Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

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

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

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

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

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / This Is Very Tim Walz

This Is Very Tim Walz

by | 337 Comments

This post is in: 

I don’t know if this is real or photoshopped, but this is very Tim Walz, whether it is actually Tim Walz or not!

h/t  JCJ

The whole image, so you don’t want to click on twitter:

Update:  While we’re on the subject, this is very JV Vance.

h/t JWR

Clearly photoshopped, but undeniably VERY Vance.

Reader Interactions

337Comments

  2. 2.

    gratuitous

    Nice. I’m seeing stories about supporters of the felon who are beginning to have doubts about him and voicing dissent from the cult. I hope this begins to trend. I think the felon is giving off loserstink and his fans are very sensitive to that.

  8. 8.

    BR

    We really need Tim Walz to go on Colbert. I was thinking that there’s a whole universe of non-political Dem-leaning folks who watch Colbert and shows like his but don’t pay attention to politics. And for whatever reason all the late shows are on vacation right now.

  10. 10.

    KatKapCC

    It really says a lot about the GOP that they can take someone as likable, genial, inoffensive, and normal as Tim Walz and try to turn him into a raving wild-eyed monster.

    Of course, they also act like their actual raving wild-eyed monster is the greatest human to ever live, so…

  11. 11.

    Scout211

    NPR.org today:

    . . . There has been a remarkable trend since Kamala Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket: reaching out to men voters as men. There’s White Dudes for Harris, which held a recent organizing call, plus other virtual meetups from groups including Win With Black Men, Men for Harris and Dads for Kamala.

    . . .

    But men as a group vote substantially more Republican than women, and men continue to be a big part of Donald Trump’s base. Indeed, the GOP (and particularly Trump’s GOP) has made itself the party of overt displays of masculinity.

    So Democrats have been considering for years how to pull men to their side. In putting together these calls aimed at men, leaders of these groups say they are creating a permission structure for men to support a Democratic woman at the top of the ticket.

    If you have men who are recognizably successful as men within the traditional terms say, ‘We’re supporting Kamala Harris,’ then it makes it easier for men who are more self-conscious about that identification,” explained Jackson Katz, a writer and cofounder of the Young Men Research Initiative, a super PAC aimed at energizing young progressive men.

    Bakari Sellers agrees. He was one organizer of the Win With Black Men call.

    “The power of being able to go back to your barber shop and saying, ‘I was on a call with 50,000 men for Harris,’ that starts a totally different conversation,” Sellers said.

    Just as Walz believed his status as a football coach would show students – likely, especially boys – that it was okay to support a gay peer, organizers hope that these groups help show men that they won’t be alone in supporting a Democratic woman of color.

    Indeed, Walz himself – days before becoming the Democratic VP nominee – emphasized Harris’ gender and race on the White Dudes for Harris call while taking aim at Trump.

    “How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come? And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his ass and sent him on the road?” Walz asked.

    . . .

    Meanwhile, Mark Linton, co-founder of Men for Harris, talked about making the pitch to white men using historic terms.

    “This is that moment where white men are going to actually step up and say, this is actually our moment to really begin to turn a page and write a new chapter in America’s racial history,” Linton said.

    Across all these groups, though, it’s clear that participants are thinking hard about their own identities, too.

    “We’re here not only because we’re reimagining politics or reimagining the White House, but we’re reimagining what it means to be a dad,” said Mohan Sivaloganathan on a Dads for Kamala call. “And we’re retiring that tired stereotype of the dad who yells for everything but stands up for nothing.”

  13. 13.

    bbleh

    @KatKapCC: they can TRY, but I’m not seeing much evidence that they’re getting any traction (outside, I suppose, of the fever swamps).

  14. 14.

    oldgold

    What is the over under on the number of Dad Jokes Walz knows?  A guy who poses for that photo must know a minimum of 20.  And, that is a good thing.

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @Scout211:

    If grown men are still supporting a no good, very bad, terrible, horrible candidate because of peer pressure, then I need to revise my opinion of grown men.

    On the other hand, if peer pressure is what drives them, then let’s use peer pressure to drive them to Kamala.

  18. 18.

    suzanne

    @gratuitous:

    I think the felon is giving off loserstink and his fans are very sensitive to that.

    Agree.
    He’s got bad vibes. So much losing. So weird. So old and maybe demented. Embarrassing.

  19. 19.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    First glance at that photo and I thought “WTF is Walz doing there with Sinema?”

  20. 20.

    geg6

    @BR: ​
     
    The Olympics. They are vacationing during the Olympics because they know that the late coverage on NBC is likely going to cut into their ratings.

  22. 22.

    JML

    there are some candidates that you’d be reluctant to send to certain places. Tim Walz is someone you can send anywhere and he’ll be interested to go and meet people.

    I love the Big Positivity we’re getting from Harris/Walz. the Happy Warrior vibe generates a great contrast to the politics of resentment, grievance, and hate that Trump/Vance stick to like glue.

  23. 23.

    Flanders Other Neighbor

    Someone must be gearing up to run against Vance in a few years.  Seems like it will be an easy win, at least in the primary, but then again, Ted Cruz is still a senator..

  25. 25.

    Jeffro

    btw if some front-pager wants to post the link and make everyone’s day, there is an EXCELLENT vid up on Twitter under @mjfree ‘s account: trump at yesterday’s bonzo “press conference”, only with a nice jacket on and some highly appropriate theme music in the background.

    LOLOL

  29. 29.

    craigie

    More so even than Kamala, Walz is the living embodiment of the idea that anyone can grow up to be President. He really is the Everyman.

  42. 42.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Good thread by Alex @JewishWonk about why so many Gaza-obsessed Progressive Dems are losing  to Primary opponents:

    Why is all of this happening? The anti-Israel movement is energized in a way it has never been in my lifetime in American politics. A few comments.

    Institutional players will give you self-serving explanations that advance their agendas. Leftist organizers will point to pro-Israel money. Pro-Israel groups say Israel is popular with voters. Both have a kernel of truth, but reality is always more complex.

    The anti-Israel left is extremely good at generating coverage. They are overwhelmingly in the same places people in media reside and socialize: urban areas with many college educated people who since at least 2016 are far more politically engaged than the general populace.

    …

    Both Bush and Bowman and the other candidates who run on their opposition to Israel assume that it is a high salience issue with voters. It is for pro-Israel Jewish voters and for leftists who already agree with them, but not for the general public

    Here are voters top issues when prompted and unprompted. Israel doesn’t make the list on the prompted side. On the unprompted side, it makes the list for 2% of people at the height of the protests in March. That probably includes pro- and anti-Israel.

    The far-left is fixated with turning Israel, an American ally, into a pariah. It makes them weird when it comes to the American electorate, which by and large doesn’t focus on foreign affairs. Their fixations are their own undoing.

    Beyond not being relevant to most voters, the decision of leftists to make Israel their top issue puts them at odds with a core constituency of the Democratic party: American Jews. Like Black Americans, Jewish Americans vote, donate, and volunteer disproportionate to their size.

    It is political malpractice to run on issues that voters don’t care about, that divide your coalition, that invite single issue groups with deep pockets to oppose you. Anti-Israel Leftists are losing and they will continue to lose so long as Israel is their top issue.

  44. 44.

    KatKapCC

    @bbleh: Yeah, wild that the “Tim Walz doesn’t want to make menstruating teens free-bleed through their jeans because they didn’t have a pad in their backpack” gambit isn’t really working with non-loons.

  46. 46.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: The person at the top of the ticket sets the tone. Harris throws sharper elbows than Biden.  Or so it seems.*

    *Not a value judgment.

  51. 51.

    rikyrah

    DFW Sports 4Life (@Kennymack1971) posted at 11:05 AM on Fri, Aug 09, 2024:
    Kamala Harris isn’t some unknown entity who came from out of nowhere. She’s a former US Senator, Presidential candidate in 2020 and the current Vice President of the United States running for President now. Her policy stances aren’t hidden. The media is telling on themselves.

    DFW Sports 4Life (@Kennymack1971) posted at 11:05 AM on Fri, Aug 09, 2024:
    Basically the media has been perfectly happy to dismiss her, shade her and underestimate her so when President Biden endorsed her and her campaign took off immediately they got caught flat footed and this is why you’re getting dumb shit like “why won’t she answer questions?”
    (https://x.com/Kennymack1971/status/1821940856250601572?t=9oEe5QCE5xsNJE68zJznvg&s=03)

  55. 55.

    rikyrah

    Democrat, Environmentalist, & the establishment (@BlueSteelDC) posted at 10:48 AM on Fri, Aug 09, 2024:
    So, nearly 24 hrs, and not a single reporter (looking at you Tapper)  who was clutching pearls  about the next VP’s “couch” statement has said a thing about Trump’s remarks

    It’s almost like its not about decency. Its about using your platforms to play defense for your real side https://t.co/Q9Ivw6B3SR
    (https://x.com/BlueSteelDC/status/1821936498842726770?t=fux8FClVx8fBxK07qPeGPA&s=03)

  56. 56.

    Sister Golden Bear

    FYI, critiquing our media betters works.

    Nice Polite Republican reporter Steve Inskeep posted link to a FTFNYT article summarizing it as Trump “appears to have confused one man named Brown with another man named Brown, while recounting in detail a story that both Browns say never happened.”

    I got a rather snippy reply after I criticized him for omitting two important facts, one of them is former CA Speaker Willie Brown, who is Black, and the other is former CA gov Jerry, who is white. And mentioned that back when I was a reporter, my city editor would’ve ripped me new one for failing to include that.

    His defense was that the details were in the linked article, which I’d obviously read.

    I pointed out that not everyone, including me, has a NYT sub, and more importantly there was plenty of character count to mention that in his original tweet, e.g. “appears to have confused Black former CA speaker Willie Brown with white former CA gov Jerry Brown.”

    No reply.

  60. 60.

    Geminid

    @UncleEbeneezer: My take on Reps. Bowman’s and Bush’s losses is that while their positions on the Gaza war hurt them, they would still have won if they had not been sub-par Representatives to begin with, and if Georhe Latimer and Wesley had not been capable politicians themselves.

    This theory will be tested in Rep. Ihlan Omar’s upcoming primary. Omar has been a more capable and diligent representative than her fallen Squad mates, in my opinion at least, and her opponent is not of Latimer’s or Ball’s caliber either.

  61. 61.

    RSA

    @bbleh:  (outside, I suppose, of the fever swamps)

    Speaking of the fever swamps, Dana Milbank has a solid piece on the Trump/Vance ticket:

    ‘Weird’ doesn’t begin to capture the Trump-Vance campaign [gift link]

    …A low-energy Trump, by contrast, scheduled only one rally, in Montana. Instead, he and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, made a series of overtures to the “manosphere,” an online community of right-wing — and frequently misogynistic — men.

    At Mar-a-Lago, Trump sat down for an hour and a half with 23-year-old live-streamer Adin Ross, who has been banned from the streaming platform Twitch for “hateful conduct.” For the benefit of Ross’s hypermasculine young audience, the two men discussed their shared fondness for Ultimate Fighting and compared their “favorite fighters,” and Trump praised the “good heart” of antisemitic rapper Ye. The two also discussed their admiration for the Nelk Boys (“great people,” Trump said), other far-right influencers who, like Ross, have promoted self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, known for celebrating violence against women and who is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania…

  62. 62.

    oldster

    @WaterGirl:

    Really no reason why it would not be Tim Walz right there. The Paul Bunyan statue is the highlight of Bemidji, so lots of Minnesotans have their pictures taken there.

    Now, if they try to tell you that there’s a giant statue of Bob Dylan wearing a lumberjack shirt in Hibbing, MN, that’s when you should be a bit skeptical.

    But this photo is just another day in the land of 10,000 lakes.

  65. 65.

    Chet Murthy

    @SiubhanDuinne: “Babe the Blue Ox”

    I wonder what percentage of Americans recognize the statue?  I wonder if there’s an age distribution of people who recognize it.

  66. 66.

    Geminid

    @Baud: No Democrats that I can think of. Virginia Rep. Bob Good lost his primary though, by around 370 votes.

    In 2020, Good was one of three Republicans to knock out incumbents in primaries or in Good’s case, a district convention. The other two were Lauren Boebert in Colorado and some guy in Florida.

  67. 67.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Baud: I think they are the only two who were actual incumbents.  But that thread mentions other primary losses for non-incumbent candidates too.

  68. 68.

    jonas

    @gratuitous:   I think the felon is giving off loserstink and his fans are very sensitive to that.

    I’ll believe it when I see it. It’s a cult, not a political movement. If Trump is doing something to make them doubt him, it can only be because their own sins and shortcomings have temporarily blinded them to his true glory and genius.

  71. 71.

    JML

    @Geminid: I think you’re mostly right about this.

    i don’t think Ilhan is all that much better as a Rep than either, but she also doesn’t have a particularly strong opponent. She’s also got a fairly loud network of friends who call anyone in the party that dares criticize her a racist and so far that haven’t been too many people with real name recognition and support that are interested in dealing with that.

  72. 72.

    M31

    Walz will agree to play a round of golf with Trump if Trump will play a round of “hey can you help me get this lawnmower that had bad gas in it all winter started”

    I bet Vance couldn’t do it either

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Chet Murthy: The distribution is probably more geographic than age based.  WI, MN, and at least the Yoopers of MI will know.

    ETA:  And those who vacation there.  So a lot of Chicago area people as well.

  75. 75.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Geminid: That’s basically what Alex argues as well.  They lost for a multitude of reasons but leaning so heavily into Gaza, didn’t help.  It’s just not a big enough issue to save a candidate that voted against the Infrastructure Bill or has other unpopular baggage in the eyes of their constituents.  It will get them a lot of attention from FreePalestine cheerleaders on Social Justice Twitter, but not much else.  And probably hurts their campaign more than it helps.

  76. 76.

    Chet Murthy

    @Omnes Omnibus: I  grew up in TX, and the recognition was instant.  But I would think that the younguns wouldn’t recognize him, b/c didn’t grow up with those stories.

  79. 79.

    Kayla Rudbek

    I was trying to comment on the last thread that I was in for another $25 but FYWP lost the comment several times, both on Safari and Firefox

  80. 80.

    Geminid

    @JML: Rep. Omar has impressed me. Omar had a rocky start in early 2019 but I think she has since become a responsible team player who adds value to her Caucus.

    I thought Omar handled the successful Republican effort to kick her off the Foreign Relations Committee last year with class and dignity that made her detractors look small.

    And the entire Democratic caucus stood behind her on that vote; I thought this was important and demonstrated their general respect for her.

  81. 81.

    Captain C

    @Sister Golden Bear: Regarding the blatantly false helicopter story, I wonder if TCFG, as he spirals down into whatever mental wreckage he’s going through right now, might have a little bit of, if not a guilty conscience, a little guilty worry over those casino execs of his that died in a conveniently-timed helicopter crash back in the late ’80s, one which, IIRC, he was supposed to be on but backed out at the last minute.

  82. 82.

    BC in Illinois

    @clay:

    By definition, every joke he knows is a Dad joke.

    Likewise, any music he plays is Sixties Music.

  83. 83.

    Leto

    @UncleEbeneezer: probably didn’t hurt that AIPAC poured an absolute fuck ton of money into those races. From reporting, the most money they’ve ever spent; almost $18M, with $8.5M just for hers. I’m always heartened when America’s unrestrained, unrestricted ally can directly influence American elections with no consequences.

  84. 84.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Chet Murthy: Like I said, it is different up here.  Paul Bunyan themed shit is everywhere that the logging industry was big.  So draw a line across WI and MN that runs from Green Bay through Minneapolis to, let’s say, Fargo.  Pretty much everything north of that.

  86. 86.

    cain

    @UncleEbeneezer: Isn’t true that American Jews themselves are not firm supporters of Israel (the younger ones) and are not happy with Bibi and the way the Gaza war has been conducted.

    Of course, now we have a war brewing between Israel and Iran. A very foolish war because if Iran fails the other ME countries will take advantage. They aren’t that stupid. I hope Hezbollah realizes it would be stupid – they aren’t going to get support from the other ME countries.

  87. 87.

    Starfish

    @BR: It’s August recess. Everyone is in the Hamptons, and there are no politicians doing stupid things while doing their jobs.

  88. 88.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Chet Murthy:

    I’ve never seen the statue, but I knew instantly who it was. How sad that so much of that great American folklore — traditional songs, tall tales, etc. — has seemingly vanished from our culture.

  91. 91.

    cain

    @rikyrah: This should be payback for the GOP goin after Hunter – Harris-Walz campaign is going to drive Trump into a mental breakdown.

  93. 93.

    Starfish

    @JML: Yes. People here keep suggesting that they go after Trump in a mean way because they don’t have the memo that the vibe has shifted and that mean, angry people are covered in loser stink.

  96. 96.

    West of the Rockies

    @gratuitous:

    If just one out of a hundred Trumpers sit out the election, that’s  BFD.  If it’s three or four, it’s huge.

  97. 97.

    geg6

    @BC in Illinois: ​
     
    I doubt that. He’s younger than I am and, if I’m playing the songs of my youth, it’s 70s and 80s. Bet he’s a big Journey, Styx, Kansas or REO Speedwagon fan, like most of the men I know who are my age.

  98. 98.

    Served

    @Kay: I have a friend who is working for a Latino outreach group focused on congressional races. He’s really optimistic about quite a few House races right now.

    He’s a Dreamer, so it’s personal :)

  99. 99.

    trollhattan

    @BC in Illinois:

    IDK his preferences but given his birth year, Walz should be a Devo, Kraftwerk, Elvis Costello, Springsteen, Pati Smith, Clash, Blondie and Talking Heads fan.

    Which will make him aces, in my book.

  100. 100.

    Geminid

    @cain: Iran is under heavy pressure not to respond to Haniyeh’s assassination with a determined attack on Israel. They may be having second thoughts themselves.

    But the next week or so will be very fraught. When there was a war scare a few weeks ago, Israel’s Health Minister said his ministry was planning for mass graves in case there was an all-out war with Hezbollah.

    Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky posted this alarming statement alongside one by another minister who declared it was “time to show to show Nasrallah who’s boss,” Nasrallah being Hezbollah’s leader.

  103. 103.

    Leto

    @trollhattan: all amazing choices. Considering what would’ve been on the radio at most of his bases, going to say he’s solidly classic rock.

    Edit: geg6 nails a large portion of it. When my first NCOIC (work center boss) had control of the radio, classic rock of that vintage would always play. We always had a good mix of contemporary/pop and classic rock going through the week. One of the things your military service should provide is a solid music education.

  105. 105.

    Origuy

    One reason I’ve not completely left Twitter is the list of historians and archaeologists that I follow there. Now many of them have moved over to Threads. I’ve been busy following those on #HistoryThreads.

  108. 108.

    JML

    @Geminid: I think the caucus wasn’t going to stand for the GOP taking one of their prerogatives (committee membership) away from someone because they were a bunch of racist twats. whether they actually respect her as a body might be a different question. Her ethics have been wobbly, she’s flirted with antisemitic tropes far too many times for it to be an accident, and she really hasn’t done a lot for her district, while drawing a lot of negative energy on the rest of her democratic colleagues in MN. (I think she’s kind of a narcissistic shitbag, really, but YMMV.)

    Regardless, she’s not going to lose the primary. In part because Don Samuels is a relic with his own trail of ethical problems, rather than a viable challenger. If someone like Scott Dibble decided to challenge her, it’d be a different scene I think.

  110. 110.

    KatKapCC

    @cain: American Jews are firm supporters of Israel’s right to exist, just like every other country on Earth has a right to exist. We are not, as a whole, firm supporters of Netanyahu’s government. And the fact that so many people in this country cannot seem to separate the two is part of the problem.

  111. 111.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    @Jeffro:

    If it’s the one I think it is, somebody posted it in the comments of either the morning thread or the overnight thread. Don’t have time to look for it now, but I will later if it hasn’t popped up.

  115. 115.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    It must feel nice to not give a shit that our tax money is going toward colonialist genocidal goals.

    In the ignorance is bliss sort of way…

  119. 119.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @rikyrah: The press conference thing is such BS. She’s been the candidate for less than three weeks. Sure TCFG did one yesterday but how many months had it been since his last one? If she hasn’t done one in that many months, then start the clock but until then she’s doing as many as the other guy.

  127. 127.

    sdhays

    @rikyrah: She just had a press conference yesterday and they had no questions for her above the junior high gossip chain level.

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    Dave Troy (@davetroy) posted at 7:35 AM on Fri, Aug 09, 2024:
    Friday thoughts:

    1. Republicans plan to steal the election, reprising and expanding attacks from 2000, 2016, 2018, and 2020.

    2. These attacks depend on popular support and can be curbed with overwhelming numerical superiority.

    3. Anticipating and publicizing the attacks and their exact makeup can help states better prepare.

    4. Georgia and Fulton County are particular targets and should be blanketed with PR campaigns that let the public know what’s up.

    5. The danger is that the election simply won’t be certified — even in places where Trump wins.

    6. Biden is president, not Trump, and won’t be using the Pentagon to help steal the election. He also has very broad authority to intervene to force certification, if necessary.

    7. Administrations in WI, PA, MI, AZ are Democratic and will not aid and abet an effort to steal the election.

    8. If the Trump camp really thought RFK Jr would harm him more than Harris, they’d pull him. Do not celebrate RFK Jr’s presence on any ballot.

    More than ever, this election outcome will be rooted in a psychological war for who people “feel” won. Do the work to ensure overwhelming numerical superiority that cannot be questioned. Onward!
    (https://x.com/davetroy/status/1821888087162810698?t=TvYlPqzV3F4g81RSD1UINA&s=03)

  129. 129.

    Soprano2

    @BR: I’m sure it’s because of the Olympics, they figure everyone’s watching that and they’re probably not wrong. The only one that’s not out is The Daily Show. Walz should go on there, too.

  130. 130.

    PatD

    @UncleEbeneezer: Some good points there but the organizations involved (AIPAC, DMFI) were very hostile to Obama and the Dems since 2008. Yes, they don’t represent the majority of Jewish voters but they can also work against any mainstream Dem they view as insufficiently supportive of their interests.

  131. 131.

    KatKapCC

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: People cannot colonize a land they have had presence in for over 3,000 years.

    Genocide is not defined as “a lot of people being killed during a war”, especially a war in which the civilian to combatant death ratio is far lower than is typical in war. And especially when those civilian deaths, all of which are indeed tragic and all of which I mourn as a human being with a soul, largely occur because of the intentional choices of the combatants on that side.

    But I know having this discussion with you is futile, because you will simply brush aside any sources as biased or lying or whatever, because you seem to be the kind of person who will believe a literal terrorist organization rather than ever believing Jews about anything at all. So I’ll offer up those links and then I’ll step away rather than let this devolve into another back and forth that will only make me feel like my value as a Jew has been deemed valueless once again.

  132. 132.

    TBone

    Ronny Jackson still has on his Twitter bio that he is a retired Rear Admiral when the Navy demoted him to Captain two years ago.

    – Ron Filipkowski

  134. 134.

    Old School

    Trump didn’t answer the question I asked him at his news conference. But if he had, this is what I think he would have said and meant.— New York Times Pitchbot (@DougJBalloon) August 9, 2024

  135. 135.

    WaterGirl

    Just received this message from our friends at Worker Power.

    Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be her running mate, and while we always root for an Arizona name, we are thrilled by her choice.

    Let us explain:

    When it comes to defending workers’ rights, you can’t find better than Tim Walz.

    In Congress, Walz proudly voted to pass the Affordable Care Act, a decision that not every representative in a purple district would have been brave enough to make. Then, as Governor of Minnesota, he RAISED the minimum wage, signed paid leave into law so that parents could care for their sick kids without the threat of losing their jobs, and made noncompete clauses unenforceable!

    Furthermore, Tim Walz is a former union member who’s been on the picket line! As a member of the American Federation of Teachers, he knows firsthand the importance of unions for families, and when the United Auto Workers went on strike last fall, Walz showed up to support them!

    In other words, Tim Waltz will fight for us because he IS one of us.

    Nancy, having Tim Walz working alongside Kamala Harris in the White House means having a true ally of labor at the highest level of government.

  137. 137.

    burritoboy

    Both Harris and before her, Biden, had very strong relations with considerable swaths of the press.  Their strategy was (pretty well known, even if it was not made absolutely explicitly clear) to reach beyond the very top tier of the national press (i.e. primarily the New York Times, Washington Post, WSJ, etc) that Harris and Biden – in my opinion, correctly – judged was and is highly problematic in all sorts of ways.  They instead focused on the strong regional papers on the one hand (Cleveland Plain Dealer, for an especial one) and on news talk / comedy shows on the other.  This led to the New York Times (especially) and WaPo (a bit less so) having essentially a sort of status fit (you’ll talk to the Plain Dealer, but we are the New York Times!  Don’t you know who we are! Etc.). There was long a problem that the top Dems would focus on what the very very top tier of national print media would think and say (i.e. especially the New York Times.) This went hand-in-glove with a lot of the top-most Dems being double Ivy League grads for a long era (i.e. huge proportions had both an Ivy League undergrad degree and an Ivy League law degree – and mostly had a law degree from either Harvard or Yale.) Neither Biden (nor Harris nor Walz) fit that mould, and their media strategies (presumably) fit that. That’s part of what you are seeing going on. Again, a lot of the Biden/Harris economic policy is focused on revitalizing manufacturing and revitalizing the Rust Belt, so it of course makes absolute sense to be working much more closely with the best papers of that region to get that very message out to precisely that region – which is where so many of the swing states are anyway (of course, they want to talk to a wide variety of channels all across the country, but this is why they did these particular things.) That’s not a narrative that matters as much to the New York Times or WaPo readership, but that readership ain’t what any Democratic campaign needs to worry about (and if they are worried whether they will win New York……well, they’re going to be blown out in a huge landslide loss in that scenario.)

  139. 139.

    wjca

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: The press conference thing is such BS. She’s been the candidate for less than three weeks. Sure TCFG did one yesterday but how many months had it been since his last one?

    Perhaps more to the point, she gets a bunch of press questions every time she gets on or off her plane.  And actually answers some of them.  Which means they’ve already gotten a lot more from her than they got from TCFG’s “press conference.”

  141. 141.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @KatKapCC: As far as colonialism, the nation as it exists was created after World War 2. Some of the people were already there. Some of the other people who were already there are being pushed out by a government established by the West.

    Genocide? First of all, I can’t take anyone’s word that non-combatants are faring comparatively well when I consider it in the context of propaganda from all available sources essentially asserting that all Palestinians are Hamas.

    Your link is completely unsourced, by the way.

    Genocide entails a lot more than killing. Relocation for example. We are witnessing the destruction of a culture and I am flat out sickened by people who don’t recognize it as such.

  143. 143.

    sdhays

    @burritoboy: This triggered a memory for me from just a few months ago when MVP was at the FTFNYT and Sulzberger apparently waylaid her to beg her to convince Biden to do an interview.

    I wonder if he thinks he should have handled that time with her differently now.

  145. 145.

    Matt McIrvin

    @rikyrah:

    These attacks depend on popular support and can be curbed with overwhelming numerical superiority.

    I guess that makes it unlikely that Youngkin is seriously going to try something in Virginia. While I don’t actually know the current situation on the ground there beyond contact with my family, I would make a strong guess that Harris is going to be way ahead there and any move to nullify the presidential vote is going to be met with a real shitstorm.

  147. 147.

    Baud

    @sdhays:

    No, I think they’re feeling powerful and unaccountable. They’ll go to war with Harris soon enough if she doesn’t cave.

  148. 148.

    Leto

    @Geoduck: considering his largest sugar daddy is a right-wing billionaire who is also Trumpov’s largest donor? Yeah, I think they got some influence.

  150. 150.

    snoey

    @Juliet: In about 1950 Humphrey helped merge the Farmer-Labor party into the main Democratic party. Was in college there in 1968 and met some people wouldn’t vote for him then because he sold out the Farmer-Labor party. Some things never change.

  154. 154.

    japa21

    Quick question.
    Obviously, Harris has been officially nominated by the party. But doesn’t Walz also need to be nominated? Is that going to take place at the convention?

  155. 155.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @schrodingers_cat: Well, we can do something about the cynical money focused pols in the party during midterms.

    But that might entail associating with…ew…leftists.

  159. 159.

    Matt McIrvin

    @burritoboy: I’m sure the NYT folk would say that they have national reach and if you don’t make them happy, they can destroy you in the Rust Belt too, through their influence on regional media buzz.

    Who knows if that’s still true.

  161. 161.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Omnes Omnibus: I know Paul Bunyan. I’m from MA. I remember him as part of a series of Disney adaptations of American folktales. Casey Jones at Bat was another example.

  162. 162.

    Captain C

    @rikyrah: It’s kind of weird how in one breath they claim that their both-sides coverage is out of a desire to be fair and balanced and then in the next they blatantly announce that they’re going to put their thumb on the scales (or really their whole ass) if the candidate doesn’t bend a knee to them.

  170. 170.

    Miki

    @JML: Agree with all of this, esp. the wobbly part.

    My sister and BIL live in North Mpls, and have had it with her so they’re supporting Samuels.

  171. 171.

    Villago Delenda Est

    “Overt displays of masculinity”.  You mean like arranging a medical deferment to the draft?

  174. 174.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Leto: Hey, Leto, yesterday I saw a guy complaining about a book he read in which a former marine refers to himself throughout as a soldier. The complainer said no marine would ever say that. True?

  175. 175.

    Ruckus

    @Captain C:

    Most major newspapers think they can change the minds of a significant level of the voters. I think most of them are full of it. I used to read newspapers a lot, till about 30 yrs ago. Now I do not waste the paper. I do what we are doing now. First it gets impressions and opinions from people that actually have a vote, because while the people that own, operate and work at the FTFNYT can vote, the news paper cannot and just because someone buys the FTFNYT does not mean they agree with it. Especially every single word of it.

  176. 176.

    PatD

    @KatKapCC: I think you’re quite obviously correct about “genocide” semantics. However, why did you have to claim that people are listening to Hamas? That’s a bit cheap. It’s an incorrect emotional argument made by activists and people in Gaza who are bearing the brunt of an overwhelming military campaign that’s killed 100k or so people and quite reasonably want it stopped.

  180. 180.

    Ohio Mom

    That anti-Vance ad on the downtown bus shelter might be real. This afternoon, driving about, I saw a billboard with Vance that quoted him, “Donald Trump is unfit for office.” In the fine print, “Stop Project 25.”

    It was on I-71 North, a busy road around here.

  181. 181.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    There is an amusing place in Lake George called Magical Forest.  It has rides that should be shut down but that’s another story.  They have a Paul Bunyon statue.  There was another one back in the late 1970’s, too.  Crystal Beach in Ontario, Canada.  I love a good Paul Bunyan statue.

  184. 184.

    Baud

    @Danielx: Joe promoted Kamala more than I can remember any president promoting their Veep.  Everything was “Biden-Harris”.

  185. 185.

    Ruckus

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Not Leto but while it is possible because they technically are soldiers, most do refer to themselves as Marines first. Now in the Navy it was sailers, swabbies, and Marines were jarheads. Not to their faces of course, unless one was looking for a fight. I also was discharged over 50 yrs ago so anything is possible today. And I use the VA regularly and have never heard anyone use derogatory terms for members/ex members of other branches of the military.

  186. 186.

    Leto

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: So this is just my personal take: soldier is typically an Army term. It can be a generic term when referencing what you did (“I was a soldier”), but Army personnel refer to themselves as soldiers, while Marines refer to themselves as Marines. Marine is a both an organization, as well as a title. Marines take exceptional pride in that. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

    Air Force personnel will refer to themselves as Airmen (“We’re all Airmen; the Airman ethos/creed; etc”), while the Navy… idk about them. They’re weird. While I was at Ft Riley doing my training, we had some Navy personnel also doing training. I called them “swabbies”, and they didn’t seem to like it. When I responded, “Arrrrrr, I’ll keep that in mind, matey’s!” They also didn’t like that. So idk about them.

    :P

  188. 188.

    cmorenc

    @WaterGirl: The stock reply of many Trumpy-leaning men is: “Trump is a horrible person, but I like his policies” – as if the two were cleanly separable and the latter don’t brightly reflect the former.

  192. 192.

    Leto

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: @Ruckus:

    And I use the VA regularly and have never heard anyone use derogatory terms for members/ex members of other branches of the military.

    I will say this, we will joke around with each other. Chair force, ground pounders, jar heads, swabbies… all that. We will do that. Once an outsider does that, it’s a Total Force Concept against that person/entity/group. It’s like family. Family is allowed to bust each other’s balls. You ain’t family? Whelp, good luck with that.

  193. 193.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @The Kropenhagen

    a series of Disney adaptations of American folktales. Casey Jones at Bat was another example.

    I think you may be conflating two separate bits of folk culture. Casey Jones was the railroad engineer who died when his passenger train collided with another train that was stuck on the tracks (“Casey Jones mounted to the cabin / And he took his farewell trip to the Promised Land!”). Casey at the Bat is the poem (“There is no joy in Mudville / Mighty Casey has struck out!”) by Ernest Thayer. Happy to be corrected, but AFAIK there’s no link between the two Caseys.

  194. 194.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Ruckus: @Leto:  This reader was pretty sure that once a marine, always a marine thing would apply. The discussion was about how easy it is to write something you don’t know that you don’t know. I feel that way about books that get the tenure process insanely wrong. I just pretend it’s not happening and read on.

  197. 197.

    Leto

    OT: The women’s breaking finals were absolutely amazing. Amazing displays of skill, flow, and sheer happiness. Next up, tomorrow the men; you guys gotta really bring it because the women absolutely were!

  199. 199.

    danielx

    @BC in Illinois: ​
     Untrue – he’s the guy that said as Governor of Minnesota he couldn’t understand why Warren Zevon isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

    A sentiment which which I agree 100%.

  202. 202.

    topclimber

    @BR: I heard the reporting crowd was by invite. Did that matter? By that i mean: Were any of the better press corps members excluded?

  203. 203.

    Old School

    Met Tim Walz on my first day in Congress, sat next to him on Veterans Affairs committee for the following six years. No one fought harder for veterans. And he did it by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.As Governor of Minnesota he codified rights, implemented background checks, legalized marijuana, passed paid family leave, restored voting rights and invested more than $1 billion in affordable housing. Not bad.

    And before any of this, he was a high school teacher, football coach and a 24-year veteran of the army national guard.

    He also happens to be a terrific dad and husband — there isn’t a conversation I’ve had with him where he doesn’t bring up his kids, always with the biggest smile on his face.

    We became friends in Congress, going on early morning runs (in the dead of DC winter, I’m bundled in layers and he’s wearing a t-shirt and shorts), talking Minnesota music, the Replacements (Tim!), Prince, Dylan, Husker Du, and sharing stories about our families and hometowns.

    In a business that prioritizes transactional relationships, he’s always been good to me, reaching out when I’m up, reaching out when I’m down, just being a good friend. And in a profession that encourages poll-testing and focus groups and political corporate speak, he’s always himself, the real deal. Common sense, kindness and empathy.

    I couldn’t be more excited that he’s on the ticket, couldn’t be more energized to do everything I can to help Vice President Harris and Governor Walz win the most important election of our lives.

    Let’s go!
    pic.twitter.com/yJIjM7Zdb9— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 6, 2024

  204. 204.

    rikyrah

    Veronica McDonald (@Purify_toast17) posted at 10:58 AM on Fri, Aug 09, 2024:
    Yall yuk yuk yuck’d it up when Trump made fun of disabled reporters, clowned John McCain for being a POW, described Harris as a laughing dumb hyena and Michelle Obama as a fist pumping radical out to get white people but we must “go high” on Vance lest his tender feelings be hurt
    (https://x.com/Purify_toast17/status/1821939063001121031?s=03)

  209. 209.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m not familiar with the first story you said. I remembered the baseball player as Casey Jones but I, too, am happy to be corrected.

    It just occurred to me I’m more likely conflating the folkloric baseball player with Casey Jones the Ninja Turtles character who fought using sports equipment.

  210. 210.

    topclimber

    @Geminid: I wonder if war with Iran, bankrolled by Uncle Sam, would be as insignificant an issue with voters as some here seem to think Gaza is.

  213. 213.

    Ruckus

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I’d bet, because my best friend is an ex Marine, that this isn’t true, at least not 100% of the time. Maybe 98%……..

    As I have stated here a number of times over the years that I’m an ex swabby – member of the Navy and have been called over the last 50+ decades, worse, it’s all part of being an ex member of the military – it depends on the person. I’ve heard people I’d never expect this from, talk in the negative about their time in and the service they were a member of and at least some of the people they served with. It’s humanity, it’s almost never as good as it could be, nor as bad as it gets described. OK sometimes it is that bad……

  215. 215.

    cmorenc

    @WaterGirl: Many Trumpy-leaning men will readily admit, even volunteer: “Trump is an absolutely horrible person, but I like his policies. “ As if there was somehow bright separation between the two.

  216. 216.

    Old School

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Is this an urban legend or can kids really not read cursive

    My daughter can’t.  She can pick out the occasional word, but isn’t able to read it easily.  She’ll be going into 8th grade this year.

  223. 223.

    rikyrah

    @cmorenc:

    @WaterGirl: The stock reply of many Trumpy-leaning men is: “Trump is a horrible person, but I like his policies” – as if the two were cleanly separable and the latter don’t brightly reflect the former.

     

    Like women are supposed to separate THEM from voting for anti-woman policies of the GOP.

    you vote your VALUES

  225. 225.

    Leto

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Do you remember the book? Without knowing it I can’t exactly say one way or the other, I simply know how they think of themselves in general.

    For example: the Air Force about 10-15 years back started making the concerted effort to push the “we are all Airmen” concept. Similar to Marine, or soldier. For us it’s an especially tough lift because Airmen is a rank, as well an enlisted tier. The Airmen tier comprises E-1 through E-4. For E-5 to E-6 is NCO tier, while E-7 to E-9 is the Senior NCO tier. Officers… well they’re officers. Singular tier.

    So getting all of us to think of ourselves as Airmen… well it was a tough sell. To a degree, still a tough sell. It’s going to take an even longer time, and even more buy in across the ranks, for us to fully internalize that concept in the same way the Marines do. And honestly, I don’t know if we’ll ever do that because of our inherent cultural differences. We don’t have the same monolithic attitude that they do. It’s can be both a strength, and weakness. I feel like we really leverage that in positive aspects most of the time. What a Marine might send an E5-E6 to do, I’ll send an E3-4. What they might need a more senior NCO to decide, well let an E5 decide it. But, I also know that we’ll tolerate a lot more talk back/dissent that Marines will ever tolerate, sometimes to our own detriment.

    Sorry for the ramble, just doing some further explaining that might not have been needed, but always like discussing.

  226. 226.

    Juju

    @geg6: He’s a couple of years younger than I am, and I’m 62, very close to 63. My guess is it’s more along the line of The Talking Heads, REM, UB40, U2 and maybe Journey and Toto.

  227. 227.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Leto: I often mention that I refer to Marines as “jarheads” as a term of affection.  For Marines who don’t rate affection, like JD Vance, I use “crayola connoisseurs”.

  228. 228.

    Leto

    @Miki: haha, I love you guys :).  At my FOB in Iraq, had a chance to befriend a few Marines in the gym. Once you got past the tootsie pop outer layer, they were good peeps. But yeah, you guys are a bit different :P

  234. 234.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    TimWalz is the guy that gets things done and gives not one crap about being praised for it. The more I hear about him the better I like him. And from the moment I first heard about him – I liked this guy. He is a real human, not someone trying to fit into their human suit – and not having a clue how to even start to put it on. He doesn’t seem to give a damn about his place on the humanity sign in sheet, only about actually qualifying for it.

  239. 239.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Leto: He didn’t name the book. It was a public discussion and we were trying to avoid harming any particular writer.

    I’ve always been very impressed by my BIL. He managed to enlist in the Air Force during Vietnam in order to avoid being drafted. He was 19 or so with a handful of college credits. So he went in as an Airman, made a career out of it, and came out as a major with a Master’s degree in logistics.

  241. 241.

    NotMax

    Let’s be careful out there.

    Post-Tropical Cyclone 04L (Debby)…is located about 215 miles west-southwest of Albany, New York…according to the NHC Advisory number 29

    HEAVY RAINFALL AND A SIGNIFICANT FLOOD THREAT EXISTS TODAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC INTO UPSTATE NEW YORK

    The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the northeast near 37 mph and this motion is expected to continue, with a turn to the east-northeast later today and tonight. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.

  244. 244.

    Leto

    @rikyrah: I side with Walz and Buttigieg in that I’m not going to question his patriotism, ie he did his time, ty for yourservice, all that jazz. But I will absolutely make the distinction between their leadership and experience. Walz was a senior enlisted advisor, advising senior leadership (O6 and above), and leading large amounts of troops, ensuring they were proficient in their training, that their equipment was ready to go, all the stuff senior leaders have to do to make sure they’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.

    JV was a junior enlisted troop who never had to do that. His experience is much more limited. When you hit the E9 level, you’re starting to engage in the Strategic level of command. The top top view. There’s ways to capitalize on that experience difference without denigrating his service. Doesn’t mean we take kiddy gloves to him. Absolutely not.

  246. 246.

    Ruckus

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Please, I’m not THAT dumb…..

    And besides, I was in the Navy and use the VA, so I know far better. Marines are different, we got taught the job, they got taught the life, history, concept of why they are different, and they are.

    However – it is the job.

    Maybe because I was a swabby or sailor or that it doesn’t actually matter to me one way or the other, and I’ve been called a lot worse. And that would not be an altercation. Far, far worse.

  248. 248.

    Leto

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: so very small humble brag here. My last deployment, the Lt we had in our squadron was a former student of mine. I taught him during my time as an instructor. I didn’t recognize him at all. I think he knew who I was, but didn’t bring it up until late in the deployment when we were chatting and he let me know he was former enlisted. Then we started talking, and turned out he was my former career field. Then I asked him, when did you go through the school house? OMG…

    He credited his desire to go officer with my entire cadre. We were so supportive of them, so empowering, that he decided that he wanted to go further with his career. He was a highly motivated airmen at his first duty station, and that led him to getting the chance to go to college, do ROTC, and come back as an officer. There’s a reason why I’ll always name my time as an instructor as my favorite/best assignment. You had the direct ability to influence the next gen of airmen coming through. How you dealt with them would absolutely make or break a career. That was stressed to us over and over. I know my cadre took that very seriously, and I like to think that it really paid off.

    Ok, my arm and shoulder hurts so I’ll stop :P

  250. 250.

    Leto

    @Villago Delenda Est: those terms flipped for us. The Marines I knew really took to the crayon meme. One thing I also know is that the term “devil dog” became a profanity/slur. Senior NCOs would call over the junior members with that: “Hey, devil dog…”

    Like with everything in life, just gotta know your audience. They’ll let you know if you’ve stepped over the line. Don’t be an asshole! Ha

  252. 252.

    AM in NC

    @SiubhanDuinne: I agree. I’m in my 50s and I grew up knowing Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Annie Christmas, and John Henry.   Don’t know if any kids these days know those names.

  255. 255.

    Barbara

    @Leto: ​Walz re-enlisted after 9/11. Not the most obvious way to avoid combat. I noted the story of his hearing loss — my nephew was part of a class settlement related to the failure of certain types of ear protectors to reduce hearing loss for military personnel. He has really serious tinnitus. I have it too, but he is 20 years younger than I am.

  257. 257.

    frosty

    @trollhattan: Awesome  set of bands. I grew up in the Sixties and if I never hear another Stones song I can die happy. Everything from my youth has been massively overplayed.

    Late 70s early 80s? Love it!!

  260. 260.

    sdhays

    “JD – what kind of music do you like to listen to?”

    “Haha, I really enjoy listening to my children cry. I have recordings on a loop for when I work out. …. I mean, Kid Rock, of course.”

  263. 263.

    Ruckus

    @Leto:

    Well I don’t start nothing……

    Maybe it’s my age but it would take a lot more than that to get me involved.

    However – I’ve known a lot of guys that you just described perfectly. And my best friend was a jarhead, as I’ve stated, that I met 2 days after I was discharged. We have talked smack to each other over the decades, but we both know it’s smack and laugh about it while we are doing it. I’ve told this story here before but bootcamp for me was in San Diego, next to Marine bootcamp. We’d get up, walk out the back door of the barracks and watch Marines double timing, in formation, over broken ground, full packs, full sized bolt action rifles at the ready, from their barracks about 1 1/2 miles away. And then back. Navy boot camp looked a lot better after seeing that.

  264. 264.

    DougL

    @Baud:

    Joe promoted Kamala more than I can remember any president promoting their Veep.  Everything was “Biden-Harris”.

    This! I was struck by that as well. Not just during the campaign as sometimes happens but during every part of the working administration. I felt that meant something. When Biden chose Harris he sorta anointed the next leader. And I always believed he chose well.

  266. 266.

    Leto

    @raven: listen, we’re not talking your nicknames from the 1812’s…

    :)

    @Ruckus: haha, I bet! We’d occasionally talk about our BMT to other services, and they’d look at us like we were absolutely insane. Lots of comments from them about turn down service, mints on pillows, learning how to differentiate fine china/silverware… A popular comeback for us was, “Listen, we’re sorry you couldn’t find Waldo on the test. Better luck next time!”

  268. 268.

    BC in Illinois

    @Leto:

    I will say this, we will joke around with each other.

    1970 or ’71, Naval Hospital, Nat’l Naval Medical Center, Bethesda MD

    Mixed group of Navy and Marines

    1st Class Petty Officer (E-6)  to Marine Staff Sergeant (E-6):

    “You know, when I was growing up, I thought Sergeants ran everything. You know, Sergeant This, Sergeant Bilko, Drill Sergeant That. But now I realize, in the real world, you ain’t sh-t ! ”

    Laughter all around.

  272. 272.

    raven

    IMHO the military services has ALWAYS promoted unit and service rivalry. The First Team, Second to None, First to Fight and all that shit. REMF’s, FOBBITS, my outfit was better than your outfit. It can be said that it’s all about Esprit de Corps but it’s also high school bullshit.

  274. 274.

    Scout211

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A California man with a history of political violence was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for repeatedly attacking police with flagpoles and other makeshift weapons during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

    David Nicholas Dempsey’s sentence is among the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. Prosecutors described him as one of the most violent members of the mob of Donald Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory.

    Dempsey, who is from Van Nuys, stomped on police officers’ heads. He swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture, prosecutors said.

    He climbed atop other rioters, using them like “human scaffolding” to reach officers guarding a tunnel entrance. He injured at least two police officers, prosecutors said.

    “Your conduct on January 6th was exceptionally egregious,” U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth told Dempsey. “You did not get carried away in the moment.”

    These are the “patriots” that Trump promises to pardon.

  277. 277.

    raven

    @tam1MI: THIS Bob Seger?

    Well, I got up and turned off the TV set
    And I tell you I was feelin’ mean
    And I thought a while tryin’ to make some sense
    Out of everything that I had seen
    I was addin’ the score when there’s a knock on the door
    Was a letter addressed to me
    It read, “Greetings from the President, United States”
    I fell down on my knees
    The next day I was on the picket line
    And Lord you should have heard me scream
    “You know you’re leanin’ on my dream
    Hey man, you’re leanin’ on my dream”

  278. 278.

    AM in NC

    @schrodingers_cat: Kids really cannot read cursive.  They are not taught it in school.

    My historian friends say this is going to be a problem because colleges are going to have to teach the reading of cursive for almost ANY archival letters, diaries, etc. written long-hand.

  282. 282.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @AM in NC: This has been going on for years too. My cousins, all of whom are all in their 20s, don’t know how to read cursive.

    It’s bizarre. It makes writing easier and sometimes you need to write something someone else wrote.

  283. 283.

    peter

    @SiubhanDuinne: That’s my recollection too. At one point in my (distant) childhood I had the whole “Casey at the Bat” poem committed to memory. Now I’m lucky if I can recall its author.

  285. 285.

    Leto

    @raven: oh, this was on TCM a few weeks ago. I meant to record it, but didn’t. I’ll keep an eye out for it again! Great cast!

  288. 288.

    tam1MI

    @raven:THIS Bob Seger?

    Yup.  I find it hard to properly convey to others just how much of a god Bob Seger is in Michigan.

  292. 292.

    jonas

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:  The idea that Israelis are basically the same as Algerian pieds noirs that you can force to abandon their colonial outpost if you bomb or terrorize them enough is why we’re here and why outfits like Hamas will never succeed in achieving anything for the Palestinians. What home country are these “colonizing” Israelis supposed to return to?

  295. 295.

    raven

    @Leto: What struck me in light of the previous conversation is how the Nicholson hated and beat the shit out of the “stupid grunts” (jarheads

  296. 296.

    KenK

    As I watched Kamala’s UAW speech, it highlighted a difference in the Parties.

    Democrat: Hard work is good work!

    Republican: Arbeit macht free!

  297. 297.

    Geminid

    @Geminid:

    [The Iranians] may be having second thoughts themselves.

    One indication of this was a post by Turkish journalist Levent Kemal August 7:

    NEW:

    Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN said Iran might give up its intention to attack Israel in return for “a ceasfire in Gaza and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

    Andalou [News] Agency

    Levent Kemal is a very serious and level-headed reporter of armed conflicts in the Middle East, and he would not have reposted the Andalou report if he did not think it significant.

    But what ceasefire? The answer might be found reporter Barak Ravid’s story in Axios yesterday. The headline read:

    U.S., Qatar and Egypt invite Israel and Hamas for summit to finalize Gaza deal

    The invitation was issued by President Biden, Emir of Qatar al-Thani. I’m not sure if the last was the father or the son, but the younger al-Thani has spearheaded these negotiations since January and he came up with the basic framework that is being used.

    This “invitation” reads more like an ultimatum to both parties. According to Ravid:

    The three leaders say there is a framework on the table and only its details remain to be finalized.

    “No more time should be wasted, and there should be no excuses by any party for further postponement.”

    Ravid reported that Biden and his counterparts said they are prepared to put forward a final proposal to settle remaining gaps related to implementation of the deal “in a way that meets the parties’ expectations.”

    This will not be a actual “summit” because Biden and al-Sisi will not attend. As in past negotiations, Biden will send CIA Director William Burns, and al-Sisi will be represented by his intelligence chief. Al -Thani has taken part in all the major talks in this series since the first one in Paris late January.

    The Israeli government said it will send a delegation next Thursday. It will likely consist of the Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs plus an IDF general. Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s weasel, might tag along too. The talks will be held in either Doha, the Qatari capital or Cairo, beginning next Thursday, August 15.

    These ceasefire talks have been exremely frustrating for participants and observers alike, but Biden, al-Thani and al-Sisi are fed up with Benjamin Netanyahu’s intransigence and sound ready to dynamite the log jam.

    Reports are that Hamas has backed off a key demand regarding the time table for the IDF’s evacuation of Gaza, so now the Israeli PM appears to be the remaining stumbling block. Israel’s security forces are not. The IDF and Shin Bet have stated for months that there needs to be a deal and have been closely involved in these proposals.

    Hamas’s new leader, Yahyah Sinwar, says he still objects to a proposed peacekeeping force that would involve Palestinian Authority police serving under an international peaceleeping force, but I think Sinwar will have to take what he can get in this area– if the larger deal goes through, and if he lives to see it. Sinwar and his surviving fighters might even get a free ride to Algeria out of it.

    I expect the proposed peacekeeping force would operate under a US-sponsored Security Council mandate. It could be headed by the United Arab Emirates and consist of Emirati troops plus units from other Arab countries including Morocco.

    The Palestinian component would come from Fatah, the PLO’s military wing, and would be “vetted” by the Egyptians, Emiratis and Shin Bet, which has worked with Palestinian Authority officials extensively these past few years including during this war.

    I’m guessing that the Iranian UN representative had this dummit in mind when he floated the proposal posted at the beginning of this interminable comment. The Qataris talk with the Iranians a lot, and according to Barak Ravid this summit proposal has been in the works for a week.

    The US government has also talked with the Iranians as needed over the last few months, both through intermediaries and quietly but directly in Oman. Neither side says much about the direct talks on the principle, “What happens in Oman stays in Oman.”

  298. 298.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @jonas: They don’t need to go anywhere. They need to share. There’s plenty room for everyone. Especially once they stop razing buildings.

    ETA: Supporting Israel right now looks awfully similar to if we were supporting Russia.

  300. 300.

    trollhattan

    @KenK: The pic of Possum Queen grinning while signing the bill loosening child labor laws is quite a contrast.

  301. 301.

    TBone

    Donald Trump’s plane makes emergency landing in Billings ahead of his appearance in Bozeman, Montana tonight due to hydraulic leak.

  302. 302.

    NotMax

    @Leto

    Why I like the TCM add-on for Sling. Besides live streaming it includes TCM On Demand, so not tied to a schedule. Doesn’t offer every single thing shown there over the past fortnight or so but usually enough choices (dozens of ’em) I can find something to sate the cinema bug.

  303. 303.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @TBone: Donald Trump’s plane makes emergency landing in Billings ahead of his appearance in Bozeman, Montana tonight due to hydraulic leak.

    I heard Trump was into that sort of thing…

  304. 304.

    catclub

    @cain: Isn’t true that American Jews themselves are not firm supporters of Israel (the younger ones)

     

    and the older ones. I was just talking to an 80-y.o who told me ” Israel lost me in 1978 when they went into the camps in Lebanon.”

  309. 309.

    sxjames

    @BR: I love the style but can’t quite place the quote….Jack Kerouac, On The Road?

    (Sorry, need to brush up on my cultural references)

  311. 311.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: Joe Biden was more convinced than basically any of the Savvy Cult members that Kamala Harris was his successor.

    (a possible exception: Ezra Klein! I know.)

  312. 312.

    Splitting Image

    @sxjames:

    I love the style but can’t quite place the quote….Jack Kerouac, On The Road?

    (Sorry, need to brush up on my cultural references)

    It’s the album cover for Sonic Youth’s Goo.

  314. 314.

    NotMax

    @TBone

    “We’ll have to order the part. Should arrive in anywhere from a day to two weeks. Since DeJoy was installed at the Post Office it’s anyone’s guess.”
    //

  315. 315.

    Matt McIrvin

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I’m going to dissent.

    The basic idea of cursive is good. The specific cursive alphabet that was taught in US schools in the 20th century was stupid. Other countries reformed their writing education to use better ones.

    Particularly the capital letters. In the version I was taught, they were these ornate glyphs that didn’t connect up anyway so there was no efficiency advantage to using them, the only difference between a T and an F was a nearly microscopic hook, and the Q looked exactly like a 2.

    I’ve heard that they were originally conceived to be written with a dip or fountain pen that could make thick and thin strokes, and they do look much better written that way.

  316. 316.

    sxjames

    @Splitting Image:

    It’s the album cover for Sonic Youth’s Goo.

    Thanks!  (Mmm…so mid/late 80’s?  A bit after I quite paying attention to pop culture.  Still it looks like a great cover : )

  317. 317.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Matt McIrvin: I’m open to the idea there are better ways to do cursive. I still mostly use cursive with some of my own choices for style or simplicity.

    Removing it and replacing it with nothing is…not ideal.

  320. 320.

    Geminid

    @topclimber: Good question. I think that people here will be fine with it as long as we just shoot down Iranian missiles like we did the last time.

    We might have to shoot down some Hezbollah missiles too, especially if they’re big ones headed toward Haifa or Tel Aviv. Hezbollah has only been firing its smaller ordinance into northern Israel thus far, but Al Jazeera reported 3 years ago that Hezbollah had an arsenal of over 125,000 rockets, and some were guided missiles with big warheads.

    General Kurilla, the US’s CENTCOM commander, has been in Israel three times the past 10 days including today, conferring with the IDF Chief of Staff, General Halevi. Defense Secretary Austin also confers by phone with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant.

    Israel was transferred from the US’s European Command system to CENTCOM a couple years ago. This event was little-noticed but it was very significant, I thought. The move was made possible by normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, the so-called Abraham Accords. The Saudis almost certainly green-lighted the Accords, and must have aporoved Israel’s accession to the CENTCOM alliance as well.

  321. 321.

    WaterGirl

    @dm: It’s sort of really good, but the skin tones are bad (beige) and the splotching on the face is distracting.

    Maybe the original artist will do one of Kamala?

  325. 325.

    2liberal

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Hey, Leto, yesterday I saw a guy complaining about a book he read in which a former marine refers to himself throughout as a soldier. The complainer said no marine would ever say that. True?

     

    about 50 years ago I worked at a family farm business. My cousin had served in Vietnam as a Marine sergeant combat infantry, and was the field foreman.  My nickname for him “the marine sergeant from hell”. He’s a nice guy,  very thoughtful and with an active sense of humor.  He spoke out against the war for marine sgt reasons. I once called him a soldier, thinking that marine was a subcategory of soldier.  He felt like he was being insulted.

  327. 327.

    Ruckus

    @gratuitous:

    The extreme hard core right will support him because they want someone like him. They don’t want women to be strong, normal human beings who make their own decisions and demands and refuse to be third class citizens. They want stupidity and fealty so they don’t get overrun like a discarded candy wrapper.

  328. 328.

    Ruckus

    @suzanne:

    No maybe about it. SFB is a demented asshole who thinks he is the ultimate man. When in reality he’s a pompous 78 yr old man-child who hasn’t grown up past a 6 yr old boy with a vert crappy upbringing.

  332. 332.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @raven: it’s probably one of the things that has saved us from a military coup or dictatorship. “The Russians/Chinese/Iranians/insert countries here are the adversary and the Navy is the enemy” (Army brat perspective, I’m sure it’s said differently by the other branches)

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