Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

We will not go back.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

“Alexa, change the president.”

This blog will pay for itself.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Second rate reporter says what?

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

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

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

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

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

This fight is for everything.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Alina Habba: Fuck You, Oh Wait, Can You Help Us Out Here? (Open Thread)

Alina Habba: Fuck You, Oh Wait, Can You Help Us Out Here? (Open Thread)

by | 243 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Trump’s attorneys have built up so much good will with the judges in the Trump cases, I can totally see why their first thought is to ask the judge to buy them some more time to get it together.

I hope I’m right about how this is going to turn out for them.

My first laugh of the day.

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.

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The Letter to Judge Kaplan

Something something flies honey vinegar.

Totally open thread.

Reader Interactions

243Comments

  2. 2.

    Trivia Man

    It’s been years of vexatious litigation and successful punting to some future reckoning that just never arrived. Im cautiously optimistic there will be actual consequences for once.

  3. 3.

    WaterGirl

    Speaking of point and laugh:

    Michael Harriot
    @michaelharriot

    The 25 white Republicans who wrote Alabama’s new anti-DEI bill may have inadvertently made college football (and all Division I NCAA sports) illegal

    I don’t know who this person is, but I hope it’s true that these racists have totally stepped in it.  Are the folks on the right so blinded with hate and the quest for power that they are unable to understand the consequences of throwing shit together and hoping it flies?

    I wonder if they are able to draw the dotted line between something and a likely outcome.  Are they able to look at a glass that’s precariously close to the edge of the counter, and think I should move that back so it doesn’t get knocked off?

    And yet they have amassed all this power and are doing a pretty good job of poking holes in our democracy.

  4. 4.

    Shalimar

    Surprised Trump didn’t kidnap Elon Musk while he was at Mar-a-Lago and hold him for $550 million ransom.  He has that secret locked room and everything already prepared.

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The only sure thing about going thru life screwing, insulting, and humiliating anyone and everyone you cross paths with as trump has, is that sooner or later the chickens are going to come home to roost. And when they do, they are sure to shit all over your head.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    @Trivia Man: Since it appears unlikely that the reckoning will come  at the Supreme Court level, we’re looking at you, line judges and appellate judges.

    BJ attorneys, are normal people successful when they ask the judge for an extra day or two to get their homework in after the due date?

  9. 9.

    Anonymous At Work

    TFG kinda screwed himself with his separate proposal for a $100 million bond in his civil fraud case, showing he has $100 million in liquidity.  My understanding of the law here is that TFG can still appeal the $83.3 million verdict (plus interest) but the verdict will accumulate interest AND that E Jean Carroll will be able to start seizure proceedings against his assets.

    The kicker here is that there is a financial monitor from the civil fraud case overseeing TFG’s assets who can attest to what money is where and the sufficiency of such assets.

    Finally, while people might think “start big” like going for Trump Tower, I say to “start personal” with Trump’s airplane and some other amenities, citing the danger of rapid depreciation from use.  TFG, flying coach?  TFG, having to scramble to charter flights?  Warms me in the way that ghost pepper chili cannot.

  13. 13.

    Anonymous At Work

    @WaterGirl: I was thinking about this in context of DeSantis and UF firing all their DEI employees.  Title IX compliance is something taken seriously under Democratic presidents and failing a Title IX audit ain’t small potatoes.

  14. 14.

    Trivia Man

    Side note on language here. My son had a very headstrong personality and did not hesitate to butt heads with anyone. My most frequent admonition to him was You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. (Spoiler: it never worked with him.)

    Fast forward a few years and i was shocked to discover thats not true. Flies ate attracted to rotten meat more than sugar, and vinegar is much more their preference. (I still use the phrase cause i like the sentiment and dont have a replacement)

  15. 15.

    Shalimar

    @WaterGirl: Political reporter for The Root.  His book, Black AF History, is also hilarious and insightful.

    Edited for spelling, though inciteful is also true since it triggers white supremacists.

  16. 16.

    Trivia Man

    @Anonymous At Work: 100% agree

    I know the AG has her eye on 40 Wall Street, but the plane and other personal joys would cut him to the quick. AFAIK, when seizing starts you don’t get to puck what they take. Its winner’s choice.

  18. 18.

    kindness

    How long before Habba sues Trump for nonpayment?  There should be an over/under on this.

  20. 20.

    Sean

    In open thread news:

    Looks like No Labels is going to go through with it, with *someone* running as their candidates. To be determined later. There’s a slight hedge in the article that things could change before tomorrow, but they seem out and proud about it today. They also freely admit now that they won’t be on the ballot in all 50 states. (I’m guessing just the ones that could cause the most harm). What happens if you launch a campaign but have no candidates?

    https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-candidates-selection-third-party-ea3f28a5e35f0789e873ac42369b0a77

    After months of leaving open whether the group would offer a ticket, No Labels delegates are expected to vote Friday in favor of launching a presidential campaign for this fall’s election, according to the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the group’s internal deliberations.

    No Labels will not name its presidential and vice presidential picks on Friday, when roughly 800 delegates meet virtually in a private meeting. The group is instead expected to debut a formal selection process late next week for potential candidates who would be selected in the coming weeks, the people said.

  21. 21.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Trivia Man: AG James absolutely should take 40 Wall Street and liquidate it for market value, including tear-down or extensive remodeling.  Also to kick out a lot of Russians.  It’s valuable real estate in its own right and would relegate the family to the outer boroughs after the patriarch Fred worked so hard to make the family respectable (hint: Fred failed).

    Carroll is the one to go after the plane and his small joys.  Especially since I imagine he’d start spouting off again and defame her even more.

  22. 22.

    Dangerman

    Habba Habba do? Or don’t? There is no try. Or cry. There is no crying in getting your literal or figurative balls in a vice.

  24. 24.

    Trivia Man

    @Anonymous At Work: I wonder how much equity he actually owns free and clear. It very well could be that to get to $400 mil + $83 mil it will take everything he “owns” and still might fall short.

    Im here for it!

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Trivia Man: How clever of me, then, not have used the words honey and vinegar without specifying which one catches more flies! :-)

    And if we really want to get down to it, I’m sure you catch more flies with shit than with either vinegar or honey.

  27. 27.

    Almost Retired

    I don’t know why this amuses me, but I see in the letter that annoying attorney John Sauer from the immunity case has a law office located on “North Outer Forty Road.”  This is a great address for a farm implement auction yard, but seems kind of rural for someone positioning himself as a fancy big city lawyer guy.   Couldn’t find an office suite on Lower Perjury Lane or South Malpractice Boulevard, Mr. Sauer?

  32. 32.

    RaflW

    @Sean:

    No Labels will not name its presidential and vice presidential picks on Friday… the group is instead expected to debut a formal selection process late next week for potential candidates who would be selected in the coming weeks

    This is the stupidest sh*t imaginable. Which means a slice of America will eat it up, unfortunately.

  36. 36.

    glc

    @Trivia Man: I’m aware that fruit flies prefer vinegar to honey.

    For house flies (which is how I usually interpret “fly”) I still haven’t found anything relevant.   Do you have a source?

  37. 37.

    EarthWindFire

    She who uses vinegar rather than honey to catch files will soon get stung by wasp…a WaterGirl/Confucius mashup.

  40. 40.

    Sean

    @RaflW:

    Definitely the press will eat up. But they’re ceding a lot of weeks there, with no candidate as we’re heading into April and possibly May. It’s a pretty bad strategy. I still worry they’ll manage to fuck things up just enough, along with RJF Jr and the rest of the nutjob brigade, but they’re certainly going about it in the dumbest way possible.

  42. 42.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WaterGirl: Different fly species are attracted to different scents. Not being an entomologist I won’t begin to speak on which scents work better for which flies, noting only that vinegar is a sure fire attractant for fruit flies, and stable flies like horses. And me.

  43. 43.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Trivia Man: Not equity but liquidity matters here.  Equity with no liquidity means you might have to file for bankruptcy to protect assets with equity from creditors until you can free up liquidity to pay them.  During the bankruptcy process, creditors can take a haircut if debts exceed equity but the ongoing concern is profitable.

    I have no doubts that TFG has the ~$600 million in equity required to pay for the verdicts.  He doesn’t have that much to pay for the bonds to stay enforcement pending appeals and might be having trouble finding lenders.  Which means, enforcement will come with judicial foreclosures and sales, which typically are lower than a negotiated sales price.

    These issues compound each other quite frequently and quite rapidly, especially in a high-debt environment like real estate development.  Previously, TFG was able to get illegal loans from Daddy, go public with shady IPOs, or play creditors off of one another.  Now, as ex-President, presidential candidate, and burdened with a financial monitor, none of those options are open to him.

  44. 44.

    Josie

    @Sean: At some point, a Dem Pac should cut an ad that ties No Labels to the wealthy asshole (can’t remember which one) who is bankrolling it and point out its true intentions.

  45. 45.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    Anyone who’d rather be pretty than intelligent should take into account that beauty fades a lot more quickly than intellect.

    And anyone who may find themselves reliant on a judge’s generosity should take into account that siccing a mob on a judge will diminish the judge’s generosity vis a vis the siccer.

  46. 46.

    Fair Economist

    @Trivia Man:

    Fast forward a few years and i was shocked to discover thats not true. Flies ate attracted to rotten meat more than sugar, and vinegar is much more their preference. (I still use the phrase cause i like the sentiment and dont have a replacement)

    Depends on the fly, actually. But fruit flies and house flies do really like the smell of vinegar.

  47. 47.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Sean:

    Definitely the press will eat up.

    I’m thinking that even the press has a limit on how much bullshit they’re going to swallow from third-tier actors like No Labels.

    If they’d landed someone like Hogan or Manchin or Haley, they’d have been able to keep the game going all summer and into the fall.  But now they’re too much of a joke for even the dedicated bothsidesers of our MSM to ignore.

    It’s certainly high time that, if the media’s going to pay them any attention at all, they start asking why they need to run anyone at all, just what policies their hypothetical ticket will be fighting for.

  48. 48.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @RSA:

    “White people’s Thanksgiving has pumpkin pie and wine. Black Thanksgiving has pound cake and Crown Royal.”

    Hysterical and terribly helpful.

  49. 49.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Fair Economist:

    Depends on the fly, actually. But fruit flies and house flies do really like the smell of vinegar.

    Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

  50. 50.

    Sean

    @Josie: I think MoveOn is working that angle, but it’s all shrouded in secrecy. They won’t make public who their donors are, or who their 800 “delegates” are. From another article:

    Ryan Clancy, chief strategist for No Labels, would not identify the delegates and didn’t have much to say about their selection process other than each had experienced “one-on-one conversations” with the group. He said the secrecy is meant to protect the delegates, whom he called “true believers,” from critics who are trying to “bully” them.

    Sounds more like a cult than a political party. Also, politics ain’t beanbag. It isn’t so much “bullying” as having to face the consequences of your shitty actions.

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Shalimar:

    that secret locked room

    The bathroom with all the bankers boxes stashed in it, or the utility closet next to the pool?

  52. 52.

    Betty

    @Sean: What if you launch a campaign and keep insisting you are not a political party subject to campaign financing laws?

  53. 53.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Harriot reminds me, when poking fun at his people of a guy back in the Aughts:

    https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

    He stopped the blog in 2010, got a book published based on his blog posts.

    The sad thing is that much of what he posted about I see mainstreamed by the hordes of white people who’ve carpetbagged in here from lily white burbs over the last ten years.

  54. 54.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Sean:

    No Labels will not name its presidential and vice presidential picks on Friday

    They are going to wring every last penny out of this con.  The level of Lucy and the Football impresses me when it’s conservatives being robbed.

    @glc:

    For house flies (which is how I usually interpret “fly”) I still haven’t found anything relevant.

    ‘House flies’ are usually blow flies, Calliphoridae.  The scent they like most is… each other.  Especially each other’s dead bodies.  This is the power of fly paper.  They’ll ignore it for weeks, but if you catch one fly with it you’ll get two before terribly long, and once you’ve got half a dozen it becomes a magnet.

    ‘Fruit flies’ are usually Drosophila melanogaster, and the reason it likes vinegar is that it’s hunting for fermentation.  Its larvae eat yeast.

    EDIT – If you are having blow fly problems, swat one, drop it on a strip of flypaper, hang it up, and wait.  If you can swat two or three that will speed up the process, but even one gets the avalanche rolling.

  55. 55.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: Harriott is a writer and historian who is very funny and primarily focusses on racism in America.  He is known for his epic Twitter threads that are usually very funny but also informative.  He has a book out now titled Black AF History:

    America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It is the story of the pilgrims on the Mayflower building a new nation. It is George Washington’s cherry tree and Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. It is the fantastic tale of slaves that spontaneously teleported themselves here with nothing but strong backs and negro spirituals. It is a sugarcoated legend based on an almost true story.

    It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie.

    In Black AF History, Michael Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history. Combining unapologetically provocative storytelling with meticulous research based on primary sources as well as the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars, and journalists, Harriot removes the white sugarcoating from the American story, placing Black people squarely at the center. With incisive wit, Harriot speaks hilarious truth to oppressive power, subverting conventional historical narratives with little-known stories about the experiences of Black Americans. From the African Americans who arrived before 1619 to the unenslavable bandit who inspired America’s first police force, this long overdue corrective provides a revealing look into our past that is as urgent as it is necessary. For too long, we have refused to acknowledge that Americanhistory is white history. Not this one. This history is Black AF.

  57. 57.

    Greg

    I get a kick out of the very last line of text “attorneys for President Donald J. Trump”.

    Even here, he needs his ego stroked.

  58. 58.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    His old word press site was moved in 2016 but that destination no longer comes up for me.  He’s got a ton of material from the last decade that’s great reading but again, harder to find.

    More current columns:

    https://thegrio.com/author/michael-harriot/

    Not-as-current-columns:

    https://www.theroot.com/author/michaelharriot

    It’s infuriating in that his stuff is scattered all over the web.  One of his best-titled columns from that second link:

    “Kyrsten Sinema is Bathroom Alligator Trash”

  59. 59.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: He also has a great comedy podcast called Drapetomaniax:

    From Dean of Black Twitter, Michael Harriot, comes a Black history podcast like you’ve never heard before. Using a recipe that includes detailed research, barbershop humor and a little seasoned salt, a parade of cookout-certified celebrity guests helps Michael Harriot serve up a compelling, hilarious and more accurate version of Black history that was conveniently whitewashed from your social studies book.

    One of my fave podcasters, Rod of TheBlackGuyWhoTips podcast, was one of the writers on it and it’s very funny, though there’s a pretty steep learning-curve based on Black Culture references so I’m sure a lot of the jokes went over my head.  Even so, very enjoyable and informative.

  60. 60.

    Josie

    @Juju: ​
     Yes, that’s the one. He could also be tied to our esteemed SC judge. These little details need to be pointed out to people.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    @Anonymous At Work:

    Previously, TFG was able to get illegal loans from Daddy, go public with shady IPOs, or play creditors off of one another.  Now, as ex-President, presidential candidate, and burdened with a financial monitor, none of those options are open to him.

    So sad!

  68. 68.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @VFX Lurker: Yup.  Just shows that all that brilliance, knowledge and passion for dismantling White Supremacy (he really does the work), doesn’t mean a person still can’t make a boneheaded move.  Granted, he was in AL, so his vote (like mine in CA) effectively didn’t matter.  But I will always side-eye him for that bullshit.  That said I still love his work and learn a lot from it.

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    Something something flies honey vinegar.

    Go fuck yourselves go fuck yourselves orange shitstain’s trash lawyers.

  72. 72.

    lowtechcyclist

    Random thought I had a day or two ago: Dems should plaster this pic of Trump and Putin on billboards along highways all across red areas of swing states.  It’s the one where Trump looks like Putin’s just taken him to the woodshed.

    Throw in their faces that pic of Trump that makes him look weak, defeated, and absolutely owned by Putin.  The point being less to change their minds than to simply demoralize them.  Depress their enthusiasm for Trump and maybe they’ll be less likely to vote.

  73. 73.

    TBone

    I saw Marc Elias practically yelling (yesterday?) on MSNBC about all the ways they’re lining up to cheat.  I mean, his tone and volume was impressive!

    Under Pennsylvania’s election law, “watcher’s certificates” are provided so that political parties and candidates can watch the counting of votes, but residents unaffiliated with a political party or candidate do not need one, the release states.
    The lawsuit alleges the county violated the Pennsylvania Election Code by not allowing the public to watch the computing of the votes during the official canvass.

    https://www.ydr.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/06/aclu-alleges-in-lawsuit-that-york-county-pa-violated-election-law-nonpartisan-observers/72864260007/

  77. 77.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @Sean: It would indeed. The No Labels filthy rich funders are her real constituents anyway.

  81. 81.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @John S.: You don’t need to BE smart, “you can fake smart”. [Habba, 2023].

    That quote says so many things about not just her and anybody who would hire her, but about the entire MAGA population. They don’t recognize any difference between intelligence and bullshit.

  82. 82.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @lowtechcyclist: When it comes to catching flies, I prefer a good-fielding set of outfielders.​

    Bringing to mind a classic Johnny Carson Carnac the Magnificent shtick:

    Carnac holds the sealed envelope up to his turban and says, The answer is Catch-22.
    He opens the envelope and reads the question: What do the Dodgers do with 100 fly balls.

    Which in turn brings back to this Baltimore Orioles fan fond memories of Game 2 of the 1966 Whirled Serious, when LA outfielder Willie Davis committed 3 errors in one inning, leading to an O’s 6-0 victory over Sandy Koufax in the last game he ever pitched**, en route to a near-incomprehensible Series sweep by the Birds.
    ** Maybe once he endured that he knew it was time to retire. (j/k)​

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    @Josie: I think posts and stories should go up, speculating publicly on who MIGHT be behind it – make them uncomfortable and call out their secrecy at the same time and make them either deny it or not.

    Maybe the speculation worse for them than the truth, or make the decide they will drop it because the cost is too high.

  87. 87.

    lowtechcyclist

    @NotMax:

    Not all that many would identify Putin on sight.

    I’m not sure that would be necessary.  Does it really matter who the guy is who’s all smug while Trump looks like he’s just lost his lunch?

  88. 88.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Anonymous At Work:

    TFG, flying coach? TFG, having to scramble to charter flights? Warms me in the way that ghost pepper chili cannot.

    I hear you and agree with the sentiment, but this specific example probably wouldn’t fly (pun intended). There are an enormous number of staggeringly rich people who have control over hundreds of biz jets. (I say “control over” because most of these jets have…complicated…ownerships.)

    If Trump asked, he’d probably have access to dozens of these for a year, no strings attached, and with nearly no way to know which fat-cat loaned him the jet(s).

  89. 89.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    Are the folks on the right so blinded with hate and the quest for power that they are unable to understand the consequences of throwing shit together and hoping it flies?

    I’m not sure blinded is the right correct term any longer. They are so far right that it must be some other segment of the body. I’d suggest the exit opening as where their entire thought process occurs, such as it is. After all they do seem to be overfull of something that stinks, has no positive use and that they seem to be glad to have exit the body from the wrong end. IOW they are full massively overflowing with it such that it is violently ejected from every possible port.

  92. 92.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Chief Oshkosh:

    If Trump asked, he’d probably have access to dozens of these for a year, no strings attached, and with nearly no way to know which fat-cat loaned him the jet(s).

    You don’t think they’d take advantage of his predicament to get some leverage over him?  He’d be able to do them some serious favors if he should win in November.

  93. 93.

    Snarki, child of Loki

    With all the comments about what flies like, no one has suggested “Mike Pence”?1??

     

    Okay, it was just ONE fly. And it was his “demonic handler”, that lives in his left nostril, but still.

  94. 94.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @OzarkHillbilly: … vinegar is a sure fire attractant for fruit flies…​

    Homemade fruit-fly trap: Cut off the top of an empty 2-liter soda bottle just below where the plastic has widened to its maximum diameter. Set top aside. Pour 3″ of apple cider vinegar into the topless bottle; add several drops of dishwashing liquid. Invert the bottle top and push it into the topless bottle. Set on a counter where the flies are swarming. The little buggers fly down the inverted top and dive into the vinegar; the soap film on their wings keeps them from flying out. EZ PZ!

  95. 95.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I “follow” Harriot, he’s definitely worth it.

    Mrs. SFAW probably agrees, she watches episodes of “All Creatures Great and Small” and enjoys them.

  96. 96.

    Mike in NC

    Where would our country’s many dirtbag lawyers be without having Donald Trump as a client for the past 50 years?

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @Anonymous At Work:

    Why would you want to subject innocent humans to the detriment of having to be within miles, let alone in an enclosed space breathing the same air at hundreds of miles per hour as that pile of worse than useless excrement?

  98. 98.

    Geminid

    @Shalimar: Michael Harriot is a passionate writer when he’s serious. He can also be hilarious when he wants to. Harriot’s takedown of Costco’s bulk mac-n-cheese is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.

  99. 99.

    Sure Lurkalot

    Piling on the accolades for Michael Harriot. Dave Zirin (mentioned by WG) is good too even if you’re not into sports.

    Seriously, fuck Trump and his money woes. Remember when he brayed he was self-funding his campaign and thus could not be bought? Yeah, right, loser.

    Trump (Musk and many other “net worth billionaires”) fund their lavish lifestyles on loans (income tax avoidance and tax deduction are just minor side benefits) until some event pulls out one of those bottom cards in the house they built.  That E Jean is one of those “events” is delish.

  101. 101.

    mrmoshpotato

    @lowtechcyclist:

    You don’t think they’d take advantage of his predicament to get some leverage over him? He’d be able to do them some serious favors if he should win in November. 

    And risk getting poisoned by Putin for trying to take away Putin’s orange bitch?

  102. 102.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Mike in NC:

    Where would our country’s many dirtbag lawyers be without having Donald Trump as a client for the past 50 years? 

    Less dirty and actually paid?

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @kindness:

    She’s a true believer (to the detriment of everyone) but it will take a lot for her to wake up and smell the obvious, as it almost always does with true believers.

  105. 105.

    Jackie

    THIS made me chortle!😁

    Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), the former White House physician, was demoted by the U.S. Navy following an inspector general’s report that found he acted inappropriately while serving under then-president Donald Trump.

    The Navy demoted the two-term congressman from a retired admiral to captain, which carries serious financial implications and a social stigma among military circles, after the Pentagon inspector general faulted him for creating a hostile work environment and drinking and taking drugs while on duty as the president’s doctor.

    “The substantiated allegations in the DoDIG [Department of Defense Office of Inspector General] investigation of Rear Adm (lower half) Ronny Jackson are not in keeping with the standards the Navy requires of its leaders and, as such, the Secretary of the Navy took administrative action in July 2022,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joe Keiley, a Navy spokesperson.

    WaPo gift link: https://wapo.st/3TprtNo

  106. 106.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    Catch more flies with shit? If that were so, SFB would be totally covered with them. Of course even flies may have some level of taste and/or not going to far…

  108. 108.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Chief Oshkosh: If TFG does any campaign activity at the destination or is returning from a campaign activity to one of his homes, then the Fair Market Value of a charter flight is considered an in-kind donation against the donation limits, must be reported by the campaign, publicly disclosed.

    There are some cultists who won’t care or even rush to provide, but that causes a cash crunch on coffers already strapped for cash.  And there are a lot of CEOs who wouldn’t want their companies to be associated with TFG, win or lose.

  109. 109.

    SFAW

    @Jackie:

    Excellent news.

    ETA: Perhaps the best part is that they can no longer refer to him as “former/retired admiral.” Unless they put “disgraced” in front of it.

  110. 110.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: He’s still a great resource and honestly that kind of anti-Hillary bullshit isn’t a big part of his work.  I was following him in 2016 and have been since, and I didn’t even know about that shit until just recently.  You’d never know it based on his writing if someone didn’t share a link.  It wasn’t even a big theme in his work in 2016.  I know because I scoured his Tweets from the whole year, looking to see if he was a big Hillary-basher and I somehow just missed it.  He really wasn’t.  It was a couple parody Tweets about writing-in another candidate, but that’s it.  He also regularly notes how much better Biden is than Trump, nowadays.  So he’s not even one of those annoying anti-Dem Party people.

  113. 113.

    Jackie

    Good news for Fani!

    The Fulton County Board of Ethics has decided not to hear two complaints against District Attorney Fani Willis.

    The board was expected to hear the complaints Thursday. But by Thursday morning, the board had removed the complaints against Willis from the agenda.

    David Wickert of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the board, “Determined it does not have jurisdiction over Willis, a state constitutional officer.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/fani-willis-ethics-complaint/

  114. 114.

    hueyplong

    @Jackie: “Taking drugs while on duty” seems like the kind of thing that might merit more attention/consequences than entitled Ronny has faced to date. And it might merit mention when people are quoting his nonsense accusations.

  115. 115.

    Ruckus

    @lowtechcyclist:

    why they need to run anyone at all, just what policies their hypothetical ticket will be fighting for.

    They can’t label it or tell you what it is because they don’t exist. It’s why they call it no labels in the first place. They think it’s the perfect scam, and it may be. They get people to pay them to do and say nothing. All they have to do is repeat No Labels constantly and they are home free and with money they don’t have to justify to anyone.

    As scams go it’s not bad, they tell you up front that they do nothing, earn nothing, stand for nothing, now pay up.

  116. 116.

    Jackie

    Sadly, claims of rigged elections isn’t solely a MAGA complaint.

    Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) claimed the U.S. Senate primary in California that she lost was “rigged” by “an onslaught of billionaires.”

    This interesting blurb was added below Porter’s whine:

    Readers added context:

    “Rigging” implies illegal manipulation of electoral outcomes, a serious violation undermining democracy. Outspending on advertising, supported by Citizens United v. FEC, falls under protected free speech, provided it adheres to campaign finance laws. It’s not “rigging.” fec.gov/legal-resource…

    I have really lost respect for Katie Porter as a sourpussed loser. Her final months in congress will be awkward, IMO.

  117. 117.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Frankensteinbeck: ​
     My sister’s cat and I had a very efficient tag-team arrangement with regard to houseflies.

    I would stun a fly in mid-air, using a rolled-up dishtowel. The fly would fall to the floor unconscious (or what passes for that state in a fly).

    The cat would pounce on the unconscious fly and eat it.

    The drawbacks to this method were:

    1. My sister ruled that all Fly Dishtowels had to go directly into the laundry pile (a fair rule, but we had only so many dishtowels);

    2. The cat loved this two-person game and wanted to kiss me on the lips after she dispatched each fly (eww, no).

  119. 119.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @H.E.Wolf: Some versions of the human-dog evolution story hypothesize that they learned the advantages of cooperative hunting.

    I’m imagining a different timeline with humans and cats developing the same hunting relationship, based around flies.

    Edit: In our house I’m constantly trying to figure out the relationship between the cat and the dog. Does the cat like him? Does she hate him? Would she like to hang with him but he’s a pain in the ass because he plays rough? (This is the correct version I believe).

    Anyway she seems to like a game where she tosses things off the table that he’s going to chew, such as pencils. Early in their relationship I caught her one day on a coffee table where there was an open box of milk bones, carefully fishing out one milk bone at a time to toss down to him.

  120. 120.

    Ruckus

    @mrmoshpotato:

    That can be changed, their protection can be removed. Besides they are there to protect the subject from others, do they really have to protect the subject from himself?

  125. 125.

    Ruckus

    @SFAW:

    He’s so full of shit that it oozes out of every pore. Ever notice that stuff all over his face, that orange shit? Yes I know his normal color, I’d bet that when one sweats shit that’s what it looks like. He can’t think that looks normal, it has to be another one of his “issues.”

  126. 126.

    Hoodie

    @WaterGirl: My oldest son, a diehard football fan, sent me that this morning.  The funny thing is that football is like a religion in Alabama, so you could put this into the same own-goal category as the ALSC holding that frozen embryos are babies.   Players for top 25 teams are generally pretty sophisticated guys with multimillion dollar incomes and can go any damn where they please.   With Nick Saban gone to ESPN, here’s one more reason for them to bypass Alabama.   Kalen DeBoer may regret the day he signed up to go to Tuscaloosa.

  127. 127.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Chief Oshkosh:

    If Trump asked, he’d probably have access to dozens of these for a year, no strings attached, and with nearly no way to know which fat-cat loaned him the jet(s).

    I heard a lot of ‘rich conservative guys will pay Trump’s fines for him’ and that doesn’t seem to be happening.  I  think he would be even less likely to get a private jet.

  128. 128.

    JWR

    @Jackie: Oof! And to think, she gave up a “reasonably” safe seat in the House and for what? To lose and then bitch about it? Too bad, so sad.

  133. 133.

    Citizen Alan

    @lowtechcyclist:

     just what policies their hypothetical ticket will be fighting for.

    It’s simple. The only Republican policy is “the opposite of what Democrats want.” The No Labels policy is “the opposite of what Democrats want but I’m not a Republican.”

  134. 134.

    Hoodie

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: And she kind of proves the counterpoint, i.e., you can take Wygovy, get plastic surgery, color your hair, etc.,  to make yourself prettier.   I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s had some work done.  Not aware of any treatments for stupid.

  135. 135.

    geg6

    @Hoodie:

    Not to be lookist or anything, but I don’t even think she’s all that pretty.  I mean, she’s attractive, but hardly a stunner.

  136. 136.

    Citizen Alan

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Truth. Alina Habba is the antithesis of Elle Wood from Legally Blonde. Where Elle used her attractiveness to distract from how highly intelligent she was, Habba uses hers to distract from how bone-dead stupid she is.

  137. 137.

    Citizen Alan

    @Jackie: Yeah. I kind of regret voting for her, even if it was purely tactical on my part. And now, I’m actually kind of glad that Garvey beat her, because if she’d made it to the general, she and Schiff would have gone scorched earth and distracted from more important races.

  138. 138.

    p.a.

    I was unfortunately watching while I was channel surfing and an interview with Holy Joe Lieberman flashed.  Question: does his crypt have an auto-opening 4 year timer or does he rely on someone to break him out.

    Also too, will Manchin take occupation next?

  139. 139.

    Ruckus

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    At one time he could “help” them. And I’d bet that him “helping” them is the only reason they would be anywhere near him. But that is no longer true. He’s obviously lied about his actual worth, which he might but likely doesn’t even know, but all things considered he has reduced the value of his “brand” rather badly. And owing a lot of millions in fines and judgements that he likely doesn’t actually have and his seemingly lack of much mental acuity whatsoever these days seems to me that his shit has finally hit that big fan in the sky.

  140. 140.

    Kay

    President Biden will announce in his State of the Union on Thursday that he is ordering the U.S. military to build a floating pier off Gaza, in what the White House called an “emergency mission” that would allow hundreds of truckloads of additional aid to be delivered by sea to Gazans who are on the brink of starvation

    Wonderful news. This is what I want to see – some money and effort put toward this rescue. We have a lot of smart people. Figure out how to get them some food.

  142. 142.

    E.

    @Jackie: To be fair, Schiff spent 11 million dollars promoting the dipshit anti-woke Republican candidate in a rather mercenary move to get Porter booted from the general election. I’ve actually lost more respect for Schiff than for Porter in this fiasco.

  144. 144.

    Hoodie

    @geg6: She gives off the vibe that she thinks she’s pretty.  That’s subjective, whatever floats your boat.   She does have the appearance of some sculpting, so to speak.  It’s just the absurdity of implying you can’t fake pretty that ‘s hilarious, exhibit 1 that she’s not too adept at faking smart.  It’s amazing the morons Trump surrounds himself with, I guess it’s a reflection of his own stupidity and insecurity.  And he pays them so much money . . .

  145. 145.

    Hoodie

    @E.: I’m not a big fan of that tactic in a jungle primary, but it’s doubtful that had much effect in getting votes for Garvey seeing that the Trump/Haley match was also on the ballot.   The next highest GOP vote getter was at 3%.  Garvey had name recognition, the other Republicans were nobodies.

  146. 146.

    JWR

    @Kay: Excellent news! And that they’re thinking of turning it into a viable commercial venture makes it even better.

  147. 147.

    Anoniminous

    @Anonymous At Work:

    He’s trying to take-over Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC.)  If he succeeds:

    Trump’s deal with DWAC gives him virtually unlimited power at the company. A previous filing noted that no personal or political conduct could be considered terms of a breach of the agreement, even if it was “dishonest, illegal, immoral, or unethical.” Trump will also have the power to elect who sits on the board of directors and can potentially block matters that would normally require stockholder approval, including the acquisition of the company.

    ETA: at current value of DWAC stock Trump would get $3.2 billion

  148. 148.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @E.: Isn’t this what people want when they say they want Dems to show some spine, be willing to fight dirty, go low etc.?  If we are gonna make excuses for candidates bashing other Dems in the Primary and spreading narratives like CrookedHillary and GenocideJoe (narratives that could even ultimately harm their chances in the General Election), out of raw political calculation and gamesmanship, this too seems entirely in bounds.  People here are constantly saying that anything goes in the Primary, so this seems no different.  It was a smart play by Schiff.

  149. 149.

    Jackie

    @E.: I don’t see what Schiff did is any less tactical than Dems/Reps crossing the aisle to vote for who’s deemed the more beatable in the General Election.
    Plus, two Dems on the CA ballot would cost biggly dollars.

    I just, personally, cringe at her crying RIGGED. That’s pathetic.

    eta I started losing respect for Porter for declaring her bid for DiFi’s seat within a day or two after DiFi’s death.

  150. 150.

    WaterGirl

    @Jackie: Admiral to captain!  I bet that smarts, and not just in the wallet.  Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

    And this was before all the stories about handing out pills like candy in Trump’s White House, right?

    Could he possibly lose his medical license for that stuff/

  152. 152.

    Kay

    @JWR:

    No one wants to hear the American President say he can’t do anything about this situation. That’s a loser with the general public and it should be. It’s not an acceptable answer.

    They have to figure out a way to save a million people, fast. I’m quite confident they’ll get it done.

  154. 154.

    Tony G

    Given the history of Trump’s relationships with women over the past half-century, I, for one, find it to be astonishing that he hired an attorney who is a physically attractive woman who is totally incompetent.

  155. 155.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Hoodie: It’s a combination of TFG being a nightmare client (doesn’t pay & doesn‘T listen) & the fact that his cases are unwinnable (no future for the employees who have to lie for this crook – look what happened to Michael Cohen) means that no good lawyer has an incentive to work for him.

    Unlike the despots of the world, a high-powered lawyer can look forward to a nicer life in a world without Trump than with him.

    As for the judgements against him, I fully expect some bonding company that no-one has ever heard of will suddenly come up with the cash.  I think the Saudis have an incentive to protect their investment with Jared, whatever they may say.

  156. 156.

    WaterGirl

    @Citizen Alan: The way Katie Porter is behaving after losing, I find myself wondering if Adam Schiff wasn’t on to what Katie would be like in a 2-person race in the general.  And knew that it would be bad for him, for the party, and would waste a ton of money that could be better used elsewhere.

  158. 158.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop: I agree that if the money to cover the bonds appears out of nowhere it will probably be the Saudis. There is a whole industry devoted to hiding money transfers. It was documented in the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers.

    I wonder whether the amounts are too large to easily hide.

  159. 159.

    WaterGirl

    @E.: By “promoting” the Republican, I assume you mean running ads that show what a MAGA the guy was?

    You’re unhappy that Schiff chose to help people see what a piece of shit this guy was, as opposed to being in direct competition with his fellow Democrat?

    Seems like he made the smart move, and one that was better for the Democratic party.  Better to see NOW just how ugly Katie Porter can behave, and that she isn’t senatorial material, than to have an ugly general election between Democrat’s.

  160. 160.

    geg6

    @E.: ​
     
    I don’t understand this. They were running against one another. This is what you do. He didn’t go scorched earth on her, personally. He boosted the opponent he felt he could more easily defeat. That’s election politics 101. And for her to call a completely legal tactic “rigging” is just total and utter bullshit and sore loserdom. Lost all respect for her with that. She is an asshole for that in my book.

  162. 162.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @WaterGirl: “Politics ain’t bean bag.”

    I have my doubts about how much impact Schiff’s ads had. I don’t fault him for running them.

  163. 163.

    WaterGirl

    @geg6: Agree.  Only I think it’s even worse than that.

    “Rigging?”

    In her own way, by using that word, she is helping promote Trump’s big lie.  Helping to undermine faith in elections.

    Unacceptable.

  164. 164.

    Paul in KY

    @RSA: Thank you for linking to that! Gotta google what a ‘Boston’ is in spades. I think I play a good spades game…but then I’m white.

  166. 166.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jackie: I’m going to wait and see if it actually affects her behavior in congress, but gotta agree: This is not a good look for her.

  170. 170.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Anoniminous: Trying to.  Two separate lawsuits from people he pushed out and then wrote out of IPO will delay things.  Also, his ability to sell is time limited.  Between the two, if he can’t sell his shares by election day, he might make nothing since hte current value is pure speculation on his winning.

  172. 172.

    Barry

    @Mike in NC: “Where would our country’s many dirtbag lawyers be without having Donald Trump as a client for the past 50 years?”

     

    Richer?

  173. 173.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, in the Everything is Terrible, but actually not, file… CalculatedRiskBlog.com:

    The Federal Reserve released the Q4 2023 Flow of Funds report today: Financial Accounts of the United States.

    The net worth of households and nonprofits rose to $156.2 trillion during the fourth quarter of 2023. The value of directly and indirectly held corporate equities increased $4.7 trillion and the value of real estate decreased $0.6 trillion. […]

    When the press talks about scary numbers like BILLIONS of DOLLARS, or even TRILLIONS of DOLLARS, it’s good to keep things like the number above in mind, to provide a little context.

    We are an extraordinarily wealthy country. We need to find ways to find the will to use that wealth more effectively.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  175. 175.

    trollhattan

    I’d tell the judge, “My client forgot his PIN and then the ATM ate his card, which the bank won’t give back.”

  177. 177.

    Paul in KY

    @Jackie: To go from Gen officer rank to below is a ‘stain of shame’. Every Gen officer he had outranked and was bitchy to will be looking for him. Buwahahahahaha!!!

  178. 178.

    PAM Dirac

    @WaterGirl:

    By “promoting” the Republican, I assume you mean running ads that show what a MAGA the guy was?

    The notion that this is “promoting” a candidate assumes that MAGAs can’t recognize MAGA. I find this very hard to believe. In Maryland in ’22 there was evidence against it. Some D org ran ads “promoting” the a MAGA R candidate for governor, Cox. Cox was endorsed by drumpf and beat Hogan’s “moderate” candidate. Hogan screamed about D “interference” , but a very MAGA candidate for AG also beat a “moderate” by even more without any “promotion”. I just don’t think MAGAs need any help from Ds to recognize MAGA.

  179. 179.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl: IIRC DiFi announced her retirement, folks filed to run (#?) then she died anyway. Believe Lee, Porter, Schiff all filed before she croaked. Frickin’ Garvey got his arm twisted on the golf course some later date.

    The sequence is why we had two ballot spaces for the one seat: finish out the term and replace Newsom’s appointment and then take the upcoming full term.

  183. 183.

    trollhattan

    @Jackie: To summarize, Vlad has expended 100k+ Russian lives, a third of his navy and air force, perhaps 100k Ukrainian lives, destroyed vast swaths of Ukraine, all to gain several hundreds of square miles of territory and add two nations to NATO.

    Naturally this wins him the upcoming corona…sorry, election by a vast majority. Believe this time his opponent is an Ikea dresser.

  184. 184.

    Paul in KY

    @Hoodie: Mr. DeBoer has a glittering resume, that’s for sure. I just wonder if he’s ever coached that many African American football players? His name ‘DeBoer’ sounds extra whitey-white to me. Like having last name ‘DeKlanton’.

  186. 186.

    Paul in KY

    @E.: Personally, I would have rather had 2 Dems squaring off, as that means 100% no GQPer winning.

    I don’t think Garvey has much chance at all, but stranger things have happened.

    Disappointed with Katie for her whining, BTW. This is a big girl & boy league she’s playing in.

  188. 188.

    Paul in KY

    @Tony G: I think he’ll choose Noem for his veep slot.  She’s evil & can lie with aplomb and he thinks he can tap her.

  189. 189.

    Jackie

    DAMN IT, President Biden! Can’t you be mean and underhanded just once???🤨

    “U.S. intelligence officials are planning to brief Donald Trump on national security matters if he secures the GOP nomination this summer — despite concerns about his handling of classified information,” Politico reports.

    “The decision would be in keeping with a tradition that dates back to 1952, but it would mark the first time an administration has volunteered to share classified information with a candidate who is facing criminal charges on charges that he mishandled classified documents.”

    I sincerely hope Biden’s mind is changed by summertime. Maybe more revelations of additional security issues may crop up before then.
    I do NOT want TIFG to ever ever be given classified briefings again!!!

    It’s truly a matter of protecting our country and assets from those who wish us harm.
    Grrrrr 👿

  191. 191.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, NPR.org:

    President Biden is set to announce in his State of the Union address Thursday that the U.S. military will lead an emergency mission to build a new pier on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza to allow large ships to deliver food, water, medicine and temporary shelters to the territory.

    The temporary pier will not require U.S. troops to land in Gaza, senior administration officials told reporters on a conference call. They noted that the military had “unique capabilities,” but did not explain how this might work. United Nations workers and other aid groups will distribute the aid, the officials said.

    It will take a number of weeks to plan and execute the operation, the officials said. When it is ready, the U.S. military will initially lead the operation, but other countries and groups are expected to join in, the officials said. The assistance arriving by ship from the nearby Mediterranean island of Cyprus should be able to fill hundreds of truckloads a day with aid, the officials added.

    […]

    Even if it ends up being like the USS Mercy during the early days of the pandemic and not actually being used much, it’s a good thing. However, it’s easy to figure that Israel is going to continue to try to strangle Gaza as long as it can even if the fighting stops, so it still might be important in the future.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  195. 195.

    Paul in KY

    @Jackie: There’s classified and ‘classified’. I would think they’ll just give him the most namby pamby stuff (things you read in TMZ a day later).

  196. 196.

    Shalimar

    @Citizen Alan: I would have voted for Porter if I still lived in California (though I really love Schiff and Lee also), but I have come around to being glad Garvey finished 2nd.  This was not a distraction Democrats needed all the way through to November, and Porter was never going to catch Schiff absent a totally unexpected scandal.

  197. 197.

    rikyrah

    UH HUH

     

    UH HUH

     

    Jason Garcia (@Jason_Garcia) posted at 1:28 PM on Wed, Mar 06, 2024:
    By a 77-36 vote, the Florida House of Representatives just passed a bill expanding a notorious union-busting law that targets teachers and other public-sector workers in Florida.

    Bill goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it.

    Jason Garcia (@Jason_Garcia) posted at 1:28 PM on Wed, Mar 06, 2024:
    “This bill IS about worker protection. It IS about rights,” said bill sponsor Rep. Dean Black (R-Jacksonville), just before the bill passed.

    Which is weird….because he keeps making sure this law doesn’t apply to workers he likes – like cops, firefighters and prison guards
    (https://x.com/Jason_Garcia/status/1765459424313741813?t=n7UkghvqScBm2Br13koW4g&s=03)

  198. 198.

    Paul in KY

    @trollhattan: Also, I have known white people who gave their kids names that started with ‘K’ (when starting it with a ‘C’ would have been fine, so I’m not talking about Kevin or Keith) and most all of them were stone cold racists.

  199. 199.

    rikyrah

    The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) posted at 0:46 PM on Wed, Mar 06, 2024:
    Mitch McConnell is the reason why the United States hasn’t passed a renewed Voting Rights Act. He is the reason why the United States hasn’t passed democracy reform. He is the reason why Donald Trump is still able to run for office (he had the opportunity to end this nightmare but didn’t).

    Mitch McConnell is the reason why Roe v. Wade was overturned, and why IVF is now illegal in Alabama.

    McConnell is responsible for turning the U.S. Senate into the House of Representatives.

    McConnell has never been a friend to labor, the environment, or responsive to climate change.

    History, if it remembers him, will remember him for the things he did, and the things he prevented.

    He put his own ambitions before the needs of the United States whenever he could.
    (https://x.com/highbrow_nobrow/status/1765448848166572240?t=QAUyyEXQ7VUUnwZrHYxQSw&s=03)

  201. 201.

    Jackie

    “President Biden will propose a set of new housing initiatives in Thursday’s State of the Union address, including tax credits to offset high mortgage rates for first-time home buyers and encourage people to move out of starter homes and put them on the market,” the Washington Post reports.

    “The proposals would provide middle-class, first-time buyers with $5,000 per year for two years. That would have the same effect as lowering a buyer’s mortgage rate by more than 1.5 percentage points for two years on the median home, according to the White House.”

    WaPo gift link: https://wapo.st/3TpZJbt

    This will be awesome news for potential first time buyers – providing it gets through congress.

  204. 204.

    Shalimar

    @E.: Schiff spent $11 million on campaign ads against the guy he felt he would be facing in November.  It’s arrogant and presumptuous, but it isn’t promoting Garvey.  They were negative ads equating Garvey with Trump’s ass.

  205. 205.

    rikyrah

    Jay Bookman (@jaysbookman) posted at 8:04 AM on Wed, Mar 06, 2024:
    MAGA is not and never was about “making America great again.” It’s about making MAGA members feel great again, about regaining the dominance they think is theirs by birthright, and as long as that goal is achieved they don’t give a shit about the impact on the country.
    )

    Jay Bookman (@jaysbookman) posted at 8:04 AM on Wed, Mar 06, 2024:
    Put another way, MAGA is motivated by pure selfishness, not patriotism, so it is no surprise that it is led by the most cartoonishly selfish character I’ve ever encountered, in reality or in fiction, someone to whom the common good is a concept fit only for suckers.
    (https://x.com/jaysbookman/status/1765378026978648152?t=MEw4dk18LLQ6bLN5guMDfw&s=03)

  206. 206.

    Anyway

    Just a small quibble – IVF was never illegal in Alabama – they just made it onerous/expensive for labs to offer it.

  207. 207.

    Paul in KY

    @Omnes Omnibus: I was using dude names as examples. Sheesh. I don’t have time to list all the ones that would not fit in with what I was posting. Will say that ‘Kalen’ is one that does fit.

  208. 208.

    Shalimar

    @Paul in KY: Seb Gorka said he knows who the VP choice will be and can’t say but it’s a male with a good record in Congress.  Ordinarily I would say Gorka is lying, but we do know that he talks to Trump every day and is the legal advisor all the lawyers have to get approval from.

  210. 210.

    Paul in KY

    @Shalimar: Interesting. Wouldn’t think it would be Central Casting ‘Nebbish Serial Killer’ Johnson. If it is him, think it would mean TFG knows he’s behind and needs every Godbotherer vote he can get.

  212. 212.

    Jackie

    @Shalimar: I saw that, but after pondering it for awhile, assumed it’s another TIFG’s red herring. IF he’s giving accurate info, I assume senators are OFF the list, as there’s none to spare since the GQP needs every senator they have, PLUS, in order to retake the Senate.

    eta He also said the proposed congress critter wasn’t any who the media have speculated on. That also made me think false flag.

  213. 213.

    Miss Bianca

    @lowtechcyclist: And why the fuck, if they’re actually interested in getting some candidates elected, No Labels doesn’t start with, oh, I dunno…running some candidates for lower offices than POTUS?

    Same with the Greens and Libertarians and all those other no-account performative-political lightweights – if you want to be taken seriously as a political party, you need to build an electoral base. I have known *exactly one* Green Party elected official in my time – Art Goodtimes from Telluride, who was elected to the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners multiple times.

    But that’s it. All these fuckers have this outright delusion that a). they stand even the remotest possibility of getting elected as POTUS; and b). that they would actually be able to get ANYTHING done as a POTUS without a political party base in Congress.

    It’s nuts, and I’m getting tired of it. Put in the work, or shut up and go home.

  214. 214.

    JWR

    @PAM Dirac:

    I just don’t think MAGAs need any help from Ds to recognize MAGA.

    Oh I do, especially when the MAGAt in question is such a beloved member of the community.

  216. 216.

    Ramalama

    @TBone:

    Also, man who farts in church sits in PEW

    I am the target audience for such jokes. Thank you for this.

  218. 218.

    japa21

    Quick statement about Porter.  Her whining might make some sense if she finished just out of the top 2.  But Garvey finished 20 points above her. JFC.

  219. 219.

    Jay

    Donald Trump has been told to pay the six-figure legal costs of a company he sued over claims of “perverted” sex acts and bribes to Russian officials.

    Mrs Justice Steyn threw out the case against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consultancy founded by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, last month.

    She found that Mr Trump’s compensation claim was “bound to fail”.

    In a new ruling she also ordered Mr Trump to pay Orbis’s costs “of the entire claim”.

    The order, obtained by the PA news agency on Thursday, also said Mr Trump has made no attempt to bring an appeal.

    Mr Steele, who previously ran the Secret Intelligence Service’s Russia desk, was the author of the so-called Steele dossier.

    This included uncorroborated intelligence claims, denied by Mr Trump, that the former US president had been “compromised” by the Russian security service, the FSB.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68499543

  221. 221.

    PAM Dirac

    @JWR:

    Oh I do, especially when the MAGAt in question is such a beloved member of the community.

    It’s not the MAGAs that are going to assume that a “beloved member of the community” is non-MAGA it is the “normies” and they should be the targets of these ads. In Maryland the primary is closed and since there are much fewer Rs, the R primary tends to be mostly ignored, which makes it possible for the R candidate to run harder right in the primary and go more “bipartisan” in the general. I don’t know if that applies in CA, but I still don’t think that these kinds of ads “promote” MAGA candidates to to MAGA voters.

  222. 222.

    Miss Bianca

    @p.a.:

    I was unfortunately watching while I was channel surfing and an interview with Holy Joe Lieberman flashed.  Question: does his crypt have an auto-opening 4 year timer or does he rely on someone to break him out.

    LOL, good question!

  223. 223.

    Miss Bianca

    @E.: If you want to call “telling everyone that Garvey is no better than any of the other MAGA idiots out there” with the result that a bunch of MAGA idiots trip over themselves to rush out and vote for Garvey, “promoting the dipshit anti-woke Republican candidate” I guess you can, it’s a free country, but I think that’s a misrepresentation of the case, frankly.

    The fact that that outcome was, or should have been, entirely predictable, and that Porter got squeezed out of the jungle primary as a result? Hmmm…what’s that phrase again…”politics ain’t beanbag”?

    @WaterGirl: Or, y’know, what you said.

  224. 224.

    Jay

    @PAM Dirac:

    Garvey was running a “fleece vest” campaign as an “aw shucks” ex-baseball player moderate family man.

    The reality is he is a dyed in the wool MaGgAt who’s family can’t stand him.

    Schiff’s ads successfully exposed him for who he is, probably driving away some support from “normies”, anti-TFIG Repugs and so called “Independents”.

  225. 225.

    JML

    @E.: but this is what happens in jungle primaries. this is always what has happened when you group everyone together like this, people try to use the other candidates to manipulate the election. You play the game based on the actual rules if you want to win. Schiff had the money to make a move that elevated Garvey through the same kind of rat-fucking dems have done in other races. Would it have been great for dems to be able to pick between Schiff and Porter? (or Lee?) Sure, but the odds were always against that, even in CA.

    Can’t blame Schiff for wanting to win. And it’s that kind of thinking that’s made him a very effective member going after the GOP in DC and will keep doing so for him in the Senate.

  227. 227.

    trollhattan

    @Jay: If you’d like to see boilerplate country club Republican mush, look at the candidate statement for Garvey in the  official election guide. Clearly written by the campaign consultant’s student intern who thinks Ronny Reagan is so dreamy.

    I expect he’ll need to now begin straight-from-the-hellmouth  rhetoric going forward, but he doesn’t seem especially bright or quick on the draw, if you will.

  228. 228.

    Citizen Alan

    @WaterGirl:  Yeah, this has come up before. I forget which race, but I remember the media clutching their pearls because some Dem ran ads attacking a GOP nutcase in the primary as a MAGA freak beholden to Trump and all the MAGA voters swarmed to vote for him even though he was a sure loser in the general. And the media had the fucking audacity to call that “unfairly interfering in the other party’s primary.”

  229. 229.

    Mel

    @H.E.Wolf: Brilliant!

    Our kitty Janie loved it when we would volley a housefly her way with a mid-air fly-swatter whack. She would go airborne and try to capture the stunned fly with her front paws. She had about a 90% success rate.

    Same kitty that captured a large bat that flew in through our transom window.

    What a fierce little huntress she was.

  231. 231.

    Paul in KY

    @trollhattan: If he really wants to win (in Cali), I would assume he has to lie lie lie about his real positions and continue to wear that fleece vest. Going full-metal MAGA (in Cali) will just get him a big ass whupping.

  232. 232.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @E.: Lawrence O’Donnell (on his MSNBC show) said he thought Schiff elevating Garvey was a smart move, by making the general election an easy win over Garvey (there aren’t enough R voters in CA for him to win a general), and avoiding a nasty D fight which would be the most expensive senate race in the country. The D primary was already v. expensive. I hadn’t thought about the $ until O’Donnell said that. With his practical pol experience, he often makes very practical, real world points other commentators miss

    ETA I see I am late to the party. I agree with WG!

  235. 235.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @Paul in KY: No, Garvey has no chance of winning a state wide race in CA. The last R elected state wide was Arnold in 2006. This was the smart, money-saving, Dem party saving from splitting move. It bodes well for Schiff’s  behavior towards Rs going forward.

  243. 243.

    Tony G

    @Jay: Garvey is another guy who was skilled at one thing several decades ago, and now think that means that he knows something.  See also: Eric Clapton

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