There are probably obvious historical parallels I’m overlooking, and it’s trite, but to me, the Trump cabinet brings to mind an assemblage of Batman villains. That’s the comparison that leaps to mind every time to capture the scope of this cabinet’s venality, derangement, obsequiousness and campish evil.
They’re all awful, but can you pick just one who’s the worst of that extremely bad bunch? It’s hard!
There’s the catcher’s mitt-faced, nepo-baby woo-peddler with a serial killer vibe and a deeply creepy fixation on people with autism. The drunken sex pest who imagines himself a “warfighter” while telegraphing classified operations to all and sundry.
There’s the utterly corrupt hack who eagerly converted the DOJ into a law firm for and enforcement arm of the ruling right-wing kleptocracy.
And then there’s the botoxed, veneered puppy shooter who’s in charge of our most unwieldy and Teutonic-sounding federal agency: the Department of Homeland Security.
Kristi Noem appeared before a committee to answer questions about her agency’s budget yesterday, and hoo boy, was Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) lying in wait to read her for filth:
Murphy’s point about the asylum law and its origins needs to be made more often. If Republicans don’t like the asylum law, they should try to change it through legislative channels, but ignoring it is unconstitutional, as Murphy made clear.
To end on a shallow note, I like whiskers on men, so I am pleased to see that Murphy has a beard now, as does Sec. Pete Buttigieg. Since we apparently can’t have a woman president, can we at least elect a man with a beard next time?
(To clarify, I mean let’s do that as long as the bearded prez is not the hirsute, eye-liner wearing, Cabbage Patch kid-looking, Pope-slaying couch-fucker, a fraction of a man whose sainted Meemaw should rise from the grave to thrash into a coma with an extension cord. Obviously.)
Open thread!
On The Road – frosty – New River Gorge National Park
Suzanne
I like the facial hair on Pete, too. It’s a good look for dudes. But it’s gotta be kept nicely. And, like…. no neckbeards. Come on now.
Mathguy
I will always be grateful to the person that labeled that pestilence boil that cosplays the US VP a furniture fornicator. Adding “Pope-slaying “ as an adjective to “couch fucker” makes it that much better.
They Call Me Noni
They are definitely the most unserious and unqualified bunch ever assembled.
Princess
I do potentially see a trial in Noem’s future. She’s perfectly placed to take the fall for a lot of people, if the US ever gets to that point.
Rachel Bakes
Your descriptions make everything better. Each one I thought, “yes, they’re the worst” until you got to the next one.
props to Senator Murphy for calling these monsters on everything. Proud of one of my senators!
karen gail
One thing that stands out about how bad Kegseth is at being a leader is that he comes across as “one of the boys” with exercising and hanging out with soldiers. A “buddy” is not someone who leads, a buddy is a follower.
Spanky
I am disappointed that Baud didn’t make the first comment to say he’d vote for a bearded woman.
Betty Cracker
@Suzanne: Agreed, and I would also proscribe beards that are grown to camouflage the absence of a chin. That applies to both of Trump’s sons by Ivana. And also to that pig-faced advisor who’s probably burrowed in some agency right now, Jason Miller, I think? He sculpts a beard that suggests a jawline on his round, pumpkin-like head. You’re not fooling anyone, Jason!
New Deal democrat
Quote of the morning:
https://bsky.app/profile/climbtotheclouds.bsky.social/post/3lope3fib4c2r
“ He’s losing court cases. He’s losing his trade war. His cabinet is a disaster. Voters are turning out against his people and ideals. He’s unpopular. He looks weaker everyday. The only thing he has is executive orders and firing his own people. It’s early, keep fighting, we’re going to win this.”
Unfortunately we do not have a parliamentary system, so there’s no such thing as early elections, and I doubt very much GOPers in Congress will actively thwart him, but this bodes well for the midterms.
Also Sibling Unit asked me last night if I thought the selection of the new Pope was deliberately anti-T—-p. After learning that he has Haitian ancestry, the answer is almost certainly “yes,” he was chosen in part to be an anti-T—-p leader (just as J2P2 was selected to be anti-Soviet).
Spanky
On a completely unrelated note, I love the picture by Winter Wren of the winter sky over the ocean. I love the subtle, sober colors of the winter sky, and that pic captures them perfectly.
Suzanne
@Betty Cracker: Oh, the beard-to-hide-a-weak-chin (or a double chin) is an old trick. We’re not fooled!
Mr. Longform
They are villains, but cut-rate villains. They aren’t menacing (although many of their actions are) but rather sniveling. Like firing Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress – they’ve done worse things of course, but that is such a dick move, own-the-libs, nya nya kind of weak-ass bullying. Pathetic.
DFH
Oh my, you’re in rare form this morning, Betty. The appellations cascade into laughter.
Betty Cracker
@New Deal democrat: Do you read any hope in the GOP rejection of Ed Martin as US Attorney for DC? And now Trump named boxed wine aficionado Jeanine Pirro to the post, as if testing their clown tolerance.
I mean, they dragged Hegseth over the line, so obviously their tolerance is high, but that was before Trump started wrecking the economy and slashing vital hunks out of the federal government.
Professor Bigfoot
Am I the only one who is so happy to see the end of the “Civil War Beard” era?
A neatly trimmed sailor’s beard is one thing, but these putzim walking around looking like refugees from Duck Dynasty just annoyed me.
Probably because I imagined every one of them in grey or butternut.
Professor Bigfoot
HEY NOW!
I have a beard now not just to camouflage the absence of a chin, but also to camouflage the presence of multiple chins! XD
moonbat
BC, glad to see you in such fine fettle today. You could frame that last paragraph. Insert ‘laughing so hard you cry emoji’
Bostondreams
Betty, thoughts on UF’s new president? He seems to me working on kissing DeSantis’ backside pretty hard, and still getting attacked by Rufo types.
Professor Bigfoot
@Suzanne: Maybe not, but at least I’m not mortified at every glance into a mirror.
Y’all might suspect no chin/multiple chins under this magnificently cropped beard, but it lets me lie to me.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I see the whole cabinet as clones of Clarabelle.
(Am I the only one old enough to remember Clarabelle?)
Gretchen
I can’t get over the fact that in these hearings these powerful department heads just say they don’t know what’s going on. Trump does this too. Some mysterious awful person is doing awful illegal stuff but how are they supposed to know or do anything about it? It’s not as if they’re in charge or anything.
Betty Cracker
@Professor Bigfoot: If baseball players are any indicator, that beard style remains at least somewhat fashionable. I don’t care for it myself because how could you NOT trap food and beverage particles in it, and gross? But I don’t associate it with the Civil War. I think of an illustration on an old Smith Bros. cough drops tin my granny kept pins in.
schrodingers_cat
What do white people (and their adjacents) who voted for this see in them that I don’t see?
karen gail
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Which one? the cow or the clown?
Mr. Longform
@Bostondreams:
Betty may have thoughts on the new UF president, but in the meantime Paul Campos over at Lawyers, Guns, and Money has plenty to say: https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/05/walking-the-gop-track
karen gail
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Which one; the cow or the clown? of the Howdy Doddy show? Personally, didn’t like the show but others did so ended up seeing it on television.
Gretchen
@Professor Bigfoot: My husband had a beard when I met him as a young man. He shaved it off for a job interview. Interviewer had a beard. Husband discovered that he now had a double chin that wasn’t there before. Quickly grew back the beard and has kept it for the last 40+ years.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@karen gail: The clown. But the cow offers possibilities
schrodingers_cat
OT: Awaiting the arrival of FaberCastell watercolor markers. They are out for delivery!!
New Deal democrat
@Betty Cracker:
That is why I used the phrase “actively oppose.” I can see “passive opposition,” as in refusing to confirm some new nutball nominees. Whereas “active opposition” would be actually passing legislation, and joining Dems to override a veto, on things like “emergency” tariffs, or forbidding an invasion of Greenland.
schrodingers_cat
I don’t particularly care for beards or buns on men.
Gretchen
@schrodingers_cat: People who aren’t any smarter nicer or more competent than they are themselves so they don’t have to feel bad about being stupid uneducated lowlifes? People just like them ascending to the top?
schrodingers_cat
@Gretchen: I wouldn’t let any of these morons drive my car. And I have a 9 year old car. I didn’t like G W Bush much either policy wise but I would trust him to water my plants and feed my cat when I am away. Not this bunch.
Llelldorin
@karen gail: I’ve never been in the military, but he seems less “one of the boys” and more “desperate to be seen as one of the boys.” He always struck me as the military equivalent of the old “hello fellow children!” SNL sketch.
schrodingers_cat
@Professor Bigfoot: I hate those too and muttonchops that go with them.
Betty Cracker
@Bostondreams: I don’t know what to think yet. I mean, who wants to work for DeSantis? But then there’s the $3M payout. Josh Marshall at TPM noted that Ono removed his signature on a letter supporting academic freedom after the offer. That’s worrying. What do you think?
NotMax
@karen gail
Amen to that.
jonas
Trump just appointed — I kid you fucking not — Jeannine Pirro as interim US attorney.
karen gail
At the rate Trump is going the whole cabinet will be made up of Faux news drunken idiots and Faux will have to hire a new bunch of drunks.
Suzanne
@Professor Bigfoot:
Yes. Yes.
karen gail
Anyone else notice that Trump’s published schedule for today is 4 pm signing EO’s and nothing else; though WH does expect him to be questioned about new Pope.
Spanky
@Professor Bigfoot
This news hasn’t yet reached Confederate Southern Maryland.
tobie
I really like it when Chris Murphy puts his nerd hat on and explains how govt is supposed to work. He’s very good at this and the American public desperately needs civics lessons.
Geminid
There was some Georgia political news in this morning’s Politico Playbook:
Rep. Carter is 67 years old, and represents coastal Georgia including Savannah. Kelly Loefler was appointed Senator by Governor Kemp and lost to Raphael Warnock in the runoffs on January 5, 2021.
At age 37, Rep. Jack would be younger than Senator Ossoff who is 38 years old. He’s in his first term representing GA03,* which runs from Atlanta’s southwest suburbs to the Alabama line. He worked in the first Trump administration.
Collins represents GA10, which runs east and northeast of Atlanta and includes the city of Athens. The 57 year-old Collins looks like Donald Trump, right down to his haircut.
* Fun GA03 fact: Robert Trippe represented the district from 1856 to 1859, and was a Know Nothing.
Soprano2
@schrodingers_cat: They “own the libs”, which seems to be a major goal of many MAGA supporters. They hurt people the MAGA’s don’t like. Based on my experience with them, MAGA’s put a lot of stock in appearances. Hegseth looks like someone central casting would pick to be Sec of Def, so they think he’s great. What I don’t understand is how they tolerate RFK Jr., maybe they tolerate him because he hates the covid vaccine so much. ETA – plus a lot of them are believers in survival of the fittest, and obviously they think they are the fittest and liberals are the weakest, and RFK Jr. appears to believe this too.
Omnes Omnibus
@Llelldorin: Yes, the soldiers he shows up to work out with must absolutely hate him.
Bostondreams
@Betty Cracker: I don’t have a link, but he basically blamed wokeness for leaving Michigan, in his going away letter. So he’s going to align well with state leadership even if it’s all asskissing.
Jeffro
Couldn’t agree more, Betty (and thank you for this post). Your and Murphy’s point is a good, broad one to keep hammering the MAGA GOP about:
their majority in the House is so unstable and wacko that they can’t get anything done
the orange moron in the White House is incapable of keeping a thought for more than two seconds, other than insanity like invading Greenland and his ‘magic money’ tariffs and renaming places that offend his whiteness
the people working for the orange moron are malicious freaks who couldn’t get a job in any other administration
and all of the above are enabling each other…pretending like it’s normal, in America, to have a mad king issuing edicts from on high while his courtiers and goons run amok
It’s a complete freak show.
There’s a line in the WATCHMEN graphic novel where one of the researchers who worked with Jon Osterman (who becomes the all-powerful Dr. Manhattan) notes that “Superman exists, and he’s American…If that statement starts to chill you after a couple of moments’ consideration, then don’t be alarmed. A feeling of intense and crushing religious terror at the concept indicates only that you are still sane.”
Never stop being revolted by these freaks. It only indicates that we are sane, principled, and want better for our country.
Omnes Omnibus
Nope, Rumsfeld looked like that. Hegseth is so obviously a “wanna be” type.
Betty Cracker
@Bostondreams: That sucks, but at least Ono is academically qualified for the job. DeSantis keeps appointing unqualified right-wing hacks like Nuñez and Corcoran, which seems like it would accelerate the degradation of the institutions.
MattF
@New Deal democrat: I think the College of Cardinals can be added to the electorates that have been inspired by Donald Trump to elect someone as far away from him as they can.
Also, I was, similarly to Betty, inspired to select the worst cabinet member a few days ago. RFK Jr. was my choice, but it was close.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: Have to agree. Hegseth looks like a dumb himbo to me.
schrodingers_cat
@MattF: IDK its all of them Katie answer would be an appropriate answer here. Is there anyone who is not bad?
tobie
I may have missed discussion of this but the Orlando city commissioner switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat because of the Trump admin’s treatment of Latinos. This seems significant. May it become a trend.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/05/06/orlando-commissioner-tony-ortiz-switches-from-republican-to-democrat/
SiubhanDuinne
@DFH:
Betty is an appellation spring.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: Finding someone who is merely bad would be difficult.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: Was Rumsfeld a veteran?
Another Scott
Obligatory – Happy Toast – Trump Batvillains (from August 2023).
He’s a master at that stuff.
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Soprano2
He is, but I also think he looks the part until he opens his mouth, plus he said all the right things on Faux about the military and wokeness and toughness. They care a lot about how things look. The ones I know keep posting the same pictures of Democrats on FB over and over because in those pictures the people look bad or odd. They think if you don’t look the part you obviously can’t do the job. It’s why all the R women who want to get ahead adopt the same kind of look.
My husband wouldn’t want to be in the same room with him, of that I’m sure.
La Nonna
Apropos of everything that’s happening, I just received an alarming email telling me that I must log on to ssa.gov, use some fakakta ID guarantee, and the email is coming via X!! And, once this is done I should do everything re SSA through X. Is this the scam it looks to be? We live on our SSA, I would call my useless upper NYS rep, some asshole named Stepanik, but she’s busy resenting her role in Congress instead of the UN. Has anyone else received these emails?
prostratedragon
@Dorothy A. Winsor: No, alas.
Batman, or Dick Tracy?
Suzanne
I should also note that the bushy, untrimmed beard remains popular with the Thin Blue Line, Punisher-decal, Oakleys-in-the-dating-app-pic set here in the Great Lakes area.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat:
Active duty and then reserve navy pilot.
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone 😊 😊 😊
MattF
@La Nonna: An obvious scam. Always log in to SSA through login.gov.
Suzanne
@Soprano2:
Yes this. Honestly, we don’t discuss the aesthetics enough here. Vivek’s hilarious screed about Americans not spending their weekends at science fairs is a big clue.
LMAO I’m still not over how funny that shit was. Just an utter failure to read the room.
bbleh
Let’s not forget the Montgomery Burns-like Secretary of Commerce, who doesn’t think a missed SS check would be any big deal, or the dime-store Mata Hair Director of National Intelligence, who couldn’t be a more obvious Russian agent if she sounded like Natasha Nogoodnik.
At least we’re rid of the National Security Advisor who accidentally looped in a magazine editor to sensitive national defense discussions on a non-secure app and then switched to an even less secure version that he was seen on TV using.
It is truly an insult to clowns to call it a clown show.
Betty Cracker
@La Nonna: Wow, that’s alarming! Sounds like a scam to me. Can you reach out to one of your senators?
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Musk and the feral DOGE kinderchuds figure out a way to integrate “X” into Social Security and other programs somehow to force people to use his shitty app.
Jeffro
speaking of freakish: where’s Melania?
YA THINK? anyway
(cue violins)
Anyway, she’s 55? What’s Laura Loomer, like 25 or something? I think we know what’s what here, Times!!
Gin & Tonic
@SiubhanDuinne: Delete your account.
French Onion Soup
Hegseth looks like he should be on stage at a USO show.
Gretchen
I’m reminded of when I was a lowly grad student trying to explain results to a professor. He asked why something was done a certain way and said I didn’t know, that the student I took over from had set the protocol. Wrong answer! You’re responsible now and need to know everything about what’s going on. That answer didn’t fly for a 22 year old kid and these people are heads of huge government departments and try to get away with answers that didn’t work for me then. Have these people never had to be responsible for anything or explain anything in their lives? Somebody else did it, they can’t say who but think that absolves them.It’s not my fault, Mommy! Billy did it!
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty Cracker:
I for one had either missed or utterly forgotten that Ben Sasse resigned after, what? A year or less? Wasn’t there some sort of scandal attached to his departure? Hadn’t given him a thought until I saw the Ono announcement a couple of days ago.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: So he looked the part because he was not play acting, he was the real deal.
This crew is so bad that the people who got us into the Iraq mess are looking better in comparison.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Suzanne
@SiubhanDuinne: I thought his wife was seriously ill, so he resigned.
terraformer
Oh, how I live for Betty’s mastery of the art of words and descriptiveness – few do it better!
jonas
@tobie: This NYT interview with Murphy by (I know, I know) Ross Douthat is worth a read. It’s a shot across the bow of complacent and/or Trump-curious Dems like Fetterman (who seems to have gone completely off the rails) to wake the fuck up and see Trumpism for what it is (white, Christian-nationalist authoritarianism) as well as a cry for Dems to rally around not a populist economic message per se, but one that promises, with a couple of clear, forceful policy proposals, to “unrig” our society. The government has been captured/purchased by corporations and billionaires who MAGA is allowing to run amok through our public institutions. People have to know who to blame for that (MAGA Republicans and their oligarch donors) and how to fix it (vote Dem). Diluting our brand with inconsistent messaging, incoherent behavior, and fear of taking on big donors and corporate interests is not going to impress the alienated/independent voters we need to win back.
Gin & Tonic
@Professor Bigfoot: Just wanted to say I really like that plural of “putz.”
La Nonna
Schumer or Gillibrand, hmm … I will call her office first, I don’t want to delay Chuck’s next strongly worded letter (only slight snark). Thanks for the replies, sometimes watching the news from here I doubt my sanity and my critical thinking skills, mamma mia.
JPL
@Geminid: Carter is running as the Warrior for trump. Let’s see how that works out since the port of Savannah is already slowing. Apparently, they want to prevent Greene from running so I think that trump will promise her anything. We’ll see. I also would not rule out my rep. Rich McCormick.
Booger
Outrage of the morning: Coffee shop mercifully showing “The Princess Bride” at 8:15 AM instead of Fux Nooze. Sound off, captions on. BUT THE WEDDING SCENE WAS CAPTIONED WITHOUT THE BISHOP’S SPEECH IMPEDIMENT!! This must be an ADA violation or something!! What’s the point of that scene if it’s JUST THE WORDS AS WRITTEN?!? /rant
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL:
Glad to see you. You’ve been missed.
Baud
@JPL:
@SiubhanDuinne:
What Subaru said. I was asking about you the other day.
Another Scott
@SiubhanDuinne: @Gin & Tonic:
[ snort! ]
Best wishes,
Scott.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@bbleh:
Every pick, every pick, was seemingly done to troll the federal government and by extension, the ‘Murkin people.
As one of the signs at one of the protests read:
Betty Cracker
@SiubhanDuinne: & @Suzanne: Sasse’s wife is ill, but it was nothing new, and it was almost certainly an excuse to vacate the job because he ran afoul of DeSantis’s top donor, who runs the board of trustees, and ahead of a spending scandal. The FL GOP and everyone affiliated with it is just wildly corrupt, so my guess is maybe Sasse could have weathered the grift accusations, but not when he was in the doghouse with the donor.
billcoop4
How do you spell “MAWWAGE”.
Got to use almost that entire speech in October at the queer wedding I presided at (obviously skipped “man and wife”).
BC
Betty Cracker
@Geminid:
Gonna need to see some evidence of that. AFAIK, Trump’s multidimensional combover is the only Aqua Net helmet of its kind in the universe!
JPL
@Baud: Just lurking.
Souter died. He’ll be the last justice appointed by a republican that actually cared about the constitution and democracy.
Baud
@JPL:
Too bad about Souter. Yes, he’s the last decent judicial appointee we’ll see from a Republican.
Suzanne
@Betty Cracker: Ooooh, thanks for the backstory on the grift.
I enjoyed reading this story about Ron DeSantis’ slide into irrelevance, which apparently is partially due to his grifter wife.
The best part:
I mean: relatable. I don’t want to have a beer with any Republicans, either.
tobie
@jonas: Thanks for the tip. I will check out the interview. I’m happy to hear Dems talk about income inequality and how to fix it. I’m ecstatic when they take the time to explain the dangers of privatizing public services, which always ends up lining the pockets of campaign donors. What I find irritating is when Democratic politicians are given a megaphone and use that resource to trash fellow Dems. Greg Casar did that last night, complaining to Jen Psaki that Dems need to do more than be anti-Trump. Meanwhile Mallory McMorrow was there talking about the kinds of guarantees the govt should be making to families. Who was the one showing what the party can do? Who was the one navel-gazing?
SiubhanDuinne
RIP, retired SCOTUS Justice David Souter.
Baud
@tobie:
I’m with you. I tune out politicians giving advice to other politicians, regardless of where they’re coming from ideologically.
I’m interested in politicians that are doing the thing themselves.
Booger
@billcoop4: You spelled it exactly wwwight.
Geminid
@JPL: I am sceptical of a Senate bid by Rep. Greene. If Trump and Kemp really are going to pick a favored candidate, she won’t buck them. Marjorie Taylor Green has a better job now than she ever dreamed of, and likely ever will have. She’d be just a loud, obnoxious nobody without it.
karen gail
Melania is past her “use by” date; the only surprise is that he hasn’t turned her in for a new younger model. But one would suspect she either has something to hold over him or it would be too much work to try to get rid of her; I am going with “she has something on him.”
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: Check out the picture heading Collins’ Wikipedia biography. The resemblence was striking, I thought, like Collins had worked at it.
Suzanne
@karen gail: Melania has a really good prenup, she doesn’t give a shit if he cheats as long as he’s discreet about it, and she’s living her best life elsewhere. We should all be so lucky.
JPL
@Geminid: The republicans already forced her out of North Fulton so they will do what is necessary to prevent her candidacy for Senate.
Betty Cracker
@Suzanne: Accounts of the DeSanti couple’s downfall are such a treat! I think where they really fucked up wasn’t stealing Medicaid funds — all FL Repubs steal public money. It was that they funneled the money to an anti-recreational pot PAC. DeSantis is out of step with many statehouse Repubs on that because they see pot as a huge grift opportunity.
JPL
@Suzanne: There are rumors about trump and Loomer. I just can’t even imagine that.
Geminid
@Professor Bigfoot: Ulysses Grant grew his beard out during the Civil War. Grant’s wife Julia made him trim it before he went East in February, 1864 to be commissioned as the Union’s first and only Lieutenant General.
trnc
@schrodingers_cat: Possibly my biggest personal gripe about Trump is making W seem like a relatively law abiding president if you ignore that he effectively murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Given, that’s a giant ass thing to ignore, but you get my drift.
lowtechcyclist
@Mr. Longform:
That was the thing about the Batman villains, though: ‘cut-rate villains’ is a good description. I think the 1960s-era Batman movie had the Joker. the Riddler, and the Penguin as the villains that were ganging up against Batman and Robin.
These were villains that weren’t made to be taken seriously, and that’s why Betty C’s comparing Trump’s Cabinet to “an assemblage of Batman villains” really nails it. (Gotta admit I LOL’d when I read that!)
Now the much darker Batman movies of more recent decades are a whole ‘nother thing, but I grew up on the Batman of the DC comics and the TV series of the 1960s, plus the aforementioned movie, with their cast of hard-to-take-seriously villains.
chemiclord
@Betty Cracker: Ono pulling up the ladder on DEI pretty much the instant he made it to the top makes him philosophically aligned with the state of Florida as well.
chemiclord
@tobie: Casar’s claims expose a couple different problems. You highlighted the first one.
The second problem is that… well… American voters DO seem to resonate more with being “Anti-[x]” than being “Pro-[y].” On any issue, we as a collective are far more motivated by fear and revulsion rather than reason, compromise, and accomplishment.
On top of that, when you are lacking a clear consensus on how to move forward (like the left of the ledger chronically suffers from), really the only message you can deliver consistently is “we’re against that.”
I really wish the political left would accept that we are a herd of ADHD-stricken cats rather than a cohesive bloc, and plot out our strategy accordingly. Unfortunately, none of the various groups within our caucus (nor the electorate behind these various groups) seem willing to accept that.
trnc
@Jeffro:
The quote is “THE superman exists …” Are you sure he’s referring to the specific character and not the Soviet concept of the “Super man,” (generally the concept of the ideal man in a militaristic society)? I thought the idea was “We’ve seen the enemy and it is us.”
ETA: TBC, I don’t know much about Watchmen. I’ve seen the quote, but out of context so I could be completely off base.
J.
I have been a fan and follower of Chris Murphy for many years and hope he runs for president in 2028.
schrodingers_cat
@tobie: Progressive has become short for bash Democrats from the left.
lowtechcyclist
@SiubhanDuinne:
ISWYDT.
MN Grubert
You have *such* a way with words ❤️
lowtechcyclist
@prostratedragon:
Oh god, YES!!!! I hadn’t thought about that comic strip in years. You could tell the bad guys at a glance because they were all deformed and shit.
WTFGhost
I think worst cabinet member has to go to Bondi. As an attorney, Bondi is more fully aware of what sort of crap attorneys are emphatically not supposed to do, and thus has more hypothetical mens rea than the others.
I also fully expect her to be insulted by being said to have “men’s anything!” before she remembers that “mens rea” is a legal term referring to having a guilty intent when committing an act.
RevRick
@Professor Bigfoot: Yeah, enough with the chin bigotry.
I first grew a beard when we got our wedding album, and in one glaring photograph my wife and I looked like Kentucky cousins who needed our parents to sign the license.
Now I look younger than Pope Leo XIV, who is six years my junior.
Geminid
@JPL: I thought Georgia Republicans enticed Marjorie Taylor out of the GA07 race in the Atlanta suburbs in 2020, by encouraging her to run for the open GA14 seat. They were afraid Greene would lose against Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath but as it turned out, former Rep. Karen Handel couldn’t beat McBath either.
jonas
@tobie: I think where Murphy had some real insight was in his observation that the reason voters just weren’t responsive to the Biden/Harris argument that Trump was going to destroy our democracy was that they think “well, if this is what democracy looks like [a corrupt, ineffectual corporate oligarchy], who gives a shit if someone blows it all up?” Now of course Trump’s plan was to blow up what little was keeping it from becoming a *complete* corrupt corporate oligarchy, but voters just couldn’t grok that. The Dem message is: make honest work pay (= support unions, a sane trade policy, and higher minimum wage) and get Big Money the fuck out of politics. Propose a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and pledge to vote on it the first day Dems recapture Congress.
RevRick
@billcoop4: At the last marriage I officiated, the groom’s dad’s favorite movie is The Princess Bride, so of course I snuck MAWWAGE into the ceremony. Everybody laughed.
Ruckus
Batman villains.
I believe that may be giving them too much credit. I mean it’s a not unreasonable description, they do seem to fail on most every opportunity, but still it took Batman to beat them on the screen, these guys may be on the level of needing to be overcome but they aren’t the cream of any crop, they are so obvious as to who and what they are that it’s not actually necessary to physically stomp on them.
Satisfying as that may be.
kindness
I don’t blame Joe Biden for Kamala’s loss last November. I blame the MSM for continually beating up Joe Biden and Democratic policies while at the same time ignoring Trump’s horribleness. And I also blame a whole bunch of Americans who refuse to vote for a woman, let alone a black woman for President. We are surrounded by idiots.
Geminid
@jonas: A Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United would be a wonderful thing, but it would take a while to push it through.
In the meantime, I hope Democrats thoroughly overhaul existing campaign finance laws. They could do a lot of good there without a Consritutional amendment, and a lot quicker.
geg6
@Professor Bigfoot:
Yes! I hate it!
Ruckus
@karen gail:
Leaders actually lead. Leading should not take physical enforcement, good leadership understands timing, understanding of the group dynamics, rational traits of those being led, irrational traits of same, the end goal of the group and foresight to see what the followers are capable of and likely to do. And how to control the individuals such that it looks seamless and easy. Also how to effectively “kick butt” as necessary. IOW keeping the group members in line with the goals/needs/aims of the group. It generally isn’t difficult and almost has to be unspoken to be truly effective.
Captain C
@karen gail:
If she’s in fact his handler then she definitely has access to a lot of dirt on him. It may well be, though, that the conditions of the latest edition of their prenup make it prohibitively expensive for him to divorce her.
Suzanne
@jonas:
Commenter Martin has said some similar things: that essentially, the current state of affairs genuinely isn’t good for a lot of people, especially younger people. And that means that a “save what we have!” argument absolutely doesn’t land, and for some, it leads to “burn it all down” thinking. None of this is okay, but it is predictable, and acknowledgement that these are really human feelings may have led to different messaging out of the campaigns.
We would like the electorate to be made up of rational people with good risk assessment skills. But it isn’t.
Captain C
@JPL: Rumor is that she has certain Nancy Davis skills.
Jackie
@Betty Cracker:
That was precisely my first, and then second thought.
On one hand, it’s gotta be a scam… But on the other hand, it’s precisely the sort of threat Muskrat and his baby DOGE minions would try. Good advice to contact one of your senators. Hopefully one of them is anti-Muskrat and/or anti-MAGA!
WTFGhost
@trnc: Frankly, throughout the W administration, I was cursing all Republicans for enabling something much worse. They were such brain-dead cheerleaders, who thought they could manufacture truth, that there was no way they wouldn’t cheer a Trump, though I didn’t know the name of the even-more-vile human being they’d eventually nominate.
Note that I’m not trying to compare how horrible either’s criming was; I’m merely opining that Trump is even more morally horrifying.
RaflW
I would say that Sen. Patty Murray deeply embarrassed Kash Patel, but of course none of these B-grade Joker-wannabes can feel embarrassment (but we can all cringe as he flails).
MURRAY: [FBI’s budget] was due last week. By law.
PATEL: I understand.
MURRAY: You’re not gonna follow the law? … And you have no timeline?
PATEL: No
Citizen Alan
@Soprano2: i also think a lot of it is that he is the son of a kennedy and therefore has the cachet of being a loud convert. “Look,” they say, “even the last of kennedys wants nothing to do with the liberal woke democrats!” Because none of these idiots could even name another living kennedy, let alone acknowledge the fact that then every one of them has categorically rejected RKJ and his deranged views.
Citizen Alan
@MattF: personally, i suspect the worst trump cabinet member is someone not on any of our lists because they’re competent enough not to have triggered a WTF reaction upon their appointment and cunning enough not to have drawn attention to themselves while they commit terrible evils against our society.
trollhattan
@Princess:
Do it. Do it for Cricket.
bjacques
@Ruckus: how BBC about Batman villains l-of-the-week, then: King Tut, Shame, The Mad Hatter, Marsha Queen Of Diamonds? Except the actors playing them were actually pretty good, and they clearly had fun.
The National Lampoon had bit where the Dick Tracy cartoonists got drunk after Chester Gould went home for the da, and created villains like Snot-Nose (an intellectual) and ShitFace.
Booger
@Captain C: UNREAD! UNREAD!
Renie
I live in the NYC metro area. Everyday on a FM rock station I hear Noem airing a commercial about rounding up immigrants. Why are our tax dollars being spent on this bullshit?
Booger
@Renie: IKR! Who listens to FM Rock anymore?
tam1MI
Yup.
trollhattan
@RaflW:
Missed a big opportunity to say “I am the law.”
eclare
@RevRick:
That is adorable.
Professor Bigfoot
Likewise the OH GOP.
lou
@Citizen Alan:
You mean Russell Vought, author of Project 2025 and OMB director? Why, yes.
brantl
I just hope the next one we elect and have a brain. Beard. ? Idon’t care if they have a beard. Even if it’s a woman, I don’t care if she has a beard as long as she can think; my standards have been lowered a lot since this last one, I’m just shooting for homo Sapien.
brantl
@Suzanne: if Junior delinquent started shaving where the fat stops he’d have to start at the top of his head, and if he waited until he stopped below where the fat stops he’d have to be at his toes.
leeleeFL
Betty, Darling, I swear I saw the title of this post, chuckled a bit, and then, sadly, said to myself,”too bad I am so jaded, I can even laugh out loud at Betty’s genius!”
Then I read thru to the end and you described the “not really a hillbilly” who has now been pantsed by two Popes in less than a month to a monumental fuckin T! I am still laughing, and for that, I thank you from my soul!
Juju
@La Nonna: You could also check with your state AG. They are in charge of that kind of stuff.
HopefullyNotcassandra
“Malevolent dingleberries” is making, and will continue to make, me guffaw likely all day. Thanks for that ! Have a glorious Friday all.
Scrounger
Incidentally, the only serious candidate for Pope with face-fuzz was Pizzaballa.
bluefoot
@schrodingers_cat: So no Sikhs then?
Ruckus
@Professor Bigfoot:
I started growing my beard just under 52 years ago, the last day I was in the USN. Have had one ever since. That not shaving other than to trim a bit is a LOT nicer than shaving every day. I trim it a bit smaller than I did back then and it’s now grayish rather than reddish brown (I tell ya this getting old stuff is getting old…) But I’ve enjoyed the not shaving anywhere near that much a lot more than I thought I would.
Ruckus
@Mr. Longform:
These guys are the asshole neighborhood kids that worked in pairs or even 3s to be just enough of a gang that they could screw with some of the smaller kids when in 4th or 5th grade, up until 7th/8th grade. Not every school had some of these guys but many did, especially larger schools. Mine did for sure. I know because I didn’t grow for almost 7 years till 12/13 yrs old. I had a couple of guys that picked on me, once. I learned early on that a fist or a knee in the right place – or even close, always helped. I didn’t have to do this as much as one might imagine. I found out that once you dealt well with one of them the rest at least sort of understood. Or at least figured it wasn’t worth it.
Matt McIrvin
@Soprano2: This is at or near the heart of their racism, transphobia and frequent disgust with the disabled; also their preoccupation with patriotic symbols. What is the “woke” media they hate but a collection of exhortations not to judge people by appearance?
The YouTube pseudo-archaeology debunker Milo Rossi notes that an extraordinary number of conspiracy theories about the ancient world are predicated on nothing more than “a thing looks like another thing”.
dnfree
@jonas: That’s a brilliant summary. Many Americans didn’t think what we had was working, and in many cases it wasn’t. The biggest Trump fans think Trump is accomplishing great things by firing people left and right.
schrodingers_cat
@bluefoot: They are an exception. Although not all Sikhs are keshdhari (have uncut hair).
Bostondreams
@SiubhanDuinne: fun fact. Sasse is still making a million bucks teaching part time at the Hamilton School on campus.
Kayla Rudbek
@schrodingers_cat: himbos are nice even though dumb. Kegseth is a peckerhead