Tommy Tuberville's know-nothing appeasement of Putin lines up exactly with where the ex-POTUS is—Biden should be making Trumpworld squirm over that fact.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, and his vote on Ukraine aid, were mentioned here. I have thoughts:
We need to stop thinking about Mike Johnson as someone who has principles or red lines of any kind. Mike Johnson does not give one rat's ass about Ukraine, or its survival. He cares about one thing on this Earth: Donald Trump's victory and his destruction of liberalism in America.
In other words, he would not have allowed that aid to pass the House unless Donald Trump told him to.
Trump, and Johnson, were perfectly aware that if House Republicans let Ukraine fall before the election, they probably would have taken the blame.
That means that, Trump victory or no Trump victory in November, Democrats would have likely taken the House. They still might.
It's generally ignored or dismissed, but a Trump second term would REQUIRE a Republican House and Senate. Trump has been indicted for felonies in multiple jurisdictions. He is going to try to lawlessly, tyrannically, dictatorially, shut them down and get away with crimes.
Any Trump presidency with Democrats controlling a house of Congress would therefore result in a blanket refusal to confirm any of his appointees, impeachment over and over and over again, or both.
He would be an illegitimate, lawless, renegade commander-in-chief from day 1, and the entire Democratic party WOULD treat him as such.
That is all the more true now, now that one of those indictments has finished its adjudication, and Donald Trump is an actual convicted criminal.
Trump, for all his stupidity, cruelty, and purblindness, can see this. He is willing to do many things--up to and including betraying Ukraine to Russian brutality--but he is not willing to lose the House of Representatives to the Democrats. And neither is Johnson.
That, and only that, is why Mike Johnson did what he did. I cannot psychoanalyze the man from afar, but I think it safe for all of us, conservative or no, to assume the man has all the backbone and principles of a limp dead crawfish.
Has the National Guard been prepped to fight Americans on American soil?
Are they prepared for the small overtaking of state capitals that will start it? Have they been forced yet to re-take their oath to uphold the Constitution, "against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC?"
There are militias openly recruiting on social media! Is anyone calling for them to be "well regulated"?
What do you think Micheal Flynn has been doing on his Re-Awaken tour? We see his public face, but who does he meet with in private in all these places? He is prepping and recruiting "God's Army".
More casual handwaving of Palestinian deaths as "pro Hamas" propaganda. The Bulwark should be better than this.
Otherwise a great episode. Sadly I think we're going to find Tuberville's "framing" of the war in Ukraine more mainstream. If Trump wins, blantly false views like this will become official government position.
Bill complains when surrogates show up and when they dont. What bill is really complaining about is that the msm isn’t a propaganda network so no matter who they have on it won’t be a huge and kisses type of interview
Yeah Democratic surrogates are pretty minimal impact. Michelle Obama or Barack Obama are the only Democrat politicians that can drive a crowd or be easily recognized on TV by regular tuned out Americans.
Yeah I just don’t get the obsession with what surrogates say or do. Sure they help on the margins but if you are watching msnbc or cnn or abc news you are more likely to vote for Biden (by a pretty large margin). I just don’t think people get how unrecognizable governors are. I’m into politics and I don’t think I could recognize Josh s or the Jarrod p.
Yeah Democrats could literally wipe out every bad news story about Chicago convention violence in the streets and Hamas sympathizers disrupting speeches in a second if Taylor Swift would get on stage and endorse Joe Biden at the convention this summer. Her endorsement on Instagram in 2020 was great but now she's the one that can give the Democrats a huge positive news cycle and eradicate all the negative.
What's made Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg the best surrogates for Joe Biden is they go on Fox News. If Gretchen Whitmer had the courage too then i would be singing her praises too. That's why virtually no one likes Chris Christie yet his endorsement matters because love him or hate him he's someone you want to keep the TV on to listen to.
Honestly if you are watching Fox News you were always going back to Trump.
I guess this election is going to be damn close no matter what Biden does or who ran. The winner will be about such small amounts of votes in 5 states that anything could matter (Biden will CRUSH the popular vote). Shoot everything will matter but I just get irritated when hacks (in a good way) say you should do this or that or say this or say it this way I just kind of shake my head and say who knows what changes these voters minds. The fact that people can vote for Trump after everything they have seen and heard and read says more about us. When political people say it’s the “economy or inflation or immigration or abortion” I kind of go “sure but those are true in EVERY election.” What is different is that somehow people want what Trump is selling. They feel like they are immune and it won’t affect them even after watching him drive the economy into a ditch and killing a million people. You just can’t convince me that people are like “well yeah it was just bad luck for Trump” because they wouldn’t blame Biden for inflation.
You look across the world and rightwing parties are just winning. Combine that with that people just hate incumbents everywhere just makes the environment so tough.
I feel like this is what some group in Germany and Italy said in the 20s. They don’t like (waves hands furiously) this and so I ll go for these idiots bc…change. The difference is the decadence of the west. Everything COULD be better but my god if we go down this path we are hosed.
My belief in the horseshoe theory remains strong. Those of us in this broad coalition believe in institutions and some degree of stability despite things sometimes being unfair, or needing improvements.
The other group, that is starting to span the horseshoe, includes the most ardent leftist to MAGA. I have no idea how they agree on anything. Dead on there’s some ardent leftists (note: leftists, not liberals or progressives…like full on tankies).
It kind of feels like the Nazis and German Socialist Party saying “down with the republic, after Hitler - our turn!”. Ya that worked out real fucking great, didn’t it.
Regarding Tuberville, I love Tim's remark; "I'm sorry, this is why Alabama is stereotyped". By the way, if Tuberville is the stupidest man in the senate, where does this put Trumpster in this equation?
Does no one remember Trump’s performance in the 2020 debate? He was insane, incredibly rude, screaming, out of control. Even the GOP had difficulty making any straight-faced declamations of victory.
Is he better now or something? Biden beat him last time, from his basement, by not being certifiable.
I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that Elon’s embrace of the right has been because they are so easy to monetize. If the left were as easy to monetize, he’d be pushing a pro-Gaza, Bernie position. He needs cash and the right will empty their wallets for anyone who hates who they hate. The only political position people like Elon, Marc Andreesen, and Peter Thiel care about is deregulation. Nothing is more important to them.
I think it’s dangerous that he has nearly exclusive defense contracts with Starlink and Space X. I hope the DOD and NASA are starting to diversify. Everyone acknowledges that he uses drugs and now he’s seemingly just fine with the extremist right. At what point does anyone draw a line?
Also, Thiel’s companies are all over DoD. Palantir has become a de facto standard data platform and is paying tens of millions in licensing. These guys are all about deregulation while making piles of money from the government.
If you are a member of President Biden's re-election campaign, or you work in the White House, please call Bill Kristol and tell him that the president HAS reached out to prominent Rs about an endorsement so that Bill can stop bringing it to everyone's attention? Thank you.
Would it be possible to put that David Boaz clip in the show notes? I can't find that short version...
House Speaker Mike Johnson, and his vote on Ukraine aid, were mentioned here. I have thoughts:
We need to stop thinking about Mike Johnson as someone who has principles or red lines of any kind. Mike Johnson does not give one rat's ass about Ukraine, or its survival. He cares about one thing on this Earth: Donald Trump's victory and his destruction of liberalism in America.
In other words, he would not have allowed that aid to pass the House unless Donald Trump told him to.
Trump, and Johnson, were perfectly aware that if House Republicans let Ukraine fall before the election, they probably would have taken the blame.
That means that, Trump victory or no Trump victory in November, Democrats would have likely taken the House. They still might.
It's generally ignored or dismissed, but a Trump second term would REQUIRE a Republican House and Senate. Trump has been indicted for felonies in multiple jurisdictions. He is going to try to lawlessly, tyrannically, dictatorially, shut them down and get away with crimes.
Any Trump presidency with Democrats controlling a house of Congress would therefore result in a blanket refusal to confirm any of his appointees, impeachment over and over and over again, or both.
He would be an illegitimate, lawless, renegade commander-in-chief from day 1, and the entire Democratic party WOULD treat him as such.
That is all the more true now, now that one of those indictments has finished its adjudication, and Donald Trump is an actual convicted criminal.
Trump, for all his stupidity, cruelty, and purblindness, can see this. He is willing to do many things--up to and including betraying Ukraine to Russian brutality--but he is not willing to lose the House of Representatives to the Democrats. And neither is Johnson.
That, and only that, is why Mike Johnson did what he did. I cannot psychoanalyze the man from afar, but I think it safe for all of us, conservative or no, to assume the man has all the backbone and principles of a limp dead crawfish.
Living in Alabama is a challenge. My years in NYC prepared me for it.
Alabama deserves every stereotype that they have been saddled with…..just sayin’
Has the National Guard been prepped to fight Americans on American soil?
Are they prepared for the small overtaking of state capitals that will start it? Have they been forced yet to re-take their oath to uphold the Constitution, "against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC?"
There are militias openly recruiting on social media! Is anyone calling for them to be "well regulated"?
What do you think Micheal Flynn has been doing on his Re-Awaken tour? We see his public face, but who does he meet with in private in all these places? He is prepping and recruiting "God's Army".
Is he under FISA surveillance??
More casual handwaving of Palestinian deaths as "pro Hamas" propaganda. The Bulwark should be better than this.
Otherwise a great episode. Sadly I think we're going to find Tuberville's "framing" of the war in Ukraine more mainstream. If Trump wins, blantly false views like this will become official government position.
Bill complains when surrogates show up and when they dont. What bill is really complaining about is that the msm isn’t a propaganda network so no matter who they have on it won’t be a huge and kisses type of interview
Yeah Democratic surrogates are pretty minimal impact. Michelle Obama or Barack Obama are the only Democrat politicians that can drive a crowd or be easily recognized on TV by regular tuned out Americans.
Yeah I just don’t get the obsession with what surrogates say or do. Sure they help on the margins but if you are watching msnbc or cnn or abc news you are more likely to vote for Biden (by a pretty large margin). I just don’t think people get how unrecognizable governors are. I’m into politics and I don’t think I could recognize Josh s or the Jarrod p.
Yeah Democrats could literally wipe out every bad news story about Chicago convention violence in the streets and Hamas sympathizers disrupting speeches in a second if Taylor Swift would get on stage and endorse Joe Biden at the convention this summer. Her endorsement on Instagram in 2020 was great but now she's the one that can give the Democrats a huge positive news cycle and eradicate all the negative.
What's made Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg the best surrogates for Joe Biden is they go on Fox News. If Gretchen Whitmer had the courage too then i would be singing her praises too. That's why virtually no one likes Chris Christie yet his endorsement matters because love him or hate him he's someone you want to keep the TV on to listen to.
Honestly if you are watching Fox News you were always going back to Trump.
I guess this election is going to be damn close no matter what Biden does or who ran. The winner will be about such small amounts of votes in 5 states that anything could matter (Biden will CRUSH the popular vote). Shoot everything will matter but I just get irritated when hacks (in a good way) say you should do this or that or say this or say it this way I just kind of shake my head and say who knows what changes these voters minds. The fact that people can vote for Trump after everything they have seen and heard and read says more about us. When political people say it’s the “economy or inflation or immigration or abortion” I kind of go “sure but those are true in EVERY election.” What is different is that somehow people want what Trump is selling. They feel like they are immune and it won’t affect them even after watching him drive the economy into a ditch and killing a million people. You just can’t convince me that people are like “well yeah it was just bad luck for Trump” because they wouldn’t blame Biden for inflation.
You look across the world and rightwing parties are just winning. Combine that with that people just hate incumbents everywhere just makes the environment so tough.
I feel like this is what some group in Germany and Italy said in the 20s. They don’t like (waves hands furiously) this and so I ll go for these idiots bc…change. The difference is the decadence of the west. Everything COULD be better but my god if we go down this path we are hosed.
My belief in the horseshoe theory remains strong. Those of us in this broad coalition believe in institutions and some degree of stability despite things sometimes being unfair, or needing improvements.
The other group, that is starting to span the horseshoe, includes the most ardent leftist to MAGA. I have no idea how they agree on anything. Dead on there’s some ardent leftists (note: leftists, not liberals or progressives…like full on tankies).
It kind of feels like the Nazis and German Socialist Party saying “down with the republic, after Hitler - our turn!”. Ya that worked out real fucking great, didn’t it.
Regarding Tuberville, I love Tim's remark; "I'm sorry, this is why Alabama is stereotyped". By the way, if Tuberville is the stupidest man in the senate, where does this put Trumpster in this equation?
Does no one remember Trump’s performance in the 2020 debate? He was insane, incredibly rude, screaming, out of control. Even the GOP had difficulty making any straight-faced declamations of victory.
Is he better now or something? Biden beat him last time, from his basement, by not being certifiable.
I’m not sure Trump will even show up.
I remember. Trumpster's performance there cemented his loss.
I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that Elon’s embrace of the right has been because they are so easy to monetize. If the left were as easy to monetize, he’d be pushing a pro-Gaza, Bernie position. He needs cash and the right will empty their wallets for anyone who hates who they hate. The only political position people like Elon, Marc Andreesen, and Peter Thiel care about is deregulation. Nothing is more important to them.
I think it’s dangerous that he has nearly exclusive defense contracts with Starlink and Space X. I hope the DOD and NASA are starting to diversify. Everyone acknowledges that he uses drugs and now he’s seemingly just fine with the extremist right. At what point does anyone draw a line?
Also, Thiel’s companies are all over DoD. Palantir has become a de facto standard data platform and is paying tens of millions in licensing. These guys are all about deregulation while making piles of money from the government.
True, I forget about Thiel. Yes, the “libertarians” dependent on federal defense spending.
Bill, I believe it's called selective give-a-fuckery
Tim, the hostages were NOT "released". They were rescued
It was a slip of the tongue. Tim would be the first to say so when/if he realizes.
If you are a member of President Biden's re-election campaign, or you work in the White House, please call Bill Kristol and tell him that the president HAS reached out to prominent Rs about an endorsement so that Bill can stop bringing it to everyone's attention? Thank you.
I'll defend Bill on this one. Some are still holding it against Bill for binging up Biden's age a while ago. But that is past. Let it go. Move on.