Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

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

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

We will not go back.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

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

He really is that stupid.

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78Comments

  1. 1.

    beltane

    Well, we finally got some snow. But it’s not too cold out so it shouldn’t linger indefinitely. I think I’m still going to plant some lettuce in the greenhouse.

  4. 4.

    Rey

    I’m so excited for the HCR summit on tv tomorrow. Will be the first time in 2 weeks that I have turned on CNN, MSNBC or whichever I choose to watch. Yes! 2 weeks free of MSM- it feels great.

  6. 6.

    Sentient Puddle

    @eastriver: As I was about to go to bed last night, I flipped over to MSNBC and caught Canada vs. China in women curling. I’m not one for either summer or winter Olympics, but I found it oddly compelling.

    That and there were some real hotties on the floor.

  8. 8.

    gnomedad

    Joannie Rochette’s performance was heartrending. Not a word from the commentators. Classy, for once.

  10. 10.

    JohnR

    @Sentient Puddle:

    Yeah the “Naked Women of Curling” Calendars have been my favorites the past couple of years. Too bad that’s become too risque’ for Neopuritan North America anymore.

  11. 11.

    EIGRP

    For the whole Leviticus “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” thing, does that mean it’s an abomination only if the guy has a vagina?

    -Eric

  13. 13.

    eastriver

    @Sentient Puddle:

    It’s weird because I used to think the opposite; Winter Olypmics suck, Summer Olympics rock.

    But it changed for me this year. And I think it’s 2 things.

    1) This is a little grizzly, but the Georgian slider’s death reminded us all that there’s always a chance that a winter Olympian can die. At any moment. Not so much in the summer games. (Other than heat stroke, or freak javelin spearing.) But in any of the skiing events there’s always a chance that — without warning — there can be red snow. And that possibility makes it that much more exciting. (I’m right, right?)

    2) High-def has transformed sports. Now you can actually see the puck in hockey during long shots, the only decent way to view hockey. And the winter vistas are fucking beautiful. (Vancouver is going to get a huge tourism bump from the games.) And super-slo-mo kicks ass in HD. (And the hotties are that much hotter.)

  14. 14.

    Sentient Puddle

    @JohnR: Wait what? Clearly I’ve been missing out…I must know how to get my hands on that! If it’s even possible any more…

  16. 16.

    demo woman

    @Rey: They released the agenda for tomorrows meeting.

    a. The President will offer opening comments, followed by Republican and Democratic Members chosen by their colleagues………………………………………………………..
    b. They’ll then move to discussions around four themes:
    i Controlling costs – introduced by the President
    ii. Insurance reforms – introduced by Secretary Sebelius
    iii. Reducing the deficit – introduced by the Vice President
    iv. Expanding coverage – introduced by the President

    I’m disappointed because I think that the President needs to take charge. The forum appears to allow the repubs to lie about their plans.

  17. 17.

    martha

    @eastriver: We made a quick trip to British Columbia last fall and took the ferry over to Vancouver Island and explored there for a couple of days and then took the ferry over to the mainland, drove up to Whistler, back to Vancouver, and then back to the US. It was incredibly gorgeous. The people were wonderful. And Vancouver was an incredible city (I spent many years in SF, so I know it pretty well). I kept calling it SF without the snotty attitude… We’ll be back soon for a longer trip and soon.

  18. 18.

    raptusregaliter

    Can anybody still watch “Lost” without laughing? These goobers have been wandering back and forth across the island for five years, and none of them have seen the big-ass lighthouse that’s right next to the beach!? Good Lord.

  20. 20.

    gbear

    @eastriver:

    This is a little grizzly, but the Georgian slider’s death reminded us all that there’s always a chance that a winter Olympian can die. At any moment.

    You must be a huge NASCAR fan.

  22. 22.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    @EIGRP:
    Funny how nobody ever mentions that as a tiny religious and ethnic minority adrift in the already much fought over terrain of the middle east circa 1st Millennium BCE the ancient Israelites had sound demographic reasons to try to do everything they could to increase their birthrates, including using the full authority of their religious tradition to push the idea that sex = babymaking and nothing else. And that those ideas are less than desirable ideals for the whole rest of humanity, to put it mildly. Not to mention that the more demographically secure Greeks and Romans had rather different ideas on the subject.

  27. 27.

    ellaesther

    I have been assimilated to the Borg collective, and become a member of the Twitter nation. I now realize that resistance was, indeed, futile.

    I kind of hate myself a little.

  30. 30.

    Ash Can

    @demo woman: Who says he won’t take charge, or that the Republicans will get away with lies? I doubt that this is going to be like a high school debate or a Press the Face program. It’ll be a relatively small group, and he (or anyone else) is likely to have ample opportunity to call bullshit when he hears it, which, as he demonstrated at the GOP retreat, he’s not bashful about doing. If anything, I’ll bet Obama will be having flashbacks on his days as a UofC law prof.

  31. 31.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    @raptusregaliter:

    These goobers have been wandering back and forth across the island for five years, and none of them have seen the big-ass lighthouse that’s right next to the beach!?

    Crikey, enough about Health Care Reform already.

  34. 34.

    Betsy

    @eastriver:
    True, but I discovered last night the single most boring (to watch) sport of either: x-country skiing. My LORD was that dull! I’m sure it’s very hard work and takes skill etc. etc., but they don’t go very fast and there aren’t any tricks. What could possibly be interesting about x-country skiing?!

  38. 38.

    MikeJ

    What could possibly be interesting about x-country skiing?!

    It’s the same as long distance running. And like you, I appreciate the athleticism involved, but watching is pretty dull. At least race walking is comical.

  41. 41.

    soonergrunt

    @eastriver: I love the winter olympics, but let’s not kid ourselves. The winter olympics are the rich man’s olympics.
    Many winter sports require a lot of infrastructure that isn’t available even in other wintery climes.
    Many of these sports venues have no other use than as venues for the specific sport. Bobsled, anyone?
    At least a hockey arena, which still has a big cost associated with the ice rink can be converted to other sports like gymnastics or basketball or such like or even used as concert venues.
    Anybody anywhere can run though and hurdles aren’t that hard to make or build, just as a couple of examples.

  43. 43.

    DonBelacquaDelPurgatorio

    Just to keep all the blog personnel records straight ….

    In the last couple of weeks we have experienced a death in the family, an accident to another family member not unlike the one John had, and our own (planned) surgery. There has been time for reflection.

    I just heard a gentleman on CNN saying that after a couple of years of trying to make it without health insurance, he has come to the conclusion that the people in congress need to retire and go do something useful like making donuts, or maybe cars, because they sure aren’t any good at legislating. His assertion certainly resonated with me.

    The government has now degraded to the point at which it no longer serves the needs of the people. I don’t know for sure if the people in Washington understand this, but I believe that it won’t be long before they do, unless they make some serious changes and some serious progress in a seriously short period of time.

  44. 44.

    beltane

    @Keith: So Stapleton quit working for the quitter. There has to be a joke in there. Who will Sarah’s next brain be?

    I will now have to saunter over to Wonkette to catch the latest on this exciting development.

  46. 46.

    Keith

    @beltane:
    What I want to know is why would she have quit to spend more time with her kid when she could have just schlepped her along the book tour like a loaf of French bread.

  50. 50.

    beltane

    @soonergrunt: It really depends where you live. For example, through my kids’ public school they can get a seasons’ ski pass for only $100 (including transportation to and from the mountain) while they have absolutely no access to a swimming pool, a football field or track and field facilities. Kids grow up playing whatever is available to them. An Olympic skier from Florida would likely be a rich kid, but this is not necessarily the case for someone from VT, NH, or ME.

  51. 51.

    demo woman

    @Ash Can: Sibelius is handling the segment on Insurance Reform and although I think she is doing a commendable job, I don’t think she has the voice necessary to correct the repubs. We need The Rock to show up.
    I do like your take on it though. Take good notes cuz I have a dentist appointment in the morning.

  52. 52.

    soonergrunt

    @soonergrunt:
    Let us also remember that most winter sports require substantial investments in personal equipment before anyone ever gets a look at the athlete as a potential future olympian. These sports are rarely for poor or lower middle class people even in the richer countries that can afford the infrastructure.
    Decent skis, boots, and poles can cost $200-$300 for the set to start, to say nothing of lift fees, clothing, and such.
    Hockey equipment? Wow.

  55. 55.

    sparky

    @DonBelacquaDelPurgatorio: sorry to read of your troubles. i hope the recovering folks do so as quickly as their health and patience permit.

    disagree with you though as to the incipient Revolution. americans seem to have a very high tolerance for having their flesh removed, perhaps because they are distracted by various spectacles whilst it happens. even in those rare moments of public vengeance, the public is usually sated by hauling some bastard off to the pokey rather than fixing the system that generates the bastards. it’s not a coincidence that “pragmatism” has always been in vogue in the US of A.

  56. 56.

    LuciaMia

    Ha,
    “Politico breaks this story on Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s spending habits: “Steele is spending twice as much as his recent predecessors on private planes and paying more for limousines, catering and flowers — expenses that are infuriating the party’s major donors who say Republicans need every penny they can get for the fight to win back Congress. Most recently, donors grumbled when Steele hired renowned chef Wolfgang Puck’s local crew to cater the RNC’s Christmas party inside the trendy Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, and then moved its annual winter meeting from Washington to Hawaii. For some major GOP donors, both decisions were symbolic of the kind of wasteful spending habits they claim has become endemic to his tenure at the RNC.”

    Didn’t he run his own consulting firm into the ground? Should have been a word to the wise.

  57. 57.

    Origuy

    I worked with Debi Thomas’s mom when Debi was in Juniors through to the 1988 Olympics. The family wasn’t rich; her parents were divorced and her mom was a computer programmer. They got up before dawn and drove for miles to get access to private time on the ice.

  58. 58.

    soonergrunt

    @beltane: but again, equipment rental/purchase is still a discriminator.
    I grew up downhill skiing in Wyoming and Colorado. Our school district in Colorado did the same thing you’re talking about. There were still kids who didn’t have that opportunity then, and wouldn’t today because the cost of entry hurdle is pretty high.

    I’m just saying that winter sports (and the olympics for them) are not as egalitarian as the summer ones. Your kids could still run down the road in their everyday sneakers, for example, and so could the kids whose parents can’t afford $300 for equipment every couple of years. Heck, you don’t even need shoes at the most basic level.

  60. 60.

    Nellcote

    @Keith:

    Meg Stapleton quit working for Sarah Palin.

    She was probably pushed out by Bill Kristol or another of the Villagers working for LaPalin these days.

    btw Is cspan the only one carrying the hcr meetup tomorrow? I note a dirth of advertising on the cables. I was dreading the “Healthcare Showdown!” ads but haven’t seen any.

  61. 61.

    Cain

    Some of you may remember back in August or so that my grandfather turned a 100. Unfortunately, things have turned for the worse, and he’s in the hospital and possibly dying. But he’s fighting it though. He’s become a bit of a cause celebre at the hospital in Bombay with lots of doctors trying to help out.

    You just can’t get that kind of care and attention in the U.S. of course it helps that my grandfather is fairly charming even if he’s lost half his brain cells, his memory maybe gone but his personality hasn’t. I’m hoping he will be able to put off death a while longer.

    cain

  62. 62.

    Ash Can

    I mentioned in a previous thread that Spencer Ackerman was live-blogging the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Blackwater shenanigans in Afghanistan. Well, here’s the rundown so far. Between a (willfully?) clueless military command and an overtly crooked Blackwater operation, this is turning out to be quite the shitpile.

  63. 63.

    Origuy

    If you’ve been watching the curling and wondering where you can get pants like the Norwegian team, here you go.
    I heard an interview with the owner of the company, based in Sonoma, CA. He got an order from Norway and filled it without knowing who it was for. He found out when he got a call to exchange a pair.

  64. 64.

    bemused

    @DonBelacquaDelPurgatorio:
    If only former legislators would go out & do something useful, to others & not just themselves. Just doesn’t happen.
    Ex Gov Jon Corzine recently said that Goldman Sachs is unpopular because “when you are successfuyl, it brings envy”. Corzine is also in talks to become a regular guest host & commenter on cnbc.

  65. 65.

    soonergrunt

    @LuciaMia: Yes, and she’s doing OK. Thanks for asking.
    She has what the Vet described as an “infected cyst” on her jaw muscle. He drained that, put her in the cone of shame, and gave us a prescription for an antibiotic that costs $4.00 through our insurance for humans but for which my wife paid $51.00.
    The fuzzball will be good to go in a couple of days.

  66. 66.

    Chyron HR

    From Google ads:

    Another Unfair Bailout…
    Don’t let Congress pass another one Help stop the Brown Bailout

    NOOO WHY DID THE GREAT WHITE HOPE BETRAY US?

  68. 68.

    Ash Can

    @LuciaMia: LOL! He knows the RNC honchos can’t do jack about it, so he’s soaking their sorry asses for everything he can get! Too funny! Just like Sarah Palin — I pile on her for having the IQ of a cinder block, but I really don’t give her enough credit for her ability to identify a mark and then shake it down for everything it’s got. It appears that Michael Steele is cut from the same cloth.

    Grifters and the Republican Party — a match made in heaven.

  70. 70.

    twiffer

    @Betsy: biathalon. cross-country skiing interrupted by occassional target shooting. i don’t think anyone actually trains for it; they just grab random backwoods canadians and scandanavians and alaskans and ship ’em off to the games.

  76. 76.

    ellaesther

    @eemom: Leading to the question: Do you think he writes his own tweets?

    That should be my tagline:

    Follow @emilylhauser — unlike the Dalai Lama, she writes her own damn tweets!

  77. 77.

    Admiral_Komack

    raptusregaliter

    Can anybody still watch “Lost” without laughing? These goobers have been wandering back and forth across the island for five years, and none of them have seen the big-ass lighthouse that’s right next to the beach!? Good Lord.

    -“Gilligan’s Island: The Next Generation”

  78. 78.

    Jenn

    @soonergrunt:

    BTW, re. cones of shame — you can actually buy inflatable neck rings that (depending on the injury) can work just as well as the cone, but are somewhat less disorienting for the animal. My elderly dog perpetually runs into stuff with the cone on, and she’s wobbly enough now that she doesn’t need anything else to help knock her down!, so the inflatable ring is great!

    re. the expensiveness of winter sports, to a large extent I agree with you, though I’d disagree with you with cross-country skiing — I have a great time with my garage sale specials (which actually are pretty decent), and no ski passes needed! But I’d agree, there’s really no sport anywhere, winter or summer, that can beat running for egalitarianism.

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