Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

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

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

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

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

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

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Monday Morning Open Thread: Ready for Another Week

Monday Morning Open Thread: Ready for Another Week

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Jack Lobel is a college sophomore who will be voting in his first presidential election this fall, casting a ballot for Joe Biden.

At 19, he’s six-plus decades Biden’s junior, which isn’t lost on him. But Lobel is spokesperson for Voters of Tomorrow, one of 15 youth organizations that announced Monday that they are jointly endorsing the reelection of the oldest president in U.S. history — defying polls consistently showing voter concerns about the 81-year-old Biden’s age…

The joint endorsement is meant as a show of political strength for Biden, who would be 86 by the end of the second term he’s seeking — after Super Tuesday all but cemented a November rematch of the 2020 election between him and former President Donald Trump.

In the first ad of a $30-million, post-Super-Tuesday, swing-state advertising blitz, Biden makes no excuses for his age, but says he’s been more effective as president than Trump was.

“Young voters are critical to President Biden’s winning coalition and together, we will defeat Donald Trump and continue to build a future that works for every single American,” said Biden’s reelection campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, in a statement first shared with The Associated Press.

Joining Voters of Tomorrow formally supporting Biden is NextGen PAC, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Blue Future, Jr. Newtown Action Alliance, Path to Progress, Students Demand Action, Team ENOUGH, Voices of Gen-Z and Dream for America. They are doing so with more traditional, party-aligned youth organizations, the Young Democrats of America, College Democrats of America, Democratic Youth Coalition, Grassroots Dems HQ and High School Democrats of America…

About last night…

Reader Interactions

198Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    After winning the Oscar for best documentary feature, “20 Days in Mariupol” director Mstyslav Chernov said he hopes the film reminds people of the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Ukraine.

    The problem isn’t “people.”

  4. 4.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud:

    The problem isn’t “people.”

    Too bad we can’t tie Mike Johnson to a chair and force him to watch it.

  13. 13.

    catclub

    Trump seems to be going all in on ‘american carnage’.
    I wonder if his advisers have told him that almost every election,
    the more optimistic candidate wins.
    And his oppositional defiance kicks in. Good.
    I think Trump repeating that the economy is terrible now
    will look crazy to normies.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    @catclub:

    I think Trump repeating that the economy is terrible now
    will look crazy to normies

     
    That’s the hope. The media has been gaslighting on the economy for at least two years now.

  16. 16.

    catclub

    @satby: I think it would help if they would link to long sections of Trump’s speeches.

     

    NPR played Trump imitating Biden’s lisp. It did not help Trump at all.

  17. 17.

    Betty

    @satby: Just think about how craven these people must be to continue to prop this man up. It’s evil and frightening.

  18. 18.

    Princess

    @catclub: Everything is always only about him. He owes hundreds of million dollars that he can’t raise easily. Therefore his economy is terrible. His problems will go away once he’s president again. Therefore you should vote for him to make the economy good.

  19. 19.

    lowtechcyclist

    @satby:

    reality doesn’t matter to religious zealots.

    True, but I’d like to make him suffer through it anyway.

    I wonder what ever happened to the discharge petition.  I remember reading a few weeks ago that it was supposed to ‘ripen’ (no, I don’t know what that means) around the beginning of this month.  But I haven’t heard a peep about it lately.

  21. 21.

    satby

    @Betty: He’s just the means to an end for them: stupid, easy to manipulate by flattery, and with the same core values of racism and misogyny to leverage. Simple calculation, really.

    The rest of the Republican party, especially officeholders who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, are the truly craven and evil ones.

  23. 23.

    TBone

    @Betty: his portrayal in “Conrack” made the film and was amazing.  Even Angelina has disowned him, if I remember correctly.  WTF, Jon.  Too bad, so sad (age old story with the RWNJ). I saw Dennis Miller for a minute while channel surfing yesterday.  What a fucking maroon.

  24. 24.

    NanaR

    @satby:

    No one seems to mention that TFG’s father had serious cognitive decline as well. I read a while back that the company maintained an office for him and everyone let Fred Trump believe he was still in charge.

  26. 26.

    Soprano2

    @satby: I read that, and I concur based on my personal experience. The one unknown for TFG’s handlers is that people with dementia can decline suddenly and unpredictably. I went from having a husband who went to the bar, out to eat, and to the symphony at the beginning of February to now, where he won’t leave the house and his doctor is going to come to the house to see him at the end of March. I’m not sure he’ll ever voluntarily leave the house again. My therapist who is also a nurse told me that he might eventually recover some, and that people with dementia have a really hard time with the hospital and take a long time to recover from a stay there. Nevertheless, it’s a stark change that happened in a short period of time all because he had to be in the hospital. These people are playing with fire.

  27. 27.

    Jeffro

    @catclub:Trump seems to be going all in on ‘american carnage’.

    And it’ll be his carnage, too.

    I think that, between his cognitive decline, his narcissism, and the certainty that he will go to prison if/when he loses…the powers-that-be need to prepare for him & his minions to call for armed intimidation at the polls (at a minimum) and outright violent takeover of state houses and D.C. (at the max).

  28. 28.

    Soprano2

    @catclub: I heard that, and you’re right. The problem for him is that the base loves it when he does stuff like that, but everyone else is appalled and horrified. He can’t get elected with just his base voters.

  30. 30.

    lowtechcyclist

    @satby: ​
     

    They’ve barely been in session. Johnson gavels them out as soon as they finish each appropriation bill to limit other actions.

    I had no idea. I knew they’d essentially been in recess during the last half of February, but I thought they were in session in a normal manner now.

    I’d have thought there’d be committee-level work on prospective legislation and stuff like that that the House would need to get done. But since Rethugs seem to view a seat in Congress as an opportunity to be on television rather than a place where you work on legislation, I may be wrong about that.

  32. 32.

    BellyCat

    @Soprano2: people with dementia have a really hard time with the hospital and take a long time to recover from a stay there.

    My partner, a geriatrician and ICU specialist, says the rule of thumb is one week of recovery to get back to prior status for every day in hospital. And that’s without dementia.

    Hang in there, regardless of whether improvements slowly materialize, and take care of yourself as much as possible.

  33. 33.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Soprano2:

    The one unknown for TFG’s handlers is that people with dementia can decline suddenly and unpredictably.

    As bad as he was, Trump has declined shockingly just since December.  He looks and sounds awful now.  Less ranting dumbass racist uncle and more… well, mumbling, incoherent Alzheimer’s patient.  The asshole variety, of course.

    @Jeffro:

    powers-that-be need to prepare for him & his minions to call for armed intimidation at the polls (at a minimum) and outright violent takeover of state houses

    He’s been calling for shit like this.  Nobody is listening.  The very, very few who aren’t too fucking lazy are now scared shitless of the FBI.  Jan 6th required an illusion that consequences were impossible, and that shattered when the arrests started.

    Besides, I’ve been hearing the ‘armed intimidators at polls’ fear every election for a decade and a half and it does not happen.  They’re too lazy and disorganized.

  35. 35.

    Soprano2

    @BellyCat: That’s good to know, because we’re on week 3. It was such a stark change, and it all started when he was having symptoms from the blocked stent. I’m hopeful there will be some improvement, but I also know that with dementia people don’t often improve once they’ve made a decline. I wish I had asked the doctor what would happen if we didn’t do anything about those kidney stones, because the quality of life for both of us has declined a lot as a result of this situation. Dementia is a fatal disease, I wish all healthcare providers would take that into account.

  36. 36.

    Princess

    @Soprano2: Just want to say that I appreciate your candidness and openness in discussing the effects of hospitalization on your husband. My mum is in good health apart from her dementia. But if that changes I know she wants no/low interventions and I feel it would be bad for her but her husband tends to do everything doctors tell him. Your words give me strength to push for alternate views if/ when the case arises.

  37. 37.

    TBone

    Feeling the Joementum today.  🎶 Upbeat no matter what.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qlywcuw-1TU

    Once in the local rustic dive bar here, a guy gave me the keys to his Pontiac Gran Prix Supercharger. Mighta been a GTO, I don’t know cars but it was a hellcat.  I lit out on the straight, deserted night highway to break the sound barrier.

  38. 38.

    Princess

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Whose army is going to make him pay the fines if he’s president? He’s told us he’s going to be a dictator. I for one take him at his word. If I’m wrong, shame on him, not on me.

  39. 39.

    Soprano2

    @Princess: I think the key question to ask, that I wish I had known to ask, is “What happens if we do nothing?” Like I said in my other comment, dementia is a fatal disease. What’s worse, to have slowly declining kidney function or to not even want to leave the house, bathe, or brush your teeth? I can tell you this, my husband almost died twice in his life, so he’s not afraid of death, and he’d be the first one to tell you that. Many doctors see a problem and want to fix it, and they don’t ask what the consequences of that fix could be for other parts of your life. Good luck, because I also understand how hard it is to let go of someone.

  42. 42.

    Scout211

    CNN interviewed Karla Jacinto, the trafficked woman Katie Britt used in her speech to slam president Biden’s border policies.   She speaks often about her experiences to bring attention to human trafficking and she really does not like it when politicians use her story for political purposes.

    I hardly ever cooperate with politicians, because it seems to me that they only want an image. They only want a photo — and that to me is not fair,” Karla Jacinto told CNN on Sunday.

    CNN’s Freedom Project, which seeks to raise awareness about modern-day slavery, previously profiled Jacinto’s story.

    Jacinto told CNN that Mexican politicians took advantage of her by using her story for political purposes and that it’s happened again in the United States.

    “I work as a spokesperson for many victims who have no voice, and I really would like them to be empathetic: all the governors, all the senators, to be empathetic with the issue of human trafficking because there are millions of girls and boys who disappear all the time. People who are really trafficked and abused, as she [Britt] mentioned. And I think she [Britt] should first take into account what really happens before telling a story of that magnitude,” Jacinto said.

  43. 43.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Would winning the presidency save him from paying those fines in NY?

    Legally, no. But I’m pretty sure that half the point of his run for the White House by now is to put himself above the law and find pretexts to escape that liability.

  44. 44.

    Shalimar

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Could he pardon himself from fines in a state civil case?  No one argues that he can, though I wouldn’t put it past Trump to do it anyway.  I guess there is some chance an appeals court might decide he doesn’t have to pay.  Far more likely is that someone pays the fines for him as a good investment.  Trump would find lots of skeevy ways to reward that person.

  45. 45.

    Freemark

    I think Pete Buttigieg may be our first LBTGQ President. Damn can he explain things. I understand why he goes on Fox. I hate to see most Democrats go on Fox because they get rolled, but Pete never seems to. On real news outlets he’s also pretty awesome. Before as ‘just’ a mayor I don’t think he was ready for the big seat but now he may be ready. Too bad there is almost no way he could be a Senator or Governor of Indiana first. What do y’all think.

  48. 48.

    Marcopolo

    @lowtechcyclist: For the discharge petition to work, it has to have enough signatures.  it’s not there yet or it would have progressed.  Pretty sure that is what the term ripened refers to.  From what I’ve read, after the DP is announced/filed members sign it in secrecy. And members can sign, remove their signature, re-sign, etc… up until the moment it is put on the floor (which obviously only happens when it gets enough sigs—think it is 218 no matter if their are current vacant seats).  This is why it’s such a hard thing to pull off.

  49. 49.

    Geminid

    German military commentator Tendar (@tendar) posted video of the Swedish flag being raised at Nato headquarters in Brussels this morning. A band played Sweden’s National Anthem, and onlookers including Prime Minister Kristersson and Crown Orincess Victoria sang along in the light rain. One of the two Swedish soldiers raising the flag had a mullet.

    Tendar is a very grounded source for reports on the war in Ukraine. He comments some on German politics as well, and is critical of Prime Minister Scholz’s caution. Tendar says little about himself, but my guess is that he is a retired army officer. Last July Tendar mentioned he is a fan of the movie Gettysburg, and that is why a scene from that movie heads his Twitter account.

  50. 50.

    geg6

    @Freemark:

    Well, he lives in Michigan now, so once President Whitmer has won the White House, he could take the governor’s mansion there. ;-)

  51. 51.

    Ramalama

    @Soprano2: OMG I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. All these brain eating diseases are just the fcking worst. My uncle’s had a long-simmering dementia and is now in a care facility (in the US) that took martial-arts-level maneuvering to get him admitted. My sister-in-law died of Alzheimer’s. Canada is a little bit better when it comes to caring. But still there’s not a lot you can do to offset it other than keeping things at home really calm and not-changey. If you can keep them at home, that is.

  52. 52.

    John S.

    Trump will not give a penny to Ukraine – Hungary PM Orban

    You’d think that when a foreign leader friendly to Russia visits the US, snubs the current president in favor of kissing the ring of a presidential candidate who openly invites Russia to attack NATO countries and then announces a major foreign policy decision that would doom Ukraine, that it would get the attention of the US media.

    It’s just amazing how broken politics is right now that this is not a major scandal.

  54. 54.

    John S.

    @satby:

    He’s just the means to an end for them: stupid, easy to manipulate by flattery, and with the same core values of racism and misogyny to leverage.

    This. I literally said exactly this to my wife yesterday. The pro-Gilead set knows Trump is a piece of shit, but they don’t care as long as he gives them everything they want.

    They look on him like Noah: an imperfect vessel meant to carry out their plan.

  55. 55.

    Aimai

    @Soprano2: just so sorry you are going through this! My mother is in it (in her 90s) and that is hard enough. I can not imagine how hard your situation is. All my thoughts are with you.

  56. 56.

    John S.

    @Baud:

    Clearly. I mean, can you imagine the fucking meltdown if the Egyptian president came to the US, met with Biden and announced that he would not give another penny to Israel?

    Meanwhile, outside of non-US media, I haven’t seen much about the Orban meeting with Trump.

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    @JphnS.

    Unable to pull off the Wimpy Gambit.

    “I’ll gladly give you nuclear secrets Tuesday for $500 million today.”
    //

  61. 61.

    satby

    @Soprano2: It’s always a good question to ask whether or not someone has dementia. Quality of life vs length; and also will the person (or you, if it’s your own health in question) comply with all the therapy and diets and medications involved to get to as full a recovery as possible. Because a lot of people lie to themselves about that and end up never really recovering..

    We had that issue with my mother in her last years. At 82(3?) and with vascular dementia her doctor wanted to put in a stent. She was debating it and I asked her would she really do the therapy, stop smoking, and follow the diet (she was at a mostly lucid stage still). She went back and asked the doctor how long her recovery from surgery would be, and how much more life time she might expect. 1 year to recover if she really did the work (and she wouldn’t, we all knew that) and maybe 4 or so years more after. And she decided against surgery because of the likelihood of a future of discomfort and disability. She died at 86, able to live mostly independently up until the last 6 months.

  62. 62.

    jonas

    @catclub:I wonder if his advisers have told him that almost every election, the more optimistic candidate wins.

    Trump technically doesn’t even have to campaign. He only does it because holding rallies strokes his galaxy-sized ego. His support is baked in and not going anywhere, no matter how much or little he campaigns, or how angry/ranty he gets. As we always say, it’s a cult, not a political movement.

  64. 64.

    Jackie

    Here’s a sweet love story to give everyone a smile:

    BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Harold Terens and his fiancee Jeanne Swerlin kissed and held hands like high school sweethearts as they discussed their upcoming wedding in France, a country the World War II veteran first visited as a 20-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces corporal shortly after D-Day.

    Terens, a gregarious and energetic 100-year-old, will be honored in June by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country’s liberation from the Nazis. Then he plans to marry the sprightly 96-year-old Swerlin in a town near the beaches where U.S. troops landed.

    “I love this girl — she is quite special,” said Terens, who has been dating Swerlin since 2021. To demonstrate their fondness for dancing, they had Siri play “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars and then jumped, twisted and gyrated like teens at homecoming.

    https://apnews.com/article/dday-veteran-france-wedding-wwii-0b2b2ef68803b29d17f599d0af6f98d5

    The entire story is worth the read! Such an adorable couple!🥰🥰

  65. 65.

    p.a.

    From Sheldon Whitehouse’s most recent newsletter.  Para 3 is interesting.

    “I recently published a law review article highlighting how this captured Supreme Court often simply makes up false facts to arrive at decisions that ultimately benefit partisan Republican special interests.

    Take Citizens United v. FEC as an example. Remember when the Federalist Society justices said that all the unlimited political spending they were unleashing would be “transparent”? Well, we’ve seen dark money in politics prove them wrong several billion times over. The Roberts Court ignored factual records that Congress and the lower courts compiled, and it refused to go back and correct its own error. The error is the law of the land.

    Our system is designed to leave fact-finding to the lower courts that hear testimony, make credibility determinations, and review evidence. The Supreme Court is then supposed to defer to – and not alter – factual records in its decisions. Think about it: if the Highest Court in the Land makes up phony facts, there is nowhere else the parties can appeal to.

    The captured Roberts Court has done a lot of this phony fact-finding in big decisions that have fundamentally changed life in America. The Dobbs decision that ended a fundamental freedom for women is another one that was built on made-up history.”

  66. 66.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Mon at 96 still (thankfully) firing on all cylinders, albeit beginning to express timidity on going on some outings which were formerly second nature . Her sister, who died last September, would have turned 102 on Sunday.

  67. 67.

    frosty

    @Betty: ​Voight’s politics and career aside, winning a Razzie doesn’t mean you’re a bad actor. Bullock won it the same year she won an Oscar. Hallie Berry won it a year or two later. All it takes is a bad script and an agent who steered you wrong.​

  68. 68.

    Mike in NC

    TV reports that Fat Bastard is back attacking the woman he raped. Is he fucking nuts? Does he want to give her another 80 million bucks? I already know the answer.

  69. 69.

    TBone

    Holy shit, the RWNJ are going full Q with Oscars gibberish about the illuminati “humiliation” of Cena and the whole show being one big satanic ritual.  😆 Expected but still hilarious!

  73. 73.

    Soprano2

    @satby: This is so true, the problem for my husband wasn’t the actual procedure, but the fact that he didn’t drink the amount of fluid he needed to drink in order to flush the rest of the stones out of his kidneys. I can’t make him drink fluid! Once he started feeling pain from the passing of a stone, he drank even less and ate less, and it became a spiral until he ended up in the hospital. If we hadn’t done the procedure at all, he’d probably still be how he was at the beginning of February, which would be much better for both his and my quality of life overall. It might have been several more years until those kidney stones really affected him in a bad way. I think a lot of his problem with alertness is related to dehydration, because when he was in the hospital getting IV fluid he was a lot more alert than he is now.

  75. 75.

    Jeffro

    btw is it just me or does VP Harris look quite presidential with the headset on while looking over docs and taking notes?

  76. 76.

    frosty

    @Marcopolo: ​I’ll call Smucker again and tell him to sign it. He’s 100% on votes for Ukraine. Time to gamble if there’s enough MAGAts in South PA to primary him (yes there probably are).​

  79. 79.

    Jeffro

    OT but I’m glad to see the snooze media is starting to give normies a glance at what the orange madman is all about these days (although I could do without the showbizzy-BS like “extravaganza” when describing trumpov’s rallies)

    ‘American Carnage’?  You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

    On the last Friday in February, the day before the South Carolina primary, Trump took the stage in Rock Hill, S.C., where he spoke for just over an hour and a half. A close examination of his remarks that day offers an anatomy of a Trump rally speech.  Like many of his recent speeches, it was long and laden with resentments, offering a dark vision for the nation that terrifies Democrats and animates his Republican base. It touched on recurring themes, including his election denialism, his promise of a sudden transformation in another Trump term and his claims of persecution and martyrdom.

    Over time, his stump speech has evolved, though certain hallmarks remain. One constant is that it is certain to contain a slew of falsehoods and mistruths, ranging from hyperbole to outright lies, like his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

    The Washington Post Fact Checker found that in the four years of his presidency, Trump offered a total of 30,573 untruths — an average of roughly 21 erroneous claims a day.  Themes of retribution and vengeance are also central, hovering like an ominous storm cloud

  80. 80.

    Barry

    In terms of a re-elected Trump dealing with state cases: it might be hard for state officials to function when the entire FBI and DOJ and Federalist Society Judiciary, plus MAGA Senate is coming down on them like fascist officials seeking to break a rebellious province’s government.

  83. 83.

    Gretchen

    @Freemark: I agrée. I think having Pete in the cabinet is helping get him ready for, as you put it, the big seat. My dream- Joe steps down shortly before the end of his term, Kamala chooses Pete as VP.

  86. 86.

    Jackie

    FINALLY!

    Peter Navarro, once an economic adviser to former President Trump, has been ordered to report to a Miami prison March 19 to begin serving a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

    https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4523581-peter-navarro-ordered-to-prison/

    The way he’s caterwauling, you’d assume he’s going to be behind bars four years rather than four months. Again, it’s wise to remember ETTD.

  87. 87.

    hueyplong

    @Mike in NC: I interpret the pig’s renewed attacks on E Jean Carroll as proof that he successfully tapped some billionaires for big money.  The theory is that only death will put a stop to his “keep digging” strategy, and the actual field testing of that theory is devoutly to be wished.

  89. 89.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jackie:

    Here’s a sweet love story to give everyone a smile:

    Thanks for sharing!  I want to be like him (and with a lady like her!) when I turn 100!

  93. 93.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jackie:

    The way he’s caterwauling, you’d assume he’s going to be behind bars four years rather than four months. Again, it’s wise to remember ETTD.

    I want enough of them sent to prison to get right-wing politicians and media figures to demand prison reform.

  96. 96.

    sdhays

    @hueyplong: Why would you take his inability to just shut up on a topic as evidence of a renewed ability to pay? The simple explanation is that he is stupid and losing the handful of marbles he once had and can’t remember that he has already lost $90 million saying this shit.

  97. 97.

    hueyplong

    @Soprano2: I’ve had 6 kidney stones, and inadequate hydration is clearly my thing.  On the last one the conservative treatment trying to avoid procedures changed here.  Used to be hydrocodone to kill the pain and drink a lot of water.  The new thing is not to use the narcotics and instead to do Rx level megadoses of naproxen/Aleve.  Of course, the “drink a lot of water” part still applies.

    If you two are getting the old (narcotics) version, maybe you could try the newer (anti-inflammatories) version of conservative treatment.

    Wish I had a suggestion on encouraging hydration.  I constantly fail on that front myself.

  100. 100.

    hueyplong

    @sdhays: We’ll see.  He shut up for a couple of weeks and last Tuesday was reportedly buttonholing billionares at MAL.   Now he’s back on her as a topic.

    Regardless of whether he’s gotten the money, your point about lack of control stands.

  101. 101.

    TBone

    @sdhays: I do!  Nothing suits her more and I have the utmost confidence in her.  Plus she pushes ALL the buttons of the other side 💜

  103. 103.

    trollhattan

    For anybody who thinks the willow is getting too close to the house, it is.

    We are spending a large bucket of money having tree people trim ours, in this case trim=remove half of the thing, which still leaves a Very Large Tree behind. Think of it as continual employment for arborists.

    You have been warned.

  104. 104.

    sdhays

    @hueyplong: There is no upside for him to keep bringing it up. And he used to be able to whine about shit without tripping over the legal line. I can’t imagine any of his billionaire buddies said, “Go ahead, Donnie boy, take this check and trigger more guaranteed winning lawsuits by E. Jean Carrol. That’s our way to victory.”

    If he has a new line of credit, his backers are already going to be irritated by this. But I’m skeptical he’s got his lifeline.

  105. 105.

    NotMax

    @trollhattan

    “The willow is too close to the house.”

    “Really? Where’s your house?’

    “Altoona.”

    “And where’s the willow?”

    “Sandusky.”
    :)

  106. 106.

    Soprano2

    @sdhays: I think it’s also that it’s a huge injury to his psyche. He thinks he should be able to do whatever he wants and never get in trouble for it. This judgement goes against that and causes him a big mental injury. I think that’s why he’s unable to leave it alone – he keeps talking about it in the hopes that someone important will agree with him and wipe the judgment away. He no longer has the regulator in the brain that even he used to have that tells us not to do things like that.

  107. 107.

    TBone

    @trollhattan: carport roof requires repair, squirrel proofing, and rain gutter adjustment.  I bought Hubby an electric pole cutter chainsaw so we can at least avoid that clusterfuck part of the bilking, oops, billing

  108. 108.

    different-church-lady

    “The youngs hate Biden.”

    [update comes through earpiece]

    “The youngs hate Biden don’t vote.”

  110. 110.

    Miss Bianca

    @Gretchen: Oh, ffs. Your dream scenario is “hey, let’s hope for the most effective POTUS of our lifetimes to step down and set up a scenario for a Republican sweep in 2028?” Really?

    Not that Pete B isn’t impressive – I have seen the light and am ready to jump on the Fans of Pete train. But I think he’ll be able to earn a place for himself without resorting to shenanigans. And so will Harris.

  113. 113.

    Redshift

    Fun day at Casa Redshift – the power is out either because of high winds (which have been going on since yesterday) or because someone hit a power pole in our neighborhood (which is why the power was out overnight.) It could be either, since it was on when I got up this morning.

    I’m getting a break from work, at least. My laptop has power for a while, but there’s a limited amount I can do without internet.

  114. 114.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I wish I could believe that US voters are ready to elect either Kamala or Pete. Alas, I do not. The Clinton/Trump election opened my eyes to how deeply benighted a lot of the country is. Biden is an old, centrist, white guy who’s been around forever, and he’s a step too far for some of them. Adding race/gender/sexual orientation will not make things prettier.

  115. 115.

    trollhattan

    @TBone: It there a more dudecentric powertool than chainsaw-on-a-stick?

    There is not, and you occupy a special place for having gifted one.

    Have had a couple mishaps with mine but the finger count remains as originally manufactured.

  116. 116.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:

    More life force than tree. I ascribe it to life above the sewer main. The tree that provided the cutting that launched our monster is a fraction of the size.

  117. 117.

    Fair Economist

    @Freemark:

    I think Pete Buttigieg may be our first LBTGQ President. Damn can he explain things. I understand why he goes on Fox. I hate to see most Democrats go on Fox because they get rolled, but Pete never seems to.

    My tinfoil hat says Fox *hopes* we’ll nominate him because they think a gay man will be easy to defeat. I mean, he is good at media, but you really can’t beat the guy controlling the microphone.

  119. 119.

    TBone

    @trollhattan: jeebus I pray Hubby is really careful and the automatic safety shut off thingy works good.  Hubby was parking pickup truck under big trees he couldn’t reach and placing a ladder in the truck bed to climb up on.  Gotta be safer than that 🤣🙄 and it’s quiet so I don’t have to participate in the neighborhood cacophony of fuel powered implements!

  121. 121.

    Brachiator

    @Freemark:

    I think Pete Buttigieg may be our first LBTGQ President.

    I’m also very impressed with him. I think he needs some foreign policy experience. I don’t know if he could handle being Secretary of State.

    Would an ambassadorship be considered a demotion? Ambassador to France or Germany. The UK is in decline and not as bright a jewel as it used to be.

  125. 125.

    Soprano2

    I’m listening to “The New Abnormal” podcast. I wish Danielle Moody could quit yelling at me when she gets passionate about something. I understand being outraged, but I’m on your side why are you yelling at me? I listen because they do some good interviews, but this part is hard for me to listen to sometimes. It’s not about her being a woman either, because I can’t stand it when men do that either, and I listen to plenty of podcasts with women hosts and I don’t have this reaction.

  126. 126.

    Jackie

    @Soprano2: Wasn’t Navarro the one who cried he was going to be financially ruined with attorney fees and the like? Apparently he’s not that rich. 🎻🎻🎻

  128. 128.

    Scout211

    Trump is listening to his donors and now talking about cutting social security and “entitlements.”

    The Biden/Harris team was ready.

    Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump opened the door Monday to “cutting” retirement spending programs like Social Security and Medicare, drawing swift pushback from President Joe Biden and elevating a key policy battle in the 2024 election.

    Phoning into CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump was pressed on how he plans to resolve the long-term solvency problems of Social Security.

    “So first of all, there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting,” Trump responded. “And in terms of, also, the theft and the bad management of entitlements — tremendous bad management of entitlements — there’s tremendous amounts of things and numbers of things you can do.”

    The former president didn’t get specific about how he’d change the retirement programs, or what kind of cuts he may seek if he’s elected this fall. A Trump campaign spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional details.

    Biden’s campaign tweeted out the video and the president responded quickly: “Not on my watch.”

  129. 129.

    Soprano2

    @trollhattan: You know if this is true it’s eventually going to cause you another problem with a large bill. Why not just get rid of the whole tree and the problem?

  130. 130.

    Redshift

    @jonas:

    His support is baked in and not going anywhere, no matter how much or little he campaigns, or how angry/ranty he gets.

    His support that’s baked in isn’t enough to win. He had that in 2020 and lost. Yeah, it’s frustrating that he has a cult following that will never be swayed by how crazy and terrible he is, but it’s a waste of time to focus on them, because elections aren’t won by convincing committed people to switch sides, they’re won by turning your people out to vote (harder to do when all your money is going to legal fees) and persuading the uncommitted, which as you say, he’s not even trying to do.

    We’ve got our work cut out for us, but I feel good about our chances.

  132. 132.

    Miss Bianca

    @TBone: Yeah, well, that “dream” sounds like a nightmare to me.  It would be seen as a betrayal of trust by Democrats, and an invitation to war by Republicans.

    *My* dream is that Harris make it to the nomination on her own, with no need to resort to tricks and stratagems. And that Biden finishes his second term out hale and hearty.

  135. 135.

    Redshift

    @TBone: If it doesn’t come back on soon, I have access to an empty house on the other side of the neighborhood that probably still has power. But then I’d lose my excuse to slack off work. 🙂

  136. 136.

    VFX Lurker

    @Soprano2: He thinks he should be able to do whatever he wants and never get in trouble for it.

    I’m almost done listening to Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste, but that fits dominant caste thinking. He expects his caste to give him a “get out of jail free” card.

  137. 137.

    Jeffro

    @Scout211: The former president didn’t get specific about how he’d change the retirement programs, or what kind of cuts he may seek if he’s elected this fall. A Trump campaign spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional details.

    Surely all those GOP voters who “don’t like trump personally, but like his policies” would love to hear more, hmmm?    =)

    Anyway, ‘bad management and ‘theft’ is the new “waste, fraud, and abuse”, I guess.

  140. 140.

    JML

    @Freemark: I like Sec. Pete quite a bit, and he’s done a good job in the cabinet. I would caution people that his biggest election was for a city of about 100K, and becoming Mayor only required him to get about 11K votes. That’s rather small stakes when it comes to electoral politics, and his rise to national prominence came through camping out in Iowa for about a year when their caucuses mattered, he could meet all his delegates personally…and as soon as he had to compete in the bigger states and couldn’t spend months on getting delegates, he dropped out.

    He’s smart, personable, and talented with impressive media savvy. he also has little legislative experience, almost no foreign policy background. (his presidential campaign did more to show the level of sexism in this country where substantially more accomplished female candidates like Harris, Warren, and Klobuchar went nowhere while the former Mayor of South Bend became a darling)

    I’m much more interested in candidates like Whitmore or Harris, both of whom have won some big races.

  141. 141.

    trollhattan

    @Soprano2:

    Have pondered that.

    It would require a Very Large Crane to lift the main trunk out of the yard and out to the street, something like 20 yards away. Mobilizing a Very Large Crane I shall leave to the next homeowner.

    Real Estate agent: “look at the lovely summertime shade.”
    Prospective buyer: “what kind of tree is that?”
    REA: “I’m not sure, I could ask.”

  144. 144.

    Redshift

    @sdhays: My WSJ-reading formerly Republican dad (pre-Obama) spontaneously brought up that he’s been impressed with Harris’ recent foreign policy work, and thinks she’s definitely ready for the big job. Warmed my heart.

  149. 149.

    sdhays

    @Soprano2: I agree 100%. He’s unable to let it go, which means he’s going to keep getting increasingly large judgements against him and his backers are going to be increasingly exasperated that he just won’t let it go. And, like I said, he used to be able to work out with his lawyers how he could dog whistle something to whine about it so his supporters would know what he’s saying but E. Jean Carroll’s lawyers would have a hard time coming after him.

    But that’s too much discipline for Trump in decline.

  151. 151.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I wish I could believe that US voters are ready to elect either Kamala or Pete. Alas, I do not. The Clinton/Trump election opened my eyes to how deeply benighted a lot of the country is. Biden is an old, centrist, white guy who’s been around forever, and he’s a step too far for some of them. Adding race/gender/sexual orientation will not make things prettier.

    I remember in 2007 when a very politically astute talk radio host was explaining the natural political order. America would first have a woman president, and then later a Jewish president. Then, maybe after a few more women and Jewish presidents, America would finally be ready for a black president. But someone like this Obama guy was being presumptuous in trying to jump the line.

    But plenty of Americans were enthusiastically ready for Obama.

    Once we safely get past Trump, I think we are ready for anything.

  153. 153.

    TBone

    @Brachiator: you are correct, sir.  Stand and deliver I say. 🎶

    I know in this life, you gotta stand up for what feels right
    Each day and every night

    You’ve got to stand and deliver, with your body and soul
    Stand and deliver, just give me something to hold
    Stand and deliver, if the truth can be told
    We can make it together, if we stand – stand and deliver

    Ohhh, ohhh, just give me something to hold
    Stand and deliver, if the truth can be told
    We can make it together, if we stand – stand and deliver

    You’ve got to stand and deliver, with your body and soul
    Stand and deliver, just give me something to hold
    Stand and deliver, if the truth can be told
    We can make it together, if we stand – stand and deliver

    Mr. Mister

  154. 154.

    Heidi Mom

    @Miss Bianca: Late to the party here, and I agree that Joe Biden is the most effective President of our lifetimes.  Nevertheless,   It’s not unrealistic to think that a scenario like that might present itself in Biden’s second term which would not warrant the term “shenanigans”–he simply decides for whatever reasons that he’s served long enough.  Then the new President looks at all the capable people in the Biden administration and chooses someone she trusts.  Is it woefully naive to think that the friendship between Kamala/Doug and Pete/Chasten plays a role then?  I don’t know.

  155. 155.

    sdhays

    @Redshift: That’s awesome that her head’s down work is getting recognized “in the wild”, even if the media doesn’t like admitting it.

  156. 156.

    Scout211

    @Jeffro: He looks BAD

    Yes, he does.  He has bragged that he has recently lost weight.  (Speculation is that he is using one of the new weight loss drugs). But when you are an old, losing weight just accentuates the wrinkles in your face, especially if you lose weight quickly.  He seems to be adding an extra layer of pancake makeup to disguise the deep wrinkles that are now very prominent on his face and neck in close-ups.

    He must be very worried about his appearance.  LOL

  157. 157.

    Ohio Mom

    @danielx: I hear you. Only another 4 months er, days, of having my right leg in the immobilizer (a soft, removeable cast) to prevent the stitched laceration in my knee from splitting open.

    Then another week to drive, and a week after that before I can do a flight of steps.

    Time can move so slowly. I hope you are right-handed.

  158. 158.

    Jeffro

    @Brachiator:Once we safely get past Trump, I think we are ready for anything.

    I think you’re right.  But can it please not be President Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (or the equivalent)?

    If I can’t have my “you’ve got to have held prior elected office before running for president” amendment, I’d at least like one that bans celebrities from running.   ;)

    (apologies to all the Swifties out there!)

  164. 164.

    Heidi Mom

    @Brachiator: It didn’t get much attention at the time, but during the last year Pete traveled to Ukraine and met President Zelenskyy.  The stated reason was something about introducing a transportation adviser who would assist the Ukrainians, but that doesn’t sound important enough to warrant a very long trip by a very busy man.  To me it seemed more likely that the President was giving Pete some foreign policy experience, and maybe saying to Zelenskyy “I trust this guy.”

  167. 167.

    wenchacha

    @hueyplong:  If he continues to defame E. Jean, maybe his lawyers should have him go for a neurological eval. He may be unable to refrain from doing the very thing that is costing him his children’s inheritance.

    Won’t somebody think of the children?

  173. 173.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Miss Bianca: Myself, I wouldn’t have a problem with Gretchen’s scenario under the most auspicious conditions.​ But the conditions would need to be near-optimal.

    Say the Democrats manage a bluenami this November – Uncle Joe crushes Trumplthinskin in popular vote and the Selectoral Collage, we hold the Senate and retake the House with a solid majority – then we might be in a position analogous to FDR’s first term, with the prospect of introducing and passing significant and substantial legislation very quickly. If Uncle Joe can get nearly everything one might hope for in the following two years, it might be a good time for him to acknowledge concerns over his age and bow out gracefully, say, between mid-November 2026 and mid-January 2027, when Kamala would be eligible to run for election in 2032 if elected on her own four years previously.

    But short of that happy prospect…

  175. 175.

    dnfree

    @Soprano2: My heart goes out to you and your husband with such a stark and disastrous change.  Anyone in my age bracket knows that things can happen suddenly, but it’s awful when they do.

  178. 178.

    Freemark

    @frosty: ​
      I’ll do the same for Perry…lol.

    Fuck, I hate Gosh, I extremely strongly dislike that guy.

    Just in case any youngsters are reading the blog during school hours. Because I know that’s a big demographic for this blog.

  180. 180.

    Heidi Mom

    @TBone: Also, when he thanked Pete for his endorsement in 2020, Biden said (as best I can remember) “I don’t know that I’ve ever said something like this before, but Pete reminds me of my son Beau.”  I don’t think Biden gives any higher endorsement.

  181. 181.

    frosty

    @danielx: @Ohio Mom: I had my right arm in a sling when I broke my wrist in college (yes, beer was involved). It’s amazing what you can learn to do with your off hand. I wrote essays during finals week with my left hand; not particularly elegant but readable.

    And yes, all the other stuff that you have to do every day.​​

  182. 182.

    Freemark

    @JML: Considering his age both of those woman can be President before him. He’ll only be 62 after Harris and Whitmer each complete their 8 years in office.

  183. 183.

    wjca

    @Brachiator: I think he needs some foreign policy experience. I don’t know if he could handle being Secretary of State.

    I’m expecting a cabinet reshuffle after the election; it’s more usual than not.  I’m hoping he gets a shot at Secretary of State.

    I think he’d be good at it. He’s shown, at Transportation, that he can handle a big bureaucracy.  And he’s clearly good at talking to people — even people, like at Fox, who are deliberately trying to trip him up.

  184. 184.

    frosty

    @Freemark: ​I’ll be getting out of my district and going north to knock on doors to put that traitor out of office. We’ve run some really good candidates against him. Maybe somebody can get more than 35% this year since the districts were redrawn.

  185. 185.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Redshift: …[E]lections aren’t won by convincing committed people to switch sides, they’re won by turning your people out to vote (harder to do when all your money is going to legal fees) and persuading the uncommitted​…

    Depends on your definition of “the uncommitted,” I suppose. I conjecture there are those who voted for Cheetoh Benito last time who could be induced to switch sides, if the Democrats can develop narratives that challenge their assumptions about the past and the present (which have the added advantage of being a lot closer to the truth than what they’ve been fed by Faux Noise, Stinklair and the like). I think it can be done.

    It wouldn’t need to move a lot of voters. Suppose I talk to 100 people who voted for Trump, and manage to convince one of them to vote Democratic and one to stay home in disgust. That’s one more vote for Uncle Joe, two fewer for Orangecandyass, a net gain of 3%. Three percent doesn’t sound like much – but it can make the difference between a nail-biter and a challenge-proof victory, or a comfortable win and a near-rout that could pull a few downballot candidates across the finish line.

    Unfortunately this requires a threshold level of empathy for those on the other side of the aisle – not to agree with what they believe but understand why they believe it, in order to show them that they might want to reconsider. (And anyone whose kneejerk response to that is “because they’re a bunch of fucking racists/misogynists/Nazis” should stick to writing postcards.)

    JMO – YMMV.

  186. 186.

    Citizen Alan

    @Redshift:  This is the biggest deal for me and the source of most of my perpetual anxiety. I’m not worried about Trump himself nearly as much as I am about the immutable fact that 80 million Americans look at Trump and say “that man should be the ruler of the world.” I don’t see how any society can survive if a sufficiently large percentage of the populace belongs to a literal death cult. It’s like we trapped in the world of The Walking Dead except that the zombies are smart enough to organize and vote and, when in power, enact policies to force non-zombies from disfavored social groups into camps where the zombies can have easy access to their brains.

  188. 188.

    Another Scott

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I have a terrible record at predicting the future, I have generally thought that we’re going to do better than we do.

    However, Dobbs changed a lot.

    And if – a big if – we can get sensible national voting rights rules in place, then a lot of thing that seem too far away suddenly becomes closer.  DC Statehood would help a lot.  PR statehood is the right thing to do, even if it probably wouldn’t be as bright blue as DC initially.  (But the way it’s done and what goes with it might affect that, also too.)

    15 justices on the SCOTUS could, and probably would, change the environment for the better.

    Expanding the House could, and probably would, change the environment for the better.

    But even with a DC trifecta and no obvious “centrist” monsters holding up progress in the Senate, we’ll still have to keep pushing for progress.  Not everyone on our side agrees about everything, and moving slow is often necessary.  The fight for meaningful progress is never over.

    Similarly, I think that Joe should (and probably does) plan on serving out his full 2nd term.  If, FSM forfend, something does happen that means Kamala needs to step in, then we should address that when it happens (and not plan for it to happen).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  189. 189.

    wjca

    @Another Scott:  I think that Joe should (and probably does) plan on serving out his full 2nd term.

    To me, the folks spinning scenarios that have Biden choosing to resign before the end of his term are close cousins of the folks who were urging him to step aside this year, rather than run for reelection.

  190. 190.

    Denali5

    @Soprano2

    Hoping for improvement with your husband’s  issues. Does his primary care doctor have any  suggestions?

  191. 191.

    Manyakitty

    @wjca: if Blynken wants to stay, the world is crazy enough that we need his experienced hand. Plenty of other Cabinet positions for future President Pete.

  192. 192.

    different-church-lady

    @Redshift: His support that’s baked in isn’t enough to win. He had that in 2020 and lost.

    That analysis is correct. The problem is that the margins are razor thin.

  193. 193.

    different-church-lady

    @Scout211: He’s moving just as slowly as Biden, if not more slowly. Yet somehow Biden’s the only one that’s old.

  194. 194.

    Ramalama

    @Another Scott: Yeah. I mean I NEVER thought same-sex marriage would ever become a reality. Even Barney Frank thought so, and kept telling all kinds o’ LGBT activists (he was in office before the others in the spectrum) to slow the eff down.

    Ya never know.

  195. 195.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Another Scott: The scenario where a President, who is not under threat of scandal or in medical trouble, resigns purely to give the VP a leg up as President is one of those things that politics junkies love to speculate about but never happens. I think if a President actually did it the public reaction would be negative, as if some bait and switch game were being played on them.

  196. 196.

    Ramalama

    @Soprano2: I know this might red flag me to everyone here, but … facebook has a very active and super helpful group called “Dementia Caregiver Support & Activities for Challenging Behaviors Community,” that you might want to check out.

    Lots of very good info. Helped my aunt deal with my uncle who became aggressive (thanks, Dementia!), and she had a bunch of helpful things she did to keep her person safe.

    I got some tips for my sister-in-law because the family was just not able to deal with the seeming rapid changes (which I spotted years before). Things like getting a bean-bag pet to hold onto for comfort.

    Anyway, if you’re on that devil site, then do join the group.

  198. 198.

    LiminalOwl

    @Soprano2: Just got to the threa, so maybe too late, but…oh, what a difficult thing to go through. Much sympathy to you, and I hope this community provides solace.

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