Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

šŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockinā€™ šŸŽµ

Thereā€™s always a light at the end of the frog.

ā€œAnd when the Committee says to ā€œreport your income,ā€ that could mean anything!

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

ā€œWhat are Republicans afraid of?ā€ Everything.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but itā€™s not funny to me.

Letā€™s not be the monsters we hate.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

A consequence of cucumbers

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape Americaā€™s future.

if you canā€™t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

The willow is too close to the house.

This blog will pay for itself.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

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

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

with the Kraken taking a plea, the Cheese stands alone.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / Open Thread: She’s Ours, You Can’t Have Her

Open Thread: She’s Ours, You Can’t Have Her

by | 371 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Paul Waldman, in the Washington Post, spells out the key reason “Why Elizabeth Warren Isn’t Going to Be Hillary’s Running Mate“:

… [R]ight now the governor of Massachusetts is a Republican, Charlie Baker. That means that if Warren stepped down to become vice president, Baker would appoint a temporary successor for her Senate seat. In other years this might have been a relatively minor consideration, but in 2016 itā€™s absolutely central to the fate of Clintonā€™s presidency.

Right now Republicans have a 54-46 advantage in the Senate, but theyā€™re defending many more seats up for reelection. Seats in Democratic-leaning states like Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire may well turn to the Democrats, but itā€™s likely to be very close. Itā€™s entirely possible that we could have a Senate thatā€™s 51-49 for the Democrats, or even 50-50. One vote could make the difference between Clinton getting her nominees confirmed and having some chance at legislation passing (depending on what happens with the filibuster and the House), or finding herself utterly paralyzed by Congress. Giving up a seat for the sake of a compelling running mate is an enormous risk, one Clinton would be foolish to take. Which, by the way, also rules out a number of other potential vice presidential candidates, including Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Cory Booker of New Jersey…

Senator Warren would indeed be an excellent replacement for Joe Biden, but she’s doing great work in her current job — and a HRClinton presidency can only increase her clout. And she obviously loves what she’s doing, so there’s that as well.

Reader Interactions

371Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    Senator Warren was never going to be on the ticket. And anyone who thinks Bernie will be is also fooling themselves.

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    I’m not really a mac n cheese purist or anything, but I happen to think it’s just about perfect as is and does not need anything extra folded in.

  5. 5.

    Corner Stone

    For anyone keeping score, I made an absolutely top shelf King Ranch Chicken for our Mother’s Day celeb today.

  6. 6.

    Corner Stone

    @Omnes Omnibus: Never had lobster mac n cheese. But from my perspective, I would prefer to enjoy the lobster on its own terms and not folded into creamy cheese and noodle bath.

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    NWS says we’re about to get the shit kicked out of us in the Greater Houston Metro Area.
    No matter what occurs, always remember, I love you all.

  8. 8.

    jl

    [Trujmp] has countered by dubbing her ā€œGoofy Elizabeth Warren,ā€ which is not exactly the most stinging moniker he has come up with.

    Crooked Hillary, Crazy Bernie, and Goofy Elizabeth Warren? Guess Trump thinks that schtick will help him to the WH. If so, good news.

    Edit: “Warren turns 67 next month”

    I didn’t know that. Doesn’t look or act it at all. More like a spry fifty-something, IMHO.

  10. 10.

    Baud

    I can’t wait to see if Hillary betrays us by refusing to name Warren Veep or if she betrays us by removing Wall Street’s biggest adversary from the Senate.

  11. 11.

    Mike J

    @Corner Stone:

    NWS says weā€™re about to get the shit kicked out of us in the Greater Houston Metro Area.

    I’m willing to bet that tomorrow you’ll be just as full of shit as you are today.

  12. 12.

    jl

    @Baud: Only Baud! 2016! is capable of openly betraying every conceivable principle simultaneously non-stop.
    I don’t understand why the American Voter has passed up that deal.

    And it may prove to be the example Trump follows for the general, so remember to blame Baud if he wins.

  14. 14.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    I’d like Rich Cordray to be the veep choice. Just as strong as Warren on financials, plus he was a great AG in Ohio. Don’t know about his Twitter skills, though.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    I think this is a good time to select a top prospect for VP rather than an established star. Young vs. Old is one way of balancing the ticket, and it provides a way of building the career of somebody on the way up.

  19. 19.

    ThresherK

    @jl: “Goofy Elizabeth Warren”?

    To quote Jack Benny, “You wouldn’t say that if my writers were here.” Trump needs someone supplying him material.

    Also, if “Goofy Liz” is supposed to makes voters think of Funny Face drinks, Mission Accomplished! Sorta surprised he hasn’t brought up the actual names of Chinese Cherry and Injun’ Orange. Sounds like the kind of fight for freedom he’d be very down with.

    (I’m not kidding. Those were real flavors along with Goofy Grape, Freckle Face Strawberry, Loud Mouth Lime and Rootin’ Tootin’ Raspberry.)

  20. 20.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Al Giordano has also said that if you happen to be within earshot of Liz Warren while discussing Bernie Sanders, you will get an earful. Her instinct right now may be to push him off the ledge. Can’t say I’d mind.

  21. 21.

    debbie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I don’t have a problem with Perez, but Cordray would be a signal to the Sanders supporters that Hillary won’t get squishy on the banks.

  22. 22.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    I am betting Hilz will go with either Tom Perez or Julian Castro to pump up the Hispanic vote. I am guessing Perez because Hilz will look older next to Castro who looks like he’s in his late twenties.

  24. 24.

    Corner Stone

    @jl: Why not?
    I’m not sure what Mike J has against the NWS and their alert system, but yes.

  25. 25.

    jl

    @ThresherK: Trump has to keep them simple, or people might think he is talking about himself.

    Bellow Yellow, Turn-around Tan, Ajin’ Rajin’ Orange, and Wigged-out White.

  26. 26.

    hamletta

    Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest! I just watched the whole finals, broadcast in the US for the very first time. It was cheesy and wonderful. Also, Greg Poehler is v. funny.

    Al Giordano is fixing to run for Senate in VT in 2018 if the Bernie Bros fuck up the convention.

  27. 27.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I am betting Hilz will go with either Tom Perez or Julian Castro to pump up the Hispanic vote. I am guessing Perez because Hilz will look older next to Castro who looks like heā€™s in his late twenties.

    Both good veep choices, but I doubt she’ll have to fight Trump for the Hispanic vote. He pretty much ceded the whole segment with his yooge wall to keep the r@pists out.

  28. 28.

    jl

    @Corner Stone: OK, It didn’t seem like a shit storm to me, but a confused jumbled mish-mash that was impossible to navigate. And the Houston ‘bayous’ ain’t up to Louisiana standards. I got some good Gulf Coast food though.

    Hope you come out OK.

  29. 29.

    Corner Stone

    @ThresherK:

    (Iā€™m not kidding. Those were real flavors along with Goofy Grape, Freckle Face Strawberry, Loud Mouth Lime and Rootinā€™ Tootinā€™ Raspberry.)

    Sounds like they really wanted to go with “Rapey Grapey” but just couldn’t quite pull the trigger.

  30. 30.

    Anonymous At Work

    As a Senator, especially a Chairperson of a Committee, SPW can call witnesses and have them testify under oath, under the threat of perjury. As VP, she cannot. As President, she cannot. As a Senator, SPW can slam Trump as a sociopath. As VP or President, she has to maintain some decorum, even in the face of raging misogyny. Warren’s in the perfect place as is.

  31. 31.

    Feathers

    @Corner Stone: Red Line in Harvard Square did the lobster mac & cheese, but also steak tip m&c, and the ultimate – duck confit mac & cheese. Truly amazing. The chef was great & what he did was serve the mac & cheese in a round bowl, mounded in the center, with the meat in a ring around the edge. Worked really well, you could stir it in if you like, or eat it separately(ish). I’m not quite as fancy at home, but I do put any accompaniments in a pile on one side of the bowl. I must confess, it is usually broccoli, as that goes really well with mac & cheese, and makes it totally healthy, right?

  33. 33.

    BruceFromOhio

    @debbie: Yes!

    Which, by the way, also rules out a number of other potential vice presidential candidates, including Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Cory Booker of New Jerseyā€¦

    We need Senator Brown where he is, doing what he is doing! That POS Gov. Kasich would appoint some knuckle-dragging troglodyte Republican fuckface to his seat.

    No Senators as VP!

    @Anonymous At Work: This x 16 jillion.

  35. 35.

    max

    Senator Warren would indeed be an excellent replacement for Joe Biden, but sheā€™s doing great work in her current job ā€” and a HRClinton presidency can only increase her clout. And she obviously loves what sheā€™s doing, so thereā€™s that as well.

    She’s also the backup in 2020 in case everything goes to hell.

    max
    [‘She’s good right where she is.’]

  37. 37.

    jl

    @Anonymous At Work:

    ” As VP… , she has to maintain some decorum”

    I thought Biden got rid of that shit.
    Warren could wash her muscle car on WH driveway, and try to pick up bikers at road stop grills, and insult her way through a VP debate too.

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    Elizabeth Warren has endorsed Kamala Harris, which I take to mean she wants to become queen of California. Bernie can be master gardener of Capitol Park.

  39. 39.

    Corner Stone

    @max:

    Sheā€™s also the backup in 2020 in case everything goes to hell.

    God no. Seriously? No.

  40. 40.

    Mike J

    Don Walton@LJSdon
    Republican state convention rejects resolution condemning degrading remarks toward women or minorities by GOP candidates.

  42. 42.

    Corner Stone

    @trollhattan:

    Elizabeth Warren has endorsed Kamela Harris, which I take to mean she wants to become queen of California.

    I like Kamela Harris. What’s this about?

  44. 44.

    different-church-lady

    Doesn’t Al mean the “Talk Bernie into taking his finger off the detonator team”?

  49. 49.

    Corner Stone

    @BruceFromOhio: Not too worried. I know if things get really bad Mike J will come rescue me sailing along on his cat or sloop or ketch or dinghy or some shit.
    I’ve got a dry snorkel and some fins so I’mma good to go!

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I hope Kay (the front-pager) weighs in on Richard Cordray as Veep. I think she said a few years ago that she thought he was going places and might end up as a presidential candidate at some point. Apologies, Kay, if I remembered that completely wrong!

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: I kind of agree with whoever it was that said they thought it unlikely that our country would elect a VP who is partially bald (Perez). I just checked and Richard Cordray is 57. I think a young VP is good.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    OzarkHillbilly, I made your breakfast casserole for dinner tonight because I had pizza for breakfast. Yum.

  59. 59.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: it’s not fighting for the Hispanic vote. Its motivating them to get out to vote. BTW, I went shopping today at a grocery store aimed at Hispanics and was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of guys from a latino non profit – Mi Familia Vota trying to register people to vote. They both had Stop Trump tshirts.on.

  60. 60.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @WaterGirl:

    they thought it unlikely that our country would elect a VP who is partially bald.

    Have you seen Joe Biden?

  61. 61.

    WaterGirl

    @hamletta:

    Al Giordano is fixing to run for Senate in VT in 2018 if the Bernie Bros fuck up the convention.

    You’re making that up, right?

  66. 66.

    Gimlet

    Unless Baud takes it, I’ve heard Harold Ford Jr. could probably be persuaded join Hillary as VP.

  67. 67.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Gimlet:

    Harold Ford Jr. could probably be persuaded join Hillary as VP.

    You owe me lunch, I just lost what I’d eaten.

  68. 68.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    itā€™s not fighting for the Hispanic vote. Its motivating them to get out to vote.

    Good point. GOTV is so critical. High participation among AA voters made a big difference for Obama.
    This year the strategic VP options are not obvious, but a choice that would motivate turnout in a growing minority community would be a good one.

  70. 70.

    WaterGirl

    @BillinGlendaleCA: That’s completely different! Joe is older, and besides, he has those white hairs up top. I saw Joe in person last year. Thin on top, yes; bald, no.

    edit: besides, we knew Joe when he had plenty of hair and we’ve watched it thin down. That’s different than Perez.

  71. 71.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: @WaterGirl: I know Cordray slightly. He is whip smart and someone who, after getting thrashed in a state-wide election (1998 AG), was willing to run for county treasurer and work his way up again. He and his wife are both really nice people as well. OTOH, he did clerk for Bork at the appellate level before going to the Supremes with White and then Kennedy.

  72. 72.

    Mnemosyne

    @WaterGirl:

    I just looked at a couple of pictures of Perez and the partially bald thing doesn’t look too bad on him, actually. I think voters could deal with it in a VP.

  73. 73.

    Roger Moore

    @Corner Stone:

    Thereā€™s some talk that Sanchez may have her number in the primary. Thoughts?

    I don’t think anyone knows what’s going to happen in the primary; we just don’t have enough experience of how elections with that many candidates work under the current system. I assume Sanchez and Harris are going to get the vast majority of the Democratic votes, but beyond that it’s unclear what’s going to happen. The only other candidate with any name recognition is Ron Unz, and that’s stretching the concept of name recognition pretty far. With 11 other Republicans competing for the nomination (plus 5 other Democrats, 4 from minor parties, and 11 independents) who knows how things are going to turn out. It’s entirely possible that the Republicans will split the vote badly enough that we’ll wind up with Harris v Sanchez in the general.

  74. 74.

    WaterGirl

    @Mike J: I have no logical answer for that one? Except to wonder whether Cheney was still human back then or if he had already become some kind of machine. The jury is still out on whether a bald borg could get elected as VP or not.

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Hey, some of us are eating here! You can’t say things like that. Stepping in dog poop, or dog poop in the living room, sure! But not this. There are some things you just don’t talk about at the dinner table. Have you no manners?

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: Getting to know how the other side thinks. It also, I think, reflects well on Bork (as a person) that he was willing to hire liberal clerks.

  79. 79.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Oh, please.

    Eisenhower (prez). Truman (prez). L. Johnson (prez). Humphrey (veep). Agnew (veep). Cheney (veep).

    All within living memory. All in various stage of baldicity.

  80. 80.

    Corner Stone

    @Omnes Omnibus: Cordray clerked for Jack White and the Dead Kennedy’s?
    May have to revisit what I think about this Daily Show correspondent alum.

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    What the hell is this obsession with baldness? It doesn’t mean your brains are going to or already have leaked out, or that your hair is running away or that you are more or less of a man…. It’s all bullshit, what about the person below the dome?
    I think a bald man would be the perfect antidote to that dead opossum with a sack of shit underneath know as drumpf.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    @NotMax: Well, I agreed with whoever said it originally, but you make a good point!

    OT, I was too late to reply in the thread last night, but I think it was you who said you don’t have space for a slow cooker? I was going to suggest that you do what I did, which is buy one, realize I didn’t have enough space, send it home with a friend on semi-permanent loan, but I can borrow it whenever I need one, which is only a few times a year.

  84. 84.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Somebody tell me which Premier League match to watch tomorrow. Leicester City has clinched and the relegatees have been issued their walking papers, so what’s one with implications?

  85. 85.

    NotMax

    @Ruckus

    Agreed. It’s a non-issue.

    Two best ripostes about baldness:

    Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street.

    God made very few perfect heads; the rest He put hair on.

  86. 86.

    smith

    @NotMax: And since we’re going to have to look at that muskrat on Trump’s head until Nov, it might not be a bad thing for someone to show him how a self-respecting man deals with baldness.

  87. 87.

    Glidwrith

    Heh, my brother is a helicopter pilot on a fishing boat out in the armpit of the Pacific. He just sent a running commentary on the life of one of his co-workers:

    2:30am – Ben finishes his book.
    6:15am – BEN FLY FLY, I snort “meh, ok, okĀØ
    6:16am – So there I am putting on boxers, one leg through, the other about to go through, and bam! hit a big ol wave. Zoom I go across the room and crash into the cabin door.
    6:20am – I exit said room and again bam!, big wave, have a bad step, snag the threshold and slam my head into that big 8” fueling pipe. Fanf’ingtastic, and morning to you too world.
    6:21am – Sandals on and running up the stairs, stub my toe two steps from the top, hard too, and then bumping and scraping all the way back down the stairs.
    6:21:30am – I walk gingerly up the stairs.
    6:25am – Heli is started and its time to get to flying.
    …..Sometime later…..
    8:00am – I’m heading back to the boat, happy as a clam, my mini thermos still keeping my coffee warm. I’m bumping along 110 kts ground speed and 80 kts airspeed, sipping my coffee.
    …..Life aint too shabby…..
    Forgot to mention 8-10 ft swells, 10-15 ft long white caps, and 45 kts combined crosswind for takeoff, yay!
    8:30am – Zoom by the boat, pull a wicked hammerhead, go a bit inverted.
    8:31am – I heave Ingrid (that’s Bens name for his heli) towards the deck, trying to catch the deck when it’s at the bottom of the swell.
    8:31:05am – 2 feet off the deck, 3 ft from my spot….
    8:31:05:05am – The bow goes submarine like, water just slams in a green wall over the bow and proceeds to launch a 30 foot wall of spray and solid water into the air.
    8:31:05:08am – Oh crap…..
    8:31:06am – The water slams into me just as I bump right cyclic and more left pedal and dump the collective.
    8:31:30am – My spotter and I are SOAKED, the cockpit is drenched, water is everywhere. When I dumped the collective the boat must have been on its way back up because I kissed the deck perfectly, nailed my spot.
    8:31:32am – I cant believe that I pulled that off. I blink my eyes a bit, wiping water from my eyes and shaking my head.
    8:31:35am – I cant believe I landed it. I was pretty sure that my headstone would have read: “Here lies Ben, he was always spinning off the rails”.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    @Ruckus: Just to be clear, I was assessing the likelihood that it would matter to a to a lot of voters, not that I thought baldness should play a part in whether someone is fit for the office. How many people choose based on who they would want to have a beer with?

  92. 92.

    Mike J

    @Steeplejack (phone): Man City and Man U are separated by two points, with City in 4th and U in 5th. If City lose to Swansea(11th) and United beat Bournemouth(16th), United would enter the top four, which changes the European league they play in.

  93. 93.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Friends within reasonable driving distance just as cramped for space as I.

    Currently revving up to full cooking speed in prep for tonight’s gathering.

    8 cups of onions diced? Check. Sauteing as we speak.

    Batter for olive/cheese loaf resting? Check.

    Lager opened to go semi-flat before adding to pasta cooking water? Check.

    Scallions, yellow pepper, celery for one variety of meatloaf diced? Check.

    Eggs sitting out to come to room temp? Check.

    Things scheduled out to allow for frequent rest periods for the cook? Check.

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    @hamletta: Wow, Al would have to move back to the states! Surely this is a threat he doesn’t want to have to follow through on. Al G. in the senate, I would pay to watch that.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    @NotMax: Wow. 8 cups of onions… how many people are you feeding? With 3 meatloafs, I’m going with a lot. You sound so organized!

  97. 97.

    Southern Beale

    It makes zero sense for EW to be Hillary’s running mate. She’s too valuable in the Senate, Massachusetts is a safe Hillary state and picking Warren gains no electoral votes for the ticket, and two women on a ticket will give the RW smear machine some fresh ammo of the “how can two women keep us safe” variety. Oh, they’ll disguise it as, “Middle Eastern countries are sexist and won’t negotiate with a woman,” something of that nature, which I’ve seen on the Twitter machines already from the Bernie brats.

    Personally I feel like she’ll probably pick a Hispanic like Castro. But who knows.

  99. 99.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    Hillary won’t choose Warren as her VP because her corporate backers in the financial industry would have a fucking fit! Warren scares the hell out of them and Hillary knows this.

    Warren knows Hillarys gonna win but she’s not going to endorse her yet. Why? Because she obviously believes Bernie is the better choice for working class people against the Corporate Elite in the Democratic Establishment.

    Do you honestly think Warren would be proud of the Republicans Hillarys trying to solicit?

    Long time reader of the blog BTW! First time commenting! Sucks to see yall turning into such a Pro-Hillary blog and Anti-Bernie at a time when an overwhelming majority of younger people (I’m 31) are getting politically engaged.

    Just want to see yall on the right side of history is all ;)

  100. 100.

    ThresherK

    Wow. NPR’s top-of-hour blurb actually said “Obama’s action protecting transgender rights in (public) schools” without the announcer adding the kneejerk ButWhuddaboutRelidgissLiberdy?.

    It was a lead-in to Ted Cruz speaking at the TXGOP Conv.

  102. 102.

    divF

    @hamletta: Check out the 1974 Eurovision performance of “Waterloo” by ABBA (They won).

    It’s difficult to beat the 70’s for cheesy.

  103. 103.

    Corner Stone

    @NotMax: My son was sous chef for me today and we went through all the mis en place that would help us on a simple casserole.
    Really a lot of fun when he tells me to leave something for him to break down / chop / dice.
    Cleaning up as we went was a good lesson all by itself.
    We have leftovers but I am really thinking about making a creamy mashed root vegetable popover. Maybe tomorrow.

  105. 105.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Around 16. May be a little more, may be a little fewer. If aim for 16, am covered for unexpected arrivals. The only person know for sure won’t be there is the one who turns up her nose at anything with onion in it, so lucked out on that.

    4 loaves of meat (2 each of different type), 4 lb. of pasta for mac & cheese (cheddar/jarlsberg/gouda sauce)

  108. 108.

    Mnemosyne

    @ThresherK:

    I don’t remember the exact name of the org, but NPR keeps interviewing reps from a national association of school principals. Every time I hear one, a reporter asks, What about non-transgender students who are uncomfortable sharing a bathroom/locker room? and so far the answer every time has been, It’s the parents who are uncomfortable with it. The students are fine. So maybe that’s starting to sink in.

  113. 113.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    I’ve been bald since I was, maybe 21 or so. Had to wear a cap ALL the time while in the tropics in the Navy.

    Once I didn’t pick one up on a weekend off, burnt my scalp so bad the brainz leaked out my ears! Yeowww! I’ve been like this ever since….

  116. 116.

    ThresherK

    @divF: ABBA were a great pop band, and performed live very well.

    (I’m distinguishing between the pop and rock idioms here.)

  117. 117.

    divF

    @Mnemosyne: Yes there is hope of a sort. Our niece (21) and nephew (23), raised in the redneck suburbs in east Contra Costa County, have gotten themselves crosswise with their fundie stepmother over this issue on FB. Although she doesn’t come out and say it, I suspect that the niece has a TG friend who they have been trying to support through the process.

  119. 119.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    I’m running into BernieBros on my Facebook page claiming that Hillary’s being “disingenuous” about being 3 million voters ahead of Bernie.

    OH FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE MANKIND, here are the raw numbers: http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/D Hillary is up to 12.7 million primary voters and Bernie’s at 9.6 million voters. DEAL WITH IT, BERNIEBROS.

    /headdesk

  122. 122.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    In terms of Vice Presidential picks, Hillary (or Bernie) has to avoid taking a Senator from a Red-controlled state (like Brown in OH or Warren in MA) for exactly the reason about improving the odds of changing control of the whole Senate. This is also why taking a Congressperson would be risky, because there is now a slight chance the Dems can swing the House despite the gerrymandering.

    As a result, taking someone from the Cabinet – Castro, Perez, there are a few others – or a former Senator/Congressperson not currently sitting, or a Governor from a pure Blue state, are the best options for Veep.

  125. 125.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: there was a second? A *third*? You’re trolling us, right? What’s number four – “Jump the Sharknado”? “Sharks on a Plane”?

  128. 128.

    Baud

    @Ruckus:

    What the hell is this obsession with baldness?

    And shaved pubes. IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, CHUCK TODD!!!!

  129. 129.

    ThresherK

    @divF: I’d thought I might be embarrassed to remember them during their time now. That was before Katy Perry and “left shark” or Lady Gaga and the meat dress.

    Actually there’s something just…overdone, overspectacled, overrehearsed about most pop stadium shows today. And it’s strange to think that after watching the outfits ABBA wore for the Voulez-Vous tour.

  132. 132.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Chuck Todd is talking about shaved pubes?

    edit: In polite company, I usually refer to them as “public hairs”. Of course, when would BJ ever be mistaken for polite company???

  139. 139.

    divF

    @ThresherK: I think this is the same as film special effects then and now. The FX 40 years ago were even at their best a little forced and low-grade, while the polished CGI-based spectacles of the present day, while more spectacular, come across (to me at least) as soulless.

  141. 141.

    different-church-lady

    @Baud: Seriously, what’s your position on this?

    Answer correctly and I might join the movement.

  144. 144.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: He is a Toddler, after all, so he wouldn’t be expected to know of such things.

    I used to tell a ‘public hair’ joke as an ice breaker when I taught human sexuality. “Do you know what sound a pubic hair makes right before it hits the floor?”

  150. 150.

    NotMax

    @divF

    Difference, IMHO is that old-school SFX were utilized as an adjunct or to advance the story.

    Too often, CGi is used as a crutch to disguise deficiencies of plot.

  154. 154.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @debbie: John Husted is worse than a putz. He’s a putz on super steroids, with a nasty bigot coating that’s in fact bone deep. I only met him once unintentionally, but he bears watching as a dangerous dick. He will make as much trouble for minority, and poor, and anyone else likely to vote D, as he can for the general.

  157. 157.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: I was thinking more –

    Flak #1:”Think ‘Snakes on a Plane’ – but with *sharks*!”

    Studio Boss: “I like it. Wait – how do the sharks get on the plane. Forget it – doesn’t matter. Details. Can we get Samuel L. Jackson?”

    Flak #2: “Ah…we’re working on it.”

    Flak #1: “He hasn’t returned our calls yet. But his agent promises he’s shown him the script.”

  160. 160.

    Mnemosyne

    @NotMax:

    You should read the autobiography of Samuel Z. Arkoff, the founder of American International Pictures. Seriously, it’s an entertaining read and will cure any illusions anyone had about low-budget filmmaking. They would come up with the title, design the poster, and then hire someone to make the movie.

  164. 164.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    I have a Brit friend here in Atlanta who has been a Leicester City fan since he was a very little boy, nearly half a century ago. He took his young son to England a few days ago to watch today’s game (match, whatever the proper term is). I expect he is very happy tonight.

  165. 165.

    hamletta

    @divF: @Omnes Omnibus: Your concern is touching, but I was 11 in 1974, so I remember it all! Polyester! Aviators! Disco!

    The reason ABBA’s costumes were so freaky has to do with Swedish tax code. You could only deduct for costumes that couldn’t be worn on the street. I think Agnetha used to make them in the early days.

  166. 166.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    Jackson is in “Deep Blue Sea,” which is an entertaining (and occasionally suspenseful) tongue-in-cheek monster movie, for those who enjoy such things. They create super-intelligent sharks that get loose in a semi-flooded research facility.

  169. 169.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mnemosyne: For Vincent Price’s birthday on Thursday, TCM had Roger Corman on to introduce some films and he mentioned that he has to work hard to talk the execs into giving him two weeks to film Poe films. One week was the studio norm.

  170. 170.

    different-church-lady

    @Baud: No, you see, if you can’t stomach the likes of Chuck Todd, how can we trust you to run the country?

  172. 172.

    Mnemosyne

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Some of the Poe films still hold up pretty well. I think Tomb of Ligeia is the best one, but Masque of the Red Death is my second favorite.

    “I will always be your wife!”

  174. 174.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: Sounds like my kind of flick. As opposed to snakes on a plane, which I will.not.see. Despite my man SLJ’s presence.

    BTW…this is all making me think of Frank Zappa’s homage to low-budget horror flicks: Cheepnis. If you’ve never seen it, mangia!

    @Omnes Omnibus: you…actually watched…the first one?

  175. 175.

    ThresherK

    @Omnes Omnibus: No, I’m not. I just thought that (after the first) they all were direct-to-SyFy.

    @divF: Yeah, there’s a lot of “more is less” going on like that. Then again I think that 40 years of too much of this stuff, without the story-telling and scene composition to go with, might have dulled the general appetite for physical business, for “real”. (Let alone the suggestion of the dark, the empty space.)

    (Bit of a tangent here: Who has the physical comedy chops nowadays? Hard to say–there’s not much market for it and I think directors don’t know how to create something that sounds funny in a script into something which looks funny on the screen.)

    (And I’ll drag out the masters again: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, even Harry Langdon.)

  177. 177.

    BruceFromOhio

    @NotMax: Lager opened to go semi-flat before adding to pasta cooking water? Check.

    I’d like to hear more about this. Casa FromOhio generates lots of cooking of pasta, and lots of drinking of beer. Had not considered a combination of the two. I hope everything turns out alrighty then!

    Things scheduled out to allow for frequent rest periods for the cook? Check.

    Ahh, wisdom – thy name is NotMax.

  181. 181.

    jl

    @different-church-lady:

    ” how can we trust you to run the country? ”

    No one voting for Baud! 2016! expects him to do that. We are kind of like Trump voters, except we have realistic expectations.

  184. 184.

    Mnemosyne

    @ThresherK:

    Keep in mind that the first three comedians you listed either officially or unofficially directed themselves. Keaton is pretty well acknowledged as being the co-director of his films even when he was uncredited. So it’s also a matter of, which of today’s comedians have the chops to direct themselves?

  185. 185.

    MJS

    I’m a long time lurker just checking to see if this is how you actually comment.

  186. 186.

    jl

    @Omnes Omnibus: I was just making a joke. I only saw the first one too, if you call turning to it on the TV and watching a few snippets of it from time to time.

  187. 187.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: OK, you’ve convinced me.

    @ThresherK: Ooh, Laura is one of my all-time fave raves. Last time I got it from the library I think I watched it four or five times straight before taking it back. And it’s amazing to watch Price as a kind of effete and ineffectual Mamma’s Boy character. *very* much against his later type.

    ETA: OK, and I gotta admit…Dana Andrews as the hunky cop could have turned the bright lights on me any time.

  189. 189.

    Kay

    More gross (and insane) behavior from the GOP nominee:

    but the misconduct of greatest interest to voters may be his threatening litigation in a scheme to deny payment to about 200 illegal Polish immigrants tearing down the old Bonwit Teller building on Fifth Avenue (an act of architectural vandalism). Many of the men lacked hardhats or face masks, used sledge hammers rather than power tools, had to pull out live electric wires with their bare hands, in a building laced with asbestos ā€” all in blatant violation of worker safety laws.
    A lawyer trying to get the workers paid the meager $4 to $6 per hour that Trump owed them received a bullying telephone call from one ā€œJohn Barron,ā€ as recounted in the film:

  190. 190.

    jl

    @Baud: No, I just claim to be a Baud! 2016! supporter when I need to in order to make a joke. I was going to figure out how to vote for Baud! 2016!, but it seemed like too much trouble, and boring, so I forgot about it. Sorry for the confusion.

  192. 192.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @ThresherK: He also was a decent guy. He donated a large amount of art to a community college and was outspoken against bigotry and and prejudice. Source

  193. 193.

    Ruckus

    @Baud:
    I’m not getting a razor anywhere close to the good stuff. And I can’t imaging anyone else doing it either, although I’ve seen a picture or two.

  194. 194.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: Well, you know…I loved “Tremors”, so I totally hear you on that one.

    ETA: I got to meet Vincent Price once. On my thirteenth birthday. It was an awesome experience all round. Certainly one of the best birthday presents I ever had!

  197. 197.

    jl

    @Kay: I heard a reporter on the news this morning say that Trump was known for his fake phone calls. She said you could say ‘I got a fake Trump call’ and people knew what you were talking about.

  199. 199.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Has anyone seen “Where to Invade Next”? It is now on demand but I was wondering if it was worth the $4.99 to rent it or just wait until it is free. Thanks.

  201. 201.

    Lurking Canadian

    Here’s my mostly-not-serious suggestion for VP. Are there any Republican Senators from states with Democratic governors?

    Instantly gets you one more vote in the Senate, you get to look all bi-partisan so Ron Fournier will be happy, and you don’t really lose anything. The VP has only the powers the P decides to give him, and any Republican willing to run on the Clinton ticket would be burned in effigy at each of the next twelve Republican conventions, so it’s not like you create a Republican heir to the throne.

    of course it does put the wrong kind of person into the line of succession, so you also have to quadruple the White House security detail.

  205. 205.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @debbie: I forgot to mention creepy. He has a major league creep vibe that is palpable.

  206. 206.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’m jealous — I was a big fan. The closest I ever got to meeting him was a very vivid dream I had after he died.

    Commenter dance around in your bones once sold him an Oriental rug without knowing who he was until her coworker told her afterwards. She said he was very nice.

    One of his biographers (who was also a friend) caused a furor after he died by saying that Price was bisexual but, um, duh. Not exactly a shocker there.

  207. 207.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    So bad they rush right past good and into bad again. Trailer for nude on the Moon.

    @BrucefromOhio

    Generally add about 20 oz. or so of lager to the water to be used for boiling pasta when making mac & cheese. Adds just a touch of flavor and also makes the pasta that much sturdier and better able to stand up to being smothered in cheese sauce without getting limp.

  208. 208.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I met Tony Bennett (with whom I share a birthday) on my 42nd birthday, and Muhammad Ali (with whom I do not) on my 54th.

  209. 209.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    How long can he lie about this, I wonder? It’s just wacky on so many levels that the blatant lying about it is just the cherry on top.
    I keep thinking about Republican pundits in 1999-00 : “restore honor and dignity to the White House!”
    The Oval Office had been defiled by that Arkansas huckster! We were all just appalled :)

    OMFG what a joke.

  210. 210.

    jl

    Just saw a story about HRC’s potential VP picks. I didn’t read it carefully after first couple of names, since it seemed worthless. But, a link because WHO’S IN!? WHO’S OUT!? HORSE RACE!!

    Hillary Clintonā€™s top five vice presidential picks
    http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/279879-hillary-clintons-top-five-vice-presidential-picks

    Anything wrong with Hickenlooper, besides his last name? How can a guy with a last name like that win? And how can they shorten it into something snappy? Hick? Loop? Looper?

    I nominate Baud! 2016! for VP. The Onion Biden stories would be funnier if they were true, and in the NYT.

  211. 211.

    jl

    @Kay: How long did it take the Perot campaign to blow up? We can set up mile posts based on that episode.

  215. 215.

    Roger Moore

    @PaulWartenberg2016:

    Iā€™m running into BernieBros on my Facebook page claiming that Hillaryā€™s being ā€œdisingenuousā€ about being 3 million voters ahead of Bernie.

    Sure. That’s because Bernie did well in caucuses, where turnout is very low. If you project his margin in those caucuses to the whole Democratic electorate in those states, Hillary’s huge advantage in the popular vote disappears! And yes, I have seen somebody making this argument.

  218. 218.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Mittens probably knows he doesn’t have any money, which is why he wants to the tax returns.
    Mittens is a real rich person :)
    I mistakenly went by CNN the other day in time to hear Wolf Blitzer endorse Trump’s skills based on The Art of the Deal. I love the grasping at straws to make him “serious”.

  219. 219.

    jl

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Why is everyone piling on me. Baud! 2016! is the one bribing people to vote for him with lousy weed. What kind of president would he be, anyway? What do we tell the children when all they can get from Baud! 2016! is moldy stems?

  221. 221.

    Gin & Tonic

    Some snark, or at least gentle ribbing above about Eurovision, but I can tell you that Jamala’s win is, pardon the expression, huge in Ukraine right now, given all the obvious factors.

    A friend said (jokingly) that all the Ukrainian TV channels have gone off the air because all the Ukrainians are watching Russian TV instead, to revel in their disappointment and rage.

  223. 223.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @jl:

    What do we tell the children when all they can get from Baud! 2016! is moldy stems?

    That he shaves his pubes?

  224. 224.

    BruceFromOhio

    @NotMax: Cool! So a 40 of Bud, half for the pasta, half for the chef. Perfect!

    … why lager and not IPA or Belgian Tripel? Hmmm… must consider a test plan …

    I hope the meatloaf turns out well, always a good time when people are crowded into the living spaces with good food, good smells, music and adult beverages.

  225. 225.

    Roger Moore

    @NotMax:

    Difference, IMHO is that old-school SFX were utilized as an adjunct or to advance the story.

    In the good movies. There have been special effect spectaculars where the story was mostly an excuse for the special effects for as long as there have been special effects. If you don’t believe me, watch the original King Kong; it was mostly a vehicle for the miniatures work.

  226. 226.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: Gotta tell you, he *was* really nice. It was backstage after a one-man show he did on the life of Oscar Wilde, called “Diversions and Delights.” It was awesome, and I think in retrospect it set me up for an appreciation of Wilde that might have taken years to develop on its own. Anyway, he knew my grandmother, somehow, so my dad got a note sent to him backstage. He didn’t tell me, or my best friend who was with me, what was happening, btw – altho’ I think my mom was in on it. I had no idea till we got to the back-stage door and there was a guy looking out for us, shooing us ahead of everybody waiting in line, crying out, “Come along, come along, Mr. Price is waiting”. Best of all was waltzing past Jeff Eugenides, who went to my school, and his gf of the time, who were as definitely the Kool Kidz of the school as my friend and were the Un-. And VP himself – just as delightful and gracious as could be, even tho’ he obviously still had a long night ahead of him greeting his fans. My mother mortified me by telling him I was a budding actress, which to me felt like telling Picasso that I was a painter too!

  227. 227.

    jl

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    ” That he shaves his pubes? ”

    The Baud! 2016! correspondents’ dinner video would be better than the lamers that other presidents have put up. I admit that.

  228. 228.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I know how much Bernie has- generally- I can guess. I thought the Bernie criticism was unfair. I knew he wasn’t making ten bucks an hour. He’s old and he’s been in Congress forever. We all know around what he makes/has.

  229. 229.

    Adam L Silverman

    @MJS: Yes it is. Not sure why all three of your comments wound up in moderation, but I’ve freed them.

  231. 231.

    Baud

    @jl:

    I have his great joke called The Aristocrats. I can’t wait to tell it.

    @Kay:

    Self-inflicted. You can’t run on the themes he ran on and hide your tax returns.

  232. 232.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @jl: It would be, eh, unforgettable.

    (Unforgettable, in that no matter how much you drank; you’d be unable to unsee and unhear it.)

  233. 233.

    jl

    @Kay:

    ” I knew he wasnā€™t making ten bucks an hour. ”

    That explains his obsession with the fifteen buck minimum wage? The self-interested scoundrel. Corrupt!

  234. 234.

    Miss Bianca

    @jl: Oh, Christ, Hickenlooper? Seriously? That means we’ll get a RWNJ governor, with the way things are poised in this state.

    There’s nothing wrong with him, unless you want to hold his positions on fracking against him, and his efforts to come down hard on communities that want to ban it, which a lot of folks in the state don’t like. But he’s an ex-oil and gas man, so of course he’s not going to like anything fucking with the extractive industries’ efforts to turn a buck.

    And his beer’s not too bad, either, from what I hear. He was a good mayor of Denver, and he’s been a decent governor.

  236. 236.

    jl

    @Baud:

    ” I have his great joke called The Aristocrats. I canā€™t wait to tell it. ”
    I didn’t mention that you should shut up at the correspondents’ dinner and just show humiliating pics. I thought that was a given.

  244. 244.

    The Sheriff's A Ni-

    @debbie: I’d rather have Cordray come back to Columbus once Kasich is term-limited two years from now.

  249. 249.

    Miss Bianca

    @jl: Wynkoop Brewery. Big brew pub in Denver. I think I was there once, but it’s been a long time.

    @The Sheriff’s A Ni-: Who’s Cordray, anyway? Every time I see that name I think I see “Corday”, as in Charlotte Corday. Then I see Trump/Marat in a bathtub and…I gotta tell ya, the rest of the image ain’t pretty either.

  252. 252.

    BruceFromOhio

    @jl: Why is everyone piling on me. Baud! 2016! is the one bribing people to vote for him with lousy weed.

    Wow, how did this happen in 2016. With hydroponic cultivation and improvements in the seed supplies there is simply no reason not to up the bribes.

  255. 255.

    Ruckus

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    I posted earlier about that dead opossum sitting on a pile of shit. Or something like that and it was of course supposed to be about drumpf. But your point stands, with the exception that nothing about that thing looks natural. And that’s taking into account that nature has some real odd ways of putting things together some days.

  256. 256.

    jl

    @Miss Bianca: OK, thanks. We can call him ‘Wynkoop’ then. Or ‘Koop’.

    Clinton and Koop! 2016!
    Guzzle your way to prosperity!

    Hillary won’t pop no duds
    And Koop will bring the suds!

  259. 259.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel: We are on the right side of history. Just because some of us support Secretary Clinton while you do not, doesn’t mean that we’re wrong and you’re right.

    Otherwise welcome.

  261. 261.

    Kay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    God, “scalp reduction” just makes me cringe. It even sounds painful. It’s amazing he would work that hard for that weird, shiny hair in the odd color. It looks like doll hair- dolls have that orangey-blonde color.

  265. 265.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Gin & Tonic: It is, apparently, a way to deal with a bald spot. The doctor that did it was recommended by Ivana. The result was, supposedly, less that flattering. This was all recounted in his divorce when Ivana accused him of raping her as a result:
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/27/ex-wife-donald-trump-made-feel-violated-during-sex.html

    Ivana eventually recanted her testimony. The speculation is that it was required for her to receive monetary awards in the divorce. This all came back out last Fall and his personal attorney went on CNN and made an ass of himself by claiming that there is no such thing as marital rape.

    Here’s an interview with a hairdresser explaining why Trump’s hair looks the way it does:
    http://qz.com/575952/a-hairdresser-explains-why-donald-trumps-hair-looks-like-that/

  266. 266.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: Wouldn’t be funny for Trump who would be apoplectic that a dang Socialist is richer than him (seeing as how Trump is such an amazing businessman).

  267. 267.

    J R in WV

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I think a new user name goes to moderation the first post. After a post is released, the new user name is “approved” – but I’m just a lowly commenter, snarker, so I’m not positive.

  268. 268.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MJS:

    You may recall he had lit the torch in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and was around, I think, for most of the Games. On August 3rd (my birthday, the day before Closing Ceremonies) I had a private invitation to tour the Olympic Village — I worked for the Canadian Consulate General in Atlanta, and Team Canada had a few passes to give away, and I got one of them. Anyhow, during the course of the tour, as our small group was crossing the lawn, another group came toward us from the other direction, and Ali was at its centre, and we all stopped and chatted for about 10 minutes. (Actually, I had “met” him very briefly years earlier in Benton Harbor, MI, when I happened to stop for supper at a Howard Johnson’s he owned, but it was so quick and casual that I hardly count it. The Atlanta Olympics meeting was by far the more memorable.)

    The Tony Bennett meeting was in Battle Creek, MI. At the time I was General Manager of the BC Symphony, and had arranged for a small orchestral ensemble to perform at the grand opening of a new shopping mall, which coincided with my birthday. Tony Bennett was the celebrity performer for the mall opening, so I had the opportunity to work with him a bit and had the pleasure of wishing him a happy birthday on my own day.

  269. 269.

    Emma

    @NotMax: You owe me a new throat. I am suffering from major sinus issues and hysterical laughter and coughing do not mix!

  270. 270.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Kay: The second link in my comment 265, from a hairdresser, argues that he’s got a forward growing cowlick and he both keeps it very long and then comes it around and straight back to account for it.

    From looking at it when it gets caught by the wind, as in the picture at the top of that link, part of his problem is he’s got the part way too far down the left side.

  271. 271.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Wow. Thanks for that. He seems very impressive. My fear is that he’s not going to be considered high-enough profile. But if he’s well-thought-of in Ohio, that could help deliver that state. Also, I’d rather see someone in a position like his get the nod, rather than a sitting Dem governor or Senator in a purple or red state.

  272. 272.

    Glidwrith

    @Doug R: As best I can tell, this outfit is BYOS – Bring Your Own Safety. My brother had to tell his mechanic that, no, he wouldn’t fly a bird that was throwing metal shavings in the tail rudder gear box. We also won’t discuss the packs of feral dogs roaming the delightful islander countryside…..

  273. 273.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks for the links, but I don’t think I’ll be reading an interview with a hairdresser explaining Trump’s hair. Life isn’t long enough to do that.

    In the meantime, I found a description of the procedure under the “Procedures to Avoid” heading on the pages of the American Hair Loss Association (I never knew there was such a body.) The description is a gem:

    Also known as alopecia reduction(AR), galeoplasty (GP), or male pattern reduction (MPR), scalp reductions are barbaric and disfiguring. Performed in the doctorā€™s office under local anesthesia, the bald part of the scalp at the top or crown of the head is literally cut away, and the edges of the nearby hair bearing skin are sewn together, bringing the hair-bearing scalp from either side to meet in the middle. In some cases a hideous scar results commonly know as a ā€œdog earā€ scar.

  275. 275.

    Kay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    You wouldn’t think there would be enough play in a scalp to reduce it.

    If Trump caved and finally cut his hair shorter, the growth pattern in front would force the hair straight out and down, possibly resulting in a George Clooney 1990s Caesar effect, except with Trumpā€™s face.

    He’d have doll bangs to go with the rest of the look.

  278. 278.

    Brachiator

    @ThresherK:

    . (And Iā€™ll drag out the masters again: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, even Harry Langdon.)

    You left out Jackie Chan.

  280. 280.

    smith

    @Miss Bianca: I saw that show! Many, many years ago in SF when I was there for a conference. It was great — would loved to have met him.

  281. 281.

    J R in WV

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    Young? “Never trust ANYONE over 30!” You’re already an old, just get used to it.

    The slogan is from 1968. Look it up.

    Also: If you’re set on Bernie, why are you here? Most of us can do simple addition and thus know that Senator Sanders won’t be the nominee.

    And why would you think Hillary Clinton is bound to wall street barons? She did some contract work for them, got paid an absurd amount of money. End of story. That relationship isn’t a binding marriage.

    She also made speeches to all kinds of social organizations, why wouldn’t she be just as bound to those organizations, which were created to do good works?

    Anyway, welcome to the scrum, communist tool.

  283. 283.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Kay: Her wouldn’t have to. With a little gel it would hold for him to comb it straight back.

  284. 284.

    Emma

    @ThresherK: One of my favorite movies EVER! Price was amazing in it — they all were. It also convinced me that Gene Tierney was the most beautiful woman ever.

  285. 285.

    Miss Bianca

    @NotMax: OK, I’m not *why* that was so funny, but it was.

    Oh, OK, of course I know why it was so funny. And whoever made the comment on really good physical comedy being lacking in our modern workaday world – it’s because it’s *hard*. ladies and gentlebeings.

    @smith: Wow, you’re the only other person I’ve ever – err, met – who’s ever seen it! I wonder if it was created as a vehicle for him. I’m trying to think of other actors who could carry it off.

  286. 286.

    debbie

    @Miss Bianca:

    Cordray runs the CFPB. Plenty high profile, especially considering the focus on accountability for banks and big businesses.

  288. 288.

    MJS

    @SiubhanDuinne: First, thank you for the reply. As a first-timer here, a pleasant surprise. I asked about Ali because as a kid he was an idol. (Sadly, no chance I’ll meet the other one- Roberto Clemente.) Re: Tony Bennett, my (late) wife got to meet him when she worked at a hotel. Raved about what a nice guy he was

  289. 289.

    J R in WV

    @Adam L Silverman:

    “…work here for no pay.”

    There’s a great joke in there about payroll or something like that, but it won’t come free. Underpaid? Overpaid!!! ;’-)

    When I get something I really need that’s too expensive, but no choice about it, I sometimes say “And cheap at half the price!” but nobody seems to understand it…

  290. 290.

    Miss Bianca

    @debbie: I’m not sure that’s going to sway people nearly as much as his (apparently) being a five-time Jeopardy! contestant.

    @J R in WV: Hey, *I* get that joke…and I use it, too! You really want to baffle people, pull a Bert Lahr on them: “You laugh…but that was FUNNY!”

  291. 291.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MJS:

    As a first-timer here, a pleasant surprise.

    Welcome! For the most part, trolls notably excepted, we are a pretty nice bunch of people. I hope you’ll stick around and comment often!

  293. 293.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    I doubt it. Cordray endorsed Obama in 08 It was early and it was considered quite the big deal at the time. Outside of mayors, I think he was the only bigger-name Democrat in Ohio who did. I bet Clinton remembers that :)

    I wouldn’t blame her if she did remember. That was right at the height of the fight.. He should run for governor anyway and then president.

  295. 295.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    If Warren would help HRC win the election and the others would not offer the same level of advantage, then she should be chosen. Period.

  296. 296.

    Miss Bianca

    @Kay: HRC has proven herself to be exceptionally gracious in defeat. If she would go work for Obama himself, why wouldn’t she work with someone who endorsed him?

  297. 297.

    Mike J

    Nevada:

    Jon Ralston ā€@RalstonReports 47 minutes ago
    Final delegate count shows 20-15, Hillary, as projected after caucus.

  300. 300.

    J R in WV

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’m jealous you got to meet Vincent. He was one of my favorites back in the late 50s and 60s. The Poe movies, etc. I was a huge horror fan back when it was done right. Boris Karloff, he was great too.

    Karloff was really old, and appeared in a dramatic movie about a shooter, he actually played himself, appearing at a film festival at a big drive-in theater, elderly, walked with a cane. At the dramatic climax the shooter was inside the movie screen, which was a building to support the actual screen, and Karloff just walked up and into the screen, and the shooter was terrified, and Karloff beat him with his cane.

    Price, I hear his voice used in radio shows, in commercials, you can pick it up instantly. What a gifted guy. And Tony Bennett, another giant in his profession. You lucky person!

  302. 302.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @WaterGirl:

    @Anonymous At Work: SPW?

    I assume SPW = Senator Professor Warren – a Charlie Pierce-ism

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  303. 303.

    MJS

    @SiubhanDuinne: Thanks for the welcome & the sentiments. Not sure how often I’ll comment here. “You know, I couldn’t agree more” only goes so far. Sadly, I seem to take great delight in ridiculing the Trump supporters on rhe local news site. It’s exceedingly easy.

  304. 304.

    Ruckus

    @J R in WV:
    Those of us with enough life experience know that joke. I heard it from many directions when I was less experienced. Not so much anymore.

  307. 307.

    Elie

    He has more purchase on his appearance looking like a clown than trying to “normalize” it — where he would just be an old dump. Time to have tightened up his appearance and presentation was about 10 years ago. He is not fit — physically or mentally and that is where it all starts…. There is no way to make this thing look better —

  308. 308.

    Feathers

    @Miss Bianca: I’m a huge noir buff and love Laura. Have you read the book? Vera Caspary was an excellent writer and had quite the life. It was included in the Library of America Women Crime Writers series last year. Well worth tracking down. That volume include In A Lonely Place and The Blank Wall, which was filmed as The Reckless Moment in 1949 and The Deep End in 2001. Any character who can be played by both Joan Bennett and Tilda Swinton… Reading these it is amazing how the male writers of an era become “canon,” while the women fade away. These are really good books.

    I have to confess that when listening to Welcome to Nightvale, my headcanon was Vincent Price from Laura as Cecil, and Ricardo Montalban circa Mystery Street as Carlos.

  310. 310.

    Miss Bianca

    @J R in WV: I *wish* I’d met Tony Bennett. That was our dear SiubhanDuinne who was the lucky gal in that case. But I was lucky, too. My grandma knew a lot of actors and writers, and as a high-ranking officer’s wife and a real Auntie Mame type (her parties were either famous or infamous, depending on how you felt about people getting so tipsy they fell into and out of closets…literally, tho’ perhaps metaphorically as well), so I got some of the perks from that, for sure. Another one of her neighbors and friends was Fred Gwynne, of “Herman Munster” fame…another delightful person, from what I’ve heard. *And* I got all my Dr. Seuss books autographed. My grandmother was cool.

  313. 313.

    Miss Bianca

    @Feathers: I’ve heard of the book – I actually ran across it in the library catalog the last time I got the movie out and thought, “ooh, cool”. I’ll have to check it out – thanks for the rec!

  314. 314.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Sadly, you’re probably right. One of my brothers is relatively friendly with him, and back when he first went to the CFPB, it was a stopgap until he could return to Ohio politics (such as that is).

  315. 315.

    Adam L Silverman

    @debbie: It was also because it was impossible to get Senator Warren confirmed as the head of the CFPB, which was her baby.

  318. 318.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Exactly like that, Adam. She was shameless. Not like me – I’d be way too embarrassed/awestruck/something.

    I did get to meet Herr Doktor Ted Geisel in La Jolla as a snotty-nosed youth. He was distinctly unimpressed. He actually was not that charmed by children.

  321. 321.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Miss Bianca: So he did not like you in a house, he did not like you with a mouse. He did not like you on a plane, he did not like you on a train?

  323. 323.

    MJS

    @Omnes Omnibus: I would say my vicious streak is very wide when it comes to RWNJs, Republicans in general, Penn State football and most Philadelphia sports

  325. 325.

    ruemara

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel: Quit clapping yourself on the back as a younger voter. And you broke your silence to tell us we’re doing liberal all wrong? Really. You should have spoken up if you had a decent cookie recipe.

  326. 326.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh, but of course! …were you not, after all, the Dauphin of NIU? I am sure your shining parts would have dazzled him excessively. Alas, I was just a typically tongue-tied introverted bookworm, quite devoid of party tricks or conversation when I really needed them.

    I grew out of that, of course… ; )

  328. 328.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: He did not like me as I was – I did not, would not, give a buzz…I was not yet a Dreadful Ham, I was not, was not, Sam I am.

    @Omnes Omnibus: I crouch corrected, Your Majesty. Behold me all contrition.

  330. 330.

    Anne Laurie

    @J R in WV:

    I think a new user name goes to moderation the first post. After a post is released, the new user name is ā€œapprovedā€

    You are correct!

    It’s an anti-spam routine, and believe me, if you saw the contents of BJ’s spam filter you’d realize how important it is. All new names (and familiar names on new devices) must be approved by a front-pager, because there’s a steady assault of buycheaptech and realpharmbymail bots, some of them using anodyne “Just found your great blog” scrips and others barfing out multi-screen site lists.

  336. 336.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Miss Bianca:
    @J R in WV:

    I *wish* Iā€™d met Tony Bennett. That was our dear SiubhanDuinne who was the lucky gal in that case.

    I have indeed been extremely lucky in my time, if you measure “luck” in terms of “number of famous people met.” My mother owned and managed a bookstore, so from infancy through my late teens I had the opportunity of meeting well-known authors (as well as cartoonists, illustrators, etc.) In my own career, I was a classical music DJ and then a symphony orchestra manager, so had the opportunity to work with/interview any number of world-famous guest artists, composers and conductors (ask me sometime about the time that operatic baritone Robert Merrill hit on me — and a couple of dozen other women, all on the same day). And in my last career, I worked for the Consulate General of Canada, and met ambassadors, Prime Ministers, and a range of other dignitaries. Sadly, I retired before Justin Trudeau came to power :-(

    What I have come to realize, in case this comes across as bragging, is that I don’t care how many famous people you’ve met, it doesn’t make a particle of difference as to the person you are. It’s a cool memory for the personal scrapbook, and that’s all.

  339. 339.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Well, you hold yourself to high standards, which can create its own set of challenges, nicht wahr?

    @SiubhanDuinne: From what I can tell, the enjoyment would have been mutual! She scared me a little, as a child -she was as great an extrovert as I was the opposite – she was the sort of grandma you’d have your first martini with, as opposed to cuddly bed-time story times with. But I miss her very much.

  343. 343.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Litlebritdifrnt: We enjoyed it, at least after he got through the “Pentagon” scene at the beginning. I thought it was going to be a screed, but it’s a well done film.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  348. 348.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: I like I said, I like the fact that it exists. Shonen Knife is about as far as I head in that direction. Anime also leaves me cold. I am an Atlanticist – culturally (apparently) as well as in international politics. I am, however, making real efforts toward learning about and understanding Latin America.

  349. 349.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Mike J:

    Thanks a lot. Too lazy to look at the table and figure it out. Just want to get up, make my coffee and find the right channel.

    I would be happy if United have to play in the Europa League next season.

  351. 351.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Whereas I am a Nipponophile in all sorts of ways, from high culture to low and all in-between, tho’ I am not an anime aficionado (my huge love for “Kimba the White Lion” notwithstanding). I was devastated when I had a chance to go to Kyoto to study theater one summer and my father pretty much told me he’d disown me before he’d let me go. Pacific theater, WWII. It was a great thorn in his side, my love for all things Japanese. It must have seemed like a slap in the face to him, tho’ I didn’t know enough to see it that way at the time.

    I am trying to learn Spanish and get more knowledgeable about the history and culture of our hemisphere. I have a standing invitation to go to a friend’s family estate (no kidding) in Chile, and I would like to go, someday.

  356. 356.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @The Lodger: Do you want FPers to guess whether someone is new or a retread? People who happen to start their ‘nym with an “R” don’t get in? I like the fact that Cole lets the blog be a largely free fire zone. I also like the fact that it doesn’t have threaded comments. The comment section is a largely free for all. It’s fun.

  359. 359.

    Ruckus

    @Miss Bianca:
    Those kind of grandmas are the best kind. One of mine was a practical joker. Her husband was a standard late 19th century kind of guy, nice enough to me, especially as I got older but racist and opinionated as all get out. She would play jokes on him for sport. And was good at it. My ex was like that as well, she once gathered a slew of friends and people I worked for for my birthday dinner. She also hired a stripper and I got crap about that for quite a while. Both good people but quiet and somewhat introverted. Until you found yourself on the receiving end of some practical joke and found out the presented persona was just a cover.

  360. 360.

    Kropadope

    @rikyrah:

    Three hideously awful movies that are so bad, but you canā€™t turn away from them.

    That reminds me of how I felt about the movie “Hot Rod” which I couldn’t pull myself away from, even though it was airing with commercials.

  364. 364.

    Anne Laurie

    @debbie: Oh, yeah — Cordray was the guy who got to be head of the CFPB because Elizabeth Warren was “too controversial” to be approved by Congress. So she went ahead, took Scotty Brown’s seat away from him, and joined the Senate instead.

    Nice Trickster-god-overplotting irony if Cordray has to take the not-worth-a-bucket-of-warm-spit job because… Warren’s too valuable to give up her current job.

  365. 365.

    J R in WV

    @Anne Laurie: I think Cordray would have to do something big at the CFPB to make news waves to really qualify as VP candidate. He’s too far below the radar of the common man for anyone to know why they should care about him.

    Now, if he does something great for consumers, that would make huge positive headlines for a couple of months… but time is nearly too short for that.

    Not to say he isn’t qualified technically and skilled enough for it, just not well known enough perhaps.

  366. 366.

    debbie

    @J R in WV:

    Just because he’s low profile doesn’t mean he hasn’t done anything at the CFPB. Why are the banksters calling for the end of the CFPB? Because the CFPB’s done nothing?

  367. 367.

    Cleos

    @ThresherK: Trumpie must have had to make something up on the spur of the moment if all he came up with was “goofy.” That word even has a rather lovable connotation.

  369. 369.

    Cleos

    @Lurking Canadian:

    Hereā€™s my mostly-not-serious suggestion for VP. Are there any Republican Senators from states with Democratic governors?

    Good thing you’re not serious.

    Here in MO we have a Democratic governor, Jay Nixon. One Democratic Senator (Claire McCaskill) and a Republican, Roy Blunt.

    Wikipedia:

    “Blunt received a 97 percent rating from the United States Chamber of Commerce indicating a pro-business voting record. He supported efforts to overhaul U.S. bankruptcy laws, requiring consumers who seek bankruptcy protection to repay more of their debts.

    “Blunt is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibitions of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act[14] and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[15]

    “Blunt opposes the federal cap and trade legislation and supports drilling for oil on the U.S. coastline. Blunt does not believe in man-made global warming, stating: “There isn’t any real science to say we are altering the climate or path of the Earth.” (bolding added)[16]

    “Blunt has voted to prohibit lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers if the guns they manufacture or sell are later used in a crime. He has also voted to reduce the waiting period for purchasing a gun from 72 hours to 24 hours. He has received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.[17]

    “In April 2013, Senator Blunt was one of forty-six senators to vote against the passing of a bill which would have expanded background checks for all gun buyers. Blunt voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop the bill. [18]

    “Blunt, who chairs the House Republican Health Care Solutions Group,[19] has opposed plans for health care reform supported by Democrats, including proposals that include a “public option” of medical insurance offered by the government. In July 2009 he suggested that the government should not have created Medicare and Medicaid.”

    I’ve been a Democrat for about 40 years now and I’d rather give birth to a chair than vote for any ticket including this dick cheese.

  370. 370.

    Cleos

    @PaulWartenberg2016:

    the argument to toss back to them is ā€œthe thing weā€™re counting are ACTUAL VOTERS who, you know, SHOW UP TO VOTE. Weā€™re not counting ā€˜What Ifsā€™.ā€

    But the reply is bound to be some tiresome variation on “dreaming of what isn’t and saying ‘why not?’ “.

    When you think about it, that describes every student’s experience of falling asleep in class.

  371. 371.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Long-dead thread, Adam, but I must beg to disagree. *Nothing* could be worse than the Batmetal video. I couldn’t even make it half-way thru’!

Comments are closed.