.
Hardly a game-changer (barely a surprise), but Chris “Krispie” Christie and Carly “Baby Parts” Fiorina have officially suspended their campaigns.
NBC, on Christie:
… The day-long delay in formally announcing his departure from the race was in part due to waiting for the nearly 50 staffers to come together in New Jersey for a personal meeting where Christie could give his thanks directly…
… also to give the media time to lose interest and wander off, in case Christie started screaming at the poor minions. Fortunately, by shivving Rubio so effectively, he should’ve guaranteed himself a nice cushy schedule of private planes and high-dollar hotel rooms while backing up either Trump or Jeb for the next few months. If only because he’s the camel in the old political proverb about keeping him inside the tent, pissing out.
iCarly, per Yahoo News:
… “While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them,” Fiorina wrote in a statement released Wednesday, one day after finishing in 7th place in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary.
Fiorina vowed to continue fighting against the forces of crony capitalism that she warned in her campaign have led to an unfair partnership between government and the rich and powerful, while disadvantaging normal working class Americans. The only woman candidate in the Republican primary contest, Fiorina also encouraged women and girls to define feminism on their own terms…
That’s a lot of delusion/dishonesty to pack into two paragraphs, but then, Fiorina’s a pro at both. I always assumed she was actually running for vice president — Palin Mk II — but which of the remaining Repub boys would offer for her?
***********
Apart from schadenfreude, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Jeffro
No one left in the race will pick either of these two jerks for VP, so they may as well look for other work.
Wait…either would make Cruz look sociable, just by comparison. So ok, he might pick one of them.
Baud
After evaluating how this primary is going, I’ve decided my best strategy is to focus on voters between the ages of 39 years, 8 months and 41 years, 3 months, and 6 days. If I can establish a beachhead with these “in betweeners,” I’ll be able to expand out from there into Hillary’s and Bernie’s base voters.
jeffreyw
Pizza!
Turgidson
Christie is hoping to be on the next GOP president’s Attorney General shortlist, I would think. Let’s hope he’s waiting at least another 8 years or so for that opportunity.
I will give Big Chicken props for fragging Rubio on his way out. Much obliged, Big Chicken.
Major Major Major Major
Regarding Paul In KY’s earlier question, this is San Francisco. They can evict you for sneezing. My second in two years, actually. Can’t buy your way out of it if you tried.
Or, as the cool kids would say: Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.
Major Major Major Major
Oh yeah speaking of pizza my friend’s book hits today, Kirkus starred review and everything, apparently I’m 50% of a character so I’m dreading reading it. The launch party has $500 of pizza. Open bar though.
Major Major Major Major
@Turgidson: You mean Chris “when I was a US Attorney” Christie? He made that so blatant recently. God it was sad to watch.
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: Pro-tip:
Whatever parts of the character you like… those are all you. The parts you don’t like? Definitely the other 50%!
khead
Here’s a question for Balloon Juice. Consider this the Family Feud bonus round.
How many indoor cats are too many?
Baud
@khead: All of them, Katie.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
How many does this leave? 8? 15? 173? What is it now? I guess there are still Trump and Cruz, Rubio, Bush, Kasich and, I think, Gilmore. Is Pataki still running? Oh, and Carson. That makes eight. Did I miss anybody?
khead
@Baud:
“Good answer!”
Iowa Old Lady
After commenting on free college tuition in the previous thread, I realized I don’t know what I’m talking about. No surprise to the rest of you, I know. But would this be for public universities only? If so, those are state run now. So how do the feds interact with that system to make tuition free? Are private schools included, no matter what the cost? I have no idea, so I’ll shut up.
Baud
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Pataki is out.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
All the losers are Christie, Fiorina, Santorum, Huckabee, Jindal, Walker, Graham, Perry, and I’m still missing one. There were 17 to begin with, weren’t there?
Though, to be fair, the ones who are still running are losers, too.
Baud
@Iowa Old Lady: Aside from it being only public universities (all public universities?), I don’t know how it would work.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
@Baud: I didn’t know that. I don’t know how I’ll get through the next few days, knowing I’ll never live to see President Pataki take the oath of office.
jl
I will perform a quiet and very quick remembrance and mourning ceremony for 2 thugs who had no chance to win, but were capable of doing great harm to the GOP cause while still candidates.
OK, done. Can check that off.
So, who is this Pawhacky dude, and what did he do?
Edit: I will miss Christie and his heavy leaden blows on the campaign trail, though. I will.
lamh36
@Baud: I’m 39 yrs, 2 months, 5 days…guess I’ll miss ur cutoff…damn
Baud
@lamh36: I should have explained that “in betweeners” don’t include Juicers. I’m completely taking all of your votes for granted.
jl
@Baud: What happened to the crowd who would do anything for some cheap free hootch and P O r N 0 zz? Budget problems?
Citizen_X
raven
If you want to get a seat behind the candidate wear a military baseball hat.
Baud
@jl: They decided to go with Trump.
beltane
@jl: Fiorina was already irrelevant, but Chris Christie was just coming into his own. The next debate will just be four crazy people and Donald Trump.
CaseyL
Christie shivving Rubio, and delaying his announcement so he could tell his campaign workers first… every so often, a decent human being tries to peek out from his eyes. Ah, well.
Open thread: I am icing my butt and my right knee, after being hit by a truck (!) while crossing the street this morning on my way to work.
Obviously, I wasn’t hit full on, or at top speed, or I would be in no condition to tell the tale. He saw me at the last instant while I was running like the wind to get onto the sidewalk- so the corner of the truck swiped me, sent me sprawling and rolling onto the sidewalk. I felt reasonably fine, but figured to wait a couple days before assessing damage since it can take that long for soft tissue injuries to manifest.
About an hour ago I started to feel bruised and achy, so left work early, came home, and now… I think I have a bone bruise deep in one buttock, and my right knee feels slightly wrenched.
(Yes, I got the driver’s contact info. Told him if he didn’t hear from me by the weekend I was probably fine.)
jl
@beltane:
I read that Christie kept up the tough guy stance in statements to reporters. Something like “Aww fug dat shid, I gah no regrets I gah beddah things a do”.
First person I regret leaving. He could leave such wreckage in his wake.
I guess, his sugar daddy pulled the plug. Except for Trump, that is what it comes down to with these people.
Baud
@CaseyL: Damn. Close call. Glad your still among the Baud! voters.
dedc79
To Fiorina’s credit, at least she helped bring attention to the illegal conduct of two anti-abortion zealots, paving the way for their indictment. Just as she intended….
Iowa Old Lady
@CaseyL: Holy cow. Hope you continue feeling more or less ok.
Seanly
I’m so using those names & nicknames for customizing my soldiers in XCOM2. I suppose I should do a Klown Kar Squad – Ted “The Creep” Cruz, Donald “The Yam” Trump, and Rick “Frothy Discharge” Santorum.
Turgidson
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.):
Another loser is Rand. Hopefully he’ll also lose his Senate seat this November, but in Kentucky I doubt it.
lamh36
For your Black History Viewing Pleasure
check out this PBS doc called: Our American Family:The Clarks
“A Black family with 7 children, experiences the Great Depression, WWII and racial tension”
Or Independent Lens doc about Misty Copeland: A Ballerina’s Tale
Next week’s Indpendent Lense will be on The Black Panthers
jl
@Baud: Sorry to hear that. I thought your very classy terrific and first rate, the BEST! cheap rot gut and P 0 RN O Z would have been enough.
And you unlike Trump were doing pesonal demos on how to use them. Wunner what went wrong?
dedc79
@Seanly: how is xcom 2? have seen some great reviews and some not-so-great reviews
rk
I’m not sure that it was Christie who destroyed Rubio. Rubio pretty much did this to himself. No one forced him to repeat himself like a parrot (yes I’m old fashioned, none of these glitchy robot analogies for me). How delusional and self unaware is Rubio that he thinks he can run for president with his anxiety issues? Sooner or later he would have imploded. If not Christie, then Trump would have finished him off. Christie just acted as a catalyst.
Brachiator
I’m just sorry that we won’t have Chris Christie to kick Baby Rubio around anymore.
jl
@rk: I dunno, a self-respecting parrot with any education at all would have put more variety into it. And I did have a room mate who owned a parrot long ago, a really big parrot, so I have some experience with parrots. He got rid of it after it started, bit by bit, eating the house. Rubio can’t compete with a parrot on that point either.
MomSense
@khead:
How big is your indoors?
Major Major Major Major
@Seanly: Haha I always used to do that with people I hated
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
I think Nora Ephron’s rule was that if you were going to base an unflattering character on an actual person, you should always give the character a very, very small peni$ so the person will be reluctant to complain about how you portrayed them.
But, yeah, I don’t envy you. It’s like having to watch yourself on video when you didn’t know there was a camera.
MomSense
@CaseyL:
Go get checked out. Blood clots are a bitch and can be fatal. The at fault driver’s insurance will have a med pay benefit that the hospital/provider can bill directly.
CaseyL
@Baud: @Iowa Old Lady: Thanks! One of my kitties, who is a very determined lapcat, has insisted on curling up on me despite 2 icepacks and a laptop being in the way. She’s perilously near the icepack on the knee, and I’m wondering what’ll happen when chill penetrates her fur.
Mnemosyne
@CaseyL:
You should probably go to urgent care just in case.
CaseyL
@MomSense: @Mnemosyne: I really and truly appreciate the concern, but except for the bruise on my butt and the ache in my knee I feel fine. I didn’t land on my head, or on my side, or on anything bony. If things are worse tomorrow morning I will absolutely go to urgent care or even an ER.
M. Bouffant
I wish they’d all “suspend” themselves, preferably from the highest tree in the county. Or the territory. Damn horse thieves.
MomSense
@CaseyL:
Ok, but keep on top of it!
WaterGirl
@CaseyL: That’s terribly scary! So glad you are (mostly) okay.
My mom used to say you hurt the most on “the day after the day after”. I have always found that to be true. By her prediction, that would make Friday your worst day.
Calouste
@rk: The most amazing thing IMO wasn’t that Christie called out Rubio after his third repetition of the phrase. It was that Rubio repeated the phrase for a fourth time after he had already been called out for repeating it three times. That was spectacularly incompetent and unselfaware.
Mnemosyne
@lamh36:
The Giant Evil Corporation has an internal employee website, and every day they’re featuring an interview with a different AA executive or employee who works here. I don’t remember them doing that last year, but I like it.
Also, a (white) Facebook friend is posting links to information about famous AA’s of Chicago every day this month. Obviously, there are probably enough people to fill up the whole year.
Mnemosyne
@CaseyL:
My doctor got mad at me for not going to urgent care after a bike accident where I had a truly impressive handlebar-shaped bruise. Apparently I could have bruised or damaged my spleen without realizing it. So I’m just passing her concern on to you.
(Though she does sometimes lack tact. After I told her my stepbrother had died of lung cancer, she told me all of her stories of her nonsmoking, nonsymptomatic patients who got lung cancer and died. Awesome, doc, just what I needed to hear.)
NotMax
@Mnemosyne
Am so old can remember back to when all the female non-custodial, non-secretarial employees were segregated to working out of one building only at said company.
WereBear
When there are too many to make happy.
And, in my own case, not before :)
Roger Moore
@Turgidson:
Of course he will. He’ll be successfully primaried by a crazy Tea Partier who’s upset because he’s insufficiently conservative.
Bobby Thomson
Did Fiorina dance a jig?
Roger Moore
@CaseyL:
If it’s really bothering her, she’ll move. I’ve never met a cat who would stay on a lap if it were genuinely uncomfortable.
CaseyL
@Mnemosyne:
Maybe she thought you either blamed your stepbrother (if he was a smoker) or blamed the universe (if he wasn’t a smoker), and wanted you to know that…um… shit happens?
Doctors aren’t really very good at expressing sympathy; they’re too interested in the mechanism of what’s happening. That’s why they have nurses, who can connect to patients on a human level.
PJ
@CaseyL: You need to go see a doctor now. If you are in fact injured, the damage may not manifest itself right away, but if you need to litigate to recover damages, the fact that you did not go to a hospital will be used against you.
Mnemosyne
@NotMax:
A book may be coming out about that (I think) next year. It turns out that there were an unexpected number of previously unknown designers and inbetweeners who were quietly promoted from that building. Still a sadly small number, but more than previously known. I can’t say more because a publication date has not been announced.
Also, too, to get back to Black History Month at the GEC, animator Floyd Norman jokes that he’s the last living animator to have worked on “Snow White” because he helped do cleanup for an unused sequence that was eventually used on TV.
Mnemosyne
@CaseyL:
No, I kind of get the reasoning, but I didn’t need the detailed stories about specific people who died. Like I said, she lacks tact sometimes.
Mnemosyne
Swerving back to the topic of books, I started reading commenter JoyceH’s Regency romance “A Feather To Fly With” over the weekend and I’m really enjoying it. If you like Georgette Heyer or the old Signet Regency romances, you’ll like it.
Iowa Old Lady
@Mnemosyne: I’m reading Becoming Phoebe. :-)
Roger Moore
@Iowa Old Lady:
I finished it already. I had to clear the decks for Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’ve Got Henchmen.
NotMax
Posted this on an earlier thread, but that conversation was so dominated by the primary aftermath, it may have been overlooked there. So, an early Valentine’s Day tidbit.
Internet affectionally comes through.
Iowa Old Lady
@Roger Moore: That’s on my kindle too.
Cheryl Rofer
Sounds like the Oregon standoff may be ending. @JJMacNab seems to have an audio feed, from which I quote:
Unconfirmed activity at the Malheur Refuge (This one has a Facebook entry attached)
The live audio feed from the Refuge is heartwrenching.
FBI: “Put your weapon down David. Don’t make this situation worse.”
Sandy: “Don’t come any closer.”
Sandy begged someone not to threaten the feds.
Oh god. Gunfire.
FBI: “Step away from the vehicle.”
FBI: Come out with your hands up and everything will be fine.
FBI: Get out of the vehicle.
****
That’s the latest. Happening now.
Cheryl Rofer
Audio feed here.
It’s pretty unpleasant. Don’t know if I will continue with it.
Mandalay
Someone should tell Carly? that she is not even close in her bizarre definition of “feminist”…
WTF?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Cheryl Rofer: And it’s from a sympathizer “since LaVoy was assasinated” Call the FBI and tell them to stand down.
Cheryl Rofer
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Yes – the person streaming is Gavin Seim. He’s given the Portland FBI telephone number, tells listeners to flood them with calls demanding they stand down. Says there are five armored vehicles at the refuge.
Iowa Old Lady
I find myself reacting to the sheer drama queen/king aspect of these people. They are delusional, and in their delusion, they’re dangerous.
Cheryl Rofer
The occupiers are sounding pretty hysterical. David Frye is screaming “Go home, go home.” A lot about how they haven’t broken any laws, peacefully assembling, first amendment rights. Want supporters to come to help.
Sounds like the vehicles are slowly moving in.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
It’s really alarming. The chick screaming is hurting my ears (and my brain). I added this to the Ferguson thread. Without a link to here though.
@redshirt: I’m cool with that.
redshirt
To quote Villago Delenda Est, wipe them out. All of them.
Cheryl Rofer
They’re invoking Franklin Graham: “You told him you wouldn’t kill us.”
It doesn’t occur to them to surrender.
Cheryl Rofer
Michelle Fiore is on her way.
That should help a lot.
Mandalay
@redshirt:
Not one of your better posts.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Mandalay: I understand, but I’m getting pissed off listening to this, and I overreacted. I’m a masochist.
@Cheryl Rofer: They’ve called Matt Shea (who?) also. They are too fucking stupid to just surrender, so no one has to get hurt.
Cheryl Rofer
“If they teargas us, that’s the same as firing on us. We can fire back.”
Cheryl Rofer
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Shea is a Washington state legislator who sympathizes with the occupiers. I think he may be the one who resigned because he lied about his military service.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I’m taking a saner approach to reading The Oregonion
Zinsky
Thank God Kris KrispyKreme dropped out. Our country would go broke trying to feed that fat slob!
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Live tweest
redshirt
@Mandalay: It was meta, perhaps you didn’t get it.
Regardless, we have an ongoing insurrection on our hands. Both specific to the Bundy situation, and in general with the continuation of the Civil War with Winguts V. Civilization this time. The stakes are pretty high. I’m sick of coddling.
Cheryl Rofer
Michelle Fiore (NV – RWNJ) is on the phone. She wants to talk to the FBI. I’ve been hearing (probably) FBI voices in the background, but the occupiers have been screaming and crying so I can’t understand them.
Fiore wants to be the negotiator. “Keep cool heads, and I want FBI on the phone.”
Occupiers say there is a drone and snipers on the hill.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Cheryl Rofer: This is just insane. She’s trying to get FBI to talk to her! They don’t seem to want to. They could just surrender.
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I want Adam Silverman!! These idiots seem not to understand that there is nothing to negotiate. They need to fucking surrender.
Cheryl Rofer
They’re bollixed up with telephone lines and the feed, so Fiore can’t get a connection to the FBI.
Cheryl Rofer
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): The crazy is strong.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Cheryl Rofer: Crazy is too mild. These people are insane. They are delusional to believe they are not subject to arrest. It’s making me a little crazy too.
Cheryl Rofer
Fiore is at the Portland airport. She will let the FBI take her to the refuge to negotiate a solution, peacefully with no bloodshed. (more or less a quote from her)
Wondering how it is that she knew to come to Portland.
FBI Portland says that one of the occupiers went beyond the barricades in an ATV this afternoon, wouldn’t respond to agents.
Cheryl Rofer
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Just imagine that’s what they’ve been saying to each other for how long now?
WaterGirl
Paging Adam Silverman.
Anonymous At Work
Fiorna’s role in the race was to be non-man cover for the Republicans to trash Hillary without being “misogynistic” because, see!, they had a non-man candidate as well. If she’s gone and not the VP, they’ll have to be subtle (gods help them) about insulting Hillary. Anyone wanna take odds on how well they’ll do?
Sondra
@Turgidson: I would have paid good money to see Christy stay in the game as the sniper who picks off the other candidates one by one. The way he dispatched Rubio was a thing of beauty . He was fast, efficient and deadly: all characteristics which have been on display in NJ for years but to which the rest of us out here in campaign land have not been treated. Hate him as a potential POTUS but love him as the deadly Don Rickles of the GOP debate team.
Paul in KY
@Major Major Major Major: Very sorry to hear that, sir. Hope everything ends up working out well for you.
Paul in KY
@khead: Depends on square footage of home. I say 1 per 500 square feet, max.
Paul in KY
@CaseyL: Thank God it wasn’t worse!!!