Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

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

It’s the corruption, stupid.

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

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Come on, man.

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

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

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

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Reminder: VAAC Zoom Tomorrow (Wed) at 7:30 Eastern, VAAC Angels, and What Comes Next

Reminder: VAAC Zoom Tomorrow (Wed) at 7:30 Eastern, VAAC Angels, and What Comes Next

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Zooming!

Just a reminder that the zoom with the great folks at VAAC is tomorrow evening – Wednesday – at 7:30 Eastern.  We’ve got several VAAC peeps who are showing up to meet with us tomorrow – they are really special people and once you hear their stories, I guarantee that you will come away inspired.

I mean, really, who couldn’t use a little extra inspiration these days?

Oh, and if you missed all the previous posts about VAAC (Voting Access for All) click on the category link above, and also copied here for your convenience, .  You’ll find 6 or 7 recent posts about VAAC that will supply lots of information about the organization.

To RSVP and get the zoom link, send email to WaterGirl.

Brutal honesty?  I have not had the number of RSVPs we hoped for. I hope it’s just that BJ peeps have been busy or focused on the NY trial, and have just forgotten to RSVP. Let’s make it worth their time, and let them know they have our support. 

Donating!

We reached $15,000 on Monday, which is really great!   And we have a $2,500 check from an angel who did the double-angel-matching, which won’t show up in the thermometer, but does count toward our $25,000 goal!

So all wee really need in order to reach our goal for VAAC is $7,200.  And we have 2 angels who came forward, each with $1k to match for you guys.  So that $2k (once you match it!) will count toward the $7,200.

So really, we just need to pull together and donate $5,200 through the thermometer, and we will have met our $25,000 goal for them.

So until further notice, we have an angel match and the external match, so all donations  up to $100 are really 4x the donation amount.

If you donate for the match, either add it to this thread or send me an email message.

Thanks so much, guys!

What’s Next!

After this we’ll take a couple weeks off from fundraising, and then we’re looking at some new organizations we’re excited about and we’ll have more details for you in a week or so.

Totally open thread!

 

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  2. 2.

    WaterGirl

    @Manyakitty: Yes!  I should have added that donations up to $100 are matched. So these are 4x matches.

    As always, everything resets with a new match.  thank you.

    Also, pulling the post for a bit because Cole just put on up.

  4. 4.

    Almost Retired

    This will be great.  The VAAC folks are so inspiring and insightful.  They have so much insider information about Michigan in the 2024 cycle.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    @Manyakitty: @Mr. Bemused Senior: @rodwell:

    Thank you all!

    I worked a full day today so I am heading to bed, but I will check back first thing in the morning.

    I wasn’t able to follow anything about the trial today.  Managed to put the post up and read for maybe 30 minutes, then crazy busy with work.

    So what’s the general feeling about how well Cohen did during the cross?  It’s sad that I’ve become this vindictive, but I hope that every high-powered, well-respected attorney who took this gig has sullied their reputation and has to start advertising on park benches.

  16. 16.

    Nettoyeur

    Hint: People will be more likely to contribute if they know what VAAC stands for….

  19. 19.

    Chet Murthy

    I see that various MSM are reporting that Alsobrooks has defeated Trone.  Which …. *grin*  I guess that’s a good thing?  I mean, I saw that Trone had some …. racist shit in his recent history, and he’s a self-funded richie.  I don’t know much more about her than that, but …. well, it seems like that’s enough to chalk up her win as a win for the good guys ?

  20. 20.

    Baud

    @Chet Murthy:

    I don’t think there were any real bad guys in that primary. People who are happy at the result should just be happy at the result.

  21. 21.

    eclare

    In for $25.  Everything I’ve seen said the defense fucked up (technical legal term) the cross.  One talking head said that the most important part of the trial was the first 45 minutes of the cross on Cohen, and the defense sputtered and had no plan.

    My thought, and IANAL, maybe they fucked it up because there is no defense?  It sounds like a lot of people were counting on Cohen to meltdown, and he didn’t.  Stupid “plan.”

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    In case you hadn’t heard, Dolt 45’s appeal of the NY gag order was denied in a unanimous decision by the
    court the next level up.

  25. 25.

    Baud

    Via Reddit, Anne Laurie bait

    Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Criticized for Graduation Speech Attacking Working Women While Quoting Taylor Swift
    Butker encouraged male graduates to “be unapologetic in your masculinity,” and to “fight against the cultural emasculation of men,” during his controversial speech

  26. 26.

    Almost Retired

    @Nettoyeur:  Voting Access for all Coalition (and yes, I hate acronyms, too).  VAAC’s primary mission is educating, registering and turning out voters who are formerly incarcerated and their family and friends – who are unaware of their right to vote in Michigan.  They’re also registering new voters in High Schools in SE Michigan.

  27. 27.

    The Return of Mo Salad

    I come back to this site after a couple of years and BOOM. Giving $100 within the first 15 minutes.

  28. 28.

    Another Scott

    @eclare:

    APNews.com:

    Judge Juan M. Merchan was unnerved by the blistering start to Cohen’s cross-examination, chiding Trump lawyer Todd Blanche at a sidebar for quizzing the witness about recent social media posts he’d made about the former president’s legal team.

    “Why are you making this about yourself?” Merchan asked, according to a transcript, after Blanche confronted Cohen about an April 23 TikTok post in which he referred to the attorney as a “crying little [expletive].”

    “I’m not making it about myself, your honor,” Blanche said at the sidebar, which was held at the judge’s bench out of earshot of jurors and reporters.

    “I have a right to show this witness’s bias, and he has expressed bias about the lawyers just because of who he represents,” Blanche continued.

    Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger countered that Cohen’s comments about Trump’s lawyers were irrelevant and inadmissible to showing bias — that only remarks about Trump himself could be used for that purpose.

    “It doesn’t matter if he has bias towards you. it doesn’t matter,” Merchan told Blanche. “The issue is whether he has bias towards the defendant. Don’t make it about myself.”

    For his part, Cohen had answered Blanche’s question before Hoffinger interrupted with an objection and Merchan, moments later, summoned the lawyers to the bench. His response: “Sounds like something I would say.”

    The Cohen quote was “crying little shit.”

    And he certainly seems to be. Poor baby.

    🤡

    [ groucho-roll-eyes.gif ]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  30. 30.

    Chet Murthy

    @Baud: wow, that’s some ….. some …. That’s somethin’ alright.  AFAICT, men haven’t been emasculated one teeny-tiny bit.  Not even an iota.  Hell, we can still rape and get away with it in so, so, so many jurisdictions, esp. if we’re one of those richies, like …. a rich and famous football player with a shit-ton of lawyers on speed-dial, all paid-for by his employer.

    The dickens he says!

  31. 31.

    Chet Murthy

    @Another Scott: ‘Merchan, moments later, summoned the lawyers to the bench. His response: “Sounds like something I would say.”’

    [insert row of ROFL emojis]

  33. 33.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Chet Murthy: ​I see that various MSM are reporting that Alsobrooks has defeated Trone. Which …. *grin* I guess that’s a good thing?

    Hope you’ll still be grinning come November when Hogan beats her and the Democrats lose control of the Senate and the Thugs wreck his second term. I hope I’m wrong, but I see no evidence that the fraction of DINOs and independents who will never, ever, ever vote for a female POC when a white guy is on the ballot is any smaller than it’s been for the 50 years I’ve been active in MD politics.

    It’ll be a real laugh riot. I expected a better understanding of the MD electorate from the African-Americans who control statewide nominations in MD, but … I wish the good AA ladies of SC who resuscitated Joe’s campaign in ’20 had come up here en masse and slapped some sense into them about voting tactically and keeping one’s eyes on the prize, but oh no….

  34. 34.

    unrelatedwaffle

    $25 for VAAC!

    You couldn’t write a better contrast in the careful and clear buildup of the prosecution’s questions vs the rambling disorganized  confused mess of the defense. Highly recommend @GottaLaff on mastodon’s threads consolidating live journo coverage from twitter.

    That TikTok question was their OPENER!! and Cohen smoked him. https://mastodon.social/@GottaLaff/112440824123368707

  35. 35.

    RaflW

    Chipped in yesterday, and sorry I can’t make the zoom tomorrow. I could use some good news about our jalopy democracy. Heading to one of my less-favored states in the morning (TX), but going to a UU human rights conference. Gonna see a few old college friends while in the Metroplex (uhhh, Go Frogs! I guess).

  38. 38.

    Chet Murthy

    Cohen is doing himself a world of good, being so up-front in this trial.  I keep on reminding myself that he’s also a mobster, and that being a mobster doesn’t mean one can’t be a patriotic American: Meyer Lansky (IIRC) was both also.

  42. 42.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Chet Murthy: [​B] being a mobster doesn’t mean one can’t be a patriotic American: Meyer Lansky (IIRC) was both also.

    Dunno about Lansky, but you might want to look up the Mafiosi who signed on with the US government to assist the invasion of Sicily. AFAICT that their help had less to do with patriotism than with reestablishing their control over the island as they continued to profit over here by undermining the social fabric of their adopted land. I don’t care how much you might’ve enjoyed The Godfather or The Sopranos, those were not good people then or now.

  44. 44.

    Gloria DryGarden

    Is there any chance the zoom will be recorded, and made available? I was so heartened to read of this group, and I’d like to hear more from them. It’s 530 my time; I don’t think I can make it. But very interested.

  45. 45.

    WaterGirl

    @Nettoyeur: I added this up top just now.  We have had several posts about VAAC in the past couple of weeks that I didn’t want to be repeating what I figured everyone already knew.

    Oh, and if you missed all the previous posts about VAAC (Voting Access for All) click on the category link above, and also copied here for your convenience, Targeted Political Fundraising 2023-24.  You’ll find 6 or 7 recent posts about VAAC that will supply lots of information about the organization.

    But I need to remember that not everyone reads all the posts, so something will always be new to someone, no matter how many times we have talked about it.

    Thanks for the reminder.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    Thanks to everyone who donated overnight.  You are all matched@

    @sempronia, you were matched at $25 after you so nicely got us to an even $16,000. :-)

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    @eclare: Thanks for the summary of yesterday’s proceedings!

    Today is another crazy day, so I was thinking I could catch up tomorrow on all the live blogging I missed this week, but nope.

    Tomorrow is another trial day, but I should be able to follow along on Thursday, and then play catch-up on Friday while we all get a day off because the orange guy pretended to want to go to his son’s graduation.

  49. 49.

    frosty

    @Uncle Cosmo: I’m with you. I’ve watched Maryland politics from both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Hogan is well-liked, known as a moderate*, and an acceptable Old Bald Fat White Guy to the Maryland electorate. I think he’s got a better than 50% chance of winning against a POC woman. We could lose the Senate because of Maryland.

    * Regardless of what we think.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @frosty:  You can be a moderate Republican as a governor, but you cannot be a moderate Republican in the Senate.

    Hopefully we can tie that “moderate” Republican to all the party line votes he will take with the Republican party, even in the minority.

    It’s even worse if there is a Republican Senate majority, because he would be the vote that passes the extremist agenda the Republicans would be pushing under Trump.

    They would be pushing that extreme agenda under Biden, but at least he could veto it.  But Dems couldn’t get anything good done.

  52. 52.

    Geminid

    @frosty: An April poll showed Hogan beating Trone by 1 point and Alsobrooks by 3. It also showed 40% of  voters said “Don’t know” when asked to give a favorable/ unfavorable rating, which I think indicates Alsobrooks’s lack of exposure at that time.

    I would just point out that Senator Van Hollen and Rep. Raskin endorsed Alsobrooks when they could easily have stayed neutral, and they want to win that seat as much as anyone here.

  55. 55.

    PT&S

    Donated $75.  (I don’t do these very often, not sure if I have to submit any verification.)

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