Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Republicans do not trust women.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

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

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Bark louder, little dog.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Reality always gets a vote in the end.

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

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

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Reader Interactions

27Comments

  1. 1.

    IlsaLund41

    I bought five and I think they are terrific! I was a little disappointed that the picture of my cats, Princess & Luci, misidentifies them as “Bale & Miles” on Feb’s page, but we’re just very happy to support such a great cause. :)

  2. 2.

    geg6

    Mine came on Thursday. I showed my Otis his photo in November. He was not impressed. However, I am. Beth did a wonderful job!

    In case I haven’t told this story enough times, my Otis is rescue. How anyone could have given up this sweet, sweet gentle soul of a golden retriever, I can’t imagine. John got him seven years ago, when he was still with his previous GF. They already had two yellow Labs, but for some reason, she was always dragging him to the local Humane Society to look at other dogs. John always resisted taking any more dogs in because he felt two was more than enough. But that particular day, John walked through and saw a cage with a skinny, cowering golden in it. He thought he was cute, but still wasn’t in the market for another dog. But then he looked at the name on the cage: OTIS. When John was in college, his nickname among his frat brothers was Otis. Well, he felt, at that point, that it was fate or kismet or whatever. But he felt had just had to take that dog home; he couldn’t bear the fact that his namesake was close to being put down. The GF was gone before a year was out (along with one of the Labs) and we started dating about a year later. Otis is now my baby (he bonded with me immediately the very first time I went to John’s house) and we had to put our Henry (the other yellow Lab) down in February when he became too ill to walk or stand. We’re now looking to get another rescue over the holidays. I’d like something a bit smaller than the 100+ pound dogs John favors. Otis fell into the window well the other day when I was home alone and it was all I could do to get him out. I don’t think I can do that again without rupturing a disc. Fifty to sixty pounds should be fine. But I know John pines for another Lab. If we must get another Lab, I prefer a black one because I know that black dogs are less likely to get adopted. We’ll see what we can find.

  4. 4.

    Mustang Bobby

    Aside from writing a blog, I crunch numbers for a school district. I spent a little time this morning coming up with the cost putting an armed police officer in every school in the country as Wayne LaPierre demanded yesterday.

    So, who has a spare $10 billion per year lying around?

  5. 5.

    RaflW

    So, it’s an O.T.:

    I woke up this morning and Gail Collins has a strong piece up for Saturday, and the home page of the NYT mobile app was a “news analysis” piece saying that Washington is broke but it’s the Republicans that are fucking things up.

    It’s clear that the Luntz memo has gone out, and it’s all about School Shield. Which appears to have some public popularity (yikes!) but is also bullshit and a diversion.

    Boehner has no control over his vandal caucus.

    My question is, how do we do (with better ethics) what the GOP does: attack attack attack and win this fucker?

    They are clowns and its obvious to us who pay attention that they are dangerous, evil and stupid clowns.

    We cannot let them drive the frame and agenda. That was the point of the NRA press avail and Boehner’s Plan B. How do we get the press to move off these bogus tap-dances?

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Lojasmo:

    Go to the Balloon Juice store. Easiest way is to click on the picture of Tunch/FEED, then browse and buy to your heart’s content!

  9. 9.

    beth

    mistermix and everyone who has said a kind word about the calendar: thank you!

    it’s a privilege to do the calendar and to get to hear the heartwarming stories the balloon juice readers share about their critters. as crazy and overwhelmed as it made me, i loved it even more.

    i don’t know how many photos the calendar got the first year. but last year i got 305 photos total (that includes multiple shots of the same pet) for the 2012 calendar.

    this year i got 505 photos. which is amazing and awesome.

    so i apologize for getting princess’s and luci’s names wrong – and to anyone else whose dog or cat i missed or misnamed. i hate making mistakes and i especially hate it for this project!

    if john lets me, i am on board to do it again next year and i’ve already recruited an editor from the bj community to proofread the names.

  10. 10.

    IlsaLund41

    Aww, no worries, Beth. Stuff happens. You did an amazing job and I’m already looking forward to next year. :)

  11. 11.

    lol

    Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.

    At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”

    “You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”

  12. 12.

    Schlemizel

    For those of you you are not regularly reading Ta-Nehisi Coates, what the hell is wrong with you? ;)

    Seriously, at the moment he has a fabulous piece up by historian Tony Horwitz. It does not hurt that is supports my analogy of the lead up to the civil war and today but it is a brilliant piece of writing:
    theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/the-nra-and-the-positive-good-of-maximum-guns/266571/

    I’m wary of historical analogies. But in the wake of the Newtown massacre, I’m struck by parallels between the Slave Power and a force haunting us today: call it The Gun Power.
    For decades we’ve appeased and abetted this monster, as Americans once did slavery. Now, like then, we may have finally reached a breaking point. I don’t mean to equate owning slaves with owning guns. But I do mean to equate the tactics and rhetoric of the NRA with those of proslavery “Fire-Eaters.” The NRA casts itself as a champion of the Constitution. So did slaveholders, citing the safeguards accorded owners of human “property.” Few Americans questioned slavery’s legality, though they debated the Founders’ intent, just as we do with the Second Amendment.

  14. 14.

    Anne

    My calendar is on the way, but from the online pictures it looks great. Thanks, Beth! With all the photographs submitted (with next year probably bringing a real avalanche) does anyone think it would be a good idea to do two calendars, a separate one for cats and dogs, to better fit everyone in? Not to leave out the horses and bunnies and ducks and birds…

  15. 15.

    AndoChronic

    Just got ours today too. Great quality and build, nice thick cardstock and layouts. Super fantastic awesome job Beth!

  16. 16.

    Zippity

    David Morrell-who wrote First Blood and created Rambo-has a post on his Facebook page in response to the NRA speech yesterday. He has gone through extensive fire arms and survivalist training while doing research for his writing. He makes the case for reasonable regulations. He is being attacked by the gun nuts for being a hypocrit. These are people who really don’t understand the difference between fiction and reality.

    Full disclosure: I’ve been best friends with his daughter since we were 5, and he was always my 2nd father. He was a professor of American Literature at the University of Iowa, and his Facebook posts are reminiscent of his lectures, designed to start a dialog. They are usually very interesting posts with intellegent comments.

  18. 18.

    Zippity

    David Morrell-who wrote First Blood and created Rambo-has a post on his fb page in response to the NRA speech yesterday. He has gone through extensive fire arms and survivalist training while doing research for his writing. He makes the case for reasonable regulations. He is being attacked by the gun nuts for being a hypocrit. These are people who really don’t understand the difference between fiction and reality.

    Full disclosure: I’ve been best friends with his daughter since we were 5, and he was always my 2nd father. He was a professor of American Literature at the University of Iowa, and his Facebook posts are reminiscent of his lectures, designed to start a dialog. They are usually very interesting posts with intellegent comments.

  19. 19.

    Zippity

    Sorry for the multiple posts-it kept saying to check the details because it wouldn’t publish. This is the first time I’ve seen that-so FYWP.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    @lol: I saw the same paragraph posted on Booman. Very encouraging!

    I wish someone would post more of that article. It’s behind the WSJ paywall so I can’t see it.

  21. 21.

    Another North Carolinian

    Y’all need to post a lot more to scroll this calendar thing off the first page. My wife cruises BJ now and then, and I just this moment put under the tree a calendar for her office wall –with Raymond and Aubrey beaming out from November. She always thought they should be famous; this is as close as they’re gonna get. Looks great Beth! Thanks for the lovely prepress.

  23. 23.

    Kay Eye

    Wow. I ordered two 2013 calendars. Received confirmation of my order for the 2013, use 2013 calendars. I am now the proud owner of two 2012, yes 2012, calendars. I already had one, thank you very much.
    I have notified Cafe Press. Sure hope they fix it.
    Y’all enjoy your 2013s.

  24. 24.

    WaterGirl

    @Kay Eye: I found it very confusing when I tried to place my order. The only way I could tell I was in the wrong place was by the image of the front of the calendar.

    The image was from last year, even though the pull down arrow showed the calendar starting January 2013.

    I had to go into CafePress an entirely different way in order to really get the 2013 calendar.

    Which image showed on the page you ordered from? The image from last year’s calendar or the image of the reclining cat from this year?

    Edit: It seems to be true of the whole BJ store at Cafe Press. When you get to the old calendar, which I did by searching for “balloon juice calendar 2013”, you also get the old structure for the BJ store.

    When I got to the new calendar, I had the structure for the new way the BJ store is organized.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Kay Eye: P.S. I’m sure it’s very frustrating. I’m sure they’ll make it right! I hope you weren’t needing the calendar before christmas. :-(

  26. 26.

    Kay Eye

    @WaterGirl: Yes, they have sent out a new calendar today.,They confirmed thatmImhadmorderedmthem2013; just a mix-up.
    Imgotmtheirmnotemjustmafter posting my wrong calendar experience.
    I did have the confusing experience with the BJ store. At any rate, it is all sorted out now and my extremely vain kitties will have to wait to admire themselves until the new year rolls around.

  27. 27.

    Kay Eye

    @WaterGirl: They did make it right. And yes, the BJ store was crazy confusing. It took awhile to get it sorted out.
    My poor vain kitties won’t see their pictures until after the new year.

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