Seamus the Shank Engine
@warmh20penguin.bsky.social
Personal account for personal opinions. In this capacity, I represent neither my employer nor my very patient wife.
He/him
He/him
I also think we need affirmative action revived, reinforced, and applied to the Senate and House.
November 14, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I also think we need affirmative action revived, reinforced, and applied to the Senate and House.
SAY IT AGAIN
November 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
SAY IT AGAIN
Really gonna have to flip those blue and yellow squares on the ol' quadrant
November 14, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Really gonna have to flip those blue and yellow squares on the ol' quadrant
What in tarnation
November 13, 2025 at 8:06 PM
What in tarnation
You're not wrong. I've been on SNAP, but I'm not currently.
But the fact that the trolley problem is harder when the guy with the lever is also on the track doesn't change the right answer: do the thing that kills fewer people.
But the fact that the trolley problem is harder when the guy with the lever is also on the track doesn't change the right answer: do the thing that kills fewer people.
November 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
You're not wrong. I've been on SNAP, but I'm not currently.
But the fact that the trolley problem is harder when the guy with the lever is also on the track doesn't change the right answer: do the thing that kills fewer people.
But the fact that the trolley problem is harder when the guy with the lever is also on the track doesn't change the right answer: do the thing that kills fewer people.
That's why I said it explicitly. I'm not fantasizing some Dem gambit magically solves the way voters have disempowered them and makes it all go away.
This isn't 'give me X money or the hostages die'. This was 'I'm going to kill hostage A unless you help me kill hostage B'
We should have said no.
This isn't 'give me X money or the hostages die'. This was 'I'm going to kill hostage A unless you help me kill hostage B'
We should have said no.
November 10, 2025 at 4:57 PM
That's why I said it explicitly. I'm not fantasizing some Dem gambit magically solves the way voters have disempowered them and makes it all go away.
This isn't 'give me X money or the hostages die'. This was 'I'm going to kill hostage A unless you help me kill hostage B'
We should have said no.
This isn't 'give me X money or the hostages die'. This was 'I'm going to kill hostage A unless you help me kill hostage B'
We should have said no.
I want primaries. Credible ones who can win in those areas, but I want to see consequences.
Anyway, take care. I'm going to go to bed mad now and see if I wake up a little cooler.
Anyway, take care. I'm going to go to bed mad now and see if I wake up a little cooler.
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 AM
I want primaries. Credible ones who can win in those areas, but I want to see consequences.
Anyway, take care. I'm going to go to bed mad now and see if I wake up a little cooler.
Anyway, take care. I'm going to go to bed mad now and see if I wake up a little cooler.
I've appreciated being on a page with you about most things for several years, so thanks for tolerating my anger tonight. This still feels like a larger failure to me, but it helps to hear the differing perspective of someone I know is insightful and informed.
November 10, 2025 at 9:18 AM
I've appreciated being on a page with you about most things for several years, so thanks for tolerating my anger tonight. This still feels like a larger failure to me, but it helps to hear the differing perspective of someone I know is insightful and informed.
Alright. Well, as you say, we can't know at least not right now. I'm not confident in the conclusion, but I also don't plan to undercut the party on supposition, which is probably all that further venting accomplishes tonight.
November 10, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Alright. Well, as you say, we can't know at least not right now. I'm not confident in the conclusion, but I also don't plan to undercut the party on supposition, which is probably all that further venting accomplishes tonight.
I am struggling to think of vice-presidential-nominee Tim Kaine and minority whip Dick Durbin as contrarian rogues bucking the party line and breaking with leadership strategy as opposed to loyalist operators ready to fall on their swords.
November 10, 2025 at 9:11 AM
I am struggling to think of vice-presidential-nominee Tim Kaine and minority whip Dick Durbin as contrarian rogues bucking the party line and breaking with leadership strategy as opposed to loyalist operators ready to fall on their swords.
You're right we can't prove what happened. Tell me honestly what you *think* happened.
Do you think these are eight rogues?
Do you think these are eight rogues?
November 10, 2025 at 8:54 AM
You're right we can't prove what happened. Tell me honestly what you *think* happened.
Do you think these are eight rogues?
Do you think these are eight rogues?
You're right there is no proof of how we went from a unified front to EIGHT breaking ranks at once. Usually when folks break ranks we see a series of declining votes in a tug of war as deals are done and members are threatened and bit by bit the thing collapses. Does this feel like that?
November 10, 2025 at 8:53 AM
You're right there is no proof of how we went from a unified front to EIGHT breaking ranks at once. Usually when folks break ranks we see a series of declining votes in a tug of war as deals are done and members are threatened and bit by bit the thing collapses. Does this feel like that?
And yes, I will call them.
November 10, 2025 at 8:44 AM
And yes, I will call them.
I struggle to believe we landed at EXACTLY 60 without leadership's agreement. This feels like 8 names who could either afford the hit, benefit from caving, or were selected to fall on their swords so everyone else can say they tried their best.
November 10, 2025 at 8:43 AM
I struggle to believe we landed at EXACTLY 60 without leadership's agreement. This feels like 8 names who could either afford the hit, benefit from caving, or were selected to fall on their swords so everyone else can say they tried their best.
I'm no a constant nay-sayer for the party or its leadership, but fuck man I don't see how to excuse this kind of catastrophic lapse.
November 10, 2025 at 8:37 AM
I'm no a constant nay-sayer for the party or its leadership, but fuck man I don't see how to excuse this kind of catastrophic lapse.
This is a fair observation and about the only defense. I want to know where Schumer was though. I wanted him and every other member scrambling for airtime to absolutely rip apart anyone voting for this. What kind of ineffectual whipping loses EIGHT votes?
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 AM
This is a fair observation and about the only defense. I want to know where Schumer was though. I wanted him and every other member scrambling for airtime to absolutely rip apart anyone voting for this. What kind of ineffectual whipping loses EIGHT votes?
We can not save everyone this admin means to harm. So when we decide how to act and who to try to save, we should always be considering how to regain enough control to turn off the orphan grinder, and as long as the American people are correctly blaming Trump, we shouldn't be giving him an inch.
November 10, 2025 at 8:30 AM
We can not save everyone this admin means to harm. So when we decide how to act and who to try to save, we should always be considering how to regain enough control to turn off the orphan grinder, and as long as the American people are correctly blaming Trump, we shouldn't be giving him an inch.
And speeding that end comes before mitigating the immediate harm of a couple months of Republican cruelty. There is more cruelty behind it waiting in the wings. One of the first things this admin did is defund USAID, a move that killed far more people than a month of lost SNAP.
November 10, 2025 at 8:26 AM
And speeding that end comes before mitigating the immediate harm of a couple months of Republican cruelty. There is more cruelty behind it waiting in the wings. One of the first things this admin did is defund USAID, a move that killed far more people than a month of lost SNAP.
If you can threaten a core program for ONE month and make Democrats fold on their signature achievement of the last 20 years what are you going to do at the next budget battle?
We should have bled them.
I'm very clear the party can't fix what the voters broke. All we can do is try to end it.
We should have bled them.
I'm very clear the party can't fix what the voters broke. All we can do is try to end it.
November 10, 2025 at 8:23 AM
If you can threaten a core program for ONE month and make Democrats fold on their signature achievement of the last 20 years what are you going to do at the next budget battle?
We should have bled them.
I'm very clear the party can't fix what the voters broke. All we can do is try to end it.
We should have bled them.
I'm very clear the party can't fix what the voters broke. All we can do is try to end it.
That's not what I wanted. I wanted them to make Republicans pay politically for their hostage taking, even if that means some hostages die. I wanted this because the Republicans are killing hostages already, and the longer they're in power the larger the total number will be.
November 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
That's not what I wanted. I wanted them to make Republicans pay politically for their hostage taking, even if that means some hostages die. I wanted this because the Republicans are killing hostages already, and the longer they're in power the larger the total number will be.