Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

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

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

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Let’s finish the job.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

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84Comments

  5. 5.

    cmorenc

    I could care less about NFL football, but since it brings such great joy and angst to many of you, especially John Cole, I say…carry on!

  6. 6.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Watching the Cincy-Denver game very entertaining, must be frustrating being a Bengal fan this season. Which team shows up on Sunday,the Bengals or their doppelgangers, the bungles, this week is the former.

  7. 7.

    var

    OK, so the Red Dawn commercial is on. I loved the first movie when I was a kid because, well, I was a kid.

    But what on earth is the motivation for the Chinese to invade the Pacific Northwest? Is it some sort of repossession of the collateral behind the debt we owe to them? You would think they would still want to sell the cheap crap they send over here instead of having to deal with the piles of it we have.

    Also, do they know that the Pacific Northwest is just filled with a bunch of DFH, Microsoft, and espresso drive ins?

  9. 9.

    Spaghetti Lee

    I wonder if the bears are going to set some sort of record: Right now they’re up 25 points with only 132 yards of passing.

  10. 10.

    MikeJ

    @var:

    But what on earth is the motivation for the Chinese to invade the Pacific Northwest?

    The same as the motivation for the Cubans to paradrop troops into Colorado?

    Didn’t they change the baddies in the new movie to the Norks, so as not to piss off China?

  11. 11.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @var: I heard that the villains were North Korea, because the Chinese scared the studio and the distribution company, telling them that the Chinese market will be closed to them if they did not change the plot. The movie I guess is nothing more wingnut wanking like that late lamented Atlas Shrugged II.

  13. 13.

    Surreal American

    @var:

    But what on earth is the motivation for the Chinese to invade the Pacific Northwest?

    Actually it’s North Koreans in the remake. No really, it is.

  16. 16.

    Roger Moore

    @var:

    But what on earth is the motivation for the Chinese to invade the Pacific Northwest?

    To provide target practice for American partisans and an excuse for a movie. Accepting the basic premise is part of willing suspension of disbelief.

  18. 18.

    rlrr

    Because an economic basket case with population of 24 million could realistically invade a superpower with a population of 300 million…

  19. 19.

    Beth in VA

    Redskins losing. Should we Obamabots be worried per the streak that incumbents lose when Redskins lose?

  20. 20.

    Surreal American

    @rlrr:

    So I heard. For fear of losing the Chinese market. Ever feel that “irony” is a wholly inadequate term these days?

  21. 21.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Beth in VA:

    Depends, are you superstitious?

    The Browns are beating the Ravens last I checked, which has gotta be a sign of something or another.

  25. 25.

    JWL

    I’m looking forward to watching Peyton Manning play in the (dome-less) winter cold of mile high Denver. “My neck is sore- must be a blizzard coming”.

  26. 26.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @James E. Powell:

    And it looks like I was wrong about the Bears, too. Ah well.

    (I did like the Titans going for the 2-point conversion, down 33 in the 4th quarter. Don’t stop believin!)

  27. 27.

    Bob In Portland

    @var: My favorite invasion of America film was Chuck Norris’ “Invasion USA” when an army of stereotypes and bogeymen took over Florida by attacking churches and school buses. The whole gang was there. Russians, Cubans, Vietcong, Arabs.

  33. 33.

    Joel

    I’m pissed at Tennessee for not benching Chris Johnson after his second fumble. I am playing against him this week and his garbage time points yielded bonanza for my opponent. Therefore, I’m rooting for Tennessee to lose every game from here to eternity.

  35. 35.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @James E. Powell: And maybe a new coaching staff, but this is getting tired for a true Browns fan, we in year 48 since the Browns won an NFL title, and that was pre-Super Bowl years. I wouold like to see the Browns win the Super Bowl before I shuffle off this mortal coil or a meteor hits the planet.

  36. 36.

    jharp

    Colt’s game today an official got pissed and let out a Goddamn it with his mic on.

    And Andrew Luck was amazing on 3rd downs.

    Colt’s are getting pretty good pretty quickly.

  40. 40.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Beth in VA:

    Redskins losing. Should we Obamabots be worried per the streak that incumbents lose when Redskins lose?

    Not an incumbent/challenger thing, but a Democrat/Republican thing, iirc. It was put to lie when the Redskins beat the Packers in ’04, which should have led to a Kerry victory. As a Packers fan, that was my silver lining after the 28-14 loss.

  42. 42.

    James E. Powell

    @Mr Stagger Lee:

    I am not sure what a “true” Browns fan is.

    I’m pretty sure that they will get a new coaching staff for next year. New owner, new coach.

    There is a lot more talent on this team than there was three years ago. But it’s not showing up as wins.

  47. 47.

    Yutsano

    @MikeJ: This is ponderous man, really ponderous. And am I the only one who gets squishy when pro QBs screw sports writers?

    Oh and before I forget (and before it’s too late): Challah please?

  48. 48.

    Morbo

    Good old Steelers secondary loves them some cheap shots.

    ED: eh, it wasn’t that egregious; not a headshot and if Cruz had caught it that wouldn’t have been a penalty.

  49. 49.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Morbo:

    You’d love ’em, too, if the refs had it in for your team week-in-and-week-out.

    /snark

  52. 52.

    burnspbesq

    If the Steelers didn’t commit so many egregious personal fouls, they wouldn’t get whistled for the borderline plays.

    The pass interference call was righteous.

  54. 54.

    burnspbesq

    Simms is in Jay Bilas mode, over-compensating so he won’t be accused of pro-his-former-team bias.

  55. 55.

    var

    @Surreal American:

    Oh my word. I cannot understand how you can make it North Koreans. Seriously, just junk the concept. North Korea has the population of Texas, most of whom are starving. And, to what end? To make more people worship at the image of Kim Il Sung?

    Beyond bizarre. Makes Atlas Shrugged look plausible.

  62. 62.

    Svensker

    I’m sorta a Giants fan, but that was some back to back bullshit. Stillers was robbed, big time.

  63. 63.

    freemark

    That was definitely a forward pass. The pass interference call was bad too, but I give the refs a pass because at that speed it was hard to tell.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    @Svensker: The refs think it is important for the Giants to win because of Sandy. The folks in NJ and NY need something to cheer for.
    ok…that was a bunch of crap and I admit it…

  67. 67.

    Cermet

    The steelers QB has suffered FOUR SACKS already!? Is that an offensive line or an open door? I bet someone claims the refs will give the game to gaints due to the storm … oops, too late … lol.

  68. 68.

    Svensker

    Even the Giants’ radio announcers (I’m not in reach of video) are saying that some of these calls are really going against the Steelers.

  69. 69.

    Cermet

    @rlrr: Red Dawn Dud? No were as much fun to watch as Nazi’s from space! What’s not to like about something that is so over the top as moon nazi’s? North Koreans are real people being murdered by their own government, and the movie is a vehicle for rightwing thugs – can’t see the point of watching that stupid shit.

  71. 71.

    1badbaba3

    Not sure why you want to try and get your Kicker killed, but hey, Pittsburgh is one tough town.

  72. 72.

    JWL

    @Mr Stagger Lee: I watched a ton of Raider games during the ’70’s.

    I knew I was getting older when the Browns and Raiders squared off in their only playoff game against each other (1980?).

    The Browns were poised to win with a last second, chip shot field goal. To my pleasant surprise, I took the pending loss with true equanimity. No angst whatsoever. I thought: “Way to go, Raiders; never believed you’d get this far; it was a great season”.

    But then Brian Sipes dropped back to pass. In that instant, I remember thinking: “WTF is he doing”? I then immediately assumed that, unless someone was wide open in the end zone, he’d throw it 20 rows deep into seats.

    But Sipes didn’t, and the Raiders lived. Oakland went on to their second Super Bowl.

    Just thought I’d share a pleasant memory with you on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

  75. 75.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @JWL: I remember that, it was Red Right 88 called by Sam Rutigliano. Other sad memories The Drive(that is the reason any coach who does Prevent Defenses should be put against the wall in front of a belt fed machine gun), The Fumble(damn you Earnest Byner!!! Still after 25 years! The dark time when there was no Browns football. Being a Cleveland Browns fan involves pain. But I’ll be with them, I can’t cheer the Stilllers, Bungles, that team in B-more. Thank God for the Buckeyes or else I would go into treatment.

  77. 77.

    karen marie

    Hey, John Cole, I hate to be a nitpicker but your blogroll needs updating. Avedon has moved but you’re still linking to the old address. I think there are others that needed to be weeded out as well but I don’t remember which ones.

    Glad I could be of help!

  78. 78.

    Billgerat

    @zombie rotten mcdonald:

    The Texans would melt away in the rain, and with temperatures in the 40-50’s here, they’d be shivering in the cold. Hell, anytime it gets below 60 in the South they have to put on woolen underwear.

  81. 81.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @zombie rotten mcdonald:

    It was a gift from Arizona’s rotten run defense. They get after the QB, they’re pretty good in coverage, but the Cards cannot stop the run. The game was closer than it should have been- too fucking many dropped passes- but the ground game was where it should have been today.

    Don’t expect the same numbers in the near future, though. Even if Benson makes it back this year, the Packers will only run to keep their opponents’ defenses honest.

  82. 82.

    Ron

    I don’t know how anyone could think that PI call, unsportsmanlike call, or “fumble” was the correct call. Thankfully the Steelers beat the Giants, the refs, and themselves. (fake field goal? wtf?)

  83. 83.

    Tim I

    Da Bears are back!!!! Of course, next week they have to play an actual NFL team. Hopefully that works out okay, but I don’t think they can count on getting 6 turnovers every week. Urlacher did a great service for old guys with no cartilage left in our knees.

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