Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

It’s the corruption, stupid.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Everybody saw this coming.

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

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

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

One way or another, he’s a liar.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

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

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Suffer Little Children

Open Thread: Suffer Little Children

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Reader Stan sent me this video of a Republican candidate for Senate in Rhode Island who used his five year old son in an ad full of bad math and also had a very creepy appearance on Fox News.  I have a hard time watching this kind of stuff, so I’m not embedding it for others who share my queasiness, but click away if you want to see the genesis of thousands of hours of teenage and adult therapy.  Open thread for the rest of you.

Reader Interactions

61Comments

  1. 1.

    Cermet

    By a thug’s logic, having your five year old son use your lie’s is ok because who would dare call out a five year old kid? Child labor has its uses for thugs …even their own children.

  2. 2.

    Punchy

    Worst. Graph. Evah.

    The axes aren’t labeled, the “cost” is not defined per any unit volume or mass, it’s likely not inflation-adjusted, and everybody and their mother knows that prices have not been a constant upward move….they spiked in spring of 2008, and then crashed. Then moved up again. Not to mention, there’s no legend on the chart, so it’s unclear what the frowny face means.

  4. 4.

    Cermet

    Also, have a club med add in the banner of BJ and it shows a mother and seven/six year old daughter and say’s half price for a second person?! Uh, for club med to say bring someone along for half price and then show a picture of a mother with her very young daughter just is just too creepy or did club med change?

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Thanks for the Cory Doctorow link. I went to his Wikipedia page and discovered something that’s going to make me happy all day: his daughter’s name is Poesy Emmeline Fibonacci Nautilus Taylor Doctorow. I love that name!

  8. 8.

    Bmaccnm

    @Wag: “I’m leaving for a few months to work on another project…” Is she gonna have a babby?

  9. 9.

    brent

    Seriously, wth is going on in that video? I just watched it 3 times and its seriously one of the creepiest things I have ever seen. There is one level where its just kind of a run of the mill example of political scumbaggery – a politician exploiting his son for political gain. But the lip synching is, more than anything else, just flat out weird. I want to snark but its really too disturbing and, at the moment, inexplicable. Something really weird goes on in that household.

  11. 11.

    dr. bloor

    REDRUM REDRUM REDRUM…

    Had the pleasure of hearing Sheldon Whitehouse offer a few words of thanks to outgoing Brown president Ruth Simmons before a concert Saturday evening. He’ll probably be facing Scott Avedisian in the general–I doubt baby Jeebus loves him enough to make this psycho his opponent.

  13. 13.

    dr. bloor

    @Wag:

    If by “sabbatical,” she means “appropriate medications,” then that can only be a good thing.

  14. 14.

    Soonergrunt

    This is good to see. I don’t know how much it will be worth. While I have no reason to believe that the President wants to bomb Iran, the opposition party certainly does, apparently because dropping bombs on people is how we show them we love them and want them to have democracy.

  15. 15.

    Soonergrunt

    @Bmaccnm: It can’t be a baby. McMegan would never allow another to be a parasite on her for any length of time, let alone 9 months.

  16. 16.

    geg6

    Wow, I don’t usually click on these things (I hate to get out of the boat), but that video was super creepy. And, yes, it did have a very disturbing Balloon Boy vibe going on. I think someone will be faxing Cavuto some credenzas any minute.

  19. 19.

    Soonergrunt

    More good news–another sponsor has dropped Rush Limbaugh. ProFlowers said on their Facebook page:

    Mr. Limbaugh’s recent comments went beyond political discourse to a personal attack and do not reflect our values as a company. As such, ProFlowers has suspended advertising on the Rush Limbaugh radio program

  20. 20.

    TR

    Are the Delaware and Rhode Island GOP in a contest to see who can outdo the other in terms of insanity?

    I thought “Not a Witch” O’Donnell was good, but the Mad Ventriloquist is even better.

    Ball’s back in your court, Delaware. Better bring out the Gimp.

  21. 21.

    scav

    @Bmaccnm: what about a few months for a perfect bechamel by hand?

    ETA: Obvious, but might prove a writeoff under training or something.

  24. 24.

    jonas

    @Soonergrunt: this is what’s hilarious about all these advertisers dropping Limbaugh now: His comments “don’t reflect our values as a company”…as though until last week his usual cretinous bile did?

    I’m glad Limbaugh finally appears to be approaching wingularity (q.v.), but seriously, he’s been so full of shit for years and these advertisers stood by him.

  25. 25.

    negative 1

    We will need support up here to keep Sheldon Whitehouse in the Senate. Hinckley is a joke but Scott Avedisian is a popular long-time mayor and a very moderate Repub… the kind that can actually get elected in New England. Plus, there is not a big republican presence in RI, and since it’s never worth them trying to go after Jack Reed expect that they will throw a lot of support behind Avedisian.

  27. 27.

    Cassidy

    Open thread so I wanted to share a couple of things. I applied to the US Marshals Sevice last night. They were taking the first 5K applicants and I was able to sneak in and get mine done at exactly midnight before the flood of applicants crashed USAJobs.

    Even cooler, though, last year before I got out I was in contact with the Marshals recruiter in Denver and we spoke a few times. Yesterday, I recieved a voicemail informing me of the upcoming hiring period. I already knew about it, but I just thought it was cool that he would take the time to do that even though it was a good 6-8 months since we had spoken last.

  29. 29.

    dr. bloor

    @negative 1:

    Can’t take it for granted, although having Whitehouse running during the same year as the presidential should help a lot–up by ten in a February poll.

    Much more likely we’ll be seeing Rep. Doherty than Sen. Avedisian, methinks.

  32. 32.

    Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937

    Five year olds don’t vote. Why would you need an ad for ‘five year olds to talk to other five year olds’? Are they planning a huge voter fraud conspiracy? Is the conspiracy being planned while sitting around granite or formica counter tops?

  33. 33.

    Cassidy

    @dr. bloor: I have a feeling I shouldn’t mention him until I’m actually hired. What’s funny is for the Air Marshals, you had to submit a writing sample: “Why you want to be an Air Marshal”. Pretty simple, but it was read and referenced by the ASAC in my one on one interview. So I’ve been thinking about how I would answer that quextion for the USMS and all I can think of is John Wayne and Tommy Lee Jones.

  36. 36.

    Mouse Tolliver

    First he played with Jed. Then he played with mommy. Now he wants to play with yeeeeewwwwww!

    or…

    Does Melinda Dillon know the aliens brought her kid back?

  37. 37.

    Soonergrunt

    @Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937: Well, Republicans have been the only ones to actually commit voter fraud to date, so that’s more likely than not. Also too, the conspiracy formed on the granite counter top would by necessity include Oreo cookies and a nap break.

  39. 39.

    kerFuFFler

    @Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937:

    Five year olds don’t vote. Why would you need an ad for ‘five year olds to talk to other five year olds’?

    They need a five year old to reach out to the intellectual age of their base. Seriously, just how often do the conservatives give their followers childishly simple answers to everything? All the time…

  40. 40.

    Donald G

    @brent:

    Seriously, wth is going on in that video? I just watched it 3 times and its seriously one of the creepiest things I have ever seen. There is one level where its just kind of a run of the mill example of political scumbaggery – a politician exploiting his son for political gain. But the lip synching is, more than anything else, just flat out weird. I want to snark but its really too disturbing and, at the moment, inexplicable. Something really weird goes on in that household.

    Yeah, it’s pretty creepy, but is it as creepy as Herman Cain’s ad with the little girl torturing a goldfish?

    h/t Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs

    http://youtu.be/YYN-Awrq3og

  42. 42.

    gene108

    BBC World News Service (Radio) did a bit on the economy in Tennessee as part of the preview of the Republican primary there.

    They covered one Goodyear factory that shut down.

    What was interesting though is they covered a GM plant that was re-opened, after closing in 2009. The townsfolk commented about how other jobs were created because the plant re-opened, such as 80 electrical contractors to work at the plant and how more goods were being bought and so more deliveries, i.e. drivers, were needed to get goods to stores, etc.

    I wonder, if any of the people interviewed will be voting for Democrats? I somehow doubt it, despite their acceptance of the multiplier effect from investments, whether private or government, which is part of what Democrats had been pushing and Republicans had been opposing, with a vengeance.

  43. 43.

    negative 1

    @dr. bloor: That’s good news. The poll my employer has says his approval is negative (46% approval). Does that jibe with yours? I forgot about the extremely vulnerable Cicilline, hopefully the GOP can waste tons of money winning that race that they would probably already win.

  44. 44.

    Thoughtcrime

    Your son has a very great talent. I don’t think you are aware how great it is. That he is attempting to use that very talent against your will.

    He is a very willful boy.

    Indeed he is. A very willful boy. A rather naughty boy, if I may be so bold, sir.

  47. 47.

    Cassidy

    @Steeplejack: I admit to naming Eastern Kentucky as one of my preferred locations. In my defense, I also picked Southern Ohio as my Dad lives in Cincy.

  51. 51.

    dr. bloor

    @negative 1:

    Whitehouse’s approval was actually a little worse in the numbers I saw (Brown/WPRI)–maybe 30-35% good or better, 60% fair or better–although even Reed, who’s essentially bulletproof, was only 45% good or better. I still think Avesidian has a tough case to make to send a Republican to the Senate, however moderate he might be. Chafee lost for a reason.

    Cicilline’s numbers, btw, were in Cheneyland–17% good or excellent. Raimondo had the best numbers for anyone at the state or fed level, not surprising since she’s an East Sider who also gets serviced regularly by the loathesome Projo.

    If you’re interested: http://blogs.wpri.com/2012/02/23/cicilline-chafee-approval-ratings-now-worse-than-nixon-in-1974/. Basically, RI’ers hate their elected officials.

  52. 52.

    shortstop

    I really don’t understand what Hinckley is doing in this interview. Does he have an earpiece on the kid and is feeding him lines? Is he heavyhandedly stage-fathering — unconsciously repeating what the kid is saying? Was every line scripted and he can’t help but whisper along? There are no healthy explanations for this.

  53. 53.

    gnomedad

    @rlrr:

    I guess there will be no more creepy flower ads on the internets…

    For Your Current Wife.
    For Your Previous Wife.
    For Your Next Wife.

  54. 54.

    wasabi gasp

    I’ve had conversations with more than a few people who lip-sync my words as I’m speaking them. I just assumed it was a sympathetic tick that had something to do with watching lips move, but this guy isn’t watching lips at all. He’s sitting there, facing the same direction as junior, just hearing words – that’s what makes it amusing to watch as he gets his puppet on.

  56. 56.

    Elie

    Since this is an open thread…

    I haven’t seen whether or not there has been any post on the NFL player hit bounty controversy, but I think that while I always knew that there have been dirty hitters and schemes to “take players out — I was apalled to see that it was a formal process within a team. So formal that there is a paper trail and explicit player “rewards” for this.

    The NFL in many ways mirrors our broader national corruption. In the midst of more and more information on the effects of hits on brain function, we have a team leadership, potentially condoned by the league through inaction of referrees and others, that subscribes to actions that will sustain these horrible outcomes. Lets suspend all the rules of the game of football and just make it “NFL cagefighting”. Do anything that you want, outside of a gun and a knife..like the gladiators of Rome, I guess the lions and elephants will be next…

    I also think that the silence about this — the lack of real outrage is telling and extremely disappointing in my opinion…

  57. 57.

    Elie

    @Elie:

    Is it really a surprise that we have filth eruptions from established “institutions” like talk radio ???

  59. 59.

    Suffern ACE

    @MattF: I don’t know how that spoiled your morning. Basically the article is saying that despite what Obama says, his supporters and detractors have decided to insert their own plans. It’s also typical American Electorate/Press stuff. Since the press doesn’t do policy speeches very well, people aren’t able to follow policy. But the press does fiction extremely well, so the various novelists substitute in their own policy.

    What I found funny is that the LEFT representatives interviewed in the article supposedly think that Obama is going to implement their agenda. The author obviously didn’t interview anyone on the real left, because as we know, the LEFT is convinced that Obama is going to end social security and outsource the army to bankers.

  61. 61.

    WaterGirl

    @Uncle Cholmondeley: Mary’s okay, but what about Marshall Marshall Mann? Smart and cute. (Though so is Mary.)

    So sad that this is the last season of In Plain Sight. But at least they told us ahead of time.

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