Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

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

When we show up, we win.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

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

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Bark louder, little dog.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

We still have time to mess this up!

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2012 / Convention Weather and More Fact Checking Open Thread

Convention Weather and More Fact Checking Open Thread

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Fact checking the “fact checker” Matt Apuzzo over at Daily Kos.

Apuzzo and his bosses and coworkers at AP have doubled down on the twitter.  It just gets sadder and sadder.

After conservatives screaming about how there has to be something significant about the fact that the DNC cancelled the BofA stadium for tonight and moved everything indoors–Charles Krauthammer has been especially delicious “the Democrats knew what the weather would be three months ago!” we find…

100% chance of rain in Charlotte, NC tonight.

EDIT–Here’s hoping that John makes it back to the hotel in one piece tonight.

Maybe the god botherers should think about voting for Obama.  He can either control the weather, or has a direct line to someone who can.

Bill Clinton is going to be campaigning in the midwest on behalf of the President.

 

Reader Interactions

121Comments

  5. 5.

    jibeaux

    Did they “fact check” any of Gingrich’s statements during the primaries by pointing out that he was a shitty husband, too? I mean, I know that’s not the primary problem with their “fact check” but holy pimiento cheese * to invent a rationale for this that applies only to Bill Clinton is fucking moronic.
    * I am getting hungry

  6. 6.

    gene108

    What kind of weak ass President can’t control the weather?

    I’m voting for Romney.

    He’ll make sure it rains in the right places and the trees are the right height.

  7. 7.

    jl

    Yahoo Weather forecast for Charlotte has rain with thunderstorms likely. But given new AP standards for fact checking, I guess that is irrelevant, since some say Obama ate dog once as a kid in Indonesia.

  8. 8.

    Frankensteinbeck

    And Gore thought having Bill Clinton swinging hard for him would be bad WHY…?

    It reminds me. We keep joking about Romney that 1st rate leaders hire 1st rate talent and 2nd rate leaders hire 3rd rate talent. It applies here, as well. Obama has NO PROBLEM with the possibility Clinton might outshine him. He wants that speaking ability on his team.

  9. 9.

    SteveinSC

    I saw KrautHummer last night quite by accident. Dr. Strangelove rared back in his WC and proclaimed conspiracy over the rain “red herring” and demonstrated his belief in the prefect skill of the current NCEP weather models at the three month forecast level. Don’t tell me Republicans don’t believe in science.

  11. 11.

    Bob2

    The weather forecast says it’s going to rain, but back in 1996, the weather forecast said it was going to and then didn’t and then it had sex with an empty chair.

  12. 12.

    gene108

    @Cassidy:

    I lot of the media has to. If they accept it, the MSM has to go to the same conclusion President Clinton arrived at with his speech: The Republican Party is out of touch with Americans, they want to give money to the rich on the backs of the non-rich, and they will lie and cheat, in order to win.

    I don’t think the MSM is ready to accept the fact the Republican Party is not a functional participant in our democracy and really is some sort of fascist party that is only deterred from seeking absolute power, because of this country’s long history of democracy.

  14. 14.

    Raven

    @Punchy: The party line is that the Dems couldn’t fill the stadium. It’s all fucking bullshit but they are like little jack russell bitches.

  15. 15.

    AliceBlue

    It occurred to me that maybe the speech is being moved indoors on recommendation of the Secret Service. I’m not being paranoid about the discovery of a full scale assassination attempt, but perhaps there’s something in the wind.

  16. 16.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Punchy: It’s just the latest Greek columns rant. They have to yell about something and they are bears of little brain.

  17. 17.

    MikeJ

    @Punchy:

    Why do Repubs give a shit where Obama speaks

    A few months ago they started trying to get people to believe that Obama could no longer sell out a stadium, people just don’t like him that much any more, etc.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    @Cassidy:

    CNN is trying really hard to make Clinton’s speech a negative.

    And with this, the news media continues their long decline into dulled irrelevance.

    The smart thing to do, the only damn thing that matters, is how voters reacted to the speech.

    Not pundits. Not the GOP opposition. Not reporters. Not even convention delegates (although this is of some importance).

    Voters.

    But presidential political coverage is now as hackneyed as NBC Olympic Games coverage. Forced, focused on horse races, and the bored reaction of Villagers.

    What did Shakespeare say about tales told by idiots?

  19. 19.

    SteveinSC

    @Raven: Oh, how they would laugh if the Dems were caught outdoors in a rain storm. They are trying to have it both ways.

  21. 21.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    Fact checking the “fact checker”

    __
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes never gets old, does it?

  23. 23.

    Culture of Truth

    What did Shakespeare say about tales told by idiots?

    “Bringeth the popped corn, Horatio, the downs are doubling”

  24. 24.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Charles Krauthammer has been especially delicious “the Democrats knew what the weather would be three months ago!” we find…

    It is indeed fortunate for Chuckles the Clown here that stupidity like this is not a capital crime in this country, because he’d be before a death panel faster than you can say Captain Jack Sparrow.

  25. 25.

    Shinobi

    @AliceBlue: Agreed. That was my first thought when they cancelled it 3 days before. It is much easier to secure an indoor location than an outdoor one. If there have been credible threats it makes sense that they would move things indoors.

  26. 26.

    Persia

    @SteveinSC: I am baffled that the party that scheduled their party convention in Florida during hurricane season, near the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, thinks this is a winning strategy, and even more baffled that news organizations seem to agree.

  27. 27.

    Tractarian

    The mistake was planning for a stadium speech in the first place.

    That may have been appropriate in 2008, when part of the point of the convention was to establish that this isn’t an ordinary Democrat; this is a phenomenon. It’s not appropriate for 2012, though, where a more reflective and somber approach is called for.

    Whatever the reason for the switch to the arena, it’s a blessing in disguise for Obama.

  28. 28.

    roc

    I love how fact-checking has moved on from “verifying whether statements of objective fact are true or false” to “yeah-but”.

    Clinton score some points you can’t refute?
    Democrats created more jobs? Yeah-but blowjob.
    Congressional deadlock harming the economy? Yeah-but finger-pointing.
    Ryan lies like a rug? Yeah-but bootstraps.

    It’s that old ratfuck playbook: open with fear-uncertainty-doubt. And when FUD fails, pivot to embrace-extend-extinguish.

    “We don’t need fact checking” has given way to trying to co-opt fact-checking, turning it into something it explicitly isn’t to confuse and annoy the audience. And next will be pointing to the subjective mess they’ve made as proof of their earlier claims about agendas and bias and claiming they were right all along.

  29. 29.

    cckids

    Oh, Christ, the R’s are running with the “Dems omit God” crap. I am so weary of this dumbfuc*ery. An acquaintance emailed a screed about it. Usually I ignore, couldn’t today. I replied, “I will stick with the party that lives the values Christ preached; care for the least among us, the poor, the sick, the needy. The party that isn’t full of nosy bigots. The party that supports our troops, not just in hot-air pronouncements, but in reality. The party that is proud of the community of our country, not the exclusionary IGMFY country club rump. Seriously, read your New Testament & read the speeches given over the past 2 weeks; which side would Jesus be with?”

    Only reply was “I thought you were an atheist”.

  32. 32.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @cckids:

    The Christ of the GOP is nothing like the Christ of the New Testament.

    The GOP Christ is the son of Mammon. And they love him to pieces. The entire “prosperity gospel” is naked heresy.

  33. 33.

    joes527

    @waratah: Did anyone find it odd that John, who will not let his picture be taken was suddenly all “uuh … I have to see this guy … about this thing” and then shortly after he steps out, in steps the Big Dog.

    I’ve seen this movie before.

  34. 34.

    kindness

    One of my good buds is a Cleveland native and he want’s to piss on Art Model’s grave. Where are they burying that guy anyhow?

  35. 35.

    flukebucket

    LOL! Remember the picture of Romney in the stadium in Detroit? Hell, he couldn’t even fill up 10 yards of the field.

  37. 37.

    Linda Featheringill

    @AliceBlue: #15

    It occurred to me that maybe the speech is being moved indoors on recommendation of the Secret Service. I’m not being paranoid about the discovery of a full scale assassination attempt, but perhaps there’s something in the wind.

    That occurred to me, too. FSM knows, the Secret Service have a big job keeping the Prez safe.

    And that doesn’t mean that we are paranoiac. It means we’re realistic.

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    @mdblanche:
    Part of the ’08 stage set in Denver. Fit the “Obama thinks he’s gawd” meme. Yeah, they’ve been that desperate the whole time.

  42. 42.

    Bulworth

    After conservatives screaming about how there has to be something significant about the fact that the DNC cancelled the BofA stadium for tonight and moved everything indoors—Charles Krauthammer has been especially delicious “the Democrats knew what the weather would be three months ago!” we find…

    The GOPteabag party: focusing like a laser beam on the economy.

  45. 45.

    jp7505a

    Last night was the first night in a week that I didn’t get wet going out to dinner here in Charlotte. It’s a humid tropical air mass, can rain any time. Do we really want a repeat of what happend at the Indiana state fair when the stage was destroyed by a thunderstorm.

    Of course if lightening did strke at the stadium, it would just confirm in the wingers minds that God was really pissed with the democrats in genetral and Obama in particular

  47. 47.

    MikeJ

    @jp7505a:

    Do we really want a repeat of what happend at the Indiana state fair when the stage was destroyed by a thunderstorm.

    Before I answer, where would Chuck Todd be sitting?

  48. 48.

    Bobby Thomson

    @mdblanche: Back in ’08 drudge was flogging a story that the Denver convention was a huge ego thing for Obama, complete with “Greek columns” in the stage set for his outdoor speech.

    You’ll note that theme was incredibly effective for them.

  49. 49.

    rdldot

    @Punchy: Because it makes Obama look bad if he can’t fill up the stadium, and nothing makes Republicans happier than Obama looking bad..

  52. 52.

    RSA

    So when Romney said this last week,

    We’re going to go after these things. Measure us. Hold us accountable.

    AP fact-checkers must have said that Romney still hasn’t produced more than a year’s worth of tax returns, and therefore he shouldn’t be trusted when he talks about accountability. Hmm. I don’t recall that happening.

  54. 54.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Like I said before, you can’t trust that % thing when it comes to rain round here in the summer. I went to weather.com on Sunday when there was a thunderstorm outside and it said that it was “sunny and clear” in my area. Even the satellite told me it wasn’t raining which was funny cause there was all this wet stuff coming from the sky.

  57. 57.

    Culture of Truth

    I’m picking out clothes – does anyone know the weather at 10:00 am on Saturday 90 days from now?

  58. 58.

    gogol's wife

    @MikeJ:

    We’ve recently had a discussion about how uncool LOL is, but LOL. Sometimes it’s the only thing to say. I just feel I have to applaud some of these comments.

  59. 59.

    Paul

    @Raven:

    Which is fricking hilarious considering that when Obama drew those huge crowds in 2008, they accused him of being a celebrity.

    It doesn’t matter what Obama does; the pathetic whiners on the far right will oppose him. They just can’t stand it when an African-American is successful.

    Paul Ryan is the poster boy for this; he opposed Bowles-Simpson as soon as he found out Obama was for it.

  61. 61.

    Poopyman

    I’m surprised to find an email from Donna Edwards, telling me that she’s speaking at 5:30 and providing the text of her speech. Never got one of those before.

  63. 63.

    IowaOldLady

    I saw that thing about knowing the weather months ago this morning and thought it was a joke. These people are putting the comedy writers out of business.

  65. 65.

    CarolDuhart2

    I think it’s that they are butt-hurt that they can’t get pictures of a half-empty stadium with wet conventiongoers huddled under unbrellas or a canopy. This convention has been too efficient, too happy, too inspiring. Makes the Republicans look terrible, all those happy people dancing and drinking and being all mellow.

    Then they could push the meme that “Obama’s losing his appeal” with pictures. Even if half the stadium was unusable.

    After all, the RNC was one long snarl.

  66. 66.

    trollhattan

    @Paul:
    Hey, maybe awesome Paul Ryan can circle the convention center yelling “Honk, honk!” in place of the Romney campaign bus? He’s more awesomely awesome than any ol’ bus.

  68. 68.

    Hill Dweller

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    It reminds me. We keep joking about Romney that 1st rate leaders hire 1st rate talent and 2nd rate leaders hire 3rd rate talent. It applies here, as well. Obama has NO PROBLEM with the possibility Clinton might outshine him. He wants that speaking ability on his team.

    Not only did Obama want Clinton giving that speech, he loaned out some of his top advisers(many who served in Clinton’s admin) to help him write the speech.

  70. 70.

    trollhattan

    @CarolDuhart2:
    From what I’ve seen (on C-SPAN, thanks) the DNC’s organization and schedule are more on target than the ride lines at Disneyland. They’ve evidently mastered cat-herding after all.

  72. 72.

    Randy P

    For the sake of argument, let’s say Democrats have the godlike weather prediction and control powers the Republicans are attributing to them.

    Can somebody explain why moving an event from outdoors to indoors is a source of outrage? What am I missing here?

  74. 74.

    CarolDuhart2

    @Hill Dweller: That’s why Obama is the incumbent President. It took top-rate talent to turn a black half-Kenyan into the first black President. Given the odds against him, even the most optimistic thought he would just make the nomination.

    Which is one thing about Obama I’m surprised his opponents don’t really get. Given the odds, how can he be the superficial person you make him out to be, opponents?

  76. 76.

    slag

    So, why did BJ help send the Cole to NC again? To get him drunk enough that he would quit all that blogging stuff he was so prolific with?

  77. 77.

    waratah

    They do not have the schedule for tonight posted on the convention site yet and I think it is supposed to start soon.

  79. 79.

    Patricia Kayden

    “Bill Clinton is going to be campaigning in the midwest on behalf of the President.”

    Yahoosh!! Go get them, Bill!

  80. 80.

    danah gaz

    A certain troll was all lulzy last week because the DNC had scheduled Clinton’s speech opposite of the NFL kickoff.

    Yet Clinton’s speech has more twitter traction than Romney’s… and clinton isn’t running for prez!

    hehehe. Sweet, delicious wingnut tears.

    This, also too. =)

  81. 81.

    Culture of Truth

    auto bailout – GOP idea until…
    obamacare – GOP idea until…
    tax cut stimulus – GOP idea until…
    spending stimulus – GOP idea until…
    Cutting Medicaid waste – GOP idea until…
    Libya – GOP idea until…
    Going into Afghanistan – GOP idea until…
    Staying in Afghanistan – GOP idea until…
    Surging in Afghanistan – GOP idea until…
    Leaving Afghanistan – GOP idea until…

  82. 82.

    Mary G

    ABL tweeted to Cole earlier that they needed to meet up since she had heard the Secret Service was closing the arena by 3 p.m. He hasn’t tweeted since Tuesday night. She is there now in a giraffe print dress obsessing about cheeseburgers and Cory Booker, but no mention of JC.

    Since he posted last night that his liver and ATM card were exhausted, I assume he found another cute redhead in a bar somewhere, but I’m little worried he’s OK.

    In other news, good word from ADP about more jobs created than expected and something or other I don’t even begin to understand about Europe made the market feel better, the Dow Jones went up 244 points today. I am getting a huge schadenfreude rush imagining Republicans crying in their single-malt Scotch today. Memeorandum has more Democrats on it than they’ve had in the last three months, only way down the page you come to the NY Post complaining about Scarlett Johanssen and Kerry Washington speaking for Obama, who couldn’t get a Real Man like Clint Eastwood.

  86. 86.

    Southern Beale

    The GOP is doubling down on the stupid:

    ‏@Reince
    I hear from our team in Charlotte that it’s a beautiful day in NC – hardly a cloud in the sky ! #DNC2012

    Yes by all means, keep mouthing off about stuff that can be SO EASILY CHECKED. Morons.

  87. 87.

    SBJules

    Stock market up; a better than anticipated job report; my President talking today….A very good day!

  88. 88.

    GxB

    @Randy P: When all you got are straws, you grasp ’em in a death grip.

    From another thread there was a link to Rolling Stone, articles are fine as always but the comment sections are roiling with right wing rage. My they’re getting testy.

  91. 91.

    gypsy howell

    Fact checking the “fact checker” Matt Apuzzo over at Daily Kos.

    Well, you know, there are actual real-world reality-based “facts” and then there are the fact-checkers’ coin of the realm which I now just call “politi-facts”. They have the ring of truthiness to them.

  92. 92.

    David Hunt

    @CarolDuhart2:

    Which is one thing about Obama I’m surprised his opponents don’t really get. Given the odds, how can he be the superficial person you make him out to be, opponents?

    Simple evidence and extrapolation. Mitt Romney is almost completely superficial and they think he could be President. And he doesn’t even have the advantage of being black and having all those affirmative action boosts working for him. Ergo, Obama must be even more superficial than Mitt.

    Oh lord, my brain hurts. Don’t ask questions that make me think like GOPpers.

  95. 95.

    Tractarian

    @slag:

    So, why did BJ help send the Cole to NC again? To get him drunk enough that he would quit all that blogging stuff he was so prolific with?

    Apparently. Also, to practice his paparazzi-avoidance skills.

    And just think, all that dough you people plunked down for Cole’s DNC bender could have gone to neglected downballot races.

  96. 96.

    Cris (without an H)

    @waratah: They do not have the schedule for tonight posted on the convention site yet and I think it is supposed to start soon.

    I’m finding this annoying, particularly because I want to know if and when Gov. Schweitzer is going to speak.

  101. 101.

    Poopyman

    Weather radar loop for western NC is here.

    Looks like pop-ups for the next couple of hours, but that’s already been said. :^)

  102. 102.

    Southern Beale

    THIS cracked me up!

    ‏@cskendrick
    Republicans were for #DNC2012 getting rained out until they were against it.

    Remember in 2008 that Focus On The Family’s Stuart Shepard asked everyone to pray for “torrential rains of Biblical proportions.” Typical flip-floppers!

    LOL!

  105. 105.

    jwb

    @Southern Beale: Just, watch, Fox will start running footage from Phoenix or some such sun-drenched place that looks nothing like Charlotte and yet label it as “Charlotte.”

  106. 106.

    dmsilev

    Clearly, Obama is the Thunder God. This explains why we haven’t seen that gigantic gavel that Nancy Pelosi had for a while; Obama needed it back.

  108. 108.

    ericblair

    @jwb:

    Just, watch, Fox will start running footage from Phoenix or some such sun-drenched place that looks nothing like Charlotte and yet label it as “Charlotte.”

    With palm trees and a roadrunner standing in the foreground, given the level of care and intelligence they’ve been displaying.

  113. 113.

    Jay C

    @Poopyman:

    OK, is this forrealz? The closing benediction is scheduled to be given by Timothy F*cking Cardinal Dolan??

    Is he going to ceremonially anathematize and excommunicate the whole Convention en masse?

    So much for the “purging God” stuff (though Dolan’s actual relationship to The Big Guy is still an open question IMO…)

  114. 114.

    Paul

    @trollhattan:

    Hey, maybe awesome Paul Ryan can circle the convention center yelling “Honk, honk!” in place of the Romney campaign bus? He’s more awesomely awesome than any ol’ bus.

    Don’t get me started…Romney is supposedly running for President, yet he is behaving like an arrogant, spoiled little child who never grew up. Not all that different than George W Bush when you think about it.

  115. 115.

    Turgidson

    @Mary G:

    the NY Post complaining about Scarlett Johanssen and Kerry Washington speaking for Obama, who couldn’t get a Real Man like Clint Eastwood.

    Obama, you sly dog. Masterful way to get some male voters back.

  118. 118.

    Emma

    @Jay C: Yes, it’s for real. I have a feeling that someone approached the Cardinal and whispered in a Chicago rasp, “that’s a nice tax exemption you’ve got there. I’d be a shame if something happened to it.”

  119. 119.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    To be fair, Real Men would rather look at other Real Men like Eastwood than at hot chicks like Johanssen and Washington, or so I’ve been told. Apparently looking at girls means you’re gay, but looking at other guys means you’re a Real Manly Man.

  120. 120.

    quannlace

    “There on a high stool in a high tower, on a high hill
    sits the Head Spotter of the Weather Makers”

    Another of Obama’x secret powers!

  121. 121.

    JR in WV

    Watching the second channel of local TV, reruns of old cop series, there’s a political commercial, it’s President Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton, telling everyone the Romney/Ryan budget just doesn’t add up, and if Medicaid goes south as in the R’s plan, so does Medicare.

    He’s running hard for Barack Obama, and I’m glad!

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