Get happy
Monday, January 19, 2026
America's Worst Newish Fake Democratic Think Tank
Searchlight.
The author of a controversial memo telling Democrats to abandon the slogan “Abolish ICE” and instead focus on reform and retraining is a former Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection official who for the last seven months has worked for WestExec Advisors, a secretive Washington, D.C., shadow lobbyist that counts as clients major government contractors in the defense and surveillance industry.I'm not saying that these people speak for The Democrats, but these views get heard by members of Congress much more than views like mine do.
In an interview with the Prospect, Blas Nuñez-Neto would not say who his clients are at WestExec Advisors, where he is a senior adviser, only that he has consulted in recent years on immigration, customs, and trade. He said casting his memo as serving the interests of those clients would be “a little disingenuous,” while again declining to say who those clients are.
Nuñez-Neto recommended that protesters understand that ICE agents are people, too.How'd that all work out:
“I think it would help both sides to appreciate the fact that that’s a human being across from you who may or may not want to do the things they’ve been ordered to do. In my long history being in and out of the Department [of Homeland Security], it is very often what makes the news are the terrible things that happen but what doesn’t get reported are the … stories about agents bringing toys into the border patrol station,” he said.
The lead architect of President Joe Biden’s border strategy is not Vice President Kamala Harris, despite persistent Republican claims to the contrary. That role belongs to a bookish, little-known policy adviser named Blas Nuñez-Neto.Worked out well for his career. Many others? Not so much.
...
A data-driven technocrat, Nuñez-Neto has engineered Biden’s pivot toward tougher border enforcement and sweeping restrictions on asylum — moves that have helped slash illegal crossings by nearly 80 percent since December.
Freedum
Which of Schumer's Five Buckets Of Affordability do we put this one in?
Whatever one thinks of The Bulwark, I would like to point out that Schumer talks to them and not left wing outlets.
Thousands of people have been arrested during ICE operations in Minneapolis over the past two weeks. Multiple attorneys allege that for some of those detained, including at least one U.S. citizen, the Department of Homeland Security is denying their constitutional right to see an attorney.I initially typed "Fuck Buckets" accidentally because I was angry.
Four attorneys told ABC News they have been denied access to their clients at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where they are being held, which they say would violate 5th and 6th Amendment rights to due process and the right to consult with counsel.
Whatever one thinks of The Bulwark, I would like to point out that Schumer talks to them and not left wing outlets.
Sure Why Not
Occasionally I see people talking about how few Good Republicans it would require to save us. The point of this should not be to make a plea to them. It should be to understand that there are no Good Republicans.
I am not an elected Democrat or a Brand Ambassador for the party. I get to say that.
Maybe it's Chuck Schumer's job to beg Susan Collins constantly to do the right thing, while pretending not to understand that she never will when it matters, but it isn't mine.
And people who demand pats on the head and a seats at the head table if they ever do the right thing are not Good Republicans either.
Maybe it's Chuck Schumer's job to beg Susan Collins constantly to do the right thing, while pretending not to understand that she never will when it matters, but it isn't mine.
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Ah, Well, Nevertheless
Seemed like Fetterman had turned into (or revealed himself to be) a genocidal lunatic, to some of us.
We Hear You Like Body Cams So We're Gonna Put Some Body Cams On The Body Cams
There are good Dems, of course, but the leadership is pushing for a message of "morebodycamsandtraining" like we didn't see this movie in 2021 when they hijacked the police reform movement, blamed it for the election losses that didn't happen, declared Eric Adams (the only Dem who could win New York City) the future of the Democratic Party entirely because it made the hippies sad, and then promptly forgot about the whole thing.
Like we didn't see the murderer of Renee Good happily filming his own actions and then even more happily leaking the footage. The guy who murdered her was not some new guy who failed his sit-ups test a month ago. He had a long career.
Cory Booker on facebook:
Today I’m taking action to bring accountability to federal law enforcement like ICE. New legislation I’m announcing will require ICE to adopt rigorous training hiring standards, and for their agents to wear body cameras. These are best practices used by law enforcement agencies use across our country. We need to bring transparency and accountability to ICE in order to make Americans safer.
As I keep saying, if Dems don't like protests (and they don't like protests), they gotta fake outrage a bit better than this.
A woman was murdered, Cory. We all saw it on the video he filmed himself.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Only Down From There
It is no secret that I do not love the American health care system and do not think the ACA - and how the system has evolved since - has solved all of our problems. But there is no magic Republican solution that will make it in any way better. Either you improve the regulations/subsidies on the private side (boo), or you an enhance the eligibility for the public side (yay). Anything else will just make it noticeably and recognizably worse/more expensive for people.
The Obama version is better than what Republicans would have ever come up with in various ways, but it is still true that the ACA is, basically, a conservative private-sector focused health care plan with some public sweeteners that were put in largely to make the bill have a better CBO score (lol).
They don't have a plan because you can't make it "more Republican" and "better/cheaper."
To make real whatever is sloshing around Trump's pudding brain, you'd basically regulate all prices and dissolve the insurance companies. Essentially it'd be Medicare only you'd get the bill. Of course Republicans can't do that.
The Obama version is better than what Republicans would have ever come up with in various ways, but it is still true that the ACA is, basically, a conservative private-sector focused health care plan with some public sweeteners that were put in largely to make the bill have a better CBO score (lol).
They don't have a plan because you can't make it "more Republican" and "better/cheaper."
"My plan would reduce your insurance premiums by stopping government payoffs to big insurance companies and sending that money directly to the people," Trump said in a video announcing the plan."One-page fact sheet."
However, the video and one-page fact sheet posted on the White House website were light on specifics about how much would actually go to Americans or how much funding the plan would require or how the funds would be distributed.
To make real whatever is sloshing around Trump's pudding brain, you'd basically regulate all prices and dissolve the insurance companies. Essentially it'd be Medicare only you'd get the bill. Of course Republicans can't do that.
I AM GOING TO TARIFF YOU
Trump is going to add more tariffs to goods from European nations that won't give him Greenland and I admit that's pretty funny. Gramps is out of juice.
Use It
If there is one good lesson from Trump, it's use power when you have it.
With Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) set to take office Saturday, three University Board of Visitors members resigned Friday, including Rector Rachel Sheridan and Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson. According to reporting by the New York Times and the Washington Post, Spanberger called on at least five members to resign.They were busy destroying UVa.
Board Member Paul Manning — the donor behind the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology who gave a $100 million dollar gift to the University to fund the project — was also asked by Spanberger to resign. Manning resigned Friday, and Board members Douglas Wetmore and Stephen Long were also asked to resign, according to the Washington Post. It is unclear whether others besides the Rector, Vice Rector and Manning submitted resignations.
All members of the Board had been appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Prior to the resignations Friday, the Board had 12 of its 17 voting-member seats filled after Senate Democrats rejected five members this past fall.
Friday, January 16, 2026
Sometimes Not Taking A Stand Is Actually Taking One
In favor of the status quo.
Sure that's provactive, but I remember this kind of thing from the Iraq war era, when putting up flags, George Bush pictures, and weepy tributes to the Troops were not seen as "taking sides" even though of course, at that moment, they were.
Acting as if everything is normal and acceptable is taking a side.
When someone asked “Why would you as a business choose to piss off 1/2 of your potential customers? Just curious what sense that makes.” the bakery responded with “I don’t want those customers.”That's a bakery selling "Fuck Ice" cookies.
A post from Tuesday morning stated “imagine sending me death threats, threatening my family AND CHILDREN, and calling ME deranged… while I’m just over here baking cookies.”
Sure that's provactive, but I remember this kind of thing from the Iraq war era, when putting up flags, George Bush pictures, and weepy tributes to the Troops were not seen as "taking sides" even though of course, at that moment, they were.
Acting as if everything is normal and acceptable is taking a side.
Shocker
Watching Sinema, you would've never imagined she was high out of her mind all the time.
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the Democrat turned independent who served one term before leaving office last year, was accused in federal court this week of conducting an affair with a member of her Senate security team, a married father of three.
Ms. Sinema also encouraged Mr. Ammel to bring MDMA drugs on a work trip, so she could help guide him through a psychedelic experience, the lawsuit claimed.
Spicy Chatbots
Repeating, again, that AI was first sold as "we are about to create God" and then "it will cure cancer, invent new forms of metal and other materials" and now it's "it will write your emails for you and be your pocket pal."
In an X (formerly Twitter) post shared by slow_developer, Suleyman can be heard saying that these AI companions will be able to see, hear, prefer, and feel the same as the user.Nerds always jump in and say it's good at "coding" or whatever. I have no idea but most people don't need these niche applications! Most people don't need to code!
“In five years’ time, everybody will have their own AI companion who knows them so intimately and so personally that they will come to live life alongside you,” the CEO said.
“It will see what you see, hear what you hear, and understand your context, your preferences, and your motivations, and it will feel like an ever-present aid or friend that is there to help you navigate life’s big challenges,” Suleyman shared.
Trump Cards
At best you're going to get some cards with teaser rates, quickly replaced by 'normal' usurious rates and I think it will be hilarious if they are in anyway branded with Trump.
Hassett is probably to dumb/cloistered to get this.Kevin Hassett on Trump's 10% cap on credit card interest rates: "Our expectations is that it won't necessarily require legislation because there will be great new Trump Cards provided voluntarily by the banks."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 16, 2026 at 2:35 PM
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Newsom
Something I say about (most) Dems regularly is that their entire pitch is to centrism. Even, or especially, when they are doing something lefty, their talking points are all aimed at addressing the basic DC "centrism" of political journalists and imagined moderate voters.
You know, "how are you going to pay for that???" and not "if Medicaid expansion is actually cheaper than ACA private subsidies, why don't you make the whole bill out of Medicaid expansion?"
That is why Newsom talks to Ben Shapiro and not, for example, Sam Seder.
There are exceptions, course, but even the Leftier ones are accustomed to communicating to this (somewhat imagined) audience. What if you get goaded into accidentally speaking the truth, or the people who work for you get a bit too feisty with their comms? You might have to walk it back. You might get asked to condemn yourself for the next few years if you are dumb enough to walk it back!
Thursday, January 15, 2026
The Joke
I am cursed with a memory for things people have forgotten. So, as a reminder, in 2020, Dems won the House, the Senate, and the presidency, and for 2 years the news was filled with fretting Democrats - including the President, the Speaker of the House, and probably the Senate Majority Leader but I am too lazy too google that at the moment - discussing the need to put "defund the police" behind them.
They won everything in the year of peak woke! Of peak police protest! Of peak poll support for police reform!
The phrase they came up with to reverse the catastrophic losses that did not happen was - and I am not kidding - "fund the police."
This was not after huge losses. This was not after any losses at all. This was after they won everything!!! And they were talking like losers who desperately needed to change course!
That is why they initially embraced Eric Adams. Here was the black cop who pretended to be for the right kind of police reform (no police reform at all) to save them all from the horrible political fate that had not befallen them.
Then, in 2022, dipshit centrists spent the entire year trying to will a dire election result into being. They pre-wrote the death of the Democratic party, blaming it on trans people, "defund the police" people, and the economic policies of Liz Warren staffers who supposedly ran the White House.
The phrase they came up with to reverse the catastrophic losses that did not happen was - and I am not kidding - "fund the police."
This was not after huge losses. This was not after any losses at all. This was after they won everything!!! And they were talking like losers who desperately needed to change course!
That is why they initially embraced Eric Adams. Here was the black cop who pretended to be for the right kind of police reform (no police reform at all) to save them all from the horrible political fate that had not befallen them.
Then, in 2022, dipshit centrists spent the entire year trying to will a dire election result into being. They pre-wrote the death of the Democratic party, blaming it on trans people, "defund the police" people, and the economic policies of Liz Warren staffers who supposedly ran the White House.
That last bit is key. A lot of people didn't get the executive branch jobs they believed they were entitled to and were getting revenge! Two years working in the White House on your CV is ego and career gold! They were denied that and were angry!
When the midterm elections went well for Democrats, by the standards of midterm elections, they just pretended things happened as scripted. Another catastrophic loss, all the fault of the wokes.
When the midterm elections went well for Democrats, by the standards of midterm elections, they just pretended things happened as scripted. Another catastrophic loss, all the fault of the wokes.
Some of you get mad at me for yelling at Democrats, but it is the rich people who give them money who call them on the phone and really yell at them! Those rich funders and their familiars in the press and consulting world - including all the effective altruism/SBF money - were driving all of this.
Then, of course, we get to the 2024 election when they all praised Harris's centrist campaign, until she lost, and then it was somehow the fault of The Left yet again.
I'm just a guy with a blog that isn't very influential anymore. Think about who is really driving the bus most of the time! It isn't me! It isn't the wokes, or the groups, or the dirty hippies, or "The Left" who nobody can really name because they barely exist in public life. It's the rich assholes and smug centrists!
He Will Do It Eventually
No actions or restraint by protesters will causr of prevent it.
Not can they stop the major news outlets from privileging whatever fake justification they come up with.
We all know law enforcement causes violence then claim the victims cause it. We all know they can just make up things and news outlets will dutifully report it.
WINTER FUNDRAISING DAY 1
Probably the wrong time for this but I'm not sure when the right time will be, so I'll stick to the "schedule."
The pitch is always the same: If you find some value and entertainment from this site (even hate reading!), spend some time here, and have some extra "give to NPR" money sitting on the table, consider contributing a bit!
The pitch is always the same: If you find some value and entertainment from this site (even hate reading!), spend some time here, and have some extra "give to NPR" money sitting on the table, consider contributing a bit!
Thanks to all!
Sure Glad I'm Not The Governor Of Minnesota Right Now
Or any prominent elected Dem. Though I didn't ask for those jobs, in part because I'd be shit at them. Certainly I'd be shit at an executive job like governor.
Tough times, but you gotta figure out something more than "only 3 more years of this, then vote harder!!!"
We do make movies about heroes who resist such things. In the past.
And, yes, he is saying more than this.
Tough times, but you gotta figure out something more than "only 3 more years of this, then vote harder!!!"
I get why he's saying this. I'm just not sure what he expects people to do when they are flashbanging babies just because. It's a terrorist occupation.State investigators have been on the scene in North Minneapolis. I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants.
— Governor Tim Walz (@governorwalz.mn.gov) January 15, 2026 at 5:06 AM
We do make movies about heroes who resist such things. In the past.
And, yes, he is saying more than this.
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 15, 2026 at 2:17 AM
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Tim Walz calls on residents to film ICE agents in their communities, citing widespread misconduct. "If you see ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record. Help us create a database of the atrocities … to bank evidence for future prosecution."
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm.bsky.social) January 15, 2026 at 2:58 AM
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...adding for clarity: the man has a hard job and I don't know what he should do, but people are out protesting because nobody is coming to save them. It is the feds that are inflicting violence, and while Trump and Miller are hoping for something obvious, like a protester shooting an ICE thug, they do not and will not require it for their next steps.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Take It All
Sure this isn’t going to happen, but Dems need to make the case that it should.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of nearly 100 House Democrats, is formally endorsing legislation that would strip $175 billion from ICE and put it toward affordable housing.
Not The Onion
I am introducing the Quick Recognition (QR) Act, which requires ICE and CBP officers to wear uniforms featuring QR codes. When scanned, the code would generate a digital ID displaying the officer’s name, badge number, and law enforcement agency. ICE should be unmasked both physically and digitally.
— Ritchie Torres (@ritchietorres.bsky.social) January 14, 2026 at 2:24 PM
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Split The Baby Messaging
Generally the problem with mushy middle positions is that instead of pleasing everybody "on both sides" you give everyone a reason to criticize you.
The one bit of political communications advice I am very confident of: if you are on offense you sound like a winner and if you are on defense you sound like a loser. Incoherent mushy middle views make you sound like a loser, constantly, as most people don't have the skills to do it well.
So much wise highly paid political advice begins with "assume our candidate is peak Bill Clinton or Barack Obama." They could pull off making the center square sound inclusive instead of off-putting. Most people who try this just sound like losers who believe in nothing.
Candidates without superpowers need to choose a side.
ICE For Thee Not For Me
Many Dems are coalescing around this incoherent message which will have them on defense, instead of offense.
So you want to stop ICE in your city but also you claim you love ICE and want to give them more money?
The Mayor of Minneapolis! Going on Fox News!
The most charitable theory is Chuck has absolutely no idea what is happening.MS NOW: Why haven't you gotten a dozen Dem senators & NYC cops, flown to Minneapolis & said to the guys wearing masks 'We've brought people who know how to operate' SCHUMER: You're right. We need police officers to tell ICE, 'You don't know what the hell you're doing. You need real police training'
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM
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Nothing But Respect For My President
His only endearing quality is his willingess to humiliate his lickspittles.
Dookie was desperate to save face, and Trump still stuck it to him.DOKOUPIL: When I travel the country, they tell me they don't feel it because grocery prices are up-- TRUMP: They're going to now. I've only been here for 11 months. I inherited a mess. If she got in, you wouldn't have this job right now.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 13, 2026 at 11:44 PM
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Tony Dokoupil: "Mr. President, thank you very much. For the record, I do think that I'd have this job even if the others guys won." Donald Trump: "Yeah, but at a lesser salary." [Dokoupil then giggles as they wrap up the segment.] A CBS News staffer merely reacted with this: "HAHAHAHAHA"
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) January 14, 2026 at 12:08 AM
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Average Americans
The closest thing to an "average American" Tony Dookie will interview is someone who is, 5 minutes later, revealed to be the spouse of the Chamber of Commerce CEO.
very weird to tour America's Heartland, go to Detroit and not find one worker to interview, but making time for a 3 minute puff interview with a CEO. Truly salt of the earth populist with his pulse on the working man
— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) January 14, 2026
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Depraved Murderous Liars
That's all they are.
Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent and the department’s reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision.
Okay "racist" too.
Note that this piece does inform us that the Becca is her widow, and not her "friend." That it was left out of the the piece linked in last post can be explained very simply: its writers are White House correspondents.
"Friend"
It is fine to quote Donald Trump, it is not fine to fail to inform readers that the "friend" was her wife.
Asked by a reporter if he believed deadly force was necessary in this case, Mr. Trump said: “It was highly disrespectful of law enforcement. The woman and her friend were highly disrespectful of law enforcement.”
Nowhere in the piece do the reporters, Luke Broadwater and Katie Rogers, clarify.
How We Got Here
Pundits, and some elected Dems, did fall all over themselves to boost Eric Adams after he won, because it was their way of screaming "fuck you!!!" at the people who were at fault for losing the 2020 election because they said, "defund the police."
But Mr. Atrios, the Dems won the 2020 election?!
Popularism!
The only way to win elections is to support abolishing ICE. Those are rules.
Moderates 45-35. Even the Baileys fucking hate ICE.Wow — New YouGov / Economist poll: 46% support abolishing ICE 43% oppose abolishing ICE This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support
— Prem Thakker ツ (@premthakker.bsky.social) 13 January 2026 at 14:38
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It would be even higher if the Dems would lead instead of (maybe) follow.
The Future Of The Democatic Party
Perfect that he advertised his coin as a way to fight antisemitism.
A perfect system for legalized money laundering and bribes. Eventually scams and corruption drive out any legitimate actors.
Popularism!
% who think the ICE agent should | shouldn't face criminal charges for shooting the woman in Minneapolis
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) January 12, 2026
U.S. adult citizens 53% | 30%
Democrats 90% | 4%
Independents 54% | 23%
Republicans 14% | 63%https://t.co/GqcDaoLLCR pic.twitter.com/TBJTzqiaTv
60% support “criminally prosecuting any ICE agent who kills someone,” reducing ICE’s size and funding at +11, but the most incredible stat is “keeping ICE in its current form” is ***10 points*** less popular than abolishing it entirely. pic.twitter.com/MZC3MofTBf
— Isi Breen (@isaiah_bb) January 13, 2026
Monday, January 12, 2026
America's Worst Humans
Some Dems think going on Fox is a very smart way to reach that audience, the people least likely to vote for Democrats. I don't think that's true, obviously, but the only way to do it with integrity is if you intend to say things that ensure you won't be invited back.
Fake Grievances
Both The Right and the dipshit center regularly both imagine they're courageously standing up to power to fight fake battles.
It is hard to find a product in the supermarket that doesn't have labels boasting about its protein content. They add protein to everything these days.
I even lean in the direction of "the increased emphasis on protein is probably good"* but we have been living in that world for awhile!
*Not interested in a big argument about this, but my reason is that while the standard claim of "the average American gets plenty of protein" was perfectly true, it was pretty easy to not be in that category and not understand that it was a problem given the long lack of focus on protein (not the case, recently!). Sure people typically get plenty of protein, but also you really need protein! The humble protein-and-fiber-filled bean is our savior.
Fed Independence
Sure this is bad, but also I will not be surprised if we discover that The Markets and The Titans of Industry care much less about supposed Fed independence than we have been led to believe.
I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR YOOOOOUUUUUUU
This ain't it, chief.
Senator Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be "reformed, not abolished" and plays a "role" in the country following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in her home state.
It is very easy to say that of course we need immigration enforcement, but Trump has corrupted the existing institutions so much that we need to begin again.
That should be the "moderate" position.
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Protests
Dems hate protests for both understandable and bad reasons, but if people don't see much leadership from the people they elected, then they are going to find their own way.
There is no magic wand, nobody thinks there is, but good politicians could at least convincingly fake that they were on the side of people being gunned down by the government agency they keep supporting, and few of these guys can do that.
There is no magic wand, nobody thinks there is, but good politicians could at least convincingly fake that they were on the side of people being gunned down by the government agency they keep supporting, and few of these guys can do that.
Awkward
The Labour government came right out of the gate centering NATO, mostly as a way to shore up their credentials as Tough Guys Unlike Those Hippies.
A bit tough now that Starmer is doing everything Donnie tells him, even as Donnie can't even remember his name.
This government will have a ‘NATO first’ defence strategy: article by the Foreign Secretary and Defence SecretaryJust an example, from right after they came to power in July, 2024. They've repeatedly invoked NATO allegiance as a kind of tough guy/patriot/"foreign policy realist" test, melding it to chestbeating support for Ukraine as a kind of battle cry (supporting Ukraine is fine, the usual belligerence backed by little is not).
A bit tough now that Starmer is doing everything Donnie tells him, even as Donnie can't even remember his name.
If You Mean Your NYT Colleagues You Should Say That
He doesn't, of course, he just means he hasn't been paying attention to or doesn't approve of any actual protests, but instead wants a nice story of protests.
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Promises, Promises
I did see this one very briefly on the front of nytimes.com, but I bet this is one all the news outlets instantly forget for some reason (it is already gone from nytimes.com).
Our Friends In The North
You know what this is in reference to. Passifiume is the Toronto Sun's Ottawa Bureau Chief.
Voted Most Likely To Be Arrested After A Hard Drive Check 8 years in a row by his colleagues (maybe).
Depraved Murderous Liars
I know I can be too pithy sometimes, but I don’t think I need 1200 words to state: any journalism which obfuscates this about the Trumpers, which they themselves gleefully boast about regularly, consistently, does not prioritize informing readers. Instead, it is merely a kind of ritual peformance in which everyone acts their roles as scripted for some theater production of The President And His Journalists, with little interest in portraying actual reality.
Of course there are good journalists and good journalism, but almost all news gets filtered through politics these days.
There was no golden age, but that news is rarely just news, but is instead contested in the politics arena, with quotes from Both Sides, is, if not new, worse than it used to be.
Better Things Aren't Possible
A telling thing during the dipshit centrist mad struggle oppose Mamdani was how much they squealed and snorted with derision about any positive campaign promise. They would switch, between "this is bad," "this isn’t possible," and "sure this is a nice idea but in my back pocket I have a better plan for achieving it" as they always do.
But they made clear that what they oppose is doing good things unless it involves a means-tested refundable tax credit funneled through a McKinsey-blessed public/private partnership.
Progress is possible.
Gov. Hochul, Mayor Mamdani announce push for free child care for NYC 2-year-olds
The sustainable future of "blue" states and cities is making life better and easier. Universality - which isn't in this yet - has to be the goal.
Friday, January 09, 2026
One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against Trump
Not quite everyone, maybe not the hardcore MAGA (though plenty of conservative grifters), but all the journalists and pundits academic institutions and lawyers and businesspeople who have submitted.
America's Worst Humans
George Borjas
One of Borjas’s direct contributions to the Trump administration this past year was his extensive behind-the-scenes work on Trump’s overhaul of the H-1B visa system for highly skilled workers that added a $100,000 fee, according to three people familiar with his work and a White House official, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to share internal deliberations. Borjas had previously written about the “well-documented abuses” of that program over the years.
Doing The Fucking News
NYT reporter (an actual reporter, not one of Dash's politics gang) informs CBS they don't know what they are talking about.
Rubio is no longer the acting administrator of USAID. He handed that to OMB director Russ Vought in August for Vought to finish the shutdown of the dismantled agency. Politico did a story on it, and we spoke to Vought’s office about it as well. https://t.co/9TCO9vlDuA https://t.co/O7fARtIpcw
— Edward Wong (@ewong) January 9, 2026
The Minority Whip
I know it's mosty a fake job in the Senate, but Dick Durbin is, actually, the Minority Whip.
7 Democrats just voted today to confirm a Trump judicial nominee who refused to say what happened on January 6 or answer who won the 2020 election: Durbin Hassan Kaine King Klobuchar Shaheen Welch
— Jonathan Cohn (@jonathancohn.bsky.social) January 9, 2026 at 1:41 AM
The Killer App
I suppose a subscription CSAM app might be the way MECHAHITLER manages to make money, but only if the company isn't treated like any other such company would be.
Thursday, January 08, 2026
As I Told Everyone Who Would Listen 20 Years Ago
We all talk about how left-leaning people should have been funding media outlets. We have all been talking about this for years.the fascist mouthpieces have a massive resource advantage. this is a way to chip away at that advantage: give valuable stuff to real journalists at real news outlets (and real independent journalists.)
— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser.bsky.social) January 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM
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But not everyone in "DC" has access to the funding button, of course. What they do have access to is information and "scoops."
Matt Drudge got big because journalists decided they had to pay attention to him.
Yes lefty media outlets need funding, too, but DC Dems have mostly not promoted the ones that do exist. Leadership runs to the Times and Politico with "scoops," not to the American Prospect.
There are various reasons for this, but one is they are largely uncomfortable taking questions from The Left, as their entire pitch is to "the Baileys" and those center-right journalists.
Funny Times
I don't think anyone has to hand it to Bill and I certainly don't support putting him in charge of anything, but of all the "NeverTrumper" types, he's the only one I think is genuine, not grifting, and not always angling.
I'd replace most of the Pod Save America guys with him, at least.
I'd replace most of the Pod Save America guys with him, at least.
That Could Be Me
I think empathy is normally talked about as the ability to understand someone else's experience and feelings - and therefore the ability to care - but the other part of that is it brings selfish awareness that their experience could be yours, that what is happening to them could happen to you.
ICE agents aren't committing violence only against immigrants or protesting libs, but people who lack empathy still can't imagine being affected by it.
Small consolation that almost everyone suffers and then (everyone) dies eventually.
ICE agents aren't committing violence only against immigrants or protesting libs, but people who lack empathy still can't imagine being affected by it.
Small consolation that almost everyone suffers and then (everyone) dies eventually.
Liars
That reporters are not willing to deal appropriately with regular lies and liars is not a new thing, but I do think what is new with the Trump administration is that they lie about everything. There is no interest in in attempting to lie plausibly, or even to stick to the truth when that would serve them just as well.
This isn't about lawyerly word choice or the usual exaggerations of politics. They just get up there and lie, constantly, in press conferences, in quotes to reporters, on MECHAHITLER THE CSAM APP.
You can't report on this administration by fronting the lies and having the rebuttal 3 paragraphs - or 3 days - later. That they lie constantly has to frame all coverage of them. Nothing is the truth.
I wrote "not willing" because this isn't hard. They - or their editors - just don't want to.
Wednesday, January 07, 2026
Safe Home For Billionaires
This stuff quieted down a bit, but "the billionaires will regret their support for Trump and we should welcome them back so stop being mean to them" was a big thing late last Spring. How is that holding up?
June 5, 2025 7:47pm ETDemocratic Rep. Ro Khanna Says Party Should Court Musk
The near-silence about Elon Musk's MECHAHITLER CSAM GENERATOR is explained in large part by this attitude.
Meet The New Boss
It really wasn't a good idea to start all those statements saying it was good that Maduro was gone.
The Trumpers don't even try to fake competence or good intentions! Politicians and many in the press do it for them!
There is no sign that the United States’ demands include less repression. Instead the regime is taking the opportunity to crack down. It published a decree directing the authorities to search for and arrest “any person involved in the promotion of or support for the armed attack by the US against the territory of the republic”. On January 5th it sent armed paramilitaries, known as colectivos, onto the streets of Caracas. These are largely controlled by Mr Cabello. Some were stopping drivers to check their phones. The likely aim is to deter any protests against Ms Rodríguez. Some 14 journalists and media workers were also detained for hours before being released, according to the National Union of Press Workers in Venezuela. Ms Rodríguez may have some economic nous and a pragmatic streak, but she was in the innermost circle of a regime that has regularly tortured, killed and disappeared opponents and their family members.Decades of baby brains thinking that even if someone is a "bad guy" that removing the "bad guy" is good. It likely isn't!
The Trumpers don't even try to fake competence or good intentions! Politicians and many in the press do it for them!
We'll Be Supporting The Moderate Rebels
I have no idea what will happen in Venezuela, but...
Venezuela could face violent instability following the shock capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the US military, experts have warned.
While Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez was quickly sworn in with US-backing, there are fears a political vacuum sets the stage for a power struggle among multiple heavily armed factions that could spark an insurgency.
Kirkified
A happy ending.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (WKRN) – Austin Peay State University will pay one of its professors $500,000 after initially firing him for a social media post made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
That was a deranged few weeks, rendered somewhat funny by subsequent events and behavior.
Oh No The Dodgy Gambling Site That Lets Me Bet On Murder Is Problematic
Real 80s dystopian movie stuff.
Polymarket refuses to pay bets that US would ‘invade’ VenezuelaPrediction market disputes US raid amounted to an invasion in fight over more than $10.5mn in wagers
Appeasement
One year in and many European leaders - certainly the British ones - have not yet figured out that if you give Donnie an inch he will take a mile and then have his goons flush your head in a toilet.
We have had decades of rhetoric about Chamberlain and appeasement, and now "giving Donnie everything he wants in exchange for nothing and then getting even less than that" is the only course the British PM understands.
If Trump bombs Greenland will our press decide these are real people or not?
Morning
Chuck Schumer is very encouraged by what his gym buddies tell him, privately, in the Senate gym.
Tuesday, January 06, 2026
CBS LOVES AMERICA
That was one of their new promises, but when President AOC reverses everything Trump has done and cuts of all ties to Israel (she will not do this, really), will CBS love that America? Of course not.
Vapid dishonesty.
Remember Bari was defended to the death for years by many senior NYT people.
Heckuva Job
A review of Bari's new best boy in Variety.
Not that that seems to be Dokoupil’s strong suit, or his interest. Elsewhere, in a segment about health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s newly announced and seismic shifts to the recommended vaccine schedule for children, Dokoupil began an interview with a CBS News medical journalist by asking what this expert would say to “parents out there who are celebrating,” because they thought their kids were obliged to be injected with too many vaccines. He ended the segment by declaring “So, parents are going to have some options for themselves!” when, to a large portion of the audience, the precise opposite is true — they’ll now need a physician consult to obtain a vaccine for their child that was once more easily obtained. Dokoupil thanked his guest and announced, brashly, “You clarified it for us.” The guest could be said to have tried his best, despite Dokoupil.More than that, parents will no longer have the option to raise their children somewhere with sufficient herd immunity. Dokoupil has two young children. Maybe he should understand this.
New Bullshit Just Dropped
SKYNET arrival delayed until 2034, so you can go back to using your horny chatbot CSAM generators without guilt.
Nice Lady
I say give her what she wants.
Hannity: Did you at any point offered to give him the Nobel peace prize?
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 6, 2026
Machado: It hasn’t happened yet. We want to give it to him. Share it with him. pic.twitter.com/fIGSbnjshc
Monday, January 05, 2026
The Center Of Attention
Trump is bored of tariffs and has discovered that he can get the same praise and attention by killing people. The press corps mostly loves exciting military murders, and he will continue to get praise for doing it, and even American military deaths won't stop that.
Here’s another thing you should understand about these guys: The only thing the elite Washington press corps likes more than a bipartisan commission on debt reduction is a stack of flag-draped coffins.
Peace In Our Time
The general European response to Trump's actions in Venezuela has been to front disapproval of Maduro, followed by some mumbled vague concerns.
Soon we will discover that they always thought the president of Colombia was worse than Hitler, and that Danish claim to Greenland was colonial overreach requiring liberation by American forces.
NATO will soon be revealed to be something left-wing critics have always claimed, but they will still somehow have been wrong.
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether or not US President Donald Trump's military action against Venezuela may have broken international law.
In an interview with the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning, the prime minister did not condemn the US strikes.
He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not "shy away from this", adding he was a "lifelong advocate of international law".
I will not shy away from the thing I am definitely shying away from.
I am so old I remember when politicians were good at this kind of bullshit. None of them even try anymore.
Sure Why Not
Gotta laugh when we can.
Two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted.
Although Machado ultimately said she was dedicating the award to Trump, her acceptance of the prize was an “ultimate sin,” said one of the people.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” this person said.
This isn't even true. The real reason is Machado couldn't run the country. But it is funny that this is the line they are running with both for the country and for Trump. It is also "funny" that the WaPo put this near the bottom of the article.
Sunday, January 04, 2026
What Is It All About Then
Maduro didn't really win the election, but the nice Peace Prize-winning lady who really won doesn't get to be in charge because she doesn't have support. It is about Maduro's tyranny, but we are putting the person who ran the security services in charge. It is about fentanyl, but somehow that doesn't appear in the charges. It is because I am going to take all the oil, and when I say this all the journalists pretend not to hear it.
The confusion is perfect for our Sensible pundits, as inventing their own reasons for wars is their favorite activity.
The Free Press
If some other outlet had published, these fearless newspapers would've taken the lead in denouncing them.
The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops, two people familiar with the communications between the administration and the news organizations said.Outlets will happily lie to their readers.
Technically true, I suppose, but we aren’t supposed to be playing by clever lawyering rules.
People were killed, including civilians, in a clearly illegal (domestic, international) attack, but nonetheless.
Saturday, January 03, 2026
Did Not Disappoint
Jeffries pretty much sold me on what Trump did. Was that not what he was trying to do?
MADURO IS WORSE THAN 27 SADDAMS, however..
Debbie was less nuanced.
Mommy He Shot Me Back
Look forward to Venezuela defense and retaliation being portrayed as criminal aggression.
What Did They Think Would Happen
No I don’t think the Dems have a magic wand, but their response to murdering fishermen was extremely muted.
Jeffries instead leaned on those probes as the alternative to impeachment, telling reporters: "What's on the table is a meaningful investigation which we can hope would be bipartisan."It is less the action/inaction I am complaining about, and more the fact that they never gamed this one out. Did one person working for Jeffries say, "hey boss, what do we do when he starts bombing Caracas."
They never game anything out.
Bombing Caracas
Looking forward to numerous Dem statements about this being a distraction.
Happy to be wrong.
Anyway, cancel the World Cup and the Olympics.
Friday, January 02, 2026
MECHAHITLER The CSAM Generator
Will any government try to get Musk for this stuff?
Many governments make a lot of noise and pass laws, often bad ones, supposedly to Protect The Children and then just let things like this go if a rich guy does it.
Our politicians usually love to talk about the evils of the internet.
America's Worst Newspaper
That fucking newspaper.
Remember this stuff every time they try to lecture you about their sacred journalistic objectivity, or whatever.
Reciprocity
More countries will do this.
Mali and Burkina Faso will impose a travel ban on Americans in response to President Trump’s announcement this month that citizens of the two West African countries would be barred from entering the United States from Jan. 1.Usually absolute bans aren't at issue, but if you've ever wondered why some country requires difficult-to-obtain visas for Americans, it's because the US requires it of their citizens.
Both governments said in separate statements on Tuesday that they were acting “in accordance with the principle of reciprocity,” and would apply the same restrictions on Americans that were imposed on their countries. The travel bans would take effect immediately, they added, and the decision was announced after Niger made a similar decision last week.
Thursday, January 01, 2026
The Failed Mamdani Mayoralty
It isn't looking good, folks. Gotta admit the NYT editorial board had a point when they published this.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who didn't endorse Zohran Mamdani for mayor, is expected to attend his inauguration at City Hall set to start shortly, per a source. Schumer will be seated on the dais with other top pols.
— Chris Sommerfeldt (@c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social) January 1, 2026 at 5:27 PM
This Is Almost As Bad As The Time Sarah Huckabee Sanders Was Politely Asked To Leave A Restaurant
"This" could apply to many things at the moment, but that episode was a reminder of about how some people matter (friends of Maggie Haberman) and some people don't, and no amount of pointing this out will change this perspective for many people in the elite discourse.
"They" are capable of getting mad about things (their friends facing mild social discomfort), objectively, while only activists are concerned with things like "immigrant concentration camps."
"The Left have an unfortunate tendency towards political violence," I muse, as I read about the torture camps established by my favorite political sources.
Of course there are good reporters doing things like reporting about torture camps. But as I used to say a lot, there is the news and then there is the talking about the news. The people who talk about the news shape what is seen as important, what is emphasized.
Sure Why Not
Ominous.
Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink will start "high-volume production" of brain-computer interface devices and move to an entirely automated surgical procedure in 2026, Musk said in a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday.
Pretty sure this is just hype to get some funding money from rich suckers, but even if I were a rich sucker I think I would understand that brain surgery requires the nuanced precision that needs a bit of human touch. It isn’t just injecting jelly into a donut.
Maybe it isn't the best task for the horny chatbot.
And 'high-volume' in this context is very funny.
Hopefully The Last Gasp
I know some of you get annoyed when I give Professional Democrats and their press familiars shit, but nobody relevant got 10% of the shit they deserved for backing Cuomo or failing to support Mamdani once he won the primary.
Get mad that they supported a completely incompetent corrupt "centrist" sex pest to be the mayor of a city he hates. Get extra mad that they (New York Democrats) are so incompetent that they couldn't find one of "their guys" who had slightly less baggage.
It is good he lost, but you can also get mad that they are so incompetent that they put their whole asses out there to push the guy who didn’t even win!
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