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You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / 2024 Primaries / Primary-ly Idiots Open Thread: Dean Phillips Has Joined the Chat

Primary-ly Idiots Open Thread: Dean Phillips Has Joined the Chat

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When you are a nepo-baby with big ambitions and suffient money, there’s always someone who’ll assure you that you’re presidential timber. (As in: wood from the neck up.)

Primary-ly Idiots Open Thread: Dean Phillips Has Joined the Chat



 
Dean Phillips, man who apparently has never had an original thought…

(My *mom* was a volunteer in ‘Clean for Gene’ McCarthy’s campaign, and that was 50 years ago!)

Well, wouldja look at *that*!…

Meanwhile:

Reader Interactions

110Comments

  1. 1.

    dr. bloor

    It will be interesting to see if either of the two people left in the universe finally let go of the notion that Steverino had experienced some sort of cosmic transition back into decency and good will.

  3. 3.

    Baud

    Dean Phillips told The Daily Beast that he doesn’t remember receiving a max campaign donation from conservative financier Harlan Crow, but allowed that it was possible he solicited it personally

    Sounds like he’s too old and senile.

  5. 5.

    Jeffro

    yeah, this is totally a real challenge to Biden and everything…

    …cue Biden/Harris 2024 ads dropping all these MAGA billionaire-funded shitheads into a single toilet bowl and flushing.

    (nickel bet!  ;)

  8. 8.

    MattF

    I was wondering why some folks were scoffing at Steve Schmidt… So, what’s the nepo connection? Or is it just something in the Minnesota water?

  9. 9.

    Glidwrith

    If the man has any clue as to the stakes for this election (and being a Federal Congresscritter he has no excuse) tells me all I need to know about his character.

  11. 11.

    geg6

    Who the fuck is this rando?  Caught a few minutes of him on CBS before I left for work and I thought he was some No Labels guy.  He’s an actual Democrat?  I don’t think so.

  12. 12.

    teezyskeezy

    Apt description of Project Lincoln and Schmidt in there, but that just reminds that a Project Lincoln in some better form with smarter people *could* have had more effect….maybe.  I wonder if it is lack of resources, lack of imagination, or lack of connections.  Or is it just that the only source of decision-making for a GOP voter these days is the right wing propaganda machine, as a long as it is running, can’t make any headway with traditional ad spots and doing CNN spots?

    It’s like the right wing media is a constant pressure pushing those its captured to particular modes of thought and voting, and a few ads and soundbites is basically trying to slow down a bowling ball by tossing BBs at it.

  15. 15.

    Eolirin

    @Alison Rose: If you’re still here, I wanted to apologize for the other day. I should have just not posted at all, since there was no way I was going to be able to express myself effectively given where I was.

  16. 16.

    Old School

    He tells @costareports and @CBSMornings he won’t “be quiet” as polling numbers “are so clearly saying that we’re going to be facing an emergency next November.”

    I can’t imagine the polling numbers are saying Dean Phillips is the answer.

  17. 17.

    Cameron

    It’s the Democrats’ turn to enjoy The Ron DeSantis Experience.  Mountains of ambition, oceans of pandering, and not a single clue.

  19. 19.

    mrmoshpotato

    Once this narcissistic assclown gets creamed in the primaries, will he be a pouty brat like Wilmer?

  21. 21.

    JMG

    As this is an open thread, Boston NBC affiliate is reporting that Card, the Lewiston mass murderer, has been found dead by law enforcement.

  24. 24.

    Eolirin

    @mrmoshpotato: If he is, maybe we’ll get an answer to the question, if a narcissistic asshole throws a fit and no one’s around to hear it does he make a sound?

  26. 26.

    Scout211

    The shooter in the killings in Maine has been found dead. Link

    Robert Card, the suspect in the Lewiston, Maine, shooting rampage, is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, multiple sources tell CNN.

    Card was found in the woods near Lisbon, which is about eight miles from Lewiston, the same three sources said. He was found in an area near the recycling center from which he had been recently fired, a law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    According to the DB article quoted at length by Digby, Dean Phillips made himself completely obnoxious on AF One, taking selfies (a security issue) and calling friends and family from the plane and interrupting Biden in meetings and conversations to basically say hi to mom and dad (a manners issue).

    Also, didn’t Steve Schmidt also run the Prez campaign for Howard Schultz, I think his name is — anyhow, the CEO of Starbucks?

  29. 29.

    Gvg

    So, Kennedy dropped out already? One of the quoted tweets seemed to say he had. Surprises me, I thought that would dragon longer. Can anyone point me at the news?

    As for this guy, well, I hope he keeps his delusion long enough to miss his chance to file for reelection as Rep. I guess our caucus has to stay sort of nice so he will still vote for whatever we can get but really.

    This one will have no impact IMO. Of course I am not especially skilled at political insight but I still think whatever.

  30. 30.

    Alison Rose

    @Scout211: This man obviously had some serious demons he was wrestling with, and yet we make it easy as pie for someone like that to get all the damn weapons of war they could want. What a country.

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JMG:

    Good. I’m glad they found him, but I wish he had lived not only to stand trial, but possibly so investigators and doctors could gain even a scrap of insight into the guy’s head. 

  34. 34.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @geg6: he’s officially a Democrat but the stench of No Labels is powerful, you can smell it through the ‘tubes!

    Is it true he’s Dear Abby’s grandson or is that just a twitter rumor?
    I know the money comes from a family hooch company that’s a couple of generations old, so another self-made businessman.

  37. 37.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SiubhanDuinne:Also, didn’t Steve Schmidt also run the Prez campaign for Howard Schultz, I think his name is — anyhow, the CEO of Starbucks?

    You are correct, ma’am! and if that’s the precedent, we should be done hearing about Dean in about three weeks

  38. 38.

    Eolirin

    @Scout211: There’s almost always some kind of life altering event isn’t it? This is why having easy access to assualt weapons, and really any gun, is such a goddamn problem. Even responsible gun owners are one really severe break away from doing something irreversible.

    Most of the time that’s suicide and not shooting up a bunch of random people, but many of those are very much unnecessary deaths that wouldn’t happen without the ease of firearms too. We are constantly awash in tragedy just to protect fragile male ego and make a handful of executives really rich.

  39. 39.

    JAFD

    Upgraded today to Thunderbird 115. ‘Supernova’ as my email client.  Seems to work OK, but the new interface is inefficient and ugly, and getting it to look and work the way I like is, to quote my father, ‘A pain in the pants’

    I ain’t happy

    A thread, possibly useful –

    https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1422908

    I will not mess with that procedure until I have fewer problems on my plate, a day with empty schedule, and a good night’s sleep, breakfast, and two or three cuppas.

    Those less intrepid might want to wait for version 116

  40. 40.

    zhena gogolia

    @Gvg: I assumed that meant he stopped running as a Democrat, so dropped out of the primaries? He’s running as an Independent, last I heard.

  41. 41.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I mainly remember that his good friend Nicolle Wallace refused to have him on her MSNBC program as long as he was working for Schultz. I wonder if she’ll do the same re: his affiliation with Phillips.

  43. 43.

    smith

    @Cameron: Most recently RFKJr’s claiming to be an independent. I think there are polls that show he now takes more votes from TFG than Biden, so… great strategy again there, billionaire dark funders.

  44. 44.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SiubhanDuinne: If I ever knew that I’d forgotten. Wallace can get on my nerves– she’s gone from the Bush White House to halfway around the horseshoe– but I give her respect for that.

  45. 45.

    Jeffro

    @Alison Rose:

    @Scout211: could someone PLEASE, on any cable network, follow up the Maine presser by running that clip of dumbass Mike Pence saying he’d institute the death penalty on mass shooters?  as a deterrent?

    oh they TOTALLY care, Mike (eyeroll)

  46. 46.

    dmsilev

    @Gvg: Kennedy dropped out of the primary to run instead as an independent. Hilariously and perhaps inevitably, polling shows that he pulls more potential supporters from the (R) side, resulting in TFG attacking him.

  47. 47.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Eolirin:

    If he is, maybe we’ll get an answer to the question, if a narcissistic asshole throws a fit and no one’s around to hear it does he make a sound? 

    Hahaha!

  48. 48.

    Alison Rose

    @Jeffro: It’s an inane idea, considering how many of them die by their own hand or the cops’, intentionally. I don’t think most of them go into such an act expecting to survive.

  49. 49.

    Jeffro

    @Eolirin:This is why having easy access to assualt weapons, and really any gun, is such a goddamn problem. Even responsible gun owners are one really severe break away from doing something irreversible.

    You are exactly right.  There is a millisecond between being a good guy with a gun and bad guy with a gun.  The GOP would have us believe we can intervene, somehow, in that millisecond.  I prefer that we intervene well before that millisecond, by keeping weapons of mass murder out of the hands of the general public (as well as universal background checks, red-flag laws, etc).

  51. 51.

    Jeffro

    @Alison Rose: “don’t you DARE think about it, Mr. Mentally Unbalanced and Suicidal Person!  If you pull that trigger and waste 200 people, well, we’ll just put you to death!!  Howya like them apples?”

    (Narrator: MMUSP did not hear the question, as he had already wasted 200 people and then offed himself)

    Ridiculous.

  53. 53.

    eclare

    Robert Card found dead.  Committed suicide but not before he fucked up dozens of families.  I wish I believed in hell.  Presser at 10 EDT.

  55. 55.

    SpaceUnit

    There needs to be an Alternative Candidate Debate in which we get to see a policy face-off between Kennedy, Phillips, Cornel West, Kanye West, Ronald McDonald, Andrew Yang, Joe Rogan, Kyrsten Sinema, and some guy dressed like Batman.

    The winner receives a crown of thorns and is then dumped into the East River.

  56. 56.

    Lyrebird

    @zhena gogolia: Hey z_g, I hope you are still on; I wanna tell you that the two main profs who taught me a little of the pycckii Rzik were both utterly insightful, inspiring, and caring profs.  This was decades ago and I lost touch with them, so I had the thought that I could send some appreciation your way instead.

  58. 58.

    Cameron

    After Phillips flames out, he’ll run on the IWW ticket.  You know, Insufferable Wealthy Wankers.

  60. 60.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Scout211:

    I’m making out the report now. We haven’t quite decided whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape.

    Captain Renault

  64. 64.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    He puts meaning to “He’s a piece of Schmidt”. Another guy in love with the sound of his voice and not much else.

  66. 66.

    geg6

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    He’s laughing all the way to the bank.  If you caught any of his MSNBC appearances from his home during the pandemic, he’s made bank in a big way.  Pretty spectacular place.  Even nicer than Iohn Heilman’s digs.  Which are also pretty spectacular.  Tells you all you need to know about these guys.  They do have very good taste, though.

  67. 67.

    Hamlet of Melnibone

    Sadly, Phillips is my Congressman.  I’m at a loss as to what is motivating this.  He’s always struck me a s a pretty generic Democrat.  A little corporate, but frankly that suits this district, as it is a well-off suburb that swung Democratic after Trump was elected.  My neighbors like low taxes, but they aren’t excited by the hate and crazy that Trump brought.  He certainly doesn’t need to do something like this to keep his seat.

    I guess that it could just be delusions of grandeur- he’s a rich guy with nice hair, so why couldn’t he be President?

  69. 69.

    Lyrebird

    @Eolirin: ​
     

    I scrolled too fast when I first came to this thread and totally misunderstood your comment, but now that I get it, YEAH!

    And not only is this important – whhy should somebody carrying water for Republicans and the plurality-owner of the Supreme Court inside-baseball team, after all? – but hey, Ron Harris sounds excellent to me!

    As a community and policy leader, Ron helped build and guide the coalition that successfully expanded paid sick leave to 144,000 city workers. His effort was inspired by his mother who, when Ron developed pneumonia as a baby, was fired from her job for taking time off to care for him. Now, mothers and fathers across the city can take time to care for their loved ones, knowing their jobs are protected and their livelihoods are safe.

    Was this what had some Midwestern Republicans going on about how FMLA leave is “summer break for grown ups”? As a parent and someone who has been a caregiver to more than one dying person, I have nothing but pitchforks for people who can even think that, let alone say it. So, Go Ron Harris!

  71. 71.

    geg6

    @Danielx:

    Nope.  Both had decor that I would kill for.  And the views from Schmidt’s place were sublime.  I think he lives in Idaho or somewhere like that.

  72. 72.

    Alison Rose

    God, I wish news producers would realize it is okay to just show us the room waiting for the presser with a graphic rather than have an anchor and guest rambling on and on, repeating themselves, musing about “maybe” and “possibly” and “could be” and all this shit, clearly trying to fill airtime until the cops come out. I’d rather watch a silent empty lectern.

  74. 74.

    Kay

    I think Steve Schmidt is an unstable person with some mental health issues. The other idiot, I have no idea.

  75. 75.

    Jeffro

    @MazeDancer:Schmidt had to claw his way back from that crash. And now this?

    “I…I…I just wanna BE SOMEBODY!!!”

    Ok, Steve, sounds good.  Here’s your call sheet, your fundraising envelopes to lick, whatever.  Stop believing your own mental press releases, or something.

  76. 76.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @geg6:

    Good point, he loves money too…lol! I tired of his self-important ass a long time ago. Once a fervent serial rodent copulator, always a fervent serial rodent copulator.

  77. 77.

    Tehanu

    @geg6: ​ Who the fuck is this rando? … He’s an actual Democrat? I don’t think so.

    My question too. And since he’s planning to run on “crime and border,” he ain’t no Democrat.​

  79. 79.

    kindness

    I’m getting a Kyrsten Sinema vibe from this Phillips guy.  He pretty much is openly saying he doesn’t want to be a Congressman any more.  Has someone stepped up to primary him from the D side yet (his congressional office I mean)?

  81. 81.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Jeffro: He coulda been a contender.  He coulda had class; style.  He coulda been somebody, instead he’s a bum with a one way ticket to palookaville.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    Dean Phillips told The Daily Beast that he doesn’t remember receiving a max campaign donation from conservative financier Harlan Crow, but allowed that it was possible he solicited it personally.

    snort!  what a maroon.

  84. 84.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Matt McIrvin:  He’s from Minnesota, the Canadian border is a big issue there – keeping the maple hordes out with their politeness and low cost prescription medicine.

  88. 88.

    Another Scott

    @debit:

    Ditto.

    Ron Harris
    @ronharrismn
    6h

    By choosing not to file to run in NV and snubbing SC— the nation’s first primary—to focus on NH, Dean Phillips is ignoring Black and Brown voters.

    That’s unacceptable. I believe in a vision that is inclusive of everyone.

    If you’re with me, chip in: secure.actblue.com/donate/ro…

    Fritschner thinks that Phillips may be trying to up his quarterly fundraising number or something. Whatever it is, he should do it on his own time away from the US House and the Democratic Party.

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: I read today that Johnson did a filmed interview from INSIDE THE HOUSE of Harlan Crow.  I couldn’t bear to read long enough to know if it was since he became Pastor of the House or if it was at some point in the past.

  91. 91.

    Captain C

    @WaterGirl: If Biden said that we would have two solid weeks of nothing but Biden-is-senile stories, even if that day Trump was convicted of multiple felonies and another major war broke out.

  92. 92.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Alison Rose:

    God, I wish news producers would realize it is okay to just show us the room waiting for the presser with a graphic rather than have an anchor and guest rambling on and on, repeating themselves, musing about “maybe” and “possibly” and “could be” and all this shit, clearly trying to fill airtime until the cops come out. I’d rather watch a silent empty lectern. 

    Break out the 2015-16 footage of Dump’s empty podium!

  96. 96.

    mrmoshpotato

    @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

    He’s from Minnesota, the Canadian border is a big issue there – keeping the maple hordes out with their politeness and low cost prescription medicine.

    And those marauding moose trying to overrun our greatest-country-in-the-world! with that commie universal healthcare!!!

  97. 97.

    Hoppie

    @eclare: Apparently the suicide-by-cop plan didn’t work out.  Asshole is not nearly a strong enough word.  Fortunately I am old (as are many folks who post on these old-fashioned blog thingies).

  98. 98.

    Juliet

    Checking in from MN o3. He beat the horrible Republican who had been in office here. Don’t know what is happening to Dean. He appears to have been dropped on his head somewhere. He doesn’t appear to have much DFL support at the state level for this stupid move.

  99. 99.

    Hoppie

    @Juliet: So long as he supports Hakeem to be Speaker, I’m neutral.  But the vibes are terrible, is it just pandering to his suburban district for tv time (I dinna know)?

  104. 104.

    Shalimar

    @MazeDancer: I can’t find a link anymore, but iirc Schmidt was guaranteed an obscene amount of money to become an advisor for Schultz.  Maybe he is going for the same windfall this time.

  105. 105.

    RaflW

    Eghad. As a Minnesotan I’m grossed out/so embarrassed that the cheap-vodka & mass market gelato guy has such an inflated ego and shriveled brain that he thinks this shit is worth it.

    Spin out fast, Dean. I doubt the MN-nice but quietly racist west metro is going to go for Ron in the Dem primary, because I do want Philips to lose his job next year … but not to a Republican!

  106. 106.

    Geminid

    @Juliet: Democratic Parties seem to vary from state to state as far as how well organized they are. Minnesota’s seems relatively well organized, at least compared to the one here in Virginia. I think there will be a district convention that could endorse Mr. Harris, the challenger. Their choice would not bind primary voters but would still influence them.

    Will Phillips run for reelection? It could be he will drop out after New Hampshire and then campaign for his seat. Phillips is hardly indispensible, though. His winning margin in 2018 was one of the largest of the 40 Democrats who flipped seats in 2018, and it increased in the two elections since. That is probably due to an underlying political shift in the district and not because of his personal appeal.

    Phillips’ Presidential campaign will certainly raise his profile nationally, but that will likely result in a flood of contributions to the challenger and negate the advantage his personal wealth might give him. I think Phillips will lose the primary unless more candidates jump in and split the non-Phillips vote.

  107. 107.

    Geminid

    @RaflW: One interesting aspect of the 2018 Blue Wave was the three Black Democrats who won predominately white districts. Colin Allred flipped a red district in the Dallas suburbs, and Lauren Underwood flipped a red district centered on Naperville, west of Chicago. Jahana Hayes(?) won the nomination to succeed a Democrat in eastern Connecticut. All three have won reelection since then.

    So maybe Mr. Harris will win this seat. Barack Obama’s Presidency induced many different reactions, but I think that within the Democratic Party it was a positive one regarding a given candidate’s race.

  108. 108.

    Anne Laurie

    @Alison Rose: Yeah, one of the dudes at the presser made a clear point to say hunting could resume. I was like…please tell me that was not the number one concern.

    Not the top concern, but there’s a limited number of days (especially weekend days) in the hunting season.  And there’s a lot of families in Maine who actually *DO* need the deer meat to get them through the ‘slow season’ of winter seasonal layoffs.

    I mean, when there’s a shutdown in Boston, there’s a lot of people whose perfectly reasonable first question is “How long before I can get to my office / restaurant / delivery shift on the MTA again?  Because even if I can *find* an Uber running, I’ll be faced with a choice between losing my job for not getting downtown, or losing my apartment because I can’t pay the rent after paying for rides.”

  109. 109.

    Central Planning

    @Cameron: ​ The other day I noticed the house in my neighborhood with the “DeSantis 2024” flag now has a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag instead. Baby steps!​

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