Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

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

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

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

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

The willow is too close to the house.

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

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

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

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / I’m Dying Over Here

I’m Dying Over Here

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Seriously- I have the worst flu ever. Every portion of my body aches= I had to shower for 45 minutes just to loosen up enough to make some food. I am, however, still able to keep my sharp wit:

More tea.

Reader Interactions

195Comments

  3. 3.

    Betty Cracker

    I feel your pain, Cole. My entire family has been down with a nasty bug at some point or another over the past few weeks. In our case, it wasn’t the flu, but it has a respiratory component that obligates you to hork up lung loogies until you feel like you’ve been kicked in every rib by a team of mules and a delightful sinus component that makes it feel like a cement truck filled your cranium with concrete. No fun. Feel better!

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I had a mild case last week, my sister OTOH has been miserable for two weeks straight.

    You need some popcorn, though, for the Breitbart follies.

  5. 5.

    jharp

    I got a flu shot this year, First time. And have remained healthy.

    We do have the flu going around and it’s not good.

  6. 6.

    pamelabrown53

    Great tweet, John.

    I’m so sorry that you have such a horrific case of the flu, following a bad cold. I’ve read that a person who is detoxing (from alcohol and meat heavy diets) tends to be more susceptible to flu and colds.

    I have 0 idea to the science supporting this but I hope you get well soon. Healing light and love going your way.

  7. 7.

    barkleyg

    “I am, however, still able to keep my sharp wit”

    Where can I get THAT flu for the next 8 months?

  9. 9.

    John Revolta

    @Betty Cracker: I’m up in America’s Heartland, Betty, and I’ve had that same crap for about two weeks now. Since I was down in SW FL about six weeks ago so I’m just gonna go ahead and blame you.

  12. 12.

    O. Felix Culpa

    I treasure your sharp wit, with or without the flu. But preferably without. Sending warm get well thoughts!

  15. 15.

    piratedan

    I’m sure that the Breitbart staffers were shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that out that they were working for people who were ethically challenged. I can only imagine the cognitive dissonance felt by those immediately affected.

    Although on a side note, Ben Shapiro is a special little ball of hate and I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.

  16. 16.

    Matt McIrvin

    I got the kind of cold that turns into persistent throat congestion that drags on for weeks.

  19. 19.

    Aleta

    Hot water bottles. For bad sinus-type pain it might take 2 in sequence before the relief comes on strong. If you don’t fill them completely full, they conform to the body better. The longer you keep them going, the more life returns. Or, fill the bathroom with hot shower steam before crawling in to sit there weakly and do nothing.

  20. 20.

    The Dangerman

    @Yutsano:

    Chicken soup. Until you puke. And then eat some more.

    Oh so close….

    …hot and sour soup. As hot and sour as you can stand it. If you aren’t sweating bullets after a few spoonfuls, it’s not hot/sour enough, so man up and do it right.

  21. 21.

    BGinCHI

    Brown shirts not brown enough, complains Breitbart brown shirts.

    Seriously, Ben Shapiro is an idiot. But he’ll get snatched up by one of the other wingnut welfare outfits in no time.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    Christ Jeebus, Sarah Palin showed up at the Trump rally in Tampa and is screeching at the assembled right now.

  23. 23.

    PurpleGirl

    @Iowa Old Lady: Did you see my answer to you in the Monday morning thread? The City worked on the water main Sunday afternoon and we had water back by 7 PM.

  24. 24.

    The Dangerman

    @Betty Cracker:

    Sarah Palin showed up at the Trump rally in Tampa and is screeching at the assembled right now.

    I’ve been telling y’all …. Palin is my dark hore pick for the VP slot.

  27. 27.

    mdblanche

    @Betty Cracker: I thought she had to cancel because Todd was in a snowmobile accident? I seriously don’t know what to believe is real and what isn’t about these godforsaken rallies anymore.

  28. 28.

    Betty Cracker

    @PaulWartenberg2016: She said he’s in ICU but that it’s so important to get Trump elected that she decided to continue on the hustings. She just intro’d Chris Christie, who is now speaking.

  29. 29.

    singfoom

    Feel better JC. It could be worse, you could have a horrible case of the Drumpfs. Seems like a shit ton of our fellow citizens are infected with that strange virus.

  32. 32.

    glory b

    @srv: I heard reporters from a few outlets who were following the Trump campaign quickly mention that they had not seen ANY protesters start violence.

  36. 36.

    Aleta

    In order to make America great again, the first step is to crumble the Republican party like a cookie and the next is to topple the dysfunctional family army at Fightbart.

  40. 40.

    PurpleGirl

    @Betty Cracker: I thought someone two threads down said that Todd was hurt in a snowmobiling accident and she wasn’t going to Florida. Maye he wasn’t hurt that badly then.

  41. 41.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    @PaulWartenberg2016: I cannot believe that she is not getting criticized by RWingers for not staying at home with Toad. He’s in ICU and she’s 8-10 hrs away? Family values much?

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    YEE HAW!!!!

    Escaped Inmate From Madison County, Mo., Jail Still At Large

    A Franklin County deputy saw the suspect vehicle traveling south on Highway 185 from Sullivan and began to follow the vehicle. Washington County deputies were contacted and deployed spike strips near Highway K and Highway 185. Mills crossed the spikes, drove a short distance and crashed into a tree. Mills got out of the vehicle and fled into the woods.

    I live on Hwy A, 4 miles east of 185. K and A are about 2 miles apart where they intersect 185, so this is definitely my neck of the woods. There hasn’t been this much excitement around here since the hogs ate Grandma after her meth lab blew up.

  45. 45.

    pamelabrown53

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Isn’t alcohol as a disinfectant meant if only applied topically? Ingested is another matter. IMH unscientific O, I’d much prefer a hot toddy which is soothing allows one more sleep (which really fosters the body to heal and repair) than all the crazy cold medicines, each with it’s on side effects.

    However, someone like John, an alcoholic doesn’t have that option.

  48. 48.

    LAO

    @PurpleGirl: Yes. and I was the victim identity theft today. :- ( No doubt Karmic pay back for all the shitheels I’ve represented. Hope you remembered an umbrella (although it is way windy out too).

  52. 52.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    Feel better, Cole.

    @Betty Cracker: I thought she had to go back to AK for husband in intensive care post-snowbile wreck?

    PS – typo above too funny to fix

    @Betty Cracker: Interesting priorities. Princess Dumbass of the Northwoods, as Charles Pierce calls her.

  54. 54.

    philpm

    @Aleta: Made me wonder if he wasn’t the one who ran into the Iditarod sledders a couple of days ago and had someone else take the fall.

  59. 59.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Ben Shapiro is the worst kind of wingnut – a professional baby man whose only job is to smear shit on everyone and everything that isn’t total shit. He wouldn’t quit anything if Trump’s campaign had any redeeming features, but it’s impossible to shit on something that’s completely and utterly already a total pile of shit.

  60. 60.

    bemused

    @Aleta:

    Saturday Trump’s rally was supposedly cancelled but wasn’t. I remember reading but now where that the reporter who ran with the story said he got the cancellation info from Trump campaign. Maybe that and the Palin story are both false flags.

    We are officially living in a Republican Twilight Zone series.

  62. 62.

    schrodinger's cat

    I recommend strong black tea infused with black cardamom and ginger for cold and flu. Clears up your sinuses.
    Also recommended, turmeric with either pepper or cayenne with hot milk. You can add a tea-spoon of sugar to it if you like.

  63. 63.

    geg6

    @glory b:

    LOL for real.

    Which turned into self-loathing because I realized I wish I could see how ol’ Sully would be reacting to this. And then to think it would be funny to see him freaking out about Trump, too. Damn these people for making me miss The Dish for the first time since it went dark.

  65. 65.

    SFAW

    @piratedan:

    Although on a side note, Ben Shapiro is a special little ball of hate and I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.

    I say we put your proclamation to the test.

  66. 66.

    gene108

    @srv:

    Marc Thiessen

    How did that ass-hat get a gig writing for the WaPo?

    Life ain’t fair.

    Also, blue-collar workers are not more prone to violence than others in society, in my opinion.

    Why does he assume, if someone is being an asshole at a bar frequented by blue-collar workers the antagonist is more likely to get beaten up than a bar frequented, by say, Washington, D.C. lobbyists?

    Why does he hate on the workin’ man so?

  67. 67.

    SoupCatcher

    @PurpleGirl:

    I thought someone two threads down said that Todd was hurt in a snowmobiling accident and she wasn’t going to Florida.

    She needs airfare.

    Plane tickets aren’t free, dontchaknow?

    And, add another vote to hot-and-sour soup.

  68. 68.

    J R in WV

    Sorry you’re sick, John. But you show the same rapier wit, so your brain isn’t melting yet.

    The hot soup suggestions have worked for me in the past. I really like Tom Yum soup, too, so heating that up and eating a gallon of it sounds like Thai penicillin…

    Good luck, and see a Dr, they have treatments for flu virus now!!!

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    @pamelbrown53

    Traditional non -alcoholic Latin American treatment for colds and flu:

    Garlic Tea Recipe

    In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and 3 cloves of garlic (cut in half) to a boil. Turn off the heat when the water boils, and add 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain. Sip 1/2 cup, warm, three times a day. Refrigerate extra to use the next day.

    It couldn’t hoit….

    Other than chicken soup, Mom swears by Propolis, Whenever relatives or their friends from Brazil come north, they bring her a potent variety, which keeps in the fridge until needed.

  72. 72.

    LAO

    And now I’m done. Trump,no longer being subtle about anti-semintism

    Which, is the only reason, I think Ben Shapiro has a problem with Trump.

    ETA: Done with my crapy day, I was done with Trump on day one.

  73. 73.

    Betty Cracker

    Trump keeps getting interrupted by protesters. You can watch a live stream here if you’re feeling particularly masochistic. The adjacent chat stream is a geyser of stupid. One comment said, “China is un-American.” LOL! Hope that was a joke!

  74. 74.

    Paul in KY

    @The Dangerman: No way. Too much of a loose cannon for Veep slot. Plus, he’d have to watch his food, etc. You get the Snowbilly Grifter 1 heartbeat away from the prize…

  75. 75.

    Paul in KY

    @mdblanche: I bet Trump has promised ole Petey that he’ll sign an executive order to get him into the Hall. Pete being stupid enough to believe that it might work.

  76. 76.

    NotMax

    @Aimai

    Cilantro. Bleargh.

    Why ruin anything edible by putting soap in it?

    (Proud member of the minority who reacts negatively to the taste of the stuff.)

  77. 77.

    The Dangerman

    @Paul in KY:

    Too much of a loose cannon for Veep slot.

    For Trump, I think, this is feature, not bug.

    Loose Cannon = Media Attention = Win! (from Trumps perspective, I mean – which is why he’s outright calling for violence at his events – someone gets the shit kicked out of them, or worse, is a win for Donald Dick).

  78. 78.

    gene108

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    I did and I was glad to hear it. Water is pretty essential.

    My water heater sprung a leak a couple of years ago. Repairman shut the water down to my condo unit and had to come back the next morning to install the new water heater.

    Hardest night I’ve had.

    I’ve had situations, where the power’s been out for a weak and it wasn’t nearly as difficult as managing without any running water for a night.

  80. 80.

    Aleta

    @LAO: Christie took a volunteer job as a talk show host asking scripted questions to the same guest every day in hell.

  81. 81.

    Applejinx

    I hope you feel better, John.

    I spent nearly a month sick after finishing up working for the NH Bernie campaign: between that and tax season I just went down like a sack of rocks. Been doing better lately, thank goodness.

    One thing I did was lay in supplies of lemonlime Emergen-C and lemonlime gatorade mix. When I was sickest, I’d make tall glass after tall glass of ‘packet of Emergen-C, teaspoonful of Gatorade powder’: pretty watery, but enough C and glucose and salt etc. to survive. Swear by it now (regular water is better whilst not sick, tho)

  84. 84.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @NotMax: I got that gene too. Everyone at my favorite Thai restaurant knows it. Whenever I start to order, whoever is taking the order says “no cilantro,” as they begin to write. I went to lunch there unexpectedly one day, and asked for a set of sticks to eat my Pad Thai. One of the owners asked “where are yours?” My colleague correctly surmised that I eat there quite a bit.

  85. 85.

    SFAW

    @srv:

    I think, certainly, if the protesters continue with their Alinksy-ite tactics

    Would that be Salu Alinksy?

    Alinksy! Soros! Michael Moore! Satan! LIE-BERALS!!!1!2!!

    I long ago determined that “Crazy/Stupid/Evil, pick three” is the operational phrase for Republicans. The big question is: of those three, which is the predominant factor?

    I guess one possible answer is “Yes.” (Or, perhaps, “All of ’em, Katie.”)

  89. 89.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    JC – half a teaspoon or so of turmeric in the smallest amount of very warm water you can put it in – probably a quarter of a cup. I know schrödinger’s cat said with milk. Ive been told water because milk is not good for respiratory secretions. Oh,if you do do this make sure you have something ready to drink go get the taste out of your mouth. The taste isn’t horrible,just earthy.

  90. 90.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Betty Cracker:

    I just heard three people on CNN literally screaming at each other about religion. One of them was Donna Brazile and one of them was some Trump-supporting preacher who apparently had wondered aloud about the closeness of Bernie Sanders’ relationship to Jesus (!) Dunno who the moderator was, but she spent about five minutes impotently pleading with Donna to let the preacher finish and with the preacher to let Donna talk, and of course neither of them did. Finally she said “We’re going to have to leave it there,” at which point the two guests started in again — simultaneously, and at the top of their respective voices — about whether or not Jesus was a baby-killer. Even for CNN during this political season, it was just bizarre.

  92. 92.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    Seem to be two variants of the creeping deth flu running around: the one I had, which made me mildly sick for about five days, and the one my wife, father, mother and stepfather got, which lasted one month minimum with rib-cracking coughing and secondary bacterial infections.

    Not digging the flu shots, decided to give them a try four years ago, at the very least they do not work.

  94. 94.

    Rob in CT

    This thing – which I don’t think was flu – hit my kids a few weeks ago. Nasty, and has a tendency to come back (one of the 2 kids got it twice). Fever, phlegmy cough, aches…

    Hang in there, Cole.

  95. 95.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    Jan Brewer the finger sticking former governor from AZ endorsed Trumpster. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes her as Veep. Also, Gov Mary Fallin of Oklahoma although I don’t know if she endorsed anybody. I don’t see Suzanne Martinez because I just can’t see Trumpster having a Hispanic as Veep with all the crap he’s uttered. I don’t see Princess Snowbilly because she’ll be competing with him on the stage.

  97. 97.

    Betty Cracker

    @Rob in CT: That sounds like what we had, and it definitely wasn’t the flu according to our doc (the kid went). I got it twice too. Man, that sucked. Better now, though.

  100. 100.

    Peale

    @SiubhanDuinne: Would it have been better for Donna to let him speak and throw down on state of Bernie’s relationship with Jesus Christ? Or should she have cornered him into admitting that he believes in the blood libel?

  103. 103.

    LAO

    @SiubhanDuinne: He’s 25 lbs of crazy in a 5 lb bag. I figure Trump was so excited to find an AA supporter, he “overlooked” said supporter’s other unsavory opinions.

    ETA: fixed grammatical error

  104. 104.

    Shell

    Damn, Cole. It seems like you’ve been sick with one thing or another all winter.. My sympathies with the body/muscle pain. The last time I had the flu it felt like somebody was beating me up.

  107. 107.

    Hurling Dervish

    About six months ago, there were published reports that Trump was paying Breitbart for positive coverage. Is that what’s really underlying all of this? And for anyone who has the stomach to wander over to Gateway Pundit from time to time, it looks like the Stupidest Man on the Internet has become a similar shill. Could he be getting the same deal?

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Betty Cracker: That’s the bug that gave me pneumonia and I’m still wondering when I will feel normal again. Some days it’s all I can do to get the girls to and from school and fed. And the critters cared for, of course. But the rest of the house may be condemned soon.

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Peale:

    We’ll never know. I always wonder in these noisy “cross-talk” things why any of the participants — including the moderators — believe their beautiful point will be made crystal-clear as long as they just SHOUT LOUDER. Or why the director doesn’t just cut everyone’s mic. I guess it gets ratings and eyeballs (the McLaughlin Report was quite popular for years, I believe) and appalled can’t-turn-away-from-the-train-wreck people (like me), but it bears as much resemblance to actual journalism as I do to Idris Elba.

  110. 110.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    About six months ago, there were published reports that Trump was paying Breitbart for positive coverage. Is that what’s really underlying all of this? And for anyone who has the stomach to wander over to Gateway Pundit from time to time, it looks like the Stupidest Man on the Internet has become a similar shill. Could he be getting the same deal?

    I’m sure it wasn’t that expensive an investment. Maybe a couple grand, tops. Why not lock up all the conservatard blogs?

  111. 111.

    Elie

    Feel better John. My husband and I both had it and its a pain. We’ve had some friends who have gotten quite sick for a couple of weeks. Hang in there… drink fluids and get some chicken soup! The Musinex 24 hour really works, but it doesn’t cure the thing — just makes it a little easier to bear.

  112. 112.

    Brachiator

    @LAO:

    . “Breitbart News is no longer a journalistic enterprise, but instead, in my opinion, something an unaffiliated media Super PAC for the trump campaign.”

    Holy cannoli. It seems like only yesterday, there was some concern that the right wing media machine, lubed up via the unholy PAC money of the Koch suckers, would rumble, roar and smash the puny Democrats in its path.

    Now, the wheels are coming off this sad, rusty behemoth, the engine is sputtering, and the heap has rolled over into a ditch.

    There is always a chance that these morons will get their act together at the convention, but for now, damn it’s fun watching them sputter.

  114. 114.

    daverave

    My Cole-esque accident of the weekend involved a chain saw to my right cheek. While it was not running, it left enough cuts/marks to make people I talk with have a hard time not constantly glancing at the damage. Would have been great just before Halloween.

  116. 116.

    Shell

    @Brachiator: There is always a chance that these morons will get their act together at the convention
    **************

    I wonder what will be this years Clint Eastwood moment?

  120. 120.

    satby

    @Cacti: I’m a hot tea and lemon with raw honey drinker myself, but Ohm Chai tea is the closest to the delicious chai I had in India. So good when you feel crappy.

  121. 121.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Shell: I think the entire event this year is going to be somewhere about a mile beneath the level of the Clint Eastwood moment.

  124. 124.

    Viperbuck

    More bad news, beleaguered blog host.
    Brooke County WV is due to get severe tornado-producing thunderstorms this evening. Will be wishing for the best for all of yinze in my old stomping grounds. Keep the critters and yourself safe & dry please.

  125. 125.

    daverave

    @Miss Bianca:

    Have you ever been working on a tall ladder (above eye level) gotten down and left a hammer or screwdriver on the top and forgot about it? Then later moved the ladder and the tool comes crashing down on your head?

    Something similar… fortunately it was a small, electric chain saw on a pole. I swear I had not been drinking.

  126. 126.

    schrodinger's cat

    @satby: Chai = = tea. So chai tea is redundant. You can make your own, you need loose leaf tea, you can by chai masala from an Indian grocery store or make your own. The watery and weak stuff that is sold as chai here is usually pretty awful.

  127. 127.

    satby

    @Poopyman: I totally don’t get it, but then Qunoot hates that we say chai and tea, since chai means tea. And I misspelled the brand, it’s Om. Best stuff ever.

  129. 129.

    Applejinx

    @Mai.naem.mobile: In my book the best way to consume turmeric in quantity is, in curry :9

    I’ll stirfry chicken bits in coconut oil and so much curry powder it’s nearly a paste, and then put in some mango chutney to make a sauce. Yum! Serve over rice. Done that simply there isn’t even any dairy (alternative: add some cottage cheese while it’s hot enough to melt the curds, then don’t mix it up too thoroughly)

  130. 130.

    satby

    @schrodinger’s cat: yep, but I live in a very rural area, and “chai tea” is what they call it. I know it’s wrong, but if I want a cup that’s what I need to ask for.
    And you’re right, made from scratch is the best.

  131. 131.

    goblue72

    Today’s NY Times – Trump’s support not just from your local Klan rally.

    Its a one-off article, so who the heck knows. But its not a complete accident that the populist candidates in both parties are getting the traction they are getting – when in any other year, neither candidate would be polling above single digits. There’s a quite sizable portion of the electorate for whom the last 30 years have been a screw-job – with the last 10 years being an enormous screw-job. Top-line unemployment numbers don’t mean crap when the “JERBS!” are minimum wage greeter jobs at Walmart. In post-Great Recession America – while NOT-Starving is better than Starving, there is a gulf between NOT-Starving and Getting Ahead – especially when the ladder of opportunity has been burned to the ground by the elites.

    There were liberal critics of Obama at the time that criticized the President for doubling down on healthcare reform as the signature legislation of his Presidency on which to spend his political capital as opposed to more direct jobs/economy related programming. (And no matter how many blog posts Richard puts up, the benefits of the ACA has largely accused to lower income households – and have been much more limited in benefit to working class and lower-middle class households. And the politics of that is that those households vote more frequently than the poor.)

    In the long view, it was likely the right decision as the last major expansion of healthcare coverage towards universal coverage was when LBJ was President and Lord knows when we’d get another chance again. Probably when Lady Gaga is great-grandmother. But there were consequences, at least in the medium term.

  132. 132.

    Shell

    This morning, Sarah Palin canceled her Florida appearances with Donald Trump after her husband was hospitalized in intensive care last night. This afternoon, Palin showed up in Florida anyway.

    Palin, who was breathless and tripped over her words, cited her husband’s snowmobile injury— “real life issues that happen”—as evidence of how necessary a Trump presidency has become.
    &^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    Huh? What does that have to do with Trump? Or is she being more incoherent than usual?

  134. 134.

    Kay

    Gross:

    Donald Trump just won a key endorsement going into Tuesday’s Florida primary: the state’s attorney general, Pam Bondi.
    But her bigger favor to Trump may have been her decision in 2013 not to pursue an investigation of Trump’s for-profit education chain after he made a big donation to her re-election campaign.
    As Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time, Bondi announced in September 2013 that her office was reviewing a series of complaints related to the Trump Institute of Boca Raton, a for-profit education company that is no longer in operation. Three days after the report that Bondi was considering joining other states’ attorneys general in taking action against Trump’s for-profit education chain, the real estate mogul dumped $25,000 into a committee organized for Bondi’s re-election.
    Bondi ended up taking no action.

  136. 136.

    Peale

    @Shell: We need to start selling insurance across state lines and repeal Obamacare before any more Palins have to go to the hospital, where healthcare is now in ruins!

  137. 137.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    No applause in a Wassilla hospital

    Sam Stein ‏@ samsteinhp 50m50 minutes ago
    “thank you baby” — Trump to Palin as he left the stage (95% sure he said it)

    Trump just sort of glibly mocked Todd Palin’s snow mobile accident

  139. 139.

    FlipYrWhig

    @goblue72: Maybe Obama’s first initiative should have been a spending bill that stimulated the economy! I forget what they call those things. Well, water under the bridge.

  140. 140.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Kay: No way. Surely there’s no quid pro quo in FL. I cannot believe it. Certainly not among the GOP crowd.

    I considered driving up the road to get yelled at in the rain yesterday. But I’m getting over a cold and I’ve been known to get mouthy, so the possibility of it not ending well were non-zero. And Sheriff Jones and I kinda sorta don’t get along.

  143. 143.

    Germy

    The Cumberland County Sheriff’s office is considering filing charges of inciting a riot against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump for the Fayetteville, North Carolina rally according to an NBC reporter and local media sources. The rally was the site where Trump supporter John Franklin McGraw was arrested for sucker-punching a black protester and threatening to kill him.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/police-consider-charging-trump-with-inciting-a-riot-over-violence-at-north-carolina-rally/

  145. 145.

    Germy

    @Peale: I’d like to see Obamacare repealed and replaced with something involving private savings plans for health emergencies. If we all save a few pennies every day, we all can save up for that big medical crisis in our future. Also, the new plan should feature tort reform.
    I think having a market-based savings plan, somewhat like a 401K, would be best. This way, my dividends will increase when the stock market goes up. And keep pharmaceuticals expensive. The extra profits will go towards more drug research. Everyone will benefit.

  149. 149.

    Chyron HR

    @goblue72:

    There were liberal critics of Obama at the time that criticized the President for doubling down on healthcare reform as the signature legislation of his Presidency on which to spend his political capital

    This is totally different from Sanders making single-payer health care the centerpiece of his campaign because shut up that’s why.

  150. 150.

    Germy


    Report: Trump health plan would increase deficit, leave millions uninsured

    WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s recently released plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would drive up the federal deficit by nearly $500 billion over the next decade and cause 21 million Americans to lose health coverage, according to a new independent analysis.

    Trump’s “Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again” plan, which the GOP presidential front-runner outlined on his campaign website last month, does not include much detail.

    But its major planks – including repealing Obamacare, deregulating health insurance and offering tax breaks to help Americans get coverage – would likely have a devastating effect, the new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget concludes.

    tribune washington bureau

  151. 151.

    MaryRC

    @bemused: There were 2 scheduled events. She cancelled a solo appearance in Florida that was supposed to take place early in the afternoon, giving her return to her husband’s bedside as her excuse, but then showed up at a rally where Trump was present, 2 hours later. Priorities, I guess.

    I’m sure she’ll stay by Todd’s side until he has half-recovered.

  152. 152.

    Miss Bianca

    @daverave:

    Not as such – not with a chainsaw, at any rate – but it sounds like the sort of thing I *might* do, so am wincing in sympathy.

  154. 154.

    Cermet

    You are still a republican at heart – not listening; John – fact, keeping high levels of Vitamin D will help prevent and certainly does reduce the severity of flu’s. Aim for 50 – 70 ng/dl. Ask your MD for a blood test. I have telling you for years – these are proven facts in double blind medical studies. It has a host of good effects and has been PROVEN to reduce the chance of developing many types of cancers. Stop being stubborn and take good advice. It take 4 months to develop the anti-cold qualities so get started ASAP!

  156. 156.

    Mike in NC

    @Germy: The so-called Trump Health Plan on his website is about as appealing as his hairdo. The same warmed-over BS all the other Republicans are spouting.

  157. 157.

    Central Planning

    @Cermet: Cite? Reputable journals please, not “bobsvitamindworld.com”

    I did see this: Journal of the American Medical Association study result:

    Results The mean baseline 25-OHD level of participants was 29 (SD, 9) ng/mL. Vitamin D supplementation resulted in an increase in serum 25-OHD levels that was maintained at greater than 48 ng/mL throughout the study. There were 593 URTI episodes in the vitamin D group and 611 in the placebo group, with no statistically significant differences in the number of URTIs per participant (mean, 3.7 per person in the vitamin D group and 3.8 per person in the placebo group; risk ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.11), number of days of missed work as a result of URTIs (mean, 0.76 days in each group; risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.81-1.30), duration of symptoms per episode (mean, 12 days in each group; risk ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.73-1.25), or severity of URTI episodes. These findings remained unchanged when the analysis was repeated by season and by baseline 25-OHD levels.

    Or maybe slightly more readable CNN version:

    The people in the vitamin D group came down with an average of 3.7 bouts of cold or flu, compared to 3.8 in the placebo group — a statistically negligible difference. Nor did vitamin D have any measurable impact on the severity of symptoms, their duration (about 12 days per episode in each group), or the number of workdays missed.

    ETA: URTI is Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

  158. 158.

    Aleta

    @daverave: geez, … glad it’s not worse. My friend’s face (and skull?) was saved only by the bridge of his metal glasses breaking when his running chainsaw kicked upward.

  159. 159.

    Peale

    @Chyron HR: It also kind of ignores how central Healthcare Reform was to the Democratic election that year. The meltdown was in October. Before that, there were problems. Paulsen’s Bazooka statements to Congress weren’t until July. The need for mortgage relief for defaulting and underwater homeowners was not, if I recall, a major item that Democrats were running on in 2008.

    The Stimulus and Healthcare Reform weren’t ever an either/or proposition, and I am pretty certain that liberals would have been upset to find out that healthcare reform needed to be put on hold because of a recession. The stimulus should have been bigger, but people weren’t calling for “stimulus”. Who was calling for a jobs program? Debt relief for bad home mortgages isn’t a jobs program. Extended unemployment benefits wasn’t a jobs program.

    The big time job producing non-shovel-ready public works project was the high-speed rail. And it was so popular that republican governors were elected in almost every state. Walker made stopping the train a centerpiece of his campaign. Pulling out to save money cost the state over $100M. I’m trying to remember what other the other GOP candidates were saying about the train. The most “jobs friendly” policy of the Obama administration early on was bailing out the auto industry and I don’t think he knew how many people hated auto-workers and auto companies.

  163. 163.

    dlwchico

    I got the flu this year also, after just having sniffles the past few winters. This year’s flu was the worst that I’ve had in 50 years.

  165. 165.

    Ruckus

    @daverave:
    Had a friend who got a chainsaw on a pole. We half kidded him that he should have his wife pre-dial 91 on the phone just in case. He is not known for his ability to use any tool other than a knife, fork, and keyboard. Those he does very, very well with.

  166. 166.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Peale:

    Who was calling for a jobs program?

    Obama. For a couple of years. The Republicans in congress said ‘There is literally nothing we want to obstruct more, Mister One Term President.’ Then they went on the cable news shows and complained about how Obama was doing nothing about jobs, while the talking heads nodded seriously.

  167. 167.

    A Ghost To Most

    Be careful out there, daverave. Ladders are like scorpions; they try to kill you just because it is in their nature.

  170. 170.

    goblue72

    @Chyron HR: Single payer healthcare is not the centerpiece of Sanders campaign. Anymore than healthcare was the centerpiece of Obama’s campaign. For each, they were part of the platform.

    But Obama did decide to blow his political capital on the ACA. President’s only get a limited shot at a few signature issues before DC destroys the rest of their momentum, by and large. Obama made healthcare one of his. In contrast, he spent no political capital on labor – Labor’s big issue was card-check. Obama engaged in some for-show efforts to get it passed, but didn’t burn any political capital to do so. I’m not saying Obama was bad for Labor – just that he didn’t give it the focus he did healthcare. As an example.

  172. 172.

    MomSense

    @goblue72:

    No you are just wrong. I was working on a labor campaign with both SEIU and AFL CIO for card check and healthcare. HCAN was comprised mostly of labor groups who provided the money and organizers. He didn’t betray labor at all. They dropped card check when it was clear it wasn’t going anywhere.

  173. 173.

    goblue72

    @Peale: A make-work jobs program was not what I was referring to. Temporary jobs programs and infrastructure spending do nothing to change the structural conditions that have resulted in where we are today. Structural changes are the big lift legislation that become a permanent (as far as those things go) re-organizing of society. The Clean Air Act is a structural change. The Conservation Jobs Corps is not.

    Obama aimed his political capital, in terms of STRUCTURAL change, at healthcare. That’s fine. As I said above. And in long view, probably the right decision. As I said above. But it has consequences.

    Very little was done for Labor. Labor has been fighting for card check for years and Obama did squat.

    Immigration reform – nada.

    Housing – peanuts were thrown directly at housing. The banks were bailed out (and nobody went to jail), but homeowner relief was paltry and the programs rolled out by the Obama Administration were worthless. Despite the fact that it was a housing bubble that created the mess in the first place. (And now 10 years later, we have a growing housing affordability crisis in many parts of the country, while in others, folks are still under-water)

    Education – Not only was no progress made, but we actually went mostly backwards. The Obama Administration’s K-12 education policy has been a complete dumpster fire, with Arne Duncan probably one of the most reviled Education Secretary’s in recent memory. College education is just as unaffordable as it was in 2008 and likely even worse. The only progress made at all is in the area of for-profit colleges – a worthy goal from the perspective of consumer protection, but not change the needle one bit on opportunity.

    Again, President’s have a limited set of issues they can spend political capital on before running into a wall. Happens with Mayors, happens with Governors, happens with Presidents. Obama chose Healthcare. Getting close to universal healthcare is a good thing. But its a program mostly benefitting lower income households. In the broad sense of social equity, thats a good thing. But it has consequences that show up on election day.

    But please, keep pretending that folks who point out the bleeding obvious are just crazy-eyed Sanderbros.

  174. 174.

    Ellen R

    For sore throats and stuffed sinuses:
    Put a small pot with at least one cup of water on the stove and set it boiling.
    Lower the heat to simmer, and add one tsp of anise seeds and one quarter tsp of whole Thyme.
    Exact measurements don’t matter.
    Breathe in the steam. For throat and lungs, suck in the steam through open mouth.

    Anise is soothing and Thyme is a mild disinfectant. This feel good, plus helps you empty your head or lungs. From a very old herbal medicine textbook. You can even drink they stuff when you’re done standing over the pot.

  176. 176.

    Karen

    John, my grampa’s swear by a teaspoon of honey. It’ll stop your coughing in no time.

  177. 177.

    FlipYrWhig

    @goblue72: So the desirable STRUCTURAL CHANGE was card-check, which is the only thing that really counts. Pouring billions of dollars into renewable energy and reshaping that entire sector doesn’t count because reasons. It’s totally obvious! I refer you to Grunwald, which I linked above.

  179. 179.

    goblue72

    @MomSense: Yes it didn’t go anywhere. The point is that part of reason it didn’t go anywhere is the President didn’t make it a priority enough to spend political capital on. Richard Trumpka is not going to come out and blast the President – he knows it would be just counter-productive. But there were critics at the time saying Obama didn’t make it a priority.

    EFCA passed the House in 2007 and had a majority vote in the Senate, though not enough to break a filibuster. And that was all accomplished despite the fact that the President at the time was never going to sign it.

    2008 comes around, the county is probably in the most pro-worker mood it will ever be in (when everyone is getting the shaft, those “evil” unions stop looking so bad), and an even larger Democratic majority. President made some generic statements of support, but didn’t do much beyond that. He had other fish to fry.

  180. 180.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @FlipYrWhig: Grunwald has a long piece in Politico magazine about Obama’s domestic agenda.

    The New New Deal came out when MSNBC was still trying to be a liberal network, and you would’ve thought MG’s book was right in their wheelhouse. I saw him on one half segment (about three minutes) with Ed Schultz, who hadn’t read the book or prepared any decent questions. No TDS or Colbert appearance that I saw either.

  187. 187.

    Felonius Monk

    @MomSense:

    I’ll go back to not engaging.

    Entirely understandable. The NoClue lecture series is getting pretty tiresome.

  188. 188.

    Peale

    @goblue72: you’re changing registers again. You started with “the president should have done more with jobs instead of healthcare” then bounced to housing and immigration. Yes. It seemed that quite a bit of political capital was spent on immigration.

    You shouldn’t be counting relief for homeowners as a job creator. It wasn’t. I can agree that HAMP was a disaster and it was oversold. But I wouldn’t pretend that if it was successful we’d be restarting the home building boom again.

    You may think that providing relief to underwater homeowners would be easy, slam dunk. But I never figured out how that could work. Having the government assume faltering mortgages for me role who couldn’t pay them and issuing a new mortgage at a new and revalued price made sense a little. But practically? No.

  192. 192.

    RaflW

    @srv: Clearly the ‘left-wing protesters’ need to wear tricorner hats. Then you’re a heartland, hero American protester. If you are hatless, you’re a commie.

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