Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

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

This chaos was totally avoidable.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

This blog will pay for itself.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Morning Open Thread

Saturday Morning Open Thread

by | 231 Comments

This post is in: 

?? BREAKING: President Joe and Jill Biden will attend the funeral of Pope Francis this Saturday in Vatican City. Biden, a devout Catholic, shared a deep bond with the Pope and had planned to award him the Medal of Freedom—until wildfires canceled the trip. Now, he returns to pay tribute.

[image or embed]

— Chris D. Jackson (@chrisdjackson.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 1:20 PM

BREAKING: Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for fraud and identity theft.

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) April 25, 2025 at 12:14 PM

Our Failed Major Media Metaphor:

Reader Interactions

231Comments

  2. 2.

    prostratedragon

    Here comes the sun, dammit.

     

    (Not a fan of these early summer sunrises and soon to be 14-hour days.)

  10. 10.

    2liberal

    that title jolted me. The internet says it is Saturday. AL says it is Friday. Which one do I trust more?

  12. 12.

    Professor Bigfoot

    Good mornin’ Jackaltariat!!

    And especially to you, Anne Laurie, it’s so damn good to see your posts… even if MY calendar says April 26 is Caturday. 😉

  18. 18.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Baud:

    IF ANNE LAURIE SAYS IT’S FRIDAY IT’S FRIDAY!

    @Nukular Biskits:

    If AL says it’s Friday, then by dammit, who am I to argue?  For me, that just means I have  three-day weekend.

    ;>)

    Great minds think alike.

    Now, let me curl up in the fetal position in the corner as that means I think like Baud. LOL.

  19. 19.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud: ​
     

    IF ANNE LAURIE SAYS IT’S FRIDAY IT’S FRIDAY!

    I dunno, a month in the hospital might cause even AL to lose track of what day it is.

    Anyway, good morning, fellow jackals. Gonna take a shower then go down to the local farmers’ market. If they’re there, it’s Saturday.

  20. 20.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Mr DAW and I are going out for bagels and coffee and then grocery shopping before anyone else is awake. Then this afternoon, we’re going to a Parkinson’s symposium at the place where he did a recent round of physical therapy.

  23. 23.

    Betty Cracker

    What do y’all think of Pete Buttigieg’s beard? I think it looks good on him.

    I saw another Pete Explains Stuff clip on bsky where he was talking with three dudes in what looked like a podcast setting. I don’t know who they were, and it wasn’t explained in any adjacent clips, but my guess is they are bro “influencers” of some stripe.

    Anyhoo, Pete was explaining why the DOGE “fraud” discoveries at Social Security are bullshit, and the bros were like, ooooh, now I get it. Maybe that’s what it will take, a smart guy patiently explaining stuff to gullible people.

    I find such work exhausting and am not great at it, tbh. But Pete is, so I wish him godspeed in that endeavor.

  25. 25.

    Nukular Biskits

    Headed north today to Meridian to take my sister a lawn tractor. Haven’t been “home” since … last July?

    Gonna try to do some cleanup, etc, around the old place (sis inherited Momma’s one little acre and Momma collected a lot of stuff).

    I both look forward to it and I don’t.  I haven’t been home and want to see my sis but going to Meridian is like going backwards in time +50 years.  Attitudes and beliefs haven’t changed much at all and it’s big-time MAGAland.

    Plus, the round trip is about 5 hours and, as I’ve gotten older, I really am over driving any length of time more than thirty minutes.

  27. 27.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: IF ANNE LAURIE SAYS IT’S FRIDAY IT’S FRIDAY

    Oh, good, I have an extra hour to sleep before work then…

  28. 28.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Betty Cracker:

    Maybe that’s what it will take, a smart guy patiently explaining stuff to gullible people.

    I’m terribly cynical.  I think it’s more this:

    Maybe that’s what it will take, a smart white guy patiently explaining stuff to gullible people.

    Because, it stands to reason that women and POC aren’t as brilliant. DUH /sarcasm

  29. 29.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Nukular Biskits: Maybe that’s what it will take, a smart white guy patiently explaining stuff to gullible people.

    Certainly a factor, another being “how many gullible people want to examine their priors.”

    Aggressive gullibility is a choice, mainly borne of laziness.

  30. 30.

    MagdaInBlack

    @NotMax: After this week from hell, my goals today are get up, drink coffee. So far I am a success =-)

    Eta: The gray here is a bit more blue-ish……that seems more of a wildfire smoke gray?

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    @Betty Cracker: The ability to explain things clearly and positively, without coming off like a professor giving a lecture, is a really underrated skill in politics. Pete has it in spades and I am sure it is part of why he has been so successful so far. He does the thing of making Democratic policy be the deeply normal thing.

    And yes, the beard is good for him.

  35. 35.

    Nukular Biskits

    Firing up “Heavy Metal” (my F150)  in 5.

    • Travel mug full of hot mocha? ✅
    • Wallet?  ✅
    • Tunes? ✅

    Y’all be sweet and don’t do anything Baud would do.

  36. 36.

    David_C

    Good morning, Anne, and good morning, Betty.

    Routine blood work morning, wishing I could go during the week, but no, RTO is messing with things and Saturday is my option.

    New NIH head is hosting a Town Hall and inviting questions, and I have questions.

  38. 38.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Nukular Biskits: Thank you, I LOVE it when someone else expresses my own first thought.

    Slayer Pete, being gay, isn’t quite a “straight white Christian man,” but he can pay the role well enough that white men might actually listen to him.

    Lemmetellyahwat, tho, I have really come to love that white boy. When he first popped up I called him “Mayo Pete,” just another jumped up unqualified white dude.

    After listening to him for a while I thought, “Okay, Mayor Pete, maybe you got something going on there, carry on…”

    And finally I realized he was SLAYER PETE, ’cause he’s a very bad dude. I still ain’t calling for him to run for President ’cause he needs to run and win a statewide election first… but at the very least, he will make someone an absolutely brilliant SoS.

  39. 39.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Professor Bigfoot: I still ain’t calling for him to run for President ’cause he needs to run and win a statewide election first…

    Checking Constitution…this does not seem to actually be the case.

    If we’re tired of separate standards for their politicians and our own, maybe we’d be better off setting artificial extra standards ourselves.

    Not that Pete Buttiegieg is my ideal for a President. But shit, any one participating in this chat would do the job better than its current holder.

  40. 40.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Nukular Biskits: My little home town is about 2 hours sw of me. Every time I go there (which is rare) I feel myself shrinking as I get closer.  Weird feeling.

    Have a safe and uneventful trip.

  42. 42.

    Suzanne

    @Professor Bigfoot: I went to the DNC Future Forum some years back. I got there a little bit late due to morning obligations, an it took some time to get all the attendees checked in, so the speakers had started by the time I got in the room and I missed the introductions. Pete was running for DNC Chair, so he was there, and I was kind of blown away by him….. but I didn’t know who he was. I left the event being like, “Damn, who was that?!“

  43. 43.

    Betty Cracker

    @Nukular Biskits: I understand exactly what you mean when you say going home is like traveling back in time. That’s how I used to feel about the Nature Coast when I lived in and around Tampa, before I moved back home seven years ago. It’s still a jolt sometimes when I realize I’m living in 1975, only as a crazy old swamp lady now rather than as a kid. Safe travels!

  44. 44.

    narya

    Chores and cleanup and baking–oversize soft pretzels to hold the charcuterie, glazed carrots with ramps, and a chocolate tart with a pretzel crust for dessert–in preparation for tonight’s party (Beer from the Basement). On one hand, I don’t want to see or talk to anyone. On the other, I know that’s bad for me, and I do like these friends a lot, so I force myself to be social. I don’t live with depression in the way that many of you do (witness last night’s threads), but I know that, in general, my mood is better if I get regular exercise, eat healthy, AND force myself to be more social than I think I want to be. It helps if I set myself a cooking or baking task to go with being social: it forces me to be at least a little creative. But damn, these fascists make just living hard.

  47. 47.

    Suzanne

    @narya:

    my mood is better if I get regular exercise, eat healthy, AND force myself to be more social than I think I want to be. It helps if I set myself a cooking or baking task to go with being social: it forces me to be at least a little creative. 

    This.
    For me, I have to schedule it…. I don’t cancel Things On The Calendar.

  49. 49.

    YY_Sima Qian

    As a follow up to WG’s earlier thread on what to stock up on, this is why I said toys:

    How Donald Trump might steal Christmas
    Toymakers are being walloped by tariffs
    Apr 24th 2025

    For Baby Strollers, There’s No Way Around China Tariffs
    China makes a huge share of U.S. strollers, cribs and toys, with few other options for sourcing baby products elsewhere
    By Jon Emont
    April 24, 2025 at 11:00 pm ET

    I recommend reading the gift WSJ article in full, as it clearly illustrates the heavy dependence on the PRC supply chain for everything baby related. Due to the stringent safety standards, it is much more difficult to migrate supply chains than something like clothing & sneakers.

    If you want to dote on your children or grandchildren, or even just Christmas gifts, time to buy might be now.

  50. 50.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope: You’re right, it’s not a Constitutional requirement… but there’s a reason why almost all Presidents come from either the Senate or from a Governor’s mansion. (or from winning a world war)

    Pete’s a bad dude, tho, and maybe he can turn that tide.

  51. 51.

    Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]

    Hello everyone! a sign of life from me!  I had a bad hemorrhagic stroke about 2 years ago 12/8/23.  I’ve been lurking for the past 2 years while I’ve been putting myself back together.  Fortunately I’m mostly  recovered, and can drive again and am still working at UH on Maui.  Fortunately I’m in the 1% of people who recover almost fully from where I had my stroke.  Partially because I got to the hospital immediately during what they call your “golden hour”.

  53. 53.

    AM in NC

    @Betty Cracker:  Digby’s blog had a couple of good explainer posts of who those bros are with multiple clips of Mayor Pete calmly and rationally and sympathetically bringing the bros along to “aha! moments” over and over again.

    It gives me hope that a decent number of these guys can be reached if they aren’t just marinating in rightwing garbage all day and we engage with them on OUR terms (unlike Gov. Good Hair from CA).

  54. 54.

    prostratedragon

    @David_C:  Please let us know how it goes, after you’ve calmed down a bit. Some Columbia trustees had one of these this week, and it did not go well.

  55. 55.

    narya

    @Suzanne: I hear that: for the exercise I pretty much have to do it first thing in the morning, otherwise I will talk myself out of it in 10 seconds flat. It was okay when I had Pilates appointments later in the day–those I didn’t cancel–but my teacher was killed in an accident last year and I haven’t gotten around to finding someone new or decided I can spend that money for individual coaching. (I use the Fitness+ app with my watch, which is pretty good and pretty cheap, but the individualized stuff really helped me.)

  57. 57.

    AM in NC

    @Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]:  Welcome back to commenting! So glad to hear about your recovery (that must have taken a lot of work on your part)!!!  May such good things come your way now and in the future.

  58. 58.

    p.a.

    The BBC uses robo-cameras disguised as dung heaps to film wildlife up close, blending into any terrain…

     

     

    Dung beetles: oh boy oh b… WTF!

  59. 59.

    Princess

    @Professor Bigfoot: I think white men who are so adamantly anti-gay they can’t cope with Pete aren’t ever going to be our voters. Our potential constituency is going to be the non-religious white Trump and Sanders curious guys.

  60. 60.

    NotMax

    Thing I learned this week.

    There’s a bar atop one of the buildings in the former Brooklyn Navy Yard. What makes it unusual is the bulk of the space on the roof is also a vineyard, growing grapes used to make wines they serve.

    No elevator available for customers, accessible only by climbing multiple flights of stairs in an otherwise nondescript warehouse/office structure.

  62. 62.

    Raven

    It’s as good as it gets in Northeast Georgia. There was a big lightning storm last night and it’s cool and sunny at the dog park!

  64. 64.

    Suzanne

    @AM in NC: Agree.

    The podcast format also shows off different “political skills” than the traditional speech or rally or short TV interview. (Weird to refer to “interacting cogently and humanely” as a political skill, but it is.) Those specific skills are, IMO, in higher demand than they were a generation ago, due to the nature of the media environment.

  66. 66.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @MagdaInBlack: I’m pretty sure the main reason he wanted the Presidential gig was because he thought that would mean the best seats in the house everywhere, forever.

  69. 69.

    Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]

    @ Rikrya, NotMax, MagdaInBlack. prostratedragon, sister golden bear,  everyone

    It has been a year and a half.   I started out with a walker, and now can walk on my own 2 feet.

  70. 70.

    p.a.

    @NotMax: No elevator available for customers, accessible only by climbing multiple flights of stairs

     

     

    BIG college mistake: our bar was on the 3rd floor.  Long way down… (Drinking age was 18 at the time)

  72. 72.

    Betty Cracker

    @Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]: So glad you got timely treatment and are recovering well.

     

    @AM in NC: That gives me hope too. I know some young and early middle-aged men who listen to shows like that. They don’t pay much attention to politics and are not bad people, IMO, but they can be gullible and sometimes believe dumb lies. I firmly believe they’d listen to a guy like Pete on a podcast before they’d hear their old libtard aunties’/cousins’/sisters’ critiques of Republicans on family occasions. We’re shrill, you see…

  74. 74.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Suzanne: Those specific skills are, IMO, in higher demand than they were a generation ago, due to the nature of the media environment.

    I think you’re absolutely right.

    I remember— okay, I remember reading about the Kennedy/Nixon debates, and how people who listened to them on the radio thought Nixon won, but those watching on TV overwhelmingly thought Kennedy won.

    TV brought along the need for a new set of skills; and today’s media environment is doing the same thing.

  76. 76.

    Raven

    @Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]: I had a lacunar stroke 6 years ago and I’ve recovered from that. Unfortunately I now have Multiple Sclerosis! If the thunder don’t get ya the lightning will!

  77. 77.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @The Audacity of Krope: What it’ll really take is them seeing more clicks, which means more money, in turning on Trump and his movement. I’m sure there are some true believers but I suspect a lot of them are pretty mercenary and will flip as soon as they see more money in flipping.

    But what Pete is doing is good. They need easy to absorb counter arguments to use if or when the flip occurs.

  78. 78.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Professor Bigfoot: but there’s a reason why almost all Presidents come from either the Senate or from a Governor’s mansion. (or from winning a world war)

    That may be so, but the seemingly intractable “throw the bums out, whoever the current bums are” attitude sure seems to be cutting against people with what would traditionally be seen as the right credentials.

    Personally, I like my candidates to have a wealth of government experience at all levels. But “speaks candidly about how they can make lives better” sure seems to be the prime in-demand feature of a candidate right now. I plan on being at least a little open-minded about who can provide that.

  79. 79.

    prostratedragon

    Anyone else having bluesky issues? Suddenly I can’t connect to a couple of sites. Was the Biden post a bluesky? It’s disappeared when I refresh the page. Several down detectors report no problem.

  80. 80.

    Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]

    @Raven: I figure I’m good till my 80’s now that I’ve had my health emergency for my 50’s TYVM.   Did you have strong dreams a few months after a lacunar stroke?  I definitely had some after my hemorrhagic stroke.

  81. 81.

    Geminid

    @The Audacity of Krope: I saw a very early poll of Democratic presidential preferences for 2028. It showed Kamala Harris first with 30+ percent. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was second at around 25%, and Pete Buttegieg was third with around 15%.

    Now, I’m not sure if those three Democrats will run in 2028, and for all I know none of them will. The aspect of the poll that struck me was the number of Democrats backing two candidates who have not won statewide office. So at least some Democrats did not hold to the conventional wisdom that a presidential nominee must be or have been a Governor or Senator.

    In this case, the conventional wisdom conforms to practice: we always nominate people who’ve been Senator or Governor. My thinking is that this will be the case again in 2028, and we’ll be picking a Senator or Governor again. I think we’ll have a strong field, too.

    As for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Secretary Buttigieg, I expect one or both will run for President in the next decade–and likely after having first won election as Governor or Senator.

  82. 82.

    AM in NC

    @Betty Cracker: Oh I am shrill AF, and I have no illusions that dudes my sons’ ages (late teens, early 20s) would pay any attention to what I say.

    Not including my sons, of course, because they listen and accept everything Mama tells them (insert laughing so hard I’m crying emoji here).

  85. 85.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:  I was thinking more of the audience than the hosts, but you’re right. Flipping the actual hosts is fraught with concerns about how it will affect their viewership.

    Viewers don’t have that same concern. The only thing stopping them from changing their views is inertia. That’s why I think, honestly, it’s more important for Dems to be creating a space for themselves where they can be an accepted part of that culture, not pariahs of their own volition.

    Simply being heard is what will get the ball rolling on the audience ‘s intertia.

  88. 88.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:But what Pete is doing is good. They need easy to absorb counter arguments to use if or when the flip occurs.

    The Blogfather flipped long ago, but he’s actually an intelligent man who’s honest with himself.

    So there’s hope. May those saps wise up sooner rather than later.

  90. 90.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Geminid: Honestly, I’m engaging with this because it’s the subject I’m front of me, but we put waaaaaayyyyy too much focus on the President alone.

    We have a national election in a year and a half where there will be no candidates for President. We also have a lot of seats in Congress that could use a glow-up.

  91. 91.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope: Trust and believe, any time I get a chance to vote for Slayer Pete, I’m pullin’ that lever.

    At this point, I’m down with any politician who isn’t a Russian stooge or an outright neo-Confederate; which obviously eliminates all Republicans.

  93. 93.

    Geminid

    @Raven: I bet that’s nice. It’s a rainy morning here in central Virginia, but the forecast for tomorrow morning is cool and sunny.

  94. 94.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Bupalos: If you think dudebros are generally more open to gay people than black people I think you don’t get out much

    Need to define “dudebros” cuz there’s a lot of “dude” and “bro” in my social circle, which is mostly gay and mostly black.

    I usually push back when people say this about Democrats, but what you are doing is literal elite sneering.

  95. 95.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Geminid:As for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Secretary Buttigieg, I expect one or both will run for President in the next decade–and likely after having first won election as Governor or Senator.

    That’s how I see it; and I welcome it. I got my concerns with AOC, but we need smart politicians, and I don’t think that young woman is stoopid.

    (might have DONE some stoopid shit like protesting Nancy Smash, but hey, who among us hasn’t done something they’d like to take back, eh? ;) )

  97. 97.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Professor Bigfoot: we need Him now for our shadow president, our shadow SoS, half our shadow cabinet. He’s calm clear articulate, stays neutral and knows what he’s talking about it. And he knows how to spin it. Love him. Mayor, slayer, secretary…

  98. 98.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Professor Bigfoot: might have DONE some stoopid shit like protesting Nancy Smash

    In retrospect, sne needed to be the focus of a lot more internal protest. She’s a successful insurrectionist against the best President of my lifetime and open defender of insider trading.

  99. 99.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    We have a national election in a year and a half where there will be no candidates for President. We also have a lot of seats in Congress that could use a glow-up.

    Cosign, 100%. I really don’t even want to think about 2028; we have to survive 2025 and win in 2026 first.

     

  101. 101.

    no body no name

    @Professor Bigfoot:

    Get off this soap box as you are frequently fatally so wrong about it I’d question if you are a right wing plant.

    Half of those hosts were POC.  A ton of the manosphere isn’t white.  Hell look at Andrew Tate.  Many of them are rabid atheists.

    You cannot see past the lenses you have and while that’s understandable if you care about your goals at the cost of all else and are fine with frequently spewing falsehoods it also makes every single thing you say utterly unreliable.

    I’m not a “straight white Christian male”.  And you have frequently lumped some of where I break those rules into being one of the ones on your side at times.  I am not.  And I’d rather you keep areas you aren’t part out out of your mouth when spewing lies against others.

  102. 102.

    Geminid

     

     

    @The Audacity of Krope: The midterms are on my mind too, as well as New Jersey’s and Virginia’s statewide elections this year. So I would agree we have better things to talk about than the 2028 Presidential race. We’ll have all of 2027 to talk about that anyway.

  103. 103.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope: Yeah, well, I admit I have more HOPE for her than is actually warranted— I honestly don’t think she’s a dummy and there’s always a chance “the horse will learn to sing,” iykwim.

    Slayer Pete, on the other hand, has earned my trust full on.

  104. 104.

    Suzanne

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    But “speaks candidly about how they can make lives better” sure seems to be the prime in-demand feature of a candidate right now. I plan on being at least a little open-minded about who can provide that. 

    There’s very clearly a strong feeling that many people — especially white guys — are experiencing of being in a no-win situation, feeling judged overly harshly, manifesting as ressentiment. If I’m feeling generous, I’d describe it as feeling outdone, at every endeavor. This feeling sucks. No one likes it. It might be how people of color felt for decades….. but that also sucked. And if we’re being honest, we should have bigger hopes for our society than that.

    So someone like Pete, who can make a positive, aspirational case for a good life that feels resonant to a wide array of people….. has a leg up. I know it’s weird to think about “being in a relationship with politicians”, but we kind of are. And everyone knows that sense of being with a partner or a friend or family member who deeply knows you, and how important that is. I think the media environment today deeply favors candidates who can do this well…. If for no other reason than we now see or hear these people cross into our awareness probably 50 times a day.

  107. 107.

    David_C

    @Betty Cracker:

    Thank you! I see the NP a couple times a year to monitor my BP meds, and they work up the usual screens. I think they added a measles titer check this time. I had measles 60 years ago and still had a titer about 8 years ago, but you can’t be too sure these days. I’ll get a sneak peek at my hemoglobin levels and will get another check at my blood donation appointment at the NIH Clinical Center on Wednesday. I’m projecting that I will hit 10 gallons there this, or early next, year. My one talent is regenerating erythrocytes.

  108. 108.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @David_C:I’m projecting that I will hit 10 gallons there this, or early next, year.

    With ALL sincerity, thank you for your service. 🙏🏾

  109. 109.

    Elizabelle

    @Hkedi [Kang T.Q.]:  Yay you for climbing back.  Great to see you.  Would that we had a Democratic POTUS and saner topics to converse about.

    So we will continue to celebrate your recovery and return.  

  110. 110.

    David_C

    @prostratedragon: I will. Our Director gave a talk this past week (start at 1 hr 49 min) and some of the questions were more pointed than usual.

    videocast.nih.gov/watch=56725

    One concern is that he talked about engaging with the public, but when we (like Tony Fauci) do, we can end up getting threatened. Will he stand up for science and for scientists? He also talked about the grants returning to normal, but the RIFs have hit the contract world (my world) hard. Lastly (who am I kidding?), the whole autism spectrum disorder push is concerning from stigmatizing, privacy, opportunity cost levels. It sounds like grants will go out the door, but the Secretary says they will have answers in September.

    Makary appears to be causing trouble at FDA with Novavax; political interference was something that Dr. Marks warned us about.

  111. 111.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: Cute.

     

    @no body no name: Not cute. Maybe try looking at the black/white thing through a lens of culture rather than literal skin color. Diamond and Silk being black doesn’t prevent them from advocating for white supremacists ends, even if they won’t call it that. This is known.

  113. 113.

    Trivia Man

    Trilium is blooming. A local park is fenced off and is attempting to have only native plants. Very aggressive about removing buckthorn and other invasives, the trillium loves the OF wisconsin forest

  118. 118.

    David_C

    @Professor Bigfoot: Thank you. I overcame some major squeamishness issues. The Clinical Center nurses are really great and highly skilled.

    My first donation at age 18 did not go well. The phlebotomist praised me for hanging in there with that big needle in my arm, and that was it.

  126. 126.

    Trivia Man

    @Gloria DryGarden: I wish we had a more concerted shadow cabinet effort. Every time hegseth or bondi or the other arsonists defend the indefensible or assert some crazy nonsense the shadow alternate should be standing in front of a camera with a rebuttal. Make it easy for the media to include that in the story.

  128. 128.

    Betty Cracker

    @David_C: Good for you!

    I’ve had a needle phobia all my life and passed out twice while attempting to donate blood, once in college while trying to sell plasma, and once at an office blood drive. A nurse at the latter told not to attempt it in the future since I was more of a bother than my blood was worth as a fainter.

    Over the past year, I’m astonished at how used to needles I’ve become via necessity! Maybe I should try to give blood again, especially since I’m O-pos.

  129. 129.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Trivia Man: ;^)

    I hear ya! I can’t type on a phone and voice transcription seems to have a smaller vocabulary than I actually use.

    I have an iPad with a magic keyboard and I will wear this MF right out; I’ve been touch-typing since I was in the 4th grade. Heh, after the heart cath through my wrist Wednesday the most annoying thing was that I couldn’t type! LOL

  131. 131.

    Bupalos

    @Professor Bigfoot:

    yeah we simply aren’t in the same era of politics we were, that vetted presidents based on resume and experience. Incumbency is now a disadvantage and generally will probably continue to be a disadvantage.

    When people have lost trust in government, they don’t want to hear you talk about how you’ve been running the government.

  132. 132.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Baud: I’ve repeated this quote more than once: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression, in the denial of my humanity and my right to exist.” -Robert Jones Jr.

    I read it as “…in anyone’s oppression, in the denial of anyone’s humanity or right to exist.”

    Everything else? Yeah, let’s talk, heck you might see something I don’t and vice versa; and we can find compromise.

    For example: I believe our military spending, for what the DoD have been tasked to accomplish, is pretty on par, and I’d like to see a more modern follow-on to the Arleigh Burkes the Navy is churning out right now. I bet there’s PLENTY of folks who’ll disagree with me about this, and I’m cool with that.

  133. 133.

    Baud

    @Bupalos:

    Of course, much of the Democratic base recognizes the value of government. In fact, it’s the value of government to the Democratic base that is the primary reason other people have lost faith in government.  It’s a conundrum for us.

  134. 134.

    Anne Laurie

    @Bupalos: If you think dudebros are generally more open to gay people than black people I think you don’t get out much.

    A dude can pretend not to be gay, but it’s much harder to pretend not to be Black!

  135. 135.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Betty Cracker: And so violent and bloody, as insurrections are by definition!

    Let’s just dance around that being the most egregiously unethical and anti-democratic act taken by American politicians of any party in my lifetime. It would be tied with January 6, but that failed.

  136. 136.

    Bupalos

    @schrodingers_cat: he’ll be taking more risks than you and contributing more than you. As he should because he has a lot more reach and resources than you or I do. His position and project with UToronto was finalized in 2023 BTW.

    You clearly aren’t familiar with his output, I think you’d find it helpful and interesting.

  137. 137.

    Baud

    @Professor Bigfoot:

    I just think too many liberals have enjoyed using maximalist rhetoric for internecine battles, which had the effect of normalizing Republicans as they have slid into fascism. I try to use different language when talking about Dems I disagree with and Republicans.

  138. 138.

    Bupalos

    @Anne Laurie: I don’t think buttigiege is pretending to not be gay there, he specifically talks about part of freedom being the ability to have an unconventional family.

  141. 141.

    Gvg

    @no body no name: waiting until you are really mad to speak up and then yelling, does less good. I often think PB uses an overly broad brush, but I know nothing about the brosphere. Why don’t you give more details and examples? Show your work.

  144. 144.

    Gin & Tonic

    @David_C: I’m going to hit 12 gallons next Wednesday. Since I’m O- and have great veins, I’m very popular. I minimize my trips to the center by doing “double red-cell” donations.

  145. 145.

    Geminid

    @Trivia Man: Yes, Virginia elects a Governor this year, plus a Lt. Governor, Attorney General and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates (the 40 state Senate seats come up in 2027).

    This year’s Democratic candidate, former 7th CD Rep. Abigail Spanberger, is a dynamic politician who I expect will campaign hard for Delegate candidates.

  148. 148.

    Bupalos

    @The Audacity of Krope: polls were very clear that Democrats wanted a different candidate. Pressuring Biden to focus on the good of the people rather than his own interests in power was a democratic act, and Biden finally seeing the light was an act of democratic statesmanship that was very difficult. No one gives up power. He did. It vastly improved our chances, though we couldn’t quite seal the deal. And to me, that was largely because Harris had no time or will to run her own campaign. Nothing came to mind.

  150. 150.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Great point, and it points to a way to mitigate a conundrum Magdi Jacobs brought up on bsky the other day: Dems still engage in debate amongst ourselves because we’re still small-d democrats who seek to persuade and/or reach compromise, and Repubs no longer are.

    This leads to an asymmetry that hurts us, both in MSM coverage and the impression we make on unaffiliated listeners.

  151. 151.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Bupalos: polls were very clear that Democrats wanted a different candidate.

    You mean the polls where everyone showed up and voted? Biden won those with 90 percent.

    Or you mean the same polls that showed people thought Trump was also too old. I wonder how that turned out…

    Throwing out the results of legitimate elections is a red line that never should be crossed. There are people who were political heroes to me whom I will never vote for again because of their actions around this.

    You armchair clinicians and tacticians don’t get how deeply those of us who opposed this cared about this. I cried for a day after Biden stepped aside. I was so upset by this that November barely registered.

    If you care more about theoretical odds of winning than actual morality (and to be clear you got your way and Democrats lost) then you’ve taken the first step toward being the monster the Republicans are today. Any of you, even much cherished front pagers.

  153. 153.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Baud: I hear you, and while I don’t disagree, I see that as a side effect of the Bigfoot Dictum.

    I cannot disregard the demographic makeup of those making maximalist demands.

    (and yes, I do have my own maximalist demand— that we not abandon ANYONES human rights in this country, because nobody is free until everybody is free.)

  157. 157.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: I looked up New Jersey’s Democratic primary for Governor and found that Rutger University’s Eagleton Center sponsored a poll released Friday; The Hill reported the results. Rep. Mikey Sherrill led a crowded field with 17%, while Jersey City Mayor was second with 12%. New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller came in at 10%, while Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. Josh Gottheimer had 9% each.

    The primary is June 10. People don’t seem be paying much attention, though. One poll finding: 20% of respondents had a positive opinion of Mikey Sherrill and 14% viewed her negatively, but 22% had no opinion and “44% said they did not know who she is.”

  159. 159.

    cain

    @Betty Cracker: The Dem is a big tent party I don’t think it’s going to go away. We are where the disaffected GOP people go and then their urge for centralism is at loggerheads with the liberal parts of the Democratic party.

    Splitting Dem party into two will help I think with the idea that the two party will agree to vote for the other against republicans. Kind of like party level ranked voting.

  162. 162.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Professor Bigfoot: I love Pete, but I suspect we will get a real eye-opener of just how much homophobia still persists in our society (even on the Left) as soon as he gets anywhere near a chance at the Presidency.  Republicans won’t be shy with showing their hatred of LGBTQ people.  Putin will orchestrate an obvious psyop against him.  And the Progressives who love him now as an example for how messaging should be done, will go silent while turning him into history’s greatest monster, for reasons of their own (Gaza, Capitalism, refusing to say “abolish police/ICE” etc.)

  163. 163.

    sab

    @Professor Bigfoot: Who thought anyone could make Secretary of Transportation interesting? I know the department is important, but also very under the radar, until he kept us informed of all that it does.

  164. 164.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @zhena gogolia: It hits harder when the good guys do something bad. And, to repeat, that was the worst purely political act of my lifetime.

    Disqualifying for any participants as far as I’m concerned. I voted for Elizabeth Warren for President in 2020, now I’m hungry for any credible challenge for her Senate seat

  165. 165.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @zhena gogolia: I consoled myself that Joseph Robinette Biden Jr was one of those stiff-necked SOBs who cannot be bullied into a damn thing… but that he might be convinced. I hated it, but I was gonna take Joe’s decision.

    I jumped aboard the Harris train hard and, well… several months and one heart attack later I’m still disappointed, hurt, saddened, and fucking pissed off.

  166. 166.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @UncleEbeneezer: I so seriously hate that you’re right.

    But it just flat enrages me that we’re in this place where we have to find a straight white Christian man to combat straight white Christian male supremacy.

  167. 167.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @sab: Interesting and VERY functional.

    Pete is mega competent.

    But that’s just another reason for conservatives to hate him— he’s a DEI hire but he’s obviously smarter than ANY of them.

  168. 168.

    prostratedragon

    @David_C:  Thank you for that. Sounds about as insubstantial as the Columbia meeting, though far more adeptly cosmetic; at CU, the meeting time was moved up at the last minute, only 2 trustees showed up, and one of them left around 15 minutes in to teach a class. The university president was invited but did not show up. But she did sign that college and university presidents’ statement so, looking good there, Claire!🙄

    Novovax? Oy, these prople@

  170. 170.

    sab

    @Suzanne: Cleveland public radio (WCLV) has an hour long morning show ( 9-10) with interviews with all sorts of interesting people talking about interesting public issue type things they are working on.

    I caught Buttigieg on the show early in his presidential run. All I knew about him was that he was mayor of South Bend and very young. I had low expectations (aiming  way above his experience level) but I was blown away. I have been an enthusiast ever since

    ETA The imterviewer wasn’t hostile but he did ask hard questions and gave Buttigieg a chance to shine if he was capable. And he was.

  171. 171.

    cmorenc

    @NotMax: Ex-residents of my hometown remark how beautiful it appears…in the rear-view mirror of their car as they are leaving town.

  172. 172.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Professor Bigfoot: That pressure campaign was shameful whether you term it bullying or convincing and it was always going to hurt us whether Biden dropped out or not.

    And donors were the driving force there. They were the ones making all the noise in the media before the cynical pols they bought spoke up.

    Elite Democrats literally helped money override voters. I find it disturbing how many of you are not only okay with this, but think it was good.

  177. 177.

    Jackie

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: The Vatican caved and gave him a front row seat – all the better for publicly humiliating him with every word spoken. Plus, as always, he didn’t dress for the occasion. His MAGA blue suit in a sea of black.

  178. 178.

    artem1s

    @Nukular Biskits: ​ 

    a smart white guy patiently explaining stuff to gullible people.

    you are not wrong. Pete, so far, understands that he does enjoy white male privilege. And he’s resisted the temptation to project that he’s the only one who can fix these problems or that he has the one magic bullet that will give everyone the same privilege he enjoys. This was Biden’s super power too. He never cared about who got credit. He wasn’t fixated on one idea or issue so he could leave a ‘legacy’. He was willing to learn and adjust his beliefs and methods in order to do the most good. He just wanted to make people’s lives better. No means testing or brackets or exceptions. No robbing from Peter to pay Paul. No pulling up the ladder afterwards. No underbussing or passing the buck. Just little actions, one at a time, that made everyday a little bit easier for regular people.
    We don’t know yet whether Pete can or will extend this largess to others and share power and privilege. The reality is winning elections by proving how much you can hurt someone else is a powerful temptation. And doing that keeps people in office. It’s a foreign concept to most Americans. The argument that you can improve your economic situation, your community and the world win by extending the ladder out and down seems like an elitist thought experiment to most people. After all you don’t win Superbowls by letting everyone on the field score points.
    Most people can’t make the mental leap that elections are designed to be about winning but good legislation and governance isn’t about winning at all. We designed an election system that means the people who are best winning are probably going to be the worst at governing, legislating and leading.

  180. 180.

    prostratedragon

    @Baud:  Been so long I’d forgotten that one. Comments are divided by whether he looks like Ned Flanders or Geraldo Rivera.

  183. 183.

    Geminid

    Some Middle East news: a third round of US/Iran nuclear talks has concluded, with a fourth tentatively scheduled for next Saturday. This round was held in Oman, with delegations led by Iranian Foreign Minister Arangchi and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff headed to UAE capital Abu Dhabi afterwards.

    And there was a huge exolosion this morning in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The blast is being compared to the one that rocked Beirut a few years ago, but it might be even worse.

  184. 184.

    Princess

    @Jackie: I see they sat him at the RNC of a toe soon one but Melania would have to sit beside him. Also, man, shelooks terrible. All that plastic surgery can’t hide that she’s not aging well.

  185. 185.

    sab

    @Professor Bigfoot: Me too. I thought they ran an excellent campaign and I was just swept away.

    And then the result ( NOT a landslide or a mandate) and many of my mixed race family members are now at risk, in addition to all of us with retirement accounts, or jobs that depend on international trade. Or needing to buy anything.

    My stepsons are blue-collar white men who now have their jobs at risk because of tariffs. They knew what was at risk and voted accordingly, but got nowhere convincing coworkers.

    My stepdaughter has a mixed race autistic daughter. Republicans are dismantling all the education improvements that helped this girl thrive.

  187. 187.

    Baud

    World’s best centrist

    Macron shakes hands with Zelensky, but refuses to shake hands with Trump. Absolute fucking legend.

  190. 190.

    sab

    Husband had back surgery a few years ago with hardware, and he got a MRSA infection that almost killed him. So he is on lifetime antibiotics, fierce ones. He has to be very careful about what he eats and when, and also needs to avoid stress.

    Mostly he has been okay. The eating schedule is annoying but doable.

    Avoiding stress not so much. So he and his antibiotic got crosswise this morning and he has been throwing up off and on since about 5 am.

    Maybe today we can get one of his doctors to take this seriously. You cannot just tough out twelve hour bouts of vomiting that is a drug reaction not an infection.

  192. 192.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope: Choosing to believe that Stiff Necked Joe was unbullyable and possibly was convinced that it was the best path forward is simply how I dealt with it.

    The ageist smear campaign against him— *when he had just hosted a NATO summit* was so fucken bullshit… but, I thought, maybe there’s information or data available to Joe that ain’t available to me.

    But naw, you ain’t the only one who’s still livid about that shit.

  194. 194.

    catclub

    @Betty Cracker: ​
    &nbsp

    ;I find such work exhausting and am not great at it, tbh. But Pete is,

    Also probably not great.
    There is a tremendous urge to say ‘you fucking idiots’
    either about the people doing the fuckups or the people you have to explain it to.

  195. 195.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: It lost the popular vote in the last election.

    Maybe if Democrats stood firmly by respect instead of waffling (ice floes are good now!!)

    The waffling has since increased. I foresee Democrats making gains next year on a less respect-bound agenda pushed by their consultants next year (no trans participation or rule of law for immigrants) and will heartily embrace the “principle” that respect is for suckers.

    And so the cycle goes again…

  197. 197.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @The Audacity of Krope: Democrats act respectfully and America* reads it as “weakness.”

    Democrats follow time established norms and America* reads it as “weakness.”

    As long as Democrats continue to defend the rights of women, Black people, and LGBTQIA+ people over Americans*…

  198. 198.

    Baud

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    I don’t do alternative histories. I supported Biden 100% but I’m not going to predict how his staying on the ticket would have turned out. Respect could have easily lost in either scenario.

     

     

     

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    The waffling has since increased.

     

    And will continue to do so until we learn to start being advocates for Dems to that do things we  like instead of searching for the next intraparty heretic to focus on.
    IMHO.

  200. 200.

    Kristine

    Late to the thread, but damn Pete G is so good. It’s a gift. He incorporates the opposition’s words by blending them with his words and his POV and makes it make sense to them. And it’s so subtle that they don’t feel like they’re being lectured/talked down to.

    I realize it will not work with everyone, but if there are gettable folks out there, this is one way to get them.

    I know I’m just repeating what others have already said, but damn.

  201. 201.

    catclub

    @Baud: It sure _looks_ like Macron is shaking Trump’s hand in the CNN pictures from the Funeral mass.

     

    How did Finland get a front row seat there? I would not expect a large Catholic population of Finland.

  202. 202.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: I don’t do alternative histories. I supported Biden 100% but I’m not going to predict how his staying on the ticket would have turned out.

    I’ve been pretty clear that this is not only beside the point but a disgusting consideration.

    And will continue to do so until we learn to start being advocates for Dems to that do things even r like

    Blind advocacy sounds great. If Dems do something disgusting, cheer louder than you ever have cheered for a Dem before. That is what will build a party that will serve people better get enough support from toxic people to win elections.

    Then we have two toxic parties.  Great.

  203. 203.

    Baud

    @catclub:

    Probably did. Clips can be  misleading.  Add to that inscrutable body language politics and who knows?

    I can still enjoy it.

  204. 204.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @rikyrah:

    The comparison with Kaepernick is not apt; there’s no politics here. And I don’t see it as hatred of Deion Sanders. I think he is actually pretty popular with NFL people.

    A very large percentage of analysts have doubted all along whether Shedeur Sanders can be an NFL starter. More specifically, his release time ranked 110th in the FBS. He was the most sacked QB & together with his negative rushing yards, it shows he’s not very mobile.

    While some might say that he is dropping in the draft because of his father, others say that the only reason he was up in mock drafts was because of his father.

  206. 206.

    Baud

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    Fascinating.  The need to hate Dems is so engrained in our culture, that tht idea of actually supporting Dems that do things one likes is unthinkable. One must find one of us to hate.

  207. 207.

    sab

    We have a niece dying from weird long Covid. She had a bad bout of regular Covid as an essential worker before the vaccine. Then she got better and the vaccine came along.

    She hadn’t been fully recovered. Then about a year ago she woke up one day and her arms and legs weren’t working properly. Shortly thereafter they weren’t working at all. Then eating and swallowing. She has been on a feeding tube for months.

    They finally brought in hospice at home.

    She has two kids not even through high school.

    Covid is a big deal, still.

  208. 208.

    Miss Bianca

    @The Audacity of Krope: Me too.I am this close to sending a return email to Michael Bennet’s campaign team begging for my $ to help him run for Governor with “Don’t ever fucking contact me again, I will never vote for that guy for anything ever again if I can possibly avoid it” precisely *because* he was one of the first MFers who went on to national TeeVee with that, “oh, Biden so old” BS.

    So, what, dude – you were mad that *your* campaign for POTUS went nowhere because you’re such a lackluster mediocrity? You thought shivving the sitting POTUS in the back was the way that Democrats were going to win? Fuck.You.Forever.

  210. 210.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Iran’s Red Crescent reports 4 deaths from the Bandar Abbas explosion. There could be more; a video of the explosion showed warehouses and trucks nearby.. The problem now may be toxic smoke from the fires that are still burning.

    Ankara-based Clash Report says it was a shipment– from China– of precursor chemicals for solid rocket fuel production that exploded. Whatever it was, there was a lot of it.

  213. 213.

    Miss Bianca

    @sab: I am so sorry to hear this, your family has gone through a lot lately. “One woe doth tread another’s heel…”

  214. 214.

    BellyCat

    @Professor Bigfoot: Pete’s a bad dude, tho, and maybe he can turn that tide.

    Pete’s a GAY dude. Ain’t no middle of the road voter gonna “spoil the Whitest of Houses” with that kind of open-mindedness (sadly).

  215. 215.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: The need to hate Dems is so engrained in our culture, that tht idea of actually supporting Dems that do things one likes is unthinkable.

    I support Dems doing things I like all the time. But there are lines that must never be crossed. I don’t care if you have a viable plan with real Congressional support to deliver candy ponies stuffed with million dollar bills to every American, you don’t throw out elections.

    @Melancholy Jaques: I find it disturbing how many people still want to argue about this. It’s not helping anything.

    I’ll keep making this argument until I’m either convinced that Democrats won’t throw people to the wolves, constituents or elected leaders, out of cynical convenience or until I’m convinced there’s no place for me among Democrats.

  216. 216.

    Baud

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    you don’t throw out elections.

     

    I don’t like what happened, but people convinced Biden to step down from the nomination. That’s not throwing out anything. If it were possible to convince Trump to step down, I wouldn’t consider it throwing out an election either.

    FWIW. I think that episode was more damaging than people want to admit. But I’m not looking to add to the damage.

  217. 217.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @BellyCat:

    Agree completely & it makes me just as sad as the fact that there are people who will not vote for a woman for president. They will insist they have nothing against gays or women, but when given the binary choice of gay or woman against a white male, they find a reason not to vote for the gay or woman. And the political media will work very hard to give them alternate, more polite, things to say: emails, “the economy” & so on.

  218. 218.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Baud: I don’t like what happened, but people convinced Biden to step down from the nomination. That’s not throwing out anything.

    If that’s convincing, I’d like to know what duress looks like in your world.

  219. 219.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @The Audacity of Krope:

    I’ll keep making this argument until I’m either convinced that Democrats won’t throw people to the wolves, constituents or elected leaders, out of cynical convenience or until I’m convinced there’s no place for me among Democrats.

    Well, if you are making this argument to convince yourself, could you just make the argument to yourself & leave the rest of us out of it?

  221. 221.

    sab

    @Miss Bianca: Not my immediate family ( it is but not in our house) but Covid has impacted everyone. So much of this is within the house behind closed doors.

    People wonder why I still wear my N95 mask. This is why.

  222. 222.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Melancholy Jaques: I make the argument to gauge where others who vote for Democrats are on the matter. This informs my ultimate conclusion.

    Evidence is mixed but is definitely stacked higher on the side of Democrats ain’t shit. Take my being here arguing on the matter as a sign of “I haven’t given up on Democrats completely yet ”

    I know there is a tendency among committed partisans to want to eliminate dissent. Not happening, bruh.

  223. 223.

    Super Dave

    @Melancholy Jaques: I couldn’t agree more. The press is still pumping out the BS about Trump won because of the economy. A majority in this country wouldn’t recognize the economy if it bit ‘em in the ass. Trump won because of racism and misogyny. It’s really that simple. This country is full of racist, misogynist morons.

  224. 224.

    sab

    @Gloria DryGarden: Unbelievably hard. Lovely woman who helped everyone. I used to meet her in the grocery when we were both shopping for/with our disabled moms. She was an office manager in a psychiatric/psychological clinic that treated, among others,  sexual trans children and their families.

  225. 225.

    sab

    @Super Dave: The economy will beat them in the ass.

    I remember the Volker Recession, brief twenty percent unemloyment when I got out of grad school. The point then was twenty percent was brief. And it was.

    I don’t see this as brief, because we have four more years of the moron and his very very bad hires in the executive branch, and two more in the legislative branch.

  226. 226.

    Ebony

    @Suzanne: If White guys need another White guy to explain things to him and won’t listen to a Black woman, why should I as a Black woman listen to them. These are the same people calling Black woman “DEI” hires. The bitterness I and other Black women towards these people is very real, and we are expecting to forget about all of that.

  227. 227.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @sab:

    I remember that too. It produced a Democratic sweep of the state offices in 1982, then Reagan’s Morning In America landslide in 1984 despite 7% unemployment & 13% mortgage rates.

  231. 231.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @catclub: why not a jump rope rhyme, and a patty cake chant?

     

    @Baud:  I adore this handshake evasion so much, both Z and Macron in physical body language of brotherly support, and the open hands at waist level of Macron, evading USA blue suit man.

    Love it so much I wish someone would create an emoji or e-sticker for it.

    mild, reusable schadenfreude.

Comments are closed.