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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

The lights are all blinking red.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

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

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

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

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

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

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

This blog will pay for itself.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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

He really is that stupid.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Politics / Politicans

Politicans

Late Night Open Thread: Compare & Contrast

by Anne Laurie|  June 21, 202512:18 am| 162 Comments

This post is in: President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trumpery

one of the weirdest things going on is the national media's obsession with Joe Biden's fitness and mental health/strength combined with a near total unwillingness to cover his on-going public appearances.

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— Henry (@henrythedog.bsky.social) June 20, 2025 at 10:33 AM

Daily Beast has (brief) video at the link:

… Joe Biden made veiled jabs at President Trump during public comments on Juneteenth, drawing a big laugh from a crowd when he made the sign of the cross instead of speaking his successor’s name.

Biden was at the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas, where he took part in a service and denounced “ongoing efforts to erase history.” The church was one of the sites where an order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was read, according to the church.

Biden, who made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021 to commemorate the end of slavery, said at the church that “the events of Juneteenth are of monumental importance to America’s story,” according to CBS News.

“Still today, some say to me and you that this doesn’t deserve to be a federal holiday. They don’t want to remember…the moral stain of slavery,” Biden said.

The former president spoke on the same day that Trump moaned that there are “too many non-working holidays.” …

=====

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— Mike Luckovich (@mluckovich.bsky.social) June 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM

One of the funnier running subplots of the Trump era is that he hasn't won a Nobel Peace Prize, and it really eats at him.

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— Gary Legum (@glegum.bsky.social) June 20, 2025 at 4:40 PM

Late Night Open Thread: Compare & ContrastPost + Comments (162)

Open Thread: Joe Biden on The View

by Anne Laurie|  May 9, 20259:02 am| 106 Comments

This post is in: President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

Biden acknowledges his responsibility for Trump’s victory last November

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 8, 2025 at 12:48 PM

A little treat, to wrap up a busy week. I still miss Joe, but it’s good to see him looking so well.

Joy Behar: "Why is [Trump] so fixated on you?"
Joe Biden: "I beat him."
Asked about Trump’s saying any Biden pardons or other elements signed by an autopen are void and vacant, Biden says,
“Oh, he’s vacant.”

— Isaac Dovere (@isaacdovere.bsky.social) May 8, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Biden on The View today said he’s not surprised that Kamala Harris lost to Trump, citing the sexist and racist attacks against her

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM

Sidebar…

Pres Biden last night on BBC: “Every generation has to fight to maintain democracy. We’ve done it well for 80 years. I’m worried there’s a loss of understanding of the consequences of that.” www.mediaite.com/news/biden-b…

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— Dean Obeidallah (@deanobeidallah.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 7:59 AM

Open Thread: Joe Biden on The ViewPost + Comments (106)

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Nancy Smash on the Upcoming SotU

by Anne Laurie|  March 2, 20256:47 am| 330 Comments

This post is in: Democratic Response to Trump 2.0, NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trump-Musk

Column by Paul Kane: The ex-speaker tore apart a copy of Trump’s 2020 address to Congress. This time, she says Democrats need to coalesce on one, short message. https://t.co/dqP7dDb4dx

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 1, 2025

The Oval Office Occupant’s not-technically-State-of-the-Union speech is scheduled for this Tuesday, with TV coverage set to begin at 9pm EST. (NPR — Nice Polite Republicans — is very excited about it.) I’m glad to see she’s still fighting the good fight, and I’m sure some of you will have strong opinions about no-longer-Speaker Pelosi’s suggested response: “‘Let him stew in his own juice,’ Pelosi advises ahead of Trump’s speech” [gift link]:

… Pelosi will attend Tuesday’s joint session of Congress when Trump returns to the House chamber for the first time since that raucous speech. That one began with the president refusing to shake her hand and ended with her waving the shredded speech to her family and supporters in the gallery above.

Now a rank-and-file lawmaker, Pelosi retains a great degree of clout inside the Democratic caucus. Younger lawmakers continue to seek her counsel, with recent discussions including warnings to not turn themselves into part of the story during Tuesday’s speech and urging them to narrow their party’s message in next year’s midterm elections.

“Any demonstration of disagreement, whether it’s visual or whatever, just let him stew in his own juice. Don’t be any grist for the mill to say this was inappropriate,” Pelosi said Thursday morning…

After 20 years leading the caucus, Pelosi has largely ceded the spotlight to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and his younger leadership team. She relishes her role as someone who still raises big money for Democrats but doesn’t have to answer for every lawmaker’s concern.

She sees similarities today to the two most recent times Democrats were completely locked out of power: in 2005 after George W. Bush’s reelection coincided with GOP wins of the House and Senate, and in 2017 after Trump’s first victory…

“You got a mountain of rocks,” Pelosi said, metaphorically referring to all the potential issues in an election. “What are the three or four? You’re going right for the jugular.”

To drive home the point, Pelosi gently swung her right hand into my neck. Pelosi stood comfortably for the 15-minute interview on the Capitol’s first floor, loosely holding a walking stick to help with balance.

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Pelosi, 84, underwent hip replacement surgery in mid-December after a fall while traveling in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation. She has steadily moved from the use of a walker to two walking sticks and, now, down to one…

… Democrats face a problem today in terms of the different sets of voters and the messages they want to hear. Party leaders believe that cost-of-living issues crippled Kamala Harris and some Democrats in last fall’s election with the decisive bloc of swing voters.

In this current moment, with Trump inching close to Russia and Elon Musk eviscerating some federal agencies, a large portion of the Democratic base wants a more fire-and-brimstone approach to fighting Trump.

Her advice is to give room for Democrats from particularly safe districts to make those angry appeals away from Washington.

“The most important thing in all of this is to prioritize. And Hakeem, he has that down. I have every confidence that he has that down,” Pelosi said. “Again, members will say I want this, I want that. Yeah, that’s interesting, talk about that at home.”…

She hopes Democrats can refrain from interjecting Tuesday, unlike House Republicans during the last two Biden addresses in the House chamber. Yet Pelosi has let younger Democrats know everyone has a breaking point.

“Unless you have something that is a moment,” she said. “That’s what a moment was, when I tore up the speech.”

But if they can focus the next seven months, Democrats could be poised for something bigger than just the narrow victory they need to win the House majority.

“This fall is everything. And we only need three seats,” she said. “I don’t want three seats, I want many more than that.”

From her mouth to the Trickster God’s hairy, pointed ears!

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Nancy Smash on the Upcoming SotUPost + Comments (330)

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Never Stop Fighting for Justice

by Anne Laurie|  February 4, 20256:29 am| 260 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Never Stop Fighting

(Clay Bennett via GoComics.com)

 

Two days after nonprofit groups sued the federal government over a stop-work order targeting programs that provide guidance to people facing deportation, the U.S. Justice Department reversed course and ordered that funding to the programs be restored. https://t.co/MfMqjieqt2

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 3, 2025

Elon Musk creates confusion about IRS' Direct File — but the free tax program is still available https://t.co/Sc7p5O0Ysz

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 4, 2025

Remember — sharing is caring!

Elon Musk seized control of our payment system—that's how your grandpa gets his Social Security check or how your mom’s doctor gets paid by Medicare.

The unelected billionaire wants the power to turn that on or off, for anyone.

No more business as usual. We need to fight… pic.twitter.com/cF2WauPzdk

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 3, 2025


(Yes, Senator Warren has a BlueSky feed, but this video isn’t posted there. Posting videos on the butterfly site seems to have a learning curve… )

New York shields abortion pill prescribers after a doctor was indicted in Louisiana https://t.co/X3x09G2z8k

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 3, 2025

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talked to an immigrant tailor who told me he found out one of his clients supported deportations so he made his shirt collar too small on purpose

— derek guy (@dieworkwear) February 3, 2025

Disaster aid — for decades a mostly bipartisan issue — is suddenly a political hot button after Hurricane Helene last year and this year’s Los Angeles wildfires. Experts explain how the money goes out, why it's needed and how it's spent. https://t.co/i1SKuBShd3

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 4, 2025

Per the Associated Press, “Who gets more disaster aid? Republican states. Experts explain that and more about FEMA”:

Federal disaster aid is nearly everywhere. About 94% of Americans live in a county that has gotten Federal Emergency Management Agency help for disasters since 2011.

But disaster aid — for decades a mostly bipartisan issue — is suddenly a political hot button after Hurricane Helene last year and this year’s California wildfires. President Donald Trump and a conservative think tank have floated the possibility of shifting disaster response to the states, including eliminating FEMA or curtailing federal handouts.

Experts worry about that…

Experts say every state gets millions in federal help — and a little more goes to Republican states and congressional districts.

New York University’s Rebuild By Design, a nonprofit that focuses on disaster prevention, created an atlas of the 795 non-medical and non-technological federal disasters since 2011, which they called climate disasters. It found that every state and all but a few hundred counties have been helped.

“It’s clear that climate is not a red or blue challenge,” said Amy Chester, the atlas creator and Rebuild by Design’s director. “Communities are suffering whether you are a red state or blue state.”

Since 2011, more than $68.2 billion in FEMA aid has been spent on disasters that don’t include the pandemic or oil spills. And that’s payments just to governments, not people. Tens of billions more came — mostly from Housing and Urban Development — to people needing individual help to rebuild…

The disaster-heavy states that former FEMA chief Fugate calls his “frequent fliers” also tend to be more Republican. About two-thirds of the top 15 states in total FEMA funds, FEMA spending per person and number of federally declared disasters are Republican. Those include Florida, Louisiana, Alaska, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

Twelve congressional districts have had at least a dozen federally declared disasters since 2011; three-quarters of them are represented by Republicans. Those are in Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia…

The first thing that has to happen in any disaster is the state has to ask the president to declare it a federal disaster, which lets the money flow, Fugate said.

In general, the federal government pays 75% of the cost with state and locals picking up 25%. But in the biggest disasters the state share can shrink to 10% or even close to nothing, especially if Congress steps in.

In disasters, government bills pile up quickly. States may have a hard time even making payroll because of that and that’s where FEMA can step in early, helping with initial payments sometimes within 30 days.

And FEMA simply has specialized expertise. In California, for example, the state’s wildfires mean tons of debris — much of it toxic — has to be cleared and quick, Fugate said. FEMA can ask the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers — experts who cleared World Trade Center debris — to take charge, making it faster and cheaper for taxpayers.

Experts also worry that states will struggle to stop waste, fraud and abuse that are currently harder with FEMA due to federal procurement laws…

Cynic that I am, I suspect a state-level FEMA would be a windfall for Ken Paxton’s developer cronies in Texas, Chuck Grassley’s #nepo-family in Iowa, and Jane Sanders’ leadership institute in Vermont.

Meanwhile, I take some comfort that Joe Biden is living his best retirement life:

One thing I told all the leftists who wanted to "teach Joe Biden a lesson" was that he was going to end up fine at the end of this. And he will. You didn't screw him over. You screwed the rest of us over. https://t.co/5K9yxxNP05

— You Should've Said Nicer Things About Joe Biden (@What46HasDone) February 3, 2025

Congratulations Joe pic.twitter.com/ZayFofFFTG

— BenNyc (@ben_nyc) February 4, 2025

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Never Stop Fighting 1

(Joel Pett via GoComics.com)

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Never Stop Fighting for JusticePost + Comments (260)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: The Long Goodbye

by Anne Laurie|  January 17, 20259:22 am| 103 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Elections 2024, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trump Crime Cartel

Fellas, is it good if your president’s farewell address is an implicit plea to the military to get up to the right kind of Fun if the new guy orders the wrong kind of Fun?

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— Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty (@irhottakes.bsky.social) January 16, 2025 at 4:22 PM

President Joe Biden announced that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.

The recent round of clemency gives Biden the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. https://t.co/i7u5bagngS

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 17, 2025

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread 16

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)

 
It’ll be a cold day in Hell, literally…

Monday's Inauguration Day is set to be the coldest in 40 years. The high temperature for the day is projected to be around freezing at 23 degrees, while the low for the day may drop to just 10 degrees.

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— NPR (@npr.org) January 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM

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His money is as green as anyone else's.

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM

I've thought a lot about this. I usually want to witness history.
But there is nothing in Trump's inauguration that will help me to understand anything. He is a felon and insurrectionist. He will damage the country. Watching him swear an oath he doesn't intend to keep? Nope.

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— Cheryl Rofer (@cherylrofer.bsky.social) January 14, 2025 at 9:58 AM

It's MLK Day. Sign up for one of the Day Of Service events in your area. Good for building community

— Nina (@surnina.bsky.social) January 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM

There’s at least one plague rat will be missing from the dais:

Brazil's Supreme Court has denied a request by former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily restore his passport so that he could travel to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. https://t.co/QjdrioiLOI

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 16, 2025

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread 15

(Walt Handelsman via GoComics.com)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: The Long GoodbyePost + Comments (103)

Thursday Morning Open Thread: President Biden’s Farewell Address

by Anne Laurie|  January 16, 20258:30 am| 192 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

Biden says farewell: "After 50 years of public service, I give you my word: I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands … now it's your turn to stand guard. May you be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it too. God bless you all"

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 15, 2025 at 8:22 PM

new eisenhower military industrial complex farewell address just dropped

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— not an art thief (@famousartthief.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM

Here’s YouTube with the complete speech (to which I have not yet listened), and a promised transcription (which I have yet to read; we’ve got the weekend):

 
We Irish have always been in love with a bold, defiant farewell — sometimes a little too much in love, frankly — but I do get the impression that a lot of journalists, commentors and historians are going to watch Joe Biden’s farewell and discover a sense of shame, if not wonder. Especially given what we’ll be seeing over the next months and years!

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President Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation Wednesday to warn of an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and of a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy. pic.twitter.com/O1UfbOKaQB

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 16, 2025

Reporter: Who gets credit for this? You or Trump?
Biden: Is that a joke?

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 2:24 PM

What a stupid M-F-ing question. Biden has been working on this for over a year. Anthony Blinken has traveled back and forth to Israel, and other Middle Eastern countries at least a hundred times. What has the First Felon done. Basically, stirred up trouble.

— captainwest.bsky.social (@captainwest.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 6:20 PM


 

Folks, let’s give President @JoeBiden his flowers. He’s been one of the most accomplished presidents I’ve seen in my lifetime.
? Created over 16 million jobs
? Lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years
? Brought manufacturing back to America through the CHIPS and Science Act

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— Jaime Harrison (@jaimeharrison.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM

Thursday Morning Open Thread: President Biden’s Farewell AddressPost + Comments (192)

Another Dawn Open Thread: A Note From Our Current (Excellent) President

by Anne Laurie|  January 6, 20253:49 am| 117 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

President Biden writes in an op-ed: What Americans should remember about Jan. 6 https://t.co/BC5dc6rGGf

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 6, 2025

A new opinion piece in the Washington Post, “What Americans should remember about Jan. 6” [gift link]:

On this Jan. 6, order will be called. Clerks, staff and members of Congress will gather to certify the results of a free and fair presidential election and ensure a peaceful transfer of power. Capitol Police will stand guard over the citadel of our democracy.

The vice president of the United States, faithful to her duty under our Constitution, will preside over the certification of her opponent’s victory in the November election.

It is a ceremony that for more than two centuries has made America a beacon to the world, a ceremony that ratifies the will of the voters.

For much of our history, this proceeding was treated as pro forma, a routine act. But after what we all witnessed on Jan. 6, 2021, we know we can never again take it for granted.

Violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol, threatened the lives of elected officials and assaulted brave law enforcement officers.

We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault. And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year.

But we should not forget. We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it. We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago…

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In time, there will be Americans who didn’t witness the Jan. 6 riot firsthand but will learn about it from footage and testimony of that day, from what is written in history books and from the truth we pass on to our children. We cannot allow the truth to be lost.

Thousands of rioters crossed the National Mall and climbed the Capitol walls, smashing windows and kicking down doors. Just blocks away, a bomb was found near the location of the incoming vice president, threatening her life. Law enforcement officials were beaten, dragged, knocked unconscious and stomped upon. Some police officers ultimately died as a result…

Four years later, leaving office, I am determined to do everything I can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the traditions we have long respected in America. The election will be certified peacefully. I have invited the incoming president to the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, and I will be present for his inauguration that afternoon.

But on this day, we cannot forget. This is what we owe those who founded this nation, those who have fought for it and died for it.

And we should commit to remembering Jan. 6, 2021, every year. To remember it as a day when our democracy was put to the test and prevailed. To remember that democracy — even in America — is never guaranteed…

Breaking Dawn Open Thread: A Note From Our Current (Excellent) President

(Nick Anderson via GoComics.com)

Another Dawn Open Thread: A Note From Our Current (Excellent) PresidentPost + Comments (117)

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