Via Semafor (Ben Smith’s post Buzzfeed, post NYTimes shop)* the ultimate Rooting For Injuries™ showdown:
Members of Donald Trump’s team are quietly preparing to go on offense against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as internal campaign polling suggests his expected third party bid could draw more votes from Trump than President Joe Biden in a general election.
As someone on Bluesky put it, let us savor the thought of Kennedy running ads denouncing Trump for Operation Warp Speed and the COVID vaccine.
I liked this nugget too:
Semafor has not independently reviewed the polling. One person close to Trump’s campaign said it showed that Kennedy took more votes from Trump than left-wing independent Cornel West drew from Biden when both were tested.
Apparently, this all has the Trumpoids panicked enough to prepare a John Foster Dulles response:
With Trump allies “anxious,” as one supporter put it, his campaign and outside allies are also preparing to release an onslaught of opposition research.
“We’re gonna be dropping napalm after napalm on his head reminding the public of his very liberal views, dating back to 2012,” another Trumpworld person told Semafor. “We have a lot of stuff on him.”
Like I said: root for injuries.
*I have my doubts. Smith is as mainstream as they come. But he did good work at Buzzfeed, so here’s hoping.
Image: Thomas Eakins, Wrestlers, 1899
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
Why not just pick him as veep, Donnie?
Baud
So RFK, Jr. Is more of a threat than DeSantis.
Interesting.
dmsilev
@Baud: General election, not primary. Stupid as Ron might be, he’s not so stupid as to run third-party.
dr. bloor
Balloon Juice: come for the posts, stay for Levenson’s savant-like knowledge of topical art works.
lollipopguild
@Baud: He also might draw donations away from trump.
TeezySkeezy
@lollipopguild: ie, the scariest thing.
Urza
@TeezySkeezy: Can’t pay for lawyers if you’re not getting donations after your business empire is auctioned off to pay creditors
Wonder if he realizes that donations would dry up entirely if he got reelected, since he couldn’t run again.
bbleh
Whatever gets the MAGAts in a tizzy is fine with me.
Maybe some flash-mob style guerrilla tactics are indicated. Like, a large percentage of people walking by Trump campaign HQ wearing masks or something. And, I dunno, bizarre deliveries at the front desk. Get it all Twilight Zone.
prostratedragon
“La mufa [Jinx],” Astor Piazzolla; 4 clarinets
Alison Rose
I never understood why people like watching stuff like MMA, but now I kinda do.
Tony Jay
Awwww. Donnie Do-Wrong wanted him a pet Kennedy to piss on all the Dem curtains, but it turns out the attractive power of a supermassive krank hole exceeds that of a dying orange star where the loose roaming detritus of unformed solid ground is concerned
……………….
Sorry, what was I saying? I kind of lost my theme there.
Ivan X
What’s up with this Biden rebuilding Trump border wall thing people are buzzing about all of a sudden? I’m too ignorant to go find out myself, so I’d rather hear the jackals’ take.
WaterGirl
@Ivan X: Looking forward to hearing the responses. I have heard snippets and it makes no sense to me.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Tony Jay: up late? Get some sleep, try again tomorrow after coffee.
TeezySkeezy
@Urza: Given his openly violent rhetoric of late, I bet he imagines ways around term limits.
OTOH, maybe he is just like every other sociopath criminal who finally got out over their skis and is just thinking about surviving another day.
Another Scott
@Ivan X: Congress appropriated the money under TIFG. Biden tried to get the Congress to reprogram the money. They didn’t. It has to – by law – be spent as appropriated. So, a roughly 20 mile segment will be built.
That’s it.
Of course, the [NPR] ATC crowd was all pearl clutching and couch fainting about “Biden broke his word!!11”.
Grrr…,
Scott.
Baud
@Another Scott:
Thanks.
TeezySkeezy
@Mr. Bemused Senior: no way, that’s good stuff. Encourage do not discourage.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@TeezySkeezy: I’m worried we might jinx it.😁
TeezySkeezy
Tony Jay
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
Tomorrow might be too late! What if the MAGAtrocity strokes out overnight and I wake up to find the whole wide world doing thumbs-up like it’s Fonzday?
Sometimes you just gotta talk nonsense while you can.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Urza: You think those dopes are smart enough to figure that out and stop sending him money? But …the end game is he’s God-Emperor for life so there won’t be an end to his second term until he croaks.
Timill
@Another Scott: Just divert it to Ukraine and dare the House to complain…
smith
@Another Scott: My hope is to find out that he had it built with a convenient door installed every 50 feet.
TeezySkeezy
@Another Scott: Well that is frustrating. I feel like they should just not do it and let someone try to force them to do it. Keep the money in escrow, no fraud, no misappropriation. Let someone sue them over it.
eclare
@Tony Jay:
Fonzday sounds like a great idea, and I bet Henry Winkler would be up for it. He seems like a really nice guy.
TeezySkeezy
@Tony Jay: You just keep going. Don’t let them talk you down while you are on a roll.
Gin & Tonic
Boy, I’d pay money for a TFG-RFKjr debate. There’s not enough money in the universe to get me to watch it, of course, but I’d love for it to take place.
eclare
@TeezySkeezy:
I agree, it looks horrible. Joe’s admin has even suspended regulations under the Endangered Species Act, among other regulations, to do this.
Roger Moore
@Urza:
He could still run a PAC that promises to help elect Trump-friendly legislators. I don’t know if it would make more sense for it to be a leadership PAC or a Super PAC; maybe he could have one of each.
MattF
My guess is that TFG sees Kennedy as a directly competing ‘brand’ with name recognition, strong anti-vaxx cred and conspiracy appeal. And… that could be correct, as far as it goes. Not much to do with policy or politics, but it’s where we are.
prostratedragon
@Ivan X:
@WaterGirl: Impression from a fairly distracted scan of a Liz Dye post at Wonkette is that it has to do with funds already appropriated for that purpose that Biden can’t simply impound.
pluky
@Ivan X: Congress explicitly appropriated the money for that purpose. Biden didn’t have any leeway in the matter.
Tony Jay
@eclare:
Doesn’t it? Best thing about Fonzday is it comes with freebie tickets for a reasonably priced mid-sized motel for Shark Jump Week whenever you feel the need to just go crazy.
And yes, Winkler has been over this side of the Pond quite a few times and always comes across as someone intensely comfortable with being a good guy who wears soft corduroy pants.
narya
@prostratedragon: yes. And when asked if it would work, he said, bluntly, “No.” He’s not trying to defend it at all.
Tony Jay
@TeezySkeezy:
Hadn’t happened yet. Eventually I’ll get drunk enough that the babbling starts making sense. That’s when I sleep.
eclare
@Tony Jay:
And a free leather jacket to anyone who says “heyyyyy, I’m the Fonz!”
Tony Jay
@Another Scott:
Just build 20 miles of wall fitted with adequate piping to provide fresh water, showers and maybe a lot of BBQ grills. Have it constructed by Union Labour and plastered over with bilingual signs directing asylum seekers to the nearest help centre?
If you’ve got to squeeze lemons…
Another Scott
@Tony Jay: Nominated.
[ rofl ]
Cheers,
Scott.
Tony Jay
@eclare:
One jacket. First come first served.
Spoiler: It’s me.
Ken
@smith: My thought was that if there’s enough money for 20 miles of wall, they could build a 40 mile segment, if they made it of 10 foot panels with 10 foot gaps. Given the length of the border, it’s as useless either way.
TS
@Another Scott:
As if that would worry a GOP administration – they would find another way to avoid their own appropriations, let alone a democratic one.
MazeDancer
Add some more pleases to the solicitation of the Universe. And lotsa knock woods..
Really hope this happens.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
Isn’t JFK Jr. (who faked his own death) secretly working with Dump?
prostratedragon
@TS: As I recall it was that piker Nixon who tried that and was slapped down with the present law passed to make it code.
TeezySkeezy
@Tony Jay:
Well, don’t go too hard. I thought you were just sleep deprived.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Another Scott:
That’s what some people elsewhere were getting in a snit about? Sounds like a nothingburger
Tony Jay
@Another Scott:
Someone wicked on the Light Side should suggest to an evil billionaire at one of those penthouse parties young models and people with Names get invited to that what America really needs is a glitzy Leadership Debate between all the candidates who normally get ignored.
Really Frigging Kooky Eye-Eye, Go West Old Man, Pachouli Dreamcatcher, Ron DeSantis, all of them. Hosted by someone utterly godawful with questions chosen by a German octopus from a selection provided by Internet algorithms. The winner – chosen by an online vote – gets a donation of $10 million to their campaign from the billionaire.
Christ, it’d be awful. This must happen.
Tony Jay
@TeezySkeezy:
You’re not my Mum!
I say that to everyone. So far it’s been mostly true.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
What our AI overlords have to say about the rumors of David Brook’s encounter with a certain fruit
Title: David Brooks and the Rumors of Cantaloupe Misuse: A Critical Examination
Introduction: In recent days, there have been rumors circulating about the alleged misuse of cantaloupes and interns by renowned journalist David Brooks. These rumors, while certainly intriguing, must be approached with caution and a commitment to fairness. This essay aims to critically examine the allegations surrounding David Brooks and shed light on the truth behind these claims, while acknowledging the importance of verifying information before casting judgment.
I. Understanding the Allegations:
a. Alleged Cantaloupe Misuse: The first set of allegations revolves around David Brooks purportedly eating a cantaloupe in an unorthodox manner. While the specific nature of this unconventional consumption remains undisclosed, it is crucial to note that mere rumors cannot be taken as definitive proof of wrongdoing. Speculation and exaggeration often accompany such rumors, necessitating a sober analysis to attain a clearer understanding of the situation.
b. Alleged Intern Involvement: The second set of allegations involves an intern supposedly witnessing this cantaloupe consumption incident. Though the extent of the intern’s shock is emphasized in the rumors, it is important to consider the reliability and credibility of such claims. Interns often work closely with their mentors and witness a variety of professional and personal behaviors, making it essential to differentiate between normal and questionable experiences in the workplace.
JWR
Re: the new 20 mile section of the border “wall”. What I’ve heard, in fact heard yesterday afternoon, was as others have already stated, that the funds were allocated in 2019, and those funds had to be used for that specific purpose by sometime next month. There was also the fact that Mayorkas had apparently been pleading with the WH to build that portion of border barrier, but who knows?
Of course, Lester Holt couldn’t help himself from finding a soundbite of an angry sounding young person saying that Biden had broken his word, and last night, most TV news featured this border wall story while some breathless newsreader told us that it marked a major reversal by Biden, and then one of them read one of T***p’s “Truths” in which he demanded an apology from Biden, I guess for having proven him right about his stupid “wall”. At least that’s how I remember it.
Falling Diphthong
I think Kennedy could be quite attractive to people who love conspiracy theories but are kinda tired of Trump.
Kent
OK, so they have to spend the money.
But do they have to waive 20 different environmental laws while doing so?
AlaskaReader
I’m not familiar with the art, ran the image through a google image search and got zero hits.
…maybe it’s just a part of a larger image
I once had a chiropractor try something very similar to that.
It didn’t end well for the chiropractor.
Honus
@Tony Jay: wow. That was really good. I almost didn’t understand a word of it!
WaterGirl
@JWR: Thanks for all of that.
WaterGirl
@Kent: That’s the part I don’t understand, either.
karen marie
@JWR: Anderson Cooper was on Colbert the other day, complaining that “we just tell facts, viewers have to decide.” It made me want to break things.
They’re going to be the death of us all.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@AlaskaReader: I’m always happy to see local boy Thomas Eakins, but I’m not familiar with that one either.
Despite the fact that according to this site, one version of it is here in Philly.
https://www.wikiart.org/en/thomas-eakins/the-wrestlers-1899
AlaskaReader
@karen marie: Yes, I saw that and was very disappointed he didn’t acknowledge the basic responsibilities of journalists.
Very disappointing. He’s very shallow and shortsighted.
As a real danger to everyone’s existence, too few of them practice journalistic ethics and mores.
AlaskaReader
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Thanks, I got the wrestling theme, and so was surprised the image search returned no hits, doubly so now that I see the attribution.
Feathers
Over on BlueSky, Popehat is “rooting for sepsis in a knife fight.”
Clowns, the lot of them.
JWR
@Kent:
@WaterGirl:
As far as bypassing the environmental stuff, maybe it was to allow all 52 miles* built under TFG? I dunno.
* In reporting on this story, last night’s PBS News Hour said that TFG had built 450 miles of Wall™, when he’d only created 52 miles of new Wall™, and had patched up, or replaced already existing structure.
karen marie
@AlaskaReader: He’s above it all. He doesn’t watch other news shows, he doesn’t listen to opinions.
How can he possibly know what is true and accurate when he operates in a vacuum?
Because he’s a fucking stenographer.
hotshoe
@Kent: Blame Dumpster, and blame his corrupt heads of departments, and blame his three illegitimate SC justices and their announced desire to use the court to overthrow all environmental laws.
When Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection started their goddamn drive for more wall, they were the ones who inserted the waivers of all those environmental laws (Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act etc) into the budget act.
I don’t know why lawsuits were not filed — or were not successful — to delete the waivers. One guess is that organizations which would normally be motivated to sue were just too discouraged to do it. What were the odds they would have been successful in the face of 5th Circuit and USSC?
The waivers were enacted by Dumpster’s Congress. Biden, obeying the 2019 law, is getting blamed as if he were the one personally sending messages to the EPA asking them to make a new waiver just for him, just now. It’s yet another unfair example of “only Dems have agency” when our president is playing by the rules instead of breaking shit.
I don’t know why Dems didn’t get the enabling legislation cancelled. BIden asked them to. Didn’t happen, for whatever reason. There’s been a terrible burden of other things which were vital to legislate this year; something has to be at the bottom of the list of things to worry about. Yeah, we can walk and chew gum and the same time (supposedly) but we literally cannot fix everything that the previous Congress fucked up.
JWR
@karen marie:
I think I saw that interview, but wasn’t paying much attention. AC ain’t all that great at journamalizing, are he?
Another Scott
@Kent: @WaterGirl:
Horse’s mouth (2 page .pdf):
(Much more at the link. Emphasis added. Blame any wonky formatting on the seeming impossibility for cut-and-paste to work with PDF text.)
Lawyers can, and do, argue about everything. But it seems pretty clear that as long as Congress didn’t reprogram the money, he had to spend it as directed.
IANAL, either.
HTH!
Cheers,
Scott.
Bill Arnold
@AlaskaReader:
I generally drop urls to image links in the prompt at https://tineye.com/ , and sort by oldest first. Plenty of hits, and it does pretty well for many image modifications.
The Thin Black Duke
@hotshoe: Thank you.
Loudmouth know-it-alls desperately looking for an excuse not to vote for Biden because he “betrayed” us.
Yawn.
Too many folks on “our” side are easily enraptured by performative court jesters who are great at delivering sound bites on The Young Turks but accomplish nothing.
Yeah, I’m pissed.
JWR
@hotshoe:
Upvoted.
@Another Scott:
That’s my understanding. Unfortunately, our Snooze media can’t be bothered to do any research before “telling it like it is.”
AlaskaReader
@karen marie: I don’t think it’s a matter of his not knowing, …I think it’s a matter of how he views his responsibilities as a journalist, and I’m surprised and disgusted by the evidential lack he demonstrated concerning those responsibilities.
In addition to law schools taking back some law degrees, journalism schools ought to be suspending some journalism degrees too.
AlaskaReader
@Bill Arnold: Thanks, bookmarked.
hotshoe
@Another Scott:
Thanks for linking that.
I think it’s unreadable if you’re not a lawyer (which I’m not) but I would take a flying leap at the meaning: “We need to built more wall, we have to break whatever is possibly in the way of building more wall, this is a list of the things which we are expecting to break, and if y’all object I can add more things to the list of things to break.” (umm, not a direct quote, you understand.)
Notice: Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Secretary DHS.
Again, not Biden asking for a favor.
Not Biden’s fault at all, unless you think Biden should turn himself into Dumpster v.2 and as executive do whatever he damn well pleases and ignore whatever he damn well pleases, too.
I point out that the fault is not only Dumpster, since some of the enabling legislation — not the 2019 funds appropriation, but the basic legislation about border wall — dates back to 2006 Bush and Repug control of both houses of Congress.
Plenty of blame to go around on the red-hat side.
karen marie
@AlaskaReader: Yes, my language was imprecise.
Agreed, journalism schools should be yanking diplomas, but I’m starting to get the impression that at least part – maybe even a large part – of the problem is what is being taught at those schools in the first place. Kind of hard to take back a degree when the person is practicing their profession as they were taught to do.
NotMax
Semafor has become a part of my weekday whiparound routine since the day they went live.
JWR
@hotshoe:
Understood. ;)
That’s what I was attempting to convey up at #63, so thank you.
AlaskaReader
@karen marie: I agree that the failure can likely also in some part be attributed to institutional degradation and incompetence.
But that doesn’t excuse the aspiring ‘journalists’ from not knowing the history and founding ideals of their own profession.
Too bad there isn’t a journalistic ethics board that could enforce at the least the minimum basics
And to expand to the average citizen:
Civics is not given enough space in current curriculums, but that doesn’t entirely excuse the average student from not learning the basics of civics independently.
hotshoe
@The Thin Black Duke:
Yeah, the ginned-up response on this is not a good look for “our side”.
Those snippets of news, yesterday, made me feel betrayed by Biden.
But why, when I hear political news that sounds bad for Biden, why would I believe it enough to let it agitate me?
Makes more sense to assume that whatever sound bite they’re pushing is not the whole truth — or not even any truth at all.
I had some extra time yesterday to check into the background of wall-building news. So when the subject came up here, I was a little better prepared to show that it’s not Biden’s fault after all.
No one can possibly have the time to be on top of all the issues.
That’s why I value y’all so much — Jackals bring so much knowledge and perspective to these discussions — if once in a year I can return the favor of my knowledge or perspective, hey great ;)
And I’m just a self-taught amateur, so I leave out of here praying that I didn’t make a complete hash of what I was trying to say.
Bill Arnold
@hotshoe:
When this happens, it is usually/often the case that inducement of that feeling is the intent of the news pieces, or of the summarizers.
(Which makes them propaganda, not news.)
Another Scott
@Bill Arnold: + eleventy-billion
Biden is a known quantity. If something seems surprising or out of character, there’s most likely much more to the story.
Biden isn’t going to sell us out. But the press likes nothing better than making Democrats think so…
Cheers,
Scott.
AlaskaReader
@Bill Arnold:
…and if your local news has been gobbled up by Sinclair or Gray TV, propaganda is the point.
Fox isn’t the only enemy.
Kent
Complete and total failure of the Netanyahu government.
Of course it will probably make him stronger….sigh
https://x.com/JimmySecUK/status/1710708371593052456?s=20