Notices by JamesWNeal (jameswneal@mstdn.social)

If you look at Trump's posts, there is always a grain of truth to them.

Pete Buttigieg: "He’s really doubling down on the crazy uncle vibe this evening."

Please be aware that at some point in the next 2 months, people you never heard of will come out of the woodwork and accuse
#kamalaharris and #TumWalz of exactly the kinds of things that have sunk candidates in the past. It will be timed to make it difficult to find out who paid them to lie before the damage has been done. Also be aware that Roger Stone is still out there, Steve Bannon will be getting out of jail, and the guy who came up with the Swift Boat smear is already working for Trump

My voice likely will get drowned out in the din, but I too, have things to get off my chest.

(1) they did basically pull the rug out from under Joe. The big money interests who won’t back a Republican, but didn’t really like how progressive Joe had become either. The “we need new blood” interests who saw a scratch and decided to rip open a major wound.

(2) Even the “damn if Joe has to step down in a second term we’re gonna get that AAPI Kamala” crowd. Together, they convinced enough of the electorate that Joe couldn’t pull it off that his ratings took enough of a nosedive he became convinced himself that he needed to bow out for the good of the country.

(4) We’re about to see what a lame duck president can do to leverage his “ain’t no reason to hold back now” position. I doubt the House is going to pass anything he might put up, but that’s entirely the point. Biden can Executive Order the hell out of anything he wants, and as court challenge after court challenge comes in, the American people are going to get a preview of just what could become reality if we keep the White House and dominate congress.

(3) The “democrats in disarray” and the “all is lost” lines are bullshit so long as we keep our heads in the game. Kamala’s already getting major financial and political backing and at least one of the people some folks want to fight her for the nomination, Gretchen Whitmer, has said no.

(5) Trump’s totally fucked himself with anybody who may have been on the fence, but still sees Biden as a good man. His statements today are going to be viewed by most Americans who respect Biden for his lifetime of service as just a step away from going to his funeral, standing outside the church and calling him names. No, Biden’s not “weak” for stepping down. It took more courage and humility than Donald Trump could even comprehend to make the decision he made today.

(6) I fully expect that Kamala Harris is going to tell us that Joe’s asked her to pick up the ball and run with it. The past four years have been her administration too, and as she said, on every key decision, Biden respected her enough to give her what she asked, the same thing he asked of Obama - to be the last person in the room with him.

(7) Some rich folks ain’t a gonna like that much, because she’s not going to suddenly give them the pass they were hoping for when they worked so hard to push Biden out. Will she be her own woman? Damned right and heaven help any person or organization she sees as taking advantage of the rest of us.

(8) I’m clear-eyed about this. We had one set of problems standing in the way of a much better tomorrow and right now we’ve traded them for another set. But the question of whether she could get major financial support was answered in a hour. The question of whether most major Democrats - and donors would also support her got answered just as quickly.

(9) As for the call for an “open convention,” here’s something to remember. Every single person who might be looked to as a competitor has the ability to say “no, not me. I’m in for Kamala 100%.” Hell, they could all show up at the convention, stand up and say “I’m throwing all my support behind Kamala.” Anyway, if more follow Witmer’s lead, anyone left standing is just going to look like a spoiler - and NONE of them are household names, so seriously people, that’s just not gonna happen.

(WaPo) Expect no major moves by Starmer. He will be steadfast on NATO and continue to support and help arm Ukraine. On the Israel-Gaza war, he may press harder for peace deal.

It is an open question, however, if Starmer’s vision “includes reestablishing Britain’s place in the world, or whether their concerns are so overwhelmingly domestic that foreign policy comes a bit more down the line,” said Bronwen Maddox, director of the Chatham House think tank. #Ukraine #NATO

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/04/labour-wins-uk-election-results-2024/

Another week and Clarence Thomas hasn't yet contracted with ProPublica to fill out his disclosure forms. Speaker Johnson's ready to fix that pesky problem that could cause Trump to be convicted endlessly in courts of law insulated from potential self pardon.

Meanwhile, the first Mom sat behind her son and relived with him some of his worst moments, joined by a neer-do-well with nothing better to do than to horn in.

Not that being called a "fucking Nazi" by Hunter's wife was his best moment.

If somoene provides you both a source and their synopsis, you will always be better served by reading, viewing, listening to the source. If they don't provide the source, search it out yourself. #journalism.

@stonekettle I suppose you know that your Threads posts show up on Mastodon (well those that aren't taken down), which means there are a lot of us here that would love it if you'd post here directly (where they won't be taken down). If you don't have a Mastodon account, setup isn't terribly difficult.

"Age is the only thing Trump and I have in common. My Vice President actually endorses me." Joe Biden at tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner

moon overhead throws branch shadows on snow #photography

@maskedscheduler I live in a dream world of endless possibilities.

Fox stock taking a bit of a hit at mid-day & not suprising they just fired their biggest draw. Y'know, not that I'm going to bet on it, but there is at least a sliver of a chance that Fox really has decided it's time to stop chasing the NewsMax audience, is intent on re-inventing itself. If that's the case, Tucker's being put on the sidewalk would have to be just the beginning.

https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/FOX/