We had a rare November snowfall over here today. I don’t get gators, obviously, but I do get foxes:
I’ve been feeling vaguely concussed since the election. Not really able to think clearly about it, though I know I’ll recover eventually. I’ve avoided most of the postmortems – I really can’t buy that this was a marketing problem. Back on the 8th, British reporter and commentator Ian Dunt wrote up a take that, to me, seemed sensible:
“Most of the commentary attempting to work out what went wrong has focused on the Democrats, for obvious reasons. Did Joe Biden stay on too long? Did Kamala Harris lack a retail proposition to improve people’s lives? These are all totally legitimate questions. But they sidestep the bigger one. Regardless of its deficiencies, the Democrat offer was not grounded in hatred of democracy, love of cruelty and wanton idiocy. The correct choice was obvious, on the level of governance or morality.
The reason this analysis cannot be said out loud is because it blames voters and that has become taboo. The first rule in politics is that voters are never wrong.
That makes total sense for a party strategist. It’s how they need to think. But we are not all party strategists. Some strange process has taken place where everyone is expected to act like they work for a political organisation. But we don’t. . . .
Reporters and columnists have ingested the taboo on criticising voters and now sound more and more like a party communication department.
This twists the morality of the situation until it goes into reverse. The voter behaviour must be blameless so the party they voted for must therefore be blameless too. Cruelty is validated by voters which means it is validated by the press, which means that our moral standards go into terminal decline.”
Hopefully not terminal. But it sure feels that way. On a practical level, the sane wing of my family has been trying to determine which of us are most exposed to damage from potential Trump 2.0 policies, and what can be done in the next 60 days to mitigate that exposure. And I’ve been trying to savor the small joys – wood fires, good meals, the fox in the snow. Hope you have, too.
Open thread!
Baud
Tally Ho!
Old School
Hooray for foxes!
SiubhanDuinne
TCFG just named Dr. Oz to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
I mean, just come ON.
zhena gogolia
That analysis sounds right to me. If depressing.
Quinerly
Dr. Oz tapped for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/19/trump-picks-dr-oz-to-lead-massive-medicare-medicaid-agency-cms.html
scav
The Constitution is not a suicide pact. The electorate may be.
{Ok, ok, Murder Suicide, but bumperstickers, bumperstickers, who will think of the bumperstickers!?!}
Old School
@SiubhanDuinne: @Quinerly:
Supplements for everyone!
Baud
Voters technically aren’t wrong. They can, however, fall short of our moral standards.
The reason we didn’t have a Catholic president before Kennedy or a black President before Obama had nothing to do with the quality of possible candidates before then. It had to do with the morality of voters.
The same is true today.
Quinerly
@Old School:
Some of Oz’s quackery.
https://www.businessinsider.com/dr-oz-false-misleading-baseless-medical-claims-coronavirus-2020-4#oz-pushed-hydroxychloroquine-to-fight-the-coronavirus-even-though-its-effects-were-still-unproven-1
Ronno2018
Music reference — https://youtu.be/bKSI1idOUzM?si=t-NmGtll-y1I3ZpC
zhena gogolia
@Quinerly: And I assume this one isn’t subject to any confirmation hearings?
JMG
Oz’s new position is administrative, not medical. It’s getting the checks out on time. No room for quackery there.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
It is.
chopper
not snow (except in the mountains) but we’re supposed to get a hell of a storm here in the seattle area
Peale
@JMG: Yeah. He’s going to suck at his job, but no one is making him accept that position. It’s the DOGE people who are more of a threat to getting those checks out on time.
ETtheLibrarian
Yeah the Democrats may have party issues and there may have been some weird confluence of stuff on the politician front, but a lot of what happened had nothing to with DNC wrangling and not having a broader discussion even if it is private, is not going to help Democrats because it ignores/doesn’t address important parts. With that said, it may not be a discussion that is for the political press corps ears because they can’t report on politics without their BS biases and the usual tropes coming into play.
While politicians can call voters stupid, left leaning talking heads and political analysts (many of them on YouTube) and the general populace on social media can.
As the margin of trump’s win of the popular vote goes down in many places, the press likely won’t even report on it much.
Baud
@Peale:
The DOGE people have no direct power. It’s either Trump or Congress that has to implement their recommendations.
KatKapCC
@SiubhanDuinne: I’m just gonna go throw myself in front of a bus.
Steve LaBonne
@JMG: CMS director can do quite a bit to fuck with Medicare and Medicaid. For sure we will see a big push to get more people on Medicare “Advantage”. Edited to add: ACA as well.
hells littlest angel
The problem is all the people who didn’t vote for Harris. Non-voters are just as bad as Trump voters. That’s a majority of Americans supporting cruelty, depravity and stupidity. We’ll all suffer for it. Collective punishment is unfair, like many other things in life.
In 2003, John Le Carré wrote an essay called “America has gone mad.” I wonder what he’d say today.
Jeffro
Those of us who’ve read Michael Lewis’ book The Fifth Risk are both a) not at all surprised and b) quietly horrified: trumpov flouts transition rules, putting the entire country at risk in multiple ways.
(it’s almost like he doesn’t really intend to serve the people of this country – even the ones who elected him?? weird, right?)
and I have already had more than enough of this Mike Davis fucker:
(he’s the one who pre-election gleefully talked about how excited he was to put kids back in cages, and post-election gleefully talked about wanting to – metaphorically speaking, of course, “drag Democrats’ bodies through the streets and throw them off of the castle walls”)
FU, M.D.
Baud
Oz isn’t all that different from when Trump put Dr. Ben Carson in charge of HUD.
les
So, where are the folks in red coats and the horses?
rikyrah
And the hits keep on coming.
As a Black woman whose credentials are constantly questioned in this world.
It’s one thing to know about White Mediocrity.
It’s another thing to have it repeatedly shoved in my face.
The ‘ all you gotta be is White’
This group of unqualified mediocre White sycophants being chosen to lead actual departments.
Defense…from a FOUR STAR GENERAL to a FOX TV HOST
AG…..from a former Judge on the highest court beneath the Supreme Court…to a sexual offender and trafficker….
Dr. OZ for anything?
RFK?
scav
@Jeffro: Hostile takeover, followed by a controlled stripping of assets by upper management, thus earning record bonuses before golden parachuting out seconds before the real bankruptcy. It’s the old tune, well known to many. Run like a business.
Steve LaBonne
@rikyrah: I would feel a bit better if any of them were actually mediocre rather than utterly incompetent.
NutmegAgain
@Baud: Chasing little furry animals through the countryside, in desperate fear of their lives, running to exhaustion only to be ripped apart by a bunch of baying dogs? No thanks. (Speaking of cruelty. it’s for people who think cruelty is fun and games.)
The Audacity of Krope
As someone who voted for Harris and enthusiastically asked everyone I knew to do the same, this is bunk. These people don’t owe you anything.
These non-voters mostly see their vote as not helping, some actively oppose voting for ideological reasons. The former group can be reached, but they need to be convinced doing so will actually effect positive change.
And I can point to this or that reform and say these things have made people’s lives better. But if people aren’t feeling it and meanwhile not feeling heard, that’s just work that needs to be put in.
scav
@scav: Oh, and speaking of the stripping of assets? Afternoon TV (of maybe a few years ago, granted) is going to be a wasteland. Just wait until Roberts is replaced by Judge Judy.
Citizen Alan
It’s Just what Davis X. Machina said:
This year, there were 70m Americans who voted out of NOTHING but sheer, unadulterated spite, and there weren’t enough people willing to come out and oppose them.
Rose Judson
@les: We don’t get many of them here in the middle of Birmingham.
SomeRandomGuy
The voters are *NOT* to blame. Every news media that fails to call out lies and disinformation is to blame; the voters are innocent victims of a depraved capitalism that is everyone’s fault, and hence, no one’s. OH: yes, one can call out the liars, but, they get candy – I mean, Fox interviews – every time they lie, so of course they keep doing it.
Sorry: I guess I don’t get to dictate that to anyone, but, fuck if I care.
Citizen Alan
@Baud: I refuse to call it DOGE. The President does not have the power to unilaterally create a new department. It is, at best, an office.
Therefore … OOGE.
Peale
@Steve LaBonne: Yes. But how is that different from whomever else he would put in there? Like if we didn’t want a standard republican in there, we needed to win an election. Other than being incompetent and wanting to end the program he’s in charge of, he’s no different than a GOP holdover from Trump 1.
Baud
@Citizen Alan:
It’s not even an office. It’s going to exist outside of government.
Citizen Alan
@rikyrah: Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kid Rock get a Cabinet posting at this point. Shitgibbon has already allowed him to see top secret intelligence materials.
Steve LaBonne
@Peale: It isn’t worse- I prefer a nitwit with no administrative experience to a Heritage Foundation zealot. This may be the least bad we could hope for.
SiubhanDuinne
@Old School:
Served on a crudité platter!
Peale
@Old School: From the looks of it, he’ll be offering up cures for aging to the elderly and no one will state the obvious that if those cures actually worked, he wouldn’t need to dye his hair and get an eye tuck.
Citizen Alan
@SomeRandomGuy: Bullshit. The MAGA voters actively seek out people who will lie in ways that comport with their bigotries and delusions. On the few occasions that Fox dared to report the truth about the 2020 election, MAGA voters abandoned them for even more RW lie-sources.
The Audacity of Krope
This may be true, but they didn’t win on just MAGA votes. Hell, a lot of Democrats who managed to show up and vote are still too susceptible to the hateful messaging the MSM puts out.
cain
I want to pet the cutie fox!!! 😭😭😭😭😭
cain
@Citizen Alan:
lol – when that happens to use, we still hold on and hope for change. :)
Trollhattan
We have zero foxes and the occasional coyote, plenty turkeys and geese, too many raccoons and skunks. I could offer a trade.
Firewood delivered and stacked Sunday; “bomb cyclone” scheduled for tonight through the weekend. Nobody should combine those two words.
MisterForkbeard
@SomeRandomGuy: I saw a NYT headline this morning that just said something like “Trump promised to protect Social Security as a key part of his campaign, but his plans may contradict that”
Like, literally. Duh. They didn’t want to call it a lie, and didn’t want to bring any of these effects up before the election. The media was bad and it’s worse now that they’re (appropriately) afraid that Trump will throw them in jail for honest reporting.
Miss Bianca
@SomeRandomGuy: No. At some point, people have to acknowledge responsibility for their actions. Voters sure the hell are responsible for their actions. You can blame biased media, homeschooling, microtargeting, this,that, and the other, but ultimately, it’s VOTERS who are responsible for voting. Stop with this “oh, they’re not to blame” guff. if they can spend hours on the Internet absorbing all kinds of BS, they can also take 15 seconds to Google ‘what is a tariff’ – before the election, not after.
Trollhattan
@SiubhanDuinne: I hope Senator Fetterman trolls the utter hell out of that vile fraud. You know he’s tempted.
JML
yay, foxes!
Trollhattan
@Miss Bianca: Honestly, I think they’ll lean into “Didn’t want to, but had to. The Democrat Party has gone off the rails.”
Similar to 2016’s “I’d vote for a woman, just not her.” I’ve heard not mea culpa one from those voters and they’ve had eight years to atone.
Baud
@MisterForkbeard:
I know you’re paraphrasing, but either his plans contradict that or they don’t. We’re past the whole concepts of a plan stage of things.
Jackie
@Citizen Alan:
We’re about to see a lot of faces eaten by leopards come next year. Nothing to do but shrug when that happens.
The Audacity of Krope
@Trollhattan: Democrats need to step away from the perpetual war machine and push harder on delivering services that will help working Americans. All the tinkering you try to do around the edges gets undone or the credit appropriated by Republicans. Meanwhile the pain of stagnation builds.
You can’t serve the working class and the owner class at the same time. Democrats have been trying. It ain’t paying off.
prostratedragon
Oooo, you have foxes? You have snow?!
On the article RJ cites in the post, so glad to hear someone bring morality into the frame. Real morality, not like those people who stand up in church where everyone can see them and proclaim themselves.
Jackie
@Steve LaBonne:
You really we’re going to escape that fate? I for one don’t.
Steve LaBonne
@Jackie: Depends on whether Trump has enough neurons left to realize that alarming and pissing off everyone 65 and older is really bad political strategy. I’m guessing the odds are 50/50.
prostratedragon
@Ronno2018: 🙂
The Audacity of Krope
Remember Trump said we won’t need elections anymore. The politics he’ll need to worry about as an autocrat will mainly involve his inner circle.
SomeRandomGuy
@Miss Bianca: When one side lies with impunity, and the other tries to tell the truth, this is what happens – no one is aware of the truth, and people are what they ALWAYS are, EVERY SINGLE TIME. WITHOUT the lies, what happens? With them? What happens?
But don’t worry: I blame you, personally, voter, because. I mean, didn’t you look up TARIFF in GOOGLE? BEFORE THE ELECTION?
Probably did, but, fuck, why do I need to know, or care, about that, when I just want to blame voters, and not the lies that the stupid voters believe?
I’m only asking, because I’m in a foul mood, and you’re being idiotic in the name of hating on your fellow Americans, rather than regarding them as having been roundly deceived.
That’s why I don’t like hanging out here. I have to do all the thinking for both sides.
FDRLincoln
It is a simple binary for me.
A Trump policy is hurting you?
Did you vote for Trump?
Yes? Fuck off. You deserve it.
You are eligible to vote but didn’t? Fuck off you deserve it.
You voted for Harris? I’m sorry. I will help if I can
I hate what Trump and the GOP have done to my sense of compassion. But that’s where I am.
It’s like people who voted for George Wallace. Unforgivable.
Ohio Mom
That’s a healthy looking fox. There was one in my suburban subdivision about a dozen years ago — we were all excited whenever we caught a glimpse. But our fox was skinny and its fur was dull.
There’s one thing that unites all of Trump’s nominees so far and that is that I’ve heard of all of them. When you pick people who are accomplished in their fields, like Biden did, I didn’t know who they were (the exception being Mayor Pete).
Trump’s nominees are all fresh from the headlines. Usually headlines describing wrong-doing or stupidity, but headlines.
Steve LaBonne
@The Audacity of Krope: I refuse to just bow down and accept that they’ll be able to make the midterm election meaningless.
The Audacity of Krope
@Steve LaBonne: That was meant as somewhat tongue in cheek.
Ohio Mom
@Miss Bianca: Haven’t seen you in a while — is that because you’ve been doing other things or because I am skipping threads so as not to overdose on Trump? Hope all is well in the mountains of Colorado.
Sally
@The Audacity of Krope: I hesitate to enter the fray here, as I have strong views on this that I generally don’t express. If you have the privilege of living in a democracy, in a country largely operating under laws, with mostly freedom of speech, you owe it to your fellow citizens and yourself and future generations, to participate in that democracy. I believe it is not up to politicians to “earn” your vote, but for the voter to vote. To vote for their preferred candidate. Even if it is the lessor of evils. It is a responsibility in a democracy for citizens to vote, to participate, in order to maintain that democracy. Otherwise, go taste life where you can’t vote (or your votes aren’t counted).
There is a reason why people fought to gain the right to vote. There is a reason why some powerful people try to prevent people from voting. If you don’t vote, you are surrendering agency (not you personally). Not voting is saying “I don’t care what happens to me or everyone else”.
Like maintaining a car, if we don’t maintain democracy, it fails. Then we are left without agency. It’s why so many refugees are fleeing dictatorships. If you don’t want to be a refugee, maintain your democracy.
The Audacity of Krope
@Sally: That may be, but appealing to people’s senses of responsibility doesn’t seem to change any minds, just makes them defensive.
Baud
Obviously, it would have been nice if more people voted for us and we had won, but that particular fact wouldn’t change the reality of the millions of people who voted for Trump despite everything.
RevRick
@zhena gogolia: Quite depressing. Which is part of its purpose .
Omnes Omnibus
@SomeRandomGuy: If you feel it’s necessary to call Miss Bianca idiotic, perhaps you should go touch grass. Or at least try not to be an asshole.
RevRick
@rikyrah: I hear the terrible pain being expressed here
Steve LaBonne
@The Audacity of Krope: Sorry, my sense of humor is a bit frayed these days. Shortly I will be going to a vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance at church, and I am worried sick about the trans people my wife and I know personally as well, of course, as about all trans people.
Gin & Tonic
@SomeRandomGuy:
Easy solution for that.
RevRick
@Steve LaBonne: They are anti,-nominees, picked deliberately to destroy the very institutions they are supposed to lead
JML
I will admit, when I saw the picture of the fox I immediately heard The Festrunk Brothers yell: “The Foxes!”
zhena gogolia
@Steve LaBonne:
@RevRick: Reminds me of James Watt under Reagan.
Baud
@Ohio Mom:
She was gone for a while but she’s back now and I am happy.
Sure Lurkalot
@Steve LaBonne: It’s much bigger than pissing off the over 65 crowd.
It’s not just the 40 year old rationalizing “Social Security won’t be around for me anyway.” Confession….that was 40 year old me.
Many people’s inheritable wealth is in their home. Dismantling the financial security of parents and grandparents trickles down. Not only may that wealth go up in smoke, but children may face difficult choices about supporting their elderly parents.
Another thing we will have to wait and see…how much of a third rail social security and Medicare are.
Geminid
@Steve LaBonne: One reason I think the midterms will come off as usual is that Republicans think they won this last election, and that momentum is on their side. So besides their typical voter-suppression tactics, they’ll try to win the midterms straight-up.
However, Republicans could get thrashed in 2026 like they did in 2018. Then they may well decide to use more extraordinary measures in 2028 to stay in power.
ColoradoGuy
Of course the voters make mistakes, just as individual people do. And sometimes voters are malicious and evil, just as individual people are.
What shines out to me is the voters picked Obama twice and rejected a woman twice. Not just any random woman, but a super-qualified woman, and chose not just any man, but Mr. Misogyny himself. Twice.
The “issues” with Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris were completely different, and both ran against the same opponent. And he won both times. The “issues” don’t matter … that’s a gimmick to entertain New York Times readers, and almost nobody else. Don’t fall for it. Issues don’t elect Presidents unless there is a massive national crisis, as there was in 2008 and 2020. That’s the only time “issues” matter. At other times, it’s the TV personality.
Trump is Mr. Misogyny with a crime-boss TV persona. Anything that plays into that only strengthens his appeal to his base and to low-engagement voters. They want entertainment, it’s simple as that. Idiocracy got that right. The GOP has been selling entertainment since Reagan, with zero government experience, was elected Governor of California in 1964.
For that matter, running Eisenhower against Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956. The GOP is run by ad agency and media executives who are very good at demographic analysis.
The Audacity of Krope
It is terrifying to think what various communities might be facing when Trump takes charge. I’m focusing on standing up for what I see as right and particularly those around me.
Our thinking will have to go beyond elections, though. Two years is too long to wait and we can’t even be sure whether it will be conducted fairly or even if Democrats will win if it is. Even at least some Democrats won’t be looking to protect trans people, themselves, mind you.
Steve LaBonne
@Sure Lurkalot: I’m bracing myself for being forced into a crappy “Advantage” plan.
Hoodie
@The Audacity of Krope: That’s not really where the problem was in 2024. Something like 45% of voters making over 200k voted for Trump and 45% of college-educated voters voted for Trump. If you have those kind of assets and education and voted for Trump you’re a fucking moron, because the vast majority of those folks are not in the billionaires club. Who do you think he’s going to steal from? The biggest marks are the ones who think they’re in on the scam.
The Audacity of Krope
@Hoodie: These people you describe are selfish and either will tolerate a lot of bigotry for a marginally lower tax rate or aspire to be among those
exploitingemploying workers.Pretty much you described who I view as the worst among the Republicans. Give me a true blue bigot over a cynical greedo any day.
Miss Bianca
@SomeRandomGuy: oh fuck off, Rando. I live in a very red area and all those people are positively gleeful about what they’ve voted for. They are giddy. Ecstatic. Getting off on telling me that I, a lowly Demoncrat, am finally going to get what they think I deserve. they will be like this until.they get punched in the face by the administration they voted for. So take your holier than thou “Man of the Misled People” act and cram it.
Baud
I have not watched this but apropos of a front page post earlier today.
The Audacity of Krope
@Miss Bianca: I do think you’re right that voters do need to take more responsibility for themselves. Shouting that into the ether won’t fix it, though.
And they certainly aren’t the principle ones to blame. I don’t even put it mostly on Trump. He is what he is. Media organizations shirking their responsibility to inform the public easily deserve the lion’s share of blame.
mrmoshpotato
George Takei
If Trump wants to deport undocumented migrants, they will still need a hearing before an immigration judge.
The next available final hearing date, based on current backlog of 1,478,623 asylum cases pending, is in 2029—after Trump has left office.
They haven’t though this through. Shocking.
Baud
@The Audacity of Krope:
Shouting into the ether doesn’t fix anything but we do it anyway.
rikyrah
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) posted at 9:11 AM on Tue, Nov 19, 2024:
“It should be a life vest, not a lifestyle” — Rep. Mark Alford on Fox Business says he wants to cut food stamps to pay for more tax cuts https://t.co/ySu7YKk74D
(https://x.com/atrupar/status/1858890885921992977?t=99etHF857lr-PQwXqb621w&s=03)
Miss Bianca
@The Audacity of Krope: I’m not shouting anything into the fucking ether unless commenting on this here blog counts as that. But speaking merely as a commenter on this here blog, this “oh, people have just been MISLED, they’re not to blame for their shitty voting choices!” bit strikes me as fatuous at best.
Being a journalist myself, believe me, I don’t let the media off the hook either. You can’t say anything about the entire media industry’s role in getting us to where we are today that I haven’t said a thousand times before you.
RevRick
@zhena gogolia: But instead of one Watt, we’re getting a pile of turds.
Jackie
@Miss Bianca:
👏🏻👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻
Jackie
@mrmoshpotato: Does that prevent TCFG’s administration from rounding up migrants and other undesirables into prison holding camps? I don’t think so☹️
RevRick
@The Audacity of Krope: The late breaking voters, who went decisively for Trump, are completely detached from traditional media, whether that’s newspapers or Television news. They get their “information “ from YouTube videos and influencers like Joe Rogan and Reddit. And what those sources have in common is that they offer “confirmation “ of your priors.
The Thin Black Duke
White people still pretending that white people ain’t responsible for the choices they make, huh?
Baud
Jasmine Crockett has made it to Blue sky.
https://bsky.app/profile/repjasmine.bsky.social/post/3lbcv7gqp6c2b
RevRick
@rikyrah: Funny how many of those food stamp (SNAP) recipients work for Walmart and fast food joints.
TBone
Linda McMahon, wife of the WWE Vince McMahon and formerly Donold’s Small Business Administration head, is up for head of DOE.
Why nominate a woman? Because DOE is supposed to be axed! What’s Krusty Gnome’s new job title? Homeland “Security!” Already done been on that chopping block.
Baud
@The Thin Black Duke:
No one wants to ruin Thanksgiving.
RevRick
@The Thin Black Duke: Just like it’s not identity politics when it comes to white men.
Layer8Problem
@Miss Bianca: I reacted strongly (I used the word ‘Bull’) to a Valued Commenter with the idea that if J. D. Vance ended up in a greater position of responsibility he’d stay more in the rails. I thought that naive; Commenter was quite put out by that inconsiderate reaction. Some people are delicate and need to get out more.
mrmoshpotato
Yup. When, in fact, a ton of my fellow white people are white supremacist, misogynistic Trump trash who freely fuck themselves with their ballots.
Quinerly
@TBone: Dept of Education, I assume.
A pro fracking and climate denying jerk has been appointed to Dept of Energy.
lowtechcyclist
@The Audacity of Krope:
You mean, like get out of Afghanistan? We got clobbered for that.
You mean, like pass the ACA, end exclusions for pre-existing conditions, hugely expand Medicaid, and make health care affordable for massive swaths of Americans who formerly couldn’t afford it?
We got clobbered over that too.
They were both still worth doing. But they’re doing what you’re telling them to do, and it still isn’t working out politically.
sab
@Steve LaBonne: I assume you mean he’ll fuck with ACA not get people on it?
I have been a bit snarky with the Medicare advantag sales calls this year, and they sigh loudly in response before they launch into their sales script and I hang up. They may be getting more push back this year.
LAC
@Miss Bianca: Heard that mic-drop all the way over here. Thank you.
TBone
@Quinerly: yes the Dept. of Education nominee McMahon is accused in a sex abuse scandal lawsuit involving “ring boys” of course:
https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/wwe/new-lawsuit-filed-against-vince-mcmahon-linda-mcmahon-and-tko-group-holdings-regarding-ring-boy-scandal
A new lawsuit has been filed against Vince McMahon this morning.
Fightful reported a new lawsuit filed against Mr. McMahon, his wife Linda McMahon, and TKO Group Holdings, by five former “Ring Boys” who have accused former WWE employees of sexual abuse.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of John Does 1 through 5 by DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, claims that former WWE employees Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin abused “Ring Boys”, who were hired to assist with errands and other items, and that Mr. and Mrs. McMahon were aware of the abuse but did nothing to stop it.
“The underaged Ring Boys were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips, who targeted children from broken homes. His sexual assaults occurred not only at the wrestling venues, but also in hotel rooms and other locations where Phillips would shuttle the boys in plain sight. Defendants were fully aware of the systemic and pervasive abuse and did nothing to prevent or stop it,” the suit claims.
lowtechcyclist
@prostratedragon:
We have foxes here in southern Maryland. There are some that live in the woods in back of my house, although I rarely see them.
Snow, OTOH, is becoming a rarity around here. Hard to believe Snowmageddon was only 15 years ago.
Manyakitty
@Miss Bianca: say it louder for the people in back. Thank you.
Manyakitty
@The Thin Black Duke: perfect explanation. Wish you were wrong. Alas.
LAC
@The Thin Black Duke: yep… day 14.
Bill Arnold
@The Audacity of Krope:
Out of curiosity, do you identify as a communist?
Baud
Via Blue sky
Gin & Tonic
@sab:
I’m going to go ahead and say that for the last several years my former employer’s provided-to-retirees health plan, a Medicare Advantage plan through BC/BS, has worked out very well for my dear wife and me, through some pretty substantial health “issues.”
I know these plans vary widely, and careful analysis (which most customers can’t/won’t do) is required, but we have been pleased with our plan. We can return to old-fashioned Medicare with Medigap at any open-enrollment period.
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
MA polls very well, despite liberal criticisms.
mrmoshpotato
Marc Elias
If the legacy media was doing its job and not sucking up to Trump, this would be a national scandal.
“Republicans filed four more lawsuits to stop the counting of certain ballots in the Pennsylvania general election.”
Quinerly
@TBone:
Yes. I had read up on that awhile back.
I am now getting caught up on Gaetz flying 2 women to NY for sex in 2019. And meeting his current wife at Mar a Lago at Kimberly Guilfoyle’s birthday in 2020 and their eloping in 2021. Wife still lives in CA, is described as a “Filipino American,” and her brother founded Oculus.
lowtechcyclist
@mrmoshpotato:
Do they need a hearing before an immigration judge before they get rounded up into the camps?
Remember Serwer’s Axiom: the cruelty is the point. Is rounding them up and putting them in camps a very cruel thing to do? It sure is. Actually deporting them would just be icing on the cake.
ETA: Beaten to it by Jackie @92.
TBone
@Quinerly: I read today (at wonkette) that Gaetz used his “adopted son” Nestor’s Venmo to pay the underage sex worker(s) who testified before the Ethics Committee.
Ken B
@Citizen Alan: I call it DogE. Pronounced as ‘doggie’.
mrmoshpotato
@Jackie:
@lowtechcyclist: That didn’t occur to mean when I posted Takei’s (what are bluesky posts called?).
Sally
@Miss Bianca: I hope you saw my comment #64. If we don’t (all) participate in our democracy we will (all) lose it.
Living in a democracy is a privilege and a responsibility. Whenever I watch the news I feel so lucky to be born where and when I was. And I am not going to spit in the face of that good luck.
Sister Golden Bear
@The Thin Black Duke:
Absolutely.
sab
@Gin & Tonic: Are you sure about return to Medigap? Preexisting conditions is my main concern. I think it varies by state insurance laws. My sister in MA would be protected. In Ohio I wouldn’t be.
My husband is already screwed, since his Medicare Advantage provider’s hospital system just decided to go for-profit, so a lot of the doctors (most of his) bailed. The system owns the insurance company or vice versa. Somehow they are linked.
Quinerly
@TBone:
Ah, yes….the adopted son who is in his late 20’s……
prostratedragon
@lowtechcyclist: Brother lives in MD, near DC; must remember to ask him if they have foxes. They might be gone from Chicago, but we do have the less-cute coyote around. My very inner city neighborhood has rabbits and chipmunks.
But snow, alas, has been rare the last few years.
Jinchi
Remembering that the whole goal of the DOGE administration is not paying bills, I’m guessing Oz will find a way.
LAC
@prostratedragon: We live in MD and had one in our year a little over a year ago. Was terrorizing the little bunnies in our yard. Got chased away and we have not seen it since, but they are not uncommon even in central maryland.
prostratedragon
@mrmoshpotato: “what are bluesky posts called?” “Posts,” from what I’ve seen.
K-Mo
@rikyrah: You’re not wrong. But don’t worry- Herschel Walker and Kari Lake will get cabinet positions too.
prostratedragon
@LAC: 👋-👋
K-Mo
@The Audacity of Krope: meh. If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. Sorry that’s just how it is.
K-Mo
@Citizen Alan: I thought we’d agreed is a wankfest… WOGE
@Baud:
SomeRandomGuy
@Miss Bianca: You really think I care about your pissant complaints about my attitude? You’re a goddamned idiot, and I’m in enough pain I don’t care saying it, because *y’all* motherfuckers are the ones who taught me pain is the *only* signifier of note, and *I* am the one telling you there’s a better way, you emotionally stunted fucking moron.
You want to hurt people? Turn Republican. You want to help? Stop being a dick. I’m sorry – I can’t use the correct gender insult, for obvious reasons. But: stop being a DICK.
Yeah. They’re stupid and GLEEFUL. You think I haven’t seen that shit every fucking day since *kindergarten*? *YOU* think this is a big fucking deal, *I* think this is – what, tuesday? Something like that. It’s the same as it’s always been, and *you* get to think this is some big fucking horrible change, and *no*, it’s the same old shit, different day. Dummy.
Now: since I’m treating you like a stupid “voter” am I getting *through* to you any better, you idiot?
SomeRandomGuy
@Gin & Tonic: Fuck you too.
I’m sorry – I’m trying to learn my social skills properly, but, I do believe what you said was “fuck you, leave.” To which I said, “fuck you, too.”
If I got the social skills wrong, I’ll listen to whatever fucking stupid justification you have for saying I shouldn’t be pissed off at you dickwads, but… well, I think I’ve established you’ll need a really strong argument to pop me off my chocks, right?
And you ain’t got what it takes, wimp.
SomeRandomGuy
@Omnes Omnibus: Now, friend, *you* know you don’t get to dictate that to me, right, motherfucker? YOU get to shit down my neck when I’m terrified my doctor will kill me. You think I’m about to forget that?
Dear *god*, when you motherfuckers learn something about *real* pain, I hope I’ve helped you, and I hope I’ve *really* fucking helped you, really, and truly… but god damn if I don’t hope it’s a bit humiliating that you have to admit you got help from the guy you despise.
K-Mo
@SomeRandomGuy: Dude, you got thoroughly pwned by Ms Bianca. Have some self respect and sit the rest of the evening out.
Jeffro
@Baud: very smart and very true – it’s all distraction, all performative
“I’ll just go to the bathroom wherever. Now then – notice how they’re about to give away even MORE tax cuts to billionaires?” – McBride, probably.
Jeffro
@mrmoshpotato: I like Elias’ (and others’) use of “legacy” media but we might have to come up with something that describes just how old, out-of-touch, and relatively small-audience they are these days.
“dinosaur” media?
“micro” media?
Hmmmmmm
SomeRandomGuy
@FDRLincoln: I know this is pointless to say, but, if there’s a *theme* to this blog, it’s “don’t cooperate with Nazis, even those the Nazis used as useful idiots.”
Did you vote for Trump and it hurt you? Tell them what a fucking dumbass they were. Don’t say “fuck you, you deserve it.”
But, I’m back to where I came in: the dickwad who is a vicious misanthrope because everyone else is a bigger dickwad, with less reason, than me.
You want to destroy my sense of moral superiority? Go the fuk ahead, glad to see you do it. Want to kick me down, tell me I’m too fucking optimistic? (Did you miss the “misanthrope” part? Just asking….) *Great*. You’ll probably have an original thought.
Want to tell me I’m a dick? Good luck: tell you what, $25 to your favorite charity, for anyone who can tell me I’m a dick, accurately, and properly, for the first four people who manage it.
No points to those who say I might be a deliberate dick because I’m so fucking pissed off at the world, I might as well use it productively.
And getting some of you people to get off your soft, fat, asses to try to knock me off my high horse might accomplish something. I won’t accomplish much on my own. I’m not likely to live long enough. That’s what happens when you’re in constant pain and no one cares but you.
SomeRandomGuy
@K-Mo: Oh, fuck you, too. You’re thoroughly pned by shithead_the_dumbass, YHBT, YHL, and fuck off.
I *do* think that’s the proper response – let me know if I’m misreading the social cues, ‘kay? Because, until I *respect* you, you don’t get to say something, and expect me to *care*.
Trump shit-talks too – you think you’re *better* at shit-talking than him, fool?
(Hm. Yeah. Fool, as in, foolish. Dumbass. Not as good at Trump as shit-talking. Accurate. Okay. But: is it kind? No. Not a bit.
Cool.)
Gin & Tonic
@SomeRandomGuy:
Boy, you really put me in my place.
Kayla Rudbek
@prostratedragon: we have foxes here in Northern Virginia as well. They can make out like bandits on leftover rotisserie chicken.
WaterGirl
@SomeRandomGuy:
No more commenting for you tonight. I will give Cole a heads up so he can read the thread decide where to go from here.
But I think this really crosses the line. The “no personal attacks” line.
Either John or I will be in touch with you tomorrow by email, assuming you use a working email for Balloon Juice.
Planetjanet
@prostratedragon: We have foxes…and coyotes.
SomeRandomGuy
@WaterGirl: Now tell me: does treating “voters” as if they were stupid and nasty work?
I’m just asking. No particular reason, just… asking.