Dear media: There is nothing “partisan” about standing on the side of democracy. Somewhere along the way, the media confused balance with impartiality.
In other news, ICYMI, Mehdi Hasan left MSNBC, he announced Sunday. Good riddance. I thought he was unwatchable.
Everyone seems to be celebrating China’s BYD taking over Tesla, but I’m a little more concerned, because I’ve been following BYD sales in other markets and it could really mean US manufacturers have once again, missed the boat on leading in this area.
What’s everyone doing today? My morning client rescheduled last minute, so I’m scrambling to reorder my day. I seem to be bathed in sunshine while being surrounded by storms to the left of me, storms to the right. Chilly and cold, but nothing white, even though Denver and south are getting their fair share.
This is an open thread.
piratedan
for those who enjoy election updates
U.S. Senate AZ in ’24: Gallego Surging, Lake Digging a Hole with Her Mouth, Sinema Irrelevant, and Trump Mocks McCain
Chris
Again, what makes the whole thing such a farce is that the impartiality is only ever, ever, ever, ever, ever invoked in one direction. Pigs will fly before a Democrat is ever implicated in anything bad and the media responds with “and on the other hand, here’s a roundup of all the times Republicans did the same thing.”
TaMara
@piratedan: I fixed that link, it was breaking the margins.
Baud
Probably. American industry is run by conservatives for conservatives.
Baud
@Chris: This.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Just enjoying a nice day in between rain storms. While the rest of the northeast got socked over the weekend, we got a little rain. Big storm coming Wednesday, for us it’s just more rain. This has been going on with every snowstorm for a couple of years. We had no snow last year, not a flake. There is actual snow predicted for next Saturday, but if it goes the way of every other recent blizzard that forecast will change to rain by Friday.
I find a snowless winter to be alarming and depressing, and I could get into all kinds of anxiety about climate change. But in truth I’m just a kid and I want snow to play in.
piratedan
@TaMara: ty ma’am, apologies!
jackmac
Hunkering down here (near Chicago) for the impending snowstorm arriving tonight and into Tuesday. Several inches predicted and more later this week. After a mild fall and early winter, we’re settling into a more typical January weather pattern.
Our daughter is in Florida today and flying back on Tuesday (fortunately not on a 737) and we’re hoping she makes it back without a great deal of delay. Driving home from O’Hare (probably a 30-mile drive) might be more problematic but were hoping IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) plow drivers remember how to clear the roadways!
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@piratedan: Yes but I see Meghan McCain called TFG a piece of shit, so both sides are equally rude.
TBone
@piratedan: that’s a headline I’m saving 🤣
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Chris: Of course, because the real scandals are Republican. The overwhelming majority of Democrats’ “scandals” are trumped up nonsense.
Since they technically provide enough information that you should know this after applying a little critical thinking; the only fair thing to do is let Republicans make their noise, report on it, and let people figure it out.
cope
30s and sunny here on the Western Slope. We got a dusting of snow yesterday morning but it’s pretty much gone now.
We’ve been in this house just over a year and still have many things to do to it. Our builder guy is coming over to start pushing our laundry room a few more feet into the garage to give us more storage space for the kitchen that will be re-designed. They also will be re-doing our master bath and (probably) tiling the whole house along the way. All this will probably not be fun.
Suzanne
@piratedan: It brings me no end of joy to watch Sinema circle the drain.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Can our wastewater systems handle the glitter?
Suzanne
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Duuuuuude, I am on the train right now (about to stop in Lewiston) and it has been nothing but snowy landscapes on this side of the state! It’s beautiful.
Suzanne
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I presume they filter out the turds.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Suzanne: But the microplastics…
Chris
@Suzanne:
It’s been amazing watching her self-immolate.
Normally, purple-state pieces of shit like her can stay where they are forever by telling the mainstream of their party “yeah, you don’t like me, but at least I vote with you sometimes. If you try to oust me, I’ll fight it, if you beat me in the primary, I’ll run as an outside candidate, and tank the election, and then you’ll have someone from the other party here, and that’ll be even worse. So there’s nothing you can do. Neener-neener.”
Except Sinema has managed to shit the bed so thoroughly that all the polls for a year have been showing that a third party candidacy would take more voters from the other party than from hers. She’s so hated that it would literally be more irresponsible for the Democrats to stand by her than to throw her overboard and take their chances with the next candidate.
I mean, that’s fucking spectacular. How the fuck often does that happen?
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Working from home and recovering from travel. Seven time zones’ worth of jet lag is probably waiting to ambush me tomorrow. The thing about the 737s got my attention because one of those side notes mentioned some underhanded maintenance outfit that also does work on 787s, and I’m flying on 787s four times a year to spend time with my better half.
The Other Bob
I don’t agree with this. Considering GM will offer most Chevy’s in an electric version this year, they will have more models on the market than even Tesla. The Bolt, Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado will/are on sale for 2023/4. A second generation Bolt is on the way. Cadillac has one and soon to offer two all-electric models. Honda is going to sell a model built by GM, because they don’t have the ability to engineer or build their own. There is also that Hummer electric, which isn’t my thing, but seems well-received.
Suzanne
@Chris: Agree. It’s fucken mindblowing. I lived in AZ for over 30 years, and used to be pretty active in my local LD. Everyone in the Dem Party hated her, and she made tons of enemies…. but people voted for her because she threaded a needle that no one else did, and won when Dems didn’t win.
She has absolutely trashed that. She could have held that seat forever.
I still think she wants to star on The View.
Geminid
@cope: Politico Magazine has an article an article up today titled, ” ‘We Don’t Want to be a National Laughingstock.’ How Lauren Boebert Blew a Safe Colorado Seat.” Being a Magazine article, it’s long and has a lot of reporting on the Colorado 3rd CD.
Baud
@Chris:
Agreed. She did everything wrong.
TBone
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: like pulling a fire alarm fercrissakes.
Baud
@Geminid:
Is that what their whole party is? Look at their frontrunner.
Frank Wilhoit
“Overtaking” != “taking over”.
Chief Oshkosh
@The Other Bob: Are they really going to bring the Bolt back? I sure hope so. Typical of GM, they’d finally developed it into a great product with a clear market demand, and then announced that they were going to discontinue it. At some point they announced that they’d reversed that decision, but I haven’t heard how serious they are about that.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Hey, dogs are always on-topic at BJ, right?
Anybody tracking the mystery canine respiratory illness that’s been popping up here and there across the country? I guess there’s nothing like a CDC for dogs, but is there any group that comes close in terms of being a clearinghouse for information and recommendations?
We had a trip in December and canceled our doggie-boarding plans, as the hotel was pet-friendly. But that’s not an option for two short trips in February and April, and we’re going to have to board Sam. I’m a little anxious about it. Though I don’t think it’s hit our corner of PA yet, it feels a little like early Covid days. So far so good, then… BAM!
Frank Wilhoit
@Chris:
The media support the party (or faction within a party) that will promise to let them be the power behind the throne. You may be sure that Rupert Murdoch has made a very close and serious study of Kay Graham.
WaterGirl
@TaMara, I had read that Mehdi Hasan was booted because he was speaking out in support of Palestinians. I don’t really watch cable news, but if that is true, then I think it’s a bad thing that he was booted.
Miss Bianca
@Geminid: Linky? Plz? Cuz I’m lazy. ; )
cain
@Suzanne: ‘How’s that mavericky kooky thing working out for ya?’ – [in sarah palin’s voice]
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
Indeed. Even the Rethugs who clean up nice are usually weird as shit when you take a deeper look. Take Mike Johnson (and drop him off in a hermit community in Bangladesh), that wonderful exemplar of how totally weird and bizarre evangelical Christianity has gotten.
mrmoshpotato
Was storming earlier in Houston. Sunny now. Gonna be storming again this evening.
Brachiator
@Baud:
Chinese industry is run by authoritarians for anyone with money to buy the goods offered.
cain
I have to disagree about Mehdi – I don’t watch any cable/24 hour news stuff. As far as I’m concerned I don’t want to hear anything that these consultants say – especially when we have a number of great people right here in this blog.
But Medhi, was one of the few who was a pro-Palestinian voice and the network cut him off. Right wingers have started using zionism as a way to go after their opponents so that they can launch anti-Jewish attacks on people. It hits close to home since I see educators being attacked for this, hell my own wife – so I’ve become a lot more sensitized to this.
We talk about balance, but removing folks that can look at the other side of the conflict is wrong. We need people who will criticize BIden when it comes to supporting Israeli malfeasance. I think yesterday I was reading about them going after Hezbollah. Which for us, would be a foreign policy disaster.
TaMara
@WaterGirl: I don’t think so, nothing I’d read on the entertainment rags intimated that. His ratings were lackluster, and they had offered to let him stay on as a political hack & fill-in anchor – he decided that he’d leave instead.
@cain: I think the changes were in the works before all of that, but if that’s true, you’re right, it’s not a good thing.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Chris:
Probably about as often as an incumbent gets voted out in favor of a dead challenger.
cain
@Baud: The car industry is very conservative but also highly regulated. To do changes, I suspect requires a lot of work and approval. China? Dunno what kind of shit they have to go through – but I’m sure it likely a tighter partnership.
Geminid
@Miss Bianca: I am a lousy linker. Literally. But the article pops right up on Politico’s home page.
I did not check the author, but Politico Magazine typically uses knowledgable local or state-based journalists for this type of article. I guess you were too busy working on that sauna.
cain
@TaMara: My parents loved him. I think we don’t have enough brown voices in media.
brendancalling
It’s a nice day in Philly, with storms on the way tomorrow. I’m in the emotional support classroom today, which is basically storage for the kids who can’t be left to their own devices in mainstream classes. A few weeks back, two of these young people strode into the art class I was covering, and beat the shit out of a new kid, cutting her cornea in the process. Lovely children, really. One of them threatened to “fuck me up” today, and he’s lucky I didn’t find his threat credible, because that’s a one-way ticket to suspension.
In happier news, my band—The No Good Crowd—released our first single on Spotify/Apple/Tidal/etc this weekend. And, we’re playing a show at the Dawson Street Pub in Philadelphia’s Manyunk neighborhood this Friday, with Em Gryner, who used to sing in Bowie’s band, doing a set (and I think sitting in with us on our one Bowie cover).
Miss Bianca
@Geminid: Ha. I highly doubt Politico would hire me, but it would be interesting to see who they did hire for that story. OK, OK, I will wander over to their site my own self.
cain
@Geminid:
So many seedy comments to be made or inferred given the use of the word ‘blew’. I suspect not by accident.
Jackie
@Suzanne:
The View is still trying to wash out the bitter taste in their mouths from the last “My father…” prima donna.
Sinema would bring NOTHING of substance or otherwise to the table.
MattF
My project this morning was rescheduling a medical appointment. And… it actually worked. Amazing. There’s a bit more to do, but it looks like it mostly worked.
Also, I re-read a T. Kingfisher novel, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, which was enjoyable.
YY_Sima Qian
Other than Tesla & the Chinese automakers (new & legacy), everyone else woke up to the EV trend late. The tariff & non-tariff barriers will help protect the U.S. based auto industry from the coming China EV shock, & sadly the U.S. auto industry does not have as much international market share to lose as the Japanese/South Korean/German companies. The impact will be felt in the Chinese market. The U.S. big three are already seeing their market shares in the PRC drop, & they are set to plummet further, following the Japanese marques (the South Koreans are already largely irrelevant). This will hurt GM especially hard, as late as 2019 GM made more profit from the PRC market than the U.S. Latin America is another market to watch, see if Chinese Wave start to displace U.S. brands.
The bigger issue is that hostility to inbound investment (in the form of wholly owned ventures or JVs) by Chinese battery & EV makers will make the EV transition in the U.S. unnecessarily long & expensive, dramatically reduce consumer choice, & slow product evolution/improvement due to reduced competition. The U.S. 3 have been looking to export EVs made by their JVs in the PRC to the U.S. & other markets, having surplus capacity as the result of hemorrhaging market share.
cope
@Geminid: Yes, I was looking forward to working against her here in CO-3 until she hightailed it east. Since my wife and I are unaffiliated, we could have voted FOR her in the primary (I really don’t think she would have won here again) and AGAINST her in the election. Oh well…
Does the Politico article touch on how she needs to be elected to a third term to get in the 5 years required in office to become eligible for the sweet, sweet government pension congress members get?
TaMara
@Miss Bianca: Here’s something fun (funny?). Dave Williams who basically pushed Lamborn out of his seat is running to replace him. This after he lost badly to Lamborn in the 2022 primary.
I think he’ll still find it an uphill climb – it’s one thing to be voted in as president of the state GOP by a small # of folks, it’s another thing to get elected by the general pop who seem to hate you.
Suzanne
@cain: Sinema isn’t dumb. She reinvented herself multiple times to win. So I have to imagine that she is doing this on purpose.
TaMara
@cope: Is there a challenger yet to replace her? I haven’t looked past Frisch still running as the DEM
cain
@brendancalling: Loved that hand held video game – football 2. Used to play it all the time when I was a kid :D
Suzanne
@Jackie: I think she wants to be famous. I have no reason to think that she has any skills or rizz.
TaMara
@YY_Sima Qian: All of this, absolutely.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Chief Oshkosh:
2023 Bolt owner here and way into the Bolt EV community.
GM’s announced they’ll be bringing back the Bolt, shooting for model year 2025. We in the Bolt community who follow GM’s EV chaos very carefully aren’t so sure they’ll hit that target given the issues they’ve had lately, mainly with the Blazer EV rollout.
Thing is, GM’s Buick EV in China has sold like mad and apparently not had the same issues as the Blazer has had here.
This reddit thread (I know, I know) is a good read on the various perspectives around GM’s seemingly moronic EV plans at least as it pertains to the Bolt:
https://www.reddit.com/r/electricvehicles/comments/17filij/why_gm_is_reviving_the_bolt_the_bestselling_ev_it/
cain
@YY_Sima Qian:
Thanks for weighing in, as usual I enjoy your measured insightful comments.
There is also other alternatives to batteries like fuel cells that Toyota seems to be leaning quite heavily – if that works out it might be more attractive. There is also some alternatives to lithum-ion batteries as well.
GM and Ford and other U.S.manufacturers have not had the kind of competition in the past that forces them to look at things differently. I think as an industry, the car industry needs to vitally change – of course, for me, I rather the U.S. focus on trains – electric train and general electrification.
cain
I agree she’s not dumb – but she’s also has experienced some trauma which certainly seems to influence her decision making. She’s a survivor, I’m sure she’ll land on her feet elsewhere – regardless, good riddance.
Geminid
@Jackie: There is a fear that Kyrsten Sinema will continue to afflict us post-Senate with a regular media presence. She’s more apt to rake in bigger money in the private sector, I think. Despite how politically engaged Democrats despise her, an ex-Senator has a lot of prestige and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one who wanted to make good money fail at it.
Sinema still has not said if she’s running again this year, though. She’ll have to make that announcement soon.
Jackie
“It was unclear when McAfee would respond to the motions.”
Maybe when he’s done laughing?
Miss Bianca
@cope:
Nope. A lot of quotes from disaffected Republicans in CD-3, however.
@TaMara: OMG, Dave Williams is running? Ha ha ha ha – if he wins the primary, we may *just* have a chance to get a Democrat elected in CD-5 – which definitely also puts us into “beware of flying pigs!” territory!
I hope the CD-5 Democrats are lining up a heavy hitter!
Chief Oshkosh
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Thanks for the details and insight.
So, GM is being GM. Jesus, those guys. I guess it’s great when you’re too big to fail.
mrmoshpotato
@piratedan: “Meanwhile the bloated, ancient, pumpkin-flavored terrorist”
Nice. Good writing Blog For Arizona.
JoyceH
I’m spending the day, and probably the next several weeks, being a dog wrangler. Jazzy is improving, can get up on her sofa and her limp is less pronounced. Whimsy is at the nipping stage and I spent a lot of time correcting her when she wants to chew on Jazzy and the cats and me. Any organized house training is pretty much out the window, other than shoving her out the front door with regularity and cleaning up her messes. When I take Jazzy out, she has to be leashed and with a baggy taped over her foot, so it’s quite a production. And I take Jazzy out on her own because Whimsy thinks the yard means pouncing.
Chris
@Geminid:
I absolutely think that’s where she’s headed: a position as the latest EvenTheLiberal on Fox News, or some equivalent place. She’s always seemed to be more about the attention than the money.
I’m not that worried about what that means for us, though. For one thing, she’s shit the bed so thoroughly with Democrats that it’s not like she has much influence left on their side. For another, the very fact of moving to that kind of job means she’s going to fade into the background. Shitting on the Democrats when you’re technically one yourself, as well as one of the swing votes in the Senate, makes you stand out. Shitting on the Democrats when you’re just a Fox News pundit makes you a dime a million. At that point she’s no longer a rare oddity, she’s just part of a herd.
Geminid
@TaMara: Back before Boebert announced she was switching districts, I read there was some lawyer from Grand Junction that Republican politicians endorsed in hopes he could knock her out in the primary. He might be the frontrunner now.
H.E.Wolf
@TaMara:
Re: the candidates for CO-03: https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2023/Items/Dec28-3.html
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
As much as I personally dislike Musk, I still want US-based companies to be the most successful in electric vehicles, satellite internet, and space manufacturing. I think that means I’m basically rooting for him to get booted from any kind of control of these companies.
Captain C
@Suzanne:
Or as Dolores Umbridge in a Harry Potter remake.
Chief Oshkosh
@cain:
I think you’re forgetting about the Japanese invasion of the 70s and 80s. Toyota and Datsun (Nissan) ate GM and Ford’s lunch, with an assist from Honda (smaller back then), Mazda, and others. Hell, the competition killed AMC outright and pushed Chrysler into…whatever you can now call Chrysler. Those guys were still thinking about VW’s Beetle being the big foreign competition for the small car market.
At least, that’s how I experienced it.
brendancalling
@cain: We were ALL laughing about that when Jim (our guitar player and video-making guy) showed us the cut. We all grew up on that game (which should give you a general idea of how old we are).
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Exactly. Wrong? Yes. Should be held accountable? Absolutely.
Threat to democracy? Fuck no.
Suzanne
@cain: Agreed. She’ll make a lot of money no matter what she does.
I just….. don’t see her wanting to work that hard. (Which, relatable.) Her antics over the course of her Senate term strike me as very attention-grabby. Not the course of action of someone who wants to be a lobbyist and peddle influence off the main stage. She seems very much in the mode of creating a recognizable personal brand.
Whatever. She can fuck off to the surface of the sun.
cain
@Chris:
Notice how Tulsi has faded into the background – what she doing these days? (I don’t really care) They all fade into obscurity even when at some point they are the media darlings because they are Democratic renegades. The media love those.
cope
@TaMara: CO-3 Republicans running for her seat are: Russ Andrews, a financial advisor from Carbondale; Jeff Hurd, a lawyer here in GJ, and Curtis McCracklin, a real estate and construction guy in Delta County.
Interested Dems include Adam Frisch who nearly beat Boebert last time; Anna Stout, GJ mayor and, Adam Withrow from Pueblo. There are also a few minor party folks with interest in the job as well.
Baud
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: Yes, that would be ideal, rather than have the companies fail.
TBone
@Jackie: I think Suzanne’s comment implied a bit about Skinema’s ambitions. She’s all about brand.
Baud
@cain: I heard she’s a regular on Joe Rogan.
cain
@Chief Oshkosh: You are right – I had forgotten. I remember those times. I have never bought an American car – the last American my family had was the Chrysler Valiant – an 8 cylinder behemoth with vinyl seats.
I don’t think they learned anything from that because they still were overall using cheap production methods. They were still fairly unreliable. I think Ford finally broke out first and made decent cars with decent interiors. Otherwise, they were all as a whole ugly as fuck.
cain
@Suzanne:
Agreed. The less time we spend thinking about her – the better. :D
cain
@cope: It’s too bad Boebert isn’t running in CO-3. We could have picked up that seat since it was sooo close last time.
cain
@Baud: Sounds like the right place for her. Soon we can add Sinema there too.
cope
@cain: Agreed but there is a good chance she would not have won her primary.
artem1s
@The Other Bob: Honda makes it’s own EV’s and is building a battery plant in Jefferson, Ohio. Maybe GM is going to use those batteries. But Honda doesn’t need to sell GM cars. They have multiple hybrids and a new plugin on the market in the US right now.
Honda Battery Plant in Ohio Reaches Another Major Construction Milestone. LG Energy Solution and Honda marked another major milestone of construction for its new joint venture EV battery facility this week when the first steel beam was installed at the plant site in Jeffersonville, Ohio.
Sure Lurkalot
I don’t watch much TV but for a long time MSNBC was turned on sometimes at lunch and for segments between 6 pm and 8. Currently, it is barely and rarely watchable. I have little interest in the “conversion” of republicans that had it so wrong for decades and frankly, I don’t trust them not to turn tail if there ever was a semblance of a sane Republican Party reincarnate. Instead of say, Melissa Harris Perry, we get Katy Tur wincing about Republican talking points? Michael Steele? Charlie (yikes!) Sykes? Might as well resubscribe to the FTFNYT.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: She was the darling of the RSS for awhile. Have not seen her pop much in those circles either but I haven’t really looked.
BTW did you guys see the fight BJP IT cell picked with Maldives recently.
Layer8Problem
@Geminid: I expect she gets congressional “drop into any office visit anytime” privileges, Senate PX lifetime privileges, whatever, because she unfortunately won the Senate lottery in Arizona. Having somebody with that Senate cachet, that aroma of senescence if you will, is the sort of thing lobbying outfits dark money organizations and billionaires look for I’m sure, for reasons of access. But who wants to see her? Republicans? Democrats? Independent mavericks too good for our tedious two-party system maybe, but beyond her walking in and opening up a briefcase full of hundreds what value does she add? I just see her as an broad-spectrum irritant, who ought to have that “Oh Christ, It’s That Asshole Again” picture on the top left of her letterhead paper. Smart? I don’t see it. Self-impressed? Certainly. Canny or savvy? That cute little thumbs-down move put paid to that. Maybe she’s finally at the “Find Out” stage.
Chris
@cain:
Tulsi is exactly who I had in mind when writing that. Crazy how fast she faded, isn’t it? Does anybody who isn’t already a Republican give a shit what she has to say anymore?
Glenn Greenwald, to a lesser and somewhat different extent (he was never a politician), was the other one I had in mind. He spent a good decade and a half coasting on his fifteen minutes as an anti-Dubya anti-war-on-terror type in the late 2000s, to give him some kind of left-cred even as he never actually claimed to be a leftist. The moment I knew he’d stopped being relevant was when a Washington Post article a year or two ago referring to him in passing as “right-wing activist Glenn Greenwald…” Gig’s up! You’re no longer interesting and idiosyncratic; you’re just another discount Tucker Carlson among thousands.
Citizen Alan
@Chris: It’s still amazing to me that the most “impartial” journalist of the last 25 years was probably Shepherd Smith (well, until Fox kicked him out). He was a fairly conservative journo working for a blatantly conservative outlet, but there were still times when he could not even pretend equivalence.
Said by Smith on the air(!) in response to something utterly preposterous reported about, IIRC, Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump:
Geminid
@TBone: I still think that if Sinema wants the big bucks, she should capitalize on her brand with a line of athletic/casual wear: “Maverick Sportswear: tough enough for a Triathlon, but stylish enough for Starbucks!”
Sinema has saved hedge funds millions, probably billions over the last few years. One of them might be happy to kick back some money for a venture like this.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Her taste in clothes is awful.
Suzanne
@Chris: I used to work with a dude who was a Tulsi stan. It was the weirdest thing. He genuinely thought that there was a huge constituency of people who would absolutely love her and be thrilled to vote for her, like she was some brave truth-teller. She’s just another one trying to build a quirky personal brand.
(I bet you are not surprised to learn that he had a bad personality, couldn’t maintain a relationship, and ended up marrying a woman from somewhere in Eastern Europe who wanted to stay in the U.S.)
rikyrah
The market for EV’s is, at this point, a select market.
I’m not trusting a car made in China.
If I’m getting an EV, it will be non-Tesla American made one.
But, I don’t want an EV. I just don’t. Not right now.
rikyrah
@piratedan:
thank you for this news.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@rikyrah:
Owning one now is definitely not for everyone. There’s so much that still needs to get fleshed out from charging infrastructure to range to “what sells”.
Our new Bolt is, by far, the funnest car we’ve owned since we purchased a 1985 Honda Prelude new. It’s also the first GM car I’ve owned since a 1972 4-door Nova with a 307 V-8 and lifters that tapped like mad.
But driving it in anything but what we use it for, in-city driving, is a paradigm shift (and shoot me now for using that phrase).
lowtechcyclist
@artem1s:
That’s great news! My wife and I are totally into Hondas. We’ll probably be looking to replace her 2009 Accord in two or three years, so it’ll be interesting to see what Honda has available in the way of EVs by then.
MisterForkbeard
@cain: They have to be renegade enough to draw attention, but if they pander too hard they’re obviously not longer democrats and won’t be booked anymore. Tulsi crossed that line a long time ago – she’s not especially interesting because she’s obviously a republican.
Sinema isn’t there yet but she’s basically the new Jonathan Turley: she sympathizes with democratic goals but unfortunately everything they want is illegal and she just has to side with Republicans who are paragons of legality and virtue. And then she gradually becomes the current Turley, who isn’t interesting because he’s obviously a republican operative now.
Ksmiami
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: maybe you could do a house sitter/dog sitter. Apparently vets are still concerned about dog boarding
Dr. Fungus
Bupalos
@jackmac: By the numbers it’s simply been warm throughout the midwest and really the whole country. Warm fall warm winter, both top 10 historically almost everywhere.
Here in the Western Reserve the deepest frost penetration has been less than 2 inches. Currently the ground is completely thawed here.
Geminid
@cope: It would have been a divisive and expensive primary no matter who won. Third CD Republicans were probably very relieved when Boebert packed her carpetbag and headed for the 4th.
I still wonder if some Republican talked her into the move, or if she came up with it on her own. Boebert might have been looking at the example of colleague Marjorie Greene, who in 2020 switched from a contested primary in the Georgia 6th(?) to run in the safer 14th CD, when the incumbent there retired. But Greene could win that primary; Boebert might be challenged just to finish second in hers.
UncleEbeneezer
I’m so glad I’m not alone in this sentiment. His seething hatred of the Dem Party and devotion to always criticizing Dems was always transparent and overwhelming. It was like YoungTurks/Chapo level bad. Once in a blue moon he would lash out at the GOP but even then, he would immediately pivot to blaming Dems for not somehow making Republicans act better.
MisterForkbeard
@rikyrah: / @comrade scotts agenda of rage: That’s where we landed, but we went into them instead. We basically fit that select market: One adult who has long drives a couple times a week, and we own a home with a garage.
Bought two Volvo’s: a fully electric, and a hybrid. They’re both amazing, dependable cars. I really can’t wait for their new ‘cheap’ EV at $35k. Not american made, but excellent.
American EV’s just weren’t where they needed to be, though I did spend a long time trying to buy a Bolt EUV and failing due to the battery issue. That car just looked great: Cheap, good quality, good performance.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@lowtechcyclist:
Honda has definitely been hesitant in jumping head first into the EV pool. Are you looking for a full-time EV, aka a BEV? Or simply a hybrid or as mentioned a plug-in, electric hybrid (PHEV)?
As of right now, the only BEV Honda has in the works is the Prologue and it’s sharing much of it’s insides with the new Chevy Blazer EV:
https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/hondas-2024-blazer-err-prologue.46335/#post-771861
Otherwise, they’re putting out the Clarity PHEV.
It’s pretty apparent that both Honda and Toyota don’t think BEVs are a viable, mass replacement long term. In fact, sometime in the last couple of years, the Toyota CEO in effect said that. Now, they’re hybridizing the shit out of most of their vehicles.
MisterForkbeard
@Dr. Fungus: Share again! I’ve got a cold today and this sounds heavenly
Marcopolo
@TaMara: the fun thing for me is seeing all three CO congressional districts held by rethuglicans are now open seat elections! It’ll be a huge stretch for a D to win any of them (3rd is most likely which isn’t saying much), but it’s another sign of how dysfunctional the GOP is in general. Serving in Congress alongside fellow R whackadoodles is apparently no fun. In the meantime, my hope is the energy (and $$) spent by Rs in the primaries for these seats will mean fewer resources for other races (downballot) in CO.
Dr. Fungus
Damn, how do I delete duplicate messages I created b/c I haven’t mastered at-messaging on this crazy thing?
Bupalos
@rikyrah: I’ll give another plug (swidt) for the Bolt. If you think there is any other tradeoff than roadtrips, think again. It’s simply the most fun car I’ve ever had and removing the horrible chi of knowing I’m comprosing my kid’s future prospects when I drive them to softball games is literally priceless. Driving is fun again like when I was 18.
TBone
@Geminid: priceless!
TBone
@schrodingers_cat: that’s the 🤣
Dr. Fungus
@MisterForkbeard: Would if I could, but all I have is a raggedy hard copy. If Tamara doesn’t have a soft copy I can take a picture and send it to WG to share.
TurnItOffAndOnAgain
Fun fact, Robert Reich’s son Sam Reich is the CEO of Dropout, (formerly College Humor) an internet comedy network that’s home to many improv sketch and game shows, plus Dimension 20, a Dungeons and Dragons series. Robert Reich has come on at least once to raz his son.
Bupalos
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: I think they just don’t think it’s profitable to be on the early end as a company. As a corporate matter I probably agree. This isn’t going to be a durable market capture, and the engineering and production differences are really not that big. Honda will have excellent EV’s in ’26-’28 I’m sure.
Bupalos
@UncleEbeneezer: it’s just entertainment and cablenews will fill the slot with something else to provide fan service for the “I’m not a Dem” leftist.
Suzanne
@Bupalos:
This is what I am hoping for. I have a 2015 CR-V, and it replaced my 2000 CR-V. I love it and honestly can’t imagine getting anything dramatically different, ever. I want to eventually get a 4WD version, but I’m in no hurry. Mr. Suzanne got a new car (Subaru Impreza) about two years ago, and we said that will be the last ICE car. So I have been thinking that, if Honda comes out with an electric CR-V, I’d be interested.
Bupalos
@MisterForkbeard: they recalled and replaced those batteries, which took forever and is part of why they ended production, because they still had to fill recall. So if you buy “used” off a dealer lot now you’re likely getting the upgraded all-new battery. With the used credit I’ve seen 21’s with under 10kmi that will be 15k out the door. And you MIGHT now be able to find a 23 euv new for 22-25 after new credit.
Geminid
@Layer8Problem: Ex-Senators have Senate floor priveleges, which is one reason they are extra valuable to K Street lobby shops. I think former Representatives are treated likewise on the House floor.
But I think a retired Senator’s prestige and clout makes them valuable in the private sector in general, and most business people do not share the contempt towards Sinema most people here have.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
She’s delivered for the more corrupt business interests in a way she hasn’t for her constituents or the broader nation.
Suzanne
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Sinema made some comment that she could be a college president. That seems like more effort than she’s willing to put in. She wants to train for her Ironmans and stuff. Well, we’ll see.
Bupalos
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: The reality with the Bolt is GM basically hit a grand slam as far as the offering itself, I’m going to guess in the long run the most beloved car they’ve produced since the 1950’s. But in capitalistic terms it is a pop foul. So they’ll try it the other way around.
wjca
In Florida, for sure. And there seem to be a variety of places elsewhere with similarly low/non-existent standards for the job.
trollhattan
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Am probably weird on this but don’t want one, uh, leg in each world by getting a hybrid and instead, wish to jump from “regular” cars to a BEV.
No oil changes, no tuneups, no timing belt, no transmission, no cooling system, no O2 sensors, no catalyst, no exhaust system, no biennial smog checks, no waiting in the Costco gas queue, etc. With a hybrid I still have all that PLUS a battery plate, drive motor, further complexity. DIY hell.
Beginning to spot Polestars around town–look neat, Volvo tie-in, made in Gyna. Range looks promising, but they ain’t cheap.
cain
@MisterForkbeard: Grifting is hard and a skillset.
Geminid
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Well, Sinema also delivered one of the fifty votes that made Chuck Schumer Majority Leader in January of 2021, and one of the fifty votes that passed the American Recovery Act the next month. She also was one of the 50 Senators who passed the IRA in August of 2022.
So I tend to see Sinema as a glass half full. I’m glad she’ll be out of elective politics this time next year though.
cain
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Which is very bizarre given they were the first hybrid out. The Honda Insight was especially awesome – I met one guy at a parking lot and he said he filled gas once every 3months and that he gets 800 miles on a tank of gas. Impressive.
Old School
@MisterForkbeard:
The details have been deleted by Dr. Fungus, but this might be the tomato soup/grilled cheese recipe.
cain
@Marcopolo: It’s going to get even less fun as even crazier, griftier people show up – people even in your own party would have trouble working with. They are going to go further down the dysfunctional path and start turning on each other.
MisterForkbeard
@Bupalos: Yep, that was the issue.
These days, we’ve got two great (volvo) EVs and I don’t need a Bolt. But I’ve suggested one for my parents and my brother. I think it’d be a great car for them.
Dr. Fungus
@Old School: That be it. Thanks!
ETA: For even more added flavour, I’m going to try creamed horseradish in lieu of mayo.
Suzanne
This was an interesting piece: Can Biden Convince Americans His Brand of Populism Is Better Than Trump’s?
Chris
@Suzanne:
The problem with trying to build a quirky personal brand is that people only find your quirks endearing as long as they agree with them or at least don’t care about them; as soon as you start hitting the sacred cows of large numbers of people, you’re going to go downhill fast.
Turns out there’s a reason most people pick one or the other political parties and stick close to its center; those are the “brands” you can actually build a career out of.
It’s amazing how often people’s politics bleed over into the other parts of their lives, isn’t it?
Layer8Problem
@Geminid: Not wanting to react in a knee-jerk fashion here because I’m in general agreement, but her prestige and clout is probably with the uninformed and easily impressed. Once my father dropped that his professional organization had been graced at a meeting with the deep thoughts of Mark Penn, political insider, in-person. My immediate reaction was to laugh and say “Mark Penn the toe-sucker?!?”, because that news had dropped around that time. Dad seemed nonplussed by my reaction. And I was kink-shaming, to my regret. But even then he was no longer the smart guy in the back room, like Tulsi Gabbard is no longer a thing, and Glen Greenwald has gone the way of ‘fetch’. I doubt any prestige lasts as long for her, beyond tame ‘Democrat’ in a Sinclair pre-taped commentary.
Suzanne
@Chris: Could not agree more. The “quirky personal brand” thing also relies heavily on imagecraft, and that requires a lot of effort. People need to see you a lot to make that brand salient. So the politicians that do this spend a lot of time/money/effort self-promoting, not doing their jobs.
As for people’s politics being an outgrowth of their personal lives…. absolutely.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@trollhattan:
Many of us say that the PHEV is the worst of both worlds. ;)
Suzanne
Also a quote from that piece I linked to above:
This speaks well of Biden, IMO.
Baud
@Suzanne:
Manchin and Sinema aren’t just at the opposite end of the Dem coalition, they’re individually flaky and unprincipled.
Geminid
@Layer8Problem: You may be thinking of Dick Morris here. Mark Penn’s the guy who made a pile of money mismanaging Hilary Clinton’s 2008 primary campaign.
And I gotta say, I think you are projecting the animus you and other politically engaged, liberal Democrats have towards Sinema onto people who do not think the same way you do. That’s probably 90% of Americans and 97% of people in the corporate world.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Clown college has higher standards than that.
Tony G
@The Other Bob: Hummer electric? I thought that the whole point of driving a Hummer was to show everybody how big your dick is by burning a lot of gasoline! Things ain’t what they used to be!
Tony G
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Maybe the new Rufo-ized New College in Florida.
Suzanne
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Sinema has had a teaching role at Arizona State for a long time. Michael Crow has been these since God was a child, but I could easily see her there.
Kay
Inevitable. The first maternal death caused by Texas abortion law (that we know about):
wjca
Manchin has been an invaluable gift to the Democratic Party. (Unless one is under the delusion that any other Democrat could have won a Senate seat in West Virginia.**) Without that 50th vote, nothing that Biden achieved in his first two years would have happened. Period. Not to mention the judges that have been confirmed this past year — pretty much none of whom would have gotten thru a McConnell-run Senate.
Would it have been nice if he’d been willing to do more? Sure. But in politics, getting half a loaf is the most you can reasonably expect. Win a 51st and 52nd Senate seat, and carping about Manchin is fine. But in the Senate we have, he’s been critical to what’s happened. That is, to the achievements that Biden is going to be running on this year.
EDT for clarity
** Note that, as important as the Senate wins in Georgia were, Georgia is at least flirting with turning slightly purple. WVa? Not so’s you’d notice.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Do you happen to know what she teaches?
Baud
@wjca: Both of them were needed for our Senate control. But that doesn’t make them any less flaky or unprincipled. They’re not simply “centrists.”
wjca
Indulge my curiosity, if you would. Which Senators do you consider centerists?
Kay
Jesus. Women are really putting their lives at risk delivering in these states. This woman didn’t have any choice- Texas is basically an under developed country so she had only one low quality provider choice, but still. They’re afraid to give quality care because a religious nut might be watching and rat them out to authorities.
Uncle Cosmo
Dunno about “weird” but sounds to me like either you have lots of charging stations in your neckadawoodz or the property configuration (not to mention $$$$) to install one at home. As the owner of an interior-group row house in Baltimore City I have neither. The only charging stations I’ve seen anywhere in the city are two at a Safeway about 25 blocks away, and I must park on the street, so a home charging cable would need to cross an alley or a sidewalk, If I want to replace my 2012 Kia with something electrified it would need to be a PHEV.
Layer8Problem
@Geminid: You’re absolutely right about that being Dick Morris and not Mark Penn. I should have confirmed my recollection.
Suzanne
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: She was doing something in the School of Social Work, and I think also in the law school. I’m not sure if she’s taught in a while.
Baud
@wjca:
Tester, Mark Warner, Angus King (independent), Carper, Hickenlooper. On the bubble and Tim Kaine and Michael Bennet
ETA: I was looking up the list of Senate Dems and there are quite a number whose names never come up in conversation.
Chief Oshkosh
Open thread?
There’s an interesting essay by Josh Marshall on the timeline of the DOJ’s response to J6. TL;DR: Garland should’ve moved much faster and intentionally did not and it was a mistake. It’s a long essay, and is currently on the front-page with no paywall. I think something broke on the website that makes this currently available for all to read, but I don’t know if that will be fixed and it will go behind a wall.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com
He makes a lot of points, but one that struck home is pasted below. He’s articulated a line of reasoning that I’ve struggled to articulate.
And yes, horse, barn, door, etc. Still, it’s worth thinking about how we got here.
Lots more thought-provoking stuff in the essay. Hope it remains available for a while.
Baud
@Kay: A year and a half ago? Just finding out now?
Suzanne
@wjca: I’m glad Manchin has been on our team, but he hasn’t been a strong voice for a clear and prosperous vision for the country, like Warren. I’m glad Biden knows the difference.
sab
@WaterGirl: I doubt it. Ali Velshi and Ayman Moyheldin have benn pretty outspoken and they are still on air and speaking out. There were similar rumors when they disappeared October 8, but then Moyeldin turned up reporting from Gaza and Velshi from Kyiv. So their disappearance was a matter from having them actually reporting for a while insyead of just anchoring. And they are both back anchoring.
Mehdi probably just didn’t work out. I found him a bit annoying and rarely watched his show. Maybe others agreed.
Kay
@Baud:
I think the cases will be genuinely hard to uncover because women do die of pregnancy related complications or in childbirth, unrelated to abortion laws. The New Yorker can do a really thorough job and follow one case, but we’re going to have trouble collecting information – statistics- especially in a one party rule state like Texas where all of government doesn’t want damaging information out. A lot of women will be dead before we can establish cause and effect.
I don’t think that matters though as far as talking to normies. Most people have some personal experience with this – if not themselves then in their families- and they will get it. They already are getting it with very little real investment or interest by media (The New Yorker and NPR are exceptions to that – they’ve done solid work).
C Stars
Open thread question: Why does it seem over the last year or so like there is so much money–both corporate and philanthropic–coming from dubai and saudi arabia? Are these Russian oligarchs moving their assets around thru the middle east?
Taumaturgo
@cain: That AIPAC bribery money has a long reach, from the WH to the halls of corporate media. No one is immune.
Chief Oshkosh
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
I think that part of that is that their dealer networks hate EVs due to their lack of need for maintenance, which is a major revenue stream for dealerships. Hybrids, OTOH, have all of the needs of an ICE vehicle, plus the additional few needs of the electric powered side of things.
Belafon
@The Other Bob: It’s like the iPhone being the best selling phone, while Android is the best selling platform.
Taumaturgo
@sab: From Deadline:
When the weekend lineup plans were announced in late November, his show’s cancellation came as a surprise, given that his interviews had drawn a lot of viral moments. His show has not been a ratings blockbuster — it averaged about 520,000 viewers in October — but the network often promoted that it beat rival CNN in its time slot.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes wrote on Threads at the time, “The nature of this business is that people who are supremely talented sometimes have shows cancelled. It’s rough every time, but it comes with the territory (lord knows I’ve been close myself!)” He went on to call Hasan “one of the most talented broadcast journalists I’ve ever seen or worked with and probably the single best interviewer in American TV. Grateful to have him as a colleague.”
MazeDancer
Florida GOP just voted out Chairman Ziegler
Ksmiami
@Kay: women need to leave Texas. Period.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: According to the ASU website, she’s teaching sociology of some sort.
I didn’t realize she had a PhD.
Suzanne
@Chief Oshkosh: That piece is interesting, thanks for sharing it. I’ve mostly been quiet on the issue of Merrick Garland and J6 prosecution, because I simply do not have the expertise to ascertain if he’s been moving too slowly. I still don’t know enough to have a position. But the slowness is definitely problematic.
Quinerly
I just got back to the lively morning now dead thread. A couple of hrs ago, JoJo thought he was as perfect as I tell him he is and tried to walk on water. My friend calls him, “The Princeling.” Fell into the deep end of the partially frozen koi pond, but somehow pull himself out. I didn’t see it happen. He ran in like a banshee dripping wet with algae strings. Snow coming down pretty heavy here.
I just took a shower with him. He now thinks I am weird. It was the most efficient way to deal with him….double shower with glass doors. He’s very cold natured so now he won’t stop shivering and is sneezing.
Meet up in Santa Fe when we can pull it together. Cheryl Rofer is around. We’ll include her!
Yes, these cabinets are blonde maple. They would go great some places, but stick out like a sore thumb with the style of this house with dark moldings, carved wooden columns, and vigas. Plus, my furniture is all walnut, cherry, mahogany. I’m with Suzanne on the morning thread….despise the idea of painting wood. But will explore options. Thanks for all the suggestions on the AM thread.
trollhattan
@Uncle Cosmo:
All true. Live in Commiefornia, have a garage (and use it for cars, which makes us weird compared to the neighbors), there are tax credits for installing a proper 240V charger, our tiered electricity rates give us a big advantage charging overnight using a smart charger.
We’re festooned with Teslas, even if not a brand I’d consider. They do very well on range, compared to most. That cute little electric Mini? 105 miles.
C Stars
@MazeDancer: Nice! Hopefully his “mom for liberty” spouse will be pressured into resigning from the school board soon.
Kay
@Ksmiami:
A lot of them can’t leave Texas. Poor people rely on family and friends for support more than well off people do – they’ll do much worse if they’re alone somewhere new. The support is child care, rides to work when the junker breaks, temporary housing, etc.
Poor people can’t really relocate and they probably shouldn’t. We say in juvie court that we have to “put together” one group of adults who function financially as a group – an extended family. We add them up, put them together.
Geminid
@Chief Oshkosh: The relatively low maintenance costs for EVs makes them attractive to fleet owners like Amazon and UPS. It’s a selling point for electric school buses as well, on top of the cleaner air kids breath.
geg6
@Suzanne:
Ha! You can obviously say that because you have not been acquainted with university presidents. It’s probably a good job for someone who has lots of interest in sucking up to rich people. Otherwise, there is nothing else for the president to do. They are some of the most useless people in the world. Much like most college administrators. I don’t agree with a lot of what’s posted at LGM, but they are absolutely right about their contempt for upper administration. Now if only they could view faculty with the same critical eye. But that would be like asking them to try some ketchup on their fries.
Jay
@Quinerly:
They make tinted varnishes.
When we bought my Dad’s place, the cabinet doors and frames were that horrid yellowed red oak.
I degreased everything.
I wiped the frames, drawers and doors with thinned drywall filler, ( to close up the pores in the red oak).
Rolled and tipped on two coats of a red cherry tinted polyurethane.
Between the jade lino counter top I added, the jade lino floor, faded jade walls and with the sliding glass door and window, looking out into the green of the back yard, it was a stunning kitchen.
suzanne
@geg6: I hate academia. I had enough bullshit when I was a graduate student and I saw what a clubby mess it was. Some of my professors were privately very scornful of it. I love learning and going to school, but want no part of that in my professional life. At least when firms are bad, you can quit.
Also, I can’t take the pay cut at this point.
geg6
@Suzanne:
I really admire Mayor Walker (I know him because I’ve done many programs in the Aliquippa schools, churches and community organizations). But he isn’t saying what is the big factor in there being little excitement about the Chinese steel mill they are supposedly building there. Mainly, that after the Shell cracker plant debacle, no one believes the politicians because almost no one from Beaver County actually worked to build the cracker plant and almost no one from Beaver County actually works there presently. All the jobs went to people from TX, OK, and LA. Everyone I talk to expect a big influx of Chinese if this ever happens. No one expects to actually benefit. But, to be optimistic for myself, maybe we’ll get a second good Chinese place.
suzanne
@geg6: That’s an interesting point. I would just note that, with an influx of people, property values will go up, and the tax base will expand. So there will be benefits, if indirectly.
frosty
@brendancalling:
Yep, I’ve still got it in a drawer right next to me. I liked Mattel’s Baseball game better though.
jonas
I bet if you did one of those “(wo)man on the street” type interview segments with 10 people in a mid-sized American city, and asked them if they knew what the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act or the CHIPS Act were, or if they’d ever even heard of them, 9 would give you a blank stare. Especially if they were under 50.
Nobody watches the news or reads newspapers anymore, which is where you normally used to be informed about this stuff. They watch cable news pundits or read the sports score feed on their phones.
Chief Oshkosh
@Suzanne: Unfortunately it’s gone behind the paywall now.
Paul in KY
@brendancalling: Don’t see how you do it, man…
suzanne
@jonas: So, thanks to the infrastructure bill, my whole neighborhood got new water lines to replace lead pipes. Like, there was no mention of the work being thanks to the bill when we got the notice. The workers didn’t know anything about it. I had to call the contractor’s main office to get the score. WaterGirl even asked if I would do a post about it, and I couldn’t do it! There was no information that I could find!
Paul in KY
@wjca: Sen Manchin has been with us on the main things and is/has been the only Democrat capable of winning in that MAGAland.
Paul in KY
@Chief Oshkosh: Good point on the dealers hating the fully electric ones.
Geminid
@Paul in KY: I read that Ford announced that half their dealers did not opt in to their EV sales and service program for 2024. Last year they were hoping 70% would opt in. That number may go up as charging stations are more widely available.
This could take while. There has been private investment, but the Infrastructure bill’s $7 billion program for new charging stations is only now producing results, after two years of rules- and standard-writing, plus an application period.
The first of these stations opened last month at a Pilot Truck stop near Columbus, Ohio. This was in addition to stations at 18 other Pilot stations, which I guess Pilot paid for.
Miss Bianca
@Taumaturgo: Yeah, I’d hate to have to debate Hasan, but he has the rep of being a really good (tough) interviewer.
Marcopolo
@Chief Oshkosh: I am a TPM subscriber but in regards to Garland/DOJ action on Jan 6 my goto is Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel on shitter). She had some well laid out thoughts 💭 on how fricken long it can take to put prosecutions together when dealing w/ folks who have the resources & knowledge to slow up the work (also if you are adhering to proper procedures/guidelines). Here is her thread (via nitter) pointing these things out in response to Josh (btw, generally speaking I think the two of them respect each other’s work but Marcy is the expert here): https://nitter.net/emptywheel/status/1744456300807786754#m
Quinerly
@Jay: sounds beautiful!
UncleEbeneezer
@Chief Oshkosh: “It will probably be many years, if ever, before we know just what was happening at DOJ and what the top leadership was thinking and doing at the time.”
Okay, so he admits that he really doesn’t have anywhere near enough info to make the case he’s about to make. I’m glad he’s honest about that fact but really, he shoulda just stopped right there.
“But to the best of my knowledge it was well into 2022 before we had any really clear evidence that the DOJ was seriously investigating the coup itself.”
Except, we knew early in 2022 that DOJ was already investigating the False Electors (a key component of the coup). A process that was already underway by the Fall of 2021 when Thomas Windom was brought in to tie things together.
In Summer of 2021, DOJ interviewed Doug Mastriano presumably asking about the Wyndham Hotel meeting:
“a public meeting of the Republican Party’s Majority Policy Committee of the Pennsylvania Senate[81] was held on November 25, 2020, at the Wyndham hotel near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, about claims of election fraud.[82] The meeting, which lasted more than four hours, was organized by Mastriano (although Mastriano was not a member of the Policy Committee)[83] and was chaired by Pennsylvania State Senator Dave Argall.[81][84] President Donald Trump‘s legal team, including Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, gave a lengthy presentation in the meeting, and Trump himself participated by phone.[84] Trump made claims at the meeting alleging unfairness in the election process and saying he should be declared the winner. “This election was rigged, and we can’t let that happen. This election has to be turned around because we won Pennsylvania by a lot and we won all these swing states by a lot,” he said.[85] Immediately after the meeting, Trump invited some of the Pennsylvania lawmakers, including Mastriano, to meet with him in the West Wing of the White House on the same day.[85]”
So DOJ was investigating a meeting about a crucial component of the criminal conspiracy, that Rudy and Trump participated in, but Marshall and others don’t think DOJ was taking a serious look at the two biggest names present? All while DOJ was also investigating the guy that Trump installed as AG (Jeffrey Clark) to try and pull off the coup from the inside? DOJ is investigating False Electors, Jeffrey Clark, Rudy, Doug Mastriano, Enrique Tarrio, Steve Bannon, John Eastman etc., but you don’t think they are already seeing the obvious connections to Trump and obstruction and circling in on them? This is like saying the mechanic inspected the brakes, the engine, the transmission, the tires etc., but he wasn’t looking at the car! These people with direct connections to Trump (Clark, Mastriano, Eastman etc.) and the various prongs (False Electors, Fundraising) all combine to make the greater criminal conspiracy of obstruction. DOJ was investigating the conspiracy by investigating all of its’ major parts. Trump is at the very center of all of it and I think you (and Marshall) have to be incredibly naive to think DOJ wasn’t keenly aware of that fact and moving slowly toward the inevitable center. Just because they hadn’t written Trump’s name or the word “obstruction” on the public whiteboard for all to see, doesn’t mean they weren’t being investigated.
Marshall also fails to remind readers of the fact that he has no experience whatsoever in investigating and prosecuting large, complex, federal criminal conspiracies or even small ones, or any other ones. Marshall is a political blogger and a damn good one. But why exactly should we be looking to him for insights into a process/job he knows absolutely nothing about?
JML
@geg6: College president is a weird job. You need to be good at managing a large and slow-moving bureaucracy that frequently is at cross-purposes with itself, oversee a faculty that will almost always be mad at you for something (usually the fact that El Presidente didn’t call them personally to approve of the latest plan or something equally petty), you need to understand some fairly complex financial matters, and the skill sets that got you the job are often not applicable to it at all.
I frequently have loads of contempt for university presidents (many of whom are nothing but vainglorious publicity hounds) and upper administration (who spend most of their time jockeying for favor with the president or taking credit for other people’s work, while changing processes left and right because it’s how they did it elsewhere rather than because it’s actually better) but right now I have more contempt for the tenured faculty who barely see students, hardly teach classes, rarely show up to work, and complain to everyone who will listen how badly the university has gone downhill and how poorly they’re being treated.
Jay
@Quinerly:
The roll and tip method gives you as smooth a finish as spray painting.
You use a smooth foam roller to apply the paint/varnish/polyurethane, then drag a dry fine haired brush over the coat to knock out any bubbles.
It even works with linear 2 part polyurethanes and epoxy paints.
azlib
@Suzanne: i agree. Sinema could have been a Kelly clone, stayed a Dem and had her seat forever.
Kathleen
@UncleEbeneezer: He also rodent procreated the Tara Reade lies well beyond the sell date.
Lymie
@WaterGirl: yeah, he added much needed punch and a diverse viewpoint to msnbc, which keeps slipping towards banality.
Geminid
@azlib: Sinema could have pivoted when she saw that Joe Biden and Mark Kelly could win Arizona as normal Democrats. She wouldn’t have needed to pivot far, just enough to track Kelly (like you say), instead of Joe Manchin.