It’s been unseasonably warm here in Tempe, with it hitting 84 here. Joelle and I are both cheap and not rich to begin with, so we are not turning on the AC- I am simply morally opposed to running AC in fucking February and I don’t care where I am. One of the first things I did here since she has no ceiling fans is pick up a bunch of fans, so we are now co-existing in a wind tunnel for the time being. Supposed to get back down in the 70’s next week, and the community pool will be back open (it is closed for a few days for annual cleaning).
In other news, I just got out of a national DSA new member orientation, and later this week I will attend the local meeting. I forget if I mentioned that before. I find some of it a little hokey, with the comrade stuff and what not, but they seemed like good people. OVERWHELMINGLY white, which was jarring, but I think I will enjoy seeing how they organize and getting involved in some direct action. My local chapter, however, looks like the United Colors of Benneton, so that is nice. On Friday they are going to Gallego’s office, and I might attend if I get my work done. Gallego has not really been covering himself in glory, so a little heat could be good.
I’ve kind of given up on Democrats in WV- I mean I will still vote for them and still do all the stuff I have done, but I think as an electoral force West Virginia is gone to the Republicans for the rest of my life. While I am out here I can participate in the things I find useful and lend a hand, and back home I will hit the Pittsburgh chapter. I figure if nothing else, my local chapter could use someone older looking and coded visually as a Republican, and maybe help to protect them at protests and temper the wilder impulses of youth when we visit Senators and the like. Whatever. I need to channel my energy into something and I haven’t seen any calls for action from any Democrats, so I will go where the action is.
For a multitude of reasons, I have not been sleeping well, so I am going to call it a night shortly. Joelle is in watching Severance, which everyone says is phenomenal, but I just have not been interested yet. I will, true to form, watch it in 5 years when the series is done and no one gives a shit.
Oh, one other thing- Maxwell is really warming up to Joelle. I walk into the room all the time and he is lying on her on sitting over her shoulder. I like that she is becoming part owner and not just the backup person.
Be good.
War for Ukraine Day 1,098: The Russian Drone Swarms Keep Coming
Mai Naem mobil
I know WV has turned super red but I do wonder if the effects if Medicaid cuts and federal job cuts might affect voting. If nothing else at least enthusiasm for voting for the GOP.
Jackie
84 degrees is AC weather. But you can pretend you’re doing hot yoga… Thankfully you took care of Steve’s winter coat :)
dmsilev
It’s really good, but not exactly an uplifting and happy show, so gauge your mood accordingly before deciding whether to watch.
Bupalos
I think Gallego is kind of covering himself in glory. Or at least in effective democratic representation. That would be a red seat if he didn’t marginally embrace the ick of your basic contractor types and tone down the social justice rhetoric. We can live with Gallego. We can thrive with guys like that.
suzanne
Cole! Get an evaporative cooler! Works as long as the dew point is below 50!!!
Bupalos
@Mai Naem mobil: Medicaid and job cuts will make people worse and more desperate. Which means more likely to latch onto post-truth right wing populism.
If the way politics worked was when a party actually made people’s lives worse they went for the other party then we wouldn’t have a problem.
Jackie
@Mai Naem mobil: Does WV have a large VA population? I saw that VA hospitals are cancelling surgeries due to Muskrat imposed layoffs. GRRRR
PsiFighter37
Hopefully the DSA types out in Arizona are better than the worthless performative artists that they are in NYC.
dmsilev
Annals of ‘the dog ate what?’:
frosty
@Jackie: For me, 90 and humid is AC weather. 84 in AZ? No problem. However, 60 in Florida in February? Crank up the heat.
Bill Arnold
@dmsilev:
Are sock disappearances strongly correlated with the presence of one or more dogs in a house?
Professor Bigfoot
Cooper’s’ better, but still not 100%.
He THINKS he is, so he’ll try to jump onto the couch and not… quite… make it, but he’s been able to land on his feet so (crossed fingers).
Sweetie is doing better with her ACL- and that weird, sweet doggo will take pills straight from the hand. We started wrapping them in cheese, but one day Mrs. B thought, “I wonder if…” and damn my eyes if the dog didn’t take the pill. Without cheese. Anyway, she’s still limping, but not as much- I’m not sure if it’s that she’s getting better or it’s just my hopeful imagination; but we continue. We’re ready to do the ACL surgery, but as long as she’s getting along ok, we’ll stick with the meds.
Does one take ones cat to the vet to get a lion cut? Or to a standard groomer? My cats would need heavy drugs, I’d think.
YY_Sima Qian
Considering the kind of kooks that are allowed to remain in good standing in American academia, this a is a curious line to draw:
dmsilev
@Bill Arnold: Well, something had to pick up the slack now that modern washers and dryers are less likely to eat them.
WaterGirl
PSA: Zoom #2 with Elle Reeves is on Saturday at 3:30 Eastern time.
Be there or be square. If you went to the last one, it’s the same zoom link, so you can just RSVP in the comments – unless you didn’t keep the link.
If anyone is coming (hopefully) who wasn’t able to make the last one, please RSVP by email so I can reply with the zoom link. my nym at balloon-juice.com
bbleh
I concur — sadly — re Dems in WV. If there is any population more thoroughly vulnerable to the Republicans’ culture-war BS than Appalachia, I’m not sure where. (And yes I include the Deep South, because those states have substantial Black populations, while WV is whiter than anywhere except a few New England states.) I suppose the only solace is, WV lost an Electoral Vote last time around.
But if/when you’re in WV, may I suggest work in PA? Swing state, very important! (And more fertile than OH imo.) And of course AZ is likewise important, and you’ve got NV nearby (relatively speaking). And there’s always remote stuff: phone banking, post cards, fundraising, etc.
Local organizations — joining existing ones and building new ones — are where it’s at right now, and state-level parties can be both viable and useful. There’s lots to do! Besides running a by now surely-within-the-top-10,000 political blog I mean.
Baud
Reminds me of this.
Professor Bigfoot
Open thread, so get a load of man in the Roger B. Taney Memorial Supreme Court seat.
prostratedragon
Sounds good:
LAC
@Professor Bigfoot: awwww… well I had to bring our Deuce in for nail clippings on a regular basis. I tried to do it myself and it just never took.
Jay
@Bill Arnold:
Dryers.
Bill Arnold
@YY_Sima Qian:
From the piece,
If they took out three of those terms, there wouldn’t be a serious case against the listing. I mean, opponents would try anyway, but there is a CUNY Center for Jewish Studies, so they’d probably fail.
Kristine
I just wanted to say that I love Albatrossity’s “Annoyed Fluffbomb” photo. It reminds me of Michael L Smith’s “Mad Bluebird.”
New Deal democrat
Tell Joelle that while Ted’s Hot Dogs in Tempe is great (second time around I made sure to order my foot long blackened, which is the only right way), they really need to find a good supplier of salsa so they can do their own proper version of a Sonoran dog.
prostratedragon
@Baud: Was thinking “Colonel Bogey” would fit, when…
MCat
John, do you think we could have some pictures of Maxwell? He is a truly lovely kitty.
dww44
I guess I’m just ignorant but what is DSA?
CJ John Roberts just stayed The DC Appeals court order to the Trump admin to start disbursing UsAid monies.
I’ve been genuinely interested in why none of the 4 living former Presidents are not speaking up. If we are facing the destruction of our democracy (which we are) why aren’t 3 of the 4 joining forces (George is welcome, too) to lead the resistance. Now is not the time for the former Presidents to adhere to the norms of a former era. We need them to join the battle.
Cheryl from Maryland
I’m continually sad re West VA as Laura Jackson Arnold, Stonewall Jackson’s sister, was a prime mover in educating blacks and motivating the counties that form WVA to break apart from VA during the Civil War. And now WVA has turned Confederate. But I applaud your decision to focus on Arizona and Western PA – those are easier to turn blue. As I am living in Blue Maryland, I am focusing this year on my birth state Virginia. Good news re VA’s governor’s race, the mostly MAGA candidate for Governor now has a primary candidate on her right. Let the MAGA eating games begin!
Darkrose
@YY_Sima Qian: Wow. That’s absolutely chilling, for a governor to micromanage a public university’s job listings. Can’t wait for someone to decide that teaching African American Studies is “divisive”.
BethanyAnne
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=dsa
eclare
@Jackie:
Agreed. I am cold a lot in the winter, I keep my house around 60, so I can really enjoy A/C when I need to.
Plus it’s much more expensive to heat my house than cool it.
NotMax
Modern AC units don’t suck up electricity nearly as much as the older ones did (and cycle on/off more intelligently), especially providing you’re not trying to cool an entire house with a unit designed for a room. Shut the doors to adjacent spaces.
As days above 90 here, once upon a time maybe once or at most twice in a given year are now basically August, wish there were AC in the abode, if only to take the edge off and bring things down to the low 80s. The old school electrical wiring in this cottage (a rental) couldn’t handle it, though.
Mandatory “but it’s a dry heat.”
:)
Eolirin
@YY_Sima Qian: Unfortunately it’s not, it’s just deeply deeply sad. NYS has large Orthodox jewish population, and they were a large part of why we underperformed in 2022. Hochul is likely bowing into pressure there to try to reduce some of their voting intensity.
As a Jew this makes me a little sick, but I get why it’s happening.
NutmegAgain
Speaking of ceiling fans, I discovered a nifty fan/gadget. If you have recessed lighting, you can now swap out the bulb for a fan/light combo. Operated by a remote control, it’s not huge, but they are cheap and functional. Here’s a link to one at the evil empire. It’s $19.
YY_Sima Qian
@Bill Arnold: Yeah, “settler colonialism”, “apartheid”, “genocide” will provoke intense reactions. OTOH, isn’t academic freedom one of the things the US used to take pride in? & these are not completely unsupportable description to aspects of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, even if Anti-Semites will latch onto that to target Jews.
& considering the many kooks that remain in good academic standing…
Eolirin
@YY_Sima Qian: See #33. This is very much political.
YY_Sima Qian
@Bill Arnold: In the age of Trump, I don’t think we can take for granted that limiting academic freedom will fail because of resistance from the academic institutions. Especially privately endowed ones pliable to their donors. Most institutions rely upon federal grants, too.
MAGA is targeting the most vulnerable 1st: Trans people, disabled people, Palestinian Americans, etc. Chinese Americans are going to be the next in line. Trump will be happy the sign the “most beautiful deal” w/ Xi on Monday & fan Sinophobia (along w/ all the other -phobias) on Tuesday.
YY_Sima Qian
@Eolirin: Having lived in the NYC for a few years in the 90s, & NYS for a decade & half, I understand the political dynamic you are talking about.
Honestly, I was wording my original post carefully, I did not want to start w/ throwing bombs & immediately make productive conversation impossible.
Jackie
Not good news for seniors.
This. Is. Not. Good.
YY_Sima Qian
@Jackie: Frightening. I am thankful that my parents are now living back in China, & have enough savings so as not be completely dependent on the SS checks.
Eolirin
@YY_Sima Qian: Ah. I am definitely much more in a position to make the subtext text. And it’s almost certainly what’s going on.
NickM
@Bupalos: That’s generally been true (it wasn’t in 2008) but this time it might be different. Life is going to become measurably worse for virtually everyone. It will be undeniable except to the dead Enders. Or so I hope.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@Professor Bigfoot: I think a vet, and the shaving is done under anesthesia. We did it a few times for our long-haired cat, and I thought she would be really pissed at us, but she loved the cut. She was cool, the burrs didn’t stick to her coat, and the fur grows out in time for winter.
Liminal Owl
@WaterGirl: I plan to be there again, and will try not to be annoying.
Barry
@Mai Naem mobil: “I know WV has turned super red but I do wonder if the effects if Medicaid cuts and federal job cuts might affect voting. If nothing else at least enthusiasm for voting for the GOP”
I fear that they will just blame (((Them))).
WaterGirl
@Liminal Owl: haha
Chris Johnson
@dww44: DSA is Democratic Socialists of America. Back in 2016 I joined them but then ran away when other prominent supporters turned out to be Russian trolls (I started seeing those everywhere, but turned out to be right about Tim Pool, and the likes of Caleb Maupin were always obvious assets)
I’m really interested in watching this. Seeing John post that he attended a DSA meeting on Zoom startled the hell out of me, but I trust John to flip the table if they try to sneak in Putin worship. I ran away from those folks for that exact reason, I thought they were too close to the Kremlin.
Maybe it ends up becoming a sort of reverse takeover? Like the Russians took over the batshit wingnuts and the NRA and so on, Americans might take over the DSA?
dww44
@Chris Johnson: Thank you for the very helpful response,
John Cole
@Chris Johnson: I didn’t see anything even remotely putinesque.
Chris Johnson
@John Cole: GOOD. I’ve been heartsick that trying to align with progressive leftwing politics is a trap. I would love to think DSA is legit.
The more real, sensible people get on that bus, the less shenanigans can be taken with it. I’m sure there’s gonna be a risk of primarying Dems and such, but it feels like Dems have to be able to contend with worse, and if they can’t then maybe the DSA people can. Some of the progressives have ended up being real assets once elected and learning the ropes.
I think they’re less trusting of Republicans and that’s important.