Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

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

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

This really is a full service blog.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

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

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

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

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Smackdown

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  1. 1.

    Ivan Ivanovich Renko

    Damn right she will. Grandma Nancy is one tough old broad.

    And I say this as someone thoroughly in favor of tough old broads.

  2. 2.

    Robin G.

    That is an awesome picture and caption combo. Kudos.

    In off-topicness, I need to get off the political blogs and make lunch, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.

  3. 3.

    r€nato

    Other than that she’s on the other side… wtf is up with the visceral hatred and cries of ‘treason’ wrt Pelosi?

    She’s not shamefully corrupt like all those House Republicans from the Bush years.

    She rarely, if ever, commits verbal gaffes or otherwise sets out to antagonize right-wingers.

    She seems to have made her fortune legitimately and, as far as we know, has a perfectly ordinary private life.

    She’s not some wild-eyed radical lefty sociaIist.

    The only things I can think of, are that she’s from Frisco and she’s good at her job.

    I’ve yet to have a right-winger explain to me what’s so horrible about Pelosi.

  4. 4.

    Legalize

    Since this is an open thread and all, Robert Morris is in the process of rolling ‘Nova. And blowing up my bracket.

  7. 7.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    Of all the Congressional Democratic leadership she is my favorite. She got a decent HCR bill passed and it had a public option and it looks like she’ll be able to push a final bill over the hump. Good for her.

  8. 8.

    Uloborus

    Right. But she doesn’t need the baby, because she could fuck you up whether or not she was a ‘woman’ and ‘mother’.

    But she CAN, so she WILL.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    @Legalize:

    You’re shitting me. OMG, it will be cah-ray-zee around here if they beat ‘Nova. My sister is a prof there and they are praying for a good showing this year at the Big Dance.

  11. 11.

    Legalize

    @geg6: CBS’ has the free on demand viewer. You can watch the first round games on your computer – provided you don’t get timed-out ever few minutes. It’s pretty awesome.

  12. 12.

    Robin G.

    @Corner Stone: It’s a thought. Really, I’ve only got the stuff for mung beans and rice; I’m out of flour, pasta, sugar, butter, vegetables, and all leftovers. I really ought to go shopping at some point…

  13. 13.

    Colette

    I feel an inordinate amount of almost completely unjustifed pride in saying: that is my congressperson. You’re welcome, America.

    ‘Nova is going to turn Obama’s bracket into a smoking ruin.

  14. 14.

    Corner Stone

    That picture is great but really the star of it, the baby, has a little panache, a little jennay say kwah about her.
    She seems to be rising to the moment.

  15. 15.

    Mnemosyne

    @r€nato:

    Other than that she’s on the other side… wtf is up with the visceral hatred and cries of ‘treason’ wrt Pelosi?

    Quite a few people on our side viscerally dislike her, too, and I’m not quite sure why. Apparently there’s something about her voice and mannerisms that set some people off. Maybe she reminds some people of their least favorite junior high teacher, the one who was always sending you to detention?

  16. 16.

    geg6

    @r€nato:

    The only things I can think of, are that she’s from Frisco and she’s good at her job. I’ve yet to have a right-winger explain to me what’s so horrible about Pelosi.

    You forget the most glaringly obvious: her vagina.

  19. 19.

    Robin G.

    @Mnemosyne:

    Quite a few people on our side viscerally dislike her, too, and I’m not quite sure why.

    When the Dems took the House back, she took impeachment off the table immediately, before any investigations had even been done. There’s plenty of arguments in favor of that decision, as well as arguments against it, but that unleashed a lot of liberal anger that hasn’t gone away.

  23. 23.

    HumboldtBlue

    Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkk … that sound you hear is every fucking bracket in the country going kablooey … come on CATS! You’re supposed to have Jesus AND Augustine on your goddamned side!

  25. 25.

    ChrisB

    Just want to note that I am officially in last place in the BJ pool thanks to Notre Dame.

  26. 26.

    licensed to kill time

    That picture just changed size or my eyes are playing the trix on me…

  27. 27.

    MikeJ

    Thanks to Comrade Coffin in the earlier thread for pointing out Steve Cohen’s remarks on Alex Chilton. He’s in what used to be Harold Ford’s seat. Can you imagine him even noticing? Or if he did, can you imagine him saying anything at all, much less anything worthwhile?

    I had previous said Steve Cohen was possibly my favorite politician on earth. Noting the passing of a hometown legend that others would have ignored confirms what a good guy he is.

  33. 33.

    The Dangerman

    @geg6:

    You forget the most glaringly obvious: her vagina.

    Oh so close; it’s her Democratic Vagina.

    If she was African American, too, it would be a complete meltdown.

  34. 34.

    Mnemosyne

    @Robin G.:

    No, I’m thinking of my co-worker who’s not that plugged into electoral politics and probably never gave that a thought. And yet there’s something that she viscerally dislikes about Pelosi’s appearance, voice and mannerisms. When I tell her about Pelosi keeping the caucus in line, she’s willing to say that Pelosi’s annoying qualities are useful to us as Democrats, but she just can’t get past those qualities.

    This is someone who keeps a Barack Obama calendar at work and at home, so she’s not a secret teabagger. She just really, really dislikes Nancy Pelosi on an emotional (non-reasoning) level.

  38. 38.

    mandarama

    Based merely on the crazy rantings of all the guys I knew back in high school, now popping up on my FB feed…they hate Pelosi because she’s a woman who seriously strongarms. Never mind that she’s just meeting her job description…chicks who bust balls like that are just WRONG. And Fox News and Glenn Beck really, really feed that fear. There are lots of liberals more liberal than Pelosi, but they aren’t as skeery.

    But these same dudes say all the time that they aren’t racist, they just hate BHO for his sockalism. I’m like, “hon, I went to high school with you. You ARE a racist. So were your parents. And your nice old grandparents. And mine, too. It’s called ‘Mississippi.'”

  40. 40.

    Ash Can

    she’ll fuck you up with one hand while holding a baby in the other.

    And she’ll smile while she’s doing it. And so will we.

    Oh, and attention maintenance: cleanup in Aisle Boehner.

  41. 41.

    LuciaMia

    I’ve yet to have a right-winger explain to me what’s so horrible about Pelosi.

    Just like they can’t quite explain what’s so wonderful about Palin (except she’s so gosh-darned ‘real’) or why she’d make a dandy president.

  43. 43.

    Sentient Puddle

    Ooh, didn’t know the NCAA had begun.

    And it appears that my first coin flip landed good! Har!!

  45. 45.

    mandarama

    Damn, I used the sockalism word. FYWP.

    Oh well, while I’m here:
    @mandarama:
    I have to exempt my mom from the above. She didn’t grow up in MS, but came there as a teen when her dad retired from the Army to his birthplace. So she basically argued to her parents, my dad, his parents, and everyone else she ever met that racism was wrong. Thank God. Some of the church ladies thought I would be a bad influence on their kids b/c my mom was a Yankee, and I’m grateful every day for all her bad influencing!

  46. 46.

    LuciaMia

    i like how the baby is the only one looking at the camera

    Babies do love cameras. All you have to do is pull one out and they zero in on it like a laser beam.

  48. 48.

    Da Bomb

    @The Dangerman:

    If she was African American, too, it would be a complete meltdown.

    If she was half-african american heads would implode, (example: Obama). But just think if she had like an afro or locks, with two black parents, rapture would be impending.

  49. 49.

    Corner Stone

    @Mnemosyne:

    No, I’m thinking of my co-worker who’s not that plugged into electoral politics and probably never gave that a thought. And yet there’s something that she viscerally dislikes about Pelosi’s appearance, voice and mannerisms. When I tell her about Pelosi keeping the caucus in line, she’s willing to say that Pelosi’s annoying qualities are useful to us as Democrats, but she just can’t get past those qualities.

    It’s the same thing the right did to Hillary.
    Those effects persist to this day. People can’t really point to anything beyond “she’s divisive”, or “she’s polarizing”.
    Pelosi will get tagged with similar.

  52. 52.

    General Egali Tarian Stuck

    @Legalize:

    Looks like Villanova is going to pull it out, thank gawd since they are in my final four. But Fl lost which I picked. But it doesn’t much matter since there are about 400 in the pool this year, which blows my feeble mind.

  57. 57.

    kay

    Pelosi said at her press conference that her caucus is not a “rubber stamp” and that they’re diverse and they debate, and she likes that.

    I laughed because it’s such an obvious lie :)

  58. 58.

    Robin G.

    @schrodinger’s cat: A few defrosted habaneros from my garden last summer, and half an onion. They’re going in the rice/mung bean pot.

    @Mnemosyne: Ah. Well, I can’t stand Kyra Sedgwick — something about her makes me want to kick puppies. Sometimes that’s just how things go, I guess. If your friend has the Obama calendar, that’s the important thing.

    @Corner Stone: Heh. We’ll manage. I’ve still got a box of mac and cheese for tonight. The problem is I’ve lost my keys, and I keep forgetting to ask my husband to leave the front door key before he goes to work… so I can’t leave the house until he gets home.

  59. 59.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Mnemosyne: I think it’s a strong female thing. Sometimes, strong women just don’t like other strong women. I love the three-ish generations of women in this pic.

    And, Old Dominion, bitchez. I think we should stop while I’m one for one (I hate ND, so I picked against them).

    P.S. I did not need to hear Bill Rafferty or whoever is doing the ‘Nova game say, “And he stroked it admirably.”

  61. 61.

    Colette

    @kay:

    Pelosi said at her press conference that her caucus is not a “rubber stamp” and that they’re diverse and they debate, and she likes that.

    I don’t think it’s actually a lie – she likes to watch them be all diverse and debate-y, the way a cat likes to watch the little mousies play before pouncing on them and eating them.

  63. 63.

    licensed to kill time

    The one thing I can think of that superficially bugs me about Pelosi is the odd clicking noise she makes when she speaks, like she has dentures or something.

    Like I said, totally superficial but it distracts me a bit. I second asiangrrlMN in the “strong female = threatening” to some people. Though why “crazy bug eyed loon” a la Bachmann and Palin does not equal threatening is a mystery to me. Those types are the really scary ones.

  67. 67.

    Ash Can

    @Paddy: Wait, what? Tom Coburn is issuing threats? Tom Fucking Coburn?

    Oooh, he’ll put a hold on someone. Scary.

    Now, more than ever, I’m convinced that HCR is a done deal. Next thing you know, these guys will be pulling fire alarms in the hall and spraying Silly String around the chamber to delay a vote.

  68. 68.

    4jkb4ia

    @flukebucket:
    Scottie Reynolds will be on “One Shining Moment” now!

    It is my house. NOTHING has been done to it. I have no right to any miracles.

  70. 70.

    kay

    @Colette:

    This is a person who sets the table for breakfast immediately after she clears the dinner table. Her daughter revealed that.

    She can say anything she wants about how she revels in chaos, and loves a lively debate, and cat-herding.

    I don’t believe her :)

  71. 71.

    Fergus Wooster

    Late to the punch, but she really has come shining through in this.

    She’s the perfect foil to Reid. Senators should take note and elect a majority leader with some spine and sense of strategery.

  72. 72.

    Tax Analyst

    @Paul L.:

    Note population of the US 330 million.
    Pelosi: 500 million jobs lost every month

    Jeezus, you are such a tool.

  73. 73.

    Gozer

    B-Ball question!

    Should I root for KU (my alma mater) or Lehigh (wife’s current employer) tonight?

  74. 74.

    Corner Stone

    @Robin G.: Well, I survived for literally weeks at a time on cheap pork chops and spanish rice when I was young and poor. So to me it sounds like a virtual smorgasbord going on there.

    Come to think of it, I haven’t had that for probably more than 20 years. Probably a good reason.

  76. 76.

    The Dangerman

    @asiangrrlMN:

    …or whoever is doing the ‘Nova game say, “And he stroked it admirably.

    It’s ALWAYS stroked admirably.

    Oh, we were talking foul shot; nevermind.

  77. 77.

    geg6

    Benen puts this all in perspective:

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_03/022927.php

    Think about the scope of the task — Democrats were told they needed a health care reform bill that spends a lot of money on covering the uninsured, lowers the deficit, strengthens Medicare, helps businesses, eases government budgets, protects consumers, and controls costs, all at the same time. It would also need to earn the blessing of Congressional Budget Office, the American Medical Association, the AARP, and the nation’s largest labor unions. Democrats were also told they needed to do all of this in the face of unanimous and apoplectic Republican opposition, far-right manipulation of gullible conservative activists, and media coverage that largely ignores the substance of the bill while pretending every right-wing attack deserves attention. This is a needle that’s almost impossible to thread. And yet, that’s exactly what the White House and congressional leaders have done. It’s no small feat.

  78. 78.

    ellaesther

    Hey, y’all, our very own Grand Panjandrum (GP, are you still here? Hello, hello?) asked Sen. Jeanne Shaheen a question in a live webchat re: the US-Israeli relationship, and I have posted his question, her answer, and my scintillating analysis over at my place:


    Senator Jeanne Shaheen talks about the US-Israeli relationship and Israeli-Palestinian peace    .

    Also, and not incidentally: Grandma Nancy! Whoot! That is a fabulous picture, and I thank you for it!

  79. 79.

    Corner Stone

    @Paul L.: C’mon man.
    I for one enjoy your anti-hive mind posts. But this is like when I call people out on their typos here.
    It’s just weak sauce, and should only be done for amusement.

  83. 83.

    Legalize

    Wow, Paul L’s Pelosi clip is only a year old. And the stimulus passed. As will heath care reform. Because of Pelosi. One can only imagine how difficult it must be for a stupid person like Nancy Pelosi to get so much done in the House. It must really bind Paul L’s panties to have such a stupid woman get the best of him … over and over and over and over again.

  87. 87.

    mcc

    FYI, Bilerico Project organized a blogswarm today for the lgbt Employment Nondiscrimination Act. They are asking people to call Nancy Pelosi and ask that the Employment Nondiscrimination Act come up for a vote (something which, with the health care bill permanently done with in the House, the House will have a lot of time to do). The Chairman of the Education and Labor committee says he is ready for markup but that Pelosi has told him to wait for now, so Pelosi is in this case the person to pressure here.

  89. 89.

    rikyrah

    I love that she can shiv you without raising her voice…

    and she does it in designer clothes and nary a hair out of place.

  90. 90.

    flukebucket

    @Paul L.:

    This one reminds me of the email I received from my sister today all in a tizzy about the fact that Obama said something to somebody about 3,000%

    Her co-workers are all Palin voters and were acting like it was an impeachable offense of some kind.

    I don’t even know what the hell it was and didn’t want to take the time to find out so I just told her to tell her co-workers that it was an innocent slip of the tongue and to go pound sand.

    Jeezus. March madness starts today and the loons are focusing on bullshit.

    America… Where wings take dream

  91. 91.

    Corner Stone

    @The Dangerman:

    It’s all in the placement of the hands and the release.

    You have to let it go at the peak of your motion. Put a nice arc on it to get the shooter’s roll.

    Ok, that’s it for me on this one.

  92. 92.

    Chat Noir

    After the 2006 election, Brian Williams interviewed Nancy Pelosi about becoming the first woman Speaker of the House. She was also quite proud of being the first Italian-American Speaker of the House (I liked that immensely, given that I’m 1/2 Italian on my mom’s side).

    She also likes to say she’s first a mother and a grandmother. Having raised 5 kids was good training for being Speaker.

  93. 93.

    Legalize

    @flukebucket:
    I got that email too. I call them failmails. For obvious reasons. The only reply I can bother to send back is “scoreboard.”

  95. 95.

    jibeaux

    Well, re: visceral dislike of Nancy Pelosi, I don’t, but I’ve heard the gossip that she can be quite the diva, of the “green room better not have that brand of bottled water” variety, but heck if I remember what that was in connection with. You know, somebody who knew somebody who worked for a university she visited, that kind of thoroughly substantiated thing.

  96. 96.

    Corner Stone

    @flukebucket:

    Jeezus. March madness starts today and the loons are focusing on bullshit.

    I used to really enjoy college b-ball and especially March Madness. Vegas during MM is a fucking riot, even though it is sausage central.
    But then they changed the rule and let freshman leave to go Pro and it was impossible to really root for any team. All the greatest players and talent went straight selfish to highlight their badassness, and the team element suffered for it.
    Not blaming them, the money is life changing and can’t be denied.
    But it killed it for me.

  100. 100.

    SIA

    @r€nato:

    Other than that she’s on the other side… wtf is up with the visceral hatred and cries of ‘treason’ wrt Pelosi?

    Someone’s probably already answered this, but, she’s a WOMAN, a LIBERAL, with POWER, and NOT YOUNG

  101. 101.

    jibeaux

    @Legalize:

    I’m not on that email list, and it doesn’t sound like I’m missing anything, but of course 3000% is possible if you’re not talking about fractions of a whole, as in the costs of health care have risen 3000% since 1892 or whatever.

  102. 102.

    Tenzil Kem

    Nancy Pelosi’s not just a grandmother. She’s an ITALIAN grandmother. Every mob boss ever imagined by an Italian writer was patterned on their mom or grandma. BECAUSE IF YOU FUCK WITH AN ITALIAN GRANDMOTHER, SHE WILL DESTROY YOU. That face she made when Joe Wilson had his temper tantrum? It is not a face you want directed at you. Ever.

  103. 103.

    madmommy

    Damn it all to hell. Just got home to find I am already 1-3 in my picks. BYU and Notre Dame totally screwed me over. At least Murray St is beating Vandy, and my other picks are looking OK. I might just be able to salvage the day. Still can’t believe how many Juicers picked perfectly already!

  105. 105.

    Anya

    I just read at GOS that Lt. Dan Choi, an advocate for the repeal of DADT, has chained himself to the fence in front of the White House.

    Why the fuck would he do that. Choi had recently been deployed on active duty – after he came out. He was in DC today to testify at a Senate hearing on the DADT repeal. So why would he risk his career for this stunt when the milatary brass are leading the DADT repeal.

  106. 106.

    J. Michael Neal

    I originally read the caption as “Pelosi—she’ll fuck you with one hand while holding a baby in the other.” I think that’s actually a better image.

    “Stupak, you better vote for this bill, or I’m gonna stick this fist right up your ass. No, really. I’m gonna fuck you.”

    On a different subject, I’d like some advice on a job interview situation. When asked why I left my last job, my answer recently has been that I wanted to go back to school, and that, while I like finance and trading, the environment of actually being on a trading floor didn’t appeal to me. IU specifically mention that a workplace where half of the communication with your fellow employees is conducted by screaming at each other at the top of your lungs from a distance of ten feet had lost its appeal. That usually gets a chuckle, has the benefit of being pretty close to the actual truth, but I’ve wondered whether or not it’s actually counterproductive.

    I came up with an alternative that does not have the benefit of being why I left Citi, but is something I actually believe. I’m pretty sure that I can say it with a straight face and not feel bad about lying. Do folks think a better answer would be to say that I looked at my job and decided that it their wasn’t any value produced? Sure, I was making a lot of money, and had the potential to make Citi some money, too, but I couldn’t (and still can’t, really) see how society as a whole was any better off if I was good at what I was doing. I love trading, but really think we’d all be better off if we figured out how to prevent me from making money the way I made money.

    Would something like that be a better answer, and, if so, what kind of employers would it be better for?

  107. 107.

    flukebucket

    At least Murray St is beating Vandy,

    Dear God. That makes me glad I am still at work.

    @jibeaux:

    It was some shit about he said you could save 3,000% on something somehow so I know it was just a slip of the tongue.

    Some people just find joy in finding the goofiest shit in the world to obsess over.

    Speaking of which, now I see that Sam Houston is giving Baylor all they can handle. Damn.

  108. 108.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Corner Stone: What, you’re happier with a system where athletes pretend to go to class, taking up an enrollment spot of someone who might actually want to get an education? You like the idea of telling adults that they have to do their job for free for three years before we will let anyone pay them for their work at a rate commensurable with what it is worth?

  110. 110.

    geg6

    @J. Michael Neal:

    Depends on the jobs you’re looking for, but I like your original answer. The second one might be one I’d use if I was interviewing for a more socially conscious company or something to do with working with the financially downtrodden.

  111. 111.

    JohnR

    About damn time the old Bawlamer D’Alessandro strain came out in that woman. She had been a terrible disappointment up to now – all left-coast pudding-ified. Maybe the spirit of her Granddad gave her a few midnight pep talks or something.

  113. 113.

    SIA

    @Anya: I kind of cringed when I saw that headline also. He is such a credible advocate for repeal of DADT, I worry that dramatics like this move him into Cindy Sheehan territory. I haven’t read the full story yet so maybe there’s more there there.

  114. 114.

    geg6

    This line from an email by one of Sully’s readers regarding the Vatican meltdown cracked me up:

    I’m surprised the NYT was willing to use the words “molestation” and “abuse.” I think “enhanced affection” is more appropriate.

    Ba dum bump.

  115. 115.

    Dr. Morpheus

    @Tom Hilton:

    I think we need a photo of Madame Speaker (maybe this one) with the caption “Everybody chill the fuck out—I got this”.

    QFT!

  116. 116.

    WereBear

    @J. Michael Neal: I create a different resume for each job I apply for. After all, I’m multi-faceted! Why not show off my best sides to them?

    You can tailor your reasoning to the interview the same way as your resume. And I can’t reccomend What Color Is Your Parachute? highly enough. It was written by a US spy who applied his learning during WWII to the task of finding a job. It can get you Fired Up! and Ready to Go!

  117. 117.

    Xenos

    @Mnemosyne:

    Maybe she reminds some people of their least favorite junior high teacher, the one who was always sending you to detention?

    Yeah, but I am now an adult and I realize that I deserved to be sent to detention.

    In any case, I am sure Pelosi picks up the phone when the nuns call.

  118. 118.

    ellaesther

    @asiangrrlMN: Thank you very much for saying so! As someone who’s been following this shit for years, I can see such an enormous shift in language (about US-Israeli relations, about Israel’s responsibilities, about Palestinian rights — hell, about the fact of the Palestinian people!), and that shift usually has to come before change on the ground, I find.

    As I said in the post, I have no clue if it’s too little, too late. But it does mean something.

    And in an aside, how’s it shakin’, grrl?

  122. 122.

    asiangrrlMN

    @ellaesther: Yeah. The change, it happens so very excruciatingly slowly. It’s hard to see movement at all until one steps back and looks at the dreaded bigger picture.

    I’m still craving a Shamrock Shake, damn it. Sigh.

    Ok. I just got fucked by Murray State, but I don’t even care. I love upsets!

  123. 123.

    J. Michael Neal

    @WereBear: I haven’t looked at it, because self-help books almost never work for me. I operate in different ways than most people, apparently. It’s something my therapist and I have talked about a lot, because a lot of standard therapy techniques go nowhere with me. For instance, the whole idea of eliminating my negative thoughts and just having positive ones goes nowhere for me; it just feels like I’m lying to myself.

    For instance, I react negatively to your recommendation of What Color Is My Parachute. Attempts to get me Fired Up! and Ready to Go! just make me nervous and jittery, plus I feel like an idiot. I do just the opposite: I meditate before an interview.

    As for having different resumes, I don’t have a varied enough experience to do that. I really only have two jobs that are at all relevant to the kind of jobs I’m trying to get. I don’t think an accounting firm is interested in the fact that I was a security guard back in the early 1990s. I hardly have examples of making money for my company that I can list. I never kept up with that kind of stuff, because I was generally thinking it was a team effort. (I do have examples from trading where I can specifically point to *losing* significant amounts of money all on my own, but I don’t think they’re particularly helpful.)

  125. 125.

    Anya

    @SIA: He just ruined his credibility with this unfortunate stunt.

    I think the way the Administration handled this issue is smart. By letting the military take the lead, they kneecapped the opponents. These asshole senators cannot showboat or pull stupid stunts with generals and the Secretary of Defence. That is why we are not hearing much of outcry from the usual suspects (although one can argue that they spent all of their outrage on the HCR). I think they are flabbergasted by the strong support coming from the military that they are in a bit of shellshock.

    This stunt was not needed. His dignified testimony would have been enough. But what do I know, I am a shameful obot.

  126. 126.

    geg6

    @Anya:

    I’m no O-bot, but I agree with you completely. This was a stupid stunt. And honestly, if he wanted to make a more salient point, he’d have chained himself to the Capitol.

  127. 127.

    Joe Lisboa

    I’ve yet to have a right-winger explain to me what’s so horrible about Pelosi.

    She has a vagina. That’s it. There’s a bumpersticker that makes this self-evident but I’m not going to dignify it by quoting it here. The SF liberal stuff is just icing on the misogynistic cake.

  128. 128.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal: Come on man.
    You’re overthinking this. As usual. And yes, that can be a hindrance in certain situations.

    I’ve hired a hundred people over the past 10 years, +/-. Or interviewed them to pass on to the hiring individual.
    I can smell people like you before I ever say hello.
    You radiate bad joss.

    Little protip – I ask an innocuous question and then let people answer, and answer…and then when they slow down I look at them, nod a little bit, raise an eyebrow and smile a little to encourage.
    That’s when their freak flag comes out.

    I don’t know what JSF does for a living.
    But I’m a professional problem solver. I build teams around the world to complete projects/workouts.
    I wish you good luck in your search but I can tell from what you’ve posted here that you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

  130. 130.

    Maude

    @J. Michael Neal: I’ve had to come up with a reason before. I need to think about this. A combination of both?
    Non linear is good.
    I get my back up at advice books. I hate them.
    Too bad the name Citi isn’t reason enough.
    If I come up with anything that makes sense, I’ll catch you tomorrow.
    Have you ever thought of writing a book?
    I thought of that yesterday.
    One way to find out is make notes and see if it goes anywhere.
    For $19.99 you can buy my book called:
    You Too Can Become Rich and Famous in Thirty days
    Write Your Way To Fame and Fortune With Only 14 Easy Steps.

  131. 131.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Corner Stone:

    I’ve hired a hundred people over the past 10 years, +/-. Or interviewed them to pass on to the hiring individual. I can smell people like you before I ever say hello.

    Yeah, that’s probably why I still go to dinner with every boss I’ve had since 1996, except the one that replaced the boss I had in 2003. He asked one of the employees I supervised to do something illegal, and I quit on the spot when the owner backed him up; I haven’t seen him since.

    I’m pure poison.

  133. 133.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal:

    Yeah, that’s probably why I still go to dinner with every boss I’ve had since 1996, except the one that replaced the boss I had in 2003. He asked one of the employees I supervised to do something illegal, and I quit on the spot when the owner backed him up; I haven’t seen him since.

    In most cases it costs upwards of $250,000+ to replace the kind of people I hire and work with. Think about that for a minute. That’s time and money hanging round my neck.
    I’m sure you’re an angel, and I wish you good luck.

  134. 134.

    Corner Stone

    @Anya: Probably because you’re not very bright.
    But I’m not here to impress anyone, so whatever you like.

  138. 138.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal: Can’t be denied.
    But the point I’m trying to convey is that overly long or complex answers do not work well for interviews.
    They tell more about you than you think.
    Take it back a couple notches. Give them what they ask for, but don’t fill in all the blanks for them.
    They’re looking for a few things, not everything.

    Ah, anyway, good luck. I don’t want to see anyone out of a job.

  139. 139.

    kay

    @J. Michael Neal:

    I read most of your posts here, so I know your whole history, re: job.
    I would suggest that you’re going to get lost in the weeds if you spend too much time on Citi, and the process that got you back to school.
    I know the series of events, but they don’t have to, because they won’t really care, and I think specifying each step in the self-revelatory process will hurt you. You don’t have any positives in your new profession yet. You are going to end up reciting a series of negatives.
    You want to get as quickly as you can to the positive future.
    Just hit leaving Citi and move on. It doesn’t have to be an all-inclusive narrative to be honest. You left Citi to pursue a goal and you went back to school and here you are. The rest is essentially personal, and shouldn’t be relevant to your new employer.
    You are authentically passionate and articulate about your new profession. Spend time on that. Hit the past, because you can’t answer the question without doing so, but skip the thought process and mental journey that got you to school. You’re going to end up in the weeds, and there are going to be follow-up questions if you offer a narrative that you can’t predict.

  141. 141.

    YellowJournalism

    @flukebucket: I’ve seen that posted on many blogs I’ve been reading. There’s something else he said wrong, supposedly, that isn’t in the clip, too. Almost every post I’ve read says something about how if this had been Bush, the liberal media(!) would have been all over it and that Obama had gone off-prompter again.

    I hate the prompter stuff because it’s just the most ridiculous argument against the man, but I think it’s even worse that they’re taking Obama’s very few fumbles and trying to place them up against the numerous ones Bush made. That man made a gaffe every time he breathed.

  143. 143.

    debbie

    Pity Pelosi couldn’t have delivered that letter from the Catholic nuns to Stupak in person. He’d never have had the courage to say what he did to her face.

  144. 144.

    kay

    @Elie:

    Well, thank you. I do read his finance commentary.

    Cornerstone is a little bit right, unfortunately, on the question front.

    Open-ended questions get asked so the person will give an open-ended answer, which leads directly to explanations, and explanations alway sound defensive.

    I think it’s better if he describes the actions he took (those are positive) rather than any interior thought process that inspired the actions.

  145. 145.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Corner Stone:

    Take it back a couple notches. Give them what they ask for, but don’t fill in all the blanks for them.

    You would have saved us both a lot of time if you had just said that the first time, rather than trying to be snide.

    Jackass.

  146. 146.

    kay

    @debbie:

    I read a statement from Marcy Kaptur this morning (she was a Stupacker) that got my attention. Out of the blue she mentioned the Community Health Centers as an objection of hers.
    She didn’t elaborate, but what the hell?
    I’m thinking Community Health Centers are designed to serve poor and lower middle class women, and they are secular.
    Is that what they’re afraid of? That poor and lower middle class young women will have access to ordinary, non-religious based reproductive services?
    It’s speculation, but WTF? What liberal objects to a non-profit primary care outlet?

  147. 147.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal:

    Jackass.

    Can’t be denied.

    If I know anything about you at this point – it’s that you don’t take advice well.
    You may ask for it but that doesn’t mean you want it.
    You want to prove you’re right in a situation that will never call for that.
    You’d rather argue your way through to a brilliant, detailed analysis than shut the hell up, listen, and answer a little of what was asked. With a smile on your face and a slight air of confidence that you can handle your business.

  150. 150.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Corner Stone: I should also point out that, while I believe your answer, it’s an example of why I loathe the sort of people that do hiring. In polite society the actions you describe are a signal that the person you are talking to wants you to continue. So, your methods are designed to lead you to hire assholes who ignore common conversational cues, or people who have learned to mimic said assholes. You deliberately weed out people who behave normally and courteously.

    You’re a part of the problem.

  151. 151.

    kay

    @Corner Stone:

    We must be very brief and disciplined when answering questions that begin with “why”, because that can be a disaster. True. Good advice.

    I disagree with your whole worldview, other than that :)

  154. 154.

    Corner Stone

    @kay:

    I disagree with your whole worldview, other than that :)

    I’m actually glad to hear that.

  155. 155.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal:

    I should also point out that, while I believe your answer, it’s an example of why I loathe the sort of people that do hiring. In polite society the actions you describe are a signal that the person you are talking to wants you to continue. So, your methods are designed to lead you to hire assholes who ignore common conversational cues, or people who have learned to mimic said assholes. You deliberately weed out people who behave normally and courteously.
    …
    You’re a part of the problem.

    And this is an EXACT EXAMPLE of what I referred to.
    You don’t get it you fucking clown. I see you coming before you get off the elevator. I know just what to say and do to get to you. And the assholes too. It’s my living to bring things in on time and at cost. Think I waste my time on people that are going to disrupt that? You are one clueless individual.
    You talk about the people that do hiring, but guess what? Most of them can see the same thing in you in real life that’s glaringly obvious to us here on the blog.
    I don’t do hiring for a living, my job is usually to work with and for teams of people already in place. Sometimes I’m called to screen out for a set project life, sometimes I’m tasked to put one together.
    But it doesn’t matter. You are transparent to someone in my role in the job market.
    If you never believe anything else I tell you, believe this – you are doing yourself no favors on interviews.
    But this is a waste of pixels. As I said, you ask for advice but you do not want it. You’d rather argue at length with an HR Mgr than give a tight, concise answer and move on to emphasizing your strengths.
    You’re probably technically smart enough on the details to win that argument with some hiring managers. For all the good it will do you.

  156. 156.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Corner Stone:

    If you never believe anything else I tell you, believe this – you are doing yourself no favors on interviews.

    I actually know this. You don’t need to tell me. However, you also completely miss my point. It’s not that I have no idea what you are doing. It’s that I think it is loathsome. This whole approach you have coarsens public life. It may serve your narrow purposes, but the world is a worse place because you, and the others in your business, behave this way. You encourage people to lie to you, because honesty means that you are less likely to hire them. You lay traps that take advantage of people who behave in a way that is considered courteous in just about every other setting. You turn interviewing into an exercise in knowing how to solve tricks rather than providing information.

    Yeah, I know that you, and people like you consider that the best way to avoid wasting time. That’s why I said you’re a part of the problem. I don’t have any choice but to suck it up and play the game your way. That doesn’t make it ethical.

  157. 157.

    Corner Stone

    @J. Michael Neal: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

    Alright, you win this one man. I’m a bad guy who coarsens public life.
    If I had asked you to diagram this back and forth it could not be more funny to me.
    I do not make assholes dance a funny dance, I screen them out to get to the people who are going to contribute at a high level. Those people exist. I work with them every day.
    It is you who have completely missed the point here.

    But…keep on keepin’ on my self-righteous prig.

    P.S. May I suggest you start your own service, hang out your shingle in a nice suburb strip mall by the Subway sandwich shop and advertise in the weekly HOA newspaper?
    Because no one’s ever going to hire you into a mixed environment until you lose that fucking chip on your shoulder.

  158. 158.

    silentbeep

    @J. Michael Neal:

    I hate interviewing too. However, in the “real world” it’s actually not the expectation that when asked open-ended questions by strangers like “how are you?” or”tell me about yourself?” you actually give a long explanation, at least, in American culture. Unless you know somoene very well, giving a long open-ended answer to a seemingly personal question is really not socially acceptable. Should it be? I hate small talk myself and I would like to live in a culture where people “got deep” pretty quickly but that’s not the country I was raised in. Here in the U.S. in most places, giving polite, short answers without too much explanation is the way to go with open ended personal questions asked of you by a stranger- this dynamic is not that different in a job interview.

    Being concise, discrete and truthful are qualities prized in many industries: if you are able to answer a question with the above qualities shown that puts you in good standing.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks