Mike Gehrke
@mikegehrke.bsky.social
Look, I'll level with you. This is a prank that sort of backfired, and I'd like to bail out right now.
Sr Flack/Hack/Geek www.gpsimpact.com
Sr Flack/Hack/Geek www.gpsimpact.com
Pinned
Nutty stuff to be coming from a presidential advisor. But I'm not sure "flatter Trump and he will give you anything you want" requires any special insight.
Witkoff's advice to Putin aide Ushakov is to have Putin flatter Trump. "He will say that Mr. Trump is a real peace man and so and so," Ushakov replies, according to transcript of call obtained by Bloomberg. archive.is/2025.11.25-2...
archive.is
November 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Nutty stuff to be coming from a presidential advisor. But I'm not sure "flatter Trump and he will give you anything you want" requires any special insight.
Yes, affordability is the issue of 2026. But if Ds don't start a concerted every day push on corruption beyond Trump, we will leave a lot on the table in '28. That needs to start now.
Every R lobbyist and hack thinks Trump protects them and the rules don't apply anymore. That needs to change.
Every R lobbyist and hack thinks Trump protects them and the rules don't apply anymore. That needs to change.
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Yes, affordability is the issue of 2026. But if Ds don't start a concerted every day push on corruption beyond Trump, we will leave a lot on the table in '28. That needs to start now.
Every R lobbyist and hack thinks Trump protects them and the rules don't apply anymore. That needs to change.
Every R lobbyist and hack thinks Trump protects them and the rules don't apply anymore. That needs to change.
Why has Kennedy not been fired yet? He's driving days of negative coverage normal people are seeing, cant carry a message, and has rivals in the Republican Party. They plainly can't control him and don't even know whats coming next. Give him the heave ho already.
November 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Why has Kennedy not been fired yet? He's driving days of negative coverage normal people are seeing, cant carry a message, and has rivals in the Republican Party. They plainly can't control him and don't even know whats coming next. Give him the heave ho already.
The first rule in the Senate Fight Club is everybody has to talk about the Fight Club.
Wow — Senators Van Hollen, Smith, Murphy, Sanders, Warren, Markey, Merkley, Heinrich have created an official internal "Fight Club."
They're challenging Schumer & Gillibrand's leadership, arguing the party is using an old, corporate-friendly playbook insufficient to take on Trump or win elections.
They're challenging Schumer & Gillibrand's leadership, arguing the party is using an old, corporate-friendly playbook insufficient to take on Trump or win elections.
Chuck Schumer Faces Pushback From a ‘Fight Club’ of Senate Democrats
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The first rule in the Senate Fight Club is everybody has to talk about the Fight Club.
It's astonishing that Burkman and Wohl are back and that anyone is listening to them
Paid $1M to secure a pardon while awaiting sentencing on their own fraud convictions.
Paid $1M to secure a pardon while awaiting sentencing on their own fraud convictions.
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz paid nearly $1 million to right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl — who noted on their lobbying filing that they were “seeking a federal pardon” — per lobbying disclosures. Trump ultimately granted Schwartz a pardon. wapo.st/4igndux
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
wapo.st
November 25, 2025 at 1:12 PM
It's astonishing that Burkman and Wohl are back and that anyone is listening to them
Paid $1M to secure a pardon while awaiting sentencing on their own fraud convictions.
Paid $1M to secure a pardon while awaiting sentencing on their own fraud convictions.
Reposted by Mike Gehrke
This is like the opening crawl from Attack of The Clones when you are so bored by the fourth line you know you should leave right then but you think that there's no way that the plot could be *that* ridiculous and then 40 minutes in you realize it's much worse. After that, it's all sunk costs.
November 25, 2025 at 1:14 AM
This is like the opening crawl from Attack of The Clones when you are so bored by the fourth line you know you should leave right then but you think that there's no way that the plot could be *that* ridiculous and then 40 minutes in you realize it's much worse. After that, it's all sunk costs.
If you want to see strong opinions, make people name the worst Stones song.
I've seen fights started over "Jumping Jack Flash."
I've seen fights started over "Jumping Jack Flash."
Name your fav song by The Rolling Stones.
November 23, 2025 at 1:00 AM
If you want to see strong opinions, make people name the worst Stones song.
I've seen fights started over "Jumping Jack Flash."
I've seen fights started over "Jumping Jack Flash."
12,583 people have served in Congress since 1789.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is most definitely one of them.
Vaya con dios, weirdo.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is most definitely one of them.
Vaya con dios, weirdo.
November 22, 2025 at 11:26 PM
12,583 people have served in Congress since 1789.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is most definitely one of them.
Vaya con dios, weirdo.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is most definitely one of them.
Vaya con dios, weirdo.
It's officially a "Nope" day on here.
November 22, 2025 at 5:36 PM
It's officially a "Nope" day on here.
If you use bitcoin to buy a cup of coffee how much is your capital loss writeoff?
November 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
If you use bitcoin to buy a cup of coffee how much is your capital loss writeoff?
Take all the time you need.
PUNCHBOWL: “.. A group of Republican senators .. have been lobbying Trump to take a short-term extension of the Obamacare premium subsidies to give Rs enough time to put together a more comprehensive plan.”
@punchbowlnews.bsky.social
punchbowl.news/archive/1121...
@punchbowlnews.bsky.social
punchbowl.news/archive/1121...
November 21, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Take all the time you need.
Do you want to read a super nerdy piece I wrote about how campaigns are dealing with AI search online?
Of course you do!
See what happened when the "I do my own research" guys got their own AI assistants.
campaignsandelections.com/voices/the-d...
Of course you do!
See what happened when the "I do my own research" guys got their own AI assistants.
campaignsandelections.com/voices/the-d...
The ‘Do My Own Research’ Voter Has a New Research Assistant
The ability to shape what appears in AI-generated summaries is becoming as important to message discipline as earned and social media.
campaignsandelections.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Do you want to read a super nerdy piece I wrote about how campaigns are dealing with AI search online?
Of course you do!
See what happened when the "I do my own research" guys got their own AI assistants.
campaignsandelections.com/voices/the-d...
Of course you do!
See what happened when the "I do my own research" guys got their own AI assistants.
campaignsandelections.com/voices/the-d...
The difference between leaving the Democratic Party and leaving MAGA is leaving the Ds won't get you indicted.
November 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM
The difference between leaving the Democratic Party and leaving MAGA is leaving the Ds won't get you indicted.
Bluesky, give me an example of karma
Whoa: A federal court just barred Texas from using its new congressional map, drawn by the GOP to target Dems.
"Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 18, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Bluesky, give me an example of karma
Would really like to see some takes on the effect of primaries in the 2025 elections.
They don't seem to have been a negative at all and may have helped a bit by engaging Dem voters early.
They don't seem to have been a negative at all and may have helped a bit by engaging Dem voters early.
November 18, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Would really like to see some takes on the effect of primaries in the 2025 elections.
They don't seem to have been a negative at all and may have helped a bit by engaging Dem voters early.
They don't seem to have been a negative at all and may have helped a bit by engaging Dem voters early.
I'm 99.9% sure this feud ends someday ... but it won't be today.
Marjorie Taylor Greene: "I was called a traitor by a man that I fought for 6 years for. I gave him my loyalty for free. I've never owed him anything. Let me tell you what a traitor is -- a traitor is an American that serves foreign countries."
November 18, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I'm 99.9% sure this feud ends someday ... but it won't be today.
I wonder how many staff are pitching other really awful ideas to Trump and insisting they are vital "because the World Cup."
www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/s...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/s...
November 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I wonder how many staff are pitching other really awful ideas to Trump and insisting they are vital "because the World Cup."
www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/s...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/s...
Burra couldn't stand that Fuentes was getting all the attention.
I can confirm TheWrap's reporting that Vish Burra, who sparked backlash over the weekend with his wildly antisemitic tweets, has been fired by One America News as Matt Gaetz's producer and booker.
www.thewrap.com/matt-gaetz-p...
www.thewrap.com/matt-gaetz-p...
Matt Gaetz Producer Fired at OAN Over Antisemitic Posts | Exclusive
Vish Burra’s posts characterizing Jewish people as “vermin” were “highly offensive” and “antisemitic,” a source tells TheWrap
www.thewrap.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Burra couldn't stand that Fuentes was getting all the attention.
Would be wild if the outcome of the Epstein files is to find out Trump flipped on Epstein but did it to avoid something much worse.
November 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Would be wild if the outcome of the Epstein files is to find out Trump flipped on Epstein but did it to avoid something much worse.
Huh...
Jeffrey Epstein was running a child sex ring in Florida. Yet for some reason when Pam Bondi served as Florida's Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 she never charged him. She did prosecute others for being sexual predators but not Epstein. My new article deanobeidallah.substack.com/p/we-need-to...
We need to know why Pam Bondi did not investigate Jeffrey Epstein when she was Florida’s AG from 2011 to 2019?!
Was Bondi protecting Trump?!
deanobeidallah.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Huh...
"Relax, the country survived the corruption and graft that was just as bad in the 1880s" isn't actually reassuring to those of us who don't want to go back there, or to the folks over the next century who tried to male it illegal to do all those things again.
November 16, 2025 at 6:59 PM
"Relax, the country survived the corruption and graft that was just as bad in the 1880s" isn't actually reassuring to those of us who don't want to go back there, or to the folks over the next century who tried to male it illegal to do all those things again.
Sad news. An hour with Todd Snider's music was the best hang around.
Near Truths and Hotel Rooms never failed to cheer me up.
Sorry to see he's taken the last b-double e-double r-u-n.
Near Truths and Hotel Rooms never failed to cheer me up.
Sorry to see he's taken the last b-double e-double r-u-n.
Todd Snider, the folk singer and songwriter whose wry wit coursed through big-hearted ballads rallying for the underdog, and whose charming onstage stories often lasted longer than the songs they introduced, died on Friday. He was 59.
Todd Snider, Folk Singer With a Wry Wit, Dies at 59
Mentored by the likes of Jimmy Buffett and John Prine, his big-hearted ballads told of heartache even as his humor revealed a steadfast optimism.
nyti.ms
November 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Sad news. An hour with Todd Snider's music was the best hang around.
Near Truths and Hotel Rooms never failed to cheer me up.
Sorry to see he's taken the last b-double e-double r-u-n.
Near Truths and Hotel Rooms never failed to cheer me up.
Sorry to see he's taken the last b-double e-double r-u-n.
Reposted by Mike Gehrke
It's true, no matter how much ibuprofen I take, JD Vance is still so stupid it hurts.
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
It's true, no matter how much ibuprofen I take, JD Vance is still so stupid it hurts.
I've seen surprisingly little discussion about this on here, even in my DNC alumni and OG staffer circles.
I guess I just assumed HQ staff were back a long time ago.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
I guess I just assumed HQ staff were back a long time ago.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
The D.N.C. Ordered Workers Back to the Office. Its Union Isn’t Pleased.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I've seen surprisingly little discussion about this on here, even in my DNC alumni and OG staffer circles.
I guess I just assumed HQ staff were back a long time ago.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
I guess I just assumed HQ staff were back a long time ago.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...