Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

So fucking stupid, and still doing a tremendous amount of damage.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

So many bastards, so little time.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

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

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

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The lights are all blinking red.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

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Wednesday Night Good News Open Thread: The Continuing (Budget) Resolution Has Passed

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War for Ukraine Day 945: President Zelenskyy Addresses the UN General Assembly & G7+Ukraine Meeting

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A quick housekeeping note. Rosie is still doing great. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Air raid alerts are up over all of central Ukraine as of 7:10 PM EDT/2:10 AM local time in Ukraine.

As President Zelenskyy was meeting with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and addressing the UN General Assembly, Russia was attacking more civilians and civilian targets.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address at the UN General Assembly. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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The Eagle Shits for Us All, But Some of Us are In Denial

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The Eagle Shits for Us All, But Some of Us are In Denial

Over at LGM, Paul Campos discusses the latest theory about the size of the Trump vote from Thomas Edsall (published at the NYT, so no link) and adds some context from modern political science.  The explanation of the day is “motivated ignorance” — simply put, it’s a hell of a push to expect someone who’s completely invested in the right-wing ecosystem to admit that they’ve been duped by Trump, Fox News and the rest, so they instead ignore that evidence and don’t seek it out.  True, indeed, and more evidence of Trump’s duplicity just motivates more denial / ignorance.  It’s a bit cultish, but it’s also pretty human to try to preserve one’s identity as a member of a certain group.

Anyway, I’m not a political scientist or a law prof, but there’s another aspect to this phenomenon of denial/ignorance.  My early life in the rural plains, and my current travels that have led me to spend a lot of time there in the past few years.  As we all know, these are areas that take far more resources from the federal government than they send back in taxes.  That’s because, almost to a person, there’s some form of federal assistance helping them.

For the folks who are descendants of immigrants in the rural plains, many of their grandparents and great-grandparents were recipients of one of the biggest government benefit programs in our history, the Homestead Acts.  My grandmother, a tough lady, maintained a tar paper shack on a quarter section of land (160 acres) long enough for it to be given to her under one of the Homestead Acts.  The value of that land today is around $400,000.

After the “dirty thirties” and WWII, when the government realized that farmers will fuck up the land and either grow too much or too little left to their own devices, an expensive and generous set of farm programs boosted the incomes of farmers and ranchers.    Then came rural electrification — the co-ops that were created (by the government, of course) still exist and provide electricity to areas where the invisible hand would never dirty itself.  (Someday I’ll write a post about why my family members get a ~$500 check every year from the co-op providing them excellent fiber optic phone and Internet service.)  There were also a set of “reclamation” and “flood control” programs where giant dams were built on the Missouri to generate power, provide irrigation and control floods by creating huge reservoirs.

Now, the aging population in these areas are Medicare and Social Security recipients who would be living in grinding poverty if they didn’t get those benefits.  Most of their kids and grandkids are on Medicaid because none of the local businesses have the resources or the desire to pay benefits.  They go to “critical access” hospitals heavily financed by the government.  Their children often at least are on WIC if not SNAP, and may attend government-funded headstart programs.  If they’re a small business owner, they probably got a nice big PPP loan that they’ll never pay back.

But if you talk to your average Trumper in the area, their focus (unsurprisingly) isn’t on the many benefits they receive — it’s what happens when the eagle shits for the “poors” (nevermind that many of them are poor, too).  The “day the eagle shits” is army slang for payday, but where I grew up, it’s become a general term for when government benefits drop.  It’s a big deal.  Grocery stores in the little towns prepare for it — in the really small reservation towns, there’s signage listing rules about what can and can’t be done on that day.  Locals know the day and avoid shopping.  And they all bitch about the inconvenience and also judge people who have “nice cars” or “good things” and still get those benefits.

So is it “motivated ignorance” for the Trumpy benefit recipients to have constructed a fable where their benefits are justified (or hidden), while the other recipients are somehow unworthy?  Or is it just the pride of man?  Either way, the right-wing media ecosystem is very good at reinforcing their prejudices about undeserving recipients of handouts, and elevating Republicans as the noble beneficiaries of well-deserved benefits.  The party that fought Social Security, Medicare and Obamacare gets their loyal, almost automatic vote, while their kids who want a better life move to whatever blue or purple city that’s hundreds of miles away.

The Eagle Shits for Us All, But Some of Us are In DenialPost + Comments (155)

This and That Open Thread

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They Think We’re Stupid & That Our Lives Do Not Matter

The women are bringing it.

Again and again.  Maybe because we have the most to lose?

h/t rikyrah for one of these, For Jasmine, I think.

Another woman telling the truth about Donald.

tweet is from the comments.

Alexandra Petri is exactly who we need for these times.  (gift link)

“You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. You will no longer be in danger. You’re not gonna be in danger any longer. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected, and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”

— Donald Trump, at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Monday

It is so much nicer being a woman, now that Donald Trump is in charge!

You barely remember the Biden times at all, except in nightmares. In the dreams, regular eggs cost as much as Fabergé eggs. All the food at the grocery store is too expensive — if you made it to the store at all without being killed, sometimes twice. Also you were always thinking about abortion.

But then you wake up all the way and Donald Trump is protecting you and you are not thinking about abortion.

Mostly you feel wonderful all the time, happy and confident and not depressed because all that has been fixed. Every single problem the country had! Poof! And all you had to do was stop thinking about abortion.

Now, Donald Trump is back and you are not thinking about anything. All your anxieties are gone, now that men are handling all the country’s problems. It would have been a mistake to put a woman in charge! Fortunately, that did not happen. Fortunately, Donald Trump is guarding you. You are guarded! You are not worrying your pretty little head. Donald Trump is protecting you, just like the Bible said should happen. It did not mention him by name, but that was implied.

It was so tough in the before times, when you had to act as though you were a person. It was exhausting, like a dog standing on its hind legs all day. Of course, you weren’t a person, not really, and it is so much nicer to get to stop pretending. Much more restful this way. You are not thinking about abortion. Abortion is back in the hands of those who know best. The choice was the exhausting part; now, you get to be a blessed vessel and raise up as many children as they have decided is best. It is much nicer now.

It is so much nicer being a woman in Trump’s world

Before, you thought abortion might even be a reason to vote. You voted! You could laugh, or cry, when you think about it. You aren’t sure which. Donald Trump will know.

Thank God the national nightmare of forcing you to make choices — as though your thoughts and desires mattered — is at an end. You wake up and smile at the picture of your patron saint, Donald Trump. You go to the market (JD Vance is in charge of eggs now; he has been lecturing the hens about the need to fertilize more of them) and buy one dozen. They cost exactly the right amount. You are not thinking about abortion.

Nothing is the matter here. You are so much more relaxed now that the country has no more problems. Sometimes, you don’t think that all of them were problems, but the thought is quick to vanish. You don’t think about abortion. How could you think about abortion? There is no abortion here. It is with the states where it belongs. It isn’t where you are. It’s not important. You’re not important. Donald Trump is protecting you.

Open thread!

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Here’s the Skinny from Boots on the Ground in AZ

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Hello Friends,

We are excited to share important insights from Worker Power’s recent voter report in Arizona. Between July 6th and August 9th, our canvassers engaged with 61,000 voters and conducted a comprehensive survey of 9,008 individuals to better understand voter priorities and preferences, especially in light of President Biden’s exit and Vice President Kamala Harris’s entry as the Democratic Presidential nominee.

The report included a diverse group of voters: 46.6% Latino, 9.7% Black, and 36.9% white and the following key findings emerged:

1. Economic Concerns Dominate Voter Priorities

Our report revealed that economic issues, particularly the cost of living, are the primary concern for voters across all demographics. Over half of the voters (53.7%) cited economic issues as their top priority when Biden was the nominee, and this remained high (49.3%) after Harris became the nominee. This concern transcended race and vote propensity, highlighting the universal importance of economic stability in the upcoming election.

2. Strong Support for Reproductive Freedom

Reproductive freedom emerged as a crucial issue for Arizona voters, with 78.5% indicating it is very important to them. This issue is especially significant among Latino voters, with 88.1% considering it important. Reproductive freedom was also the second most cited issue, following economic concerns, underscoring its pivotal role in voter decision-making.

3. Rising Support for Kamala Harris

The report showed a notable increase in support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee compared to Joe Biden. When Harris became the nominee, the percentage of voters “definitely” or “probably” supporting her rose to 72.1%, compared to 55.2% for Biden. This suggests a positive shift in voter sentiment towards Harris, with fewer voters considering third-party candidates or remaining undecided.

4. Ruben Gallego’s Strong Senate Support

Our findings indicate overwhelming support for Ruben Gallego in the U.S. Senate race, with 84.6% of reported voters planning to vote for him. This robust backing reflects strong Democratic engagement in Arizona, which is crucial for success in the upcoming elections.

5. Continued Engagement Needed Due to High Levels of Undecided Voters

While support for Kamala Harris is stronger than it was for Biden, significant numbers of voters, especially those with lower voting propensities, remain undecided. Among high propensity voters (80+ score), 82.3% support Harris. However, for all other voter propensity ranges, support drops to a maximum of 57.6%, with undecided voters ranging from 27.6% to even higher percentages in lower propensity groups.

This report highlights the critical need for Worker Power to continue engaging with voters, especially those who are lower-propensity and Democratic-leaning, to boost their participation in the upcoming election.

Listening to Voters Report – from Worker Power

Pssst – data geeks, there are charts and everything!

And in case the spirit moves you.

Totally open thread.

Here’s the Skinny from Boots on the Ground in AZPost + Comments (94)