Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fucking consultants! (of the political variety)

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

The revolution will be supervised.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

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

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

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

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Communicating

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread 18

(Jeff Ohman via GoComics.com)

Last-minute reminder, in case anyone has a free lunch hour:

SO MANY STAND UP FOR SCIENCE EVENTS TO CHOOSE FROM—153 and COUNTING!
To get more information on our local events and to register your own, head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ ??????

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— Stand Up for Science 2025 – DC and Nationwide! (@standupforscience.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 2:14 PM

Donald Trump is lying to you.

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— JB Pritzker (@jbpritzker.bsky.social) March 4, 2025 at 11:37 PM

Trump take job

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— Nick (derogatory) ? (@slothropsmap.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 1:34 PM

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Sad Grey Dawn Open Thread: Dropping Like A SpaceX Starship

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Same ‘rapid unplanned disassembly’, different day…

Second SpaceX launch in a row blew up tonight, here’s a video from inside a commercial airline.
If you’re wondering why they are allowed to fly in this area, the FAA had grounded flights but the leadership involved got DOGE’d.

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— Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog.cyberplace.social.ap.brid.gy) March 7, 2025 at 12:09 AM

people are calling it the Cybertruck of investments

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— O.K. Computermeyer (@niedermeyer.online) March 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Embarrassed Tesla owners are attaching the logos of other cars to make it look like they aren't driving Teslas.
www.dmarge.com/cars/tesla-o…

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— Mark Lemley (@marklemley.bsky.social) March 4, 2025 at 8:19 PM

guy in the 1920s putting a "i bought this before he went crazy" sticker on his Model T

— leon (@leyawn.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 11:26 AM

The TL is bleak but Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, donated her Tesla to @npr

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— Elizabeth Spiers (@espiers.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 10:43 AM

Tesla is falling apart, Musk is desperately trying to raid the government for enough SpaceX contracts to make up for what will be a massive continuing hit to his wealth and now the economy is very loudly falling apart while the entire business community withdraws it's support.

— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) February 28, 2025 at 11:55 AM

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Double Dog Dare

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I didn’t know the origin of the “No, I haven’t seen the cat” photo, but someone found it – most likely Another Scott  – and the whole website is delightful.

I dare you to go look through the photos at Hessel en Hannes and not feel 10x more calm than when you started.

I Dare You to

Below is just a small teaser of what you’ll see if you click the link above.

I Dare You to 1

I love my guys more than anything, but how do you ever leave the house or hold down a job when you have these adorable guys to distract you all day?

Open thread.

Double Dog DarePost + Comments (44)

War for Ukraine Day 1,106: Trump & His National Security Team Seek to Subvert Ukraine

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Bernard Fall defined subversion in The Theory and Practice of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency:

When a country isbeing subverted it is not being outfought; it is being out-administered. Subversion is literally administration with a minus sign in front.

Trump and his surrogates are trying to subvert Ukraine.

“Four senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage have held secret discussions with some of Kyiv’s top political opponents to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just as Washington aligns with Moscow in seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job.” www.politico.eu/article/dona…

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 2:30 AM

From PoliticoEU:

KYIV — Four senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage have held secret discussions with some of Kyiv’s top political opponents to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just as Washington aligns with Moscow in seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job.

The senior Trump allies held talks with Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, a remorselessly ambitious former prime minister, and senior members of the party of Petro Poroshenko, Zelenskyy’s immediate predecessor as president, according to three Ukrainian parliamentarians and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert.

The discussions centered on whether Ukraine could hold quick presidential elections. These are being delayed in line with the country’s constitution because Ukraine remains under martial law. Critics of holding elections say they could be chaotic and play into Russia’s hands, with so many potential voters serving on the front lines or living abroad as refugees.

The Trump aides are confident that Zelenskyy would lose any vote due to war fatigue and public frustration over rampant corruption. Indeed, his poll ratings have been in decline for years, although they have picked up in the wake of last week’s Oval Office brawl, when the Ukrainian leader was shown the door after being berated by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The most recent poll shows Zelenskyy still comfortably ahead in the race for the presidency.

The official line from the U.S. administration is that Trump is not interfering in Ukraine’s domestic politics. This week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick denied his boss was “weighing into Ukrainian politics,” adding all that Trump wants is a partner for peace.

But the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests quite the opposite. Trump has accused Zelenskyy of being a “dictator without elections,” and hinted he would not be “around very long” if he didn’t do a deal with Russia. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has falsely accused Kyiv of canceling the election. (In response to the news in this article, Elon Musk tweeted: “Ukraine needs to hold an election. Zelensky would lose by a landslide.”)

But while the Trump camp may hope an election will sink Zelenskyy, he is still massively more popular than Tymoshenko and Poroshenko.

In a poll conducted by British pollster Survation this week after the blow-up at the White House, 44 percent said they would back Zelenskyy for the presidency.

His nearest rival, trailing him by more than 20 percentage points, is Valery Zaluzhny, a former army commander who is now Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain. Only 10 percent backed Poroshenko, who is known as the Chocolate King due to his confectionary empire. Tymoshenko garnered just 5.7 percent support.

The key to all of the plans under discussion via back channels is to hold presidential elections after a temporary ceasefire is agreed, but before full-scale peace negotiations get underway in earnest. The idea of an early presidential election is also being pushed by the Kremlin, which has wanted to be rid of Zelenskyy for years.

Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections before the fighting ends, as has Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Nonetheless, “Poroshenko’s people and Yulia, they’re all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with. And people who would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to,” a top Republican foreign policy expert told POLITICO, asking that his name be withheld so he could speak freely.

After publication of this story, the parties of both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko issued statements to defend their diplomatic activities. Tymoshenko said her team was negotiating “with all our allies who can help ensure a just peace as soon as possible.” She added it was currently impossible to hold elections.

The U.S. president’s Capitol Hill allies have also maintained a drum beat against Zelenskyy, with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham suggesting Ukraine would “need to get somebody new” unless Zelenskyy comes to see things the way Trump does.

All of that is prompting Zelenskyy’s domestic political opponents and even some former allies to pay court to Trump World to gain its blessing. “They’re positioning themselves as the best people to work with. And people who would consent to many of the things that Zelensky isn’t consenting to,” the Republican expert said.

“I believe Trump doesn’t care about whether Ukraine has elections or not. It’s Putin’s narrative, Putin’s goal. Trump is being used by Putin to impose elections on Ukraine with only one purpose, to undermine us from within. He wants to remove Zelenskyy because he is a symbol of our resistance. Putin understands that an election campaign during times of war will be destructive for our unity and for our stability,” he said.

Much more at the link!

If these two tried to oust Zelensky they’d be out the door quicker than you could say “Maidan.”

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 4:39 AM

One of the most likely Ukrainians to eventually succeed President Zelenskyy is, however, not on board with what the US is doing.

The new US admin is pushing for elections in Ukraine. Zaluzhnyi is the main contender against Zelensky

Here’s what Zaluzhnyi said today: “Washington is taking more and more steps toward the Kremlin regime at a time when Russia and the Axis of Evil are attempting to dismantle the global order”

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 11:53 AM

I don’t think that elections will give them results they expect

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 11:53 AM

What Zaluzhny says is probably true. But it’s seriously unwise & reckless for him to say it as a Ukrainian ambassador at this juncture. It could very well blow up the impending minerals deal & torpedo the resumption of aid & intelligence sharing, which Zelensky & allies have worked flat-out to get.

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 8:12 AM

But wait, there’s more. Today, Special Envoy LTG (ret) Keith Kellogg, during his speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, added insult to injury.

Keith Kellogg at @CFR_org this morning suggests that the US is engaged in “strategic overreach” in Ukraine, citing Paul Kennedy’s work on “imperial overstretch” that can potentially lead to the fall of a Great Power.

Kellogg says he had “ringside seat” for Zelenskyy Trump meeting: “What happened was two nation state leaders coming into a meeting with objectives that was clearly not in alignment with one another, and there was a disconnect publicly between the goals of the two administrations”

Kellogg: Trump recognizes that US needs to “reset relations with Russia” in order to secure US national security. “The continued isolation and lack of engagement with the Russians as the war in Ukraine continues is no longer a viable strategy.

In conversation with @margbrennan, Trump envoy Keith Kellogg says of US intelligence cutoff: “Very candidly, they brought it on themselves”

udible gasp in the room at @CFR_org after Kellogg said of intelligence cutoff: the Ukrainians “brought it on themselves”

Interesting that Kellogg has twice listed the advisors surrounding Trump as Rubio, Waltz, Bessent, Lutnick but omits Putin envoy Steve Witkoff. Finally when brought up by @margbrennan, he notes that at State: “Our offices are on the 7th floor, [Witkoff’s] are on the 5th floor.”

Kellogg on effect of US military aid and intelligence cutoff to Ukraine: “It’s like hitting a mule in the face with a two by four, you know. You got their attention.”

Kellogg on Ukraine cutoff: “It’s not like they didn’t know this was coming. They got a fair warning. I told them, and they were told last week as well.” Kellogg now comparing speaking to Ukrainian leaders like speaking to his two granddaughters who call him “Pop pop”.

Kellogg repeatedly describing Ukrainian and Russian demands as “term sheets.” “Do we have a term sheet from the Russians broadly, and do we have a term sheet from Ukrainians? The answer is yes and no.” Wants to understand the “kind of pressures we can apply.”

Here’s the video:

There is no daily address as President Zelenskyy was traveling today to the meeting of the European Council. Here’s the video of his arrival and his remarks to the press:

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GOP Deep Trench Bench Open Thread: Meet the Millers!

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He didn't write this BS.
Stephen Miller did.

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— Joe Bacon (@josephebacon.bsky.social) March 2, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Every pot will find its lid, my Nana used to say, and for the sake of all innocent bystanders it’s probably a good thing that these two (three?) found each other. Per Wired, “Elon Musk’s Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple”:

When President Donald Trump’s aides and advisers relay concerns about Elon Musk’s takeover of the federal government, they’re often given what’s intended to be a reassuring answer: Don’t worry, Stephen and Katie Miller will take care of it.

As Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force dismantle key parts of the government and plan to cut the workforce at federal agencies by half or more, the Millers have become pivotal figures in Musk’s orbit, multiple sources tell WIRED. The couple has been tasked as intermediaries, bringing news about Musk’s latest targets and communications strategies to the rest of the White House, say members of Trump’s inner circle and people outside the administration who know them personally. Just over a month into the new administration, they have been privately projecting themselves as two pairs of steady hands at the till.

Stephen Miller is the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser; two sources described his current role as that of a prime minister. His wife, Katie Miller, is a special government employee who functions as the top communications official at DOGE. She is also on the payroll of the firm P2 Public Affairs, The Wall Street Journal reported, which has ties to Musk and several alumni of Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign.

Stephen was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term, and an architect of the administration’s anti-immigration platform, including advocating for the policy of separating migrant children from their families. Katie served in the first Trump administration as deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security during Kirstjen Nielsen’s tenure before ascending to the role of press secretary in 2019 and communications director in 2020 for then-vice president Mike Pence. The Millers were married in 2020.

Katie Miller, like many people associated with DOGE, is, as a special government employee, limited to working in the federal government for no more than 130 days in any given 365-day period and subject to less stringent ethics requirements than permanent employees. She was assigned to run communications for Musk prior to the transition, a White House official tells WIRED, beginning her journey with Musk as a “comms sherpa.” Now she has become the richest man in the world’s guide to life in Washington and integral to the high-velocity, high-volume barrage of cuts to the government’s workforce and spending—many of them being questioned in the courts as to their legality—that have come to dominate Trump’s first month back in office.

Her relationship with Musk, the White House official says, is central to DOGE’s interactions with the rest of the White House. She’s the key intermediary, delivering the DOGE message of the day to the rest of the administration. She’s also the one to deliver any sensitive or bad news to Musk, says the official.

The Republicans who spoke to WIRED for this story all requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. They are all generally supportive of the DOGE initiatives but share varying degrees of concern about Musk harming Trump’s image and felt compelled to speak up out of an urge to protect the boss…

Meanwhile, Stephen Miller has, along with Project 2025 coauthor and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, became one of Musk’s closest allies in the administration, The New York Times reported earlier this month. WIRED has learned that the relationship is far closer, and more complicated, than has been previously known publicly.

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Are We Allowed to Criticize House Leadership Yet?

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Via Axios:

House Democratic leadership is privately confronting members who disrupted President Trump’s speech to Congress, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Many progressives defied House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-N.Y.) request to avoid making themselves the story.

Jeffries, in a dear colleague letter ahead of the speech, urged a “strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”

Trump’s speech was instead rocked by constant heckling. Democrats held up signs and other props, and Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was ejected.

In meetings and discussions with leadership this week, Democrats who heckled, walked out in protest or were otherwise disruptive were given a talking to about their tactics, sources said.

What we’re hearing: Leadership is “very unhappy” with those who went beyond traditional protest tactics like outfit coordination and refusal to clap, a senior House Democrat told Axios.

Roughly a dozen Democratic disruptors — including Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) — were called into a “come to Jesus meeting” on Thursday morning, the senior Dem told Axios.

The top three House Democratic leaders were present: Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

Yes, but: A source familiar with the matter stressed that these lawmakers are “not getting yelled at.”

“It’s a consultative process. We understand the pressure they are under.”

“They are not being talked to like they are children. We are helping them understand why their strategy is a bad idea,” the source said.

A spokesperson for Jeffries declined to address the private meeting. Spokespeople for Clark and Aguilar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

And don’t tell me it’s Axios and all made up. If it was not true, there would be pushback.

At some point, Democrats need to learn that the reason so many people don’t rally to them is because they just look and act like weak twats. And that’s not even going into the ten motherfuckers in the Democratic caucus who voted to censure Al Green.

I am so over these spineless cowards. They’re going to be grumbling about decorum as they get frogmarched to the firing line. Leadership might allow them to coordinate lapel pins for their execution, so that will show the Republicans.

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A Couple of Bangers

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Tam R mentioned this in the comments of a post and it’s a banger, just a clear-eyed recitation of facts and what Europe needs to do now that Trump has abandoned them.

With Trump’s announcement that he’s delaying Mexican tariffs for a month showing that Claudia Sheinbaum was smart to delay her counter-tariff response until the weekend, this piece that Gloria DryGarden sent in from Facebook is an interesting read. It’s attributed to David Honig who teaches negotiation at Indiana University Law School:

Trump, as most of us know, is the credited author of “The Art of the Deal,” a book that was actually ghost written by a man named Tony Schwartz, who was given access to Trump and wrote based upon his observations. If you’ve read The Art of the Deal, or if you’ve followed Trump lately, you’ll know, even if you didn’t know the label, that he sees all dealmaking as what we call “distributive bargaining.”

Distributive bargaining always has a winner and a loser. It happens when there is a fixed quantity of something and two sides are fighting over how it gets distributed. Think of it as a pie and you’re fighting over who gets how many pieces. In Trump’s world, the bargaining was for a building, or for construction work, or subcontractors. He perceives a successful bargain as one in which there is a winner and a loser, so if he pays less than the seller wants, he wins. The more he saves the more he wins.

The other type of bargaining is called integrative bargaining. In integrative bargaining the two sides don’t have a complete conflict of interest, and it is possible to reach mutually beneficial agreements. Think of it, not a single pie to be divided by two hungry people, but as a baker and a caterer negotiating over how many pies will be baked at what prices, and the nature of their ongoing relationship after this one gig is over.

The problem with Trump is that he sees only distributive bargaining in an international world that requires integrative bargaining. He can raise tariffs, but so can other countries. He can’t demand they not respond. There is no defined end to the negotiation and there is no simple winner and loser. There are always more pies to be baked. Further, negotiations aren’t binary. China’s choices aren’t (a) buy soybeans from US farmers, or (b) don’t buy soybeans. They can also (c) buy soybeans from Russia, or Argentina, or Brazil, or Canada, etc. That completely strips the distributive bargainer of his power to win or lose, to control the negotiation.

One of the risks of distributive bargaining is bad will. In a one-time distributive bargain, e.g. negotiating with the cabinet maker in your casino about whether you’re going to pay his whole bill or demand a discount, you don’t have to worry about your ongoing credibility or the next deal. If you do that to the cabinet maker, you can bet he won’t agree to do the cabinets in your next casino, and you’re going to have to find another cabinet maker.
There isn’t another Canada.

So when you approach international negotiation, in a world as complex as ours, with integrated economies and multiple buyers and sellers, you simply must approach them through integrative bargaining. If you attempt distributive bargaining, success is impossible. And we see that already.

Trump has raised tariffs on China. China responded, in addition to raising tariffs on US goods, by dropping all its soybean orders from the US and buying them from Russia. The effect is not only to cause tremendous harm to US farmers, but also to increase Russian revenue, making Russia less susceptible to sanctions and boycotts, increasing its economic and political power in the world, and reducing ours. Trump saw steel and aluminum and thought it would be an easy win, BECAUSE HE SAW ONLY STEEL AND ALUMINUM – HE SEES EVERY NEGOTIATION AS DISTRIBUTIVE. China saw it as integrative, and integrated Russia and its soybean purchase orders into a far more complex negotiation ecosystem.

Trump has the same weakness politically. For every winner there must be a loser. And that’s just not how politics works, not over the long run.

This is another cross-post from my new place — heymistermix.com. John graciously invited me to cross post here, with the comments off.  You’ll need to subscribe to comment. Subscriptions are free, and you can just visit the site to read my stuff. I’ll cross-post some of it here.  Kay is also posting there now if you’re interested in her take on things.

A Couple of BangersPost + Comments