Monday Open Thread

8 thoughts on “Monday Open Thread”

1. Rep. Boebert’s FEC report is up. Coverage dates: 01/01/2023 to 09/30/2023

   • Total receipts  ………..$2,435,743.58
   • Total disbursements   $1,772,343.81
   • Ending cash on hand  $1,434,675.37

   Comparison to Adam Frisch:  Coverage dates: 01/01/2023 to 09/30/2023

   • Total receipts  ……….. $7,769,641.43
   • Total disbursements   $3,802,536.72
   • Ending cash on hand $4,332,414.98

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   1. Thanks for the update. Amazing that Frisch is doing so well against an incumbent Republican.

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      1. True. I wonder why the math doesn't work?

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         1. Probably because they both had cash-on-hand at the beginning of the reporting period?

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   2. Also noticed Anna Stout reported raising $101,000 with $41,000 cash on hand for her windmill tilt against Adam Frisch. Less than 1% of Frisch’s cash with her total minuscule compared to about $8-million for his total fundraising.   If he stops and she pulls in $700k each month between now and the election she might be competitive.  
      And no visible campaign so far other than a website. 

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2. WOTD: "As Tragic as Mass Shootings are." Elon Musk

   "Armed citizens are essential to the defense of democracy".

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3. The Real Antagonists in the Israel-Hamas War. Mahablog.

   This is a really good collection of commentary regarding the clusterf**ck that is the Israeli-Hamas war. Extremists require each other: Extremist Israelis and extremist Palestinians are cynical manipulators and share the blame for what has happened and what will come.

   Netanyahu and the Israeli right-wing preferred funding Hamas in Gaza (who would never gain international recognition) in order to delegitimize or disempower the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, who have some degree of legitimacy and who agreed to peace talks a long time ago.

   "(Alice Speri) Indeed, some Israeli officials have at times been explicit about their preference for Hamas over the PA. Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most extremist members of the most extremist Israeli government coalition to date, offered an unusually frank assessment of the government’s approach to Hamas in a 2015 interview."

   “The Palestinian Authority is a burden, and Hamas is an asset,” Smotrich said at the time. “It’s a terrorist organization, no one will recognize it, no one will give it status at the [International Criminal Court], no one will let it put forth a resolution at the U.N. Security Council.”

   (Mahablog) I’ve seen other commentaries this week that have said Netanyahu’s policies have actually reinforced Hamas. I take it this was a political calculation on his part. I confess I don’t pay enough close attention to Israel to fully appreciate the nuances there.

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4. Was listening to a political podcast talking about Hamas and the importance of taking people at their word was discussed. Too many times we hear people say outlandish, horrible things and just brush it off as "Oh, they don't really mean that."

   When Hamas says, "We want to kill Isreali Jews", we should take them at their word!

   When people say Democrats are devil worshiping, baby molesters, treat them as if that's what they actually believe!

   If we stop shrugging off crazy words then less crazy people will stop saying crazy things, we'll be better able to identify the truly crazy folks and crazy folks will stop feeling so emboldened.

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