Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

So many bastards, so little time.

When we show up, we win.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Saturday Morning Open Thread: The Battle Continues

Saturday Morning Open Thread: The Battle Continues

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This is *America!*

And this is Brazil, where Trump-crony Bolsonaro’s partisans are discovering what FAFO means:

Reader Interactions

313Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    in short succession yesterday I had an Afghan Uber driver who had returned in 2001 and fled again in 2021 and was deeply angry at the US “betrayal” and an Iranian who had fled after the Green Revolution and was deeply grateful, and I was like … am I in a Friedman parable?

    Gave me a chuckle.

  3. 3.

    bbleh

    What Harris is doing is SO damn important!  Other than in the reddest places, if young voters show up in significant numbers, Dems win, simple as that.  Activating young voters should be a top-three activity for Dems up and down the ticket from now ’til next November.

  4. 4.

    BellyCat

    Increased turnout by blacks and youth will create a Blue Tsunami. This is known and essential.

    Kamala is doing what needs doing!

    ETA: Which is PRECISELY why she’s under attack by the GOP.

  9. 9.

    LiminalOwl

    In the 1990s, a couple who were friends of my mother had a daughter who worked as a Russian interpreter. One day she was guiding a group of tourists around Chicago, and they took a taxi.  As I heard the story, the driver heard them talking, pulled over—on the highway!—and ordered them out of the car. Daughter tried to explain no, the Cold War is over, they are just tourists, we’re not at war with Russia any more. Driver shook his head. “I am Afghani. Out.”  She was able to persuade him to take them to the next exit, but no farther.

  11. 11.

    Anne Laurie

    @Raoul Paste: Hey, I’m trying to have breakfast here

    That’s why I’m saving the best jokes about it for a late-night post!

    (putting new meaning in ‘full-service blog’… )

  12. 12.

    Another Scott

    @bbleh: +1

    Plus, college newspapers actually cover events on campus and (at least when I was in school) students and staff read the college paper.  It gets around the lock that corporate media has on TV (especially) news.  This is smart politics and smart campaigning.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  14. 14.

    Nelle

    I reccomend reading Kamala Harris’s book, The Truths We Hold.  I read it in 2020, after hearing all the pro-cop accusations from the Bernie folks.  I’ve been her fan ever since.

  16. 16.

    narya

    Good morning! Big question of the day is whether to just have some venison with mushrooms and wine reduction and caramelized onions, or attempt to make rouladen with venison. I think I’ll save the rouladen for winter, but I definitely want to try it. (Also: will need a spaetzle maker.)

    Also on the menu: a pear tart with a hazelnut crust, which will enable me to use the can of hazelnut praline that’s been in the cupboard for . . . awhile. I have some perfectly ripe pears on the counter that are begging to be made into something rather than eaten out of hand. (If laziness strikes, I’ll just make a basic sable or sucree and not bother with a hazelnut crust; the praline is likely enough to bring the hazelnut.)

  17. 17.

    zhena gogolia

    Last night in a restaurant.

    Distinguished professor: I hope the Democrats run somebody other than Biden.

    Me (after lifting my head off the table): Okay, who?

    Professor: I was thinking Sherrod Brown.

  22. 22.

    2liberal

    @The Thin Black Duke:  OT, but Boebert was doing more than vaping in that theater:

     

    All BJ threads are open threads!  It’s one of the tags for this particular thread.   anyway boebert was happy to get her face in the news, it’s on brand for her ongoing very public freak show.

  25. 25.

    citizen dave

    @Nelle: I don’t read that many books, but you remind me that I did read that one.  Was already a fan, but  the book cemented it for sure.  She is more than capable of leading the Executive Branch, and is and will be inspirational to most citizens.

    I would like to hear more often from the leading Democrats how very unserious the other side is–ridiculous, in fact–versus Democrats, who are actually interested in doing the work and solving problems, and defending and expanding democracy.

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis turns on ‘malignant narcissist’ ex-president

    Jenna Ellis – the Donald Trump lawyer who like the former president faces criminal charges regarding attempted election subversion in his defeat by Joe Biden in 2020 – says she will not vote for him in the future because he is a “malignant narcissist” who cannot admit mistakes.

    “I simply can’t support him for elected office again,” Ellis said. “Why I have chosen to distance is because of that frankly malignant narcissistic tendency to simply say that he’s never done anything wrong.”

    Rats, ships… A woman scorned… But,

    Deace said: “Before that man [Trump] needs to be president again … [to] escape the quote-unquote, ‘witch-hunts’, that man needs Jesus again because … his ambitions would be fueled by showing some self-awareness. And he won’t do it because he can’t admit, ‘I’m not God.’”

    Ellis said Deace had “perfectly articulated exactly how I as a voter feel”. She knew Trump well “as a friend, as a former boss”, she said, adding: “I have great love and respect for him personally. But everything that you just said resonates with me as exactly why I simply can’t support him for elected office again. Why I have chosen to distance is because of that, frankly, malignant narcissistic tendency to simply say that he’s never done anything wrong. And the total idolatry that I’m seeing from some of the supporters that are unwilling to put the constitution and the country and the conservative principles above their love for a star is really troubling. And I think that we do need to, as Americans and as conservatives and particularly as Christians, take this very seriously and understand where are we putting our vote.”

    Hooboy. These people ain’t right in the head. I wonder how long it will take her to realize her only chance at salvation is a good flip, and the sooner the better.

  27. 27.

    Yarrow

    @Baud:

    Shawn White is an asshole.

    I clicked through to his account. His bio says: “Love More, Laugh More, and Be Kind.” Failed on all three!

  28. 28.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The actual election system breaches by the Trump people are to me the most important part of both the GA and MI state cases.
    I think they have to clear out the local election board officials who allowed it. They can’t be trusted. I’m thrilled the AA Board member in Coffee County is pushing it – she’s right.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: I loved this excuse:

    Asked after the meeting, Stone told the Guardian, “I don’t know if I ever read that email,” referring to Brown’s query, which had the subject, “Washington Post inquiry.”

    “You know how it is – you may see something, and not realize the significance of it,” he added.

    I mean, it almost sounds plausible, but what person involved in govt/politics would ignore the WaPo? I probably would but only because I know it’s a subscription offer.

  30. 30.

    MagdaInBlack

    @OzarkHillbilly: I read that last night and I think it’s interesting that she went “rogue” on a right wing evangelical broadcast. I’m curious to see how that will be received by the true believers.

  31. 31.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I don’t understand how any of these people can remain on election boards. The unbroken chain of custody for collected election results – votes – is not a small thing. County law enforcement actually take custody when they move the collection devices from place to place -random people can’t just run in and make copies.

  36. 36.

    Ohio Mom

    @zhena gogolia: Skipping ahead so maybe someone else has already pointed this out: Sherrod Brown seriously considered running for President in 2020 and decided against it.

    He went on a exploratory tour in Iowa, before the caucus, and bowed out. Obviously your dinner companion missed this.

    I have my own list of fantasy presidents but I don’t bore other people with it.

  38. 38.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @BellyCat:

    Which is PRECISELY why she’s under attack by the GOP.

    I honestly don’t think the GOP is aware she’s good for turnout.  I think that is beyond their bigoted comprehension.

    It’s just that she’s a black woman (in line for power, no less).  They hate black people, and they see women as inherently victims that they can unleash all their ugliness on without danger.  Without even consciously thinking about it, they see Kamala and attack.

  39. 39.

    Splitting Image

    Speaker Kevin McCarthy, on the other hand, is full of shit, doesn’t do shit, and is scared shitless of Trump.

    Bernard Woolley cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Minister, but the Speaker can’t be full of shit if he is scared shitless of Trump. You see, if you are scared shitless by someone, then the shit has gone somewhere else and you can’t be full anymore.”

    Mr. Woolley suddenly realized that the Minister and the Secretary were both glaring at him. “Sorry, Minister,” he said. He put his hands behind his back and stood quietly.

  40. 40.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    some of the supporters that are unwilling to put the constitution and the country and the conservative principles above their love for a star

    ‘Fuck you, liberals, conservatives cannot be wrong and it is our literally god-given right to never face consequences’ is the conservative principle.

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The rightwing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is continuing to live the high life while refusing to pay a cent of the $1.5bn damages he owes families of victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting he called a hoax.

    Court documents show that the disgraced host of the far-right conspiracy theory and hoax news website Infowars is spending tens of thousands of dollars a month on “expenses” including high-end restaurants and groceries, while payments to the families are frozen following his declaration of bankruptcy last year.

    Lawyers representing the families say they may seek a court order against Jones, 49, to rein in his spending and compel the commencement of payments to their clients.

    According to court papers dated 29 August, reported by CNN, Jones spent $93,180 in July, excluding legal fees, but including more than $15,000 to the first of his two ex-wives, $7,900 for “housekeeping”, $6,338 on entertainment and meals, and $3,388 on groceries.

    In the previous two months, the amounts were $85,114 and $63,925.

    Somehow or other, I am not surprised.

  42. 42.

    Kay

    Speaking of church, I found out yesterday the new UAW president who called the strike, Shawn Fain, is a devout, liberal Christian. Calls himself a “radical” Christian which I thought was interesting.

  43. 43.

    Suzanne

    @Yarrow:

    His bio says: “Love More, Laugh More, and Be Kind.” Failed on all three!

    Yeah….. anyone who is into that LIVE LAUGH LOVE shit is a simpleton. Not sorry.

    I got banned from a Facebook architecture shaming group because the woman posted a picture of her entryway and asked what she could do to improve it, and I wrote back that she could take her dumb LIVE LAUGH LOVE sign down.

  45. 45.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    I haven’t run into this situation, but if I did I would be tempted to say: “Okay, say we ride with Biden, knowing the risks of his age but with knowledge of all of his accomplishments and the fact that he has already beaten Trump once. So he keels over on the Resolute Desk and the über-qualified Kamala Harris becomes president. What’s the downside, other than that she’s a Black woman?” I would love to hear the response to that.

  49. 49.

    narya

    @Suzanne:

    I wrote back that she could take her dumb LIVE LAUGH LOVE sign down.

    You have personally made my day. One of my best friends and I continually marvel at the amount of decorative words people strew about their homes.

  50. 50.

    opiejeanne

    @Suzanne: Hahaha!

    I almost got banned from a vintage sewing machine group* for pointing out that the half-hour long “how to fix things” videos by one guy could almost all be edited down to about 6 minutes. They all love him, but he spends too much time maundering and repeating himself.

    *a bunch of collectors and enablers: Buy that machine, it’s the greatest one ever built.

  55. 55.

    opiejeanne

    @narya: I have two: “I was left unsupervised” and “Pie fixes everything”, but they’re just sitting on a couple of shelves in the dining room.

  59. 59.

    Yarrow

    @Suzanne:  That’s hilarious. I completely agree. At one point during a horrific work situation where management had brought in wildly expensive consultants to justify stupid changes they couldn’t make otherwise, I printed out small versions of the Demotivator posters and had them at my desk. Some of my “Live, laugh, love” type co-workers were appalled. I thought they were very apt.

  61. 61.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Suzanne: I am pro-living, laughing, and loving, but exhorting people to do it like that just seems totalitarian. Like telling strangers in the street to smile.

  64. 64.

    eversor

    @bbleh:

    While I agree it’s important to do it she’s the wrong person to be doing it.  The youngs don’t like Harris.  She’s toxic.  It’s counter productive to the point she may decrease the youth vote if she is the outreach to them.

    You know who can turn out the youth vote?  AOC or Omar.  There’s our outreach and keep Harris away from it.

    Prediction.  Harris will not win the nomination in 2028.  If somehow her stans manage to make that happen despite it being well known she can’t turn out the youngs and drives them away she’s going to lose the general and cause losses in the house and senate.

    And her issues among the youth have nothing to do with her being a woman or a POC.  AOC and The Squad are widely loved by the younger generation and they are all women of color.

  66. 66.

    Cacti

    While criticism of Bolsonaro is fair and warranted, let’s not pretend that Lula is some wonderful replacement.

    Lula is an absolute bootlicker for Putin. A rump swab. A shill. A flack. A ho. Pick your pejorative.

  67. 67.

    BellyCat

    @Frankensteinbeck: Agree with your stated motivations but suspect at least one GOP strategist influential with the MOTU actually understands the required path to the Whitehouse and recognizes that Kamala is lapping the GOP in this race. She MUST be taken down at all costs or the wealthy are going to see increased taxes and greater business regulation. Thus, with a rabid misogynistic and racist base, these cards get played because they got nuthin’ else!

  70. 70.

    eversor

    @Yarrow:

    LOL I have the “meetings all of us are as good as none of us”, “eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines”, “initiative, try harder fail anyway” and a few others myself.  Though I work in IT where demotivational posters are loved because they are so damn true.

  71. 71.

    kalakal

    @opiejeanne: A lot of of YouTube “How to” videos have become full of filler over the last few years and most of the blame goes to Youtube. They shifted their algorithms for promoting items to favour longer videos so they can fit in more advertising. So if you want people to see your videos…

    That’s why something that should take 1 minute takes 10. OTOH some people are just ramblers 😄

  72. 72.

    Yarrow

    @narya:  So many seem to revolve around wine. I get that people like it but is it necessary to have signs about it in one’s home?

  76. 76.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Things are getting interesting down in Coffee County. It would seem some folks aren’t too happy with “the digital information obtained is now in an unknown number of hands.” I wonder why that would upset people?

    I would be amazed if those upset people are upset for the reasons you might think. But, maybe I don’t give them enough credit.

  77. 77.

    p.a.

    With Kamala as Veep, I’m frankly not worried about JoeB’s health.  I hope he lives far beyond his second term, but if she needs to step in, that’s how life and the Constitution work.

    Contrast that with TIFG and his first Impeachment, when his acolytes whined about “robbing us of our election win.” if he were convicted.   As if there wasn’t Mike (Animated Cream Cheese Sculpture) Pence ready to step in.

    Would Pence have won in 2020?  Would the Orange Shitstain have been able to run again in 2020 after being removed?   Does the Constitution speak to this?  I have a feeling it might not, as those old white dudes made a big thing about “honor”.  They might not have been able to conceive of someone dishonored by convicted impeachment being debased enough to try to return.

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @narya: That kind of thing is not to my taste at all, but my s-i-l loves it.  She grew up in a very turbulent, broken home environment.  It has cause her to do two things.  First, to work for a non-profit group that operates a shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.  Second, to try to make her home as perfect a representation of suburban normalcy as she can.  We need to be careful before we judge.

  79. 79.

    eversor

    @Baud:

    I agree!  And they are putting in the work.   But saying Harris is going to help with the youth vote is some galaxy brain level lunacy.  She’s despised by the youngs.

  82. 82.

    Yarrow

    @eversor:  Yeah, I was IT-adjacent (complicated story). The IT guys who loved them but some of the “be happy at all costs” types in my immediate area were horrified.

  84. 84.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Better than that live, laugh, love stuff.

    Small Kindnesses

    I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
    down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
    to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
    when someone sneezes, a leftover
    from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
    And sometimes, when you spill lemons
    from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
    pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
    We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
    and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
    at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
    to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
    and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
    We have so little of each other, now. So far
    from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
    What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
    fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
    have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”

    by Danusha Laméris

  87. 87.

    CaseyL

    @Yarrow: I love the demotivational posters, and had a couple on my cubicle at some long-vanished job.  It’s amazing how many people just saw the image, never read the caption, and assumed it was a generic cheery message.

  88. 88.

    Nukular Biskits

    @eversor:

    While I agree it’s important to do it she’s the wrong person to be doing it. The youngs don’t like Harris. She’s toxic. It’s counter productive to the point she may decrease the youth vote if she is the outreach to them.

    Upon what do you base this assertion?

  89. 89.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eversor: We’re going to need something more than your bald assertion for that.  Any documentation?  I see her drawing large crowds of young people wherever she goes. Anomalies?

  90. 90.

    eversor

    @Yarrow:

    It takes a certain amount of masochism to work in IT.  It’s one of those jobs where when everything is going well nobody notices what you do and wonders why you exist.   When someone actually needs you (as something crashed, usually due to user error) everyoone notices and then wonders why you exist.  You can’t win!  Which explains why the IT department is riddled with alcoholics pumped to the gills with caffiene.

    In almost all places IT is allowed to ask for your password.  You can change it after if you care we really don’t.  But you get people who throw a fit as you will snoop on them.  Which is sort of funny cause I can make your password to whatever I want, I have your logs, also at the firewall level so I know everything you’ve been doing to start with you ain’t hiding shit from me.

    One of the best posters was “Quality.  The race for quality has no finish line.  So technically it’s more like a death march.”

  91. 91.

    BellyCat

    @eversor: Can you remind us why you believe Kamala doesn’t do it for the yoot? Genuinely curious as I agree that AOC and Abrams are sure hits, but doubt either has what it takes with the non-youths to be elected Preznit (yet).

  93. 93.

    Scout211

    We had some fun in the overnight thread at Lauren Boebert’s expense.  She did issue a bought and paid for statement of “apology” (I posted last night) claiming that she “genuinely didn’t” recall vaping or doing all those other things that she was caught in video doing and saying. And she has anxiety and other excuses . . .  but she is truly sorry!

    Clay Jones’ cartoon of the day: Lauren Boebert

  94. 94.

    Yarrow

    @eversor:

    But saying Harris is going to help with the youth vote is some galaxy brain level lunacy. She’s despised by the youngs.

    Where are you getting your data? This article covers a poll in May where she seems very popular with young people.

    In what could have broad implications for the 2024 election, a new poll found that the nation’s youngest voters overwhelmingly support Vice President Kamala Harris.

    The Economist/YouGov.com poll was conducted between April 29 and May 2 and surveyed 1,500 adults.

  95. 95.

    Nukular Biskits

    @kalakal:

    Having participated in a contract proposal just a few months ago, it’s not easy for the average Joe to “present” information in a concise, efficient/effective manner and keep the audience engaged.

    I’m not what I’d consider to be a “natural” when it comes to public speaking.  I don’t have a problem with speaking in front of large groups but, from experience, it takes a LOT of prep and rehearsal to convey the message in a manner that people will both understand and, hopefully, agree.

    With respect to our contract proposal, our team spent MONTHS working on our presentations and our accompanying scripts.  My own portion was a total of 20 minutes, max, and I lost count of how many times I rehearsed my presentation, recording and timing it, only to rework it.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

    In any case, yes, a lot of those folks making “how-to” videos, while they may be SMEs and have a passion to share their knowledge, should put a little more effort into their efforts.

  98. 98.

    lee

    I got this from a fark.com comment:

    “The left largely wants everyone to sing a chord, with many notes harmonized. The right wants everyone to sing the same note, and are now starting to fight over which note to sing. ”

    Thought it was a pretty good analogy and wanted to share with my fellow jackals.

  100. 100.

    eversor

    @Nukular Biskits:

    Her polling numbers suck, she tanked among them in the last primary, and her history as a prosecutor makes her an utter non starter among the age groups that do not like prosecutors or cops at all.

    Also annecdotal stuff.  I’m at the oldest edge of millenials so my age cohort is that and generation Z.  AOC and The Squad are loved, Sanders is sort of meh but viewed positively.  Biden is too old but they still like him.  Harris loathed.

    2028 is a long way out but I’d bet money right now that if Harris is the nominee the GOP will get the trifecta and her stans will blame everyone but themselves for backing someone it’s obvious would cause that level of damage.

  103. 103.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    When I see claims on other forums or social media sites such as that put out by eversor, the response usually falls into one of the following categories:

    1. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, STUPID LIBTARD!
    2. Because … uh … er … SHADDUP, STUPID LIB! THAT’S WHY! GAWD BLESS MURKA!
    3. <crickets chirping>
  106. 106.

    Yarrow

    @Omnes Omnibus:  This is a good point. Whatever works for people and gets them through the day in a whole manner is fine with me. I may not understand why people feel the need to have Live, Laugh, Love wall art and pillows but if they like it, fine.

    Depending how things are done it can sometimes come across as lecturing others as to how to be. It can verge on toxic positivity, which is not great either.

  107. 107.

    Nukular Biskits

    @eversor:

    Not trying to pick a fight here but when someone makes a claim, they should be more than willing to provide the publicly-verifiable evidence that supports said claim.

    I asked for that evidence.  You provided none.

    The burden of proof is upon the claimant, not the skeptic.

    Show your work, please.

  111. 111.

    Yarrow

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Are you watching the rugby? I finally got to see Fiji v Wales. Wow, what a match. I love Fiji. So fun to watch. Halfway through Thursday’s France v Uruguay. I have a soft spot for Uruguay after last RWC.

    Edit: I’m working hard to avoid spoilers so appreciate if you don’t mention results.

  113. 113.

    Nukular Biskits

    @eversor:

    Granted, this was from May but, still:

    When asked whether Harris qualified to be president, 52% of the Gen Z voters responded in the affirmative. That’s second only to Black voters’ 58%.

    When it came to the topic of whether Gen Z voters think Harris is honest and trustworthy, 52% of the young respondents said yes. That’s in comparison to 61% of Black voters responding the same way.

    Finally, on likeability, 51% of the Gen Z voters surveyed responded in the affirmative regardless of whether they are with her politics. Sixty percent of Black voters responded similarly.

     

    Young Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Of VP Kamala Harris, New Poll Finds. Here’s What That Means

  114. 114.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yarrow: Yes, it comes off as cloying to me.  But I don’t need to live there.  She makes my brother happy.  So what the fuck do I care?

  117. 117.

    Shalimar

    @eversor: AOC and Omar aren’t on the ticket.  And I saw a poll the other day that had Harris’ popularity with under 30 voters at 70%.  I have never seen a poll showing her to be toxic.  You have a citation for that rather extreme opinion?

  118. 118.

    lee

    This tracks with my kids (23 & 26).

    They both greatly dislike Harris simply because she was a prosecutor. The youngest has finally started to see past the nonsense and appreciate everything that Biden has done.

  119. 119.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yarrow: I am watching what I can.  I’ve been kind of busy, so sometimes I just get the highlights.  Avoiding most spoilers, I’ll just say poor Namibia.

  120. 120.

    Splitting Image

    @eversor:

    2028 is a long way out but I’d bet money right now that if Harris is the nominee the GOP will get the trifecta and her stans will blame everyone but themselves for backing someone it’s obvious would cause that level of damage.

    If people don’t turn out to vote because they don’t like the personality of the Democratic presidential candidate, they deserve everything the Republicans do to them.

  123. 123.

    The Thin Black Duke

    What Eversor is saying is the white folks he knows don’t like Kamala. Take that for what it’s worth.

  124. 124.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eversor: I don’t know.  I am getting a “but not that woman” vibe from you.  Especially since you are making strong claims and not showing data to back them up.

  125. 125.

    lowtechcyclist

    that man needs Jesus again

    What on earth makes them think that Trump might’ve ever had Jesus in the first place?

  126. 126.

    Ivan X

    I think it is true that yoots had some anti-Kamala sentiment in the 2020 primary. I will admit that I did, myself, but for different reasons.

    I think two years have gone by with a successful administration, and opinions have changed, both for them, and for me.

    I am basing this on no data and I will not cite my sources. They are anecdotal and represent the smallest of sample sizes. Ok fine, it’s my Gen Z nephew.

  127. 127.

    eversor

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Most of the people I know aren’t white!  I live in an area that’s largely Latino and Asian.  I work in IT support which is largely Asian and African American. Hell the genre of online games I mostly play, fighters, is so majority minority there are jokes about it.  The white male friends I have are mostly gay.

    But sure make your assumptions!

  130. 130.

    narya

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yeah, your words about your SIL are precisely why I try hard to be kind in my head as well as in real life (do not always succeed . . .). I think it’s the HGTV version of it that grates most on my nerves. The older I get, the luckier I feel; my immediate family has survived tragedy and is definitely a bit unorthodox, but also stable, non-chaotic, no addiction issues, etc. I feel lucky because I see so many others who have not had the benefit of that.

  131. 131.

    narya

    @Omnes Omnibus: My thought as well. I have the wine and mushrooms; no shopping needed. And I’ve made the pie crust. Still gonna make a trip to Penzey’s so I can get my free vanilla.

  135. 135.

    Ivan X

    @Splitting Image: Unfortunately, I think personality, and charisma specifically, is the #1 predictor of presidential races in the TV era. 2020 was an anomaly, but that was only because Trump was so hateful in his four years that he motivated people to come out and vote against him.

  136. 136.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Chief Oshkosh: The ones who aren’t upset, don’t show up.

    eta: and I’m not talking about them. Still, the election board is getting nervous, hence the hiring of an atty to sit in the meetings and, do what?

  138. 138.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @eversor:

    But sure make your assumptions!

    Honestly, it doesn’t matter who you are getting this from.  The polls, thank goodness, say you are wrong, and the people you happen to know are the exceptions.

    So don’t worry about it.  She’s not toxic, she’s a youth motivator.

  141. 141.

    eversor

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Nah.  The issue, as someone above also echoed is that she was a prosecutor.  Aka, she’s a cop!  Which is enough to make her a non starter with a huge swath of people who are politically engaged.  Especially after George Floyd and BLM.

    Is it silly?  Yes.  Do I personally care?  No.  Is it a massive issue for getting out the vote?   Yes.

  142. 142.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Shalimar: Here’s a YouGov tracking poll in which Harris’s popularity among the young has suffered a strange large drop from May to August, for reasons that are hard to fathom–is there anything that happened or is it something like a change in polling methodology? Maybe it’s about third-party candidates attracting attention? These youth numbers seem pretty volatile.

    https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/kamala-harris-favorability?crossBreak=under30

    But the young are still her best demographic.

  143. 143.

    Nukular Biskits

    @eversor:

    But sure make your assumptions!

    Sorry, but I just can’t let this go.

    Someone posting their own assumptions as matters-of-fact (and then refusing to provide any evidence to support them) and then accusing others of assuming … that is a bit ironic.

    You want to qualify your initial claim as your humble opinion? Fine. I’m good with that.  Opinions are like buttholes … everybody has one.

    But when you present your assumptions/opinions as unassailable fact, then defend them as such while refusing to support them with actual facts, THEN accuse others of doing what you’re doing … it’s murdering irony.

  144. 144.

    Brachiator

    @eversor:

    Her polling numbers suck, she tanked among them in the last primary, and her history as a prosecutor makes her an utter non starter among the age groups that do not like prosecutors or cops at all.

    Isn’t the black woman in Georgia taking Trump down a prosecutor?

    Do you and your buddies dislike her as much as you dislike Harris?

    As for the future, let’s concentrate on winning 2024. There’s no point in worrying about 2028.

  145. 145.

    Shalimar

    @eversor: Polls show being a former prosecutor (which is not the same as cop, totally different training and social status) is not an issue for most people.

  147. 147.

    JMG

    Assuming Biden wins in 2024 (that’d be nice), I hope the debaters above are aware that how voters view conditions in 2028 will determine a) if Harris wins nomination (she’ll have a leg up, maybe both legs) and b) if the Democratic nominee, Harris or someone else, wins. You are arguing about an unforeseeable future, about literally nothing.

  148. 148.

    Ken

    @Nukular Biskits: Young Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Of VP Kamala Harris, New Poll Finds. Here’s What That Means

    It means Very Serious People will soon be questioning the 26th amendment, and asking whether 18-year-olds are really mature and informed enough to exercise the franchise.

  149. 149.

    Matt McIrvin

    @eversor: The loudest online “she’s a cop” people are the same ones now bashing AOC for not rejecting Biden and the Democratic Party.

  150. 150.

    RevRick

    Aren’t we getting a little over our skis here with speculation about 2028? I mean, shouldn’t we focus our attention on 2024?

    The reality is that Biden will be the nominee and Harris will be his running mate. Anything else would be a self-inflicted wound by the Democrats. And the election will be a rematch with Trump, who poses even more of a threat to our democracy than in 2020.
    All the brouhaha about Harris is nonsense. She’s the VP, an office that is both nothing and everything. Her job, basically, is to cheerlead the administration policy and whatever else President Biden asks of her. Joe has essentially made her first among equals on his team. Clearly, he sees something in her despite the right hook she landed on him the 2016 debates.

  151. 151.

    Hildebrand

    I mean, if we are sharing anecdata, my two kids (21 and 27), and respective significant others, are all quite enthused with the Biden/Harris ticket.

    Now, the 21 year old is hoping that Whitmer runs in 2028, but that’s because we’ve lived in Michigan since 2015 and we all love how she has turned this state around.  But she is very clear that that’s a 2028 thing – getting Biden and Harris re-elected is the only thing that matters right now.

  152. 152.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Ken:

    I’ve never understood those folks other than to ascribe their positions/arguments to being matters of political and/or ideological convenience.

    For example, an 18-year old isn’t mature enough to understand the issues so they shouldn’t be allowed to vote … yet a 15-year old is mature enough to stand trial as an adult.

    How can someone rationalize that?

  154. 154.

    Matt McIrvin

    @JMG: The biggest unknown (apart from whether we win 2024) is just whether Joe Biden dies in the next four years. Incumbent President Harris is a totally different scenario from VP Harris as competitor in an open 2028 primary. I’m willing to wait and see about that.

    And if she doesn’t win the primary in 2028… fine. She was my second choice in 2020, behind Warren but way ahead of Biden, but none of that matters at all.

  155. 155.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @RevRick: despite the right hook she landed on him the 2016 debates.

    I suspect that her ability and willingness to do that was part of her appeal.

  157. 157.

    eversor

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Oh no.  I read the Bible.  I’ve been to church.  I know exactly what Christianity is and demands.  It’s those who don’t admit that it’s all patriarchy and gender roles at core who are utterly full of shit and pulling “Hitler was all about making trains run on time” nonsense.

    As to Harris I predicted Clinton would lose to Trump and the youth vote wouldn’t turn out.  I was told I was wrong then and look what happened.   Harris vs DeSantis will be a similar sad trombone sound moment.

  158. 158.

    Miss Bianca

    @The Thin Black Duke: Blargh. Boobert is supposed to be grifting from a cohort of her former constituency (we were re-districted into CD-7 from CD-3, thank God) at a coffeeshop katty-corner to MY theater later this morning.

    Ugh. Just hope she isn’t hanging around for our showing of Barbie tonight. Not looking for a Barbie-Boobie match-up, thanks!//

  160. 160.

    Splitting Image

    @Ivan X:

    Unfortunately, I think personality, and charisma specifically, is the #1 predictor of presidential races in the TV era. 2020 was an anomaly, but that was only because Drumpf was so hateful in his four years that he motivated people to come out and vote against him.

    You’re not wrong, I think. But when people vote, or don’t vote, based on somebody’s supposed lack of charisma, it’s a crock when they come around years later and blame other people for how those elections turned out.

    Five out of nine current Supreme Court justices were placed because of the outcomes of two elections, 2000 and 2016. There’s your Dobbs majority right there. Anyone who has to be motivated to vote knowing this is part of the problem.

  161. 161.

    cain

    I really like that John Cole guy – someone should try to see if we can recruit him to be a front pager here. Really insightful!

  162. 162.

    Citizen Alan

    @lee: The “Kamala is a cop” complaint is one of the stupidest things i’ve ever heard. It’s an admission that deep down, you want all prosecutors to be conservative republicans. Because otherwise it would interfere with your edgy hipster ACAB generalizations.

  163. 163.

    Kirk

    @RevRick:

     Clearly, he sees something in her despite the right hook she landed on him the 2016 debates.

    From what I’ve learned of Biden I can’t help thinking Harris is in the position she is BECAUSE of that right hook

    eta: and Omnes beat me to it.

  164. 164.

    laura

    @eversor: maybe pull you head out your ass and take a look at the Long lines of people on campus waiting to see her, or the Cheering and excitement of the crowds welcoming her to the stage and Hanging on her every word. Or don’t. Kamala Devi Harris may not be popular with you, the punditry, and she gets little to no MSM coverage, but she is popular with the Yutes of America and they do not appear to feel slighted that she’s not AOC.

  166. 166.

    kalakal

    @Nukular Biskits: I do a lot of lectures/presentations. For me the rehearsal is the key, I always run through them with the long suffering Mrs kalakal. She’s an excellent critic. The first run through is usually pretty bad. It’s also vital for getting your timing right.

    If I had a Youtube channel I’d be really, really quality conscious. There’s loads of people with a ton of knowledge and enthusiasm, they’ve done 90% of the work and it’s a shame when they detract from it when it could be so easily fixed

  167. 167.

    Miss Bianca

    @eversor: So, you don’t limit your bigotry to Christianity anymore, you’re letting your misogynoir freak flag fly now? Dude, do not presume to speak for youth. You don’t have any more clue about them than you do about anything else.

  168. 168.

    Brachiator

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Here’s a YouGov tracking poll in which Harris’s popularity among the young has suffered a strange large drop from May to August, for reasons that are hard to fathom.

    I don’t understand what the polls are measuring or how it relates to the general election. I would not even say that it correlates to voter intent.

    It’s also odd that some of the comments here are trying to rerun the 2020 contest. It’s not like the Democrats are going to push a reset button and choose new candidates.

  169. 169.

    Lyrebird

    @Omnes Omnibus: ​

    Thanks Omnes for once again making the space in the tent bigger. Or keeping some folks from being edged out. Even without such dire histories, some of us have minds that can tune into the demotivator channel so easily that a big font Live, Love, Laugh plaque can be… as good as a great photo of Steve, or of Yoda the brave police doggo.

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: ​
     

    That’s a beautiful poem, and one I’d never read before, thanks!

  170. 170.

    Nukular Biskits

    @kalakal:

    Thanks for the reply. I had forgotten that’s how I started off this morning … until I read eversor’s fact-free nonsense.

    Anyway, agreed 100%.  I applaud the enthusiasm of those who want to share what they know. As someone who has skipped through a number of “Watch as Bubba Demonstrates How to Replace Your O2 Sensor” Youtube videos (or similar), I just wish they’d put a little more thought & prep into their efforts.

  171. 171.

    cain

    @LiminalOwl: I heard the date is with a Democrat. So she’s fondling Democrat body parts while vaping? Oh boy…. that divorce is really messing her up. (that said, her husband is a completely toxic predator – and probably good to get away from him)

  172. 172.

    Miss Bianca

    @The Thin Black Duke: Huh. What a shocker of a theory. Hate-filled bigot apparently surrounded by hate-filled bigots? HOW COULD THIS BE?

    ETA: And now he’s pulling out the “No, no I’m akshually surrounded by minority best friends!” schtick. Man, he just couldn’t be anymore of a Toon. Or do I mean, Tool?

  173. 173.

    Nukular Biskits

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    As humans, we’re all guilty to some extent of cognitive dissonance and compartmentalization.

    But it seems to require Olympic-level measures of each to expound upon some (most? all?) “conservative” positions and keep a straight face.

  176. 176.

    Brachiator

    @laura:

    Kamala Devi Harris may not be popular with you, the punditry, and she gets little to no MSM coverage, but she is popular with the Yutes of America and they do not appear to feel slighted that she’s not AOC.

    I greatly respect AOC, but I don’t see her as the answer to every youth vote question. Also, it should be obvious that the Democrats will have everyone involved later in the campaign.

  177. 177.

    Ohio Mom

    @eversor: I think I’m luckier than you. I have such a long list of (mostly) personal worries, the 2028 election doesn’t even break the top 100.

    When I do have an unanxious moment to think about 2028, I think there will be a lot of contestants. If Harris decides to run for president, she will have competition.

    Now back to metaphorically biting my nails about various other matters.

  179. 179.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Bottom line, the yoots are voting for a future that old farts like me won’t be around to see.

    Sure, the present they’re stuck with sucks, but it’s what it is.

    Some acquaintances that I used to know who spewed anti-Hillary rhetoric are the same purity pony putzes screaming about Dobbs.

    More often than not, non-decisions lead to lousy outcomes.

    Choose carefully.

  180. 180.

    Hildebrand

    @eversor: I’m getting the sense that you are the victim of too small of sampling size – both in your hatred of Christians and your understanding of support for the VP.

    Broaden your pool of experiences, conversations, and (likely), news sources.

    As has been shown in folks posting poll results, VP Harris is quite popular among the youth.

    Likewise, there is a vibrant progressive Christianity out there that does important work every single day to live out what the prophet Micah called to people to: Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.  I know, because I have the privilege to serve an awesome congregation on the East Side of Detroit that does amazing work in our neighborhood and city.  You are invited anytime you are in Detroit.  Plus, the gospel music is so good.

    Balloon Juice has always felt like a place where people are at least willing to have their attitudes challenged – so, maybe everyone else isn’t out of step on this, maybe you need to check your presuppositions.

  184. 184.

    scav

    @Miss Bianca: “Low rent attention seeking” does seem to be spelled “evers” for now. Well, at least the beast is cobbling together his 15 minutes of mere human interaction today the only way he knows how.

  186. 186.

    cain

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    What Eversor is saying is the white folks he knows don’t like Kamala. Take that for what it’s worth.

    I was going to say the same thing – and also Kamala is also half Indian and her mother comes from my community (south Indian)

    To the rest of the crowd – guess which community is 100% reliable to vote Democratic? The youth vote has historically been capricious.

  187. 187.

    japa21

    Regarding Harris and the youth vote:
    1. She is going to be the nominee, period.
    2. The youth vote or non-vote may well be the key to this election.
    3. Regardless of how the youth views her at this precise moment in time (not as bad as eversor thinks) improving her standing with the youth is important.
    4. Keeping her away from the youth will not do that.
    5. People that see her in person frequently come away from those meetings more impressed with her than they were before the meeting.
    6. The other option would be to send Biden to all the college campuses which isn’t really an option.

  188. 188.

    Kay

    The Times and The Sunday Times
    @thetimes
    36m
    🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Russell Brand has been accused of rape and sexual assaults by women who have broken their silence on alleged attacks between 2006 and 2013
    This is a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and @C4Dispatches

    Really harrowing. One of the alleged victims is 16. Brand was 31.

    The misogny among the Left to Right horseshoe folks is underanalyzed, IMO. Also among the anti wokes but of course there’s overlap- Brand is also an anti woke ninny.
    There’s several threads that run through this stuff and one of them is misogyny.

  190. 190.

    Miss Bianca

    @scav: I’m reminded of a line from one of the Chicago DJs who used to pepper his morning delivery of news of the weird with, “It’s a cry for help, ladies and gentlemen, and no one, absolutely no one, is listening.”

  193. 193.

    Ruckus

    @Splitting Image:

    You see, if you are scared shitless by someone, then the shit has gone somewhere else and you can’t be full anymore.”

    Everyone makes more shit. If you are normally full of it you can make a lot more of it very fast. In some cases instantaneously.

  195. 195.

    cain

    @Nukular Biskits:

    15 years old – ::scoffs:: much younger my friend.

    https://www.wpr.org/charged-homicide-shooting-death-his-mother-10-year-old-being-tried-adult-some-legal-experts-say

    The boy is now facing a first-degree reckless homicide charge and a harsher first-degree intentional homicide charge, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment. In Wisconsin, children as young as 10 are automatically charged as adults for some crimes, including homicide.

    Your GOP political establishment right there.

  196. 196.

    wjca

    @eversor: While I agree it’s important to do it she’s the wrong person to be doing it.  The youngs don’t like Harris.  She’s toxic.  It’s counter productive to the point she may decrease the youth vote if she is the outreach to them.

    Perhaps you have actual, you know, evidence for this that you would care to share?

  197. 197.

    Nukular Biskits

    @kalakal:

    I just can’t help myself sometimes.

    As someone who believes in facts, evidence and supporting claims with the aforementioned, it irritates me to no end when someone climbs Bullshit Mountain and issues proclamations from on high.

    My work environment is filled with Bullshit Mountain hikers/climbers and I have to listen to that kind of crap all day long, so I was already primed.  Like you, I try to stay out of discussions like that (cue the cliche’ about mud-rasslin’ with a pig).

    Occasionally, I’ll remind folks that they’re not paid to pontificate about politics/culture while on the clock and, if they disagree, I’ll be more than happy to discuss the matter with their respective managers (I’m a manager as well).

  198. 198.

    patrick II

    @Kay:

    That part of the scheme confuses me. Was Sidney Powell a true believer who wanted to find evidence of fraud or a true fascist trying to add some votes for Trump?

    Either way, I agree it was a very serious breach of security, law, and constitutional principles and should be dealt with harshly.

  200. 200.

    cain

    @wjca: He doesn’t have any evidence just a gut feeling / anecdotal stuff/  thoughts and feels.

    ETA #200! I’m honored.

    ETA I beat out Another Scout!!

  201. 201.

    Another Scott

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: He reported a few threads ago about his horrific experiences in his church history.  And we probably all have compassion for him for that.

    Obviously, similarly, all formal education should be abolished because there have been too many evil teachers.  It’s just logic, amirite??

    [ sigh ]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  202. 202.

    trollhattan

    Guessing 17 years in a Brazilian prison is like 50 actual years.

    Bolsonaro would pardon all these mooks in a heartbeat. Who knows if he’ll get the chance?

  203. 203.

    cain

    @Another Scott: I’ve had friends who are like eversor – they don’t even want to hear the word ‘ spiritual’ because it reminds them of church and the sexual abuse they endured at their hands.

  204. 204.

    wjca

    @Geminid: even Boebert can see that electorally, she’s skating thin ice.

    Perhaps this explains her behavior with the boyfriend: trying to position herself for life after Congress.

  205. 205.

    Yarrow

    @Kay:

    The misogny among the Left to Right horseshoe folks is underanalyzed, IMO.

    Misogyny in the US is underanalyzed, period. People don’t seem to want to admit it exists. It does and it has big impacts on life in the US, whether in politics, business, home, or any other sphere.

  209. 209.

    Baud

    Everyone seems to be making the same mistake of treating young people like a monolith.  Even if only 20% of young people like Harris, we need them to vote too.

  210. 210.

    Ruckus

    @opiejeanne:

    I worked in professional sports for some time in my life. I can easily see many ways some humans will spend a lot to show their worth, which other than being good at a particular sport or thing their real worth as a human is less than zero. Huge ego, one exceptional but narrow talent. and zero humanity. IOW they are getting paid very well for the one and only thing they can do and are useless at anything else. If you didn’t see them do that one thing very well, you’d extremely easily see they couldn’t work at any normal human job.

  211. 211.

    Tony G

    Am I the only one asking myself “Who the f*** is Shawn White”?  I just tried a Google search of that name, with that spelling, and found nothing.  Does he really exist?

  216. 216.

    Geminid

    @Yarrow: Misogyny is certainly widespread, but it does seem to be a common trait of many men out there on the left/right “horseshoe” ends. They may be reacting to the relative empowerment of women within the Democratic Party.

    I see it also among “centrists” like Nate Silver who try to undermine Vice President Harris. She seems to be a sort of touchstone for misogyny. Pretty much everyone I’ve seen questioning her presence on the Biden ticket is a man, and a White man at that.

  218. 218.

    Tony G

    @Ruckus: It’s not only sports figures.  During my “career” in I.T., I worked some guys (only men, for some reason) who concluded that since they were pretty good at coding and debugging they were therefore god-like figures.  “Intelligent idiots”.

  220. 220.

    Tony G

    @Baud: The so-called “tech” industry has failed to create Artificial Intelligence — but they’ve been very successful in deploying Artificial Stupidity!

  221. 221.

    wjca

    A bit surprised that nobody picked up on the quote from a “senior Republican leader” in Politico:

    Then the debate will be, ‘Which is more damning?’ You know, President Trump has unclassified documents and RICO charges in Georgia. Or your president, your sitting president, can bribe Ukraine, Romania and China. That will be the debate.

    And the last time that an election turned on foreign policy (exclusive of our involvement in a war) would be when exactly?  Sounds like grasping at straws.

  222. 222.

    Tony G

    @Geminid: I’m not the first person in history to notice this, but women can’t win with a certain (large) segment of the population.  They’re despised no matter what they do.  It’s a bit of a problem.

  223. 223.

    Kathleen

    @bbleh: And what’s awesome is that she’s not only engaging young voters she’s also building a new generation of leadership in the Democratic Party.

    ETA: I don’t see any discussion of this point which is good because heads in Pundlandia would really explode at the thought of young Black people assuming leadership in the Democratic Party, which is the root cause of why they loathe and revile the Party to begin with.

  227. 227.

    Yarrow

    @Nukular Biskits: Eversor moved the goalposts. The original discussion was about Harris motivating young people to come out and vote for the Biden-Harris ticket in 2024. He said she’d depress the vote. When called on that with polls showing he was wrong he started saying she didn’t have a shot at winning in 2028.

    I agree she may not win in 2028, just as any Dem may have trouble in 2028 if Biden wins in 2024, since historically voters seem to vote in a president of a different party after two terms with a president from one party. Not always, but usually.

    Polls show she’s popular with young people, which is what matters for the 2024 election. Which is the only national election that matters right now.

  228. 228.

    Geminid

    @Tony G: This a more a potential problem, I think. Kamala Harris ran as Vice President in 2020, and Biden still won. I know some people fret about how Harris would have an inside track for the 2028 nomination if Biden wins again, but that’s a 2028 problem and not a 2023 problem.

  229. 229.

    Yarrow

    @Ohio Mom: I don’t know who Shaun/Shawn White is and I don’t know who Russel Brand is, either.

    Shaun White is a pretty famous Olympic snowboarder who has won a lot medals through many years.

    I don’t know who Shawn White is. His bio on Twitter says he’s an actor living in Atlanta. And he’s Black. Is he real? Who knows.

    Russell Brand is an English comedian/actor who has a history of substance abuse issues. He was married to the singer Katy Perry for awhile. Now he’s a crank with a podcast.

  230. 230.

    MattF

    No link, but a recent video shows TFG saying he beat Obama and is now leading Obama in the polls. This may get ugly sooner than expected.

  231. 231.

    Yarrow

    @Geminid: The left/right horseshoe men may be more outspoken about it but it’s pretty common with men not in that group. Like “centrist” Nate Silver, as you pointed out. He certainly isn’t the only one.

  232. 232.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    Harris would have a tough primary because we have a lot of talented Dems waiting in the wings.  But 2028 is too far off to speculate about.

  233. 233.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Has anyone mentioned that Shawn White is an asshole yet?  Haven’t read the whole thread, you see.

  234. 234.

    AM in NC

    Looks like the MAGA choads are going to save Ken Paxton’s bacon from conviction and removal in his senate trial.   You know, conviction from charges brought by Republicans, and whose witnesses were all republicans.     They made mouth noises about “accountability” in the House, but when push comes to shove, it’s Party over Country (or in this case, state) EVERY FUCKING TIME.

    I sure hope the Texas Democratic Party hangs this around the GOP’s necks like a burning tire

     

    ETA – and I hope it leads to serious warfare among the Texass Republicans

  235. 235.

    scav

    @MattF: More votes than George Washington without a doubt!  Abraham Lincoln shot himself in order to relinquish the office to him!  (only after first saying “Sir!” with a tear in his eye.) The Baby Jesus relinquished his seat on his mother’s lap to him and told him to have good feel!

  239. 239.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Kay: So, one of those actual followers of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, like Jimmy Carter, who are hated with the heat of 10,000 suns by fundigelical assholes.

  243. 243.

    Kay

    @patrick II:

    who wanted to find evidence of fraud or a true fascist trying to add some votes for Trump?

    That isn’t how they would do it. They would plant evidence of fraud. People need to start being more imaginative about how a coup would work – they’re sleazy, underhanded criminals, not soldiers. There aren’t going to be tanks and machine guns.

  244. 244.

    eversor

    @Miss Bianca:

    And yet I said a Black Muslim woman (Omar) would be a good reach out to the youth.

    The only thing I’m against is Christianity.  And what I do not want is to lose more elections till generation Z is in power and the full wrath of two generations comes down on that horrible ideology and freedom of religion turns into a sword against it legally and in the courts.  Along with two generations which are not only not religious, but actively hostile to Christianity.  That’s when the change comes.

  245. 245.

    Brachiator

    @wjca:

    Then the debate will be, ‘Which is more damning?’ You know, President Trump has unclassified documents and RICO charges in Georgia. Or your president, your sitting president, can bribe Ukraine, Romania and China. That will be the debate.

    Too easy. Private citizen Trump stole classified documents from the United States government and refused to return them. Trump tried to steal an election and incite an insurrection against the United States. He is being prosecuted for his crimes.

    The Republicans have spent years investigating Biden for unspecified offenses.

    Next.

  246. 246.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @kalakal: The only good thing about banging your head against a wall is how great it feels when you stop

    Bliss, I tell you.  Bliss!

  253. 253.

    Rileys Enabler

    @AM in NC: it won’t. This has all been a flex by little Danny Goeb, it was cooked into the pie from the start.

    The craven Texas Dems voting with the Repubs are just the rancid icing on the shit cupcake.

    I give up.

  259. 259.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @kalakal: I do love that Obama is still inside of trump’s brain, just chilling with his feet up, watching some college football

  260. 260.

    lowtechcyclist

    @eversor: ​
     

    The only thing I’m against is Christianity. And what I do not want is to lose more elections till generation Z is in power and the full wrath of two generations comes down on that horrible ideology and freedom of religion turns into a sword against it legally and in the courts. Along with two generations which are not only not religious, but actively hostile to Christianity. That’s when the change comes.

    Whatever you say, Dennis.

  261. 261.

    Brachiator

    @Tony G:

    I’m not the first person in history to notice this, but women can’t win with a certain (large) segment of the population.

    True enough. But remember that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million. The Electoral College is tough to crack, but we’re getting there with respect to women candidates.

    My empty 2028 speculation is that we might see women heading both the Democratic Party and GOP tickets.

  262. 262.

    Kay

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Right. He’s a very solid citizen in Kokomo, Indiana too. It is just a fact that UAW lineworkers are rough people- they always have been. They’re fine people! But rough. I think it’s great they elected a devout Christian “radical liberal” who doesn’t even swear and is on every community board in his hometown.

  264. 264.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    My favorite, Will Stancil, on Russell Brand :)

    Will Stancil@whstancil
    can’t believe the quirky hyperverbal pseudo-intellectual bad boy who has recently taken a sharp right turn into the anti-woke manosphere would do this

    Anti woke manosphere is great. So true!

  266. 266.

    opiejeanne

    @NotMax:  The Maddowing of YouTube.
    //

     

    Haha! It’s worse than that, because she’s explaining and not just looking at the thing in her hand, as if she’s forgotten what it is, and starting the same paragraph over and over.

  267. 267.

    Geminid

    @Yarrow: I think Misogyny exists in varying degrees among all men (myself included), and many women as well. It’s not intense enough to be a political motivator in everyone, but I think it is among the Harris critics.

  268. 268.

    Geminid

    @Kay: I’ve noticed that Will Stancil and Magdi Jacobs, aka Mangy Jay, have patched things up. She has also moved to Minneapolis, at least temporarily. Could there be a joint podcast in their future?

    They could call it, “Will and Shill.”

  269. 269.

    Miss Bianca

    @eversor: Oh, right. “Black Muslim woman” Omar – who MUST be better because Not Christian! – and who puts her foot in her mouth constantly and constantly has to walk it back, is a *much* better youth outreach candidate than Harris, whose visible popularity with the young folks she’s visiting with must be all some kind of illusion. Fake news.

    You know, despite your constant efforts at appearing to be a deep serious thinker because Rage! Against! Christianity! you constantly reveal yourself to be a profoundly unserious, shallow little being.

    Altho’ you’re “I’m so hip and with it, I’m in touch with the youngs and how they think” routine *definitely* doesn’t come off with a “How do you do, fellow kids” vibe. Not.at.all.

  270. 270.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Brachiator:

    The Republicans have spent years investigating Biden for unspecified offenses.

    This just is not true.  They have specified offenses.  Those offenses are just somewhere between ‘your evidence is one anonymous person saying they saw something with no other support’ and ‘proven false.’

    Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million.

    And polls are clear she would have won if fucking Comey hadn’t decided he had to put That Woman in her place a couple of days before the election.  Christ, what an asshole.

  271. 271.

    Geminid

    @Miss Bianca: Ihlan Omar certainly stepped in it a few times her first year in Congress, but I think she has shown a lot of growth since then. I was impressed with how Omar handled the Republican effort to remove her from the Foreign Relations Committee, and how her former critics in the Democratic Caucus rallied behind her.

    And while for the most part I don’t share her views on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, I think Omar expresses them now in a responsible way, not a divisive one.

  272. 272.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Yarrow:

    Eversor moved the goalposts. The original discussion was about Harris motivating young people to come out and vote for the Biden-Harris ticket in 2024. He said she’d depress the vote. When called on that with polls showing he was wrong he started saying she didn’t have a shot at winning in 2028.

    He/She didn’t just move the goalpost.  It was last seen red-shifting into invisibility due to his/her escape velocity approaching lightspeed.

  274. 274.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    Yeah, no reason to pit Dems against each other just because some people don’t like Harris.  Dems in Congress are all on the same page on the fundamentals.

  276. 276.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    lol. Good thing it’ll be radio. His geometric pattern sweaters are pure Minnesota. His enemies made fun of how he dresses and Stancil did not appear to understand the criticism – which just makes me like him more!

  277. 277.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: And I commented the other day how, when AIPAC let reporters know that intended to support primary challenges next year and mentioned Ihlan Omar in particular, Hakeem Jeffries announced within hours that Democrstic leadership would “vigorously support” Rep. Omar.

  280. 280.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Miss Bianca:

    Altho’ you’re “I’m so hip and with it, I’m in touch with the youngs and how they think” routine *definitely* doesn’t come off with a “How do you do, fellow kids” vibe. Not.at.all.

    Ha! one of my favorite clips ever.

    and to be fair, Eversor is not the only member of the Middle-Aged Young Voter Knower Caucus of Balloon Juice.

  281. 281.

    Juju

    @Nukular Biskits: It’s in regard to the question, “upon what do you base this assertion?”  My guess is he or she pulled his or her assertion about VP Harris out of his or her behind. I hope that clears thing up for you.

  285. 285.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m just another old fart boomer who has some clues about yutes, but not really solid ones.  I’ve been accosted by college age MAGAts who objected to my red “IMPEACH” baseball cap, and who told me in no uncertain terms that TFG/PAB would win the 2020 election, and that I must be ghey for not supporting TFG/PAB.  I relish throwing my DD 214 at these clowns.

  286. 286.

    Citizen Alan

    @lee:

    You can be butt-hurt about it all you want. That won’t change the way they feel about it one iota.

    I don’t give a shit how they “feel” because their “feelings” are disingenous bullshit. If Kamala had never been prosecutor, it would have been something else that causes the Shitbag Left to hate her. But not her race or gender, of course, because nothing is ever really about race or gender. /s

  287. 287.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted on all articles of impeachment on Saturday after being accused of corruption and bribery.

    No article received more than 14 of the required 21 votes to convict. Only two of 19 Republican Senators, Bob Nichols of Jacksonville and Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills, voted in favor of convicting for any article — a stark contrast to the nearly 70% of House Republicans who impeached the attorney general in May.

    h/t https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-acquitted-impeachment-texas-attorney-general/

  288. 288.

    Splitting Image

    @MattF:

    No link, but a recent video shows TFG saying he beat Obama and is now leading Obama in the polls. This may get ugly sooner than expected.

    Someone should tell Trump that a black man is living in his head rent-free. He’ll stroke out.

  289. 289.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @eversor: One of my favorites reads (IIRC)

    It may be that the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others

    For example, while I have issues aplenty with Christianity, a certain poster here has induced me to be much more nuanced, focused, and sporadic airing them here.

    Let them here as can hear, hear. Hear? Here.

  292. 292.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Splitting Image:

    a black man is living in his head rent-free

    Not only leasing an empty unit to a Black guy, but not getting any money for it? Ol’ Fred’s gotta be spinning in his grave. Assuming trump paid for one.

  293. 293.

    JoyceH

    Is anyone else gobsmacked by the Paxton acquittal? What HAPPENED between the really overwhelming impeachment vote, which must have indicated a party finally fed up with the corruption and bad optics of the AG’s tenure, and the acquittal?

  295. 295.

    Yarrow

    @JoyceH: Dealmaking. Paxton will come out of this stronger

    Edit: Apparently Paxton wasn’t even there. News people said their sources told them ahead of time he’d be acquitted on all counts. Paxton is off to wherever Tucker Carlson is (Maine?) to tape an interview.

  297. 297.

    Brachiator

    @Wyatt Salamanca:

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted on all articles of impeachment on Saturday after being accused of corruption and bribery.

    WTF? Republicans vote to impeach him, and then Republicans vote to acquit him.

    What the hell is going on there?

  299. 299.

    Alison Rose

    @JoyceH: At this point with the GOP, I literally think a Republican would have to murder a baby with their bare hands on live TV to be held accountable for anything. Even then, some of them would be like “the baby was a groomer” or some shit. They don’t think the laws apply to them and they don’t care about pretending otherwise. The concept of keeping up appearances long ago ceased to matter to them, because it doesn’t matter to their voters.

  301. 301.

    Miss Bianca

    @Geminid: Good points all. I think it just irks me when someone makes evidence-free assertions like “Sending this random MOC out to court the youth vote for the 2024 elections is an obviously better choice  than sending out  VP Harris.”

  304. 304.

    Ruckus

    @p.a.:

    They might not have been able to conceive of someone dishonored by convicted impeachment being debased enough to try to return.

    Well no matter how the new system was structured the people doing it were used to a structured ruling class that no one got to choose, they for all intents just showed up when the previous “leader in the line” wasn’t there any longer. They just structured it so that it likely wasn’t family.

  305. 305.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Miss Bianca: Did anyone see The Squad campaigning in swing districts or states in the ’22 mid-terms? I didn’t. I’ve seen it reported that Warnock specifically asked them to stay away. Fetterman lost Bernie’s phone number and reached out to Obama.

    They brought the whole road show to Ohio, twice, Bernie shouted and wagged his fingers and AOC turned the whole manically adorable thing up to 11, and couldn’t (thank god) get that grifting fraud Nina Turner over the finish line. Maya Willey ran as a Rose Twitter account in shoes and now NYC is blessed with Eric Adams.

  306. 306.

    Geminid

    @Miss Bianca: A lot of people will assert that a particular young Democratic politician energizes young voters. They could be right, but so far there is only anecdotal evidence to support their claims. I suspect there is some projection involved, and not a little hype.

  307. 307.

    Gwangung

    @Citizen Alan: Numbers keep you honest. Even more so, methodology does as well.

    if you can’t articulate the shortcomings and cautions of your observation, you really can’t generalize your observations into something solid.

  308. 308.

    Ruckus

    @Tony G:

    Most of the people were reasonably normal. And some of them I’d known for some time so that changed things.

    But there were always some, and likely will be in any reasonable sized group, who relieved themselves of all of their humanity or at least a significant part, if they had any in the first place.

  311. 311.

    Geminid

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:  Last year Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for Jessica Cisneros in the Texas 28th CD, but Henry Cuellar won by the same ~4 point margin he had in 2020.

    Now, Cuellar was ready for a strong challenge this time, and Cisneros was hurt by a story about her personal life, so it’s hard to judge how much impact the two “Progressives” had. But a couple weeks ago they both campaigned for a former State Senator in Rhode Island’s special election primary, and their candidate came in second behind Mr. Amo, who had no elective experience at all.

    Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have a wide national following, but I’m not sure how deep it is. Their party’s base is fairly diverse ideologically, and both politicians are polarizing. There may be as many Democrats who will vote against a candidate because the two endorsed them as would vote for them for that reason. And I don’t think this is all older Democrats either.

  312. 312.

    LiminalOwl

    @eversor: You were abused and traumatized by one of the many branches of Christianity. We get that.

    Many such branches, certainly some of the loudest and maybe the majority, claim to be the only true Christians; some, perhaps, don’t go quite that far, but still assert that only those others with whom they share most credal views “count” as Christian.  Was your experience perhaps with such group(s)?

    If so, would you be willing to consider that you might still hold that foundational assumption unquestioned, only reversing the good/bad polarities?

    Wishing you peace, and gray areas.

  313. 313.

    Shalimar

    @LiminalOwl: Eversor has said before the abuse was from a liberal Christian branch.  Which is why all Christians are evil rather than just the authoritarian Christians.

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