I’m going to assume most of you have seen Trump’s latest already. As the old saying goes, What can you expect from a pig but a grunt?
A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!
To actually back up a bit, this is probably a sign of just how bad his dementia has progressed. If you've been around people who are really down that rope, they become completely inwardly focused and can't actually muster grace for anything anymore.
— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Scrolling through the comments on that truth social post
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Rob Reiner has been the top topic here. Last night it was filled with communal grief, blessings on the family, & memories of a great man. Today half of them are about this human pit stain, who hereforth shall not be named. But know this: for anyone who supports him at this point, he is their mirror.
— arknet (@arknet.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The president is using this apparent family tragedy, which as far as we know had absolutely nothing to do with him, to convey the message that if his fans brutally murder his critics, they will receive his support and approval.
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Started, going
— Max Berger (@maxberger.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Legitimation crises happen slowly, then all at once.
— Malaclypse the Middle (@malaclypse.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
… Trump has a long track record of inflammatory remarks, but his comments in a social media post were a drastic departure from the role presidents typically play in offering a message of consolation or tribute after the death of a public figure. His message drew criticism even from conservatives and his supporters and laid bare Trump’s unwillingness to rise above political grievance in moments of crisis…
Reiner — a director of beloved films like “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally” — was one of the most active Democrats in the film industry and regularly campaigned on behalf of liberal causes and hosted fundraisers. He was a vocal critic of Trump, calling him in a 2017 interview with Variety “mentally unfit” to be president and “the single-most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States.”
The White House, which shared the president’s post, did not respond to a message about the criticism it was receiving and calls for Trump to take it down.
Speaking at the White House to reporters later Monday, Trump doubled down on his criticism of Reiner when he was asked if he stood by his post. Using the third person, Trump said Reiner “was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned.”
“I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way shape or form,” Trump said. “I thought he was very bad for our country.”…
Jenna Ellis, who was one of Trump’s lawyers and worked on his efforts in 2020 to overturn the results of the presidential election, pointed out Trump’s double standard and called his post “NOT the appropriate response.”
“The Right uniformly condemned political and celebratory responses to Charlie Kirk’s death. This is a horrible example from Trump (and surprising considering the two attempts on his own life) and should be condemned by everyone with any decency,” Ellis said in a post on X…
Baud
The Republic of Stupidity
Don’t take the bait… that’s what he and his supporters want… for us to get upset, shriek and moan, and wave our hands in the air…
He, and they, are just running the same tired playbook they’ve been working with for year now.
“Say something truly offensive, then sit back and watch the libtards freak out”…
Don’t give them what they want, and let the tired, increasingly incoherent orange man babble on and on…
That’s all it is… nonsensical babbling from a 79 yr old in the grip of a an ever accelerating mental decline, and that’s the only reaction the comment deserves.
Geoduck
There’s also the fact that the mainstream media is actually reporting on the latest vomit-spew, instead of doing their usual thing and pretending it just didn’t happen. NYT, WAPo, CNN, all of their websites had main-page stories about it. (Using mealy-mouthed sanewashing, but baby steps here…)
Omnes Omnibus
He is a fucking asshole. Always has been. Always will be. Any armchair medical diagnoses out there don’t change that fact.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
Call me cynical, but I don’t hear a change in tone from FFOTUS compared to his “normal.” What I hear is the press FINALLY starting to take notice of his narcissism, indecency and inanity, and the MAGAtry beginning to show signs of embryonic empathy stirring. Neither seems especially encouraging.
HeleninEire
The reactions are good, but let’s be careful. Many of his supporters say things like…”this is below you.” And many start with “I still support you but…”
They are getting there, but they are far away from rejecting him.
But…that being said, Ill take it.
The Republic of Stupidity
@Omnes Omnibus:
Yes…
He’s a complete, flaming orifice… and unfortunately one in charge of a nuclear arsenal…
FelonyGovt
Hoping that this is part of the drip, drip, drip signaling the beginning of the end. Little by little his voters and the media are realizing the extent of the derangement and narcissism of this despicable person.
Baud
prostratedragon
Other gleanings from yesterday, before some of the tragic news arrived. Over chyrons referring to a 🤡 Christmas address taking place somewhere,
Sure Lurkalot
Then there are his supporters who say “you’re better than this” or “I’ll always vote for/support you, but”. What the hell does he have to do to be a bridge too far for literally millions of people? ETA: See Helen got there 1st with this take!
The condemnation coming from Republican politicians and newspeople is a bunch of bullshit. This is his bottom? What is theirs? They know he’s a psychopath. Some of them and their own familes have been threatened. They have abdicated their power to a madman and put/leave him in control of a nuclear arsenal. They smile and flatter him while he foments civil war and deports people to 3rd world countries to be tortured
Aziz, light!
This is only the beginning of his failing sense of when to stop revealing who he is. Next year will be worse. One day while defending him at the presser Karoline will implode into the void like the house in Poltergeist.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Once again, no matter how low the bar is set for P-tape, he’ll find a way to slither under it.
His supporters expressing outrage at his latest? Screw them, too little too late. Get back to me when you start campaigning against him.
Socolofi
I suspect I’m in the minority, but I believe Trump never writes the Truth Socials – he just has various staffers do it. Maybe even some more senior ones like Miller. Mostly because I don’t see him typing in as long as these are, and text-to-speech needs editing or we’d have many more mistakes there.
I’m sure he still approves them. And they are a reflection of what he says, so he can’t deny them.
But I don’t think the quality of the tweet or what it means should in anyway point to declining mental ability.
Also, he’s a horrible, horrible person. Worse than Humperdink.
zhena gogolia
@FelonyGovt: I have given up on anything breaking the fever, but it would be a nice tribute to Rob Reiner if it had some substantive effect.
MattF
Trump really is mentally ill. Yes, there’s gray areas around and between ‘delusional’, ‘disoriented, ‘sick’, and ‘dishonest’— but there’s a point where it all stops being a serious question and starts being a therapeutic one. And Trump is there.
Eduardo
I think this is a huge step on the part of his supporters despite all their protests of love and support. They have lost their “innocence” and will in time see who he is. And he is going to help them in that journey as he will get even more disinhibited.
Raoul Paste
I’m glad this indefensible behavior is getting widespread attention. I’d say the opposite of woke is asshole.
ETA. I am also expecting a tribute reel to Reiner at the next Oscars. With no mention of you know who.
scav
Little by little they’ll recognize themselves in the mirror as he’s talking. Then it’ll get interesting.
Dmkingto
@Aziz, light!: Damn, how about a spoiler alert! I haven’t seen Poltergeist yet!
hells littlest angel
Okay, let me stop you right there, Jenna.
Melancholy Jaques
Maybe there’s no point to saying this here, but I’ve venting. People all over are reacting to that asshole’s remarks about Rob & Michelle Reiner’s tragic deaths as if it’s some line that’s been crossed, as if he hasn’t been exactly like this the whole time. So, with respect, but contra Schnorkles O’Bork, that asshole isn’t becoming anything and this isn’t dementia. This is who he is and has been the whole fucking time.
Thank you for letting me vent. I will say no more.
Jackie
Congress has been remarkably mute about FFOTUS’s vile comments. Anyone else push back against him besides Massie and MTG?
Baud
@Jackie:
They haven’t seen it! #SpeakerMike
zhena gogolia
@Melancholy Jaques: You are absolutely right.
It’s almost as if we didn’t hear him saying “grab ’em by the pussy” in the year of our Lord 2016.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@HeleninEire: MAGAtry has been brewing for decades. Limbaugh, Savage/Weiner and the other “talk” radio wingnuts coupled with FundiEvangelical “leaders” excusing anybody every bad action among their followers made it possible. FFOTUS is a symptom, nothing more; the rest of the Reichwing is just more civilized when giving voice to their venom.
Gvg
@Sure Lurkalot: Don’t necessarily believe that comment. People know he only listens to his supporters, so they have learned to preface anything they want him to listen to with variations on I support you. It’s also a way to be listened to by other republican’s, especially when you want to say something a little non herd like.
They were doing this way before, so I can’t tell anything by them saying that. If there are a lot of them saying they don’t like the comments, that is good. And they give each other courage. Remember these people prefer to be part of a group.
sab
@Baud: Oops. My stepson is a first adapter amd has one. I wonder if he will be able to get parts.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Melancholy Jaques: I think I was saying something similar.
Baud
They be lying.
lowtechcyclist
@Socolofi:
I’d think even Stephen Miller would have spent enough time among human beings to not write the following:
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Baud:
@Jackie:
Congressional GOP caucuses have been memorably unobservant of this maladministration. Almost as if it were a calculated measure to protect FFOTUS so long as he proved useful in shredding the Constitution, precedent, effectiveness and decency.
Baud
IOW, Trump will betray the country extra hard if he doesn’t get his ballroom.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Baud: Would those be anything like the assurances given in 1994?
Bill Arnold
@Baud:
Donald Trump’s very best campaign joke was his recitation of The Snake, helpfully telling the audience that it was about immigrants, when it was actually about Himself, and the audience represented the woman in the song.
trnc
He doubled down on it at a presser, so the sentiment was clearly his.
Baud
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq):
No. These are intended as lies from the outset.
PsiFighter37
@Socolofi: He doesn’t write them, because it’s clear he doesn’t know how to write anymore (if he ever did). But he certainly knows the content of what he ‘wrote’ because he dictates it to a sycophantic flunkie to post.
Old School
I think I read it here, but someone pointed out it’s kind of weird that Trump spelled Michele’s name correctly twice.
I guess she took his picture for “Art of the Deal”, but I’ve no clue he recalls who she was.
Baud
@trnc:
He loves making his supporters abandon their principles to stay loyal to him.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Baud: How will that be worse than normal? He’s already hung Ukraine out to dry, informed all of Europe that the US is now aiding fascist movements inside their borders, told Taiwan their independence is guaranteed only so long as their relationship with the US remains profitable, launched an all-but-shooting-war with Venezuela, shot US soybean farmers in the foot first with tariffs then with the Argentina bailoutn which Milei turned into a soybean market grab, and handed the PRC sensitive tech in exchange for nothing substantial.
trnc
@Baud: “Souls come so cheap, some people give theirs away”
Todd Rundgren (“Trapped,” by Utopia)
Melancholy Jaques
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq):
Yes, you were. I apologize for not recognizing it. I was all wound up & shit & scrolled by too fast. And I agree we should not expect any real change from his supporters & enablers.
Baud
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq):
It’s not a question I want answered.
Wapiti
@Baud: I guess they ‘re starting to hear the steady hum of small Chinese EVs that are going to eat their market share.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Baud: Banking on the likelihood of the architects’ and builders’ ability to embed foreign intelligence gear into the new structure such that what remains of US counterinteligence cannot locate and counter it all.
cain
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq):
They can’t sane-cover him because his dementia is up front and personal. His effect on the economy has started to make the GOP look very bad and so the media has to do something. Can’t both side this.
Joseph Patrick Lurker
Pigs and all other members of the animal kingdom possess more gravitas than Donald Trump who’s nothing more than a heartless, soulless, irredeemable scumbag.
XeckyGilchrist
I mean, people are right to be offended, but this just looked like more of Trump’s usual garbage to me. Pig, grunt, indeed
Baud
@XeckyGilchrist:
It’s indicative of Trump’s diminishing status. But he has a long way to go before he falls.
stinger
Somebody asked Trump about the Brown shootings, and he replied, “All we can do is pray.” Oh, how I wish someone, anyone, would immediately say, “Sir, would you lead us in prayer?”
Jackie
@stinger: FFOTUS is now blaming Brown security for not finding the shooter. “It’s not the FBI’s fault.”
different-church-lady
To mix metaphors: this is the straw that will finally break the fever.
Captain C
@Jackie: Does FFOTUS think that Brown campus security is more competent than the FBI? Worse, is he correct?
eta: I would also like to note for the record the still ongoing (and probably accelerating at an exponential rate these days) distancing of “Party of Personal Responsibility” from the actual reality of the Republican Party.
Old School
I guess there’s no reason to go to San Antonio now.
Baud
@Old School:
Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just ban Melania from the museum?
different-church-lady
I see there’s a lot of people on Truth Social who just haven’t been good at paying attention up to now.
Scout211
I read that.
But I think you mean, finding a person of interest, leaking his information to the press for social media doxxing and then releasing him because they detained the wrong man.
But still, who ya gonna believe, the Providence police chief or that lying, narcisstic asshole who has a very limited grasp on reality?
Baud
@different-church-lady:
Are you cheating on us with Truth Social?
different-church-lady
@Captain C: This will not be a scientific comparison until Kash Patel is president of Brown.
Nukular Biskits
Good evenin’, y’all!
Just got in from buying Ms. Biskits’ gifts. I hate shopping. I tried to convince her to order whatever she wanted (within limits, of course!) and she could use my credit card, but that didn’t fly.
Anyway, WRT to Trump being his usual dick self, once again, not a single MS Republican has exhibited an ounce of integrity or courage to denounce Trump’s remarks. And they never will.
Fuck them all.
different-church-lady
@Baud: I’m just going by the BS in this post. You think I’m a masochist?
Eduardo
@Bill Arnold: actually he said it was about both immigration and himself.
saw a big flag in a miami house saying “trump 2024 the revenge tour”
Captain C
@different-church-lady: I suspect the people I know who are Brown alums would riot if this was even remotely in danger of happening.
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
I can’t say as I’ve driven an EV pickup but I truly don’t understand why anyone would buy one.
Cars are far more efficient people-haulers, whether ICE- or battery-powered. Trucks are heavier, less aerodynamic and, especially when hauling a load or pulling a trailer, require buttloads of power.
Jackie
@Captain C:
I don’t think he thought that far ahead. He was shifting the blame of responsibility from his FBI’s inability to find the real shooter after the FBI misidentified the innocent guy as the shooter and had to release him.
Nukular Biskits
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq):
I can’t wait until Republicans start whining about what the next Democratic president says and someone asks them when they started paying attention to US presidents.
Martin
@Nukular Biskits: If you’re a contractor, you have a built-in generator, and the battery of an F-150 is large enough to power a house for upwards of a week. There’s literally a 120v AC outlet in the bed.
cain
@Baud:
If I recall the F-150 lightning was super popular. Likely nobody can afford it now thanks to all the shit that is happening out in rural areas.
BellaPea
@Old School: Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. If I had visited that museum, I would have done the same thing!
Nukular Biskits
@Martin:
Oh, I know. That was a major selling point for Ford.
But, as someone who owns (and drives) a truck, if it can’t haul or tow, then it isn’t a real truck.
NPR: Ford pulls the plug on the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck
cain
@Baud: I would be worried about an assassination attempt with full support of the U.S. govt.
Baud
Smart.
cain
@Nukular Biskits:
They could have improved it if it wasn’t for the hostility of the federal govt.
Martin
@Baud: I mean, given there’s a big fucking hole in the side of the building where the President lives and works, yeah. But that’s his own fault.
glc
@zhena gogolia: Meanwhile, I suggest leaving Trump aside for a moment and looking at what Scalzi has to say.
(Not you specifically, I’m just following up your remark.)
Jackie
@Scout211:
@Captain C:
I couldn’t remember where I read FFOTUS was blaming Brown University. Found it on RawStory:
zhena gogolia
@Baud: 😂
Scout211
President Trump continues to do the important business of running the country.
Ha ha. Just kidding. Taking time to insult Brown University security, Rob Reiner several times after Reiner’s tragic murder, he decided he needs more money and more revenge.
He’s filed yet another lawsuit against a news network. This time the BBC, for five biiiiiiilion dollars!,
Nukular Biskits
@cain:
Oh, I’m sure. Trump & Co. pulling federal subsidies is definitely going to cause a problem for EV manufacturing and sales in this country. And one of the consequences of that is, as someone up thread said, China will eat the lunches of US automakers. But, hey, we will have owned the libs, right?
Anyway, I think the F-150 Lightning had a lot of desirable features (such as using it as a whole-house generator). But, as a truck owner, I bought both mine valuing the ability to haul & tow, something Motor Trend found the Lightning wasn’t very good at doing (emphasis mine in bold):
Jerszy
I was honored to be production counsel on 2 of Rob Reiner’s recent films, “Shock and Awe” and “LBJ”. They were thrilling & special, never-forget experiences. While I wouldn’t claim to have been ‘close’ to him & Michele, I got to know them a bit and felt that they were fantastic individuals and producers, loving parents and just so *kind*. It’s been absolutely gutting since last night… they were genuinely two of the finest mensches you could ever hope to meet in Hollywood. Sometimes it *can* work out to meet your heroes. But I’m gonna need to log off at least the rest of the day. What a brutal world. Their memories will definitely be a blessing.
zhena gogolia
@Jerszy: I’m so sorry.
Scout211
. . .
geg6
@Omnes Omnibus:
Agreed. But take it from me, any bad character traits someone with early dementia may have had before their mind started going are pushed to just barely below the surface, ready to jump to the forefront when they are agitated. And they may not even know what has agitated them. And Cheetolini has many, many, many bad character traits.
Nukular Biskits
@Jerszy:
I’m ashamed to admit this but I didn’t know the extent of Reiner’s talent and contributions until his death.
It would have been an honor to have met him.
geg6
@Old School:
I adore this story and want to marry it.
Scout211
@Jerszy: My sincere sympathy.
It’s hard for most of us here, who never met him, because we are grieving the loss of such an artist who created so much beauty through his work.
But to have actually known him and worked with him has to be so much more painful. I’m so sorry.
WaterGirl
@geg6: You don’t talk about it much here, but I am so sorry that you are losing your John this way. They look like they are still there, but in many ways they are not. So cruel.
Jackie
@Jerszy: I’m sorry. I’ve never met him or Michele outside of talk shows where they’ve been interviewed, but they gifted the world in so many, many ways. We grieve with you.
trollhattan
Still has time for stuff like this.
BILLyuns of dollars and they’re going to pay, believe me. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
Martin
@cain: And the lack of public charging which was a point of failure that has been noted for a long time. Another ‘market failure’ that we refuse to recognize because it was never going to work in the first place.
But when it was announced in 2021, there was still the industry observation that EVs would be cheaper to make than ICE vehicles, and the F-150 Lightning showed up in that context – oh, we’ll get cheaper pickups. And with a starting price of $39K (before subsidies) Ford was kind of signaling that day had arrived. But just because they’re cheaper to make doesn’t mean they’ll be priced lower. Once you’ve convinced Americans to pay more for an EV, why change that?
schrodingers_cat
@zhena gogolia: Same here. After Jan6 he should not have had a political career.
geg6
@WaterGirl:
All I can say is it is the most exhausting experience of my life. Physically, because I have to do everything to keep this house and keep us all fed. Emotionally because of exactly what you said. He was a guy with an MBA, a former business consultant who worked all over the world and was funny and smart. Mentally because I have to remember and keep track of everything. And I really have no one to help me. I’m the fittest and healthiest among my siblings and my nieces are insanely busy with their lives. And his brother is worse than useless. Plus, I don’t even know where his daughter is as we’ve not heard from her since the last time she called asking me to send her cash and I said no. She’s an addict and would be worse than useless anyway.
And now I’ve vented. That should keep me for a day or two.
trollhattan
@Jerszy:
Great story, so sorry to learn of it in this horrid fashion.
Take care of yourself.
trollhattan
@Nukular Biskits:
The irony being 80% of pickups don’t haul or tow a damn thing. They’re the new minivan and Camry, just check any parking lot.
They Call Me Noni
@Eduardo: Yeah, and then the younger, less crass but with a more sophisticated vocabulary will come along and they’ll all say “Daddy who?” and fall right back in line. But hope does spring eternal.
trollhattan
@cain:
Three in the lot at work. Along with the thirty or so reg’lar kind and a sprinkling of Rivians.
Scout211
@geg6: You just described my life right now.
It’s hard. So hard. My thoughts are with you. I know what you are going through because I live it every day.
TONYG
@Socolofi: That sounds about right. I think that there is a good chance that Trump is literally unable to read or write. He probably dictates this shit to one of his advisors — yes, maybe even Miller — who then cleans up the grammar and posts it. What has changed, I think, is that Trump’s dementia has reached the point at which he is no longer able to restrain his worst impulses. The next few years will be … interesting.
Nukular Biskits
@trollhattan:
Don’t get me started on that. Probably 50%-70% of the vehicles in Ingalls Shipyard parking are trucks … with only 1 passenger.
Trucks are indeed multi-purpose vehicles. But it’s truly stupid to buy one as a daily beater unless you’re using it AS A TRUCK, not as a passenger vehicle. Or, as it seems to me, a status symbol (for example, it makes abso-fucking-lutely no sense to buy a F-250 King Ranch 4×4 Supercrew to simply haul your ass to/from work.)
West of the Rockies
@PsiFighter37:
Pity the poor bastard standing by Trump in the toidy at 3 a.m. typing his dictation onto Truth Social.
RevRick
@Omnes Omnibus: The one person we can say with complete confidence has Trump Derangement Syndrome is… Donald Trump. As his post on Truth Social about the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife indicates, Trump’s malignant narcissism means he cannot imagine any significant event as other than revolving around him.
MagdaInBlack
@West of the Rockies: Maybe he bellows it through the door ? I hope.
I had a moment of pity for the scribe, but I’m recovering from that slip.
JoyceH
@Nukular Biskits: Reiner’s death came a few days after Dick Van Dyke turned 100, and it struck me that the only way you’re going to hear all the lovely eulogies people are going to give you while you’re still alive is to live to be 100.
West of the Rockies
@MagdaInBlack:
It would be pretty to think so.
Ruckus
@The Republic of Stupidity:
I haven’t seen you here before (doesn’t mean in the least that you haven’t been here….) but this is a good comment.
First “Don’t take the bait.” He is and will fail all on his own, because that’s who he’s actually always been. It’s just that he’s not just failing from his dumb mouth, he failing as a basic human being of either party.
Second there is only one playbook he’s ever had and it’s that he’s GREAT, and everyone else is pure shit. Oh wait isn’t that the other way around?
Third, he uses his pompous arrogance (which he has in an over abundance. Overabundance is barely rising high enough to cover the immense overabundance of his pompous arrogance.
Fourth, sure it is an accelerating mental decline but accelerating really is a difficult concept when the decline is already at the speed of light. Yet he manages to decline. And from such an advanced stage….. Amazing, but really, really not in a good way…..
trollhattan
“General Pushups, I’m putting you in charge of Camp 24-Hour Fitness. Are you IN?”
“Sir, yes sir mister secretary!”
This will not end well.
JoyceH
Has Mike Johnson delivered his obligatory “I haven’t seen it yet, I don’t know all the details” in regards to Trump’s latest and worst rants yet?
And BTW, while there is a lot of understandable coverage of Trump’s despicable words about the Reiners, I was also struck by his sense of grievance that he wasn’t being sufficiently appreciated for the idyllic Golden Age he’s created for us.
Martin
@Nukular Biskits: But it’s not just that. We left the problem of public charging to the free market and they had no interest, so it didn’t happen. China builds them as a government action. California has concluded the same thing with Caltrans now building out the states public charging network.
And if you compare the Chinese EVs to US counterparts, the problem isn’t the drivetrain, it’s the overall expectations of the car. The cheap Chinese EVs don’t do 0-60 in 3s (something of an expectation in the US market), they weigh MUCH less than US cars do – in part because the US is so dominated by massive SUVs and trucks that you need a lot of mass in smaller cars to survive crashes. Most other countries don’t let people drive around in an 8,000lb vehicle without a commercial license. There are systemic problems in the US market that we refuse to deal with that lead to the outcomes we see. Instead we characterize it as a ‘market failure’ as if there was ever a potential for a market success.
MagdaInBlack
@TONYG: I don’t think he has “years” left. I would be surprised if he has a year.
Ruckus
@HeleninEire:
Good progress can be rare.
Great progress is rare.
Very great progress is what we are seeing now. Surely we aren’t stunned that very great progress in his decline is on display…..
bbleh
@scav: I don’t think they’ll ever see themselves in him, except insofar as they idolize him. On the contrary, this will be an Exception That Proves The Rule, or some other nonsense, that confirms they were Right All Along.
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq): yes. As noted elsewhere, he’s the right guy in the right place at the right time. He saw a parade — the one Republicans have been assembling for DECADES — he jumped in front of it as he always does, and … he was the perfect front-man: an emotionally underdeveloped bigoted asshole who thinks he deserves the world.
Ruckus
@trollhattan:
This will not end well.
Not within a million miles of well.
Nukular Biskits
@JoyceH:
Sad but true.
Randal Sexton
@Baud: aaaaarrrrg. I spent all day getting my lightning to the skagit valley frontier ford dealership for some problem, hoping to get I there between floods , ferry boats cancelled and delayed and now find out my (somewhat) beloved ev is cancelled.
Odie Hugh Manatee
I played internet proctologist and checked out the asshole site known as Free Republic to get their pulse on this shit from Hair Furor. I’ve been checking the place out for years because it’s a great place to get the current pulse of crazy. It’s been pretty much non stop rah rah rah MAGA there but this screed from him is not going over well there. Those who are not happy with this are pointing out to the hardcore supporters there that Reiner and Michelle offered their condolences to Kirk’s wife on Kirk’s death and said did not think he deserved what happened to him.
After everything that the Nazi Rapeclown has done that they have cheered on, something is finally making some of them pause and even recoil in horror. It’s momentary and will probably pass quickly but it is good to see some of them realize that their guy shows he has no grace or class and doesn’t know when to shut his yap.
The asshole is completely off of the rails and still the Republican party refuses to stop him. Chickenshit spineless shitweasels, all of them. Craven opportunists with no conviction or strength, in positions of power that they are incapable of exercising for the good of the nation.
Honus
KrackenJack
@Nukular Biskits:
IIRC, the head of Ford said the cost of batteries reversed the current economics of vehicles – that larger is much more profitable. Without an EV mandate, they’ll build as many gas-powered SUVs and trucks as they possibly can.
trollhattan
@Nukular Biskits:
Really, really hope it’s just a phase and had thought chronic $4.50 gas would put a brake (heh) on the fad. The eye test tells me full-size pickups and SUVs are a big slice of the commute and suburban mall fleet.
It’s not like folks buy fleet-grade trucks either, they buy frickin’ “Platinum” series whatevers that start at $75k then drive them as though they’re Camaros. Hey bud, one lane per customer.
Beds are usually pristine, I’ll give them that. Gravel? Home Depot will deliver that mess.
Nukular Biskits
@Martin:
Agreed, with the exception of this:
Obviously, you hate capitalism because the “correct” conclusion here is not that the market failed, but we failed the market.
/snark
frosty
I’m not there yet, but I’ll go with Churchill’s “This is perhaps the end of the beginning.”
Nukular Biskits
@Honus:
Sad, but true.
trollhattan
@JoyceH:
Save us Mel Brooks, you’re our only hope.
Ruckus
@Socolofi:
I’d bet that there are worse people than him, humanity does have a range…
However most of those worse people seem to know they are horrible but like being there or have no concept of not horrible.
I’d bet he doesn’t know how bad he is because he’s very, very likely to not ever be able to admit one millionth of what everyone sees for themselves, even if they can’t admit seeing it.
Nukular Biskits
@KrackenJack:
While this is not intended to be a defense of Ford, per se, they are building what Murkans keep demanding.
And, when the next economic crisis hits (like 2008, which fuel prices skyrocketed), they’re gonna be left with bazillions in unsellable inventory. Again.
Nukular Biskits
@trollhattan:
Maybe this weekend, I’ll post a pic on my Bluesky account what a REAL truck should look like. ;>)
trollhattan
@West of the Rockies:
Kinda wish Trump would go back to yelling at the auto-fill voice feature on his phone and then hitting [send].
Life was simpler in the time of Covfefe.
Ruckus
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Conservatism has been loosing some admiration as more and more people back fence over the internet. People get to see/hear and discuss his bullshit almost as fast as he produces it. I don’t predict that it will go good for him. The problem is of course what all of the rest of us have to put up and deal with.
Honus
@cain: outside of towing, which most truck users do only occasionally, it does most truck stuff (hauling some plywood and tools) equally as well as an ICE truck at about $10 for a recharge as opposed to $70-80 for a tank of gas or diesel. If I were still a carpenter I’d definitely have one. I could spend the extra thousand or so a year on beer.
trollhattan
We’re reaching the end of our weekslong fog slog with no sun. Tomorrow night it shall begin raining then per the forecast, rain the next seven days. Yay?
Elizabelle
I think that Trump Reiner post was Stephen Cheung. It is that whack and ugly.
Plus, “Michele.” Although no mention of having met her. (She took his portrait.)
Jackie
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Between the House and the Senate, I’ve seen TWO pushbacks against FFOTUS’s despicable screed on the Reiner murders. Massie and MTG both condemned his words.
The Republicans in both houses have swallowed their tongues and have averted their eyes. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!
geg6
@Scout211:
{{hugs}}
lowtechcyclist
And another old expression goes, “happy as a pig in mud.” Pigs are capable of genuine happiness and enjoyment, which is more than can be said for Cheeto Benito.
Scout211
NBC posted an article all about the Trump administration posting “inaccurate” information in response to these tragedies.
Yes, the article is soft-pedaled, using inaccurate instead of “irresponsible, premature and f*cking wrong!” But at least they are reporting that this administration has a pattern of reporting wrong information, having to walk it back and then denying that they did anything wrong.
Melancholy Jaques
@bbleh:
What put him ahead of all the Republican assholes in 2015-2016 was that his hatred of Obama was public, unlimited, and equal to that of Republican voters.
zhena gogolia
@West of the Rockies: I have no pity for anyone working for him.
trnc
@trollhattan: The punchline is that the allegedly maliciously edited clip did not air on American outlets owned by the BBC.
trnc
I assume he is holed up somewhere to avoid being asked about it.
FastEdD
Hey you guys, Ford is not cancelling the F150 Lightning. What they are doing is adding a gas engine to the EV truck, which has been in planning stages for awhile. They will not build a pure EV version but instead an EREV with 700 miles of range. Best of both worlds, EV for around town, gas for long trips and towing.
theautopian.com/ford-will-add-a-gas-engine-to-the-f-150-lightning-to-create-a-700-mile-erev/
NotMax
Unhappy holidays.
Heard on Maddow’s show, 35.000 medical staff newly axed from the Veterans Administration.
schrodingers_cat
@NotMax: Wonder how many veterans voted for the Republican for President.
Ruckus
@Socolofi:
He’s failing faster and faster than ever. Anyone around a lot of pompous, arrogant, assholes has seen this. It’s the point at which the obvious becomes obvious all of a sudden to a far larger group, especially when what they see makes it bad for everyone, not just those they don’t like, but EVERYONE. Many that voted for him won’t protest because they’d have to admit they were wrong. But there is bad and there is Completely, Fucking BAD. And we are there.
Can you imagine anyone saying they were wrong with the concept of, the vote for Shitforbrains? I can, because he’s not just becoming a bigger, louder, more pompous arrogant jackass, he’s doing it a very loudly and with for him a very likely becoming a not in any way friendly audience. This crap is not normal, for really most humans. Now some may not admit it in a lot of places but I’d bet many, possibly more than enough will say it out and proud how badly he’s falling and how fast. Like days ago fast. Which is fast but without having to dig up proof because it’s right in front of all of us.
Another Scott
@Baud: Some smart people have been saying for years that the sensible thing to do is hybridize, and especially plug-in hybridize, cars and trucks before pushing all-out for fully electric fleets.
Why?
It quickly and substantially improves the fleet fuel economy.
It spreads the limited supply of batteries across more vehicles.
It lets manufacturers do their incremental improvement stuff before committing factories to a particular battery technology (and batteries are still advancing quite rapidly – especially compared to new auto model cycles (can be as much as 10 years from first designs to full-scale production).
You know, kinda like what Toyota’s been doing.
I don’t know whether Toyota is actually the universal model here, time will tell whether their hybrids and PHEVs can compete against China’s upcoming EV onslaught, but it does seem the big US manufacturers, GM especially, have trouble with big technology changes. Sometimes it’s good to be a fast follower, or at least not a pioneer with all the arrows in one’s back…
E.g. GM’s attempt to fight VW and small cars with the Corvair, Tempest, etc. The attempt to cut production costs with the Vega and Astre. The attempt to sell cars differently with Saturn.
tl;dr – Ultimately Ford has to be able to sell enough things to make a profit. The Lightning was apparently too early. These battles are far from over.
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Jackie
@trnc:
Fixed
mrmoshpotato
Actively avoiding it. No late night shows for me tonight. RIP Rob and Michelle.
Matt McIrvin
@JoyceH: I’ll bet Trump is no fan of Dick Van Dyke either, because Dick Van Dyke is sure no fan of Trump.
Randal Sexton
@Nukular Biskits: the lightning was unusual: first ev to easily enable vehicle to grid/home. I use it as a backup generator for my house. It was way cheaper than Tesla power wall or any equivalent. Also if charging from a home outlet it is way cheaper to put 300 miles in my truck than equivalent gas. 15 bucks to fill up vs a hundo
Jackie
@Matt McIrvin:
May Dick Van Dike live longer than FFOTUS!
NutmegAgain
I believe there will be another document dump of Epstein stuff this coming Friday. Hope that’s true. Drip drip drip on the orange thing.
NutmegAgain
@Another Scott: A couple of thoughts. I’ve seen at least 3 charging stations built in grocery store parking lots. Seems like there are 8 “pumps” more or less at each. Only one is a Tesla station. So that indicates something. I’m in central CT. Also, Corvair? Corvair!?! . Unsafe at any speed, and all that.
...now I try to be amused
@geg6:
Sounds like dementia has something in common with alcohol. When we’re drunk we’re ourselves, only more so.
Jackie
LOL!
TS
@NotMax:
wapo.st/3KRCbLk gift link
Another Scott
@Nukular Biskits:
“F-250 King Ranch 4×4 Supercrew”
There’s at least one, maybe two, of those things (or something like them) in our subdivision.
They’re llllll ooooooo nnnnnn gggggggggggg pickemups.
Wheelbase – 175.9″ (LWB Crew Cab)
Overall length – 266.2″ (22.2 feet, 6.76 meters)
They’re very clean and shiny and seem to mainly be commuter vehicles.
Madness.
The one I know best is so long that it just barely fits in their driveway, and, of course, blocks the sidewalk.
Grr…
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Jackie
@NutmegAgain: Gawd, were the latest Epstein dumps only FOUR DAYS AGO?!?
Matt McIrvin
@Another Scott: We both considered buying an EV for our current vehicle and ended up getting hybrids instead–mostly because our home situation (no garage or carport, small driveway, only a 110V exterior socket and we’re parking on the street much of the time) is kind of unconducive to EV charging without more infrastructure upgrades. But at some point we may have to bite the bullet.
Still, my car gets high enough fuel economy (and, these days, I go in to the office infrequently enough) that fluctuations in the price of gasoline are just not a major concern for me.
Another Scott
@NutmegAgain: Yeah, the Corvair.
It had problems early on, over-stated by Nader, of course, but the second generation version was actually a pretty good car (had a better suspension, etc.).
Similarly, the Vega could have been a good car, but GM was determined to crank them out as quickly and cheaply as possible, so quality suffered. Etc., etc.
FWIW.
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Sister Golden Bear
@Nukular Biskits:
My brother bought one, but he’s an actual contractor who owns a roofing company and does a lot of daily driving between job sites, potential clients, etc. (although all within the F-150 Lightning EV’s range). Saves him a huge amount on gas. I know he uses it to haul loads at least some of the time—but no trailers. Also the massive torque you get with EVs is apparently useful.
Sister Golden Bear
@Jerszy: I’m so sorry, my sympathies.
Ruckus
@geg6:
I’ll ask.
Does shitforbrains have ANY good traits?
I’ve never seen any and I was a trained mental health counselor, with a weekly review concept with other counselors and paid shrinks (they do the heavy duty stuff…) coaching us as we went. Very interesting. I would have quit if shitforbrains walked in and asked for counseling. Of course he’d NEVER admit he needed any so there was no worry of that. Plus I was more than a few miles away from anywhere he was. I’m not that stupid….
Jager
@Another Scott: My wife drives an 8-year-old Chevy Volt. She does her daily commute (33 miles round trip) on the battery. We’ve driven it on trips from time to time, at 70-75 on the highway, it gets 34 miles to the gallon. Too bad Chevy decided not to build them anymore, we’d buy another one in a minute.
Aziz, light!
@Jackie: It occurs to me that Van Dyke has known Rob Reiner since Rob was 13 or 14 and on the set of his father’s show.
TS
trump now suing the BBC for $10 billion – in Florida. One can hope the BBC tells him to go fly a kite – no doubt the UK govt will fall all over trump and pay who knows how much. All he wants from the presidency is $$$$ and he sure won’t have time to spend it – the children must be having raptures about their inheritance – hopefully there will be arguments and the lawyers will get the giant share.
Iron City
@NutmegAgain: Nader was a lawyer, not an engineer, and knew very little about what he was publishing. Corvair was a very inovative effort and a nice little car. If it was so awful and unsafe people would not have been racing them and rallying them without major casualties. Nader was just very good at getting people to believe he knew what he was talking about, so sales went down the tubes, and the competition from other manufacturers didn’t help. The PIRG thing Nader started later seems to still be around like a self anointed expert Consumers Union to tell you what to think. You can take my opinion with an appropriate grain of salt because I admit to being a recovering Vega owner (got rid of it at 90K miles when I was getting 200mpg (on oil)). Other than that, a really decent car.
Spanky
@Iron City: I just surprised myself to find that that sumbitch is still alive.
Jackie
@Aziz, light!:
Crazy, huh?!
Jackie
Three more boat strikes today.
frosty
@Aziz, light!:
Rob Reiner may have bee on the set behind the scenes with his father who produced it, when he could have met Van Dyke. He wasn’t an actor according to anything I’ve read.
Marc
@frosty: You remember his Dad’s recurring role as Dick’s boss Allan Brady?
Jay
@Another Scott:
Depends where you live.
In the Lower Rainland, there are tons of charging stations, because BC Hydro has fully committed to EV’s. BCAA’s ride share company EVO and their competitor MODO, have both committed to EV’s. They both have their “own” street parking, with charging stations that the public can use when one of their vehicles isn’t parked and charging there. Most LML charging stations are half full at most times and many malls and businesses have put in EV Parking/Charging Stations.
As you head east, ton’s of charging in Chilliwack, Hope and at two rest stops on the Coquihalla Highway. Then you hit Merrit. Lot’s of charging there too.
The BCMOH and BC Hydro are on track to have all Highway Rest Stops to have 4 charging stations by 2028.
EV Charging only becomes a “search” east of Medicine Hat, so 1260 km east of Vancouver.
And they are all fast chargers, that’s not including PHEV charging.
Having the PHEV option is very popular in Edmonton, because almost ever parking stall has a 120V outlet, and the electricity is free. They have been there for decades, always free.
They were put in so you could plug in your block heater in winter, go to the Mall for 4 hours of shopping, and not come back to a car/truck with a cracked block or blown out freeze plugs.
NotMax
#frosty
Apparently Norman Lear felt otherwise.
cain
@Nukular Biskits:
Yeah, definitely a challenge. I’m actually wondering how they were planning on doing trucks too. I know they want that so they can do self driving trucks and get rid of the truckers.
Of course, with the anti-battery/anti-ev thing going – that will likely not happen but might happen in the EU.
cain
@Honus:
one thing I remember from the 70s band 80s about flatbed trucks is how worn and scratched up. Like they were _used_. Today, I see a ton of flatbed trucks and they are look pristine. I don’t know if trucks have gotten better at resisting scratches or these people don’t use it for anything other than to drive around.
If they are just driving around then these trucks are just fine. I mean if the goal is just to be seen driving a truck to show off to your buddies then — there you go.
Gloria DryGarden
@RevRick: exactly. I was rewriting that whole diatribe/ paragraph, switching out the subject of each sentence. What the tweeting malignant narcissist said about Rob Reiner and his wife, are all things one could easily use to describe the guy tweeting it.
cain
@geg6: I’m so sorry to hear about your tough times. I’m glad that you have this place to rant. My uncle and aunt have a similar life, my parents go to India to cover for them as much as they can to take care of their mom. (she’s 104 and has dementia)
Salty Sam
Interesting to remember that Rob Reiner’s father Carl played Dick Van Dyke’s boss on the Dick Van Dyke Show. What a world.
Matt McIrvin
@NotMax: Seth Meyers told a great story about Norman Lear appearing at a celebration of his 100th birthday and being asked for reminiscences, and struggling a bit to recall something until Rob Reiner shouted from the back of the room “Norman, tell the story about” such and such, basically nudging Norman Lear to tell his greatest-hit anecdotes through the evening. Meyers noted that Reiner was known for bringing out the best in everyone he worked with, and said it seemed he was that way in his everyday life too.
Msb
@Old School: marvelous – best laugh this week.
“should be condemned by everyone with any decency” – There’s the problem, Jenna; he has none.
Kathleen
@Salty Sam: Carl Reiner also created and produced the show.
WaterGirl
@geg6: I was away from the thread when you responded. I’m so sorry you’re on your own with this. 💕
Dave
@Nukular Biskits: That’s exactly what it is a status symbol. Men especially are questionable in some areas if they don’t have a truck. Which is the sort of thing that inclines me to purchase and electric bike but unfortunately I live in a snowy area with not great public transportation.
Dave
@TS: Positions they intentionally didn’t fill. Added benefit of course if a future administration does expand the number of positions they will find it harder to hire because the main advantage of working for the federal government, reliability, will be gone.
Paul in KY
@Dmkingto: Now it’s been out 30 years…
Paul in KY
@Baud: Ha! Good one.
Paul in KY
@Baud: Vaya con dios! Cancun is a very nice place.
Paul in KY
@geg6: Please take some time for yourself! Caregiving (as you know too well) is a hard hard job. Can you hire someone to help out for periods when you can recharge?
Paul in KY
@Scout211: Sending good thoughts and prayers your way! As I mentioned up above, please take some time for yourself. It makes you a better caregiver, IMO.
My sister and I did alot of it as our dad and mom succumbed to very old age. A bummer, as every day they’re just a bit worse. No getting ‘better’.
Paul in KY
@Nukular Biskits: I think alot of dudes think it helps them with the wimmens. Whether it does or not, who knows. They do think it, though.
Paul in KY
@trollhattan: I would like to think that a bunch of O-10s could shiv a doofus such as Kegsbreath.
WaterGirl
@Scout211:
I was away from the thread when you responded, too. I’m so sorry, such a tough and heartbreaking road. 💕
Paul in KY
@schrodingers_cat: Way too many.
Paul in KY
@Another Scott: The 2nd gen one was a pretty car.
Rot in Hell, Nader. For other things.
Paul in KY
@Iron City: Any wreck problems were due to doofuses being unfamiliar with a car that had more weight at rear.
In hindsight, maybe GM should have evened out the weight distribution.
Paul in KY
@Iron City: When’s the last time you saw a Vega on the road? For me, over 35 years ago.
Captain Magic
From over at Naked Capitalism:
via email from IM Doc:
Kayla Rudbek
@NutmegAgain: personally I think that every suburban shopping center and mall should have plenty of charging stations (particularly if they have a movie theater, charge your car up completely while you watch a movie)