U.S. Politics, November 2022: “I don’t know, you hear the same things I do”

are you guys still talking about mayor pete? I'm outta here

if pete makes his dad sec of education maybe I will reconsider

i'm tired of hearing about him cos of all of the people that make "booty judge" jokes

If voting isn't a moral statement I would expect fewer intimations that non-voters or the left or etc. are bad people for not being appropriately Vote Blue.

Voting is consumer choice, a team sport, a moral statement and sometimes harm reduction. The Pete Buttigiegs (imperial foot soldier, consultant for pure evil) of the world are a significant factor in why things are so bad - the vanguard of a Democratic Party that hasn't been able to credibly sell a vision for a better, brighter future for almost three generations at this point. "Things will get worse marginally slower maybe" and hectoring people for not being content with that is not a good long term strategy.

^ ^ ^

"Sorry this is the best imperial ghoul we have, look he's gay this time"

It's pathetic.

lol if anyone is hectoring here it's you two, fwiw I'm sure Morbs would agree

purity tests are for losers, sorry, I've been down that dead end road before

and, of course, real change happens in real life, not via elections or cable news, the real danger is people who think that's all there is. direct action gets the goods, as always.

I am hectoring, admittedly. Believe it or not I don’t have a lot of purity tests for most people or regarding most actions, but directly aiding and abetting genocide—choosing to do so— is a bridge too far for me. If that makes me some sort of purity test motherfucker, then I am a purity test motherfucker.

"It's not good to build a resume by actively involving yourself in war crimes" is a pretty low bar for purity testing, I'm not sure what you can't give a pol a free pass for at that point if they're (supposedly) on your side.

Even if it is of the utmost importance to vote for whatever wretch the Democrats throw on the ballot for you - and I voted for Obama twice, Clinton and Biden - right up to that moment and then again after you can still criticize them, point out their flaws, why they're monsters (but lesser monsters, of course), ridicule them for their love of cheese, etc.. Given that Pete isn't on the ballot anywhere on Tuesday seems like we're still right in the zone where you can call him out for his hollowness without being responsible for Republican control of the government.

we're still right in the zone where you can call him out for his hollowness without being responsible for Republican control of the government

quite so. pete's impact on Nov 2022 politics is negligible. i'm sorry I mentioned him. Bernie in 2016 would have been a better example for my purposes, because he was a better emergent candidate and drew more support.

I know nothing should surprise me anymore but I’m still struggling with the post-Trump pivot of Republicans from “slavish fawners over big business” to Putin-style state bullying of big business.

This is a helpful list of brands who are begging to sit in front of a House panel next year to discuss their company’s participation in leftist corporate extortion. https://t.co/bPLes15PnJ

— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) November 4, 2022

It makes some sense. The Republicans are now irrevocably yoked to a base that deeply mistrusts government, science, big business, unions, education, the media, the courts -- pretty much every powerful institution, including institutional Christian churches. The way to ingratiate yourself to them is to bully every established institution as much as you can and flout the rules as much as you can get away with. It also helps to post photos of yourself holding a semi-automatic rifle.

fully automatic, unless you want to be a rino

This isn’t even a funny nickname, but here we go anyway

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-donald-trump-ron-desanctimonious-comment-20221106-7kq5x5guazbrplzvzi3gst3bgi-story.html

Someone looked up the word for him.

DeSantis is going to be the midpoint between JEB! eating shit and Ted Cruz eating shit but asking for more, please, sir

this is good news!

Quick 🧵 thread on California, weather, and election day, focusing on House seats.

It's going to be windy, rainy, snowy all day on Tuesday in CA, from the top to the bottom of our state. Since we have the *most* competitive districts, this will matter nationally. 13 comp. races https://t.co/jeDIdQeVRE pic.twitter.com/Mrb3nhg5S2

— Flip California State Senate 38! (@FlipperForty) November 6, 2022

So, friends, is anything happening in American politics this week

i took a dump this morning and it kinda looked like DeSantis

so basically, Senate a toss-up, House heavily favored for Repubs, but could stay Dem with a Trump-esque polling error, and everything else in Florida is gonna suck.

thinking about voting tomorrow

glad i got it out of the way cos i couldn't squeeze it in tomorrow if I tried.

tulsi gabbard endorsed chuck grassley so i know how to vote now

Yes, we might have reasons for optimism if Neanderthal and I didn't live in the state with the prettiest name.

As I said elsewhere, I think we're fucked:

There's a very strong possibility that this country's gonna go Nazi tomorrow. And a lot of people are going to vote for that without realizing that's what they're doing — they're thinking, "I'm gonna vote Republican and then my gas prices and my grocery bill are gonna go down, because that's how voting works." And all the other people, the people who are already full Nazi, are smiling inside and waiting patiently. (And the "political press" don't give a fuck, because they're gonna stay rich and safe no matter what happens, so they can be theater critics.)

THERE IS NO REPUBLICAN PARTY ANYMORE. THERE IS ONLY THE CHRISTOFASCIST PARTY, AND THEY ARE GONNA TAKE ALL YOUR RIGHTS AWAY, WITH BOTH HANDS, AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

So, friends, is anything happening in American politics this week

How do you do, fellow kids?

Lol

Jan 6 testimony from the Oath Keepers guy is going well

"I've been carrying a gun my entire adult life, with zero use of force incidents, by the way," said Rhodes, who lost his eye when he dropped a gun.

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) November 7, 2022

nothing and I mean nothing keeps me up nights more than thinking of the words "Ohio Senator J.D. Vance." I may have to be placed on watch tomorrow night.

I have said this before but: Do. Not. Stay. Up. Watching. Returns. It does not change who wins and it just makes you crazy from hope/despair pendulums.

Eight PM: "Well, it looks like Jones is up three thousand with three percent or precincts reporting!"

Hours later: "Well, now Smith is up by five hundred with six percent in! Jones really needs to close that gap with the rural vote from Buttgulch County!"

Hours later: "Smith and Jones are neck-and-neck, but I'm hearing that the college vote from Choadville is starting to trickle in. Smith really needs to thread the needle here! Maybe the lacrosse moms will come through for Smith."

Hours later: "Still too close to call, but there are still some precincts here (points to monitor) around Assmunch that could be critical for either candidate. Smith might do okay with the field-hockey dads, but you can't count out the heavy presence of Graeco-Roman wrestling uncles."

They're talking like things are happening, when they already happened.

Eat a weed brownie, pound a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and go to bed. The news will be the same in the morning as if you'd stayed up.

Amen

i'm watching over two friends getting married in a low key ceremony tomorrow, so fortunately that decision has been made for me

I’m gonna watch as much Reservoir Dogs as possible until I’m exhausted

Ha, sorry, Reservation Dogs

Eat a weed brownie

Will do.

I'm going to campaign headquarters #whynot

The little bit of television news I see in public leads me to believe that pandemic school closings have broken 80% of white suburban parents’ brains and they’ll never recover.

Ha, sorry, Reservation Dogs

Hanging Senators’ ears around my neck like an extra from a Vietnam War movie.

pandemic school closings have broken 80% of white suburban parents’ brains and they’ll never recover

'hey no one told us we were going to have to be around our kids ALL DAY'

I mean yeah, it’s pretty difficult to have a full time job and take care of children at the same time

lol so tomorrow morning actually begins with a full blood moon from like 4-7 a.m. eastern. That doesn't seem ominous at all.

Anyway, tomorrow night I have to cover local election returns for our state legislative races. I covered Republican HQ for the primaries but I got my colleague to agree to cover the GOP and let me go to the Dems' gathering because I don't think I can take being in a room full of MAGA exuberance at the moment.

xp spooky season continues into november this year

at least this year, expectations being low unlike previous elections means it's not going to feel as big of a blow to the solar plexus if/when it goes south

I just really hope we don't lose the Senate

I think there’s a distant non-zero chance we won’t re-elect Chuck Grassley but I regret to inform I’m obligated to vote for him. u kno why

lol the one arrest during the Astros World Series parade was a guy who hit Ted Cruz in the chest with a half-full White Claw can.

give me his bail bill, i'll pay it

If you know you're gonna get the chance to throw a can at Ted Cruz, why would you drink any of it?