Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

The willow is too close to the house.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Second rate reporter says what?

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

Motown is Joe-Town!

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

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

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

The words do not have to be perfect.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Friday Morning Open Thread: Simply Irresistable

Friday Morning Open Thread: Simply Irresistable

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From the Politico article:

Not to worry, says Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer: There’s no crisis in the GOP.

Speaking after Paul Ryan stunned the political world on Thursday by saying he wasn’t ready to back Donald Trump — and Trump shot back that he wouldn’t support Ryan’s agenda — Spicer said Republicans have “plenty of time” to unify their party, as many were anticipating the fight for the nomination to last longer.

Ryan and Trump will meet sometime next week, he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer…. When Blitzer asked which of the two men would change, Spicer said: “It’s not a question about changing. It’s a question about understanding.”

Blitzer asked if Trump would have to drop his proposals to ban Muslims from entering the country and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“That’s not what the speaker said. And I don’t think you’re going to have a question of ‘You give up this.’ It’s not a question of compromising. It’s a question of understanding,” Spicer reiterated.

Blitzer also asked who Republicans should consider the leader of their party: Ryan or Trump.

“It’s not an ‘either or,'” Spicer said, though Trump is “the largest voice out there.”

When asked about George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain skipping the GOP convention, Spicer said: “At the end of the day, this is what happens.”

Good eye, Ms. Haberman.

Apart from schadenfreude (so much more healthful than Reince Priebus’ Baileys-over-cereal breakfast), what’s on the agenda as we wrap up another nutballs-to-the-walls week?

Reader Interactions

173Comments

  1. 1.

    Central Planning

    Caught the late showing of Captain America: Civil War last night. Got to my hotel at 1:30, and am about to head out to the airport. I’ll be home and then I can catch up on some sleep

    Movie was ok. I’m not sure why the characters are now having moral qualms about the collateral damage from their adventures. I didn’t watch it with too much of a critical eye. Maybe when I see it with my kids I’ll have a better review.

    Otherwise, lots of fighting and explosions!

  3. 3.

    raven

    Well, we watched one installment of Marseille’s with Gerard Depardieu. Just ok.

  5. 5.

    Central Planning

    Anyone having FYWP caching problems?

    I was reading the thread below this one and clicked Back on my browser (Chrome on iPhone 6) and I ended up back on the main page with the Thursday morning open thread. I’ve seen similar things with Chrome on my Mac too. Back seems to not work quite right

  6. 6.

    MattF

    Just watched the Clinton campaign video composed of Der Trump saying some of his famous lines. All familiar and literally indefensible stuff– I can see that the life of a Trump spokesman is tough. There are some situations where even lying weasels can only blink and shrug.

    IMO the campaign video was mostly aimed at people like me. The main effect was to remind me that I need to send them $$$.

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @MattF: I read somewhere that when you bring a fish/sponge/whatever up from that depth, it arrives at the surface as mush.

  18. 18.

    Poopyman

    @Baud: How did you do that? Normally she shuffles into the BJ kitchen here entirely silently, headed for the coffeepot.

  20. 20.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @Baud: @rikyrah:
    Good Morning ? to you guys too! ?.

    I am hardly alone in having said the doubters will fall in line. Ryan has his cover now so when he “comes around” and decides he simply can’t vote for Hillary he will still be able to pretend it was a reasoned decision. The Bush family probably won’t ever officially change their minds but for them it is personal & Jebbie is toast, time to work on one of the little brown ones. Overall Republicans will stick with their guy even though he is an unqualified, ignorant, ego pustual and the election will be closer than it should be because of that.

  23. 23.

    raven

    Jesus, I went to wake the princess up at 6 as usual. I looked for Bodhi and he wasn’t in his usual spot nect to her. I looked all over in the house, all the nooks and crannies, and still couldn’t find him. I went outside with a light and looked all around and still zip! By then I was starting to panic so I went back into the bedroom and the girl said “where is he’??? I turned on the light and I had picked up the big pillow fomr the floor and thrown it on top of him!!!

  27. 27.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @Mustang Bobby:
    Well, I bought a powerball ticket yesterday so I might only be 2 days from retirement! Otherwise I plan on bringing a coffin to my cube so that it is available for when I retire!

  28. 28.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Man, I’m stuffed.

    Spent all day yesterday eating tacos & cervezas to honor the Mexicans.

  31. 31.

    DanF

    Trump has no desire to unify the party. The Republican coalition isn’t a winning coalition and he knows this. He is intentionally throwing a very unpopular party and its leaders under the bus. He needs to win lean blue states in the general and he’s telling people you’re getting screwed by Democrats and Republicans. It could resonate.

  34. 34.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Trump’s a pisser. There was a clip of him yesterday saying he knows a lot about Russia because he held the Miss Universe pageant there a couple of years ago. And he was serious!

  40. 40.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Nate Silver ✔ ‎@NateSilver538

    No, I didn’t predict that the Republican Party would lose its fucking mind. https://t.co/THHsGoBuBh

    12:21 PM – 5 May 2016

    5,281 Retweets
    7,812 Favorites

  43. 43.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    I have the same retirement plan but it’s not going to work if I keep forgetting to buy a ticket.

    In just hoping for some sunshine today. We haven’t seen it in awhile.

  44. 44.

    Baud

    The UK’s new polar research ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, despite Boaty McBoatface previously topping a public vote.

    A website inviting suggestions to name the vessel had attracted huge interest, with “Boaty McBoatface” being the clear favourite.

    But Science Minister Jo Johnson said there were “more suitable” names.

    The £200m vessel will instead be named after the world-renowned naturalist and broadcaster, days before he turns 90.
    Sir David said he was “truly honoured” by the decision.

    While the ship will not be named Boaty McBoatface, one of the remotely operated sub-sea vehicles will be named Boaty in recognition of the vote.

    Superdelegates overruled the people’s choice.

  46. 46.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @Baud: somebody should have told Nate about the poll showing only 14% of republicans think obama is a christian.

  48. 48.

    Jeffro

    @Baud:

    Superdelegates overruled the people’s choice.

    Won’t be the last time this year, either…right Mr. Speaker?

  49. 49.

    Iowa Old Lady

    I’m fighting off a temptation to get into a fight on someone else’s FB feed. The guy posted a rant about how Trump was a historically terrible and embarrassing candidate and got a lot of response. One commenter says he used to be a D but changed to R eight years ago (hm, wonder why–oh yeah! the Kenyan) but he’s concluded they’re all alike. Someone else says, yeah, Hillary is no better.

    Those two comments say to me that these guys are looking for an excuse to vote R even though they know Trump is terrible. You don’t have to be thrilled with Clinton to see she’s better than Trump.

  50. 50.

    The Thin Black Duke

    This fiasco clearly illustrates that there is no such thing as a “moderate Republican”, because if Donald Trump is your party’s candidate for President, the only rational choices left for any sentient being with a functioning brain stem and a conscience is to either vote for Hillary Clinton or stay home.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Those two comments say to me that these guys are looking for an excuse to vote R even though they know Trump is terrible.

    There will be a lot of people in that camp. There always are.

  53. 53.

    Hal

    A Bernie supporting friend on Facebook has been on a tear since Indiana. One link was to a diarist at Kos that registered new, then created a diary linking to some 2 month old daily rolling poll from Reuters showing Trump beating Clinton, complete with fake concern trolling wondering “how it’s possible something like this could happen?”

    The other was a two paragraph story about Bernie beating Trump in the general election with no mention of Hillary Clinton doing the same.

    Some sanders supporters in social media rely far too much on disingenuous information and purposefully omitted facts and data trying to encourage people to #feeltheburn! It’s fucking irritating and isn’t going to make it easier to coalesce around Clinton if she is the nominee.

  55. 55.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Iowa Old Lady: Just post that if they can’t see the difference, maybe they should make an appointment with their ophthalmologist.

  58. 58.

    Hal

    @Iowa Old Lady: One of my Facebook friends who is an evangelical went from anyone but Trump to wow! That Hillary Clinton is terrible, am I right? I feel like saying just say you’re going to vote for him and get it over with already. one of his friends went as far as to suggest Trump could be a vessel (her words) that God was using to work his will. If they can justify voting for Trump, all these other Republican purists can too.

  59. 59.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @debbie: groundhog saw his shadow today, meaning 6 more months of buffoonery.

  61. 61.

    Baud

    @Hal:

    Trump could be a vessel (her words) that God was using to work his will.

    I thought Cruz was the vessel. God tried, God lost. Don’t be a sore loser, God.

  63. 63.

    Patricia Kayden

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I almost fell out of my bed when I heard that. My mouth couldn’t open wide enough to express my shock. That response is no different than when Palin claimed she could see Russia from her house and thus was knowledgeable about Russia-US relations.

    @Hal: Your friend, like too many Senator Sanders supporters, sounds delusional. I understand being enthusiastic about your candidate but you have to be able to accept reality. They’re no different than the Romney supporters in 2012 who claimed that “unskewed” polls showed their candidate beating President Obama. Sad really.

  64. 64.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: You can tell there were no moms on the committee that originally came up with the idea to name the boat by public vote. A mom would have known to control the situation by offering limited choices. That said, THIS mom likes Boaty McBoatface and is disappointed that won’t be the name.

  65. 65.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Palin claimed she could see Russia from her house

    She didn’t say that, actually. That was Tina Fey. Palin did say something foolish about Alaska’s proximity to Russia, but not “I can see it from my house.”

  66. 66.

    Patricia Kayden

    @AnonPhenom: I would assume that Secretary Clinton and her PACs can use social media and ads to get their message out to the public. They should also do their best to get on Sunday talk shows. The media finds Trump entertaining so I’m not sure how Secretary Clinton can counter that since she’s not a buffoon and thus cannot draw the attention that he will continue to draw for the next 6 months. I’m hoping she’ll clean his clock during their debates and thus stay way ahead of him in the polls.

  71. 71.

    LAO

    Holy crap! How do people in Seattle do it? Day 7 of cold rain in NYC, I can’t take it!

  75. 75.

    danielx

    @Hal:

    one of his friends went as far as to suggest Trump could be a vessel (her words) that God was using to work his will.

    Let me please introduce myself
    I’m a man of wealth and taste…

  76. 76.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @LAO: When I was in grad school in Seattle, my college roommate was in law school in Boston(actually Cambridge); he would tell me how bad the constant rain was in Seattle, I said you get used to it. His reply was that if someone comes into your jail cell and hits you with a 2×4 on a daily basis, you’d get used to that as well.

  77. 77.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @danielx: I don’t think Trump’s used that Stones song at his rallies, YET.

    ETA: He’s used “Start Me Up” and “Brown Sugar”, Mick and the boys were not amused.

  80. 80.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    A mom would have known to control the situation by offering limited choices.

    Moms are the best authoritarians.

    ETA: That should be in a mother’s day card.

  83. 83.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    A Muslim is leading in the race to replace Tweety as Mayor of London; that could cause problems if Trump wins here.

    ETA: Tweety must be an amazing guy, doing his show here in the US and doing the mayoring thing in the UK. The commute between the two must be a killer.

  85. 85.

    LAO

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I’m starting to think its biblical, you know, the FSM targeting Trump’s hometown. why must we pay for his sins?

    To whatever extent I had it, I’ve totally lost it!

  86. 86.

    Baud

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    that could cause problems if Trump wins here.

    A problem that is that far down the list of problems that would be caused by a Trump presidency isn’t really a problem.

  90. 90.

    MattF

    @LAO: Similar in DC-area. Chilly, wet, dark.

    ETA: It is true, though, that we needed the rain. Le sigh.

  91. 91.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @LAO: Really the rain is quite refreshing…Singing in the Rain, just Singing in the Rain…

  94. 94.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Arming the Republic of Korea and the Empire of Japan with nukes, what could possibly go wrong with that.

  95. 95.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: My mom would have appreciated the humor in that. I’m not sure my MIL would get it — not gonna try that out on her!

  98. 98.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @MattF: The first time I went to Seoul with the Mrs., we toured the palaces. The signs at each of the buildings would explain how many times the Japanese burned down the building during their frequent invasions of Korea.

    ETA: It’s probably worse with Korea and Japan: the animosity goes by half a millennia or more and Korea was a Japanese colony for 35 years in the early 20th century.

  101. 101.

    MattF

    @liberal: On the other hand, this may mean that we can file a complaint against Trump with a regulatory agency.

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: Yikes. I was holding my breath through that whole comment, hoping for a happy ending! I guess Bodhi is a good sleeper, huh?

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: At my house it’s “Who’s hungry?”. Kitties come racing in with big meows and the little dog Henry dances at my feet, while the more mature Tucker races over to the spot where I feed him and sits there at attention until he gets his food.

  108. 108.

    satby

    Good morning to all the chirpy early risers here! First sunny day we’ve had in about a week, so of course we also had frost too.
    But it was light so shouldn’t damage the fruit trees blossoms, and later today it’s going up to 70. Bout time!

  110. 110.

    Mike J

    @WaterGirl: If your girlfriend feeds the cat when she grinds coffee, the cat will come to the kitchen every time you make coffee. Morning, noon, or night, if the coffee grinder is running it must be time for food.

  111. 111.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: My dogs respond to the music that indicates a commercial break on the local news, they head to the doggie door and go out and come back in to get their treat.

  112. 112.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: I got my deck power washed and then treated with a penetrating oil yesterday. If my old deck can suddenly look so much better, your new deck must look amazing! Photos?

    Did you end up with a dance party the other night?

  113. 113.

    raven

    @WaterGirl: I assume they knew what they were doing but it concerns me that we would apply oil right after pressure washing.

  115. 115.

    WaterGirl

    @Mike J: You are absolutely right! Occasionally I give the kitties and pups a little bit of cheese if I have grated too much, and yes, the kitties race in whenever I get cheese out of the fridge. What I want to know is… how can they tell thatI have taken cheese out of the fridge when they are several rooms away in the back of the house?

    Ditto for whipped cream, the preferred choice for all 4 of my guys. (Tucker is allergic to almost everything, so there are no treats in the house, but whipped cream is something he can have.) The kitties throw a parade when I get out the beaters to make whipped cream. That I get. But two days later when i get the bowl of whipped cream out of the fridge, how do they know (from the back of the house!) that I have pulled out the bowl with whipped cream instead of the identical bowl with the leftover soup?????

  117. 117.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: Yeah, I wondered if I should word that more clearly. The power washing was a couple of weeks ago – it took that long to get 3 days with no rain, immediately followed by 2 more days with no rain so the oil could do its thing before it got wet. 5 days in a row with no rain is hard to come by in the spring!

    We have sun yesterday and today and 6 days of rain starts tomorrow. Whew! We timed it just right, a near miracle since the weather people lie nearly as often as Trump.

    edit: I used Thompson’s sealer for years, but it seems to protect for about 45 minutes and then the water soaks in again. I hope I’m happy with this penetrating oil, but it can’t possibly be worse than Thompson’s. (she said hopefully)

    It’s a cedar deck and it looks like cedar again. Yay!

  118. 118.

    Matt McIrvin

    @gindy51: I see the argument (and have speculated along the same lines myself)… but it’s also worth keeping in mind that if pundits say one thing and poll numbers say another, you should usually trust the polls. You won’t be right 100% of the time but it’s the way to bet.

  119. 119.

    WaterGirl

    @Mike J: I hope it’s not “both sides do it” Jon Stewart. I liked the early Jon Stewart way more than the both sides do it guy.

  121. 121.

    MomSense

    @WaterGirl:

    What I want to know is… how can they tell thatI have taken cheese out of the fridge when they are several rooms away in the back of the house?

    Behold the power of cheese!

    My dog steals my stuff and holds it ransom for cheese.

  122. 122.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Thought about giving it a try until looked up some reviews from when it aired in France, which savaged the show, so decided to give it a pass.

  123. 123.

    MomSense

    @WaterGirl:

    We danced a bit until it started raining and then we just continued in the house.

    In the evening it cleared and the kids went outside with their friends playing music and hanging out. I was happy to be inside letting them have their fun.

  124. 124.

    Cermet

    @liberal: Take courage, oh wavering doubter. The numbers are very much on Hillary’s side and if turnout for her is even just average, she wins – close in total votes but she goes well over 270. Too many thugs really will not vote (say even just 2 – 3% and he is toast) and far too many Hispanics are voting and will bring New Mexico and the killer for the electoral college – Florida. Short of some disaster tRump will lose – fear not.

  125. 125.

    eclare

    @MattF: That is epic! Thank you! My thoughts exactly, I don’t have a mansion, but it’s not a problem for me to set a thermostat or turn my lights on and off. I read somewhere (maybe here) that they are working on a web enabled mattress that will adjust itself as you sleep? Ugh.

  127. 127.

    Mary

    @raven: I had a similar incident a few weeks ago. Went to let the dogs out before bed time and one was missing – nowhere inside the house or the yard. I freaked out and assumed she had escaped from the yard earlier in the evening and we just hadn’t noticed. I got in the car and drove up and down the street expecting to find her dead body somewhere, thinking my best case scenario would be that she was picked up by animal control, which would still be incredibly difficult because we were supposed to leave the country on vacation the next day. I gave up and came home in tears. After deciding there was nothing to do but leave the gate open in case she made her way home, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. I opened the bathroom door, and lo and behold, who is standing there with an irritated look on her face? The fucking dog, who had somehow gotten locked in the bathroom yet made nary a peep while I was frantically calling her name.

  129. 129.

    raven

    @Mary: My neighbor drove by Saturday frantically looking for Murphy who had some how escaped. We said we’d be on the lookout and went back to yard work. Monday we saw him and his wife walking the Murph! “Oh,you found him”!! He found him when his wife came home and the big galoot was in the back seat. She had loaded Murph up right in front of him and somehow he didn’t catch it!

  130. 130.

    Dork

    One soon-to-be-ex RedState editor is doing exactly that — voting for Secretary Clinton because he cannot abide Trump.

    FTFY because they will tolerate no such recklessness, no matter what they think of Donny Half-Digits

  131. 131.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: These scares are funny when we look back, but so terrifying when we don’t know where our guys and worry that they are hurt, or worse.

    Thanks for checking in on the deck issue. I am possibly the least handy person on the planet, so I appreciate your looking out for me!

  132. 132.

    Punchy

    The fucking dog, who had somehow gotten locked in the bathroom

    I hear ya. Our dog will put herself in the closet when it thunders. The other day the wife comes home and cannot find the dog anywhere. Panic. Confusion. Turns out she somehow managed to close the closet door while inside, locking herself in there for hours. But didn’t make a sound when the wife called her name. Yes, I believe we have a very dumb dog.

  133. 133.

    Mary

    @Punchy: What was especially baffling about this incident is that this particularly dog, a terrier-lab mix, is very smart and typically not shy of vocalizing to let us know when she is not happy.

    God bless ’em all, the little shits.

  134. 134.

    liberal

    @Cermet: LOL. Did you click on the link? I’m not worried.

    Besides, if we elect Trump, we really do deserve what we get.

  135. 135.

    rikyrah

    @Schlemazel Khan:

    I am hardly alone in having said the doubters will fall in line.

    Me too. But, I will have to see the $$$$ go into Trump’s campaign.

    Remember, they’ve spent $375 million on the other 16 in the Clown Car.

    and wound up with Trump.

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    MomSense, I see from Steve Benen that your governor hopes for a place in a Trump cabinet. I guess that could only be good for you guys, but god help us all if that happens.

  137. 137.

    liberal

    @El Caganer: A “moderate Republican” these days would be regarded as “far right” even as recently as the 1990s.

    There was a moderate Republican I remember…Conny Morella (MD, federal House rep). I gave Chris van Holland a lot of money when he first ran against her, because even though she was indeed moderate, she still voted for Speaker, and she wasn’t nearly as liberal as vH of course.

    Even back when I was a kid, probably the 1970s, Donald Kaul in the DSM Register (IA) joked “The liberal wing of the Republican Party isn’t speaking. He has laryngytis.”

  138. 138.

    catclub

    This article is depressing, but I bookmarked it to read every few weeks.

    The desire for balance means tear down Hillary and raise up Trump.

    Rather than report, day after day, “Trump is still unqualified and unsuited to be President.”

  139. 139.

    ruemara

    @DanF: yes, minorities and women will flock to him. I really hope you’re not paid for analysis.

    Morning everyone. Today I figure out if I’m buying a car or not. I’ve put in the loan application, selected a reasonable Toyota Yaris (eggmobile) & now have to take a test drive. If no loan, then I suppose I’m dropping a grand on repairs to the broken beast.

  140. 140.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Mary: almost exactly the same thing happened with our cat the other day. My wife had taken our daughter to girl guides, and I had to pick her up half way through the meeting to take her to a soccer practice – as I was getting ready to leave, I wanted to make sure Elsa was inside, and she is small and quiet and can sneak out without us noticing. I couldn’t find her anywhere, and was worried because she is small and all white (hence the name Elsa), so she stands out for the hawks and eagles that live around here. After about 10 minutes of panic, I hear this tiny meow from one of the bathrooms that she had somehow got herself shut into

  141. 141.

    liberal

    @rikyrah:

    I am hardly alone in having said the doubters will fall in line.

    Bottom line is that the single, most important driving force behind the Right is tax cuts for wealthy, parasitic scum. That comes before all else. So Trump it is (even though in an absolute sense HRC is hardly a radical).

  142. 142.

    rikyrah

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Those two comments say to me that these guys are looking for an excuse to vote R even though they know Trump is terrible. You don’t have to be thrilled with Clinton to see she’s better than Trump.

    Yep…

    those vaunted ‘independents’.

    They’re mad because they don’t have dogwhistles to hide behind.

    Plus, I do wonder….
    though I know the answer..

    they’ll take anyone, as long as they’re White.

    I will hold fast, with everything that I am…

    NOBODY WHO WAS BLACK would be taken seriously if they were Caribou Barbie or Trump.

    They’d be laughed off the stage never to be heard from again.

    You don’t even have to like Hillary Clinton ( I don’t), to know that she’s actually a serious candidate.

    Hillary wants to do the work of being President.

    Trump just wants ‘ TO BE’ President.

    All the perks, none of the work.

    But, they saw the Black man get elected, so, of course, ANYONE should be able to be President now.

  143. 143.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Have told it here before, but it’s still funny.

    Back in the early 70s, a group of us living in very rural PA inherited a puppy, who was christened Bummer by someone. Could not find him at all one day, so naturally figured he had bolted when a door was open and was out somewhere in the woods.

    Wonder to this day what the people living in the other houses surrounding the small lake we fronted might have been thinking about a throng of DFHs tramping through the woods at dusk, shouting “Bummer! Bummer!”

    Upshot was the dog was there when we returned. In the kitchen (a large industrial facility), atop one of the cold flat top griddles, gleefully licking the sheen of grease in the runoff troughs.

  144. 144.

    catclub

    @BillinGlendaleCA: There is a long section in Guns, Germs and Steel on ‘Where did the Japanese come from’?

    The answer, which the Japanese do NOT want to hear, is Korea.

  145. 145.

    El Caganer

    @rikyrah: Exactly. Trump took a look at Dubyuh and thought: “Hey, how cool would that be to land on an aircraft carrier wearing a flightsuit?” That’s what being President means to him.

  146. 146.

    Chris

    @Hal:

    One of my Facebook friends who is an evangelical went from anyone but Trump to wow! That Hillary Clinton is terrible, am I right? I feel like saying just say you’re going to vote for him and get it over with already.

    That’s exactly what my uncle (the guy I use as my wingnut barometer) has been like on Facebook over the last few months. There were some enraged lines about how Trump isn’t a real conservative and how his opinion of a lot of people he thought were conservative was diminished when they came out as Trump supporters. But over time it’s shifted more and more to comments about how 1) this is all Obama’s fault, 2) elitist DC Republicans shouldn’t dismiss Trump supporters, 3) this is all Obama’s fault, 4) those horrifying mobs of violent hippies at Trump rallies. (Notice that at no point in all of this did he express any concern over Trump egging his supporters onto violence against nonviolent protesters). And 5) this is all Obama’s fault.

    By this November (long before in fact) he’ll be solidly behind Trump. With a few expressions of reservation, but the most that’ll happen is that he’ll move from a loud-and-proud True Conservative to Beltway-ish “both sides do it but liberals are worse” (with a minor in “I didn’t leave my party my party left me”). And over 90% of the Trump-skeptical conservatives will do exactly the same thing.

  147. 147.

    catclub

    @ruemara:

    I’m dropping a grand on repairs to the broken beast.

    Repairs are cheaper for a LONG time. Not the preference, but still cheaper.

  149. 149.

    Chris

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    A Muslim is leading in the race to replace Tweety as Mayor of London; that could cause problems if Trump wins here.

    Brace yourself, Fox News’ “London is a city under Sharia Law!” reports are about to go through the fucking roof.

  150. 150.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @WaterGirl:
    Dogs and cats have vastly better hearing and smell than we do, to the point it’s hard to imagine. Since their lives revolve around us but they can’t communicate by language, they also learn to spot ‘tells’ in habit and body language that we would never notice. Between these things, if they like that whipped cream enough to be motivated, yes, they have options to tell the difference.

  151. 151.

    Woodrowfan

    righties are authoritarians by nature. They’ll fall in line to support whoever they are told to support by Faux News and the Party. The ones who say they won’t in May will come around by August because they’ll “discover” how “awful” Hillery is. “I wasn’t going to vote for Trump, but then Hitlery put catsup on a hot dog!”

  152. 152.

    catclub

    “That’s not what the speaker said. And I don’t think you’re going to have a question of ‘You give up this.’ It’s not a question of compromising. It’s a question of understanding,” Spicer reiterated.

    Oh, really? So what goes in the party platform? I bet newsies WILL be looking at that to see what changes occur at Trump’s behest.
    Or they will ask him if he accepts the party’s full support for TPP? Will there be a – defund planned parenthood plank – or not?

    I still think hammering on his tax returns will be useful.

  153. 153.

    catclub

    @Frankensteinbeck: I think that also explains why they do not make any noise when they are locked in a closet.
    They are sitting up, happily waiting for you to smell exactly where they are.

  154. 154.

    NotMax

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    Presume it’s a reference to the mayoralty of the City of London (population less than 10,000, a small but vital part of the metropolis of London). The City of London, after all, is a financial mecca.

    ;)

  155. 155.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Hal:
    The televangelists will have the least trouble falling in line. The only thing they don’t like about Trump is that he’s crass. Their love of spite and bigotry is way more important to them than their love of looking like the Righteous as they exercise that spite and bigotry.

    @Chris:
    All those ‘Obama’s fault’s suggest yet another Republican voter for whom racism will prove more important than not looking racist.

  156. 156.

    catclub

    @Baud: Maybe that should be a reason not to vote for him.
    “Do you really want to hear him blather on every morning for the next 4 years”? Can’t he shut up? Why is he so needy?

  157. 157.

    Chris

    @rikyrah:

    There were a couple pretty good “what if Sarah Palin were black?” threads here years ago.

    If Sarah Palin were black, her daughter’s out of wedlock, “baby daddy drama” would have been presented as an example of both pathological behavior and a dysfunctional family that is symbolic of the social problems in that community. If Sarah Palin were black, never would the poor decision making by the Palin family be marked off as challenges overcome, or deeds to be valorized.
    …
    If Sarah Palin were black, her neo-secessionist husband would have been the death knell for her political career, because as we all know you can’t trust “those people.”
    …
    If Sarah Palin were black, her lack of intellectual curiosity, willful and cultivated ignorance, and lack of grace both written and spoken, would not be taken as “folksy.” Instead, Palin would be viewed as unqualified for any public office.

    To be fair, Republicans have allowed black people who display the appropriate lack of intellectual curiosity and willful and cultivated ignorance into the party – just ask Herman Cain. But let them rise to GOP stardom? No.

  158. 158.

    NorthLeft12

    @Central Planning:

    I’m not sure why the characters are now having moral qualms about the collateral damage from their adventures

    Yeah, I know this is just fantasy, but the “moral qualms” discussion has been occurring in the comic universe for quite awhile now. The movie versions of the comics have been very slow to catch up, probably due to the limitations of the medium and the target audience. The first Iron Man movie looked like it was going to address the glamour and danger of weapons manufacturing and sales, but it appears he got over it pretty quickly.

    And BTW, they don’t go on effing adventures, they are saving the world or a part of it. Nuff said!

  159. 159.

    Chris

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    All those ‘Obama’s fault’s suggest yet another Republican voter for whom racism will prove more important than not looking racist.

    Yeah, I know.

    I love the absurdity in every variation of “it’s all Obama’s fault,” though. “Obama showed you could be elected president with practically no experience! That’s why a total outsider like Trump is making headway!” So, what, you think Obama’s unqualified – let’s grant the premise for the sake of argument – and your response was to run out and find someone equally unqualified? So what you’re saying is it’s Obama’s fault that you decided you wanted someone like him? “Obama was smug and dismissive and offensive to white conservatives.” Okay. How does that explain all these voters running to Donald Trump and ignoring all the “real” conservative candidates in the field? Obama’s not running in the Republican primary, shit-for-brains. “Obama’s extreme left wing politics led to a hardcore conservative backlash.” But Trump’s not a real conservative. That’s what you’ve been telling us for damn near a year yet. Why would a backlash against the left wing lead to support for a less conservative candidate… unless, of course… huh.

  160. 160.

    ruemara

    @catclub: not to my mental health. Too many breakdowns, too much stress for someone dealing with too much stress too often. The survival compromises are messing me up, so I’d like something that’s not 30 years old.

  161. 161.

    catclub

    Posted May 6, 2016 by Joshua M Brown [The Reformed Broker – a Wall Street guy]

    I’m not a Hillary fan and I voted for Romney last time, so don’t even think about pigeonholing me into a partisan / bias debate.

    But I have to just point out, this is the mentality of the GOP’s presumptive nominee for the Presidency, on how he thinks about Treasury bonds, which are the bedrock of global capitalism and geopolitical stability in the Milky Way galaxy:

    Asked whether the United States needed to pay its debts in full, or whether he could negotiate a partial repayment, Mr. Trump told the cable network CNBC, “I would borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal.”

    He added, “And if the economy was good, it was good. So, therefore, you can’t lose.”

    If this doesn’t frighten you or bother you – regardless of your party affiliation – then you’re either an anarchist or an idiot.

  162. 162.

    catclub

    @ruemara:

    too much stress

    In that case the new car should be much less stress, never minded the cheaper I mentioned.

  163. 163.

    Chris

    @NorthLeft12:

    Haven’t seen the movie yet, but my understanding is that the reason they suddenly have qualms is that the governments of the world are throwing the collateral damage in their faces and demanding regulation. In other words, they don’t get to ignore it anymore.

    The first Iron Man movie looked like it was going to address the glamour and danger of weapons manufacturing and sales, but it appears he got over it pretty quickly.

    The best part of Iron Man was the middle segment of the movie when he actually starts tracking down the weapons systems he’s sold bad guys all over the world, destroying them and kicking in the ass the people who’re using them. Too bad that doesn’t even last until the end of the movie.

  164. 164.

    NotMax

    @ruemara

    Test drive the Yaris, and not just on quiet or less crowded residential streets.

    If you don’t feel comfortable when in real traffic, pass on it.

    Only knowledge I have on the Yaris otherwise is anecdotal. A friend has one and has never stopped whining about how expensive the tires are to replace. Apparently they’re an odd size and not readily available at many places.

  165. 165.

    Origuy

    As I understand it, the thing about Boaty McBoatface started with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. There was a contest to name the mascot of the games. Someone was advocating Stabby McFuckface. This was Glasgow, after all.

  166. 166.

    NorthLeft12

    @Chris: As a Canadian, I just don’t understand this visceral hatred of President Obama. I mean, the guy is intelligent, sorta cool, represents your country well, is not a huge dick by any means, and generally seems to deal with people and other countries pretty fairly. I mean it is just a complete mystery to me why these people blame him for everything and say such horrible stuff about him and his wife, I mean stuff that is vicious, vile, insulting, demeaning, racist…………..okay, I think I have a better idea now.

    I heard a caller to a Detroit sports radio show call Obama a buffoon. I thought the guy [an identified Trump supporter] had to be completely delusional to suggest that. I can’t recall a US President as intelligent and classy as Obama. I think you are really going to miss him come 2017.

  167. 167.

    NorthLeft12

    @Chris: My point was that in the actual comics that these characters are drawn from, they have been dealing with the collateral damage issue for years. I know the movies just have fun with it and demolish cities and large numbers of people on an ongoing basis, without a second thought by the hero, but that is not how it is in the comic world. The Marvel Civil War crossover stories were [apparently because I have not seen the movie either] loosely adapted into this movie. Of course the movie cannot get into all the back stories and intricacy that the comics did. Unfortunately.

  168. 168.

    Shana

    @Mary: We have had a couple of incidents with our cat Kivrin. A week or so ago we couldn’t find her anywhere. Looked all over, called for her outside, everything. Eventually we found her in the hallway linen closet, curled up asleep on the beach towels on the floor. She’d been there since younger daughter had been in the closet the day before. Thankfully, no accidents on the towels but I did wash them all just in case.

    The other incident was several years ago. The cat goes outside (don’t even start) and didn’t return one day. We called, walked around the neighborhood, put up signs, called Animal Welfare, notified the vet, the whole nine yards. She was gone for days. We were scheduled to go on a 2 week vacation and were frantic, well I was. The rest of the family didn’t seem too bothered. Anyway, the day we were supposed to leave for our trip to Israel we had torrential rains in the morning, shut down the airports for hours, totally screwed up everyone’s airline schedules. Our trip had to be rescheduled for the next day. We went back home, had some dinner and prepared for bed. Then I thought I heard meowing outside. Ran downstairs and there she was at the kitchen door. She was fine but hungry. Once she’d eaten I took a good look at her and the fur on her nose was worn away. The only thing we could figure was that perhaps she got stuck in someone’s garage and then they went away for 5 days. She was probably trying to get out and was working at some door and wore away the fur, which did grow back. I completely surprised myself by bursting into tears when I saw her at the door.

  169. 169.

    catclub

    @Shana: Our cat loved to get in the attic via the ladder in the garage. She found the attic access of the next door neighbor was available, and so went missing. I heard her meowing and had to ask the neighbors if I could go get my cat.

  171. 171.

    No One You Know

    @liberal: I question your use of “we.”

    Also your nym, but false advertising isn’t my bag.

    Would you like a cookie?

  173. 173.

    Elie

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    The Russian ambassador (?) or consul was in the front row during Trump’s “foreign policy” speech. His campaign manager apparently has some ties/relationship with Putin (this is what I read somewhere — don’t know the veracity)

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