“The pathway to human thriving” - U.S. POLITICS NOVEMBER 2025

Let’s get after it

That reminds me, I need to renew my thriving license

Thriving Ms. Daisy

Take a break, Thriver 8

She Thrives Me Crazy

Rheumatoid Arthrivis

I can't thrive 55

Thrive Six Seven

Tired: Hive mind
Wired: Thrive mind

https://✧✧✧.tik✧✧✧.c✧✧✧@m✧✧✧.o✧.tra✧✧✧/video/7216555002733759790?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7565603487573771831

when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
Proverbs 28:28

i just thought "thrive always sounds so biblical why do i think that?" (because if there's a thing i don't know it's the bible)

i think the bible is clear about what needs to happen here

when are we going to do the general strike?

I see people posting about a general strike and the first thing I wonder is, who does anyone expect to organize such a thing? And who do you think is going to participate? For a lot of people with no job security, which is a big chunk of the U.S. population, a general strike could risk losing a job. There would be a huge push from the right to find and fire anyone who participates. And I just can't see it reaching a scale that could have much real impact. I get that people are desperate for effective action, and I am too, I just think that unless somebody has a practical strategy for organizing a general strike, posting wistfully about it (which I see a lot) doesn't really accomplish anything.

And to be clear, I'm not opposed to a general strike if there's effective organization and leadership. I just don't see anything or anyone out there showing that kind of capacity.

https://✧✧✧.tik✧✧✧.c✧✧✧@m✧✧✧.o✧.tra✧✧✧/video/7216555002733759790?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7565603487573771831

/sic

xp it would be an unprecedented action so its hard to visualize how it would go down.

putting this out there, maybe a blue state governor can encourage their constituents to not pay their taxes en masse. No government? No taxes!

trump threatening to invade Nigeria now

Those Princes should have returned his emails!

One has

Diamonds in his pockets

Man the military is going to be stretched thin invading all those countries and major US cities

Well they can always bring back the draft. Pete Hegseth would love to draft the kids of every woke libtard in the country.

Those kids aren't hetero enough for him tho.

But he’d love the hazing.

yup

Jasmine Crockett calling for a full investigation into the mad king's declining health

She's sent a letter to the White House physician as the kickoff.

Quotes:

Since his inauguration, President Trump has demonstrated concerning physical symptoms – including visible swelling in the ankles and lower extremities, and discoloration of the hands – that have raised legitimate medical questions that demand explanation. Equally troubling are repeated cognitive and behavioral lapses. The President has, on multiple occasions, demonstrated difficulty remembering basic facts about his own prior administration, such as forgetting that he appointed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The President also seems unable to explain his close relationship with convicted rapist and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The President may simply be an elderly, frail man with a poor memory.

President Trump is also known for his exceptionally short attention span and his well-documented disdain for reading briefing materials, often preferring verbal summaries in lieu of written intelligence or policy documents – which raises questions about his ability to absorb and retain complex information. Moreover, the President routinely appears lethargic – falling asleep during important events, such as the court proceedings where he was found liable for sexual
abuse and defamation. Or, when he appeared to struggle to stay awake during the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis.

...

In recent years, vulgar outbursts have become common for President Trump. For example, on October 19, 2024, while addressing a crowd in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, President Trump began fantasizing over Arnold Palmer’s genitalia. President Trump stated, “Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women [...] I refuse to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.” Separately, on November 01, 2024, President Trump pantomimed oral sex when speaking at a rally in Milwaukee. In another demonstrable episode of the President’s failing mental health, he seemed to believe that 88% of the American population died of fentanyl-related drug overdoses in 2024.

In an embarrassing attempt to conceal the President's inability to construct complete, coherent sentences, the White House has removed official transcripts of the President’s public remarks from its government website, replacing them with selected videos of his public appearances. As you well know, past presidential administrations of both parties routinely publicized the official transcripts of the president’s remarks – likely because the respective presidents had the wherewithal to coherently and constructively make it through a rudimentary sentence or pronounce the word “Acetaminophen.”

...

The President appears unwell, and as the Physician to the President, you have a solemn obligation to inform the American people whether the sitting President of the United States of America is medically and cognitively capable of fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities.

good for her. this shit should really be a bigger story. the way he talks reminds me so much of people in nursing homes. yes I know Biden came off that way during the debate but at least what he was saying more or less made sense. Trump is barely coherent right now. I know he was not exactly a paragon of clarity in his first term but its way worse now. also, he's saying shit like this:

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m4osr6d7ji2p

I know Trump supporters have swallowed a ton of shit over the years but "I pardoned this crypto billionaire and I don't know why or even who he is" can't play well even with these people, especially since I know for a fact that they are literally just paying him for the pardon, I know because I know a person who has done it

posting wistfully about it (which I see a lot) doesn't really accomplish anything.

am i posting wistfully? how is anybody supposed to accomplish any real change if we don't at least talk about it? admitting defeat in advance isn't it. nor is it helpful to frame it as some kind of anti-poor, anti-working people stance. it's the status quo that's harming and indeed creating "people with no job security"

I know for a fact that they are literally just paying him for the pardon, I know because I know a person who has done it

Ok you HAVE to explain this

yeah i let that age overnight but that is good teaser shit

am i posting wistfully? how is anybody supposed to accomplish any real change if we don't at least talk about it? admitting defeat in advance isn't it. nor is it helpful to frame it as some kind of anti-poor, anti-working people stance. it's the status quo that's harming and indeed creating "people with no job security"

I don't know if your post was wistful, but I've seen a fair number of posts on social media about a general strike — including from people dismissive of the No Kings protests, saying, "Fuck this, we need a general strike!" I also saw a New York Times editor posting dismissively about No Kings (to justify the NYT's downplayed coverage of it), saying, "It's not like these people are organizing a general strike."

Which is a fine bit of internet hardmanning, but a.) it's not an either-or between other forms of protest and a general strike, and b.) I've yet to see anyone offer any kind of realistic strategy or scenario for what a general strike in the U.S. could like, who would organize it, what are the obstacles to it, none of that. If people want to organize a general strike, they should get to it! I just don't see any signs that anyone's serious about it, so far it's just a thing to say online, often by way of denigrating other efforts.

And yes I think worrying about people losing their jobs is a good thing to consider!

ok. it doesn't really matter to me what somebody from the NYT thinks. or what you've seen on social media. i am not dismissing No Kings. nor am i trying to be "hard" on the internet. i am having conversations in my circles about this, i'm encouraging you all to do the same. the practical considerations you have brought up are real but they are not insurmountable. we need to be working every day to build a movement that can produce real and lasting change. we don't have to worry about losing jobs right now, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. i trust that, if and when it comes to that, people will make the decision that works best for their own lives.

for now, general strike is going to be my tax returns. i want to know where and when the general strike is. thanks for asking thoughtful questions about it. i will give thought to what you have said. i am not a labor organizer or an anything organizer, so i do not foresee myself in a leadership role when it comes to this, but i don't think noting my interest and enthusiasm for this is without value

we don't have to worry about losing jobs right now, let's cross that bridge when we come to it.

I think you kinda do? Or at least explain to people what they risk.

an effective general strike would require collaboration among a mostly unionized workforce. idk try starting a union before you fantasize about a general strike (unless you're already in one)

idk maybe i'm wrong about this

i don't think noting my interest and enthusiasm for this is without value

Sure! And I'd be thrilled for somebody with organizing and leadership capacity to try to organize a general strike. Even just the effort could be useful, whatever it produces. I just don't see anybody remotely working in that direction, there isn't any infrastructure that I can see that could support something that large-scale, and almost all the chatter I see about it just feels like lefty cosplay to me, like "Well this is what they do in Europe ..." It's what they do in Europe sometimes, under specific circumstances that galvanize specific groups of people, it doesn't just materialize from some generalized dissatisfaction (although that's a necessary ingredient).

Mostly I don't think enough Americans are mad enough about what's happening to create the necessary conditions for a general strike. I wish they were. But that in itself gets back to the leadership void on the left. If there were more leadership out there making a consistent coherent case for public outrage, that could help create those conditions. Without leadership and organization, it's just really hard to do anything, and that's the situation everyone on the left is in now, from center-left Dems to labor to civil rights groups etc etc etc. There are a lot of good smaller-scale things happening, there are absolutely people resisting in various ways where they can, but there's very little cohesion or vision.

I know Trump supporters have swallowed a ton of shit over the years but "I pardoned this crypto billionaire and I don't know why or even who he is" can't play well even with these people

It will play just fine with his supporters. They want Trump to get richer and they want Trump to get more corrupt, not less

The more out in the open it is the better and the more the people who dislike it dislike it even better

otm

this feeling that there's going to be a straw that broke the camels back doesnt work for camels that are straw enthusiasts

If anybody remembers Sgt Bilko and his gag where he'd say "hold me back", that's what 2025 discussion around general strikes reminds me of.

General strikes work, that part is unambiguous. Saying "they'll never work here" as a repeated kneejerk defense is thought-terminating defeatism (nobody is doing that *here*, but I see it in the wild a lot).

However - the loudest cries for a general strike 9-10 months ago were from organizers who were seriously talking about looking into a long-term strategy for them. Now, the loudest cries come from people who prefer to legitimize doing nothing while maintaining righteous indignation.

How many times do we see "<xxx> is pointless, we need a general strike or nothing will happen" as a means of discrediting protesting. Do I think in my heart of hearts that the people saying this, when asked point blank, have actually considered the scope of the sacrifice they'd be making? Not at all.

Many of these people don't get that part of making a general strike work is creating a community that can provide for and help mitigate the individual damage people and their families will suffer. Otherwise, all oligarchs would have to do is just wait you out until you had no food left to eat, or have AI do your job and proclaim business as usual. That shit doesn't happen overnight, and a badly planned general strike would be more damaging than not having one at all.

We come from a culture that has successfully villainized unions and community organizers for centuries, and things aren't bad enough for such a large chunk of the country to be willing to make the sacrifice, so the effort to have one of these will probably take a few....years, I would say. that doesn't mean it shouldn't be pursued, though. it just means people saying "where's the general strike?" every 5 minutes should maybe stfu for a second.

yup

xp @ tipsy: yeah. there are a lot of good small-scale things happening. i'm part of some of them, i'm sure you are too. but as i said, i think that voicing a preference, or articulating a preferred vision for action on a national scale, is not without value. and i'm expressing this, and asking others to do the same, precisely because i'm hoping it will make a course of more action more legible and thereby facilitate meaningful leadership.

xp @ Alfred: my point is that we don't have to wring our hands about a hypothetical before we even have a hint of an embryonic plan. people have been making gains through strikes for a long time, and strikes also carry risks. i understand this. like i said, i am not a labor organizer. i am also not waving away anyone's concerns. i'm just saying let's talk about it. "but people could lose their jobs" seems like a bad reason not to talk about a strike, since this is risk of every strike that has ever occurred.

it's the same thing as 'why isn't every American in the streets?'.

yes, of course the math checks out, if there were 200 million Americans that all walked out into the streets right now, that would terrify the government. but part of being willing to be out there is risk analysis. the average person is more willing to take larger risks if you are more confident in the outcome of the action you are taking, plus there is a greater number of people also taking the risk with you.

the diehards show up first, the people who show up later are the ones who tentatively watch the television to decide if they want to join. If they see big numbers showing up on tv broadcasts, this might galvanize them to show up, be more confident, possibly feeling ashamed that they're not already out there. Conversely, if people see footage of teargas, people being hit with batons, or being shot by ICE or an armed agitator, they might decide to pump the brakes.

this is why the No Kings protests keep growing in size, because organically people are seeing the benefits outweight the risks and are leaving their comfort zones more and more to join. but we also do no favors by screaming in frustration that everybody isn't out there all at once.

saying "where were you 10 years ago" is the type of razz you give someone for like, not being into Metallica until the Black album, not like....this.

part of making a general strike work is creating a community that can provide for and help mitigate the individual damage people and their families will suffer

this is 100% correct.

i'm not aware of the kind of "discrediting" discourse that you're referring to, so all i ask is not to be lumped in with social media posts that i haven't read and am not responsible for

i'm definitely not referring to you w/ my comments, to be clear

xp

Yes, that's fair, but as Neanderthal says, that's the context a lot of us in which a lot of us are seeing talk of a general strike.

And to be clear, I'm not saying anyone shouldn't talk about a general strike just because it could lead to some people losing their jobs. I'm just saying that the prospect of people losing their jobs is one of the things that has to be baked into any such conversation, especially in an almost entirely nonunionized workforce.

Anyway, the leadership void, the lack of an energetic, coherent, consistent voice and force out there with a real counter-agenda is to me the real issue. Because whether you want a general strike, a solid electoral strategy, an effective communications front, none of those can happen without good leadership.

that's the context a lot of us in which a lot of us are seeing talk of a general strike.

Ok you HAVE to explain this

― This dark glowing bohemian coffeehouse (Boring, Maryland), Sunday, November 2, 2025 11:16 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

yeah i let that age overnight but that is good teaser shit

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Monday, November 3, 2025 11:13 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/28/trump-pardon-bitmex-crypto-exchange-money-laundering.html

I know all three of these people. one better than the other two. I'm not sure about the whole story but apparently they happened to know the same lawyer who got Ross Ulbricht a pardon who I guess was connected with Pam Bondi who basically told them straight up that a sizeable donation will get you a pardon. not just the people involved but the company as a whole, apparently this is the first time in history an entire corporation got a presidential pardon

How many times do we see "<xxx> is pointless, we need a general strike or nothing will happen" as a means of discrediting protesting.

seems to me more like anyone who says this is just fronting. there's nothing at all behind it.

TY frogbs that’s remarkable.

“(dude), in a statement, said, “The US Department of Justice wrongfully targeted (cryptocompany) and its co-founders.”

he should sue doj. if trump can do it, i mean cmon

what's this about frogs getting pardoned

Teen Vogue, legitimately one of the best outlets for political journalism the last few years, laid off all its political journalists today as it’s being brought directly under Vogue proper. Oh well…

aww that sucks.. they really have kept the flame alive

There was a (bad) satirical novel by Kurt Anderson in which he wrote of Teen George-- a version of JFK Jr's political mag for hip youngsters.

Wasn’t there also an “Entertainment Weekly For Kids” joke in there?

I liked that book well enough at the time, but just a few years later found it unreadable

More to the point, this sucks - we need all the good political journalists we can get right now

fuck he *really* cares about television

Trump went after Meyers on Saturday, calling him “the least talented person to ‘perform’ live in the history of television.”

“On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic,” the president said of Meyers. “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this??? – NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”

What a dork.

I know it's all demented ramblings, but in an even semi-functional country it should be wildly concerning that the president is even hinting that having a negative opinion of the president is illegal.

Meyers did that whole roast of Trump years ago, so I think he probably hates him even more than Kimmel

100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!

damn probably too early to make it for the dec thread title

*jots it down*

he is basically mirroring what Brendan Carr suggested prior to Carr wilting under the faintest of pressure - https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/fcc-chairman-unconvincingly-claims-he-never-threatened-abc-station-licenses/

Maybe he thinks the "Fairness Doctrine" is still in effect.

he should sue doj. if trump can do it, i mean cmon

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Monday, November 3, 2025 2:07 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

not to get too deep into the specifics of the case (mostly because I barely understand them myself) but this company did try pretty hard to stay on the good side of the law though they did clearly fuck some things up early on. either way the impression I got was the DOJ spent years on this and felt very confident taking it to a jury trial (didn't happen because everyone wound up settling), wonder how they feel about Trump taking a bribe and going "lol nah"

Anybody involved with Crypto should be jailed for life

reposting here b/c it has given me hope

re a shift in liberal sentiment facebook wine moms have gone fuckin feral https://bsky.app/profile/fullslack.bsky.social/post/3m46sce42uk2n

― lag∞n, Monday, November 3, 2025 4:46 PM (one hour ago)

we need that energy, we need a big umbrella. that laugh of the second woman. . . man oh man

lol thanks for that!

The day couldn't begin on a brighter note: Dick Cheney dead.

Good news, everyone!

The day couldn't begin on a brighter note

I mean, come on, it absolutely could

today is a good day for something to happen

To begin the day with Cheney's death and to end it with Mamdani's election! What a day!

Good morning!

The man's reaction to the news.

Mamdani was unaware Dick Cheney had died when I asked just now: pic.twitter.com/50IFOfUUL0

— Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) November 4, 2025

LOL a pro

Very “oh for real? Anyway, back to what I was doing”

man let the dude vote

"ah latin american and whatnot. anyway..."

The day couldn't begin on a brighter note
I mean, come on, it absolutely could

― meat-based daughter-based unwellness (stevie), Tuesday, November 4, 2025 5:04 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

today is a good day for something to happen

― a (waterface), Tuesday, November 4, 2025 5:06 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://imgur.com/a/a1vwM9S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTSjhm2t8ms

And Jim Inhofe, notoriously anti LGBTQ senator from Oklahoma! Days lookin' up!

good luck usa

Inhofe died more than a year ago

can still see the buzzards

yeah, my bad. someone on Bluesky posted an article about his death for some reason today and I missed it when it actually happened.

Let’s go Zohran!

Good luck, New Yorkers!

I'm so stoked to see all the real estate listings when those million people move out of NYC next week!

Hope they create some vacancies in those pencil towers! I could see myself living in one of those. Why yes, that would do just fine!

8 Moderate Dem Senators seek to end government shutdown in exchange for "strong assurances"

At least eight moderate Senate Democrats are meeting in hopes of finding a deal to end the monthlong government shutdown, but sources familiar with the closely held conversations say they will need strong assurances from the GOP before voting to reopen the government.

The eight Democrats, who include Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Jon Ossoff (Ga.), the latter a top Republican target in 2026, will need to feel comfortable with whatever is offered by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and they may need to hear from President Trump himself, sources told The Hill.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5584077-democrats-snap-funding-shutdown-concerns/

In a Hill dot com followup they do note-

But other Senate Democrats warn that reopening the government without a real concession from President Trump on extending the expiring health insurance premium subsidies — or at least a stronger gesture of good faith from the president — would be a big mistake.

Democrats are getting closer with Republicans on an agreement to put the regular appropriations process back on track, a strong Democratic priority, but the two sides haven’t made much progress on rising health care costs, the biggest sticking point.

Senate Republican negotiators said Monday that the talks could be on the cusp of reaching a deal, but some centrist Democrats warn that Trump’s failure to show serious interest in the health care issue is raising a red flag.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5587442-democrats-divided-shutdown-deal/

FFS

cowards and traitors

or at least a stronger gesture of good faith from the president

^^^this is the most insane thing I’ve ever read

he just posted that they're not going to pay the snap benefits out like the court ordered them to, so i seriously doubt the dems are gonna go for this

gtfo with that weak shit, absolutely a failed party

they are so going to fold, it's in their nature

yeah I've been kind of impressed that they've held out this long but capitulation in exchange for basically nothing is in their nature

i mean...what carne said

They probably will fold, but obviously they shouldn't. They need to get a win out of this that they can point to and run on — we fought to keep healthcare affordable. "We fought to keep healthcare affordable but it was too hard" probably wouldn't do it.

"we got some really, REALLY strong reassurances from the republican party" definitely won't do it

this time, said lucy, i double pinky swear promise that i won't pull the football away just as you kick it, charlie brown, you can trust me

well ok since promised, said charlie brown

charliebrown_lucy_football.jpg

Living in the DC metro I see government employees suffering. State and local governments are stepping in but charities are strained. It’s difficult. I know that the Republicans can keep the government closed forever—this is their lifelong dream—government is now just police and the army. Congress won’t be called into session, the King decides who lives and who dies.

I genuinely don’t know what would make the Republicans say uncle?

If they weren't so busy gerrymandering themselves into a possibly incontestable House majority, there would probably be more pressure to cut a deal. But they've decided they don't need to win competitive elections, they need to make them uncompetitive.

Surely they will say uncle when the Dems meet them halfway.

It’s been a surreal and dispiriting few weeks waiting to be able to return to work at some unspecified point in the near future

what do you think should happen?

republicans keep throwing rakes out on the ground and the dems just keep willingly stepping on them.

I was asking RC.

I'm willing to eat shit if I'm wrong, but I don't see the Dems folding at least before Thanksgiving. Trump's frothing again on his social media platforms about eliminating the filibuster, which would be a gift to Dems b/c all his crazy unpopular garbage will pass before the midterms; he must have seen some polling, and, besides, no one talks about Venezuela or #woke anymore, just hungry people.

The Democrats should hold fast - healthcare is non-negotiable! It’s all just a frustrating situation.

Look, folks, Dick Cheney died and Mamdani's looking good! Let's seize this rare moment of joy.

👍🏽

I’ve very excited to scroll through the returns tonight.

healthcare is non-negotiable!

the republicans think so, too

Look, folks, Dick Cheney died and Mamdani's looking good! Let's seize this rare moment of joy.

If you want more amusement, seek out the transcripts of the trial of the guy that threw a sandwich at an officer in DC.

Agent Lairmore is done with his testimony. Prosecution asked further about the condiments and he said there was mustard on his uniform and an onion hanging on his radio antenna. Don’t think defense was going for a pun when she called him a “seasoned officer,” but you never know…

I agree Spanberger isn’t my first choice but she’s on track to beat the lunatic homophobe. I’m more concerned about the state Attorney General’s race.

The defense team presses Lairmore on whether the sandwich really 'exploded.' They return to the photo of the sandwich and wrapper on the ground.

"That sandwich hasn't exploded at all, has it?" defense asks.

"It looks like a little bit is coming out towards the bottom," Lairmore replies.

Trump is boasting about starving American citizens on social media while Duffy is threatening to ground all flights heading into Thanksgiving, if the Dems are actually serious about winning elections in the future throwing them a lifeline is just about the dumbest thing you can do right now

not saying they shouldn't work to end the shutdown, obviously a lot of people are suffering because of this, but you need a lot more than "assurances" from the party that's gleefully stabbed you in the back at every opportunity

honestly seems to reek of desperation. like to basically put your own administration members at risk of contempt of court by announcing you're not going to do the thing that you had your own USDA department say they would do a day ago, even with all of the promises of protection in the world, this charade becomes exhausting when you're on the other end of it, and Trump routinely does it to the people who do his bidding.

if every media agency wasn't owned by rich conservatives, the lead article would be "TRUMP ILLEGALLY SEIZES SNAP FUNDS" not "Trump appears to defy court order".

“Once again, Trump defies norms”

not saying they shouldn't work to end the shutdown

Trump has been on five golfing trips during the shutdown (so far)

are there any real reports besides The Hill confirming that dems are gonna fold?

Prosecution asked further about the condiments

The prosecution's case really couldn't cut the mustard I guess

are there any real reports besides The Hill confirming that dems are gonna fold?

I believe the noted lefty firebrands at Axios also pushed a version of this story.

here comes the walkbaccccccccccck

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing the administration was “fully complying” with the court order and was working to get partial SNAP payments “out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”

Making small talk with one poll worker while waiting to vote, he told me he started at 5 a.m. I asked again to make sure I didn't mishear and he was like "LONG shift."

Also very appreciative they let me bring in my very late breakfast so I could eat and drink while waiting.

I heard threats of Federal officers being dispatched as 'poll watchers' but all I saw was a single county sheriff at the drop-off spot in front of the Oakland courthouse (the one featured in the armed Black Panther photos from the 60's)

a handful of uncredible bomb threats at polling station in NJ today

I don’t think I’ve voted on an actual Election Day in over a decade.

I vote early on the possibility that I'll get hit by a giant SUV before Election Day, and my vote will still count.

(was going to say "hit by a bus," but around here the giant SUVs are much more likely culprits)

This is certainly, uh, something. Rob Dreher vs the groypers!

xp I used to enjoy walking up to this Armenian Orthodox church near my place, but they don't open all the voting stations for special elections... only the 'important' ones (presidential, midterms, etc.)

CNN and NBC have called the election for Spanberger.

Excellent start!

FOX too.

Fuck yes

Sherrill so far outperforming Harris totals last year.

https://bsky.app/profile/mikenellis.bsky.social

Nice Orlando news here

https://bsky.app/profile/maxwellfrost.bsky.social/post/3m4tuuu3fys2h

Yea we HATED Jim Gray esp after his vile bigoted campaign

NJ already getting called for Sherrill

Also

https://i.ibb.co/ymzTHBCk/Screenshot-20251104-202156-Facebook.jpg

xpost Handy! Well I'm off to a movie and then a show so as that was the only one I was vaguely concerned about, see everyone on the other side.

A great night for optimists :)

Meanwhile in California the gerrymandering vote will counteract what Texas has done. Ned can confirm.

Nice Orlando news here

https://bsky.app/profile/maxwellfrost.bsky.social/post/3m4tuuu3fys2h

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Heh this is the Disney employee vote.

Ghazala Hashmi has won handily as lieutenant governor Virginia.

Lol yep. Orlando is growing into a nice blue smudge in a red state. One positive i can say about us!

Xpost yay Virginia!

Orlando's gotten bluer, great news.

Nov. 4, 2025, 8:10 p.m. ET18 minutes ago
Reid EpsteinPolitical reporter

Virginia Democrats now hold a 51-49 advantage in the House of Delegates, and party leaders are hoping to flip as many as nine Republican seats. It could be the biggest Democratic election in Virginia since 1989.

apparently Jay Jones is projected to win too. I guess the rude text messages didn't sink him after all.

JD Vance's brother loses for Cincy mayor

What's his name, Chance Vance

what the hell is Decision Desk HQ? They called Sherrill as winner.

every single Virginia county shifted blue lmao

yay VA

I KNEW Cheney's death would portend triumph!

apparently Jay Jones is projected to win too. I guess the rude text messages didn't sink him after all.

― frogbs, Tuesday, November 4, 2025 8:33 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

what the voters want is clear

to double down on anti-trans rhetoric obv

VA:

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:movn6xzezospl7lnkhy7nzpt/bafkreicsucpmamw2gkvtetr7jkznu6fleego2boup6outzkecerlbjmty4@jpeg

cant wait for all the op-eds tomorrow arguing the GOP needs to tack left

That graphic sleeve posted is crazyyyyyyy

people are riled up to vote

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4lnsh46alk3gbgd5tsumbifv/bafkreihph2dqkez6lxnyg2k5ff4acbmodrctg4wums5zp5tkgwatxyce7u@jpeg

OK wow: Highest nyc mayoral vote turnout since 1969. It's exceeded the first Guiliani-Dinkins race

Miller: We are dealing with a party that is so extreme, its considers its opponents to be its mortal enemies, that dehumanizes its opposition. pic.twitter.com/xTnP1R9y5G

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 4, 2025

Only a Sith deals in absolutes

The Dems are apparently picking up 12 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, which will go from 51-49 to 63-37 D-R.

Think I picked the state I'm moving to

NBC calls it for Sherrill. By a large margin.

an actual socialist was elected to city council in Atlanta!

Sherrill's margin of victory shocks me. My mom (still living in NJ) told me this morning she thought it was gonna go to a recount.

12 seats in the house of delegates is crazy

haha

‪evacide‬
✧@evac✧✧✧.b✧✧✧.soc✧✧✧‬
· 27s
Ice Cube's Good Day was, in fact, about October 4th 2025.

Turns out hating government workers is not a winning message in (checks notes) Virginia

What happened last month?

haha whoops sorry error was in the OP

Nov 4th obv

Tonight has been beautiful

Oct. 4 was okay too

Makes sense, thought I missed a reference

What a night

Also I am so glad I never have to hear about nyc again

Is it going somewhere

going back to york iirc

It’s going back to New York City, it’s had enough

a great night for new york, new jersey, and virginia

really happy that mikie sherrill destroyed ciattarelli. a clear repudiation of maga.

How did all the dems win these elections, I thought Trump was going to cancel elections. Weird!

We was having fun for ten seconds mang

You’re still having fun dude

Dick cheney died today!

Oct. 4 was okay too

My birthday fwiw

Mine too

How did all the dems win these elections, I thought Trump was going to cancel elections. Weird!

― a (waterface), Tuesday, November 4, 2025 8:56 PM (twenty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Adelita Grijalva hasn't been sworn in for 42 days, longest ever after a special election

the fuckery is multifaceted, nonlinear, plausibly deniable, always threatening to disappear on the horizon like a mirage before it reappears just over your shoulder ... thank you for your attention to this matter, stay woke baby

feels like the strongest repudiation of MAGA we've seen in the Trump era yet

hope elected Dems are taking notice and realizing the Trump admin is deeply unpopular and that caving to them now would be political malpractice

"i'd like to see ol donny wriggle outta this one!"

"he's not in this one"

"SEE?!"

California comes through

I mean I assumed it was gonna pass by a lot but still even sweeter knowing this night was so bad for the GOP it may actually stop their own redistricting plans

57/43 in orange county too

That's were I am. What is impressive is the turnout overall. Fits the mood of the country.

happy to see the red flag law pass in maine, as well. platner was for and mills against

No Kings indeed

Meanwhile in California the gerrymandering vote will counteract what Texas has done. Ned can confirm.

Yup. As it threatens some absolute dicks like Issa and LaMalfa and will keep Valadao and Kiley duly uneasy if not already defeated, a real joy to see.

What is so delicious about Mamdani, and what makes me so hopeful about him, is not just that he's good looking and smart and funny and thoughtful about how government can actually improve people's lives, it's that he's NOT SCARED. He doesn't fumble around and prevaricate when asked if he's a socialist. He doesn't tack this way and that. He fucking owns it. I've never seen it before. Not in my lifetime.

Good morning!

haha and I just watched his speech:

“I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.”

loved how he did not say anything nice about cuomo in his victory speech but instead briefly stunted on him and said he hoped to never speak of him again, because cuomo didnt deserve to have anything nice said about him he behaved like a pig

Man, it sure does stand out when a politician talks to the people like a normal person instead of trying to impress the most geriatric, befuddled person imaginable.

it's that he's NOT SCARED

This

"To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us" is the perfect kind of comeback to get under Trump's skin.

it immediately reminded me of Pritzker's "You come for my people, you come through me" -- but it's notable that Mamdani's version is more about collective strength.

not sure getting under trumps skin on this particular topic is the way to go, but thats not what was going on anyway

Well Mamdani doesn't have JB's physical heft. He's gonna need more of a Red Rover style group chain.

lollllll

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m4v5trww7s2p

JB is like the nice Kingpin to Trump's decrepit, decaying Kingpin.

So many potential positive ramifications of last night. My favorite may be the way the Texas redistricting gambit might backfire, not just by provoking California to do the same, but by slimming the margin of victory in its new, smaller districts with the assumption that Trump's gains in the Latino community were permanent, something very much in doubt given his (checks notes) racist war against the Latino community.

yeah rarely gets brought up how redistricting can be a double edged sword particularly in wave elections

another thing about Mamdani's speech is he didn't talk down to anybody he actually came across as a smart dude who assumes his voters are smart as well that's pretty rare these days

The most Obama-esque thing about him.

its wild how many of our politicians are repulsive lab grown weridos who can barely string a sentence together, only possible in a climate of high elite capture

agree with these takes, plus we were so so due for a repudiation of blatant racism as a winning electoral strategy

Years ago I was in an ice cream shop and the piece of shit GOP candidate for Obama's senate seat came through campaigning, and he just seemed like an utter alien that did not know how to interact with humans. (As opposed to disgraced Chicago gov Rod Blagojevich, who is super social and charismatic and still joyfully introduces himself to and shakes hands with basically everyone he meets.)

But yeah, the dramatic repudiation of a racist campaign is a lesson to non Republican campaigns. There is no reason to engage with these bad faith actors on their wackadoodle terms. Mamdani never took the bait and was better for it, and all the people screaming that he's the radical commie Muslim antichrist look like fools.

Case in point: the frothing NY Post frontpage, which is worthy of framing.

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:ejihld4sywvvqwe67cdkn4jq/bafkreihbjzylhc2iosvspqenuhsj2yq33sy4cajuvmdqww555sgf5v5cgy@jpeg

Already did.

very clear how much the established political order knows they cannot let the politics of uh serving your constituents break through

xp That's actually quite clever! Should win some kind of award for misdirected creativity.

hating Israel AND vibes

that NYPost frontpage is going to be iconic

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:ejihld4sywvvqwe67cdkn4jq/bafkreig6kuvt5vj3p2v23fzkahy2qe5jjfejphk5hg24dgd4xdethl2spi@jpeg

Bought two!!!

Whatever photo they used is the first one I've ever seen where Mamdani wasn't grinning ear to ear, so kudos to their hard-working photo research department if nothing else.

the backwards R is so funny

Detroit elected its first woman mayor (by the the greatest margin in city history), and she'll be the youngest Black woman mayor of a city whose population is over 250K.

On your Marx, get set Zo … I am lmfao

I love how you could wear that NYPost t-shirt to, say, a tailgate party in the midwest, and people wouldn't know if you were a lefty or a wingnut.

ЯED is pronounced "yed."

https://www.vice.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/03/tom-delonge.jpg

I don't know where to get a copy here, but I've got a friend in NYC on it.

I miss markers too

I’d love to see the data on people who didn’t vote at all in ‘24 but voted yesterday

lil story from mamdanis dad

MM: I was in my room. There was a knock at the door. Two gentlemen in trench coats and hats said, “FBI.” I thought, “Wow, just like on television.” They sat down. They were there to find out why I had gone – because this turned out to be big – it is after Montgomery that King organized his march on Selma. They wanted to know who had influenced me. After one hour of probing, the guy said, “Do you like Marx?”

I said, “I haven’t met him.”

Guy said, “No, no, he’s dead.”

“Wow, what happened?”

“No, no, he died long ago.”

I thought the guy Marx had just died. So then, “Why are you asking me if he died long ago?”

“No, he wrote a lot. He wrote that poor people should not be poor.”

I said, “Sounds amazing.”

I’m giving you a sense of how naïve I was. After they left, I went to the library to look for Marx. So that was my introduction to Karl Marx.

BS: The FBI.

MM: The FBI.

https://www.warscapes.com/conversations/conversation-mahmood-mamdani

LOOOOOL

So are they ever going to seat Adelita Grijalva, or are they pulling another Garland? The longer this drags, the longer I think they might just never swear her in.

Yeah it’s worrisome. Congress barely exists anyway, but I just read there is a lawsuit against Johnson to make him do his job. Anyway I’m sure all Epstein files, if they existed, have all been shredded and Ghislaine’s been silenced so Republicans needn’t worry.

I want to enjoy today for a bit before I start dooming about Congress never being called back into session.

^^^

I don't think of it as dooming, I think of it as delayed gratification at watching Johnson eat more shit.

That video upthread suggests that Trump is realizing that the people who told him the shutdown is hurting the GOP were correct.

“No, he wrote a lot. He wrote that poor people should not be poor.”

That's a recommendation, basically.

can't believe those little banners they put on every government website insisting everything was Chuck Schumer's fault didn't work

Useful:

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/democrats-shutdown-election-new-jersey-virginia

ha ha ha

After an election night shellacking, Trump told Republican senators at a private breakfast meeting Wednesday that the GOP will become a “dead party” if they keep the filibuster, insiders told Punchbowl News.

Trump also privately acknowledged the ongoing government shutdown is “worse for us than for them.”

Other attendees told Axios the room was “uncomfortable” and “eerily silent” as Trump urged the senators to end the filibuster, warning the GOP would “get killed” for being “do-nothing Republicans.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) threw cold water on the proposal immediately after the meeting ended.

“I know where the votes are,” he told reporters. “The answer is, there aren’t the votes.”

President Deals

“I know where the votes are,” he told reporters. “The answer is, there aren’t the votes.”

Mamet-esqye.

I know this was mentioned in the Zohran thread, but Harris’ in memoriam tweet for Dick Cheney basically disqualifies her from ever seeking public office ever again imho. Ghoulish, anti-human, racist hogwash. (And yes, Harris can be racist).

Trump also privately acknowledged the ongoing government shutdown is “worse for us than for them.”

wonder if all the Golden Ballroom and Great Gatsby shit has something to do with it, the fact that they aren't even pretending to care about people going hungry and losing their jobs just might bite 'em in the ass a little

“We mourn this architect of mass murder and human suffering” how about you go fuck yourself

theres nothing senators love more than the filibuster, and tbf who wouldnt love to not have to do their job

“I know where the votes are,” he told reporters. “The answer is, there aren’t the votes.”

Mamet-esqye.

Votes are for closers

theres nothing senators love more than the filibuster

otm

“We mourn this architect of mass murder and human suffering” how about you go fuck yourself

he voted for her. what do you expect her to say?

wait. don't answer that

the optics of getting elected in NYC as mayor vs. the optics of getting elected (or trying to at least) president at a national level are very very different. if dick cheney's support turns you off to Harris I doubt you were gonna vote for Harris in the first place

lol you cannot be serious gtfo with that pundit larping garbage

cosign

the optics of getting elected in NYC as mayor vs. the optics of getting elected (or trying to at least) president at a national level are very very different. if dick cheney's support turns you off to Harris I doubt you were gonna vote for Harris in the first place

also spare me this utterly condescending bullshit tone.

waterFPace

issuing correction on a previous post of mine, regarding the war criminal Dick Cheney, you do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to him".

i dunno a day after historic wins and people choosing to go off on a candidate who's never going to win anything in this country again, that's a choice bros

what are you even talking about

22 years since the start of the Iraq war, i am fine with "does not prop up the reputation of fucking Dick Cheney in the name of bipartisan politesse" as a reasonable litmus test. come on.

first female governor of Va
first Muslim woman in LT governor/statewide office in VA
Mamdani's win etc etc

but yeah go ahead and trash Kamala that's cool

she could have just not said anything, y'know

the thing about celebrating the historic win, including Mamdani's refreshing socialist realness, is that we can also celebrate "politicians don't have to say stupid shit like this stupid thing Harris just said."

it really underscores the difference

lol jinx

you guys are harshing my mellow, I'm out

no one is allowed to care about the politician who fucked up the world for everyone one year ago anymore

the thing about celebrating the historic win, including Mamdani's refreshing socialist realness, is that we can also celebrate "politicians don't have to say stupid shit like this stupid thing Harris just said."

yo this is totally fair. i just find it curious about what people pay attention to.

you are such a thread cop, whyyyyyyy
whyyyyyyyyyy

you were literally waxing politico about the optics of it minutes ago xp

eh because i think the way Dr. Casino expressed it is much more reasonable than the way table did, but that's on me so i will zip it and stop coppin

I'm sure people have said it better than me but yesterday did really seem to hammer home just how astroturfed basically every media outlet on the planet is right now and that maybe it's a real problem that so many people are still on the cesspool formerly known as Twitter. a couple months ago we found out that normal people really didn't care about Charlie Kirk but they did actually care a lot about Jimmy Kimmel; yesterday we found out that basically every mainstream pundit was wrong, you don't have to bend the knee to Israel or throw trans people under the bus, you just have to appear somewhat authentic

“I know where the votes are. The answer is, there aren’t the votes.”

December thread title imo

yes plz

looks like the Supreme Court is gonna strike down the tariffs too, bad 24 hours for the "Trump is all-powerful" crowd

striking down the tariffs is prob good for trump tbh

which is why they would do it prob, so maybe hes still all powerful lol

btw wild to think about how the dems dont call the tariffs the biggest tax increase in the history of the country every time they open their mouths

Also good for SCOTUS because they can pretend to have principles.

xp

I'm wondering what happens to the hundreds of billions collected in Trump's tariffs so far, if the court rules he never had the power to impose them to begin with? does he get to pocket them? use them as a slush fund? will he send refund checks to everyone in the country, call the 'Trump Bucks' and boast about it?

one would think theyd be refunded but who knows really

He'll pay them back in pieces of the old East Wing.

Crypto, baby!

Redistribution of wealth!

reparations for slavery!

I'm pretty sure the tariffs would have to be repaid somehow if deemed unconstitutional.

i'm sure trump would get right on that!

luckily he doesnt have to personally do it, would be interesting to see what happened if he tried to hold on to refunds that people were expecting tho

One of the justices asked about refunds and the Oregon solicitor general who was arguing for the states pointed out that the administration had explicitly promised to refund them if they were ruled unconstitutional, when they were arguing to lift the stay that the lower court had imposed. The administration was like, "Don't worry, we'll give them back, you don't have to block them up front." As to how that would happen, he basically said that was up to the court to order.

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:ynhvprwsjim3ttkefxsttf7y/bafkreiavn2hx6zspykdnss36yjejwzypj77yeqfkyzzgza37g2lzmrgk7i@jpeg

theyre jealous of our woke bro culture, fantasizing about us encouraging them to set a deadlift pr

Do I even want to know what "DEI dean" the Heritage Foundation is demanding? Probably not but ?

“I know where the votes are...The answer is, there aren’t the votes.”

I'm curious how he delivered that second "the." Perhaps with sarcastic emphasis, as a callback to a private conversation only known to him and some man-child crumbling under a long-delayed comeuppance?

yeah idk what he meant by that xp

woke bros get all the hose

RMDE- Rowdy Masculine Democratic Environment

i dunno a day after historic wins and people choosing to go off on a candidate who's never going to win anything in this country again, that's a choice bros

she isn't ever going to win anything again because she does stuff like this.

lol at those cernovich quotes, what a bizarre creep

trump saying the main factor in dems over-performing yesterday is that his name wasn't on the ballot

these woke bros are living their truth and expressing a positive, joyous, unapologetic model of masculinity as their strong arms pummel me into submission and feminize me, wait

xpost seems like that might happen again

trumps not wrong, the reason hes won twice is he turned out people who usually dont vote, but then they just go back to not voting if hes not on the ballot, its of course not the only thing going on imho him openly trying to destroy the country was a factor too

tbf Harris accepted and leaned on the Cheney endorsements last year, so she was already in that bed. Of course she wasn't obliged to say anything nice about him post-mortem, but it's not surprising that someone willing to stump with a Cheney would also do that.

(NB I'm not saying any of that is good!)

gotta stick with those who got you there (loserville)

The tradition of collegiality between people who have served as VP demands that sort of tribute, and most of them will be on the hook for war crimes regardless of party. 🤮

yeah I don't think anyone was *surprised*

I was a little surprised when she recently said she hasn't ruled out running again

"striking down the tariffs is prob good for trump tbh"

^^i'm late, but this. i cannot believe they didn't do something in summer. djt can say it's not his fault and they can de-stress their captains of industry.

Pelosi retirement presscon in ~3 hours.

sayonara nancy. you were good at counting votes

sorry I believe Pelosi was a badass in her prime

she was probably the coolest head in the Capitol building on Jan 6, 2021

the hysterical fucking overreaction to Mamdani winning indicates to me that the GOP know they are on incredibly shaky ground right now.

I like how Cuomo tried to wriggle out of Trump's 'endorsement' even though that's clearly what it was

xp I think at least some of them know they're on shaky ground but also hysterical fucking overreaction is kind of the only mode they have.

I feel like his victory is a threshold of sorts, something to pass over and move on. It revealed that the largest city in the nation is not afraid of 'communists' or immigrants, and all over the country there were victories for sane people.. even Mississippi was able to overturn the GOP super majority in the state senate

it feels like some sort of wave is pulling back off of the beach and exposing these shivering, wet little maga creeps into the sun for the first time

social security and medicare for all, birth to the earth

Conservatives have basically been stabbing themselves repeatedly with rusty nails all day today, before asking "ARE YOU TRIGGERED?"

indeed... you could even say: it's Morning in America

During her appearance on “The View” on Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she no longer believes in QAnon, which she has supported and promoted for years.

When co-host raised the point of “Jewish space lasers,” an aspect of QAnon that Greene has repeated before, Greene replied, “Not even true. Yeah, that’s been rebuffed.”

From the FWIW department: I spent this past weekend visiting fam in middle-of-nowhere, very rural central NY State. I do this 2 or 3 times a year. Trump flags and signs are everywhere, regardless of whether an election is near. I’ve even seen signs openly advertising white supremicist groups. Fun!

this past weekend I didn’t see those Trump signs. Not a single one in 3 days of driving around. And I was looking!

So yeah anyway FWIW. Maybe these ppl have finally realized he doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself. Boggles the mind.

yeah all the trump signs near me came down too

Same here. I don't see it as anything but (a) we won (b) liberals are gonna tear them down (I've heard this).

idk people had em up all through biden around here big ass banners, flags, all manner of signage

do Trump's voters ever admit their true motivations about why they vote for him?

so i will zip it and stop coppin

― a (waterface), Wednesday, November 5, 2025 1:34 PM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

If only Kamala could do this.

Anecdata but two friends posted their ACA exchange premium increases today — one is looking at tripling their premium (for a family of 4) to $2,500 a month, or $30,000 a year just to have health insurance. The other is facing a $2,000 a month increase for her and her husband, which she says means their insurance would literally exceed their annual income.

These are stories the Democrats need to be putting out there every day to illustrate who they're trying to help.

otm, it should be such an easy message for them to hammer at every opportunity which means... they likely won't

It's official: Pelosi not seeking reelection.

guess that means her husbands retiring too

I neither trust nor understand Marge Greene's current reverse heel turn. One theory I saw is that she had been hitting the steroids but has since cleaned up. Or that she is mad her ambitions for Senate were stymied. Regardless, it's rare that someone suddenly flips the lunatic switch from on to off, because that gives her too much credit for being smart, or at least savvy, and not just an unhinged kook.

not even worth thinking about imo

In the abstract, sure, but at the very least she is one of the few Republicans still talking about the Epstein files.

not even worth thinking about imo

― budo jeru, Thursday, November 6, 2025 11:14 AM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Re: MTG, it has to be opportunism. She made a name for herself when the opportunity was to be more unhinged than anyone else. Now that the entire party has gone full-on Trump and most of the “centrists” have retired, this is the new opportunity to stand out.

not even worth thinking about imo

― budo jeru, Thursday, November 6, 2025 11:14 AM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Thursday, November 6, 2025 4:24 PM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Chicago judge giving ICE a huge smackdown as I type.

https://bsky.app/profile/jonseidel.bsky.social/post/3m4xzwgwwi22g

this ranks lower on the scale of horrors than, say, forcibly abducting daycare teachers inside a daycare in front of toddlers, but nominating an oilman to lead the Bureau of Land Management is a horror nonetheless:

President Donald Trump has nominated Steve Pearce, a Republican former member of Congress from New Mexico, to lead the federal Bureau of Land Management, the White House announced Wednesday.

Pearce would be in charge of an agency that oversees 245 million acres of public lands, including for recreation, cattle grazing and extraction of oil and natural gas.

His nomination drew swift criticism from environmental groups in New Mexico and across the country. They urged Congress to reject Trump’s nomination.

“Pearce’s entire political career has been dedicated to blocking Americans’ access to public lands while giving the oil and gas industry free rein to drill and frack anywhere they wanted,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Pearce, who founded an oilfield services company before getting into politics, represented New Mexico’s Second Congressional District in the southern part of the state between 2003 and 2009, then again from 2011 to 2019. He was most recently chair of the state Republican Party until late last year.

all these people deserved to have their heads removed from their bodies asap

As someone posted of the judge quoting Carl Sandburg (in full) before her statement, "if the judge starts quoting poetry at the beginning of an opinion, you're fucked."

Shorter judge: "This is the Chicagoland I see. From Aurora to Cicero, and Chicago to Evanston to Waukegan. This is a vibrant place, brimming with vitality and hope. Striving to move forward from its complicated history... The government would have people believe, instead, that the Chicagoland area is in a vice hold of violence, ransacked by rioters and attacked by agitators. That simply is untrue. And the government's own evidence in this case belies that assertion."

Re: MTG, it has to be opportunism.

There's a video of AOC explaining that Greene's on a "revenge tour"; she wanted to run for Senate and Trump said no. So now she's running around setting fires.

I've always assumed everything MTG did was an act, thought it was pretty revealing when they found someone who knew her prior to her Congressional run and he said he's known her well for years and she was never like this. She, along with many of the young Republicans people now know by name, are the same type of people who dedicate their lives to getting on The Bachelor or whatever and doing something insane that they can parlay into a media career. So I'm guessing she realized early on that representing the loony wing of the GOP would get her lots of media coverage but now that the whole party's like that she's trying to be the sensible one.

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m4y45wvoyn2p

RFK Jr's response to someone collapsing nearby him was to haul ass out of the room as quickly as possible

hahaha

lmao at RFK Jr

A press conference that will Live In Bleakly Hilarious Infamy

He was fucking OUT OF THERE

Trump looks completely unable to project even a hint of a response to that, the guy is a void.

Dr Nick Riviera running to the rescue there, though

lmao at RFK Jr

WTF HE JUST LEAVES

don't worry, the Oz Whisperer is there

what's great is that with virtually any other person you'd assume they ran to get help

was going to get his carving knife

many xps - The fact that we recognize the initials MTG as quickly as we do AOC is the key to understanding Marge Greene's political activities. Her only guiding principle is that as many people as possible should be talking about her incessantly.

is there a way to make a picture the thread title

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:sfkls3k5pk3jkwmj2epqra42/bafkreiefnuv7qqrcwkis6yiwafl4b3scco237vvgvoflt4oif6nmzkxfrm@jpeg

at least they were raising his feet

Meanwhile the president bobs like a killer whale staring at dead tuna

Going great:

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreiai3wjstv77wzjbvyest6dew3ftr2a4sxenwksuvdlvphxothtf44@jpeg

Whoops, saw it was already posted. But it IS that good.

Trump looks actively pissed that one of his minions collapsed in front of a camera

he has such distain for anyone that causes him the even the slightest inconvenience

A Hipgnosis album cover waiting to happen.

Kudos to the photographer, who is probably in jail now as this shot was taken well after the "we're done with cameras" announcement.

there's another version, a little blurrier where he looks even more pissed

probably collapsed from gold lacquer fumes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkJOZOOXJWk

Is that Stephen Miller looming over him, looking for a soft fleshy part of the neck to bite?

Trump in that image basically this guy:

https://preview.redd.it/captain-edward-smith-embodies-the-captain-always-goes-down-v0-dmu6ayc7txve1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=fef9cf12a4ca33d5ac4f5ae508c46f2b13b0a107

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/shutdown-off-ramp-senate-talks
Senators push toward deal to end shutdown as final sticking points remain

Thune:

“I think the clear path forward here, with regard to the ACA issue is they get a vote, and we open up the government and we head down to the White House and sit down with the president and talk about it,”

If this is what the six or seven 'moderate' Dem senators involved think is worth caving in for, then the rest of the Dem senate caucus should eject them as pariahs.

lucyfootball.jpg, yeah

I fucking use it asshole

WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS Direct File, the electronic system for filing tax returns for free, will not be offered next year, the Trump administration has confirmed.

An email sent Monday from IRS official Cynthia Noe to state comptrollers that participate in the Direct File program said that “IRS Direct File will not be available in Filing Season 2026. No launch date has been set for the future.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is also the current IRS commissioner, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that there are “better alternatives” to Direct File. “It wasn’t used very much,” he said. “And we think that the private sector can do a better job.”

"we'll give you a vote" gtfo

Get the money or go home.

Sandwich guy found not guilty, eat shit ICE

yessss

Nice

I think this news broke Bluesky, anyone else getting server errors?

And just to follow up, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis did issue an inunction order restraining ICE here, not least because of their constant and well-documented stream of invented bullshit. Like, imagine listening to this jackass (who perpetually looks like he's about to barf) and leaving the deposition believing him to be even remotely, well, believable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10mD_Mbx4_M

Sleeve, yes

Xp

‪Molly Roberts‬
✧@mollyrobe✧✧✧.b✧✧✧.soc✧✧✧‬
· 23m
Sandwich Guy thanks everyone for their support, “emotional, spiritual, artistic or financial.” Intones, “Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says…‘ out of many, one.’…You all have a right to live a life that is free.”

If only

“But upon returning to the Capitol, the senators made it very clear: They planned to blow Trump off. One GOP senator, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, laughed out loud when asked about the anti-filibuster push.

Welcome to the dawn of Trump’s lame duck era.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/06/donald-trump-lame-duck-00639349

For a hot second I thought "Welcome to the dawn of Trump's lame duck era" was something Mike Rounds said out loud, and was about to post RIP Mike Rounds.

I watched the Bovino deposition JiC linked to. Maybe he figured if he made any admission of any sort his words would be used against him, so he would just deny, deny, deny. What he overlooked is that when your denials are transparent bullshit, your words are just branding you as a bald-faced liar.

you notice that no other border patrols wear Sam Browne belts? Straight up fascist cosplay, especially with that goofy haircut

Meanwhile, in other corners of the world of pushback:

McConnell orders the government to fully fund SNAP benefits for November immediately via TRO—written order to come.

Any motion for a stay is denied. The Court will stand adjourned.

Mitch McConnell? Does anyone listen to him anymore?

lol, no, not him

Mitch McConnell? Does anyone listen to him anymore?

Is he still capable of speech?

Is he still capable of standing up? Not consistently.

He’s still receiving instructions from satan. It takes all of his energy and attention, making him appear unaware of his surroundings here on this dimension

even Satan supports SNAP

Mitch was the first to sport the bruised hands, he's the originator

if only the great satan would support SNAP

at least satan has an ethos

The phrase "at least Satan has an ethos" is not a common, established quote or idiom, but rather a sentiment sometimes expressed in informal commentary, likely to suggest that even a figure like Satan is perceived as having a consistent, albeit evil, set of principles, in contrast to someone or something else deemed more unpredictable, hypocritical, or lacking any clear moral code

<([thx google ai])>

I like that Nancy Pelosi is going out with a tribute to SF, thanking the citizens of SF who supported her for all of these years.

please dont post ai slop on here no one wants to read that shit

thank you san francisco for making my insider trading career possible --nancy pelosi

thank you to the country of isreal for all the genocides

Dan S is otm

thank you andy

you guys are fucked in head no offense

give it a rest

no one normal even got anything from the total corruption, back in the day they used to throw you a bone

I'm just talking about her farewell thing, not her entire career

whats she saying goodbye from, shes not a library volunteer

But it's not too late for her to start!

one thing with our congresspeople clutching their seats until theyre on deaths doorstep is they never get to enjoy the sitting on corporate boards and hanging out on private islands phase of their career, tho i guess nancy already cashed in so she at least doesnt really need the no show jobs

https://newrepublic.com/post/202825/donald-trump-novo-nordisk-executive-collapses-drugs

A farewell speech from the beloved Nancy Pelosi, how nice

one thing with our congresspeople clutching their seats until theyre on deaths doorstep is they never get to enjoy the sitting on corporate boards and hanging out on private islands phase of their career

Eric Adams is on it:

“I can, I can fly private now. I can go on a cruise. I can hang out in St Barts. I can go and do whatever I want without you guys looking over my shoulders. I’m, I’m actually out of the fish bowl,” he told reporters.

“I’m now going to live. I’ve been doing this for 40 years and for the first time in 40 years, I’m going back to be able to live my life and the joy of it. When y’all come and say, you know, what are we doing? Going to Spain, I could just give you the finger and keep it moving.”

As members of the press were quickly ushered out of the room, Trump turned away from the fallen man, staring off into space.

And that my friends... is the rest of the story

Someone needs to do a bronze statue of that tableau.

needs to be added to that santorum collage thing ilx had

Eric Adams is on it:

“I can, I can fly private now. I can go on a cruise. I can hang out in St Barts. I can go and do whatever I want without you guys looking over my shoulders. I’m, I’m actually out of the fish bowl,” he told reporters.

― paper plans (tipsy mothra), Thursday, November 6, 2025 9:08 PM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

saw a clip of this its wild shit he specifically mentions two things that are for people who have a ton of money flying private and st barts, bro they have so much evidence on you whatre you doing

I like that Nancy Pelosi is going out with a tribute to SF, thanking the citizens of SF who supported her for all of these years.

I spit on Nancy Pelosi and all who have ever supported her. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I felt the same way when I lived in the City fwiw.

early political indicators

https://i.postimg.cc/fLRNB30D/Screenshot-2025-11-07-at-9-20-03-AM.png

not even worth thinking about imo

― budo jeru, Thursday, November 6, 2025 11:14 AM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Thursday, November 6, 2025 4:24 PM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― meat-based daughter-based unwellness (stevie), Thursday, November 6, 2025 4:40 PM (yesterday)

a compelling cascade of people who arent worth listening to

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/06/shutdown-senate-democrats-reject-offer-00641573

But Democrats, stiffened by their party’s big election wins Tuesday that have papered over rising internal divisions, are expected to block a procedural vote yet again, according to two people granted anonymity to describe caucus dynamics, as well as interviews with several potential Democratic swing votes.

They are intent on forcing President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans to cough up a better deal and finally engage on their central demand — an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies that aren’t definitively addressed in the latest GOP offer.

“Leader Thune isn’t doing himself any favors by not coming to the table,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who has been viewed as a possible swing vote but said she would vote no Friday.

Several other Democrats professed unity coming out of a long lunch meeting Thursday — one of several they’ve held this week as they’ve wrangled over an endgame to the long shutdown.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 party leader, said Thursday that Democrats “are as unified as we have ever been,” while adding that “people understand the gravity of the shutdown.”

a compelling cascade of people who arent worth listening to

― lag∞n, Friday, November 7, 2025 2:37 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Just putting it out there: Pelosi apparently whipped her rich friends to support Prop 50

I'm glad that passed, but "she whipped her rich friends to give her party more power" isn't really all that impressive is it? otoh maybe it is in the context of the Democratic party

yeah lol

heh

Cuomo Backers Burned $65 Per Vote, Including $13.3 Million From Bloomberg https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/06/cuomo-mamdani-bloomberg-attack-ads/

that clip of Mamdani laughing about how they spent more money than he wanted to tax them for was an instant classic

: The administration asked an appeals court on Friday to immediately halt a judge’s ruling that would require the government to fully fund food stamps. The ruling said that this month’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for roughly 42 million Americans must be funded by the end of the day

From NY Times

letting people go hungry is not the flex they think it is

nancy's rich friends were whipped like the contents of her ice cream freezer!!!1!1!

too far

it sounds like she brought the hammer down on her rich friends

Gilded ballrooms and trillion dollar pay packages while people starve.

“But Democrats, stiffened by their party’s big election wins Tuesday that have papered over rising internal divisions, are expected to block a procedural vote yet again, according to two people granted anonymity to describe caucus dynamics, as well as interviews with several potential Democratic swing votes.”

The first part of this sentence is something else

I’m stiff too

https://media.tenor.com/rcp6tc4SpUcAAAAM/giggling-butt-head.gif

Boning, Maryland

stiffened by a big whip

"Tracer Hand apologizes for crude remarks made online about Democratic Party officials"

rowdy masculine environment

Good morning!

this is good news! Oregon SNAP benefits are hitting accounts, sounds like WI benefits same.

https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social/post/3m52grucwic2h

yep proud of Oregon today

Reportedly California and Washington getting theirs as well.

Michigan too apparently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShfZ0kNqJM

New summary from Kabas:

I'm hearing these SNAP benefit updates:
-100% Washington state
-100% Michigan
-100% California
-Partial Illinois
-Partial North Carolina
-1/2 Vermont

(Note that not everyone in these states received money today because their typical day of the month for benefits may not have passed yet)

the fact that they're appealing that ruling just seems like political suicide... just let it go already, judge did you a favor

not sure doubling down on "we're gonna starve as many Americans as possible" after getting your asses kicked in an election is a good strategy but hey I guess you play the cards that got you there

curious how Thanksgiving is gonna go if this shit isn't resolved soon, apparently TSA lines are already insanely long right now and with flights getting reduced you have to think a lot of travel plans are gonna get cancelled and it sure looks like Trump is gonna shoulder the blame for that

also most Amtraks are sold out now as well

they think they can get the dems to fold by withholding snap, little do they know the dems also do not care about poor people

once the shutdown ends the Dems can force a vote on the Epstein files which will likely pass correct? not saying this is a good reason to fold but they may wanna drive home the fact that the GOP is starving people and ruining travel plans primarily because they don't want it to come out that the president is a gross pedophile

so wait, are the Democrats refusing to vote on the CR simply because they wanted to cause chaos with SNAP benefits? or is there some other devious reason?

xp

the dems want obamacare subsidies reinstated, gop is withholding snap in an effort to get the dems to cave

I would also note that the states Kabas has mentioned all have Dem governors

Supposed to fly next Wednesday for a trip, already making contingency plans for it not happening.

Killing the air tourism industr might be the best thing Trump ever did for the environment

between police violence in the streets and shutting down air travel its like theyre reenacting blm and the pandemic except for for no reason this time

the dems want obamacare subsidies reinstated, gop is withholding snap in an effort to get the dems to cave

but if the Dems don't care about SNAP, how would that ever work?

is your point that they care about ACA, but not SNAP? seems like a weird split

do you think it's better for the Dems to cave just because the Trump admin chose the shittiest path possible?

I'm having a hard time following the logic here...

i was just joking around a little bit there, the dems actions could be seen as not caring about poor people but i do actually think theyre doing the right thing here

Ok, that makes a bit more sense, I suppose

a wider problem the dems have is how do you negotiate with people who have already ignored congressional allocation, the trump admin has already just moved a bunch of money around willy nilly, you cut a deal pass the budget then theyll just do whatever they want, think this is what they call a constitutional crisis

As much as it will be personally suck, I will absolutely love Trump owning people not being able to get home for Thanksgiving. Eat shit.

Dems need to hold the line until they get real concessions, but it's pretty much a given that those concessions may not amount to much more than continued funding of ACA. I don't think there's a path here that's going to fix the massive damage that Trump has done.

It will take generations to undo the damage they’ve done in only a few months, much less tackle issues that need to be critically addressed like climate change.

not sure how withholding SNAP puts any less pressure on republicans than on dems

not arguing with anyone here, i just really don't get the political point of withholding SNAP - i'm sure trump thinks he's being strategic but it doesn't really make any sense

cue "the cruelty is the point"

Republicans also have racist stereotypes about the recipients of SNAP.

good news someone decided to follow the law

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:t3ehyucfy7ofylu4spnivvmb/bafkreid4ya6e67q5d7bdfctlcehzfg3k2lfb4nf3j3d7cnnzsmuw2bz7g4@jpeg

I'm actually in Chicago from Miami briefly for a buddy's wedding and....it's been normal both ways? I was reading on the plane that so far the shutdown's affected regional and internal flights.

If Speaker Johnson tried to call the House back into session to pass a CR, how many representatives wouldn't be able to find a flight back to D.C.?

It’s time for that planes, trains, and automobiles remake

I think the point of withholding SNAP was equal parts cruelty, which does indeed play well with the MAGA base, and the not completely crazy notion that they could get away with pinning it on Dems, which appears to be backfiring.

not to be negative nancy but in our cursed world that remake would be vapetrains, waymos, and bottomless pits and it would star martin short and seth rogen

xp

Dems need to resume getting loud about Johnson's refusal to swear in Adelita Grijalva. Seems like that's fallen off the radar a bit.

^^^yes and this is part of that too

a wider problem the dems have is how do you negotiate with people who have already ignored congressional allocation, the trump admin has already just moved a bunch of money around willy nilly, you cut a deal pass the budget then theyll just do whatever they want, think this is what they call a constitutional crisis

agreed, although there is this from yesterday

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4w4ex7k2tlpwa3phwwp7ea7a/bafkreiajed2rngaeni4lht7ii7u6z7vcvmcbtlzzzivv7mxuwrss7ijof4@jpeg

Just got back from the fabled Broadview ICE detention center (and Costco, sad lol) and the dissonance is astounding. It's literally a 10 minute drive from my house, took longer to park on one of the surrounding tree-lined streets than it took to get there. It's an absolutely beautiful fall day, the leaves are colorful, the people are peaceful and diverse, and there are helicopters circling like vultures over this building swarming with law enforcement and designed as a clearing house for the soon to be disappeared for no goddam good reason. Just this morning a dozen or so moms were arrested for joining hands and sitting down in protest in one of the no-go spots.

you can't make this shit up... gift cards for the rich & famous

Instead, in a gesture that appeared almost to mock the widening disparity between the city’s haves and have-nots, organizers of the America Business Forum cooked up a little treat for attendees: a $50 gift card to spend on food to sustain themselves while they listened to their president congratulate himself for a “golden age” he said his “economic miracle” had delivered.

Acting like there will never be any serious consequences

oof not good

Several people at a US military base fall ill after suspicious package with white powder opened, CNN reports

As always, can't trust anything coming from the direction of these full-time bullshit artists.

it was fentanyl fresh from the venezuelan narco terrorists

Pure powdered woke

they started feeling trans for a minute but they've recovered

Antifa dust

Delivery guy had powdered donuts before that stop and the entire base passed out from imaginary fentanyl disease.

https://www.wired.com/story/social-security-administration-tense-shutdown-meeting/

“People are coming to me saying they cannot put gas in their car and they cannot afford to come to work anymore, and they'll need to get other jobs,” said one employee on the call. “Pretty soon they won't be able to afford to work at the agency.”

That's one way to cut Social Security.

This really resonated:

“I think I can speak for most of our employees when we say now more than ever, employees are feeling somewhat betrayed by the federal government as federal employees because of what we're navigating and the length in which we're navigating it,” said another employee on the call.

It's got to be so dispiriting, given that everyone there is already someone left after an epic, arbitrary culling, under a capricious leadership that would do it again in a heartbeat, at will, with no warning. Years of government service and experienced erased for no reason.

Schumer now saying that a one-year ACA extension might get them on board

FFS

tbh might as well wait to see if the GOP even takes this deal before getting mad

That's bad but better than "a vote." A one-year extension lets them run on it in the midterms.

Didn't the Republicans already reject that offer?

it lets them run on it in the midterms, yes, but even if they retake the house and senate (which admittedly is looking increasingly likely) they will not retake it with enough numbers to override a Trump veto (unless republicans suddenly have some change of heart) so it seems like a dumb gamble to me.

The Republicans have already rejected the offer, yes

I guess it shows they're being 'reasonable' while the GOP are cruel & heartless

whats the republican plan here

they don't make 'plans' anymore, its all about vibes

thats fair

republicans rejected a reasonable compromise but if the dems just give in and sign the CR the republicans will definitely make a deal with them later

afaict the GOP "plan" seems to be:

1. Cull the poor

2. ....

3. PROFIT

“Commissioner Gordon has *plans*”

it lets them run on it in the midterms, yes, but even if they retake the house and senate (which admittedly is looking increasingly likely) they will not retake it with enough numbers to override a Trump veto (unless republicans suddenly have some change of heart) so it seems like a dumb gamble to me.

I dunno, all this is games of inches unless/until they retake the House. So something that could help them take the House is valuable. If they don't win the House in '26, none of this will matter because the GOP will just rescind any deal they don't like anyway. Politically/strategically, the Democrats cannnot end the shutdown without something real. If they do, they'll just look pathetic again, like they dragged everyone through the shutdown for nothing. Funding for 2026 is something real, and it creates an immediate base of voters who are immediately aware of who helped them and what could happen next year.

I've never heard a hint of an ACA replacement from the GOP, they don't even pretend to have a coherent alternative

yeah oh well, Thune rejected it, so I guess this paid off

I suppose there is always abolishing the filibuster ...

Republican plan is "do we really need a federal government anyway?"

This seems like a good thing, for anyone here who’s in the creative arts

https://www.falloffreedom.com/

Yeah I wasn’t kidding when I said that the Republicans could extend the shutdown forever because they have what they want: An unaccountable dictator, the government reduced to the army and the security services, and poverty for the rest of us.

lawmakers still getting their paychecks

Republicans can't extend it forever. People are already pissed and it's just going to get worse. Trump betrayed Thune by demanding an end to the filibuster, which is basically his loud and stupid way of begging them to end the shutdown now. I think they absolutely should nuke it, it will be deeply hilarious to see how well that goes over.

It feels like Barron introduced his father to “Let’s just do it and be legends…”

My direct flight tomorrow home from Asheville got cancelled so now we’re flying through Atlanta and getting home near midnight. Helluva job, Trumpie.

Ugh. I'm worried about that, flying to Chicago in the morning and then back on Tuesday. Our morning flight is still scheduled, but who knows about the return.

I mean, look at these ICE assholes patrolling a beautiful street on a beautiful day

https://bsky.app/profile/royalpratt.bsky.social/post/3m535cbqen227

truly psychotic shit

Yeah I wasn’t kidding when I said that the Republicans could extend the shutdown forever because they have what they want: An unaccountable dictator, the government reduced to the army and the security services, and poverty for the rest of us.

― This dark glowing bohemian coffeehouse (Boring, Maryland), Friday, November 7, 2025 4:19 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes. and neither is the threat of drastic economic consequences a deterrent. the admin has explicitly stated from the beginning that their goal is to tank the economy. every day i read takes from people who seem unable to grasp that the point is to fuck it all up

xxp why the fuck are they patrolling a norman rockwell street like that? Maybe some mexicans hiding out there?

i think thats one plan within the admin the stephen miller camp if you will, but there are parties with other views too, trump for one doesnt seem too stoked about how the shut down is playing, ordering the senate to go nuclear and get back to work which the promptly ignored, prob various elected officials worried about their ability to stay elected too xp

Ugh. I'm worried about that, flying to Chicago in the morning and then back on Tuesday. Our morning flight is still scheduled, but who knows about the return.

― paper plans (tipsy mothra), Friday, November 7, 2025 6:33 PM (seventeen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Things can change, but like I said uptrend I had no problems. I felt bad for those local flights. I'm more worried now about snow on Aunday morning

saw a thing that said so far only like 3% of flights had been canceled

Just the racist ones.

So Trump’s making the Supreme Court work Friday night begging them to let him refuse to feed poor people. Let’s see just how villainous those creeps really want to get.

wait, a shadow docket on the SNAP benefits? Their appeal was just denied.. by the 6th Circuit or something

If they take this case, a pox on all all their homes.. may the fleas of a thousand camels invade Roberts' robe

Yeah they asked for a ruling by 9:30.

I feel bad for Trump... just helplessly watching all those EBT cards receiving funds, slackers out there buying eggs, bread and broccoli for their children... he doesn't deserve this

Do they have ANY idea of the optics? Or is it just a simple "Poor people getting food is a Dem victory and must be stopped at all cost"

That plus also it violates their basic operating principle of "We do whatever we want."

They live in their own demented, deluded reality. They don’t know anyone on SNAP personally and they think everyone on it must be undeserving welfare queens or something. Also the cruelty is the point

Whether they succeed or not, this just looks really bad. So many unforced errors.

uh?

#BREAKING: Justice Jackson has issued an "administrative" stay, temporarily pausing a district court order that would've required the USDA to continue using contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits.

The stay expires 48 hours after the First Circuit rules on USDA's request for a stay pending appeal.

Popehat says this is a normal administrative ruling, but obviously bad for people waiting for money for food.

Yup -- thread:

https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social/post/3m53kwn2m3k26

But it's a part closing-the-barn-door at this point I figure, at least for some states.

But separate good news here:

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/07/portland-oregon-national-guard-trump-politics-karin-immergut/

The flight my wife and I are taking to Florida tomorrow is still going, thankfully; we’ll see about the flights back.

Do they have ANY idea of the optics? Or is it just a simple "Poor people getting food is a Dem victory and must be stopped at all cost"

I think the strategy goes beyond that. I think the plan is to extend the shutdown for as long as possible until there's no one employed to run SNAP, Social Security, or much of anything. Will Social Security even work if there's no one there to run the place?

It’s probably about putting pressure on Dems to cave, since they care about things like poor people starving

Saw this

KBJ threaded the needle thanks to CA1’s unfinished business.

-if she denied the admin stay, the full SCOTUS woulda stepped in to override her.
-if she immediately referred the case to the full Court, they coulda dragged feet.
-instead she boxed them in to act quickly once she does refer the case.

Of course Roberts et al could choose to extend the admin stay or, more likely, will just straight up stay McConnell’s order before KBJ’s deadline passes.

But she did what she could to control the process tonight and let CA1 put its reasoning on the record before Roberts et al disregard it.

It’s probably about putting pressure on Dems to cave, since they care about things like poor people starving

― A floating crown, but an extremely small one (President Keyes), Friday, November 7, 2025 10:46 PM (eighteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

it's pure evil but I think this is actually what the GOP is doing, they are in way too deep and you don't see the second Trump admin ever compromising the way the first one did

They have no plan, they are flailing about while digging themselves deeper in the shit.

They assumed like everyone else that the Dems would cave eventually and now don’t have any idea how to end it.

https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf