Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The willow is too close to the house.

This really is a full service blog.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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

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

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Consistently wrong since 2002

This fight is for everything.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

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

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

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Aren’t You Glad You Glad I’m Not YOUR Mother? (Open Thread)

Reader Interactions

124Comments

  3. 3.

    Yatsuno

    Work. Now I know why I was enjoying border collie wuv so much. I need new ebil gubmint job, this one eats my soul.

  4. 4.

    MattF

    Cooking dinner (mashed new potatoes + onions + peppers + spicy sausage). Tomorrow a big outdoor arts and crafts fair in my neighborhood.

  6. 6.

    donnah

    Crying in my beer. My dryer quit providing heat with the spin, so the repair guy came and told me it would be $181 to fix it with a part that costs $30 that he was 98% sure would work. The dryer is 8 years old, and now I wonder if I should have just gone and gotten a new one.

    The fridge icemaker started leaking water, so I had the plumber who installed the icemaker check into it. Not his fault, he said, it’s the fridge. $30 for a two minute assessment, and now I have to call another guy to fix the fridge.

    Fuck me. This type of thing just sends me into orbit.

  7. 7.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    I’m pretending today is Saturday so I’ll think Sunday is Monday and not go into work because it’s Sunday and then get what will seem like a four day week next week, until I have to work next Friday, which will be awesome anyway, because Friday!

  10. 10.

    lamh36

    My legs are killing me from last night’s bowling league.

    So nothing planned tonight. But I’m off all weekend and I’ve been crazing some good Mexican food, unfortunately living in Texas has spoiled me to Louisiana Mexican food.

  13. 13.

    Patricia Kayden

    Since this is an open thread, I’m wondering if Balloon Juicers have had a hard time with the ACA website. I keep hearing on MSNBC that it’s a horror show and doesn’t work (either at all or well).

    I’m wondering why President Obama didn’t ask the wonder kids who worked on his election campaigns to design and upkeep the ACA website. Their technological wizardry was part of his winning strategy.

  14. 14.

    Trollhattan

    Food coma.

    Local Italian deli does a weekly “Big Night” inspired dinner, served family style, and we allow ourselves to indulge about twice a year. Tonight’s the night.

  15. 15.

    aimai

    @donnah: Oh, we had that. My guy –repair guy–removed the drum and just about every single part and eventually discovered that the electric coil had burnt out and that some kind of filter part had been destroyed. hugely expensive. I’m so sorry.

    I’m cooking a massive meal but I’m just about an hour off on everything. I just put the Challah to rise for the second time–it won’t go into the oven until almost seven I think. The chicken is roasting, stuffed, on a bed of vegetables/sage/milk/lemon and that will be done hopefully around seven or seven thirty. You see how things are creeping. Now I’m making apple tarts and then I’ll try to make a few veg. But I’d rather be sitting, at this point.

  16. 16.

    Violet

    I’m trying to make myself go to the gym and not doing a very good job. It has been a helluva week and I’m exhausted. I think I’d be less tired if I went, but I still have to go.

    Roasting turkey pieces for dinner–not the whole turkey, just various cuts, including four necks so I can dump them in a stock pot and get stock. Haven’t started that yet, but need to go to the gym so I can get going.

    Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and I hope to be working outside finally putting seedlings into the garden.

  17. 17.

    Hill Dweller

    Virginia Dems went to court in hopes of blocking the Republican controlled state government’s purging 40,000 voters from the rolls, but the judge said they didn’t prove said purge was politically motivated.

    Purging 40,000 voters weeks before an election, with the Republican trailing, isn’t political? FWIW, Judge Hilton was nominated by Reagan.

  18. 18.

    aimai

    @Patricia Kayden: I am just amazed at the hysteria over this. Our very good local NPR show actually began today by saying “should seblieus resign” over the botched roll out of Obamacare. Talk about nutty and short sighted. People are crazy.

  19. 19.

    Trollhattan

    @Patricia Kayden:

    NOT a nerd and don’t know the reality of the situation, but since OFA rented all the server space they could conceivably need from Amazon and since the ACA servers would have to be gummint-owned and run (yes?) I suspect there isn’t a strong parallel between the two.

    As to why the OFA propellerheads couldn’t have advised HHS on the pitfalls, I dunno. Might have been nice.

  20. 20.

    catclub

    @Patricia Kayden: Political Animal pointed out the negative selection a bad website will lead to (and they got from NRO? or some other rightwing rag).
    The people who will put up with the bad website are those who know they will be sick and need the coverage – which unless fixed leads to the downwards spiral of higher premiums and more negative selection bias. Not good.

    So no, I have not needed to test or use the website.

  21. 21.

    catclub

    @Violet: “I think I’d be less tired if I went, but I still have to go.”

    Go. You hate it up until you’ve done it, but once you go you never regret going and doing it.

    I am off to the pool.

  23. 23.

    Violet

    @Patricia Kayden: Is it still bad? On some NBC news show I heard them talking about how you have to give up a ton of info just to get any idea of the costs of your health insurance. But a few days before that I read that that issue had been fixed–they now changed it so you could get an estimate and browse plans without registering. So you didn’t get the exact cost, but you had an idea of it. I don’t know who to believe anymore about it.

  24. 24.

    Yatsuno

    @catclub: It may balance out. The states running their own websites also have healthier populations than the states running the federal one, so it’s not as huge a crisis yet.

  26. 26.

    Trollhattan

    @Amir Khalid:

    The vote from my kid’s cohort is “meh.” And the first was well-received, so it was apparently one film’s worth of story (which I can believe. Once it’s rained food, what’s the trill of it raining food, again?)

  29. 29.

    Fuzzy

    The tree guys just left after cleaning out all the dead and overhanging limbs. Those guys swinging around on ropes are amazing but I will not worry about windstorms for awhile.

  30. 30.

    The Dangerman

    I may have shared this already, but my Grandmother was in competition with the McDonald brothers (same town); she thought their business plan sucked the big Quarter Pounder (actually, 4 oz is average size, not big at all, but I digress). I could have been rich!

    Now, pardon me, I have to go buy some beer to go cry in.

    /supersize that beer, please

    ETA: Oh, yeah, GO DODGERS!

  33. 33.

    dr. luba

    @donnah: Modern day appliances have all been outsourced to China, and are crap. Mine are old enough to be American-made, and I keep repairing them (minor issues).

    Is your fridge a Maytag by any chance? My brother has one, and he had to have the ice maker replaced (under warranty) and then the fridge started leaking water (not under warranty). After much complaining, they offered to pay for parts–knowing, as we did, that there were no parts involved. The repairman says he gets several of these a week, and it’s always the same thing–a problem with the drainage in the freezer compartment. Maytag denies there is a known issue.

    My bro completely replaced all the major appliances in the kitchen two years back. All have been repaired at least once. There’s a reason you haven’t seen the Maytag repairman in commercials recently–he’s too busy fixing their crap products. Whirlpool bought them out a few years back, and ruined he once-fine brand.

    A point made by my brother resonates with me. He works in the auto industry, and if a defect shows up, even twenty years down the road, they have to recall all the vehicles and fix them. For free. Appliances, on the other hand, only come with a one year warranty, and anything that goes wrong after that–tough luck.

    GE is starting to bring back manufacturing to the US. Good thing, as my appliances are getting a bit old……and I won’t buy that Chinese stuff. Unplanned obsolescence.

  34. 34.

    fuckwit

    @donnah: That sucks. It’s good to learn to fix shit, otherwise call in favors or pay someone for the expertise. You’ll pay either way– and will likely pay more to DIY due to costly beginner mistakes–, but if you know how it provides some level of confidence, and the cost amortizes over years. These guys need to eat too. I had to learn to do all my own repairs. The internet is great for learning! Also, luckily I have friends with different skills, who we teach each other how to fix shit we don’t know ourselves. It’s all a balance of using money, community, and self-education: you can adjust the mix based on which of the three you have most/least of in each situation. Sounds like in this case you had to pay, sorry to hear it.

  35. 35.

    Mary G

    Higgs Boson’s Mate is making an eye-of-the-round roast with lots of garlic and wrapped with bacon. Yum. We have very little red meat and my taste buds are slavering already.

  36. 36.

    MikeJ

    @dr. luba:

    He works in the auto industry, and if a defect shows up, even twenty years down the road, they have to recall all the vehicles and fix them. For free. Appliances, on the other hand, only come with a one year warranty, and anything that goes wrong after that–tough luck.

    Very few people have been killed by having their dishwasher shift into drive and ignore the brakes.

  37. 37.

    ? Martin

    Friday night lights. Boy is marching band, not football, but the marching band wins national titles, the football team not so much. So basically everyone goes for the marching band.

  39. 39.

    lamh36

    Well another issue that can be laid at Jindal’s doorstep.

    I know that probably a good bit of you guys don’t really spend much time thinking about HBCU big team sports, but here in Louisiana, one of the best known HBCU teams and sports programs is going through a big crisis. That is beginning to affect other things as well. No one really knows what is going in, but if it continues it could effect one of the biggest “bowl” games in HBCU football.

    Anyway, like I said, alot of the issues can be squarely put at Jindal’s feet or just has been exacerbated by his stupid fiscal policies.

    There has already been some talk about the longevity of Bayou Classic (it’s the biggest game of the HBCU football season I’m pretty sure the only one shown nationally) anyway, and this type of thing could sure be the things that lets the money talkers jump ship…they’ve been waiting for just the right opportunity.

    What’s Behind The Grambling Football Team’s Protest

    The inside story of what caused Grambling football players to revolt

  41. 41.

    dr. luba

    @Violet: I made the mistake of trying to get on the first week, and kept getting the busy signal. I was able to register after a few days, but then busy again.

    I decided to wait, as I have two more months to sign up. But yes, you can browse, and get an idea of what plans are available and what they will cost. It looks like I may save a bit–estimate is about $200 a month for a similar HMO plan, but there is a deductible. I’ve never been hospitalized, so I don’t know if this is a change. But I will have prescription coverage for the first time in 15 years, so I can stop buying my drugs in India and bumming samples off my (doctor) friends. Woo hoo! No subsidy for me, but I don’t deserve one.

  42. 42.

    ? Martin

    @dr. luba:

    Modern day appliances have all been outsourced to China, and are crap.

    Speed Queen washer/dryers are still made in the US and are tanks. Washer still has stainless steel tub. Go to any laundromat – it’s pretty much all Speed Queen. They just don’t break.

    The machines are relatively straightfoward in design. They use larger motors rather than cramming the mechanics down in order to squeeze in new features. Analogue controls. They aren’t cheap, but they last, and they’re easy to repair.

  44. 44.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    MileHiCon (regional/Denver science fiction convention) this weekend. Much needed escape. Just relieved I still have a 401(k) at least for now.

  48. 48.

    dr. luba

    @MikeJ: Yes, but not all the recalls are over safety issues, although the later ones usually are. And automobile warranties are three years on everything, five years on the drive train. Automobile warranties have been getting longer, while appliance warranties have been disappearing.

  49. 49.

    FlyingToaster

    Sitting in the hallway of [redacted] synagogue waiting for WarriorGirl to get out of Eurythmics class. She’s requested fish fingers for dinner; I have the feeling that mine will be liquid.

  51. 51.

    dr. luba

    @? Martin: Thanks. Good to know. I will keep that in mind. I have older, no frills Maytags. Knobs and buttons only. I’ve had to get a few minor repairs, but well worth the money. It’s good to have a local repairman you can trust. (He also patched up my 30 year old beer fridge by improvising a new fan for it. Parts no longer available.)

  55. 55.

    Redshift

    @Trollhattan:

    NOT a nerd and don’t know the reality of the situation, but since OFA rented all the server space they could conceivably need from Amazon and since the ACA servers would have to be gummint-owned and run (yes?) I suspect there isn’t a strong parallel between the two.

    Amazon actually has a GovCloud specifically for systems that are regulated and can’t just run on commercial server space. From what I’ve read, the real problem is outdated government procurement rules, which wouldn’t allow the kind of freewheeling design process that they did for the campaign.

  57. 57.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Hill Dweller: I’m hoping that such political shenanigans backfire on the Republicans and that Democratic voters come out in droves to get McAuliffe elected. That appears to be what happened in November 2012.

  61. 61.

    Corner Stone

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I’m wondering why President Obama didn’t ask the wonder kids who worked on his election campaigns to design and upkeep the ACA website. Their technological wizardry was part of his winning strategy.

    From all the snugglebunny love-ins I saw “reported” about his Big Data team, it’s really hard to tell they had any more significant impact on the technical side of his re-election beyond someone choosing to scale with Amazon’s cloud servers.
    That was a good call.

  62. 62.

    Bill Arnold

    @donnah:
    My dryer heater element worked for a good 6 years (until I moved) after replacing it. If you’re handy, it’s (probably) not hard to replace, though it does involve electrical connections.

  65. 65.

    EconWatcher

    Enchiladas, yum! Can I come over?

    (I’ll earn my keep by repeatedly reminding Mr. Cracker that he’s a lucky guy.)

  66. 66.

    Redshift

    My sister and niece are in town, so we’re going over to my parents’ for dinner with them. She lives in Louisiana and was married to a Republican (now deceased), so hopefully politics will not come up. Last night my mom mentioned that Jay Carney was the college roommate of one of our friends, and I could see a hint of a Look of Death (I’m guessing Carney was one subject of the Two Minutes Hate on Fox this past week), but I managed to steer the conversation away. Fortunately, she’s not focused much on politics, so as long as something doesn’t prompt it, she doesn’t tend to bring it up.

  68. 68.

    Bill Arnold

    @dr. luba:

    Appliances, on the other hand, only come with a one year warranty, and anything that goes wrong after that–tough luck.

    This is not always true. My 3YO GE dishwasher had a recall for the heating element (fire hazard). The repair guy came on time, finished quite quickly. But this requires a fire or electrocution or similar safety hazard.

  70. 70.

    Mike E

    @Trollhattan: Major envy here. My best friend since 4th grade(!) comes from an Italian family that came from the northern region, and getting invited to dinner at his house was always amazing. Every Xmas they hand-made ravioli; every New Year was surf and turf–lobster and filet. He turned out to be a good cook, with his Italian mama hovering over his shoulder (of course) giving expert instruction.

  72. 72.

    Dee Loralei

    @Trollhattan: I love that movie and have made a Timpano before, but I don’t like the crusts I’ve tried. Where is this magical place you speak of?

  73. 73.

    Trollhattan

    @Mike E:

    I simply don’t know anything better than what you just described. This place is three generations now, so they do it right. In my yoot I could have eaten their, weekly.

  76. 76.

    Jay C

    @donnah:

    I hear you: we had the same problem with our dryer last year, and decided (the equipment was about 10 years old) to replace rather than repair. Of course, it was only AFTER this that I found out that our apartment had an eccentric setup for the laundry closet (no vent, cold water only) which severely limited the models of W/D we could buy. The bummer was that the cheapest model was by ASKO -and that wasn’t “cheap” – the upside is that ASKO is still made in Sweden; hopefully they still maintain Euro-level standards of manufacture…

  78. 78.

    shelly

    I’m cooking one of my favorite fall dishes. Chicken baked with cider and apples. Baked leeks in a creamy cheese sauce on the side.

  80. 80.

    geg6

    Out for beers and dinner at the place across the street tonight then a haircut and pedicure with my sister tomorrow. Don’t know what I’m cooking the rest of the weekend but I will be cooking.

  81. 81.

    Jay C

    @Ahasuerus:

    Even better, I read that Senator-elect Booker planned to perform some SSMs in Newark before he decamps to Washington -as soon as the legal barriers vanish. Good for him!

  82. 82.

    shelly

    “Timbale…..Have not a clue how anybody tackles such a project (and wonder how well it down-scales to more modest dimensions?)”
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&

    in one of Mario Batali’s cookbooks, (I think it’s his Holiday one) he has a slimmed down version of that timbale. It looks doable but I haven’t tried it yet.

  84. 84.

    Trollhattan

    @Jay C:

    After fifteen years our Miele stack remains completely servicable, so I’d presume Asko is, too. Probably 5k loads run through ours, so I’ve forgotten the ghoulish cost by now. Miele made an unvented (condensor) model too, last I checked, and the washer has a built-in hot water heater, so that might be another (not cheaper) option.

  88. 88.

    Jay

    Music nerd here.

    Looking for an MP3 of Amy Winehouse’s acoustic version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

    A couple of sites list it as being available only in the UK, which is probably why I can’t get it right now.

    Google’s no help, as it’s pointed me to a bunch of download websites that look like nothing more than honey traps for the Feds…

  91. 91.

    MikeJ

    @Jay:

    Looking for an MP3 of Amy Winehouse’s acoustic version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

    If there’s a high quality version on youtube you could download the video and strip the audio out.

  92. 92.

    Mike E

    Oh yeah, cooking…I’ll be making pulled chicken BBQ a la Alton Brown (&Cook’s Illus.) on my Weber charcoal grill, batch #3,297. Leg quarters smoked indirectly for about 2 hrs, “homemade” sauce and store-bought cole slaw (really good, actually).

  93. 93.

    workworkwork

    @Patricia Kayden:
    I got into the Colorado exchange site the first week, set up my account and now I’m leisurely perusing three different medical plans and three different dental plans.

    The premiums weren’t quite as low as I had hoped but they still beat COBRA. I have a feeling that those sites with issues are the states with Republican governors.

    It’s not healthcare.gov. You’re only there long enough to jump to your state exchange web site.

  95. 95.

    Eric U.

    @lamh36: governor Drillbit here in Pa has really been squeezing Penn State’s budget. Our football program’s child-touching coverup related woes and the resulting fallout on the university budget leaves me unimpressed with budget cuts hurting football programs anywhere, but i understand the frustration the Grambling players must feel.

  96. 96.

    srv

    I’m wanting beer and a great dinner, but first I have to be tortured at the gym for an hour by my trainer.

    Should I survive that, I’ll hobble over to the gourmet truck park and will probably be too dehydrated for craft beer pong.

  99. 99.

    Jay

    @MikeJ: There is, but I’m totally lost on how to do what you just described. (I’m a PC user, if that makes any difference. I’m told lots of people buy Macs because they allow them to make music easily.)

  101. 101.

    workworkwork

    @Paddy:
    I can confirm this. I went looking for a new plan on a broker site before 10/1 and not only did they ask me a LOT more questions about my health, any surgeries, what meds I was taking, etc. but when I finally found a plan and applied I was rejected for a pre-existing medical condition.

    So, yeah…ACA is a distinct improvement.

    I also found it amusing that the same site that rejected me sent me an email suggesting I come back and try again, since under the ACA they couldn’t reject me any more. Just out of curiosity I did and the prices and selection weren’t any better. However, I found a vision plan for about $6/month that I’m considering.

  102. 102.

    srv

    @Jay:

    A couple of sites list it as being available only in the UK, which is probably why I can’t get it right now.

    https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/

    You get a VPN, connect to a server in the UK, and do as you please. Like watch Luther or Sherlock a month before everybody else does.

    There are free/demo VPNs if it’s a one-off, but $5/month for all the BBC iPlayer you want is not a bad deal (protop: iPlayer requires you to make your original connection via a UK IP, but it once it’s downloading, you can turn off the VPN and it will speed up a lot).

  104. 104.

    MomSense

    Working. I have definitely been burning the candle at both ends. Last night I went to the store after work with my son and I came out of the store in front of him and got in the wrong car. It did look exactly like our car but still. The young guy who owned the car was right behind my son and he laughed about it and said it was his lucky night which was very sweet.

  106. 106.

    bemused

    Off topic but open thread so this has puzzle me for awhile and thought the bj crowd would shed some light on it.

    I read that a Federal Air Marshall got caught taking photos under women’s skirts. Now I can understand some guys doing this if women weren’t wearing undies but I think most women do. So what kind of thrill do they get out of photos of crotches covered by panties?

  107. 107.

    Emma

    @workworkwork: I’m wondering if there’s not a big component of that. A friend in Kentucky got in and out in under an hour. Kentucky has really been doubling down on making it work.

  111. 111.

    bemused

    There’s a connection with crotch shots and wearing diapers? People are weird and I should have just lived with being puzzled.

  112. 112.

    Amir Khalid

    @bemused:
    Not only do perverts get off on all kinds of things, as MattF points out, but there’s also the tantalising possibility that the pervert might get very, very lucky and up-skirt the one woman in a million who decided to go commando for the day …

  113. 113.

    elftx

    does anyone know:

    who brought the final bill to the House floor the other night since I assume Boehner was not “allowed” to

    and does anyone know if that rule has been changed?

  115. 115.

    Bob's Had Enough

    @dr. luba: Please give some thoughts to sending your beer refer to the recycle yard.

    A current model refer will use 50% to 25% as much electricity as a 30 year old one. There have been amazing improvements in efficiency.

    You should have no problem finding an 18 cu ft refer that uses 1 kWh or less per day. 1kWh x 365 days x $0.13 kWh (avg US electricity cost) = $47.45. You could be spending an unnecessary $50 to $150 per year.

    It’s not your monthly electricity bill that concerns me, it’s the fact that we really, really, really need to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use. The easiest way to cut fossil fuel use is to cut electricity (and gasoline) use.

    You could help keep some coal in the ground and recover your up front cost much faster than your money would grow in the stock market.
    —
    And – everyone – Home Depot is selling LED lightbulbs for less than $13 that replace 60 watt incandescents but use only 16% as much electricity.

    Skip a couple fancy coffees and buy one. See how they work for you. If you pay the average price for electricity and use your lamp four hours a night you’ll be paid back in a year and a half with years of savings ahead.

  119. 119.

    fuckwit

    Good point on the refrigerators.

    My parents had their 30-year-old central A/C unit die on them this summer. They replaced it with a unit that saves them so mucn on electricity that it’ll be paid for by next summer. And because ofthat (not that they care about this) will help slow global warming, thus keeping them (and all of us!) even cooler.

  120. 120.

    Mnemosyne

    Working on a Keynote presentation for work, which fortunately was postponed until next Monday, because I have two events I have to plan for next week and was trying to figure out how little sleep I could get away with to fit everything in.

    Also, we get to meet my best friend’s new dog tomorrow. He looks freakin’ adorable — bigger than a Mini Pin, but with those markings.

  121. 121.

    Bob's Had Enough

    @fuckwit: This is stuff we can personally do to help with the climate problem.

    If one can’t find $13 for a LED then at least spend $1 on a CFL. The mercury inside is not a problem, just recycle the bulb after it’s spent many months/years saving you money and caused some coal to be left under the ground where it belongs.

    Christmas is coming. Maybe it’s time to replace that old desktop with a energy sipping laptop.

    One of our goals is to leave fossil fuel companies holding a lot of stranded assets. Can’t think of any better people to give the coal shaft to than the Koch boys.

  123. 123.

    Steeplejack

    @Violet:

    Late to the thread, but trying to get the information out wherever possible.

    HealthCare.gov has put up a page that allows you to get plan information without creating an account. I have been unsuccessful in setting up an account so far, but I was able to access this information easily. (I stopped trying to create an account after I was able to get the estimated information and will wait until the site gets the kinks worked out.)

    The Kaiser Family Foundation has a site that helps you calculate what subsidy you might be eligible for. (The HealthCare.gov link above does not do that.)

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