Wednesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow lets us know that it appears that the Repugs didn’t foresee the push-back against their gerrymandering BS...looking at South Carolina first, where they tried to eliminate the seat of Dem U.S. House Rep James Clyburn, though it seems like minority voters in that state commendably pushed back, forcing the “R” team to scrap their awful plan... apparently this scene was also played out in Georgia, where Repug governor Brian Kemp tried to disenfranchise minority voters, but folks in the peach state commendably rose up there as well...they actually went through with this garbage in Tennessee, however, despite folks in the sole black district in that state commendably going to work to try and prevent it (phone calls, knocking on doors, and other means to coalesce folks to protest this)...Maddow speaks with the Rev. Earle Fisher of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Memphis, who was one of the leaders of the mobilization effort to protest the Tennessee redistricting scam (sounds like the odds are long for Justin Pearson to retain his seat, but it’s better to “die on our feet than live on our knees,” figuratively speaking, you might say)...I realize Maddow believes she needs to be a little polite about criticizing the national Dem political establishment about not getting involved with this fight in Tennessee, but I feel no such obligation about softening my rhetoric towards those clueless bunch of election losers in our political/media/industrial complex...”the antidote to despair is action” indeed...



...and Ali Velshi takes a look at a ballot measure in Missouri that fortunately didn’t pass; it would have made it harder to pass future ballot measures (Amendment #4), since Heaven knows that Not Your Father’s Republican Party doesn’t want to hear a damn thing from the rabble they allegedly represent (segment aired on 8/5)...easy to focus on Michigan, and yeah, that deserves to be looked at I realize, but it’s important to keep the “big picture” across the country in mind also...oh, but somehow Repug-sponsored ballot measures would have been just dandy in “Mizzou,” huh? Funny thing, that...sounds like a similar BS amendment about forcing judges to run for election (and yes, on balance, I think that’s bad) failed in Kansas fortunately (and yep, the thoroughly odious Kris Kobach was right in the middle of that one)...Velshi takes a look at the latest insane speech from Our Ochre Abomination on the economy (and God almighty, the freaking accordion hands again!), but to his credit, Velshi responds a bit to that madness (more feedback on that is here)...Velshi speaks with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell...



...and it looks like FCC chairman and human thumb Brendan Carr managed to get some screed published on Breitbart recently about restoring “balance” (code to squashing voices of dastardly lefties) in TV news (not sure who this gentleman is who’s presenting)...also, apparently there was a vote on August 6th to eliminate the nationwide ownership cap saying a broadcaster cannot reach more than 39 percent of U.S. households (here), which will likely lead to even greater media concentration (cough, Nexstar, Sinclair, cough) than we have already, and if you think that’s good news for lefties and progressives, then you must also believe in cotton candy elves and the Easter bunny...the 39 percent cap had been in place since 2004, and of course there was no logical reason to mess with it except to further consolidate the conservative voice of Big Brother...



...and Logical Leftist Jeff Waldorf brings us the tale of a guy named John Gannon who voted for Bronzer Beelzebub to “get the criminals out,” but ooopsie!... ICE took his fiancée instead (Yasmin Carolina Suarez Reyes)...oh, and it took EIGHT allegedly manly men to apprehend this lady, who apparently was “guilty” only of having too dark of a skin color...she applied to have her visa renewed two days before it was to expire in ’24, and thus far hasn’t received word on her status, so the Trump gang automatically assumed she was somehow here illegally – typical...oh, and she was pursuing a particular type of visa for someone who had aided law enforcement, which makes this even MORE appalling somehow...and yeah, the immigration court also didn’t set a bond in her case because they apparently thought they didn’t have the authority to do that...and 20-40 people a day getting detained at airports by ICE thugs? Sounds about “white”...



...and Mr. Newberger gives Max Miller the treatment he deserves at a minimum IMO...gee, it looks like the Repugs are stuck with this lunatic; I’m old enough to recall all of the pearl clutching about Graham Platner and forcing him to exit the U.S. Senate contest in Maine (still waiting for charges to be filed against him), which needed to happen I realize, but as far as Miller is concerned (who’s accused of stuff definitely worse), IOKIYAR...



...and it looks like Tom Waits is going to release a commemorative 50th anniversary vinyl LP of his recording “Small Change” based on this, including this timeless number.

Tuesday Stuff

This news report informs us that, apparently, Cantaloupe Capone wants to post signs outside of the Smithsonian saying to anyone entering the museum that there is “inaccurate information,” as if Our Bulbous Orange Fool of a *preznit would have any clue whatsoever about that...



...and Farron Cousins lets us know, in case we had any doubt, that King Elon lied about everything concerning DOGE, according to a GAO congressional watchdog...I definitely get Cousins’s point about so damn much corruption from our cretinous regime of bottom feeders that would have to be investigated by a Dem U.S. House (if, God willing, we end up with that), but Apartheid Clyde would most definitely deserve his “time in the barrel” also (along with Russell Vought)...



...and speaking of people in this regime trying constantly to peddle BS, it looks like Don The Con is LYING AGAIN, this time about guns and drugs allegedly coming into this country from our northern neighbor, according to this report from CBC News...truth be told, about 90 percent of the guns used in crime in Ontario come from the U.S., and there’s heavy drug traffic from this country into Canada also...



...and keeping with our northern neighbors, John of The Damage Report tells us that Canadians support a “dollar for dollar” tariff response to Our Globulus Orange Maniac...and oh yeah, they made 10 million fewer trips to this country over the last year, with us losing out on $4.5 billion in revenue and 140K jobs lost in hospitality...”none of this needs to be happening” indeed...



...and returning to this country, leave it to Lewis Black to give us a singular take on Texas politics, reading some online fan comments...nice to know there are some sane folks in that part of the world (NSFW/H)...



...and two days ago marked the 40th anniversary of Queen playing what would be their final live concert at Knebworth Park, Stevenage, England in front of 120,000 fans, building from the momentum of their legendary performance at Live Aid the year before...I would say that their legacy continues to endure.

Monday Stuff

I honestly don’t know who the alleged Republican messaging genius was who came up with this bit about saying Democrats and their supporters are “Communists” and they’re supposedly worse than World Wars I and II and 9/11, but this is truly the most idiotic attack line from the “R” team that I’ve ever heard, and believe me when I tell you that I’ve heard just about all of them at one time or another (David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about it)...of course, being Republicans, all they know to do is keep repeating this idiocy over and over...good for Mike Barnicle to pick up the challenge and throw it right back at Our Ochre Abomination...I’m not familiar with Michigan Dem U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s prior comments or positions, though I’m QUITE sure Not Your Father’s Republican Party will be focusing on them ad nauseum since they have NOTHING ELSE to run on, in Michigan or anywhere else; what matters to me is what El-Sayed says and does now...I’m sure El-Sayed has an uphill fight in terms of electability in Michigan, but a lot of candidates have faced that in the past and overcome it; I don’t have any intel “on the ground” in that state, but El-Sayed must have known what he was doing to get this far – we’ll see...



...and Jesse Dollemore informs us that #47 has been dropping more hints (the latest in an interview with Punchbowl News) that he doesn’t plan to ever leave and will indeed have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of “the people’s house,” maybe trying to run in ’28, which, as Jesse notes, is a violation of the Constitution Our Treasonous Orange Pustule took an oath to “preserve, protect and defend,” though, as noted previously, he didn’t put his hand on the Bible when he did that...and yeah, it does tell you something that Andy Ogles lost his primary, though in that area of what purports to be civilization, the sheeple will likely just send back some other doofus from the “R” party instead to Congress...oh, and by the way Cantaloupe Capone, you won “Pennsyltucky” in ’24 by about 120K votes as noted here (and while running against the “B” team to be honest, with Biden out of it); you didn’t win “easily”...also, the issue of the US competing against China for the computer chip market (mainly for AI) is a complicated one (more information here)...one reason why is because we keep trying to find ways to deny China our technology (though they’ll likely get it anyway through the Saudis), but China is playing the long game on this as they do with just about everything else, so we’d be smart not to but heads with that country quite so much on this (not saying to “give away the store,” though...as I say, this is a complicated issue – if anybody thinks the Gropenfuhrer grasps this, then you need counseling)...kind of unnerving to hear the vision of unreality from these jackals (“Oh, manufacturing hasn’t been this good in years!”) – once more, heckuva job, all you numbskulls who made sure we’d be stuck with these cretins by wasting your vote in November ’24 (slightly NSFW/H)...



...and this video from Status Coup informs us of ICE prisoners served food with “worm-like creatures” in it and other refuse in the water (along with a foul odor) at the Adelanto (CA) Detention Center, courtesy of GEO Group (testimony from detainee Richard Parias based on a discovery by someone in his unit at Adelanto), according to immigration attorney Margaret Hellerstein...report by Michelle Dao...the food is apparently contaminated also...there’s also the issue of Parias not getting the treatment he needs for his wounded arm...ICE targeted Parias because he was recording their activity, which doesn’t make ICE any less culpable IMO...and yeah, as far as even having a need at all for ICE detention, the cruelty truly is the point...



...and gee, it appears that Our Ochre Abomination is actually lying again, this time about data centers – color me (not) shocked...and when even Greg Abbott, of all people, can read how mad people are about these monstrosities, that tells you how wrong anyone is who may support these quality-of-life-destroying behemoths (witness the myriad health ailments linked to these places, as we find out about)...negative polling is up 21 percent on this issue over last year, as we also learn, which is pretty damn dramatic (John and Sharon Reed of The Damage Report tell us about it...I know I pick on Reed a bit at times and it definitely isn’t personal, but I don’t know how else to say it; she really doesn’t bring much to these videos)...



...and Tennessee Brando brings us the news that it looks like our alleged Democratic senator from PA is at it again, bashing the DSA and helping to create a divide between them and these mainstream corporate DNC ELECTION LOSERS who seem to have no other response but “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids”...and OF COURSE John Fetterman, in a recent interview with Jon Stewart, basically said, yeah, let’s let “Bibi” and Israel do whatever they want, which 1) Is disgusting in humanitarian terms, and 2) Flies in the face of where the rank-and-file of the political party he allegedly supports stands...I liked Brando’s tale of his mean dog Samson and drawing the equivalency with Fetterman, Carville and the completely-beyond-useless Bill Maher (somewhat NSFW/H)...



...and here is another seasonal tune.

Friday Stuff

Chris Hayes brings us the story of outgoing Repug U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis caving over the nomination of Trump fixer Todd Blanche as Attorney General...looks like Blanche came up with two memos which were pretty much fig leafs without much substance in the matter of Our Treasonous Orange Pustule suing the IRS for $10 billion for some alleged defamation (which exists only in the calcified cranium of #47 and not in the real world in any way whatsoever), and also, this $1.8 billion insurrectionist slush fund is apparently not happening, maybe (though payouts are going to 1/6ers as Hayes notes), and it looks like that was enough for Cornyn and Tills to abdicate any responsibility whatsoever...oh, and did I mention retroactive immunity for Trump, his family/sons and his business, which was part of this disgusting deal also? (pretty much drowning in corruption at this point)...”it’s not just Trump – the whole party is rotten” indeed (an important update is here)...



Update: Yeah, this figures – Cassidy, Cornyn and Tillis have nothing to lose politically, but they still couldn’t muster the courage to stand up to Combover Caligula on Blanche.

...and this clip is a little behind the news cycle I’ll admit, but I think it needs to be mentioned – as we learn in this Ring of Fire segment, #47 endorsed Amir Hassan for the Repug nomination in the contest for Michigan’s 8th district U.S. House seat; Hassan probably had some political baggage if he got the nod from the Gropenfuhrer, but Hassan apparently raised about $750K, which isn’t chump change, and Hassan also served our country in the U.S. Navy (he's also a self-professed Christian)...none of that was apparently good enough for Repug voters, however, who let their intolerant freak flag fly a couple of days ago and voted instead for a guy who had dropped out of the contest weeks earlier, proving once more that racism and hatred of brown-skinned people, for the most part, is truly the factor that animates Republican voters more than anything else (here and here)...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us that Trumpster Matt Whitaker recently went on Fix Noise and tried to spout this BS that we’re negotiating with Iran – uh, no; there apparently are negotiations going on with Oman, though...CNN’s Harry Enten brings us more polling data on how unpopular Dementia Donnie’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iran is (minus 40 at the moment)...also, the numbers are somehow even worse when you compare this mess to the last forever Mideast war under Dubya in Iraq...good point about our current economic stagnation also...on top of that, apparently the global gas supply is running dangerously low also, with gas potentially hitting $7 a gallon – are you tired of the winning yet? Oh, and Rand Paul sounds a bit logical on this issue, as opposed to the caterwauling lunatic he acted like at that mess of a hearing with Dr. Fauci...we’re also reminded once more what a lying weasel “Human Capital Stock” Kevin Hassett is (4% growth imagined versus 1.5% actual growth, which is barely anything), as if we didn’t know that already...



...and Farron Cousins informs us about red state food shortages tied to the Big Beautiful Clusterf*ck and even more strict work requirements for SNAP benefits, which were already at the Dickensian level of about a couple of hundred bucks a month...all of this has made it harder for food pantries, funded by the states and the feds (particularly in West Virginia), with that awful bill cutting the amount of food going to these places as Cousins points out...another “miracle” of Repug governance, people...

...and Luke Beasley brings us this video of Stephanie Penn, communications director for Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao, running away from and stonewalling a reporter when Penn was asked about “Weekend at Bernie’s” McConnell’s health (maybe Penn thought she was trying to perform a Jedi mind trick or something...”this is not the Kentucky Republican senator you’re looking for”)...oh, but McConnell just released a statement saying he's heading home, huh? Well, I'll believe it when I see it...



...and Tennessee Brando gives us his take on that numbskull James Carville carrying on about not being in the same political party as Hasan Piker, or something, and I know I touched on this already but I wanted to hear Brando’s take on it...1) Carville spouts this nonsense on Fix Noise, which checks a big box for conservative “moderate” suburban boomers of course, and 2) If Carville seriously thinks that the DSA wants to seize the means of production or whatever nonsense he comes up with, then he needs to reserve his place in an old age home right now...I forgot about Carville pushing out David Hogg from Dem party leadership, which on balance is another mark against Carville IMO...and oh yeah, Laura Ingraham of all people cares SO MUCH about the future of the “Democrat” Party, doesn’t she (SMDH)...NSFW/H...



...and as we know, our ruling cabal has no problem whatsoever throwing its female cabinet members under the proverbial bus, and it looks like Judge Winebox may have her turn coming up soon – with that in mind, Mr. Newberger gives us the following...



...and I think we should likely bring the week to a close with a newer and more positive musical number (about a year old) – I hope you agree.

Wednesday Stuff

Tennessee Brando gives us a commentary of how “trickle-down economics destroyed my hometown”...yep, the minimum wage at “the buckle of the Bible belt,” as Brando puts it, is $7.25 an hour...I didn’t know that James Talarico said that trickle-down “isn’t a theory, it’s a theft”; damn straight!...”if they let you get ahead in this world, they’ll cut you down to size to stop you from getting ahead in this world” – hard to argue with that...interesting Ali/Frazier story also IMO (NSFW/H)...



...and Farron Cousins discusses “Dr. Crudite” deciding to increase the monthly cost of Medicare health and drug coverage for seniors by getting rid of subsidies for Part D...I thought this was a pretty good analysis by Cousins about why, even though we do indeed hate insurance companies, we’re stuck with them until the blessed day comes when we have single payer at the point of service for health care (and yeah, I know it’s a pipe dream, but we need to keep beating that metaphorical drum for it anyway)...



...and Rachel Maddow tells us that the Consumer Product Safety Commission under the leader of Cult 45 wants our ER records now; what a mental patient this guy is...clip starts with an overview of the importance of the CPSC, so now, our ruling regime is going to take the commendable mission of that important government agency and twist it to suit their nefarious ends...



...and I know we’re focused on elections in this country now, and rightly so (and congratulations to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and get ready for a never-ending onslaught of garbage like this now), but this report from ABC News in Australia presents a profile of the British bi-election in Clacton-On-Sea between Nigel Farage and Count Binface (definitely reminds yours truly of that old Monty Python bit)...looks like the Count would have to “un-bin” himself were he to actually win, however...I know I had this yesterday, but I pulled it for the Damage Report clip on El-Sayed and Haley Stevens...



...and Steve Harness of Really American informs us that some protest art against Our Ochre Abomination is making an impact globally, including an image in horse manure (the “Don of Dung,” which sold for about $1,800...spot-on)...also, there are what look like blow-up figures of #47 and his Russian benefactor, among MANY others works lampooning Cheetoh Benito (NSFW/H also)...



...and here is another seasonal selection.

Tuesday Stuff

This recent news report describes the “muted” celebration in Detroit over the opening (at last!) of the Gordie Howe Bridge (quite another story in Windsor, Ontario of course)...exasperation has to do with the typical antics from Our Treasonous Orange Pustule over this...GREAT job by the Michiganders and that sign of apology...and by the way, here is more context on this supposed great deal on the bridge from the Gropenfuhrer (among other things, it should be pointed out that Canada apparently paid ALL of the upfront $6 billon or so cost for bridge construction, so it would make sense for them to get a better deal initially...a related item is here)...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen talks about Brave Sir Mike Collins of Georgia, campaigning for the Senate against Jon Ossoff, doing his very best RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY!! bit before a press conference in which journos tried to ask Collins about his son-in-law’s online activity (some creep named David Alan Scheer II), which included sharing anti-Semitic and white nationalist stuff because of course...and the era prior to the Holocaust supposedly wasn’t so bad? Yeah, I must have missed out on that Nazi musical where the Third Reich launched a jaunty song-and-dance number after the “Night of Broken Glass” (and I realize I’m venturing into territory best lampooned by Mel Brooks)...oh, and leave it to Collins to wrap himself in the flag of Israel in Fetterman-esque fashion when asked about his odious relative, which is kind of a non-answer, actually...and oh yeah, let’s also not forget about that corrupt Repug man-baby (no, the other one), and that would be Ken Paxton, refusing to answer a reporter’s question about Paxton having millions of dollars of property spread out all over the place...we’re reminded once again about Max Miller of Ohio, who’s a freaking maniac (allegedly!), and leave it to Gym Jordan to “wrestle,” with Miller’s situation, if you will (I realize we don’t have bragging rights in PA, but what the f*ck is up with “The Buckeye State”??)...NSFW/H...



...and Kyle Kulinski brings us some updated polling numbers courtesy of Harry Enten of CNN, starting at about 2:15...yes, somehow, Repugs being trusted on #47’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iran AT ALL is very concerning, though two points in any direction is not a reason to “go to the mattresses”...however, that being said, what matters are the trend lines over time, and yes, this is indeed what happens when THE OPPOSITION PARTY REFUSES TO ACT LIKE AN OPPOSITION PARTY, though they’re NEVER shy about putting the bite on yours truly for a donation (especially at the end of the month/quarter), and I know this is very definitely a recording...good for Kyle to mention once more the JCPOA under Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry...that minus 24 number, however, is a blaring red siren for yours truly; if this projected blue wave turns into a trickle somehow, don’t say we weren’t warned (I definitely hope Kyle is right about the collapse in MAGA support more than offsetting this)...I’d much rather fill up this space with commercials for the “D” team if possible, but I think a little “tough love” is warranted from time to time also...NSFW/H also...



...and John and Jayar of The Damage Report give us their take on that boomer bumpkin James Carville losing his sh*t over the rise of progressive Abdul El-Sayed (and El-Sayed getting an assist from Hasan Piker) in the contest to run for the U.S. Senate...and oh yeah, Carville saying this on Fix Noise is a little too “on the nose” as far as I’m concerned...I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to this race to be honest, but my early impression of Haley Stevens is that she’s a corpora-Dem stiff likely recruited by Schumer and that crowd, and her remark about too much stinking PAC money infecting our political campaigns being an “educated issue” as John points out just emphasizes that (primary is today of course)...



...and Mr. Newberger gives us his response to last week’s insane U.S. Senate nonsense against the guy who kept millions safe during the COVID plague...



...and yesterday marked what would have been the 100th birthday of the incomparable Tony Bennett.

Will Bri-Fi Withstand a "Blue Wave" in '26?

With the fall mid-term elections coming up, it’s time once more to engage in my bi-yearly ritual of taking a look at the voting record of our PA-01 U.S. House Rep Brian Fitzpatrick. So, without further ado, I give you the following:

Here, Fitzpatrick voted for a bill to let Generalissimo Trump arbitarily decide whether or not nonprofit groups would lose their tax-exempt status, giving them 90 days to fight this (which means the affected groups would have to expend massive amounts of dough for a court fight they’d probably lose...think Planned Parenthood probably, under the guise of fighting “terrorism” of course). This also includes any group supporting DEI or the BDS movement against Israel as well as supporting Palestine (and yes, I know 52 alleged “Democrats” voted for this mess also). I believe this needed unanimous consent the first time it was introduced, which is why it failed (here), though it was reintroduced and Bri-Fi voted Yes again (more here, here and here).

Also, Fitzpatrick supported the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal the so-called Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) Provision, which, according to Bri-Fi, “unfairly reduced (Social Security) benefits for our retired firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other public servants” (vote is here).

Hmmm, public servants...you mean, like Bri-Fi himself? And yes, this is particularly ridiculous when you find out how Bri-Fi puffs himself up by saying “Oh, I voted against pay raises.” What the hell do you call this, then?

And I’ll admit that you have to be a real Grinch, you might say, to criticize this (supported in overwhelming bipartisan numbers in the House...71 Repugs opposed it). But here’s the thing...this is expected to cost about $196 billion, and there’s no “pay-for” provision to this. And this affects a relatively small number of Social Security recipients.

Also, there were 4 Dems who opposed it, including John Larson of Connecticut (here), who said...

"While I am glad to see the House take up the issue of Social Security, we need to take comprehensive action to enhance benefits and extend the program's solvency, something the United States Congress has not done in more than 50 years," Larson said in a statement.

So you know what, Bri-Fi? Get back to me when you and your pals come up with legislation to FULLY FUND SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE (preferably removing the cap on earning subject to S.S. withholding, which is about $176K) and which also prohibits privatizing it, or making it “discretionary spending,” or turning it into some kind of a ”block grant” program or some such nonsense, OK?

Also, do you remember that infamous showdown between Don The Con and Couch Boy on one side, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine over funding that nation’s brave battle against Vlad The Butcher (where our “accordion hands” *preznit kept telling Zelenskyy “you haven’t got the cards” among other insults)?

Here is the obsequious, cowardly response from our PA-01 rep:

"It was heartbreaking to witness the turn of events that transpired in today's meeting regarding Ukraine's future. It is time to put understandable emotions aside and come back to the negotiation table."

If you want any further proof that Bri-Fi does the bidding of the leader of his party at all costs, there you have it.

Bri-Fi also voted for that garbage Republican budget to extend tax cuts at the expense of cutting Medicare/Medicaid 217-215 (here)...all Repugs voted Yes (except Thomas Massie of KY...Massie would end up paying for courageous votes like this, as well as keeping up the drumbeat on the Trumpstein files)...and just for good measure, Fitzpatrick voted for it again here.

Here, Bri-Fi voted for cuts to Medicaid and school lunches, a move which will undoubtedly hurt kids and cost lives and will likely lead to the closure of community hospitals and facilities for elder care (more here and here).

And just for good measure, Bri-Fi was NOT one of the 12 U.S. House reps who opposed Medicaid cuts in a letter to MAGA Mike Johnson here.

Bri-Fi also voted for the utterly wretched SAVE Act here (along with four alleged “Democrats”), which is a “solution” in search of an actual problem – as I and MANY others have pointed out, actual voter fraud takes place on a truly microscopic level (and often committed by Republicans), and when it DOES occur, it’s caught by election officials. The purpose of the SAVE Act is to disenfranchise individuals (including out-of-state students, married women, and anyone without a valid passport, which covers about 146 million people as noted here) who often vote for Democrats (more here).

He also voted for the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” because of course (here)...among the MANY cruelties in this bill, it guts Medicaid and takes billions from Medicare also and hammers SNAP benefits, though it DOES include a tax break for...wait for it!...gun silencers, and in the process of rewarding the “pay no price, bear no burden” bunch once more, it blows up the debt by at least $3.8 trillion...to be fair, Bri-Fi, along with Thomas Massie, voted No on the final version of the BBB on 7/3/25, but as far as I’m concerned, the damage was already done since he voted Yes for EVERY PROCEDURAL VOTE leading up to that (and Bri-Fi says the House version never would have cut Medicaid – uh, no).

Bri-Fi also voted for the so-called GENIUS Act here, which legalized a lot of the crypto nonsense that, among other things, helped enrich #47 by putting this damn “stablecoin” token into a black box where it will ultimately go right into Dementia Donnie’s pocket with no oversight (and I know a lot of Dems voted for this mess also, probably because they saw the role the crypto industry played in sinking the re-election campaigns of Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester as noted here).

Along with every other U.S. House Republican, he voted against releasing the Trumpstein files (here).

Fitzpatrick also voted in favor of HR 4371, the so-called Kayla Hamilton Act (here – more from the ACLU is here and here...more here).

From what I read about this, it appears that the Kayla Hamilton Act is a version of the Laken Riley bill, meaning that the R team has chosen to exploit an awful tragedy to pass just-as-awful (and-maybe-worse) legislation that, among other things, subjects immigrant kids to body cavity searches (Stephen Miller will get his jollies over this for sure). It would also subject immigrant children to prolonged detention instead of unification with families in this country while their legal case proceeds (especially if the children pose a “flight risk” or present themselves with “gang tattoos” as determined by our cretinous ruling cabal...and did I fail to mention that we’re talking about children??!!).

Bri-Fi also voted to fund the government for fiscal year ending 9/26 (here), which sounds benign except for the fact that that includes still more funding for the ICE Gestapo. Let’s not forget, though, that Fitzpatrick said that ICE agents should be unmasked (here)...instead, how about DOING AWAY WITH ICE ENTIRELY SINCE THEY’RE A ROGUE AGENCY AND PUNISHING EVERYONE IN THAT BUNCH GUILTY OF A CRIME???!!!

He also voted in favor of a bill that would have blocked legislation challenging those beyond ridiculous Trump tariffs (here)...fortunately, the bill failed because every Dem voted against it along with 3 Repugs; Thomas Massie, Kevn Kiley and Don Bacon (but not Bri-Fi...I would ask that you keep this in mind the next time you hear Bri-Fi trying to sell himself as a moderate problem solver, or some such nonsense...our wet noodle PA-01 rep was willing to cede tariff power, which rightfully belongs to Congress, to our ruling criminal cabal).

However, to be fair, “Both Sides Brian” also voted for a bill to “disapprove” of #47’s tariffs with Canada here (I guess, since the head of the “R” party is in the White House, a “disapprove” resolution is the best we can get from MAGA Mike Johnson and his minions).

Maybe the worst of Bri Fi’s nonsense is his being utterly mute during the worst excesses of the Trump regime, including the destruction of US AID, DOGE and Project 2025 in general wrecking our government, along with the previously mentioned ICE horror show, in particular the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, to say nothing of all of the kids captured and held by ICE, some of whom have died, that stinking ballroom and the “Arch De Trump” on the way to Arlington, Our Ochre Abomination playing games with disaster aid to blue states, those horrible tariffs (and I know Fitzpatrick opposed Canada’s as noted, but I mean the others too), turning our backs on Ukraine, blowing up the South American fishing boats, unilaterally declaring war on Iran and Venezuela, antagonizing our trade partners including Canada and Denmark/Greenland, etc. (here and here)

Also, I couldn’t find any response from Fitzpatrick concerning the “VIP snorkeling” event around the U.S.S. Arizona that FBI head Kash Patel participated in (here). I mean, Bri-Fi was once an FBI agent – you would THINK he’d have something to say about that.

Oh, and for the record, Bri-Fi was also mute when Cantaloupe Capone said he didn’t care about people’s finances or his previously noted war of choice against Iran (here).

Also, Bri-Fi has actually tried to legislate about getting PFAS chemicals out of our environment, though the head of his party couldn’t give a fig about the danger from PFAS of course (here). However, to be fair, Fitzpatrick has pushed back on that, somewhat (here – I won’t give Bri-Fi credit for much, but I will for that).

Also, Bri-Fi and Tom Suozzi in the House introduced a bill to keep Bronzer Beelzebub from paying off the 1/6 insurrectionists #47 pardoned from this “anti-weaponization” fund BS (another point in his favor – here).

It should also be noted that Bri-Fi said that a War Powers Resolution over Iran must be brought to Congress if the 60-day limit from the date of declaring hostilities is reached (here)...true, but that’s a pretty milquetoast response as per usual to the insane, delusional demagoguery from The Orange Demon *preznit Who Must Not Be Named (and I’m sure you can imagine what the response was from Cheetoh Hitler to THAT).

By the way, I know Bri-Fi was endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the largest PA union representing teachers and support staff (here)...

“We value the relationships you have built with the public school employees throughout the district and your efforts to support policies that strengthen public education and protect the rights of working people,” wrote Aaron F. Chapin, the president of PSEA, which is also the largest labor union in Pennsylvania (in explaining the endorsement).

I wonder if Chapin is aware of the fact that, by voting for the Big Beautiful Clusterf*ck, Bri-Fi helped kick-start what is in essence a national school voucher program, with the impact not scheduled to hit until January ’27 based on this (how con-vee-nient)...

“What is clear, is that in any state that wants to do so, the program can be used to support private school choice, and that's what makes it significant,” (Professor Martin) West says. “It really does have the potential to turbocharge the movement to expand private school choice in the United States, which already had significant momentum at the state level.”

I also would SERIOUSLY like to know what the rank-and-file of Chapin’s union thinks of this endorsement. It’s possible that they may go along with this, but somehow I doubt it.

Also, here is something else from Our Demented Orange Lunatic of a *preznit (this corrupt-as-hell nuclear deal with the Saudis) that Bri-Fi has been absolutely mute about.

Fitzpatrick has also voted against the right to contraception for his PA-01 constituents, along with voting against codifying Roe v. Wade protections, as well as supporting a nationwide abortion ban and so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” which “manipulate women seeking care with unproven and dangerous medical misinformation.” He has also voted against capping the cost of prescription drugs, failing to support extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, and supported cuts to common-sense energy tax credits (that and MUCH more is here).

With each passing year, it becomes more and more obvious to yours truly that Brian Fitzpatrick, having perfected the art of the meaningless gesture (in terms of improving the quality of life for those he ostensibly represents), will never provide anything more than half-based “solutions” to the important needs that require the skill and commitment of a U.S. House rep committed to his constituents.

So, given all of this, what kind of campaign is Bri-Fi running against his Dem opponent Bob Harvie? Well, given that Fitzpatrick has made the beyond sleazy charge that Harvie is the target of an FBI investigation (which even the Huffington Post says is nonsense here), that should tell you that Fitzpatrick has dragged this campaign directly to the gutter in a truly vile manner (which, again, isn’t surprising given Fitzpatrick’s failure to make substantive accomplishments over the years of his representation in Congress).

Oh, and Bri-Fi has frequently tried to criticize Harvie as a “career politician.” Given that Fitzpatrick has held his seat for 10 YEARS, what the hell does that make him?

To vote for new representation at long last, click here to support Bob Harvie, so Brian Fitzpatrick can continue his servile fealty to Donald Trump and launch mud-slinging attacks at Democrats merely as a private citizen instead of an elected representative to the U.S. Congress.

Update 8/7/26: The CBO originally said the Medicare fund could run out in 2052. Well, under Repug “governance,” now the fund could run out in 2040. I seriously hope no one is surprised.

Update 8/9/26: Like a hell of a lot of other people, I find myself driving around PA-01 for all kinds of reasons, and given the election this fall, there are signs all over the place saying “Bob Harvie gave himself a pay raise” (as if no other politician has ever done that) and “Bob Harvie raised your property taxes.” That may or may not be true, but I’m not going to waste my time trying to investigate either of those claims because, as far as I’m concerned, they don’t have to do with the most important issues we face, which I’ve tried to point out in this post.

However, what really tears it for yours truly is concerned is what I linked to above, namely, this garbage that Bob Harvie is apparently the subject of an FBI investigation. You can read about this here, and you’ll learn that Harvie was never the subject of an investigation and was never charged with a crime. He testified five years ago before a federal grand jury as a witness in a federal probe involving Falls Township (where Harvie used to be a supervisor); the Pennsbury School District; and a local union. That didn’t stop this Defending America PAC Inc. and its president, Chris Pack, from publishing false statements on electronic media to voters labeling Harvie an “FBI corruption subject” and “under FBI investigation.”

Brian Fitzpatrick isn’t named in the defamation suit Harvie has brought against Defending America PAC, but since he’s the beneficiary of this garbage attack against Harvie, he might as well be as far as I’m concerned.

The voters of this district deserve better than this, Bri-Fi. Try manning up and disavowing this horrible “astroturf” crap.

Friday Stuff

Brittany Page discusses Apartheid Clyde filing a lawsuit against a Minnesota law combatting apps creating nude images of kids, aimed at Grok on X (in something called “spicy mode”), because the ketamine addict is a disgusting pervert of course...the law Musk is fighting allows for those portrayed in these images to file a civil lawsuit and seek damages...oh, and Musk believes it’s his First Amendment right to publish nude pics of kids...clip mentions ways that Grok has been used to generate deepfake p*rn images of kids and, in one case, a British citizen...kudos to MN state senator Erin Maye Quade for leading the fight against this garbage in her state (also, Gov. Tim Walz – remember him?)...Page is also right to point out that the best time to leave X was yesterday...

...and I know I already had a video about what an utter assclown that quitting college football coach Tommy Tuberville is, but I’m also including this from Jesse Dollemore in light of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent appearance before that U.S. Senate kangaroo court, led by Rand “Aqua Buddha” Paul and assorted other Senate lowlifes...as far as I’m concerned, Dr. Fauci is a hero, and without his dedication and hard work, thousands more would have likely died during the COVID pandemic (here)...hard for me to say which is the worse clip of Tuberville, but the one from Fix Noise is measurably more ridiculous (and yeah, let’s blame Obama while we’re at it, who had NOT A DAMN THING TO DO with COVID, with Biden cleaning up the many messes he inherited from #45, this being but one)...oh, and as far as the claim from this U.S. Senate moron that Alabama had the highest number of COVID cases, that is not borne out in any way, shape or form based on this...and oh yeah, hearing “Dr.” Tubs claim “gain of function” (parroting Paul of course) as his excuse for Fauci allegedly killing 9 million people would be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic...and Jesse may be right about Tuberville ending up as Alabama governor, but if you want a sane alternative, click here...NSFW/H...



Update 8/1/26: And because Repugs are constantly trying to “out-crazy” each other, I give you this (and Kolb should definitely face charges IMO).

Update 8/2/26: Terrific commentary IMO from Oliver Willis on this here.

...meanwhile, for the reality point of view on this subject, we get the following from Mika Brzezinski, cataloging all of the beyond disgusting failures from the first ruinous administration of Our Ochre Abomination, in response to the “R Party” nonsense presented in the prior clip from Jesse...I’m kind of surprised to see such a good response here from Mrs. Scar, but credit where it’s due (more here)...



...and on the subject of the COVID plague, let's not forget this also...



...and maybe subconsciously I’ve been avoiding dealing with PA U.S. Senator John Fetterman, but I guess I have to at a certain point...here, Fetterman lays into Drop Site News reporter Julian Andreone, making the accusation du jour that if you protest the IDF murdering doctors and journalists and blowing up little kids into pieces and annexing Palestinian land, then you love Hamas and Hezbollah...as I’ve said before, I try to be pretty careful about including TYT videos because I think their “takes” on stories are often pretty off-base, but I’ll allow this clip from Ana Kasparian...I think she kind of wanders a bit starting at about 5:20, though she’s 100 percent correct for sure about getting the damn dirty money out of politics (once again, love and kisses to the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR for Citizens United)...and oh yeah, about Fetterman, there is also this...



...and RIP Glen Hansard – may the road rise up to meet you, with God holding you in His hand.

Thursday Stuff

Chris Hayes discusses the latest news on Repugs Behaving Badly, and this focuses on GOP U.S. House Rep Max Miller’s alleged awful behavior – we’ll see if our corporate media handles Miller’s violent insanity (alleged) in much the same manner as they did with Graham Platner’s failed U.S. Senate candidacy (and I think it should be pointed out that, to date, no charges have been filed against Platner, though I acknowledge that his situation was pretty bad in its own right)...court filings mention drug use, misogyny, verbal abuse, and violent behavior towards multiple women from Miller, including ex-wife Emily Moreno, as well as the possibility that he may have broken the collarbone of his 2-year-old daughter, who was taken to the ER (Miller denies this)...he also threw hot water on the child and put a gun to her head, allegedly of course...oh, and Miller had a prior relationship with Stephanie Grisham in the Trump 1.0 White House, which ended because of a violent attack against her, as we learn (and Miller counter-suing doesn’t really help his case here IMO)...and of course, leave it to that insufferable toad MAGA Mike Johnson to blow this off (and I forgot about Cory Mills also)...Hayes speaks with Rolling Stone reporter Nikki McCann Ramirez (more here)...



Update 8/2/26: More here (for Bluesky folks).

Update 8/3/26: It took Bernie Moreno long enough to do the right thing (here).

...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ gives us an update on what’s going on in in our latest Mideast forever war...gee, looks to me like Iran is very definitely fighting back against Cheetoh Hitler’s recent wave of attacks, despite #47’s profane claim that we’re winning (and I know bad language is kind of low-hanging fruit when it comes to Don The Con, but it’s still telling to me that he gets yet another corporate media pass on bad behavior that any other *preznit would NEVER get)...oh, and by the way, all of this completely unnecessary madness is DEFINITELY affecting the global oil supply, with prices of just about everything rising commensurate to that...also, I believe Farron Cousins pointed out that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is running out, and this report emphasizes that also...and potentially $8 a barrel, huh (and the subsequent economic collapse)? Gee, where’s everybody NOW losing their collective sh*t about 3 percent inflation under Biden?...



...and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviews Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti about the Israeli Defense Force combining with settlers to torch Palestinian settlements on the West Bank... looks like 86 Palestinians on the West Bank have been killed in the latest episode of violence along with hundreds wounded; Barghouti claims that a thousand have been killed in the last two years...and 250 journalists killed in the last year? You would think that would matter as far as our corporate media cousins in THIS country are concerned, but you would be wrong of course (and I believe “Bibi” is in town so Our Treasonous Orange Pustule can do his bidding once more)...I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the violence in that area of the world because I’m not, but it just appears to yours truly that the overwhelming amount of coverage on this issue is pro-Israel, and if anyone speaks up for Palestinians, they automatically get shouted down with “YOU LOVE HAMAS! YOU’RE A TERRORIST!,” and I’m not going to dignify that idiocy by commenting on it...I also believe this is noteworthy because the majority of this country is wise to what Israel is doing (as noted by this), even if our political/media/industrial complex hasn’t caught up yet...



...and as a bit of comic relief I guess, Rachel Maddow flags the weirdest candidates running in this election cycle, including the MyPillow guy (and election-denying-lawsuit-losing) Mike Lindell running for Minnesota governor (a state he isn’t even registered to vote in), though he apparently may be guilty of scamming creditors in MN, so there’s that...also, in Colorado, there’s “self-taught exorcist” Victor Marx also running for governor, who apparently can’t recall how many people he’s killed (also allegedly!)...however, “the land of the yellow rose” looks like the most wacky of this bunch, with a poll from Texas Repugs asking “Who is a bigger threat – Jews or Muslims?,” with the person behind that garbage poll (Bo French) now running for statewide office...oh, and French linked his Dem opponent to the murder of the last Russian czar and his family, which would be a neat trick since that occurred over a century ago...French also wants to kick out Native Americans because of course...at the top of this slag heap, though, is Ken Paxton, who somehow has accumulated nearly $9 million in real estate (15 homes) on a salary of about $150K a year...



...and I don’t believe I need to add much of any commentary to this little number from Mr. Newberger – again, 8/3 is the date after which Mitch (“Weekend at Bernie’s”) McConnell’s seat must stay open until the November election...



...and here is another seasonal number.

Tuesday Stuff

Farron Cousins brings us the sorry story of a Repug state lawmaker in West Virginia named David Elliott Pritt, who is quite rightly facing calls for resignation after using Snapchat and the Roblox platform to seduce a15-year-old girl...oh, and did I mention that this guy built his name around allegedly protecting children? Yep, another case of child endangerment having nothing to do with puberty blockers or drag queen story hour...”it’s always the ones who speak out the loudest” indeed, and I honestly cannot recall a case of a Dem doing something this heinous, partly because if that had happened, we would NEVER hear the end of it from our corporate media (nor should we I know), while an awful story like this will probably be swept under the metaphorical rug and forgotten...



...and Belle of the Ranch discusses what is likely to be one of the October surprises coming from Cantaloupe Capone this fall, and that is the alleged reduction of inflation (but again, since he canned the folks at the BLS who actually knew what they were doing and replaced them with Trumpist flunkies, I don’t expect that they’ll be telling us the truth)...



...and Logical Leftist Jeff Waldorf lets us know about Bronzer Beelzebub trying to drag NYT reporters in front of a grand jury over a story about the Gropenfuhrer’s new Qatari jet, going after a journo’s mom and other reporters’ spouses...geez oh man, at least the mob knows to leave family members out of stuff like this; what does THAT say about our ruling regime? At least the judge got PO’ed enough to force our knuckleheads in charge to pull the subpoenas in open court...and leave it to the Trump gang to try and obtain phone records for a July story DATING BACK TO JANUARY – kind of the definition of a “fishing expedition”...mildly NSFW/H, but for a good reason IMO...



...and the theme of this commentary from Thom Hartmann is “They made you fear and hate your neighbor so they could rob your future.”...Thom recalls some of President Eisenhower’s address upon leaving the White House about this country rising above petty grievances and intolerance and joining a community of nations based on mutual trust and respect more or less; would that we had pursued that course the way we should...Thom discusses that Lloyd’s survey where 1 in 10 of us say politics is the biggest risk we face, which definitely should NOT take on outsized importance like that...he also once more links the political decline of this country back to The Sainted Ronnie R; grievance has been part of our politics for probably as long as we’ve existed, but it was raised to an art form IMO under #40...I know we can always count on a history lesson from Thom on how we got to this point and he provides that again, and that definitely matters even though it’s mind-numbingly depressing I know...



...and Desi Lydic of The Daily Show brings us up to speed on the latest nonsense from our Trump Party overlords...I swear, how soon is it going to be before Dementia Donnie starts answering reporters’ questions with “I’m paper and you’re glue – nothing sticks to me, but only you,” which is on a par with “you know something I don’t know?” I would say THE ENTIRE CIVILIZED FREAKING WORLD knows stuff that you don’t know...oh, but Cantaloupe Capone is #1 on “Tic Tac”...sooo, does that mean that he’s cornering the market on breath mints??? (mildly NSFW/H also)...



...and I thought this was a cool newer tune from Carly Simon...sorry to hear about her health issues – wishing for all the best.

Monday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore tells us about that quitter “Coach Tubs” calling for the arrest of NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani, on what looks like the podcast of that execrable toad Benny Johnson...I honestly didn’t know Tuberville’s dad wore the uniform (props to him and his courageous sacrifice), which makes this even more unbelievable as far as I’m concerned...so let me get this straight – Russian agent Johnson thinks that Mamdani lied on his immigration form because the latter didn’t declare himself a communist (destroying the irony meter here)? Once again, I know this is going to be the wingnut talking point du jour heading into the fall elections because the “party of Lincoln” has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE to run on, and I can’t believe they think that the political “C” word is a winner here... NSFW/H partly for Jesse working in the other “C” word (referring to female anatomy), which is probably apt sadly (and to do something in response, click here)...



...and Brittany Page gives us a Fix Noise “reporter” mocking homeless people on TV – looks like this Johnny Belisario is doing for Jesse Watters what Watters once did for Billo The Clown...and oh yeah, catch the “Mayor Mamdani’s New York City” reference (echoing the prior clip a bit) as if that scene isn’t replicated elsewhere in this country under both Democratic and Republican political leadership...I would guess that some of these folks are living outdoors because of bad circumstances visited upon them, some because of bad life choices, but also others because we generally don’t address the issue of housing for those who need it the way we should...growing up in a pretty-much-lily-white suburb of Philly, I can tell you that there was no issue that lit a flame under voters quite like Section 8 housing, so, sadly, I’m sure this Belisario clown will find a baked-in audience for his antics...mildly NSFW/H also...



...and John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report tell us about Our Ochre Abomination getting $63 billion from our “friends” the Saudis, in exchange for a deal with them for nukes...I’ve long since given up on the “R” team holding Cantaloupe Capone to any kind of account, but it would be nice if the opposition could mount a daily drumbeat against this criminality the way the other side does over nothing – we’ll see (there have been stories recently of the DNC being short on dough – well, maybe if this bunch of professional election losers would mount the full-throated outcry required to save our democracy, then maybe their fortunes would change)...story reported on by CNN’s Erin Burnett...I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I firmly believe that it will eventually come out that Trump launched his Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iran because that was the condition under which the U.S. would be allowed to take over Gaza if and when (God help us) everything and everyone are “glassed” by Israel – that’s my story until somebody proves me wrong...



Update 1: Want to know a big reason why the Dems are apparently having trouble fundraising (and I don’t enjoy pointing that out)? It’s because of listening too much to people like this Hillary Rosen numbskull (here).

Update 2: @hilaryr - here.

...also, I don’t often turn to CNN I know, but I thought this was a good segment overall based on this story, which, to me, is more proof that that wretched guttural slug (and Project 2025 author) Russell Vought needs to be wearing an orange jumpsuit for illegally impounding congressional funds...Kasie Hunt hosts a panel discussion about withholding billions for energy projects targeted for blue states, with those funds cancelled because those states didn’t vote for you-know-who... oh, and this is “a partial list of an ongoing process,” according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, proving that he’s as shameless of a liar as anyone else in our ruling cabal (forced to tell the truth when legal stuff enters the picture of course)...with Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Kate Bedingfield, and Michele Goodwin (I give Goodwin credit in particular for pointing out that this isn’t something to be considered as a “one-off,” but part of an overall pattern from our ruling regime)...I know Kristen Soltis Anderson is the token wingnut, having caught her act plenty of times when I used to watch Bill Maher, and Alyssa Farah Griffin is the “both sides” person...I honestly could do without the panel discussion even though good points are made, but if it draws attention to this story, I realize that’s a net positive overall...



...and Mr. Newberger gives us his take on another insert-foot-in-mouth moment from the Trump Party based on this (I wouldn’t say Steve Scalise is the stoo-pidest member of the U.S. House, but he’s right up there for sure)...



...and two days ago on 7/25 marked the 60th anniversary of the recording of the song “Last Train To Clarksville” by The Monkees, which eventually landed at #1 on the Billboard 100 and launched the career of the group, which started out as a creation for TV only but ended up as an actual working band...the musicians playing on the tune were kind of a grab bag of folks from the Wrecking Crew and others, but they ended up making music history.