Ben Mabbott
@bmabbott.bsky.social
Nerd, politics, gaming, baseball, mostly lurking.
It's Mac & Cheese. Of *course* you'd try it. Any one of us would stuff it into our mouth holes like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. They can make it any flavor they want. They are as gods and we are powerless against them.
November 27, 2025 at 1:46 AM
It's Mac & Cheese. Of *course* you'd try it. Any one of us would stuff it into our mouth holes like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. They can make it any flavor they want. They are as gods and we are powerless against them.
That thing's gotta be, like, 20 license points.
November 26, 2025 at 9:45 AM
That thing's gotta be, like, 20 license points.
Even as I was watching it and realizing all they were doing was throwing out nostalgia bait, I couldn't help but have a good time going along for the ride. It was a Jedi Mind Trick and I was one of the weak minded it worked on 🤷♂️
November 24, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Even as I was watching it and realizing all they were doing was throwing out nostalgia bait, I couldn't help but have a good time going along for the ride. It was a Jedi Mind Trick and I was one of the weak minded it worked on 🤷♂️
I'm sorry, but Force Awakens has a special place in my heart. I know it's a bad rehash of Ep 4, but it was *fun*. I missed the OT in theaters, and the prequels are certainly better as movies, but (other than the pod race) they're too busy being a Greek tragedy to be fun.
November 24, 2025 at 9:41 PM
I'm sorry, but Force Awakens has a special place in my heart. I know it's a bad rehash of Ep 4, but it was *fun*. I missed the OT in theaters, and the prequels are certainly better as movies, but (other than the pod race) they're too busy being a Greek tragedy to be fun.
Yes, but that was before all of our bike lanes and donut shops were shelled in the war.
November 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Yes, but that was before all of our bike lanes and donut shops were shelled in the war.
Using a photo of Kevin Spacy(!) from a movie that clearly comes down on the side of 'this is a child and a relationship with her is wrong' was a hell of a choice.
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Using a photo of Kevin Spacy(!) from a movie that clearly comes down on the side of 'this is a child and a relationship with her is wrong' was a hell of a choice.
You can win the Presidency without people thinking you're cool, but if you could pick just one thing to go your way in an election, and it wasn't that, you are absolutely out of your mind.
November 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
You can win the Presidency without people thinking you're cool, but if you could pick just one thing to go your way in an election, and it wasn't that, you are absolutely out of your mind.
Yeah, it's pretty desolate out that way, but there's some very nice scenery!
November 21, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Yeah, it's pretty desolate out that way, but there's some very nice scenery!
Even worse though, the most likely outcome is that when presented with the facts their position wouldn't change at all. They have cognitive dissonance superpowers. And they aren't motivated by a hatred of the Left's policies, they are motivated by a hatred of the Left.
November 16, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Even worse though, the most likely outcome is that when presented with the facts their position wouldn't change at all. They have cognitive dissonance superpowers. And they aren't motivated by a hatred of the Left's policies, they are motivated by a hatred of the Left.
A lot of people buy into this because they see people on the news saying things like 'keep the government out of my Medicare!' and think if only they can educate that person they can flip them. They don't understand that it's far more likely that they'd stop supporting Medicare.
November 16, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A lot of people buy into this because they see people on the news saying things like 'keep the government out of my Medicare!' and think if only they can educate that person they can flip them. They don't understand that it's far more likely that they'd stop supporting Medicare.
Anyone planning on running should have people writing reems of policy proposals, but it's not what you run on. We shouldn't see most of the fine print until they win.
November 8, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Anyone planning on running should have people writing reems of policy proposals, but it's not what you run on. We shouldn't see most of the fine print until they win.
1) He did, but that was in spite of Project 2025, not because of it. The press let him weasel out of it but it was a real detriment to the campaign for a while there.
2) Hillary Clinton had more policy papers than anyone to ever do it. And they were good policies!
2) Hillary Clinton had more policy papers than anyone to ever do it. And they were good policies!
November 8, 2025 at 1:01 AM
1) He did, but that was in spite of Project 2025, not because of it. The press let him weasel out of it but it was a real detriment to the campaign for a while there.
2) Hillary Clinton had more policy papers than anyone to ever do it. And they were good policies!
2) Hillary Clinton had more policy papers than anyone to ever do it. And they were good policies!
Also, not for nothing, writing detailed governing plans before an election isn't always the best move. People love ideas but they hate the details. Trump would have been better off running on 'low taxes, small government' instead of Project 2025. It pissed people off and he had to run away from it.
November 7, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Also, not for nothing, writing detailed governing plans before an election isn't always the best move. People love ideas but they hate the details. Trump would have been better off running on 'low taxes, small government' instead of Project 2025. It pissed people off and he had to run away from it.
The Dem nomination is wide open, and while the platform will contain key items like affordability no matter who wins, it will need to be molded around the candidate that emerges. The various campaigns will do the lion's share of that work as they fight it out over the next two years.
November 7, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The Dem nomination is wide open, and while the platform will contain key items like affordability no matter who wins, it will need to be molded around the candidate that emerges. The various campaigns will do the lion's share of that work as they fight it out over the next two years.
The difference is that the totality of policy wonks across the GOP only ever needed one plan. Right from the start in 2021 there was zero doubt which candidate the governing plan needed to be designed for. It's easy to make a plan for a cult.
November 7, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The difference is that the totality of policy wonks across the GOP only ever needed one plan. Right from the start in 2021 there was zero doubt which candidate the governing plan needed to be designed for. It's easy to make a plan for a cult.
If anyone is thinking of doing this, please, seek help. I promise you're not alone. We will get through this. I'll come to your house and make pasta or tacos that aren't from a recipe that would have been rejected by Good Housekeeping in 1955.
November 4, 2025 at 3:31 AM
If anyone is thinking of doing this, please, seek help. I promise you're not alone. We will get through this. I'll come to your house and make pasta or tacos that aren't from a recipe that would have been rejected by Good Housekeeping in 1955.
To be fair, if your name is Markwayne and you started on second base of being a bunghole poser
November 4, 2025 at 3:14 AM
To be fair, if your name is Markwayne and you started on second base of being a bunghole poser
So, this giant wall of text boils down to this one incredibly deep insight; If we make elections about our issues (healthcare, affordability, ICE) we win. If they're about GOP issues (culture war, taxes, border), we lose. We should make them about our issues!
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
So, this giant wall of text boils down to this one incredibly deep insight; If we make elections about our issues (healthcare, affordability, ICE) we win. If they're about GOP issues (culture war, taxes, border), we lose. We should make them about our issues!
People focused on bringing young men into the party with 'our Joe Rogan' or running Platner types have it backwards; you'll never convince them you're one of them. They have to want to be one of you! You can't do that by running from yourself, you find common ground and then never shut up about it.
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
People focused on bringing young men into the party with 'our Joe Rogan' or running Platner types have it backwards; you'll never convince them you're one of them. They have to want to be one of you! You can't do that by running from yourself, you find common ground and then never shut up about it.
Dem leadership seems to have finally figured this out. Going into the shutdown they didn't try to placate moderates, they found a way to highlight one of our issues via the ACA credits, clearly explained it to the electorate, and have hammered it over and over these last weeks. It's working!
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Dem leadership seems to have finally figured this out. Going into the shutdown they didn't try to placate moderates, they found a way to highlight one of our issues via the ACA credits, clearly explained it to the electorate, and have hammered it over and over these last weeks. It's working!
If all of Mamdani's policies were running against all of Cuomo's policies, Mamdani's would be getting crushed. He's winning because A) Andrew Cuomo is a ghoul, and B) 1000x a day he says or does something to push the election towards areas of strength for him.
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
If all of Mamdani's policies were running against all of Cuomo's policies, Mamdani's would be getting crushed. He's winning because A) Andrew Cuomo is a ghoul, and B) 1000x a day he says or does something to push the election towards areas of strength for him.
You don't win by running candidates that better conform to the opposition. You do it by moving the election onto the ground where you're winning. Staking out a middle ground can work (see: Jon Tester), but as the country gets more and more polarized it's harder and harder to do (see: Jon Tester).
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
You don't win by running candidates that better conform to the opposition. You do it by moving the election onto the ground where you're winning. Staking out a middle ground can work (see: Jon Tester), but as the country gets more and more polarized it's harder and harder to do (see: Jon Tester).
So supporting trans rights isn't just the right thing to do, it's good politics for a Dem! That doesn't mean it needs to be a centerpiece of the campaign. If the issue isn't a strength (and sadly, in 2025 I don't think it is), take a position, stick to it, and make the election about something else!
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 PM
So supporting trans rights isn't just the right thing to do, it's good politics for a Dem! That doesn't mean it needs to be a centerpiece of the campaign. If the issue isn't a strength (and sadly, in 2025 I don't think it is), take a position, stick to it, and make the election about something else!