Thursday Stuff

CNN’s Harry Enten and John Berman take a look at the TN-07 race won by Repug Matt Van Epps over Dem Aftyn Behn, but not by much, as we learn from Enten...more importantly, Enten discusses the Dem overperformance across the country, and the TN-07 result is part of that trend; this makes me gnash my teeth a bit because I think to myself “where the hell were these people last year??!!,” but we are where we are...Enten's segment ends at about 3:47 (it should also be noted that the “R” team had to spend an ungodly amount of dough to keep Van Epps afloat, though Behn benefitted a bit from a lot of funding also)...I’m not the biggest fan in the world of David Axelrod, but he does make a good point that the Dems had better watch out for Repugs suddenly saying, “Oh, vote for me because I care about affordability too”; the “D” team needs to come up with a response, or better yet, hammer the “R” candidate over that so much that voters never forget it (more here)...



...and staying with the “volunteer state,” Farron Cousins tells us that libraries across Tennessee (with the exceptions of Knoxville and Memphis) are shut down on the orders of Secretary of State Tre Hargett (do I really need to identify the party?) so books with LBGTQ or DEI-related characters or themes can be purged, which is part of the whole effort to indeed erase these folks...great point by Cousins that none of the dough that comes from the state pays for the books, so the libraries could conceivably tell this Hargett guy to pound sand (more here...the dogs at the end are adorable)...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report brings us the story of University of Oklahoma student Samantha Fulnecky, who got a trans professor fired by claiming “religious persecution” led by these Turning Point USA scumwads (who are still at it despite the demise of their founder Charlie Kirk)...sooo, Fulnecky cites the Bible and doesn’t provide empirical evidence in her essay (which was about gender, and Fulnecky was supposed to use the class material in her essay, which she really didn’t do), and she received zero points for it, and she got hurt fee fees over it and decided that she would try to get the professor canned (if this were a theology class, then maybe this would be acceptable...maybe)...I would say that Figueredo is indeed being conspiratorial in saying that this student was out to “get” this prof, if it weren’t for the fact that doing that is indeed right out of the wingnut playbook...oh, and this student’s mom is a wingnut podcaster and attorney for some January 6th treasonous insurrectionists; yep, that “checks all the boxes” all right...more here (NSFW/H)...



...and RIP legendary guitarist Steve Cropper (who also co-wrote this unforgettable tune)...



...and here are more seasonal numbers.

Wednesday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen tells us of Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem implicating herself in a crime on national TV in an interview with Kristen Welker, with Noem basically agreeing with Welker that she chose to ignore a judge’s order to stop sending migrants to a prison in El Salvador (and I don’t want to hear this “activist judge” bullsh*t – this regime of criminals doesn’t get to decide which court orders they want to follow and which ones they want to ignore, as Cohen says)...Marc Elias provides legal insight on this also; didn’t know Judge Boasberg can appoint someone to look into all of Noem’s disgusting nonsense and, as Elias says, we may not even need to wait until a future Democratic congress for investigation into this barbarity...good job by Cohen to go over everybody the Tangerine Toddler has thrown under the proverbial bus (and why am I not surprised by this from Noem in any way?)...



...and as a bit of a follow up, Jerrod Zisser of Ring of Fire brings us the story of ICE wanting more ways to track you, going waaay beyond typical demographic stuff (contracting with Palantir for more surveillance garbage)...yep, mixing up targeted enforcement and broad domestic monitoring seems to be the goal here, or one of them anyway (Robert Reich also has a clip on this that I’ll plan to get to soon – more here)...



...and this CBC report gives a pretty good rundown on how Texas and California want to gerrymander for the ’26 election (and once more, if the Lone Star State had decided not to engage in this nonsense first, then CA would have kept out of it also)...with reporter Andrew Chang...pretty good description of how gerrymandering works, including “packing and cracking”...good job to report the derivation of the actual term “gerrymander” dating back to the 1800s...and it would have been nice if the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR had actually pushed back against gerrymandering in 2019, but of course they didn’t (probably because it usually helps Repugs as noted in the report) and we are where we are...



...and Stephen Colbert of The Late Show brings us the latest bedlam from Our Orange Atrocity...$37 for a MAGA red hat Christmas ornament? Yep, sound about white...and props to Dem MN guv Tim Walz for the most called-for 4-word response to the Gropenfuhrer that could be mustered short of profanity (I know I’m behind the news cycle on that a bit, but I think it bears repeating since the cut was aimed at Walz’s special needs son...typically putrid for Pumpkin Pol Pot)...oh, and we’re reminded of the latest murderous madness from “Kill Them All” Hegseth...”I don’t know anything about it – you talking about the two men?”; he doesn’t even bother to keep his lies straight any more (not sure what Colbert has against Caillou...#joke...a related item is here)...oh, and when we’re talking about incompetents in this administration, we have to include Crazy Eyes Kash (“I Need Help Finding My FBI Jacket”) Patel...



...and here are more seasonal selections...

Tuesday Stuff

Lawrence O’Donnell reminds us of Mango Mussolini and Ghislaine Maxwell (who has said she’ll take the fifth if called to testify under oath) and how Repugs are tethered to this orange psychopath...oh, and Cheetoh Benito has suffered a 39 percent decline over his first wretched term? I guess I’ll continue to await the breathless corporate media coverage on that like we were exposed to relentlessly after Biden’s admittedly bad debate performance last year (and we’ll likely keep waiting)...



...and Chris Hayes speaks with Dem U.S. House Rep Eric Swalwell on the latter’s lawsuit against Trumper Bill Pulte over at HUD...Swalwell is fighting back against Pulte for attacking Adam Schiff, Letitia James, and Swalwell himself, with Pulte wasting God knows how many taxpayer dollars in these silly inquisitions (the reason Pulte is culpable in particular is because he’s been looking into people’s mortgage records)...Hayes and Swalwell also talk about the TN-07 general election today between Trumper Matt Van Epps and Dem Aftyn Behn...



...and Belle of the Ranch informs us of 20 states suing Our Treasonous Orange Pustule to reinstate funding for HUD’s Continuum of Care program, with Trumpers turning permanent housing into temporary shelter, with strings attached of course (with the aforementioned NY AG Letitia James fighting for permanent funding, which is bound to drive the Tangerine Toddler particularly nuts...more here)...



...and I guess I’m a few days late with this NSFW/H item from America’s Finest News Source, but I suppose it’s still timely for this time of year...



...and here are more seasonal selections.

Monday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski tells us the awful news that ICE/DHS has “disappeared” at least 4,200 people...I didn’t know we were deporting people to Libya – one of these days (and assuming Dems ever return to power), we ABSOLUTELY MUST hold these psychopaths to account for this cruel madness, or else it will keep coming back in an ever more insidious form with more and more groups of people at risk...I’m going to be careful here and agree somewhat with what Kyle says about it taking as long as it has for violence against the forces sent to terrorize our cities, though of course I don’t condone it (either the occupation or the violent response) and I know Kyle doesn’t either (NSFW/H)...



...and there is at least the possibility of a mass exodus from the U.S. House with the ’26 elections looming, and one of those calling it quits is Repug Rep Troy Nehls of Texas, who once said here that, if he were alive during Biblical times, Charlie Kirk would have been the 13th disciple – a pretty good response to the attempt to sanitize what Kirk actually said and did is here...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report brings us more on the TN-07 U.S. special election (vote is tomorrow) between Repug Matt Van Epps and Dem Aftyn Behn...I think you can indeed measure how close this race truly is by the degree of absolute absurdity in the “oppo” stuff that is being dug up against Behn...and yes, I know how this pattern usually goes, especially down south (race is close, RNC and like groups drop millions in attack ads all over the place, Repug wins in a walk), but we’ll see if that holds up again this time around (I often wonder where this country would be if independent voters truly did their homework from election to election and didn’t just vote based on “vibes,” which I think happens way too often)...great point by Figueredo about how all of the gerrymandering BS could backfire on the Repugs (and I’m not going to give Carville any credit because he has been WAAAY LATE on the issues that matter and spent years talking/writing smack about progressives, to say nothing of those idiotic remarks earlier this year about Dems doing nothing in response to the utter economic collapse of this country...NSFW/H also)...



...and Mr. Newberger provides a response to our (perhaps) war criminal in charge of the DoD (more here)...



Update 12/2/25: Uh oh, it looks like "Whiskey Pete" screwed the metaphorical pooch (here).

...and I’ll be honest – given the utter awfulness of our ruling regime, I went back and forth on whether or not I should include the seasonal selections I put up here right about now, but in the end, I decided that I’m not going to let these SOBs ruin my holiday (that’s my position at this moment), so I’m just going to include them as per usual.

Friday Stuff

Farron Cousins tells us about MAGA freaks (some bunch called SoCal Patriots) wanting to take over Disneyland, because, as we know, nothing says how much you oppose a certain business than giving that business a bunch of money to patronize them, and doing so on the day of a pride event is turning the stoo-pid up to 11 (SMDH)...slightly NSFW/H...



...and Glenn Kirschner of Justice Matters gives us his take on the 5 Dem members of Congress who have encouraged our military not to follow unlawful orders, including Sen. Mark Kelly, who has a record of accomplishment in service to our country that the Trumpers can only dream about (with Kelly subsequently earning the wrath of “I’ll Drink To That” Hegseth, and oh yeah, Crazy Eyes Kash Patel and the FBI climbed onboard this crazy train also)...Kirschner methodically communicates what the Dem Congress members said and how their words are on legally sound footing (not only are these members required to point out that unlawful orders shouldn’t be followed, but the offending service members could be liable for following those orders, with the potential to be court martialed)...



...and Jen Psaki gives us a rundown on Cantaloupe Capone’s “clown car cabinet” living up to its name, including Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem and the aforementioned Kash Patel, who has taken a lot of jet trips that apparently have nothing whatsoever to do with his job as FBI Director, including to a hunting resort in Texas called the “Boondoggle Ranch”...and I know the details about Noem funneling taxpayer dollars to a favored firm isn’t new stuff, but it still bears repeating IMO, along with Sean “Let’s All Dress Up To Go To The Airport” Duffy; didn’t know he scrapped a Biden-era policy to comp travelers for flight disruptions, but that doesn’t surprise me either...and let’s not forget Scott Bessent telling folks to move from a blue state to a red state, completely ignoring the fact that blue states subsidize the hell out of red states (here)...and let’s not forget Bobby Brainworms trying once again to spread the fiction that vaccines cause autism (didn’t know a lot about the Olivia Nuzzi business, but that does indeed stink to high Heaven)...I know the Mark Kelly dustup was covered in the prior Kirschner clip, so I’ll pretty much “leave it there” on that one (and the Lindsey Halligan/James Comey/Letitia James story is also behind the news cycle I know, but still important to note)...



...and John and Sharon Reed of The Damage Report tells us that the Dems have the largest generic ballot lead for next year’s midterms that we’ve seen in 8 years, but that doesn’t mean that we can slack off and NOT put in the necessary work to at least take over the U.S. House, and at a minimum make a dent in the “R” party’s Senate majority (and the drag from the Tangerine Toddler, currently polling at a whopping 24 percent among independents, has a lot to do with that)...I’m not exactly sure how the Dems messed up New York, if that’s what Reed is talking about, but to be honest I have issues with her from time to time, though she’s right to imply that Dems need to tell people that they’ll get stuff done if people vote for them...and speaking of supporting Dems, let’s not forget about Aftyn Behn in Tennessee; to help her, click here...



...and Mr. Newberger gives us another number ripped from the headlines...



...and dear God, it really is that time of year again, isn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving 2025

I got a kick out of this pic, I have to admit (courtesy of Pixdaus and Daily Kos)...

...and here's another holiday fave, with an intro by Seth MacFarlane as Stewie Griffin (and again, the captions make this hilarious as far as I'm concerned)...



...and here is more holiday fun...



...and I liked this also, I have to admit...



...and here's a Thanksgiving message for those wonderful folks at the TSA.




Update 1: And here is another late addition.



Update 2: Might as well add this too (and yeah, "Man Tan" Boehner is long gone I know, but those who've followed him have done their best to make things worse).



Update 3: Imagine all the people that can be fed for $35 grand (here, getting serious for a minute).

Update 4: And since I add to this list every year, I might as well include this too (hasta la vista, baby!).



Update 5: And I suppose this is an apropos item too.

…and thank goodness the “culture warriors” of Fix Noise are trying to protect the holiday…



…and I guess this is an appropriate tune for the day...




...along with this.



Update 11/25/21: Well said.

Update 11/27/21: And here is a video about another holiday tradition.



...and I'll let Trae Crowder have the last word for now (NSFW/H).

Wednesday Stuff

David Shuster of Rebel HQ lets us know that architects have warned that Trump’s ballroom is a national embarrassment, doubling the size of the main White House building (and still more lies from Combover Caligula about the existing architecture not being touched or whatever...and as far as this “first lady” is concerned, losing that office is likely NBD to her since she probably isn’t there much anyway)...and I think that 33 percent approval is too high, but I realize those are the Trumpist cult life forms on that one...and yes, Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence has violated yet another law, this time not clearing his wretched plans through the National Capital Planning Commission (I mean, they’d flag what #47 is doing anyway, which is likely the reason they’re being left out of this mess)...and if #47 says this cluster will cost $300 million, you can be sure the amount will actually be at least double (here are some of the other guilty parties)...oh, and some of that dough will supposedly come from the $230 million he expects from the DOJ (in essence, suing the U.S. taxpayer?) Typical gall from this flatulent meat sack...GREAT point by Shuster about Repug congressional silence, and that includes this guy...and Jessica Tarlov should get a medal at least for continuing to drop her truth bombs on those miscreants at The Roger Ailes BS Factory...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report tells us that hundreds of pro-Trump X accts are actually foreign bots...leave it to Apartheid Clyde to stumble into doing the right thing (rolling out the new feature to increase transparency, albeit to drive engagement and ad revenue as Figueredo says by posting ever-crazier stuff), and also step on a huge metaphorical rake in the process, finding out that “America First” accounts are originating in Russia (of course), India, Pakistan, Nigeria (!), Thailand and the UAE, among other places...didn’t know that bots now make up the majority of online traffic, but I suppose that tracks (you can be sure that I’m a flesh and blood human though, my fellow prisoners)...and sadly, I also believe this will get worse because of generative AI...and it’s pretty plain that Elmo is messing around with Grok also, something that actually does work the way it should, a bit anyway...and the “throat goat”? I think I need to be de-loused after hearing that...NSFW/H...



...and given that we’re in the busiest time of the year for folks on the move, I thought I’d include this CBC report on Canada travel to the US dipping sharply in October, marking the 9th month of declines, because of the Gropenfuhrer (about 24% for air travel and 30% for land travel, included in a 6.3% drop in international visits and about a 3% drop in tourism spending, adding up to a loss of about 5.7 billion over last year)... with CBC reporter Jennifer LaGrassa, Prof. Usha Haley and US restaurant general manager Bob DiMattia...of course, we’re hoping for folks to come for the FIFA World Cup and the 250th, but I think we’re “whistling in the dark” on that one...we’ll see...



..and Robert Reich informs us of what Pumpkin Pol Pot is doing to Thanksgiving, with more on #47’s price increases, with turkey up 40%, partly because he’s fired scientists and bird flu experts while the avian flu wreaks havoc; also, his CDC and Department of Agriculture cut off reporting to states on this outbreak, so there’s no coordination on fighting back...he also rolled back anti-monopoly policies intended to at least slow down mergers of food companies that exacerbates price gouging...also, those stinking tariffs adding what’s essentially an import tax worsens this mess also, particularly since we import so much of our food (and with respect, I don’t expect our “conservative relatives” to see ANYTHING on this...I know I mentioned the plight of our farmers earlier in that More Perfect Union clip from a day or so ago)...



..and Seth Meyers presents another “A Closer Look,” including Cantaloupe Capone’s weird turkey pardon...and dressing like a Swarthmore English Lit prof, huh?...it’s actually painful to watch this babbling idiot go on about Illinois Dem guv J.B. Pritzker and Hunter Biden (and as if Combover Caligula has the right to criticize ANYBODY for being overweight)...and oh yeah, we had gang members, drug dealers and rapists walking through our open borders, but all that’s been fixed now (treated once more to Dementia Donnie’s Greatest Hits, though I guess “grass beef and smoothies” is a newer number)...oh, and he’s still going after his political enemies of course even though their cases were thrown out, including “Leticia” James...and let’s also not forget Marjorie “Traitor” Brown – yep, that last lonely synapse in #47’s noggin is flickering again...and his name is the sound you make when you sit in a golf cart – good one...



...and this might be the last newer tune for a little while, but as with all things concerning this site, it’s up in the air – just in case, here it is.