Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

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

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Donald Trump, welcome to your everything, everywhere, all at once.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

Giving up is unforgivable. ~Joe Biden

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

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102Comments

  2. 2.

    Mumphrey (formerly Renfrew Squeevil (formerly Mumphrey Oddison Yamm (formerly Mumphrey O. Yamm (formerly Mumphrey))))

    We had quite a time keeping the dogs out of the diaper pail. We like to keep the bedroom door open though the day to keep the room from getting stuffy. But we’d forget to shut it sometimes when we were going out somewhere, and when we did that, more often than not, we’d come back to find diapers and shit and gummy piss-soaking-diaper-stuffing strewn all over the bedroom.

    Then I had the sharp idea of putting a hook on the door so we could latch it open with the diaper pail behind it, and, wouldn’t you know it, all our diaper-eating woes are gone!

  6. 6.

    Violet

    Lots of running yesterday, including exciting car chase. Garbage-fest today. Lily and Rose probably think this is the Best Week Ever!

    @Mark S.:
    The GOP are a bunch of liars. Can’t wait to see how this plays with the Teatards.

  10. 10.

    Keith G

    Cole, that trash was payback for a certain car cash earlier in the week. You have been served.

  11. 11.

    Linda Featheringill

    I usually like to listen to jazz or blues music, with occasional breaks for bluegrass or classical, but for some reason I was in a strange mood a few days ago and started listening to the big band sound. I’m still with them.

    All of this was before my time and a lot of these songs I haven’t heard before. But some of it is quite good!

    Maybe I’ve expanded my universe a little bit.

  13. 13.

    freelancer

    WILLIAMS: Name a program right now that we could do without.
    __
    BOEHNER: I don’t think I have one off the top of my head. All of them.

    Possibly the only answer more stupid than the one he gave.

  14. 14.

    Mnemosyne

    @jeffreyw:

    Squee!

    I am also happy because my snow boots, wool socks, and long underwear arrived from Sierra Trading Post today, so I am prepared for our early February visit to Chicago next month.

  17. 17.

    Mike Kay (Chief of Staff)

    @Mark S.:

    WILLIAMS: Name a program right now that we could do without.

    BOEHNER: C’mon Brian, you didn’t take us seriously, digya, you know our rhetoric is full of shit. I don’t think I have one off the top of my head. /fixed.

  18. 18.

    mr. whipple

    @Linda Featheringill:

    I usually like to listen to jazz or blues music, with occasional breaks for bluegrass or classical, but for some reason I was in a strange mood a few days ago and started listening to the big band sound. I’m still with them.

    If it’s within range for you, check out 91.5 out of Bainbridge.

  19. 19.

    Chyron HR

    @Mark S.:

    WILLIAMS: Name a program right now that we could do without.

    BOEHNER: I don’t think I have one off the top of my head. The Democrat Party.

  20. 20.

    MTiffany

    distract me from the trash someone had been in and dragged all around the house.

    “That wasn’t us! We swear! It was the garbage ghost!”

  21. 21.

    PaulW

    Two parts of one question:

    1a) Did the Republicans in the House follow through on their decision to read aloud the entire Constitution, and
    1b) Did they have a Christianist read the part of the Constitution that spells out NO RELIGIOUS TEST.

  22. 22.

    John O

    Yeah, on Tuesday I came home to find a blue dog, as opposed to a Blue Dog.

    Dweezil had gotten in to a RollerballTM and was bright blue on his entire bottom half except neck. Blue ink footprints on the carpet throughout the house, including some bathroom tile and my bed sheets.

    It took me 5 or 10 minutes, but it’s just stuff.

  23. 23.

    MikeJ

    @PaulW: They apparently skipped the 3/5ths of a person part since it had been superseded, and got offended when it was called a “deletion”.

  25. 25.

    kdaug

    “Make me chase the car, will ya? Think that’s pretty funny, eh? Gonna tell the world about it on your computer thing, huh?”

    “Vengeance is mine, Cole. Vengeance is mine.”

  27. 27.

    Martin

    Boehner won’t toe the teaparty line on NBC. Ask him the same question on Fox and he’ll have a list as long as the Mall.

  28. 28.

    suzanne

    Mia got a vaccine yesterday and is feeling craptastic today. I’m wearing my fifth shirt of the day.

    Oi.

  29. 29.

    Francis

    Can anyone explain unemployment? At the micro level, I understand unemployment just fine; I don’t have a job. I quit my job because there was no more work. (I used to advise developers how to comply with California’s laws on turning raw land into condos.) And I understand that millions of people are in the same situation — no one’s building houses any more so no one needs the millions of people who used to build houses.

    But all the money that used to go into building houses should be going someplace else, shouldn’t it? Brad DeLong says that the demand for stuff has been replaced by demand for money, and so unemployment will stay high until demand for stuff picks back up.

    Is that right? If so, how do we convince the people who irrationally want money over stuff to want stuff more than money?

  30. 30.

    Felonious Wench

    WILLIAMS: Name a program right now that we could do without.
    BOEHNER: Party in the USA. Mylie Cyrus inhaled.

    This is fun.

  32. 32.

    Warren Terra

    @Linda Featheringill:

    I usually like to listen to jazz or blues music, with occasional breaks for bluegrass or classical, but for some reason I was in a strange mood a few days ago and started listening to the big band sound. I’m still with them.

    I was fond of KUOW Seattle’s weekend show “The Swing Years And Beyond” when I was growing up there. The host died (much, much too young) but the show is still going many years later – it might be worth a try.

    You might also try some of the BBC’s radio offerings, especially Radio 2‘s Big Band Special and Jools Holland shows

  33. 33.

    Turgidson

    Hey Cole, I’m sure someone already alerted you to this, but I’m too lazy to check.

    The homeless guy with the awesome voice you highlighted yesterday has been hired (edit – offered a job) by the Cleveland Cavs (and others).

    http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_17015966?source=rss&nclick_check=1

    I wish my hometown Bulls or current town Warriors had hired him as their TV play-by-play guy (whether he knows anything about basketball or not – he’d be an improvement over the dreadful guys each team employs now no matter what), but good for him and the Cavs.

  34. 34.

    Martin

    @Francis:

    But all the money that used to go into building houses should be going someplace else, shouldn’t it? Brad DeLong says that the demand for stuff has been replaced by demand for money, and so unemployment will stay high until demand for stuff picks back up.
    Is that right? If so, how do we convince the people who irrationally want money over stuff to want stuff more than money?

    Corporate profits are at an all-time high, so yes, it’s going someplace else. Businesses will only hire workers when they expect to get enough added revenues to offset their salary/benefits plus some additional profits. When unemployment soars, so does productivity because the remaining workforce is literally fighting for their jobs. That reduces the apparent need for workers.

    The people that are benefitting from all of this extra money don’t need more stuff – they already have more stuff than they know what to do with. The incentive is to take their money away – either directly through taxation or indirectly by regulating them out of their existing businesses or into desired new businesses.

  35. 35.

    Mnemosyne

    @Francis:

    But all the money that used to go into building houses should be going someplace else, shouldn’t it?

    Given that companies are posting record profits and executive bonuses this year, I suspect that’s where that money is going instead of towards building things. When a company is spending its money buying its stock back, it’s not contributing to the overall economy like it would if it were selling a product or hiring more employees.

  37. 37.

    MikeJ

    Check the lead story at rumproast about Steve King. I’m too flabbergasted for a synopsis.

  39. 39.

    jl

    Cole should clean up the mess he made before he leaves the house. He should think of his poor piglets for just once!

  41. 41.

    Francis

    @Martin: @Mnemosyne:

    so, all the new wealth in this country is going to people who don’t need it and therefore don’t buy stuff; they buy stocks instead. Meanwhile the middle class — which could actually use new stuff — can’t afford it because all the new wealth is being captured by the very rich. And so the people who might make new stuff for the middle class can’t find work.

    In other words, we’ve become a feudal society. That about right?

  44. 44.

    debit

    Chloe doesn’t get into the trash, probably because I use a heavy metal lidded bin. But as I discovered today, she does get on the dining room table so she can then leap to cabinet where the cat food dish sits.

  48. 48.

    Jules

    Luckily I’ve got a pantry with a door in the kitchen because our lab thinks the trash can is a buffet.
    The cat dish has to sit on top of the dryer because all of our dogs think cat food is the most delish thing in the world…besides cat shit out of the litter box.

  49. 49.

    Linda Featheringill

    @Francis:

    In other words, we’ve become a feudal society. That about right?

    Welcome to capitalism! Some times [frequently?] it sucks. Royal.

    There is one problem, of course. The upper crust makes all their dough off of those below them. Most of the customers in the world are below the very rich. And if they have no money, how can they buy things? There have to be paying customers or the whole scheme will collapse.

  51. 51.

    Martin

    @Francis: Yeah, about right.

    There’s nothing in capitalism that protects against wild instabilities in wealth distribution. It’s entirely possible to have a capitalistic society where the wealth is accumulated in one person and everyone else is just above subsistance living.

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne

    O
    M
    G

    Keith just began an interview with Robert Reich with the words “In short . . . .”

  55. 55.

    WarMunchkin

    So, why exactly is Paul Ryan viewed as a budget authority? I looked at his wikipedia page, and it seems like his qualifications are a bachelor’s in economics and working as an “economic analyst” for FreedomWorks.

    I think he’s viewed as an authority because he’s the only person on the right who actually tried to put up a budget, and by the rules of false equivalency, that makes him automatically the leading village voice. Oh, and Obama made a “he’s a serious person” plug for him, too.

    To quote Atrios; we are ruled by truly stupid people.

  56. 56.

    Ash Can

    @jeffreyw: That is weapons-grade cute.

    @jeffreyw: And that is outrageous. It reminds me of the kind of things I used to eat when I was young and athletic and my metabolism was going like a blast furnace.

  57. 57.

    Punchy

    Paul Ryan just caused 5 million teatard heads to esspload. I mean, to just come out and admit they’ll raise the debt ceiling….3 days into the session….cant wait to see the backlash.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    @Punchy:

    I’m sure the banksters have been frantically working the phones to let their purchased politicians know that they didn’t spend all of those millions of dollars so the Republicans could tank the world economy.

  65. 65.

    geg6

    So it’s the one week if the year when I am off work and have no holidays or travel plans or anything pressing. The plan was to take a few days to relax and then start some massive apartment cleaning in preparation for the big move to my John’s, planned for the minute the weather breaks in early spring. As with all best laid plans, it didn’t happen. After spending the holidays at John’s, I went home Sunday and by Sunday night, I was down for the count with some sort of respiratory crud that has only just begun to break up today. So I got nothing done, have a whiny boyfriend (he hasn’t seen me all week – horrors!), and am committed to spending the weekend at John’s to keep watch on the dogs and family jewels while his hardwood floors get refinished and he meets with his former business partners to settle (hopefully) the end of their business relationship. Since I am forbidden from taking time off during student aid awarding season (starts in mid – Feb.), I am at a loss as to when I can get this cleaning done. I’d really like to get at least a part of my deposit back but these walls won’t wash themselves.

  67. 67.

    Mnemosyne

    @geg6:

    This is why cleaning people were invented. They usually charge a little more to clean an empty apartment, but it should still come in under $150 at most.

  68. 68.

    Mark S.

    @Punchy:

    It looks like someone needs a teabagging, eh, I mean a Tea Party primary challenge.

    Sorry if I ruined anyone’s dinner. Mine was ruined by reading about diaper-eating doggies.

  70. 70.

    SFAW

    J. –

    I’m a Jets fan, too, but go with the Pats.

    If you want to have some fun, start talking about how the Steelers – if they make it past the WC winner, that is – are going to get stomped by the Pats. Predict that it’ll be something like a 30-point win for the Pats, then sit back and watch the steam pouring out of Cole’s … um … ears. Good times!

    If you really want to annoy John, say something like “even the Seahawks would stuff the Steelers, if they were in the same Conference”.

    BTW, if you’re caught or killed by Cole’s minions, I will disavow all knowledge of this discussion.

  71. 71.

    MikeJ

    @SFAW:

    If you really want to annoy John, say something like “even the Seahawks would stuff the Steelers, if they were in the same Conference”.

    Or with decent refs.

    Not that we hold a grudge or anything.

  72. 72.

    geg6

    @Mnemosyne:

    Yeah, I thought of that. Called a cleaning service and what they charge will pretty much decimate the deposit I would get, assuming the landlord would even give me back the full deposit. He is a notoriously cheap penny pincher, so I expect only a partial refund in the best of circumstances. Maybe I can find some freelancer who will do it for less.

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    Or with decent refs.

    Considering a certain someone’s whine about Harrison being the only guy fined for tackling hard, that’s a nice touch.

  75. 75.

    geg6

    @SFAW:

    Just remember, Cole isn’t the only Stiller fan around here. Hell, he isn’t even the only front pager who’s a Stiller fan.

    STEELERS RULE! PATRIOTS DROOL!

    And Seahawks aren’t even worthy of discussion.

  76. 76.

    Lysana

    @MikeJ:

    Or with decent refs.
    Not that we hold a grudge or anything.

    Good lord, I still get a blood pressure surge remembering that touchdown call. And I’m only a Seahawks fan by marriage.

  78. 78.

    Mnemosyne

    @geg6:

    Ask around at work — someone always knows of a cheapo cleaning service and they’ll be happy to tell you about it.

  79. 79.

    Linda Featheringill

    @efgoldman:

    Love the Dorseys, of course. I have been surprised by some of Count Basie’s stuff. He had some really good musicians with him. I found I don’t care that much for Buddy Rich, although I knew who he was before this. I really don’t care for the Andrew sisters [does that make me unAmerican?]. Some Billie Holliday is terrific and some I just don’t get. And Peggy Lee, of course, always was wonderful. The young Frank Sinatra? Not so much.

  81. 81.

    Ellie

    @Mnemosyne: I’m sure the banksters have been frantically working the phones to let their purchased politicians know that they didn’t spend all of those millions of dollars so the Republicans could tank the world economy.

    Banksters: Hey, that’s our job!

  83. 83.

    SFAW

    geg6 –

    I fart in Steeler fans’ general direction.

    And the only reason the Pats will be drooling is because they’re laughing so hard. To fight back, maybe the Steelers will channel Roy Riegels, to give them that extra edge.

    As I said: I’m a Jets fan, no love for the Pats, but it’ll be tough for anyone to beat Belichick. (Cowher? Not on his best day, and Belichick’s almost-worst day. And, yes, I know he’s not coaching anymore.)

  84. 84.

    stuckinred

    @Linda Featheringill: Read up on him. My old man ran into him in an interesting setting on Guadalcanal and I can’t tell you Artie said but it had to do with Lana Turner, one of his girlfriends!

    “During the swing era, his big band was popular with hits like “Begin the Beguine” (1938), “Stardust” (with a trumpet solo by Billy Butterfield), “Back Bay Shuffle”, “Moonglow”, “Rosalie” and “Frenesi”. He was an innovator in the big band idiom, using unusual instrumentation; “Interlude in B-flat”, where he was backed with only a rhythm section and a string quartet, was one of the earliest examples of what would be later dubbed third stream.”

  85. 85.

    SFAW

    Artie Shaw: The name is familiar but I don’t think I know the music.

    Bandleader, played the clarinet, but might have been more famous for getting married something like 37 times.

  90. 90.

    cathyx

    @SFAW: Hey big talker, you need to get past your first round before you can begin to think of farting in any Steeler fans’ direction. I’d say “see you in Pittsburgh”, but you probably won’t get that far.

  91. 91.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @stuckinred #89: “I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales”

  93. 93.

    SFAW

    cathyx –

    Are you talking about the Jets? If so, no argument from me, even though they’re my team. Sanchez is better than Pennington – hell, Vinny T was better, but didn’t fit the dink-and-dunk (oops, sorry! “West Coast Offense”) that that jerk Hackett tried to run – but they’re not as good a team as the Colts or the Pats. Still waiting for Holmes to have some consistency. Revis is good, but losing Leonhard hurt them a lot in the secondary. And so on.

    If you’re talking about the Pats: I’d be concerned about the Ravens, less so about the Colts, and the Chiefs and Jets not at all.

    Steelers? Please. Although they seemed to be able to beat Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Carolina, I’ll give them that. And they certainly showed the Jets who’s the Boss.

  95. 95.

    Admiral_Komack

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Pete Sessions Breaks Rules, Briefly Shuts Down Rules Committee

    Call it a stumble out of the gate. Or a failure to find the gate entirely. Veteran Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and freshman Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) failed to make the official swearing in ceremony yesterday, a violation of the Constitution that has sent Republicans scrambling and briefly brought an end to the new majority’s push to repeal the health care reform law.

    While the rest of the House was being made official in the chamber, Sessions and Fitzpatrick were outside the room at an event for Fitzpatrick supporters. The pair reportedly took their oath to a televised image from inside the chamber. Huffington Post’s Ryan Grimm reports the event was part of fundraiser for Fitzpatrick.

    Freshly-minted House Rules Committee chair David Dreier (R-CA) had to recess hearings on repealing the health care law after he learned that Sessions, a member of the committee, was not in fact a Constitutionally-valid member of the 112th Congress. Sessions had been casting votes all day like the duly-sworn members on the committee.

    Dreier spokesperson Jo Maney told TPM that she “didn’t know it happened” that Sessions wasn’t sworn in, but after Dreier found out about it, he recessed the hearing to sort out the mess.

    Sessions has now been officially sworn in as required by the Constitution, Maney said. The same goes for Fitzpatrick, she said, though that’s of less concern to the health care repeal as he’s not a member of the Rules Committee like Sessions is. But the failure to be sworn in could mean the rules package the House passed on Wednesday doesn’t count, according to Roll Call. The action is now behind the scenes, as Speaker John Boehner tries to persuade House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to agree to a unanimous consent decree that would make all the work Sessions and Fitzpatrick did over the past day count retroactively.

    Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how that process is going.

    http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/pete-sessions-breaks-rules-shuts-down-rules-committee-1.php?ref=fpa

  96. 96.

    Suffern ACE

    @Admiral_Komack: Oh, make them do it again. They won’t learn how to be responsible legislators otherwise. There is no need for her to extend charity as it will just encourage them to do that again.

  98. 98.

    Yutsano

    I have to say, considering how football crazy this board is, I haven’t seen mention anywhere about Andrew Luck deciding to stay a Cardinal. Then again it could be buried somewhere in the lower threads.

  99. 99.

    burnspbesq

    @Linda Featheringill:

    The Big Band is not dead. Check out Maria Schneider’s “Blue Sky” or Maceo Parker’s “Blues and Roots,” both featuring the incredible WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany. Or go back to the 60s and 70s and listen to the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.

  100. 100.

    burnspbesq

    @suzanne:

    Mia got a vaccine yesterday and is feeling craptastic today. I’m wearing my fifth shirt of the day.

    Don’t try to tell us you weren’t warned about the dangers of unprotected sex.

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