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Digby's Hullabaloo Posts

Whole Lot-ta Denyin’ Goin’ On

Published by Tom Sullivan on March 5, 2026

Trump’s coalition of the gutless

Not a war. “U.S. sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln marked ordnances headed for Iran with their names.” Photo: U.S. Central Command

Republicans in Congress passed on an opportunity to shed their leashes on Wednesday. Predictably, Rand Paul was Rand Paul in supporting a War Powers resolution for reining in Donald Trump’s war on Iran. John Fetterman was John Fetterman in opposing it (The New York Times):

Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure that would limit President Trump’s power to continue waging war against Iran without congressional authorization, turning back a bid by Democrats to insist that Congress weigh in on a sweeping and open-ended military campaign.

The 53-to-47 vote against taking up the measure was almost completely along party lines, reflecting a deep partisan divide on the Iran war as the Senate delivered the first clear test of congressional resolve since the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, Operation Epic Fury, began across Iran four days ago.

Senators Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, tried to force action on the measure. They invoked a provision of the 1973 War Powers Act, which requires that resolutions to terminate offensive hostilities be considered under expedited procedures.

Mr. Paul was the only Republican leading the effort, and no other G.O.P. senators joined him in support of the measure.

Calling Congress “The Department of Waffling,” Punchbowl News explains that with few exceptions Republicans are content to sit on their hands through classified briefings rather than “hold public hearings or exert any immediate pressure on the Trump administration.”

This is the Trump administration, after all, so no lofty pretensions about planting democracy in the Middle East as in GW Bush’s Iraq War. No, this time the gausy military objective is “a paradigm shift.” The goal in Wednesday’s vote was for Republicans to “keep their hands clean on the conflict for as long as possible” (Punchbowl News):

“Ultimately, if we can prevail here — in weeks, not months — take away [Iran’s] offensive capability, get these other countries working with us, this is a chance to change the paradigm and hopefully end this 20-year global war on terror,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said, noting that Iran is “at its weakest point.”

“Weeks, not months” is the key line here. Hoeven was speaking for most Republicans on this. Nobody knows how long the bombing campaign against Iran will last, and another war powers vote could be triggered — as Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) has threatened to do. Republicans would prefer to keep their hands clean on the conflict for as long as possible, especially given the uncertainty over how long this could last and how it’ll play politically.

Especially since midterm elections are eight months close. Taking any responsibility for Trump’s war or for fulfilling their constitutionally mandated role in approving wars is beyond them. That is unless and until they can do victory dances before November and take post hoc credit.

House Speaker Mike Johnson spun Trump’s illegal war of choice as Iran declaring war on us. “We’re not at war right now,” Johnson declared. Ours is an “operation.” Potted plants talk. Who knew?

“The same people who can’t agree on what to call it are the ones who launched it without a vote, without a plan, and without telling the truth,” Brian Allen on FKA Twitter offers. “They’re not confused. They’re hoping you are.”

Rolling Stone reports:

The fact that Donald Trump appears to have unilaterally volunteered America’s service members to go to war on Israel’s behalf has not gone over well with the president’s base. MAGA is in open revolt over the administration’s decision to attack Iran, and the internet is awash in memes depicting Trump as Netanyahu’s dog, among more graphic visual metaphors. 

Criticism of the decision has been sharp and widespread — coming from both mainstream conservative commentators like Megyn Kelly, once steadfast MAGA warriors like Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as from once-fringe alt-right figures like Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens, whose support Trump welcomed even as the broader Republican establishment shunned them over accusations of antisemitism. 

Republicans don’t fear Iran as much as their MAGA base. The MAGA faithful know what they were promised, they know what they voted for, and they damn sure know what Trump has not delivered. Grocery prices are still high. Gas prices are set to rise. MAGA’s no foreign wars god king just launched one. And hell hath no “epic fury,” etc.

Politico:

President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is telling his advisers to bring ideas to the Oval Office to lower gasoline prices in the wake of the U.S. attack on Iran, according to two energy industry executives familiar with the conversations.

The White House is “looking under every rock for ideas on improving energy prices, especially gasoline prices,” said one of the executives, who was granted anonymity to describe internal administration discussions.

Perhaps they should look under the rocks where congressional Republicans are hiding?

Gov Gav Gets A Prize

Published by digby on March 4, 2026

Lol. That’s Seth Myers’ brother Josh who should get a recurring spot on SNL when the presidential primary heats up. It’s perfect.

Who Is James Talerico?

Published by digby on March 4, 2026

I wrote about Talerico 6 months ago for Salon. If you haven’t followed his race you might find this interesting:

If you weren’t aware of right-wing organizer and podcaster Charlie Kirk‘s work until his tragic murder in Utah on Sept. 10, you probably didn’t realize he was the likely heir apparent of Donald Trump‘s MAGA movement. In fact, many people who were aware of his mission — which included co-founding Turning Point USA, the youth organization that helped return Trump to the White House, and touring colleges to engage young conservatives and harangue young liberals — might not have understood that. Kirk’s assassination made clear just how valuable and influential he was to the right. At 31, an official position of power within the GOP would have been his for the taking in just a few years.

His importance to the MAGA movement was underscored by their instantaneous crusade against the amorphous left. GOP influencers and officials, from the president on down, have vowed to avenge Kirk’s death by using the power of the state to quell dissent and, as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller put it, “dismantle the left” — even as they eulogized Kirk as a model for free speech.

Democrats have been gobsmacked by this massive outpouring of anger that shows no signs of quieting. The party’s elected officials proclaimed their horror at the killing and made clear that political violence of any kind is unacceptable. But a few have stepped forward with messages that have resonated in different, deeper ways during this awful week of rage. 

One of them is James Talarico, a Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who announced a run for the United States Senate in the Lone Star State against GOP Sen. John Cornyn the day before Kirk’s assassination. At 36, Talarico is only a few years older than Kirk, and while he doesn’t explicitly fashion himself as a voice of the younger generation, he may nonetheless represent the same generational change for Democrats that Kirk did for the MAGA movement. 

But Talarico’s message could not be more different. 

Like Kirk, he is a strong Christian believer who is exceptionally good at communicating in a way that appeals across generational lines. Talarico is a master at social media, generating over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok, and he has appeared on Fox News and “The Joe Rogan Experience.” (Rogan told him he needed to run for president because we need “a good person” in office.) 

Talarico’s words after Kirk died were memorable both for their grace and political savvy. “I disagreed with Charlie Kirk on nearly every political issue,” he said, “but he was a child of God. He was our sibling. Our brother. A human being — endowed with infinite worth and entitled to unconditional love. But now, his wife is left without a husband, and his children are left without a father. This latest political assassination comes just three months after the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota State House was shot and killed in her home. Political violence has no place in America.”

Unlike some commentators who used the moment to endow Kirk with character traits he did not possess or practice, Talarico used the universal spiritual language of his church to eulogize Kirk as a human being rather than a political personality. He no doubt did that deliberately, as Talarico says constantly in his speeches and appearances that he believes America’s problems are more spiritual than political. But he made sure to note that violence and hateful rhetoric isn’t happening on just one side of the political aisle.

For some of us who live in blue cities, this all might seem a bit too much. We would likely prefer the more secular appeal of Zohran Mamdani, another youthful candidate who is running to be mayor of New York City. But despite the differences in their styles, both Talarico and Mamdani are making a strong case against the pernicious influence of the billionaire class and for the old-fashioned notion of the common good — and they are doing it not with angry rants but with smiles. Their words and actions, both in their own ways, offer a measure of relief from the relentless negativity and antagonism we’ve been dealing with for what feels like decades, and they are tailored to the places they seek to represent. It is smart politics. 

Fresh-faced and squeaky clean, Talarico looks like he could have been a star in a 1950s sitcom. He speaks about loving your neighbor, but then he deftly pledges to “take on this broken political system and the very powerful people who benefit from this system being broken.” It’s populism in the language of a Sunday sermon, something that could appeal in a place like Texas. 

But over the past seven years in the Texas statehouse, Talarico has also proven himself quite capable of facing down the hardcore right. According to Rolling Stone, he took on the two biggest billionaire GOP donors in Texas, oilman preachers named Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks:

“Tim Dunn on Sunday mornings preaches at a far-right church. And if you listen to his sermons, he doesn’t preach a theology of universal love. He preaches a theology of power and control and domination,” Talarico said. “He believes climate change is God’s will. He compares homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia. He believes only Christians have a right to serve in public office.”

“What you’re seeing is a perversion of Christianity,” he said. “You can call it Christian fascism or Christian nationalism. Essentially, it’s the worship of power, in the name of Christ. And that is idolatry in its purest form.”

Coming from a devout believer like Talarico, that critique could resonate with at least some Texans who actually read the Bible and sense that their leaders, both political and religious, have gone down a dark path. (And bonus points to Talarico for directly calling it Christian fascism — he knows what we’re dealing with.)

Democrats want their leaders to fight, and as a leader in the battle against Texas redistricting that unfolded over the summer, Talarico showed he can be steely when necessary. But he’s betting that people are also looking for a way out of this maelstrom of endless, bitter recriminations, knowing that we have to try and find a way to unify if we want to save our democracy. 

After the horrific week we have all collectively experienced, which began with Kirk’s senseless assassination and then continued with insults and aspersions from the right, you don’t have to be religious to feel Talarico’s words as a healing balm. I don’t know if this country, much less Texas, is ready for what he’s selling. But it’s high time we found out.

QOTD: Ice Barbie

Published by digby on March 4, 2026

CORREA: What do you suggest I tell my constituents? Have a passport with you all the time?NOEM: No. I would tell your citizens to be grateful they live in this country where President Trump is upholding the law. We will help them self-deport.CORREA: These are American citzens!

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-04T17:39:22.096Z

To where should we all self-deport? Mars, I guess. Elon had better get a move on.

Patterns

Published by digby on March 4, 2026

Hillary Clinton is a sharp lawyer and she made an important point in that testimony the other day about why the committee should be particularly suspicious of Trump’s relationship with Epstein and should call him, of all people, to testify. It’s about the pattern of behavior over many, many years.

During her Feb. 26, 2026 testimony, Hillary Clinton said President Donald Trump should be questioned under oath about his appearances in the Epstein files, citing his civil liability in the E. Jean Carroll case and his 2024 criminal convictions over hush money payments. She argued these reflected a “pattern” relevant to the committee’s inquiry. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all matters and is seeking Supreme Court review of the Carroll verdict.

I would argue that the Access Hollywood tape and the credible accusations by dozens of other women about his assaults is also relevant. And as I’ve noted before even the deposition in his first divorce by former wife Ivanka indicates that he was prone to sexual violence.

There were a lot of people who had relationships with Epstein. Some of it certainly had to do with women but the majority of them also cultivated him over money, power and his vast network of contacts and friends as well. With Trump it was all about the women. The NY Times had this piece about their relationship a couple of months ago:

Beginning in the late 1980s, the two men forged a bond intense enough to leave others who knew them with the impression that they were each other’s closest friend, The Times found. Mr. Epstein was then a little-known financier who cultivated mystery around the scope and source of his self-made wealth. Mr. Trump, six years older, was a real estate scion who relished publicity and exaggerated his successes. Neither man drank or did drugs. They pursued women in a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.

Over nearly two decades, as Mr. Trump cut a swath through the party circuits of New York and Florida, Mr. Epstein was perhaps his most reliable wingman. During the 1990s and early 2000s, they prowled Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and Mr. Trump’s Plaza Hotel, at least one of Mr. Trump’s Atlantic City casinos and both their Palm Beach homes. They visited each other’s offices and spoke often by phone, according to other former Epstein employees and women who spent time in his homes.

With other men, Mr. Epstein might discuss tax shelters, international affairs or neuroscience. With Mr. Trump, he talked about sex.

Trump was very close with Epstein and his relationship with him was entirely based on their pursuit of women. I would say that makes him a prime suspect in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

I mean, all you really have to see is this:

Oh STFU

Published by digby on March 4, 2026

Hegseth: “Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We’re playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it … we are punching them while they are down”

Hit ’em where they hurt boys! Elementary schools! Nursing homes! Hospitals! No more woke rules of engagement!

He’s a cartoon.

Hegseth: “This is what the fake news misses. We’ve taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways without boots on the ground. But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news. I get it — the press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality”

Is this SNL?

Greg Sargent has the right idea:

Hegseth’s absurdities illustrate how big an opening Democrats really have here. It’s not enough to demand that officials be forthcoming and transparent. Democrats should argue that Trump has launched what is essentially a vanity war and nothing more—and that, as Smith put it to me, he’s “ruling like a king instead of the elected president of a constitutional republic.”

And his Defense Secretary is a laughingstock.

Every Vote Counts

Published by Tom Sullivan on March 4, 2026

How many times must we learn it?

Two votes. At the risk of putting national readers to sleep, this is a big deal in North Carolina (Axios):

State Senate leader Phil Berger, the most influential Republican in the N.C. General Assembly, trails by just two votes in a closely watched primary on Tuesday against Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, with all precincts reported.

  • The race is too close to call and is likely to go to a recount given its razor-thin margin.

Why it matters: A potential Berger loss would change the landscape of Raleigh’s politics and eventually lead to a leadership transition later this year in the Republican-dominated state Senate.

That takeover led to a state gerrymandered to within an inch of its life. Also, battles over redistricting maps and voter ID that reached the U.S. Supreme Court multiple times, a six-month state Supreme Court recount fight, and the infamous “bathroom bill.” Those fights have gone on for a decade and a half.

“We always knew that the potential existed for this to be close,” Berger said Tuesday night. “I think you could say this is close.”

Once local Boards of Election count absentee and provisional ballots, Berger or Page may ask for a recount if either trails by less than 1% of the total vote. Ask state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs what happens next.

NC Newsline adds:

The big-money race came with an endorsement for Berger from President Donald Trump and an avalanche of negative ads. Page, a popular long-tenured sheriff, won handily in the candidates’ home county of Rockingham, but Berger was able to draw close by winning Guilford County precincts, where Page is not as well known. 

Berger’s campaign fund and independent political action committees supporting him were on track to spend about $10 million dragging down Page and promoting Berger. 

Berger has led the state Senate since 2011, and is one of the most powerful politicians in North Carolina. He has prime responsibility for the state’s rightward turn in tax, environmental, education and other policies. He has been a prolific fundraiser. 

Page was first elected Rockingham sheriff in 1998, while Berger has represented the district in the state Senate since 2001. 

In 2023, Page and Berger clashed over Berger’s push to allow casinos in rural parts of the state, including Rockingham. Page was a vocal critic of the controversial plan, which Berger later abandoned. 

What’s unclear at the moment is how much the erosion of MAGA support for Donald Trump has trickled down to officials like Berger, particularly among the state’s independent (unaffiliated) voters, now the largest tranche of N.C. registrants (39%; Ds and Rs are tied at 30%). Independents hold the key to election results in November both here and elsewhere.

I lose sleep over independent voters. N.C. Democrats lost state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley’s seat in 2020 by 401 votes. They barely hung onto state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs’s seat in 2024 by 734 votes. Now the infamous state Sen. Phil Berger risks losing his state Senate seat by a handful of votes. These squeakers are becoming routine. We expect Republicans trying to win in Republican-dominated courts what they lose at the ballot box to become routine. And that’s after layer upon layer of GOP voter-suppression legerdemain fails to rig elections in their favor.

Democrats do a pretty repectable job of turning out their voters in this state. Where we fail is in turning out friendly UNAffiliateds in the right places. We can’t squeeze enough blood from the Democratic base to overcome an UNA vote that in 2024 went 54% for Donald Trump, even if they turned out 6% less than Democrats. We have to make up the difference with blue UNA votes we’re leaving on the table in our urban counties.

Michael Bitzer of Old North State Politics finds them in early voting perhaps moving in our direction:

Early voting totals have surpassed both the 2022 midterm primary and the 2024 presidential primary at the same point in the calendar. That alone makes this cycle notable. But the real story is not simply about aggregate numbers — it is about who is voting, which ballot they are pulling, and how those choices compare to recent cycles.

The top-line figure suggests heightened engagement. Yet beneath that surface lies a far more revealing set of dynamics: a Democratic primary outperforming recent benchmarks, an unusually strong Unaffiliated tilt toward the Democratic ballot, and a geographic pattern that reinforces the state’s now-familiar urban–suburban–rural divide.

Bitzer observes:

Democrats appear to have generated disproportionate early energy, both among registered partisans and among Unaffiliated voters. The fact that more than half of Unaffiliated voters chose the Democratic ballot — reversing the traditional “go where the action is” pattern — is one of the cycle’s most intriguing developments. Whether that reflects competitive dynamics, ideological sorting, or strategic crossover voting will require deeper post-election analysis.

Moral? Assume nothing and take nothing and no one for granted. Every vote counts.

The Irony! It Burns!

Published by Tom Sullivan on March 4, 2026

Terror, violence, and corruption is the Trump brand

If you expected to wake up to Tuesday primary returns from across the country or more news from Donald Trump’s preemptive attempt to trigger Armageddon, hold on. Pete Hegseth’s warfighters have another propaganda video for you. But first, the news.

The Guardian:

US and Ecuadorian forces have launched joint operations to combat drug trafficking, the US Southern Command said on Tuesday, but neither side gave more details.

Southern Command, which encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said in a statement on X that the “decisive action” was aimed at combating illicit drug trafficking.

The Ecuador defense ministry said details of the offensive operations were classified.

What? No boat strike video?

The New York Times does not have much more:

In a 30-second video released by the military’s Southern Command, a helicopter is seen taking off in early morning or dusk, flying over an area, then picking up soldiers. The U.S. official said the video depicted the first in what was expected to be a series of raids across the country, some with U.S. advisers nearby assisting, some with Ecuadorian forces only. In this instance, involving mostly Ecuadorian forces, the official said, it was unclear what the mission’s objective was or whether it was successful.

But content? Hegseth’s social media crusaders made sure to deliver content.

Terror, violence, and corruption

The propaganda video released by the U.S. Southern Command includes a statement:

On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador. The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.

Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere.

“We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country.” – #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

Terror, violence, and corruption? That’s pretty rich coming from a Trump administration that’s spent the last year terrorizing American cities and brutalizing citizens and non-citizens alike while lining its pockets to the tune of $4 billion dollars.

“Ethics watchdogs say that no other President has ever so nakedly exploited his position, or on such a scale,” wrote David D. Kirkpatrick in The New Yorker at the end of January.

While otherwise behaving like a war criminal, The Times notes:

Since early September, the United States has killed at least 150 people in 44 known strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that the Trump administration has said, without providing evidence, are carrying drugs.

Legal specialists on the use of lethal force have said the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings, because the military cannot deliberately target civilians who do not pose an imminent threat of violence, even if they are suspected of engaging in criminal acts.

But the Department of WAR has gotcher social media content right here:

Comedian Trae Crowder imagines the post-hoc propaganda poster for the Iran War reading, “Uncle Sam wants you to die for Israel’s paranoid blood lust.” He wonders how many MAGA types will finally walk away from Trump over the Iran War.

I’ve been messaging this week with this three-word roadside attraction. The dearth of middle fingers from MAGA isolationists suggests not even they want to engage the question.

QOTD: Tom Cotton

Published by digby on March 3, 2026

Iran has posed an imminent risk to the United States for 47 years as they’ve maimed and killed thousands of Americans without that vast missile arsenal. The president was right to act when he did.

I don’t think the word “imminent” means what he thinks it does.

imminent

American  

[im–uh-nuhnt]/ ˈɪm ə nənt /

adjective

  1. likely to occur at any moment; impending.Her death is imminent.

He’s supposed to be one of the smart ones.

Update —

welp:

That’s called “preventive war” and it’s illegal. I mean, you could justify attacking anyone on the basis of the idea that they might launch an attack on you some day. At this point that could apply to every country in the world.