stevenkesslar

I think of Mark Halperin as one of the best political journalists today. He says the best politician of his life is Bill Clinton, bar none. He says Trump is the second best. Halperin has a good point. Especially after 2024. There is an objective test, which is simple. Can you get elected POTUS? Then can you get elected twice? The three living examples are Clinton, Obama, and Trump. So the interesting question to Halperin would be why do you put Trump before Obama? I think the answer is that Halperin thinks of politicians as feral political animals who will do whatever it takes to survive. And can somehow read the room well enough to cobble together a coalition that wins. Trump has done that, barely, twice. Personally, I'd rate Obama higher. But that's just my opinion. On the issue of health care, something did seem to shift. Trump was saying pretty loudly this Spring that Republicans should not cut Medicaid. And they should do these small ball populist working class things like "no tax on tips". Ultimately he did agree with a bunch of harsh health care and food cuts that I am sure he knows screw many of his voters. Even though they will all pretend it is just weeding out the unworthy. Except for a few guys like Tillis. Who is essentially being the prophet saying this is going to end badly for us, guys. I think it probably goes to Halperin's point. Trump has proven he is an effective politician. He must have decided that if he wanted to get a bill passed with a very narrow Republican majority, he needed the votes of the White Guy core of the party. They always want to cut all this government waste and hand out tax cuts. And they tend to represent ruby red districts where they can win easily. Trump probably does think he can just bullshit his way through it. If he does, my guess is he is delusional. That's not a shocker. Trump himself has said he won in 2024 thanks to two things: high prices, and the border. His campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita said the same thing. His pollster Tony Fabrizio said they modeled the electorate and figured out how they could cobble together enough votes to win. So that would include Black and especially Brown voters who are pissed off about prices and rent. They are all saying the same thing. Prices and inflation and affordability drove his narrow win. I personally buy all these studies that claim to have proven that some core of Trump voters are Whites who feel racial animus and see Trump and "Make America Great Again" in racial terms. You may call them "dissent" voters. But whatever we call them, they are NOT going to vote for the Obama Party or the Harris Party. And maybe that is what Trump himself thinks. He's got them, no matter what he does. It's just not true. And the math is simple. In three elections he has never won the majority of the vote. The people who actually won the thing - Trump, LaCivita, Fabrizio - are guys who like to brag. And they brag that we won this thing thanks to prices. Susie Wiles is smart enough to just keep her mouth shit. Prices and affordability are, of course, why Mamdani won a very different campaign in NYC. So maybe they really have convinced themselves that prices don't matter after elections. And no one will notice health care and food costs. But if that's what they think, I do think Tillis was prophetic. They are in for a big surprise. Lots of moderate Republicans in swing districts know this. They were the ones saying these cuts will impact our voters and will be a kiss of death. I'm sure you are right that Trump will try to sell this like it's the best deal for the working class ever. But the polls say they ain't buying. More important, we have two real world examples of how well Trump, as President, call sell bad policies that hurt people: 2018, and 2020. He could not close the deal either year. He is better as an outsider railing against Obama or Biden than he is as a leader. What a shock!

I get the point about having the slenderest of Democratic House majorities. I assume Nancy Pelosi's goal last year, at a minimum, was to get Biden out of the way. And thus remove an obstacle to a narrow House majority that could serve as a firewall. And she came very close. The Democrats won one House seat. Had they won a few more, all the tax cuts to Elon Musk and all the Medicaid cuts and all the looming hunger could have been blocked. Or at last much of it. That said, there are two problems with gerrymandering in California: 1) Gerrymandering, and 2) California. What message does this send? Why are so many voters cynical about politics? Here are a list of US Senate seats Democrats won in 2008, and the winning percentages: Alaska: Mark Begich 47.8 % Arkansas: Mark Pryor: 79.8 % Iowa: Tom Harkin 72.8 % Louisiana: Mary Landrieu 52.1 % Montana: Max Baucus 72.9 % North Carolina: Kay Hagan 52.7 % South Dakota: Tim Johnson 62.5 % West Virginia: Jay Rockefeller 63. 7 % Democrats did briefly enjoy a 60 vote filibuster-proof Senate majority. They could have raised taxes on Elon Musk. They could have made a popular child tax credit that helped tens of millions of working class families and cut child poverty in half permanent. They could have, and did, enact affordable health care initiatives to help the working class that Republicans now want to take away. If Democrats want to solve problems, instead of just block bad things, this is the problem they have to solve. How do you win in these states again? It won't be easy. If and when they do solve it, they will also solve the gerrymandering problem. The way to solve the gerrymandering problem is simple. Be popular. And win. Broadly. This is also a way to solve the Texas gerrymandering problem, even if nothing else happens. Republicans will do well if every election is like 2024, when people want to throw the bums out. And if the bums are Biden and Harris. If the bums are Trump and Vance in 2026, gerrymandering Texas into more thinly Republican districts will backfire. That's not a defense of what Republicans did in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Democrats should go over that. But the best way to go after it is by winning in states and districts we used to be able to win in.

Is Epstein the one in drag? And this does not prove Trump's guilt, any more than that goofy WSJ article. We all know Trump does not sing. 😉 Btw, does Trump read?

Or not. I do think we are talking about two groups of people. Although they do overlap. You're posts are often targeted to what I think of as the cult. This whole Epstein thing has made even clearer to me that I have no real understanding of what makes them tick. Although if I had to describe it, I might say anger or rage or cynicism. Some polls suggested up to 20 % of Americans believed the QAnon nonsense. Like Democrats and the Deep State drink the blood of children, blah blah blah. So you are largely right that these people are ........................... what was the word? .....................the deplorables. I do think its true that a lot of them may simply not vote in 2026 or even 2028. Trump was like their shaman. They are kind of losing faith. And he will kind of not be on the ballot. One other thing I take out of the Epstein freak show is that if the Republican Party can go this bat shit crazy over some dead predator, imagine what could happen if it is about something real: losing health insurance, going hungry, hospitals and grocery stores in rural areas closing. I understand your point about it is not real until it happens. But past midterms do suggest voters do have imaginations, and fear. Obama did get shellacked in 2010 thanks to nonexistent Obamacare. Trump got shellacked in 2018 simply because people were pissed that he tried to repeal Obamacare. But the most important point is that it's not about the haves becoming the have nots. It's about the have nots briefly becoming the haves. At least in the sense that they finally have affordable health insurance. And now they are being told, Guess what? We promised to lower your prices. But instead we are throwing you right back into that hole you lived in. You remember what it was like to NOT have insurance, dumb fuck, don't you? You know what it's like to go bankrupt, don't you,, dumb fuck? Granted, they won't call them dumb fucks. But it really does not take much imagination at all to believe this ain't gonna go down well. Working class people ain't dumb fucks. They know very well what this means. I know this as a former community organizer. I know it even better as a landlord to mostly working class people. I always ignore a bankruptcy or debt collection when it is based on medical bills. It is less common than it used to be, precisely thanks to Obamacare and Medicaid expansion. Believe me. If you talk to a working class Mom of any race with kids, she knows all about this. Medicaid Expansion is a Red and Blue State Issue I have a hard time keeping all the distinctions between various health programs straight. And many people think of it as "MediCal" rather than "Medicaid". But I'm pretty sure if you are on the losing end of the equation, there's a good chance you already have an inkling of what is is coming. And as if to prove my point, I unexpectedly got a call from a niece I don't here from much today. Happily, she is one of my liberal Democrat relatives. Like I got a text from her last Fall or her nine year old daughter at a Harris rally. She is absolutely freaking out her family losing health care subsidies. She is self-employed and her hubby is a blue collar guy. I told her that I thought they times this kick in after the midterms. And she said as far as he knows she is at risk of paying a lot more as of January 2026. Whether she is right or not, it is definitely on her radar. She's a liberal Democrat, as I said. Maybe if she were an Independent she wouldn't notice. In this context, I think what matters is she's a Mom with a kid. I think Moms with kids are going to notice.

Sis, just run with me on this for one paragraph. This is an exercise in fear and greed and imagination. You are in a public restroom alone. Suddenly Mamdani walks in. You smile at him. He smiles back with that winning smile. You rub your fingers on your lips in a certain slow ladylike manner. He goes and locks the door. The next thing you know he pushes you down on your knees. He unzips. Is this even possible? This gorgeous well hung uncut cock is dangling in front of you. Dripping in precum. Erect enough to look challenging, but soft enough to look possible. You lean back. You ingest. Now, granted, we are both OLD queers with somewhat vivid imaginations. This is not what some MAGA dude dreams about. Even so, let's not sell them short. It may not be real. It may even sound impossible. But surely they have imaginations? And when it comes to cock sucking, let's face facts. We are as greedy as can be. But now think about fear. Even more powerful. How is it even possible that Obamacare was not implemented until 2014. And yet Democrats got shellacked in 2010 because of it? Years before anyone could say they felt any impact from anything? I think the right answer is fear. People react to fear. Obamacare and 2010 is one example. But let's get a bit more current. Trump in 2016. Fear. Trump in 2024. Fear. Now, you may be right. But I think greed and fear can explain all kinds of things that don't really make sense. Like the last six months of the stock market, maybe? That said, if it comes down to Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, we agree. But surely if Mamdani got you all hot and bothered about taking away something you value - perhaps your virginity? - you might get extremely excited. Then again, we both lost our virginity long ago. So maybe I just have too vivid an imagination.

GOP megabill’s final score: $3.4T in red ink and 10 million kicked off health insurance, CBO says The package President Donald Trump signed on July 4 would grow the deficit over the next 10 years, Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeeper predicts. These assholes are cruel. They can believe whatever they want about Epstein and Q. But it ain't gonna change $3.4 trillion in yet more debt to suck off Elon Musk. Ugh! 10 million people will lose health care thanks to Trump wanting to enrich himself and his family and his donors. What cruel assholes! Epstein will be the least of their problems. People understand cruelty when they see it. The true Trump GOP. White male assholes who love power and money. And are more than willing to be cruel to get it and keep it.

We agree. I didn't say Murdoch has turned against Trump. Again, I think they are big men with big toys pounding their chests. Speaking of sex, it all goes to the incestuous relationship Trump has always had with the media. He needs them and they need him. Even though they love to hate each other. And in the end I would rather have Murdoch than Tik Tok. Part of the blame for Trump and Q and all the bullshit is social media and weird dark corners of the internet. All that said, it may be that what matters most is neither Q nor R. It is P. As in Prices. Q may now be so 2020. 2024 was more about prices. So it is not about some whacko conspiracy theory. It is about what you pay for electricity and a big ass truck. Anyhoo, where exactly is this Gloryhole? 🙄

I mostly agree. I don't think the Trump/Musk and Trump/Murdoch feuds are manufactured. They are big men with big toys who don't want their shit messed with. At some point even someone like Murdoch has to believe in freedom of the press and facts. While I have never agreed with the editorial slant of the WSJ, I have always felt they are one of the best newspapers around. Great reporting. Murdoch has to believe that is where his bread is buttered. Your points about the cult are always right. That said, it is mushy. There are the MTG true believer types who will always be with Trump. Even if they raise their meek voices every now and then. But there are also people who just got wrapped up in bullshit and just ain't gonna bother in 2026. Or even 2028 if JD Vance is the nominee. So I do think this is degrading the 49.8 % plurality.

House won't vote on Epstein matter this week Some White House officials have pushed House Republicans to wait until after August recess at least before taking a vote in support of releasing the Epstein files. This man, Mike Johnson, is the anti-Christ. You can just tell from his pretty but satanic face that he drinks the blood of children. Now he is trying to cover up the pedophiles. The signal is that his last name starts with J. The same as Jesus. But he is the anti-Christ. I have endured a four year spiritual crisis that has now ended. Like millions I believed that the military set forth Donald Trump to SAVE and RESTORE America to GREATNESS. Q told me. I thought January 6th was The Storm. Yes the pedophiles and Satanists won. The Biden/Obama/Clinton blood drinkers. It just shows that Our Lord works in mysterious ways and tests the true REMNANT to make sure we are not the pedophiles and blood drinkers. Q is now R. R is telling me the prophecy will be revealed. The Reaction is coming in 2026. At the midterms. All these disgusting Republican pedophiles will be exposed and rejected in HIS HOLY NAME. They drank blood with Epstein and are all damned to hell. And no I do need mean Trump when I say HIS HOLY NAME. R says Trump is no longer the vehicle for GOD'S JUSTICE. It is all part of the plan. The Reaction is coming in 2026. I heard it on the internet.

Not necessarily. There is a phrase we all know for this. The coverup is worse than the crime. I think that is probably the biggest driver here. Trump has been the anti-hero that goes into the swamp and flips the table over and opens the coffin. And now it turns out he is gaslighting his own followers. Geez Louise! What a shocker! Joe Rogan’s Latest Guest Might Turn Texas Blue There is a hyperlink to a Politco article in that banner. The reason I am posting it here is the part about Rogan. This guy Talarico is some Texas spiritual moderate Democratic state legislator I never heard of until I read that article. But I think his read of Joe Rogan is accurate. You have to start with this deep cynicism about both political parties, and politics and government in general. Rogan speaks to a huge audience, many of whom seem to embrace that view. Rogan certainly does. So I agree with you that, ultimately, the MAGA faithful will just shut up and put up. But they may not vote in 2026, or 2028 when Trump is not on the ballot. Meanwhile, there all these other Rogan types that flip between Sanders and Trump - !!! - and really seem to be driven by this belief that they are all liars and thieves. They are not wedded to Trump permanently. This also goes to my point about how 2028 is totally unpredictable. Could some guy like this win a Senate seat with a populist message about Texas oligarchs? Probably not. But the disgust with Trump is growing. And I don't think we can predict where that will go. Maybe a dictatorship. Or maybe some nice guy or girl who genuinely wants to end the nonsense rides it to power. Jimmy Carter after Watergate comes to mind. All that is way down the road. But whether there is more horrible dirt on Trump or not, I do think the coverup is probably going to be worse than the crime.

Just today I have received over 3 million emails from all over the world demanding that Trump rebrand to his authentic and indigenous self. He is a stupid redneck rapist felon who screws his working class supporters. He should no longer be referred to as POTUS. People are demanding it! This is actually the biggest smoking gun so far that Trump may be a sick degenerate pedophile as well as all the other disgusting things he is. But we are a democracy and a country of laws. So instead of calling him America's pedophile, until proven I will refer to him by his authentic and indigenous name: America's stupid redneck rapist felon who screws his working class supporters.. Gosh I love it when he tries to change the subject. You'd think he'd be proud of probably being part of an international fat cat sex trafficking ring.

Or not. I've know he's had brain insufficiency forever. I'm fine limiting it to venous insufficiency. Same goes for penile insufficiency, by the way. No need for the details on that. Melania's face says it all.

I have to admit, Sis. I am a bit jealous of you. And not for the first time. You have always been more compassionate than me. But I have always aspired to the the smart girl. Maybe even a little bit of that whole liberal condescending thing the MAGA folk love to hate. Just a touch, mind you. And yet here you go again: both compassionate, and innovative. In a genuinely sincere and heartfelt way. I guess I will never be as smart and kind as you. But I can look up to you, proudly. Besides, if there are two of them, they can protect each other from Trump turning them into Trump steaks.

Wow. When I saw a video that actually has facts and is kind of thoughtful, I thought maybe our old dog is really learning new tricks. But once I watched the video, it's just another reflexive bark from our STUPID STUPID DOG. But I am glad to see Tik Tok at least allows a mostly factual video to be posted. If we want to talk about Democrats and power, we should talk about housing. High housing costs, high mortgage rates, and high rent all helped Trump win in 2024. Especially among Zoomer men that are feeling the brunt of it. That said, our stupid barking dog is hopeless. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. I like our barking dog. I don't want Trump to turn him into food for hungry Trump voters. But, sadly, his brain is Trump steaks already. He can not think. He is a stupid dumb Pavlov's dog barking reflexively. From green icon to housing villain: The fall of California’s landmark environmental law Our stupid dumb dog can not read. So of course he is not up to date on the news. He is conditioned to watch some video and bark. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS, OKAY? Newsom got the memo from the 2024 elections. As that article documents, what he has done this year is a needed political earthquake in California. Critics who want to defend NIMBY laws that making it harder to build homes correctly say that scaling back the California Environmental Quality Act is just one small barrier. And that the law still has good intentions, as it did when Reagan signed it. True. But it is now one less barrier to affordable housing. Newsom thinks Democrats should knock down more barriers. I agree Only a BRAIN DEAD BARKING DOG would bark like crazy at the stupid arguments in that video. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. The argument our dumb dog barks at is that hypocritical liberals fought to keep one block in Palo Alto, CA from being turned into "affordable housing." News flash! As the video says, homes in Palo Alto - one of the richest cities in the world - cost like $5 million. How is THAT affordable to anyone? The STUPID STUPID DOG posted a video that says, correctly, that California communities are adding way more good paying jobs than affordable housing. So if California has all these high paying jobs, tell me why it sucks so bad? Or why Californians are lazy? You poor STUPID STUPID DOG. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. And Trump just gave tax cuts to all the richest Americans, who live in places like Palo Alto. How does that make things more affordable? How does cutting Medicaid for working class families, some of whom own homes, help them pay their mortgage or rent? YOU STUPID STUPID BARKING DOG. Didn't your mother teach you anything? DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. Could a Trump voting Mormon family or a liberal Black working class family in Utah or Sacramento afford a $300,000 home, as opposed to a $5 million home in Palo Alto? Yes. I know they can. I sold the home in Utah to a guy who was my tenant for 20 years last year. He and his wife love owning a home. I am working right now with the Black family in Sacramento, who have been my tenants for over a decade. They all want to own homes. They do not want to rent. Here is a news flash to our STUPID STUPID BARKING DOG. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. In America, owning a home is the American dream. Owning a home is the single best way to slowly build wealth. People who want to own a single-family home are smart, you STUPID STUPID DOG. The problem is not that people like single-family homes. Or that they like the good paying jobs they can get in California. The problem is that progressive government should be working hard to knock down barriers to help working class people either own if they can or rent if they must - affordably. And sorry. Palo Alto will never be an affordable place for working class people. Why focus on that, other than to get the STUPID STUPID DOG to bark reflexively? That is not to say that renting or owning a condo in a big complex is bad. But most families I have rented to in working class neighborhoods are working class people with kids who like having a back yard. If they can afford it. It is as American as apple pie. What the fuck is Trump doing to make homes affordable for these people? Tax breaks to Elon Musk? Cutting their Medicaid? Taking food off their table? You STUPID STUPID BARKING DOG. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. Here's your treat. Now be good! And sorry if I insulted you. I guess you can't help the fact that you are stupid.

Silly. I will always lover my OLDER sister. Again, I will go for "Unpredictable for $500." David Axelrod said he did not see Trump coming in 2016, and he felt dumb afterward. He advised Obama to be the opposite of W. in 2008. So, in hindsight, Axelrod said it made sense that after eight years America might want the opposite of Obama. Other than being old, calm Joe was kind of the opposite of Trump in 2020. So as much as a lot of people think we need our own Trump in 2028, I'm not sure. Mostly, I think it is unpredictable. But this much is predictable. You will always be my Beloved Sister in Cock.

Be careful what you ask for, sweetie. Do you really want to be the next Beau Breedlove? And yes. It does sound like some name out of a Gay porn movie. But truth actually is stranger than fiction. Beau Breedlove tells of his romance as a 17-year-old with Sam Adams Adams was Portland's first Gay mayor. I think at the time Portland was the largest city to elect a Gay mayor. Sam left office kind of disgraced, because of the above. He tried to make a political comeback in 2020, and lost a City Council race. He tried again in 2024, and lost a race for a seat on the County Commission. It gets sadder. His partner, Peter Zuckerman, led the campaign to decriminalize drugs in Oregon. It won in 2020, the heyday of woke, by 59 % of the vote. After it passed, fentanyl use exploded. All kinds of promises were made about how progressive government would spend money on effective drug treatment to get to the root of the problem. Even defenders of the law agreed that did not happen as planned. The law was repealed in 2024. Measure 110 rollback passes House: Oregonians ‘ready for this misguided experiment to be over’ If I had to name one woke phrase that hurt Democrats badly, it would be "Defund The Police." But this would be a close second. It contributed to the narrative that progressives can't govern. They are all talk and no action. Except to kiss Beau Breedlove, maybe. Sam has nice nipples, though. 🙄 I saw him partly naked a few times, since we went to the same gym and he would hang out in the sauna. And I did have a professional liaison with him, of sorts. Before he was elected Mayor, he was the former Mayor's Chief of Staff while I ran a campaign to impose a progressive tax to fund schools on the largest corporations in Portland. That won, and was wildly popular. This shit is not rocket science. The woman who was the County chair at the time actually was a former socialist recruited to run for office by a friend of mine. She told me as much as she liked the idea of a progressive tax on big business, she could not support it because they would run her out of office. We did it, anyways. She supported it, anyways. We won. Corporate Portland hated it and did target her. She won re-election handily because she fought for something. So it pisses me off when these people will not stand and fight. Because my own personal experience is that when Democrats stood and fought, we won.

Granted, I am OLD. As you so kindly noted in another post, my Beloved Sister In Cock. 😍 True story. Once, when I was young, someone teased me by putting this Chinese fortune on my work mailbox: "In youth ans beauty, wisdom is rare." I'm hoping I at least can count on the wisdom part now. True! This is the part of it that makes sense to me. Both for deeply principled progressives, and for loose cannons like Theo Von. I do believe in the "someone in the crowd" theory of politics. Who would have guessed Clinton in 1992, or Obama in 2008, or Trump in 2016 and then again in 2024? Politics is weird. Leaders emerge. That said, the problem with my theory is that it's more complicated than Emma Stone looking pretty. They have to fight like hell to win and lead. Clinton, Obama, and Trump all know that very well. Khanna is one of those guys fighting like hell. So when I think of who could emerge in 2028, he is one of the people on my short list. That said, the whole point is I don't think we know. Mamdani himself is proof that lightning sometimes just has to strike. The problem with Khanna is that he is a California liberal. Didn't we just have one of that ilk lose? I also think he is the kind of wonky candidate, like Elizabeth Warren, who wonks like me love. They contribute to the debate. But they never win the grand prize. Working class people like people who sound working class. Hence Ruben Gallego, who says what every Mexican American man wants is a big ass truck and cheap gas to fill it with. That's the ticket! That said, who knows? What is interesting is that Khanna comes from one of the richest and most ethnically diverse House districts in America. You can stop there and say, THAT is the future America I want. Rich, forward looking, interesting, a global collection of winners who work hard and win. And he'll look rich people in Silicon Valley in the face and say put your money where your mouth is. You should pay more taxes. While Hakeem just goes and kisses their asses.

Hate to break the bad news, Sis. But I wouldn't get your hopes up. He might let you suck on a nipple, at least. Something is better than nothing.

It's so funny that you of all people want to live in 1945. I know Russia is behind the times. But, really? Can't we try to live in the 21st Century? These days, there is one bad ass who keeps threatening to nuke a neighbor. And that is your genocidal monster, Putin. You might want to update him on your feelings about nukes. Then again, he might kill you. Be careful. By coincidence, there was just this long article in Politico about an oral history of the first testing of a nuke in July 1945. It is an interesting read. Here is the line that stood out the most to me: My Dad, who was on a ship in the Pacific in WWII, felt that way. The damn thing worked. It meant he didn't have to be slaughtered in a land invasion of Japan. Being slaughtered in a land invasion. Let's see. Is there anything like that happening in the world today? Surely you can relate. Putin has to pay the families of the poor and ethnic minorities and Russian criminals to go be slaughtered in Ukraine. What gives you standing to talk about anything? Remember that Japan provoked the US, just like Putin provoked Ukraine and the West. You can say whatever you want about NATO and Gorbachev and promises made. But Putin invaded Ukraine and started a genocide. Even Putin's favorite fool, Donald Trump, seems to have now accepted that fact. So he is incompetently trying to lure Putin into some deal that Putin clearly won't make. Putin definitely has won a big battle with Trump's victory. So congratulations to you. And enjoy it while it lasts. But I still think Russia is fucked. You now have a shitty economy with inflation and debt that depends on a war you can't win. One reason Putin wants to keep the war going is his economy now depends on it. And most of the rest of the world hates you. Good luck with that. As much as I despise him, I do kind of feel sorry for Trump. We have two actively genocidal assholes in the world today. Putin, and Netanyahu. And a fool named Trump who thinks he can win a Nobel by making peace with both. Meanwhile, the genocides continue. The US and Israel is paying for one, and Putin is paying for another. So it is just bad news. And not a good time for people who actually want peace. Too bad for the rest of the world.

Mamdani finally meets Jeffries — and comes up short Their ‘constructive, candid and community-centered’ conversation did not result in an endorsement for mayor. Hakeem Jeffries is a loser. He should resign. He is not change. He is blocking change. On his first round as House Speaker, he lost. So he is, by definition, a loser. Losers lose, and Hakeem lost. So what the fuck does he know? Resign, loser. You are behind the curve and we don't need you. Take your big money donors and go away. Nancy Pelosi is many things. I will name three. Back in the day, she was a hero to the Gay community on AIDS. She is a famed fundraiser who has gotten endless numbers of Democrats elected. And she was arguably the best House Speaker ever. Democrats can thank her as much as Obama for Obamacare and a whole bunch of other stuff. But her time has passed. And Hakeem is basically a weaker version of her, with a Black face rather than a skirt. And so far, all he is is a loser. Everything I read about Hakeem is he wants to go kiss ass and make up with Silicon Valley donors and big money. He is the face of a party that does not know what they stand for. Other than to convince people like me to give them money to stand for nothing and fight for nothing. And lose. Go away, Hakeem. YOU ARE A LOSER. Do you get the message, loser? I'm not a huge fan of Mamdani. But I think I understand what he stands for. And the Democratic Party needs it if we want to have any hope of winning. Millennials in particular - the same people that stood for Obama, and were the energy behind Bernie - want real change. And if it sounds good enough and real enough, a lot of the Zoomer men who voted for Trump and aren't thrilled with what they got may vote Democratic. We tried a version of this in Chicago. And so far no one thinks Mayor Johnson is a success. His poll ratings are dismal. If Mamdani wins we get another try in New York, around a clear and riveting populist agenda. There is a whole crew of seasoned progressives from the DeBlasio days that have actual experience running things that can and probably will step in if Mandani wins. I'm not convinced it will work. But it is a big piece of what my party needs if it wants to have a future. So I hope he wins, and I hope he governs well. The fact that Hakeem won't get behind this sends me a clear message. I won't give a penny to Hakeem or his party. I donate to lots of Democrats, and I will keep doing it. But I hope Hakeem himself fails and quits. He is a loser who loses, and stands for nothing. Go away, Hakeem. We don't need you. Loser! Bill Clinton is not a loser. Nor would I call him a progressive. But he is a great politician who can read the room better than most. So he got right behind Mamdani. One of his old hack political advisers, Doug Sosnik, is one of the guys I like to listen to. He is not a progressive, either. But he is saying the same thing. The economic populism Bernie fought hard for in 2016 and 2020, which was anchored in Millennials, has to be a big part of the mix if Democrats actually want to win and deliver change. I think Clinton and Sosnik are winners who win. Because they know what effective politics is. Jeffries is pissing on his own future. He is weak, and stands for nothing. Nancy Pelosi was always going to be a hard act to follow. But this guy is a loser. He should go away.

Grandma is the reason we should nuke Master Xi if he invades Taiwan. Then again, we should have nuked Moscow when Putin started his genocide. Instead, Trump is letting Putin manipulate the hell out of him. I say let's nuke Master Xi and his pit bull, Putin. After all, as you keep saying, the US loves to nuke people every century or so. 😉 Putin, he's just a garden variety genocide type of guy. 😨 Gotta admit, though. We are giving Putin a run for his money and blood in Gaza. Although in fairness the US is just footing the bill for the Genocide Jew. And we're not killing our own people, like Putin is.

Always love it when you laugh, Sis. MAGA-friendly "manosphere" turns heat on Trump over Epstein scandal Some smart Republican politico predicted a few years back that a tidal wave was coming for the Republican Party. And Republicans had no idea how to stop it. The tidal wave was "youth". Well, they not only stopped it in 2024. They turned it to their advantage. Particularly with young Zoomer men. Again, I think most of that was luck. COVID. Lockdowns. Inflation. Rent. Now Democrats are the ones who feel awash.

Again, hate to be a broken record. AMLO won in a sorta landslide in 2018 because he had a vision that people were attracted to. But also Nieto proved that corporate mainstream governance, Mexico's trickle down, was not working. Sheinbaum won in a true landslide in 2024 because MORENA actually delivered results. Despite the same inflation as in the US. The three-way battle for the Democratic Party As much as something this complex and unpredictable can be summarized in one essay, that article does a really good job. And the question is not which of the three wings are correct. They all are. The question is whether they can form a coalition. And then, if elected, whether they can deliver. I don't blame people who feel Biden did not deliver. You can blame it on all sorts of things, starting with global inflation. But it still is what it is. This is the job of a leader. Someone running for President is going to have to pull it together. So as the article says Democrats will have to grumble until 2028. But hopefully by then a lot of people will be hungry to unify and win. Trump had to do the same thing. Build a coalition. And he barely succeeded, twice. The two obvious wings of the GOP are the old Chamber of Commerce wing, which is alive and well and loving its tax cuts and special interest laws. And the working class/trucker driver/MAGA wing. I would not call low-income people a part of the GOP coalition. But Trump did win the votes of people who make under $50,000 in 2024. Which is a huge indictment of Democratic failures. And an explanation for Mamdani. So if there is a third wing of the GOP coalition it is the "high prices" wing. Which already doesn't like what Trump is doing. Electric bills are up 9 % YTD. Just wait till the Medicaid and food debate gets going. I love this abundance thing. It focuses directly on stuff people want. Abundant housing. Abundant energy. Abundant child care. Better that than abundant democracy, I think. Both Ezra Klein lefties and Mandani progressives want the same thing. Abundant stuff. Affordable stuff. It presents Democrats with at least two huge challenges. The rich and corporations will have to pay. Which is something Biden could not deliver. And Democrats will have to govern well. In Chicago the mayor's approval ratings got as low as a single digit in one poll. Meaning a lot of the Black base that elected him are not happy with how he is doing. The best thing that could happen is Mamdani wins and proves progressives can govern. Which is, again, exactly what AMLO did in Mexico City. And then the nation! I'm not suggesting Mandani should run for President, even if he wins and is wildly successful. I think Bernie proved that his brand of democratic socialism is simply a bridge too far. Including for the working class. We have a long time to figure this out. There are a few threads emerging that excite me. Just get old fucks out of the way. Millennials are being awful polite not to say it that bluntly. And I adore Nancy Pelosi. I even think Chuck Schumer is underestimated as a clever political survivor. But they excite no one these days. And Trump is the same worthless old disgusting piece of shit he has always been. Just older. So some burst of youthful energy will happen. We're seeing the previews right now in NYC. And the other thing is this: JUST BUILD SHIT. Just shut the fuck up and build shit. Build affordable shit. Just shut the fuck up. Really. Environmental blah blah blah just shut the fuck up and build shit. I mean, it really is easier to build homes than bombers, or AI, or nuclear power plants, or a new electric grid. It is not rocket science. So just shut the fuck and build shit. Affordable shit. That is what Zoomers want. And Trump, the faux real estate POTUS, ain't gonna do shit about it.

It sure ain't trust. It's more like I recognize greed when I see it. Paramount wants its merger approved. So in that sense Trump won. All the king's men have to kowtow to him. What's new? The bizarre part of this to me is that it is somehow news that Theo Von is calling out Vance, as outlined below, because Vance gaslighted the public about Epstein on Von's show. As in, who could possibly give a shit? Zoomers, I guess. I think it was a big mistake for Team Harris to ignore the slightly racist maybe recovering drug addicty Rogan/Von manosphere. But the good news is there is no evidence that the love affair between Trump and the bros is permanent. This headline says it all. Theo Von Government Isn't For the People ...Look at Epstein & Gaza!!! I'm with him. Epstein, US-funded genocide in Gaza, Trump building a surveillance state with Palantir. What's not to like about that .............. other than everything? It is clear that four years of Biden, lockdowns, toxic masculinity, and unaffordable rent had an impact on young men who facilitated Trump's comeback. It is way too early to tell what impact four years or Trump will have on the same group. But the handwriting on the wall ain't looking so good for MAGA.

I'd say Tik Tok took Colbert down. It's a shame. Old school linear TV is being replaced by junk on Tik Tok. But that's what the kids want, honey! Partisanship no doubt plays into it, too. But I buy that it was mostly, if not purely, a financial decision.