We all knew that any politician who became Trump's running mate would be screwed for life, but this is a bit blunt.pic.twitter.com/xg0LYB8uuf
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) July 15, 2016
Guess I’m glad not to be the only one whose first thought was of an obscene gesture.
My second thought was that it looked as though the P and the stripes were trying, and failing, to keep the T under control. Which is also appropriate, if perhaps not the image I’d choose for my party candidates…
Apart from derision and schadenfreude, what’s on the agenda as we start the weekend?
T.P.
This stuff just writes itself. https://t.co/GjHn1MUAmy
— Al Giordano (@AlGiordano) July 15, 2016
Odds are high that the Trump-Pence logo designer is a staunch Democrat, sitting back and laughing their ass of right now
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) July 15, 2016
fave if you will never be over that logo, RT if it will actively haunt your dreams
— laura olin (@lauraolin) July 15, 2016
@AlGiordano That's fine. That logo is more appropriate on some of our artisanal crystal meth. Don't let your country be on Trump.
— Ryan Nolan (@SirNolan21) July 15, 2016
redshirt
Toilet Paper, right?
Major Major Major Major
It’s hilarious at first blush, and more than a little fascist at all the other remaining blushes.
dmsilev
No, not the only one (putting it mildly).
And Trump _still_ hasn’t updated his website to mention his new running mate. Just the one tweet from this morning, and that’s it. Did he fire the only person with the password?
redshirt
@Major Major Major Major: It is a good symbol to scrawl on notebooks and jean jackets.
HinTN
@Major Major Major Major: There’s that, but it comes so late to the party…
Major Major Major Major
@redshirt: Bathroom stalls…
redshirt
@dmsilev: It’s all so strange.
I find it impossible to believe he can win given this organization.
Given everything.
And yet…..it’s not impossible at all. In fact Trump will come in relatively close, barring the big success of a conservative 3rd party.
Keith P.
They’d be even higher if the T had veins.
divF
I addition to everything else, I find the logo topologically disturbing, reminiscent of a stylized Klein bottle.
jl
@redshirt: TP = toilet paper was my first thought. But I thought it might be a hoax, since no gold leaf in it. The real logo would be classier and more terrific and classy, which implies some gold leaf.
From what I read, Trump actually couldn’t make up his mind and was somehow forced into finally annoucing it was Pence. Maybe he really wanted 3 Veeps. One for late night burger runs, one to say crazy stuff when He was too tired, and one to trot out to placate the traditional social values and Donner Party Conservative crazy GOP base. Why can’t Trump have three VPs? See, people? The system is rigged.
Major Major Major Major
I mean what’s astonishing is that basically nothing on the logo is good. Nothing.
Pogonip
@dmsilev: Probably.
redshirt
@Major Major Major Major: 42% of people vociferously disagree, amazingly.
Immanentize
@divF: I have no doubt that Trump fantasizes about being inside himself.
Major Major Major Major
@redshirt: 90% of everything is crap. Including people.
Immanentize
@Major Major Major Major: Ugly bags of mostly water?
Major Major Major Major
@Immanentize:
RobertDSC-iPhone 6
I’m in the minority when I say that I don’t have a problem with that logo.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Major Major Major Major:
I was going to say that at least they got the mandatory red, white and blue flag colors right, but on closer examination the blue looks a little too black, at least on my phone. So, yeah, nothing.
Major Major Major Major
There’s even an exclamation point, for fuck’s sake!
Immanentize
@Major Major Major Major: I SALUTE YOU BROTHER!!!
Have I previously revealed what a huge Neal Stephenson fan I am?! Have I told everyone I am still reeling from the Baroque Cycle? I think not but then again I am not the Barker I once was.
Joel
@divF: Reminds me of the logo of an arena football league team.
Bill E Pilgrim
The bottom part is decidedly reminiscent of an eye exam chart.
redshirt
@Major Major Major Major: Present company excluded, of course?
Adam L Silverman
@Major Major Major Major: whoever designed the Trump/Pence logo needs to be fired and have all of their graphic arts tools, including crayons and finger paints, taken away. Between having TP (toilet paper) as your official logo, and doing it so you’ve got a T crossed by a P where the T cross through the P you’ve almost got a standing upright swastika. And the T is penetrating through the unfinished loop of the P, which is, I’m sure, going to appeal to the BDSM community.
Major Major Major Major
@Immanentize: It’s funny, he’s one of my favorite authors, but he’s also quite high on the list of people I hope never to meet.
Immanentize
@Major Major Major Major: I try never to conflate artist and art. Look at Mailer fer fuck’s sake!
Eric U.
In Hawaii trying to get my daughter home after a manic episode somehow got her here. Meanwhile, a squirrel somehow got into the house and our dogs fulfilled their one ambition, which is the summary execution of small animals. Wife says she screamed the whole time, but fortunately failed to wake up our son
Felonius Monk
A presidential campaign of the incompetents, by the incompetents, for the incompetents shall soon perish from this earth.
Barbara
@Eric U.: Wow, that sounds like a memorable day. I hope your daughter regains her equilibrium. My father was manic, it’s hard.
Major Major Major Major
@Adam L Silverman: Unless, of course, the artist is having them on.
gwangung
@Felonius Monk: And still likely to get at least 45% of the vote.
Major Major Major Major
@Immanentize: That reminds me of an Onion article from this week, Man Always Gets Little Rush Out Of Telling People John Lennon Beat Wife.
dmsilev
@Major Major Major Major: If so, that designer should get a nomination for Troll of the Year.
Tripod
As American corporate entities entropy, they re-brand with loud garish logos and marketing campaigns. You have to scream REALLY loud out there on the margins of infinity.
whadda ya mean they’re screwing their creditors and firing everyone….
Welcome to the bust-out, you stupid motherfuckers.
Eric U.
Pence had to file to run for gov today, right? I assume he didn’t. I feel like the silence from trump means things there aren’t going well. Or they are shocked by events in France and want to keep a respectful silence. Hahaha, I crack myself up
Adam L Silverman
@Major Major Major Major: true
father pussbucket
@dmsilev: Trump probably stiffed the designer in any case.
Major Major Major Major
@dmsilev: Trump would be a hard contender to beat, but it’s an honor just to be nominated, I suppose.
ThresherK (GPad)
@Joel: Today the Washington Valor, a new AFL squad, dropped their new logo, coincidentally. It’s better than this.
dmsilev
@father pussbucket: Good point. Maybe this was revenge after one too many unpaid and overdue invoices.
ThresherK (GPad)
@Joel: Here’s a link, ETA.
NonyNony
@Eric U.:
No – other way around. He had to file if he wasn’t running for governor today so that the party could put someone else on the ballot. If he didn’t file that paperwork then he couldn’t appear as VP on the ballot in Indiana due to their “you can only run for one office per election” laws.
He did file the paperwork today according to this news report, so the GOP will be able to replace him on the ballot. Sounds like the party just gets to pick someone, so no caucus or emergency primary or anything like that.
Eric U.
Logo came from the RNC, probably an unpaid intern, so not bad. I hope web designers realize that trump isn’t going to pay
Tripod
@Eric U.:
He was drunk dialing last night. …you know I always loved you baby….
Pence won’t be there come election day.
jl
The socialist dystopia Scandinavia needs better branding.
Where in the world is it easiest to get rich? | Harald Eia | TEDxOslo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UmdY0E8hU
trigger warning: BerniePix appear in the talk.
dexwood
I like the logo. It brings us together in mockery and laughter. Plus, some intern got to feel useful and important while presenting the design.
Villago Delenda Est
@Felonius Monk: I didn’t think it would be possible for anyone to top the clusterfuck that was McCain/Palin. Mostly because of Palin, of course.
I was wrong.
Skerry
Planned Parenthood of NYC put a condom on the T and posted the image on facebook.
dmsilev
@efgoldman: His Twitter account was quiet all day, which does lend credence to the ‘tied up and stuffed in the broom closet’ theory.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@efgoldman: Maybe out to dinner with G, it’s only 10 to 8 here on the Best Coast.
dmsilev
@Villago Delenda Est: Think of what a campaign with Sarah Palin in the top spot would have been like. That’s basically what we’re getting.
ruemara
@Major Major Major Major: And they paid good money for it too.
boatboy_srq
@jl: he got all three in Pence, depending on who’s hand is up Pence’s posterior making his lips move.
boatboy_srq
Samantha Bee’s animated GIF of the logo is priceless.
boatboy_srq
@dmsilev: y’know, TP would have worked as well for Palin as Pence – and would have been much more NSFW as well.
Monala
Question about the parentheses around Rosenberg’s handle – Is this still white nationalists ratf*cking with Jews on Twitter, or have some Jews started to do it themselves, in an act of defiance (like LGBTQ people reclaiming the word “queer”)?
boatboy_srq
@father pussbucket: Hence the design, no doubt.
SiubhanDuinne
I don’t even need to say why, and I’ll get over it soon, but god damn FUCK I am so fucking pissed off right now.
That is all.
? Martin
@Monala: This is people standing in solidarity with Jews by volunteering to label themselves in order to screw up the white nationalists efforts to label people in Google.
Poopyman
@efgoldman: Come to think of it, there is a resemblance.
Major Major Major Major
@Monala: What Emoji Martin said.
@Poopyman: I love the scare quotes!
? Martin
@jl:
Well, regardless, the leaks suggest that Trump didn’t want Pence but his kids did. Given Trumps notable self-control, I have to assume that he’s going to constantly be chucking Pence under some bus or another for no particular reason and given that, the leaks from the campaign will probably be ongoing and damaging.
RaflW
Kinda amazing that at 11pm EDT the Trump web site only acknowledges Pence in two press releases, far enough down that you have to scroll to them, and the second of which is labeled an “In Case You Missed It” item.
Pence is going to have Christies hollow eyes in 72 hours or less.
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
Chicago! Well, actually, Highland Park, which is where our hotel is. But we just got back from a lovely day in the city to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.
Interesting thing I noticed: all of the places we went that had public bathrooms had three options: men, women, and whoever. Some places labeled Option C as “family,” but mostly it was labeled as “men/women.” There must be some new-ish municipal code requiring it.
Mnemosyne
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Correct answer, wrong city. ?
Poopyman
@? Martin: This campaign is going to morph into a Laurel and Hardy routine.
eric
@Mnemosyne: how long are you in the city?
redshirt
I wonder if Pence got any say on that logo at all. Like, even, what do you think?
I wonder if Pence dreads what he just chose.
Anya
After I saw that logo, I now understand why Trump & his campaign kept talking about the need for Trump to have “chemistry” with his running mate. ?
dmsilev
@redshirt: Well, he could always back out. For maximum hilarity, do so during his prime-time speech.
Lizzy L
Why can’t Trump have three VPs?
Who says he can’t? Well, two, anyway. I figure he’ll fire Pence in a couple of months (too boring) and invite Palin to take the Veep spot: she’s done it before, and the logo will still work, so why not? It’ll be HUUUUGE. Remember, you read it here first.
Fair Economist
@redshirt:
Given that as of 12 hours before his unfiling deadline, he was still a “maybe”, I’m thinking probably not.
Adam L Silverman
@? Martin: Actually the leaks to Dana Bash and Kelly O’Donnell were that he didn’t want to choose and actually asked if he had to choose a VP. That is very strange.
dmsilev
@Fair Economist: How much time do you think was spent coming up with that logo? 12 hours is far more than enough.
sinnedbackwards
@Major Major Major Major: Appreciate the Ted Sturgeon reference, but these days, thanks to the internet, 99% of everything is crap.
redshirt
@Fair Economist: He’s probably too dim to get how bad it is. Like Trump’s staff in general.
We’re fighting morons at this point, and yet they’re still formidable enemies.
Adam L Silverman
@Mnemosyne: May I recommend the Tavern on Rush for Steaks, Chops, and Seafood. Also, they have an ice cream pie for desert where the slice is the size of my head. Though much better tasting and much easier to dig into with a spoon.
Mnemosyne
@eric:
Only until Monday, and we’re fully booked with family. The problem with both our families living here is that we get almost no time to ourselves when we come out. But I put my foot down over the anniversary and everyone was okay with that.
redshirt
@dmsilev: If there was gonna be a solid conservative 3rd party run, that’s how to do it – announce it during the Repuke’s convention.
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
We went to Chicago Chop for dinner. Insanely expensive but OMG the filet was amazing.
We also did the Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour, which was great even though we got rained on for a bit. Good thing we grabbed an umbrella at Walgreens right before the tour started!
? Martin
@Poopyman: Oh, it already is. Just considered how badly they are currently standing on their own dick. They didn’t need to announce the VP today except that Pence has a filing deadline and Trump promised he would. They should have avoided the Nice news cycle at all costs, but they boxed themselves in so they had to do this weak-ass announcement with no media rollout (remember Romney at the USS Wisconsin, Obama and Biden also had a rally the day of their announcement). So instead of waiting probably another day, which Trump realized he should when he said ‘out of respect for Nice’ which would have put them able to avoid the Turkey news cycle, they ended up contradicting their own ‘out of respect for Nice’ message and rolling out an utterly inept announcement that within a few hours was totally swamped by Turkey.
There is literally no aspect of this VP rollout that was done competently, and they still aren’t on top of it. It’s just astonishing. And what’s worst about it all, in a sense, is that Trump Inc as an organization is effectively nothing but a brand management operation and if Trump had any one legitimate qualification to present here was his ability to create and manage a brand, and that’s literally all a VP rollout is and he’s completely fucked it up.
Major Major Major Major
@sinnedbackwards: Nah. It’s just that 10% of the good 10% made it to the fore before, and since traditional amplification sources still have the same bandwidth, 10% of the good 10% is still making it to the fore.
Meanwhile, 10% of the 90% is also making it to the fore because 90% of people have crap taste, and amplification is more democratized now.
90% of everything you see is still crap. It’s just different crap, differently.
SiubhanDuinne
@redshirt:
@Fair Economist:
One has to kind of wonder what the T-G and T-C logos may have looked like. And if the Trump campaign is smart, they’ll hold on to them (get their $35 worth) in case something, er, um, happens to Pence and they have to go back to the B team.
? Martin
@Adam L Silverman: Boy, if anyone needed a clue as to his authoritarian bent, his opposition to share the stage is pretty clear. And how the fuck does that sort of thing leak from a campaign? It’s almost as if you have the staff already trying to seek absolution for having this campaign on their resume.
Amir Khalid
@Adam L Silverman:
I’d been wondering who Donald’s VP preference was that his kids felt they had to veto. Now you say it’s “none of the above” — which I wouldn’t have thought of, because it’s crazy;, but upon reflection it seems like the choice he might actually make.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mnemosyne:
I took that boat tour last September. ♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️
redshirt
@? Martin: Yeah, it’s like shockingly, incredibly poorly done. The rollout of Palin had about 100% more class and pomp and such. Trump hasn’t even updated his web site. It’s like no one cares.
And maybe no one does. Maybe all they’re counting on is 43% guaranteed, +4 due to voter suppression, +2 computer voting hacking, +2 Supreme Court.
Adam L Silverman
@Mnemosyne: I’ve been to both. Hope you enjoyed it.
dmsilev
@Mnemosyne: The CAF tour is the best of the boat rides along the river; their walking tours are also pretty good (the one I recommended to visitors was the Early Skyscraper tour of the Loop).
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
The gendered bathrooms were already required to have at least one handicapped-accessible stall, but this is specifically a gender-neutral bathroom. One of the hotels we stopped at had a sign explaining it was for the use of anyone who wanted to use it, regardless of gender expression. Kinda cool.
I’ll probably survive without “Shkreli: The Musical,” but that’s what I originally said about “Book of Mormon,” too. IIRC, the guy went to Hunter College high school with LMM (or at least around the same time).
jl
@Adam L Silverman: @? Martin:
Trump is a brilliant world historical genius. He surely had some great idea that was part of his plan to make America great again.
Like a ‘Be Vice President for a Day Apprentice’ show, hosted by Trump Himself.
But the rigged system got in the way.
Adam L Silverman
@? Martin: @Amir Khalid: Its quite something isn’t it?
The Thin Black Duke
@? Martin: And yet, the usual gang of idiots will justify their support for Trump by telling you with a straight face how “unqualified” Hillary is.
dmsilev
@redshirt: Speaking of Palin, apparently the Trump campaign’s explanation of why she won’t be at the convention is that Alaska is far away.
jl
@dmsilev: She’s busy up there keeping an eye on Russia.
Adam L Silverman
@jl: There was some reporting that basically he had Pence and his family, Gingrich and his, Christie and his, etc come and spend time with his family. Like they were auditioning for a TV reality show rather than the usual way that VP choices are vetted.
Mnemosyne
All right, ladies and germs, G specifically made me promise not to hang out on Balloon-Juice all night, so I have to wander away now. I’ll probably continue to be scarce through at least Monday. Good night!
RaflW
A little Chris Christie fun, via NYT
SiubhanDuinne
@RaflW:
God knows I am no fan of Pence, but there’s something so awful about the way Trump takes pleasure in humiliating people — hardly matters whether they’re his rivals or his allies — that makes me just cringe in mortification. And make no mistake, he has well and truly humiliated Mike Pence this weekend. I just curdle in embarrassment.
? Martin
@redshirt: They aren’t counting on anything. There no fucking way anyone in the campaign has a realistic winning strategy here, mainly because in a winning campaign, the candidate is merely one (very important) asset among many to manage. That is, the candidate is beholden to the strategy and has to be loyal to it. That’s utterly impossible with Trump because he has no self-control. The Trump campaign strategy has to operate largely in spite of Trump and because of that, it’s internally unpredictable. Trump is just another variable that can’t be controlled rather than the most important variable that should be assumed to be controlled.
That’s not to say Trump can’t win, but if he does win it’ll likely be in spite of the campaign strategy rather than due to it. And that happens sometimes. Clinton looks like she has a really competent campaign right now (as compared to 2008) and I have to say I’m impressed at their ability to adapt quickly (sending voter reg to Pokemon Go stops is such an example). I wouldn’t be surprised if there are lures being dropped at Dem/Clinton campaign offices right now.
Structurally, Trump is running at such a massive disadvantage. That won’t show in the polls, but it’ll be clear on election day. That’s why Obama shocked everyone with his vote margin against Romney. It was straight up campaign execution.
boatboy_srq
@efgoldman: You’re assuming the man has enough firing neurons to grasp that. Jury is still out on that.
jl
@Adam L Silverman: It’s unfortunate that all the gimmicks that would make a Trump administration more bearable seem to be unconstitutional or illegal. It would be a great show. One week Trump would come in and say ‘I’m very busy this week. Have tremendous challenges you wouldn’t believe, you just wouldn’t. I’m very busy. I need a VP to get me burgers and pizza’. Clip of Christie dong a burger run. ‘I need to know which one of you can get me the best burgers and pizza the quickest, and that one will be VP for a day!.’
It would be a smash hit and send Trump’s job ratings through the roof.
BR
I’m curious how this VP pick is playing among Bernie dead-enders. I can’t imagine well. I’m curious if anyone has seen any signs that they’re no longer interested in Trump.
redshirt
Trump Pence also anagrams as
Mr Cunt Peep
So there’s that.
Also, disturbingly,
Prep me cunt.
redshirt
@jl: Shut up!
It’s like you just pitched the first Trump 90 days.
Don’t give them ideas!
jl
@redshirt:
Mr Cunt Peep
That would apply to both Trump and Pence, but in different ways.
RaflW
@BR: What I read earlier was that Pence blows up Trump’s indie interest, but not so much from the Bernie side, but the “I could be a Republican, but I’m kinda sorta pro-choice or something. And my brother is gay” crowd.
dmsilev
@BR: Too early to tell. I think we’ll have to wait a couple of weeks, until the dust has settled on both conventions, to really get an idea of the shape of the race going forward.
redshirt
@? Martin: Your words to Pokemon’s ears.
Villago Delenda Est
@BR: From the smidgen of things I’ve seen on the tubes, the selection of Pence, a known fanatic social reactionary, is not sitting well with the dead enders. They’ll probably go to Stein if they can’t bring themselves to vote for Hillary.
? Martin
@boatboy_srq: Nah. Pence is like a single-cell creature that has adapted for one job like swimming toward the brightest light source. In Pence’s case that single job is getting elected. He’s a politician savant. He knows exactly how badly he’s fucked. But what choice does he have – he’s adapted for this single function. He can’t do anything else.
sinnedbackwards
@Major Major Major Major: My empirical observation is that so much more crap and otherwise is there now, the ratio has changed.
But clearly numerate disagreements are the best.
jl
@RaflW: Trump is horrible, but not horrible in the same way people like Pence are. I don’t think Trump believes all the social conservative stuff Pence does, and doesn’t want to even bother with going through the motions on it.
Trump may be getting tired of having to pander to the GOP nutcase base. Maybe he thought he could ditch all that BS he spouted after the primaries were over. (Edit: and I think Trump has more or less said in some interveriews that he was BSing quite a bit in the primaries because he knew it would work, and for no other reason. I’ve tried to explain that to some Trump supporters I know in attempts to persuade them they would be fools to believe a word Trump ever utters.)
Lizzy L
@? Martin: This. What’s keeping Trump afloat is the constant media attention. He is consummate click-bait. Whenever that goes away, it immediately becomes obvious that there’s no structure holding the campaign up. As you say, that doesn’t mean he’ll lose, but it becomes harder and harder to keep the balls in the air when it’s clear that the act consists of only one juggler, and he’s standing on a seesaw.
bmaccnm
@Amir Khalid: Isn’t anyone else disturbed that Trump’s kids have this much control over his campaign? Not a trusted business associate or a loving wife, but three trust fund brats who have always worked for their dad? One’s head would ache from the echo chamber.
jl
@bmaccnm:
I can’t see how the words ‘trust’ and ‘business associate’ go together with a guy like Trump.
Amir Khalid
@? Martin:
Let’s mention that to Lance Thruster and NR the next time they show up, and watch the reaction.
RaflW
John Marshall just linked to this item that suggests Pence (or Christie, had it been him) will curtail Wall Street dollars to Trump’s campaign. Interesting. Makes me wonder if HRC is avoiding sitting governors.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: Some of us may have noticed this kind of of thing back in March or so when Bernie was mathematically eliminated. Keep on keeping on though. Your economic vision got us where?
The Thin Black Duke
@jl: I’m sorry, but I must respectfully disagree. I lived in New York years ago, so I’ve had front row seats to Trump’s vulgar carnival act, therefore I take him at his word when he spews his hateful bullshit about black people. Ironically enough, it’s probably one of the few times in Trump’s life when he’s being totally honest.
sm*t cl*de
@Anya:
A shared meth lab would certainly be one way to fund the operation.
West of the Cascades
How does a post with the tag “Bring on the Brawndo” not get to the obvious joke?
“TP: it’s what American assholes crave!”
ruemara
@The Thin Black Duke: This. His hatreds are real. Stop trying to say it’s an act.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@ruemara: Yes. And in case anyone is still not getting this, I have 3 words for you: Central Park Five.
The man is a fucking racist. FULL STOP.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
My god, the graphic artist who designed that almost certianally knew what he was doing there…
Aimai
@Mnemosyne: mnemo i just had the most incredible meal of my LIFE at a tiny, superb, restaurant in chicago: Ruxbin. Unbelievable food from a top chef (French laundry…etc…) doing his dream of cooking with friends. Google it and try like mad to get in.
SW
This is Trump’s version of revenge. Totally destroy Pence’s political career for endorsing Cruz in the Indiana primary.
PghMike4
My first thought was “toilet paper,” and my second thought was your obscene one. My third thought was ‘is DT surrounded by so many Yes men (and women) that no one told him not to choose this logo?”
FMBJO
Hearing TP before seeing the logo made me think, “AH yes, Tiny Pe$is.”
Bnad
Apparently the logo is no more.
Another Holocene Human
@Mnemosyne: Thank goodness Dave Matthew’s Band was not in town and the only effluvient was rain!
Another Holocene Human
@bmaccnm: The sad thing is that everyone nods sagely when they interfere. “Well, thank goodness they made The Donald see reason … this time.”