Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
This is a sampling of photos I took in 2023. Except for #10, they represent Maine in many moods and several seasons. Number 10 was taken when I visited Steve in March.
On The Road – JanieM – 2023Post + Comments (22)
Click here for a larger image.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the head of Trump's legal team.
Keep sending those donations in MAGA, but please stop acting so shocked and outraged when Trump loses case after case.
And for the record, Alina Habba can't fake being smart. The entire world thinks she is an idiot. pic.twitter.com/1TxmwMqZcL
— Peter Henlein (@SwissWatchGuy) January 4, 2024
Alina Habba, newly blind blond (typo), takes time away from her demanding new position as Melania’s rally stand-in to flirt with some no-doubt-influential right-wing podcasters:
Habba asked if Trump hired her because she’s hot: “I don’t think I’d be on TV or sitting here if I didn’t look the way I look. I think I caught attention. I’m very honest about that and I don’t mind. I’m not a feminist … You have to honest, it doesn’t hurt to be good looking.” pic.twitter.com/cCu2ObwwdI
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 4, 2024
TFG’s handlers are understandably nervous about the latest cascade of dropped shoes, per The Hill:
Former President Trump’s attorney Alina Habba on Wednesday said the former president is concerned the U.S. Supreme Court justices may “shy away from being pro-Trump,” and rule against him in regard to the recent decisions in Colorado and Maine that kicked him off the states’ 2024 primary ballots.
Responding to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s recent comments about Trump’s concerns, Habba during an interview on Fox News said, “That’s a concern he’s voiced to me, he’s voiced to everybody publicly, not privately. And I can tell you that his concern is a valid one.”
“You know, Republicans are conservative, they get nervous. They unfortunately … sometimes shy away from being pro-Trump because they feel that even if the law is on our side, they are swayed much like the Democratic side, right?” Habba told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. “So they’re trying so hard to look neutral that sometimes, they make the wrong call.” …
Late Night Open Thread: Sorry, Ms. Habba, You *Can’t* Fake ‘Smart’Post + Comments (69)
Don’t want the day to go by without bearing witness to yet another tribute to Moloch demanded by the idolators of the gun.
This is a fractal tragedy. The shooter, who killed himself, was a high school student who seems to have been bullied since elementary school whose younger sister had recently been targeted as well. That was, two fellow students said,
“The last straw” for Butler.
“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment,” Yesenia Roeder Hall, 17, said. “Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no.”
He shot six people besides himself, including the school principal before killing himself. One of them, a sixth grader, had died.
A sixth grader. Some eleven year old who will never be twelve.
This seventeen year old boy managed to gain access to a shotgun and a hand gun. Without those weapons, whatever arms he could have mustered against his sea of troubles would almost surely have left that sixth grader alive.
Fuck guns. Fuck every enabling asshole who values the almighty firearm over children. Which is to say, fuck just about every GOP official.
I can’t even.
This thread is open. Maybe someone can go far off topic into something happier.
Image: Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Fire, 1566
Long morning of frustrating shit interrupted with a test drive of a baja trike and a taco break in the middle followed by more frustrating shit. Picked up Inn and Out Burgers for dinner (the second time for me- last time was 15 years ago) and I remain unimpressed with the overall taste, but completely impressed with the freshness, price, and cleanliness of the staff. It is unquestionably a better value than BK, McD’s, Wendy’s, etc. The meal here was cheaper than a comparable one in WV at Wendy’s.
My nose has been running for the last three days, and no it is not covid. I know this because I hauled covid tests across country with me because who doesn’t pack those in their medical kit before driving cross country. I got more fucking issues than Readers Digest, I swear.
All the sinus drainage has given me a headache and a sour stomach, so I picked up some candied ginger at Sprouts (along with some asian pears, some flowers and a bottle of wine for Joelle, and some kefir. Gonna settle in for some Breaking Bad in a bit.
Sup with you all?
I’m still fried – spent the holiday weekend battling a sinus infection and won – so going to keep this on the shorter side (if that’s possible) so I can rack out.
Russian occupied Crimea:
Sent a "greeting" to the occupiers in Crimea💥
🫡 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/eK8FTahwXI— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) January 4, 2024
Russian sources claim "the most massive missile attack on Sevastopol" that involved a combination of missiles and attack drones, "lasting nearly two hours." pic.twitter.com/HpPfufvxcA
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) January 4, 2024
Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, commended his pilots for their “impeccable combat work” attacking Russian military targets in occupied Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Yevpatoria this afternoon. https://t.co/La8jfz2SUX pic.twitter.com/3PKWqu0iXT
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 4, 2024
More on this after President Zelenskyy’s address. The video of that is below, English transcript after the jump.
War for Ukraine Day 680: Strike Sevastapol!Post + Comments (26)
Despite one of every five Oklahoma children living through food insecurity, the state won’t participate in a new federal summer food program for children, reports @denwalthttps://t.co/qzDu7fUOad
— Ben Felder (@benfelder_okc) January 3, 2024
Guess the GOP has its latest campaign slogan: Those kids wanna eat, let ’em find a job!
Despite one of every five Oklahoma children living through food insecurity, the state won’t participate in a new federal summer food program for children.
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office cited uncertainty about how the federal government will administer the program.
The Summer EBT program would have doled out $40 per month this summer for children who get free or reduced price meals during the school year. Families would be able to purchase groceries using an electronic benefits transfer, or EBT card. It’s similar to the pandemic-era children’s food program that recently expired, which gave eligible families $120 per child to buy food during summer months.
Chris Bernard, president and CEO of the nonprofit Hunger Free Oklahoma, said the governor’s decision was extremely disappointing.
“We are always in the bottom 10 in the country in terms of food security,” Bernard said. “Families and kids are struggling for sure, and the (summer food) program was something we’ve supported for a long time.”
Estimates vary, but Oklahoma has about half a million children who could qualify for the Summer EBT program. USDA estimates there could be 403,000 children who are eligible, while the number of children eligible for a similar program launched during the pandemic was about 640,000…
Maybe some of y’all are visual learners! 🤞Here’s a visual of why it’s a bad call for the gov to not opt in to a summer food program (paid for by OUR federal taxes) 👀 ⬇️
*For y’all who hate maps/graphs: Oklahoma has the 2nd highest food insufficiency (think hunger) rate! pic.twitter.com/O2ZCYh2Bze
— Rep. Jacob Rosecrants (@jacobrosecrants) January 4, 2024
Thursday Evening Open Thread: Oklahoma, Not OkayPost + Comments (119)
Question 1 for the DC Circuit to ask Trump’s lawyers on Jan 9:
“Under your theory, counsel, what would stop Joe Biden as the incumbent president from ordering your client taken out and shot today if he says doing so would protect the national security?”https://t.co/VYwFXw0Hmn
— Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ (@tribelaw) January 4, 2024
It doesn’t get any more clear than that.
Or this.
(Yes, I see that Tamara has linked to this, but I am leaving it in because not everyone reads every thread.) Besides, it’s worth watching twice!
I wish I had more faith in the Supreme Court – I have no faith that they will do the right thing because it’s the right thing. But maybe they will hold themselves in check because they know they are on rocky ground because the public has an issue with the corruption justices on the court, even if the justices themselves do not.
I generally have faith in the American people, but damn, 25% of them apparently believe that the FBI instigated the Jan 6 insurrection. Dog help us. I can only hope that the 25% who are stupid enough and/or foolish enough to believe that will not be voting in November.
What we on planet reality have to deal with➡️ A quarter of Americans believe FBI instigated Jan. 6, Post-UMD poll finds https://t.co/lYOaFQa1Jv
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻 (@AWeissmann_) January 4, 2024
On a more positive note, I love that Simon Rosenberg calls these the Hopium Chronicles.
Biden’s 2024 Chances Are Much Stronger Than People Realize
A Positive, Upbeat End to 2023 – Dow in record territory. Inflation running below the Fed target rate. Interest rates coming down next year. GDP growth 4.9% last quarter, looking close to 3% for this one. Best job market since the 1960s. The lowest uninsured rate in history. Crime has fallen across the US this year, rents are coming down too. Consumer sentiment is spiking.
Wage growth, prime age worker participation rate and new business formation are all in historically elevated territory. Best recovery in the G7. US setting records for domestic oil and renewable production. $130b in student debt forgiven.
The good news just keeps coming.
Here are the 16 recent polls showing Biden ahead or tied (via 538):
It can no longer be said Trump leads in the 2024 election, and in the polling which helped create the “Trump is ahead” take, Biden now leads.
2023 has been a blue wave electoral year for Democrats, a very good year. Now the economy, consumer sentiment and polling are all ending the year on an upbeat, optimistic note. Congratulations everyone. While we have a long way to go in the 2024 election, we are ending 2023 strong, with momentum, in my view in a far better place than Republicans, who are, in just about every imaginable way, an historic shitshow – full stop.
Open thread!
The Choice Doesn’t Get Any Clearer Than ThisPost + Comments (120)