A year-end look at various items, after-the-jump ….
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.
The past weekend’s holiday travel was — amazingly — without any issues. No weather related problems, food turned out well and people liked their presents. A major factor: after the last offspring of my four siblings turned age 21, we have adopted a Secret Santa policy for gifts. Among the dozen of us (collectively) — each person is given a randomly-selected name (by my sister’s co-worker) to buy just one gift. And beforehand, an e-mail is sent out, listing each person’s likes/dislikes, wants, etc. The consensus: only wish we had done this sooner.
Plus, our 48th annual birthday celebration came off well, with twenty happy attendees at a nice restaurant luncheon. We hold this each year for Three old Original chums who have birthdays during Christmas Week (and now, a spouse of one of our other regulars falls into this category). One fellow I hadn’t seen in thirty years came and had a good time. Plus, one of the Original Three (who lives in New Orleans) made a surprise appearance .. and Jay brought his mother along.
Those of us there who share political viewpoints felt good about the coming election year (some doing so only recently due to the economic news). There is a changing electorate from 2016 (with more young voters, and Covid taking more from the GOP base) and the abortion as well as legal marijuana issues going our way. Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg lays-out this notion in detail.
Another voice supporting this view: the often dyspeptic right-wing campaign strategist Ed Rollins, who just a few months ago made this prediction (in an interview where he trashed DeSantis, whom he though had potential last year).
But Rollins doesn’t see another threat to Trump in the 2024 primary field: “At this point in time, I would be shocked if Trump were not the nominee.”
Rollins is also predicting that, “unless something serious happens,” President Biden is on track toward reelection.
Each year at this time: I review my Goals List for the year just about to pass. I don’t call them “resolutions”, which tend to be amorphous and easy to mock. Instead, it consists of plans to achieve/purchase/attend/complete various tasks and goals. For 2023 — I have achieved 10 of 14; among them were plans to attend two events .. that were cancelled/did not take place. (I felt happy with 10 out of 12). Will be working on my 2024 Goals List this coming long weekend.
One of those items will be to attend Netroots Nation this coming middle of July. Being close to our nation’s capital in a presidential election year: the speakers/seminar participant list promises to be good. Baltimore is both on the Amtrak main Northeast Corridor line (with a light rail connection to the Convention Center), plus is a hub for Southwest Airlines (also on the light rail). And I always note: while it is not advertised, one need not attend all three days of events. For those in the region, a Day Pass can be purchased (say, just for Saturday for those working that week). If you are able to attend this event, I hope that we have a chance to meet.
Finally, for the most dramatic moment of my year: at this year’s Netroots Nation in Chicago, having the unannounced visit by Jesse Jackson. Suffering from Parkinson’s: I was amazed at how long he spoke (though his voice was quite feeble, confined to a wheelchair). Hearing Justin Jones (one of the Tennessee Three, on the right of this photo) was already sublime … this made it transcendent.
Let’s close with Fred Neil’s Fare Thee Well— apropos for year end.
Now, on to Top Comments:
From belinda ridgewood:
I'm like a broken record in asserting that the Abbreviated Pundit Roundup, including today's by Chitown Kev, is a goldmine for top comments. I mined two this morning:
The first is under the "Nikki Haley" section of Denise Oliver Velez's daily curated collection of editorial cartoons. There's a detailed and astute discussion, started byNavy Vet Terp, of the causes of the Civil War (hint: slavery was involved), including good comments by exlrrp and DeathBySalad, but I thought this comment by libera nos was worthy of special mention for its determined enumeration of how each underlying cause of the war came back to being "Because of slavery."
The other comment of topness fell under Onomastic's beautiful almost-daily gallery of art and poetry. (As an aside, this is worth seeing every day!) Ono remarked that something was feeling "off" to her this morning, a sort of foreboding many of us have come to know since 2016. I won't say pelagicrayput his finger on it, because there's too much there for just one finger, but I suspect you, too, will nod in recognition.
Highlighted by buffan:
In the diary by News Corpse about Jessica Tarlove (the “house liberal” for Fox) — I nominate this perceptive comment made by billyjoe.
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by Merlin196360 about the latest escapades of January 6 convict Christopher Worrell — there was speculation by OrdinaryIowan about Worrell’s training regimen.
Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful (and now eternal) *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment featuring that photo.
TOP PHOTOSDecember 27th, 2023
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And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion: