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You are here: Home / Halfway home on Ohio repeal

Halfway home on Ohio repeal

by Kay|  June 17, 20111:04 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: Daydream Believers

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Pictured are the We Are Ohio folks at Netroots, with the final signature tally behind their heads there. 714,000.

The goal was 500k, so that went well. Now the battle over ballot language begins, and then, of course, we have to win the repeal vote. Thanks to all the BJ readers and commenters who signed or circulated a petition.

Jordyn Rush (the woman on the left) is the deputy director of operations for We Are Ohio and she approached me yesterday to thank Balloon Juice for promoting the cause. She’s smiling today.

One other quick observation: John Cole is going to have to appear publicly at a political event, or post a picture, or throw up a line-drawing portrait, or something.

Every single Balloon Juice reader I have spoken to asks, first thing: “Where is John Cole? Is he here?”

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Reader Interactions

56Comments

  1. 1.

    Zam

    June 17, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    Perhaps we should get a bunch of billboards with “Who is John Cole?” up all over the country.

  2. 2.

    Ivan Ivanovich Renko

    June 17, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    “Who is John Cole?”

    I LIKE IT. It should be a caption for the Tunch photo swag, doncha think?

  3. 3.

    gbear

    June 17, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    I’m hoping to make it to Britt’s. Promise I won’t ask anything about Cole.

    edit: My question is Who is that hunky bear to the right?

    edit 2: Please don’t tell me he’s Cole.

  4. 4.

    Kay

    June 17, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    “Who is John Cole?”

    Bruinkid from Daily Kos asked after DougJ.

    I’ll keep a count and do a final tally :)

  5. 5.

    jl

    June 17, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    I thought it was conclusively established that ‘John Cole’ is a fictional character, created in one of DougJ’s most successful long run spoofs.

    I was very sad when I learned that John Cole does not exist in real reality. And I wonder, who really owns those cute pets?

    The truth will out, sooner or later.

    If Cole does exist, the best we can hope for is a rude rebuff in a post today. Maybe he (or is it a he, Jane Coale?) will put a graphic of a scrawled X.

    Tip to the tentatively postulated real ‘John Cole’, if you don’t have the X notarized, it will only make things worse.

  6. 6.

    Kay

    June 17, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    I’m hoping to make it to Britt’s.

    Good. I’ll be hungry, as usual, so you and I can eat rather than drink.

  7. 7.

    dollared

    June 17, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Great news on Ohio, Kay. A series of wins like this (and the Wisconsin recalls) could really alter the SCLM’s narrative heading into 2012.

    And, of course, these would be major substantive improvements for the people of Ohio and Wisconsin. Does that matter :-)?

    BTW, don’t forget to take the “no more Johnsonville brats” pledge on their website. They’re the #1 donor to Randy “Bed” Hopper, the Wisconsin Senator with the dual household issue.

  8. 8.

    Andrew

    June 17, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    I think it should be obvious by now that John Cole is actually a lesbian from Syria.

  9. 9.

    BGinCHI

    June 17, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    I thought John Cole was Juan Cole in hiding in WV from the feds.

  10. 10.

    kindness

    June 17, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Poor John. Everyone wants him but not in the way he might prefer.

  11. 11.

    Poopyman

    June 17, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    BTW, I got the mythical Cole a NN Teeshirt. Largest they had, so I hope it’s big enough.

    And there’s no proof Cole isn’t here, now is there?

  12. 12.

    kdaug

    June 17, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    John Cole is going to have to appear publicly at a political event, or post a picture, or throw up a line-drawing portrait, or something.

    Ye shall know Him by His beautiful feet.

    Other than that, he’s a fat, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, ~6ft, mid-40ish, clumsy and comically self-injuring dude who looks like his sister, and who doesn’t want his picture taken.

    Why? Because he’s fat. And he might have a mop. And the clothing bit is iffy. And he might fall off something taking the picture. And Tunch will hate the whole thing and not be inclined to suppress the displeasure.

    In all, I think Cole’s doing us a favor staying “behind-the-scenes”.

  13. 13.

    kindness

    June 17, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    In truth, John is actually a Gay girl blogging from Damascus under a pseudonym of a W Virginia guy.

  14. 14.

    13th Generation

    June 17, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    C’mon, we all know Cole doesn’t really exist.
    Think of him as the “Sara Lee” or “Betty Crocker” of bloggers.

  15. 15.

    dollared

    June 17, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    @13th Gen. Coward. I’ll say “Aunt Jemima” if you won’t.

  16. 16.

    dollared

    June 17, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    @13th Gen. Coward. I’ll say “Aunt Jemima” if you won’t.

  17. 17.

    jl

    June 17, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    @kdaug – June 17, 2011 | 1:26 pm

    And from evidence available from posted video clips, talks like Ben Stein, the pundit.

    Let’s fact it folks, the only evidence we have that points to a actual identity for this supposed ‘John Cole’ is that he is really Ben Stein.

    These are deep waters, very deep.

  18. 18.

    cleek

    June 17, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    John Cole is the fictional protagonist in an novel called “Catlas Shrugged”. it’s a philosophical tale of a man and his cat. the cat comes to realize that it is the center of the world and is therefore superior to the man who tends to it. but the human rebels. the fight for dominance is epic.

  19. 19.

    gbear

    June 17, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    Think of him as the “Sara Lee” or “Betty Crocker” of bloggers.

    Except Betty Crocker gets upgraded now and then. Modern Betty Crocker would never admit to liking The Grateful Dead.

  20. 20.

    John Cole

    June 17, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    I have lost my girlish figure and don’t like how I look, plus I have a face for radio.

  21. 21.

    Scott P.

    June 17, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    If Cole does exist, the best we can hope for is a rude rebuff in a post today. Maybe he (or is it a he, Jane Coale?) will put a graphic of a scrawled X.
    Tip to the tentatively postulated real ‘John Cole’, if you don’t have the X notarized, it will only make things worse.

    We’ll also need the long-form birth certificate.

  22. 22.

    jfxgillis

    June 17, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    kay:

    Oh! I have great idea for a book.

    A bunch of assholes run around spouting adolescent quasi-philosophical bullshit, and the key plot point is answering the question “Who is John Cole?”

    I think I can get 1,000 pages out of it.

  23. 23.

    jl

    June 17, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Forgot to add:

    I am very pleased the Balloon Juice (whatever it really is and whoever is really behind it) sent Kay to Netroots.

    I hope Kay files as many reports as she can, and that they can in a small way counter the worthless propaganda coming out of the media.

    So, thanks again, Kay, I really appreciate that you are reporting on the conference.

  24. 24.

    Rommie

    June 17, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    If John Cole writes a few-hundred page scree about “Who is John Cole” he wins the Internet. Sadly, I don’t think he’s insane enough to try it.

  25. 25.

    13th Generation

    June 17, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    @ John Cole

    But do you have that radio voice?

  26. 26.

    martha

    June 17, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    Kay, I’m sorry I’ll miss the meet-up. I was up in MSP earlier this week for business, but am back home in Fitzwalkerstan. Sigh.

  27. 27.

    Yutsano

    June 17, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I have lost my girlish figure and don’t like how I look, plus I have a face for radio.

    Not buying it. We’ve seen your sister, and you told us you look just like her. Nice try though.

  28. 28.

    RossInDetroit

    June 17, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I don’t like having my photo taken either, and only tolerate family pix. I broke the rule last summer when Mark Frauenfelder wanted a shot of me at Maker Faire Detroit with one of my inventions. If I’d known it would end up on Boing Boing I’d have run and hid. I look like a dope.

    John, on the other hand, is probably Banksy having us on.

  29. 29.

    Trinity

    June 17, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I’ve always assumed that John Cole looked like a grown up Charlie Brown.

  30. 30.

    Suffern ACE

    June 17, 2011 at 1:44 pm

    I guess I’d always just assumed that John Cole was the Jeopardy answer to “Whatever happened to Stephanie Zimbalist”.

  31. 31.

    Culture of Truth

    June 17, 2011 at 1:44 pm

    WHO IS TUNCH?

  32. 32.

    TooManyJens

    June 17, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    @Suffern ACE: Actually, a friend of mine tells me that Stephanie Zimbalist has been happily doing theatre for many years now. Unless Cole has a side job we don’t know about …

  33. 33.

    Yutsano

    June 17, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Unless Cole has a side job we don’t know about …

    It would, as always, be irresponsible not to speculate.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    June 17, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    @13th Generation:
    Given his alleged predilection for nude mopping, I think Mr. Cole is more like the Mr. Clean of bloggers.

    Who is John Galt Cole?

  35. 35.

    RossInDetroit

    June 17, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    I’ve always assumed that John Cole looked like a grown up Charlie Brown.

    Okay, that’s stuck in my head now. It’ll do I guess, with the addition of pet hair and scarred shins to the image.

  36. 36.

    TaMara (BHF)

    June 17, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    John Cole is a swash buckling rabble-rouser, a blond Johnny Depp, a rounder, younger Redford (in his Sundance days)…at least that’s how I picture him when I’m alone at night.

  37. 37.

    piratedan

    June 17, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    I grok you JC, us fat guys generally don’t push for camera time, maybe a tasteful profile shot (ala Hitchcock) will satisfy the poofsters, or perhaps a shoulders up…. I can attest to the sentiment that pictures of you are stirring an X-Files type of “the truth is out there” kind of movement amongst those of us that you allow to comment here and share our thoughts amongst those similarly minded.

  38. 38.

    scav

    June 17, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    @Roger Moore: Funny, I was just thinking that my mental image of JC is rather fuzzy, primarily because he is entirely swathed in bandages and casts. We could combine the two images through for further marketing opportunities. A paper-based “Pin the Cast on John Cole” for the kiddies and a magnetic refrigerator “Dress Naked John Cole: with Casts and Mop!” for the adults. Magnetic Pets could be a side-line.

  39. 39.

    Paris

    June 17, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    John Cole is everywhere.

  40. 40.

    bemused

    June 17, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    cleek@18:

    Catless Shrugged. I love it. That would be a t-shirt I would buy.

  41. 41.

    Roger Moore

    June 17, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    @bemused:

    Catless Shrugged.

    Except that Mr. Cole is decidedly not catless. He has far too much cat for his, or the cat’s, health.

  42. 42.

    bemused

    June 17, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    Details, details. It’s still a t-shirt that would get a laugh.

  43. 43.

    Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal

    June 17, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    long form birth certificate would seem to be in order here, perhaps right before balloon juice special forces tunch team #6 takes out david brooks in his safe house in bethesdabad.

    my personal theory is that john cole is actually an alternate personality developed by the shooter on the grassy knoll, after experiencing a buzz-aldren like psychological break after the warren commission doomed him to mythical obscurity, and the imaginations of conspiracy theorists. when the cole personality emerged, it was a pastiche of popular late 70s early 80s cultural archetypes, loosely tied together by the grassy knoll shooter’s affinity for the garfield comic strip.

  44. 44.

    Cat Lady

    June 17, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    @ Paris:

    John Cole is everything.

  45. 45.

    artem1s

    June 17, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    John Cole is D.B. Cooper

  46. 46.

    Mac G

    June 17, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    I thought John Cole was the one getting bombed with Dana Holgorsen, tearing up a casino together and helping him get Bill Stewart fired.

    Or maybe him and Dana are sky diving together. Answers!

    http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/30028524?source=rss_blogs_NCAAF

  47. 47.

    Off Colfax

    June 17, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I can see the cover for Catlas Shrugged. It would be the great horror to all the cats who were once fortunate to own a human…

    AN EMPTY LAP!

    And no cat to fill it.

    The horror. The suffering. The lack of quality purr time.

    And that’s the viewpoint of the various subservient humans, until John Cole steps from the shadows of society to inform us all that Catlas doesn’t just shrug. He can also STAND UP WHENEVER HE DAMN WELL PLEASES because there isn’t a cat on his lap.

    Call Random House. Or maybe Penguin. We have a best seller. Now all we have to do is concuss a couple of Cato Institute interns until they’re capable of writing it.

  48. 48.

    arguingwithsignposts

    June 17, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    we all know the real reason cole doesn’t want his pic posted on the tubes is because malkin and rhe 101st chairborne would go full-on kerning countertop inspection first thing. i dont blame him.

  49. 49.

    Mike Kay (True Grit)

    June 17, 2011 at 3:24 pm

    Here’s a photo of Cole I took at the Netroots convention they held in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago.

    http://tinyurl.com/5o8dsp

  50. 50.

    kindness

    June 17, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    arguingwithsignposts – June 17, 2011 | 3:04 pm

    Hmmm….

    What kind of counter tops does this alleged John Cole have?

  51. 51.

    Thoughtcrime

    June 17, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    kdaug – June 17, 2011 | 1:26 pm · Link
    …
    Ye shall know Him by His beautiful feet.

    And he’s also posted several pictures of his junk.

  52. 52.

    ruemara

    June 17, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    I must say, after a morning spent wrangling with La Migra due to my own stupidity in not reading the address right, this thread is so full of win. I think it’s time to make a T-shirt.

  53. 53.

    mclaren

    June 17, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    So when someone asks “Where is John Cole?” does everyone in the room get really quiet and stare at each other with spooky looks, like that scene in THE USUAL SUSPECTS where somebody asks “Who is Kayser Soeze?”

  54. 54.

    Linnaeus

    June 17, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    John Cole is Atrios.

    (Yeah, that’s so 2005, I know.)

  55. 55.

    Mandramas

    June 17, 2011 at 11:36 pm

    John Cole is Juan Cole.

  56. 56.

    Jamie

    June 18, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    You’re all so wrong! John Cole is the figment of a 4th dimensional cat’s imagination, projected here as only one of many simulations in an attempt to determine what would happen to a sane person in a land where everyone was on the equivalent of a low dose of acid all the time.

    Edit: Rock on, Kay. I’m currently living in Ohio, not by choice, but Im pleased that not everyone is as insane as the tools I end up talking to.

    Charlie Stross explained all this.

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