• 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.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

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

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

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

“woke” is the new caravan.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

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 / Domestic Politics / Monday Evening Open Thread: FEMA

Monday Evening Open Thread: FEMA

by Anne Laurie|  October 29, 20127:23 pm| 174 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Election 2012, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

FacebookTweetEmail


__
I’m assuming OfA will have posted an ad riffing off this clip by next weekend…

Our twilight was enlivened by a series of Frankensteinian TZOOORP! BZZZZZZAATTT! ! ! flash-bangs as a primary overhead wire, but not our primary wire (praise Murphy the trickster god), tore loose and started a small fire further down the block. Over the next two hours, as the power dropped in and out, we lost multiple fuses and (it looks like) the only remaining kitchen outlet for our small electronics, such as the microwave. If nothing worse happens overnight, we’ll consider ourselves very fortunate.

(Also, for some reason, our thunder-phobic rescue dog Zevon was not at all worried about the giant manmade electrical bursts of noise and light. Dogs are mysterious critters, and I renamed this one after the Excitable Boy for good reason!)

How are things holding up for the rest of the Balloon Juice community, inside or outside the Sandy perimeter?

***********

ETA: Via Americablog:


__
What was that German portmaneau word for “a face that cries out for a fist in it”?

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Sermons in Storms
Next Post: Sandy Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

174Comments

  1. 1.

    Lojasmo

    October 29, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Can I has Seattle GTG sometime between 11/29 and 12/01?

  2. 2.

    Poopyman

    October 29, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    Well, there’s a subthread in the post below, but I’m thinking that since we’re on a well I might want to take a shower while we still have power.

    See y’all in a bit, powergrid willing.

  3. 3.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Buzzfeed is down!
    Thankfully, I prepared for this by living in a house with multiple cats.

  4. 4.

    feebog

    October 29, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Wishing all of you on the East coast safe haven through this storm. Beautiful day here in SoCal, looking like a nice week as well.

  5. 5.

    Captain C

    October 29, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    Very windy here in a Zone C part of Brooklyn. Apparently, the Battery, Red Hook (Brooklyn), and Rockaway are getting hit very hard.

  6. 6.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    @feebog:
    Our living room bay window box is leaking. I see new windows in our very near future.

  7. 7.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    Keeping up with live reports from Hatteras and NYC on the hated Facebook.

  8. 8.

    Cambridge Chuck

    October 29, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    After four hours’ power outage, we’re back on the grid — was supposed to do GOTV calls for Warren, but not tonight! We’ve lit a fire in the fireplace and opened a decent red. Think we’ve ducked the worst of it here — but still holding breath re: storm surges for beach dwellers.

  9. 9.

    Robin G.

    October 29, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    Quiet in the midwest, but worried about friends and family in central Maryland. Also, Ocean City is looking pretty wrecked. There goes my childhood :-/

  10. 10.

    PeakVT

    October 29, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    @anibundel: Win.

  11. 11.

    General Stuck

    October 29, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    Video no worky for me. I just hope Obama’s FEMA is on the ball. For several reasons, some political. Romney will once again claim he is for a federal disaster agency before he was agin it.. And it was his beautiful existence that takes credit for all that is wholesome and good.

    The weather is wonderful here, though with chilly nights and my early twentieth century salvaged from the wreck of the TItanic gas heater, once again dead as Caesar.

  12. 12.

    aimai

    October 29, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    Man, Cambridge Chuck, I’m in cambridge too. No power outages here (yet!).

    aimai

  13. 13.

    ranchandsyrup

    October 29, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Prayers and good thoughts sent to all of our Juiceboxes back east and for that matter everyone back east. Have a few FB people on my feed that are posting stuff like, “rethinking weathering the storm on Roosevelt Island” then getting angry at people who express concern. Ahhh, humanity.

  14. 14.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    Tweety’s crew is delirious. They think that an efficient response will make the fucking teabaggers see the err of their ways! As if.

  15. 15.

    EconWatcher

    October 29, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    At least in my part of Northern Virginia (Fairfax), this seems to be turning out to be a big nothing. Power still on, and wind forecast to begin slowing down in an hour. My best to all those harder hit.

  16. 16.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    Jesus, the people on CNN are all about to die aren’t they?

  17. 17.

    Yutsano

    October 29, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    A co-worker was kind enough to give me her reds shedoesn’t like, so I am now the proud owner of a Cab, a pinot noir, and a malbec. I think I’m set for my birthday tomorrow.

  18. 18.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    October 29, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    Power out since 5:30 in my corner of NoVa. Sitting in the dark drinking champagne and nibbling almonds and dark chocolate. The housecat was kneading her heated throw, hoping CPR would revive its warming properties, but now she is randomly zooming around and coming for reassuring skritches.

    Don’t think I’ll really go into Internet withdrawal until tomorrow morning.

    Wind about the same–30 mph gusting to 50 mph.

  19. 19.

    Redshift

    October 29, 2012 at 7:42 pm

    Power flickered once (in NoVA), but other than that it’s been fine. For a while, there was a drip in an odd place — near the peak of the roof next to the fireplace, and then oddly enough, it stopped. I hope it’s nothing serious; I’ll have to have a look up there after the storm.

  20. 20.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    October 29, 2012 at 7:42 pm

    Repost from previous thread:

    Just over the Mason-Dixon line in PA, we’ve had steady rain and ~30 mph winds, with higher gusts all afternoon. I’m estimating it from the Beaufort Scale as a 7, according to the evidence from trees and branches moving). Seems like an unending nor’easter on steroids to me.

    ETA Still have power and cable.

  21. 21.

    Hawes

    October 29, 2012 at 7:43 pm

    Sandy squats upon us like a flatulent sumo wrestler and the lights are flickering here in CT. I await the coming plunge into darkness and the return to the Dark Ages: War, Pestilence, Famine…. Death.

    Also, too, no Monday Night Football.

  22. 22.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:43 pm

    @EconWatcher:
    I’m in Fairfax. Have I mentioned that our living room is leaking?
    Also the siding came off the neighbor’s house and blew into our yard. We quietly put it back into their yard, in hopes that it might be a clue to check their siding–as when a piece of their roof came off in July, we did not do that and they seem to have no clue it happened.
    No we haven’t had any 4 story apartment buildings collapse, but that doesn’t mean this is a big nothing.

  23. 23.

    General Stuck

    October 29, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    Don’t nobody go fishing.

  24. 24.

    Hawes

    October 29, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    @Raven: Right, because if there’s one thing you can use to convince a Teatard of something, it’s empirical evidence.

  25. 25.

    Mary G

    October 29, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    I’ve just switched from the Weather Channel to MSNBC and I think I’ll change back. The difference in tone is amazing.

    Here in So Cal it’s 69 degrees and sunny. I feel a little guilty. I hope all of you are safe and sound either hunkered down or evacuated.

  26. 26.

    Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God

    October 29, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    Had a little electrical excitement outside earlier. Somehow they fixed it without cutting anybody’s power.

    Right now I’m feeling the house start to shake and list like an old ship in the wind, while the loathsome Chuck Todd lectures me on the political implications of hurricanes.

    Maybe the power will go out soon.

  27. 27.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    @anibundel: Keef Hartley Born to Die, smokin guitar.

  28. 28.

    John PM

    October 29, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    We have a high wind and flood advisery for downtown Chicago for the next 24 hours. My office is far enough away from the Lake so I do not have to worry about flooding, but 60 mph winds through the skyscrapers will make for tough going. Fortunately, I early voted for Obama and Tammy Duckworth today, so one less thing to worry about. Hope everyone on the East Coast comes through ok.

  29. 29.

    sfinny

    October 29, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    Very windy here just north of NYC. Power went on and off for a while, but has been OK for the last hour. Figured I would turn the computer on to check email and BJ while I still have it.

  30. 30.

    cathyx

    October 29, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    @Yutsano: Which will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd?

  31. 31.

    El Cid

    October 29, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    So is this finally Obama’s opportunity to activate all the ACORN-run FEMA camps and round up all the gun owners so that he can invite UN occupation forces to impose Shanana Law?

  32. 32.

    geg6

    October 29, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    It’s been raining all day, they say about an inch so far. We expect, when it’s all over (they say Thursday), we’ll have gotten another 5-6. Over the last hour, the winds have really picked up and it’s really blowing out there. Anticipated winds of 40-50 mph. Local weather says the worst will come through from 9pm to 9am. And this is in Pittsburgh!

    My OFA leader says we should all think about volunteering en masse for any disaster relief locally, at least until the worst is over. There will definitely be flooding of all the rivers and creeks and, with the Monongahela getting a foot of snow down in WVA, the big rivers (the Mon, the Allegheny and the Ohio) will hit flood stage, I’m guessing.

    I have a lot of friends who live in low lying riverfront neighborhoods and towns. I’m worried for some of them. If we don’t lose electricity and Beaver doesn’t lose electricity, I’ll call the local OFA and see if volunteers are needed and if we’re going to make a joint effort.

  33. 33.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    Wind speed has been increasing and rain also increasing where I am. No power problems. From my windows I can’t really see our grounds very well so I won’t know about downed tree branches and such until I can go out.

    Periodically it feels like my building is swaying. Weird sensation.

  34. 34.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    @PeakVT:
    Gawker is also down. But I assume that’s only ironically.

  35. 35.

    jnfr

    October 29, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    I live outside Denver, and other than a few bits of lingering snow from last week, the weather is calm and sunny. Supposed to get up into the 70s and stay warm all week.

    I’m watching the storm coverage because I have friends in the area of peril, but it’s weird to not be the one in a dangerous blizzard.

    I think the ocean is angry, not that I’m superstitious or anything (much).

  36. 36.

    GregB

    October 29, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    @Raven:

    I have already seen a Newt-memed photo that states: Obama didn’t come back for Benghazi but he rush back for Sandy!

    With a big picture of that pasty faced shitheel grinning from ear to ear.

  37. 37.

    Greg

    October 29, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    It wouldn’t be fair to attribute this position to Gov. Romney now, because he’s almost certainly had 14 different positions on it since then. Spin the roulette wheel again! (Not really a fair roulette wheel, though. It always lands on stupid.)

  38. 38.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    @GregB: Oh yea.

  39. 39.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 7:50 pm

    Battery Park now 12.54′ and still climbing. That’s a foot above what NHC and NWS predicted and still climbing at 2′ per hour. Half of that is normal tides. The other half is surge. High tide is in an hour or two so the rate of tidal increase should be diminishing now.

  40. 40.

    JGabriel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    The previous record for a storm surge in Manhattan was set in 1821 at 11.2 feet. It flooded the city up to Canal Street.

    The latest storm surge measure is at 12.75 feet, and high tide is still an hour away.

    .

  41. 41.

    redshirt

    October 29, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    @El Cid: About time. I’ve soooo been waiting for some good old Sharia Law.

  42. 42.

    guachi

    October 29, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Here in Laurel, MD (midway between DC and Baltimore) it’s been rainy (but not too bad) and windy (but not too bad). It’s not much worse than a typical all day rain.

    Lights flickered, but even that’s normal for any rain storm.

    My mother in Dover, DE got bombed with rain but it wasn’t very windy.

    Looks like flooding is going to be the worst thing we get, barring a power outage. Keeping fingers crossed.

  43. 43.

    Darkrose

    October 29, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Worried about y’all on the other coast.

  44. 44.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    @Raven:
    Seriously, Erin Burnett is slowly drowning before our eyes, and no one is doing anything about it.

  45. 45.

    tworivers

    October 29, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    I have to say, I’m a little less confident about Warren winning the MA senate than I was 2 weeks ago. I still think her chances are good, but I think some of Brown’s slimy dishonest attack ads (he’s got a new batch that are particularly appalling) have started their toll.

    Was down on the South Shore driving around Marshfield and Scituate and saw a lot of Brown for MA sings ( his catchphrase on the sign: “He’s for us” – which leads me to ask “Yeah, but who do you mean by “us”? Wealthy Republican suburbanites?).

    Am kinda burned out on elections at this point(and have volunteered for Warren on several occasions already), but this last week is going to count a lot, I think. No rest for the wicked (pissah liberal).

  46. 46.

    arguingwithsignposts

    October 29, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    @anibundel:

    Buzzfeed is down!
    Thankfully, I prepared for this by living in a house with multiple cats.

    Bwahahaha.

    That’s the best news I’ve heard all day!

  47. 47.

    Madeline

    October 29, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    Just got a robopolled by Rasmussen here in WI. The first half of the poll had you press one for O, and two for RMoney. Second half they switched it. Is that normal? I almost accidentally pressed one for Rmoney as better for the economy.

  48. 48.

    Yutsano

    October 29, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    @cathyx: I think I’ll drink the malbec first. Or last. It ain’t cheap.

  49. 49.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    From Dr. Jeff:

    As of 6 pm EDT, the storm tide at The Battery in New York City was 10.1′. The record is 10.5′, set during Hurricane Donna of 1960. That also happens to be the level the Lower Manhattan subway system will flood, unless the defenses have been improved since last year’s Hurricane Irene. High tide is at 8:53 pm. The rise in surge has slowed down, but the surge may not be slowing down fast enough to avoid record flooding in New York City.

    As of now it’s 12.5′, two feet above the record, and still climbing. According to him, that’s also 2′ above the level that will flood the subway system down there. If true, that’s not a couple feet of water to pump out, that’s floor to ceiling flooding for probably a hundred miles of subway lines, electrical rooms, work spaces, and so on. The amount of space carved out from below sea level in Manhattan is staggering.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    October 29, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    @Raven:

    Halfbreed is a great album. Find YouTube videos yourself. I’m out of action.

  51. 51.

    Ed in NJ

    October 29, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    Lights flickering, just waiting to lose power at this point. Very scary, high winds here in North/Central Jersey, but no flooding, thank FSM. Trees are swaying, parts of the siding are flying off the house. Wife and kids are scared. Trying to remain calm for them.

  52. 52.

    aimai

    October 29, 2012 at 7:59 pm

    @tworivers:

    I agree, its too close to call and the asshole vote is resurgent. The only thing to do is GOTV. I’m going to be doing it all weekend and poll watching/head counting on election day. We are going to drag every cambridge voter to the polls directly. But its going to take a lot to overcome the spite voters in the suburbs.

    aimai

  53. 53.

    Redshift

    October 29, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    @Madeline: I had that in one robopoll I got. I think it’s pretty common, since there’s a slight advantage to being listed first.

  54. 54.

    nellcote

    October 29, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    PBO and FEMA have been full on practicing for NYC hurricanes since 2009.

  55. 55.

    RossinDetroit, Rational Subjectivist

    October 29, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    I’m in Birmingham, Alabama & +2 cervezas.
    Headed home to Derroit in the morning after doing 2 hours’ work here. Getting through to a travel agency is a small hassle. Microscopic, actually compared to the challenges of those facing 20′ waves all of a sudden.
    I have confidence in our soc1@l1st governmental jack booted FEMA thugs to do their best, and deepest sympathies for those going through hell right now.

  56. 56.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    @Steeplejack (phone): I’ve got the vinyl and digital. Sacked is awesome with Mayall firing Keith.

  57. 57.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    As for that “Frankenstorm” name:
    http://bit.ly/SX1GVS

  58. 58.

    Redshift

    October 29, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    @EconWatcher: Are you sure? The forecast I just saw said the hurricane-force winds are supposed to start around 10pm.

  59. 59.

    22over7

    October 29, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Cantore was standing out at the Battery, and while the expert in the studio was yammering on and on and on, the water started to rise rapidly. Cantore kept trying to cut studio expert off, saying, “Really, I think I need to move my crew out of here.”

    Studio expert: “Well, yes, when we started talking, water wasn’t around your knees! That’s really interesting! Can you tell us, Jim, about….”

    Poor Cantore. He finally got rid of studio expert and, I’m sure, got himself and his crew the hell out of there.

  60. 60.

    Kool Earl

    October 29, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Christie using storm to take down a political foe? Many reports about Christie blasting Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford (who Christie has an ongoing battle with) for supposedly encouraging people in Atlantic City to take local shelter rather than evacuate, but according to this story, Langford did encourage people to evacuate

  61. 61.

    cathyx

    October 29, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    @Yutsano: Yes, definitely drink the best first, you’ll appreciate it more.

  62. 62.

    moonbat

    October 29, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    Hunkered down in South Philly after hearing the eye of the hurricane is headed straight for us. Supposedly it will be safe to stick our head out of doors by 7 a.m. tomorrow. Right now it sounds like a freight train wants to come in my bathroom window….

  63. 63.

    Larryb

    October 29, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Anne,

    German portmanteau word

    There’s another kind?

  64. 64.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    @JGabriel: The surge in Kings Point is over 16′ now. The long island sound really piles up when the storm comes in at just the right angle.

    Battery is now 13.04′. Jesus, what a mess.

  65. 65.

    JGabriel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    __
    __
    Storm Surge in Battery Park NYC up to 13.04 feet!

    .

  66. 66.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    October 29, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    @Raven

    I just have the CD. Used to have the LP.

  67. 67.

    General Stuck

    October 29, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    That second clip had the dumbest wingnut to be recorded in recent history. “people are worried about their power going out not about FEMA”. Iddiot.

    It is anything that might help people that comes from the federal government is what they can’t stand. Because it busts the narrative of self reliance as depicted in numerous John Wayne movies, specially in the 50’s.

    What these morons don’t get is that John Wayne was a big wimp that let John Ford stomp all over his fake man da manhood, and lead him around like his personal poodle.

  68. 68.

    James E. Powell

    October 29, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    @El Cid:

    So is this finally Obama’s opportunity to activate all the ACORN-run FEMA camps and round up all the gun owners so that he can invite UN occupation forces to impose Shanana Law?

    And then he’ll be yelling at us to Get a Job.

  69. 69.

    peej

    October 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    I’m in central Montgomery County, MD. I still have power (it’s blipped once), knock on wood. Not near any water that might flood. And the fact that I don’t have a basement is definitely a plus in this case. The power lines into our subdivision are buried, but the feeder lines into the area aren’t.

  70. 70.

    JGabriel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    __
    __
    ? Martin: Heh. Crossposted.

    I’m surprised my power is still up here in midtown, same neighborhood as the Empire State Bldg.

  71. 71.

    gwangung

    October 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    @anibundel:

    Seriously, Erin Burnett is slowly drowning before our eyes, and no one is doing anything about it.

    Should we?

  72. 72.

    Madeline

    October 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    @Redshift: Thanks – I thought it was a bit odd.

  73. 73.

    tworivers

    October 29, 2012 at 8:11 pm

    @aimai:
    I’m going canvassing this coming Saturday and will try to get time off from work next Tuesday to help get voters to the polls. You’re right that GOTV is probably going to be the difference in an election this close.

    Brown definitely ain’t running on his record – his campaign strategy has been exclusively focused on tearing Elizabeth down. Hopefully voters will recognize this and realize what an empty suit he is.

  74. 74.

    JenJen

    October 29, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    My favorite storm-related tweet so far comes via RuPaul:

    Upon her NYC arrival, #Sandy has requested that we now refer to her as Saundra

  75. 75.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    October 29, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    @Mary G: Don’t feel guilty, you may experience The Big One one day as well as anyone on the west coast, and we will get the support of the government and the help of the people*, and hopefully those loudmouths who constantly bitch about people living in regions where there are chances of disaster(whether it is a tornado, hurricane, high fire tsunamis or earthquakes) will have the decency to STFU.
    * That statement is dependent on the election of President Obama and any others who are not Ayn Rand/Shock Doctrine devotees.
    Oh BTW to be a Republican does one have to be an major league A-hole or born one?

  76. 76.

    PeakVT

    October 29, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    @anibundel: I don’t think I can throw her an anvil from here.

    ETA: Or did you mean help her not drown?

  77. 77.

    dmsilev

    October 29, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    Google says that the word Anne Laurie is looking for is “backpfeifengesicht”.

  78. 78.

    JGabriel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    Uh oh. My lights just blinked. Twice. I think a power outage might be coming soon.

  79. 79.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    We have a friend who lives right at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Based on this photo, I’m guessing his ground floor is wrecked. He evaced out to family up in VT.

  80. 80.

    redshirt

    October 29, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    Biggest difference for urban v. country storm happenings: Water. You don’t lose water during power outages in the city. In the country, you do. Which means not only no drinking water, but no toilet water, no showers, no dishes, no laundry. No water is a killer.

  81. 81.

    El Cid

    October 29, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    Alan Simpson endorses Bob Kerrey over Deb Fischer.

    “These ‘Tea Party’ types, they’re just all such crazy fuckers nowadays, even compared to me…”

    No wait, that’s not it, those were actually my words, not the august Senator from Crankystan and Reaganvania.

    Ah, here we go:

    Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson endorsed the uphill Senate campaign of Democrat Bob Kerrey in Nebraska Monday, describing his former colleague as a friend and someone willing to “place the national interest ahead of the howling special interests” in addressing the federal debt and entitlement reforms.
    __
    Recent polls show Kerrey closing in on Republican Deb Fischer, and the Simpson endorsement appears timed to give the Democrat an added boost in reaching out to independent and GOP voters in this last week before the election.
    __
    “We’ve had a long friendship going back to legislation we worked on together and the Danforth Commission,” Simpson told POLITICO, speaking of a 1990’s entitlement reform panel co-chaired by then Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) and Kerrey. “I said `Can I help?’ and I did.”…

    Simpson trusts that only Kerrey is the type of politician who could help slash properly reform Social Security and Medicare.

    “Erskine and I are supporting Bob Kerrey because he has told Nebraskans the honest truth about the critical necessity of assuring the 75-year solvency of the Social Security system, and stabilizing Medicare and Medicaid in a way that preserves and strengthens the needed protections for seniors and the most vulnerable in our society,” Simpson said in his statement released Monday.
    __
    “Bob and I often worked together in the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan way…He will place the national interest ahead of the howling special interests and be ready to make the hard, tough choices so needed today to rein in the destructive national debt and deficit and craft thoughtful solutions for these precious Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs in such a manner as to assure that they will “be there” for our children and grandchildren – and do it now – Before it’s too late.”

  82. 82.

    Richard Fox

    October 29, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    Wind is really howling in my neck of the woods, Prospect Park / Park Slope. I have a sinking feeling many trees in the park are going to be down. Hunkered down and just waiting for it all to die down. Ugh

  83. 83.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    @Lojasmo: Yes, we’ll plan a Seattle get together. If anyone is sober at the Montlake Ale House election night I’ll even see if we can talk about it then.

  84. 84.

    burnspbesq

    October 29, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    What was that German portmaneau word for “a face that cries out for a fist in it”?

    Republikaner.

  85. 85.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Oh, yes. We Californian’s know our day of reckoning is coming. And for us, it’ll be an earthquake combined with a massive wildfire along with unexpected mudslides – all at the same time.

    On the upside, it’ll be sunny and warm with no biting insects, so we’ll be fine.

  86. 86.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    October 29, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    No word from John Cole for many hours – is power out in that part of WVA, or is he known to be up to something else?

  87. 87.

    Davis X. Machina

    October 29, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    @tworivers: That’s the Irish Riviera. They’re Republicans because You Know Who are Democrats. Plymouth County luurrrvs Brownie.

  88. 88.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    @Richard Fox: I like the wundermap. Shows various weather stations. Most of Brooklyn only shows ~20mph, but out at JFK they have 50

  89. 89.

    PeakVT

    October 29, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    NYC traffic cams are here. A lot of the ones in the Financial District are down, but some on West Street appear to show standing water on the road. The quality is abysmal, though, so its hard to say how much.

  90. 90.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    Looks like the tidal surge may be close to cresting. 13.26′. Only going up about .05′ per 6 minutes, as opposed to .2′ per 6 minutes just half an hour ago. High tide is in 40 minutes, and the surge from the storm barely increased in the last few measurements. Should start dropping within an hour.

    But damn, they were way low on their estimate.

  91. 91.

    MonkeyBoy

    October 29, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    I was out doing some normal shopping and noticed people stocking up on toilet paper.

    Why? I guess some people are really phobic/fetishistic about their bathroom habits and if society breaks down for a few days (e.g. my local supermarket can’t sell anything when the power goes out) at least they will be prepared to wipe their asses even when they have no heat, power, or water.

    Toilet paper hoarding seems to be a self-fulfilling problem. If there is a run on toilet paper then maybe you should get some before it all runs out or is no longer buyable.

    Some say that when society truly breaks down toilet paper will be a high valuable commodity, tradable for canned food, guns, ammo, and wimmen.

  92. 92.

    burnspbesq

    October 29, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    Holy crap. NYT:

    At 2:30 p.m., a crane at 157 West 57th Street snapped, leaving tons of metal dangling precariously over 1,000 feet above the ground, with no evident way to secure it with the storm bearing down.

  93. 93.

    weaselone

    October 29, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    @tworivers:

    It’s not exclusively based on attacking Warren. He’s also running on a hypothetical record on women’s issues. He’s proclaims himself for equal pay because he would have voted for Lily Ledbetter given the chance and is pro-choice. His actual voting record is mixed regarding abortion and he voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act.

  94. 94.

    Poopyman

    October 29, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    @JenJen: Shaved her legs and then He was a She?

    We’ve reached a sort of stasis here. Periodic surges of rain with gusting winds for a minute or two, then subsiding back to the dull roar. And we still have power! I think the main threat to the grid now is the soaking rains when the wind is still high. I’ll be really surprised if we still have power come sunrise.

    But it sounds like we’re having a walk in the park compared to NYC.

  95. 95.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    And my SIL has resorted to digging irrigation trenches to try and save her basement from flooding further.

  96. 96.

    anibundel

    October 29, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    Why I Love Nate Silver:
    RT @fivethirtyeight CAN’T BELIEVE METEOROLOGISTS USED MATH AND SCIENCE TO PREDICT THIS STORM. THEY MUST BE MAGIC WIZARDS.

  97. 97.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    October 29, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    @? Martin: As an Washingtonian it will be Earthquake, mixed with volcanic activitiy producing a monstrous lahar or tsunami hitting the coast. And still the Seahawks will find a way to lose a game or the Mariners still can’t hit the broad side of the barn, even when they moved the fences in some more at Safeco. :-)

  98. 98.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    @Madeline:

    The first half of the poll had you press one for O, and two for RMoney. Second half they switched it. Is that normal?

    Yeah, standard practice is to randomize for each question.

  99. 99.

    Baud

    October 29, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    @MonkeyBoy:

    I read somewhere that the first draft of Dune was about toilet paper, but the publishers made Frank Herbert change it.

  100. 100.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    October 29, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    @MonkeyBoy: Which reminds me, how could people look fabulous on that TV show Revolution?

  101. 101.

    Baud

    October 29, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    @anibundel:

    You mean meteorologists don’t read David Brooks to determine whether Sandy is surging or has momentum?

  102. 102.

    Hill Dweller

    October 29, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    Why is Chuck Todd still pretending Mitt-mentum exists?

  103. 103.

    Comrade Mary

    October 29, 2012 at 8:33 pm

    Tree kills pedestrian in Queens.

    Piece of Staples sign kills woman in Toronto. And it’s just wet and windy here, not as bad as you guys on the east coast.

  104. 104.

    ? Martin

    October 29, 2012 at 8:33 pm

    @burnspbesq: There are many difficult or impossible problems to solve when a storm is bearing down. Sometimes it just sort of works out.

    Work began immediately, and continued around the clock for three months. Welders worked all night, and carpenters labored during the day. In case of imminent disaster, an evacuation plan was put in place for the surrounding area, but the general public knew nothing of the circumstances… the press was on strike at that time, so news of the repairs did not disseminate to the populace. About halfway into the repairs Hurricane Ella formed, and it appeared to be on a collision course with Manhattan, but fortunately the storm veered out to sea rather than testing the limits of the half-repaired building. The reinforcements were completed in September of 1978, and the entire structure was re-evaluated for safety. Following the repairs, the building was found to be one of the most sturdy skyscrapers in the world. Despite the success, the crisis was kept hidden from the public for almost twenty years, until an article appeared in the New Yorker in 1995.

  105. 105.

    Shana

    October 29, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    @EconWatcher: From your mouth to god’s ear (as my truly wonderful mother-in-law is wont to say). I’m in Fairfax County too. We’ve had a couple of blips on the power front and are hoping that’s it too. Although we’ve gone away for the weekend and come back to all our appliances flashing when there was no weather issues at all, so who knows.

  106. 106.

    Poopyman

    October 29, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Same way cowboys on the old Westerns never had to pee.

  107. 107.

    nellcote

    October 29, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    @burnspbesq:

    yeah, it looks like a huge swinging dick over 57th St.

  108. 108.

    RossinDetroit, Rational Subjectivist

    October 29, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    Holiday Inn WiFi blows. I give up. Going to sleep. Have another 6:00 am flight. Second day in a row.

    Stay safe, everyone.

  109. 109.

    Robin G.

    October 29, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    Does anyone know what’s happening with the NYC subways?

    Also, Cole really needs to pop his head in and announce he’s alive. Once the ladyfriend gives him a break.

  110. 110.

    Felinious Wench

    October 29, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    You guys stay dry and take care. I’m in Houston, raised in Galveston…may the Storm Gods be appeased soon for you!

    The sound of the wind is scariest. Sounds like its alive and breathing.

  111. 111.

    SFAW

    October 29, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    @? Martin:

    Kings Point? You must have heard it on the news, because I can’t believe they’d let a BJer live there.

  112. 112.

    Shana

    October 29, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    @anibundel: Sounds like your neighbors should be in an apartment instead of a house, if they are so unaware of what’s happening to the outside.

  113. 113.

    dead existentialist

    October 29, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    @JGabriel: Holy shit! The storm has taken your trademark period.
    Here
    .

  114. 114.

    SFAW

    October 29, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    @Yutsano:

    Happy birthday, kid. And always try to stay as totes adorbs as you are.

  115. 115.

    feebog

    October 29, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    Watching Big Ed on MSNBC and one of the first clips was of his Bigness, Chris Christy. He had nothing but praise for FEMA. Said President Obama called him about 2:00 p.m., just the two of them on the phone. Obama asked Christy if he had everything he needed and Christy told him he had. Obama told him if he needed anything in the next 48 hours to call him directly and call him first, no middlemen.

    Martin O’Malley from Maryland was just on as well. Same message. It occurs to me that a quick, competent federal response to this mess might just remind a few undecided folks who has their back. Just sayin’.

  116. 116.

    Another Halocene Human

    October 29, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    @Madeline: Sounds like they’re trying to control for the bias towards pressing the first option, but are too cheap to actually call enough voters, resulting probably in a lot of botched responses.

  117. 117.

    SteveinMD

    October 29, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    About 15 miles south of Baltimore we’re having a hell of a lot of wind and rain, but we still have power. Friends in several cities just south of here are not so lucky. We’re enjoying the lights and TV/internet while they last, and there’s a 9-week-old kitten in my lap who couldn’t care less about the big tree swaying around out behind the house.

  118. 118.

    Baud

    October 29, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    @feebog:

    Chris Christie doesn’t want to have to wait until 2020 to run for president. Expect him to be Obama’s biggest fan for the next week.

  119. 119.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    @burnspbesq: Yes, JGabriel noted in two threads below. The crane was inspected on Friday and passed. They have turned off electricity and gas in the area for fears that the crane will fall.

  120. 120.

    Anoniminous

    October 29, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    Tried to get information from various live streaming TV sources and the screamy, frothy, drivel got to be too much.

    How can people watch that shit?

  121. 121.

    aimai

    October 29, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    @weaselone:

    Didn’t he cosponser the blunt amendment? That’s not a mixed record on women’s issues–that’s a horrendous record. Fake votes to appease the MA constitutents don’t count for squat when your real votes are like the blunt amendment one, or trying to shiv financial regulation.

    aimai

  122. 122.

    Angela

    October 29, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    @Ed in NJ: Ed where are you? We have a house in Morristown that we have rented out, with an old tree in the back and I am kind of worried about the tree.

  123. 123.

    SteveinMD

    October 29, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    Oops, spoke too soon. A piece of that tree just fell on my barbeque during a particularly good gust.

  124. 124.

    El Cid

    October 29, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    We need to unskew the meteorology!

  125. 125.

    BonnyAnne

    October 29, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    Everyone in the tall ship community is glued to the latest news about the Bounty. I’ve got my own opinions about the ship but that’s neither here nor there when two crew go over the side in a hurricane.

    It’s sad for me in a more personal way than the rest of the weather-related news (don’t know anyone on the east coast). Didn’t sail with either of them myself, but everyone’s just a single step away from each other on the boats.

  126. 126.

    PeakVT

    October 29, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    @feebog: See if they mention how Rmoney only called Republicans governors who might be affected. Of course, it’s pretty stupid for Romney to be bothering them in the first place, so in reality he treated the Republican governors worse.

    Also, somebody should tell Senator Brown that he’s a legislator, not a member of the executive branch. The most helpful thing he can do at this point is stay out of the way.

  127. 127.

    Rosie Outlook

    October 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    @General Stuck: Really? Titanic salvage? My son wanted to see that traveling Titanic exhibit and I unexpectedly found it absorbing. I was fascinated by the perfume samples that had held their scent after all those years.

    Wet, cold, and windy in lovely central Ohio. My power’s on; it has to get really ugly for this street to go out. Thank the Lord.

  128. 128.

    JenJen

    October 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    @Yutsano: Always, always, ALWAYS drink the Malbec first. Happy Birthday, love! Lord Stanley sends woofs and licks!

    @anibundel: I absolutely adore the way Nate Silver is laughing at his critics, aka the entire Beltway Media. He’s a mensch.

  129. 129.

    Soonergrunt

    October 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    @anibundel: Well, this IS Erin Burnett you’re talking about, so there’s probably the issue of desire to do something about it–or lack thereof.

  130. 130.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    @BonnyAnne: Were they not wearing harnesses? I realise they aren’t period acurate, but “one hand for the ship, one for yourself” only goes so far.

  131. 131.

    Another Halocene Human

    October 29, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    @Kool Earl: Gaslighting.

    Best response would be utter defiance from Atlantic City for his mendacity, culminating in epic GOTV in 2014 against anyone–including Ficus–who is run against him.

    Worst case scenario, Christie is betting correctly that AC will have such damaged infrastructure that the city leadership will look bad for months, the population will scatter, and Christie will win cheap points with low-info conservative sludge in the NJ electorate (who always hated AC anyway because Hispanics).

  132. 132.

    scav

    October 29, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    @MikeJ: I thought I heard it was a wave while evacuating to smaller boat, three over, one wrestled back.

  133. 133.

    Jeremy

    October 29, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    I think Elizabeth Warren will win. The Polling I have seen has showed her with a lead. At this point I can’t see Brown winning because he would have to get a large amount of Obama voters.

  134. 134.

    Roger Moore

    October 29, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    @? Martin:

    We Californian’s know our day of reckoning is coming. And for us, it’ll be an earthquake combined with a massive wildfire along with unexpected mudslides – all at the same time.

    That doesn’t sound right. First you get the wildfire, then you get the earthquake, and the mudslides wait until you’re starting to dig out, at which point they bury everything again. And you’re unfortunately only going to get the mudslide when it’s raining torrentially, so there won’t be beautiful sunshine.

  135. 135.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    @? Martin: A TV documentary was done on this incident. It was very interesting. Apparently, had the Citicorp building fallen, it would have gone down like a lever, straight down at a 45 degree angle, taking other buildings with it as it fell on top of them.

  136. 136.

    gex

    October 29, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Who are these people who think they are safe? I’m in the middle of the country in MN and we get wrecked by tornadoes and monster snow storms. Turns out weather events are everywhere!

  137. 137.

    Todd

    October 29, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    Velshi intends to drown.

  138. 138.

    Legalize

    October 29, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    Goddamn, friends posting pics on Facebook of Ave. C at 14th Street – cars under water.

  139. 139.

    Jay C

    October 29, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    20:52 here on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and outside of a few flickers of the lights, and disruptions of network broadcasting in favor of nonstop storm coverage, not much in the way of problems.

    And believe me, if having to reprogram the TiVo is the worst we have to deal with from a hurricane, we won’t be complaining……

  140. 140.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    @Robin G.: They are still shut down. No word on when they will restart running. See MTA website: http://www.mta.info

  141. 141.

    Rosie Outlook

    October 29, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    @Hawes: Your Internets are in the mail! *chortle*

  142. 142.

    Richard Fox

    October 29, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    @MikeJ: funny how it seems so much stronger than 20mph. But I trust that map over what I am hearing. Thanks for the info.

  143. 143.

    Cermet

    October 29, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    Most of my neigbors have lost power – we have it for now. By 2:00 AM, the center will pass a few mile NORTH (thank god) of us. Winds are bad only at times but the storm is 120-140 miles South-east of us in Maryland hitting poor NJ. Rain has been heavy but flooding isn’t too bad. Girlfriend thinks we will not make … sorry but can’t convince her otherwise. Hope we have power a little longer so I can activate the generator in the morning. That goodness someone is President who knows what they are doing!

  144. 144.

    West of the Rockies (formerly Frank W.)

    October 29, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    @Ed in NJ: Best wishes, Ed. Hang in there!

  145. 145.

    gwangung

    October 29, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    @Jay C: Well, knock on wood.

    But I hope we don’t hear ANY bellyaching over how this was overhyped. This was serious stuff, no fooling.

  146. 146.

    nellcote

    October 29, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    Anybody know if the building with the broken crane is a Trump property?

  147. 147.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    @Richard Fox: Here’s the detail from a wx station in Park Slope. the good news is the barometric pressure is on the way back up.

    There’s a wind speed history chart that shows it peaking between 50-60.

  148. 148.

    weaselone

    October 29, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    @aimai:

    Hard to call it anything but mixed regardless of the Blunt amendment. It is still absolutely misleading of him to call himself pro-choice and incredibly idiotic for factcheck.org to say it’s true because he said he was.

  149. 149.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    @Richard Fox: I looked at the map. What are the numbers in yellow circles? It seems that those might be wind speeds and they were all high in 50-60 area.

  150. 150.

    Mnemosyne

    October 29, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    And you’re unfortunately only going to get the mudslide when it’s raining torrentially, so there won’t be beautiful sunshine.

    Not necessarily — remember the Laguna mudslides in 2005, which happened about four months after the torrential rains? It took that long for the water to seep down into the ground and loosen the surface, apparently.

    ETA: Here’s the LA Times story about the same slide.

  151. 151.

    22over7

    October 29, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    @Robin G.:

    Weather Underground reports that subways are filling with water, fires have been reported, and they’ll be shut down at least until Wednesday, maybe longer.

    That’s all on the lower east side, so other areas may not be bad. Cantore stands astride the flood like a colossus.

  152. 152.

    PurpleGirl

    October 29, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    @nellcote: No, it’s not. And the crane was inspected on Friday and passed. It will (not) be fun to investigate what happened.

  153. 153.

    Richard Fox

    October 29, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    @MikeJ: Mike– thanks so much for the info. I am obliged.

  154. 154.

    El Cid

    October 29, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    None of this would have happened if not for the federal deficit.

  155. 155.

    Richard Fox

    October 29, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    @PurpleGirl: wind speeds were in the 50’s, the yellow circle looks like temperature. Stay safe, btw.

  156. 156.

    max

    October 29, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Nothing here – about as expected. Started raining yesterday afternoon, hasn’t stopped since. But never hard enough to flood. Wind came up around 5 pm and there was some minor house noise and that was about it. (The derecho was much much worse.) Power: no blips even. Supposed to be blizzard conditions up in the hills (‘…the hills are alive with the sound of random gunfirrreeeeeee….’) but only about 18″ up there. Not a big deal, except of course if you’ve lived around here all your life and have the memory capacity of a goldfish, which apparently many people around here do.

    The rescue dachshund is nervous but not near as freaked out as she is when they’re setting off the fireworks. (The other rescue dachshund is deaf so she doesn’t care, as long she gets her garbage and floor lint food.) The other not rescue dachshunds are annoyed that they didn’t get to go outside today. Outdoor kitty has holed up in the basement as he tends to do when the weather is bad. Because ladies, you can’t keep tomcat’s tomcat from catting about… unless it is uncomfy or something like that.

    NYC & NJ I see, on the other hand, are getting fucking creamed. OW. Hope this ends quickly and safely guys.

    max
    [‘Katrina Experience would be a good band name.’]

  157. 157.

    JenJen

    October 29, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    Great pic via @pourmecoffee on Twitter:

    Empire State Building shines in the dark like a boss.

  158. 158.

    Roger Moore

    October 29, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    I guess you’re right. Like most Angelinos, I use the term “mud slide” imprecisely to talk about debris flows, which are a much bigger local hazard and occur predominantly in recent burn zones during heavy rain.

  159. 159.

    RedKitten

    October 29, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    I’ve just realized something…if Obama does a fantastic job dealing with the damage in NYC, the teatards will bitch that it’s only because it’s a blue area and that if this had happened in a red state, he would have let them all drown. And if Obama botches the job, then EVERYBODY will bitch.

    Poor fucker just can’t win, can he?

  160. 160.

    Redshift

    October 29, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    @aimai: It’s like any other Republican in a moderate/liberal state or district — vote lockstep conservative when it matters, and he’s allowed plenty of dissenting votes when it won’t make any difference, and those are the ones he runs on.

    We just had that obnoxious Romney ad on TV here (okay, one of many) where a female voiceover talks about “they claim Romney opposes contraception, but it’s not true — he said…”

    And yes, Romney did say those things, because he’s been on every side of every issue, but that saying that makes statements about him “not true” is a flat-out lie. I doubt anyone’s buying it except people who are looking for an excuse, though.

  161. 161.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    @RedKitten:

    if Obama does a fantastic job dealing with the damage in NYC, the teatards will bitch…

    They’ll bitch that he sent the actual island of Manhattan to Kenya and replaced it with a chinese made replica full of people who will rush to Ohio to vote for the dusky usurper.

    Don’t try to use any logic to determine what republicans will whine about. They don’t.

  162. 162.

    BonnyAnne

    October 29, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    @MikeJ:

    I have no doubt that they were up to that point — also they all had their overboard Mustang suits, etc etc. No point in trying to be authentic when riding out a storm! Unfortunately the wave came at the worst possible time, when they were all struggling to climb into the two life rafts.

    As to whether they should have been there (rather than at the dock) is maybe not a topic I should go into today, what with the captain still being out there in the Atlantic somewhere. I will say, though: all the other east coast tall ships were strapped to docks. The ships were all in danger either way, but only option puts the crew out at sea.

  163. 163.

    tworivers

    October 29, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    @Redshift:

    It’s like any other Republican in a moderate/liberal state or district—vote lockstep conservative when it matters, and he’s allowed plenty of dissenting votes when it won’t make any difference, and those are the ones he runs on

    Yep. He’s only “bipartisan” when his vote won’t affect the outcome.

    When he voted with Dems for Dodd-Frank, he made sure the Dems watered the bill down (as if it wasn’t watered-down enough already) as a condition of his voting for it.

    That’s not to mention the fact that he listed Scalia as one of his favorite justices during one of the debates.

    I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t want a guy who admires Scalia in a position to potentially be a deciding vote for the next one or two Supreme Court justice nominations.

  164. 164.

    Raven

    October 29, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    @MikeJ: Christie has been very positive about the presidents response.

  165. 165.

    Anne Laurie

    October 29, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    @? Martin: Ugh. I worked on the 60th floor of Boston’s infamous John Hancock Tower all through the 90s, and while the mass damper had long since eliminated the giant-panes-of-glass-crashing-down-on-Copley-Pace issue, every breezy day still set the blinds swaying as the whole building ‘flexed’. I kept an extra set of SeaBands in my desk to offer seasick visitors… some of whom didn’t believe me until I told them to go check the water surfaces vibrating in the toilets.

    If I were king, all public architects would be required to live & work in every building they put up for at least a year, because so much of what looks ‘exciting’ and ‘vibrant’ on paper is just hellish for the eventual inhabitants to work with, or around.

  166. 166.

    MikeJ

    October 29, 2012 at 9:44 pm

    @BonnyAnne: If it were designed like a modern ship, I would say there’s no doubt that it should be out at sea. Since I know next to nothing about tall ships other than “ooh pretty” I don’t know the wisdom of it. There’s certainly less to run into at sea, but if that’s the way you’re going to go, you need to commit to staying on board.

  167. 167.

    JR

    October 29, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    I’m pretty sure the word you’re looking for is “schadenfucker.”

  168. 168.

    SFAW

    October 29, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    @Anne Laurie:

    I think the swaying of skyscrapers is the nature of the beast, because (if I remember correctly) the downside to making a tall structure overly-stiff is significantly greater. I think the Sears Tower (or whatever it’s called these days) used to sway a foot or two in each direction, when the wind blew.

    Re: the Hancock: one of my engineering professors said something about how its design was similar to an airfoil, and the negative pressure would help the windows to pop out. (Not sure the mass damper had an effect on window-pop.) He was a fairly sharp guy, but that does not necessarily mean he was correct.

    (Disclaimer: I more-or-less sucked at statics and structures, was significantly better at thermo, fluid dynamics, mass flow, so my assessment regarding a structural issue might be off.)

  169. 169.

    Lojasmo

    October 29, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    @MikeJ:

    Thanky! Someplace with gluten free food for Mrs. Lojasmo would be great.

    Also too, ale. (not gluten free) for me.

    Cheers

  170. 170.

    Haydnseek

    October 29, 2012 at 10:50 pm

    @nellcote: I’ve looked closely at the building and the crane, and can detect no fifteen-foot high tacky gold letters that spell “TRUMP,” so my guess would be no.

  171. 171.

    4jkb4ia

    October 30, 2012 at 3:19 am

    I got around to seeing the Daily Show interview with Nate, and this may be the best one of these I have seen. In the Charlie Rose interview Nate was being very serious and looking intently at the other pundits. In this one he was clearly having a good time and cracking jokes, and Jon Stewart actually had good questions although I’m not sure how much he actually talked about the book. Stewart got Nate to say that most campaign news is fake news. You couldn’t say that on Charlie Rose.

    (I am absolutely buying Nate’s book. I hope that Subterranean Books is going to carry it. I am in some panic that I won’t be able to start “Winner-Take-All Politics” before the election, but I should make it.)

  172. 172.

    SRW1

    October 30, 2012 at 5:57 am

    @dmsilev:

    Correct, though there is also the related option of “andere tragen ihren Arsch in der Hose”.

  173. 173.

    AnonPhenom

    October 30, 2012 at 6:52 am

    @dmsilev:

    Everyone, sing along!

  174. 174.

    Medicine Man

    October 30, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    The word you are looking for is backpfeifengesicht — face that is begging for a fist.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Image by MomSense (5/10.25)

Recent Comments

  • Ruckus on No Data, No Source, More Vibes (May 13, 2025 @ 3:41am)
  • Gloria DryGarden on Overnight Open Thread: This and That Plus Some Music (May 13, 2025 @ 3:37am)
  • Rusty on Overnight Open Thread: This and That Plus Some Music (May 13, 2025 @ 3:33am)
  • Gloria DryGarden on Overnight Open Thread: This and That Plus Some Music (May 13, 2025 @ 3:31am)
  • Baud on Overnight Open Thread: This and That Plus Some Music (May 13, 2025 @ 3:29am)

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!