245 Comments
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We should make “Thanks, Dark Brandon” trend again.

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Shapiro's not half-bad with a crowd. We're seeing it right now, and he will likely bring Pennsylvania to the fold.

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He was good. His speech was on point, crisp, funny, and incisive.

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Why Harris refusing to reach across the aisle and pick a Republican VP shows her inability to compromise

By David Brooks

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I have a suggestion for Brooks. Unfortunately, it probably violates the commenting rules for radicals, the Geneva Convention, and Miss Manners’ rules for a polite society.

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A few of those press corps questions seemed a little less stupid and hostile than usual. Still awfully repetitive, though.

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Breaking: somewhat - Representative Andy Ogles (R-My state) just got raided by the FIBs. Wonketteers may recall he is the triple douche who filed Articles of Impeachment against Kamala (and also posed his children with semi-auto rifles). https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/fbi-agents-execute-search-warrant-on-tennessee-congressman-andy-ogles-newschannel-5-confirms

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Look on the plus side, Andy: now you’ll have that street cred like Trump! And with luck, even share a cell some day.

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Aug 6·edited Aug 6

There's some talk about $325,000 that he mis-stated. The FEC really hates that shit.

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clay travis is going to rustle up a posse to defend his guy ogles against federal jackboots.

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Dude... Clay Travis suuuuuuuucks.

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it's why i read exposingclay.

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He donated $325k of his own money to his campaign. When he was asked to show his work he changed to, "It wasn't my money". Then they asked, "if it wasn't yours, then all we need is a copy of the check from the real donor. Andy bit off more than he can chew this time.

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Why is it so hard to accept a donation and report it? Things that make you go "hmmmmm"

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Bend your knee to the master.

https://x.com/DougJBalloon/status/1820835402523041816 (New York Times Pitchbot)

I still think Democrats were foolish not to go with a Cheney-Romney ticket

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Another zoom session!

https://x.com/fred_guttenberg/status/1820905181900419333

BREAKING: THIS ZOOM BEGINS AT 8PM AND YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP IS COMING CLOSE!!!

THIS SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST ZOOM OF THIS CAMPAIGN! WE NEED YOU TO SIGN UP!

https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/4F5AECFFC535CED5

We are Americans who love, and we want freedom from gun violence to protect those who we love. We have more BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS coming regarding other speakers. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

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DEMOCRATS CAN ONLY WIN BY PROMISING TORPOR

With her bizarre choice of firebrand socialist Tim Walz, Kamala Harris is sending out all the wrong signals to American voters. She needs to immediately commit to advancing no policies whatsoever if elected in order to steady their nerves.

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Oh, Chait already posted his perennial "now they must pivot to the center" bullshit

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JP was so smooth, as always, well-prepared, and able to counter their attempts to alter reality in regards to what President Biden and Kamala Harris are doing to help Americans. I'd just get out a super soaker and let 'em have it but she's a pro.

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OT: Hey, thanks to everyone for recommending AdBlock Plus instead of AdBlock (They are different companies, confusingly)

AdBlock Plus is working like a treat!

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I'm gonna try to guess if any of these songs will be played when Tim Walz takes the stage:

"Waltzing Matilda"

"Tennessee Waltz"

"Blue Danube Waltz"

"The Waltz of the Flowers"

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Waltzing With Bears

Wah wah wah waltzing with Bears

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"The Rebel Waltz"

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How about "Let's Go Crazy". That is if the Prince estate allows it.

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If there were an Olympic bartending competition Hooper would win.

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Aug 6·edited Aug 6

And he'd DESERVE it!

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While ya all waitin ... mind ogling news!

https://x.com/NC5PhilWilliams/status/1820892658635829329

BREAKING: FBI agents execute search warrant on Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles, NewsChannel 5 confirms

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is this why the gop went squish on bob menndez, knowing what was coming for their own?

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FBI agents execute…Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles

That’s what I read.

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What a shame.

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Too bad. So sad.

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Lies, and the lying liars who tell them.

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It is past time to make that motherfucker CRY.

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Good. This guy is a habitual cheater.

For background on his education and employment issues...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Ogles

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"Ogles later studied at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where he failed every course taken in the fall of 1995 and the fall of 1998; he returned to the university in 2007 and graduated with a 2.4 grade point average, with a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies."

BRaIN GEniUs!!!!

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Gold bars, or moneybags with $ printed on the side?

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Republican?

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Yep - rabid

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Child porn or child sexual battery.

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His phrasing here indicates a confession of sorts. "I worked in human trafficking."

<At a political debate, Ogles called himself "a former member of law enforcement, worked in international sex crimes, specifically child trafficking", while at a separate forum, he said: "I went into law enforcement. I worked in human trafficking." NewsChannel 5 reported that Ogles was a volunteer reserve deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office from 2009 to 2011, with his position revoked for failing to meet minimum standards, failing to progress in field training, and failing to attend required meetings. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said that records do not show Ogles trained or worked against international sex trafficking as a reserve deputy.> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Ogles#Disputed_career_claims

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pimpin' ain't easy... but it's so very necessary.

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Used his badge to hit up sexworkers

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A GQPer's wet dream - becoming a bona fide slaver.

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That borders on pathological lying.

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His Wiki is a mess. Truly his district is full of the brain dead.

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Yep.

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Child porn or child sexual battery.

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According to more tweets in that thread, it is about money for now.

He claims to have had no income or savings, and nobody knows where the money for his campaign came from or something.

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Who does that remind me of...

Oh. Yes.

The Speaker of the House.

Sketchy fucker, they should do him next.

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Brett Kavanaugh had $700K worth of gambling debts just disappear!

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And what differentiates him from the rest of the GOP?

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Just voted in MO primary. Grrr, no republicans to vote against on my Dem ballot. Having more candidates to choose from is an encouraging sign.

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Final, women's steeplechase.

Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, in a new Olympic record time of 8:52.76.

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HOORAY FOR HER!

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Gabby Thomas just took gold in the 200. She is adorable.

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Why is it called a steeple chase and not just the 3000m run?

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They jump stuff. It's neat.

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I always figured they had to jump high hedges and over water hazards.

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Because it was originally a race across country towards the most obvious local landmark- the church, with its steeple. That's why there's a pool of water and a big hurdle in it too. The event used to be literally run across country, so with fences and streams and things you would need to cross.

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You mean I was RIGHT?

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You are!

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Yeah.

That's why it's called that. Same for the horse race.

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Aug 6·edited Aug 6

After a lot of doggie excitement when the cleaning ladies arrived, now he's sitting in the living room looking at them, and he's not barking. Furthermore both cats are in the room and he's managing to not bother them (with a few reminders). So that's a good dog. Also OT: I'm reading a thing about Aramark and how they're done a shit job as the concessionaire at Yosemite (and other parks): https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-yosemite-national-park-aramark-mess/?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTcyMjk2ODExNSwiZXhwIjoxNzIzNTcyOTE1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTSFNKU0xEV1JHRzEwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI2NjFBNzJDRUEwNUQ0Mzc3QkJBQjdBRTg1NzVERTc3MyJ9.e4WtuQjeACaMLNOH352XvFztCvWdLNXcJxJtPZcaaLA. Like letting some low-level wage workers live in accommodations infested with deer mice, from which one of them got hantavirus (very nasty disease). Also letting signature properties like the Ahwahnee Hotel slide into disrepair. For a for-profit corporation, spending anything beyond the bare minimum cuts into profit. So does treating workers not like shit. But the National Park Service has been outsourcing like this since its inception.

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I feel like a major problem with outsourcing of any kind is that moving the management away from the people responsible to the public leads to a sort of laissez-faire, almost petulant attitude. The concessionaire becomes the teenager convinced that the government has plenty of money and resents having to pay for anything out of their own allowance. They don’t do any of the work and then they complain that we do the work wrong!

The truth is, if we approve of the methods a “management” company uses to save money, the public entity could just use those methods (hiring cheap labor and exploiting them) and not pay the middleman. And if we don’t approve of their methods, than we shouldn’t be having them run our park/museum/library.

I know, it’s more complex than that, but really, all these contractors have gotten so big that they don’t actually care about doing a good job. After all, how many other businesses are going to have the infrastructure to run a pile of hotels and shops and transportation?

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Basically, if private industry does A Thing, and the government wants A Thing done, they outsource. Policy is to not compete (OMB Circular A76).

Many private providers deliver excellent goods and/or services. Aramark is not one of those providers.

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Back in 2012 or so the Republican legislature in MI decided it would save money to privatize the state-run prison food service. They gave the contract to Amamark. It was a shitshow. The employees were smuggling weapons and drugs for the prisoners, the food had creepy crawlies and mold, and the state was repeatedly sued.

No one seems to have done their homework on this federal contract.

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They have been shit for a long time.

(full disclosure, one of my BFF;s was a Ranger there, for several years. she has stories...)

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Most of my experience with Yosemite has been through friendships with the outlaw rocklickers at Camp 4 in the 70s and 80s. It was almost like the wild west, outsmarting the rangers. But when they needed to mount a search and rescue, they always enlisted the help of the dirtbag climbers, who always brought the victims home. Usually in a bag, but still.

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My cousin who was also one of my best friends as a kid worked for the Park Services. She lived in one of those tree houses and functioned as a smoke/fire watcher for a few seasons. While I heard several pretty infuriating stories about the cheap attitudes of the state I have to say that the job sounded pretty alluring to a hermit like me.

I would've LOVED every minute of it.

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