Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

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

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

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

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

People are complicated. Love is not.

Elections aren’t won by handwringing, cowering, and/or bashing your own candidates.

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

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

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

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

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Local Races Open Thread: Has Colin Allred Become A Serious Contender?

Local Races Open Thread: Has Colin Allred Become A Serious Contender?

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I know, I know, it’s Texas… but, as someone said recently, Texas isn’t a blue state, it’s a deeply gerrymandered state.

Ted Cruz is increasingly unpopular…


And the other GOP ‘leaders’ in Texas are doing their best to wreck their own fiefdom:

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    123Comments

    3. 3.

      Kent

      I lived in TX for 15 years and have seen so many dems generate lots of excitement then be disappointed.  So I dunno.  But If Dems win TX it is all over.  The blue wall won’t even matter anymore

      Reply
    4. 4.

      feebog

      Allred is within striking distance.  If he closes strong he has a shot.  Might be the difference in holding the Senage.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      comrade scotts agenda of rage

      I too remain skeptical.

      I too will be damned impressed with the Allred campaign should they win.

      Should they win, this will be a hugely significant moment in national politics…that’s me, Captain Obvious.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      MattF

      Somewhat surprised by Liz. And her Dad. I’ll note that it was by commenting about Dad’s role in the Bush administration that I learned to spell ‘fascist’.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      Ishiyama

      I don’t know anything about Texas, but one candidate is photogenic and one is loathsome. Allred looks like he means business.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      Scout211

      Texas Politics Project has all the polls conducted this year.  It’s kind of staggering just how different all the polls are.

      The polls in September and August:

      Cruz +4

      Cruz +8

      Cruz +10

      Cruz +2

      I’m beginning to think polling just may not be a science.  Who knew? 😉

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Yarrow

      Texas isn’t a blue state, it’s a deeply gerrymandered state.

      Gerrymandering doesn’t matter in a statewide election. But voter suppression does. Texas is also a voter suppression state. It’s also not a blue state. That much is for sure.

      Either Allred or a PAC need to do a “Pets/dogs for Colin” ad, which should include that sad pic of Cruz’s dog staring out the front door of Cruz’s house during the big freeze when of Cruz’s house had no heat and Ted fled to Cancun. “If Ted Cruz will leave the family pet to suffer with no heat in a freeze, imagine how he’ll treat you.”

      Reply
    14. 14.

      MattF

      OT and irresistible bit of verse from Liz Lochhead:

      Oh saying it was one thing
      but when it came to writing it
      in black and white
      the way it had to be said
      was as if you were posh, grown-up, male, English and dead.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      moonbat

      Cancun Cruz is the kind of nickname that sticks. And he is actually so loathsome in his person that it might make a difference.

      All those disappointing Texas Dems of the past have been steadily closing the margins on their R opponents. If the trend continues, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t this year of all years, one is going to have to win eventually.

      That’s the only reason I can see for Paxton’s late, stupid and, illegal voter suppression campaign. He’s scared.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      Sandia Blanca

      Beto O’Rourke is actively promoting Colin Allred, which gives me hope. (Had heard people complaining previously that Allred should be campaigning more like Beto did.)

      Also, Liz Cheney didn’t just endorse Allred, she said she’d be working to get him elected. Not sure what form that help will take, but I think it will have an impact on some of the old school Republicans.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Scout211

      @Ishiyama: I don’t know anything about Texas, but one candidate is photogenic and one is loathsome. Allred looks like he means business

      Allred was in the NFL.  That should impress Texans, I hope. College Football at Baylor.

       Wiki  Allred was a linebacker who played for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He left football to pursue a degree in law, receiving his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by positions in the Obama administration, first at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and later at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys. On May 3, 2023, Allred announced his candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in Texas to take on Ted Cruz. He won the Democratic nomination on March 5, 2024, and will face Cruz in the November general election.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      Fake Irishman

      @Scout211:

      There are all sorts of reasons why polling is all over the place: random error, assumptions about likely voters, question wording/information.  Scientific endeavors are messy.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Harrison Wesley

      I wish I could remember who it was who wrote that Ted Cruz looks like all the Dick Tracy villains squeezed into one face, so I could give proper credit.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      CaseyL

      Interesting.  I remember a lot of despairing discussion (including here on BJ) that Allred wasn’t campaigning, or not campaigning enough.  Maybe he was waiting for Labor Day, the unofficial start of the serious campaign season.

      The Texas GOP is, like the Florida GOP, a beta test of fascist rule in these here United States.  In order for it to fall, enough Republican voters have to vote for Democrats – precisely because GOP voters aren’t being suppressed.

      Registered Republicans have to care enough about small-d democracy, have to want “good government,” have to want to look and act and vote beyond the culture wars that are the GOP’s sole policy offering. They have to want a government that works for people – even the ones whose color, ethnicity, religion or gender aren’t the same as theirs.

      Cheney’s endorsement of Allred could help with that.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      Geminid

      I’m a “late adopter” and never used the internet to follow politics until 2018. Then, I got wrapped up in the midterms and I watched attentively when Colin Allred flipped a Dallas-area district that year.

      One thing I noticed was that Allred had been a White House Fellow during the Obama administration. So was Rep. Sharice Davids (KS), one of the other 39 Democrats who flipped seats that year.

      This program has a talent development function, and I expect we’ll see some Biden White House Fellows enter politics in coming years. Interestingly, Maryland Governor Wes Moore was a White House Fellow in 2006, during the Bush administration. Moore worked for Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

      There will be fewer NFL veterans than White House Fellows in Democratic politics, but Colin Allred is not the only player making news. Former Packers safety Aaron Rouse won a Virginia State Senate seat in 2023, in a special election. The 40 year-old Rouse is running for Lieutenant Governor next year; another up-and-comer I think.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      cmorenc

      I thought the rest of the quote about Texas not truly being a red state was that it’s a low turnout state (for non-gop voters).  It also is heavily gerrymandered as a result of low non-gop turnout.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      Another Scott

      Allred’s media team has some receipts, e.g. FB.com – Cruz fist bump on Senate floor after voting against bill on health benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits. (Cruz was shamed into voting to pass the bill a week later, but the video above shows where his heart (such as it is) actually lies. Plus, “if you’re explaining, you’re losing”, also too.)

      Here’s hoping it has some legs. Every bit helps and will probably be necessary.

      Forward!!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Josie

      @cmorenc: Yes, and the reason that it’s a low turnout state is because it is a heavily voter suppressed state. I remember voting in San Antonio at one point when, in opposition to the law that says you don’t have to present a driver’s license at the polls in order to vote, a large sign outside the polling place said that you must have a driver’s license in order to vote. There is no way to know how many failed to join the line after they read that sign. This is only one instance of the little things that the local powers do to discourage voters. Other things include machines that don’t work in certain areas of the state, removal of polling places near college campuses, etc.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      trollhattan

      And in area news, for somebody who termed out more than a decade ago, she sure knows how to generate headlines.

      The former chief of staff for California State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil filed a civil lawsuit alleging the Republican lawmaker forced him to perform sexual favors for her, one of which resulted in a serious back injury.

      In a lawsuit filed Thursday in the Sacramento Superior Court, Chad Condit claimed Alvarado-Gil exploited her position of power to sexually harass him while he served as her chief of staff. “[Condit] was demeaned and made to feel empty and subordinate to his boss, a California state senator, with power over his career and livelihood,” the complaint read.

      Last month, Alvarado-Gil switched parties from Democrat to Republican. She said her former party’s supermajority in the Legislature is “unrecognizable to what I once knew and lacks the will to fix the problems plaguing this state.” In addition to sexual harassment claims, the new Republican faces allegations of discrimination, retaliation and violations of California labor laws. In the complaint, Condit alleged his former boss began creating a hostile work environment immediately after he became her chief of staff in 2022 after successfully running her election to the state Senate.

      Condit met Alvarado-Gil while running for the 22nd California Assembly District in 2022, which he lost. Condit claimed that Alvarado-Gil pressured him into performing oral sex on her several times during the year he worked for her.

      Condit, who is married, said in the complaint that he felt pressured to perform the favors out of fear of losing his job. He claimed that Alvarado-Gil seemed to revel in her dominance over Condit, at one point he claimed that the senator told him to kiss her genitals to “prove your loyalty.” One incident in which Condit claimed he was pressured to perform oral sex in a car, which resulted in a back injury.

      The filing states that Condit suffered three herniated discs in his back and a collapsed hip as a result of the incident. After the incident, Condit claimed in the filing that he rejected Alvarado-Gil’s advances. He underwent back surgery in Oct. 2023 to address the injury, and two months later he was fired. Ognian Gavrilov, Alvarado-Gil’s lawyer, called the claims completely unsubstantiated and outlandish.

      https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article292072085.html#storylink=cpy

      Back in the day, Chad Condit would necessarily have been a daytime soap character name.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      CaseyL

      @trollhattan: ​
      OMG, OMG, OMG. I saw his name and wondered if he was any relation to Gary Condit (I have an excellent memory for political scandals). He’s Gary’s KID!

      Article from 2013:

      Chad Condit is running for Congress. It was his father, Congressman Gary Condit, who refused to answer investigators’ questions in the infamous disappearance of Chandra Levy a decade ago. Gary Condit was eventually cleared as a suspect and another man was convicted of her murder, but he lost his re-election bid two years later and is now living in Arizona.

      Two generations. Two sex scandals. Wow.​

      Reply
    39. 39.

      CaseyL

      @trollhattan: 

      I was thinking it was sad that Chad ran for office but wound up being some other politician’s office flunky.

      But then it occurred to me that, if you’re genuinely interested in politics, but have trouble getting elected, then being a professional political staff person might be the next best thing.

      Unless, like poor Chad, you wind up working for a sex predator. Then, maybe not so great

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Geminid

      @zhena gogolia: U.Va.’s Miller School for politics lists Cheney as a professor, and I’ve wondered if she’ll move to Albemarle County. But I haven’t heard anything.

      Maybe Cheney will set up here after the election. It’s less than 3 hours by car from DC and she’d find plenty of simpatico neighbors in Albermarle: Range Rover Republicans. Wherever she is, Cheney will need to watch her back because she is really hated.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      BellyCat

      The whole Cheney realignment is quite interesting. There is a not insignificant number of Republicans who are currently drowning, looking for a piece of float wood to latch onto. And by “not insignificant”, I mean the majority of the fucking party. These people are fuckedednated, have no idea how to properly virtue-signal to their LandRover peers at present, and I’m totally here for it.

      ETA: ‘majority of the party’ is defined as Pre-Trump era.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      CaseyL

      @Chet Murthy: 

      I remember when – for her campaign – she went fishing to prove how much of a Wyoming outdoorsperson she was, and forgot to get the fishing license first. (Of course, being a Cheney, she just got a quiet talking to and a chance to get the license post facto.)

      And, IIRC, the person who had the seat before her was strong-armed into not running in order to open it up for her.

      Oh, crap. Now I’m remembering all the ways the Cheneys piss me off.

      Reply
    50. 50.

      Another Scott

      Meanwhile, … TimesofIsrael.com (from earlier today):

      Some 500,000 people are currently attending the mass rally in Tel Aviv demanding that the government free the remaining hostages held by Hamas since October 7, according to protest organizers.

      This would make the rally the largest in Israeli history.

      At the Tel Aviv rally, organizers claim that the estimate has been confirmed by police.

      Activists on social media say tens of thousands are simultaneously protesting in Jerusalem, Haifa and Kfar Saba, while thousands are also gathered in cities including Beersheba, Netanya, and Rishon Lezion.

      At a protest in Carmei Gat, former hostage Adina Moshe, who was released in the November truce, says she told the Shin Bet official who debriefed her of the danger posed to hostages when IDF troops approach tunnels where they are held. “When the IDF enters those tunnels, it is impossible to save the hostages,” she recalls saying, because Hamas “will kill them right away.

      “All my friends who were together with me in captivity in that tunnel were murdered — murdered by Hamas because the IDF approached. Even though I warned — but who am I? — that that would happen.”

      […]

      No telling how long Bibi can put up roadblocks to an agreement, but it seems like Israelis are getting increasingly fed up…

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      Chet Murthy

      @CaseyL: “Oh, crap. Now I’m remembering all the ways the Cheneys piss me off.”

      Haha, you’re not alone.  Many of us have our particular stories of Darth.  Mine involved a time he was doing a campaign appearance or rally at some country club, and a grandfather and grandson were out on a stroll.  They walked by, and gramps made some derogatory comment about Cheney.  Got arrested for his trouble.  Yeah, nothing authoritarian about that, nosirree.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Geminid

      @zhena gogolia: Personally, I think Liz Cheney will not run for office again, in Wyoming or anywhere else. She can pick and choose where she lives though and Wyoming has been a Cheney family base for decades, so I expect she’ll maintain a presence there.

      The DC area has been a second home for Cheney as well (or first home depending on how you look at it), so she may set up in this area. Cheney can sip sherry with Larry Sabato at U.Va. shindigs when she’s not out tearing down Ted Cruz and his ilk.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Matt McIrvin

      @Josie: I remember voting in San Antonio at one point when, in opposition to the law that says you don’t have to present a driver’s license at the polls in order to vote, a large sign outside the polling place said that you must have a driver’s license in order to vote.

      If we had a functioning voting-rights-enforcement system, someone would have been convicted of a crime for that.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      lamh47

      I dont’ know about ya’ll, but I needed a break from politics for the weekend.

      So finally got to watch The Fall Guy on streaming!  Been waiting to watch.

      Ya’ll should watch it.  It’s on Peacock. It was good…LONG!!! But good.

      Tomorrow or today I’ll probably watch Rebel Ridge on Netflix.  Already hearing good things about it.

      Seriously though, take a break if ya can…next week’s debate shit is gonna be stressful I’m sure.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      KatKapCC

      @zhena gogolia: Yes, but that’s not what I meant, because Chad is also “innocent” in his situation. But his father’s involved a young woman being murdered, even if Gary (as far as we know) had nothing to do with her death. I don’t think drawing any kind of equivalency between the two situations is okay.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      Scout211

      @zhena gogolia: He was not charged for her murder but evidence points to an affair. He denies having an affair with her but told the police at the time that he did.

      ABC News (2016)

      A married man, Condit, according to investigators at the time, admitted to police he had had an affair with Levy, but denied any connection to her disappearance. Condit was investigated but never charged in connection with the case. He has never publicly admitted to an affair with Levy.

      Her parents don’t believe him.

       

      @eclare:

      Ingmar Guandique, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted of Levy’s murder in 2010 and sentenced to 60 years in prison, but his conviction was later overturned and a retrial ordered earlier last year. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia dismissed all charges against Guandique in July after the office concluded that “it can no longer prove the murder case against Mr. Guandique beyond a reasonable doubt.”

      Authorities say the jailhouse confession on which the original conviction was based came from an unreliable witness.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      comrade scotts agenda of rage

      @CaseyL:

      Oh wow, I’d totally spaced on him.  I followed the Levy case from afar given I was still an avid reader of my hometown newspaper back then.

      Condit wasn’t guilty but was a scumbag, that’s for sure.

      And the man they convicted, they set loose 8 years ago so it would be irresponsible not to speculate about Condit’s role again.

      https://abcnews.go.com/US/killed-chandra-levy-15-years-questions-answers-dc/story?id=43046426

      Chad “My Dad lost his career”.  Boo fucking hoo, your Dad couldn’t keep it in his pants.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      wjca

      @Ishiyama: We went to the same law school.

      I hope you were there before John Yoo joined the faculty.  Hiring him may have been the most embarrassing thing UC has done in my lifetime.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Almost Retired

      @Scout211: I just assumed Chad Condit was some kid in his 30’s, but it turns out he was born in 1967.  Time flies.  He’s old enough to be a Balloon Juice commenter.

      Reply
    66. 66.

      lamh47

      @eclare: Def a good TBW movie.

      And if ur are old enough to be a fan of the OG Fall Guy series…watch until the end credits

       

      ETA: One thing after watching the movie…the fact that there is no Stunt Performer category at the Oscars is bullshit!

      Reply
    68. 68.

      BlueGuitarist

      @A Ghost to Most:

      I think that when W paused in the middle of that he realized that if he said the words “shame on me” clips of him saying just those 3 words would circulate endlessly, and embarrassingly, and that anything else he said instead of shame on me would just blend in with all his other malapropisms.
      but anyway, shame on him.
      Also, too, now that the worst person we know made a good point, by endorsing Kamala, time for W to do so too. He can even take credit for calling Trump weird.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Yutsano

      @Another Scott: ​Bibi can’t stop. As soon as he shows any signs of trying for peace is coalition goes poof. And since he forgot that his judicial reform law would have to be run by the judiciary (spoilers: the Israeli supreme court shot that down) he doesn’t even have that avenue for salvation. If he stops he’s cooked, his trial will go forward which he’ll most likely get convicted for, and there will be new elections that the hard right* will most likely lose. So Netanyahu is stuck.

      *Except for the fucking Shas party.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Scout211

      @BlueGuitarist: time for W to do so too

      He’s not going to endorse.

      Former President George W. Bush does not plan to endorse a candidate for president, his office told NBC News on Saturday.

      When asked whether the former president or his wife, Laura, would endorse a candidate or make public how they will vote, Bush’s office said “no.”

      Reply
    72. 72.

      wjca

      @Baud: Some moron translated a Trump sign into Latin instead of Spanish

      Well, if your goal is to communicate with Latinos, isn’t Latin the obvious language to ask the translation software for?

      Reply
    76. 76.

      Jackie

      Speaking of Texas; they want access to women and girls medical records.

      “Texas has sued the Biden administration to try to block a federal rule that shields the medical records of women from criminal investigations if they cross state lines to seek abortion where it is legal,” the AP reports.

      😡😡😡

      Reply
    78. 78.

      RevRick

      @Scout211: Polling is a matter of statistics, which means it constructs a Bell Curve. Average those numbers out will give a clearer picture.
      The truth of the matter is you cannot separate Allred’s outcome from what Harris will do. And current polling has her trailing by 5%, which sounds about right for Texas.
      So, unless there’s a massive, seismic shift towards Harris nationally, Texas is likely out of reach.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Harrison Wesley

      I was a bit taken aback when I saw today that Alan Dershowitz had quit the Democratic Party.  I thought he had done that like 20 years ago.  I’m sure he’ll be missed.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      Geminid

      @Yutsano: Netanyahu’s corruption trial is still going forward, but at a snail’s pace. The prosecution finally finished presenting its 200+ witnesses in August, and now the defense will get its chance. There won’t be a verdict until next year and appeals could run into 2027. The trial started back in April of 2021!

      So the PM is not in immediate danger, but he still hopes to fix his case through “judicial reform.” That’s why Netanyahu formed this rotten government to begin with, after he unexpectedly won the November 1, 2022 election.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Lyrebird

      @MattF: Yes, surprised here, too, but VERY glad.

      Allred is a member of the Footballerian Church, very important in TX, and now has the endorsement of someone a step away from the Bush fam… anyone else remember that Molly Ivins article where she (correctly) pointed out that all GWB had to do in a TX debate was show up and not drool to be crowned the winner?

      I still consider Dick Cheney to be a war criminal and a profiteer, but as I have said here, we need EVERYONE who is not caught up in MAGA to do everything they can.

      I agree with @CaseyL:s take that an Allred win hinges at least in part on registered Rs voting for him.  The Allred campaign now has both Beto O and Liz C’s support, that’s pretty impressive… go go go!

      Someone here was saying whoa, why is Cheney just now commenting on R candidates being sexist pigs, where was she, but she’s been solidly Never Trump iirc, and while Poppy and W both showed a disdain for the importance of non-white folks, they were nothing like Trump, they treated their wives with respect and honor, and W and Dick Cheney were both publicly and privately proud of their daughters. SFAIrecall, the Cheneys (senior) stuck up for their gay daughter as well.  I still think he should stand for trial at the Hague and pay back what I consider his ill-gotten gains – I am not saying oh yeah happy clappy, I am giving credit where it seems due.  ETA And Liz Cheney could just live on commentator fees forever probably, but here she is entering the fray for the good of the country.  Stumping for Allred ain’t gonna get MAGAloons to think she’s okay.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      zhena gogolia

      @wjca: Wasn’t this a mistake Dan Quayle made when he was planning a visit to Latin America and said he was brushing up his Latin? ETA: Apparently too good to be true.

      In April 1989, Representative Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island told a gathering of Republicans that she had recently attended an event at the Belgian embassy, where Vice-President Quayle complimented her on her command of French. Then, Schneider said, the Vice-President added: “I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.” Ms. Schneider concluded by admitting that the story was merely a joke, but not all the newspapers reported it that way. Several publications, either through carelessness or a desire not to let the truth get in the way of a good story, reported the story as true. The culprits included such venerable publications as Newsday, the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and Time. The fabricated misquote took hold because it sounded exactly like something Dan Quayle (or, more accurately, the Dan Quayle of public perception) would say, and no amount of correction could dislodge it from the public vocabulary.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Scout211

      @zhena gogolia: Really? I thought somebody confessed.

      See my #59.  You’re both correct.  There was a confession and conviction but it was overturned as the confession was unreliable.  They planned to retry the guy but ended up dropping the case.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Kirk

      @RevRick: Agreed, but I’m wondering what the Dobbs number really is.

      Every race that included abortion has been significantly outside the polling projections, and in favor of abortion. It’s still too infrequent to measure reliably, but it’s consistent enough at this point I’m convinced there is a weight on the scale not being considered.

      I don’t know how big it will be. I don’t know if it’s got inertia. But I’m pretty sure it’s there and I’m pretty sure polling questions for it are still too uncertain to test.

      That said, I keep remembering 2016 and seeing if there’s more antiacid in the medicine cabinet.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      MisterForkbeard

      @Starfish: The trumpers are screaming on twitter (and on the YT comments) that the whole thing was staged and a disaster.

      They’re all so damn weird. Just mind-boggling odd, obsessed people who can’t stand a smart, charming black woman

      Reply
    105. 105.

      eclare

      @Lyrebird:

      It’s simple:  the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  After the election, no longer my friend.  But for now, take the endorsement and don’t question it.

      Reply
    106. 106.

      Ishiyama

      @wjca: I hope you were there before John Yoo joined the faculty. Hiring him may have been the most embarrassing thing UC has done in my lifetime.

      I was fortunate to have Stephan Riesenfeld for International Law. I hope that he haunts John Yoo. I can’t conceal my disgust for the faculty, allowing Yoo to pollute the school.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Geminid

      @West of the Rockies: Thiessen or whover is relying on Americans’ ignorance here. Two weeks ago, Israeli TV Channel 12 released a poll asking if Netanyahu should retire and not run for office again. Results:

      Yes, should retire: 63%.

      No, should not retire: 13%

      No opinion: 24%

      This result is consistent with other polling that shows that despite his efforts to salvage his reputation, the PM’s reputation has never recovered from the catastrophe of October 7. And his government was unpopular before October 7.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      Another Scott

      @Lyrebird: @Timill:

      Made me look…

      There’s a yellow sign with black text upside-down against the fence.  With a phone number with a 570 Area Code.  That’s Scranton PA and vicinity.  It looks like 5.9% of Lackawanna County is Hispanic, and Google tells me that 14.8% of the city population is Hispanic.

      Neither TinEye nor Google Image Search show me another example of the image. (Though the 3 smiling guys look suspiciously like stock photos.)

      FWIW.

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      Lyrebird

      @Timill: thanks!

      @Another Scott: plenty of resentment in that there corner of PA, but then again LOTS of folks old enough that they had to take Latin in HS.

      I hope the sign is real, probably provided some great laughs if so.

      Thanks for looking around.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      206inKY

      @Josie: The intensity of voter suppression in Texas is next level, way more than pretty much any other state. They’re way beyond gerrymandering and constantly looking for ways to lock in statewide races as well, since they know they’re outnumbered and drowning.

      Beto’s 2018 campaign was arguably the most impressive this century aside from Obama 2008 and Harris 2024. A generational talent. But Texas has changed in the past 6 years. It becomes more blue every day.

      And if Allred is the real deal, we can definitely win this thing.

      I don’t know enough about him yet and haven’t heard nearly as much giddiness from my Texas friends as 2018, but maybe it’s not necessary when we’ve got a solid candidate and a better playing field. This isn’t Kentucky. The GOP can only hold back the floodwaters for so long.

      Reply
    123. 123.

      trnc

      @Geminid: ​
       

      Netanyahu’s corruption trial is still going forward, but at a snail’s pace. The prosecution finally finished presenting its 200+ witnesses in August,

      I’d like to hear what lawyers have to say about that, but 200 witnesses seems excessive. I assume many testified to witnessing the same actions, so I’d think that testimony from a few plus affidavits from the rest would be sufficient.

      I see it’s expected to last until 2028. It’s almost funny to see all the different stories on “the latest updates” for that trial spread across several years. Anyhoo, I’ll try to keep that in mind when griping about the prosecutions of our own corrupt asshole.

      Reply

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