Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

Republicans in disarray!

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

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

Found liable for massive fraud, is required to post a massive bond, gets a break, then files a *fraudulent* bond!

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

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

T R E 4 5 O N

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

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

Tick tock motherfuckers!

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

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Dead end MAGA boomers crying about Talyor Swift being a Dem is my kind of music. Turn it up.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Doing the Work of Governing

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Doing the Work of Governing

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  5. 5.

    Betty

    I hope the Biden campaign is doing what they can to ensure he has  a Democratic Congress to fulfill his vision for more positive progress.

  6. 6.

    Mousebumples

    I’m hoping we are ahead, but work like it’s a tie race. I want to run up the score!

  7. 7.

    Suzanne

    @Argiope: You know, there’s nowhere that it’s dictated that you can’t have tacos, and then chase that with coffee and tiramisu.

    I know we all seem to celebrate Trump indictments with cake, but the Italian deserts blow cake out of the water, IMHO.

  8. 8.

    SFAW

    “All those people who say they support Trump but are unlikely to actually vote for him are a persuadable target for Biden’s campaign. ”
    I guess I’m maybe too cynical, but I don’t see how the pre-condition (supporting Trump) can lead to the wished-for result. Maybe McDonald is “inartfully phrasing” his idea, but I would think it’s the non-supportive Repub/Indie voters who may be persuadable. And I’m not even considering scum like Barr in the “support” (nor “non-support,” for that matter) category.​

  9. 9.

    WereBear

    I do love seeing people live fuller lives thanks to technology. That’s the good side of the tech sword.

    Every piece of power has two sides.

  10. 10.

    SFAW

    @Suzanne:

    You know, there’s nowhere that it’s dictated that you can’t have tacos, and then chase that with coffee and tiramisu.

    As long as it’s not decaf. But outside of that, 100 percent agree.

  12. 12.

    Suzanne

    @WereBear: Mr. Suzanne is a bilingual SLP, and he has had many students who use various types of devices for assisted communication. It’s really inspiring.

  14. 14.

    SFAW

    @dmsilev:

    Especially if ISCOTUS rules that the president, is in, fact a King, before the election. Not that President Biden would take certain definitive actions in that regard.

  15. 15.

    dmsilev

    @SFAW: Honestly, if they just stay home and don’t vote, that’s probably enough. What pushed Trump over the top in 2016 was increased turnout, him attracting a bunch, a basket if you will, of deplorables who previously didn’t vote in great numbers. Get enough of those folks to give up and not bother voting, and he’s cooked.

  18. 18.

    Splitting Image

    @SFAW:

    “All those people who say they support Drumpf but are unlikely to actually vote for him are a persuadable target for Biden’s campaign. ”

    If Biden can persuade these people to stay home on voting day, that will be enough.

  19. 19.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Mousebumples: ​ I agree!

    And it doesn’t have to be some Big Thing. A small concrete action, multiplied by other people doing small things, adds up.​

  20. 20.

    SFAW

    @dmsilev:
    @Splitting Image:

     

    Honestly, if they just stay home and don’t vote, that’s probably enough.

    Understood/agreed, but that’s not what McDonald appears to be saying. I’m tempted to ask him if he also thought Amy McGrath had a real chance to de-Turtle-fy the Senate in 2022.

  22. 22.

    Geminid

    Rep. Wexton’s story is so sad. I’m glad she could still make that floor speech.

    Jennifer Wexton made Virginia Democrats proud in 2018, when she beat Republican Barbara Comstock in the 11th CD. Elaine Luria flipped the 2nd CD that year, and Abigail Spanberger knocked out Dave Brat to win the 7th. Three more talented members of the House Class of 2018.

    Rep. Luria lost the coastal 2nd district in 2022, while Wexton is retiring because of a dire illness. The House will be missing all three women next year since Spanberger will be running for Governor.

  23. 23.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    An entomologist came here yesterday to give a talk about cicadas. As you probably know, there are annual cicadas, but this year the 17-year cicadas and the 13-year ones are both due to join the annual ones starting any day now and lasting about 6 weeks. In the Chicago area, where I am, we’ll get mostly the 17 yr ones. In southern IL, they’ll get the 13 yr ones. In the center of the state, there’ll be overlap, which this guy was very excited about.

    The cicadas don’t eat plants. They don’t eat at all. They emerge to have sex, lay their eggs, and then die–sometimes in big heaps. The females cut a slit along the bottom of tree branches for a place to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae fall down and burrow into the soil, deeply enough to be beneath the frost line, so 4 -6 feet around here. Then 17 years later, they emerge.

    Wrapping tree trunks is pointless since they fly. They fly badly, bumping into everything. They’re apparently very loud.

  27. 27.

    Narya

    @SFAW: I like coffee, but I am naturally caffeinated; decaf lets me enjoy coffee w/o my brain and body going nuts in a very unhelpful way.

  29. 29.

    Ken

    @dmsilev: My guess is that the never-voted-before deplorables will still show up for him, but he’ll still lose a bunch of formerly-more-reliable Republican voters. Nikki Haley was, after all, still getting 20-30% support in the primaries long after the nomination was decided.

  32. 32.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Suzanne:

    I know we all seem to celebrate Trump indictments with cake, but the Italian deserts blow cake out of the water, IMHO. 

    What did submarine cake ever do to you?  😭 Leave submarine cake alone! 😭

  33. 33.

    SFAW

    @dmsilev:

    I guess I’m not aware of all Intertubez traditions; I thought it was Barack HUSSEIN Obama (or Michelle) who was the power behind the throne. Thanks for enlightening me.

    That said: I think (based on no evidence, of course), that Madame VP might have more of a killer instinct, and so would (have her cat’s paw) take certain actions, so I’m OK with that.

  35. 35.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Suzanne:

    Decaf is not a concept I recognize.

    With apologies to the ghost of Amy Winehouse:

    They tried to make me switch to decaf, I said, “No, no, no”

    @Suzanne:

    Mr. Suzanne is a bilingual SLP, and he has had many students who use various types of devices for assisted communication. It’s really inspiring.

    I’ll bet it is!  Good on him for going into a profession like that.

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I’m getting tired of 2 AM tornado warnings. Last night’s was the 4th or 5th in 2 weeks.

  37. 37.

    Ken

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: An entomologist came here yesterday to give a talk about cicadas. … In the center of the state, there’ll be overlap, which this guy was very excited about.

    As are the psychologists and cannabis vendors in the area of overlap, who expect a boom in business.

  38. 38.

    p.a

    The more the numbers look good for Dems, the more the MSM will be “protestsProtestsPROTESTS😱”

     

    It’s not just the Republican party that needs to get gone.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: I have often questioned what the point of it is.

    My stomach can answer that question.

  40. 40.

    Geminid

    @Ken: I wonder if Geoff Duncan will campaign for Joe Biden. The former Georgia Lt. Governor endorsed the President last week, and he was very emphatic about Trump’s unfitness for office. Duncan might be able to rally Haley voters. He could be effective in Georgia and maybe in North Carolina too.

  41. 41.

    Scout211

     

    ProPublica  won the prestigious public service Pulitzer Prize for what the judges described as “groundbreaking and ambitious reporting that pierced the thick wall of secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court to reveal how a small group of politically influential billionaires wooed justices with lavish gifts and travel, pushing the Court to adopt its first code of conduct.” The prize is given to the staff of a news organization that performed “meritorious public service.” It is the seventh Pulitzer Prize for ProPublica.

    The Pulitzer Board also recognized a collaboration between The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE as a finalist in the explanatory reporting category. The investigation provided a detailed analysis of the deeply flawed law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The designation is ProPublica’s 17th Pulitzer finalist in 16 years.

    Well deserved.

  44. 44.

    AM in NC

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: We are in the middle of the 13-year emergence right now here in NC, and the sound is incredible.  It sounds far more mechanical than natural – like some sort of giant industrial facility must be in the woods.  The critters themselves are other-worldly, with big red eyes.

    If you aren’t squicked-out by insects, it’s pretty cool!

  45. 45.

    Mousebumples

    @H.E.Wolf: yup! We can each be a grain of sand that add up to be a huge mountain of support. Maybe it’s just the postcarding perspective, haha!

  47. 47.

    RepubAnon

    @Mousebumples: Yes, we need this to be a Blue Wave, where we get supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, plus 4 more years of Joe.  We can then pass laws to 14th Amendment Trump, impeach Clarence Thomas for corruption, expand the Supreme Court…

  48. 48.

    Ruckus

    @Suzanne:

    I’d celebrate SFB indictments with ice cream.

    But then it doesn’t matter what we celebrate with, as long as we get to CELEBRATE. Also, I’m waiting to celebrate till after the penalties are delivered. Or better yet – BOTH!

  49. 49.

    lowtechcyclist

    @sab: ​

    I remember being around DC when there was an emergence in 1969 or 1970. It sounded like thousands of flying saucers were hovering.

    I was in high school in northern Virginia then. What part of the DC area was this happening in? We got deluged by cicadas in the spring of 1962, but nothing since then during the time I was living in the area. (The 1962 cicadas should have been back in 1979; I was living then only a few miles away from where I grew up, but didn’t see a one.)

  50. 50.

    Argiope

    @Suzanne: I think the Italians have their food, wine and coffee priorities straight.  I want to try the lemon sorbet-Prosecco sgropinno and would like a recipe if anyone has run across an authentic one.  Seems like a good substitute for cake on these occasions.

  51. 51.

    Ruckus

    @SFAW:

    Can I celebrate with some other liquid than coffee? Decaf or not, coffee and I do not get along.

  52. 52.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Coffee talk…

    I have a Turkish coffee pot, a cezve, bought on impulse many years ago but which I was then kind of intimidated by. But on a recent trip I picked up some Turkish coffee grounds and lately have been using the cezve almost every day, and it’s incredibly easy. Probably nobody’s Turkish grandmother would approve of my technique, but it tastes like the stuff to me.

    So these days I’m enjoying a rotation of Turkish coffee, Italian stovetop espresso made in the Bialetti, French press coffee, or straight drip.

  63. 63.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Mousebumples: ​@H.E.Wolf: yup! We can each be a grain of sand that add up to be a huge mountain of support. Maybe it’s just the postcarding perspective, haha!

     100% with you on the grain of sand method (aka postcarding perspective).

    I’m on temporary postcard hiatus so that I can do my other favorite volunteer task, data entry. I’m in the “what is IN these cupboards?!” stage of early data clean-up, after which it’ll be clearer sailing and I can pick up the ‘cards again.

  65. 65.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @AM in NC: If you aren’t squicked-out by insects, it’s pretty cool!

    I think they’re beautiful creatures. For me that sound is slightly melancholy because I’m used to it signalling the end of summer.

    When we used to live in Maryland, I’d often find cicadas in the yard. Either live (but at the end of its life cycle), or empty husks they had molted.

    Here in PA we hear them, but I never actually see them any more. I don’t know why.

  68. 68.

    Planetjanet

    Rep. Wexton has deteriorated quickly.  That clip was so surprising and so sad.  I saw her during the last campaign cycle in a joint appearance with Rep. Spanberger here.  She had not announced her diagnosis at that time.  I recall she sounded a bit flat in her delivery, but not really noticeable.   I imagined Parkinsons as being slower.  She is quite young.  Such a heartbreak

  70. 70.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    If those SCOTUS judges insist on Witch Finder General as the standard like they did with Roe then most of us will lose even the right to vote. Remember, originally it was only property owners who vote.

  73. 73.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: Those do suck, don’t they? If we had one here I slept through it, these days when I do sleep I’m so physically tired it’s the sleep of the dead.

  74. 74.

    TS

    I think all of the polls are unbelievable whoever is shown to be ahead. Without landlines & with the ability to refuse calls from unknown callers, it is impossible to satisfy the random selection criteria & any online polls have never been random or accurate.

    I am telling my friends in Australia who are panicking, that Biden will win in a landslide but I do enjoy having polls with Biden ahead to use for the few acquaintances who insist on telling me that trump will win over the “Biden crime family”. (Where does that nonsense come from – I just tell them to stop reading lying RW newspapers)

  75. 75.

    Soprano2

    @p.a: Sadly for them, school will be out soon, and I doubt people in summer school will be doing the same kind of protests. There may be remnants of the encampments, but I predict they’ll die down once regular school lets out.

  78. 78.

    H.E.Wolf

    I’d like to recommend today’s Electoral Vote blog post. Several noteworthy topics, including the op-ed by a prominent GA Republican that Geminid mentioned at comment 40 above.

    https://electoral-vote.com/
    [the current day’s post is always at the top of the main page; previous days’ items are linked at the bottom of the main page]

  79. 79.

    Bill K

    In regards to Rep Wexton – Parkinson’s is not the same as palsy.  One of those headlines is incorrect.  I have a personal interest in this sort of thing.

  81. 81.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Planetjanet: ​
     Rep. Wexton’s illness is Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, which the media often shorthand to “Parkinson’s” because PSP can seem like a speeded-up version of that.

    As you so aptly said, it’s heartbreaking.

  82. 82.

    JPL

    @Geminid:  It might not happen, but his oped piece was good.   The other person who said she’d wouldn’t vote for trump was Kemp’s wife.   She plans on writing in her husband’s name.   I’d like to see Raffensperger endorse Biden, but he won’t.

  83. 83.

    JWR

    Dig that last sentence. ;)

    Could Donald Trump really go to jail for gag order violations?

    If Donald Trump keeps trying the patience of the judge presiding over his hush money trial, the former president could wind up back in his home New York City borough of Queens — specifically the prison on Rikers Island, experts said Monday.

    […]

    Trump would immediately be placed in protective custody for his own protection, Lawlor said, meaning he would not be permitted to mingle with the rest of the prison population.

    “He’d have no contact with anybody but corrections officers and members of his Secret Service detail,” Lawlor said. “The people at Rikers have lots of experience dealing with high profile prisoners, including vulnerable, elderly people like Trump.”

    First time I’ve heard anyone with any authority rightly describe him as “elderly”. Good!

    Meanwhile, it looks like Israel has invaded Rafah, in what’s described as a limited engagement. :(

  84. 84.

    Argiope

    @TBone: Oooh, thanks!  Bookmarking this one.  Let’s hope there’s soon a TFG-related reason for a toast or three.

  85. 85.

    Scout211

    @LAO: According to twitter, Stormy Daniels is expected to testify today.

    Trump sounds a little worried about that.

    Trump took to his social media site this morning to rip Judge Merchan after learning who will testify today, but within minutes he deleted the post.

    “I have just recently been told who the witness is today,” Trump wrote. “This is unprecedented, no time for lawyers to prepare. No Judge has ever run a trial in such a biased and partisan way.”

    Trump again called Merchan “crooked & highly conflicted” in all capital letters and claimed the judge was taking away his First Amendment rights.

    “Now he’s threatening me with JAIL, & THEY HAVE NO CASE — This according to virtually all Legal Scholars & Experts!” Trump wrote. “Why isn’t the Fake News Media reporting his Conflict?”

  86. 86.

    JPL

    @LAO: ha Stormy weather today for trump.    I actually thought that they might put on Cohen, and then Stormy, but so far the prosecution appears to know what they are doing.

  87. 87.

    JPL

    @JWR: So they are just blocking the borders temporarily so no food can get in.   Bibi has to go.  imo

  88. 88.

    Geminid

    @Bill K: Rep. Wexton was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and she announced that publically. The diagnosis of Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy came a few months later and may not have gotten as much attention when it was announced.

  89. 89.

    Starfish

    @Marmot:

    I am not the person you asked, but yes. She had so much money that people could have put into candidates that had a shot.

  90. 90.

    kalakal

    Meanwhile in the UK Suella ‘Deport them all to Rwanda” Braverman displays her intellectual heft in her latest advice for Rishi ‘Everything is fine and we’re really popular’ Sunak

    Changing leader now won’t work: the time to do so came and went. The hole to dig us out is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling.”

    I’m beginning to think a Sorbonne and Oxford education may be overrated

  91. 91.

    TBone

    We have our first contender!

    Repost of my earlier comment from this morning:

    Wondering which cult member politician will next sacrifice him or herself to the eternal flame(out) trying to run unsuccessful distraction duty for Dotard.  Once there aren’t any such candidates for self humiliation left standing, Dotard can try lighting his own farts in the court room.

    And, just like that, HERE SHE IS 😆

    https://twitter.com/DittiePE/status/1786422242198343934

  92. 92.

    Jeffro

    @Geminid: Rep Wexton did indeed make us VA Dems proud (and still does)!  I’m sending some good thoughts her way…and I think I’m going to send her office a note out of the blue, just to say “thanks and thinking of you.”

  93. 93.

    Jackie

    @LAO: TIFG posted something assumedly derogatory about Stormy, and quickly removed it upon learning she’s testifying this morning.😂 I really think TIFG doesn’t want to spend anytime in jail!

  94. 94.

    Kay

    @JWR:

    And they shut down the humanitarian aid. Again.

    But we’ve arrested all the protestors so this massive human rights obscenity no longer exists, right? As long as no one hears about it?

    The students say there’s a “Palestinian exception” to the 1st Amendment that college administrators invented. That’s what they’re being arrested and jailed under- the Palestinian exception. Lol.

  95. 95.

    LAO

    @Scout211: lol. Of course, he fails to understand that he is the reason his lawyers may not be fully prepared.  Although, back in reality land, his lawyers are definitely prepared, she’s not exactly a surprise witness.
    And, the fact he removed that post—definitely evidence he doesn’t want to go to jail. lol

  96. 96.

    Geminid

    @kalakal: It doesn’t sound like Braverman’s ready to grab a shovel herself. Those Tories sure stick together!

  97. 97.

    Scout211

    One more Kristi Noem story.

    According to sources, Noem wanted to include the dog and goat story in her previous book but her team of advisors nixed it because they predicted a negative backlash. So it was not included.  That book was received like all of the other Republican books designed to enhance their political creds.

    With her current book she had a new group of advisors.  LOL. Do Republicans in power now just pick advisors who tell them what they want to hear?*

    *Rhetorical question.  Of course they do.

  98. 98.

    Another Scott

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Our Ellie had a feast in 2021 when the cicada swarm appeared.  She hates buzzing insects (is afraid of bees, apparently got stung when she was a puppy).  She discovered that cicada are buzzy but easy to catch and quite tasty.  She ate so many of them once that she got all backed up inside.  :-/

    She was quite disappointed when the swarm was over – she kept hunting for them for weeks.

    We had a lot of them then, and they were loud, but it was nothing like the swarm I saw in Cincinnati in the early ’80s.  There were billions of them.  One couldn’t walk down the sidewalk without stepping on them.  One tried to fly in my mouth when I rolled down the window at a Wendy’s drive-thru.  It was astounding.

    Nature is weird.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  99. 99.

    Jeffro

    @p.a:The more the numbers look good for Dems, the more the MSM will be “protestsProtestsPROTESTS”

    1,450% true

    They will do whatever they can to keep President Biden and the Dems from running away with it, just like in 2020.

  100. 100.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: That is always the right answer when talking about evolution. Stephen Jay Gould loved finding examples for his essays — like the flies where each clutch of eggs has one male that hatches, fertilizes its sisters, and dies while they’re all still larvae.

  102. 102.

    TBone

    @Argiope: 💙 it’s good for those of us who long to drink and celebrate but are no longer indulging.  We still get to pop the corks WOO HOO and enjoy! 😍

  103. 103.

    Mousebumples

    @RepubAnon: it would be nice, but I don’t think there are enough contested GOP Senate seats this cycle for that to happen. Maybe in a 2026? (I haven’t checked the maps.) But this year is the cycle of the 2018 Blue Wave.

    @H.E.Wolf: lots of ways to help, and it’s fun to mix it up!

  104. 104.

    Nelle

    @SFAW: I’m naively and probably mistakenly wondering if those who have said Trump shouldn’t be near the White House but they are voting for him anyway are trying to appease the Putin-Trump mafia.  Maybe in the privacy of the voting booth, they will leave that line on the ballot blank.

    Nah, who am I kidding?  That would take at least a sliver of a fingernail clipping of integrity and that?  That they ain’t got.

  107. 107.

    hueyplong

    @Scout211: Stormy can hurt Trump in so many ways, from references to his wee man mushroom to some substantive admission he may have made to her, an admission he can’t personally deny unless he takes the stand.

    I’m not following the “we have no chance to prepare” bullshit.  They know the witness list and have presumably prepared for each of the potential witnesses.  The only thing they’ve been denied is the order of them, and that denial is based purely on Trump’s wrongdoing in terms of calling out the death threat hordes on the witness du jour.

    Not sure he’ll get through two more weeks of this without problems we can enjoy.

  109. 109.

    TBone

    @kalakal: 😆 the competition will be stiff, but someone will outdo all others.  You can set your watch to it.  We’re just getting started…I might have a flaming clown theme party when our winner spontaneously combusts.

  110. 110.

    Ken

    @Scout211: That book was received like all of the other Republican books designed to enhance their political creds.

    So: bought in bulk by some wingnut PAC to get it on a bestseller list; a small fraction stuck in the gift bags at some convention; and the remaining thousands of cartons stored in a warehouse until the industrial shredder arrives.

  111. 111.

    Jeffro

    Ok, I alluded to this a week or two ago, but now it can be told (because it’s her first day on the Hill): the amazing Froette, aka my daughter, is starting her Capitol Hill internship and first ‘real’ job…

    (drum roll please)

    …in the office of none other than Representative Jeffries!  Mrs. Fro and I are SOOO PUMPED for her!!

    She went and got some nice new professional clothes last week, haircut, the whole nine yards.  They gave her a ‘mugshot’ book of all the Reps so that she can start to memorize them and know them on sight.  I cannot even imagine…I know about 20 of them and would probably top out at, oh, 25.  =)

    Anyway, I will share stories down the road as I’m able.  Thanks for sending some good wishes her way if you can!

  114. 114.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Scout211:

    “Now he’s threatening me with JAIL, & THEY HAVE NO CASE — This according to virtually all Legal Scholars & Experts!” Trump wrote.

    Both of them.

  116. 116.

    Another Scott

    @Jeffro: Excellent.

    I hope she’s reading Fritschner on Twitter.  (He’s DCoS in Rep. Beyer’s office.)  He knows his stuff and has a great, professional posting technique.

    Best of luck to her, and congrats to you.  You done good!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  117. 117.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @kalakal:

    Changing leader now won’t work: the time to do so came and went. The hole to dig us out is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling.”

    By swinging even further to the right.

  120. 120.

    JWR

    @Kay:
    Calling in the cops should get the leadership stripped of power and banned from school property. I listened to an interview with Harold Meyerson yesterday, and he said that the campus was actually “celebrating” it’s history of handling protests peacefully and without any police, just as they were invoking this “Palestinian exception”. Revolting.

  122. 122.

    Scout211

    This is not surprising.

    The youngest generation of American workers is prepared to move away from states that pass abortion bans and to turn down job offers in states where bans are already in place, a new survey from CNBC/Generation Lab finds.

    The “Youth & Money in the USA” survey of 1,033 people between the ages of 18 and 34 found that almost two-thirds of respondents, 62%, would “probably not” or “definitely not” live in a state that banned abortion.

    And 45% of those surveyed said that if they were to be offered a job in a state where abortion is illegal, they would either “definitely reject” or “probably reject” the offer. Another 35% said they would “probably accept” the job. And only 20% of respondents said they would definitely take the job.

    “These numbers on abortion have gigantic implications for just about every large company in America,” said Cyrus Beschloss, the CEO of The Generation Lab. “Companies must know they’ll be freezing out or at least scaring a large part of the young talent they’re trying to hire when they’re based in one of these states.”

  123. 123.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ken: Yep. It’s the reason of existence for 99.99999999% of life on earth. That 0.00000001%? Those are the humans who opt not too.

  124. 124.

    Kay

    @JWR:

    I think U.V.A. probably takes the “worst” crown from Columbia.

    UVA defended the Unite The Right protests as 1st amendment protected speech.

    When 20 students started a peaceful pro-Palestinian sit in, they immediately arrested them. They quietly changed the rules for protests to shut down any criticism of US policy in Gaza. Blatant censorship based on content.
    Right wing protests are allowed at U.V.A. – Left wing protests are banned.

  126. 126.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Argiope:

    I’m hoping for taco trucks but that sounds nice, too.

    I’m still angry we didn’t get those. I have to drive at least a mile.

  127. 127.

    Scout211

    @Jeffro: in the office of none other than Representative Jeffries!

    What an amazing opportunity for her!  Congrats to your daughter.

  128. 128.

    Kay

    @JWR:

    UCLA shut down the speech they objected to but that wasn’t enough. They then had police herd the protestors into a parking garage and arrested the journalists who were the only witnesses and the only protection for the students. They set it up so students are in a closed location with only police. No witnesses.

  130. 130.

    catclub

    @SFAW: ​
    &nbsp

    ;I have often questioned what the point of it is.

    “I’d like a decaf latte with skim milk.” a why bother.

  131. 131.

    Marmot

    @Starfish: Then you believe it is zero-sum?

    Lately I’ve become fascinated with the obsession certain of us have with predicting whether a certain candidate will win. I think this habit is a net negative because it provides a pretext for demoralizing your own side.

    For example, “do you think Biden has a chance?“ Unless you work in the DCCC, the correct answer is, “my opinion doesn’t help anything—what are you doing to help?”

  132. 132.

    Raven

    On the ferry to Okracoke then on to Cedar Island. Time stands still out here,

  134. 134.

    DaBunny

    Re Trump/RNC being short on “hard” small donor dollars: How much can that be offset by billionaires throwing millions at soft money PACs?

  135. 135.

    JWR

    @Kay: Yeah, that was covered on all the local SoCal TV channels, (except for Fox, I’ll bet), and TBH, that sort of corralling  the protesters in a parking garage to arrest them before they had even done anything scared the s**t out of me. It looked like a friggin’ police state.

  136. 136.

    SFAW

    @Marmot: ​
     

    Out of curiosity, do you consider McGrath’s campaign to have been a net negative?

    No idea, but not the point of my comment — I was aiming at McDonald. There are always pundits who will scream “Dem Candidate X in [pick an ultra-Red state] has an EXCELLENT chance to defeat Entrenched/Powerful Rethug Candidate Z!!!” [Not talking about borderline pols like Loeffler and Perdue, for example.] The same kind of talk was going on during the McGrath/McConnell race.
    And she really kicked ass, coming within 20 percent of McConnell in 2020 (not 2022, as I mistakenly wrote earlier).
    McDonald’s “Trump SUPPORTERS are Biden-persuadable” is just the latest in a long line of clueless statements from that class. I’m sure there will be plenty more between now and November.
    [Yes, I’m sure that there have also been a number of wild-ass “predictions” that have actually come true. But they don’t seem to be nearly as numerous.]

  137. 137.

    JWR

    @Marmot:

    I think this habit is a net negative because it provides a pretext for demoralizing your own side.

    But without that, what would Democrats have to worry about? ;)

  138. 138.

    SFAW

    @Scout211:

    I received an addressed-to-me-PERSONALLY e-mail from TIFG, wherein he says “ARREST JACK SMITH!!!!!!!!!!!” for allegedly mishandling the classified docs Smith stole from their rightful owner, i.e., der Trumpenfuehrer.

  142. 142.

    Anyway

    @Jeffro:

    …in the office of none other than Representative Jeffries!  Mrs. Fro and I are SOOO PUMPED for her!!

    Is there a “Bring you ‘rent to Work day”?

    Very cool! Best wishes to her and all the other interns.

  144. 144.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: We don’t get so many cicadas here in Massachusetts but I hear one every so often and it fills me with nostalgia, because that was the sound of summer in Virginia when I was a kid. Initially I imagined that the noise was coming from some huge swarm of noisy insects inhabiting a tree, but what I was hearing was the mating call of one cicada.

  145. 145.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Thank you to H.E. Wolf for referring the site electoral-vote.com. Leading today is an article about the PR effect of Israel’s (mis)conduct of the war against Hamas, and its effect on American politics, including Biden’s approach to dealing with Netanyahu. Which in my view is changing all too slowly, but appears (thankfully) to be changing.

    The article also refers to the vitriol that the blogleaders received in course of I/P discussions. I mention this, because the “discussions” here at BJ on that topic, including the resulting student demonstrations and university actions, have become increasingly hardened and repetitive. Understandable, to a degree, because both the war there and its potential electoral impact here are gut-wrenchingly horrific.  However, at this point most comments are generating more heat than light, to borrow a cliche. They are no longer helpful to understanding the situation from various perspectives, and they rarely model dialogue, but have in the main devolved to asserting one’s (known) position and dismissing the others. Perhaps it might be time to give it a rest, until or unless something new and noteworthy happens, or there’s actual new insight to offer.

    (Martin’s guest post was a welcome exception. Although I might not agree with all points, it provided fact-based insight from lived experience and thoughtful analysis, which I appreciated.)

    Edited for clarity.

  146. 146.

    Marmot

    @SFAW: I get that. But does McDonald’s comment reflect policy or just some bullshit he said that day?

  147. 147.

    Geminid

    @Raven: That sounds like a nice morning. I’ve been on the Okracoke Ferry a lot, but I only took the Cedar Island Ferry once, when I was a kid. That’s the most open water I’ve ever crossed.

  150. 150.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jeffro:

    Ok, I alluded to this a week or two ago, but now it can be told (because it’s her first day on the Hill): the amazing Froette, aka my daughter, is starting her Capitol Hill internship and first ‘real’ job…

    (drum roll please)

    …in the office of none other than Representative Jeffries!  Mrs. Fro and I are SOOO PUMPED for her!!

    How could you not be??  That is so fucking cool!!!  You and Mrs. Fro must be so incredibly proud!!

    Best wishes to the Froette for a terrific first day at work, and many more good days to come!

  151. 151.

    Quinerly

    @Raven: you are in my old neck of the woods. I grew up nearby. I’m so old that I remember when Ocracoke was a sleepy village.

  154. 154.

    RandomMonster

    @sab: My first experience of a 17-year brood was Baltimore in 2021. I had a low level dread of the event until I learned more about them, and then I just found them fascinating. But my goodness they were loud.

  155. 155.

    Starfish

    @Marmot: I think that the Democratic Party should invest some money everywhere.

    But I also think that they should not invest a huge amount of money in districts that are R+10 or so.

    I was shocked that the governor’s race in Mississippi came as close as it did. Then I learned that the Democrats spent seven times as much on their candidate than the Republicans did.

    It’s Mississippi, and I grew up there. The Democratic Party does not invest much in it, so I am glad that they did spend something there.

    My understanding of the McGrath race was that people were putting in more money than she could possibly spend effectively.

    That money may have been better spent on some R+2 district that was not necessarily about winning the internet.

    There were some candidates making no progress at home but were winning the internet.

    There was one dude in Louisiana that yelled at his school board member for shopping online during a school board meeting. That dude was being pushed really hard by some people in California because he was pro-marijuana, but he didn’t have a lot of local support in Louisiana.

    So I suggest that people look at their candidates and think clearly about “Is this candidate someone who I support, someone who is winning the internet, someone being pushed too hard by the party.”

    A lot of people in Texas were mad about the Democratic Party pushing Cuellar, an anti-choice Democrat. And now Cuellar is in trouble for being crooked. Maybe, they should have researched their candidates better and looked at local sentiment.

  156. 156.

    evodevo

    @TS: I told my Air Force son last week to quit listening to the dudebro libertarian propaganda when he came up with that shit…he was NOT amused LOL

  158. 158.

    RevRick

    @SFAW: There are no persuadable Trump voters since they exist outside the world of persuasion.
    I read a poll recently which showed that Biden was favored by 71-23 by those who read local newspapers and Trump was favored by 57-23 by those who didn’t consume any news sources. Indeed, Biden was favored by those who got their news from national media, to varying degrees, and Trump by those who retreated into the rightwing bubble, including dubious ones as found on X.

  159. 159.

    Marmot

    All those people who say they support Trump but are unlikely to actually vote for him are a persuadable target for Biden’s campaign. Trump has no strategy to grow his support as his antics appeal only to his base.

    I read that as persuading them in some direction, not necessarily to vote Biden. But could be I’m just seeing what I want.

  162. 162.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Raven: ​

    On the ferry to Okracoke then on to Cedar Island. Time stands still out here

    It does indeed! Been awhile since I’ve been there though.

    Okracoke has always struck me as the name of a beverage I’d assiduously avoid if it existed. Cherry Coke? Vanilla Coke? Sure! Okra Coke? No thank you!

  163. 163.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    l found this on the effect of periodic cicadas on their local ecology.
    (Be warned, if you are bug-shy—the article starts with a close-up picture of a couple of cicadas.)

    I think Ursula Vernon summed them up the best:

    A general reminder—periodic cicadas pose no threat to anyone and their plant damage is limited to nipping off the ends of twigs. Please do not hose them with pesticide. They are slow and clumsy and confused and only want to make friends with other cicadas and die of sexual exhaustion.

    Here. (If you do Bluesky, the comments are high value as well.)

  164. 164.

    evodevo

    @OzarkHillbilly:  Yep.. most people overlook the Prime Directive of evolution: reproducing the species – staying in the game.  ALL tactics are directed toward this one goal – all else is inessential…cicada brood spacing is thought to sabotage predation by a) emerging in such overwhelming numbers that predators can’t eat everyone and b) emerging at unpredictable intervals.  Regular predator/prey interactions are stymied.

  165. 165.

    Marmot

    @Starfish:

    I think that the Democratic Party should invest some money everywhere.

    But I also think that they should not invest a huge amount of money in districts that are R+10 or so.

    You’ll get no argument for me on this general point.

    But did McGrath actually receive much money from the party organizations? If I’m remembering this right, she was a darling of the small dollar donor, and that money is mercurial. Subject to whims and excitement and a chance to stick the man in the eye, and not zero-sum.

    So I find this fixation on individual voters predicting election outcomes vexing.

  166. 166.

    Suzanne

    @Argiope:

    I think the Italians have their food, wine and coffee priorities straight. 

    I am of Italian descent, and I have said repeatedly that art, architecture, and food/drink are the things that Italians are kind of macro-culturally “good at”.

    What they are terrible at, however, is anything having to do with organization….. governance, business, wayfinding, punctuality. Just not their cultural strengths.

  167. 167.

    mali muso

    @Jeffro: That’s amazing!  Huge congrats to Froette.

    Re: Jennifer Wexton, I was so proud to have her as my representative for several years until I got gerrymandered/redistricted out from under her to some odious R-money guy.  I’ve met her on a few occasions when doing GOTV activity and she comes across as a genuine and authentic person.  Very sad for her and her family, and for Blue VA.

  169. 169.

    Quinerly

    @Jeffro: This is so exciting! Is she there all summer? She will make lifelong friends and connections.

    I interned for a senator the summer of 1982…between college and law school. Had a blast. These were the days when Senators Kennedy and Hatch would stop on the steps to chat up interns. Little to no security.  I will always remember being awestruck when Kennedy stopped me to compliment a vintage summer dress I was wearing. It had been my mother’s from the late 1940’s. She got a kick out of that story. (I have always marched to the beat of a different drummer re clothing).

    At that time, the internship program housed a lot of us on campus at George Washington University. Really loved living there and taking the metro to Capitol Hill. Big deal for this chick who grew up in a town with one stop light.

    Keep us updated. Congratulations. Know you are so very proud of her.

  170. 170.

    Steve in the ATL

    @kalakal: ​
     when she was about 10, my daughter vomited on the front steps of the Sorbonne. In retrospect, that may have been a political statement rather than just a virus.

  171. 171.

    Spanky

    @Raven: Used to be there was no cell service out on the water there.

    Say hi to Morehead City! My dad used to live off of Mansfield Parkway (30 years ago.)

  172. 172.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Suzanne: ​
      In heaven: Your cook is Italian. Your mechanic is German. Your policeman is English. Your lover is French. It is all organized by the Swiss.

    In hell: Your cook is English. Your mechanic is French. Your policeman is German. Your lover is Swiss. It is all organized by the Italians.

  173. 173.

    Matt McIrvin

    @RandomMonster: They are such goofy creatures–these harmless thumb-sized black insects with bright red eyes that bumble around and fly into walls and people and make loud noises like a chorus of maracas.

  174. 174.

    Jackie

    TIFG is getting desperate to find voters outside of his MAGAts, and Libertarians aren’t happy:

    “Some Libertarian Party leaders are fuming over the party’s decision to have former president Donald Trump headline their national convention this month, with national committee members calling on the party to rescind the invitation,” the Washington Post reports.

    “The choice to have the presumptive nominee from another party speak at the Libertarian Party’s nominating convention has inflamed growing schisms within the minor party.”

  176. 176.

    Quinerly

    @Spanky:

    You are now hitting really close to my old area. How long was your dad in MHC? You would barely recognize the Southern Outer Banks/Carteret County now.

  177. 177.

    Another Scott

    @Scout211: There was a story on NPR ATC yesterday about the history of “bathroom bills”, and how the RWNJ tactics have changed after the huge blowback in NC.

    RON DESANTIS: Getting into the bathroom wars, I don’t think that’s a good use of our time.

    PRICHEP: By the next year, the North Carolina bill was rolled back. The governor who signed it, Pat McCrory, was voted out. Here’s Erin Reed again.

    REED: And so, following that, there was a good four-year period where antitrans legislation sort of took the back seat. They kind of licked their wounds. And they stepped back. And they started planning.

    PRICHEP: One of the main planners was Terry Schilling with the American Principles Project, a conservative think tank. Schilling said that, to avoid the pushback faced in North Carolina, advocates had to look outside of North Carolina.

    TERRY SCHILLING: We picked Texas and Florida because they really can’t boycott Texas. It’s just too big. And it’s too much of an economic powerhouse. And they certainly can’t boycott Florida, the home state of Walt Disney World.

    PRICHEP: They also looked beyond bathroom bills. Schilling says his group considered legislation keeping gender identity out of civil rights laws or trans women out of domestic violence shelters. But nothing really clicked until a few years ago.

    SCHILLING: The women’s sports issue was the first thing that really took off because it had that magic formula of having an incredible amount of public support amongst the American people, but also, politicians were willing to run on it and campaign on it.

    Yeah, nah, I don’t think FL and TX are “too big” for lots of people.

    The monsters had a secret sauce for a while to get people to ramp up their lizard brains, to punch down, to put more monsters in power against their best interests. The monsters brag about it.

    I like to think that their hubris has finally enabled their destruction. But that history isn’t written yet. We still have to do the work to make the future we want.

    Youngsters voting with their feet and their dollars is an essential part of the battle.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  180. 180.

    Quinerly

    @lowtechcyclist:

    From the Google. I needed to refresh my memory on which tribe.

    “The earliest record of the island’s name, on a map made by English explorer John White in 1585, designates the inlet as “Wokokon.” Subsequent spellings include “Woccocock,” “Oakacock” and “Okercock.” The name derives from the Woccon tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the mainland tidewater and established fishing …”

  182. 182.

    Narya

    @Suzanne: I’m of Italian descent on mom’s side (grandmother born there). Dad’s side is all German. Quite the combo.

  185. 185.

    Marmot

    @Jackie: This has already made my day.

    Couldn’t happen to a more deserving hive of neo-feudalist, self-aggrandizing psychopaths.

  186. 186.

    Suzanne

    @Narya: I also have some German descent….. one streak through Hamburg, and they were Jewish, and then another set through Baden-Wurttemburg, who appear to have been Catholic. They all appear to have gotten to the U.S. prior to German unification in 1871, tho.

  189. 189.

    Quiltingfool

    @H.E.Wolf: You mentioned Electoral Vote site a while back, so I checked it out; I read it daily.  Very informative.  The only part that makes me cringe is the electoral vote count at the top of the page, so I just pretend I didn’t see it, lol!  I know polls drive that number,  so I take that into account.

    Thanks for the suggestion!  This really is a full service blog!

  190. 190.

    Raven

    @Spanky: Yea, some nasty Brandon shit on Hatteras. They hate the fucking government and their fishing regs. Of course that was the reason we’ve spent $6000 on two offshore trips and caught one Wahoo!

  192. 192.

    Kay

    @Steve in the ATL:

    When Unite The Right rallied there with racist slurs, the university gave the students a patronizing lecture on 1st amendment protected speech.

    For this particular political speech they arrest and jail them. So much for the 1st amendment lectures!

    Thats how the Palestinian Exception operates.

  195. 195.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Steve in the ATL: Cut me to the quick, you have. Orange and black forever! (On the other hand, one grad school was the Maroons, which, pace Another Scott, is just dumb. There ain’t nothing out in the wild that is a Maroon.)

  196. 196.

    schrodingers_cat

    @O. Felix Culpa: Love sushi and sashimi

    In British India there were many elite clubs where the British officers hung out whose membership was not open to Indians. There are several such clubs in Mumbai (of course now they are open to extremely weathy and well connected Indians)  I have been a guest at a few of them and its like stepping back in time.

  198. 198.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @schrodingers_cat: Same. ‘Twas a taste revelation when I first had them. Heaven on earth, one might say. ;-)

    ETA: I knew a few such clubs when I lived in Hong Kong. Real throwbacks.

  200. 200.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @schrodingers_cat: There’s a restaurant in Santa Fe called Paper Dosa, that specializes in South Indian cuisine. Very tasty, although I can’t judge how authentic it is, having never been to the source.

  202. 202.

    schrodingers_cat

    @O. Felix Culpa: The food at these clubs is awesome. *chef’s kiss*. I was once invited to the Cricket Club of India at one of my trips back. Only those cricketers who have represented India can be members. It has one of the best places if not the best for Chinese food in Mumbai!

    Some famous chefs have got their starts there.

  203. 203.

    Jackie

    YIKES!

    “Ukrainian authorities said they foiled a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking officials, making the announcement on the day of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in Moscow,” Bloomberg reports.

    “Two colonels with Ukraine’s Department of State Security, a special unit responsible for protecting government officials, have been detained on suspicion of high treason.”

    I worry for Zelenskyy’s safety everyday.😞

  205. 205.

    Eyeroller

    @DaBunny: Recent research has shown that adult cicadas, including Magicicada species, do eat.  They have very small mouthparts so don’t do much damage to vegetation when they suck fluids. The damage is from females cutting slits in twigs for their eggs.

  207. 207.

    Quinerly

    @Spanky:

    He was certainly in a beautiful area. I actually prefer MHC over Beaufort, NC. I barely recognized Beaufort anymore. I just sold our family place at Pine Knoll Shores that had been my parent’s place since 1977. I doubt I ever go back to that area. Too many changes.

  209. 209.

    RandomMonster

    @Matt McIrvin:

    @RandomMonster: They are such goofy creatures–these harmless thumb-sized black insects with bright red eyes that bumble around and fly into walls and people and make loud noises like a chorus of maracas.

    Agree!

  210. 210.

    Quinerly

    @Raven: most of the coast of NC is strong Trump/Republican. Has been for many years now. Lots of retired military in Carteret County.

  211. 211.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @schrodingers_cat: Same. As for the HK colonial clubs, my only eating experience in one was good, not great. I was not of the…erm, class…to be invited to the truly elite institutions. That said, HK was a great foodie place. Haven’t been back in a long time, though, and the current political situation breaks my heart.

    I would love to take a food tour of India some day. Cultural/historical too, of course, but food is a particular passion.

  212. 212.

    rikyrah

     

     

    Democrat, Environmentalist, & the establishment (@BlueSteelDC) posted at 8:10 AM on Tue, May 07, 2024:
    The research corridor attracts growth of whites +, POC with a college degree.

    The population grew so much in NC that while Michigan lost one elector NC picked up one

    The growth is driven by formerly blue state residents from NY, MD etc

    Democrat, Environmentalist, & the establishment (@BlueSteelDC) posted at 8:14 AM on Tue, May 07, 2024:
    We lost this state by a photo finish in 2020 about 1.3% of the vote. Coincidentally that is the exact growth rate since 2020 https://t.co/ZHpo1JdtES
    (https://x.com/BlueSteelDC/status/1787833266721956152?t=_3Hpdn_EymAYSqWcYVlHIg&s=03)

  214. 214.

    Quinerly

    @Spanky:

    The coast of NC is now strong Trump country. One of the main reasons I finally sold our place. Realized that I wasn’t retiring anywhere near Trump country.

  215. 215.

    rikyrah

     

     

    Summarize (@summarizest) posted at 6:46 AM on Tue, May 07, 2024:
    Summary of the link:

    A federal judge rebuked Alabama’s Republican Attorney General for thrẹatening to prosecute groups aiding out-of-state abortions, affirming the right to interstate travel and allowing a lawsuit by groups like the Yellowhammer Fund to proceed.

    Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) posted at 6:50 AM on Tue, May 07, 2024:
    Judge Thompson got this right and the 11th Circuit must affirm. The right to travel is fundamental. As I argued here: “The Constitution does not permit states to make prisoners of citizens within its boundaries and regulate who can help at their gates.” https://t.co/I3cYdMszhJ
    (https://x.com/AnthonyMKreis/status/1787812164998242696?t=h7jpwRTqmkwmPOnsdJTFbQ&s=03)

  216. 216.

    tam1MI

    @Kay:

    UVA defended the Unite The Right protests as 1st amendment protected speech.

    When 20 students started a peaceful pro-Palestinian sit in, they immediately arrested them. They quietly changed the rules for protests to shut down any criticism of US policy in Gaza. Blatant censorship based on content.
    Right wing protests are allowed at U.V.A. – Left wing protests are banned.

    It seems to me there is a cause of action here. Has anyone sought a legal opinion on this? Reached out to the ACLU?

  217. 217.

    Jeffro

    @Jackie: who’s more excited? Dad or Froette?

    ha – good question!

    In addition to that good news, she is already having coffee with DNC folks and what not.

    “TELL THEM I SAID NORTH CAROLINA IS WINNABLE AND SO IS FLORIDA!!” – me, last week  =)

  219. 219.

    Eyeroller

    @schrodingers_cat: It’s more of a joke about stereotypes of European nationalities. You can take “heaven” and “hell” as metaphorical. (All New World people are excluded as well, it would seem.)

    Another joke in the same vein: A person arrives in heaven and is being shown around. He comes upon a group having a big party and asks who they are. “Oh, those are the <pick denomination, I’ll say UCC in honor of RevRick), they are a lot of fun.  They see another group having a serious discussion.  “Oh, those are the <denomination>, they like to hold discussion groups.”  Then they come across another group who are huddled together, looking around suspiciously, angry looks on their faces.  “Oh, those are the Baptists, they think they’re the only ones here.”

  221. 221.

    Jeffro

    @mali muso: Re: Jennifer Wexton, I was so proud to have her as my representative for several years until I got gerrymandered/redistricted out from under her to some odious R-money guy.  I’ve met her on a few occasions when doing GOTV activity and she comes across as a genuine and authentic person.  Very sad for her and her family, and for Blue VA.

    That’s great that she was your Rep!

    I already called and left a message, and put a short note in the mail.  People should hear good thoughts and best wishes from out of the blue, especially during tough times.

  223. 223.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Jeffro: “Ms ‘Fro, we have already had three conversations about your dad ‘stopping by.’ Do you think a restraining order would help?”

  224. 224.

    Steve in the ATL

    @O. Felix Culpa: ​ I have a soft spot for Princeton, since I went to law school there

    @rikyrah: ​

    groups like the Yellowhammer Fund

    That’s a liberal group? Because Yellow hammer is a Confederate army reference​

  225. 225.

    Jeffro

    I have to run and do some actual work for a bit, but thank you to everyone for the kind wishes and good thoughts…will relay everything to Froette at the next good opportunity!  =)

  227. 227.

    opiejeanne

    @RandomMonster: My parents used to drive to Kansas City, MO from SoCal every other summer when I was a kid, and one time as we were crossing Kansas I heard the cicadas. They sounded like an overloaded transformer, but louder. The noise was coming from a small cluster of trees about 200 feet from the road. I’ve heard them a couple of times since, but I’ve never seen them.

  228. 228.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: And of course none of the alleged “free speech warriors” have spoken out about it, have they? Because all they really care about is making colleges have right-wing speakers whether they want them or not.

  232. 232.

    Citizen Alan

    @RepubAnon:  And a pony. Seriously, we are not going to get a super majority or even a filibuster proof majority in the senate. Neither is mathematically possible. I personally will be ecstatic if we manage to keep a fifty-fifty senate with Kamala Harris passing all the tue ibreaker votes for the next two years.

  234. 234.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Actually, I don’t. About 1-2 years ago, I started getting e-mails from various RWNJs. Part of me thinks my daughter signed me up “for shits and giggles,” because she is somewhat to the left of me. [Not a tankie or anything close to it, fortunately.] But outside of that, I have no idea.

  238. 238.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @sab: That was 1970. For the first part of the summer I had a job on the JHU campus that involved schlepping computer programs in large boxes of punched cards across the grassy treelined quad to the IBM 7094 in the bowels of the Milton S. Eisenhower library. Den fuckas wuz loud (sounded like the chittering of a bazillion steel mandibles) and big and uuuuugly. And I was a practicing insectophobe at the time, so I took detours to duck into buildings when- and wherever possible and hauled arse when I couldn’t,

  239. 239.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @lowtechcyclist: Good on him for going into a profession like that.

    Like what?!?!? WTF is an SLP? (One answer is: Yet another acronym that a Jackal tosses out & leaves to anyone not “in the know” to figure out for themselves. I’m guessing “SL” = “second language” but if the idea is to communicate, people shouldn’t have to guess.)

  241. 241.

    Geminid

    @Steve in the ATL: I thought the term “Yellowhammer” was used to describe Alabama residents before the Civil War, like “Hoosier” for Indianans. People there seem divided about Yellowhammer now because of its association with four years of Alabama’s history, but it’s otherwise a good state mascot in my opinion. Yellowhammers are cool birds

  242. 242.

    kalakal

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I’d Sunak and Braverman are about as typical of Brits of Indian origin as Johnson & Rees-Mogg are of Brits of ‘English’ origin. ie not at all

    Very hard to answer. It varies a lot. Certainly old northern towns/cities like Bradford and Oldham tend to return Labour councillors and MPs. Oldham is interesting in that it returns a guy called George Galloway who split from Labour decades ago, converted to Islam and founded his own party, “Respect” . I can’t stand him personally but he’s well to the left. My friends of Pakistani/Indian/Sikh origin were all shades of left but that’s like saying Jackals tend to vote Democrat.

    I think socio-economic status has a lot to do with it. The wealthy tend right, the poor tend left

  244. 244.

    wjca

    @Splitting Image: If Biden can persuade these people to stay home on voting day, that will be enough.

    It may even be preferable, in terms of winning down-ballot races.

  245. 245.

    schrodingers_cat

    @kalakal: I don’t know the demographic breakup of UK. Here South Asians are a tiny minority. Less than 1% and over 70% have voted D in the last 4 Presidential elections. So people like Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are outliers

    Agreed with you about Galloway he seems like a pompous gasbag.

  246. 246.

    wjca

    @Scout211: And 45% of those surveyed said that if they were to be offered a job in a state where abortion is illegal, they would either “definitely reject” or “probably reject” the offer. Another 35% said they would “probably accept” the job. And only 20% of respondents said they would definitely take the job.

    And how many of that 20% are gay guys, for whom those laws are not a personal deal.  They may disapprove in principle.  But, especially if the pool of candidates has shrunk that much, the salary differential may be irresistible.

  247. 247.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @RepubAnon:  we need this to be a Blue Wave, where we get supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, plus 4 more years of Joe. ​

    While you’re at it, I’d like a unicorn that shits tiramisu.

    You can’t always get what you need
    You can’t always get what you need
    You can’t always get what you need
    But if you try halfassedly or don’t even try at all
    You’ll get what you fucking well deserve

  248. 248.

    RaflW

    @Ken: I camped in the Superior National Forest during the absolute peak of spring peeper season once. Down on the lovely dock on the beaver pond, their chorus was so loud and intense that it was dang near making us bonkers.

    Thankfully the tent sites were ways inland, where the peeps were just soothing not enervating.

  249. 249.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    UCLA shut down the speech they objected to but that wasn’t enough. They then had police herd the protestors into a parking garage and arrested the journalists who were the only witnesses and the only protection for the students. They set it up so students are in a closed location with only police. No witnesses.

     

    This is the LAPD. What did people expect?

  253. 253.

    wjca

    @SFAW: About 1-2 years ago, I started getting e-mails from various RWNJs. Part of me thinks my daughter signed me up “for shits and giggles,” because she is somewhat to the left of me.

    At least as likely, someone noticed something like “People who buy/subscribe to X tend to vote our way”.  And so bought some mailing lists of customers.

  254. 254.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Well, to be fair really no one has defended the protestors. They’ve mostly been smeared by both Democrats and Republicans. If there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s that we don’t want to be reminded of the worsening human rights catastraphe we’re part of in Gaza! If we arrest and jail the students, problem solved.

    They’re defending themselves and they have some gofund me’s for legal costs. I think they should all make a 1st amendent claim and request a jury trial. Let’s see if all these people who were so hot to arrest them for political speech are excited about 3,000 jury trials with a constitutional claim. They’ll be entitled to discovery on the college administrators communications – it goes to whether they were treating these protestors differently than other protestors or speakers – they were- and that’s not permissible. They can’t discriminate based on the content of the speech. They are.

  255. 255.

    tam1MI

    @Kay: I think they should all make a 1st amendent claim and request a jury trial. Let’s see if all these people who were so hot to arrest them for political speech are excited about 3,000 jury trials with a constitutional claim. They’ll be entitled to discovery on the college administrators communications – it goes to whether they were treating these protestors differently than other protestors or speakers – they were- and that’s not permissible. They can’t discriminate based on the content of the speech. They are.

    STOP THE PRESSES, I AGREE WITH KAY ON SOMETHING!!!

    Also, given that this is a free speech issue, it seems like a natural case for the ACLU to take on. This will also help reframe the issue in the way Martin was suggesting in his front page post.

    IANAL, but I see two possible problems with this approach.  1. It may only work if the protest in question was peaceful in nature. If it spilled over into things like vandalism, the administrations may be able to successfully argue that the police were called in due to crimes being committed, not speech.  And 2. Discovery goes both ways. Students bringing suit will need to be prepared to have their dirty laundry aired as well.

    It’s worth noting that Jewish students at Columbia and elsewhere are already suing them for failing to provide a safe campus environment for Jewish people. It will be interesting to see how those cases go.

  256. 256.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    They’re defending themselves and they have some gofund me’s for legal costs. I think they should all make a 1st amendent claim and request a jury trial. Let’s see if all these people who were so hot to arrest them for political speech are excited about 3,000 jury trials with a constitutional claim. They’ll be entitled to discovery on the college administrators communications – it goes to whether they were treating these protestors differently than other protestors or speakers – they were- and that’s not permissible. They can’t discriminate based on the content of the speech. They are.

     

    I fully expect and hope that the students at Columbia, and at UCLA, and any other school where the police attacked, sue. Sue the school and the cops. The cops won’t care – the taxpayers pay for their abuse of citizens. And, it’s not that the schools don’t have the $$$ to pay…they will just get mad about paying.

  259. 259.

    Kay

    @tam1MI:

    I think they have a 1st amendment claim because (some) universities quietly changed the rules the moment the protestors appeared. That’s disparate treatment based on the content of the speech.

    They also have to give them notice. The UVA students relied on an exception to the rule on tents. The university then removed the exception, called police and had the arrested. All of these actions adminstrators took will be time stamped.

    Everyone should support the students 1st amendment rights. If college executives and managers and police can shut down political speech on Gaza they can shut down political speech on abortion or voting rights or gay rights.

    If Democrats are going to run on “democracy” and against “fascism” they probably need to defend the Bill of Rights, whether they agree with the students opposition to war crimes in Gaza or not.

  260. 260.

    Citizen Alan

    @Eyeroller: The way I heard the joke, the punchline was that all the Baptists were in a big tent with no windows, and everyone else in Heaven had to tiptoe around and whisper when they drew near because it wouldn’t be heaven for the Baptists if they had to share it with anyone.

  261. 261.

    Kay

    @tam1MI:

    University administrators who were covering their (well compensated) asses by having students arrested will have a lot more to lose with discovery than 19 year old college students will.

  262. 262.

    Kay

    @tam1MI:

    Not all universities did this. Many were respectful of their students and the 1st Amendment – Rutgers, Syracuse, University of Minnesota, Brown, Northwestern, Michigan State. Probably more. Did a great job.

    The worst would be UVA, UCLA, USC and Columbia. Have to sue them or they’ll shut down the next political protest they don’t like. Give em an inch….

  263. 263.

    tam1MI

    @Kay: They also have to give them notice. The UVA students relied on an exception to the rule on tents. The university then removed the exception, called police and had the arrested. All of these actions adminstrators took will be time stamped.

    It’s been a while since I worked for a university, but I seem to recall that notice also has to be given on the meetings where the vote is taken to change policy as well, and those meetings are FOIAable.

    It would be hilarious if the student groups that got targeted by the rule change would announce that henceforth they would be monitoring all tailgate parties for campus sports events, documenting all violations of the new rule, and reporting their findings to the police so that arrests can be made. Sauce for the goose and all…

  264. 264.

    tam1MI

    @Kay: The worst would be UVA, UCLA, USC and Columbia.

    I would add Texas to that list. I think students there have an especially strong cause of action because charges against them were dismissed.

  265. 265.

    Kay

    @tam1MI:

    I forgot Texas. I think the county prosecutor there dismissed all the charges though. Now he/she will get fired.

    The protestors are all on social media right now crowing that “we” told them Biden couldn’t withhold weapons and now he is withholding weapons. I, personally, did not tell them that. I think he can withhold weapons under the Leahy laws. I actually think he has to or he’s out of compliance with those laws, IMO.

  266. 266.

    Kay

     

    Biden has to report to Congress tommorrow on whether or not his administration is in compliance with US and international law regarding weapons going to Gaza. No Republican will challenge him- they’re enthusiastically pro war crime and wildly bigoted against Palestinians- but about 25 D House members and 7 D Senators will. He’s not going to get softball questions from the Democrats.

    The only oversight is Democrats. Republicans are irrelevant on this. That’s why I think it’s absolutely essential they provide some.

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