What the hell is going on? I go away for a few days, and my email box is filled with enough high octane bullshit to fuel the National Review for ten years. In the last four days, several people have written me to vent their deepest hatred of every single front page writer here with the exception of Tim F.
According to you all, ED is just spewing right-wing talking points, Dennis G. wants to murder Texans, DougJ offers nothing, Mistermix is too much like DougJ, Anne trivializes feminist issues with her snark and is too over the top, I’m too anti-religion and just as close-minded as when I was a Republican.
Folks- there is a comment section for a reason. Put those comments there, so the people you have a gripe with can address them. Stop yelling at me, because while I respect your opinions, I’m not going to be persuaded by you to remove someone’s front page privileges. Period. My philosophy when I ask people to write here I give them carte blanche, and they can pretty much write whatever they want. I’m not their editor. I’m not hovering over their shoulder with assignments telling them what they can and can not write. If they say something that pisses me off, I’ll write a post or a comment telling them I disagree.
There is a reason we don’t troll rate comments or posts here. If you aren’t mature enough to handle ideas that offend you, or ideas that you disagree with, or a some four letter words and pictures of fat cats, this really is the wrong venue for you.
*** Update ***
I forgot my favorite complaint- “You guys link to Sullivan too much.”
Pro-tip: DON’T. CLICK. THE. DAMNED. LINK.
moe99
Just a housekeeping comment–the borders seem to be missing on your posts, John.
clone12
Tim F should be hated on just so he doesn’t feel left out :-)
Dave C
When did the snarling mass of vicious jackals turn into delicate, wilting flowers?
shortstop
Wow, I don’t agree with a lot of those assessments of FPers. Watch for my 14-paragraph email explaining why.
Sentient Puddle
Tim F. doesn’t post enough about homebrew beer! Waaah!
(There, now everyone’s covered)
cmorenc
The folks who don’t like it here, should spend more of their time hanging out at DKos or whatever it is they regard as a more reliably progressive, substantive blog. However, I suspect that dissatisfied folks will have difficulty finding ANY blog or site that is sufficiently true and faithful to how they think it ought to be, and will sooner or later (mostly sooner) grow restless there as well.
roshan
I didn’t do it, Mom.
Waaaaaaaaaaah!
Waaaaaaaaaaah!
p.a.
That fucker? I bet ‘F’ isn’t even his real last name!
BDeevDad
Look for more email/visits. Ebert just linked to a story that attributes you.
Perry Como
GYOFB is another acceptable answer. Also, too.
Omnes Omnibus
I blame DougJ; he knows why.
Cat Lady
I’m a happy camper. This is my favorite place on the intertoobz. Also.
Spiffy McBang
wtf? You guys hardly link to Sullivan at all anymore. Talk about dredging up anything to bitch about…
I’ve actually liked Erik’s posts quite a bit, for the same reasons I like Larison’s. I’m not in the least bit surprised people are complaining, because they’re people, but I’d be surprised if more than a small fraction have anything truly substantive against him.
Comrade Mary
I refuse to believe in this so-called “fat cat” unless I see a picture.
Pancake
Whatever happened to such wise and thoughtful -and occasionally, irritating- commenters such as “ppGaZ?” Did he and the other “good ones” die or just move on to greener pastures?
bemused
I just knew John’s happy-to-be-home glow wouldn’t last. I’d be mixing up a tall, cold Mojito stat.
demo woman
@roshan: Are we the only ones not to write Cole. Personally, I feel so insignificant.
beltane
There must be a cohort of readers who are disappointed that they cannot post meta diaries here the way they do at DKos. Then they could indulge in the pleasure of fighting in flame wars over such topics as “Why linking to Andrew Sullivan slaps my shit sandwich in the face.”
wondering
Shortstop wins! I couldn’t have said it better. Even “15-paragraph email” isn’t better.
Rosalita
sounds like a bunch of high strung pu$$ie$ who can’t stand other viewpoint. i thought the commentariat here was made of stronger stuff.
Mayur
I have a complaint:
Your use of the word “pro-tip.”
There. Now I can join the haters!
Josie
@Comrade Mary: I’m with you. I’m not getting nearly enough fat cat pron lately. Those piglets help me get through the days.
Warren Terra
We need some perfunctory Kay hate for fairness. I mean, she is cruelly omitted from the recitation without even an acknowledgment to the effect that she should be hated on too, like the one Tim F got!
Omnes Omnibus
@Pancake: You showed up and drove them away?
JGabriel
THAT’S IT! I’M SENDING COLE AN E-MAIL ABOUT HOW ALL THE COMMENTERS HERE ARE WHINGING, ULULATING, CRYPTO-TEABAGGERS, AND HOW THAT FRONT PAGER JOHN COLE HAS GOT TO GO BECAUSE IT’S ALL HIS GODDAMN FAULT!
(Seriously? I only ever e-mail when I can’t post for some reason. Almost everything else can go in the comments.)
.
timb
@Cat Lady: Sign me up with cat lady. Favorite blog on the internet, although Protein Wisdom is funnier
Corner Stone
E.D. Kain is this blog’s Katrina.
2th&nayle
This used to be such a nice little village, until those gawddamn immigrants moved in! Oh yeah, before I forget! “You punks get off my lawn!” heh heh!
scav
@Dave C: A wilting pack of vicious, high-maintenance violets? Coyotes with Chanel n° 5?
Davis X. Machina
@cmorenc:
Not necessarily. There’s always DemocraticUnderground.com You want true and faithful, that’s true and faithful. They’re so Democratic, most of them refuse to vote for any more Democrats.
TooManyJens
Ob. kay hate: she needs to post more, damn it! I love her posts… oh wait, this hate isn’t going all that well.
Warren Terra
I think the ragging on Kain is fair: posting shallow contrarian partisan memes without including a careful and substantive defense of them and without being able to defend them in comments is weak.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
I don’t understand the need for emails like that. The FPers post, and that gives us the place to complain. No need to send emails to John. If the FPers don’t like us complaining right there, then either they shouldn’t complain, or John shouldn’t allow comments.
Did we all become thin skinned just cause a Jimmy Carter fan showed up?
tbogg
What is wrong with murdering Texans?
demo woman
It’s the heat. Because of the temperature, the frogs have been prolific and have deposited hundreds of offspring in my water feature (pond). They won’t share the gold fish food and
arewere growing fast. Nature would require that I go fishing for a few trout to take care of the situation but that seemed to difficult. I finally used the net. This morning I awoke to discover a couple of feral cats had come over the fence and I assume to feast on the remains. The idea of hundreds of frogs invading my back yard was something I could not tolerate.AhabTRuler
@Warren Terra: Kay needs to develop a last name, or, at the least, a last initial. Her failiure to do so holds apart from the rest of
whinging losersfront pagers.Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Corner Stone: Win.
QuaintIrene
Well, I’VE been good.
And yes, it is the goddamned heat.
Omnes Omnibus
@demo woman: Ahhhhh! A plague of frogs. Biblical endtimes are upon us. Repent, sinners!
Mark S.
Another Pro-tip: if you don’t like a particular front-pager, don’t read him or her.
I pretty much like all the front-pagers here, but I’ve certainly read group blogs where I didn’t like a couple of the people who posted there. Instead of complaining about it, I’d just skip those posts and read the people I liked.
stuckinred
Tell them to go see the Chaplain and get their card punched.
harlana
I wonder if perhaps some people are just upset that your blog has changed. It used to be all-you all the time (and we loved it, btw). However, with the exception of Hullaballoo, all blogs change/evolve, whatever. I guess if I see something I know I don’t want to read, I just move on to a different post.
You have a right to run your blog the way you want to. I don’t know why people don’t just post their complaints after the post they have an issue with, because it’s a lot more fun that way, more people to sling mud back and forth at, more people ducking! But that’s just me. :)
PS The only complaint I have is, not enough Tunch pics.
RSA
People must be afraid that if you’re not at home on your computer, you might not be reading every single one of the hundreds of comments left here every day, John. (This comment has been copied and pasted into an email message, just to be safe.)
Omnes Omnibus
@Mark S.: That is clearly crazy talk.
roshan
@demo woman:
Personally, I hate emails. Recently, my sister who lives in Europe, reminded me via email that we hadn’t spoken or written to each other for over 6 months. She sent it to three of my email addresses just to make sure that I read it. I thought it was atrocious to have the same email in 3 different inboxes. I replied back to her, writing over 5 paragraphs, and ending with the guarantee that she won’t probably hear from me for 6 or more months. So that was that. I won’t be writing Cole or other authors here any emails since my concerns are pretty well suited to the comment sections.
stuckinred
@harlana: Because they are a bunch of whiny bitches?
Anya
@Comrade Mary: I am beginning to believe that John Cole and Tunch are the same “person”.
Anyone hating on DougJ is just an asshole, who does not appreciate inspired headlines. I actually like all the FPers, including, ED.
Ash Can
You made the grave error of using the c-word when introducing E.D. Kain as the new FPer. People saw the word “conservative” and decided on the spot that there was nothing Kain could possibly write that they’d like, agree with, or even consider reasonable. Whatever you do, don’t read the comment threads on his posts. Ninety-five percent of the criticisms are such excruciating stretches they’ll make your joints ache thinking about them.
Davis X. Machina
Why e-mail the host? It’s like we’re sitting on his beach and complaining that it’s not a sunny day.
A.) There are other beaches, and B.) he can’t make the sun come out.
A waste of good ones and zeros.
Omnes Omnibus
@Anya:
Or doing it for fun.
jwb
It’s not the heat; we’re just unhappy that we haven’t received our ponies. Seriously, the economy is in the shitter, we seem to be forced to choose between Geitner’s happy indifference toward the unemployed on the one side and Gooper active hostility toward them on the other, and the Dems are more than likely to get their clocks cleaned in November, leaving us with two years of media circuses and show trials. Fun times ahead; grab the popcorn. /snark
Really, you wonder why people are pissed and writing to you complaining about the front pagers? They complain because on this blog you’re surrogate Obama; and if you just get rid of front pager X (just as if Obama just gets rid of Rahm or Summers or Geitner), then this blog will be Eden and we will all finally get our ponies. (Personally, I hope Erik keeps posting and the commentariat here keeps giving him shit whenever he lazily rolls out a rightwing talking point.)
Cat Lady
@tbogg:
FTMFW.
shortstop
Sheesh. Are you this big a baby about locusts and boils, too?
Graeme
I’ve noticed a left-wing echo chamber ramping up via my interactions on Facebook/Twitter. I like it about as much as the right-wing one I left behind. People are people, regardless of whom they believe wear the white hats. Meh.
Corner Stone
@tbogg: You, Suh.
Fields of honor. Dawn.
harlana
Okay, so I missed the “fat cat” reference. Still, I think a total brotherhood of man here might be achieved if we all just got extra peekage at the pink paw pads. Try it and see.
Ella in New Mexico
I’m guessing this has to do with the 9.5% unemployment rate. I mean, really, where do people get the time and energy to sit down and write long emails critiquing the writers here? Much less read the posts of authors they can’t stand, and subsequently demand they be removed from their visual fields, “immediately!” ?
Sheesh–SCROLL, people.
jg
john et al.
i fucking love you guys.
that. is. all.
Corner Stone
@Ash Can:
It would not have mattered if he introduced him as the understudy to Chomsky.
This is what weak defenders keep relying on because they fail to understand the actual issue.
benjoya
that is so like you, john. [seethes indiscriminately]
Omnes Omnibus
@tbogg: Oh, Texans; I thought you said taxis. Nevermind.
Elie
Ahhh- After a few weeks of the fix of the right hand margin, we are back to the unfixed margin. Sorry, its horribly annoying….cuts off comments which sometimes get overlayed by the ads.
What gives John? Why is this the only blog website that I visit that does this?
roshan
@jg:
Did you throw your bra on the stage? Please refrain from such outlandish adulation in public. It’s highly unbecoming of you, sir.
Starfish
@Rosalita: Why are you using $ in place of the letter ‘s’ you capitalist pig dog?
maye
I love Andrew Sullivan.
Corner Stone
Don’t be hatin’. I’d like to get overlayed once in a while.
Tony J
You know what I hate?
I hate it when you’ve just (as in last night) come to believe that the “Comments to Infinity – and Beyond! FYWP Special Edition” bug was no longer an issue, it rears up like Putin’s Head the very next morning. Then you see that John’s back from his court-imposed term of community service in Chilly Hippie Nirvana with a post bitching about people complaining to him outside of the comment pages, but when you actually commit to writing a polite bleat of complaint that everyone can see – because, y’know, he’s got a right to demand transparency from anyone with a bone to pick – the fucking site goes and reverts to legible text as soon as you open the unclefucking comment page!
Yeah, I really hate that. Stop making me hate things, Cole.
aimai
@shortstop:
I’m with shortstop. Just read what he/she has to say and I’m sure I’d agree. What was the question again?
aimai
harlana
@Elie: I’ve experienced the problem and apparently the only remedy is to use Firefox as your browser when accessing BJ.
That said, I think we should send a collective e-mail complaining to John about this. :)
Bijan Parsia
@Spiffy McBang: So, you’re saying that there’s not enough Sullivan linking!
Omnes Omnibus
@aimai: You and shortshop have no idea what you are talking about, please await my 14 paragraph refudiation of someting I have not read and will not read.
NobodySpecial
The front pagers are fine. I just wish Cole would quit losing his happy meds, we’d have less posts like this one.
Omnes Omnibus
@harlana: Individual e-mails would work better. They are much more personal.
beltane
@maye: Here. I will link to an interesting Andrew Sullivan post just to piss the haters off: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/08/the-cor.html
PTirebiter
@tbogg: Depends on the Texan.
Starfish
@maye: He’s just not that into you.
harlana
@NobodySpecial: I think he is just cranky because he has been dog/vine-ripened tomato deprived.
We know you don’t care about Tunch, John, because you never, ever, ever post Tunch pix. Evar.
AhabTRuler
Remember when John changed the ad service because he was getting too many emails complaining about it, but then the ads became even worse. That was kewl.
Elie
@jwb:
We always want to “win” politically — for our side to “master events”
But how do you always master events that have complex causes and no easy fixes that everyone agrees upon.
Our country is not in a mood or hasnt learned to support solutions that involve any sacrifice whatsoever — always pie in the sky and everyone has their vision of the Potemkin Village of their choice.
I am not sure how you govern us. Pretty sure that we are ungovernable in other than the disjointed and fractionated way we are…
We are not emotionally or psychologically mature. We are babies who have to get used to growing up to where Mommie doesnt always come everytime you scream..
Seriously. Our economy is changing in ways that cannot be fixed easily. The jobs thing reflects that and if you are Geithner or whoever, you just try to manage the situation as the fix aint coming. Things have to reorganize themselves and we the people have to learn to adjust our expectations and that is just going to be bitchin…
Frank Rich, (bless him), yodeling this morning that the Dems have to create jobs. Yeah. It would be great. Aint gonna be that easy. This is the race to the bottom that many against NAFTA warned against a decade or so ago. How did y’all think that was gonna look and feel? How did you think that was gonna feel politically?
Personally, I have no idea why Obama wanted this horrible office. He has to be governing during the worst social, spiritual and political crisis for this country since the civil war.
And y’all talking about it like he can tweak his “message” and change his team and that will make all the difference.
When Lincoln chose Grant, he wasnt his first choice but his default choice when McClelland just wouldnt leave Washington. Grant was reputed to be a drunk and a failure.
When at some point he was asked why he chose Grant, Lincoln stated something like: “Cause he is ready to fight” Grant was berated during the early battles for the number of men he lost, the savagery and relentlessness of his attack..he knew the had to break the will of the southeners, no small feat. (I would say we are still doing that to some extent)
Well, we had better be ready for that and to do that fight in a dozen different ways from every angle. This is the long long long game.
Give up on this fast fix mentality. First step.
Davis X. Machina
The Tunch pix are waiting on a home version of IMax technology….
demo woman
Enquiring minds want to know about the pet sitter. Will you be looking for a new care taker, sir?
maye
@Starfish: nonsense. he printed the view from my window.
arguingwithsignposts
Oh, this is so full of win. Personally, I love all them FPs, although EDK is a work in progress.
Now back to read all the other commenters bitching. :)
harlana
Personally, I would be scared shitless to send a nasty e-mail to Mr. Cole. Some of you have serious ballage.
Davis X. Machina
@ Elie
Over-developed sense of duty. He was born in Hawai’i, yeah, but he’s basically a son of the Midwest. Throw in the whole ‘credit to your (mixed) race’ thing, and you have a sense of obligation that you can probably see from the International Space Station, at least as soon as they fix the ammonia leak.
A virtue not without its concomitant vices. An interesting fellow, though, unlike his predecessor, and like the other Illinois statehouse hack (“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”) you referenced.
demo woman
@Elie: We live in the age of instant gratification. Bush touted tax cuts and the middle class happily counted their extra pennies. Greenspan touted home ownership and the sub prime mortgage companies created a scam to help him out.
I don’t know why Obama wanted to be President now but I am so glad that he did. A McCain/Palin win would have meant higher liquor sales and that’s it.
roshan
@Elie:
What’s a spiritual crisis? Did we miss the Moslem takeover?
And where’s the rest of the text?…… in an email?
Tony J
@tbogg:
– stands on desk, adjusts cravat, adopts stern tone –
In a civilised country, my good man, murder is a crime regardless of where the victim hails from.
That is what you were asking, right?
AhabTRuler
@harlana: What’s he going to do? Send you a strongly worded letter in response?
If John had such sensitive little fee-fees that he needed to ban people in response to criticism, founded or unfounded, he would have started a long time ago. As I said recently, telling J Cole to STFU doesn’t even get you a response.
AhabTRuler
Purchases Gutta-percha cane
@Tony J: Um, may I have a quick word with you?
Bella Q
@tbogg: @Corner Stone:
I certainly can’t do better than those. I thought ED
KatrinaKain made some weak, half-assed, mealy mouth arguments during his debut week, which were ably – and thoughtfully – rebutted and deconstructed without my comments. I really can’t see bothering the host with what I found objectionable. And I’m a bit surprised people did so.All Texans are on their own.
harlana
@AhabTRuler: it was just a joke
Davis X. Machina
@AhabTRuler:
What did people in the run-up to the Civil War use when they needed to make run-up to the Civil War references? Elliptical War of 1812 references?
cat48
Welcome home. I had no idea I could write and complain about the content of BJ. It would have never crossed my mind to do that since it’s a blog about politics mainly.
More puppeh & fat kitteh pictures please.
KDP
@NobodySpecial: Fewer posts, not less posts.
There I’ve complained.
Best. blog. ever.
Also, too.
arguingwithsignposts
Only slightly OT, the Lady Smudge is meeting the kids today for the first time. I’m wondering what three 6-10 yo’s will do to her sanity. pics will surely follow.
dms
Ah, great. Another lecture from Dad.
AhabTRuler
@harlana: Sorry, father.
Cliff
I don’t understand the ED Kain hate.
He’s civil, he doesn’t hate Jimmy Carter, he was cool with Prop 8 getting knocked down, he provided actual facts and charts in his discussion of Carter’s deregulations.
In this day and age, that pretty much makes him a unicorn. You can’t hardly find a non-rabid conservative anymore.
JackieBinAZ
Shorter: The food is terrible and the portions are too small.
Morat20
I don’t comment much, but I like the variety of voices. :)
Joel
Where’s Tunch, String? Where’s Tunch?
gnomedad
This reminds me of a cartoon I once saw mocking the term-limits movement: A voter walking out of the booth grimaces, slaps his forehead, and exclaims “I can’t believe I voted for that guy again!”
mr. whipple
That’s why I love this place.
Jules
I’m pissed.
The NYT closed the comments to the sexist shit op-ed from Modo after only 40.
I was looking forward to being entertained….
Tony J
eyes cane, coughs, raises one poised eyebrow
@AhabTRuler:
“The honourable gentleman from Edits and Corrections has the floor. Pray, sir. Elucidate.”
serge
I love the smell of rancor in the morning…
jeffreyw
Thread needs more fajita.
Keith G
John, the only one I am having a problem with right now is you because:
I would not waste your time with such trivial nonsense. I assume that this is true for most others. A group lecture is no more wise than group punishment.
You have their email addresses.
dhd
More beer blogging. Other than that it’s an oasis of sanity on the intertubes and the only blog I read regularly… well, aside from Language Log
Ash Can
@Cliff: Some people just see the word “conservative” and lose their shit. It doesn’t matter after that what the person actually says, everything’s a right-wing talking point to them.
jwb
@Keith G: Group lecture is how John shows us his love.
Nethead Jay
WTF… If there’s more than a handful of such e-mails I have to conclude that there’s some severely stupid and delusional people out there amongst the BJ readers. As said, comments are there for a reason and most of the time people actually respond. If anyone here thinks bellyaching to Cole about a post or poster is going to achieve something, you really don’t get this place.
I’ve hung around here since Schiavo, more of a reader/lurker than commenter, but the thought of grumbling privately in e-mail has never entered my brain. One of the best things about Balloon-Juice is the freewheeling and many-faceted discussion culture here and that discussions can actually have an effect.
Regarding the front page posters: Man that’s some low-grade criticism. Maybe some people don’t like DougJ’s perspective but I simply can’t see how you can deny that he’s added a lot to the site. Same with Mistermix, though not to the same degree yet and I like his covering of techy stuff. BTW, I wish Tim F. would post more, though he’s got excellent excuses.
Personally, I think Anne Laurie is awesome, snark, feminism, experience and all. She picks up some interesting stories and angles, which contributes to the perspectives of discussion. And judging from Kay’s first forays into posting as well as her record in comments, I think she’l be doing the same.
Dennis G. brings some serious writing chops and a lot of knowledge and research skill. I’d say the discussion on some of his posts has been nothing short of fantastic.
And lastly, Cole, if there was nothing here but your distinct voice, regularly knocking posts out of the park, it’d still be a good place to hang out. There’s a community here you can be quite proud of.
People, if there’s something you don’t like, say it and let’s have some actual discussion instead of just complaints. In short, get active, same as I always tell myself.
But yeah, the heat isn’t helping.
Bob
@Ash Can: oh, E.D. is a conservative. Don’t believe me, ask him. Or read this, http://www.ordinary-gentlemen.com/2010/06/toward-an-organic-society/#more-16449
The article will shed a lot of light on Erik’s politics. (His admiration for the current Tory government in the UK for example.) Obviously he is more complicated than this one short post but it’s a good starting point, IMO.
I’ve disagreed with Erik often, and will do so again, but he is well worth readers time. And yes, I realize, full well, Erik needs no defense from me. He can do that very well for himself.
licensed to kill time
I think I emailed John Cole once, when I first started hanging around here a few years ago. The site was down, and I sent him an email to let him know (yes, newbie-dumb, later I was to find out that inexplicable interruptions in site accessibility are a feature, not a bug here).
I’d never presume to bitch about a frontpager because I have the remarkable ability to scroll past that which does not interest me. I like reading the various viewpoints even if I don’t agree with them, and it’s incredibly entertaining watching people lose their shit over each new frontpager.
I just don’t get too exercised about shit because life’s too short and all. I’d rather laugh, which is what is so great about this place. I can stay informed while laughing my ass off. So, thanks for that, everybody, and Gawd Bless Us, Every One!
debbie
I don’t agree with him, but I want to read ED Kain’s posts. And I want to read responses from those who disagree with him (at least the ones who don’t use name calling as a substitute for a response). It’s the wide range of perspectives that make this site so interesting.
Grow up, you people. If you don’t like what he (or any other poster) says, then skip it.
AhabTRuler
@Tony J: The gentleman is correct to yield.
T.F. Gumby
It’s not the heat, it’s you. Turning the blog into a Megan McArdle glee club and now a libertarian conservative who loves to post non-stop but can’t comment and we all suck because we won’t engage a “serious” conservative who tells us to tell it to his employers firewall.
Surely Corner Stone or someone can get the guy a 3G card. Hell, I’ll chip in, he won’t last any longer than Michael D. did, and I liked that kid.
AhabTRuler
@Bob:
And yet…
Ash Can
@Keith G: I’m sure John has absolutely nothing better to do than to exchange individual e-mails with a bunch of whiners.
Nethead Jay
Oh and regarding our newest addition, E. D. Kain, I think it’s too early to tell, but seriously, writing him off as just a stereotypical libertarian/rightwinger is AFAICT not accurate and way too easy. Remember Michael D.? Lots of people were irritated by him and yelled loudly about it, but I’d say his tenure here contributed to the place. Give it time.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ash Can: I’m glad we agree on that. He should get started right now, that way, he will be finished by Thanksgiving.
shortstop
@Ash Can: Well, hell, it wouldn’t take him any longer to write a generic “Fuck you all, whiners” email and send it to the perps than to post this rant here. Not that I mind this rant despite not being a perp myself. It’s pretty entertaining.
AhabTRuler
Heh, I had been unaware of this aspect of the story:
Figures.
BTD
Signs of the Apocalypse – I’m liking Balloon Juice a lot these days, including the comment threads.
I find a lot of substance discussion that is quite interesting.
Clearly Cole is doing everything wrong now.
Tony J
@AhabTRuler:
Oh, I got that reference, I was just wondering if I’d inadvertantly said something unforgivably crass when joking about the original “murdering Texans” post from Tbogg and you’d taken offence to it.
Goddammed old-school manners are more trouble than they’re worth.
Libby
Well I don’t want to be left out of the bitchfest. Don’t care if you link to Sully, but you do link to Politico way too much. We’ll never convince the Pulitizer Prize committee to kick them out if you keep sending them traffic…
And no, I don’t click the links, but few possess my impeccable restraint. ;~)
.
So…what you’re saying is you’re mad at us for making Tim F. feel left out?
TIM F. IS A LAZY FUCKER WHO DOESN’T POST ENOUGH AND I HATE HIS STUPID CAMERA BLARRGGHH….
Corner Stone
@harlana:
I only ever email Cole when I need him to tell someone else to back off me. I just can’t stand uncivility in any of its forms.
I mean really, we’re all adults here. Can’t we engage in civil discourse that enlightens and embiggens us all?
Ash Can
@AhabTRuler: Yeah, it’s not as though the guy wrote an entire fucking post detailing exactly why he doesn’t always take the time to hang out in the comments. Oh wait…
@shortstop: This. Cole’s rants crack me up. I wouldn’t want to be deprived of any of them.
Redshift
I wouldn’t think to email, but I have to ask — did you read ED’s post about how he basically can’t do anything but front-page posts? I’d prefer to see the discussion in the comment section, too, but it’s pretty obnoxious to lecture people about posting comments “so the people you have a gripe with can address them” when the person in question has explicitly said he isn’t going to be doing that.
AhabTRuler
@Ash Can: Was that the, I have time to puke up half a dozen posts in one afternoon, but not enough time to actually, y’know, defend the shit I post? Cause that was pretty weak, too. YMMV.
And on a blog where lefties get criticized for purportedly using rightwing frames, I find it interesting that many people swallow unopposed the construction of abortion = teh kultur war. Although it is true that I belong to a culture of enforced abortions and gov’t. interference in medical decisions, really I just want mor reg-u-lay-shuns. Culturally, that is.
licensed to kill time
I had wondered why E.D. Kain only responded in comments in the wee hours of the morning until I saw his post about having a 3 week old baby. Now I imagine him holding a crying baby in one arm and pecking out replies with the other, and it makes me sympathetic, anyway.
AhabTRuler
@Redshift:
Sounds like a personal problem to me.
debit
@AhabTRuler: Agreed. If he has time to serial post, he has time to respond to at least some of the comments. I don’t find him particularly thought provoking; to be brutally honest, I find him dull and skimmed after his first couple of posts. And when he stated that he wasn’t going to interact, well, then why should I bother to read him? Why should anyone?
Chat Noir
My two cents: love Balloon Juice. I learn a lot from the front page posters and the folks who comment. And it’s fun when the trolls get slapped silly for posting something really stupid and/or nonsensical.
Michael D.
@Nethead Jay: Wow! That’s the only nice thing anyone has ever said about me here! :-)
Bruce (formerly Steve S.)
That seems silly to me. I visit BJ because it’s easy to use and has one or two decent conversation starters every day, not because I find a perfect reflection of my own intellect here. Tell the complainers to start their own damn blog.
scarshapedstar
Who are these tools? Can you start naming and shaming already, John?
lawnorder
I like everyone here but I gotta protest the lack of ferret raising bloggers on the front page.
As for Eric, I think people here are being nasty. No matter what his opinions are, it is quite obvious he cares deeply about them, and so far seems eager to have an honest intellectual discussion about them.
I always respect intellectually honest people. Reality and logic have a well known liberal bias and I know it’s just a matter of time to get any thinking person to see conservatism and Bushism are failed intellectually unsustainable positions.
John is a poster boy for this. He believed the right, and had the fortitude to reject it once he saw the bs for what it was.
I’m pretty sure many commenters on his blog told him to get rid of us “damn liberals” . If he had listened to that kind of talk then, we would have no puppy / cat infested solid political blogging to read and comment nowadays.
Chill and give the guy a chance.
kdaug
@Nethead Jay: Ding! What the hell’s the point in emailing Cole???
A) He doesn’t give a fuck
B) You will just annoy him
C) He ain’t changing shit for you
I didn’t even realize his email was public… (then I looked, and yeah, OK, there it is.) Still, my points stand.
dms
Lawnorder:
So your point is that we should be nice to him because, even though he’s, as you say, intellectually honest, we can convert him?
Corner Stone
@lawnorder:
How so? I care deeply about having Salma Hayek stop by tonight.
How do you start an honest intellectual discussion about talking points and meaningless catch phrases?
And btw, it is my deeply held opinion that people with “order” in their handle should be waterboarded. I really care about seeing that enforced.
Discuss.
Midnight Marauder
@AhabTRuler:
Bingo.
If you have time to churn out 7 posts that are increasing exercises in redundancy, I am going to expect that you also have the time and wherewithal to respond to some of those comments, even if it’s included in one of those repetitive posts.
If you have personal circumstances limiting your ability to do the gig right, then don’t take the gig.
Midnight Marauder
@lawnorder:
What the fuck does this even mean?! Aren’t these the kinds of comments we ridicule on a regular basis here?
“E.D. Kain thinks it’s a fair question whether basic civil rights should be put up for a vote, and since he cares about that position, it obviously has merit.”
This has got to be one of the stupidest comments I’ve seen all week on this topic.
kdaug
@Midnight Marauder:
Define “gig”
Midnight Marauder
@kdaug:
Not posting hackneyed conservatives tropes that have been debunked at length on this site and building a case that doesn’t involve “liberal ideas” that are only actually believed by Republicans.
Punchy
But what would Sullivan think of this post?
kdaug
@Midnight Marauder: So you have a definition on how Cole should run his site… Interesting.
Do you also have a definition on how I should arrange my living room furniture?
Corner Stone
@Midnight Marauder:
And yet, it’s emblematic of all the “defender” posts we have seen here, including John Cole’s weak ass “back off EDK!” drunken post.
Can anyone here tell us a position EDK has that he has supported in any substantial way?
A Ghost To Most
@debit:
what debit said: fewer posts, more responses, E.D.
that said: best blog going, thanks, John.
Corner Stone
@kdaug:
Main couch facing the TV and fireplace, if you have one.
Side tables between couch and recliner.
Lamp in the corner.
Either an ottoman on a small area rug in the center or a rounded edge coffee table.
I’d go with earth tones for the furniture and a Persian rug with light green inflections in an otherwise red and beige pattern.
Midnight Marauder
@kdaug:
No. I have very specific criticisms of E.D. Kain’s tenure here thus far. Have you seen me write in the comments for Cole to get rid of him? I’m not whining about how I want him to go away; I’m just discussing with everyone here how I think his performance here thus far has been a fucking joke.
I could not give a fuck less about your living room furniture or your irrelevant non sequiturs.
dms
Midnight:
I don’t think “gig” is that hard to define. It’s a job, musician allusion notwithstanding.
You don’t take a job, and then 10 posts into it say, oh, by the way, let me tell you about myself. I can only post because my day job blocks commenting, and when I get home, where I could comment, I’m too busy taking care of my child.
He can’t do the job/gig.
The person who should be lectured to is JC for ever having “hired” someone so incapable of doing his work.
Talk about your soft bigotry of low expectations.
lawnorder
@dms
BECAUSE he appears to be intellectually honest. IMHO logic is on our side and any thinking person can’t help but see the bs with the conservative viewpoint.
@Midnight Marauder, Corner Stone
yes, the words you put in my mouth are really stupid.
You guys are being nasty. The guy has been here for a week, with some posting problems. To give him time to adjust and answer your criticism isn’t left, right or mealy mouthed, is just basic human decency.
thomas Levenson
@tbogg: Win.
thomas Levenson
@beltane: Nice one. Sully has ups and downs (h/t Katherine Hepburn) but he’s consistently good on stuff like this.
thomas Levenson
@Elie: You failed to achieve the canonical 14 paragraph form. I haz a sad.
Just Some Fuckhead
Jesus, this place has gone to the dogs. Back in the early days, after harmonious fellowship and laughter, we’d end every thread with Kumbaya.
Corner Stone
@lawnorder: Nah, you’re just a relentless dumbass.
dms
Lawnorder:
So he’s apparently conservative, “seems” to be intellectually honest, but can’t yet intellectually realize the bs (your acronym) with the conservative viewpoint.
What, we just give him a few more nice arguments, ala JC, a few more months, and suddenly this intellectually honest guy will see the bs?
Your whole argument implodes.
1)This guy is a conservative.
2) This guy is intellectually honest.
3) Intellectually honest people, like me, know that the conservative viewpoint is BS.
4) Give this intellectually honest person time.
Mac G
I enjoy everyone’s voice and posts. I rarely comment but read the site daily for years. Keep up the Good work.
jwb
@dms: So beat ED to an intellectual pulp. Think of JC as offering the commentariat here our very own conservative boxing dummy on which to practice knocking the stuffing out of rightwing memes.
Midnight Marauder
@lawnorder:
What? I quoted you saying the following:
The contention, on this end, is that this is superfluous nonsense, because his “opinions” that he “cares deeply about” are inane conservative platitudes and caricatures of actual liberal positions. His eagerness to have an “honest intellectual discussion about them” includes declaring that putting basic civil rights up for popular vote is a “fair question.”
He’s not intellectually serious. I reject your entire framing.
You must have missed all those comments discussing how E.D. Kain doesn’t actually have the time (or logistical ability, in some cases) to respond to said criticism. I think you should catch up on those.
I feel deeply about that.
Warren Terra
Having skimmed the thread, I see not nearly enough Tim F hate, and I shall attempt to remedy this by berating Tim F for not being the Tim F of yesteryear, who used to put up those awesome photo threads. The Tim F we have nowadays doesn’t do so, and so just isn’t as good. I’m sorry, but the truth hurts.
(One comment by Dot does provide some Tim F hate, but also hates on Tim’s camera and is therefore objectively wrong and doesn’t count).
kdaug
@lawnorder:
I have difficulty finding common ground with anyone who proclaims to be such a iron-fisted, meticulous tender of his lawn.
Has your despotism extended to your shrubs, as well, sir? The poor baby shrubs? Mine live free, shaggy, and happy – do you impose your “order” on them as well? Is there any limit to your oppression?
FREE THE CARBON BREATHERS!!!
Mark S.
@beltane:
re: Sully reader’s conservative dinner companions:
Geez. I wonder how prevalent this attitude is among conservatives.
AhabTRuler
@Mark S.:
Fixeteth.
Cacti
@Warren Terra:
This x 10
When he throws out such easily refuted bullshit as “[California] Prison guards often make six figures,” what does he expect? An ovation?
dms
@jwb:
Nice bait and switch.
My arguments have not been with ED’s postings, but rather with those, including JC, who defend him against all criticism. Quite frankly, unlike JC, I feel that quite a few comments have proved ED’s arguments to be specious, and have done so respectfully.
His whole Jimmy Carter started the ball rolling on deregulation (and not Ronny Reagan) is a case in point. Suddenly, the left’s trope that we have Reagan to blame for the gulf spill is turned on end. Jimmy Carter is to blame. Except the regulations he mentioned were bad regulations. And several people remarked that the choice isn’t between bad regulations and no regulations.
Add to that, you have a guy, with his winning ways, who says, well, golly gee, I can’t comment at work, and I have a family, so I can’t reply while at home, and you have someone who, however intellectually honest, should not have been given the job.
jwb
@dms: sort of have reading comprehension problems, don’t you? Nowhere do I defend ED or say people should lay off criticizing him. In fact, I said you should use him as a punching bag.
Cacti
@dms:
It feels as though our new, cool, conservative friend is being held to the standard of the Special Olympics. We are to applaud the effort he makes, whether or not it relies on poor reasoning or misstatements of fact.
Grumpy Code Monkey
@tbogg:
I dunno; what’s wrong with murdering middle-aged puppy-mill-basset-owning San Diegans?
PeakVT
If you aren’t mature enough to handle ideas that offend you, or ideas that you disagree with, or a some four letter words and pictures of fat cats.
Wait, someone can’t handle pictures of fat cats? That’s just pathetic.
Gretchen D
@Corner Stone: I’m mostly a lurker, but this is a GREAT blog and then I go to TBogg, too. Otherwise I suffer from snark deprivation. Plus I need puppehs and kittehs. Also.
JenJen
Bring back Randinho!! :-)
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
Despite the shitty software, the slow loading pages, and the cranky ass host, the stuff at the top of the thread here keeps me coming back for going on six years now. And if these pills can keep me going that long, another six, please.
And for all of you that don’t agree with me on any particular topic, fuck you.
Thanks John! Still the best blog out there.
AhabTRuler
@DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective:
Awww, fuck you too, Teez, fuck you.
<Sniffle> ‘scuse me, for a sec…</Sniffle>
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
@AhabTRuler:
Alright. Now we’re negotiating …..
Woodrow L. Goode, IV
John, I blind-copied you on an email I sent to EDK not to tattle on the guy, or complain that he should be removed. It was a time-stamp, to demolish three excuses:
1. “Nobody here has responded substantively.”
2. “Everyone has been abusive.”
3. “I promise to answer all your e-mails.”
My opinion about him is that he’s Megan McArdle with a schwantz. He’s convinced he’s a supergenius, whose casual observations are superior to what most people produce after extensive thought. As a result, he doesn’t actually need to study up on any of the topics he writes about,
What he’s put here isn’t even the most egregious example of how he thinks. He put up a post on his own (aptly-named) site that said “I saw a hippie using an iPhone. Hippies claim to be bohemian, but this just shows how what hypocrites they are.”
Of course anyone who knows anything the 60’s knows that “bohemian” is from the 50’s. Yeah, there was a “back to nature” sect, but the “sci-fi techie” sect (that was fascinated by gadgets and thought technology would save us) was much larger.
Anyone who knows the band names (much less the music, with all its effects) would know that hippies would have loved the iPhone. The issue would have been having “The Phone Company” monitor what they sent. (There would have been hacked units that used GranolaNet as their carrier.)
As to the man, I’ve been spouting off since the days of the APA and the BBS and the WELL and I’ve seen guys like this come and go. It probably won’t end well.
First he posts a lot of dumb stuff– and people who know something about the topics flay him. We’ve seen that.
Then he says he can’t reply to everyone because he’s having some personal and/or work issues. Simultaneously, he complains that no one is willing to talk about ideas. We’ve seen that.
One of three things typically comes next. One is that he stops posting entirely. A second (very rare) is that he learns something and alters his approach.
The third is that he keeps posting, and an enthusiastic supporter– named something like “Sprezzatura” or “Mary Rosh”– shows up to argue on his behalf.
John, it’s your site and you can do what you like. And since I do think the best lessons are ones you learn yourself– and history shows that you do learn from mistakes (e.g., GW Bush)– I’m fine with letting this play out.
dms
@jwb:
Ah, yeah, my trouble with reading comprehension. It’s really been a problem all of my life.
Let’s go with the ad hominem.
“So beat ED to an intellectual pulp. Think of JC as offering the commentariat here our very own conservative boxing dummy on which to practice knocking the stuffing out of rightwing memes.”
What’s stopping you?
As I wrote, and I think if you were to re-read my comments, you would know, I never challenged his statements. What I challenged was JC’s thinking that warmed over conservative talking points were to be treated with some respect.
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
@Woodrow L. Goode, IV:
Word.
Personally, I don’t think ED is long for this blog. Quite honestly, he is in over his head. He seems to think that wishy washy “I hear ya” material is a substitute for a well thought out position or argument.
The fact is that most lefties here are here because they already know that the so-called “conservative” (what I am now calling NeoNihilism) viewpoint is a sack of lies and demagogic appeals that would choke a horse. And saying that even though the stuff is lies and is toxic enough to totally fuck up the country, the worldview does have a few good points …. doesn’t really cut it. Not with me, I need something a little more substantial.
Any point of view that gives quarter to the nihilists, the racists, the government haters and the tax haters and the just plain haters and the willfully ignorant buttheads is not acceptable to me, no matter how politely you package it up. Shit in soft green giftwrap is still shit where I come from.
All of that said, I wish ED well and really hope he lasts longer than the 3 weeks I gave him when I saw his crappy work on the first day.
dms
@Corner Stone:
You’re an adult and you need someone else to tell someone to back off of you?
Christ, why have I wasted my time reading comments from babies?
That was a joke, right?
Just Some Fuckhead
Never read this Kain fella but he sounds like real nasty piece of work.
jwb
@dms: I never heard JC saying that rightwing talking points needed to be given any respect. At worst I heard JC being (or at least pretending to be) a bit upset because the gang here wasn’t giving ED the benefit of the doubt. Personally, I had no problem with the shit people were giving ED, just as I have no problem with JC inviting ED to post here, just as I have no problem with ED choosing not to engage. I have no clue what ED feels he gets by posting here and not engaging, but if it floats his boat to post rightwing drivel dressed up purdy and then watching it get shot to pieces by the folks here—well, it’s an odd way to pass the time, but whatever. And what’s it to you if John gives ED the space to make a fool of himself?
Kerry Reid
I think many of the problems here could be solved if you’d just put in more trigger warnings. And teaspoon reports. Because we expect better. /snark
debbie
@ debit:
I don’t get this. How many comments are directed to John that he then responds to? Very, very few. Yet I never see anyone complaining about that.
Give this guy a break already. He said he’s got real-world complications at the moment; give him the benefit of the doubt for at least a little while. People have been jumping on him from the moment he started.
I don’t know which end of the political spectrum is more intolerant.
AhabTRuler
That would be conservatives. Any other questions?
Yeah, it’s amazing how that two kids thing came up out of the blue and bit him in the ass like that. Now if only he’d some way of anticipating the competing obligations…
eemom
My problem with the Kain dude is I think he REALLY should be spending his time helping out his wife with the baby and the 3 year old and all the other associated stresses that a poor exhausted mother of a newborn and a small child has to endure, instead of pontificating or arguing with idiots on a blog — especially since he has said he also has a full time job. But that, of course, is none of my business.
Alwhite
I have noticed it in the comments a lot recently too. It seems people are a lot less civil, a lot more aggressive and not nearly as interested in exchanging ideas as only a few months ago. It would be interesting to go though the archives and track the number of times “fuck you” has been used.
debit
@debbie: Every other frontpager engages in the comments. Every one. Not to every response, but they do engage.
This guy comes in, at John’s invitation, sure, and then does not engage in any meaningful way. I understand being busy. What I don’t understand is coming in here and not knowing the culture. It’s a give and take. If I wanted to be pontificated at from on high with no way to converse with or challenge the author, I’d read a newspaper or Cenk’s posts at GOS.
Look, it’s John’s blog. He can invite who he wants. Maybe the new guy will work out. Maybe he won’t want to stay. Maybe the readers will find somewhere else to go. It’s not the end of the world for anyone. But as long as this blog does have a culture of give and take, we’ll continue giving our opinion and then taking John’s abuse. Because someday, we just know we’re going to get that hug.
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
@Alwhite:
Har. No. Obviously you are new here. Years ago you couldn’t have a thread here without twenty fuck you’s and half of those were from John Cole. Cut the nicey crap, that’s just BS.
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
@debit:
Or your cat could get an ass boil. I certainly hope mine does, my step-cat weighs more than his puny Tunch anyways.
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
@Cacti:
Yes, somebody said it …. There is no win, there is only try.
Best line all week.
DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective
Let’s not create a false dichotomy. Just because the new guy talks out of both sides of his mouth and doesn’t really have an original thought doesn’t mean we want to run him out of here. We like people who can equivocate and parrot the intellect of Professor Irwin Corey. We find them entertaining, and we feel superior to them. We need more like him.
Cain
I’d like to complain.. we haven’t heard from Tom from Texas in a long time. I’d like to see him back on the front page, please.
cain
Woodrow L. Goode, IV
@DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective: I hear you, although I would classify this site– and its attraction to me– a bit differently.
I have a number of views that can be considered ‘right-wing’ in this simplistic age. They fall under one of two umbrellas: “Attempts to legislate morality and good behavior never work and should not be tried” and “When a policy is demonstrably not working, no matter how good your intentions are, you must change it or kill it.”
I like it here because John seems to have that same view. If he decides something is stupid or wrong, he says so– no matter how much he used to agree or whether it’s not consistent with something else he thinks.
I don’t agree with him, or his other writers, on everything. But I always feel that they have that basic conviction and are always open to new information and evidence. Also, while they might have strong feelings on an issue– which sometimes produce very weak arguments– they do not deliberately lie or conceal information to make a point.
I haven’t read everything he has ever written, but I’ve seen enough of E.D. Kain to believe he doesn’t pass those two tests.
handy
Or David Broder. Take your pick.
IronyAbounds
Late in the thread, but I have a rather simple explanation for the angst on the board. In my opinion, the major reason people started coming here was John Cole. John has a unique, and rather endearing way of expressing himself. He’s snarky enough, and has enough cred with the testosterone crowd to keep the guys happy, and has his sappy pet and cooking side to make the gals swoon. Again, he is unique. The rest of the FPers, to be honest, while very wonderful people in their own right, could just as easily be found at any one of a number of other sites. As such, people feel less restraint in bashing them for any number of reasons.
I understand blogging time constraints and economics, and I certainly don’t begrudge Cole the right to do anything and everything with the site. I’m just saying, he needs to recognize that he’s the headliner, the rest of the crew are just opening acts that are, more or less, time-killers.
LanceThruster
Jeez, John. We all know that you’re merely a tool. If you’d just give us the email of those who issue your marching orders, we could bypass you entirely and piss and moan at length to the real powers behind the Balloon Juice Empire. It is obvious those in the shadows controlling the Mighty BJ Wurlitzer desperately need our input. I’m assuming the rest of your front page contributors are just regurgitating the party line from HQ so it would be more efficient in that regard as well.
Aries Moon
John, I love you. I say that as a perfectly happy married woman.
And seriously, it’s not just the tequila talking.
Cain
@LanceThruster:
You want to know whose tool he is? Well HERE he is! Does he look like he gives a damn?!
cain
MNPundit
Haha, I’d never seen it put that way before, but it’s totally accurate IMO.
TimF is the only front pager who deserves reading around here. I’ll tolerate you (Cole) because it’s your site and because it’s fun to yell at you.
Still why bother emailing you? You don’t give a flying fuck about what your readers think. You never have, it’s part of your act.
matoko_chan
well this is the tequila talking.
Kain is a base-panderer. He is McMegan with a dick, and Douthat without the layer of protective latex that prevents him touching icky female parts.
They are apologists and enablers for their base.
Now all i personally want is for Kain to stand and deliver, if he relly believes in all that conservative crapology…….let him defend it.
he wont.
he will weasel word or say he wont talk about it or run away…..or worse say he is “just trying to understand” the base.
he cant defend conservative ideology in its present incarnation….it is indefensible.
and every sapient knows this thing.
im going to go lay down now.
Elie
@demo woman:
I hear that….But those folks would have fucked up and blown up the booze. Also. That Christian thing of Palin or some made up shit to make us all drink diet Pepsi cause she got some deal for appearances
E.D. Kain
@Bob: @Bob: Thanks for that – and for the link…!
E.D. Kain
@lawnorder: Very nice of you to say, though I’m also quite certain some of the complaints about my engagement are fair. I am hatching a plan to deal with this conundrum however! Cheers!
E.D. Kain
@eemom: Dude. I do. A lot. I find a day with some time to write and I do that too! I’m actually really involved with my family, so I sneak in the writing when the opportunity arises.
lawnorder
Corner Stone:
a few comments down
…
Watch out you don’t get whiplash from your shifting positions.
Jim Pharo
Wait, there’s a comment section? I gotta start paying more attention…
Trinity
Well fucking stated.
Corner Stone
@lawnorder: C’mon lawn. Please catch up.
Deb T
Love fat cats and enjoy the four-lettered words. The garden updates make me envious though. Mostly love the differences of opinions here.
Thanks John for keeping it fresh.
Xanthippas
People send John Cole emails to bitch about the blog? What, it isn’t enough to leave 20 comments on every blog post?
Look, I don’t like some of the other bloggers here either. Guess what? I don’t read them…or I bitch a them in comments! I don’t need to send an email to Daddy Cole and ask him to please make his blog more pleasant for me to visit.
Jeez. Get a life people.
BombIranForChrist
For the record, I like all the writers here. I guess I am an Obama lover.
asiangrrlMN
I like Tunch. He is the sole reason I come to this blog. You are failing me in that regard, Cole. Therefore, I have no recourse but to submit to you a long-form email plus my credenza outlining the reasons why I will be emailing you every day until it’s all Tunch, all the time.
P.S. This thread is killer-funny.