I think the banal answer is: he’s very rich and powerful and good at networking and this how people act around very rich and powerful people.

Something that’s so striking in these emails is how…unimpressive Epstein is. He comes off as a pompous, sub-literate lech. Yes everyone is so mortifyingly solicitous of him! All fawning and flattery! Why?????

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I don’t mean to be glib but this is probably a more damning indictment of American elite culture than the Iraq Invasion.

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So we have the final breakdown of the Virginia legislature: Democrats won 64 seats, a gain of 13. Republicans won 36. In historical perspective:

am I reading correctly that a New York Times reporter complained to Epstein that people think he had scoops about donald trump being a pedophile, Epstein responds by giving him a scoop about donald trump being a pedophile, and then the New York Times reporter said nothing about it for a decade?

Unfortunately, Fetterman seems incredibly susceptible to smoke up his ass these days. Idk if he was always like this or it's the stroke, but it's reality. Given the narrow Senate margins a Machiavellian approach from the left would be to get a big ass fire and a fan...but we know how this ends.

Reading the @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social talk about how economic populism foolishly thinks that there is a hoard of wealth that could be taxed to improve society outcomes and... y'all recognize Trump is a dangerous authoritarian but still can't see Reagan set the table for him wrt inequality.

a lot of people are interpreting the “told ghislaine to stop” as if trump was telling her to stop abusing kids or whatever but uh, i don’t know if that’s what it meant www.bbc.com/news/article...

One of the GOP's sweatier Epstein defenses has been "if they had good stuff they'd have used it when Biden was president." But the growing awareness that Garland spiked anything that could look political explains this!

one last boost for the morning crowd (I'm very excited about this, naturally)

This is what a lot of active duty military and vets believe/feel. Partially why I get so frustrated at the keyboard warriors on here convinced the military is de facto on the authoritarian side. Tell me you've never served anyone beside yourself without telling me.

Reading the @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social talk about how economic populism foolishly thinks that there is a hoard of wealth that could be taxed to improve society outcomes and... y'all recognize Trump is a dangerous authoritarian but still can't see Reagan set the table for him wrt inequality.

This is what a lot of active duty military and vets believe/feel. Partially why I get so frustrated at the keyboard warriors on here convinced the military is de facto on the authoritarian side. Tell me you've never served anyone beside yourself without telling me.

Never change, progressives, never change.

There it is. If you're going to read one Veterans Day essay today, skip mine and make it this one. "A republic only survives when its citizens choose responsibility over indifference."

Some thoughts* on Veterans Day to my local community...if you want to thank a Vet for their service, tell them how you have served your community and others. Happy Veterans Day to those who have served and those who have paid the ultimate price for their country.

There it is. If you're going to read one Veterans Day essay today, skip mine and make it this one. "A republic only survives when its citizens choose responsibility over indifference."

Thinking of these veterans today. I continue to learn from their actions - to love a country that does not love you is an act that is difficult to understand, much less internalize. Incredibly powerful.

King went on Morning Joe and was like, "We lost, Trump won." 🫠

I agree with the thesis, disagree with much of the content. I didn't feel betrayed by Presidents, I felt betrayed by all the citizens who chose lattes and iPhones over their civic duty. GOP offered a simulacrum of patriotism, but it was blood and soil nativism. Liberals should reclaim patriotism..

This seems like the most straightforward and also basically accurate message.

Thinking of these veterans today. I continue to learn from their actions - to love a country that does not love you is an act that is difficult to understand, much less internalize. Incredibly powerful.

Re: last few posts, always depressing how quiet my channels are on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I think all public servants should be honored, not just vets, but whether you agree with a foreign policy or a conflict or not, vets serve for you. What are you doing with that?

I agree with the thesis, disagree with much of the content. I didn't feel betrayed by Presidents, I felt betrayed by all the citizens who chose lattes and iPhones over their civic duty. GOP offered a simulacrum of patriotism, but it was blood and soil nativism. Liberals should reclaim patriotism..

Every Veterans Day, I think of my three brothers who served in the military. And I think of all the service members & families who have sacrificed so much. As a country, we must back our gratitude to veterans with meaningful action that supports them—both during & after service.

Some thoughts* on Veterans Day to my local community...if you want to thank a Vet for their service, tell them how you have served your community and others. Happy Veterans Day to those who have served and those who have paid the ultimate price for their country.

"We’re done waiting for Dems to find their spine. We can’t afford a weak & cowardly Democratic Party while the authoritarians invade our cities, terrorize our communities, & threaten our democracy. We get the party we demand, & we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.” — @indivisible.org

every single week they're throwing this guy a special oval office love-in that appears to be the presidential equivalent of letting your dog scarf an entire big mac and fries before that last trip to the vet

Same in PA. Also this is the height of stupidity. Did folks learn nothing from 2024? You don't win by sitting on the sidelines or taking your ball & going home. You win by getting in the game & not getting knocked out. Senate terms are 6yrs, you don't make change in 11 months. This is real life..

Nature contains multitudes. I just spent 10 days in the back country of CO at 11k feet. It was beautiful and soul restoring...we also got snow lightning, torrential freezing rain, and heavy wet snow at 1am that was the scariest storm of my life in a thin ultralight tent. Nature contains multitudes.

Nature contains multitudes. I just spent 10 days in the back country of CO at 11k feet. It was beautiful and soul restoring...we also got snow lightning, torrential freezing rain, and heavy wet snow at 1am that was the scariest storm of my life in a thin ultralight tent. Nature contains multitudes.

Hah. I agree with the general thrust here which is of the range of ways this could have gone - Dems didn't do as bad as they could have while also failing to maximize their opportunity. How this plays out from here is all about the messaging and Schumer couldn't sell shovels in a blizzard.

8 Senate Democrats. May their tenures be brief and harried. But it is important to note that 83% of Senate Democrats did not cave.

This is what makes these 8 senators unqualified for office in this moment. They're negotiating with a terrorist for things already enshrined in law, and in so doing are emboldening him to greater acts of terror... against us.

Heads up, there are a lot of accounts, jumping on this moment, telling people to leave the Democratic Party not to protest to just let fascism take over. Don’t engage just press not interested and block them if it’s really bad.

The President wouldn't last five minutes as an air traffic controller, and after everything they've been through - and the way this administration has treated them from Day One - he has no business shitting on them now.

I don't disagree with this, but it's predicated on those 8 Senate Dems having an actual spine at some point. It wasn't in March. It's not now. They're referring to the trust of their colleagues on the other side of the aisle when those colleagues are on board with ending our Republic now so...when?

Conversely, if you buy good corn locally and cream it yourself you have something that tastes like summer, can be made into baked corn, etc. during the winter and it's awesome. The only time I've had corn that wasn't sourced locally was in the army and that didn't taste like corn.

American sycamores are my favorite trees. Quintessential fall. If you can, unplug for a few minutes, get outside, and sit beneath one. Idk that you'll gain wisdom, but you may gain a small measure of peace. That's not nothing.

8 Senate Democrats. May their tenures be brief and harried. But it is important to note that 83% of Senate Democrats did not cave.

There's the whole don't confuse malice for what incompetence can explain. Same goes for conspiracies, folks.

Same in PA. Also this is the height of stupidity. Did folks learn nothing from 2024? You don't win by sitting on the sidelines or taking your ball & going home. You win by getting in the game & not getting knocked out. Senate terms are 6yrs, you don't make change in 11 months. This is real life..

Charlie Brown. Football. Lucy. We ALL know who is who in this scenario. Shaheen is lying or a fool, either way her constituents deserve better.

I think it's a bad deal. Maybe I'm wrong but I do know this: anyone who thought this is a good idea will not think adding states, removing the filibuster, restructuring the SC, and doing all the things to unfuck oligopoly and fascism required is right or possible. So they need to go.

Imagine Washington saying after losing NYC, well we tried the Continental Congress strategy but after these few months it's clear this won't work. King George has committed to hearing our grievances so we have a much better chance now. Clearly these fools don't believe we're losing our Republic.

This is what makes these 8 senators unqualified for office in this moment. They're negotiating with a terrorist for things already enshrined in law, and in so doing are emboldening him to greater acts of terror... against us.

New: The Supreme Court DENIES Kim Davis' request to overturn Obergefell, the marriage equality decision. No noted dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...

Also in case its not being mentioned in your feed, there is still a remaining vote for this and Somehow they didn't anticipate the outrage, so there's apparently some hesitation now. If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine