Abbott being Abbott

[fattyflattie 4639]

6 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

So for probably 51%+ of Texas counties, that means their population has to buy food at Dollar General/Family Dollar?  So they'll die off quicker with no fruits and vegetables?  And we're worried, why?  

You are confusing idiots bitching about stores being woke with people actually boycotting them.   Our target hasn’t missed a beat.   HEB won’t either.  I know BUD has taken a hit, but then again, I didn’t know a single BL drinker, so maybe uninsulated from that.   But I’m in a community surrounded with folks that bitch about Target and now HEB now I guess, and not a single person will stop shopping there.  Kroger and Randall’s?  Yeah right. 

[hayden_horn 11362]

the whole bud light thing blows my mind still.

[YGIFS 19452]

Yeah, good point.  It's like an Aggie boycott.  Lotta noise and no follow-thru.  

People will literally bitch and moan about HEB rainbows as they're walking in and say, "Oh hey, bbq wood chips are on sale!"  

Ralph's Grocery of California is a very progressive company that donates lots of money to Democrats as one would expect.  If you were to tell Texas Republicans that, they'd happily boycott that store.  And then happily shop at Tom Thumb and Randall's without any sense of irony.  

[fattyflattie 4639]

20 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Yeah, good point.  It's like an Aggie boycott.  Lotta noise and no follow-thru.  

People will literally bitch and moan about HEB rainbows as they're walking in and say, "Oh hey, bbq wood chips are on sale!"  

Ralph's Grocery of California is a very progressive company that donates lots of money to Democrats as one would expect.  If you were to tell Texas Republicans that, they'd happily boycott that store.  And then happily shop at Tom Thumb and Randall's without any sense of irony.  

And iirc (and I may be wrong) isn’t Trader Joe’s, other than the name, a progressive store?   The same guys that are sending me stupid memes, every single one of their wives shop there.   

[YGIFS 19452]

It's a long story of how Trader Joe's came to be owned by a subsidiary of Aldi U.S.  And it remains complicated to this day.  But Aldi does have National Socialist roots in Germany, but was not an active participant in Nazism.  In the U.S., Trader Joe's largely has carte blanche to operate as they please.  But to your point, the company is more progressive and egalitarian than most grocers, and most any retailer for that matter.  So many Texas Republicans would be repulsed and refuse to shop at Trader Joe's if they knew their corporate model, politics, and environmental policies.  But as the Albrecht Brothers used to tell us, "Only time you worry about shopper volume dropping off is when they quit shouting about boycotts."  

We quietly tested out battery powered tractor-trailers for Aldi and Volvo many years ago to help transform fleet replacement's environmental impact on the supply chain and interstate transportation.  And we had to sign NDA's to not talk about it for several years because Aldi thought their middle-America shoppers would get pissy about them "going green."  In the end, the economics of the battery just didn't work taking up so much space in the trailer.  But we're at the point now where it works and it'll be deployed more and more across the market.  I only wish the Albrecht brothers would have lived long enough to see Abbott welcoming Musk's batteries to Texas only for Musk to go insane and Abbott's voters having their minds warped by a love of Musk but a hate for EV's.  But Karl and Theo were really ahead of their time.  

[jimmyjazz 45976]

Our little town was graced with an Aldi in the late 1970's.  That place was a dump.  My mom shopped there because the prices were good, but I hated it.  A Walmart is stylish by comparison.

It's still going strong.

[YGIFS 19452]

that's their whole schtick.  Completely low-frills, borderline depressing.  Shitty lighting, no displays, skeleton staff, bag your own shit, 25 cents for a cart, no samples, etc.  It's literally designed to deliver quality sustenance at bare bones pricing.  Highest margins in the grocery industry for a reason.  At one point, the Albrecht brothers were the actual richest men in the world.  They didn't top any billionaires lists, but in reality they could activate more money than anyone else ahead of them because they were liquid.  Bill Gates may have been on top with $50bn but if he were to try to actually get $50bn, he'd end up with $10bn because he'd tank his own stock at sale.  But Karl & Theo could get their $30bn on a day's notice because they were all cash.  And it was precisely because of their shittastic shopping model.  

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

2 hours ago, kevwun said:

They could also die waiting in line at Dollar General.  Has to be the slowest checkout process on Earth.  And the employees don't even bother to restock the shelves.  They just leave shopping carts full of new shit in random aisles.

Didn't one of our posters here get their Whataburger stolen from their truck when they went into a dollar general?

[YGIFS 19452]

Well that rules out liberal-run inner cities laden with crime.  Dollar General don’t roll downtown like dat 

[fattyflattie 4639]

2 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

That's because there's usually a fist fight in front of you. Sometimes it's a cashier and a customer, others it's two cashiers. 

Best beer prices in POC, fwiw.  

[safe sex 11735]

Lobo what the fuck is your actual job?

[YGIFS 19452]

Race cars.  Play tennis.  Fondle women.  I have the weekends off and I am my own boss.  
 

iRL-growth equity.  Kinda between VC and private equity.  I tend to go deep on an industry for a time and move to the next one so I temporarily become a half-assed expert and then move on to being a dumbass again.  Focuses have been O&G, commercial real estate, FinTech banking, trucking, and defense.  And as you likely concluded, a lot of that by its nature, brushes up against education and politics. 

I am a glorified mercenary or fixer.  When you see me coming, I either have a bag of cash for you or some extremely unpleasant news.  
 

I would like to be something else when  I finally grow up though.  My wife is a speech therapist who works with really challenging kids and I walk in her shadow . I think one of the reasons I admire you is because despite all the bullshit you have to endure, You are still moved by your calling to help the sick and not much can deter you from that.  I never felt that way about my day job so I look for other ways to help people.  But the really fun part is punishing the bad ones.  Whoah. 

[TexasEd 8067]

On 5/24/2023 at 5:27 AM, Fudge Nuggets said:

No shit. But you come in here acting like your state is immune from the cray  while your state elected probably the dumbest mother fucker ever to the Senate. 
Pipe. Down. 

Well to be fair I think the current ranking of clueless Senators goes like this

 

49. Tommy "The definition of White Supremacists are Trump voters, er my voters" Tuberville

50. Diane "Why does everybody keep calling me Senator?" Feinstein

x. Herschel "What about getting a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women, that’s looking at social media?" Walker (if he had won)

 

 

[Bozo_Casanova 26488]

On 5/24/2023 at 7:32 AM, BevoAbyss said:

Legit question. Thanks.

I do not have an instant, easy answer that will win the next election. However, I do know a failed strategy when I see one. Though I was born/raised in Texas and graduated from UT, I have not lived in Texas in almost 30 years. Career took me elsewhere. However, I own some Texas ranch land and when passing through Dallas/Austin/ Houston, I sometimes see friends and family (mostly liberals and Democrats, but some MAGA/MAGA adjacent). Here's what I see, hear, and know.

The "Beto Play Nice Plan" is a proven failure.

— Beto's plan might well have worked in the 1970s-1980s. Not in the 2020s-2030s.

— I am not saying be an asshole. A person can be nice and still use the correct terms and definitions to describe the political conditions. Be firm. Don't cave. 

— If Hollywood can make The Handmaid's Tale, then why can't Democrats and media use the correct terms, as dramatized in that series? It's all right before our eyes.

— Yet, my Beto-voting Dem friends in Dallas/Houston are mostly in denial. Joined several for tacos and tequila last summer. They somehow think it is not as bad as it is. Amazing! In between tequila shots, we were doing screen shots of online dictionaries and seeing how the definitions of fascism and theocracy applied to Texas. At least one friend has since told me that our conversation has her (no pics) thinking much more about seeing fascism/theocracy and not mere "right wing" extremism. Obviously, an anecdotal example. Sometimes it's not an easy process to see the forest amid the trees. 

The Beto/Democrat Plan is aspirin for a cancer.

— MAGA-GQP are a cancer for Democracy in Texas (and America). The rights of many groups are in peril. Democracy may well die, with horrors to come. I think Beto once used the term "post truth is pre-fascism" in a tweet. But that was about it, as far as I can tell. Beto's correct, but pre-fascism was the Reagan era. Now is fascism. 

— What happens when you have recurring headaches that start out mild, and you take aspirin, which works for a while? Only the headaches slowly intensify across several years. Then your doctor does a blood test, X-Ray, and you have brain cancer. What happens? You have to treat it with radical steps. No more aspirin. Beto is the aspirin. 

Who are the audiences?

It's not MAGA-GQP. Almost all are completely beyond hope, as best I can tell. However, a tiny percentage might be open to seeing the obvious.

There are two key points to clearly explain and reinforce to Texans.

1) MAGA-GQP are fascists and theocrats, according to any dictionary not tossed out of a school library.

2) The very first right in the First Amendment is freedom from religion, not freedom of religion. Look it up. 

All of this needs to be repeated endlessly. In-person, across all media platforms. With dictionary definitions. With the text of the First Amendment. Repeat, repeat, repeat. American Exceptionalism and "it can't happen here" must be countered with the mounting evidence.

Audience 1: The media, journalists, editors.

— As best I can tell, the media (newspapers, TV, Texas Tribune) have utterly failed to identify the political situation in Texas. 

— Dems can start by asking the media why MAGA-GQP are not identified as fascists and theocrats. And keep asking. And keep on asking. Pull out a freaking dictionary on their phones. Tell the reporters that these Reagan-era terms are no longer accurate. "Conservative," "Right wing." "Extremist." "Far right." Etc.

— For example, the Texas Tribune is intellectually bankrupt, it just doesn't know it. Under the guise of being "fair" and "objective," the Tribune 100% enables and empowers MAGA every day. As such, the Tribune is a threat to democracy. If the Tribune was a cancer doctor, every patient would die. 

— On the other hand, I see thoughtful people using fascism and theocracy across many social media/blogging platforms, such as Substack, Medium, and others like it. Of course, their audiences are tiny compared to TV, newspapers, and megachurches. 

— The Dems need a statewide plan to do this. Across all platforms. Of course, they likely never will.

Audience 2: A percentage of independents. 

— How many? I do not know. Surely, there is a percentage of indies who are smart enough to realize MAGA-GQP are fascists/theocrats when they hear those terms. People are saying this in some platforms. Some protesters have fascism on their signs.

Audience 3: Non-believers in religion. This is over 20% of Texans and growing fast across America. When in the hell are Dems gonna speak out and represent that group? That includes me and I have never ever felt the Dems accurately see the obvious about religious fanaticism. Religious freedom does not mean freedom from critique. Democrats seem oblivious to this.

Sadly, the secular education and secular media systems have largely failed.

— Especially when it comes to critical thinking. Even more in politics and religion.

— Of course, this will not solve everything. Thought and action are needed across culture. Texas corporations and university leaders are not gonna do anything. If MAGA-GQP can scare parents over CRT and woke and Marxists (etc.), then surely the Dems can deploy the terms fascism and theocracy. Someone has to step up their game in the political arena. The only option is Democrats. It sure as hell ain't the freaking Libertarians. 

TLDR/Bottom Line. Someone has to fight the cancer to democracy. And it begins with the right diagnosis. It might well be too late. 

This is a really good post that I missed earlier, and I like it, but it's missing an important element. 
To make things better, Democrats must, MUST purge the  current leadership and consultant class from the highest levels of the TDP. Over the course of 30 years they have instituted people and process and built muscle memory to do what it takes to lose. A primary reason Beto did as well as he did in the initial senate race was because of the lack of connection and coordination between his campaign and TDP, and part of the reason he returned to the baseline in the Governors race was that he let them in. 

[CooterBrown 18014]

1 hour ago, safe sex said:

Lobo what the fuck is your actual job?

A little of this, a little of that. He's the Greg of Austin but instead of family ties, he provided blow and underage hookers to players who keep him on the payroll to assure bodies stay buried.

[YGIFS 19452]

Pretty accurate.  I come from not much but I learned real quick how to keep secrets.  I’m a shorter, slightly less awkward Greg. I see teachers and nurses called to a higher purpose and I am in awe.  And then I see politicians trying to beat them down.  And that’s when I hear my calling.  

[hayden_horn 11362]

29 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

This is a really good post that I missed earlier, and I like it, but it's missing an important element. 
To make things better, Democrats must, MUST purge the  current leadership and consultant class from the highest levels of the TDP. Over the course of 30 years they have instituted people and process and built muscle memory to do what it takes to lose. A primary reason Beto did as well as he did in the initial senate race was because of the lack of connection and coordination between his campaign and TDP, and part of the reason he returned to the baseline in the Governors race was that he let them in. 

once upon a time i had a friend who was entertaining the thought of running for office in texas as a democrat. we went to a couple of meetings. we were treated...cordially. 

texas democrats are gatekeepers and pimps. that's about it.

[Bozo_Casanova 26488]

8 hours ago, hayden_horn said:

once upon a time i had a friend who was entertaining the thought of running for office in texas as a democrat. we went to a couple of meetings. we were treated...cordially. 

texas democrats are gatekeepers and pimps. that's about it.

I’ve told this story before. When I lived in Hays county I was recruited to run for office by both parties.

the Republican pitch was: “we’re flexible. We like you and all we ask is that you make nice with other Republicans once you’re in the game. Let us know how we can help.”

the Democrat pitch was and still is: “get out your checkbook and make a max donation to everyone you can afford to. You’re also the wrong color and gender, so ideally you’ll be happy with deputy precinct dogcatcher.”

Edited May 27, 2023 by Bozo_Casanova

[Brisketexan 105154]

I’ve told this story before. When I lived in Hays county I was recruited to run for office by both parties.
the Republican pitch was: “we’re flexible. We like you and all we ask is that you make nice with other Republicans once you’re in the game. Let us know how we can help.”
the Democrat pitch was and still is: “get out your checkbook and make a max donation to everyone you can afford to. You’re also the wrong color and gender, so ideally you’ll be happy with deputy precinct dogcatcher.”

I’m gonna have to hear more about your deputy precinct dogcatcher platform before you get a single donation from me.

Well, come on, the floor is yours….

[Bozo_Casanova 26488]

16 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I’m gonna have to hear more about your deputy precinct dogcatcher platform before you get a single donation from me.

Well, come on, the floor is yours….

South Austin's mom is #1 on my list

[jimmyjazz 45976]

What gender and color of dogs are we talking here?

[tx 3 putt 77061]

[Sawbonz 27578]

On 5/26/2023 at 12:22 PM, safe sex said:

Lobo what the fuck is your actual job?

[Radical Larry 28641]

Lobo Rice Chex

[atomheartbevo 89729]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

Holy shit that's real

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110443476069885666

Poor Greg, that means his shot at getting 5% in the Texas primary next year has probably dropped down to 1-2%.

[YGIFS 19452]

16 minutes ago, Radical Larry said:

Lobo Rice Chex

The mom taking the shot of booze always cracks me up.  John Hughes said of all the actors he worked with regularly, the two that touched his heart were John Candy and John Kapelos. She was into Malakas!!!

[Biff Tannen 45691]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:33 PM, Brisketexan said:

I’m gonna have to hear more about your deputy precinct dogcatcher platform before you get a single donation from me.

Well, come on, the floor is yours….

[atomheartbevo 89729]

This has bugged the shit out of me for a long time.

This has been Abbott's personal twitter banner for years, and I've never understood why.  There is nothing flattering about this picture - it obscures his wife, it looks like something is blowing up or about to blow up, like an errant rocket is stuck in something and still firing off.  Over half the photo is absolutely obscured, and the part with him in it is fucked up. His hand/arm obscures part of his daughter, who is partly out of focus it looks like, and there's a lot of dead space on the left and right.

He's the fucking Governor of Texas, can't he take a photo in his office or something, with his family behind him?  Get an intern to make him a twitter banner photo.

He looks like a fucking moron who is about to yell out "WHEE LOOK AT THE PRETTY SPARKS!"

Compare it with his official governor account

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

Getting big time "Put it in reverse, Greg!" vibes from that first photo.

 

 

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89729]

2 minutes ago, Grade of D as in David said:

Getting big time "Put it in reverse, Greg!" vibes from that first photo.

[elfenix 34310]

Fuck the Dodgers

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13585]

I'm getting "this is fine" vibes.

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

On 5/22/2023 at 8:46 PM, StassneyHorn said: Abbott

his ass is gonna walk out there 

Well that would be the kind of miracle that might win him a nomination or two.

 

[UpperWestside 6169]

I was out looking for some new books to read and ran across this one. If there is anyone in this country that deserves to be trolled like this it is Hot Wheels.

[atomheartbevo 89729]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:29 PM, UpperWestside said:

. If there is anyone in this country that deserves to be trolled like this it is Hot Wheels.

He's about to get trolled oh so hard.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/30/ron-desantis-texas-fundraising-trip/

Quote

Some of Texas’ biggest Republican donors are getting behind Ron DeSantis as he plans his first fundraising trip to Texas as a presidential candidate.

The Florida governor is set to visit Texas from June 7-9 for a six-city fundraising tour, according to a schedule obtained by The Texas Tribune. He will be in Midland on June 7; Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston on June 8; and The Woodlands and Austin on June 9.

Quote

The events are drawing some of the most prolific donors in Texas GOP politics, according to invitations for some of them.

In Midland, hosts include S. Javaid Anwar, the Midland oil mogul who has been the single biggest donor to Gov. Greg Abbott over his long political career. Abbott himself has not ruled out a 2024 campaign.

Quote

The Midland host committee names many other titans of the oil industry in West Texas, such as Ernest Angelo, Kyle Stallings and Douglas Scharbauer.

In Dallas, the hosts include Oklahoma oil tycoon Harold Hamm, telecommunications billionaire Kenny Troutt and car-auction billionaire Jay Adair. The host list also features Phillip Huffines, the businessman brother of Don Huffines, the former state senator who challenged Abbott in the 2022 primary.

Quote

And in Houston, the hosts include major names in the city’s business community, such as commercial real-estate developers Alan Hassenflu and Richard Weekley. Both are in the leadership of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the influential tort reform group in Austin.

The Houston hosts additionally include Clive Fields, a Houston doctor who already donated $500,000 to DeSantis’ Florida political committee in March.

Quote

Some of the donors have previously been supportive of Trump. Hamm backed Trump in 2016 and 2020, and the former president even considered appointing him as energy secretary. Some of the DeSantis hosts gave at least six figures to Trump’s 2020 reelection effort, with Troutt and his wife contributing at least $1.8 million.

[YGIFS 19452]

This is fucking awesome.  Not gonna say which person on that Midland host list, because it'll upset Dr. Beeper.  But his son tells me they arranged this specifically at the start of Abbott's doomed-to-fail special session just to drive the point home, "Stay outta this fuckface, this primary doesn't concern your expired ass."  

[tx 3 putt 77061]

Abbott has a 2024 staff 

[YGIFS 19452]

and they're about to get their 2-weeks notice.  

[totallynotabuttpirate 5400]

11 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Abbott has a 2024 staff 

I think it's pretty clear that Abbot's staff is non-functioning at this point. 

[Brisketexan 105154]

38 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Abbott has a 2024 staff 

And Brisket has a "get things ready for my intense, passionate liaison with Sela Ward" team.

They sit around and drink with Abbott's 2024 staff, because neither team has a single damned thing to do.*

 

* But my team is much more likely to be called into action than Greg's.  I hear Sela really likes barbecue, so I've sent her an invite to hit some epic bbq joints with me next weekend....I like my chances.

[atomheartbevo 89729]

5 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

* But my team is much more likely to be called into action than Greg's.  I hear Sela really likes barbecue, so I've sent her an invite to hit some epic bbq joints with me next weekend....I like my chances.

If she'd drop the restraining order against me, you wouldn't stand a chance.

But yeah, we'll both be hanging out with Sela long before Greg's 2024 staff wakes up (but not at the same time for we are both gentleman and she is a Lady of the Highest Virtue).

Edit: I expect your support in helping me get her on the cover of next year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Edited June 1, 2023 by atomheartbevo

[South Austin 52519]

Sela’s here with me, and she told me to tell you guys to stop posting about her, because it’s creeping her out.

[YGIFS 19452]

Now how could she say all that with my dick in her mouth?

[South Austin 52519]

[pacman 7359]

Abbott: Create Task Force. Ignore recommendations and do nothing.

[Brisketexan 105154]

Abbott: Create Task Force. Ignore recommendations and do nothing.

Actually, it’s “do the opposite.” Their party is instead vilifying and attacking Teachers at every turn.

[Satchel 6938]

This is more like Texas apartheid:

The NYT Times writes: 

By reducing the right of localities to make their own decisions, Texas has joined dozens of other states that have asserted their dominance over cities in recent years through a practice known as state pre-emption. One watchdog group has counted more than 650 pre-emption bills in state legislatures this year; the large majority have been introduced by Republican lawmakers to curb policymaking in cities run by Democrats.

 

Additionally, the board concludes conservative tactics enforcing these types of laws fall under a list of "categories," including, democracy and voting; law enforcement and courts; guns and discrimination.

Some of the GOP efforts, per the board, include "trying to make it harder for citizens to enact laws or constitutional changes through the referendum process"; trying "to usurp the role of local election boards and officials, restricting attempts to expand voting and making it more difficult for voters in urban areas, who are often people of color, to cast a ballot"; and even trying to "prohibit cities from enacting anti-discrimination protections for L.G.B.T.Q. people."

[jimmyjazz 45976]

"Small government!!!"

"Local control!!!"

[Satchel 6938]

“Since 1912, the Texas constitution has granted cities with a population of greater than 5,000 people broad discretion to make local decisions. It’s the job of state lawmakers to establish minimum protections for the good of all Texans below which local governments may not fall. But when cities use their discretion to exceed state standards, state lawmakers have no business interfering.”

We should all oppose preemption.

[RomaVicta 29929]

Texas, our Texas, all hail the mighty state!

Texas, our Texas, so wonderful so great,

Boldest and grandest, withstanding every test.

Oh empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blessed.

 

The rolling cunt signed the Cruelty to Transgender Youth Act.