Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

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

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

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

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

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

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Second rate reporter says what?

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

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

White supremacy is terrorism.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

“But what about the lurkers?”

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

You are here: Home / Books / Open Thread: The Ignerntz Coalition Foiled

Open Thread: The Ignerntz Coalition Foiled

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Earnest congratulations to Carla Hayden, now our fourteenth Librarian of Congress — first woman, first African-American, and (according to Robinson Meyer, in the Atlantic), “the first Librarian of Congress appointed during the internet age”…

… Carla Hayden, a former Chicago children’s librarian who rose to preside over the American Library Association and oversee Baltimore’s enormous free library system, was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday to lead the Library of Congress, the nation’s largest library and its oldest federal institution…

Hayden replaces James Billington, an academic historian appointed by President Ronald Reagan who spent almost three decades at the institution’s helm. Billington renovated the Library’s main building and doubled the size of some of its collections (while also enlarging its pocketbook), but he neglected networked technology near the end of his tenure. He retired last year.

As I wrote then, Billington’s lengthy tenure means that Hayden will be the first Librarian of Congress appointed during the internet age— and the first librarian who seems to understand its power…

She inherits a library that desperately requires an update. A report from the Government Accountability Office last year found that the Library, once a leader in adapting to the internet, had fallen behind the times and needed to update its aging computer systems.

Hayden was confirmed 74-18 by the Senate. All of the dissenting senators were Republicans, including Senators Mark Kirk, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Tom Cotton. And though she was unanimously endorsed by the G.O.P-controlled Senate Rules Committee, an anonymous Republican senator blocked the vote to confirm Hayden’s appointment for more than five weeks…

Of course the Talibangelicals in Congress object to a professional knowledge-distributor, especially one with a history of encouraging children and other people of color to step beyond the boundaries of home and neighborhood, as decreed by the councils of the Talibangelical…

I posted this next video back in February, when Hayden was originally nominated. The one below it is C-SPAN’s coverage of her opening statement when confirmation hearings opened back in April.

Reader Interactions

64Comments

  1. 1.

    burnspbesq

    Has there ever been a Federal agency that didn’t have “aging computer systems?”

  2. 2.

    Adam L Silverman

    AL: would you please take a look at the comment in moderation? I’m not quite sure what to do with it. Thanks!

  5. 5.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    Why would Tim Scott vote no esp. when Graham voted yes? And why Isaakson,Perdue and Rubio in states with sizeable black populations? I don’t even get it. I am guessing Lee is the one who put the anonymous hold.

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Of the Georgia Senators, both of whom (natch) voted “Nay,” only Isakson is up for reelection. I’ll vote against him in November, but dislodging a Republican incumbent in this state is well-nigh impossible.

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I am guessing Lee is the one who put the anonymous hold.

    I thought I saw somewhere it was Tom Cotton.

  10. 10.

    Kropadope

    Library of Congress, the nation’s largest library and its oldest federal institution…

    Fascinating, I didn’t know that. As if we needed more proof that the founding fathers had their priorities in order to a greater degree than Republican “originalists” who claim to be the only ones who understand the intent of the FFs and thus must eliminate all federal institutions except our standing army.

    Incidentally, wasn’t a standing army something we didn’t develop until about 1900 and anathema to many of the FFs? I’m going off an old memory, so I could be wrong here.

  11. 11.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    @SiubhanDuinne: I have no idea. I was guessing since Lee and Cruz had taken over being the Kings of Anonymous holds since Coburn resigned. I consider Cotton as dangerous as Cruz and he doesn’t have that off putting stink that Cruz has. I bet he’ll be running for POTUS in 2020.

  14. 14.

    father pussbucket

    @eclare:

    Kirk is the surprise to me.

    Me, too. In his TV ads, he’s all anti-Trump and bi-partisany and you’d hardly know he’s a Republican. Maybe he felt he’s throwing the party and/or the wingers a small bone.

  15. 15.

    Anne Laurie

    @eclare:

    Kirk is the surprise to me.

    I’m guessing he was trying to reassure his RWNJ constituents he was one of them — not a pointy-headed innalectural, like that Tammy Duckworth lady.

  17. 17.

    dr. bloor

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I consider Cotton as dangerous as Cruz and he doesn’t have that off putting stink that Cruz has.

    Yeah, just wait a little bit.

    Looks like Sasse has decided that he’s going to advance his career the old-fashioned way–appealing to white voters over the side of the cliff. Can’t spell “asshole” without Sasse.

  18. 18.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I consider Cotton as dangerous as Cruz and he doesn’t have that off putting stink that Cruz has. I bet he’ll be running for POTUS in 2020.

    Hell, Cotton’s running for 2020 in all but name right now. He’s got big plans for the RNC convention next week; my sincere hope as a Democrat and an American is that he & Ted Cruz get in a literal fist-fight on camera, during prime time.

  20. 20.

    BR

    Your PSA for the night: now that Bernie has endorsed Hillary, I can finally put bumper stickers of both of them on my car. So can you. Unity.

  25. 25.

    Kathleen Smith

    NetRoots Nation 2016: 2 registrations available for $135.00 apiece. Paypal only.
    July 14-17, 2016 St. Louis, MO.
    A late scheduled business meeting takes precedence.
    We paid almost double for these tickets. Our loss is your gain.
    Current registration for “activists” is $370.00 + $3.40.
    One day registration pass for locals is $99.00 + $3.40
    One day registration pass for others is $175.00 + $3.40.
    I’ve bought and sold Netroots Nation registrations in the past online seamlessly.
    (Second post on Balloon Juice…references from another political site can be supplied upon request :))

  26. 26.

    hellslittlestangel

    Tim Tebow has been announced as a speaker at the Republican convention. Not clear whether he’s the keynoter.

    That should lend the event some gravitas.

  28. 28.

    Miss Bianca

    My God, it’s only taken 5 months for her to be confirmed? Amazeballs! What’s this Congress coming to??

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    I strongly doubt that Dr. Carla Hayden ever reads Balloon Juice, but on the off chance that she does:

    Congratulations, Dr. Hayden!

    (Or, now that you’ll be dealing with Republicans on the hill, are condolences more in order?)

  31. 31.

    JGabriel

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    Why would Tim Scott vote no esp. when Graham voted yes? And why Isaakson,Perdue and Rubio in states with sizeable black populations?

    I don’t know either, but I suspect it was just a cheap low-impact way (since Hayden was obviously going to be confirmed anyhow) to keep up their Conservative Voting Scores.

    Also? Most of them are assholes.

    Okay, all of them are assholes.

  33. 33.

    ET

    What is sad is that while I did expect her to be confirmed based on the hearings, I also expected more no votes because she is an Obama appointee and Republicans are just so lame.

  34. 34.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Miss Bianca: Ha! Well, I’d say that’s too bad, but since it’s for a good cause… :)

    @ET: I was expecting either a long drawn-out fight over something completely unrelated or a unanimous consent thing under the cover of darkness, not… whatever this was.

  36. 36.

    Mary G

    I don’t get out of my neighborhood much, but today I had to go up the freeway to a bigger hospital and I was curious to see if there were any Trump signs or stickers, but all I saw was Hillz and one Ben Carson bumper sticker put on by a blind person.

  39. 39.

    Prescott Cactus

    @shomi: Sanders.

    I’ve taken a step back on this one. If he would have play nice with Hill 15 minutes after the nomination was won, his Bernie bots would be outraged and voting for Dumbster.

    Remember the PUMA’s. This has been a long drawn out affair that has had the Washington elite and a few of us here all pissed at Bernie (me included) for his not towing the Democratic line. This crap about his getting what he wanted on the platform was perhaps all part of the final show to bring his folks back from the ledge.

    Kumbaya ma lord, Kumbaya ohhhh lord Kumbaya, Everybody this time. . .

    Only Shakespeare wrote them better then this ending (Act 1) mind you

  40. 40.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Prescott Cactus: In the end it turns out it was the Clintons colluding with Trump on a big con, the whole time. The audience knows, and the smart characters suspect it, but the courtiers and the sheriff totally get played.

    On the first pass at that I had accidentally written ‘courtesans’ and was like, well, that’s not the word I mean. OR IS IT, ha ha ahhh I kill me.

  41. 41.

    hellslittlestangel

    Tebow will speak on the 4th night, the same night as Trump. This has been reported by the New York Times and confirmed by fucking Sports Illustrated.

  46. 46.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Major Major Major Major:

    ha ha ahhh I kill me.

    You always bring a smile to my face. I’m easy to please though. I hit the long ball today! Pulled 14% positive response out of an old Dem donor list from the land Red, and grey hair.

  47. 47.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Major Major Major Major:

    mother’s maiden name and social watermarked

    My bad: I thought you had my Ma’s info. If you square the numbers in my e-mail address you see what is, in essence my DNA profile. It shows quite clearly the missing Balloon Juice sequence, which I imagine we all share.

    P.S. I’m going to love your musings !

  49. 49.

    Fair Economist

    @hellslittlestangel:

    Tebow will speak on the 4th night, the same night as Trump. This has been reported by the New York Times and confirmed by fucking Sports Illustrated.

    They must be desperate to tap a failed NFL quarterback with no particular speaking skills for *Trump’s acceptance night*. Tebow vs. people like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton – holy cow what a mismatch.

  50. 50.

    Arclite

    I don’t know why the Repubs didn’t block this nomination until the next president was elected. The voters didn’t get a chance to speak on the Librarian of Congress.

  54. 54.

    Major Major Major Major

    @NotMax: San Francisco Hilton. Yes, I’m staying down the street from my apartment for a conference for work. It’s… weird.

    There are three towers here and about five ways to get to each of them, and they seem to close various ones off depending on the time of day and logistical needs of the hotel at the moment.

  55. 55.

    hamletta

    A woman in my church choir works at the LoC, and she and her coworkers were overjoyed when the old guy retired. He’d really let things fall behind. Haven’t asked her about Dr. Hayden yet, but I’m sure she’s pleased, being a Maryland girl and all.

  56. 56.

    Anne Laurie

    @Major Major Major Major:

    And those appointments are practically for life!

    Not any more; if you read Meyer’s article, the Repubs changed the rules last fall so that the Head Librarian gets no more than a ten-year term in office.

    While I’m not a big fan of term limits, I can see how the argument would be that information technology is moving so fast that younger heads with up-to-the-minute skills might be useful.

    (Although IME, whether an individual is open to new ideas and new technology is less age-related than temperamental.)

  59. 59.

    GregB

    Newt Gingrich for VP and Library of Congress. Callista Gingrich, Head Librarian.

    He’s such an intellectual.

  61. 61.

    stinger

    @Mai.naem.mobile: Joni Ernst? Joni Freaking Ernst voted no? Ernst, the first woman Iowa has ever elected to a national office? Can’t vote for another woman? Even Grassley isn’t on that list.

  63. 63.

    Mnemosyne

    @hamletta:

    I’m guessing they’re even more overjoyed that Dr. Hayden has been appointed, because she’s an actual professional librarian, not a historian like the last guy. Her PhD (and MA) is in library science.

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    @father pussbucket: You didn’t actually believe his ads, did you? I looked right away for Kirk’s name, expecting to find it on the list of 18.

    God help us if he lying ads get him reelected!

Comments are closed.