Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

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

Republicans in disarray!

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

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

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Second rate reporter says what?

Our messy unity will be our strength.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

The lights are all blinking red.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: We All Do What We Can

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: We All Do What We Can

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… The advertising push comes with Election Day still months away. But Biden’s campaign says it wants to more clearly define the choice between the candidates ahead of the first debate between them in Atlanta on June 27.

The ad campaign includes more than $1 million geared toward media reaching Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters and a spot highlighting Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case. It will air on general market television and connected TV on streaming devices and cellphones in battleground states as well as on national cable…

A central part of Biden’s reelection strategy is also highlighting Trump’s policy proposals for a second term and firing up disaffected Democrats and independent voters. Still, the campaign producing an ad that leans heavily into Trump’s conviction and including it in such a large advertising buy indicates a renewed effort to make Trump’s legal problems an election issue in ways Biden’s team previously resisted.

“It’s a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people,” Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said in a statement. “And it’s why we will make sure that every single day we are reminding voters about how Joe Biden is fighting for them, while Donald Trump runs a campaign focused on one man and one man only: himself.”…

Reader Interactions

176Comments

  3. 3.

    Baud

    Did Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of a president in the 1998 film “Deep Impact” help send Barack Obama to the White House?

    Maybe. But unfortunately it didn’t bring on the meteor.

  6. 6.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I should have known.  The Biden campaign was waiting for the trial to end so they could pour money and effort into stressing that convicted felon Donald Trump is a convicted felon.  The debate is gonna be lit.  Biden will roast that convicted criminal motherfucker.

  7. 7.

    satby

    I’m loving Hillary’s embrace of the elegant kaftan look, she looked stunning! And a well deserved ovation to be sure.

  8. 8.

    Soprano2

    I wish the press would quit calling TCFG’s case a “hush money” case. It was election interference and falsification of documents, the thing he’s always accusing other people of! If he had paid her “hush money” out of his own pocket it wouldn’t have been a crime and there would have been no trial. They make it sound like paying the money to her was the crime, when it wasn’t. Why are they so bad?

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: It was election interference,

    No it wasn’t, as you acknowledge when you say “If he had paid her “hush money” out of his own pocket it wouldn’t have been a crime”

    His crime was falsifying business records to hide the payoff.

  11. 11.

    Steve Holmes

    As an NC resident currently getting hit by a bunch of anti-Trump Biden ads and anti-Robinson Stein ads I really need to have Democrats put out positive Biden ads.  The anti ads are really depressing and off putting, my wife has noticed that I will automatically mute these ads,

    We need our “Morning in America” ads touting the Biden accomplishments (they can even do charts showing the Trump crime wave and the Biden return to sanity.

  12. 12.

    eclare

    Watching Morning Joe on the DVR, and NYT Pitchbot got a shout out from Jonathan Lemire.

  14. 14.

    Steve Holmes

    I will say that Josh Stein does have a good positive ad about clearing out rape kit testing as Attorney General.  It looks like a news report and sounds good.

  16. 16.

    Jeffro

    @Frankensteinbeck: The debate is gonna be lit.  Biden will roast that convicted criminal motherfucker.

    110%

    He’s going to hammer trumpov on the EJC verdict and the tax fraud case too.  And then he’s going to give him shit about his dementia-babble and Project 2025 too.

    It’s going to be awesome!

  17. 17.

    Suzanne

    @OzarkHillbilly: But the crime became a felony because he falsified those records to improve his image before the election. Specifically influencing the election. Or at least, that’s what a podcast I listened to told me!

  18. 18.

    sab

    @OzarkHillbilly: Isn’t falsifying business records in NY a misdemeanor? And the statute of limitations had already run out. It was falsifying business records in furtherance of another crime (election interference) that turned it into a felony, and also kept it under a longer statute of limitaions.

  21. 21.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    The debate is gonna be lit.

    You know the crowd here skews older. Does this mean that the debate will be the bees’ knees? Or possibly the cat’s pajamas?
    I’ll check back after I look up the weather in my local newspaper.​

  23. 23.

    eclare

    @Suzanne:

    Yeah, my understanding was that to get the falsification of business records to felony status the prosecutors had to show that it was in furtherance of another crime, which would be election interference.

    Eta>  and sab got there first.

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    @OzarkHillbilly: Many crimes, so many crimes.

    ManhattanDA.org:

    […]

    According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, from August 2015 to December 2017, TRUMP orchestrated his “catch and kill” scheme through a series of payments that he then concealed through months of false business entries.

    In one instance, American Media Inc. (“AMI”), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock.

    In a second instance, AMI paid $150,000 to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with TRUMP. When TRUMP explicitly directed a lawyer who then worked for the Trump Organization as TRUMP’s Special Counsel (“Special Counsel”) to reimburse AMI in cash, the Special Counsel indicated to TRUMP that the payment should be made via a shell company and not by cash. AMI ultimately declined to accept reimbursement after consulting their counsel. AMI, which later admitted its conduct was unlawful in an agreement with federal prosecutors, made false entries in its business records concerning the true purpose of the $150,000 payment.

    In a third instance – 12 days before the presidential general election – the Special Counsel wired $130,000 to an attorney for an adult film actress. The Special Counsel, who has since pleaded guilty and served time in prison for making the illegal campaign contribution, made the payment through a shell corporation funded through a bank in Manhattan.

    After winning the election, TRUMP reimbursed the Special Counsel through a series of monthly checks, first from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust – created in New York to hold the Trump Organization’s assets during TRUMP’s presidency – and later from TRUMP’s bank account. In total, 11 checks were issued for a phony purpose. Nine of those checks were signed by TRUMP. Each check was processed by the Trump Organization and illegally disguised as a payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a non-existent retainer agreement. In total, 34 false entries were made in New York business records to conceal the initial covert $130,000 payment. Further, participants in the scheme took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the reimbursements.

    […]

    So many crimes…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Suzanne: @sab: I may well be wrong about the law, but I rather doubt there are very many politicians who don’t have a few skeletons they are hiding in the closet.

  26. 26.

    gene108

    The Biden ad irks me, because Trump could’ve been found guilty of fomenting an insurrection and attempting to steal classified information, if the Republicans in the federal judiciary were not putting their whole body on the scales to delay those trials.

    If he was found guilty in those trials, TCFG could really be savaged in ads.

    I wonder if someone could sue the federal judiciary for election interference?  Not having those cases adjudicated before the election will impact this election.

  28. 28.

    Steve Holmes

    @Baud:

    Biden doesn’t need to win me over, but all polling seems to show that non-engaged voters don’t know about anything that Biden has accomplished.

    They think the economy was better under Trump.

    They think crime was much lower under Trump.

    They think unemployment is historically high.

    They think we are in a recession.

    Media organizations do not seem interested in correcting this misinformation, they seem to think writing facts is biased.

    Somebody needs to push the facts out.  Reagan didn’t need to convince Republicans to vote for him, but the “Morning In America” ads won over Independents and Democrats.

  30. 30.

    gene108

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Trump has a couple of cemeteries worth of skeletons in his closet. Honestly, I think we’re just scratching the surface on the extent of his disregard for rules and the law.

  31. 31.

    Harrison Wesley

    Does anybody here think Trump will actually show up for the debate? I just find it unlikely his minders would let him. He’ll claim illness, Biden will torch his empty podium, then he’ll whine about how UNFAIR it was.

  35. 35.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I find myself often thinking about Ed Grimley, an old Martin Short character. I remember reading that Grimley was created for a sketch where there are two characters competing for a job. One, the woman, is a super-achieving genius, Nobel prize winner, etc. The other is Grimley, a moron. And the interviewer keeps saying “I just can’t decide, you’re both so qualified…”

    The presidential race is that sketch made real. Every line of mainstream coverage feels like an interviewer seriously contemplating hiring Ed Grimley. It would be funny if the consequences weren’t so dire.

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    From Oklahoma law to allow resentencing for incarcerated domestic violence survivors, came this little tidbit I was unaware of:

    Historically, Oklahoma has the largest population of incarcerated women in the US – almost twice the national average. In February, a WalletHub survey ranked it as the worst state for women, with the highest rates of domestic violence in the country.

    Dr David McLeod, a professor at the University of Oklahoma, has spent decades compiling research on this area.

    “Seventy per cent of the incarcerated women in Oklahoma were in a violent relationship at the time they received the charge that led them to prison,” he said. “The fact that women could not incorporate that reality into their defense was a blatant marker of the institutionalization of patriarchy. Domestic violence is about the enforcement of systemic behavioral control in a relationship, and when women dared to push back against that control, in Oklahoma, we incarcerated them.”

  37. 37.

    Another Scott

    @gene108: “What was TCFFG doing on those 7 trips (that we know about) he took on Epstein’s plane??”

    So many questions…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  40. 40.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Harrison Wesley: His mic will be muted and a handler will dub “his” answers. The night before the debate CNN will announce the rule change that allows that setup.

    Seriously? I don’t see how they let him debate. They’ll pull out. But it’s hard for me to see how they can do that and save face too. So I honestly can’t guess. There will be some surprise that we’ll all be talking about for weeks and I haven’t the faintest idea what it could be.

  42. 42.

    WereBear

    @OzarkHillbilly: Women are unable to use deadly force in self defense.

    The Florida woman who shot a wall instead of her husband got jail.

    And she was probably asked what she did to make him so mad.

  47. 47.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WereBear: That’s why I always told my sisters to call me* if they ever had a problem.
    *I never actually told them that, all 3 had good judgement of men in that regard.
    I did fuck with my wife’s violent ex-husband once. Unfortunately, he was too smart to take the bait. But he did leave her alone after that.​

  48. 48.

    dmsilev

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I assume that if his campaign wants to pull him out of the debate they’ll make up some fake controversy over the rules/setup (the stuff that they’ve already agreed to) and claim that the debate has been rigged. Maybe throw a hissy fit because RFK Jr was excluded?

  49. 49.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, …

    myrmepropagandist

    If you see a new youTube channel with a plain sounding name like “NatureView” or “BrightScience” etc. and there is what looks like a tempting video on a specific education topic “Most Active Volcanoes” or “Incredible Carnivorous Plants”

    There is a 50/50 chance it will be a generated voice with stock footage and a script written by GPT.

    I am now avoiding videos if I don’t recognize the creator, or don’t see signs it was made by a person.

    So much spam!

    Jun 15, 2024, 08:40

    Applies elsewhere, also too.

    Futurebird is wise.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  53. 53.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    It always bears repeating: GOTV efforts are key.  That encompasses the things people normally think of in terms of getting people to the polls, reminding them to vote, etc.  But it also means working around state-level voter suppression efforts like closing most polling places, etc.

    We Win When We Vote.  I know, it’s a facile “well, duh” statement but captures what it’s about.  GOTV.

  54. 54.

    TBone

    Dotard is campaigning to stay out of prison. He’s got one reason and only one reason to run (well maybe two: grift). Because he can’t appear to be weak in front of his cult, I think he will attend the debate, with the caveat that he might pull the Harvey Weinstein gambit at the last minute with some medical emergency that miraculously abates the next day.  In any event, I’m stocking up on crunchy snax.

  57. 57.

    Geminid

    @gene108: I have a hunch some people are holding back dirt on Trump in case he wins, but will put it out there once he loses and can’t retaliate. I’m thinking of foreign nations in particular.

  61. 61.

    Mousebumples

    @Soprano2: I think they think hush money sounds sexier.

    I agree it’s an election interference case, but if calling it a hush money conviction keeps them talking about it, I’ll take it.

    @Steve Holmes: We need our “Morning in America” ads touting the Biden accomplishments (they can even do charts showing the Trump crime wave and the Biden return to sanity.

    I hope those are coming, but it may make sense to save the $ for those until we’re closer to voting (eg Labor Day).

  64. 64.

    Betty Cracker

    Via Josh Marshall’s blog at TPM, here’s a press release from the Biden campaign:

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 17, 2024
    Trump’s Debate Lies Show How Scared He Is
    Donald Trump is a liar and a fraud. His campaign is full of liars and frauds. And their desperate leaks and lies to the right-wing media only underscore how scared Donald Trump is to debate.This is Donald’s debate playbook: lies, distractions, and deceit.Donald Trump and his campaign are scared because they can’t defend his record, personal conduct, or extreme agenda in front of the American people.Donald can’t defend that he’s a criminal who has been convicted of 34 felonies, was found liable for sexual assault, committed financial fraud, and is only out for himself.

    Donald can’t defend his endorsement of state abortion bans, including ones that track women’s pregnancies, threaten access to IVF, and punish women.

    Donald can’t defend that he has the worst jobs record of any modern president and oversaw the largest increase in the murder rate on record.

    Donald can’t defend his economic agenda of higher prices for working Americans and Social Security cuts – all so he can give corporations and billionaires more tax handouts.
    Donald can’t defend that he’s unhinged about losing by 7 million votes to Joe Biden in 2020, is proposing to be a “dictator” on day one, and a violent “bloodbath” when he loses again in November.

    Donald can’t defend his actions on or leading up to January 6.

    Donald can’t defend his extreme Supreme Court nominees.

    Donald can’t defend being a lifelong racist who failed Black and brown America as president.

    Donald can’t defend wanting to rip away health care protections from more than 100 million Americans.

    Donald can’t defend insulting veterans, law enforcement, and the American people.We are at an inflection point as a nation. Our freedoms, our democracy, our middle class, our leadership on the world stage are all at stake.To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be. Donald Trump does not have a vision of anything beyond the failure he sees in the mirror.

    Statement from TJ Ducklo, Biden-Harris 2024 Senior Advisor for Communications:“Donald Trump has been playing games around debates for years: lying about negotiations, bailing at the last minute, and making insane accusations about moderators and microphones all because he’s terrified to defend the dangerous and extreme things he’s done and promises to do again.“Joe Biden will be at the debate standing up for our democracy, our freedoms, and the American people. If Trump would like to sit down behind his podium he can, but we’re worried he may fall asleep. If he shows up at all.”
  66. 66.

    Jeffro

    @Harrison Wesley:Does anybody here think Trump will actually show up for the debate?

    I think he will show up, and there’s a good chance he will flip out and walk off the stage.

  68. 68.

    Jeffro

    I know that the list of trumpov’s many faults and disqualifications for dog catcher office is lonnnnnng, but I do wish Biden/Harris 2024 would put this near the top when talking about what an unprincipled little shit he is:

    trumpov’s anti-vaccine problem
    Bring on the polio and measles!

    Former President Donald Trump’s chaotic and denial-filled response to the Covid-19 pandemic turned off independent voters and arguably cost him the 2020 presidential election.

    Four years later, a different aspect of his handling of the pandemic has emerged as a sensitive subject with another slice of the electorate: his own die-hard supporters.
    Over the past year, as I have listened to Trump’s devotees sing his praises all over the country, I have noticed that they’ve shown a rare willingness to criticize Trump over the speedy development of the Covid-19 vaccines, which he had celebrated as one of his administration’s major successes. The vaccines, a scientific breakthrough, have been given to 270 million Americans and are estimated to have saved millions of lives.

    The anti-vaccine sentiment coursing through Trump’s fan base has not yet emerged as a major political liability for the former president. Most voters I’ve spoken to quickly excuse Trump for listening to the people around him at a time when no one understood much about Covid. And attempts by Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, to attack him over his handling of the pandemic during the primary and caucus season never really caught on.

    It’s worth understanding this dynamic, however, because it is an example of how Trump panders to takes his cues from his base. Anti-vaccine sentiment has shaped his campaign, as well as the kind of president that his supporters would like him to be, should he win. Right now, Trump appears to be taking careful steps to ensure that he doesn’t lose any of them to the decidedly anti-vax Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent and who has attacked Trump over his handling of the pandemic.

    “His signature achievement (for which he deserves credit), Operation Warp Speed, is something that he now runs from as he considers it a liability to the group that he wants to pander to,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in an email.

    Trump has since backed away from hailing the vaccines — a shift that appears to have been shaped by politics.

    By early 2023, DeSantis was gearing up for a presidential run. He downplayed the public health measures Florida instituted in the early days of the pandemic. He constantly berated Trump for not firing Dr. Anthony Fauci as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who spent much of 2020 urging people to stop the spread of Covid by taking precautions like the wearing of masks. Moving to neutralize those attacks, Trump began to portray DeSantis as a fake vaccine skeptic.

    These days, when Trump brings up vaccines at all, it is usually to express his opposition to vaccine mandates.

    “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” he said in Waukesha, Wis., a Milwaukee suburb, in May.

    Note: he didn’t say just a Covid vaccine mandate…any vaccine mandate.  Suburban parents, are you listening?

  69. 69.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @satby: Oh, I thought the same! She looked beautiful in that dress. And she deserved that standing O and more.

  70. 70.

    Spanky

    @Jeffro:

    I think he will show up, and there’s a good chance he will flip out and walk off the stage.

    Oooh! I hope it’s elevated at least 8 feet.

  71. 71.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Soprano2:

    I wish the press would quit calling TCFG’s case a “hush money” case.

    Agree. However, these are people whose livelihood is working with words. Occam’s Razor suggests their word choice is deliberate, to downplay just how serious the Felon’s crimes are. Example number eleventy of how in the tank the press bosses are for TCFG.

  73. 73.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Biden will roast that convicted criminal motherfucker.

    Hold on there. We should be spending this time doing what Republicans always do: lowering expectations. Republicans and everyone in the political media have been telling us that Biden is a barely sentient, fragile old man. How can he hope to compete with a man who is, let’s face it, a legendary TV personality whose oratory draws huge crowds, the hugest crowds?

  75. 75.

    Manyakitty

    @Geminid: wasn’t there something about an Italian contact begging Durham to investigate trump’s financial dealings in Italy?

  76. 76.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @WereBear:

    I listen to the Shrinking Trump podcast.

    I listened to a few of their podcasts yesterday, and wanted to like them so hard, but I hate hate hate John Gartner’s clown shtick. It’s annoying and undercuts his professional authority and the seriousness of his message. I liked the guest speakers they had on a lot better, who were both professional and really clear on the issue of the Felon’s probable dementia.

    And yes, they all thought that TCFG’s sundowning would be problematic for an evening debate. We shall see….

  77. 77.

    Betty

    Regarding the question they asked Morgan Freeman, I don’t remember any major motion picture featuring a woman as US President. Has there been one?

  82. 82.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Betty: Glenn Close played the VP in a Tom Clancy movie once. IIRC she assumed presidential powers because the president (Harrison Ford?) was trapped and incommunicado on a hijacked plane.

    Does that count?

  83. 83.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Steve Holmes:

    Biden doesn’t need to win me over, but all polling seems to show that non-engaged voters don’t know about anything that Biden has accomplished.

    They need an ad or a series of ads that remind people what life was like in 2020. We faced a crisis and Trump was incompetent. Biden came in and fixed it.

    Right now, everything that pissed people off about our responses to COVID are being blamed on Biden and Democrats. Everyone seems to have forgotten that Trump was president when schools and businesses shut down, mask mandates imposed, etc. It reminds me of how the entire financial crisis became Obama’s fault on January 20, 2009, and the bank bailouts were all his idea

    Maybe they’ve already got reminder ads in the works and they’re waiting for the right moment.

  84. 84.

    Baud

    @Betty:

    I recall an old sitcom with that premise, and there have been some TV shows like that NASA show on Apple TV, but I don’t recall a movie offhand.

  88. 88.

    Harrison Wesley

    @Jeffro: They’re running with that football here in Florida. Our esteemed surgeon general told parents it was their choice to keep kids home or not when their schools were having measles outbreaks.

  90. 90.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Betty: Not a motion picture but Battlestar Galactica.  But of course it took an extinction-level attack by Cylons and deaths of everyone else in the line of world leadership succession to make it happen…which is pretty on brand for our society, sadly.

  91. 91.

    smith

    The Felon just keeps on criming:

    Mystery fundraising firm takes in millions from the Trump campaign

    This little bit near the end of the article stunned me:

    The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission after the 2020 election cycle alleging that Trump’s campaign ran more than $500 million through a firm called American Made Media Consultants, which it argued appeared to be a shell company designed to obscure exactly whom the campaign was paying.
    The FEC deadlocked, and the complaint was dismissed.

    The FEC has been rendered completely toothless by its GQP members covering for R cheating. We should do something about that. Right after we fix the Supreme Court.

  92. 92.

    rikyrah

    Did Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of a president in the 1998 film “Deep Impact” help send Barack Obama to the White House?

     

    Honestly?

    I think it was David Palmer of 24 that helped more.

  93. 93.

    rikyrah

    @Melancholy Jaques:

     

    They need an ad or a series of ads that remind people what life was like in 2020. We faced a crisis and Trump was incompetent. Biden came in and fixed it.

     

    Been saying for awhile that the Democrats needed to run continuously, the ads answering

    ‘ are you better off than you were 4 years ago’

    with video of the Orange Menace’s COVID conferences.

     

    Along with the Stats of how many Republicans voted against the first Stimulus check. We know all of them voted against the 2nd one.

  94. 94.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Believe it or not, I’ve never seen Veep. That was on during my No TV Years. My wife finally managed to hook us up with streaming in the past year via starlink, so we now have TV.

    And I am reminded daily why I didn’t miss it during all those blackout years.

  95. 95.

    TBone

    @Mousebumples: thank you very much!  The 6 hour drive will be unpleasant but  hubby likes to drive so I feel very grateful and positive about my chances.  If I can help advance our understanding of chronic, invisible disease, I will have found new purpose in my suffering.  Now I have an additional life goal:  help fight disease AND fascism!

  98. 98.

    Leto

    @UncleEbeneezer: Sec of Education, turned president and military leader. Her character really evolved into that role, and her character’s relationship with Adama was really good.

  99. 99.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    People in the early stages of dementia have plenty of lucid moments, which is why it is so easy for them and their loved ones to be in denial. Trump will attend the debate. His handlers will make sure he is well rested so that he is less likely to space out or decompensate. He will do better than we hope (but he’s a crappy debator, so still bad on his best days). The lucid moments will be the ones the media does the recaps of, and all of us will be mad about it.

  100. 100.

    sab

    @Almost Retired: Agreed. My grandmother thought bees knees and cat’s pajamas was old-fashioned, and she was born in 1895.

    My husband is still trying to revive “groovy”, but I don’t think it ever even made it to most of the midwest at all. We stuck with “neat.”

  102. 102.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Leto: This is why I’m on the Devos ’24 train (extreme sarcasm

    Re BSG: If you loved that portrayal of a woman leader, and haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend the Danish series Borgen.

  104. 104.

    Jeffro

    @Harrison Wesley:They’re running with that football here in Florida. Our esteemed surgeon general told parents it was their choice to keep kids home or not when their schools were having measles outbreaks.

    He’s a fucking ghoul.

    I love how those are the choices: “keep your kids home, or not”

    Because they couldn’t possibly just…keep requiring basic, lifesaving vaccinations as a condition of attendance.

  107. 107.

    Jeffro

    This is interesting: the anti-trumpers who worry that everything (even felony convictions) is good for trump

    (sounds familiar – I know I’m guilty of it!)

    Democrats are always “looking for the dark lining in the silver cloud at all times,” especially with regards to Trump, says Dan Pfeiffer, former adviser to President Barack Obama and current podcast host, whose inbox and text messages filled up with this kind of anxious talk after the Trump verdict.

    “It’s only natural that people would become catastrophizers about Trump,” Pfeiffer says. “But it’s actually not true that he hasn’t faced accountability. Every time he has been on the ballot since 2016, literally and figuratively, he has lost.”

    Mythologizing Trump as some kind of invincible monster who can absorb all attacks and only become stronger — that might be the thing that helps Trump and his Republican allies, Pfeiffer says. “When we pretend like he can survive anything, it imbues him with strength and gives him political advantage with a lot of people,” he says. “But the reality is, how bad a criminal do you have to be to be one of the most politically connected and richest guys around, and still be convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records? The truth is he’s kind of a clown.”

    Mock the shit out of ’em on June 27th, Joe!  “You’re not even a very good criminal, you numbnuts!”

  108. 108.

    Kirk

    @Soprano2: While I agree it shouldn’t be called “hush money”, I prefer to describe it as money laundering. It was hiding source and reportability from the public, from governmental monitoring agencies, and to reduce taxes.

    Money laundering.

  109. 109.

    TBone

    @smith: wtf, over.  There is so much work to do.  Let’s all call on our inner Rosie the Riveters!

    The IRS just announced rule on preventing passthrough entities from tax evasion (yesterday).  It’s a good start.

  110. 110.

    Josie

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: This is exactly what I have been thinking. Biden needs to figure out how to trigger one if his ridiculous rants to set him off​.
     ETA: My Mom had dementia and would seem just fine until she got started on one of her stories that would give her away.

  111. 111.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Betty: Wasn’t she a somewhat unsavory character in that? Not exactly a hero.

    Very much so.

    I would like to see one where the woman President is a strong and competent leader.

    Can’t help you there. We’re not at the point culturally where Hollywood writers are able to envision such a character. Despite the existence of plenty of real-life models, most notably Hillary Clinton.

  114. 114.

    Jeffro

    widdle Erick Erickson, just now on Twitter, making our argument for us that trump’s a moron who would wreck the US economy:

    You impose a tariff on China of 100%, your $5 t-shirt becomes $10. China does not pay the tariff. The importing company does. To avoid impacting its profit, it raises the cost of the shirt to $10. So now you have $5 less to spend on already expensive groceries.

    But wait, you say, now we can make the shirt in the United States. Yes. But for more than $5. So now, even if the cost of the newly manufactured American shirt is $7, you’ve provoked inflation and reduced the purchasing power of the American consumer.

    Well done, party that is running by attacking Joe Biden for inflation

    Also, you’re now taxing the poor who otherwise don’t pay income taxes and low-wage working-class voters who are interested in voting for Trump. So you’re hurting the very voters whose votes you want. Well done, guys. Good thinking.

  117. 117.

    Juju.

    @eclare: As far as I’m concerned she can wear whatever she wants to wear. She’s earned the privilege to wear what she feels beautiful and comfortable in without criticism.

  119. 119.

    frosty

    @TBone: Thanks! I sent both links to my friend who’s had Long COVID since January 2022. Trying to find her anything that can help.

  120. 120.

    TBone

    @frosty: YAY!!! I was hoping for that to be an effect here at BJ!  Sharing is caring! 💙

    We’ve been medically gaslit for so long, just the power of having someone in a professional capacity that believes in you is serious medicine for the soul.

  121. 121.

    tam1MI

    The city that led the charge to “Defund the Police” has turned against the idea.

    You may think it’s about white NIMBY types having a hissy fit, but what it is really about is Black folks who were never consulted about the idea making their opinions known:

    “I heard a lot of White activists purport to be speaking on behalf of communities of color. And I was listening to them — listening to communities of color — and they weren’t saying the same things,” Frey said. “I’d walk down the street and I’d hear from White people, ‘Defund the police! Defund the police!’ And then I’d hear from a Black person a half block later, ‘Hey, we really need to have some additional help.’”

    This article should really be covered by a front pager, but in the absence of that happening, read the whole thing. It is fascinating and sobering and many parts reflect what people in this very comment section have said.

  124. 124.

    Old School

    @Betty:

    Regarding the question they asked Morgan Freeman, I don’t remember any major motion picture featuring a woman as US President. Has there been one?

    Here’s Wikipedia’s list of female presidents from popular culture.

    The first movie listed is the 1924 silent film The Last Man on Earth.

    2016 had two of them:  Independence Day: Resurgence and The Purge: Election Year. (I haven’t seen either movie.)

  126. 126.

    Juju.

    @Soprano2: I read yesterday’s morning thread late in the day and I looked around at other posts to see if you had commented, but I didn’t see anything. I was wondering if you came up with a solution to the new dog issue?  I was thinking that if you had a friend who could take your dog until her paw healed you wouldn’t have to worry about your husband removing the cone. If you don’t have a friend who can help, you could perhaps board your new girl until her paw heals or see if your vet has any suggestions or people who can help you.

  131. 131.

    MinuteMan

    23 NATO members are now finally paying their fair share of the defense budget.
    Uniting our allies, forcing them to finally set up. Well done.

    Some of the credit belongs to the Mango Magat’s biggest fan: Vlad “the impaler” Putin.

  133. 133.

    Chris T.

    @Steve in the ATL:

    You know the crowd here skews older. Does this mean that the debate will be the bees’ knees? Or possibly the cat’s pajamas?

    The bee’s pajamas.

    (19)23 skidoo!

  134. 134.

    eclare

    @Juju.:

    Of course she can wear what she wants.  Others said that they thought she looked amazing, all I said was that I disagree, nothing more, nothing less.  But if you say that I should not criticize her, does that mean that all comments, good or bad, are off limits?

  135. 135.

    Jackie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I hope he tells trump to go change his diaper.

    I envisualize Joe looking at TCFG at some point, crinkling his nose, pulling a small tube of Vick’s out of a pocket and applying a dab under his nose.

    Such a fun visualization!😂

  138. 138.

    TBone

    @Geminid: she was soooo good.  Did you see her Halloween tweet where she painted her face orange and made the anus-mouth face? 😆😆😆

  139. 139.

    Jackie

    @Baud:

    I hope Biden calls Trump a dirty rat.

    I’d say a dirty dog, but since Joe’s a dog lover, how about a nasty man?

  140. 140.

    Juju.

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: That may end up being the case, but he has major stressors beyond his usual day to day stress, and things he cannot control that a good night’s sleep may not help.  My mother has dementia and she was at a similar point at the start of the pandemic. The stress of the isolation, only having me and no visits from my brother, a physician who was taking care Covid patients and only occasional visits from my sister who was very careful about visits and isolation for herself before visiting, and the deaths of our two dogs six months apart hastened the onset of mid to advanced dementia.  I think, but do not know for sure, as I’m not a doctor and only have my personal experience, but I see a more rapid decline in Trump’s cognitive abilities than I did before the trial and conviction. He still has the sentencing hovering over him and that’s probably not helping.  You are probably right in the direction of the spin that his pundits spew. Something along the line of Trump being Trump,  he’s not the best debater, I think he did better than expected.  Also he’s such a joker.  It will be interesting to watch.

  141. 141.

    Chris T.

    @Harrison Wesley:

    When times were tough we used to have hot rat sandwiches. Before walking 10 miles to school, of course.

    You had hot rat sandwiches? With actual bread?

  142. 142.

    yellowdog

    @Jeffro: I think he will accuse Biden of some horrific crime and then refuse to go on because he can’t share the stage with such an evil man.

  144. 144.

    schrodingers_cat

    @eclare: Her hair and make up was perfect, she was glowing. But I have to agree with you regarding the outfit. It was not flattering. A tent is not flattering even if you are stick thin, it makes you look like a scarecrow.

  145. 145.

    Juju.

    @eclare: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have criticized your comment. You say whatever you want. I just get a little pissy when women’s fashion choices seem to be constantly evaluated as if it really means anything.  When do women reach an age where it doesn’t matter anymore?  Also I had a not good night. I apologize again. I’m probably more pissy than usual.

  148. 148.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Hey, no matter what Hillary was wearing, it was gratifying to hear about the standing ovation she got at the Tonys. After years of being vilified as History’s Greatest Monster, I’m glad to see Hillary Clinton get to enjoy her flowers while she’s here.

  150. 150.

    eclare

    @Juju.:

    No worries, I’m sorry you had a bad night.  Believe me, I routinely criticize TCFG’s fashion choices, especially that horribly tailored tux that he wore to the state dinner at Buckingham Palace.  Did TCFG not realize he would be photographed standing next to a man who has his fucking shoelaces ironed?

    It was embarrassing.

    Again, I’m really sorry that you had a bad night.  We can all relate.

  152. 152.

    frosty

    @tam1MI: I had a memory from reading her (excellent) memoir that Geena Davis had played a President.

    My favorite part: someone told her a woman should do a Jason Bourne type movie. She said “I already did. long Kiss Goodnight.” One of my favorites and one of Samuel L Jackson’s too.

  154. 154.

    Captain C

    @Juju.:

    You are probably right in the direction of the spin that his pundits spew. Something along the line of Trump being Trump,

    *TCFG falls right over at the beginning of the debate and spends a half hour howling incoherently and physically attacking his handlers before they manage to finally pull him offstage, well after his Depends have obviously failed*

    FTFNYT:  “Dear Leader showed bold aggression at this debate, taking Biden and the Democrat[sic] Party by surprise…”

  155. 155.

    Juju.

    @eclare: I didn’t know one needed to iron shoelaces. Trump is kind of an easy mark. That’s sort of like pointing out that Jabba the Hutt is a fat worm.  I just need a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Also, dementia sucks.

  157. 157.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @tam1MI: It wasn’t just white progressive activists shouting this, its also some young people of color. Most of those young people didn’t live in terrible neighborhoods though. They aren’t that different than the white, young, progressive activists. I’ll add that I think a very small number of the people who showed up at protests supported them because because they just don’t want law enforcement at all. They took advantage of those young people’s naivete. You would have to be naive not to understand that law enforcement is necessary, even though it desperately needs reform. There has to be accountability when police do terrible things.

  159. 159.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: Election interference was part of the charge, wasn’t it? Hiding the charge was part of it too. Regardless, the charge wasn’t “paying hush money”.

  161. 161.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: And she was probably asked what she did to make him so mad.

    Quoted for truth. Still, in 2024, this is probably happening.

  163. 163.

    Soprano2

    @Leto: Yes, that was me. It was a good broadcast, with a hint that there might be more, which needs to happen. Project 2025 is a big sucker, they need to break it down into smaller pieces and analyze them for people.

  164. 164.

    Soprano2

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: My husband is still plenty lucid, but he has little or no short term memory. He can follow along and understand what’s happening when we watch TV. Just don’t ask him about something that happened a couple of days ago. Plus he walks really, really, really slowly, although the iron infusion treatments seem to have helped with that a little.

  165. 165.

    Another Scott

    @sdhays: I think anything that TCFFG does always has to be examined for the tax consequences.  If he can find, or thinks he can find, a tax angle then he will go after it.

    Him wanting to write it off his taxes was the absolutely least surprising thing about the whole case to me.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  166. 166.

    Soprano2

    @tam1MI: But I’ve been reliably told that I shouldn’t criticize something that activists in the trenches came up with, even if it sounds like one of the dumbest ideas ever, is a huge club the opposition can beat us over the head with repeatedly, and doesn’t even mean what it says! (as I was told repeatedly, “defund” doesn’t really mean “quit funding”).

  167. 167.

    Soprano2

    @Juju.: I hadn’t thought about that, but a stressor like that trial could definitely accelerate dementia if he has it. Any kind of major stress on a person with dementia will often accelerate the disease. It’s why we all talk about keeping them out of the hospital.

  168. 168.

    Soprano2

    @Juju.: Thanks for asking. I’m going to give it this week, but if my cat is still as scared of her at the end of the week as he is now, the dog will have to go back to find a more suitable home. I’m not going to have a cat that’s terrified to come downstairs, it’s not fair to him or us. I haven’t had any more problems with hubby taking the cone off, I think he’s used to seeing it on the dog now.

  169. 169.

    TBone

    @Soprano2: keep something with dog’s scent on it near cat at all times so cat gets used to scent?  If cat does not get used to (comfortable with) scent in a week, then…

    A cat-familiar towel rubbed on dog or a cat toy rubbed on dog.

  170. 170.

    Another Scott

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: I think the last time TCFFG debated anyone was against Biden in October 2020.  (Corrections welcome.)

    That was a long time ago.

    Biden, of course, hasn’t really debated since then either.  But he’s had adversarial interviews and Q&As, given high-pressure speeches, and all the rest.  He knows how to do this politics stuff.

    I expect Biden to do well.  I expect TCFFG’s handlers and cult to say he won bigly in spite of any and all evidence.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  172. 172.

    Another Scott

    @Josie: “Putin’s Puppet” worked pretty well for HRC.

    “A noun, a verb, and 9-11” worked well for Biden against Rudy.

    Biden knows how to do this politics stuff.  It should be an interesting event.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  173. 173.

    Lumpy

    In a truly horrible development, Hillary Clinton endorsed George Latimer, who is the primary challenger to Jamal Bowman in the House. I thought the Democratic  establishment was opposed to primary challenges to sitting member of Congress. In addition, Latimer has received 14 million dollars (!!!) in donations from AIPAC affiliated outside groups. I have always thought that criticism of Hillary Clinton was a little over the top, but on this issue she has lost me completely. Jamal Bowman is doing a good job, you may not agree with all of his opinions but he represents his district very well. That’s the most important thing.

    “Latimer’s stint as county executive is not the first time he has faced criticism on desegregation.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/george-latimer-s-history-of-slow-walking-desegregation/ar-BB1ohJcB

    Bowman is black and Latimer is white. The district – substantially in the Bronx – is about 50% black and Latino, but according to George Latimer, Bowman is not paying enough attention to white and Asian constituents. (Won’t somebody think of all the neglected White People!

    Everyone knows that the candidate with the most money almost always wins. And deep pockets are lining up to remove Bowman from Congress. Hillary Clinton? “She’s With Them”

  175. 175.

    VFX Lurker

    Hillary Clinton looked great at the Tony Awards. She deserves all the love.

    She also remains my litmus test for leftist trolls. I just sent a newbie commenter straight to the pie filter.

  176. 176.

    Geminid

    @Lumpy: It’s not just Hilary Clinton endorsing George Latimer, it’s also every local Democratic town committee, some by a unanimous vote. You say Bowman’s been a good representaitive, but a lot of his Democratic constituents think otherwise.

    One telling aspect of this race is that 50% of Latimer’s campaign donations are from the 16th CD, while only 10% of Bowman’s are. If Jamaal Bowman loses, it won’t be because of AIPAC, it will be because of Jamaal Bowman.

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