Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Bark louder, little dog.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

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

White supremacy is terrorism.

This really is a full service blog.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

We still have time to mess this up!

People are complicated. Love is not.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

“woke” is the new caravan.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

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Open Thread (and Holiday Zooms Reminder)

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I thought this cartoon was sweet.
If someone here sent it to me, tell us who you are!

Reminder:

New Year’s Eve:  7 – 9 pm Eastern

New Year’s Day: 1-3 pm Eastern  (hopefully this will allow our friends in other parts of the world to join!)

RSVP to WaterGirl to get the zoom link.

Totally open thread.

Update:  Last week I made a recurring zoom, with “no set time”, so zoom link for the zooms this week are the same as the zoom link from last week!

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War for Ukraine Day 674: Russian Opened Up on Ukraine Shortly Before Dawn

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Screen shot of new artwork by NEIVANMADE. The background is black. In the bottom foreground are grey Ukrainian homes and apartment buildings being bombarded by red Russian missiles with the Special Military Operation "Z" symbol on them. Above the missiles, written in red is the word "Ruzzians". Below the buildings being attacked is the statement "Turns Homes Into Graves".

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Russia launched its largest barrage and bombardment against Ukrainian civilian targets early this morning. It began before dawn in Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1740673472223666454

This morning, russia carried out the most massive air attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The occupiers used a variety of types of ballistic missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, and Shahed UAVs to target civilian targets. A total of 158 missiles and UAVs were fired against Ukraine; 87 missiles and 27 Shaheds were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

russia hit residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and shopping malls around the country.

#RussiaIsATerroristState
The terrorists must be punished.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1740666430553727331

https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/1740633661056373170

I’ll have more of this after the jump, but, again, we need to recognize what is going on here. During the first day of the re-invasion, Russia launched between 100 and 150 missiles, rockets, and bombs at Ukraine – most at targets in Kyiv Oblast – in an attempt to take Kyiv within 72 hours of the re-invasion. This morning Russia bombarded Ukrainian civilian targets with 158 missiles and drones. Putin’s strategy here is two fold. The first is to terrorize the Ukrainians. The second is to force the Ukrainians to use their air defense up before it can be resupplied. As I wrote last night, and have written on many other occasions, Putin, his national security advisor Patrushev, Gerasimov, Shoigyu, etc all read, watch, and listen to American and European news and analysis. They know that aid is currently stalled because of dysfunctional politics (GOP House and Senate caucuses) in DC and Brussels (Orban) and they want to take advantage of that. They also want to terrorize and demoralize the Ukrainians as much as possible because they also read, watch, and listen to Ukrainian news and analysis and know there is a lot of discussion about the need for a general draft, potential disagreements between President Zelenskyy and General Zaluznhyi, etc. The Russians also work very hard to manipulate the Information Domain in order to leverage all of this to their advantage.

It is important to remember that part of the reason that today was possible is because the US’s strategy, as well as NATO’s, has been to slow walk and limit what weapons systems and munitions are provided to Ukraine so as not to antagonize Putin for fear that if Ukraine was more aggressive and struck farther behind Russia’s lines of occupation and into Russia itself then he would escalate. Today’s bombardment was, once again, further evidence that Putin will escalate when he perceives weakness, not when he encounters strength. His strategy is framed within Lenin’s maxim:

Probe with bayonets. If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw.

Which is why this, from the Brits, is the right response:

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1740783532392255791

🇺🇦🇬🇧 The UK is sending hundreds of air defence missiles to Ukraine to restock British gifted air defence systems capable of striking down Russian drones and missiles.

We are grateful to our British friend at @DefenceHQ for your unwavering support.

Together, we can repel russian aggression and protect the free world from terror.

Unfortunately these 200 or so missiles are not going to last long.

Which is why the US and the rest of our EU and NATO allies should be doing the same. Especially because the Ukrainians have noticed who gets priority in DC:

https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1740866947540041909

The White House just bypassed Congress to greenlight a $147.5 million emergency sale of fuses, chargers, and primers for 155mm shells to Israel. Despite Israel’s complete air supremacy, what happened to talks about the irrelevancy of artillery due to Western military air power?

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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These Colors Definitely Run

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Hi, All — mistermix checking in because the biggest story of 2023 hasn’t been covered yet on this fine blog.  In case you haven’t heard, Lauren Boebert decided to commit political suicide by changing Congressional districts.  She’s going to run for seat in CO-4 vacated by the retirement of Ken Buck instead of trying to beat Adam Frisch in her home district of CO-3.  Frisch is the Democrat who came within 543 votes of beating her last time, and he has a huge lead in fundraising going into 2024.

Let’s take a quick peek at the anemic numbers that Boebert has posted so far.  As of the end of September, she reported $2.4 million raised versus Frisch’s $7.7 mil.  She’s also spent a good part of what she raised ($1.7 mil), probably on stupid DC consultants who think that voters will reward a chickenshit weasel move like the one she’s making. I’m going to guess that the next quarterly fundraising numbers will be similarly grim for Boebert, since she decided to cut and run a few days before they’re due.

Now let’s look at the map:

These Colors Definitely Run

CO-4 and CO-3 cover vastly different territory.  CO-4’s rural Republicans are prairie rednecks who mainly farm the dry land over there — it’s basically Western Kansas and Nebraska.  CO-3’s rural Republicans are mountain rednecks on the Western Slopes where there are a lot of ski resorts, fruit orchards and high desert.  CO-3 is geographically larger than CO-4, and it includes two good-sized towns (Pueblo and Grand Junction), because a good part of CO-4’s population consists of the redder parts of the crowded Front Range suburbs.  So, both of the more populous areas of these districts have different interests, not that Boebert would care. Boebert’s home town (Silt, near Glenwood Springs) is a solid 4 hour drive from the edge of CO-4.  In other words, it’s not like she’s in a district in the Brooklyn and decided to move over to one in Queens.

That all said, Boebert is pretty well-funded for a Republican primary candidate in an open seat election.  Her Republican opponents haven’t reported any fundraising yet, and she will probably have at least $2 mil to throw into shit-talking ads.  But being a shit-talker isn’t a good look when you have a four-year record of not doing shit.  Frisch almost beat Boebert by highlighting her non-record of all talk and no action.  I’m guessing her Republican primary opponents, who have been waiting years for Buck to retire, are going to do the same.

Though I’ve heard some analysis saying this might be bad news for Democrats, since Frisch will now probably face an at least half-sane Republican opponent who isn’t on video feeling up their significant other at a concert, I’m not convinced.  I’ve CO-3 is a R+7 district, which is a tough push, but at least now we’re going to see if a well-funded Democrat running in a Presidential (higher turnout) year can flip a Trump district.  I’ll be watching that race closely.  Also, if Boebert does win the primary in CO-4, she’s going to draw in a lot of money for that race, making what should be an uncompetitive race in a R+13 district at least interesting.  If she pulls off a primary upset, I’ll be taking a close look at Douglas, Adams and Arapahoe counties to see if the better-educated voters in those Front Range suburbs are going to tolerate an idiot like Boebert.

If you’ve read this far, I guess the moral of the hopefully final chapter in her political story is that Boebert is running true to form:  as a coward.  She, like most Trumpian hate-talkers, runs away at the first sign of a real fight.

(I forgot that I had called that she’d be in trouble in 2022, but I did.)

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Another Conservative Mom Goes Buck(s) Wild

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Dog knows Republican hypocrisy is nothing new, but the noisy wingnut school board shouters sure contain an above-average share of depraved and violent individuals. The latest example comes from Bucks County, Pennsylvania: (Source: PhillyBurbs.com)

A former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor candidate and outspoken voice in the conservative “parental rights” school movement has been charged with punching a teenager while hosting an underage drinking party at her Bucks County home in September.

Clarice Schillinger, 36, is facing criminal charges of assault, harassment and furnishing minors with alcohol during her daughter’s birthday party, according to the case filed in late October. Her attorney has denied all charges and said she will fight them in court…

In the recent criminal case, Schillinger is accused of punching a partygoer several times in the face during a series of alleged outbursts by drunken adults at her home on Liz Circle in Doylestown, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The documents state that during the event — which started Sept. 29 and went past midnight — Schillinger’s then-boyfriend allegedly grabbed a 16-year-old by the neck for intervening in a fight between the couple and hit a 15-year-old in the face during an argument over football. According to the allegations in court papers, her intoxicated mother* also punched the older teen in the eye and chased him around the kitchen island. Police said they had cellphone recordings of some of these reported events.

The report notes it wasn’t the first time the cops had been called to Schillinger’s house to bust up melees that involved underage drinking. According to the article, Schillinger poured shots for the teens and played beer pong with them before the fisticuffs broke out.

Like the scandal-plagued Moms for Liberty, Schillinger’s group appears to be an AstroTurf outfit run by Republican operatives that started locally and then expanded. While folks who care about children agonized over the human toll of the COVID crisis and its effects on students and public schools, these pricks, along with elected officials like Youngkin and DeSantis, sensed a political opportunity.

“Back To School USA is really going to be focused on putting candidates in place that will put our children and their education first,” Schillinger said. “Right now, we are not doing that. We are more focused on these woke and gender ideas.”

Well, I’ve heard enough from these panic-mongering hypocrites. Maybe we liberals who are rightly concerned about depraved Republicans assaulting our schools and corrupting our kids should think about forming groups of our own to chase the destructive bullies out of districts and see that lawbreakers like Schillinger are brought to justice.

We could think of catchy names for our groups to attract media attention. The Ziegler and Schillinger types have already co-opted motherhood. Maybe “Americans United Nationally To Indict & Expel Fascist Assholes” or “AUNTIE FA” for short?

Open thread!

*I feel so sorry for the birthday girl. Not only did her embarrassing and inebriated mom and the mom’s abusive boyfriend attack schoolmates — her drunk grandma did too! My advice would be to apply to West Coast colleges.

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: End of A Long Short Week

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Late Night Open Thread Read: Let’s Resolve to Ditch the $100,000 EV in 2024

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Here’s some catnip for a select bunch of you jackals… Lots of charts & data, worth reading the whole thing: Bloomberg columnist Liam Denning says “Let’s Resolve to Ditch the $100,000 EV in 2024”:

When you’ve been speeding at 100 miles per hour, just slowing to the limit can feel like hitting a wall. That’s where the electric vehicles sector is ending 2023 and will likely stay through next year.

The bad vibes thrumming around EVs of late seemingly defy the data. Sales worldwide, including plug-in hybrids, were up by more than a third, year over year, through September. Roughly one in every five passenger vehicles sold in the third quarter was an EV, up from one-in-20 just three years before. EVs aren’t commonplace, especially here in the US, but they are no longer rare beasts either. You’ll find yellow Tesla Model 3 taxis and Ford Mustang Mach-E cop cars prowling the streets of New York.

Remarkable as that is, it is not enough. Most industries might kill for 38% growth but EV sales were rising at more than 100% less than two years ago…

Bloomberg NEF estimates 14 million EVs were sold worldwide this year, trailing the 18 million needed under its net-zero emissions scenario. More ominously, the latest estimate for 2024, 16.7 million, implies growth slowing further to 20% and trails Bloomberg NEF’s less ambitious emissions scenario too.

Growing by a fifth is still good. It just isn’t great. And this industry, along with the climate goals it underpins, needs great…

We are entering what might be dubbed a transitional year for the US vehicle transition. Tesla seems to be reaching saturation point for its older models and the Cybertruck, undoubtedly big, is unlikely to be the next big thing. Meanwhile, Detroit’s EV efforts to date recall the old joke about the restaurant with bad food and, worse, such small portions. The pool of drivers willing to pay a premium for EVs is inherently limited; the point of subsidies is to encourage the production at scale of a range of models at competitive prices and which also happen to be electric.

Getting there naturally takes time, especially with domestic content requirements layered on, and there are signs of progress, even if the fruits of that will arrive beyond 2024.

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