iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I would bet on a player to be named later rather than him, of course.

110

Again, this would surely be more of a "Laissez les Bons Temps Roulez" thing for him. Even just floating the idea is getting him some attention, which I'm sure he enjoys.

100

In this polarized era, it’s hard to expect most voters to care more about candidates’ ages than their party affiliations. But for all the “gerontocracy” complaints, it turns out that even in primaries, age isn’t their chief focus. Watch what voters do, more than what they say.

061

It won't be his personal funds and YOLO. He could be a fun debater, if they let him on a stage.

110

He led with the PGA's concerns.

0190

Some lower court judges have withdrawn their resignations in recent years.

020

SCOTUS Scoops: Two Chiefs, A President, A Buried Hatchet, and Civility | SCHS

Warren resigned pending his successor's confirmation in 1968, but when LBJ's pick Fortas failed, Warren stayed on, but didn't withdraw his resignation, so Nixon picked his replacement. Warren felt he couldn't reverse himself, but later said he regretted it: supremecourthistory.org/scotus-scoop...

supremecourthistory.org

Previously, the longest interval was two weeks—when Earl Warren turned over the chief justiceship to Warren Burger on June 23, 1969. The history of that transition merits revisiting, not for its timin...

141

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Judge Jeanine! And if the first choice is rejected or withdrawn after running out the clock, Alito can always withdraw his resignation. It would be quite a thing to do, but I think he's capable of it.

2132

Garrity won two races for State Treasurer and has been the gubernatorial nominee for months. She is not well-funded now, but this also says something about how much attention even likely voters pay to politics.

030

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

There is at least a legal argument there, albeit one that is not a slam dunk and that we have no reason to believe this Court would accept. So yes, lots of magical thinking.

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If people are unfamiliar with facts like "it takes 2/3 of both Houses to override a veto", "the Executive enforces laws", and "it takes 2/3 of the Senate to convict/remove a President" -all of which have been true since 1787!- that's really a them problem more than some oligarch's doing.

150

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

IDK. He had antagonized other Congressional Republicans and his behavior was known. The other cases were different in those ways.

121

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ex-wife? Did you mean to write wife, two-term senator and Secretary of State?

120

43 states have elected a woman senator, Governor or both. Jennifer Lawless has shown in studies that women run as strongly as men. Countries that don't have more progressive views on women's rights have elected female leaders. HRC's loss was flukish. Harris lost when incumbent parties lost globally.

3364

There are reasons not to want AOC as a nominee, and she may have her own reasons if, despite signals, she doesn't run, but the idea that a woman per se is less electable is not well-supported. Sexism is real, but so is racism and Obama and other Black candidates have won outside Black districts.1)

107211

Young Sinatra with Durante singing Otchi Chorni in Russian. It's also on YouTube, but maybe you don't like them either.

100

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Once in a while, the algorithm comes through! www.facebook.com/share/v/1Py7...

facebook.com

100

And this is NOT just a "Kids Today" issue. I meet Gen X who haven't seem the Godfather multiple times a year. How is this possible?

030

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Beyond Simpsons or LOTR or any specific show, movie or (shudder) book, it always stuns and disappoints me how many people don't seem to have the concept that some of the good stuff might predate them by a few years, decades or centuries.

230

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Houthi attack on Riyadh may be a factor, if something is actually happening.

012

It's basically a blockade at this point. Troops are invisible mostly. There never has been a ground war. It's just very different from other conflicts. But the pattern is wars can become unpopular without many protests.

020

Vietnam protestors were numerous, but hated. Iraq protestors were few after 2003. Little Iran protest. No Korean War protest yet Truman approval rating was in 20s!

000

Some studies look at whether war seems justified and whether it seems to be going well. Those may matter a lot. In 1862 midterms there was a casualty effect in the North. With Iraq it was no WMD+insurgency.

100

There was all this ongoing activism in the Resistance that I think was different from these monthly No Kings protests.

100

Hopkins does note the "No Kings" Protests which were large. But A. they were not as much ongoing activism as the resistance. B. They have stopped for several months.

100

The Iraq War and Iran War were unpopular more quickly than Vietnam as well, despite far lower casualty levels.

210

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Dave Hopkins argues that even without much of a "Resistance II" Trump became unpopular and Dems will win the midterms. There is a parallel in the Iraq War becoming unpopular and the Iran War never being popular without anything like the 1960s Antiwar Movement emerging in either case.

160

US has had a military presence in Greenland since WWII.

210

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This seems to be largely a rebranding of the status quo to claim a win, much like Trump's first term USMCA replacing "Worst Trade Deal Ever" NAFTA he threatened to withdraw from with an only slightly updated agreement. Denmark always said the US could increase the military presence.

52110

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Should have written "picks" and "face of", but people got it.

030

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

While high-profile controversial Trump nominees like Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel and RFK Jr. were confirmed, several lower-level but still important pick have been withdrawn in the face opposition. Sometimes a GOP senator goes public, but often few fingerprints. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

washingtonpost.com

White House withdraws nominee for ICE director allied with DHS chief Mullin

President Donald Trump had touted Lance Schroyer's experience with local immigration enforcement when he tapped him for the post in June.

2248

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Do you look at pseudonymous accounts? They seem more extreme.

000

David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

They had one in the 19th century. They could try to compel his attendance. But Clinton and Trump were impeached and sent lawyers, consistent with the rules. I suppose they could change the rules and try to make Hegseth come, but he would fight that presumably.

You actually get more viral clips from hearings, because he's not going to be sitting in the dock like some Perry Mason defendant if he's tried by the Senate.

100

Their European and British commentators are generally very bad.

The first time, possibly. But this scenario only happens when the opposition controls both Houses and the President stands by the Secretary, so his party will back him and he won't be removed. I think after the novelty wears off it won't generate much coverage if they keep doing it.

100

How many people even remember that a Biden Cabinet Secretary was impeached, the first since the 19th century? Impeachment is becoming an empty ritual. It doesn't help A. people use it to mean "be removed from office" and B. often don't know this takes 67 senators, which neither party will have.

151

PS We still have some uncertainty. Pneumonia can affect elderly people cognitively, even if they survive it. But unlike General Francisco Franco, he is very much with us.