Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

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

No Justins, No Peace

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

People are weird.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / 2024 Primaries / Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Meanwhile, At the Kiddy Table…

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Meanwhile, At the Kiddy Table…

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Wednesday Evening Open Thread:


Also, too…

(But for his ‘health advocacy’, among other reasons, RatFvcKer Jr *is* agitating the Repubs… )

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: 1

All else fails, there will always be Marianne Williamson, who *still* has a book-buying ‘base’ and nothing better to do with her time…

Reader Interactions

68Comments

  4. 4.

    Rose Weiss

    Only political junkies know who Cornel West is. Most regular folks haven’t ever heard of Ms. Williamson either.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    Dean Philips winning New Hampshire would be a huge story if Biden were on the ballot, and no pundit will let inconvenient facts get in the way of a huge story.

  11. 11.

    Jertian

    When I graduated college, RFK jr. was given an honorary degree.  We were outside on a broiling hot day with no clouds or breeze.  Packed shoulder to shoulder in black graduation robes with no shade or relief in sight.  RFK Jr. gave a long speech that did not mention college or graduation or going out into the world once.  He droned on and on, giving the same speech he was probably giving to corporate boards about corporate environmentalism.  The whole time, he was under the only shade on the entire field, and a small fan blew on the speaker’s podium alone.  Multiple graduating seniors passed out from heat stroke, and he didn’t notice.

    I’ve been Not a Fan of RFK Jr. for a very long time.

  13. 13.

    Old School

    C’mon. 3% for Cornel West? I doubt 0.003% of Americans know who he is.

    And .003% of that .003% of Americans would actually vote for Cornel West.

  15. 15.

    Bill Arnold

    @SpaceUnit:
    Well, better to not get (negative) emotionally riled-up about it, because knowing the landscape is important, but if that is difficult, better to ignore.

  16. 16.

    hells littlest angel

    I get all my public health hot takes from a guy who goes barefooted into an airplane bathroom

     

    I just threw up a little in my mouth, then copiously all over everything.

  18. 18.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    people responding to the poll are probably confused and think they’re supporting Canye West, not Corny West

  20. 20.

    Matt McIrvin

    @SpaceUnit: But the pollsters predict those Democratic wins more or less correctly, so it’s not just that they’re off. They’re probably measuring something.

  21. 21.

    RaflW

    I only saw the departure gate barefoot photo when I wrote this Bsky (or whatever it’s called when I post there):

    “If you walk into an aircraft lavatory barefoot, it should be 100% legal and maybe even mandatory that a flight attendant lock you in and call the cockpit for an emergency landing”

  24. 24.

    Jay

    @Baud:

     

    @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

    Hummmm,…….. have a 1500 word op-ed on the election to write this week for the check to clear,…..

    ???????? It really wasn’t about Roe?,…………… nope, I have done 16 of those and even my spellchecker doesn’t like those.

    Biden is old? Nope?

    Where is Harris?

    Open up on TFIG? Nope, too much hate mail, doxxing and death threats.

    I’ve got it,……… Honey, what was the name of the TV series you keep watching?,…….. “Young Rock”,….. thank you, got it,…….

    This op ed is going to be a game changer,……

  25. 25.

    bjacques

    Under President Williamson, the new coinage will have E Pluribus Unum replaced with the New Age motto Owa Tagu Siam.

  27. 27.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Baud:

    No one predicts wins a year out.

    This.  At this point in 2011 Romney was winning.  We’re going to be slapped with every poorly constructed poll that looks bad for Biden for months because the media is trying to make us afraid.  They’re dispiriting as Hell to see, but they don’t actually mean anything.

  28. 28.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    Not Scott’s not Canadian Girlfriend?*

    *He dragged her on stage, she’s possibly a real girl, therefore she can’t be his Canadian girlfriend, Occam’s Razor for the win.

  29. 29.

    RaflW

    @bjacques: I dunno why (besides that I’m old) but whenever I see a reference to Maryanne Williamson I think immediately of the insipid/weird evening soap Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

  30. 30.

    Dangerman

    Rode in a Tesla 3 (care of Uber) for the first and hopefully last time today. How the fuck that passed any safety board is beyond me.

    The door doesn’t have a handle or button like every other car on the planet. Oh no. You hit the button and push the door. Sure, I’ve seen buttons that open the door automatically (generally sliding) but button AND push out?

    Fuck off Elon. I know you want to be different but, seriously, eat shit. If the Uber driver had a head on, I woulda been in trouble exiting the car.

    At least it wasn’t different like push a button and solve a Rubik’s Cube. That woulda been different, too.

    Asshole (I might be referring to myself for using Uber). Or not.

  32. 32.

    Rusty

    Here is a case where I wouldn’t panic.  Myself and the other Democrats I know in New Hampshire are going to show up at the primary and write in Joe’s name.   Phillips isn’t going to get some huge win.  There is a firehouse of shit to worry about with this election, but this won’t be one of the issues.

  33. 33.

    piratedan

    we could be getting stories about how the decision on Dobbs is STILL driving elections… or real grass roots efforts to kick out the Moms for Liberty astrofurfers at a local level or what sectors that the Infrastructure Bill has helped the most or what the delay in the House is costing our allies fighting for their country… but no… we get this shit instead.

    I mean, some enterprising soul could even note the number of outstanding J6 warrants or talk about how every economic pundit has been wrong about the Biden administration… c’mon 4th estate, you absolutely adore it when experts are wrong!  We could be talking about Long Covid, Climate Change, or even fun topics like corruption on the highest court in the land….

  34. 34.

    RaflW

    @Ladyraxterinok: I was actually probably a few years too young when it ran. Like, I didn’t get Fernwood 2night either. Mary just seemed like an even more depressed Vera from Alice, but with less physical comedy.

  35. 35.

    hrprogressive

    This is the kind of shit that literally exists only to satiate the wet dreams of the beltway consultant/pundit class and nobody else.

    I freely admit I didn’t want Biden to be the candidate, and as President, he’s left a lot to be desired (his “nothing to see here” approach to the pandemic still makes me angry to this day).

    That said, I’m pragmatic enough to know that, short of Biden becoming unable to fulfill the office – IE, he passes away or something – I’m not voting for anyone other than him.

    Because no matter how many ego-maniacal, self-important people are trying to take votes away from him by offering platforms that would never go anywhere with the broken Congress we have, the American People have exactly two choices in 2024

    Fascism or Not Fascism.

    And it’s a pretty clear choice.

  36. 36.

    cmorenc

    @Rose Weiss:

    Not only is Cornell West unknown outside of hard-core leftist circle-jerks, but i seriously doubt he is the sort of fellow who would attract any voters previously unfamiliar to Cornell once they do get exposed to him.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @Jertian:

    It seems like a lot of families have that one sibling that just has to stand out in some oddball way and for the Kennedy clan it’s RFK Jr, easiest the oddest ball of the clan. Now it could be for a few reasons, dropped on his head as an infant, has an addiction, an ego the size of all outdoors, or most likely, all of the above.

  39. 39.

    moops

    When your polls tell you clearly absurd things, it should be time to question your methods. But this polling is MOAR HORSERACE so let’s print that!

  40. 40.

    Craig

    @Dangerman: I rode in an X a few weeks ago, the gullwing door one. I was concerned how to get out in a crash. Horrible ride. I find Uber drivers always have the rear suspension set too stiff.

  41. 41.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: Usually the major party candidates aren’t determined a year out, so it mostly functions as a “what if” exercise comparing the primary contenders, and not taken that seriously at that. Everyone understands that the nominee will gain in stature. This is unusual–both parties’ candidates are effectively determined and most people have well-formulated opinions about them. And American politics since the Obama era or so has been more static and polarized than it was previously, so there’s less room for opinion to move.

  42. 42.

    gene108

    I just hope come November 2024 NH Dems and independents don’t get pissy about not being coddled as ‘first in the nation primary’ and don’t vote in force next year.

    Joe needs every EV he can get.

  44. 44.

    Geminid

    @gene108: I’m hoping Joe Biden can finally pick up the Maine 2nd CD Electoral Vote. Even though Democrat Rep. Jared Golden won in 2020, Donald Trump carried the district and its Electoral Vote.

    Like Maine, Nebraska awards two EVs for carrying the state and one EV for each district. In 2020, the situation was reversed from Maine’s, with Joe Biden carrying the Omaha-based 3rd(?) CD and Republican Rep. Don Bacon winning his seat again.

  45. 45.

    geg6

    @RaflW:

    OMG, I loved Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman!  It had a great cast and guest stars:  Louise Lesser, Mary Jay Place, Greg Mullavey, Dodi Goodman, Martin Mull, Dabney Coleman…and many more that I can’t remember off the top of my head.  Fernwood wasn’t quite as good but Martin Mull is always entertaining.

  49. 49.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: Steubenville, Ohio. She went to a food pantry, a bar, and interviewed a bunch of white people and one black person. White people were pining for a return of Trump and blaming the Ds for all their woes. Black person was an elected local D who was pointing out the good that Ds had done.

    Judy (team R) didn’t bother correcting one of the food pantry interviewees who said that immigrants get everything from the government but “we” are forgotten.

    Immigrants (GC holders) are not eligible for SNAP benefits for 3 years after they GC cards only exceptions are children, people with disabilities and people over 65

    Also it is extremely difficult to get a GC if you don’t have family sponsoring you (spouse or children over 18). Canada’s version of GC is much easier to attain.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Baud: I’d say “right in one” but I don’t know that for sure.  But it sounds just like a Villager to make that call.  On update: the delightful cat confirmed what I though.  Woodruff is a hack, like all the crap people of NPR and PBS.  Oh how the Snooze Hour has fallen since the days of McNeil and Lehrer.

  54. 54.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: Their entire worldview is based on a lie. And Judy Woodruff never confronted her with facts either on camera or corrected the false narrative in her voiceover.

    Yeah but Judy Woodruff and the Snooze Hour is the worst. They give this virulent racism and false narratives a cloak of respectability.

  56. 56.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: Yep. Our legacy media is bathed in white privilege or is outright racist. Even when the faces reading the news are not. They favor Rs.

    I saw a meme on Twitter whenever there is a mass shooting how the media covers it

    Perp is black: Thug

    Perp is Muslim: Terrorist

    Perp is an immigrant: Seal the border

    Perp is white: How is the society failing white men?

  57. 57.

    prostratedragon

    Just saw a segment on Reidout about the war in Gaza and the problems it poses for Biden. One thing I thought strange — and I think Baschloss was stiil there and let it pass — was the notion that no President has ever faced the degree of internal dissent that Biden currently is facing from other Democrats and supporters over this issue. Does no one remember Vietnam during the LBJ years? That case at least needs to be brought out for comparison.

  58. 58.

    Another Scott

    One for Geminid, ICHMI, … BlueVirginia.US:

    Here in Virginia, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA05) is about as far right as it’s humanly (or inhumanly, lol) possible to be, yet – see below – he’s being primaried by someone (Del. John McGuire) who’s as far right as he is and, as an added “bonus,” literally was at the US Capitol as part of the January 6, 2021 pro-Trump mob. And WHY is McGuire primarying Good? Of course, NOT because Good is a far-right extremist – McGuire’s totally cool with THAT! Instead, McGuire’s primarying Good because Good supposedly “‘abandoned’ former President Donald Trump ‘by endorsing another candidate’” (Ron DeSantis, who’s also far right, but not named Donald Trump). So yeah, the current Republican Party isn’t about ideas, it’s about cult-like loyalty to one man, Donald Trump. McGuire makes that clear in his email to supporters, which states that, “In order to “save this great country…get President Donald J. Trump back in the White House, unify the Republican Party behind Trump and focus on beating the Democrats and their Marxist, freedom-crushing policies, [and] deliver results for the American people.” And no, obviously, there are no “Marxist, freedom-crushing policies,” except perhaps in one of McGuire’s malarial fever dream or something.

    Maybe a pickup opportunity?

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  59. 59.

    Another Scott

    ArsTechnica.com:

    The nearly 400-foot-tall rocket is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s privately owned Starbase spaceport in South Texas during a two-hour launch window opening at 7 am CT (13:00 UTC) Friday, shortly after sunrise on the Texas Gulf Coast. The weather forecast looks favorable for launch Friday morning, but the launch team will evaluate upper-level wind conditions throughout the countdown before giving the green light for liftoff.

    Maybe it won’t destroy the launch pad (and itself) this time??

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  60. 60.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott: I wish it was a pickup opportunity, but I don’t think the 5th District will be within reach for Democrats until 2028 at the earliest. McGuire would probably be tougher to beat than Good, but I’ll be rooting for him anyway because Bob Good makes my skin crawl. A nasty man.

    This will be an interesting race. In 2020, Good knocked out Denver Riggleman in part because Republicans used the caucus/convention method. The District Convention was held at Liberty University, Bob Good”s former employer. According to Cardinal News, state law requires a primary this time.

  61. 61.

    Martin

    @Another Scott: Shouldn’t. A 3nd year civil engineering student should have been able to predict what happened last time. Provided the new deluge system functions normally, that part should be fine.

    I think there are still a lot of concerns about the reliability of the engines, though. That’s normally SpaceXs strongest suit, but these are complicated beasts.

  62. 62.

    RevRick

    Two things to keep in mind about Presidential polling:

    1). A huge chunk of the electorate says that the country is headed in the wrong direction, so they’re grumpy about a lot of different things;

    2). A huge chunk of the electorate thinks that the President is in charge of everything, so it must be the President’s fault for all the stuff they’re grumpy about.

    I think it’s futile trying to convince them that they’re wrong. So, the Biden campaign promoting his accomplishments is really designed to shore up Democratic support. But later, he’ll contrast his values to Trump’s fascism, making it a choice campaign.

  63. 63.

    Urza

    @Baud:They know what they’re doing because they’re on the side of evil themselves but don’t want to be considered bad people among the polite elite.

  64. 64.

    El Muneco

    On the bright side, in the 3-way, Kennedy is _already_ taking more R voters from TFG than D voters from Biden. Stein is legitimately a bigger threat.

  67. 67.

    kindness

    President Joe Biden has to beat the MSM as well as oligarch $$$ & whom ever the Republicans put up.  Cornell West refuses to pay his child support.  He makes well into 6 figures and his own kids get nothing.   RFK Jr was a heroin addict for about 10 years.  Does the MSM think voters will vote for those goons?  Maybe there’s a reason the MSM doesn’t discuss such things.

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