Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

So many bastards, so little time.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

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

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

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

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Fight them, without becoming them!

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

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

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Open Thread: HATERS & LOSERS!!!

Open Thread: HATERS & LOSERS!!!

by | 88 Comments

This post is in: , , , , ,


***********
Apart from processing all the new applications for the H&L Cadre, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

Reader Interactions

88Comments

  2. 2.

    Jeffro

    Here is a funny for y’all: Jennifer Rubin asks, “Who will benefit once Trump implodes?” and finds the answer to be…(her man) Rubio, Walker, and wait for it, waaaait for it…Jeb! (She only mentions the obvious – Cruz in passing, same with Paul, whom she hates)

    washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/07/20/who-will-flourish-after-donald-trump-self-destruct…

    Yes, that makes sense aplenty, Jen, absolutely. The rabid 27%ers are likely to pivot straight to Rubio, Walker, and Bush once The Donald goes up in smoke. Yeeeup.

  6. 6.

    Ira-NY

    What has always bothered me about McCain’s hero status, is not that he is labeled a hero, it is the that this status has been used to elevate the importance of his views on war and foreign relations.

  7. 7.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    My nieces got safely on the plane in Florida and are now en route to LAX. We had a scare right at the end because the US Airways computer wasn’t showing that I had already paid the $300 unaccompanied minors fee, but we got it straightened out. Hopefully fun times will occur shortly.

  8. 8.

    JPL

    @Ira-NY: If Trump had said that, the RNC wouldn’t be feeding the media daily talking points against Trump. At least, they wouldn’t be as vicious.

  10. 10.

    Davis X. Machina

    Scattered thoughts:

    The nature of the threat — Hillary — when properly understood, will change things.

    Trump’s passed the lowest preliminary bar of FEC paperwork, there’s a whole closet-full of shoes waiting to drop. He gets to be taken seriously, and the next day he gets hit with serious oppo.

    Trump’s far more likely to pull a Perry- (2012) or even Stockdale- (1992) level boner in a debate, more so than just about anyone in the remainder of the field.

    In October of 2011, Herman Cain was ahead of Romney in the polls. Two months later, Gingrich was up 10 on Romney.

  13. 13.

    ruemara

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): hope for yhooooooooge fun times.

    I was.going to try to work out but I just want to lie down. Bodies are so damned noisy! This something or another odone needs to kick in.

  17. 17.

    Gimlet

    Scary man

    WASHINGTON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said over the weekend that the next president of the United States needed to be prepared to take aggressive military action on their very first day in office, including against Iran.

    The presidential contender, who had promised to “terminate” the nuclear agreement with Iran upon his inauguration, made the remark while speaking with reporters at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday.

    “I believe that a president shouldn’t wait to act until they put a cabinet together or an extended period of time, I believe they should be prepared to act on the very first day they take office,” he said. “It’s very possible, God forbid that this would happen, but very possible, that the next president could be called to take aggressive actions, including military actions, on their very first day in office.”

  18. 18.

    Howard Beale IV

    Everyone is wondering where the Dems are right now. Go look at LGF and that’s been the big question. Are they playing the ‘Don’t shoot until you see the whites in their eyes’ game or is there something more? After the clusterfuck that was NetRoots Nation 2015 with BLM hijacking the event, can’t say I could blame the outcome. But is that a desirable outcome?

  19. 19.

    TaMara (BHF)

    Oh, thank FSM, a new thread. I’m on week two of my new standing desk arrangement, that will have to do until my actual (motorized, YES!) desk arrives. I really am surprised by how much more energy I have and how much more focused I am.

    I’m trying not to over do the standing and burn out on the idea.

    In other news I’m on my third day of book of faces abstinence. I feel much less stabby. (well I was until recently, lol)

    @Baud: We all knew that, but thanks for clarifying.

  23. 23.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Gimlet: If this twit gets into office, we are so screwed-but at the same time I can’t see how his puppet-masters would allow him to go all first strike against Tehran. When the US/Israel cabal unleashed Stuxnet against the Natanz facility it didn’t take long for Iran to strike back against ARAMCO.

    The second Israel does anything against Iran its game over for Isarel. Russia and China will wield their veto, and with Iran holding 10:1 advantage of citizens vs. Israel in a conventional fight? Get real. If the US sticks our noses in it? Stand back.

  24. 24.

    Gimlet

    @Howard Beale IV:

    Days after the deal was signed in Vienna last Tuesday, sources in Washington indicated they will provide the Jewish state with advanced weaponry and technology, apparently to compensate for the boost the deal will give Iran.

    In a Saturday phone call with former president Shimon Peres, National Security Adviser Susan Rice explained that the US was ready to offer Jerusalem a military compensation package that was unprecedented in its scope, the TV report said.

    The package reportedly will include sophisticated weaponry that Israel does not yet possess, as well as cutting-edge technology.

  25. 25.

    Hal

    Chump has no intention of being president. This is nothing more than fodder for his ego and his money ventures. He’ll drop out eventually and go on to make even more loot off of a certain number of people who mistake verbal diarrhea for bravery and honesty.

  28. 28.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @ruemara:

    I have been warned by my spouse that I will be required to allow time for people to sleep and eat between fun activities and cannot take them on a Death March of Amusement.

    I’m still a little pouty about it.

  33. 33.

    MattF

    @Jeffro: One of the benefits of the Trumpification of Republican politics is that it will (FSM willing!) make fools of the WaPo commentariat. Also, I suspect that David Brooks won’t have a kind word for Trump. But… maybe I’m wrong!

  35. 35.

    Germy Shoemangler

    Someone like Trump divides humans into the following categories:

    Haters

    Losers

    Customers (suckers)

    Ex-wives

    Potential future wives

    Staff

  40. 40.

    MattF

    @Baud: It’s Obama’s fault. He’s having all these successes, which frustrates the right wing. Which requires… well, you can guess.

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Howard Beale IV: Everyone is wondering where the Dems are right now.

    Six months before the first vote is cast? I have some friends who are interested in politics, but not obsessed like I admit to being. They may be follow recommended links to blogposts but I don’t think they check them everyday. My sister brought up Sandra Bland the other day and we talked some about police violence, but I’m betting she had no idea NN was taking place, and probably only saw a headline about it. I can’t think of any of the them indicating they think Hillary is hiding. And like most people outside of their home states, I doubt they know who Jim Webb and Linc Chaffee are.

    ETA: I think HRC is deliberately laying low both to avoid “Clinton fatigue”, and to establish grassroots support in primary states, shaking hands, talking to people

    Just watched a long No Labels ad on MSNBC. I recognized Jon Huntsman, I’m pretty sure, and one guy who I think was either Tim Pawlenty (which would be a little bit surprising) or Evan Bayh (not a surprise at all).

  45. 45.

    Tree With Water

    “But why are they still treating Dick Cheney as a foreign policy expert?”.

    Because they stand on one side of a great divide in this country. They are Americans unwilling to acknowledge that the War in Iraq was the culmination of a plot to war.

  46. 46.

    JPL

    The Washington Post has a comparison of Trump’s life and McCain’s while McCain was being beaten. link

    I’d love for Trump to continue his nonsense, but I also realize that I’m cheering for a lunatic.
    @Germy Shoemangler: This.

  47. 47.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    So what’s on the agenda for the visit? I hope you’re taking them to the Tar Pits and to see a movie in one of the grand old movie palaces in Hollywood. I was going to suggest the Chinese Theater, but knowing your interests, the Egyptian might be a better choice.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: I just finished reading the circular firing squad thread. I have to admit to kind of rolling my eyes at the preppie clothes in the video – until I got to the rule about never carrying anything in your hands after dark. That’s when I realized I was crying.

    The murder of Trayvon Martin is what opened my eyes to it being open season on black people, and all these murders by the police make me sick. We should all be shouting about this. What, people should be politely saying “excuse me, excuse me, I don’t mean to trouble you, but could you please stop killing us?”

    How does that even work when fairly well informed and well meaning people like myself didn’t even realize this was happening until 3 years ago? If there was ever a time to be shrieking about something at the top of our lungs, this should be it.

  49. 49.

    jl

    @Howard Beale IV: As far as I can tell, HRC, Sanders, and O’Malley are wandering around the country giving stump speeches, and I suppose, behind the scenes they are building GOTV organizations. Until recently, wasn’t that how the early stages of campaigns were supposed to work?

    Oh, sorry forgot, raising money. They are raising money. Also too.

    So, I would answer that they are campaigning. I guess the GOP gets so munch media attention that their insane antics set the standard now for what political campaigning should look like.

    If the GOP doesn’t win in 2016 presidential, I predict the next step is they turn the primary campaign into an actual reality show. With breathless promos, and previews of next week’s drama. I dunno, a confessional scene where Ted Cruz is tearfully weeping over drinks about how the GOP base has dumped him and is Donald’s girlfriend now. That would make a good preview. And some candidate needs to turn over a table at a fancy restaurant while the others look on, horrified. That would be a good preview too.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @Gimlet:

    The package reportedly will include sophisticated weaponry that Israel does not yet possess, as well as cutting-edge technology.

    What’s the old joke? “We’ve already established that. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”

    If Bibi and Israel really believed their own bullshit, they couldn’t be bought off with more money and more toys. I loathe Bibi and Israel losing its way like this disgusts me.

  52. 52.

    Leaving Texas

    Today’s promise by Jeb! to freeze federal hiring and only replace 1 in 3 retirees has me scratching my head. Not because I can’t see how his base would like that message, but because this describes the current situation in the federal workforce. I have to wonder, does he not know that he is promising the status quo, or is he counting on his audience’s ignorance of the status quo? The former strikes me as deeply incompetent; the latter as deeply cynical.

  53. 53.

    Mandalay

    @Howard Beale IV:

    The second Israel does anything against Iran its game over for Isarel. Russia and China will wield their veto

    Correct. Our media continue to misportray negotiations as though the US and Iran are the only two parties involved, but once the genie is out of the bottle, and companies start investing in Iran it will be increasingly hard to turn back the clock:

    Ramin Rabii, chief executive of the Tehran-based Turquoise Partners Group, which facilitates foreign investment in Iran, said the number of Europeans approaching his firm have soared exponentially…
    “We have hosted more than a 100 foreign investment delegations to Iran over the past 15 months; of those 90% were European, many from Scandinavia, UK, Germany, Italy, but even from the US.”

  54. 54.

    Pogonip

    Amazon has FINALLY stopped targeting me for chicklit.

    Now they are targeting me for military-type science fiction. I’ve never ordered any of that either. I’ve never even read Starship Troopers, which is, I believe, the ur-book of the genre.

    No wonder they lost money for 15 years.

  55. 55.

    Kropadope

    @Leaving Texas:

    or is he counting on his audience’s ignorance of the status quo?

    Welcome to Republican politics literally for as long as I can remember.

  57. 57.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    In the car, I heard Chris Hayes give Michael Steele a complete pass on Jeb Bush and Rick Perry bashing John Kerry, now Steve Kornacki is getting pretty much talked over by Liz Mair. I’m sure FoxNews politely defers to DNC hacks ’cause they’re mirror images of each other.

  58. 58.

    jl

    @Gimlet: They all have to pander so desperately to to their crazy base, I have to wonder how the pivot to the middle will work for the general election. Sure, the media will try to sweep everything under the rug, or try to cover for the GOP.

    But, Walker is flat out saying, yeah, I might start a war my first day in office, damn straight! it’s pretty cheap to make an effective attack add out of that.

  59. 59.

    Jeffro

    @MattF: Maybe he’ll write a column and ask Trump, “Are you displaying your privilege by whomping around the country talking like a loon? Am I displaying mine if I try to finesse your nonsense for the purposes of holding together a very, very splintered Republican party?”

  60. 60.

    jl

    @Davis X. Machina: I know that Bush’s problems may be both stupid and cynical. But after I heard him say that he can produce a four percent growth rate ‘as far as the eye can see’ with a one time bump in employment rate and weekly hours. It’s clear this guy has no clue what he is talking about.

    Jeb! may well be less capable upstairs than his brother.

    Someone needs to start making a list of all the things he has said that show he is either butt ignorant or cannot think his way out of paper bag. The examples are piling up.

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    @jl: black and white, faint audio from oath of office being administered, camera pans from hand on the bible to upright ‘swear’ hand…index finger twitching, twitching…pan over to obvious agent carrying the nuclear ‘football’…pan back to the twitchy finger…

    Beats “Daisy” hands down…

  62. 62.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It may be that simple-but it may not be that. Hillary is true neoliberal, whereas Bernie is more a neo-Marxist who follows the politics of the Scandinavian countries. The $64,000 question is do they follow the Swedish/Norweigan model (decoupled from the Euro) or do they go with the Finns ?

  63. 63.

    MattF

    @jl: The concept of ‘middle’ just doesn’t work for them. ‘Middle’ means compromise, awareness of other people’s opinions– iow, heresy.

  64. 64.

    Mandalay

    @Leaving Texas:

    the latter as deeply cynical.

    Speaking of deeply cynical proposals from Jeb!….

    Jeb Bush listed Monday a few proposals that he would push for as president to “disrupt” Washington, including a dock in pay for members of Congress who miss votes and a six year cooling period banning former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists.

    He knows damn well that crap would never get through Congress. Just shamless pandering from a vapid scoundrel.

  65. 65.

    Gimlet

    @jl:

    Wiki

    Though many in his family had attended Yale University, Bush chose to attend the University of Texas at Austin.[11] He played on the Texas Longhorns varsity tennis team in 1973.[11] He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Latin American Studies.[11][20] He completed his coursework in two and a half years,[21] and is fluent in Spanish.[22

  67. 67.

    Pogonip

    @Leaving Texas: I’d go with deeply cynical. Also remember he’s talking about actual Federal employees, not the enormous “shadow workforce” of contractors.

  68. 68.

    Goblue72

    Trump will never be the GOP nominee. He’s the eye candy summer blockbuster during what is otherwise the nobody gives a squat summer doldrums of political reporting.

    But if worrying about Trump tickles your paranoia zone, go right ahead & convince yourself he’s the next Goldwater.

  69. 69.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Mandalay: It’s amazing that those people, who have lost a sense of history,are going to have to relive it themselves.

  70. 70.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @Roger Moore:

    I sent each of the girls an age-appropriate guidebook a few weeks ago, and we’re going to have a summit meeting tomorrow to discuss the Death March of Amusement. I want them to have some say in the matter, but we’re definitely going to try and work in a Disneyland trip unless they definitely don’t want to. I think the 9YO would dig the Tar Pits and the Science Center. I think the 15YO will to a certain extent do whatever her little sister wants to do, but I want her to have some choices, too.

    I keep telling my sister-in-law that if she takes them for surfing lessons in Ventura, she will forever be enshrined in their hearts as The Coolest Aunt Ever but the stories of shark sightings along the coast have her a little spooked.

  71. 71.

    Pogonip

    On this night, Eastern Daylight Time, in 1969, a man walked on the moon. This was not unusual at the time, but doing so without parmaceutical assistance was unusual; it was, in fact, unprecedented. How about a round of applause for everyone involved in that mission!

  72. 72.

    Davis X. Machina

    @jl:

    Jeb’s on safe ground. He may not know much, but he’s on safe ground. (I’m guessing if he’s Phi Beta Kappa, he’s not stupid.)
    If it’s one thing America knows, it’s that expertise is dangerous.

    The whole notion of expertise is inegalitarian.

    It’s based on the idea that one person may have more knowledge, or experience, or wisdom than the next. But as Mr. Dooley said, “In a democracy each man is as good as the next, and often a good deal better…”

  73. 73.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Germy Shoemangler: It’s varying, right now it’s full. I have some scopolamine patches behind the ear to keep me stable. I’ll probably have to see my PCP to get a referral to see an ENTW (Ears, nose throat and wallet) in a few days.

  74. 74.

    Tree With Water

    @Mandalay: If Obama has a sense of humor, he’ll take Jeb! up on the six year hiring ban, and submit a bill to make it law. Sure, 90% of his own administration would be furious to see their future livelihoods jeopardized, but screw ’em if they can’t take a joke. Of course, you’re correct in saying it would be dead on arrival, so why not do it?

  75. 75.

    Germy Shoemangler

    SATAN, n. One of the Creator’s lamentable mistakes, repented in sashcloth and axes. Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back.
    “There is one favor that I should like to ask,” said he.
    “Name it.”
    “Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws.”
    “What, wretch! you his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul—you ask for the right to make his laws?”
    “Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself.”
    It was so ordered.

    Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

  76. 76.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @efgoldman:

    Yep, it’s an extra $300 RT on top of the ticket price to send unaccompanied minors on American Airlines. The plus side is, it covers multiple minors from the same family. Other airlines are often cheaper, but AA/US Airways had the best schedule from Tampa. The 15YO could have traveled alone as a young adult at no charge, but we wanted to make sure the airline knew they had to be kept together, so they both went as UAs.

    Other airlines have different policies and different charges, so something to keep in mind if the grandbabies get past age 5 before you can move closer to them.

  77. 77.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @efgoldman: Keeping track of Romney’s lies nearly broke poor Benen last time. I don’t know if he’s recovered enough to do it again.

    And I say Jeb may not know the situation with the current federal work force. Wasn’t he the one who said the retirement age should be raised from 65?

  78. 78.

    Mandalay

    @jl:

    It’s clear this guy has no clue what he is talking about.

    You are being too kind. I find it far more plausible that he knows perfectly well that he is spouting shit, but is very carefully saying whatever nonsense he thinks will get him attention and support.

    But I’ll give Jeb! a sidgen of credit for at least specifying some proposals, however absurd and cynical, while the rest of the clown car can’t even get that far; they just whine about President Obama.

  79. 79.

    Pogonip

    @TaMara (BHF): Ha! Reminds me of our tour of D. C. My son got a horrible blister. Of course Mr. Strong Silent Type said nothing. By the following morning, when we went home, he could barely hobble to the car. I had to make several stops at small rural Virginia dime stores before I could find some size 14 flip flops he could wear home. It was the worst blister I had ever seen! I was sure it would get infected. We made a beeline to Granpa’s house ( Grandpa was infantry) to see if we should go to the ER. Gramdpa’s verdict on The Most Appalling Blister Ever? “That’s nothing; his foot will absorb the fluid in a day or so.”. Oh. Good. Cancel Red Alert.

    And that’s what happened.

  80. 80.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @WaterGirl:

    I don’t think I can explain why in a logical way, but for me the murder of Michael Brown was the true breaking point. It was just so obvious from day 1 that the fix was in and there was going to be no justice at all.

    At this point, I honestly think that any white person who isn’t upset and calling for immediate police reform is someone who can’t be reached.

  81. 81.

    Leaving Texas

    @jl:
    <blockquote And some candidate needs to turn over a table at a fancy restaurant while the others look on, horrified.
    That would be a great way for Christie to get back into it. And you can see him doing it too.

  82. 82.

    jl

    @Gimlet: @Pogonip:

    Thanks for info. Clearly I do not have a good understanding of Jeb!. Things are pointing to a really cynical wretch of a politician. Glad that he is so clumsy politically.

  85. 85.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Hal: Reminds me of NewsRadio: “Mr. James, are you just running for President to meet women?”

  86. 86.

    Gin & Tonic

    For those thinking they’ve gone into the wrong line of work, here are some photos of the yacht owned by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. Truly following in the path of Jesus, isn’t he?

  87. 87.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:
    It was the “I just want to keep them alive” that ripped through me. I found myself watching it over and over, and the pain in the clip shouted at me louder and louder with each viewing.

Comments are closed.