The reaction from Democratic leaders this week was mixed, at best. Some regard Mamdani not as a saviour, but an existential threat. Centrists warn of electoral suicide, fearing that a leftward lurch will doom their chances in swing states in November’s US midterm elections. For Third Way, a centrist Democratic thinktank in the tradition of Bill Clinton, the New York results were a disaster.
Matt Bennett, its executive vice-president of public affairs, said: “It’s a bummer, and it’s a problem – not because there’s any danger of losing those districts to Republicans, but because those kinds of candidates and their ideas and rhetoric can be weaponised against Democrats running in tough races. We’ve seen this before, with ‘Defund the police’, and we’re worried about it happening again.”
The concern was echoed by Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman turned Democrat and Trump critic. He warned: “Democrats have given Republicans a huge fucking gift. Republicans will do what I used to do: one crazy lefty says ‘defund the police’, and then Republicans and conservative media tag the whole party with ‘defund the police’. They’re gonna try to make the whole party out to be crazy, America-hating, democratic socialists and, to a degree, it’ll work.”
Monday, June 29, 2026
"One Crazy Lefty"
If "one" is all it takes to ruin your cunning political strategy, I do not think it is so cunning.
The Prayers of Devils Fill the Midnight Sky
At least they're somewhat incompetent.
State (and county) fairs are a thing. The country is filled with them every years. There are people, presumably not all Woke Libturds, who know how to put on a big event like that, who know what kinds of things would interest visitors.
Somehow they didn't find any of these people.
It isn't precisely the same as outsourcing your cancer research to "some shit I read on the internet," the whole "I do my own research" nonsense, but it isn't very different. People who know nothing assuming they, or their rich pals, know best. People who can't even delegate competently. People who think things are actually easy, so if things are broken it's because of DEI.
People who have never organized a church bake sale, or equivalent, or thought about how you might for 15 seconds. People who think the food at events just magically appears, like it did when mom took care of things.
Sure Why Not
Not a chance MY PRESIDENT is lying.
US President Donald Trump said Iran has requested a meeting that will be held in Qatar on Tuesday, despite Tehran earlier denying that any technical talks have been scheduled.
Occasional Surprises
Not that you have to hand it to them.
The correct call on all this voting stuff is obvious no matter which "side" you imagine it benefits (and I am not sure the Trumpers are correct in how they imagine that, for some of this).Just now: SCOTUS sides with grace periods for mail voting!
— Taniel (@Taniel) June 29, 2026
In a 5-4 decision by Barrett, with Roberts & 3 liberals, court says that it's alright for mail ballots to be received after Election Day (*as long as they were sent by then*).https://t.co/9ynHklzmVV
At Least The War Is Over, Again
"Truce" talk happened Sunday night, right on schedule for the stock market opening.
The US and Iran will “stand down for now,” a Trump administration official said after both sides traded fire near the Strait of Hormuz. Technical talks with Iran remain “on track,” said a US official. It’s not clear yet what Iran’s position is on the matter.
Deadpan final sentence there.
Sunday, June 28, 2026
The Greatest Event In American History
I admit I am curious about why, precisely, this looks so sad. I don’t mean the attendance. I get that. DC (Besźel DC not Ul Qoma DC) is not exactly MAGAland and conservatives in the rest of the country know they will be shot by BLM Antifa Supersoldiers if they visit.
I mean who was responsible and why they were unable/unwilling to create a mildly compelling product.
Peter Doocy claims "people are still coming out" to Trump's 250th fair -- even as the camera shot shows clearly behind him that almost nobody is there 😆
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 28 June 2026 at 16:38
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We Believed The Computer God Could Do Everything
A lot of the big corps/institutions have done this without any actually proven use cases. It has been "install AI and fire people."
Ford has admitted to rehiring hundreds of human workers after its aggressive Al adoption strategy backfired.
The US automaker hired over 350 veteran engineers, referred to internally as "gray beards", over the past three years in order to address mistakes made by automated
This is how you get paid the big bucks:
“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product.”
I don't think older workers are automatically better in all fields, but there are some where keeping around the "gray beards" maintains necessary institutional knowledge that can't easily be maintained and transmitted otherwise.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
No Loitering In A Park By The Reflecting Pool
Good representation of the American attitude towards public spaces, generally.
“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard members as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain.
— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 11:38 PM
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Bubblers Are Gay And Woke
Amazing.
The nanobubblers had to go.
It was early June, and the Trump administration was planning an event at the Lincoln Memorial on June 12 to promote President Trump’s Ultimate Fighting Championship birthday celebration at the White House.
Dotted around the perimeter of the memorial’s Reflecting Pool were the nanobubblers, the temporary water-purification machines meant to keep the pool clear of algae. Encased in black fencing and powered by large generators, the machines were something of an eyesore.
Before the event, the National Park Service asked Greenwater Services, which won a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install the nanobubblers, to remove them, according to two people briefed on the decision. The people asked for anonymity because they feared retaliation from the administration. The Park Service did not provide a reason for the removal, but it coincided exactly with the promotional event, which drew crowds to the Reflecting Pool.
At Least The War Is Over
We can declare peace again before the stock market opens.
The United States has renewed its attacks against Iran in response to an incident a day earlier when a cargo vessel was struck by an Iranian drone. On Friday, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said it had issued a “powerful response to yesterday’s attack”.
Friday, June 26, 2026
Starmersim
True courage is telling your "followers" to eat shit.
Former Congressman Tom just lost his primary with this inspiring message of hope.
Weird he doesn't have many followers.
Taking on the establishment is easy. Beating shit out out of people with no power - that's courage.When your followers treat Israel as the world's only human rights violator and AIPAC as the only evil dark money group, that should be a red flag. So should crazy stuff like abolishing police, seizing property, and opposing Ukraine (none of which is an "affordability agenda"). 4/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) June 25, 2026
Former Congressman Tom just lost his primary with this inspiring message of hope.
Weird he doesn't have many followers.
Better Make A Decoy
No matter who is in the final World Cup match, there could be some awkwardness in New Jersey on July 19 when US President Donald Trump presents the trophy.
Climate Change
Over the years, the reasons for not doing anything about climate change evolved, predictably (and predicted):
The "other countries won't do anything" prominently featured industrializing China.
Now renewables are, with exceptions, cheaper, certainly for new installations, China is taking the lead both on production and installation, and we are in 70s gas-guzzling is the American way, "kick their ass and steal their gas" (or try to) mode.
- It's not real
- It's real but humans aren't causing it
- It's real and humans are causing it but we can't do anything about it because all the other countries won't do anything
- It's real and humans are causing it but it's too expensive to do anything
- Please, people, think of the oil company executives
- It's real and humans are causing it but, whoopsie, too late, now it's REALLY too expensive to do anything about it
- Whoopsie, just too late now. Off to Mars, with its welcoming climate.
Now renewables are, with exceptions, cheaper, certainly for new installations, China is taking the lead both on production and installation, and we are in 70s gas-guzzling is the American way, "kick their ass and steal their gas" (or try to) mode.
It isn't just Trump. All the prominent Sensible Centrists have been pushing against talking about or doing anything about climate change, which I am sure has nothing to do with their various direct and indirect funding.
To the Sensible Centrists, Biden's popularity declined and Harris lost because of anything good Biden did or tried to do.
One thing that is different than 20 years ago is that basically everyone in The Discourse is on the take, at least everyone not on The Left. You don't get $50,000 speaking fees for saying things rich people don't want to hear!
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