• 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.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

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

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

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself. We’re allowed to grow past that.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

Consistently wrong since 2002

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

I’m more Christian than these people and I’m an atheist.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Mobile Menu

  • Four Directions Montana
  • 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 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2024 Elections
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  October 20, 20153:00 pm| 125 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Go Fuck Yourself

FacebookTweetEmail

horse

David Axelrod reveals an interesting perk he required before agreeing to come to Washington after helping to orchestrate President Obama’s victory in 2008:

I actually had this interesting conversation with Obama after the election – or, it was probably in the final weeks of the election, when we were thinking about, we knew we were gonna win,” declared Axelrod. “And I said ‘I don’t, you know, I don’t know if I can go.’ And he said ‘Why not?’ And I said, ‘Well, first of all,’ I said, ‘I’ve spent my whole life setting myself up so I could tell anybody I wanted to go fuck themselves. And I’ve walked out of campaigns, and work situations, when I thought it wasn’t right. And, I said, ‘and you can’t say that to the president of the United States.’”

Obama said it would be okay to still drop F bombs on him, just not do so in front of other people.
“And he said ‘Well, you know, that’s probably true. You can’t really say that to the president,’ he said, ‘but…’ And then he made the case why it was important, and so on and so forth,” continued Axelrod. “At the end of it, he said ‘And one other thing.’ ‘What’s that,’ I said. He said: ‘You can tell me to fuck myself. Just don’t do it in front of anybody else.’ So I went.”

Axelrod doesn’t say if he ever exercised that option, at least not in the excerpt published on Buzzfeed.

Open thread!

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Jim Webb Is Dropping Out
Next Post: Open Thread: Conservatives Cheer for the Dark Side »

Reader Interactions

125Comments

  1. 1.

    Humboldtblue

    October 20, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    The biggest challenge facing wholesale and universal legalization of marijuana is always going to be the Federal government.

    On Monday a federal judge made a ruling that could set the stage for the inevitable clash between the states and the feds — clashes that touch on everything from environmental laws, Federal Parks regulations, banking, transportation and simple possession — but this is yet another small win for legalization efforts, another chink in the massive wall that has been built up around the “war on drugs” in this country.

  2. 2.

    Keith G

    October 20, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    David Axelrod is always a good interview. He is hosting a podcast now. Y’all should look it up. It’s good. He interviewed Sanders among others.

  3. 3.

    Benw

    October 20, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    WTF? GFY or GTFO, FFS!

  4. 4.

    srv

    October 20, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    Principal hates democracy:

    When San Francisco middle school principal Lena Van Haren saw which kids on her campus had been elected to the student council, she was disturbed at the lack of diversity among the winners. There were no Latino or black candidates chosen for the top four spots.

    Her concern for a representative student government, given the preponderance of students of color at Everett Middle School in the Mission District, may have been understandable. What she did about it, however, swiftly raised a different kind of alarm.

    Van Haren decided to withhold the results of the Oct. 9 election for more than a week, saying the school community needed to figure out how to have a more representative government.

    If only someone would do that to the democratic candidates.

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    October 20, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    Hahahahahahahahahaha!:

    Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues his free fall nationally among Republicans, a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday found.

    “The money train may be chugging along for the Bush campaign, but the polling train has been steadily losing steam,” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, New Jersey, said in a statement accompanying the poll.

    Bush, the establishment GOP’s long-anointed pick for nominee, polled at just 5 percent, barely edging out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who each polled at 4 percent.

    More Brinks Trucks, STAT!

  6. 6.

    PurpleGirl

    October 20, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    My last boss could be very picky and snarky. I was able to answer her back and others in the office wondered how I could put up with her. The key was I could be snarky back to her, I could answer her back but not publicly. In her office, door open or not, but quietly, I could talk back to her. And she and I could forget about whatever the incident was within minutes and go back to working together.

  7. 7.

    Karen S.

    October 20, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    @dmsilev: And where oh where is Right to Rise? Shouldn’t he/she/it be chiming in now to tell us not to worry because Jeb? still has all that UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH?!!!!

  8. 8.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    @Humboldtblue:

    The biggest challenge facing wholesale and universal legalization of marijuana is always going to be the Federal government.

    I think states started to quietly retreat on anti-alcohol activities, and this started to chip away at Prohibition. I guess it will take the same type of action to chip away at anti-marijuana laws.

  9. 9.

    Amir Khalid

    October 20, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    @dmsilev:
    Jeb’s money would have been a real help to a competent candidate, but I for one didn’t realise at first how incompetent Jeb was. Are there any Republican candidates left in this cycle who are competent enough to take advantage of UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH, and tractable enough to take it on the donors’ terms? Desperate billionaires want to know.

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    October 20, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Rubio is about the only one that comes to mind, and that’s a stretch.

    I wonder when the ‘Draft Romney’ movement will start…

  11. 11.

    Tenar Darell

    October 20, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    I think this bit has been around from the beginning of the interwebs. I had it as a .wav file at one point.

    NSFW. (Or Presidents)

  12. 12.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Bush, the establishment GOP’s long-anointed pick for nominee, polled at just 5 percent, barely edging out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who each polled at 4 percent.

    It really would be something to see Jeb! drop out from the race. Even if the Moneymen feel good with Rubio or Cruz as backups, this would really be interesting.

    From the latest CNN poll results:

    All told, nearly two-thirds of Republican voters choose Trump or Carson as either their first or second choice for the nomination.

    No other candidates made significant gains since the last CNN/ORC poll conducted just after the Republican debate hosted by CNN and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

    I still don’t know how this relates to strength in the primaries, but a chunk of GOP voters clearly are not happy with the mainstream GOP candidates.

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/20/politics/poll-donald-trump-ben-carson-gop/

  13. 13.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    PPP – New Hampshire Oct 2-4 (August poll in parentheses)

    Clinton…………….41% (35)
    Sanders…………..33% (42)
    Biden………………11% (n/a)

    Without Biden

    Clinton…………….45% (35)
    Sanders…………..35% (42)

    Clinton’s rise comes as her image with Democratic voters in the state has improved by a good amount. Her favorability (+56 at 73/17) has improved a net 18 points from August when she was at +38 (63/25) with primary voters.

    What a difference a debate makes.

  14. 14.

    ruemara

    October 20, 2015 at 3:48 pm

    The one mistake the powerful always make is to forget to have an honest person to advise them. Including an honest go fuck yourself.

    Bracing myself for the last workout of the week. Probably will crawl back home and fall asleep in front of the computer while responding to emails. Remind me not to do this again.

  15. 15.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    @Amir Khalid:
    The underlying problem is that when politicians get used to having their money people make all the decisions for them, they get out of practice making their own decisions.

  16. 16.

    Yatsuno

    October 20, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    @Humboldtblue:

    banking

    This is a HUGE problem for both medical and recreational users that needs to get fixed. The IRS requires businesses to file their business taxes via online system. If not they get fined 10% of the total deposit. And you can’t use the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System without a bank account.

    This doesn’t include the other ways pot businesses get screwed, like business tax writeoffs such as depreciation. The whole drug regime just needs to end.

  17. 17.

    oldster

    October 20, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    Axelrod’s anecdote gives us an interesting window into Obama’s own navigation of his role and authority. I think Obama suspected, accurately, that observers would be very quick to seize on disrespect from a close advisor (e.g. D.A.) as evidence that Obama was not the real power, that he was a figurehead or puppet. That was not an impression that he was willing to permit; it would not have been true, and it would have undermined his authority.

    It’s interesting that this is one of the few charges that the wingnuts have *not* thrown at him. Even when they were freaking out over “teleprompters,” they never suggested that he was being scripted by some particular power-behind-the-thrown. Nobody ever suggested that he was like a GWB to Axelrod’s Cheney, or anyone else’s Cheney either.

    (I mean, Bill Ayers, sure, but not on a daily basis.)

  18. 18.

    JPL

    October 20, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    @Brachiator: The Brinks trucks got lost.

  19. 19.

    peach flavored shampoo

    October 20, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    @Brachiator: Wow, the day I see Republicans nominate a Black man as the presidential candidate is the day I’ve assumed I’ve finally moved into that alternate universe. Not to mention, a candidate with zero, zilch, nada experience in any politics whatsoever and completely clueless on all the major issues.

    It’s as if Republicans starting demanding that their banker perform their root canal and their dentist invest their money. Just bizzaro.

  20. 20.

    M. Bouffant

    October 20, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    “Get this:
    Fuck that!
    I don’t owe you fuckers anything
    And all I’ve got to say is:
    FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!”
    — Nat’l. Lampoon’s Radio Dinner

  21. 21.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    @David Koch:

    Now just to navigate the Benghazi hearing on Thurs. Lord knows what selective “leaks” will be put out by Gowdy…

    In other good news, some speculation on Kos that Boehner doesn’t have the Republican votes to close the gap (along with all the Democrats) to raise the debt ceiling. THAT is bad… what options are there if that is the case?

  22. 22.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    @Brachiator: The advantage of Bush’s money was supposed to be that he could buy up the organization so that no one else could have it. Romney did that last time and the grifters could not keep up, or like Newt’s staff, forgot to get on the ballot in Virginia so he could follow up on his win in SC.

    I think at some point, they had to hope that Trump would spend enough of his own money that he’d drop out. Bush was supposed to make it expensive for the other candidates to run. Not working. I think Bush is spending serious money, but can’t get anyone to bankrupt themselves. It’s like spending money to build hotels in Monopoly only to have everyone purposefully spend their time in jail.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    So, Webb has dropped out. He’ll have plenty of time to line up for Star Wars tickets.

    The force is strong with the upcoming “Star Wars” sequel.

    “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has established a new record, bypassing “The Hunger Games” as to move the most tickets in its first day on sale, Fandango reports. It didn’t just surpass that picture, it shattered its benchmark, outselling “The Hunger Games” eight times over. Traffic to the online ticketer’s site surged to seven times more than its peak level in less than 24 hours.

    “This is an extraordinary time for the industry, which experienced unprecedented ticketing demand last night for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’” Fandango said in a statement. “The enthusiasm for this year’s most anticipated movie is out of this world and we expect it to continue all the way to its debut on Dec. 18.”

    There are already sellouts, particularly in Imax screenings, and to meet the demand, movie theaters are continually adding new show times, the online ticketer reports.

    MovieTickets.com did not release any data, but “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is currently the top selling film on its site. It represents 95% of sales over the past 24 hours. Interest in the film was so intense that both MovieTickets.com and Fandango reportedly crashed for some users.

    The biggest fans have been taken care of. Now, it’s just a matter of whether the film is any good.

  24. 24.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    PPP – New Hampshire Oct 2-4

    Trump………………28%
    Rubio………………12%
    Carson…………….11%
    Kasich……………..10%
    ¿Jeb?……………….9%◄
    Cruz…………………8%
    Fiorina………………7%

    Donald Trump gets 25% with Evangelicals in New Hampshire. Mike Huckabee gets 3%,

    It’s never been about religion. Those guys don’t care about Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, they’re Archie Bunker voters who just want to stick to the “others” and cloak their hate with the bible.

  25. 25.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    @Elie: Cut social security at the Republicans request and hope that voters remember to vote for candidates who will restore it after the rubble clears?

    Simply shut down the government and hope that the voters remember to vote for people who will reopen it?

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 20, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    @ruemara: Don’t do this again.

  27. 27.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 3:56 pm

    The Chairwoman/President of the Canadian Liberal Party Anna Gainey is way fucking cute

  28. 28.

    Face

    October 20, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    @Brachiator: If theaters are smart, they’d be showing the movie in at least half of their rooms, and stay open 24 hours doing so, at least for the first 2 weeks. There really is no question that damn near every American over the age of 30 is going to see this movie.

  29. 29.

    SatanicPanic

    October 20, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    @oldster: I’ve heard Jonathan Gruber, Valerie Jarrett and Saul Alinsky

  30. 30.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    @Peale:

    sigh —

    are we really there, for Pete’s sake?

  31. 31.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    @David Koch: It was the same with their support of Ronaldus Maximus, a divorced guy who, IIRC, never darkened the doors of any house of worship.

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    October 20, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    @Brachiator

    The biggest fans scalpers have been taken care of.

    Word is tix already being hawked online for a grand.

    What’s the rush? It’s not like it is going to close after a week.

  33. 33.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    @Peale:

    The advantage of Bush’s money was supposed to be that he could buy up the organization so that no one else could have it. Romney did that last time and the grifters could not keep up, or like Newt’s staff, forgot to get on the ballot in Virginia so he could follow up on his win in SC.

    Doesn’t matter much if the candidate is weak, as was the case with Romney and now, apparently, Bush.

    I think at some point, they had to hope that Trump would spend enough of his own money that he’d drop out. Bush was supposed to make it expensive for the other candidates to run. Not working. I think Bush is spending serious money, but can’t get anyone to bankrupt themselves. It’s like spending money to build hotels in Monopoly only to have everyone purposefully spend their time in jail.

    I don’t Jeb! saw Trump coming or had any plan to deal with him. Also, to date, no one has spent much money, especially on TV campaigns.

    Bush is sitting on a pile of cash, and has the backing of the mainstream and the Koch boys, but Jeb!’s name is rapidly becoming poison, neutralizing any money and organizational advantage he previously had.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    @Peale:

    The advantage of Bush’s money was supposed to be that he could buy up the organization so that no one else could have it.

    The problem is that only works with the campaign’s own money. SuperPACs can buy media exposure, but they can’t pay for campaign staff because that inevitable involves coordination with the campaign.

  35. 35.

    Yatsuno

    October 20, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    @Elie: Trillion dollar platinum coin. I’m not really interested in having my pay cut thank you very much.

    @David Koch: Not to be that guy, but the new Prime Minister of Canada is pretty fine too.

  36. 36.

    lgerard

    October 20, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    Looks like JEB! is going to be out of a JOB! before too long.

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I still think Jeb pulls this off eventually. I could be wrong, of course. But remember 2008, when Giuliani was the early “front-runner,” Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, McCain’s campaign ran out of money and the Republicans were desperately casting about for an alternative before finally settling on McCain?

    People are saying this election will be different, that the establishment is dead and connections and CoC cash don’t have the same value. Maybe. But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

  38. 38.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: yup. And as Rosalynn Carter famously said, “Reagan makes people feel comfortable about their prejudices.”

    That’s all they wanted. They didn’t care about the silly ass Russians or voo doo economics. They wanted George Wallace with a smile.

  39. 39.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    @Yatsuno: The PM’s wife is easy on the eyes, too, if you swing that way.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    October 20, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    @Face

    Little interest in seeing it. Perhaps after it comes out on disc. Plus cannot attend the theaters here as am violently allergic to something in them, unlike the interiors of the old venues they replaced.

    Last time braved any of the theaters here was for Phantom Menace, and (mercifully) fell asleep about halfway through that turkey.

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    @dmsilev: @Amir Khalid:
    I don’t know how anybody outside Florida could have foreseen the pathetic deer-in-headlights edition Bushspawn we’re so enjoying as he falls on his kisser, daily. Patience and timing and money won’t salvage this trainwreck. I have the sticking fork, just holler when you need it.

  42. 42.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Last night O’Reilly told his cult followers they should consider voting for Mittens to save the party.

    We know that Mittens is secretly polling NH.

    I have to think BillO is being told by his paymasters to prep the ground for a late Mittens entry.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    @ruemara:

    The one mistake the powerful always make is to forget to have an honest person to advise them. Including an honest go fuck yourself.

    In Ancient Rome, the Auriga was a slave whose duty was to drive a biga, the light vehicle powered by two horses, to transport some important Romans, mainly Duces (military commanders); it was then a sort of chauffeur for important men, and was carefully selected among trustworthy slaves only.

    It has been supposed also that this name was given to the slave that, during Roman Triumphs, held a laurus crown over the head of the Dux, standing at his backs, but continuously whispering in his ears Memento homo (remember you are (only) a man), in order to avoid that the excess of celebration could lead the celebrated commander to lose his sense of proportions.

    The term became common in latter times, indicating any biga driver.

    Nowadays, everybody wants to be a biga shot.

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    @NotMax:
    Too right. And unlike ye oulde days, you don’t have to shop for a 70mm theater and don’t have to worry about viewing a clean, unscratched print.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    @David Koch: I would bet a substantial sum that Mittens will not be the 2016 GOP nominee. If I didn’t suspect it’s possible Mittens himself buys into that loony “white horse” prophesy business, I’d bet Mittens wouldn’t be foolish enough to throw his hat into the ring, but maybe he does believe it. Oh well, every circus needs dancing horses, amirite?

  46. 46.

    Yatsuno

    October 20, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Agreed. I’m gay not blind. :P

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Me, me, me! We’ve not had a dream PM’s wife since Sarkozi was shown the door. Bunga-bunga.

  48. 48.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 20, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    When are the cutoff dates for candidates to enter primaries? Isn’t there some sort of procedure that has to be followed that takes time?

  49. 49.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    I am sure the administration is modeling different alternative actions given various actions taken or not taken in the House.

    Man, I would hate to be President of the US right now! How unbelievable and stressful! How does he minimize the risk and damage to our country with these fools? Truly, this is just unbelievable.

    ..And the two columns in the NYT today, the first Brooks is a whinny “Oh how did this happen — we have no spiritual integrity in the world anymore — boo hoo. Then the other Republican apologist, Peter Wehner, complaining about the horror of Carson and how this came about (omitting the party’s role in eschewing facts, science and responsible governance).

  50. 50.

    burnspbesq

    October 20, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    @Humboldtblue:

    The biggest challenge facing wholesale and universal legalization of marijuana is always going to be the Federal government.

    Well, duh. There is that small matter of the Supremacy Clause and its offspring, federal preemption. Still surprised that the statute in question gets reauthorized by a Republican-controlled Congress on an annual basis (unless McConnell is a closet stoner, which I’m inclined to doubt).

    Also note the identity of the district judge. Justice Breyer routinely recuses himself in cases that originate in his brother’s courtroom.

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    @David Koch:
    Were it only so. With a hundred current candidates already in the fightin’ cage, should the actual Republican powers that be have to toss a 4th quarter hail Mary to somebody NOT running, it’s desperation like we’ve never seen. I like the smell of flopsweat when it’s not my own.

  52. 52.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Haven’t you noticed, there are no effective Republican “powers that be”. Not clear anyone is listening to anybody in the Reptilican party. We are all Jurassic Park all the time…As long as they just eat each other, I am cool….

  53. 53.

    SatanicPanic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    @Yatsuno: Trillion dollar platinum coin for sure. There’s no reason to continue to bother with precedent anymore, and you could just take the whole dumb argument off the table forever. Obama has to do it.

  54. 54.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 20, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    @Elie: NYT’s op-ed page is ludicrous, its like their competing with WSJ and Washpost to see who is worst.

  55. 55.

    Bill Arnold

    October 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    @oldster:

    Even when they were freaking out over “teleprompters,” they never suggested that he was being scripted by some particular power-behind-the-thrown. Nobody ever suggested that he was like a GWB to Axelrod’s Cheney, or anyone else’s Cheney either.

    I heard (verbally) precisely that from a wingnut about 2 years ago, that he (B Obama) was Axelrod’s pawn.

  56. 56.

    David Koch

    October 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    @Brachiator: Maybe the President can get us tickets to some of the early screenings:

    The recent mass shooting in Roseburg, Oregon was among the topics discussed by President Barack Obama at a deep pocket private Hollywood fundraiser today at J.J. Abrams’ home. After a praise-heavy intro by the Star Wars director, Obama spent about an hour and 15 minutes “passionately” talking to around 20 guests about issues such as gun control, prison reform, voter turnout and the economy, according to one source. The event was estimated to have raised over $750,000 for Democratic Party war chest, say insiders.

  57. 57.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    @SatanicPanic:

    You have to be careful walking the path away from precedent when you already have one party out of bounds. The last thing we need is for the whole system on both sides of the ball to go off the grid to making it up as we go. Not sure that is a solution, though I understand the attractiveness of the option. The system is already wobbling badly.. if both sides do it, can we reel it back to “normal”? You know that the reaction to such a move on the other side would not be calm or rational. It would be civil war by other means… Better we find another way to thread the needle while staying in bounds. Yes, I am a cautious person who tends to worry, but I see a lot at stake here… can we pull the table cloth out while leaving all the dishes in place?

  58. 58.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    @NotMax: I would like to see it first, then post a detailed spoiling rant here, ruining it for everyone else.

    I think that might be worth $500.

    Actually, Jeb might be able to ratchet up support for his campaign if he had his unaffiliated superpac buy tickets for the less fortunate. Then give 2 tickets to each Huckabee supporter, who are probably more disappointed that his voters are at the moment.

  59. 59.

    Bobby Thomson

    October 20, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    @Betty Cracker: McCain never polled that badly in 2008.

    This looks a lot more like 2012, with Trump in the Romney role. I can’t see a Republican not currently in the top six coming out of nowhere to win it. There’s no event that is suddenly going to electrify the Kasich campaign.

    And I can’t see the Republicans nominating someone other than a white guy when a substantial portion of them want to build a wall on the Mexican border. That leaves Trump and Bush, and Bush has turned out to be astonishingly bad at campaigning. The only two counters I see are “Republicans haven’t nominated an outsider since Reagan,” which is weak tea, and “Trump doesn’t have endorsements of elected Republicans,” and he doesn’t need them.

  60. 60.

    mclaren

    October 20, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    Democrats are in denial. Their party is actually in deep trouble, Matthew Yglesias, Vox.com, 19 October, 2015.

    …there are … thousands of critically important offices all the way down the ballot. And the vast majority — 70 percent of state legislatures, more than 60 percent of governors, 55 percent of attorneys general and secretaries of state — are in Republicans hands. And, of course, Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Indeed, even the House infighting reflects, in some ways, the health of the GOP coalition. Republicans are confident they won’t lose power in the House and are hungry for a vigorous argument about how best to use the power they have.

    Not only have Republicans won most elections, but they have a perfectly reasonable plan for trying to recapture the White House. But Democrats have nothing at all in the works to redress their crippling weakness down the ballot. Democrats aren’t even talking about how to improve on their weak points, because by and large they don’t even admit that they exist.

  61. 61.

    rikyrah

    October 20, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    @David Koch:

    You crack me up with your GOP poll numbers, pointing out Jeb. I LOL everytime.

  62. 62.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 20, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    @Face: I heard that for the premiere of The Force Awakens, they’ve currently booked every IMAX theater in the United States. It is not going to be possible to see an IMAX movie other than that for the opening weekend.

  63. 63.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    @Elie:
    Hard to argue in 2015 but I guess I’m still waiting for the other [bespoke English wingtip] to drop, the way it did in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They didn’t have the cast of critters they have now, but they corralled all the non-doctrinaire folks effectively and ran Their Man the way they preferred.

    Suppose 2015’s YUUUGE, classy impediment is one they didn’t recon on and who’s proving shockingly immovable.

    ETA When the brothers Koch finally go to Trump does David sit on Charles’ shoulders to kiss his ass, or vice versa?

  64. 64.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 20, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    @mclaren: We already talked about that article here, didn’t we? It’s deeply weird: not that what Yglesias says is false, but he’s treating phenomena that we’ve been worrying about around here for years as if they were things that only he is brave enough to say.

  65. 65.

    mclaren

    October 20, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    @Elie:

    In other good news, some speculation on Kos that Boehner doesn’t have the Republican votes to close the gap (along with all the Democrats) to raise the debt ceiling. THAT is bad… what options are there if that is the case?

    Tons of options.

    Folks, remember that the debt ceiling resolution is not written into the constitution. It’s a purely procedural matter — meaning, the president is free to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling by executive order if he feels like it, and he has excellent constitutional justification for doing so, since the constitution does require congress to pass a budget annually.

    There are so many options for getting around the Freedom Caucus it’s simply a non-issue. Obama can raise the debt ceiling by executive order. Or he can peel off some Republicans when the heat from Wall Street gets so intense it turns the Freedom Caucus into charcoal briquettes. Or he can use the silly platinum coin thing.

    There will not be a government shutdown this year. There will not be a recession because the debt ceiling resolution was not passed. Just not gonna happen.

  66. 66.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    I wonder who gets to open up against the Force Awakens.

  67. 67.

    Mandalay

    October 20, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    @David Koch:

    It’s never been about religion. Those guys don’t care about Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, they’re Archie Bunker voters who just want to stick to the “others” and cloak their hate with the bible.

    I think you are right about that, and religion has had little to do with Huckabee swirling around the bowl. His problem with Republican voters is that occasionally he tells the truth and talks like Bernie Sanders:

    What will it take for Republicans in Washington to keep their promise to America’s seniors and keep their hands off Social Security and Medicare? Members of Congress and federal employees receive automatic pay raises each year, yet 70 million Americans will NOT receive a Social Security cost of living increase next year.

    How is this right?

    Sadly, the establishment elites treat Social Security and Medicare like WELFARE benefits. This is completely unacceptable, appalling, and flat-out wrong—these are EARNED benefits. Seniors are getting stabbed in the back while the Washington Republican establishment tells them it’s a back massage!

    One of my fellow candidates has told Americans to “get over it” when it comes to cutting Social Security and Medicare. Another has proposed cutting benefits to current seniors, even those who worked more than 50 years paying into the system.

    Social Security and Medicare aren’t optional, they are mandatory programs. Washington forcibly confiscates money from every Americans’ paycheck and promises it will be there when they retire. How can our government rob money from American workers for 40, 50, and 60 years and then refuse to keep its promise?

    Huckabee is a nasty piece of work with some vile and sick ideas, but I have to give him credit for that excellent rant.

  68. 68.

    SatanicPanic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    @Elie: But there’s no reason for the debt limit anyway- plenty of countries operate without one. Basically we’d just be taking one of the GOP’s sticks and breaking it. Without it, the GOP becomes less powerful.

  69. 69.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    @mclaren:

    Hope that you are right….

    Remember, this occurs in a highly politicized environment where the President is questioned constantly about doing what has been done by previous Presidents. But if needs be, then so be it. War by other means.

  70. 70.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 20, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    @Yatsuno:

    It has taken me a while to get here, but I am now in favor of legalizing and regulating pot. I’m not entirely sure all of the legalization fans are fully aware of what they’re in for, though. I’m prepared to hear all kinds of whining about the mean jackbooted thugs who keep enforcing anti-smoking regulations.

  71. 71.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    @SatanicPanic:

    Again, is not that we need the debt limit, or that it can’t be removed or manipulated. Its the next step to “impeach” anything Obama has to do to go forward and all the chaos that will result from that attempt. What must be must be, I guess.

  72. 72.

    mclaren

    October 20, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    @Peale:

    Actually, Jeb might be able to ratchet up support for his campaign if he had his unaffiliated superpac buy tickets for the less fortunate. Then give 2 tickets to each Huckabee supporter, who are probably more disappointed that his voters are at the moment.

    Huckabee has already proposed selling poor people who are in debt into slavery. Jeb could buy the indebted slaves from Huckabee and order them to vote Bush in the primary. That might work.

  73. 73.

    Mike J

    October 20, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    @Face:

    There really is no question that damn near every American over the age of 30 is going to see this movie.

    There are a half dozen other films I’d rather see before Star Wars. Especially since I know the theaters are going to maximize revenue by running an additional seven and a half hours of ads before the movie.

  74. 74.

    Bobby Thomson

    October 20, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    @mclaren: were you alive in 2013?

  75. 75.

    SatanicPanic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    @Elie: They would have impeached Obama already if they thought it would benefit them. They’re already basically doing nothing and not allowing any bills to pass, what else can they do now? Hold up court appointments- doing that. I guess when Hillary tries to nominate a Supreme Court justice we’ll find out if they’re willing to go that far. Otherwise, I don’t know. At least ending the debt ceiling would take away one threat they can make.

  76. 76.

    The Pale Scot

    October 20, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    This should be mandated by law in every contract

  77. 77.

    Mandalay

    October 20, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    @mclaren:

    Huckabee has already proposed selling poor people who are in debt into slavery.

    Alternatively, you can pay your debts by giving blood.

    The actions of a circuit judge in Marion, Ala., are raising all kinds of questions about the ethics of essentially sentencing someone to have a medical procedure.

    In a recording released by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Judge Marvin Wiggins told a courtroom full of offenders that if they did not have money to pay their fines, they could go right outside the courthouse and donate blood.

    Sick beyond words.

  78. 78.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 20, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    @Mike J: Here’s what someone says on Deadspin:

    Here is the problem. Most of the Star Wars movies are not good, but bad. Betting on this one to be good—to be the best movie of all time—is betting against the trend.

  79. 79.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    @SatanicPanic:
    I remember fall 2012 some Republican honcho confidently proclaiming that if Obama somehow managed to win he would nevertheless be impeached and out of office soon after taking the oath. I think on accounta Benghazi.

    They’re still workiin’ on it.

  80. 80.

    Redshift

    October 20, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Doesn’t matter much if the candidate is weak, as was the case with Romney and now, apparently, Bush.

    Romney had some serious flaws, but he was never as weak as Jeb!. You at least got the sense he was running the show, and successfully using his vulture-capitalist experience to shiv the other contenders. Jeb! just exudes an entitled second generation sensibility. He tries to claim that “Right to Rise” means economic opportunity for everyone, but the obvious meaning is “I have the right to be president, you peons!”

    This is why I don’t think much of the “dynasty” knock against Hillary. Dynasty means generations, because many children of powerful people think they’re entitled to everything their parents got, without learning any of the skills that got them there. Our political system is still backward enough that being the wife of a successful politician is one of the main routes to high office for women, and that just gets them a shot; they still need to have the skills to make it from there.

  81. 81.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    @Bobby Thomson: Not in 2008 but in some polls at about this time of year in 2007, McCain was in single digits and the mighty Giuliani and Fred Fucking Thompson were kicking his ass. Plus, it was a smaller field.

  82. 82.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): BTW, I was listening to the Cordkiller’s podcast, about cable alternatives, and one program segment is called “What Are You Watching?”

    One guest mentioned various recent movies and TV shows and then one guy said, “I’ve been listening to this musical called “Hamilton” nonstop. It’s absolutely brilliant.”

    I guess I should take this as a sign from the heavens.

  83. 83.

    rikyrah

    October 20, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    @Face:

    @Brachiator: If theaters are smart, they’d be showing the movie in at least half of their rooms, and stay open 24 hours doing so, at least for the first 2 weeks. There really is no question that damn near every American over the age of 30 is going to see this movie.

    I think so too.

  84. 84.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    @SatanicPanic:

    I see your point. Hopefully, they have boxed themselves in and their inability to organize themselves or anything will not continue to be so attractive to so many… Its just striking to me that no matter what bizarre statements are made by the candidates, or the ongoing lack of resolution of the Speaker issue, they still find support in enough of their constituency to continue their antics…

  85. 85.

    MobiusKlein

    October 20, 2015 at 5:01 pm

    @srv: and WTF do you know about Everett Middle School in SF, and if there is a specific history there the principal is working with or against.

  86. 86.

    beltane

    October 20, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    @Mike J: I was already completely immune to the charms of the Star Wars franchise back in 5th grade when I walked out of The Empire Strikes Back due to boredom overload.

  87. 87.

    SatanicPanic

    October 20, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    @Elie: I think there are large percentages of voters who aren’t going to be persuaded. I honestly don’t know what we can do as a nation except make the best of it.

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 20, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    @mclaren:

    I have heard multiple Democrats screaming about that exact same thing since at least 2008. If Yglesias is saying that the Democratic establishment in New York and DC needs to wake up, that’s great, but the grassroots has been screaming about this for years now.

  89. 89.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 20, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    One of the things I remember liking about the original Star Wars is that is gave us a used universe. Instead of shiny machines, we got the Millennium Falcon.

  90. 90.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    So true! But there were plenty of robots and a rich assortment of intergalactic diversity in the beings from around the universe. There was not only acceptance of that diversity, but a sense that it was fun and desirable.

    I noticed in The Martian that there weren’t ANY robotics…it minimized the role of any machine assists or artificial intelligence. One of the heroes who helped solve the problem was a rumpled black genius who did his initial calculations on his laptop and had them “confirmed” by a supercomputer but there weren’t too many decision support assists evident. It was decidedly human in focus which was nice but a bit odd given where we are already.

  91. 91.

    misterpuff

    October 20, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    Mr. Axelrod, you have a constitutional right to say FU. You just have to do it correctly.

    WH Style Guide: Proper Ettiquette for F Bombing POTUS:

    “I said, Fuck You. MISTER PRESIDENT”

    F Bomber must rise to stand before performing F Bombing. Be prepared to be wrestled to the ground by drunk and syphilitic Secret Service agents.

  92. 92.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I kind of agree. The idea of what the star wars films could be is always far ahead of what they were.

    I’m still waiting for Yoda to be brought to trial for bringing the storm troopers into the republic and working so hard to suppress all forms of the dark side that he couldn’t see that he was responsible for its reemergence. Just because the emperor turned out to be worse doesn’t mean the Jedi should be off the hook for their gross mismanagement and poor judgement. Hopefully this movie won’t be so much about the reemergence of the dark side (seen it!), but focus more on a group of modern suburbanites who are fed up with the “dark” and “light” labels and are looking for competence and reform.

  93. 93.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 20, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    @Brachiator:

    If you like that initial “Hamilton Mixtape” video, you’ll probably like the rest of it, because it gives a good sense of the kind of energy the show has. If it leaves you cold, you probably won’t like it.

    I’ve been wandering around humming “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” all day, so obviously I’ve made my choice.

  94. 94.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 5:38 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): I was just looking at the NYT review by Ben Brantley

    Yes, it really is that good.

    I am loath to tell people to mortgage their houses and lease their children to acquire tickets to a hit Broadway show. But “Hamilton,” directed by Thomas Kail and starring Mr. Miranda, might just about be worth it — at least to anyone who wants proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come.

    A show about young rebels grabbing and shaping the future of an unformed country, “Hamilton” is making its own resonant history by changing the language of musicals. And it does so by insisting that the forms of song most frequently heard on pop radio stations in recent years — rap, hip-hop, R&B ballads — have both the narrative force and the emotional interiority to propel a hefty musical about long-dead white men whose solemn faces glower from the green bills in our wallets.

    Sounds like it’s worth a look.

    ETA: There’s also a slideshow and video clip that I will take a look at later.

  95. 95.

    Peale

    October 20, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    @Mandalay: I thought that during 2008/9 when inflation was so low that congress passed a fix to raise a COLA that wasn’t warranted by the formula – giving recipients an adjustment. Congress should be falling over itself again to “correct” this “mistake.” (although it isn’t a mistake). If they aren’t perhaps seniors should call their reprepsentatives to ask why instead Republicans are proposing cuts instead.

    There. Problem solved.

    Honestly, I’m surprised more republicans aren’t making hay about the COLA. The democrats are taking your money and giving it to illegal aliens is what this election is supposed to be about.

  96. 96.

    Svensker

    October 20, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    @peach flavored shampoo:

    Wow, the day I see Republicans nominate a Black man as the presidential candidate is the day I’ve assumed I’ve finally moved into that alternate universe.

    We know a couple of pretty racists teabaggers and they all loooovvvve them some Ben Carson. Even the Georgia teabaggers. Ben Carson is one of the Good Coloreds. (this is snark, don’t jump down mah throat)

  97. 97.

    Bobby Thomson

    October 20, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    @Betty Cracker: over 40% of Republicans are saying they wouldn’t vote for Bush. That makes it pretty damn hard for him to consolidate. And his ad blitz in NH had negative results. If he can’t at least crack the top three there he’s cooked.

  98. 98.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 20, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    @Brachiator:

    If you have Spotify, there’s a playlist for the whole soundtrack. Be warned, there’s really heart-wrenching stuff in Act 2. We were listening to it on a car trip and I was full-out sobbing at some of it.

  99. 99.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Hard to argue in 2015 but I guess I’m still waiting for the other [bespoke English wingtip] to drop, the way it did in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They didn’t have the cast of critters they have now, but they corralled all the non-doctrinaire folks effectively and ran Their Man the way they preferred.

    But in case you haven’t noticed, they’ve had more and more trouble corralling the crazy every time. In 2000, the main contenders were both establishment figures, with the closest fringe candidate being Alan Keyes. In 2008, you had more contenders, and it took a bit longer, but the big contenders were still establishment figures and the fringe candidates were never serious challengers. In 2012, there were a whole series of crazy candidates who took the lead temporarily, and Santorum kept pushing Romney for quite a while, but Romney stayed a solid second. Now, the same wacko fringe candidate has been holding the lead for months with several other wacko fringe candidates polling better than the top establishment candidate. Maybe the establishment will manage to take charge again, but it’s going to be a long, bitter fight for them to get there.

  100. 100.

    Bobby Thomson

    October 20, 2015 at 5:48 pm

    @Peale: that’s some quality trolling there. I bet you could get WaPo or the NYT to bite.

  101. 101.

    BalloonJuiceLurker

    October 20, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    @Peale: Alvin and the Chipmunks 4. (I’m not kidding)

  102. 102.

    gene108

    October 20, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    @Mandalay:

    Huckabee is a nasty piece of work with some vile and sick ideas, but I have to give him credit for that excellent rant.

    It’s not confiscation. We get something in return.

    Otherwise, Huckabee’s criticism is making a bureaucratic issue seem like a deliberate attempt to shaft people. Maybe change the way the CPI is calculated, so it favors stuff seniors buy.

    He’s riling up people against “big evil government” more than his fellow Republicans.

    He’s had what passes for a populist streak among Republicans. This was on display in 2008, when he was the only one talking about ways to help the middle class. Whether or not his solutions would have actually helped is different, but he tried to address it.

    For better or worse, the Club for Growth stabbed him in the back for raising taxes as governor of Arkansas.*

    * The Huckster had to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling to better fund schools, so he raised taxes. Killed is ’08 Presidential bid.

  103. 103.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 20, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    @Brachiator: I have been hearing the two released songs from Bajirao Mastani over and over again. Love the juxtaposition of Marathi and the Sufi Urdu/Hindi lyrics in Deewani Mastani, and the blending of a 400+ year old aarti that is still in common use and well known and the poem written for the movie, in Gajanana, nothing short of brilliant. Also, the period details of the outfits. They have got everything from jewelry to marks on the foreheads, right. I am impressed.

    Hindi movies are usually very north centric (where most of the Hindi speakers live) so a movie that gets specifics of the Maratha history and culture right is novel.

    *My family is ancestrally from the state of Maharashtra, since forever.

  104. 104.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 5:55 pm

    @Mandalay:

    In a recording released by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Judge Marvin Wiggins told a courtroom full of offenders that if they did not have money to pay their fines, they could go right outside the courthouse and donate blood.

    And what if they aren’t eligible blood donors for some reason? Just as an obvious example, using a syringe to take any drug not prescribed by your doctor, even once, makes you lifetime ineligible to donate. Since some of those people were apparently there for drug crimes, there’s a good bet at least one of them is disqualified by that rule. Is the judge endangering the safety of our blood supply by effectively encouraging people to lie about their eligibility?

  105. 105.

    sm*t cl*de

    October 20, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    It was the same with their support of Ronaldus Maximus, a divorced guy who, IIRC, never darkened the doors of any house of worship.

    From the perspective of a telibangelist voter, which candidate is more flattering to your ego? The one who belongs to your purported religion, and has always belonged to it, and tries every day to live according to its principles; or the opportunistic hypocrit who is universally known to have no moral values except ‘expedience’ but who panders to you shamelessly with bullsh1t about a recent conversion?

  106. 106.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 20, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    @Roger Moore: Also you could have a history of blood disorders, traveled outside the country etc, which could make you ineligible to give blood.

  107. 107.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    All of the above. Sheesh….

  108. 108.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    @Roger Moore:
    All true, it seems like the tire swing gets pushed progressively harder with each cycle. But their crazies are pretty uninspiring this go. I’d voluntarily listen to Herman Cain just for the entertainment, Crazy eyes for the possibility she’d pull a knife and begin stabbing. None of these mooks is remotely as interesting. Except you know who. Remove The Donald from the equation and I’d guess Walker would still be in and battling Rubio. We’ll never know because he trashed the joint and mom and dad never came home..

  109. 109.

    gene108

    October 20, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    @Peale:

    I’m still waiting for Yoda to be brought to trial for bringing the storm troopers into the republic and working so hard to suppress all forms of the dark side that he couldn’t see that he was responsible for its reemergence. Just because the emperor turned out to be worse doesn’t mean the Jedi should be off the hook for their gross mismanagement and poor judgement.

    Yoda and the Jedi’s held the galaxy together for 1,000 years. You’d have had a Sith led Empire sooner, if not for the Jedi.

    The Jedi’s problem is they were never actual managers. They were the errand boys of the Senate, who were deputed to fight the fires of the Republic, as they sprung up.

    They were never allowed or never allowed themselves to put together an actual management plan of what they wanted the galactic Republic to be like.

    Also, if I’d criticize the Jedi and Yoda, it is for not buying Shmi Skywalker out of slavery*. They have to have had a petty cash account somewhere, and this would’ve made Anakin a lot happier. Emotional attachments are not so easily purged, once formed and they refused to realize how their training had limits in this regard.

    * Also, bitch slap Padme for this. Your a fucking big shot on Naboo, this kid came out of nowhere to save your planet, and the least you could do is put his mom up, who you know is stuck in a shitty situation.

  110. 110.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    @Bobby Thomson: I agree; eventually, he’ll have to start moving up or he’s toast. My point is it’s too early to write him off now, which a lot of folks are doing. There are 10+ debates coming up, and it’s not even 2016. Unlike some of his competitors, Bush has enough cash to stick around for the long haul.

    Jayzus, I’m starting to sound like our one-note troll! Maybe I’m just not willing to accept that there won’t be a Bush beat-down administered by Hillary. But I really do think he’s still the candidate with the best chance to get the nomination.

  111. 111.

    Mandalay

    October 20, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    @gene108:

    Huckabee’s criticism is making a bureaucratic issue seem like a deliberate attempt to shaft people.

    Huckabee is primarily going after his rivals such as the supposedly moderate Kasich, who has made cuts to social security and Medicare part of his platform.

  112. 112.

    WereBear

    October 20, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: I love it when a movie gets stuff right.

  113. 113.

    Elie

    October 20, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    @trollhattan:

    They are interesting enough for a majority of the Republican party to jump into crazy land as these people being qualified to be President. What is so obvious to me is that a good piece of the conservative MSM like Brooks, and even the Republican leadership may have thought they were having a “wink wink” understanding that crazy was just a cover, a ruse just to gain power and then rationality (of a sort) would recommence. Now the joke is on them and the populace of hooded insurrectionists that they coddled and built over the last 3 decades at least, are lighting their torches and collecting pitchforks for the push into the gates. They aren’t even pretending that they have any idea how to get on top of the situation to re-institute order — they are casting about looking at each other while possum head and the brother from another planet are spraying everyone with crazy glitter. No one — no one has ANY idea how ANY of this ends.

  114. 114.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 20, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    In general, I don’t think it’s a bad idea for judges to start saying that they’ll let people do X amount of community service instead of going to jail if they can’t afford a fine. But the blood drive may not be the best place to start.

  115. 115.

    trollhattan

    October 20, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    @Betty Cracker:
    After three or four “debates” will anybody keep watching the gazillion others? I envision them losing influence with each subsequent round, i.e. after #4 or 5 nobody can turn their campaign based on their performance.

  116. 116.

    Brachiator

    October 20, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I have been hearing the two released songs from Bajirao Mastani over and over again. Love the juxtaposition of Marathi and the Sufi Urdu/Hindi lyrics in Deewani Mastani, and the blending of a 400+ year old aarti that is still in common use and well known and the poem written for the movie, in Gajanana, nothing short of brilliant.

    Are there any examples or versions of this available on YouTube?

    BTW, do you have any opinion on the TV show “Quantico,” and it’s star Priyanka Chopra? I didn’t know anything about her, or how she was chosen for this show, because it is unconventional casting, given most of what you see on American TV.

    The show is good, serviceable drama, and I think it is doing well in the ratings, but Chopra is hugely charismatic. Some guys at the office are in love with her. The thing I find odd and amazing is that apparently she is flies back to India to film a movie there. That has got to be an insane schedule.

  117. 117.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Come to think of it, one of the questions I’m always asked is if in the past year I’ve spent more than 72 hours in jail, which it seems extremely likely applies to some of those people. Other likely disqualifications:

    Tattoo or body piercing- 1 year ineligibility
    Living or having sex with somebody who has hepatitis- 1 year ineligibility
    Having sex with somebody who has used non-prescribed injected drugs- 1 year ineligibility
    Woman having sex with a man who has ever had homosexual sex- 1 year ineligibility
    Using non-prescribed injected drugs- permanent ineligibility
    Man having gay sex- permanent ineligibility
    Having malaria, HIV, or other persistent blood-born diseases- permanent ineligibility

  118. 118.

    Roger Moore

    October 20, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    My bigger complaint is that uniform fines as a punishment are inherently discriminatory. You have to scale fines to people’s ability to pay, or something that is a minor annoyance to some people will be a crippling one to others. The problem is that they’re instituting fines primarily as a revenue generator rather than as a punishment, and that winds up twisting everything. I honestly think that one of the things we ought to be doing is requiring states to even out local government funding for basic public health and safety functions the same way they’re now required to even out education funding. It gets to the real root of the problem rather than just attacking the symptom of local government using fines to raise revenues.

  119. 119.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 20, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    @Brachiator: Actually, I don’t know much about Priyanka Chopra. I haven’t watched Quantico, so no opinion about that either. She plays Bajirao’s wife Kashibai, in Bajirao Mastani. The one sitting in the balcony in Deewani Mastani.

    Link to Gajanana (Gaja = Elephant, Anana : face)

    Bajirao dealt a death blow to the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb’s death (1700s). Bajirao was a Brahmin and Mastani was Muslim, their relationship did not go down well with his orthodox family. In some ways their story is as old as India itself.

    Kshatriyas can marry more than once but not Brahmins, so the rest of Bajirao’s family never recognized their relationship, they were on team Kashi. There were many attempts on Mastani’s life. She died shortly after Bajirao’s death.

    Bajirao and Mastani’s son died in the third battle of Panipat in 1761.

  120. 120.

    HumboldtBlue

    October 20, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    @Yatsuno: Right now it’s the biggest stumbling black to the burgeoning business owners in Oregon. I haven’t read up on Washington or Colorado but it’s already an issue that’s been addressed by officials in California including Governor Brown and our local electeds. It must change.

    @Brachiator: Yup, slow and steady it appears will lead to the walls crumbling.

    @burnspbesq: I was caught out by the fact that the order was contained in a Republican spending bill as well and although I don’t have references at hand, the issue is one where political foes have reached across the aisle to cooperate. In Sacramento the three bills Brown signed that regulate Medical Marijuana in a far more detailed fashion passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support even thought the Republican votes weren’t needed.

    The Western states in particular have seen great compromise between lawmakers when it comes to environmental issues such as drought and fire prevention/protection. And yes, I noticed the importance of the name, this is an issue that will never see the Supremes but it will affect how medi-marijuana is treated in the fuutre.

  121. 121.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 20, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    @Betty Cracker:
    I don’t know WHAT’S going to happen anymore. I’m sure that A) nobody can take down Trump but Trump, and B) Jeb:( is a terrible, terrible, godawful campaigner. Trump could implode at any moment, or go through and get the nomination. He did build a campaign organization, didn’t he? He’s been knocking out the establishment candidates who should be smacking Jeb:( around, so Jeb:( could pull a ‘last man standing’ if the Trumpularity happens. I could see it. I believe Rubio’s still available, and as bad as he is, he’s a better campaigner than Bush 3: Direct To Video. I’ve never seen anything like this election.

    Okay, I am sure of one more thing. C) Carson is not going to win the nomination. The racists he panders to are thrilled to have him as a sidekick validating their beliefs, but if it looks like he might actually become their boss, they will turn on him.

  122. 122.

    Calouste

    October 20, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    @Bobby Thomson: Also, even though Giulliani was leading in nation-wide polls in 2007 for a long stretch, he never was in the lead in either Iowa or New Hampshire, except for an odd poll or two. The only surprise was that his support already started to collapse before he lost badly in the first primaries, instead of afterwards. Trump on the other hand has been leading nation wide and in pretty much every single early primary state that has been polled. He’s polling higher in Florida than Bush and Rubio, the two native sons, combined.

  123. 123.

    burnspbesq

    October 20, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    @HumboldtBlue:

    FWIW, I haven’t smoked since college, but I am completely OK with legalization in CA. I want to put the illegal growers up by you out of business; they are doing incalculable damage to a very sensitive, very important ecosystem. See, e.g.,

    http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-marijuana-environment-20150922-story.html

  124. 124.

    Exurban Mom

    October 20, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    @Peale: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. https://youtu.be/R11L9cI1dFE

  125. 125.

    David Koch

    October 21, 2015 at 7:31 am

    +

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • Baud on Arizona In The Crosshairs (Apr 17, 2024 @ 2:48pm)
  • WaterGirl on Wednesday Morning Open Thread: The GOP Insists There Will Be Blood Impeachment (Apr 17, 2024 @ 2:48pm)
  • marcopolo on Arizona In The Crosshairs (Apr 17, 2024 @ 2:42pm)
  • WaterGirl on Arizona In The Crosshairs (Apr 17, 2024 @ 2:41pm)
  • WeimarGerman on Distribution of Medical Spending in the US Population (Apr 17, 2024 @ 2:41pm)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Balloon Juice Posts

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

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Talk of Meetups – Meetup Planning
Proposed BJ meetups list from frosty

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8
Virginia House Races
Four Directions – Montana
Worker Power AZ
Four Directions – Arizona
Four Directions – Nevada

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
Positive Climate News
War in Ukraine
Cole’s “Stories from the Road”
Classified Documents Primer

Calling All Jackals

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

Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Twitter / Spoutible

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

Political Action 2024

Postcard Writing Information

Balloon Juice for Four Directions AZ

Donate

Balloon Juice for Four Directions NV

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Copyright © 2024 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

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

Email sent!