Democrats are facing a brutal Senate map in 2024. With a razor-thin majority, Democrats are defending 20 seats next year, while only 10 Repubs are facing voters. Three independents who mostly caucus with Dems are also up: King, Sanders and Sinema.
Red state Dems Jon Tester and Joe Manchin are up, and most pundits rate their races as a tossup, with Tester having a better shot at keeping his seat than Manchin. Can Sherrod Brown of Ohio continue to be a political unicorn? Maybe — his race is a tossup too.
It seems likely that Bernie “Even Older Than Joe Biden” Sanders will run again, and King has already declared. Most prognosticators believe both seats are keepers for Team Donk.
Of course there’s much speculation about Sinema, who declared herself an independent after behaving so obnoxiously that she tanked her approval rating with most Arizona Democrats. She hasn’t declared, but NBC News got their mitts on a donor prospectus called “Kyrsten’s Path to Victory,” which suggests she at least understands how despised she is by the overwhelming majority of voters in her former party:
(T)he document says Sinema can win by attracting 10% to 20% of Democrats, 60% to 70% of independents and 25% to 35% of Republicans.
Alongside a headshot of her and a section titled “Kyrsten Will Win Arizona,” the document says: “If the parties nominate extremists, as expected, Kyrsten will win a majority of IND, at least a third of REP and a percentage of DEM voters — making her the first Independent to win a three-way statewide race in American history.” A source shared the document, which has circulated among Arizona political operatives in recent days.
I don’t know AZ politics, but I do know Repubs, so I’m skeptical Sinema can peel away that many of them, even if the barking mad AZ GOP nominates a kook like Kari Lake or the twitchy serial killer-vibe guy. Some analysis I’ve seen suggests Ruben Gallego would actually benefit from a Sinema candidacy, but who knows.
***
The last thing Dems needed going into this year is a wild card in a state that’s typically not up for grabs, but grabby Gold Bar Bob Menendez dealt one from the bottom of the deck. The sumbitch is holding a press conference now, where he’s taking a defiant tone, announcing that he’s running for reelection* and denouncing his detractors. Fuck that guy.
So far, a ton of New Jersey party officials and electeds, including the governor and chairs of several county parties, have urged Menendez to step down, as has U.S. Senate colleague John Fetterman, six members of New Jersey’s U.S. House delegation and other prominent Dems in the House, including Adam Schiff. Even AOC called bullshit when Menendez cravenly played the “they’re out to get me because I’m Latino” card and said he should resign.
As far as I know, only one elected Dem has enthusiastically endorsed a 2024 Gold Bar Bob run, and that is Rep. Rob Menendez, Gold Bar’s son. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Dick Durbin issued mealy-mouthed statements that declined to call for Menendez’s resignation. There are doubtless political calculations behind their dissembling, but it’s hard to hear after reading the indictment.
The best case scenario would be for Menendez to resign and allow the Democratic governor to appoint someone, but now we know for sure that the greedy prick isn’t going anywhere (except to jail, hopefully, after a fair trial). I don’t know if this places the seat in jeopardy for Democrats or not — seems like we’ve got some strong local talent there. Would love to hear some local perspectives.
Open thread!
*ETA: The analysts are saying Menendez was ambiguous in his press conference today on the question of whether he’s running in 2024. I sure thought he said he was — here’s the quote as best I can recall it from memory: “When the dust settles, I still intend to be the senior Senator from New Jersey.”
Also, he only addressed one aspect of the evidence DOJ cited in the indictment — he explained that it’s a long-term habit of his to squirrel large amounts of cash away at home because of his family’s experience of having their money confiscated by Cuban commies. (He was born in the U.S. nearly seven decades ago, but okay…)
Baud
NJ shouldn’t settle. Red state Dems would love the options that NJ has.
RevRick
If Andy Kim beats Menendez in the primary, he’d be a stronger candidate in the general election. I bet Phil Murphy would love to appoint him.
Baud
In the being thankful for small favors department, New Jersey suffered the same doldrums in 2021 that gave VA to Youngkin, but likely enough Dems showed up to reelect Murphy. Otherwise, we’d be having a much more frustrating conversation.
Captain C
I really wonder how Gold Bar Bob thinks this will play out, or if he just assumes he can bluster his way through it again.
bbleh
Re Schumer and Durbin, I suspect — or at least I hope — they’re hanging back for now, hoping that other politicians and groups with less to lose will be enough to push Menendez out, and if that doesn’t happen soon, planning on adding their anti-endorsement later
@Captain C: maybe he figures leaving the Senate is the worst that can happen, so why do that without a fight? But whatever, it takes a pretty thick coat of shamelessness.
glc
Free home Covid tests resumed. Don’t recall hearing that was coming.
https://www.covid.gov/tests
Humdog
If Senate Democrats push gold bar dude to leave, he may decide to switch parties and control of the Senate. Dems need 67 votes to expel him and I bet Rs would tell him they’d vote against expulsion if he switches parties. Impossible situation for Dems. Gotta kick corruption to the curb but also need to get judges installed etc.
Baud
@Baud:
Likely = luckily.
Kay
Just shameless.
Although he probably should have kept at least 50k easily available for bail and retainer for a criminal lawyer. That’s just good planning for criminals. Like him.
Phylllis
My folks had a habit of stashing cash around the house & burying it in jars/cans in the backyard…due to their and their parents experiences during the Depression. Just because I remember them doing it doesn’t mean I should emulate the practice.
bbleh
@glc: me either. Yay!
But brace yourself for the right-wing conspiracy-theory deluge. OMG Biden-Soros Junta plot to poison us with mind-control chips AND increase the deficit!!!11!!
cain
I’m really sick of having these razor thin margins and having to go into every election biting my nails wondering if somehow we are going to lose whatever gains we have made.
So many norms have been shattered that it seems if we don’t get at least one of the parts of Congress we are in danger even if we keep the presidency.
Baud
@Phylllis:
If that were all there was, I wouldn’t think anything of it. Some people do like to have cash in hand, even though I’m not one of them.
Captain C
@Humdog: While that’s bad in the short run, in the long run it’s another data point for Democrats to press home the truth that the Republicans are the party that welcomes corruption, rather than fights it.
Captain C
@Kay: Is he claiming this is likely here? Or that he’s too traumatized to continue in the Senate? All I’m hearing is “I’m as shameless as TFG but in the wrong party for it!”
Lyrebird
@Kay: I see that statement as the most believable part of whatever he’s said. I’m decades younger than him, but I still carry on the habits of my Depression-era grandma who helped raise me. I agree that it’s no excuse for then altering legislation etc., or any of his other crimes, but the keeping tens of thousands at home because paranoid, that I can see.
JML
@Humdog: They need him to resign. That’s going to be tough, because a) he somehow survived one corruption/bribery scandal already, and b) certainly knows that the power and ability he has to push people throughout this trial is tied to his presence in office. I wish he’d go away, but he clearly gives zero fucks about putting party or country above himself, which is why he’s in this mess to begin with.
Andy Kim would be a fine replacement.
It is interesting: last time Menendez roiled the Senate with a bribery charge, NJ pols stood mostly behind him…except for Torch, whom everyone hates. This time, it’s silence or calls to resign. That’s a pretty big signal to me.
brantl
I would feel a lot better about people being religious if one of these sons of bitches was just struck by lightning. Too much to hope for, I guess?
Old Man Shadow
When in doubt, assume a narcissistic asshole will be an asshole who only cares about himself.
It’s a reliably 100% accurate assumption.
jonas
Menendez, who was born in the US, is claiming that generational trauma caused by his parents/grandparents, whomever, having their bank accounts confiscated is what led him to hoard cash and gold in his house? Uh huh. So I’m sure there’s a clear paper trail of him withdrawing that money from his savings account, purchasing the gold bars from a website advertised on late-night Fox, and all that. It’ll be fun to hear.
Kay
@jonas:
Yup. Should be easily cleared up with bank records. His senate salary goes in, he takes thousands out in cash, equals 450k.
Burnspbesq
Either Kim or Sherrill should be able to kick Menendez’ ass in a two-person primary and handle pretty much any Republican they would be likely to face in the general. His chances of surviving a three-way are better. Non-corrupt Jersey Dems need to keep it simple.
Baud
@Kay:
Unless he asked the Treasury to pay him in gold.
Gvg
@jonas: Didn’t the commies confiscate cash too? The nazis sure did. Having some can be helpful. Having lots is attracting trouble.
Baud
OT looks like Canon is going to hold Garcia hearings. (Conflict of interest with shared counsel).
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Menendez passed up a golden (heh) opportunity to pledge to resign … just as soon as Mr. Thomas resigns from the Supreme Court.
And yeah, Menendez is a corrupt piece of work with no business wielding the power that comes with a seat in the United States Senate, but hey, at least he’s not a traitorous piece of work, which puts him head and shoulders above the likes of Hawley and Graham and Tuberville and … the list goes on.
JAFD
I used to be in the NJ 8th – was Rep Albro Sires, now Menendez fils – am now in the 10th – Donald Payne the younger – boundary in midtown Newark shifted a few blocks. Once had problem with Social Sec, went to Rep Albro’s office, nice young lady on his staff got it outstraightened, quickly. That’s all I can say about my Congressmen.
Will bet that Senator Menendez will ‘cop a plea’ and resign, sooner or later.
Rep Kim may have an advantage in primary, his district’s in both the Philly and NYC TV markets, name recognition. Also that South Jersey folk may feel it’s ‘their turn’ to hold one of the statewide offices.
My parents lived thru the Depression, kept much cash around house. Spent a while, after their passing, looking under cushins, etc. (Meself, just keep a hundred or two, fifties and twenties, bookmarks in my copy of Dante’ Inferno.
(That way, when I ask myself “Where in hell can I get some fast cash ?”, I know.))
Kay
@Baud:
Uh oh:
kindness
Democrats are going to win in areas they previously didn’t. What is going to drive that is not just the Dobbs decision (although that is a huge part), but in the same vein, many Republicans are now openly trying to criminalize many forms of birth control as abortifacts (the pill, morning after pill & IUDs). Many Republican women use those forms of birth control. No….just because there are more Democratic seats up for election won’t mean Democrats are threatened. It’s Republicans who are going to lose their long held seats over this.
Baud
@Kay:
Yep. It’s not just the cash.
narya
@Baud: About damn time. She is slow-walking that whole proceeding (not surprisingly). I’m sure that’s no surprise to Jack. If they could get Nauta to flip, though, hoo-boy.
Kay
@Baud:
It always amazes me how little they sell out for. They got a 60 thousand dollar car for interfering in a criminal case. I would demand much, much more. It’s just peanuts.
Frankensteinbeck
Manchin will keep his seat. I don’t understand why or how he does it. I give him a lot of slack for his crazy-seeming behavior because he knows something no one else does, how to corral a constituency who logic says should hate him to the depths of their souls. I figure he’s an asshole, but he’s the only asshole who can wring some good out of the situation he’s in.
Betty Cracker
One hears tales about party bosses playing hardball behind the scenes to effect necessary attitude adjustments. Maybe they give Gold Bar a week to let his sudden change in status sink in and then say if he resigns on Friday, Bruce Springsteen WON’T move to Gold Bar Jr.’s district and run for the House seat. 🤔
I crack myself up sometimes, but seriously, anyone who hasn’t read that indictment should. It’s a compelling read, and unless prosecutors just flat-out made up all kinds of evidence alluded to in it like text messages, emails, DNA, etc. (they didn’t), Gold Bar and the missus are brazenly and breathtakingly corrupt, and they’re going down hard.
I thought the evidence at his last corruption trial was pretty strong, but this is stronger by orders of magnitude.
Dickeylee
When my Grandmother passed we did a deep clean of her place and found cash in over twenty different hiding places, including $250 wrapped in wax paper in the bottom of the flour crock in the cabinets and another $150 wrapped in aluminum foil inside an Eggo box in the freezer.
But $480k? Just wow…
Baud
@Kay:
That’s why I want you to be in charge of the Baud! 20XX! Graft Outreach program.
Jackie
I read somewhere (here?) that TIFG had a little chat with “the twitchy serial killer-vibe guy,” suggesting he shouldn’t run – leaving crazy eyes Lake the MAGA senate opening. Then a few days later I’m sure I read “the twitchy serial killer-vibe guy” “”decided”” not to run.
Between MAGA Lake and Sinema (if she runs) I like Gallegos’ chances. I really think Arizona is still reeling from the last two elections with all the MAGA craziness. I think there are more sane/moderate republicans, democrats and independents than MAGA voters.
eta: thanks BC for my newest favorite nickname!
Roger Moore
@jonas:
I know my aunt told me it’s always good to keep a big stack of cash on hand, and hearing stories about my grandfather fleeing the Nazis had something to do with it. I still keep a bunch of cash handy, though that’s as much out of worry there might be a hiccup in the banking system, especially during a natural disaster, as fear of the authorities. But it’s definitely not unusual for people whose families had bad experiences like that to teach their kids and grandkids to hoard cash for just in case.
That said, this is a distraction. The question is not why he kept the money in his house but whether he got the money legitimately. The government claims to be able to prove the money and gold were given to him as bribes. If they can prove the source of the money was illegitimate, where and how he kept it is irrelevant.
Omnes Omnibus
@kindness: I agree. Let’s look at the GOP seats as opportunities for pickups. Why the fuck not?
JoyceH
Where and when did this assumption arise that indicted politicians should be able to remain in office until they are tried and convicted? That’s sure not the case for the rest of us! The bank manager indicted for embezzlement wouldn’t be permitted to just keep coming to work until the trial. Heck, these days a viral video of you acting like a jackass is enough to get you booted. Why do office holders have more rights than the rest of us?
geg6
@Frankensteinbeck:
I doubt very much that Manchin will keep his seat. If Justice runs, he’ll win. Hands down.
different-church-lady
Pure gaslighting bullshit.
Betty Cracker
Regarding cash-stashing, we do that on a small scale too, mostly in case there’s a hurricane. But it doesn’t amount to more than two times our annual income. That’s the part that beggars belief.
coin operated
I have been dirt poor and have always stashed a little cash somewhere for emergencies. Old habits die hard…I’m making a decent wage now but there is *always* a few bills stashed in descreet places around the house.
Menendez had upwards of *300%* of his annual salary in the form of cash stashed around the house. You’d think he’d be able to come up with a better cover story…
*edit* or what Betty said….
Omnes Omnibus
@JoyceH: Okay, how do you make him go if he doesn’t want to do it?
Baud
@different-church-lady:
Yeah, but they’re mostly trying to gaslight prospective donors.
eversor
@JAFD:
It’s the amount that matters. I keep a few grand about in liquid cash. I also have gold that was given to me by various relatives.
The issue is the sheer amount of what he has. That it has the DNA of the other people alleged to be involved in this. That it’s happened before. And that he’s a politician from a notriously corruption region and the most corrupt area of it. The best defense that can be mustered for it is keeping the senate majority.
Roger Moore
@JoyceH:
Because they have different hiring/firing rules. Most of us have a boss who has the power to fire us; in many cases, they’re allowed to fire without cause. That makes it easy to get rid of us for good reasons. People with good union protections tend to be harder to fire; there has so be some kind of procedure to get rid of them.
Politicians aren’t like that. Hiring and firing them is called elections, and there isn’t a boss who can give them the boot when they are accused of wrongdoing. If you’re lucky, there may be a recall procedure that lets the public get rid of them early if they’re caught doing something wrong. Apart from that, though, they can be really hard to get rid of.
Jackie
@Kay: Nadine Menendez had guest hosts for her shows Sat and Sun. I’ve always liked her shows – I wonder if her role in this is innocently helping her dad… or if I’m going to have to reevaluate my perceptions… ☹️
HumboldtBlue
Menendez should remain right where he is. Fuck the media, they’re not going to notice any “honor” among Democrats, and as long as George Santos, Clarence Thomas and every member of the GOP who took part in Jan 6 remain in office, Bob should throw up both middle fingers to anyone mewling about his predicament and let the DOJ do what it will.
Fuck resigning, this is the new normal, live it.
Hungry Joe
@Betty Cracker: 1) If “Team Donk” doesn’t get adopted and put in heavy rotation by Juicers I’m going to want to know why.
2) Big-time grifters mystify me. If I were rich I’d pay serious bucks to top-level accountants and instruct them to make sure everything was on the up-and-up, and that I paid every cent I owed to the IRS — or to any other entity, for that matter. I’d imagine that one of the benefits of having lots of money is that there’s so much you don’t have to worry about. Why create anxiety, e.g., lying awake wondering “Should we move the gold bars from the sock drawer to the bottom of the laundry basket, or leave them where they are?” Sheesh.
Kay
@Jackie:
Crime aside I just get really tired of the nepotism. Enough with that.
Alison Rose
@Jackie: Alicia, right? Nadine is his wife. (My mom is also named Nadine, and she’s kinda bummed to be seeing her unusual name in the paper but for a crummy reason.)
Alison Rose
@HumboldtBlue: I’m really struggling to understand your dedication to the idea that since the GOP is fucked up and criminal, that Dems should just all be fucked up criminals too. Do you want Biden to also stage a coup? Should Dems start kidnapping random conservatives and shipping them off to remote corners of the country? Should everyone running for a Democratic seat tell a whole book of lies about their lives?
Why do you think the answer to the other side doing bad things is for our side to do bad things, too?
Geminid
I am assuming that Joe Manchin’s seat is a goner. Manchin fares very poorly versus Jim Justice in polling. Senator Manchin and Governor Justice known quanties for West Virginians, and I don’t see how Manchin can turn this around.
HumboldtBlue
@Alison Rose:
If the DOJ has a case, let them prove it. That’s all. This is the new normal, I don’t care about appearances, or how it looks in a random poll, or how it’s perceived by the media, make them prove the charges and until then be as obdurate, as obnoxious, as fucking annoying as possible.
I’m tired of being held to a different standard, of being forced to play by a different set of rules. Citizens United is the rule of the land, Bob should simply claim those donors were exercising their first amendment rights and fuck the haters. Simple as that.
Play by the same rules as applied to the GOP and walk on.
Jackie
@Frankensteinbeck:
He hasn’t declared WHAT he’s going to do, yet. He’s dithering (publicly, anyway) between running on the No Labels ticket, re-running for his seat, or retiring from politics.
piratedan
@Alison Rose: tbf I understand the frustration, with the amount of false equivalency that is tossed around in the media, with shouts of decorum equating a Senator wearing a hoodie with members of Congress calling for the execution of Military generals… Treason being handled the same as bribery…
There comes a time where you get exhausted just dealing with ALL of the bad faith.
artem1s
I kind of want him to not resign for the same reasons I didn’t want Al Franken to resign. Dems need to demonstrate that they will go thru the process and censure their own party members when there is actual reason to do so. They shouldn’t be making decisions based on whether they have a Dem governor who will appoint a Dem to replace them. He’s been indicted. The information is public. In cases like these, Dems need to demonstrate they will allow hearings about whether he’s violated his oath of office and who in the Agriculture department was involved. And they should be willing to censure and/or vote someone out of the Senate even when losing the majority is at stake.
Resignations means the whole story doesn’t get told. Let him get up and defend himself in front of his colleagues. Let the voters hear it and make their decisions. And demonstrate to the GOP what they should have done with Matt Geatz, the J6 participants, etc. Hell, why aren’t they holding hearings on the Agriculture Department and the Menendez payoffs instead of wingnut conspiracies over Hunter’s penis and laptop or impeaching Biden over being competent to do the job the voters hired him to do?
Calling for resignations only leads to voter suspicion that others in Congress are doing the same (both sides baby) and worse, may have looked the other way.
Geminid
@different-church-lady: It is gaslighting bullshit. For one thing, Ruben Gallego is not extreme. For another, most Independents will vote for the party they lean towards, like they regularly do.
Polling in Arizona reflects this. Sinema’s numbers are faorly low considering that Independents constitute the second largest group of registered voters.
Democrats are the third largest, but Gallego has consistently led in polling. He’s motivating Democrats, and he is attracting Independents as well because he is not extreme.
JAFD
Regardless, may I recommend, to all pundits, The Tops Diner
https://www.thetopsdiner.com/
Rated as one of the leading diners in New Jersey – and, thus, the world – and conveniently located where the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th NJ Congressional Districts crunch together.
Give me a bit of notice and I’ll walk up and supply some pithy quotes and/or bad puns.
Or maybe for more local color, the Hot Spot Diner – a Portugese-American diner, a bit closer to me, with an attached indoor soccer field …
different-church-lady
@Baud: Good point.
rikyrah
The Senator from New Jersey is not going to resign.
We have to defeat him in the 2024 primary
rikyrah
@Kay:
it’s the gold bars that just make me roll the eyes
Alison Rose
@HumboldtBlue: But the standard is the one we want everyone held to. If we stop obeying it, then what reason would anyone else have for obeying it? If we tell our people “go ahead and commit all the crimes you’d like”, then we have no leg to stand on to call out the other side for theirs. We’re not talking about one side in a soccer match flopping because the other side did it and scored a free kick out of it. If we want to be seen as the one party that is serious about governing and following the law, then pulling childish “well FINE THEN if HE gets to do it then SO DO I” kind of bullshit isn’t going to do us any favors. Our voters have actual morals and consciences (for the most part) and will not be so quick to turn a blind eye as GOP voters. I for one don’t want us to start enthusiastically electing criminals because then how can we say a single fucking word about TIFG and his ilk?
Betty Cracker
@Kay: Or we could adopt the spirit of HumboldtBlue’s advice (which I’ll note I strenuously disagree with, but bear with me) and see if the Menendez pundit nepo baby can’t out-brazen the queen of pundit nepo babies: Meghan McCain.
It’s not really a fair fight. Remember when Meghan McCain dragged her own newborn and dead father into a book sales photo op by leaning her crappy book against John McCain’s tombstone and posing in the background with the baby? Just try to be tackier than THAT, Ms. Menendez! ;-)
Geminid
@Frankensteinbeck: Manchin’s track record in his reelections would seem to bear this out. But Jim Justice is a very popular Governor and he will be a much tougher opponent than the last two Manchin beat.
trollhattan
@Roger Moore: “I am a United States senator and yet have never heard of this ‘Eff Dee Eye See.’ Tell me more.”
cain
@kindness: Thanks for this.
We should be focusing on every state legislature and flipping them. This isn’t just about congress. It’s really about local politics and we need to fight there from dogcatcher on up.
ETA woot – 69, great year – :D
MomSense
This constant living on a knife’s edge is exhausting.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker: Cripes, how horridly on brand. I can hear McCain yelling from below, “Hey Megs, can you at least not wear a skirt?”
Betty Cracker
@JAFD: You had them at “full liquor bar.” :)
Soprano2
@Kay: Well then there should be bank records to match the money in his house, huh? How did he explain the gold bars? LOL
bbleh
@Frankensteinbeck: alas, I’m skeptical. Justice is well-respected and reasonably popular. He’s not a Crazy, and he’s considered practical. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool plutocrat of course, but then Manchin is pretty much too. If the ‘R’ were Mooney, then Manchin would have a much better shot, but I doubt that’s gonna happen.
Of course, Justice could have a coronary and keel over. He’s not exactly the picture of health…
Sister Golden Bear
I keep a few hundred in cash as part of my quake prep kit — especially smaller bills — in case of widespread post-quake power outages. But $480K?! GTFO.
Dave
@Alison Rose: Particularly since Menendez resigning is more likely to ensure that Democrats maintain the seat, with a better replacement, not less so it doesn’t track on utilitarian we need to keep the Senate style argument.
I want Menendez to resign because screw him for being corrupt and practically because corrupt democrats will be used against the party as a whole. And things stand entirely too much in the balance to play that sort of game.
Omnes Omnibus
@Alison Rose: Frustration leading to nihilism.
Betty Cracker
@trollhattan: Just in case anyone doubts that this really happened…
cain
@artem1s:
I think I’m with you all – let them prove it in court first. If he’s a criminal then he needs to go. Calling for his resignation before a court of law has weighed in – is just trying to make the media happy.
If they can’t bother to put the spotlight on all criminal behaviors then they should just STFU.
In regards to electing criminals or not holding on to a higher standard.
Yes, we should but also I’m not willing to let polls and media tell us to start ousting people until they had their day in court. Clearly, GOP and the media doesn’t give a shit about perception management.
That all said, Bob Mendez is a toad and he can go fuck himself.
HumboldtBlue
@Alison Rose:
If the DOJ has a case, let them prosecute. All this hand-wringing and self flagellation is nonsense. You gain nothing from Bob’s resignation. Joe on the street isn’t going to stop, turn, and glance upwards while giving a firm head shake in admiration of the Dems’ fealty to codes and customs. The media isn’t going to stop in its tracks and gush over the fact that Dems have — yet fucking again — done the right thing.
Middle fingers and hearty FUCK YOUS to everyone, and let the chips fall as they may.
HumboldtBlue
@Omnes Omnibus:
And that’s from an attorney. Fuck proving a case, fuck due process, it’s just nihilism if you fail to live up to some random stranger’s sense of duty and honor.
What piffle.
Omnes Omnibus
@HumboldtBlue: One doesn’t do the right thing because it will get plaudits from the media or anyone else.
Omnes Omnibus
@HumboldtBlue: Perhaps you should take a walk.
Betty Cracker
Oh, John Fetterman, you scamp!
Never stop being awesome. ;-)
sab
@Jackie: Nadine Menendez is the newish wife. Alicia Menendez is the MSNBC host and Senator’s daughter.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker:
Dear god, she needs a shovel so we can really learn “how low can you go?”
I see Cindy’s got a plot spot with expiration date yet to complete. Considering how he treated her, she might want alternate accommodations.
japa21
@kindness:
@Omnes Omnibus:
I also agree. I think the number of Dems in the Senate will increase.
Baud
@HumboldtBlue: So I agree with you about one thing. If Menendez doesn’t resign, we shouldn’t get into a defensive crouch over it. NJ primary voters can do what GOP primary voters will not, and vote him out.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker:
😂
Omnes Omnibus
@Baud: I will agree with that.
HumboldtBlue
@Omnes Omnibus:
If the DOJ has a case, let them prove it. That’s doing the right thing.
This all so silly, there’s a process in place to handle Menendez, how about we trust the process? It almost worked with Joel Embiid, maybe it’ll work with his neighbor up the turnpike.
Omnes Omnibus
@HumboldtBlue: You are changing your tune. Saying let the process play out is very different than what you had been saying.
Betty Cracker
@Baud: Schumer and Durbin are in a defensive crouch, IMO. The opposite is what Fetterman, Gov. Murphy, et al., are doing — telling the corrupt sumbitch to gtfo and making it clear they’ll back a primary opponent if he doesn’t.
Baud
@Betty Cracker: I wouldn’t call what they’re doing a defensive crouch. Something else, maybe, but I don’t think they’re being defensive. But regardless, it doesn’t mean the rest of us need to be.
Ocotillo
Speaking of stashing cash around the house, we recently cleaned out M-I-L’s apartment and she had about a pickle jar size container of coins. At the moment, I am having a devil of a time finding place that has a coin counting machine so I can cash them in.
It occurred to me, with the changing habits of how people pay for things, there has to be a heck of a lot less demand for banks to have coin counting equipment for customers. My grocery store used to have one but long ago pulled it out.
Ruckus
@Dickeylee:
$480K likely did not arrive there in any normal or legal manor, which is one reason it’s in that level of cash. I know some people keep a bit of cash in their home for emergencies, etc. But $480K is not a bit of cash.
Jackie
@Alison Rose: Oh, you’re right! That gives me hope that Alicia is NOT involved!🤞🏻
Geminid
@cain: I don’t think this case will go to trial. From what I see, prosecutors have got Menendez wrapped up tight this time. He’ll have to take a plea deal if he doesn’t want to die in prison.
That deal would involve him resigning his seat. But if Menendez does take a deal, I expect him to defiantly affirm that he’s “not going anywhere” right up until he resigns.
UncleEbeneezer
Deal! WGA, AMPTP Reach Historic Contract Agreement to End 146-Day Writers Strike: ‘This Deal Is Exceptional’
HumboldtBlue
@Omnes Omnibus:
No way, my fuck-yous have been hand in hand with the due process since I started barking about this. There is nothing to be gained by resignation that can’t be handled, as Baud points out and as I did in an earlier discussion on this topic, by Jersey voters.
Yes, I’m being an asshole, but to be honest, it’s time for more assholes.
Just Some Fuckhead
If only there were wildly Democratic friendly issues like abortion rights and marijuana legalization that could be put on the ballot to bring out the casual voters.
trollhattan
@Ruckus: Because I might need the information someday, I just learned a million in hundreds weighs 22 pounds, so half that is easy peasey to tote! Heck, keep it in a tote bag and they’ll think you’re coming back from the farmers market with a bunch of oranges.
eversor
@Betty Cracker:
What in the holy fucking hell was she thinking?
Baud
@Geminid:
I can’t believe he would be underhanded like that.
eversor
@Geminid:
He has every reason to believe he’s going to beat it and nothing is going to happen. He’s also enough of a (well I can’t use that word here people will get fee-fees hurt) that I could see him jumping parties if he’s being pushed out.
It’s just the reality of politics. If things were sane Franken would still be here and Menendez would be out. But social issue vs corruption and that’s how we roll.
Juju
@Ocotillo: There are all kinds of coin sorters available. Google coin sorter and see what comes up.
JAFD
@Ocotillo: Coin-counter machines were fairly common at TD Bank offices, but haven’t needed one in a while, will check.
You may also find your church has one …
Eunicecycle
@Just Some Fuckhead: Ohio is going to have both! Well this November anyway.
Geminid
@eversor: Menendez might be confident he will skate again this time, but he’ll have one or more good criminal defense lawyers who may tell him otherwise. He is a greedy man but I don’t think he’s an irrational one. Menendez might wait to see if his lawyers can get the evidence thrown out, and he still might roll the dice on a trial, but I think it’s more likely he pleads out.
JoyceH
@HumboldtBlue:
Okay, if we’re going to be entirely ‘innocent until proven guilty’, are you fine with leaving him in charge of the Foreign Relations Committee? Why should he be ‘punished’ until he’s tried and convicted in, oh, two years from now? So go ahead and give him a free hand to keep leaking information to the Egyptian government, right?
Baud
@Geminid: Yeah, my guess is he’s smart enough to know that his resignation is a chip in any plea deal. He has no incentive to resign right now.
Suzanne
I am more optimistic about Gallego than I was a few months ago. I guess I should be more precise and say that I am more bearish on a Republican’s prospects there, because they don’t seem to be getting over MAGA FEVER! There’s a lot of Mormons in the AZ GOP, and they won’t look kindly on some of the swearing and “baby killer” rhetoric that Gallego has gone with in the past, though. If he can tone that down and the AZ GOP continues to shit the bed, I will feel better.
eversor
@Geminid:
He went with the trial last time and it worked for him.
Paul in KY
@Betty Cracker: Would be a real job to out-tacky that.
Omnes Omnibus
@eversor: Time passes. Weather changes. Shit happens.
HumboldtBlue
@JoyceH:
He stepped down from his position on the committee.
Paul in KY
@Ocotillo: My credit union has one.
Geminid
@eversor: The offenses last time were not like the these. Last time his actions were on the margins of legality, like Bob McDonnell’s were. These are really egregious, and I don’t believe he can beat the charges.
Paul in KY
@eversor: Oh God, maybe this will move some of those damned books!! Jeezus, I think Junior just shit himself again….
wjca
If nothing else, he holds a seat which would otherwise be safe R. Which, irritating as his positions and behavior can be, at least gets more judicial appointments done.
JoyceH
@HumboldtBlue:
Yes, he did. But if you’re going to apply the same ‘he shouldn’t resign because he hasn’t been convicted’ logic across the board, why should he step down from his committees? Why shouldn’t he be entitled to ALL the duties and responsibilities of his job? “Let the process play out”, right? Until the trial is all done and dusted, he should be treated no differently than any other absolutely innocent person? Right?
The problem with this ‘wait for the process’ argument is that the process takes SO DAMN LONG! A year is an optimistic estimate from indictment to trial. And with the delays a good lawyer can generate, it can go on for years! Ken Paxton was indicted for securities fraud in **2015** and that thing still hasn’t got to trial – and he goes on his merry way, still the state’s top prosecutor, and still blatantly and obviously corrupt.
Out in the real world, just about anyone who’s indicted for a felony, pretty much any felony, loses their job. Quite a few of them rot in jail until trial, even for non-violent offenses. It’s a stinking double-standard that allows the powerful, when under indictment for serious offenses with pretty darn blatant evidence, to continue on their merry way and continue to do their jobs that effect other people’s lives in major ways.
It used to be standard, for politicians of both parties, to resign when indicted. The new standard – for Republicans – is Trump era corruption and ought to be condemned.
wjca
Fixed that for you. Who knows what tiny percentage of his actual income that was?
KWDragon
Didn’t Senator Murkowski do that in 2010? Or was the nominal Dem put up not considered enough of a real challenger to count?
She did win as an Independent with a write-in campaign, which made its mission to educate Alaska voters on how to accurately spell “Lisa Murkowski.”
Ruckus
@Hungry Joe:
Greed is a very powerful human trait.
Hoarding cash money is almost as powerful a human trait.
Especially if you seem to find yourself with a fair amount that is/might be more than a few times your annual pay.
Paul in KY
@KWDragon: I thought Liebersuck technically did that too.
JR in WV
Roger Moore
@trollhattan:
Wanting to keep cash isn’t just about being worried about bank collapses. It’s about not trusting the authorities. If the state decides your people are enemies, you won’t be able to access your bank account, or accessing it will be used to track you. In a case like that, you need cash on hand.
Geminid
@KWDragon: Lisa Murkowski lost the 2010 Republican primary to a “Tea Party” type. She won her singular write-in victory in November in part because of her father’s influence. I’ve read that two other critical factors were Murkowski’s support from organized labor, and her support from Alaska’s Native Corporations.
sab
@Eunicecycle: Have you seen the new yard signs? No on Issue 1, in exactly the same fonts and colors as ours were in August. Only this time No on Issue 1 means no on choice and abortion rights. I am sure it is deliberate, because it is confusing and Frank LaRose is dishonest slimy weasel. He could have made the November abortion issue #2 and marijuana legalization #1, but no…
I hope he confuses the wrong people (his, not ours.) I have noticed that the signs are in different yards. I expect others will also.
SNCO
@kindness: Exactly. I don’t think the political press has yet caught on to what a sea change occurred when Roe was overturned. So all the pundits saying that 2024 will be a hard year for Democrats are following the old rules.
We fight. But the Team that is really in trouble isn’t the Blue one (to use the color scheme from the old rules too). It’s a pity we have to deal with Gold Bar on our team. But life is never 100% fair.
Freemark
@Ocotillo:
A lot of grocery stores here in PA still have them. They take 10% or you can use the full amount on a gift card.
wjca
Think of it as “paid administrative leave” — I believe that’s the standard phrase. Still nominally in place, but not allowed to do anything.
artem1s
@JoyceH:
No one is saying the Dems or anyone else has to give him unreserved support. In fact they are saying the exact opposite. The Senate can censure him plenty IF he keeps his seat. The House can have hearings into who else in Agriculture may have been involved. Congress can take all kinds of actions to demonstrate that there are consequences to being indicted while you are in office.
Roger Moore
@JoyceH:
Because those are the rules. As I understand it, the Senate rules don’t do anything to a Senator who has been indicted, but both political parties require their members to step aside as committee chair while under indictment.
FWIW, I think it’s a generally good idea to write this kind of rule when the question is still abstract. It limits the worry that someone is getting treated differently because of their identity or popularity. Because this is a standing rule, Menendez can’t claim the Democrats are being unfair to him by demanding he step aside. Sorry Bob, those are long-standing rules, and you have to follow them the same as anyone else.
Jackie
@HumboldtBlue: He HAD to. That committee requires removal if indicted. If he’s found innocent, he’s reseated.
Kay
lol. Don’t try to fool the internet sleuths,okay? Breaking- Menendez is a huge liar.
tobie
@Kay: Didn’t some of the bills and bars also have the fingerprints of the alleged briber? These were not from the bank.
schrodingers_cat
@HumboldtBlue: Agreed. I am against this unilateral surrender to please the media howler monkeys.
allium
@Ocotillo:
Speaking as an amateur numismatist (coin collector), before heading out to Coinstar or the bank* it might be worth your while to at least make a rough pass to see if there are any of the following:
1) Dimes or quarters from 1964 or earlier are 90% silver, meaning they’re worth about 16x their face value in the silver alone (“melt value”).
2) Half dollars from 1964 or earlier are 90% silver also. Kennedy half dollars from 1965-1970 are 40% silver
3) Jefferson nickels from 1942-45 are 35% silver (as they needed the nickel to make armor plate for the war effort). They can be recognized by the large mint mark above Monticello on the “tails” side.
4) Any non-Eisenhower large dollar coins (90% silver)
5) Basically any coin from 1940 or earlier.
Here’s a more comprehensive guide from our friends at Reddit.
Emily B.
Machine Dems in Hudson County still have their finger to the winds. From the Jersey Journal/nj.com:
Hudson Democrats ‘respect’ Menendez too much to call for resignation, but won’t publicly support him, either
Three [Hudson County Democratic Organization] insiders told The Jersey Journal that Menendez has too much “respect” in the county for anyone to speak out against him right at the moment….
“There are some who want to stand with him. There are some who want him to resign,” another insider said. “It is not a unified house and the vast majority don’t want to say anything because they simply don’t know enough.”