I have a cold so I did not do much today- I went to the gym, realized I wasn’t lethargic, I was sick, came home, and slept from 3 pm until just a little bit ago. Will test for covid in the morning.
As for young Rosie, I have no pictures of much of an update for you. She is sequestered in the purple room and sorting through some things. I went in and checked on her this morning, and then again at noon, and then just a few minutes ago to scoop litter and give fresh water and food. She’s hiding under the bed, and didn’t want to come out, so I just told her she is a good girl and left. She’s been through a lot so I am just not going to fuck with her and respect her boundaries. I will take her to the vet on Monday or Tuesday after she has had some time to adjust.
After I get her cleared at the vets I will put up a cathouse in there for her to use as a safe zone and then just leave the door open for her to explore if she wants and for the other cats to come in and get accustomed to her scent and her. And by other cats I mean Maxwell, because Steve does not give a fuck. After all these years with Steve I am convinced if he could talk the only thing he would say is “whatever” as he just cruises through life completely and totally unbothered by everything.
Y’all take care.
War for Ukraine Day 918: Today is the Ukrainian Day of Remembrance
HumboldtBlue
I can’t find it on YouTube, so here’s a Twitter link to the newest VoteVets ad.
VFX Lurker
Hope you feel better soon, John.
Best wishes for Rosie the cat.
Scuffletuffle
Love the new thread title card!! Rosie is a doll and I would take her in in a heartbeat if I thought my two would adjust eventually.
Percysowner
Steve is a Maine Coon, right? I have had a couple of Coon Boys and they are chill as they come. New animals, fine. Moving, hates the car but settle right in. The ones I have had were all exceptional cats.
BR
Random thing that’s been in my head — brainstorming one liners for Harris during the debate when Trump inevitably interrupts or goes on a lie filled rant — something to treat him like the toddler that he is:
“If you take a breath Donald and listen, you might learn something.”
pat
When I picked up Suzy and drove her 100 miles home from the humane society, she pooped in the carrier. I thought it made sense to keep her in the mudroom with food, water, bed, litter box, for a couple of nights.
Ha ha hahaha…. Meow! Meooowww! Oh, let her out.
And she spent the rest of the night snuggled up with me in bed and she is still doing that every night.
But I have to admit, she did not have to compete with another cat!
bbleh
@BR: one assumes they’re doing some real time role-play, with bright lights, a podium, and somebody reasonably skilled at Gish-galloping, just so she can get used to what it feels like, in the moment and under pressure.
One also assumes her courtroom experience will come in handy.
It’s a serious vulnerability for him because it’s so predictable. He’ll be amped on Adderall, so his reflexes won’t be dull, but he’s a mostly-one-trick pony, so she SHOULD be able to eviscerate him.
(Alas, I figured they’d prep Joe, and apparently either they didn’t or he was just too tired. One trusts this will go differently.)
pat
trump is in LA Crosse, WI tonight. If I felt like going somewhere I would make a sign that says WHO LET THIS CREEP IN???
KatKapCC
@BR:
Trump: [rambles on about crazy BS]
Harris: [pause] [shakes head] [turns to camera] “Okay, well, back on Planet Earth…”
SiubhanDuinne
@BR:
There’s an old saying (might be Mark Twain, might not) something like “Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Whenever I’m unfortunate enough to hear TCFFG’s voice, I think of that. And now, increasingly, with Shady Vance.
Scout211
Trump announced today that under a Trump administration, he’ll provide free IVF treatments for everyone. The government will pay for them. Or maybe the insurance companies will pay for them under a government mandate.
And because his Arlington debacle has legs:
Sir, could we film a video of you placing a wreath and walking around just in case we might use it for
a campaign adthe family? And sir, could you kindly provide a narration for that videocampaign adthat the family wants you to make?bbleh
@KatKapCC: [laughs gently, shakes head] “Donald, I couldn’t reply to all your lies if I had an HOUR, so let me pick just two of them. Lie number one …”
OGLiberal
raven
Trump portrayed himself as the victim in the story about an altercation between his staffers and an Arlington National Cemetery employee this week. The Trump campaign was criticized by the U.S. military for the incident, in which his staff filmed Trump among the gravestones against cemetery policy. A Trump staffer allegedly shoved an employee who tried to ensure compliance with the rules.
Trump said family members of some of the 13 soldiers killed in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2022 had asked him to use the cameras.
“Last night I read that I was using the site to politic, that I used it to politic — this all comes out of Washington,” Trump said in Michigan. “So I go there, they ask me to have a picture, and they say I was campaigning.”
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: Oof, I’m so sorry to hear this. FWIW, I still see decent numbers of people (to be fair, most older folks and Asians) on SF mass transit, wearing masks. Indeed it’s been trending up for the last month, I’d say. Some people are getting the message.
KatKapCC
@OGLiberal: Yep. I have a couple of immunocompromised people in my life, plus my partner’s health and disability would mean even a mild case would really do a number on her. We wear masks anywhere we go. Get a lot of weird looks from people but I don’t care.
Chet Murthy
@KatKapCC: I have a friend who got that really bad cold that’s been going around. Or maybe it was the flu. He thought it was COVID for a couple of days there, it was so awful. Anyway (knock wood) I’ve literally not had an upper respiratory illness since 2019. B/c masks rule. I don’t understand people who are so stupid they don’t understand the value of masking when there’s no upside to being unmasked. I mean …. even ignoring COVID, who wants to get colds/flus? Not me!
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: “to be fair, most older folks and Asian”. Same here, although would add older African American folks in the group as well.
scav
Oddly enough, today I took some knit mice toys to another recently adopted tortoiseshell Rosie who is also currently hiding under the bed.
Baud
@Scout211:
He’s running to Kamala’s left!
KatKapCC
@Chet Murthy: Right?? Even before Covid, I used to hate standing in line somewhere with someone hacking up a lung behind me. I already have bad hay fever, I don’t need a dang cold on top of that.
KatKapCC
@Scout211: Cool story, dude. So the platform is basically “Hey you know all the things we were against? Now we are for them because we found out people like them. Also no I am definitely not lying, why would you ever think so?”
Any reporter who takes this garbage at face value ought to be fired.
Baud
Via reddit, photo from Georgia rally.
Chet Murthy
@KatKapCC: This same friend worked in NYC for Goldman for a year. He told me about how (b/c boys will be boys feh) people would come in even if they were sick, even if they were really, really sick. So much so, that they were spreading illness to everybody, and management had to put out a very loud directive that if you’re sick, stay the fuck home, too many people are catching your goddamn bug, you idiots!
Which worked.
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: Yet we maskers are the weirdos. My wife even gets a strong sense of that from her liberal friend and her wingnut friend denies that COVID is still a thing. I dread going places with my mask on because I have had people give me crap. One of them even used a PA system in their car. And this was in NJ. My family is back East – trying to get them here. “Here” is Nashville and nobody cares about my mask here, even though I am about the only one wearing one.
TS
@Baud:
He says anything to win. Promises are there to be broken, he will not remember any of them if he is elected. Don’t know why the media finds this so difficult to understand,
eclare
Hope you feel better, John! I’m sure Rosie just needs to adjust. For months after I adopted Oliver, he hid a majority of the time, and most times I could never find him. Then he adjusted and turned into the sweetest little boy.
Chet Murthy
@Baud: Clicking thru and reading the reddit thread, this was in Savannah. South GA, not Atlanta. Red, Red country. Whoooo!
Baud
@TS:
The lies worked in 2016.
KatKapCC
@Baud: Because people had nothing to go on as a baseline. Even though he’d been a public figure for decades, he hadn’t been in office, he hadn’t been a politician. It was easy for dummies in the middle to believe that he would just be another Republican, because there was nothing to contradict that notion. Now there is. It is not 2016.
eclare
@OGLiberal:
Cars have PA systems?
I still wear a mask when I go out in public, but I now make an exception to dine out. No one who is unmasked says anything or gives me a look. And of course once the new vaccine is available, I’ll jump on that.
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: “Yet we maskers are the weirdos.”
two thoughts:
I figure, that means it’s exactly as safe for the people around me, as if I were unmasked. I figure: fuck ’em, they aren’t masked, they DGAF about my health, why should I GAF about theirs?
But the biggest way that I avoid having to hear people’s BS about my mask, is by wearing a music headset that’s playing pretty much all the time.
SiubhanDuinne
I had planned to watch the Harris interview, but we’re in the midst of a thunderstorm and the lightning or wind or something has completely knocked out the TV signal.
Anybody know how I can stream it? I still have power, so can watch on the computer, and my phone should have enough juice in case the electricity goes out too. Any suggestions?
Baud
Via Mastodon
Baud
@KatKapCC:
We’ll see.
Chet Murthy
@eclare: ” I now make an exception to dine out.”
Same here! And I have no hesitation about unmasking when I dine out: there’s an upside to unmasking, so why not? Must say though, I don’t dine out often enough. Need to do it more.
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne:
CNN dot com?
KatKapCC
@Baud: YEAH, THAT’S IT, DANA. What the hell? Ugh.
WaterGirl
@OGLiberal: I’m very sorry.
I don’t know if you was you, but I am remembering the person here a couple of years ago who was beyond furious because their neighbor (who they later learned and covid) stood there and infected their wife or child who was immunocompromised.
And rightfully so. Again, I’m so sorry.
WaterGirl
@raven: Trump is always the victim. Always.
And all the real suckers and losers find that appealing. It’s beyond incomprehensible.
Baud
@KatKapCC:
Glad they’re finally pressing her on the difficult policy questions.
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: We wear Flo Masks, which are – apparently – better than N95s. We wear an N95 over because the Flo mask looks way too scary. It really isn’t but, well, people…
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
I’ve been looking there but all they are have are little teaser clips.
OGLiberal
@WaterGirl: That was probably me. Still pissed.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: Here’s a great site. This is the CNN link.https://livenewschat.eu/news-break/
Rockin Rooster has MSNBC.
I don’t have cable
ETA: They’ve got that deplorable Scott Jennings (former McConnell aide) just asking questions about when Kamala knew Biden was addled. Reminds me why I never watch cable news.
Now up: Dana Bash.
Chief Oshkosh
@Chet Murthy: Uh, not really. Savannah is not especially far south in the state and it, along with Atlanta metro, Macon, Athens, and Columbus pretty much provide all of the blue votes in the state
ETA: Not written to rain on your parade, since a full stadium anywhere is GREAT news.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Cool photo.
lowtechcyclist
@SiubhanDuinne:
Here’s what the WaPo says:
eclare
@Baud:
Exactly why I’m not watching. After TCFG sent out that tweet today accusing Harris of giving blow jobs to get ahead, CNN said “both sides” were trolling.
Nope. No clicks from me.
Baud
@eclare:
Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/anamariecox.bsky.social/post/3l2ssvt4mmk2d
eclare
@Chet Murthy:
I mainly dine out because my 94 yo aunt likes to go out for lunch. I am not going to refuse to eat with her over a mask.
Elizabelle
“A defining moment in the race for the White House. CNN’s interview ….”
Oh get over yourselves.
MagdaInBlack
@Baud: Oh my !
I can’t wait to read the whining tomorrow. Press is gonna lose their minds.
OGLiberal
@eclare: In NJ you are legally not supposed to have one. Or so said a friend of mine many years ago who had a personal car with one…and he was a cop. Which leads me to believe that the person wimpishy chanting at me from his personal car’s PA at a stoplight was probably law enforcement/fire department or adjacent.
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: oh, nice! Your Flo masks are much less intimidating than the P100 I use ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013SIIBME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ).
Elizabelle
Again, a link for watching streaming CNN interview.
https://livenewschat.eu/news-break/
SiubhanDuinne
Thanks , all. TV signal restored just a minute ago. Though if Dana B’s questions are as stupid as what Baud and eclare cited, I may just say the hell with it.
eclare
@Baud:
Yep.
WaterGirl
@OGLiberal: Something about standing in the driveway? Does that sound right? Anyway, I was pissed for you / them at the time, and I still am.
Elizabelle
First question is what she’d do first day in the White House. A: Strengthen the middle class.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: First one was decent.
Although I think she wants a bullet list, which Kamala is now giving.
Chet Murthy
@eclare: Oh, absolutely! I’ve been pretty hard-core on the side of “not gettin’ COVID, no, no, not gettin’ it!” but even I realize that life must go on! And so about a year ago, I switched to “let’s try to eat out as often as possible, unmasked”. Which, sadly, is still less than once a week, b/c “once you get in a habit it’s hard to break.”
I really should pick a day of the week and always eat out that day no matter what. Just something to get the habit started.
hueyplong
I saw the Trump comments about his trip to Arlington. That’s the most I’ve stomached of him talking in one shot in maybe 4 years.
I can’t imagine circumstances in which an adult would nod along and say, “That makes sense. What’s the fuss?” Well, there was a time in which I couldn’t imagine….
That’s probably my last look at him with the sound on again for so long (1 min) a period of time.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
Elizabelle
Bash: Some Americans do want to go back. Housing was less expensive under Donald Trump.
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: Can’t do it – too much risk. We did it a couple of times before we got COVID but can’t, since.
Dining out was one of my family’s favorite activities. It’s one of the things we miss most. But, even outside…not safe. We got COVID from a person, outside.
I might behave differently if it were just me but it isn’t. I wish I could. This life sucks.
pluky
@Baud: ^^^this^^^
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Baud: CNN dot com?
Nope
Elizabelle
Bash: You’ve been in office for 3.5 years. Why haven’t you done all this already?
You cannot make this shit up. Laughing.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
They never ask Trump why he didn’t solve everything.
Elizabelle
Bash: ” You maintain Bidenomics was a success?”
Tumbrel number? Jesus, I forgot how much I hate these gaslighters.
Elizabelle
@Baud: Housing was less expensive! Dana Bash just told us all that.
What a simplistic jackass.
New question is on fracking.
Hungry Joe
A couple of hours ago I was taking a siesta (NOT a nap; huge difference) when … BOOM! The whole house shook.
Our neighborhood streets are lined with giant (up to 80-foot) palm trees. A lot of them are many decades old, and they’re starting to fall. Since there are no branches — only fronds at the very top — when their shallow roots give way nothing breaks their fall, so they fall flat. And they’re heavier than fuck-all — the massive trunks are loaded with water. So … BOOM! This one fell right along the sidewalk, taking a few arms off one of our euphorbias (looks like a cactus, but Old World) but missing my car by about six feet. It could have taken out our kitchen, or our neighbor’s kitchen or living room, or any one of the several cars parked on the street, or any (probably dog-walking) pedestrian who was walking away from it and wouldn’t have seen it coming.
A couple of years ago a similar tree across the street fell, and again fell exactly along the sidewalk, and again damaged nothing. About 25 years ago one fell between our house and our car, leaving a dent in the yard, but AGAIN, amazingly, no damage.
If I were superstitious I’d buy a lottery ticket.
Jeffro
My “Postcards to Swing States” arrived today, and I’m already 20 postcards deep!
It’s great to have another outlet here, one that might help make a HUGE difference in a true swing state (NC)
I think a certain Coach Walz put it best: “let’s leave it all on the field!”
GO BLUE!
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: Oh, oof. I’m sorry to hear that, and hope that someday soon you’ll be able to do so. All it would take is for the rest of us to do our part …… sigh.
OGLiberal
@WaterGirl: Yup, that was me. And she was a cop, probably infecting all kinds of folks. And my daughter saw her walking her dog, maskless, past other folks, well after testing positive but still sick. Not a care in the world
Baud
@Elizabelle:
Housing was less expensive under Obama too. Let’s go back to black presidents!
Chief Oshkosh
@Elizabelle: See, now, my first day would be to ensure that the DOJ had every resource needed to immediately accelerate investigation and prosecution of Donald J. Trump, in the interest of ending our long national nightmare.
I’d say so every time I was asked that question, and each time turn to the camera, and say “Tick-tock, Donny, tick-tock…”
But luckily for all of us, I’m not the candidate.
hueyplong
@Elizabelle: Housing is extra cheap during depressions.
Elizabelle
Border question. Kamala is explaining very well how Trump killed the bipartisan bill that even the Border Patrol supported. Now talking about the pain of fentanyl.
Kamala says she would sign that bill.
Jeffro
It’s funny…I totally forgot that MVP’s ‘interview’ with ‘journalist’ Dana Bash is on right now (and started 14 minutes ago, in fact)
<yawn>
No one cares. Also, trumpov was absolutely PATHETIC today in pleading with Bash to screw over MVP for ratings, fairness, etc etc. Such a weak imitation of a man.
eclare
@Baud:
Hahaha…
Elizabelle
@Baud: And we were just threatened by Ebola under Obama. Not Covid!!
WaterGirl
@OGLiberal: Maddening.
Jeffro
Btw I have to note: Harris/Walz’s statement about trump’s lies on “providing free IVF to American couples” or whatever notes that “trump lies like he breathes”…
…THAT’S MY LINE! =)
Ok, ok, they didn’t crib it from me and it’s obvious. But STILL!
Elizabelle
Asked if she’d add a Republican to her cabinet. “Yes I would.” Who? “Not putting the cart before the horse.”
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: My 17 year-old (immunocompromised) son wanted to see Swans in Cleveland. Yeah, my kid is a fan of a 70 year-old insanely loud musician. My wife did research and found the Flo masks…much tighter fit than N95 and replaceable filters. So, we wore them and came our OK…although I will note that about 1/4 of the people around us were also wearing masks. As for yours, at the height of the pandemic my kids’ physician wore something similar. Made me very comfortable. Sadly, no more…word is out…let it fly.
Leto
@Jeffro: I’m listening to it in the background and it’s just dumb. Dumb questions, badgering on shit that’s been answered, and seemly trying to find a gotcha moment. I’ll read a recap later.
Elizabelle
Upcoming: Dana is going to ask Walz about misspeaking about his military service. About whether he carried “weapons of war.” “A campaign official said you misspoke — did you?”
Citizen Alan
I genuinely don’t know if these are legitimate questions or Pitchbot-style parodies. If they are the former, then I wish Harris and Walz had not even bothered. Next interview should be with the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Followed by some college alt weeklies.
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: Ohhh yeah, for a concert I’d mos’def wear a mask the whole time. That’s like an airplane flight, only everybody’s screaming instead of just sitting quietly!
BR
@Elizabelle:
My answer: And it was less expensive under Obama than under Trump. Perhaps they want to go back to the way things were under Obama?
hueyplong
@Elizabelle: Asked if she’d add a Republican to her cabinet. “Yes I would.” Who? “
Not putting the cart before the horse. Can’t tell you yet because I don’t want that person to receive death threats from Donald Trump’s supporters.ETA: Has this ever been asked of any GOP candidate?
Elizabelle
Another great thing about this livestream — no advertising. Just spots on other CNN content from CNN International, about African wildlife, etc.
Ohio Mom
@Hungry Joe: Living on your street sounds scary.
You are lucky but you may be using up all your luck not getting squashed by trees.
Elizabelle
@hueyplong: Donald Trump would add a Democrat to his cabinet! And he’d force that person to undergo IVF!
japa21
@BR: And much less under Kennedy. Let’s go back to then and the tax rates of then.
Elizabelle
@BR: I am glad we have not made this one into a drinking game.
SatanicPanic
@Elizabelle: that’s the stupidest fucking question. Yeah duh most things in the USA are cheaper if you go back in time. Our country literally has an inflation target.
hueyplong
@Elizabelle: Nah, Zell Miller is dead.
Chet Murthy
@BR: Dear God, that is some weapons-grade stupid, Bash is deployin’ there. Houses are the primary investment vehicle for most Americans! You aren’t going to undo their appreciation without impoverishing millions of people, and those people vote!
What an imbecile!
Elizabelle
I want to ask you about your opponent, Donald Trump. I was a little surprised to hear you had never met him … Q about when she turned black.
“Same old tired playbook.”
Bash: “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
OGLiberal
@Chet Murthy: I just took a flight, tightly masked. They were germ pools, pre-COVID. Quarantined for a few days and tested twice before seeing them.
ETA: At a Swans concert there isn’t much screaming…just people making sure their earplugs are fit tight…because they definitely need to be. Have no idea how my teen kid made this his favorite band. But, yeah, I will slip the mask down walking on the street but in the office, stores, planes…mask on.
SatanicPanic
@hueyplong: yeah I remember that being asked of GWB and Trump. GWB appointed Norman Mineta to DoT.
Trump obviously refused but honestly it’s a dumb tradition.
Elizabelle
Yeah, if the takeaway is the idiot question on housing, Bash … has not covered herself in glory.
But that’s the Fox point tonight. “Housing was less expensive under Donald Trump.” CNN says some Americans want to go back.
hueyplong
@SatanicPanic: Wow, I did not remember that.
Betty
@SiubhanDuinne: I am watching and it is giving me tbe heebie jeebies! I can’t stand these smarmy stupid questions.
Elizabelle
Walk turns aside the question about whether he served in war to discussing the toll of children killed by gun. Mentions the disparagement of his family and his dog.
Now question about IVF.
“What do you say to voters who say they don’t think they can take you at your word?”
Chet Murthy
@OGLiberal: I haven’t flown yet since the pandemic. But I’ve already confirmed with my doc that he’ll write me a scrip for Paxlovid so I can purchase it (if my insurance won’t cover it, I’ll pay out-of-pocket) to take with me when I travel overseas (which I might have to do, depending on what happens on Nov 5). No way I’m gonna not do everything possible to protect myself.
Elizabelle
So: housing was less expensive under Trump, and people can’t take Tim Walz at his word. OK Dana …
cain
TIL that Steve is a millennial
ETA ooo 111!
Baud
@Elizabelle:
“Cancel your subscription to the New York Times.”
SatanicPanic
@Elizabelle: what a stupid question- what would you say? How does he prove he’ll do something in the future?
Betty
@hueyplong: I find it infuriating that Democrats are expected to do this. I think Bill Clinton started this nonsense. Third Way and all tht jazz.
hueyplong
I wonder what questions Dana would pose about an economy in which housing values were going down.
BlueDWarrior
@Betty: this is what happens when there is only one sane governing party. Democrats have to be all things to a lot of people and that causes incoherence between rhetoric and action.
HumboldtBlue
I saw every talking head on TV today play up how awesome Dana bash is. She’s a fucking disaster, and this interview could have been done by someone from daily Caller. So much insipid nonsense, so much petty bullshit, so much feigning ignorance about the three parts of government work. What a fucking clown.
SatanicPanic
@hueyplong: I specifically remember GWB being asked because of the close nature of his win. Like “how are you going to extend an olive branch to the Democrats”? Something like that.
Somehow I can’t imagine Bash asking the next Republican candidate, if there is one
Elizabelle
@Baud: Truly.
Had to head downstairs to get some wine.
Chet Murthy
@BlueDWarrior: Which is why Harris is wisely trying to avoid getting into policy specifics. B/c that will only make it harder to prevail.
Elizabelle
Kamala brings up something that came up about a decade ago: “Warped view that the strength of a leader is who you beat down, rather than who you lift up.”
Elizabelle
On hearing from Biden: “My first thought was not about me. My first thought was about him.”
(Dana wants to pinpoint the minute the endorsement came up.)
Kamala talking about history seeing Biden’s administration was transformative. Talking about Biden’s selfless character.
Incidentally, Kamala looked sad when she was talking about Biden’s call.
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty:
It’s pretty painful. And for the love of all that’s holy, WHY is CNN relitigating all the circumstances surrounding Biden’s dropping out of the race? I mean, possibly interesting to read about it in years to come, but it has very little to do with Kamala’s attributes as a candidate.
Be better, Bash.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
👍
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne:
Soap opera sells.
Kent
Yeah, it is kind of one-sided.
If you are going to do it, give the VA Secretary position to some centrist Republican type who is a veteran. That is the most bipartisan spot in the cabinet.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: Two little bats were dive bombing the swimming pool early this evening! The sun sets early, and the lights were already on. I think they may have been in the water briefly.
Betty
Kamala has done a great job handling Dana’s gotcha questions and using the opportunity to restate her positions. Her comments on “defending Joe’s fitness” were revealing and touching.
Elizabelle
@Kent: But never, never again the FBI Director. Enough.
Democrats are actually very good on law and order. I think Madame Prosecutor will have a lot to school them on, with the importance of the rule of law.
BR
@Betty:
Oh god did CNN really go there and try to relitigate the “Biden has dementia” stuff?
eclare
@Kent:
I think Kinzinger is available.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
Or defense or state or justice.
Elizabelle
@Baud: Yes. Enough. We have a deeper bench.
BR
@Elizabelle:
Doug Jones for AG or FBI.
Jeffro
@Leto: yeah, most tv news is just junk you can read the next day
Baud
@Elizabelle:
We have the Mariana Trench of benches.
FastEdD
Both Harris and Walz are good at redirecting stupid questions to what they intend to talk about.
Betty
@Kent: Why does she have to? If she wants to, fine. I don’t like the sense that Democrats are obligated to kowtow to Republucans.
Elizabelle
Cute. Walz getting asked about hot sauce on BBQ. “The vice president is growing hot peppers at her residence, and she is trying to bring me along on this.”
SatanicPanic
@Betty: I pointed out upthread that Republicans used to do this too. Reagan and Bush Sr. did this before Clinton. From my understanding it was a long tradition.
Trump was the first I know of to not do it. it’s funny how he warps the way we think about things in unexpected ways.
Baud
I hope this convinces more people to adopt the BJ position on the mainstream media.
Chet Murthy
@BR: I don’t know whom Harris should pick for AG & FBI. I would hope that after years of knowing the top contenders, she has a strong sense of who will be relentless in pursuing these lawbreakers and delivering justice for us all. That’s what matters: re-establishing the rule of law, and ensuring that everybody knows it. Everybody.
Sally
@Scout211: So, OldDon, is this like you’re going to replace the ACA with a much better, cheaper health insurance plan ? In two weeks. Seven years ago? Huh?
Kent
He will give RFJ Jr. or Tulsi Gabbard some position in his administration and call that “reaching across the aisle.
BR
@Chet Murthy:
I’m sure there are many good names I don’t know, for sure. Only reason I specifically like Doug Jones is that he successfully prosecuted the Klan. That’s what we need right now.
Elizabelle
@BR: Yes! re Doug Jones
@Baud: Yes! re Mariana Trench.
Harris Walz are going to do just fine.
Kent
She doesn’t HAVE to do anything. But since she committed to doing so I’m simply suggesting that VA Secretary is the least impactful place to park a Republican since they don’t really implement progressive policy of any kind. They just keep the system running.
Elizabelle
Oh god. Now we get “The best political minds in the business.”
David Axelrod up first.
WaterGirl
I hope this is the last interview Kamala does with one of these bullshit national “media personalities”. She gave them their one interview. They will never shut up no matter how many she gives.
They are certainly not journalists.
Local media. Editors of high school papers. Yes to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, mentioned above. Content creators, whatever the heck those are.
Chet Murthy
@Kent: Obama appointed Ray LaHood (R).
karen marie
@Elizabelle: Housing was way cheaper in 1978. I and two friends rented a three-bedroom apartment on Charles Street in Boston for $600/month.
I guess every president since Jimmy Carter has been an abject failure.
Elizabelle
@WaterGirl: Yes. Yes. Yes.
Elizabelle
@karen marie: Only the Democrats.
Ken
@Baud:
WALZ: However I am going to have to mark off points for asking that question, which will affect both your grade and that of your network.
BASH: What?
HARRIS: Next question, please.
Chet Murthy
@Kent: Two thoughts:
SatanicPanic
Trump was the first president in a long time to not appoint a member of the opposing party to his cabinet. That goes for both Republicans and Democrats.
Dana is getting a lot of solid criticism but the expectation used to be on both parties and the question is not that weird.
BR
The most valuable thing we can do for our politics is that by helping Harris win, Haberman will be out of a job:
Betty
@Kent: She did not commit to it. She said she would consider it.
The Audacity of Krope
If Democrats made housing affordable, we’d hear no end to the complaints about the loss of power of the landowners.
The Republicans will center middle-class homeowners in their advertising but this will really be an effort for professional rentiers. Harris is right on point that we need to stop the hoarding of real estate. I heard elsewhere because I will not Bash my eyes and ears.
Betty
@SatanicPanic: Can you remind me who the Democrats were appointed by Reagan and Bush? I can’t remember them.
karen marie
@SatanicPanic: Did you forget his response? He said, “No, I have a mandate.” He barely won, only getting over the line thanks to hysterics on the Supreme Court. Bush telling everyone he had a mandate was a verbal tic. He told that lie at every opportunity.
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl:
So watching this interview isn’t worth it?
Elizabelle
@karen marie: Yes. The mandate remark is so memorable. Because it wasn’t.
Scott Jennings is a douche. I guess he’s the token GOP disparager.
clay
This former GWB administrator they have on CNN is a fucking moron and a liar to boot.
eclare
@WaterGirl:
She should do Marc Maron and Dax Shepherd.
Elizabelle
@clay: Scott Jennings. Was he a Mitch McConnell aide? He is a moron. Why can’t we ever describe men as “nasty?”
Anyway, his ejaculations were not getting any response. He sounded kinda frustrated.
SatanicPanic
@karen marie: I don’t remember his exact response, I believe he said that in a broader context. But either way he kept on Norman Mineta
EDIT- I think the question originally though was whether Republicans get asked that, and the answer is yes.
@Betty: Lauro Cavazos, secretary of education. Reagan appointed him and Bush kept him on.
Sally
@Elizabelle: So, people who own houses would like Democrats to tank the housing market.
geg6
@Kent:
Isn’t Adam Kinzinger a vet?
Chet Murthy
@Elizabelle: He’s a ratfucker. Involved in the US Atty firings scandal and other things: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Jennings#Dismissal_of_United_States_Attorneys_controversy
SW
Could not pay me enough to watch that bullshit
Elizabelle
@Chet Murthy: Ooh. He is a bad ‘un.
I just realized that just because it’s on, I don’t have to stick with CNN. *Click.*
CNN International sounds good.
During the Biden debate trauma, I couldn’t read any American news sites. Was just checking BBC, which is kinda good but takes the GOP talking points. Why is Kamala Harris so unpopular? Why must she bring Tim Walz along to her interview?
Otherwise, good content. Assuming their DC correspondents are meeting too many of the DC press corpse choads.
clay
@Elizabelle: Yeah, that guy. I mean, I don’t expect a CNN panelist to be unbiased, necessarily, and I know they’re striving for (false) balance. But I would hope that they wouldn’t have such a blatant partisan hack on.
I haven’t watched CNN in years and now I remember why.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Betty:
Thanks for that clarification. I hope she considers it…for 5 seconds, then discards the idea. We’re sooooo far past that.
Markos at DK of all people has for years written about the stupidness that is having somebody from the other party in the Cabinet.
I lived this first hand for years since that Cabinet position was typically Transportation. Bear in mind that back then, Dem presidents who appointed an (R) for DOT Secretary typically put in decent, competent pols with a heavy background in transportation.
And of course during Clinton, the SecDef was an (R) cuz it was considered their “strength”.
Those days are long past and I hope Harris, while saying something like “consider it”, is simply doing that as an operational tactic with no intent whatsoever of actually doing it.
SatanicPanic
I have to say, I expected Dana to depantse herself but this sounds worse than expected
Sally
@Baud: Yes! That’s would be a great answer. Like – yes I would though we have so many outstanding Democrats, it would be tough for a Republican to make the team. (ISWIDT – football analogy for Coach!). Ha.
tam1MI
@Baud: So much for press’s desire to discuss policy.
Chet Murthy
@clay: “I mean, I don’t expect a CNN panelist to be unbiased”
Do you remember during the 2016 campaign season? CNN had on 2-3 Trumpers, and they were just -outrageous-. One old white guy, a middle-aged Hispanic guy, and Katrina Pierson. Grrrr. Fuckers, all of ’em.
HumboldtBlue
@WaterGirl:
Trump is out there literally melting down, his mental decline is on full display, and it won’t make a headline. This bowing to the MSM shit is over.
WaterGirl
@Betty: Or Trump!
WaterGirl
@eclare: Absolutely. I figured they would be dismissed as being on the left, so I thought I’d start with the neutral people.
RandomMonster
Is there a way to watch the Harris CNN interview yet?
WaterGirl
@RandomMonster: Possibly with a barf bag in hand?
Chet Murthy
@WaterGirl: @WaterGirl: best to take your BP meds first and wait until they kick in.
eclare
@WaterGirl:
Good point, but Dax is from MI.
RandomMonster
@WaterGirl: Snark appreciated, but I want to watch it to gauge it.
WaterGirl
I turned it on, saw one stupid question, and turned it off.
So maybe the correct answer is “with the remote in hand, hovering over the power button.”
WaterGirl
@eclare: MI being michigan?
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: I’m not opposed in principle to a competent Republican cabinet member, but I wonder if Harris will be able to find one. There are some slim pickings on that side of the aisle.
WaterGirl
Is the interview over yet?
Elizabelle
@Sally: I know. But that’s following a train of thought.
hitchhiker
@mrmoshpotato:
It’s a waste of time. Bash asked all the questions you’d expect from a right wing media-watcher:
Kamala, why did you change your mind about fracking between 2019 and today? [SUBTEXT: Aren’t you just a phony opportunist who will say anything to get elected???]
Tim, why did you lie about using IVF instead of IUI? Why did you lie about your military rank? Why did you lie about your DUI? Why should anyone believe you??? That last one wasn’t subtext. Bash said it.
Harris was polite and forceful when she needed to be. She dismissed Trump’s racism as same ol’ same ol’. Walz was genuine and warm.
But they were still just checking a box, and watching CNN trying to turn these brief comments into the journalistic get of the century is just embarrassing.
Geminid
@geg6: Yes, Kinzinger was an Air Force officer. I think he flew fighter jets.
RandomMonster
Sorry, the useful answer is, “Here’s a link to view for yourself.”
Elizabelle
@hitchhiker: Good recap.
I am thinking that I feel dumber after watching that one. Although Kamala and Tim did fine.
It was the Dumb Inquisitor questions of one Dana Bash, media mouthpiece.
moonbat
So “journalistic integrity” and asking “the hard questions” is just code for generating sound bites for Republicans. Got it.
eclare
@WaterGirl:
Yes.
WaterGirl
@hitchhiker: Great recap, but I think you left off “when did you stop beating your wife?”
Chet Murthy
@Geminid: i just looked it up, it was tankers and other Multi engine aircraft.
BR
rikyrah
You are good people, Cole 🤗
JiveTurkin
I’m trying to understand where the gotcha questions were? Changing positions, perfectly acceptable to question, IMO, and she answered well with point about values still the same. Walz’ military service, seems like fair game, I don’t expect softball questions. Harris did a good job, hammered home a few points like child care credits and tax credit for first time homebuyers, wasn’t very specific by design. Jennings is a joke, and it almost seems like the panel tolerates him and lets him talk his nonsense for a bit and then talks over him.
rikyrah
Veronica McDonald🗣 (@Purify_toast17) posted at 8:16 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
Dana Bash is gulping and down bad. She’s trying to catch @VP in some kind of lie and it ain’t happening and VP just flipped it around on Trump.
(https://x.com/Purify_toast17/status/1829327354583282057?t=hN6ebq-JO7lL5ozzmgMN7w&s=03)
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Chet Murthy:
Then he *might* be considered for Sec of the Air Force should the current one step down or be asked to step down. Nothing higher.
To quote Obama “Elections Have Consequences”. We won, we put wtf we want into the Cabinet, not some concession to the Beltway Media Corpse’s idea of how Dems should be “bipartisan”. Lord knows the Orange Fart Cloud wouldn’t ask any Dem to be on his Cabinet.
It’s an outdated concept, one that was stooopid to begin with. No wonder the media loves it.
Chet Murthy
@JiveTurkin: I think @hitchhiker: has you covered. So glad I didn’t watch.
rikyrah
DFW Sports 4Life (@Kennymack1971) posted at 9:14 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
I believe Dana Bash was picked because they knew she’d be a biased hack framing Republican talking points as *ahem* tough, hard hitting questions. The VP and Gov. Walz handled her perfectly. If you’re someone who feels like there wasn’t enough deep policy discussion blame Bash.
(https://x.com/Kennymack1971/status/1829341893655953668?t=jhuucDczwCiWm7VgkMM3ww&s=03)
Chet Murthy
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Oh ha, that makes sense. I agree with you in any case:
(1) no more Republican daddies
(2) anyplace that actually matters, no Republicans, b/c we have a massive bench of -competent- and -reliable- Dems, we don’t need to go looking for Republicans
Secy of Air Force seems safe enough. Honestly, I think it’s better than Secy of the VA: the efficacy of that agency actually -matters-: lives are at stake.
rikyrah
DFW Sports 4Life (@Kennymack1971) posted at 9:20 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
This goes right back to what so many of us have been saying. These legacy media people bitched and whined that VP Harris needs to do an interview with them. She does one and Dana Bash craps the bed with inane BS questions. IMO if she wants to bypass them going forward I’m good.
(https://x.com/Kennymack1971/status/1829343521935077535?t=l4HTMMdS90HHr4XtUxTNEw&s=03)
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: Kinzinger might take the VA job if offered.
Jeff Flake could make a decent Secretary of State. He did pretty well as Ambassador to Turkiye. At least, relations between the US and Turkiye have improved a lot the last 3 years.
rikyrah
Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) posted at 8:50 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
Harris and Walz did great. Bash sought nothing of substance, nothing new. All the yammering about how they had to face media? Yawn. Let them go about the work of running for office and saving democracy and turn your attention, news media, to exposing fascism.
(https://x.com/jeffjarvis/status/1829335961278218527?t=-yav0pcKQTj9lqdG4xb50Q&s=03)
Chet Murthy
@Geminid: Flake at State? OH GOD NO. Please no. The SoS has to be -completely- reliable b/c they’re going to be executing the President’s foreign policy. -completely- reliable.
RandomMonster
Thank you. This is exactly the kind of reaction I’m trying to arrive at myself, if only I could find some way to watch, you know, the actual source.
BR
KamalaHQ on TikTok is great — they do rapid response posting clips, including good ones from the CNN interview.
rikyrah
President Kamala’s Hand (Again) (@myronjclifton) posted at 8:45 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
VP Harris respect for President Biden is admirable and heartwarming. She spoke from the heart about him.
If there was any doubt (none from smart people) about whether she was part of the “pass the torch” bs, she put it to rest while also championing historicity of his tenure.
(https://x.com/myronjclifton/status/1829334616207224842?t=PDvY6rH1KdbLKPcmA4vI9Q&s=03)
Sally
@Geminid: Kinzinger was a guest on Ukraine: The Latest, yesterday. In which he said he’d love to be back in politics. But not in trump’s republican cult/party.
Harrison Wesley
Sounds like the CNN circus is/was just as bad as I figured it would be. I wonder if the Philadelphia Inquirer could snag an interview; I’ve still got a soft spot for my former home town paper.
Chet Murthy
@Geminid: There’s a different argument for why she should only appoint Rs to -completely- harmless positions:
If she’s going to be able to govern at all, it’ll be because she has a majority in the Senate. She shouldn’t waste a -single- vote there. Appoint an R and they don’t work out? She’ll have to replace ’em. And by then, it’s possible she can’t get the nomination thru (b/c for whatever reason she’s lost her Senate majority). It happened to Obama after all. Any position that matters, should have a Dem in that position, b/c they might need to stay in post for the entire 4yr.
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: Flake strikes me as a reliable man. But I’m just saying Flke could make a good Secretary of State. I doubt very much that Harris will select him.
Old School
@RandomMonster: Here’s the transcript of the Harris-Walz interview. I’m sure the video will be available at some point.
rikyrah
Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) posted at 8:11 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
Journalism is more than reading Republican talking points and asking Democrats to respond to them.
(https://x.com/SimonWDC/status/1829326160158663047?t=MxGy3UlSHPI1ri_LIcgC8Q&s=03)
Sally
@Geminid: No no no! We need a great Democrat, or career diplomat, in that position. It’s such a high profile post, please don’t give it to any republican.
rikyrah
(https://x.com/atrupar/status/1829334147082420282?t=ZbgJy8l9VFfXZ-S_Ya8V2g&s=03)
Chet Murthy
@Geminid: He’s 63: if he does well in the post, he might have ambitions. That’d be really, really bad. And sure, he’s been OK as ambassador to Turkey. But that’s a minor job (esp. since the foreign service officers do all the work, and they’re all under the direct supervision of Foggy Bottom) compared to actually running State. Him being a reasonably reliable ambassador isn’t actual evidence that he’s trustworthy enough for one of the great offices of state.
Elizabelle
@rikyrah: Yep. And that is what Dana Bash specializes in.
It’s all kabuki.
Chet Murthy
@Sally: Biden put Blinken into that post for a reason: he knew blinken since The Flood (hence trustworthy), and knew the man was competent.
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: I really do not care if Harris picks a Republican for her Cabinet, or which Republican or what office either. I trust Harris’s judgement, and if she picks a Republican I won’t second guess her.
BR
@Chet Murthy:
That said, I’ve been reading enough of Adam’s posts to be convinced we need a new generation of thinking in foreign policy — a generation that sees the far right globally for who they are.
rikyrah
chris evans (@notcapnamerica) posted at 9:44 PM on Thu, Aug 29, 2024:
I uploaded the transcript of Kamala’s interview with Dana Bash, and asked ChatGPT to give its feedback on Dana as a journalist
Here’s what it said:
1. **Focus on Past Statements and Contradictions**: Bash repeatedly pressed Harris on her past positions, such as her stance on fracking and immigration. While it’s important to address shifts in policy positions, the emphasis on these questions seemed designed to highlight contradictions rather than provide a platform for Harris to explain her broader policy agenda or the reasoning behind any changes in stance.
2. **Repetition of Right-Wing Talking Points**: Some of the questions seemed to echo right-wing criticisms or talking points, such as pressing Harris on Trump’s racially charged comments or repeatedly questioning her commitment to banning fracking. These questions could be viewed as attempts to put Harris on the defensive rather than engage in a substantive discussion on policy differences between her and her opponents.
3. **Missed Opportunities for In-Depth Policy Discussion**: Bash could have used the interview to explore Harris’ specific policy proposals in greater detail, such as her plans for the “opportunity economy,” healthcare reform, or climate change. Instead, many questions were framed around potential vulnerabilities or criticisms, which limited the scope of the conversation and perhaps didn’t provide viewers with a comprehensive understanding of Harris’ platform.
4. **Lack of Probing on Policy Details**: While Bash did ask Harris about her economic plans and stance on energy policy, she didn’t press for specifics or challenge Harris to explain the feasibility or expected impact of her proposals in detail. This suggests a focus more on generating headline-worthy responses than on fostering a deeper understanding of the candidate’s vision and policy nuances.
In summary, while it’s crucial for journalists to hold candidates accountable and address inconsistencies, the interview seemed to prioritize confrontation and controversy over substantive engagement with policy issues. This approach might appeal to some viewers but could also leave others wanting a more thorough exploration of what Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, actually plan to do if elected.
(https://x.com/notcapnamerica/status/1829349377749467417?t=BWQwpjM46o4cmt6iHoXLQw&s=03)
Sally
@Chet Murthy: Yep. It’s been a difficult* time to be SoS, and he has done as good a job as anyone could, I think. It has probably been wise, in hindsight, to have a career diplomat in that role for these past three years. Rather than make a quality (is there any other kind?) Dem a target.
*understatement of the year.
Elizabelle
@Old School: Thank you for that.
I think the trick is reading the transcript, and avoiding the cable TV show. Although it was good to see Kamala and Tim’s demeanor.
Chet Murthy
@rikyrah: Waaaaaitaminute! I searched that text for “abortion” and “repro”(ductive) and …. bupkis. Did Bash even ask about abortion?
[insert goose meme: did you ask about abortion, Dana you motherfucker?]
Darkrose
@OGLiberal: When I flew to Toronto last month, I masked up in the airports and on the flights. I was one of the few people who did. Aside from a mild cold, I haven’t gotten sick, which even pre-COVID, I always did on flights. I don’t understand why people don’t protect themselves.
Citizen Alan
@SatanicPanic: He did. And IIRC, Norman Mineta was the only member of the Bush Cabinet to conduct himself with any degree of professionalism on 9/11.
Chet Murthy
@Darkrose: My wonderful sister&BIL got COVID on a trip to the East Coast. They weren’t masking aggressively, sigh.
eclare
@rikyrah:
They also both still have day jobs.
Memory Pallas
Is Fiona Hill still a Republican?
Chet Murthy
@Memory Pallas: If you’re thinking about her for a Cabinet position: she’s an analyst (and an excellent one), not an executive. She might make an excellent assistant to the National Security Advisor, but even NSAs need to be excellent administrators.
Citizen Alan
@Chet Murthy: Is there a Secretary of Space Force?
Chet Murthy
@Citizen Alan: nopes. There’s a chief of space operations who reports to the Secretary of the Air Force.
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: Ambassador to Turkiye isis not a minor job because that is not at all a minor country. Turkiye is every bit as important as France or Germany, whether Americans like it or not. American/Turkish relations have been on shaky ground ever since Bush’s stupid Iraq war, and it’s important that Biden and Flake got them on a firmer footing.
But now you raise the spectre of an ambitious and dangerous Jeff Flake! I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
Chet Murthy
@Geminid: I recognize it’s not a minor posting. But it -is- minor, in that the ambassador has -zero- latitude to freelance: his job is to convey the administration line in all matters. Whereas, the SoS helps to -formulate- that line, that policy.
Sally
@Chet Murthy: After that Ric Grenell I’m not sure it is such a safe bet.
RandomMonster
Cheers and thank you!!
mrmoshpotato
@hitchhiker: Sounds like a good interview. Haha!
Fake Irishman
@Kent:
VA employee here: might want to rethink that a bit. The secretary has considerable discretion over a lot of things, including how much care.
@Chet Murthy: Those fuck-ups were inherent in the system. Obama’s guy did a great job getting people enrolled in the system, then the wait times went up, leading to expansion of “community care” which I think what you refer to as privatization. It sort of is and sort of isn’t. In any case, wait times for for VA-paid care at community providers are longer than those in the VA.
Fake Irishman
@Geminid:
Not secState, but there might be a good landing spot in a NATO facing position for him or perhaps East Asia depending what he wants.
Chet Murthy
@Fake Irishman: As they say, the really important embassy postings are great for sending high-profile celebs to, b/c all the real work is done by the head of mission: the ambassador is basically a figurehead. As we see with Rahm Emanuel in Japan; that said, sometimes even the fucking figurehead can figure out where to put his head, and where not to.
Geminid
@Chet Murthy: Sure. But the Ambassador helps execute the Secretary of State’s policy and is a vital link in communication between Ankara and Washington. Biden and Blinken chose a respected Senator– and Flake is one no matter what you think of him– for Ambassador because they wanted Erdogan to know they took Turkiye seriously and that Flake was an representative he could take seriously.
Aussie Sheila
@Geminid:
To be very blunt here, wtf!
Why would or should any Democratic administration appoint anyone, anyone other than a highly competent, highly partisan Democrat to a Cabinet position?
No wonder the place is such a cluster fuck. It’s clearly true that US liberals can’t take their own side even in a political gunfight.
Unbelievable.
This is why people think the US Dems are weak.
Geminid
@Aussie Sheila: I am not advocating for Flake as Secretary of State; I did not bring this subject up, but was speculating along with the others. You want to make this yet another typical example of American liberal weakness, and you can ride your favorite hobby horse into the sunset for all I care.
Geminid
@Aussie Sheila: And instead of saying this is “why people think US Dems are weak,” you could always own your personal opinions and say this is why you think US Dems are weak.