I want to him struck down to the real imbicil he is drooling in a cup and the TV tuned to PBS 24/7 and he cannot change the channel or communicate his wishes in any way.
Rick's extraordinary ability at delving into Maga's miasma and extracting what's really going on in there is delivered to us via his brilliant, humor laced, often good and dark, use of the English language; writen or spoken.
I'm so glad I've been following you since Trump got the nomination in 2016. I swear you're part of the reason I'm still mostly sane and haven't lost all hope - most of it, but not all, thanks to you.
I think Captain K can wreak a lot of damage on Presidementia and I look forward to him targeting MAGAts who voted for the abomination. Still wish ketamine and hardened arteries would get off their asses and do something about both of these yam tittied idiots.
It’s not only Patel et al doing the coverup, of course.
It’s all at the bidding of the demented felon.
And the fools whining that they didn’t vote for (insert atrocity that affects THEM) most certainly did. They only thought they were voting to harm their least favorite minority and no one else.
Sucks to be them.
But, really, it sucks more to be the demented felon. Between TACO and DEAD (Donald exhibits advanced dementia) he is becoming a narcissist’s worst nightmare: a laughingstock.
Trump has no "cards," particularly that oh, so important "Get Out Of Jail Free" card that he charges millions of bucks for. Elon told him to take a big step back and ... now Trump is slow to respond, can't think of anything new, so he's recycling old punishments that failed the first term. Smells of flop sweat, all of this. Pee-yoooo 💩
Presumably no one is covering that aspect. If these fatalities are being tracked, we need to learn who is compiling these data. It is necessary detail for the Nuremberg-style trials that must be implemented. There is nothing remotely amusing here.
HEE-HE-HAW-SNUFFLE, SNORT, sorry I get a little hysterical just imagining those dudes tripping over their shoelaces & face-planting into Reality . . . Standing by for more.
Zelensky has always had the winning hand - Ukraine ingenuity. Trump isn't even playing with a full deck.
And Trump's ludicrous investigation of Biden's supposed illegal use of the autopen - Howard Nielson, now a Federal District Court judge appointed by Trump, concluded years ago when working as top official at Office of Legal Counsel, "the president need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law"....the president could direct "a subordinate to affix the president's signature to such a bill, for example by autopen." Another conspiracy theory bites the dust.
I'm guessing when (if) Elon coughs up the $100M he still owes the Trump campaign he'll get the full treatment. It would actually be funnier than anything if Elon stiffed him!
Re: Travel Ban. Funny that Venezuela, the country purported to be sending criminal gang members here to harm us, isn't on the travel ban list. Do you think maybe they just made up that story about enemy aliens to dodge their due process obligations? Also, as the NYT reports this morning, the bans will play hell with the World Cup.
He made an exception for athletes and coaches, which is just more evidence that his every impulse is coated with venality and an inability to tackle issues with due diligence rather than axe cuts tempered by greed.
First off Rick, as well as being a master wordsmith and writer, I heard you’re also an incredible dirty trickster for the opposition. Any chance you can lend some of your skill set to the Democratic Party?
Seriously, we have the worst opposition in the history of this nation, at a time when we could really use some dark, evil, but brilliant minds. Not that you’re dark and evil, but you are brilliant, and you definitely know some people fall into that category; understanding their mentality better than most. We could really use some expertise here, before these clowns completely blowup the house beyond repair.
As for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”? It’s set to add $2.4 trillion to the debt over next decade. Personally, I think Trump understands that while deficits are bad in the long run, they can spur growth in the short run, and he won’t have to deal with the consequences, since he’ll be long gone before the chickens come home to roost.
Coincidence? Republicans always manage to set the economy on fire, and it’s the Democrats who are left cleaning up the mess; until they get voted out again, because the economy doesn’t turn around fast enough, or republicans promise tax cuts. It’s a vicious cycle; rinse, lather, repeat!
That said, this is Trump in a nutshell as the greatest dealmaker in the world:
NAFTA BAD, USMCA GOOD! Different name, yet essentially, it’s the same deal! Of course, that didn’t stop the “stable” genius from blowing a hole in his own deal anyway!
Then we had the JCPOA: worst Deal Ever! Ironically, Trump’s version is essentially the same deal as Obama, but a lot less. Iran won’t give up its highly enriched uranium this time around; for lowly enriched uranium, which is used for cancer treatments. So in essence, a much worse deal!
Therefore, my only question is whether America is sick of winning: YET?
Seriously, he cut $1 trillion in waste. Then it’s $160 billion. And finally, when all is said and done, we’ll have $8 billion in wasteful spending eliminated. And at what cost (a government brain drain).
Not to mention, he’s is about to knock off 16 million from Medicaid. Drug prices and most household staples are rising, and he managed to destroy our venerated treasury markets (safe haven asset), and our position as the reserve currency for 70% of the world.
While nothing is written in stone, I don’t see any light at the end of this tunnel. Do any of you? Just asking for a friend!..:)
Federal spending is actually UP $200 billion over the first 5 months of 2025 compared to the same time last year (an increase of 7%). Gutting the IRS is going to make it even worse because it will lead to a lot more tax evasion from the wealthy and corporations since they won't have the resources to go after them anymore (which is the point).
So, in reality, DOGE actually cost us more money than it saved, and it's not even close.
The midterms should give us some relief and make it more difficult for this insanity to continue unimpeded. I'll even say that the '28 race is one we should win.
But nobody takes a royal flush and turns it into plays it like a pair of deuces like the Dems. Re: '28 there is no candidate who can't be purity tested into oblivion. Because that's what we do best
I dunno, Michael, you responded to me so this isn't gratuitous, but I just don't think it's helpful to continue to dogpile the Democrats. I understand that it's a way to avoid disappointment but it's also crying over things that haven't happened yet.
We could also focus on the extraordinary run the Democrats have been recently having with off-year statehouse elections.
Because the Dems dogpile on themselves much better than my zero ability to do so in a meaningful way. I am the ultimate rando; my words, which are only read by a few, are zero impact
I’ll stop dogpiling when I see something, ANY goddamn thing that passes for intelligent leadership.
Perfectly fair points; we're both just randos howling into the bit bucket and that's fine and as it should be. Here's my philosophical difference with your general position: Leadership is very important when Dems are in power and we have legislation to pass; there's no substitute for a Nancy Pelosi for Obama and Biden. But it's not so important when we're out of power. Since at least Andrew Jackson, the Democratic Party has been the most motley of coalitions. A strong, single message right now would serve as a lighting rod because there's always gonna be a part of our coalition that objects to it (thus the temptation to focus group everything and get insincere pablum as a result).
So the Dems are right to let a hundred flowers bloom right now, at least until the presidential season starts to heat up. The AOCs of the world aren't going to appeal to Elissa Slotkin voters. Cory Booker seems a little goofy-autistic to some of the brothers. My favorite flavor, Elizabeth Warren, a pro-capitalist regulation ninja, is not going to appeal to disaffected Dems in the heartland (she doesn't even appeal to the anti-capitalist Bernie bros).
And that's absolutely fine. That's who we are as a party. So lets keep all these flowers blooming and see which ones catch the most sunlight.
Not to be argumentative for the sake of being argumentative, BUT ...
I could make the case that leadership is MORE important when you're out of power. Historical examples would include de Gaulle during WWII; he stood tall - literally - in the face of Nazism, inspiring his countrymen and women to resist.
A more sinister example is Castro who built a guerilla coalition that ultimately overthrew Batista. If I gave it more thought, I'd come up with 10 more. You could too
NOW is the time for leaders to emerge, leaders who can inspire and create something bigger than just themselves and their own words. AOC comes closest but we got a little problem in this country - and in our purity testing party - with strong, outspoken women. So ... is there a ceiling for her?
I am just fed up with our inability to GTFO of our own way, shooting ourselves in the foot, and being led by absolute clowns like Schumer and Jeffries. Tired of our grievance based politics; tired of our letting our pure liberal ideologies get steamrolled by populist waves; tired of our being more concerned with getting kids healthcare so they can transition instead of paying attention to middle America and their distaste for our grievances. This HAS to change
Only because AOC is a known name. Leading in what polls. With what, 20%? I would love AOC to be our next president, but it will never ever happen. Pritsker kicks ass. Trump is morbidly obese too. We know the people prefer Big Daddies to intelligent women. And FWIW I don’t think the US will ever elect a woman president unless she’s some right wing dominatrix like Thatcher. I wish I were wrong.
Oh well, life is pretty good here in Canada. We are counting on y’all to keep him distracted.
Straw polls this far out are meaningless, but it's important to understand why AOC is doing as well as she is. She's a known name? So is Gavin Newsom. AOC and Bernie have gotten such remarkable traction in red states and districts on the Fighting Oligarchy tour because they offer something that the Democratic Party only offers in conceptual, aspirational terms, the vision of a future where you don't feel so crushed. Kamala offered a vision of the future, too, but it was all vaporware. AOC offers free healthcare, a higher minimum wage, a realigned economy to address the climate crisis and a guaranteed place to live, all by taxing the rich. This is deeply appealing for young people who don't feel they have a shot at attaining their parents' standard of living.
It's also the proverbial "free stuff" which makes many people, not least liberal Democrats, highly nervous, and it's why she's going to meet stiff resistance from the party when we roll into the primary season. Not about her gender.
"We know that people prefer Big Daddies to intelligent women" is one of those insufferable pieces of conventional wisdom that people don't feel the slightest need to try to defend. Why is it true? Because people say it. Why do people say it? Because it's true. No, it's actually not defensible. Had she been nominated in '08, Hillary would have wiped the floor with McCain because '08 was a Democratic year. Hillary and Kamala lost because they ran against a flaming misogynist instead of a gentleman like John McCain.
Pritzker will decide if he'll run. I'm not saying that being morbidly obese will put off voters, I'm saying that running for president is highly strenuous and he might not feel up to it. Jon Tester didn't run in '20 because he's also morbidly obese and he said his health was the reason why he didn't throw his hat in.
And it's gotten worse since this morning.
I want to him struck down to the real imbicil he is drooling in a cup and the TV tuned to PBS 24/7 and he cannot change the channel or communicate his wishes in any way.
HOLY CRAP THEY’RE GOING AT IT! Rick—are you live tweeting this anywhere? It’s fucking GLORIOUS!
Here’s a gift link so you can all enjoy the fireworks: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/05/us/trump-elon-musk?unlocked_article_code=1.Mk8.tyKo.Z31catrxqEvo&smid=url-share
Rick has been saying since before the election that the vultures are circling. But they never seem to land. So
what gives?
Rick's extraordinary ability at delving into Maga's miasma and extracting what's really going on in there is delivered to us via his brilliant, humor laced, often good and dark, use of the English language; writen or spoken.
Speaking for the art-adjacent, the Trump Vulture painting is a spot-on Jon McNaughton parody. Unless McNaughton actually painted it.
I'm so glad I've been following you since Trump got the nomination in 2016. I swear you're part of the reason I'm still mostly sane and haven't lost all hope - most of it, but not all, thanks to you.
I think Captain K can wreak a lot of damage on Presidementia and I look forward to him targeting MAGAts who voted for the abomination. Still wish ketamine and hardened arteries would get off their asses and do something about both of these yam tittied idiots.
It’s not only Patel et al doing the coverup, of course.
It’s all at the bidding of the demented felon.
And the fools whining that they didn’t vote for (insert atrocity that affects THEM) most certainly did. They only thought they were voting to harm their least favorite minority and no one else.
Sucks to be them.
But, really, it sucks more to be the demented felon. Between TACO and DEAD (Donald exhibits advanced dementia) he is becoming a narcissist’s worst nightmare: a laughingstock.
Trump has no "cards," particularly that oh, so important "Get Out Of Jail Free" card that he charges millions of bucks for. Elon told him to take a big step back and ... now Trump is slow to respond, can't think of anything new, so he's recycling old punishments that failed the first term. Smells of flop sweat, all of this. Pee-yoooo 💩
all very amusing until you realize how many thousands of excess deaths we have seen due to the dismantling of USAID
Presumably no one is covering that aspect. If these fatalities are being tracked, we need to learn who is compiling these data. It is necessary detail for the Nuremberg-style trials that must be implemented. There is nothing remotely amusing here.
HEE-HE-HAW-SNUFFLE, SNORT, sorry I get a little hysterical just imagining those dudes tripping over their shoelaces & face-planting into Reality . . . Standing by for more.
Zelensky has always had the winning hand - Ukraine ingenuity. Trump isn't even playing with a full deck.
And Trump's ludicrous investigation of Biden's supposed illegal use of the autopen - Howard Nielson, now a Federal District Court judge appointed by Trump, concluded years ago when working as top official at Office of Legal Counsel, "the president need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law"....the president could direct "a subordinate to affix the president's signature to such a bill, for example by autopen." Another conspiracy theory bites the dust.
Excellent comment. You’re right about Musk’s racism. He outed his white supremacy so stridently, he’ll never be able to stuff it back in the closet.
I'm guessing when (if) Elon coughs up the $100M he still owes the Trump campaign he'll get the full treatment. It would actually be funnier than anything if Elon stiffed him!
Re: Travel Ban. Funny that Venezuela, the country purported to be sending criminal gang members here to harm us, isn't on the travel ban list. Do you think maybe they just made up that story about enemy aliens to dodge their due process obligations? Also, as the NYT reports this morning, the bans will play hell with the World Cup.
He made an exception for athletes and coaches, which is just more evidence that his every impulse is coated with venality and an inability to tackle issues with due diligence rather than axe cuts tempered by greed.
First off Rick, as well as being a master wordsmith and writer, I heard you’re also an incredible dirty trickster for the opposition. Any chance you can lend some of your skill set to the Democratic Party?
Seriously, we have the worst opposition in the history of this nation, at a time when we could really use some dark, evil, but brilliant minds. Not that you’re dark and evil, but you are brilliant, and you definitely know some people fall into that category; understanding their mentality better than most. We could really use some expertise here, before these clowns completely blowup the house beyond repair.
As for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”? It’s set to add $2.4 trillion to the debt over next decade. Personally, I think Trump understands that while deficits are bad in the long run, they can spur growth in the short run, and he won’t have to deal with the consequences, since he’ll be long gone before the chickens come home to roost.
Coincidence? Republicans always manage to set the economy on fire, and it’s the Democrats who are left cleaning up the mess; until they get voted out again, because the economy doesn’t turn around fast enough, or republicans promise tax cuts. It’s a vicious cycle; rinse, lather, repeat!
That said, this is Trump in a nutshell as the greatest dealmaker in the world:
NAFTA BAD, USMCA GOOD! Different name, yet essentially, it’s the same deal! Of course, that didn’t stop the “stable” genius from blowing a hole in his own deal anyway!
Then we had the JCPOA: worst Deal Ever! Ironically, Trump’s version is essentially the same deal as Obama, but a lot less. Iran won’t give up its highly enriched uranium this time around; for lowly enriched uranium, which is used for cancer treatments. So in essence, a much worse deal!
Therefore, my only question is whether America is sick of winning: YET?
Seriously, he cut $1 trillion in waste. Then it’s $160 billion. And finally, when all is said and done, we’ll have $8 billion in wasteful spending eliminated. And at what cost (a government brain drain).
Not to mention, he’s is about to knock off 16 million from Medicaid. Drug prices and most household staples are rising, and he managed to destroy our venerated treasury markets (safe haven asset), and our position as the reserve currency for 70% of the world.
While nothing is written in stone, I don’t see any light at the end of this tunnel. Do any of you? Just asking for a friend!..:)
Federal spending is actually UP $200 billion over the first 5 months of 2025 compared to the same time last year (an increase of 7%). Gutting the IRS is going to make it even worse because it will lead to a lot more tax evasion from the wealthy and corporations since they won't have the resources to go after them anymore (which is the point).
So, in reality, DOGE actually cost us more money than it saved, and it's not even close.
Here is the source for the $200 billion number: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61196/html
Along with insult comedy, reneging on deals is central in Trump's Skill set.
The midterms.
The midterms should give us some relief and make it more difficult for this insanity to continue unimpeded. I'll even say that the '28 race is one we should win.
But nobody takes a royal flush and turns it into plays it like a pair of deuces like the Dems. Re: '28 there is no candidate who can't be purity tested into oblivion. Because that's what we do best
I dunno, Michael, you responded to me so this isn't gratuitous, but I just don't think it's helpful to continue to dogpile the Democrats. I understand that it's a way to avoid disappointment but it's also crying over things that haven't happened yet.
We could also focus on the extraordinary run the Democrats have been recently having with off-year statehouse elections.
Because the Dems dogpile on themselves much better than my zero ability to do so in a meaningful way. I am the ultimate rando; my words, which are only read by a few, are zero impact
I’ll stop dogpiling when I see something, ANY goddamn thing that passes for intelligent leadership.
Until then, no soup for you, Dems
Perfectly fair points; we're both just randos howling into the bit bucket and that's fine and as it should be. Here's my philosophical difference with your general position: Leadership is very important when Dems are in power and we have legislation to pass; there's no substitute for a Nancy Pelosi for Obama and Biden. But it's not so important when we're out of power. Since at least Andrew Jackson, the Democratic Party has been the most motley of coalitions. A strong, single message right now would serve as a lighting rod because there's always gonna be a part of our coalition that objects to it (thus the temptation to focus group everything and get insincere pablum as a result).
So the Dems are right to let a hundred flowers bloom right now, at least until the presidential season starts to heat up. The AOCs of the world aren't going to appeal to Elissa Slotkin voters. Cory Booker seems a little goofy-autistic to some of the brothers. My favorite flavor, Elizabeth Warren, a pro-capitalist regulation ninja, is not going to appeal to disaffected Dems in the heartland (she doesn't even appeal to the anti-capitalist Bernie bros).
And that's absolutely fine. That's who we are as a party. So lets keep all these flowers blooming and see which ones catch the most sunlight.
Not to be argumentative for the sake of being argumentative, BUT ...
I could make the case that leadership is MORE important when you're out of power. Historical examples would include de Gaulle during WWII; he stood tall - literally - in the face of Nazism, inspiring his countrymen and women to resist.
A more sinister example is Castro who built a guerilla coalition that ultimately overthrew Batista. If I gave it more thought, I'd come up with 10 more. You could too
NOW is the time for leaders to emerge, leaders who can inspire and create something bigger than just themselves and their own words. AOC comes closest but we got a little problem in this country - and in our purity testing party - with strong, outspoken women. So ... is there a ceiling for her?
I am just fed up with our inability to GTFO of our own way, shooting ourselves in the foot, and being led by absolute clowns like Schumer and Jeffries. Tired of our grievance based politics; tired of our letting our pure liberal ideologies get steamrolled by populist waves; tired of our being more concerned with getting kids healthcare so they can transition instead of paying attention to middle America and their distaste for our grievances. This HAS to change
Pritzker?
Pritzker is morbidly obese and it's way too early for '28 tea leaves.
As it stands right now, AOC is leading the straw polls, FWIW.
Only because AOC is a known name. Leading in what polls. With what, 20%? I would love AOC to be our next president, but it will never ever happen. Pritsker kicks ass. Trump is morbidly obese too. We know the people prefer Big Daddies to intelligent women. And FWIW I don’t think the US will ever elect a woman president unless she’s some right wing dominatrix like Thatcher. I wish I were wrong.
Oh well, life is pretty good here in Canada. We are counting on y’all to keep him distracted.
Straw polls this far out are meaningless, but it's important to understand why AOC is doing as well as she is. She's a known name? So is Gavin Newsom. AOC and Bernie have gotten such remarkable traction in red states and districts on the Fighting Oligarchy tour because they offer something that the Democratic Party only offers in conceptual, aspirational terms, the vision of a future where you don't feel so crushed. Kamala offered a vision of the future, too, but it was all vaporware. AOC offers free healthcare, a higher minimum wage, a realigned economy to address the climate crisis and a guaranteed place to live, all by taxing the rich. This is deeply appealing for young people who don't feel they have a shot at attaining their parents' standard of living.
It's also the proverbial "free stuff" which makes many people, not least liberal Democrats, highly nervous, and it's why she's going to meet stiff resistance from the party when we roll into the primary season. Not about her gender.
"We know that people prefer Big Daddies to intelligent women" is one of those insufferable pieces of conventional wisdom that people don't feel the slightest need to try to defend. Why is it true? Because people say it. Why do people say it? Because it's true. No, it's actually not defensible. Had she been nominated in '08, Hillary would have wiped the floor with McCain because '08 was a Democratic year. Hillary and Kamala lost because they ran against a flaming misogynist instead of a gentleman like John McCain.
Pritzker will decide if he'll run. I'm not saying that being morbidly obese will put off voters, I'm saying that running for president is highly strenuous and he might not feel up to it. Jon Tester didn't run in '20 because he's also morbidly obese and he said his health was the reason why he didn't throw his hat in.
🙏
If Trump is a spy (and listening to your podcast, yeah I get it), his codename should be:
Dim Philby