Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Can we lighten up on the doomsday scenarios?

Let there be snark.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

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

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Books are my comfort food!

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

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Reader Interactions

88Comments

  1. 1.

    JGabriel

    The US legal is perfectly egalitarian and treats all comers equally, no matter their economic class. In it’s infinite wisdom, both the rich and the poor are given the option of house arrest instead of prison as long as they can pay the $200,000/month cost.

    .

  2. 2.

    lamh34

    I finally got a chance to catch up on some blog reading and news recording from today, and just watching the “Morning Joke” lineup today, I see the active fellatio of Jon Huntsman has begun. I’m seriously surprised that Joe Scar, Mark Helperin, Mika and nem could even talk with there mouths full.

    Amazingly, the ONLY media hound who did not participate in the new MSM mouth orgy was Tweety, and that’s seems mainly because of Huntsman betrayal of Obama.

    Ughh. Is there no doubt that Huntsman is running or does anyone else think he may STILL say no?

  3. 3.

    Cat Lady

    I’m listening to CNN’s coverage of the tornado and I hear some guy talking about the fiah depahtments and the first respondahs, and survivahs in the arear, and sure enough it’s Richard Serino from FEMA, by way of Dorchester. The opposite of Drownie.

  4. 4.

    JGabriel

    Reuters via TPM:

    No evidence of specific or imminent threats has emerged yet from material confiscated from Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani hideout, Western counter-terrorism officials said, raising questions about how directly he was in control of al Qaeda.
    __
    […]
    __
    Another official familiar with analyses of the bin Laden material said authorities in New York have been advised there is “no indication of an attack planned against New York.”

    No no no no! Don’t say that! It’s like saying “What could possibly go wrong?”

    Suddenly I feel like the oblivious sidekick, right before he gets eviscerated by the giant alien claw.

    .

  7. 7.

    lamh34

    did anyone else see Newt on Face the Nation this Sunday? When Bob Schaiffer asked him “who buys 1/2 million worth of jewelry…on credit?” just made me LMAO.

    Based solely on Gingrich’s reaction to Schaffer’s innocent enough question got me to thinking ..what the hell did they spend 1/2 million dollars on??

    With Newt’s history, I just have this idea that it’s probably some sort of “I’m sorry, I fucked up” type of “gift”

  8. 8.

    JGabriel

    @CJ:

    DougJ will kill me, I bought a Kaplan GRE prep book. It was on sale, I swear!

    That only counts if it was remaindered. Otherwise, Kaplan is still getting full profit.

    .

  9. 9.

    Phyllis

    Just learned the finance director will be out tomorrow, so another day of twiddling my thumbs. I can’t finish my fiscal year 2012 projects until she gets me the finance stuff. Good thing my kindle fits in my purse and I have a back office.

  10. 10.

    Mark S.

    Over 25% of the performers from Wrestlemania VII are dead. “None of the 44 starters from the Super Bowl played in 1991 have passed away and only two of 44 boxers who held a championship belt that year are gone.”

    This has been your fascinating factoid of the day.

  11. 11.

    JC

    I like this version better than the ‘main’ version. the regular version has too much of european/80’s beat and background music.

    What is it with synth and europop?

  17. 17.

    Mark S.

    Words of wisdom from Chairwoman Sarah:

    Remember: amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.

    Never trust anyone who’s knowledgeable of anything.

  18. 18.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @lamh34:

    With Newt’s history, I just have this idea that it’s probably some sort of “I’m sorry, I fucked up” type of “gift”

    I believe the short form of that is “bribe.”

  19. 19.

    Jon

    Who’s watching Too Big To Fail? I’m not angry yet. Actually, strangely compelled.

  20. 20.

    MikeJ

    @JC:

    What is it with synth and europop?

    I thought she was from Oz.

    eta: but on looking it up, she’s from Sweden. huh. Having an ipod has cut into my picking up local culcha.

  22. 22.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @Mark S.: IIRC, the designer of the Ark was more or less omnipotent. Sorry Sarah, the most knowledgeable one won out in this case.

  23. 23.

    Mel

    I love me some Robyn. I saw her at Coachella and it was surreal seeing the guy who plays the vampire Eric on the show True Blood dancing along to her brand of eurotrashy pop.

    I mean, I was also pretty drunk, so that may have had something to do with it.

  24. 24.

    PIGL

    I was blissfuly unaware of any Robyns not surnamed Hitchcock until just now.

    Why, Sarah? Why do you hate us?

  26. 26.

    Duncan Dönitz (formerly Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)

    I’ve seen Mary Poppins 3 times a day for the last 3 weeks until today. We were in the car all day, so 4 year old daughter couldn’t watch it. I’m really glad Mary Poppins in the kind of movie you can watch over and over, since it looks like it’ll be playing all summer at least. I almost feel like I’m going through Mary Poppins withdrawal right now. I might have to get a fix before bed…

  30. 30.

    Linda Featheringill

    Speaking of uneducated folks, I was very disappointed in Cain’s showing when asked about the right of return in regard to the Palestinians. Never heard of it.

    That is not good. You might agree or disagree with the premise, but you need to know what it means.

    Maybe he’s not as intelligent as I thought. Sigh.

    I was sort of hoping he could demonstrate to the US that you can’t tell a person’s politics by looking at them.

  33. 33.

    Lolis

    Huntsman is definitely running. But in a matter of days he has committed several lethal errors:

    1.) Endorsing the Ryan plan without conditions or ambiguity

    2.) Describing the border wall as “repulsive.”

    3.) Trying to lie about his past positions on health care, the stimulus, the environment, and anything else he used to support that primary voters will hate.

    So, in short, I think Huntsman is toast in the primary and would be beatable in the general.

  34. 34.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @MikeBoyScout:

    This seems to be a fairly common problem on the right, as we saw last election season, in Delaware, where someone (no names, please) didn’t have the slightest clue as to the wording of the First Amendment, let alone the intent…

  38. 38.

    Mark S.

    @Linda Featheringill:

    I thought that was hilarious. He said he was going to offer the Palestinians “nothing”, but when he was asked about the one thing Israel would never agree to, he’s all “sure, I’d be willing to negotiate that.” It was a very Palinesque performance. The man’s an idiot.

  40. 40.

    MikeBoyScout

    @35 Villago Delenda Est:
    Alternatively, it is not what the Constitution says it is what one divines the Founding Fathers intended. And my Ouija board says the Founding Fathers only impart their wisdom from the great beyond to teabagging republicans.

  42. 42.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @MikeBoyScout:

    Also, one should not look at their other writings that may illuminate and expand upon the basic stuff in the Constitution (like say, the Federalist Papers?), because as we know that interferes with the teabag readings…

  45. 45.

    MikeBoyScout

    Riddle: Why are the economies of Greece, Ireland, Spain and now Italy tanking in spite of good Austerian Economic policies while Iceland, which told the creditors of Iceland’s over leveraged banks to ‘F Off!, is getting by?

    Answer: Paul Krugman is a witch.

    There can be no rational explanation. Now, be a good citizen and give Paul Ryan your Medicare benefit.

  47. 47.

    Mark S.

    @Lolis:

    1.) Endorsing the Ryan plan without conditions or ambiguity

    Man, the Republican candidate who comes out and defends Medicare and SS from Ryan and the Randriods will kick the shit of the rest of the field. But they’re all too stupid to do it.

  48. 48.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I might point out that the Wikipedia article on the 2010 Delaware special senate election grants that the phrase “separation of church and state” itself does not appear in the First Amendment, but it’s hard to see how the pretty absolute denial of the very notion of a state religion doesn’t mean that state and church are separate (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..”). It’s pretty obvious that a wall was meant to be built, and Jefferson explicitly says that in his letter to the Danbury Baptists.

    But, then again, I’m one of these people who understand just how adamant James Madison was about this sort of thing, what with the pretty explicit prohibition of religious tests for public office in Article VI…

  50. 50.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @MikeBoyScout:

    Answer: Paul Krugman is a witch.

    Well, we’ll need to see if we can build a bridge out of him, or, if that doesn’t work, see if he floats. Or weighs the same as a duck.

  51. 51.

    MikeBoyScout

    @52 Villago Delenda Est:

    Or weighs the same as a duck.

    With Paul Ryan Very Serious Budget math we can prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Dr. Krugman is a witch because he weighs the same as a duck. Observe.

    * Krugman weighs the same as a duck.

    Once you understand how budgeting is Seriously done, you can do anything.

  52. 52.

    Sharl

    Buffalo Beast prankster Murphy strikes again, volunteering to work at a phone bank for Jane Corwin:

    …“But there’s a very important election coming up this Tuesday and if you don’t vote for Jane Corwin horrible things will happen to you and the people you love…she was a successful business fetus…hello?”
    __
    [dial tone]
    __
    This was a fairly common exchange. I spent about three hours volunteering at Jane Corwin HQ, phoning potential voters, under the alias Steve Smith–an underemployed pet psychic and WNY repat most recently from Oakland, CA.

    More funny stuff at the link. And the thing is, the instructions given out by the phone bank supervisor did as much (or more) damage than Murphy’s own creative pranking could have achieved.

    (via TPM)

  53. 53.

    dlnelson

    I would like a front pager to address the ravaging of old folks, my “grandson is in jail, he is in trouble,”. My dad was recently hosed out of 3500 bucks. My son lives in LaJolla, and my dad lives in Minnesota. My son was nowhere near danger, it was a very detailed turn of lies. I am sending detailed letters to the rep from La Jolla, the rep from Folsom, the reps from MN, the senators from MN, the US attorney from MN (where the crime happened). I am My also sending a letter to Western Union, and copying that letter to Minnesota and North Dakota Sheriff departments. I will not let this go. My dad is 85 and was cheated out of his money, Western Union is on my list. I will not let it go. My dad is a WWII vet, lost his wife three years ago. He is one of the nice guys, his only crime is he is nice, and he is old. Sorry if this off topic. This does need to be addressed.

  54. 54.

    Anya

    @jeffreyw: That’s gorgeous. Did you take the picture?

    I love birds. I used to bird watch with my dad when I was a kid. Everywhere we traveled, we did major bird watching. I should download some of the pictures we took.

  55. 55.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik

    @eemom:

    It really is amazing that, given the choice between standing president and the PM of another foreign country, more than half of the pols in Congress, including a not-small number of members of the president’s own party, decide to flip in the finger and declare the PM their hero.

    It’s fucking ridiculous. And apparently, according to the original Yglesias article, total unconditional support for Israel is only RISING. It’s fucking ridiculous, and if this is actually what ends up sinking Obama, then fuck all, we deserve to lose, because apparently we don’t actually have a country anymore. We have a nation-sized lobby and mercenary force for Israel.

    It’s absurd that it’s to the point that even Jews, American, Israeli, or otherwise, are that much more critical of Israel and its policy than anyone else in the US is allowed to be.

  56. 56.

    Anya

    @Linda Featheringill: He’s not that intelligent. And on a shallow note, he’s not attractive and he wears suites that are twice his size. Also, too, he’s black which mean the nutty Republicans will never vote for him. He’s this election cycle’s Allen Keyes.

  57. 57.

    Left Coast Tom

    @Linda Featheringill:

    Maybe he’s not as intelligent as I thought. Sigh.

    How intelligent did you think he was? Because, for someone who finds themself qualified to discuss Palestinian issues, having the intelligence of plant life should have sufficed for knowing what the “right of return” refers to. And, I’m not really surprised that Cain couldn’t respond.

  63. 63.

    Texas Dem

    I just watched the Season 7 finale of House. Talk about jumping the shark. No wonder Lisa Edelstein is leaving the show.

  66. 66.

    cbear

    @The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik:

    It really is amazing that, given the choice between standing president and the PM of another foreign country, more than half of the pols in Congress, including a not-small number of members of the president’s own party, decide to flip in the finger and declare the PM their hero.

    Obviously you, and many here, are not aware of the fact that a majority of the Founding Fathers were actually descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel and always foresaw the addition of their ancestral homeland to the Union at some point. This is what is meant when conservatives point to “original intent” as the basis for understanding our Constitution.

    This topic will be addressed in a future installment of the Huckabee “Learn Our History” videos and, boy, are some of you going to look foolish.

    Silly liberals.

  68. 68.

    4jkb4ia

    I swear, I did not know that Allan and the Allan Brauer at ABL’s that John was getting into it with on Twitter were the same person. But I was still essentially making his point. Please do not let me kill another open thread.

    (In fact, the same person who is supposed to be about civility has no right to mock John about his lack of sex life. I was livid. But the thread had been dead for a few days.)

  74. 74.

    4jkb4ia

    @72, 75:

    This was on the “Obama flip-flopped on signing statements” post. In other words, a hundred years ago in Twitter time.

  76. 76.

    gex

    Well, I just did the dumbest thing possible. I tried to engage with someone opposed to SSM. It went like this:

    Him: “Why? Why do you want SSM to be legalized.”
    Me: (provides all kinds of constitutional and rule of law reasons)

    Him: “But why? Why do you want SSM?”
    Me: (various economic and contractual reasons)

    Him: “So is it economic? Is it religious? Why do you want SSM?”
    Me: (various examples of how separate but equal tends to work)

    Him: “But God blah blah blah blah”
    Me (thinking): “It would have been better to run head first full speed into a brick wall. It would have been less painful.”

    It’s going to be a long 18 months.

  77. 77.

    Ija

    @Texas Dem:

    Oh god. That show jumped the shark when Chase killed a guy and got away with it. Not euthanasia, not mercy killing, just straight out killed a guy.

    Everyone in that show with the exception of Cuddy’s cute daughter are so unlikable it’s really, really hard to care. You can have a show focused on one misanthropic yet interesting character, but I don’t think it’s wise to surround that character with people who are more unlikable and assholish than him. A little dose of misanthropy goes a long way.

  79. 79.

    gex

    @eemom: The worst part is realizing that this is a demographic thing, and that if that fucker would have been raptured or if he meets his maker before November 2012, he can’t vote for the amendment in MN. I really do not want to end up wishing people would die. I’m worried that 18 months of this will drive me to that point.

  80. 80.

    eemom

    @gex:

    so this is like a Prop 8 thing? I did not know that.

    I saw the video of that crazy-ass kill the gays “preacher” getting in some Obama-hate on the floor of y’all’s Senate the other day, how he was even too batshit crazy for the amendment SPONSORS.

    Surreal times. We iz living in them.

  81. 81.

    Gex

    @eemom: Come now. That preacher was the guy that the Target brouhaha was over. The House Republicans knew exactly who he was. Dog whistles. They sure felt bad though, didn’t they? The speaker felt so bad he wasn’t sure he’d bring the bill to the floor. The session was due to end on Monday, the budget isn’t done, and they will need a special session. But they managed to fit the vote in.

    They are first and foremost greedy, unethical sociopaths.

  82. 82.

    eemom

    …..also too, I live in Virginia, where we have a constitutional amendment prohibiting not only gay marriage, but anything APPROXIMATING gay marriage, i.e., civil unions. It passed in 2006 with appallingly little national attention.

    And yet, right here on our street in this little NoVA burb, we have a nice lesbian couple on the corner, and a gay male couple two houses down, both of whom have been here for years and years.

    Hell, we even got fucking Mary Cheney over in superrich Great Falls, with her partner and two kids.

  83. 83.

    Gex

    The amendments suck. I anticipate years and years of “there are more important issues” arguments against changing them. There won’t be the same kind of money or drive to do anything about them.

  84. 84.

    eemom

    @Gex:

    I don’t get it though — what was the stratagery about having him speak? Wasn’t at least the dig at Obama part unexpected?

  85. 85.

    eemom

    @Gex:

    to tell you the truth, I was kind of pissed off that the one here got so little attention at the time. I mean it just seemed to make no sense, considering how explosive Prop 8 was, that something even worse would have slipped through under the radar 2 years earlier.

    But Virginia ain’t California, of course. I guess no one expects any better.

  86. 86.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @Duncan Dönitz (formerly Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.): Like I’ve said before on these threads, when your kid gets hooked on a movie, better hope it’s watchable. I ended up seeing “League of Their Own” and “Man from Snowy River” daily. It could’ve been a lot worse.

    OTOH, letting a 3-yr old listen to this still haunts me:

    Madonna: “That’s some peein’!”
    Tom Hanks: (written) Avoid the Clap. “That’s good advice!”

  88. 88.

    Lawnguylander

    “I know what’s on your mind, there’ll be time for that too,,”

    Love that song and that’s the part of the song that hooked me. Sweetest, “you’re going to have to keep your pants on for a little while longer, pal” moment in the history of western music.

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