Chris Conaton
@conatonc.bsky.social
Music writer, movie lover, professional grocery shopper
Yeah, at one point not so long ago I was in the, “We better not eliminate it - look what R’s would get to do!” camp. Turns out if you don’t care about the law you can do whatever you want.
Interesting to read why R Senators don’t want to do it, though, as it eliminates their plausible deniability.
Interesting to read why R Senators don’t want to do it, though, as it eliminates their plausible deniability.
November 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Yeah, at one point not so long ago I was in the, “We better not eliminate it - look what R’s would get to do!” camp. Turns out if you don’t care about the law you can do whatever you want.
Interesting to read why R Senators don’t want to do it, though, as it eliminates their plausible deniability.
Interesting to read why R Senators don’t want to do it, though, as it eliminates their plausible deniability.
This seems like a great conversation topic to hold onto and use for a podcast.
November 11, 2025 at 6:34 PM
This seems like a great conversation topic to hold onto and use for a podcast.
D’s use it to prevent themselves from having to pass legislation that would demonstrably improve life for Americans and go a long way towards fixing our voting system and government.
November 11, 2025 at 6:32 PM
D’s use it to prevent themselves from having to pass legislation that would demonstrably improve life for Americans and go a long way towards fixing our voting system and government.
It’s been fascinating and maddening watching how the filibuster has become a key crutch in the 21st century. R’s use it to keep themselves from doing the absolute worst conservative ideas and completely shouldering that blame.
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM
It’s been fascinating and maddening watching how the filibuster has become a key crutch in the 21st century. R’s use it to keep themselves from doing the absolute worst conservative ideas and completely shouldering that blame.
This used to be @mmflint.bsky.social pitch to people who came to see him speak all the way back in the 90’s. A lot of the talk he gave that night back at Michigan State is gone from my brain, but that point has stuck with me.
November 11, 2025 at 6:23 PM
This used to be @mmflint.bsky.social pitch to people who came to see him speak all the way back in the 90’s. A lot of the talk he gave that night back at Michigan State is gone from my brain, but that point has stuck with me.
Not exactly. Essentially there’s enough people in the Salt Lake City metro to make it viable for 1 of the state’s 4 House districts to elect a Democrat, and Utah’s 2018 law prevents the very red state legislature from gerrymandering that away into 4 solid red districts. This decision affirms that.
November 11, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Not exactly. Essentially there’s enough people in the Salt Lake City metro to make it viable for 1 of the state’s 4 House districts to elect a Democrat, and Utah’s 2018 law prevents the very red state legislature from gerrymandering that away into 4 solid red districts. This decision affirms that.
Haven’t we collectively decided that “James Bond” is the code name for 007, and that it isn’t literally the same guy played by 6 different actors over the course of 60+ years?
If that’s not canon, oh well, make it canon. It’s a new day with Amazon in charge of the franchise, anyway.
If that’s not canon, oh well, make it canon. It’s a new day with Amazon in charge of the franchise, anyway.
November 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Haven’t we collectively decided that “James Bond” is the code name for 007, and that it isn’t literally the same guy played by 6 different actors over the course of 60+ years?
If that’s not canon, oh well, make it canon. It’s a new day with Amazon in charge of the franchise, anyway.
If that’s not canon, oh well, make it canon. It’s a new day with Amazon in charge of the franchise, anyway.
The Baba Yaga thing really bothers me. They missed it so badly.
November 11, 2025 at 3:38 AM
The Baba Yaga thing really bothers me. They missed it so badly.
Jar Jar and Watto, the twin peaks of indigenous representation in sci-fi/fantasy filmmaking.
November 11, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Jar Jar and Watto, the twin peaks of indigenous representation in sci-fi/fantasy filmmaking.
Lived in Humble, could’ve moved a 1/2 hour away to The Woodlands to get out of blue Harris County, instead went to Russia and had a bad time.
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Lived in Humble, could’ve moved a 1/2 hour away to The Woodlands to get out of blue Harris County, instead went to Russia and had a bad time.
Republicans were like, “Oh yeah, we’ll definitely at least vote on those subsidies, for sure,” while just doing this, practically in the faces of the #CaveCaucus
a cartoon dog is laughing and biting its nails .
ALT: a cartoon dog is laughing and biting its nails .
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Republicans were like, “Oh yeah, we’ll definitely at least vote on those subsidies, for sure,” while just doing this, practically in the faces of the #CaveCaucus
I’m not saying it isn’t possible to do, but it would take a dedicated team of logistics experts months to work it out and they would already have to be deep into it right now.
This administration seems to have exactly one high-profile pretty good planner, and Russ Vought already has a full plate.
This administration seems to have exactly one high-profile pretty good planner, and Russ Vought already has a full plate.
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I’m not saying it isn’t possible to do, but it would take a dedicated team of logistics experts months to work it out and they would already have to be deep into it right now.
This administration seems to have exactly one high-profile pretty good planner, and Russ Vought already has a full plate.
This administration seems to have exactly one high-profile pretty good planner, and Russ Vought already has a full plate.
I wish this Hakeem was around all the time, instead of like 1/3 of the time.
November 10, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I wish this Hakeem was around all the time, instead of like 1/3 of the time.
Can I petition to only ask Lin-Manuel questions that have nothing to do with Hamilton, Moana, or politics?
“You did the theme song remakes for DuckTales and Magic School Bus. Was that cool?”
“You do backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album. Isn’t John Darnielle the best?”
“You did the theme song remakes for DuckTales and Magic School Bus. Was that cool?”
“You do backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album. Isn’t John Darnielle the best?”
November 10, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Can I petition to only ask Lin-Manuel questions that have nothing to do with Hamilton, Moana, or politics?
“You did the theme song remakes for DuckTales and Magic School Bus. Was that cool?”
“You do backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album. Isn’t John Darnielle the best?”
“You did the theme song remakes for DuckTales and Magic School Bus. Was that cool?”
“You do backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album. Isn’t John Darnielle the best?”
Heather Cox Richardson should’ve shut that shit down, but obviously she’s #3 in this pecking order and probably just sighed internally instead.
Also, petitioning to only ask Lin-Manuel questions about doing backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album.
Also, petitioning to only ask Lin-Manuel questions about doing backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album.
November 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Heather Cox Richardson should’ve shut that shit down, but obviously she’s #3 in this pecking order and probably just sighed internally instead.
Also, petitioning to only ask Lin-Manuel questions about doing backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album.
Also, petitioning to only ask Lin-Manuel questions about doing backing vocals all over the new Mountain Goats album.
The big blue counties in Texas have hundreds of polling places each. It would take thousands of Texas Guard troops just to “monitor” polling locations here at “home” in the counties (R)’s hate.
A logistical nightmare even with cooperative state and county governments. Nationwide? Even tougher.
A logistical nightmare even with cooperative state and county governments. Nationwide? Even tougher.
November 10, 2025 at 12:14 PM
The big blue counties in Texas have hundreds of polling places each. It would take thousands of Texas Guard troops just to “monitor” polling locations here at “home” in the counties (R)’s hate.
A logistical nightmare even with cooperative state and county governments. Nationwide? Even tougher.
A logistical nightmare even with cooperative state and county governments. Nationwide? Even tougher.
If they are just voting on the CR the House passed in September before Johnson shut it down with no changes, then it doesn’t need to go back through the House.
November 10, 2025 at 2:09 AM
If they are just voting on the CR the House passed in September before Johnson shut it down with no changes, then it doesn’t need to go back through the House.
If Chuck isn’t already preparing his retirement announcement for mid-November of next year, he should be. He’s not gonna want any part of a 2028 Senate run against AOC.
November 10, 2025 at 12:48 AM
If Chuck isn’t already preparing his retirement announcement for mid-November of next year, he should be. He’s not gonna want any part of a 2028 Senate run against AOC.
Thank you for the clarification. Been burned by Perkins’ movies twice in the last 18 months, not gonna do it a third time. At least not in the theater.
November 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Thank you for the clarification. Been burned by Perkins’ movies twice in the last 18 months, not gonna do it a third time. At least not in the theater.
Have a great time!
November 8, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Have a great time!
“Majority foreign-owned meat packing companies” seems just a wee bit esoteric to be an effective scapegoat to me.
November 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
“Majority foreign-owned meat packing companies” seems just a wee bit esoteric to be an effective scapegoat to me.
Oh, thank you for this reminder. I absolutely took a picture of a receipt after last year’s election. Need to compare this weekend.
November 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Oh, thank you for this reminder. I absolutely took a picture of a receipt after last year’s election. Need to compare this weekend.
This comment is wild, since advanced medical research has been one of the best use cases for actual AI assistance. As opposed to trying to find a way to squeeze LLM’s into various things.
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
This comment is wild, since advanced medical research has been one of the best use cases for actual AI assistance. As opposed to trying to find a way to squeeze LLM’s into various things.
This thread reminds me of a Weather Channel app notification I received this week that I found extremely inappropriate, for the same reasons.
November 7, 2025 at 1:11 AM
This thread reminds me of a Weather Channel app notification I received this week that I found extremely inappropriate, for the same reasons.