• 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.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

This really is a full service blog.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

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

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2014 / Wednesday Evening Open Thread: The Long March

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: The Long March

by Anne Laurie|  November 5, 20147:20 pm| 87 Comments

This post is in: Election 2014, Open Threads, Decline and Fall

FacebookTweetEmail

6. Year this reminds of most (ironically) is 1986, when Dems retook Senate by beating bunch of GOPers elected in 1980 Reagan wave.

— Billmon (@billmon1) November 5, 2014

12. But if tonight's vote demos are correct, 2010 was as good as it gets for GOP — and probably better than it will get again for long time

— Billmon (@billmon1) November 5, 2014

15. …suppressed black votes whenever/wherever they could — basically threw the kitchen sink at the Dems.

— Billmon (@billmon1) November 5, 2014

16. Koch brothers essentially retooled their entire political/financial machine to fight this year's elections.

— Billmon (@billmon1) November 5, 2014

18. In an on-off year election in which all the normal cyclical political factors (2nd term off year) were pulling in GOP's favor.

— Billmon (@billmon1) November 5, 2014

You can read Billmon’s entire argument at his Twitterfeed, here. (No need to join Twitter.)
***********
Now to make it so…

Apart from remembering the old proverb This too shall pass — like a kidney stone, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Non-Unified Theory of Electoral Chaos
Next Post: Leading From Behind »

Reader Interactions

87Comments

  1. 1.

    Karen in GA

    November 5, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    No politics for me. I’m still too damned sick and I just don’t have it in me right now. We live in a country with way too many idiot crackpots. Beyond that, I just don’t have the strength to even think about it.

    Iggy, meanwhile, attempts to show compassion in my hour of need, so there’s that.

  2. 2.

    Redshift

    November 5, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    I agree to a considerable extent — in an average second-term midterm election, the president’s party loses six Senate seats, and this was one with the map strongly tilted toward the GOP (though those two factors overlap to some degree, since the second-term midterm necessarily includes Senators elected in the first-term presidential election.) Still, the baseline for measuring how bad it was should at least be losing six seats, and probably a little more.

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    November 5, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    People should love who they love!
    That is all.

  4. 4.

    Political Realism

    November 5, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    You can’t shit all over white men and married white women and expect to win an election, Democrats.

    That’s the lesson to take away.

  5. 5.

    max

    November 5, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    I agreed with Billmon’s argument last night when he made it. That was the wrong time for the dice to go cold, and also, never nominate Martha Coakley.

    This roller-coaster started in 2010, or rather 2009, and recalling the history of the Clinton administration and the dedication of the South to getting rid of the black guy, added on top of trying to recover from a financial collapse, the entire constellation of factors basically did the trick. The Dem’s have to build a message around the economy to neutralize the blame hot potato that the R’s have been working overtime to stick Obama with, and they gotta exploit their advantages in presidential years.

    max
    [‘And don’t lose your head.’]

  6. 6.

    Political Realism

    November 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    @Redshift:

    You’re forgetting the Governor’s races.

    That’s the real story.

    And where the future of the GOP lays.

    Walker/Snyder 2016 anyone?

  7. 7.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    I voted on Tuesday morning, butI didn’t even pay any attention Tuesday night. Wasn’t until I talked to a friend in Colorado on Wednesday morning, and found her all verklempt because Hickenlooper hadn’t been declared the winner yet, that I even thought about the election again. I voted and made sure my kids voted and everyone else I could convince, but beyond that I really don’t care anymore — or at least not enough to be invested in it. People will be idiots until it (literally) kills them. Hopefully they’ll be replaced by less idiotic idiots, but I ain’t holdin’ my breath. (The year as made me not only a glass half empty kind of girl, but a glass completely empty kind of girl.) Also, this is the last season for Justified, so I welcome the meteor……

  8. 8.

    mdblanche

    November 5, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    Well, show me the way to the next whiskey bar.

  9. 9.

    srv

    November 5, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    Blogging by twitter. Surely there must be something disparaging in the lexicon for that trope?

    I’m sure all these persistently unemployed millenials will show up in 2016 for a democrat. Maybe Billmon has an app for that.

    @Political Realism: Walker/Cruz 2016

  10. 10.

    Mike in NC

    November 5, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    Koch brothers spent $300M for two years worth of gridlock. Good ROI? Not seeing it.

    I’m also reminded of working on K Street in DC back in the mid-90s. GOP memo pads floating around my office read “Permanent Republican Majority” and they were adamant that Phil Gramm was going to vault into the White House with an assist from Newt Gingrich. Those good old days!

  11. 11.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Two more days until we leave for Kauai. Plus I finally got a recruiter callback today and she’s passing my resume along for consideration. And, of course, Democrats swept every statewide office in California — and we passed Props 1 and 2. So I’m actually feeling pretty good today despite yesterday.

  12. 12.

    Keith G

    November 5, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Back in ’02, or was it early ’03?, Billmon at The Whiskey Bar authored a post that chronicled the series of lies told by officials of the Bush administration to rev up support for the war in Iraq. It was a master work and the earliest such effort that I had seen in any media. I immediately printed it out and attached a copy of the list to a display on my bulletin board – I was teaching government to hs seniors at the time. It was Pulitzer quality work.

    I am sure it is still archived somewhere.

  13. 13.

    BGinCHI

    November 5, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    Jerry Jeff Walker/Dee Snyder 2016!

    The ! indicates emphasis.

  14. 14.

    jo6pac

    November 5, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    Getting ready to eat leftovers and I wish I could care about the so-called crazy-right-wing take-over But I can’t from a member of the left

  15. 15.

    Howard Beale IV

    November 5, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    The stupid shall be punished. Sad that it’s going to take the rest of the United States with it.

    Anybody remember Amerika? Instead of the Soviet Union, I picture Russia and China.

  16. 16.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 5, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    @Political Realism: Okay, can you explain why you were wrong in 2008 and 2012?

  17. 17.

    Howard Beale IV

    November 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    @Mike in NC:

    Phil Gramm

    A long time ago I remember when he was running for president some of the good old boys bitched that was ‘married to a gook’. I felt sorry for him back then. Fast forward 20 years, when was one of the key architects of repeal of Glass-Stegall, the CFMA, and now, If I saw his ass in the side of the road in an accident, I wouldn’t lift a finger to save him.

  18. 18.

    jo6pac

    November 5, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Have a Great Time and I hope you land a job but 1 was water for Tulare Basin

  19. 19.

    JPL

    November 5, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    @Political Realism: You are actually right. I’m a white female and don’t feel shit upon at all. Yes I voted democratic because I believe in a democratic society without corporate control.

  20. 20.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    Short ribs for dinner. They’ve been in the crock pot all day. I threw together some sort of sauce for them to cook in–red wine, pomegranate molasses, onion, homemade beef/lamb/pork stock. I think some tomato paste. Just keep tossing stuff in there and boiled it down a bit before putting it all in the crock pot. Smells good now.

  21. 21.

    askew

    November 5, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    We had mostly good news in Minnesota last night. We definitely avoided the catastrophe that our neighbors experienced in Wisconsin and Iowa.

    I am looking forward to Obama issuing the EO on immigration.

    For non-politic news, my neighbors continue to suck. They have been running a snowmobile all afternoon making my house smell like exhaust fumes. I have a call into the association. Have I mentioned they have shooting range target posters up in their garage now? Now they are scary and annoying.

  22. 22.

    Karen in GA

    November 5, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Enjoy Kauai. Here’s hoping you return to good news on the job front.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    @jo6pac:

    That’s not what local media is telling me:

    Proposition 1, a nearly $7.6 billion bond measure placed on the ballot by the Legislature, will fund state water supply infrastructure projects, including surface and groundwater storage, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration and drinking water protection.

    As far as I can tell, Tulare, CA, is out by Bakersfield. I’m sure they’re going to benefit, but the Prop 1 bonds are not dedicated to them.

  24. 24.

    Liberty60

    November 5, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    @Political Realism:

    White men and married women have suffered untold trauma and indignities since 2008?

    I’m calling Poe’s Law.

    Or performance art.

    Or a Google failure: Search “stormfront”- gets directed to Balloon Juice.

  25. 25.

    Liberty60

    November 5, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @Howard Beale IV:

    If I saw his ass in the side of the road in an accident, I wouldn’t lift a finger to save him.

    I would.
    The middle one.

    Heyohh!

  26. 26.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @Violet:

    That sounds awesome. Kids have been picking the menus around here lately, so it’s mostly sloppy joes, spaghetti, or the height of haute cuisine, Taco Bell.

  27. 27.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    @jacy: How are you doing? Hope everything is going okay.

  28. 28.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    @Liberty60:

    White men and married women have suffered untold trauma and indignities since 2008?

    Well, to be fair, they’ve had to see a black guy on their teevee every day claiming to be the president. It’s an insult, I tells ya!

    Plus people point and laugh at them when they say stupid things. Really, it’s worse than the Holocaust.

  29. 29.

    Hungry Joe

    November 5, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: There was a great line about Phil Gramm: “Even his friends don’t like him.”

  30. 30.

    Hal

    November 5, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    I’m disappointed, but largely still meh about all of this. We go through this type of election every few cycles on either side, so it’s nothing new.

    The demographics still favor Dems and they need to actively build a cohesive party wide message to attract those growing demographics. Dems have the better policies socially and economically, but if on older white people show up at the polls, Dems lose. News at 11.

  31. 31.

    Poopyman

    November 5, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    I’m in Maryland and our next governor is named Larry.

    Shit, I didn’t win the Megamillions jackpot, either.

  32. 32.

    jibeaux

    November 5, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    If the dems had reformed the filibuster, maybe they’d have a record to run on…yes, I do see what the downside of that would be. I wonder, though, maybe the Dems will filibuster everything until the R’s change it? I would like that. I am comfortable with the concepts of elections matter, and folks should be judged on their results. I don’t really want us to benefit later from eternal gridlock, I’d rather benefit from failed and unpopular actions. This is a new thought I’ve been kicking around, and nontroll thoughts welcome.

  33. 33.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    November 5, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    @Hal:

    Having the better policies might not fucking matter when people vote to support said policies, then turn around and vote for people who literally run against said policies as their main platform. Look at the minimum wage issue this election.

    People want Democratic policies carried out by Republican politicians, because apparently having a D by your name means you’re a terrible person that should die or get out of this country now, since you obviously don’t belong here.

  34. 34.

    MomSense

    November 5, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    @jacy:

    I have such a crush on Timothy Olyphant.

  35. 35.

    napoleon

    November 5, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    more from Anne Laurie’s fantasy land.

  36. 36.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 8:03 pm

    @Violet:

    Not so hot. Chemo is giving me neurological and cognitive impairment (which is why I’m not around much — takes me forever to type what I mean to say without it being gibberish), and the personal situation is so awful it doesn’t even bear thinking about. Considering cutting chemo from 6 down to 3 rounds to minimize the chance of the cognitive problems being permanent. On the other hand, work is finally going well, and the kids are doing awesome in school and extracurricular activities, which is the thing that I’m most grateful for. I’m willing to make any tradeoff for them to be healthy and happy.

  37. 37.

    Mike in NC

    November 5, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: Gramm refused to be photographed with his wife, Wendy, a Korean-American. Mitch McConnell did pose last night with his Chinese-American wife Elaine Chao. 20 years of progress for the GOP? Impressive…

  38. 38.

    Howard Beale IV

    November 5, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    @Hungry Joe: Now that I would believe. He’s probably a Texas version of Niall Ferguson-except that unlike Gramm, Ferguson married an Ethiopian instead of an Asian. Both are total assholes.

  39. 39.

    mdblanche

    November 5, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    This too shall pass — like a kidney stone

    Too true. Thank you for that. I’m sure I’ll be comforted by those words of wisdom many times over the next two years. Starting later this month. Well, it can’t be worse than four years ago, can it?

  40. 40.

    Mustang Bobby

    November 5, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    Drove home from work this afternoon listening to the classic rock station rather than the usual NPR programming. I just did not want to listen to concern trolling from Nice Polite Republicans; I would rather hear Tainted Love for the umpteenth time.

  41. 41.

    Howard Beale IV

    November 5, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    @Mike in NC: I did not know that bit about Gramm’s refusal to be photographed with his wife. Explains a lot about some of his (and his supporters) behavior.

    Still, he’s a first class asshole.

  42. 42.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    @jacy: I’m sorry to hear that but glad you’re hanging in there. I hope the chemo schedule can be adjusted to help you cope a bit better. I’ve been wondering how you’re doing so glad to see you here even if it’s difficult for you to post. Glad your kids are doing well. That’s got to be a comfort. Sending good thoughts your way.

  43. 43.

    beltane

    November 5, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    Funny, I am a white married woman and I do not feel that the Democrats have shit on me. Better yet, my husband is a white married man who even plays golf and he also doesn’t feel that the Democrats have shit on him. He does often say that the Republicans are full of shit so maybe that counts for something.

  44. 44.

    Mike in NC

    November 5, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    @Hal: As I stood in line at the National Guard armory gym waiting to go to the voting machine, I couldn’t help but notice that many of the elderly folks in line didn’t look like they’d be around in a couple of years. Some could barely stand or walk.

    Last hurrah, indeed.

  45. 45.

    Applejinx

    November 5, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    I can buy Billmon’s analysis. Because I see and feel and sense the evidence of it everywhere I look. Everything looks like really alarming oligarchy, plutocracy to the Nth degree along with a formidable brainwashing setup.

    I look at Facebook and I go ‘waitaminnute… I have craploads of gay and liberal and black friends and why am I barely seeing any hint that shit just went down, here?’. I have this gut feeling that in so many ways we are already super controlled. Media, entertainment… pushing this very American madness that’s all about the fecklessness of the Other and getting every individual to sack up and take total responsibility for their victory in a society where there’s no room for too many winners. And hate the losers so badly that you’ll never think ‘wait, do I need help? Do I deserve, well, anything?’

    In a putatively Christian nation that’s an impressively neat trick.

    And yet, it’s not entirely working, no matter how many billions are poured into the effort, how tight the control. The media’s more in the tank for this than Pravda, but it doesn’t entirely work.

    Billmon is right. I am also going to watch for the Reps to come apart at the seams, perhaps helped by some positively rabid overreaching. Be ready to capitalize on their mistakes even if they are horrifying mistakes. NO mercy.

  46. 46.

    MomSense

    November 5, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    @jacy:

    I’m sorry to hear you have to deal with those side effects. It is amazing how our kids can inspire us to get through. I am sending you all my best wishes for recovery, health, happiness, and peace.

  47. 47.

    beltane

    November 5, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    @askew: It’s deer season, the shooting of guns at odd times is to be expected. Snow machines right next door would drive me nuts.

  48. 48.

    gogol's wife

    November 5, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    Okay, here’s what I don’t get. Why do the rich people want the economy to be in the toilet? Was 2008 really good for them? Wouldn’t it be better for them to have Democrats in charge, growing the economy? Look at how much Obama improved the economy, even with the Republicans obstructing him every step of the way. Why is a ruined country good for them? Are the tax cuts really that important? (And my question applies to Chuck Todd and all the people in the media who root against the improvement of the country.)

  49. 49.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    @Violet: @MomSense:

    Thanks — the kindness of people has just really been amazing. And things will get better — I’m just the impatient type…..Maybe I need to cryogenically frozen for a bit. :)

  50. 50.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    @Applejinx:

    NO mercy.

    This is what Democrats don’t do. They’re all nice and conciliatory to Republicans even when Republicans are destroying themselves. Then when Democrats want something, Republicans shit all over them, pull the football away, say hell no. Republicans know exactly how to show no mercy. Democrats play fair and wonder why they’re flat on their backs after Lucy pulls the football away. Again.

  51. 51.

    beltane

    November 5, 2014 at 8:26 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Rich people would prefer to have a larger slice of a small pie than a slightly smaller piece of a much larger pie. It’s having more compared to everyone else that’s important, not how much they have in total.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    Because having the economy in the toilet while they still have boatloads of money proves they deserve to have more money than everyone else. Let’s face it, when you’re the Koch brothers, you always have a sneaky feeling that inheriting Daddy’s money doesn’t really count as “hard work.” But you can’t face the fact that you got lucky in the lottery of life, so you have to come up with all kinds of reasons and rationalizations for why you really are better than everyone else.

  53. 53.

    Gin & Tonic

    November 5, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    @Violet: If I bring a nice bottle of wine, will there be enough for me?

  54. 54.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    @jacy: Not cryogenically frozen, but when my cousin had cancer and was undergoing treatment, her doctor had her go into a hyperbaric chamber every week for about six weeks I believe. Apparently it made a huge difference in her treatment and also how she felt. This was in a blue state so maybe not available in your area, but could be worth asking about.

  55. 55.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Maybe! I’ve made enough to have leftovers. I’m about to start peeling potatoes for mash. I’ve got green beans for veg, plus what’s in the mix. Wanted something crispier, though, so figured lightly steamed green beans should work.

    It’s cool and rainy here, so I thought something warming sounded good. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  56. 56.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 8:32 pm

    @Applejinx:

    I agree. It’s all well and good to play by the rules and be nice and not sacrifice any principles by stooping to somebody’s level, until you realize that life just doesn’t work that way. Sometimes you just need to find the weak spot and keep sticking the knife in until your arm gets tired.

  57. 57.

    Karen in GA

    November 5, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    @gogol’s wife: I’d imagine it’s because when the business does well, that’s more money going into hiring, expanding distribution, etc., rather than going into the executives’ pockets.

  58. 58.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 5, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    @jacy:

    Sometimes you just need to find the weak spot and keep sticking the knife in until your arm gets tired.

    Dayum.

  59. 59.

    Violet

    November 5, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    @jacy:

    Sometimes you just need to find the weak spot and keep sticking the knife in until your arm gets tired.

    Yes, exactly. And with Republicans, no mercy. Make them pay.

  60. 60.

    Karen in GA

    November 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @jacy: Aw, jacy, very sorry to hear that you’re having a hard time. I hope a new chemo schedule works out for you. Sending good wishes and healing thoughts.

  61. 61.

    jibeaux

    November 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @beltane: Mine’s a white guy with a management job and a credit line at freaking Brooks Brothers who doesn’t think that, either. Possibly, maybe, because it would fucking idiotic to walk around in your sharp suits telling people how you’ve been shat upon.

  62. 62.

    Political Realism

    November 5, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    I love the whining about the Koch Brothers. Tears. Yummy yummy yummy leftist trars. Mmmmmm…refreshing !

    Get used to it . The Koch Brothers are smiling tonight and they haven’t even used a tenth of their nearly unlimited resources.Every time you think the Democrats are about to fly, the Koch Brothers will smile, lean over, and clip your wings with their campaign spending. And there’s Jack all you can do about it.

  63. 63.

    Hal

    November 5, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    One more thing:

    “Prof. James Campbell of the University at Buffalo-SUNY recently noted that in Senate races “since 1912, of the 14 midterms in a party’s second presidential term or more, the out-party has gained six seats or more nearly two-thirds of the time (9 of 14).” In other words, a GOP Senate takeover in a president’s sixth-year midterm would be very much in line with history — and with the roughly “two out of three” chance for a Republican majority that we have asserted for months.

    and

    The Atlantic: “For decades political analysts have been intrigued by an ironclad pattern in American politics: the President’s party loses seats in the off-year election that follows his White House triumph–a phenomenon that has occurred in every off-year election save one since the Civil War. Since the Second World War, off-year losses for the President’s party in the House have averaged fifteen seats in the second year and forty-eight in the sixth; in the Senate the average losses are zero in the second year and seven in the sixth.”

    So why is this the end of the world? It’s not. The media will still give out their “advice”, but any politician who listens to Candy Crowley and Chuck Todd while ignoring the historical context is a fool.

  64. 64.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    @Political Realism:

    Tell me, how does it feel knowing that you can’t actually advance on your own merits and have to depend on Big Daddy to do everything for you? Is it like when your mommy called the school and demanded that they increase your D to a C minus so you could advance to third grade?

  65. 65.

    Political Realism

    November 5, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    @Hal: it’s not just the Senate.

    You got wiped out in governors races even in FUCKING MARYLAND.

    Scott won.

    Walker won.

    Snyder won .

    The “Big Three”.from 2010 are all still sitting pretty, and this is the third time in four years Walker defeated the Democrats, LOL.

  66. 66.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 8:44 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Not that I would literally ever do anything like that….

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 5, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    @jacy: Sure, you say that now….

    Get well soon – good thoughts headed your way.

  68. 68.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    @Political Realism:

    Scott won.

    Re-election.

    Walker won.

    Re-election.

    Snyder won .

    Re-election.

    It’s almost like there’s something to this “incumbent’s advantage” that you guys complained about with Obama, huh? Nah, it must be because all of the voters melted at Very Republican Manly Manliness of Scott, Walker, and Snyder.

  69. 69.

    Gin & Tonic

    November 5, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    @Political Realism: Wow. Unlimited Corporate Cash is back in da house.

  70. 70.

    Hal

    November 5, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    @Political Realism:

    The “Big Three”.from 2010 are all still sitting pretty, and this is the third time in four years Walker defeated the Democrats, LOL.

    LOL ROTF LMAO PMFL!!!

    STFU.

  71. 71.

    jacy

    November 5, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    @MomSense:

    Timothy Olyphant is “the hot” as the kids here say. Although I’m am strangely mesmerized by Walton Goggins.

  72. 72.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 5, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    @Political Realism: I repeat, that’s an excellent theory for why Republicans should win every single election, and you were advancing it on this very blog back in 2012. And I think in 2008 as well.

    And you were wrong then. So why were you wrong?

    If you can’t answer that, then you don’t check your beliefs to reality, despite what you call yourself, and nothing you say is worth listening to.

  73. 73.

    Kerry Reid

    November 5, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    @beltane: I’d also argue that it’s not enough for them to be rich — they must actively see others BEING POOR in order to reaffirm their godlike awesome qualities. “Ha ha ha suffer you poor bastards! I’m pissing on your rotten disgusting poor-person corpse with my gold-plated hedge-fund cock of DEATH! But don’t you dare judge me! Only God can judge me!” The perfect horrific meeting of late-stage capitalism and old-school Calvinism.

    I do wish that the Dems would get better at pointing out that the GOP is not against taxation. They just want the taxation to be on INCOME, not wealth. Because if you actually WORK for your money, then clearly you are a loser asshole. If you happened to inherit money or live off stock options, then you are a “wealth creator” who must have a constant shit-show of poor people presented to you so you can once again reaffirm that God and the Universe Have Chosen You Especially.

  74. 74.

    Applejinx

    November 5, 2014 at 9:25 pm

    @Kerry Reid: This. When you have kabillions of ill-gotten gains (pretty much there is no way to do that much work or think of something that clever so ANY accumulation of kabillions is by definition ill-gotten) the only way you can get richer is to make everyone else poorer.

    End game is like Midas. One guy with all the money, everything and everyone else is gold, and he starves and dies still considering himself the winner. In reality, he just broke the gameboard and ruined his own prize. This is a hugely significant problem with untrammeled freemarket capitalism: feedback sets in and then the high scorers resort to vandalism, unsatisfied with end zone taunts.

    Thankfully, being an exultantly evil douchebag even offends some of the rich, so you get class traitors and we’ll continue to see class traitors shivving the douchebags here and there when their pet charities are thrown under the bus.

    That’s not enough but it’s better than nothing.

  75. 75.

    danielx

    November 5, 2014 at 9:31 pm

    @Political Realism:

    Why yes, I have frequently noted the appalling burden placed on white men and married white women over the past six years. The whole time, they’ve had to put up with the Kenyan imposter islamofascistsoshulist sitting in the Oval Office of their White House.

    I don’t know how it is that we haven’t witnessed Jim Jones-style mass suicides.

    I’m a white middle-aged, middle class (more or less) male, and I don’t feel shat upon by anybody except the Wall Street swine who shat upon everybody except themselves during the oughts, and continue to do so to this very day, to the extent they can get away with it. I confidently expect those traitorous bastards of the ‘R’ designation in Congress to quickly decrease the absolutely horrifying regulatory burden bankers have had to labor under for the past few years, because clearly what the economy needs is less regulation of Wall Street. Less regulation of every kind, but that before and above all, because job creators. Never mind that JP Morgan, to name one example, more closely resembles a continuing criminal enterprise (from a legal standpoint) than a bank.

    Because that worked out so well last time, eh?

    By the way, fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

  76. 76.

    SiubhanDuinne

    November 5, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    @Violet:

    I cringe to relate this story, but when my great-aunt (born 1887) moved to Atlanta in the late 1960s, she was out shopping one day and saw an AA woman wheeling her baby in a stroller. “Oh, what a cute little pickaninny!” said my aunt to the child’s mother.

    ~ ~ CRINGE ~ ~

    But when she was a younger woman, this was not only an acceptable word, it was actually taken as a term of affection. I absolutely know she meant nothing offensive by it, and in fact when it was pointed out to her that it was considered bigoted, she was mortified.

  77. 77.

    Crouchback

    November 5, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    @Political Realism: Dude, they’re in their 70s. Alzheimers or the Grim Reaper could take them soon. By all means, bet your party on a handful of old men. That’s sure to end well.

    And there’s something a little sad when you boast of being a whore and how wealthy your pimp is.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnyUfxPvmo

  78. 78.

    Elie

    November 5, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Have an excellent time in Kauai– lucky you!

  79. 79.

    Cervantes

    November 6, 2014 at 12:01 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Yes, it comes from Afro-Caribbean use of Spanish pequeño, meaning “small.” Nothing derogatory about it — originally.

  80. 80.

    Elie

    November 6, 2014 at 12:05 am

    @MomSense:

    Gotta say I remember Tim from the “Deadwood” series on HBO and he was a hottie in that one. I haven’t kept up with his work but you are indicating you have a crush, so he must still have IT. Man, he was smokin back then… I didnt miss an episode…

  81. 81.

    Elie

    November 6, 2014 at 12:07 am

    @jacy:

    jacy —

    I don’t know your story but it sounds challenging. I will pay attention going forward and send you my very very best… which is pretty lame.

  82. 82.

    Elie

    November 6, 2014 at 12:12 am

    @gogol’s wife:

    They don’t care about the economy now, or even near term. They want control and predictability. They figure if they have those two, the rest will follow. It is all R formation and the reptilian brain. I have to kill what is any risk or competition. Period.

  83. 83.

    Linnaeus

    November 6, 2014 at 12:15 am

    @Political Realism:

    Keep licking those boots, son.

  84. 84.

    Linnaeus

    November 6, 2014 at 12:19 am

    @gogol’s wife:

    Okay, here’s what I don’t get. Why do the rich people want the economy to be in the toilet?

    Two things:

    1. Once you’re reached a certain level of wealth, you can effectively insulate yourself from the worst effects of the economic cycle. Economically, the very rich simply don’t live in the same economic world as the rest of us do. The Gilded Age was terrible for a lot of Americans (there was even a very bad depression, too!) but it was very good for the 1%-ers of the time.

    2. As Elie pointed out, it’s not just about money, it’s about power. There’s considerable benefit in not just having more money, but greater ability to shape the world around you and effect your will in it. That’s why organized capital is going for neofeudalism now.

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    November 6, 2014 at 1:01 am

    @Elie:

    Thanks! We went a few years ago and loved it, but it took us a little while to save up enough to go back. Really looking forward to a genuine vacation, not visiting family and calling it a vacation.

  86. 86.

    Emily68

    November 6, 2014 at 8:14 am

    @Mnemosyne: If we’re looking for good news, Washington state told the NRA to go sit on a tack and passed a law closing the gun show loophole in the background check law. And it passed the law 60% to 40%.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. Velociriot! | Midterms 2014: a rising tide does not lift all boats says:
    November 14, 2014 at 11:30 am

    […] all economic issues. You can read more in depth about how essentially stacked this election was on twitter and on think tank’s websites and everywhere in […]

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - BarcaChicago  - Off the Gunflint Trail/Boundary Waters 8
Image by BarcaChicago (7/11/25)

World Central Kitchen

Donate

Recent Comments

  • Gvg on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 8:53am)
  • Another Scott on The Ongoing Texas Tragedies (Jul 12, 2025 @ 8:50am)
  • zhena gogolia on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 8:44am)
  • Scout211 on The Ongoing Texas Tragedies (Jul 12, 2025 @ 8:44am)
  • Betty on The Ongoing Texas Tragedies (Jul 12, 2025 @ 8:43am)

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
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

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

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

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

Email sent!