Open Threads

The Compromise Border Deal, Straight from the Horse’s Mouth, Chris Murphy

The compromise deal that includes Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, the border.

It’s decent.  It’s awful.  It’s not bad, but it’s not good enough.

We’re all talking about it but do we really have any idea of whether it sucks or not?

I’ll get to that in a minute.

After learning that the Republicans were trying to kill the exact fucking bill that they asked for, and had negotiated, I was lying in bed, starting to feel like I did after Trump won, though at least my whole body wasn’t shaking in shock like was that night in 2016.  Still, a sense of terrible sadness.  Disbelief that this could actually happen in our country.  Knowing that terrible times were ahead.  A terrible sense of dread and dismay.  Feeling betrayed.  Filled with grief, tears running down my face.  For our country, for Ukraine, for our democracy.

My only consolation was Miss Willow who had tucked herself in by my side, and she had stayed by my side for so long that I finally needed to pee.  I wasn’t going to get up because I needed the comfort from Miss Willow, but she must have sensed something different from me because she jumped down off the bed, and I headed for the bathroom.

When I headed back to bed, I decided to listen to a podcast, and I’m glad I did because listening to Chris Murphy talk about the deal left me in a completely different place.  (Sorry for the ugly image on the YouTube video.)

For about 11 minutes, Chris Murphy talked about the bill.  Talked about what was in the bill.  Made it clear that this wasn’t like Lucy and the football.  Our side went into the negotiations knowing full well that there were no guarantees.  Though it’s pretty ballsy to actually make a deal and then announce that you’re gonna block it.

Chris Murphy talked for about 10 minutes.  He was calm and thoughtful and explained what is in the deal, and I felt a lot less hopeless.

Chris Murphy starts about 50 seconds into the broadcast and ends at about the 12-minute mark.  If you want to get a sense of what’s in the bill and whether Democrats were so stupid as to sign onto a terrible bill (hint: they didn’t) and dumb enough to be duped (they weren’t) I would encourage you to listen to the interview with Chris Murphy.

I am thanking the universe for the ruling from the circuit court today; I suspect I’m not the only one who needed that shot in the arm today.  All is not lost, though the Republicans are shockingly nihilistic; they are truly willing to burn it all down and betray our allies in the process.

Fuck them, they only truly win if we give up and stop fighting.  Thank goodness for the Chris Murphys and the Chef Joses in this world.  They aren’t giving up, and neither should we.

I’m thinking that Biden needs to make this real for people – with a video that shows the realities of what not funding Ukraine will mean.  Real people are getting hurt and dying in Ukraine, and we need to be there to help them win.  Real people are suffering in Gaza.  I was recently referred to as “that” by someone – as if I’m not even human, no better than a dog to kick.  That’s how rapists see their victims; that’s how people justify their terrible behavior.  We need to find a way to reach regular people in our country and help them see what’s really happening.

Steady As She Goes (Open Thread)Post + Comments (40)

Kay pointed this out in the last thread and it’s worth a post of its own:

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury convicted a school shooter’s mother of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in a first-of-its-kind trial to determine whether she had any responsibility in the deaths of four students in 2021.

Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley had a duty under Michigan law to prevent her son, who was 15 at the time, from harming others. She was accused of failing to secure a gun and ammunition at home and failing to get help for Ethan Crumbley’s mental health.

The guilty verdicts — one for each student slain at Oxford High School — were returned after roughly 11 hours of jury deliberations.

Did the founders have gun safes and trigger locks?  I’ll await the appeal of this verdict to the Supreme Court to litigate that crucial originalist question.

ManslaughterPost + Comments (77)

I might have just as well not written a post yesterday about the terrible, no good immigration bill, because Trump killed it yesterday evening.  The Post makes the following impossible to link, but you get the gist:

Republicans aren’t shitty opponents.  They have one issue — immigration — and they’re going to hit it as hard as they can.  Today’s impeachment vote on Mayorkas signals their response to killing the immigration bill:  “Why bother giving Biden any more money to secure the border when his administration is too corrupt to spend the money they have?”  I haven’t seen anybody’s whip count, but I’ll bet that the impeachment resolution squeaks by, since these fuckers can unite when power is at stake.

(Also, speaking of unity, I learned yesterday that Democrats are now down a seat in the House because Brian Higgins, formerly a Buffalo-area Democrat, resigned effective this month.  Here are his initial reasons:

“I’ve always been a little impatient, and that trait has helped us deliver remarkable progress for this community,” Higgins said in a statement. “But the pace in Washington, D.C. can be slow and frustrating, especially this year.”

“Therefore, after thoughtful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to leave Congress and explore other ways I can build up and serve Buffalo and Western New York,” he continued.

That was his original statement, but it turns out he quit to run a Buffalo-area performing arts center.  I always thought that Higgins was a decent rep, but decent reps just announce they won’t be running for re-election.  With the House on a razor-thin margin, any Democrat resigning for reasons that aren’t family or health related is just making it easier for Republicans.  I guess I’m naive enough to still be astonished at the selfishness of some of our party when faced with an existential threat.)

Trump Speaks, They JumpPost + Comments (143)

Fuck that guy.

That is all.

HAHAHAPost + Comments (67)