So is him calling the cave divers pedophiles falling under "what choice did he have"

3/6/2025 1:36:57 PM

Quote :

"I'm not sure anyone here, other than you apparently, would admit he has done favorable things and if they did it would be with caveats."

This type of thinking seems to happen often, and is quite dumb. Just because people aren't constantly praising him doesn't mean they don't recognize at he's a smart guy that has done good things. Every criticism of him doesn't have to be prefaced with a caveat that he's a smart guy that's done some good things. Lots of evil people who did terrible things were smart people, and it's not necessary to preface criticism of them with "but hey, they're smart and did some good things too!"



[Edited on March 6, 2025 at 1:53 PM. Reason : ]

3/6/2025 1:49:55 PM

The 10 Democrats who voted to censure Green are all moderates: Reps. Ami Bera and Jim Costa, both of California; Ed Case of Hawaii; Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi, both of New York; Jim Himes of Connecticut; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania; Marcy Kaptur of Ohio; Jared Moskowitz of Florida; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state.

3/6/2025 3:38:14 PM

^^ I was specifically referring to instances where he's called dumb, that Tesla would be successful without him, he's not an engineer, and muh emerald mine comments.

^^^ didn't have a choice came in the 2020 era. Covid, lawsuits, Biden snub etc

Newsome makes a play:

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/gavin-newsom-breaks-with-democrats-on-trans-athletes-in-sports-00215436

[Edited on March 6, 2025 at 5:33 PM. Reason : A]

3/6/2025 5:32:36 PM

What is this Biden snub I keep hearing about?

3/6/2025 5:40:33 PM

https://bsky.app/profile/johnrogers.bsky.social/post/3ljqftk7n5s2q

Quote :

" Interracial marriage did not cross 50% approval in the US until 1996, when I was 30 years old. Good political messaging drives opinion, it doesn't follow it."

3/6/2025 6:24:03 PM

^^ https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/05/business/tesla-snub-white-house-event/index.html

3/6/2025 8:19:48 PM

Thanks!

3/6/2025 10:12:29 PM

Newsom definitely sounds like he’s positioning himself to be more of a center-left candidate for 2028.

3/7/2025 9:07:09 AM

he’s been positioning himself to be a presidential candidate his whole life and he’s gonna fail spectacularly

[Edited on March 7, 2025 at 11:51 AM. Reason : .]

3/7/2025 11:51:25 AM

Quote :

"The most popular politician, by far, with self-described moderates is Bernie Sanders (+15). I think there is a major disconnect between what beltway pundits see as "moderate" and where voters are."

https://twitter.com/jeremyslevin/status/1898038391695888693
This tweet is misleading bc the poll they reference doesn't have many politicians BUT it does have Musk and hes - 21 among moderates. Trump is only - 11.

Link to poll
https://t.co/RZipnzVL0Q
https://twitter.com/jeremyslevin/status/1898044974068879608

3/7/2025 2:39:15 PM

Quote :

"the point of DOGE (allegedly) is to make drastic budget cuts because the United States can't afford year after year, decade after decade of deficit spending."

Horseshit. Pure, 100%, unadulterated horseshit. Look, i get your schtick, the US has needed to reign in spending, and the Dems have repeatedly missed their shot. But what DOGE is doing has nothing to do with lowering government spending, either.

This is a giant red herring, and it's painfully obviously so. They've managed to nuke a tenth of the federal workforce for a grand total savings of... drumroll... less than one fucking percent of the federal budget. They are even torching IRS agents, which, if you want to balance a budget, nuking the place that, you know, brings in your revenue seems to be the worst way to do it. They are torching some grant programs, sure, which happen to total up to, again, a small fraction of our budget. But you know what they aren't hitting? The actual big ticket items, which are massive corporate subsidies going to companies making record profits. They aren't hitting the actual bloated govt contracts which happen to quite nicely line the pockets of GOP donors.

What this actually is, is a purge of government employees. That's it. Trump made it clear on the campaign trail that he wanted a federal workforce that was completely beholden to him. It's why he's sacked every single IG he could get his hands on. It's why he has nuked all the heads of federal agencies. Project 2025, which he totally isn't implementing, even though he's hired almost everyone who worked on it and has done basically everything it's asked for, has laid out the same plan. His transition team even had pretty clear hiring and performance rubrics made up where a key component was loyalty to Trump.

And, frankly, if you want a government purge, this is exactly how you go about it, nuking the workforce. The focus on "probationary" employees is an explicit strategy, both because they have less protections, and because the admin is trying to set up a test case for the SC with them, hoping they will take the bait and say the President has unfettered hiring authority within the Executive Branch. After that, the rest of the workforce can be terminated and replaced with people who will do whatever Trump wants at every single level within the federal government.

It's got nothing to do with saving money, and everything to do with a complete and total takeover of the federal government by Trump and his loyalists. They've telegraphed it for years. Now you just have to ask why they want to do it. And I think January 6th is your answer.

So cut the crap, quit acting like this is about cutting costs. It's a purge of the federal government workforce and attempted fascist takeover of our government. Have the Dems failed? Sure, but that doesn't justify what DOGE is doing by any stretch of the imagination. We can only hope that Roberts and Barrett see this for what it is and put a stop to it before the re-education camps starts popping up.

3/10/2025 2:39:36 PM

Quote :

"This is a giant red herring, and it's painfully obviously so. They've managed to nuke a tenth of the federal workforce for a grand total savings of... drumroll... less than one fucking percent of the federal budget."

And how do you think they could possibly implement any real change if the internal bureaucracy is not brought to heel? This strategy is all predicated on the idea the US hasn't had an actual executive function since FDR. The idea that the internal bureaucracy (and deep state) being the major problem with the country was openly discussed and even referenced all over the place (not just project 2025).

If all that happens is a few feds get fired and they end up replaced by IT workers at Booz Allen Hamilton for 4x the gov pay rate it will be a huge failure. I've seen some local complaints about cut contracts to these IT shops that make PowerPoints for millions of dollars so I'm hopeful.

3/11/2025 6:48:52 AM

So we're going along with the "deep state" myth now?

Government is not known for its efficiency, but not everything is a conspiracy.

3/11/2025 7:14:19 AM

"Deep State" being unironically referenced, lol

There are definitely ways to help balance the budget, in part, by shrinking the federal workforce. Clinton did this under NPR in the 90s. The difference was that it was methodical and precise, you didn't have someone cutting in broad swathes with zero regard of the damages they were causing. You can tell this wasn't thought about, because you have Elon going "we did an oopsie and trying to hire these people back".

Burro's take is one that I full heartedly agree with

3/11/2025 9:56:08 AM

Apparently the Deep State is different than "Iron Polygon/Triangle", but with some overlap. I thought it was just a trumpism on the Iron Triangle concept.

Quote :

" The Deep State, often tied to entrenched bureaucrats and insiders, overlaps with these but focuses more on covert government influence. While related, they aren't identical: the Iron Triangle is a specific policy-making model, the Deep State emphasizes shadowy government actors, and the Cathedral is about ideological control. The Chevron doctrine, which historically allowed agencies to interpret ambiguous laws with judicial deference, empowered the bureaucratic arm of these systems by giving unelected officials broad sway—until it was recently overturned, shifting some power back to courts. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_triangle_(US_politics)

Quote :

"So we're going along with the "deep state" myth now? "

See Chevron over turn:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-happens-if-supreme-court-ends-chevron-deference

The actors in this play are not operating in a way that seems like THEY think it is a myth (regardless if it is). You can say it's a myth, but I think it explains the actions and behevior better than the opposite.
Why are they attacking it, and what is the end goal? There were numerous examples in Trump 1 (and other administrations) where the executive will was ignored by the bureaucracy.

My statement is:
1) The Chevron ruling (and FDRs action before it) created a government structure that moved power from the traditional branches to the bureaucracy.
2) Trump et all believe this to be the case (as the think tanks like Claremont Inst, Yarvin, Vance) have made statements they believe it to be true
3) Their actions they are taking are to untie 1 and in support in 2

See tons of articles like: https://apnews.com/article/trump-presidential-power-executive-congress-grants-freeze-60fa3a9fabf6328f9aa3c45ed34e2cc3

If he's "centralizing power" what's he centralizing it from?

[Edited on March 11, 2025 at 10:24 AM. Reason : a]

3/11/2025 10:18:01 AM

^ congress and courts

The USA is the wealthiest country in the world and has 350 million people to serve. The so called deep state is merely the machinery needed for this— as we’re literally seeing first hand with the collapse and disruption. The President is not supposed to be handpicking favorites loyal to him when delivering government services. There might not be specific prohibitions against this Constitutionally but it’s how we set the system up. Execution of government shouldn’t be partisan. Why were people, including democrats, mad at Obama’s IRS for (correctly) using tea party as a search criteria for groups abusing non profit status? The appearance of playing favorites is obviously wrong, let alone the corrupt actuality of how trump does play favorites.

3/11/2025 11:17:26 AM

Quote :

"My statement is:"

now we know why this dork relies so heavily on AI

3/11/2025 2:02:15 PM

^^ then why attack the bureaucracy if it's only Congress and the courts?

3/11/2025 3:07:01 PM

Because those people will largely follow the law when congress and the courts ask for compliance. Trump needs people who will break the law or ignore it or just destroy the basic capacity to follow the law

It’s why every fascist does a purge. Trump has likely committed the biggest fascist purge in history and it’s on-going.

3/11/2025 6:24:39 PM

Senate dems better not vote with republicans on the budget

3/11/2025 7:40:00 PM

+ 1 not voting for budget

3/12/2025 6:26:43 PM

Quote :

"And how do you think they could possibly implement any real change if the internal bureaucracy is not brought to heel?"

1) So you admit that it's not about trimming the budget. Good, we're making progress
2) The "deep state" myth, aside from being silly, is a quintessentially fascist appeal. The "evil insiders wrecking our country" claim, while often featuring in authoritarian circles in general when a purge needs to happen, is specifically fascist when coupled with "and that's why we aren't great any more." The obvious example being the scapegoating of German Jews for the fallout from WW1. The claims here are same thing, and they are dangerous as hell.
3) Let's talk about just how absurd this is. The horrible "deep state" is blocking Trump from doing what he wants, but the people who blocked him the hardest in his first term were his own hand-picked advisors. It doesn't even add up. But instead, he's going to focus on probationary workers to clear out the deep state... Cause you know, the guy blocking Trump the hardest today is the guy who was changing the locks on the bathrooms at East Bumfuck National Park.
4) Let's also be clear: the organization that you could most reasonably say might "work against Trump" based on what it did under the Biden admin is the DOJ. They have turned on a fucking dime with the change in admin and are in lock step with him.

The whole "deep state" thing is a complete myth. I'm down with nuking Chevron, and I don't like the administrative state because it has deferred powers from both Congress and the Executive, but this isn't the way to do it. Nuking the IGs and top officials at all the agencies, as he did, is about all he has to do, and then win the SC case. I think, given Harlan Thomas' telegraphed statements about it, he has a decent shot at it, if he just kept it to those agency heads. Taking it down to the individual contributor level, in such a wanton and plainly disingenuous manner, might work against the admin. The presumption of regularity goes a long ass way in helping administrations get away with shit that is less than above board. But when you are blanket firing people who just got promoted 2 months ago for "performance reasons", that presumption gets stretched a bit thin. If Cheeto and his peeps aren't careful, they might even get the presumption of regularity thrown out and have courts start second-guessing government officials. Nothing would make this little-l libertarian happier than to see courts stop believing government officials when they are obviously lying about their motives.

[Edited on March 13, 2025 at 11:31 PM. Reason : ]

3/13/2025 11:21:06 PM

Quote :

"Senate dems better not vote with republicans on the budget"

WELP

can't believe that the Washington Generals of political parties completely fumbled something again!

3/14/2025 10:53:08 PM

I don't get the flip flop by schumer...he literally said the day before to not vote for it. He must be privy to something that spoked him

3/15/2025 5:23:29 AM

^ it's typically a negotiation tactic used to get better terms. At the risk you look bad to supporters. Usually better used when you can walk with no consequences.

3/15/2025 8:24:48 AM

it looks like democrats in power are doing nothing on purpose in order for something extreme to happen.

3/18/2025 8:08:53 AM

Good. That way we can continue to blame Democrats for not controlling Republican behavior from the minority.

Not that I'm pleased with their overall performance.

3/18/2025 9:43:12 AM

+1 for Cory Booker

4/1/2025 11:15:38 PM

https://bsky.app/profile/schumer.senate.gov/post/3lmi6hyf7f22x

I had in the back of my mind maybe schumers years of experience meant he was working in the background. But this post makes it clear he has no idea what’s going on.

Democrats are completely out of the game at this point

4/10/2025 6:32:53 PM

wouldn’t say they’re out of the game considering the crowds that showed up for AOC and Bernie

Schumer and Jeffries aren’t coming close to meeting the moment, though

4/10/2025 8:02:02 PM

Quote :

"Like her or not, former Congressperson Liz Cheney has a plan…and we're now all on the same side. She suggests actionable steps we MUST take to win our country back from the fascists. From Liz Cheney: Dear Democratic Party, I need more from you. You keep sending emails begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time. This administration is not simply “a different ideology.” It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control. And you? You’re still asking for decorum and donations. WTF. That won’t save us. I don’t want to hear another polite floor speech. I want strategy. I want fire. I want action so bold it shifts the damn news cycle — not fits inside one. Every time I see something from the DNC, it’s asking me for funds. Surprise. Those of us who donate don’t want to keep sending money just to watch you stand frozen as the Constitution goes up in flames — shaking your heads and saying, “Well, there’s not much we can do. He has the majority.” I call bullshit. If you don’t know how to think outside the box… If you don’t know how to strategize… If you don’t know how to fight fire with fire… what the hell are we giving you money for? Some of us have two or three advanced degrees. Some of us have military training. Some of us know what coordinated resistance looks like — and this ain’t it. Yes, the tours around the country? Nice. The speeches? Nice. The clever congressional clapbacks? Nice. That was great for giving hope. Now we need action. You have to stop acting like this is a normal presidency that will just time out in four years. We’re not even at Day 90, and look at the chaos. Look at the disappearances. Look at the erosion of the judiciary, the press, and our rights. If you do not stop this, we will not make it 1,460 days. So here’s what I need from you — right now: ? 1. Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition. I’m talking experts. Veterans. Whistleblowers. Journalists. Watchdog orgs. Deputize the resistance. Build a real-time archive of corruption, overreach, and executive abuse. Make it public. Make it unshakable. Let the people drag the rot into the light. If you can’t hold formal hearings, hold public ones. If Congress won’t act, let the country act. This isn’t about optics — it’s about receipts. Because at some point, these people will be held accountable. And when that day comes, we’ll need every name, every signature, every illegal order, every act of silence—documented. You’re not just preserving truth — you’re preparing evidence for prosecution. The more they vanish people and weaponize data, the more we need truth in the sunlight. ? 2. Join the International Criminal Court. Yes, I said it. Call their bluff. You cannot control what the other side does. But you can control your own integrity. So prove it. Prove that your party is still grounded in law, human rights, and ethical leadership. Join. If you’ve got nothing to hide — join. Show the world who’s hiding bodies, bribes, and buried bank accounts. Force the GOP to explain why they’d rather protect a war criminal than sign a treaty. And while you’re at it, publicly invite ICC observers into U.S. borders. Make this administration explain — on camera — why they’re terrified of international oversight. ? 3. Fund state-level resistance infrastructure. Don’t just send postcards. Send resources. Channel DNC funds into rapid-response teams, legal defense coalitions, sanctuary networks, and digital security training. If the federal government is hijacked, build power underneath it. If the laws become tools of oppression, help people resist them legally, locally, and boldly. This is not campaign season — this is an authoritarian purge. Stop campaigning. Act like this is the end of democracy, because it is. We WILL REMEMBER the warriors come primaries. Fighting this regime should be your marketing strategy. And let’s be clear: The reason the other side always seems three steps ahead is because they ARE. They prepared for this. They infiltrated school boards, courts, local legislatures, and police unions. They built a machine while you wrote press releases. We’re reacting — they’ve been executing a plan for years. It’s time to shift from panic to blueprint. You should already be working with strategists and military minds on PROJECT 2029 — a coordinated, long-term plan to rebuild this country when the smoke clears. You should be publicly laying out: • The laws and amendments you’ll pass to ensure this never happens again • The systems you’ll tear down and the safeguards you’ll enshrine • The plan to hold perpetrators of human atrocities accountable • The urgent commitment to immediately bring home those sold into slavery in El Salvador You say you’re the party of the people? Then show the people the plan. ? 4. Use your platform to educate the public on rights and resistance tactics. If they’re going to strip us of rights and lie about it — arm the people with truth. Text campaigns. Mass trainings. Downloadable “Know Your Rights” kits. Multilingual legal guides. Encrypted phone trees. Give people tools, not soundbites. We don’t need more slogans. We need survival manuals. ? 5. Leverage international media and watchdogs. Stop hoping U.S. cable news will wake up. They’re too busy playing both sides of fascism. Feed the real stories to BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, Der Spiegel — hell, leak them to anonymous dropboxes if you have to. Make what’s happening in America a global scandal. And stop relying on platforms that are actively suppressing truth. Start leveraging Substack. Use Bluesky. That’s where the resistance is migrating. That’s where censorship hasn’t caught up. If the mainstream won’t carry the truth — outflank them. Get creative. Go underground. Go global. If our democracy is being dismantled in broad daylight, make sure the whole world sees it — and make sure we’re still able to say it. ? 6. Create a digital safe haven for whistleblowers and defectors. Not everyone inside this regime is loyal. Some are scared. Some want out. Build the channels. Encrypted. Anonymous. Protected. Make it easy for the cracks in the system to become gaping holes. And while you’re at it? Stop ostracizing MAGA defectors. Everyone makes mistakes — even glaring, critical ones. We are not the bullies. We are not the ones filled with hate. And it is not your job to shame people who finally saw the fire and chose to step out of it. They will have to deal with that internal struggle — the guilt of putting a very dangerous and callous regime in power. But they’re already outnumbered. Don’t push them back into the crowd. We don’t need purity. We need numbers. We need people willing to burn their red hats and testify against the machine they helped build. ? 7. Study the collapse—and the comeback. You should be learning from South Korea and how they managed their brief rule under dictatorship. They didn’t waste time chasing the one man with absolute immunity. They went after the structure. The aides. The enforcers. The loyalists. The architects. They knocked out the foundation one pillar at a time — until the “strongman” had no one left to stand on. And his power crumbled beneath him. You should be independently investigating every author of Project 2025, every aide who defies court orders, every communications director repeating lies, every policy writer enabling cruelty, every water boy who keeps this engine running. You can’t stop a regime by asking the king to sit down. You dismantle the throne he’s standing on — one coward at a time. ? Stop being scared to fight dirty when the other side is fighting to erase the damn Constitution. They are threatening to disappear AMERICANS. A M E R I C A N S. And your biggest move can’t be another strongly worded email. We don’t want your urgently fundraising subject lines. We want backbone. We want action. We want to know you’ll stand up before we’re all ordered to sit down — permanently. We are watching. And I don’t just mean your base. I mean millions of us who see exactly what’s happening. I’ve only got 6,000 followers — but the groups I’m in? The networks I touch? Over a quarter million. Often when I speak, it echoes. But when we ALL speak, it ROARS with pressure that will cause change. We need to be deafening. You still have a chance to do something historic. To be remembered for courage, not caution. To go down as the party that didn’t just watch the fall — but fought the hell back with everything they had. But the clock is ticking. And the deportation buses are idling."

4/17/2025 1:08:49 PM

it’s a great strategy and why President Kamala Harris is thriving

4/17/2025 2:18:33 PM

Tell us how to do it, TGL.

4/17/2025 7:56:54 PM

by not listening to Liz Cheney

4/17/2025 8:01:22 PM

What would you think of the content if you didn't know it was written by Lynn Cheney?

4/17/2025 9:49:59 PM

it wasn’t written by her

the fact that they’re still using her name as if it has any sort of authority is what I have an issue with

[Edited on April 17, 2025 at 10:46 PM. Reason : .]

4/17/2025 10:38:35 PM

anyways, it’s gonna be Pritzker

4/17/2025 10:48:52 PM

^^^ it’s a good plan. Activist and politician are completely different modes and democrats need to shift to activist. Trump is an activist

4/17/2025 11:17:25 PM

[Edited on April 17, 2025 at 11:38 PM. Reason : ..]

4/17/2025 11:37:10 PM

Sorry, I should have known Liz Cheney didn't write that. That was dumb of me.

4/21/2025 9:50:07 AM

Who wrote it? I'm not going to look for myself, so maybe those already more knowledgeable on the topic will see fit to share the bounty.

4/21/2025 12:55:40 PM

a staffer

unless you think campaign emails are written by the candidates themselves

4/21/2025 1:51:32 PM

Why does a washed up ex-congressperson need staff?

4/21/2025 9:39:38 PM

doesn’t have to be a staffer of hers

[Edited on April 22, 2025 at 12:33 AM. Reason : .]

4/22/2025 12:32:54 AM

Quote :

"a staffer"

Sure but if it was sent from her account, doesn't it mean it fully reflects her beliefs and viewpoint?

What does it matter who actually typed the words or composed the email? If I tell my assistant to write an email to my clients (from my account) saying so-and-so and they send it without me proofing it and it backfires for some reason, I can't say "I didn't write it."

If it's from my account, those are my words.

4/22/2025 2:01:24 AM

I guess I also assumed that people would want to write their own words on important topics. I would.

So naïve. . .

4/22/2025 3:34:28 AM

^ yes sure, until you become someone busy and important, in which case you outsource the writing to your staff after you give them pointers on what to say, and then sign off on the message/email/post before releasing it.

that's standard practice worldwide; why are people surprised, shocked, or confused by that?


[Edited on April 22, 2025 at 5:14 AM. Reason : ]

4/22/2025 5:08:16 AM

I'm not really any of those things.

4/22/2025 8:32:28 AM

Good dialogue mirroring some of the commentary here.

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/twilight-of-the-edgelords

Quote :

"Adraste: Your position hinges on a theory that the Expert .Consensus.Of.Right.Thinking.People. would have expanded until it toppled. What if it grew up to some level, hit dynamic equilibrium, and plateaued? Wasn’t it starting to do that even before Trump? Beroe: You can’t have dynamic equilibrium without an opposition. People - like us - formed the opposition, making it plateau. But there was a lag, the opposition kept growing after the plateau, the pendulum swung too far, and we got a backlash. It would have been neat if we could have somehow titrated the opposition to the exact right amount to plateau and gradually ratchet down wokeness without overshooting. But we’re blameless - we dialed down the edgy essays well before the pendulum crossed its midpoint. Adraste: So you would have me tell the smug woke misinformation Redditor “You were right that airing these ideas would court disaster, but I was right that suppressing these ideas would court disaster; in the end disaster was simply on the cards”? Like the meme with diverging roads where both sides lead to dark stormy castles? Beroe: Sort of, but I would be harsher than that. Think about lab leak. The scientists said to themselves “If we let the public consider lab leak as an option, they’ll immediately fall for it, because it’s a fun conspiracy theory. And then they’ll use it as an excuse to hate and distrust all virologists, and cancel all our research, and never do anything about wet markets”. And they were right! As soon as the media could no longer maintain a united front in dismissing lab leakers as crackpots, all of those things happened! But maybe if they’d started out honest - if they’d told the public “We haven’t figured this one out yet, but we have to admit, against our interests, that lab leak is pretty plausible, we’ll study it and get back to you”, the public would have let them study it, and maybe believed what they said. And even if not - if the only way to prevent the public from falling for misinformation and distrusting science was to push a lie - the lie empirically failed! They couldn’t sustain it for more than a year or so! You can try to imagine a set of circumstances where they could successfully maintain the lie indefinitely. But now you’re in Cloud Cuckooland with Curtis Yarvin, fantasizing about a dictatorship strong enough that it can ignore public opinion forever. Put cryptographic locks on the NYT opinion desk, I bet that’ll work."

4/22/2025 11:35:56 AM