Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
I’m curious to see what happens with the witnesses in the Senate trial. I still think there won’t be any but if there are, it will be bullshit anyway, where John Bolton talks for five minutes then they grill Hunter Biden for a week.
Anyway, fuck all these assholes. Give here to the Balloon Juice Senate fund which is split between the eventual Democratic nominees in Maine, Iowa, NC, Arizona, Georgia, and Colorado.
I feel like the Senate trial has turned into one of those movies where you know all along what will happen but there’s various contrived crises for the hero to resolve before the inevitable happy ending. I guess that’s most movies, now that I think about it. So the idea that Republican Senators give a fuck about what John Bolton has to say just makes me laugh:
Per sources, some GOP senators privately pushing White House for information on who at administration had visibility into the manuscript over the last month. Senators feel blindsided.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 27, 2020
The only way to deal with these fuckers is to vote them out of office. Give here to the Balloon Juice Senate fund which is split between the eventual Democratic nominees in Maine, Iowa, NC, Arizona, Georgia, and Colorado.
I could hardly believe it when I heard the news todayPost + Comments (128)
I realize this is kind of bullshit topic but I keep thinking about it…Trump is obviously an asshole who was undoubtedly a shitty father. Ivana hates him, accused him of rape in their divorce proceedings. So…what’s the deal with Eric and Don Jr. and Ivanka? Do you they think he’s an asshole too and just want the inheritance and general free ride or what? I don’t get it. I’m curious if anyone knows anything about the psychology of these kinds of situations.
Speaking of people who suck up to Donald, let’s make vulnerable Republican Senators pay for going along with this sham trial. Give here to a fund split equally between eventual Democratic nominees in Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, and Arizona.
Daddy ain’t around, probably out committing feloniesPost + Comments (198)
As Brave Sir Mitt gets ready to cave into all of McConnell’s commands, I had a thought: why hasn’t the media lionized Justin Amash they way they’ve lionized Mitt and McCain? Amash did something genuinely courageous — he tanked his career because he had too much dignity to go along with other Republicans on impeachment. And his statements about why he couldn’t weren’t preening and attention-getting, they were simple and factual. I don’t agree with Amash about much else and I can’t imagine ever voting for him for anything, and, no, I don’t want him to get his own MSNBC show (he won’t anyway), but he probably won’t get re-elected now and I don’t see how he goes on wingnut welfare or anything like that after he loses. Mitt and McCain, by contrast, never did much other than write sternly worded tweets, were never in any danger of not being reelected, and are both eight figure wingers who could just retreat back into their money or their vast carelessness if they did fail to get reelected.
It’s a very strange thing: the media loves to blab about the bravery of wankers like Mitt and McCain and Susan Collins and Jim Comey, but when someone does something that involves real sacrifice, it’s crickets. Of course the reason is obvious — they’re all millionaires and they relate to other master of the universe types, not to back-benchers (or bureaucratic whistleblowers).
Let’s make vulnerable Republican Senators pay for going along with this sham trial. Give here to a fund split equally between eventual Democratic nominees in Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, and Arizona.
I don’t get out much anymore now that I have a kid, but we did manage to get out during daycare hours this summer to see Last Black Man in San Francisco. And then more recently, my parents were able to babysit while we saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Knives Out, Little Women, and Parasite. One thing I’ve come to realize is that seeing a movie on the big screen is totally different than seeing it at home, especially if you’re easily distracted, as I am.
I liked Last Black Man in San Francisco and Knives Out the best, though I liked Once Upon a Time in Hollywood just as much once it was over (I was dreading the ending too much to enjoy it while I watched, but the twist at the end made me like it better). I liked Little Women too. I didn’t know what to make of Parasite.
What did you think of the movies I mentioned? And what other movies were good this year? One other thing I’m curious to hear what people think about: there have been all these articles about how everything is a superhero movie these days but I find it very easy to go see non-superhero movies and I don’t live in a major city. Is not being able to see non-superhero movies really a thing?
Also too, let’s raise some more money for Democrats in the Senate. The following is split between the eventual nominees in Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Maine, Colorado, and Arizona.
But you knifed me in my dirty filthy basementPost + Comments (95)
As many of you know, I am fueled creatively by my massive hatred of David Brooks. And that’s why I’ve grown to dislike Pete Buttigieg so much. The fucker’s running to be the president of David Brooks. I’d like to say I wonder why totebaggers love him so much but I don’t: the seven languages, the rhetoric about unity, the praise from David Brooks…it hits all the NPR erogenous zones.
Ok, now that that’s off my chest, let’s raise some money for the Senate. I think that’s the place where it makes the most sense to raise money right now. The Balloon Juice Senate fund is split between the eventual Dem nominees in CO, NC, GA, IA, and ME. (Update: Also AZ.) You can divvy it up however you like.
Let me tell you ’bout Pete, didn’t want no famePost + Comments (52)
I don’t normally get upset about Trump. My feeling is that we’ve got to have a Republican president, it’s better that it be someone who is poor politician. I mean, Marco Rubio would be bombing Iran and have a 60% approval rating right now (the latter because of the economy).
But certain things do make me hope that someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. One is the continued popularity of David Brooks, sixteen years after he cheerled the Iraq War with North Korean-style propaganda about Dear Leader W. Another is that Ken Starr is still on my tv sometimes, even after heading up a rape factory at Baylor. But what pisses me off most these days is Jonathan Turley. He was everywhere in 1998 telling people that Clinton had to be impeached. He also thought that W should be impeached. He mused about having Obama impeached. And now he’s using the old “if my dog has a fit, you must acquit” defense in support of Trump.
“I get it: You are mad,” he testified. “The president is mad. My Democratic friends are mad. My Republican friends are mad. My wife is mad. My kids are mad. Even my dog seems mad — and Luna is a goldendoodle and they don’t get mad. So we’re all mad.
I don’t think that this goes in healthy societies. There’s never a shortage of hacks and liars but couldn’t we at least get a new crop of hacks and liars every 20 years or so? Is that asking for too much?
Also too, let’s raise a little more money for the seventeen most vulnerable House incumbents. They’re going to have to vote for impeachment soon and many of them are in districts that Trump carried.
Roger J. Stone Jr., a former aide and longtime friend of President Trump, was found guilty on Friday of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election in what prosecutors said was an effort to protect Mr. Trump.
Let’s try to hit our target today for the Balloon Juice House fund that is split among the seventeen most vulnerable House Dem incumbents. (You can divvy it out however you like to avoid getting on too many mailing lists.)
It’s nut-cutting time up in the hizouse today, as the House votes to formalize the impeachment process. Here are the four arguments we will hear against impeachment
1. Trump did nothing wrong, it’s a witch hunt! (Hannity)
2. Trump may have done something wrong but nothing that rises to the level of impeachment (Susan Collins, John Thune)
3. Trump have done something impeachable but derp derp the Democrats haven’t prove it at all (Jonathan Turley)
4. Trump did something impeachable and the Dems’ case is airtight but they shouldn’t impeach because Applebee’s (Bobo
Not so different than the arguments against taking action against climate change
1. Climate change isn’t happening
2. Climate change is happening but it’s not because of human activity
3. Climate change is happening because of human activity but we can’t do anything about it
4. Climate change is happening and we should do something but Dems are doing cap-and-trade and a carbon tax would be better. Or, alternately, Dems are doing a carbon tax and cap-and-trade would be better.
This is why I’m skeptical of all nonsense about civil discourse and the marketplace of ideas. It’s all based on a faulty model of the human mind. In many, maybe most, cases, people decide pick a side first and then make up reasons why that side is the right one.
Anywho, let’s raise some money for the 17 most endangered House democrats incumbents. They may not all vote for the impeachment resolution today but you can be sure if they don’t it’s because Nancy told them they didn’t have to.
Update. Benny says Happy Halloween.
I’ll be curious to see if John Bolton shows up when he gets his subpoena and also if he actually throws Trump under the bus or just makes up stuff that supports Trump’s positions. It would be funny if he threw Trump under the bus and then Tucker and John Woo Yoo called him a liberal traitor. But no matter what happens, we know that in the diners and bars of Rust Belt America, Trump will be as popular as ever.
With the vote on impeachment coming up, let’s try to hit our targets for the Balloon Juice House Fund, which is split among the 17 most vulnerable Democratic incumbents.
Send me a subpoena baby, tell me what to doPost + Comments (168)
I’ve always thought that McConnell cares most about Republicans retaining the Senate. An impeachment trial in the Senate complicates that:
Mr. McConnell sees the proceedings as necessary to protect a half a dozen moderates in states like Maine, Colorado and North Carolina who face re-election next year and must show voters they are giving the House impeachment charges a serious review.
But none of this will come to fruition unless we get the House to vote for impeachment. Let’s raise some more money for the seventeen most vulnerable Democratic House incumbents (you can divide the money among them however you like):
Susan Collins now trails a generic Democrat by 3 points. That goes up to 7 points in the poll when voters are asked who they would vote for if Collins opposes impeachment, which she likely will. Last month she led a generic Democrat by six points.
Give here to the Balloon Juice Senate Fund, split among eventual Democratic nominees in several of the most competitive Senate races. Feel free to distribute the money among them however you like!
Thanks again everybody. I’ll do some fundraising for the guv races in LA, KY, and MS soon.
I didn’t realize til now that Trump’s crazy rally in Lake Charles was because there’s a governor’s race in Louisiana today. If the Dem incumbent can avoid a run-off, that will be a big win for Dems. There’s also governor race in Kentucky and Mississippi coming up soon.
You can write postcards to voters in Kentucky here.
Are people interested in raising money for the governor’s races in Mississippi and Kentucky? Say the word and I’ll create a fundraising page.
I continue to believe that these elections, if they tilt heavily to Dems, could affect GOP Senators’ calculation on impeachment and removal.
He had a reason to get back to Lake CharlesPost + Comments (56)
Who knows how nuts the Trumpkins will get trying to block impeachment, but we can do our part to help vulnerable House Dems do the right thing and impeach Dolt 45. Give here to the Balloon Juice 2020 House Fund, split equally among the 17 most vulnerable Democratic incumbents (you can also parcel it out among them however you like).
Lady of the House wondering where it’s gonna stopPost + Comments (90)
If you’ve got local elections this fall, don’t forget to vote. And if you’ve got time, get involved. We’ve got a big one coming up here — a county exec raise the Dems have a real chance of winning. If we do it will be the first time in over 30 years. That’s the Trump effect, my friends. This November’s locals are important nationally in a way that most local elections are not. If Republicans take enough of a beating in November, it’s going to be that much tougher for them to keep clapping for Dear Leader.
The most high profile state elections are Virginia. The numbers look great for Democrats right now.
Voters prefer that Democrats control the General Assembly after the election, 53% to 37%, powered by a 17-point advantage among Independents.
Give here to the Balloon Juice Virginia Democratic Legislative Caucus Fund. I upped the goal to 8K. This blog has become a fundraising powerhouse, we’ve raised 535K since August 2016. And I think for the most part we’ve given wisely. Thanks a lot to everyone.
Remember, remember the fifth of NovemberPost + Comments (51)