Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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

Giving up is unforgivable.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

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

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

You cannot shame the shameless.

This fight is for everything.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

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

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

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

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

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Reader Interactions

97Comments

  3. 3.

    BGinCHI

    What did Santorum get from Romney and/or the RNC to halt his campaign?

    No fucking way he just bows out without some quid for his quo.

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    @BGinCHI: There was probably a lot more “an offer you can’t refuse” and a lot less “let’s make a deal”.

    “Get out now with some dignity, or we will bury you (again) in negative ads and make you look like an utter doofus as you lose your home state.”

  9. 9.

    Elie

    Santorum has rehabilitated his image enough on the right to make a living on the Christianist rubber chicken/inspirational speaker circuit. I believe that was all he really ever wanted anyway

  11. 11.

    amk

    @Amir Khalid: LOL @

    Republican Christie asked the famously liberal Springsteen to play his inauguration; he’d seen 122 Springsteen shows and wanted number 123 to be in his honor. The Boss, who’s done plenty of appearances for Barack Obama and other leading Democratic lights, told him he “doesn’t get involved in state politics.”
    …

    But it’s hard loving someone who doesn’t love you back. Or maybe 128 times is just too many for something to remain interesting

  12. 12.

    fasteddie9318

    The real question is will they be stupid enough to nominate him in 2016? I could see a real conservative kick after Romney loses, plus Ricky is the traditional “next guy in line” by virtue of being the acknowledged runner up this time around, and that’s important in authoritarian regimes Republican politics. No doubt he’ll have to fend off Ryan and a couple of other nutters, but I would not rule him out. And that could make for a real extended Democratic hold on the White House.

  13. 13.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    The Frothy Mixture is an asshole wingnut but he’s also probably thinking 2016. And getting the living shit beat outta him by the Romneybot in his home state would have been a tough thing to overlook when he goes back to the party bigwigs in 2015 asking for his place in the presidential candidate line (per #12 above).

    Can’t damage the brand too much. I bet if he was going to be competitive in PA, he would have stayed in.

  15. 15.

    Amir Khalid

    @BGinCHI:
    What is there for the party to give Mr Frothy? The number two spot on the ticket, after what he’s said about Mitt so far? (Last year, Team Mitt sacked Mitt’s debate coach, for the offense of doing a good enough job to get media attention.) A post in the Romney administration, if there is ever such a thing? The It’s My Turn front-runner spot for 2016? I think the most Mr Frothy can count on is a place in the Wingnut Welfare line.

  17. 17.

    Culture of Truth

    WaPo’s Marc Thiessen:

    “Far from having the upper hand when it comes to the women’s vote, Obama is either vulnerable or in deep trouble on almost every key issue women voters say they care about.”

    keep telling yourself that dweeb

  18. 18.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    The Frothy Mixture is an asshole wingnut but he’s also probably thinking 2016. And getting the living shit beat outta him by the Romneybot in his home state would have been a tough thing to overlook when he goes back to the party bigwigs in 2015 asking for his place in the presidential candidate line

    __
    We hear you’re leaving, that’s OK
    I thought our little wild time had just begun
    I guess you kind of scared yourself, you turn and run
    But if you had a change of heart
    __
    Ricky don’t lose that number
    You don’t want to call nobody else
    Send if off in a letter to yourself
    Ricky don’t lose that number
    It’s the only one you own
    You might use it if you feel better
    When you get home

  19. 19.

    Nutella

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    I think that’s it. Things were looking bad for him in the PA primary 4/24. By getting out now he can pretend that he’s not anathema to his own former neighbors.

    (Note: He once was from PA but now, like Gingrich, he is from inside the Beltway. They live and work in Washington as Washington insiders. But it would still look incredibly bad to lose PA to Romney.)

  21. 21.

    Bubblegum Tate

    And we’re going to have to shove a wand up your butt. For no medical reason, of course, just to make sure that you’re sufficiently shamed by your decision.

  24. 24.

    El Cid

    Also, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of the Arizona Alamo Republic may be facing federal suit.

    The lead attorney in the U.S. Justice Department’s efforts to resolve a civil-rights complaint with Sheriff Joe Arpaio has cut off verbal communication with Arpaio’s attorney, saying the entire affair is best left for the courts to decide.
    __
    A Justice Department report in December accused the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office of rampant discrimination against Latinos in its police and jail operations, and asked the office to negotiate a solution to the problems or face legal action.
    __
    The most recent exchange of letters between Arpaio’s lawyers and federal civil-rights prosecutors contained dueling and now-familiar accusations about failures to negotiate an agreement in good faith.
    __
    “It is clear that DOJ’s concerted effort to attain voluntary compliance by your client has failed,” Deputy U.S. Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin wrote to Arpaio attorney Joe Popolizio.
    __
    “It is also clear that we should not discuss anything else by telephone because you will not accurately portray those conversations,” Austin continued.
    __
    “At this point, it is best to let a court determine the appropriateness of appointing an independent monitor as well as imposing other relief in order to address MCSO’s constitutional and federal statutory violations.”

    The DOJ clearly has no respect for the 10th Amendment, which allows any white Sheriff to harass Latinos if he feels his ground has been threatened.

  29. 29.

    eemom

    @fasteddie9318:

    dude, I always enjoy your comments — but the idea that anyone is even going to remember who Santorscum IS, let alone nominate him for anything, in 2016 is just mystifying to me.

    Aside from the fact that, should he so much as twitch in that direction, he’ll be flattened by the tire tracks of a Christie, Ryan, Huntsman, Jebbush, Cantor and God knows what other monster emerges from the republitard swamp between now and then……and aside from the fact that the ONLY reason he got as far as he did this time around was because of the anti-Romney mania…..we are talking about people with the attention span of an ADHD toddler on steroids. Sicky Ricky will be Tutankhamun to them in 2016.

  30. 30.

    A Kansan

    Sam Brownback is the improved (hah!) version of Santorum, and he’ll be running in 2016.

  34. 34.

    El Cid

    @gocart mozart: The DOJ has no authority over Sheriff Arpaio, because the county Sheriff is the only law enforcement authority recognized by the Constitution. Also, Obama never has proven his birth so his legal qualification to be President. I have learned a whole lot from right wing militia populists and survivalists over the years.

  35. 35.

    Catsy

    @fasteddie9318: I don’t know whether or not Santorum will make an appearance in 2016, but I’d bet anything that this is right on the money:

    I could see a real conservative kick after Romney loses

    Guaran-fucking-teed. The thing about Romney being the nominee is that it sets up the GOP for yet another iteration of ratcheting up the crazy. Naturally, the fact that Romney is a legendarily bad candidate will have nothing to do with his loss–it will be because (rather than in spite of the fact that) he isn’t a “real” conservative. They will go even more bugfuck next year in trying to see who can tack hardest to the right.

    At least if Santorum had gotten the nomination, that nonsense would’ve been mitigated. There’s still a sizable chunk of the GOP base who thinks Santorum is too “big government” for them–you know, the ones who actually take their small-gov’t pablum semi-seriously. But the loss would go a long way towards discrediting the wingnut delusion that the rest of the country agrees with their extreme-right social agenda.

    Oh well. At least when they push harder to the right they’ll only hasten the marginalization of the GOP.

  36. 36.

    ImJohnGalt

    Is there any chance that he’s just suspending his campaign until May, at which point he’ll say that “too many people” in those southern states have been demanding that he stay in to represent their interests?

  37. 37.

    jibeaux

    @fasteddie9318: I’m torn about this. Because they’ll have Romney this time around and he’ll likely lose, it does make it much easier for them to conclude “conservatism can never fail it can only be failed MOAR CRAZY”; but it seems to me that there seems to be almost a one-shot rule. I know Romney ran last time, but it wasn’t so drawn out a contest so he never got that loser stank. I think they will conclude both moar crazy and a fresh face is needed. Hope so, anyway, the longer we can stave them off from saying “here’s a thought, what about less crazy?”, the better

  40. 40.

    Chris

    @Culture of Truth:

    What a maroon.

    Conservative pundits have a thing for passing off shitty Hollywood plot twists as deep insights. (What if… BLACK people… were the REAL racists?

  41. 41.

    Culture of Truth

    Santorum will speak at the convention, describe himself a coal miner, alienate women, then return to grifting full time.

  42. 42.

    Chris

    @Chris:

    … what if… GREEDY people … were the REAL selfless charity givers? What if… the PRO-CHOICE candidate … was the one WOMEN hated?) Etc.

  43. 43.

    Mnemosyne

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    I was pretty sure they were going to double down on the “Mittens earned the millions he inherited from Daddy!” meme. Republicans can never admit that maybe some people have unearned wealth, because it makes the plebes start thinking that maybe unequal outcomes have more to do with unequal opportunities than with inherent abilities.

  44. 44.

    JGabriel

    @amk:

    The Boss, who’s done plenty of appearances for Barack Obama and other leading Democratic lights, told him he “doesn’t get involved in state politics.”

    Really? Why couldn’t Bruce just say, “No. My appearances are interpreted as political support, whether I want them to or not. Since I don’t support Republican or Conservative policy, I won’t play at your inauguration. I hear Dave Mustaine is available, though. Maybe you could try him.”

    .

  46. 46.

    catclub

    @Mnemosyne: LBJ’s speech on the Civil Rights Act I think had something to say about this.

    You can’t hobble someone for years and then expect him to compete equally with someone who has been given elite training and coaching for those same years.

  48. 48.

    eemom

    “BREAKING—Limbaugh: “Romney wasn’t born wealthy. He worked for it.”

    Can we talk about his zillion dollar hotblood horses now or are we still worried about alienating the cowboy vote?

  49. 49.

    Culture of Truth

    Joe Biden Blasts “Romney Rule”

    Biden focused his attention on what he called the “Romney rule,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s plan to cut taxes by $1 trillion over a decade with most of the benefits going to the same wealthy Americans

    “Governor Romney calls the president out of touch,” Biden said in a campaign speech Exeter, N.H., interjecting “and anti-woman, by the way,” before asking the working class crowd, “Hey, how many of y’all have a Swiss bank account?”

  50. 50.

    Culture of Truth

    At one point, as the Vice President spoke about Romney’s plans to further cut taxes for the rich, a baby in the crowd began to cry.

    “I don’t blame her for crying, she is going to inherit it, she’s gonna pay for it,” Biden said to applause. “That’s one smart baby.”

  51. 51.

    Veritas

    So, are any “progressives” going to dare defend Hillary Rosen’s disgusting attacks against an MS victim, breast cancer survivor, and stay at home mom who raised five sons?

    Everytime you get the MSM to do your dirty work for you this cycle we are going to push back–and HARD. We won’t let the MSM do what they did in 2008.

    Sucks for you Romney just caught a break in the gender gap, eh liberals?

    And you can bet there will be Super PAC ads made about this issue-backed by millions upon millions in anonymous corporate money.

  55. 55.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @eemom:
    People (I am not one of them) who like horses really, REALLY like horses. It’s rather like being a Cat Person, only a little more so. If Romney started carrying around a huge fluffy white Persian absolutely everywhere and stroking it constantly, a bunch of people would go ‘Holy shit, now he’s actually a Bond Villain’ and a bunch of other people would go ‘Don’t you dare attack him for loving cats!’

    Whether they’re right on whether or not it’s good politics I have no opinion, but that’s the social dynamic playing out.

  56. 56.

    Cacti

    @El Cid:

    the county Sheriff is the only law enforcement authority recognized by the Constitution

    So, the federal government has no enforcement authority over federal statutes?

    You must point me to the article in the constitution that assigns this role to county sheriffs.

    Take your time.

  58. 58.

    Chyron HR

    @Veritas:

    You seem upset. What’s wrong, still mad that the Tea Party’s latest hero actually has to stand trial for shooting an unarmed “Nig”?

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    @Veritas:

    So, are any “progressives” going to dare defend Hillary Rosen’s disgusting attacks against an MS victim, breast cancer survivor, and stay at home mom who raised five sons?

    What was untrue about what Rosen said?

  62. 62.

    Citizen_X

    @El Cid:

    “It is also clear that we should not discuss anything else by telephone because you will not accurately portray those conversations,” Austin continued.

    Ow. I felt that slap over here.

  63. 63.

    Veritas

    Wow, liberals are already panicked about the huge break Romney just got with the gender gap. Excellent.

    Anyone want to denounce Hillary Rosen’s comments? Or are you going to defend these sexist and disgusting personal attacks on a mother and cancer survivor?

  64. 64.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    Why couldn’t Bruce just say, “No. My appearances are interpreted as political support, whether I want them to or not. Since I don’t support Republican or Conservative policy, I won’t play at your inauguration. I hear Dave Mustaine is available, though. Maybe you could try him.”

    @JGabriel: I was a working musician for decades and have been a hardcore liberal for longer. First intra-band fistfight I ever had was with my drummer, who thought Ollie North deserved a Silver Star for his brave work in nun-killing. I did not know he subscribed to such abhorrent views, but found out after saying that a better place for North to be testifying from would be a gallows, instead of Congress.

    Back to Bruce. I’d never say such a thing to a perspective client, even one who perfectly embodies everything vile about the human race as Christie does. I thought Springsteen’s reply was note-perfect and an example of how it ought to be done. No drama, no “this hill to die on” dramatics, just a nicely phrased reply that boils down to “no”.

  65. 65.

    Amir Khalid

    @Veritas:
    Why yes, you’re right! This storm in a teacup is TOTALLY going to sink the Obama campaign! OMG! The Democrats are doomed! Doomed, I tells ya! GASP! SHRIEK! PANIC!

    PS: you forgot to say VICTORY!1lebenty-one!

  69. 69.

    Cacti

    @Veritas:

    So, are any “progressives” going to dare defend Hillary Rosen’s disgusting attacks against an MS victim, breast cancer survivor, and stay at home mom who raised five sons?

    Sure.

    Millions of women work and raise families. Ann Romney is a kept women who moved into her future father-in-law’s house at age 17, while her betrothed was avoiding Vietnam service with a “ministerial deferment” in France.

    Upon his return they were immediately hitched, and she began to dutifully poop out babies like a good Mormon housefrau. Her “career” has consisted primarily of directing nannies, cooks, housekeepers, chauffers, and (undocumented) yard workers.

    But she had 5 kids, so that somehow makes up for Mitt wanting to restrict women’s healthcare choices, and let catholic bishops decide who ought to have contraception. Or that his femagogue surrogates actually voted against the Fair Pay Act.

  70. 70.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Veritas:
    Sometimes these posts are fascinating. It’s like receiving newscasts from an alternate dimension. ‘New poll reveals Cthulhu will win presidency by a landslide, thanks to baby voters!’ That kind of thing.

  72. 72.

    dmsilev

    By the way, let’s all join together in wishing Romneycare a very happy sixth birthday!

  73. 73.

    Chyron HR

    @Mnemosyne:

    What was untrue about what Rosen said?

    It’s inaccurate to say that Ms. Romney’s never worked a day in her life. She’s just on perpetual “Christmas Vacation” like our own Veritas has been for the past four months.

  75. 75.

    Cacti

    And speaking of MS and cancer survivors, isn’t it especially coldhearted and vile that the husband of one wants to restrict healthcare availability from people with pre-existing conditions?

  76. 76.

    Satanicpanic

    It must have been hard for Ann, always having to drive her kids around in the couple of cadillacs she owns.

  77. 77.

    Chyron HR

    I, for one, am terrified of the Romney campaign spending $200 billion on ads that portray his wife as a wanna-be Palin who turns into a shrieking harpy at every percieved slight. The American people just love women like that, don’t you know?

  78. 78.

    gene108

    @Catsy:

    But the loss would go a long way towards discrediting the wingnut delusion that the rest of the country agrees with their extreme-right social agenda.

    I don’t think the right-wingers feel people support their agenda, or Bush, Jr. wouldn’t have run on a “compassionate conservative” agenda in 2000.

    It’s just that the truly faithful wingnuts feel that they are right and by implementing their agenda the rightness and glory of their beliefs will shine through.

    True conservatism never fails, it can only be failed.

  79. 79.

    Cheap Jim

    @Veritas: Why would anyone denounce what is true? Ann Romney may have raised five children, but she never had to do so while working a harrying and demeaning series of part-time jobs. For her to be the go-to person for understanding the struggles of women is like asking a Nepali sherpa about deep sea fishing. She just doesn’t have that experience.

  81. 81.

    Marcellus Shale, Public Dick

    i am happy that even the most remote chance at a santormentum ectopic presidency is now back to nil.

    with due respect to allan the hall monitor, i believe the thing santormentum was carrying was anencephalic; blind, deaf, unconscious, and unable to feel pain.

  82. 82.

    Cacti

    When it comes to “careers” Mitt and Ann’s church teaches that women…

    “are primarily responsible for the nuture of their children”

    (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, 1995)

    Yep, these are the folks who understand what “women really care about”. lol

  83. 83.

    Chyron HR

    Why, Stay-At-Home-Momgate is so explosive that the one remaining Romney supporter in America pimped it for almost five minutes before giving up!

  86. 86.

    Catsy

    @gene108:

    I don’t think the right-wingers feel people support their agenda, or Bush, Jr. wouldn’t have run on a “compassionate conservative” agenda in 2000.

    Oh, I think the political operatives largely understand that extreme conservatism is toxic to most Americans–that’s why they have to repackage and lie about it.

    But anyone whose reaction to the losses of John McCain and (hopefully) Mitt Romney is that they simply weren’t conservative enough has drunk the kool-aid.

  88. 88.

    Catsy

    @Veritas: Nice try, troll. But much as it must chap your ass, you don’t get to set the narrative.

    As I wrote earlier on the GOS:

    Anyone who injects themselves into a campaign by actively making public statements on their candidate’s behalf has made their words and views a fair subject for reasonable public criticism and response.

    It would be different if Ann Romney were, like many other political spouses, apolitical and in the background. It would be different if Rosen had actually, you know, attacked Ann Romney or dragged her career choices into the public debate unbidden. It would be different if this were a crack about her weight or parenting.

    None of those are the case, however.

    Ann Romney made the decision to go on television and campaign for her husband. Ann Romney made the decision to use her own choice of being a stay-at-home mom as an analogy to argue that she and her husband understand what struggling Americans are going through. Ann Romney made the choice to publicly make a bad argument in support of an absurd counterfactual.

    Nobody forced her to make her words and views a part of the debate. She did.

    It was absolutely one hundred percent appropriate to point out that she has never held a real job in her life, never had to wonder if she’s going to be able to pay the rent or bills, and never had any reason to worry whether her children are going to have adequate health care or a college education. She will never have to job hunt or worry about whether she’ll pass an interview. She will never have to wonder whether she’s going to be bankrupted by the health care that the truly tragic condition she suffers (MS) requires. She will never once, for the rest of her life, have any reason to think or utter the words, “can we afford this?” for anything that isn’t an unthinkable luxury for the people she’s trying to relate to.

    No, she really doesn’t have the slightest idea what it’s truly like for a normal family to struggle, and it was blatantly insulting for her to pretend that she does. It was a bad argument trying to paper over an abhorrent candidate who is pushing regressive policies, and it is not out of bounds to push back on it.

    Not that I think Veritas is doing anything but his usual bad faith trolling here, but I figured it was as good an opportunity as any to post that.

  89. 89.

    ExcuseMeExcuseMe

    Someone should ask Mrs. Mittens, MS patient and breast cancer survivor, who paid for her cancer treatment and how much she paid out-of-pocket, and who pays for her MS medication, and how much she pays out of pocket.

    Without insurance, MS medications cost about $3000 per month. Three Thousand Dollars per Month. Thirty Six Thousand Dollars per Year.

    Someone should ask Mrs. Mittens how she reconciles her MS treatment with all of the MS patients that have no insurance. I want to hear her pretzel logic about how and why she is worthy enough to receive possibly life-saving medication and how others diagnosed with MS are – well, sh*t out of luck – not worth saving.

    Someone should ask both of the Mittens about their health care costs and insurance matters.

    That’s how Rosen should have responded. Double-down.

  91. 91.

    Chris

    @Mnemosyne:

    This.

    I actually had to look up 1) who Hillary Rosen was and 2) what she said.

    Really? “Mitt Romney’s wife has never worked a day in her life?” THAT’s their Last Best Hope for sparking an Outraged Women’s Backlash against Teh Libruls? THAT’s their best hope for making them forget everything that their party is advocating be done, as a matter of government policy, against women’s rights?

    And they really, truly, actually expect it’s going to work? Well, by all means continue to fuck that chicken, people…

  93. 93.

    Splitting Image

    Thought I’d take a moment to thank Cleek for developing the pie filter. Not only do the threads look better, but I’m getting great ideas for baking desserts.

  95. 95.

    samara morgan

    still hanging around Firebagger Freddie?
    made up your mind who you are voting for yet?

    I am a citizen in a democracy. It’s my duty to support politicians that advance my interests and that I believe work for the betterment of our country. I am asking sincerely and openly: given that I have the commitments I’ve laid out above, how can I possibly support Barack Obama? He bragged– bragged– yesterday that this deal would be lowering non-defense discretionary spending to its lowest levels since the Eisenhower administration. That is, he bragged about his role in ending essential government programs that defend our environment, educate our children, provide crucial scientific and medical research, and in a myriad of ways contribute to the flourishing of our country and our people. At some point, the charade can’t continue. This is not merely a person who doesn’t deserve my support. This is a person who is unequivocally and demonstrably not an American liberal, and someone who has no interest in defending the historical constituencies or commitments of the Democratic party.

  96. 96.

    the fugitive uterus

    At the time this article was written, I was having a meltdown over Iraq. And today I learn that, at the same time, the war on women was already in full swing.

    On June 20 (2003), Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed into law a bill that would require women to wait 24 hours before obtaining an abortion. The law also requires physicians to explore alternatives to having an abortion, discuss with the women the medical risks associated with the procedure, and show the patients color pictures of the developing fetus.”4 In a state where 93 percent of counties lack an abortion provider . . . Another means of restricting access to abortion services involves letting providers refuse to offer certain services that conflict with their moral or religious views. Such laws are usually termed “refusal” or “conscience clauses” and pertain to hospitals, physicians, pharmacists and insurers . . . In June (2003), Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law a bill that defines a fetus as a person, and thus allows charges to be filed on behalf of the fetus if it is terminated via accident or crime. Additionally, families of the fetus can bring civil charges against the person responsible for the death of the fetus.

    http://nwhn.org/state-state-chipping-away-reproductive-rights

  97. 97.

    Tarun

    On the other had maybe there was no conception and this just goes to show how principled Santorum actually is in opposing contraception. He pulled out just before….

    You get the drift.

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