Monday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Monday, July 7, 2025
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66 comments
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About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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BlueSky.
Tired of scrolling thru Instagram and seeing all the dumbasses, who voted for tax cuts to the rich over NOAA forecasting, now complaining that they have the sad’s.
Screw em all.
I think we all predicted that Trump and Elon would break up on the grounds that the relationship was Trump and Elon. We all thought it would crash and burn. But did anyone think it would just go on burning and burning and burning like the Springfield tire fire? Burn, nepo baby billionaires, burn.
A quick Google looking for Guadalupe river flooding disclosed that ten people were killed at a church camp near Comfort, Texas, in July 1987. https://www.weather.gov/ewx/wxevent-19870717
Interesting to note that in 1987 the camp was notified at 2 am, and the flood struck buses of evacuees at 6 am.
Maybe some zoning should be considered.
There’s brutal, and then there’s stupid brutal:
So, the goal is to unite the Iranian people? That’s how Netanyahu is doing regime change?
@Slugger:
The county and state knew the risks, and rejected any action on the grounds of cost, even as Texas cut property taxes by 50 billion. This is the Republican Party: cut taxes, kill children, pretend to be sad, rinse and repeat. See also: rural hospitals, RFK Jr. promoting communicable diseases, and US AID among other examples.
Per the NYT, 27 Mystic campers and staff were killed in the Texas flood. More than 80 dead total.
You may all be relieved to know I managed to unravel the knot holding up my current story. Though it seems a bit risky to have the protagonist appear only in the third scene…
As to the ckusterfu*k in Texas, one thing that keeps coming up on Bluesky is the claim that the only flash flood alerts were issued on Xitter.
I don’t know if this is true. If it is, then that’s where most of the culpability lies, especially since such warnings don’t have much lead time.
Besides, since El Taco broke up with his boyfriend, why do they keep patronizing Xitter that much?
So now Pam Bondi’s DOJ and Kash Patel’s FBI are saying there is no Epstein client list?
These people are bald-faced in their corruption.
Wife has CNBC on this morning. I couldn’t help but notice that in their piece on Tesla and Musk they noted that so far Trump has not threatened to go after and harm Tesla. It’s just remarkable that it’s now accepted as legal and normal for POTUS to use the power of the federal government to harm companies because he is mad at them.
Steve
@Daryl: Bondi is on thin ice with the base.
@Michael Reynolds:
“This is the Republican Party: cut taxes, kill children, pretend to be sad, rinse and repeat.”
You forgot “loudly congratulate self on being pro-life”.
@Fortune:
I have no choice but to believe your inside info, as you are a member of said “base”
@Daryl: whatever, I still informed you
$450,000,000 per year — almost half a billion dollars, to house 5,000 detainees at Trump’s Aligator Alcatraz. That’s $90,000 per detainee per year — DOGE level outrage should ensue!
Such is the utter brainlessness of Trump-MAGA Inc.
OR, we could spend a fraction, perhaps just a couple grand per targeted individual to vet their claims and work/education/relationship status, provide US civics education, issue a green card, and not blow up our internal supply chain while simultaneously adding inflationary pressure to our economy.
It takes “some kind of genius” to pursue costly petty bias over national interests. But sure, defund the National Weather Service, university finances, and health research so you can “own the libs.”
@Slugger: If I’ve read stuff correctly, after the 1987 flood Comfort installed warning sirens. Which were used this time as the flood waters moved downstream. Video here of the leading edge arriving at Center Point, a few miles upstream from Comfort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rir1mRgqyBs
@Fortune:
You always say stuff like that, but no one believes you. Bondi is not on any type of ice, thin or otherwise. If she is on such thin ice than I expect that President Trump will be announcing that he has asked her to resign her position right about now.
What will get her on thin ice with folks like yourself is if she develops a backbone and some scruples and stands up on behalf of all Americans and not just the MAGA base in putting checks on President Trump’s behavior.
James had it right when he said that Congressional Republicans Always Cave. This makes sense, if there is a more craven group of critters other than those folks that comprise the GOP I have yet to meet them.
Oh yeah…still waiting for that announcement that President Trump feels that Bondi is on thin ice. It is coming any moment now, right Fortune, right?
@Michael Reynolds: I know. I get the same vibe when I read about Florida condo associations that defer maintenance to save money.
We should get rid of fire departments. Those guys sit around the fire house costing us taxpayers money the vast majority of the time.
@Fortune: Yet “the base” is perfectly fine with the person that picked Bondi, the orange thug that Epstein said was his closest friend, the terrorism-inciting criminal that praised Epstein for liking women “on the younger side” while repeatedly making gross comments sexualizing his daughter Ivanka.
The base empowers and protects incompetent, corrupt, lying Epstein-bestie rapist Trump, but is someone mad with his incompetent, corrupt, lying appointees? Makes total sense.
The Republican base continues to be full of crap. Frauds, sellouts, and pedo-protecting liars. Bunch of amoral, unethical, anti-American phonies.
Pam Bondi said Epstein’s client list and file was on her desk, being prepped for release. What happened?
Oh, that’s right:
“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” – Trump
“I was Donald Trump’s closest friend” – Epstein
“Ivanka’s got the best body. I’ve often said that if Ivanka weren’t my daughter I’d be dating her.” – Trump
A pedophile (who incited a terror attack on Congress, sold out to Putin, whose COVID incompetence destroyed lives, and whose economic plan is taxing the middle class with tarrifs, ripping healthcare from the poor, and increasing debt by trillions with corporate socialism) should not be president of the United States.
My wife is on social security. She just received an email from social security touting the passage of the BBB. Her comment to me was “is this normal?”. There truly is no normal with Trump.”
@Fortune:
Yeah, because you MAGAs are so very concerned with the truth.
@DK:
Don’t forget that when Wendy Williams asked Trump what he and daughter Ivanka have in common, he replied: “I’d like to say sex.”
@Michael Reynolds: “So, the goal is to unite the Iranian people? That’s how Netanyahu is doing regime change?”
IMHO, Bibi and Co. don’t want that. A friendly Iranian government would not benefit them. They live off of war.
I get that Ann Coulter’s shelf life is way past expiry, but this attempt at…what? Relevance? Shock value? …whatever it is, it’s abhorrent.
@Barry:
Israel is not Russia, they have a robust economy and a small population with armed forces strained to the max. So I don’t think they can pull a Putin and move to a ‘wartime economy.’ Israelis will put up with bombing the shit out of people, but they have a democratically elected government, and zero reluctance to express their impatience with economic pain.
@Jen:
She’s just continuing to do exactly what she built her entire career around. The problem is that she was practically the only one of her kind way back when, now she’s just a normal, run-of-the-mill right-winger. And she didn’t help things when she decided to forge a niche as someone who attacks Trump from the right, a space that is almost entirely MAGA-ified by now. The only people who can sort of get away with that approach are the open Nazis like Nick Fuentes, and that I think explains her fully ripping the mask off in tweets like the one you linked to. And this isn’t even new for her–last year she told Ramaswamy to his face she wouldn’t vote for him because he’s Indian.
@Michael Reynolds: @inhumans99: @DK: It was one sentence. I didn’t say Trump would ditch her, I didn’t say you should like either of them. But I did make you read something true, even if you couldn’t understand it, so I win.
@Michael Reynolds: “So, the goal is to unite the Iranian people? That’s how Netanyahu is doing regime change?”
When an Israeli attack is too brutal and too stupid even for MR*, it’s pretty clear that Netanyahu has gone off the deep end…
*Honestly not trying to pick a fight with Michael here, but he has long been a proponent of nations at war doing whatever they have to do to win…
@Fortune: ” I still informed you”
You typed and posted some words. For this to count as “informing” anyone, it would have to have details or cites or, you know, actual information.
You might as well have typed and posted “there are mechanical moon mice about to invade the earth” and if would have been just as “informative.”
Cookie just slipped and admitted what his game is.
If you respond to him, no matter how clever or crushing your response, he scores a point for himself.
The only way to defeat him is to not respond.
@Fortune:
Translation: a known liar stated an unconvincing opinion. Pam Bondi is no more on thin ice with the base for hiding the Epstein files than Trump is on thin ice with the base for helping Epstein rape underage girls.
If you Trumpers we’re concerned about Epstein, you wouldn’t be Trumpers. Y’all simp for the Epstein-bestie rapist himself but you’re aghast at Pam Bondi? Pfft. Y’all ain’t foolin nobody but yourselves. Fake af
lmao If this kind of irrelevant online exchange is what you need to finally feel like a winner, you must be a really sad and pathetic beta cuck loser offline. Yikes.
@Slugger: “We should get rid of fire departments. Those guys sit around the fire house costing us taxpayers money the vast majority of the time.”
That’s just silly. We don’t have to get rid of them. We just have to treat them the way Uber treats its drivers, and only pay them for the time they spend actively putting out fires. Oh, and maybe charge them for the use of the firehouse when there are no fires burning.
@gVOR10:
So? We don’t care what he does for himself.
According to what? A toddler’s imaginary “point system”? Lol who cares?
@Fortune: “so I win”
The losers of the world have a new king.
@gVOR10: I’m fighting ignorance.
Elon Musk calls DOJ findings that there was no Epstein ‘client list’ the ‘final straw’ (The Independent)
America Party ftw
@Kylopod:
I like her consistency in hating all Indians, American-Indian and Indian-Indian. I have to assume she also hates Indianans.
@CSK:
Gag. But the party that nominated this disgusting pedophile three times running really cares about protecting women and girls. Almost as big a farce as them preaching about fiscal responsibility then voting to increase the deficit by trillions while gutting healthcare.
Democrats.org:
Ha. A rapist pedo president gave a directive to investigate himself? Sure, Pam.
@Michael Reynolds: Regime change isn’t the goal. It’s the lie he tells to keep the war going so he can stay out prison.
Hezbollah, Hamas, Netanyahu. All cut from the same bolt of cloth.
@Gustopher:
While I haven’t checked, I don’t think she’s a member of the Mike Pence Fan Club.
@Daryl: No, I can believe that there’s no Epstein client list.
Anymore.
Also, this thread brought to mind the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yX_1gJ_51M
@Fortune: Then she’ll need to worry about the next AG election!
Wait…
@Fortune: Then, you’re not good at it. I know what you said about Bondi isn’t correct and just presented the truth, so I win.
See how that works?
Except for the subject matter, this sounds reads like most anything Cookie writes.
SMH.
@just nutha: Recent comments make me think I should comment a lot more.
@wr: Click
BTW: Anyone reading this thread should finally understand that Fortune thinks that just posting a simple sentence is “informing” (or whatever) and that all they crave is engagement.
I suppose I should celebrate the extra clicks on the site…
Stocks tumble after Trump announces tariffs on countries including Japan and South Korea (CNN)
Stock Market Today: Dow Falls 500 Points as Trump Dials Up Tariff Tensions, Extends Deadline (WSJ)
Trump to extend key tariff deadline to August 1 as he threatens new duties of up to 40% on certain countries (NBC News)
This tariff tax hike fetish is silly and unnecessarily destructive. If they want to help Americans live higher quality lives, Trump and Republicans should instead join a bipartisan push for affordable housing, universal healthcare, clean energy, gun control, student debt forgiveness, and paid family leave.
@just nutha:
If Musk has access to the client list, or knows who’s on it, why doesn’t he just say so on Twitter? Why pussyfoot (you should pardon the expression) around with this?
@DK:
After destroying the research universities and affiliated government funded basic scientific research, that is moving to Europe and China, they better hope for even poorly paid manufacturing
drudgeryjobs. All the industries that will be developed from that research will also be in Europe and China, manufacturing will be all that is left.If small town Americans are complaining now that their kids have moved to the city, what are they going to think about them having move to Aix-en-Provence, Oxford and Bonn? Not to forget Shanghai.
@DK:
What happened is Bondi added the word “incriminating”.
Some logic in that, as just because Epstein took down somebody’s name doesn’t mean they engaged in the sex operation. He was invited to and attended many high scale events over the years.
Blondi has for some reason decided to put this in the news again, so that “the base” might be upset would be unsurprising. If they are upset, I imagine it won’t be long before “the base” is fully convinced this is only evidence that Biden destroyed the list.
@Steven L. Taylor:
Oh, I got that from day one. In fact, I think one of my earliest replies to him addressed that very point. Still, I can’t resist playing with him sometimes.
But I’m trying, as Melania might say, to be best.
@DK:
PSA: Stock up on Choco Pies now before the tariff hits. If you think they’re overpriced (and yes, they are), they’re gonna be worse in a few weeks.
@CSK: That’s part of where the comparison to Cookie comes in. For all we know, there never was a client list. I know that I’m smart enough to not keep records of illegal activities. How about you?
@wr:
MAGAts are kind of like Ford Prefect’s idea of humans: their brains stop working when their mouths start moving.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
As far as I can recall, I’ve never done anything illegal other than smoke a little grass in college, so I really don’t have much to hide.
But just for the fun of it, why do you think Musk is yammering about a client list if there isn’t one?
@Sleeping Dog:
They’ll blame wokeness, Hillary, and cat-eating trans migrants that Obama and Biden let invade.
The Rhine or French Rivera vs Trumplandia? That’s a no brainer at this particular moment.
I’ve never bought into the various Epstein conspiracy theories, or any others. But the fact that El Taco sycophants are denying there was a client list and that Epstein wasn’t murdered, leads me to believe it’s likely such a client list exists and he did not commit suicide.
So, the Bibi government is going full nazi.
Just call it the final solution to the Palestinian question and be done with it.
the worst part is the Taco so-called administration would support this. What I wonder is whether Europe’s leaders can, and will, effectively oppose such a thing. I mean as far as sending troops to physically prevent the IDF from carrying out this kind of monstrous plan.
@Kathy:
They’re not saying that there wasn’t a client list, they’re saying Trump’s not on it. They want to see the list as long as Trump’s name doesn’t appear therein.
@DK: Hmm. I wonder where the resident financial genius is to help me understand how this isn’t the market sending a signal about tariffs?
@DK:
I think contextualizing the conflict as “defeating him” is pointless. It probably should be more a game than a battle. And people who don’t want to play would be wiser to skip over obvious exchanges, but a lot of thread followers seem committed to the idea that they have to read everything. Oh well …
@CSK: I’ve not followed this train of thought (or lack thereof), so I’ve no dog in the fight (and am not going to borrow one from Michael Vick, either).
@Kathy: Never again (unless they’re our trains).
@Slugger:
The Libertarians in the Free Town Project did exactly this. They went to an all-volunteer fire department, which meant they were all miles away at their regular jobs when an old building went up in flames (former church that some were living in). One person died in that fire, and because none of the volunteer firefighters could get there quickly, the closest department to respond was located 45 minutes away.