Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Fight them, without becoming them!

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

T R E 4 5 O N

Everybody saw this coming.

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

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

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

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

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Let me file that under fuck it.

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

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Not all heroes wear capes.

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

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door

It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door

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Serious question, though probably one for some Nate Silver-type guy to answer: would Republicans be better off if Joe Walsh loses this November? I suspect the answer is “yes” and it makes me wonder if they’ll fund his race and if they thought about primarying him:

“So at the Democratic Convention Wednesday night their first prime time speaker was Sandra Fluke, whatever her name is,” Walsh said. “Think about this, a 31-32 year old law student who has been a student for life, who gets up there in front of a national audience and tells the American people, ‘I want America to pay for my contraceptives.’ You’re kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job Sandra Fluke.”

“This a woman who feels entitled that we all should pay for her contraceptives,” he said. “This is what we are teaching Americans? That was embarrassing. That was embarrassing.”

Reader Interactions

65Comments

  2. 2.

    Baud

    would Republicans be better off if Joe Walsh loses this November?

    Can’t speak for Republicans. But America would be.

  3. 3.

    gbear

    isn’t this the deadbeat dad who sued his wife so that he doesn’t have to pay the back child support he owes?

  8. 8.

    Celeriac

    Hell, I just want to know what the hell pill he thinks she’s on for $9/month–notwithstanding his apparently deliberate refusal to accurately assess the situation–because mine is $67.

  10. 10.

    eemom

    Oh well, Cole beat me to it. : (

    I should note, however, that had this been a blog of the Elder Generation of which I am a member, it wouldn’t have taken even TWO comments for someone to jump right on it.

    Now if you will excuse me, I am off to mope about turning 50 again.

  12. 12.

    scav

    Late to the party though. Poor idjit’s so slow he pulls out last season’s talking points and acts as though they’re shiny new coinage instead of shop-warn.

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    @gbear: not quite. His ex-wife sued him, and for a while he had the dubious distinction of being the only Congressman who was having his wages garnished to pay child support.

    Not too too long ago, he settled with his ex-wife, and I believe worked out some sort of payment plan or something.

  14. 14.

    jl

    What is Walsh getting at? She should get a job so when she has kids, can stiff them, with no excuse at all?

  15. 15.

    Dennis SGMM

    This little fucker is an insult to scum.

    Rep. Joe Walsh’s Facebook page is flooded with negative comments today after the Illinois Republican said his opponent, Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, was not a “true” hero because she often makes reference to her military service on the campaign trail.
    Duckworth lost both her legs after an RPG attack in Iraq brought down the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting in 2004. Walsh never mentions his own military service on the campaign stump. He never had any.

    Link

  16. 16.

    JGabriel

    __
    __
    More from the Shitty Things Republicans Say department:

    Pennsylvania state Rep. Babette Josephs (D) said this week that a 30-second ad meant to educate the public about the state’s new voter ID law is offensive because it calls people’s patriotism into question.
    __
    “If you care about this country, it’s time to show it,” a woman says at the end of the ad, which was created for the Pennsylvania State Department by Red House Communications.

    Shorter Pennsylvania State Department: If you’re not an America-hating scumbag, show us your papers!

    .

  17. 17.

    JPL

    So Joe.. can I call you asshole, is able to get insurance on taxpayers dimes and he can even get those pills that must not be mention because of wp.

  18. 18.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @JGabriel

    :which was created for the Pennsylvania State Department by Red House Communications.

    so… PA tax dollars are paying for ads to promote voter suppression? I’m sure the fiscally conservative Tea Party is outraged. Outraged!

    sometimes are think we are just fucked.

  19. 19.

    eemom

    @DougJ:

    Thanks.

    It HAS driven me crazy throughout the public existence of this scumbag that he shares a name with the rock ‘n roll legend….and that so few people seem to recognize that travesty.

  21. 21.

    Smiling Mortician

    @Dennis SGMM: Yup. Scum. But if the polls are accurate, he’ll be unemployed scum after Duckworth kicks his ass. I live two thousand miles from his district, but I’ll be inordinately happy to watch him go down.

  22. 22.

    Villago Delenda Est

    The lie that simply will not die: that Sandra Fluke was asking anyone to pay for HER contraception.

    Which of course was not what her testimony was about, at all.

  23. 23.

    David Koch

    it’s probably better if he wins.

    if he loses, he’ll be on fixxed news with a nightly show. at least if he’s in office, he only on tee vee in an intermittent basis.

    I mean, look at Palin. She was on tee vee every once and a while, but once she quit, she was on facebook and fox spewing every hour

  24. 24.

    murakami

    And the extended exposure of America to Palin caused a natural immunity to build, thus neutralizing the threat Palin posed to the republic.

  25. 25.

    KDS

    I don’t think he really had any support from IL GOP…ran uncontested in new congressional district.

  26. 26.

    David Koch

    @eemom:

    Now if you will excuse me, I am off to mope about turning 50 again.

    Well, there’s always hot birthday sex to cheer you up

  27. 27.

    isildur

    @Villago Delenda Est: Or that anyone was asking anyone to pay for contraception.

    That’s what I don’t get about this issue that won’t die. She was talking about insurance coverage of birth control pills. How the hell did Rush et al get from ‘insurance coverage’ to ‘buy me condoms’? I honestly can’t see the chain of pseudo-logic that leads there.

  28. 28.

    burnspbesq

    @eemom:

    Now if you will excuse me, I am off to mope about turning 50 again.

    If you’re not writing tuition checks yet, you’re not really old. ;-)

    Also too, those of us who were born while Ike was President scoff at the notion that those who were born while JFK was President are “old.”

    Happy Birthday to the artist formerly known as oddmommy.

  29. 29.

    jl

    @isildur: They did, or intuitively understood, the media market and social psych research on what kind of lie would play the best with their audiences. Weah doin’ biiness, heyah, youse knows.

  31. 31.

    Alison

    @isildur: IINM, I believe their “logic” is that the more things insurance has to cover, the more likely the insurance carriers will raise rates, thus other people’s premiums go up because bitches want their whore pills, or whatever.

    I mean…it’s ridiculous because it would work that way for *anything* and that’s the whole damn point of insurance. Besides, insurance companies need precisely zero reason to jack up rates anyway, as we’ve seen. But these fucks just wanted any excuse, however pathetic, to slap a giant red S on any liberal woman within their vicinity.

  32. 32.

    Hal

    Boy, between his ex-wife, Tammy Duckworth and Sandra Fluke, I’m thinking Joe Walsh has a wee bit of a problem with the women folk.

    “You’re kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job Sandra Fluke.”

    I’m sure when he said this he was thinking; “Unlike my bitch ex-wife.”

  33. 33.

    YellowJournalism

    @isildur: Especially since Joe Walsh probably has the ability for coverage for both boner pills and contraception in his gov plan.

  34. 34.

    peorgietirebiter

    Speaking of birthdays, sex and heallth insurance, I turned 60 last month and my wife gave me a little something I haven’t had in over twelve years (who’s counting)
    That’s right… health insurance. My very own policy. The prescription coverage alone saves me close to premium. Hardly the Cadillilac coverage I had as one of the producers but comforting to a man whose Cobra ran out shortly before the first of two heart attacks and a shattered shouldered if ya’ll know what I mean. So even though my vote is reduced to a vote of confidence and gratitude in Rick Perry world, I’m looking forward to casting it. And when the green party asks, I am voting my mfn conscience. plus the dogs are good, we inherited 7 kittens ( now down to three) and Demarco Murray looked good in the opener against the dog ass giants. Things are good. I never had kittens before and they are a hoot. Nothing but boys left, Kyle, Stan and Cartman in case any one wants one.

  36. 36.

    Roger Moore

    @Alison:

    IINM, I believe their “logic” is that the more things insurance has to cover, the more likely the insurance carriers will raise rates, thus other people’s premiums go up because bitches want their whore pills, or whatever.

    Except, of course, for things that help to prevent expensive health conditions, in which case adding coverage for them would tend to make insurance cost overall drop. The problem is that the free market doesn’t give insurance companies a strong enough incentive to spend money on preventive care today when the payoff is in the future and the customer may have moved to a different insurance plan. Which is why the ACA had to mandate that insurance companies include preventive care (including contraceptives); it forces a long-term good outcome that the market wouldn’t manage by itself.

  37. 37.

    Patricia Kayden

    Okay. I had to laugh. Walsh really is an idiot, isn’t he? Insurance covers Viagra. Why not contraception? Wonder how he restrained himself from calling her a slut.

  38. 38.

    Schlemizel

    @isildur: heres a hint – take a hammer & hit your self on the head 8-10 times as hard as you can. Thinking like Mush Lamebrain will be natural then.

    Alternative, less painful method, get someone to pay you millions to pretend to be that stupid

  43. 43.

    Heliopause

    For the sake of argument let’s say these morons are correct and that we’re all paying for contraception for women of childbearing age. This is bad social policy, why?

  44. 44.

    JCT

    @eemom:

    Now if you will excuse me, I am off to mope about turning 50 again.

    Went through this 2 months ago – wasn’t too bad until a few weeks ago when someone asked how old I was and I had to say it out loud for the first time. OUCH.

    At least in two weeks the last kid will be off to college and at least the better half and I can pretend we are 25 again.

  45. 45.

    RSA

    “Think about this, a 31-32 year old law student who has been a student for life… Go get a job.”

    Wikipedia describes this idiot as having been in school at the age of 29 and in 2010 as having a negative net worth of $317,498. Jesus.

    On primarying him, I think it would be unusual–most of the primaries I’ve heard about have been incumbents against Tea Party candidates more to the right. Could the Republicans find a plausible candidate to the right of Walsh? ‘Cause they can’t go left.

  47. 47.

    cckids

    @Alison: No, no, you are using something that actually could be construed as a thought process. They aren’t using any type of logic or “logic”. They are lying, pure & simple. Limpbaugh knew quite well that the whole “she wants us to pay for her birth control” argument was crap, but it sounds better being against that than to argue that women who need birth control for medical reasons shouldn’t be covered by health insurance. (which was Fluke’s argument)

    They’re lying, they’re lying, they’re lying. End of story.

    P.S. See Goebbels, Joseph re: big lie, believability of.

  48. 48.

    Rekster

    @efgoldman: I was just thinking the same thing when I read that comment:) I can remember that 8 foot wide TV with the 8 inch round picture tube. God, I’m old!

  50. 50.

    ? Martin

    Think about this, a 31-32 year old law student who has been a student for life, who gets up there in front of a national audience and tells the American people, ‘I want America to pay for my contraceptives.’ You’re kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job Sandra Fluke.”

    Wikipedia:

    She graduated from Cornell University’s Program in Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies in 2003. [7] She co-founded the New York Statewide Coalition for Fair Access to Family Court,[8][9][10] which successfully advocated for legislation granting access to civil orders of protection for unmarried victims of domestic violence, including LGBTQ victims and teens. She was also a member of the Manhattan Borough President’s Taskforce on Domestic Violence and numerous other New York City and New York State coalitions that successfully advocated for policy improvements impacting victims of domestic violence. [11] [7] She worked in New York City for Sanctuary for Families, which aids victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.[7][12]

    So, there’s two jobs right there – one being entrepreneurial and therefore making her a legitimate job creator. She then went to law school.

    She is the 2011 recipient of the Women Lawyers of Los Angeles’ Fran Kandel Public Interest Grant,[12] which supported her production of a video on how to take out a restraining order.[13] She also “represented numerous victims of domestic violence and human trafficking” and also worked to help “child victims of domestic human trafficking” in Kenya.

    So she has a job – she’s a lawyer, you asshole. I’m pretty sure you’ve hired several of them in your life so far.

  52. 52.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Heliopause:

    Because sluts are not being punished for their wantonness by being knocked up, that’s why it’s bad social policy.

    Sheesh, do I have to explain everything to you?

  58. 58.

    dance around in your bones

    Well, I guess Joe Walsh doesn’t have to worry about paying for birth control pills BECAUSE HE DOESN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING PREGNANT, the mofo.

    FUCK that shit. FUCK THAT MOFO!.

  60. 60.

    JS

    (Speaking as an Illinoisan)

    Yeah, up till now Tammy Duckworth hasn’t exactly set the political world on fire with her campaigner skills, but this district was set up for the Dems as part of the Redristmas made possible by “Landslide” Pat Quinn holding off a Tea Party type Republican who got the 2010 IL Gubnatorial nomination by barely beating 4 ‘serious’ GOPers who split the “we really fcking want to win this seat” vote.

    I haven’t seen the polls, but I can’t believe this is going to be within 10 points, I’d set the betting line at Duckworth 58/42.

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JCT:

    W

    ent through this 2 months ago – wasn’t too bad until a few weeks ago when someone asked how old I was and I had to say it out loud for the first time. OUCH.

    When I turned 70 last month, I had no problem with the number itself. The thing that hurt was the sudden realization that I am now a septuagenarian. That’s one scary-ass word.

  63. 63.

    Jay in Oregon

    Serious question, though probably one for some Nate Silver-type guy to answer: would Republicans be better off if Joe Walsh loses this November?

    This should be “would Republicans be better off if deadbeat dad Joe Walsh loses this November?”

  65. 65.

    val

    Also too, those of us who were born while Ike was President scoff at the notion that those who were born while JFK was President are “old.”

    Observing No. 56 today, 9/9 (feel like Herman Cain). I still have trouble getting my mind around the fact that people born after 1960 are functioning adults. :) I remember all those TV shows “in living color” that we watched on our old black & white TV the size of a big dorm refrigerator. My late husband was born a month after FDR’s death, the year before the official beginning of the baby boom, and he didn’t even have a TV of any kind until he was 14. I used to think THAT was old. :(

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