I Wonder

McConnell popped into view right about the time Ms Ryan disappeared - just sayin' - ya never see 'em in the same place at the same time.

Today's Pix

Today's Tweet

Enjoy it while you can. In a few years he's going to leave you for a younger flag. pic.twitter.com/8SNqQx2ZeB

— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) June 11, 2016

Today's Podcast

Lessons:

• Don't get hung up with the Sunk Cost Fallacy
• They're outa my favorite beer, so I'll start drinking bleach
• Republican Detachment Syndrome

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Always Talk About The Elephant

Today's Tweet

Top hashtag #DeleteYourAccount .Trump is DONE #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/aPVIlcOIb5

— djred678 (@djred678) June 9, 2016

The Lady Kills Me

Can you say 'high dudgeon'?  I knew you could.

Hillary

I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I have to let it out.

Could we maybe try to get her to lose the Dr Evil look?  Just sayin'.

I know.  I'm a bad man.  I'm a very bad man.

Meanwhile

... out there in the world, this, from Juan Cole

The Syrian Arab Army is advancing toward al-Raqqa city, the capital of the phony ISIS “caliphate,” with Russian air support. US Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Christopher Garver confirmed on Wednesday that the US has seen the movement of the troops of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad “to the south and west of Raqqa, and they are heading in that direction.”

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian air force destroyed equipment, fortifications and fighters of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in Resafa, 40 miles southwest of al-Raqqa city.

That is also area that the Syrian army is now entering. It is five kilometers from Resafa’s main intersection. The Financial Times speculates that the regime of al-Assad may hope that by taking al-Raqqa away from so-called caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Ibrahim al-Samarra’i), it will then be able to make the claim that only it can deal effectively with Daesh, gaining support in the international community that is otherwise horrified by al-Assad’s crimes against humanity.

If the US-backed YPG or Self Defense Forces, a unit of Syria’s leftist Kurds, reaches al-Raqqa at the same time as the Syrian Arab Army, there could be a clash between the two over al-Raqqa. The Syrian Army deeply dislikes the YPG and has vowed to put them down.

So, if I'm understanding this - there's a possibility that US forces end up in a fire fight with Russian forces to decide who gets to kill another bunch of 3rd worlders in another thoroughly fucked up part of the middle east.  Like some morbidly stoopid tournament - hey, we're in the semi-finals going for the regional title.  Yay, America.

Donald Trump did a lot of chest thumping during the "debates", saying he'd "knock the hell outa ISIS". OK, but what if Putin doesn't want you to do that?  Your move, Lil Donny - what're you gonna do?

We spent the last 8 years trying to untangle the Gordian Knot monumental clusterfuck left behind by the last know-nothing GOP stumble-bum, and while we may never get good alternatives to choose from in a lot of these situations, can we at least not go out of our way looking for any more door knobs to run into?

On To What's Next

I love & support Bernie but "Bernie or Bust" folk need to realize that the "Bust" part is Gary Busey on the Supreme Court.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 8, 2016

What I'm not saying: 

☞ get over it

☞buck up buttercup

☞don't be such a cry-baby

☞why you gotta be like 'at?  

None of that shit at all. This is politics, and our hearts will get broken - probably more than once.  We all need some time to decompress and regroup,

But at some point it's gonna be like, c'mon guys, pull up your socks; check your pads; snap up your helmet straps and get back in the game. Big opportunities (and big responsibilities) are right in front of us right here right now. 

We have a Senate ripe for the picking.  There's a bushel of House seats up for grabs.  2 GOP Governors are vulnerable, as well as 5 term-limited or retiring Dem Governors.  And it could be a very long time before we get a better shot at flipping some state legislatures, not to mention tens of thousands of elective offices at the County and Municipal levels.

There are more than 500,000 elected officials in USAmerica Inc. 

This work is never done. Democracy isn't something we can afford to just dabble in. There's a shitload to do - and we need everybody's help.