Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

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

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

When we show up, we win.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Fight them, without becoming them!

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

In after Baud. Damn.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

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

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

Republicans do not trust women.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Let me file that under fuck it.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Open Thread: Because, Hey, Who Doesn’t Love A(nother) Clown?…

Open Thread: Because, Hey, Who Doesn’t Love A(nother) Clown?…

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Jeb! Bush is still determined to kill me (there are not enough blood pressure medications on earth for me to survive another Bush Crime Family campaign). Warning, Politico link:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he will make a decision on whether to run for president in 2016 at “the right time” — later this year.

“I don’t wake up each day saying, ‘Now what am I going do today to make the decision?’ I’m deferring the decision to the right time, which is later this year,” Bush said in an interview Wednesday with Miami CBS affiliate WFOR…

“The decision will be based on, can I do it joyfully? Because I think we need candidates to lift our spirits; it’s a pretty pessimistic country right now,” Bush said. “And is it right for my family? So I don’t want to even think about that until the right time…

Like there’s not enough clowns in the GOP-16 car already! The original tv interview seems to interpret Jeb’s coyness as “he’s waiting to see if he can step on Hillary Clinton’s announcement and make it all about a spite match.” John Ellis can’t even count on his mamma’s vote — between mean-girling ‘political dynasties, so un-American’, Big Bar is already talking up the next generation of her criminal spawn (‘there’s Pierce, or George P… ‘)

***********

Apart from abusing “America’s only native criminal class”, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

Reader Interactions

65Comments

  2. 2.

    bg

    We in Florida suffered for years under JEB!’s tax cuts, his stand your ground law, his abolition of affirmative action, his 10 20 life criminal law that has locked up so many of our young black men, his destructive “tort reform” that prevents the most seriously injured from recovering enough to actually take care of them, and his ghoulish exploitation of Terri Schiavo and her family. I can’t believe he would have the balls to show his face. He should just stay at home and count all the money he stole.

  4. 4.

    Baud

    I’m disappointed this news seems to have fallen down the rabbit hole.

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department wants low-level drug criminals who were sentenced under tough laws from the days of the crack epidemic to ask the president for early release from prison.

    In an unprecedented move, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole asked defense lawyers on Thursday to help the government locate prisoners and encourage them to apply for clemency. The clemency drive is part of the Obama administration’s effort to undo a disparity that flooded the nation’s prison system and disproportionately affected black men.

  5. 5.

    jl

    Skyrim? No clue what that is.

    But I am so out of it, I see ads for video games and think they are for movies, and once said to my friends “How about we see Excalabalator, Sword of Magic Two” (or whatever it was). And they looked at me like, you are so out of it, totally.

    Oh, yeah. the topic of the post. Let’s see how big Mr. Jeb talks after his mama gives him a whoopin’ for sassin around like that.

  8. 8.

    raven

    And for all the geniuses bitching about the tparty opposing taxation for public transportation in Georgia there is this from the recently defeated SPLOST vote:

    But when challenges arose within the T-SPLOST’s Democratic, transit-fan base of voters, the campaign seemed to be caught flat-footed.

    The campaign lost huge potential endorsements at the core of its voter base this spring, when the state organizations for both the Sierra Club and the NAACP came out against the tax, feeling there should be more transit in the list.

  10. 10.

    Cacti

    Well, candidate Jeb would assuage some of my fears about Hillary being significantly older than the GOPer.

  15. 15.

    some guy

    Jeb will be forced to say nyet when he realizes what an asswhooping Gov. Voldemort is gonna get from Charlie Crist. The idea of Jeb! losing Florida in 2016 will mean no more green rooms for a very long time.

    In other exciting news, our allies in al Qaeda have set up shop in Tripoli and the Bekaa valley. what could possibly go wrong?

    Against that backdrop, a local commander in Syria who is close to al Qaeda commanders there said Ansary had been given the conditional blessing of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to announce al Qaeda’s presence in Lebanon.

    “There will be statement in the next few days and the world will know then what will happen in Lebanon, and with God’s will it will warm the heart of the faithful,” he said.

    While the group is expected to focus on Tripoli as a base, local commanders may be present in the northern province of Akkar, in the Bekaa Valley and the southern city of Sidon, where supporters of Sunni Islamist Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir clashed with the army last year.

    Residents say al Qaeda is already calling the shots in some Tripoli neighborhoods and areas of the northern province of Akkar and the Bekaa Valley. Black and white flags associated with its uncompromising Islamist agenda openly fly from the streets and balconies of some Tripoli districts.

  16. 16.

    Origuy

    @John Cole: You’ve got a bad sprain then. RICE and see a doctor to make sure it’s not worse than that.

    Clowns learn how to fall on day one of Clown School.

  17. 17.

    schrodinger's cat

    I am bored of all this horse race talk. And of the retreads of the past. No dynasties, please. Its too damned soon. We need to focus on the midterms coming up this November.

  19. 19.

    Helen

    Bar’s “political dynasties, suck” quote is not really about Jeb. It’s about Hillary. It’s those other dynasties she’s whining about now that Hillary is a real threat.

  21. 21.

    kdaug

    It occurs to me that some of you may have not played Elder Scrolls games, or understand that WOW is shorthand for MMO.
    But I’ve worked with about a third of this team, and trust me – they’re experts at what they do.
    This will be fucking epic.

  22. 22.

    Cacti

    Am I the only one who feels a little less than excited at the thought of two 60-somethings re-fighting the political battles of 1992 for the 2016 election?

  26. 26.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I read that earlier today and wondered whether the president is considering some kind of large-scale clemency for those kinds of offenses? I thought the 8 that got pardoned earlier this year were just a drop in the bucket.

    Have you head any speculation on the possible scope of clemency?

  27. 27.

    Baud

    @WaterGirl:

    No. Just what was in the news today. It was one of those things that I thought would be bigger news, at least on our side of the Internet. Alas, Obama is not Rand Paul.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I hadn’t seen anything either, hoped that maybe you had. I will hold on to my high hopes for thousands of clemency requests, then! Most granted, of course.

  30. 30.

    Karen in GA

    @Cacti: No. Not in the least.

    @John Cole: Saw a reference above to Steve coming home, which strongly implies that he left at some point, which is bad. I should scroll down more often when I come here. Off to do that now and find out WTF happened.

    Meanwhile, take care of the knee. (Ever think about keeping an ER doc on retainer?)

  31. 31.

    mdblanche

    The full results of PPP’s last poll:

    Elmer Gantry: 16% and rising
    The Man with No Name: 14%
    Tony Soprano: 13% and fading
    Nikolai Lobachevsky: 11%
    Major Kong: 8% and fading
    Thirsty McGuirk: 8%
    Eddie Munster: 8%
    JH Blair: 6%
    Kenneth the Page: 5%

    Disclaimer: horse racing handicaps from years before the race even starts are completely worthless and should only be used for snark related purposes.

  32. 32.

    TriassicSands

    I’m less worried about blood pressure and more concerned about overdosing on anti-emetics. Every time I think of the Bushes I become nauseated.

  33. 33.

    Calouste

    @Cacti:

    Except for Bush the lesser, no GOP candidate has been younger than 63 since the start of the modern day primary system.

    If you look at the non-incumbents only, it’s Reagan 69, Dole 73, Bush II 54, McCain 72, Romney 65. The old white geezer party likes to vote for old white geezers.

    By contrast, the Democrats have only once nominated a candidate over 55 which was Kerry at 61.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I was, too! I know things can get ugly around here, but they don’t often devolve into “your momma…”! I had just figured it out when I read your comment.

  38. 38.

    Anne Laurie

    @John Cole: Poor baby.

    Once the swelling goes down, you really need to find a physical therapist who can train you for balance exercises, you know?

    Because it sounds like most of your mishaps come from a combination of inattentiveness and bad balance, and those are two areas where us bedeviled Boomers are generously providing lab material for a generation of PTs and exercise specialists who will make it much easier for future generations to stay upright longer!

  39. 39.

    jl

    @mdblanche: Right now, all the GOP prez wannabees seem to be fading fast. I didn’t know that could happen to all the horses at once.

    Huck left the track, but his fans think that is cool, so he is not fading, but that is true only among the insane base.

    The GOP won’t want to talk about dynasties if anyone named Bush runs because it sounds too much like ‘disaster’. Bad connotations, there.

    Whereas, ‘HRC, dynast (or dynastatrix, dynastress?)’ sounds kind of intriguing.

    Anyway, I think Jeb Bush would be much weaker in the general than in the primaries. And to prove his wingnut credentials in the primaries, he won’t just talk crazy, he’ll point out all the sludge and mess he pumped onto his state while he was governor, which will hurt much more than crazy talk.

  40. 40.

    PaulW

    You’d think the “smarter” Bush brother would recognize that Dubya’s tenure is STILL a sore point for most Americans… that a lot of younger voters grew up in the aftermath of failed tax cuts and two costly wars… that such an overt attempt at a political dynasty doesn’t go over well (we’ve had other blood-related Presidents before, but usually with a serious time differential – not 8 mere years – between them).

    Jeb’s gonna be remembered for presiding over a f-cked up 2000 recount. Jeb’s gonna be associated with a political faction infamous for promoting incompetent buddies and cronies into high offices (others may do it, but the Bushes f-cking own the patent on it now). And while the political insiders – i.e., the Green Room Elite – may think fondly of him, he’s not all that popular outside of the inner circle. I doubt Jeb can win his own state of Florida now.

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    Now that Steve is safely at home, I am (with a light heart) heading off to watch the season finale of White Collar.

  43. 43.

    Karen in GA

    @John Cole: Okay, that was scary to read — and I knew going in that Steve was okay.

    Word of advice — look down at the ground whenever you open a door that leads somewhere you don’t want your pets going. Don’t look up again until you’ve gone through and closed the door behind you.

  44. 44.

    Cervantes

    @Baud:

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department wants low-level drug criminals who were sentenced under tough laws from the days of the crack epidemic to ask the president for early release from prison.

    And it’s doable without much help from the Congress — here’s Deputy AG Jim Cole speaking today:

    But aside from legislation, the President also has the ability to take executive action to positively impact the criminal justice system. A little over a month ago, the President commuted the sentences of 8 men and women who were sentenced under severe — and out of date — mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Convicted of crack cocaine offenses, each of these individuals had served more than 15 years in prison at the time of release, but most were serving life sentences.

    To be clear, these commutations were not pardons, they were not exonerations, they were not forgiveness. Rather, as the President said, they were an “important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness.” He noted that “many of [these individuals] would have already served their time and paid their debt to society” had they been sentenced under current law.

    Even the sentencing judges in many of these cases expressed regret at having to impose such harsh sentences. They noted their frustration with mandatory sentencing laws that, at the time, did not allow flexibility to impose punishments that more appropriately fit the crime.

    But the President’s grant of commutations for these 8 individuals is only a first step. There is more to be done, because there are others like the eight who were granted clemency. There are more low-level, non-violent drug offenders who remain in prison, and who would likely have received a substantially lower sentence if convicted of precisely the same offenses today. This is not fair, and it harms our criminal justice system.

    To help correct this, we need to identify these individuals and get well-prepared petitions into the Department of Justice. It is the Department’s goal to find additional candidates, who are similarly situated to the eight granted clemency last year, and recommend them to the President for clemency consideration.

    This is where you can help. We are looking to the New York State Bar Association and other bar associations to assist potential candidates for executive clemency.

    You can read the whole speech here.

  45. 45.

    PaulW

    @dmsilev:

    …wait, Mitt Romney is still polling…?

    Considering that just in 2013, his own sons were arguing that “Mitt didn’t really want to be President anyway”… I mean… seriously, the GOP is that desperate?

    He couldn’t win the primaries that were his in 2008… he barely won the primaries of 2012 as most voters wanted someone OTHER THAN him as a candidate… he lost to Obama who was bearing the burdens of a weak economy, something that’s killed other incumbent Presidents in the past… and Romney’s still on the list?!

  47. 47.

    Baud

    Jesus, Rand Paul was pwned by Wolf Blitzer on the minimum wage issue.

    Under the Constitution, I think Paul is now disqualified from being President.

  48. 48.

    PaulW

    @efgoldman:

    Yup. Just keep flogging the Schiavo business.

    It’s not just Schiavo. It’s a bad education reform platform of charter schools and vouchers that don’t work. It’s being tied to a 2000 recount that serves as one of the most embarrassing moments in Florida history. It’s bearing the last name of a former President whose tenure from 2001 to 2009 was one of costly wars, painful deregulation that led to massive global economic collapse, massive tax cuts that didn’t work and massive deficits that made things worse, and crony politics that led to the likes of an Attorney General whose most memorable phrase was “I don’t recall that, Senator.”

  49. 49.

    Roger Moore

    @jl:

    Right now, all the GOP prez wannabees seem to be fading fast. I didn’t know that could happen to all the horses at once.

    Sure, but most horse races don’t include an entire field that should have been sent to the glue factory years ago. They also don’t permit horses to pop in and out of the race willy-nilly.

  50. 50.

    Baud

    @Cervantes:

    Thanks! I learned something else from the speech:

    We modified our charging policies so that certain low-level, nonviolent drug defendants, with no significant ties to large-scale organizations, gangs, or cartels, will no longer be charged with offenses triggering mandatory minimum sentences. Instead, they will be charged with offenses that allow prosecutors and defense counsel to argue for, and judges to impose, sentences better suited to their conduct. In addition, we reconsidered the use of optional sentencing enhancements for repeat offenders, which can double a defendant’s sentence for certain drug crimes. Under our new policy, those enhancements are to be used only in those cases warranting the most severe sanctions. By making these changes to our policies, we intend to make smarter use of our limited and costly prison space and reserve the longer sentences for the most serious, high-level or violent drug offenders.

  51. 51.

    Calouste

    @mdblanche:

    I predict that the lead up to the GOP primaries is going to be the same as last time. The base has a new favorite every 3-4 weeks (Cain, Bachmann, Perry, Gingrich, S*nt*r*m and whatever clowns there were last time around) depending on who made the most outrageous statements recently, and then the establishment candidate with the money and organization sweeps the first few primaries and that’s that.

  52. 52.

    jl

    @PaulW: If Jeb runs, it will be fun watching him distinguish himself from Obama and his brother GWB, and some of his own record he had to flog during the primaries.

    Also, I haven’t seen that much of Jeb politicking, but he seems to have less presence than the marshmallow man (which is what his general affect brings to my mind).

  53. 53.

    Pogonip

    I’ve been keeping track of the fvcking January weather for my little corner of the Midwest. The Farmer’s Almanac was way off in their prediction for our area. I will continue tracking weather and we’ll see if things average out over the year.

    My Daytimer calendar pages are colored by (meteorological) season. Winter is blue. Only one more blue month to go! Then we move into medium green spring. Can’t wait.

  55. 55.

    jl

    @Calouste: Sounds right from what I have seen so far. BTW, can you can tell me how to make some dough off the Huck bubble, while it lasts.

  60. 60.

    The Republic of Stupidity

    Jeb’s running?

    The two magic words…

    ***George’s…***

    … and…

    ***Brother…***

  61. 61.

    hildebrand

    @Cacti: I really think that the Bush and Clinton families should be banned from running for any political office for a few generations. Too much drama (and DLCness) from the Clintons, too much evil stupidity from the Bush clan. There are better folks out there on the Democratic side of the aisle – I really don’t want to re-litigate the 90s.

  64. 64.

    kdaug

    @ruemara: No. Hands in the pie guys (and girls). Slinging code, building beasties, managing forums, recording growls… you get the idea.

    Fixin’ to be curtain time.

  65. 65.

    slippy

    @Cacti:

    Am I the only one who feels a little less than excited at the thought of two 60-somethings re-fighting the political battles of 1992 for the 2016 election

    When I hear Democrats crowing about the inevitability of Hillary Clinton, this is what I usually avoid pointing out. I haven’t heard her platform yet, but if it’s the same old Clintonisms from my ’20’s, I will be hitting the snooze button.

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