The Troublingly Terrible Turnout

Attribution: Voter Turnout by Bob Englehart, PoliticalCartoons.com

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79 thoughts on “The Troublingly Terrible Turnout”

  1. click here for Colbert last night 

    Stephen Colbert is 60 years old today, Michael Cohen’s unfiltered TikTok live streams could undermine the prosecution’s case against Donald Trump, and the MAGA faithful gathered at the Jersey Shore to hear the former president speak about hot dogs and Hannibal Lecter.

    and here for Fallon

    Jimmy addresses the latest news, like Trump hosting a rally at the Jersey Shore, Michael Cohen taking the stand in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial and Kraft Heinz exploring selling Oscar Mayer.

    and surprise surprise here’s what was on this past Sunday Morning

    Comedian Bill Maher, host of the HBO series “Real Time,” doesn’t discriminate between right and left when aiming his barbs at tribal politics. He talks with CBS News chief election & campaign correspondent Robert Costa about gladly courting controversy, whether by mocking politicians or inviting them to his show. He also discusses his new book, “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.”

  2. Democracy can die, as someone recently said. Exploiting frustration with Democracy’s messiness is Job No. 1 for autocrats. They offer a promise of efficiency, security and stability in exchange for public forfeiture of any role in decision making. I’d say about a third of voters are up for this, and possibly growing.

  3. oh yeah, forgot jon stewart’s show
    make sure to check out at 7:45 minutes in his critterville corruption segment

    Jon Stewart digs into the trial of comically corrupt Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and in a new segment called “How Dumb Is You?” asks the senator how he got caught engaging in such obvious illegal corruption, while government officials like Nancy Pelosi, Richard Burr, and Roy Blunt have been getting away with legal corruption for years.

  4. David Brooks making sense this morning. Not his main point, but the hostility to “systems” ironically fuels momentum against Democracy:

    Voters Demand Change, but What Kind Do They Want?

    “Different voters want different things. But if I had to write a single sentence that reconciled these diverse findings, it would be this: The people who run America’s systems have led the country seriously astray; we need a president who will shake things up and return the country back to normal. When they hear “systems,” I assume voters are thinking of the network of institutions run by America’s elite — corporations, governing agencies, higher education, the news media and so on. If voters believe one thing about Donald Trump it’s that he’s against these systems and these systems are against him.” — NYT free link

  5. Jamie…  
    on the Preakness…. please put me down for Imagination.

  6. Preakness post positions and morning odds.  Only nine horses running.

    1.  Mugatu 20 – 1

    2.  Uncle Heavy 20 – 1

    3.  Catching Freedom 6 – 1

    4.  Muth 8 – 5

    5.  Mystic Dan 5 – 2

    6.  Seize the Grey 15 – 1

    7.  Just Steel 15 – 1

    8.  Tuscan Gold 8 – 1

    9.  Imagination 6 – 1

  7. David Brooks making sense this morning

    We know why people like trump: he’s stupid and racist and gives permission for other people to be also

    full stop, 5sec read

    (69% of voters don’t know wtf Brooks is talking about)

  8. Cohen testifying they had an Oval Office meeting discussing payment scheme. Not the first evidence Trump was directing this plot from White House, which I think jury will find extra repulsive

  9. Vivek, Doug Burgum, Speaker Mikey today’s babysitters in court. Saw a report that word has gone out to all Republicans that the new loyalty test is spending a day in court with Pumpkin Head, especially if you’re running for running mate. Their after-court press gaggles look like debate spin rooms.

  10. I guess I’ll stick with Mystic Dan. 
    I thought about switching, but the 2 who almost won the derby, Sierra Leone and Forever Young aren’t in the race. the only other Derby horse running is Catching Freedom. For some reason I expected more Derby horses, especially the ones who got beat by a nose.
    Also isn’t this a a small field?
    Jack

  11. Bink
    I suspect 3/4 of the time Brooks doesn’t know what he is talking about.
    He has this ramble that he does in his writing that he seems to believe applies to any situation, he just plugs in current names and events and puts on his “serious person” face.
     
    Jack

  12. Prosecutor is going through individual invoices and checks with Cohen calling each of them “false”. Surprised defense not objecting, their falsity is not really in evidence, prosecutor is testifying!

    Overall with most witnesses Trump’s lawyers have been surprisingly slow to object. Despite complaining later about Stormy getting into salacious details, they mostly let her go uninterrupted. Yesterday Cohen engaged in a lot of speculation they probably could have stopped.

  13. Honestly, Craig was more hip yesterday when he said (paraphrasing) any President in the current climate starts with with a baseline disapproval rate of 50%
     
    friggin’-guy literally offered to sell the Federal Govt to the oil companies for $1 Billion, and the political media still insists on treating him and Biden as equivalent entities, it’s craven bullshit
     
    ok bandwidth exceeded ✌️ 

    (oh and btw he will happily make that deal with anyone else- Putin, Musk, whomever)✌️✌️

  14. OT: Plumpty said Jews who voted for Joe should be ashamed. I venture same to be said of active duty and veterans who vote for Trump. Your service to country is wasted if you vote to turn us over to dictators and fascists both foreign and domestic.

  15. Craig, 
    I like my chances in this race. The Belmont will be the tough one with its length. If the Kentucky derby had been 30 ft longer Dan would have been third.
    Jack

  16. Jamie – I’ll go with Muth – oddsmakers and Baffert are a good indication he’s got something.
     

  17. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/georgian-lawmakers-brawl-parliament-set-pass-foreign-agent-bill-2024-05-14/

    “Georgia’s parliament on Tuesday passed the third and final reading of a “foreign agents” bill, clearing a major hurdle on its way to becoming law.”

    “Opponents of the bill, seen as a test of whether the South Caucasus country stays on a path towards integration with Europe or pivots back towards Russia, have called for further protests.”

    “It would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, imposing onerous disclosure requirements and punitive fines for violations.”

    “Opponents have dubbed the bill “the Russian law”, comparing it to Russian legislation used to target critics of President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.”
     
    There was a brawl in Georgia’s parliament.  A lightning bolt should find Poo-tin, too.
    Death to chaos monsters.

  18. Showing up at a court date to show support for someone who cheated on his wife while she was home with their infant is ~so very Christian~.  

    Yeah, it’s a documents case, and showing up for a liar isn’t a good look, either, but the reason for the lies was adultery.  

    MAGAt Mike Johnson is an ambitious idiot. 
    He’s not actually a Christian, it’s just a marketing ploy.

  19. That Paul Simon guy, holy mackerel the lines that guy has come up with…..
    ”The more you near your destination, the more you’re slip sliding away.”
    Lot of rock n roll diamonds came out of that Brill Bldg, Simon, Gerry Goffin/Carol King, Neil Diamond, Lieber & Stoller, Ellie Greenwich…..oodlrs more
    actually
    4 1/2 oodlles.
     

  20. They all know he’s a total dick….they just  don’t care……because they’re ALL total dicks.

  21. I thought prosecution would end with an election law expert to explain that element of the case. I really question this move. They’re leaving jury without guidance on how this scheme connects to campaign violations. Very puzzling, could be a really wrong move.

    Also, the missing Weisselberg issue still unresolved. There are loose ends here that could jeopardize a guilty verdict.

  22. Commenter last night (Lisa R, msnbc) says jurors may not have a clue who this Weasel-bug character is, and why aren’t they seeing him? 

  23. As the lawyer on The View said, there are attorneys and financial people on the jury and it’s a documents case.  They know what’s going on and will make sure the others understand, if they don’t already.

    She also said he wasn’t sleeping, because he’d get posted and have to hold his tongue. His eyes were closed, but he’d screw up his face trying to contain himself. 

    Every, single jackass who showed up to intimidate Cohen and the jurors will go down in history with the likes of Hunt and Liddy, and perhaps even Goebbles and Himmler depending on what transpires this election.  
     

    Ivy – Based on the composition of the jury, most know who Weisselburg is and that he’s in Rikers. NYC is a small town in some ways. I was there when Bernie Madoff was charged and there was nonstop coverage. If something is going on, curtains are twitching.

  24. Only an hour into Cohen’s cross examination and  (NYT)

    As Michael Cohen testifies, Trump has dropped his head repeatedly and appears to be struggling to stay awake.

    Needs more Diet Coke. 

  25. Defense narrative emerging from these questions seems to be Cohen was mad Trump shunned him, so he framed him for a crime he didn’t commit.

  26. And now Blanche is moving into the lying pond scum line of questioning.
    And then there’s this from Jonathan Swan:

    I expected Trump to be more interested in following his defense’s cross-examination of Cohen, the star witness and his nemesis. But Trump has mostly been leaning back with his eyes closed, only occasionally stirring.

    Dumbass.

  27. So the defense theme is jilted “lover”, willing to lie for revenge and did.  Gonna be hard to make that stick without getting to what lies he told that relate to the charges.  While we’ll never know how the jury treated the lack of Weisselberg in the case, I’d bet more than one juror will ask why he wasn’t called.  

  28. Blanche’s cross is all over the map. Disconnected, lacking momentum. Early on I thought I could discern a defense narrative the jury could follow. But now I’ve lost track.

  29. The Times reporting sounds like Blanche has everyone guessing where the hell he’s going with it.

  30. Yep Pogo, I worry about Weisselberg absence since judge denied prosecution request to tell jury he got $2 million from Trump to stay quiet 

  31. @RonFilipkowski
    11m

    Cross-examination of Michael Cohen has ended for the day. At one point, Cohen was asked if he called Trump a ‘Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain” and he admitted he had.

  32. Here’s about all Blanche got done with his cross:

    — Showed Cohen remains wealthy and has made millions off his Trump-related books; 

    — Cohen dramatically turned on his former idol Trump after his 2018 sentencing;

    — Hoped his cooperation with various prosecutors would result in a sentence reduction

    — Has frequently insulted Trump with a variety of epithets.

  33. Arturo of the Day 

    Leon Uris

    TRINITY
    MILA 18
    THE HAJ
    BATTLE CRY
    QB VII
    REDEMPTION
    ARMAGEDDON, a novel of Berlin
    EXODUS

  34. Pumpkin will NOT like this, he hates looking weak. JD Vance says on FOX he went to Trump’s criminal trial because Trump was “lonely” and needed a “friendly face”

  35. Give ‘em one thing, the trial is for show. They’re the acrobats and the clowns. 

  36. From what I can tell, Poobah, I concur on what (little) they’ve accomplished.  And why wouldn’t Cohen be pissed at Dumbass?  He pardoned the rest of the rogues in his gallery.
    Ivy, I believe they should work on their juggling.

  37. Sen. Lisa Murkowski goes off when asked if she’s surprised to see so many Republicans going to New York for Trump’s trial: “Do we have something else to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial? I mean this is ridiculous.”

  38. They’re not showing loyalty—they’re showing fear.  

    There’s more Uris books than those on my list, they’re all great, I just got tired of writing them down. 🥸

  39. Don’t know how much the public has been told about the characteristics of individual jurors, but some of the commentary was leaning toward the notion they were chosen chiefly for their know-nothingness. 

  40. Trump was “lonely” and needed a “friendly face”

     
    He must be reliving the time his brother dumped the mashed potato bowl on his head.

  41. None of the horse names reach out to me so I guess I’ll go with Uncle Heavy because I’m an uncle and since I quit smoking a few yrs back I’ve become heavy. And 20 to 1…..I’ll be rich.

    It would be nice if Sen Murkowski could manage to be just a tad more vicious. You know, like Liz Cheney.

  42. None of them except Liz appear to have any particular loyalty to Rula Law, may she rest in peace.

  43. Yes a nine horse field is small.  The norm is 14, but I think several Derby horses will show up in the Belmont.

    Check to see if I got everyone so far

    1.  Mugatu 20 – 1

     

    2.  Uncle Heavy 20 – 1 – Ivy Green

     

    3.  Catching Freedom 6 – 1 – Craig

     

    4.  Muth 8 – 5 – Pogo and Blue

     

    5.  Mystic Dan 5 – 2 – Jack

     

    6.  Seize the Grey 15 – 1 – Jamie

     

    7.  Just Steel 15 – 1

     

    8.  Tuscan Gold 8 – 1

     

    9.  Imagination 6 – 1 – Renee 

  44. Sturgeone

    Major fan of Leon Uris.  Between him and Michener, my reading time was locked in for many, many hours.

     

  45. Michener eventually just kind of wore me out but I managed to get thru a bunch of them. 

    Add me, please, to Uncle Heavy, we’re going to ride like the wind.
    Had I named him he would have been Uncle Meat, or Sheso Heavy.

  46. pogo & bink, muth will probably win if baffert is still up to his old tricks that kept him out of the dreby.

     

    jamie, please put me on mystic dan. hope jack doesn’t mind a backseat driver.

  47. Maybe the clown parade will get more jokers to the right paying attention.

  48. Rhetorical question: Why aren’t all the attorneys working for Plumpty also labeled “fixers?” 

    Don’t his voters think it’s suspect that he’s long required the services of a “fixer?”

  49. Ivy: “He must be reliving the time his brother dumped the mashed potato bowl on his head.”

    That was such a funny story, and Mary Trump said well into adulthood he would get mad when family told that story, even when his sister retold it at a White House family dinner — he stormed out of the room. Very telling, still a petulant child.

  50. Maybe they’re unable to fix anything?
    They might be more like Fixees.   But anyway they’re all in a fix.  
    I’m afraid  for that jury.  All it takes is one.  I mean even OJ was acquitted.  Meanwhile back in NYC
    “If it smells like shit—you must not acquit”

  51. https://people.com/chiefs-harrison-butker-criticized-graduation-speech-attacking-working-women-quoting-taylor-swift-8648547

    “Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Criticized for Graduation Speech Attacking Working Women While Quoting Taylor Swift”
     
    “The 28-year-old’s address at the May 11 ceremony decried various “diabolical lies told to women” about topics including abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy, as well as President Joe Biden.”
     
    “During the 20-minute speech, Butker quoted a lyric written by Taylor Swift, referring to her through her boyfriend Travis Kelce by calling her his “teammate’s girlfriend.”
     
    “As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘familiarity breeds contempt,’ ” Butker said. Swift, 34, sings the line in her song, “Bejeweled” on her 2022 album, Midnights.
     
     
    The Chiefs kicker then went on to address the female graduates in the room directly.
     
    “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment,” he began. “I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”
     
    Butker continued, “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

    Speaking about his wife, Butker said, “I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
     
    He said that he is “beyond blessed” because Isabelle “would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker.”
    Later, he addressed the male graduates directly, advising them to “be unapologetic in your masculinity,” and to “fight against the cultural emasculation of men,” in his speech.

    “As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.”
    Elsewhere in his speech, Butker took aim at the LGBTQ+ community, calling their pride “deadly sins.”
     
     
    The Chiefs need to bench that effing MAGAt for the season.   I’m going to hope he misses every kick.
     
     

  52. How did he say that to a group of young women who just achieved exactly what the young men in attendance achieved, and then condescended to them while also poisoning the minds of the young men, and not get booed off of the stage?  I hope someone kicks him the nads.  What a worthless piece of anti-woke, MAGAt sh/+.

  53. i’m assuming from the name of the school it’s Catholic
     
    deep breaths.  i’d post some tunes but i actually forgot about Olbermann so i guess i’ll listen to a bit of his hyperbole 
     
    vote blue so you have the option of voting again 🫡💕🇺🇸

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