Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

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

We still have time to mess this up!

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

So very ready.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

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President Biden: The Decision to Exit and What Comes Next (live at 8 pm)

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I was surprised by the feeling of profound sadness rushing over me as I was putting this post together.  President Biden made his choice, and I have no issues with Kamala, but still the emotion is there.

I Like the Policy but not the Framing (What Else Is New?)

I imagine that we will see Happy Warrior Joe tonight, fierce and strong in his support of Kamala Harris, but letting us know that we shouldn’t count him out just yet.  I have so much respect for this man.  A man of honor, and a true statesman.

I expect to see a renewed energy as Joe works to get every single thing done that he can in the time left in his term, determined not to be a lame duck.  Usually the VP is the attack dog, but I have a feeling that now with Kamala running, Joe is going to be the attack dog.  Joe has more strength than I can even dream of having.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93T8biDlaBc

We are lucky to have you, Joe.

Open thread.

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War for Ukraine Day 882: Russia Double Taps Kharkiv & a Russian Drone Falls in Romania

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A quick housekeeping note: Rosie is still doing well after her chemo treatment on Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

As of 7:09 PM EDT, air raid alerts are up over all of eastern and central Ukraine except for Donetsk and Odesa Oblasts. I’m not seeing any indications of Russian strategic air on the alert maps. Hopefully things stay that way.

A Russian drone came down in Romania.

The Kyiv Post has the details:

A Russian kamikaze drone on Wednesday flew into NATO air space and detonated near a Romanian village, Ukrainian news reports said, but official Bucharest said the fact of the strike wasn’t confirmed and that they would check.

The Iran-manufactured Shahed robot plane reportedly struck and blew up in the vicinity of the Danube River shoreside hamlet of Plaura, in southeastern Romania.

Ukrainian social media video recorded in the river port city of Izmail, opposite Plaura, showed an orange flash lighting up the night horizon and a booming blast on the Romanian side of the river. Flames and smoke reaching hundreds of meters into the sky were visible following the explosion. A Russian kamikaze drone strike against Izmail had been in progress at the time.

A Wednesday Ukrainian Air Force statement said Russian operators based in Crimea launched the Kremlin’s latest drone raid shortly after midnight.

Civilian air defense networks closely tracking the incoming strike reported almost all the explosives-toting UAVs appeared to be flying in two waves east of and parallel to the Danube River.

Anti-aircraft gunners, missile operators and tactical jamming teams in engagements across the country knocked down 17 Shahed kamikaze drones, six reconnaissance drones and two loitering strike drones, the official Kyiv statement said. “Most” of the kills were, per that report, in the airspace above the southwestern Odesa region, where the Danube separates Ukraine and Romania.

Ukrainian civil defense networks reported impacts after 2 a.m. local time in the vicinity of Izmail. Local social media variously reported between six to ten ground explosions. Odesa region air defense authorities called an all-clear by 3:45 a.m.

The Ukrainian government-funded Ukrinform news agency, citing air defense and civilian officials, said that in Izmail, port infrastructure was damaged and that at least one Russian kamikaze drone hit an upper floor of a five-story residential building.

A press statement by Romania’s Defense Ministry said two Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off at 2:19 a.m. (approximately an hour after the Russian drones launched from Crimea), in response to the incoming raid towards Izmail. The aircraft returned to Borcea Air Base at 4:20 a.m. The statement mentioned no engagements by the F-16s.

An investigation team would deploy to the field to check the possibility a Russian strike drone hitting Romanian territory, the official statement said.

“The Ministry of National Defense has ordered measures to conduct investigations in the field, in the vicinity of Plauru, to search for possible objects that may have fallen on national territory,” the statement said in part.

More at the link.

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

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Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Repub Dogwhistles Starting to Damage Their Own Ears

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Just look at Pastor Mike’s expression — he’s torn between terror and glee. Politico, “House GOP leaders urge members: Stop making race comments about Harris”:

House Republican leaders told lawmakers to focus on criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris’ record without reference to her race and gender, following caustic remarks from some Republicans attacking her on the basis of identity.

During a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning, chair of the House GOP campaign arm Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and others issued the warning after a series of comments by their members that focused on Harris’ race as well as claims she is a “DEI” pick, according to two people in the room…

But several Republicans immediately took the criticism in a different direction. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said Monday that Harris was a “DEI vice president” and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) over the weekend questioned if Democrats are sticking by her “because of her ethnic background.” If nominated, Harris would be the first Black and South Asian woman to be a major party nominee.

The remarks about Harris’ race have privately infuriated some Republicans, who feel it shifts the spotlight back on the GOP instead of Democrats’ missteps.

One House Republican, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said Republicans who made comments about Harris being a DEI pick, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, needed to stop.

“We have everything going our way and you just can’t handle that?” this member added. “We’ll give you a cheat sheet if you don’t know what else to talk about.”…

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Never Getting Tired of This

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Never Getting Tired of This

Just a terrible pick.

CNN’s senior political data reporter Harry Enten explained why he believes Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is currently “making history in the completely wrong way.”

“Frankly, I don’t really understand the pick,” Enten told “Outfront” anchor Erin Burnett on Tuesday of Donald Trump’s decision to run alongside Vance instead of a more moderate figure.

“And apparently, neither do the American voters,” Enten continued. “Because, we take a look at the net favorable rating for JD Vance, that’s the favorable minus unfavorable. It’s in negative net territory. Look at that. Negative six points.”

Enten said he’d trawled polling data back to 1980 and discovered that Vance is the first vice presidential nominee since then to have “a net negative favorable rating that is underwater” so soon after the convention.

As I mentioned in the comments of Betty’s post, I pretty much don’t care who Harris picks, as long as it doesn’t open Democrats to the risk of losing the Senate.  Literally any of the picks that have been listed would help the ticket as much as any VP helps the ticket.

How fucking stupid do you have to be to pick this guy when there was even a hint that Kamala Harris could be at the top of the ticket?   I really hope Trump dumps him to remind people that a Trump administration would have all the discipline and good judgment of a runaway train or a rabid skunk.

(Image via Wonkette)

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The Case for Pete

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No, not this Pete:

Goofy dog yawning

He wouldn’t be a good vice president since he growls at people, refuses to share toys, tries to monopolize everyone’s attention and steals unattended food. If our Pete were any more incorrigible, I’d suspect him of being a Republican!

I’m talking about Pete Buttigieg, who I hope is getting serious consideration as a potential VP pick for the Harris ticket. Here are five reasons I think Sec Pete would make a great VP candidate.

  1. Buttigieg could step up as POTUS if need be. That’s the most important qualification for the job, and Buttigieg has it, IMO. Skeptics will note he doesn’t have a ton of political experience at the state or federal level, but he does have an impressive executive track record as mayor and as the head of a huge and important agency in the Biden admin. Moreover, he has the right temperament. He knows how to handle a community crisis with grace and empathy.
  2. He speaks Midwestern.  There was a (pointless and dumb, IIRC) controversy during the 2020 primary over how many languages Buttigieg speaks. But the man grew up in South Bend, got standout results in the Iowa caucuses during his presidential run and is already legendary for his ability to convey complex ideas even to Fox News goobers. (Note: I’m NOT saying Midwesterners are goobers — lord knows as a Southern woman, I hardly have standing to cast stones on that score.) Also, Buttigieg is currently a resident of Michigan.
  3. Buttigieg is unapologetically smart. A young Sec Pete hoovered up just about every academic accolade available during his education: high school class valedictorian, standout student at Harvard, Rhodes scholar, first-class honors at Oxford (the England one!), etc.  He can speak extemporaneously and in detail and at length on complicated policy matters. I think he does it without coming off as a smarty pants but also without hiding behind a fake folksy mask like so many highly educated pols do. We’re the party that believes in science and expertise. Let’s lean into that!
  4. He’s gay. Representation matters, and a Buttigieg candidacy would likely be inspiring for many in the LGBTQ community, a constituency that reactionary Republican troglogdytes have bullied and persecuted nonstop. As a husband and father, Sec Pete is redefining family values for a new era, and while it might be a risk to field a ticket that generates a list of historic “firsts,” would any gettable voters recoil from that and choose the degenerate Trump instead? I don’t think so. Also, Buttigieg would cheerfully defenestrate reactionary shillbilly J.D. Vance in a VP debate, perhaps asking him to explain why the thrice-married Trump models traditional values better than Pete’s family does.
  5. Buttigieg is young. She doesn’t look it, but VP Harris is pushing 60. That’s positively youthful compared to Old Man Trump, and Democrats can look forward to the striking contrast in visuals between the ticket-toppers, thanks especially to Repubs and the media harping on Biden’s age for years. At 42, Sec Pete would deepen that contrast. Let Republicans carry the banner of gerontocracy forward — we’ve got a new generation of leaders stepping up on our side.

So that’s my pitch for Pete. Of course, it’s entirely VP Harris’s decision, and there are plenty of other great candidates who have attributes that Buttigieg perhaps lacks. Ultimately, I don’t think the VP pick will make much of a difference in the vote count, except for its value as a media spectacle. But I like Pete.

Open thread!

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It’s Up To Us Now, What’s Next?

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We are taking a breather on our NC Black Alliance Phase II fundraising while they (hopefully) line up a match for us – we are getting low on Balloon Juice Angels, so an external match is key.  So while we take our breather, this is probably a good time to talk about what comes next after that.

We still have our zoom with NC Black Alliance this coming Tuesday July 30.  Please mark your calendars; these guys are inspirational.

So what comes next after North Carolina Black Alliance?  

The Civics Center

We are talking with some other NC organizations, so it’s possible that we could be back in NC before November.  But in the meantime, we are going to be raising funds for The Civics Center – another group that is focused on Youth!  They train students in high schools and supply the materials they need to organize over registration in their school.  It’s a pretty cool program, and you’ll learn more about it when we kick off our fundraising for them in early August.

They call their materials “Democracy in a Box” – what’s not to love about a group that came up with that?

Four Directions in Montana

After that, we’ll head back to Montana for a bit as Four Directions gets to work, beginning with the Blackfeet Nation.

We need to keep Jon Tester in the Senate in order to get things done in 2025 and beyond.  Or, worst case, to stop what we can of a terrible Republican agenda.

We’ll be supporting Four Directions work again in Montana – more details to come in a later post, but I can share some fun stuff now.

We are getting a genuine Star Quilt to raffle off!!!   I am super excited about that, and we’ll have photos and quilt dimensions soon.

And they have an external match of $15,000 for us!   Still working on the full $30,000.

After That?

We have a bit more up our sleeves organization-wise, and of course we are going to blink and it will be September, so we’ll also start looking at candidates then.  As always, we look for really close races where our money is not salt in the ocean, where we can make a difference like we did in 2022.  So great to see so many of our “Purple House” people win their House seats,  and our “Election Protection” candidates win in key states like WI, NV, AZ and more.

Tell us what you’re getting up to!

Open thread.

 

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Perspective – Choosing the Right Fight

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Rev Rick sent this to me on Sunday, before the news broke.

Everything changed when Biden declined the nomination.  But in many ways, nothing changed.  Our fight was, and is, to stop Trump and elect Democrats across the board.

I hope you will read what RevRick had to say. The threat is just as real today as it was when he wrote this on Sunday morning.

The real fight is with Trump, American Oligarchs, Republicans, Authoritarians.  If we fight each other, Trump will win.

RevRick

Hello, I’m Reverend Rick Guhl, a retired United Church of Christ pastor… and I have a great feeling of dread about the upcoming election.

The prospect of Donald Trump getting re-elected makes me fear for our nation. In fact, I find myself caught in a web of trauma thinking, bouncing between disbelief and despair, anxiety and anger, remorse and rage. I feel trapped in a hopeless state, both agitated and overwhelmed. 

I understand the stakes. I see the link to the dark paths of the middle of the 20th century and I fear we will go down the same deadly road as Germany, Italy and Japan did then.

You see, my parents both served in the American Embassy in Berlin before the war, my mom as a secretary and my dad as an assistant to the Naval Attaché. They both spoke and understood German. They heard the fascist rhetoric 24/7, and I know this because my mom said it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

And what did they hear from Hitler and the Nazi Regime?

They heard Hitler snarling that he would make Germany great again, just as Mussolini boasted he would restore the glory of Rome and the Japanese militarists growled that they would claim Japan’s rightful place in the sun. 

They heard dehumanizing language directed at despised peoples: Jews and others, describing them as vermin and scum, as dangerous and defective, as disease-ridden and degenerate, as criminals, as those polluting the nation.

They heard Hitler promising revenge against Germany’s enemies, promising to rid the nation of those who polluted Germany’s pure blood and of those he accused had stabbed Germany in the back.

They heard threats of violence, and saw it played out in Kristallnacht, when the Nazis attacked Jewish businesses and synagogues and sent 10,000 Jewish men to the concentration camps, which inevitably would become death camps. They heard him promising to exterminate Europe’s Jews.

I hear echoes of all this and more in the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters and in the Project 2025. 

Then, it was Make Germany Great Again. Today, it’s Make America Great Again. Then, the despised people were the Jews and the Rom and the LGBQT and the disabled. Today, the despised are those making arduous treks to  cross our Southern border, and Jews and the LGBQT.  Then, Hitler accused them of being dangerous and disease ridden, polluting Germany’s purity, bringing crime and drugs.

Today, they speak of rounding up 11 allegedly million illegal immigrants and sending them to camps for deportation. Does anyone really believe that when their Brownshirts sweep through neighborhoods they will care about such niceties as citizenship?

Just as Germany burned books and turned schools into factories of propaganda, we’re seeing book bans and plans to turn schools into factories of propaganda.

Just as Hitler attacked the free press as the “lying press”, Trump and his allies attack our free press as “fake news.” 

Just as Hitler accused the LGBQT community of being degenerate, Trump calls them groomers and sexual predators. 

Just as Hitler had underlings to carry out his evil plans, men like Russell Vought and Kevin Roberts are talking about declaring martial law on January 20th to implement Project 2025. 

My dad, my uncle, and my father-in-law all served in the great struggle to crush fascism in Germany, Italy and Japan. Their graves, and those of sixteen million others who participated in that struggle in WW2, and especially the half million killed or missing in action, are scattered in cemeteries around the United States and overseas.

Now, Trump and his allies want to bring fascism into our country through the front door. 

It pains me to say this, but they are spitting on the graves of those sixteen million. Every Republican who refuses to denounce the fascist rhetoric and plans are spitting on their graves.

Ultimately, it all comes back to us, you and me, as voters. Will we spit on the graves of the sixteen million WW2 veterans by electing Trump? Will we spit on their graves by giving our votes to Republicans who are on board with this ugly fascism? Will that legacy be etched into our gravestones? And even if it won’t there physically, you will know… and God will know.

RevRick on the existential threat we face with Trump and Project 2025  (pdf)

If you like what RevRick wrote, I hope you’ll think about sharing.

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