Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

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

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

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

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself. We’re allowed to grow past that.

When we show up, we win.

“Joe Biden deserved better than he got from some folks in his own party.”

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

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

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

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: The Campaign Trail

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: The Campaign Trail

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It’s Michigan’s turn in the primary barrel:

… The Michigan contest is the final major race before the election calendar broadens dramatically on Super Tuesday, March 5. That’s when more than a dozen states will hold elections with thousands of delegates at stake.

The results this Tuesday will be closely watched for any clues about where Michigan is trending before the November election. With a narrow win in 2016, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1988, securing his path to the White House. Biden reclaimed the state for Democrats in 2020, contributing to his defeat of Trump…

Biden is facing minimal opposition from Democrats and his grip on the nomination is not in doubt. But primary voters in Michigan can pick “uncommitted,” which could give some in his party the option of casting what is essentially a protest vote.

That could prove especially enticing in a state with the highest number and concentration of Arab Americans. Biden is facing intense pressure to press for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, to the point that a core group of elected officials have joined a campaign to promote backing “uncommitted” instead of the president on Tuesday.


The Michigan GOP has some kind of weird jerry-rigged ‘primary, but *also* convention’ setup this year, but you don’t see Our Very Serious Media ragging on Repubs in Disarray!

The potential of an “uncommitted” win is highly unlikely. But if that option receives notable double-digit support, it could serve as an early warning sign for Biden heading into the general election, signaling that core Democratic constituents won’t simply fall in line with the president. That’s critical for Biden because if these voters stay home in November, the state could slip away, raising pressure on him to flip other Republican leaning states such as North Carolina, Florida or Ohio…

Meanwhile, the Michigan Republican Party is trying to emerge from an internal struggle between competing pro-Trump factions. Despite the conflict, Trump remains the heavy favorite among the party’s rank and file, while incoming state GOP Chairman Pete Hoekstra is a Trump loyalist with ties to wealthy donors…

The state party organization is facing more than $600,000 in debt under ousted Chair Kristina Karamo, though Karamo refuses to step aside despite the ouster and Trump’s endorsement of Hoekstra, a former congressman who was Trump’s ambassador to the Netherlands.

Hoekstra has pledged to restore relationships with longtime donors. Koroma refused to meet with some of them or turned them off by criticizing them as insufficiently conservative or out of step with Trump.

Still, Hoekstra has said it will be difficult to rebuild fewer than nine months a state party that, in recent presidential cycles, has operated with a budget of $20 million to $30 million…

Reader Interactions

194Comments

  2. 2.

    Another Scott

    I posted this downstairs. R.J. Matson at RollCall.

    RollCall is the real company paper on Capitol Hill – they often have fluff pieces about how great and lovable all the monsters are behind the scenes.

    There’s going to be a lot of butthurt over that comic. Too bad, so sad.

    Well done.

    Give ’em Hell at the White House meeting today, Joe!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  3. 3.

    teezyskeeyz

    Drives me nuts that while those few clips from Seth Meyers clearly show a guy who is not losing it, the media will continue to run concern trolling stories about his memory.

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I don’t care how they vote in the primary, it is a place one can voice one’s dissatisfaction w/o any real harm one way or the other. But come the general they need to realize the only thing standing between them and trump is Biden.

  6. 6.

    Another Scott

    Haley Surges in NH and IA Polls!!11

    The political press doesn’t have much of a track record in predicting upsets.

    Let’s see what happens in MI. I’m not fretting about a protest vote (I expect it will be small – even if it’s not, Biden will be in a very, very strong position in November. Why? Because he’s working to make things better in Gaza.).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  8. 8.

    TBone

    My cousin lives in Michigan.  She’s one of us but constantly tells me how weird the politics is there.  I’ll be interested in her take as soon as I get our cell phone back.  Hubby has it with him at the cardiologist today (not good news).  It’ll be a day that seems like a week, in a month that seems like a year.  Keep Marching!

  9. 9.

    teezyskeeyz

    @Another Scott: Can’t trust Bibi and his far right coalition though. Whatever tepid solution we are working toward, they are calculating how to sabotage it. I hope Biden has learned this by now.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Open thread so,

    The US government has suspended its effort to survey cryptocurrency mining operations over their ballooning energy use following a lawsuit from an industry that has been accused by environmental groups of fueling the climate crisis.

    A federal judge in Texas has granted a temporary order blocking the new requirements that would ascertain the energy use of the crypto miners, stating that the industry had shown it would suffer “irreparable injury” if it was made to comply.

    The US department of energy had launched an “emergency” initiative last month aimed at surveying the energy use of mining operations, which typically use vast amounts of computing power to solve various mathematical puzzles to add new tokens to an online network known as a blockchain, allowing the mining of currency such as bitcoin.

    The growth of cryptocurrency, and the associated mining of it, has been blamed for a surge in electricity use as data centers have sprung up across the US, even reviving, in some cases, ailing coal plants to help power the mining.

    The 5th Circuit of course.

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    The chaos in the Michigan GOP is really quite something. The previous chair is incompetent even by Republican standards, but she’s digging in her heels, screaming “I’m being coup’ed out of my job”, refusing access to what little money remains in the state coffers etc. Her replacement, who is only slightly saner but is at least smart enough to put a gloss of respectability on top of the lunacy, is trying to pick up the pieces, but is being fought tooth and nail by his predecessor.

    It’s glorious to watch.

    <LetThemFight.png>

  15. 15.

    dmsilev

    @OzarkHillbilly: Never mind Energy, Treasury and the various financial regulation bureaus should either ban or massively step on crypto on the grounds that it can best be described as a breeding ground for new and exciting forms of scams and cons.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Also this:

    Microplastics have been found in every human placenta tested in a study, leaving the researchers worried about the potential health impacts on developing foetuses.

    The scientists analysed 62 placental tissue samples and found the most common plastic detected was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. A second study revealed microplastics in all 17 human arteries tested and suggested the particles may be linked to clogging of the blood vessels.

    Microplastics have also recently been discovered in human blood and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of people’s bodies. The impact on health is as yet unknown but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in the laboratory. The particles could lodge in tissue and cause inflammation, as air pollution particles do, or chemicals in the plastics could cause harm.

    Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics have polluted the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People are known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in, and they have been found in the faeces of babies and adults.

    Prof Matthew Campen, at the University of New Mexico, US, who led the research, said: “If we are seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted. That’s not good.”

    If we can’t protect this planet, we deserve extinction. We certainly don’t deserve a shot at trashing another.

  22. 22.

    dmsilev

    @OzarkHillbilly: Maybe if the government lawyers get up in oral arguments and say “Bitcoin transfers aren’t as anonymous as claimed. For instance, payments for luxury RVs and vacations can be traced, Justice Thomas. Oh, and to address Justice Kavanaugh’s question earlier, the same is true for ostensibly anonymous repayment of random debts “, that might sway one or two votes.

  23. 23.

    different-church-lady

    It amazes me that nobody has mentioned the obvious fact that if Biden condemns Israel he winds up with the same problem but with a different (and larger) set of voters.

  26. 26.

    dmsilev

    @OzarkHillbilly: I was able to access/quote the article. Here are the first two paragraphs to stoke everyone’s rage:

    Something you might have picked up on over the last several weeks/years/centuries is that there are a disturbing number of people in power who will go to great lengths to control women in America. Not convinced? Thinking of citing the fact that in some countries, women are stoned to death (as though that makes what happens here okay)? Then we’d like to make you aware of a law in Missouri that says pregnant women cannot get a divorce finalized if they’re pregnant—even if said pregnant people are victims of domestic violence.
    That law has been on the books since 1973 and was amended in 2016. It’s in the news now because state representative Ashley Aune is horrified. She introduced legislation earlier this month that would undo what she called an “archaic loophole.” Speaking to Fox4KC, Aune, a Democrat, said, “I just want moms in difficult situations to get out if they need to. This is something that was brought to me by folks in my community who shared that it was a huge problem,” Aune said. In a committee meeting, she shared the story of a woman affected by the existing law, saying: “Not only was she being physically and emotionally abused, but there was reproduction coercion used. When she found out she was pregnant and asked a lawyer if she could get a divorce, she was essentially told no. It was so demoralizing for her to hear that. She felt she had no options.”

  30. 30.

    lowtechcyclist

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    A federal judge in Texas has granted a temporary order blocking the new requirements that would ascertain the energy use of the crypto miners, stating that the industry had shown it would suffer “irreparable injury” if it was made to comply.

    And this would be a bad thing, how exactly?

  32. 32.

    Baud

    @dmsilev:

    It’s an outdated law, but I believe the original intent was to prevent husbands from disowning future children.

    Given that many states have waiting periods before a divorce can be final, I’m not sure how this law actually works. But it should be modernized.

  36. 36.

    Ohio Mom

    @TBone: I’ll be crossing my fingers that what sounds like “not good news” to us is just another day at the office for the cardiologist, who has made tricks up his sleeve. Hopefully, one of those tricks will be an effective treatment for your husband.

    Sign me,
    My husband had successful heart surgery

  37. 37.

    John S.

    @different-church-lady: 

    It amazes me that nobody has mentioned the obvious fact that if Biden condemns Israel he winds up with the same problem but with a different (and larger) set of voters.

    Biden has already lost many of those votes.

    I’ve been sitting shiva for my brother the past few days, and all the conservative and Orthodox Jews in my family are convinced that Biden hates Jews and is supporting Hamas. They are all voting for Trump to save Israel.

  38. 38.

    Ohio Mom

    I have a Zoom meeting in fifteen minutes so don’t have time to read all the comments right now. Maybe someone has already said something similar but I am continually amazed that anyone thinks Biden does not want a ceasefire (and isn’t working furiously to create one) but apparently, that is where we are.

  39. 39.

    Josie

    @Cacti: I don’t see how you can listen to what the man is saying and state that he is “utterly dismissive” of their concerns. You and they are acting on preconceived notions that are simply not true.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    @John S.:

    How many of those votes did we get before? Certainly very few Orthodox.

    At least they’re correct. Trump will definitely be less critical of Israel than Biden. and won’t push peace negotiations.

    ETA: My condolences.

  45. 45.

    John S.

    @Baud:

    I think that’s right. They have been voting for Republicans since Obama, so I’m not sure their support is really all that different now than it was before.

    Still, it’s very difficult to hear some of the attitudes they have adopted. Especially when I’m completely opposite them politically. But I don’t think they represent the majority of Jews.

  46. 46.

    Cacti

    @Josie: Just issued his 3rd veto of a UNSC ceasefire resolution, refused to meet with leaders of Michigan’s Arab-American community during visit there, downplays civilian casualties, cut off UNRWA aid based on nothing more than Bibi’s say so, has done multiple end runs around Congress to get more bombs to the IDF, and is now working on shoveling $14 billion more towards Israeli weapons.

    Saying he’s been dismissive is being kind.  He’s flipped them a double bird and mooned them at every opportunity, while also feeling entitled to their votes.

  47. 47.

    John S.

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Thanks. It’s been a little challenging, but I understand everyone is angry and grieving since my brother died very suddenly and unexpectedly.

    ETA: Obligatory fuck cancer.

  48. 48.

    catclub

    @dmsilev: Nobody knows where and IF  Tethercoin actually has the real money backing a stable coin needs. But the book ‘Number Go Up’, which covered Sam Bankman Fried’s  collapse, was really about the only use case for Tether – which is the currency of slave labor scammers in Cambodia.  And says that explains why Tether remains.

    Which is horrifying.

  49. 49.

    CaseyL

    @John S.: ​

    Condolences on your brother’s death. I don’t know how close you were with him, but losing a sibling is awful no matter what.

    As to your family’s politics – Orthodox Jews as a group have been socially and politically conservative for a long time. They are, SFAIK, the only American Jews who reliably vote for the GOP. Reporters love the Orthodox because they get to run stories about how Democrats are “losing the Jewish vote.” But Democrats never really had this particular Jewish vote.

  50. 50.

    Caveatimperator

    @CaseyL:

    Right wing Jews have believed the Democrats are anti-Israel long before the current war.

     

    I’m in a Reform synagogue where these views are rare. IMO, Jews who believe this are either already very right wing and just looking for a convenient excuse, or their measure of “pro-Israel” is “gives Israel literally everything they want.”

  51. 51.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Jeffro: I think the article touches on that possibility. It has been linked to IBD and arterial disease (forget exactly which ones).

  52. 52.

    Chris

    @John S.:

    My cousins in Miami thought Obama was “no friend to Israel,” as near as I can tell for no better reason than his middle name was Hussein.

    In 2016 here in Maryland, I remember attending the town hall debate at the local synagogue; fully half of it was made up of questions from audience members who were outraged at the allegation that the Democratic candidate had compared Arab refugees fleeing from genocide in 2010s Syria to Jewish refugees fleeing from genocide in 1930s Europe.

    There is a big portion of the Jewish-American community that considers Democrats to be Arab-lovers who can’t be trusted on Israel by definition, and has been for longer than I’ve been alive.  It doesn’t matter how many weapons they ship them.  It doesn’t matter how many UN resolutions they veto for them.  They occasionally make noises suggesting that Arabs might be human, therefore they can’t be trusted.

  53. 53.

    catclub

    @Chris: There is a big portion of the Jewish-American community that considers Democrats to be Arab-lovers who can’t be trusted on Israel by definition,

     

    How big is big?   The election results quoted by another poster here show that 68-72% of Jews vote for the Democrat for president. Year after year. That LOW 1980 vote against Carter AFTER the Camp David accords is notable. I suspect that the Jews who are still attending synagogue are the most conservative subset of Jews in the US.

  54. 54.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @John S.:

    If the orthodox Jews here are anything like those in Israel I doubt they would have ever voted for Biden.

    ETA: I’m very sorry for your loss.

  56. 56.

    geg6

    @Melancholy Jaques: ​
     
    Things from over forty years ago are not that relevant to this. I wish I could remember where I saw it this morning, but I saw a poll of both Arab/Middle Eastern voters and, separately, Jewish voters. Both had a majority of voters disgusted with Israel and its recent actions in Gaza. Obviously, it was Arab/Middle Eastern voters who were most disgusted, but a solid majority of Jewish voters were also.
    So, I’m not sure how much any peace/ceasefire would hurt rather than help Biden if he keeps pushing for even a temporary one.

  57. 57.

    Matt McIrvin

    @teezyskeeyz: Personally, I think we should cut Israel off completely until they commit to, and take material steps toward, toward some humane goal–either a real two-state solution, or a one-secular-state solution where Jews and Arabs have equal rights and voice in the government (…but that wouldn’t be “Israel” as we know it). If those are both politically impossible, tough luck, you get nothing, good day sir. It feels like the utility we get out of the alliance is waning.

    However. I also know no US administration in the foreseeable future is realistically going to do that, especially in the wake of a terrorist attack that was sort of the local equivalent of 9/11. I also doubt it would politically benefit said administration if they did what I want (there’s a pro-Israel vote in our coalition too).

    I also suspect that the people currently going on about Genocide Joe are going to keep moving the goalposts such that nothing he does will satisfy them, because finding a moral justification to reject Democrats is the point.

  58. 58.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Cacti: I’m going to suggest that your characterization of some of these events don’t 100% match reality (especially who refused to meet with who and “nothing more than Bibi’s say so”), and leave it there.

    That said, this is a delicate situation all around.

    I think that my fellow Biden supporters need to avoid being glib or treating good-faith criticism of the Biden administration with a lack of sympathy or seriousness.

    Listen. Explain the stakes as you see them. Listen some more. Save the pressure for November.

  59. 59.

    geg6

    @John S.: ​
     
    He lost those votes in 2020, too. I don’t know any conservative Jews who vote for Democrats. Granted, I don’t know many but news reports made it clear back at that time.

  61. 61.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @John S.: They don’t.  Iirc, Jews are, after Black People, the largest and most loyal block of voters in our Dem Coalition.  This is why some of the demands that activists require of Biden from very early on, have never seemed realistic.  It’s a tricky situation with a historical ally and a large block of Dem voters in the US.  Also, I really think Biden sincerely wants to get on to a path to make a Two-State Solution viable again (as he has said) and make any cease-fire a step towards that, not just a temporary pause that gets quickly abandoned and only increases tensions on both sides.

  64. 64.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I also suspect that the people currently going on about Genocide Joe are going to keep moving the goalposts such that nothing he does will satisfy them, because finding a moral justification to reject Democrats is the point.

    That may be the case for some, but the good-faith opposition to what they perceive as Biden’s support of Israeli war crimes may actually respond to visible changes in tone and policy.

    I think it’s a mistake to assume that it’s all in bad faith and they just were going to find a reason to not vote Biden anyway. I certainly hope that the Biden campaign is not making this assumption.

  66. 66.

    Citizen Alan

    @Baud: There is also the fact that if the divorce is finalized before the child is born, it probably has legal paternity implications. I refused to touch family law with a ten foot pole, but my recollection is that most states go with a legal presumption that any child born during the marriage is the child of the husband. But outside of a marriage, if the father does not legitimate then a paternity action is necessary.

  68. 68.

    Mel

    @TBone: Please keep us posted. I am so  very sorry that you and your hubby are having to deal with this.  Can we do anything to help?

    I will be thinking of you both today.

  69. 69.

    Mel

    @Jeffro: It does make sense. The body constantly reacting to something foreign that it is impossible to purge, leading to the body attacking the organ systems / cells in which that foreign substance dwells…

  70. 70.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: Oh, I’ve seen plenty of good-faith criticism, and also I think it’s actually moved the needle on the administration’s behavior, so it’s not for nothing. I also think there are some trolls out there who are just trying to drive wedges into the Democratic coalition.

  73. 73.

    CaseyL

    @rikyrah: ​

    The Federalist Society judges Trump picked were intended to be judge-shopping venues for Federalist Society lawyers to push Federalist Society ideology. From original jurisdiction trial court to appellate, all the way up to SCOTUS, the pipeline is deliberate.

    The good news, such as it is, is that Biden’s judges were being confirmed at a record pace, so the spread of Federalist Society judges is at least delayed. (I say “were being confirmed,” as I don’t know what the current pace of nominations/confirmations is; haven’t heard whether the confirmation pipeline is still active).

  74. 74.

    hueyplong

    @Baud: We need one of those “warnings” each day, each time from a different NATO ally.  Ratchet up public pressure while simultaneously goading Trump into more and more outrageous attacks on NATO at the behest of his top, Putin.

  75. 75.

    Hildebrand

    Of course, Bernie won in Dearborn in the 2020 primary (2016, as well).  It’s never exactly been a hotbed of significant support for Biden.

  79. 79.

    Soprano2

    @dmsilev: “This American Life” did a segment about them at the end of December. It was nuts! What I got from it more than anything is their belief in conspiracy theories hurts them a lot, because they can’t even work with each other without thinking there is some kind of conspiracy afoot.

  80. 80.

    Soprano2

    @different-church-lady: What makes me craziest about this are the people who would rather Biden say “Ceasefire” a hundred times a day than actually do things that would lead to an actual ceasefire. They seem to believe saying the word is more important than than working toward the actual thing.

  81. 81.

    Cacti

    @matt: When he bear hugs Bibi all the way to a 2024 defeat, I’ll be here to say I told you so.

    Now go ahead and call me an anti-semite. We both know you want to. 😘

  82. 82.

    Hildebrand

    @Baud: Yep – he has been consistent on that.  Just mentioning this because some folks seem to think it’s somehow significant, or a break from the recent past, that Biden might not do well there today.  (Perhaps not here at BJ, where the average commenter is leagues more knowledgeable about the issues than your typical social media scroller.)

  84. 84.

    Soprano2

    @John S.: I’m so sorry for your loss. I figure those people probably voted for TFG in 2016 and 2020, for some reason they think he’s better for Israel already.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @TBone: Finally finished that piece and feel the need to point out that,

    The agency ultimately fined Boring more than $112,000 over eight violations it deemed “serious.” The company is, as Musk businesses are wont to do, contesting it.

    This is standard operating procedure for corporate America. Can’t speak for N OSHA but the Fed OSHA has long been one of the weakest fed agencies due to regulatory capture. They start out with 6 and 7 figure fines for truly egregious violations and end up paying 4 or maybe low 5 figured fines.

  86. 86.

    rikyrah

    @John S.:

    I’ve been sitting shiva for my brother the past few days, and all the conservative and Orthodox Jews in my family are convinced that Biden hates Jews and is supporting Hamas. They are all voting for Trump to save Israel.

     

    Not inclined to believe that they were Biden voters in the first place.

  87. 87.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: I wonder if it’s responsible for weight gain also. I saw an article in the Atlantic the other day citing a study that people today are 10% heavier than people in 1988 who were eating the same amount of calories and engaging in the same amount of exercise. I also wonder about the rise of peanut allergies, if they’re connected to this. When I was a kid no one was allergic to peanuts!

  89. 89.

    Fake Irishman

    @CaseyL:

    The pace of confirmations has fallen off somewhat, but plenty of good judges are getting through at both the district and circuit level. More confirmations are starting to happen in states with two GOP senators too. They tend to be moderates, but they are generally far better

    On tap this week are four district judges for Florida. Texas, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota all have them in the pipeline too.

    The fifth and eighth circuits are a big problem, but Dems have closed the gap considerably in the sixth and seventh.

  90. 90.

    matt

    @Cacti: right, you’re an expert on winning elections. you just SOUND like some moronic little shit. I’d kind of enjoy the wave of repression against Muslims and college aged kids unleashed by y’all dipshits if you do manage to take Biden down. Talk about your poetic justice.

  91. 91.

    raven

    Apparently this is not very interesting here but the rwnj’s are having a field day with it.

     

     

    Georgia law has banned cities and counties from adopting a “sanctuary policy” for nearly 15 years, and lawmakers in 2016 required local governments to certify they’re complying with federal immigration policies involving undocumented immigrants to receive state funding.
    But some local governments have limited their cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Athens-Clarke County authorities say they check the criminal history of detainees to hold anyone with outstanding warrants but don’t keep unauthorized immigrants jailed if they have no criminal history.

    Jose Antonio Ibarra, now charged with murder in the death of nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia, lives in Athens, but is not a U.S. citizen. Ibarra is from Venezuela and was arrested in 2022 after unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Sunday. After illegally crossing the border near El Paso, Texas, he was paroled and released for further processing, according to ICE.

    Federal prosecutors charged his brother, Diego Ibarra, who also has been living in Athens, with possessing a fake U.S. permanent resident card late Friday. Diego Ibarra, 29 and also from Venezuela, was criminally charged after authorities became aware of his presence in the U.S. as part of the UGA homicide investigation.

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: I wonder if it’s responsible for weight gain also.

    AHA! I knew it! It wasn’t my eating too much of all the wrong foods and sitting with my lazy ass in the easy chair too often, it’s the microplastics!

    Not my fault! Not my fault!

    OK, now that I got that out of my system, who knows? They are everywhere and no doubt play a role in any number of our worsening modern maladies.

    FTR, I was on the scale at the doc’s a couple weeks ago (we don’t own one) and I am down to 190 from a high of 208 at some point in the not too distant past. Not that I’ll ever get back down to my fightin’ weight of 150-155, but I feel pretty good about it.

  95. 95.

    TBone

    @Ohio Mom: 💙 this’ll be another (second) balloon job on same artery to save a leg after triple bypass a while back.  He knows what to expect, but I never know what I’m gonna get when he’s a 🐻 I have confidence tho, thank you for YOURS!

  96. 96.

    gvg

    @Baud: In fairness, Bernie is Jewish. He can criticize when others can’t, and I suspect he is a proxy for others, and that even more watch how his critiques are received. And I think that is the way it should be too.

    The problem with criticising Israel is that any legitimate statements made, tend to attract some really weird and bad people to support every such statement. Then the bigots reputation swamps the value of the original critique and discredits it. Centuries of ignorant scapegoating have built this reflex into our society. So experienced politicians know just don’t do that in public. That appears to ordinary joes and janes like condoning everything Israel does.

  99. 99.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Our Failed Media, in this case Totebagger Radio, is trying it’s best to use the MI stories as essentially another “Dems in Disarray” theme.

    My wife was listening this morning (as I say often, I stopped listening to them a dozen years ago) and they pulled off an interesting variation of a Cletus Safari: find outspoken UAW members in MI who are voting for Trump.

    The clown husband described himself as “libertarian” which in his context is classic “Embarrassed Republican”. The clown wife (also a UAW worker) yammered about her family being lifelong Dems but they “reluctantly” voted for Hair Furor last time and will this time cuz “the imgrants are comin’ to take our jobs.”

    Yeah, screaming hordes of brown people from south of the border coming to MI to take their union auto worker jobs.

    I’d love to ship asses like them to the South and see how they like it.

  101. 101.

    Soprano2

    So, I listened to this interview on NPR with college students at Wayne State University in Michigan today. I listened to it again. One woman, who sounds like she must be a “non-traditional” student, said Joe Biden is doing “nothing” about the student loan problem. Another young man wants the president to do something about book bans in schools and other stuff like that. In 2020 they were excited by all the candidates on the ballot, but they aren’t excited about Biden. They said to quit telling them TFG is a threat to democracy, that this is the most important election of their lifetimes. They see that as a “boogeyman” and want a new one. And on and on like that, intelligent but pretty politically uninformed people. Never mind that TFG said he wants to be a dictator, we’re all exaggerating the threat of him being elected again, they are bored with that “boogeyman”. I take young people at their word, but honestly when I hear some of this stuff it’s hard to take them seriously. One woman, the non-traditional student, made a good point about wages needing to be higher. I wonder if she knows Biden and the Democrats will fight for that, while Republicans won’t? When I listen to young people like this I can’t help but think they care more about the appearance of things than the actual thing itself. They care more about having someone dynamic at the top of the ticket than they do about what Biden has actually done about these issues. They want Biden to say “ceasefire” a hundred times a day even if that keeps an actual ceasefire from happening, because they care more about appearance than substance. It’s pretty discouraging, and they don’t seem to realize this is why politicians don’t listen more to their concerns.

  102. 102.

    gvg

    @Soprano2: Yes they were, you just didn’t happen to hear about it. That one has been around for a long time. I heard about it as a child in the 70’s.

  103. 103.

    TBone

    @Mel: 🩷 you and everyone here is helping already, thank you!  I’m grateful to have a place like this on days like these.

  104. 104.

    Fake Irishman

    @Fake Irishman:

    *the moderates are far, far better than the clowns getting rubber stamped through to some of these seats in the the W (eg Reed O’Connor) and Trump (Kasmyrck and Cannon) administrations.

  106. 106.

    japa21

    Regarding Cacti’s overblown and inaccurate statements:

    1.  There is some validity to his/her general complaint in that Dems need to realize the danger of losing the Arab-American vote.  It may be a large vote, but in MI it won’t take much to swing it.
    2. Biden has been very clear that he considers Israel’s actions in Gaza as reprehensible and over the top. Yet it doesn’t help that the US has vetoed cease-fire resolutions in the UN, even if those resolutions are, for all intents and purposes worthless in terms of what happens on the ground.
    3. Unlike his predecessor, Biden believes in honoring commitments which is part of the reason he has arranged for munitions to go to Israel.
    4. Basically he is in a can’t win situation so he and his team have to figure out a way to minimize the losses.
  107. 107.

    Subsole

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon:

    I’m gonna do more than suggest.

    Cacti has it ass-backwards on who refused to meet with whom.

    But then, that’s how it always goes with us Liberals, right? They yell at us to listen, then refuse to sit down and talk when they show up.

    Because they don’t want help, or solutions. They want a punching bag.

  108. 108.

    twbrandt

    I live in Michigan, and know several friends (none are Palestinian) who are voting “uncommitted” in the primary mostly in protest over Gaza. But I can guarantee they will vote for Biden in the general.

  112. 112.

    narya

    @OzarkHillbilly: Microplastics are honestly one of the things that I both worry about and try to just ignore; I am old. What I’d really like to see are better efforts at dealing with used plastic (as well as alternatives to microplastics); not using it in the first place, well, sure, but that ship is well over the horizon. I’ve become even more aware of it in the last few years, since I started being able to compost (I pay a service for pickup–and they take meat/bones/scraps as well as paper such as tissues and paper towels). We also have recycling at my building, so my actual trash is almost entirely plastics, e.g., the vacuum package from my frozen fish, or mixed items like the coffee-bean bags that can’t be recycled. It depresses me, because I don’t see how it’s going to be fixed.

  113. 113.

    gvg

    @Soprano2: It’s all not just young. Most people are not deep thinkers and never have been. Everyone has to deal with that. I have seen silly in the same way from the elderly. This is why there is always an out cry that the schools don’t teach them to think, just memorize. Its always said as if it was a new problem, and that the schools in their day “of course” did teach it.

    Schools always try that. It’s not easy ever.

  114. 114.

    Baud

    @gvg:

    Agree. We need to stop worrying about the people the media choose to highlight.  Their not going to highlight Dem voters.

  115. 115.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Soprano2:

    Yup.  Can always be traced back to racism.  Of course you’ll never hear a reporter or pundit on Totebagger Radio every actually connect those dots, they’d lose listener funding from their core audience of white, burb residents, aka the (N)ice, (P)olite, (R)epublican crowd.

  116. 116.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @narya: I too am old. And decrepit. I don’t worry about me, my near future has a dirt nap in it. But I have granddaughters. Like you I don’t see society making the necessary changes but I make what changes I can. Beyond that I try to support those who can work for the changes we need as best I can.

  117. 117.

    Soprano2

    @gvg: I agree, I guess I expect more from college students. I kept wishing the reporter would ask follow-up questions, like “Did you know Biden has forgiven hundreds of millions of dollars of student loans and has fixed two programs that will forgive many more over the years?” and “Did you know Biden ended the war in Afghanistan?” when one young man said we should quit being in wars.

  120. 120.

    Soprano2

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: I find myself sometimes yelling at the radio when stories are on and reporters are acting puzzled about why people like TFG “It’s the racism, sexism, hatred of gays and foreigners you moron!”. They talk all around it but will never actually talk about it.

  122. 122.

    Subsole

    @Ohio Mom:

    I really don’t know how the Socialists, the Arabs, the Jews, the Yoots, our foreign allies, and everyone fucking else expect us to hold this all together if they keep shanking us in the ribs every time some TikTok Vibemonger tells them to…

  123. 123.

    Frankensteinbeck

    So far, young people having a problem with Biden’s position on Israel or student loans has completely failed to materialize in the primaries.  Not even a hint, despite Israel definitely being something they scream about online.  Every story, in media or here, about Arab-Americans being angry has been anecdata.  I haven’t seen any numbers.  It’s been ‘cletus safari’ levels of finding someone, anyone who will complain about Biden and showcasing them.  I guess we’re about to find out if there is an actual problem.

    As far as approving of his policies themselves, fuck, I’m glad I don’t have his job.  What a no-win garbage fire problem he’s been handed.

  124. 124.

    Eyeroller

    @narya: Most microplastics are the result of plastic breakdown, so there aren’t any alternatives.  They are an inevitable result of the way plastics wear and decay.  We need to move away from plastics somehow.  It’s not clear that more “biodegradable” polymers are better.

    Some microplastics seem to have been developed for what I would consider frivolous purposes, like “body exfoliators” and “glitter.” Those applications are easy enough to get rid of entirely, but they have industrial uses as well.  And we all love our microfiber clothing.

    As to the rest, we’d have to go back to glass bottles, paper packaging, etc.  It could be done; when I was younger there was little plastic packaging, and now that’s about all there is.

  125. 125.

    narya

    @OzarkHillbilly: :-) I’m with you, even though I don’t have kids. One of the best things from “the Good Place” was Eleanor saying, basically, “Just try. Try to be a little better today than you were yesterday.” And then hearing the show runner and writers talk about it, and how much can come out of that effort. And it’s doable; it’s not (usually) a heavy lift.

  126. 126.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Biden’s answer to Seth Meyers was lucid, well thought out, nuanced and clearly articulated.  It’s the N-Millionth example that his mind is just fine.  And light-years better than that of his bumbling opponent.

  128. 128.

    groveboy

    So f’ing tired of Democrats in disarray. I guess it’s okay for the other side to have a wannabe dictator. Why can’t trump just drop dead.

  129. 129.

    Salty Sam .

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Our Failed Media, in this case Totebagger Radio, is trying it’s best to use the MI stories as essentially another “Dems in Disarray” theme.

    Long road trip yesterday, so I listened to Nice Polite Repubs for as long as I could stomach it.   After going on about Trumps primary win in SC, and his upcoming victory in MI (never once mentioning how weak his support actually is), they pivoted to the “Uncommited” vote strategy in MI.  Apparently (I wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t told me in such emphatic language), this tactic by the MI Arab-Americans is going to doom Biden to an ignominious defeat of epic portions!

    Also! Did y’all know that Biden is OLD!?!, like, really, REALLY old?!?!

    I turned it off before they got to the inflation stories…

  132. 132.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Salty Sam .: Bemused Senior used to berate me for listening to NPR, starting around 2004. Eventually I had to agree she was right [ETA I have a higher tolerance than she did]. I confess, I still listen on Sunday mornings (I enjoy the puzzle) but sometimes I have to just turn it off. I cannot abide Mara Liasson.

  133. 133.

    Salty Sam .

    @TBone:   Best wishes to your husband, and peace of mind to you.  If personal experience can help, it was almost exactly one year ago that I had a double by-pass and aortic valve replacement.  I’ve never felt better (once the recovery process was complete).

    And today is the first day of my 71st trip around the sun!

  134. 134.

    John S.

    Thanks everyone for the condolences. This is my first time losing someone this close to me, so it has been hard.

    As to the politics of Jews, I can’t really disagree with any of the comments. Orthodox Jews are very right wing, they have been voting Republican for a long time, they love Trump, have never voted for Biden and Democrats aren’t losing anything from that group because they never had their votes to begin with.

    Have a great day everyone.

  136. 136.

    Betty Cracker

    @UncleEbeneezer: He was 100% engaged and coherent in the clips I saw. I know the president is a busy man, but I hope the WH comms staff gets him out on platforms like that more often. He’s gonna screw up sometimes, which will create a dumb media firestorm, but he’s done that for 30 years that I know about. They’ve got to find a way to bypass the bad-faith political press and counter the narratives they’re spinning. Biden has a savvy team, so I’m confident they will.

  137. 137.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Salty Sam .:

    I’ve used a quote from a long time ago, probably stolen from a commenter here: News reporting should be meant to inform, not enrage.

    I’d stopped given money to public radio sometime during the early years of Bush II and had really meant to stop during the 2000 campaign given their godawful coverage.

    Glad I stopped when I did because the Bushies then spent years changing/packing/intimidating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board and those results have been playing out ever since.

    I still listened tho but finally stopped during right around the start of Obama’s 2nd term when I saw that above quote and realized that for an hour each day (total commute time back in Central Misery) all I was doing was screaming at the radio, not because of something like Rmoney’s mendacity but how Totebagger radio was reporting and framing it.

    For years my wife didn’t understand but over time, has also come to see how insipid their “coverage” has become.  She recognized the UAW piece this morning for the Cletus Safari that it was and passed along the gist of it.  Fuck, I could write those in my sleep.

  139. 139.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    So far, young people having a problem with Biden’s position on Israel or student loans has completely failed to materialize in the primaries.  Not even a hint, despite Israel definitely being something they scream about online.

    All I can say is, I encountered a passionate-to-the-point-of-being-slightly-scary protest about it on the street in Portsmouth on Sunday. So this isn’t just online.

  140. 140.

    Matt McIrvin

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: The moment that did it for me was around 2006. “All Things Considered” was doing a “Hurricane Katrina, one year on” retrospective and the segment that day was taken up with an interview with some Gulf Coast cracker who just went on about his contempt for the displaced people living in FEMA trailers–how they were just lazy people with no work ethic, looking for handouts. Then “Marketplace” came on (I know that’s not an NPR show, but they play it on the same stations) and had a long bit about how all the smart employers were fleeing high-tax states for low-tax ones where they didn’t have to pay for social services. Smart!

    And I suddenly realized I was just screaming at the radio and I didn’t have to listen to this any more.

  141. 141.

    rikyrah

    @Soprano2:

    If you look at the UAW members in the pictures of the events Biden holds with them, you can see why these white UAW members now vote for TFG. They’re a lot more diverse than they used to be.

     

    So, Whiteness over the man who fought for them to be paid better.

    Whiteness, so voting for the scab.

  142. 142.

    Cacti

    @matt: You see grandpa, in a democracy, it’s the job of the politician to earn votes.  If “democracy itself is on the ballot” maybe Joe the Jeenyus shouldn’t be willing to sacrifice it for Zionism.

    Just a thought.

  144. 144.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Matt McIrvin:

    There are people who are very, very, VERY angry, like there are every time Israel comes up in any context.  What we don’t know are numbers.  Primary votes so far suggest that within the Democratic Party, there is no problem with young people.  Arab-Americans have yet to be tested for numbers.

  146. 146.

    Soprano2

    @Betty Cracker: I’m sure lots more people see Seth Myer’s show than see Fox News. I agree, he needs to get out there on popular shows so people can see what he’s actually like.

  147. 147.

    matt

    @Cacti: Yeah, but ‘death to Israel’ loses more votes than it gains. Maybe you should grow up and learn that just because you believe something doesn’t make it popular, that the key to winning elections in the US isn’t pleasing you and your little whims. Professionals know a lot more about winning elections than the likes of you.

    It’s too bad that it sucks to be you and all, but it’s really not anyone’s problem, especially not Joe Biden’s problem.

  150. 150.

    Soprano2

    @SteveinPHX: I wouldn’t be mad if they interviewed several UAW members about it, but when they go out of their way to find that one couple who votes for TFG it’s crazymaking. I’m sure they’ll get a lot of negative feedback about that.

  151. 151.

    wjca

    @dmsilev: crypto . . . can best be described as a breeding ground for new and exciting forms of scams and cons.

    With a side of money laundering and a seasoning of tax evasion.

    EDT  TBone (and doubtless others) got there first.  But it bears repeating.  Because these are far more damaging than the cons and scams.

  152. 152.

    Subsole

    @Cacti:

    You’ll be saying it from a cattle car, though.

    Along with a great many other groups of vulnerable people, many of whom put their feelings aside and voted to protect a bunch of strangers from calamitous harm.

    And you? You, apparently, will be sitting there clapping and hooting with glee as you survey the miserable fruit of your spitefulness.

    You’ll be smugly laughing all the way to the oven, right next to those Ultra-Orthodox Jews who thought they were doing Bibi a solid. (And some frightened trans kids. And a few homosexuals. Maybe some minorities. Political dissidents. Uppity women. But you don’t give a shit about them either.)

    You do not sound cool.

    You do not sound defiant.

    You do not sound principled, or brave. Or savvy.

    I really want to hammer this point home: whatever pronciple you are trying to evoke here? You’re not.

    You sound like a petulant little shit who is happy to watch people burn so you can laugh in some random person on the internet’s face.

    This does not compel engagement or stimulate respect.

     

    @raven:  I get why the backlash, but I also imagine it takes a lot of resources to track and house all those immigrants. Wonder what kind of taxes it’d take to fund that level of surveillance and how people would react to paying them…

  153. 153.

    CaseyL

    @Soprano2: ​

    Good lord. That’s a verbatim repeat of what the nitwits said in 2016 about Clinton… and probably a verbatim repeat of what similar (if not the same) nitwits said in 2000 about Gore.

    Ostensibly left-ish voters slamming the Democratic nominee and depressing enthusiasm and turnout has been a tactic since 1968, at least. It’s been a factor, if not the determinant one, in handing the Presidency to the GOP in 1968, 1980, 2000, and 2016. And they say the same things, over and over again

    Since I refuse to believe people are that stupid (which is very charitable of me, I know) it has to be a deliberate, long-practiced, and damnable successful tactic. I’d like to know where it comes from.

  154. 154.

    Subsole

     

     

    @Baud: In fairness, Red State Dems have learned to be very, very quiet when it comes to interviews. Because unlike the cletii, we actually know what it’s like to live in fear of our neighbors.

  155. 155.

    Cacti

    @japa21: Biden has been very clear that he considers Israel’s actions in Gaza as reprehensible and over the top.

    No, he hasn’t really been clear about that at all.

    He’s specifically questioned the civilian casualty figures and said Hamas was making them up, glibly referred to them as “the cost of war” and offered to send some underlings to Dearborn while the UAW got an in person meeting.

    And he’s getting ready to send a fresh $14 billion to Bibi’s civilian slaughtering efforts.

    His handling of Gaza has been crap. And the overarching message to the people appalled by it seems to be “vote for me or else!”

    Yeah, that worked really well in 2016.

  156. 156.

    Another Scott

    @Soprano2: WAMU closed down DCist – a local news outfit – that they bought about 6 or so years ago.  They fired about 15 reporters that worked for both places.

    Yesterday on 1A they were talking about the importance of local news and the difficulty in keeping people paid and having good people continue to cover local stories.  I didn’t hear the whole episode so I don’t know if the host mentioned closing down DCist, but…

    (I was puzzled by them buying DCist in the first place, but shutting it down they way they did does not look good at all.  Lots of local pols talked about the importance of it.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  157. 157.

    Subsole

    @groveboy:

    And he’s in disarray, too! More than disarray! He’s an utterly discombobulated stumbledicked incompetent!

    But they just glide right over that.

  158. 158.

    Subsole

    @Cacti:

    Sitting at home in protest worked even better.

    Anyway, time to take a big sip of tea and see what’s going on in women’s health…

  159. 159.

    wjca

    @Soprano2: What makes me craziest about this are the people who would rather Biden say “Ceasefire” a hundred times a day than actually do things that would lead to an actual ceasefire. They seem to believe saying the word is more important than than working toward the actual thing. 

    What it comes down to is this: Republicans do not have a monopoly on people who prefer performance to the hard work of actually governing.

  161. 161.

    Caveatimperator

    @wjca:

    Over on LGM, a month or two ago, we had a conversation about people demanding that their local city council issue a ceasefire resolution. I believe it was one of the cities in the East Bay area of California.

    Even if their beliefs about Israel and Gaza are 100,000% correct, what exactly can one little city council do? They have no international power.

    The kind of work most city councils actually do require them to negotiate between communities with lots of different needs. If you want to build a new rail line, you have to decide which community would benefit from it most, and that may not have a cut and dried answer. You have to figure out how to pay for it; not everyone will want higher taxes even if they like the program, state or federal funding may not be available, and some residents will worry that the new rail line means that their local high school doesn’t get the new science building it has needed for years.

    Politics is work. And there’s a certain kind of politically engaged person whose entire measure of activism is shouting slogans.

  162. 162.

    Ksmiami

    @John S.: they’ve always voted Republican Jfc- they are as Rt wing as Mike Johnson et Al and they only care about Israel- not America. We’ve never had them, we don’t need them

  163. 163.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Subsole: I am really cagey about politics when talking to people I don’t know well IRL. It’s an instinct I learned growing up as a liberal in a very Republican neighborhood during the Age of Reagan. I get nervous even when people I’m with talk about it with raised voices in public because I saw so many people just flip out.

  164. 164.

    Citizen Alan

    @Cacti: You realize, I’m sure, that your snide condescension is not winning you any converts whatsoever and is actually damaging your ability to do so. But I’m sure it feels really good to get a zinger like “grandpa” in there. I was about to ask you a serious question, but I’m not sure it’s worth the effort if you’re really just trying to stake out a position as “the Eversor of Palestinian Rights.”

  165. 165.

    wjca

    @groveboy: Why can’t trump just drop dead.

    As long as we’re wishing, why not go for something great.  Say TIFG gets crazy enough (or convicted enough, or for any other reason) that the GOP Convention nominates someone else.**  Even though he’s still alive!

    At which point, large numbers of his cultists sit home, just to teach those traitors/apostates a lesson.  Which has down-ballot effects, as well as losing them the Presidential election.

    ** Yes, that’s unrealistic.  But we’re wishing here.

  167. 167.

    VFX Lurker

    @Soprano2:When I listen to young people like this I can’t help but think they care more about the appearance of things than the actual thing itself.

    Sure, but those who can will learn to care about the actual thing when they get older.

    The rest of us can work to take care of the actual thing now to give those shallow people a chance to do better.

  168. 168.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @raven: Yes, but I can tell you from several run-ins with Cacti over the years, they’re a troll who traditionally trolls in favor of the Democrats unquestioningly, for better or worse.

    This is new.

  169. 169.

    Betty

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: A lot of young people are truly horrified by what they see happening in Gaza and don’t hear strong enough condemnation from Biden. I believe it is a mistake to think Bibi is willing to give up the far right people in his coalition as Biden seems to suggest.

  171. 171.

    Citizen Alan

    @Matt McIrvin: Hell, I’m in blue California now, and I’m still having constant low-key anxiety over the fact that my job (which I love) is employment at will and I am 90% sure my boss is a Republican. I am 100% certain his judicial assistant is a Republican. We have never discussed politics in any way, shape, or form. But my boss is an older man of Italian-American descent with all that entails. And the only time I have ever seen the JA display any anger was when I made an innocuous comment about interests rates and she suddenly snarled “Well, they’ll never go down under this President!” with enough hostility to cause me to make an excuse to leave the room.

    Don’t get me wrong. I love CA, even with all of Fresno’s warts and flaws. (In the superviser election, I’m voting for the guy who says he used to be a Republican but is now Independent, because the other 4 are all proud Republicans, and at least he has some degree of shame.) But I brood constantly over the fact that if my (likely Republican) boss ever decided arbitrarily to fire me, he could so so at will. And if I lose this job, I really do expect to be dead within 2 years at most.

  172. 172.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Cacti: I think counting on young people and Arab-Americans to hold their nose and vote Biden while he’s utterly dismissive of their Gaza concerns is a dangerous gamble.

    Our entire politics has been utterly dismissive of Gaza and its plight my entire adult life (we’ll define that as from the 1st W Bush term).

    Biden is the first prominent American politician I have witnessed in that time even begin to approach recognizing the horrors Israel is inflicting on its neighbor. He might not be going as far as I like in the recognition. He may be adhering to pre-existing agreements to help Israel, but we shouldn’t want or be willing to tolerate him violating the law to achieve that either. What was Trump’s first impeachment about, again?

  175. 175.

    Citizen Alan

    What I almost asked Cacti and what I would like to ask anyone attacking Biden over this issue is: How would you answer the following hypothetical?

    You (insert name) are the President of the United States when the Gaza conflict begins. Your party narrowly controls the Senate, where the opposing party can block most legislation through the filibuster, the Senate Majority Leader is Jewish  and represents a large Jewish constituency, and American Jews are an important constituency for your party. The opposing party controls the House. That “opposing party” is basically under the complete control of (a) a millennialist cult that believes slavish support of the Israeli government will help usher in the End Times, (b) a fascist white supremacist death cult that literally worships your political opponent in the upcoming election, or (c) both. The national media is openly hostile to your administration and your party and seems desperate to ensure that your opponent wins in November, to the point that they will cover ANYTHING you do in the worst possible light.

    So with all that in mind, what do you, as President, do to achieve any positive benefit for the people of Gaza? That is, other than talk about it in interviews and press releases and say mean things about Israel that the media will distort and use against you to help your fascist  opponent win the election that’s coming in nine months?

    This, btw, would be an essay question, with a passing grade requiring at least a 1000 word response and an A requiring at least 5k words worth of useful and practical suggestions.

  176. 176.

    dr. luba

    Michigan election inspector here (aka poll worker).  Very light turn out, predominantly R.  My precinct is about 50/50 D/R (northern suburbs of Detroit, heavily D overall).

    However, we’ve had early voting for 9 days, and everyone I personally know have voted already either absentee or early. Mostly democrats, but a couple who plan to vote Biden in the fall voted GOP to cast a vote for Haley.

  177. 177.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Citizen Alan: I’m not posting a whole ass essay from the Balloon Juice cheap seats. I think some useful things that might include ensuring all new appropriations to Israel are for building rather than destroying and, furthermore, are paired with similar infrastructure support for the Palestinians. Then he and Congress can work together to get us out of some of armament transfers to Israel.

    I know, I’m dreaming. Still, as far as our government is from my personal wishes for the Middle East, ain’t none of that Biden’s fault. I’ll be voting for him in 2024, this time with gusto.

  178. 178.

    columbusqueen

    @Citizen Alan: Family law attorney here-this is why you can’t finalize a divorce til baby arrives. You need a live birth, first of all, to determine child support & parenting time for dad. And if the husband isn’t dad, the actual father needs to be joined as a party so his parentage is established & a separate action isn’t required.  I had to do this on a fair number of cases when my separated clients were living with a boyfriend & got pregnant.

  179. 179.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @raven: That has always been true. Still, I find this change of tenor concerning. They must be hurting or, perhaps, there is something about this issue that is deeply personal to them.

  180. 180.

    Cacti

    The modern maturity reader demographic that populates the comments here have little to no understanding of what a low opinion the current youth vote holds towards the State of Israel.

    If you think they’re going to rally around the 81 year old POTUS because he stood tall for Zionism, you’re going to get an unpleasant surprise in November.

  181. 181.

    Citizen Alan

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:

    So, just to clarify:

    “Ensuring all new appropriations to Israel are for building rather than destroying and, furthermore, are paired with similar infrastructure support for the Palestinians” would require Congressional action unless (a) Biden can put strings on preexisting foreign budget appropriations after the fact without Congressional approval and (b) there’s a way to attach such strings that Bibi would actually be forced to accept.
    “Then he and Congress can work together to get us out of some of armament transfers to Israel.” Which also requires Congressional action.

    The point of my hypothetical was to force people to confront the fact that the President is not all-powerful when it comes to enforcing demands on a foreign government without the support of both Houses of Congress. And when that foreign government is an ally to whom we have treaty obligations, the President is even more constricted. And it’s only worse when the House is under the control of a party for which blind support for said foreign ally is a religious tenet.

    I mean, Biden could impose a peace treaty tomorrow if we just invaded and occupied Israel. He could impose it in a few weeks if he went to the UN and got approval for a US-led peace keeping force to do the same thing. Do you think anyone would approve of that? Because when the Big Stick is not an option, and the Big Carrot requires Congressional support, Biden’s pretty much reduced to variations on “ask politely.”

  183. 183.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @Cacti: Maybe. Or maybe its just that the youth tend to think that things can’t get worse. They think, ‘Neither president will meet my needs, so I’ll just vote my heart.’ When we told them, abortion will be banned and people will die. They didn’t really believe it. They don’t think the GOP is coming after birth control. They don’t think Trump wants to be a dictator and his people have been steadily dismantling the things that would keep him in check. They don’t believe Biden is restraining Bibi at all. They completely lack the imagination to understand what will happen when Bibi has truly free reign. They aren’t really paying attention to what Russia will do. They really don’t believe that the situation with student loans or education funding or the lack of living wages could actually be worse… that as bad as it is for women, poor people, and trans people, the GOP is ONLY getting started. They think we are exaggerating because they aren’t old enough to have had elderly relatives that lived through fascism. If Trump wins, they are going to find out though.

  184. 184.

    Subsole

    I just want to point something out to all and sundry.

    Cacti’s initial claim was that the Biden admin was ignoring – no, flat out snubbing – Palestinians.

    Then, when this was questioned, it morphed into ‘Biden himself personally did not come and perform the ritual fiftyleventeen kowtows of abasement, therefore Democrats are the real genocide.’

    That kind of goal post shifting does not provide a framework for discussion.

    Especially considering most of the people you are trying it on are just about at the end of their tether with ‘vibetivists’ who never dish out anything but nonstop emotional and mental abuse to the people who are trying damned hard to make things work.

    Activists, you depend on the people you openly despise. Maybe try something other than naked, sneering contempt. Because you are rapidly morphing into just another flavor of Gamergate, at this point.

    This is not directed at cacti in particular. It is directed at a general trend I see in so much online ‘activist’ culture.

    Consider the possibility propaganda can be negative. And you are not immune to it.

  185. 185.

    VFX Lurker

    @twbrandt: I live in Michigan, and know several friends (none are Palestinian) who are voting “uncommitted” in the primary mostly in protest over Gaza. But I can guarantee they will vote for Biden in the general.

    I’m glad your friends have good heads on their shoulders.

    My sole concern about the Michigan primary is the story that people will tell tomorrow. Michigan doesn’t force anyone to vote, and it’s only a vote for Presidential candidates, and Biden is expected to win the Michigan Presidential primary. None of this drives Democratic voters to the polls.

    The story will be based on whoever bothers to show up. I don’t want tomorrow’s story to be “Michigan voters spurn Biden and embrace the orange criminal.”

  186. 186.

    Manyakitty

    @John S.: so sorry about your brother, but JFC what is wrong with your relatives?

    I will never understand how ANY of my fellow Jewish people are so blind to the danger. BLIND.

  190. 190.

    Subsole

     

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:

    Because they are children. Children think the world started with them.

    When people who have seen worse try to steer them away from the worse, they think we’re doing it to spite them. So they turn around and make it worse to spite us.

    Oh, they dress it up all kinds of ways, but just listen a little and they’ll tell you themselves. How long did it take Cacti to go from “Oh my beloved Palestinians, won’t someone think of them?” to “Can’t wait to laugh at you moldy old assholes as we all get herded into the camps. Boy, you fuckers’ll wish you were compassionate like me, then!”?

    They’ll be the ones living in the wreckage a lot longer than us. But they don’t let that stop them, because children don’t realize they aren’t going to stay children, either.

    There’s a lot of shit children don’t realize, actually. Be nice if they were more cognizant of that. But then they wouldn’t be children.

    But I don’t know how to fix that. I have made peace with it. The children will child. If they decide to hand us all over to a fascist dictatorship then sit around shrieking at us for not stopping them, I can’t fix that.

    And if Cacti could stop lecturing the rest of us on how stoopid we are, they might realize most of us aren’t happy with Bibi either. We’re just not willing to throw Blacks, Women, Asians, Latinos, LGBTQ, and the rest of the planet under the bus to impress ourselves with the righteousness of our anger. Which is what their position comes off as, whether they realize it or not. Instead of lecturing us on not meeting their concerns, maybe they could at least acknowledge our concerns? Dialogue typically runs two ways, after all.

    But that would require a degree of maturity. Which is only a dirty word to people who are consumed with infantilism. But that’s another discush altogether.

     

     

    *I know all this because I was, in fact, a child once, too.

  192. 192.

    Cacti

    @Subsole: I never said Biden was ignoring the Palestinians. He’s spent months working to get Israel more bombs to drop on them, while giving political cover to Israel’s war crimes against them.

  193. 193.

    columbusqueen

    @Cacti: Bullshit. You really think that anything Biden does or doesn’t do will make any difference in Israeli decisions?  I’ve been disgusted with Bibi for years & want him gone, but i can’t control that. Only Israeli voters do, & most of them don’t give a damn what Americans think.

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