Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This blog will pay for itself.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

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

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

I’m just a talker, trying to find a channel!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

When we show up, we win.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

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

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Come on, man.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

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

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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Help Me Out Here, Which One Is the Piece of Shit?

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Trick question.  They both are!

I really don’t get it. Have the Russians bought bought the Republcan party, lock stock and barrel? Or nearly so?

If you’re on social media, think about how we can help spread the word, using McConnell’s own words against him.

Open thread.

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Dean Goes Out With Some Class

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Once in a while someone surprises you, and I’m certainly surprised by this, from Dean Phillips:

In 2011, I hosted then VP Biden at my home. Most notable was his empathy and kindness to my daughters and the catering staff, with whom he sat and had ice cream (surprise-surprise). His decency and wisdom were rarities in politics then, and even more so today.

Over a decade later, the only thing that has changed is time – which slows all of us down a bit, including presidents.

I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options.

But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be.

To all who supported my effort, thank you. We will continue the important work to ensure a more responsive, democratic, and generationally diverse political system. But today, in light of the stark reality we face, I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That’s Joe Biden.

Let’s lead with invitation, not confrontation, to welcome Haley supporters, Trump supporters, and Uncommitted supporters to get this done. It’s our calling, it’s our legacy, and it’s our time. Onward with joy and patriotism!

Pour One Out for That Asshole Dean

Yeah, there’s a little bit of “Biden’s old” subtext in the thing, but overall it’s about as good an endorsement statement as a loser can make, not that his endorsement means shit.

Speaking of shit, the guy Trump called a “piece of shit,” Mitch McConnell, has endorsed Trump.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the 30-40ish percent of the Republican primary electorate that voted for Haley, and how Trump underperformed the polls.  Putting aside crossover voters in open primaries, another factor is that turnout was apparently really low for most of the primaries yesterday, even by primary standards.   Most of the effort in polling a low-turnout election is figuring out who is actually going to vote, and that’s particularly hard in the current environment, when everyone’s cell phone is going to send a pollster’s call directly to spam anyway.

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Law of Unintended Consequences

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So I’ve been thinking about this lately.

It has always been clear that Jack Smith chose his charges very carefully in both the D.C. case and the MAL documents case.  What charges he brought.  Who he indicted, and who he left as an un-indicted.  For the time being, at least.  He seemed to want the cleanest, slimmest cases possible, to insure conviction and increase the likelihood that the trials could happen in time.

So I can’t help but wonder what happens if it becomes crystal clear that one or both of these cases will not go to trial before November 2024.  Will we see superseding indictments?  After the recent Supreme Court ruling, I wouldn’t be surprised if we do.

In a similar vein, I also wonder what their contingency planning is at the DOJ.  How many cases are there against insurrectionists in Congress, that are either being investigated, or perhaps are ready to be charged, sitting there under seal because they wanted to keep things as simple as possible – to ensure the big Trump trials could happen before November 2024.

If Trump were to win in November, then he could make sure that any cases that were still pending as of Jan 2025 would be dismissed.  But a case that has already been filed and is in the hands of the courts would be a different situation, right?  Cases already assigned to a judge would be totally out of the hands of what would surely be a corrupt DOJ if the worst would happen in November.

If there are cases like that, I am guessing that the DOJ would have to unseal them before the magic DOJ” 2 months ahead of an election’ rule.  So early September would be my guess.

Even if it’s not exactly this, surely there is contingency planning going on at the DOJ to help preserve the rule of law if the worst were to happen in November.  I would think so, at least but not having ever been part of government, I don’t really know.

Just to be perfectly clear, I am not suggesting that we will be defeated in November – I believe that we will win the presidency, the House and (likely) the Senate, but contingency planning is what you do when the outcome isn’t CERTAIN.  So I really hope that folks in government are doing it.

Anyway, just sharing some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head.  Pretty sure no one will hold back if you think otherwise.

Possible case in point.

Oh, and as a bonus – Mary Trump:

Today, millions of Americans voted to make Donald Trump the Republican nominee for president of the United States. I’m calling on them to reflect on the following:

You just voted for a man who:

1. Relentlessly attacks our institutions and has promised he will be a dictator on “day one”, determined to destroy our democracy for the sole purpose of enriching himself and staying out of prison.

2. Has been found liable for rape, and is accused of many other acts of sexual misconduct and assault.

3. Uses increasingly violent rhetoric to divide us and endanger anybody who doesn’t support him.

4. Traffics in anti-Semitism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and anti-immigrant hatred, in order to divide us.

If you’re a Republican who voted against my uncle, thank you.

But if you voted for him, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself whether you really care about America as much as you think you do.

See you in November.

Open thread.

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Disarray By Design (Open Thread)

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It’s a lesson won by massive heartbreak, but I think most Democrats now accept that we’re a big tent. It’s messy and maddening, and there are loudmouths who declare ownership for their faction, privilege their causes above all others, nurture intramural grievances endlessly, blah blah blah. We’re human, so that means lots of us are assholes. But mostly we acknowledge we need each other, because we know cooperation is the only avenue to power in a big, diverse country with two viable political parties.

It seems like Republicans used to understand that better than Democrats — the old “fall in love” vs. “fall in line” cliche comes to mind. Maybe not so much anymore. As you’ve heard, Trump is attempting to install his daughter-in-law as co-chair of the RNC. Here are Lara Trump’s qualifications, according to Lara Trump:

“Anyone who is not on board with seeing Donald Trump as the forty-seventh president and America-loving patriots all the way down the ticket being supported by the RNC is welcome to leave because we are not playing games,” Lara Trump said.

“We have no time to waste,” she continued. “We have to ensure that every single penny of every dollar donated goes to causes that people care about. That’s part of the reason that I think I’m such a great fit for this: There’s no one more loyal to Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again movement than this person you’re looking at right here; than me…”

“Every single penny will go to the number one and the only job of the RNC,” Trump told Newsmax last month. “That is electing Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country.”

Bold assertions from Mrs. Gums, but recent GOP primary results seem to show some resistance to the full MAGA takeover. Trump will win the nomination if he doesn’t choke to death on a Big Mac between now and the convention. And conventional wisdom holds that Repubs will fall in line. But Haley’s campaign suspension announcement was hardly a ringing endorsement: (ABC News)

“I congratulate [Trump] and wish him well. I wish anyone well who would be America’s president,” she said. “Our country is too precious to let our differences divide us.”

She didn’t explicitly endorse him, however, saying: “I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee. But on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, ‘Never just follow the crap. Always make up your own mind.'”

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it, who did not support it,” she added. “And I hope he does that. At its best politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”

Does anyone think Donald Trump believes he has to “earn” votes? Fuck no. His mob boss takeover of the RNC will be completed in a couple of days, and as the spouse of Eric made clear, Republicans who aren’t on the Trump train can go fuck themselves. Also, all of the RNC money will go to Trump’s army of lawyers, and donors who don’t like that can fuck off too.

I don’t know, guys — maybe explicitly rejecting coalition politics and demanding that everyone in the party join the Trump cult of personality will work out great for the homogeneous Republican Party. But in a close election that will depend on turnout and how independents break, etc., I like our fractious, squabbling crew’s chances a lot better than theirs.

Open thread!

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Super Tuesday Aftermath

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I’m planning to post about Haley’s campaign this evening — and I suspect I’ll be just one in a series!

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On The Road – Paul in Jacksonville – Antique Auto Show

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Paul in Jacksonville

In June of 2021 my son and I enjoyed an extended auto trip to visit my sister and brother in law in the Chicago area. On one of the days during the visit, we went to an antique car show in the town of Plainfield, Illinois. I’m not an antique car buff, so I can’t tell you what you’re looking at. Perhaps you could help out in the comments?

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On The Road - Paul in Jacksonville - Antique Auto Show 9

My brother in law and my son, as we begin to explore.