Professional Left Podcast Episode 1008: Reality Remains Undefeated

“Study the past, if you would divine the future."  -- Confucius

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 1007: Happy Birthday Blue Gal Retrospective, Part I

“The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were."  -- Kurt Vonnegut

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 1006: Pump Up The Venom

“You ever get the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up? You know that feeling that the whole country is like, one inch away from saying, 'That's it! Forget it!'."  -- Mark Hunter, Pump Up The Volume 

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 1005: Meanwhile, In Local News...

“Tonight Illinois has set a tone for the nation, that we won't stand idle hoping that our economy improves. This is a brand new day for the Illinois Republican Party. Tonight we send a message to our party that here in Illinois, there will be a new generation of Republican leaders..."  -- then-rising Tea Party Republican Adam Kinzinger after he won a congressional seat in 2012 

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A Continuation, Not an Aberration

It is time once again for a feature you will only find on OG Liberal blogs that dare to dig back into the Before Time to notice how much of the deranged, disastrous Trump  policies are not an aberration but a continuation of the trajectory the Republican party has been on for decades.  

Now we could spend this post talking about Republican hypocrisy around debts and deficits, their reliance on demonizing relatively powerless groups to win elections, or their obsession with stripping women of their bodily autonomy.  But since today's headlines are all about a ruinous Republican war-of-choice in the Middle East, let's talk about that.  And let's begin by reminding ourselves that next week will mark the 22nd anniversary of this moment from the 2004 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.  

You know, back in the Good Old Days!  Back when Republicans took America to war soberly and seriously, with careful preparation and on the basis of unimpeachable intelligence!

Yes, that was the previous Republican president, George W. Bush, cracking wise about not finding WMD in Iraq.  Which, you might remember, was the entire predicate for that disaster.   And right therewith him, applauding and laughing their asses off, were Washington's political elite, the cream of the Washington press corps and their celebrity guests.  Because Bush making light of not being able to find the WMD was just so damn funny!

You will also remember that, three years later, as the Bush administration was imploding and the war in Iraq was now indisputably a catastrophe – after Hurricane Katrina, after Terri Schiavo, after Republicans were crushed in the midterms and Bush’s poll numbers had cratered – we find Bush's Brain, Karl Rove, doing this at the 2007 WHCD:

And who's that right behind Rove?  One of his backup dancers on that infamous evening?

Yes it's David Gregory.  Four years after the Iraq invasion, three years after Bush’s WMD joke video, during a period when the Bush administration was under heavy criticism over the war and the Valerie Plame scandal, there’s Dancin' David Gregory happily going along with the bit.

A year later Gregory would be promoted to the Big Chair on Meet the Press, where he would spend the next six years destroying whatever shreds of credibility that show still had.  In 2018 he would be replaced by Chuck Todd, who was just as terrible as Gregory in exactly the same way.     Todd would go on being an embarrassment to his profession for nine long years, until 2023, when they replaced him with  Kristen Welker, who is just as terrible as Gregory and Todd in exactly the same way.

So pardon me if I'm not shedding too many tears over what Bezos is doing to The Washington Post or Ellison is doing to CBS News.  Yes, it's terrible, but the legacy media was doing quite an efficient job of immolating themselves in a bonfire of cloistered arrogance long before Trump's billionaire button men showed up.  

Now that we've covered Bush making jokes about WMD at the White House Correspondent’s dinner during a time which our Never Trump friends desperately want us to remember as the Good Old Days of serious, cautious Republican leadership, don't forget that our Never Trump friends also would like us to remember that time as a period of Republican transparency.  None of this "hiding critical wartime information from the American public" nonsense.  And, of course, we are to believe that Republicans during this time were always respectful, never attacking or slandering their critics.  All of that is Trump stuff!   

Except is it?  Really?

From Democracy Now, March 26, 2004

Rice Agrees to Meet 9/11 Commission But Only in Private

After coming under intense criticism, the White House offered Thursday to have National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice meet again with the 9/11 Commission. But White House officials said she would appear only in private and not under oath.

Rice was the center of criticism during the recent 9/11 hearings for refusing to appear. Former Senator Bob Kerrey said “My gosh, I think she was on every single network the day the commission opened its hearing this week, attacking our witnesses.”

The New York Times also reports–almost in passing — that Rice is planning to leave her job at the end of the year.

Meanwhile the White House continued to attack former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke who is accusing the Bush administration of not heeding warnings before Sept. 11.

Senator Tom Daschle said “I have a simple request for the president today: Please ask the people around you to stop the character attacks they are waging against Richard Clarke. Ask them to stop their attempts to conceal information and confuse facts. Ask them to stop the long effort that has made the 9/11 commission’s work more difficult than it should be.”  

And of course you remember this.

So let’s compare Bush’s Iraq debacle with Trump’s Iran debacle.  The Good Old Days when Republicans were awesome, and the Bad New Days when Republicans are terrible.  

Lying us into war?  Check.

Claiming that we had no choice because the threat was imminent and terrifying?  Check.

Making up excuses after the fact?  Check.

Radically downplaying the downsides?  Overpromising and underdelivering?  Check and check.

Complete failure to prepare the public for what this war would really mean?  Check.

Keeping critical information from the public?  Check.

Slandering critics? Check.

Well, OK, but what about this?

From The New York Times, March 16, 2026:

With Threats and Claims of ‘Treason,’ Trump Pressures Media on the War

The Trump administration has unleashed a multifaceted pressure campaign against news organizations as it increasingly bristles at media coverage of a Middle East military operation that many Americans oppose.

Official Pentagon briefings now include attacks on outlets like CNN, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nit-picking headlines. President Trump is turning to his bully pulpit on Truth Social to accuse “Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations” of airing “LIES” about the war and musing about “Charges for TREASON.”

The goal seems to be pressuring journalists to back off critical coverage of the war effort, or to at least encourage the public to second-guess reporting that runs counter to the administration’s preferred narrative. And the effort has gone well beyond words.

Mr. Trump’s top media regulator, Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission, issued an explicit warning to broadcast television networks on social media, writing that “hoaxes and news distortions” could lead to the revocation of licenses for local stations, a threat that Mr. Trump said he was “so thrilled to see.”  

Surely there was no Bush administration equivalent of these attacks on the free press during the Before Time, right?

Well...

From The Brookings Institution, April 11, 2006:

Misplaced Blame: The Media’s Performance in Iraq

Throughout the Iraq war, the Bush administration has complained about the tenor of media coverage in Iraq. Paul Bremer did so during the first year of the American presence there, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as well as Vice President Dick Cheney make the point repeatedly. The complaint that we see only the bad news, not the good, has become increasingly prevalent within the U.S. armed forces as well.

…the broad argument by the American media’s critics is often badly overstated. While the overall image of Iraq conveyed by the mainstream media may be somewhat more negative than reality, it is not far off. If we lose in Iraq, it will most likely be because of events on the ground there, not a prematurely wavering political support here.

In fact, one can make a reasonable argument that the American public’s view on Iraq is just about where it should be given the facts. The public is enormously impressed by our troops, but depressed about the general lack of major progress on the ground and upset with the Bush administration for overpromising and underpreparing in regard to the war.

And then there is the filthy business of war profiteering.

From The Huffington Post, September 17, 2006:

Halliburton and Cheney: War Profiteers in Chief Fight to Keep Their Wallets Fat

Halliburton's stock has risen 200% since the invasion of Iraq three and a half years ago. David Lesar, its CEO, made over $40,000,000 in 2004 alone.

We all by now know that Dick Cheney retired from the Pentagon in 1993 to accede to the throne of Halliburton, an oil field services company based in Houston. After Mr. Cheney left Halliburton with tens of millions of dollars in his pocket largely earned because of his connections to Middle East dictators, Halliburton had to cough up $2.3 billion in cash, about $1.2 billion in stock and another $55 million in IOUs to help pay off the tens of thousands of people in this country who had suffered and/or died of asbestos poisoning at the hand of Dresser, which Mr. Cheney had acquired and for which Mr. Cheney was (and apparently still is) handsomely compensated. If this sounds a bit like Mr. Cheney's due diligence with respect to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it should. He never bothered to look at what Dresser had before he bought it for Halliburton and he never bothered to look at what Iraq had before he broke it for the U.S...

Until very recently, there has been relatively little penetration into the popular psyche of the role played by Halliburton in particular and other private military contractors in general. 

The reason is simple: the Bush Administration and its Congressional foot soldiers ranging from George Allen and John Warner of Virginia to Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania have refused at every turn to allow for any oversight at all, even though Democratic Senators have asked for such bi-partisan review for years. 

Of course, it’s still early days in Trump’s Iran Fiasco, but does anyone doubt with so much money sloshing around and so little oversight, that Trump and his mob of looters and plunderers will soon be stuffing their pockets as fast as possible?

From The New York Times, March 13, 2026:

 The Oil Tankers Trump Seized Are Costing the U.S. Millions of Dollars

Although President Trump said seizing tankers would be a financial boon, the cost of maintaining just one aging ship has already reached $47 million.

The seizures have put the U.S. government in a financial bind. The ships are highly expensive to maintain. And the Trump administration cannot legally sell the oil in these tankers without a judge’s permission.

Maintaining the seized tankers has already cost the United States tens of millions of dollars — in one case, $47 million in only three months — and complicates Mr. Trump’s claims of swift financial victories from his military operations targeting Venezuela and Iran.

From Time Magazine, March 19, 2026:

'It Takes Money to Kill Bad Guys': Trump's Iran War Set to Boost Profits For These Defense Contractors

Administration officials have signaled that Trump will soon request Congress approve tens of billions of dollars in supplemental funding to replenish U.S. weaponry supplies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Thursday that the Pentagon had sent the White House a request $200 billion in additional funds, though he stressed that the figure "could move."

"It takes money to kill bad guys," Hegseth told reporters. "So we’re going back to Congress to ensure we’re properly funded, for what’s been done, what we may have to do in the future." He added that the money was needed to ensure that the country's stockpile of ammunition is "not just refilled, but above and beyond.” 

Then there is this depraved Trump-era innovation.  From The Atlantic, March 18, 2026:

Maybe Turning War Into a Casino Was a Bad Idea?

A disturbing new low in the Polymarket era

On March 10, the journalist Emanuel Fabian reported on a missile that had been launched from Iran. The warhead hit an open area outside Jerusalem, which Fabian confirmed by speaking with rescue services and reviewing footage of the explosion. He wrote a short post on The Times of Israel’s live blog and moved on.

Meanwhile, gamblers had wagered millions on the unfolding events of the conflict. Fabian’s post became the subject of a major dispute on Polymarket, a popular prediction market where people can bet on the outcome of almost anything. The site had allowed users to guess when Iran would initiate “a drone, missile, or air strike on Israel’s soil”: More than $14 million was riding on whether such an attack had happened March 10.

People started reaching out asking Fabian to change his article. Some argued that Israel Defense Forces had not officially mentioned such an attack occurring on that day, and others said that the explosion he had reported was the result of a missile being intercepted, which according to Polymarket’s terms wouldn’t count as a strike “on Israel’s soil.” Confident in his reporting, Fabian did not amend the text. 

And just to button it up, let's go back to the promises these two Republican presidents made to the American people when they were candidates.

During the October 11, 2000 presidential debate with Al Gore, Republican candidate George W. Bush said this:

“If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us. If we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us… Our nation stands alone right now in terms of power, and that's why we've got to be humble.”

And this: 

"I'm not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say, 'This is the way it's got to be.'"

24 years later, here is Republican candidate Donald Trump running for president: 

You see kids, Trump was not a break with the Republican past, he was a continuation of it: the end-state of a trajectory the GOP has been on for half a century.  

Of course the parallels aren’t exact, but if you put all of the malignant, corrupt, arrogant elements of the Bush administration's war with Iraq into a compression machine that would make it all bigger, faster, dumber, much louder and more reckless and with a giant, billionaire-backed hammer coming down on the media… you’d have Trump’s Iran War.

Burn The Lifeboats

Professional Left Podcast Episode 978: WMD

"I think we agree, the past is over." --  George W. Bush, May 10, 2000

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 977: An Apple Made of Razors

"As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests." --  Gore Vidal

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Politico Discovers Political Primaries

How horny is the political media for any "Democrats in Disarray" story?  On the venerable Blue-Balls scale of 1-to-10 they're now clocking in at around a 12.  Which is how the usual rough-and-tumble of Illinois politics is magically transformed into a Big Story about splitting, division and splintering, so mama, break the fainting couch out of storage and fetch the spirit of hartshorn!  

The New York Times also knows a free lunch when they see it:

Will Another Black Woman Join the Senate? This Messy Primary Is Set to Decide. 

Two Black female candidates may split Democratic primary voters in Illinois, and anger is growing at well-funded efforts to widen the divide.

Messy.  Split.  Divide.  Better make that two doses of hartshorn!  

Election day is Tuesday, March 17, so this will all be over in three days. 

And, if you dig down a few paragraphs you find...

Unlike other major Democratic primaries for Senate this year, the contest is not so much a test of the party’s ideological or messaging direction — the three candidates are broadly similar on policy and style — as it is a fight over identity and who deserves a Senate seat.

But that's not much of a lede, is it?  So much better to frame it as a bar fight that'll be settled on St. Patrick's day in Chicago.  

But now riddle me this: if Politico and the Times really wanted a story of rancor and disarray in Illinois primary politics, why not focus on the Republican party?  After all, instead of running three, well-known political professionals, the Illinois GOP senate primary is a freak show with Six!Count 'Em!Six! weirdos and nobodies all competing to see who will get hog-slaughtered in the general election in November.  Which is why bigger name Illinois Republicans like Mike Bost and Darin "Disgrace to his Family Name" LaHood took a big ol' pass at running for that office this year.  

Or how about the Illinois gubernatorial primary, where Four!Count 'Em!Four! goofballs are competing feverishly to see who gets to lose to JB Pritzker in the Fall?

See what I did there?  Answering my own question?  Because in Illinois it is a foregone conclusion that, barring a tectonic event involving pods from space and zombies,  whoever wins the Illinois Democratic senate primary will, along with Pritzker, win at a walk in the general election.  

Which, from a policy and governance, perspective, is obviously great news.    But which, from a "fun news stories" perspective, has deprived Politico readers of the opportunity to learn about characters like perennial Illinois office-seeker, Jimmy Lee Tillman II, who is the son of longtime (now retired) Illinois alderwoman, Dorothy Tillman, and who runs under the name "Dr. Jimmy Lee Tillman II" although no one can tell you what exactly he is a doctor of.  

According to his campaign website, Dr. Jimmy Lee Tillman II would like you to know that "Our state stands at a crossroads", that "Illinois is the battlefield and Chicago is the frontline."

I am Dr. Jimmy Lee Tillman II from Chicago—leading the MAGA Cavalry as the only GOP candidate who can win Chicago and has the strong name recognition statewide that Republicans need to win in Illinois. I'm also the only GOP candidate that the Democrat machine is afraid to face. While other candidates have ideas, I have a proven record of accomplishments.

As a bestselling author, historian, Heritage Foundation Academy Fellow, and President of the Martin Luther King Republicans,

And so forth.

Then there is Jeannie Evans, a partially self-funded attorney, would like you to know that she is "Unstoppable. Innovative. Illinois." and appears to think that it's 1994.  As a " a mother, wife, and winning attorney" and "Not a Politician",  once she's in the U.S. Senate, she  promises to:

...bring that same unstoppable energy to build Illinois’ future: reducing taxes and costs, supporting innovation and education, securing safe communities, and creating opportunities for every family and business. The future doesn’t wait. Let’s build it.

Not a word about MAGA, America First or Donald Trump is to be found anywhere in her campaign website.

And let's not forget, Pamela Denise Long -- occupational therapist and political newcomer -- who has also heard the Siren's Song of the Senate.

We are in a fight for the soul of our nation.  Cancel culture is off the rails. Gender ideology has gone too far. Mass immigration has flooded our neighborhoods and job sites. 

And

I never wanted to be a politician. I was convinced to run for office after Illinoisans tapped me to help stop the flood of illegal immigrants into Chicago. Unlike the powers that be, I've spent the last four years and hundreds of hours listening to a diverse array of Americans express their needs and concerns. I see the Black American voting bloc has finally begun to divorce the Democratic Party. At the same time, Americans of all stripes are sick of the divisive rhetoric that gets politicians elected but keeps neighbors apart.

Her campaign website features several embedded YouTube videos of her talking about things like the horrors of DEI and ending birthright citizenship, with a giant picture of Donald Trump rampant on an American flag as her background.  

Casey Chlebek is also running for U.S. Senate on a platform of cutting practically every form of taxation you can think of.    That's his "MAGNA" plan: Making America the Greatest Nation Again.  

Casey is the former President of the Polish American Congress (Illinois Division) and his site features all the usual MAGA yadda yadda about open borders, CRT, and  Trump being awesome.  And, damn it, he is not a politician.  But I think the real story here is found in the second line of his campaign resume.

Former Commodore of the Chicago Yachting Association and the Joseph Conrad Yacht Club.

Come on!  If you write about politics and you can't take yachts, "Commodore Casey" and tax cuts and run all the way down field with it, then get outta the business kid.  

 

I Am The Liberal Media

Professional Left Podcast Episode 975: The "C" Word.

"I decided I would go to Chicago and try my luck as a writer after those eight months as a fireman" --  Carl Sandburg

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 935: The Wheels On The Cross Go Round And Round

“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many" -- Matthew 24:11

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Professional Left Podcast Episode 933: Meanwhile, In Local Fascism...

“Are you a communist?”

“No I am an anti-fascist”

“For a long time?”

“Since I have understood fascism."

-- Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

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The Professional Left is brought to you by our wholly imaginary "sponsors" and real listeners like you!

Meanwhile, In Local Fascism...

...the local chapter of the "Every Accusation is a Confession" party is reacting to the events of the past week just exactly as you would expect.

From Peoria news station 25, "Your Home Team", and WAND, "Central #Illinois' best source for #news and #weather." (see what they did there with the little hash-tags):

Illinois Freedom Caucus seeks Pritzker’s removal from office over ‘vile’ rhetoric

Yes, we have our very own, Illinois legislature "Freedom Caucus", because "fascist see, fascist do".

The Illinois Freedom Caucus has filed articles of impeachment against Gov. JB Pritzker over “vile comments” made against Republicans.

The eastern Illinois Republicans are furious with Pritzker’s response to the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Pritzker expressed sympathy for Kirk and his family while condemning political violence at an unrelated event Wednesday. However, the Democrat said President Donald Trump ignites this type of violence.

“We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota. We’ve seen other political violence occur in other states,” Pritzker said. “I would just say, it’s got to stop. I think there are people fomenting it in this country. I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it.”

That's what our governor, J.B. Pritzker said.  Simple.  Clear.  Factual.

But because they wear the Special Glasses -- 

-- this is what local MAGA nitwits heard:

Republicans have criticized Pritzker’s increased attacks on the GOP over recent years, including a speech where Pritzker said Republicans cannot know a moment of peace earlier this spring. Many are upset that Pritzker blamed their party’s leader for the rise in violence following Kirk’s death.

“For him to say these things for political gain is unacceptable,” said Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich). “That’s what this is all about. This is about political gain for radical Democrats and pushing a woke narrative. They can’t amount to anything to get that done, including assassinating conservatives at college campuses.”

"Political gain"?  Check.

"Radical Democrats"? Check.

"Woke narrative"? Check

They really are just reprogrammable meatbags.  

Niemerg and Rep. Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro) told WAND News they know Democrats have no desire to impeach Pritzker. They argued that other Illinois Democrats are complicit in the governor’s actions.

“Just the rhetoric is nonstop about being Nazis and about being fascists,” Miller said. “That includes people like me. I’m a farmer from downstate Illinois. I’m about the farthest thing from a Nazi that you will ever see. It’s extremely inflammatory to me personally and also my family and all the things we stand for.”

What's exactly is the difference between someone who is a member of a fascist political party, who votes for fascist, votes with fascists, who helped nominate a fascist for president three times and got him elected twice ... and a fascist?  Sounds an awful lot like being just a little bit pregnant.

Also, Fun Fact:  Chris Miller, leader of the state-level Illinois Freedom Caucus is the husband of Mary "Nazi" Miller, who regularly disgraces herself and embarrasses the state as the representative from Illinois' 15th congressional district, which, at a rating of Batshit+20, is Illinois most conservative district.  

Here is more of what governor Pritzker actually said:

Pritzker said no one in this country should have to fear gun violence, whether they’re in class in high school or attending an event on a college campus. The Pritzker administration reiterated that the governor condemned the shooting that killed Charlie Kirk and believes political violence should never become the norm.

And here is the predictable Illinois Republican Freedom Caucus freakout:

“Just two nights ago, I called for the governor to resign frankly over his terrible comments blaming Trump and Jan. 6 for Charlie Kirk’s political assassination,” Niemerg said. “The governor has shown that he is not capable of leading. He has shown that he needs to be removed from office, and that needs to happen immediately.”

Because the only law these elected Jukes and Kallikaks believe applies to them is Murc's Law.

No, that's "Burke's Law".

This is Murc's Law.

“Murc’s Law” [was] named after a commenter at the blog Lawyers, Guns, and Money who noticed years ago the habitual assumption among the punditry that Republican misbehavior can only be caused by Democrats. Do Republicans reject climate science? Must be because Democrats failed to persuade them! Did Republicans pass unpopular tax cuts for the rich? Must be that Democrats didn’t do enough to guide them to better choices! Do Republicans keep voting for lunatics and fascists? It must be the fault of Democrats for being mean to them! Even D____ T____’s election was widely blamed on Democrats — who voted against him, to be clear — on the bizarre grounds that Barack Obama should have rolled over and just let Mitt Romney win in 2012.

So, has this ludicrous, stumblebum circus made any forward progress in the past few days?  Well, if you define "progress" in the broadest possible terms, and measure it in micrometers, I suppose it has.

From WGN, Chicago, today:

Pritzker’s rhetoric sparks impeachment calls from Illinois conservatives 

As you know, we here at the driftglass blog love a good rhetoric sparking that leads to calls for things.  Tell me more, World's Greatest Network!

Sadly it's mostly retreads of what we already know ... except this.  Using the opening three paragraphs to execute what we in the trade call the ol'  "A.P. Stylebook eyeroll".

Amidst a debate over how to quell political violence in America, Illinois elected leaders from both sides of the aisle are calling for a change in tone. 

Hey, both sides agree that tones should be changed.  Isn't that great!

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of activist Charlie Kirk, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has called for the country to come together to end political violence.

And the governor is leading the way.  Isn't that terrific! 

And then, the eyeroll, which I will highlight for your elucidation...

But the Illinois House Freedom Caucus, comprised of conservative state lawmakers, accuses the governor of inciting violence. The group brought articles of impeachment against Pritzker, citing various statements made by the Democratic Party, including remarks in New Hampshire back in April.

The article continues:

Illinois State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) further explained the motivation behind the Illinois House Freedom Caucus.

“We’ve proceeded with Articles of Impeachment against Governor Pritzker for his own hateful rhetoric, as well as no safety and security here in the state of Illinois,” Niemerg said...

Republicans also criticized Pritzker for statements made during his February State of the State address.

“The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems. If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said...

Niemerg said Pritzker is attempting to do a bureaucratic shuffle.

“He’s trying to act like his hateful rhetoric has not been heard by the radical left,” Niemerg added.

Then, in the last paragraph, comes the little touch that makes it art.  The article covering what everyone knows is time-wasting garbage conjured into existence by the dregs at the bottom of the Illinois MAGA barrel is bookended by another A.P. Stylebook eyeroll, which I have highlighted for your edification:

The Articles of Impeachment are unlikely to move forward, as the Democratic supermajority in Springfield would need to agree to bring the bill to the floor. Also worth noting is that the GOP leadership did not introduce the measure.

Worth noting indeed.  

Mark this hot saga as "Developing!"

I Am The Liberal Media

Professional Left Podcast Episode 927: Pritzker's Honor

"Do you follow American politics? They hate Obama. Hate him. He's a black man. That's what it is: it's racist. This guy is no bleeding-heart liberal. He's a centrist." -- Ian McShane (once again.)

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The Professional Left is brought to you by our wholly imaginary "sponsors" and real listeners like you!

Springfield 1, Noem 0

Rendition Gulag Barbie was scheduled to come here this morning so she could stand in front of the Governor's residence and mouth off.  So, along with a number of neighbors and fellow travelers, I hied myself down to the the guv's house to share in a spirited public expression of "Fuck Right Off" in response to her presence.  

But because she is a coward she never showed up.  And you could clearly see why.  The guv's residence was decorated in "Due Process For All" banners, and  of the more than 100 people I saw at the thing, among all the signs and clackers and cowbells and air horns, nary a single MAGA goof did I see.  Not one fascist-friendly face.  Instead, turns out Rendition Gulag Barbie was reduced to flying all the way here to skulk in an alley miles away with a few of her fellow fascists before beating it out of town.

How embarrassing.  

From The Illinois Times:

Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem a no-show at Governor's Mansion

Held press conference instead near the site of Emma Shafer's murder 

On Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Secretary Kristi Noem would be visiting Springfield the following morning to tout her "Making America Safe Again" agenda and speak out against Gov. JB Pritzker's immigration policies and Illinois' status as a sanctuary state.  No time or location for her press conference was publicized, but it was believed that she would make an appearance in front of the Governor's Mansion at 10 a.m.

The Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, Illinois State AFL-CIO, 50501 Illinois and other activist groups began encouraging their supporters to show up and stage a counterprotest. A crowd gathered in front of the Governor's Mansion this morning, many with signs and some with their faces obscured to conceal their identities, but Noem did not appear...

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias held a press conference across from the Governor's Mansion at 10:30 a.m. in response to Noem's visit.

"The combination of cowardice, incompetence and cruelty is a very scary mix," Giannoulias said. "So while I'm glad she's not here, we need to step up as as a society, as a country and as a democracy to monsters like Kristi Noem."

From The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois

Kristi Noem has no right to use Emma Schafer when her mother is across town protesting her unconstitutional approach to immigration.

From my alderwoman:

The DHS and Feds picked the absolute wrong person to use as a prop today in Springfield, IL. Her memory and her LIFE’S WORK will not be defiled by the absolute ghouls who did this and those from our community who stood by in support of doing this. In the words of our Governor, may they never know a moment’s peace.

A message from her parents:

Of course the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network was there.

Can you spot me in this pic?

Well done, Springfield.  After cowing Rendition Gulag Barbie into such a humiliating public retreat practically in the shadow of one of her bosses loudest and most effective critics (from The Hill) --

Pritzker’s office mockingly calls for ‘all pet owners’ to beware ahead of Noem visit

-- because I am a movie nerd, I can't help but think about what Sam Spade sarcastically tells the incompetent gunsel, Wilmer,  in The Maltese Falcon after easily stripping him of his ridiculously large guns:

Come on.  This'll put you in solid with your boss. 

She ran away.  And you know how Trump loves it when his people make him look like a fool. 

No Half Measures

Professional Left Podcast Episode 896: It's The Corruption, Stupid

"The corruption that hides in plain sight is the real threat to our democracy."  --  Zephyr Teachout

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Senator Durbin To Retire

Since my wife forbade me throwing my Carhart cap and the lovely hand-knit hat she made for me into the ring, the field is now wide open.  I have my own local favorites, but Illinois is a big state with a deep Democratic bench, so let the irresponsible speculation begin!

Also too, some memories...

I Am The Liberal Media.

It's Stupids All The Way Down

Rep. Mary Miller says that "climate change is a sham": "God controls the climate because he controls the sun and the sun controls the weather, primarily." pic.twitter.com/xXnFOaSmJI

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) April 10, 2025

No Half Measures

Professional Left Podcast Episode 889: Glib-eration Day

"Fun Fact: The word 'tariff' comes from an old Ottoman Turkish word which, loosely translated, means 'I can't believe these fucking meatheads keep falling for this grifter's bullshit'. "  -- driftglass

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You Shall Not Pass

My dear wife has asked me to write a short post about the accomplishments of our governor, J.B. Pritzker, who is receiving a Crooks & Liars Hero Award.

Which is impossible.

You can either have a short post about J.B., or you can have a tally of his accomplishments, but not both.  What he has done in terms of policy and budgeting alone would require a TL;DR that might kill the Crooks & Liars servers, and we can't have that.  

If you're looking for him on BlueSky, he's at ‪@govpritzker.illinois.gov‬ and this is his latest, "Blue"?  "Sky"? "Skittle"?  What are we calling these things?

We're ensuring every mother, regardless of race, income, or zip code, has access to the care they deserve in Illinois.

I'm proud to announce an expansion in Medicaid coverage to include doula and lactation consultant services and closing another gap in maternal health care. 

Under Pritzker, Illinois has passed four balanced budgets that lead to three credit upgrades in the past year...

Oh wait, that's the 2022 budget stuff.

Here's the 2023 budget stuff:  Passed five balanced budgets that led to nine total credit upgrades since Governor Pritzker took office. This budget prioritized generational investments in early childhood education and childcare, the teacher pipeline, higher education, and efforts to fight poverty. 

Which is an improvement over 2022 in at least two ways.  First, is the obvious fiscal soundness of his policies.  Hell, we even have a rainy day fund now!  Second, whoever wrote the press release in 2022 has learned that it's poor rhetorical construction -- "this budget prioritized investments in key priorities" to use a variation on the word "priority" twice in one sentence.

Pritzker cut taxes on everyday needs like gas, groceries, and school supplies; while also providing property tax relief, tax rebates and an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.   He also oversaw a fifty percent increase in total tax reported from adult-use cannabis.  Hence, the rainy day fund.  

And if all that sounds like I lifted it from a press release, well, I did.  That's what press releases are for. 

If you'd like to read the whole thing, here's the link.

The tangible improvements that Illinois has seen during the Pritzker administration are impressive, but equally as impressive are the intangibles.  J.B. Pritzker lets everyone know that he is a god damn Democrat and proud of it.  A union supporter, and proud of it.  A protector of a woman's right to choose, and proud of it.  An LGBTQ ally, and proud of it.  

And given what we all may be facing over the coming months and years, it is a comfort to know that the chief executive of my state is ready and willing to stand athwart the fascist mob and tell them "You shall not pass!"     And has enough fuck-you money put by to make a go of it.

Burn The Lifeboats

Who is Tom Homan?

He's the guy in this picture shaking Trump's hand.

This is from Americas Voice, which is a pro-immigration group.

Immigration 101: Who is Tom Homan?

Tom Homan was the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal immigration agency responsible for arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants, from 2017 to 2018. Since leaving the Trump Administration, Homan has associated with hate groups and has been a vocal messenger of white nationalist conspiracy theories. Homan recently told the New York Times he would “agree to come back” in a second Trump term and “run the largest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” 

Under Trump, Tom Homan was notorious for wanting to prosecute elected officials and directed the department to mass-deport immigrants regardless of priorities. “You should be uncomfortable, you should look over your shoulder, and you need to be worried,” Homan warned undocumented families in 2017. During a speech the following year, he bragged that he was “enjoying” then-President Trump’s deportation agenda.

In late 2023, Tom Homan went on Fox news to discuss historic levels of deportation under a possible Trump second term. He stated, “No one’s off the table [for deportation]. If you’re in the country illegally in violation of immigration law, you are a target.” He continued by saying, “I’m not fooling myself into thinking we can remove twenty million people. But, you know, we’re going to give it one hell of a shot and remove as many as we can.“

Since at least 2018, Tom Homan has been a readily-available anti-immigrant Fox News contributor, where he has profusely spread the dangerous and violence-inducing white nationalist narrative of a migrant “invasion” at the border. Homan blamed Biden for a rise in border apprehensions months before the 2020 election even took place, and continued to talk about an “invasion” as an “intentional” move by the Biden Administration.

This is from Newsweek, March 03, 2023:

Trump's ICE Director Doesn't Care About Families Separated at Border

During his time as acting director of ICE, Homan was in charge of the early version of

Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration enforcement policy that detained and criminally

charged adults who crossed the border into the U.S. without permission. Detained adults

who entered with children had those children taken from them, which generated much

controversy and criticism because families found diculty in reconnecting later since the

government didn't have a system in place for reunification.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing about the family separation," Homan said at CPAC. "I'm still

being sued over that.... I don't give a s***, right? Bottom line is, we enforced the law."

...

Homan, though, indicated during his remarks at CPAC that he did not have much

sympathy for parents who are separated from their children when they enter the U.S.

without permission.

"When I was a cop in New York and I arrested a father for domestic violence or someone

for DUI [driving under the inuence], I separated that family," he said. "When you violate

the law with a child, you're going to be separated."

"They chose to separate themselves," Homan added.

So why bring you the bio of this thug?

Because just days ago, right here in Sangamon County, just a couple of miles from where Lincoln is buried,  for the low-low price of just $50, you could've heard this fascist goon expound on the glories of Donald Trump and how much he looks forward to getting back into the mass deportation business if Trump slimes his way back to power in November.

Yes, in keeping with it's long and shameful tradition of paying the worst people to come to town to fire up the local Republican meatheads, last week Homan was the keynote speaker at the annual Sangamon County Lincoln Day fundraising dinner.

Here were your donation options:

$125 per person Reservation for Dinner & Program

$50 per person VIP Reception (must include dinner purchase) Meet & Greet the Speaker

$1000 per couple – Secure Border Roundtable with Speaker Tom Homan and Other Officials

Here were your Sponsorship options:

$2000 Lincoln Great Table seating closest to the stage. Dinner for ten (10). Complimentary Wine, Gift Basket. Name listed in program and on video display.

$1500 Presidential Choice Table and Dinner for ten (10). Name listed in program and on video display.

$750 Legislative Five (5) dinner reservations. Name listed in program and on video display.

$150 Railsplitter Sponsorship only – no dinner reservation. Name listed in program.

Because I wrote about it last year and because we mentioned it on our podcast last year, some of you may remember that last year the Sangamon County's GOP Lincoln Day dinner headline was serial liar and David Plouffe's new bestest podcast buddy, Kelleyanne Conway.

From our local paper:

Kellyanne Conway, an advisor of former President Donald Trump, will be the keynote speaker of the Sangamon County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day dinner.

Sangamon County GOP chair Dianne Barghouti Hartwick said the dinner, scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 3, has been a fundraiser for the party dating back more than 100 years. Tickets begin at $125 per person for the dinner with photo opportunities available for $50 each.

The year before that, it was Charlie Kirk, which I wrote about at the time.

And before Chuckles Kirk it was Candace Owens, which I also wrote about at the time

And before that it was Jason Chaffetz, one-time congressperson and current Fox News troll who now lives in Donald Trump's underwear drawer, which, yep, wrote about that one too.

The year before that it was Fox News in-house train-wreck/barfly,  Jeanine Pirro.  Wrote about that.

The year before that wingnut-network-job-hopper and H.R. Haldeman stunt-double, Corey Lewandowski.

The year before that, in 2016, it was none other than Fox News prime-time Gorgon and Keith Olbermann's former girlfriend, Laura Ingraham.
 
And on and on and on.

If you were ever curious about how we out here in the cornfields have been so consistently, dead-on accurate for decades with our predictions about the trajectory of the Republican Party, while our elite professional political media has been so repeatedly and catastrophically wrong about the GOP, it's really pretty simple.  Unlike our our elite professional political media, we actually live out here in the real world, chock-a-block with real Republicans who have never been shy about what they really believe.   

In fact, as I write this, the Hugh Hewitt Show is playing on one of the two big radio station in the area.  He's on 9AM-12PM, Monday through Friday.  And if I don't want to listen to Hewitt, I can always tune in to the other big radio station in the area where, at this moment, the Brian Kilmeade Show is playing.  He's on 9AM-11AM, Monday through Friday.  

Later in the day, on the first station, you get Sean Hannity followed by Mark Levin.  

Later in the day on the other station you get Dana Loesch followed by Erick Erickson 

The first station pads out it's weekend offerings with America First with Sebastian Gorka, The Larry Kudlow Show, Newsmax's own Chris Plante on the Chris Plante Show and, hilariously. The Weekend with Michael [Heckuva Job, Brownie] Brown.

The second station takes it's foot off the wingnut gas over the weeked with shows like American Family Farmer,  Let’s Talk Cosmetic Dentistry and The Jesus Christ Show, but it does find room late on Sunday night for Judge Jeanine Pirro.

This is the ambient radio environment out here in much of the real world -- the poison that Republicans out here in the real world are steeping in every day --  and it's been this way for going on 40 years now. 

And there is absolutely no fucking way to fail to notice it, unless your job as an elite political media professional is to deliberately fail to notice it.  

I Am The Liberal Media