Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

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

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

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

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

When we show up, we win.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Late Night Open Thread: These Are Not Serious People

Late Night Open Thread: These Are Not Serious People

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Bill Kristol reverts to his old ways…

As does *this* jagoff:

Meanwhile… They should’ve used a three-dollar bill (h/t Digby)

Reader Interactions

154Comments

  1. 1.

    frosty

    My brilliant responses to comments on the last thread! Stranded because I’m on Pacific time. All lost, like tears in the rain.

    (three in a row, sob)

  4. 4.

    eclare

    The Obama Bros. were on Colbert a few weeks ago.  One of them had just returned from competing on Survivor.  No, they are not serious.  I assume DWTS or some other reality show will be next.

  7. 7.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @frosty:

    I’ve never had relations in Florida but then again I’ve never been there.

    Oh, relatives! Gotcha. I have a brother buried there. At least we hope he is (hinky funeral home).

  8. 8.

    frosty

    @eclare: I added another comment. I thought “twice removed” would have been enough of a clue but no.

    I WISH we were related!

  11. 11.

    eclare

    @frosty:

    First cousin twice removed is a pretty common phrase around these parts.  Glad you updated!  Too bad you aren’t related.

  12. 12.

    hotshoe

    I am infuriated at that bastard Jon Stewart for calling it “defiance” — as if President Biden is a Sargeant defying an order from the Captain.

    Jon Stewart is his own Executive Producer, and I have no idea who — if anybody — in Comedy Central could be considered to be his “boss”. But somebody should tell Stewart to sit down and shut up until he gets his conceited ego under control.

  13. 13.

    WereBear

    What we are all dealing with is the inevitable result of forty+ years of conservative dominance — but by way of cheating.

    It’s con artists hiring con artists. None of them know what they are doing. And now the rot has reached the support walls in the house.

    It is surprisingly stark in our corporations, and I say surprisingly because look at Disney. Once a powerhouse, now unable to make a three minute cartoon anyone would want to see.

    Now they want to plunder the whole nation. All those federal pension funds from destroying the civil service, because they will all be fired.

    Has the media even read Project 2025? Are they so clueless they think tRump won’t have any revenge fantasies about them?

  14. 14.

    Tony Jay

    @hotshoe:

    Someone needs to go on Stewart’s show and ask him to his face to stop hurting the country. Doesn’t he understand the role he plays in mainstreaming issues into public discourse?

      His eyes would bulge, but it’s something his ego needs to hear.  

  15. 15.

    Tony Jay

    “Today we’re joined here at Daily Narrative by the physical representation of the entire corporate media industry and associated freelance ‘fluencers. How’s it hanging?”

    “Joe Biden needs to remember who put him where he is today and dance when we tell him to dance. His continued defiance is proof that we were right to call him out for Doing Debate Wrong and the last nail in the coffin of his geriatric campaign.”

    “Isn’t it truer to say that you are a bunch of self-obsessed pricks all trying to slime yourselves up the ziggurat lickitty-split by undermining democratic government and promoting fascist-friendly narratives that will make your owners more money?”

    “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

    “You do surprise me.”

  24. 24.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Colbert is back from the 4th of July hiatus and he also went after Biden. I mean, these guys job is to make jokes about the news and this has been all the news folks have been talking about. I’ll give them a pass for a night of jokes at Biden’s expense. If it goes on day after day, week after week like with the actual news media then I’ll revise my opinion.

  25. 25.

    Ishiyama

    For those of us of a certain age: “Snappy Sammy Smoot says: Don’t wee-wee on your teevee”.

    Kill the media.

  26. 26.

    Princess

    Also too, typical that Kristol would go for some white dude I’ve never even heard of over Spanberger who at least has a national profile among political junkies, for the top of the ticket. Mikie Sherril who?

  27. 27.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Billy McFarland, the fraudulent scam artist who organized the infamous Fyre Festival, is now employed by Donald Trump.

    I was out at dinner and what ever station was on at the bar was mocking the hell out of Trump over this. “Convict highers convict to advise him”

  31. 31.

    eclare

    @Princess:

    Mikie is a US rep.  She’s very accomplished in her private life, but who the hell have heard of her and Spanberger outside of people who read this blog?  And yeah, a ticket with two women on it?  I want whatever he’s smoking.

  32. 32.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Princess: that Kristol thing reads like snark on his part, but hard to tell with media pundits these days.

  34. 34.

    RL

    When Chappelle tripled down on trans hate, Jon Stewart jumped right to his defense – practically bear-hugged him. I can’t stand that twerp.

  35. 35.

    BretH

    My elderly mother-in-law said it’s stupid we need Presidents to perform like trained horses. It should be enough they are good at their jobs.

  36. 36.

    hotshoe

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    I dunno about Colbert.

    But Jon Stewart wasn’t joking. And not in the sense of he tried for a joke and the joke failed, no … he was pounding the desk, flailing hands, he’s testerical …

    One more person on my list of celebrities / actors / artists to never ever listen to again.

    This year, as far as I’m concerned, one strike and you’re out.

  39. 39.

    Princess

    @eclare: I guess I misgendered her then!  I assume she’s prettier than Spanberger? More sparkles up his leg? Wasn’t he that guy, about Palin?

    Sort of feels comforting to be able to go back to disliking Kristel. The universe is healing.

    ETA: “On July 9, 2024, Sherill became the seventh House member to publicly request President Biden step aside as the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2024 United States presidential election.“

  40. 40.

    Splitting Image

    Billy McFarland, the fraudulent scam artist who organized the infamous Fyre Festival, is now employed by Donald Drumpf.

    I’m glad to hear that McFarland has joined forces with Trump. If he were organizing events for Biden and Harris, I’d be worried.

  41. 41.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @hotshoe: But Jon Stewart wasn’t joking. And not in the sense of he tried for a joke and the joke failed, no … he was pounding the desk, flailing hands, he’s testerical …

    Sounds like the dude forgot the role of a comedian, if he can’t express the position he is arguing against as a joke, then it’s his own position that’s the absurd one.

  43. 43.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: “Convict highers convict”? I’m’a guess that was a speech-to-text error? (Sorry if I’m a pedant about such things; in a sense, grammar pedantry pays for my food and utilities.)

  44. 44.

    Percysowner

     

    After easing out of my news diet I have been told via Slate that
    1) Biden Is Now Campaigning Like the Guy He’s Trying to Beat. I admit my news diet was so severe that I missed Biden declaring he would become a dictator, prosecute anyone who stood against him and deport anyone who even looks Hispanic.

    2) Why I Support—but Fear—a Kamala Harris Candidacy. The author herself is, of course, not racist or sexist (okay, she is a woman) but thinks the voters will react to Kamala the way they did to Hillary
    ABC’s George Stephanopoulos appears to say of Biden: ‘I don’t think he can serve four more years’ Which I’m SURE was a complete and utter mistake, not at all an attempt to serve NBC’s owners.

    So I’ve come back to the Democrats are doomed, DOOMED, I tell you. Back to news diet.

    Only the one link because I don’t want to be thrown into moderation.

  47. 47.

    WereBear

    I am now dramatically convinced of the concept of how much more Politics Nerds understand what is going on, compared to Normies. Who get an increasingly skewed diet of “everybody says” that has reached the point of absurdity.

    I was all, “How can anyone not hear of Project 2025!” but here we are.

    They didn’t.

  48. 48.

    Princess

    FWIW, not that anyone here needs to learn this, but being Canadian, I’ve seen many many open conventions. They’re exciting. Great spectacle for the press and wonks like us. They do anything BUT unite the party. Typically, parties try to hold them at least a year, preferably two before an election will be held to leave time for the winner to consolidate control over the party. It doesn’t always work. Holding one three months before an election is insane. Of course the press and the trolls want it. And to be fair, the Dems who want one have never seen one in action. But they have impoverished imaginations and shouldn’t be listened to.

  50. 50.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Percysowner: Ya know, I heard Trae Crowder say that same thing about Biden now campaigning like trump: he referenced calling in to tv shows ( MJ)

    KInda pissed me off, I had to turn off his Tuesday “Weekly Skews” because of that take.

  51. 51.

    Tony Jay

    @eclare:

    Dead inside, like a man observing a fish slowly rot on an antique writing desk. We shouldn’t be this full, but we somehow manage.

  54. 54.

    prostratedragon

    @Percysowner:
    My own brief flirtation with watching nonlocal news ran afoul of some dude talking about What Biden Needs to Do Is Show Us That *click*.

    Rollcall keeps a running calendar of the President’s public events, downloadable in various formats, I guess to indulge their fantasy that news people and opinion-havers might glance at it sometimes. For July to date it shows:

    States: 6
    Countries: 1
    Distance (Mi) [air travel]: 1846.632
    Public Events: 14
    Press Conferences/Gaggles: 1
    Calendar Entries: 63
    Avg Time 1st Mtg: 10:20 am
    Avg Time Last Mtg: 6:41 pm

  55. 55.

    Eyeroller

    @frosty: ​Just FYI, your first cousin’s grandchild is your first cousin twice removed. It is a real relationship.

  56. 56.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    CO residents:

    Remember, today to contact our senior senator’s office and congratulate him on being the latest member of the Tonya Harding Dems club.

  57. 57.

    Mike E

    @hotshoe: Colbert has slagged on the president more than a few times. Seth has too but less frequently though I don’t watch either anymore to measure it lately. Fuck Jon Stewart, I’d rather pour over charts of Mars and the Moon than to see his ass which he has no qualms in showing to everybody.

  61. 61.

    Tony Jay

    @Mike E:

    Similar but worse. At least France went through the motions of slowly making chances that they failed to score from. England have pioneered a new system whereby you pass the ball ever so slowly from side to side and backwards until eventually gently chipping the ball into the box for a defender to head away.

    Then we concede, play like crazy kids for five minutes, score, and wait for penalties.

    A France v England final would have won me some money, but I couldn’t in all good conscience have wished that upon the world.

  63. 63.

    BellyCat

    @Tony Jay:  Truth. Stewart left the U.K. for the reasons he now wants to tolerate/encourage here?

    He was wickedly funny on The Daily Bugle, decades ago. Not so much on his show here.

  64. 64.

    satby

    Florida Chris @chrislongview

    Morning Joseph just noted that he has seen a major shift in twitter this week and that there are a lot of angry Democrats on here who are pissed off at the elites for fucking with Joe Biden. I am very proud to be one of those pissed off Democrats standing with the President

  65. 65.

    Ken

    Rachel Bitecofer: Now Trump will be able to sell them publicly with impunity because it’s a purely official act.

    No, no, not selling them. He gives the pardon, and in gratitude the person gives him money. It’s like a thank-you card, or tipping your waiter, according to the Supreme Court.

  66. 66.

    satby

    David Corn @DavidCornDC. 50m

    This is the problem with media coverage of Trump: It’s what they choose to not cover.

    Quote

    Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis

    Yesterday, Trump emerged from his “gilded” cave and spat out endless horrors but The Times leads this morning with a meaningless analysis of his club guests and treating his VP choice as a game show.

  69. 69.

    BellyCat

    @Ken: No, no, not selling them. He gives the pardon, and in gratitude the person gives him money. It’s like a thank-you card, or tipping your waiter, according to the Supreme Court.

  70. 70.

    satby

    Mueller, She Wrote @MuellerSheWrote 17h

    The pattern I’m seeing in the polls is that after the debate, Biden was holding steady or even up a couple of points. Then after TEN DAYS OF NONSTOP MEDIA BULLSHIT AND ERRONEOUS REPORTING he’s down in the polls. Ignore the polls. Polls don’t vote.

  71. 71.

    TBone

    Apparently Jon Stewart and a bunch of these other motherfuckers need to have Senator Fetterman on their shows.

    Fussin’ about will cease.

  72. 72.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @satby:

    This is the problem with media coverage of Trump: It’s what they choose to not cover.

    QFT. For better or for worse, I get a lot of news from this blog–thanks especially to AL–that normies never see. Our media overlords have an agenda, and it is not to our benefit.

  73. 73.

    satby

    David Frum @davidfrum

    Maybe Biden won’t win this one for us. Maybe we will have to win it for him. I wrote in 2017, and I stand by it today: “What happens next is up to you and me.”

  74. 74.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    @Ken: No, no, not selling them. He gives the pardon, and in gratitude the person gives him money. It’s like a thank-you card, or tipping your waiter, according to the Supreme Court.

    So…indulgences?

    Would be right up Alito’s alley of 14th century Catholicism.

  75. 75.

    TBone

    @Thor Heyerdahl: gratuities.  Legal now.  After the fact bribery has been greenlit.

    ETA I like “indulgences” too but most of our population is prolly not familiar with the history.  I doubt they know what a gratuity is either.  You have to say “tipping.”

  76. 76.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @satby:

    Maybe Biden won’t win this one for us. Maybe we will have to win it for him. I wrote in 2017, and I stand by it today: “What happens next is up to you and me.”

    I think this was always true, and especially now. It really is up to us to win it, not just for him, but for all of us. Democracy means being adults and taking responsibility where we can. Biden is a good guy and great president, not a magic savior-daddy.

  77. 77.

    satby

    And I shared those last two from the “Davids” especially because they both were on the “Biden, step down” train. A few days of ratios on twitter, plus the standing firm response from Biden and Congressional Dems and the more moderate opinioning, with a turn to looking at the alternative, is happening.

    Keep the pressure on, keep donating to Biden/Harris. It’s working

  80. 80.

    satby

    @O. Felix Culpa: Right?

    And it turns out that grownups, especially in the make believe world of TV and media, also believe in fairy tales like magic saviors or underpants gnomes. Who woulda thunk it?

  82. 82.

    moonbat

    @TBone: The first challenge to this ruling will probably be Trump himself suing someone he gave a pardon to for not paying up.

    You think I’m joking.

  85. 85.

    AWOL

    @Thor Heyerdahl: That asswipe was on the DC Mall with another assclown, Colbert, protesting the Democrats at the end of the Bush II junta. He’s been promoting right-wing books on his “show” since the late 90s. Why are people surprised?

  87. 87.

    Soprano2

    @hotshoe: I watched that Stewart Daily Show last night. Not only was he serious, but his “solution” is crazy. He seems to think people could throw their hat in the ring on Day One of the convention, get narrowed down to a few people on Day Two, who would then compete against Biden for the nomination. By Day Four we’d have a new nominee, problem solved! I mean seriously, he said all of this and he wasn’t joking. He seems to think that because France and the UK have elections in a month or two, we can do it too! As for Colbert, he told a lot of jokes on Monday night, then barely talked about it last night.

    As for the O’Boys, evidently they’ve lost their minds and any common sense they used to have about campaigns. I have no idea what that’s about, I never got the feeling that they didn’t like Biden but this is off the rails at this point. Especially for people who have been in campaigns and gone to numerous conventions it’s crazypants, because they have to know how awful it would be to get rid of Biden at this point.

  88. 88.

    Betty

    @Princess: Spanberger and Sherrill are both center right. Spanberger is former CIA and Sherrill is former military.  Does that help explain his preference?

  89. 89.

    3Sice

    Trump has a rally yesterday at Doral for ~250 of the true believers wedged into a covid pen.

    The optics are awful. They wanted to plant him on the porch while the media shivved Joe, but swing and a miss, and there ain’t no rest for the wicked.

  90. 90.

    chemiclord

    I have to say, someone needs to sit Jon Stewart down and explain to him how he’s become Tucker Carlson.  It’s rather ironic how he’s become the very thing that he railed against to jumpstart his career.

  91. 91.

    TBone

    Today’s pivot

    Gossip guru Perez Hilton covers the allegations that Trump raped a 13-year-old girl in 1994. But the mainstream media remains silent, ignoring Katie Johnson’s court case. The media pundits are melting down over Biden’s age. But the same outlets disregard court records with claims the GOP presidential nominee violently raped a child.

    https://crooksandliars.com/2024/07/gossip-blog-covers-trump-child-rape-claims

    Yes it is gory, dirty, and lowdown.  Just like the rapist.

    🎶😎

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X0C3DHp36zc

  92. 92.

    3Sice

    Joe was clearly not the Obros pick for VP, but that’s water under the bridge, and maybe they ought to take it up with Barack.

  93. 93.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @chemiclord:

    someone needs to sit Jon Stewart down and explain to him how he’s become Tucker Carlson.  It’s rather ironic how he’s become the very thing that he railed against to jumpstart his career.

    Suggests that such principles as he may have had were … malleable.

  94. 94.

    Soprano2

    @satby: I saw a twitter thread by a woman I’d never heard of who detailed all the stuff that happened in TCFG’s rally speech last night, including saying he wasn’t even sure what NATO is and freezing up, among other horrors, but the press treats this as being normal now and doesn’t even talk about it, while at the same time continuing to move the goalposts for what Biden has to do to prove to them he’s fit to run for president.

  95. 95.

    Kay

    Biden is taking though

    Republicans are up on the Congressional ballot now

    Biden is running 12 points behind Baldwin in WI and Pelosi didn’t shut it down, she said “he has to decide”

    Theyre trying to replace him with Harris in the hopes they can staunch some of the bleeding – they’re all loyal Democrats

    Makkng everyone who won’t clap louder an enemy is silly – who’s the next enemy? Pelosi?

  96. 96.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Soprano2:

    As for the O’Boys, evidently they’ve lost their minds and any common sense they used to have about campaigns.

    PSA was a lifesaver for me in the dark days after the Felon was elected. However, over time I picked up on a strong arrogant white dudebro vibe. As I mentioned earlier, these are pretty smart guys who lucked out with a once-in-a-lifetime candidate, and think it was their creation. On the rare occasion that they had a guest woman speaker, they typically spoke over and through her. They rarely missed a chance to slag Hillary. I stopped listening to them several years ago, because I couldn’t take their smug dudebro talk any more. They’ve been huffing their own smartypants farts for a long time, so it doesn’t entirely surprise me that they’ve gone off the rails about Biden.

  97. 97.

    Kay

    They’re not going to let him take Congress down with him and I agree with that. They may not be able to prevent it but they have to try.

  98. 98.

    3Sice

    Stewart has always been of the mindset that the good is the enemy of the pure.

    “The will to cower”.

  100. 100.

    satby

    @Soprano2: yes, I assume that’s what the tweet Corn was quoting was talking about. So (my) agenda for today: hammering on that and amplifying the people who do talk about it. Algorithms can be manipulated by us too.

  101. 101.

    Old School

    @Ken:

    No, no, not selling them. He gives the pardon, and in gratitude the person gives him money. It’s like a thank-you card, or tipping your waiter, according to the Supreme Court.

    Except there’s no way Trump “gives” a pardon without getting the money upfront.

  102. 102.

    Geminid

    @Princess: Mikie Sherrill is a Congresswoman from New Jersey. A former Navy helicopter pilot and suburban New Jersey prosecutor.

    Like Spanberger, Sherrill fliped a red seat in 2018. The two Representatives formed an informal national security caucus with other Class of 2018 members including Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan and Jared Golden.

    Sherrill and Spanberger are on the moderate side of the House Caucus, and evidently Bill Kristol thinks they should lead the party he has recently aligned himself with. That’s not their fault, and Kristol is just posturing anyway.

  103. 103.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Do you think part of that could be the non-stop “OMG Biden is old and has dementia” coverage from the press, as well as the perception that most of the Democrats are panicking and ready to throw him overboard for someone else? The NY Times evidently wrote a story about the Parkinson’s doctor visiting the White House eight times without checking to see whether or not Biden was actually there when he visited! It’s become a feeding frenzy, and people are responding to that. I agree that the numbers you’re seeing are real, but I don’t think they’re because of the debate, they’re because of the press’ response to the debate, and all the Democratic pundits who went along with it. People respond favorably to politicians who stand strong and advocate for themselves, and Democrats have not been doing that since the debate.

  104. 104.

    Soprano2

    This isn’t it, but it’s someone else enumerating some of the same stuff.

    Ben Meiselas

    @meiselasb

    Donald Trump gave a speech tonight in Miami and did the following:
    1. He again praised the fictional cannibal named Hannibal Lecter.
    2. He said insurrectionists are “hostages unfairly imprisoned” and said “the Supreme Court ruled they should be out soon.”
    3. He said he “didn’t know what NATO was” before he took office.
    4. He praised the author of Project 2025 and said he’d be back in a future administration.
    5. He complained the audience got “water spots” and he didn’t get a “water spot.”
    6. He said “we” have nuclear subs in Cuba when discussing Russia, such that “we” referred to Russia or he gave away potential US nuclear secrets or he was just making it up.
    7. He challenged President Biden to golf for ratings.
    8. He said “Yes oh yes and quickly says President Trump,” when reading the teleprompter.
    9. He said Biden has so many homes he can’t count them all.
    10. He said 109% of all net job creation over the last year has gone to migrants.
    The receipts are here: https://youtu.be/ar16E5YydCI?si=j0HdXONsr8XzKk-1

  105. 105.

    satby

    @Soprano2: exactly the point that the tweeter made.

    They’re not going to let him take Congress down with him and I agree with that. They may not be able to prevent it but they have to try.

    Staunch support there, ally. Not even worth dignifying.

  106. 106.

    Kay

    Calling for Biden to step down is not ideologically aligned

    theyve come from Left, Right and Center

    All good Democrats who think he can’t win and want to try Harris as high risk BUT necessary to avoid a bloodbath election

  107. 107.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Biden was behind pre debate

    He was losing, which is why they did the debate

    a high risk but necessary tactic – it failed

    time to go to Plan B

  108. 108.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Kay: All good Democrats who think he can’t win and want to try Harris as high risk

    You do understand the press as already made it clear that they hold Harris responsible for Biden being old and will simply question over her over and over why she was part of the cover up?

  109. 109.

    O. Felix Culpa

    We done with rehashing whether Biden should step down, remember? There’s no point and it’s not helpful. The matter is settled. Biden is running.

    I get feeling anxious post-debate–I’ve certainly been there–and the polls are mixed, AND Biden is running. Rehashing this shit doesn’t help anyone’s emotional well-being, nor does it improve the political landscape. Kindly stop.

  110. 110.

    Geminid

    @eclare: Like most Representatives, Sherrill is not so well known to the general public. I think Spanberger already is a fairly well known figure in the national political world.

    Spanberger will run for Virginia Governor next year and that will raise her profile even more because it’s an off-year election, and an easy drive for DC-based reporters.

  111. 111.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    You’ve just described every “new liberal”, ie, neoliberal economic, white douchebros whose misogyny, condescension (particularly to urban black folks) and entitlement are on full display 24/7, that I’ve spent the better part of 4 years pushing back against here.

  115. 115.

    Anne Laurie

    @Soprano2: As for the O’Boys, evidently they’ve lost their minds and any common sense they used to have about campaigns. I have no idea what that’s about, I never got the feeling that they didn’t like Biden but this is off the rails at this point. Especially for people who have been in campaigns and gone to numerous conventions it’s crazypants, because they have to know how awful it would be to get rid of Biden at this point.

    The OBros are not-so-secretly convinced that Obama only got to be President because of their mad political skillz.  President Barack was too polite to correct this misapprehension, but we all know that then-VP Biden is — how to say it? — liable to laugh at malarkey!

  116. 116.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Unless Biden gets a heart attack, is kidnapped by Proud Boys, or is sucked into a black hole, he is the candidate the Democrats are running for POTUS. I’m sorry some white people are terrified of that reality, but it is what it is. If the Democrats abandon Biden because of a manufactured media blitzkrieg by folks we should never take advice from, it will reinforce the narrative of Democrats as gutless punks who will always back down when things get tough. Fuck that noise.

  118. 118.

    lowtechcyclist

    @frosty: ​
     

    My brilliant responses to comments on the last thread! Stranded because I’m on Pacific time.

    I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen much of you lately! I’ve been meaning to thank you for your having recommended the Baltimore Banner, which I’m now a subscriber to.

    They’ve published a multi-part exposé of the Greater Grace megachurch which is headquartered in Baltimore, and it’s a brush with my distant past in a weird way – it started off as The Bible Speaks, and some friends and I visited it in the fall of 1978 when it was still in Massachusetts. I was really tempted to leave DC and join up with it, but fortunately I didn’t.

  122. 122.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @zhena gogolia: Gotta try. There comes a point where it is not helpful for people to dump their anxieties on everyone else. It doesn’t serve them or us.

  123. 123.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Tony Jay: “Joe Biden needs to remember who put him where he is today”

    Jokes aside, the real problem is that Biden does remember who put him there (the Dem base of Black Voters) and they have come out resoundingly in support.  The problem is that a lot of people just can’t handle the truth of that.  Mostly-White Centrists/Progressives are mad that it’s really not their call on this one.  They are a small part of our coalition who resent the idea of taking a back seat to the base.  Biden was never their guy so they’s gonna pitch their little hissy fit like they always do when they don’t get what they want.

  124. 124.

    satby

    Came back to share this:

    Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder. 22m

    Fascism is might over right, conspiracy over reality, fiction over fact, pain over law, blood over love, doom over hope.

    Double fuck that noise < me, not Snyder

  125. 125.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kay: ​
     

    Biden was behind pre debate

    He was losing, which is why they did the debate

    a high risk but necessary tactic – it failed

    As things have taken the course they’ve taken so far, I’m increasingly in agreement with Frankensteinbeck on this one: I don’t think it failed. It may not have succeeded in quite the way we were hoping, but between what people saw of Donnie two weeks ago, and what they’re learning of Project 2025, I think the landscape is shifting in the right way. And there’s the GOP convention coming up next week, with all sorts of stuff that there’ll be no way to sugarcoat.

  126. 126.

    moonbat

    @The Thin Black Duke: White woman here, and I am completely convinced that if we stay the course, Biden will not only win but it will be a blowout in favor of the Dems up and down the ballot.

    Polls have been underestimating D strength and over estimating R strength ever since the Dobbs decision — by a LOT — to the point I do not think they are reliable.

    In ‘normal’ election years I would say that the Media has been over scrutinizing Biden and underscrutinizing Trump because they want a horse race to juice ratings all the way to November. In the post Trump world this has gotten even more insidious in that they are actively trying to get Dems to make a crucial mistake so that they will lose the presidency.

    Dobbs is in our favor. Project 2025 is definitely in our favor. And the grassroots of the party has spoken. Biden/Harris is our ticket. And everyone else can just bugger off.

  128. 128.

    jimmiraybob

    One ….. OK, maybe two nanoseconds after Biden declares he’s stepping aside, get ready for the headlines:

    “Old Joe Admits His Tenure Was a Failure; Bails.”

    Upon further consideration I’m going with one nanosecond.

  129. 129.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @satby: I’m disappointed that Corn also posted an article legitimizing fears about Biden’s age and how it’s ok to want to discuss replacing him.  This is AFTER the CBC and numerous prominent Dems had already ended the debate, and of course made no mention of Biden’s perfectly-fine appearances since the debate.  I expected better of him.

  131. 131.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: This year’s race to succeed Rep. Spanberger will get some natuonal attention. She won the VA 7th by a little over 4 points in 2022. Eugene Vindman is the Democratic candidate and Derrick Anderson is the Republican. Vindman is a former Army colonel while Anderson is an ex-Navy SEAL.

    Vindman is well-networked with national groups like VoteVets and will raise plenty of money. His role in the 1st Trump impeachment provokes bitter hostility from Republicans though, so Anderson will get a lot of hate donations. This is each man’s first run for public office.

    Redistricting shifted the 7th CD north, away from the Richmond suburbs. Now its center of gravity is the I-95 corrider from Fredericksburg north to Prince William County. The 7th runs west to the Blue Ridge; sort of a suburban/exurban district, with some rural precincts like the one I vote in.

  132. 132.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kay:

    Theyre trying to replace him with Harris in the hopes they can staunch some of the bleeding – they’re all loyal Democrats

    They’re nuts. That’s insane.

    Right now, for about five minutes, polls are showing Harris doing better against Trump than Biden is.  That’ll end the moment she replaces Biden at the top of the ticket, and Fox/GOP/RWNJs pull out all the ammo they’ve saved for her, and the MSM picks up their ball and runs with it.

    Remember when the RW establishment didn’t say a word against Bernie in the 2016 and 2020 primaries?  There was a reason for that: Bernie would have been a much easier target in the general election.  That’s what’s happening now with Harris, although fortunately Harris is nowhere near as easy a target as Bernie would have been.  But it’ll still be a whole bunch of new and exciting lines of attack against her that the MSM won’t be able to let alone for months.

    Meanwhile, all they’ve got on Biden is that he’s old.  I just don’t think that’s going to make more of a difference than it already has.

  134. 134.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    David Kurtz in yesterday’s Morning Memo (TPM) wrote

    Political journalism and sports journalism have many unfortunate parallels. Sports itself offers the comfort of reducing the world to what happens between the lines on the field or pitch court, where there are set rules and assigned enforcers of those rules. We can tune everything else out. But politics is not a sport.

    Alas, it seems many people view politics that way, as entertainment rather than something with real consequences. Trump is the epitome of politician as TV star. Both his history and his behavior reinforce this perception.

    I don’t know what to do about this and any suggestion I might make will have no effect. We have to accept that this is our world.

    Something else David wrote triggered an association.

    And no matter how complex the topic, or carefully balanced the various competing public interests are on a given issue, or how long the history of tackling the issue in a substantive way, once it enters the realm of political journalism it goes through a reductive process that distills it to whether it’s good or bad politically. Does it help or does it hurt?

    Do you know Philip Roth’s story, the Conversion of the Jews? In it there’s a character who faces any crisis, any event, from a single perspective: is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? His whole life centers on that one question.

    This coming election is a stark choice. I’m hoping there will be enough voters who, when faced with the binary decision in November, will choose democracy rather than Fascism.

  135. 135.

    UncleEbeneezer

    I really hope that the people who keep pushing this bullshit and/or making excuses for those that do, understand that they are actively ruining their reputations right now.  People who truly believe in our coalition, especially the Dem Base, are very much paying attention, and making mental receipts of who they can/can’t trust in the future.  Who is worth listening to and who is not.  Everyone has the choice to stop digging or keep moving themselves forever into the phony-ally/please-ignore category.  It’s their choice and they did this to themselves.  This shit will only hurt their standing in our coalition.

  136. 136.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    This coming election is a stark choice. I’m hoping there will be enough voters who, when faced with the binary decision in November, will choose democracy rather than Fascism.

    You are not alone in that hope. It’s our job to help make that hope a reality, in whatever way we can, large or small.

  137. 137.

    Mousebumples

    As a voter in WI, I think Biden is the ticket’s best bet to win Wisconsin. I remember the 2016 misogyny. I remember the 2022 racism (Sen. Johnson vs Mandela Barnes).

    Less opportunities for racist and misogynist ads with an old White guy.

    I won’t claim to know how voters in other swing states feel, but Biden is our best bet to win Wisconsin.

  138. 138.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    For the Tonya Harding Democrats out there, if you think Joe is going to lose then stop worrying about losing. If you think that Joe’s going to lose and needs to be replaced then it’s game over now. There is no replacement who will do better, none. You are vindicated! Achievement unlocked!! Embrace your loss, do the Snoopy dance and declare victory because you were right and then go away. Please.

    Because you are tiresome and we are sick of hearing your whining. Nothing you say will change a damned thing but it will dispirit people. Unless that is your intent.

  139. 139.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Anne Laurie: White Progressives (especially dudes) have been over-estimating their role in our coalition since 2016.  They have a very “It’s MY Party” vibe.  And it’s been the biggest source of tension in our coalition ever since.  It’s the root of Bernie-Bros.  Repulsed by W a bunch of white dudes suddenly decided they wanted to be political and naturally they should just be entitled to take over the Dem Coalition.  Stepping in front of all the Black People and Women of course and then getting pissy when those groups say “the fuck you will!”  White Men (and many Women too) simply can’t take No for an answer.  And that’s what we’re seeing.  It’s White/Male Supremacy, plain and simple

  141. 141.

    opiejeanne

    @UncleEbeneezer: I think I need it, too. Since I discovered the little quotation option instead of the pastry pictures, I’ve been highly amused and less likely to toggle to see what nonsense certain trolls have coughed up.

  143. 143.

    Tony Jay

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    That’s real-world talk. Within the tiny, blinkered minds of the Savvy Set I’m sure they’re well able to convince themselves that Joe Biden is only in the White House because they (no one else, such is their centrality to the political process) did such an exemplary job of reporting on the relative merits of the candidates back in 2020 that the voting public rubbed their chins and made an informed choice to give Biden the job despite his advanced age. Without them, Trump would no doubt have swept to victory, so in a very real sense it was the Heritage Media that saved the Republic!

    Truth? That’s for the little people who don’t understand Narrative Tides.

  144. 144.

    Kay

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    you’re in denial and looking for enemies

    Pelosi is next on the Enemies List

    it isn’t a conspiracy – every indicator points to a loss

    Harris is a risk but staying the course and shouting LA LA LA is now a bigger one

  145. 145.

    kindness

    I watched The Daily Show last night hoping that Jon Stewart was an outlier among the rest of the staff.  I was disappointed that the rest of the staff kept up beating up on Joe Biden.  How much of that is heartfelt vs kissing the bosses ass?  Doesn’t matter to me with what is on the line.  My respect for the staff there drops a few notches.  Sure be nice to see one of them quit and go public about it.

    @Kay: Stop it Kay.  Your ship has sailed.  Don’t be a Jon Stewart here.

  146. 146.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Kay: I respect you immensely, Kay. And believe me, I do understand your concerns. But I think you’re wrong. The only way I see Harris becomes POTUS is through the back door: in the middle of Biden’s 2nd term, he steps down and Harris takes over. Believe me, America ain’t going to vote for Kamala Harris as President in 2024.

  147. 147.

    Mike E

    @The Thin Black Duke: it’s not that I don’t want to vote for MVP, I would in a heartbeat and she’d be a terrific president that I would gladly support…this racist ass nation can’t stop shooting itself in the dick and that’s a sad reality, a Black generational figure (and subsequent backlash) has made that abundantly clear.

  148. 148.

    Layer8Problem

    @The Thin Black Duke:  If you will I’d like to sign on to this.  Kay’s been here too long and said too many good things and offered too many decent reality checks over the years here.  I feel badly that she feels this way, but I am not in “drive her off” mode.  Kay, with respect, I disagree with you on this.

  149. 149.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Layer8Problem: Thank you. As I said, I disagree with Kay, but I’m not going to beat up on her because she’s not the enemy; the MFs who want us to go Full Frontal Crabs-in-a-Bucket on each other are, and I refuse to give them the satisfaction.

  151. 151.

    Ruckus

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Kristol doesn’t/can’t do snark, he isn’t smart enough to make it work….

    We are all entitled to our own political views. Colbert just has his. Of course if he’s doing this as anything other than snark, he is/will in several ways, kill his career. And it doesn’t sound like his kind of snark, although I’m not going to watch to find that out. This concept that shitforbrains should ever have been president or even might be ever again is a complete disgrace to this country. I can’t say he was/would be the worst president in this countries history by far, but the concept that he was/would be has merit.

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