Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

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

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

“Why isn’t this Snickers bar only a nickel?”

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

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

Books are my comfort food!

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

with the Kraken taking a plea, the Cheese stands alone.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "Stories from the Road" / Monday Night Open Thread

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58Comments

  2. 2.

    trollhattan

    Mountain-time Cole, lives!

    One time zone to the left we’re staring at the season’s biggest storm, arriving Wednesday and placing a chunk of the state on flood watch status. Because it’s tropical, the double-whammy of rain+snowmelt will be in play. Check your seat cushion bottoms–there’s a flotation device plus some expired pretzels.

    https://weatherwest.com/archives/35156

  8. 8.

    Jackie

    Another HUGE reason to keep Biden in the WH that we haven’t even discussed much this Election Cycle: the SCOTUS. Someone else is tired😢

    Fatigue and a thickening caseload are testing Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s reserve.

    On stage during a Monday appearance at the University of California, Berkeley’s law school, the first Latina justice spoke to the demands of the gig’s demands at her age since she was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2009.

    “And to be almost 70 years old, this isn’t what I expected,” Sotomayor told UC Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, according to Bloomberg Law. “But it is still work that is all-consuming, and I understand the impact the court has on people and on the country, and sometimes the world. And so it is what keeps me going.”

    The crammed schedule for this term alone has been staggering, with the Court deciding some the most seminal issues of our time: abortion, gun, social media; and whether or not former President Donald Trump should be left on the presidential ballot.

    “Cases are bigger,” said Sotomayor. They’re more demanding. The number of amici are greater, and you know that our emergency calendar is so much more active. I’m tired.

    “There used to be a time when we had a good chunk of the summer break. Not any more. The emergency calendar is busy almost on a weekly basis.”

    “What choice do you have but to fight the good fight,” she asked. “You can’t throw up your hands and walk away. And that’s not a choice. That’s an abdication. That’s giving up.”

    Inspiring her to fight the good fight are those freedom fighters who came before her, such as Justice Thurgood Marshall and Rep. John Lewis (D-G.A.), among others.

    “How can you look at those people and say that you’re entitled to despair,” she said. “You’re not,” answering her own question.

    She continued: “I’m not. Change never happens on its own. Change happens because people care about moving the arc of the universe towards justice.

    “And it can take time, and it can take frustration.”

    As far as how decisions the Court made sit with her? Often not well.

    “Why do you think I’m still writing,” she asked. “I live in frustration. Every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart. But I have to get up the next morning and keep on fighting.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/sonia-sotomayor-2667117803/

  9. 9.

    Ohio Mom

    Today started promisingly — two small problems solved before ten, what a way to begin the week! — and then, a series of disappointments and irritations, and a couple of potential worries appeared.

    Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

  10. 10.

    satby

    Well John, I think you might want to wallow in a satisfied glow that your website and Anne Laurie’s post gave a terrific start to a brand new soon to be spay/neuter rescue in Georgia.

    They hiked their goal and have almost made it to their stretch goal, and they’ll be able to cover a lot of spays and neuters, supplies, cat food, and registration fees for their new organization. Which this website has done before many times for many rescues. Remember that when you get tired and cranky. You’ll still probably be cranky, but maybe a little less?

  11. 11.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jackie: If we keep Biden but lose the Senate, it’s over as far as the Court goes.

    I’m getting flashbacks to RBG not retiring soon enough.

  12. 12.

    Anonymous At Work

    Re-asking from earlier: Has Trump waived his right to ask for a recusal from Judge Kaplan after waiting until 2 trials were concluded to point out that 30+ years ago, he and Carroll’s lawyer spent 2 years together at the same law firm?

  14. 14.

    Scout211

    @Jackie: from The 19th News today:

    It’s crucial right now’: Two LGBTQ+ women may soon be confirmed as lifetime judges
    In three years, President Joe Biden’s nominations have helped to bring broader diversity to the federal judiciary — a body that has long been dominated by White cisgender men.

    Now, Biden and Senate Democrats are poised to tie a record for confirmations of LGBTQ+ judges. If the Senate approves Judges Nicole Berner and Melissa DuBose, Biden will tie with former President Barack Obama’s record of appointing 11 openly LGBTQ+ lifetime judges to the federal bench. These confirmations would come at a time when more LGBTQ+ rights cases are being fought in courts across the country — and even making their way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  15. 15.

    Jackie

    @Ohio Mom: I am, too. I wonder if Justice Sotomayor has discussed this with President Biden. Surely, she wouldn’t give this statement publicly, without his knowledge?

  17. 17.

    Suzanne

    @Jackie: Someone over at LGM has been saying for a while that Sotomayor should retire during Biden’s administration due to her age and diabetes.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    I stepped out of a sandwich shop and saw a nearby medium sized group of pro-Palestinian protesters shouting their slogans and carrying a big “Ceasefire Now” sign. They had small signs asking people to honk their car horns, and were getting a fair response. Some in their group were also making a note of calling for the release of all hostages.

    Many pedestrians just went about their business. I thought at first that one guy walking nearby was asking me a question. He was just muttering some very hostile comments about the protesters. I declined to engage him.

  19. 19.

    mvr

    @Ohio Mom: Well actually, if we keep Biden we might lose the Senate for 2 years but get it back in 2026 with Biden as president. So while losing the Senate is not to be wished for (why I have an autopayment set to Tester every month) it won’t be quite hopeless if we do.

  20. 20.

    Jackie

    @Suzanne: I wholeheartedly agree! She sounds like she needs a nudge. Maybe openly admitting her weariness and frustration is the first step.

  22. 22.

    Jackie

    @mvr:

    if we keep Biden we might lose the Senate for 2 years but get it back in 2026 with Biden as president.

    Are you willing to gamble 1) if we lose the Senate in ‘24 we’ll regain it in ‘26?

    2) that Sotomayor will be able to hold on another two years IF we regain the Senate?

    3) That McConnell would “allow” Biden to seat a new justice during an election year?

    I don’t!

  23. 23.

    TBone

    @Jackie: I fuckin luv her so much for what she said.  Never give in!  Be it in matters large or small, never, ever, EVER!  Her statements were not made in defeat, IMO. They were made by a fighter who, of course, gets tired.  But she doesn’t quit.

  24. 24.

    Brachiator

    @Jackie:

    Are you willing to gamble 1) if we lose the Senate in ‘24 we’ll regain it in ‘26?

    The only thing that we can do is to stay politically active and support Democratic Party candidates.

    But the point is valid that losing the Senate in 2024 does not mean that 2026 would not matter.

  27. 27.

    Jackie

    @TBone: Neither did RBG. Sotomayor’s health is a HUGE factor, combined with her age. Diabetes is not to be underestimated.

    Sotomayor IS a fighter, as was Ginsburg, but in the end, cancer didn’t care.

  29. 29.

    Chris

    @Jackie:

    “Walking away” is something liberal Supreme Court justices need to get much better at if we want to prevent another RBG debacle.

    It’s already clear that we’re never getting another justice confirmed unless both the Senate and the White House are in Democratic hands. Now picture how long we can conceivably go without that alignment – like a decade easy. Now think of how fast health can change after a certain age…

  30. 30.

    Lyrebird

    @satby: Thank you for that, satby!  I’m flat broke and didn’t click, but I am so glad.  So I can’t speak for JC and I can’t even take any credit, but the news lifted me up.

  32. 32.

    satby

    @Jackie: I wish we’d see this kind of agitation around getting rid of the much older men on the court, instead of always going after the women allies we have on the court.

  33. 33.

    TBone

    If I let health concerns and others’ opinions of same dictate my decisions, I’d literally be living in a cardboard box in a gutter.  Fear-based decision making drives me nuts.  Sometimes ya just gotta do like Liz and get on with it.

    “You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”

  34. 34.

    Jackie

    @satby: Thomas will never retire. He can’t afford to live in his accustomed lifestyle without his “benefits.” Alito, ditto.

  37. 37.

    Chris

    @satby:

    All three of the liberals on the court are women. Breyer was the one who got by far the most pressure for this after 2020 when he was still on the court, and correctly so (given his age).

  38. 38.

    Chris

    @Jackie:

    It’s not even that. They like the power, the status, the attention. The feeling of being In The Room Where It Happens. They can’t give that up.

  40. 40.

    Timill

    @satby: Like who? Breyer’s gone, and Sotomayor is now the eldest of the liberals (all women) on the Court.

    Thomas and Alito are the only Justices older than Sotomayor, and I don’t think either will retire to please Biden…

  41. 41.

    TBone

    @eclare: I’m not sure about that one, but this is a good one too:

    ” I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being – to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame.”

     

    And yes, that bitch had guts!  I can say that because I am one too.  A therapist once told me to be sure to keep my inner bitch alive.  Only time I got what I paid for in a session.

  44. 44.

    Jackie

    @Chris:

    They like the power, the status, the attention.

    That’s what I meant by “benefits.” Plus all the gifted traveling, etc. Once retired, it’s ALL GONE. I don’t even think TIFG could negotiate with them.

  45. 45.

    mvr

    @Jackie: I can only control certain things, and one of them is whom I support. So I think we need to keep supporting Biden whatever might happen in the senate. I’m counseling that we not see the potential loss of the Senate as meaning it is all over. Keeping Biden in office whatever happens in the Senate is still worth doing.​

  47. 47.

    Leto

    The fact we don’t appoint anyone under the age of 40, and force them to retire at 40, is fucking malfeasance. Anything over 40 risks dying.

  48. 48.

    satby

    @Timill: My point is that it’s always on the women to move aside from their lifetime appointments. It was a lopsided court before RBG died, and it still is.

    We need to reform the court legislatively because that’s the problem, not scapegoat the women because we’re worried.

  50. 50.

    piratedan

    @mvr: all we can do is put in the work and show up when asked….

    My own feelings are that the GOP/Media message machine are showing signs of fatigue… so I don’t see that its a forgone conclusion that we’ll “lose” the Senate, no guarantees mind you.  When we look at what is stirring elsewhere across the nation with the doubling down on the attempted re-chatteling of women and the non-personing of people who are trans or of a non-cis orientation.  I think that the nation that has been accepting of this to the point where we see non-cis characters in Hallmark movies appears to indicate that we’ve passed a tipping point…

    Other things that give me hope, the GOP is mismanaging their money covering Trump ass and all of his MAGA allies apparently are spending their money defending themselves from lawsuits and are unable to make a connection with the Country Club types that have been forever their golden goose because they are bad for business.

    so the warchests are not as full, Trump will be in the headlines over the next few months in court for all of his alleged law-breaking and the GOP House hangs by a thread and won’t get shit done and apparently do not have the nads to challenge 45, which is patently obvious no matter how its spun.

    the Texas border bullshit may very well drive yet more people away as husbands and wives, moms and dads are sitting in Texas in support of what? allowing moms and kids to drown in a river?

    when coupled with a healthier economy, more green initiatives, more infrastructure, more jobs, less debt… those things matter.  Dictator vs Democracy?  Yeah, that will be an issue too?

    granted, its quite some time before November, but there’s plenty of ammunition, passion and determination on our side and after watching the trends of the last elections, I think we’re getting thru and breaking their grip.

    just my humble opinion, cautiously optimistic.

  52. 52.

    mvr

    @piratedan: Yes, I agree with all of that. I was meaning to counsel hope not despair.  And part of it was saying that there would be hope even if we lost the Senate for two years – not that we are sure to do that. We’re not sure to do that.  And I think if we do lose it we will probably get it back within two years so long as we keep the White House.

  53. 53.

    wjca

    @mvr: We’re not sure to do that.  And I think if we do lose it we will probably get it back within two years so long as we keep the White House.

    It all comes down to which states have senators up for election when.  This time around, West Virginia (Manchin’s seat) is almost certainly gone.  Montana (Tester’s seat) is dicey (although holding it is certainly possible).  But, lose both, plus any of several other chancy ones (for example Georgia), and the D majority is gone.

    The thing is, in 2026 the only realistic pick up opportunity is North Carolina.  So, absent a blue wave (unlikely in an off year for the incumbant President’s party), a recovery of the Senate seems doubtful.

    Could we get a blue wave, either this year or in 2026, and pick up a bunch of what currently appear to be safe Republican Senate seats?  Sure.  Especially if there happers to be a state abortion issue on the ballot in some of them.  And certainly the Republicans look to be giving party self-destruction their best shot in several states.  But even in the best case, it’s going to be a hard slog.

  54. 54.

    piratedan

    @wjca: granted, but Abortion is no longer a “state” issue it’s a national one as repeated examples at the state level have shown that the GOP is turning women’s health care into the new fugitive slave act.  So Dobbs is a national issue and the trend that we’ve been witnessing is that it’s almost all blue (even in red state referendums).  I think that people agree that choice should be a right and the GOP insistence that it isn’t is going to change the political landscape in this country.

  55. 55.

    Brachiator

    @piratedan:

    granted, but Abortion is no longer a “state” issue it’s a national one as repeated examples at the state level have shown that the GOP is turning women’s health care into the new fugitive slave act.

    Red states have been restricting reproductive rights for some time. The current Supreme Court has prevented the federal government from interfering with states. This situation will continue with the current make-up of the court. The lawyers among us may have good explanations of options that may be available on the federal level.

    If the GOP gains federal power of the presidency and Congress, they will let the red states continue making women’s lives hell and pass federal legislation to try to make other states conform to the model of some of the states.

  58. 58.

    wjca

    @piratedan: granted, but Abortion is no longer a “state” issue it’s a national one as repeated examples at the state level have shown that the GOP is turning women’s health care into the new fugitive slave act.

    Agreed.  BUT, what we have seen is that having a state-focused abortion issue on the ballot (whether as an initiative/referendum or as a state constitutional amendment) is what really a) turns out the (mostly liberal) voters who otherwise tend not to show up, and b) gets the attention of otherwise “lean GOP” voters that maybe they want to lean the other way.  That combination is what it will take to see a blue wave.

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