Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Republicans don’t trust women.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

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

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Be a traveling stable for those who can’t find room at the inn.

When we show up, we win.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Dean Goes Out With Some Class

Dean Goes Out With Some Class

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Once in a while someone surprises you, and I’m certainly surprised by this, from Dean Phillips:

In 2011, I hosted then VP Biden at my home. Most notable was his empathy and kindness to my daughters and the catering staff, with whom he sat and had ice cream (surprise-surprise). His decency and wisdom were rarities in politics then, and even more so today.

Over a decade later, the only thing that has changed is time – which slows all of us down a bit, including presidents.

I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options.

But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be.

To all who supported my effort, thank you. We will continue the important work to ensure a more responsive, democratic, and generationally diverse political system. But today, in light of the stark reality we face, I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That’s Joe Biden.

Let’s lead with invitation, not confrontation, to welcome Haley supporters, Trump supporters, and Uncommitted supporters to get this done. It’s our calling, it’s our legacy, and it’s our time. Onward with joy and patriotism!

Pour One Out for That Asshole Dean

Yeah, there’s a little bit of “Biden’s old” subtext in the thing, but overall it’s about as good an endorsement statement as a loser can make, not that his endorsement means shit.

Speaking of shit, the guy Trump called a “piece of shit,” Mitch McConnell, has endorsed Trump.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the 30-40ish percent of the Republican primary electorate that voted for Haley, and how Trump underperformed the polls.  Putting aside crossover voters in open primaries, another factor is that turnout was apparently really low for most of the primaries yesterday, even by primary standards.   Most of the effort in polling a low-turnout election is figuring out who is actually going to vote, and that’s particularly hard in the current environment, when everyone’s cell phone is going to send a pollster’s call directly to spam anyway.

Reader Interactions

202Comments

  2. 2.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    Dean did the right thing. I’ll stop mocking him now.

  3. 3.

    Marcopolo

    Making me wonder (but only a smidge—Dean isn’t worth more thought) why in the effing eff did he run in the first place? Maybe he wanted to see how easy it was to destroy any positive thoughts any one had for him—you know like the bet in Trading Places.

    Also, whither now oh Marianne of the Williamsons?  Hard to see her sticking it out through the DNC, but all these folks sure do seem cray cray.

  5. 5.

    Nora

    To quote the Bard, “Nothing in his life became him as the leaving of [the race].”

  6. 6.

    dmsilev

    The high point of his campaign, from a classiness perspective.

    The people I really want to hear from are his billionaire funders. Are they going to eat crow, or just pretend that the whole thing never happened? Rhetorical, I know.

  7. 7.

    Baud

    Via Reddit

    Statement From President Biden on Nikki Haley Withdrawing from the Republican Presidential Primary

    “It takes a lot of courage to run for President – that’s especially true in today’s Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump. Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.

    “Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign. I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.

    “We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn’t be higher. I know that Democrats and Republicans and Independents disagree on many issues and hold strong convictions. That’s a good thing. That’s what America stands for. But I also know this: what unites Democrats and Republicans and Independents is a love for America.”

  10. 10.

    Lapassionara

    I wonder what Biden would look like today if he had been as vain about his appearance as Trump is. Grecian Formula for Men? A toupee? His physique is miles better than Trump’s already. The reason he has an “old guy” vibe is just about his hair. Maybe somebody will try a photo shop to see.

  13. 13.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud:

    Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.

    Just wanted to see that again.

    That may be a message that could get through.

    Trump is weak.  Trump is weak.  Trump is weak.

  14. 14.

    Big Fly

    Damn! I’ve gotta give it when due; tfg gets one right: the man he called “a piece of shit” IS a piece of shit.

    But we knew that, didn’t we.

  15. 15.

    Marcopolo

    @Baud: Lol, after getting more votes than Phillips in the NH primary.  Irony doing some heavy lifting there.

  16. 16.

    geg6

    @Baud:

    Same.

    It’s a pretty good endorsement from a guy I wasn’t sure had the class to do it.  So, for the first time ever, kudos to Phillips.

  19. 19.

    Kay

    That is really nice.

    But it’s consistent with his giant ego that he thinks his endorsement is highly prized :)

  20. 20.

    Marcopolo

    @Baud: Do love this outreach by the Biden folks.  Don’t know how it plays out but this is another example of Biden trying to model “normalcy” in the face of the orange fart cloud.  I can actually see Biden & Haley sharing ice cream and finding common ground.  That is one of Biden’s superpowers.

  22. 22.

    Kay

    “Dean Phillips has endorsed! Thank God. Our secret weapon, deployed”

    Sorry. I can’t help it :)

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    @Old School: BBC did the same and they all hemmed and hawed before Trumping.

    Most we can hope for is them staying home. Haley’s politics overlap Trump’s far more than they are separated.

  24. 24.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Kay: Well, now Biden might carry that one county that voted for Dean. Definitely in the bag now.

  25. 25.

    Lyrebird

    @Baud: Thanks for posting that statement, and thanks to Mistermix for the update.  I love that photo of Biden…  just the sort of thing that haters might hate and that normies of many stripes will look at and go, hey, here’s a real person who’s good with kids!

     

    I hope someone with better Google-Fu than mine can find that clip of Biden sending a vocal sliver of the electorate into fits by telling a heckler he was full of sht.  “oh me oh my!” they said…  Almost everyone else laughed and agreed with Biden’s statement.

  26. 26.

    Mike in NC

    Meanwhile, MSNBC is saying Fat Bastard went to Leon Scum with his MAGA hat in hand to beg him for a campaign contribution. Sad!

  29. 29.

    geg6

    @Old School:

    WaPo did the same today, but at least they broke the answers up into undecided, will vote for Trump and will vote for Biden camps.  More even handed than I usually expect from any MSM entity.

  31. 31.

    Feckless

    I would pay good money for anyone to ask McConnell to his face if his endorsement means all that racist crap about his wife is true?

  34. 34.

    cain

    @geg6:

    Large numbers os Nikki voters voting for Biden is going to goad Trump into saying some mean shit.

    I’m sure those voters will not immediately forget how they were treated by trump voters. Just goes to show that it is a cult and if you are not in it .. you are out

    Good move by Biden.

  35. 35.

    Betty Cracker

    SCOTUS moved the date of the Trump immunity claim arguments to April 25. They’re just fucking with us now…

  36. 36.

    Anonymous At Work

    Good endorsement, good use of humor ‘(surprise surprise)’ to humanize Biden more, and good focus on how this is about The Former Guy.

    And that sound you hear is Ackman blocking Phillips from his phone.  Eff Ackman.

  37. 37.

    cain

    @WaterGirl: it’s more about maintaining their social relationships. Hell they were already brave enough to break from the cult but they can’t lose their relationships. But Trumpers are not gonna forget and Trump does not forgive

  38. 38.

    JaySinWA

    @trollhattan:

    This is crazy, but she’s presently suspended about 1 meter above my monitor! Oh hai, Marianne.

    Have you been into the mushrooms?

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    Phillips’ statement closed strong, but the “he was kind to my kids once so he’s a good guy” thing rubs me the wrong way. We’re not electing a live-in partner. Politicians shouldn’t figure out where they stand on an important issue only after it happens to them; they shouldn’t figure out who to support based on a personal interaction (that almost none of us can have) with a person in power.

    “Nathan Bedford Forrest was a great guy when we played jacks when we were kids!! He wasn’t a monster at all!!11”

    [ groucho-roll-eyes.gif ]

    An anecdote about seeing Biden successfully fighting for x, y, or z would have been more persuasive to me.

    But I’m not the audience. And that’s Ok.

    I’m glad he didn’t drag it out anymore.

    Forward!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  49. 49.

    Betty Cracker

    @MisterForkbeard: April 22, which was already absurd given the stakes. Not that three days make a difference — it’s just an extra sprinkling of “lol fuck y’all.”

  50. 50.

    zhena gogolia

    @Another Scott: I didn’t appreciate this part:

    time – which slows all of us down a bit, including presidents.

    Gratuitous magnifying of this non-story. Trump is old too, anyone notice?

  51. 51.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Another Scott: I can’t speak for your impression but what I got was “We’ve hosted him before and loved him, and we would do it again.  He made the event about everyone under the roof, not about himself.”  The call-out on TFG’s narcissism is plain (to me).

  52. 52.

    JaySinWA

    @WaterGirl: The Republican party has done an excellent job of demonizing Democrats. I don’t know how you turn that around. It makes for a very dangerous situation.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    Endorsements remind me how horrible John Edwards was with his endorsement. Knowing he had huge skeletons, too! God, what an ego.

  57. 57.

    Bill Arnold

    @zhena gogolia:

    time – which slows all of us down a bit, including presidents.

    Gratuitous magnifying of this non-story. Trump is old too, anyone notice?,

    On reflection, I gave that a pass, since the correct narrative is that Biden is a bit slower due to age, but his mind seems to be fine (currently) and the mistakes he makes are the sort that he made 20 years ago, unlike Trump, who is making mistakes of the sort that he didn’t make 5 years ago.
    Also, Trump is a former President/POTUS.

  63. 63.

    Mel

    @trollhattan: Damn! That explains why I couldn’t find her with my crystal ball  geolocator – I forgot to engage the “Google Blocker Ley Lines Network Protector” feature…

  65. 65.

    Scout211

    @HumboldtBlue: Whoa.  That’s the first time I listened to her “concession” speech.  Dirty tricks and billionaires beat her? TBH, if it weren’t for balloon-juice I wouldn’t know who Katie Porter is.  Normie Dems in NorCal have never heard of her.  She may be a progressive darling but normie Dems haven’t had much exposure to her outside of SoCal. OTOH, both Schiff and Garvey are nationally known. What did she expect?

  67. 67.

    Jeffro

    @Betty Cracker: has anyone seen or heard some creative ideas as to how We The People can protest this utterly ridiculous, rancid Court?

    Something peaceful, clever, and to the point – and preferably in cities all across America?

    I’ll do some digging but y’all let me know if you hear or see anything.  These jackasses and the way they ignore their responsibilities – the way they’re playing with fire here – really are bugging the shit out of me

  68. 68.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Scout211:

    What did she expect?

    I have no clue, she was making a name for herself in the House and then decided, “fuck it, I’m gonna run for senate now that DiFi is dead” and it’s still a baffling choice, particularly the timing when she announced her Senate bid while DiFi’s body was still warm. That didn’t get her any love at all and from what I have read, she doesn’t do “charm” very well and you gotta have some charm.

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    Regarding Dump and the turtle-faced, fascist motherfucker, shit knows shit like game knows game.

    Congrats on McTurtle with further fucking his life’s legacy.

  73. 73.

    Miss Bianca

    @Marcopolo: That’s what I wonder. He had a perfectly good seat in the House in a district he wrested away from the Republicans, and now he’s just torched that *and* a pile of his own money.

    As to who these people were who were supposedly demanding an alternative to Biden…smdh.

  78. 78.

    Tony Jay

    “There is a place for them in my campaign. I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.”

    If any Republican candidate of the last two decades had made that statement the Punditocracy would have “ZOMG!!! 😍 Mister President 🇺🇸🥇🇺🇸 😍” swooned so damned hard they’d have been mopping out the FTFNYT Opinion Page restroom with a Zamboni for weeks.

  80. 80.

    jonas

    @Marcopolo: This decency and “reaching across the aisle” shit, even if it isn’t going to do a lick of good, is warm, Broder-y catnip to the MSM. Always gets good coverage and makes Biden look, yes, more “normal.”

  84. 84.

    Scout211

    @WaterGirl: He won’t donate to the campaigns.  Musk will just give Trump the money he needs for the legal judgments he owes.

    Oh, well that makes sense.  In exchange for . . . something, something and something else, no doubt.

  87. 87.

    Almost Retired

    @HumboldtBlue:  Wow, that “concession” speech was pissy and disappointing.  We’re all on the same side here, Katie.  FWIW, I didn’t think she ran a very good campaign.  Lots of noise about earmarks, which aren’t exactly a burning issue at the moment.  She had way fewer public appearances that the semi-ubiquitous Adam.  And her “shake up the Senate” schtick is less compelling when we hold the slim majority.

    The LA TImes endorsed Adam Schiff early, and ran a profile of Porter that struck me as sexist —  It made her seem like an overwhelmed single Mom with children who were indifferent or hostile towards her career.  Don’t know what kind of coverage she got up North where you are.

  88. 88.

    JML

    @Marcopolo: Dean just “caught the fever”. It happens to people in politics. Everyone tells you how great you are, and then you get to DC and who bunch of new people tell you how great you are, only now some of those people are ones you watched on the sunday morning shows. It’s not that hard for people to “get high on their on supply” so to speak. And it’s super easy for politicians in DC to see themselves in the big chair (hells bells, half of every state legislature thinks they should be the governor regardless of party).

    Dean was never a bad guy…just a rich dude who let people flatter him a bunch and didn’t have anyone around him to really say no. Most people in his spot wouldn’t have the money to make a quixotic run like this either, which limits the amount of this dumbshittery.

    Bad move by Dean in the first place: he never had any real platform to run on other than “Biden’s old” and no real support for his campaign. But he had money and access to some more, and there’s always enough grifters around to prop up some kind of campaign deal, and feed the ego.

    At least he got out with some semblance of class. But he never should have run in the first place.

  89. 89.

    Baud

    @Almost Retired: I’ve paid no attention to the campaign and

    Lots of noise about earmarks, which aren’t exactly a burning issue at the moment.

    Is both news to me and, like you indicated, a weird thing to focus on.

    ETA: I hesitate to make any definitive judgments based on edited clips.

  90. 90.

    BR

    @Scout211:

    The pro-cryptocurrency lobby did run a multimillion dollar ad campaign against her because she was talking about regulating them. They were one of the biggest spenders in the senate primary.

  92. 92.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Almost Retired:

    Wow, that “concession” speech was pissy and disappointing. We’re all on the same side here, Katie. FWIW, I didn’t think she ran a very good campaign.

    That was pretty much my take. It’s a different beast scaling up a campaign on all fronts from a congressional district to statewide federal and she clearly didn’t figure that out.  Chalk it up to a learning experience.

    Most of my Leftier Than Thou acquaintances on twitter voted for Lee.

  93. 93.

    Jinchi

    I think turnout was low because the primaries were essentially no contest this year.  I’m not sure what it means for the general election.

  96. 96.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud:

    I hesitate to make any definitive judgments based on edited clips.

    That’s smart. I don’t even trust the strung-together clips of Trump’s many gaffes, and I know he’s a gibbering lunatic. Too easy to manipulate that shit.

  102. 102.

    Betty Cracker

    @HumboldtBlue: Thanks. I didn’t intend to cast aspersions on any snippets you offered; was just agreeing with Baud on the general principle. I do like Porter, and if she behaved ungraciously, that’s a shame, and I hope she does better in the future. Schiff will be a fine senator.

  103. 103.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Betty Cracker:

    We all like Katie, smart, willing to fight and hold some feet to the fire, but this was a very poor decision of hers, at least from my perch in the North Woods. She didn’t make a ripple up here while Schiff, through the J6 committee, was a known quantity if you will.

    I guess I’m just baffled at her decision to run for Senate.

  104. 104.

    zhena gogolia

    @HumboldtBlue: I can’t say that I like her. Her “viral” clips have struck me as showboating, and that clip you posted was consistent with the impression I formed of her long ago.

  105. 105.

    MisterForkbeard

    @mrmoshpotato: His life’s legacy is ruining America for the benefit of racists, fascists, misogynists and rich people.

    This is in line.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @Betty Cracker: I just listened to the whole thing, and she never once said Adam Schiff’s name, talked the whole time about how other politicians don’t care about the people, with the implication that the guy who won does not care about people, either.

    Not gracious in the least.

    edit: That speech will likely do her more damage than the loss.  It’s a team sport, Katie, and you just shit on the team.

  108. 108.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @WaterGirl:

    I’m always curious if the Never Trump crowd votes anything other than (R) on the rest of the ticket.

    Given the few that I know, they either don’t vote for Biden but are straight (R) the rest of the time or if they do vote for Joe, it’s still straight (R) the rest of the way.

    Still a party of white nationalists funded by billionaires no matter who’s at the top.

  109. 109.

    Bupalos

    @Lapassionara: mmmmm…he’s starting to have that stiff, shuffling old-age thing. I think his physical listed spinal arthritis?

    I hope we don’t try and meet the obviously politically salient issue of Biden’s age with a combination of hyperbolic defensiveness and yeah-but comparisons to the shambling mound of disorders and beef lard that is Donald Trump. We should be open that he has slowed physically and cognitively. But that this is more than offset by unprecedented experience and wisdom, which is what we need most right now.

  110. 110.

    trollhattan

    @HumboldtBlue: Oh yeah, those are golden.

    There’s tone-deaf then there’s Rand Paul. Can anyone stand the guy? Ted Cruz seems charming next to him.

  111. 111.

    Scout211

    LMAO, did you catch the Trump remarks on his Truth Social?  Ha Ha, NBC News actually took the bait and printed it out in a new article as if Trump was serious.  

     

    Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will debate President Joe Biden “anytime, anywhere, anyplace” as the two men turned their attention toward a general election rematch a day after dominating Super Tuesday primaries.

    “It is important for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate issues that are so vital to American, and the American people,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!”

    Yeah, that’s ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!

    Color me highly skeptical.

  112. 112.

    Hoodie

    @Betty Cracker: It seemed to be a bit of frustration that was misdirected.    The stuff about Schiff boosting Garvey is a red herring.  Garvey was the only prominent GOP candidate so he consolidated all the GOP leaning voters.  The next highest GOPer got 3%.   Her bigger problem was there wasn’t enough non-GOP vote for two Dems to qualify.

  113. 113.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Scout211: Maybe he’ll try and infect Biden with covid again, like he did last time.

    Absolutely nuts that they don’t note that Trump has a long history of dodging debates and demanding that the moderators openly favor him. And disobeying any and all rules and agreements

  114. 114.

    CaseyL

    Sigh.  All politicians have a schtick, but I really don’t like the ones who rely on it too much. Porter relied too much on hers. Granted, it’s difficult when you’re in the minority to have much more to show than well, “show,” but…

  115. 115.

    Baud

    @Hoodie:

    Plus, it’s entirely appropriate for a candidate to try to get a general election matchup that he or she believes is favorable.

  119. 119.

    Hoodie

    @Baud: Sure, but it seems like he was probably wasting money if his purpose was to boost Garvey at other Dem candidates’ expense, so maybe that’s not why he was doing it.   It might instead be a way of signaling that you know what the real danger is – bullshit celebrity GOP candidates – instead of fixating on something stupid like earmarks.

  120. 120.

    Scout211

    @trollhattan:Are anywhere and anyplace two different things now?

    Ha!  Well, since it’s a thing since 2016 to translate Trump-talk into distinguishable and easily understood actual words, let me help you out here:

    ANYWHERE:  City, state, location

    ANYPLACE:  Debate venue

    IHTH

  122. 122.

    Ramalama

    @Leto: I really enjoyed this video.

    Yeah, I started reading the comments. Some days I’m good with all that, and engage with YouTube ‘tards (leo-tards) with taunts like, “Trump’s a loser.” or “Trump’s a complete whiny losing loser.”

    It feels good.

    But I forgot to avoid the comments when I’m not feeling so combative.

  124. 124.

    Scout211

    @Barbara: unless crystals and spirits directed her to change her mind.

    That actually did happen.

    ETA:

    Author Marianne Williamson “un-suspended” her Democratic presidential campaign Wednesday after she earned 3% of overall votes and beat fellow challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) in the Michigan primary Tuesday, less than a month after she suspended her long-shot campaign against President Joe Biden.Feb 28, 2024 Link

  125. 125.

    Baud

    @Hoodie:

    I don’t know what his thinking was. My only point was that it’s a really weak criticism by a third place finisher. Schiff had no duty to spend his campaign money in a way that benefited anyone else.

  130. 130.

    trollhattan

    Don’t know if I believe “all politics are local” but local politics can be fascinating.

    In our 4-way mayor race the morning %s are 23.67%, 23.66%, 23.18%, 21%. 👀

  133. 133.

    Betty

    @Lapassionara: I think his arthritis and soft voice are also factors in what makes him appear fragile. The arthritis makes him a bit stiff- legged. Not much he can do but continue to tell voters what he has done and will do if re-elected.

  134. 134.

    Leto

    @TBone: that’s really awesome. I feel like my generation of vets is getting care quicker, even though we still have lots of hurdles to clear. I know the Dem House/Senate Vets we have put a ton of fucking work into this, and it’s very much appreciated.

  135. 135.

    catclub

    @Tony Jay: If any Republican candidate of the last two decades had made that statement the Punditocracy would have “ZOMG!!! 😍 Mister President 🇺🇸🥇🇺🇸 😍” swooned so damned hard they’d have been mopping out the FTFNYT Opinion Page restroom with a Zamboni for weeks.

     

    This brings to mind all the attempts to say, during Trump’s term, that ‘Today he became presidential’  The press did that a lot.

    They were all lies.

  137. 137.

    HumboldtBlue

    I made shepherd’s — cottage — pie last night. I used a New York strip and two lamb shanks. The meat cut from the bone is far superior to ground beef or lamb in both taste and texture.

  138. 138.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Bupalos: Probably the neuropathy in his feet.

    What I always say about Biden’s age is that (a) I don’t think he’d hang on through his second term if he were too debilitated to do the job, and (b) Kamala Harris is a fine backup.

    I know that a lot of the anxiety out there is really people who don’t want Kamala Harris to be President and would be pissed off at it as some kind of bait-and-switch if it happened. But the fact is, being ready to take over as President is her primary job. And she’s a perfectly good choice. Who would Trump have as VP? We don’t know yet, but nobody good, I know that.

  139. 139.

    Another Scott

    @HumboldtBlue: @Scout211:

    (I haven’t listened to Porter’s concession speech.)

    Did you, or anyone else, catch NPR / ATC yesterday, talking about Sinema’s dropping out of the race.

    CHANG: So, I mean, it feels like there’s this growing list of moderate lawmakers leaving Congress, right? How does Sinema’s announcement fit into that trend?

    GRISALES: Well, she admits she’s a casualty of the current political climate and part of this trend of more moderate members leaving as parties retreat further into partisan corners. And we’re especially seeing that with Republicans who were key members of these bipartisan negotiations she was very much a part of. Sinema also said in this video statement that America had reached a crossroads. And America had chosen, quote, “anger and division,” and therefore there’s no longer room for lawmakers like her. But we should be clear, Sinema became increasingly controversial as she evolved this past decade from a liberal lawmaker to one of its more moderate members. And her poll numbers, for example, were underwater in her own state, and she was facing an uphill battle if she tried to run for reelection.

    CHANG: Which is so interesting because Sinema – I mean, I remember when she came into Congress.

    GRISALES: Yeah.

    CHANG: She came with a bit of fanfare. Like, she was the first woman senator from Arizona. She was the first openly bisexual woman to serve in Congress, period. She rode this wave of popularity when she was elected to the House more than a decade ago. So how did we get from there to here?

    GRISALES: Right. Her story, in some ways, parallels the journey of American politics today. Her loyalty to her party evolved to this bipartisan stance on lawmaking. And this was once a very successful approach in Congress, but that’s a much less popular approach today. She was elected to the House in 2012 after serving in her state legislature. She was even once a member of the Green Party before she entered Congress. But when she came to Washington, she joined just about every moderate group she could, like the Problem Solvers Caucus or the Blue Dogs, who are fiscally conservative Democrats, and she became one of the more conservative Democrats in Congress. And that was how she ran for Senate, too.

    She’s a victim of mean partisan politics!!11

    [ groucho-roll-eyes.gif ]

    These people live in a different world. The “moderates” are always the victim, never responsible for their own path in politics.

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  140. 140.

    Matt McIrvin

    @HumboldtBlue: I kept getting Katie Porter’s primary campaign ads on Facebook. I never understood why she thought I’d care about whether she beat Adam Schiff. I guess since it’s a jungle primary, the point was maybe to shut out the Republicans, but she didn’t make that point.

  141. 141.

    Hoodie

    @Baud: Her argument might make some sense if the Senate primary didn’t coincide with a presidential one, such that Schiff’s ads might goose GOP turnout in general.  In that situation, Schiff’s ads could be a little questionable, given this is a jungle primary.  In this case, however, the lion’s share of Garvey voters probably turned out for Trump and Haley, not Garvey.

  142. 142.

    Leto

    @Betty: Biden’s still out riding his bicycle for fun and exercise. He’s also releasing his medical exams, and he’s not requiring his doctor to claim he’s 150lbs lighter than he is.

  143. 143.

    CaseyL

    @Matt McIrvin: “Who will be Trump’s running mate?” will be the MSM’s next 24/7 obsession.

    A non-entity?

    Impeachment/assassination insurance?

    The highest bidder?

    A foreigner? (Orban? One of Putin’s oligarchs? Manafort?) – After all, per SCOTUS, Congress would have to pass a specific law forbidding this. Hah hah hah.

  144. 144.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Another Scott: ​
     

    Well, she admits she’s a casualty of the current political climate and part of this trend of more moderate members leaving as parties retreat further into partisan corners.

    JFC. The political stenograhers at Totebagger Radio have a message and they never deviate from it. Fucking High Broderism will never end.
    Reason #1,365 to never give them money and never listen to them.

  146. 146.

    Leto

    @Another Scott: NPR: what do you mean you won’t compromise away women’s rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and democracy for more tax cuts? Why do you hate moderates???

  147. 147.

    Scout211

    @trollhattan: There’s been some local drama in State Senate Disctrict 5, too.

    The results with 100% reporting:

    Jim Shoemaker (R) 33,157 45%

    Jerry McNerney (D) 23,383 32%

    Carlos Villapudua (D) 23%

    Short version of local politics:  Jerry McNerney, long-time Democratic Congress member jumped into the race at the last minute to edge out the Villapudua family political “dynasty.”

    Villapudua came in 3rd behind the Republican and McNerney.  Stockton politics and the CA Democratic Party, always interesting.

    (From December)

    Link
    His entry further upends the fast-changing race for the vacant 5th Senate district, which state Sen. Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) is leaving at the end of the year, and could be seen as an effort to block a dynasty-making play by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton) and his wife, Edith Villapudua.

    McNerney will be running against Carlos Villapudua, one of the most moderate Democrats in the state Assembly. The state lawmaker announced on Thursday — just before the candidate filing deadline — that he would run for the open Senate seat rather than for another Assembly term.

    Carlos Villapudua’s last-minute swerve into the state Senate race looked likely to benefit his wife, who had been running for the Senate seat but faced a tough Democratic opponent. Now, Edith Villapudua is positioned to run unopposed for the Assembly seat her husband is vacating.

    Both Villapuduas have faced resistance from California Democrats. Last month the party endorsed Rhodesia Ransom, a staffer to Rep. Josh Harder, over Edith Villapudua for the Senate seat — and declined to endorse Carlos Villapudua’s reelection bid.

  151. 151.

    Geminid

    @Baud: I did not see Nikki Haley’s speech but a friend who did said:

       …but she is so mealymouthed and so determined to thread the needle and having it all ways….

      Ironic that so much of the theme of the address was courage, a quality conspicuously lacking in Haley at the moment.

    Maybe Haley believes the people who say she can position herself on the inside track for 2028. I never thought Haley was a strong candidate in her own right but was instead buoyed by anti-Trumpers who will run to Youngkin, Kemp and others four years from now. Pundits may give Haley credit for opposing Trump, but why should rank and file Republicans?

    But as Abe Lincoln observed, once the worm of Presidential ambition starts to gnaw, it gnaws deep.

  152. 152.

    Marcopolo

    @Another Scott: So funny.  Just saw a clip of Bernie on Colbert.  Sinema’s retirement announcement had just dropped & Colbert asked if Bernie would miss her.  He was like NOPE!  Pointed out how she & Manchin had double-handedly derailed the original Infrastructure Repair Act.  Kate Riga @ TPM had a nice piece laying out how she destroyed her career & reputation, will try to link it: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things-stand/kyrsten-sinema-leaving-senate

  153. 153.

    Another Scott

    @HumboldtBlue: OTOH, …

    Ambitious women need to keep running for office.  California used to have 2 women senators.  Now it has/looks to have 2 men.

    I was just thinking about my local state reps and senators a day or few ago.  My school board person was a woman, my state rep for a long time was a woman as was my state senator.  Now all are men.  (And they’re doing a fine job, but …).  I don’t know what the “farm team” is doing to make sure local women here in NoVA move up in power.  (Yes, there are examples in other NoVA jurisdictions, but not in my case.)

    We need, as a party, to keep pushing for representation and broadening the faces of people in elected office.  Biden can’t do it all on his own.  ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  155. 155.

    Betty Cracker

    @Another Scott: What a steaming load of horseshit that NPR convo was! Jonathan Chait (of all people) has Sinema’s number:

    As an explanation for why Sinema is giving up politics, this is obviously a total crock. Americans do appreciate bipartisan compromise. Sinema is not the only member of Congress who has been involved in legislation with both parties. But she is the only Democrat who incinerated her political career because the causes she chose to fight for are substantively awful and deeply unpopular.

    Sinema rankled Democrats by mounting a deeply confused and ahistorical defense of the filibuster, falsely claiming that it was designed by the Founders (who, in fact, limited the supermajority requirement to specific matters and opposed it for general legislation) and that it protects social spending for the poor (which, in fact, can be cut by a majority under current rules). This position did anger liberals, but it’s not the kind of issue that engages the general public.

    The stance that alienated Sinema from voters was her idiosyncratic attitude during negotiations over the Biden administration’s domestic-policy agenda. Sinema opposed letting the government negotiate the cost of Medicare prescription drugs, ultimately conceding to allow a dramatically smaller version of the reform Biden wanted. Even more amazing, she took a hard line against tax increases on the wealthy, even opposing limits on the notorious carried-interest tax loophole.

    Sinema’s farewell message presents these stances as nonpartisan and anti-inflationary. “By standing up to short-sighted partisan ideas,” she said, “I protected our country’s economic growth and competitiveness and kept taxes low during a time of rampant inflation.”

    This is the opposite of the truth. Both Biden and Trump promised during their campaigns to enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices and to eliminate the carried-interest loophole. She was blocking ideas of bipartisan consensus, not enabling them.

    Even more bizarre is her claim that this stance somehow responded to “rampant inflation.” The textbook legislative response to high inflation is to impose tight fiscal policy that raises taxes and cuts spending. During the fiscal negotiations, that was the posture Senator Joe Manchin took. Sinema’s position was the opposite: She supported most of the spending increases favored by liberals but opposed all the ways they wanted to pay for them. Sinema had the single most inflationary impact on Biden’s agenda of any senator.

    To the extent Biden managed to craft a bill that could be sold as an anti-inflationary measure — which it was, slightly — it was despite Sinema, not because of her.

    I don’t think I’ve ever said this of a Chait column before, but the whole thing is worth a read. He brought receipts on that fraud.

  156. 156.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott: Katie, in her speech, did say something like “someone told me that women who wait their turn will never get it”.  I guess that helps explain the run for Senate when it really didn’t feel like the right time.

    Sorry that Barbara Lee won’t have her seat in congress anymore.

  157. 157.

    Citizen Alan

    @Hoodie: As I understand it, Schiff was “boosting” Garvey by identifying him as a MAGA Republican which (a) drove GOP turnout towards him which allowed him to edge out Porter for the number 2 spot and (b) cover him in MAGA stink for the general election. Which, TBH, is a sound strategy. I’m consistently amazed at the media and others whining that it is unfair “boosting” to say “Here’s why candidate X is awful” because it makes awful people more inclined to vote for them.

  158. 158.

    MisterForkbeard

    @WaterGirl: Yes. We lost two good Dem housemembers out of this.

    If I was Lee or Porter, I agree that I would have pulled out and re-filed once it was clear that Schiff was winning. Embarrassing, but ultimately better for them and the country.

  159. 159.

    FelonyGovt

    @Almost Retired: But that “I’m a single mom with an unglamorous minivan” schtick is something she herself has cultivated and invited- I’ve seen umpteen articles in that vein. No, she didn’t run a good campaign, and she managed to piss off a lot of people (including, apparently, me 🤔

  161. 161.

    Geminid

    @CaseyL: Trump’s campaign team may persuade him to make a conventional pick, an outwardly competent Governor or Senator. Their argument: Trump could blow a winnable race if he picks some flake.

  164. 164.

    Marcopolo

    @HumboldtBlue: I still like a lot of the reporting/stories I hear on NPR (just heard a good interview btwn David Remnick & Kara Swisher for ex.) but their national political reporting…blech.

  166. 166.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: Thanks for that.

    Even beyond the stupid economic views (lots of people have stupid economic views ;-), she helped kill voting rights legislation and in doing so needlessly put our form of government at further risk.

    APNews.com (from January 2022):

    PHOENIX (AP) — U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is growing increasingly isolated from some of her party’s most influential officials and donors after playing a key role in scuttling voting rights legislation that many consider essential to preserving democracy.

    Leaders of the Arizona Democratic Party voted Saturday to censure Sinema, citing “her failure to do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our democracy’’ — namely her refusal to go along with fellow Democrats to alter a Senate rule so they could overcome Republican opposition to the bill. While the rebuke is symbolic, it is striking given that only three years ago, Sinema was heralded for bringing the Senate seat back into the Democratic fold for the first time in a generation.

    […]

    There have been something like 160 carve-outs for no-filibuster bill types in the Senate. There’s no question of somehow preserving sainted bipartisanship or preserving the holy purity of the filibuster. She refused to do her job to protect the Constitution.  Her position there was terribly damaging.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  168. 168.

    jonas

    @Geminid: He did that last time with Pence and look where it got him: the guy wouldn’t even cooperate in a little coup to overthrow an election. No, he’ll go with pure, uncut krazy. Turned up to 11. Now that Sinema’s out of the Arizona race and Gallego’s looking much stronger, my guess is he’ll tap Kari Lake. Who knows, though?

  169. 169.

    Geminid

    @Citizen Alan: Campaigns have tried this tecnique ever since Claire McCaskill’s ads helped get Todd Akin nominated, and likely before that. They’ve also caught a lot of criticism for it, and I think some of the criticism may not be in good faith.

    I saw that in Hilary Scholten’s 2022 campaign for her western Michigan Congressional seat. They ran ads attacking Rep. Meijer’s more radical oponent for being the radical he was. They were getting their general election licks in early, a sound strategy I thought.

    Meijer had no chance anyway, but some critics said it was hypocritical to boost radicals and yet warn about them. But these were attack ads.

  171. 171.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @cain: I don’t care if they are Trumpers with their traitor friends, as long as they are Biden in the voting booth.

  172. 172.

    Hoodie

    @Citizen Alan: Except that MAGA turnout was likely driven by Trump’s presence on the ballot, not by anything Schiff did vis a vis Garvey.  If anything, the fact that Haley was still running might have boosted the GOP more than might have happened if Trump was unopposed; as Garvey stood to gain from both Trump and Haley voters.  The MAGA stink part may be true, but Schiff could do that in the general.  I do think this jungle primary situation is a little different than the old McCaskill approach where you try to promote the most MAGA opponent in the other party’s primary.

  173. 173.

    Geminid

    @jonas: You sound awfully sure, but a “pure, uncut crazy” VP selection is redundant strategically because Trump has secured the pure, uncut crazy vote already. While it’s tempting to see Trump as a crazy man unable to think strategically- and in many respects he is- Trump knows his back’s against the wall, that he has to win. So he may act rationally here and pick someone more solid and reassuring

    Ed. And four years before Pence betrayed Trump, he helped pull Trump over the line with the conservative evangelical vote.

    Trump has captured that vote now, and he’s got the tea-party cranks. His weakness now is among Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Journal types- professionals and Independents. That’s the component of the Republican coalition he needs to shore up.

  174. 174.

    Tony Jay

    @catclub:

    I was thinking President ‘Commander-in-Chief of All Real Americans’ George W Bush, Senator ‘Thank Him For His Service By Voting For Him’ John McCain or Former Governor ‘USS Shoulders’ Mitt Romney, but you’re right, if Stench had ever uttered those words the Punditocracy would have declared a National Day of Presidential Becoming and slathered the front pages with ALL CAPS demands for Democrats to stop it with the partisanship and cede all future elections to this living apotheosis of the American Dream.

  175. 175.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Betty Cracker: It just dawned on me that Cole left Manchin behind only to get Sinema, which is kind of funny.  Probably only a handful of people can say they lived under both of the worst Dem Senators in the same year, lol.

  177. 177.

    sab

    @UncleEbeneezer: We in Ohio beg to differ:  I offer JD Vance.

    Sinema sucked but her Democratic votes were mostly there. JD Vance doesn’t give a shit about Ukraine when Ukrainian Americans are a large Republican constituency in Ohio. He only cares what Peter Thiel wants.

    Manchin sucked but he represented West Virginians pretty well. They are often very nice people but politically more often than not they mostly suck. But only moderately not rabidly. The niceness interferes with rabidness. Kind of like LDS in Utah.

  178. 178.

    Another Scott

    @Marcopolo: Spanberger is more conservative than I’d like, but that still seems to be necessary for statewide success in Virginia.  (E.g. I didn’t like her performance art of screaming that Pelosi was somehow dooming folks like her and demanding new leadership.  But, in the end it worked, (“Just win baby.” – NP).)

    She’s a smart cookie.  We’ll see how she does in a statewide campaign.  She’s got lots of support already, and she’ll certainly get my vote if/when she’s the nominee.  (The idea of running for governor for nearly 2 years seems weird to me, but Virginia politics is still kinda weird.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  179. 179.

    RaflW

    @Lapassionara: My impression is, the reason Biden has an “old guy” vibe is twofold: 1) his speech patterns have always been impacted by his mastery of his stutter, which is excellent but can come off as halting and misread as ‘old’, and 2) he has that stiffness of neck and shoulders that looks old. Of course being the President of the United States is about your mental acuity, which I trust is fine, and his judgement, which is seasoned by his long life and deep experiences.

    The Biden old nonsense is not going to go away, but we can keep working to explain and ameliorate peoples concerns.

  180. 180.

    TS

    @Scout211:

    Yeah, and Elon said nope.

    From your link:

    Trump’s mounting legal fees are draining his campaign war chest, while the Biden campaign has a significant cash advantage.

    Under what rules (I know the TIFG does not have rules) does trump use campaign funds for legal fees that have ZERO to do with an election campaign? I thought there was an electoral commission? who oversees that funds are correctly spent?

  182. 182.

    wjca

    @WaterGirl: Musk will just give Trump the money he needs for the legal judgments he owes.

    Of course, that does make it taxable.  But TIFG won’t care, because the giver pays the gift tax.

  183. 183.

    Old School

    @Nettoyeur:

    And…???

    Well, if you didn’t watch the video, all the people featured picked Trump. It made clear they all realized how bad Trump was, but couldn’t overcome their partisan leanings.

  184. 184.

    sab

    I think Dean Phillips went out with a lot of class (aka Minnesota nice, which is a real thing).

    He actually ran a decent (morally okay) but pointless campaign.  Why did he run? Who knows?

    I am glad he is gone and happy he kept his pride and his dignity. His donors must be seething. They did not pay for Minnesota nice.

  185. 185.

    Geminid

    @TS: That would be the Federal Election Commission. I think most of the penalties the FEC hands out are civil, but violators have caught felony charges. This was the case last year with Nancy Marks(?), George Santos’s campaign treasurer. Marks, a long-time Long Island Republican operative, has pleaded guilty in federal court and I think she awaits sentencing now.*

    This is important because campaign officials will run the risk of imprisonment if they break rules for Trump.

    * Speaking of which, Santos has yet to take a plea. Prosecutors have the goods on Santos and he reportedly was talking to them last December but so far, no plea deal. My hope is that Santos can incriminate other New York Republicans, and that accounts for the holdup.

  186. 186.

    sab

    OT: My stepson is a machinist and works around oil all day every day. That can’t be healthy.

    He stopped by yesterday to talk to his dad and our cats (who adore him) went nuts.  Also too the pitbull. She got hugged by him. So now she will smell oily like a machine shop for weeks.

    She will smell oily for weeks unless I get her washed. We have been through this before. Tax season so no dog wash. Yuck. Also she needs toenail trim. So long must be painful. So she limps around smelling like a machine shop hoping I run out of tax returns to prep.

    None of us in this circle understand anyone else’s point of view. Which is pretty much my point.

  187. 187.

    caphilldcne

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Lee is who I would have voted for if I were a cA voter. She has a real record of accomplishment. The Pelosi machine largely undercut her. She got really screwed by DiFi refusing to retire and then by Newsom appointing Padilla who I basically like (Padilla, not Newsom who I have taken an active dislike to largely because of his vetoes of some liberal legislation he thinks hurts his chances of running for president – total stiff).

  188. 188.

    surfk9

    @trollhattan: ​
     Yes her name is real. She is a real dynamo, I saw her last night at McNerney’s watch party in Stockton. I congratulated her on taking down a Villapudua. She will be a total upgrade from do-nothing Carlos

  189. 189.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @caphilldcne:
     

    I am *no* fan of Newsom. Alas, he’s the face of the left that’s won. All the neoliberal, Reaganomic “progressives” love him for a variety of reasons.

  190. 190.

    RaflW

    @Marcopolo: Unfortunately, the comity police (aka the press) will gloss over this and by tomorrow will forget Biden’s very classy outreach to Haley voters.

  191. 191.

    sab

    @sab: Our cats (five of them) are three unmitigated assholes and two occasionally inclined to be friendly.

    My husband, who knows and likes them better says no, two unmitigated assholes and three who “hate” each other and do like us.

    Those two who allegedly hate each other actually do not. They are housebound cats. So they are bored. Bored cats hunt. So bored housecats stalk each other. Boredom.

    There is no politics involved. Just bored cats. Nobody is intending to kill or eat anyone.

    We project politics there when there os just cat boredom.

  194. 194.

    Paul in KY

    @cain: You OCIers were probably woke, sekretMuslim tawkiyas Congress Party lovers…

    They finally got you!

  196. 196.

    Paul in KY

    @Tony Jay: Some of them would have fainted from the loss of blood flow, due to their woodies for the hypothetical GQPer who said that.

  197. 197.

    Paul in KY

    @WaterGirl: Very disappointed in her. She is probably super-pissed about Mr. Schiff’s strategery. She can be and still be gracious in her bow out.

  201. 201.

    Paul in KY

    @Matt McIrvin: I would think VP Harris would make a great President. My only downer with her is that I don’t know if she can be elected President (given the sexism here in USA).

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