Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

The willow is too close to the house.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

We will not go back.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

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

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

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War for Ukraine Day 967: President Zelenskyy Introduces the EU to the Concept of the Lady or the Tiger

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A quick housekeeping note: Things are starting to get back to normal here. I’ve got one more major house-hurricane related item to deal with tomorrow and that should be it. The girls are doing great. Rosie’s next and final chemo treatment is on Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

It’s going to take me a couple of days to get fully caught up, including on sleep, and recover. So, I’m just going to run through the basics again tonight.

Right now, at 8:20 PM EDT/3:20 AM local time in Ukraine, over 2/3rds of Ukraine is under air raid alert. There’s no indication on the alert maps that Russia has its strike fighters and bombers up, so this is most likely another massed drone swarm attack.

President Zelenskyy addressed the European Union Council today while in Brussels. He introduced them to the classic conundrum of the Lady or the Tiger:

NATO, the EU, and the US have a decision to make. Either they begin to seriously work on how to get Ukraine into NATO sooner or Ukraine will develop its own nuclear deterrent. Frankly, I would not be surprised to eventually find out that Ukraine is well on its way to building its own nuclear weapons in order to establish deterrence vis a vis Russia. I would also NOT be surprised if they’ve been able to do this without US or any other state’s intelligence services knowing.

Here’s President Zelenskyy’s full address to the EU Council:

And here’s the full video of his joint press conference with NATO’s Secretary General:

Both Mark Rutte, NATO’s new Secretary General, and Sweden’s Defense Minister had the follong to say about President Zelenskyy’s address.

◾️Ukraine will become 33rd or 34th member of NATO, which currently has 32 members, the recently appointed Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said during a press conference with journalists in Brussels.

“At the moment, it seems that it will be Ukraine as number 33. But maybe somebody else pops in front of it. But Ukraine will be a member of NATO in the future. That is what we decided in Washington. So, the question is not about the timeline,” said the NATO Secretary General.

◾️Sweden supports Ukraine’s Victory Plan and its future membership in NATO, – Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Jonson noted that the Victory Plan will be discussed at the evening meeting in Brussels.

“Ukraine is on an irreversible path to full NATO membership, which is very important. We have a lot to learn from Ukraine when it comes to defense innovation. And Ukraine also has strong Armed Forces,” he said.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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Thursday Night Open Thread

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I feel like time has just been screaming by the last month or so. Not sure what is provoking that- the changing seasons and earlier sunsets, the preoccupation of having anxiety attacks about the election coupled with the 2016 ptsd, the whirlwind week with Joelle in town, etc. Probably all that and more.

At any rate, I got back to the gym today for the first time in six days and it was rough. It is complete and total bullshit that it takes months of work to get to where you are and you can lose it in under a week. Some how or another I have also pulled a muscle in my calf by walking. Yay.

Just gotta get my fat ass up and go back tomorrow.

***

Once again, thank you, Tamara, and thank all of you for the surprise virtual engagement/wedding/whatthefuckever shower. Joelle was just tickled when I told her and we decided we are going to use it to pay off the ring.

I still haven’t read all the comments but I bookmarked the page to make sure I do. My mind keeps wandering when I start to read them because so many of you have mentioned places that were old haunts for me and then I go to the internet archive and then think of something else and then I’ve just lost an hour. So many laughs. So many good people no longer with us. So many smart people who were just random pseudonymous people but who knew more the 99% of the people on tv. I hadn’t thought about when I had written at Sgt Stryker’s Daily Briefing or Red State in years. Lot of good memories.

At any rate, thank you all again.

***

I am really trying to remain confident about the election and honestly do think we have a very good chance to win and a chance to win REALLY big. But there is always the “what if” lurking back there, like the monkey on a junkie’s back, just begging me to spiral into depression.

I’m really just exasperated at this point with people, and I think this is something solidly blue state people do not understand what it is like to be just absolutely surrounded by “them.” And it has been ten years and still, to this day, every now and then, I find out about someone new who I used to regard as a normal decent person but who has morphed into a Trump cultist. And it’s just as jarring and just as sad every time it happens, as I stand there and wonder what could possibly have gone wrong with them in their life to make them this way.

And some of you are thinking “just don’t think about it” or “take a break,” and I would love to. But when you are deep in the heart of one of the dumbest most Trumpiest states in the country, you can’t. There is no respite from it. Everywhere you look there is a flag or a decal or a sign. You walk into 2/3 of the businesses and it is on Fox News. It’s on the little tv terminal on the exercise bike at the gym so before you can even start to ride the bike you have to find the fucking remote to turn it off. It’s the two old dudes walking in the lane next to you on the track as you pass them. It’s people talking while standing in line or while eating at a restaurant.

It’s just in your face and nonstop and it drives you to fucking madness and you just want to scream and run home before you become a viral tiktok or youtube or spot on the 11 o’clock news. Non trumpers speak in hushed tones and use hand an arm signals. A woman walking through kroger saw my harris shirt and looked around before giving me a thumbs up. It’s just that fucking bad. The only upside is watching how excited some people get when they see someone actually wearing a Harris t-shirt or sticker on their car. They pull up next to you at the light and roll down the window and yell “I love your sticker.”

It’s fucking crazy and I don’t think many people appreciate how bad it is- or why I have so little patience for progressives or the white dudebro socialists trying to depress the Harris vote because she’s not progressive enough or bitching because she is not recoiling in horror and disgust at the Cheney endorsement or going after Republican votes. Motherfuckers do you not understand what is going to happen to women and minorities in blue states? Do you not understand how bad it is going to be for kids? For everyone?

***

I’m reposting this from Tamara’s thread just because it was so much fun and we need a change of tone after that little pity party above:

I’m gonna go have some soup and watch Britbox. You kids be good to each other.

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Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, oh my!

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On Wisconsin!

 

What’s next after we finish North Carolina?

Our next fundraising push will focus on the crucial states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, two of which are swing states and all of which are of great personal interest to many Jackals.

There is a ton of money sloshing around the national races, and few opportunities at this point for our contributions to make a difference.  But there are local races where we can help!

We’ve selected these local candidates based in part on recommendations and research from Jackals on the ground, as well as consulting the vote maximizer website and funding disclosure sites, among other sources.

We are also focused on US House races – Matt Cartwright in PA, Rebecca Cooke in WI, and Greg Landsman in OH.

Important note: We’ll set goals for each thermometer because ActBlue requires a goal – our rule of thumb will be at least $2,000 for a state race and at least $5,000 for a House seat.  But this will be different from the fundraising for organizations where we let them know what we are trying to raise for them so they can plan for the funds.

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Thursday Evening Open Thread: Inflection Point

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Inflection Point - STOCKPILE 2

(Nick Anderson via GoComics.com)

 
Future historians, assuming such exist, are gonna be way confused. I mean… even with living memory, not that many people actually witnessed an increasingly paranoid Richard Nixon talking to the portraits on the White House walls. (Piling on, mostly because I put this together in the early dawn hours… )

Inflection Point - STOCKPILE

(Clay Jones via GoComics.com)

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Oh, What A World, What A World Open Thread

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He’s melllllting, melting:

Trump’s NRA rally has just been canceled… following him backing out of 60 Minutes, CNBC, and a 2nd debate with Kamala. Meanwhile, she’s going head-to-head with Bret Baier on Fox News. Remind me again who’s the “alpha”?

[image or embed]

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) October 17, 2024 at 4:52 PM

From the Savannah Morning News, since the Atlanta Journal-Constitution won’t show me stories for GDPR reasons (and I’m too lazy to fire up the VPN right now):

The NRA has canceled a Defend the 2nd Amendment event in Savannah next week that was to feature keynote speaker Donald Trump, it said on Thursday.

The cancellation is due to a campaign scheduling conflict, the NRA says.

“The NRA is committed to ensuring Donald Trump wins in November and returns to the White House,” the organization said. “NRA-PVF just launched statewide radio ads in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia to complement a comprehensive GOTV operation and multi-million-dollar digital outreach strategy to defeat Kamala Harris.”

This is actually the third engagement the Rough Beast has scurried away from in the last 24–36 hours, if I’m not mistaken. He also bailed on CNBC’s Squawk Box and an interview with NBC’s Christine Romans.

I’m still on edge about how close things are, but this is a trend I hope to see continue. 

Fresh hopium, fresh thread.

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Thursday Morning Open Thread: Nevertheless, She (We) Persisted

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Former first lady Michelle Obama will headline a rally in Atlanta a week before the Nov. 5 election alongside celebrities and civic leaders focusing on engaging younger and first-time voters, as well as voters of color.

The Oct. 29 event will be hosted by When We All Vote, a nonpartisan civic engagement group that Obama founded in 2018 to “change the culture around voting” and reach out to people who are less likely to engage in politics and elections…

It is unclear which celebrities will attend the rally but organizers noted that the group’s co-chairs include professional basketball players Stephen Curry and Chris Paul; musical artists Becky G, H.E.R., Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez and Janelle Monáe; beauty influencer Bretman Rock; and actors Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kerry Washington.

The group has hosted more than 500 “Party at the Polls” events across the country focused on increasing voter registration and turnout. The events have ranged from pop-up block parties in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Philadelphia to voter registration partnerships with professional sports leagues and music festivals over the past year…

Lynk said the group chose Atlanta because of the state’s diversity and the impact that only a handful of voters can make in Georgia. About one-third of Georgia’s electorate is Black alongside rapidly growing Asian American and Latino communities. When We All Vote is focused on engaging college students on campuses in the metropolitan Atlanta area, Lynk said.

“Something that we have been hearing from young voters is that a lot of people don’t believe that their votes have power. But they do, plain and simple,” Lynk said. “We know that democracy has to work for all of us and that’s what we will be stressing at this rally.”

The rally will take place just before early voting ends in Georgia on Nov. 1, less than a week before Election Day.

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