Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Let me file that under fuck it.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Finding joy where we can, and muddling through where we can’t.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

How stupid are these people?

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

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

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Long Day Today

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Several years ago, a dear friend of Joelle’s gifted her an entire furniture set (I’ll let her describe it in the comments). The problem was that it was coming from a house in Flagstaff, so it has been sitting in storage for quite some time. So today, I took a U-Haul up to their house, loaded it up, and drove it back.

Central Arizona does a really good job of fooling people during the winter months into thinking it is actually habitable. It was 65-70 with clear blue skies all day, none of the bullshit weekend traffic, and just a really pleasant drive.

For most of the trip you simply take 17 north, and on a couple sections of the interstate they have donkey crossing signs like this:

Long Day Today

This is my third time I have been on this stretch of road, and no wild donkey sightings yet. I’ve got my fingers crossed. You’d think they would sense the presence of a monumental jackass like myself and want to come pay homage, but you would be wrong. Also, the saguaro forests are amazing. Can you imagine being on mushrooms under the stars and thinking all those cacti were people? No? Well, that’s what I thought about while driving through it today.

On the way back home, I stopped at the Black Canyon pie shoppe, which is apparently legendary (I think Suzanne mentioned them in one of these here threads), and I picked up a key lime pie. I’ve basically been waiting all day, marshaling all of my self control to not eat the whole thing, and after I post this I am gonna go hose myself off in the shower and cool down, sit on the couch, and have a big ole piece of pie.

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War for Ukraine Day 694: Speaker Johnson is Doing Trump’s Bidding

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Part of the reason that Speaker Johnson has stated he will hold up the border security in exchange for supplemental aid to Ukraine is because Trump has told him to.

This is because 1) Trump wants to be able to continue to use immigration and the border as political weapons during the 2024 campaign and 2) he also wants Ukraine to lose. Johnson, of course, doesn’t want to be politically defenestrated by his own coalition because he believes he’s on a mission from the Deity.

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

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Running Out of Patience

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Biden “running out” of patience with Bibi as Gaza war hits 100 days  (Axios)

Biden is running out of patience with Bibi and the destruction of Gaza?  So say we all.

Snippets from the article:

President Biden and other senior U.S. officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rejection of most of the administration’s recent requests related to the war in Gaza, four U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.

Behind the scenes: Biden hasn’t spoken to Netanyahu in the 20 days since a tense Dec. 23 call, which a frustrated Biden ended with the words: “This conversation is over.” They had spoken almost every other day in the first two months of the war.

Before Biden hung up, Netanyahu had rejected his request that Israel release the Palestinian tax revenues it’s withholding.

State of play: The main driver of Biden’s frustration is Netanyahu’s resistance to moving on requests that are U.S. priorities.

In addition to the tax revenue issue, Biden and his advisers believe Israel isn’t doing enough to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
They’re also frustrated by Netanyahu’s unwillingness to seriously discuss plans for the day after the war and his rejection of the U.S. plan for a reformed Palestinian Authority to have a role in post-Hamas Gaza.

U.S. officials are now growing increasingly concerned that Israel won’t meet its timetable to transition to low-intensity operations in Gaza by the end of January, based on where things stand in Gaza, particularly in the southern city of Khan Younis.

If Israel doesn’t significantly scale down its operations in Gaza — which U.S. officials have been pressing for in hopes of reducing Palestinian casualties — it will likely become increasingly difficult for Biden to maintain the same level of support for Israel’s military campaign.

The big picture: Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s visit to Israel last week only exacerbated the frustrations within the White House and the State Department, the U.S. officials who spoke to Axios said.

Netanyahu did agree to allow a UN mission to enter northern Gaza to assess the needs for the future return of Palestinian civilians to the area, but that was about all he was willing to give Blinken.
Blinken was very blunt with Netanyahu and his War Cabinet, stressing that the Israeli government’s plan for the day after the war is “pie in the sky,” a U.S. official said.

Blinken, who pointedly visited Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar before heading to Israel, also told Israeli leaders that “no Arab country is going to bail them out” on the rebuilding and governance of Gaza if Israel doesn’t allow the PA to have a role and doesn’t allow for a political horizon for the Palestinians, the official said.

Going Forward / Long Term:

The Biden administration is trying to change Netanyahu’s calculus by reviving efforts to reach a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that would include a historic peace deal with Israel.

Blinken told Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia still wants normalization after the war ends, but only if Israel commits to the principle of a two-state solution, U.S. and Israeli officials previously told Axios.

During last week’s visit, Blinken held a separate meeting with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who domestic polls show would likely handily win an Israeli election if it were held today.

Blinken also met with opposition leader Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu’s key rival inside the prime minister’s Likud party.

Not exactly sure who linked to the Axios article earlier.  Maybe Baud?

🌼

Nearly a month ago, it was reported by the UN that more than half a million people in the Gaza strip are starving.  And the ones who aren’t starving are surely not getting enough to eat.  Not getting enough medical care.  Homes are being destroyed.  Is there even clean water?  Medicine?  Surely not enough.

Is Israel trying to bomb Palestinians out of existence under the guise of going after Hamas?  We already know that Russia is trying to do that with Ukraine.

Just as with Covid, there are some who view people as expendable.  Martyrs to a cause that is not their own.  We have always know who Putin was; no surprises there.  Men like Bibi and Trump, who thumb their nose at the courts and say fuck you to the United Nations and NATO and other institutions – and thumb their noses to long-time allies – also have to be stopped.  Along with the Republicans in the House – basically all of them – who have abdicated their responsibilities to the country, to the American people.  Their only loyalty is to their own power.

I know we have to vote them out, but what about the people who are dying every day in Gaza and Ukraine?  They cannot wait 10 months for elections.

Propaganda abounds.  People who are trying to help Palestinians are being accused of being anti-semitic.

Hopefully – surely – this must be the last gasp of those trying to hang on to power at all costs.  But what can we do in the meantime?   People are dying.  There has to be something we can do, right?  Right?

Running out of patience.  Indeed.

 

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This Is Trump’s Idea of Winning

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Posted without comment.  Okay, posted without much comment.

We already know that Trump has terrible judgment, but how can his attorneys think that all the crap he is pulling in court is a good idea?  Seriously, isn’t learning to control your client Lawyering 101?

This Is Trump's Idea of Winning

This Is Trump's Idea of Winning 1

Okay, one more thing.  I was in the WordPress Media Library and I saw this image out of the corner of my eye, it looked like someone was mooning me.  Is it just me, or do you guys see that, too, when the image is out of context?

And Done

Totally open thread.

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Something Weird in Florida (Open Thread)

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This is sort of a follow-up to my post yesterday about a Democrat in Central Florida flipping a statehouse seat. Scott Maxwell is an Orlando Sentinel columnist — a centrist who plays it exactly down the middle, or at least did until Florida Republicans went full crypto-fascist.

Here are excerpts from Maxwell’s column on the special election:

Something weird is happening in Florida. Democrats are winning. For the first time in years.

When Navy veteran Tom Keen surprised the political establishment Tuesday, flipping a legislative district from red to blue, it was huge.

How huge? Well, the last time voters cast ballots in this district, Republicans won by 11 points. On Tuesday, they lost by 3. That’s a big swing — especially in a race where Republicans massively outspent their opponents.

More significantly, from a big-picture standpoint, this Democratic flip in Central Florida comes on the heels of other big, surprising Democratic swings…

As one who has covered politics in this state for more than a quarter of a century, I can tell you this is not normal. For years, Florida Democrats have racked up one loss after another. Sometimes by wee margins. Often by landslides. But almost always consistent losses.

Yet now — after a few years of a GOP supermajority in Tallahassee fuming about Disney, drag queens and rainbow flags while insurance rates skyrocketed and SAT scores dropped — voters seem ready for a course correction…

Again, I still think it’s way too early to predict a blue wave in Florida in 2024. It’s hard to overstate the money-advantage Republicans will have. Democrats haven’t unseated a Republican from statewide office in more than three decades. If Trump is on the ballot in November, he’ll energize the Republican base in a way few other candidates can. And it’s worth re-emphasizing that Democrats still aren’t turning out at the polls the way Republicans do. A slightly higher percentage of Republicans still cast ballots Tuesday.

But for now, we’re seeing a trend that says moderate voters have had enough of the culture chaos and are looking to balance the scales a bit — which is something Florida hasn’t seen in a long, long time.

I share Maxwell’s wait-and-see attitude about Florida’s fate, but I think he’s right to notice a growing backlash. As usual, Florida is the lag-wagon. The “red wave” we were told was coming for Democrats nationally in 2022 actually materialized here, which was the whole premise of the DeSantis 2024 candidacy.

Well, we can all see how that’s going. After DeSantis joins Tim Pawlenty, Scott Walker and Jeb Bush in the dustbin of media-created Republican presidential candidates who flopped spectacularly, voters will take a look at the actual GOP juggernaut — the defendant who’s currently acting out in court like a juvenile delinquent while jurors consider damage awards for his sexual assault victim’s successful defamation suit.

Maybe its naive of me, but outside the cult, I don’t think Trump is making a great case for his candidacy in court, and I suspect that will become clear once the pretenders are shooed offstage. As in Florida, we’ll see.

Open thread.

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Dimon Dogs (Open Thread)

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U.S.-based oligarch Jamie Dimon is glib and clueless in the way all plutocrats are, coasting along the upper strata with maximum arrogance and entitlement. But perhaps in a nod to egalitarianism, he’s glib and clueless in the common way too: (CNBC)

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday praised former President Donald Trump’s record and admonished Democrats to be “more respectful” of Trump’s supporters, or else risk hurting President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.

“I wish the Democrats would think a little more carefully when they talk about MAGA,” Dimon said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” referencing Trump’s supporters by the acronym of his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

Dimon argued that using the phrase “MAGA” incorrectly links Trump’s supporters to the former president’s personality and character.

Democrats “are basically scapegoating them, [saying] that you are like him,” Dimon said. “I don’t think they’re voting for Trump because of his family values,” he said.

That’s exactly why they’re voting for him, Jamie Dimon — because they aspire to be like him. The MAGA cult worships Trump’s transgressive style because they simultaneously lack character and are poor judges of it. That’s why the “fuck your feelings” ethos from the world’s whiniest snowflake delights even prim church ladies of a certain hue. The widespread adoption of that ethos is why public officials can no longer conduct the people’s business without death threats and swatting hoaxes.

We can be sure it’s Trump’s style that appeals rather than substance because MAGA dopes sure as hell aren’t lining up for more of Trump’s sole policy accomplishment, which was a tax cut that was actually unpopular because it benefited people like Dimon and his corporation. I didn’t even know it was possible for a tax cut to be unpopular in this country until that happened.

Upon reflection, there’s nothing egalitarian about Dimon’s scolding. As a true elitist who would be a target of a genuine populist rather than a fake one like Trump, Dimon misunderstands the people he’s infantilizing. His disapproval is a signal that the president is exactly right to call out the MAGA extremists. They are a threat to democracy and must be confronted, though folks like Dimon don’t perceive the threat since they figure they’ll be fine no matter what.

It’s an open question as to whether there are enough non-MAGA small-c conservatives left to form a bulwark with Democrats against the authoritarian tide that swept most Republicans away. Biden is betting that there are.

I don’t know if it’s the “smart” bet, but it’s the only bet. Dimon, who’s dogging Biden for telling the truth, doesn’t understand that because he’s a clueless elitist who thinks he’s immune. It’s another reason to thank merciful dog “smart” people like Dimon aren’t in charge. We’d already be lost if they were.

Open thread.

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NYT Pitchbot Interviewed on Aaron Rupar’s Public Notice Substack

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A few excerpts from the DougJ interview.  You might have to sign up for the substack to read the whole thing.

We knew him when…

h/t Babette, a longtime lurker

“Here’s why that’s bad news for Biden”: A chat with NYT Pitchbot

The legend himself speaks to Public Notice.

by Aaron Rupar / Thor

Tweeting is just a hobby for the man behind Pitchbot, a 50-something math professor living in Rochester, New York. (We agreed to not disclose his identity.  But he has a big following because his tweets, as absurdist as they can be, speak to the real shortcomings of news media in the age of Trumpism.

“My tweets critique how the media frames things,” he told us. “They help get to the bottom of all the both sidesing and ridiculous framing that goes on at places like the New York Times.”

Public Notice contributor Thor Benson connected with “Doug” for a chat about the inspiration for the New York Times Pitchbot and its evolution over time. A transcript of their conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows.

Thor Benson

Tell me about how the New York Times Pitchbot got started.

New York Times Pitchbot

I had been blogging on this site called Balloon Juice for a while, and when I had kids, blogging or writing anything long form became kind of impossible. So I got interested in Twitter, and I really liked these accounts called the Federalist Pitchbot and Reason Pitchbot. I thought they were really funny.

I decided I’d like to do something like that, so I did New York Times Pitchbot. I did it for a couple weeks — kind of intermittently — and then a conservative journalist friend of mine told me, “This is a great bit. You should really stick with it.” A few weeks later, another journalist who’s a friend of mine told me that he really liked the bit, too, so that’s how I got into it.

Thor Benson

When did it start taking off?

New York Times Pitchbot

It changed a lot. I started off trying to sound like the New York Times with the stilted headline style and old time, inside baseball jokes. Then I did one making fun of Jared and Ivanka — “Sources close to Jared and Ivanka say that privately the couple opposes the pandemic.”

NYT Pitchbot Interview

That one got retweeted all over the place, and suddenly I had a non-trivial number of followers.

I was like, “Hey, this really seems to work,” so I gradually got more and more into it, and it kept growing and growing. But I think like everybody else it kind of stopped growing when Elon took over and the traffic went down.

Thor Benson

Is it fair to say your jokes became more political over time?

New York Times Pitchbot

Initially, I thought it would be fun to make fun of all of the sheet pan articles and other ridiculous things the Times does, like when they visit a neighborhood and write about how hip it is. But I noticed people like the political tweets the best.

My tweets critique how the media frames things. They help get to the bottom of all the both sidesing and ridiculous framing that goes on at places like the New York Times. I originally didn’t really mean for it to be that but to be just a little fun and jokey, but then gradually the ironic critique thing seemed to be what people really liked.

At first I thought it’d be fun to just make up completely new, crazy headlines, but I realized people like a template. They do eventually get old to people, but it takes a long time. In a lot of ways, with these templates, people like the joke the tenth time in more than they liked it the first time.

The template ones do sound more like the New York Times, because they clearly use a template for their headlines.

Eventually I drifted into making fun of The Atlantic and these Substack and New York Magazine people who take themselves very seriously. Certain parts of what I do now are New York Times-specific, but a lot of it is more making fun of that whole adjacent group of self-important jackasses.

Thor Benson

Yeah, I’ve noticed you like to target people like Glenn Greenwald.

New York Times Pitchbot

The Glenn stuff — I just can’t help myself. People like it too. His feed is so ridiculous. With the New York Times, sometimes I’d go on the opinion page looking for something to make fun of, and I’d go through it and say, “Meh.” Unless it was a Pamela Paul day or a Bret Stephens day, I’d be like, “There’s really nothing here that gets my creative juices going.” Maybe it’s a little milquetoasty, but it’s not that bad.
,,,
Making fun of Glenn just became its own kind of fun thing. The “who I do not support” really took off, which I didn’t make up myself. It was created by a guy who runs an account called “Glem Greenwald.”

Thor Benson

Have you ever had someone from the New York Times tell you they like your work?

New York Times Pitchbot

Yeah, a couple times, actually, but not often. What I’ve noticed is a lot of people from the Washington Post and other journalists follow me, but only like one or two people from the New York Times. I kind of wonder if they’re not supposed to.

I used a lede from a sports article to do a “bad news for Joe Biden” one, and the writer said he was honored that I used it, so I’ve had a couple interactions with New York Times people. Not very many, though.

Thor Benson

People love to tag you when they see something they think you’ll like. Do you get overwhelmed by that?

New York Times Pitchbot

I miss most of them, probably. At first, I would see them all. I still like to go into my mentions, because that’s where I find a lot of my best stuff. Most of the really crazy things I find and riff on, they’re usually something somebody found for me. They either DM’d me or they tagged me on it. I miss a lot of them. I get a lot of tags.

Thor Benson

Do you intentionally try to remain anonymous?

New York Times Pitchbot

Yeah. I don’t know how strong my rationale is for remaining anonymous anymore. Initially, I did it because I thought if conservatives read it, they might get mad. I have conservative students and colleagues. What I’ve found is that conservative people who are high information enough to be reading this account usually like it for whatever reason.

These days I’m a little more worried about the horseshoe left people. I find they really, really hate the account. Maybe it’s because I make fun of Glenn so much. I teach at a university, and if I have any really big Glenn fans in my classes, I don’t want them to know about it.

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