Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

When I was faster i was always behind.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

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

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

You cannot shame the shameless.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

This really is a full service blog.

T R E 4 5 O N

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

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

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

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

“woke” is the new caravan.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

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Reader Interactions

192Comments

  5. 5.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Wait does that mean that the diet is to get him just small enough to drown him in the bathtub? Shame on you.

  7. 7.

    Spaghetti Lee

    I seriously wish I could put into the words the temptation I was experiencing when I took this picture:

    If I was him and you did that, I’d go straight for the nuts. One chomp and you’d be done for. And you’d deserve it too.

  8. 8.

    Maude

    He is such a cutie. It’s wonderful when they do that.
    A few drops of water wouldn’t cause bloodshed, if you move quickly.

  9. 9.

    Mary G

    Cats love leaky faucets. I used to have a 1923 claw-foot tub with faucets that refused to stop leaking no matter how many times I had them repaired or even replaced. My cat was in heaven.

  12. 12.

    Alison

    Heh, the bleeding – you ain’t kidding. One time when I had to give my old cat a bath, she scratched me up so badly I looked like I’d been wrapped in barbed wire and rolled down a gravel-covered hillside.

    And this was no simple bath. She’d walked under my brother’s shitty car…and through the pan collecting the dripping motor oil. Yeah. Motor-oil-caked cat fur. That was…a time.

  13. 13.

    donovong

    @blingee: According to Kos on Twitter, they are having issues with their web infrastructure, which is located in NYC, due to storm damage.

  14. 14.

    muddy

    I have succumbed to the temptation several times when my cats get in the tub. When the cold shower hits them they freak out and run off so fast I don’t think they connected it with me. Thus I was able to do it more than once. Then I hypocritically act all concerned, and offer to dry them with a towel. Oh, poor kittywitty, what happened?

  15. 15.

    Valdeyn

    My cat, Monkey, is a 8-9 lb runt (fully grown – she’s 11 years old now). I think Tunch would eat her…

    She has crawled into the shower a couple times. I’m not as scared of her sharp claws, so I did what all loving, caring cat owners would do in such a situation: I turned on that shower and watched her run as fast as she could to hide under a bed!

  17. 17.

    muddy

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    If I was him and you did that, I’d go straight for the nuts.

    I read the other day that honey badgers do that to lions, they run right underneath and rip their balls off.

  22. 22.

    Comrade Mary

    The mark of a truly crafty person: applying a fake fur cover to their bowling pin.

    (Yes, I read the rollover text.)

  23. 23.

    Garbo

    My google-fu is failing me. Anyone have a sense of what time we will know the outcome on election night? Not the official tally, but which state will seal the deal for PBO? Want to plan my drinking appropriately.

  24. 24.

    Robin G.

    I’ve done it to my cats once or twice. The blood loss is worth their expressions. (But I always wind up feeling so guilty that I snuggle their wet little bodies for an hour afterwards.)

    On my third 16 hour day of the week. Not off until next Wednesday. Might be too dead to properly appreciate the 80.3% chance of wingnut tears.

  25. 25.

    geg6

    @Valdeyn:

    OMG, you’re not Jeff Lewis, are you?

    And if you don’t know who Jeff Lewis is, don’t ask. It will embarrass me to explain.

  27. 27.

    RPh

    Oh, sweet death … it would become you.

    No more political ads … no more tea-bag worries.

    Tunch would be pleased … Lily would be sad until the next treat + walk(s), and Rosie would defecate near your corpse …. then play with it as JRT’s are wont to do.

    Your mom would be sad until your dad started bitchin’ about the clean up, and the pet adoption.

    Doug J would get to do whatever he wanted with the website. Tim F. Would be back to help.

    Imani would laugh her ass off at how you went. I expect 5 posts of derision … followed by a photo she would pull out for effect on many posts like Pierce does with “The Lake of Fail”.

    And, again, Tunch would be pleased.

    Miss anything?

  32. 32.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Comrade Mary: For such a simple joke it’s weird how much I’m still laughing at that. I think it’s just how accurate the image is.

    I also sort of think of a bota bag, the deelux fur-covered edition with feet.

  34. 34.

    Yutsano

    OMG. Ladyfriend would have found your body. Then laughed her ass off because you deserved it joik. Not to mention what wifey would do to you if she found out. Rusty pitchfork ain’t just a catchphrase you know.

  37. 37.

    mainmati

    We have two cats: one is a Jakarta cat (black and white with very little tail – genetic to Indonesian cats) who adopted us while we lived there. He thinks he is a dog; acts socially like a dog with people. And we have an adopted Maryland farm cat (female) who thinks she is “Henri” (see YouTube) but is ludicrously clumsy. The latter likes nothing more than leaping into the shower after the human occupant has vacated it to lap up the remnant water. Weird!

  38. 38.

    Rosie Outlook

    Recently we were subjected to “team-building” activities where I work (or try to, when I’m not forced to waste half the day playing stupid games). My fellow victims and I got to wondering why this foolishness appeals to the corporate mentality. Any ideas?

  39. 39.

    General Stuck

    No chance shrinking Tunch to the size of the government. He’s a full figured soshulist feline.

  40. 40.

    The Other Chuck

    My black cat Ninja used to like to get between the shower curtain and the tub wall when I was showering and let his tail poke out and get soaked. He stopped doing that but he still jumps in when I’m done showering and soaks his tail in the water that’s draining away.

    Weird cat.

  43. 43.

    geg6

    @Robin G.:

    See, this is why I’m not a cat person. I can’t imagine doing this to my Otis. I love him like I’d love a child who I’d waited for all my life (which he kinda is, since we weren’t allowed to have pets as a child and my ex wouldn’t let me have one either).

    For instance, he’s not as great when it comes to his hips any more, so we never take him out the side door, which has steps both inside and outside. So he waits, when I get home from work, at the top of the stairs for me most days. He got so excited today that he misjudged the stairs and fell down them and was sprawled out when I got inside the house. I was so afraid for him because he seemed to be hurt and not able to get up. I fell on my knees and petted him and tried to feel if he had any broken bones. It was terrifying. He’s a rescue that still, after 5 years, is anxious about being abandoned. After I got him up and I could see he was okay, I sat and cried and cried. If I’d turn water on him suddenly, he’d freak and all his old anxieties would be front and center. It would be a form of torture for him. I could never, ever, ever do that to him. Ever. I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone or anything as much as I love him. I mean, I love my John, but it’s different. I’d die for my Otis and would do anything to never give him a moment of anxiety.

    Cat owners seem to have a different relationship to their animals. I don’t doubt that they love them, but it’s a bit of a weird vibe for me, the way they seem to take pleasure in torturin each other.

  45. 45.

    Cacti

    Since it’s an open thread…

    The meta margin at PEC is up to +2.9% for Obama. EV projection is 319 O, 219 Mittens.

  47. 47.

    nellcote

    Iraq war contractor ordered to pay $85 million

    The Associated Press
    Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 | 5:08 p.m.

    A jury has ordered an American military contractor to pay $85 million after finding it guilty of negligence for illnesses suffered by a dozen Oregon soldiers who guarded an oilfield water plant during the Iraq war.

    The jury deliberated for just two days before reaching a decision Friday against Kellogg Brown and Root.

    The company was ordered to pay $6.25 million to each of the soldiers in punitive damages and $850,000 in noneconomic damages.

    The suit was the first concerning soldiers’ exposure to a toxin at a water plant in southern Iraq that they were assigned to guard. The soldiers said they suffer from respiratory ailments after their exposure to sodium dichromate, and they fear that a carcinogen the toxin contains _ hexavalent chromium _ could cause cancer later in life.

  49. 49.

    Comrade Mary

    @khead: Oh, I think dowsing with a cat would be a very, very bad idea. There would be all those pointy bits on your handles and the induced-incontinence-chute would be pointed right at your face.

    /checks spelling

    Never mind.

  50. 50.

    jibeaux

    @Rosie Outlook: It has always seemed to me that they’d get a lot more team building done just taking everyone to the beach and a nice seafood and beer lunch for a workday, but no one ever does that for me.

  51. 51.

    burnspbesq

    Did I miss it, or has Cole decided not to bellyache about the Steelers having to fly on the day of the game?

  54. 54.

    gex

    My cats will allow a small stream of water to run off their heads as they drink water from the sink. The current one will do that, then start drinking from the faucet.

  57. 57.

    eemom

    That is funny.

    I am an exclusively dog person by necessity since I’m fiercely allergic to cats (asthma). So it always interests me when I find out about their strange little cat habits. For example, I understand they have an affinity for computer keyboards. Dogs can’t do that.

  58. 58.

    dr. bloor

    @jibeaux: Consultants can’t make any money off that option, which is to say, it ain’t gonna happen.

    Passing balloons, sharing childhood memories, falling back into your coworkers arms–it sounds silly, but if you’re charging five bills an hour for advice like that, it must work, right?

  59. 59.

    geg6

    @burnspbesq:

    Better to fly in the day of the game than to be a Giant without electricity, heat, or the stress of being in the middle of it all. We’ll see. Though our Steelers have not been at their best this year, what with so many injuries and all.

    Sorry, I just can’t help defending my Steelers. I don’t wish what New Yorkers or New Jerseyians have been through the last week.

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    @The Other Chuck:

    When I lived in an apartment with a shower curtain, my late great cat Boris would sit on the edge of the tub and peer around the curtain to make sure I was okay with all of that water pouring down on me. We started calling him Safety Officer Boris since he had clearly put himself in charge of making sure we survived taking a shower.

    @geg6:

    It’s because we all suspect that our cats would be happy to kill and eat us if only they were big enough. That said, I have never turned the water on any of my cats when they were in the bathtub, though I probably should have tried it when Keaton decided the tub was the most awesomest litterbox ever.

  62. 62.

    pseudonymous in nc

    The closeout ad for Pat McGroin McCrory just showed up on the evening news commercials. He’s such a creepy fucker.

    @Garbo:

    My google-fu is failing me. Anyone have a sense of what time we will know the outcome on election night?

    The gobshites on Washington Week suggested midnight, but I think that’s about right. West Coast closes at 8pm local, 11pm Eastern, so you’ll probably have earlyish calls there while Mrs Joyce Ballotrigger (R) of Bumfuck County Election Board in Ohio is still working out which floppy disk she saved the results from a dozen precincts.

  63. 63.

    Soonergrunt

    @blingee: According to their Facebook feed, it’s secondary to Sandy.
    Like a lot of websites served from the east coast.
    ‘We’re still experiencing connectivity issues while ConEd restores power. We’ll get back up as soon as we can.”

  64. 64.

    gvg

    Turkish Vans are the swimming cats and plenty of people have pointed out he looks like one. Have you actually checked that he dislikes water?
    Most of my cats have preferred to drink from moving water. This used to mean they jumped on top of the aquariums and tried to drink from the nice filtered running water. I had a screen top collapse and drop a childhood cat in. I’m afraid I laughed. she looked so comical. I used to raise guppies and the stupid fish were attracted to water movement. This meant they were attracted to cats tongues lapping water. the babies are small enough to drink by accident. One cat became so picky about her water after I was out of aquariums that I considered buying her a small one just to drink out of.
    It takes a great deal of self control not to misuse an electric water gun. I discovered they are excellent for teaching them to stay off the table because they don’t even realize it’s you doing it-seems mysterious act of god to them. No sulky looks or anger. The problem is my father never grew up about gadgets. He was inviting his coworkers (engineers) over to show off the then new gadget and tormenting my cat. I had to hid it. The cat WAS funny and it was tempting. More than 20 years ago.
    There are funny youtube videos about cats and water. quite a few are not afraid. i recall a cat happily putting itself under a running kitchen sink faucet. Very strange.

  65. 65.

    geg6

    @eemom:

    Chihuahuas can. The daughter of my John has a chihuahua who has no problem with the idea that a keyboard is a great place to put her ass.

  66. 66.

    Yutsano

    @Comrade Mary: Dan Pink is kinda hawt for an economist too. And I owe my great RSA love to Anne Laurie of course. I love the one on crises of capitalism. It’s a great Marxist critique on the 2008 crash. I can’t recall who does it now.

  67. 67.

    Redshift

    @Garbo: Ohio is almost certainly the one to watch, especially if Obama has won Virginia (which seems reasonably likely at this point) and definitely if he has won Florida (which is looking not out of the question.)

    Polls close in Ohio at 7:30 Eastern.

  68. 68.

    tesslibrarian

    @geg6: Even though I’m a cat owner, I’m with you. I do nothing that might upset my little beasties, and feel guilty when I do ( other than making them wait for regular meal time to be fed). But some do have a spy vs spy relationship with their cats. I’m not sure what causes that.

  77. 77.

    Redshift

    @pseudonymous in nc: They won’t officially call (“project,” I mean) the race until the polls close in California (because it pisses people off), but it won’t be anywhere near midnight. They won’t need to look at the ballots to project a winner in California, so it’ll get called seconds after 11pm EST.

    But Garbo wasn’t asking about the official call, just when we can relax and start the serious drinking celebration. That’s Ohio, IMHO.

  82. 82.

    Yutsano

    @Comrade Mary: All’s I can say is after watching that RSA I wanted to put in my visa application to Australia and apply at Atlassian. Curse you durn Dominion/Commonwealth dwellers!! :)

  83. 83.

    geg6

    @Garbo:

    I know. Me, too. But Zoila is awesome

    @tesslibrarian:

    Oh, I’m so glad to hear that! Too many people here freak me out, the way they seem to take such joy in freaking their cats out. I’m sure it’s not as horrible as I perceive it, but the whole thing just is too sadistic for me.

  85. 85.

    Birthmarker

    Last go around, we left the watch party, then heard Ohio and the race called for O on the car radio. One of the more exciting moments of my life!!

  86. 86.

    trollhattan

    @danah gaz:
    I’m guessing Tunch somehow got in there two days ago and can’t get out. How could he? Also, too, I think his body is reabsorbing his legs, which seem oddly short, like a Darwin fish.

  88. 88.

    Birthmarker

    @geg6: I’ve had cats that were pretty sadistic. It’s just water–I would never risk actual harm/danger to an animal.

  89. 89.

    parsimon

    I seriously wish I could put into the words the temptation I was experiencing when I took this picture

    You know, while my first impulse was “Noooo, don’t turn on the shower!” …

    moments later I was faced with a ongoing online pest on whom I’d really like to turn on the shower.

    John Cole, you capture my interests in a way I otherwise try to tamp down. Thanks.

  90. 90.

    Garbo

    Thanks, all, for the assistance. The Virginia/Ohio/Florida nexus is what I’m looking for.

    Next, what are everyone’s celebration plans? I’m going to take the day off and perhaps do a movie marathon…SkyFall, Flight, Argo. All enjoyed in the sweet knowledge that my popcorn is flavored with Mitt’s salty tears.

  91. 91.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @nellcote:

    I used to work in an electroplating shop and the protocol for using the chrome plating tank was rigorous. Hexavalent chromium is nasty stuff, very carcinogenic. The ventilation hood and filtration system is there for a reason, you don’t want to breathe it. The chromium bath is heated so it steams, releasing toxic vapors. The rinsing process used is called “dragback”, which fills the main tank via the two rinse tanks, keeping the chromium in the system.

    I’m glad that the soldiers are being compensated well, they probably have a miserable health future ahead of them.

  92. 92.

    John O

    Headline for Nov. 7: Electorate to Romney: We’re Just Not That Into You.

    The guy wants it so bad he’ll probably run again in ’16.

  93. 93.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Redshift:

    But Garbo wasn’t asking about the official call, just when we can relax and start the serious drinking celebration. That’s Ohio, IMHO.

    Yeah. Polls close in Ohio at 7:30pm ET, and if you’re in line then, you get to vote. Let’s assume that they’re still going to be checking their state-issued abacuses in Ohio when the west coast closes.

  94. 94.

    muddy

    My niece had a cat who loved to play with streams of water with her paw. One night there was a party, and the cat kept accompanying people to the bathroom, in hopes. Then there was some panic amongst some of the guys, because the cat was trying to reach into their personal streams.

    Their fears were not allayed by finding out the cat’s name was Stubby.

  96. 96.

    Garbo

    Based on Rachel’s show, both Ohio and Florida will be ballot counting shitshows because they have Repugs dicking around with voting hours, absentee ballots, etc. but it looks like a Virginia win will give me the comfort I need to get hammered.

  100. 100.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    OMG, Erick, Son of Erick, has a post up at Redstate where he sounds soooooo depressed:

    People on the left are convinced if Mitt Romney wins blacks will be put in chains out in cotton fields and uteruses will be locked up.
     
    People on the right are convinced if Barack Obama wins the stars and stripes will come down, the red banner of communism will go up, and this American experiment will be promptly concluded.

    Which he follows with:

    My world view is pretty simple. I think this world is destined to go to hell in a hand basket by design. I think things are supposed to go to pot. So if Barack Obama wins, I won’t be upset. If Mitt Romney wins, I won’t be running through the streets cheering. I think, either way, it is all part of the design. The world is going down hill. Barack Obama re-elected just gets us down the slippery slope faster in my view. For others, it is Mitt Romney who does.

    So it’s lose-lose, no matter what! Now that ought to rev up the Rmoney White Horse support! So what does Erick say next? This:

    God is sovereign and He is in charge and He will return. That is my hope and my ever present expectation.
     
    We often get so wrapped up in the view of things at ground level, we forget to look at the world from 50,000 feet. In the historic, grand scheme of things, this too will end.

    Yup, why worry when God is going to come and save the day! Eventually. Being a member of the Apocalyptic Death Cult of Christ sure is depressing.

  103. 103.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Via Nate Silver’s twitter feed, this is a fantastic infographic on what’s needed to win the electoral college.

    God is sovereign and He is in charge and He will return. That is my hope and my ever present expectation.

    That’s some mighty fine Georgia eschatology. Can we have your car, Erick?

  104. 104.

    pseudonymous in nc

    A friend of mine once came up with a fantastic little business proposition: post-Rapture pet adoption. “We’re sinners, you’re going to be saved, but we really like pets, so pay us $10 a month and we promise to look after Miss Fluffy when the Rapture comes.”

  105. 105.

    MikeJ

    @Rosie Outlook:

    My fellow victims and I got to wondering why this foolishness appeals to the corporate mentality. Any ideas?

    I once had the opportunity to shoot Steve Case in the balls at a paintball outing.

  107. 107.

    Hill Dweller

    Apparently Willard had a big rally in Ohio(probably bused a bunch of people in from other states), but an AP reporter on twitter is saying Condi Rice was a no-show, there was a really low energy level, and people were steadily streaming out during Willard’s speech.

    ETA: There is also a rumor on twitter that a Phoenix area station(KPNX TV) is reporting the Republican Secretary of State deactivated 600,000 voters.

  108. 108.

    Garbo

    Just saw final poll from Connecticut that confirms irredeemable goblin, Linda McMahon, is going to lose badly. How much of her ill-gotten fortune did she piss away this time?

  110. 110.

    Garbo

    I once had the opportunity to shoot Steve Case in the balls at a paintball outing.

    Now that’s some corporate motivation!

  111. 111.

    The Dangerman

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    God is sovereign and He is in charge and He will return. That is my hope and my ever present expectation.

    This should be Exhibit A on why Religion and Politics should not mix as well as the wisdom of our Founders to create a secular nation.

  117. 117.

    PeakVT

    @Garbo: Almost as much as last time, when all is said and done. I think the tally so far is $42M. She’s still a piker compared to Meg Whitman, though.

  118. 118.

    Mnemosyne

    @Redshift:

    He was awesome, and I miss him lots. He was poisoned by Natural Balance cat food (they were buying their rice gluten from China so it was laced with melamine) and I’m still very bitter about it. But he was already 14 at that point in 2007, so there’s no guarantee he would be with me today anyway.

    @geg6:

    You also have to take into account that cats seem to really enjoy freaking us out (by, say, suddenly coming to alert in the middle of night until you’re convinced the Night Stalker is definitely outside the window, and then curling up and going back to sleep), so some people feel it’s payback.

  121. 121.

    DCLaw1

    By the way, Nate Silver odds of Obama victory up to 82.7% tonight.

    The days of Democratic angst over Obama descending to 60% on Silver’s forecast seem a lifetime away. Oh, and remember Sullivan’s (and many Democrats’) moaning about Obama’s first debate performance? Good times.

  122. 122.

    Mnemosyne

    Poor G is standing at the Apple store trying to get someone, anyone to sell him a Mac Mini. This is the problem with the “let’s get rid of the cash register and just have roaming salespeople” model — none of the employees wants to actually go in the back to get the stuff that’s not self-serve.

  123. 123.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @The Dangerman:

    No shit. Can you imagine if one of these fuckers got their finger on the button? All they worry about is if Muslims get The Bomb, ignoring the threat the True Believers pose to the rest of the world.

    Blind fucks.

  125. 125.

    CA Doc

    At a meeting today, David Wasserman from the Cook Political Report gave an inside baseball talk that was great. Bottom line: Obama wins, Dems hold Senate and gain seats in House but not enough to get majority. I can live with that, considering the alternative. Good news for the ACA, which is what my crew cares most about.

  126. 126.

    Tokyokie

    @nellcote: Aaaargh!!!!! Sodium dichromate is NOT a toxin! It’s a poison. Toxins are produced through the biological processes of living organisms, but for some reason, reporters have decided “toxin” is a friendlier-sounding synonym for “poison.” Call it what it is, dagnabit.

    And hell, my Siamese Marvin likes to SLEEP in the shower. (He also will get between the shower curtains while we’re showering, just to keep a (crossed) eye on us. The spousal unit will turn the shower on when he’s in there and she wants to use the shower, but I’ll pick him up or lure him out because Marvin’s my (not so) little buddy.

  127. 127.

    lol

    @John O:

    Florida didn’t get called for Obama until later in the night, well after Ohio and the Presidency overall had been called for Obama. Why on earth would it get called before Ohio in 2012?

    I think Obama’s going to pull it out in Florida myself but we’re not going to know until after midnight eastern time at best.

  129. 129.

    DCLaw1

    What I find remarkable is how, every time Obama struggles or has a major challenge – and I mean every single time – the closeted Hillary supporters from 2008 pop up to shriek their laments. Then, when Obama wins or overcomes his challenge, they fall silent again, just waiting for the next opportunity to say some version of “I told you so!” Obnoxious.

  131. 131.

    Hill Dweller

    @DCLaw1: The Condi Rice no-show is interesting. It comes a few days after her defending Obama against the wingnut Benghazi attacks.

    I think you’re right. She can’t stand the stench coming off that campaign.

  133. 133.

    trollhattan

    @Tokyokie:
    Heh, one of my pet peeves. Worser is toxic as a noun: “Say, would you pass the toxics, please? There’s a good fellow.”

  134. 134.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @DCLaw1:

    By the way, Nate Silver odds of Obama victory up to 82.7% tonight.

    That’s more “convergence to the nowcast”, idea being that there aren’t many Things that can get in the way. Unless the polls show pretty radical changes, it’s going to be an uptick of a tenth or two every day, and ~84% is probably going to be the final number.

    @Mnemosyne:

    Poor G is standing at the Apple store trying to get someone, anyone to sell him a Mac Mini.

    They half-expect him to have the Apple Store buy-it-yourself app on the iOS device that he already owns. Which is fine for true believers (he said, with his MacBook and iPod touch) but not ideal.

  135. 135.

    The Dangerman

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    …the threat the True Believers pose to the rest of the world.

    I have no problem with the True Believers, whatever the Religion or Philosophy, that keep it in their respective Churches, Temples, Mosques, etc. Belief has a place…

    …and politics (as well as science and education) ain’t it.

  137. 137.

    Geoduck

    @Hill Dweller:

    ETA: There is also a rumor on twitter that a Phoenix area station(KPNX TV) is reporting the Republican Secretary of State deactivated 600,000 voters.

    You can see the report on the station’s website.
    If I understood correctly, yes, they have ~600,000 voters on this “deactivated” list of people who failed to keep their info current, but it’s been around for X number of months, and not something the SoS just flipped a switch on. A SoS spokesperson interviewed claims that no one on the list will be turned away, but they will be given a provisional ballot. The “deactivated” voter whom the piece focused on was able to get off the list. So, shrug. Not sure what’s really going on.

  139. 139.

    seaboogie

    Tunch kind of looks like a sheep before shearing, except that (being a cat-servant myself)I know that all that bulk isn’t wool. How did he get out of the tub?

  140. 140.

    James E. Powell

    I am inclined to see Virginia as a bellwether. The constituencies that Obama needs to get a win there aren’t that different from the constituencies he needs for a victory in Ohio. In fact, if he does win Virginia, I would expect his Ohio margin to be double that in Virginia. Also too, in a similar way, I want to see New Hampshire go for Obama, an early sign that there aren’t enough living ‘moderate Republicans’ to have any impact on the election.

    Like many of you, I expect the brazenly partisan Secretaries of State in Ohio and Florida to cause the vote counting to drag into the early morning hours. It is my hope that neither state becomes necessary to Obama’s re-election because the Republicans still own the supreme court.

  141. 141.

    Mnemosyne

    @pseudonymous in nc:

    He is currently detailing his 60 FULL MINUTES of waiting around trying to get someone to sell him a computer in response to their chipper “how was your buying experience in our store?” automated e-mail.

    Someone is not going to have a happy Monday morning.

  142. 142.

    Maeve

    last time around I was in the dem office in a small town in SW Alaska (actually a “biggish” town for alaska with a populaiton of 9000, -4 from the east coast) and we were calling our call list but everyone had voted so we gave up.

    Ohio (or some such eastern state, in any case a state which made it obvious, watched on streaming video because our local “office” couln’dt afford cable) was called and we whooped and celebrated.

    I still take personal credit for electing Begich (Dem at least, mavbe a DINO but at least a dem regardless of what you say) because it went into “overtime” counting absentee and early voting and when I heard there were about a 1000 votes in our district from early voting I knew we had it since I’d spent a couple of months canvasing and getting early voting. And it was so.

  143. 143.

    jimmiraybob

    … wasn’t afraid of bleeding out before 911 responded, I would have done it.

    Excellent situational awareness and judgement. When I was young, I gave a cat a bath. So much different than giving a dog a bath. I’m older now for a reason.

  144. 144.

    Cacti

    If Rmoney loses Virginia, he probably won’t win.

    If he loses Ohio, he almost certainly won’t win.

    If he loses Florida, he definitely will not win.

    So, which of the 3 gets called first?

  145. 145.

    Redshift

    @lol:

    Florida didn’t get called for Obama until later in the night, well after Ohio and the Presidency overall had been called for Obama. Why on earth would it get called before Ohio in 2012?

    Oh, right. I get overexcited and forget these things.

  147. 147.

    FlipYrWhig

    Aw, this pic reminds me of my similarly-proportioned white cat (with the aftermarket black tail instead of Tunch’s orange) whose kidneys failed in August. He would squawk and insist that the faucet run, and then he’d at least half the time end up getting so excited he’d have hiccups.

  149. 149.

    trollhattan

    @CA Doc:
    Thanks. Wow, I’d consider a Bera win to be quite a coup–don’t know if it’s the most hotly contested house race in the country, but certainly in the top few. I’m in an adjacent district, so it’s more than a passing interest.

  150. 150.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I was bored for a second and switched to Faux Entertainment Nooz where insHannity called Bruce Springsteen “a former drug dealer”.

    I would soooo like to see Bruce punch that ass in the face.

  151. 151.

    Cacti

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    I was bored for a second and switched to Faux Entertainment Nooz where insHannity called Bruce Springsteen “a former drug dealer”.

    I’d love to see Chris Christie run over Hannity for a chance to talk with Springsteen.

  154. 154.

    Another Halocene Human

    @Rosie Outlook: Recently we were subjected to “team-building” activities where I work (or try to, when I’m not forced to waste half the day playing stupid games). My fellow victims and I got to wondering why this foolishness appeals to the corporate mentality. Any ideas?

    Cults often force initiates to do ridiculous things in a social setting to test their boundaries and susceptibility. If the ‘mark’ doesn’t run away screaming this has the added effect of increasing the psychological sunk cost for the cult member, making it all that harder to leave, because nobody wants to admit they were wrong and look and feel ridiculous. Instead, they will grasp for any justification for their increasingly fringe and weird beliefs and sink deeper into the cult to avoiding competing information that would induce cognitive dissonance.

  155. 155.

    trollhattan

    California Sec of State released voter registration numbers–total registered is 18.2M, a record. Some breakdown, as follows.

    Democrats continue to hold a double-digit lead in registration over other parties in the state, with the party’s share of the electorate rising slightly since September to 43.7 percent. The percentages of Republicans and voters who decline to identify a party preference both dropped by less than a percentage point during the same period. Republican registration dipped below 30 percent. About a fifth of voters did not pick a party.

    Republicans dropping below 30%, hmmmm, I wonder where the number will settle? Just three more points….

    Gallons of sweet wingnut tears in comments, here.
    http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/11/california-hits-record-high-182-million-voters-ahead-of-election.html#storylink=cpy

  156. 156.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Cacti:

    Only if Christie is driving a steamroller. insHannity just said that unemployment is up and that it’s due to Obama baing a failure. Not a word about the numbers of employed going up, nope. Not a word. Palin is now on, serving a word salad that smells like shit that I’m sure the rubes are gobbling up. Earlier insHannity had clips of victims of Sandy telling Faux that they aren’t getting the assistance they need, then interrupting each clip with a clip of Obama saying something positive about ‘being there for the victims’ and making it look like the people they are interviewing are mad at Obama and not their local officials.

    Time to change the channel, Palin’s word salad is just too much to tolerate.

  157. 157.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Mnemosyne:

    He is currently detailing his 60 FULL MINUTES of waiting around trying to get someone to sell him a computer in response to their chipper “how was your buying experience in our store?” automated e-mail.

    The cutting of staff hours was one reason why the guy from Dixons in the UK who they hired to run retail — and Dixons is a famously downmarket electronics retailer — got shitcanned this week. He should let them have it.

  158. 158.

    danah gaz

    @amk: Well, they could probably explain the finer points of stuffing a goat into the back of a Chevy Astro Van, and they are often remarkably adept at picking fruit. Oh, there’s also that thing about their calendar ending in 2012. =)

  159. 159.

    Comrade Mary

    @DCLaw1: Nate appeared on CBC’s As It Happens tonight. He was smart and charming. You can listen here.

    Be warned: the segment he’s on starts off with a slimy SuperPAC promoter, so when you click on the Listen Now button, you’ll want to scroll to the 10:30 mark on the player.

  163. 163.

    amk

    mittmentum baybee.

    NBC/WSJ/Marist Poll: Among likely voters in FL, Pres. Obama leads Romney 49%-47%. In Ohio, Pres. Obama leads Romney 51%-45%.

    Is the troll dead yet ?

  165. 165.

    koalaholik

    @Mnemosyne: And don’t forget the lunging under your feet as you are going down the stairs. I keep telling mine he is not in the will, but every night he tries to send me head first into oblivion as I head down to our bedroom..

  166. 166.

    Radio One

    I’ve been watching Fox News for a couple of nights now, just to see how conservatives are dealing with the new polls. O’Reilly is basically just a chatty, almost shoot the shit kind of program with him and some of his guests throwing barbs against the President. Sean Hannity’s show is an entirely different program. Not only did he do two segments with Karl Rove tonight, he seems absolutely convinced that Romney is going to win this. Oh boy.

  167. 167.

    asiangrrlMN

    SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! It’s my sweet, adorable Tunchie, and you BEST NOT, Cole! #recognize

    @Yutsano: Cole would NOT like me when I’m angry! Thanks for sending up the catsignal, hon!

  168. 168.

    FairEconomist

    Just as well that you resisted temptation. Tunch struggling in water could produce a tsunami, and I think West Virginia would be ill-prepared for that.

  170. 170.

    Jay C

    @Garbo: @PeakVT:

    I read that ‘Rasslin’ Linda had budgeted $70M for her Senate run – and I just saw a poll at the GOS which had Chris Murphy up by a 52 – 43 margin, which causes me no end of joy: not least (should those numbers hold) because it will mean a retained (D) seat, but, hopefully, show the country the futility of trying to buy your way into the Senate by blanketing the airwaves with slick-but-annoying TV ads 24/7.

    Seriously: my wife, who only watches marginally more TV than I do, says she has seen just two or three ads for Murphy on local (NYC area) TV: and I have (for some odd reason) NEVER seen even one. Vs. Linda McMahon’s relentless media offensive (emphasis on “offensive”!).

  174. 174.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    You have a point. I suppose that it’s better to keep the miniature cow pies contained where they can easily be washed down the drain.

    Besides, I’ve never heard of a cow box!

  178. 178.

    Tokyokie

    @jimmiraybob: My vet gave me this great tip about bathing cats: Wrap all their paws with masking tape beforehand. It doesn’t hurt them, they can’t very well hurt you, and by the time they can get all the masking tape off, they’re pretty much dry. Still, it’s a two-person job……….

  180. 180.

    Canadian shield

    When i sit on the “throne” next to the tub, my cat Nunchuk will jump in the tub and i turn on a little stream that he loves to drink. One time I ran a hot bath and then sat on the “throne” He came in, scoped the place and then tried to jump in. I blocked him in mid-air and deflected him back with slightly damp front paws on his part. When i told my wife she suggested I should have let him go. I think i would have suffered on the dismount.

  182. 182.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mnemosyne:

    When I lived in an apartment with a shower curtain, my late great cat Boris would sit on the edge of the tub and peer around the curtain to make sure I was okay with all of that water pouring down on me. We started calling him Safety Officer Boris since he had clearly put himself in charge of making sure we survived taking a shower.

    Our 15lb. rescue dog Zevon does this, too. Like all proper dogs, he’s very dubious about indoor-immersion rituals in general, but he’ll sit patiently on the bathroom floor all the while the Spousal Unit reads a book in the tub for three hours at a time. We are careful to ask him if he wants to borrow a cell phone, so he’ll be ready to dial 911 if things go Terribly Wrong somehow…

  183. 183.

    Anne Laurie

    @geg6:

    Too many people here freak me out, the way they seem to take such joy in freaking their cats out. I’m sure it’s not as horrible as I perceive it, but the whole thing just is too sadistic for me.

    Most of us, like Cole, talk a much bolder game than we’d ever actually imlpose on our cats.

    Or dogs. I’ve never been a big fan of the fake-throw, although I have been driven to such low deception by some OCD tennis-ball-chasers of my acquaintance. Worst was a schnickerdoodle, schnauzer-cocker-poodle cross, who would literally bark non-stop until you threwtheballthrewtheballthrewtheball. As she got older & developed congestive heart disease, she would chase the ball until she literally passed out cold… and if she was not indulged, she’d bark until she passed out. (Stubborn little girl, but ot-nay the ightest-bray bulb in the chandelier).

    Housemates pick on each other, sometimes on purpose. Dogs taunt other dogs, cats taunt their fellow cats, and cats love to torture dogs…

  184. 184.

    Anne Laurie

    @John O:

    [Romney] wants it so bad he’ll probably run again in ‘16.

    Not on the Repub ticket, he won’t. If (once) he loses to That Black Guy, after the yearlong marathon where he beat all the Rabid Rightwingers’ darlings by sheer weight of money, Romney will be lucky if he’s not actually tarred & feathered during his concession speech. And all the Great White Hopes who’ve been standing on one foot waiting for 2016 — Jeb!, Christie, Rubio — will be at the front of the mob with the hot tar.

  185. 185.

    Anne Laurie

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    God is sovereign and He is in charge and He will return. That is my hope and my ever present expectation

    Us pagans have a saying, Mr. Erick Fractal Erickson: Gods come and go, but the trickster god Murphy RULES!

  187. 187.

    Randy P

    @DCLaw1: Now 83.7%. Is it my imagination, or is he updating a lot faster than he used to?

    Or does this just reflect frequency of state polls increasing or something?

    I noticed the update rate got r..e..a..l..l..y slow after the 2nd debate, almost as if somebody didn’t want to see Obama’s numbers rise. Again reflecting frequency of state polls?

  188. 188.

    Randy P

    @Anne Laurie: I’ve never been a big fan of the fake-throw

    Oh, I am. But our last dog was a Labrador (a breed that really seems to need to chew things) and when she got frustrated at that or some torment the kids were dishing out, she’d just come over and start gnawing on my forearm. So it worked out well for everyone.

    Besides, I’d played that trick enough that even though she was no Einstein, she’d get suspicious anyway and start sniffing around me for where the ball really went.

    I would never torment a dog who wasn’t good-natured about it.

  189. 189.

    firebrand

    Good lord, that is one tubby kitty. When he walks around, does the ground shake beneath his feet?

  190. 190.

    gelfling545

    @Rosie Outlook: My only guess is that the corporations are trying to promote the fiction that they are people and getting it really wrong. It is to be hoped that this particular trend will pass soon.

  191. 191.

    Pennsylvanian

    @geg6: It’s quite simple:
    Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

    Sometimes the staff like to play jokes on the boss. Sometimes the boss humors the staff with such opportunities.

  192. 192.

    stratplayer

    I been there, man. It’s almost physically painful to resist doing evil little things like that. I must confess that I have been known to abuse my vacuum cleaner privileges at the expense of the cats. It’s safer for the human perpetrator and cruelly hilarious to watch them do battle with the fearsome dragon. I’m going to hell.

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