell off again. Good thing it missed your head, huh?”

  108. 108.

    Ken

    July 6, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    @Scout211: I wonder if any of the reporters who dutifully copied down “the grassroots group” thought, ever-so-briefly, of checking who the grassroots organizers were?

  109. 109.

    gwangung

    July 6, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    @japa21: Yup. That’s what my advisor advised, and what my employer advised.

  110. 110.

    horatius

    July 6, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    @kindness: You mean Tacky-O?

  111. 111.

    rikyrah

    July 6, 2023 at 5:24 pm

    Uh huh 😒

     

    MSNBC (@MSNBC) tweeted at 11:02 AM on Thu, Jul 06, 2023:
    Asked about his anti-LGBTQ video, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he considers it “totally fair game.” As @stevebenen writes, that says far more about the Florida Republican than those he’s eager to attack.  https://t.co/l6s2tHfQg7
    (https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1676984876325654528?t=6CPH9CpEBgbSJrv2cOBNZA&s=03)

  112. 112.

    Baud

    July 6, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    @Scout211:

    I too am launching a grassroots group called Baby Mamas for Baud!

  113. 113.

    Tony Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 5:27 pm

    I don’t want RoDS and his composite hull of a campaign to deep six quite yet. He’s far too much fun to take the piss out of for, well, everything. There’s not a facet of his persona that doesn’t scream “Mock me, oh Woken World, for I am failure incarnate and these are mine deeds!”

    Plus, the longer he lasts, the worse he tanks, the more he’s humiliated, the better that is for Florida.

    As in, better for Betty Florida, not White-Flight Cracker Florida, IYKWIM.

  114. 114.

    Frankensteinbeck

    July 6, 2023 at 5:28 pm

    @Chris:

    The Republican Party serving up “Trump without the baggage”

    …means all of Trump’s assholery, but not a loser.  DeSantis shit that bed when Trump started insulting him and DeSantis was too weak to hit back.

    Trump’s polls took off when he called Mexicans rapists.  DeSantis’s collapsed when he ran away from insults.  The Republican primary base knows what it wants, a champion for their bigotry.

  115. 115.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    July 6, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    @Ken:

    Innovators like Rush call that “disrupting the stagnant paradigm”, and stripping the company of any asset which could be used to satisfy a judgment is just a good, wholesomely American business decision that should never be taken personally, because it’s just business no matter whose life it ruins.

  116. 116.

    Kay

    July 6, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    @rikyrah:

    Remember when candidates used to apologize for horrible, offensive campaign disasters?

    When’s the last time a Republican apologized for anything? They just never do now.

  117. 117.

    patrick II

    July 6, 2023 at 5:32 pm

    Part of DeSantis’s problem is that, as governor, he actually has the power to do much of what he says he will do.  Actual hateful policy doesn’t always make friends.  Meanwhile, Trump can say he will solve Ukraine in a day and throw the entire deep state in jail.  Most of his followers know he’s lying, but they enjoy the show immensely.

    Make the world go away, and get it off of my shoulder.

    Say the things you used to say and make the world go away.

  118. 118.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 5:32 pm

    @Brachiator:It is strange that DeSantis is the Trump alternative.

    It is but somehow, somewhere, the idea was floated that what was needed as an alternative to trump was someone more competent at being cruel, but less obviously deranged and corrupt.

    And DeSantis ran with that, and well there he is.

  119. 119.

    Dan B

    July 6, 2023 at 5:33 pm

    @rikyrah:  The setting of people like me up as targets is very troubling.  Someone will take this as a call to action.  It’s an alarm to make a lynch mob.

  120. 120.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 5:35 pm

    @Gravenstone:Huckabee is just testing out his advisory chops ahead of his stint in support of daughter’s forthcoming (failed) run in 2028.

    Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be president or VP of the United States in exactly ZERO (and possibly negative) timelines.  The multiverse won’t stand for it.

  121. 121.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @Baud:Maybe the GOP will get Youngkin to reconsider!

    No, no, NO.  We’ve had enough of lyin’ Governor Fleece Vest already!

  122. 122.

    Redshift

    July 6, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @Baud:

    Maybe the GOP will get Youngkin to reconsider!

    That won’t take much effort. A couple of weeks after he said he wasn’t running, he made a smarmy comment that implied he wasn’t running this year, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t running next year.

    Probably just as well for him it didn’t get much attention, because the obvious interpretation is that he might jump in of TFG dies or goes to jail.

  123. 123.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 5:39 pm

    @Kay:

    When’s the last time a Republican apologized for anything? They just never do now.

    True.  The Double-Down Party just…doubles down.  Doesn’t even matter what the topic is or how far out over their skis they were.

  124. 124.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 5:40 pm

    @artem1s:

    walked through the Medicaid site, checked the boxes, said nope.

    from what other’s have posted, it’s apparently not as simple as the website makes out,

    for some people, they need to first talk to their HR,

    then Social Security,

    then an actual live person at Medicare,

    or maybe just David Anderson, : )

    I am in BC, all I have to do is update my CareCard every 10 years and all the basic’s are covered, medical care, a lot of pharma, physio, and soon, we are getting basic dental. T works for one of the best Universities here, almost all employers offer coverage, so I don’t have to deal with any of this stuff.

    Even when I turn 65.

    When I turn 65, all I have to do is register for OAS, even if I am working, roughly $700 tax free a month.

  125. 125.

    Sure Lurkalot

    July 6, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    @Joy in FL:

    Those words are the opposite of everything the GOP publicly, explicitly, zealously are trying to do to anyone who lives in this country.

    Live and let live how I tell you to!

  126. 126.

    barbequebob

    July 6, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    @geg6: You don’t have to. If you still have employer provided health insurance you will not be penalized. You have 8 months from when that employement ends to apply during a Special Enrollment Period

    But you will need to have your employer fill out a form to document that fact.

    https://www.cms.gov/cms-l564-request-employment-information
    WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS FORM?
    “In order to apply for Medicare in a Special Enrollment Period, you must have or had group health plan coverage within the last 8 months through your or your spouse’s current employment. People with disabilities must have large group health plan coverage based on your, your spouse’s or a family member’s current employment.

    This form is used for proof of group health care coverage based on current employment. This information is needed to process your Medicare enrollment application.

    The employer that provides the group health plan coverage completes the information about your health care coverage and dates of employment.”

     

    Read it carefully.

  127. 127.

    Mike in NC

    July 6, 2023 at 5:46 pm

    Meatball Ron was always destined to flame out, with or without the rude attention Fat Bastard is going to give him. Hopefully he flames out so badly he never even thinks about running for office in 2028 and beyond.

  128. 128.

    Sure Lurkalot

    July 6, 2023 at 5:48 pm

    @geg6: You can sign up for Part A which is free. You need to sign up for Part B and supplemental within 8 months of your current insurance ending (when you retire) to avoid paying extra.

  129. 129.

    CaseyL

    July 6, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    Saw this linked to on Mastodon, “The End of the Honest Internet,” and it’s a very interesting article about Twitter and Threads and social media in general.

    The writer, Ed Zitron, who is new to me, also has what looks like a terrific site/newsletter.  He comments on finance and tech.  I may subscribe.

  130. 130.

    The Pale Scot

    July 6, 2023 at 5:52 pm

    Rock Bottom!

    Starts a 13.00, utube time is longer around, or buried under an avalanche of BS

  131. 131.

    Frankensteinbeck

    July 6, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    @Jeffro:

    And DeSantis ran with that,

    And it worked.  He failed when he proved he wasn’t that guy, that he folds when he gets pushback.

  132. 132.

    Sure Lurkalot

    July 6, 2023 at 6:00 pm

    @CaseyL: Ed Zitron is good, thanks for the link!

  133. 133.

    Lapassionara

    July 6, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    @Jay: you walked through the Medicaid boxes? Did you mean Medicare?

    I signed up for Medicare when I turned 65, even though I was still working full time. My private insurance continued to pay for my medical care, but transitioning into Medicare when it became time was seemless. I think it is a good idea.

  134. 134.

    Roberto el oso

    July 6, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    @Torrey: “… to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else …”

    With the understanding that the GOP racist sheet-sniffers consider themselves victimized (i.e. interfered with & disrupted by) by the existence of absolutely anyone anywhere doing something that offends them.

  135. 135.

    Renie

    July 6, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @geg6: Yes you have to sign up when eligible at 65.  It is for Part A which is free. If you have private insurance thru an employer or your spouse you don’t have to sign up for Part B.

    No one really knows why except the theory is that it was initially set up this way at a time when private insurance was not easily available to people at age 65 so this forced more people to get coverage.  And as most things with the gov’t it never stopped even though private insurance is more common now.

  136. 136.

    Roberto el oso

    July 6, 2023 at 6:08 pm

    Mike Huckabee is basically just letting everyone know that he really really needs and wants DeSanctis to be something he’s not, a viable alternative to Trump. And Huckabee needs someone to be that alternative because, like all the weaklings in the “never-Trump” wing of the GOP, he’s too much of a coward to do it himself. Not that he could, of course.

    As for that crazy ass ad, I still feel like I could use a pamphlet-length list of references to even begin to understand what it means, who it is aimed at, etc.

  137. 137.

    Another Scott

    July 6, 2023 at 6:09 pm

    @Renie: Obligatory…

    The federal government is an insurance company with an army. – Paul Krugman

    :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  138. 138.

    Roberto el oso

    July 6, 2023 at 6:10 pm

    @Roberto el oso: and I should add, that it’s not only anyone anywhere “doing” something that offends them, but “being” someone who offends them (female, non-white, gay, trans, etc.)

  139. 139.

    zhena gogolia

    July 6, 2023 at 6:11 pm

    @Roberto el oso: It’s a psychology that I just cannot fathom. I wish it would go away.

  140. 140.

    Dan B

    July 6, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    @Roberto el oso:  For example Youngkin, VA Governor, just shutdown an LGBTQ youth site that helped reduce suicide.  Ben Shapiro complained about the site.

  141. 141.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 6:18 pm

    @Lapassionara:

    Medicare,

    posted their site, ticked the boxes, said nope, no need to sign up, no penalties, as long as you have employer provided health insurance.

    it’s just an online resource, (Government web site),  probably not that great, as we have learned from other posters who have actually gone through the process.

    It very much appears that it varies greatly based on the individual.

  142. 142.

    Kathleen

    July 6, 2023 at 6:24 pm

    @hells littlest angel: It’s complicated.

  143. 143.

    Mart

    July 6, 2023 at 6:24 pm

    @Chris: Yea but what about Hucklebee’s crazy guitar chops and support of non STEM curriculum? “Sadly, many schools in America place music and art programs among the programs on the chopping block when the budget gets tight. Mike Huckabee believes this is terrible policy.  His policy in Arkansas was, and his policy will continue, that music and art programs are not expendable, extraneous, or extra-curricular—they are essential to the learning process, the learning experience.” These guys were so funny back in the day. http://runner.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Meet_Mike_Huckabee_Musician

  144. 144.

    Geminid

    July 6, 2023 at 6:26 pm

    @Redshift: Youngkin’s prestige, such as it is, could take a hit in this Fall’s legislative elections. Youngkin’s name won’t be on the ballot, but he will have to campaign for Republicans and if they lose ground in either or both houses that will reflect on his political prowess.

    Next year is a bad time for Youngkin and others to run anyway. Even if one was strong enough to beat Trump, the nomination could be worthless because of the Trumpers who’ll stay home in November. Republicans have gotten themselves into a real jam, and they could not deserve it more.

  145. 145.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 6:26 pm

    @Lapassionara: ​Yup, it’s just Medicare Part A one signs for when they’re still working but hit 65. Part A is hospitalization coverage.

    Sign up for the other bits once retired and no longer covered by employee insurance.

  146. 146.

    trollhattan

    July 6, 2023 at 6:29 pm

    @Scout211: That’s right up there with “stop trying to make fetch happen.”

    “Mamas for DeSantis” is so not happening.

  147. 147.

    Tim Curtin

    July 6, 2023 at 6:29 pm

    A vote for DeSantis is a vote for Guantanamo Bay.

  148. 148.

    zhena gogolia

    July 6, 2023 at 6:32 pm

    I’m realizing how much time I used to spend reading Twitter. I do miss it, but maybe it wasn’t good for me.

  149. 149.

    Another Scott

    July 6, 2023 at 6:33 pm

    @CaseyL: Nice.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  150. 150.

    RaflW

    July 6, 2023 at 6:34 pm

    Is Mike drunk? “[Rhonda Satanist] wants to protect the rights of every American citizen… to live like they want to live as long as it doesn’t interfere and disrupt someone else.”

    How does an 18 year old on hormone treatment ‘disrupt’ anyone else? (I think youth under 18 should have access to care, too, but for sake of the blatant horsepucky Hucky is throwing, we’ll just for the moment argue about adult rights and freedom).

    Just infuriating GOPldygook.

  151. 151.

    Dangerman

    July 6, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    @Tim Curtin: A vote for DeSantis is a vote for Guantanamo Bay.

    FTFY

    ETA: DeSantis was roadkill when he broke out the Nancy Sinatra boots after the hurricane.

  152. 152.

    Cheez Whiz

    July 6, 2023 at 6:37 pm

    @geg6: you have to sign up for Part A (hospital stuff) and Part B (doctor stuff), but you don’t have to start paying for Part B (Part A is free) if you have valid medical insurance. And it’s not just a fine, it’s higher premiums for the rest of your life. The Welcome To Medicare pamphlet from the government is short, easy to read, and very clear and helpful.  One thing it doesn’t tell you is that if you are on COBRA when you turn 65 you Must drop it and start using/paying for Part B. Go ahead, ask me how I know that.

  153. 153.

    Martin

    July 6, 2023 at 6:49 pm

    @RaflW: Being asked your pronouns is no different than slavery. And if you think that’s hyperbole, it’s not, because slavery wasn’t really that bad.

  154. 154.

    evodevo

    July 6, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    I don’t know why Ole Mikey is so upset…DeathSantis is just implementing the Dominionist agenda, only not sub rosa and in rather a hurry…I guess he wanted to keep this quiet until it was accomplished.  There are a lot of normies who are unaware of what the talibangelicals are planning…and it’s not constitutional…

  155. 155.

    twbrandt

    July 6, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    @CaseyL: I like Ed Zitron a lot, and find him well worth reading.

  156. 156.

    West of the Rockies

    July 6, 2023 at 7:07 pm

    @Jeffro:

    Is Sarah HS a female Mike Pompeo?  Grim, humorless, arrogant, entitled, and sans charisma?

  157. 157.

    sab

    July 6, 2023 at 7:10 pm

    @Cheez Whiz: One thing really important to me was being able to get Medigap/Medicare Supplemental, because I went for a few scary years uninsured before Obamacare. I had had a gap in coverage so my insurance dropped me for having a preexisting condition I hadn’t told them about ( because I didn’t know about it.)

    When you are first eligible for Medicare then they have to give you a Supplemental policy if you apply for one. If you wait until later then they can ask about and deny you for pre-existing conditions.

    I don’t know how this all fits in with being covered by an employer after age 65. And Medigap plans aren’t cheap.

  158. 158.

    West of the Rockies

    July 6, 2023 at 7:10 pm

    @trollhattan:

    I think we should start a parody site:  Poolboys for DeSantis!

  159. 159.

    Brachiator

    July 6, 2023 at 7:11 pm

    @CaseyL:

     “The End of the Honest Internet,” and it’s a very interesting article about Twitter and Threads and social media in general.

    Great article. Thank you for the link.

  160. 160.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:11 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    how would we know it’s a parody?

    Dollar Store Melania probably loves her some pool boys.

  161. 161.

    Old Man Shadow

    July 6, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    @RaflW: The LGBTQ people cause earthquakes and hurricanes because they make Jeebus cry so they do hurt other people.

    It’s SCIENCE!

  162. 162.

    Gravenstone

    July 6, 2023 at 7:18 pm

    @Suzanne: “FCC sez I can do this.”

    “Yeah? Well my crowbar says you can’t”

  163. 163.

    Gravenstone

    July 6, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    @Baud: To be followed by a Go Fund Me “Child Support for Baud”?

  164. 164.

    Gravenstone

    July 6, 2023 at 7:21 pm

    @Jeffro: You’ll notice I tagged Ma Hamhock with a failed campaign, yes?

  165. 165.

    Geminid

    July 6, 2023 at 7:24 pm

    I saw that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzger has announced a project that will bring passenger rail service from Chicago to Rockford for the first time since 1981.

    The state will spend $275 million from the Rebuild Illinois capital fund to improve tracks, grade crossings etc. between Elgin and Rockford, and construct stations at Huntley and Belvedere. Train service is projected to begin in 2027, initially with two trains each way. Travel time from Rockford to Chicago is expected to be around 95 minutes.

  166. 166.

    twbrandt

    July 6, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    @Old Man Shadow: I wish I could cause hurricanes and earthquakes! 🏳️‍🌈

  167. 167.

    Anyway

    July 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    Grim, humorless, arrogant, entitled, and sans charisma?

    Great description that fits many Rethugs — Hawley, Youngkin, Tom Cotton, Huckabee(s), Pompeii and of course Gov Puddn Boots…

  168. 168.

    West of the Rockies

    July 6, 2023 at 7:32 pm

    @Jay:

    Never saw it (really), but I guess Who’s Nailin’ Palin did well… maybe it’s time for a Trump porn parody, complete with Melania and her poolboy, Chad.

  169. 169.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    @twbrandt:

    all you need to do is “switch teams”,…….///

  170. 170.

    FelonyGovt

    July 6, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    @West of the Rockies:  And quite unattractive, which is apparently disqualifying for female candidates. (Sorry, I try not to be THAT mean and petty, but for someone like that…)

  171. 171.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 6, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    The Ron DeSantis 2024 campaign is flailing so badly that Mike Huckabee — MIKE HUCKABEE! — has proposed an intervention!

    I would breathe, but I can’t stop laughing!

  172. 172.

    twbrandt

    July 6, 2023 at 7:36 pm

    @Jay: I am on team Gay, but sadly can conjure up neither hurricanes nor earthquakes.

  173. 173.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    “Who’s really driving hard in Miss Casey?”

  174. 174.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 6, 2023 at 7:38 pm

    @Yutsano: You are number 6!

    If there ever was a rooting for injuries scenario it’s this one. Sorry Mike, but your problem isn’t his campaign. It’s him. He just has no idea how to win outside of Florida and even then his first time was almost a loss. Republicans aren’t sold on him as the next Great White Hype.

    Maybe Governor Puddin’Boots should try a different color footwear.

    (I guess he chose white because black boots would’ve made him look too much like the Nazi he is.)

  175. 175.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:38 pm

    @twbrandt:

    Did you fill out the application forms properly?

  176. 176.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    Wow, Balloon Juice After Dark started early.

  177. 177.

    moops

    July 6, 2023 at 7:42 pm

    There is no end to DeSantis campaign until the primary is over.  He is not going to quit.

     

    I harbor a hope that when DeSantis and Trump are forced to share a stage, Ron will physically attack Trump.  Possibly killing Trump, and sending Ron to prison.

  178. 178.

    twbrandt

    July 6, 2023 at 7:43 pm

    @Jay: wait, there are forms??? Shit.

  179. 179.

    Betty Cracker

    July 6, 2023 at 7:43 pm

    @Jeffro: I’ll admit I was worried the Pudd’n Boots playbook could succeed. Yes, he’s charisma-free, has a mosquito-whine voice and all the warmth and sensitivity of a concrete toilet seat in a Siberian outhouse. But he created mini-MAGA cult in FL. Every proof point that it doesn’t translate north of the FL-GA line brings me inexpressible relief.

  180. 180.

    moops

    July 6, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

     

    The problem is that once you hate a person, everything that person does looks worthy of spite.

  181. 181.

    Captain C

    July 6, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Trump will probably just lie.

    That probably is doing a hell of a lot of work….. And is totally unnecessary.

    I suspect if TFG/SFB somehow doesn’t win the primary and still wants to run as a spoiler, he’ll make up some bullshit about how the Rethugs betrayed him and all the MAGAts and therefore he has to run because reasons (read: more grift!).

  182. 182.

    Josie

    July 6, 2023 at 7:52 pm

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     “all the warmth and sensitivity of a concrete toilet seat in a Siberian outhouse”
    Oh, Betty, you touch my heart with your ability to slice and dice these horrible people.

  183. 183.

    Jay

    July 6, 2023 at 7:52 pm

    @twbrandt:

    yeah, there is membership paperwork,

    seminars and training sessions, (can’t have you just willy nilly conjouring up a hurricaine)

    committee meetings, ( donuts and coffee, sometimes pizza if they go late)

    but you get to meet some great people.

    Didn’t they give you the pamphlet or even the web link covering The Agenda?

  184. 184.

    Dan B

    July 6, 2023 at 7:55 pm

    @Betty Cracker:  Casey DeSaster is out with a disturbing ad for her Mamas for DeSantis.  She implies that LGBTQ people are coming for children and the Mamas will fight the predators.

  185. 185.

    Warblewarble

    July 6, 2023 at 8:08 pm

    Is the  factory in THREETOES district  one to produce more rakes?

  186. 186.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 8:21 pm

    @West of the Rockies:Is Sarah HS a female Mike Pompeo?  Grim, humorless, arrogant, entitled, and sans charisma?

    I think you’re on to something here.  Plus – not to say that Pompeo is terribly smart or cunning, but – he’s more of those than SHS.

  187. 187.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 8:22 pm

    @Gravenstone: I did and was endorsing that, times infinity.  =)

  188. 188.

    Jeffro

    July 6, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    @Betty Cracker: [DeSantis] created mini-MAGA cult in FL. Every proof point that it doesn’t translate north of the FL-GA line brings me inexpressible relief.

    Same here!  And now, knock on wood, the GOP is just about stuck, aren’t they?

    They keep forgetting. DeSantis most especially, that trump for all his many completely irredeemable qualities, puts on a show.  He’s not bad on camera.  And he had 110% name recognition in our country, PLUS the perception of almost limitless wealth.

    DeSantis can’t even handle a question about how. to. pronounce. his. name.

  189. 189.

    Princess

    July 6, 2023 at 8:44 pm

    @geg6: so, my husband is in your shoes and that’s not the case. You can sign up for Medicare A now and postpone B until you retire. Or postpone both until you retire. If at THAT point you didn’t sign up for B, then you would pay a penalty. You need to prove, when you eventually sign up for B, that you HAD adequate insurance until that point.

  190. 190.

    O. Felix Culpa

    July 6, 2023 at 9:26 pm

    @Jay:

    Gaaah! WRONG! She must sign up for Part A (which is free) at 65, or receive a lifelong penalty in higher costs. However, Part B can be waived by producing evidence of employer insurance.

  191. 191.

    O. Felix Culpa

    July 6, 2023 at 9:31 pm

    @japa21:

    The misinformation/misunderstanding of how Medicare works is epic. Part A is NOT automatic! You have to sign up for it. And definitely should at 65, otherwise there’s a lifelong penalty in higher fees once you get on Part B.

    What is correct is that Part A is free, and that’s what you should sign up for at 65, if you still have insurance from your employer.

    ETA: I’m relieved to see some knowledgeable comments on the issue. Following the wrong info could have cost geg6 dearly.

  192. 192.

    Poor Sue

    July 6, 2023 at 9:41 pm

     

     

    @mrmoshpotato: Those appear to be shrimper boots, white so that objects in the water are visible against them and because white reflects sunlight, making your feet cooler.—I think this was RdS attempting to show solidarity with Old Florida’s working class.

  193. 193.

    sab

    July 6, 2023 at 10:32 pm

    @sab: Looked up answer to my question. Open enrollment for medicare supplemental plans is the first six months after you are supposed to enroll in plan b. So that might be much later than 65 if you keep working and your employer provides health insurance.

    After that six months is over, insurers can refuse coverage in most states.

  194. 194.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 6, 2023 at 10:45 pm

    @Cheez Whiz:

    The DeSantis campaign will only implode after he loses enough primaries (where they still hold them) that his billionaires stop writing checks. Then he licks his wounds Dump’s fat, orange, fascist ass. 

    Fixed. :)

  195. 195.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 6, 2023 at 10:47 pm

    @Poor Sue: Fair enough.  DeathSentence is still Nazi shit though.

  196. 196.

    Miss Bianca

    July 7, 2023 at 9:07 am

    @Mart: Late to the party, but that position statement of Huckabee’s about the importance of music and art in education is literally the only area of agreement I share with that guy.

  197. 197.

    Paul in KY

    July 7, 2023 at 11:15 am

    @Jay: Not making the compartment a sphere was another stupid/crazy decision.

  198. 198.

    Paul in KY

    July 7, 2023 at 11:37 am

    @mrmoshpotato: In hindsight, he should have gone with black. Maybe Casey doesn’t allow him to wear the black boots that only she can wear? Just speculating…

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