• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This fight is for everything.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

T R E 4 5 O N

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

The revolution will be supervised.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

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

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Let there be snark.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

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

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

No Justins, No Peace

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Consistently wrong since 2002

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Tea Party Lament

Open Thread: Tea Party Lament

by Anne Laurie|  January 5, 20146:11 pm| 103 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, #notintendedtobeafactualstatement, Romney of the Uncanny Valley

FacebookTweetEmail

Via commentor Schlemizel. Thanks, dude!

Also, an update to Cole’s late-night rant, from Carolyn Bankoff at NYMag:

… In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Romney did the reasonable thing and accepted [MHP’s apology].

“Well, you know, I think people recognize, and the folks at MSNBC have apologized, recognize people like me are fair targets. If you get in the political game, you can expect incoming. But children, you know, that’s beyond the line, and I think they understand that, and feel that as well,” Romney told Chris Wallace. “I think it’s a heartfelt apology. I think for that reason, we hold no ill will whatsoever.”

When Wallace reminded Romney that Harris-Perry had floated the idea of Kieran marrying North West, forcing Romney and Kanye to become in-laws, he responded, “I hadn’t heard those and don’t have any comment on those,” possibly because he is not sure who Harris-Perry was talking about. See? Joking about adult Romneys is so easy that you really don’t need to bring the babies into it.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Long Read: “The Waste and Corruption of Vladimir Putin’s 2014 Winter Olympics”
Next Post: Pete ‘The Mucker’ King is Outraged! »

Reader Interactions

103Comments

  1. 1.

    Hal

    January 5, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    I think it’s a heartfelt apology. I think for that reason, we hold no ill will whatsoever.”

    The kanye west joke has really riled these folks up huh. Once again that was the whole point. That Romney is Mr Brady perfect 50’s ideal and wouldn’t it be funny if known jackass kanye were his son in law. If one more person claims the joke is racist my head will explode.

  2. 2.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 5, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    If he’s trying to take the high road with aftermath of his 47% true-feelings, he can’t take the low road with MHP.

    Lucy got a haircut Aka her hair got really matted and they had to go this short. Owner fail.

  3. 3.

    debbie

    January 5, 2014 at 6:29 pm

    Still waiting for Fox’s apology for Michael Scheuer.

  4. 4.

    russ

    January 5, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    wanna know what else progressives have ruined, white flight. wimmens are competing for medals in the dam Olympics.

  5. 5.

    MattF

    January 5, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    … and if a Blble-thumper complains about the bad language we atheists use, point them here:

    http://themarginaliareview.com/archives/3156

  6. 6.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    @Hal:

    If one more person claims the joke is racist my head will explode.

    That joke was not racist, but the entire skit was so poorly conceived.

    MHP chose to present a picture of Romney with his black grandchild to a bunch of comedians who didn’t know about it in advance. WTF was she thinking?….what could possibly go wrong?

    The unfortunate end result is that the only person emerging from the whole shitfest with any credit at all is Romney.

    ETA: The biggest asshole is now Alec Baldwin who allegedly tweeted “If I cry, will I be forgiven all of my transgressions?”. Regardless of anything else, MSNBC is better off without that asshole.

  7. 7.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    January 5, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    That guy is absolutely brilliant! Yeah first thing I thought too was “Youtube!” I hope this thing goes viral.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    January 5, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    @ranchandsyrup:

    OMG. That face!

  9. 9.

    Ben Franklin

    January 5, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    Cansomeinsider tell me wtf this means?

    I don’t watch American Idol.

  10. 10.

    Ben Franklin

    January 5, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    Coles piece HAD NO comments. Is this an Executive Order?

  11. 11.

    jharp

    January 5, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Getting buried by the snow here in Central Indiana. Twice have shoveled out under 5 inches and getting ready to go back out for a third time.

    Then more snow until midnight. Then temperature is to drop to minus 9 and another 1 to 3 inches and blowing.

    High Monday expected to be minus 10. Low of minus 15.

    It kinda sorta is a huge pain in the ass.

  12. 12.

    TaMara (BHF)

    January 5, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    I’ve tweeted and posted to book of faces this video. Spread it far and wide. Then go listen to his Tom Cruise Scares Me, funny as hell. He sounds like he’d make a good BJ commenter.

  13. 13.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    Good for Romney for being gracious. I hope that’s the end of the whole stupid thing.

  14. 14.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 5, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    @Baud: she’s a sweetheart.

  15. 15.

    GregB

    January 5, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    I wish that the news folks would stick with news and let the comedians do comedy.

    The whole melding of the two has run the course.

    I blame Hunter S. Thompson/.

  16. 16.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @TaMara (BHF):

    He sounds like he’d make a good BJ commenter.

    Brilliant idea!

  17. 17.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @ranchandsyrup: How utterly adorable. She looks a bit like Soonergrunt’s dog.

  18. 18.

    TMinSJ

    January 5, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Any update on the 2014 Pet calendar? My 2 beauties are hopefully in there…and hopefully not in January so I can enjoy them for more than 2 weeks.

  19. 19.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 5, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    @Mandalay:

    The unfortunate end result is that the only person emerging from the whole shitfest with any credit at all is Romney.

    That is apparently your opinion.

    Which is one of the reasons why you are not held in high esteem around here.

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    @Violet:

    Yeah, but how long will it take Faux & Friends, Snowbilly Snooki, etc., to follow the Mittster’s gracious lead?

    (Not disagreeing with you at all, btw. I thought MHP’s apology was amazingly heartfelt, and Romney’s acceptance was as classy as I’ve ever seen him. But I have a feeling that some of the RWNJ cadre are wanting to keep this going as long as they can.)

  21. 21.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    @Violet:

    You know who I really miss? Charlie.

    I know we were told that he went to a good home after the General”s death, but I sure miss seeing that little face. I’m glad I saved one or two photos of him before everything went pear-shaped last summer.

  22. 22.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    That is apparently your opinion.

    Yes it is. Though everyone else had already set the bar pretty low for him.

    Which is one of the reasons why you are not held in high esteem around here.

    Oh, sorry. Did I shit all over your sofa? My bad.

  23. 23.

    Schlemizel

    January 5, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    @TaMara (BHF):

    I think he would be labeled a firebagger here of insufficient fealty to the party. He has a great sense of humor and a keen eye for BS though, it would be interesting to hear him talk politics.

  24. 24.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 6:58 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: They will never do it, but that’s not what they do and it doesn’t really concern them anyway. It’s between MHP and the other people on her show who were involved and the Romney family. Anyone on Fox or Klondike Kardashian or whoever can’t accept the apology because it wasn’t made to them.

    Of course screeching wingnuts want to keep the story going as long as possible. They’ll do what they can, but at this point more screeching is not going to get them the traction they want it to because the “injured party” (Romney) has accepted the apology. They can screech about it, but if they don’t like that Romney accepted a heartfelt apology it just makes them look petty. It doesn’t have legs at this point.

  25. 25.

    gogol's wife

    January 5, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    @jharp:

    I feel for you! Stay safe. It sucks.

  26. 26.

    raven

    January 5, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    @TMinSJ: Anna said John had to get a new graphic designer so there is a delay.

  27. 27.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    @jharp: Live much further south than you, but spent the better part of three hours today watering plants, covering pipes, and in the afternoon covering all sorts of plants and tropical trees. Some have gallon water jugs under them. Some have Christmas lights for added warmth. It’s supposed to get into the 20’s and stay there for up to nine hours tonight and even worse tomorrow night. That’s just too cold for tropicals. Hopefully the citrus and papaya will survive. The bananas are on their own. Fingers crossed the shrimp plants survive. They’re very sentimental to me.

  28. 28.

    Schlemizel

    January 5, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    @jharp:

    WAAAHHH. Its already 10 below here and only getting colder tomorrow. 10″ of snow is nothing. One Thanksgiving we got 22″ on Wed. and 24″ on Thanksgiving day. Toughen up! :)

    stay warm & watch your fingers & toes.

  29. 29.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: The General’s sister posted here a couple of times after John finally got in touch. I wonder if she’d know where Charlie ended up.

  30. 30.

    Gex

    January 5, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: It will be fun, although pointless I concede, to get to point out to all of them that Romney has accepted the apology, so what exactly is their standing to demand anything more? They aren’t really party to the so-called offense.

  31. 31.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 5, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    @Ben Franklin: WTF? There are more than 80 comments.

  32. 32.

    raven

    January 5, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Shouldn’t you be somewhere? Fucking great play by Rogers.

  33. 33.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 5, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    @raven: I am watching it. I just checked in here during commercial.

  34. 34.

    Mike in NC

    January 5, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I have a feeling that some of the RWNJ cadre are wanting to keep this going as long as they can.

    “Perrygate, the biggest scandal of 2014!”

  35. 35.

    Heywood J.

    January 5, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    Still waiting for Romney’s apology for being Romney. They never apologize for anything. Ever. She shouldn’t have given him the satisfaction.

  36. 36.

    Baud

    January 5, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    This is a good game.

  37. 37.

    max

    January 5, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    Somebody needs to smack the editor of the NYT homepage.

    An Open House at Gracie Mansion

    On the homepage:

    Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, like another populist leader, President Andrew Jackson, threw his official residence open to a long line of well-wishers on Sunday.

    The line in the actual story:

    The notion of the “people’s house,” as Mr. de Blasio has taken to calling the two-century-old home, is a time-tested political strategy, dating back to another outspoken populist, Andrew Jackson, who opened the White House to the masses after his inauguration in 1829.

    ‘A time-tested political strategy’.

    Seriously, any time you imply that de Blasio has something common in Andrew Jackson (because they’re both ‘populists’) then something is seriously wrong with your political classifications, probably starting with the notion of ‘populist’ – unless you are prepared to go all the way and start calling people (with a straight face, in your actual newspaper) like, say, Michael Bloomberg or Mitt Romney ‘aristocrats’ or ‘aristocratic’. (Or ‘autocratic’ for that matter.)

    Otherwise ‘populist’ is synonymous with ‘popular’ or ‘well-liked’… which implies Bloomberg wasn’t popular or well-liked. (He DID manage to get elected, so there’s that.)

    max
    [‘I won’t get into the ideological shadow that casts ‘unpopular’ as ‘the right thing to do’.’]

  38. 38.

    hildebrand

    January 5, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    @GregB: Don’t blame Hunter, blame people thinking they have the ability to do what Hunter seemed to do in his sleep. Of course, Thompson worked like a dog at his craft, his early stuff is just mind-bendingly amazing. Molly Ivins was the last person who could pull off news and lacerating comedy at the same time.

  39. 39.

    raven

    January 5, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Don’t be a Fatty Face Fisherman!

  40. 40.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    @max: President Obama did the same thing in 2008 after the inauguration. He and Michelle greeted members of the public for awhile at the White House. Can’t remember if they did it in 2012.

  41. 41.

    Cassidy

    January 5, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    MHP shouldn’t have apologized for shit. Fuck their feelings, fuck their disingenuous bullshit, and fuck them with the pointy heads of our suburban liberal contingent.

  42. 42.

    Ben Franklin

    January 5, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The link indicated zero. It seemed the late hour was unnoticed, and someone was directed to note. I guess it was my error.

  43. 43.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    @Cassidy: Why should MHP not have apologized?

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    @Violet:

    What are shrimp plants?

  45. 45.

    jl

    January 5, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    @max:

    And public receptions at the President’s residence go back to Washington.

    Presidential Handshakes on New Year’s Day
    White House Receptions Began the New Year
    By Robert McNamara

    http://history1800s.about.com/od/leaders/a/whnewyears.htm

    Edit: I read some place that Jefferson came up with the idea of serving a giant wheel of cheese to the public too, but not sure whether that was something at the White House. I think the Jackson was one of first inaugurals with WH open to public, and it almost turned into a riot.

  46. 46.

    shelly

    January 5, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    Then more snow until midnight. Then temperature is to drop to minus 9 and another 1 to 3 inches and blowing.

    Gaaaah! Is working from home on Monday an option? Not that it looks like it’s gonna warm up anytime soon.

  47. 47.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Shrimp plants. Love ’em. Come in all sorts of colors. I’ve got lots, but some I got from family and they’re sentimental to me.

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    @Violet:

    I kind of remember the sister saying that Charlie was in a good hom, but no details. Hope that is the case and Charlie is happy and pampered in his new forever home. I’m not really much of a dog person, as I’ve mentioned here before, but something about Charlie’s face just melted my heart. I think of him more often than I’m comfortable admitting.

  49. 49.

    Bonnie

    January 5, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    I am an American Indian. My ancestors and I have wanted our country back for a much longer time than the idiot tea partiers.

  50. 50.

    Gex

    January 5, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    @Bonnie: With the added credibility of having actually had it taken from you.

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    @Violet:

    Ah, those are very cool. Pretty!! Never heard of them before (that’s one of the many reasons I love this blog).

  52. 52.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 7:38 pm

    @Bonnie:

    I’m as WASP as they come, but I am wishing right now for a “like” button.

  53. 53.

    Baud

    January 5, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    Looking bad for Green Bay.

  54. 54.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 5, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    @Violet: yeah they do look kind of alike. :)

  55. 55.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I think they’re pretty tropical. I saw them growing in Hawaii–yellow ones! Here’s pictures. The ones I have are actually pretty robust and will withstand a light freeze just fine. But temps in the 20’s for nine hours is too much so I covered them. I hope they’ll be okay.

  56. 56.

    lamh36

    January 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    DAMMMMMMN! 3 hours…Oh My!

    Sex Sent Me to the ER Featured a Woman Who Orgasmed for 3 Hours

  57. 57.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    @Gex:

    Yup, zackly.

  58. 58.

    Cassidy

    January 5, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    @Violet: Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but she didn’t do anything to apologize for. Seriously, I’m not concerned about the delicate fee fees of people with a permanent victims complex because someone on her show said something possibly offensive that they could try and turn into another culture war battle. They have people on their shows who say Cole, offensive shit every day and are never held to account and I’m not going to hold her to a standard of decency these sorry sacks of shit couldn’t reach if we helped by elevating them on pikes.

  59. 59.

    Gravenstone

    January 5, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    @Baud: Going 3 and out on your opening three possessions is no way to get ahead in the NFL.

  60. 60.

    joel hanes

    January 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Jefferson came up with the idea of serving a giant wheel of cheese to the public

    It was a gift from an over-fervent supporter. (As Jefferson refused to accept personal gifts, he paid $200 to the makers when it turned out the thing was impossible to refuse.)

    When delivered, the so-called “Mammoth” cheese wheel was over four feet in diameter, fifteen inches thick, and weighed well over a thousand pounds.. The linked account does not mention serving it to the general public, but that might have been adviseable: others recount that it was still being served at the White House up to four years later, at which time (no refrigeration, remember) it was “far from good”.

  61. 61.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    @Cassidy: I guess we have different opinions on that. Here’s a link to a story I posted yesterday. It’s from a December 31st article, so before the latest apology.

    Melissa Harris-Perry said her intention was to celebrate diversity, but the segment took an unexpected and offensive turn when she asked her guests to talk about a photo showing infant Kieran Romney with his grandparents and their 21 other grandchildren, all of them white.

    One guest on her Sunday show, actress Pia Glenn, sang “one of these things just isn’t the same.”

    Comedian Dean Obeidallah said it “sums up the diversity of the Republican party.”

    Harris-Perry said she’d like to see Kieran marry Kanye West’s daughter so West and Romney would be in-laws.

    She’s the one who stated her preferences about the Romney grandchild’s future marriage. To me that’s out of bounds and she should apologize and did. That should have been the end of it. I think the non-adult children or grandchildren of politicians are off limits. It’s not right when the rightwing talks about the Obama girls or when they talked about Chelsea Clinton. It’s not right when MHP or anyone else talks about Romney’s grandkids. Just leave them out of it. If you want to talk about the lack of diversity in the Republican party there are plenty of other ways to talk about it. Bringing the infant child into it is wrong. I’m glad she apologized.

  62. 62.

    BGK

    January 5, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    My Google-fu is failing me, so maybe someone here knows. Is there some kind of tax dodge/fee dodge/grift/scam involving registering one’s car in Tennessee?

    Being in a tourist state, there are a great number of rental cars (one learns to recognize the fleet-only models, markings, et cetera), and I’ve seen a wholesale switch from Florida tags to Tennessee tags.

    While out today, I noticed several pretty clearly high-income-bracket cars with Tennessee tags, but with tag frames from local dealers.

    Florida has no car tax, and registration fees are pretty modest (less than $60 a year) for non-commercial vehicles. I could see in a large fleet where even a few dollars per car could add up, but what’s the deal with the one percenters?

  63. 63.

    jl

    January 5, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    @joel hanes: Thanks for the info and link. I read someplace about a huge cheese being served at a reception. Your link says it was at the WH the next New Year’s Day. Jefferson, like all presidents in that era, had combined public and foreign diplomatic receptions at the WH on the New Year, so maybe that was the reception I read about.

    Edit: Yay Niners!

  64. 64.

    rikyrah

    January 5, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    NewsBreaker @NewsBreaker
    Follow

    JUST IN: Chicago, Illinois Public Schools cancelled for Monday due to extreme cold [email protected]
    5:26 PM – 5 Jan 2014

  65. 65.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    @Violet:

    I think the non-adult children or grandchildren of politicians are off limits.

    This. Don’t even think about going there. It will never turn out well.

  66. 66.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    January 5, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    OT:
    Was going out of town for the night. Spawn was staying home.
    Stopped home with a burrito for him.

    Spawn: “Ryan is coming over”
    Me: “I’m not going”
    Spawn: “Why not”?
    Me: “Too cold”
    Spawn:” Awww”
    Me: “how many people are coming over?”
    Spawn “like, thirty”
    Me: “oops”

  67. 67.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    January 5, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    @joel hanes:

    Don’t believe that, cheese, like wine, only gets better with age. I purposefully buy cheese on sale about to hit its “sell by” date and store it for months for it to mature. One of the best cheeses I have ever eaten was a four year old Cathedral White Cheddar. It was heaven on a plate.

  68. 68.

    Suffern ACE

    January 5, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    Fiddlesticks. The only football team that matters is out of the playoffs again.

  69. 69.

    Glocksman

    January 5, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    @Violet:

    She’s the one who stated her preferences about the Romney grandchild’s future marriage. To me that’s out of bounds and she should apologize and did. That should have been the end of it. I think the non-adult children or grandchildren of politicians are off limits. It’s not right when the rightwing talks about the Obama girls or when they talked about Chelsea Clinton. It’s not right when MHP or anyone else talks about Romney’s grandkids. Just leave them out of it. If you want to talk about the lack of diversity in the Republican party there are plenty of other ways to talk about it. Bringing the infant child into it is wrong. I’m glad she apologized.

    Agreed.

    Though I wonder if the ‘Who struck John?’ types on the right felt the same way when Limbaugh talked about the Clinton family dog on his short-lived TV show and held up a picture of Chelsea Clinton?

    Somehow I doubt it.

  70. 70.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    January 5, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @Violet:
    I am glad MHP apologized and I am glad that Romney was gracious in accepting her apology. However, why has it not been more widely publicized that they named their black grandchild the Gaelic of “the dark one” are journalists that lazy these days?

  71. 71.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Some do, some don’t. Did you bring back any cheese from your trip to the UK this year? We bring it back when we go, especially bog standard supermarket cheddar. The extra strong kind. Cut it up in thirds, wrap in waxed paper, store in freezer. It gets a bit crumbly but tastes fine, especially if using for cheese on toast or in eggs or something.

    You can bring back hard cheeses, not soft cheese, and they cannot be raw milk. There are plenty to choose from. We try to get ones that are harder to get here, like Cheshire or a good Wensleydale. Where I live we’ve got a lot of good cheese counters or shops so I’m spoiled, but some of the English cheeses are still hard to get.

  72. 72.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Yes, they’re lazy. They’re probably also afraid to go there. How the hell do you do a story on the Mormon white-as-snow Romneys naming their adopted black child the Gaelic for “the dark one”? Landmines all over the place. Why go there? What’s the upside. And people name their kids all sorts of names without knowing what the names mean. Perhaps the parents didn’t realize what it meant.

  73. 73.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 5, 2014 at 8:24 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Several years ago, the kid got me a cheese sampler. Different cheeses of different ages. The 5 year old cheddar was really yummy. I think as long as you store it properly and it doesn’t dry out, it’ll improve with age.

  74. 74.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    @Glocksman: Just because the other side is doing the wrong thing doesn’t mean you have to do it as well. MHP made a mistake with what she said. An apology was warranted and she was right to give it. Accepting a heartfelt apology graciously is also the right thing to do and Romney did the right thing there.

    The only lesson anyone should take away from this whole issue is that talking about the non-adult children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, stepkids, whatever of politicians is the wrong thing to do. Unless the child does something that is newsworthy in itself (good or bad), leave the kid out of the conversation. Doesn’t matter if one side did it before. “Both sides do it” is no excuse. Just don’t go there.

  75. 75.

    eemom

    January 5, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    @Violet:

    In a sane world I would agree with your perspective, but the fact is we don’t live in one. As I think was Cole’s point, we live in a world where despicable right wing fucktards routinely say outrageous shit about the president, his family, and all kinds of other things with absolutely zero standards of human decency, never mind what’s out of bounds — and not only do they not apologize, they fucking thrive on it.

    So, as often happens, Cole and I are of one mind on this matter. : )

    ETA: And actually, more to the point is this part of what Cole said:

    “But let’s compare what some jackass said on tv to what Romney and Ryan wanted to do to America and what their policies would have done to African-American children not lucky enough to be adopted by a quarter-billionaire white guy. Or what the party Romney belongs to has done to make sure young Miss Romney has a helluva time voting. And so on.”

  76. 76.

    tybee

    January 5, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    aieeee. forecast now says 20 tuesday dawn here on de island, mon, and it’ll stay below freezing for 10 hours. kiss off the banana plants and the bananas on them. hope the citrus survives.
    hadda pick all the peppers and eggplants in the garden.
    this happens every 20 years or so…which is way too often to suit me.

  77. 77.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    January 5, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    @Violet:

    I brought back some really mature Lancashire crumbly which was gone in about a week! Thankfully I can get a really nice Cheshire (a good substitute for Lancashire for cheese on toast) at Lowes Foods about 45 minutes away. Recently my local Food Lion had their mature English Cheddar reduced cause it was about to hit its sell by date. I bought a metric ton of it and it is in my Fridge as we speak letting the cheese mites do their thing. @Violet:

    Many years ago a poor young girl who graduated from Jacksonville High School was called “Latrine Jackson”. I have not the words

  78. 78.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 5, 2014 at 8:36 pm

    @joel hanes:

    Too lazy to Google it, but wasn’t there a West Wing episode based on the giant wheel of cheese open-house tradition?

  79. 79.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    January 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    When I was poring the internet in search of Stuck, I found his image sharing page. Thousands of pictures, mostly hummingbirds, but lots of charlie too. Can’t seem to find it right now. I’ll look more.

  80. 80.

    Gex

    January 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @Violet: Hell, Bush’s twins got off pretty easy when they WERE doing newsworthy things. (Or so it seemed to me. But maybe I just didn’t pay much attention.)

  81. 81.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    January 5, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    One of my most abiding memories of living in England before I moved here was going to Cheddar Gorge, stopping for lunch at a really ancient pub and having a ploughman’s lunch with a cold shandy. The cheese on the Ploughman’s was taken from the caves in the Gorge that day and carved for my lunch, it was nutty, crumbly, tasteful, perfection. Coupled with the crusty bread, farmhouse butter, pickles and onions it was absolute heaven. I honestly do not think I have ever tasted the like. So obviously I am spoiled rotten. By that standard “American Cheese” is the most unthinkable thing ever. Or as my Dad used to call it “plastic cheese”.

  82. 82.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    January 5, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Feast

  83. 83.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:42 pm

    @eemom: I think there are other ways to fight back rather than picking a fight using a child. I completely agree that the rightwing gets away with everything. They’re also “outraged” at the drop of a hat. It’s ridiculous. Still doesn’t mean bringing the grandchild of a former Presidential candidate into the discussion is the right thing to do. The fact that the wingnuts thrive on it is a problem with our media. They should be pilloried for the crap and lies they spew. They aren’t.

  84. 84.

    SarahT

    January 5, 2014 at 8:42 pm

    @max: We were there ! We got our pix taken wgthe mayor ! He is 8 feet tall ! Waited 3 hours, not 2, but they had a few heat tents & served us hot chocolate & cider. Feet just thawing out now but it was totally worth it, though the kids had bailed so no close-up look at dante’s afro or chiara’s headband.

  85. 85.

    gelfling545

    January 5, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    @Violet: I very much agree. The kids have no choice in whom they’re related to or what politics those people choose to follow. Whatever the intention was, it was still ill-conceived to drag minor children/grandchildren into the spotlight. Don’t “celebrate” the kids; don’t criticize the kids. They have nothing to do with the political scene.

  86. 86.

    kc

    January 5, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    @Mandalay:

    Yep, stupid and avoidable. This is what happens when news becomes entertainment.

  87. 87.

    Glocksman

    January 5, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    @Violet:

    What I tried to say was that I doubt the sincerity of many of those complaining on the right, not that MHP shouldn’t have apologized or that wrongdoing from one side is license to or an excuse for the other to do the same.

    I’m too lazy to google it, but I’ll bet money some of the most vehement howlers on teh intertubes about MHP have no problems with someone attacking or making jokes about Sasha or Malia.

    Personally I’m a bit surprised that Lortab Limbaugh, Hannity the Liar, or Levin the Hysterical haven’t been heard from yet.

  88. 88.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    @Gex: The Bush girls were adults by the time he got inaugurated, weren’t they? As such I think they’re less off limits than non-adult kids. Still, I think the kids of politicians, unless they decide to pursue some kind of job or career in the public eye, like Megan McCain or Bristol Palin, should be off limits. It’s not their fault their parent is a politician. Their lives are affected enough by it without the press and anyone else making it a living hell.

  89. 89.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 8:48 pm

    @eemom:

    we live in a world where despicable right wing fucktards routinely say outrageous shit about the president, his family, and all kinds of other things with absolutely zero standards of human decency,

    We certainly do. But why measure (or justify) your own behavior based on that of right wing fucktards in the first place? All that achieves is to drag yourself down to their level.

    Do what is appropriate, regardless of what they are doing. And the appropriate thing is to stay well away from the kids and grandkids of political opponents. Don’t even say nice things, which can and will be misconstrued and distorted, and used against you. Just stay away.

  90. 90.

    Violet

    January 5, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    @Glocksman: Oh, yeah, I agree. I’m sure plenty of people howling on the right are complete hypocrites when the tables are turned.

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Love a good Lancashire crumbly. Pulled some out of the freezer this weekend. Except for being extra crumbly it was still delicious. We freeze it in small portions so it’ll last longer. Works pretty well.

  91. 91.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    @Gex:

    Bush’s twins got off pretty easy when they WERE doing newsworthy things.

    They were attractive, which counts for a lot with many people.

  92. 92.

    Anne Laurie

    January 5, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    @Cassidy:

    MHP shouldn’t have apologized for shit. Fuck their feelings, fuck their disingenuous bullshit, and fuck them with the pointy heads of our suburban liberal contingent.

    Well, let’s compromise and call it a rookie mistake. It was entirely predictable just showing that photo was going to bring wounded-wolverine screams from the Wingnut Wurlitzer, and the only way to survive the ensuing fauxrage without apologizing would be to say “Fvck y’all with your own ever-ready pitchforks & torches, and incidentally my white Mormon mamma says that you are the real racists.” Even if she had decided to go Full Metal White Man on her haterz, we can assume that MSNBC wouldn’t have supported her afterwards (see Bashir, Martin).

    The only way you “win” that kind of pissing contest is if you have the personality/training to be, well, Alex Baldwin — a Very White Guy with an established authoritarian schtick. Even Baldwin couldn’t keep MSNBC from folding like a cheap cot, but he kept his endorsement gigs, because chest-thumping is a big part of his brand. Melissa Harris-Perry is not Alex Baldwin — a fact for which we all, not least MHP, are grateful — so she took the least personally damaging option open to her.

    Look at it this way: You don’t see many purebred greyhounds running the Iditarod, even though greyhounds are objectively faster than sled dogs. Complaining that MHP didn’t “tough it out” is like complaining that she ought to be a different person than she was hired to be — a smart, educated, sensitive woman of color, not a gleeful moron whose first instinct when attacked would be to double down. The choice she made is not the choice you or I would’ve made, but then, we’re here running our mouths on a blog!

  93. 93.

    gelfling545

    January 5, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Still, I doubt that much Gaelic is spoken or understood in the Romney family. Also, do we know it is not the child’s birth name?

  94. 94.

    TS

    January 5, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    @Cassidy:

    I was beginning to think I was the only person on the intertubes who thought that no apology was needed. The GOP screamers cannot handle the truth – they can give out the sh!t – but never accept the truth.

    Where are all the people screaming for the downfall of those who are now throwing racist remarks at the first lady – because she dares to have a holiday.

    The supreme court needs it selective head examined for saying racism ended with the election of President Obama – quite the opposite has happened. Last time there was this much racism by politicians, the media and the RWNJs was in the 1960s.

  95. 95.

    TS

    January 5, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    @Mandalay:

    They were attractive, which counts for a lot with many people.

    They (the Bush twins) were attractive to white America – Michelle Obama & her children are the most attractive first family with the best of “family values” included – they just don’t look that way to those who think they should be working in the WH gardens.

  96. 96.

    Mandalay

    January 5, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    @Anne Laurie:

    Even Baldwin couldn’t keep MSNBC from folding like a cheap cot

    To compare MHP with Baldwin is a little unfair to her. She was obviously deeply sorry, and apologized unreservedly.

    Baldwin offered a non-apology, and has a previous history with his homophobia. And Baldwin’s mocking of MHP’s apology showed that MSNBC were right to fire him. Baldwin is a handsome, rich movie star who happens to have some left wing views, but he is an asshole of a human being.

  97. 97.

    Cassidy

    January 5, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    @Violet: I see what you’re saying, but I don’t agree she did anything wrong.

    @Anne Laurie: Sure it was predictable. Wingnut howls of fauxtrage are as predictable as wingnuts saying bigoted shit. I still don’t think she should have had to apologize. Maybe she feels she should have apologized and that’s her choice, but all the people clamoring for her to grovel should be pushed off a dock.

  98. 98.

    Thymezone

    January 5, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    Apparently the entire concept of people minding their own fucking business is a thing of the ancient past.

    Why anyone would have, much less express repeatedly, any opinion about the Romney adoption is beyond me. It’s none of my fucking business.

    And why anyone would have, much less express repeatedly and in layers upon layers of navelgazing, any opinion about MHP’s apology is also beyond me. It’s her show, she can say anything she pleases, and fuck John Cole and anyone else who has an “opinion” about it. Who gives a flying shit?

    The entire fucking topic is nothing but gossip, and even for this cesspool of human interaction, it’s embarrassing and pointless.

    If were you, John Cole, I would just take down these asinine threads and apologize to all of us for turning your blog into a little old ladies’ rest home.

  99. 99.

    wasabi gasp

    January 5, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    Every fuckin’ lawn everywhere. Bitches best be off ’em.

    Angel Haze – Gossip Folks

  100. 100.

    Anne Laurie

    January 6, 2014 at 1:44 am

    @Thymezone: Glad to see you back, sir.

  101. 101.

    Fred

    January 6, 2014 at 4:45 am

    @Heywood J.: I thought her apology was mostly aimed at multi-racial families. That was the place where she choked up.
    I haven’t looked at the offending clip. Don’t know if they deleted it, wouldn’t be surprised. I listen to MHP on line every week but bailed on that episode early because it was an ill conceived train wreck. MHP’s show are usually great but you can’t be great without taking some risks and risks are always, well risky.
    Anyway, I’m getting a sinking feeling that MSNBC execs are going to pull the plug on one of the best shows they have. Hey, it wouldn’t be fair to Olbermann and Bashir to let a faux pas slip without firing someone. Besides she’s just s gurl. It’s not like she’s someone important like Chris Mathews, who is arrogant and rude to everybody.
    But snark aside, Has anyone here heard any ill winds blowing for MHP Show? Do we need to get out in front of this thing with an e-mail campaign? I think I’ll start that right now. TO THE BARRICADES COMMRADS!

  102. 102.

    brantl

    January 6, 2014 at 7:31 am

    To be fair to Mr. Romney, I would rather not know who North or Kanye West are, too.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. Teabaggers’ Lament | From Pine View Farm says:
    January 6, 2014 at 10:02 am

    […] Via Balloon Juice. […]

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • WaterGirl on Time for a Nap Open Thread (Jun 4, 2023 @ 5:23pm)
  • trollhattan on Time for a Nap Open Thread (Jun 4, 2023 @ 5:17pm)
  • eclare on Time for a Nap Open Thread (Jun 4, 2023 @ 5:15pm)
  • Van Buren on Time for a Nap Open Thread (Jun 4, 2023 @ 5:15pm)
  • Geminid on Something To Talk About (Jun 4, 2023 @ 5:12pm)

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Seattle Meetup on Sat 5/13 at 5pm!

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
Classified Documents: A Primer
State & Local Elections Discussion

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice Events

5/14  The Apocalypse
5/20  Home Away from Home
5/29  We’re Back, Baby
7/21  Merging!

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!