Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

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

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

This fight is for everything.

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

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

In my day, never was longer.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Let me file that under fuck it.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: A Little Good News

Open Thread: A Little Good News

by | 87 Comments

This post is in: ,

Busy day, but looks like we could use an open thread

How have I never heard of this gem of a man before:

In case you missed this good new. I think we should have a countdown clock for this flaming bag of poo:

Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Donald Trump, departs the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse on June 6, 2024, in Washington, DC.

CNN — 

A federal appeals court Thursday night rejected Steve Bannon’s bid to delay the July 1 start of his criminal contempt-of-Congress prison sentence.

Following the ruling from the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals, it is likely the former adviser to former President Donald Trump will seek the intervention of the Supreme Court.

The panel voted 2-1, with Judge Cornelia Pillard, a Barack Obama nominee, and Judge Bradley Garcia, a Joe Biden nominee, in the majority. The majority opinion, however, was unsigned.

Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, dissented from the panel’s Thursday night decision, writing that the precedent Bannon is contesting is a “close” question and that Bannon should be allowed to stay out of prison while he appeals it to the Supreme Court.

A couple of videos (I have several stockpiled) if you haven’t already seen them:

So raise your hand if you think trump will find some way to weasel out of the debate. Any guesses on how?

If he does debate, do you think they can keep him drugged up enough to not sound like the drunk at the end of the bar?

Okay, gotta get back to work.

This is an open thread

Reader Interactions

87Comments

  1. 1.

    Old School

    So raise your hand if you think trump will find some way to weasel out of the debate. Any guesses on how?

    ….

    I ran outta gas. I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from outta town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts.

    Presumably not necessary.

  2. 2.

    smith

    I’m rather surprised he hasn’t ratcheted up the whining to the flouncing off point yet. Starting to think he’ll actually show.

  4. 4.

    Captain C

    So raise your hand if you think trump will find some way to weasel out of the debate. Any guesses on how?

    If I were running him, I’d give him a cocktail of drugs today so that he would be especially incoherent, and then claim he was sick and couldn’t make it, and it was all Biden’s fault somehow.

    If he does debate, do you think they can keep him drugged up enough to not sound like the drunk at the end of the bar?

    The problem with this is that even if there’s a right drug mix to keep him coherent but not babbling like a tweaker on a three-day binge, it’s probably almost impossible to get right and there may not be a way to keep it right over the length of the debate.  And it’ll be fairly obvious if he snorts something or someone tries to sneak up and give him a booster shot in the ass.

    Of course, even if his entire debate consists of a combination of incoherent babbling and grandiose, malaprop-filled threats to, well, everyone, there’s a good chance the FTFNYT will declare his performance “bold” and “a brilliant, innovative use of language” and Maga Habs’ prose will sound like she’s smoking a post-coital cigarette.

  5. 5.

    CliosFanBoy

    I think he’s more likely to storm off the stage than skip it. I also think the President will be able to get under his skin and make the rancid cheeto lose his stuff on stage in a hissy fit.

    And keep an eye open for a hidden earpiece like Bush the Lesser used in 2004.

  8. 8.

    brendancalling

    I think he’ll show. The folks at the Bulwark think that Trump will use the “reasonable” tone he takes on Newsmax etc. He won’t have an audience to feed off, so his applause lines and demented riffs won’t work.

  10. 10.

    Captain C

    @pacem appellant: I wish someone had found out about that ahead of time, sussed the frequency, and arranged for loud, disconcerting noises (old-school Emergency Broadcast System tones, loud sirens, loud mechanical grinding, that sort of thing) to be broadcast to it at random intervals.

  11. 11.

    Leto

    @Old School: haha, classic!

    do you think they can keep him drugged up enough to not sound like the drunk at the end of the bar?

    They couldn’t do it in 2016 or 2020, don’t see how they can stop it now that it’s 8 years later, and his brain has further congealed into cottage cheese. I just want Biden to tell him to shut his fucking yap, again. And to refer to him as “the Felon Candidate”. Remind literally everyone that he’s a damn felon, and let Trumpov’s dementia be on full display.

  12. 12.

    smith

    @Captain C: I’m sure they’ve been experimenting with various combinations for a while, but if the best they can do is what we’ve been seeing at his recent rallies, when he has both a teleprompter and a friendly audience, I can’t imagine it will be any better when he has neither.

    By, the way, since Ronnie “Johnson” Jackson has been on the TV accusing the Biden campaign of propping up Biden with Adderall and Provigil, under the MAGA law of commutative accusations,  you can bet that’s what the Felon is getting.

  15. 15.

    rusty

    Debate Bingo, or a drinking game for those of you with strong livers.

    One chit or drink for each time Trump mentions one of the following:

    Sharks, windmills, electrocution, Hannibal Lecter, A “sir” story, “tears in their eyes”, toilets, showers, washing machines, his uncle at MIT, Hunter Biden, “no one has ever been ______ as me”

    Please add to the list as appropriate.  For those drinking, best to prepare something for the hangover the night before.

  17. 17.

    RaflW

    @smith: He wanted to testify in the NY case so bad. His lawyers, I presume, just narrowly talked him into staying mum by laying out the risk of maybe jail if he really blew it.

    There isn’t that threat for his handlers to stifle him with in a debate. I think he’s overestimating his ability here.

    To D.A.W.’s point, he may not rake-step himself to quite the level we BJers hope, but if he can have the effect on TeeVee viewers that he had in that recent CEO show-n-tell, it’ll be a good night for us.

  18. 18.

    smith

    @brendancalling: Haven’t his recent sitdown interviews had to be heavily edited to make them somewhat intelligible? I’m not sure even a calm demeanor can overcome verbal goulash…

  20. 20.

    Josie

    I’m concerned that the debate form (specific questions with 2 minute answers) will make him sound sane rather than the open ended rant heard during his rallies. I hope Biden has a pocket full of topics and/or statements that will trigger him to go off on a rant. How he will do is probably a toss up.

  21. 21.

    Gretchen

    I’ve been thinking he’ll find an excuse not to show, but now I’m thinking maybe he’ll show up and then find an excuse to stamp off. It starts at 9pm, and there are reports that he’s sundowning, so that may not be good for him. He’s been arranging his rallies in the afternoon lately. And he really wanted to speak at the New York trial – he comes out with a lot of gibberish, but he thinks he’s a compelling speaker. His saying that Biden will get a shot in the butt tells us how they medicate him.

  22. 22.

    BeautifulPlumage

    I take heart in the fact the moderators can cut the mics if either goes over 2 minutes with their answers.

  25. 25.

    piratedan

    I believe that Trump will show.  He’s made it this far on brazenly being who he is.  He has a whole army of apologists just waiting to cover his ass and a mostly sympathetic major media that sees him as good for business and that appears to be their only criteria to approach this scenario that will frame this event in whatever narrative they choose.

    I expect two versions of narrative to follow.  The one that everyone saw and the one that the GOP and media spin.

  26. 26.

    JWR

    He’s crowd sourcing his performance. Other than that, he seems not to be preparing at all. Unless the strategy is to underperform, making Biden out to be the perfect Deep State™ operative.

  27. 27.

    Ten Bears

    But I want (stamps foot) to see him make a complete fool out of himself

    Kind of a toss-up: I’ve thought all along he wouldn’t show, but now I’m not so sure

    I am concern he might attack President Joe from behind with a folding chair, and this weekend his WWF roots were showing with the migrant e migrant crack ~ his shtick at the WWF was promoting Russian and Iranian “fighters”. He might go to throw-down on Joe, that’d own the libs

  28. 28.

    prostratedragon

    Washington Monthly has a special Biden issue out, emphasizing the many ways in which he has undone some of the damage begun by Reagan, both domestic and foreign. Links to all articles are in the post.

  30. 30.

    Dangerman

    I read flaming bag of poo and I thought it would be a different bag of poo. We might need a program.

    TCFG will show and Biden will intentionally piss him off. Fraud, bankruptcy, cheating on his wife with a porn star, the list is long (as opposed to, well, you know). I think the question is will TCFG make it for 90 minutes and put me down on no. It’ll be a theatric exit, the Magats will love it, and Biden can debate an empty chair.

  32. 32.

    Captain C

    @piratedan:

    The one that everyone saw and the one that the GOP and media spin.

    Trump:  “I’m going to kill everyone at the FTFNYT except for Maga Habs, who will be my third-string mistress!!!!”

    FTFNYT:  “Trump boldly defended freedom of the press and singled us out as especially good, which proves we are totally not biased in his favor.”

  33. 33.

    Kay

    Since Texas’ ban on abortion went into effect, infant deaths in the state increased by nearly 13%, according to a new analysis published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. In the rest of the country, infant mortality increased less than 2% over the same period.

    Among the causes of infant deaths, one increased the most: congenital abnormalities, which increased 22.9% in Texas in children between 2021 and 2022, while they decreased 2.9% in the rest of the country. That trend suggests that at least in some cases, parents were forced to carry a pregnancy to term while knowing their children had little to no chance of survival, said Gemmill.

    “What we know from the literature is that any infant death is a traumatic event to experience,” she said. “But I can imagine that carrying that fetus to term when you could have had the option to terminate is going to just add that additional trauma and heartbreak to the situation.”

    Significant increases were also found in babies who died because of maternal complications of pregnancy; in Texas, those deaths increased by 18.2% between 2021 and 2022, compared to 7.8% in the rest of the country. Infant deaths caused by unintentional injuries, which can be associated with unwanted pregnancies, also increased by 20.7%, compared to a 1.1% increase elsewhere in the U.S.

  40. 40.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I suspect we’ll get a whole lot of “We’re looking at answesr to that and they’ll be beautiful,” and “I’ll negotiate something that everyone will agree with” non-answers.  Trump has been leaning on those hard lately.  They’re completely useless in a debate, so I don’t know.  He will be at his peak of form, not phoning it in as he does most of the time.  What that peak is after so much cognitive decline… I don’t know.

  41. 41.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Infant deaths caused by unintentional injuries, which can be associated with unwanted pregnancies, also increased by 20.7%,

    Ooof. Accidental deaths. 14 year old mommies.

  42. 42.

    Sid

    @Frankensteinbeck: Inasmuch as that’s a signature Trump dodge, Biden should be prepared to deal with it with some jabs making fun of Trump’s inability to make up his mind.

  44. 44.

    Redshift

    @BeautifulPlumage:

    I take heart in the fact the moderators can cut the mics if either goes over 2 minutes with their answers.

    As I’ve read about the rules, it’s not that they can cut the mic, it’s that the mic will be muted when it’s not your time to speak. They may let him ramble a bit longer to try to avoid cutting him off, but once it’s off, it’s off.

    I’m sure Biden has prepped to avoid being startled if TCFG yells his head off to try to be heard without a mic, and that would be a great outcome if it happens.

  48. 48.

    rikyrah

    lisa S Marie🧂Y (@frequentbuyer1) posted at 6:33 AM on Mon, Jun 24, 2024:
    With a $100,000 grant from @Heritage, goal is to post 100 names of government workers to website this summer to show potential new administration who might be standing in way of second-term Trump agenda — & ripe for scrutiny, reclassifications, reassignments or FIRINGS. Not OK!
    (https://x.com/frequentbuyer1/status/1805202527148822619?s=03)

    The Associated Press (@AP) posted at 5:40 AM on Mon, Jun 24, 2024:
    Conservative-backed group is creating a list of federal workers it suspects could resist Trump plans

  51. 51.

    Citizen Alan

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I don’t think it matters. I thought “NO PUPPET! NO PUPPET! YOU’RE THE PUPPET!!!” would finish him in 2016, and he still got close enough to steal it in the EC.

  52. 52.

    gene108

    The Trump judge’s dissenting opinion linked in the OP sounds dumb as fuck to my non-lawyer brain.

    Bannon argues he relied on advice of counsel to stonewall Congress, because counsel advised stonewalling Congress is lawful. Therefore, Bannon gets a pass while waiting for SCOTUS to decide if he willfully knew stonewalling Congress is a crime.

    Bannon’s not a rube. He’s rich, he’s been involved in entertainment and politics for decades. He’s more than likely been involved in at least contract negotiations, which involves some basic understanding of how laws work. This probably isn’t his first time dealing with lawyers.

    To plead ignorance because of counsel’s advice seems like a bullshit excuse to get a “get out of jail, free” card.

    Feel like the Trump judge wants to undermine Congressional Democrats ability to carry out investigations.

  53. 53.

    TBone

    When his mic is cut off at the allotted time, he’ll simply start yelling over President Biden. He’s going to try to bully the moderators and bluster his way through the whole thing.  It’ll be painful to watch but I’m ready!  🍿🍦

  55. 55.

    Geminid

    So there are more details now about the rally Trump has scheduled in Virginia for Friday, the day after the debate. It will be held at “Historic Greenbrier Farm” in Chesapeake Virginia. That’s a 500 acre wedding venue/pick your own vegetable/native plant operation with a small petting zoo.

    My favorite scenario involves a crafty donkey letting a goat out of the zoo with instructions to run up and butt Trump in his fat ass. Then in the confusion, the donkey can mosey over and kick Glen Youngkin off the stage.

    This might not happen, but there is the possibility of a big traffic jam. The farm is right off Highway 168, the main route to Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and the rest of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Rt. 168 gets very busy on a summer Friday even without a political rally.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    @TBone

    he’ll simply start yelling over President Biden

    What’s the Vegas oddsmakers’ line on apoplexy?

  58. 58.

    Leto

    @Kay: Vox: What two years without Roe looks like, in 8 charts

    Americans are confronting a whole new reality of patchwork abortion access after the Dobbs decision.

    For 49 years after Roe v. Wade, Americans had the right to obtain an abortion if they became pregnant. Then, two years ago, with Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court put an end to it.

    The Biden administration and some blue states — supported by a network of nonprofits focused on reproductive care — aggressively sought to compensate, while many red states enacted near-total bans on abortion.

    But Dobbs has nevertheless had a devastating effect on pregnant people in huge swaths of the country.

    While the number of abortions across the country actually increased last year — thanks in large part to increasingly cheap and accessible medication abortion — that has not changed the fundamental realities of post-Dobbs America. Large reproductive care deserts have emerged in which there are no abortion providers for hundreds of miles. Pregnant people are being denied necessary medical care as their doctors fear the legal repercussions of providing it. All of this has exacerbated long-standing inequities.

    Both abortion bans and attacks on reproductive rights are broadly unpopular, and elections in the years since Dobbs showed that abortion rights were a potent motivating issue for voters. But in this year’s matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — both of whom have been reluctant messengers of their party’s stance on abortion — there’s a question as to whether the issue will continue to motivate American voters.

    It is not too late for their votes to make a difference for reproductive access. It may seem like the worst has already come to pass for the abortion rights movement: though once protected by the constitution nationally, access now increasingly depends on where you live or whether you can afford to travel for the care you need. But Republicans have also made clear that they have no intention of stopping there.

    Bold is mine. The charts are infuriating and maddening.

  59. 59.

    beckya57

    I think TFG will claim the debate is “rigged” and back out.  His cult will be fine with it, and the media won’t call him on it.  And PLEASE STOP with the drug (and also the dementia) talk!  We don’t like this stuff when they do it, and we shouldn’t do it either!

  61. 61.

    geg6

    Apparently, Bannon has been telling him to skip the debate.  If I could remember where I read it, I’d link but I do not remember.  Anyway, Bannon thought something someone said or did was too outrageous and said it was grounds for Cheetolini to back out.  I seem to remember it being Kasey Hunt tossing one of his campaign spokespeople off her show for not answering her questions and instead answering with insults about Jake Tapper.

  63. 63.

    Leto

    @geg6: I just read about that; the spokesharpy for Trumpov kept attacking Tapper and Dana Bash, Hunt told her to stop, but she kept going. So Hunt had the control room cut her off. I guess if you’re going to have them on, that’s the least you can do when they start their verbal tirade. But then the harpy went on Bannon’s podcast and just complained how they won’t let anyone on to advocate for the felon.

    I’ll just quote a great man about this: fuck’em.

  64. 64.

    Suzanne

    I think the debate will be like the one last cycle, the one Dana Bash called “a shitshow”. Where Trump just yells and rants and acts like an asshole and sucks up all the air.

    Will you shut up, man, indeed.

  66. 66.

    BeautifulPlumage

    @Redshift:  oops, you’re right, muted when not speaking. I can see him acting out while Biden is speaking, though. If not yelling, at least mugging and talking.

  69. 69.

    gene108

    @beckya57:

    And PLEASE STOP with the drug (and also the dementia) talk! We don’t like this stuff when they do it, and we shouldn’t do it either!

    We need a good whisper campaign against Trump.

    How many votes did “Al Gore says he invented the internet. What a liar!” cost him?

    We need people to have as many negative connotations about Trump as possible. If people think he has dementia and won’t vote for him. Good. If people think he’s a drug addict and won’t vote for him. Good.

    I don’t give a damn if it’s honest or not.

    Fuck Trump!

  70. 70.

    Jay

    @Leto:

    both of whom have been reluctant messengers of their party’s stance on abortion

    What a load of horseshit bothsiderism,

    President Joe Biden has said very clearly that if the House and the Senate codify Roe, he will sign in in a heartbeat,

    and not the Forced Birther’s fake fetal heartbeat.

    Where on the other hand, the 34 Felonies guy spews inconsistent and contradictory bullshit 6 times a day.

  71. 71.

    Redshift

    @gene108:

    Bannon argues he relied on advice of counsel to stonewall Congress, because counsel advised stonewalling Congress is lawful.

    There’s also the small problem that Bannon didn’t use an advice of counsel defense in his trial, if the old PBS article about it I looked up is correct. IANAL, but that seems to make a Trump appointed judge raising it for him in the appeal seen positively Cannon-esque.

  72. 72.

    Jay

    The 34 Felonies Guy will show up, drugged off his ass,

    President Joe Biden will get a few zingers in early,

    The 34 Felonies Guy with go off on a gishgallop rant about “Crooked Joe” and “rigged”, and have his mic cut,

    Have a WWE flashback,

    grab a folding chair and go after President Joe Biden,

    the Secret Service will gun him down like an untrained, abused Hunting Dog in a gravel pit or a goat, for being a goat.

  73. 73.

    bbleh

    @piratedan: I concur, and I think he will do his best to be “reasonable President Trump” rather than “MAGA rally Trump.”  I also expect the Biden team to anticipate this — among other possibilities — and to have a strategy prepared.

    Personally, I’d go for the full-scale attack: criticize his administration, his policies and his personal history, and mention his legal liabilities and his criminal record in every sentence if possible. Turn every question into an opportunity to attack him.  This would accomplish two things: (1) contrast Trump’s failures as a leader and as a person with Biden’s successes and good character without reciting laundry-lists or sounding defensive and (2) goad Trump into some foolish outburst or get him so rattled that his dementia manifests unmistakably.

  74. 74.

    rikyrah

    UH HUH

    UH HUH

     

    Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) posted at 3:17 PM on Mon, Jun 24, 2024:
    .@mmfa on one of the biggest double standards benefiting Trump: “144 articles focused on either or both Biden’s and Trump’s ages or mental acuities in the period studied, with 67% focused just on Biden’s age or mental acuity and only 7% on just Trump’s.” https://t.co/RyOT6h9a9a
    (https://x.com/AndrewBatesNC/status/1805334488945508391?t=Vdx4eUJHMojhnfjS_LKrDA&s=03)

  75. 75.

    TBone

    @NotMax: I wish I knew and would like that to happen!  Today Bannon is saying that Dotard is merely doing a favor for the failing CNN network and that the debate is a trap, it’s rigged, etc.  😆

  76. 76.

    gvg

    My completely unsupported opinion is that his people will drug Trump and then when he does poorly, have him tested and blame Biden for having Trump drugged. These loons like stupid nonsensical conspiracy theories.

  78. 78.

    Captain C

    @Jay:

    Have a WWE flashback,

    grab a folding chair and go after President Joe Biden,

    the Secret Service Biden will gun him down suplex him like an untrained, abused Hunting Dog in a gravel pit or a goat, for being a goat, or a disposable heel.

    This would be even more fun.

    Even with the inevitable FTFNYT headline the next day:  Biden Bullies Heroic, Strong, Muscular Trump for No Apparent Reason, by Maga Habs, Peter Baker, and Pinch the Lesser

  80. 80.

    Captain C

    @TBone: I’m generally well-disposed towards Obama, but his apparent positive attitude toward Dr. Feelgood Jackson-Johnson really has me wondering about his character judgement.

  81. 81.

    TBone

    @Captain C: I doubt that Dr. Feelgood Jackson was as free about using his dispensary power during the Obama-Biden Whitehouse.  The Obamas had two young daughters on premises.  Dr. Ronny prolly kept a lid on his activities.  But why he wasn’t more thoroughly vetted IS a mystery!!!

  82. 82.

    JWR

    @Captain C:
    @TBone:

    From CNN March 03, 2021:

    President Barack Obama hand-wrote performance reviews of Jackson describing him as a “tremendous asset to the entire White House team” and declaring “Ronny does a great job – genuine enthusiasm, poised under pressure, incredible work ethic and follow through” when recommending him for promotions.

    Obama’s successor, President Donald Trump, went even further. He nominated Jackson to run an entire federal agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, after taking a personal liking to his doctor, who declared Trump in “excellent health” after his 2018 physical exam, despite evidence of heart disease and borderline obesity.

  83. 83.

    Bill Arnold

    @beckya57:

    And PLEASE STOP with the drug (and also the dementia) talk!

    – D.J. Trump is making cognitive errors that he was not making 4 years ago; this is not the case with J. Biden, as much as Republican operatives would like people to believe otherwise (sadly, with some success among the gullible). (Biden has slowed down a bit with age, but his stutter has been a constant.)
    – The evidence for Adderall (a mix of two amphetamines) abuse by Mr. former-POTUS Trump is not solid, but it is out there. And he was a omnipresent and very visible part of the NYC social/club scene during the cocaine-heavy era.

  85. 85.

    chopper

    Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, dissented from the panel’s Thursday night decision, writing that the precedent Bannon is contesting is a “close” question and that Bannon should be allowed to stay out of prison while he appeals it to the Supreme Court

    it’s a “close” question of course solely because bannon is a republican and a friend of trump

  86. 86.

    Chris T.

    One noteworthy point: Provigil isn’t generally given by injection; it’s meant for oral consumption only. Whatever Trump is getting via butt-needles must be something else.

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