Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

This really is a full service blog.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

You cannot shame the shameless.

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

People are complicated. Love is not.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

“Alexa, change the president.”

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Michigan/Arizona Results Open Thread

Reader Interactions

128Comments

  2. 2.

    Lojasmo

    Prediction:

    Near tie favoring Romney.

    Big old clusterfuck.

    Santorum ekes out a bare plurality.

    paul WINNING with 13%

  6. 6.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    like I said below, Ricky will win in a squeaker, or by the sound of two wet suits passing in the night. And not necessarily humans in them.

    Republicans will fly apart as a party, finally settling on a series of enhanced interrogation techniques to pick a candidate.

  7. 7.

    Baron Jrod of Keeblershire

    A reliable source told me that Romney has already won Michigan. She used a lot of CAPS, so the news must be legit.

  8. 8.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    Anecdata: My favorite Rush-spouting dittohead office wingnut was telling Mitt jokes today, aka the I know NASCAR like an owner does bit. So they really don’t like the Mittster. On the other hand he was genuinely shocked, surprised and more than a bit disappointed to discover quite recently that Rih is “a religious kook” (his words, not mine). I heard much wailing about how “everytime I just start to like one of them, something goes wrong”. So I suspect that regardless of whether the mighty Casey strikes out tonight or not, there will be no joy in Mudville GOPerstown.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I saw a Romney surrogate on TV, midday, and he had all the enthusiasm of a baseball player grasping at cliches after a bad loss in a third playoff game, fundamentals, lot of heart, Skip says, team spirit. Could be their internal numbers, could be this guy is a constantly gloomy mope.

  10. 10.

    Chris

    OT, but I was just reading the Obama banner on the left side:

    “The combat mission in Iraq ended.
    Passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
    First Latina on the Supreme Court.
    Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is history.
    32 million new people will have health care.”

    I haz a happy. You know, the guy’s far from perfect but he’s done a damn good job just the same, especially considering what he’s been up against. (And that’s not a comprehensive list either).

  14. 14.

    Veritas

    It all comes down to the early and absentee voting, and it’s well known by insiders that Romney has an INSURMOUNTABLE lead among early voters.

    Election day will split 50/50, but it won’t matter. Romney has enough votes banked for him already.

  16. 16.

    geg6

    Go, Rick, go! Can’t wait to see your kids crying on stage when you lose to Obama by 18 points in November. Last time that happened was one of the most satisfying election experiences of my life.

  22. 22.

    JPL

    The NYTimes has exit polls and I don’t think they favor Santorum. 3 out of 10 very conservative, 1 in 7 who abortion was an issue and early voting making up 25% percent of the voting. Turnout is low. This is good news for McCain and Obama, also, too.

  23. 23.

    geg6

    @Veritas:

    That sounds an awful lot like someone has been doing some ballot tampering. No one should know how anyone has voted yet, whether in person or absentee.

    But then, I’m sure you’d be down with that. Anything for VICTORY!

  25. 25.

    lamh35

    Wow, just wow.

    Alum Tells Smith College to Quit Admitting Poors

    In recent years, Smith College has been making efforts to improve its diversity. But one alum isn’t happy about this. She would like less diversity, please — and she’s written a letter warning Smith about the dire consequences of admitting fewer rich white ladies.

    Anne Spurzem, class of ’84, wrote to the Smith College Sophian on Wednesday. Let’s just read the whole letter, shall we…

    Please go ahead and read the letter…I dare ya to not say “Ain’t that some shit”!!!

  27. 27.

    Dream On

    The Santorum will flow tonight, as Romney’s dumb quotes catch up with him. Particularly about letting the auto industry go bust.

    Or as Reuters put it a few days ago, “For Romney inside Michigan, Santorum is creating friction.” Which is either the grossest headline ever, or I’m just losing it. Which I may well be.

  28. 28.

    Brachiator

    @Veritas:

    It all comes down to the early and absentee voting, and it’s well known by insiders that Romney has an INSURMOUNTABLE lead among early voters.

    Actually, it’s well known by anyone who can read a newspaper or listen to the radio that Romney has a huge lead with absentee voters.

  29. 29.

    quannlace

    They say reporters love a good horse race. They also love an ungodly mess. Wonder how many are praying for a Republican contested convention?
    (Oh, God, please-please-please!!!”)

  30. 30.

    dmsilev

    Romney, at best, will eke out a minor plurality in his home state against Rick “Frothy Mixture” Santorum.

    If it makes our resident trolls happy (or helps them make quota), I suppose that can be regarded as a victory (or even a VICTORY!), but really this shouldn’t have been within ten percentage points of even.

  33. 33.

    Brachiator

    @lamh35: I love it. Especially this part,

    The people who are attending Smith these days are A) lesbians or B) international students who get financial aid or C) low-income women of color who are the first generation in their family to go to college and will go to any school that gives them enough money.

    Someone should alert Charles Murray, who thinks that the poor should emulate the morals of their “betters.”

  35. 35.

    Steve

    I think Romney will eke it out. He banked a lot of votes from absentee voters and that will be difficult for Santorum to overcome. But if he can’t even pull it out in his home state, I honestly don’t know what to think of his candidacy. What an absurdly weak nominee.

  37. 37.

    Cat Hair Everywhere

    This really belongs in the cat/water glass thread, but it’s dead now, and I think the cat-loving commentariat might find this useful, so…

    Great way to turn a mason jar into a cat-proof drinking glass:
    http://www.cuppow.com/

  38. 38.

    Bokonon

    Anne Romney is on to something. Why can’t the media stay bought, and do what they are told? Don’t they understand their place?

    You would think that those little people in the press would show more COURTESY to their biggest client than keep reporting things Romney doesn’t like. After everything Romney’s captive superPACS have done for them with their advertisement buys!!

  39. 39.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @quannlace: I do like Lawrence O’Donnell’s point that an Obama v Santorum race would be clarifying, even if it is a moderate Dem up against the unchained id of the post-Reagan GOP. Of course, the usual suspects would be out there squawking about not a dime’s worth of difference, but Romney would draw a lot of low-info ‘independents’ and get the usual Village “he’s not one of those Republicans” fluffing. Even Broder would’ve been hard pressed to make the case that Sanantorum is the second coming of Ike.

  40. 40.

    Dream On

    It’s Jeb Bush time!

    Interestingly, I’ve been making that joke for so long it got a bit old even for myself. But I did mean it, and I’m pretty amazed that now other people and newspapers are saying it. You can’t make this stuff up after all.

    And if Jeb does indeed emerge out of the bowels of Republican blackness, along with the emergence of Santorum, then the world is more crazy than Veritas could ever have explained to me.

  42. 42.

    harlana

    This and Rush turning on Mitt, doesn’t sound good and does not bode well for the republican party :)

  44. 44.

    MikeBoyScout

    I’m trying to be serious here, but I’m talking about the Klown Kar, so..

    Has there ever been a weaker candidate (record of losing, no ground game, depending upon appeals to the members of the party he despises, google problem, etc) who was in contention for the Republican nomination?

    Has there ever been a stronger candidate (heir apparent, personal wealth, name recognition, experience, fund raising, ground game, etc) who could not close the deal for the Republican nomination in a spectacularly weak field?

    I think that after Rmoney either pulls out a squeaker in MI tonight or gets beaten, it is all over but the shouting for the presidential race. Time to bring home the House and the Senate!

  47. 47.

    Bokonon

    Dream On – did you see Jeb Bush’s comments last week, expressing his dismay over what he was seeing at the GOP debates, and about how the party appears to have abandoned “problem solving”?

    I am not sure that ol’ Jebby would be acceptable to the GOP’s base if he was nominated. They might treat him the way that the way that they are treating Romney.

  48. 48.

    Raven

    WASHINGTON — The White House released rules Tuesday evening waiving the most controversial piece of the new military detention law, and exempting U.S. citizens, as well as other broad categories of suspected terrorists.

    Indefinite military detention of Americans and others was granted in the defense authorization bill President Barack Obama signed just before Christmas, sparking a storm of anger from civil libertarians on the left and right.

  49. 49.

    chopper

    apparently according to exit polls conservatives are coming out in much bigger numbers than moderate goopers, like by 50%. doesn’t augur well for slick willard.

    he’ll probably still win by a hair tho. not enough to end the contest and not enough for him to gloat.

  51. 51.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @Chris:

    You know, the guy’s far from perfect

    Sort of in the same way that a lot of us are reclaiming Liberal by using it instead of progressive, we don’t need to apologize for him being human. Considering the fact that he’s having to undo the last 16 years of crappy decisions with the worst opposing party in history, I’m pretty damn proud of him.

  52. 52.

    KG

    @MikeBoyScout: to answer your two questions:

    1. No
    2. Closest parallel might be Ford in ’76, but Reagan was a better candidate then compared to the candidates now

    There’s been so much just flat out crazy over the last couple of decades, I’m almost hoping for a brokered convention just for the shitshow value of it. As someone who grew up in a Republican household, I really want to see them lose by a lot in the general, so that there might be some hope of getting the party back to within arm’s reach of reasonable.

  54. 54.

    KG

    @Veritas: you don’t seem too clear on how this whole “voting” thing works. It’s not about getting an early lead, it’s about who has the most at the end. Kind of like sports, just because you score the first three touchdowns in a game, that doesn’t mean you’re going to win. It makes it more likely, but that’s why we play the game.

  55. 55.

    Gin & Tonic

    @lamh35: Being an old white dude, I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I have to say that the first Jezebel commenter below that story has won the Internet for the month, easy. It was worth reading that other shit just to read that comment.

  56. 56.

    Dream On

    @Bokonon: Dream On – did you see Jeb Bush’s comments last week, expressing his dismay over what he was seeing at the GOP debates, and about how the party appears to have abandoned “problem solving”? I am not sure that ol’ Jebby would be acceptable to the GOP’s base if he was nominated. They might treat him the way that the way that they are treating Romney.

    I did see that, he also started out a sentence saying “I used to be a a conservative, but….”

    I doubt anyone would get traction by saying that, but then again, he is a Bush, and considering there has been a Bush running on a presidential ticket every election year since 1980 (except for 1996 and 2008), you can never EVER count that family out. I predict I will die an old age and still be hearing about a Bush Mark IX. Running against Chelsea Clinton or her future son Cornelius for all I know.

    What a system.

  57. 57.

    Veritas

    @KG:

    Again, Romney not only has a lead, it is massive and INSURMOUNTABLE for Rick to climb. He would need to be 20 points ahead in the vote tonight, instead he’ll only tie Romney.

  60. 60.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Comrade Mary:

    Somebody get blotto for me, OK?

    You’re twisting my arm here, but, you know, anything for a friend. Especially a Canadian.

    Sigh. I give and I give …

    SD +1, but the night is young

  61. 61.

    El Cid

    Texas Tea Party big time donor turns out to have been repurposing U.S. taxpayer big gubmit soshullist Medicare funds which he stole in a $375 million scam.

    Staunch Tea Party financial benefactor and Texas Medical Association PAC donor, Dr Jacques Roy of Rockwall Texas has been getting the money he’s been funneling to Republican causes from the most unlikely of sources – Medicare and Medicaid! And that’s not the half of it. United States attorneys in Texas have secured indictments against Dr. Roy and the company he owns, Medistat Group Associates for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid out of $375 million dollars. Dr. Roy, his company and six other named defendants are charged with conducting a fraudulent billing scheme that began in early 2006 and continued until November of last year. According to the federal indictments, Roy and his accomplices submitted tens of thousands of bogus invoices to Medicare and Medicaid for services and tests that were never performed.
    __
    At the same time as Doctor Roy was bilking the federal government’s two largest medical care programs, he was also a regular contributor to “Our Country Deserves Better PAC – TeaPartyExpress.org” the Republican Tea Party’s National Political Action Committee. Dr. Roy was also a contributor to the Texas Medical Association PAC, which supports only candidates opposed to President Obama’s health care initiative.
    __
    What we have here is a classic example of the teapot calling the kettle red (the Republican color of choice). With one hand, Dr. Roy gave financial support to political organizations trying to eliminate federal programs that provided health care to the poor and the elderly. With his other hand, Dr. Roy defrauded those same programs of $375 million dollars. Typical right-wing hypocrisy!

    H/T GOS, Google, and everyone else.

    The fact that this liberty-minded Tea Party funder was robbing Medicare proves how inefficient gubmit-run soshullized programs are, so they should be cut to stop this obvious ACORN plant from stealing our money.

    $375 million. Stolen from Medicare (ALLEGEDLY) by our conservative, anti-Demoncrap JOB CREATERZZ.

    Clearly we need to not talk about that and scream that the Obama administration is paying $16 / muffin, even if it’s not true.

    What does Andrew Breitbart have to say about this? Where’s our story about some lady on TANF who bought meat but then exchanged it for hair care products, you know, to balance the story? BOTH SIDES!

  63. 63.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    I been pumped all day for this primary. It seems from scanning the logs in greater wingnuttia, the MI primary is their Waterloo, Dien Bien Phu, and Pee Wees Big Adventure all rolled into one. If Romney loses, or it is very close, everything changes, according to them. I have no idea, but when crazy people tell me what will really make them crazy, I tend to listen.

    GO Rickster!!

  66. 66.

    arguingwithsignposts

    INSURMOUNTABLE VICTORY! TAKE IT TO THE BANK!

    BOOKMARK IT, LIBS!

    ETA: for those who are interested in a more uplifting way to spend the evening, “Being Elmo: a Puppeteer’s Journey” is on Netflix Streaming now. Yes, it also includes a puppet with an annoying voice, but he isn’t running for president.

  69. 69.

    JC

    Actually, who knows what the future holds, but, when you look at even Real Clear Politics, no matter who wins the Republican nomination (and I still predict Romney), it’s actually a pretty narrow path for Romney picking up the victory. Possible, of course, but based on current numbers – which aren’t really favorable to Obama, take a look at this RealClearPolitics electoral College map – all that Obama needs to do, is win Colorado, Penn, and then either North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Virginia.

    There are A LOT of paths to an Obama victory, assuming no summer or fall surprises.

    The thing that will set that back is, I see literally 2 billion dollars of lying SuperPac money coming in to tear down Obama.

    If the economy doesn’t tank, and there are no Summer/Fall surprises (and rising gas prices count), the election for President is looking pretty good.

  70. 70.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @El Cid: And he lives in Rockwall, where I do. Trying to figure out where he lives, though I have an idea. There’s only a couple of places here for that kind of wealth/theft.

  73. 73.

    scav

    @arguingwithsignposts: Pretty much the K-Tel greatest hits of our little buddy. Today looks to be INSURMOUNTABLE but his heart doesn’t seem to be in it as much. Lots of cutting and pasting. Lacks a certain bounce.

  75. 75.

    dmsilev

    OK, so polls have closed in most of Michigan (one small chunk is in the Central timezone, so won’t close for another hour). Let the fun begin.

  77. 77.

    El Cid

    More. Via Reuters’ AlertNet.

    DALLAS, Feb 28 (Reuters) – A Texas doctor and six others were arrested on Tuesday on charges they tried to defraud federal healthcare programs of nearly $375 million in what U.S. officials described as one of the largest schemes allegedly orchestrated by a single doctor.
    __
    Dr. Jacques Roy, 54, of Rockwall, Texas, was charged with certifying or directing the certification of more than 11,000 patients for home healthcare services, which led to Medicare being improperly billed for more than $350 million and Medicaid being billed for more than $24 million…
    __
    …”Dr. Roy’s company is alleged to have certified more Medicare beneficiaries for home health services, and had more beneficiaries under its care, than any other medical practice in the United States,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole told reporters during a news conference in Dallas.
    __
    A typical doctor certifies about 100 patients for home health services whereas Roy personally certified thousands, according to Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson…
    __
    …The Justice Department also sought to seize numerous bank accounts, homes and other property including several vehicles and two sailboats owned by Roy – one of which is named “One Trick Pony”, according to court records.

    I have to give right wingers & conservatives & their ilk credit.

    Whatever their crime, abuse, or perversion, you’ve got to hand it to them for pursuing whatever it is to a degree which any other human would reckon way ‘over the top’, yet they put the pedal down and just know there’s no way they’ll ever get caught.

  78. 78.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    @jl:

    Did you mean that?

    edited – of course I meant it. It’s a very big deal for the republicans, did you read the rest of my comment as to why. Pumped, might be a little strong , but so what?

  79. 79.

    Steve

    @El Cid: Isn’t that kind of like a bankrobber supporting the party that wants to outlaw banks? Why would anyone want to do that?

  80. 80.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Raven:

    I’m very very lucky.

    Raven, I have several friends in recovery* and without exception that is the word they use to describe themselves.

    *Not just AA. Spending, hoarding, and eating disorders too. That sense of gratitude seems to be universal at a certain point in the process.

  81. 81.

    Dream On

    I don’t think that really is Veritas. He’s a surrogate Veritas, here to fulfill our our election night snark wishes. Like Santa Claus, he can’t be everywhere at once, like Jesus he may never even have existed, so somebody has done us a favor tonight by creating one.

    Veritas, my check is ready to take to the bank. I just pulled my financial life back together since the last time your advice bankrupted me. This time I know, I can feel it will be different.

    Who shall I sign the check for this time?

  83. 83.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @lamh35:

    The commenter who writes a sarcastic letter in response and signs off with “Keep putting the c*nt in country club” wins the internets today.

  84. 84.

    lamh35

    As a straight female, I still gotta say that Tamron Hall is mucho caliente!!!

    Damn girl.

    My gut says that Romney wins by a squeaker in Michigan. BTW, how can you trust Exit Polling if it’s true that dems are gonna try to make “mischief”?

    My question, how many Republican voters in Arizona are Hispanic? Not much to matter I guess right. I”m pretty sure Mittens has this one sewn up.

    Oh, and too bad Mittens tried to sound sensible today, but Rush ain’t having it:

    this just tickled me so I gotta post it:

    Rush Slams Romney For ‘Hair On Fire’ Line About Base

    …”Well, I’m a member of the Republican base, I assume most of you are, so what I hear is that we’re incendiary and that we react to that and all we want is for Obama to be attacked,” Limbaugh said after reading the quote allowed in a mocking tone…

  85. 85.

    Ira-NY

    As we wait for Michigan’s numbers, here are some numbers to be happy about.

    The traffic for this site for this month is higher than FDL. I believe this is the first time this as happened.

    It is a combination of this site growing and FDL shrinking.

  88. 88.

    Felanius Kootea

    @lamh35: Oh my God, I loooove the tumblr response site created by current Smith students and alums offended by Spurzem’s letter. Now she’s saying she didn’t mean for it to be published.

  93. 93.

    Raven

    @SiubhanDuinne: No AA for me. I’m glad it works for folks but I do have questions about the whole “higher power” component and the disease model for that matter.’

    I subscribe to the Bob Weir method

    “I can tell your future
    just look what’s in your hand
    But I can’t stop for nothing
    I’m just playing in the band”

  95. 95.

    jwb

    @JC: With all the money that is going to be dropped on political ads this summer and fall—and Obama is likely to have a serious amount of money backing him too—it’s going to make ad buys extraordinarily expensive for all of corporate America. I can hardly wait until they start whining. On the other hand, commercial TV, especially sports, is going to be almost unwatchable.

  96. 96.

    Soonergrunt

    @geg6: I didn’t hate on the kids. Dog on Blanket, I could just feel that poor girl crying her eyes out, holding her American Girl doll on stage, and the son, with that “snuck an upper out of Mom’s pill bottle and afraid of getting caught look” was priceless, but honestly, it made me hate Rick Santorum even more that he would do that to his own children.
    Like Snowbilly Snookie, the kids were props for his use. I just remember thinking to myself “Dude, get those poor kids OFF THE STAGE!”

  100. 100.

    dmsilev

    Wooo! First votes. With 1% in, Frothy leads the Rombot 41% to 37%.

    Edit: CNN seems to have a faster feed than anyone else right now; they’ve got a few thousand votes total reported, vs. the hundred or so on the AP etc.

  102. 102.

    rikyrah

    The President rocked it at the UAW.

    I’ll say it again…needs to be on bumperstickers, mugs and t-shirts:

    Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Raven:

    Wasn’t sure, and none of my business anyhow. But the principle stands, I think (and not just for people who have or have had or are currently battling their demons) — that sense of “I’m very lucky” whether ascribed to a higher power or the roll of the dice or willpower or whatever seems to me to be universal (small sample stipulated).

  107. 107.

    rikyrah

    @lamh35:

    I read it lamh.

    I can’t remember the book in which I read it, but reading that Smith letter, it took me back. The author was describing some bigwig at Harvard at an alum event, and this is right after Harvard had decided that any student whose family made , I think it was $45,000 and less could go free. The Harvard big whig thought this was a major accomplishment, and it was obvious that he expected to be cheered for it. As per the writer, there was pretty much silence, and only a couple of people applauded him.

    THIS is their mentality.

  109. 109.

    dmsilev

    @rikyrah:

    I want Little Ricky to push Willard into self-financing.

    If the mutterings about his donor base being tapped out are true (a large swath of his donors are maxed-out already), he may have to. And won’t that be hilarious to watch.

  115. 115.

    Dream On

    A new thread, right when we were having fun. I’m staying put, tho. I look forward to Veritas’ predictions.

  117. 117.

    Raven

    @SIA: I know a woman who got sober around the same time as I did. She told me at the time that, if I didn’t do AA, I wasn’t really sober. About 2 years ago I was at a party and ran into her. She seemed to be totally under control as she sipped her wine.

  126. 126.

    The Moar You Know

    Nothing changes after tonight. One theofascist fuckwit who’s going to rape what’s left of America or the other one, it’s all the same to me and my ass is getting pretty sore.

  127. 127.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    OOh OOh there is a (light skinned)Black woman and a Latino in the Romney crowd. I wonder are they really Michiganders?
    HMMM I will yell GO UTES!! and bet They are BYU Students.

  128. 128.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    @jl:

    Nah, I don’t watch the GOP debates, or pay a lot of attention to what they say. But like I was saying this event tonight is huge in their world, and may have lasting effects on the GOP proper, which affects us all. But your concern is noted.
    GO RIXy.

Comments are closed.