16 responses to “So Elon Musk was what Republicans would call an “illegal immigrant””

1. 

   granville

   10/27/2024

   I think everything cool comes to California or New York first, everything horrible carves a chunk out of Illinois’ ass to start. Our cities were de-industrialized first, went MAGA before there was a MAGA and we also had our newspaper taken over by a hedgie who then ended all endorsements because it would be uncomfortable for his other businesses to endorse a Democrat for governor over his fellow hedge fund guy.

   On the subject of endorsements it’s still bizarre to me that Democrats don’t seem to get how these things work. It’s not like someone idolizes Beyonce or Taylor Swift and goes “Oh, I was gonna vote the other way but I love them so much I’m going to change.” It’s turnout, turnout, turnout. They amplify the turnout message to groups that are hard and expensive to reach. But that doesn’t seem to be happening. It’s just the litany of Celebs 4 HillDawg again.

   I got in the habit years ago of watching the “Sunday talk shows” and JD Vance had an interview on every single one today. They were all actually even in the same room, same backdrop, etc. Meet The Press point out that they also asked Tim Walz for an interview and the campaign declined. I don’t understand what the fuck these people are doing, Doug!

   But I do understand this edit button, holy shit that’s cool! Nice addition!

   Reply
   1. 

      Doug Holland

      10/28/2024

      Your opening paragraph sent me on an hour-long rabbit-hunt through the history of the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune… Can you ‘feel’ a day-to-day difference between the non-profit good guys’ coverage and the hedge fund bad guys’ coverage?

      I viscerally understand the importance of newspaper endorsements. My own voting yesterday was helped along with a pdf of the local alt-weekly’s endorsement, cuz who the heck knows enough to vote knowledgeably on Water Commissioner for the 33rd District? Celeb endorsements have always been a mystery to me, but yeah, and thanks for ‘splaining — turnout boosters. Guess that makes sense.

      Used to watch the Sunday shows, many many years ago, but no more and never again. Always seems like they’re rehearsed, or at least the questions are all very expected, the answers all very self-serving and shallow. Optimistically, maybe the Walz answer wasn’t stupid — I have never heard “water cooler talk” or bus or restaurant conversations about Meet the Press.

      Politics aside, Harris is not Hillary-bland, but she’s bland, which is worrisome, and the campaign’s main effort seems to be keeping her bland and making her blander.

      The edit ability is an optional add-on. Glad you dig.

      Reply
      1. 

         granville

         10/28/2024

         The Sun-Times definitely has a better tone now, the reporting prior to the NPR station’s takeover ranged from cheap to just totally inconsequential. Shockingly, it was never described as “innovative” or “disruptive” or any other word the past idiots would use to describe themselves.

         We have to vote for judges here, and I mean all of them. I have no idea how a voter is supposed to take on a candidate for traffic court judge without a voter guide from a 3rd party.

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         1. 

            Doug Holland

            10/28/2024

            I’m not wild about voting for judges. In Wisconsin, the Republicans stacked the courts with wingnuts, cuz it’s so easy to demonize even a good judge over a ruling or sentence that can be mischaracterized. And traffic court? Man, that’s supernuts.

            At least you have two papers. I remember that, in Seattle and elsewhere. We’re down to one, The Seattle Times, and it’s relentlessly so-so and solidly Republican in a very blue city and state.

            I’ve been checking out the Sun-Times now and again since they went non-profit. Hoping for the best. They’re solid, is my impression, but lack the funding and maybe the drive to really make waves.

            Reply
            1. 

               granville

               10/28/2024

               Yeah the funding situation is not really great — the parent company recently shut down Vocalo radio, which was aimed at younger and more diverse listeners than NPR stations usually get. That at least was an experiment at making the audience bigger, and they gave it a long lifeline, though there were still people mad. And, you’ll love this, started petitions begging local rich people to buy it, because that’s working out great!

               Leaning into “local” seems to be a workable strategy, at least at maintaining an audience. That seems to have been what most newspapers gutted first, the “metro” section. I’ve never seen local politics covered as well as they are right now (granted there’s a lot to report, the city has its first progressive mayor since the ’80s and it’s been going quite badly).

               Probably the greatest thing we have is Block Club Chicago. It’s a website but I’m amazed by it, their stories cover local news on a level of like a small-town paper. I think their crime reporting is a little light but you can find that kind of thing anywhere (we also have websites dedicated solely to that and they seem to have little effect other stoking prurient interests in lurid stories and making people paranoid as fuck). And they don’t do national much, or sports. But their coverage is just insanely good. Every time I look at it, probably 80% of the front page items are things I had no idea were going on.

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               1. 

                  Doug Holland

                  10/28/2024

                  Help us, rich people! You’re our only hope!

                  Block Club Chicago sure looks better than a corporate newspaper. This article on a deteriorating theater is depressing but thorough, and far better than what I’ve seen on similar topics elsewhere. I’m going to give BCC a tryout for my surf cycle.

                  Crime reporting I’d everywhere, not because there’s so much crime, but because it’s great for drawing eyeballs, clicks, etc, and it’s relatively easy and low-cost newsgathering. Bleeds, leads, and all that. I resist it myself, but if the headline says house fire or burglary or bloody murder in my part of the city, I’ll read all about it. It must be human nature, but isn’t crime news the least newsworthy thing in the news? A murder or a smash-and-grab is sad, but it elbows more important stuff out of the news flow.

                  Reply
                  1. 

                     granville

                     10/28/2024

                     For a long time basically every story about police brutality in Chicago was being broken by The Guardian. The climate is very different now, maybe even something like a “golden age” of local reporting.

                     I don’t know if you heard about this, but the leading “practitioner” of torture in Gitmo was an 20+ year Chicago police veteran named Richard Zuley. He perfected his system of shaking down false confessions when he was working homicide cases here. They just released another of his domestic prey a few years ago and others are still winding through the system. Jodie Foster starred in a movie about this a few years ago called *The Mauritanian.* None of the local news had any inkling of this story at all. Even a sensationalized version would have been welcomed. If they published something hailing Zuley as a “patriot,” at least some of us would have been suspicious. But that’s the 21st century life: the story just doesn’t get told…

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            2. 

               johnthebasket

               10/28/2024

               Jesus on a stick, when I don’t know who to vote for I consult the Progressive Voters’ Guide. I know enough about local and regional politics to know that their endorsements are either genuine progressives or the closest thing they can find or they make no endorsement. It’s surprising how many local races have progressives or near-progressives or at least non-fascists running for local garbage district 487 and other positions that affect my daily life. Oh yeah, they endorse for President too.

               John

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               1. 

                  Doug Holland

                  10/28/2024

                  Which is kinda related to why it’s a big deal and a poop in the face when newspapers don’t do endorsements. There ought to be nobody better informed that the newspaper, if it’s a decent newspaper. Their advice would be helpful for a lot of people.

                  Being an old-time newspaper guy, my endorsement source is The Stranger, or some newspaper I at least approximately trust. I didn’t know there’s a Progressive Voters’ Guide, now all we need is more progressive voters.

                  I would totally vote for Jesus on a stick.

                  Reply
2. 

   johnthebasket

   10/28/2024

   I grew up in Tacoma, Washington, when 20% of the city and 60% of the county were scotchbroom and wild dogs. 61 years before I was born, Washington was a Territory. In settlements, everybody knew everybody, at least by reputation. Voting for judges made some sense. Now I live in a city that gives out apartment building permits like they were free blowjobs. Every inch is covered by a parking lot or a chain variety store selling week-old bread to the apartment dwellers. I grew up here, and I knew 500 people when I was a young man. Now I know seven, and I’m not sure about the sixth. The attorneys I know are decent enough people. Maybe the bar association should nominate two candidates and the candidates should make their cases to da people. Just a note: the death or serious illness of local newspapers has created an information gap in voting and in general. It’s sad. We had a pretty good newspaper. I delivered it to every damn house in the neighborhood (110 houses in all). At the annual paperboy’s banquet (ok, sexism) the Wailers were the entertainment. For us it was like hiring the Beatles for a birthday bash. It’s all gone now.

   John

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   1. 

      Doug Holland

      10/28/2024

      The News-Trib brought in the Wailers for a paperboys’ party? Man, that’s a little bit better than the pizza we got at my last job for setting profit records.

      Wish I knew what a solution would be. Corrupt judges, corrupt everything. I instantly like the idea of the ABA nominating the candidates, but of course the ABA is corrupt too. Maybe we need a fleet of free-roaming ombudsmen who can strike down cronyism and crookedism wherever it’s spotted, but of course, set up that system and we’d soon have corrupt ombudsmen.

      Sure ain’t no doubt that everything’s gone to hell since we were young men. And things weren’t all that heavenly even then.

      Also, I *love* that you said blowjobs and now I said it too, and yet this page won’t be yanked or put behind age-verification or un-published by Google’s AI while I plead the case via form letters to bots begging to have a human glance at the page.

      Reply
      1. 

         johnthebasket

         10/28/2024

         They’re hard to find these days, but the word carries a lifelong connotation (and denotation) for men. It’s what every boy wants for his 16th birthday and hardly any of us gets one. I got half of one for my 17th, and I’d rather not talk about it, except to say that detailing the interior of a ’62 Ford Fairlane quickly and quietly isn’t my idea of a fun Friday latenight.

         On a slightly unrelated topic, Martha and I have used the Progressive Voters’ Guide for years. They’ve never steered us wrong, and Martha actually does research on obscure judicial elections. Don’t need research for the higher offices. Check them out online. I mean the PVG, not blowjobs.

         John

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         1. 

            Doug Holland

            10/29/2024

            I shall give the Progressive Guide a good look in the next election, if a next election is allowed. Might need it, as The Stranger has been sold to some entity I’m suspicious of.

            Never had to tidy up after, but I’ve never been much for tidying up.

            Reply
3. 

   Doug Holland

   10/29/2024

   Replying to Granville, about Chicago cops:

   Oh yes, I’m aware of Richard Zuley, but only because I read the Guardian. He’s a notorious monster, who not only tortured ‘confessions’ out of people, but *taught* *torture* *classes* for the Chicago Police Department. So far as I know he’s never been prosecuted, and I’m certain he never will be. The city keeps paying out on torture lawsuits, and Zuley is still receiving a comfy City of Chicago pension, right? Just a despicable fuckwad.

   I wasn’t aware of the movie THE MAURITANIAN, though, which I’ve now added to my watchlist. Jeez, was the title chosen to keep people away? I’m barely aware there’s a country called Mauritania, and had to Google to verify.

   Reply
4. 

   Sam I Am

   10/30/2024

   Yeah, me too, voted for Harris, but if it’s this close a week from the election before Trump throws his final molotof cocktails, it’s not looking good.

   Reply
   1. 

      Doug Holland

      10/30/2024

      Shitstorm’s coming, no matter who wins, but if it’s Trump the shitstorm will never end.

      Reply

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