I’m picking out a thread for you.
Not an ordinary thread, it’s true.
Reader Interactions
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.
Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.
Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.
Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.
“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!
This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.
“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”
A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.
When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?
This blog will pay for itself.
They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.
This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.
We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.
Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.
Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.
Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.
American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated
Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.
Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?
“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”
Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?
They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.
The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.
That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.
El Gordo
I was just thinking about all the pundits jabbering about America being "center-right", and I was wondering where, exactly do you define the "center"?
I mean in mainstream politics, you have guys who would rival Hitler on a political compass for far-rightness, but the left is no where near as radical as the righties (the most "radical" they get is making rich folk pay more tax).
Where does that leave the center?
Hari
But the extra best thread that you can buy
With vinyl and stripes, and a cup built right in
I’m picking out a thread for you
And maybe a barometer too
And what else can I buy, so on me you’ll rely
A rear-end thermometer too
kommrade jakevich
Meanwhile, in another state that begins with C:
MR. Bill
Uhhh, "The Jerk", right?
robertdsc
You got a mention at OpenLeft, John.
Har de har har.
MR. Bill
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Rep. Paul Broun (GA-Idiot) expresses ‘regret’ for calling Pres. Elect Obama a ‘marxist’ but does it again: below is a rough, partial transcript of a friendly interview with the Athens congressman — Rhodes is well-known in conservative Republican circles in Georgia.
BROUN: The point that I tried to make when I talked to Ben Evans last night — the AP reporter — was that Barack Obama made this speech back in July. I didn’t even become aware of it until about a week ago.
And it just causes me concern. I know that [Obama] is extremely liberal, he has already had a position that has been pretty much an anti-Second Amendment — in my opinion — position. He says he’s for the Second Amendment, but he still wants to institute gun control. And then he made this speech in Colorado back in July where he said he wants to establish a civilian national security force that’s as strong and as well-funded as the U.S. military.
And the point I’ve made is that I don’t know what that means, and the press has totally given him a pass on this — has not questioned him at all about what his intent is, and that we have seen historically, in totalitarian regimes, we have seen whoever that individual is establish a civilian national security force that’s responsible to that individual….
[Broun again brings up his conversation Monday with Evans, the Associated press reporter.]
BROUN: The point that he was trying to make was that I was accusing Barack Obama of wanting to establish a dictatorship, but nothing could be further from the truth….
[Rhodes asks Broun if he regrets making the calling Obama a Marxist during a Rotary Club meeting over the weekend.]
BROUN: I regret saying it that way. Yes, I do. I apologize to anybody that’s taken offense at that.
The point I tried to make is that he is extremely liberal, he has promoted a lot of socialistic ideas, and it just makes me concerned.
I’m hoping he’s going to govern differently from the way he’s stating things as a candidate…I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude. I’m not throwing any stones.
RHODES: If you’ll take two-cents worth of free advice, if what you said was a mistake, you need to let the national media know that. I make slips of the tongue all the time — I just don’t want them to hang you out to dry for your heart being in the right place but your mouth going in the wrong direction.
BROUN: Sure. Well, I appreciate that advice.
RHODES: I mean, it’s on the Drudge Report, which means the world is seeing it.
BROUN: I would hope that the press release we sent out accomplishes that. You don’t think that it does?
RHODES: I don’t see where you said you misspoke, the way that you just said that you did.
BROUN: Well, okay.
RHODES: And you may want to be a little more specific about this…
BROUN: In fact, when the lady at the Rotary Club took me to task for saying that Obama was a Marxist, I tried to correct it at that point, and [the Augusta Chronicle reporter] didn’t ever make the point that I made — that I thought that he had a Marxist position on a lot of issues, and I’m just concerned about it.
[Broun and Rhodes both go on to criticize Republican John McCain and his “milktoast” campaign.] (and the real dirt is in the reader comments.. My home state never disappoints in wingnuttery.. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/index.html
Tattoosydney
@robertdsc:
From the comment on that link:
I have to go and scrub out my brain with steel wool now…
JGabriel
John Cole
Are ordinary threads false?
Just so we know, for future reference.
.
JGabriel
Damn. And here I thought my self-esteem was low.
I mean, how desparate do you have to be to consider tapping Ann Althouse?
.
kommrade jakevich
John was born a poor black child…
Tattoosydney
I was browsing through the Corner to see what the idiots were up to – it’s a little boring over there – KLo crapping on about Caroline Kennedy being appointed to the Supreme Court, Derbyshire mulling the death of conservatism… blah blah blah…
However, this stood out for me…
What a dickhead.
jenniebee
Ho-lee shit, MR Bill wasn’t kidding about the wacky comments:
I like the HALOesque sign off.
Peace, out!
Comrade Jake
@robertdsc:
Right, then this comment from Gray:
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest this numbnut doesn’t read BJ on a regular basis.
Tattoosydney
Meanwhile, Wonkette’s cunning plan to take over the "Rebuild the GOP" website has been temporarily foiled as "Truck Nutz for all!!" appears to have been deleted just as it was hitting number one…
Mind you there is still a lot of comedy gold in there to vote for… some snark…
and some so mindless they must be real…
Woo! Sign me up for a "Rebuild the GOP Party" Party. Alaskan meth for everyone!!
Josh Hueco
Isn’t that what NRA types claim the second amendment was intended to do?
bago
Not "just as" it was hitting #1. Long after it hit #1. TRUCK NUTZ 4 MAH BITTERSZ!!!!
Comrade Jake
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting pretty tired of seeing Palin on the teevee in the morning. There’s some irony that now she wants to do a lot of interviews.
I assume she’s trying to redeem her image or something, but I don’t think she’s really helping herself. Mostly at this point she’s just annoying as all heck.
Tattoosydney
@bago:
I stand corrected…
"Truck Nutz for Cars as well as F-150" is working its way up the rankings though….
Punchy
Hey Cole….uh….yeah. Armando’s pissed at you.
No surprise, of course.
Original Lee
Larison has had several posts about some recent statements by Obama about inserting the U.S. into the India-Pakistan negotiations over Kashmir. I’m assuming that Obama is pushing this because his advisors see a national security advantage to resolving the issue, but is Larison right that Obama appears to be on the wrong track? This is not my area of expertise at all.
Comrade Jake
I would resist getting into a pissing match with Mr. Cheese Dick (aka BTD) over at TalkLeft. I’m glad he has his little corner of the universe mostly to himself. Seriously, TalkLeft has maybe ten rabid PUMA fans left.
Tattoosydney
@Punchy:
Punctuation, is not Amand’os strong point is, it?
Gravenstone
@Comrade Jake:
Maybe he considers Neti Pot addiction, beer snobbery and indentured servitude to a portly feline to be fine masculine traits?
Brian J
I think most Democrats are where people would consider the center to be.
I’d write a longer response explaining my thoughts on this, but (a) my stomach hurts, (b) I have to take my car in, and (c) I have to call the dealership for the warranty information. Thus, maybe in an hour or so.
robertdsc
I can’t look at her anymore. She’s pretty and all, or at least I think so, but the hate and stupid bleeds through. Her Neiman-Marxism is a real drag, too. Also.
Cyrus
Andrew Sullivan linked to Nate Silver (prophet) about Proposition 8. Silver apparently disagrees with Michael D.
Not to restart that long, angry comment thread, but I think genuinely interesting.
Josh Hueco
OT, but is there a bigger tool on all of sports talk radio than Colin Cowherd? It’s only 15 minutes into this morning’s show and he’s already repeated his number one talking point 4,267 times.
Stooleo
I missed the dog thread last night, but I wanted to claim the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. His name is Charlie. Corgis can be a bit stubborn so they need a firm hand, but mostly they are playful, happy hams. Here is a video of Charlie doing silly tricks.
RememberNovember
please keep the rectal thermometer to yourself.
Jon H
Thread? What, are you Atrios now?
demimondian
@Jon H: Well, to be more accurate, it should be "rope" here. As in "Giving the commenters enough to hang themselves with".
CT
@Josh
Hear, hear re: Cowherd. That guy is all kinds of stupid-reminds me a lot of BTD, now that I think about it-all bluster and argument by assertion, repeated endlessly. He repels facts like turtle wax (note to self: save that line for my next hip hop joint).
I recall him ranting once about how an NBA team should never draft a college center, because of so many high profile busts, while you NEVER see that with college point guards. He was deluged with counter examples from callers and emailers, and he would respond by asserting that some crappy point guard really was a good pro. I switched him off as he launched into a spirited defense of Pearl Washington’s NBA career.
Brian J
Yes, and no.
I don’t particularly mind that she’s on television all the time, because I don’t watch her interviews. I haven’t even read that Newsweek piece that revealed all of the juicy gossip on how crappy it was inside the McCain campaign. At this point, I don’t really care that much. If she’s going to try to run in 2012, she’s got to start to rehabilitate her image now, at least in the sense that she tries to put the rumors of her being an idiot to rest. I don’t know if time is the key part of people accepting the idea of someone being president, but if it’s not, then she has more work to do to make her seem ready.
I do want her to go away, sort of, because I don’t imagine her ever being ready to run a campaign that wouldn’t lose in a landslide. I don’t know if she’s stupid, but she seems willfully shallow. And whatever sort of comedic elements she brought by her entrance onto the national stage aren’t as funny now that the election is over.
Josh Hueco
@CT:
When I still lived in Oregon, Cowherd was a local TV anchor and radio guy. Back then, he actually had some thoughtful, out-of-the-box things to say about sports and fandom. But once he hit the big time it’s been nothing but his big ego and lame schtick, 24/7. That’ probably why my brain hurts when I listen to him now, because he’s become another hack pandering to his niche audience.
Comrade Darkness
So Larison believes that U.S.-India relations are fragile and that’s the basis for his assumptions. I would say that’s an outrightly false assumption. I’ve been to India, reactionary editorials are standard fare there and have little effect on policy, so citing them as evidence is a mistake. He’s wrong too that Bush did well because he ignored kashmir. He did well because he negotiated a ridiculously lopsided India-favored nuclear policy with them. That alone should buy U.S. leadership rather a lot of pull on any other topic. What, suddenly the Right is in favor of total political give-aways with no expectation of buying influence or at least good favor? Let me make a note of that, cuz that’s gonna come up again, I’m certain.
India is awakening as an independent powerhouse and as part of the cultural changes there is a lot of blinders-on rhetoric and history rewriting going on in the interest of national ego building, but India is so huge and so diverse that any such rhetoric can only represent the views of a minority. The grace of U.S. attention still holds enormous sway, especially with the people themselves. So, yes, it’s a political minefield, but I expect Obama knows to go into it with attitude of assisting the dialog rather than one of sitting recalcatrant children down for a good talking to. Just because Bush couldn’t differentiate those two, doesn’t mean no one can.
Kashmir, once stabilized, could be bribed with the lure of tourist money to remain stable. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. There is always the chance that if you get them past the hump and into a growing economy that, like Northern Ireland, the troublemakers will begin to be seen not as heros but as thugs. So there is a chance. But Obama is not going to "solve" this. He can maybe "move it forward". Solving is not possible over the short 2 terms of a u.s. presidency.
J.
Goo goo g’joob.
Are you the Walrus, John?
Since it’s open mic morning, any you folks concerned about all these government bailouts? Just this morning I read in the New York Times Online that now law firms are hurting big time. Next thing you know we’ll be bailing out the lawyers. Pathetic.
Punchy
yall know that Cowherd is a die-hard Republican, right? that’s why he’s such a pompass blowhard
Josh Hueco
@Punchy:
Well, Keith Olbermann is a pompous blowhard, but he’s smart and liberal and has something worthwhile to say. Cowherd…not so much.
South of I-10
Why does it always have to be in Louisiana? What a bunch of friggin morons. I guess the only upside is that they are killing each other. The pictures are pretty much exactly what I would expect. *Sigh*
Freelancer
I’d have better use for a Thermos.
Dave
OT – http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/12/news/economy/paulson/index.htm
Nice. So, the original purpose of the bailout money is no longer accurate –
"Paulson also said the government is no longer planning to buy troubled mortgage assets, the original goal of the plan."
Is now –
"broaden the reach of the $700 billion bailout plan to support non-bank financial institutions that provide consumer credit, such as credit cards and auto loans."
Earth to Congress –
Oversight. Yes, Please.
schlagle
great post. I love that movie. Pic of me Halloween ’02:
The Jerk
NonWonderDog (НеинтереснаяСобака)
@Tattoosydney:
I of course participated in the glorious TruckNutz! r[love]ution, but there’s something on that page I hadn’t noticed before:
That just blows my mind. There’s a hammer and sickle character? Anyone know the unicode for that?
demimondian
@NonWonderDog (НеинтереснаяСобака): You asked, we answered. Here’s a reference, which indicates that the character is U+262D, which would be [ampersand] [octothorpe] x262D [semicolon]: ☭.