Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

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

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

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

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

This fight is for everything.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

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

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

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

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

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

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

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Dank Grey Dawn Open Thread: No Pitch Hot and the Devil to Pay

Dank Grey Dawn Open Thread: No Pitch Hot and the Devil to Pay

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When my Irish granny used the title phrase, she referred to a much older meaning than the nautical one; there’s a quasi-medieval story that one who makes a deal with the devil will be called down to hell at the worst possible time to heat the tar they don’t have ready to hand in their days of earthly success.

Given the general understanding that every Republican accusation is a projection, perhaps it is worth paying attention to TFG’s actions over the last ten days or so?…

His handlers got him stuffed into a suit — took an hour longer than they planned — gave him a free hand with the bronzer, and guided him up on the stage to perform the greatest hits for his willing-to-be-pleased groupies…



 
Memories…

Again with the classic arc: Aging warlord calls up his youngest son, publicly pits him against the older ‘boys’ who’ve been working for the old man since forever. Because that’s never caused trouble in the company biz before…


 
But what of his last current wife?

Rich men in suits, looking to share their money? Melania’s there.

Yawping human trash, spending their government disability payments on trinkets enshrining their godling? That’s what Melania fought her way out of Slovenia to get away from!

When the end is in plain sight, the dictator’s kinfolk grab everything they can lift and (try to) slip out the back gate before the mob breaks in.

Next week’s RNC convention — ‘headed’ by Lara Trump — should be lit.

Reader Interactions

206Comments

  1. 1.

    WereBear

    18k a month and commissions on plastic surgery, no doubt.

    You know that saying, that anyone can fall for a cult? Yes. But it has to be one tailored to the person’s wants, you see.

    And I was never drawn to cruelty.

  2. 2.

    gene108

    If only the MSM would pickup on these X’s and report on them, because all the negative Biden press and early stories of Kamala being mean to staff are having a negative effect on people’s enthusiasm for the Biden-Harris campaign, from my anecdotal evidence.

    I think people are resigning themselves to Trump being inevitable, especially the MSM, who are mostly MAGA Republicans based on their coverage of the candidates.

  3. 3.

    The Pale Scot

    How long before Barron trump is found to be a Jack the Ripper type. I can’t imagine what that guys life has been like, Melanoma is probably pissed that he is getting pulled into the Churn

  4. 4.

    brantl

    I’ve got to wonder how that kid feels; he was raised in a clown circus, and now he has to join the parade.

  6. 6.

    eclare

    TCFG is fortunate that no one passed out or worse at that rally because you know he didn’t spring for EMTs to be on hand.

    Also, IANADr., but it looks like Barron might have Marfan syndrome, based on his build and his hands.  If he does, one more thing to overcome in life.  I feel sorry for him, I read somewhere that he is going to NYU, and Melanie will be right there in Trump Tower.  Ugh.

  7. 7.

    Aussie Sheila

    @gene108:

    No, people aren’t resigning themselves to an inevitable trump victory. They are non plussed at the shit show that certain Dem electeds and of course the plutocratic press have stirred up over one certainly bad debate performance.

    Biden shouldn’t go anywhere except in front of large and friendly crowds where he doesn’t feel the need to use a Teleprompter and can riff to his hearts content about his goals, his achievements and how much he loves unions and hates trump and billionaire arseholes that should be in prison for their malfeasance.

    He’d love it, his audiences would love it, the FTFNYT and the rest of the print media would clutch their pearls, but who cares?
    The people whose votes he needs don’t read that shit.

    I hope he rolls them all right the way to the Convention, gives a barn burner there, and then does rallies comprised of people that love his style and his politics.
    The grass roots work needs to be done by the rank and file, but I don’t  have any doubts it will be.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    That Log Cabin Republican dude does something really weird with his eyes. Most people keep their eyes open and blink every few seconds. This guy closes his eyes and only glances up every few seconds. The opposite of blinking, and it comes across as some profoundly weird shit (©️GWB).

    Still not as weird as Barron, though. Uncanny Valley vibe.

  10. 10.

    JPL

    @eclare: I also heard that he’s on the spectrum, and that might be why his dad tried to blame vaccines for autism.   .

  11. 11.

    Aussie Sheila

    @eclare:

    Are you certain it’s the dresses?
    I’m not. But who cares. The whole family is simply gross, so naff it hurts to look at them.

    Eff them. Less about trump, and more about what the Republicans stand for, and what the Biden/Harris team stand for.

    What the rethugs stand for can be a neat and simple narrative of Agenda 2025. Repeated again and again ad nauseum by surrogates everywhere.

  12. 12.

    eclare

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    You’re right, I hadn’t noticed.  And to follow your lead:  that was some weird shit.

    I think these pundits, reporters, etc., should use that phrase liberally.  Watching some of those clips, it’s hard to pick your jaw up off the floor, it’s so bizarre.  They jumble my brain.  I did not watch the debate, but if that’s what TCFG was like, I understand why Joe had trouble with responses.

    Joe, from SuburuDianne and me, “That was some weird shit.”  Use as needed.

  15. 15.

    WereBear

    @JPL: Like his upbringing wasn’t weird enough to explain a lot, because it had to be.

    The closest three generations of the Trump family have created is less and less ability to leave the Churn (love that!)

    Mary Trump’s father tried, but drank himself to death under his family’s “care.” DJT Jr ran away to Colorado, but came crawling back. And now, Tiffany is treated like stepchildren, which suggests she somehow is the sanest one? Or a wannabe?

    I remind myself that tRump himself was so obnoxious his gangster father sent him to military school at twelve.

    This isn’t smoke and mirrors. This is getting smothered in the stage curtain.

  17. 17.

    Aussie Sheila

    @eclare:

    I hope he doesn’t but being trump of course he would. Thus repeating the trauma that his own father visited on him. I’m sure trump is certifiable. Started out one way, but a lifetime of wealth and no consequences for anti social behaviour, plus drugs of various kinds has produced a monster fitting a Goya portrait.

  19. 19.

    Anne Laurie

    @eclare: I feel sorry for him, I read somewhere that he is going to NYU, and Melanie will be right there in Trump Tower.

    Melania is, literally, using ‘I need to mother my young son, at NYU, more than my husband, in Florida’ as an excuse for not showing up at TFG rallies.

    The rumor I’ve always half-believed about Barron’s height is that Melania found doctors to inject him with human growth hormone, starting in early childhood, to ensure her little anchor baby would be at least as tall as his older half-brothers.  Maybe it’s just careful nutrition — she certainly seems to have been a better mother than Ivana was.

    The ugly rumor is that Barron never does more than stand & wave because he’s on the autism spectrum. Which seems to be mostly based on Daddy Dearest not taking an interest in childhood vaccines until right around Barron’s 18-month b’day, at which point Trump became full vaxx-skeptic.  Also, Barron spent most of his early education in ‘special one-on-one classes’, but of course that might have been as much a matter of his mother’s fears for his personal security as anything else.

  20. 20.

    eclare

    @WereBear:

    Tiffany married an incredibly rich guy, someone who might be a real billionaire.  She can afford to stay away, I assume DJTJ couldn’t, and that’s why he came back.

    I guess we’ll see if she speaks next week.

  21. 21.

    JPL

    @Anne Laurie:  Melania has always been involved in his education and deserve credit for that.   Even second hand, some sources are good.   Early education is key and he could afford the best.   I wish that public schools paid more attention to help children who learn differently.

  23. 23.

    Marmot

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    That Log Cabin Republican dude does something really weird with his eyes. Most people keep their eyes open and blink every few seconds. This guy closes his eyes and only glances up every few seconds. The opposite of blinking, and it comes across as some profoundly weird shit (©️GWB).

    I’ve noticed a few people who do that when they’re trying to explain something—basically close their eyes while talking. One guy at work years ago, an Ob-gyn this other time, and somebody else. It’s weird. (They weren’t bad people, though, so it adds no diagnostic value.)

    Next time I notice it, I’m gonna take a quick, silent step across the room and see what happens.

  25. 25.

    eclare

    @Anne Laurie:

    HGH would explain a lot.  The kid is 6’7″, which is nuts.  And I have to assume HGH has a lot of side effects.

    I wish Melanie would have taken him to college in Europe somewhere, away from this madness.  My opinion of her would have risen to 1/100th of an inch.

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Being denied a father’s love marks a person for life, and explains a lot of the rump spawns’ behavior.

  27. 27.

    gene108

    @Aussie Sheila:

    He’d love it, his audiences would love it, the FTFNYT and the rest of the print media would clutch their pearls, but who cares?
    The people whose votes he needs don’t read that shit.

    Disagree.

    The people he needs to vote for him, like less politically engaged suburban voters, do get their news from CNN, NYT, etc.

    I think it’s a big reason that despite low unemployment, a growing economy, no foreign wars for the first time in a generation, and handling the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery very well Biden’s not very popular in poll after poll.

    It’s why Trump seems to be ahead in most polls. Everything around Biden and his impact on this country has been framed negatively by the media.

  28. 28.

    Marmot

    @gene108:

    The people he needs to vote for him, like less politically engaged suburban voters, do get their news from CNN, NYT, etc.

    My turn to disagree. The suburbanites are all voting for Biden—they’re the ones with secondary educations. It’s the unengaged who get annoyed when a spot of news interrupts The Big Game on teevee.

    They don’t know what the fuck is happening or why. They think the inflation we had resulted from Biden’s poor economic decisions; they can’t consider the unemployment rate or GDP as part of that estimation because they don’t get how it fits together. Besides, the game is on.

    The Aussie is right.

  29. 29.

    Aussie Sheila

    @gene108:

    Well then he needs to get out to places where people are sceptical of the media and do untleleprompted barnstormers.

    I know the media is being outrageous, but where I come from they always are. If you think the FTFNYT is bad, try reading ‘The Australian’ and the rest of the Murdoch rags that control 70% of our Press.
    You go to your base and build out to the kind of people whose votes you need. In person, on the stump, followed by clips and videos posted and pasted where ordinary people watch and browse.

  30. 30.

    BretH

    I made the mistake of checking out the Washington Post on my phone this morning. Screen literally filled with five articles about how Biden should step down. FTFWP

  31. 31.

    Splitting Image

    @gene108:

    It’s why Drumpf seems to be ahead in most polls. Everything around Biden and his impact on this country has been framed negatively by the media.

    There hasn’t been an election since 1996 in which the news media haven’t worked to take down the Democratic candidate.

    The Democrats have won four out of seven presidential elections since then. I think the news media are more determined to take down Biden than they have ever been, but they are also being more transparent.

  32. 32.

    Marmot

    @Aussie Sheila: I’m kind of amazed y’all have been able to elect sane governments in that media environment. Not only that, but decent ones. It gives me hope that we can too.

  33. 33.

    prostratedragon

    @eclare:  What lad doesn’t want Mom handy when he goes off to college😏? At least he isn’t going to Penn.

  35. 35.

    narya

    I recommend last night’s Lawrence O’Donnell if you want to see long-form versions of the candidates to compare and contrast.

  36. 36.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @eclare:

    It’s a comment that applies to nearly every MAGAland person, place, event, or utterance. And I feel certain Dubya would be happy to have it out there in the public domain.

    So I agree. Let’s use it liberally. All together now:

    THAT WAS SOME WEIRD SHIT.

  38. 38.

    Aussie Sheila

    @Marmot:

    Of course we and you can.
    First thing, don’t let the media drive your Party narrative.

    Second, make media opposition a strength, not a weakness.

    Third get your candidate out to places where the prestige media don’t usually go. Set it up with audiences etc before you advise media. Better yet, don’t tell media until it’s done and dusted and the clips and quotes are out there.

    Fourth, stop with the interminable ‘set pieces’ with teleprompters. Just get Biden out with big rallies of enthusiasts etc.

    Fifthly, ignore the crap coming from the elite Press that your base doesn’t fucking read.

    People that read it are either:

    1. Rusted on Dems, or

    2. Wealthy A holes who can’t be arsed to choose between fascism and a tax cut.

    3. Ignore CNN. Everyone else does.

  39. 39.

    NobodySpecial

    Next week’s RNC convention — ‘headed’ by Lara Trump — should be lit.

    On fire?

  40. 40.

    WereBear

    This is a very odd campaign the MSM is trying to run, where they are trying to hide one candidate and GOTCHA! the other, because the side by side is so devastating in the contrast.

    And we didn’t do that. They made us run the contrast so the most heedless among us might get a clue.

  41. 41.

    Eyeroller

    @Splitting Image: Biden never really lost that much in polling despite the hysteria.  Polls are now returning to trend with Biden gaining. Think how well he might be doing without all the backstabbing.  It has completely blocked our messaging for two weeks now.  Project 2025 may be starting to break through, however.

    I don’t like to think in terms of conspiracies but I am more and more convinced that this was a Russian op that our media and certain Democrats gleefully amplified, mostly without realizing it. It was too sustained and intense to be “organic.”  Most ordinary voters didn’t care about the debate and weren’t particularly alarmed by Biden until the firestorm got going.  The hyper-aware were upset at the time but not the normies.

  42. 42.

    NotMax

    Next week’s RNC convention — ‘headed’ by Lara Trump — should be lit.

    Playing covers of Yakety Sax between speakers.
    //

  43. 43.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: HI! You mentioned a kind of cat food in a thread a couple of days ago. I tried to find it but couldn’t, I should have written it down when I saw it. It was about higher protein. Could you tell me what it was again? Thanks so much for your help.

  44. 44.

    Marmot

    @BretH:

    I made the mistake of checking out the Washington Post on my phone this morning. Screen literally filled with five articles about how Biden should step down. FTFWP

    Soon they and the FTFNYT are gonna be fighting over the same small pool of depressives. They’re the demographic who continue to predictably react to that shit.

  46. 46.

    TBone

    Pathetic (per the Phila. Inquirer):

    As the GOP grapples with reproductive rights messaging, Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania proposed an IVF tax credit. It’s a new approach — but is it feasible?

  47. 47.

    lowtechcyclist

    I’m not one to dump on Barron until he’s done something that has genuine negative consequences in the lives of others. He’s grown up with two very twisted parents, and half-siblings he barely knew in all likelihood.

    I’ll give Melania points for at least sending him to a relatively normal private school, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, when they came to DC. There are schools in the area that are full of the children of people you’ve heard of; St. Andrew’s isn’t one of them, more like the kids of GS-15s and people like that.

  49. 49.

    TBone

    Is Dotard expecting to have an official coronation for his freakishly tall, youngest spawn to begin a dynastic Reich?  Because it feels like he named that kid dick for a reason.

  50. 50.

    Eyeroller

    @eclare: ButterEmailz was sustained (we’ll have to see how long this crap lingers) but seemed to be much less intense at any given time.  This really is a full-court press.  Also I don’t recall so many Democrats joining in for that one.

    Why am I supposed to care about what George Clooney writes from his 25-room villa in Italy, anyway?  Now I hear that he wasn’t even really at his own fundraiser, just stayed for a few minutes.

  51. 51.

    Eyeroller

    @TBone: One of Trump’s pseudonyms when he acted as his own PR agent was “John Barron.”  I assume that’s where it came from.

  53. 53.

    prostratedragon

    Biden at AFL’CIO yesterday, unscripted. This is from the first segment of O’Donnell’s show last night. Earlier in the clip are some of VP Harris’s remarks at AKA and a newly-popular spot called “What They Really Said,” featuring several Democratic members of Congress; notable for the number of ways Hakeem Jeffries finds to say, “I am not talking about this with you right now out in this hallway.”

  55. 55.

    TBone

    @gene108:our neighbors the Rumpers proudly informed us that they do not read any newspapers, or news adjacent paper items.  All news is consumed via screen.

  56. 56.

    Ksmiami

    @gene108: I wrote to the DNC and  told them to stop the internal backbiting and tell everyone to get behind the ticket and focus on blasting Trump. I’ve given a lot of money and will only continue if the Dems start acting like we are in a war against evil… because we are.

  58. 58.

    Betty

    @gene108: The Post only has eight headlines going after Biden this morning for the online edition. Way down below all that is an article about governing, providing funding for EV manufacturing. The grassroots have to get this done. Watergirl’s efforts here will pay off.

  59. 59.

    Eyeroller

    @Ksmiami: The DNC is a fundraising organization and has little to no power to shut this down.  The people who would have a better chance are Jeffries and Schumer.  But we know from the Republican Mean Girls and Creepy Guys that even the Rs can’t always control Members.  (Ask Kevin McCarthy about that.)

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ksmiami: I’ve given a lot of money and will only continue….

    Exactly the reaction this “anti Joe” campaign is designed to elicit.

  63. 63.

    TBone

    @Eyeroller: I assume nothing but that’s a good guess.  I think he believes he will crown that boy King one day.  I have no compunction whatsoever about attacking that devil’s spawn in light of the dynastic nepotism bullshit we’ve seen coming from these fucks.  Remember the kerfuffle over his name when a female law professor used it as an example during the impeachment hearing?

  66. 66.

    Ken

    The image in the Acyn tweet with the “settle your back taxes” ads surrounding Trump is, I’m sure, just a coincidence — though what a coup it would be for the advertising agency if not. “We got America’s most famous tax deadbeat for your ad campaign!”

    I don’t suppose it’s a subtly-placed political ad by some anti-Trump PAC.

  67. 67.

    Splitting Image

    @Eyeroller:

    Biden never really lost that much in polling despite the hysteria. Polls are now returning to trend with Biden gaining. Think how well he might be doing without all the backstabbing. It has completely blocked our messaging for two weeks now. Project 2025 may be starting to break through, however.

    I agree. I’m actually fairly hopeful, all things considered. If enough people have figured out that most of the news media is shilling for Trump, then their propaganda won’t move the needle, no matter how hard they push it.

    I’m curious to see what happens during the Republican convention. I imagine they will edit Trump’s speeches to make him seem more coherent, and then issue a huge wave of no calls whatsoever for him to drop out. The bolder pundits will presumably go right back to calling for Biden’s head the day after it is over.

  68. 68.

    Tony Jay

    Looking at Stench entering his waxing full gibbering moon phase you can see where part of the corporate media’s frenzy to undermine Biden comes from. Four months of carrying that twitching corpse of a headline act through a contest with a seasoned incumbent would drive any half-trained scandalmonkey to drink and drugs.

    They could, of course, try committing actual journalism over stanning for the Baron of Bowel Movements, but that would be a no.

  69. 69.

    WereBear

    @Soprano2: Reveal is the brand name, and on the label it’s just: meat. You could put it on a water cracker.

    And why not just give them canned chicken and fish? Yes. We can.

    Bud Abbott is the cat who loves it so, and so it becomes his “treat” food. His little cans of food are the cheap way to give him crab meat.

    But emphasizing that this type of food does not have the added vitamins. Also, might not need them so much. I give my cat Tristan Naked Whey in his gravy cat food and he seems to perk up.

    It’s bio-available and they all grew up on heavy cream. Tristan was one of the cats who liked it. (No lactose.)

  70. 70.

    Eyeroller

    @Splitting Image: ​It got so over-the-top that some normies noticed it was weird. That tends to make one suspicious. I’m a bit more worried about George Clooney having too much influence in our celebrity-worshipping culture, but I think we can get past that as well.

    It is likely that Trump will get a poll bounce from the convention. This is normal and typical but I’m afraid there will be another round of screaming.

  72. 72.

    Layer8Problem

    @gene108:
    Project 2025’s been in the Five Most Read list on my phone’s Wikipedia app for more than a few days now. I dunno, maybe people are taking an interest? But yeah, polls bad, no hope, media demanding the Non-Trump one do something that’s sure to help the Democrats, yadda yadda.

  73. 73.

    p.a.

    I’ll choose to look at this positively: the FTFNYT & WaPo are all-in on this all the time because it’s not working.  Yet.

    Except, apparently, among Dem pols.🤬

  75. 75.

    Eyeroller

    @p.a.: It seems that the generic “control of Congress” poll dipped from D to R and those idiots lost their minds immediately.

  76. 76.

    TBone

    @p.a.: a pathetically small percentage of those pols.  Perspective must be maintained in order to retain equilibrium.

  78. 78.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Eyeroller:

    @TBone:

    The story I remember is that as a young man in real estate and an aspiring hotel magnate, TCFFG greatly admired and envied Barron Hilton, one of Conrad Hilton’s sons. He loved the name so much, he started using it as one of his own pseudonyms and decades later bestowed it on his youngest spawn.

  79. 79.

    zhena gogolia

    When Trump says in the Barron clip, “You’re not allowed to call them ‘boy’ now,” you know what he’s referring to, don’t you?

  80. 80.

    TBone

    @SiubhanDuinne: just as I do not with the human subjects of this speculation, IDGAF how the name originated, I simply detest the arrogance and pomposity.  The entitlement drips off the pages…

    ETA that’s exaggeration – I do care where they came from.

  82. 82.

    eclare

    Jaime Harrison is en fuego on Morning Joe.  Full throated, no ambiguity case for Biden.

  83. 83.

    prostratedragon

    What TFG needs to do is come before the public often and in an unscripted, spontaneous manner explain why he, who is not President and has no ambassadorial portfolio or role, insists on doing thigs like this ⬇️⬇️:

    Former US President Donald Trump will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán today at an estate in Florida — Bloomberg.

    After the NATO summit in Washington, Orbán will go to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — right after visits to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Ankara. The meeting with the Republican candidate is likely to be another stop on Orbán’s “peace tour” regarding the war in Ukraine.

    Trump did not ask the Hungarian leader to lay the groundwork for some kind of peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, said one of the interlocutors familiar with the details of Orbán’s visit. The source described the meeting as “informal.”

  84. 84.

    Betty

    @Eyeroller: I read a good substack article by Robert Hubbell tearing apart the Clooney op-ed.  Clooney tries the “throw out the names of six popular governors and figure it out at the convention” bit. Total nonsense. Hubbell emphasizes that the grassroots groups are doing the work and will make the difference.  Sorry for my inadequate linking skills.

  85. 85.

    Eyeroller

    @Betty: Most of those “popular governors” are unwilling to commit political suicide for the fantasies of an actor who knows nothing about politics.  Whitmer is an emphatic “no.”  I don’t know whether Newsom was included (is he popular?) but he’s also a “no.”​​
    Somebody called his “idea” a “Dollar Store Gong Show convention.”

  86. 86.

    eclare

    @TBone:

    Cut it out.  He is eighteen.  That is not a good look.

    Did you like it when, IIRC, Rush referred to Amy Carter as a dog?

  87. 87.

    3Sice

    They won’t self report, but American multi-media conglomerates are in a state of collapse.

    Paramount just got pawned off to to the UAE and are bringing in creeps Jeff Shell and Jeff Zucker.

    At Warner, Costner’s latest bomb will force a reckoning over John Malone’s prosaic tastes and likely force Zaslev out.

    Disney is a basket case and Sony is looking for a merger partner.

    Redbox is liquidating.

    Celebrity dopes who get top of the line and producer credits aren’t working actors in any meaningful sense. They are protecting the industry, the big money, and their brands.

  91. 91.

    Another Scott

    Speaking of votes, … MSNBC.com (from June 17):

    During his appearance at an event put on by right-wing activist group Turning Point Action, Trump said that he has told the host group’s founder, Charlie Kirk, and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley that the No. 1 priority is to “guard the vote.”

    He said:

    I said to Charlie and I said to Michael: Listen, we don’t need votes. We got more votes than anybody’s ever had. We need to watch the vote. We need to guard the vote. We need to stop the steal. We don’t need votes. We have to stop — focus, don’t worry about votes. We’ve got all the votes. I was in Florida yesterday — every house has a Trump sign. Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. We have to guard the vote.

    He went on to call mail-in ballots “treacherous” and ballot drop boxes “horrible.”

    And Trump wasn’t done there. During a panel discussion hosted by a Black pastor in Detroit, Trump claimed nearly unanimous support from the heads of historically Black colleges and universities:

    I think all of them are voting for Trump … I’d say 99% of them. And if they aren’t — I don’t know what the hell the other side did — but we’ll start an investigation or something, OK?

    These claims are two branches of the same conspiratorial tree.

    As Rand says, something something it’s who counts the votes He believes that.

    It’s no surprise at all that TCFFG has no respect for the people who turn up at his rallies, the people who suffer heat stroke or get trampled or die. He . does . not . care . about . anything . but . himself.

    He doesn’t care about voters. He lies about everything. He demands that his minions create the result he wants, no matter the rules, the laws, or reality.

    Eyes on the prizes.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  92. 92.

    Layer8Problem

    I’m still trying to understand how I’m supposed to believe that this isn’t pre-generated, orchestrated bullshit and fake buzz. The Times, Axios, etc. are all in demonstrably editing down politicians statements to gin up panic, which freaks people out, I know. We get a raft of new trolls in to inform us that we don’t know them, but they’ve lost all hope, and so should you! Some of our old trolls and “Joe wasn’t my preferred candidate” long-term BJers join in, because the last three and a half years have been too disturbingly successful. The Cambridge Analytica crowd’s still out there, under different branding. Robert and Rebekah Mercer, Peter Thiel, Elmo, the Internet Research Agency of Saint Petersburg Ltd., and the rest of them are still out there. They’ve been shown to do this stuff. I don’t like being gaslit and I don’t like anyone presuming I can be played.

  93. 93.

    chemiclord

    @Splitting Image: On top of that, the more anyone outside the MAGA cult listen and see Donald Trump, the more revolting and disgusting they find him.

    I’d argue it’s the major reason why Trump had stayed so very (and unusually) quiet during the media’s full court press on Biden.

    Yes, Biden is old.  Trump is old and deranged.

  94. 94.

    eclare

    @Betty:

    Lots of palace intrigue on MJ.  According to Joe Scarborough, Clooney is really friends with Obama and gave Obama a heads up about the op-ed.  Obama tried to get it delayed, no luck.  Also, Biden has a lot of resentment over how he was pushed aside by Obama in 2016 for Hillary.  And every time Alexrod or the Obama Bros say something nasty about him, Biden digs in further.

    Who knows?

    And as far as I know, the other superstar at that fundraiser , Julia Roberts, still has not commented.  If Biden was so out of it, why isn’t she speaking up?

  96. 96.

    Dangerman

    Well, at least the NYT shit all over TCFG, too. I thought 2020 was going to be FUBAR. Shit, that was just the warm up act.

  99. 99.

    tobie

    Good morning, all. I just read on the BBC website that the US and Germany have agreed to place cruise missiles in Germany on an occasional basis. This is the first time these weapons have been deployed there in decades:

    The joint US-German statement made clear the “episodic” deployment of the missiles was initially seen as temporary but would later become permanent, as part of a US commitment to Nato and Europe’s “integrated deterrence”.

    Putin is, of course, outraged. Germans, on the other hand, feel strongly that Putin’s actions in Ukraine and threats against Poland and the Baltic states means they are next in Russia’s expansion plan.

  100. 100.

    TBone

    @tobie: progress!

    I watched President Biden appear for all of his photo ops with the leaders included in NATO.  German Chancellor Scholz gave him an especially warm greeting.

  101. 101.

    OzarkHillbilly

    At a Tuesday press conference, when asked if he was satisfied with the utility’s efforts to restore power, Patrick said, “I’ll tell you whether I’m satisfied or not when I have a full report of where their crews were when they were asked to come in, and how quickly they get power back.

    “Any thought that people were surprised that the storm might come to Houston is shocking to me,” Patrick said. “No one should’ve been surprised. If Centerpoint wasn’t [ready], that’s on them.”

    Translation: “Not my fault, not my problem.”

  102. 102.

    satby

    @zhena gogolia: yup. And so did his racist little army. As he deteriorates, all he’ll have left is his dog whistles and weird fantasies.

    But Ruth Ben-Ghiat is correct that he’s not as gone as he acts, and he hits all the authoritarian notes to inspire his followers  The media is still missing most of that.

  104. 104.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: Great, thanks so much. I think I’ll try a combination of those things to see what works best. I’m working now to get him drinking from his fountain again – he’s been wanting me to run the bathroom sink to get a drink. This whole episode seems to have affected him a lot – he’s still not jumping up where he usually eats, and he has only been outside once (if he decided to stay inside it wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all). I am encouraged that he’s eating better, but I weighed him yesterday and he hasn’t gained back any weight yet. The meds are working, which is good. I’m going to call the vet today and see if he needs to go for a follow-up visit.

  108. 108.

    Soprano2

    @Layer8Problem: Morning Edition talked about Project 2025 this morning. They said TCFG distanced himself from it without mentioning that he always lies about everything. They did say that many of the people behind Project 2025 worked for TCFG or were otherwise associated with him.

  109. 109.

    satby

    @Layer8Problem: I’m still trying to understand how I’m supposed to believe that this isn’t pre-generated, orchestrated bullshit and fake buzz. The Times, Axios, etc. are all in demonstrably editing down politicians statements

    You’re not, because it is

  111. 111.

    TBone

    If we’re too busy complaining, we’re too busy to counter, which seems like part of the game plan.

    I much prefer bragging 😆 to complaining.

  112. 112.

    tobie

    @TBone: None of us welcomes the return of the Cold War but it’s also true that you can’t ignore Putin’s aggressions. You give a bully an inch, they take a mile. Scholz isn’t popular in Germany but everyone but AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht supporters recognize the threat from Russia.

  114. 114.

    satby

    @eclare: Skeptical. Obama and Biden are really close. But I think Obama has been very careful not to appear to be influencing or controlling behind the scenes, which was a right wing trope that also factored in Clinton’s defeat.

  115. 115.

    eclare

    @hells littlest angel:

    He went to a rally at a country club that I doubt he had any choice about.  Melanie got him out of going to the convention.

    DJTJ put on a baseball jersey to go with Dad to a baseball game in college, and DJTJ’s college roommate said when Dad picked him up he hit him so hard he fell to the ground.  DJTJ was supposed to wear a suit.

    Between that and sitting outside and waving, I’d probably sit and wave too, knowing that soon I’d be off to college.

  116. 116.

    schrodingers_cat

    The most disheartening thing of the last two weeks is getting confirmation of how much racism, misogyny, ableism and ageism exist within our own ranks.

    Because face it, we wouldn’t have seen this meltdown if Biden’s VP was a white man.

    Notice how the Gaza sealions seamlessly went from whining about Genocide Joe, to Sleepy Joe, to let’s anoint Kamala (so we can torpedo her right now).

  123. 123.

    prostratedragon

    @WereBear:  Tommy the Cat loved nutritional yeast. I had a can of it for myself up on the kitchen counter. Came home one day to find a very dusty, guilty-looking cat in the middle of the floor. I cleaned most of it off him, but since it didn’t seem to hurt him, started giving him a spoonfull with his food.

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    @Betty: Ragnarok Lobster on George Clooney:

       Nothing says “in touch with the American voter” like phoning in a New York Times op-ed from a 25 room villa on Lake Como in Italy.

  125. 125.

    satby

    @eclare: neither do I. But even on what passes for lukewarm neutrality from the morning joe crowd, I think everything needs to have added salt.

  127. 127.

    Betty

    @eclare: What I recall from 2016 is Biden telling Colbert he wasn’t ready to run as he was very much grieving over losing Beau who he expected to take over for him. He should resent Axelrod who has disrespected him all along. Not familiar with the,Obama Bros past talk.

  130. 130.

    Eyeroller

    @eclare: ​I also read stories about conflicts during Obama’s terms between working-class “ethnic” Joe Biden and the Ivy League WASPs that Obama brought in. It’s pretty generally acknowledged that Obama made some poor staffing decisions.

  131. 131.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    I’m not surprised at Barron’s height.  Wayne’s parents BOTH were 5’10”; he grew to 6’6″.  Even if Trump is only 6’1″, Melania is probably 5’11” (Heels?) and her parents were both tallish, so Barron comes by it honestly.  That being said, it’s distressing that he is drawn into the cult and acts like a prince.  I think. he is doomed.

  134. 134.

    Soprano2

    @Eyeroller: That’s kind of like the O Boys crazy idea that in the 4 days of the convention new candidates could “audition” and then face Biden in a talking cage match of some kind. Absolutely batshit crazy idea. I’m not sure what’s up with them, they certainly know better than this.

  136. 136.

    eclare

    @Betty:

    That’s what I remember, and it made sense.  Joe S implied otherwise.  I have no idea.  If there is resentment, I hope and trust Obama and Joe unite, I think they will.

  137. 137.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @gene108: The people he needs to vote for him, like less politically engaged suburban voters, do get their news from CNN, NYT, etc.

    Going by the reactions here it’s people like the regulars here that watch CNN and read the NYT.

    It’s why Trump seems to be ahead in most polls.

    What makes you think the pollsters are actually doing those polls and simply not making shit up that the people who commissioned the poll want to see?

  138. 138.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Soprano2: They want to be the Kardashians of politics. I don’t have cable and don’t listen to their podcasts. But I know that their word is gospel to many white college educated Ds. I hear them referenced often by the Ds in my DTC (Democratic Town Committee)

  139. 139.

    eclare

    @Eyeroller:

    Yeah, Joe S said Biden didn’t like how he was treated by Obama staffers, but he didn’t say why.  That makes sense.

  140. 140.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ksmiami: I have said before that I continue to support Joe as our nominee but nobody cares what I think. That these things can take on a life of their own, and that no matter what happens I will remain 100% DEM. Disappointed, but still DEM. Because the alternative is suicide for the country.

    This whole meshugas is designed* to divide DEMs and it’s working.

    *The ‘Biden is old’ story has been building up for a long time. It has all the earmarks of a Russian op. I don’t know that it is but it sure smells like one.

  142. 142.

    lowtechcyclist

    @hells littlest angel:

    AKA an adult. One who is involving himself in Trump’s campaign.

    And if he commits a crime, he would and should be charged as an adult, assuming he doesn’t get a pass due to who his daddy is.

    Other than that, I’m going to remember how mature I wasn’t at age 18, and will continue to take that into account in anything I say about the kid.

  148. 148.

    lowtechcyclist

    @TBone:

    seems like the Cold War never truly ended.

    Well, we did get a break from it for a while after (1) the USSR let the Warsaw Pact nations go, and (2) Russia let the other former Soviet republics go, at least nominally.  Certainly during the 1990s and aughts it didn’t seem like we had a Cold War anymore.

    But now I’d say we’re clearly in Cold War II. And just like it was in the original Cold War, containment is the name of the game.  It’s important for the U.S. and NATO to officially acknowledge that Russia is a hostile power that has the goal of regaining what it lost back in 1989-91, and is doing its best to mess with the internal politics of the Western nations in order to undermine our willingness to oppose Russia’s expansionist efforts.

    And here, of course, that includes its support for Trump who is Putin’s asset.

  151. 151.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @3Sice: They won’t self report, but American multi-media conglomerates are in a state of collapse.

    And it’s these  conglomerates who own these MSM organizations which in turn are paying for all of these polls.

    So, somehow these same MSM organizations in the midst of corporate mandated austerity measures  are paying for high  quality polls, not the cheapest thing possible, and in turn the pollsters are going all in on the discount polls they are commissioned for?

  153. 153.

    M31

    @Another Scott: wait, Trump claiming 99% support from the heads of Black colleges and Universities?

    That seems like a pretty easily checkable claim

    pretty sure that that number isn’t right lol

    and also so on-brand for Trump to say “and if not, they got bribed or threatened or something and we’ll launch an investigation”

    so a lie, a pre-buttal, and a threat all in one, so efficient

  154. 154.

    Belafon

    @Eyeroller: This whole time has given me an opportunity to tell other Democrats to grow a spine. “Sorry the game got switched to hard mode while you were trying to be proud of yourself for letting someone else do the work, but you’re gonna have to buckle up and do the right thing no matter how tough it is.”

  156. 156.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Tony Jay: They had to find something to replace Gaza.  The protests gave them the Dems In Disarray that they love more than anything else.  When school sessions ended end protest activity mostly stopped, they needed something to get us fighting again.  Biden looking a little off for 20 minutes of the debate was all they, Putin and a bunch of trolls needed.  Fortunately the polls and anecdotal evidence from voters on the ground show that it didn’t really change anyone’s mind.  It’s still a close election with Biden trailing only slightly, well within the margin of error.  We still can win this election by getting out our voters.  Dobbs could even make it a substantial victory.

  164. 164.

    moonbat

    @WereBear: Thank you. That is something almost no one has mentioned. Biden knows what he’s capable of and he knows the existential threat we face. I don’t think he would put the country his son died for in jeopardy if he didn’t think he could finish the job.

  165. 165.

    lowtechcyclist

    @TBone:

    Please continue to tell me how I’m punching Nazis wrong.

    Maybe wait before punching an 18 year old until he does something more Nazi-ish than showing up and waving at his father’s rally?

  169. 169.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Harrison Wesley:

    I watched The Ruling Class for the first time in years a few months back.  Should have waited.

    Man, that was one dark comedy, even in better times.  Would be very weird to watch it now.

  170. 170.

    SFAW

    @lowtechcyclist: ​
     

    And here, of course, that includes its support for Trump who is Putin’s asset.

    One or more unanswerable (to me, at the moment) question(s):
    Is TCFFG Putin’s asset knowingly? Or is he just so effing stupid that he doesn’t realize it?
    [Yes, I know he’s incredibly stupid, but he can be incredibly stupid and know that he’s Putin’s asset.]

  171. 171.

    Scout211

    In case you missed the news in the overnight thread, Arkansas secretary of state rejects abortion-rights ballot initiative

    The Arkansas secretary of state on Wednesday rejected an effort to place a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights on the November ballot, saying organizers failed to submit some required paperwork with its signatures.

    In a letter to the organization behind the effort, Arkansans for Limited Government, Secretary of State John Thurston wrote that organizers did not submit statements that the group had explained various requirements about the signature-collection process in the state to its paid canvassers and did not identify those paid canvassers by name.

    “By contrast, other sponsors of initiative petitions complied with this requirement. Therefore, I must reject your submission,” wrote Thurston, a Republican.

    Rebecca Bobrow, a spokesperson for Arkansans for Limited Government, confirmed that the group had received the letter and was evaluating what to do next.

    “Our legal team is reviewing the letter from the Secretary of State. We will have more to say shortly,” Bobrow said in a statement.

    This initiative in Arkansas actually wasn’t supported by national abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood because it still made abortion illegal at 20 weeks.

    The sponsoring group vows to fight the SOS.

  172. 172.

    Another Scott

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Dobbs could even make it a substantial victory.

    How many of the 192 FTFNYT stories about the debate mentioned Dobbs or abortion??

    Politics isn’t logic, but it’s really, really hard to believe that the post-Dobbs +10-20% swing to Democrats in places like Kansas and Ohio in off-year elections is suddenly going to evaporate in November. The political pundit press really do think that voters have the memory of a fruit fly and that women don’t matter.

    Nothing is guaranteed. We have to do the work. But the hysterical stampede against Biden’s age is because they . literally . have . nothing . else . to . run . on. What has the GQP House done to make things better? Nothing. Democrats had to provide most of the votes to pass anything. What have GQP Senators done to make things better? Nothing. They were TCFFG’s lapdogs.

    The GQP pundits are terrified of a wipeout approaching the scale of the Tory thrashing in the UK. And TCFFG wants to stay out of prison. They’re infighting – hardly anyone who actually worked for him in confirmed positions in his administration supports him – and their party has no money or infrastructure to actually turn out voters. They’re flailing, and we need to be rhetorically punching them rather than spending weeks talking hypotheticals about some non-Biden candidate.

    The candidates are Biden and Trump.

    Do the work, folks. Remind people of what TCFFG did. Remember all the accomplishments of Biden-Harris and the Democrats, and talk them up.

    Eyes on the prizes.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  174. 174.

    lowtechcyclist

    @George:

    Until he proves differently, Barron is just a monster in waiting.

    Ah yes, guilty until proven innocent.  Now that’s a great look.  Right up there with LOCK HER UP!!!!

  176. 176.

    SFAW

    @M31: ​
     

    so a lie, a pre-buttal, and a threat all in one, so efficient

    Like arrogance and stupidity?

  181. 181.

    lowtechcyclist

    @SFAW:

    One or more unanswerable (to me, at the moment) question(s):
    Is TCFFG Putin’s asset knowingly? Or is he just so effing stupid that he doesn’t realize it?
    [Yes, I know he’s incredibly stupid, but he can be incredibly stupid and know that he’s Putin’s asset.]

    We’ve all seen that pic where Putin’s all smug, while Trump looks like he just got taken to the woodshed.

    How can he have a moment like that unless he knows that Putin owns him?

  182. 182.

    Hilbertsubspace

    @eclare: I’m going to have to step in to remind people that the death of Beau Biden was the reason Joe Biden didn’t run in 2016.  Obama and others tried to convince him to enter the primary, but the loss of a son was too painful.

    The only resentment* I heard about from President Obama was toward Hilary who started criticizing the administration after she left.  Hilary may have assumed that Obama’s popularity would slide more as his second term came to a close.   Obama’s approval numbers were just barely above 40% during most of his presidency.

    *Resentment is much to strong a word to describe Obama, mildly aggrieved would be closer.

    P.S. Larry Summers can fuck off and DIAF.  He is a self important, excessively clever, jumped up bean counter.   I originally assumed he was lying when talking about lowering inflation by raising unemployment, but it turned out he was just a fucking idiot.

    P.P.S. I see someone mentioned Beau Biden before I finished my screed….  I’m just gonna leave it up anyway.

  184. 184.

    zhena gogolia

    @Layer8Problem: Oh, but the NYT tells me this morning that Biden is “angling for time to be his ally,” because the longer he holds on, the harder it will be to replace him. That wily old coot! (with dementia)

  186. 186.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by all the people who are suddenly experts on dementia and aging. I’ve seen people throwing around the term “sundowning” who obviously have no idea what it actually is. I keep saying that no one who actually had any kind of dementia condition could keep the schedule Biden keeps. My husband is still relatively high performing, and he still sleeps for hours every day when I’m not there. I’ve talked to a lot of other people who are caring for loved ones with some type of dementia. Biden is older, and has the characteristics of a person who’s older – slower speech, slower gait when he walks, etc. – but from what I can see he definitely doesn’t have dementia. TCFG I go back and forth on, because I have a hard time believing someone with dementia could have done a 90 minute debate like that, even as deranged as he was.

  187. 187.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Hilbertsubspace:

    P.S. Larry Summers can fuck off and DIAF.  He is a self important, excessively clever, jumped up bean counter.   I originally assumed he was lying when talking about lowering inflation by raising unemployment, but it turned out he was just a fucking idiot.

    A-fucking-MEN.

  189. 189.

    SFAW

    @lowtechcyclist: ​

    How can he have a moment like that unless he knows that Putin owns him?

    Maybe Putin has replaced Fred Sr. as TCFFG’s person-whose-approval-I-crave? That doesn’t mean he knows he’s an asset — at least not in the sense that Kim Philby, Aldrich Ames, et al. knew they were assets.

  191. 191.

    zhena gogolia

    @TBone: Come on, Barron hasn’t done anything. He can’t help who his father is. We have better targets.

    I don’t like people going after Hunter either.

  192. 192.

    Soprano2

    @Scout211: If that’s true then it’s an own goal. If they have the needed information they should submit it! In the states where the state government is hostile to reproductive rights you have to make sure you follow the rules. That’s why the people in MO got over twice as many signatures as they needed to put the abortion measure on the ballot. I’m sure our Sec of State’s office is busy invalidating as many signatures as they can.

  193. 193.

    Soprano2

    @lowtechcyclist: Some Democratic group needs to figure out how to use that picture in a campaign ad, because TCFG did look really, really bad there. As if he just got a good whipping.

  195. 195.

    lowtechcyclist

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I am sorry you had to read that.

    Thanks, I appreciate your kind thoughts.

    I’d avoided mentioning my ancestry during all the debates over Gaza, because I really don’t think it should add any weight to my views on the subject.  (Also, since my father married a Gentile, I’m not a Jew myself.)  But if someone’s gonna call me a polite Jew, well, I already said what I needed to.

  197. 197.

    TBone

    @lowtechcyclist: I was referring to your suggestion to me of “maybe wait…”.  I don’t feel the need to wait to discuss a subject that appears on the front page here.  To which my first comment was in response, and subsequent comments in response to others’ comments.

    I didn’t call you anything.  I suggested that your tip to me made me feel like I should be a more polite Jew.

  198. 198.

    M31

    @Hilbertsubspace: won’t disagree that Larry Summers is a blowhard piece of shit, but raising unemployment will lower inflation by keeping wages from rising. So the Biden admin’s ‘soft landing’ of the economy where the high interest rates did not result in an unemployment spike or a big recession is a remarkable achievement.

    Thus all those ‘recession is around the corner’ predictions when the fed started raising rates.

    Remember that Volker’s huge spike in interest rates late in the Carter admin did squash the high inflation, at a very high cost, costing him the election too, of course. When the recovery finally happened fucking Reagan took all the credit and we’re living with the sick consequences even now, though maybe another Biden term can kill off that zombie shit.

    but yeah, fuck fucking Larry Summers. Listening to him was one of Obama’s mistakes.

  199. 199.

    Tony Jay

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    All true. I’ve been making that point every time from all the way over here in the post-Tory wasteland. You can tell how very, very desperate the corporate media are to somehow make Stench and the Party of Hench viable for November’s election by glancing at the FTF Guardian’s ZOMG!!!! Biden Iz Bwoke!!!! coverage from the last few weeks.

    They all want Little Lord Scandalfont back in the big chair, almost as much as the FTF Guardian would luuuuurrrve Flobalob back.  Tax cuts for their owners and click bait for their working day, that’s what modern journalism is made of.

  200. 200.

    SFAW

    @M31:

    Thus all those ‘recession is around the corner’ predictions when the fed started raising rates.

    Mrs. SFAW and I had a couple of financial advisors (from a large, respected investment firm) practically guarantee us that there was definitely, 100 percent going to be a recession in 2022. Or 2023. Or 2024. Or sometime. ETA: And therefore we should completely re-jigger our portfolio.
    I suggested (to my wife) that they might be premature in their guarantees. I’m no financial expert — far from it — but it was clear they were following the herd, not really doing much more than that.​

  203. 203.

    Quadrillipede

    @lowtechcyclist: Man, that was one dark comedy, even in better times. Would be very weird to watch it now.

    I actually watched The Ruling Class for the first time recently too. What kind of messed up psychological horror movie is it that spends nearly two hours pretending to be a lighthearted comedy musical before the mask drops entirely in the third act? Ugh.

  204. 204.

    Citizen Alan

    @Splitting Image: 1992, when they aggressively went after Bill Clinton over his extramarital affairs while ignoring the fact that everyone in washington new about George HW Bush’s mistress, including his wife.

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