Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, How about that weather?, Open Threads, Racial Justice, Space, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
nerds awkwardly high fiving after doing a cool thing remains humanity’s few objectively great signals of progress https://t.co/Lpx80ljgi9
— smirk gibson (@CalmSporting) September 27, 2022
THIS ONE IS FOR THE DINOSAURS
— DART the Asteroid Slayer (@DARTprobe) September 26, 2022
Lol Musk is upset because NASA just pulled off hitting an asteroid, while all his products ever hit are pedestrians. https://t.co/fLsmt0s9te
— Read Class Struggle Unionism by Joe Burns (@JoshuaPotash) September 26, 2022
Stay safe, Floridians…
It’s been over a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area. It's now home to 3 million people with many in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding. https://t.co/sgOeqwveT5
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 26, 2022
Negotiators have agreed to include more than $12 billion in additional U.S. aid to Ukraine in a bill Congress is set to consider this week. https://t.co/QUy7ZylQcd
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 27, 2022
In an effort to prevent another Jan. 6, bills moving through the House and the Senate would make it harder for lawmakers to object when Congress counts the electoral votes in a joint session after a presidential election. https://t.co/pma44tm2n9
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) September 26, 2022
71% of Americans approve of labor unions — the highest reading since 1965, according to Gallup.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 24, 2022
Is it? Tubman volunteered as a field agent for the U.S. government in a war waged against a treasonous clique of racist oligarchs. Cynicism need not abide to honor that legacy.
Nor did Tubman ever stop fighting for the veteran’s pension she was owed: https://t.co/0izaMxgDuC https://t.co/LSz9yAfw4I
— Peter Wolf (@peterawolf) September 26, 2022
She led one of the most famous espionage operations in US military history.
— Le Brandón Sinistre (@agraybee) September 26, 2022
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Major ImpactsPost + Comments (245)
by David Anderson| 83 Comments
This post is in: Gay Rights Are human Rights, Open Threads, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
Voice and exit are the two ways that people in shitty situations can attempt to influence their local environment. As a reminder, always know where your immediate exit line lies:
Apropos this horror show: if you have a job—if you exchange your labor for money in any way—you should know what your quit-on-the-spot red line is. You should write it down and keep that paper in a safe place. And you should re-read it regularly. https://t.co/ROhZoCOPO2
— Laura Davulis (@Davulis) September 9, 2022
Open thread.
This post is in: A Woman's Place Is In The House, Hillary Clinton 2016, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat
“Was I happy when I beat Donald Trump by nearly 3 million votes but lost the Electoral College? No,” @HillaryClinton tells @NorahODonnell. “Did I ever for a nanosecond think, ‘I’m gonna claim victory and try to get the Democrats to refuse to certify the election’? No.” pic.twitter.com/PtRziziTH8
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 6, 2022
Normal people never hated Hillary Clinton with anywhere near the fervor of Our Media Betters, who didn’t want the person in the Oval Office to be someone who already knew (and didn’t appreciate) all their favorite high-school-clique tactics. The press, in general, adored TFG, because he made their jobs ‘fun’ and easy.
But now it looks — even to the Media Village Idiots — like that guy just might’ve been a liability to our democracy, which would be okay if that didn’t mean the media cheerleaders might get down-rated as well by the fickle viewing public.
Time for a reset! I’ll take it; I’m just glad Clinton gets the chance to say I TOLD YOU SO while she’s still able to enjoy it.
EXCLUSIVE: @HillaryClinton tells @NorahODonnell she does not plan to run for president again, but did vow to do everything she can to ensure a future president “respects our democracy.” Adding if Trump runs again that Republicans should “grow a backbone.” pic.twitter.com/GMwJ6qMF5Y
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 6, 2022
How easy is it to walk out of the White House with boxes of classified documents? @HillaryClinton weighs in. #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/Rhm5KQG0xZ
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) September 7, 2022
Transcript pic.twitter.com/p1UnDx8HRt
— KathleenFrances?? (@Kathlee71013772) September 6, 2022
“yayy” so here’s hillary clinton meeting people in venice last week
i will never forgive the media for how they treated hillary. they painted her as a shrew and demanded perfection from her
she won the popular vote despite the vitriol & sexism. she made the impossible possible pic.twitter.com/5YUYHrHYJ0
— diane-jefferson (@dianejeffersonc) September 5, 2022
(I don’t endorse this, but I appreciate it… )
We’ve found Trump’s Special Master. #TrumpStoleTheDocs #ArrestTrump #deadlineWH pic.twitter.com/PPRKnZpTTI
— D (@crazyauntd) September 1, 2022
Changing Public Opinion Open Thread: Hillary Was Right All AlongPost + Comments (125)
This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Popular Culture, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
Rocker Melissa Etheridge has found a new stage: The Grammy- and Oscar-winner will unveil a solo show mixing her music and stories off-Broadway.
“Melissa Etheridge: My Window – A Journey Through Life” is set for 12 performances starting Oct. 13. https://t.co/PuLyo0V7OB
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 15, 2022
(Doubt it’ll happen, but I’d pay money for a video of one of these performances, or even a livestream… )
What do @kimkardashian, @gloriasteinem, @theestallion, and @janegoodallinst all have in common? They're gutsy.
Join us for intimate conversations with some of the world's boldest and bravest women.#Gutsy premieres September 9 on Apple TV+. pic.twitter.com/1XZzXyQvBt
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 23, 2022
Cyndi Lauper talks about the return of “Kinky Boots” to New York, so-called cancel culture and the role of artists now that some rights are being rolled back. https://t.co/L0XLk5qYhD
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) July 26, 2022
… The Cyndi Lauper- and Harvey Fierstein-created musical landed on Broadway in 2013 in the middle of the Obama administration, a big hug of acceptance, tolerance and love. It reappears off-Broadway now at Stage 42 as same-sex gains and privacy rights seem under threat.
The Tony- and Olivier-winning musical is about a staid British shoe factory on the brink of ruin that retrofits itself into a maker of footwear for drag queens and embraces its queerness.
Lauper, whose hits include “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time,” has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ community, starting the nonprofit advocacy organization that would become True Colors United in 2008. She also backs abortion rights and just reworked her 1993 song “Sally’s Pigeons,” which she wrote about a friend who died from a botched abortion.…
AP: “Kinky Boots” is all about acceptance and reaching out. Do you worry about the tone of the country now that many seem to be opposed to that sentiment?
LAUPER: Who died and left them in charge of everything? Well, I’ll tell you: If you didn’t vote, you left them in charge. As soon as you didn’t vote, they’re in charge. They’re changing the laws.
AP: Why did you release a new version of “Sally’s Pigeons”?
LAUPER: Because I think that we have forgotten what it was like when “Sally’s Pigeons” was a common story. Not a lot of people remember that because they didn’t live that.
AP: Do you think the right represents the wishes of most Americans?
LAUPER: In my mind and in my heart, and in the people I have sung to all around this country, Americans are mostly fair-minded people. We have been put to the test with this COVID thing. We had been put to the test with finances. But do you really want to lose your democracy?…
Cyndi Lauper & Laura Dern ?? pic.twitter.com/jsy5Bpmwv7
— THOMAS???????? (@ThomasRichmond) May 16, 2022
It's the Summer of Joni!
Beloved singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s renaissance picked up even more speed when Berklee College of Music awarded her an honorary doctorate. https://t.co/A5ZHKU4be5
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 25, 2022
Entertainment Open Thread: Wild, Wise WomenPost + Comments (60)
This post is in: Open Threads, Show Us On the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
my sister does work like this while you sit in the air conditioning and post boomer ragebait all day, and she would be the first to tell you that it's men like you who keep women like her out of these jobs. https://t.co/l0sR6vCsrK
— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) August 23, 2022
We could certainly use another Works Progress Administration — and it would seem a natural fit for the public works portion of the new IRA! — but sad little manlings like the podcaster sharing faked-up ‘sweaty shirtless men wrestling massive throbbing rod’ imitations of 1930s news photos have pretty much made the whole concept impossible…
she would also have some choice words about the way in which this is very clearly staged for tiktok, and how angry the contractor would be that this idiot's doing this out here shirtless and sans helmet and basically begging for an OSHA inspector to shut down the site
— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) August 23, 2022
Almost like this woman is smart enough to choose an employer that maintains their worksite and enforces safety standards.
In the other video the guy is so exhausted he pushes that pipe without looking at what hes doing, its only luck he didnt smash it into his coworker.
— Galu822 (@galu822) August 23, 2022
They are changing a casing that protects the oil drill, like when you dig a well you need to prevent the dirt walls from filling in your hole. They use hydraulic wrenches to tighten and loosen the casing and chain them when not using them so they dont fly out and injure frens
— American???Anarchist(Nightly Chinchilla Posting) (@Dleetafterdeath) August 24, 2022
Apparently Elijah Schaffer works for Glenn Beck’s old outfit, Blaze Media, which I guess is why his hair and beard are at least relatively neat and he’s flashing a wedding ring instead of a vape pen…
Also, this is what the poster does: pic.twitter.com/6i7F6EkHAe
— Marc Channick (@Sorry_What_Now) August 23, 2022
Late Night Open Thread: We Are Not Getting Another WPAPost + Comments (59)
This post is in: Open Threads, President Biden, Proud To Be A Democrat!, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
This Administration began amid a dark time – a once-in-a-century pandemic, joblessness, and threats to democracy and doubts about the American future itself.
We haven't wavered or given in. We are still doing the hard work of delivering results for the American people.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 20, 2022
First lady Jill Biden has tested negative for COVID-19 and will leave South Carolina, where she’s been isolated since vacationing with President Joe Biden. The White House announced on Tuesday that she had tested positive for the virus. https://t.co/fYeOVw6Wbc
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 21, 2022
new yard sign just dropped pic.twitter.com/PrfHUj227v
— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) August 21, 2022
Wow. I've been sharing data showing a huge surge in women registering to vote since the 6/24 Dobbs decision. I just started to look at some age and party breakdowns of those new registrants, and the numbers are jaw-dropping.
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) August 19, 2022
Starting in PA, where women have accounted for >56% of new registrants in that time period. Those women new registrants are 62%D to 15% R and 54% are under the age of 25. Compare that to men new registrants at 41% <25 and 43% D, 28% R.
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) August 19, 2022
I've seen some noting that the number of new regs we've seen since Dobbs is small relative to the number of existing regs (presumably to minimize what we're seeing). That's accurate, but variations in new registrant patterns are indicative of changes in intensity overall.
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) August 19, 2022
A decisive statewide vote in favor of abortion rights in traditionally conservative Kansas has been confirmed with a partial hand recount, with fewer than 100 votes changing after the last county reported results. https://t.co/Pox0oTf0x6
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 22, 2022
… Nine of the state’s 105 counties recounted their votes at the request of Melissa Leavitt, who has pushed for tighter election laws. A longtime anti-abortion activist, Mark Gietzen, is covering most of the costs. Gietzen acknowledged in an interview that it was unlikely to change the outcome.
A no vote in the referendum signaled a desire to keep existing abortion protections and a yes vote was for allowing the Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban abortion. After the recounts, “no” votes lost 87 votes and “yes” gained 6 votes.
Eight of the counties reported their results by the state’s Saturday deadline, but Sedgwick County delayed releasing its final count until Sunday because spokeswoman Nicole Gibbs said some of the ballots weren’t separated into the correct precincts during the initial recount and had to be resorted Saturday. She said the number of votes cast overall didn’t change.
A larger than expected turnout of voters on Aug. 2 rejected a ballot measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution and given to the Legislature the right to further restrict or ban abortion. It failed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes statewide.
The crosstabs of this poll make pretty clear that if Democrats make it out of this election with any degree of success, it will be because women got out & voted for them. https://t.co/1MLPNRixJQ
— chatham harrison is tending his garden (@chathamharrison) August 21, 2022
Monday Morning Open Thread: Yes, Women’s Rights Are Human RightsPost + Comments (125)
This post is in: Open Threads, Political Action, Politics, The War On Women
There was an interesting discussion in Betty’s thread about about the legislator who was shocked that actual women are being hurt by the law he helped pass. If you missed that post, I think it’s worth going back to.
Bupalos shared his theory about the Republican position on abortion:
I think a lot of folks make the mistake of thinking the Republican abortion position is either more convoluted and conflicted or rational than it is.
It’s quite simple and clear. Their position on abortion is simply part of the overall agenda. They want to go back in time to an imaginary past. They want to solve what they see as social and moral and economic problems with one weird trick that has the benefit of being so impossible that it will never be tried and thus never be disproven. They can’t bear to look ahead, so they cover their eyes and dream.
The reason this guy didn’t think about the real world consequences of his vote is that he had a prior commitment to not living in the real world, where we are all here in the present and time is moving forward. Conservatives long ago gave up on slowing the movement of time and upped the ante to reversing it.
It isn’t “hate” or “controlling women” and he never wanted to actually hurt real women. He’s quite genuine. He wanted to help imaginary women, in a made up land of yesteryear. Unfortunately he got a real phone call in the real world that intruded on that delusion…
I think there’s a lot to be said for the idea that they want to go back in time to an imaginary post the exists only in their minds.
Kent replied with a different view:
I think it is simpler than that. I think abortion was simply a culture war issue that Republicans could use to cement their fundie base and mobilize large numbers of shock troops to go door to door during elections. The pro-life wackos are more or less the GOP equivalent of the unions that provide foot soldiers for the Democrats.
As long as Roe was in place they could stir up their rabid base of fundie foot soldiers by demagoguing on abortion because it didn’t really affect anyone else. Because Republicans are absolute masters at demagoguing to their base.
But with Dobbs they are now the dog that caught the car and they don’t quite know what the fuck to do. Suddenly their positions and laws are not simply performative nonsense that doesn’t actually affect anyone. Suddenly it affects EVERYONE and not in good ways.
Anyway, fuck them. They are now caught in a trap of their own making. The only way to deal with it is to flush them down the toilet via the ballot box.
And Roger Moore chimed in:
I think you’re missing an important point. Yes, the R position on abortion started out as a cynical ploy to recruit foot soldiers for the cause, but that was 40-50 years ago. The people who developed that cynical ploy are retired or dead, replaced by the foot soldiers they recruited. To them, abortion isn’t a cynical political ploy used to convince the rubes; it’s evil and the defining issue of our time. It’s a real shock to people who have believed in abortion as an issue for their whole political lives to discover it’s more complicated than they realized.
Maybe everybody’s right?
I want to include this tweet again, even though I posted it last night.
Michigan Deputy Attorney General Christina Grossi making an impassioned plea to allow women the ability to continue making their own decision about their bodies, their futures and their lives. pic.twitter.com/hSGwGhYQ6k
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) August 19, 2022
It seems to me that the case that Deputy Attorney General Christina Grossi (Michigan) makes above is language that we can all use as we talk about this with people. Watching that clip also makes me feel especially good about the funds we have raised for Michigan, where the Governor, Secretary of State, and the Attorney General are all offices held by strong women who are up for reelection.
Regardless of why or how we got here, what are we going to do about it? How do we keep this issue front and center through the election in November?
Someone in the comments last night mentioned Roe, Roe, Roe your Vote – I checked twitter and it doesn’t appear to be a hashtag yet, but people do seem to be including that as sort of a tag line on their comments. I like that because it’s clever enough that we can use it over and over again without it being tiresome.
Open thread.
How Can They Be Like This? And What Are We Going To Do About It?Post + Comments (141)