I approve this message. pic.twitter.com/f1q5giNM8j
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 18, 2023
A Biden campaign official shares that "Dark Brandon"-themed merchandise like this amounted for more than half of all sales revenue at the Biden campaign's online store https://t.co/5ZtjNLTrKH
— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) July 14, 2023
And we are at 140 judges now confirmed! Rachel Bloomekatz's nomination has been waiting over a year to be confirmed. Because we won GA and got to 51 Senators, we were able to put a 40 year old civil rights lawyer on a lifetime Circuit Court of Appeals seat. https://t.co/7ynl9tcvR1
— The Biden Accomplishments Guy (on Threads) (@What46HasDone) July 18, 2023
Today, Congressional Democrats re-introduced the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation that would improve ballot access, secure our elections, get dark money out of politics, and end partisan gerrymandering.
Congress must send this bill to my desk.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 18, 2023
“We are in the midst of a 9-1-1 emergency in our democracy—and I’ve seen it up close.”
You need to watch @SenatorWarnock lay out why it’s so important we pass the Freedom to Vote Act. pic.twitter.com/pgUxjMmCHg
— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) July 18, 2023
I’m reintroducing the Freedom to Vote Act with Democratic colleagues. This legislation, which includes my DISCLOSE Act, reaffirms our commitment to the principle of “one person one vote” by protecting ballot access and getting dark money out of politics.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) July 18, 2023
Good luck to the GOP in dealing with this. pic.twitter.com/FkP5zt27Ll
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) July 18, 2023
Sure has been a long time since anyone’s heard anything from Mark Meadows https://t.co/pcmasXxqFg
— Pete Strzok (@petestrzok) July 18, 2023
man these guys fucking love threatening to prosecute democrats. have at it, master shake. i'm not really buying your theory that there's republican DAs all over the country who have held back on prosecuting hillary clinton purely out of respect for norms https://t.co/4iCGIIEYrR
— your himbo boyfriend (@swolecialism) July 18, 2023
Baud
Sounds like a good reason not to let conservatives take back the Executive Branch.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
Baud
That MTG speech is something else. It’s like she’s triple dog daring the “both sides are the same” crowd to admit their were wrong.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
SFAW
Whenever I start thinking there might be a single rational person in the ranks of RWMFs, I only need to read stuff like Levin’s to disabuse myself of that idea.
Just kidding: I never start thinking that.
Baud
@SFAW:
Yeah, he isn’t some random Twitter yahoo. He’s a beltway insider yahoo.
Chief Oshkosh
“We are in the midst of a 9-1-1 emergency in our democracy—and I’ve seen it up close.”
I agree with the great Senator Warnock from the Great State of Georgia.
But, as someone here says often (Kay? Betty?): Don’t tell me; show me. If we’re in such an emergency, what is leadership doing about it? As Adam has noted, why are Senate Dems still honoring Republican blue slips? Or, why isn’t there any real discussion of fixing the the SC within the probable lifetimes of our grandchildren? I mean, my gods, why is DeJoy still heading up the USPS? (I know, that last one is almost small ball at this point…)
Maybe we’re not in a 9-1-1 emergency…
narya
@rikyrah: Good morning!
I love that he’s using that Marge clip with that simple “I approve” and the shots of all the work he’s doing.
OzarkHillbilly
More storms. Lost power again early this AM… 4 times and counting. Never for more than 5 or 10 seconds, just long enough to make me have to reset all the clocks.
Blech.
And to top it all off, our land line telephone which has been dead to us for over a month (with the exception of one 24 hour period) has been ringing off the hook with every other lightening strike.
Double Blech.
And I can’t get a cell signal here. If I need to talk to someone I have to drive 6 miles and park underneath a cell tower. If anybody needs to talk to me, they have to drive here.
Baud
@Chief Oshkosh:
I agree, it’s all hype and we shouldn’t respond to it.
OzarkHillbilly
HA! What a comedian that guy Joe is.
catclub
@SFAW: Mark Levine is right wing crazy. Matt Levine writes intelligently about finance things. Do not mix up.
SiubhanDuinne
@rikyrah:
Good morning backatcha! 😊😊😊
Suzanne
I posted this piece yesterday but it was in a dead thread. Country Music’s Culture Wars and the Remaking of Nashville was really interesting, and it’s nice to see so many artists who many of us deeply enjoy are on the right side of politics.
If you don’t know Adeem the Artist, give them a listen. I got to see them open for Josh Ritter a couple of months ago and was charmed and impressed.
Mousebumples
Special election in Wisconsin yesterday for State Assembly –
This was the election to replace the Republican who beat Jodi Habush Sinykin for the open State Senate seat. Unsurprisingly, the seat is VERY gerrymandered.
https://decisiondeskhq.com/election-results-wisconsin-state-assembly-24-special-election/
Hopefully, the upcoming NEW SUPREME COURT can force fair maps soon. Justice Janet Protasiewicz will be seated on August 1.
Eta – Results by municipality:
Grafton Town (R+27)
Grafton Village (D+ 3 votes, D+0.1)
Mequon City (D+3)
Menomonee Falls Village (D+ 9 votes, D+0.4)
Germantown Town (D+ 3 votes D+6)
Germantown Village (R+17)
Port Washington City, where there was previously a 0 voter ward that now has 2 voters, both of whom voted for Tatterson
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Depends. Are cute little chicks still dying because you can no longer trust the USPS to get them there on time?
I wonder this too. I thought the last thing I heard was that there were now enough Democratic votes on the Board of Governors to vote him out. But it seems to me that was at least a year ago. Since then … ?
eclare
@OzarkHillbilly:
I lost power in Memphis last night around 4:30 AM. There was an explosion outside my house, I saw green and blue light, and then the power went out. Still out. The predicted high today is 97.
Storms came through earlier last night, around 90k customers without power.
tobie
@eclare: That sounds awful. Good luck to you.
OzarkHillbilly
@SFAW: @Baud: Levin is just fleecing the rubes.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@eclare: Oh that sounds bad.
Baud
@Mousebumples:
As Menomonee Falls goes, so goes Wisconsin.
Baud
@catclub:
Reminds of the perennial question of which Naomi is the good one.
OzarkHillbilly
@eclare: That sounds like a substation lost a critical component. You might be without electricity for a while.
Ken
“And now a word with the man who is at the center of this by-election mystery, the voter himself. And he is a Mr. E. Blackadder…”
Anne Laurie
When that happened to us, it was a transformer that had been hit by lightning. (But then the ruined transformer went up in flames, so the fire department soon showed up, followed by the electrical company worker… in the middle of a hurricane-related downpour.)
I was given to understand that ‘blown transformers’ are rather more dangerous than just random ‘lost power’ — don’t know if this is universally true, but you might want to communicate the ‘blue light / explosion’ part to whatever drone answers your local power-outage emergency line?
Kathleen
@Baud: First, I can never keep the Naomis straight. Second, IIRC it doesn’t matter because neither of them.
There go two miscreants
@catclub: Kinda like the problem reporter Matt Gertz has. (Also note that it’s Mark Levin and Matt Levine.)
NotMax
Haven’t heard any thunder as yet but we’re socked in courtesy of tropical storm Calvin. Raining and blowing outside pretty intensely. Supposed to move off some time Wednesday night.
Easy listening: Stormy.
MattF
Ms. Petri does her signature number on a wannabe Leader (gift link).
Sanjeevs
Hadn’t seen this video before – the Republican fake electors unsuccessfully trying to gain admittance to the Michigan Capitol.
They invited reporters on a ridealong to their crime.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NgLQxMV9c
DB11
Klein is the nice Canadian Naomi.
Wolfe is the rabid crazy Naomi.
eclare
@Anne Laurie:
It just doesn’t make sense for a transformer to be where the light was. And the outage reporting system is automated, no humans. Been sitting in my car and charging my phone, guess I’ll go back in now.
OzarkHillbilly
@Sanjeevs: I’ll bet they are feeling a little nervous just now.
Jeffro
@Baud: I wish she wasn’t anywhere near our national government, but since she is, I truly appreciate her being out there barking away and highlighting the very real differences.
Kay
Three of the Michigan 16 charged with election fraud are public officials- a mayor, a county clerk and a school board member. Very important we root out those people. I care less about the Republican Party officials.
evodevo
@OzarkHillbilly: Gee…welcome to rural KY – we landliners are on a first name basis with the AT&T repair crews they send out once a month to fix the line where it runs a couple miles through heavy woods. It clears up when the weather clears, so by the time they get out here, it’s functioning. Then, as soon as it starts raining, it goes out again…and we call again…and round and round for 35 yrs…
catclub
Will there be a tropical storm Hobbes this year?
Steeplejack
@Baud:
SFAW
@catclub:
Tough to mix them up, since before you mentioned Matt, I hadn’t heard of him.
ETA: But thanks for the pro tip re: Matt.
Mousebumples
@Baud: haha, here’s hoping…
Soprano2
So how scared of consequences do you have to be to voluntarily go to North Korea? Talk about a crazy story! The charges don’t seem serious enough to merit his actions.
Albatrossity
I saw MTGs image at the same time I scanned the headline, and thought it should read “Using the Fools We’re Given”.
NotMax
Freshly found fun fillip. The closing paragraph of an article from 1872 (.pdf file) tickled my fancy.
Jeffro
In today’s NYT, Thomas Edsall has a good roundup of recent research into the increasing
polarization“calcification” (described as ‘polarization-plus‘) of our politics.(Here’s a gift link). It’s called Gut-Level Hatred Is Consuming Our Politics
Um, more like ‘press to restore people’s basic rights’, but whatever.
Boy howdy, that’s one way to put it! LOL
Seriously though: yes, we have shifted left and are now a center-left party instead of centrist mush. The GOP has jumped off the right side of the boat and is swimming in its own deep ocean of insanity. But I digress…
There is a discussion of what one of the researchers call “anti-antiracism” (hmm, is there a simpler name for this, perhaps?) but there is a little bit of a distinction there that’s interesting: anti-antiracism helps the overt racists pull in quieter sympathizers by constantly, loudly, and negatively portraying the efforts of the antiracists while glossing over the efforts of the racists. ie, what Fox does on a
dailyhourlyby-the-minute basis. That’s why it’s important to ignore the anti-antiracists and keep pointing out what the racists are up to.And finally, there’s one section that notes recent research by some Irish psychologists on how quickly and accurately people pick up on partisan signals.
(you can probably guess what the eight statements involved, right? abortion rights, guns, welfare, etc)
I feel like the Rs are the one who are better at pulling people in based on a single issue, but maybe not. Thoughts?
UncleEbeneezer
jonas
Greatest headline ever just spotted over at cnn.com: “Third Indictment of Former President Could Be Deep Stain on His Legacy.”
Tell me about it. Is *that* ever an embarrassing section of the presidential library to have to curate!
SFAW
@jonas:
Meanwhile, over at the FTFTFNYT: “Liberals Hailing Possible Trump Indictment # [N] as the Justice System ‘Working,’ but Real Americans See it Differently”
ETA: I’m sure DougJ could do it better, I hope he will. [Not that he hasn’t already, myriad times.]
OzarkHillbilly
@evodevo: Rural Misery ain’t no better.
Years ago an AT&T tech told us that AT&T sees landlines as an albatross that they just want to shed, that cell phones are where the profits lie. They are doing their damnedest to get rid of u…
Wait a minute, they already have. I think I’ll call the PSC and file a complaint.
NotMax
@Jeffro
Momentarily donning my copy editor’s tattered cap, would instantly blue pencil that “liberal” and replace it with “progressive.”
Spanky
@jonas: So the first two indictments weren’t a stain on his “legacy” Good to know that.
SFAW
@NotMax:
“Liberal” is the proper choice. Mainly because it’s so much easier to hate on “L-l-l-l-l-liberals” than on “P-p-p-p-p-progressives.”
Soprano2
@jonas: Haha, you think TFG is going to have a presidential library!
Jeffro
One more NYT piece – completely OT – for Betty and several others here: the sandwich Southerners wait for all year!
TOMATO SANDWICHES YUM!!
Mat
@Spanky:
Well, they only could be. So, that’s an acceptable sentiment.
SFAW
@Spanky:
Look forward, not backward, libtard!
Let’s not quibble about who tried to destroy democracy.
Stop politicizing mass murders committed with guns/It’s too soon to be talking about that stuff.
We’re a republic, not a democracy.
NB: Not sure which of the above RWMF standard responses is pertinent to your comment, but one of them probably is.
mrmoshpotato
LOL! I guess they’re all too sick of the years of “Lock her up!” crap to lock her up.
Kirk
@Jeffro:for reference, the right statements are:
MattF
Ugh. Nym got damaged, above comment duplicated.
@Spanky:
Well, they only could be. So, that’s an acceptable sentiment.
Geminid
With vehicle lanes on the Kerch Bridge damaged by a recent mishap involving a Ukrainian sea drone, Russian media have published helpful pointers for tourists returning from Crimea over the northerly overland route. Some excerpts:
jonas
@Mat: As we know, Trump always gets to take a couple of mulligans.
SFAW
@Soprano2:
It’s at Mar-a-Lardo. Although since Teh Evul Guvmint seized the classified (etc.) doc, the size has been diminished.
mrmoshpotato
Misread. Deleted.
NotMax
@Spanky
“A soak in Poxiclean™ will whitewash those stains. If not, paint over ’em with fake gold lacquer.”
//
eclare
@Soprano2:
What was it Colbert said? TFG’s library would consist of kiddie menus and some copies of Juggs magazine.
Chief Oshkosh
@Baud: Yeah, ’cause that’s exactly what I said.
eclare
@SFAW:
TFG still has those Israeli artifacts to display.
OzarkHillbilly
@Soprano2: Well sure, it’s going to be housed in the Marred a Lardo maximum security prison.
NotMax
@eclare
Two books.
One of which has only been partially colored in using Sharpies.
Quinerly
@rikyrah:
Good morning! If I recall, several weeks back when I was gathering info on surgery for my severe Astigmatism and early cataracts, you were interested in the different lenses and options I was looking into. I went with the “Vivity Lenses.” Had the right eye done Mon.
Very, very pleased so far. Actually I am amazed. Go back to Albuquerque for the left eye today. Doc is setting up my vision for right eye dominant for distance. He was able to get out almost all of the Astigmatism in the laser surgery and with the lens. We are hoping that I will be back to mono vision (like I had with my Toric contact lenses before the Astigmatism and cataracts got so bad). Read with left eye with no glasses. Distance with my right eye. Worst case scenario, I will have to have Dollar Tree readers. If you want more info, please feel free to get my email from a front pager.
My only complaint is the state of medical care in my newly adopted state of NM. The doctor who did my surgery is the only doctor in the entire state that does it. I was spoiled in St. Louis with excellent medical care and access. I should have done this before I moved. Would have been less $ out of pocket. At least 12-18 surgeons who do it there.
Dangerman
First coffee on West Coast, but are we saying that MTG is a tool? Seems correct.
I know her words must be edited and out of context, but how can she say some of those things? Beyond her tool status, I mean. And, as someone that likes tools and finds them useful, I’m changing my mind and no longer calling her a tool. Yes, a quick correction. See coffee comment.
NotMax
BTW, yesterday the jury was empaneled in NY for Michael Cohen’s case suing the Trump Organization.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare:
@NotMax: Dump’s “library” will also include the picture of the bepenised hurricane.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Spanky: This one might not be either, according to that headline which says the indictments “could” stain his legacy
Suzanne
@UncleEbeneezer: So….. that is why I think Ducey is getting out of politics, for a while at least. The Arizona GOP is still captured by Crazy Kelli Ward and MAGA and he won’t get their support.
I have been really cautious about getting excited about Gallego’s odds in the Senate race. AZ is a bit of a weird animal….. Registered independents outnumber Dems by a lot. They don’t have a history of working-class union life. They’ve got a large LDS population. The Latino population is large and growing, but is much newer than in New Mexico. The cities are really suburban density and have historically voted that way. And in 2022, non-MAGA Republicans won their races. Lots of factors that make it far from a sure thing for Dems. Purple at best.
I have been thinking that, at some point, the state GOP would figure out that Trump and MAGA (and Kari Lake and Blake Masters and their type) are bringing them down. A normal evil GOP candidate like Ducey (or Jeff Flake, FFS) has a very strong chance. Better than 50/50, I’d say. But they really are doing their level best to lose elections. Bodes well for Gallego. I’m getting a bit more bullish on his chances.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax:
Rule 1: Stop laughing.
Rule 2: I know, but please stop rolling your eyes.
Rule 3: Can you all please sigh silently?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@eclare: Geez, I miss Colbert
NotMax
#43, transcription boo-boo on my part.
benefit of science = benefit on science
Ken
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Maybe the reading should be, “The new indictments could stain his legacy, or they might not show up against the existing stains”.
mrmoshpotato
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Same. And I really miss Seth’s A Closer Look segments. They’re always so funny, yet so scathing.
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
Rule 4: Pursuant to request by defendant’s counsel, all Snickers will henceforth be removed from court house vending machines for the duration of the trial.
;)
Captain C
@Baud:
NYT Editorial Headline: Earthy MTG Speech Again Proves Both Sides Are Basically the Same, Albeit Republicans Are A Little Better (the question is which hack wrote this or is it an unsigned Editorial)
eclare
Latest from the automated public utility outage system: needed repairs have been determined, and a crew will be assigned once one is available.
According to local news contract workers are arriving this morning.
Kathleen
@DB11: Thank you.
kalakal
I’d like to see more of this Fl Insurance
kind of thing in our homegrown MSM
(It’s from the Grauniad). This is normies
complaining about Fl and how DeStupid is doing nothing about it. The messages that most work with normies is other normies complaining about stuff that directly affects them. It knocks the stuffing out of
“Make America like Florida”
NotMax
@kalakal
“I hear he’s in the pocket of Big Pudding. Pass it on.”
//
Jackie
@Jeffro: The eating it over the sink to catch the drips says it all! 😋
OzarkHillbilly
@Dorothy A. Winsor: They misspelled “embellished”.
Soprano2
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Me too, it’s killing me that his show is on reruns. Don’t you know it’s killing him to not be able to make jokes about TFG’s indictments!
eclare
@Soprano2:
Yep. So much good material out there.
Cameron
Today’s lesson in bold governance: in Florida, where the number of COVID cases per population is rising faster than in most of the rest of the country, several counties are trying to make COVID vaccines illegal. (courtesy Daily Kos)
Jackie
@Dangerman: “I know her words must be edited and out of context”
Not a single word was edited or taken out of context! This was her speech at a southern GQP convention given this past wknd.
rikyrah
@Baud:
When I heard it the first time, my immediate reaction was…
“people think that these things are BAD?”
Seriously?
NotMax
@eclare
Beats the automation spitting out “Your guess is as good as ours.”
;)
eclare
@Jackie:
What was the crowd’s reaction when she dissed Medicare and Medicaid? Gotta think most of the crowd is either on one of them or know people who are.
mrmoshpotato
@Cameron: Insert Picard “What the hell is this?!” face.
BR
Guardian has a good summary of the antisemitism of RFKJ going back years plus lots of his conspiracy nuttery:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/19/robert-kennedy-jr-racist-antisemitic-xenophobic-views
It clearly is beyond the pale and he should be quietly kicked out of the primary.
Manyakitty
@NotMax: (in Borat voice) Very nice!
eclare
@NotMax:
To be fair the utility does a good job of updating the status of outages. Usually by now I would have an ETA of when power would be restored, but there are just too many outages from yesterday.
Scout211
So much
winninglosing. What a loser!Trump Loses Bid for New E. Jean Carroll Trial or Reduced Damages for $5 Million Verdict
BR
@Suzanne: Is he improving as a candidate? I know his bluntness is his charm but it seems he could use some polish? I haven’t been keeping track.
dww44
@Chief Oshkosh: This morning on the local tv news break the lead off story was that the Sec of State’s office was purging 191K “inactive” voters who have 30 days to respond to a letter being sent to address of record to prevent removal from voter records. This purge will make Georgia’s voter database among the “cleanest “ in the country. Voter suppression takes many forms.
rikyrah
@Jeffro:
Well, yeah…of course…
Baud
@BR:
There’s no way to kick anyone out of the primary.
NotMax
@Scout211
Historical statistics remain unblemished at zero for infinity.
“My record is Perfekt!”
;)
Jackie
@eclare: The audience wasn’t really shown, the applause appeared to be spattered – like they were confused lol
She honestly thought that labeling Roosevelt’s and LBJ’s and Biden’s achievements as communism she was making a point. The chef’s kiss was the “thank you!” from the WH within a few hours!
Oddly, MTG has been quiet since 🤭
eclare
@Jackie:
Hahaha…
BR
@Baud: I guess I mean the debates if any.
OzarkHillbilly
@Jackie: Jeebus. I think I’ll send her a thankyou note.
Suzanne
@BR: His wife just had a baby like two weeks ago, so I think he hasn’t been too out there. I haven’t heard of any recent loudmouth incidents from him.
rikyrah
@jonas:
He’s going to steal all the funds for his Presidential Library.
Manyakitty
@Jackie: she must be incandescent with rage and I’m here for it.
rikyrah
@Quinerly:
I am sorry about the limited options, but, thank you for the information.
rikyrah
@kalakal:
This insurance issue is absolutely insane. The numbers are staggering.
And, they would make great ads for Democrats
West of the Rockies
Christ, she has a wretched voice. Brittle, pissy, vain, and insistent.
Roberto el oso
@Soprano2: Isn’t that what all the classified documents were for? So he could put them on display and share them with all Americans?
Although a fair number of them would be missing and would have those little signs that museums use: ‘Temporarily On Loan To The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’, ‘Temporarily On Loan to Vladimir Putin’, etc.
Tim Ellis
Ok how did I not know there were Dark Brandon croptops available until now?! My outfits are about to get even weirder folks, I cannot wait
Scuffletuffle
@eclare: Latest from the automated public utility outage system
Read that as “outrage” system and it made perfect sense…
Subsole
@rikyrah: The MSM has played a not insubstantial role in my negative polarization. Just the sheer coddling, the pandering indulgence of this movement that constantly yarps about how tough they are…
“Restore”.
Like it’s a freshly unearthed DaVinci.
Not “drag”, or “force” or “reduce”, which would be accurate, but “restore”.