Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

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

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

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

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Come on, man.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

The words do not have to be perfect.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

The willow is too close to the house.

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96Comments

  3. 3.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Just posted this downstairs which is no doubt dead but thought it worth repeating.

    WOW on Ed Show right now Communications Director for Clinton (I think) just said that during the 2008 campaign the Secret Service for Obama contacted the McCain campaign and asked them to tone down their attacks as they were actually worried about Obama’s life. I had never heard that before.

  10. 10.

    John O

    WI is doing that “hang around” thing they’re so good at, and boy would I like to see Syracuse go down.

    I have irrational dislike of ‘Cuse.

  14. 14.

    Schlemizel

    @Roger Moore:
    Just the thought of all those horrid, little, men doing hard time and their assets seized to pay victims and fines . . . to quote someone here yesterday, yes, the freude here is very Schaden

  17. 17.

    Clime Acts

    All blog masters, front pagers, and commenters:

    If you have ever had extramarital sex or hired a hooker, please reveal yourselves.

    Thank you.

  24. 24.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Maude:

    I followed the campaign very closely in 2008 and I do not remember seeing it. I will never forget however the night he won, in Grants Park and he walked onto the stage surrounded by walls of bullet proof glass. I thought then, as I do now, I just wish he was enclosed in a bubble of bullet proof glass always.

  25. 25.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    When you’ve lost Allen West, you’ve lost America.

    I don’t know. This is likely to be yet another case of conservatives being surprisingly liberal about issues that happen to touch them personally.

  26. 26.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Clime Acts: Look, sporto, unless I set myself up to be moral arbiter for something, it’s none of your business. If I run for office and something in my past or in my current behavior could come out and be embarrassing, I had better take it into consideration. If I don’t and it does come out, I had better be ready for recriminations. I have no intention of running for public office, so we are back to it’s none of your business.

  27. 27.

    Tonal Crow

    The Republican circular firing squad intensifies fire:

    Rick Santorum suggested Thursday that re-electing President Barack Obama would be better than electing Republican rival Mitt Romney, a statement that is arguably his toughest criticism of Romney to date….[Santorum said] “If you’re going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future.”

  28. 28.

    Schlemizel

    @Baud:
    not really. its just another conservatard who sees his own ox being gored & suddenly finds a voice. Tomorrow when they want to undo all progress for women and hobble the poor Al will be back running with the pack. Just another baying jackal.

  30. 30.

    Sgaile-beairt

    Well, thanks to the answers to John’s question, I read t The Hunger Games trilogy at last and am very much looking forward to the movie. The people complaining that it is just a ripoff of Battle Royale or comparing it to Lord of the Flies don’t know what they’re talking about. Its pop culture predecessors are Kornbluth/Pohl in Gladiator At Law and Kubrick/Trumbo. In fact it’s a better remake of the 1960 Spartacus than HBO Starz did from everything I’ve heard of Blood and Sand.

  33. 33.

    lamh35

    @Mustang Bobby: not really that amazing. Alen West is a conservative but he is STILL a Black man in America and he may defend his crazy GOP/Conservative/Teabagger brethren, and he was also a 17year old Black boy living in FL and if he had any children or grandchildren or nephews or whatever ever then he has seen the face of a Trayvon Martin in his own family and community.

    Allen West and all the other AA conservative know that unless they are wearing their “I am a Repub/GOP/Conservative” button, then they they “appear” to be no more than suspicious – looking Black men to some people.

    If you wanna know what Allen West is probably thinking and why he could give the statement he did, then just listen to what Jonathan Capeheart said today on Morning Joe: Capehart: As an adult, I still could be Trayvon Martin

    And then read this post by Black Snob I’ve been posting everywhere I can and then Allen West’s reasonable outrage won’t be as shocking.
    No Apologies: On The Killing of Trayvon Martin And Being “Good”

    For me, it would be MORE shocking if Allen West and other Conservative AA didn’t feel the outrage.

    It pains me to say that but good on Allen West…ugh now I gotta go shower the kudos off of me..

  39. 39.

    amk

    @Clime Acts:

    All blog masters, front pagers, and commenters:

    If you have ever had extramarital sex or hired a hooker, please reveal yourselves.

    You go first, troll.

  48. 48.

    Egg Berry

    @Clime Acts:

    If you have ever had extramarital sex or hired a hooker, please reveal yourselves.

    Raises arm, fist clenched in solidarity.

    Edit: to the first, not the second. Wait, are we talking about sex outside of marriage, or an affair while married? I’m confused.

  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @lamh35:
    @John O: Dick Cheney is okay on gay rights. Right-wing fuckers lack empathy if something does not directly touch them. This does touch West. Bully for him being on the correct side of this issue; he is still a right-wing shithead.

  51. 51.

    Vodkamuppet

    My chick is 3 months pregnant with my first child. I’m white she’s black. Treyvon Martin got flat out murdered for being black and walking somewhere. It freaks me the fuck out that that could one day happen to my kid too. I don’t understand.

  52. 52.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    So, DailyKos has a map up showing that the US already has a Keystone pipeline. What it’s missing is a connection from OK to Texas.

  53. 53.

    Egg Berry

    @Mustang Bobby: According to the linked article, West is:

    one of two African-American Republicans currently serving in Congress

    Yay, post-racial America!

  54. 54.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    John,

    I realize it’s late in the game, but I have a site change request: Instead of the link button bringing up a box, have it show up below the edit box the way that it works on DailyKos.

  55. 55.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    I’ll want to see Hunger Games when it comes out of DVD, as any half way decent post apocalyptic movie is my fav genre. Though not apocalyptic, when reading about the Hunger Games craze, it put me in mind of another movie, peculiar, but original called Hanna, about a 13 year old Rambo, that I predict will become a cult classic some day.

  58. 58.

    John O

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    No argument from me.

    One of the benefits of our connected society, where degrees of separation are shrinking, is that sooner or later everyone’s gonna know someone personally who has had to put up with this bullshit. Too bad it’s going to take so much time.

  59. 59.

    JPL

    @Vodkamuppet: Just love your child. Treyvon has highlighted something terrible in our laws and maybe they will change. If you haven’t, search down Jennifer Granholm’s comment on current tv. Although blacks seem to be are treated unfairly, the law affects us all.

  62. 62.

    Chris

    Random question for the history nerds, since this is an open thread: can anyone recommend a good book on the history of the KKK (in all its incarnations)? I’m been reading a bunch of books lately that “explore the criminal fraternity” (to borrow a phrase from Batman), and wanted to read up on that particular group of criminals next.

  63. 63.

    Alexandra

    My best friend of 30+ years is a heavy alcoholic, addicted to valium, is currently having a severe manic episode, been diagnosed as bipolar and has been involuntarily committed to a hospital.

    You could say that things have been better…

  65. 65.

    JPL

    @General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero): hahaha…I was talking with my son and his SO and they were kinda iffy about Hunger Games but they were very excited to find out that I got the Muppet movie from netflix this week. Friday’s are for sundaes and a netflix movie.

  67. 67.

    Chris

    Hunger Games… Thanks to everyone on John Cole’s thread a few days ago who took the time to explain and recommend it. I was going to dismiss it as another Twilight-like phenomenon, but think I’ll actually go see it now.

  68. 68.

    Satanicpanic

    Disney must be kicking themselves that John Carter was pretty much totally ignored while The Hunger Games is getting a ridiculous amount of free publicity. Why I don’t know. I read the books- fun, but not classics by any means.

  69. 69.

    JPL

    @Chris: The other day someone was talking about about a similar short story but they walked away from the distorted bliss.. I can’t remember the name of the story though so if you do, that would be helpful.

  71. 71.

    Satanicpanic

    BTW when Lord of the Rings movies came out I was super excited and besides a few nitpicks I really liked them. I’ve rewatched them once, but I’m not all that eager to watch them again. Harry Potter OTOH I never read until this year, and I also never saw the movies, but I’ve watched some of those repeatedly (some of them were boring and I don’t plan on rewatching). Star Wars I have watched dozens of times and would watch again. I wonder what the difference is.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Satanicpanic: My guess is you had a vision of Middle Earth and all the characters and, while they did a decent job with the film, it could never match your inner vision of that world. You probably did not have a strong an inner vision of the Happy Potter-verse. And, of course, Star Wars existed first in the movies – Lucas’s vision of that world is necessarily your vision.

  74. 74.

    Jager

    @amk: I have had extra marital sex and I hired a hooker in Mexico when I was stationed at Ft Sam Houston and another in Bangkok…feel better now? I know I do!

  75. 75.

    Tara the Antisocial Social Worker

    @JPL: I’m guessing you mean Ursula K. LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.”

  76. 76.

    Vodkamuppet

    @litlebritdifrnt That’s the most fucked up comment you’ve read in the last decade? Do you read anything on the Internet ever at all ever sometimes maybe at all ever? I call her my chick because it’s a term of endearment that she finds to be sweat, just like I blush when she calls me her guy. What the fuck is wrong with you that that would be offensive? What the fuck?

  79. 79.

    amk

    Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington shows that this member of Congress’s campaign committee and PAC paid out a total of $304,599 in salaries and $48,742 for services during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles to his daughter, daughter’s mother-in-law, brother, grandson, granddaughter [*PAUSES FOR BREATH*] another granddaughter and a grandson-in-law, making this Representative the most nepotistic member of Congress by volume of family members on the campaign dole. And that’s only from 2008 and 2010! Who is it!?

    You ‘libertarian’ sickfucks, wake the fuck up.

  80. 80.

    Jager

    @Vodkamuppet: I’ve called Mrs J “Baby Cake” since about 2 weeks after we met. All of her friends now call her ‘Cakes” or “The Cakes”. Friends call and say shit like “You and The Cakes want to meet for drinks on Friday?”

    She is cool with it, even her Mom calls her “Cakes”.

  81. 81.

    Satanicpanic

    @Omnes Omnibus: You’re probably right. I can’t imagine Harry Potter not being played by Daniel Radcliffe, but I can’t totally imagine Aragorn not being played by Vigo Mortennson. Not that Vigo did a bad job, by any means.

  82. 82.

    Vodkamuppet

    @Jager Pet names are fine, my darling lady, mother of first child, MY CHICK calls me stumblezilla because I tripped once in a restaurant. When she calls me stumblezilla, I grin as wide as i can because I know she loves me and thinks I’m cute even when I look like an idiot.

  85. 85.

    David Koch

    Whitney Houston’s autopsy reports came today — she drowned.

    That’s why I always take showers, baths are too dangerous.

  86. 86.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Used to work with a fellow who stated that a conservative was someone who used 2 condoms, wore pajamas, and would only fuck with the lights off.
    This was over 40 yrs ago.

  87. 87.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @Omnes Omnibus: The difference is that the Lord of the Rings movies are just one big battle scene after another. (OK, hyperbole, but..)

    Potter has lots of other things going on, as does the original Star Wars trilogy.

    That being said, I like ’em all. And if you’ve never seen Lucas’s movie before Star Wars, and Harrison Ford’s debut, you owe it to yourself to find American Graffiti.

  88. 88.

    Cacti

    @Tonal Crow:

    Rick Santorum suggested Thursday that re-electing President Barack Obama would be better than electing Republican rival Mitt Romney, a statement that is arguably his toughest criticism of Romney to date

    Which is why I don’t think Frothy’s going to be a good little boy and bow out like the Bushes want.

    The teabaggers hate them some Romney.

  90. 90.

    noodler

    My son is sleeping over on a school night, which is an extra special event… and angry birds space came out today. got that song in my head.

  91. 91.

    Cacti

    @lamh35:

    For me, it would be MORE shocking if Allen West and other Conservative AA didn’t feel the outrage

    You can always count on Larry Elder to play Uncle Ruckus. It’s not even a criminal matter when a black kid gets gunned down for wearing a hoodie and being armed with Skittles.

  92. 92.

    freelancer

    I’m watching last week’s Awake before I watch the 4th ep that aired tonight. A scene where police prematurely kill a black guy in a hoodie, even if he was an escaped convict was brutal to watch. The Martin fiasco is invading everything I read and watch, it’s that fucked up. And the striking thing is that it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that this shit happens. It happens all the time in this country now and the sense is that it has always been there in the first place.

    Makes me feel sorry for that fact.

  93. 93.

    Anya

    @Alexandra: I am sorry to hear about your friend’s mental health challenges. It’s not surprising that he had addiction issues. Often people with mental health issues use addiction as a form of self medication to deal with the symptoms of mental illness.

    My best wishes for your friend’s recovery. I hope he and those around him believe that recovery is possible. Having a sense of hope lies at the foundation of recovery. I hope the journey ahead gets easier for all of you.

  94. 94.

    Vodkamuppet

    @Litlebritdifrnt Just got back home from my chicks place and she thinks youre an idiot. Rubbed her feet for an hour just to calm her down from how absolutely offended she was at reading your stupid stupid stupid concern troll piece of shit post. Oh, this is from her mouth not mine, “fuck you, you sound like an angry bitch”

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