Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

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

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

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

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

This blog will pay for itself.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

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

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

So many bastards, so little time.

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

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

White supremacy is terrorism.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Evening Open Thread: Blow-Ins

Friday Evening Open Thread: Blow-Ins

by | 76 Comments

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I grew up in New York City, which is (like all Ankh-Morporks megacities) basically hospitable to newcomers from the provinces, if only because of the steady demand for fresh meat. The rest of New York state, whose natives fail to appreciate being regarded as ‘the provinces’ — not so open-minded. As part of the latest intermediapolitico dust-up, Alex Pareene, at Salon, decides to pick on the trophy spouse:

Politico’s Alex Isenstadt has a new story on Sean Eldridge, a Democratic congressional candidate from (well, “from”) New York’s 19th District. The story is actually a meta-story, about how Eldridge refused to speak with Politico. The piece paints him as something of a rich flake, “testing the limits of dollars and cents to secure a seat in the House of Representatives,” with help from his husband, uber-wealthy Facebook co-founder (and New Republic publisher and editor in chief) Chris Hughes…

So yes, it is easy to trash Politico for writing a transparent hit piece on a candidate whose crime was not speaking to Politico. But you know what? Sean Eldridge deserves it. He’s a man with no reason to be in Congress beyond being rich enough to throw money around a district — a district that was his second choice after his first one didn’t pan out. He represents every self-regarding super-rich would-be do-gooder who parachutes into a community with no understanding of the lives of its residents and expects them to recognize his inherent suitability for high office…

Another problem Eldridge may run into is that he’s part of a class of people that lifelong upstate New Yorkers hate. As the Times put it: “Mr. Eldridge and Mr. Hughes are part of the flock of New York City residents who have bought second homes in the Hudson Valley in recent years, then involved themselves in local politics.” Mr. Eldridge, that is, is campaigning to represent the place in which he summers….

Speaking of carpetbaggers with summer homes, Scotty ‘Cosmo Boy’ Brown has officially announced his campaign to get his arse kicked by a woman not named Elisabeth Warren. Per the Boston Globe:

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Scott Brown, who rode a wave of discontent to an upset US Senate victory in Massachusetts in 2010 but was swept out of office in 2012, officially announced Thursday he is taking the plunge again, this time to the north.

In unfurling his bid to unseat Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Brown repeatedly attacked her record Thursday night. He knocked Shaheen’s vote in favor of the health care overhaul, said she had supported economic policies that hurt everyday folks, and labeled her a “rubberstamp” for President Obama…

Even at his kickoff, Brown appeared to have the imprimatur of the state’s GOP establishment… he was introduced by former governor John H. Sununu. Sununu said Brown “will vote the way New Hampshire wants him to vote.”

“We’re here because we can count to 51,” [Sununu] said, referring to the number of senators needed for Republicans to take control of the legislative body…

On Thursday, Brown also emphasized a message of independence.

… because nothing says ‘independence’ like having the (prolapsed pig rectum) face of the Establishment GOP telling the cameras that the shiny new transplant will do as he’s told, and like it.

(And, yes, I’m assuming we’ll have an ActBlue page for Senator Shaheen once we know who her opponent will be.)
***********
Apart from watching out for falling flatlanders, what’s on the agenda for the start of the weekend?

Reader Interactions

76Comments

  1. 1.

    SiubhanDuinne

    (prolapsed pig rectum)

    I can sleep soundly now. Nothing like hysterical laughter to push away the incipient insomnia.

  2. 2.

    imonlylurking

    The snow is mostly gone which is good. Now I’m having my usual spring allergic reaction in doubletime. Went home early and my boss did a doubletake-my eyes were grossly swollen. I slept most of the afternoon and that has been helping-I really need to get over it. I have way too much to do.

  3. 3.

    eemom

    I grew up in New York City

    get his arse kicked

    I grew up there too, but dayum, I SO missed out on the British Quarter.

  4. 4.

    James E. Powell

    This doesn’t make much sense. Shaheen is not ragingly popular, but she is doing as well as most incumbents in mediocre to bad economic periods. The linked article states she is “gearing up for a tough reelection fight” but fails to say why it will be a tough fight. She leads Brown by 6 points in a state the Barack Obama won reelection by 6 points. The next best opponent is 14 points back. Not impossible, not unheard of, but what is out there that she has to overcome to retain the seat?

    Not to mention that Scott Brown is very well-known and his favorable/unfavorable is 10 points the wrong way.

    Seriously, what are Scott Brown and the Republicans thinking?

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    At least the linked article mentions Bob Smith by name, I was reading an article (Time dot com, I think) a couple of weeks ago that dismissively referred to him as something like ‘an eccentric former Senator who has been living in Florida’. That dismissiveness may be entirely appropriate given the man’s history and his chances, it was still kind of surprising to see a (fairly recent) two term Senator treated like a fringe candidate.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    @James E. Powell:

    The linked article states she is “gearing up for a tough reelection fight” but fails to say why it will be a tough fight.

    She’s a Democrat. That’s enough for the media.

  7. 7.

    Mnemosyne

    Waiting around for G to get home from work so I can make some pasta for dinner. Hoping that the all-day symposium I signed up for tomorrow doesn’t suck (though usually the stuff through the Writer’s Guild is pretty good) since it’s going to be all freakin’ day.

  8. 8.

    Hal

    He knocked Shaheen’s vote in favor of the health care overhaul

    http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/04/10/3425115/after-personally-benefiting-from-obamacare-scott-brown-claims-it-undermines-liberty/

    Brown rode a Tea Party wave to the senate in January of 2010 by promising to become the 41st vote to block Obamacare. But soon after it became law, he acknowledged relying on one of its provisions to “keep his elder daughter on his congressional health insurance plan.” “Of course I do,’’ the Massachusetts Republican told the Boston Globe in May of 2010, when asked if 23-year-old Ayla Brown has taken advantage of the provision. He argued that keeping his daughter on his health care plan “is not inconsistent with his criticism of the federal law…because the same coverage could be required by individual states.”

    and

    Brown’s early interactions with voters also indicate that his anti-Obamacare rhetoric may not be gaining traction in New Hampshire, where approximately 22,000 people have signed up for health insurance through the law. A couple told Brown in March that the law was a “financial lifesaver.” “Thank God for Obamacare!” the wife of Herb Richardson, a beneficiary of the ACA, exclaimed.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @James E. Powell: Make Shaheen and the DSCC spend money. Also, the media, Scott Brown took Ted Kennedy’s seat, therefore he is a giant killer. Republicans never lose their reputations with Morning Joe crowd (See McCain, John), especially if their moderate-northeastern-Republicans-with-bipartisan-appeal (See Christie, Chris and Ryan, Paul. If Rudi Giuliani gets bored in 2016 and hires three lawyers to be an exploratory committee, Slate will publish a series on why he’s a threat to Hillary.

  10. 10.

    MomSense

    Boys invited me to go to a concert with them and it was a lot of fun. Danced and enjoyed myself.

  11. 11.

    Hal

    @James E. Powell: Brown spent only two years in the Senate bfore getting his ass handed to him by a political new comer. The media will forever ignore that little fact in the same way that every ACA success story the media now airs has to start with the website woes back in November.

  12. 12.

    p.a.

    Sat. schedule: Replace blown marker light on car. Reattach 7 prong trailer plug to rear of car (backed into snow/ice bank). Upgrade grounds for trailer lights- just remove light housings and derust the mounting brackets; smear ’em with no-ox. New car tires. Then at 10 am…

  13. 13.

    BBA

    Be fair, lots of conservative Massholes move to New Hampshire because the Bay State is just too liberal for them. Now, Brown may be the first one who moved there for work, the rest of them still commute to Boston…

  14. 14.

    Gravenstone

    My congress critter, Tom Petri (father of occasional Doug J. sparring partner Alexandra) is retiring. I’m curious what sort of wingnut wastrel the Republicans will throw up to hold his seat? I’d like to think we might manage a Dem pick up, but I’m not confident the state Democrats have their shit together enough to field a decent candidate.

    In additional WI political news, State Senate President Ellis done got himself O’Keefed and has now decided to retire. I am somewhat amazed about that. Apparently ol’ Jimmy Boy doubles as a Republican purity enforcer.

  16. 16.

    the Conster

    @Hal:

    Brown did not ride a Tea Party wave in Massachusetts – there is no teatard power in Mass. That fucking narrative makes me crazy – he was elected on a cold snowy January Tuesday in an off year special election three months after the third Democratic Speaker of the Mass. House in a row was indicted for corruption, and Martha Coakley made terrible blunders – she suffered from the conventional wisdom that she would automatically elevate to Kennedy’s seat, and didn’t campaign. Brown campaigned hard and nobody really knew what a vacuous himbo he was. He only won by 1% of the vote, because he seemed charming and had a truck! His wife was a popular local media figure too. That election was a one off.

  17. 17.

    Mike in NC

    @James E. Powell:

    Seriously, what are Scott Brown and the Republicans thinking?

    By 2024, he’ll be running for the Senate down in Florida, hoping the old women there will remember his Cosmo photo-shoot.

  19. 19.

    PurpleGirl

    The 19th District consists of the following counties:

    Columbia County
    Delaware County
    Dutchess County
    Ulster County
    Sullivan County
    Greene County
    Rensselaer County
    Broome County
    Otsego County
    Schoharie County
    Montgomery County

    Yup, having a second home in one of these counties but still basically living in NYC won’t really help him.

  20. 20.

    Culture of Truth

    I know this Hudson Valley district well enough to say to the rest of the state, it isn’t really upstate; although to be sure, it’s not part of the big city; and also, Eldridge is going to get destroyed in the election, which really too bad, since it’s not auotmatically GOP, but it is for this election.

  23. 23.

    JCJ

    @Gravenstone:

    I don’t know what will come of it, but Neanderthal state senator Glenn Grothman might be planning to run in that congressional district. Grothman is in theory worse, but as far as I know Petri voted in lockstep with the loonies so Grothman wouldn’t be any worse. A pick up there would be nice. No idea if it is possible.

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Gravenstone: I hear that Grothman is considering a run.

    ETA: Beaten to the punch.

    Grothman is so nuts that he can’t really play reasonable conservative on TV; Petri could. Maybe Grothman could cause a D pick-up.

  25. 25.

    Suffern ACE

    King’s Ginger and Bourbon. That’s as far as I’m going this evening. If you like a drink now and again, I can’t sing enough praises for the Kings Ginger.

  27. 27.

    KG

    Watching the Laker game and cursing the fact that I can’t watch the Dodgers. This post made me wonder what the Senate elections look like. They’ve been polling Zbrown in New Hampshire for a year. He’s never led, tied once, but never done better than 44% (the poll where they were tied). In the last month, he’s been losing in the 7% range. That’s probably one less “contested” seat that Dems will have to worry about… Assuming the polls aren’t skewed

  29. 29.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman: I don’t think that Walker has what it takes to make it in the show. He might get re-elected this fall, but I really think that he has peaked.

  30. 30.

    max

    @PurpleGirl: Yup, having a second home in one of these counties but still basically living in NYC won’t really help him.

    Maybe what he needs to do is have a home in every county!

    max
    [‘Me and my houses are familiar sights in every county!’]

  31. 31.

    David in NY

    I’ve got a house in the 19th. Eldridge is not so different from Murphy (D) who won a couple of cycles ago, but got slammed because Gibson ran ads saying he was in favor of cutting Medicare. He’ll win Columbia County (my place), which used to be R, but now pretty reliably D. I’ll have some time in October, maybe will stay up there to volunteer, if they’ve got any organization to speak of. (My 58-year search for Democratic organizations has been pretty fruitless.)

  33. 33.

    MikeJ

    Dammit, food thread too early for west coast. Tonight’s and last night’s dinner. Link (zoom on those mofos)

  34. 34.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman: Dunno yet. With some of the scandals touching on the WI GOP in general – sexual harassment, getting taped proposing illegal campaign actions, etc., they aren’t making themselves look like like can-do paragons of job creating virtue. But then, I live in Gomorrah by the Lakes so what do I know?

  35. 35.

    Suffern ACE

    I need to put away the groceries, but I’m tired. Damn you, perishables! Is this what is known as a first world problem?

  37. 37.

    MikeJ

    Got a juror questionnaire in the mail today. Not a summons. Just asking questions.

    Occupation: smuggler,
    Are you a resident of King County: Citizen of the world.
    Ever convicted of a felony: In the united states? No.

  38. 38.

    Dexter's new approach

    I want to compare Walker to Nixon, he seems to have the same stink about him. But that’s an injustice to Nixon, who was smart at least.

    And he didn’t even graduate college yo. At Marquette.

    I’d love it if they put this sad-sack-of-pototoes out there. He’s Reince Priebus but with less charisma.

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Dexter’s new approach:

    He’s Reince Priebus but with less charisma.

    Priebus managed to graduate from undergrad and law school. (Not really defending him by any means) Let’s just say they both bite ass.

  41. 41.

    max

    @Howard Beale IV: BREAKING: Heartbleed private keys are able to be PWNED.

    As essentially expected. Gotta figure a bunch of new certs to be issued soonish.

    max
    [‘Change all your passwords. Wait a month and then change them all again. Nonetheless, assume everything compromised because fucking NSA.’]

  42. 42.

    gf120581

    I myself have been trying to figure out why Scott Brown would make such a bewildering move when he had better options in MA (running for governor, which he might have been the favorite or challenging Ed Markey for the Senate). I agree, I think the national GOP just sees him as a hopefull money sink to draw Democratic resources away from other races, but Scottie himself, I think two reasons:

    1. Brown is very stupid. This is harsh, but he has always come off as a Dan Quayle-style dim-bulb.

    2. He has a major ego problem. Charles Pierce has said this numerous times; he got a massively swelled head after his fluke victory and thought himself the greatest thing in the world. Losing to Warren dinged him somewhat, but he still is clearly full of himself and thinks, “Of course I can do this! No woman will stand in my way!”

    Of course, if he lost badly to a political novice like Warren, I have absolutely no idea how he expects to win against the most powerful politician in NH, a former three-term governor with good approval ratings who’s been in state politics for decades. And in a state where MA residents are referred to as “Massholes.”

    This is going to be fun to watch.

  45. 45.

    Petorado

    (Brown) labeled her a “rubberstamp” for President Obama

    That’s pretty rich coming from someone in the Republican Borg. An astute reporter should press Scotty on how often he’s willing to buck Republican orthodoxy and on what hills opposing current conservative doctrine he’s willing to die on?

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    This has been a weird evening. Cold meds and such. Some thoughts… She is gorgeous in her way. I love this for Emily Haines’ drunken white girl dancing (including the Fall Down and the Pogo), and Townes was a genius.

  48. 48.

    ? Martin

    Hydrogen fuel cell cars should be on the consumer market within the next year. Hyundai and Toyota are both about to start production.

    They’ll almost certainly launch in California first. We already have a bit of a hydrogen station network set up and a few hydrogen pipelines.

  68. 68.

    Mnemosyne

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Nope, she’s definitely a cat. Verified by several veterinarians.

    And cats who fetch drool a lot less. Though they’re also fond of dropping the toy juuuuust beyond reach so you have to stretch to pick it back up to throw it again.

  69. 69.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Omnes Omnibus: I once went to a really post punk wedding. I stood up with a bridesmaid named Alison and spent the night with a bridesmaid named Roxanne. Just saying.

  70. 70.

    ? Martin

    Price target for Toyota’s fuel cell vehicle is $50K. The hydrogen source being developed is biowaste from local waste treatment plants.

    EVs haven’t yet solved the range problem. Hydrogen is the complement technology.

    And compressed hydrogen is less dangerous than gasoline. In the event of a puncture it rises and dissipates, where gasoline flows and burns. Hydrogen is also only flammable in certain air/fuel ratios, so it needs to dissipate a fair bit before it can combust.

  74. 74.

    sm*t cl*de

    @? Martin: Neither did the Graf Zeppelin until it did.

    For the record, the Graf Zeppelin LZ127 did not blow up, but was decommissioned after 11 years of service. I do not believe that the titular Count Zeppelin blew up either. Not did the aircraft carriers of that name.

  75. 75.

    skwerlhugger

    I live 30 miles west of Boston. People’s truck payments are often larger than their rent. Guys would show up for free food at the local food pantry with Scott Brown “One of Us” bumper stickers. All it took was the fucking pickup truck. Metropolitan Boston lives in a bubble; MA is not Cambridge any more than CA is Berkeley. NH will be torn between carpetbagging and, well, this:
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/scott-brown-nh-senate-ad-pickup-truck
    I think he’ll lose, but wouldn’t put money on it.

  76. 76.

    Robert Sneddon

    @? Martin: I’ve experienced two hydrogen explosions and one gasoline explosion in my lifetime of driving gas-powered vehicles of all descriptions. It takes a lot of effort to make a gasoline/air mixture explode, hydrogen not so much.

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