Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

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

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

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

You cannot shame the shameless.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

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Reader Interactions

166Comments

  3. 3.

    BlueDWarrior

    I’ve listened to a lot of this speech, and he’s starting to fill in the gaps that he left from the last week since it was NATO and other foreign policy focused.

    Once again, anyone who says this man is senile or loose in the head doesn’t remember or hasn’t dealt with a loved elder who is clearly in their last [whatever frame of time].

    I remember my grandma’s last days some 10+ years ago, and I am not looking forward to the replay when my mother inevitably starts mentally declining.

  4. 4.

    Old School

    Media: Sources close to the White House say Biden is even older tonight than he was two weeks ago.

  5. 5.

    Eyeroller

    Reposting a response to Subaru Diane in the previouse thread:

    Fucking narrative:
    “he desperately tries to reinvigorate a campaign and ward off some calls in his party for him to abandon the Democratic nomination in the wake of a disastrous debate performance two weeks ago.”
    He’s slurring and skipping a bit but nothing unusual for somebody with a fluency disorder.

    IT WAS NOT DISASTROUS it was just kinda bad. HOLY CHRIST I DON’T BELIEVE IT.

  7. 7.

    MazeDancer

    The crowd is ignited. Chanting “don’t you quit!”. And “”We got your back!”

    Mr. Biden  is basking in it. Strong-voiced and smiling big.

    Very heart-warming.

    And overnights report 22 million people watched the press conference. More than saw the Oscars.

  8. 8.

    JoyceH

    I love that he was really making fun of Trump. He’s simply goading Trump to misbehave, and I suspect Trump will. And energetic? The Trump campaign will claim he’s been doped, that’s how energetic he is.

  9. 9.

    BlueDWarrior

    @MazeDancer:  I want every doom-spiraling online ‘bro’ to look at that crowd. That is a crowd that has had to deal with the last 15 or so days of everyone saying Joe Biden is cooked. Trust me, most Democratic activists, especially Black ones, know when a candidate is a dead person walking.

    Joe Biden is nowhere near the walking dead. It’s still mid-June, we got 3.5 months, let’s make things happen.

  10. 10.

    sab

    Shallow comment on my part, but I am ten years younger and would be happy just to have Biden’s teeth.

  11. 11.

    Jackie

    Expect TCFG to announce his VP “any minute now” – Joe’s getting too much good reception between last night’s press conference and tonight’s Rally.

  13. 13.

    Almost Retired

    That’s it.  I appreciate that we’ve had a good faith debate here about what’s best going forward.  To me, the discussion is over.  Biden.  I hope the good faith dissidents on this issue feel the same way.

  14. 14.

    Sallycat

    Help!  In an earlier thread I inadvertently pied several commenters and I cannot unpie them.  Can someone give me directions on how to do so?  Thanks.

  16. 16.

    sab

    @Sallycat: Go into the pie filter (pie picture at the top of the comments.). The middle tab (“filtered”) lists who you have pied. Click on those you want to unpie. Then x out. That should do it.

  17. 17.

    Percysowner

    @Sallycat: ​
     Click the Pie on top of comments. Click on “Filtered” you will have the list of those you pied. Click name to remove.

  18. 18.

    Scout211

    @Sallycat: In the pie filter, one of the tabs at the top is “filtered.”  Click on that and then you will see all the commenters you have pied and then click on “remove” for the ones you don’t want pied.

    ETA: Lots of pie filter helpers.  😉

  19. 19.

    MazeDancer

    Media covering every Biden event, hoping he’ll gaffe. Hey, we’ll take it.

    Free publicity! Mr.Biden might as well take advantage.

  20. 20.

    Al Rennick

    24 former Democratic lawmakers publish letter calling for an open convention:

    The President’s integrity and vision are intact. However, the energy and stamina the President needs for a campaign and a next term are diminished. This problem has been gnawing at the country for months and came to a head in and after the June 27 debate.

    We praise the enormous achievements of the Biden presidency. His extraordinary record is not in question. But the success of his campaign will also depend on how the public sees him: how it judges whether he is up to four more years in the toughest job on earth, governing with the energy needed and the leadership required.

    This leads us to a regretful conclusion. President Biden would best serve the nation he loves by releasing the convention delegates who are pledged to nominate him for a second term. His decision to do so would mean an open convention in August. We ask him to make that decision.

    We do not presume to name a preferred candidate to take his place. We are confident that one or more capable Democratic candidates would step forward. Excitement and optimism would ensue. And that would energize the party and capture the imagination and interest of voters – especially younger and marginalized voters – who have been uninspired by the choices so far.

    Signed,

    Congressman Chet Atkins, MA, Congressman Les AuCoin, OR, Congressman Brian Baird, WA

    Congressman Mike Barnes, MD, Congressman Rick Boucher, VA

    Congressman John Cavanaugh, NE, Congressman Peter DeFazio, OR

    Congressman Edward Feighan, OH, Congressman John Hall, NY, Senator Tom Harkin, IA

    Congressman Rush Holt, NJ, Congressman Peter Kostmayer, PA

    Congressman John LaFalce, NY, Congressman Andy Maguire, NJ

    Congressman Jim McDermott, WA, Congressman Paul McHale, PA

    Congressman Jim Moran, VA, Congressman Steve Neal, NC

    Congressman Rick Nolan, MN, Congressman Max Sandlin, TX

    Congressman Phil Sharp, IN, Congressman David Skaggs, CO

    Congressman Mike Ward, KY, Senator Tim Wirth, CO

    h/t https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000190-a8af-d266-a5f4-bfbf25880000

    Doug Sosnik, a longtime Democratic strategist who served as former President Clinton’s political director, said in an opinion essay Friday that President Biden’s path to recapturing the White House “has all but vanished.”

    “President Biden has spent much of 2024 with a more challenging path to winning a second presidential term in November than Donald Trump,” Sosnik said in the New York Times op-ed. “But for reasons that have become glaringly obvious, that path has all but vanished.”

    Sosnik’s opinion piece comes as Biden faces intense political headwinds in the wake of his woeful debate performance last month. The debate has spurred increased concern among voters over Biden’s age and a growing list of House members calling for him to step aside.

    “I’ve never seen such a grim Electoral College landscape for Mr. Biden: He not only faces losing battleground states he won in 2020, he is also at risk of losing traditional Democratic states like Minnesota and New Hampshire, which [former Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton and [former President] Obama carried,” Sosnik said. “If current trends continue, Mr. Trump could rack up one of the most decisive presidential victories since 2008.”

    h/t https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4768835-biden-2024-election-path/

  21. 21.

    Jay

    @BlueDWarrior:

    Were I American and able to vote, fundraise, etc, I would still vote for The Walking Dead Dark Brandon over the 34 Felonies Rapist Pedo or the Brainworms Guy.

    He is the best US President of my lifetime and in general, us Canadians don’t like most US Presidents.

  22. 22.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Sallycat:

    Go back up to the pie filter, and click on “Filtered.” It will give you a list (in my case, a VERY long list! I’ve been lavish with the pastries) and all you have to do is select the names you want to unpie.

    ETA: Or what lots of others have said, faster and more succinctly.

  25. 25.

    MazeDancer

    @sab: And knees! Mr. Biden is constantly getting down on one knee or crouching down to kid-level.

    My thought is always – how does he do that?  How does he just bounce back up?

  27. 27.

    sab

    @Jay:Yikes. Seriously? I just have bad teeth and admire his. Apparently his mother was stricter on brushing.

  31. 31.

    BR

    Time to call elected Dem offices again and shout at them to back up Biden. Tired of this drip drip drip.

  32. 32.

    Jay

    @sab:

    then you say, “I wish I had teeth as nice as his”,

    otherwise it comes off a little mass killer creepy, like you are making a necklace or something,……

    like seeking a Holy Relic,…….

  35. 35.

    BlueDWarrior

    @sab: Once again, if they get their way. I fully believe that 1968 will look like a friendly argument between brothers.

    Having black and white Democrats screaming at each other for four straight days in August is truly the way we retain the White House and regain full partisan control of Congress.

    Also, just note: they are still too fucking cowardly to actually put forward a name to challenge Biden in such a case that he ‘releases’ the Delegates.

    If you want to do this, then do it right: put up a name and shut up.

  36. 36.

    sab

    @Jay: My own teeth in my mouth that look like his in his mouth.

    I hope your comment was ////. Otherwise it was weird. Lay off the horror movies.

  38. 38.

    wjca

    @Old School: Sources close to the White House say Biden is even older tonight than he was two weeks ago. 

    Which is impossible, because

    @BlueDWarrior: It’s still mid-June,  [Emphasis added]

    Two weeks ago was late June, IIRC.  Joe’s getting younger!!!

  39. 39.

    BlueDWarrior

    @wjca: ahaha, yeah that’s my fault. It’s mid-July yes. I wish it was mid-June. Much easier to walk home in the summer sun (as hot as it is) than winter dusk/twilight and I’d like as much of that time as possible.

  40. 40.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @BlueDWarrior:

    Trust me, most Democratic activists, especially Black ones, know when a candidate is a dead person walking.

    Precisely.  White “progressives”, aka the Loyal-Dems-But crowd, should (but typically don’t) pay attention to the base of the *Democratic* Party.

    Those that have, great. We asked you to stop dragging our President and Party standard bearer and you’ve listened.

    What’s great to see are *Democrats* closing ranks and turning out like crazy.  The Thin Black Duke warned of Dems turning on Biden and the message it would send “that ‘we’re gutless punks who will always back down when things get tough.  Fuck that noise.”  Speeches and rallies like tonight are essentially “Fuck That Noise.”

    Biden is a good man. Trump is a bad, madman. The distinction is so clear and obvious, the Republicans are terrified of its simplicity.

    The mission statement:

    “The election is about saving US democracy. Who’s gonna do that, the old guy who’s character and record are pretty awesome or the convicted rapist and 34 Felonies Dude who hobnobbed with with a pedophile pimp?

    And Dobbs.”

  42. 42.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    @sab:

    I have a dark sense of humour, it was a bit snark and a bit dark.

    If you read Sab’s comment in a Silence of the Lambs way, maybe you can see it.

    I am glad that President Joe Biden is kicking ass tonight and that he has good teeth. ; )

  43. 43.

    Jackie

    @MazeDancer: I had to laugh; MSNBC, at least, had the split screen going for at LEAST an hour waiting for Joe’s “any moment now, he’ll take the podium.” Brought back memories of 2016 when the networks waited breathlessly for TCFG to take the stage.

    I hope this continues!

  44. 44.

    sab

    @Jay: I get your point. I don’t watch horror movies because they scare me, so I missed the cultural reference.

  45. 45.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Joe Biden apology form:

    Reason for behavior:

    • Twitter convinced me he was senile

    • I didn’t watch him in the SOTU

    • I read too many NY Times thinkpieces

    • I don’t know politics

    • I thought someone else had the juice

    • Mercury was in retrograde

    _____ I will hereby RESPECT Joe Biden and I will
    not talk down on the current Top 5 President

    Your apology needs to be as loud as your disrespect was!

    PS- And don’t go ruining everything by getting all defensive and whiny about jokes like these. After the fucking headache y’all caused for two damn weeks, people are allowed to let off some steam with some jokes.  Take your lumps and welcome back :)

  46. 46.

    BlueDWarrior

    Also the idea that The So-Called Great Orange One is going to be able to not put his foot in his mouth at least a dozen times before Labor Day is something I find highly incredible. Especially if Biden spends a few minutes at each rally pointing out one or two completely asinine tangents said Orange One went on the previous few days.

  49. 49.

    Archon

    Sounds to me like donors are threatening the Democratic Party and it isn’t to put Kamala at the top of the ticket.

  51. 51.

    M31

    lol I’m waiting for the trumpies to start up a theory that Biden tanked the first debate on purpose so that the media would cover him obsessively from then on looking for gaffes

  52. 52.

    Jay

    @sab:

    Silence of the Lambs was the last one I ever watched, creeped me out, had to watch it bits at a time, so not a Horror guy, just like Dead Lawyer Jokes,….; )

  53. 53.

    JMG

    There is no public evidence that Biden has suffered dramatically since the debate, EXCEPT the Democrats who’re freaking out. Had they not done so, this issue would be over. It’ll be over soon enough anyway, and these cowards are gonna have to eat their words. I mean, do they really think one Congressperson a day saying Biden should quit, a person unknown to all but Congressional reporters, is gonna change Biden’s mind.

  54. 54.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jackie:

    Expect TCFG to announce his VP “any minute now”

    At that time, the job of Democratic Party activists/operatives will be to find (or add to whatever is already in the oppo files), curate, assemble, tune, and wield attack dirt on the person who would become POTUS in a year or three if Trump were elected; Trump is clearly[1] dealing with some sort of progressive dementia and would need to be 25th out.
    [1] many (highly respected) neurologists say…

  56. 56.

    HeleninEire

    This may be long but please listen.

    WAYYYY back when the Anthony Weiner thing happened I was commenting on Firedoglake (Hi Raven!!) I truly loved that blog. But here’s what happened.

    When the entire world was screaming for Weiner to quit and then he did, YAY, the owner of that blog Jane Hamsher told us all that it will be fine. That the Congressional district is D+8.

    I wrote on the blog that, no. I live in this district. I know my neighbors.  They are Republicans. If he leaves the district his place will be filled by a Republican. Jane came back and bitched at me like you cannot believe. She was so sure that the district would stay Democratic.

    Well guess what happened? It was taken over by a Republican.

    But thankfully only for a short time. We are now safely in the arms of Grace Meng. A Democrat who was one of the first ones to support Joe after the debate.

    So my way too long request is that you please listen to the people on the ground.

  57. 57.

    sab

    @Jay: My dad cheered when the dinosaur ate the lawyer in Jurassic Park.

    Sometimes I agree. But…

    My stepkids are free because lawyers. I am divorced and happily remarried because lawyers. Lawyer currently herding my dad’s tiny estate through probate

    ETA : We aren’t arguing are we? You are one of my favorite ( favourite) jackals.

  58. 58.

    p.a.

    Congrats to all the white Dem chickenshits for appearing to make the age-old conservative smear that black Democrats are taken for granted/ignored by their own party seem true.

  59. 59.

    Princess

    @sab: Thst was my reaction. Old white guys. And most of them nobodies who are probably jealous of Biden. I thought we weren’t supposed to listen to old people. I’ll start by not listening to them.

  61. 61.

    cain

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage:

    The other thing is to signal that their time in this party is over. Any politician listening to the big donors and trying to override the democratic party vote for the nominee needs to be put on notice.

    I for one am sick of this continuous nonsense of chasing what I think is white male voters and their white women allies.

  63. 63.

    Ishiyama

    With the money changers infesting the temple of our Democracy, who will drive them out? When the donors act like they purchased the party, who can blame them? Money is, currently, the primary prerequisite for gaining political office. If you don’t have it yourself, you have to suck up to the ones who do. AOC said it: corruption infects all it touches. The Democratic Party sold a Congressional nomination to a lottery winner, for Christ’s sake!

  67. 67.

    MagdaInBlack

    Listening to Driftglass and Bluegal tearing the press a new one on todays ” Professional Left” podcast.

  69. 69.

    cain

    My friends are telling me that this thing is a barn burner and that he’s killing it. Fuck yeah.

    Keep doing this – eventually, these assholes will calm the fuck down. The base apparently a lot more resilient than these assholes. Sick of them – go back and dwell in the 1990s.

  70. 70.

    sab

    I am touchy lately.

    I just pied BlueDWarrior because I couldn’t understand their point which I think was misconsruing mine.

    Although I think we might be on the same side.

  73. 73.

    cain

    @Bill Arnold: I bet they still don’t know who Trump is going to pick right up to the convention. I bet there won’t be a VP after the convention. lol.

    He’ll probably pick someone who is jail and insist they come out of prison to run. :D

  75. 75.

    Bill Arnold

    @cain:

    I bet there won’t be a VP after the convention. lol.

    They need somebody on the ballot, though.

  78. 78.

    Archon

    @Citizen Scientist: They are just trying to find the way to tell us Kamala is unelectable too, thus we need an entirety new ticket that we will decide behind closed doors at the convention.

  80. 80.

    Another Scott

    “He’s a LOSER!!”

    :-)

    Yes, he is.

    The crowd answered “LOCK HIM UP!  LOCK HIM UP!  LOCK HIM UP!”

    :-)

    Excellent.

    Fired up, ready to go!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Jay: Manhunter is technically part of the Hsnnibal series and is much more of a suspense/thriller than SOL.  It’s also better, imo.  Michael Mann directed it so it is more like a very dark episode of Miami Vice.  It’s creepy for sure, but you might be able to handle it.  Anyways, I always Stan for it because it is imo, one of the most underrated/overlooked films of the 80’s.

  90. 90.

    zhena gogolia

    @cain: As I’ve said a few times on this blog in the last few days: Black people are going to save democracy a-fuckin-gain

  91. 91.

    Scout211

    NBC News reported today

    Former President Donald Trump on Friday said that he’d like to announce his vice presidential running mate next week, potentially during the Republican National Convention, and named four key allies as potential picks.

    “I’d love to do it during the convention, which would be you know, or just slightly before the convention, like Monday, love to do it on Tuesday or Wednesday, actually, but for a lot of complex reasons that you people understand, pretty much don’t do that,” Trump told “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”

    So, that makes it clear, right?

    Trump indicated, as NBC News has reported previously, that his VP short list includes GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio and North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum. He also named Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., as having been “fierce and great” during a recent television appearance.

    “We have a very good bench,” the former president said.

    He also shed light on the vetting process, calling it a “highly sophisticated version of ‘The Apprentice,'” referring to the popular reality TV show Trump hosted in the 2000s.

    Still, Trump described his decision-making process as, “ultimately … more of an instinct.”

    Oh my gawd.  Get this man a neurological exam stat! 

  93. 93.

    Mousebumples

    @UncleEbeneezer: love this! I’ve been ridin’ with Biden all along, but this reminds me of the Khris Middleton apology forms that make the rounds periodically.

  96. 96.

    Geminid

    @sab: Everybody here is uptight more or less. It’s like there’s been a double full moon for two weeks now.

  97. 97.

    zhena gogolia

    @Scout211: It’s going to be Burgum. He can’t stand to be upstaged. Nobody knows who the hell Burgum is, it’s perfect.

    ETA: And may everyone please note — there are no women on that list. As I predicted.

    But I don’t really give a flying fuck.

  102. 102.

    Mousebumples

    @sab: take care of you. I’ve pied people on “my side” when they get to be a bit much and I need a break from their comments. Unpie when you feel ready. Take care of you.

  103. 103.

    Scout211

    @zhena gogolia: It’s going to be Burgum

    I’ve had my Monopoly money on J.D. Vance from the beginning but recently I have moved my money to Burgum.  I think you’re right.

  106. 106.

    Mousebumples

    @zhena gogolia: I think it’ll be one of his kids. No questions on loyalty, and he’ll like seeing Trump Trump on all the signs. He’s an ego maniac.

  107. 107.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Mike E: Yeah very dated but in a really great way.  I LOVED the old Miami Vice episodes.  That shit was so fucking edgy for network tv in 80’s.  And Mann always had great instincts for cinematography, music etc.  Iconic!

  108. 108.

    sab

    Still moving. Needed a generator, new a/c, and new roof.

    Generator done today. Shingles arrived so roof on Monday.  A/c next Friday. We got to cut in line because after all this we are regular customers.

    Roofing arriving was scary. Huge truck blocked the driveway, then crane hoisted shingles to the roof, and  roofers spread them out across the roof.

    Meanwhile, generator guys wanted out. Turns out they were not held up.

    New neighborhood is more mixed, like our old neighborhood used to be. Used to be when red-lining was a thing that this was where Black professionals moved. I remember that from high school. Friends lived there.

    Black professionals still live here.

    White people on my side of the street (only on this block.) Across the street two houses are big black families. Grand-daugter Lucy should feel safe here.

  110. 110.

    Jackie

    @zhena gogolia: The public list of potential candidates may not be the Chosen One. Recall Pence was on nobody’s radar.

    I’m still thinking it’ll be Huckabee-Sanders. Both the evangelists and MAGAts love her. And she wouldn’t overshadow TCFG.

  115. 115.

    Geoduck

    @zhena gogolia: Burgum would be my guess too. As a governor and rich guy, he’s not a complete nobody, so he’s not a looser, but he’s colorless wimp, and offers no danger of stealing any of the spotlight.

  116. 116.

    zhena gogolia

    @Jackie: If we were in the same room I’d place a bet with you — it won’t be Huckabee-Sanders, never in a million years. You think he wants to be on a ticket with a non-beautiful woman?

  118. 118.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Scout211: I think Scott had a chance. Trump will love having a totally subservient black guy around all the time, and he’ll love getting a bunch of media attention for it

  119. 119.

    chemiclord

    @BlueDWarrior: They can’t because quite literally every name that anyone has considered (Whitmer, Newsome, Harris, etc.) has given full-throated support to Biden’s campaign.

    It would utterly deflate their movement to give a name, and have that name say, “Uh… no.”  So they have to continue being vague.

  122. 122.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Jackie: Apparently hasn’t occurred to any of these geniuses that he tried to have his last VP killed, which is why he has to pick a new one. And were he president he would have immunity. Things like that happen in an autocracy

    Just sayin’ 😊

  123. 123.

    moonbat

    @UncleEbeneezer: I like that movie too. Brian Cox made a great Hannibal and it should be noted that William Petersen’s Will Graham was basically the same character he played in the whole CSI series. lol

  124. 124.

    wjca

    @Scout211  NBC News has reported previously, that his VP short list includes GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio and North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum. He also named Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.,

    Which, given his fondness for messing with people, probably means those 4 have been eliminated already.

  126. 126.

    moonbat

    @Scout211: So how about some speculation on the level we’ve been seeing on the Dem side for the past couple of weeks.

    It could be Manafort and they could do a Pardon Me Tour.

    It could be Vance and we could lay odds on who is going to stab who in the back first.

    My personal favorite is that he nominates his son Barron. The Apprentice/Succession-like drama would be lit with the other two lick-spittle sons crying and whining about how he promised them they were going to inherit the Oval Office.

  127. 127.

    Jay

    @sab:

    We are good, you are one of my favorite jackals as well.

    Omnes and Steve in the WTFN on the other hand,……… : )

    And don’t get me started on Baud,…..

  129. 129.

    MinuteMan

    @Old School: 

    Media: Sources close to the White House say Biden is even older tonight than he was two weeks ago.</blockquote​

    Media: In other news, unnamed Democratic leaders (you’ll have to take our word for it) say they’re outraged that the White House has covered up the fact the Joe Biden will be older at the start of his second term than he is now.

  131. 131.

    Jackie

    @moonbat: Is there a minimum age for VP?

    What happens when TCFG croaks and the VP isn’t old enough (35) to step up to the plate? Does mama fill in?

  132. 132.

    Scout211

    @moonbat: My personal favorite is that he nominates his son Barron.

    LOL. That would be awesome.  However, he’s enrolled in NYU for the fall so that’s probably not going to fly.

    But did you see that he is now making appearances at campaign events?  What a sweet gig he has.  Standing up and waving at campaign events will get him at least six figures as a member of the campaign.  College expenses paid by donors and super pacs.  That’s the Trump way.

    ETA:  I got all this information from at least a dozen inside sources close to the campaign. So it must be true.

  133. 133.

    moonbat

    @Jackie: As long as his choosing his running mate is an official presidential act, that pesky U.S. Constitution thing doesn’t even come into play.

  137. 137.

    Geminid

    @wjca: Presidential candidates typically choose their VP a week before the convention. That lets them showcase the ticket’s strength, and part of that is the VP candidate’s strength. But it’s like Trump needs to cut his running mate down to size first. This is not good practical politics, I think.

  139. 139.

    Mousebumples

    @Scout211: legally, the VP needs to be eligible for the presidency. Unless Barron is years older than I thought, he wouldn’t be eligible. But Ivanka seems like an option, to me. 

  140. 140.

    sab

    Husband just got back from last  55th high school reunion event and he had a blast.

    I had to go to the bar thing last night to prove that he had a wife. Apparently they thought I was ficticious. I am sure the real me disappointed.

  141. 141.

    geg6

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Totally agree.  And I don’t watch horror films.  Suspense, yeah.  Thrillers, yeah.  Neither Mindhunter nor Silence of the Lambs is a horror movie.

  142. 142.

    Eyeroller

    This whole mess has got to be about donors. I cannot see how a somewhat bad debate would be regarded as that catastrophic. The media keeps reciting it like a mantra but it is such a ridiculous exaggeration (“disastrous” come on).

    I recognized several names on the former Reps who signed that letter urging Joe to step down and I do not see any sensible motivation for them to do that at all.

    We are being blackmailed. It is the only thing that makes sense.

  143. 143.

    Mousebumples

    @Eyeroller: I hope Joe wins.

    And then the DNC supports primary challengers* if these Reps don’t change their tune.

    I’m sure the DNC is trying the carrot now. Might be time for a stick.

    * – I support the right of districts to figure out what they want. And for reddish leaning districts, while I think the “Biden will lose” messaging is Not Good, I’m not sure if another Dem could win Glustenkamp-Perez’s district. (probably misspelled, but I think she flipped a seat in 2022?)

  144. 144.

    Jackie

    @clay: The media keeps assuming Marco would move. That seems difficult for a seated senator to do. Second option seems to be TCFG moves back to NY. For several reasons I don’t see him doing that. TCFG could change his residence to Bedminster in NJ, but that option is never mentioned.

  146. 146.

    Scout211

    NOTUS is reporting that Rupert Murdoch is lobbying Trump daily to pick Burgum over Vance.  It’s all from anonymous sources, of course, but finally some reporting on the Trump campaign.

    Rupert Murdoch has launched a full-scale lobbying effort to get Donald Trump to pick North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for vice president, sources told NOTUS. And if Trump won’t pick Burgum, these sources said, Murdoch apparently has one last request: At least don’t pick Sen. J.D. Vance.

    Sources told NOTUS Friday that Murdoch has been pushing for Burgum — and against Vance — for quite some time now, both over the phone and by dispatching surrogates to Trump in person.

    A source close to Trump told NOTUS that Murdoch has been regularly calling the former president — often multiple times a day — to urge him to choose Burgum.

    One Fox News communications consultant told NOTUS that Murdoch had also sent employees from the New York Post down to Mar-a-Lago to bash Vance and make the case for the North Dakota governor. And the source close to Trump told NOTUS something similar — that Murdoch had sent News Corp executives to meet with the former president to personally make the pitch for Burgum and against Vance.

  147. 147.

    Geminid

    @Eyeroller: There is an element of panic as well. I think Colorado Senator Michael Bennett believed what he said last wek about Joe Biden costing Democrats the Senate and House. Bennett was dead wrong and should have known better, but he had joined the stampede.

  149. 149.

    Eyeroller

    @Mousebumples: ​I was mistaken; extortion is the crime, not blackmail. Extortion is “obtaining something through force or threats.” The donors are trying to exert their power to tell us what to do. Fuck that. Fuck Citizens United as well.

    Some who are in marginal districts or who are dems who win in rep areas have not called for Biden to step down since they know it doesn’t matter who the Dem candidate for President is. E.g. Tester who just made some vague statement about “concern” and “Joe should do what he feels is best” and “I will concentrate on working for Montana.” Then he distanced himself from Joe. Perfectly understandable and that’s how you do it in a swingy/red/pink district or state. Calling for Joe to step down goes beyond the pale. There are reports that these Reps are being paid (via contributions to a PAC) to do this.

  150. 150.

    Eyeroller

    @Geminid: Bennet is a twerp.  He can believe that but he had no business going on TV to meep about it.  Just makes him, and the rest of the elected Ds by extension, look weak. Makes a salvageable situation into a self-fulfililng prophecy.

  151. 151.

    wjca

    @Jackie: What happens when TCFG croaks and the VP isn’t old enough (35) to step up to the plate? Does mama fill in?

    Obviously the (Democratic) Speaker of the House becomes President.  Oops.

  152. 152.

    Soprano2

    @Geminid: But here’s the thing,  Bennet should know better. He has enough experience to know those polls were probably coming back. Why was he in a panic? The election is over 4 months away. If it were a month to the election the panic would be easier to understand. Thinking big donors were going to pull their money if Biden didn’t quit would explain a lot of the panic.

  153. 153.

    Geminid

    @Mousebumples: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez did flip a Republican seat in 2022. Her Washington state district sits right across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.

    Jaime Herrera Butler kept the seat in Republican hands for the last decade, but her vote to impeach Trump alienated many Republican voters and she failed to advance in a jungle primary. A hard core Trumper edged her out and went on to lose to Gluesenkamp Perez that November. They will have a rematch this November.

    Some of the Republicans’ largest media advertising purchases are in the Portland market. There is an Oregon seat nearby that is in play, held by Repuplcan Laurie Chaves-DeRemer. Curt “Fucking” Schrader held it until 2022, when he was knocked out in the primary.

    This year Democrats have a strong challenger in Janelle Bynum. So Republicans will spend money on defense in Chaves-Remer’s district and on offense in Gluesenkamp Perez’s.

    Chavez-DeRemer’s seat is one of 17 held by Republicans that Joe Biden would have carried, while Gluesncamp Perez’s is one of the 5 held by Democrats that Trump would have won.

  155. 155.

    Geminid

    @Soprano2: Sure Bennet should have known better, and his own seat isn’t even up this year. But Representatives and Senators aren’t necessarily well-grounded in practical politics. Some are, some aren’t, and Bennett is one of the latter group.

  156. 156.

    Geminid

    @Soprano2: I think the donor question arose after the panic. Reporting on John Warner a week ago was that he feared Tim Kaine might lose this year. When I saw that I knew Warner had lost his nerve. Kaine is pretty much unbeatable in this state

  157. 157.

    Geminid

    @Mousebumples: Not everyone knows Curt Schrader’s middle name!

    I studied this district because Jaime Herrera Butler was one of the 10 Republican Impeachers, and that group interested me. Four of them retired and four including Herrera Butler lost primaries. Dan Newhouse (WA) and David Valadeo (CA) were the only two survivors

    Ed. Tom Reed (NY), Fred Upton (MI), Adam Kinzinger (IL), and Anthony Gonzalez (Oh) were the four Impeachers who retired. Besides Jaime Herrera Butler, Liz Cheney (WY), Tom Rice (SC) and Peter Meijer lost their primaries.

  158. 158.

    tam1MI

    @Al Rennick: 24 former Democratic lawmakers publish letter calling for an open convention:

    We were told 40 and that Dem lawmakers running for re-election would be among the signers.  Only 24 and not a single sitting lawmaker in the bunch.

    The retreat has begun.

  160. 160.

    LanceThrustercourse

    I think for me personally, any glimmer of hope I had thinking that a clear-eyed assessment of the the situation as it was and not as was hoped for was finally taking place and offered to best chance available to recover from the deplorable calculations practically serving up the White House on a a gold-plated platter to Mango Mussolini whose bags are undoubtedly packed with piano wire. Knight of the Long Ties indeed.

    Pre-debate Biden would have still been close. Now his total will where they were -#post debate defectors. And those sticking with Biden are so proud if their tenacity and its display inspiring Joe to stay the course and march on to victory. It will be the type of shock experienced by those who embarked on the children’s crusade and were subsequently abandoned by Brandon’s God.

  161. 161.

    LanceThrustercourse

    @JoyceH: – or it could go the way of his “Bring it, Pal!” smack talk of the ad for the first disasterbate. That didn’t age well. Is the 2nd one still on?

  162. 162.

    LanceThrustercourse

    @tam1MI: – yeah, but the beheaded babies went from 40 to 0 and yet were still committing genocide by proxy.

  164. 164.

    LanceThrustercourse

    @BlueDWarrior: – and yet you have those also with first hand experience see it entirely different. And for whatever successes he can muster, it has to both counter perceptions sufficiently and maintain a trust substantially damaged already.

  165. 165.

    Chris T.

    @zhena gogolia:

    It’s going to be Burgum.

    Yep. He wants Thiels’ money, hence Vance, but is afraid Vance of Vance’s ambition and cunning, i.e., that Vance will poison Trump’s ketchup.

  166. 166.

    Geminid

    @Eolirin: That is very kind and I appreciate it. I must give credit to Magdi Jabobs (Mangy Jay); she showed me how to make a good argument without being a jerk about it.

    I’m sure I am one some of the time, maybe most of the time, but I have a nasty, argumentative side and without Jabobs’ influence I might well be the Pied Griper of Balloon Juice. And I’ve learned a lot from people here as well.

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