299 Comments
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Sheilah Hillman's avatar

Thank you for working on your birthday. And congratulations on the birth of your beautiful son.

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Christy Jobe Carter's avatar

Happy Birthday. Fine is a real POS he is a state senator who tried to get a conceal carry bill passed it failed and then he was in a snit and when they had an open forum he called someone wearing a middle eastern scarf as a terrorist rag. He is a racist and an idiot. Even Republicans don't like him... please vote for Weil because he is actually a human and not a nazi.

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Kathy's avatar

I’m unable to vote for Josh Weil but did donate and phone bank for him.No.other.option.

Fine is my Fl Senator and extremely toxic.If he wins,Congresscritters will be not prepared.He’ll make fellow MAGAs look like Mother Teresa!

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VT_Maid's avatar

So basically he won't change the Senate party counts today, but will help alienate and offend even more people away from the GOP in Florida? Does he have to run again in 2026?

And what in the heck does his position on abortion mean? "Defend the right to life and the ability to defend it via the Second Amendment" Does he want to force women to give birth at gunpoint? WTF?! Seems kinda r*pey (which is on brand for the GOP, I guess).

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Kathy's avatar

Fine’s resignation from the Fl Senate is effective March 31. April 1 is also the GOP primary for his seat. Fine was previously a Fl Rep but was term-limited out in 2024 and ran for the Senate seat which is a four-year term.

“Does he want to force women to give birth at gunpoint?”

With the firehose of awful news,what is happening with reproductive rights is getting buried.People should be horrified.I follow Jessica Valenti,often a painful read but necessary to stay informed.Several states,some with death penalties, are proposing bills to charge woman who have abortions with murder, a woman arrested after a miscarriage,fetal personhood bills+

So your question is not so far out there…

https://open.substack.com/pub/jessica/p/georgia-woman-arrested-for-how-she?

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Erin's avatar

Think George Tiller. He's talking about stochastic terrorism against doctors.

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Scott Gilbert's avatar

I hate Nazis. Unfortunately, I don't live in his district so I can't vote for him. But, I did vote blue here in Tampa Bay.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

I was on a call last night with the FL Dems and they were fired up! They shared the linktree with a list of ways to help including lots of phone banks.

https://linktr.ee/fldems

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Kathy's avatar

👍 You’re always helpful,Cheryl!

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

Thanks Kathy! 💙💙💙

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Elizabeth Ratkovich's avatar

Happy birthday and thanks for giving us the gift of hope that this vile regime will collapse sooner rather than later!

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Joan Eisenstodt's avatar

Everything I’ve read about Weil is positive. And with FL 47th in education - prob bc they banned factual knowledge - & with the departure of migrants who filled low paying hospitality & ag jobs, they are trying to pass laws for children as young as 14 to work full time. Donate and if a FL voter, get out for Weil.

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Jay Kuo's avatar

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes! I kinda milked folks for them I realize lol

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Joan Eisenstodt's avatar

Ronan’s birthday is now so close to yours - l’Chaim to you both! - please don’t make him share a cake!

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Margaret Maier's avatar

My youngest sister was born on my older sister's birthday. About 6 years apart I think. By the youngest's sixth birthday my older sister was throwing her birthday parties because my mom, after 3 older kids, was just tired of doing the kid routine.

So my older sister often shared with my little sister. But we often did an evening party for her with her own cake.

Shared cakes are no fun!

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Joan Eisenstodt's avatar

Good additional advice!

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Leigh Kennedy's avatar

Happy birthday ❤️

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Martha Levine's avatar

Happy birthday Jay! And thank you for giving me the gift of a shred of hope.

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Pam's avatar

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, J. YOU ARE THE GIFT TO ALL OF US. ❣️

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Adeline Koh, Ph.D.'s avatar

Omg happy birthday! It’s also my birthday and here I am on substack lol

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SCS - Michigan's avatar

Happy Birthday, Adeline!

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Adeline Koh, Ph.D.'s avatar

Thank you!

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Lance Khrome's avatar

Florida, where Democratic hopes go to die...very skeptical of polling for the two FL specials, and as much as one would will at least one Dem upset, be prepared for the inevitable.

We've been there before, both FL and TX, and despite dump-truck loads of money pouring into the races, these are incandescently Red districts, and tbh, only a super-low turnout of normally reliable R voters could give the Dens any sort of chance, end of.

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Jean in Florida's avatar

I haven’t seen any pouring of money into Florida elections in the past. Dems seem to have felt that their $$$ were better spent elsewhere.

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Sandra Hardie's avatar

I'm a Florida Democrat. Song of the Lonesome Cowboy is my phone's ring tone. :-((

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Mike Amos's avatar

Keep your head up. I'm in North Carolina. At least we have a sane governor, but I'm in a sea of red. Our legislature brought up the bathroom bill again this week... Well because you know it wasn't disastrous enough economically for the state last time when everyone boycotted us, so let's do it again! 🤦

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VT_Maid's avatar

Why aren't people confronting these idiots (on camera) with the question of why seeing trans men in the bathrooms (in accordance with their bathroom bills) won't make it *easier* for actual pervs to go in the bathrooms too? Their excuse is that it's "to protect women", but if women are accustomed to seeing men in the women's rooms, they're not going to question it when a non-trans man goes in too. I know their goal is to make things dangerous and impossible for transwomen, but they're also making things more dangerous for all women by enabling the very thing they claim they want to prevent.

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Becky Schaefer's avatar

And don't forget the power of sheer numbers of people who will show their opposition to the T regime on April 5! Should worry them even more.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

If you haven't yet found an event for April 5th, check out https://handsoff2025.com/

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Miriam Tillman's avatar

Thanks for the birthday presents! Now, back to celebrating!

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Dr. Connie Kellogg's avatar

And Susan Collins has now “joined the Democrats“ in protesting musk work in dismantling the government. My response to that is “little too late“. I know she’s up for reelection in 2026 and I hope she loses Bigley. She’s the reason along with other Republicans that we have such terrible cabinet pics. I hope the Republicans lose very very big in the 2026 elections which I think they will unless voter suppression is extremely effective. I’m beginning to suspect that voter suppression may have had something to do with why Trump won. In California, where I live, 1/3 of eligible voters did not vote

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DW's avatar

Isn't that 1/3 figure approximately the same throughout the country? I am shocked at how many people think it does not matter if they vote or not.

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Dr. Connie Kellogg's avatar

Yes. 😥 my bad

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DW's avatar

She put her finger in her mouth and then up in the air and decided she was going to side with the Democrats for a while. What an idiot.

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Margaret Maier's avatar

It's worked for her before, unfortunately. Then once elected she reverts to her toadying self.

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Lindy Monge's avatar

Happiest of birthdays, Ba Jay!! One gift arrived early . . . !!

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Anne Czarnowski's avatar

Happy birthday. Enjoy your special day with Ronan and forget about politics if you can!

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Pickleball's avatar

And after Stefanik used whatever that injectable shit is for weight loss, had some “work done” on her face and got a new Republican hairstyle! Too bad she’ll not be in NYC to show off! Tee hee

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DW's avatar

I had not heard that but yay, how delightful. Not that she would have done well in New York City anyway. They absolutely despise Trump. I grew up there and already despised him back in the 70s and 80s

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Margaret Maier's avatar

The short fingered vulgarian!

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Pickleball's avatar

I also grew up in NY (Brooklyn) in the same decades as you and, yes, he was detested and mocked even then.

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Curtis Bosworth's avatar

Happy birthday Jay, and congratulations on your newest child. I value your wisdom and calm analysis so very much.

Thank you!

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DW's avatar

While I would not want to inflict additional pain or suffering on any of the unfortunate people who have been, or might be, affected by the administration's disastrous actions, I hope that the drumph and his cronies continue to bumble and blunder their way to the 2026 elections. (Voters have very short memories)

The courts seem to be doing a good job holding back the tide, and maybe some congressional Republicans will start to see the light (ever the optimist, I)

I think the forces behind the 2025 agenda will stop at nothing and continue to push the orange blob in their desperate desire to take over the government (especially the vile Stephen Miller).

But we are starting to see some cracks, such as the recent statement by a Congressperson (I forget which one) that maybe Congress should start looking at taking back the power of tariff that they foolishly threw at the president. (I believe that was in Obama's presidency, but still...)

And of course there is the delicious SignalGate. (I am aware of the many possible and likely results of that breach of intelligence - but the Russians and Chinese probably know all this stuff anyway, especially if the cabinet members have been operating this way all along). There are too many members of Congress, both Democrat and Republican, that are veterans. No matter what BS the cabinet members are trying to push, it's not going over well. And the longer these reprobates act like it's not problematic, the angrier those veterans, and many others, and not just in Congress, will get.

IMO

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