Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

The willow is too close to the house.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

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

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

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

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

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

Let there be snark.

I was promised a recession.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

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84Comments

  1. 1.

    Comrade Mary

    Not — not under the comforter under Tunch? Dear Lord, tell us that isn’t true.

  2. 2.

    JenJen

    Awwww, Rosie!! My little Strider, while not being a Jack Russel or anything, used to give me the laser-stare, and now that he’s an older guy and a little sickly, I can’t tell you how much I miss it.

    Life is weird.

  3. 3.

    Warren Terra

    If you squint at that last picture, you can see a cat head attached to that enormous gelatinous mass of white fur.

  4. 4.

    Violet

    Oh, that’s a gorgeous picture of Tunch! And, look…you can still see the spots where they cut off his devil horns. Heh.

    Rosie looks like such a handful. And she’s lost a lot of weight. Being with you is good for her, John!

  8. 8.

    demimondian

    My God, John! Seriously — doesn’t the sophomoric joke of hiding Tunch’s body under a giant white throw pillow ever get old with you? I mean, when are we going to see a picture of a cat, not a sofa with Tunch’s head attached?

  9. 9.

    JenJen

    @General Stuck:

    I am ready for the fall cooldown. That is all.

    This.

    I can’t remember the last time I was ready for summer to be over as early as July. In fact, after watching fireworks on the 4th, I was pretty ready for the leaves to start falling the next day. Considering SnOMG, you’d have thought I’d be more welcoming of this hot, muggy Ohio River Valley summer of 2010. You’d be wrong about that.

    Hof Football tonight, with my beloved Bengals, just drives the point of “autumn” home. Enjoy watching the “Don’t Hurt Me Bowl!”

  12. 12.

    Morbo

    Lily is asleep under the comforter, so I didn’t disturb her.

    Ye gods, are you sure she wasn’t eaten by the other two?!

  13. 13.

    vtr

    I was avoiding commenting on your cast iron skillet tragedy because of the on-going serious discussion of the Afghanistan conflict. This open thread offers an opportunity to ask you not to worry. I’m a confirmed cast iron utensil user for many decades. I wash the stuff with soap every time I use it. (I dislike lower gastro-intestinal distress – it’s like a storm inside me, as the tv spot says.) Put the skillet on the stove. Get it fairly hot – not so it glows in the dark, though. Put a bit of oil on a paper towel, rub it on the skillet, let it cool, and put it away, in full confidence that it will present a nonstick surface the next time you require one. You’re welcome. I’l have a gin and tonic now, and take a nap to prepare for the Red Sox’ impending loss at the hands, arms, and bats of the Yankees.

    P. S. My cats are better than yours.

  14. 14.

    Libby

    Imagine Rosie still has some abandonment issues so the laser stare is to lock you into place so you don’t leave her with that “other guy” again.

    And is it me, or is Tunch actually smiling?

  15. 15.

    Violet

    @General Stuck:

    I am ready for the fall cooldown. That is all.

    Me too. I detest summer. By this point in the summer it’s all about hanging on until the first cool breeze of fall. Unfortunately, it’s another 6 to 8 weeks away. Stupid heat and humidity. Today we had a passing shower, but it’s gone now, so it’s truly sauna conditions outside as all that previous rain evaporates. I guess it’s good for one’s skin.

  16. 16.

    Cat Lady

    I don’t think the stare is “I will make you walk me using my force of will”, I think it’s “I will make you pay and pay and pay with my turds, cuz I’ve been saving ’em ALL til you got home”.

    Good luck. You’ll need it.

  17. 17.

    demkat620

    Lily is asleep under the comforter, so I didn’t disturb her.

    Tunch ate Lily didn’t he? And you just don’t know how to tell us.

  18. 18.

    eemom

    Ah……that vast white expanse of cat, stretching as far as the eye can see, puts one in mind of a snowy meadow on a cold winter day…..

  19. 19.

    suzanne

    Every week, I get these weekly newsletters from BabyCenter telling me All About My Fetus. Invariably, when discussing the size of the baby, they compare it to a fruit or vegetable; this week, it’s the length of a banana, last week, it was the size of an heirloom tomato, before that, an avocado.

    I’m wondering what fruit or vegetable could compare to Tunch. Durian?

  21. 21.

    SIA

    1. What is it about JRTs? They always look so maniacal.
    2. That’s a good color background for Tunch, the Zen wizard.
    3. I bet Lily didn’t sleep well the whole time you were gone.

    Also too. Nothing happens around here until we get some cool weather. I. Am. Over. It.

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    @gnomedad: r

    Yup! Jabba Tunch, he say:

    Han, mah bukee, keel-ee caleya ku kah. Wanta dah moole-rah? Wonkee chee sa crispa con Greedo?

  24. 24.

    Turgidson

    @General Stuck:

    Summer? Here in the wretched hive of DFH pinko commies known as San Francisco, it’s barely been warmer than 60 for the past 2 months.

    I love living in SF in almost every conceivable way (the cost is one thing I don’t love), but the “summer” weather really has a way of sapping one’s morale.

  26. 26.

    SIA

    I’m still seething over M Dowd’s stupid f**king column. For relief, I read the comments. Wish they hadn’t deleted the ones that were abusive.

    ETA: The PUMAs are well represented though. As in, “Hillary, Line 1”. On 2nd thought, don’t read the comments either.

  31. 31.

    MTmofo

    John Cole: Just an FYI. Your paragraphs are disrespecting the margins again, requiring multiple F5s to make posts and comments readily readable.

  35. 35.

    The next to last samurai

    Thanks for the laugh, Bob L. Also, please add me to the Autumn Now faction. I have been prone to heat rash since I was a baby and this year I can barely take out the trash without developing itchy red spots.

  36. 36.

    eemom

    @SIA:

    they’ve definitely upped the censorship of comments on MoDo’s columns. A couple of years ago after the Edwards scandal broke I put up one telling her to pause once in a while and wipe the blood off her chin before sinking her teeth back into the carcass, which was well received by other commenters — but I doubt it would get through today.

    Maybe the NYT rented Jane Hamsher’s goon squad of “Mods” just for MoDo……

  39. 39.

    QuaintIrene

    Egads. Tunch looks like he’s been swallowed up by that giant alien Blanche-Mange from that old Monty Python sketch.

  41. 41.

    Turgidson

    @srv:

    Napa is boring. Fine to visit occasionally, but no interest in living there.

    And someone else said it was nice yesterday, but when I was outside it was maybe 60 degrees and windy. Maybe I missed a 1 hour window of nice weather. That happens sometimes.

    Usually September and October are beautiful. Hope that is the case.

  43. 43.

    RedKitten

    Yeah, it’s cooled off here as well, but is still quite nice. However, it is calling for rain for SamKitten’s 1st birthday on Saturday, which is NOT a good thing. So please send your mojo and good wishes for fine weather on the 14th.

    And yes, I will get John to post photos of SamKitten enjoying/shampooing with cake.

  45. 45.

    trollhattan

    @Turgidson:

    Been a weird year. Sac has been amazingly nice (coolish) this summer. Your misery is linked to our lack of unprompted sweating (or something like that). Have hardly had to run the A/C, which almost seems like a commie plot, yet the tomatoes thrive.

  46. 46.

    Yutsano

    @RedKitten: Wow it’s been a year already! Hopefully SamKitten has gotten wise to the ways of the world and will ask for a chocolate cake. Gotta start em young you know.

  47. 47.

    QuaintIrene

    Rosie’s thoughts- “So you up and leave us for two or three days? That’s the thanks I get for jumping in your car.”

  48. 48.

    bemused

    John, I want to know if Rosie warmed up to the sitter and stopped being snarly. Those laser stares are telling you to never, ever leave again.

  49. 49.

    SIA

    @eemom:

    I put up one telling her to pause once in a while and wipe the blood off her chin before sinking her teeth back into the carcass, which was well received by other commenters

    Oooh. I like it!

  50. 50.

    farmette

    Tunch looks like he was calved from an iceberg. Rosie’s eyes are saying ” Where the hell were you?” Lily is sweetly smart chilling under the comforter. All is right with the world.

  51. 51.

    dww44

    Just testing to see if this comment will cause my computer to stop bleeding all of BJ’s posts and comments to the right in an entirely unreadable fashion. Had this problem a couple of months back, but it cropped up last evening late and has done this all day.

    Is there something I should do on my end to correct the issue?

  53. 53.

    Beej

    Okay, that’s quite enough of the “it’s so cool here” stuff. 98 degrees with 72% humidity. Heat warnings. 115 degree heat index. That’s what we had today and that’s what we’re going to be living with this entire week. Nebraska in August. The corn is happy. Everything else is wilted and soggy..

  54. 54.

    MeDrewNotYou

    All right! Animals! And “Tunch is fat” jokes! A really cute fat, though. I’m usually not big on cats, but the especially rotund ones are the best. Also, let me add to the jokes with an old South Park classic.

    Tunch has such a fat ass that we he walks down the street, people say, “Goddamn! That’s a big fat ass!”

  55. 55.

    Resident Firebagger

    Tunch is a big boy. Sitting like that he looks like a fuzzy slipper that could fit Andre the Giant…

  56. 56.

    Svensker

    That is one laser-like stare. Eeeeps.

    I got nothing. I’m going to bed. If it’s hot again tomorrow I may shoot myself. Either that or bloat out on more choc ice cream to console myself for being so fucking hot. Decisions decisions.

  58. 58.

    Svensker

    Oh, one last bit of cheer:

    My friend who has been homeless and unemployed for almost a year after losing the two stores that he owned — he has an MBA, had a BMW and a sweet condo, in his mid-50s — just got his FIRST interview since he started looking. (He’s sent out 100s of applications). He would be managing a small retail store. Salary? $20K. He’s pretty sure he’ll take the job. America, fuck yeah!

    NOW I’m going to bed.

  60. 60.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Beej:

    98 degrees with 72% humidity. Heat warnings. 115 degree heat index. That’s what we had today and that’s what we’re going to be living with this entire week. Nebraska in August. The corn is happy. Everything else is wilted and soggy.

    Here in Minnesota, it was about four degrees cooler, with an extra four points of humidity. The low tonight is supposed to be 74 degrees, which is easily ten too many, and even more humid.

  62. 62.

    LiberalTarian

    @Turgidson: Come on over to Sacratomato. It has been lovely–warm weather and light cool breezes. Not the usual hotter than shit stuff we usually get during August. You should see my tomatoes and peppers, not to mention my wealth of egg plants. And my basil? Nary a one gone to seed. Between drip irrigation and the mild summer weather, I’ve had *such* nice basil.

  63. 63.

    Cain

    @Violet:

    Me too. I detest summer. By this point in the summer it’s all about hanging on until the first cool breeze of fall. Unfortunately, it’s another 6 to 8 weeks away. Stupid heat and humidity. Today we had a passing shower, but it’s gone now, so it’s truly sauna conditions outside as all that previous rain evaporates. I guess it’s good for one’s skin.

    Us folks in the northwest require more summer. We’ve only had about 5 weeks of sunshine and we require more!

    cain

  64. 64.

    Ash Can

    So when you found out the house sitter used soap on your skillets you fed the sitter to Tunch, eh? You’re a mean one, Mr. Cole.

  65. 65.

    General Stuck

    @Cain:

    Here in the southwest, we got more sunshine than we can use. Maybe a trade for some of your cool running streams and rivers. You can keep the all day drizzles though.

  66. 66.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    There will be no more outside activities for me either until it cools down a bit. Even hanging out laundry results in rivers of sweat running from the forehead and down the end of the nose. I am sort of in a panic right now cause my mother arrives in 3 short weeks, and if the temps are the way they are right now, she will not leave the house for a month. On a happier note, last year when she left she said her goodbyes to Lucky, thinking that it would be the last time she saw him. As we speak Lucky is going strong, and is looking forward to the annual Gramma and Norman visit. He is a little blinder, and a little deafer, and a little more ancient, but I am sure as soon as Mum and Norman arrive he will perk up to no end.

  67. 67.

    Alice Blue

    I’ll add my 2 cents’ worth of bitching about the weather. The heat and humidity are about what one would expect in west central Georgia, but we aren’t even getting the afternoon thunderstorms anymore. The fruit and vegetable stand up the road from me closed for the season two weeks ago. “Everything’s drying up and burning up” said the owner.

  71. 71.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    ETA – this heat is really pissing me off. Normally I look forward to the summer as a time when I can get out into the garden and potter, this heat has stolen that from me. I have never known it so hot in Eastern NC, never. We are setting records all over the darn place. I have plants that I bought on July 14, 2010 that are still in their pots on the driveway cause the heat is so unbearable that I cannot get out there to plant them. I have oak trees growing in my flower beds that I cannot get out there to cut down. It is utterly unbearable and I am getting ever so slightely pissed at these global warming deniers.

  75. 75.

    Cain

    I see someone came up with a new byline:

    “A refuge for a snarling mass of vitriolic vicious jackals”

    Well played, sir. Well played!

    cain

  76. 76.

    Cain

    @General Stuck:

    Here in the southwest, we got more sunshine than we can use. Maybe a trade for some of your cool running streams and rivers. You can keep the all day drizzles though.

    That’s too bad because the all day drizzle was pretty much what I had to endure while camping this past weekend. We were waiting to go see Rush up near Seattle, and the whole damn day it was a drizzle.

    Of course, after the 4 manhattans and two beers, I think we were ready to rock out and didn’t really give a shit about the weather by then! hah

    BTW Rush was awesome.. They are so badass.

  79. 79.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Cain:

    BTW Rush was awesome.. They are so badass.

    I get to see them on the 27th, at the State Fairgrounds, which is a smaller venue than I’ve ever seen them in. Moving Pictures wouldn’t be my first choice for the album to hear all the way through, but it should be fun.

    I do hope that there’s not too much from Snakes and Arrows in the set list. I really like the album, but they butchered most of the songs from it the two times I saw them on their last tour; it just looks like it’s too damned intricate to play on stage. Alex was so busy trying to work the pedals that the playing was off.

    Regardless, I’ll enjoy them, even if I’m going with my ex-wife.

  82. 82.

    Devon

    What the hell are you feeding Tunch? When I saw this picture I got the same feeling I get when I see an obese kid waddling out of Mcdonalds with a bad of fries clutched in his chubby fingers. Do I need to stage an “auntie” intervention????

  83. 83.

    licensed to kill time

    Aw, Tunch looks like a big fluffy marshmallow with a cat head stuck on. S’mores!

  84. 84.

    asiangrrlMN

    TUNCHIE! I luuuuuuuuurv that cat (and once again, Cole posts the pic when I’m incommunicado. Why do you hate me so, Cole?) Rosie is cute, too, though she does seem to be glaring at you.

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Awwwww! Lucky is adorable!

    It’s been beastly hot here. My AC conked out yesterday, and I was freaking out until I realized it was just a tripped circuit-breaker. Once I pushed it back in, ahhhhh! Sweet, cold relief.

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