I don’t believe for a second that Trump doesn’t know the situation, but how is that lie better? “Here’s a picture of you endorsing a self-styled Nazi.” Well, I’m out of the loop on that one. “You endorsed him.” Yeah, but they just tell me what to say and do. I don’t ask a lot of questions. “Would you denounce him now?” I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to say here. Let me check with Vlad and see what he wants me to do. I’ll get back to you.

Donations can’t be clawed back, but ongoing donations can be stopped. And you’re right that bigger donors exert more influence, and usually get something in return like naming rights for a building or changes to school policies. And that should be transparent, I don’t oppose requiring large donations be made public. My point was just that it’s always give and take. If the school changes the policy the big donor liked, they will shut off the money faucet. If the school does something most alumni don’t like, many of them will stop giving. Recipients of donations always want to keep donors happy, the difference is a matter of scale. How far are they willing to go to keep a donor happy depends on how big the donation is.

Oh, you sweet summer child.

The way they are doing it is horrifying.

Sure, but not just generally “charity.” You pick and choose who you donste to, and you donate to charitable organizations that you think do good work. If they started smelting orphans, you’d probably stop writing checks.

I mean, I can also understand the knee jerk reaction, but I cannot imagine that he hasn’t had a new phone with a new number since the moment they knew their data was compromised.

Ok, that made me chuckle.

So, basically what you would have gotten from the white pages, and an incomplete social security number. Is he worried someone is going to try to steal his identity? Mail him anthrax? Text or email him dick pics? Wasn’t he already concerned about those things? He’s the nominee for VP, and his running mate tried to have his predecessor killed on national television. He has tied to Russian oligarchs who defenestrate judges, and he’s the target of international spies who want his access to state secrets. He’s worried about half his social security number?

JFC Putin is going to drop a nuke as an October surprise.

Smartmatic is a business, and they need to answer to shareholders. Part of the deal was almost certainly guarantees from Republicans that they wouldn’t block future contracts.

Oh no, Vance’s full name? How dare he? Now everyone will know his middle name is “Mertrude,” which is weird because he changed his own name, so he picked that, spelled it that way, and then thought his middle initial was “D.”

And of course none of that’s true. But if it were true, on the list of 100 weirdest Vance facts, it wouldn’t even rank.

Literally every donation to any organization anywhere comes with strings attached. Nobody just gives money blindly and says “Here, somebody else use this.”

You drop money in the collection plate, it’s because you want your faith to be shared and your church to prosper. You drop your change in the box at the convenience store, it’s because you don’t want to be walking around with three pounds of garbage money jingling in your pockets like Santa’s nutsack. There’s always a motive for giving.

I don’t know that he’s guilty. I would guess he is, but I wouldn’t deny him a fair trial. If he’s guilty, send him to prison.

Things you won’t hear from Democrats:

This is a conspiracy!

The FBI is being political!

The evidence was AI generated!

But what about… (insert Republican bribes)?

This was a perfect and legal arrangement.

Everybody does it this way.

He should have executive immunity.

It can’t be true, because he’s too rich to bribe.

I don’t care, he’s good for the economy/going to deport illegals/someone I’d drink a beer with/going to protect gun owners and bigots.

Things you will hear from Democrats:

He’s guilty? Put him in jail.

It’s a common type of children’s song, where things are added to the lyrics each verse and the chorus gets longer and longer. You might know There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea, or a Worm in the Garden, or the AJR song Hole in the Bottom of my Brain.

Zero percent. It spent more money executing him than it would have keeping him in prison.

On the one hand, Nippon is absolutely going to find every possible way to fuck over the union and the workers. Getting the full value of their contract is going to require a ton of lawyers and lawsuits.

On the other hand, US Steel is going away. There is no future for steelworkers in western Pennsylvania. Protecting those jobs just kicks the can down the road.

We need a proper support system that would prevent the abject poverty coming to a Pittsburgh surburb near you. The problem isn’t that labor markets change, the problem is that losing your job means you’ll probably die homeless.

Nobody complained about Orban because nobody likes Orban.

I’m angry about this too, but what exactly are you thinking Biden could havw done? Invade Missouri? Place the governor and state Supreme court under arrest? I might enjoy that, but that’s not how America works.

Yep, the governor went above and beyond to ensure an innocent man was lynched by the state.