Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Republicans do not trust women.

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

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

No one could have predicted…

You cannot shame the shameless.

When we show up, we win.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

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

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

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

Petty moves from a petty man.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / LGBTQ Rights / Gay Rights are Human Rights / Saturday Morning Cartoon Open Thread: Potty Talk

Saturday Morning Cartoon Open Thread: Potty Talk

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toilet gender identity danziger

(Jeff Danziger’s website)
.

I’m so old, I can remember when No unisex toilets!!! was Phyllis Schlafly’s rallying cry against the Equal Rights Amendment, back in the early 1970s. Between NC Gov. McCrory and the news this week about Ted Cruz’s anti-dildo proclamation, it’s clear the Repubs — individually and as a party — have some strange ideas about other peoples’ swimsuit-covered bits…

Apart from stocking up on brain bleach, what’s on the agenda for the day?

toilet biz in nc toles

(Tom Toles via GoComics.com)
.

toilet for guv mccrory ohman

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)
.

toilets small gubmint sheneman

(Drew Sheneman via GoComics.com)

toilets men women other anderson

(Nick Anderson via GoComics.com)
.

Reader Interactions

281Comments

  2. 2.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    Btw: Dick Cavett’s essay on Trump in the NYT is worth a read. Nothing ground breaking but Cavett’s calm and reasonableness is such a contrast to his subject.

  3. 3.

    Baud

    I’ve never used a bidet, but I’ve heard good things about them. I wonder why they are not more popular in the U.S.

  8. 8.

    Morzer

    @gene108:

    In a world where David Brooks can publish an excretion on “Inspiration” and received money for it, mockery has picked up its hat, slunk out the door, changed its name and moved to an undisclosed secret locution.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    what’s on the agenda for the day?

    Gardening for me. Gotta go to town and get some straw for mulch, pick up a couple of hostas, 2 hanging baskets (yesterday was the wife’s b-day, they will be her ‘present’) and a few other odds and ends. When I get back, I’ll mulch the brassicas I finally planted this week, then I will inter the potatoes that arrived this week, then I have more tilling to do in preparation for the tomatoes…

    But baby girl is coming over today and I don’t know what she will want to do, so we’ll just have to wait and see how much I accomplish. Maybe I can talk her into going mushroom hunting.

  11. 11.

    Morzer

    @amk:

    Pretty sweeping conclusions from a whole nine seconds worth of people watching someone speak in a foreign language on TV.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @gene108:

    How can you expect us to take on the GOP before we’ve settled the whole speeches/tax return controversy? It’s the defining issue of our generation.

  14. 14.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    All that is needed for evil to triumph is evil to triumph. I read that on a Campbell’s soup tin somewhere. Unless it was War and Peace. I always get those things mixed up.

  18. 18.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    What truly impressed me was the label that managed to fit in all of his Hero With A Thousand Faces. Watching grad students sitting in the supermarket aisle passing it from hand to hand before seminar was something to see.

  26. 26.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    I am sure Alan Simpson will be along shortly to explain that we can no longer afford to pronounce all the letters in words, due to the DEFICITMONSTER!!!

  28. 28.

    Baud

    @Morzer: If the popularity of Hamilton is any guide, they’ll need to build a bigger theatre to put on Baud! The Musical!

  31. 31.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    Is it morally wrong of me to yell “Watch out for Aaron Burr!” during the quieter bits of Hamilton?

  32. 32.

    Baud

    @Morzer: I assume that’s like screaming “Don’t go down into the basement by yourself” during a horror movie, so go for it.

  36. 36.

    Punchy

    Off soon to run my 2nd half-marathon. Weather is perfect, course is great. IOW, I’ve got zero excuses if I biff this…

  37. 37.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    I am quite partial to Bullettes over Baudway, but I concede that it is something of an acquired taste.

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @BR: They grow wild around here. I have never tried one but they are supposed to taste banana like only richer. I think that is why I’ve never tried one. I like bananas well enuf but by the time I finish one it’s like “Ooof” almost too much. I’m not real fond of rich foods.

  42. 42.

    Morzer

    @Punchy:

    You can always do what everyone else does i.e. hide about 100 yards from the end of the course and then sprint to glory at the appropriate juncture.

  46. 46.

    Zinsky

    I’m running a Green Fair at my church tomorrow, so I need to prepare the exhibits and write a little introductory speech for the announcements after Mass. I’m using Pope Francis’ theme from his encyclical, Laudato Si, that we share a “common home”. If you soil your part of the home, you are soiling mine too. It’s like we are all in a lifeboat called Earth. It is fatuous to say that your end of the lifeboat has a leak in it. To analogize to this post, since we share a common home, we need to share common bathrooms too! Have a great weekend, BJers!

  52. 52.

    Morzer

    The Wikipedia article on Washlet informs me that:

    Washlet (ウォシュレット Woshuretto?) is a registered trademark of the Japanese toilet company Toto, referring to electric toilet seats with water spray feature for anal and genital cleansing.[1][2][3][4] It falls into the category of “electronic bidets” and is commonplace at toilets in Japan. The buttons associated with operating the cleansing features are labeled “oshiri” (bottom) and “bidet”. Some models have a sensor that prevents spraying water when a person is not sitting on the toilet. In order to determine the appropriate spray position, Toto surveyed 300 male and female employees during development.….

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washlet

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: @Morzer: @OzarkHillbilly: We really need to stop. We’re all hitting the same notes and are in danger of reaching baudible resonance and it could tear the fabric of Balloon Juice apart like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

  63. 63.

    Morzer

    @NotMax:

    I know, I can’t afford to stop
    for a moment.. that it’s too soon.. to forget
    I know, I can’t afford to stop
    for a moment.. that it’s too soon.. to forget

    I can’t think what brought Ms Fat Baudy to mind….

  74. 74.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Morzer:
    If the pronunciation of bidet held wouldn’t “bauet” be pronounced as ‘bawdy’ ?

    And, if so, how would he work baudet women into his campaign?

  77. 77.

    Raven

    This sounds like the “make up a theme song for a movie without one” on Netflix’s “Love”.

    Carlitos Wayyyyyyyyyyy

  78. 78.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Morzer:
    I was on the board of a local non-profit that needed new digs when its old building was demolished in urban renewal. One of the properties we looked at was the James J. Hill mansion. It was built in 1891 and one of the features I saw was that he had toilets that squirted water on your bum when you flushed. Apparently Mr. Hill was ahead of the Japanese by a century.

    Beautiful gilded-age mansion but the upkeep would have killed us so we passed.

  79. 79.

    Morzer

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Your friend knows her literary history and her children should be proud of her. I wonder whether she knows The Reckoning by Charles Nicholl. It’s fascinating stuff. There’s been a strange mini-boom in Marlowe conspiracy theories of late. I suspect he would have found modern politics a wonderful quarry for cynical, witty tragedies.

  81. 81.

    Central Planning

    @Morzer:

    Would a Baud bidet be a baudet?

    If you had a strange friend named Todd and you just went to the bathroom at his house, you would want to use odd Todd’s baudet today.

  88. 88.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Morzer: I’ve read “The Reckoning.” Fascinating stuff and nice pun in the title. I had no idea about him as a potential spy. All I knew was “This is the face that launched a thousand ships.”

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    How did it come to this? Inside the doomed bid to snatch Sally Faulkner’s children

    Detained Australian Sally Faulkner gave away the location of her Lebanese safe house when she called her estranged husband to assure him their children – only hours ago snatched from a south Beirut street – were safe and in her care, a judicial source says.

    The call to Ali al-Amin was traced by police who raided the safe house later that evening, arresting Faulkner, the journalist Tara Brown, and a television crew in the country to report on the “child recovery operation”.

    Using the phone was just one more error in an alleged plot Lebanese authorities regard as amateurish, reckless and destined to fail, not least because Amin had access to his former partner’s Facebook and email accounts and followed the initial planning. “He knew what she was doing,” the judicial source said.

    Sooooooo much stupid, unbelievable amounts of stupid, so much that I just want to pound my head against the wall.

  91. 91.

    Central Planning

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): Galadriel: In the place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Baud! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!

  93. 93.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    The cartoonist for the Madison, WI paper has a good take on Paul Ryan’s refusal to be Speaker The GOP nominee. HERE

  98. 98.

    magurakurin

    @Baud: heated seats, heated water, variable strength streams, directional control, massage jets and the better ones have heated air drying. Awesome devices.

  99. 99.

    bemused

    There are two types of legislators who write and pass these bathroom bills, imo. There are those who are hiding behind their religion denying their own sexual deviant tendencies and those who exploit the ignorance and fears of their republican base voters on social issues to stay in power to achieve their top agendas, no tax, no regulation states and become fabulously wealthy doing it.

    The Tennessee legislator who co-sponsored the state’s bathroom said women would be in danger but the TN attorney general put him in quarantine from access to other lawmakers, lobbyists and interns because he is actually a danger to women. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking most or all of the Republicans eager to get the bills into law have the same type of behavior issues. Evidently they don’t seem to worry they are creating creepy reputations for themselves.

  106. 106.

    magurakurin

    @Micheline: I saw that. He met him in the hallway when they stayed the night. Pretty weird deal all around. The religious overtones in the Sanders campaign are starting to creep me out at Ted Cruz levels. I left the Catholic Church when I was 15 for a reason. I don’t like dogma and I don’t think anyone or any institution or belief has a monopoly on truth. I don’t need a preacher. At all.

    Francis seems like a decent man, but he is still the head of one of the most conservative and backward “establishments” in the world. Sure Francis talks a good game about the “moral economy,” but the Catholic Church’s position on gay rights, women’s choice and a host of issues is really backward. That Sanders can look past all that and be so enamored with Francis because of his economics is not surprising. He it also shows that all those other issues are secondary to Sanders.

  107. 107.

    PsiFighter37

    I wonder how shamelessly the Sanders campaign will flog Bernie’s ‘meeting’ with the pope in an effort to win votes.

  114. 114.

    Aimai

    Apparently bernie sanders hail mary was met with the papal equivalent of a mercy fuck. So his supporters are sure he won.

  116. 116.

    Morzer

    @PsiFighter37:

    Probably as shamelessly as Clinton will flog her very recently discovered worship of the Immaculate Obama to win votes.

    In other words, they are both politicians. Shocking, innit?

  117. 117.

    magurakurin

    @Baud:

    But no toilet cam? Unimpressed.

    Isn’t there like a whole section called “Japanese Toilet Cam” on RedTube? Not that I have any personal knowledge. A Republican legislature told me that.

  118. 118.

    magurakurin

    @Aimai:

    So his supporters are sure he won.

    They’ll still be sure he is winning as Hillary Clinton is sworn in as the first woman president next January.

  121. 121.

    PsiFighter37

    @Morzer: She served as his SoS for 4+ years. Bit different compared to Bernie probably getting lucky and finding the right Vatican official willing to sneak him in for a quick ‘hello’.

    I wonder how many lines of his stump speech Bernie recited verbatim to the pope. Over/under at 5.

  122. 122.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Micheline:
    Yeah, the thing is the Vicar of Christ is a political pawn in the same way that many kings were simply political pawns to be manipulated by the manipulative underlings and by forces they only pretend to deal with. “I met with the Pope” to me, carries about the same weight as “I met the pizza delivery guy”. Thats nice if you are into that sort of thing but what difference does it make here in the real world? It does not change my opinion of Sanders or Davis one way or the other and I feel bad for anyone that thinks either more or less of either of them simply because they shook hands with some guy.

  124. 124.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @magurakurin: Bernie has the one tool to fix everything: “It slices! It DICES! It will even make Julienne fries!” Seriously tho, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem will look like a nail. It is impossible to ignore the one dimensional-ism of his campaign. The world just isn’t that simple.

  125. 125.

    SarahT

    @PsiFighter37:Oh, they already have: Can’t find the tweet (don’t know how to embed anyway, because reasons) but there’s some bernie campaign lit with a photo that clearly implies Pope Frank is feeling the Bern. Will go back on my timeline to see if I can find it but may not happen while this BJ thread is still going.

  126. 126.

    Morzer

    @PsiFighter37:

    So why is it that Clinton now keeps trying to pretend that she’s always agreed with Bernie on issue after issue, if he’s such a terrible, terrible man with nothing but a stump speech on infinite loop?

    Just curious as to how you’ll square that intriguing circle.

  127. 127.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Famed Socialist Josef Jughashvili once asked:

    “How many divisions does the Pope have?”

  129. 129.

    magurakurin

    @Morzer:

    Just curious as to how you’ll square that intriguing circle.

    You keep working on it and get back to us when you find the answer.

  130. 130.

    Morzer

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    *cough* Far be it from me to mention a certain politician who endlessly repeated the very Berniesque line “It’s the economy, stupid.” What was that politician’s name again?

    I’ve said repeatedly that both these candidates are flawed, but I do wonder whether the Clintonites on here realize that by trying to reduce Bernie to a stump speech and a bag of publicity tricks they make it much harder to take Clinton seriously – because she’s had a pretty tough time dealing with Bernie and hasn’t looked immensely impressive doing it. If she’s all that and a bag of chips, why hasn’t she put the Old Loser away already?

  132. 132.

    satby

    @Morzer: you know, some of us just don’t like Bernie, because he’s kind of a dick. I personally still wouldn’t like him if Clinton wasn’t in the race at all. I started out kind of neutral, but Bernie himself convinced me he’s kind of a dick. So quit assuming all the Bern mockery has much to do with Clinton, Bernie built that regard his own self.

  136. 136.

    magurakurin

    @Morzer:

    reduce Bernie to a stump speech and a bag of publicity tricks

    Those are pretty effective tools actually. It’s working out pretty good for Trump. People don’t give a shit about policy. So, slogans and righteous anger takes you a long way. If that’s an indictment of Clinton, it is also a rather serious one of the electorate.

  137. 137.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    I especially appreciate Clinton’s unflinching support of President Obama’s policies, which have lifted many Americans both economically and socially, despite the battered economy that he inherited. Continuing the direction of those policies, including reforming a bail system that targets the poor, drug laws that target minorities and an education system that saddles college students with unbearable debts, must be a priority if the United States is to be the land of equal opportunity it brands itself to be.

    Kareem Abdul Jabbar. It’s all about embracing Obama’s legacy, instead of slagging it.

    The Bernfeelers have a new enemy of the revolution.

  139. 139.

    p.a.

    I’ve always been interested in how thread subjects change over time as the thread lengthens. I would feel remiss if I don’t point out how this one has, er, progressed from baud-isms to toilet technology.
    #netipots!

  140. 140.

    Bobby Thomson

    At this point, I’m about ready to put Ricky Gervais and everybody associated with Verizon in the iron maiden.

  141. 141.

    SarahT

    @satby: What you said. I thought pretty well of the guy until this campaign. The more I see (or read or hear) about him the less I like him. Think he drank his own KoolAid. Plus, IMHO, the big reveal on his tax return (notice “return”, NOT “returns”) is how cheap he is: 200k/year and he gave FAR less than we (Mr., um, T) did to charity ? And we sure don’t make 200k/year ! I’m Jewish but still pretty sure that’s not very christly.

  143. 143.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @satby:
    I am with you on this. I actually would have voted for Bernie at caucus had I been able to go. I ignored the bigger dicks running around calling Clinton supporters names & lying about HRCs record (which is not perfect so why make things up?) But it started a couple weeks before that horrid interview where he showed a lack of thought and preparation for the job, I saw problems with the candidate himself. It has only gotten worse since then. He is still better than any GOP alternative and if he is the nominee I will work and vote for him, I just happen to believe HRC will make a better President here in the real world where there will still be a Republican Congress and GOP-friendly media. I do think all the personal vitriol spewed is wrong both as a way to win and also as a way to gain support. That it is tedious on top of that is just a ‘plus’

  144. 144.

    Morzer

    @amk:

    I see a lot of unappealing talk from the Clintonites on here. I’d suggest they remember that there have been times -and there will be times in the future – when the Democrats were extremely grateful to have Bernie Sanders as a reliable vote in the Senate. I’d also suggest that they consider the fact that once this is all over Clinton will have adopted an awful lot of Bernie’s positions and she’s going to have to hold on to them if she wants to get Bernie’s supporters to turn out for the big game. A little commonsense, humility and recognition of the fact that Bernie is not the enemy would be wise. And no, the excuse that Bernie started it isn’t one that will get Clinton anywhere. She and her supporters have done their share of trash-talking too. Just remember that the GOP are the problem here, not people who have worked with you and voted with you for a shared vision.

  145. 145.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    Still in Mexico till tomorrow. Got bit on the hand by a really ugly yellow fly at the cenote we went diving at yesterday (amazingly beautiful dives). Now my hand is swollen somewhere between baseball an softball size and doesn’t want to close all the way. Also took a bug hit to the chin.

    We’ve been gorging on outstanding ceviche daily. Last night, we had a meal that was amazing that, with drinks and dessert, came to less than 80 dollars. Steaks done churrasco style (we chose 14 oz flank), empanadas, Apple crepes swimming in brandy and ice cream.

    We may go back tonight.

  146. 146.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @p.a.: I would feel remiss if I don’t point out how this one has, er, progressed from baud-isms to toilet technology.

    to toilet behavior towards other dems

  147. 147.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @SarahT:

    Every day is a new day to not feel the Bern more. All of those reports about how the people that know him best feel about him make me understand that they’re probably being extremely diplomatic.

  148. 148.

    Poopyman

    @magurakurin:

    If that’s an indictment of Clinton, it is also a rather serious one of the electorate.

    Half the electorate is of below average intelligence. Remember that.

  152. 152.

    magurakurin

    @Morzer:

    A little commonsense, humility and recognition of the fact that Bernie is not the enemy would be wise.

    whatever. There are 1600 people standing outside of the meeting of George Clooney (evil mastermind) and Hillary Clinton in SF banging pots and shouting “hey hey ho ho Hillary Clinton has got to go.”

    so, you know, fuck that noise. You do what you think is best. Bernie decided to declare war on Hilary Clinton and the Democratic Party, not the other way around.

  154. 154.

    HRA

    Silly me I thought for once there would be a thread without the flinging of political mud here. All this does is make me wonder what you all would write if it was HRC meeting the pope.

    Now what is it the Bill Clinton said yesterday about the young Bernie voters shooting someone from Wall St,? Note: Memeorandum has the links.

  156. 156.

    dr. bloor

    @Morzer:

    I’d suggest they remember that there have been times -and there will be times in the future – when the Democrats were extremely grateful to have Bernie Sanders as a reliable vote in the Senate.

    If Sanders never existed, Vermont would have sent a real Democrat to the Senate who wouldn’t have been such a special snowflake on every and any fucking thing that came down the pike. To use the baseball analogy, Bernie is at best a Replacement-Level Democrat.

    I’m also getting a little tired of being lectured by Bernistas about my morals and political acumen. If Clinton is such an obviously terrible choice and “not all that and a bag of chips,” why is she mopping the floor with your boy to the tune of two-and-a-half million popular votes?

    No one’s making you stay here, and you’re not shifting anyone’s opinions about anything. Bugger off.

  157. 157.

    amk

    @Morzer:

    I see a lot of unappealing talk from the Clintonites on here.

    goose, gander, sauce and all that. bs bots also need to remember who is the real enemy here.

  158. 158.

    Ken

    Then there are the automated public toilets that clean themselves after each use – lock the door, spray down the interior with sanitizing solution, and do a hot-air dry. To me they always sounded like a lawsuit waiting to happen, or a set-up for one of the weirder kills in a Final Destination movie.

  160. 160.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    It should also be mentioned that some media outlets have let slip that KKKarl Rove and his people are behind a lot of the nasty rumors going around on the Dem candidates. Both sides need to stop a second and think how happy they are making Rove when they act this way.

    BTW – on the flight home last night I walked down the jetway with Al Franken and we had a hilarious talk – the guy really is a total treat. He ended up sitting behind Norm Coleman on the plane (I wanted to say “Nice to see to Wellstone Democrats on the plane” (a real shot at Norm for those who don’t know his history)) but they were behind me several rows so I didn’t get the chance. I did ask Al about the story that Norm wanted to run for Gov but Rove called & told him that was Pawlenty’s slot & he should get his ass kicked by Al instead. Franken told me that didn’t happen, it was the Dark Lord Himself, Cheney that informed Coleman he would be a Senate candidate.

  162. 162.

    p.a.

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): @magurakurin:

    I chose to remain optimistic at this point; it’s only April. My concern isn’t what is said now, my concern is an ugly convention and how that affects the party’s perception all the way down to the local level. Here’s hoping the potential Rethug shitstorm convention overshadows any Dem nastiness. Of course even Bernie & Hil joining hands to sing kumbaya won’t preclude ‘Dems in Disarray’ headlines, will they Fournier?

  164. 164.

    Immanentize

    It’s the economy stupid

    Reading this thread, I actually got an insight — I originally thought that Bernie was like Bill Clinton 1992 by maintaining amazing message discipline. But that slogan was to reign in Clinton’s voracious information wonkery. It was a reminder to the campaign to keep Clinton from going off the rails (I’m sure some of you remember his 1988 convention speech?)

    But in this election it soon became clear that Bernie didn’t know about anything else — wasn’t even curious about other things.
    And then it became clear that Bernie doesn’t even know about this one thing.
    Having an incurious person as leader (at work or in country) is not a good thing

  165. 165.

    Aimai

    @Morzer: her policy prescriptions have been out there for a while. She hasn’t moved left, really. Bernie and his rabid supporters just ignore her actual history as a political actor because it makes them feel powerful.

  168. 168.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Morzer:

    I do wonder whether the Clintonites on here realize that by trying to reduce Bernie to a stump speech

    For the record, I haven’t. He has. Everything I hear is “Money is the root of all evil.” and “The rich are screwing you.” and “Money is corrupting politics.” all of which is true on at least some level. So what? What are you going to do about it Bernie?

    And I hear…. (………)

    If she’s all that and a bag of chips, why hasn’t she put the Old Loser away already?

    OK, to repeat myself, ad nauseum because people forget the words I have actually used and try to put other peoples words into my mouth, Hillary has plenty of flaws and I have never said Bernie was a loser. (snarky retort deleted)

    I finally ended up voting for Hillary for a # of reasons, not least of which (maybe even my main reason) is because she is a Democrat. Bernie is not. If Hillary should get elected, she will have a party backing her, a party she has backed for many decades. Bernie is not a Democrat. If he should get elected, he will not have a party backing him because he has never backed the party. If one is a Senator from Vermont, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an independent. It allowed him to caucus with Dems while letting him not back the things Dems do that he doesn’t like. I respect that.

    But for a President? It is a fatal weakness that will kill his presidency in the first year. Bernie can’t do anything all by himself with only the force of his will to back him up.

  169. 169.

    MomSense

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):

    I met him at a fundraiser years ago. All of us were socializing and he had disappeared. The hosts found him hanging out with all the kids and teenagers in the other room. They followed the laughter and there he was. Made us all like him even more.

  170. 170.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    @Immanentize:

    Scuba. We’re in Puerto Morelos, in the Yucatan, a short drive south of Cancun. It’s a fishing village, very laid back – I love it here. The reef and wreck dives are good with a lot of fish and beautiful coral, but we were fighting a lot of current for our day of reef dives. First dive should have started as a pure drift dive but we suffered an inexperienced divemaster that day and never could hit the target while huffing air. Second dive that day was much better. There are a lot of dive shops here, and they’re all pretty good.

    The cenotes here are great and I have the hookup on an outstanding guide that I’ve used three times over the course of the last year. They’re mostly fresh with s halocline at about 35-40 feet, but a few are brackish as you get closer to the sea; one had a direct opening.

    If you’re headed that way, let me know, and I’ll shoot you his info.

  171. 171.

    Aimai

    @Morzer: i understand from bernie and his supporters that there is no votung with us -and no shared vision, dince we are all corporate whores, war mongers, and smell old or southern. In short “i learned it from you dad.”

  172. 172.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @magurakurin: We saw a few washlets in our trip to Japan around 1998. We never had enough courage to try one. Your comments made me look at Toto’s web page. It looks like the washlet system can be retrofitted to standard toilets. Neat stuff, and something to think about when we eventually remodel our bathrooms.

    Thanks.

    efg – I wouldn’t worry about overheating. They have a “thermal fuse” protection, and it’s pretty easy to design in safety features (one knows the supply voltage so it’s easy to limit the thermal power in the design by limiting the current – P = IV).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  174. 174.

    magurakurin

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Yeah people pop the seats on old toilets here all the time. I too, was reluctant to use one for a long time. But, they really are quite practical. If you have the chance to get one, you should. You will be pleased.

  175. 175.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @SarahT:
    A plane of high school kids unloaded while we were waiting and ran over to talk to him. He was funny and gracious as should be expected, he answered all their questions and was having a grand time till the teachers finally had to drag the kids away.

    It also was very clear that Al does not like Norm even a little and does not care who heard him say so. They talked cordially for a couple of minutes on the plane but I don’t think Normy likes Al much either.

    I had a long talk with Norm a few weeks back while waiting for a plane. He sat down next to me so I opened by asking him how his battle with throat cancer was going & told him about mine. His was stage 4 with lymph nodes involved but he is getting the latest and greatest treatments at Mayo. I told him “Boy, I bet your glad you have insurance!” but I don’t think he got the dig or at least pretended like he didn’t.

  177. 177.

    satby

    @Morzer: AGAIN… how I dislike Bernie has nothing to do with Clinton. Nothing. If he managed to get the nomination I would vote for him, but thank dog he won’t, because his behavior to just about everyone, but especially his own wife, really soured me on the guy. That is his own creation, and Clinton has nothing to do with it.

  178. 178.

    Immanentize

    @Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class: Thank you! we are actually spending part of the weekend planning our summer. My son the Immp loves diving — started with snorkel then resort diving, just got certified. We were thinking maybe a return to Belize, but what you have described sounds perfect. I will put it into the mix and if we want to look further, I’ll let you know in a later thread. Thanks again.

  181. 181.

    ThresherK

    @dr. bloor: “Replacement Level-(party member)” needs to be a thing. If only to remind our media betters that the “bi(partisan)-curious” reputation of the moderate Rs is never earned.

    (I’m looking at you, Susan Collins.)

  183. 183.

    Emma

    @Aimai: Not to mention the “Hillary has cheated in every election she’s ever been in,” which is a paraphrase of one of Bernie’s supporters at their protest last night. So we’re all corporate whores who support a serial cheater and political criminal.

  184. 184.

    Chyron HR

    @PsiFighter37:

    Things aren’t all that bad, he met with the Pope
    Got a papal decoration and a kindly word
    So even if the voters gave Bernie the bird
    The Burlington/Italy axis still has some hope!

  187. 187.

    different-church-lady

    @Aimai: Hang on, I’m going to go write that down in my “Sentences I never thought I’d see” notebook…

  189. 189.

    satby

    @satby: and you know, continuing to insist that the only reason anyone doesn’t like Bernie Sanders is because we’re all “Clintonites” is being kind of dickish too. It’s perfectly possible to dislike him independently of evaluating her, it’s just that when one has eliminated Bernie from their voting options Clinton is who remains (at least for sentient beings). Hardly blind loyalty to Clinton or a ringing endorsement. People keep telling you they wanted to like, wanted to vote for, in some cases did vote for Sanders but now can’t stand him. That’s a tell that it’s not about Clinton.

  190. 190.

    Immanentize

    @Emma: I am just waiting to see how Hillary steals New York — will it be the Mad Money Men of Wall St. who own everything in the state including She who Must be Stopped and all NY voters? Or will it be those blah southerners who are sleeper cell sell outs who “happen” to have been born in New York for this very purpose?

  191. 191.

    Punchy

    @Punchy: Just finished. Got a PR, so there’s that. Missed my goal time by ~25 secs. So there’s THAT. Running is fusterating.

  192. 192.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: I believe the theory that Sanders is surprised by his own success because he seems to be making his campaign strategy up as he goes along rather than having it thought through. I find the infighting painful, which is why I could never be a politician. (Among many other reasons such as that I’m unqualified.)

  194. 194.

    different-church-lady

    @Morzer:

    Far be it from me to mention a certain politician who endlessly repeated the very Berniesque line “It’s the economy, stupid.”

    That was the B. Clinton campaign’s internal slogan, not a campaign line. It wouldn’t have made any sense as a public slogan because it was self-effacing: the “stupid” was Clinton himself.

    Aside from the fact that Bill wanted to strengthen the existing economic system, and Bernie wants to remake it.

  197. 197.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Pretty much everything about him screams that he hasn’t ever thought anything through – which has worked as long as he stayed a curmudgeon from Vermont. He’s Trump.

  198. 198.

    different-church-lady

    @Poopyman:

    Half the electorate is of below average intelligence. Remember that.

    I suspect it’s closer to 75%

  199. 199.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @SarahT:
    THANKS! I am now 5 years free and there are plenty of people here that will tell you I do not keep anyone’s spirits up!

    I got lucky & discovered mine at stage 2. I wish I could have afforded the sort of care Norm is getting but I won’t complain as it could have been so much worse than it is for me today.

  202. 202.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @SarahT: Well said. Thanks for the reports, Schlemazel. I’ve always liked Franken, and Coleman always seemed like an empty suit. Even Franken’s fundraising e-mails are worth reading. It was a crime that he was prevented from taking his Senate seat for so long.

    Best of luck, S(PR)!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  205. 205.

    WaterGirl

    This thread was a lot more fun before it morphed into the Clinton – Sanders fighting. But everyone who says they can’t wait for this primary to be over? Remember: once the primary is over, we are that much closer to the end of Barack Obama’s term, which I would like to see last forever.

  207. 207.

    ruemara

    @Micheline: secretly. With no pics. Just take our word for it! I’d feel the Bern better if he showed a level of common sense. This just makes me glad no donations have crossed his palm. He’s not winning Catholics or Latinos doing this or sending out emails implying that he and the Pope are on the same level. It’s the opposite of good strategy.

    I need a something, so I’m going to go take pictures. Hopefully, I hear my car just has a bad.battery and I put yet another stupid bad thing behind me and don’t dip into the upcoming shoot fund. That’s the day.

  208. 208.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @different-church-lady:
    Well, you have to separate ‘average’ from ‘median’ The 1/2 of all voters are below average but the median voter is an idiot with mere morons falling on the same half as people who know, understand and care.

  210. 210.

    Soylent Green

    @Ken:

    Then there are the automated public toilets that clean themselves after each use

    Change a few components and you have the suicide booths on Futurarama.

  211. 211.

    Elizabelle

    Good morning, Juicers. Great cartoons.

    Here’s link to the NYTimes Dick Cavett article: Trumpo, the Unfunny Marx Brother, mentioned above.

    It’s no surprise, and no fun, hearing that our country has become a laughingstock abroad. The laughter is mixed with a dose of panic.

    A friend in London writes: “We are rubbing our eyes in disbelief at the frightening spectacle of the American political scene. It seems to be a nightmare from which the United States cannot awaken.”

    Yet here we are, having to endure Donald Trump. Limited space prevents the inclusion of a complete (or even partial) list of transgressions, but let’s just point out that this is a man who claims he can get along with everybody, yet managed to have a tiff with the pope.

    Issue is, though, that the other GOP candidates are just as panic-inducing. But everyone (media, pundits, embarrassed Republicans) can empty their volleys on Trumpo, without being honest enough to look at what’s waiting in the wings. All GOP candidates would have suckworthy cabinets and platforms. Can we be honest about that?

    For media, no. You get to read between the lines, or have to read at all. Which most people don’t (ie. read their news, instead of osmosis from passing a TV or radio), and Trumpo coming to prominence in the first place is the biggest indictment against for-profit media out there.

    Radio news seems to be doing a better job than network and cable news. They’re used to making the most of a small segment.

  212. 212.

    Glidwrith

    @Immanentize: Nope, they are all going to be screaming the system is corrupt because they failed to change their registration to Dem in time to vote in the primary.

  213. 213.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    Unlike many I did not think Obama was the messiah when he ran, I’m too old and cynical to believe there will ever be one. I and very glad for what he managed to get done & disappointed in all the things still left to do but that shouldn’t surprise anyone who has paid any attention in American History class.

    I expect to have the same reaction at the end of 8 years of Hillary or Bernie (though I am not convinced Bernie has 8 years in him, sorry) and will live grateful in the knowledge it could have been so so so much worse if anyone capable of winning the GOP nomination were in the White House. At this point in time we need to be fighting a holding action as best we can. Limit the damage, lay the ground work, build the forces, until the day more American voters finally pull their heads out of their asses and set fire to the GOP and its owners.

  214. 214.

    Elizabelle

    Next part of Cavett’s essay, and it’s the money part. Although I think the Democrats HAVE tried to improve the lot of working and nonworking folk. (Who get their news from GOP sources, channeled through for-profit corporate media.) The ACA is hugely helpful, although still too expensive for many.

    Many of the people who like Trump are people who have been brutally ignored by the government and the media for a long, long time. We have failed to cover that part of America that is struggling, bitter and seething. We spend too much time talking to senators and other bores, and not enough talking to the jobless.

    Many have legitimate gripes. Those who were granted a mortgage they couldn’t afford on a house they couldn’t afford and then lost it to foreclosure in 2010. Those who had health insurance but were bankrupted nonetheless by one serious illness in the family. Those who lost children in the Middle East, and then realized how unnecessary the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, or desperately need to justify them. Those who have been adversely affected by affirmative action (or think they have).

    Hard-working people in non-glam jobs and humble living quarters might well be attracted to a man who promises to change everything. And the less specific he is, the easier it is for them to fantasize about the how. They love Trump because for some reason they see him as the embodiment of the entrepreneur in America — rising from nothing to become “yuge.” (Ironically, they might have been looking at President Obama that way, if his skin were fairer.)

  215. 215.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):

    I don’t think anyone here thought Obama was the messiah. All of us professed Obots here appreciated his intelligence, his demeanor, his thoughtfulness and his preternatural calm. We were right to do so, but it seems to me that we never indulged in the over the top disregard of the nature of political reality that the emoprogs did. He is and was a clear eyed pragmatist who knew how to work the levers of power that he could to ratchet in the other direction from the Bush horrors. That’s all I hoped for, and look at what he’s accomplished in face of the revilement from both the left and the right.

  218. 218.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    ThinkProgress has a good takedown of Kasich’s response to a question about campus rape:

    Kasich at first ignored the student’s question and turned to his staffer, joking that he had to go and didn’t want to miss his ride. He then suggested that all colleges offer victims of sexual assault “confidential reporting,” rape kits, and “the opportunity to be able to pursue justice after you have had some time to reflect on it all.” He concludes by telling the woman, a first-year at New York’s Saint Lawrence University: “I will give you one bit of advice. Don’t go to parties where there’s a lot of alcohol.”

    Watch:

    The Democratic National Committee blasted Kasich for “blaming victims of sexual and domestic violence,” and noted, “It is no wonder women are turning away from the Republican field in huge numbers.”

    Not only did Kasich’s remark place the onus for preventing assault entirely on the victim, it also perpetuates the disproved myth that there is a direct link between alcohol consumption and rape. In fact, incidents of rape have been declining since 1979, while binge drinking has been steadily rising during the same time period. While alcohol is present in about half of all sexual assaults, it’s also present in about that same percentage of all violent crimes. Oddly, government officials never tell victims of armed robberies to avoid alcohol.

    Additionally, many studies have shown that booze is just one of many tools perpetrators use to prey on their victims, along with methods including physical isolation and psychological manipulation. Yet that hasn’t stopped government officials, college administrators, and fraternal organizations from pointing to alcohol as the main or sole factor, going to far as to ban female students from fraternity parties for their safety.

    […]

    He has (roughly early) college age twin daughters. Does he really think it’s acceptable for his daughters to live in an environment like that? Does he really think it’s acceptable to mostly address campus rape after-the-fact?

    He advocates policies as reactionary as the rest of the Teabaggers, even though (as Drum points out) he’s gotten the (relatively) most favorable treatment in the press. He’s no moderate and the major press outlets do the country a disservice in continuing to treat politics as a horserace…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  219. 219.

    Kay

    @Elizabelle:

    Obama himself said this. This is from his book:

    Increasingly I found myself spending time with people of means — law firm partners and investment bankers, hedge fund managers and venture capitalists. As a rule, they were smart, interesting people, knowledgeable about public policy, liberal in their politics, expecting nothing more than a hearing of their opinions in exchange for their checks. But they reflected, almost uniformly, the perspectives of their class: the top 1 percent or so of the income scale that can afford to write a $2,000 check to a political candidate. They believed in the free market and an educational meritocracy; they found it hard to imagine that there might be any social ill that could not be cured by a high SAT score. They had no patience with protectionism, found unions troublesome, and were not particularly sympathetic to those whose lives were upended by the movements of global capital. Most were adamantly prochoice and antigun and were vaguely suspicious of deep religious sentiment.
    And although my own worldview and theirs corresponded in many ways — I had gone to the same schools, after all, had read the same books, and worried about my kids in many of the same ways — I found myself avoiding certain topics during conversations with them, papering over possible differences, anticipating their expectations. On core issues I was candid; I had no problem telling well-heeled supporters that the tax cuts they’d received from George Bush should be reversed. Whenever I could, I would try to share with them some of the perspectives I was hearing from other portions of the electorate: the legitimate role of faith in politics, say, or the deep cultural meaning of guns in rural parts of the state.
    Still, I know that as a consequence of my fund-raising I became more like the wealthy donors I met, in the very particular sense that I spent more and more of my time above the fray, outside the world of immediate hunger, disappointment, fear, irrationality, and frequent hardship of the other 99 percent of the population — that is, the people that I’d entered public life to serve. And in one fashion or another, I suspect this is true for every senator: The longer you are a senator, the narrower the scope of your interactions. You may fight it, with town hall meetings and listening tours and stops by the old neighborhood. But your schedule dictates that you move in a different orbit from most of the people you represent.

    It’s really interesting to me that he used “the 99%” before OWS made it famous :)

    I think he said it because it’s true. It isn’t the “quid pro quo” – illegality or even immorality- it’s ACCESS. The people they hear from the most are not representative.

  221. 221.

    Doug R

    When the guys restroom is broken, I self identify as a human that needs to pee RIGHT NOW!

  222. 222.

    Kay

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    Kasich governs like a patronizing, slightly disinterested CEO. He treats the (elected) members of his own Party like this in this state, like they’re fools or rubes that he’s lowering himself to manage. He feels state government is somehow below his skill set. His national persona is a fraud- he invented it for this campaign. I think it;s part of why the GOP hates him- I hear “patronizing” and “sanctimonious” again and again. It would be one thing if it were real, if he really were this warm aw shucks guy, but he’s not and they know it.

  223. 223.

    Anya

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: I am in this section and I am already annoyed. You know who has it worse? The black and brown voters & you don’t see them holding the whole country hostage? And when were these bitter, angry voters ever ignored when the media covered their biggested tantrum and made their leaders/grinfters household names. Also, they’re not intererested in solutions for these problems. If they were, they wouldn’t be supporting the Short Fingered Vulgarian. Their biggest issue is racial resentment & anger over the browning of America.

    Many have legitimate gripes. Those who were granted a mortgage they couldn’t afford on a house they couldn’t afford and then lost it to foreclosure in 2010. Those who had health insurance but were bankrupted nonetheless by one serious illness in the family. Those who lost children in the Middle East, and then realized how unnecessary the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, or desperately need to justify them. Those who have been adversely affected by affirmative action (or think they have).

    Dishonest shit like this annoys me.

  224. 224.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    The antidote to this kind of privileged bullshit is a woman president who prioritizes women and children’s issues, and who continues the black president’s progress. That’s the true revolutionary act.

    @Anya:

    Their biggest issue is racial resentment & anger over the browning of America.

    Bingo. That’s why Sanders “revolution” is a total fraud.

  225. 225.

    Gin & Tonic

    I’m frankly not impressed with the level of charitable donations shown on the Sanders 1040 from 2014 that was distributed yesterday. My wife and I have consistently donated a larger percentage of our AGI, and I don’t hold myself out to be any progressive messiah.

  226. 226.

    gogol's wife

    The “Bernie” signs I see around my little town are all on the richest, whitest street. I find that a little strange.

  227. 227.

    Kay

    @Elizabelle:

    This part of Obama’s reflection on access and what is really a kind of capture hit home, because boy, is it true:

    They believed in the free market and an educational meritocracy; they found it hard to imagine that there might be any social ill that could not be cured by a high SAT score.

    Unfortunately that pretty much defines Arne Duncan.

  231. 231.

    Kay

    @gogol’s wife:

    I hope Clinton resists the urge to defend on which state is representative of the D Party and delegate rules, partly because Sanders is just wrong- he lost states that are absolute mirrors of the national D electorate- but also because no one outside a small slice of fanatics gives a shit about Party process.

    She should outsource that to surrogates. They sound like Donald Trump. It’s boring and self-centered.

  233. 233.

    Cacti

    @Emma:

    Not to mention the “Hillary has cheated in every election she’s ever been in,” which is a paraphrase of one of Bernie’s supporters at their protest last night. So we’re all corporate whores who support a serial cheater and political criminal.

    And remember, George Clooney raising money for Democrats: bad.

    Tim Robbins insulting entire states: good

    Susan Sarandon saying Bernie or Bust: good

  234. 234.

    amk

    @Anya:

    This. All of their miseries are out of their own doing, voting for the vile corrupt party election after election and state after state. And yet somehow it’s the affirmative action that did them in.

  235. 235.

    Kay

    @Elizabelle:

    He’s the best D politician in several generations and he recognized the problem. I think it’s gotten better just in the last 5 or so years. I see less of a laser-like focus on the workplace issues of professionals than I used to see. For a long time it was like “the 70%” were relegated to “labor reporters” and Lefty sites. I think part of what happened is “labor writers” got younger. They can’t just cover “labor”- that would be one day a month- so they expanded to “lower wage” and it became more popular to pick up what they were focusing on. It helps. I knew it had changed when Politico hired one- although they got rid of him probably because he tried to organize Politico :)

  236. 236.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Cacti:

    Jealousy and resentment appears to be the only thing fueling Bernie and his acolytes at this point, like the Tea Party. Of what and why I won’t say, but they’ve become immune to reality.

  237. 237.

    srv

    Women don’t care about the bathroom, they care about where the boys are:

    Sanders closed a 13-point gap in a Fox News Channel poll last month to just two points, 48-46 percent. The boost came from female voters, a longtime Clinton stronghold. The former secretary of state’s support among women dropped by 11 points, while Sanders’ showing jumped by 9 points.

  239. 239.

    D58826

    I can’t link the article because it’s on my twitter feed on my Iphone but the American Prospect has a long article on how Bernie would pay for all of his free stuff. There is a lot of detail but:
    1. he is proposing 11 different tax increases
    2. while most of the taxes are skewed toward the 1%, the rest of us would also fee the ‘bern’ in out pocketbooks
    3. his capital gains rate of 64% is twice the next highest rate found in Sweden
    4. his stock transaction tax could shut down Wall street (I know for Bernie a feature not a bug)
    5. the folks who analyze tax policy are having a problem determining the full impact of Bernie’s proposals because they are so sweeping. The changes are even greater than the tax changes during WWI and WWII.
    6. It appears that under single payer most folks who currently have employer based plans will be net losers.

    The GOP will have an absolute field day with these tax proposals. If they are part of the democratic platform I suspect most democrats running for office will be out of town when candidate Bernie shows up in their district/state. If President Hillary submitted them to the new Senate in 2017, they would get 1 vote – Sanders. I have no problem with seeing the 1% pay more but beyond a certain point it becomes counter productive. Some of his ideas are probably worth looking into, such as lifting the cap on social security taxes. But as an overall package these tax plans really are a war on capitalism. Again a feature not a bug from the self proclaimed socialist.

  240. 240.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    @Immanentize:

    Google up videos for Dos Ojos cenote (also Casa cenote); those would be good examples of cenotes which a newer diver could manage, and gives you a good taste of the buoyancy skills needed to avoid stalactite and stalagmite formations while inside the caverns. Plus, the views are phenomenal!

  241. 241.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Kay, still worried about Kasich? My local news’s political segment last night included some tape of Kasich speaking to a group of people in either NY or PA. He read from prepared remarks. This tells me he and his campaign are increasingly concerned his off-the-cuff “charm” isn’t winning him any votes.

  243. 243.

    Kay

    They probably were in his way, but still. I love the photo:

    Two members of CWA Local 2108 at the Gaithersburg, Md., garage were hit by a Verizon management attorney driving his Porsche. That says it all, doesn’t it? One member was not seriously hurt, but the second was taken to the hospital. Another CWAer from Local 2108 who works at the Chesapeake Complex call center in Silver Spring, Md., also was hit by a management vehicle while on the picket line.
    In Philadelphia County, Pa., a Verizon manager had a confrontation with a police officer and ignored the officer’s direction to stop. The manager tried to drive away but was later arrested.

  244. 244.

    Doug R

    @Baud: A friend of mine installed a Japanese toilet with warm bidet among other things. Most popular room in his house.

  245. 245.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Kay: I really think that Kasich should have been run out of town by the voters after his interview with the Plain Dealer in 2014. It is inexcusable for a public official to act that way. But the Ohio voters apparently didn’t care. How they could treat the Democrat’s lack of a driver’s license for ~ 10 years as being more important is baffling to me… :-/

    He would be a disaster as President (and fortunately that will not happen), and Ohio deserves much, much better.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who wonders how the ghost of Howard Metzenbaum would regard Ohio politics now…)

  247. 247.

    The Sheriff Endorses Baud 2016

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: The Democratic donor class wasn’t anywhere to be found. Kasich continually lapped Fitzgerald in funding and I don’t recall ever seeing a Fitzgerald ad or yard sign. He was even more of an invisible candidate than Eric Fingerhut and Tim Hagan. I’ve never quite heard t explained why, though. The donors looked at Kasich’s war chest and said ‘fuck this’, the donors went all hands on deck to retake the Senate and statehouses be damned, residual grousing over Fitzgerald’s role the fall of Jimmy Dimora and Frank Russo, I don’t know. Kay could explain better.

  248. 248.

    debbie

    @The Sheriff Endorses Baud 2016:

    I’ve never quite heard t explained why, though.

    The Dems dropped Fitzgerald like a hot potato when it was discovered he’d driven close to 10 years without a license. Apparently it was too embarrassing.

    In other words, the Ohio GOP has totally cowed the Ohio Democratic Party.

  250. 250.

    Kay

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    The Democrat was horrible. I sort of pal around with a lawyer here in our work, we’re “work friends”- she’s a former Republican but she switched sides in 2006. She’s great- an enthusiastic convert- goes to events, is incredibly hard working. She was so disappointed with the D candidate. She was angry at the Party for foisting this fucking idiot on us who believes he doesn’t have to hold a driver’s license when he’s driving public vehicles. It’s arrogance. It wasn’t minor. It was absolutely moronic to put him up against Kasich. Also? There was truth to the 2nd allegation, that he had affairs. He was running on his family- marriage and fatherhood. I met his teenage son during the campaign- nice, shy kid. Why he had to put those kids thru that when he knew it would come up? Mind-blowing. It’s child abuse.

  253. 253.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Debbie, probably 10% of the people in this town don’t have a driver’s license. If they get caught driving they sometimes go to jail. They beg and plead for “driving privileges” to go to work and back. Why does the former FBI agent feel he doesn’t have to follow laws?

  254. 254.

    henqiguai

    @D58826(#242):

    Some of his ideas are probably worth looking into, such as lifting the cap on social security taxes.

    That ain’t Bernie’s idea, that’s been kicking around for many years.

  255. 255.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    There will be more coming out. The state GOP sued to get his “swipe card” data, the card he used as a public employee to park at work. The security agency defended on grounds that it would put security at risk- judges and prosecutors park there and they could be targeted. They won. The OH supremes just reversed because that garage has been demolished and so other peoples’ data (when they come and go, what vehicle they drive) is no longer a security risk. We’re now going to find out that he didn’t go to work a lot.

  256. 256.

    ? Martin

    @Davis X. Machina:

    There isn’t anything else. Change the currently-dominant mode of production — late-stage finance capitalism — and everything else changes.

    I don’t disagree with that, but he’s not presenting a plan to do that. And he’s confusing that plan with his efforts to change how the political system works (also poisoned by late-stage finance capitalism).

    The way to get Democrats to overthrow the political status quo is not to go after Obamacare and Apple (particularly when your core demographic is 18-25 year olds). The problem he faces is that the public’s view – particularly that of many middle-class Democrats – of the current capitalist system is not the view of the 50 year-old textile worker, which is how he most often frames it. The current capitalist system, particularly the tech industry of the last decade, has been a democratic empowering one that allows people to have an economic existence more independent of those large corporate entities. You now have more credible alternatives to Goldman Sachs than at any time in the last 20 years, but I don’t think he realizes that. GS is still a dominant player, but you now have mechanisms to undermine that power which don’t require a centralized agent. This is happening to all kinds of industries right now, and will continue to. Consider that the 18-25 year old demographic is as we speak throwing off the shackles of the largest, most consumer-dominant, and most capital-destructive late-state finance capitalism agent – the auto industry.

    You can’t overthrow this form of capitalism without overthrowing the two party system as it exists now (Citizens United dominated). He’s correct to focus on that, but his core problem is that he needs to overthrow the Democratic party without overthrowing democratic ideas, and he’s blowing that part – partially by failing to demonstrate how a new approach would work, partially by confusing his message with tangential items, and partially by just not being sufficiently competent at the day-to-day stuff like foreign policy which POTUS does not get to opt out of in favor of their pet interest.

  257. 257.

    J R in WV

    @srv:

    So you are trying to justify political positions by citing a poll managed by an organization dedicated to fostering Republican politicians, and demonizing Democrats? Faux News opinion polling?

    Really –> ? ?

    That’s just so sad, that you think anyone here will be swayed by a Faux poll. I was amazed at first you admitted it was from Faux in your post, but of course you know that everyone here knows how to look that up in 20 seconds.

  259. 259.

    Ruckus

    @satby:
    Feel the same way. I was never a Sanders fan as I thought his ideals were too one note but that he would be decent as a candidate. I was wrong. It’s not just his ideals that are too one note. He isn’t the affable guy he seemed like with out the spotlight, he’s a beyond his years old coot, with a single ideal world theory and no way to get there. And the theory maybe 100% correct but it’s like climbing a mountain that’s never been climbed with no visible routes. Every foot of the way has to be done by knowledge and experience. And he’s build up only enough of those to hike a well marked trail that someone completely out of shape and his age doesn’t struggle with.

  260. 260.

    Ruckus

    @Punchy:
    Nice!
    A question, do you have or have you tried a coach? Running properly requires the proper form for you, not necessarily the same form for everyone. When I ran, finding a proper form changed me dramatically. Of course I was only slightly less slow but my endurance was far better. And as I was training to race survive triathlons that was OK.

  261. 261.

    Ruckus

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):
    You did a sideways mention of something I’ve had in the back of my mind. 72 is not that old for some but the job he’s interviewing for is a bit of a hard slog. Who would he think about being his VP? He’s not exactly all that robust and seems to not have a lot of political friends so who might he pick? Sure wouldn’t be Clinton. Who would he trust to carry out his “plan” if not him? Can anyone think of a possibility? I’m drawing a blank.

  262. 262.

    ? Martin

    @Elizabelle:

    The ACA is hugely helpful, although still too expensive for many.

    Medicare expansion is a core part of ACA. That some states are punishing residents for their poverty is not a failing of ACA. ACA also made some improvements for Medicare.

  263. 263.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Ruckus: What drives me crazy is the way his candidacy promotes the Cult of the Presidency and Green Lanternisim. You would think if the Obama years taught people anything is that a President needs a Congress. It’s one thing for the people who have no political memory to get excited about the “Revolution”, but anyone who was paying attention for last eight years to buy into, and promote, the “Bernie will…” nonsense is infuriating. Apparently the idiot Sarandon said last night on Maher that Obama “left his grass roots support on the White House lawn”. A less obviously stupid line than the twenty-something who said Obama should have tweeted more, but not by much.
    ETA: To say nothing of promoting the idea that the real enemy is Democratic “whores” and the weakling and/or crypto-Republican Obama

  264. 264.

    Elie

    Found this interesting article about Bernie’s problems with managing his donations…

    Quote:
    Since October of 2015 to the end of January, the FEC counted a total of 665 potentially illegal foreign donations to the Sanders campaign, and hundreds of donors who have exceeded their contribution limits. The FEC noted more foreign contributions in just the month of January than in the previous three months combined, and has flagged over 3,500 contributions as over-limit. Through the end of December alone, the Sanders campaign had collected more than $23 million in donations without sourcing them or certifying that those came from donors whose aggregate total giving is below $200.”
    snip:
    “For someone so interested about campaign – and even non-campaign – contributions to other candidates, the American people deserve to know where Sanders’ money is coming from. And no, Bernie’s signature, dismissive diatribe of “our money comes from people giving $27″ is just not cutting it anymore.”
    snip
    Because of Bernie Sanders’ boasting about how much money he is raising, it is a fact that his campaign has plenty of money to hire a competent accounting and technology team. It also appears that he has both, given their social media campaigns and the speed with which they announce their fundraising totals by the night, including the precise number of donors and the average contribution down to the penny. It is a legitimate question, then, to ask why his campaign cannot keep the books in order when it comes to actual official reporting. It is a fair question to ask whether a candidate presiding over a campaign getting consecutive FEC notices with threats of audits can be entrusted with the United States Treasury.

    More of the same — core incompetence with few excuses for why, since he has money —-

  265. 265.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Kay: Thanks for the background. I don’t know the details of what was going on with him, but I almost never look at the expiration date on my license. Does Ohio send out reminders? Virginia lets one renew licenses online in most cases these days (and has for many years).

    Ohio rules:

    EXPIRED MORE THAN SIX MONTHS

    If the driver license is expired more than six months, a driver must obtain a temporary permit and successfully complete all required testing before a new driver license can be issued.

    TPM:

    Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ed FitzGerald did not have a valid driver’s license when Westlake police found him with a woman who was not his wife at 4:30 in the morning two years ago.

    That’s according to The Columbus Dispatch which noted that if, as FitzGerald said, he drove his car home after he drove the woman, Joanne Grehan, to her hotel, he would have been violating Ohio law which says someone with only a temporary permit has to be with a licensed driver.

    It’s not clear if Grehan had a valid Irish driver’s license, but if she did, it would have made it legal for FitzGerald to drive while she was in the car, but not after he dropped her off.

    At the time, FitzGerald had only temporary driving permits for 2008 to 2009, 2010 to 2011, and 2011 to 2012. He got a regular driver’s license on November 15, 2012, according to the Dispatch.

    […]

    I had a succession of temporary permits as a kid because I never took driver’s ed. (I planned to take it in summer school but it was canceled, and I had to wait until I was 18 to get the final license.) I doubt that was his excuse. :-/

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  268. 268.

    Technocrat

    @Davis X. Machina:

    There isn’t anything else. Change the currently-dominant mode of production — late-stage finance capitalism — and everything else changes. The mode of production in material life determines the social, political and intellectual life processes in general.

    I think the problem is believing that this is something you can change in a voting booth. It’s not simply the politicians we elect that perpetuate it, it’s that cool new thing we just bought on Amazon, or the 2 hours we spent on Facebook, or the next-gen iPhone we had to have. The “system” isn’t simply some small group of fatcats sitting in a smoky parlor, it’s the aggregate of billions of human decisions (the vast majority of which aren’t even American humans). It has momentum, and a vast inertia.

    This is why, if I’m honest, I really am one of those infamous “corporatists”. I think Mark Zuckerberg (for example) has more ability to affect large scale systemic change than any politician in the US Government, and that power will only grow as effective AI becomes a reality.

    A Progressive President is kind of “fine, whatever” for me. A Progressive who owned Facebook or Amazon would excite me.

  269. 269.

    Ruckus

    @Elie:

    More of the same — core incompetence with few excuses for why, since he has money

    That sounds strangely familiar. I know I’ve heard the same concept somewhere……. Minimum wage fast food workers? No. My doctor? No. Wealthy conservatives? Bingo!

  270. 270.

    Brachiator

    @PsiFighter37:

    I wonder how shamelessly the Sanders campaign will flog Bernie’s ‘meeting’ with the pope in an effort to win votes.

    Wouldn’t it be more of a shame if he didn’t exploit the meeting for votes?

  271. 271.

    Ruckus

    @Brachiator:
    I wouldn’t use the word shame for him not exploiting the meeting. I’d actually have to give him a little respect for it. It wouldn’t even the score on my tote board but still something positive. But with his team and his actually shaking the pope’s hand? Not a fucking chance that he doesn’t.

  275. 275.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    I hadn’t heard anything other than the license bit, but having sat through Traffic Court for almost a day, around here it’s much higher than 10%. How could the party not vetted him any better?

  276. 276.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Elie: from the article:

    Bernie’s campaign line has been to dismiss these concerns.

    Bernie’s campaign, and his supporters, dismiss everything. If they acknowledged the things they dismiss, it all falls apart- the delusions and the gravy train.

  277. 277.

    The Sheriff Endorses Baud 2016

    @Kay: Erf. I underestimated how the license issue must have played. Owch.

    @debbie: To be fair, Sherrod Brown and the state Dems pantsed Josh Mandel the same way in 2012. The bench for both sides isn’t deep here.

  278. 278.

    different-church-lady

    @J R in WV: Actually, the very weird thing is Fox News polls tend to rate very highly for accuracy. Never understood it myself: if they’re willing to lie and spin in every other facet of their organization, why not the polls too?

  279. 279.

    RaflW

    A 281 comment thread about Republicans and bathrooms, and no one mentions serial child molester and former GOP speaker Dennis Hastert? I’m pretty sure he got his start in locker rooms, which are perilously close to bathrooms. And he identified as the same gender ahs his numerous victims.

    Oh, and has any notable GOP official condemned that depraved, disgraceful man?

  281. 281.

    JAFD

    Awhile back I belonged to an organization which often met in the Electrical Engineering building of One Of America’s Great Universities.

    Said building had been built in the 1950’s, when EE meant giant turbo-generators and cross-country high-tension lines – a real macho subject, and thus was provided with a ladies’ room on the ground (office) floor, for the secretaries and guests, and mens’ rooms on the upper five floors.

    In the ’80’s, of course, EE became about integrated circuits and circuit board designs, and their graduates could look forward to keeping their life’s work in their pocket. The upper floor rest rooms got additional partitions and new ‘Unisex Bathroom’ signs.

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