wizardkitten

wizardkitten

@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Just another person with an opinion. Politics. Sports. Independent. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

789 followers1.1K following8.3K posts

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"Speaking at a preschool in Canton Township, figures like Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib, as well as members of the Mothers Against Hate condemned anti-Muslim rhetoric, including some of the language used in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan."

fox2detroit.com'An attack on all of us': Michigan mothers, elected officials condemn Islamophobia during midtermsSpeaking at a preschool in Canton Township, figures like Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib, as well as members of the Mothers Against Hate condemned anti-Muslim rhetoric, including some of the language us...
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Everyday I thank my stars that Rs chose not to compete here in MI-3. I would be quite insane if it were anywhere near the level of Huizenga - McCann. There's a local paid, anti-Scholten running occasionally. No national spending. Scholten has the one fluffy ad. But no, not on the radar. Got lucky.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"AAA Michigan says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the state hit $4.83 a gallon last week. That's a 32 cent increase in the past week." They've come down a bit, but still running $4.50-$5.00 most everywhere.

michiganpublic.orgMichigan gas prices edge closer to record territory one week before 2026 electionAAA Michigan says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the state hit $4.83 a gallon last week. That's a 32-cent increase in the past week.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Sure hope this has been a campaign issue in the red states where it happens most. They mean to come for us all eventually - so early efforts to stand up for rights are important.

michiganadvance.com900+ women criminally charged for their conduct during pregnancies • Michigan AdvanceIn the first three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, more than 900 women faced criminal charges for conduct related to their pregnanc...
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

ABC also running a crawl about deal with Canada on auto and steel tariffs. Again, nothing on the main website. Someone at ABC is trying to get the news out there! Nothing at the CBC, who is usually on top of these things, so take with grain of salt for now. It’s a bribe anyway. It’s too late.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

From the DNews: "The poll had a partisan breakdown of about 43% of voters who identify as Ds, 41% Rs and 14% who say they're political independents." Heavy partisan 600 sample that doesn't reflect the electorate. The independent sample is way too small. But check out Mike's unfavorables. Ouch. 😳

clickondetroit.comDemocratic candidate El-Sayed leads Michigan U.S. Senate race, new poll findsMichigan voters were asked in a recent poll how they felt about the U.S. Senate race.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

One week out: No time stamp, but as of this morning, 18.8% of vote is in, 1,392,170. Early in-person is now 215,795, and that's bigger than Grand Rapids. Another 77k yesterday. IIRC, some don't report on Sunday, so didn't make yesterday's morning numbers. Still, almost 20% with a week to go... 👀

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"This is several days ahead of the pace in 2022." Imagine 30M extras showing up on Election Day. Early voting has been a blessing. Also: "So far, $11.21 billion spent on ads this cycle. The previous record -$11.20 billion- was set during the 2024 presidential election." We did it! (They did it.)

cnn.comLive updates: More than 30 million votes already cast in midterm elections | CNN PoliticsPresident Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are blitzing across red states to try to rally supporters to turn out to the polls in key races. Follow for live updates.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"For a town of 10,000, we had some 900 people coming out here today in an area where I think President Donald Trump won overwhelmingly. 
So, that to me was pretty impressive." The revolution starts in MI-1. Very good report from the Alpena News.

thealpenanews.comBernie brings in big Alpena crowdALPENA — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Vermont-I, visited Alpena on Monday as part of his Fighting Oligarchy tour across the United States. He took questions from a crowd and spoke about issues regardi...
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"Alpena Mayor Cindy Johnson spoke before Sanders' program and announced her support for El-Sayed and urged Alpena residents to vote. 'Sometimes we feel like we’re overlooked during election cycles, but not today,' Johnson said." It's very rare that anyone goes to Alpena. No stone unturned.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

“In the year 2026, the people of MI now have the opportunity. to show our racist president and all of those people who are fighting against Abdul - not because of what he stands for, but because of his religion - that those days are gone” Sanders said." Paywalled. Protip: You can jump it on Reddit.

mlive.com‘An absolute fool.’ Sanders and El-Sayed push back against Trump, AI in Ann ArborBernie Sanders and Abdul El-Sayed shared the Michigan Theater stage during a “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall attended by University of Michigan students and others Monday night.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Plug the link in on a draft post, click open in your draft, and you can read it. If you post it, it might give you a clean link, but I'm not posting on Reddit, thanks anyway. 😉

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

So RFK goes on this totally racist rant in GR. Can you guess where it was NOT reported? WOOD and WZZM sent reporters to this campaign stop. Not a peep. For WOOD, that's two R events in a row where they totally ignore racism, only to have come out nationally. You guys know we can see you, right?

news.meaww.comRFK Jr attacks Arab societies, claims they produce no literature and foster ‘hatred and war’Robert F Kennedy Jr criticized Arab societies at a Mike Rogers rally, claiming they no longer contribute to science or literature

wizardkitten reposted

Ottawa News Network
@ottawanewsnetwork.bsky.social

Deep in Ottawa County, a traditional stronghold of West Michigan conservatism, an overflow crowd gathered Sunday, Oct. 26, to witness an unusual convergence of media, grassroots activism and high-stakes U.S. Senate politics. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/el-sayed-ral...

ottawanewsnetwork.orgEl-Sayed rallies in Ottawa County, outlines progressive Senate visionDeep in Ottawa County, a traditional stronghold of West Michigan conservatism, an overflow crowd gathered Sunday, Oct. 26, to witness an unusual convergence of media, grassroots activism and…
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

7:12 am: 16.4% in, 1,213,422. We seem to add 1% a day. Early in-person, another 57,279 yesterday to jump to 138,686. Rough math, 134k early votes over the weekend. That's the city of Warren - 3rd largest city in MI. Yeah, I'd say early voting is a hit!

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

7 in a row: McCann: Huizenga is Trump Scary Sharia Law! Anti Huizenga: gas prices Anti Abdul: raises taxes, gas Anti Nancy DeBoer: uses “da Bears!” Pro Nancy DeBoer: taking credit for D laws like kids lunch Pro McCann: fight corruption Every break, 5-7 in a row. Have to mute now, brain is mush.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Seem to have fallen down the dystopian rabbit hole this morning. Thing is, I can see Orwell’s world forming, and the details of HOW they can do it are becoming clearer every day. Nutshell: The internet as Big Brother. They can feed and throttle info at will, and most don’t know it’s happening.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"At the center of the pitch was the idea that ⁠in addition to persuading voters directly, campaigns can increasingly shape the (info) environment by feeding the internet, and AI assistants, data that influences how candidates are described, compared and recommended." Individual targeting by '28.

Reuters@reuters.com

EXCLUSIVE: US political candidates tailor messages for AI models used by voters reut.rs/4srgwem

reut.rsEXCLUSIVE: US political candidates tailor messages for AI models used by votersUS political candidates have been engineering their campaign messages to appeal to the AI chatbots that more voters have been using to answer questions about issues, and documents seen by Reuters have revealed some of ​their strategies.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"'If you don't put the right information out there, who knows what the ‌AI engines are ⁠going to grab onto,' said Thomas Howell, CEO of Visigent.. Campaigns must now compete to become 'the recommendation inside the AI answer' according to the presentation prepared for Minogue." Gotta buy the chats.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

I’m on the border of MI”s state SD 30, and on my walk yesterday discovered the complaints about the mailers are very valid. Every empty house or apartment looked like this. The TV ad spending is thru the roof as well. Unthinkable to even be on the air not so long ago. Two blocks away, hardly any.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

Looking at you, Roscommon! Other than that, MI very nice shades of soothing blue. Check out the UP.

emptywheel@emptywheel.bsky.social

SUPER cool map that shows which party is getting small donor funds, broken down by county. There are tabs for the big Senate races too. votehub.com/2026/10/24/2...

wizardkitten reposted

Michigan Democrats
@michigandems.bsky.social

Every Michigander deserves equal justice under the law. @esavit.bsky.social will defend EVERY American's Constitutional rights as Attorney General. Doug Lloyd will pick and choose who he fights for. arabamericannews.com/2026/10/23/e...

arabamericannews.comEli Savit: I Will Stand with Muslims and Dearborn Against Attacks, and I Will Not Compromise Constitutional Rights.Our communities deserve direct access to the candidates seeking their votes, and clear answers about the decisions that will shape Michigan’s future. The Arab American News proudly hosted a candidate…
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

NBC: "Trump leans into Islamophobic rhetoric at Michigan rally" ABC: nothing CBS: nothing CNN: "Trump making final midterm sprint in red states where Republicans are in danger of losing seats" Consensus is gone. The divergence in reporting in what used to be a uniform industry is our new world.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

I can see a day coming (or maybe it's already here) where network TV outlets are just very expensive content providers - and that content can be easily spun in whatever direction you want in a short TikTok. OK! Enough media doom. As an old though, losing 'the Big Three" was never on my radar.

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"Trump campaigns in Port Huron with Michigan GOP candidates James, Rogers" Not going to link, but WOOD in GR sent Albin to Port Huron, and he went out of his way to sanatize the whole thing. Not a word about the ass rambling or all the anti-Muslim hate. Unreal. As in, "that's not what happened."

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wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"The Republican president’s remarks were condemned by Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump... “The president’s statements are out of line,” he said in a phone interview. “They are crossing a red line. They are racist.” Important detail, yes?

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"'We won't back down': Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Bernie Sanders rally in Grand Rapids" Have to get my GR news from K-zoo's Sinclair. GR's Tegna and Scripps have seen a dramatic drop in covering... anything, really. They don't send people out, especially on weekends.

wwmt.comBernie Sanders to rally with Abdul El-Sayed during two-day Michigan tourSenator Bernie Sanders is joining the list of political leaders visiting Michigan ahead of the state's Nov. 3 Midterm Election.
wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

"Trump campaigns in Port Huron with Michigan GOP candidates James, Rogers" Not going to link, but WOOD in GR sent Albin to Port Huron, and he went out of his way to sanatize the whole thing. Not a word about the ass rambling or all the anti-Muslim hate. Unreal. As in, "that's not what happened."

wizardkitten
@wizardkitten.bsky.social

I've seen bad reporting, scant details, etc., before, but this is something else. Calling it a blatant cover-up. Other outlets, including national ones, are highlighting the anti-Muslim "rhetoric". Bernie was in town, and they ignored it. Low-information indeed. Maybe stop blaming voters though.