Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

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

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

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

The current Supreme Court is a rogue court. Very dangerous.

This fight is for everything.

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

In after Baud. Damn.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Keep Looking for the Good News

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Keep Looking for the Good News

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Maryland plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, a state transportation official said Thursday.

The state plans to build a new span by fall of 2028, said David Broughton, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation. He said the cost estimate is preliminary, and detailed engineering specifics have not been confirmed.

As salvage efforts continue, authorities also announced late Wednesday they had recovered the body of a fifth person who was missing after the bridge’s March 26 collapse, which shut down the port of Baltimore, one of the busiest ports in the country…

Meanwhile, the broker for the bridge’s insurance policy confirmed Thursday that a $350 million payout will be made to the state of Maryland in what is expected to be the first of many payouts related to the collapse.

Chubb, the company that insured the bridge, is preparing to make the $350 million payment, according to WTW, the broker. Douglas Menelly, a spokesperson for WTW, on Thursday confirmed plans for the payout, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Chubb did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Maryland transportation officials noted that the state’s estimates for the cost to rebuild the bridge are in line with similar projects of this scale and complexity. Federal funding, insurance proceeds and other reimbursements will bring a variety of resources toward the rebuild and recovery effort, the officials said, and the state is pursuing other recovery options to minimize net cost to taxpayers and toll customers…

 
And a heartwarming finish… for certain very specific values of ‘heartwarming’…

It’s a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting.

The answer didn’t come easily to Justin and Samantha Juray. But when they did decide to reopen their Maine bowling alley, they didn’t hold back.

When patrons return Friday, six months after the gunman opened fire, they will see inspiring pictures at the end of each lane, bright paint on the walls, and new floors. The Lewiston venue has undergone a complete makeover, giving it a vibrant, airy feel…

“It’s never going to leave my head,” Juray said this week, as she made final preparations to reopen. “I think if we don’t move forward — not that there was a point to this whole thing anyway — but we’re just going to allow the people that have taken so much from us win.”

Justin Juray initially was dead-set against reopening and they also got some negative outside feedback. But that all changed, she said, as people in Lewiston rallied behind them. Within weeks, they knew they had to reopen, Samantha Juray said.

They decided to keep the same name: Just-In-Time Recreation. They call it that because when they bought the venue three years ago, the owner was days away from shutting it down. It also fits with Justin’s name.

Across the country, people have taken varied approaches after mass shootings. Barbara Poma, the former owner of the Pulse nightclub in Florida where 49 people were killed in 2016, said every situation and community is different.

“You are suddenly thrown into a state of shock, and emotions dictate your thoughts,” Poma said in an email. “Eventually you are forced to make a critical business decision based on how it will impact others emotionally and publicly. There just is no easy or right answer.”

The City of Orlando last year agreed to buy the Pulse nightclub site to create a memorial.

In Aurora, Colorado, a movie theater where 12 people were killed in 2012 later reopened under a new name. Buffalo’s Tops Friendly Market reopened in 2022, two months after 10 Black people were killed…

Among those planning to speak at a ceremony Friday afternoon is Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, a Democrat.

“I’m excited about opening,” Juray said. “I know it’s definitely going to be a very long day, and probably an emotional day.”

Reader Interactions

330Comments

  3. 3.

    TBone

    Did someone say good news?  How about fabulous news:

    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2

    Scientists have long known that the brain plays a part in the immune system — but how it does so has been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified cells in the brainstem that sense immune cues from the periphery of the body and act as master regulators of the body’s inflammatory response.

    The results, published on 1 May in Nature1, suggest that the brain maintains a delicate balance between the molecular signals that promote inflammation and those that dampen it — a finding that could lead to treatments for autoimmune diseases and other conditions caused by an excessive immune response.

  4. 4.

    Betty Cracker

    I feel for the folks who have to decide what to do in a space where a mass shooting occurred. We have Republicans to thank for that and many other impossible decisions since they insist these massacres are a byproduct of gun nuts’ sacred freedom to easily access battlefield weapons, which is the most important priority, obviously.

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “I’m excited about opening,” Juray said. “I know it’s definitely going to be a very long day, and probably an emotional day.”

    I’m sure there will be lots of tears..

  7. 7.

    TBone

    From the AP article on the celebration of teachers:

    This year’s State Teachers of the Year include those from 49 states, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense. Florida did not participate.

  11. 11.

    Another Scott

    @TBone: Thanks for the pointer.

    “Psychosomatic” gets a deservedly bad reputation.

    But I heard some doc make a clear point a while ago:

    When we hear a funny joke, our heart rate rises, our chest contracts, we make loud noises, etc., etc.  And it’s all because our brain tells us that something is funny rather than being a disease or trauma.  Why wouldn’t our brain be involved in other bodily reactions – sometimes caused by our brain misinterpreting stuff?

    Bodies are complicated.

    Thanks again.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  13. 13.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    I saw a documentary short at the True/False film festival about 8 years ago, “Speaking Is Difficult” and it addresses, in a way you’ll get shortly after it starts, this exact subject of mass shootings and place.

    https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/speaking-is-difficult-2

    The director recut the film 2 years later adding a couple of more shootings:
    https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/speaking-is-difficult-2

    Haunting. Well worth 15 minutes of your time.

  14. 14.

    TBone

    @Another Scott: 👍 implications for all kinds of autoimmune disease including rheumatoid arthritis, long Lyme, long Covid, multiple sclerosis, etc.  It’s going to require patience and perseverance, but we’re on our way!

  16. 16.

    TBone

    @Baud: the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.  I am worth it ☺️ as are we all.  Especially beloved curmudgeons!

  17. 17.

    RevRick

    The MakeAmericaGreatAgain PAC has been running ugly commercials in the Philly area attacking President Biden’s immigration policies by citing the case of an “illegal” released into our country who brutally murdered a woman.
    Meanwhile, how many women had been brutally murdered by husbands, boyfriends, exes, and how many were gunned down in mass murders during the Trump administration? And he went before the NRA and bragged, “I did nothing!”

  19. 19.

    TBone

    @RevRick:

    @Soprano2:

    There’s no bottom low enough for the chuds.  Expect severely dumb to continue in that portion of the population. They never disappoint.  Darwin Awards are gonna be lit.

  21. 21.

    kalakal

    @TBone: Wonderful. This would transform peoples lives. I have a friend who’s life is so curtailed by Rheumatoid Arthritis. Selfishly I’m all in favour of anything that would prevent me and others from going into anaphylactic shock

  24. 24.

    brendancalling

    My favorite response to the weed news came from a commenter at Eschaton, who announced that although this was a good thing, but that weed should have been legalized years ago so Biden/Democrats should get no credit.

    This, to me, perfectly encapsulates the Performative Left™. Same people that lost it when Warren said she’d gladly accept a cabinet position if Clinton had won in 2016.

    Why would ANYONE with political power give the slightest attention to people who make demands but never give you any credit?

  25. 25.

    bbleh

    Policy Initiatives May
    Boost Biden In Novembet
    Or They Might Not
    A Times Panel Discussion

  27. 27.

    TBone

    @brendancalling: Senator Fetterman hung a weed flag off his official PA office balcony along with a Pride flag for years.  To the consternation of many pearl clutchers here in PA.

  28. 28.

    zhena gogolia

    @bbleh: I was stunned that they had a headline on his Gaza statement that didn’t include any snarky undermining language. Not sure what’s up.

  33. 33.

    Soprano2

    I found this from Josh Marshall interesting. I’ve found my subscription to his site well worth it. I can share this because I’m a subscriber. I provided the link, but it probably won’t work for most people because it’s for subscribers.

    More Thoughts on the Campuses

    I wanted to do an update to my post on Monday about the situation in Israel-Palestine as well as on campuses on the United States.

    A few of you asked, what was the response to the post? It was, I think, overwhelmingly positive. I did have one longtime reader say he was quitting the site and ending his subscription over it. If I interpreted his message and what I’ve known about his viewpoints generally, he thought I was being too critical of Israel. But people are entitled to their opinions and viewpoints and feelings. And I say that not as a throwaway line but as a statement of fact and a recognition of the right way to live in the world. But the overwhelming and almost universal response was positive.

    I wrote a couple different versions of that post, or earlier posts which I abandoned and are now sitting as drafts in our system. Often I find I need to write and abandon a couple drafts before I have the clarity to write something that is worth publishing. Usually that is a matter of going deep into explicating some issue or making some point, which may be valid or interesting in itself but really amounts to throat clearing in preparation for the real point which only becomes clear after you’ve tried and failed to write it. Once I’d been through that a few times I wrote the final version in 15 or 20 minutes.

    Some pretty dramatic stuff has happened on campuses since I wrote that.

    I think the Columbia protesters made a major strategic mistake occupying the campus building. Up to that point, while it’s probably clear to you that I am by no means fully sympathetic to the protesters, they were winning. And by winning I mean in the general fora of public opinion, which is always such a protest’s main playing field. They were essentially saying, Why are you claiming this protest is a big crisis? We’re just here in our tents on a campus green. We’re not being violent and we’re taking steps to police our group’s activities. They were winning that argument, both to a real degree in what we might call the elite court of public opinion and also on other college campuses, as judged by the fact that the protests and encampments were proliferating.

    Occupying a building escalated things in a new and different direction. Occupying the building — and the low level property destruction and violence that goes along with that — I think lost the protesters that argument. That both provided a rationale for employing some level of force to end that occupation and maybe made it inevitable. The visuals of the NYPD coming in to clear the building were wild and over the top. And maybe that’s what the protesters wanted. But again, it took things in a dramatically new direction and gave much more force to the argument that the university had a legitimate public safety issue to contend with. People get wound up into fantasies that they’re part of some kind of revolutionary action or moment.

    Almost 35 years ago there was a controversy at my university over the termination or non-renewal of the contract of the director of the campus women’s center. To the best of my recollection this came at around the same time as the annual Take Back the Night marches. It’s possible I’m conflating two separate things that happened around the same time, but not exactly at the same time. In any case, it was a very volatile moment, tied to the involuntary departure of the director, but more substantively rooted in activism around campus rape and sexual assault. One night a group of a few dozen of us were meeting on the campus green immediately adjacent to the main campus administrative building — or the building where the university president and top university officials’ offices were located. There were new testimonials from people involved in the protests who had been victims of sexual violence on campus. And the discussion turned to next steps. The main option under discussion was some kind of occupation of the administrative building near where we were meeting.

    As the group was discussing how this could be done, someone proposed releasing some kind of gas into the building. I guess to force everyone out. This idea quickly garnered a few enthusiastic backers. I remember thinking, Are you guys fucking kidding? Are you sure you know what’s going to happen when you release some kind of noxious or disabling gas into a confined space? To be clear, I’m not saying this was the plan, and I shot it down. Some people were proposing this and others were saying STFU, you’re nuts and sit down. My point in raising this is that these are very hot-house environments and people can come up with surprisingly bad ideas that somehow make sense to them in the moment. Anyway, that’s what I saw at the revolution.

    As was certainly the case in the 1960s, meritorious protest actions, in the milieu of college campuses, often meld into romanticization of revolutionary action and causes and the drama of occupations and so forth. It kind of goes with the territory. I said above that it seemed like a bad strategic decision. But it’s not clear to me the extent to which it was a decision. Did the people organizing and speaking for the encampment decide to do that? Or was it a breakaway group or just something a group of protesters decided to do? I’d be very curious to know.

    The situation at UCLA seems very different. I saw various reports before the violence two nights ago of protesters either blocking access to various parts of the campus that students needed to access for their studies or Jewish students being denied access to areas covered by the protest. I still wanted to know more specifics about those cases because it’s hard to know based on those reports whether that’s really denying people the use of certain parts of the campus or blocking access to the encampment to people they think are trying to gain access to disrupt it or pick fights or whatever.

    But the denouement of the whole thing seems pretty clear cut. There were apparently counter-protests earlier this week in which the atmosphere became very tense. But on the night in question it appears that a small number of pro-Israel or anti-protester thugs entered the encampment in force with poles and clubs trying to tear down the barricades around the encampment and pick fights. They also apparently threw firecrackers into the encampment as this was happening.

    It’s hard to overstate the amount of terror doing that will provoke in a crowded, already tense situation at night. It is very shocking and scary to hear a firecracker go off near you if you’re not expecting it, just at a physical and palpable level, even if it does not cause injuries. Many people will think it’s gunfire. You just can’t overstate how crazy and aggressive and brutalizing and dangerous a thing this is to do. But that’s what happened. And the reports I’ve heard, at least, are that police didn’t intervene until an hour or more into melee.

    We can’t really call these people counter-protesters. These are more like gangs of thugs. This is a precipice we don’t want to go over. The hooligans got the “win” of numerous headlines talking about violence “breaking out at” the pro-Palestine encampments, which is true but also elides why it happened and who got violent.

    In any case, images of public disorder seldom redound to the benefit of parties of liberalism or the center-left. And they basically never “heighten the contradictions” and lead to a new revolutionary millennium. They almost always redound to the benefit of the political forces of reaction. They also play a necessary role in our society and our politics. The devil is in the details.

  39. 39.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TBone:

    This year’s State Teachers of the Year include those from 49 states, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense. Florida did not participate.

    Neither, apparently, did Puerto Rico. Wonder why not?

  44. 44.

    brendancalling

    @TBone: And now Progressives™ hate him because he’s pro-Israel, and are comparing him to Sinema and Manchin.

    Now, I don’t agree with Fetterman’s stance on Israel, but as a Big Boy Who Wears Big Boy Pants, I don’t expect to agree with my congresscritters on everything. I’m actually really upset about Fetterman’s stance on Israel, but he’s been great on weed, labor, LGBTQ, reproductive freedom, and more. I’m convinced he’s become vocally anti-progressive because the Progressives™ are never satisfied and will turn on you in a heartbeat.

    I use “Progressive™” to distinguish between actual progressives and the screaming ninnies.

  49. 49.

    Suzanne

    @brendancalling: Agree. I’m not pleased with Fetterman’s stance on Israel, and I think he’s actually been a pretty flagrant asshole on the issue.

    But voting is strategy. I might vote for someone else in the next primary, but I will most assuredly vote for the Dem in the general.

    ETA: Not pleased with his comments regarding immigration, either.

  50. 50.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Baud:

    I regret that I am so lacking in understanding of the UK elections. Other than when they elect the party or coalition that choose the prime minister, I have no idea how they work.

  51. 51.

    Lapassionara

    @Soprano2: Thanks for posting this.  I too subscribe to TPM, but for some reason, the site wont let me on just now.

  52. 52.

    Nina

    In other good news, over in the UK the Tories just got completely pasted in local elections.  Labour didn’t run the board, however.  They did poorly in places with large Muslim communities, probably because they have a regrettable stance on Gaza.

  53. 53.

    TBone

    @brendancalling: 👍 I’m watching what he does, not what he says.  He knows how to be controversial to yank the spotlight in his direction.  Good.  He’s not in charge of our foreign policy and doesn’t pretend to be. What he’s doing is supporting President Biden right now, IMO

  55. 55.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Suzanne:

    Democrats today are more united and speak more coherently than at any time I can recall. It is frustrating and sad that the only issue (as far as I can see) that divides us is one that we cannot directly control.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    @Melancholy Jaques:

    I know enough to know that Conservatives have run the table for a very long time, which makes their elections less interesting.  That may finally have caught up to them.  But I don’t think they will have another election until 2026, so who knows by then?

  57. 57.

    Gin & Tonic

    Sorry for the Philly folks, but I was up late watching my Knicks eliminate the Sixers in the NBA playoffs. Particularly nice with three Villanova alums starring for NY, playing in their former home arena.

    Very competitive series: combined score over six games was 650-649.

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @bbleh:

    Policy Initiatives May
    Boost Biden In Novembet
    Or They Might Not
    A Times Panel Discussion

    Real, or Pitchbot?

  62. 62.

    Marcopolo

    @Soprano2: fellow TPM subscriber here.  in case you did not know (and apparently that includes a lot of subscribers) everything posted @ TPM can be shared—they have been highlighting this in the past month or two which is how I know.  You should see a share icon at the top of every post now.  Not sure exactly how that works with, say, posting the link here @ BJ but it works fine for sharing w/ my friends & family.

    Edited to add: Hmm, just looked & now I don’t see it.  Will drop them a line and see what’s up because they’d been pretty forward about being able to share.

  63. 63.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The high intelligence levels of orangutans have long been recognised, partly due to their practical skills such as using tools to retrieve seeds and forage for insects. But new research suggests the primate has another handy skill in its repertoire: applying medicinal herbs.

    Researchers say they have observed a male Sumatran orangutan treating an open facial wound with sap and chewed leaves from a plant known to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

    It is not the first time wild animals have been spotted self-medicating: among other examples, Bornean orangutans have been seen rubbing their arms and legs with chewed leaves from a plant used by humans to treat sore muscles, while chimpanzees have been recorded chewing plants known to treat worm infections and applying insects to wounds.

    However, the new discovery is the first time a wild animal has been observed treating open wounds with a substance known to have medicinal properties.

    “In the chimpanzee case they used insects and unfortunately it was never found out whether these insects really promote wound healing. Whereas in our case, the orangutan used the plant, and this plant has known medical properties,” said Dr Caroline Schuppli, senior author of the research based at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.

  66. 66.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Nina:

    I’ve got a friend running as a Green Party (I know, I know) candidate for a Bristol City Council seat.  I didn’t realize that the Green’s controlled the most seats on CC there.

    Said friend made national news when she had part of her finger ripped off by a dog while canvassing:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-68703087

    I have no idea about election returns.  She basically turned to the Greens b/c she echoes a lot of what Tony Jay’s screeds here are about.  That being said, most of what drives candidates like her are the hyper-local issues where they see Labour as about as fauxgressive as many of us see Denver city Dems as being.

  67. 67.

    John S.

    @Suzanne: Fetterman always struck me as kind of an asshole. And I know some people like to embrace assholes when they represent their worldview (despite being an asshole), but at the end of the day an asshole is still an asshole.

  71. 71.

    Soprano2

    So update on hubby – he’s still doing OK. I found out he didn’t leave a urine sample at the lab on Tuesday. I wondered what happened, and then this morning I figured it out. I went to put something in the bathroom trash and found the specimen jar! I’m guessing he took it, put it in his pocket, peed in the toilet and then left. They didn’t realize there was no urine specimen until we had left. I’ve messaged the doctor about it, because he’s going to the urologist in the same building on Monday, so if he still wants a sample hubby could do it then. I’ll have to go back there with him to make sure he does it, so that’s yet one more thing I have to supervise now. It truly is like having a small child in many ways.

    I interviewed caregivers yesterday and Wednesday, and I requested that he be evaluated for hospice care. When people have dementia it’s not like the end of life care you think of when you think about hospice, because dementia is automatically considered an end of life condition no matter how far you are from the actual end. He has to be evaluated to be sure he meets the hospice criteria, though. If he does then I can get some help from them that’s paid for by Medicare, plus I could have caregivers. The hospice people would be medically trained, like nurses, which would be a benefit. I need more trained eyes on him, is what it boils down to, plus I need him to do some things I can’t get him to do but others probably can.

  73. 73.

    Soprano2

    @Marcopolo: This one said you could share it and had the link, but I’ve only used that to share on Facebook before. I figured if I copied it and then provided the link that would be the same thing.

  75. 75.

    TBone

    @Kay: ok but Business Insider makes my eyes roll back in my head 🙄

    “No, I haven’t been critical. That’s not critical. It’s just I disagree on certain aspects of it. That’s reasonable,” said Fetterman. “[I’m] 10,000% all about Biden, I love that guy, I’m proud to call him my president. It’s really just very different than the fringe that’s talking about uncommitted, or to abandon Biden, or anything like that.”

  76. 76.

    Matt McIrvin

    @brendancalling: With something as all-around horrifying as the Israel/Palestine situation, it’s very easy and even seemingly reasonable to take any given position as a “dealbreaker” that overrides all other considerations and has to break alliances.

    Which just means we lose. People with an authoritarian bent can often just suppress these reactions on order from the Leader (though the chaos in the House suggests that there are limits). Liberals and progressives can’t; they have to consciously control it. Emotions can run extremely high and that’s not wrong, but it can do damage.

    Not to mention, there are people on the other side explicitly working to make US think in terms of “dealbreakers” so we are divided and weak. I recall Conor Friedersdorf doing his damndest to Just Ask Questions about electoral dealbreakers in 2016. Pure strategic trolling.

  77. 77.

    Soprano2

    @Quiltingfool: Oh God yes! Those two are useless tools.

    How about the Freedom Caucus? Will they prevent bad stuff from passing again this year because they want even worse stuff?

  80. 80.

    kalakal

    @Baud: By January 2025 for the next General Election. In that one all of the house of commons is up for grabs.

    Imagine all of House of Congress being elected on the same day and the resulting Speaker is also the President. The House of Lords is roughly the senate but with no power.

    Yesterdays was a bunch of local elections, think of City & Counties plus one byeelection

    (US special)  for an MP who jumped before he was pushed)  resigned after corruption charges

  81. 81.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    My clients really love the in-home caregivers programs, especially those who are still working (like you).

    The agency reputations vary – I’ve come to know the good ones from the less good. Perhaps your elder care/estate planning attorney might know which to avoid.

  82. 82.

    narya

    @Soprano2: Thanks for letting us all know! It sounds like you might maybe (FINGERS SO CROSSED!) be getting some help. Even though my dad didn’t have dementia, I saw the strain on my mom, managing every little thing, and I saw the way that hospice and home health aides eased that a bit. Not completely, of course, but knowing there was support was huge. Again, fingers crossed for you.

  84. 84.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: I’ll have to go back there with him to make sure he does it, so that’s yet one more thing I have to supervise now.

    I too need adult supervision from time to time.

  85. 85.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I’ll let people with better people skills answer that. But I would point out that, as valuable as diversity of viewpoints is, an official Democratic organization has to be cognizant of its public image in a way that a private group doesn’t have to.

  88. 88.

    Kay

    @TBone:

    Well, he made a special appearance on cable to express his outrage so it was all over the news. It’s just disingenious to focus exclusively on the criticism from the Left side of the Party and ignore the critics on the Right. It looks like viewpoint discrimination – that criticism from the Right is acceptable but criticism from the Left is not.

  89. 89.

    narya

    For those of you who have stumbled across my cooking/baking endeavors, I’m testing out the Dufour puff pastry. I’m gonna keep it simple and just make palmiers (a.k.a. elephant ears) and send some to my mom for mother’s day (because I told her that you eat an elephant one bite at a time, when she was dealing with lawyers about my dad’s estate). Need to get it done and in the mail before I head to surgery on Monday . . .

  91. 91.

    ArchTeryx

    And right on cue, we are getting outright hagiographies of Trump from FTFNYT:

    I post the link only because this is how the enemy is trying to convince the rest of us to normalize Trump, again.

    This is not a Pitchbot/DougJ title, I swear.

    “Trump Embraces Lawlessness, but in the Name of a Higher Law.” (Should be unpaywalled).

    It apparently was written by some Extremely Online MAGAt named Matthew Schmitz, How far the Grey Lady has fallen, and it’s really trying to take the rest of us down with it.

  92. 92.

    UncleEbeneezer

    In Pasadena, Southern California, Biden expanded the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, driven by calls from Indigenous peoples including the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and the Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. Both are the original stewards of the culturally rich and diverse lands, advocates noted in a separate news release.

    Wow, I didn’t even realize Dark Brandon had come to town! Love to see this. This particular National Monument happens to be our back yard (we live about a mile below where the foothills begin) and it’s a really wonderful place that is probably some of the best mountain landscape (including Mt. Lowe, Mt. Wilson, Mt. Baldy, Millard Canyon etc.) in close proximity to a major city, in America. When I first moved to LA I was just stunned by the fact that only 30 minutes from downtown you could find yourself up at 1-3,000 feet so easily, on lush canyon trails and with views all the way to the sea and even Catalina island. It’s a very special place :)

  95. 95.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: a lot of what you see me say here is me arguing with voices in my head. Got a very loud internal troll who is always fast with the hottest of hot takes.

  100. 100.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Matt McIrvin: a lot of what you see me say here is me arguing with voices in my head.

    You say that like it’s a bad thing.

    eta: Ftr, I usually agree with the voices in my head.

  101. 101.

    ArchTeryx

    @TBone: It’s like the FTFNYT is desperately trying to become the New York Post. I mean, it doesn’t get much more naked than that short of endorsing Hitler. Oh, wait…

  103. 103.

    Baud

    Reposting from the overnight thread, for those who want to keep track of encroaching freedom.

    Via Reddit

    Florida bans lab-grown meat, adding to similar efforts in three other states
    Companies that have made strides in cultivated meat technology said Florida’s law stifles innovation in a space that is becoming competitive globally

  106. 106.

    ArchTeryx

    Yes, for the record, I wake up as grumpy as our Blogfather, particularly before I’ve had my morning tea. I’m not big on the Outrage-Go-Round because of my own plethora of mental disabilities. But that article in the FTFNYT was so nakedly partisan I had to look twice to make sure it wasn’t a Pitchbot special.

  108. 108.

    Kay

    There are D voters on the Right and Center of the Party too, so criticism from the Right side of the Party lands with them, just like criticism from the Left lands with D voters on the Left side.

    I would put Fetterman’s criticism of immigration in this category – likely to land with Right leaning Democrats (like the Democrats where I live). I have no earthly idea if it causes fewer of them to vote for Biden or less “enthusiasm” or whatever, but it is  criticism of Biden/Democrats from the Right side of the Party.

    As stalled immigration negotiations imperil U.S. aid to Ukraine and Israel, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is blaming not only Republicans but also members of his own party for what he described as a reflexive political resistance to a border security deal.

    Eric Adams is another example of this.

    It’s a big tent and it’s fine with me – there’s a Right, Center and Left side of the Party, but the Righties fail the loyalty test just like the Lefties do.

  111. 111.

    Soprano2

    @schrodingers_cat: I would voice my concerns diplomatically, but Baud is right – they need to think about the fact that they are a Democratic group. They don’t want to become perceived as TFG supporters – that would be counterproductive.

  112. 112.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Righties fail the loyalty test just like the Lefties do.

     
    For me, the loyalty test comes down to voting. I’m not worried about Fetterman or Adams supporting Biden or Dems generally. For that matter, I’m not worried about Bernie Sanders or AOC supporting Biden or Dems generally.

    For me anyway, subject to that limitation, reasoned criticism is perfectly acceptable.

    Others MMV.

  115. 115.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Percy, who is nearly always my shadow, is right up my butt today. I don’t dare turn around w/o looking first. It’s kinda worrisome.

  116. 116.

    Another Scott

    @kalakal:

    Count Binface has an appealing platform.

    In 2019, another individual contested the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat as Buckethead, representing the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, to which Binface said he “look[s] forward to both the hustings and to challenging [him] to take part in a receptacle-to-receptacle debate”.[6]

    When Johnson resigned as an MP in 2023, Binface again stood as a candidate in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, finishing eighth of 17.

    Battling Bins!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  118. 118.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    There’s a school of thought that says the dissent keeps people in the Party. If I’m a NW Ohio Right leaning Dem and have a Fetterman or an Adams who share my Right leaning views on immigration in the Democratic Party then I’m represented and I don’t need to bolt.

    Same on the Left. If I have Bernie or Summer Lee representing my views I have a voice so can stay inside the party.

  120. 120.

    kindness

    As far as the rescheduling of pot from I to III goes, well it’s a good timid step.  Half the states have legal cannabis now.  They could study the effects just as well if they would have switched cannabis to the same thing as alcohol and tobacco, where it should be.  Just legalize the stuff so it can be regulated properly.

  123. 123.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @3Sice: woohoo! Someday we’ll get back to the pre-WWII standards for train service (minus any segregation)

  124. 124.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    We have a two party system. Some people wish we had a parliamentary system, but we don’t. And since everything must flow through one of those two parties, there’s no getting around having to work with people who aren’t like minded.

    In the old days, when the two parties and the populace weren’t as polarized ideologically , it may have been easier to play Dems against Republicans, but that’s currently not a realistic option unless you’re a monster.

  125. 125.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: All three of the agencies I interviewed are smaller local ones, although one seems to be a franchise. I stayed away from the big ones. I also asked about one my friend had a bad experience with so I could avoid them. All three of them have been in hospice care before. I liked all three women, and their rates and what they do are similar, so it’s going to be hard to choose.

  126. 126.

    schrodingers_cat

    The border deal that didn’t go through had some good provisions aimed at giving relief to immigrants caught in GC backlogs and other administrative backlogs. The asylum system, the whole immigration system needs an overhaul after Newt and his buddies broke it during the Clinton administration. But it is not going to happen unless Ds have substantial majorities in both houses and the White House. 2 attempts have failed (one by W and one by Obama). So it is all okay to sit on the sideline and criticize the immigration deal but it seriously would have been better than the current status quo for many who it would impact directly.

    Immigration law is an immensely complicated and most people who opine on it have little idea what they are talking about. This is true across the ideological divide.

  127. 127.

    Scout211

    Well, well, well. It looks like Trump Media contracted with an “independent auditing firm” that was skilled at creating reports that were full of fiction.

    Do you think Trump Media knew this firm was producing fictional reports for the SEC?  Ha ha.  Just kidding.  Of course they did. CNBC

    The auditing firm for Trump Media and the auditor’s owner were charged Friday with “massive fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission for work that affected more than 1,500 SEC filings, the federal regulator announced.

    The auditor, BF Borgers CPA and its owner Benjamin Borgers have agreed to be permanently suspended from practicing as accountants before the SEC, and also agreed to pay a combined $14 million in civil penalties, with admitting or denying the allegations, the SEC said.

    The agency, calling BF Borgers a “sham audit mill,” said the company and its owner engaged in “deliberate and systemic failures to comply with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board … standards in its audits and reviews incorporated in more than 1,500 SEC filings from January 2021 through June 2023,” according to a press release.

    . . .

    The respondents also were charged with falsely telling clients that the auditor’s work would comply with PCAOB standards, fabricating audit documents to make it seem that the work did comply with those standards, and “falsely stating in audit reports included in more than 500 public company SEC filings that the firm’s audits complied with PCAOB standards,” the release said.

    . . .

    As of Friday morning, the investor relations page on Trump Media’s website still listed BF Borgers as the independent auditor of the company.

    But Trump Media spokeswoman Shannon Devine told CNBC, “Trump Media looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order.”

  128. 128.

    Kay

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    No, absolutely. But there’s no test for membership in the party. The 25% on the Right and the 25% on the Left would fail.

    I think Manchin and Sinema did a lot of damage to Biden with their months of lying and stalling on legislation. They contributed to his chronically low approval ratings in a way that really dinged him.

  129. 129.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Didn’t see it. Kind of a dumb analogy, but I do think he very much wants Biden to win. I don’t think he’s playing the type of games we saw in 2016.

  130. 130.

    Jackie

    Heh! Judge Merchan corrected TIFG this morning and informed him the gag order didn’t preclude him from testifying. TIFG so thought he had the excuse he needed NOT to testify!😂

  131. 131.

    Scout211

    @Soprano2: Thank you for your updates.  It helps me prepare for the future.  I hope you find some good in-home care soon.

  132. 132.

    Lyrebird

    @Baud: ​

    For me anyway, subject to that limitation, reasoned criticism is perfectly acceptable.

    @schrodingers_cat: ​
     

    I am PRO reasoned criticism.
    I am often unrealistic, but I also know that TIMING matters.

    Like when a Sanders group emailed me last month on this, asking for money to fight AIPAC’s influence like they did backing Nina Turner against Shontel Brown??? eff all the way off with that, especially now. When JStreet emails me asking me to help them back Harry Dunn in his primary battle, on the other hand, that is good timing. Would send money if I had it rn.

    Above all, ,thank you Anne Laurie for your work!

    and hooray for fellow jackals!

  136. 136.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Good. I have two I like, based solely on asking my clients how they do. I wish more men would do caregiving work. A lot of men want men, partly because the caregiver also turns into a companion (ideally) and they just aren’t available.

    You’ve probably already done this but does your county have a MR/DD board or agency? They are moving into offering help for dementia issues.

  138. 138.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: It’s a question of doing *enough*, really, Voting the right way is one thing, but I’ve always been a pretty bad activist–a pessimistic attitude can be an impediment to activism, as can the tendency to second-guess yourself and think “well ACKTCHUALLY we’re wasting our time here, the only fix that matters is <impossibly radical and possibly bloody revolutionary change>”, etc. It takes a lot of faith that can be hard to achieve.

  140. 140.

    Juju

    @Suzanne: I live in NC. I will trade both of my senators for Fetterman.  I’d love to have a meteor land on Senator Budd. Tillis has improved a tad, but if he was standing next to Budd when the meteor hit, I don’t think I’d be that upset.

  143. 143.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Lyrebird: When candidates I’ve supported in general elections in the past ask me for support in their primary campaigns against some other Democrat coming at them from slightly to the left or the right, I usually look askance at it. But I suppose that comes with the territory.

  145. 145.

    kalakal

    @NotMax:

    Greatest ever comment on the British election system

    I’ll never not love about the fact Britain makes its most powerful politician run against Elmo and a man with a bucket on his head

    Never forget Mr Fishfinger

    And that in 2010 Nigel Farage got fewer votes than a man dressed as a dolphin

  146. 146.

    Brachiator

    @Melancholy Jaques:

    I regret that I am so lacking in understanding of the UK elections. Other than when they elect the party or coalition that choose the prime minister, I have no idea how they work.

    These are local elections. For mayor, local council people, some police magistrates. These results are not necessarily predictive of a general election, but the Tory losses are still significant.

  147. 147.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Soprano2: muscle test. Or use some other intuitive means you’re comfortable with. A therapist once taught me to tune into my body to feel each potential option. I tend to sway forward when it’s a good choice.  If I stay in my mind, decisions can be hard.

    I’m sorry you have this kind of decision to make.

  149. 149.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @NotMax: Hootervile Cannonball?

    For some reason or other I thought you were referring to scantily clad women jumping into a pool.

  151. 151.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I wouldn’t say I trust him. But I don’t think he’s being sneaky. I think he wants Biden to win. Maybe something will cause that to change. He could jump ship early if it looks like trump will win. But as of now, I don’t think his criticism of Gaza affects how he wants the election to come out.

  158. 158.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    My mother in law (a great person) died two years ago and seemed completely sharp up until the day she died – still funny as hell, even. She was wealthy so had complex taxes and had a CPA doing them for a hundred years but he died and she apparently just…stopped filing taxes. We woudl ask her and she would say “oh, yes, they’re filed!” – like a kid. Not true. The attorney handling the estate is working to resolve it with the IRS and it will get resolved (the IRS are actually easy to work and completely reasonable- they, like all of us, just want to get paid) but we’re finding out with this and some other financial stuff that was not done that she did need help, she just refused to admit it.

    It’s so hard to keep peoples dignity while taking care of them.

  159. 159.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay: Even third-party spoiler candidates might be less of a problem than we realize if the real choice is between them and not voting at all (and someone who shows up to vote for them might vote productively for other candidates on the ballot).

    Though I have my doubts about that last parenthesis, given that people who come in to vote for these fringe candidates tend not to be super interested in the city council or register of probate races.

  160. 160.

    rikyrah

    They continue to be ridiculous in Tennessee.

     

    Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) posted at 10:06 PM on Thu, May 02, 2024:

     

    Tonight, after a 3 hour hearing, Republicans FAILED to kick me off the ballot. This is yet another attempt at political harassment after failing to silence, censure, intimidate, and expel our movement. But today the people of District 52 showed up and the truth prevailed! ✊🏾💛 https://t.co/NGm6goRgHB (https://x.com/brotherjones_/status/1786230768479432800?s=02)

  161. 161.

    smith

    @Scout211: That’s both hilarious and completely predictable. As I recall, this is the auditing firm whose headquarters looks like a highway rest stop. And even though it turns out to be as shady as you’d imagine, it still reported that there were serious doubts that TFG’s company could continue as a going concern. I guess the company is so bad it’s not even worth frauding for.

  163. 163.

    topclimber

    @Baud: He said it “may” be Biden’s Vietnam. Some folks around here are a bit sloppy with their quotes.

  164. 164.

    Jackie

    @rikyrah: I read that yesterday? Apparently it’s SOP, nothing nefariously new. It’s a pain in the ass for lapsed voters, but as 90% (pulled out of my hat) vote R… 🤷🏼‍♀️

  165. 165.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: If he wants Biden to win, he needs to be more careful  The malign legacy of his 2016 run lives on. We have a President who has delivered on the progressive wishlist but we have many of the left who refuse to give him any credit for it

    Student loan relief
    Expanding Obamacare benefits
    Pulling out Afghanistan
    Reversing decades of Reagnomics
    NLRB that is not hostile to unions

  166. 166.

    rikyrah

    The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) posted at 8:00 PM on Thu, May 02, 2024:
    It’s what Trump wants. It’s part of his plan. Intimidate and bully judges, jurors, and witnesses into silence. If you think this behavior is restricted to the court room and that he won’t bring it into the Oval Office, think again.

     

    Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) posted at 1:35 PM on Thu, May 02, 2024:
    Judge Chutkan has received threats.
    Judge Berman Jackson has received threats.
    Judge Merchan has received threats.
    Judge Engoron has received threats.
    AG James has received threats.
    DA Bragg has received threats.
    DA Willis has received threats.

    Despite that, Trump attacked Judge…
    (https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1786102121546367080?s=02)

  167. 167.

    Timill

    @Soprano2: Just remember: you don’t have to make a perfect decision, only a good enough one, and it sounds as though any of them would be good enough.

  168. 168.

    sab

    @Soprano2: My dad had hospice for the last two years of his life and I cannot say enough about how helpful they were. They know what they are doing with dementia patients, and family members are just guessing.

  172. 172.

    Jackie

    Really?!

    “Federal prosecutors have charged a former government employee with falsely accusing seven colleagues — many of whom held security clearances and at least some of whom worked in the intelligence community — of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol,” Politico reports.

    “Investigators say Miguel Zapata used ‘burner’ emails to submit anonymous tips to an FBI tipline about seven ex-colleagues, causing the bureau to investigate and interview many of them.”

    I hope his ass lands in the same jail that the real insurrectionists are in!👿

  175. 175.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Lots of groups of people don’t give us credit. I don’t excuse those on the left, but I don’t think they’re unique. They just usually come up more often because, I think, most of us would like to see leftier people be part of the coalition rather than against it.

  177. 177.

    Mart

    “The media frames every single Biden action as “hoping to help him in November”” Should that dastardly Biden be trying to lose in November?

  178. 178.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    @kalakal:

    By January 2025 for the next General Election. In that one all of the house of commons is up for grabs.

    Prime Minister Sunak could have and should have called a general election already. One astute political analyst has predicted a general election happening on November 21.

    The Tories are desperate to hang on to power despite growing dissatisfaction even from their base.

    Worse case scenario: the Tories replace Sunak and try to drag things out until 2025.

  179. 179.

    rikyrah

    UH HUH

     

    Marvin Sapp InTheSkreets/Marvin Gaye InTheSheets (@groove_sdc) posted at 9:12 PM on Thu, May 02, 2024:
    Folks been waiting to yell at Black voters particularly since we’re the engine of the party and that’s why they’re going so hard over this issue and there’s just enough of us who agree to give them cover.

    They’d rather solidarity on another continent than be subservient to us.
    (https://x.com/groove_sdc/status/1786217346027147631?s=02)

  183. 183.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @topclimber:

    Folks everywhere take quotes the way they want to hear them. And the political media restate them to fit their narratives. (Al Gore never said he invented the internet, for one example.)

    Any comparison of Gaza with Vietnam, whether “it is” or “it may be,” is ridiculous. Especially for a Democrat who supposedly wants to see Biden re-elected

    And what @schrodingers_cat: said above.

  184. 184.

    topclimber

    @Baud:I agree that the stakes within the US are nowhere near as great. No draft, no rednecks being drafted while college students and bone-spur frauds skate, no incumbent party dysfunction over racial equality.

    But does it have to be dumb on the merits for the Village not to make it happen?

  185. 185.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay: that happened to me too, only it wasn’t a person who had mysteriously stopped filing taxes and then passed away… it was a corporation I used to work for.

  186. 186.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Soprano2: [hospice] … plus I need him to do some things I can’t get him to do but others probably can.

    Towards the end Bemused Senior would not accept medication from me. She gave the hospice nurses no trouble.

    My experience with hospice was completely positive. I hope you will find the same. I send best wishes to you.

  189. 189.

    Another Scott

    @schrodingers_cat: I don’t remember the context.

    He was a friend of someone in the group, right?  What did the friend hope to achieve by inviting him?  One-off reward to him?  Hoping to spark some sort of debate?  Hoping to “gain understanding of the other side”?  Something else?  Does he regret inviting him?

    If it’s a one-off thing, or he regrets it, then I would let it slide until someone else that seems far outside the group’s purpose is proposed and then have that discussion.  No sense in potentially causing arguments now if they don’t really matter.  If not, then I would want more information on why he was proposed.

    My view is there are only so many hours in a day, and having a volunteer group have enough of a critical mass to actually get things done is very difficult to have and maintain.  As such, leadership should remember: Don’t waste people’s time, don’t disrespect them, and filter things by remembering to do what you can to keep making things better.

    My $0.02.

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  190. 190.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @rikyrah: Who paid for: …

    [assorted protest support material]

    This is a LOT of money. Where did it come from?

    Oh, here and there. /s

  192. 192.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    That’s hysterical. She had her favorite hairdresser coming in to assisted living to do her hair and nails – had done them for 30 years. We found out a year after she died that she stopped paying that poor woman too – we owed her like 6,000 dollars plus interest. That’s a lot of hair appointments. She was a good tipper though – maybe she kept up the tips and that made it worthwhile, I don’t know.

  193. 193.

    Soprano2

    @Scout211: I’m glad you feel it’s helping. I’ve gotten a lot of help and information from the FB group I joined. Those people have been through it all, or at least a lot of it.

  195. 195.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay: For what it’s worth, I think there’s also a dynamic like this on Israel/Palestine that can be neglected by Very Online people. I tend to sympathize with a lot of the lefty/pro-Palestine criticism of the Biden administration, but I also think a lot of the people making it think their position is way more popular than it is, and are in denial about the intensity of pro-Israel sentiment among rank and file Democrats, and the political risk of Biden taking a hard position against Israel. It’s the classic Pundit’s Fallacy, assuming that what you want is also what “the people” want.

  196. 196.

    Jackie

    Isn’t Cancun Cruz also in trouble with the SEC?

    The auditing firm for Trump Media and the auditor’s owner were charged with “massive fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission, CNBC reports.

    The auditor agreed to be permanently suspended from practicing as accountants before the SEC, and also agreed to pay a combined $14 million in civil penalties.

  197. 197.

    kalakal

    @Brachiator: They will hang on as long as they can – turkeys don’t for christmas – they want to keep the salary, perks, and run up their pensions.

    Cromwell said it best about political grifters

    It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

    Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

    Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

    In the name of God, go!”

     

     

  198. 198.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay: In my case there was a certain amount of “no, Mr. IRS man, I have no idea where that CEO absconded to…”

  199. 199.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Soprano2: Fingers crossed for you getting the help you need. It’s true that caregivers and strangers can get better responses and cooperation than loved ones. I have seen family get despondent about this but that’s just the way we humans are.

    Hope it helps both of you continue to enjoy your togetherness.

  200. 200.

    Suzanne

    @TBone:

    What he’s doing is supporting President Biden right now, IMO 

    I think President Biden needs a swift kick in the ass on the Israel issue. So “supporting” him on this issue is not the best course of action, IMHO.

  201. 201.

    SiubhanDuinne

    You know what? The scriptwriters for this timeline are having waaaay too much fun.

    ETA: Apologies if it’s already been mentioned. I knew about the second whistleblower, but not this.

  203. 203.

    stinger

    @narya:

    make palmiers (a.k.a. elephant ears) and send some to my mom for mother’s day (because I told her that you eat an elephant one bite at a time, when she was dealing with lawyers about my dad’s estate)

    How clever! She’ll laugh and eat them with pleasure, I’m sure!

  204. 204.

    Another Scott

    @narya: [envy]  One of my great aunts used to bake various kinds of breads all the time in her tiny apartment.  She made the most delicious cloverleaf rolls.  [yum!]

    I’m sure your mom will enjoy the treats, very much.

    Best of luck with your upcoming surgery!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  205. 205.

    Matt McIrvin

    @topclimber: I have to admit, my daughter is getting near the end of AP US History and we’ve been talking about the past several decades, and it’s been hard not to see some parallels as the mass campus protests and social unrest of the Vietnam era, SDS and SNCC, Kent State and Jackson State have been on my mind. But it’s one of those cases where history rhymes but isn’t repeating.

    I do wonder what happens if Trump gets back in and just does his best to ratchet the tension up, as he does by instinct. Especially since he and the Republicans have been tossing around careless talk of “no more Mr. Nice Guy” and using the military against American civilians.

    And, you know, my kid is going to college in the fall. Going to have a front-row seat.

  209. 209.

    John S.

    @topclimber: Even with the qualifier, it’s still an idiotic comparison. No draft, no American troops deployed, no spiraling American casualties. It’s not even in the same ballpark.

  210. 210.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Kay: Biden’s “evolution” on many issues is due to listening to different voices from various flanks. Of course, you have to be willing to listen. The younger Biden seemed more strident and set in his ways.

  212. 212.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I sort of disagree. I think (sadly) that a lot of Right leaning and centrist D’s will like the “crack down on the protestors” stuff. I know Biden’s polling on I/P/Gaza is horrendous right now – I saw it’s down to 19% approval among voters ages 18 to 35 – but Right wing and centrist D’s exist, they don’t like protestors or the Left side of the Party and they’ll approve of the authoritarian response, if not the Gaza policy.

    So he’ll lose young voters – I think that cake is baked now and he can’t come back with them, ditto for Arabs/Muslims who are profoundly offended by Gaza and the US role in it – but he’ll pick up Right leaning and centrist voters.

    Two of my grown children feel strongly about this – my daughter, who is a health care provider and is absolutely appalled by the attacks on health care workers and hospitals, and my youngest, who is a Lefty and protesting Gaza. My daughter will vote for Biden, my youngest will not. Shame, because my daughter votes in NY and my son will vote in MI. My middle son, interestingly, is a big Biden backer. He’s in the IBEW and they have been making bank for the last four years. He’s doing great.

  213. 213.

    kalakal

    @schrodingers_cat: Almost none at all.

    The media have swept it under the carpet. When he crashes and burns it will reappear. He got burnt recently when the tories tried to make a scandal about the deputy labour leader making a £3,000 capital gains error on her mothers house, and most of the population threw £billions of Tory grifting back in his face, but the MSM didn’t cover it until it was forced to by a public outcry

  214. 214.

    Frank Wilhoit

    As I write, the top story at Slate (something about the campus protests) is headlined, “America Needs To Grow Up.”  That horse is running down the road with the barn door superglued to his back.

  216. 216.

    LAO

    For those that are interested, The People of the State of New York just called Hope Hicks to testify.

  217. 217.

    Kay

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    I agree. I REALLY disliked him during the bankrupty reform bill era. He knew his position sucked so he came up with this bullshit about how bankruptcy was denying people child support, which is a lie. He knew damn well child support isn’t discharged in bankruptcy.

  218. 218.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Baud

    Kind of a dumb analogy

    Hmm, seems like many are running with comparing the I/P protests to the Vietnam protests of the 60’s. Like there have been none since (Iraq, Occupy, Ferguson, Women’s March, George Floyd, to name a few).

  219. 219.

    Scout211

    @LAO: For those that are interested, The People of the State of New York just called Hope Hicks to testify.

    You definitely have my attention.

  221. 221.

    oldgold

    Trump’s strategy in all of the criminal proceedings has been to cause delay so as to run the clock.

    What is surprising in the hush money case now being tried, is that this slow down the process strategy is being pursued by Trump’s attorneys in the actual trial.  It is surprising because one would have thought  that the last thing Trump wants to do is extend the number of days he has to sit in the courtroom.  Yet, as this trial proceeds, it is  becoming clearer that Trump’s attorneys are intentionally  throwing sand in the gears to slow it down.

  222. 222.

    Matt McIrvin

    @John S.:

    Even with the qualifier, it’s still an idiotic comparison. No draft, no American troops deployed, no spiraling American casualties. It’s not even in the same ballpark.

    Wait ’til next year–we could get all that at home. Biden may not be in the same hole as LBJ but Trump is also dumber, even more fascist and, amazingly, more morally void than Nixon.

  225. 225.

    smith

    Another tidbit related to the trial: Last night the Defendant reposted a video attacking Judge Merchan’s daughter. The judge made a point, yesterday I think, that reposting was the same as posting when it came to the gag order. This looks like a dare to the judge to jail him already. We may see soon if Merchan is up to the task.

  226. 226.

    rikyrah

    @oldgold:

    Yet, as this trial proceeds, it is  becoming clearer that Trump’s attorneys are intentionally  throwing sand in the gears to slow it down.

    And yet, it continues.

  228. 228.

    rikyrah

    @LAO:

    For those that are interested, The People of the State of New York just called Hope Hicks to testify.

     

    Hmm….

    I’m hoping that they call that Governor Godawful from Arkansa.

  229. 229.

    Matt McIrvin

    @smith: So is the response Trump wants for Merchan to jail him, or for Merchan to wimp out, showing himself to be a paper tiger? I’m actually not sure. Maybe Trump figures he wins politically either way.

  230. 230.

    Scout211

    @Kay: ooh. I wonder if she’ll perjure herself. Probably! She’s a giant liar too.

    NBC live updates:

    Hope Hicks has taken the stand and when asked for her educational background, she said she’s “really nervous.”

    Trump is looking directly at her and appears to be closely listening.

    The poor thing. Bless her heart. 

  231. 231.

    smith

    @oldgold: I noticed that, too, and it is puzzling, unless they think the ongoing news about the trial will benefit him poltically. I’m guessing they are guessing wrong.

  232. 232.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Scout211:

    I’ve always expected her to testify that Donald Trump is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being she has ever known in her life.

    I will be shocked if her testimony is significant in establishing Trump’s guilt. Love to be wrong.

  233. 233.

    Geminid

    @schrodingers_cat: For tonights committee meeting; I suggest making a short list of potential speakers for future meetings. Maybe say you did not think the last speaker was a good one and explain why. Then add, these are the kind of speakers I think we should be hosting. End on a positive note.

  234. 234.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I think young voters will probably come back for the next D down the pike, but I fear we have lost some Arabs and Muslims for good. The offense is profound in my experience, and I think misunderstood. They’re not offended “as Arabs” or “as Muslims” –  they’re not talking about “colonialism” or who had what claim to what land first- they’re offended as Americans. They think the policy is based on anti Arab and anti Muslim bias in the US. They are not going to forget.

  235. 235.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: I just looked that up, and yes they do have one. One of the caregivers I interviewed yesterday gave me the name of a state agency that all caregivers are supposed to be registered with, because as you can imagine having people come into your home opens up all kinds of bad possibilities. She said I would be able to look people up on that web site. That was the first I had heard of that. One of my friends has a father who has Lewy Body dementia; they’ve had problems with caregivers. Her sister caught one of them going up into her room on the second floor; they don’t have any reason to go up there.

  236. 236.

    Kay

    @Scout211:

    I can’t stand her. I think she’s utterly full of shit. The phony coyness. Yuck.

    The sanctions for perjury aren’t strong enough, IMO. They gotta get handle on these liars. Crack down!

    Treat them like protestors at a university!

  237. 237.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

     My daughter will vote for Biden, my youngest will not.

    I know you probably have, but, I have to ask..

    Have you asked your youngest to name 5 GOP Active Politicians that have expressed any kind of support for the Palestinians.

     

    It must be nice to be privileged enough to throw away your vote and thus support the harm to millions of your fellow citizens.

  239. 239.

    LAO

    @Melancholy Jaques: I don’t know how she’s going to testify but I do know that the prosecution team wouldn’t call her as a witness, if she didn’t help their case.  A reminder to all, she testified in the grand jury.
    Personally, I’m super curious to see how the defense approaches her cross.

  241. 241.

    TBone

    Valerie Perrine popped in to my head today, along with “We punch natzis, we don’t vote for ’em.”

    Not related in any way, just there…

  243. 243.

    Soprano2

    @schrodingers_cat: I don’t think the comparison to LBJ is necessarily wrong in many ways, but not about Vietnam. I guarantee you most Americans don’t know anything about what’s happening in Gaza, or know very little, while most all Americans knew about Vietnam. Right now I’m living in fear of another Kent State.

  246. 246.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    I’ll keep talking to him. Because I like him, not because he has to vote for Biden.

    They actually make fun of me about it. If I bring it up they say “WE KNOW you LOVE Joe Biden” :)

    My daughter was an early Summer Lee backer when she lived in PA – that fun way where you recognize talent- so she was glad Lee came out against Gaza. That’s what I mean about sometimes the dissenters keeping people on board. She feels she has a voice thru Lee.

  247. 247.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay:

    I think young voters will probably come back for the next D down the pike

    That’s assuming there will be a next D or a pike. And that’s mostly what I’m concerned about here.

  248. 248.

    Soprano2

    @Baud: There’s a lot I can’t do because I’m a government employee, even though it’s local government.

  249. 249.

    Ksmiami

    @Kay: I think that’s why it’s good to plan a turnover around 80. You’re still with it enough to make key decisions etc. I think it’s more dignified to recognize the aging process comes for us all.

  250. 250.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: They are both awful. They make it a point to flaunt their caste dominance in your face and remind you how “humble” they are. All while financing directly and indirectly BJP’s hate factories.

    His FIL is the retired CEO of the outsourcing giant Infosys. Infosys is infamous for treating their employees poorly.

  253. 253.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    My friend who was a public health nurse pushed our county MRDD to move into dementia care because she saw the need. Sadly, she has left Ohio and moved back to her native PA because she hates wingnuts. She spoke out about guns because the caregivers were telling her they were afraid to enter homes because the elderly person may not recognize them and shoot them. She brought this to the attention of the county commissioners, it was in the newspaper, and the gun nuts descended on her.

  254. 254.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Soprano2: LBJ was going to lose the primaries as a sitting President. Biden has won the nomination. Americans were dying in Vietnam. America is not at war now. RFK Jr is not his father.

    I could go on.

  256. 256.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

     They’re not offended “as Arabs” or “as Muslims” –  they’re not talking about “colonialism” or who had what claim to what land first- they’re offended as Americans. They think the policy is based on anti Arab and anti Muslim bias in the US. They are not going to forget.

     

    I….um…..

    So, what are they going to do?

    Gonna say this again, as a Black American..

    What are they gonna do?

    What….did they just find out that they weren’t considered honorary Whites?

    Trying to grasp what you mean as ‘ Americans’.

    Because, from my Black American vantagepoint.

    When one political party can’t utter one word in support of Palestinians…

    And, the other party might not be doing all that you would want…but, is the only game in town….

    And, the other side has made it clear that they’d give the all clear to kill them all, raze Gaza, and then turn it into a Mideast Condo paradise…

    These things aren’t equal to me,.

    But, then again, I’m from a people who have had to practice ruthless pragmatism with our votes.

  257. 257.

    gvg

    @Matt McIrvin: Well I had an employer skip town. Had probably not been actually sending withholding to SS but…I used my last pay stub and a handwritten note about what happened. Since I was very low income wages back then….about 35 years ago, never heard anything from the IRS. I don’t see what else I could have done. Someone bought a restaurant that they didn’t know how to run to American satisfaction and were bleeding costumers. The prior owner had to resume ownership. I gather that a downpayment had been made but the rest was financed. I recognized that it was going to go under and found another job before that day, but my friends said they came in one morning and no one ever showed up again with the keys to unlock the building.

  258. 258.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: It’s so hard to keep people’s dignity while taking care of them.

    Oh yes, absolutely. My husband doesn’t want to admit anything is wrong. This is one reason why people end up in care facilities, because they need care families can’t or don’t want to do, and the person might not want the family to do it either. I’m never going to promise not to put my husband in a facility, because sometimes that’s the best choice. I see people in my FB group who seem to be killing themselves because they can’t afford any help, it’s such a sad thing and yet another place where our healthcare system is lacking. They talk a lot about getting hospice care because Medicare/Medicaid pays for all of that.

  260. 260.

    Ruckus

    @Betty Cracker:

    At one point in our history, the concept that anyone living outside a major city needed a gun was considered normal. Two hundred years ago. 50+ yrs ago I knew a guy who carried a loaded pistol in his car. He worked for my dad and was afraid of everyone. And 51 yrs ago I was discharged from the USN where I carried a loaded pistol on in port watch. With orders to shoot to kill anyone who was onboard who didn’t belong. (It was a warship – it’s entire existence was to be a loaded weapon) (I didn’t ask the officer that told me that – “What if I see an officer I don’t know walking around poking his nose in everywhere?”) Guns were of course a part of normal everyday life for many, possibly most people when this country was founded. Today? What the hell does anyone need a gun for?

  262. 262.

    rikyrah

    @schrodingers_cat:

    @rikyrah: Me or the senator? I have been called worse on this forum.

    The Senator.

    Never a team player.

    I fully expect all his Bernie-bro ilk to start repeating and parroting that talking point on social media and if they get interviewed by the MSM.

  263. 263.

    Soprano2

    @Timill: That’s true, I think it comes down to a gut feeling about which one would be best. I need to read the materials they left and do a little bit of research.

  264. 264.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    By “Americans” I mean I haven’t heard any of the stuff about colonialism or who “belongs” in that part of the world and who doesn’t – which I think is bullshit too, frankly. The tribal shit doesn’t intrerest me. They’re coming at it from a different place than the students. They think this is an expression of Arab and Muslim lives mattering less to Americans and the US government than Israeli lives. That’s why the hurt is so deep.

    Which – I agree – is exactly the AA experience in the US. But this is what they say.

  265. 265.

    Soprano2

    @sab:   They know what they are doing with dementia patients, and family members are just guessing.

    Boy, this is absolutely the truth, although I’ve been told that I’m unusually proactive compared to most people. One of them told me it was good that I was willing to have hospice come in; she said too many people wait until the absolute last minute, so they don’t get the benefits they could have had. People are scared that hospice means the person is near death. I’ll take any help I can get, because I don’t have friends and family to help. I’ve got a friend who’s helping her sister coordinate family members to help out with her dad, but she’s got a HUGE family; her father was the youngest of 18 children, so you can only imagine how many family members they have to call on.

  267. 267.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    But, then again, I’m from a people who have had to practice ruthless pragmatism with our votes.

    Agree. But for ME, a person who has never had the US attack my ethnicity or religion, I no longer feel I am in a position to tell them what to do or feel. I do not know what it’s like for them. You do! AA’s do! I agree! But I don’t.

  268. 268.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: Phew! I was worried for a second. I respect your judgment.

    As for the quote. I have seen it a lot on social media already. He is probably echoing them. They are his meal ticket. The key to his 4th home. He got some blowback from his cult when he spoke against Hamas and for the hostages earlier in this sordid saga.

  269. 269.

    Eyeroller

    @schrodingers_cat: Media so wants this to be a rerun of 1968. DNC in Chicago! Riots! Campus protestors taking over buildings! The fact that many of them weren’t alive then or were very small children, so don’t actually remember it, doesn’t stop them from making false analogies.

    Bernie was born in 1941 so is a little too old for the most active part of the Vietnam War. That was largely fought by the oldest boomers (1946-1952 or thereabouts).

  270. 270.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Wow, I can’t believe the hairdresser kept coming with a back bill like that. Maybe she did tip really well in cash.

  271. 271.

    Soprano2

    @Sure Lurkalot: If they can get him to do things I’m all for it. The one thing that irks me is that it seems to me that he won’t eat anything I actually cook. If I “prepared” it, like heated up soup, then he’ll eat it, but if I make a sandwich a lot of the time he won’t eat it. It’s probably my imagination, but it’s still kind of hurtful.

  272. 272.

    Brachiator

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    Hmm, seems like many are running with comparing the I/P protests to the Vietnam protests of the 60’s.

    I like this short news video of the history of protests at Columbia University in 1968, 1978 and 1985.

    And of course, Alexander Hamilton wrote pamphlets in support of the Continental Congress, and gave speeches applauding the Boston Tea Party while attending Columbia University, then known as King’s College.

  273. 273.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay: I mean, they’re not wrong. That is where it comes from.

    And on the other side of the coin, you also get a lot of Jewish Americans who in many cases don’t even approve of Israel’s actions or Biden’s policy, but also are really, really nervous about what this all means for American attitudes about Jews in general–coming on the heels of all the horrific antisemitism on the right of the past several years.

    And that’s not just an American problem either; I just saw a couple of guys in France having a back-and-forth about it that just gave me a headache. One warning about an old hoary antisemitic trope resurfacing in rhetoric, the other one complaining about how he was “putting Jews on a pedestal” and parroting Israeli propaganda.

  274. 274.

    rikyrah

    @Eyeroller:

    @schrodingers_cat: Media so wants this to be a rerun of 1968. DNC in Chicago! Riots! Campus protestors taking over buildings! The fact that many of them weren’t alive then or were very small children, so don’t actually remember it, doesn’t stop them from making false analogies

     

    They really do.

    They’ve already gone to court, because they want to be able to protest actually outside of the United Center where the DNC Convention will be held.

    Not. It’s in a residential neighborhood. They’ve been given permits to protest in Grant Park.- 3+ miles away..LOL

     

    The Chicago PD is getting further ‘ training’ as to how to deal with protesters.

  275. 275.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Anyone who says they are reluctant to vote for Biden because of concerns about genocide, need to be asked why they are okay with their voting choice potentially guaranteeing genocide of Ukrainians and Transgender People right here in the US.  Withholding your vote from Biden only results in more genocide (and some right here in our own country).  Besides voting for Trump, it’s the next most Pro-Genocide move anyone can make.

  276. 276.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

     mean, they’re not wrong. That is where it comes from.

    Yup. They’re not wrong.
    My daughter – a very practical person – came up with a workaround. She took the money she would have donated to Democrats and sent it to a Gaza medical relief org. She won’t donate.

  277. 277.

    schrodingers_cat

    I love that a commenter here is all #not all white women when faced with voting stats since LBJ passed the Civil Rights Legislation but is making sweeping statements about how Arab Americans are going to vote and how they feel

    *chef’s kiss

  278. 278.

    Ruckus

    @Kay:

    It’s so hard to keep peoples dignity while taking care of them.

    I do not think it is all that difficult but then that also depends on the person under care and if they actually want or can understand that. And I say this as I believe I am the oldest person left in my extended family. All my grandparents, aunts and uncles and the rest of my family are gone – aged out and I’ll be 75 yrs old very soon. I’ve seen numerous of them and how they have a very difficult time getting old. And I’m beginning to see this in myself. For some it’s a slow process and then one day everything seems to be in the past. A future is always actually uncertain but as that future dwindles at an unknown speed and you have a lot more past than an unknown and dwindling future, retrospection can and likely does take over at an increasing speed. It’s not a bad thing BTW, it’s life, it starts, normally has a big middle, and an ending that slowly arrives. You want that to be as far in the future as when you were say 18, but you know better. Unless 18 or 25 or months is as much time as you get in life. And that is part of life, one day at a time, live it well, at least understand the concept of moderation, and enjoy the hell out of every bit of it you can and don’t make it worse by being that person.

  279. 279.

    kalakal

    Hmm, seems like many are running with comparing the I/P protests to the Vietnam protests of the 60’s.

    Slightly off topic but here’s an article about a  friend of Mrs kalakal. They were both at Kent. Dean’s very inspiring, he’s also one of the students who was shot.

    Dean Kahler

  280. 280.

    Delk

    @rikyrah: a lot of very expensive real estate with some extremely loud nimby owners. We lived a couple blocks from the UC from ‘01 to ‘17. It’s gotten way more developed since we moved.

  281. 281.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I think the coverage has sucked for Jewish people too, because it treats them like a monolith. It doesn’t have to be “both sides, matchy matchy” but there should be SOME recognition that some Jewish people ARE protesting, or maybe don’t care that much abou this issue because they care about something else, or have the whole range of views like everyone else.

  282. 282.

    VFX Lurker

    @Kay: Two of my grown children feel strongly about this – my daughter, who is a health care provider and is absolutely appalled by the attacks on health care workers and hospitals, and my youngest, who is a Lefty and protesting Gaza. My daughter will vote for Biden, my youngest will not. Shame, because my daughter votes in NY and my son will vote in MI. My middle son, interestingly, is a big Biden backer. He’s in the IBEW and they have been making bank for the last four years. He’s doing great.

    Any idea what persuaded your daughter to vote for Biden?

    Your middle son has an economic reason, plus his union endorsed Biden. Just wondering what issue(s) may have persuaded your daughter to vote for Biden.

  284. 284.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Guns are one thing the man at the local office on aging talked to me about. I said I was concerned my husband would hurt himself, and he said “I’m more concerned he’ll hurt you”. Truly I had never thought about that, but it’s true that someday he might not recognize me. All the handguns are now in a backpack in the second story of our shed, where he’ll never go now.

  285. 285.

    wjca

    @Baud: I think there’s universal agreement about those two.

    No, there isn’t.   Manchin didn’t vote as I might have wished on a lot of stuff.  But having him as senator from West Virginia, which no other Democrat could have pulled off, made a critical difference in getting a lot of stuff done.  Not least, a bunch of court appointments.  So, thank goodness he was there.

    YMMV

  286. 286.

    Soprano2

    @schrodingers_cat: I thinking more of the stuff he did when he was president, how he supported the Voting Rights Act, stuff like that. He did things people didn’t think he would do based on his prior record.

  287. 287.

    Kay

    @VFX Lurker:

    He was a Bernie supporter though! I don’t know why she’s voting for Biden. She’s practical- that might be it – and as I said she feels she has representation for her views in the D Party with the group of D’s who oppose Gaza. I think that helps rather than hurts.

  288. 288.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    You may be able to give them to a sheriff’s agency to store. We’ve done that for clients. Look if you state Supreme Court offers free education for “guardians”. You are not yet his guardian but the information will be really useful to you. Most of the classes are Zoom now, although some people like to go in person because they meet others dealing with it.

  289. 289.

    wjca

    @rikyrah: Wyoming removes anyone who didn’t vote in the most recent election from voter rolls (in this case, the 2022 election).

    So the state just purged 28% of its voter registrations.

    It’s an opportunity.  Get out there and re-register everyone who was registered Democrat.  Ignore the rest.  Might not flip the state, but could put the fear of God into the GOP.

  290. 290.

    kalakal

    I’ve seen a result from the UK that convinces me the Tories are going to demolished* in the nest election unless something really weird happens.

    I lived in Nuneaton** for a couple of years, it’s the sort of place that a root vegetable with a Tory ribbon would normally win an election no matter who the opponent was

    *I was already sure they’d lose but now I think they’re going to get trashed

    **Can’t say I was wild about the place

  292. 292.

    Baud

    @wjca:

    I meant there was agreement about the harm he did, not whether there was anyone better in WV.

     

     

     

    @kalakal:

    Glad to hear it. I wish we had that level of certainty here.

  293. 293.

    UncleEbeneezer

    I don’t know if people have seen this already but I think this is a very good article from a week ago, about the perspectives of Jewish students about the protests and larger I/P conflict.  These aren’t ultra-right-wing Zionist or MAGA students.  I don’t think there’s been nearly enough discussion of the greater context of just how bad the past year or so has been for Jewish-Americans, during all the back and forths about the protests. Well-documented rise in Anti-Semitic hate crimes/speech. Twitter bought by Elon Musk and allowed to become a full-Nazi cesspool.  And then the atrocities of 10/7.  And then having to watch people in our coalition repeatedly gaslight/dismiss/downplay their concerns and lecture them on what is and isn’t really Anti-Semitism (a coalition of which they are the most loyal voters after Black Americans).  The sentiments of these students are pretty representative of the Jewish people I know.  They are proud Democrats who support the protests, want to see a cease-fire (for everyone’s sake) but also feel overlooked, abandoned and sometimes abused by significant swaths of our coalition.  And those feelings are valid and also need to be a significant part of the discussion for our side.  Read the whole thing, it’s very good.

    For Jewish college students, this is a moment of intense and sometimes conflicting emotions as many college campuses erupt in loud protests against Israel’s conduct in the war and, in some cases, its existence — all while the deadly war in Gaza presses on and Israeli hostages remain in captivity.
    It adds up to profound questions over what it means to be a young Jew in America in 2024. For some, the overriding feeling is one of fear and pain. Others have joined with the protesters, seeing the opposition to the war in Gaza as an opportunity to live out Jewish values taught growing up about justice and the value of human life. And many others are conflicted, seeing nuance when it feels like so many around them see black and white.
    “A lot of students I talk with in the last few months are genuinely torn and confused but don’t feel they can ask their questions,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, a human rights advocate who helps train rabbinical students and others.
    It’s been that way since Oct. 7, she said, when the war began with an attack on Israel by Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, killing about 1,200, according to Israeli estimates, and taking more than 250 hostage. After that, Israel launched a counterattack that has killed over 34,000 Gazans, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
    Jewish students are left pinballing between emotions: worry over Israel’s safety and the fate of the hostages, fear of rising antisemitism at home, empathy for Palestinians.
    “They are horrified by what’s happening in Gaza and also by what happened on Oct. 7 and by antisemitism,” she said. They “don’t see enough models for how to hold it all.”

  294. 294.

    Citizen Alan

    @Matt McIrvin:

     and are in denial about the intensity of pro-Israel sentiment among rank and file Democrats

    and are also utterly delusional when it comes to how broad pro-Israel sentiment is among everyone outside the Democratic Party.

  295. 295.

    Matt McIrvin

    @wjca: I understand Manchin more than Sinema–at least it was pretty clear that Manchin was as much of a Democrat as he could be while echoing his hard-right constituents. Sinema voted to the right of how she’d campaigned for office.

  297. 297.

    Citizen Alan

    @Kay: Then they might as well stay home and work on their bug-out bags. Because if Shitgibbon wins, a lot of people mad at Biden’s Gaza policy are going to be in a world of pain from Trump’s policies for Muslims here in America. A total immigration ban from Arab/Muslim countries on Day 1 will just be the start. And some of these kids waving Palestinian flags at rallies that turn violent are gonna end up in prison as revenge for J6 prosecutions.

  299. 299.

    Geminid

    @Matt McIrvin: Sinema joined the Blue Dog Caucus when she got to the House in 2013, and I think she campaigned as a moderate when she ran for the Senate in 2018. Ironically, the House Blue Dog Caicus she left consistently supported President Biden’s agenda, but Sinema did not.

  301. 301.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    And, the other side has made it clear that they’d give the all clear to kill them all, raze Gaza, and then turn it into a Mideast Condo paradise…

    Muslim Americans believe that Biden is letting Israel kill them all, raze Gaza and turn it into a Mideast Condo paradise, with signs saying “No Palestinians allowed.”

    Where should Muslims look for relief?

    But, then again, I’m from a people who have had to practice ruthless pragmatism with our votes.

    In 1956, Adam Clayton Powell convinced black voters in his district to vote for Republican candidate Eisenhower over the Democrats and Stevenson. It was a good time to send the message that black voters should not vote for Democrats when it was not in their best interest. Ike was going to win New York anyway.

    In 1952, Stevenson was the Democratic Party nominee. His running mate was John Sparkman of Alabama, a vicious racist. Powell was sending a message that the days of accommodating racists for the sake of party unity were over. But he was smart enough to do this strategically.

  302. 302.

    Kay

    @Citizen Alan:

    Well, 2200 protestors have been arrested so far, so “Trump will arrest you” is less of an incentive. Many prosecutors will drop charges because they’re bullshit “disorderly” stuff and if the kids indicate they’re going to trial no one is going to want to deal with 2200 muni court trials with people who have a legal defense fund – and they do have a legal defense fund. I’m glad. I think police instigated 99% of the “violence”. NY city police are just flat out lying, as per usual.

    I still think Biden will win. I think I’d triage though and focus less on young people and Arab Americans – you don’t come back from 19% approval.

  303. 303.

    Eyeroller

    @Kay: To the extent we can trust polls, most of those young people are still voting for Biden at about the same rate as in 2020 because this isn’t their top issue.

  304. 304.

    Suzanne

    @Matt McIrvin: Sinema changed how she campaigned for office. She ran in her early years much further to the left (sorta-kinda-not-really a Green) when there were moderate Dems running. She lost. She started going right-ish later in the 2000s as her career progressed. She was the first Congressperson from AZ-9, and she was much more rightward by then. But she dressed weird, so I think people thought she was further to the left that she was.

    Sinema has always been a weathervane. Don’t look for patterns. There aren’t any, apart from climbing.

  305. 305.

    Kay

    @Citizen Alan:

    My young’in wasn’t arrested but his college handled the protest well, unlike the colleges that absolutely lost their shit. 

    I rank them. So far Columbia, CCNY. UCLA, USC and Columbia are lowest ranked. Brown, Northwestern, Rutgers, MSU and University of Minnesota are highest ranked. The measure is “adults in charge NOT losing their shit” :)

  306. 306.

    Kay

    @Eyeroller:

    I saw that. I look at this by state because really only 6 or 7 states “matter”. That’s why I’m so focused on a possible bleed of young people in MI, WI and PA . We need those specific 50k college voters in each  those states. If we don;’t get them, and we might not, we have to make that up with some other group. That’s all I’m saying.

  307. 307.

    tam1MI

    @rikyrah:

    Gonna say this again, as a Black American..

    What are they gonna do?

    What….did they just find out that they weren’t considered honorary Whites?

    Trying to grasp what you mean as ‘ Americans’.

    Because, from my Black American vantagepoint.

    When one political party can’t utter one word in support of Palestinians…

    And, the other party might not be doing all that you would want…but, is the only game in town….

    And, the other side has made it clear that they’d give the all clear to kill them all, raze Gaza, and then turn it into a Mideast Condo paradise…

    These things aren’t equal to me,.

    But, then again, I’m from a people who have had to practice ruthless pragmatism with our votes.

    You are assuming they are acting out of concern for the Palestinians. They are not. Their only motivation is hatred for Democrats and a desire to punish them. Leavened, of course, by a healthy dose of privilege and the smug satisfaction that comes from knowing that they won’t suffer even the mildest inconvenience should Trump take office again. And if the Palestinians they pretend to care about get wiped off the face of the planet because the Uncommitted crowd threw the election to Donald Trump, that’s an acceptable loss. Democrats have to be taught a lesson.

  308. 308.

    Ruckus

    @Timill:

    @sab:

    My dad had Alzheimers and had to live in a care facility for his last 15 yrs. He lived in 2 different places, because he needed more and more care as time went on. His last 10 yrs he lived in a home owned by 2 women (they owned 5, 3 bedroom homes they used for Alzheimers patients). They came to his funeral and were amazing. His first 5 yrs he could do more for himself, his last 5 he could do nothing, not even speak incoherently.

    And yes most family members are not all that good at it but some are. It is extremely difficult to watch a relative slowly deteriorate right in front of you, as you wash them, feed them, dress them, especially if they are a parent. I do not recommend it.

  309. 309.

    tam1MI

    @Kay: MSU

    Where protesters demanded that the college disinvest in Israel-connected businesses, only to discover that MSU didn’t have any Israel-connected investments.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

  310. 310.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    I think you;’re doing well handling this – I think you’ve been really honest with yourself and that may be key. A lot of people – although they are good people and love the person they’re caring for – just do not handle it well. It’s hard. It’s a crock that “God only gives you what you can handle!” A lot of very good people get things they can’t handle at all.

  311. 311.

    VFX Lurker

    @Kay: I don’t know why she’s voting for Biden. She’s practical- that might be it – and as I said she feels she has representation for her views in the D Party with the group of D’s who oppose Gaza. I think that helps rather than hurts.

    Thanks. Michigan white women I know in my age group (younger GenX) are voting for Biden because of reproductive rights. They have additional reasons (ex: trans rights), but reproductive health care matters to them.

    Your daughter helps me understand  what motivates the votes of younger white women. I can’t assume their priorities mirror mine or those of my friends from highschool.

  312. 312.

    Geminid

    @Kay: I’m wondering if you have followed Rep. Slotin’s Senate campaign, and if you have any thoughts on her approach to this issue.

  313. 313.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @NotMax: it’s my memory of a railway map of Minnesota and/or Wisconsin from the early 20th century that indicated the number of trains that ran from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Chicago; 3x/day as opposed to 3x/week as in modern times.  But obviously not wanting to bring back the racism of the early 20th century particularly in the South.  The name of the train from Seattle/Portland to Chicago is The Empire Builder (James J. Hill)

  315. 315.

    Soprano2

    @Ruckus: I bought a book about caring for someone with dementia that says there will be many joyous moments. I’m still waiting for that joy as I watch my husband slowly deteriorate before my eyes from the proud, funny, accomplished, well-spoken man I married into someone who is a shadow of his former self. The sense of humor is still there, so I do occasionally get a laugh, which is nice.

  316. 316.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: I was in denial for about a half a year, but when he thought his car was stolen at the mall in December 2021 and then walked home (several miles on the main drag in Springfield) without ever thinking to call me it was impossible for me to deny it anymore. Ever since then it was mostly a battle to get what I knew was happening acknowledged by doctors so he and I could get help. I saw this happen with my grandfather, so I had some idea of what was going on. My husband was in denial about his father for a couple of years, until he had a stroke and the doctor refused to release him until there was someone to live with him. I knew right away that something wasn’t right, but my husband thought it was just his dad being difficult. It seems that a lot of people think that at first.

  317. 317.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    I have and she’s doing a great job. I have been following her for a while because she has very specific ideas about MI campaigns and she’s super smart. I think Slotkin and Whitmer and Duggan (the mayor of Detroit) can help a lot with people who are (in my view, rightfully) pissed off. Even if they can’t get them for Biden they can keep them for Senate and other down ballot races.

    Biden may move to pick up more on his Right flank. That would be the move anyway with the end of a primary. He probably has room to grow with Right leaning voters because of Dobbs and Trump. It’s completely normal for Democrats to punch the Left in  the general – they do it all the time, and if Biden thinks those voters are already gone it makes sense for him to go Right – he has to.

  318. 318.

    Geminid

    @Kay: Elissa Slotkin is another member of the House Class of 2018. That was a very talented bunch.

  320. 320.

    Ruckus

    @Soprano2:

    My opinion – there is little joy in watching someone age out of life.

    Some have a much harder trip than others, some do it very early – a cousin lived 6 months, another cousin 7 yrs younger than me just passed away, my parents/siblings, all my aunts and uncles are gone, I’m now the oldest in the extended family.

  321. 321.

    wjca

    @Kay: So far Columbia, CCNY. UCLA, USC and Columbia are lowest ranked. Brown, Northwestern, Rutgers, MSU and University of Minnesota are highest ranked. The measure is “adults in charge NOT losing their shit” :)

    The SF Bay Area schools (Berkeley, Stanford, SF State, San Jose State, etc.) are doing well also.  In their case, a big part of it is the student demonstrators hewing fast to a policy of “Do not engage” with counterprotestor/thugs.  The university administrations are also not doing stupid stuff.  But the students are showing that they have some agency here as well.

  323. 323.

    Princess

    @Kay: Too late for you to see this but I literally saw a veryveryvery left friend makes this argument about AOC today.

  324. 324.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    I went to the link you posted for 60 minutes and the first thing that came up was a story of veterans of warfare and PTSD. I have watched about 10-15 minutes of it and I can’t watch any more at this time. I did not serve in combat but I served during Vietnam and I have used the VA for my healthcare for some time. I have met some of those combat vets, I’ve sat through counseling sessions with them, I know some of them.

    I do not want to sound in any way ungrateful in this comment because I am not, but this 10-15 minutes has brought back some really strong feelings for me, that I thought were fixed. I see they are not. Covered up with assistance but not fixed/cured, and I’m not sure they ever can be. I thought I had learned to live with them quite well, but they are still there. And still strong.  This idea that we can watch/know/deal with people we know are hurting in ways that we can not really deal with and climb out of that hole that often opens up under us when we least expect it is a very harsh concept that most people do not have to learn. I’ve sat in sessions with vets that are like the men (and I’d bet now women also) in that story, I’ve listened to them, sat with them, felt unbelievably sorrowful, hurt with them. And those times are still in my memory. I am posting this because I never expected to feel this way again. And yet it hit me like a freight train. As I’ve stated here before I carried a loaded weapon on duty, with orders to shoot to kill anyone not supposed to be on board the ship I served on for 2 yrs. And that is still inside me, that pressure, that concept, that pressure to know that you might have to take a life – or that you already have. I don’t have to imagine the pressure, the stress that most people that have actually been there have gone through, I’ve sat face to face with them in session at the VA, I’ve listened to them, I’ve seen their eyes when they even think about it. I guess one never really puts it behind them, just hide it away to come back when you least expect it. This is that day for me.

    A huge thank you for this, I needed to know that was still in there, still able to come to the front, still able to wake me the hell up, 5 decades later and that I can still accept the results of knowing that, and that the real me is still in control.

  325. 325.

    Ruckus

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I doubt it seriously that he was. I looked online and didn’t see any mention that he had.

    Read my comment above this one, I don’t think he’d say what he does if he had been. And I wasn’t either and still have issues, and he’s not that much older than me.

  326. 326.

    Timill

    @Ruckus: Wiki says:

    “He applied for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War; his application was eventually turned down, by which point he was too old to be drafted. Although he opposed the war, Sanders never criticized those who fought in it, and has strongly supported veterans’ benefits throughout his political career.[34][35] “

  327. 327.

    Ruckus

    @Soprano2:

    I had 3 long guns that I hadn’t used in decades. I turned them into the local police. Here in CA the police take them and once or twice a year the LA Sheriff’s office destroys all the turned in weapons. In the past it’s been a pretty big pile. You might want to check where you live to see if there is any thing like that.

  328. 328.

    sab

    @Timill: I had no idea that he started out in CORE and SNCC

    ETA Congress on Racial Equality and Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee.

  330. 330.

    Another Scott

    @Ruckus: Thanks for this.

    I’m sorry you relived that stress, but greatly appreciate you reminding us that the stress can always be there, lurking…

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

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