Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

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

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

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

No one could have predicted…

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

We still have time to mess this up!

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Come on, man.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In my day, never was longer.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You are here: Home / Open Threads / State of the Union Open Thread

State of the Union Open Thread

by | 340 Comments

This post is in: ,

The Guardian liveblog is up to its usual high standards.

(Odds on Cole whinging that I stepped on his thread?)

ETA: It’s not what the Media birdbrains will jump on, but I would be really really pleased if the minimum wage were raised to $9 an hour!

ETAA: Nationwide pre-K and kindergarten would also be an excellent ROI program. Or as our RW friends call it: Big Guv indoctrinating our babies! ! !

ETAA: Guardian has a still photo of Ted Nugent. I think the Secret Service told him “Red dot lazer sight on your forehead all evening, Ted. Give us a reason, any reason.”

ETAA: “The families of Newtown deserve a vote!” Standing-o & shouts of agreement.

Reader Interactions

340Comments

  2. 2.

    Mnemosyne

    Amusing tweet from the Guardian feed:

    anamariecox

    anamariecox: Boehner is studying Obama so closely I think he may believe the president is filled with bourbon.

  4. 4.

    the Conster

    He doesn’t sound like a secret Kenyan Islamo-fascist socialist to me, but then I’m not a nutjob.

  6. 6.

    Corner Stone

    I think all SoTUs are like this, but this seems like a fuckton of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

  8. 8.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    Thank you, Anne Laurie! The proprietor here could learn a thing or two from you.

    Increase the minimum wage! You’d think a progressive was giving this speech. Heh.

  10. 10.

    LittlePig

    Barack “The Islamic Shock” Hussein Superallah Obama.

    Awesome.

    (bearing in mind talk is rather inexpensive)

  11. 11.

    Mnemosyne

    Our friends trying to get their US green cards and/or citizenship will like the sound of this:

    And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.

  12. 12.

    PsiFighter37

    Hahaha, referencing Romney about a living wage tied to inflation. Just trolling the GOP now…

  13. 13.

    Corner Stone

    Boehner just did the old timey drunk from a Western movie move. He did a little shimmy, a little shake, and brought his face down to meet the glass he’s drinking from.

  14. 14.

    James Hare

    Andrew Sullivan shows his great empathy with his bit about the green ribbons. Apparently anything trying to point to that tragedy is “lame.”

    Is the AIDS quilt “lame?”

  15. 15.

    dance around in your bones

    Oooooh, Boner goes for the bourbon on the minimum wage thing. Even shakes his head.

    In fact, I think he’s eating his tongue and heh! just wiped his ass.

  18. 18.

    YellowJournalism

    Biden looks so sweet and caring sitting next to Boehner, who looks like an absolute evil old man with his pointy eyebrows. With the perfect screenshot, you could do the old cartoon angel-and-devil-on-my-shoulder bit with Obama in the middle.

  19. 19.

    Corner Stone

    @Baud: You think they’re going to learn it by listening about healing grids and immigrants who pay a hefty fine and then get in the back of the line?
    Mars bitchez!

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    @James Hare:

    Andrew Sullivan shows his great empathy with his bit about the green ribbons. Apparently anything trying to point to that tragedy is “lame.”

    He’s just bitter that his plan to support the Iranian revolt by having everyone change their blog’s background to green was hooted down as the stupid idea it was.

  24. 24.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    @James Hare: You are going above and beyond the call in keeping up with his swill. Don’t expect hazard pay if you’re going to volunteer for that gig.

  25. 25.

    geg6

    Fuck Cole. He’s too busy watching overbred prima donna goggies.

    I prefer watching the Big O troll the GOP and Boehner gulping the vodka in his glass.

  27. 27.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    @PsiFighter37: Oh, surely you know he’s building up to the gun issue. That’s gonna be the fury of fireworks that signals the end of the show.

  33. 33.

    dance around in your bones

    Boner’s shooting daggers from his eyes now – what, Congress actually has to WORK?

  35. 35.

    Corner Stone

    Honestly, if he started speaking in tongues it wouldn’t sound anymore implausible than the things he’s proposing now.

  40. 40.

    the Conster

    Classic Obama promoting a Commonwealth with a soupcon of nationalism and yes-we-can-ism. Suck it wingnuts!! He’s on a trolling roll now.

  41. 41.

    geg6

    Boehner’s just rolling that vodka or bourbon or whatever alcohol that is around in his mouth every time he drinks. No one drinks water like that. That’s what you do with booze, especially if you just loooooove that booze.

  42. 42.

    PeakVT

    …if the minimum wage were raised to $9 an hour!

    and indexed to inflation. That part is an important goal, too.

  55. 55.

    General Stuck

    @Corner Stone:

    He’s telling us what a decent normal USA would look like, along with details and policies that would take us there. It’s up to the people to believe it or not.

  57. 57.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    @Suzanne: And, lo!, there was much lolling at in the Pantload household.

    @geg6: To be honest, if I were feet away from Obama giving the SOTU, I’d want a damn fine Islay malt to go with the experience.

  98. 98.

    moda31

    Wow, Boehner can’t even get up to applaud a 102 year old woman. That’s the definition of being a douche.

  102. 102.

    dance around in your bones

    @Cain:

    NO kidding. Boner looks like he’s barely restraining himself from a big ol’ eye roll.

    Ok, Desiline looks – like a cool old lady! Why is it that all the people Obama brings along look like happy, functional, grateful, involved people?

    Oh, I guess I know.

  103. 103.

    Cain

    he’s spinning it up.. building it up. I can feel it! In the end he’s going to scream.. ‘Coooooooooooooole!!!’

  112. 112.

    dance around in your bones

    Ok, now brace yourselves for the MOST EVER AWESOME Republican responses!!

    Bookmark it, libs!

    /uh, snark of course.

  114. 114.

    Anne Laurie

    @Cain:

    Boehner looks like he’s going to get sick. He keeps looking up…

    Keeping an eye on the SS sniper assigned to Nugent?

    (Yeah, I’m goin’ to hell)

  115. 115.

    Comrade Mary

    The nerds are out! The nerds are out! Digital Strategy debriefs everyone on the WH feed.

    But it’s not in Spanish, so it doesn’t count.

  116. 116.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    @Smiling Mortician: Woody Allen has missed Oscar winnings because he always played clarinet with the boys on that night. Maybe A/S/T joined a jazz band?

  118. 118.

    YellowJournalism

    @dance around in your bones: I swear I caught an eye roll when Obama was talking about the 15-year-old who’d been shot. My husband thinks he was just looking up at her family.

    CNN could not wait to break to the crazed killer cop story immediately after.

  120. 120.

    Anya

    Who will be the first wingnut to ask for the 102 year old’s birth certificate. My money is on twitchy.

  122. 122.

    gnomedad

    I think the Secret Service told him “Red dot lazer sight on your forehead all evening, Ted.

    Sounds like a good Photoshop 101 exercise.

  124. 124.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    @Anne Laurie: Keeping an eye on the SS sniper assigned to Nugent?

    (Yeah, I’m goin’ to hell)

    Speaking the truth doesn’t get you sent Down Below, I’d hope.

    The SS would be idiots not to be keeping an eye on that maniac, and that’s the way they keep an eye on people, I reckon.

  125. 125.

    General Stuck

    @Maude:

    It is unlikely the republicans are going to do anything due to being unstable and splintered and of no use other than to say no as a group. It is not a difficult analysis by the Obama folks to try and make lemonade of some sort out of these lemons .

    So Obama, imo, is speaking more so over the heads of republicans, directly to the American people, without inhibition of serious negotiation with republicans. It no doubt is pissing them off, but the ones with some situational awareness realize their party is in turmoil for the foreseeable future. All of the past 4 years of effort by Obama to reach out to the nutters as he promised in 08, is coming to fruition for his taking the high road, and using any number of rhetorical tricks to bait and switch the repubs. And get away with it.

    The House of reps is a dead zone in American politics right now for doing anything of value, and poor Boehner is only useful in averting complete disaster by passing vital bills with dem votes. And at the same time trying to cover his own ass with man o mano blather about Obama, and dems. This period, I think, does have some potential for turning the electorate some away from republicans, if played right. It is already happening.

  129. 129.

    RareSanity

    @Cassidy:

    My “good grief” was basically the disappointment that any of them feel that applause (or the lack thereof) , are not sufficient demonstrations of their levels of agreement with what is being said.

    Clap or don’t clap, your choice…just STFU!

    This ain’t a Duke basketball game.

  131. 131.

    Anne Laurie

    @Anya:

    Who will be the first wingnut to ask for the 102 year old’s birth certificate.

    She’s a naturalized Haitian immigrant. I assume the Twitchyverse has already lost its meagre moiety of marbles over that, but I’m not gonna go looking.

  137. 137.

    dance around in your bones

    @YellowJournalism: Bring in the refs!

    I never watch CNN, always MSNBC despite the criticisms (NOT Morning Ho, ever! + re: CNN cannot stand Wolfie).

    Will wait to see if MSNBC (or ANYONE, frankly) goes to the Repub response in the face of the BRIGHT SHINY OBJECT of the Dornan chingadera.

  138. 138.

    RareSanity

    @raven:

    Good evening, Sir.

    How does the evening find you? Still suffering from football related withdrawal symptoms, as am I?

  140. 140.

    Full Metal Wingnut

    @Comrade Mary: That’s fine by me. This Dorner guy was not fucking around. He made clear that he would not be taken alive, and had just killed and seriously injured two cops an hour before.

  150. 150.

    NotMax

    Ah, if only Obama had whipped out 2 computer disks and said “Here on these disks are my administration’s jobs bill and my administration’s budget proposal.”

    Then turned around, handed them to Boehner, and asked for a handshake commitment to bring them both to the floor for a vote within 100 days.

  152. 152.

    Corner Stone

    Ummm, that wasn’t at all what I heard Rubio. I would’ve had massively tiny boners if that’s what was said.

  154. 154.

    Ted & Hellen

    Of course they fried Dorner in a fire. It is the code of silence being enforced with impunity by rogue cops.

    Crispy dead men tell no tales.

  155. 155.

    RareSanity

    Wow…Rubio’s ears are huge.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    They’re just so big in proportion to his head…they’re almost mesmerizing…can’t look away from the ears…

  158. 158.

    General Stuck

    @Comrade Mary:

    There was never the slightest chance Dorner would survive this. Rogue cops that capture the world’s attention by outing dirty department laundry, and promise to out more, all have to die. Especially after killing two cops. They said it was tear gas, but nobody believes them. I’m not one who has any sympathy for the man, as he murdered a pair of civilians to start his war. But I have no doubt the LAPD is rotten racist to the core, and have been a very long time.

  159. 159.

    mdblanche

    Interesting fact: while the rift between establishment and tea party Republicans is so wide that they need to give two separate SOTU responses, the two Senators delivering them both voted against the Violence Against Women Act earlier today.

  161. 161.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Corner Stone: I don’t mind American Exceptionalism when it is used as a motivational tool. A “damn it, we should be better than this” sort of thing.

  165. 165.

    Ted & Hellen

    Doesn’t “American Exceptionalism” posit that we already ARE better than everyone else, so why change anything?

  166. 166.

    gian

    Dorner probably shot himself first. Local CBS affiliate managed to have repoter at the scene … it was tear gas launched in followed by demand to surrender. Followed by single shot from inside

    Then they let it burn

  168. 168.

    Corner Stone

    Rubio is one of the whiniest little weenies I’ve ever seen. “Waaahhhh!! Obama says mean things about people that lie about him!”

  170. 170.

    ChrisNYC

    The absolutely most appealing thing about Rubio is that his heart’s not in it. I like that he just oozes that he’s happy with a nice family and a good job. Won’t get him to the WH though.

  171. 171.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    Big gummint caused the housing disaster!

    Obamacare killed the mom’n’pop!

    Recycling the ol’ “I’m from the government” boogeyman.

    But he comes off as weak tea, at best.

  176. 176.

    BobS

    The usual Obama feel-good stuff. When he leaves office in 2017, the only thing he mentioned tonight that will be a reality is the Trans Atlantic Partnership, the latest iteration of NAFTA he’s so enthusiastic about

  181. 181.

    dance around in your bones

    @Omnes Omnibus: Probably a wise choice, but I prefer to point and mock.

    Rubio doesn’t look as goofy as Jindal, but his ideas are no different.

    Christ, he’s even bringing up privatization of schools as “choice”. He seems to be trying to be decisive and insightful, but someone over coached him on the hand gestures thing. He looks like he is chopping vegetables at a Benihana.

    ETA: OMG, he just ducked and slurped from a water (?) glass! It looked…rather odd.

  182. 182.

    TriassicSands

    @Baud:

    I’m listening to Rubio right now — and he’s an idiot, but then he’s a Republican so that goes without saying.

    Rubio could give this speech while hiding in a closet with no contact with outside world and just the collected speeches of Milton Friedman and a copy of Atlas Shrugged to supply his material.

  186. 186.

    Ted & Hellen

    @raven:

    Of course you wouldn’t care. You are an authoritarian moron with no respect for the (alleged) judicial system of the country you’re always frothing about having “served.”

  188. 188.

    Anya

    @raven: Tweedy is emotionally ify at best. He’s hot and cold towards the president. It’s hard to predict him.

    @Anne Laurie: Isn’t there a frontpager who’s assigned to the wingnut beat.

  190. 190.

    Corner Stone

    We need student aid that funnels money directly to shady for-profit educational shams and high interest payments to scummy banks.

  193. 193.

    batgirl

    We need nontraditional programs, like those bullshit for-profit online “colleges” that milk your and the government’s money without delivering much.

    How many lies, Rubio? I’ve lost track.

  198. 198.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    Republicans: “We ain’t got nuttin’. Lie your ass off for 20 minutes, Marco.”

  200. 200.

    Ted & Hellen

    @Poopyman:

    You guys actually watching Rubio? What’s the point?

    Maybe so they know what he actually said?

    So they can, you know, have an informed opinion?

    Oh. Never mind…

  202. 202.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Does Rubio have a lisp or is my tv fucked up?
    ETA That grab for the water was hysterical.

  203. 203.

    MobiusKlein

    quoting from the best:

    I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.

    still true after 4 years

    I told my wif this quote and she got it in one.

  204. 204.

    YellowJournalism

    Rubio reminds me of the biggest douchebag on the high school debate team. He has a certain cadence to his speech that comes off as condescending and dickish.

    Presenting school choice as advocacy for children with special needs is wrong in so many ways.

  208. 208.

    ChrisNYC

    What is the breathing in sound? And the gesturing! Excessive gesturing! Bill Clinton is just shaking his head, patronizingly. Holy moly! The Water!

  210. 210.

    Face

    Someone forgot to tell Michigan there was a game tonite.
    Also, too Rubio just oooooooooozzzes the phony.

  216. 216.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    OK, that highly awkward reach for the wawa baba was just the comic relief I needed after listening to this lying goob.

  217. 217.

    Loneoak

    Does Rubio have a lisp or another speech deficit? It sounds like his tongue is twice the size it should be.

  219. 219.

    Todd

    Rubio has a horrendous delivery, and is already a victim of SOTU response disease, which has a 100% political career mortality rate.

  221. 221.

    YellowJournalism

    Lmfao! That moment with the water bottle just confirmed my first impression.

    That moment was made for SNL parody.

  222. 222.

    batgirl

    We need to change Medicare and it will be great. But these great changes won’t affect current retirees. Why not, Rubio, if these reforms are so great?

  229. 229.

    danielx

    Quote from TPM from the…Rubio Speech Live Blog

    10:30 PM: Okay, probably better than Jindal.

    Talk about your soft bigotry of low expectations; giving a better speech than Jindal did in his SoTU rebuttal doesn’t require much heavy lifting.

    This shit just about writes itself, don’t it now?

  231. 231.

    Corner Stone

    What’s exceptionally sad is that Marco Rubio just blew Bobby Jindal’s speech out of the water.

  238. 238.

    dance around in your bones

    Also, waiting to see if anyone airs his Spanish address…..I can see 27% of the audience (ok, maybe more) going WTF?) Oh, and I speak/understand Spanish.

    Tweety’s actually ripping Rubio a new one.

  239. 239.

    mouse tolliver

    I can’t believe someone thought it would be a good idea to let Albert Brooks respond to the president.

  240. 240.

    ? Martin

    Rubio has pretty good potential as a speaker, but that speech was shit. It was usual teatard puke. And the water bottle? Come on!

    And there’s a MORE teatard speech coming yet? GOP isn’t doing shit to attract voters with this crap.

  241. 241.

    Loneoak

    Okay, what’s the #InvisibleObama equivalent of the Rubio water debacle?

    #FurtiveSip
    #PolandSpringSucks

  242. 242.

    Elizabelle

    Y’all are watching Rubio. I am seeing an Affenpinscher named Banana Joe. After a smooth haired terrier.

    These dogs are cool as cukes and telling no lies.

  244. 244.

    danielx

    @MobiusKlein:

    Don’t know about the best, but one of Cole’s best; worthy of Charlie Pierce on a rampage. Though I’d have substituted two day old Big Macs for tire rims.

  245. 245.

    mdblanche

    Shorter Rubio: The President’s so mean to us. It’s not faaaaair.

    @NotMax: That figures. He wouldn’t want to have it someplace the old white guys might hear it, would he?

  248. 248.

    batgirl

    I really don’t get this Republican obsession with “The President is picking on us.” The Republicans continually complain about Obama, call him names and question his motives and I don’t see Obama running around like a child screaming Stop picking of me. Its politics. Get used to it or get out.

  252. 252.

    Anne Laurie

    @Loneoak:

    Does Rubio have a lisp or another speech deficit?

    My Puerto Rican acquaintances have always complained that Cubans lisp, in Spanish and English.

    Not watching Rubio right now, so don’t know if it’s a personal idiolect or a mother-tongue itheeyu issue.

  253. 253.

    mir13

    I feel sorry for anyone with the unenviable task of following an Obama speech. Remember Dick Vader’s Dueling Torture speech? Neither does anyone else. Messed up the old dude so bad he needed a new heart. Get the hook!

  254. 254.

    mouse tolliver

    Rubio might know who Tupac is, but somebody should’ve told him what The Borg is. I can’t believe he used the word “assimilate” with all the negative connotations it has.

  261. 261.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @batgirl: I didn’t watch it, but from what people are saying and tweeting– he brought up fucking Solyndra, fercrissake?– Rubio did the same thing Romney did, and Republicans have been doing for five years, they’re just talking to themselves. I’m surprised he didn’t bring up the Benghazi talking points

  262. 262.

    danielx

    @? Martin:

    But if they let Ted Nugent speak, he’ll by god make sure that the 27% don’t stray off the reservation*, if he has to shoot every last one of them.

    *Not that they would – after all, where are they going to go, politically speaking? The Angry White Guy Party just doesn’t make it from a marketing standpoint, even if that’s really what they are already.

  264. 264.

    amk

    mayor colemans’ tweet

    Can’t tell: is Rubio suffering from dry mouth or are his ideas just so old and withered they’re sapping his last drops of moisture?

  265. 265.

    mouse tolliver

    @Anne Laurie: For me, the hardest part of Rosetta Stone’s standard Spanish lessons is that lisp. Growing up gay in the south, a lisp is something to be avoided if possible. Your life may depend on it.

  266. 266.

    Corner Stone

    @Comrade Mary:

    The Rubio Rehydration Moment of 2013 has just been giffed.

    It was almost like he was reaching over to grab a pair of dirty panties to sniff deeply of.
    Like he knew he shouldn’t but he just could not fucking help himself.

  270. 270.

    JustRuss

    If you overlook all the lying, Rubio did OK. I thought the “economy shrank last quarter” meme had been debunked, but I guess he didn’t get the memo.

  272. 272.

    Corner Stone

    @Elizabelle:

    I am seeing an Affenpinscher

    I was accused of that once. I was probably guilty of it but I honestly had no idea what they were talking about.

  276. 276.

    Suffern ACE

    @batgirl: They aren’t used to be treated like this as party leaders. Oh, no. They can spend four years castigating Pelosi as the madwoman madame mao until she isn’t speaker anymore, but noting that their guy kinda cries and maybe drinks. Boo hoo.

  277. 277.

    Corner Stone

    Will someone please spritz Ginsburg in the face with some ice water? Take a hint from tha freakin’ Pope lady!

  279. 279.

    dance around in your bones

    So is anybody showing the Teabagger response? Or did it just appear on Faux News?

    Ok, Rachel is talking about it – apparently it was only online.

  281. 281.

    mir13

    Enough of the opening band. Bring on the white guys. Paulie and the Nuge! ‘MuricaFuckYeah! And if we’re really lucky a Meat Loaf/Mitt Romney duet of ‘Murica The Beautiful. The GOP, love ’em or leave ’em.

  282. 282.

    GregB

    Rand Paul stopped his speech midstream to dip his balls in a mug of hot water.

    Less awkward than Rubio.

  284. 284.

    Omnes Omnibus

    ETAA: “The families of Newton deserve a vote!” Standing-o & shouts of agreement.

    Please, it is Newtown, not Newton. Personal pet peeve of my as a former resident.

  286. 286.

    GxB

    Did anyone ever track down what was up with the unhinged contingent of the Supremes? Did they actually blow the whole thing off?

    Christ… What a (pack of) asshole(s)

  289. 289.

    Corner Stone

    @Baud:

    Maybe he’ll eat some BBQ during his speech?

    Wouldn’t that be awesome if he did a variation on the Chris Rock BBQ rib riff?
    “How much for just one rib?”

  290. 290.

    dance around in your bones

    @Baud: I’m still waiting for it on MSNBC.

    Rachel only alluded to it as being available online and showed a picture of the curly headed son.

  291. 291.

    Corner Stone

    I think Robert Gibbs sucks, but he just stuck Rubio right in the frackin face with that “lurch left for water” line.
    Dayum.

  292. 292.

    woozywinks

    NPR coverage studiously avoids any mention of voting rights.. At lest the first 20 minutes i listened to.. So awful

  293. 293.

    NotMax

    Sour, bitter grapes.

    Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia criticized the annual State of the Union ritual Tuesday night, calling the presidential speech something worth skipping because it is a “rather silly affair.”

    One of three justices who did not attend President Obama’s speech at the U.S. Capitol — along with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — Scalia bemoaned that “it has turned into a childish spectacle, and I don’t think that I want to be there to lend dignity to it.”  Source

  294. 294.

    jamick6000

    @batgirl:

    I really don’t get this Republican obsession with “The President is picking on us.”

    They have a massive self-victimization complex

  297. 297.

    Corner Stone

    @NotMax: Unfortunately, can’t really blame him on this. When you have elected reps bringing The Nuge to it, and all applause lines are predicted, what’s the point?

  301. 301.

    debit

    @GregB: This just caused me to laugh convulsively for at least ten minutes. I am now drained and happy. It was better than my last orgasm. Thank you.

  303. 303.

    Smiling Mortician

    @Corner Stone: Well, yeah, but the notion that Scalia’s presence would lend dignity to the occasion is pretty fucking funny.

    ETA: Well, shit. I’m a slower typist than I thought.

  304. 304.

    sb

    @Corner Stone: You think Scalia says the same thing if a Republican were president? You think he, Thomas and Alito stay home? EDIT: Or would think it beneath them for the sake of ‘dignity’?

  305. 305.

    GxB

    @NotMax:

    I don’t think that I want to be there to lend dignity to it.

    Oh FFS! Dignity and Scalia aren’t even in the same zip code.

  306. 306.

    NotMax

    @Corner Stone

    Howzabout a modicum of respect for the office of the President, for the performance of a Constitutional duty no originalist can deny, and for the public exercise of government gathered together?

    The whole Nugent brouhaha I don’t get. If he has a ticket, he can attend and stay so long as he abides by the decorum. End of story. That he’s a nutball is beside the point.

  309. 309.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @dance around in your bones: aw, come on, he’s is rockin’ that Saint Thomas More hat with all kinds of digni ‘tude. I can’t find a good picture of his famous “vaffanculo” moment.

    I didn’t watch it for the reasons Corner Stone cited. But I would remind Fat Tony that 1) it was Reagan who started turning the SOTU into showbiz with the stunt guests, which I hate no matter who is president 2) we were all supposed to be outraged that Obama criticized the Vestal Virgins of the Court, if they’re all ceremonial high priests, they should show up for the ceremonies

  311. 311.

    dance around in your bones

    So has anyone heard from the Nuge since the SOTU ended? No pithy comments, insults, big balls up in your face comments to POTUS?

    Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

    Did he even actually attend? (and why do I care?)

  312. 312.

    NotMax

    Wondering how undignified the inauguration would have been without Scalia present.

    Answer: Not a whit.

    Hope the Supreme Court has extra-wide doorways that Scalia can squeeze his inflated head through.

  313. 313.

    Corner Stone

    @sb: He hates The Islamic Shock. Why would I expect him to act differently?
    They shattered the legitimacy, and dignity, of the SCOTUS in Bush v Gore.
    Let that motherfucker sing out like he was auditioning for “Singing in the Rain”.

  316. 316.

    Anya

    Guardian US social news editor Katie Rogers flags the speech’s most-tweeted moments, in numbers provided by Twitter’s government team:

    ~24,000: Tweets-per-minute during the most-tweeted moment of the state of the union — when Obama covered middle class opportunity and minimum wage.

    637: The number of tweets sent by members of Congress tonight.

    ~9,200: Tweets-per-minute during the most-tweeted moment of Rubio’s GOP response — when Rubio gulped water, obviously.

  318. 318.

    Mezz (apa Michael2)

    @Corner Stone: Wow. I was kind of thinking the same thing – the lunge couldn’t be helped – but lacked the . . uh . vivid imagery. (And I believe yours is most apt.)

  319. 319.

    JS

    POLITICAL RULE #1

    Try not to speak just before Barack Obama does.

    POLITICAL RULE #2

    Never, NEVER speak just after Barack Obama does.

    Established January 3, 2008.

  320. 320.

    vtr

    NPR exhumed Mona F. Charen to comment on the SOTU and GOP response. Mona Charen. It chose not to bother with R. Paul.

    Rubio’s thoroughly weasel-speech I think would earn him a B, in his 10th grade speech class.

  321. 321.

    Suffern ACE

    @vtr: Waiting for John Dickerson to chime how Rubio made a very eloquent argument, but it just wasn’t executed very well. Then he’ll continue on to state what the eloquent argument was and declare Rubio to have given the best speech of the night.

  325. 325.

    WaterGirl

    @GregB:

    Rand Paul stopped his speech midstream to dip his balls in a mug of hot water.

    Less awkward than Rubio.

    That was so good I must have read it about 5 times.

  327. 327.

    max

    @dance around in your bones: Did he even actually attend? (and why do I care?)

    Behold! A giant bag of douche!

    He could record a new hit (to replace the one old hit!)! ‘I Need An Enema!’

    —

    It appears that Dorner was not in the cabin when it burned to the ground, begging the question of whether or not he was in it in the first place. (A LEO got killed so presumably Dorner shot him, but after that, it is the big murk.) Extra bonus fun: they chased off the news helicopters, but the lady who owned the cabin said there is no wired access. So not much point to it exactly.

    max
    [‘Lots of ammo was expended, so a big win there.’]

  329. 329.

    dance around in your bones

    @max: Oooooh! Ted’s got his moue face on!

    Wanker.

    FFS – Boner actually said this?

    “…he would like “a little foreplay first” from the president before embracing a path to citizenship for undocumented workers in an immigration bill. ”

    Talk about sublimation.

  330. 330.

    handsmile

    That BIG GULP you’re hearing is from the Village media en masse suddenly realizing that the national political future of its most recently anointed “GOP Savior” has just been flushed away.

    Marco, no mas, no mas….

    Also too, tomorrow’s word: “Xerostomia.”

  333. 333.

    lojasmo

    @Ted & Hellen:

    Most of the other people here can read.

    Your mileage may vary. Though from the comments I gather it was a fun watch.

    On topic, The pres. killed it.

  334. 334.

    Corner Stone

    @lojasmo:

    On topic, The pres. killed it.

    Oh God. This is awful. Should we recommend you for another 3 days off without pay so you can run trails barefoot?
    This imagery…so violent. What’s it going to take for you to understand your violent threats of violence just aren’t acceptable in society?
    You’re not Jack Nicholson in Wolf, for God’s sake.
    Please don’t hurt me for pointing this simple plea out.

  335. 335.

    Original Lee

    Did anybody else notice that Rubio did NOT say from where his parents emigrated? Is this because Cubans consider themselves superior to other Hispanics, or for some other reason?

  337. 337.

    Gian

    @max:

    it’s just confused reports. the news stations are in LA, and have LAPD employee sources. Since the cabin is in san Bernardino county, and it was their deputies who were shot and at least one killed. San Bernardino county is the primary source for what happened.

    What they say is they haven’t gone into the cabin to look for the body.

    I expect it may be like the old game of telephone

  338. 338.

    Original Lee

    @Yutsano: I thought it might be something like that.

    This just occurred to me, though: Rubio’s Spanish probably has a Cuban accent, so he didn’t need that line for the Spanish version of the speech and consequently left it out of the English-language version. (A small benefit of the doubt.)

  339. 339.

    lojasmo

    @Corner Stone:

    Wow. I hope your dainty hands aren’t permanently dented from your pearls.

    Have a nice day, sweetie.

    ETA: Stalking behavior can be seen as violent in itself. You may want to check that.

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