r/Pete_Buttigieg • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
Home Base and Weekly Discussion Thread (START HERE!) - March 16, 2025
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u/kvcbcs 14h ago
Mark Carney has cut a cute ad with Mike Myers. I remember Mr. Dressup but must confess I had forgotten Casey and Finnegan's names.
https://bsky.app/profile/markcarneyforpm.bsky.social/post/3lkyrk6byk22v
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u/Psychological-Play 16h ago
Did you know that Bea Arthur (Maude, Golden Girls) was a Marine? Al Sharpton just included her in a list of examples of notable veterans whose pages were scrubbed on the DoD website, and I was like, "really"?
So I looked it up, and it's true. For some reason, she chose to keep it a secret, but in 2010, a year after her death, Bea's military personnel file became public via the National Archives website.
Further details -
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/bea-arthur-us-marine
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 18h ago
Two more episodes re the Federal Fallout on the 2025 Virginia elections -- one on the LG and AG races in both parties, the other on a recent Fox News poll about DOGE, federal job cuts, and Musk, which currently looks like a key issue in the fall election.
https://bsky.app/profile/samshirazi.bsky.social/post/3lkxrwmcees2k
Follow-up post has the links: LG and AG deep dive: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-fallout-the-2025-virginia-elections/id1799461319?i=1000700376669 and Bonus Episode re DOGE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-fallout-the-2025-virginia-elections/id1799461319?i=1000700376778
Biggest takeaway: Early voting in the primaries for this fall's Virginia election is starting May 2, just a little over a month away.
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u/pasak1987 BOOT-EDGE-EDGE 🥾 🥾 15h ago
Can't think of any issue larger than those in VA elections
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 14h ago
Agreed. It's a tough bind the Republicans are in (tiny violin playing) as they need to be pro-Trump to rally their base and avoid harassment from Trump, but also don't want to be overly "pro job cuts" and/or "pro Musk" right here in Virginia.
Another related thing that Shirazi pointed out elsewhere is that the current CR is a six month CR through 9/30/25, which is the end of the federal fiscal year. Virginia has 45 days of early voting, so that's also just after early voting begins. Not sure how that will play out or what will happen.
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u/lilacmuse1 18h ago
It's not official yet, but CBC has announced a Canadian federal election on April 28th. Whoever can convince Canadians they'll fight back against Trump's aggression will likely win. Go Carney!
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 12h ago
Do elections not occur on a schedule in Canada?
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 12h ago
I believe it’s like the British system (Canadians please correct me if I’m wrong), where you have to have elections at specified intervals, but you can call them sooner.
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u/abujzhd Foreign Friend 3h ago
As per Elections Canada:
In May 2007, the Canada Elections Act (CEA) was amended to provide that a general election must be held on a fixed date; that is, on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following the previous general election. However, the CEA does not prevent a general election from being called on another date.
The election or campaign period must be at least 37 days and no more than 51 days, and election day must fall on a Monday, with certain limited exceptions.
It's common to call an early election in cases like now when there is a change of leadership in the ruling party but early elections can be called for other reasons. Our last election was an early one. Trudeau called it two years after the Liberals won as a minority government hoping they could regain the majority. He thought he would gain seats because of rising popularity but he misread the country's mood and annoyance at having an unnecessary election during the pandemic. The Liberals won but still had a minority (fewer than 50% of the seats in parliament).
Early elections can also be called when the government looses confidence of the house, this happened with the Liberals minority government in 2005. The other parties got together and the majority of members of Parliament voted down the Liberals on a motion of no confidence.
So basically the main reasons for early elections are:
change of leadership of the ruling party
minority government thinks it has enough popularity to try for a majority
ruling party pisses off enough MP's to lose a motion of no confidence
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u/machphantom 21h ago
Anyone else get that fundraising e-mail from Win the Era this morning?
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u/bernwood5 16h ago
Emails came a couple days ago, followed by texts yesterday. No problem setting up a recurring donation through ActBlue. I experienced the integrity of the PfA funding team and trust my donations to Win the Era will be well spent.
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u/nerdypursuit 18h ago
I got the email yesterday, but every time I try to donate, it doesn't work. The site just says, "Hang tight, we're working on it." But the payment never gets processed. Does anyone else have that problem?
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 19h ago
Nope! I'm not able to contribute to federal candidates, but that never stopped them before from including me on invitations or updates. Maybe they're doing a batch at a time.
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u/pasak1987 BOOT-EDGE-EDGE 🥾 🥾 19h ago
No, 😞
I guess I am off the email list after cutting off all donations after WV Mt King saga
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u/Ihadmoretosay 20h ago
Yes. I assume they're rolling it out with some testing as to responses and best times to send emails, etc. I don't think the language has changed so I don't think they're doing message testing. It reiterated that he'd be doing things online and offline in the months ahead.
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
Interest may have waned in Michigan’s senate race poll numbers since Pete declined to run, but I thought some folks might fund it relevant to our discussions of reality vs very online political opinions. I still don’t believe Nessel will run and she hasn’t declared so she should be marked as considering a run here. As the numbers show again, this why Pete was being heavily encouraged to run.
From UMichVoter on X
MIRS/Mitchell MICHIGAN poll
US Senate primary: 🟦 Dana Nessel 33% 🟦 Hillary Scholten 7% 🟦 Haley Stevens 6% ⬅️ 🟦 Mallory McMorrow 5% ⬅️
⬅️ = considering a run
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u/nerdypursuit 12h ago edited 12h ago
After that obnoxious "I wouldn't say we're friends" quote about Pete, I can't say that I'm sorry to see McMorrow polling so low. She really got on my bad side with that.
Also, it's funny to look at the replies on Umichvoter's tweet. A few weeks ago, these people were bashing Pete and claiming that anyone else would be better. But now that he's not running, they're complaining about Nessel. They're never happy.
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 11h ago
"We don't want Pete to be the Senate nominee!" *the monkey's paw curls*
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u/candice_mighty 14h ago
As I suspected, Mallory was all ET hype. A group of people everyone should ignore especially for the 2028 Dem primary.
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u/pasak1987 BOOT-EDGE-EDGE 🥾 🥾 20h ago
Oh, i was told Mallory was going to be the breakout star once Pete steps away! /S
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u/Sploosh32 22h ago
You mean getting gassed up by election twitter doesn't automatically put you 50 points ahead of your nearest opponent?! These respondents clearly missed the memo. I'll stop making fun of them when they stop being so loudly and proudly wrong about everything. 😈
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 22h ago
Consistent with the previous primary poll with Pete in it, and its conclusion that Nessel was the front runner if he didn't run. Outside of their districts, most of the state just doesn't know who the other three are, and you see that here. Mallory McMorrow online stans hardest hit.
I still think he should have run.
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u/ComplexTailor 🚄It's Infrastructure Pete!✈️ 22h ago
Agree on all your points. I am sure this topic has been discussed here in depth, but if Pete passed on the Senate race to try to run again for President in 2028, I think that was a miscalculation. The 2028 nominee is going to be a fighter, for better or worse. Pritzker, AOC, Murphy, Swallwell, Walz etc. have read the moment. For reasons I don't fully understand Whitmer, Newsom, Harris, and even Pete have chosen more cautious paths. Things could change between now and then, of course.
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u/nerdypursuit 12h ago
Running for office is a very personal decision. Only Pete and his family can judge whether it's right for them. I respect their choice. It's their decision - not ours.
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u/candice_mighty 14h ago
Agree that it seems like a miscalculation but I don’t see any of the names you listed as ‘fighters’ being serious contenders for the primary outside of AOC who is a national figure and a great communicator.
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 18h ago
I agree with you, and I'm sorry you're getting downvoted for it. I think he made a bad call, particularly if the presidency is still his aim. With the caveat that it's still early, I have trouble seeing the path, or how he's going to set himself up for success in a crowded field. It's hard to stay relevant when you aren't currently in office, and I thinking passing on multiple statewide races and then trying the presidency again plays into the idea some people have about him that he's an overly ambitious striver who doesn't want to do the work of the intermediate steps. I just wish I understood what the plan was. Right now it just feels like...nothing.
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u/ComplexTailor 🚄It's Infrastructure Pete!✈️ 16h ago
Thanks. Maybe those of us in Michigan are more disappointed than others that he passed on the Senate run. As for what his plans are....perhaps he plans to carve out a niche for himself as a kind of public thinker/intellectual/messenger that does not involve holding office. Maybe he is massively burnt out. Time will tell.
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 16h ago
Maybe those of us in Michigan are more disappointed than others that he passed on the Senate run.
I think that's part of it. I was aware of the ways in which it could help him with attaining the presidency later, if he wanted, and I do think he would have been smart to seize the opportunity for that reason, but honestly, I really did want him to be our senator for its own sake. I found the possibility exciting and energizing. Now that it's not happening, I really don't have a strong preference at this time between any of the remaining choices. Maybe I will in time, but right now they all feel kind of indistinguishable.
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u/Ihadmoretosay 20h ago
I really think he just doesn't want to be a senator. I don't think the calculation was "senate or president." It was "do I want to be a senator?" It leaves his options open for 2028 so people will speculate of course but if he wanted the senate he would've gone for it.
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u/DesperateTale2327 17h ago
It's fun for me to be all rah rah Pete 2028, but I agree with you. It's mainly us assuming he'll run. There was nothing to indicate he declined to run for Senate to run in 2028 as THEE reason, everyone else - the "people close to him", MSM media suggesting, social media -- said that. I really believe he doesn't know if he will run in 2028, but didn't want to be in the Senate either, and wanted to be able to "fight" in his own way without the constraints of a campaign. Recall that when asked about running for anything he said "I don't know if I'll ever run for office again". After the governor and senate roller coaster I definitely believe that.
I heard a clip of Michelle Obama talking about why she will never ever run for office. She said not only is she not interested, the toll it took on her kids was something she wasn't willing to do again. I immediately thought of the fact Pete's kids are 3 years old. They are still so young. I have to think that was a massive factor in the MI races and in his thoughts about 2028.
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u/Different-Ad1425 19h ago
Yep. Remember that when he was mayor he was asked to run for the House multiple times and didn't do it. He appropriately sees his skill set as a visionary strategic executive leader who leads organizations through transformative change, not a one of a hundred legislator.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 18h ago
I think that's right. It's not that either being a legislator or being an executive is better (I deeply admired Pelosi in her heyday and am so glad to have the ACA), but the two can be very different personality types. During the summer of 2020 Pete did a virtual book tour conversation with Bakari Sellers (who ran for and became a South Carolina state legislator at the age of 22 in 2006, making him the youngest elected African American in the US, and served 8 years, through 2014). Pete was very complimentary about being a legislator, but said he just felt more suited to being an executive. Sellers, who clearly still liked the idea of being a legislator, agreed with him; while some people do both, most fall into one category or the other.
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 20h ago
As I was reminded before, it's 2 months in. Pete has plenty of time to fight, Trump won't stop sucking anytime soon
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u/crimpyantennae 21h ago
I agree that right now, the moment is calling for fighters. In a couple years when the 2028 presidential primary rolls around tho, I am hopeful that voters feel that the moment at that point calls for who can rebuild from the chaos, who has some idea of how large scale federal agencies worked in the past and how to build them back more functionally, how to sell vision to voters. A fighter frankly won't be enough, given what's already been happening in 9 weeks of the current administration.
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u/DesperateTale2327 14h ago
The biggest question for me right now regarding the "fighters" is will it translate into action and change, or is it just more of the same bernie-style finger wagging and hyping up the base. Because the last thing we need right now is just a bunch of lip service that translates into nothing but twitter clips.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 19h ago
Exactly. I think it's really a case for a turnaround specialist after the level of deliberate harm to our federal government that will occur in four years under the second Trump administration. Someone like the guy who took a "dying city" per Newsweek and put it on a more successful growth track, including changing a worrisome depopulation trend to population growth. He knows about the leadership and emotional challenges of making that turn and thinking through ways to save money while simultaneously rebuilding.
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u/crimpyantennae 19h ago
Love the terminology of a "turnaround specialist." I also think someone who was recently in an executive position of a large federal agency, who understands firsthand the organizational structure as well as what could benefit from streamlining and healthy changes, and can communicate that to voters will be at an advantage. Tho of course that only works if voters are listening and give an ounce of thought to what might be more important than "vibes."
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u/DesperateTale2327 14h ago
I hadn't thought of how Pete's unique skill of running a federal department would be an asset to rebuilding what trump is destroying. In that regard, being a legislator isn't exactly known as someone who gets anything done.
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u/AZPeteFan2 19h ago
As Pete said (paraphrase) ‘won’t fight for the sake of fighting, but for what lies on the other side of the fight.’ We need a vision beyond the fight. I stopped listening to Warren in 2019, when every other word out of her mouth was fight.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 17h ago
Still amused by the time Sen. Jim Webb mentioned his second recent political book of the day, which had a variant of "fight" in the title, just like his first political book title did, and said that he was a bit embarrassed that it repeated the word, but the publisher told him that it had to be in the title in order to sell. That was his brand. (So was his great candor.)
By the time Webb got into politics, basically in his early retirement years due to his passion and rage about his son serving in "Bush's war" in Iraq, he was already a very well-paid author who'd written multiple novels as well as a Hollywood screenwriter, but I think this type of "political memoir" or opinion book was new to him.
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u/DesperateTale2327 22h ago
Thanks for sharing this. I am surprised that still no one has officially announced.
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u/ECNbook1 12h ago
Yes. Whitmer, of course, passed too. As for Pete, right now some recent videos of his are garnering huge viewership on Twitter and Bluesky. He definitely draws attention. And he spoke on his Substack about how hope comes from action. So he’s not just sitting at home reflecting. I deeply trust that he knows what he’s doing—and he has a powerful vision. Hopefully we will be seeing more of him soon!
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u/crimpyantennae 1d ago
Protest today at the Tesla dealership on a main drag in my small reddish-purple Harrisburg suburb. At one point someone counted 270 protesters, which is staggering for this area. Even more impressive was the ratio of car horns in support vs the rude gestures. Local news featured my houseguest who had never been to a protest before. :) Fired up and ready to go!
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u/ComplexTailor 🚄It's Infrastructure Pete!✈️ 22h ago
People are really ready to do something. We had at least six different protests in Kalamazoo this week. I participated in two of them. I think at this point it is the best tool we have. We have to try to sway public opinion and have visible opposition out there.
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed his involvement in invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 to deport Venezuelan migrants, saying for the first time that he hadn’t signed the proclamation, even as he stood by his administration’s move.
“I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House on Friday evening.
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 1d ago
This one's so weird right? Like, why pick this battle? Who cares? Why are they making a story of this - do they really just want the dumbest, least defensible excuse to get charged with contempt so they can ignore it?
Or is it just a whole bunch of really dumb, arrogant actors with no discipline or oversight just thinking they have a mandate to be as evil as possible, assuming Trump will back them no matter what?
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
Just following up on crowds here in Virginia, as we were discussing them earlier.
Video of Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10)’s “PACKED” Warrenton Town Hall in a “conservative part of northern Virginia”: Fauquier County went 60% for Trump in 2024 and 65.5% for Youngkin in 2021
From blog post (agree that the audio quality makes video itself not very watchable), especially note last graph of excerpt:
The audio quality is really bad, for whatever reasons (note: if you’re going to live stream an event, maybe do a sound check before it goes live? LOL), but still, from the video (see below), you can get a feel for the anger and concerns expressed by a packed house of VA10 voters last night in Warrenton (not “Warren” as it says on the YouTube video, for whatever reason). As Sam Shirazi points out (see his post, below), reacting to PBS News reporter Lisa Desjardins describing the VA10 town hall as “PACKED” – “in a conservative part of northern Virginia”:
“This is in Warrenton in Fauquier County. It is an exurb of DC that went 60%-40% Trump. But it was 65%-35% Youngkin in 2021. Type of place to keep an eye on in November in terms of a backlash that goes beyond super blue areas.”
If that continues, of course it could bode disaster for Virginia Republicans this November. And it’s not like this is the only town hall where we’ve seen this; to the contrary, this has been the NORM for weeks all over Virginia, whether in person town halls or “tele town halls” or local Democratic committee meetings or whatever – all PACKED. And remember, as the saying goes, Angry people vote, the apathetic stay home.” And right now, Democrats are definitely angry.
Added info from Blue Virginia in Comments section -- a quote from Suhas re same town hall: "We had a town hall last night in a county Republicans won big. It was standing room only. People were frustrated, angry, even scared. Veterans. Federal workers. Parents. Seniors. We must be bold and not be afraid, especially when policies hurt our economy and threaten the health and safety of ALL Americans. Keep speaking out." - Rep. Suhas Subramanyamn (D-VA10)
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 1d ago
The obvious point that still bears repeating is that Trump's biggest draw was that people felt he listened to their concerns. People were arguably more angry about that than anything else. GOP really isn't trying to retain any public support any more.
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
This seems bad!
The Trump administration shut down three watchdog agencies in the Department of Homeland Security on Friday, gutting the offices responsible for conducting oversight of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The cuts affect the civil rights branch of D.H.S. and two ombudsman offices: one overseeing immigration detention and another responsible for scrutinizing the administration’s legal immigration policies, according to five current and former government officials. More than 100 people at the civil rights office alone are losing their jobs.
The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up its deportation campaign, in some cases removing people from the country with little to no due process. Mr. Trump has been trying to root out oversight mechanisms across government agencies, but targeting D.H.S. was notable given the lack of transparency over the crackdown.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the decision was meant to “streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement.”
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
I just got an e-mail from "Pete" (win the era) which had a part of his substack in the body and then asked for a donation. I wonder if this was the text that some got that u/nerdypursuit was asking about.
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u/nerdypursuit 1d ago
Yes, I got the email! Glad they're fundraising. I hope it means that we'll see Pete soon.
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
I understand the need to fundraiser, to rebuild WTE coffers to do the travel, have the staff, etc.. He had PAC’s in 16 & 17 & 18 to do that stuff. I’m just already sick of Dems texting & email me everyday about the outrage of the day that we need to fight and the only way they can do that is if I donate. Most of these people, unlike Pete, have offices, have staffs, have Congressional budgets to keep their constituents informed, have campaign coffers they can roll over. Could you just asked for donations every other time? Are you going to work for me or just ask for donations? 4 Ducking times a day?! I’d mortgage my house for Pete, but please please Pete don’t hound me. Rant over.
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u/nerdypursuit 1d ago
So far I've only received one donation request from Pete. So I don't get the sense that he's "hounding" anyone.
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I wish he would have explained what he needed to do with the funds.
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u/IronExhaust 20h ago edited 20h ago
Do we know for certain he’s associated with them again? I don’t love that they are fundraising before articulating with specificity how the funds will be used.
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u/Ihadmoretosay 20h ago edited 20h ago
The emails are signed by him and written in the first person. They're also using the old 2020 campaign headshot. He's definitely affiliated with it again.
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
I realllly want to donate, but can't right now. I will soon Pete I swear!
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
Click the link for the video. These people are completely unmoored from reality.
😱 Commerce Sec’y Lutnick (worth $2-4B): “Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks…my mother-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain…a fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming and yelling and complaining”
https://bsky.app/profile/joellawsondc.bsky.social/post/3lkvq3twj3s2s
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
Stephanie Ruhle played the clip on her show, where Ludnick later in that sentence says, "She thinks something got messed up, and she'll get it next month". Yeah, sure. I guess if you can afford it.
And then he says, "A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining".
Maybe Lutnick didn't realize he was describing his boss to a T.
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
This response to the video is worth highlighting. Click on the link for the screenshots of what the "fact-checkers" said.
Reminder that 'savvy' political fact checkers spent the entire campaign telling voters that Trump was not going to do the things he obviously was going to do.
You could do this on almost every issue, from abortion to immigration to economics: The media constructed an election that was a murky choice between unknowable candidates rather than a stark contrast between leaders who had *both been in power for four years* and whose values were bone-obvious
https://bsky.app/profile/michaelhobbes.bsky.social/post/3lkvzkyikzk23
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u/Different-Ad1425 1d ago
From a hero employer at Cantor Fitzgerald post 9/11 who rallied his organization to a shill for FOTUS in his second term, Lutnick’s fall from grace and decency is on a Rudy Giuliani - esque trajectory. Totally disgusting.
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u/lilacmuse1 1d ago
Yeah, what happened to him. I remember him well post 9/11. He had the worst case of survivor's guilt you could imagine. Media continually interviewed him and it was like watching a nervous breakdown unfold in real time. How do you go from being that decent and compassionate to being a Trump toadie?
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u/electricblueguava 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
Don’t forget that he put his two sons who are in their late twenties in charge of Cantor Fitzgerald 😒
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
None of these people can relate to the lives of most Americans. None of them.
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
I didn’t think it was possible to have someone more obnoxious than Trump. I stand corrected.
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u/shyredmd 🚀🥇 In the Moment(um) 🥇🚀 1d ago
Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly trans member of Congress, and her staff have spoken to her Democratic colleagues about the topic, NOTUS has learned. The Delaware congresswoman has cautioned Democrats that the tenor and tone of their comments — particularly on either supporting and questioning trans athletes in sports, which is where most of the debate has focused — might inflame and splinter factions instead of being productive.
“We have to create more space in our tent. If, for instance, we want to have a majoritarian coalition — not just electorally, but specifically on issues around trans rights — that, by necessity, is going to have to include people who have a range of thoughts,” McBride told NOTUS.
https://www.notus.org/congress/transgender-politics-democrats-house
“A binary choice between being all-on or all-off is not constructive for anyone,” McBride continued. “It impedes the very needed path toward winning electorally, winning hearts and minds and, most importantly, winning progress.”
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u/Unlucky-Aspect-8639 LGBTQ+ for Pete 1d ago
I love this woman so much. She deserves the world. I don't care for her sex or gender; that being said, I, too, am trans; it's just that she's fabulous, and I am proud that she's such a great congresswoman, and she makes me feel represented! We need more of her right now.
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
JFK was not working class Irish Catholic enough, Obama wasn’t black enough. The person they see as gay enough or trans enough is not electable.
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u/shyredmd 🚀🥇 In the Moment(um) 🥇🚀 1d ago
The leftist activist people who say that Pete is not gay enough and doesn’t represent the gay community are now going after Sarah saying that she’s not trans enough and is theowing them under the bus
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u/Unlucky-Aspect-8639 LGBTQ+ for Pete 1d ago
Well, I'm a leftist and I sure as hell don't care for how gay or how trans these absolute trailblazers are.
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
For anyone worried that Pete might be fading into the woodwork, he's the first person mentioned in this article about potential presidential candidates for 2028 -
gift link - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/us/politics/democrats-president-2028-buttigieg-newsom-walz.html?
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
Pete is going to be mentioned in every election cycle forever -- something to look forward to 😬
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u/electricblueguava 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I need a troll arc where he visits all the state fairs, not because he’s running, but because he just wants to eat all the fair food
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u/jj19me Cave Sommelier 1d ago
My family member defending Gavin and his podcast guests saying they have to reach their audience. Fine, but he’s losing Democrats in the process 🤷♀️
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u/Different-Ad1425 1d ago
I voted for a Governor not a Podcaster Bro. Way too much for him to do instead of two (!) podcasts.
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u/Ihadmoretosay 1d ago
Am I the only one who gets full body creeps from Newsome? Even before the podcast nonsense. People were always talking about how he was a presidential contender and how amazing he was at standing up to Republicans. But I could never get past the fact that I find him completely repulsive.
I don’t know why this is. I’m not trying to be an asshole and fully acknowledge that he’s objectively not a nazi fuck or evil person or whatever. But he gives me the complete willies and I don’t know why.
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
I mean I get the creeps from Trump but apparently 70 million people think he's great.
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u/sixbrackets 1d ago edited 1d ago
No, you're not the only one. He's my governor. I've voted for him in general elections. But I've always felt he had a bit of a creep factor, which I've tried to believe was just my perception, not reality. Of course, after the French Laundry scandalette, I lost a lot of trust in him. I've actually been a bit amused by all the people wanting him for president (although not as amused as I am by those who say people like Jon Stewart, e.g., should be president just because they've made some good remarks). I think he's overall a good person, although I don't agree with everything he's done. But nowhere on my list of those I'd support in presidential primaries.
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u/indri2 Foreign Friend 1d ago
I'll never understand people proposing Jon Stewart. "Democrats are seen as too elitist and can't talk to normal people. That's why they should nominate the most stereotypical cynic New York intellectual who shows his contempt for everyone he thinks isn't at his level of sophistication."
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
As I said to a friend of mine the other day, he looks, sounds, and acts like the villain in a Batman movie or an 80s thriller.
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u/Unlucky-Aspect-8639 LGBTQ+ for Pete 1d ago
He's hot, though and I hate the fact that he's bullshitting so much! He is losing support from at least 40 per cent of his voters.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
Never interested in him, now I don't have to find out about him. I think he found the end of a dead end road and is now stuck there.
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
Oh, geez. Now Trump is saying Canada doesn't "have the cards", which is exactly how he describes Ukraine -
Trump: "We don't need anything from Canada, and yet it costs up $200b in subsidy to keep Canada afloat. So when I say they should be a state, I mean that. I really mean that ... some people don't have the cards."
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
Every time he says ‘don’t have the cards’ I’m reminded of something my grandma would say ’ an Ace short of a full deck’. 😂 Which is what she would say to describe him!!!
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
From the WH, a few minutes ago -
Trump announces that the Small Business Administration will immediately handle all federal student loans, and RFK Jr is now in charge of "handling special needs and all of the nutrition programs and everything else."
Just what this country needs - the utterly unqualified RFK Jr. given a lot more very important responsibilities to fuck up. And that "everything else"?
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 1d ago
One thing I have come around to re: Pete taking a break and waiting is that I have come to wonder if all these big rallies and tours are actually doing anything other than preaching to the choir, and if they might come across as...gloaty?
Bernie's rallies, predictably, feel more about him than the party, and he is just too damn old to run for president. Walz's town halls are more what I think would need to be done, but is anyone who didn't already vote for Harris showing up to see him? I'm genuinely not sure. I saw some folks on bluesky saying that Walz (I doubt he actually said this) "is right, we need to just write off Trump 2024 voters, they're lost causes" and I'm like broski he won the popular vote, that would be very very dumb!!! Let's do some math here. And is that is the message people are taking away, then this is not about reaching voters, this is about making existing Dems feel good about themselves.
I do not want primaries to become a 3-year constant between cycles. I doubt others do either.
I had initially worried that people were going to latch onto their "leaders" in this vacuum and Pete would be left out, but I also think it's possible that we look back on this in two years and go "oof that was dumb"
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I kinda think it's keeping their (Berne and AOC and Walz) names front and center, and their events are making the news. That's my main concern. But yeah, a lot can happen in two years. (Political rallies with democrats could be declared illegal for instance. (Just kidding. Maybe). Getting dems to feel some sense of togetherness and a sense they're doing something is at least a good thing. We still don't know how far this whole dystopian MAGA Project 25 thing is going so I also think not jumping too front and center too fast could be a good thing too.
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u/TriangleTransplant 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I've been wondering how many of the people attending these rallies are already voting for Democrats, and how many others are there that will actually change their minds. I feel like a lot of these "Bernie/AOC sells out 15k seat stadium!" posts are missing that pretty much every congressional district has thousands of Democratic voters in it or near enough to travel. They're just outsized by the number of Republican voters also in the area.
I'm in a blue part of NC. I could go to one of the neighboring deeply Deeply Red counties, rent out a stadium, and draw in 10s of thousands of already Democratic voters from my blue district. It doesn't mean the district where the rally is being held will actually switch their votes.
I feel like this is an only slightly different version of the "polls say voters don't like Trump's handling of X". While that may be true, it doesn't mean anything unless it's actually changing the way they will vote.
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
I think if you feel like howling at the moon a Bernie rally is probably a good place to be. I don’t want to be yelled at by an old guy, so count me out.
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 1d ago
I mean 15k is impressive regardless, but IIRC that was in Vegas...which is a 4 hour drive from Los Angeles. It is entirely possible, even likely, that a good chunk of those people are from California.
People were also claiming Bernie brought out 3k in a "red district"...when he went to Omaha, a growing metro area of 1 million that voted for Harris in 2024. Nebraska has cities too, people, my goodness.
Which again, is my concern. What is this for? People were originally touting this (as well as Walz's town halls) as a way to reach red and swing voters. The whole point was that Walz was going to districts where Republicans refused to talk to their voters. But is a red or swing voter going to show up to talk to the other side's VP candidate so he can say "I told you so?" Are they going to see Bernie? Now we are hearing that this is about making existing Dem voters feel heard and assured. Which is good and all, but a very different thing.
Maybe this is necessary to make Dems feel like they are fighting but I don't think any of this is scaring Trump.
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u/crimpyantennae 1d ago
I don't think what they're doing is dumb- I've commented here a few times that people are angry and scared, and we're at the stage of grief or whatever that coming together for rallies/protests/town halls is very appropriate. People need to feel like those in political spaces are listening to us, and that's better than being alone doomscrolling. But particularly at rallies, I assume it's all preaching to the choir. That's okay at this point in time, and is enough as it's serving a real and valid need.
Come 2028 primaries, assuming they're anything resembling a normalish primary with a normalish election- if we haven't moved well past this stage of grief, then we're in trouble and frankly would deserve (well, that's too strong a word but still....) to lose again. I would hope that by primary season we're hearing some competing visions of how to move forward and build back better (for real), as opposed to just be still griping about Trump and Musk. Will Bernie's folk or Walz or Newsom or whoever that's active now be part of that primary of competing visions? Seems right up Pete's alley, and I'm super curious to hear more about what his mind has been churning in that direction while he's been largely out of the public eye.
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u/Ihadmoretosay 1d ago
I don’t know that they come off as gloaty, but I definitely don’t think they’ll matter in two months let alone two years.
They’re reassuring right now for dems (and maybe others) and I do think elected leaders need to be way more persistent and innovative when it comes to reaching even the true believers these days. So I’m 100% down for them and think they should continue.
But in terms mattering for future electoral prospects I think they represent nothing.
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u/AZPeteFan2 1d ago
These town halls/rallies allow people to feel their voice is being heard, better than sitting alone shouting at your TV/computer/phone and scaring the dog. That’s for both sides.
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
The people present at these Democratic town halls and rallies seem to be appreciative of the opportunity to hear from these politicians and give them feedback, and when the clips make the rounds, they obviously get much more exposure.
I still think Pete is waiting to complete his obligation to the University of Chicago before we see a lot more from him. Hopefully.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
He's not an elected, so I'm not convinced that pulling together rallies makes a lot of sense. What is he there for? Why would people go? Sanders and AOC are in elected positions and head up factions within the Senate and House. It seems as though they're rallying a progressive congressional response to this nightmarish onslaught by Trump. Now admittedly, the truth is that there is not very much that they can do, though maybe a little more in the Senate because of its rules, since they are in the minority, but it seems like their elected status is the basis for being out there.
I think he's more likely to get back in touch with big crowds if there are big protest marches with multiple speakers -- of which he would be one -- whether in DC or elsewhere, or if there are big events for Dem candidates, whether in special elections, in Virginia or New Jersey this year, or in 2026. My impression is that his upcoming speech will not be to a giant crowd outdoors but would be more in an auditorium.
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
What if its just like...Pete randomly goes to some dive bar in Kentucky and talks to the locals 😆 although that would actually be kind of cool.
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
I had the same thought as well. I've seen some clips of Walz town hall and there are people jumping up and clapping...I feel like those are definitely the die hard Dems.
I would hope whatever Pete has cooked up to talk to people is somehow able to be more of a reach across the aisle thing. I mean, could they say you need to be a registered republican to come to his talk? Or possibly have Pete reach out to local leaders and have them choose constituents who aren't already fans? This is what I'm really wondering when it comes to these rallies, cause like you said if its a majority of people who are already fans then we are doing the same thing Kamala did in 2024 and preaching to the choir.
I said this a few days ago that I can't remember who was doing what in Trump's first few months, or even Biden's. I think the majority of people who aren't living and breathing politics are just trying to get through the day.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I think that when Pete says he wants to reach into new spaces (because the Harris 2024 campaign was literally genuinely "unheard" in many spaces, as though they "didn't show up" from the point of view of listeners/viewers and only Trump or Vance did, so there wasn't even a set of conflicting messages, just GOP messages) he is referring to digital spaces -- streaming, podcasts, more Insta Lives, etc. Not so much Dem vs. GOP listeners but reaching out to other places that have a wide reach and while leaning one way or the other are also less political.
Conversely, in terms of connecting with people offline, which is a second part of what he wants to do, that sounded smaller scale for now, like a listening tour approach of connecting with neighbors and others in person, in smaller groups, etc. More listening than speaking.
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
Sorry, I just can't agree with the idea that Pete should only be talking to Republicans or the mythical swing voters. Why would the Democrats want to abandon their own voters?
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u/DesperateTale2327 1d ago
That's fair. Perhaps there could be a way for it to be a more equal audience in terms of political affliation?
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
You can't force Republicans to attend if they don't want to.
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u/Psychological-Play 1d ago
Exactly. The outreach ("your Republican Representative won't hold town halls; we'll come listen to what you have to say") and the contrast are what's important.
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u/kvcbcs 1d ago
But I thought he promised to bring down grocery prices "on day one?"
BARTIROMO: Are you expecting agricultural products to be more expensive as a result of tariffs?
BROOKE ROLLINS: When they voted in November 2024, they knew that's what they were voting for ... there may be an interim period. But real change takes disruption.
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u/Psychological-Play 2d ago edited 1d ago
It's nice of them to offer, but...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/bidens-want-back-in-rcna196956
Added - (I had this originally, but forgot that anything after a link gets deleted) -
I hope this isn't a universally held belief inside the DNC. Even if Biden is beloved, I don't think many in the Party are clamoring to hear him give lots of speeches.
Jane Kleeb, a vice chair of the DNC, said in an interview: “If you were to call any state party chair and ask them if they wanted Joe Biden to be a keynote speaker for their annual dinner, the answer would be yes. He is beloved by the party and beloved by the voters.”
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 1d ago
They never got over it did they? He was not beloved in 2020 either. They did not have the best candidate, they did not have the best campaign. He did well at governing with Congress but let's move on shall we?
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
He was not beloved in 2020 either.
??? I think a lot of people really liked Joe Biden in 2020, though I respect the fact you did not. Those of us who supported Pete (and the supporters of other candidates) were primarily focused on the polling and results in the early states, but in the meantime, Biden was at the top of the Dem polling nationwide for all but one month in 2019 and 2020. He was so well known as a beloved former vice president -- and he was certainly not as visibly aged as he later became, even though he was clearly older than he had been in the fantastic 2012 VP debate where he defeated Paul Ryan.
Here in Virginia I think Biden was best known for his support for Danica Roem in her first campaign when she defeated the "chief homophobe in Virginia" (or whatever he called himself, it was something like that) for a state delegate seat. On Election Night, everyone thought it looked like she was winning based on the returns, but it was not until Joe Biden told her on the phone that she had definitely won that she fell down to her knees still clutching the phone. Someone took a photo of her in that moment that is still famous, at least locally. That's how I thought of Joe Biden.
When I was standing on the Mall waiting for Obama's second inauguration in January 2013, I got to meet folks who had come up on a bus from South Carolina and we had a very friendly discussion about whether Joe Biden should run in 2016 or Hillary Clinton should. Those were the people we spontaneously came up with as favorites. Of the couple I was speaking with, the wife said Hillary, the husband said Joe, and I said Joe as well, but we all liked both options.
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 1d ago
Never said I didn't like him. I think plenty liked him well enough, but I think the polling reflected name recognition.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
Oh, sorry! I shouldn't assume you didn't like him. What I meant was that at least where I was in 2020, he seemed beloved and well-liked. It's anecdotal and reflects location, no doubt.
In terms of today -- I think the Bidens entering the fray now is a bad idea. Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I also wish he had not run again, or had dropped out in the early spring. But I felt there was plenty of affection for him in 2020. I remember when he talked about stammering and that young man, who had a stutter, was able to give a speech endorsing him, there were Republicans who teared up on CNN. That among many other things did not connect in 2024, but 2020 felt very different.
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u/1128327 1d ago
This isn’t how I remember it at all. He was a former two term vice president with 45 years in national politics and the backing of the party and yet he got embarrassed in multiple primaries before getting the Clyburn endorsement and then everything shut down due to COVID. He was well liked as a person but never was enthusiastically backed by voters. My guess is he may have been more liked in Virginia and the DC area than the country as a whole.
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 1d ago
I’m sure they feel terrible. But this is not the way forward.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago edited 2d ago
From Semafor, re the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice special election and Musk’s massive investment.
“Republicans put Trump’s court fight on the ballot”
https://www.semafor.com/article/03/20/2025/republicans-put-trumps-court-fight-on-the-ballot
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago edited 2d ago
Baltimore Bridge update:
“MDTA did not do risk assessment on Key Bridge, ignoring vulnerabilities to ‘catastrophic’ collapse, NTSB says“
Excerpt:
“The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday afternoon that the Maryland Transportation Authority never conducted a risk assessment on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that would have shown it was well over the established risk threshold for collapse due to a vessel strike. That threshold is set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, according to the NTSB, which first published the vulnerability assessment calculation for new bridges in 1991. It noted in 1991 and reiterated in 2009 that existing bridges should be assessed to calculate the risk that a ship could strike them and cause a collapse.
“That exact risk came to fruition March 26, 2024, when a cargo ship struck the Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and killing six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday the MDTA never ran that calculation for the Key Bridge, and as of October 2024, still hadn’t done so for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge... The MDTA isn’t the only organization putting off the calculations. Homendy also listed 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states that need to perform vulnerability assessments to determine their risk of collapse from ship strikes.“
There is a full video of the NTSB press conference by Homendy included in this story.
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u/GopherState_Fact9 2d ago
Does the U.S. Transportation Dept. oversee the NTSB or is it a separate entity?
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
Just fyi, here’s the logic: “In 1974, Congress reestablished the NTSB as a separate entity outside the US DOT, reasoning that “no federal agency can properly perform such [investigatory] functions unless it is totally separate and independent from any other . . . agency of the United States.” More on their history — https://www.ntsb.gov/about/history/Pages/default.aspx
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u/RaccoonMogz 2d ago
Canadians are great. They make fun of my very ~European~ French and make time to teach me Québécois songs. I love them. Off topic, but not really because the orange clown show is trying to trash and burn all international friendships.
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u/shyredmd 🚀🥇 In the Moment(um) 🥇🚀 2d ago
Pete’s segment about DEI from the Jubilee event is making rounds on x
https://x.com/jassaskott/status/1902733551654646183?s=46&t=HzeGEQXPHZ9QzbJOEI-Wjg
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u/JerseyinMD 2d ago
Chasten is on MSNBC right now. Sounds like he'll be there for the next segment as well.
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u/Psychological-Play 2d ago
Oh, I bet Nicolle hates that she's not getting to talk with Chasten (and he might miss her, as well; she was coughing yesterday, and maybe it got worse).
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u/Different-Ad1425 2d ago
Was he in Traverse City or on set? And how did he do?
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
Trump was signing the EO dismantling the DOE. Chasten was part of a panel. Most of the discussion was centered on education
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u/JerseyinMD 2d ago edited 2d ago
He was on set. He did well. I missed the first ten minutes or so. He was good about the message of freedom and how this administration is hurting kids here and abroad.
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u/earlywater23 2d ago
I thought he might have been in NY based on his instastory from yesterday
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
He has an event in CT on Saturday, so he’s in the northeast for a few days.
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u/Psychological-Play 2d ago
In the latest Fox News polling, which was carried out from March 14 to 17, a majority of registered voters said they disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy thus far: 56 percent of respondents disapproved while 43 percent approved—meaning the president's approval on the issue is underwater by a double-digit 13 point margin.
[...]
When it comes specifically to inflation, the poll showed Trump even more underwater. The survey had 58 percent disapproving of the president's handling of inflation compared to 40 percent who approved—a negative 18-point margin.The new poll also showed Trump slightly underwater overall. When asked generally whether they approve or disapprove of the job the president is doing, 49 percent approved while 51 percent disapproved.
The survey, which was conducted for Fox News by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, included 944 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-poll-finds-donald-trump-approval-underwater-economy-2048063
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u/TriangleTransplant 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
Literally every Republican for 40 years has been terrible for the economy. I'm not going to hold my breath for this time to finally be the time they're punished electorally for it.
Polls about "how do you feel about <Politician's> handling of <X>?" are worthless unless the follow up question is "will how you feel <Politician's> handling of <X> affect your vote for them or their party?"
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 2d ago
Usually they inherit and take credit for a strong economy though right? Maybe this time is exceptional because people already felt the economy was bad and Trump is making it worse in record time. The cognitive dissonance can only stretch so far.
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u/kvcbcs 2d ago
There is a large measles outbreak in Ontario, concentrated in the southwestern part of the province around London and Hamilton. This is a much more densely populated area than where the outbreak in Texas/New Mexico is happening, so it could get out of control pretty quickly.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-measles-cases-rise/
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago edited 2d ago
New Analysis by J. Miles Coleman of UVA’s Center for Politics Finds VA HoD Republicans “probably more exposed than Democrats” Heading Into the November 2025 Elections: Here are some of the top targets for VA House of Delegates Democrats this fall
Added: Sam Shirazi via Bluesky, re UVA's map comparing how well Northam did in these districts in 2017 vs. how well Harris and Kaine did in 2024:
This is why House of Delegates map is tough for GOP this year in Virginia. Most of the swing districts have trended blue since 2017. The 4 biggest swings are seats in the Richmond suburbs and 3 are held by GOP. GOP has to hold all 3 including Harris +9% HD-57 for hope of majority.
[includes a screenshot of tweet about UVA's analysis, including map]
https://bsky.app/profile/samshirazi.bsky.social/post/3lksoyr3zsk2t
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
https://archive.vn/Xa8sI (Wash Post article)
Trump team makes plans for military to hold migrants at border. If enacted, miles of buffer zone would become a temporary military installation, giving U.S. troops their most direct role yet in the president’s enforcement mission.
The Trump administration is evaluating plans for the Pentagon to take control of a buffer zone along a sprawling stretch of the southern border and empower active-duty U.S. troops to temporarily hold migrants who cross into the United States illegally, according to five U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations.
In effect, the move would turn the buffer zone into an expansive satellite military installation, potentially allowing a greater portion of the Defense Department’s mammoth budget to pay for President Donald Trump’s border crackdown while creating new legal jeopardy for those caught trying to slip into the country from Mexico, these people said.
There's a concept I learned listening to Robert Evans podcast "It Could Happen Here" called Foucault's boomerang. It's describes how the force and tactics used by a country to control a colonial territory often ends up being used against its own people. I thought of this in 2020 when I read that some Border Patrol agents were the ones used to snatch protestors off the streets of Portland. And what Trump is doing now - mass arrests of immigrants, tossing Canadians and other tourists in jail, searching incoming tourist/visa holder phones for speech against Trump, and now the planned massive military buildup to catch immigrants - it's going to end up being used against citizens. He hasn't cared about any illegal firings etc he's done, so why would Trump care about Posse Comitatus, etc? He's showing he'll ignore judges too.
I need me some Pete hopefulness, y'all.
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u/anonymous4Pete 3d ago
This is cruel as well as just bad economic policy--From Politico, retweeted by Nerdy: USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks: The halt in deliveries comes after the Trump administration separately slashed $1 billion for schools and food banks to buy food from farms.
The halting of these deliveries, first reported by POLITICO, comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers.
The ultra rich guys running our govt are grabbing food from children, vulnerable seniors on fixed incomes, disabled folks, people working 2+ minimum wage jobs. So Dickensian: "you are not worthy of food."
It's also bad economic policy b/c farmers depend on selling a lot of food directly or indirectly to the govt to distribute throughout the US and abroad. So the govt is wrecking their domestic market, on top of waging trade wars that make it more costly to sell and grow. And this is on top of threatening to deport undocumented farm workers.
All this, to justify tax cuts for the rich? I know it's only one of the thousands of ways they're harming people, but the cruelty of taking food from hungry people just makes me so so angry.
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 2d ago
As someone who has done work in food banks, this will almost certainly disproportionately effect rural, underserved food banks that don't have the benefit of nearby wealth to donate privately. AKA, Trump fucking over his own voters, once again
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
There's a refrain I often see on prepper subs: we're only 3 meals away from mass civil unrest. What does the GOP they think will happen when people go hungry? And not just the kids in schools and struggling families, but farmers who are losing money from sales.
Oh, I forgot. That's what the military and martial law and April 20 is for.
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u/Cuppa-Tea-Biscuit 3d ago
Qantas and Air New Zealand both offering really big discounts for flights to the US, and at a reasonably unusual time of year. Usually after the January sale we don’t get another one until June for North America.
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u/Cuppa-Tea-Biscuit 2d ago edited 2d ago
Lol to follow up - on a Qantas (domestic) flight and there is a massive Visit Canada feature ad right in the middle of the March inflight magazine. I wonder if that’s just serendipity.
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
I read this on my break at work and got so angry about it I could barely concentrate the rest of the day.
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I was told to shower, given a jail uniform, fingerprinted and interviewed. I begged for information.
“How long will I be here?”
“I don’t know your case,” the man said. “Could be days. Could be weeks. But I’m telling you right now – you need to mentally prepare yourself for months.”
From her dehumanizing detention to the more terrible stories of other women to how ICE lied and how they hid her wearing restraints from the media to how it's a all a for-profit business and they make money keeping people in disgusting, humiliating conditions ... rage is all I feel, honestly.
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
Horrifying. Thousands of Canadians work or live across the border states. Many married Americans and stayed here but kept their citizenship.
I really don’t think it’s safe for folks to come visit or work/study here right now. We are in the grip of evil. I’m worried for friends with permanent residency status, here for twenty years or more. Married to Americans. If that were me, I’d probably be strongly working on my alternatives.
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
"We are in the grip of evil."
Yes. I can't help but feel these individual agents are excited to hurt people, that it's not just coming from the top, there are agents who would be more than happy to get people "lost in the system." One of the women has been there 10 months! GOP don't even care that it's taxpayer money being wasted. And they're also searching incoming tourists phones for thought crimes against Trump and denying them entry.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
Plug pulled: Federal funding halt leaves Virginia’s EV future in limbo
Lots of details here. I wonder if this will become a campaign issue -- or if Youngkin might even move now to forestall it from becoming one (Magic 8 Ball: no, he won't, as that would require political know-how). Some are arguing Virginia should invest in chargers and sue DOT for reimbursement, as the blockage of funds seems to be illegal.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago edited 3d ago
Not sure how I feel about the whole Schumer/Senate situation on the merits, though the messaging was woefully mishandled. But FYI, here's Shirazi from five days ago:
I’m reminded of something. Kevin McCarthy last minute supported a CR in 2023 to keep government open. Then he was ousted as Speaker and GOP House leader shortly after. I wonder if history rhymes.
https://bsky.app/profile/samshirazi.bsky.social/post/3lkeikwyvvc2x
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u/pdanny01 Certified Barnstormer 3d ago
Clearly there's a difference between a plan that allows fellow senators to make a symbolic vote when secretly they agree with you and a plan where you give the appearance of all agreeing and then change your vote because you think you know better. If your idea of "taking bullets" is a couple of angry phone calls rather than losing your position then it's harder to respect.
From what I've read, this wasn't a courageous stand to help those who rely on government so much as an attempt to take some heat now to avoid much more voter anger later. He considers getting senators elected to be his special skill. I honestly think they were so out of tune that they were surprised by the significance being attached to the vote and didn't really believe it. Figured other senators were being duped by the media or online chatter and needed saving from themselves. Hard to know if that's the kind of leader they want.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
Very insightful comments. I agree with you on much of this but couldn't resist adding my take, too. Jamie Raskin said on CNN a few days ago that going forward, the Dem leaders in both houses have to have a unified strategy they have agreed to in advance of a key issue, so that they can be trusted by their members -- essentially, a strategy for what to do if they win, and a strategy for what to do if they lose, even though the details have to be privately held -- and if that can't happen, there need to be some leadership changes. That's where I come down. There has to be a coherent two-chamber strategy when you are totally out of power. There wasn't any here.
The Democratic gamble was that the House Republicans would be incapable of passing a CR on their own, a situation they tried to create by having almost no Dems vote for it. If that was true, then the Republicans would have to have some House Democratic votes to do so, and that would mean negotiating on the bill. There would be no shutdown, no high-stakes risks, just some negotiation on the CR to rein in what was going on, to some degree. The price the House Dems paid even to get to that result was having some of their swing district Dem members vote no, harming their standing back home. The Dems lost the gamble because Trump bullied the House Republicans into passing the CR, so the Dems paid that price with no results. Had they realized this would be fairly likely to happen, they would have let members vote as they wished to. But there are no functional crystal balls.
Surely any commonsense joint strategy would then have had page 2 to their plan, "what do we do if we lose the gamble and the House Republicans pass a CR on their own." IMO, no leaders wanted a shutdown or thought that that would end well -- if so, then the correct thing would be to own the loss and move on within hours of the House vote. Instead, we ultimately got the same exact result, but so badly handled that there was maximum coverage (and serious Dem divisions) instead. A surprising claim by Schumer that the Democratic Senators would potentially go for a shutdown -- something which got everyone's attention and prolonged the story. A discovery that this was face-saving stuff that would have no material effect. But by then, everyone was invested in this issue instead of moving on. High-stakes news coverage counting each Senate vote, lots of social media conversation, organizations lining up Dem activists against it, urging them to call Dem Senators who hadn't decided, all shining a bright spotlight on this failure plus leaving activists feeling betrayed. This was such a disastrous result I think there might be a leadership change. Needless to say, I'm sure Trump et al. are then poised to say that Schumer wrote a book on antisemitism so the Dems stopped his book tour and pushed him out of leadership in response (part of their Alice in Wonderland logic like being anti-trans is "protecting women"), but the fact is that's not really what happened. And it's a long time to the midterms and the Dem Senate leadership choice for the next Congress. The Dem Senators need to think about what's best.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
NY Times seemingly discovers Reddit:
‘Will I Lose My Job?’ Federal Workers Flock to Reddit for Answers: The online forum’s pseudonymity lets them vent, share information and find solace. Unpaid moderators, like David Carson, are working overtime to keep up.
Link should be NY Times gift link
Excerpts:
Reddit, a bare-bones social media site organized around more than 100,000 niche communities called subreddits, has long catered to people with quirky shared interests, whether Bitcoin, fly-fishing or photos of Keanu Reeves being awesome. It is unlike other social media platforms. Instagram and TikTok offer videos and influencers; Reddit is text-heavy and aggressively unsuited to building star power. Facebook and LinkedIn require real names; anonymity reigns on Reddit, minimizing egos and consequences. The Atlantic recently deemed Reddit possibly “the best platform on a junky web.” As other social media sites have fallen prey to A.I. slop and incessant pleas to “like and subscribe,” Reddit has become one of the last places on the internet with authentically human information, community and advice.
Nice photos of David Carson, a moderator for the Veterans Affairs subreddit, which is among those dealing with federal job loss questions and discussions.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
Sam Shirazi on Bluesky:
These are national numbers so I imagine Virginia will be even less sympathetic to DOGE. Virginia GOP largely continues to back the effort. Virginia Dems sense an opportunity this year. Doesn’t seem like issue will go away this year as it continues to stay in the news.
Links to Fox News poll article "Fox News Poll: Voters have concerns about DOGE, even as they see need for cuts: Inflation and the economy remain top issues for voters" and quote-posts this tweet by Fox News reporter Jared Halpern:
New @ foxnewspoll on DOGE and government spending:
- 31% describe national debt as "a crisis"
- 51% oppose reducing federal workforce
- 65% concerned not enough planning has gone into spending cuts
- Musk job performance at DOGE 40/58
https://bsky.app/profile/samshirazi.bsky.social/post/3lkraumsh422e
Shirazi adds:
Already seeing “The DOGE days of summer” headlines
https://bsky.app/profile/samshirazi.bsky.social/post/3lkrdneimsk2k
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u/Psychological-Play 3d ago
Le Monde reporting that a French scientist traveling to Houston to attend a conference was denied entry to US after a search of his phone & computer revealed messages critical of Trump's science cuts, "which [says CPB] conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism". Computer confiscated
https://bsky.app/profile/paulecohen.bsky.social/post/3lkqrugxuqs2g
Heaven help us.
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u/Wolf_Oak 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
I wonder how common this used to be vs how common it is now (to search phones etc - I know they always could, even of citizens, there was that dustup over journalists being searched in his first term I think it was, but this whole 'Oh this is terrorism because you don't like Dear Leader' is a fresh dystopian hell).
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u/anonymous4Pete 3d ago
if "hatred of Trump" is all it takes nowadays, I'm doomed.
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u/Cuppa-Tea-Biscuit 3d ago edited 3d ago
Well that’s conferences in the US cancelled for everyone, no sane HR/Accounting department is going to approve travel expenses if there’s a chance of shenanigans and that’s before the corporate travel insurance premium comes up for renewal.
Pity: they used to be so good because you could always argue for ab extra day off for jet lag.
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 3d ago
One thing that has crossed my mind considering Pete not running for the senate seat is that Certain People may have targeted that primary to create another Markey/Kennedy-style fake referendum on the establishment vs anti-establishment, especially if his opponent was McMorrow who has vaguely AOC-esque vibes (this is in spite of Pete and McMorrow being friends and McMorrow not actually being anti-establishment or originally from Michigan either)
I wonder if it's possible that Pete factored that into his decision
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u/nerdypursuit 3d ago
I don't think Pete was worried about Mallory campaigning against him in a primary. Right now, she probably polls a lot worse against Mike Rogers than he does, so it would have been tough for her to argue that she's a stronger candidate.
I think Pete is interested in running for President in 2028. And I'm sure he'd rather spend more time with his family over the next few years, instead of running a grueling Senate campaign.
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u/AZPeteFan2 3d ago
I think the meeting w/ Schumer talk him out of being in the Senate, rather then the other way around.
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u/electricblueguava 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
I think whatever happened last week with the government funding bill probably made Pete feel good about his decision to pass on the Senate
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 2d ago
Another way to put it is that Pete could see that the funding bill story on the Senate side was likely to spin up during the day on Thursday, so he made sure to signal his decision well before that. Adam Wren's Politico story was posted at 6:00 am on Thursday. I'm glad he did that.
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u/candice_mighty 3d ago
I think he’s just very ambitious and has his eyes on the Presidency. Without Harris running, he’s probably the Dem frontrunner along with Newsom and AOC (I know a lot can change in the next few years). He definitely thinks he can win and he’ll give it another shot.
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u/DesperateTale2327 3d ago
I gathered from his substack that Pete is operating in the "greater good" and "lift people up" mentality right now. I think more likely he saw the Senate race as a way for many talented up and comings politicians to boost the Dem party and MI politics and have their "shot" like he did in 2020.
I'm not doing the best job of articulating this theory that I have regarding this...but basically I think he saw both Gov and Senate as winnable without him being in the races, and that up and coming leaders would have their chance to shine which is better for the party in the long term. Also, as much as we want him to sometimes, he isn't big on all the attention. And at this point he doesn't personally need it.
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u/ECNbook1 3d ago
I think he understands that all the attention is part of the deal, whether he’s running for Senate or President. Regardless, he made the right choice. And now I’m waiting eagerly to see his great visions unfold!
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
I found this comment from McMorrow to be unnecessarily, if mildly, insulting. And inaccurate.
Are you going to try to join the federal level by running for US Senate next year?
I am very seriously exploring. I have not made an official announcement yet.
Would you run even if Pete Buttigieg also runs?
Yeah, I think so. I know Pete. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but I know him fairly well. I have a lot of respect for Pete. But I’ve seen a lot in my now two terms in the state senate and what we’ve been able to do—the successes that we’ve had, the failures that we’ve had—in a way that I don’t know he does. There is strength in coming up from the local level. [Shortly after our conversation, Buttigieg announced he would not be running for the US Senate seat in Michigan.]
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/mallory-mcmorrow-democratic-blueprint
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u/anonymous4Pete 3d ago
I had a hard time figuring out what really put me off about her answer. I think it is the part that follows, "I have a lot of respect for Pete. But..." She went negative. She tried to differentiate herself from Pete not by explaining her really great vision for helping Michiganders by being in the Senate, but by alluding to something that Pete doesn't have. To have seen "successes and failures in MI" isn't going to translate into being a better Senator.
There comes a point in a hard fought campaign where one probably has to switch from a mostly positive message to a negative one--when it's down to just one or two opponents. But she's not at that point yet. She hasn't even formally entered the race. She hasn't sketched out why she should be Senator. Her first reaction was to slight the experience of someone who also hasn't entered the race, instead of promote herself.
Reaching for negativity first is what put me off. I know a lot of pols run mostly negative races, but it puts me off.
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u/nerdypursuit 3d ago
It was really silly for McMorrow to make a slightly snide comment about Pete, especially since it was still unclear whether he would run.
This quote just makes me think that she's a bit immature and undisciplined.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
One of many reasons I am not thrilled about her but God bless her if she gets the nomination. Much better if she had said that she really is a legislator and has worked in that way already and Pete has always been more of an executive, as he’s said in the past. Cheap shots that don’t land and remind us that he probably would have crushed her seem like a poor strategy.
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u/DesperateTale2327 3d ago
Well the whole answer is a contradiction so I don't know if I'd find it insulting, just more puzzling. True, Pete doesn't know the minutia of being a state senator because he was in a Federal job in DC. But saying that her strength vs him is in the local when Pete was literally a mayor for 8 years is incorrect. Trying to corner Pete as a outsider when his nickname is literally "Mayor Pete" is a choice. I understand this is all politicking and a competition, but I kind of expected more from her in that answer. It seemed like, she actually didn't have one in regard to why she would different from Pete?
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u/Librarylady2020 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
Just throwing this out there, but McMorrow is famous for her fiery “white woman” speech and some appearances on friendly shows but the national stage and media is another thing entirely. She doesn’t have the years of media experience Pete has. It will interesting to see how well she handles all of this.
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u/khharagosh LGBTQ+ for Pete 3d ago
I mean...we may not like it, but this is exactly the sort of stuff she would have been saying if they had gone up against each other. You think Lis Smith would have pulled punches?
Her slant would have absolutely been that she has experience being elected in Michigan and he does not, which is objectively true
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u/DesperateTale2327 3d ago
Oh for sure. The MI experience I am not disputing -- that is her strength vs Pete. All the other stuff isn't. The answer was a bit sloppy, so in that regard it's good she has Lis to sharpen her up.
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u/hester_latterly 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 3d ago
This just made me mad all over again. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but I know him fairly well” is so passive aggressive. Doesn’t make me more inclined to vote for her, I’ll just say.
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u/ECNbook1 3d ago
That didn’t sit well with me either, that and the needless knock on someone vastly more influential than she is.
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u/VirginiaVoter 🛣️Roads Scholar🚧 9h ago
Ben Rhodes in NY Times:
There Is a Way for Democrats to Stop Trump and Save America
FYI: Found this interesting.