Ralf W
@raflw.bsky.social
Republicans always start wars and crash the economy. As of January 3, 2026, we've got step one. How long to step two?
Peripatetic. Infuriated.
Hanger-on at Balloon Juice.
MSP / CO / WI
Peripatetic. Infuriated.
Hanger-on at Balloon Juice.
MSP / CO / WI
Pinned
Ralf W
@raflw.bsky.social
· 1d
I'm not sure America will support boots on the ground, but the Republicans will supply plenty of Bootlickers in the Halls of Congress.
Reposted by Ralf W
Plain and simple my politics is that nobody should be wealthy enough to make their insecurities my problem.
January 5, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Plain and simple my politics is that nobody should be wealthy enough to make their insecurities my problem.
Reposted by Ralf W
I'm dead and this is hell.
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:28 AM
I'm dead and this is hell.
Reposted by Ralf W
a downside for Trump is having taken military action against Maduro his insane ramblings about Greenland are much harder to dismiss, and while you'll find people who hate Maduro enough to support his overthrow
there is literally zero, no, support for war with Denmark
there is literally zero, no, support for war with Denmark
January 5, 2026 at 3:26 AM
a downside for Trump is having taken military action against Maduro his insane ramblings about Greenland are much harder to dismiss, and while you'll find people who hate Maduro enough to support his overthrow
there is literally zero, no, support for war with Denmark
there is literally zero, no, support for war with Denmark
We are through the looking glass and into a horrible land of Mad Hatter (or is it hater?), Queen of Hearts and the rest.
But this is the real world. This is horrifying.
But this is the real world. This is horrifying.
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:19 AM
We are through the looking glass and into a horrible land of Mad Hatter (or is it hater?), Queen of Hearts and the rest.
But this is the real world. This is horrifying.
But this is the real world. This is horrifying.
Reposted by Ralf W
Sen. Tammy Duckworth:
"The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is—and has always been—a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises."
"The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is—and has always been—a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises."
January 3, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Sen. Tammy Duckworth:
"The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is—and has always been—a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises."
"The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is—and has always been—a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises."
Chris Sprigman:
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Ct's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
bsky.app/profile/cjsp...
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Ct's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
bsky.app/profile/cjsp...
i feel like if these are not war crimes they are regular crimes which also you are supposed to be prevented from doing
January 3, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Chris Sprigman:
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Ct's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
bsky.app/profile/cjsp...
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Ct's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
bsky.app/profile/cjsp...
Reposted by Ralf W
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Court's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
January 3, 2026 at 10:15 PM
It may be ultimately that we view the Supreme Court's insane presidential immunity opinion in Trump v. United States as having done as much damage to our country as its decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which contributed mightily to the nation's descent into civil war.
Reposted by Ralf W
At some point (*soon*), we have to release ourselves of our need to refer to these actions as illegal. Legality has never curtailed authoritarianism.
Unethical. Inhumane. Death dealing. We have so many more words to help with this.
Unethical. Inhumane. Death dealing. We have so many more words to help with this.
January 3, 2026 at 9:34 PM
At some point (*soon*), we have to release ourselves of our need to refer to these actions as illegal. Legality has never curtailed authoritarianism.
Unethical. Inhumane. Death dealing. We have so many more words to help with this.
Unethical. Inhumane. Death dealing. We have so many more words to help with this.
Reposted by Ralf W
there is no constituency that needs you to fall all over yourself to call Maduro illegitimate before you dare criticize Trump. Voters have been down this road before. No one thought Saddam Hussein was a nice guy. Criticism of Maduro at this stage correctly reads as a defense of Trump to most people.
Just an absolutely pathetic response from absolutely pathetic people. I was not a fan of Pelosi but even she would be better than the current crew.
January 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
there is no constituency that needs you to fall all over yourself to call Maduro illegitimate before you dare criticize Trump. Voters have been down this road before. No one thought Saddam Hussein was a nice guy. Criticism of Maduro at this stage correctly reads as a defense of Trump to most people.
Jeff Bezos: Yay illegal war of aggression!
The billionaire class is fully out of control. I'll keep saying it, we need a major wealth tax.
The billionaire class is fully out of control. I'll keep saying it, we need a major wealth tax.
The Washington Post editorial board comes out in favor of the Venezuela attack/operation to capture Maduro
January 3, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Jeff Bezos: Yay illegal war of aggression!
The billionaire class is fully out of control. I'll keep saying it, we need a major wealth tax.
The billionaire class is fully out of control. I'll keep saying it, we need a major wealth tax.
Reposted by Ralf W
To sum up, a US president is going to war without congressional authorization against a sovereign nation that has not attacked or threatened it, and is doing so like a thief in the night, with no explanation for the American people or the world. It is all so unimaginable that it strains credulity.
January 3, 2026 at 9:38 AM
To sum up, a US president is going to war without congressional authorization against a sovereign nation that has not attacked or threatened it, and is doing so like a thief in the night, with no explanation for the American people or the world. It is all so unimaginable that it strains credulity.
Reposted by Ralf W
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
January 3, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
A Democrat would be raked over the coals for meddling in the snack offerings of a private business. Sean Duffy deserves the same scorn.
Absolutely NOT the job of the Sec. of Transportation!
Absolutely NOT the job of the Sec. of Transportation!
January 2, 2026 at 9:00 PM
A Democrat would be raked over the coals for meddling in the snack offerings of a private business. Sean Duffy deserves the same scorn.
Absolutely NOT the job of the Sec. of Transportation!
Absolutely NOT the job of the Sec. of Transportation!
Reposted by Ralf W
they're bleating about KOSA in the senate while this shit is just going on right in front of them
The automated sexual abuse that Musk is doing right now should be national news. People should be going to prison for this shit. The logical conclusion to generative image creation and the internet, pure public automatic violence. Every Pizzagate fear just out in the open.
January 2, 2026 at 5:23 AM
they're bleating about KOSA in the senate while this shit is just going on right in front of them
Reposted by Ralf W
i was just thinking about this. when a fascist squeaks by, it’s a mandate. when a progressive wins by a landslide, he needs to be deferential. it’s such bullshit.
as a texan i'll spare people zohran takes but one thing i think we're going to see even more of now that he's mayor is mainstream media shift the goal posts of what having a mandate is. trump had a mandate when he narrowly won but zohran has to reach out to all these factions no matter what
January 2, 2026 at 12:19 AM
i was just thinking about this. when a fascist squeaks by, it’s a mandate. when a progressive wins by a landslide, he needs to be deferential. it’s such bullshit.
Reposted by Ralf W
No but really my fear is that the next democrat in the White House will be conciliatory and deliberate when what we need is a chainsaw and some sage.
Need this energy when Trump leaves office. Take a fucking bulldozer to his bribe ballroom and rip his name off the Kennedy Center and whatever else he slaps his name on.
I was wondering what Mamdani's first executive order would be, and I'm not disappointed by this.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
January 1, 2026 at 11:54 PM
No but really my fear is that the next democrat in the White House will be conciliatory and deliberate when what we need is a chainsaw and some sage.
I suck at taking social media breaks 😵💫
January 1, 2026 at 11:51 PM
I suck at taking social media breaks 😵💫
Reposted by Ralf W
🧵The Minnesota daycare situation is escalating. Yes, there’s been fraud—the grain of truth here.
We now have a combo of “stolen election” + “eating the pets” rumors: rage, participation
Not investigation.
Journalism: evidence→conclusion
Influence: belief→justification
www.fox9.com/news/somali-...
We now have a combo of “stolen election” + “eating the pets” rumors: rage, participation
Not investigation.
Journalism: evidence→conclusion
Influence: belief→justification
www.fox9.com/news/somali-...
Somali-run day care in Minneapolis broken into, vandalized
Someone broke into a Somali-run day care in Minneapolis earlier this week, causing "extensive vandalism," according to Nokomis Daycare Center.
www.fox9.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:06 PM
🧵The Minnesota daycare situation is escalating. Yes, there’s been fraud—the grain of truth here.
We now have a combo of “stolen election” + “eating the pets” rumors: rage, participation
Not investigation.
Journalism: evidence→conclusion
Influence: belief→justification
www.fox9.com/news/somali-...
We now have a combo of “stolen election” + “eating the pets” rumors: rage, participation
Not investigation.
Journalism: evidence→conclusion
Influence: belief→justification
www.fox9.com/news/somali-...
YES!
To me, the path forward starts with articulating a clear *moral* vision of what we want the future to look like. we’re a culture that’s morally adrift and we’ve come to tolerate if not encourage a lot of behaviors we’d have rejected as amoral not long ago (sports betting, crypto). 4/x
January 1, 2026 at 8:56 PM
YES!
This was August of *2024*!!
3/ Trump is literally fragile. Not just his ego, his skin.
January 1, 2026 at 8:14 PM
This was August of *2024*!!
I'm sooooo ready for this.
It's only occasionally explicit, but this inauguration is emphatically structured as a vision of an alternate future for America, an alternate politics, an alternate Democratic Party.
January 1, 2026 at 8:11 PM
I'm sooooo ready for this.
This is a preview of what's to come at The Trump The Kennedy Center.
🤢
🤢
January 1, 2026 at 6:25 PM
This is a preview of what's to come at The Trump The Kennedy Center.
🤢
🤢
Reposted by Ralf W
Something to think on today for progressive/leftist causes: The legacy media is never going to like you, so what do you need to do to make them irrelevant?
January 1, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Something to think on today for progressive/leftist causes: The legacy media is never going to like you, so what do you need to do to make them irrelevant?
Reposted by Ralf W
This should not be shrugged aside. They have stopped with the fake 22 million illegal immigrants things and are flat out saying we want to deport 10's of millions of citizens and legal residents from "third world countries" Basically they are advocating removing 1/3 of the population on a gov site.
December 31, 2025 at 9:59 PM
This should not be shrugged aside. They have stopped with the fake 22 million illegal immigrants things and are flat out saying we want to deport 10's of millions of citizens and legal residents from "third world countries" Basically they are advocating removing 1/3 of the population on a gov site.