• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

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

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

“Alexa, change the president.”

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

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

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

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

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

We will not go back.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / David Brooks Giving A Seminar At The Aspen Institute / All messed up, I want you here

All messed up, I want you here

by DougJ|  April 23, 201210:54 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: David Brooks Giving A Seminar At The Aspen Institute, Election 2012

FacebookTweetEmail

Via gaz, this just makes me laugh:

“It’s amazing how the aptly named ‘Army of Davids’ is able to use the Internet and social media to run with a theme and dominate the popular imagination,” The Virginian glowed in a post called “This election is about eating dogs.” “We may be seeing the end of an era dominated by ability of Leftist comedians like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher or the cast of SNL to create a false image of a political figure.” Goodbye Stephen Colbert, hello shit-covered turban!

If you’re thinking right about now that this joke just doesn’t bear so many retellings, you’re missing the point. Obama-eats-dogs is not a joke in the traditional sense of something that makes normal people laugh. It’s a political idea shaped like a joke, over which rightbloggers may ostentatiously display mirth, thus signaling to one another (and to whatever passers-by may be taken in by it) their high spirits and confidence of victory.

This was revealed by the reliably humor-averse Michelle Malkin: “Say goodbye to all the Democrat talking points about Mitt Romney’s cruelty to animals,” she announced as she commanded her troops to “Clik here for full Twitchy coverage, laugh, and say goodbye to all the Democrat talking points about Mitt Romney’s cruelty to animals.”

Even more clearly, streiff at RedState explained the thing to readers in “The Meme War We Must Win: if you think Ann Romney and Seamus the Dog aren’t important you don’t belong in electoral politics.”

To put this in Rumsfeldese: Do I think the election should be about dogs on roofs of cars? No. Do I think Obama will win if it’s Jim Treacher versus Stephen Colbert? Yes.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Public Enemies: “How Pete Peterson is driving the fiscal consensus”
Next Post: Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

56Comments

  1. 1.

    Spaghetti Lee

    April 23, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Michelle Malkin actually named her site Twitchy? Is that like the wingnut equivalent of word-reclamation?

  2. 2.

    gwangung

    April 23, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    A Filipina doing dog eating jokes? Really.

    Ah, but what was I thinking…it’s Malkin. God she’s stupid.

  3. 3.

    Egg Berry

    April 23, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    Michelle Malkin actually named her site Twitchy? Is that like the wingnut equivalent of word-reclamation?

    More like truth in advertising.

  4. 4.

    Jibeaux

    April 23, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    Half the comments are Treacher repeating that Obama eats dogs. As comedy, I have to say that it leaves something to be desired. Also it’s just weirder than fuck.

  5. 5.

    PeakVT

    April 23, 2012 at 11:08 pm

    Obama ate dog when he was a kid living in a country where eating dog was considered acceptable at the time.

    Romney strapped the dog’s cage to the roof when he was an adult in a country where even before PETA and the like that would have been viewed as odd by a whole lot of people.

    Which proves both sides do it. Amirite, or amirite?

  6. 6.

    Boots Day

    April 23, 2012 at 11:13 pm

    Did it ever occur to these people that since Obama himself revealed this 15 years ago to no outcry or concern whatsoever, it may not quite be the bombshell they think it is?

  7. 7.

    beltane

    April 23, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    @PeakVT: Well, they say that conservatives tend to be very squeamish about unfamiliar food while at the same time being attracted to images of violence and cruelty, so the right-wing reaction does make sense in a certain demented way.

  8. 8.

    Spaghetti Lee

    April 23, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    I think they’re in such high spirits because they think they know how this works. They didn’t have to criticize Gore’s policies in 2000, they just had to say “Earth tones!” and “Inveneted the internet!” over and over. Same with Kerry and windusrfing in 2004. Now, Obama hasn’t really given them moments like that, so they’ve had to pretend to care about policy minutiae, but I’m sure this is where the likes of Treacher and Malkin are more comfortable wallowing. They think they can just go “Obongo eats Teh Dog Meatz!!1!” for 6 months and win over the Stupid Middle who is seriously concerned about such things. Call me crazy, but I don’t think it will work this time.

  9. 9.

    beltane

    April 23, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    @Boots Day: But Mommy, he ate icky food. That’s so gross. Why didn’t he just eat mechanically separated chicken meat like RealAmerican children do?

  10. 10.

    Steve

    April 23, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    omg, I linked that 20 comments before the other guy did! hat tip thief!

  11. 11.

    General Stuck

    April 23, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    This is shaping up to be one hell of an election.

    It’s a political idea shaped like a joke, over which rightbloggers may ostentatiously display mirth, thus signaling to one another (and to whatever passers-by may be taken in by it) their high spirits and confidence of victory.

    Pheromones of Freedom

  12. 12.

    Hill Dweller

    April 23, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    @PeakVT: Strapping a dog to the top of a car was actually illegal in Massachusetts at the time(and now).

    Does anyone in their right mind think eating dog and snake would be anything other than traumatic for a 6 year old?

    Is there any evidence that Obama continued to eat dog once he left Indonesia and/or became an adult?

    As an aside, Stewart just did his ‘both sides!’ routine on this very subject.

  13. 13.

    El Cid

    April 23, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    How am I supposed to know that Obama didn’t eat a terrorist dog that Bill Ayers gave him? This is too important a decision to allow me to assume that he did not.

  14. 14.

    Redshift

    April 23, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    I suppose it could be considered a positive development that they finally admit they aren’t capable of humor, and are just repeating a political talking point and yelling “it’s a joke!”

  15. 15.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 23, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    Just watch Saint Stewart use a year old tweet from Axelrod to say that the Obama campaign was “politicizing” Seamus, and try to sell the Romneys flogging the Indonesian story as “hilarious”

  16. 16.

    El Cid

    April 23, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    Wingnuts, with their sails unfurled!

  17. 17.

    Mickey

    April 23, 2012 at 11:23 pm

    yawn…wtf is DougJ babbling on about now? I used to find his posts amusing in a point and laugh at him kind of way. Now I just find them mind numbingly dumb!

    The right is getting nowhere with their stupid attempt to distract from Mitt’s dog. But that doesn’t stop idiots like DougJ from trying to prop up their idiotic attempts by echoing it.

    Just go away DougJ.

  18. 18.

    PeakVT

    April 23, 2012 at 11:23 pm

    Has anyone asked if Romney ate chevaline while he was in France all those years?

    ETA: Surely Çôlbért has asked that question, no?

  19. 19.

    Narcissus

    April 23, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    In five years Stewart will have Broder’s job.

  20. 20.

    Valdivia

    April 23, 2012 at 11:30 pm

    Not mentioned in the linked story was McCain and a bunch of other politicos tweeting about this and laughing too. It is so stupid I have no words.

  21. 21.

    El Cid

    April 23, 2012 at 11:37 pm

    It’s just another wingnut meme which they use as group membership solidarity identifiers, like everything else: Bill Clinton’s haircut shut down the airport! Ha ha!

    Meanwhile, Fucker Carlson: The NAACP Is “An Absurd Fringe Group” That Is “Bankrupt Literally And Morally”.

  22. 22.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 23, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    The sad fact is, the wingtards shot their wad with the birther and teleprompter things, and outside of the cretinous confines of the wingnutosphere, those memes went no where.

    So, these twits can pat themselves on the back all they want, it’s not playing outside of the 27%.

  23. 23.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 23, 2012 at 11:42 pm

    @El Cid:

    Rmoney and Rih at Tenagra!

  24. 24.

    Jibeaux

    April 23, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Fast and Furious forgotten so soon? Oh well. I gather there’s some sort of “vacation” meme being put together. I’m sure it will be wildly successful.

  25. 25.

    Martin

    April 23, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    Dear Senator McCain. Those chicken nuggets they fed you in the Hanoi Hilton. Yeah, not chicken. Sorry.

  26. 26.

    El Cid

    April 23, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Marco Rubio, his eyes flashing.

  27. 27.

    Hill Dweller

    April 23, 2012 at 11:50 pm

    @Jibeaux: One of the wingers’ SuperPAC is spending a couple of million attacking Obama for the GSA scandal.

  28. 28.

    Culture of Truth

    April 23, 2012 at 11:54 pm

    I just TDS and TCR cover the same story. Stewart did a straight false equivalency, pox on both houses thing, while Colbert noted the idiots are comparing what a grown man with children did to what a six year old was told to eat.

    Also, see Colbert’s takedown of Steve Doocy. He takes no prisoners.

  29. 29.

    Culture of Truth

    April 23, 2012 at 11:59 pm

    Ah, Hill Dweller already reported on it

  30. 30.

    Redshift

    April 24, 2012 at 12:02 am

    @Hill Dweller: Ah, more economic stimulus!

    Seriously, this is the type of scandal that’s difficult to get to stick unless there’s a pretty direct link to the White House. They can scream it’s Obama’s fault, but they can’t effectively call any administration figures to testify, because then the truth would come out — it started under Bush, and it was uncovered by Obama’s inspector general. It’s the sort of thing that tends to make Darrell Issa look like an idiot (again) to anyone who’s not a hard-core wingnut.

  31. 31.

    Culture of Truth

    April 24, 2012 at 12:02 am

    @El Cid: Romney, when the approvals fell

  32. 32.

    Hill Dweller

    April 24, 2012 at 12:03 am

    @Narcissus:

    In five years Stewart will have Broder’s job.

    Conversely, Colbert just destroyed Steve Doocey, the NY Post and Washington Post in the first segment. In the second segment, he destroyed the buffoons pretending Romney’s actions as an adult and Obama’s as a child are in some way equivalent. In the interview, he destroyed a creationist buffoon from Texas. And Colbert did it all while being funny.

  33. 33.

    Culture of Truth

    April 24, 2012 at 12:11 am

    He had that creationist buffoon laughing with him. Then he snapped the jaws shut.

    He reminds me of that line about about LBJ. “He just sliced you with a razor so sharp you didn’t even feel it.”

  34. 34.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 24, 2012 at 12:12 am

    @Culture of Truth:

    Rmoney, when his etch-a-sketch broke.

  35. 35.

    Roger Moore

    April 24, 2012 at 12:18 am

    @Redshift:

    They can scream it’s Obama’s fault, but they can’t effectively call any administration figures to testify, because then the truth would come out—it started under Bush, and it was uncovered by Obama’s inspector general.

    Starting under Bush hasn’t stopped them from trying to paint the financial crisis, TARP, and the bad economy as 100% Obama’s fault. Why should the GSA scandal be any different? Besides, they’ve completely blanked out that there was a Bush; I’m pretty sure that all the bad things that happened between 20 January 2001 and 20 January 2009 are either Clinton’s or Obama’s fault.

  36. 36.

    k9ml

    April 24, 2012 at 12:35 am

    This made me nostalgic. When I was a youngster my mom would send me to the poultry man. We would get a duck for dinner as a treat sometimes. I would bring a clean mayonnaise jar for the blood so my mom could make blood soup. I guess that could be a deal breaker if I ran for elective office.

  37. 37.

    gaz

    April 24, 2012 at 1:25 am

    @Steve: sorry? I didn’t mean it! =)

    I blame DougJ – and thank him for the h/t, even if misdirected =)

    heheh.

    Treacher is such an utter moron. There’s no way this doesn’t backfire. Comically.

  38. 38.

    gaz

    April 24, 2012 at 1:29 am

    Speaking of Treacher, go to that thread and troll the shit out of him. I suggest “Jim Treacher Fucks Dogs”. It’s not only righteous trolling, it’s a moral imperative!

    And he’s doing the same thing himself. make him eat it. And give edroso some traffic =)

  39. 39.

    gaz

    April 24, 2012 at 1:33 am

    @Roger Moore: Not only that, but Obama killed jeeeeesus!

  40. 40.

    Joey Maloney

    April 24, 2012 at 1:50 am

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    The sad fact is, the wingtards shot their wad with the birther and teleprompter things, and outside of the cretinous confines of the wingnutosphere, those memes went no where.

    Wait, I’m supposed to be sad about this? I can’t point and laugh?

  41. 41.

    Basilisc

    April 24, 2012 at 1:58 am

    Six and a half more months of this.
    Six and a half months.
    Six and a half months.
    Six and a half months.

  42. 42.

    Joseph Nobles

    April 24, 2012 at 3:07 am

    @gaz: I’d prefer “Jim Treacher Fucks Chickens”, but I understand wanting to keep to the dog theme.

  43. 43.

    Ben Cisco

    April 24, 2012 at 6:47 am

    @El Cid: @Villago Delenda Est @Culture of Truth: I sense a meme growing here. I wholeheartedly approve.

  44. 44.

    Patricia Kayden

    April 24, 2012 at 7:36 am

    Actually, I have no problem with the scrutiny of a 39-year old man for strapping a dog to the roof of his car on multiple occasions. None at all. I absolutely love when David Letterman jokes about it. It says something about the Bot that he thinks it’s perfectly okay to ride around for 12 hours in the cold with a dog on his roof. Thank goodness Seamus escaped.

  45. 45.

    bjacques

    April 24, 2012 at 7:37 am

    Sweet Stand-Up Jesus, I went there. It was as painful as the bit in “Good Morning, Vietnam!” when the Lieutenant, after kicking Adrian Cronauer off the air, does his own “interview with a Frenchman.” At least he honestly thought he was being funny. These guys…I blame Dennis Miller for making clever-sounding hate rants look easy.

    But I did like “shit-covered turban.” I’m stealing that one.

  46. 46.

    lacp

    April 24, 2012 at 7:39 am

    Real Merkins don’t eat dog. Real Merkins eat lean finely textured beef.

  47. 47.

    ned

    April 24, 2012 at 8:09 am

    @Mickey: Better trolls please! This one bores me.

  48. 48.

    Svensker

    April 24, 2012 at 9:27 am

    WTF. That is all.

  49. 49.

    g

    April 24, 2012 at 10:39 am

    Treach was trolling Roy’s place at the Village Voice yesterday. He’s like a second-grader who’s just discovered poop jokes. If this is the epitome of Republican humor, it’s awesome.

    You have to give it to Treach, though – he deserves to crow a little. This is probably the greatest achievement of his life.

  50. 50.

    g

    April 24, 2012 at 10:41 am

    @Boots Day:

    Ahah!! Finally, the vetting begins!

  51. 51.

    Paul in KY

    April 24, 2012 at 10:54 am

    Pres. Obama was a child when he ate a tasty dog. Mitt was a responsible adult.

  52. 52.

    Jess

    April 24, 2012 at 11:53 am

    Love the song reference, Doug! Now I’m going to be humming Iggy all day. (Wait–that sounded kinda dirty…)

  53. 53.

    Cris (without an H)

    April 24, 2012 at 11:59 am

    We may be seeing the end of an era dominated by ability of Leftist comedians like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher or the cast of SNL to create a false image of a political figure.

    One meme gets traction, and the traditional comedic structure is supposed to collapse? These guys continue to impress me with their delusional sense of self-importance.

  54. 54.

    Jim Treacher

    April 24, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    @Jibeaux: Obama eats dogs?

  55. 55.

    Jim Treacher

    April 24, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    @gaz: Then you have nothing to worry about, honey.

  56. 56.

    Jim Treacher

    April 24, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    @gaz: It’s good to have goals.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - beckya57 - Copper Canyon, Mexico, April 2025
Image by beckya57 (7/31/25)

World Central Kitchen

Donate

Recent Comments

  • Omnes Omnibus on The Texas Flood Tragedies Continue (Jul 9, 2025 @ 5:44pm)
  • Jay on Open Thread: Good for Rep. Jeffries (Jul 9, 2025 @ 5:44pm)
  • Martin on Open Thread: Good for Rep. Jeffries (Jul 9, 2025 @ 5:42pm)
  • WTFGhost on Open Thread: Good for Rep. Jeffries (Jul 9, 2025 @ 5:39pm)
  • JoyceH on Open Thread: Good for Rep. Jeffries (Jul 9, 2025 @ 5:38pm)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!