Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

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

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. Do not congratulate. This is not business as usual.

I really should read my own blog.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

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

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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

The willow is too close to the house.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

The new republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

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

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

You are here: Home / Politics / Greetings

Greetings

by | 208 Comments

This post is in: 

Since 2004 I have been one of the many bloggers posting Diaries over at Daily Kos (known in some quarters as the Great Orange Satan). I was a bit of a specialist over there and most of my work concerned writing about my research into the Jack Abramoff scandal and corruption in Washington. I wrote under the pen name <a href=”http://www.dengre.dailykos.com”>dengre</a>. Here, I’ll use Dennis G, as is the local custom.

I started researching Abarmoff and his web of corruption back in 1999. In 1998 I was working to stop the sweatshops, human trafficking and labor abuse on the far away Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, a US Territory in the Western Pacific. It looked like a bi-partisan Bill had the votes to pass the House and the Senate and President Clinton was eager to sign it. It never came up for a vote and I wanted to find out why. That led to Abramoff and digging into his career, patrons, allies and associates led me to understand the very real and systematic Republican Culture of Corruption in Washington. Jack’s in jail, but the system of corruption lives on. It is an unexamined scandal, but more on that later.

Now some might say that all politicians are corrupt and/or that there is not a difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to corruption. While appealing in a cynical sort of way, it just is not true. There is a marked difference between the types of scandals and corruption that snare each Party. And there is a big difference in the way that each Party confronts scandal (see Vitter, David and Spitzer, Eliot as a point of reference). This is an issue I’ll dig into some over the coming weeks.

We are in an important time for our Nation and it matters what we do as we confront the problems we face. I think there is a big difference between the two Parties and the Republicans have proven that they are incompetent and far too morally compromised to lead, govern or even help solve the problems that we face as a result of the last time that they were in charge.

There is a big difference between the two Parties when it comes to the language, memes, ideas, spin, talking points and actions that they offer and I think it is important to be aware of those differences when discussing the daily panics of our modern political life.

When you embrace the other side’s talking points, memes, rhetoric and even conspiracy theories to score points in policy debates—you have lost the debate. And that is just what far too many in the Democratic Party (left, right and center) have been doing as of late. The effect is to divide the Democratic coalition and reinforce wing-nut messaging to Independents and swing voters. The stalled HCR debate and the special election in Massachusetts are by-products of this trend (IMHO).

Now, there is plenty that one could and should criticize Democrats for doing or not doing. This is true from President Obama on down. I just think one should be able to make their critique without buying into wing-nut frames/memes like “Democrats are always weak” or “Democrats are thugs” or “You can not trust Government” or Government is the problem” or “Democrats are more/just as corrupt as Republicans ever were” and so on.

I grew tired of this trend over at Dkos as various factions on multiple sides of the argument decided to spend way too much time and energy taking the fight to each other. And while there is a lot of great work being done over there, I decided that <a href=”http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/22/828646/-Goodbye-for-now.-Its-time-to-walk-away…-(Update)”>I needed to walk away</a> and do something else.

Over the weekend, John invited me to write here at Balloon Juice and so here I am.

I’m glad to have a place to post. Some will be short and there will be a few long ones with many details below the fold. I look forward to your feedback and discussion.

I want to thank John for inviting me to join the gang.

Cheers,

dengre

Reader Interactions

208Comments

  3. 3.

    Joy

    Welcome dengre! I’ve always enjoyed your diaries at DKos, but I haven’t been there for a long while for the same reasons. You’ll be a great addition.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Hello, Dennis G, and welcome! Your views sound like ones we will benefit from hearing and discussing and arguing about. I look forward to reading your posts and participating when I have something to say (or not).

    How many pets do you have, what kind, how old are the, names and pictures please :-)

    Again, welcome to you!

  9. 9.

    Annie

    Welcome to the best functionally, disfunctional, group in the blosphere…

    Do you have a pet? If yes, have you bathed the pet? If no, would you consider getting a pet, so we can talk bath issues?

  10. 10.

    Max

    Welcome! Most importantly though – What are your thoughts on Project Runway? Kidding.

    Very much look forward to reading your postings.

  12. 12.

    Yutsano

    Hajimemashite! Dozo yoroshiku desu! You’ve done some decent work in your life, I’m grateful for a chance to interact with you.

  14. 14.

    Deb SF

    This is fast becoming my favorite blog on the planet, though it’s been in the top 10 for a long time- what a talented group of writers. And reading you here, Dennis, will be a joy.

  16. 16.

    eastriver

    On an amusing note, about 10 minutes ago I took D Kos off my bookmark toolbar. I was growing weary of the BREAKING: shrillity.

    (you better not ignore the pet requests. you’ve entered the world of the fur fascists and their petophile porn. these folks don’t fuck around. if you don’t have a pet, you better pretend. or borrow a friend’s. good luck. and don’t order the veal.)

  19. 19.

    WarrenS

    Dennis – This is great news. While my browser’s homepage is still set to the GOS, I spend quite a bit of time here. I’m glad to know I’ll be able to keep learning more about the scum-of-the-earth weasels you spend your spare time researching. Honestly, how do you stand it?

  21. 21.

    jeff

    Hey Dennis, good for you and us both!

    I’m going to forget who you were at Kos, since I’m about as pissed off at the inhabitants there as I ever have been. Look forward to reading your ideas!

    Also, I second the pet thing. Cat or dog? Both right? Perfect!

  23. 23.

    KDP

    Welcome, and I look forward to your posts.

    Yes, please, pet info. Perhaps you’ve gone exotic and share your life with an bird, reptile or amphibian?

    Do you cook? Share recipes or descriptions of said food?

    Seriously though, it seems you’ll be a great addition here.

  24. 24.

    Alex S.

    Welcome! I saw your good-bye thread at Daily Kos and -to make a cheesy reference – I feel your pain.

  26. 26.

    snarkyspice

    I’m hanging out more here and less at Kos for the same reasons you stated. I read your ‘goodbye’ diary there and found it inspiring. So glad that John invited you to write here!

  27. 27.

    Annie

    Not to put too much pressure on you, but a large cat is not a bad idea…as well as several dogs and a ferret.

    And, hopefully, you can take and upload pictures. Pictures are essential to community bonding…

    By the way, do you cook?

  28. 28.

    ihop

    it also seems important here that you would be willing to sacrifice your body to save your pets from certain doom.

    my kittie says i had better damn not be snarky.

  29. 29.

    Dennis G.

    Yes, I have a pet.

    His name is Ben:

    He is a coonhound in winter. We got Ben from a shelter in Austin, TX back in 1995. He was almost two then. He’s pushing past 16 now and has the ailments one might expect with a dog of advanced years.

    We recently lost our other coonhound, Maggie, who past away last fall. She was only ten years old, but had a harder life before she was rescued.

    And goldfish are in the house as well.

    Cheers

  30. 30.

    vwcat

    OMG. I just read your farewell diary, D.
    It was so sad.
    I will not say anything to anyone about you. I am known at DK as Renior.
    I read this blog all the time but, rarely post. I really enjoy the humor used here while talking about the issues.
    It is a great place to for you.

  33. 33.

    Annie

    @Dennis G.:

    Sorry for your loss. It is never easy.

    However, you will fit right in. I think you are the first with a goldfish, and I guess bathing is not an issue here.

  34. 34.

    Guster

    Butternut squash risotto with leeks and sage.

    And I will be v. interested to see a robust critique of Obama and the Democrats that does not echo any right-wing narratives.

  36. 36.

    Violet

    Welcome! I’ve enjoyed your diaries at GOS and read your farewell post with some sadness, although I completely understand your decision, especially in the current environment.

    I look forward to your posts here!

  37. 37.

    Dennis G.

    And as to cooking: yes, I do.

    As a young lad growing up in Detroit I worked as cook at a natural foods restaurant in 1980-82 (foodies before our time). And I’ve kept it up ever since. I’ll post some about it in the future.

    Cheers

  38. 38.

    trinigal

    I don’t post here or at DKos, but I read both several times a day. It used to be I read DKos more and BJ less. Now I read DKos less and BJ more. Like eastriver, I’ve been thinking about removing DK from the toolbar. Maybe it’s time. I’m glad to see the more pragmatic aspects of DK migrating over here.

  40. 40.

    Short Bus Bully

    Wow, glad to have you here!

    @ John Cole:

    Good work on recruiting some good talent. And here I thought that you just sat around and took pictures of fat cats.

    Heh…

  42. 42.

    Jason Bylinowski

    Hello, Dennis G, and welcome to Team Churlish. You sound like a real research-friendly sort of guy and I tell you what, that sounds great to me. Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Annie: The problem with bathing goldfish is blotting them dry *after* their bath.

    @Dennis G: Yes, please, in due course let us see a picture of Ben. And whatever you’re having for dinner. I can tell already this is going to be a good fit.

  47. 47.

    Ellid

    Welcome aboard! Agreed about the rhetoric at DKos these days. Have you brought the cat crunchies for Tunch, Lord of All He can stuff down his gullet Surveys?

  48. 48.

    Dave Fud

    Glad to see you over here. I read several of your GOS diaries, and appreciated the amount of effort and diligence that you put into them. Those, and Valtin’s torture diaries were always quite haunting to me.

    Keep spotlighting the cockroaches.

  49. 49.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    Welcome to the hell hole we love to call our home on teh intert00bs dengre/Dennis G. I have read many of your posts at the GOS and you will be a nice addition to the Death Panel of Blog Overlords here that John (Tunch) presides over. You won’t find a bunch of friendlier assholes on the internet though the trolls can be pretty weak (we are still looking for a Darrell but only got a BOB (Brick Oven Bill Blockhead) but hope springs eternal here.

    I’ve followed your diaries at the GOS, including the last one about taking a break from there. It is clear that many there view you as a valuable member but if I were in your shoes I would think a break from the madness there is necessary for you to stay on. I gave up on that place as a community member in late 2005 for many reasons though I do still go there to look for the occasionally sane post. There are some good people there but sadly they get drowned out in the discord sown by ratfuckers and stupid people.

    A lot of newcomers like to say that this place is a mind-meld in lockstep with John but even a cursory glance at postings here tells a completely different story. It’s raucous and profane at times but somehow we live through it and persevere. Little is accomplished but much is discussed, though what is accomplished here can be pretty damned good when it happens.

    Anyway, welcome to our nightmare. ;)

  52. 52.

    Comrade Luke

    If this keeps on we’re going to have to rename this place the Great White Satan.

    Oh, and…welcome.

  54. 54.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Dennis G: BTW, we all seem to be on excellent behaviour tonight — “company manners” just for you — but sometimes someone over here will let slip an embarrassing and uncharacteristic “Fuck.” Doesn’t happen often, though.

  56. 56.

    Ash Can

    Oh, dengre, so good to see you here! You did splendid work at DKos. It’s wonderful to have you here.

    And I sure hope you don’t mind F-bombs…

  57. 57.

    asiangrrlMN

    Hola! Welcome. Got any cats? Back to the game. Enjoy your stay.

    @Dennis G.: Oops. I should read the thread first. Sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family.

    P.S. Cats are really great animals.

  58. 58.

    Ming

    Welcome, Dennis! What you propose to do sounds awesome. Now, in addition to disclosing your pets, names and photos thereof, we’ll need your recipes, your favorite songs from various decades, and your mopping habits (clothed or un-). And please fax your credenza immediately.

  59. 59.

    Anne Laurie

    I am proud to be a Democrat and I make no apologies for being one… I like my fractious, argumentative, welcoming, passionate Party. While some fractions drive me nuts, I am glad they are Democrats.
    __
    On the spectrum of ideology, I am an old school Liberal. I believe in Government. I think that it is important and that it is honorable. I think the Government can and should be part of the solutions facing our Country. While I believe that markets exists and that they have a place, I do not believe they are magic. In fact, I believe that they are dangerous without firm regulation.
    __
    I am also a progressive, and as such I believe that our Nation has made progress to perfect itself slowly, but steadily… As a progressive, I believe that it is my time to be in the fight and because I know my history, I know that this fight is also hard and that progress is always slow. I do not expect magic or quick success. Instead, I expect a hard fight against a powerful enemy that always has more resources. And because I am a progressive, I am also a pragmatist.
    __
    I believe in making the gains you can when you can and then coming back to build upon those gains. That is the story of the fight for justice in America. We win in small gains and so I do not get upset by setbacks and hardship. It is part of the progressive/liberal gig and it always has been that way.
    __
    I am certain that justice will prevail. To get there we need to do our part. We need to be ready to rise above the steady stream of disappointments and stand firm in the face of growing obstructions. We need to accept that we must fight and that we are in this thing together.

    Welcome, Dennis (or Dengre, if you prefer)! Never been a Kos reader (my fault, too ADD) but I look forward to reading your future work here.

  61. 61.

    amorphous

    Do you enjoy any types of desert that would make us question our most basic assumptions about you, New Guy?

  63. 63.

    DonBelacquaDelPurgatorio

    We are in an important time for our Nation and it matters what we do as we confront the problems we face. I think there is a big difference between the two Parties and the Republicans have proven that they are incompetent and far too morally compromised to lead, govern or even help solve the problems that we face as a result of the last time that they were in charge.

    I totally agree with this. Welcome to the best blog on the intertrons.

  64. 64.

    Jason Bylinowski

    By the way, I read your GBCW post on GOS and agreed with pretty much every word of it. I have never joined Daily Kos. There’s no hard explanation for that, I just haven’t, for whatever reason; maybe it’s because I have my own blog and I manage to get my rocks off there.

    Anyway if I were a member I would have left too, and these days I only check the site about once a week now because it’s so maddening, the shit that makes it to the front page these days. Like you, I too am not afraid to criticize the president, but I do think there is a practical limit, a finite line of criticism, where it goes from being a democratic exercise to being a exercise in self-slaughter. And right now, the heat is on the left, so….

    As Tallahassee says in Zombieland: time to nut up or shut up, people.

  66. 66.

    Something Fabulous

    @Jesse: I was scanning quickly and read this as “Boxers? Briefs?” Good Lord, give the man a MODICUM of privacy!

    …Till he settles in. Hee.

  68. 68.

    Keith G

    Hey Dennis. Glad to have you join in. Seems we have Detroit and Austin in common in some way. Looking forward to cool times.

  69. 69.

    used to be disgusted

    Welcome — I’ve enjoyed your posts at DKos. I think balloon juice is one of the best communities on the web, politically. Personally they’re a little weird — they seem to have this thing for pictures of pets.

  70. 70.

    AkaDad

    Welcome.

    Don’t expect people here to challenge you much. It’s like one big hive-mind here. Liberal ditto-heads basically.

  74. 74.

    Cain

    Welcome! You won’t find a greater bunch of people who are total assholes. :-) But we rock. And no pets will go unsheltered under our watch. Bring it.

    cain

  76. 76.

    CaseyL

    Popped on over from the football thread to say hi, and welcome to BJ!

    Wow: Cole recruited from the GOS?

    I am way impressed.

    Now I’m going back to the football thread.

    Read you real soon!

  78. 78.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    @SiubhanDuinne: “Doesn’t happen often, though.”

    Fuckin’ right, there’s absolutely no fucking around with cussing in this shit hole.

  81. 81.

    Jason Bylinowski

    @AkaDad: If you were in my circle of friends, I would be only too happy to challenge you to an arm-wrestling match if it would make you feel better. Shit, man: I might even let you win! Alas, nobody ever won an argument on the internet without ending up looking like a fool, so I’ll pass on that. But it’s clear that you don’t pay much attention to what goes on here.

    On second thought: or else it’s possibly clear that I missed your well intentioned sarcasm. I blame it on +3

  82. 82.

    Royce R.

    Hi Dennis,

    I’ve followed you from DK and look forward to continuing to read your posts. I think I’m going to like this new home.

  83. 83.

    rob!

    Welcome Dennis. I’m going to punch a hippie to celebrate your first post on BJ.

    –The Honorable Sen. Joe Lieberman

  84. 84.

    freelancer

    Welcome Dennis.

    I’ve never read you (that I know of) but I know John’s choice of frontpage contributors each has their own great value that they have proven time and time again. I look forward to your posts. Come for the level-headed attitude, stay for the beer, wine, pet, and nerd-blogging.

  88. 88.

    frigg

    Hey Dennis…jump in, the water’s fine! We’re all looking forward to seeing what’s on your mind. (PRESSURE!!!) Welcome to our li’l slum. Cheers, brother!

  89. 89.

    clonecone

    Leaving dkos was the best blog related thing I ever did. Hopefully you’ll be able to say the same.

  92. 92.

    Nicole

    As I tend to read balloon-juice on my way to work I like long posts that I can load up before I get on the subway and lose signal. I’m just saying. A single Anne Laurie post and comment thread can keep me entertained for my entire trip. Your introductory post gives me great hope. Welcome!

  93. 93.

    Woodbuster

    Welcome, dengre\Dennis. I enjoyed your diaries @Dkos and look forward to your work here!

    Fuckin’ A!

  94. 94.

    Chad N Freude

    There is nothing in your warm and gracious introduction to attack with sarcasm, obscenities, or pedantic nitpicks. You obviously got off the bus at the wrong stop. Nevertheless, I look forward to whatever you have to say here, and I’m glad to have another poster who writes well and can spell and punctuate. Welcome.

  96. 96.

    arguingwithsignposts

    Wait, is this the tuesday bomb we were supposed to be expecting, or another front-pager? if you don’t like cats, you are done with, sir!1!1!

    (FYI, I’m the depressive/suicidal one. You’ll see that brought up occasionally when I argue with someone else in the comments. I apologize in advance for whatever that may mean, because it seems to be important to some people)

  97. 97.

    General Winfield Stuck

    Welcome Dennis G.

    I run the superficial department here at Balloon Juice. and shoo away Grammer Nazi’s in my spare time.

    Here, pull my finger, see what happens :-)

  98. 98.

    Jules

    I bookmarked some of your diaries on Abarmoff at the time, very informative.
    Look forward to your contributions here.

  100. 100.

    BR

    Dennis – I’ve read your work at Dkos and always am impressed by folks who do real research and reporting on issues and try to break new stories. That’s what the blogs need more of. (It’s basically folks like you, Al Giordano’s operation at Narco News, and a few others who do sane, new reporting independent of the MSM.)

    I look forward to you breaking new stories here at Balloon Juice. And crowdsourcing some work to this community to do some digging.

  102. 102.

    erlking

    When you embrace the other side’s talking points, memes, rhetoric and even conspiracy theories to score points in policy debates—you have lost the debate.

    This. This. A thousand times this. I learned this lesson–the hard way–from my 6 year old and my 2 year old.

    And, yes, two year olds DO having talking points.

  107. 107.

    beabea

    Awesome. Glad to see you here.

    Loved your work at DKos, although I don’t go there much anymore for many of the same reasons you noted.

    Glad that when John saw you walking out the factory gates with your cardboard box of office supplies, he was there ready to offer you a new gig.

    Welcome Dennis! And way to go, John.

  115. 115.

    feebog

    Welcome aboard. I still read DKos and comment off and on. I enjoyed your body of work on the whole Abramhoff scandal and look forward to your posts here. BTW, they are not kidding about the pets. And sorry, goldfish won’t cut it.

  118. 118.

    mclaren

    Excellent point. Although “specializing in [Republican] corruption” in Washington is sort of like an entomologist “specializing” in the order insecta. You have to narrow it down some before you can truly said to be “specializing”…for example, Republican corruption involving cocaine and underaged boys, or Republican corruption involving goats and animal stimulant, or Republican corruption involving murdering our troops by producing ineffective weapons, or Republican corruption involving cocains and underaged boys as bribes to produce ineffective weapons that murder our troops…and so on.

    You have to be specific. “Republican corruption in Washington” is a domain so enormous and so galactically vast that it’s like talking about “the Greater Magellanic Cloud” or “the local galactic cluster.”

  119. 119.

    Warren Terra

    Your first post is entirely too sincere and coherent and lacks sufficiently graphic vituperation and any obvious snark. You’ll have to work on all that.

    But joking aside, welcome! We’ll be gentle …

  120. 120.

    Jean

    Dennis, If you could rescue a tiny, finicky cat who only ate when coaxed and weighed about 9 lbs or less, that would be interesting to discuss on TUNCH threads.

  121. 121.

    Dennis G.

    I’ve place a photo of Ben up in a new post.

    Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I’ll be able to better respond to specific comments as I grok this whole WP thing.

    Cheers

    dengre

  125. 125.

    wasabi gasp

    Hello new hippie.

    @AkaDad: I blame the kid that asked Obama to legalize the weeds. America just wasn’t ready for that shitty answer. Fuckin’ kids.

  126. 126.

    Calming Influence

    Greetings back atcha, big guy. We’re always happy to welcome fresh meat voices here in the Juice Pit.

    Seriously, John couldn’t have offered you a spot here at a better time; here’s the comment I almost left on one of his posts earlier today:

    Is anyone else really starting to hate reading the Balloon Juice comments? What happened to the laughter? Does anybody remember laughter?

    I’ve done my share of sniping over the past few weeks, and taken some good shots in return. But until I read your post, I was under the impression that some of my favorite posters and commenters had turned into huge fucking assholes virtually overnight. Now I understand that they’re just mush-headed douche-nozzles who completely missed that I’ve been right all along.

    Hopefully they’ll read your post carefully and take its message to heart.

  130. 130.

    askew

    I’ve been lurking at Balloon Juice for awhile now. Congratulating dengre/Dennis G becoming a front-page poster here seems like a good reason to unlurk.

    Congrats on the new home. Happy to see you here.

  132. 132.

    darryl

    She was only ten years old, but had a harder life before she was rescued.

    I’m not angry about people mistreating animals, so much as I am baffled. Same with mistreating your woman. Even if I did want to hit my woman, which I never would, I know damn well I’m going to be going to sleep some time in the next 24 hrs, and the kitchen is about 10 feet away and I keep the knives all slicey. So even if I was a homicidal maniac I wouldn’t hit my woman just out of self-preservation.

    I work with an elderly woman named Patty and she says “Women just don’t think that way. My momma got beat, and when it went to court, the judge asked her why she was provokin’ my daddy inta beatin’ her.”

    Well, this is the South.

  135. 135.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Calming Influence:

    But until I read your post, I was under the impression that some of my favorite posters and commenters had turned into huge fucking assholes virtually overnight. Now I understand that they’re just mush-headed douche-nozzles who completely missed that I’ve been right all along.

    This from the person who chooses “calming influence” as a nym?

    We are all just mush-headed douche-nozzles now. :)

  137. 137.

    Chad N Freude

    @Task Force Ripper: Damn! My I’m-so-hip-I-know-all-these-cultural-references detector just went on the fritz. What’s the line (until I get the detector repaired, of course)?

  141. 141.

    Dennis G.

    To darryl

    Maggie came into our family on a trip to South Carolina about nine years ago. Friends of Friends were driving down the interstate when they saw a van pull over and drop off a dog by the side of the road. The van drove off and the dog wandered into traffic and was hit. That was Maggie. She had just had a litter of puppies (most likely for some puppy mill outfit) and they decided to get rid of her by dropping her off on the interstate.

    As we already had one coonhound our friend convinced us that we needed a second one. We took Maggie home on a “try out” basis. She was always nervous and had serious food issues, but she was a great dog. We hope her nine years with us helped to balance out her first year of hardship.

    I’ll get a photo up of her one day.

    Cheers

    dengre

  148. 148.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Chad N Freude #130

    And here was I thinking “The Day the Laughter Died” was going to link to an unamused helicopter. They… are… not… laughing.

  161. 161.

    Chad N Freude

    @Calming Influence: OK, I laughed out loud at that with nobody else in the room. I think it’s time to go to bed so I can got to Corporate-Overlordville tomorrow to earn the few pitiful pennies I need to spend on my Internet connection instead of food.

    Knock, knock.
    Who’s there?
    Albie.
    Albie who?
    .
    .
    .
    Albie Bock.

  162. 162.

    drag0n

    Nice to see you here Dennis. I used to follow your work although I haven’t read you for awhile since I largely abandoned DK months ago. Being from Canada, so not really having a dog in the race, I just found the chronic ankle-biting over there to be just plain irritating to read.

    I look forward to reading your posts again :-)

  163. 163.

    Martin

    Ooh, welcome Dennis! Great work covering Abramoff – you were one of my must read bloggers over at GOS. Good to have you on board.

  167. 167.

    Yutsano

    @Dennis G.:

    I’ll be able to better respond to specific comments as I grok this whole WP thing.

    One other piece of BJ lore you will grok very quickly. FYWP. Or, Fuck You WordPress. We use this phrase early and often.

  170. 170.

    merrinc

    We’ve been without power since shortly before 10am (no, that is not a typo) and I’ve been trying to conserve my laptop and MyFi so pardon the lateness of my welcome. I read your GBCW last week and concurred with your sentiments. Very glad to see you here at B-J!

  171. 171.

    Lauren R.

    Thank you for sending me the link. I will of course be following you here. Most of my gang at dKos seems to have dispersed to other locations. It reminds me of the scene in Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye and Lazar Wolf are getting ready to leave Anatevka. One says, “I’m going to New York, America.” The other says, “I’m going to Chicago, America.” Then the first says, “We’re going to be neighbors.”

    I have been doing most of my posting at Tikkun Daily as their health care blogger. So I guess we’re neighbors.

    And yes, you are absolutely correct. Hurling right wing talking points at other dems does not help. We need to keep our disagreements to discussions over policy and strategy. It’s much more productive.

  173. 173.

    cotterperson

    Glad I stumbled over here, Dennis. I treasure your excellent work!

    The think that troubles me most at DKos is the division you mentioned that some of the talk generates. We simply cannot afford it if we hope to regain any part of our democracy.

  175. 175.

    Liberty60

    I just think one should be able to make their critique without buying into wing-nut frames/memes

    Hear hear, a welcome sentiment.

  176. 176.

    Mahakali Overdrive

    I’d long heard well off balloon juice, but dengre being here very much seals the deal in my frenetic search for political reason and focus both. I sincerely look forward to reading more from someone whom I’d consider a gold standard in blogging. Thanks for this greatly needed perspective.

  178. 178.

    Platonicspoof

    @BR:
    Seconding the welcome and appreciation for any investigative reporting.

    I read your last post at GOS (which I still rely on to hear about political news of relevance to me), and really, really tried to make it through the comments (= 10%).

    @Comrade Luke:

    If this keeps on we’re going to have to rename this place the Great White Satan.

    Or Great Furry Satan, so as to not hurt Lily’s delicate feelings.

  179. 179.

    Uriel

    @Task Force Ripper:

    or…sock, shoe, sock, shoe?

    This sounds awfully similar to some of the “No Foot Care Reform memes I’ve been seeing crop up on Red State” lately. Or maybe you picked it up at FDL.

    Are you really expecting us to believe this argument against the FCR bill being made in good faith, and consistent with liberal/ progressive philosophies? And not merely a rehash of the obnoxious “anti-birkenstock” conspiracy-theory laden propaganda Grover Norquist has been throwing around lately? Because I find that hard to believe.

    Good luck, Dennis- it seems you have your work cut out for you.

    (BTW- I remember the laughter. Like dust in a candle that’s blowin’ in the wind that cries “mary.” Not saying I’m all that good at generating it. But, I do remember.)

  181. 181.

    BruinKid

    dengre!! Great to see you blogging again! I’m still on DailyKos, I just try to avoid those kinds of diaries and focus on the progress that can be made.

  183. 183.

    Doctor Science

    Dennis/dengre! So glad to see you here! I frequently cite your posts on Abramoff as proof that bloggers can be real, true reporters — in a way that most professional reporters no longer are. To me, you’re the Charlie Savage of amateur reporting.

  184. 184.

    Trinity

    So glad to have you with us Dennis! I really appreciated the quality of your posts over at the GOS.

  185. 185.

    Ming

    Or Great Furry Satan, so as to not hurt Lily’s delicate feelings.

    Huge White Satan, after Tunch.

  187. 187.

    panicbean

    I was so pleased to click here this morning and see this post! It is wonderful to know that I will be reading you again, here or there. Welcome!

  188. 188.

    mandarama

    Welcome, Dennis G. I also looked forward to your posts at Kos, back when I could stand to visit there.

    as I grok this whole WP thing.

    Yeah…good luck with that. Learn to say FYWP!!!

    We’re glad to have you!

  189. 189.

    Michael

    Loved your diary. I’d have commented except that I’d committed GOS seppuku a few days before.

  190. 190.

    aimai

    Wow, this comment thread really started to make a kind of sense that was…not…until I read the time stamps. You guys need to get a good night’s sleep.

    But welcome Dennis, I wondered if you all would be coming over here last week when I read some comment over at GOS about how nice it was at Balloon Juice, so nice like the olden days when we all held hands are were proactive, or something. I almost tiptoed back here to warn John there was going to be an invasion, but I see now its more like bringing in the Hessians, or something. Hope that we can civilize the hordes heading here from GOS, or that they can civilize us.

    aimai

  192. 192.

    arguingwithsignposts

    back up, the clouds are rising, coffee’s ingesting, and time to say welcome, again, to the front page. may your posts be substantive, your humor biting, and may @calming influence have a seriously nice day.

  195. 195.

    geg6

    Welcome Dennis! I read some of your Abramoff stuff on GOS and you are a great addition to BJ. Kudos to John for bringing you aboard. You are a true investigative journalist and that is something that can’t be lost to flame wars. And we’ll get to see another side of you, which is always the most fun here at BJ.

  197. 197.

    Tim I

    Pardon my belated welcome, but I avoid this site during NFL Championships. Football Flame Wars can get pretty rough around here.

    But the violence is muted during baseball season.

  198. 198.

    LarsThorwald

    Dennis, welcome. I have kept up with your writings since I began working on CNMI issues at DOJ. Yours is a welcome voice to the political process.

  200. 200.

    onceler

    Hehe. Indeed. It’s not bad policies that corrupt the public debate – it’s people noticing that they’re bad policies, and, gasp! commenting about it! If we could only get everyone who notices the myriad bad policies of this administration to stop noticing…things would be peachy.

    right.

  201. 201.

    Royston Vasey

    Hey indeedy!

    Hi Dengre. I read your last post over at GOS and recced (sp?) it.
    A bit sad to see someone of your calibre leaving, but thrilled that you have joined JC and co here at the Juice.

    Welcome! Looking forward to continuing to read your work.

  202. 202.

    Bender

    Guh. If this community college matriculation address is any indication, I can’t wait for your hopelessly shallow musings in the future.

  203. 203.

    sparky

    welcome!

    and thank you to John for enriching the roster (not that i am complaining :P).

    incidentally i happen to agree with your point. there is (or at least used to be) a fair amount of vitriol expressed here; at least much of it was well-aimed. these days, less so, though that may just be my perception, as i am out of step with many of the more recent commenters here. one of the best things about this place (speaking as a non-member of the community) is the diversity of knowledge here.

  204. 204.

    Calming Influence

    @Bender:
    Oh dear. Seems the bar opened a little early today. Unfortunately I’m at work, or I’d be playing catch-up.

  206. 206.

    Tax Analyst

    As always I’m somewhat late to the party. Welcome, Dennis G. May there be champagne for your real friends and real pain for your sham friends.

  207. 207.

    Little Dreamer

    Welcome Dennis. I used to read all of your diaries on the sweatshops. I used to spend a lot of time on GOS, I hardly ever go there anymore over the past couple of years.

    Glad to have you.

    Ummm, wanted to clarify something, you wrote something in your last diary on GOS that you didn’t want to get involved in the flame wars, you do realize we have those here too? They are mostly just for fun though, although sometimes they can get quite serious. Just realize, those don’t disappear because you’re here. Our flames are more spirited and fun than at that other place.

    ;)

    Enjoy your tenure here.

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