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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2012 / Open Thread: Pre-Debate PSA

Open Thread: Pre-Debate PSA

by Anne Laurie|  October 3, 20125:40 pm| 128 Comments

This post is in: Election 2012, Open Threads

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Artist Jason Baalman poses in front of portraits of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney made entirely of more than 2,000 individual Cheetos snacks. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP
__
Nine PM Eastern Daylight Time, so this may be your last chance to ensure your stockpile of adult beverages and snacks is adequate.

Photo above from the Guardian liveblogging link, earlier versions of which may have saved my sanity during the Republican clown-car cavalcade.

And for our non-American readers, Washington Post political reporter Dana Milbank explains the Zinger:

The Zinger is an unwholesome confection.

One serving of this Hostess snack, which is basically a Devil Dog or a Twinkie with icing, has 35 percent of your daily allowance of saturated fat — and some trans fat thrown in for good measure. The first ingredient listed is sugar, followed later by corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, glucose and polypropylene glycol…

Before the debate, Obama was trying to blunt Romney’s zings. “I know folks in the media are speculating already on who’s going to have the best zingers,” he said Sunday. “What I’m most concerned about is having a serious discussion.”

Asking Romney to give up his favorite snack food in favor of a healthy give-and-take? There you go again, Mr. President.

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Reader Interactions

128Comments

  1. 1.

    Mnemosyne

    October 3, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    I do have a weakness for Raspberry Zingers, but I fully recognize that my love for them probably contributed at least 10 pounds of the Freshman 15 I gained in college.

    They are tasty little bombs of sin, though.

  2. 2.

    Enhanced Mooching Techniques

    October 3, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    You know who else didn’t like Zingers?

    More proof that Obama is the metro-sexual Hippity hop Adolf Hitler.

  3. 3.

    Hawes

    October 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    I see the term “artist” has come to mean something different than I originally thought.

  4. 4.

    Hawes

    October 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    I see the term “artist” has come to mean something different than I originally thought.

  5. 5.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    I don’t think I like this smartass Baalman person.

    What time is the debate?

  6. 6.

    J.

    October 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    For those who haven’t seen the latest (very funny) Mitt Romney parody (to the tune of Gangnam Style), here you go.

    And because every presidential debate needs a good drinking game, check out this and this.

    Bottoms up!

  7. 7.

    John O

    October 3, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    Nine PM Eastern Daylight Time, so this may be your last chance to ensure your stockpile of adult beverages and snacks is adequate.

    Covered.

    It’s just silly theater, though I’ve been watching CNN all day, and sure wish it was Bill Clinton up there for my side. Romney can’t lose given that by a 20+ point margin people think Obama will win. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty for that reason.

    OTOH, Bill Clinton is the Alpha-est dog of our political lifetimes, and would reduce Romney to flop sweating, diode bursting rubble.

  8. 8.

    geg6

    October 3, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    I was always a Ho Hos girl, myself.

    Wish I had some right now.

  9. 9.

    Schlemizel

    October 3, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    I came home & the boy had Tweety on MSNBC – CRIST – its like f’ing game day on ESPN! This is pathetic.

    Why zingers work. Despite the BS I doubt 60 million people will actually watch the debate & many of those who do won’t really give it there full attention. But the zingers make all the news programs, repeatedly.

    Millions will see “Your no Jack Kennedy” or “There you go again” and it will be discussed endlessly so that even people who watch the debate will only really remember those.

  10. 10.

    replicnt6

    October 3, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    @Hawes: Zing!

  11. 11.

    anibundel

    October 3, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    We’ve got leftover pizza, wine, beer and (ahem.) Also laptops set to our twitter feeds. We are set.

    What’s on the menu for tonight for everyone else?

  12. 12.

    ruemara

    October 3, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Well, I was gonna post this video but I was too slow. And I never got zingers or twinkies, they taste awful, like oil mixed with sugar and starch. Not say, creamed butter and sugar, which is why cookies are awesome, but castor oil and white sugar yechfest.

  13. 13.

    Arclite

    October 3, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Those are pretty awesome portraits. I like how the Obama one is more fluid and natural with the Cheetos flowing like iron filings following the fields of a magnet, while the Mitt one is more artificial with his entire face made up of horizontal lines of Cheetos.

  14. 14.

    donnah

    October 3, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Went to a friend’s house last weekend for a “Romney is a Wiener” cookout, and we’ll be going back for a Debate Party tonight. We all loathe Republicans and Romney, so I expect we’ll have some good snacks, some laughs, and probably some swears.

  15. 15.

    Enhanced Mooching Techniques

    October 3, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    @Schlemizel: Zingers are just liked leaked tapes and surprises – they have to define a narrative that’s taking shape. Obama is known quality, what’s there to define?

  16. 16.

    beltane

    October 3, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    Is there a cocktail called “The Zinger” we can drink during the debate? There should be. Maybe something with citron flavored vodka which I conveniently have in my freezer.

  17. 17.

    R-Jud

    October 3, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    @beltane: There’s a ton of them. My sister used to make one with ginger ale and whiskey.

  18. 18.

    Measles Montgomery

    October 3, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Adult beverages? Forget it. I bought some belgian chocolate s’mores ice cream!

  19. 19.

    scav

    October 3, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    @beltane: mm, something along the lines of a martini, maybe with a chili instead of an olive (if you like that kind of things). Other obvious things to have on hand is salt, possibly in solution (tears) and bitters.

  20. 20.

    gbear

    October 3, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    Presidential debate/depression therapy group/presidential debate/depression therapy group… Which will it be tonight?

    I think I’m going to chuck both and take advantage of a beautiful evening to go for a scooter ride. Snow in the forecast for northern MN tomorrow.

  21. 21.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    October 3, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    @Schlemizel:

    Why zingers work. Despite the BS I doubt 60 million people will actually watch the debate & many of those who do won’t really give it there full attention. But the zingers make all the news programs, repeatedly.

    __
    What really matters is the Saturday Night Live version. More people will talk about that version around the water cooler at work, than will talk about the actual debate. Now which candidate do you think makes a comedy writer’s job easier, Mittens or Obama?

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    October 3, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    I remember seeing this box of granola (an American brand, whose name I don’t remember). The box copy was all about the manufacturers’ commitment to healthy this and healthy that. On the list of ingredients, the committed-to-healthy-everything people didn’t put “sugar”. They did put “dehydrated & crystallized cane juice”.

  23. 23.

    JGabriel

    October 3, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    34 shopping days till the election.

  24. 24.

    scav

    October 3, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    @JGabriel: Damn, now I want a political advent calendar.

  25. 25.

    LanceThruster

    October 3, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    This debate is NOT a game, and as such , I will be keeping the chilled brews within reach to guzzle as needed, prompted by whatever I deem as necessary.

    Please, FSM, let it be over soon, with an outcome that keeps the faithful under your Divine noodly protective arms.

  26. 26.

    gogol's wife

    October 3, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    I’m too nervous to watch in real time, and whoever the moderator is will make me furious. I’m going to watch an Alfred Hitchcock Hour starring James Farentino from 9 to 10 and then check BJ for the straight info on the debate.

  27. 27.

    quannlace

    October 3, 2012 at 6:13 pm

    I usually watch MSNBC, but honestly, folks. Can we lose the stupid countdown clock? This is a debate, not Fail Safe.

  28. 28.

    KG

    October 3, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    @beltane: my drink guide(s) give the following recipes:

    4 shots peachtree schnapps
    4 shots surge

    OR

    3 oz vodka
    3 oz cranberry juice
    3 oz orange juice
    1 oz tonic water

    The second sounds better, if only because I don’t know what surge is.

  29. 29.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    October 3, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    Artist Jason Baalman poses in front of portraits of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney made entirely of more than 2,000 individual Cheetos snacks.

    Dear Mr. Baalman, I have two words for you: John Boehner

  30. 30.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 3, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    @ThatLeftTurnInABQ:

    For example, the theme of the 1988 election was from SNL: “I can’t believe I’m losing to this guy”

  31. 31.

    quannlace

    October 3, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    going to watch an Alfred Hitchcock Hour starring James Farentino from 9 to 10 and then check BJ for the straight info on the debate.

    Tough luck, Gogol’s wife. The debate is 90 minutes long. You can’t escape !!

    Seriously though, I think a lot of people will tune it initially , out of curiosity. By a quarter to ten I predict a big drop in viewership.

  32. 32.

    LanceThruster

    October 3, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    @KG:

    The second sounds better, if only because I don’t know what surge is.

    Serge is the fabric you use to filter out the chunky bits.

    Sssssmmmmmmoooooootthh!

  33. 33.

    Redshift

    October 3, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    @Schlemizel: Sure, but that doesn’t mean they work. This is the same thinking behind the McCain campaign’s “win the week” strategy. Just because people are talking about you doesn’t mean you’re winning. They only actually work if they change people’s votes.

  34. 34.

    The Moar You Know

    October 3, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    something something tightening something something bookmark it libs something something scared yet something something victory

  35. 35.

    Redshift

    October 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    @Schlemizel:

    I came home & the boy had Tweety on MSNBC – CRIST – its like f’ing game day on ESPN! This is pathetic.

    I don’t know why you’d expect anything else. That’s exactly what it is, ever since they rebranded the network to be all about politics.

    I’m just annoyed that my cable network doesn’t have Current, because the Stephanie Miller Show crew is doing their pre-debate show, starting at 7 Eastern. That’ll be more fun than anything else that will be on TV tonight.

  36. 36.

    Keith G

    October 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    @Schlemizel:

    Why zingers work.

    I don’t think they do unless they confirm an already strong narrative. They are icing on a cake that is already baked.

    Romney can zing away all fucking night. If Obama comes out second, it will be due to an own goal. If the President is calm, serious but with that Reaganesque self-effacing humor and is able to give appropriate detail he wins. Period – but he can’t duck, he can’t be vague.

  37. 37.

    Keith G

    October 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    @Schlemizel:

    Why zingers work.

    I don’t think they do unless they confirm an already strong narrative. They are icing on a cake that is already baked.

    Romney can zing away all fucking night. If Obama comes out second, it will be due to an own goal. If the President is calm, serious but with that Reaganesque self-effacing humor and is able to give appropriate detail he wins. Period – but he can’t duck, he can’t be vague.

  38. 38.

    geg6

    October 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    Holy shit! My John and went to the local watering hole to have a drink with a friend and MSNBC is on two of the four tv screens. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it on one screen in a bar, let alone two. Not here in Western PA anyway.

  39. 39.

    Hill Dweller

    October 3, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    @John O:

    OTOH, Bill Clinton is the Alpha-est dog of our political lifetimes, and would reduce Romney to flop sweating, diode bursting rubble.

    I’m thrilled Clinton is helping the campaign, but this sort of revisionist history is starting to become annoying.

    Bill and Hillary looked pretty damn ridiculous when facing Obama in’07/’08. In fact, I’d say Bill was a liability during that campaign.

    Bill brought us DADT, DOMA, NAFTA, welfare “reform” and host of other awful legislation. He benefited immensely from the tech boom and a repugnant, serial adulterer as his main political opponent. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great politician, but his convention speech has seemed to give people the vapors.

  40. 40.

    Chyron HR

    October 3, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    BREAKING: MY ANUS IS TIGHTENING IN TERROR OF 4 MORE YEARS OF BLACK DESPOTISM

  41. 41.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    @John O: Clinton is pretty similar to Obama on this one. They both benefit significantly from preparation. Clinton ad-hocs better and comes off as more improvisational, but debates are a different animal. It’s part improv, and part ‘How do I bridge this question to the canned response I have prepared’. I don’t think Clinton is necessarily any better than Obama on that front. They’re both good, not great. Even Clinton lost points to Dole in the debates. It’s a different beast from the ‘fire up the base’ speeches, which Clinton is admittedly great at. I think both are decent at completely off-the-cuff speaking. Obama gets more professorial and long-winded, Clinton is a bit more prone to mis-speaking.

    Romney is pretty good when he’s dumping his canned response. I wouldn’t underestimate him on that. Romney suuuuuuucks when he has to improvise though. That’s when he starts betting people $10,000 and touching them inappropriately.

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    October 3, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    I haven’t watched it yet, but I Tivo’d the episode that starred Christopher Lee.

    G is addicted to Antenna TV, so I’ve probably seen way more “Alfred Hitchcock Hours” than I ever did when I was a kid.

  43. 43.

    JGabriel

    October 3, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    @scav: Zing!

  44. 44.

    Schlemizel

    October 3, 2012 at 6:26 pm

    @Enhanced Mooching Techniques:
    et al

    I never suggested Willard would be successful with a zinger, only pointing out that its our national ADD that makes them the way to go.

    Of course the zinger thing can backfire or be accidental. See Brown in MA – his cutesy zinger about “not a student in your class” fell pretty flat and the reaction to it has been negative. Meanwhile his selection of Fat Tony as his fav justice became a zinger that is talked about a lot more than anything either of the two said that mattered.

  45. 45.

    gogol's wife

    October 3, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    @Hill Dweller:

    Thank you. I’m very happy that Barack Obama is representing my side tonight and not Bill Clinton.

  46. 46.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    @Keith G:

    If Obama comes out second, it will be due to an own goal.

    More likely because everyone is going to be grading on a curve. If Romney only insults 46% of the room, he’ll be declared the winner.

  47. 47.

    gogol's wife

    October 3, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Have you seen . . . “An Unlocked Window”? About 50 minutes of pure scare-people-to-death goodness.

  48. 48.

    lamh35

    October 3, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    Oh puh-leaze, are these guys for real. who the heck they think they fooling?

    Restless Romney Braces For High-Stakes Debate
    A sleepless night in Denver.

    But Romney got virtually no sleep Monday night, an aide said, blaming a freight train that passed through a grade crossing near the hotel and blew its horn roughly every hour all through the night. The candidate’s sleep deprivation so worried his staff that the campaign looked into switching hotels. The logistics were ultimately too tough, the aide said, and there was concern about how it would look.

  49. 49.

    Keith G

    October 3, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    What up with the site? In five years, I have never doubled a post and I know I only sent once as I walked away to get coffee.

  50. 50.

    cyntax

    October 3, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    @J.:
    Thank Grabthar’s Hammer for this.

    Been looking all over for some good ones. Have to say I’m a bit torn, they’re both good but the second link doesn’t mention “let me be clear” and I was planning on passing out half way through so…

  51. 51.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    @Hill Dweller: In retrospect, Obama will appear to have sold us some shit sandwiches too. Lack of a public option/single payer will eventually fall in that category, after people have forgotten how completely impossible it was. Afghanistan surge probably will too – Maddow had a pretty withering critique of it the other day.

    Clinton was a good President and a good Democrat. Not perfect. And he’s gotten better after the job (as I imagine Obama will as well). Clinton can attack knowing that he’s not interviewing for jack shit now and having proven himself on topics that Obama can’t possibly touch. Clinton isn’t going to have to convince Republicans to support anything, after all. It’s much harder to do this while in the job. That was true of Clinton from 1992-2000 and it’s true of Obama today.

  52. 52.

    elm

    October 3, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    @lamh35: This just makes them sound like idiots. They couldn’t pony up 50 cents for a pair of earplugs?

    I like how the article notes that they are “dutifully lowering expectations for their own candidate”, while being complicit with those attempts.

  53. 53.

    nellcote

    October 3, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    debate bingo cards

  54. 54.

    Keith G

    October 3, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    @? Martin: No I do not think so. Words count. If Obama thoughtfully answers questions in a complete and engaged way, he wins. Period. The facts are totally on his side. The sale is his to close.

  55. 55.

    Mnemosyne

    October 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    I don’t think I’ve seen that one. I’ve seen some really oddball ones, like one that was based on a John Cheever story, of all things.

    G’s all-time favorite is, of course, the Roald Dahl classic “Man from the South.”

  56. 56.

    gbear

    October 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    a freight train that passed through a grade crossing near the hotel and blew its horn roughly every hour all through the night.

    I wonder if any of Romney’s aids noticed that the train was going in the opposite direction each time it passed and that there seemed to be the sound of maniacal laughter coming from the engine cab each time it went by?

  57. 57.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    October 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    I think 2012 may be the first presidential debate where more people are more interested in the social media commentary than the debate itself. It’s the Grammy after-party and we’re all invited!

  58. 58.

    gogol's wife

    October 3, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Yes, that’s a classic, from the series that had half-hour episodes. The half-hour ones are superior in general, but “An Unlocked Window” is incredible. I was first terrified by it when I was a child, and just saw it recently and was terrified again, although its main “surprise” isn’t a surprise any more. It has Dana Wynter, John Kerr, and an absolutely brilliant Louise Latham. Watch it if you get a chance!

    It’s still not as scary as Romney/Ryan, though.

  59. 59.

    Roger Moore

    October 3, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    @Keith G:

    I don’t think they do unless they confirm an already strong narrative.

    I think they can also help if they are used to define somebody who isn’t well known already. That’s why the “you’re no Jack Kennedy” zinger was so effective. Nobody really knew who Quayle was except that he was really young. Quayle was trying to defend himself against attacks on his youth by comparing himself to Kennedy, and Bentsen’s comment slammed the door on that comparison. Of course that’s approach isn’t going to work with Obama because he’s too much of a known quantity.

  60. 60.

    KG

    October 3, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    @lamh35: for some reason, two things come to mind when I read that… the hotel scene from My Cousin Vinny and a No Leaf Clover by Metallica.

  61. 61.

    scav

    October 3, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    ♫♫
    It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that Zing
    (doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
    It don’t mean a thing all you got to do is Zing
    (doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
    It makes no difference
    If it’s sweet or hot
    Just give that rhythm
    Everything you’ve got
    It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that Zing
    (doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
    ♫♫

  62. 62.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    @lamh35:

    Oh, brother, they are so fuckin’ lame.

    The only people who buy into BS like this are slimemolds like TacoTacoTaco.

  63. 63.

    Michael

    October 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    Debate drinking game! Every time Mitt lands a zinger, sip a Vernors!

  64. 64.

    lahru

    October 3, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    I am a neophite when the discussion is about economics and the only reason I have added economics blogs and websites to my favorites list is back in 2007 I stumblred upon a few blogs that were discussing the MBS (mortgage backed securities) that were the calories that fed Wall St. to it’s overweight postion that in 2008 turned anorexic. I was so worried about our economy that I moved from Vermont ro my home town in Northern New York to be around family if things got bad. Being new to economics I understood little about what was occuring although on the surface it looke bad.
    Since then I have continued to visit these same web locations daily and have always felt that when Barack got elected he would not have the room to prosecute the criminals becuase the institutions that commited crimes also have the task of keeping internationa trade going on a daily basis and with them trade would be harmed and meybe stopped. AIG insuring shipments and the laege banks transfering money from country to country to pay for goods being shipped. This an importaqnt part of the back story that internatoioal trade relys on.
    I also have come to the opinion that once we have recovered those harmed would seek retribution from the crimanals and it takes a long tong tine to get your ducks in a row to build a case to go to court and seek retribution form these criminals.
    Along with POTUS appointments the election of a Republican is important to the criminals and seeing the too big to fail banks reaping lerge billion dolar profits puts them in a postion to pay those aggreaived and since many financial transaction occur in New York City, New York Laws apply and areprosecuted by an attorney general of New York State and thats is going to occur in the next few years and Barack hands are free of infuence to accept credit for the law siuts, his ability to influence haow far they go is and I believe he will be hands off on this.

    http://blogs.smeal.psu.edu/grumpyoldaccountants/archives/779
    http://blogs.smeal.psu.edu/grumpyoldaccountants/archives/779
    http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2012/10/02/schneiderman-sues-former-bear-stearns-co/
    http://www.teribuhl.com/2012/09/18/what-bear-stearns-whistleblowers-told-the-sec-new-details-of-rmbs-fraud-cover-up/

  65. 65.

    Keith G

    October 3, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    @Roger Moore: Maybe we should ask Vice-President Bensen?

    IOW how can we measure a fluffy piece of stagecraft that did not change the ending of the show?

  66. 66.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    @gbear:

    I wonder if any of Romney’s aids noticed that the train was going in the opposite direction each time it passed and that there seemed to be the sound of maniacal laughter coming from the engine cab each time it went by?

    Damn that Joe Biden!

  67. 67.

    gbear

    October 3, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    @scav: Zing went the strings of my heart.

  68. 68.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    October 3, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    @gbear:

    I wonder if any of Romney’s aids noticed that the train was going in the opposite direction each time it passed and that there seemed to be the sound of maniacal laughter coming from the engine cab each time it went by?

    Train arrive 16 coaches long
    Train arrive 16 coaches long
    Well that long black train
    Got my baby and gone
    __
    Train train rolling round the bend
    Train train rolling round the bend
    Well it took my baby
    Away from me again
    __
    Come down to the station
    Meet my baby at the gate
    Asked the station master
    If the train’s running late
    He said “If you’re a-waiting on the 444
    I hate to tell you son
    That train don’t stop here anymore”
    __
    Train train rolling down down the line
    Train train rolling down the line
    Well it took my baby
    And left poor me behind
    __
    Heard that whistle blowing
    It was the middle of the night
    When I got down to the station
    The train was pulling out of sight
    __
    Mystery train smoking down the track
    Mystery train smoking down the track
    Well I don’t want no ride
    Just bring my baby back

  69. 69.

    Chris

    October 3, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    Me too, except with episodes of Merlin instead.

  70. 70.

    tulip

    October 3, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    A’s improbably are about to become AL West Champs.

    Hey it’s an open thread, right?

    Go A’s!

  71. 71.

    gbear

    October 3, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    @gbear: This song is also a dedication to the memory of Andrew Breitbart.

  72. 72.

    Gravenstone

    October 3, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    Can’t risk watching the debate. My TV is barely a month old and I know damn well I’ll throw something through it the moment Romney opens his yap.

    Instead, watching the A’s drink the Rangers’ milkshake by taking the AL West. Now if only the FTMFYankee’s can lose, to an O’s win, and the popcorn will truly flow.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 3, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    @lamh35: Romney stayed in a hotel by the railroad tracks? Pull the other one; it’s got bells on.

  74. 74.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: We can rest assured that he was staying on the right side of the tracks.

  75. 75.

    scav

    October 3, 2012 at 6:58 pm

    @gbear:

    ♫
    Zing Low, Sweet Chariot
    Coming for to carry me home
    Zing Low, Sweet Chariot
    Coming for to carry me home
    ♫
    Looked over FauxNews
    What did I see?
    Coming for to carry me home?
    A band of Zingers, coming to save me
    Coming for to carry me home.
    ♫

  76. 76.

    tulip

    October 3, 2012 at 6:58 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    Amen!

    Epic collaspe by the Strangers… but even better run by the A’s down the stretch.

    5 back with 9 to go and the A’s take the West.

    Unbelievable.

  77. 77.

    Lojasmo

    October 3, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Wifey has a 1996 wilamette estate Pinot noir. I have 5 four packs (pints) of the best IPA on this earth.

    Lojasmo + 1/2

  78. 78.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    October 3, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Fuck Yes! The A’s have won the AL West!

  79. 79.

    Chris

    October 3, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    @? Martin:

    This.

    The DADT revisionism is getting tiresome too. Clinton originally wanted the ban lifted, but misjudged public opinion and Congress. A clean reversal of policy wasn’t happening, period, Congress would’ve overridden it. So instead he went with DADT, still a shit sandwich but a marginal improvement which was better than the previous arrangement. It was, in other words, the ACA of its day.

    Plenty of stuff to blame Clinton for but that wasn’t one of them.

  80. 80.

    rlrr

    October 3, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    If debates mattered, John Kerry would have won in 2004…

  81. 81.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    @lamh35:

    The logistics were ultimately too tough, the aide said, and there was concern about how it would look.

    Would it look any worse than it already does? Take an Ambien and put in some ear plugs and get the fuck up for work like everyone who doesn’t have their own estate does.

    At least now he has an answer for that 3AM phone call question. “I was already up.”

  82. 82.

    Anya

    October 3, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    Wow. Even Cheetos Romney has sad eyes.

  83. 83.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    New Romney debate strategy leaked. I think they may have finally found something that won’t actively repel viewers.

  84. 84.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    FYWP moderation!

  85. 85.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 3, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    @Anya:

    Cheetos Romney

    Is he the youngest? I can never remember.

  86. 86.

    Mystical Chick

    October 3, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    Where’s everyone watching tonight? I’ll watch online but is C-SPAN the least blathery site?

  87. 87.

    Stuck In 60s

    October 3, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    Let’s be honest: we’re all watching for the train wreck.

    We want to rubberneck that moment (or moments please) when he sez something no human worth less than $100,000,000 would ever utter.

    Tonight we’re all NASCAR fans praying for a crash.

  88. 88.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    @Mystical Chick: Probably one of the broadcast networks, don’t really care which one. Once the analysts and pundits come up, I’ll get another drink or something.

  89. 89.

    The Dangerman

    October 3, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    @KG:

    The second sounds better, if only because I don’t know what surge is.

    Beverly Hills Cop?

  90. 90.

    redshirt

    October 3, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    Any Canadians in the house? If so, what’s the local version of the Zinger? Or Hostess snacks in general? I’ve made a few trips to PEI and on the way picked up these delish raspberry zinger like deserts that were far superior to any Hostesss version, but can’t remember the name and the Internets are failing me.

  91. 91.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    October 3, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    The first ingredient listed is sugar, followed later by corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, glucose and polypropylene glycol…

    Propylene glycol causes CNS depression similar to that caused by ethanol but it is only one-third as potent. Cardiotoxic effects include arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. Renal and hepatic damage has been reported (Seidenfeld & Hanzlik, 1932).

  92. 92.

    lamh35

    October 3, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Republicans Fret Over Obama Tape Resurrection

    “Mitt’s window to turn the economic debate around is [Wednesday.] And his alleged supporters just shit on it. An abysmally selfish and stupid event,” – Alex Castellanos

  93. 93.

    Anya

    October 3, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    @Hill Dweller: He also gave us “Three Strikes and You’re Out,” the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Really, really bad laws.

  94. 94.

    magurakurin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    @Hawes:

    I guessing that’s just snark but…..

    Eclectic Asylum Art

    he seems like an artist to me.

  95. 95.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    @Mystical Chick: PBS is usually pretty good too.

  96. 96.

    The Dangerman

    October 3, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    Congrats A’s.

    Cabrera wins the triple Crown, Rangers are in the Wild Card game, possibly (with a couple breaks) playing the Yankees in a one and done (almost as improbable as the Triple Crown).

    Obligatory FTFY here.

  97. 97.

    Enhanced Mooching Techniques

    October 3, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    @Stuck In 60s: Yes, the real question is will Mittens keep it cool for the debate or launch into an hour long rant about how unfair it is the peasants get to vote in his election. While that would be must see TV I am pretty sure they will have Mitten on the happy pill.

  98. 98.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 7:13 pm

    @lamh35: Lie down with Tucker Carlson and Matt Drudge, get up with fleas. What did they expect?

  99. 99.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    @Stuck In 60s: I’m pretty confident Mittens will avoid a ‘let them eat cake’ moment. I’m betting he’ll be so self-conscious about it that he’ll come across as violently constipated instead.

  100. 100.

    GregB

    October 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    Take my wives please. Zing!

  101. 101.

    ? Martin

    October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    Mitt’s window to turn the economic debate around is [Wednesday.] And his alleged supporters just shit on it. An abysmally selfish and stupid event,

    Um, Alex… Maybe you shouldn’t have spent 30 years tossing red meat to those alleged supporters and instead told them to STFU like Democrats have been doing for ages. Rush Limbaugh didn’t just fall out of the sky yesterday.

    Asshole.

  102. 102.

    PsiFighter37

    October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    Is there an official BJ drinking game for tonight’s festivities?

  103. 103.

    scav

    October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    @? Martin: But will he avoid the let the eat snack cake moment or is he aming for that one instead?

  104. 104.

    Arm The Homeless

    October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    @Mystical Chick: I am trying out the Xbox 360 stream of it. I imagine it will be the MSNBC crew, so PBS might end up on before it’s over.

  105. 105.

    bemused

    October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    @Redshift:

    Current sounded more fun to me too. As much as I like Rachel Maddow, the convention dissection panels drove me nuts with Chuck Todd and other villagers weighing in with their observations.

  106. 106.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    @PsiFighter37: Start drinking as soon as Mitt Romney opens his mouth. Stop when you either can’t understand anything he says or you run out of alcohol.

  107. 107.

    dmsilev

    October 3, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    @PsiFighter37: Start drinking as soon as Mitt Romney opens his mouth. Stop when you either can’t understand anything he says or you run out of alcohol.

    Edit: FYWP. I only hit submit once, and it didn’t even freeze up or anything, just double-posted. Better hamsters, please!

  108. 108.

    redshirt

    October 3, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    I stayed up too late night listening to the Sox-Yankees on the radio, hoping the Sox could somehow spoil the Yankees season. Alas! They did make them dig into the bullpen for 12 innings.

    Maybe tonight! Yeah, right…

  109. 109.

    Rommie

    October 3, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    Al Jazeera getting live opinions of the debate on Reddit. Fox News rage incoming…

  110. 110.

    PsiFighter37

    October 3, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    @dmsilev: The goal is to make this somewhat entertaining, not send myself to the hospital due to acute alcohol poisoning…

  111. 111.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 3, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    @redshirt: Jelly logs.

  112. 112.

    Another Halocene Human

    October 3, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    @donnah: can I borrow your friends, pls?

  113. 113.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 3, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    @PsiFighter37: No, I wanna live.

  114. 114.

    muddy

    October 3, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Start drinking as soon as Mitt Romney opens his mouth. Stop when you either can’t understand anything he says

    Well hell, I’m not going to get loaded that way. I never understand what he says, it’s devoid of content. I’d better start chugging, see how far I can get before he finishes his first sentence.

  115. 115.

    JPL

    October 3, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    @Mystical Chick: NYTimes is doing a live stream with fact checkers.

  116. 116.

    Another Halocene Human

    October 3, 2012 at 7:25 pm

    @gbear: I’m going to the local majority-minority high school to watch the kids put on a musical.

    I made my wife sit through the Warren-Scottie shitstorm. We both need a break.

  117. 117.

    PsiFighter37

    October 3, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    @JPL: Now THIS sounds like something we could center a reasonable drinking game around!

  118. 118.

    Roger Moore

    October 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm

    @PsiFighter37:

    Is there an official BJ drinking game for tonight’s festivities?

    Since when do you need an excuse to drink? My recommendation is to take the drink of your choice and drink it at your normal pace all the way through the debate. If you try one of these games where you have to drink every time a candidate does something on the list, even you will be in the hospital with alcohol poisoning before they get to their wrap-up.

  119. 119.

    redshirt

    October 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: YES! Thanks brother! So yummy. And like all sweets in Canada, waaay better than any American version, cuz, get this: They use sugar and not corn as a sweetening agent. Crazy!

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 3, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    @PsiFighter37: What the hell is the purpose of a reasonable drinking game?

  121. 121.

    Linda Featheringill

    October 3, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    @Amir Khalid: #22

    “dehydrated & crystallized cane juice”

    :-)

  122. 122.

    Roger Moore

    October 3, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Stop when you either can’t understand anything he says or you run out of alcohol.

    For the Mormon version, you can stop drinking as soon as you feel like beating Mitt to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat.

  123. 123.

    muddy

    October 3, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    @Roger Moore: I haven’t even started yet!

  124. 124.

    Roger Moore

    October 3, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    @muddy:
    That’s why it’s the Mormon version.

  125. 125.

    muddy

    October 3, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    I totally missed the Mormon joke, as my eyes were drawn irresistably to the portion of the sentence about the baseball bat.

  126. 126.

    Maude

    October 3, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    @GregB:
    LOL

  127. 127.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 3, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    @JPL:
    That sounds perfect. Take a drink whenever the fact checkers bend themselves into pretzels to call something Obama said a lie so they can claim both sides do it.

  128. 128.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    October 3, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    Waitaminute – Zingers are Hostess? When did this happen?

    – Huh. Looks like Dolly Madison is a Hostess brand. I thought maybe this is one of those things where I wander away for 35 years and everything changes.

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