Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Infrastructure week. at last.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

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

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

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

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

This fight is for everything.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Republicans in disarray!

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

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Reader Interactions

72Comments

  1. 1.

    jl

    But John Cole does not have the power to fix strike out hell in the comments.

    Because Cole is a weak librul who gave away all his nukes, just like Obama.

    I bet Tunch still has his nukes. All of them.

  2. 2.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    Because I’ve got the power to do that, and I don’t need no stinking up or down vote, either.

    Blogging would be much easier if it was a dictatorship, and you were the dictator.

  4. 4.

    demo woman

    Because this week has not been depressing enough, I decided to rent Angels in America.

  5. 5.

    Lurker

    @Redshirt:

    I have not yet seen it, but several friends who have do not recommend the stereoscopic 3D version. If you see this film, watch the version that does not require 3D glasses.

  6. 6.

    Doonhamer

    Pictures of the hike in Tucson Mountain Park I mentioned here last week.

    Mom’s 80th birthday tomorrow. Heading up to visit her and her sister (even older!), my brother and his daughter, who’s flying in from Florida for the occasion. Haven’t seen her in a few years. Should be a good time.

    Happy weekend everyone.

  8. 8.

    lamh31

    @Redshirt:

    I saw Clash. It was okay, nothing much. The guy from Avator and Terminator is very easy on the eyes, but he’s kinda a one trick pony at this point. He’s essentially a poor man’s Russell Crowe, down to the Australian accent. Any producer who’s looking for a Russell Crowe type, but cheaper, then this guy is for you. In fact, if someone does a movie where they need someone to pay Crowe’s younger brother, then this dude is it.

    BTW, see it in 2D, 3D is not worth it. The movie was not filmed for 3D, the studio added the 3D aspect afterwards.

  9. 9.

    MikeJ

    @Redshirt: I was never a Harry Hamlin fan. And while I don’t think actresses should be cast aside when they get older, a 50 year old Ursula Andress seemed wrong as Aphrodite.

  10. 10.

    Unabogie

    Hey folks. I know I mostly lurk here, but on occasion I’ve mentioned that my boss had a horrible stroke last Thanksgiving. Since that time, he’s been in a coma, then a breathing machine, and then had a trach in his throat. His arms are not working, so during all this time, we’ve had virtually no concept of how bad his brain has been damaged. I have a friend who is a neurologist who took a look at his scans and told me he’d likely never talk again, since the bleed was big and on the right side of his brain.

    Well, this week, they put in what they call a “speaking valve”, and he managed a few words. “Hi mom”. “Ok”.

    Then yesterday, his wife spoke with him for about an hour.

    Know what? I just got off the phone with the lucky bastard. He’s punchy as shit, but he knows everything he used to know. Bastard still knows the pythagorean theorum.

    Thought I’d share.

  11. 11.

    Keith G

    @Redshirt: Watch the old one with Harry Hamlin. He acts his way through the film as if he was a Malibu pool boy just given the script. Nothing wrong with that.

    And you get the added bonus of Sir Laurence Olivier chewing up some really fake scenery.

    The new one takes itself too seriously. No camp. but no greatness either. It does have a lot of extra combat
    that the original didn’t.

  12. 12.

    lamh31

    It’s gotta really stick in the craw of those Bill Clinton/Monica/Gennifer Flowers wing of the Repub/GOP that it looks like they ain’t gonna be finding any Monicas in the Obama’s closet.

    Obamas share private moment in public eye

    Washington (CNN) – On the driveway right outside the White House briefing room, a place where President Barack Obama rarely strolls during public hours, CNN caught a rare and personal exchange between the first couple.

    … Obama spotted his wife near the West Wing entrance and tried to get her attention. “Hey FLOTUS,” he shouted, then added, “I was just looking for you.” FLOTUS is the acronym for first lady of the United States.

    As CNN photojournalist Bill Alberter videotaped the encounter, the president joked, “Stop it guys, I haven’t seen my wife in a while.”

    The first lady, who seemed poised to deliver an affectionate greeting, was thwarted when the president said, “Let’s not do this in front of the cameras.”

    Instead they held hands and walked together into the West Wing like a married couple that had not seen each other since one of them made a quick jaunt to Prague to sign a new nuclear arms treaty.

  13. 13.

    demkat620

    Snuggled in bed. Dog curled up next to me. Long day tomorrow of Kids playing soccer.

    Gonna just chillax, can’t take anymore upheaval for awhile

    This court fight over the Stevens replacement will produce some of the worst stoopid we will see for years.

  15. 15.

    lamh31

    I’ll admit to being a fan of the original. I was a teenage, and nothing like crappy animotonic special effects, a cute guy and pure campy fun.

    Plus, I’ve always been a big Greek Gods fans.

  18. 18.

    Unabogie

    @jl:

    Thanks, me too. He’s only 40 years old and has two small kids. Way too young for this. And a great guy, to boot.

  19. 19.

    Mark S.

    Here’s a funny story involving Stevens:

    At one conference, Brennan expressed a strong view of the liberal side, and Rehnquist rejoined with an equally lengthy and strong conservative statement. “I agree with Bill,” Stevens said smiling, and he got a roaring laugh from the others.

  20. 20.

    tt crews

    Saw COTT on Monday, 2D. Somehow it managed to be not very exciting despite good ideas, eg, the jinn. My 10 yo loved it. The original is campy but better overall.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lamh31: I heart my POTUS and I heart my FLOTUS. They are adorable.

    /Bobotand Mobot

  24. 24.

    Elisabeth

    @lamh31:

    How dare the President deprive the American people of the opportunity to see him groping the First Lady. So much for transparency. Impeach the dude already!

  27. 27.

    Keith G

    Oh…I bake desserts and design and make cool things out of chocolate for my post professional career. This weekend a production company from the Food Channel is showing up to for a two day shoot. The owners are are cloud nine. All I can think about is how my production schedule is gonna get thrown in the ditch. Going in tomorrow at 4 AM so I can get my truffles done.

    I’ll keep ya posted on an air date.

  28. 28.

    Skepticat

    @Unabogie: Heck, I barely know the pythagorean theorum. I lost a dear friend to a stroke (at 50) and have another who’s battling back from one (at 45), so this is good to hear. If you get a chance, pick up Julia Garrison’s book Don’t Leave Me This Way: Or When I Get Back on My Feet You’ll Be Sorry.

  29. 29.

    lamh31

    Funny how even those who cheered her on in NOLA today don’t even think she’s qualified to be President. Sadly, some of them said yet, but I would bet they mean never, but they just don’t want to even admit it to themselves.

    But hey reporting is not supposed to be about reality or nothing.

    …But the SRLC, held two years before the presidential year, is traditionally an important cattle call for aspiring GOP presidential candidates, and the wide admiration for Palin among the rock-ribbed Dixie Republicans gathered in the room wasn’t matched by a confidence that she was ready to run…

    “I admire her for what she’s doing – I don’t think she’s electable,” said an Arkansas delegate, Kathy Ross, who said she hadn’t been “comfortable” with Palin as a vice presidential selection and didn’t think she was ready for that job either. “I can’t see her being president of the United States,” she said.

    The widening gap between Palin’s Republican stardom and her national prospects was reinforced Friday by a Fox News poll that found that 51% of registered voters say Palin’s support for a candidate would make them less likely to support that person, while only 25% say it would make them more likely. Even within GOP ranks, other polling shows that many in the party aren’t sure she’s qualified for the Oval Office.

    Not many would say so that directly here, but the distinction between Palin’s popularity as a figure who tells it like it is rather than as a potential president was on clear display – if at times difficult for sympathetic Republicans to voice…

  31. 31.

    Anne Laurie

    @Elisabeth:

    How dare the President deprive the American people of the opportunity to see him groping the First Lady. So much for transparency. Impeach the dude already!

    Yeah, and if they’d shared so much as a peck on the cheek, the Wingnuts Wurlitzer would be all “How DARE these people profane the Real Americans’ sanctuary with their lewd, low-class groping & animalistic urges! Also, since everyone knows married people over the age of 25 can never actually be interested in having sex with each other, what vile secrets are they trying to cover up with this exaggerated display of pseudo-affection?”

  32. 32.

    Incertus (Brian)

    @demkat620: Someone on Twitter suggested I change teams, but even if I wanted to, I can’t. My in-laws are originally from Philly, though they’ve been in south Florida for 40 years now. So the success of the Saints and the lack of championships for the Dolphins cancel each other out. If I switch to the Phillies now, they might run me out of the family.

  33. 33.

    Whackjob Militia Leader soonergrunt

    Yeah. You can do that. It’s your blog. Even better, you don’t block comments in a thread where people are calling you out for saying something stupid, ala TIDOS Yankee or as I like to call him, Treasonous Bastard.

  34. 34.

    Kobie

    @Unabogie: Great story. Hoping for his full recovery.

    I tend to lurk around here as well, not commenting very often. My father was diagnosed last week with cancer after a seizure and subsequent removal of a malignant brain tumor. He starts his treatments in a couple of weeks. Just thought I would share.

  36. 36.

    Whackjob Militia Leader soonergrunt

    @r€nato: I do so wish we had gotten screen caps. That whole thread was getting epic in it’s “Goddamn but you are one stupid motherfucker” ouvre.

  37. 37.

    r€nato

    @Kobie:

    someday he might mature enough (hey, it happened to Charles Johnson) to realize how long he’s been embarrassing himself publicly. I mean, blogs are the worst thing that ever happened to people who are too stupid to realize how stupid they are.

    At that point, he’d be wise just to killfile his entire blog and hope the cached copies disappear someday.

  38. 38.

    Mark S.

    @lamh31:

    The widening gap between Palin’s Republican stardom and her national prospects was reinforced Friday by a Fox News poll that found that 51% of registered voters say Palin’s support for a candidate would make them less likely to support that person, while only 25% say it would make them more likely.

    I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a poll phrased like that, but wow, that sounds terrible. Remind me again why people think she’ll ever be a player on the national stage.

  39. 39.

    Unabogie

    @Kobie:

    Good luck to you, Kobie. Cancer sucks. I look forward to your sappy post about how everyone underestimated your pops but you.

    Hang in there.

  40. 40.

    Kobie

    @r€nato: Charles Johnson was painfully ignorant for a long time, but I hesitate, even when LGF was at its nadir of asshattery, to pigeonhole him as “stupid.”

    Confederate Yankee, however, is just dumber than a sack of horse shit.

  43. 43.

    Kobie

    @Unabogie: Thanks, man. He’s in good spirits, all things considered, and he’s only 60 and in pretty good health (you know, outside of the cancer). So I’m confident that he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Still, it’s a pretty sobering diagnosis.

  46. 46.

    jibeaux

    @Unabogie:

    Awesome news, even with so-called friends quizzing him on theorems right outta the hospital. I keed, I keed. I love great stories, not enough of ’em.

  48. 48.

    PurpleGirl

    Thanks for the comments on COTT — now I’ll know which version to see. Although the Harryhausen one is thought of as cheesy by many people, the special effects are really quite classic. Ray Harryhausen was a master at creating special effects and stop-motion animation. His Medusa is incredible. (I think Jason and the Argonauts is one of the best features he made.) See

    http://www.rayharryhausen.com/index.php

  49. 49.

    Elisabeth

    @Anne Laurie:

    Think the wingnuts know that POTUS and FLOTUS have had sex in the White House? (If I lived there I’d have “inaugurated” every room by now.)

    Actually, for some reason, it creeps me out thinking about that but for totally different reasons. Kind of like how I know my parents didn’t have sex; I was found somewhere.

  51. 51.

    Elisabeth

    @Martian Buddy:

    The media has spent one tenth of the time covering the Ensign hush money scandal than they have on the love life of a certain athlete who shall remain nameless but is two stroked (oy, the golf terms-as-double-entendres) back at the Masters.

    Makes me very sad.

  57. 57.

    Mark S.

    @Elisabeth:

    Think the wingnuts know that POTUS and FLOTUS have had sex in the White House?

    You bet they’d freak out. They’d tell you that Ronald Reagan never took his coat off when he was in the White House, even to have sex.

  59. 59.

    Redshirt

    I saw the orginal COTTS dozens of times. It truly is a classic movie – fun, light, not too deep to be sure, but a blast and I think true to the actual original – Greek drama could be quite primitive with the special effects, for example.

    Thanks for all the reviews! I, too, now know what version I will watch: The HBO version.

  60. 60.

    Elisabeth

    @Kobie:

    @Mark S.:

    Oh I bet they’d go further and say St. Ronnie never had sex in the White House. It’s the people’s house and he was waaaayyyyy too respectful to defile it in such a manner.

    (Does make me wonder, though, if the mattresses get changed on a regular basis.)

  67. 67.

    Cacti

    @Elisabeth:

    The media has spent one tenth of the time covering the Ensign hush money scandal than they have on the love life of a certain athlete who shall remain nameless but is two stroked (oy, the golf terms-as-double-entendres) back at the Masters.

    The Nevada Senator has what is referred to as “the complexion for the protection”.

  68. 68.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @lamh31:

    Or how about that twit Dennis Miller who actually gloated that “women on the left” prolly hated Sarah Palin because it looked like she and Todd enjoyed good healthy sex. Okay, the good healthy sex part was his own creepy opinion.

  71. 71.

    burnspbesq

    @tatere:

    Nothing in this world is more painful than having to listen to Greenwald say “I told you so.” However, credit where credit is due: at least this time he admitted that he has not one scintilla of evidence in support of his theory as to why Johnsen’s nomination was scuppered.

    And there is a potential happy ending here: Obama could recess-appoint Marty Lederman, which is who Greenwald wants to be when he grows up.

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