I need a break. I’ve been listening to this a lot lately. No politics!
This post is in: Open Threads
I need a break. I’ve been listening to this a lot lately. No politics!
by DougJ| 67 Comments
This post is in: C.R.E.A.M.
As of the end of June, 209 Democratic challengers had registered with the FEC and raised at least $5,000. That more than doubled the previous high mark since 2003. In 2009, the Republicans had 78 challengers with at least $5,000. The early GOP challengers in 2009 foreshadowed the party’s regaining majority control. The question is whether the same will hold true for the Democrats in 2018.
The number of challengers at six months is truly remarkable. And the candidates are not simply bunching up in a few primaries. Yes, there is some doubling up: six Democrats have filed so far against John Faso in New York’s 19th congressional district. But there is also a good spread. So far, 105 different Republican incumbents have Democratic challengers with $5,000. At this same time in 2009, only 50 of the Democratic incumbents were up against challengers with $5,000.
Let’s keep it up! Donate below to a fund that is spread equally among all districts currently held by Republicans.
Tell us about anyone in your district who is running against a Republican incumbent in the comments.
This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Open Threads, Post-racial America, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Stupidity, Daydream Believers
Trumpet call, via the Washington Post:
The moderator lauded Michelle Obama for her achievements over the past eight years and touched on the former first lady’s plans, but Tuesday’s conversation also veered into uncomfortable territory.
It was Obama’s largest public appearance since the 2016 election — speaking in front of more than 8,000 people at the Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s 30th anniversary celebration — and she touched on personal attacks that she faced again and again. Many had the same theme.
“The shards that cut me the deepest were the ones that intended to cut,” Obama said, according to the Denver Post. “Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who won’t see me for what I am because of my skin color.”
She added that she wouldn’t pretend the attacks didn’t hurt, because that would give those inflicting the pain a pass, according to the Post.
“We are living with small tiny cuts, and we are bleeding every single day. And we’re still getting up,” she said….
Despite Tuesday’s detour into dark territory, many of Obama’s comments went high.
She told the audience that she is “a strong woman because of other strong woman,” according to statement on WFCO’s website. “You don’t mother alone, you don’t grandparent alone, you don’t struggle alone. You find your community.”…
Butt trumpet [fart noise] — news of our old Hoekstroika punching bag :
Pres Trump to nominate former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), to be US Amb to the Netherlands. Campaigned for Trump. Both had fries. pic.twitter.com/DLLuF0nVMA
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 24, 2017
Hoekstra’s parents, IIRC, left the Netherlands because it was turning into a “Sodom and Gomorrah”, where the righteous were brutally required to respect other peoples’ opinions — kinda like the Puritans, back in the day.
Another fun story: he once posted nuclear bomb schematics in Arabic on the internet https://t.co/wl5okx8LKT
— On Trial for ?????? (@ZeddRebel) July 25, 2017
Hoekstra had the bright idea to post 1000s of untranslated Iraqi documents to the internet so sleuths could find WMD. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? pic.twitter.com/ft2eFXNdtU
— On Trial for ??? (@ZeddRebel) November 16, 2016
(Speaking of history… somewhere on the Internet, there’s gotta be a link to the Gore Vidal essay about Ronald Reagan appointing the founder/owner of TV Guide as Ambassador to Great Britain, in case anyone thinks Trump’s people are capable of anything more original than copying 40-year-old insults from brighter administrations.)
Thursday Evening Open Thread: Blasts from the PastPost + Comments (198)
by David Anderson| 298 Comments
This post is in: Anderson On Health Insurance, Fuck The Middle-Class, Fuck The Poor, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Get Angry
Following on on Betty’s post this morning, keep on calling.
Senator Sanders in his role as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee has had his staff arguing hard to the parliamentarian over the past few weeks. They are arguing over every point in the Senate bill(s) that are still be scrawled on napkins in the Senate dining room on whether or not provisions are directly budget related and therefore only need a 50 vote threshold or are primarily policy and need a 60 vote threshold. They’ve won some big fights. It looks like they won an even bigger one this morning.
Senate Parliamentarian rules that state innovation waivers in GOP bill violate Byrd Rule, per Bernie Sanders staff pic.twitter.com/Yh5ORWFhZ7
— Patrick Caldwell (@patcaldwell) July 27, 2017
What that means is the waiver provisions need 60 votes. This is important from a policy perspective as the current waiver system in the ACA allows states to experiment if they can insure as many people, at the same or better actuarial value while protecting the most vulnerable and costing the federal government no more money. The provision that is now subject to a 60 vote threshold would allow the state to do whatever it wanted just as long as it cost the federal government no more money.
Politically this is important because the Senate leadership, Secretary of Health and Human Services Price and CMS Administrator Verma have been promising Republican senators that they’ll issue magical waivers that will give enough flexibility to states to keep everyone or at least enough people whole despite pulling out $750 billion dollars in Medicaid funding and several hundred billion net dollars from the individual market. That is a fantasy of the least interesting tripe but it waivers of unimaginable power are being pushed behind the scene. Those waivers can’t be part of the bill.
And if they are part of the bill, that means the legislative filibuster is dead which should help when we have to clean up this mess.
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity, Assholes, General Stupidity
The so-called “skinny repeal” bill (I like valued commenter Oldgold’s “Trojan Hearse” nickname better) is being written on cocktail napkins in the Senate commissary today:
Source has told colleague @yabutaleb7 that Rs will *write* skinny bill @ today's policy lunch. Unclear if wish list meets reconciliation.
— Amanda Becker (@AmandaBecker) July 27, 2017
So much has happened already this morning: the West Wing has gone full-metal “Heathers,” Trump is threatening to veto the Russia sanctions bill, etc. But here’s one thing we can actually do: call about that bill.
The smart money is on the craven GOP worms passing some piece of shit legislation that harms millions of Americans, even if it doesn’t contain all the plutocratic goodies that have been dancing like sugar plums in their corrupt heads since November. But imagine the meltdown if they hit a wall again. That’s worth a call right there. We’ve already made a difference.
Open thread!
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 53 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All,
So far, this feature has been about travel, with the occasional “local” picture or two. I think limiting this to just travel is just that – limiting. So I’m changing this up a bit to include neat, colorful, funny, interesting, poignant, etc. pictures that don’t require travel.
As always, if you’re on a trip or have a story to share, you can just pitch in below.
I’m pleased to announce the release of the new picture submission tool for this feature. Using this tool will ensure I don’t mess things up, will make it much less time-consuming for me, and will make for a much easier process all the way around. This would not be possible without the efforts of valued commenter Major Major Major Major. His help has been invaluable in this feature, not to mention in the pie filter and rotating quote.
The form is here and has a few simple rules:
If you are a lurker and thus not a commenter, or should you wish to submit a video, archive of multiple pictures, links to pictures hosted online, or want to include more text or pictures than the form allows, send an email.
Travel safely everyone, even if it’s just down the hall for that second cup of coffee!
Quick pre-picture note: there are tons of submissions via the form and I’ll take a look at them Thursday or over the weekend. At least one person reported some issues with submitting a set of pics, so if you had any issues, please let me know.
I’m currently engaged in a major project of scanning old slides, negatives, and pictures from my family history. 22 years ago my father died, and 10 years ago my family home had a fire and most pictures were lost, as were almost all remnants from my childhood. It’s really amazing that some stuff survived, and that my mother wasn’t in bed when the lightning bolt hit crashed through the roof and ignited her bed. But that’s a story for another day.
Tuesday I was scanning some surviving slides, and I had the amazing experience of scanning a picture of my father’s killer. He died from silicosis – he had inhaled uranium ore dust and the rock particles embedded in his lungs and slowly killed him.
And here was a picture of a sample of Uranium ore, noted in his handwriting, from 1956. That was the year where he did some work (he was a petroleum geologist) in a uranium mine; I remember his stories of sleeping in the mine which had the feel of a barely-dodged danger as we had subsequently learned how bad radioactive ore could be. In my youth, when he regaled me with those stories, he was hale and hearty. It didn’t fell him until 1995.
On a less-somber note, we are blessed with some truly great pictures from the adventures of Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes and his wonderful Countess:
May 22, 2017
Cape Tribulation, QLD, Australia
This is as far north on the coast as you can get before the road turns to crappy dirt track going up Cape York. When Captain James Cook wasn’t getting his dumb ass killed in Hawaii, he blundered all the way up the coast, breaking his boat repeatedly. He named this place Cape Tribulation, as he was having real problems with grounding.
May 22, 2017
Cape Tribulation, QLD, Australia
This beautiful beach is difficult to access (about an hour and a half north from Port Douglas) cannot be used for swimming. Jellyfish, sharks, and salt water crocs abound.
May 27, 2017
Osprey Reef, Coral Sea
This is me and the Countess, looking at a nautilus. This is part of a research project that the scuba liveaboard company participates in with regard to these creatures. They’re an ancient relative of the octopus, and are typically found in much deeper waters. For a brief period of the year, they’re found at roughly 700 to 900 feet deep and are trapped at that level and brought up for measurement and inspection.
Wow. I’ve seen a host of them in Singapore (aquarium, not diving). They are amazing creatures, it’s so neat that you touched one!
May 26, 2017
North Horn, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, QLDThis was a shark feeding we got to see – I took some stills off my video. These guys hung out with us on the reef the entire time we were there. It was a mix of white tips, black tips, greys. There were some other fish, and a gigantic potato cod (grouper that no fish would mess with). The sharks ranged from about 5 to 8 feet in size, and were everywhere – some liked checking us out during dives, others liked hanging out where we got back on the boat.
Anyway, they were extremely cool. The sequence begins with their expectation of a meal of tuna head and bits. Eventually, the bucket separates for a toothsome repast.
The closest any got to me was about 18 inches…
No freaking thank you. Nope. Nada. Never. Well, not never: just like skydiving – I’ll do it when I have to, once, and never again. I salute your courage.
Just amazing! Don’t let my terror obscure my appreciation of them, of nature, and of your capturing this. I love nature but I fear much of it, wisely, I feel. And sharks, crocs, gators, bears, and large cats are hazards I steer clear of. I’ve seen them close enough in the wild and have heard enough horror stories from my father’s adventures in Africa, Alaska, and South America. And yes, I’m wary of hippos, and, truth be told, beefs/bovines (you see some stampede or charge you sometime, and you’ll approach them a bit differently, I assure you!).
Sydney, Australia
Back the final night for Vivid, a laser light festival held annually in the city. Various buildings become the canvas for a laser light show of moving expressions. This still shot was from the roof top bar of our hotel.
May 28, 2017
Lizard Island, QLD, AustraliaThis is where Captain Cook put ashore after bouncing up and down on the Great Barrier Reef – it had sufficient elevations to determine a safe path out. It was a truly gorgeous day…
Wow, that’s like a stereotype. Just so beautiful and inspiring!
Thank you so much Comte, and do keep sending more. You are blessed to be able to travel to so many gorgeous places with such access, and are gifted in photographing and recounting your adventures. A deep, sincere thanks!
Have a great day everyone!
Oh yeah, for those so-inclined, Open Thread! You can continue your discussions here, it doesn’t all have to be about travel, stories, or pictures.
This post is in: Activist Judges!, Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republicans in Disarray!, Russiagate, Assholes, Jump! You Fuckers!, Schadenfreude
Since I am not by nature a nice person, I’ll admit that stories like this make me quietly gleeful. From the Washington Post, “Senate Republicans have tolerated Trump’s controversies. His treatment of Sessions is different”:
… Cornyn is not alone in rallying to the defense of Sessions, who, despite sometimes having waged lonely battles as one of the chamber’s most staunch conservatives, still has many friends among Senate Republicans. Most have issued statements of support, and several are making private calls to reassure Sessions that they are behind him.
But the tension over Trump’s treatment of Sessions goes beyond the senators defending a friend.
Unlike any other controversial move that Trump has pondered in his six months as president, Senate Republicans are sending preemptive signals that firing the attorney general or pressuring him to resign would be a terrible move.
Some have warned high-level White House officials that it would look as though Trump were making the move solely to shut down an investigation of his campaign and the White House, now overseen by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, while also making clear that they agree with Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from an investigation of the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia.
Replacing Sessions would be difficult, and the idea of Trump making a recess appointment during the planned four-week break in August is foolhardy. Democrats can indefinitely stall a resolution to fully adjourn the Senate, having already forced minute-long periods during even shorter breaks to prevent Trump from having the authority to make temporary appointments while the Senate is away.
Democrats may have vehemently opposed Sessions’s nomination, but they have no intention of allowing Trump to fire him and name a new attorney general with a recess appointment, and frankly, Republicans do not seem to want to give Trump that power either…
What’s on the agenda, as we start another bound-to-be-beleagured day?
***********
Speaking of public schadenfreude: Having grown up in the sort of family where interactions tended to start with a challenge and escalate explosively, I’ve spent the past forty years learning that not every dark thought needs to be described exhaustively. Not only does such gleeful venting disturb those who come from less toughened environments, but it’s really quite stressful to keep up the paranoia level that’s essential when you know at a bone-deep level that talking the talk is liable to lead to walking a very unpleasant walk.
This is John Cole’s blog, and it will never be mistaken for an Oberlin drum circle. But rest assured, no matter how inventive your torture scenarios for those public officials who most absolutely deserve them, there is no membership requirement that those scenarios be shared in the comments.
Venting is important, especially in this Trump era, but not everybody here has the same tolerance for violence porn. Wish all the bad cess on Republicans and other miscreants that they deserve, but try to keep in mind that it’s not a competition to see which of us can produce the most disturbing rant.
Thursday Morning Open Thread: Rooting for Injuries (But Not Describing Them)Post + Comments (300)