• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

All hail the time of the bunny!

Consistently wrong since 2002

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

We still have time to mess this up!

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

We will not go back.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Mobile Menu

  • 4 Directions VA 2025 Raffle
  • 2025 Activism
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by Tim F|  March 10, 200811:45 am| 34 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

The subprime crisis in a nutshell. Read it while trying to get this out of your head:

Suckers.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « The Purity Trolls Of The Republican Base
Next Post: Speaking Of Purity »

Reader Interactions

34Comments

  1. 1.

    Jake

    March 10, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Fucking. Brilliant.

  2. 2.

    The Disgruntled Chemist

    March 10, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Don’t read the site often, eh Tim?

  3. 3.

    Dennis - SGMM

    March 10, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    Doh! On the other hand, if it’s a Battle of the Earworms, then have at you!

  4. 4.

    Punchy

    March 10, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Proud day to be a Hawkeye, I think

    What possess a Uni to simultaneously blow $40K to pay a criminal and piss off a majority of students and faculty all in one shot? I understand diversity of opinion, openness ot thought, yada yada, but this guy’s just pushing pure bullshit.

  5. 5.

    Greg

    March 10, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    Thank You. I’d forgotten about Gordon Lightfoot. We used to listen to him constantly … so many years ago. I’m off to iTunes to find some of the old favorites.

  6. 6.

    Xenos

    March 10, 2008 at 12:25 pm

    What the cartoon fails to show is how much money the ‘Really Smart Guys’ made in fees while selling all the CDOs to the greater fools out there (a/k/a our fiduciaries). For extra bonus outrage, consider that Goldman Sachs had their internal fund used for investing partners’ money take a four billion dollar hedge against the mortgage market, while continuing to sell the tainted CDOs to their investing clients.

    Oh, and guess what? Largely based on that successful hedge position, the two managing partners for Goldman Sachs were just given an annual bonus of 67.5 million dollars. Each.

    We are doing a disservice to the robber barons when we compare our corporate and financial industry leaders to them.

  7. 7.

    Zifnab

    March 10, 2008 at 12:36 pm

    For extra bonus outrage, consider that Goldman Sachs had their internal fund used for investing partners’ money take a four billion dollar hedge against the mortgage market, while continuing to sell the tainted CDOs to their investing clients.

    Oh, and guess what? Largely based on that successful hedge position, the two managing partners for Goldman Sachs were just given an annual bonus of 67.5 million dollars. Each.

    To be fair, you can compare that to Merrill Lynch where brokers couldn’t buy up these mortgages fast enough. And look at their multi-billion dollar write-down.

    Then compare that to the Merrill Lynch CEO who still dragged in tens of millions in bonuses.

    I’m not saying Goldman Sachs didn’t play some sleazy ball, but I am saying that more than one “smart guy” got burned on this deal and more than one manager dragged in boatloads of cash either way.

  8. 8.

    qkslvrwolf

    March 10, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    I’m blocked, can someone post this somewhere the air force doesn’t hate?

  9. 9.

    Dennis - SGMM

    March 10, 2008 at 12:39 pm

    What possess a Uni to simultaneously blow $40K to pay a criminal and piss off a majority of students and faculty all in one shot?

    Attila the Hun was already booked? Charles Manson couldn’t get a furlough? OJ Simpson requires a teleprompter?

  10. 10.

    AkaDad

    March 10, 2008 at 12:44 pm

    I think Hillary should write a new book.

    It Takes Experience To Disenfranchise A Village.

  11. 11.

    Dennis - SGMM

    March 10, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Oh, and guess what? Largely based on that successful hedge position, the two managing partners for Goldman Sachs were just given an annual bonus of 67.5 million dollars. Each.

    If John Dillinger and Willie Sutton were alive today they’d both be hedge fund managers.

  12. 12.

    Brady Bonk

    March 10, 2008 at 12:46 pm

    And now, I present, the EXACT OPPOSITE of “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yUJx1zGeI

  13. 13.

    PeterJ

    March 10, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    Bill Clinton on Rush Limbaugh Show Day of TX Primary.

    Is there anything they won’t do to get elected?

  14. 14.

    Shygetz

    March 10, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    I missed it the first time it was linked on here. That was brilliant!

  15. 15.

    cleek

    March 10, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    wow.

    Spitzer involved in prostitution ring.

  16. 16.

    Jake

    March 10, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    The Repubs could use a little good news.

  17. 17.

    Dennis - SGMM

    March 10, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Spitzer involved in prostitution ring.

    Next thing you know they’ll find out that Elliot Ness was a viper.

  18. 18.

    AkaDad

    March 10, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    Spitzer involved in prostitution ring.

    I didn’t know Spitzer had that much in common with Republicans.

  19. 19.

    srv

    March 10, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    Bill Clinton on Rush Limbaugh Show Day of TX Primary.

    Is there anything they won’t do to get elected?

    You Obamabots keep saying you want someone who can reach across the isle and work with the opposition, but when BillaryMcWalMart do it, not so much.

  20. 20.

    Punchy

    March 10, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    Spitzer involved in prostitution ring.

    Initially I thought this meant he was part of a sting operation to bust it. Actually, it means he was stinging some operated-on busts.

    Spitzer or swallow? Too early? Bueller?

  21. 21.

    Splitting Image

    March 10, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    “You Obamabots keep saying you want someone who can reach across the isle and work with the opposition, but when BillaryMcWalMart do it, not so much”

    The Democrats are full of people who can reach across the aisle and work with the opposition. What we want is a carrier who can infect the Republicans with the ability.

    Hopefully a carrier who is immune to it himself.

  22. 22.

    Xenos

    March 10, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    ‘Katrina and the Waves’?

    Now THAT is a tasteless name for a pop group!

  23. 23.

    Martin

    March 10, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    I didn’t know Spitzer had that much in common with Republicans.

    He doesn’t. Republicans have been trending toward male hookers. But if he’s copping to the charge, he’s gotta resign. Damn shame too. I liked his willingness to contest corporate power.

  24. 24.

    Chuck Butcher

    March 10, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    I went to college at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI on the Keewenaw Peninsula on Lake Superior. An awesome body of water with dangerous beauty. Unlike the rest of the Great Lakes it is a volcanic construct, over 1,000 feet deep. In the winter the ice heaving sounds like artillery fire from miles away. On any given day it has the capacity to astonish, from glittering summer calm to raging winter storms. At 45F year around swimming is questionable.

    Thanks for the clip, I haven’t been there for quite a few years.

  25. 25.

    jcricket

    March 10, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    Then compare that to the Merrill Lynch CEO who still dragged in tens of millions in bonuses.

    Yeah – I call it the “no downside” club. Unless you view only earning a $10m golden parachute a “downside” because they could have earned $25m if they had stayed.

    The rest of us, up-to-and-including the so-called “upper middle class” are seeing our real incomes decline every year (eaten up by real inflation + low raises) and are always worried about the next layoff.

    But the “no downside” club continues to rake it in, in good times and bad. A friend of mine and I discussed how, even if you’re not a charter member of this club, you still probably have enough in reserves to ride out any downturn, and perhaps even re-invest when things are down. The rest of us are using our savings to survive during these downturns, not viewing it as a buying opportunity or as some great benefit because our non-existent hedge strategy played out.

    Something is just wrong here.

  26. 26.

    jcricket

    March 10, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Spitzer or swallow? Too early? Bueller?

    I was waiting for someone to say that. Funny!

  27. 27.

    Jake

    March 10, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Punchy quips:

    Initially I thought this meant he was part of a sting operation to bust it. Actually, it means he was stinging some operated-on busts.

    Spitzer or swallow?

    Yea verily, this is a .zip file of teh funny. The co-workers are reaching for the nets again …

  28. 28.

    pharniel

    March 10, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    oddly enough i’ve been to the shipwreck museum. nifty place.

    first time i heard of the edmund fitz i was looking over the place where they think it went down. if that isn’t enoguh to weird out an 7 year old i don’t know what is.

  29. 29.

    Jake

    March 10, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    Anyone for some Kristol Method?

    Perhaps the most obvious way McCain could upend the normal dynamics of this year’s election would be a bold vice presidential choice. He could pick a hawkish and principled Democrat like Joe Lieberman. He could reach beyond the usual bevy of elected officials by tapping either David Petraeus or Raymond Odierno — the two generals who together, in an amazing demonstration of leadership and competence, turned the war in Iraq around last year. He could persuade the most impressive conservative in American public life, Clarence Thomas, to join the ticket.

    1. JoLie isn’t a Democrat, he’s an Independent with strong lap-dog tendencies.
    2. Impressive? Clarence Thomas?

  30. 30.

    over it

    March 10, 2008 at 4:21 pm

    Hey…I like that song!
    It’s from my childhood (well, I don’t know when it came out…but my parents have the album).
    Pretty weak shot in an earworm war (in my opinion). ;)

  31. 31.

    over it

    March 10, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    Now….THIS is an earworm! ;)

  32. 32.

    sal

    March 10, 2008 at 6:30 pm

    My dad had been on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Not when it went down, but could’ve been. Worked on the freighters most all his life. As kids, we got to take trips on them during summers. I remember when the Fitzgerald sank very well.
    On the other hand, no one calls Superior ‘Gitchee Gummee’ since Longfellow.

  33. 33.

    montysano

    March 10, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    You Obamabots keep saying you want someone who can reach across the isle and work with the opposition, but when BillaryMcWalMart do it, not so much.

    Going on Limbaugh is not “reaching across the aisle”, it’s wallowing in the gutter. Limbaugh and his ilk, who will happily poison the well of public discourse in exchange for a paycheck, are a fucking boil on America’s ass. Blehh….. Willie……. how could you?

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. From Pine View Farm » Securitization says:
    March 10, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    […] Via Balloon Juice.   […]

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - twbrandt - Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan 7
Image by twbrandt (7/18/25)
Donate

Recent Comments

  • stinger on Saturday Late Morning Open Thread (Jul 19, 2025 @ 12:03pm)
  • Harrison Wesley on Saturday Morning Open Thread: Everybody Needs A Hobby (Jul 19, 2025 @ 12:02pm)
  • Matt McIrvin on Saturday Morning Open Thread: Everybody Needs A Hobby (Jul 19, 2025 @ 12:01pm)
  • Anyway on Saturday Morning Open Thread: Everybody Needs A Hobby (Jul 19, 2025 @ 12:00pm)
  • Cliosfanboy on Saturday Morning Open Thread: Everybody Needs A Hobby (Jul 19, 2025 @ 11:57am)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!