Friday Stuff

I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less, and the pic is based on this) from 4/6/20...I have to admit that there are times when I have a hard time dealing with the fact that one of our two major political parties has all but officially nominated an individual for president in this year’s election who is a delusional, lying, narcissistic sociopath, and I have an even harder time with the fact that he has garnered the support that he has despite the fact that we had a pandemic raging out of control under his watch the last time he occupied An Oval Office, along with #45 buying up all of that goddamn corporate debt while we dealt with a plummeting stock market, and to say nothing of the fact that he also likely gave away sensitive intel that quite probably found its way to our enemies...for now, though, I’m going to bring back this clip which, as far as I’m concerned, should be played on a steady rotation every hour until November 5th is over...



...and David Pakman tells us that Bronzer Beelzebub is apparently firing staff and closing field offices, partly to ensure “fealty” to Our Ochre Abomination from the lackeys he does manage to bring on board (and partly, perhaps, because he’s hemorrhaging cash partly because of the ongoing lawsuits...probably waaay too many to count at this point)...



...and with the prior clip in mind, Chris Hayes emphasizes that Tangerine Palpatine, as always, is completely and totally for sale to the highest bidder (and it looks like a predatory used car salesman came to #45’s rescue)...



...and when it comes to the previously noted election, Farron Cousins tells us that RFK Jr. sez Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Trump...The Kennedy scion should’ve just stuck to his anti-vax quackery – that was bad enough (Cousins pretty patiently and thoroughly IMO debunks this utter nonsense...”BIDEN DELETED MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT,” which absolutely DID NOT FREAKING HAPPEN, YOU LOON!!!).

And by the way, isn't this just too precious...



Update 4/8/24: Giving Away The Game 101.

...and I apologize for being a little late with this, but Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott pushed back pretty well I think against the wingnut accusations thrown his way in response to the Key Bridge collapse, with the usual suspects calling Scott the “DEI” mayor, as if that has one damn thing to do with that utterly awful tragedy, assuming it’s even true of course (and by the way, about that, it looks like this got the “memory hole” treatment from our corporate media...NSFW/H)...



...oh, but don’t think that this means that the “party of Lincoln” isn’t going to keep doing every damn thing in the world to marginalize and disenfranchise women also...Thom Hartmann discusses the Repug Plan to Not Let Women Vote After the ’24 Election (Thom mentions that wackadoodle Mark Robinson, and Coulter of course...most of the clip discusses the bureaucratic obstacles states could put up to women voting, including inconsistencies of a married name on, say, a passport, versus a single name on a driver’s license, and how that could be disqualifying...Thom also talks about those High Court Philistines under Hangin’ Judge JR trying to make it illegal to mail abortion pills or obtain contraception, and of course those troglodytes at The Heritage Foundation are cheering it all on...truly a “mask off” moment here, though, as far as I’m concerned, the “D” team was asleep all these years when it came to not relegating the utterly odious Comstock Act to the dustbin of history)...



...and Robert Reich reminds us why the “pay no price, bear no burden” bunch absolutely hates anything to do with funding the Internal Revenue Service...yep, the one percent bastards want to skate at our expense, as usual (and with the willing assistance of their political puppets from the “R” Party of course)...

...and I know I already mentioned that last Wednesday would have been the 100th birthday of Marlon Brando, and I probably could have included this clip for the occasion, but I decided not to...however, this tune was inspired a bit by the phrase made famous from the movie, so I thought I’d add it here (I read accounts of Brando disparaging his performance as Terry Malloy in “On The Waterfront,” but there’s no doubt that it resonated with the audience, making it iconic IMO and enduring probably beyond all of our lifetimes).

Wednesday Stuff

Jesse Watters of Fix Noise sez that Trump voters are so stoo-pid, they’ll buy anything 45 tries to sell to them (probably right, and yeah, this time it’s the bibles); just no bottom for these life forms...Jesse Dollemore tells us about it (slightly NSFW/H)...



...oh, and remember how the wingnuts were all “Oh, President Trump outfoxed the libs again; he made $1 billion on the IPO for Truth Septic”? And do you also remember the recent video from Farron Cousins predicting that the stock was likely to tank before it ever did well (assuming that happens at some point)? Well, according to this CNN report, the Gropenfuhrer’s net worth fell $1 billion in one day (a “meme stock,” huh?...And by the way, more on EBITDA is here)...



...and as we know, one of Our Ochre Abomination’s favorite targets is “the deep state,” though of course he’d be hard pressed to identify it exactly...well, this New York Times video tells us that the “deep state” (i.e., government regulatory bodies and the invaluable service they perform) is actually kind of awesome (keeping kids out of dangerous meat-packing plants, making sure there’s no lead in our water, deflecting an asteroid in space...sounds kind of kickass to me also)...



...and when it comes to government making a positive difference in our lives, Robert Reich recalls when he was Labor Secretary under President Clinton and tried to get a smoking ban passed...and yes, the lesson here indeed is that change can be incremental and slow, but it definitely is possible...



...and on the subject of #45’s opponents in the Repug primary (ancient history by now I guess), it looks like Flori-DUUH! is going to get its 6-week abortion ban under guv #DeathSantis, which could indeed by the Pyrrhic victory John describes (with Sabrina Rios)...and tied with a pot measure? Works for me (kind of “evolving” on that issue I’ll admit)...



...and today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando, acclaimed as possibly the finest actor our country has ever produced and who probably was responsible for a whole genre of acting that others have benefited from (based on theory from this guy and Stella Adler of course)...I always liked “One-Eyed Jacks,” his only directing effort and a Western; I thought he could have done interesting work if he continued down that path, but oh well...I could include a clip of one of his movies (probably the “I coulda been a contender” moment from “On The Waterfront” I suppose), but I decided to include this instead as a tribute to Brando’s activism...



...and also in the milestone department, RIP to SCTV’s Joe Flaherty, who didn’t achieve the fame of some of the other members of that great ensemble cast, but who made his mark all the same...I was unsuccessful in finding a clip of Western Redundancy Theater, so I settled for this instead, which was a particularly good “Count Floyd” bit IMO...



...and here’s kind of a poppy newer tune for all those angst-filled kids out there (well, maybe one or two)...hope you enjoy it as we slog through the rain in these parts.

Tuesday Stuff

David Doel tells us all about the wingnut meltdown over Easter falling on Trans Visibility Day (3/31) – good call to note all the Christians who support trans individuals, which shouldn’t need to be mentioned, but sadly it does, pointed out by Sen. Raphael Warnock...this whole business is absurd and ridiculous of course, until we get to the anti-trans bill tracker – truly awful that this is where we’re at in this country, and the bar graph shows that this hateful garbage has really ramped up over the last two years...I don’t recall any passage of sacred Scripture saying that it’s OK to demonize people we don’t like or understand...and I’m a little surprised that Doel didn’t mention this, but he covered a lot of stuff that needed to be mentioned (and when Howie Kurtz is the voice of reason as noted here, you’re definitely “through the looking glass”...mildly NSFW/H)...



...and turning to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Repug U.S. House Rep Tim Walberg basically says we should nuke everything as we did in Hiroshima and Nagasaki...and I don’t buy Walberg’s ridiculous excuse that he meant it as a metaphor, or something...doesn’t sound to me like there’s much ambiguity in what he said to that audience (here)...



...oh, and I’m sure we’ll find out any day now that the WCK had some Hamas-supporting employees, so that automatically justifies this latest criminal slaughter (#sarcasm).

Update 4/4/24: Biden should tell "Bibi" to pound sand and use air quotes when describing Israel as our "ally" for this.

...and continuing with more idiocy from the “party of Lincoln,” John of The Damage Report informs us that some goofball state senator in Minnesota, Warren Limmer, sez that we need guns available all the time and should blow off a proposed safe storage gun law because of THE KILLER COWS!!! And yes, it’s hard to believe now I know, but John is right; the NRA used to be all about gun safety...



...and Jesse Dollemore lets us know that Kristen Welker of “Meet The Press” gave us a heaping helping of “deeply divided, both sides” BS a couple of days ago in response to the Gropenfuhrer’s legal antics...nice to take the paycheck and fundamentally FAIL TO DO YOUR DAMN JOB, HUH?...



...well, for an example of someone at The Peacock Network actually providing detailed commentary and analysis on what kind of ruin Dementia J. Trump could still wreak on this country if, God forbid, he’s returned to An Oval Office this fall, Chris Hayes tells us what happened the last time Our Treasonous Orange Pustule was allowed to enact his utterly ruinous tariffs and how those costs were passed onto consumers (and would be again)...



...and yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the death of Marvin Gaye.

Monday Stuff

Sam and Emma of The Majority Report bring us the latest on the Gaza carnage Israel continues to inflict in response to the Hamas attack on October 7th (and Dem U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland quite rightly rips “Bibi” in response to the UNRWA charges...yeah, let’s cut funding based on the alleged actions of 14 people related to 10/7, considering that we’re talking about an organization of 13,000 people, as noted in the video...more here)...



Update: I'm loathe to automatically side with Syria and Iran, and I know we need to learn more about this...I pray it isn't an escalation, but I don't see any other conclusion right now.

...and Really American/Chip Franklin do a good job IMO on putting the whole “Biden tied up in the pickup truck” thing in the right insane Trumpian context, connecting the dots to Bannon, Mike Flynn, and all the treasonous lunatics behind 1/6/21...and everybody who justified Bronzer Beelzebub’s recent “bloodbath” comment should feel pretty damn stoo-pid right now...



...oh, and did you hear about the idiot Repug pol in Michigan (Matt Maddock) who thought illegal aliens on buses were being escorted by police, when in reality it was the Gonzaga college men’s basketball team (who ended up losing to Purdue)...just say “oops” and get out (here)...



...and when it comes to financial matters for the “party of Lincoln,” Farron Cousins tells us why they’re worse off that we knew, based on a report from The Daily Beast (great news)...



...and Leeja Miller takes a good, hard look at the potential impact of AI in our elections, as well as looking at what has already transpired around the world...interesting explanation about “Googlebombing” and Dubya in particular...also didn’t know about GANs...as usual, Miller does a great job IMO of outlining the issues at stake from bad actors abusing this technology, and she’s absolutely right about a national media literacy campaign (“DADDIE Saves The Day,” huh? Clever)...also, she’s spot-on about Ground News as far as I’m concerned...I know the "D" team is supposed to "take the high road," but I seriously hope we're getting onboard with this stuff since it will be continually used against us (NSFW/H)...



....and I have to admit that I had this newer tune in mind when it comes to the Gaza carnage (related to the first clip)...so much to do on that score to bring the pressure to bear on all sides to end the utter destruction.

Happy Easter 2024

I hope you all you all have a happy and blessed Easter. If you don't observe anything, may you have a happy and blessed long weekend (and that goes for Ramadan too).

Friday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen and More Perfect Union bring us the wingnut effort to get RFK Jr. on the ballot in all 50 states along with D.C., noting that the strategy isn’t to get the Kennedy scion elected (which won’t happen), but to help #45 get back to power, God forbid...the segment also tells us who was behind that ridiculous Super Bowl ad for RFK Jr. echoing JFK, some outfit called “American Values 2024”...and yeah, the Mellon family (in the person of Timothy) is right smack dab in the middle of this as you might expect, along with other deep-pocketed plutocratic a-holes...



Update 3/30/24: Sounds like Jr.'s running mate is at least as big of a nutjob as he is (here).

...and David Pakman informs us that Trumpsist lawyer John Eastman has been disbarred (according to a judge) for his efforts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election...good...



...and when it comes to wingnut bottom feeders, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners have to be pretty high on the list for harassing Colorado state senator Tom Sullivan, who lost his son in the Aurora mass shooting, as Kyle Clark explains...



...and I know I already touched on Marjorie Train Wreck Greene’s motion to vacate Repug U.S. House Speaker “MAGA Mike” Johnson, but this clip from Mike Figueredo takes a look at the reaction from other politicos and pundits to all of this, including the inaptly-named Bob Good as well as Clay Higgins, along with Baby Newton Leroy Gingrich...that said, I have to admit that I didn’t think much of Figueredo’s “joke” at the end, particularly on Good Friday...and we should get this guy on the record about this insanity (and to do something about Bri-Fi, click here)...



...and Thom Hartmann informs us that it looks like the effort to ban mifepristone mail deliveries under the thoroughly odious Comstock Act will very well likely fail at the hands of the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, though, as we know, those who would seek to steal everything from us and grind us under their heel have plenty of resources to keep trying over and over, which means we need to keep fighting them over and over, especially since “Strip Search Sammy” and Almost Silent Clarence Thomas were as receptive as you might expect to this barbarous insanity (more here)...



...and if you’re looking for an upbeat, newer tune to start your weekend, then you’ve come to the right place.

Thursday Stuff

It looks like this is another occasion where I’m not supposed to speak ill of someone celebrated by our political/media/industrial complex, and that would be “Holy Joe” Lieberman, who has just departed...this clip from Emma V., Matt Binder and Brandon Sutton of The Majority Report (from ’21 I believe) features Mehdi Hasan grilling the former Connecticut U.S. Senator on Iraq War 2...and great points by all, but with respect to Emma, the AUMF has to be repealed by Congress, and yeah, good luck with that...I think they go off the rails a bit here when talking about China, though talking about the “shadow wars” is spot-on IMO since setting them off is the legacy of Lieberman and his foul ilk, including Dubya and his pals of course, as well as “centrist” Dems...



Update: And when it comes to Dubya's Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq (cheered on by Lieberman), let's not forget 9.2 million people displaced as noted here.

Update 3/30/24: Great post by Jeff Singer on "Holy Joe" here.

...and Farron Cousins informs us that Tangerine Palpatine was hit with a gag order for attacking the judge, and the judge’s daughter, overseeing one of #45’s trials (here)...as Cousins states, this is a criminal action, so Combover Caligula could actually end up in the slam at last, though I’m not holding my breath; I’m honestly wondering if we will EVER see that day...



...and speaking of stuff related to the Mar-a-Lago defendant, Jon Stewart gives us some context on #45’s “victimless” crimes...



...and Beau provides a commentary on the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse; this is an ongoing story and so Beau’s comments are a little dated (not his fault), though he’s absolutely right about building out our infrastructure at other ports to increase our capacity and alleviate potential supply chain headaches again, and they will be forthcoming as a result of this unfortunately (though the human cost is paramount of course and everything else is secondary)...



...and I know I had a video previously about this Trumpist loon in North Carolina named Mark Robinson who is the Repug nominee for governor...well, apparently there is ANOTHER wackadoodle in that state (must be something in the water) named Michele Morrow who is running for superintendent of schools, and she’s big mad for getting called out on her wingnuttery by the li-bu-ruuul media...sick, twisted b*tch (sorry, but at a certain point, I run out of patience with these characters...and boy, is John ever right about the life forms supporting Morrow and her ilk wanting government to be nothing but a clown show...also with Francesca F.)...



...and believe it or not, today is the 45th anniversary of the Three Mile Island disaster in our beloved commonwealth of PA, which freaked out a whole bunch of people as you might expect...here is a tune which is probably the theme song of the “No Nukes” movement that sprung from that calamity...bad as it was, it could have been a whole lot worse – we dodged a bit of a bullet to be sure.

Wednesday Stuff

I know I said something the other day about the “ever-more-disappearing” Rachel Maddow...well, kudos to her because she came roaring back as far as I’m concerned with this commentary on Ronna Romney McDaniel...and I think her comparisons concerning McDaniel at about 9:26-9:30 are perfectly apt (apparently this clip is abridged – Maddow originally spoke for about 29 minutes on the subject on Monday...and based on this, it looks like McDaniel won’t be grifting at The Peacock Network – five to one she lands a gig at Fix Noise in about a week or so)...



Update: Yeah, pretty much.

...and Farron Cousins tells us about Generalissimo Trump’s deal on Truth Septic likely falling apart (I’m sure everyone associated with this circus has been Googling the phrase “pump and dump” like crazy...anybody who thinks issuing an IPO is somehow a “golden ticket” really doesn’t know anything about IPOs for the reasons Cousins states...wouldn’t it be just way too damn funny for the Gropenfuhrer to get a bit of a payday but also lose the ability TO ISSUE HIS 3AM ALL CAPS RANTS WHENEVER HE WANTS ON WHAT WAS ONCE HIS CHOSEN PLATFORM??)...



...and David Pakman tells us about the former Nikki Haley supporters who are switching to Joe Biden rather than support Our Ochre Abomination...I think Pakman is absolutely right to say that these people should be welcomed; at a minimum, we need to preserve our democracy, and if these folks are helping in that effort, then kudos to them – we can split hairs over particular policy points later...

...because our true enemy are life forms like the one driving this vehicle, lets not forget...



...and Jesse Dollemore discusses a Biden/Harris ad that addresses the “four years ago” BS from Bronzer Beelzebub and Sean Inanity...



...and John of The Damage Report brings us the sordid tale of the usual wingnut freaks screaming about the Key Bridge collapse (“deep state actors,” “immigration,” “open borders,” etc...and it’s beyond belief to me that all of these goofballs that John cites here are all “verified” on Twitter, as if that’s worth a bag of spit any more...and I thought this was an interesting related item)...



Update 3/30/24: Related to the Key bridge collapse, it sounds like Repug Maryland guv Larry Hogan has some 'splainin' to do (here).

Update 4/3/24: Great column by Will Bunch on this from here.

...and happy 74th birthday to Tony Banks of Genesis.

Tuesday Stuff

(I’ve had an occasion or two to take the Key Bridge to the Annapolis area for family-related reasons...sorry to hear about this horror show; FWIW, I’m hoping and praying that the survivors are rescued...not sure what else we can do right now...and of course, proving once more that there are no depths to which the wingnuts won't sink, I give you this, and kudos to Stephanie Ruhle.)

To begin, David Pakman presents “overwhelming” evidence from two well-established medical professionals that Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence is undergoing dementia...and as far as I’m concerned, Jason Miller is nothing but a damn liar (claiming that Biden is forgetful...given that “Dark Brandon” is 81, he’s probably in good shape comparatively speaking)...



...and Our Ochre Abomination faces a massive problem with the party faithful, if you will (for the R team of course), given that 20 percent of Nikki Haley supporters in Ohio (polled after last week’s primary) said they would either vote for President Biden or not vote at all, replicating a trend in other primaries, as Farron Cousins points out...



...and Jesse Dollemore brings us more on the Ronna Romney (“Contingent Electors”) McDaniel mess at NBC/MSNBC/whatever, with Chuck Todd criticizing his network on air (and $300 GRAND A YEAR??!! ? Well, if it walks like a paid propagandist, talks like a paid propagandist...you know what you’ve got...God, what a "fustercluck"!)...



...and Beau gives us a warning of what the so-called “Republican Study Committee” is up to (more here and here)...and everyone in the “party of Lincoln” should get called out over it IMO, including this guy (and to do something about Bri-Fi, click here)...



...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 3/24/16, with the late, great Michael Brooks putting George Will in his place, given that Will is supposedly shocked! that the Repug Party is made up mostly of white people...and in case you might have thought Will has improved somehow over time, here is a reminder that he is as rancid now as he has ever been (oooh, we can’t have “government” potentially forcing an agenda in newsrooms, which to me begs the question “EXACTLY WHAT THE F*CK KIND OF INFLUENCE DO YOU THINK CORPORATE OWNERSHIP IS EXERTING? AND HOW THE F*CK COULD “GOVERNMENT” INFLUENCE, ASSUMING THAT’S EVEN A THING, ACTUALLY BE WORSE??!!”)...



...and here’s something a little scenic and a little mellow now that spring is upon us (a newer number for the nice weather in these parts).

Monday Stuff

Mike Figueredo discusses HR 7187 in the U.S. House under Repug control...God, will these freaks EVER stop targeting LGBTQ individuals!....the clip starts with that great segment from Pramila Jayapal (sad that it’s necessary for her to say those courageous words)...and yeah, try looking at REAL issues such as the underfunding of women’s sports vs. men’s sports, but I guess that requires actual, y’know, WORK from these Philistines...and the story about banning the 13-year-old from the hockey team SHE HELPED TO CREATE in Kentucky is beyond freaking belief, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised coming from those life forms...aside form Jayapal, kudos also to Jerry Nadler, Becca Balint, and Sheila Jackson Lee...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen informs us that Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin recently announced that he’s stepping down in the U.S. House, leaving “MAGA Mike” Johnson’s majority to a single seat (and on the same day that Ken Buck of Colorado is packing it in also...and isn’t it just too precious to hear Marjorie Train Wreck Greene pat herself on the back for doing committee work and participating in these bogus “investigations,” which is the absolute BARE MINIMUM when it comes to these cretins doing their jobs...and this is more than a bit of a tell also)...



...and Jordan Uhl and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report discuss further Marjorie Traitor Greene filing her motion trying to vacate Johnson...I think Erlich is absolutely right about Greene wanting the power as opposed to actually knowing what to do with it...I also agree with Uhl that the Dems should “lean into” this madness...



...and Kyle Kulinski tells us about Greene and other bottom feeders in her party taking credit for funds going to their districts for projects THAT THEY VOTED AGAINST (and yes, it is a pretty old tale, as Kyle says - a related item is here...NSFW/H)...



...and Cenk, Trae Crowder and Jordan Uhl again discuss the hiring of Ronna Romney McDaniel at The Peacock Network...Cenk goes off the deep end a lot any more, but he’s absolutely correct here about McDaniel; the alleged “progressive” network is hedging its bets in case, God forbid, Repugs take over this fall and McDaniel will give the network the ever-coveted “access” to what passes for wingnut “thought leaders”...when it comes to lefty stuff, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O’Donnell, the ever-more disappearing Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid and a few others periodically do good work, but overwhelmingly, MSNBC is a corporate centrist network as Cenk and the panel say, which should be plainly obvious by now (more here, here, here, and here...and apparently, a “palace revolt” is underway based on this and this...and I'll probably have more to say about this nonsense, from Todd I mean)...



...and on this day in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono started their week long 'bed-in' in the presidential suite at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel to talk about promoting world peace...maybe it was a product of '60s hubris and naïveté, but it was an attempt to do something constructive at a time when war and assassinations raged in this country...I often wonder what Lennon would make of these times, and I have a feeling he'd be right in the thick of protests for various causes, getting arrested and enduring hardship ("good trouble," as John Lewis once put it)...maybe that makes me a soft-headed lib, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Friday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski tells us about the crew of Fix and Fiends taking a moment to pray to Jesus...yes, I believe prayer is very important (that’s just how I roll – not proselytizing, I wish to emphasize), but it sounds hollow and self-serving and absolutely nothing more from those frauds, particularly when they’re trying to plug something called the “Hallow” app for a few bucks (and doing this during Lent is indeed the cherry on the icing of this sh*t sundae)...



...and Mike Figueredo informs us that outraged forced birthers are turning on Repugs for supporting IVF...and it’s hard to believe that Nancy Mace is actually this dumb to not know what her “Life at Conception” Act does to IVF, but maybe she truly is this much of a dim bulb...and when even Alabama Repugs reverse course on trying to ban IVF...well, you KNOW that they REALLY stepped into the doo-doo on this...more on AZ Sen. Eva Burch is here (NSFW/H)...



...and turning to Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence, this clip of Republican Voters Against Trump presents Paul Smith of Orlando, FL, who voted for Tangerine Palpatine in ’16 and states categorically that he’ll never do so again...welcome to the fight (of course, it would be nice if he’d support Biden, but at least it’s a step in the right direction...slightly NSFW/H)...



...and Farron Cousins echoes those sentiments a bit when he tells us how folks are shocked and disgusted by the recent “bloodbath” comment from Our Ochre Abomination, as well as his dehumanizing language about immigrants of course...



...oh, and don’t look now, but some wingnut Repug from Colorado Springs named Joe Oltmann called for killing President Biden... sounds like somebody needs a visit from the Secret Service (and let’s not forget that Colorado Springs, in addition to inflicting us with Bo-Bo Boebert, is generally the epicenter of wingnut fundamentalism in this country...Jesse is absolutely right when he says that this garbage shouldn’t be ignored)...



...and here’s kind of a dreamy newer tune to help us close out the week...another Nordic wonder IMO, with some help from Little Steven.

Thursday Stuff

John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report discuss some Fix Noise hairdo named Hillary Vaughn, who argues with Bernie Sanders about the VT senator’s proposal for a 32-hour work week (“oooh, corporate America will suffer! How dare you, you dastardly lib!”...and great point about productivity gains going to investors and shareholders as opposed to, y’know, THE DAMN WORKERS WHO ACTUALLY PRODUCE THE DAMN GAINS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!)...



...and in this video from “The Classroom” at More Perfect Union (with Brooke Shuman), we learn about how corporate greed is killing your hospital emergency room...and yeah, if you guessed that private equity is at the heart of this disgusting scenario...well, then you get a complimentary bedpan and emesis basin (offer is good for a limited time only of course...yep, PE taking over community medical centers, experienced staff are being replaced by workers in a “pool” who may or may not be as good, there are longer wait times for patients along with higher bills, and all of this leads to the inevitable lawsuits...we know the story, don’t we?)...



...and David Pakman discusses this Guy Reschenthaler assclown who asks the equally nutzoid Maria Bartiromo why you shouldn’t need a photo ID to vote if you need one for a driver’s license (great points by Pakman about driving as a privilege, as opposed to the constitutional right of voting...I mean, the poll workers make you sign a form if voting in person in order to check your signature, but I realize facts and logic don’t really apply here...and no, for the zillionth goddamn time, illegal immigrants CAN’T FREAKING VOTE, YOU MORONS!)...



...and Thom Hartmann tells us about chlormequat, a pesticide linked to reproductive and developmental issues in animals that is supposed to be used only on decorative plants and isn’t supposed to be used in our food, though it’s managed to infiltrate oat products (big surprise...not, along with a typically ridiculous update on the efforts to ban IVF in Alabama...more here)...



...and in an effort to conclude this post on a bit of an upbeat note, I thought I’d add this clip of Beau telling us about China proposing a nuclear treaty of sorts...I’m old enough to recall a time when we used to do stuff like this, but it’s still good news as long as SOMEBODY is putting this idea forward...



...and happy recent 80th birthday to John Sebastian.

Tuesday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore informs us that Mango Mussolini recently predicted a “bloodbath” if he isn’t elected preznit again this fall...and yes, that is what he meant, and no, he wasn’t talking about freaking auto imports! (and I gave Ryan Grim more credit on this stuff, but ANYBODY in our corporate media appears to be contractually obligated to play this game of “well, Trump is nuts and he tried to destroy our democracy, but he’s good for ratings and JOE BIDEN IS SOOO OLD”)...beyond pathetic...and as I watched that utterly vile second clip, I was hoping I could locate the EPA dome from the Simpsons movie and drop it right over that damn Bundt rally in Dayton, particularly during that horrible narration about the 1/6 “hostages,” implying that these treasonous bastards are somehow “patriots” (more here)...



Update 3/30/24: More spot-on analysis from the guy who's too good at his job to have his own show on that "liberal" TV network (here).

...and nothing against Mike Figueredo, but I guess we need to go through this ridiculous parsing exercise with Tangerine Palpatine since his mental faculties are so sketchy (“What did he REALLY say?” Was he REALLY calling for violence?”), but these words are from a guy who openly advocated for the destruction of our government on 1/6/21 and basic did nothing for hours while the subsequent riot unfolded...I think this whole mess in Dayton, Ohio the other day was a very thinly veiled call to arms to “the great unwashed,” and to treat it as anything other than that is dangerously short sighted (NSFW/H)...



...and Ali Velshi discusses Combover Caligula’s recent antics with Susan Glasser of The New Yorker...yes, I know it’s tiresome to keep pointing out this stuff, but I believe that attention must be paid also, particularly when it comes to the lies on top of the lies on top of the lies from this delusional, craven, narcissistic, treasonous orange meat sack...



...and stepping back from Dementia J. Trump for a minute, Farron Cousins gives us a follow up on the Kris Kobach thing in Kansas where Kobach is big mad at that commie socialist Biden for wanting to replace lead pipes...looks like Mayor Pete injected some reality into the discussion...oh, but of course, wingnut Kobach is going to keep flogging this anyway since I guess he thinks it’s an election winner of a policy to associate Republicans with FREAKING LEAD POISONING, PEOPLE, along with the fact that the “party of Lincoln” in the U.S. House slashed the funds from the Biden budget to fix the problem (which Kobach knows and ignores of course)...



...and this More Perfect Union clip tells us about a disabled vet in Pearce, AZ, who bought a home and property only to see an agribusiness come in (some outfit called Riverview) and buy up all of the water (along with some other corporate miscreants because of the state’s lax water management policy...kind of reminds me of the plot of the James Bond flick “Quantum of Solace”...so sorry to hear about what this man and others are going through, and I hope they’re able to fix the problem, though I know it will be a tough fight to do it)...



...and I know I haven’t had much to say about Bibi the Butcher and his incursion into Gaza, but it looks like we’re dealing with a Biblical scale of catastrophe, as Beau informs us (dear God)...



...all of which is cheered on by Our Treasonous Orange Pustule, as David Doel tells us (along with Wonder Boy Jared Kushner looking to profit off the dead bodies of Palestinians)...and I realize that trying to parse common sense out of our demented toddler of a former *preznit is a fool’s exercise that this point, but the Iran nuclear deal HAS NOT ONE FREAKING THING ON EARTH TO DO WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GAZA!!!!...



...and here’s a newer tune that comes and goes in a bit of a hurry...hopefully Bronzer Beelzebub will do the same thing after we vanquish him this fall (yeah, I can dream, can’t I?).

Monday Stuff

Looks like the Trumpers have settled on the whole “are you better off now than 4 years ago” thing from “Saint Reagan,” which is a typically preposterous campaign strategy IMO; Chris Hayes gives us more details (great mashup of Dementia J. Trump’s typically idiotic ramblings vs. the actual reality we were dealing with in 2020)...



...oh, and when it comes to COVID-19, let’s not forget #45’s handling of the pandemic, which was every bit the catastrophe we could have expected, as this WaPo clip reminds us...



...and in this “I Doubt It” clip with Jesse Dollemore and Brittany Page, we’re informed that MAGA nutjobs are trying to take over social media before election, including King Elon I acting like a typical spoiled nepo baby hardass in an interview with Don Lemon on “X,” to the point where he pulled the plug on the Lemon interview, along with aspiring James Bond villain Steve Mnuchin trying to buy Tik Tok...more here and here (NSFW/H)...



...and Sam and Emma of The Majority Report discuss the narrative that retail theft is supposedly on the rise, propagated by wingnuts and corporate media (and business trade organizations), which falls apart big time under analysis in the “cold light of day”...in reality, chains decide to close stores for business reasons (making more $$ at other locations and closing stores that don’t make as much $$, as well as price gouging of course...that “Politics of Everything” clip about the profile of someone who shoplifts was interesting, I thought; God forbid we do anything at all to try and address root cause issues here, primarily drug addiction)...



...and that’s probably a good transition, sadly, into this Leeja Miller clip on homelessness...interesting background on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case due to come before the SCOTUS...and a 12 percent increase in homelessness between 2022 and 2023? 653K people? Ugh...”The way that we treat people experiencing homelessness is inhumane” indeed...I had a feeling that the exacerbation of the homeless problem in this country was going to fall right into the goddamn lap of The Sainted Ronnie R, and color me shocked when it turned out that I was right...not surprised that we’re so low when it comes to public restrooms per population; yeah, just pick yourselves up by your damn bootstraps and find a porta-potty, you slackers (snark mode off)...didn’t know about the design of public benches meant to discourage unhoused people from sleeping on them; I also didn’t know about “charitable feeding ordinances” to prevent helping out those who are destitute and in need of food...and it sure figures that the National Association of Realtors is trying so hard to preserve the wretched status quo, along with conservative “think tanks”...terrible in particular to see what has happened to HUD over time, and I’m not surprised also to find that the little $$ they DO get goes to vouchers for Section 8 housing...I admire the work that Miller puts into these videos, and what she says is important, but it does take a while to digest it all I’ll admit (NSFW/H)...



...and happy belated 70th birthday to Nancy Wilson of Heart.

Friday Stuff

(I know my posting has been a bit off recently. I’m hoping to rectify that probably by next week.)

Farron Cousins tells us that Our Ochre Abomination has called for cuts to Medicare and Social Security, which is right out of his party’s wretched playbook I realize and definitely should NOT earn him bonus points with his party’s base of support – we’ll see of course (more here)...



...and Jesse Dollemore discusses the back-and-forth between Trumpist hack Robert Hur and U.S. House Dems Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in a recent U.S. House hearing over President Biden’s alleged mental lapses in Hur’s joke of a report...



...and Kyle Kulinski tells us about Jon Stewart’s recent commentary where Stewart went after “MAGA authoritarians” (and I realize that Kyle is NEVER going to get it through his head that, YES, THE RUSSIA STUFF WITH #45 WAS GODDAMN REAL!) (NSFW/H)...



...and kudos to Chris Hayes for presenting the difference between the administration of “Dark Brandon” and that of his ruinous predecessor in 21 charts – excellent work...



Update 4/5/24: More great stuff on Biden and the economy here; story has to do with fast food workers in California getting a much-deserved raise.

...and Faiz Shakir of More Perfect Union interviews the man corporate America is most afraid of, and that would be Jonathan Kanter of the DOJ’s antitrust division, for going after some of the people rigging the casino of our economy (including Agri Stats, an “intermediary” company impacting the meat processing industry, and if you’ve never heard of Agri Stats either, then that makes at least two of us...and I’d also never heard the term “choke point economy” either, and as far as I’m concerned, a non-compete agreement for a McDonald’s worker is absolutely ridiculous)...



...and this is sure a punch in the gut to end the week, sadly; RIP Karl Wallinger of World Party.

Wednesday Stuff

Well, since (as we know), the “party of Lincoln” has no desire to perform actual governance, particularly in the U.S. House, they apparently brought back this Robert Hur guy to testify to the alleged mental decline of President Biden...fortunately, Jerry Nadler of New York “brought the receipts” on that score for Tangerine Palpatine...



...and for a bit of emphasis, Farron Cousins discusses an ad from the Republican Accountability PAC about Our Ochre Abomination’s insanely fragile ego (more here)...



...and John and Francesca of The Damage Report tell us about the response from the woman behind Katie Britt’s incredibly inaccurate human trafficking story... Karla Jacinto Romero does her best to put the record straight (and I love Francesca’s tongue-in-cheek comment about Britt at the very end...more here)...



...and Thom Hartmann tells us about the insidious connection between alleged “do gooder” lobbyists and the typical deep-pocketed, well-funded bastards who want everything for themselves and seek to destroy what remains of our quality of life in this country in the process (clip focuses on New York state, but as Thom says, this is probably true throughout the country, unfortunately)...



Update 3/14/24: More here.

...and Mike Figueredo presents what might be the dumbest attack on Biden we’ve yet seen (and that’s saying something), and this comes from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach over replacing lead pipes, which, to be honest, I thought we’d done already...shows what I know I guess...of course, the “unfunded mandate” part is a lie as usual, and the work to replace the pipes (which, again, ARE FREAKING LEAD!) would take place over a 10-year period...and Figueredo is spot-on to note that the Repugs will find a way to attack the EPA over this regardless of whether or not that attack actually makes any sense (NSFW/H)...



...and because I think we should keep a lookout for international stuff also, especially when it’s close to our shores, I give you this from Beau about the most recent unrest in Haiti...typical spot-on commentary, especially when it comes to letting that country choose who governs them apart from any outside influence, including from the U.S (and yes, Ariel Henry has already bailed as Beau mentioned)...



...and RIP Eric Carmen – this is another case where I kept going back and forth between two videos, but in the end, I said screw it and decided to include both of them.

Monday Stuff

I guess I went back on my word again when it comes to the State of the Union address from President Biden since I ended up paying attention to it after all – David Pakman brings us some highlights (didn’t see his follow-up video)...



...and for the opposing point of view, David Doel tells us about that borderline looney tune response from Alabama state senator Katie Britt (wonder if she thought she was auditioning for “High School Musical?”...more here, here and here)...



...and because pop culture imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (or ridicule I suppose), Mrs. Colin Jost of SNL (aka Scarlett Johansson) gives us this bit from the show the other night, which I have to confess was kind of funny IMO...guess I missed the joke with the teacup...



...and trying to keep things upbeat I guess, I give you this clip from Michael Kosta of The Daily Show on the REAL invasion at Eagle Pass, according to residents...yep, it’s from all of the damn National Guard people who were sent there by idiot politicians, though that “wetbacks” comment from the local Repug poobah rankles for sure...



...and in this Rebel HQ clip, Ben Gleib tells us about Repugs turning on Trump and allegedly supporting Nikki Haley, which is a problem for these folks with Haley now out of it...and yeah, aren’t those two testimonials against Haley from the MAGA crowd – the one man and the one woman – just so precious?...



...and congrats to all of last night’s winners at the Oscars, including Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr. (the only pic I ended up seeing was “Oppenheimer,” I must confess), as well as Temple’s own Da’Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers,” which I will get to (here)...here is a tune for the occasion.