MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2026
Things we may find plausible: Presidents' Day is here again. Speaking with sports pundit Stephen A. Smith, Robert Costa popped this question:
“Do you worry about racism if you ran for president?”
Journalist Costa, please! For ourselves, we've watched Smith on ESPN for years—but have we all lost our minds as we picture a White House campaign?
(You too, Bill Maher! Comedian Bill Maher, please!)
In a somewhat similar vein, it doesn't seem to us that AOC would likely be a plausible candidate for president the next time around. That said:
Especially inside Silo Red, messengers have been beating up on her reaction to a question about Taiwan during last week's Munich conference.
In our view, the messengers may have been declaiming a bit too much with respect to that "stumble." That said:
Whatever you think about that response, less attention is being paid to what she said in this instance:
Ocasio-Cortez Offers a Working-Class Vision in Munich, With Some Stumbles
[...]
"[Our presidential administration is] looking to withdraw the United States from the entire world so that we can turn into an age of authoritarians that can carve out the world where Donald Trump can command the Western Hemisphere and Latin America as his personal sandbox, where Putin can saber-rattle around Europe and try to bully our own allies there," she said.
Is that what the White House is trying to do? We can't necessarily answer that question, but it certainly can look that way at times.
Happy Presidents' Day, everybody! That remark by Ocasio-Cortez has been cited much less often.
Si what is Somerby saying here, other than knocking AOC. Once again he goes out of his way to criticize a possible Democratic candidate in 2028. And surprise surprise his target is female and brown skinned. So we shouldn’t be enthusiastic about her?
ReplyDeleteBill Maher is an idiot.
ReplyDeleteAs is Somerby...
ReplyDeleteTakes one to know one.
DeleteSomerby wants to say don’t vote for AOC but he wants to blame it on Bill Maher.
ReplyDeleteRun AOC.
DeleteRunning AOC would be a titanic mistake. I assume she would be weeded out in the primary process but you never know.
DeleteAfter all, political parties in the US are private organizations, not government bodies. They're not required to be neutral or operate fair and democratic selection processes.
Women win elections at the state level and as VP. Their morality and competence will be a contrast to Trump’s corruption and a refreshing change from Epstein-style dissipation. A female candidate may be the victim reparation and change we need at the top. Yes, Bondi if female and part of the corruption but not all women are like her, just as there are men who are not Epstein or Trump. Our nation needs to know that.
DeleteThe TrannySorosTroll has got to go. Useless ass.
DeleteThe country has too little interest in a President's ability to do the job or how well s/he can do the job. AOC is a serious possibility for VP, but there's no reason to think that she could handle the job of President if she had to step in.
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, Newsom has done a poor job as Governor, but that won't hurt him as a Presidential candidate.
No one thinks Newsom is a bad governor.
DeleteIf Trump can occupy the office with his dementia, any Democrat can do better.
DeleteThere's no reason to believe that Trump could handle the job, if he decided to step in. To be fair though, when it comes to grifting, bribery, and self-dealing, AOC could not hold a candle to Trump's prowess.
DeleteEven though Trump is deep in the throes of dementia, his conman skills will be the last thing to go.
The country has too little interest in a President's ability to do the job or how well s/he can do the job.
DeleteOnce an ass, always an ass. That explains a lot about you, dickhead.
AOC didn't pull a Trump and screamed, "Quiet, piggy!", when she didn't like the question. She has poise and she's getting the hang of it, even if she stumbles occasionally. Still, she doesn't shit her diaper during news conferences; nor is she babbling incoherently like Trump.
ReplyDeleteThe important thing is not only to get away from Trump, but from Trumpism as a whole. Sadly, Trumpism has taken hold (see the latest Randy Fine screeches), and it'll take a lot of effort subdue it.
Fortunately, we have the concentration camps, which can be converted to MAGE re-education camps.
Yes, Ilya, she has poise. But you know as well as I do that having poise doesn't make someone qualified to handle the hardest job in the world. It certainly doesn't make someone would excel at the hardest job in the world.
DeleteIlya, your comparison to Trump is irrelevant. It means you're desperately stretching to somehow find a way to support AOC.
Suppose I wanted to be President of Mount Sinai Hospital. When my obvious lack of qualifications was pointed out I couldn't justify myself by saying that Donald Trump would be even less qualified. AOC is unqualified to be President, period. No matter how many other people might be even worse.
Qualifications to be US president: 35 years of age; natural born US citizen. Trump is president and he's barely functional, both physically and mentally. How's it irrelevant to point that out, given that he's the president? I am not even saying that I would support AOC for president; just pointing out the obvious: compared to the current occupant, she's head and shoulders above him.
DeleteUS presidency is nowhere near the hardest job in the world. My job is harder. In any case, all these trite refrains about the "hardest job in the world", "qualifications", etc., are just obfuscations.
Trump has never even attempted to the do the actual job of president. He performs in office as if he were on the set of a reality show. That isn't what the presidency requires.
DeleteAOC is smart, educated, hard-working and has govt experience in the House. That is as much as many previous presidential candidates have had. I find her a much more serious leader now than when she was first elected -- she has grown in office, unlike Trump who has declined. I would vote for her happily because she is serious about the job and understands what our country needs and how it should function. No Republican understands that.
DeleteAOC is dumb, uneducated, emotionally unhinged, and lazy.
Delete7:17,
DeleteIf she was a stone-cold bigot, Republicans would vote for her anyway.
7:17,
Deletehow are you in a position to know that AOC is lazy?
Ilya, what is your job?
DeleteI am an engineer, Hector. When my shit doesn't work, I can't weasel my way out of it; and screaming, "Quiet, Piggy", doesn't seem help.
DeleteRunning a woman for president, especially AOC, would be an enormous mistake. I hope that doesn't happen.
DeleteWomen are leaders all over the world. It will happen here too.
DeleteYes, I agree. You're right. It's possible.
DeleteConsidering that Trump has been elected twice, anyone can be a plausible candidate. Lack of experience, absence of morals, or a history of associating with felons is no barrier.
ReplyDeleteQuaker - In 2016, Trump lacked experience. In the current term he has the best possible experience.
DeleteDavid, Trump has dementia and is more incompetent than in 2016 when he used to listen to advisors (even Republicans ones) who kept him out of serious trouble. Now he is a loose cannon and we are all saying our prayers.
DeleteHe still lacks experience or qualifications, fuckface
DeleteBut Trump sure has a good nose for where he can cash in, dementia or not. I guess that will be the last skill to go.
DeleteThere is no skill involved when you have no shame and has been anointed with complete immunity. What the fuck, he literally stole the Nobel off a woman and destroyed the Kennedy Memorial Center in a matter of months without even blushing.
DeleteSince inflation is out of control, but non-whites are being harassed and murdered under Trump, I'd say Trump is doing exactly the job his voters elected him to do.
DeleteWhat say you bigots?
White are being murdered under Trump, too.
Delete@7:24 and @7:33 - Are you not aware that the murder rate has fallen to the lowest since 1900? Criticizing Trump for the murder rate is like criticizing Selena Gomez for not being beautiful.
DeleteWe’re talking about ICE’s murder rate. Trump owns that.
DeleteEat shit fascist shithead Dave. You fucking know falling crime rates were discussed to death many years ago by Somerby and Drum you cunt. Get the fuck out of here you POS.
DeleteEat shit fascist David. You fucking well know that Biden's crime bill is paying dividends for Lord Sitzhizpantz.
DeleteThat's not true, David. It's not quite as low as it was in 2014, under Obama. However, past the Covid spike, murders have been steadily decreasing under Biden, and continue to decrease. I am not sure what your hypothesis about murder rate is, David -- but I do know that it's wrong.
DeleteSomerby's idea of what to say on President's Day is a bit odd. He seems to be using his essay to knock future Democratic candidates, not to talk about Trump's status as president, much less what a president ought to be. Here is Robt Reich's essay as an antidote to Somerby's vague malaise and negativity:
ReplyDeletehttps://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-squalor-of-the-epstein-class
Reich has never been afraid to discuss what Trump really is compared to what a president should be. I would vote for Reich if he were running, but instead I will happily support AOC or Newsom or some actual competent leader instead of plugging Bill Maher's and Costa's promotion of Steve Smith, who is unqualified and not fit to govern, no matter how amusing guys like Maher find him or how much name recognition he has as a sports pundit. It is time to elect real, prepared and competent leaders again.
Give Bob a break. He's not experienced in distracting from the all the Republicans in the Epstein files. This is the best he can do, with so limited experience.
DeleteReich is a smart person, but TDS has affected his mind. His conclusion that the Justice Dept is withholding millions of Epstein files because they implicate Trump actually wild speculation. Biden had the files for 4 years and didn't release or leak anything impugning Trump.
DeleteBTW Bondi just reported
“In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories,” the letter read.