Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Books are my comfort food!

Optimism opens the door to great things.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

The lights are all blinking red.

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

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

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

People are weird.

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

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

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

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / 2024 Primaries / Dank Grey Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Go Away, Dean

Dank Grey Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Go Away, Dean

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Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) announced significant layoffs within his campaign Friday, but vowed to continue his long-shot bid against President Biden.

“I found it almost impossible to raise enough to do this campaign the way I want,” Phillips said. “And today, sadly, I had to announce layoffs to a lot of my staff members… amazing people who gave up a lot personally and a lot professionally to join this remarkable campaign,” Phillips said in a TikTok posted Friday to his X account, formerly Twitter. “And it was a really tough day for all of us.”

“But I made a promise to them and I’m gonna make it to you, I’m not giving up,” he added. “I’m gonna continue.”

In his X post, Phillips called on supporters to donate so he could stay in the race — claiming a majority of Americans believe Biden is “too old” and the GOP front-runner, former President Trump, is “to corrupt.”…


LOSER KNOWS LOSER!

Although, while Phillips may be delusional (or simply too eager to believe the aides he’s paying to tell him he’s still got a chance!), at least he’s not nakedly dishonest, like a certain professional grifter who’s not even eligible to hold the office:

Reader Interactions

129Comments

  2. 2.

    Jay

    @HumboldtBlue:

    There is a truck here, in the Safeway underground parking lot from time to time,

    that has hydraulic arms, that raise the front and rear axels 5 feet off the body.

    Totally useless offroad,

    But is a rolling advert for a car detailing and washing company,

  3. 3.

    Shalimar

    Since his rallies seem to be mainly his staff plus the media plus occasionally one or two other people, this is not going to be good for his attendance numbers.  If a few more news outlets fold, there won’t be anyone there to see him.

  4. 4.

    Matt McIrvin

    Hey, is this like RFK Jr.–does Dean Phillips think people will think he’s Howard Dean because his name is Dean? Is that what’s going on here?

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    I’m finding Joe Manchin’s “why I decided not to run” media tour exponentially more irritating than Dean’s dumb but mercifully obscure vanity project.

    “I saw my friends walk away when they were determined to pass a border security, and they were on board three days before that. And with Donald Trump coming as hard as he came at them, they cower down and walked away. I said, ‘We’re not fixing anything in Washington,’” Manchin told Collins on “The Source.”

    The most generous assessment is that PawPaw BlackLung is a quarter-wit. I’ll miss the supporting votes he casts when there’s nothing to be gained from peacocking for Republicans. But otherwise, fuck that guy.

  12. 12.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: It’s infuriating because he says the border deal failure is his main reason for deciding not to run, framing it as if formerly reasonable “friends” suddenly took leave of their senses for the first time ever. Like he hasn’t had a ringside seat to Republican nihilism and dysfunction and Trump-humping for several goddamn years now.

  13. 13.

    Patricia Kayden

    TIL that Cenk is running for President under the delusion that not only will President Biden drop out of the primaries but that people will then turn around and vote for Cenk. Whew!! I need to go back to bed now.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    Gotcha. He’s intrinsically intrinsically irritating, but I do think it’s helpful that he’s blaming Republicans and specifically Republican cowardice for the border deal failure.

  16. 16.

    Anne Laurie

    @Patricia Kayden: TIL that Cenk is running for President

    And he’s not even eligible for the Presidency — he was born in Turkey!

    His excuse is that, ‘once he gets more primary votes than Biden’, every legislature in the country will immediately drop everything else to amend the Constitution in his favor.  In other words, he’s happily taking money from people too ‘principled’ to vote for someone like Dean Phillips or RFK Jr… not to mention, I assume, whatever funds the GOP & Putin can spare from their more significant ratf*cking operations.

    Pure, uncut GRIFTER.

  17. 17.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: I’m not sure he uttered the word “Republican” during the interview, but yeah, it’s better to allude to a GOP fiasco and Republican cowardice than shitting on Democrats. Of course, he went on to shit on Biden in the same interview, refusing to say if he’d support Biden over Trump. He’s such a preening, self-aggrandizing asshole.

  18. 18.

    Tony Jay

    Ah Cenk, you grifting egowanker.

    The usual ratfucker technique. Pick a good issue that lots of people are rightfully angry about, stick it at the front of your grift and then tag on some destructive bullshit at the business end.

    “Puppies4Patients is an incredibly important issue that we all want to see become a reality, that’s why chopping that hands off everyone called George is more vital than ever! Send us your money and we’ll fight like Greeks to make it happen!”

    Works a treat if you’re not paying attention.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    True, I inferred republican from the mention of Trump.  But I’m not surprised he dissed Biden. But to be fair, he wants to be invited back to the news shows.

  20. 20.

    mrmoshpotato

    🎶Horses’ asses in the morning, horses’ asses in the evening, horses’ asses all the time.🎶

  24. 24.

    Manyakitty

    @Frankensteinbeck: I turned off Way too Early this morning. Watching that smug Alexi Mccannon defend the worthless Vichy Times and their assault on Biden’s age was giving me black rage before I even start working. She was all, “boo hoo hoo, the White House is sad they’re hammering his age” and I wanted her to burst into flames right on set.

  26. 26.

    Geminid

    Some European news from journalist Ragip Soylu:

    NEW:  Hungary to vote on Swedish Nato membership on Monday, says ruling party.

    -Agence France-Press

    Sweden already has been effectively integrated into Nato, but Hungary’s ratification will bring a formal end to 209 years of neutrality that began in 1815.

  29. 29.

    RevRick

    @Geminid: A scandal has rocked Orban’s government and he has probably calculated that being a pariah isn’t the best place for him right now.

  32. 32.

    Geminid

    @RevRick: Also, Orban may have been told that his choice was either a Nato with both Hungary and Sweden or a Nato with Sweden and without Hungary.

    Turkiye, the other holdout, was too important to trade for Sweden but Hungary is not.

  36. 36.

    RevRick

    Dean’s whole campaign is premised on the notion that Biden is old and that’s bad. But the election will turn out to be “Old, kind, and wise” vs. “Old, vicious, and stupid. “

  38. 38.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @RevRick: It’s noteworthy that all these 3rd party and primary candidacies emerge parroting what the media wants to hear rather than voters.

    ETA: Well, then there’s Cenk.  I don’t even know who his audience is.

  39. 39.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @Anne Laurie: That logic about how he will become eligible for the Presidency reminds me of a story I once heard, when the actor Peter Jurasik read a script from the writer J. Michael Straczynski and promptly demanded that Straczynski send over three pounds of whatever he was smoking when he wrote that thing.

  40. 40.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: I’ve got one up on Cenk, I’m already eligible. So all I have to do is show up at the convention and be ready when everyone does what they know needs to be done.

    Til then, Biden time…

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @RevRick: But the election will turn out to be “Old, kind, and wise” vs. “Old, vicious, and stupid. “

    I’m stealing that.

  48. 48.

    Kay

    This is so good. The writer attended Harlan Crow and Bari Weiss’ new college: 

    We numbered 50 or so. We came from places like Harvard and Stanford and UChicago and MIT and U Penn. There was James, who studied computer science. Then there was Cameron, who also studied computer science. David and Peter studied computer science, while Luke and Albert studied computer science. As for Mike and Jason, the former studied computer science, whereas the latter studied computer science. Ethan was not unlike Max, in that both studied computer science. Some people studied business, too.

    And this:

    The subtext of these remarks was simple. The social capital, political influence, and access to wealth that was formerly the uncontested and exclusive prerogative of straight white men was now under question. They felt it at school. They saw it in the media. They were here, at UATX, to live out a dying dream, to vent their frustration at its loss, and to help one another cling to it as long as possible. They recommended internships in finance and tech to each other. They recommended books. “Have you read The Strange Death of Europe?” one student asked, referring to Douglas Murray’s 2017 political text which propagates the ethnonationalist Great Replacement Theory. “That’s a great book,” he heard in reply.

  49. 49.

    Ken

    I just hope that it doesn’t split the party too badly when the brokered Democratic convention chooses Uygur over Dean. Maybe Uygur can mend fences by offering Dean the Vice-Presidential slot.

    (I don’t think I have what it takes to be a political pundit. The sarcasm just keeps coming through, no matter how I edit and rephrase.)

  50. 50.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Kay: The social capital, political influence, and access to wealth that was formerly the uncontested and exclusive prerogative of straight white men was now under question. They felt it at school. They saw it in the media. They were here, at UATX, to live out a dying dream, to vent their frustration at its loss, and to help one another cling to it as long as possible.

    As a white man with no capital, I will lead us into a glorious future where you will see you need neither capital, nor whiteness.

  51. 51.

    Geminid

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I have a friend who puts cannabis butter on her toast instead of avocado.

    That can be problematic. One day Debbie was using the butter to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Her wife and son popped in the kitchen hungry so Debbie gave them each half and cooked another one for herself without a second thought.

    They had a couple friends over that afternoon but the wife just hung out alone on the porch, wondering if she needed to go to the ER. She’d been having heart trouble, so she was greatly relieved when Debbie finally realized what had happened and told her.

    The son spent the afternoon helping a friend move into a new place. When Debbie told him what she’d done, he said he’d already figured it out.

  53. 53.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Geminid: The son spent the afternoon helping a friend move into a new place. When Debbie told him what she’d done, he said he already figured it out.

    Sounds like an old pro. Reminds me one time with the ex.  I had two gummies. I gave him half, I took the other three halves. I never felt anything. I did, however, have to spend my night nursing my man through an anxiety attack where he was certain his hands were going through each other.

    Best things for weed anxiety, water and calm.

    @Baud: I hear their Women’s Studies program is pretty good.

    You better believe it. I got my certification there as a chick inspector.

  55. 55.

    Jinchi

    Cenk’s “Biden drops out after the primary” is an even stupider take than Ezra Klein’s brokered convention fantasy.

  56. 56.

    randy khan

    When someone says “I love running for President,” it tells me that he really just wants the attention he gets from running, not that he thinks he has any chance of winning.

  57. 57.

    Suzanne

    @Tony Jay: Agreed. It sucks. That dude is a tool.

    Again, though….. as I was saying in yesterday’s thread, it’s a category error to find the worst people on a side and conflate them with a position. The question of how we should use American power and resources in the world is too important.

  59. 59.

    hueyplong

    Each morning I turn on the laptop full of “Hey, maybe Trump is dead.”  It’s kind of like people checking to see it their Lotto numbers hit.

    Instead, this.  My main takeaway from this is gratitude that for a month or so I completely forgot that Cenk Uygar exists.  However, this reminder nearly cancels that out.  The net result is little more than a Zen attitude toward today’s yardwork.

    Maybe tomorrow.

  60. 60.

    Jinchi

    ‘We’re not fixing anything in Washington,’” Manchin told Collins on “The Source.”

    Says the guy who constantly sabotaged attempts to get things done in Washington. Please tell me the article pointed that out after that quote.

  61. 61.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Weiss shouldn’t have left the NYTimes. Her university is exactly like it.

    There was only the most superficial range to the opinions and ideas held. Almost all the speakers droned smugly on about the same points. DEI is ruining higher education. Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies are worthless. “Gender ideology” is destroying America’s social and moral fabric. IQ is the best measure of merit.

     

    One of the students asks Weiss why there are no “Left of center” speakers (he was told there would be debate – it’s the whole sales pitch for the place) and she dodges the question.
    Also – only one asks this question. One.

  62. 62.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Lemme toss in another voice into the chorus of “Uygur the Wanker”.

    That was evident from Day 1 when he joined Daily Kos all those years ago. Like Young Ezra with Pandagon, he’s a careerist, just hasn’t failed upwardly as Ezra.

    They both belong on the same tiny ice floe with Yglesias that’s been pushed far out into a warm sea.

  63. 63.

    RevRick

    Counting down the minutes until the doctor’s office opens. I tested positive for Covid yesterday, and I feel awful. Fortunately, only an occasional cough.

  65. 65.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Is Cenk actually on primary ballots? Even though he’s not constitutionally eligible to serve? That supports Trump’s argument that he, too, should be on primary ballots.

  66. 66.

    Geminid

    @randy khan: Cenk Uygur made a run in 2019, for Katie Hill’s Congressional seat. He either dropped out or came in 4th in the Democratic primary, I forget which.

    Uygur was one of the founders of Justice Democrats but they purged him when some old internet posts came out; a lot of misogynist, hound-dog stuff.

  70. 70.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Manchin is much more substantive then their speakers.

    Up next, Mr. Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, or “the Onion for evangelicals,” as New Yorker writer Kalefa Sanneh has nicely put it. (They have headlines like, “Man Caught Drinking Bud Light Insists He’s Not Gay.”) Dillon spoke about “Canceling Comedy” the evening of the second day. Scoffing at opposition to “punching down” in comedy, he raised his eyebrows and leered and smirked. He demonstrated an impressive command of alliteration: “Nothing,” he said, “undercuts lunacy and lies like laughter.” He licked Mr. Elon Musk’s boots, exclaiming that “the world’s richest man took matters into his own hands,” bought Twitter, “and declared comedy legal again.” In his beard and suit, he was a spectacular manchild.

    It’s all like this. Like reading a Right wing comments section. It’s all commentary on commentary.
    I actually prefer Trumpsters. They’re more interesting.

  74. 74.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: Also – only one asks this question. One.

    Safe to assume they are getting what they are paying for then.

  75. 75.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Geminid: Uygur was one of the founders of Justice Democrats but they purged him when some old internet posts came out; a lot of misogynist, hound-dog stuff.

    But when I listen to him, he comes off so decent and respectful…🫤

  76. 76.

    Jinchi

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Is Cenk actually on primary ballots?

    I know that he’s been explicitly declared ineligible by the courts in many states like NH, NV and AR, although it’s possible that some Red ones decided to allow him on for trolling purposes.

  77. 77.

    Suzanne

    Instead, this.  My main takeaway from this is gratitude that for a month or so I completely forgot that Cenk Uygar exists.  However, this reminder nearly cancels that out.  The net result is little more than a Zen attitude toward today’s yardwork.

    However, I will just point out that Cenk Uygur is not even Left Shark in the Super Bowl Halftime Show of Democratic politics. Holds no power and commands very little attention. There’s The Room Where it Happens, and then there’s some weird storage rooms in the basement. Thats where you’ll find Cenk.

  79. 79.

    Jinchi

    @Baud: They probably consider Manchin left of center.

    I believe Manchin was legally defined at “the exact center” as part of the deal to pass the IRA.

  81. 81.

    Geminid

    @Kay: It sounds like Weiss’s project is a networking venture, a way to meet other likeminded, prosperous people. Kind of a political speed-dating process presented as continuing adult education.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    An influential think tank close to Donald Trump is developing plans to infuse Christian nationalist ideas in his administration should the former president return to power, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.
    Spearheading the effort is Russell Vought, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget during his first term and has remained close to him. Vought, who is frequently cited as a potential chief of staff in a second Trump White House, is president of The Center for Renewing America think tank, a leading group in a conservative consortium preparing for a second Trump term

    It’s amazing how confident media and Republicans are that Trump will win.
    Measuring the drapes.
    It adds some fun to the Biden race for me – nothing I like better than when these smug, certain assholes lose. That they’ll be shocked and dismayed when they lose is just icing.
    It’skind of scary in terms of the real Trump fanatics in the base though- I hope everyone is aware that they are 100% certain they will win – this is being driven by political media. They’re going to be insanely angry if they lose.

  83. 83.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    Ha! That’s exactly the conclusion the writer ends with – that she’s created a(nother) Right wing think tank where they’ll all hire one another. Musical chairs. None of them will ever have to look for a job or really compete. A Right wing employer will know a Weiss graduate is a fellow traveler and hasn’t been exposed to any Left of center ideas.

  86. 86.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I genuinely believe they will give up this time though, just because thething has been so hyped and so over promised.

    Hell, if I was one of them I would be sure I would win! All you have to do is read or listen to any media. Trump’s practically President already. Political media coronated him.

  87. 87.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I should add that I think Biden will win. I think they’re wrong. A track record is the best indication of future performance in realityworld, where I live, and Biden has a very good track record at actually winning elections. Winning matters.

  88. 88.

    hueyplong

    @Suzanne: All true.  The only actual irritation Uygar causes is that petty one in which the viewers pause for a moment to note that they could just as easily have this off-hour time slot on cable and do better without any real effort.

  92. 92.

    hueyplong

    @Kay: What the political media is actually setting up is violence when Trump loses.  All this overestimation of Trump causes his heavily armed followers to believe without hesitation his inevitable claims that the election was “rigged” if he doesn’t come out on top.

    We’re at the point where you can confidently ID people as Trumpers if they so much as use the word “rigged” in a sentence in any context at all.

  94. 94.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Kay: Trump’s been selling vaporware his whole life. Of course he is encouraging people fantasies about being his is administration. Look what he did the Chris Christie last time.

  95. 95.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: The national media hates the Democrats because it looks upon Democratic voters as less than and not deserving of respect. While the R voters are considered “real” Americans.

    How was Reagan treated when he sought his second term?

  97. 97.

    Suzanne

    @Kay:

    It’skind of scary in terms of the real Trump fanatics in the base though- I hope everyone is aware that they are 100% certain they will win – this is being driven by political media. They’re going to be insanely angry if they lose. 

    I feel like I am detecting less passion this time around. Of course, that may not matter…. a vote is a vote, no matter if you’re thrilled or if you’re holding your nose.

    But yes, the Trumpy people are scary, and that will be true no matter who wins in November. There’s not really a good plan for what to do with the Deplorables. I mean, ivermectin is a plan, I guess.

  98. 98.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Suzanne: I feel like I am detecting less passion this time around. Of course, that may not matter…. a vote is a vote, no matter if you’re thrilled or if you’re holding your nose.

    I got way more passion this time. Biden has proven himself beyond my mildest expectations. Biden landslide 2024 baybee!

  100. 100.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @RevRick: But the election will turn out to be “Old, kind, and wise” vs. “Old, vicious, and stupid. “

    My version is “it’s going to be your cool and funny uncle verses your crazy uncle who makes every family dinner a nightmare.”

  101. 101.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @NotMax: Uyghur has been around since Air America? Damn, that was a bigger failure than I gave it credit for.

  104. 104.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Chris Christie had a whole transition team picked for Trump and then got the gold painted plastic spork in the back like a week after the election.

    Christie was fine, but they never found the spork.

  107. 107.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @NotMax: Used to regularly tune in to Rachel Maddow, to Thom Hartmann and to Randii Rhodes.

    Say, didn’t he used to be on a sitcom with Joe Rogan?

  111. 111.

    Geminid

    @SiubhanDuinne: And Stephanie Miller! She had the 9am 12pm slot on a local radio station. A good, light-hearted drive-time show. Then came the very serious Thom Hartman, followed by the sarcastic Randi Rhodes.

  113. 113.

    Miss Bianca

    @Suzanne:

    There’s The Room Where it Happens, and then there’s some weird storage rooms in the basement. Thats where you’ll find Cenk.

    LOL – good one!

  115. 115.

    Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @RevRick:  “Exprienced Old, kind, and wise” vs. “Old, vicious, and stupid. “

    Just touched that up a little bit for you.

  116. 116.

    Tony Jay

    @Suzanne:

    It’s true. Some people would love to boil down ‘The Left’ to wankers like Cenk or performance artistes like Patchouli Dreamcatcher so they can, I don’t know, apparently feel good about hating ‘The Left’ without actually having to join an overtly Conservative Party. We have a lot of them over here too. They’re called ‘the current leadership of the Labour Party and associated cheerleaders, fluffers and dedicated noisemakers’.

    Everyone’s got a hobby, I suppose.

  117. 117.

    Matt McIrvin

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Trump was genuinely good at calling out the weakness and hypocrisy of the *other* Republican presidential candidates. It was his talent for petty, bullying meanness attacking legit targets. Of course he has no concept of a legit target–they were just in his way.

  118. 118.

    Suzanne

    @Tony Jay: Ugh, they’re the worst.

    There is social stigma being on the left, and lots of normies don’t want to deal with it. They just want the things the left has historically fought for without getting hippie stink on them, or without anyone thinking they’re poor, or uncool. Cocktail parties, alumni association events, etc. It’s cowardly.

    And yes, of course, there are racists, sexists, anti-Semites, and just plain assholes on the left. As there are in pretty much every corner of the political map.

  119. 119.

    wjca

    @hueyplong: What the political media is actually setting up is violence when Trump loses.  All this overestimation of Trump causes his heavily armed followers to believe without hesitation his inevitable claims that the election was “rigged” if he doesn’t come out on top.

    What would garner eyeballs (and clicks) more than another mob storming the capitol?

  122. 122.

    Paul in KY

    @Kay: Thanks for the link. What a horrible place to go to school. I think I’d rather do a term at Billy Bob Jesus Tech than with these weirdos. At least a few women at the BBJT.

  124. 124.

    Paul in KY

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I mistakenly gave my cousin 1/2 a weed cookie and had to go with him to the medical tent at a festival. Turned out he had lied and said he had smoked weed before. Turned out this was his 1st experience. It was a fairly strong cookie.

    He asked me at one point if he was dead or not.

  125. 125.

    Paul in KY

    @Jinchi: After he’s done whupping the shit out of all the nobodies, he drops out so one of the nobodies can run…

    Damn! Wish I had some of the shit he’s smoking! LOL!

  128. 128.

    Kathleen

    @Manyakitty: While I work out in my building’s fitness center at 4:30 am with the TV on I sometimes scream very bad words when a “news” segment comes on. Luckily no one is around to hear me!

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