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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

In after Baud. Damn.

You know he’s going to shit a cat.

Wait, what?

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

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

It’s possible to be a liberal firebrand without crapping on the party.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

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sandy beach, with water and sky. i'm a toes in the sand kind of girl

TaMara

You are here: Home / Archives for TaMara

TaMara has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2015.

Open Thread: Running In The Red – Feel the Shift

by TaMara|  March 24, 20269:39 pm| 34 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Activism, Running in the Red

This! This is why MazeDancer and I want to talk to Red State/District candidates, because there is a sea change happening and we believe they are on the ground experiencing it. They feel the tremors of the earthquake that is coming.

(Read all about Running In The Red here)

BREAKING: Democrats just flipped the Florida House district that includes Mar-a-Lago. Yes, Donald Trump is going to be represented by a Democrat.Our complete recap –>

— The Downballot (@the-downballot.com) 2026-03-24T23:48:33.395Z

Democrat Brian Nathan has pulled off a remarkable upset in the Special Election for Florida’s Senate District 14, defeating Republican Josie Tomkow.

— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T01:05:22.554Z

 

I’m sure Betty C. will have more to say, but I just so happy to see this.

Running In the Red: A New Series

A very squishable open thread

Open Thread: Running In The Red – Feel the ShiftPost + Comments (34)

Running In The Red: What’s Next

by TaMara|  March 22, 20264:30 pm| 31 Comments

This post is in: Democratic Politics, Political Action, Politics, Activism, Running in the Red

From TaMara: Now that we put our toe in the water, it’s time to find more candidates. Remember this is an opportunity to reach out to those souls running in deep Red Districts or Red States and learn what their experience has been. Is there a shifting landscape? Are they finding support from unusual people? What made them run?

What this isn’t. We are not endorsing any candidate, we just want to learn about their journey. Of course, if later we find out they are a closet-Nazi-racist-transphobe, we’ll deal with that appropriately. We don’t play here.  FAFO

**Wouldn’t want to besmirch a blog with such a pristine reputation**

You’ll see some cute kittehs in this post. Let me be clear, they are not running for anything except the cabinet of extreme cuteness.  But I thought MazeDancer needed to offer the appropriate fee for being on the front page.

***

Running In the Red: A New Series

 

From MazeDancer:

show full post on front page

Running In The Red: What’s NextPost + Comments (31)

Nothing can shift our nation faster, and more permanently, than electing Democrats in Red States.

That’s why, on Wednesday, we announced a new Balloon-Juice series called Running in the Red, Where we will support and follow brave Dems stepping up to run in hostile territory.

Here is the announcement post for those who missed it, or would like a refresher.

In that post, you will meet our first Running in the Red candidate Grace Van Cleave, vying for State Senate in Iowa

Next week, we will hear more from Grace out on the trail. And she will share her thoughts about what’s happening, now, with voters.

But we need more heroes.

Tuxedo cat in an box
Alethia judging you from her box

Bring Us Your Candidates!

This is your chance to turn armchair activism into big results.

Find us candidates.

Any Dem running for any office in a Red State or district qualifies. Even if they are a Blue pin dot district in a sea of red, we want to hear from them.

The series is hosted byTaMara and MazeDancer. We especially welcome way down ballot races where power really abides, School Boards, obscure elected Commission races, Town Councils.

Though, of course, if you have a contact at a marquee contest in a Red State, please bring them onboard.

Black cat sitting on a bookshelf
Kai judging you from above

Show ’em the post on Grace and sell ’em on Balloon-Juice. They say yes, put us in touch. (TaMara can be reached at the BJ link in the sidebar. MazeDancer can be reached at PostCardPatriots at gmail dot com).

We’ll welcome them effusively. And send them a quick written interview to start.

Proof positive you can do this – Mike Masuda will be our next featured candidate. Recruited by commenter WaitingForMountainLife, Mike is running for Congress in CA-5, where he aims to flip the district. The  Masuda campaign just had to see the post on Grace to understand what participation looks like. And they were in!

(And once again, we thank Grace for listening to Aunt MazeDancer – as fully disclosed at launch – and taking a chance with BJ. Lucky us.)

If you know a candidate personally, wonderful, but feel free to cold call. Email, phone, use the contact menu at their website, drop by an event, or their HQ. You’re offering candidates excellent, on-going national exposure. This is a good calling card.

One of the reasons we started Running in the Red was to give everyone at BJ, who would like to be more involved in the overthrow of the Trump regime, a real opportunity to do so.

White and brown cat sitting on a pillow
Tess, who would never judge you

So, bring BJ a lot of candidates, We have infinite pixel space to feature them all.

Remember, this is the year when those plus 10 Trump districts looks winnable. And we want to help and we want to hear from those who are running.

So, welcome to Running in the Red. Where we cheer our Dem heroes on their way to Blue Victory.

***

TaMara again: How about we make this an activism open thread? Let’s talk about what we’re all doing to take action, what we’d like to do if we weren’t so freakin’ tired (oh, sorry that’s probably just me) and what we can do. Maybe what the plans are for No Kings next weekend.

One of my senators is up for re-election and every time I get a donation request, I send him a note telling him what I expect him to do before I’ll donate one penny. Mostly it is resist Trump and GOP at every step.

How about you?

Running In The Red: A New Series

by TaMara|  March 18, 20265:30 pm| 30 Comments

This post is in: Democratic Politics, Political Action, Politics, Proud to Be A Democrat, Running in the Red

Note from TaMara: A month or so ago (time has no meaning any longer) MazeDancer commented about her niece running for office in a very red district. I said, “hey, what I can I do to help? ” A few emails back and forth, and Running in the Red was hatched. MazeDancer has done all the heavy lifting so far. I mostly ran the idea by the Blogfather and did a lot of cheerleading. Rah!

I really love this idea because I don’t think we understand what it takes to run blue in a red district/state. And I believe it’s a perspective that we need. Hear about the candidates’ experiences and what we can all do to help flip those red races.

What you will find below is the start of what I hope is something good. And hopefully also a new front pager.

For it to continue, we will need your input and the willingness of the candidates to participate.

Without further ado….here is the inaugural post.

***

Running In Red with ballot Box on a red white and blue background

show full post on front page

Running In The Red: A New SeriesPost + Comments (30)

Welcome to Running in the Red.  A New Balloon-Juice Series to Help Save Democracy

Nothing can shift our nation faster, and more permanently, than electing Democrats in Red States. That’s why Balloon-Juice is launching a new series called Running in the Red.  Where we will support brave Dems stepping up in hostile territory.

The series will bring reports, diaries, behind-the-scenes videos, and check-ins from our Running in the Red candidates working to save the nation.

It gets lonely out there surrounded by GOP, especially way down ballot where true change happens. Balloon-Juice can form an on-line army of support. Make phone calls, write PostCards, donate, or just cheer for as many Running in the Red candidates as you choose. If you live close enough, you can even knock on doors.

There is also a new, special Balloon-Juice opportunity for involvement which we will announce at the end of this post.

Our first “Running in the Red” Candidate is Grace Van Cleave. She’s running for State Senate in Iowa’s 17th.

Grace Van Cleave in a red jacket standing in front of a blue background. Text: Grace Van Cleave is fighting to build a new Democratic majority in Iowa

Grace Van Cleave has worked for big, important organizations ranging from EMILY’s list to the DNC.

Her senior campaign jobs have included being Finance Director for Governor Chet Culver in Iowa, and Chief of Staff to Governor Ned Lamont’s campaign in Connecticut

Longtime advocate for equality, Grace ran, four years ago, for Iowa House on a Reproductive Rights platform. And, like Barack Obama before her, lost her first race.

She concentrated on her successful fashion business advising women on how to dress beautifully without spending a fortune. But as the world sank into GOP-ness, she felt the call to public service again.

Iowa Candidate Grace canvassing on a snowy street

In our BJ Interview, Grace was no-nonsense, staunchly focussed on her goal of being a “results-oriented legislator”.

She is a shining example of the nationwide trend for Dems to be all about affordability and improving people’s daily lives.

As she says, “When government works well, it helps families thrive, supports small businesses, and protects democratic institutions.”.

But in Iowa, concern for public welfare has taken a back-seat to performative politics.

The Iowa Legislature “has spent more energy on privatization, restrictions, and tax ideology than on solving real problems for families.”

Grace continues,”Instead of strengthening public schools, expanding health care access, and investing in opportunity, too many policies shift risk onto ordinary people.”

For Grace,  “Public education is the foundation of opportunity.”. Which means keeping “public money for public schools”.  Because “Every child deserves a well-funded school with great teachers and strong programs.”.

It is clear many Iowans are done with legislative neglect of their real interests, as endorsements for Grace have flowed in. Including from Iowa’s Iron Workers Local 67.

You can read 24 rousing endorsements from prominent Iowans, here GraceforIowa.com/Endorsements

Relevant to BJ interests, Grace is a staunch supporter of animal rescue. She and her husband have a 15-year-old rescue dachshund named Molly.

When Molly’s doxie bonded sister, Maggie, passed away, they were worried Molly would be inconsolable,  But Grace reports that, after some mourning, Molly is enjoying her reign as “Senior Dog” and is “still full of determination and curiosity.”

We look forward to hearing from Grace early and often out on the trail.

Grace’s website is GraceforIowa  / You can volunteer here: GraceforIowa/Volunteer   / Donate at ActBlue

All local races are always desperate for every dollar.

Or if you are in driving distance, sign up to knock on doors with Grace any and every weekend.

Candidate Grace with black dog named Grace
While out canvassing, candidate Grace met a very good girl also named Grace.

The Future is Up to You

Who’s next? That is up to you.

Running in the Red will be hosted by TaMara and MazeDancer.

However, the candidates will be coming from you. Among the reasons we wanted to launch Running in the Red was to offer increased opportunity for real involvement to everyone at Balloon-Juice.

This is a sign for you to get involved. Bring us your candidates. And by “bring”, we need you to do more than just type a name in the comments. In fact, please don’t do that.

We need you to become Campaign Contact.  That means you set up a communication channel between Balloon-Juice and your candidate.  You find out if the candidate is interested in being featured. Show them the post on Grace. Tell them they can have one, too.

And, then, after their interview and launch post, we would like them to update with pics and vids from the campaign trail, whenever they please. If they say yes, you set up an email, phone, or text channel where Balloon-Juice can be in contact with your candidate.

And, here’s the active participation part – if the candidate does not reply to Balloon-Juice, you have to run interference.

If you do not understand how often campaigns don’t reply – even when you are offering them national exposure – you have never been in politics.

That’s why candidates who are friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, anyone you know personally, are more than welcome.

Grace Van Cleave is MazeDancer’s niece. Which is how we got such a great candidate to agree to launch the series.

(Aunt MazeDancer can be very persuasive. In all fairness, Grace once got Aunt MazeDancer to produce over a dozen portraits for Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s annual Poorly Drawn Pets fundraiser.)

 

Any and all Democratic candidates running for any office in a red district or state is worthy of BJ support. Doesn’t matter if it is a Blue Dot district in a sea of red. Doesn’t matter how teeny or huge the office. Anyone running in a red state deserves our attention.

You do not have to write anything.

TaMara and MazeDancer will handle that. You “just” have to get the candidates to stay in touch.

Note: You do NOT have to seize this opportunity to be involved. You can be an armchair warrior for all our upcoming Running in the Red candidates by supporting and donating at home.

But if you can be a Campaign Contact, we all thank you.

Blue Victory here we come!

(This is not an Open Thread)

Jesse Jackson’s Funeral Service

by TaMara|  March 6, 20263:26 pm| 22 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I came into this late – bsky was posting Obama snippets and I decided I wanted to hear his entire eulogy.  He starts 59:16 -ish (it will change as the video goes on).  I did come in as Biden was speaking, and he looks and sounds good.  I’d say more, but let’s keep this positive.

Open thread

Jesse Jackson’s Funeral ServicePost + Comments (22)

Late Night Open Thread: In Case You Missed It

by TaMara|  February 17, 202612:21 am| 55 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics

Colbert going scorched earth on CBS and the FCC

 

 

The censored interview

 

I’m a little tired of this timeline.

Remember to do something kind, not just for others, but for yourself. Then keep fighting.

Night all…

Late Night Open Thread: In Case You Missed ItPost + Comments (55)

Open Thread: We Rate Dogs Bringing the Truth Bombs Again

by TaMara|  February 10, 20263:54 pm| 28 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Blogging

I loved this explanation because you can send it to your grandma or grandpa and they will totally understand.  Your crazy uncle might be a lost cause.

 

These guys are not afraid to tell the truth, regardless of consequences. I haven’t seen any slowing down on their favorite causes – raising funds for injured and rescue dogs. They seem to be raising funds like crazy every time they need to.

I have a bunch of backlog good news and climate change info, I just need to find the time to write it up for the blog.  We could all use an emotional recharge, so I will make it a priority this weekend.

Here’s the requisite pups photo:

Two great danes on a couch, one resting her head on the other

I have no idea what’s going on, except poor Scout always so put upon. And I’m sure I’m being judged and found wanting. What’s new, LOL

Totally open thread…

Open Thread: We Rate Dogs Bringing the Truth Bombs AgainPost + Comments (28)

UPDATED: Liam and His Dad are Home! – Squishable Open Thread

by TaMara|  February 1, 202612:04 pm| 71 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

UPDATED:  Thank you Warblewarble for this

Warblewarble

 The laughing Lamb Ravelry Store, has a free pattern for blue bunny hats.

 

Here is the link to that pattern

============

Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.

— Joaquin Castro (@joaquincastrotx.bsky.social) 2026-02-01T15:49:14.422Z

 

5 year old Liam is home, according to @ilhanmn.bsky.social and @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social!

— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) 2026-02-01T16:40:55.575Z

 

We know that 4more children from Liam's school are still in ICE custody in TX. But we still do not know how many children from MN in total have been detained by ICE.

— Elizabeth Shockman (@eshockmanwrites.bsky.social) 2026-02-01T16:19:01.767Z

There are a bunch of posts getting ready in the backroom, but I did want to make sure we all saw this. Because I needed some more good news today.

Squishable open thread

UPDATED: Liam and His Dad are Home! – Squishable Open ThreadPost + Comments (71)

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