Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

I was promised a recession.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

In my day, never was longer.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

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

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

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

Let there be snark.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

You cannot shame the shameless.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

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

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

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

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

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Open Thread

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So what is everyone doing on this fine Friday evening?

I had a late breakfast dinner and have been cruising through the first season of the West Wing while dealing with three animals on my lap jockeying for prime position. Good thing I have ample lap.

I’d forgotten how good the West Wing is- I am several episodes into season 1 and haven’t even really noticed that it isn’t letterbox or HD. That means it is good, because I basically refuse to watch anything that is not HD. Unless of course it is internet porn, and then you just cope.

Also, this was inevitable:

Le sigh.

Reader Interactions

193Comments

  2. 2.

    JasonF

    I’m pasting this in from the last open thread partly because I want people to see it and let me know whether they think I’m missing something, but mostly because I noticed a typo about two seconds after the edit window closed and it’s bugging me:

    So here’s the thing — lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of pundits talking about the fact that Newt has no chance but Romney puts a lot of states in play. Specifically, they talk about Ohio being a swing state and Romney having a good chance in Michigan given his father’s history as the Governor.

    So here’s my question: are these pundits high or am I? Because I look at a Republican Party that has spent three years ranting about auto industry bailouts and I think “they’re doing to the Rust Belt what LBJ did to the solid south. Maybe they’re not losing it for as long as the Democrats lost the south, but how can they possibly hope to carry states where a significant portion of the electorate draws their paychecks (directly or indirectly) from GM, Chrysler, and Ford?” Am I missing something, or do the constant refrains of “Obama should not have bailed out the auto industry” —- i.e. “Obama should not have saved your job” —- effectively put Ohio and Michigan (and probably Indiana, which also has a significant auto industry base) out of play for the Republicans?

    Sub-question—are there really enough Michiganders who think fondly enough of the guy who was governor four decades ago to have any statistical impact on his son’s candidacy all these years later?

  4. 4.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’m overdue for a West Wing marathon. Own all 7 seasons on DVD and every couple of years I just call in sick and watch the whole thing start to finish. It’s time.

  6. 6.

    David Koch

    Pretty cool seeing Seth Rogen has been cast to star in the screen adaptation of Balloon-Juice.

    I hear Sanaa Lathan is up for the ABL role.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JasonF:

    I noticed a typo about two seconds after the edit window closed and it’s bugging me

    Every time you make a typo
    The errorists win.

  10. 10.

    ruemara

    I’m watching my 2 kids from Chongqing play with legos. Between my pigdin basic commands in Chinese and their generally clueless cuteness, we are muddling through until Sunday. My cooking skills are wasted. Even my duck sausage & green onion jook was met with teh blah.

  11. 11.

    trollhattan

    That’s going to look good as a postage stamp someday.

    Also, too, Aaron Sorkin is our best dialogue writer today. I think in the past he’d have written for Billy Wilder

  12. 12.

    schrodinger's cat

    @JasonF: I think the punditubbies are totally clueless. If they really knew what would happen, Hillary would have been Mme President now.

  16. 16.

    Chris

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I miss quality sci-fi shows set in outer space.

    Alas, no more Star Trek, no more Stargate and no Firefly revival on the horizon, which is very sad. Supposedly, there are new BSG and Star Wars series in the works, but they won’t be out for years. As our host says, le sigh.

  18. 18.

    MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson

    @JasonF:

    I suspect Michigan is a lost cause for Romney, given his foolish remarks about the auto industry. I expect Indiana to flip back to the GOP, given how bad the economy is and how narrowly Obama won it last time. Ohio I tend to think will stay blue, somewhat grudgingly, in part because of idiot governor and general GOP overreach.

  19. 19.

    dance around in your bones

    I’m on an “All Creatures Great and Small” Netfix. Good clean fun.

    Lurve the graphic, when do we get the t-shirts?

  21. 21.

    MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson

    On a personal level, I am recovering from the discovery that Mitt Romney paid a 50% tax rate:

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/01/romney_actually_i_kind_of_pay_50_tax.php?ref=fpblg

    Romney’s argument is that even though he pays only 13.9%, he’s really paying something like 45% to 50% because the investment income he lives on comes from corporations. And those corporates also pay taxes. The nominal corporate tax rate is 35%, though of course many pay much lower. But if you add Romney’s rate together with this completely unrelated corporate tax he doesn’t pay, you get 50%, which Romney is now saying is real tax rate. In other words, he’s claiming he pays both taxes.

    I refuse to believe that this obvious falsehood will fly, either in the primary or against Obama. Romney must be seeing absolutely horrendous polling on his taxes to even think of trying this.

  22. 22.

    SuzieC

    Baking raspberry cheesecake for a dinner party tomorrow night, drinking limoncello, and reading BJ because I have finished reading Top Chef recaps on TVGasm. For fans of food & reality tv snark,I recommend.

    Mitt will not go over well in Ohio, guaranteed. I’ve lived here all my life. We don’t like elitist super-rich androids.

  23. 23.

    Jeffro

    @JasonF: No answer on that, but I think I read something recently about how while the ‘traditional’ swing states may slip away due to blue-collar anti-Obama vote (especially OH), Obama is likely to (re-)pick up the new swing states and then some (VA, NC, NM, CO, etc).

    I stand by my prediction from last year: Obama 51-52% PV, 310-320 EVs. It’s not exciting but it fits.

    Also too: just got late notice that my school’s school counselor (FINALLY) won ‘counselor of the year’ for our county, on to the state “competition”…he is awesome and this is long overdue.

  26. 26.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SuzieC: Send directions. Will drive all night. Sleep is overrated.

    @amk: Does it really matter? It’s a toe. Sometimes it’s really best not to ask questions.

  27. 27.

    dead existentialist

    An open thread, huh? Anybody remember the Terry Tate Office Linebacker commercials?

    Here’s one titled “Reading Is Fundamental” featuring Sarah Palin and Katie Couric.

    No “actual” governors were injured . . . by Terry’s hit.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    Hey, Cole. Who did the graphic? It’s great.

    I had a dream last night – I don’t know what it was about other than the fact that in the dream I looked down and I had on a pair of tennis shoes, the old fashioned kind, and they had this great Balloon Juice design on them.

    So the tennies were white and Balloon Juice was embroidered on the shoe, and each letter was a different color (well, maybe some repeats, but definitely a rainbow of colors). They were awesome! And they fit my feet better than any shoes in a long time.

    And now I want Balloon Juice tennies, just like the ones in my dream.

  29. 29.

    MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson

    @amk:

    It is impressive, isn’t it? I don’t know whether Romney’s hoping to be spanked hard and nasty by Gingrich and then Obama, but this is an invitation to public mockery.

  31. 31.

    Rafer Janders

    Wait, you won’t watch anything not in HD? What about old movies? Old tv shows such as MASH, Cheers, etc.? Classic John Wayne/Cary Grant/Humphrey Bogart/Tracey and Hepburn/the other Hepburn/ etc.?

  32. 32.

    Suffern ACE

    @MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Yeah. Corporations paying 35% should probably see one of those Big 4 accounting firms. Maybe that PE firm would like to open those books on its portfolio companies. Those aren’t going to be “profitable” because they pay back their loans from the PE firms and that payment comes before taxable profits, if I recall correctly.

  36. 36.

    piratedan

    i’m sitting here just kind of daunted about damn near everything. I’ve spent the last 8 months caring for two people that I love and living with them as they fought their battles and ultimately lost them yet allowed them the dignity to pass as they wished, quietly at home. Then came the holidays and the warmth of family (human and four legged) yet with the thought that everything isn’t finished yet. Now I’m alone in their house after doing a brief family grief tour and dropping off designated possessions and am now cataloging all of their items, arranging estate sale appointments and helping my stepbrother with the transfer of responsibility both financially and legally that will allow me to finally go home.

    I just kind of feel numb and subdued and in a way, I feel like a kid, just newly away from home and all I got are some records to play to keep me sane. I do have one benefit now that I didn’t have then, I can share this with you guys and strangely enough, you get it, you understand and simply aren’t judgmental about it and for that, I thank you.

    Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?

  37. 37.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    I finally finished the first 3 seasons of Breaking Bad, I hope AMC does an encore of season 4. I am watching Partition on Netflix. A story of a Sikh man and a Muslim woman, trying to survive a world of chaos in 1947 India.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Thanks for the laugh before bedtime! I guess you’ll be hitting the road soon. I did wonder, though, whether it was the cheesecake or the limoncello that got your interest…

  41. 41.

    Violet

    That is awesome! Who made it?

    I figured you would have been watching the finale of Chuck tonight, John Cole. I have it on DVR and haven’t watched it yet.

    Otherwise, not a very exciting evening. At leftovers for dinner and then discovered some Boy Scout popcorn in the cupboard and made a huge mistake of opening the bag. Ugh. That stuff is disgusting. I threw out the rest. Total waste of money, but at least I supported my friend’s kid’s troop. He’s a nice kid.

  42. 42.

    dance around in your bones

    @piratedan:

    I empathize with you, because in November last year I lost my husband of 40 years. It’s a weird and surreal experience, and I don’t know what else to say but to just keep on truckin’, cause that’s all we can do.

    Things are gonna hurt for a while. One thing I have been grateful for is this place, to share my loss and pain, and to get thoughtful, caring replies in response.

    This is a good place to share. TG for BJ.

  43. 43.

    J. Michael Neal

    @MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Guh. Idiot. Let’s assume for a second that Romney should be credited with paying a 35% corporate tax rate as a part of his taxes. You can’t add the rates together. It’s basic math. The proper figure is 1 – (1 – corporate tax rate) * (1 – personal tax rate). At 35% and 13.9%, you get an effective tax rate of 44%.

    Except that even that’s not right. Mitt earns most of his money as capital gains. Capital gains does not perfectly track corporate profits. In theory, it will over an infinite time horizon, but we aren’t dealing with that.

    Beyond THAT, a fair amount of what Romney claims as capital gains is from Bain Capital. Bain earns money in two ways. The first is by seeing its investment go up, and by Mitt’s very flawed hypothesis, that would be double taxed. But the rest of it is from fees that Bain earns. Because Bain is a partnership, that money was never subject to corporate income tax.

    So, he’s full of shit even if you give him his bullshit assumptions.

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    @Mr Stagger Lee:

    As other fundamental shows meet their doom, Breaking Bad steps in pretty darn well. It’s almost always good, sometimes astonishing. I’m getting a similar vibe from Justified.

  45. 45.

    Fitzwili

    @ piratedan
    I just went through this with my mother. It is so hard going through stuff and having to make practical decisions when you just want to grieve. I suppose it is helpful because you just keep doing tasks and the responsibilities keep you tethered. I hope things get better for you.

  47. 47.

    J. Michael Neal

    I spent the first half of the evening watching the Gophers play a ridiculously sloppy second period, but beat the Purple Cows of Minnesota State 6-3. North Dakota lost, which makes it a better night.

    The rest hasn’t gone as well. I’m staying overnight in Mankato because I hoped to socialize with other Gopher fans I know. I couldn’t find any of them after the game, so I’m sitting alone in my hotel room. I should have driven back up to Minneapolis and come down again for tomorrow’s game.

  48. 48.

    freelancer

    Oh not too much, watching Don’t Be a Menace on Netflix before heading off to bed…Oh that’s cool, I recently restarted it after stalling out watching Sports Night (which I love too) and yeah The West Wing is really great, especially the third season, this episode may be one of the top moments of ALL televis-

    OMFG, [gut laughing] That is too harsh. Oh Jesus, that’s fucking mean but JC’s proud, pouty visage should go on an apron in the BJ store. I would pick one up right quick.

  50. 50.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @piratedan:

    I’m kinda grateful for the pain… does that sound weird or what?

    No, pain is better than numb. It means you are alive. I had written a long thing about love and loss, divorce and death, and all those things, but FYWP eated it. It was probably for the best. Maybe some Townes van Zandt would help.

  51. 51.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Mr Stagger Lee: You should watch Tamas (Darkness), a mini series about partition, from the point of view of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary situation. It is brilliant.

  53. 53.

    Violet

    @piratedan:
    Very sorry for your losses. You’ve been dealing with a lot of difficult stuff and now it’s mostly over. That’s exhausting and it’s little wonder you’re somewhat numb. The pain you’re feeling is reassuring partly because it means you are still able to feel in the midst of the numbness. That’s a good sign, which is probably why you’re glad for it.

    Take good care of yourself as you cared for those you loved. You did a very good thing by doing that.

  54. 54.

    trollhattan

    @piratedan:

    Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?

    Nobody can live your experience but anyone who’s experienced grief can intuit what you’re saying. I think it’s sometimes necessary to keep digging that hole for a while longer, before you can climb out. I don’t think we get a vote on how or when we can get “on with it.”

    Very sorry for your losses.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    @piratedan: Reading your words took me back in time to shortly after my dad died. We lost my dad and had the funeral and handled all the financial stuff and made all the arrangements and split up all the possessions in Chicago and then all three of us sisters went our separate ways to our homes in different states.

    I remember walking in the door when we got home, and sitting on the couch with my partner. It was very strange. For the first time in my life, I had an overwhelming desire to run away from home. I was smart enough to know that running away wouldn’t solve anything, so I was able to resist, just barely. My entire being just wanted to bolt.

    While I know that’s not what you are describing, I am certain that what you are experiencing is as profound as what I experienced, and my heart goes out to you.

    You hold it together and somehow manage to do everything you need to do, and then suddenly it’s over and you are left alone with your feelings. But you’re not really alone, as you have already discovered.

  59. 59.

    pragmatism

    I went to chilis with the family but since we are so elitist my wife insisted upon ordering the premium wine. I had their finest 6 oz steak, rare.

  60. 60.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: I would have guessed wrong.

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Not after what I read today, I won’t.

    @Violet I bought that popcorn from the boy scouts exactly once. After that, I would hand them a check as a donation and tell them to keep the popcorn.

  63. 63.

    Arclite

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I do that with DS9. Loved that show.

    I could see doing that for the new version of Battlestar Galactica. The serialized nature and vast arc of the show make it even more compelling than DS9, whose episodes were largely self contained.

  64. 64.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I heard you ‘faced off’ here but was too disinterested to go look it up. I figure I’ll trip across it somewhere so I’m not concerned. ;p

    This is all just a prelude to John’s upcoming new MSNBC weekend show, Balloon Juice: Weekend Edition!

    Today on our show, John will stand outside David Gregory’s studio and punch him in the neck as he leaves.

    Commercials will have a small picture of Tunch in the corner with the message “Buy this or else…”

  66. 66.

    Arclite

    @ruemara:

    I’m watching my 2 kids from Chongqing play with legos. Between my pigdin basic commands in Chinese and their generally clueless cuteness, we are muddling through until Sunday. My cooking skills are wasted. Even my duck sausage & green onion jook was met with teh blah.

    Is this a temporary gig, or permanent? Wondering if congrats are in order…

  67. 67.

    Bnut

    @schrodinger’s cat: That’s funny, i just started watching it again on Netflix. I was only 9 when it first came out, but I still feel the same way I did then, it’s all pretty slow until season 3, and even now I’m waiting for the Dominion War to start.

  73. 73.

    Hill Dweller

    I see Daddy Bush and Jeb visited with the President in Oval Office before the Alfalfa Club dinner.

  78. 78.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @piratedan: @dance around in your bones:

    I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of loved ones. It is a time that just wipes you out, physically and emotionally. We all know that time heals all but when you are right in the middle of it you can lose sight of that.

    My best wishes to both of you.

    @piratedan:

    Then Tunch can refuse to eat it because it’s been defiled by pundit.

    Make Tunch the Morris the Cat of political news…lol!

  79. 79.

    Arclite

    @Rafer Janders:

    Wait, you won’t watch anything not in HD? What about old movies? Old tv shows such as MASH, Cheers, etc.? Classic John Wayne/Cary Grant/Humphrey Bogart/Tracey and Hepburn/the other Hepburn/ etc.?

    They have a lot of old actors in hi-def: John Wayne, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, etc. As for MASH and Cheers, you heard what he said: if it’s good, he doesn’t notice it’s lo def. Besides, the MASH TV show was shot on film, so we could see a hi def release at some point. The film itself is already out on BRD.

  80. 80.

    Nicole

    Quiet evening here, watched My Week With Marilyn. God bless my husband’s SAG membership and the SAG awards- it’s the only way I manage to see anything remotely recent. I enjoyed.

    Prior to the film, I watched some of Centennial on DVD. Chock full of 1970’s miniseries unintentional hilarity. Best line so far is Richard Chamberlain: “I’ll get my beaver.”

  81. 81.

    Cassidy

    Trying to decide if I like Awolnation and Fun. I’ve been on a Bravery and Killers kick lately, so I think that has some influence.

    @piratedan: When we’d lose guys in Iraq, someone always had to clear out their room, box up their stuff, clean up the computer, etc. I volunteered. I think, being the Senior Medic, it was expected that I’d be a part of that; not really sure why. I would have anyway because they were all my boys. Losing people sucks. You’ll get there.

  82. 82.

    piratedan

    @trollhattan: aye troll, but I have 8 critters awaiting my arrival at home, two shelties (recently inherited – if you get my drift), a corgi and a shiba inu and four felines of various and sundry psychosi.

  84. 84.

    KyCole

    Watching Children of Earth from Torchwood on Netflix. Can’t seem to find a new show to watch. Maybe I’ll try All Creatures Great and Small. Always wanted to be James Herriot as a kid.

  85. 85.

    Arclite

    @piratedan: Dude. Hang in there. You’re probably grateful for the pain since it fills the emptiness. It gets better, and you can escape here, in our snarky little paradise.

  86. 86.

    BGinCHI

    Since this is an open thread, I’m highly recommending MI5 on Netflix (streaming).

    Don’t quit on it in the first two seasons. Once it gets going and the personnel starts to change (you’ll see what I mean), prepare to be blown away. For fans of international espionage, politics, and amazing tv writing, this show is for you.

    And no, MI5 did not pay me 1.6 million to be a historian for the show.

  87. 87.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Arclite:

    Besides, the MASH TV show was shot on film, so we could see a hi def release at some point.

    That would be awesome, especially if they took out the laugh track. (The BBC showed it without, as the creators intended, and I find it impossible to watch in the US with the obvious canned laughter.)

  88. 88.

    dance around in your bones

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    Thanks, Odie Hu….it still feels surreal, but my therapy lately has been walking the golden retriever and caring for the three grandkids. It keeps me busy, anyway. Oh hell life just sucks sometimes. Ya gotta keep moving…moving on.

    But I miss my guy, a LOT.

  89. 89.

    patrick II

    @MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:

    Did Bain Capital actually pay 35%? I would be surprised.
    If Bain is privately held, it’s tax rates may not be known, and if it’s like most hedge funds I would guess they are pretty aggressive at avoiding taxes. I would love it if Mitt opened that door.

  90. 90.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @KyCole: Weird, I wanted to be James Bond. I read the books when I was about 10 – missed a lot, of course – but they probably did have an effect on me. Scrambled eggs, salmon, and champagne sound like a prefect late night snack.

  92. 92.

    Elizabelle

    Joe Biden speaking to House Democratic Retreat on C-Span 1. Low key; he’s got a cold, but looks interesting.

  93. 93.

    KyCole

    Trollhatten- I wonder if you’re a Saab geek? My son-in-law is a Saab fanatic and is recently thrilled about the Saab museum being saved.

  95. 95.

    J. Michael Neal

    Oh, lord. The Big 10 Network is showing a profile of Herb Brooks. Apparently, he was from St. Paul, which unlike Minneapolis is a lunch bucket, hard-working town.

    Read “white.”

  96. 96.

    TooManyJens

    @KyCole: We’ve started watching Doc Martin on Netflix streaming. A surgeon has a traumatic experience and develops an aversion to the sight of blood, and so has to leave his London practice and become a GP in his home village in Cornwall. You might want to give it a try.

    @Michael Demmons: I’m @tealdeer.

  98. 98.

    WaynersT

    I wished we could have avatar photos with the comments.
    I’d like to see what all these ginger bastards look like.

  99. 99.

    amk

    a stolen one

    A stranger was seated next to a little black girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, “Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” The little girl, who had just opened her coloring book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, “What would you like to talk about?” “Oh, I don’t know,” said the stranger. “Since you are an Afro American, do you think that So-called President Barack Obama is qualified for the job?” and he smiles. “OK”, she said. ‘That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff -grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?” The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss President Barack Obama…when you don’t know shit?”

  100. 100.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @KyCole: The term is Saabista. I participated in the Chicago Save Saab Rally in 2010. My wife was actually in the Trib photos of the event.

  101. 101.

    KyCole

    I recently finished Doc Martin. Loved it- he’s hilarious! I’d love to be able to tell people “NO” like he does.

  103. 103.

    KyCole

    @Omnes Omnibus: O

    My son-in-law has an FUGM sticker on his Saab. He actually went to Sweden a couple of years ago for some big anniversary. There’s a 96 parked behind my garage right now and another engine inside.

  106. 106.

    BGinCHI

    @Omnes Omnibus: Hey OO. Good friend of mine just got an offer from the UW for a tenure track job and is gonna take it. So I’ll get up there more than I would have. Madison meet-up in order.

    You’re also invited to ride 60 or 80 miles with me.

  108. 108.

    trollhattan

    @KyCole:

    Guilty. Have owned one or another without a break since my first, a 99EMS. My current one will probably be my last, which makes me haz that Swedish sad. Parts pipeline already drying up.

  109. 109.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @KyCole: I have a simple ’06 9-3 SS. Nothing special, but I love it. If the company had made it, I doubt I would have ever bought anything else. Now, I want an Audi S5.

  110. 110.

    handsmile

    Re: Mitt’s 50% tax rate

    Josh Marshall/TPM posted a follow-up piece, “Will Reporters Be This Craven?” to the link provided by MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson above (#21).

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/01/will_reporters_be_this_craven.php?ref=fpblg

    I sadly expect that this falls under the category SATSQ. Innumeracy is one of the salient features of corporate media stenography, and 50% is a figure ever so much easier to type and to prattle than 13.9%.

    J. Michael Neal’s perfectly correct but somewhat arcane refutation (#43) of Romney’s latest deceptive claim suggests why this could be adopted by the slothful media. That political maxim, “When you’re explaining, you’re losing,” applies here.

    When it comes to how craven the corporate media can be, there’s nothing I refuse to believe.

    @piratedan:

    Cynicism and political snark seem hollow and insipid on a thread in which you express matters of true importance and true sadness. Time may ultimately offer solace and perspective, but for now I hope you will find comfort in your own strength and self-knowledge and in the kind wishes and deeds of loved ones. And I must say I do envy you your corgi!

  111. 111.

    Skippy the Wondermule

    Why sigh? That pic is Boss!

    You da man, man!

    I have a dark blue 93 convertible which I adore and intend to drive until one of us dies

  112. 112.

    BGinCHI

    @KyCole:
    @TooManyJens: Thanks to you both. Cornwall is beautiful and I’d watch anything set there. Mrs. BG is a Welsh speaker and we love those fringe parts of the British empire.

    Not enough good Wales shows on BBC, but if you haven’t watched “Gavin and Stacey” give it a try. Its on Netflix as well.

  113. 113.

    Yutsano

    @trollhattan: I’m still astounded the Swedish government decided not to intervene here. Maybe they just thought the death of Saab was inevitable.

  118. 118.

    KyCole

    @trollhattan: My son-in-law has become a Saab parts hoarder. He keeps buying “parts cars” which end up in my garage. I haven’t parked in there for two years now!

  119. 119.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yutsano: Maud Olufson, the responsible minister, was an advocate of changing to building wind turbines. Sweden currently has a rightish government. Bad timing.

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @BGinCHI: I’ll need to buy a bike. And I want a Triumph Bonneville T100. Pedal-wise, I need one too. Any recommendations among the Trek line (trying to be a locavore)?

  123. 123.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yutsano: The Saab airplane folk and the car folk have been separated for a long time. They really just share a name these days.

  124. 124.

    KyCole

    For the Netflix Anglophiles, I would also recommend House of Cards and The Politician’s Wife. The former is about a deliciously evil politician, and the latter is a total revenge fest.

  125. 125.

    trollhattan

    @Yutsano:

    The politics became astoundingly complicated, but I suspect they’d have been saved had it not been for the European fiscal bruhaha. Ironic, given Sweden never joined the Euro.

  127. 127.

    BGinCHI

    @Omnes Omnibus: You can get a nice Madone from Trek. Pricey for what it is, and not as nice as my de Rosa, but it would get you out there.

    You really do need to get cycling if you live in Madison. And X country skiing in the winter. Then you can eat and drink all you want and you’ll live to a ripe old age.

  128. 128.

    BGinCHI

    @trollhattan: Is House of Cards the one where the main guy talks to the camera?

    If you haven’t seen the original State of Play or Life on Mars, get thee to a viewing.

  129. 129.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @BGinCHI: I try to run 3+ days a week in the winter and 5+ in the summer. I am an alpine skier for the most part. I haven’t done much X-C since high school.

    ETA: How is the little X-monkey doing? And Mme in CHI?

  130. 130.

    trollhattan

    Jeebuz, I’m getting the west coast Maher feed. Rohrabacher and the gal with big arms are insufferable. I can’t afford to throw this laptop through my fancy teebee, so I’m switching it off.

  133. 133.

    Martin

    Hmm. Obama sending MIA teams back into North Korea. Promising development with the new leadership there.

  137. 137.

    BGinCHI

    @trollhattan: Do. The American version of both are horrible. BBC State of Play is brilliant. I’d also recommend the film In the Loop. Fast and smart like the West Wing but with less Sheen.

    Try MI5 too! Thank me later.

  138. 138.

    KyCole

    @BGinCHI: The only Life on Mars on Netflix is the US version. And yes, House of Cards is the show where he speaks to the camera.

  139. 139.

    BGinCHI

    @trollhattan: I’m a touchy-feely liberal but I have a GTI, an amazing Italian road bike, and I’m dying to have a fast motorcycle again. And yes, I like to fish and grew up hunting and skinning things. I wish all Real Americans were like me.

  140. 140.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @BGinCHI: I went to college with one, played rugby with him, and was in the same fraternity. This summer, at our reunion and the first time I encountered him since graduation, he acted rather like a tool.

    BTW: You are talking bikes way out of the range I would consider as a restart into riding. I have not ridden anything other than borrowing my Dad’s Trek 4300 in years.

  141. 141.

    BGinCHI

    @KyCole: DO NOT watch the American version. Get the BBC. If you are in KY, that might be difficult, or even illegal.

    You know why IN doesn’t float into Lake Michigan?

    Because KY sucks.

    OK, couldn’t resist……

  142. 142.

    The Other Chuck

    @BGinCHI:

    Is House of Cards the one where the main guy talks to the camera?

    That’d be Don Cheadle in House of Lies … or is that a remake?

  144. 144.

    trollhattan

    @BGinCHI:

    I saw a Ducati Monster tonight, and got a ticket just looking at it. Pretty sure the back tyre is bigger than the ones on my car.

  145. 145.

    KyCole

    @BGinCHI: You’re right about most of Kentucky, but I live in the blue dot that is Louisville. The only place in this hell hole that a girl from Massachusetts could stand!

  146. 146.

    scav

    Sherlock season 2 DVD — arrived today and I am SO not managing to pace myself. Damn, I promised myself ever so faithfully. I may not sleep at all tonight.

    ETA: and Ditto Ditto Ditto UK version only for Life on Mars.

  147. 147.

    BGinCHI

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s true, I’m talking about high end bikes. But if you are athletic, don’t buy some shitty bike. At least get something good, because you’ll progress fast and want something better.

    Best bet would be a Cannondale CAAD 10. With Ultegra that would be just over 2K, which is chump change for a road bike. From there you can get fit and then move up. It’s the best sport for those of us over 35-40.

  150. 150.

    BGinCHI

    @KyCole: I like L’ville a lot. Have family there and respect the food and drink there. Wish it was a fast train ride away.

  153. 153.

    noodler

    @piratedan: My condolences for your loss(es). Experiencing the full range of human emotions at this time is healthy, for sure, and something for which to be grateful. That also is a valid response.

  154. 154.

    BGinCHI

    @Omnes Omnibus: I have a Ducati keychain I got at the Milan airport. There’s a cruel Ducati store there. One of my students asked if I had a Ducati and I had to say, “No, just the keychain.”

    Would really like to get one. Or a BMW touring bike. Or a Triumph.

  155. 155.

    Ms.B

    Whoa. I’m late here–blame it on HST–That is one very Charles Pierceesque likeness someone did for you.

    I like it.

  156. 156.

    KyCole

    @BGinCHI: My daughter and I took the train to Chicago when she was in High School and it still left from Louisville. It took 12 hours- could drive there in 5.5. Still enjoyed it.

  157. 157.

    BGinCHI

    Now that SP&T has a sexy underwear thread up, I think I better turn in.

    Over and out, my friends.

  160. 160.

    handsmile

    TCM Alert! for insomniacs and denizens of the Left Coast:

    At 2:00am EST, TCM will be screening “Possession” starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill (1981). A reviewer for Sight and Sound magazine described this one film as “comfortably rival[ing] von Trier’s AntiChrist, Cronenberg’s The Brood, and Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage.”

    Adjani, the most beautiful woman in the history of humankind (imho), won a Best Actress Cesar (French Oscar) for her performance.

    I saw this film for the second time, after many years, last month at Film Forum in New York City. I feel fairly confident in saying that you’ve never seen any movie quite like this. I certainly haven’t. Not that it’s so great and not that it’s so comprehensible, but this conflation of film genres, set in Cold War Berlin no less, is itself sui generis.

    http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/andrzej_zulawskis_possession

  161. 161.

    freelancer

    @moe99:

    I think you look cute, Mr. Cole.

    Send your digits via email. He’s taking applicants

    @KyCole:

    Watching Children of Earth from Torchwood on Netflix. Can’t seem to find a new show to watch. Maybe I’ll try All Creatures Great and Small. Always wanted to be James Herriot as a kid.

    For the Netflix Anglophiles, I would also recommend House of Cards and The Politician’s Wife. The former is about a deliciously evil politician, and the latter is a total revenge fest.

    Addictive and awesome shows currently available through Netflix streaming….

    First and foremost
    The State Within. This miniseries is awesome. I personally think it is so superb, that I find it one of the best things that the BBC has ever done. I have it on DVD, downloaded, and have poster for the show on my living room wall. I smashed through it over a weekend and would advise you do the same.

    Other ongoing shows on Netflix that you should look at if you haven’t already:

    Arrested Development
    Battlestar Galactica
    Firefly (+ Serenity)
    Sherlock
    Futurama
    Four Lions (IMHO, best movie of 2010)
    Downton Abbey
    The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
    The Civil War (Ken Burns)
    Cosmos (if you haven’t seen this, STOP NOW and fall in love with the universe all over again.)

    Burn Notice is entertaining
    Psych is awesome
    The Trip (BBC series re-edited to be an indie movie for theatrical release)
    Archangel
    Breaking Bad (Best Show currently in production)
    Intelligence (as smart a drama as The Wire, but Canadian)
    Mad Men
    Zulu (Not a TV show, but again, if you haven’t seen it, schedule it in)

    The Larry Sanders Show
    Sports Night
    Dollhouse
    Friday Night Lights
    Jericho
    Luther
    The Dead Zone (TV Show)
    Dr Horrible

    and they’re not on Netflix, but if you haven’t seen these shows you’re missing out on some very entertaining hours of entertainment:

    Veronica Mars
    From the Earth to the Moon
    The Wire
    Community
    Mr. Show
    Six Feet Under
    The West Wing
    Homicide Life on the Street
    Rome

    and every dollar you spend on aquiring Curb Your Enthusiasm is a dollar well spent.

    Just sayin’.

  162. 162.

    BGinCHI

    @handsmile: OK, one more go. Adjani and Monica Bellucci. Two most beautiful women ever. Since the dawn of time. Or at least recently.

    OK, now I won’t be able to sleep.

  163. 163.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @BGinCHI: I will be honest. A Bonneville T100 is really as fast as I can handle. If I get a faster bike, I will die. I will, inevitably, see how fucking fast the bike will go. I will then hit a pebble or a bunny will cross the road. At that point, I will be doing 195 mph and I will die. The Bonneville with a 110 mph max is for me.

  164. 164.

    Chris

    @freelancer:

    Of the shows you just cited, Sherlock’s the one I’m looking forward to the most right now. Any idea when Season 2 becomes available? If not on Netflix, then on ITunes?

  165. 165.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Somebody in my hood has one of these, I think (goes by quickly enough that I’ve never completely IDd it). The noise alone is worthy of a hundred poems.

  166. 166.

    freelancer

    @Chris:

    Of the shows you just cited, Sherlock’s the one I’m looking forward to the most right now. Any idea when Season 2 becomes available? If not on Netflix, then on ITunes?

    My friend from SF turned me on to a download service called Graboid. If you google it, you’ll find it. From there I’ve acquired video files of every movie I could want, including the second series of Sherlock, as they’ve already been broadcast in the UK. PBS will rebroadcast the second series as part of their Masterpiece series, either in May or March, I can’t quite remember. Either way, I can tell you, you won’t be disappointed.

  167. 167.

    Jebediah

    @piratedan:

    Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?

    I just lost another of my brothers. Heart attack Christmas Eve morning. So yeah, I think I know what you mean, and no, doesn’t sound weird at all.

  168. 168.

    TuiMel

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    I loved West Wing but I could not watch after John Spencer (and so Leo) died. I have not even tried. Maybe it’s time to pull out the DVDs…

  169. 169.

    Shalimar

    @MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:

    if you add Romney’s rate together with this completely unrelated corporate tax he doesn’t pay, you get 50%

    Now the public deserves to see Bain Capital’s tax returns too. I seriously doubt they pay 35%.

  172. 172.

    Samara Morgan

    do you know what i have learned from this?
    that the juicitariat does not have iphones.
    that Big Jowl pic of Cole is what happens when you take a pic of yourself at 3 am with an iphone.

  174. 174.

    JGabriel

    @piratedan:

    Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?

    No. There are times when pain an sadness are a relief from despair.

    .

  177. 177.

    JCT

    @piratedan:

    Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?

    I lost my father suddenly and at the time I was living 3,000 miles away. We were always very close and for me the pain (that came in waves for quite some time) helped to convince me that I would’t forget him (or what he looked like) — the sorts of odd things that can rise up and torment you when you are grieving.

    Hang in there and I’m finally in Tucson, standing offer for a beer.

    JT

  179. 179.

    JGabriel

    @Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water:

    A weekly series where John punches a different pundit in the neck? Ratings gold!!

    Can I be a co-neck-puncher? Obviously, there are far more pundits in need of neck-punching than Cole can attend to on a weekly basis all by his lonesome. For instance, while Cole is neck-punching David Gregory and John King, I can go after David Brooks and Ross Douthat.

    Please, please, can I?

    .

  180. 180.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TuiMel: I know. I felt as though I had lost two beloved family members, the character and the actor. Loved them both. I actually became a John Spencer fan during the waning seasons of L.A. Law where he played Tommy Mulaney. That’s got to be 20 years ago or more. And the next time you watch War Games ( one of my favourite guilty pleasure movies) pay close attention to the young officer in the opening scene. It’s John Spencer.

  181. 181.

    Neil

    @freelancer: We need a like button. Is it sad that the first thing I did upon seeing John’s post was to check the store to see if it was already there? I may have to take that to the print shop and have a poster made up for my mancave.

  184. 184.

    peej

    When do we get that wonderful caricature in the store…with the “Feed” under it, of course. Perhaps in conjunction with the Tunch one. Just kidding.

  185. 185.

    Chris from Arlington, VA

    @peej: Well John’s should be “COOK.” I never trust a skinny chef, so I bet he’s pretty damned good.

  186. 186.

    Keith

    @peej: Heh, I was just about to post the same thing (although I was gonna leave out the “just kidding” and take my chances with Cole’s wrath)

  188. 188.

    Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water

    @JGabriel: You’re in! We could have a guest neck puncher each week. Maybe even a special edition where a pundit gets punched in the neck both by John and his guest.

  189. 189.

    Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)

    @handsmile: If I understand Romney’s new reckoning of his income tax figure, if I get my income from my hourly job down at the Widget Corporation plant, shouldn’t I be able to add the Widget Corporation’s tax rate to mine and say “Shit, I actually pay close to 70% in taxes!”

  190. 190.

    keestadoll

    John Cole, thought of you this morning as I watched the series finale of “Chuck.” Your constant mentioning of it ages ago got me curious and eventually hooked. Now it’s gone, and I’m really super sad about it and it’s all your fault.

  193. 193.

    Kay Shawn

    @piratedan:
    That feeling doesn’t sound crazy at all. You have done heroic work, and you are letting yourself feel it. I went through some of this myself with my mom, then I had to clean out her house, my childhood home, in 5 days flat so it could be sold. I was finding items I hadn’t seen in 50 years and having to make split-second decisions as to keep, sell, throw away. But I’m glad I did all of that. Living through these experiences helps you later. Good luck and may FSM bless.

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