• 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.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

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

We will not go back.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

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

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

Fight them, without becoming them!

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

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Previous Site Maintenance / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  July 22, 200812:41 pm| 85 Comments

This post is in: Previous Site Maintenance

FacebookTweetEmail

Off to the eye doctor then to see Dark Knight.

Have at it.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Danger Will Robinson
Next Post: Another Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  1. 1.

    Ned Raggett

    July 22, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Gotta say that today wasn’t the best publicity for Christian Bale.

  2. 2.

    DannyNoonan

    July 22, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    The Joker was a fantastic character but the end left me hanging.

    /Awful pun

  3. 3.

    srv

    July 22, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    Dark movie, get your eyes dialated.

  4. 4.

    Jasonconga

    July 22, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    Hey hey from the black forest in germany! Eating some pork and egg noodles in a mushroom gravy sauce and a local German brew (Rothaus) to keep it all down…

    I’m leaving in 2 days for a 9-week trip to California (3 weeks) and Central America (6 weeks) and I can’t wait but still got some responsibilities to take care of before leaving…

  5. 5.

    southpaw

    July 22, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Off to the eye doctor then to see Dark Knight.

    That just seems like a bad plan.

  6. 6.

    Incertus

    July 22, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    Young Republicans are desperate to be relevant–they’re not very successful at it right now.

  7. 7.

    Brachiator

    July 22, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    Still another issue ignored by a media obsessed with wondering whether McCain is too old — and Obama is too [insert the irrelevant meme of the day here] to be president

    Two New York Times Stories

    July 20, 2008
    Fair Game
    Borrowers and Bankers: A Great Divide

    THE credit crisis has exposed and worsened a dangerous and deepening divide in this country between a vast number of average borrowers and a fairly elite slice of corporations, banks and executives enriched by the mortgage mania.

    Borrowers who are in trouble on their mortgages have seen their government move slowly — or not all — to help them. But banks and the executives who ran them are quickly deemed worthy of taxpayer bailouts.

    On the ground, this translates into millions of troubled borrowers, left to work through their problems with understaffed, sometimes adversarial loan servicing companies. If they get nowhere, they lose their homes.

    Taxpayers, meanwhile, are asked to stand by with money to inject into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage finance giants, should they need propping up if loan losses balloon.

    The message in this disconnect couldn’t be clearer. Borrowers should shoulder the consequences of signing loan documents they didn’t understand, but with punishing terms that quickly made the loans unaffordable. But for executives and directors of the big companies who financed these loans, who grew wealthy while the getting was good, the taxpayer is coming to the rescue.

    And now, the latest, here …

    July 23, 2008
    Cost of Loan Bailout, if Needed, Could Be $25 Billion

    WASHINGTON — The proposed government rescue of the nation’s two mortgage finance giants will appear on the federal budget as a $25 billion cost to taxpayers, the independent Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday even though officials conceded that there was no way of really knowing what, if anything, a bailout would cost….

    The rescue plan, put forward last week by the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., would allow the Treasury Department to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to shore up the mortgage companies should they be at risk of collapse, either by extending credit or by purchasing equity in the companies, which are publicly traded.

    Mr. Orszag said that the analysis by his office did not distinguish between the different forms of aid that might be offered — a credit line or a stock purchase — and that the analysis showed no short-term potential financial benefit for taxpayers even if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac perform well.

    But he said the analysis found substantial risk for taxpayers if the companies had steep losses and would not say if his office had analyzed the implications of a full government takeover of the companies.

    Shouldn’t Bush and McCain ask how these bailouts will be paid for by their insistence that no matter what happens to the US economy, the answer is always “More taxcuts!”

  8. 8.

    Michael D.

    July 22, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    You know society has gone to shit when even Batman turns to crime.

  9. 9.

    David Hunt

    July 22, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    Shouldn’t Bush and McCain ask how these bailouts will be paid for by their insistence that no matter what happens to the US economy, the answer is always “More taxcuts!”

    Silly boy. Tax cuts always pay for themselves and if they don’t then you simply weren’t clapping loud enough.

  10. 10.

    jake

    July 22, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    There’s a joke in here somewhere, but I just can’t see it right now.

  11. 11.

    jrg

    July 22, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    If you know someone with autism, please contact Michael Savage’s sponsors and tell them it’s not OK to support the idea that abuse is an appropriate way to deal with autistic children.

    It’s also probably worth a moment of your time to urge Congress to find Rove in contempt.

  12. 12.

    jake

    July 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Gotta say that today wasn’t the best publicity for Christian Bale.

    Neither will the obligatory NY Post headline: “Makin’ Bale!”

  13. 13.

    TCG

    July 22, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    Red State has gone batty again today.

    Seems that Obama’s election as President is sure to cause death and destruction. How many Americans are gonna die due to Obama, they wonder but someone gotts to say it and they do.

  14. 14.

    Punchy

    July 22, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    Off to the eye doctor then to see Dark Knight.

    McCain’s in Morgantown?

  15. 15.

    libarbarian

    July 22, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    My God, Michael Savage is a subhuman rat.

  16. 16.

    rob!

    July 22, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    just a tip–don’t let the doctor pour acid anywhere on your face.

  17. 17.

    The Other Steve

    July 22, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    Shouldn’t Bush and McCain ask how these bailouts will be paid for by their insistence that no matter what happens to the US economy, the answer is always “More taxcuts!”

    The Laugher Curve proves without a question of doubt that the more you cut taxes, the greater the revenue to the government.

  18. 18.

    reid

    July 22, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    I just went to the eye doc yesterday. You’ll be happy to know they’ve finally retired that damn poof machine. (It had been five years since my last visit, so maybe this isn’t exactly news.)

  19. 19.

    phobos

    July 22, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    Red State has gone batty again today.

    I think Erik is bitter because after $50,000 worth of kludgey Python hacking, RS 3.0 is even slower and more craptastic than the previous version.

  20. 20.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    The Other Steve Says:

    Shouldn’t Bush and McCain ask how these bailouts will be paid for by their insistence that no matter what happens to the US economy, the answer is always “More taxcuts!”

    The Laugher Curve proves without a question of doubt that the more you cut taxes, the greater the revenue to the government.

    I’ve always appreciated the Irony of that name.

  21. 21.

    The Other Steve

    July 22, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    I’ve always appreciated the Irony of that name.

    It’s one of the few times a spelling error actually improves the truth telling.

  22. 22.

    maxbaer (not the original)

    July 22, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    Red State may have a point. I see a lot of praise for Obama’s world tour. But, did he bring back a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians? No!

  23. 23.

    bartkid

    July 22, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    >There’s a joke in here somewhere, but I just can’t see it right now.

    That’s why Joe has gone to the eye doctor, to see in the dark night.

    >Young Republicans are desperate to be relevant—they’re not very successful at it right now.
    *Cough*, Enlist, *Cough*

  24. 24.

    The Moar You Know

    July 22, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    I think Erik is bitter because after $50,000 worth of kludgey Python hacking, RS 3.0 is even slower and more craptastic than the previous version.

    The beggars finally got their money?

    Good thing there’s some patriots out there willing to help out, fight the dominant paradigm of the liberal software developer. It’s weird, working in the industry, that I’d be the only “liberal” developer I’ve ever met, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

    And their site looks liks shit. Then I started reading, and I thought “well, at least some incompetent coder made $50k and paid his bills for a while, that’s good.” There’s really no other reason for them to still be there.

  25. 25.

    Face

    July 22, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    Punchy Says:

    Off to the eye doctor then to see Dark Knight.

    McCain’s in Morgantown?

    I’m pretty sure Obama is the Dark Knight. Maybe in WV, they call him the Dark (As) Night

  26. 26.

    OriGuy

    July 22, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    Savage got dropped in Mississippi.
    Aflac is pulling their ads.

  27. 27.

    Kevin

    July 22, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    P.Luk mak!es friends everywhere he goes!

  28. 28.

    Martin

    July 22, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    I think Erik is bitter because after $50,000 worth of kludgey Python hacking, RS 3.0 is even slower and more craptastic than the previous version.

    I don’t know why the community didn’t just give him $30,000. It’s slow because of all the bureaucratic code Eric padded the site with. Less money would have made Eric more responsible, you know.

  29. 29.

    The Moar You Know

    July 22, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    I don’t know why the community didn’t just give him $30,000. It’s slow because of all the bureaucratic code Eric padded the site with. Less money would have made Eric more responsible, you know.

    If we cut the welfare queen off entirely, he’ll have to get a job and start contributing to society instead of being a leech all his life.

  30. 30.

    w vincentz

    July 22, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

  31. 31.

    Seth410

    July 22, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    SLIGHT SPOILERS…

    Good thing he didn’t try to goto the eye doc afterwards.

    Two Words: Pencil Trick.

    After that, I went to go buy goggles.

    END SPOILERS

  32. 32.

    Noah

    July 22, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Will known Demon John McCain pick known Exorcist Bobby Jindal as his running mate?

    Looks likely:

    http://novemberblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/known-demon-john-mccain-to-meet-with.html

  33. 33.

    Brachiator

    July 22, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    Oh the humanity (Bush Is Urged Not to Pardon Sprinter):

    The newly appointed head of track and field’s national governing body has sent a strongly-worded letter to President Bush, asking him not to pardon or commute a six-month jail sentence given to the disgraced sprinter Marion Jones for lying to investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and about her role in a check-fraud case.

    “Our country has long turned a blind eye to the misdeeds of our heroes,” Doug Logan, the chief executive of USA Track and Field, wrote in an open letter to President Bush. “If you have athletic talent or money or fame, the law is applied much differently than if you are slow or poor or an average American trying to get by. At the same time, all sports have for far too long given the benefit of the doubt to its heroes who seem too good to be true, even when common sense indicates they are not.

    Apparently, Bush Administration officials couldn’t reply to this request. They were too busy laughing their asses off thinking that anyone would actually believe that Dubya would think that the law applied to him and his cronies.

  34. 34.

    Punchy

    July 22, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    From my favorite wingnut, apparently with a straight face…from her own comment:

    Bush is plenty qaulified to be President. He was a governor and a very successfulone.

    What horrific things has Bush done in his tenure?

    You wonder how these people this stupid/blinded/drunk/ignorant tie their shoes in the morning. Scratch that–I’m guessing they’re full-on Velcro. There’s just levels of Republican Fellatio that I didn’t realize existed outside of the Beltway.

  35. 35.

    skippy

    July 22, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    you know society has gone to shit when even batman turns to crime.

    hey is christian out on bail?

    nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…

  36. 36.

    maxbaer (not the original)

    July 22, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    Say it ain’t so, Batman!

  37. 37.

    Cain

    July 22, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

    Huh? I find that difficult to believe.

    cain

  38. 38.

    Zifnab

    July 22, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    Ok, firstly – Batman was awesome. I encourage everyone here to see it twice in IMAX, then again continuously for the rest of the summer.

    Secondly, somewhat O/T. For those of you pimping out nuclear power as a safe and clean alternative to oil or coal, this is why I disagree.

    So long as you’ve got greedy corporations, you’ll have lax business standards. So long as you have lax business standards, you’ll have accidents and health issues. The American people just aren’t responsible enough to use nuclear power safely and effectively. Even when that changes, there’s always the chance of another Bush Administration to put us back under the gun again.

  39. 39.

    Punchy

    July 22, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    I don’t know why the community didn’t just give him $30,000. It’s slow because of all the bureaucratic code Eric padded the site with. Less money would have made Eric more responsible, you know.

    I just tried 15 minutes ago to register at his site, and it wouldn’t let me. Kept telling me to fill in a email addy, even though I had. Apparently their site’s so fucking crappy they can’t even get peeps registered.

    I’ve seen analog wristwatches with more computing power than his website.

  40. 40.

    David Hunt

    July 22, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    hey is christian out on bail?

    I read a brief article on CNN that said that he had not been charged and released. So, no. He’s not out on bail. He’s just out.

  41. 41.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    You just can’t script things like this

  42. 42.

    w vincentz

    July 22, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Cain,
    I saw it posted as a comment over at Tom Degan’s “The Rant”.
    I also found it hard to believe, that’s why I asked.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    July 22, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Cain Says:

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

    Huh? I find that difficult to believe.

    cain

    Which is hard to believe, the divorce of the affair part?

    I don’t give this stuff credence, but the rumors may have arisen from this little incident:

    Little is known of Rice’s personal life, except that she has never been married…. At a dinner party while Rice was National Security Advisor, she referred to President George W. Bush as “my husband” before abruptly correcting herself.

    People like to create the idea of an affair to make sense of this. Although I hate to give Dubya credit for much of anything, the plain fact is that he somehow inspires loyalty in some of his people, and some women, such as Condi and Harriet Miers, have been notably loyal.

    Zifnab Says:

    Ok, firstly – Batman was awesome. I encourage everyone here to see it twice in IMAX, then again continuously for the rest of the summer.

    Agreed.

    Secondly, somewhat O/T. For those of you pimping out nuclear power as a safe and clean alternative to oil or coal, this is why I disagree.

    So long as you’ve got greedy corporations, you’ll have lax business standards. So long as you have lax business standards, you’ll have accidents and health issues. The American people just aren’t responsible enough to use nuclear power safely and effectively. Even when that changes, there’s always the chance of another Bush Administration to put us back under the gun again.

    OK. How about, we have lots of nuclear reactors, but we let the French run them?

  44. 44.

    Adam

    July 22, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    Batman was amazing. But I watched it in the second row so it was a bit overwhelming. I kind of wish I could have seen an eye doctor afterward. I still have a headache.

  45. 45.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 3:40 pm

    Walter Reed goes airborne

  46. 46.

    YellowJournalism

    July 22, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    For some reason, when I glanced at the post, I thought it read:

    “I’m off to see my eye doctor, the Dark Knight.”

    A guy who calls himself “Batman” would make a terrible optometrist, by the way.

  47. 47.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    I heard Pat Leahy got a cameo in the movie.

  48. 48.

    Cain

    July 22, 2008 at 3:54 pm

    I find it hard to believe that Dubya would have an affair. He’s fairly incurious. Even about the female body. [smirk] I bet it’s been awhile since he’s seen anything. We’ll see after he leaves office what happens.

    I for one will laugh if Bush gets divorced, and is living the high life with Condi Rice in Argentina surrounded by secret police.

    cain

  49. 49.

    Zifnab

    July 22, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    OK. How about, we have lots of nuclear reactors, but we let the French run them?

    I’m listening…

  50. 50.

    Zifnab

    July 22, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    I heard Pat Leahy got a cameo in the movie.

    He is.

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    July 22, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    YellowJournalism Says:

    For some reason, when I glanced at the post, I thought it read:

    “I’m off to see my eye doctor, the Dark Knight.”

    A guy who calls himself “Batman” would make a terrible optometrist, by the way.

    But a hell of an otologist or audiologist.

  52. 52.

    Sherrell

    July 22, 2008 at 4:04 pm

    Campaign talk…is anybody else still waiting for the republicans to release the “Rev Wright”/”Bitter” approach for attacking Senator Obama?

  53. 53.

    Dug Jay

    July 22, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    Looks like John Edwards is off the short list for Vice President after the Enquirer catches him in a men’s room in LA:

    Edwards did not answer and then ran into a nearby restroom. He stayed inside for about 15 minutes, refusing to answer questions from the NATIONAL ENQUIRER about what he was doing in the hotel. A group of hotel security men eventually escorted him from the men’s room, while preventing the NATIONAL ENQUIRER reporters from following him out of the hotel.

    Said reporter Hitchen: “After we confronted him about seeing Rielle, Edwards looked like a deer caught in headlights!

    “He was clearly surprised that we had caught him at this very late hour inside the hotel.

    \ “Some guests up at this late hour watched the spectacle in amusement from a staircase nearby.”

  54. 54.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    Dug Jay Says:

    Looks like John Edwards is off the short list for Vice President after the Enquirer catches him in a men’s room in LA:

    What’s sad about this is that thanks to Fox Noise and the idiocracy that has been the MSM in general it’s hard to dismiss the Enquirer as a non-credible news source given that they’ve all sunk to that level.

  55. 55.

    Punchy

    July 22, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    A guy who calls himself “Batman” would make a terrible optometrist, by the way

    A good designated hitter, perhaps.

  56. 56.

    Adam

    July 22, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    “No, I wasn’t visualizing Dick Cheney,” Mr. Leahy said. “They can’t use that dialogue in a PG-13 movie.”

    Wow, I love Senator Leahy.

  57. 57.

    Calouste

    July 22, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

    Wouldn’t that make both Jeff Gannon and that woman Condi jointly owns a house with jealous?

  58. 58.

    Blue Raven

    July 22, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    If Ms. Rice is having an affair with the Shrub, I do hope she has a relationship agreement in place with the woman she co-bought a house with in Palo Alto. Because buying that house together? Not quite the usual conduct of two single heterosexual women. And that is all I’m saying.

  59. 59.

    Paul L.

    July 22, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    Progressive mayor taking responsibility (in Obama style) for the murder of father and two sons by a illegal alien protected by San Francisco’s sanctuary policy.
    San Francisco Mayor Blames NRA for Triple Homicide

    he says the NRA is against “anything that restricts the opportunity for a guy who gets cut off in traffic from pulling out a hand gun and almost assassinating an entire family, as was the case a few days ago in San Francisco, where three people were gunned down. That somehow that is appropriate and wonderful and that person celebrated his freedom to carry a loaded pistol”.

  60. 60.

    peach flavored shampoo

    July 22, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Here’s a question — How does Michael Savage get by with saying such insanely infuriating things about special-needs children without some father just losing it and destroying him in a fight? If I was the father of an autistic kid, and I heard his flippant comments, I’d probably want to smash his face.

    It’s a serious question…does he have bodyguards at all times, or what?

  61. 61.

    The Moar You Know

    July 22, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

    Nonsense. If you’d been living in the Bay Area in the late 80’s/early 90’s you’d know the awful truth: Condi’s one of them – the homerseckshuls.

  62. 62.

    phobos

    July 22, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    Paul L. Says:

    Can someone drive me home from the library? I think my mom forgot.

    Sure thing buddy. Just wait there while I adjust my general time horizon.

  63. 63.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    peach flavored shampoo Says:

    Here’s a question—How does Michael Savage get by with saying such insanely infuriating things about special-needs children without some father just losing it and destroying him in a fight? If I was the father of an autistic kid, and I heard his flippant comments, I’d probably want to smash his face.

    It’s a serious question…does he have bodyguards at all times, or what?

    how does he get away with it but Imus loses his job?

    Not defending Imus here but seriously, Michael Weiner Savage and the rest of the filth that is talk radio make “nappy headed hoes” look like a complement.

  64. 64.

    AnneLaurie

    July 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm

    It’s weird, working in the industry, that I’d be the only “liberal” developer I’ve ever met, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

    That’s because facts have a well-known liberal bias. And in RedState World, when confronted by the proofs that 2+2 does not equal 5 outside of the laboratory, True Conservatives are not too proud to stick their fingers in their ears and yell “La La La I can’t heeeearrr yoooou!”

  65. 65.

    w vincentz

    July 22, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    Wowsers! I didn’t know she was a homersecksul. I thought she was a bipublican, kinda like Larry C.

  66. 66.

    Ben Richards

    July 22, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    McCain’s campaign sent a campaign solicitation to my home addressed to the previous owner (now deceased) Yes. I opened a dead person’s mail, but that is not the point here. The point here is you have to see this thing. The first part is a “letter” from John McCain introducing Carly Fiorina as the “Chair of Victory 2008.” It extols her virtues as “one of our nation’s great business leaders” and highlights her role at HP. Another gem: “Carly Fiorina is a remarkable American success story.” Indeed!

    The second part is a “Critical Issues Survey to Victory 2008” A few sample questions for your pleasure:

    Under Section 1 – Jobs and the Economy

    Which of the following factors do you feel is most adversely affecting the economy in your area? Check all that apply:

    Burdensome Taxes
    Unstable Real Estate Market
    Threat of Terrorism
    Severe Government Regulation
    Growth of Government Spending
    Unpredictable Fluctuating Fuel Prices
    Other

    Under Section II – National Security

    Should America surrender in Iraq regardless of the consequences in the Middle East?

    Yes, No or Undecided

    Under Section III – Other Issues

    Should we appoint judges who will interpret the law instead of liberal activists who will make new laws from the bench?

    Yes, No or Undecided

    There are so many good ones… one last one under the “Campaign Strategy” heading:

    Do you believe it is critical that our candidates stand behind a hard-charging conservative message of smaller government, lower taxes, new jobs and a strong national defense?

    Yes, No or Undecided

    I say YES!!!!

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    July 22, 2008 at 5:17 pm

    The Moar You Know Says:

    Did anyone else hear that George and Laura are close to divorce due to his continuing affair with Condi?

    Nonsense. If you’d been living in the Bay Area in the late 80’s/early 90’s you’d know the awful truth: Condi’s one of them – the homerseckshuls.

    Isn’t a homerseckshul someone sexually attracted to the Simpsons?

    Zifnab Says:

    OK. How about, we have lots of nuclear reactors, but we let the French run them?

    I’m listening…

    The “nuclear power is bad” crowd has to deal with this (Nuclear Power in France)

    * France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.

    * France is the world’s largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this.

    * France has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and fuel products and services are a major export.

    France has 59 nuclear reactors operated by Electricité de France (EdF) with total capacity of over 63 GWe, supplying over 430 billion kWh per year of electricity, 78% of the total generated there. In 2005 French electricity generation was 549 billion kWh net and consumption 482 billion kWh – 7700 kWh per person. Over the last decade France has exported 60-70 billion kWh net each year and EdF expects exports to continue at 65-70 TWh/yr.

    The present situation is due to the French government deciding in 1974, just after the first oil shock, to expand rapidly the country’s nuclear power capacity. This decision was taken in the context of France having substantial heavy engineering expertise but few indigenous energy resources. Nuclear energy, with the fuel cost being a relatively small part of the overall cost, made good sense in minimising imports and achieving greater energy security.

    As a result of the 1974 decision, France now claims a substantial level of energy independence and almost the lowest cost electricity in Europe. It also has an extremely low level of CO2 emissions per capita from electricity generation, since over 90% of its electricity is nuclear or hydro.

    The French may be cheese-eating surrender monkeys, but they know how to do nuclear.

    Oh, crap! The Bush-Condi affair rumor might be an attempt to deflect attention from this other bit of late-breaking rumor-mongering (SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD!):

    Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

    The married ex-senator from North Carolina – whose wife Elizabeth continues to battle cancer — met with his mistress, blonde divorcée Rielle Hunter, at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night, July 21 – and the NATIONAL ENQUIRER was there! He didn’t leave until early the next morning.

    Oh, well. This is why we must always ask ourselves:

    Why so serious?

  68. 68.

    Zifnab

    July 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    how does he get away with it but Imus loses his job?

    Not defending Imus here but seriously, Michael Weiner Savage and the rest of the filth that is talk radio make “nappy headed hoes” look like a complement.

    Imus has more media exposure and he’s generally considered more progressive in his politics. He doesn’t have Clear Channel and the Right Wing Noise Machine to protect him and his listener base consists of people who aren’t giant assholes all the time.

    Savage, on the flip side, is specifically employed to cattier to the racist truck driver or Alabama redneck working the graveyard shift. He has his job specifically because he fills to psycho Mussolini niche of the political spectrum.

    What really floors me is that Glenn Beck has a TV show. But then Beck’s TV show is scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel, and its really only a matter of time before he goes the way of Tucker Carlson.

    It’s all about ratings. Imus has a respectably large black and progressive audience, so when he shot his mouth off he risked alienating his base and his sponsors. Savage doesn’t. He turns a buck on giving the Stormfront crowd someone to listen to. But you’ll never see Savage hosting football (at least, not for long) or sitting opposite Larry King. He’s too radical for mainstream. Imus isn’t. That means you walk a tighter line.

  69. 69.

    Cain

    July 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    She’s bi-curious.

    cain

  70. 70.

    Tsulagi

    July 22, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    Will get to see if tighty righty blogs burst out into a fit of angst over the new Vanity Fair cover like some on the other side of the aisle did over the New Yorker.

    Satire, bitches! Some people got no humor.

  71. 71.

    Martin

    July 22, 2008 at 5:39 pm

    Satire, bitches! Some people got no humor.

    Well, now that context is established, it’s fine. Run the covers in reverse (have the McCain one go first) and they make no sense since Vanity Fair is parody, not satire.

  72. 72.

    The Conservative Deflator

    July 22, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    At the rate he is going, John McCain is going to lose by double digit percentages in the popular vote. Just sayin’…

  73. 73.

    jrg

    July 22, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    This is fucking awesome! It’s like a cross between youtube, Jackass, and the WWF.

    The best part is about 20 seconds in where the wrestler on the far left hand side of the ring gets bashed with a flying metal chair and he stumbles into the middle of the ring and falls into the mat.

  74. 74.

    Dreggas

    July 22, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    What really floors me is that Glenn Beck has a TV show. But then Beck’s TV show is scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel, and its really only a matter of time before he goes the way of Tucker Carlson.

    No, please, I don’t want to see yet another fucktard on MSNBC giving bullshit opinions.

  75. 75.

    w vincentz

    July 22, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    One thing for sure…that Edward’s kiddy is gonna have good hair.

  76. 76.

    Jake

    July 22, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    I assume most of you caught the Couric interview McCain gave, where he manages to get the history of the surge completely fucking wrong?

    Not that it matters, as Couric can barely tie her shoes much less give a decent rebuttal of the facts. For like the fifth time today, Jesus fucking Christ.

  77. 77.

    The Other Steve

    July 22, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    What really floors me is that Glenn Beck has a TV show. But then Beck’s TV show is scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel, and its really only a matter of time before he goes the way of Tucker Carlson.

    It’s worse than that.

    He actually thinks he is a comedian.

  78. 78.

    OriGuy

    July 22, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    How about, we have lots of nuclear reactors, but we let the French run them?

    No, the punch line is the English run them, the Germans guard them, and the French cater them.

  79. 79.

    Ted

    July 22, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    It’s a serious question…does he have bodyguards at all times, or what?

    Though you’d *want* to smash his face in, your adult/civilized impulse control would probably kick in. As I recall, Savage lives in San Fran, so is surrounded by civilized people. If he lived in Wingnutville, AL or somewhere, he might need bodyguards.

  80. 80.

    Krista

    July 22, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    No, the punch line is the English run them, the Germans guard them, and the French cater them.

    Reminds me of the old saw about Canada:

    When Canada was established, we tried to take the best from each country. Our aim was to have American efficiency, French culture and British system of government.

    Unfortunately, things got a bit tangled, and what we ended up with was American culture, British efficiency and French system of government.

  81. 81.

    PeterJ

    July 22, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    It’s a serious question…does he have bodyguards at all times, or what?

    You shouldn’t have asked that.

    Coming soon on pro Savage blogs:

    Moonbats hatching plans to assassinate our dear Leader, Michael Savage

  82. 82.

    Krista

    July 22, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    So how did the eye doctor appointment go? Everything healthy and good?

  83. 83.

    Montysano

    July 22, 2008 at 8:35 pm

    Jeezus, this comment thread has at least two Alabama/redneck references. I know we’re an easy mark, but could you maybe spread the action around a little? I’ve travelled a bit, and everywhere I went, there were rednecks. We may have tried to corner the market, but we definitely failed.

    Besides, where I live, if someone says “What is he, a rocket scientist?”, you can sometimes say “Actually…. yeah he is”.

    Now…… some of those rocket scientists probably used to water ski with Hitler, but still..

  84. 84.

    LiberalTarian

    July 22, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    So, did anybody already get to Bush talking about Wall Street getting drunk?

    I am finding it completely hillarious–Bush just came right out and effectively said, “I got Wall Street drunk and screwed the country.”

    I think that’ll be the first thing I come up with for the next 35 years whenever someone mentions GW. Arg. And of course, right after that, “How could you people have voted for that man????”

  85. 85.

    Conservatively Liberal

    July 23, 2008 at 2:17 am

    P.Luk mak!es friends everywhere he goes!

    I have him pegged as a closet racist who is using the ‘issue’ of misogyny displayed against Hillary to argue that people should not vote for Obama. When he refers to feminist Obama supporters as “an oborg with breasts…”, it is clear that he only pays lip service to misogyny in his lame attempts to tear Obama and his supporters down.

    p.hukstain has an almost visceral hatred of anything Obama, and I have no doubt that he would be the kind of person who would vote for McGoo in an instant. He is impossible to talk to unless you believe every single thing he says. If you differ with him one iota, he goes ballistic. If you mention Hillary and her ‘supporting white working voters…’ as an example of racism on the part of the Clinton camp, he explosively denies that it was racist in any way. It all has to fit his framework of everything being Obama’s fault, and anything that does not fit is dismissed.

    But watching p.hukstain in action is pretty fun, and it is funny to see how many people he goes around pissing off in his quest against Obama. It is amazing that he spews the massive quantity of low grade shit that he does, and he thinks of himself as some sort of writer.

    He is delusional, but in a hilarious way.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Image by HinTN (5/22/25)

Recent Comments

  • Paul W. on The PA Supreme Court Retention Election Matters! (May 22, 2025 @ 3:37pm)
  • WTFGhost on Update: Kilmar Abrego Garcia: ‘Keep Him Where He Is’ (May 22, 2025 @ 3:28pm)
  • Ben Cisco on Open Thread (May 22, 2025 @ 3:27pm)
  • comrade scotts agenda of rage on Update: Kilmar Abrego Garcia: ‘Keep Him Where He Is’ (May 22, 2025 @ 3:25pm)
  • bbleh on Update: Kilmar Abrego Garcia: ‘Keep Him Where He Is’ (May 22, 2025 @ 3:22pm)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

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
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

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

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

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

PA Supreme Court At Risk

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!