No election board may refused to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstances.
I don’t think it gets any more clear than that!
BJ attorneys, does this go any further legal with appeals, or is this matter now resolved?
BREAKING: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney declares that certification of election results is mandatory under Georgia law.
No election board “may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstances…” pic.twitter.com/gPF6dS8ydu
— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) October 15, 2024
Open thread!
Damien
I worry we’re getting to the point where these people just so fundamentally reject the concept of the rule of law that they ignore this entirely and dare someone to enforce it.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I expected the great news from Georgia to be that Jimmy Carter got to vote for Harris. But this court decision is nice too!
Mr. Bemused Senior
Autocorrect strikes again.
Doug
Boom.
WaterGirl
@Dorothy A. Winsor: That, too!
WaterGirl
@Mr. Bemused Senior: As you can see, I am still having keyboard issues. The N and the M keys are now randomly taking turns.
Bastards!
karen marie
I fully expect that the Georgia Supreme Court will overturn this ruling of McBurney, the same way – and with the same speed – that they overruled McBurney‘s overturning of Georgia’s abortion ban.
Kelly
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Autocorrupt
Quaker in a Basement
I’m not a lawyer. I’m just an avid reader. The thing about our legal system is that a decision is never final. I mean, just look at the history of Roe.
dmbeaster
Legally, this is pretty basic stuff. There are many examples of similar laws and interpretations. A classic example was the clerk who refused to issue a marriage license to a gay couple even though the law authorized gay marriage. The clerk does not have the discretion to just not follow the law. Issuing he license is amandatory duty.
The doctrine has to do with which duties are discretionary and which are mandatory. Its an old concept.
The intent behind these non-certifications is to disrupt the election and force the outcome into the House. Trump wins under that scenario unless the 2024 election shifts control of state delegations enough in the House to give the Democrats the minority. It does not matter if the Democrats win back the House, and even if they do, it is hard to see a scenario where they regain majority control of state delegations. Just like the electoral college, the Democrats can have a majority of the votes in the House, but still lose this vote based on the rules which casts votes by state delegations rather than by each member.
It is clear that Trump’s lawyers have been planning this move, and laying the ground work for it, for the last few years. They were trying to do it in 2020, but could not get their act together
I believe that the remedy is that the Court orders the certification, which substitutes for the non-action by the other government officials. But who knows — its a weird scenario.
Marmot
Now, I’ve downplayed the importance of legal news plenty. But this really does look good. Thanks, WG.
WaterGirl
Speaking of great news.
Anyone ever wonder if we are making a difference?
Thanks for the good news, Mousebumples!
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Kelly: 👍
A Ghost to Most
I’ll wait to see what the Georgia Supremes think.
bbleh
@karen marie: @A Ghost to Most: I dunno. IANAL but seems like there are material differences. There he was talking about “rights,” but here he’s basically reciting black-letter law. Also from what I’ve read, a LOT of the GA political / executive establishment is against this nonsense, so I’d expect a lot of people to weigh in against an appeal, assuming they’d even hear it.
But real lawyers, and especially GA ones, would know better.
lowtechcyclist
@WaterGirl: Good news indeed! We may be able to hold the Senate even if Tester can’t pull it out in Montana. But I’d still like so see Tester win another Senate term from the Dental Floss State. ;-)
RevRick
@WaterGirl: This race is flying under the radar and must have the Republicans sweating that it’s getting away from them, and with it their hope of winning control of the Senate.
lowtechcyclist
@A Ghost to Most:
This. I’d love to think that law and precedent would make this a slam-dunk, but too many RWNJ-controlled courts are willing to just vote their politics.
WaterGirl
@lowtechcyclist: Tester may not be as progressive as I would like, but he’s been a good senator for Montana and he deserves to win.
Raoul Paste
It’s so odd (and dangerous) that a few key people of good character may save society. More of this, please.
WaterGirl
@RevRick:
Let it be so!
beckya57
@Damien: yep, totally. Just need to draw a Trumpy judge and they’re all set.
hueyplong
The Nebraska news is to me a little more exciting than the GA news because the GA decision is just at the trial court level. Winning a Senate seat in NE seems almost too good to be true, yet that number is outside the margin of error.
beckya57
@lowtechcyclist: yes.
beckya57
@WaterGirl: last time I looked he was well behind. Sad but not surprising.
Scout211
Since this is an open thread, kinda sorta, CNN has the details in Ryan Lizza’s filings in response to Nuzzi’s lawsuit claiming Lizza was, well I am not even sure. She claimed blackmail, but to me it just sounds like a super weird and public nasty breakup. Lawsuit? Really Olivia? You need to cast yourself as the victim here that badly? But I digress.
TL;DR: He said, she said.
Some highlights from the latest installment of Peyton Place, Washington DC media personalities edition:
Eunicecycle
So will Osborn caucus with Democrats? Will he vote for Democratic priorities?
Anonymous At Work
@karen marie: tl;dr depends on how quickly the Georgia Supremes want the trial decision to last.
If they think like Gov Kemp does, that TFG is trashing their state’s election system and has invited the crazies to embarrass the state, then the appeal will happen after the election and disappear. If they are MAGAts, then the decision will be stayed pending appeal, which will happen whenever.
raven
@Dorothy A. Winsor: He probably did, today is the first day of early voting.
WaterGirl
@beckya57: The people on the ground are not giving up on Tester.
The Audacity of Krope
I just registered to vote at my new address and copied the link for my roommates. Glad Massachusetts has a late registration deadline. I even still have time to request a mail ballot, if I wanted, but I think I will be going early in-person.
Bupalos
@Eunicecycle: he’s a strongly pro union and mildly anti-immigration populist. He’d support some of our priorities and some of theirs. Caucus-wise I imagine he’d leverage the question and potentially switch back and forth.
ultimately he’ll probably get buried under corporate cash if he continues to threaten the upset. Though time is running short and it’s interesting to see a 50+% number there. Maybe we sneak this one out due to a failure of Republican imagination here.
Another Scott
@Eunicecycle: He’s not going to answer that question while he’s appealing – as an independent – for votes of sane Republicans in the state.
His platform looks sensible (with a couple of weird things – like term limits – thrown in).
He deserves support, to keep the GQP from regaining control of the Senate. We need to run up the score to expand what’s possible in Harris’ term.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
JPL
@raven: I have voted early but not on the first day. In 2020 there were no near by parking spaces so I awoke earlier and was there about 6:30 the next ay and already there was a long line. Today was there two minutes before the doors opened and only a few dozen in front of me. I was home by 7:30. I was concerned about the numbers but shortly after I got home, I heard that there were long lines in Atlanta.
lowtechcyclist
@Eunicecycle:
I’m no expert on this race, but from my reading, he’s much more for Dem priorities than for GOP priorities. Assuming Harris wins, I’d expect him to caucus with the Dems, especially since if he’s vote #50, he’d be in a good position to get concessions on any points where he differs from the Dem consensus.
Since the GOP is basically about blocking Dem legislation, and having 51+ in their caucus would accomplish that all by itself, he’d be a bit player on the GOP side if he were to caucus with them.
lollipopguild
@Raoul Paste: Think back to 1940. If Churchill was not the Prime Minister of England someone with less spine might have surrendered to Hitler. One person made that decision.
dmbeaster
@Scout211: The Nuzzi lawsuit is such garbage. She is painting herself as a very weird drama queen, willing to do nutty stuff for self-promotion. It has backfired, so she is suing her ex-fiance as some sort of stupid stunt to deflect attention/garner pity/who the hell knows why.
I tend to see the RFK “affair” in this light (create drama for herself in some way), but the whole thing is just weird. Regardless, she looks like someone to be avoided and not trusted.
Baud
I hope they didn’t make Jimmy wait in that long line without water.
Baud
@Raoul Paste:
It’s not a great situation we’re in, but a few people aren’t saving society, they’re saving the rest of us from having to do things we’d prefer not to have to do to save society.
Another Scott
@lowtechcyclist: Yup.
When members of the House Freedom Caucus were basically accused of being RINOs by a bunch of them, Osborn would not have any sway at all in a hypothetical GQP caucus.
Cheers,
Scott.
wjca
If memory serves, Tester has routinely been behind (according to such polling as Montana has) in every race. Before going on to win. Might or might not happen this time. But definitely reason not to give in to despair.
raven
@lollipopguild: When we entered the war all of the generals wanted to cross the channel and attack the Nazi’s. One person said “No, we have to learn how to fight first”. FDR
KatKapCC
@Kelly: This made me giggle. I may use it in the future!
Trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
He’s more of a Democrat than Manchin has ever been. IMHO Tester is a solid dude from a very tricky state.
Trollhattan
Oh hai NFL, sure, take my money.
Email just received from the Most Important Sports League in the Solar System, offering priority Superbowl access, as a True Fan like myself deserves.
The frickin’ 2028 Superbowl. Does it come with life insurance?
blackmtn
Just mailed our 200 postcards to GA!
(kind of on topic)
WaterGirl
@Eunicecycle: Osborn will not caucus with the Dems. Nor will he caucus with the Republicans.
I’m sure he will vote for some Democratic priorities: pro labor / pro union, abortion, treatment of immigrants, etc.
I’m also sure he will not vote for some Democratic priorities.
But he beats the HELL out of the incumbent republican senator. And he will NOT be a rubber stamp vote for Republican priorities, as she is.
Big picture: Overall, it’s a win for Dems if he wins.
MORE and BETTER Democrats is the goal. But he’ll be a key vote on a lot of key issues
It’s Nebraska. Not straight-up Republican is a win.
Another Scott
@beckya57:
(via MuellerSheWrote):
(Some light editing of extraneous time stamps, etc.)
Every vote matters. We need to keep pushing for every gettable vote.
Forward!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
He has to caucus with somebody. He’s going to vote on a majority leader and his committee assignments will be based on how he caucuses.
Jackie
Sigh… I was hoping the Kemp/TCFG feud would last past Election Day.
Tony Jay
@lollipopguild:
Yes and no. Churchill on his own could never have stopped the British Establishment from making a deal with Hitler if that had been the general consensus around the smoking rooms of the Gentleman’s Clubs. He became Prime Minister because he was obdurately opposed to German supremacy over Europe and that consensus needed a figurehead who could sell the country on another war if that was what saying no to Hitler meant.
No political leader ever does anything alone. They can’t. All they can do is provide leadership for the movement that chooses them.
Baud
@Another Scott:
That would be a sweet own goal.
Baud
@Tony Jay:
I wish people had to recite this three times before talking politics on social media.
lollipopguild
@Another Scott: Nothing quite like shooting yourself in the foot.
KatKapCC
@Scout211:
Gonna go douche with lye, brb
WaterGirl
@Bupalos:
Osborn is not taking ANY corporate cash. He is not taking any money from either party.
Eunicecycle
@Another Scott:
@lowtechcyclist:
@WaterGirl: Thanks for the replies. I sort of recalled that the Dems there had thrown their support to him. And of course he’s better than Fischer.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
I think they’re saying corporate cash will be used against Osborn to keep him from winning.
Jackie
@Baud:
I’m not sure on that, but I believe should he refuse to pick a party, he won’t be given Committee assignments, so basically neutered.
Baud
@Jackie:
Yeah, I didn’t mean to suggest it was a formal rule. But if he wants to do anything substantive, he’s going to have to choose a side.
hueyplong
@WaterGirl: Pretty sure the poster thinks the corporate cash is going to the GOPer.
Geminid
@Tony Jay: My understanding is that Lord Halifax would have been chosen Pfime Minister had the British establishment decided to treat with Hitler.
WaterGirl
@Baud: @hueyplong: Ah, got it.
Hopefully it will be too late.
Raoul Paste
@lollipopguild: It’s stunning to contemplate.
WaterGirl
@Jackie:
That’s my understanding, as well.
Here’s what I don’t know: Does every HUMAN in the senate get to vote for majority leader? Or is it only members of a caucus that get to vote on that?
Eunicecycle
@Bupalos: thanks, too! I missed you there.
Sister Golden Bear
@Another Scott:
Not exactly a stellar case of sekrecy tradecraft, but OK.
Ishiyama
Gov. Walz gave a very impressive farm policy speech in Pennsylvania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kHE2fNpJUM
Belafon
@WaterGirl: The whole chamber votes.
Jackie
@WaterGirl: I believe the Party Leader is voted for members of THAT party – unlike the Speaker of the House.
HinTN
@WaterGirl: Doesn’t stop dark money attack ads.
AWOL
@Scout211: I think the only thing relevant about exploring their relationship is whether US journalists are just into scat play, which is obvious; incest, as with the Habermans; sadism, which seems logical; or just settle for the usual symbiotic genital mutilations to enhance their serious TV-pundit faces.
Pathetic bastards.
Scout211
Interesting question. I thought it was all members get a vote, like in the House. But Wiki tells me this:
I see I am beaten as usual with the info. Jackie with the quick click. LOL
cain
@Jackie:
Looking at his last rally, Kemp is going to look like a fool trying to endorse this guy. 30 minutes just listening to music in his townhall. Didn’t want to answer questions and just decided to listen to music.
Plus people fainting in the place, because the guy won’t pay for HVAC. Just wild.
Jackie
@cain: Kemp looked the fool fully endorsing Hershel Walker for senator, so he’s accustomed to it.
Jackie
😂
Stein has standards? I hope Duke wraps her into his full Nazi embrace as tightly as possible!😂
Wapiti
@Sister Golden Bear: Common law marriage for the win, I guess.
WaterGirl
@Scout211: @Jackie:
That still doesn’t answer my question, so I am clearly to phrasing it correctly.
What determines control of the Senate chamber? The party with the biggest caucus?
With 100 senators – one of whom is not in the D or R caucus – in a close split that is going to be 50 – 49 in one direction or the other.
So he is either the lone Independent who is either not in a caucus, or he is the only member of the Independent caucus.
Door #1
So is it 100 individuals that vote to decide control of the Senate?
Door #2
Or is it the caucus with the largest number of members that gets control of the Senate?
Door #3
Or is control of the Senate decided some other way?
Baud
@Jackie:
Standards? No.
Enough common sense to understand that an endorsement from Duke harms her goal of helping Trump defeat Harris? Yes.
lollipopguild
@Sister Golden Bear:” Deep state Govment men u cant see me because I am hiding over here behind my wife!’
Scout211
@WaterGirl: My reading of the article that it is
door #3door #2. The members choose their caucus membership and the party that has more members is the one that determines the Senate Leader and the other party, the Minority Leader.Belafon
@WaterGirl: We already had two independents in 2023, Sanders and King. So technically Democrats were the minority party.
WaterGirl
@Scout211: That sounds like door #2 to me.
So basically, you only get a vote if you are in a caucus.
With a 50-49 split in favor of D or R, it’s the caucus with 50 that gains control of the Senate.
So the guy with no caucus or in the Independent caucus of ONE – he basically doesn’t get a vote.
Ken B
The feeling I have is that Kemp wants to look like a good Trumper, but desperately doesn’t want him to win.
I think Kemp wants to run for President in 2028, and thinks his chances are better if Trump is out. But if the Trump base thinks that Kemp kept Trump out of the White House, he’s done.
Jackie
@WaterGirl: Door #2. If the Senate is tied, the VP casts the deciding vote. Yet another reason Harris MUST WIN.
If we lose the senate, then the Majority Leader is chosen by GQP.
Baud
@Belafon:
We currently have four. Manchin and Sinema are independent now.
Scout211
@WaterGirl: OOps, I read your lines wrong. Yes #2
Baud
@Ken B:
I agree with you and Kemp.
WaterGirl
@Belafon: No, because all the current Independents CAUCUS with the Dems.
That’s how the Dems get a majority when they have it.
I’m trying to figure out if the guy who does’t caucus with either gets a vote and a person of a 100-member senate.
Geminid
@Scout211: I think that while the Caucuses each pick one of their members to nominate for Majority Leader, the entire Senate votes. So even if Osborne did not join a Caucus he would still get to vote for Leader on the Senate floor.
And caucus members are not bound to vote for the leader chosen by their caucus so Murkowski, for instance could vote for Schumer (although I think that’s very unlikely).
WaterGirl
@Jackie:
But I’m not talking about a vote on a particular bill, which is where what you wrote is absolutely correct.
I’m talking about how they determine which party gets control of the Senate.
Scout211
@Geminid: Do you have a source for that? Because that is not how I am reading what the how it is done.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: So whichever person gets the most votes for Leader of their party… that’s the party that gets control over the Senate?
But I thought only caucus members got to vote for the (majority or minority) leader?
Geminid
@Jackie: I see a lot of anti-Israel sentiment on the far right side of the “America First” movement; people like Nick Fuentes and his “Groypers.” I think it’s small group numerically though.
When Trump called for Israel to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities a few days ago some of these folks cried “This is the last straw!” But I think most of them had their minds made up as to Trump already. They’ve been saying for a while now that he’s been captured by the “Globalists.”
In the case of David Duke, I suspect he’s fishing for support among Stein voters in a clout-building exercise.
Gloria DryGarden
@beckya57: I’m hoping Tester pulls through, via the indigenous peoples vote, and our gotv boost!
Holding optimism like a candle lit on my altar, as a form of prayer and visualization.
Scout211
From the U.S. Senate website.
An example of how change in caucus membership changed the Senate Leader from R to D.
If we can all remember, back then it happened immediately. There was no vote.
Chief Oshkosh
@Baud: Arguably Trump was the exception to this rule.
So, what have we learned? We’ve learned that we need our own Trump!! Amirite?!
/s
Geminid
@WaterGirl: So far as I know, the Majority Leader is chosen in a floor vote the first day of the new Congress. Same with the Rules package. All Senators vote on each.
Scout211
@Geminid: See my #96
Geminid
@Scout211: I saw it. Are you sure there was no vote to select Schumer?
SatanicPanic
In addition to CNN Mark Robinson is apparently also suing the guy who said he was a customer at his porn shop:
Not a customer, just a guy who wanted to hang out and shoot the shit. At a porn shop.
Tony Jay
@Baud:
Collective responsibility. Collective guilt.
That said, it’s important to allow space for people in the wider consensus to disagree with individual policy choices without getting bombarded with “splitter” attacks from the wannabe Kommissars out there.
Leaders lead, but it’s not absolutely compulsory to follow them into error. We’re not modern conservatives.
Jackie
Is the Arizonian GQP conceding???
I’m sure TCFG will reverse this decision ASAP! 😂
Scout211
@Geminid: Yes. The election is within each party caucus, not the entire Senate.
Here is an AP article that explains 2022:
. . .
lowtechcyclist
@Another Scott:
Wow, 50-60K votes in Montana is HUGE. Only about 600K people in Montana voted in the 2020 Presidential election.
If this person wasn’t exaggerating, it would erase any lead Sheehy has.
Jackie
@Geminid: I thought there were two quick votes. No one challenged Schumer.
Rick Scott challenged McConnell, but only a small handful of republicans voted for Scott, so McConnell maintained Minority Leader.
eta Scout211 proved I’m not losing my memory, yet!😊
Baud
@Tony Jay:
As long as they vote against fascists, I have no problem with dissent.
West of the Rockies
@dmbeaster:
I get Amber Heard vibes from her. That said, Lizza is weird and Jr. is a total creepster.
Baud
Via reddit
Gin & Tonic
@Baud:
I hear DJT’s appearance at the Chicago Economic Forum didn’t go very well. Wonder if that’s related.
Captain C
@Jackie: It sounds like they’re hurting for cash.
Gloria DryGarden
@lowtechcyclist: be it so…
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
Reading the article, it had gone up a lot recently. So now the profit taking by insiders?
Who knows?
Tony Jay
@Geminid:
Indeed. He’d have ever so nobly shouldered the burden of seeking a negotiated settlement with Berlin had that been the decision of the people that mattered. As it wasn’t, he ever so nobly stood aside while Winston took the reins.
Bucking the British Establishment over matters of national moment isn’t something any gentleman of quality would ever do. Imagine the disagreeable atmosphere that would ensure across the card table. Shudder.
West of the Rockies
I wonder how fast after Trump loses all good little Repubs will change tunes. “Trump, you say? I recall the name but don’t really know anything about him. I certainly never voted/supported/admired him.”
Raven
@JPL: Apparently Athens was a zoo too!
Barbara
@lollipopguild: I am not a WWII historian, but my understanding is that no one was really under any illusion that selling out Czechoslovakia to Germany (“appeasement”) would really achieve lasting peace — but GB needed time to continue rearming itself before it entered into any kind of active hostilities with Germany. The rearming started under Chamberlain, well before Churchill became prime minister. By September 1, 1939, it became clear that opposing Hitler was a now or never proposition.
Tony Jay
@Baud:
For that on a T-Shirt. Or a Constitution.
E.
@lowtechcyclist: They were exaggerating.
Wapiti
@West of the Rockies: After he loses, maybe 6 months. So by May 2021.
karen marie
@Gin & Tonic: I was curious about what went down at the Chicago Economic Forum, so I googled it.
Yeah, Trump showed his ass.
But I was struck by this small fact at the end of an article about it in The Hill that I think all of us should keep in mind:
Barbara
@dmbeaster: Lizza is a much easier target than her former employer and he broke up with her, so I assume there is a lot of fury over that rejection that is getting in the way of a rational response. I mean, you could spend money on attorneys, or you could go on a really nice vacation. I know which one I would do.
lowtechcyclist
@E.: Such is life.
TBone
A primer on the case(s) before Judge McBurney (the election certification one was brought by Cleta Michelle).
https://www.wonkette.com/p/nice-time-fulton-county-georgia-judge
Barbara
@karen marie: Yes, but IIRC, the legislature had actually prohibited the counting of mail in ballots until after all the other ballots had been counted. I don’t know if that rule is still in place.
Baud
@karen marie:
If we’re lucky, we won’t need to wait for Pennsylvania.
Bupalos
One of my theories on the 2024 election and wanting a younger candidate more capable of aggressive campaigning is that it would force Trump to be more visible and active and he wouldn’t be up to it. Basically just wear him down and expose his age and increasing physical and mental limitations and have that contrast, it’s the kind of thing that can still be decisive with dumb depoliticized normies.
And that aspect has been mostly disappointing because with a few exceptions Trump has help up way better than I thought. But as we go down the home stretch and things further intensify with a basically tied race, I’m getting hopeful again. That ‘worst dance party in history’ thing, and the way his makeup is smearing… kinda looks like a runner that’s about to bonk.
Full court press Kamala!
cain
@Jackie: lol – the nazi loves Jill’s stance on Israel.
cain
I’m curious as to why the Democratic Party haven’t kicked up dust about Trump’s cognitive decline? It seems like forcing that conversation would force people to pay attention. Not that the media will since they aren’t attacking their own. Still, not a thing. Interesting.
hitchhiker
@Bupalos: I’ve been on that page as well. His performance today at that economic forum, combined with cancelling his cnbc interview with a friendly reporter, are giving me hope.
Is it wrong that I really want to see him experience a concerning medical event on live tv? I’m not wishing for his demise … just a convincing neurological situation, with clear video.
SatanicPanic
@cain: They appear to be taking your advice:
WaPo said:
E.
@Wapiti: Oh, man, it is going to be so sweet to watch the GOP destroy itself when Trump loses. The MAGAs will be in a raging fury, believing the election was stolen from them twice, but all the sane-ish ones, the ones with education and some knowledge of history, will abandon the place in fear, leaving the true creme de la creme of MAGA to fight over the leavings. And they will fight each other to the death
ETA: They will also be incompetent and do incompetent things. A foreshadowing of that is canceling your election-night party a month before the election.
Geminid
@Scout211: I checked the January,3021 reports and there was no floor vote, just news that Schumer and McConnell were working out details of committee membership etc. So it seems this is a matter of custom and not a Constitutional requirement. I think the Senate President Pro Tempore is a Constitutional office and must be elected in a floor vote, but the position has little real power. Senator Patty Murray is currentl President Pro Tempore.
This raises a potential question: if Osborne and Harris are elected and there are 50 Republican Senators, will Osbourne have to caucus with the Democrats for them to elect Schumer Majority Leader?
The Audacity of Krope
I’m glad they haven’t. The words out of Trump’s mouth are idiotic and dangerous enough to repel voters without being a product of mental decline.
Frankly, I wish Democrats had this kind of restraint in July.
pat
@raven:
Somehow I doubt that these are voters rushing to get their votes in for the vindictive unhinged monster who is responsible for Dobbs.
Let us hope!!
West of the Rockies
@hitchhiker:
No, such a wish is not wrong. Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.
JML
@SatanicPanic: sadly, they’ve made it easier for the idiots at the NYTimes to drop back into “he said, she said” mode regarding TFG mental unfitness and increasingly doddering behavior.
“Harris campaign claims Trump unfit for office; Republicans, citing the precedent of Rubber v. Glue, say she’s the one who is mentally defective.”
The Audacity of Krope
@JML: Time to bring out the army of armchair neurologists again…
Jay
@cain:
They have, ads, speeches, townhalls, interviews, jokes, snark, asides,
Only one FTMSM has just recently noticed his 39 minute songbreak as unusual, and then just in less that a paragraph,
he is still covered with massive sanewashing in all forms of the media.
Jeff brings the receipts,
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/the-polls-and-the-press-want-you
SatanicPanic
@JML: I don’t think a conversation about Trump’s mental acuity, even if NYT is trying to both-sides it, is to his benefit.
E.
@The Audacity of Krope: There is no way to not look at this stuff and conclude it is age-related decline. This article does a great job showing how rotten his brains are, and we are going to see a lot more of them I think. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-crumbles-pressed-economic-policy-bloomberg-interview-1235134459/
Anoniminous
@lollipopguild:
Amusing to note the British Army in 1939 was little more than well armed Colonial military police. They could gun down unarmed Hindus and that was about it. The reason it was a joke was Churchill’s Ten Year Rule, which assumed that the British Empire would not be involved in a major war for the next decade leading to large cuts in defense spending, from £766 million in 1919–20 to £102 million in 1932 effectively ending the development of mechanized and armor vehicle and doctrine.
Kay
THat is good news.
Scout211
It looks that way to me. Tim Walz will obviously be the tie-breaker if the number is 50-50. But if the R’s already have 50 without Osborne, he would have to join the Dem caucus for the Dems to be in the majority. I am doubtful that he will join the Dem caucus, but we can always hope.
The Audacity of Krope
@E.: His brain was always rotten and I have already been disgusted enough by this vile approach to politics this year, thank you.
Jay
@E.:
If you have been following along, the AZ GrOPers split into two factions last fall, are broke, cancelled the lease on their HQ, (with money owed), got in drunken fistfights with each other, the two factions are suing each other for control, oh, and there was some light embezzlement going on.
prostratedragon
@cain:
The campaign has given notice. Just today, one; two; three. However i think Harris thought it more important to call attention to his escalating open fascism as she did yesterday. I hope she continues to do that.
Sister Golden Bear
@karen marie: Republicans in PA (and some other states) banned elections officials from counting mail-in ballots ahead of time precisely to prevent them from being fully counted on Election Day, in order to leave the outcome unresolved that evening.
Not uncoincidentally Republicans have been insisting that only ballots counted on Election Day itself should be included.
West of the Rockies
@E.:
I wonder if internal polling has anything to do with the AZ Republicans canceling an election night party.
The Audacity of Krope
Also R leaning precincts should be counted on day one and D leaning precincts should be counted…some time after.
RSA
Here’s a bit of schadenfreude from Indiana, for those who indulge:
Anoniminous
@lowtechcyclist:
Rosendale got 235,963 votes in 2018 compared to Tester’s 253,876. Dropping 50,000 votes would lower the GOP vote to 185,963 effectively giving the election to Tester.
Eunicecycle
@The Audacity of Krope: I wonder what would have happened if they stopped counting votes in Florida on Election Day in 2000.
mrmoshpotato
@E.:
Also, showing what an idiot the orange manbaby is. Moron never should’ve ran for office, just keep being an NYC scam artist.
Gloria DryGarden
OT
I just watched Kamala in a town hallhall from 3 days ago, take a question about immigration from a young lady who’s mom just died, and had not gotten needed Medical care because she hadn’t been able to become a citizen.
Kanaka, was kind and compassionate with her, and nurturing, telling her to take her time, asking the mom’s name, saying let’s speak her name, and then after the town hall was over, she went over to speak privately with the young woman.
It was just beautiful.
The YouTube was embedded oddly in my news feed, I couldn’t get a link to copy and shar.
bbleh
@SatanicPanic: as an Old, I assert permission to suggest the following bumpersticker:
TRUMP: We took away the keys. Don’t give them back.
SatanicPanic
@Gloria DryGarden: empathy is her superpower. it’s really wonderful to see
@bbleh: hehe I like this one
Wyatt Salamanca
OT
The Texas Debate – live coverage: Ted Cruz vs. Colin Allred for U.S. Senate
WFAA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqauw4t0u2s
Ted Cruz and Colin Allred are facing off in their first — and only — televised debate of their 2024 campaigns to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. The debate will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, live from WFAA’s studios in downtown Dallas.
Our coverage of the election season up until this point begins at 3 p.m. Our live pre-debate show starts at 6:30 p.m. After the debate, we’ll have live analysis of the action from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Our host is WFAA’s Teresa Woodard. Our guest experts are current Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy and former Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Katie Sherrod. The debate moderators are WFAA senior political reporter Jason Whitely and Dallas Morning News political writer Gromer Jeffers.
Also too, Fuck Ted Cruz!
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@West of the Rockies: They won’t. Trump has fully captured the GOP. When he loses, it will get ugly. It’s going to take a while for them to move on, if ever.
Gloria DryGarden
@Eunicecycle: right?
I still wonder about that Florida recount, too, in part because a client in a Fancy rich neighborhood where I worked said she knew some insider stuff, that there were threats on supreme Court justice’s lives, and on their families, to get them to vote to stop the recount in Florida.
Yes it was third hand or second hand. I have no way to fact check something like that, that would be secret, covert, deeply hidden. I’m inclined to believe her, in the context of the other things she said she’d witnessed during her work in Washington and around too important people. Iirc, she implied also that some bribing may have been involved. which we now can believe us possible, although it shouldn’t happen.
The Audacity of Krope
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: It might happen faster in places where the GOP is weaker and there may be some opportunities for an ideological shakeup.
Gloria DryGarden
@Gloria DryGarden: Kamala. !
I thought I had my autocorrect trained.
E.
@West of the Rockies: Normally I would say “of course,” but these people are all insane, cheap, and lazy. It might be they don’t want to organize it, or don’t know how, or spent all the money in Vegas.
Gloria DryGarden
@Anoniminous: optimism, for the win!
Jay
@Anoniminous:
The BEF was actually the most professional military in Norway and France, more effective of even the most elite French and Polish units, man for man. There were just too few of them, Germany had a massive decade long lead in rearming, all the Czech tanks, guns and munitions (Europe’s largest arms producer), and a massive manpower advantage.
The Armiee d’Air and the RAF were almost obsolete in equipment and tactics, French doctrine was a mess, inter army coordination was a mess, trust between the Allies was low and conflict riddled.
Some British Senior Commanders were a joke, tactically and strategically. It was a case of “Lions Lead By Donkeys”.
Not much different in Ukraine now. ruZZia is already gearing up for taking on NATO and about all we have on our side are the surviving Ukrainians and the Poles.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Another Scott:
That might help Tester.
Quinerly
Just listened to 60% of the Charlamagne tha God interview/listeners questions.
Our gal knocked it out of the park!!!!
Interview needs its own front page treatment.
We got this. WE WILL WIN WITH HARRIS!!!!
WaPo has tidbits up
https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/10/15/2024-election-campaign-updates-harris-trump
And
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-harris-elections-live-updates-campaign-b2629667.html
mrmoshpotato
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: I could see them memory holing the orange shitstain. Maybe not after he loses in November, but definitely after his fat, orange, fascist ass is DEAD.
They’ve memory holed W’s war criminal administration after all.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Jay:
Also too, the Ten Year Rule was instituted in 1919. Churchill didn’t act in a vacuum during his 5 years in the 20s as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The policies put in place were a combination of political, financial, strategic goals, not simply Churchill calling the shots.
British and French ground doctrine as it developed in the 30s was also somewhat driven by domestic political priorities which were for a good while subsumed by the global depression. Thus, they weren’t up to dealing with what the Germans threw at them in 1939. Hell, there was endless doctrinal debates in the US during that time frame so there wasn’t a lot of centralized direction like in Germany.
Good piece on Britain between the wars:
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/british-military-decline-1919-1939
JMG
Here’s a good one. Trump is gonna “work” at the fryer at a McDonald’s in PA to accuse (again) Harris of lying about having done that because it’s not on her resume. My opinion is that of former Democratic operative Dana Houle who said on Twitter “Can’t wait to see him in the hair net!”
Ishiyama
@Quinerly: Glad to hear that it went well. His audience is large.
mrmoshpotato
@JMG: How soon will his stupidly (emphasis on stupid) long tie dip in the fryer oil?
Jay
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/the-polls-and-the-press-want-you
lowtechcyclist
@E.:
From the Rolling Stone piece:
“I was told there would be no fact
-checkings!”Anoniminous
@Barbara:
British re-arming in the 30s is a complex topic.
The tl;dr: did the Brits starting spending more money on their militaries? Yes. Was that money well spent? Yes and No.
Buying the Hurricane fighter was pounds well spent. Buying the Fairey Battle bomber was money pissed away as it was obsolete the day the contracts to build the things were signed. Despite the fact the Brits loved it the QF 25-pounder (87.6 mm) artillery piece was obsolete even by World War I standards, the rest of the world had moved on to 105mm and 150/155mm. The main British tank, purchased 1936 – 1940, in the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments of the BEF in 1940 was the Mk VI light tank with machine guns as main and secondary armament and had the armor protect of aluminum foil and duct tape: 4 – 14 mm. The Bren light machine gun was an OK piece of ordinance for section (squad) support. The Lee-Enfield was a superb bolt action rifle.
And so on
Quinerly
@Ishiyama:
You just have to listen to it. I am posting from my phone. Trying to post excerpts but screwing up. The Independent out of UK has lots of it already up.
Plus, Iheartradio.
SiubhanDuinne
@raven:
As of 4:00 pm, 251,899.
‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
Lacuna Synecdoche
Scout211:
Osborne’s a union leader. If he’s the tie-breaker for control of the Senate, then he’s going to caucus with Dems – just like Sanders and King.
mrmoshpotato
The orange shitstain still sucks Kremlin ass unsurprisingly.
Oh, and apparently the January 6 Trump trash insurrection was “very peaceful.”
“Good fucking grief!” exclaimed Charlie Brown.
Captain C
@Jay:
I would be mildly surprised if the current FTFNYT political reporters could tell the difference between a John Coltrane solo and TCFG rambling on about 8 different unrelated subjects. Yes, I know Coltrane played the sax (and flute) and Donnie bullshits with his voice. Do not trust the FTFNYT to know the difference these days.
Jay
@Anoniminous:
Modern Military Gunsmiths put the BREN as the best light machine gun of WWII and into the late 1950’s, early 1960’s. Not bad for a Czech LMG.
Then there is the Matilda II.
All this puts a lot of focus on the Brits, the French were way worse. Their concept of tank warfare was to have every French MFGR, Army Branch and Union fight each other.
Jackie
@karen marie: Pennsylvania’s election law says no mail in ballots can be counted before 7 am ELECTION DAY. Which is the main reason we may be waiting a few days to find out who took Pennsylvania’s electoral college votes. It’d be wonderful if Harris wins 270 EC votes before PA declares their winner.
Quinerly
@Ishiyama:
Expect the usual suspects to accuse her of “code switching.”
Fuck them. A lot of us do it based on audience. I still have a very strong Eastern NC accent, close to a “Down East” accent. Certain circumstances, I code switch. Everyone is capable of it. Not just Harris and Obama.
danielx
@Captain C:
At this point I’m not sure they could tell the difference between a road apple and a Grannie Smith apple, nor do they appear to care.
“We NEED a horse race, we WANT a horse race and bigod we’re going to have one, reality be damned!”
Baud
@Quinerly:
Trump code switches from incoherent rant to show tunes.
lowtechcyclist
@Jay:
So you say Ruzzia has a many-year lead in rearming relative to NATO? I have a hard time believing it means that much, given that it’s been nearly three years since they did their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and most of Ukraine is still free.
I think there’s much truth to the notion that Ukraine would be faring considerably better (hence Ruzzia would be faring worse) if we were arming them better, and giving them free rein on how to use the arms we’ve given them. But where are these arms coming from? The U.S. and the other NATO countries. So ISTM that Ruzzia would be biting off way more than it could chew if it attacked a NATO country, especially given the kleptocratic nature of the Ruzzian government that has resulted in a Ruzzian military that’s much less well armed in fact than on paper.
Anoniminous
@Jay:
The majority of German equipment in 1940 wasn’t any better than France’s or the UK’s. And in some cases decidedly worse as any comparison of the Mark I, Mark II, 35(t,) and 38(t) tanks to the French SOMUA S35 supports. What the Germans had was a Combined Arms doctrine and the training to implement the doctrine.
MCA1
@E.: This sounds a lot like me in October, 2020. The only thing that can get whatever’s left of the “responsible,” “adult” and “sane” Republicans to kick him to the curb and allow us all to move on is MAGAts abandoning him. And seeing as it’s a cult at this point, him losing again is as likely to make zero dents in his status as cult leader as it is to lead to his followers finally abandoning him.
Pretty solid chance he’s going to be cold in the ground before he’s no longer the unquestioned sole leader of the GOP. He lost the popular vote in 2016, presided over Republican midterm underperformance in 2018, lost by 7 million votes in 2020, and with him still as leader of the party Republicans performed way below expectations in the 2022 midterms, but here we are. The logical pressure to move on from him if he loses again is undeniable, but I’m not sure that calculus wins the day.
Anoniminous
@Jay:
Compared to the MG-34 and MG-42 in a light machine gun group/section/squad role the Bren was adequate.
Harrison Wesley
@Jay: I guess that this will be a Trump rally some time in the next couple of weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYT4KgsR-V0
Sister Golden Bear
Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 281,000 votes were cast in Georgia on first day of early voting—the previous first day record was 136,000, set in 2020. (Full story is paywalled, so I can’t see the details.) CNN quotes a Twitter post by the Sec of State saying 252,000 had been cast.
mrmoshpotato
@MCA1:
And still, there will probably be some Trump trash screaming he was murdered, because stuffing your orange face with KFC, McTrashald’s, and burnt steak is the secret to good health.
TBone
@Quinerly: Ari Melber also played the whole thing tonight, except technical difficulties at the last three minutes. She was awesome.
Baud
@Sister Golden Bear:
I hope they’re all for us.
lowtechcyclist
@MCA1: Given the progress of Trump’s dementia, by 2028 he’s going to be more a symbol than an actual leader.
1) He certainly won’t be pulling in any new followers at that point.
2) Some of his more aged followers will die off.
3) Just based on human nature, there will be some attrition from the ranks as some of the less attached cult members drift away and find other things to do with their lives without an active leader to keep them emotionally involved.
Whether #3 will be 5% or 10% or 20% of the present cult that wanders off by 2028, I really don’t know, but my WAG is that it would be in that range somewhere, that most of the present cult members will still be Trump-worshippers in 2028, but there will still be noticeable shrinkage.
What will really be key is the voting behavior of those who drift off. Trump pulled a lot of people out of the woodwork who rarely voted before 2016. Will they go back to nonvoting, or will the habit of pulling the R lever be sufficiently ingrained that they keep voting anyway?
West of the Rockies
@MCA1:
Here’s the thing. Trump is not an Avenger, or an elf of Middle Earth. He’s an obese 78-year-old human male with a sedentary lifestyle and a family history of dementia.
More succinctly, he is leftover tuna casserole from Monday of last week. If the GOP wants to risk it and present him as its team captain (sorry for the very mixed metaphor), then by all means, please proceed, Governor.
He. Is. Done. “Whether by the sword (law), or the slow decay of time, Trump will die.”
Sister Golden Bear
@Baud: Agreed.
Since the fact that one voted is public record, hopefully within a day or two we’ll get a breakdown of who voted based on their party affiliation. Though obviously party affiliation doesn’t guarantee someone will vote that way—here’s hoping there’s cross-over voting for Harris and/or Republicans not voting for Trump even if they vote Republican down ballot.
Baud
@Sister Golden Bear:
I think Dems tend to use early voting more so I wouldn’t get too excited by the numbers. But still, a good turnout is the most you can hope for.
WaterGirl
@Geminid:
Yes, that is what has been driving my questions.
That’s why I want to really understand how the process works.
Jay
@lowtechcyclist:
ruZZia has not only matched Ukraine and the West in ammo, drone production, etc, but roughly 60,000 Ukrainian teenagers in Occupied Ukraine and ruZZia spend 20 hours of class time a week in ruZZian propaganda and military training.
ruZZia is firing into Ukraine at a rate of 4:1, thanks in part to Iran and the NORKs who have sent over 3,000 troops to ruZZian Occupied Ukraine,
oh, and the NORKS blew up the roads and railways crossing the DMZ today. The ruZZian’s and NORK’s also signed today a mutual defense treaty to use nukes if either on is invaded, (Kursk counts?).
ruZZia has tripled their military budget, their Defense industries are running 24/7, new plants have been constructed, thousands of labourers are being “human trafficked” from the 2nd and 3rd worlds to man those plants, often under guise with no protections, OSHA or otherwise, and recruitment will raise the ruZZian military to 2.5 million by 2025.
Since August 2024, ruZZia has taken 200 sq KM of territory in the Donbass and is advancing on key supply and strategic needed by Ukraine for the defense of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, while ruZZia rains long range ruZZian, Chinese, NORK and Iranian weapons on Ukraine, Ukraine is still “forbidden” by the US and Germany, from “killing the archers”, their weapons dumps, etc, so Ukraine has had to invent their own.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Jay: Sounds exactly like the Michigan GOP. Honestly the way these incompetent dipshits behave I can’t figure out who would want them in charge of anything. How many omnishambles before people see what’s right in front of their faces? They’re mean, stupid fuckups who should not be in charge of anything much less a State or Federal government.
Jay
@Anoniminous:
T38’s, a Czech tank, and other weapons built on it’s chassis were the predominant tank of the German Army, were used until 1945, it was reliable on road, cross country, as good as the PZ3, (of which Germany had a handful), not quite as good as the PZ4 which was just entering service,
Where as the Souma was rare, undergunned, unreliable and didn’t have the supply chain or field repair logistics and most of the Char 2B’s, (again, just a handful existed) were abandoned.
And yeah, the tactics, logistics and co-ordination for both the French and the English sucked. Mostly arty and infantry support for the armour.
For the Germans, it was the logistics that sucked, not enough trucks, but they had mass.
matt
Here’s some good news from today: Trading of Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT, DJTWW) shares was halted after the stock plunged while former President Donald Trump was speaking about his economic policy proposals at the Economic Club of Chicago.
Baud
Via reddit
matt
@dmbeaster: Very Laura Loomer like behavior..
mrmoshpotato
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
Oh, GOP voters don’t give a shit about improving anything. It’s all about making liberals sad.
mrmoshpotato
@matt: Hahaha!
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: Assuming arguendo that what you just said is correct, how does that mean that NATO has only the Poles and surviving Ukrainians?
Jay
@Anoniminous:
The Bren beat them in accuracy and range. The German MG’s were great at putting out a huge volume of inaccurate fire and the key job of most riflemen’s job in a German squad was to carry ammo for the MG’s. It was spray and pray.
With the Bren and it’s slower rate of fire, greater range and accuracy, the rifle squad could actually be riflemen, not ammo carriers.
The zippers were very effective at creating fear, burning out barrels and frustrating the Quartermaster. It’s rate of fire was roughly twice that of the BREN, but in the post war version it was de-rated, (G3) down from 1200 RPM to a more BREN like 850.
And it was a GPM, who’s role in the British units, was the .30Cal water cooled Vickers, where the BREN was a LMG, like the BAR or Lewis.
TS
@WaterGirl:
And when you google Ms Fischer this is top the list
They can’t win fair, they are looking for every reason to throw out valid votes.
Geminid
@WaterGirl: Sounds like Osbourne would have to join the Democratic caucus then, at least nominally. My guess is he would.
Juju
@The Audacity of Krope: I’m not an armchair neurologist, but my mother has advanced dementia. So much of Trump’s odd behavior reminds me of what my mother’s behavior was like earlier in her dementia, when the first diagnostic tool was the Montreal cognitive assessment. A physician will give that test if the patient is over a certain age or shows signs of dementia or both. I find it interesting that Trump still talks about the test he took in 2018, but nothing more recent. When my mother started showing signs she took that test during just about each doctor’s appointment until it was clear there was no point on having her take the test any longer. My guess is that any person who has dealt, long term, with someone who has dementia recognizes what is behind Trump’s odd behavior.
Jackie
Colin Allred vs Cancun Ted debate is on YouTube. Just starting.
lowtechcyclist
@Jay:
IOW, about a 5 mi x 15 mi chunk of territory.
The point isn’t the effect of this conquest on Ukraine. This matters to me, but it’s not the subject under discussion. We’re talking about how well this readies them for NATO versus NATO being ready for them.
60,000 teenagers spending 20 hours a week in military training?? Good Lord, how can NATO stand against this?
and it’s taken that for Ruzzia to achieve their meager territorial gains.
You think NK is going to be as willing to take on a NATO country?
NK knows that if they throw nukes at the West, that’s the end of North Korea. So that leaves Ruzzia, and I thought the whole point of this
from a Western perspective was that we already were being over-cautious about Ruzzian nukes. So I’m not sure how that changes anything vis-a-vis NATO, because NATO’s not going to fight with one hand tied behind its back. (If this treaty matters at all for Ukraine, it sounds like you’re saying that now the U.S. is justified in limiting what Ukraine can do with its weaponry.)
And it’s resulted in that 4:1 rate you mentioned, which has enabled the paltry territorial gains you mentioned. And the Ruzzian military is freakin’ cannon fodder, and Ruzzian leadership clearly regards them as such. NATO has more than enough artillery to shoot them all down many times over.
Ruzzia isn’t going to do any better against Poland or Finland than they have against Ukraine. I would expect them to do much worse, because a NATO country wouldn’t be fighting under the same limitations we’ve put on Ukraine.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
ruZZia eats the same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time.
Hungary has already announced that if ruZZia invades, they will immediately surrender.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is are too small.
Much of NATO will cower under NORK, Iranian, Chinese and ruZZian nuke threats like they have, and riven by ruZZia’s $2 USD billion disinfo, aided by many in NATO.
Many in NATO are talking about Ukraine being in NATO, but like West Germany during the Cold War, maybe, kinda, so no Article 5 if Ukraine keeps Kherson but ruZZia keeps attacking it.
Gutless.
Juju
@Quinerly: I hope you are right.
Larch
@WaterGirl: I think this discussion is conflating two topics – control of the Senate and choice of Senate leaders. The party with the most senators takes control of the Senate, and theoretically that’s automatic. However, my understanding is that the first thing a new session has to do is adopt a set of organizing rules, and this is where McConnell held things up in 2020 by not scheduling a vote on that set of rules. Every Senator votes on that package, but the outgoing Majority Leader is in charge until it passes, so McConnell held things up as long as he could.
Then each party caucus chooses their own leaders & only the members of the caucus vote for their leaders, unlike the House where everyone votes. An independent who’s agreed to caucus with a particular party gets to vote for that party’s leaders.
Going back to the set of rules voted on initially, I believe part of that is the number of members of each party that will be on each committee – each caucus appoints the specific people, but the number is in the rules. I’m guessing that technically they *could* agree to X number from the majority party, Y number from the minority party, and Z number of independents, but that’s highly unlikely. For one thing, with so few independents they’d be essentially handing out independent assignments before anyone else, even before the party leaders are chosen, and leaders want to be able to use committee assignments as strategy/rewards/etc. So I can’t see that getting into the rules, which means an independent not caucusing with any party will probably not get an assignment.
Again theoretically, I suppose a party leader could give one of their committee seats to an independent who’s not caucusing with that party, but that independent would have to make an incredibly powerful case for what they could do *for the party’s agenda* with that role, and a) how are they going to do that without a party/other assignments behind them, and b) a member of the actual party would be a much surer bet.
Juju
@lowtechcyclist: When Trump refers to the weave, I’m not so certain he doesn’t mean his hair.
Gretchen
@lowtechcyclist: Tester won by about 18,000 votes in 2018. 50-60,000 survivalists unable to vote would be huge.
lowtechcyclist
@Jay:
Well yeah, they should be kicked out of the alliance, because it’s evident to anyone with a few functioning brain cells that they’ve already gone over to the other side.
So maybe they’ll complete the conquest of Poland by sometime in the 2040s. OK then. Or maybe by then the costs of the war will have reached the residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, rather than being felt largely in the hinterlands. Conquering an empire sounds great when other people’s sons are the cannon fodder for the conquests.
lowtechcyclist
@Gretchen: I suspect that E. is right that that’s an exaggeration, but even half that number would be a big deal.
Jay
@lowtechcyclist:
Ukraine actually doesn’t. They have a 1:8 tube deficit, they have a huge manpower deficit, which is why they are losing ground.
And a key thing is the ground they are losing and is currently under attack is critical to Ukraine hanging on to it’s areas in the Donbass.
Yes, ruZZia is using most of it’s forces as meat cubes, but they are also, older, slower meat cubes. Look what Charles Taylor achieved with far less than that 60,000 of crudely trained kids.
ruZZia is “looting” over $6 billion USD a year from Occupied Ukraine, and that is just a small chunk of the Donbass, and is mobilizing, (empressing) adults as well, roughly 120,000 for this winter.
That is roughly twice what Ukraine recruitment will be.
Jay
@lowtechcyclist:
Each time they take a bite out of the elephant, they get more resources, money, influence and manpower. Look at Georgia.
pabadger
@raven: Yes! I learned this in one of Nigel Hamilton’s books, either Mantle of Command or Commander in Chief.
mrmoshpotato
@Juju: That’s not hair on Dump’s head; it’s piss-colored cotton candy.
WaterGirl
@Jackie: I was tempted to watch, and front page it, but then I thought, who could stand to watch Ted Cruz?
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: Not even his kids.
Jay
@mrmoshpotato:
Not even his Dog.
But in Cancun, they will all watch, and laugh, and laugh.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: Whatever.
Timill
@Jay: And now I have a vision of Muttley as Ted Cruz’ dog…
Quinerly
@TBone:
WONDERFUL!!!
wjca
FTFY
Uncle Cosmo
IIRC Halifax essentially took himself out of the running by telling George VI he could not effectively run the government as PM from his seat in the House of Lords. But I could be mistaken.
Another Scott
@WaterGirl: I started watching it on YouTube but I couldn’t stand Cruz’s answer about abortion, so I stopped and listened to Joe in Philly.
I’ll try the Allred debate again, fast-forwarding through Cancun Ted.
Wish me luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
sbwriter
@Geminid:
Seems like he would have a tremendous incentive to caucus with Demos. If he does, the Demos will give him most anything he wants. If he doesn’t, he will be a backbencher no one will ever hear about. If you are ambitious enough to run for the Senate, the choice should be clear.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: That’s what I do when I would watch hearings in the House. I would fast forward through the Rs because it was all bullshit, and watch the Dems.