Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

We are aware of all internet traditions.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

It’s easier to kill a dangerous animal than a man who just happens to have different thoughts/values than one’s own.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / It Was a Crime at the Time but the Laws Have Changed

It Was a Crime at the Time but the Laws Have Changed

by | 188 Comments

This post is in: 

A couple of quick points and something fun at the end:

  • Some of you made excuses for Brian Higgins (former D-NY-26) who quit to run a non-profit effective this month when I mentioned it in an earlier post.  The only reason that Mayorkas wasn’t impeached in the house is because Rep Al Green (D-TX-9) left his fucking hospital bed to vote no.  Steve Scalise was absent getting treatment for his cancer and he’s back, so it may well be that Higgins’ ill-timed retirement will lead to another vote where Mayorkas is impeached.  Also, the special election to replace George Santos in NY-3 is Tuesday.  Dems might get a pickup there.  Having Higgins around would make Johnson’s job even tougher.  But we won’t because Higgins chose his selfish needs over the party, something that might have been OK once upon a time, but not when democracy is literally in the balance.
  • Someone was upset that I titled yesterday’s post “Getting Old and Out of Touch” because it could have been misinterpreted as a comment on the Special Prosecutor’s report that questioned Biden’s memory.  The special prosecutor was a Republican, because of course he was.  He had to shit on Biden in his report while basically saying there’s no crime here.  This one is on Merrick Garland, and I’ll outsource the rest of the commentary on him to Paul Campos at LGM.  Suffice it to say that he’s not a wartime consigliere — and I’m not saying that Biden should have appointed the Democratic analogue to Bill Barr.  I’m just asking for an AG who would have appointed a (gasp!) fair-minded Democrat to that post, a Democrat who would have said Biden should have done better without the “and he’s senile” part of the report.  Again, Democrats choosing Republicans as special prosecutors and for national security positions (“Butter Emails” Comey) was always dumb, but it’s dangerous when democracy is in the balance.
  • In general, it’s hard for political junkies like us to imagine what motivates marginally motivated voters, but I really think Biden is playing with fire with Israel and the border.   AOC’s 90 second floor speech pretty much sums up the Israel argument, and I’ve said my piece on the border a couple of times.  In my view, we’re risking de-motivating younger, Arab (especially important in Michigan) and hispanic marginal voters by adopting Republican talking points on the border and not tying aid to Israel to humanitarian goals.  And we need those voters.

I know that’s plenty but here’s something less serious:  The Hawaii Supreme Court quoted Slim Charles of “The Wire” in a ruling on gun laws, when he said “the thing about the old days, they the old days.”   That quote is applicable in a lot of contexts.

 

Reader Interactions

188Comments

  2. 2.

    dr. bloor

    Some of you made excuses for Brian Higgins (former D-NY-26) who quit to run a non-profit effective this month when I mentioned it in an earlier post.

    No one was “making excuses” for him, and none of your breathless scolding about how Al Green changed history has anything to do with anything.  Even if it passed by one vote in the House–THE HORRORZ–it was going to be DOA in the Senate. It was a stunt that held Zero Importance.  But your moral purity and outrage is duly noted.

  4. 4.

    marklar

    I’ve always disliked “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Yes, George Bailey was a paragon of selflessness who had a positive impact on countless others, but it came at the expense of his own happiness. Bailey deserved some personal happiness, as defined by following his own dreams, not just fulfilling his duty to others.

    Speaking of criticism of Brian Higgins (who has provided much more service to this country that being a front-pager or commenter on a top 10,000 blog),…

  5. 5.

    Old School

    I guess I need to rewatch “The Wire”.  I don’t remember the character of Slim Charles.

  6. 6.

    geg6

    The day I take advice from any frontpagers at LGM is the day I will turn myself in for being too senile to take care of myself.

    And fuck Israel. And Hamas. And anyone who is voting based on anything having to do with either of those assholes. I say we let them all kill each other and let the world move on from their stupid religious garbage. Religion is never a good thing. Ever. And don’t @ me. I’ve lived 65 years and never seen an iota of evidence that religion is a net good.

    As for the youngs, the Americans of Middle Eastern descent and anyone upset about the border (for or against whatever they are pissed about), they can go fuck themselves, too. Do they really think getting Donald Trump elected is going to make their lives or causes any better? They, too, are fucking idiots and I’m just sick and tired of catering to fucking idiots.

    I’m going to back up Dems this fall like it’s do or die. Because it is. And fuck anyone who isn’t on board.

  7. 7.

    Brachiator

    Having Higgins around would make Johnson’s job even tougher.  But we won’t because Higgins chose his selfish needs over the party, something that might have been OK once upon a time, but not when democracy is literally in the balance.

    I don’t live in the district or know much about Higgins. But while it may be unfortunate that he chose to resign, I reject the idea that anyone can tell an elected official what life choices they must make. Or anyone else, for that matter.

  8. 8.

    Scout211

    How’s this for Republican posturing?

    Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., is calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Joe Biden from office after special counsel Robert Hur’s report said that while the president should not be prosecuted for mishandling classified documents, he does suffer from a poor memory.

    In a letter to Garland Thursday, Tenney expressed her “grave concerns” about Hur’s findings. She said that Hur’s reasons for not bringing charges against Biden, even though the president “knowingly and willfully removed, mishandled, and disclosed classified documents” over a period of decades, were “alarming.”

  9. 9.

    geg6

    @marklar: ​

    Couldn’t agree more. That film is an abomination. Which is infuriating because Jimmy Stewart made many, many excellent films and that is the one he’ll be known for for all time. A shitty movie with a stupid plot and an idiotic “lesson.”

    Ugh. I’m in a terrible mood and the stupid here and other places is making it worse.

  11. 11.

    emjayay

    Unfortunately a lot of people do not understand how voting in our system works. It’s not a statement of your identity. It’s a binary choice between two candidates (not counting multiple choice elections).

    “I can’t vote for Biden because of his Israel position, so I’ll pick the guy who is 1000X worse, or not vote which deducts a vote from the non-demagogue non-autocrat. That’ll show them.” Not how it works for the country.

    I know someone who won’t do anything at Thanksgiving if it includes turkey and pumpkin pie instead of Chinese takeout because of the oppression of Native Americans (I’m guessing she has moved on to First Nations or Indigenous Peoples). Similar.

  12. 12.

    Old School

    @geg6:

    I say we let them all kill each other and let the world move on from their stupid religious garbage.

    I say we don’t.  Although I have no idea how to stop them.

  13. 13.

    Renie

    I voted early today in the CD3 Special Election.  Obviously I voted for Tom Suozzi.  The GOP candidate (who is still a registered Democrat) Mazi Pilip is a piece of work.  Never answers questions but there was a debate last night and while Suozzi talked about solution, all she did was complain.   The bad news is that the race is close.  I’ve lived most of my life on Long Island – except for 7 years in Bklyn – and it really saddens me how racist the people have become and all the MAGA idiots.  I live in ground zero in the Town of Hempstead – which is different from the Village of Hempstead – and the GOP is rock solid here especially in Levittown where I am.  Now that my husband and I are retired I hope to be able to move somewhere a little more sane.  But at least I raised two kids (a lawyer and teacher) who are both quite liberal, though Bernie Sanders liberal.  I’ll take that over a MAGA supporter.

  14. 14.

    eclare

    @Old School:

    I just read about the character on Wiki, because I don’t really remember him either, and I’ve watched the whole series three or four times.  Someone on the HI Supreme Court must be a LOTR level fanatic.

  15. 15.

    New Deal democrat

    FWIW the border issue appears to be dead, since the GOP wouldn’t take “yes” for an answer. In the next 10 months the issue of Biden’s concessions on this issue will have faded. On the larger issue of the border, all positions are fraught with peril, beyond which I offer no opinion.

    I will repeat one other thing I said previously: that among the horrible options, the deal Biden struck with the GOP in the Senate was the “least worst” one. Because with a Democratic Congress, any bad deal on the border can be legislatively reversed. But a Putin conquest of Ukraine, putting Russia right on the border with several more NATO countries, cannot be, and is much more perilous.

  17. 17.

    Searcher

    Eh, I’ll side with “what the fuck, Higgins”.

    A term in the House is two years and has the most fantastic benefits of any job in the country with the lowest work requirements if you’re not running for reelection and are willing to phone it in.  Just literally show up, read a romance novel, and vote the party line.

    He couldn’t have managed another year of that?  He wouldn’t even have had to come up with witty things to say the next time the Republicans elect a speaker.

  18. 18.

    Old School

    @eclare: I looked up Slim Charles on Wiki too.  I’ve only watched the series once and it ended in 2008, but I guess Robert Hur would question my memory.

  20. 20.

    eclare

    @geg6:

    I’ve never been tempted to watch it, and it was never forced upon me. As you said, Jimmy Stewart made many great movies to choose from.  I’ll take The Philadelphia Story anyday.

  21. 21.

    teezyskeezy

    @eclare:  Now I wonder what LOTR themed quotes could they have gone with. A gun being “your precious” doesn’t supercede the need for public safetly, gunwraith.

  22. 22.

    geg6

    @Old School: ​
     
    No one has or will ever find a way to stop them. So give them what they want. Let them fight it out and we just keep out of it. No good actors on either side. Why should we be in the middle of this shit that has gone on for a couple millenia? Let the Middle East resolve their own shit.

  23. 23.

    New Deal democrat

    @emjayay:

    I know someone who won’t do anything at Thanksgiving if it includes turkey and pumpkin pie

    Next time feed them tofu and pecan pie instead, but include the rest of the regular Thanksgiving dinner. After they are done, remind them that squash, potatoes, green beans, cranberries, cornbread, and pecans are also all Native American foods.

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @geg6: The level of stupid that I have seen online the past couple of days is absolutely off the charts.  Catastrophizing out the yingyang.  Might be a good weekend to choose to have a life instead of being online.

  27. 27.

    $8 blue check mistermix

    @Renie: It’s really hard to poll specials but I’m concerned about this seat, too.  Thanks for the report.

  28. 28.

    JoyceH

    A term in the House is two years and has the most fantastic benefits of any job in the country with the lowest work requirements if you’re not running for reelection and are willing to phone it in. Just literally show up, read a romance novel, and vote the party line.

    He couldn’t have managed another year of that? He wouldn’t even have had to come up with witty things to say the next time the Republicans elect a speaker.

    My guess is that the job wouldn’t be available in a year and he really wanted it. Not saying he was right, just saying. Most of those opportunities are Limited Time Only.

  29. 29.

    eclare

    @Old School:

    Hahaha…I think the show just had so many characters and subplots, and even different worlds (season two-the ports) some were easy to forget.

  30. 30.

    Nelle

    @Searcher: Who offered the job and why was it immediate?  I keep smelling rats and machinations behind everything.  I understand the temptation of conspiracy theories, yet refusing to see the ratfucking operations to remain “not a conspiracy theorist” can be damn naive.  I wonder about offers (the kind that tempt as well as the kind you can’t refuse) circulating among other Congresspeople.

  32. 32.

    eclare

    @teezyskeezy:

    I get that one reference, but I probably wouldn’t get any others.  I was just trying to think of a minutiae devoted fan base (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that one came to mind.

  33. 33.

    geg6

    @Omnes Omnibus: ​

    In good news, I went to the Wine and Spirits store at lunch and got enough wine on sale to fully stock my wine fridge. I have a long weekend (I always take Super Bowl Monday off) and I’m going to enjoy it if it kills me.

    I have enough going on with my guy seeming to be quickly going down the tubes of senility for real and not being able to get in to a doctor until March 5. On top of that, the new president and her crony, the new vice provost, are doing everything they can to screw up what is currently (but not for long if they have anything to with it) a great institution and driving me into early retirement. I don’t need stupid shit like this post piling on. I really, really don’t.

  34. 34.

    teezyskeezy

    @Harrison Wesley: And by sit it out I just meant the red meat parts.  Dancing around the periphery of the real issue with silly throwaway comments…I’m there for that.

  35. 35.

    $8 blue check mistermix

    @dr. bloor:

    No one was “making excuses” for him, and none of your breathless scolding about how Al Green changed history has anything to do with anything.  Even if it passed by one vote in the House–THE HORRORZ–it was going to be DOA in the Senate. It was a stunt that held Zero Importance.  But your moral purity and outrage is duly noted.

    A member of congress is elected on the backs of work of thousands of people who knock doors, give their hard-earned money and generally go out of their way to work for the candidate with the implicit expectation that the candidate will serve out their term.  Expecting them to do the fucking job for two years isn’t too much, in my mind.  And I’m not going to shit on Al Green’s effort to defend Brian Higgins.  I’ll leave that you you.

  40. 40.

    Alison Rose

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    Sage needed a little extra time to warm up and trust, especially towards men. But thanks to our amazing Behavior & Training Team, Sage has come a long way and made remarkable progress. As you can see in the photos, she is enjoying walks, playtime, and water splashes with Kacie, one of our dedicated team members. Keep up the good work, Sage!

    Sage easily makes friends with other dogs, but due to her natural hunting skills, she’s best suited to a home without livestock. Sage needs an adopter who is willing to give her the time and patience needed to adjust and learn about life in a home.

    Let’s come together to help Sage find a loving home by sharing this post. She’s waited long enough, and we know the perfect home is out there!

    For more information about this sweet girl visit her Petfinder profile at: compassion-without-borders-ca2324

    450 days 😭😭😭

  42. 42.

    zhena gogolia

    @geg6: Me too! Pretty much all James Stewart’s movies are superior (well, not Broken Arrow).

    He should be remembered for Shop Around the Corner, Philadelphia Story, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

  44. 44.

    gene108

    @Searcher:

    He couldn’t have managed another year of that? He wouldn’t even have had to come up with witty things to say the next time the Republicans elect a speaker.

    As one commenter asked Rep. Schiff, when Rep Schiff was kind enough to speak with us, that the House seemed like a very hostile work environment. I found that an astute observation.

    Some people, for their own mental health, shouldn’t spend anymore time in a hostile or toxic work environment. The consequences of their actions be damned. For their own sake, they need to get out now.

    Doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people are just better at “toughing it out” without their self confidence, self esteem, and joy for living being seriously diminished in a bad workplace.

    I’m not one of those people.

    I imagine how much better my life would’ve been if I quit a toxic work environment during the 2001 recession. Staying helped lead to a serious mental breakdown a couple of years later, which I haven’t really recovered from 21 years later.

  45. 45.

    wjca

    @New Deal democrat: Because with a Democratic Congress, any bad deal on the border can be legislatively reversed. But a Putin conquest of Ukraine, putting Russia right on the border with several more NATO countries, cannot be

    This

  46. 46.

    teezyskeezy

    @eclare: Oh I know. I got it. I just let my mind wander to that.

    EDIT: And I purposely resisted doing an obscure “deep cut” reference for the simple fact that I am also not that far into any sort of LOTR fandom such that I would be able to do it well.

  47. 47.

    $8 blue check mistermix

    @marklar: So let me get this straight.  The whole 10 months that Higgins would have had to continue serving is all that stood between him and happiness, just like the years and years that George Bailey had to put off his dreams.  Really?

    Agree on It’s a Wonderful Life.  Most underrated Stewart performance is The Man Who Knew Too Much, IMO.  He gets plenty of (well-deserved) praise for Vertigo and Rear Window…

  48. 48.

    Kosh III

    “And fuck Israel. And Hamas….I say we let them all kill each other and let the world move on from their stupid religious garbage.”

    Israel versus Palestine has little to do with religion; it’s Zionist Jews desiring lebensraum for themselves and being willing to kill and drive out people who have live there for centuries.

  52. 52.

    rikyrah

    @New Deal democrat:

    But a Putin conquest of Ukraine, putting Russia right on the border with several more NATO countries, cannot be, and is much more perilous.

    which is why the funding for Ukraine was worth whatever else we gave up to the GOP in that immigration bill. The most important part was the funding for Ukraine. I’ll stand 10 toes on that belief.

  53. 53.

    rikyrah

    @eclare:

    I’ll take The Philadelphia Story anyday.

     

    The name is Connor.

    Macaulay Connor.

    ……………………………….

    Do you know where the library is?

    I might….my grandfather built it.

    …………………………………

     

    These are the days that the pages of history tell us are best spent in bed.

     

    ……………………………………..

    My, she was yar.

  57. 57.

    geg6

    @$8 blue check mistermix: ​
     
    Maybe he is finding that his work there is seriously compromising his mental health. I’m not really due to retire for a couple of years. But the situation at work, on top of everything else, is seriously compromising my mental health. For a while, it was work keeping me sane as I watch my country and the man I love swirl the drain. Now it’s a major part of the problem. So I’m probably going to have to retire even though it will make everything tougher for my colleagues at work. I don’t feel I have much choice if I want to live another decade or two.

  58. 58.

    H.E.Wolf

    Everybody is going to have their own reactions, and their own path to walk.

    My path is to let the day-by-day news roll on past, and remember my revered, unsung heroes in the Civil Rights Movement. If it takes decades: we do the work.

  62. 62.

    Starfish

    @emjayay:

    People are not necessarily going to vote for Trump, but they are going to sit their butts at home in states like Michigan.

    Here is a story about Palestinian Americans refusing to meet with Blinken.

  63. 63.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The level of stupid that I have seen online the past couple of days is absolutely off the charts.  Catastrophizing out the yingyang.  Might be a good weekend to choose to have a life instead of being online.

    Wasn’t it just Wednesday when everyone was celebrating Republicans stepping on their own dicks and we were going to win in a landslide?

    These were the best of times, these were the worst of times…

    See the movie with Don Ameche and Joe Mantegna, Things Change (unfortunately written and directed by wing nut Mamet, another example of citing bad source to illustrate a point).

  66. 66.

    teezyskeezy

    @rikyrah: And I thought the biggest controversy in here was going to be about politics.

    Also, def sitting out the Jimmy Stewart war too.

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    Count QuarterBlacky (@groove_sdc) posted at 9:23 AM on Fri, Feb 09, 2024:
    Couple things according to a Pew Research poll that dropped last year.

    Voter turnout is up.

    Black people are still overwhelmingly voting for Democrats.

    And voters tend to be older and over 50 so I’m not sure your “omg look at Biden old people suck LOL” strategy is wise. https://t.co/uOIBVUKGPO
    (https://x.com/groove_sdc/status/1755975777609216005?t=mvc8wA-m8KSISX6AIUImDA&s=03)

    Count QuarterBlacky (@groove_sdc) posted at 10:28 AM on Fri, Feb 09, 2024:
    So your “voting doesn’t work” op is not working.

    Your “don’t vote for Democrats until they cut the check” and #Blexit op to get more Black folks to vote for Republicans op is not working either.

    And it seems like your campaign to sabotage Biden candidacy isn’t working either.

  69. 69.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s notable that the Biden’s Too Old/Senile thing started in the Dem Primaries by Progressive supporters of other candidates and they have pushed it relentlessly for the past four years.  Now they are the ones screaming the loudest about the fact that it’s still here and still doing much of the heavy lifting for the GOP, even though they provided four years of kindling to this fire.  It’s basically a complete replay of Emailz and it’s hard not to notice the same people who took the bait on that one, managed to fall for the old banana in the tailpipe Russian/GOP Information Laundering trick, yet again.  Naturally, rather than take some measure of responsibility for their role in giving Biden’s Old legitimacy, they now want to point the finger at Garland.  Just as, still to this day, they blame Emailz on the Media/Hillary and everyone but themselves.

  71. 71.

    Another Scott

    @Omnes Omnibus: +1

    My impression was that the Murdoch screaming howler monkeys in the UK and the USA were all over that pseudo-quote and that helped to drive the US coverage (by giving them cover).

    It was expected to be a nothingburger that the GQP was going to try to weaponize anyway:

    WaPo (from 2/6 – a couple of days before it was released):

    The Justice Department is preparing to release a special counsel report in coming days that is critical of President Biden and his aides for mishandling classified documents in Biden’s private home and former office, but prosecutors do not plan to pursue criminal charges in the case.

    The long-awaited decision by special counsel Robert K. Hur will probably roil the presidential contest as Republicans seek to paint Biden as a criminal — and as Donald Trump, the president’s likely GOP rival for the White House, faces trial for allegedly keeping boxes of classified papers at his Florida home and obstructing officials’ attempts to retrieve them.

    While the facts of the Biden case appear to have major differences from the Trump case, Hur’s conclusions are likely to face intense scrutiny from Republicans in Congress.

    […]

    The Memeorandum “river” timeline has Fox and FTFNYT as being the first to point out the pseudo-quote. Shocking, I know.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  72. 72.

    jonas

    @Renie: I’m surprised it’s as close as it is as well. I agree this district would not be winnable for an AOC-type progressive Dem, but Suozzi has pretty strong centrist creds. It will be close, but I think he’ll pull it off.

    Republicans no longer vote. They troll. Everything is about pwning libs, not electing someone to represent them and get work done. This Pilip woman seems to be nearly as big a lying sleazeball as Santos, but if she’ll waste time voting for pointless impeachments and denounce queer kids or whatever, that’s all they want.

  74. 74.

    rikyrah

    HE is absolutely on point.

    When has America feared being led by an Old White Man?

    The math ain’t mathing.

     

    Plies (@plies) posted at 10:09 AM on Fri, Feb 09, 2024:
     When Has America EVER FEARED A Old White Man Running This Country?? That’s Not What This Country  FEARS. It’s His “Successor” Is Whats The PROBLEM!! U Just Tryin To Use The Sub Text (Which Is His Age) To Say It For U!! https://t.co/W1VH4c2ERb
    (https://x.com/plies/status/1755987281448468768?t=nbSA7WWTSpUVF2KEhdP7UQ&s=03)

  76. 76.

    teezyskeezy

    @Sure Lurkalot: He’s a wing nut now? Geez.  I guess, in retrospect, I can see it.

    I kind of hated Heist when it came out because it had a very mid life crisis vibe to it and…well, we see where that goes.

    As Atrios said recently…used to be men would get a divorce and buy a sport car for their midlife crisis…now they want to burn down the world instead.

  78. 78.

    rikyrah

    UH HUH

    UH HUH

     

    Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) posted at 10:30 PM on Thu, Feb 08, 2024:
    #Spoiler4Trump
    No one will convince me that @deanbphillips is not a Republican —  acting like he’s the special counsel in this CNN interview with @abbydphillip .

    Dean Phillips repeats every negative Republican talking point about President Biden, along with that same coronation… https://t.co/UrSySGUq35
    (https://x.com/cwebbonline/status/1755811336221753693?t=VrurgNfotgKVQPEq7dFMnA&s=03)

  81. 81.

    Elizabelle

    @Alison Rose:  Good luck Sage.  There have to be some good homes out there without livestock.

    Reminds me of another adoptable pup in the news:  follow up in the WaPost about Connie the Container dog, whom the Coast Guard rescued during a shipyard inspection in Houston on January 31.  She was in a shipping container, 25 feet up, full of damaged auto parts, bound soon for Dubai. The inspectors heard her barking.

    Well:  they actually saved six little lives.

    On checking Connie out in Virginia, where she’s in the care of Forever Changed Animal Rescue, an ultrasound found five puppies on board.  (Also heartworm, being treated.)

    So:  Connie and pups will stay with the rescue until all are adopted out.

    I liked that some WaPost reader commenters suggested Connie and her pups go to various Coast Guard small boat bases; they can be station dogs and get all the hugs and treats.  I think that would be great.

    Gift link.

    ‘Connie the Container Dog,’ saved by the Coast Guard, needs a new home

    An animal rescue in the DMV is looking for the 2-year-old dog’s forever home
    And wow, Connie was lucky in so many ways.  Car trouble helped save her, too.

    Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Jose Reyes, who helped rescue Connie, said the dog’s barking might’ve saved her from being shipped overseas.

    He and three other Coast Guard members happened to hear her during a routine inspection. Normally, they would have skipped that section of the Houston-area terminal, but car trouble caused them to stop near Connie’s container, Reyes said. As soon as they stopped, Reyes and his colleagues heard barking.

  85. 85.

    $8 blue check mistermix

    @Starfish:

    People are not necessarily going to vote for Trump, but they are going to sit their butts at home in states like Michigan.

    This.

    I know it’s maddening and others in this thread have said “fuck them” for sitting at home, but Democrats’ problem is always, always getting less motivated voters to the polls.  We need them, and as mad as we can get about that, and as much as we can fume about them being low information, we still need them.

  86. 86.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Sure Lurkalot: Wasn’t it just Wednesday when everyone was celebrating Republicans stepping on their own dicks and we were going to win in a landslide?

    and they still are stepping on those very dicks as we speak.

  91. 91.

    Elizabelle

    @Alison Rose:  Connie’s so cute.  I hope she and some of her pups do end up as Coasties.  They’d be great at entertaining and relieving stress.

  93. 93.

    $8 blue check mistermix

    @geg6:

    Maybe he is finding that his work there is seriously compromising his mental health. I’m not really due to retire for a couple of years. But the situation at work, on top of everything else, is seriously compromising my mental health. For a while, it was work keeping me sane as I watch my country and the man I love swirl the drain. Now it’s a major part of the problem. So I’m probably going to have to retire even though it will make everything tougher for my colleagues at work. I don’t feel I have much choice if I want to live another decade or two.

    In my original post on this, I said personal / family illness /tragedy are reasons to quit that everyone understands.  Higgins has never, ever said that there’s a personal or family issue.  He’s only said that he’s impatient with the lack of progress in Congress.  What he didn’t say is that he’s going to be the head of a non-profit, but that’s what’s going to happen, apparently.  He’s served for a little under 20 years.  He’ll get a full pension at retirement — benefits that most of his constituents can only dream of.  He doesn’t need a job.,

  95. 95.

    piratedan

    going to weigh in on the Jimmy Stewart retrospective and submit a vote for Bell, Book and Candle

  99. 99.

    Elizabelle

    @piratedan:  Pyewacket!

    ETA:  And if “yeet” can be a verb, pyewacket would be a fine one too.

    “Biden really pyewacketed those Republicans.”

    Turned their own black magic back upon them.

    Yeeting the Republicans would be fine, too.  Any day of the week.

  105. 105.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Starfish: If Trump somehow wins because of low turnout, every Dem voter who refused to show up will be to blame, regardless of their reasons for doing so.  It’s that simple.  The vote count doesn’t care why, it’s simple math.

  106. 106.

    Paul in KY

    @geg6: If that’s the case, then it will soon be solved in Likud Israel’s favour. With millions of dead & displaced Palestinians. I do not want that.

  107. 107.

    wjca

    @$8 blue check mistermix: I know it’s maddening and others in this thread have said “fuck them” for sitting at home, but Democrats’ problem is always, always getting less motivated voters to the polls.  We need them, and as mad as we can get about that, and as much as we can fume about them being low information, we still need them.

    Got it in one.

    The challenge is identifying which “less motivated” potential voters are the best shot at getting to turn out. But just because it’s necessary to focus efforts there (cost/benefit and all that) is no reason to trash other less motivated, but still reachable, voters.

  108. 108.

    piratedan

    @Elizabelle: perhaps it wasn’t too much of a stretch to have Stewart be infatuated with Novak, but the story was awesome, as was the situational comedy, which he excelled at.  besides, it has the aforementioned Pyewacket :-)

  112. 112.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @BR: Strange for a guy who is No Humanitarian!!1! according to some commenters here.  I’m sure they will now change their stance and praise Biden for listening to criticisms and taking action rather than fold their arms and claim it’s still not enough…

  113. 113.

    David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch

     Russian Telegram channels reported that the interview with Carlson and Carlson himself was not to Putin’s liking, and the interview itself was considered a failure:
    ***

    According to reports, Putin didn’t like Tucker Carlson – “a snob and a useful idiot who got a meaningful fee, but was lazy and lacked creativity.”

    Heh

  114. 114.

    Lapassionara

    @$8 blue check mistermix: We do need them. I don’t know what we can do to reach them, if they won’t even talk to administration officials.

    One thing I would ask is that people known to be strong democrats just shut up right now if they aren’t going to be supportive of Biden, and I’m looking at you, Paul Begala.

    And in blind squirrel news, David Brooks eviserated the Republican Party in the NYTimes.

  117. 117.

    pajaro

    @BR:

    Biden believed that publicly supporting Israel, while privately trying to get them to behave, was the best way to move Netanyahu.  He has been shown to be wrong.  But he is capable of adjusting to reality, and our messaging is starting to change.  Apparently John Kirby told Israel today not to attack Rafah.  If he needs to break with Israel, Biden will do so when he is more popular in Israel than Netanyahu, and he would be able to explain to the people of that country why there were limits to our support.  (Biden’t approval ratings in Israel are much higher than his approval ratings here.)

  121. 121.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @rikyrah: This is one of the reasons the whole New Blood obsession with people on the Left* has always seemed silly.  We should’ve learned that from the results of the 2020 SC Primary, when the most reliable block of our coalition (Black Voters) said “Nah, we want Biden.”

    *Offer obviously doesn’t apply to Bernie Sanders, Liz Warren, etc.

  122. 122.

    teezyskeezy

    @piratedan:

     ….perhaps it wasn’t too much of a stretch to have Stewart be infatuated with Novak….

    Definitely not

    EDIT: Wow, and she is still going and giving interviews in her 90s, just looked that up. Good for her.

  125. 125.

    TBone

    Damn I tuned out of a thread when I coulda been broadcasting 😆 (my interest in classic film).

  126. 126.

    smith

    I wish the people so furious with Biden for not punishing Netanyahu to the extent he deserves would recognize that if they retire from the electoral field they will not only condemn Palestinians to an even worse fate under TFG, they will lose their own ability to have any impact on US policy at all, forever.

    For a number of years now the Democratic party has been inching leftward, and Joe Biden along with it. Much of this was due to young people screaming loudly and convincingly about what is important to them. They should take a victory lap, refine their pressure techniques and keep on pushing. But flouncing off in a huff because Grandpa Joe won’t give them their pony right now is tantamount to giving up.

    And in the important controversy of the day, I also can’t stand It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve never been able to watch it all the way through. This year we tried watching a rifftrax version, but even that didn’t improve it much at all.

  127. 127.

    Brachiator

    @Lapassionara:

    I couldn’t get to the David Brooks column directly. Daily Kos has excerpts plus commentary.

    A snippet.

    I thought I was beyond shockable, but this week has been profoundly shocking for me. I spent the bulk of my adult life on the right-wing side of things, generally rooting for the Republican Party, because I thought that party best served America. People like Sarah Palin and Donald Trump chased me out of the Republican orbit (gradually and then all at once), but I have still held out the hope that my many friends on the right are kind of like an occupied country. They have to mouth the Trumpian prejudices to survive in this era, but somewhere deep inside, the party of Reagan still lives in their souls.

    My progressive readers are now thinking: Have you not been paying attention? Donald Trump has owned this party for years. If he told them to kill the immigration compromise because he needed a campaign issue, they were going to kill that proposal.

    To which I respond: I don’t think you quite understand what just happened. This wasn’t just about Republicans cynically bending their knee to Trump. Rather, I’m convinced that Trumpism now pervades the deepest recesses of their minds and governs their unconscious assumptions. Their fundamental mental instincts are no longer conservative, but Trumpian.

    I think it is easy to slap Brooks around. He more than deserves it. But other Republicans may share this view. The ranks of Never Trumpers and No More Trumpers might be growing.

  128. 128.

    p.a.

    @TBone: YUGE news!

     

     

    IF we actually follow up.  It’ll probably be applied to other nations, not our 51st state.  At least judging by the past 70 years…

  131. 131.

    Hildebrand

    Had a conversation with a millennial who declared that she was a one issue voter – and that by not voting for Biden, she hoped for a Trump win ‘because that would finally unite the Democratic Party behind someone who is against genocide.’

    She continued, ‘my generation is just so tired.’

    I listened and then (striving not to raise my voice) articulated a few points:

    1. My 21 year old gay daughter will not thank you for throwing her and all LGBTQ+ folks to the wolves.

    2. Women’s health care will be even more circumscribed, and folks poorer than you are not going to thank you.

    3. Talk to my congregants – I pastor a Black Lutheran Church in Detroit – about being tired.  You know that they don’t do?  Sit out elections or foolishly vote for third party candidates.  Nor do they let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

    4.  The call is to work every day to move the ball forward.  Sometime it will be a big gain, most days you hope for an inch.  But we keep working, every day – and then we pass the baton to the next generation.  Don’t be the generation that drops the baton.

    5.  Finally, the Palestinians, and Ukrainians, and so many others around the world, will be screwed if you do this.

    6.  And oh, by the by, if Trump wins there might not be a next election in which the newly united Democrats might exercise their purity.

  132. 132.

    Baud

    @smith:

    For a lot of people in this country, not just those concerned about Gaza, US politics stops at the Democratic Party’s edge. The rest of the political map may as well be labeled “Here there be dragons.”

  133. 133.

    Baud

    @Hildebrand: Good job.

    One issue voters are, by definition, throwing everyone else under the bus. They have the right to do what they want, but they are not heroes.

  136. 136.

    smith

    @Baud: True, but you’d hope that those who think that way are aware that those dragons are not the cute and cuddly cartoon kind, and brace themselves for what happens when the Democratic party can no longer keep them in check.

  137. 137.

    japa21

    For what it is worth, I enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life, although it might be because I have a soft spot for Donna Reed.

    I’m somewhat surprised The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance hasn’t been mentioned, despite the fact John Wayne was in it.

  142. 142.

    HumboldtBlue

    These people are vile and they only get more vile.

    Utah parents Al and Rachel van der Beek have a daughter who they say has been bullied by her peers for how she looks.

    “She’s a tomboy,” Al van der Beek told Scripps News Salt Lake City. “She dresses how she dresses. She’s got a vibe. She’s super cool, cool style. And, and, you know, she cuts her hair, she works out a lot, hits the gym.”

    But van der Beek said the cruelty toward his daughter has gotten worse since she started high school basketball.

    “Playing, you know, sports in high school, just going to games and then afterwards she’s in tears and we’re like, ‘What’s going on?’” he added. “She’s like, ‘Oh the student body, you know, just yelling out names and saying, ‘get the boy off the team’ and ‘he shouldn’t be playing.’”

    As bad as it sounds, the player’s parents expected comments like these from teenagers, but never from an adult.

    “So, we found out about Natalie Cline’s post yesterday morning around 10 o’clock and from there, everything just started snowballing,” said Rachel van der Beek.

  143. 143.

    Hildebrand

    @Elizabelle: She works for a non profit that works out of our church – so, yep, I’ll see her most days.

    The following day, a number of my older church ladies were around – I asked her to talk to them about all of this.  They read her the riot act for being privileged and naive – and that if any of her friends need to hear the same message they should come around.

  145. 145.

    Brachiator

    @smith:

    I wish the people so furious with Biden for not punishing Netanyahu to the extent he deserves would recognize that if they retire from the electoral field they will not only condemn Palestinians to an even worse fate under TFG, they will lose their own ability to have any impact on US policy at all, forever.

    The Palestinians are being ground into the dust. What worse fate will happen to them under Trump? They will be ground down into a finer grade of dust?

    To be fair, I absolutely believe that Biden and his people are working hard to try to help bring some relief to the area. But this is cold comfort to those who see their friends and family and their homes blown to bits. Netanyahu has promised to continue military operations in Gaza. This only adds to the despair of those who feel helpless to stop what is happening.

  146. 146.

    Lapassionara

    @Brachiator: He also pointed out, as Friedman did last week, the utter folly of discarding the free world leadership role the US has played since WWII. This is the point I keep trying to articulate, but others do it so much better. I’m sorry I do not have a way to post the entire column, as it is worth a read.

  147. 147.

    geg6

    @$8 blue check mistermix:

    You have no idea what his financial or mental/physical health situation is.  You only know what he’s said publicly what is published about congressional pensions are and, honestly, the idea that Congress is unworkable right now is similar to my situation at work and it is seriously fucking up my mental health.  He doesn’t need to tell you his private issues and he doesn’t need to tell anyone else either.  I haven’t discussed my issues with anyone at work and I don’t think I need to.  He doesn’t need to explain his issues to you or anyone else if he doesn’t want to.  He doesn’t owe you a thing.  There will be a special election or not and the seat will be filled.  Whatever.  The idea that he is some kind of moral monster because he has made a decision you don’t approve of is, frankly, nuts.

  151. 151.

    Alison Rose

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Cline has since taken down the post on social media, expressing her “deepest apologies” for the negative attention her post drew to innocent students and families and also stating she never claimed the athlete was a boy.

    Lying bitch. She’s not sorry in the slightest except for the negativity it’s drawing toward HER. And what was her point if not to imply the girl was trans?

  152. 152.

    karen gail

    Not a fan of movies, at least with books I can put them down and not finish; but movies you paid good money to see and were more or less obligated to watch to finish. I did see “It’s a wonderful life” and thought it wasn’t any worse than any other film.

    Grandpa used to tell me that both movie stars and politicians were paid liars; first time voted was 1970 when was old enough to vote, old enough to be drafted but not old enough to drink. Saw friends, relatives, and loves die in Vietnam because some one didn’t want the country to be free of French Colonization. Nixon cemented my belief in politicians as liars.

    So when people praise a movie, it’s not that I don’t get it; it is more I don’t understand people who are otherwise sane and intelligent find movies worth the time and energy. I love books, love the pictures they create in my mind and hate how movies create pictures of someone else’s vision sticks in people’s minds.

  154. 154.

    delphinium

    @Hildebrand: ​
    Good for you! I hope that you and others will continue to talk to her and that she will eventually come around and understand why voting is so important and do the right thing.

  155. 155.

    smith

    @Brachiator: What worse fate will happen to them under Trump?

    TFG will greenlight whatever Netanyahu wants to do, without any of the current behind-the-scenes attempts to bring him to heel. As bad as it is now, I’m sure we haven’t yet seen the limits of Bibi’s cruelty. And as I said, people who are angry about Biden’s approach should continue putting as much pressure on him as they can, but absenting themselves from the electorate will accomplish nothing.

  157. 157.

    glc

    @BR: Seems meaningless.

    This reaffirms that the existing laws Biden bypassed will be upheld. Could happen, if he wants it to. But only if it looks like it will affect the election positively, and it’s hard to see a net political gain in upholding the law in this particular case.

    Meanwhile we have people saying “Americans of middle eastern descent can go fuck themselves” (to gladden the hearts of Russian trolls who will be saying much the same on certain narrow segments of social media, while posing as Americans). On Facebook at least. Fortunately, Twitter has become so toxic it may no longer be useful to them.

  158. 158.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Starfish:

    Here is a story about Palestinian Americans refusing to meet with Blinken

    This is the story that has convinced me the whole ‘Arab Americans will not vote’ issue is a tempest in a teapot.  Why?  There are no numbers.  Six people stayed.  Out of how many?  Who even were these people and why was there a meeting with Blinken?  There are protestors outside Blinken’s home?  How many?

    This article is so scrupulously detail free that I can only read it as a hit job, an article intended to sell a narrative while unable to find evidence for it.  Anecdata.  All I ever hear on this is anecdata.

  159. 159.

    Elizabelle

    @Hildebrand:  You and your older church ladies have your mission!  Among all the good you are already doing:  outreach to clueless youngs whose hearts are generally in the right place.

    Maybe do some meetups for them.

    Glad that you will be able to follow that young woman’s journey.   To sanity and the voting booth,  I hope.

  160. 160.

    Jackie

    @rikyrah:

    Tucker Carlson met with NSA leaker Edward Snowden in Moscow and taped an interview with Biden accuser Tara Reade

    My, he’s a busy little patriot! I hope he misplaces his passport before boarding. Or a vape is found in his luggage.

  164. 164.

    rikyrah

    @Alison Rose:

    Lying bitch. She’s not sorry in the slightest except for the negativity it’s drawing toward HER. And what was her point if not to imply the girl was trans?

     

    UH HUH

    EVIL HEIFER

  166. 166.

    rikyrah

    @smith:

    TFG will greenlight whatever Netanyahu wants to do, without any of the current behind-the-scenes attempts to bring him to heel.

     

    TRUTH.

    Most Democrats who support Israel don’t have animosity towards Palestinians. I know I don’t. I don’t equate Palestinians with Hamas.

     

    Not only will TFG never rein in Bibi, the right -wing evangelicals don’t give two shyts about Palestinians and don’t mind them turning into dust.

  169. 169.

    Alison Rose

    @rikyrah: Reading more articles, this woman has been admonished and censured multiple times for homophobic, transphobic, and racist comments. Hey Utah, time to finally take out the trash!

  172. 172.

    Citizen Alan

    @Brachiator:

    What worse fate will happen to them under Trump?

    Death camps. Literal death camps. With the vociferous support of the President of the United States, his entire party, and a plurality (if not a majority) of American voters.

  173. 173.

    Citizen Alan

    @NotMax: I would never own a dog so small that I would be afraid of letting outside the house for fear an owl would snatch it up and fly off with it.

  175. 175.

    KenK

    Mr mix – We live in Higgins’ district and have no problem with him calling it a career. You and the rest of the handwringers here can piss off.

  176. 176.

    David_C

    @rikyrah: Me, too. It helps if you think of “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a post-war film noir. Stewart definitely had his PTSD to work through, and his performance shows it.

  177. 177.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Old School:

    I say we stand on the sidelines saying “No. Don’t. Really. I wouldn’t recommend it.” in a soft monotone voice while looking at cat videos on our phones. I would consider that enough.

    I’ve written my Senator and Rep about Israel and that if they don’t want to stop the carnage then we need to cut off any aid or weapons until they get the point. I support Israel and the security of their people but I do not support this Israeli government nor their actions.

    Bibi is not going to stop because he has some problems that are going to make his life very bad once he stops the killing, thus the killing must continue.

  178. 178.

    Freemark

    @KenK: ​
      Do all the people who voted for him in that district think that? He was wrong to quit without an amazingly good reason. He should have at least stayed until a special election was held. If Republicans or Democrats had a large majority it wouldn’t matter much but right now the loss of one vote could literally end up being the difference between Ukraine surviving or not.

  182. 182.

    Soprano2

    @geg6: I’m sorry, that’s tough. Been there, got the T-shirt. It’s a group no one wants to join. Good luck. If you do FB I can recommend my spouse support group, they’re great.

  183. 183.

    Soprano2

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: I heard a story that talked about how Stewart had some PTSD from WW II, and some of the emotion you see from the character in the movie is his real angst coming out. I think that movie is more complicated than people give it credit for. It’s also interesting to see a man have to defer his dreams over and over for family, because it’s usually a woman who has to do that.

  184. 184.

    Soprano2

    @geg6: I’m sorry for that, for me work is the only part of my life that’s mostly unchanged. Going there keeps me sane.

  188. 188.

    Ella in New Mexico

    Merrick Garland is at his deepest core a JUDGE. He is not a prosecuter. He’s had to play one from time to time in his career, but his brain and his instincts are wired to be a judge.

    Trying to rectify the dirty way he was treated and give the R’s the finger by making him our AG seemed ok at the time, but right away we all suspected he wasn’t what we were going to need to right the wrongs of the Trump era.

    I wish Biden had quietly asked him to “retire” two years in.

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