The Maine Mass Shooter Is in the Wind and Biden Gets a Primary Challenger

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | October 27, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | October 27, 2023 |

We are entering the third day now in the manhunt for the Maine mass shooter, Robert Card. Two things are clear: The man had an escape plan, and law enforcement has no idea where he is. Meanwhile, cable news networks are left to fill hours with former FBI agents and security experts endlessly speculating. In Maine, we are nevertheless glued to it because what else are we going to do? Even 35 miles away from the shootings, schools are closed. But so are the gym, Starbucks, and the local bars. It feels weirdly pandemic-y here again.

I understand why the schools are closed — less the danger that Robert Card poses and more “What are we going to tell these kids distracted by the thought of a mass shooter on the loose?” I get it. My younger kids are like, “Dad. Do you think he’s in Portland?” and I’m like, “There’s no way he’s in Portland because if you’re running from Johnny Law, the last place you go is a populated area.” Bedtime, all the same, is a challenge.

With all the technology and resources that we have, it’s crazy that this guy has managed to disappear into the wind. I think he’s probably dead at the bottom of the river or in Canada, but I don’t know any more than the police do, which is to say, I also know about as much. We all do.

Elsewhere, Rep. Mike Johnson is the Speaker of the House, and though the House could not do business for three weeks because they didn’t have a Speaker, the House is in recess until Monday. The NYTimes does have a piece up today on what a cursed position Republican House Speaker is. Nancy Pelosi alone outlasted Dennis Hastert (prison), John Boehner (quit), and Paul Ryan (quit), and she continued to serve in the House through McCarthy’s short term. Say what you will, but she got shit done. How long can Mike Johnson survive when he basically has to wrangle two political parties?

It is worth noting that Johnson has no intention of taking up legislation to deal with America’s gun problem, even after another mass shooting. “The problem is the human heart, not guns,” he said in an interview with Sean Hannity. Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden — who is from Lewiston and represents the city — changed his position yesterday and called for a ban on assault weapons. Golden is probably the most conservative Democrat in the House, but I don’t begrudge him that: He has to be. He’s from a red district where he’s won the last two elections by the skin of his teeth. Maine is very gun friendly, too — we literally have a place that sells guns, wedding gowns, and beer — but like New Hampshire and Vermont, it’s been mostly a responsible gun ownership state. This mass shooting ends that. There is no responsible reason to own an assault weapon (esp because there are no feral hogs in Maine). Susan Collins did not join Jared Golden in his call for a ban on assault weapons; she wimped out and suggested a ban on high-capacity magazines.

There have been lots of “anniversary” pieces this week to mark one year since Elon Musk took over Twitter. I’ll spare you and give you the short version of all of them: He ran it into the ground. Users are down; traffic is down; advertising is down; misinformation is up. It’s a trash site, and most of the good users have left for Threads or Bluesky.

There’s another guy running for President in the Democratic party. His name is Dean Phillips. He’s a Minnesota Congressman who is putting all his eggs in the New Hampshire basket. He won his district by driving a milk truck around or something. I’m not sure how he scales that nationally. He’s not a threat to Joe Biden, and I actually don’t mind that he’s running. Providing some contrast within the Democratic party may help illustrate what an effective President Biden has been, not that anyone will pay much attention to Dean Phillips. He’s also got a former McCain guy, Steve Schmidt, helping him run his campaign. Everyone seems to want to run to the center, thinking that’s the way through the Trump era. Isn’t Joe Biden center enough?

Not for nothing, but it’s still bonkers to me that the Republicans have managed to paint Amtrak Joe, who likes ice cream, who has lost a wife and kids, and who has worked in government his entire life, as some sort of evil supervillain.

Finally, George Santos will be arraigned for a second time today. What’s this one for? Twenty-three charges, including identity theft, credit card fraud, and conspiracy. That won’t get him booted from office, but what does homophobic Mike Johnson think of the fact that he’s gay?