VoteVets is pounding the anti-Trump message every single day … and we can learn something from that.
NEVER AGAIN should Donald Trump be trusted with national security clearance.
NEVER AGAIN should Trump be in command of our Armed Forces.
NEVER AGAIN should anyone who serves our country in uniform have to salute a walking, talking NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT! pic.twitter.com/t8AjJzvTkO
— VoteVets (@votevets) April 30, 2024
Open thread.
J. Arthur Crank
That is a good ad. I hope it can make a difference.
RaflW
What’s the minimum time to determine if one has bigfooted oneself?
But also, go VoteVets!
J. Arthur Crank
@RaflW: I think that minimum time depends on the day of the week and the time of the day. Also, logarithms are probably involved at some point.
WaterGirl
@RaflW: I find hopelessness exceedingly tiresome, so I decided to put up an alternative commenting spot. :-)
I think we will be directly supporting some key races a little bit earlier than than last time – in cases where it’s close and the candidates aren’t rolling in dough. So if you have some suggestions come September, you’ll have an opportunity to share them.
RaflW
Also, since it’s an open thread:
A hummingbird fed at the yellow petunias I had just deadheaded on our deck today (it has zzzzzz’d by other days. It ignores the red and purple ‘tunia planters).
I sat stone still, it went all the way round the big bucket, dipping into maybe a dozen flower heads, and at one point it’s blurry wings brushed my leg hairs, I was sitting so close to the pot.
Sublime!
WaterGirl
@RaflW: All hummingbird encounters are magical, in my book at least. Yellow, though, that’s a surprise!
Scout211
VoteVets is really great. That is the only political organization that my husband has regularly contributed over the years.
RaflW
@WaterGirl: Yeah. It stopped at a ‘Night Sky’ petunia for one brief proboscis dip, and instantly flew away.
It’s been to the yellow ones several days. I guess it has the best nectar!
Scout211
Yeah. And it didn’t start out that way.
WaterGirl
@RaflW: I love the night sky petunias when it’s truly the deep purple with the tiny little white “stars”. Not so much when they turn into purple and white blotches.
Are yours totally / mostly yellow petunias? Or are they that new fancy variety that is yellow with maybe green and with ripples?
karen marie
@WaterGirl: I read earlier today that the North Carolina legislature is engaging in some hanky-panky to help their fucked up candidate for governor. Mark Robinson is not doing well with donations to his campaign, so the NC legislature is changing the rules so the national GOP can funnel money to him without the individual source of the funds being identifiable.
Motherfuckers
PS The Democratic candidate is Josh Stein. He’s reportedly doing better than Robinson as far as donations but it might be one to keep an eye on.
WaterGirl
@Scout211: Hopelessness is contagious, and if you are trying to effect change, bringing it into a conversation that is clearly not that is about as constructive as hosting a measles party or a Covid party.
WaterGirl
@karen marie: Yeah, they don’t even try to hid the blatant corruption.
Speaking of North Carolina, on Monday I will be announcing a new North Carolina effort that we’ll be supporting. Youth + African American. I hope everyone will be as excited about them as I am.
RaflW
@WaterGirl: The night skys are more blotchy, but they share a big oval pot with a variegated purple, and a third lighter solid lavender tunia. They intertwine beautifully and I love the overall effect.
The yellows are proven winner ‘supers’. All yellow, darkening towards the center, but not extra fancy. We tried that pot with a burgundy petunia, but the 2 yellows grew so fast they sort of overwhelmed rather than intertwined like the other pot.
So the burgundy is now kind of the special solo guy hanging out, repotted solo like “yeah, I’m cool. Introverts are cool.”
The hummingbird is totally uninterested in the burgundy flowers. Huh.
Villago Delenda Est
Every fucking member of the Trump Crime Family is a classic national security risk. Javanka only got clearances because daddy ordered them.
Villago Delenda Est
@Scout211: I send them five bucks a month.
RaflW
And yes, I just want to talk about flowers and birbs tonight. We did Father’s Day today because two of the seven in our little three gen family are getting on planes tomorrow (to different destinations).
Anyway, that’s all fine, but I’m a little down tonight. BF’s dad is 80 and having a rough time, though he was genial and appreciative of the family gathering (and my grilling).
I just can’t do grumpy political arguing tonight, so I am glad for this space <3
Trivia Man
I tried to comment in the last thread just now and got “Sorry, comments are now closed for this item.” Is this new?
WaterGirl
@Trivia Man: Yeah, I closed comments on that particular thread.
Jackie
This ad needs to be running in ALL 50 states – not just battle states! The very reality that our military would have to salute the leader of the insurrectionists who tried to overturn our country…😡😡😡
Villago Delenda Est
@Trivia Man: It’s showing that for me as well. I wanted to note that I don’t miss Tim Russert the tiniest little bit. What a vile Broderist he was.
Trivia Man
Remember that a huge Russian success in 2016 was sowing despair. Disillusioned purity ponies, minorities appropriately outraged that they always somehow get pushed off to “later”, weaponized “both siderism”, channeling bart simpson with “can’t win, why try”, etc etc etc. Obama was right to emphasize HOPE.
Jackie
@WaterGirl: Thank you!
eclare
@WaterGirl:
Thank you, I find hopelessness exhausting.
Trivia Man
@WaterGirl: probably best. I was just going to ADD ON AND KVETCH. The keys to the blog are in very capable hands. Thanks! (It doesn’t even matter which side I was going to join!)
Lyrebird
@Scout211: @Villago Delenda Est:
Glad to hear y’all’s votes of support, including Mr. Scout’s. VoteVets seems really solid to me, but other than once working for a military contractor, I got nuthin as far as relevant experience to compare.
They have endorsed Kunce in MO, FWIW.
And I am so glad that the retired general in the ad was willing to stand up and say that stuff.
Thank you @WaterGirl: for front-paging the ad, it’s a good one.
debit
@Villago Delenda Est: I always feel mean when I roll my eyes whenever the sainted Tim is brought up on MSNBC. Thankfully, that seldom happens these days.
eclare
@Trivia Man:
All good points, especially convincing a sufficient number of people that is was fine to vote for Jill Stein.
like a metaphor
@RaflW: one time in SF, a hummingbird landed on the cup that I was holding. It took a sip of my tea, and then it looked at me. And went in for another sip. It was Tension Tamer herbal tea, lukewarm. There are lots of different kinds of hummingbirds in Golden Gate Park
wjca
If you refuse to do vaccinations, a measles party is actually a good idea. Measles as an adult being far worse than in children. Sure, being anti-vaxx is massively stupid. But once you’re committed to that stupidity, measles parties at least mitigate, to some extent, your stupidity.
The question then being, how ro mitigate someone spreading hopelessness?
wjca
Even if there’s no realistic chance of winning the state at the presidential level, it might well be enough to make a difference in a couple of Congressional races here and there.
Ken
No doubt thinking “My reaction time is hundreds of times faster than yours, so what are you going to do about it?”
piratedan
@karen marie: you’ll be excited to know that the AZ Senate has the current GOP Party Chairman on the books as a state contractor. So while Kari Lake and the rest of the litigious lot have drained their coffers, us AZ taxpayers are paying her 15k a month as a legislative resource.
The Return of Mo Salad
I don’t know if this has been mentioned here.
Independent journalist Linda Tirado is dying in hospice care from a brain injury suffered several years ago when she was covering George Floyd riots.
She was hit in the eye with a “non-lethal projectile” fired by police. She immediately lost her eye and the additional brain injury has lead to he brain literally forgetting how to operate her internal organs.
More information can be found here, including links ro make direct donation to help cover her costs. I just Venmo’d her $100.
https://x.com/savadler/status/1801407193792844263?t=4xFkCUgbjEufaqCcf37ZJg&s=19
Jackie
@wjca: Exactly!
Ramona
@Villago Delenda Est: I used to call Tim Russert Pumpkinhead! He did a lot of damage. I’m so glad nature took him when she did.
Urza
@piratedan: Not saying the 15k a month isn’t corruption, but also unless they have other paychecks coming in thats not actually alot for skilled labor.
Ruckus
Just in case anyone has any doubts, this veteran never has and never will vote for a rethuglican. And I’ve been voting for over 50 yrs. The year they changed the voting age to 18 I’d been voting for 1 year.
@Urza:
I retired in 2022 and had spent almost all of my working life of 60 years, as a high precision machinist/moldmaker and I never made or knew anyone with a skilled labor job like mine that paid that much, nor did I ever pay anyone 15K/month in the business I owned for 3 decades in the same line of work.
Quaker in a Basement
Buy up every available minute on Fox from now til November and run this over and over and over.
Quaker in a Basement
@Villago Delenda Est: You mean Pumpkinhead?
WaterGirl
@The Return of Mo Salad: That’s horrible.
Denali5
@The Return of Mo Salad:
So sorry to hear this. I remember when it happened.
@The Return of Mo Salad:
karen marie
@WaterGirl: Excellent
@piratedan: Predictable.
karen marie
@Urza: Fifteen thousand a month for skilled labor is a lot. Kari Lake ain’t doing any skilled labor, sweetheart.