• 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.

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

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

People are weird.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Come on, man.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

When we show up, we win.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

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

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

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 / Activist Judges! / It’s been a great week for voting rights

It’s been a great week for voting rights

by Kay|  August 31, 201212:51 pm| 107 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!

FacebookTweetEmail

Two in Texas, and one in Ohio:

A federal judge today sided with President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and ordered Ohio to allow early voting on the three days prior to the Nov. 6 election to all voters.
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Peter C. Economus ordered Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted not to enforce a state law passed last year that closed that window to in-person early voting to anyone but members of the military and their families.

This is a good win. I also like how the judge completely refutes the Romney-Ryan lie that Obama was seeking to disenfranchise military voters:

“This Court notes that restoring in-person early voting to all Ohio voters through the Monday before Election Day does not deprive (military) voters from early voting,’’ wrote Judge Economus, a Clinton appointee. “Instead, and more importantly, it places all Ohio voters on equal standing.

Plain statement of fact. Not difficult to do. The lawsuit was intended to restore early voting to ALL voters, and, in fact, that’s what the decision will do. Romney and the Fox News media personalities knew it, yet lied about it for weeks.

Further:

“The only hindrance to (military) early voting is the Secretary of State’s failure to set uniform hours at elections boards during the last three days before Election Day,’’ he wrote. “On balance, the right of Ohio voters to vote in person during the last three days prior to Election Day—a right previously conferred to all voters by the State—outweighs the State’s interest in setting the 6 p.m. Friday deadline.’’

Order here

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Careful Amigo
Next Post: Patients over politics bus tour continues »

Reader Interactions

107Comments

  1. 1.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    Amidst all the hand wringing down here in Texas … I’ve been wondering if the State could have done a better job of defending the issue had they over the last year mounted an aggressive outreach program including advertisements to educate voters about the new requirements (you know, with maybe 1/10th the spending that they do on the Texas Lottery?), setting up processes at local post offices and public libraries for voters to be issues the necessary new IDs, etc.

    I’m pretty sure it would have had a pretty good chance of convincing the courts that the new law wasn’t just a way of making it more difficult for certain people to vote. On the downside, it would have actually made it less difficult for certain people to vote.

  2. 2.

    Turgidson

    August 31, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    He’s a Clinton appointee, so obviously he’s just doing his partisan duty. Coulter, or her local Ohio equivalent, will be on the air shortly to encourage someone to poison him for the good of the nation.

  3. 3.

    Bulworth

    August 31, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    #Winning

  4. 4.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Amidst all the hand wringing down here in Texas … I’ve been wondering if the State could have done a better job of defending the issue had they over the last year mounted an aggressive outreach program including advertisements to educate voters about the new requirements (you know, with maybe 1/10th the spending that they do on the Texas Lottery?), setting up processes at local post offices and public libraries for voters to be issues the necessary new IDs, etc.

    I’m pretty sure it would have had a pretty good chance of convincing the courts that the new law wasn’t just a way of making it more difficult for certain people to vote. On the downside, it would have actually made it less difficult for certain people to vote.

  5. 5.

    eldorado

    August 31, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    thank you so much for your work and effort in this area, kay. it’s really inspiring.

  6. 6.

    quannlace

    August 31, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    Bets on whether Romney/Ryan will still lie about this?

  7. 7.

    BGinCHI

    August 31, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    Thanks Kay!

    Great work on this as always.

    When is the SC decision supposed to come down?

  8. 8.

    butler

    August 31, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    @quannlace: No bet. You might as well wager that the sun will rise. The only question is how they will try to lie about this. “Activist Judge rules against military voters?”

  9. 9.

    Zifnab

    August 31, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    I was afraid Obama wasn’t going to take the voter games seriously. Nice to see he’s coming in guns blazing.

  10. 10.

    feebog

    August 31, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    That’s Texas, Florida and now Ohio. Hopefully the PA Supreme Court will overturn the lower court decision there. Not holding my breath though.

  11. 11.

    Ben Franklin

    August 31, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    This is a good win

    Kay; Is it anachronistic, or do you think it’s a trend? Reading between your lines and I don’t see any exultation.

  12. 12.

    maven

    August 31, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    Good.

  13. 13.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    @Balconesfault:

    What seemed to bother the court with Texas was that an amendment was offered to allow Medicaid cards to be used as ID, and Republicans shot it down. That’s a perfectly valid ID, in my view. One has to jump thru some hoops to get Medicaid.

    Anyway, they seemed to see that as a little wacky and it got their attention. They focused on the unreasonable hurdles to the poor, so maybe the GOP blew it by being so mean-spirited and spiteful as to reject that amendment. The judge told one of the Texas state lawyers “you have only your client to blame” (Texas legislators). Had they made it somewhat less ridiculous, they might have got it past.

  14. 14.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    @Ben Franklin:

    Honestly, the three extra days are important, but we would have worked around them. I’m not that worried about Ohio. I think we have a really strong voter protection team and Obama has a really strong litigation team in place should that become necessary, just as he did in ’08. Ohio Democrats have been dealing with this nonsense since 2005. We’ve gotten better at it. 2004 isn’t going to happen again.

    I am really worried about Pennsylvania, because they have so little time to prepare.

  15. 15.

    Violet

    August 31, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    This is excellent news. Thanks, Kay.

  16. 16.

    Ash Can

    August 31, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Good news, and reassuring. Thanks for reporting on this.

  17. 17.

    Ben Franklin

    August 31, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    @Kay:

    Given your scenario, conceivably we could still win without Pennsylvania, no?

  18. 18.

    Kane

    August 31, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    Fair elections. What a novel idea.

  19. 19.

    taylormattd

    August 31, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Federal court judges are important I guess.

  20. 20.

    Dennis SGMM

    August 31, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    Kay, thanks for sharing the good news. Thank you as well for the work that you do. You have brought a ray of sunshine into a time when I’m feeling pretty much like Joe Btfsplk.

  21. 21.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 31, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    Haha, suck it John Fund.

  22. 22.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 31, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    @Balconesfault: That was the point of the law, though. They wouldn’t let student IDs be used (might vote Democrat), but would let your concealed handgun license count (most likely vote republican). In the places near the boarder where most of the minorities live, close most of the places that issue licenses, so people have to go more than 100 miles to get one.

  23. 23.

    Linda Featheringill

    August 31, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Hooray for us in Ohio!

  24. 24.

    Maude

    August 31, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    It makes me realize how scary the Bush years were. The Admin was an outlaw.

  25. 25.

    Nemesis

    August 31, 2012 at 1:24 pm

    @Kay: The romney campaign is said to have effectively given up on PA. One assumes they will push harder in OH, FL and VA.

  26. 26.

    MomSense

    August 31, 2012 at 1:24 pm

    Woooo to the fricking hoooooo!

    When it comes to threatening our right to vote we have to hit back hard! Yes! Here in Maine we repealed the Republican voter suppression law through citizen referendum but legal challenge is fine with me too!

  27. 27.

    shortstop

    August 31, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    Hurray! You rock, kay!

  28. 28.

    Wag

    August 31, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    My home town paper, The Denver Post, is generally right of center, old school moderate republicans. Its refreshing to see an editorial from this morning, calling out Colorado Secretary of State Gessler for his ham-handed attempt at voter intimidation.

  29. 29.

    Punchy

    August 31, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    Judge Economus, a Clinton appointee

    You know politics has become fucked up when every ruling summary anywhere nowadays MUST include the polical party of the judge who made it.

    Politicalization of the judiciary is bound to doom this country.

  30. 30.

    Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God

    August 31, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    How enforceable are these findings?

    I mean, what if the Sec. of State for OH, TX etc declare that they’re not going to change a damned thing just because some liburl judge told them to? What happens then?

    You almost have to go back to the early days of the civil rights movement to find parallels. Eisenhower ended up having to send in troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into a school. What happens if those states decide to make a fight of it, and post guards to block people from voting?

  31. 31.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 31, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    @MomSense: That repeal referendum, restoring Maine’s walk-up, same-day registration got the required number of signatures faster than any referendum or initiative in state history.

    (My daughter worked on that campaign and is working right now, as we speak, on the one for marriage equality. I’m so kvelling here….)

  32. 32.

    Michael

    August 31, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Outstanding news! Souls to the polls!

  33. 33.

    Wag

    August 31, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    @Punchy:

    or in the case of Federal cases, a link to the name of the President responsible for their appointment.

  34. 34.

    gnomedad

    August 31, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    How the hell are we going to establish a Permanent Republican Majority if activist judges keep letting people vote?

  35. 35.

    robertdsc-iPhone 4

    August 31, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Fuck you, GOP.

  36. 36.

    robertdsc-iPhone 4

    August 31, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Fuck you, GOP.

  37. 37.

    peach flavored shampoo

    August 31, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Can this be appealed to the SCOTUS and a ruling be handed down before November? What if Kagan fakes a heat attack and asks for an 8 week delay?

  38. 38.

    Steve

    August 31, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    @Kay: Kay, someone told me that all the valid ID types under the Texas law are IDs that only a citizen can get (as opposed to student IDs, which a non-citizen might have). Do you know if this is true?

  39. 39.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 31, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    OT: A diary at DK put these two snippets from today’s David Brooks piece:

    I see what the G.O.P. is offering the engineering major from Purdue or the business major from Arizona State. The party is offering skilled people the freedom to run their race. I don’t see what the party is offering the waitress with two kids, or the warehouse worker whose wages have stagnated for a decade, or the factory worker whose skills are now obsolete.
    __
    The fact is our destinies are shaped by social forces much more than the current G.O.P. is willing to admit. The skills that enable people to flourish are not innate but constructed by circumstances. (snip) They celebrate the race to success but don’t know how to give everyone access to that race.

    I think, between this article and the previous one, that Brooks isn’t liking the direction of the country at all.

  40. 40.

    Cassidy

    August 31, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    @robertdsc-iPhone 4: Lol. FYWP, but you can never say that too many times.

  41. 41.

    Cassidy

    August 31, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    @robertdsc-iPhone 4: Lol. FYWP, but you can never say that too many times.

  42. 42.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 31, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent): I don’t know what Brooks’ beef is. His ass is in one of the lifeboats, and he’ll be dead before the shit really hits the fan.

    Any other explanation requires assuming the ability to empathize on his part, and I’m not buying it.

  43. 43.

    rlrr

    August 31, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    I see what the G.O.P. is offering the engineering major from Purdue or the business major from Arizona State. The party is offering skilled people the freedom to run their race.

    How is Obama stopping them?

  44. 44.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 31, 2012 at 1:50 pm

    @rlrr: Obama keeps throwing colored people, and poor people, and poor colored people at them, whose prostrate forms the engineering major from Purdue or the business major from Arizona State then have to step over in the race to get ahead.

    This breaks their rhythm.

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

    August 31, 2012 at 1:52 pm

    This is great news, Kay.

    thanks so much keeping on top of this.

  46. 46.

    Pinkamena Panic

    August 31, 2012 at 1:59 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent): So being a sellout centrist douche who enables the worst of the GOP with a hearty “both sides do it” in every goddamn column might actually have consequences? Hoocoodanode?

  47. 47.

    Yutsano

    August 31, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    @Cassidy: FYWP mocks you mercilessly. :)

  48. 48.

    Culture of Truth

    August 31, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    A reminder the President does not just nominate to the Supreme Court, but to all lower and appellate courts. It has a big impact over time.

  49. 49.

    askew

    August 31, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Kay – Is there anything the Dems can do to get the Democratic party election board members reinstated after the Ohio SoS fired them? Or does the SoS have authority to fire them?

  50. 50.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 31, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent):

    I think, between this article and the previous one, that Brooks isn’t liking the direction of the country party at all.

    To all who commented, I meant to say party.

  51. 51.

    David in NY

    August 31, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    @Kay:

    What seemed to bother the court with Texas was that an amendment was offered to allow Medicaid cards to be used as ID, and Republicans shot it down. … Anyway, they seemed to see that as a little wacky and it got their attention.

    And the average age of the panel was … ?

  52. 52.

    Cassidy

    August 31, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    @Yutsano: Jeebus, did Cole whack somebody and their sprit is haunting the code and just all around screwing with us?

    Leave us alone ghost thing. We didn’t do it. Go bother the dogs, that’ll get Cole’s attention. Screwing with us doesn’t do shit.

  53. 53.

    Pinkamena Panic

    August 31, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent): My comment more or less stands.

  54. 54.

    Yutsano

    August 31, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    @Cassidy: FYWP should e-mail JC. We KNOW how much he LOVES that!

  55. 55.

    Poopyman

    August 31, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    @Cassidy: It was a meta-mock. It was poetic.

    Do not rave at WP. It must occasionally have its sacrifice. Once sated, it will return to the depths and slumber until another sacrifice is called for.

    Or was that Cthulhu? Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.

  56. 56.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    @Steve:

    That may be true. There’s a citizenship inquiry in every state to apply for Medicaid, and this is the one in Texas:

    Citizenship – U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, U.S. birth certificate, hospital record of
    birth (copies of the front and back), or Medicare card. If the person applying was born in Texas, we might be able to look up their birth record.
    Immigration status – Resident card (I-551), arrival/departure form (I-94), or papers from the U.S.
    Citizenship and Immigration Services. We need copies of the front and back of these forms.

    However, the very first question on the Texas voter reg application is “are you a US citizen?”

  57. 57.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    @Nemesis:

    One assumes they will push harder in OH, FL and VA.

    I’m only in one corner, I’m not surveying the state from my desk here, but we had a meeting of the Obama people and volunteers last night and we’re meeting or exceeding “our goals”.

    We did 400 “doors” last weekend, and this county only has 18,000 registered voters, about a 60/40 R-D split. The goal was 300 “doors”.

    One nice thing, or maybe unusual thing, we had a Mormon volunteer! He was very straightforward about it, announced right when he arrived, “I share Romney’s faith but not his politics”. We don’t have a Mormon church here, so I was a little surprised. What are the odds, right? 20 Obama volunteers, in a non-Mormon area, and we get a Mormon?

    I served iced tea because I always serve iced tea, and, ya know, some crappy 7-11 cookies, and he can’t drink that he told me, so I’ll have to plan better for him next time because he’s coming back.

  58. 58.

    JenJen

    August 31, 2012 at 2:29 pm

    Excellent news for us Buckeyes!!

    Thank you so much, Kay, for your diligent work on this issue and for keeping us all informed. There is really nothing more important.

  59. 59.

    catclub

    August 31, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    @Nemesis: Important if true.
    Without PA, Romney has to just about run the table of swing states to win.

  60. 60.

    MomSense

    August 31, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    @Davis X. Machina

    I worked on that campaign too and have a lot of friends working on Marriage Equality now. I’m volunteering for OFA and Dems now so it is busy, busy.

    I am really proud that we turned that around so quickly and so proud of your daughter! The best part about being a part of progressive campaigns is meeting so many inspirational people–people who give a damn!

  61. 61.

    Poopyman

    August 31, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    @Kay: If you’re looking for cookies, I’m sure that Bethel Bakery would love to supply some, given how they were dissed by the last Mormon to critique them.

  62. 62.

    danimal

    August 31, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    To tie some of the themes of this thread together,
    I think the shame of voter suppression is starting to gnaw at the remaining Republicans with a civil conscience. The ‘reasonable Republicans’ have to recognize they are being represented by a cruel, craven bunch of hypocrites. Standing by and saying nothing is tacit support, and I think we’re seeing the leading edges of pushback in court rulings and elite writings.

  63. 63.

    Chris

    August 31, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    @Wag:

    My home town paper, The Denver Post, is generally right of center, old school moderate republicans. Its refreshing to see an editorial from this morning, calling out Colorado Secretary of State Gessler for his ham-handed attempt at voter intimidation.

    Heh.

    “Gessler.”

    That was the name of the local Hapsburg tyrant in the William Tell legend. As I recall, he ends up dead by crossbow, and a revolution follows that throws his people out and leads to Swiss independence.

    Sorry. Random, I know. It’s just what popped into my head when I saw that name, and it seems an appropriate comparison.

  64. 64.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    @Punchy: No alternatives. Judges are going to have political opinions regardless, so might as well be transparent about them. What bugs me is that they don’t have to list those affiliations in public elections.

  65. 65.

    Chris

    August 31, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    @danimal:

    I think the shame of voter suppression is starting to gnaw at the remaining Republicans with a civil conscience. The ‘reasonable Republicans’ have to recognize they are being represented by a cruel, craven bunch of hypocrites.

    How many “reasonable Republicans” are there left at this point, after all the purges and all the offenses against reason? I know there are people who remain Republican because of the memory of Eisenhower and Rockefeller and LaGuardia, or just because they can’t be bothered to change their voter ID, but most of them vote Democrat anyway…

  66. 66.

    Dennis SGMM

    August 31, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Okay, I find myself unable to understand human nature as it applies to this election. The GOP seems intent on turning this outfit into a shithouse and who in the world would want to be in charge of that? Does anyone really want to drive their Maybach across an ocean of fail?

  67. 67.

    ohsuzanna

    August 31, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    I wonder what will happen to the two Democratic election officials who were just fired by the Ohio Secretary of State for extending early voting during weekend hours (an action not expressly prohibited by the SOS’s earlier order to prohibit early voting during weekday evenings).

  68. 68.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    @Poopyman:

    If you’re looking for cookies, I’m sure that Bethel Bakery would love to supply some, given how they were dissed by the last Mormon to critique them.

    Hah!

    I’m so bad because that’s all I could think of when he said he can’t drink my tea, because I immediately thought of Cookiegate. “So…. not GOOD enough for you, this TEA?”

    He was extremely polite. He seems like a very nice young man, and I shouldn’t hold Romney against him :)

  69. 69.

    ? Martin

    August 31, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    Huh. Ryan says he’s run a sub-3-hour marathon. I’m going to call bullshit on that. That’s a damn good time and you don’t run that pace without a fuckload of training and a number of marathons under your belt – with of course no record anyone can find of him running a marathon.

  70. 70.

    Chris

    August 31, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    @Dennis SGMM:

    The GOP seems intent on turning this outfit into a shithouse and who in the world would want to be in charge of that?

    What they want to turn the U.S. into is a third world country.

    What’s wrong with that, from their POV? Elites live very well in third world countries. The general public is living in shit for lack of a reliable safety net, so the elites’ status is that much more meaningful by comparison. It also means that the elites have far more leverage over the common people, since they’re the only ones who can make up for the lack of a safety net through “charity” and the like (for a price). Elites own the government to a degree that would make even our current Wall Street jealous. With a combination of their own private militias and the government’s uniformed people, they don’t necessarily have anything to fear from the people.

    It’s a sickening, immoral, antidemocratic (and deeply un-Christian) outlook, but from the point of view of these people, yes, it does basically make sense.

  71. 71.

    schrodinger's cat

    August 31, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    @? Martin: Really that seems like a lie, actually 3.5 hrs is considered a very respectable amateur time. Did he say which marathon? Even if he ran a marathon in 3 hrs it means that he ran a mile under 7 minutes, that is fast.

  72. 72.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    @? Martin: Sub 3-hour marathon is basically top-level amateur athlete time on the marathon. It qualifies you for any marathon and puts you basically in the top 5% of all male finishers just about anywhere, too.

    If Paul Ryan can run a sub-3 hour marathon, he should also be able to run a 5:20 mile. That’s easily tested.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 31, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    @Ben Franklin: It is a good decision on voters’ rights. That is not worth celebrating? FWIW there was another good decision regarding counting provisional ballot in Ohio that came out earlier this week.

    .@Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God: As enforceable as any ruling by a Federal court.

  74. 74.

    jibeaux

    August 31, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    @Kay: So you probably shouldn’t tell him the tea is decaf when it isn’t and let his poor system get completely overwhelmed by the modest dose of caffeine and watch him flap around the room. Sigh. Lemonade it is. If he’s really young, I guess you could do a juice box.

  75. 75.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    August 31, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    @Dennis SGMM:

    The GOP seems intent on turning this outfit into a shithouse and who in the world would want to be in charge of that?

    __
    I think Milton put it best:
    “Here at least
    we shall be free; the Almighty hath not built
    Here for his envy, will not drive us hence
    Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
    to reign is worth ambition though in Hell
    Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
    __
    When today’s GOP talks of “freedom”, Milton’s Satan is speaking thru them.

  76. 76.

    Dennis SGMM

    August 31, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    @Joel:
    Way back in the Sixties I ran Cross Country in HS. My best time for the mile back then was 5:08. I couldn’t break five minutes to save my soul. That was when I eighteen years old and in good shape. Ryan just lies even when he doesn’t have to.

  77. 77.

    peach flavored shampoo

    August 31, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    As I thought, they’re appealing the ruling. Anyone think they know how the 6th will rule on this? Are they Bush acolytes?

  78. 78.

    peach flavored shampoo

    August 31, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    As I thought, they’re appealing the ruling. Anyone think they know how the 6th will rule on this? Are they Bush acolytes?

  79. 79.

    catclub

    August 31, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    @Dennis SGMM: There is a famous post about projects and morons.
    https://dsquareddigest.wordpress.com/2004/05/

    one lesson: you cannot trust anything that comes out of the mouths of known liars. They will lie about anything.

  80. 80.

    MattR

    August 31, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    @Dennis SGMM, @Joel: : Eh. Top speed and endurance don’t have to be that tied in to each other. I ran a year of X-Country and some track in HS. I could not break 5:45 in a mile, but I could do 5-8 of them at 6:10-6:15 pace. Had I spent the time training, I am confident I could have run a marathom at 7 minute pace (approx 3:03 total time) without much change to my top end speed. (Though my fat ass will never be able to prove that now)

  81. 81.

    mamayaga

    August 31, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    @peach flavored shampoo:

    As I thought, they’re appealing the ruling. Anyone think they know how the 6th will rule on this? Are they Bush acolytes?

    Over at GOS they quoted a supposed expert who said it’s being appealed to a rather crazy court and the outcome is unpredictable.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    @? Martin:

    I just saw Runners World is “looking into it”. Ugh. What an embarrassing lie, if it is a lie.

  83. 83.

    schrodinger's cat

    August 31, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Speaking of Paul Ryan I think there is something fishy about his height as well as body fat stats. First of all no way is he 6ft tall. I just think he is a liar like Romney, and lies even when there is no obvious advantage to doing so.

  84. 84.

    feebog

    August 31, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    @Dennis SGMM:

    Same here, Cross Country and track in the early sixties. As I recall, my best time ever for a quarter mile was about 56 seconds, but I could never get close to five minutes for a mile, that’s 75 second splits, and I was closer to 80-85.

  85. 85.

    Haydnseek

    August 31, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    @Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God: You beat me to it. I’m very worried about this, as well. Enforcement is the key. Without it, the poll workers do whatever the hell they want, the results are certified, the douchebag d’jour is sworn in, and months (or years) later, a bunch of lawyers buy houses in nicer neighborhoods. I really don’t mean to piss on anyones parade, but I still have nightmares about Florida in 2000.

  86. 86.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    @MattR: @Joel: Sorry – sub-3 is a nice time, but it hardly comes near top-level amateur athlete time. Having run 2:22 back in the day, I can say that could be considered top-level amateur … got me some hardware, and a few pair of shoes, and some free entry fees, but wasn’t going to get me serious sponsorship or win any big time prize money.

    I’d say sub-3 marathoning is like being a golfer who can break 80. Fun on weekends, but don’t think about quitting your day job. It would not shock me at all if Ryan had done so.

  87. 87.

    Dennis SGMM

    August 31, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    @feebog:
    I ran CC and I ran the 440 and 880 for the track team. That mile time was the result of a grudge match with another young man. I ran it barefoot. I sanded way too much skin off of my feet on that one but, baby, I was flying. Coach yanked me into his office afterward and poured straight rubbing alcohol onto my tootsies. Then the SOB, God love him, asked me if I’d ever run barefoot again. I haven’t.

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne

    August 31, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    @Kay:

    Celestial Seasoning’s fruit teas make lovely iced tea, and they have no caffeine (and, technically, no tea, since they’re herbal infusions and not true “tea”). You can make a whole pitcher with just a couple of bags.

  89. 89.

    catclub

    August 31, 2012 at 3:48 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: see my post #79

  90. 90.

    jibeaux

    August 31, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    @Kay: Not to mention pointless. Doesn’t advance your case as vice president, and just makes you look like even more of a pathological liar when they can’t find any marathon records.

  91. 91.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    @MattR: 26.2 miles is a lot of miles. A marathon and a 10K are two entirely different animals.

    Someone who can run a sub-3 marathon should have the ability to push the pace to 5:20. Some amateur runners (ultras probably) could keep a steady 6:50 pace throughout an entire marathon, but most people will fade somewhere around 20, if not earlier. That means you have to go fast early to account for the slower late miles.

  92. 92.

    Mnemosyne

    August 31, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    @? Martin:

    Am I the only one who thinks that he’s trying to outbrag Rahm Emanuel? There are some weird rivalries that can crop up between Illinois and Wisconsin.

  93. 93.

    Kay

    August 31, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    @jibeaux:

    I read this long article about a Michigan dentist that cheated at/lied about attending marathons. It was so elaborate, his whole scheme. Just wild. I had no idea they kept such careful records, electronic monitors when they hit certain marks, etc.

  94. 94.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    @Balconesfault: 2:22 is good for 60th place in the Olympics, 11th place in Boston, and 18th in New York in the past year. 2:22 would have been the world record in 1950.

    That is well beyond elite amateur.

  95. 95.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    @Balconesfault: 2:22 is good for 60th place in the Olympics, 11th place in Boston, and 18th in New York in the past year. 2:22 would have been the world record in 1950.

    That is well beyond elite amateur.

  96. 96.

    Mnemosyne

    August 31, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    @Joel:

    One of my friends at work was trying to train for a marathon, but she was having the hardest time getting through the sheer boredom of running nonstop for hours. When it combined with her allergies and asthma (she started getting purple fingernails after a long run), she switched to tower running instead (fewer allergens to trip her up).

    Though I think she still aspires to do a half-marathon in Philadelphia so she can get a picture with Rocky’s statue.

  97. 97.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    @Joel: Someone who can run a sub-3 marathon should have the ability to push the pace to 5:20

    Completely agree. And for that matter, to be able to run around 35 minutes in a 10K. The local running community would know who he is, even if that’s not really national elite quality.

    @Kay: I had no idea they kept such careful records, electronic monitors when they hit certain marks, etc.

    They do now. 15 years ago, not so much. And not necessarily in every race.

    In my first marathon, 39 years ago, we started in a park where a line was spray painted. It was an out and back course, with a water table at the 6.5 mile mark (you passed it both ways), and one at the turnaround, which was a pylon. The sport has evolved a bit over the years …

  98. 98.

    RSA

    August 31, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    “This Court notes that restoring in-person early voting to all Ohio voters through the Monday before Election Day does not deprive (military) voters from early voting,’’ wrote Judge Economus, a Clinton appointee. “Instead, and more importantly, it places all Ohio voters on equal standing.”

    It’s a pleasure to read such a concise statement from a judge with a name like Economus.

  99. 99.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 31, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    @RSA: The judge is probably gay — damn homo Economus

  100. 100.

    MattR

    August 31, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    @Joel: Agreed about the length, but disagree about most of the rest. Someone who is trying to hit 3 hours is not going to start out at 5:30 pace so that they have a buffer for when they run 8 and 9 minute miles towards the end. That would pretty much be a self fulfilling prophecy that they will hit a wall and have to slow down. They will be trying to pace themselves with 6:45 to 7 minute miles early on to make sure they have energy for those final miles. (Now it is possible that someone who thinks they can run 5:30 miles all day will try it, hit the wall and end up at 3 hours, but they did not start the race hoping for that time).

    Perasonally, I was blessed with high endurance but short legs. I was lucky to hit 75 seconds in a quarter mile race and I was near last place in every X-Country race I ran after the initial sprint because I just did not have the top end speed to keep up so I had to slowly reel the field in.

  101. 101.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    @Joel: Eh … 2:22 when I ran it was good enough to get me in the top 50 at Boston, and it wasn’t going to get me anywhere near the Olympics. Trust me when I say that there are well over 60 runners in the world who can run a 2:22 marathon as a workout on any given day.

    The Oly marathon is a weird beast – nobody’s going to go out running 2:22 pace, because if you do you’d be a minute behind the main field in the first 10K, running pretty much by yourself. So everyone hangs on to the big pack for as long as they can, and when they blow up either drop out (20% of the field), or straggle in for pride running times 10-30 minutes slower than their PRs.

    For what it’s worth, a 2:52 marathoner would be so far behind the leaders after 10K, that they’d have already opened the roads to traffic, were it not a multi-loop course like this year’s.

  102. 102.

    MattR

    August 31, 2012 at 4:16 pm

    @Balconesfault: I would make the cutoff for being a top amateur marathoner at 6 minute pace (a bit under 2:37 overall). I would call 2:22 elite amatuer status. Of the people who go to work every day and then train in their off hours, you are safely in the top 1% with that time.

  103. 103.

    Balconesfault

    August 31, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    @MattR: I’ll agree with elite amateur status … if you want to somehow differentiate between “top amateur” and “elite amateur”. It took a lot of work to get that good (think 100 – 120 mile weeks) … unfortunately my genetics weren’t as good as the elite pros were.

    Back to Ryan’s claim – I’ve known plenty of guys I’d call good runners who could get under 3:00 for a marathon once in their life on a great day when everything came together. But like I said, people in their local running community would know who they are – they’re winning age group trophies in local 5Ks and 10Ks, etc. People don’t just run for a few years without some structured training and break 3 hours.

    Given Ryan’s propensity to play fast and loose with facts, it would not shock me at all to keep acting like he’s still in the bubble that’s protected him up to now (privileged family, powerful sponsors, party loyalists) and can drop little lies without being challenged. Ooops – he’s in the big leagues now.

  104. 104.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    @MattR: I never said that you would be running 5:30 to start. I said that a sub-3 marathoner would have the ability to run a 5:20 mile. They should. You don’t need a tremendous amount of top-end speed to make that work, it’s not sprinting. You need endurance and good enough conditioning to run that pace for 1 mile.

  105. 105.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    @MattR: I never said that you would be running 5:30 to start. I said that a sub-3 marathoner would have the ability to run a 5:20 mile. They should. You don’t need a tremendous amount of top-end speed to make that work, it’s not sprinting. You need endurance and good enough conditioning to run that pace for 1 mile.

  106. 106.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    @MattR: I never said that you would be running 5:30 to start. I said that a sub-3 marathoner would have the ability to run a 5:20 mile. They should. You don’t need a tremendous amount of top-end speed to make that work, it’s not sprinting. You need endurance and good enough conditioning to run that pace for 1 mile.

  107. 107.

    Joel

    August 31, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    God, I hate fucking wordpress. Naturally, this will be triple posted, too.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Image by MomSense (5/10.25)

Recent Comments

  • Eyeroller on Open Thread: Creativity Is inherently Non-Conservative (May 20, 2025 @ 1:22pm)
  • Chief Oshkosh on Open Thread: Creativity Is inherently Non-Conservative (May 20, 2025 @ 1:19pm)
  • brantl on Open Thread: Creativity Is inherently Non-Conservative (May 20, 2025 @ 1:14pm)
  • Eyeroller on Open Thread: Creativity Is inherently Non-Conservative (May 20, 2025 @ 1:13pm)
  • brantl on Open Thread: Creativity Is inherently Non-Conservative (May 20, 2025 @ 1:12pm)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

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
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

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

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

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

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

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!