Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

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

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

We won’t go back.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Republicans in disarray!

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Tuesday Evening Open Thread: RIGGED! (by the Claimant)

Tuesday Evening Open Thread: RIGGED! (by the Claimant)

by | 262 Comments

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This actually happened:

Sorry, Deadbeat Donald, you don’t get a Purple Heart for getting your flabby old arse beaten in the political arena…

Richard Nixon’s old ratfvcker Roger Stone is preparing the excuses already, in collusion with the Breitbrat MRAs …

Reader Interactions

262Comments

  2. 2.

    germy

    saw this on LGM:

    Warren Terra says:
    August 2, 2016 at 3:17 pm
    An opportunity to re-post one of my favorite comments!

    I hear the [Democratic voter fraud] conspiracy is so widespread and pervasive that the Democrats are able to achieve their perfidy with aid of legion of accomplices, each of whom stuffs the ballot box with a single vote. Thus they are able to steal the election a tiny little bit at a time, almost imperceptibly, each ballot a chip knocked away from the foundations of the country our forefathers knew, taking us that much farther from a time when men were men and some were chattel.

  3. 3.

    Nominus

    There’s also the inconvenient fact that the swing states he needs are controlled Republican governors and legislatures, that might spoil the narrative among the fact-conscious.

  6. 6.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Well given that his wife gets applause for other people’s speeches, his getting medals for other people’s wounds would seem to fit the family pattern.

  7. 7.

    BGinCHI

    Trump is used to everything being rigged in his favor, every day after he won the birth lottery. His business dealings demonstrate this over and over.

    It’s not only an excuse for why he will lose; it’s his worldview.

  9. 9.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @Nominus: Of course, those evil judges are overturning their carefully crafted voter id laws, so that might help drive the fraud meme in those states.

  10. 10.

    lamh36

    This is getting ridiculous. I’ve come to think, if Donald Trump wins in November, it will be on the strength of those “non-educated/working class whites” folks here tell me the Dems don’t cater to, or, an HRC campaign implosion. I’m at the point where I’m beginning to feel that he is the President they deserve.

    The rest of us though…hell naw…Donald Trump and GOP will do nothing for folks like me…neither will they do anything for the same folks who elected them, but by the time buyer’s remorse sets in…Donald Trump could well have already messed up ALOT of stuff.

  11. 11.

    slag

    @Nominus: Yeah, but by allowing anyone other than white male landowners to vote, the courts are making it impossible for Republican states to keep the election clean.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @BGinCHI: Who knew the naked guy at the Libertarian convention was NOT going to be the most outrageous thing in this election?

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    What does it say about both the GOP base and the other competitors in the primary that he won handily?

  19. 19.

    p.a.

    @BGinCHI: I’d vote for Tuesday, but as a Celtic fan Magic is a poison pill for that team. And as a (on my good days) rationalist, I don’t believe in magic.

  21. 21.

    nominus

    @Comrade Scrutinizer: yeah, his supporters are so fact-resistant that it won’t matter. They’ll see fraud wherever they’re told to look. For the rest of the country that will have to put a stop to their uprising, common sense is building a pretty airtight case against fraud.

  22. 22.

    Miss Bianca

    @Comrade Scrutinizer: I have seen Scrivener demonstrated in my writing group, and the people who use it swear by it. Myself, I use True Novelist, which is free, online, has some of the same features but not as many bells-and-whistles (like “notecard” feature) as Scrivener. Works OK for me except when my internet connection goes ahoo…

    So, we like Scrivener, but we like “free” more.

  24. 24.

    lamh36

    Why should Donald Trump talk about policy when NONE of the media seems to actually ASK him policy questions?

  26. 26.

    lamh36

    Is anyone even sure Donald Trump knows who Kelly Ayotte is? I’m betting he’s confusing her with Nicky Haley…smh…

  27. 27.

    jacy

    @Comrade Scrutinizer:

    Scrivener is great for writers. It takes a little practice to use it effectively, but it has a lot of great bells and whistles. You can also use it to format and not run into any of the fuckedupedness of trying to format in Word. I highly recommend it. I would, however, make sure you back everything up separately, as I had an instance where something was eaten, and I never figured out why. But having a backup at the end of the day is always a good thing.

  29. 29.

    singfoom

    @lamh36: His policy is huge and great and tremendous. That’s why. He’ll never answer any policy questions other than saying that specific policy is good and great and he has the best people on it, you’ll see. And people are looking into it.

    His policy is that he’s a winner and that he’s the best. It all flows from there. God Emperor Trump. God I hope we just destroy this buffoon.

  30. 30.

    Kay

    Voter fraud beliefs aren’t based on facts so it won’t matter a bit how large the margin is.

    This entire theory is based on the idea that millions of people are walking into polling places and impersonating other, registered voters. It never made any sense. It doesn’t even make sense as.. math :)

    When they started this they actually called it that- “voter impersonation fraud”. No one asked even the simplest questions. One voter registers and then another, unlawful person votes. Okay.

    Where did the voter who registered go? What happened to that guy? He doesn’t vote? So it’s still one total vote?

  32. 32.

    ThresherK

    I would love John Kerry to offer one of his to Trump.

    Kerry’s probably too classy to do it.

  33. 33.

    Hungry Joe

    Any fans of The National out there? Because I’m seriously considering using the line “I don’t have the drugs to sort it out” as my go-to response to everything from now till Nov. 8.

    (Check out The National’s “I’m Afraid of Everyone” performance on YouTube/Letterman. Can’t get the link to work, but it’s a soul-boggling knockout.)

  35. 35.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Kay: A Democrat impostor impersonates a registered Republican and votes for the Democrat. Plus two for Team D!

  36. 36.

    hellslittlestangel

    @Bill E Pilgrim: That figure comes from exit polling. Somehow I’m not convinced that Trump supporters aren’t the sort of people who would claim they’re much wealthier than they actually are.

  37. 37.

    The Dangerman

    I say if people protest and it gets out of hand, arrest the lot of them and charge them with sedition; we can put them in camps and put FEMA on the gate entrance to make them feel comfortable.

  40. 40.

    Leto

    @Baud: Wow… Tammy Duckworth laying the wood!

    @StevePopper
    Trump spokesperson Katrina Pearson just said on CNN that Obama’s changing of rules of engagement probably cost Capt. Khan his life. In 2004.

    /smh

  41. 41.

    Hungry Joe

    Voter impersonation fraud makes no sense whatsoever if you think about it for maybe 18 seconds. (Which may be why it has gained such traction.) When I used to vote in person, always at least a couple of the poll watchers — they were from my neighborhood — knew me. I’f I’d tried to vote using another name, they’d have said, “Uh, excuse me, but … ” And if someone had tried to vote using my name, same thing. And if I’d showed up and found my name already crossed out (as having voted), it’d (I’d) cause quite a ruckus. None if this ever seems to happen because it DOESN’T happen. Sheesh.

    I don’t have the drugs to sort it out.

  42. 42.

    Keith G

    @Baud: That’s a great Tweet. Also, if you are not following Patton Oswald on Twitter, you aint livin’.

    Interesting thing about Twitter bots…..I sent a joking Tweet to a friend. It contained the word ‘plumbing’ in the punch line. Since then, two plumbing and home services companies have followed me.

  43. 43.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    Trump spokesperson Katrina Pearson just said on CNN that Obama’s changing of rules of engagement probably cost Capt. Khan his life. In 2004.

    Dear CNN: this is so blatant a lie by Ms. Pearson that you are OBLIGATED BY SIMPLE DECENCY TO NEVER INVITE HER BACK TO ANY PROGRAM.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    @FlipYrWhig:

    But how does the impersonator know the Republican isn’t coming? Voter impersonation fraud is so hard. It would take so much planning and any of them could be caught out at any time. Who is running this multi-state fraud operation?

  45. 45.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @Mnemosyne: I”m primarily interested in it for fiction. I use TeX (and TeX mods) for technical writing, but I really don’t need to worry about cites and equation formatting with the stuff I’m getting into now.

    Thanks everyone else for your feedback.

    @Miss Bianca: Free is sometimes better than commercial. Gimp, Blender, FlightGear,…

  46. 46.

    slag

    @lamh36: Hug! Hug that Circus Peanut!

    This is turning out better than I thought—it’s almost as if Republicans are self-selecting for weakness. They’re devolving right before our very eyes.

  47. 47.

    Kay

    @PaulWartenberg2016:

    For Trump people you have to differentiate between “blatant lies” and “they have no idea what they’re talking about”

    She may well think Obama was President in 2004. They’re not just liars. They’re morons.

  49. 49.

    Patricia Kayden

    @lamh36: Good. That support should take her down. Her Democratic opponent needs to use her endorsement of a know-nothing bigot against her every chance he/she gets.

  50. 50.

    les

    @Leto:

    Trump spokesperson Katrina Pearson just said on CNN that Obama’s changing of rules of engagement probably cost Capt. Khan his life. In 2004.

    I just don’t know if I can make it.

  51. 51.

    ThresherK

    @Baud: Rhetorical question: What’s more embarrassing than losing an ass-kicking contest to a one-legged man? The jizztrumpet may find out.

  53. 53.

    les

    @Kay:

    But how does the impersonator know the Republican isn’t coming? Voter impersonation fraud is so hard. It would take so much planning and any of them could be caught out at any time. Who is running this multi-state fraud operation?

    You may have heard of Kris Kobach–author of the AZ papers law, noted anti-immigrant, national consultant on voter ID laws, my (KS) Atty. Gen. His cops and AG agents were so bad at finding voter fraud, he took over personally. He found 3 cases–all people who voted in two states. So he created one of the toughest ID laws in the land (currently on appeal), which would have stopped exactly zero of the crime wave. As I’m sure you know, it has nothing to do with vote fraud.

  54. 54.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: My Republican friend has Johnson/Weld up on his Facebook page; then again, he’s hated the Hillbeast with the intensity of a thousand suns since the 90’s.

    In other Facebook news, the kid passed her boards and is now a RN.

  55. 55.

    Feebog

    @Kay:

    But how does the impersonator know the Republican isn’t coming?

    Exactly. I was a poll worker for a number of elections in California. The thought that you would get two people claiming to be the same voter is brain dead stupid. Also, if you have worked the same polling station multiple times (as I did) you start to get to know the voters personally. The entire concept is just so mind numbingly dumb that it confounds me that anyone would even think it could happen.

  56. 56.

    Leto

    @Patricia Kayden: So when I was a kid we had this outdoor toy that was pretty fun. I’m sure lots of us had it. It was this long, yellow, basically plastic tarp that you laid out, then connected your garden hose to it so that water could spray all over it, making it slippery. You then lined up at the end of this long plastic tarp, ran towards it and belly flopped on it. Boy, if you got enough speed, you could really sliiiiiiiiiiide a pretty good distance.

    The CNN hosts basically slid off the end of the Earth.

  57. 57.

    Kay

    @FlipYrWhig:

    I make them walk me thru it. “The white ACORN van arrives at the polling place. Then what happens? Are they registered to vote? Do they all go in together and just fan out, or are they assigned to precinct tables?”

    They can never get past THE POLL BOOK problem :)

  59. 59.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    Where did the voter who registered go? What happened to that guy? He doesn’t vote? So it’s still one total vote?

    I think the general idea is that the impersonators are finding people who are on the voter rolls but shouldn’t be- they’ve moved, died, etc.- and impersonating them. It’s the whole thing with dead people voting in Chicago. This is also their justification for being overly aggressive in purging the voter rolls; they’re supposedly trying to clear out the people the impersonators would be impersonating.

  60. 60.

    TK

    The “rigged” charge just makes him seem like even more of a deranged loser. I suppose the polling places are going to be kept empty in Republican districts by those liberal fire Marshalls.

  62. 62.

    Kay

    @Feebog:

    It’s funny for poll workers (I was one), because you’re right-precincts aren’t that big. “I beg your pardon. You’re not Mrs. Bat!” This would be a big deal! The poll judges would come hustling over! Phone calls would be made!

  64. 64.

    boatboy_srq

    Of course the 2016 election is rigged. They’re letting Blah/Brown/Female/Queer people vote.

    /snark

  66. 66.

    Leto

    @les: I think this goes back to Repub’s thinking that Obama (and by extension Hillary/Dem’s) have this magical time machine, and they’ve been manipulating/governing since… idk, 2000? Like, everything that happened from 2000-2008, they didn’t have a hand in it at all. Collective mass amnesia. I can’t wait for them to tell us how if only Obama had acted on the radar intelligence, Pearl Harbor never would have happened!

    Edit: Ha! dmsilev beat me to it :)

  68. 68.

    Mike E

    John Harwood, on Nightly Business Report: Trump seemingly has a tit-for-tat mentality (re: Paul Ryan); he’ll need at least 90% of republican votes to win the presidency, so Rep Hanna’s defection (among other’s) is significant

  69. 69.

    Roger Moore

    @ThresherK:

    Rhetorical question: What’s more embarrassing than losing an ass-kicking contest to a one-legged man?

    Non-rhetorical answer: losing an ass kicking contest to a no-legged woman- which Trump is managing.

  71. 71.

    Lizzy L

    @les: Yeah. I know just how you feel.

    And I would like to know what the CNN talking head said in response to this piece of nonsense from Mz.Katrina. Anything? Did she/he/it just let the brain-dead assertion slide?

  73. 73.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Leto: I never knew a State Senator from Illinois has such power. The things I learn from Republicans.

  76. 76.

    delk

    LOL!

    Hillary just retweeted Bristol Palin’s husband saying that Trump needs to apologize to the Khan family!

  78. 78.

    lamh36

    @Kay: naw…Katrina is a Black woman, you best believe she has when Obama was elected emblazoned in her memory banks.

    She’s just being stupid and partisan…so…just the normal stuff

  79. 79.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Kay:

    We can’t do that, but we can recruit tens of thousands for our multi-state voter fraud plan and no one ever gets caught?

    We’re Democrats and just really good at it, or something.

  80. 80.

    Leto

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Reading your comment, “such power”, makes me think of the Palpatine screech from Revenge of the Sith: “Unlimited power!” But it also makes me immediately think of Obi-wan saying, “You were the chosen one! You weren’t supposed to lead us into to darkness!” Which pretty much sums up the Drumpf campaign and Repubs in general.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    @Roger Moore:

    I actually don’t care if they have a big meltdown fit if and when he loses. I’m confident President Hillary can handle any bullshit that comes her way. Send it to the GOP House. They can have 37 fake hearings.

  88. 88.

    JPL

    ABC Nightly News led with Trump’s greatest hits tonight. It’s going to be difficult to get the campaign back on track. What’s the deadline for someone else’s name to be on the ballot? I want him to crash, but it seems a tad early.

  89. 89.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    the kid passed her boards and is now a RN.

    Congratulations to her! That is great news (and I don’t need to tell anyone here that she’ll be doing what I would call “the Lord’s work” if I were a believer).

  91. 91.

    Schlemazel

    I see that Sarah Palin’s son-in-law blasted Trumpf via twitter. He said Trump needs to appologize. I know the guy is a MoH winner so he has the capacity for thought but how did he get tied into that clown show?

  93. 93.

    hovercraft

    @Kay:
    ISIS stole a passport machine in Syria (it was Syrian), then they take it to Mexico, and walk it in through our southern border, and start making passports for every illegal, and then the illegals vote for the democrat candidate, and then Hillary wins, and then we are not America anymore. And then also too dead people vote in the cities, and the new black panthers go out into the suburbs and intimidates people to vote for democrats. So you see, no democrat since maybe Jimmy Carter has actually ‘won’ an election, voter/election fraud has been stealing elections forever. Study it out.

  95. 95.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @SiubhanDuinne: She took the exam on Saturday and was really unsure that she had done well(I was sure she did well). Thanks all for your kind comments.

  96. 96.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: You?

    ETA: Oh, read it too quick. Actually enjoyed his speech at the DNC and wondered where that guy was during his campaign.

  98. 98.

    Shana

    @nominus: Here in Virginia we’ve finally moved away from electronic to paper scanned ballots. I’ve worked the polls observing the opening and closing several times. You get your paper ballot, fill in your circle and slide the finished ballot into the machine which scans your circles and deposits it into the locked hopper underneath. Once the polls are closed the readout of votes is printed for each machine used and the locked hopper is taken out of the machine and transferred to the county headquarters. It can only be unlocked there and that isn’t done until the next day when the real official tally is done. I’ve also helped out there as a D observer. Each batch of ballots is given to two people, one of each party. There are usually 2 observers, also of each party. Both people tally the votes and they have to agree. They also have to agree with what the machine said on Election Day. If there are any discrepancies it is investigated thoroughly until they figure out what happened between Election Day and the day(s) of counting.

    Each polling place is issued a specific number of ballots and those used plus any spoiled ballots has to agree with the tallies on the machines. The polling places have at least 6 officials – allied with both parties -there all day, from opening to closing. It would be virtually impossible to screw it up and commit voter fraud on any scale at all. Perhaps someone got registered who shouldn’t have, although it would be much more likely that someone tried to register but the registration was thrown out at the County Election Board because someone left something out on their form like checking the little box saying “none” for suffix to their name like Jr.

    To say that voter fraud would happen on any scale at all to sway an election is preposterous.

  99. 99.

    Baud

    Christopher Hayes ‏@chrislhayes 26m26 minutes ago Manhattan, NY

    Don’t look now, but Judge Curiel just denied Trump summary judgment on the Trump University case. Your thoughts, @realDonaldTrump ?

  101. 101.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Emma:

    I am a huuuuuge Levenger fan! I probably own (and use!) more Circa notebooks than Trump has buildings with his name on them.

  102. 102.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @hellslittlestangel: They’ve got just as much motivation to say they make less money than they actually do, with the whole talking point about how Obama has impoverished everyone and they can’t get ahead. Might easily be more of them embarrassed about making too much to be at a Trump rally than embarrassed about making too little. All that canceling itself out, I imagine the figure is probably about right.

    There are other questions they asked reported at that link, the most interesting result being that out of white voters, 89% of those who answered “Is Barack Obama a Muslim? by saying “Yes” also said they were Trump supporters.

    There are some working class supporters of course but it’s a myth (though constantly repeated) that they’re mostly working class. No matter what economic level though, there is a common thread of racism and bigotry. And being white.

  104. 104.

    hovercraft

    @Leto:
    It’s that pesky time machine of his again. He really needs to retire it at this point, the elements of secrecy and surprise are gone.

  105. 105.

    Kay

    @Shana:

    one of each party.

    People generally don’t know that either, that it’s even-steven by design. If we went out to the curb to get an elderly person voted (they missed absentee period or just want to come out but don’t want to walk and wait) two pollworkers had to go – one R and one D.

  106. 106.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I thought at the time he attacked a judge because he knew the judge couldn’t respond but now I see I gave him way too much credit. He’ll say anything, to anyone, at any time. He’s not smart enough to think thru how to attack the judge. It’s a relief in a way.

  108. 108.

    hovercraft

    @Kay:
    She claims to have voted for Obama the first time in 2008, so unless she can’t count, which is possible, she’s full of shit. Obligatory: illusion…….she knows exactly what she’s doing……

  111. 111.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:
    The sad part is that the story doesn’t have to hold up to real scrutiny. It only has to hold together for long enough for people who really want to believe to be sucked in. Once they accept the basic story, the whole problem with debunking conspiracy theories kicks in.

  113. 113.

    Shana

    @Roger Moore: So in purging the voter rolls they’re purging out the Rs who would have been impersonated by a D voter? That makes total sense.

  114. 114.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @delk:

    Hillary just retweeted Bristol Palin’s husband

    Stop right there. Bristol Palin has a husband?

  115. 115.

    rikyrah

    Clinton Plans Massive Ad Blitz
    Clinton, Allies Have Reserved $98 Million in Ads
    AUG 2 2016, 3:31 PM ET

    Hillary Clinton and her allies are poised for a TV ad blitz of nearly $100 million dollars, compared to less than $1 million currently reserved on the airwaves by backers of Donald Trump.

    According to ad-tracking data provided to NBC News by SMG Delta, Clinton’s campaign and pro-Clinton group Priorities USA Action have reserved a combined $98 million through the fall so far, while pro-Trump PAC Rebuilding America Now has just about $817,000 set to air at this time.

  116. 116.

    NCSteve

    The irony that the Orange Pigfucker, who got his start accusing the president of being a Kenyan, wants to turn us into Kenya seems to be going unnoticed.

  117. 117.

    scav

    I think Trump might not be real good at counting and, moreover, may be confusing his fingers and his hands. Doesn’t seem to be able to grasp any numbers higher than 2. Keeps jumping up and down on third rails.

  119. 119.

    lamh36

    @SiubhanDuinne: right..she married the last baby daddy I believe (she’s got 2 kids right?) or whoever the last BF was and apparently he’s military

  120. 120.

    Baud

    @rikyrah:

    compared to less than $1 million currently reserved on the airwaves by backers of Donald Trump.

    Does that include MSNBC’s regular programming?

  121. 121.

    JMG

    True leftists can’t admit Trump’s support is based on racism rather than “economic insecurity” because they’d have to repudiate the “working class.” Rightists can’t because they know it’s true.

  122. 122.

    Renie

    Katrina Pierson said that idiotic remark about ROE on Blitzer’s show. No need now to ask if there was pushback.

  124. 124.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Shana: The nursing boards are an adaptive computer based exam, so the results come back pretty quick. Thanks and good luck with the bar results.

  125. 125.

    Origuy

    I came across a book that I thought would be interesting in this group, especially to Mnemosyne (IIRC, your G is a librarian?) It’s called The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu. It’s about the people who preserved thousands of manuscripts when Timbuktu was occupied by Al Queda militants. I haven’t read it yet; it’s not in any local libraries yet.

  126. 126.

    Kay

    Ohio reporter fact-checked Trump’s attacks on the fire marshal. Trump is, of course, full of shit:

    Here is part of the contract @realDonaldTrump campaign signed for the Columbus event. 1000 capacity.

    Ben Garbarek ‏@BenWSYX6 1h1 hour ago Columbus, OH
    Here’s the signed page from @realDonaldTrump campaign for those who asked for more proof.

    Let’s just guess who asked for “more proof,” shall we?” Poor Ben Garbareck. He can produce all the “proof” he wants. Doesn’t matter in lunatic-world.

  128. 128.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Renie: Blitzer is beyond useless. The guy who argued with his own on the air experts about whether or not the “Balloon Boy” could actually be floating over Denver.

  132. 132.

    rikyrah

    Judd Legum ‏@JuddLegum
    1. This election is a hot mess but today has been a fascinating game of political tactics
    2. Trump’s attacks on the Khans risk major long term damage to the GOP brand. Forced establishment to ramp up criticism.
    3. Both Ryan and McCain signaled, to various degrees, that they may withdraw their endorsement at some point if this keeps up.
    4. So Trump goes out preemptively, and announces that HE doesn’t support Ryan or McCain.
    5. This is the equivalent of Trump saying: “You aren’t breaking up with me, I’m breaking up with you.”
    7. Now, if Ryan withdraws his endorsement it looks petty. He tolerated the attacks on a gold star family but not himself.
    8. Enter Obama, who is playing this perfect.
    9. He’s advising all Republicans to withdraw their endorsement from Trump, effectively making it impossible to do so.
    10. So you have Trump and Obama working in concert to lock people like Ryan and McCain into their endorsement of Trump. Fascinating.
    11. Ryan and other top Republicans had a plan to nominally endorse Trump and then at the end say “I opposed everything he stood for.”
    12. Ryan’s plan is completely falling apart. Trump’s conduct is too outrageous to politely disagree with. Also, Trump won’t play along.

  134. 134.

    raven

    Right wing nut job Barry MaCafferee just skewered the draft dodger. “In Vietnam in my rifle company there were two of us that were not draftees. Mr Trump, and athlete and rich kid chose not to do that. He could have gotten in if he had wanted to”.

  135. 135.

    Ripley

    I use Pages

    Oh, it’s software…. For a minute I thought you were a Republican congressman.

  137. 137.

    ThresherK

    Me: Guess who married two men?
    Spousal ThresherK: Who?
    Me: Joe Biden!
    S-T-K: I didn’t know he could do that!
    Me: Yeah, I guess it’s big of all of us. But seriously, they’re both employees at the White House, and he must be ordained or something.

  141. 141.

    Shana

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks. The daughter who took it last week said it takes so long because there are about 7 essays to grade for each test participant and there were about 1,000 where she took it.

  142. 142.

    rikyrah

    NC will defend voter ID without attorney general

    Governor fumes after North Carolina’s attorney general refuses to defend state’s racist voter ID law
    AUGUST 2, 2016 11:05 AM

    North Carolina’s attorney general won’t represent the state in appealing last week’s court ruling that overturned a voter ID mandate and other voting restrictions.

    Attorney General Roy Cooper said Tuesday the state had tried its best to defend against the lawsuit but lost. Outside counsel for the governor and legislative leaders who are already involved in the case can handle any appeals, Cooper said, although he pointed out that would cost additional money and confuse voters.

    Gov. Pat McCrory quickly called a news conference to denounce Cooper, the Democrat who is challenging him in the November election, for refusing to defend the state against this and other politically charged lawsuits. Both candidates went on the attack as their campaigns picked up steam approaching the final three months before Election Day.

    “We’re very disappointed to hear that again his office is not willing to do his job,” McCrory said. “In fact, I question whether he should even accept a paycheck from the state of North Carolina any more because he continues to not do his job, as his oath of office requires him to do.”

    Cooper spoke to reporters earlier Tuesday and said there was a broader theme.

    “The courts keep striking down these laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor,” Cooper said. “When are they going to learn that you just can’t run roughshod over the Constitution? That you have to pass laws that are within the framework of the state and federal constitutions? We need to start doing that in North Carolina.”

  145. 145.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    I don’t think Trump anticipated that there are two tiers of media coverage in national elections- national and local.

    Sometimes I think local matters much more, because people who “don’t follow politics” hear it in the course of their regular day. It’s like “crime report, back to school, weather, and this giant lie Donald Trump told while in Columbus”

  149. 149.

    rikyrah

    JPMorgan Pays Inmates for Fees on Get-Out-of-Jail Debit Card
    August 2, 2016 — 3:17 PM EDT

    JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s contract to provide debit cards to inmates released from federal prison may have backfired after a former convict raised a ruckus.

    The bank agreed to pay a total of $446,822 to thousands of ex-prisoners to settle a class-action suit claiming JPMorgan ripped them off with $10 fees to withdraw money from a teller window and $2 charges for using non-network ATMs, according to a filing on Monday in federal court in Philadelphia.

    JPMorgan’s contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons was a scheme “to exploit one of the most vulnerable groups imaginable — releasees from federal corrections facilities,” according to the complaint. “Every cent counts for federal releasees who are coming out of prison without an immediate means of income.”

  151. 151.

    JMG

    @Kay: Surveys consistently show that local TV news is people’s primary source of information, because weather. Also, network news is all at 6:30 now, to keep up with the dining habits of its, well, let’s say seasoned audience. Local news here in Boston now starts at 4:30, goes to 6:30, then goes from 7 to 7:30. Much better chance of being seen.

  153. 153.

    gene108

    Guy on The Weather Channel just had a righteous rant on high school football practice.

    A kid in Georgia died from heat stroke. Kids dying from heat stroke happen every year, in mant states.

    After pointing out this is 100% avoidable, he said the coaches, administrators, and any adult supervising should be tried for murder.

    I don’t disagree.

    Until some adults go down, we’ll always read about some kid or the other dying from heat stroke in August.

  155. 155.

    dexwood

    @ThresherK:

    Now that’s a memorable wedding album. Some states allow anyone chosen by the couple to officiate once the proper forms are filled out.

  156. 156.

    Roger Moore

    @Shana:

    So in purging the voter rolls they’re purging out the Rs who would have been impersonated by a D voter?

    No, the idea is that the “voters” who are being impersonated are ones who can’t actually have vote at all because they’re dead, living elsewhere, in prison, etc. Those people can be safely impersonated because they aren’t going to spoil the scheme by showing up. So aggressively purging the voting rolls- and incidentally purging plenty of valid voters who just happen to lean Democratic- is just the other side of voter ID; it’s trying to eliminate the people those fraudsters would otherwise be impersonating.

    Again, this crap doesn’t stand up to serious scrutiny. If there was enough of this going on to tip an election, you’d think they’d have actually found somebody to come forward and talk about it. It would make great political TV: the person shown in silhouette with their voice altered explaining how the nefarious scheme works. Hell, they don’t even need a real fraudster to make that work, just a convincing narrative and a Republican operative to play the part. That they haven’t done that is all the evidence anyone should need that there isn’t a story there that would stand up to serious questioning.

  158. 158.

    ThresherK

    @rikyrah: Ugh. I remember when only schoolkids and SocSec recipients were seen as walking, talking burlap sacks with dollar signs on them.

  162. 162.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    After he appeared here yesterday, Trump sat down for an interview with the Fox anchorman. Too much to sit through, but the anchor had a deer in the headlights kind of look while Trump went on and on, defending his attack on the Kahns.

  164. 164.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lamh36:

    Thanks. Was not aware. Last I heard she was busy breaking off engagements right and left, so I was kind of surprised to hear that she actually tied the knot. Whatevs. Hope she has a happy life.

  165. 165.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Make America Great again:

    Ben Garbarek ‏@BenWSYX6 Aug 1 Columbus, OH
    Not talking about one guy either. There were ten people yelling at us for various reasons. Never experienced that before. Anywhere.

    Ben Garbarek ‏@BenWSYX6 Aug 1 Columbus, OH
    I’m surprised by how angry the @realDonaldTrump supporters were waiting outside. Yelling insults at media if we even looked at protesters.

  168. 168.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Blitzer is beyond useless. The guy who argued with his own on the air experts about whether or not the “Balloon Boy” could actually be floating over Denver.

    You’ve got to admit, though, that entire episode gave us one of the best, funniest, most memorable evenings on Balloon Juice in the history of Balloon Juice. Laughing helicopters! Credenzas!

  169. 169.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: she married the last baby daddy I believe (she’s got 2 kids right?) or whoever the last BF was and apparently he’s military

    Dakota Meyer, a vet who was awarded Medal of Honor.

  170. 170.

    rikyrah

    Laurence Tribe@tribelaw

    After studying at Harvard Law School, Khizr Kahn practiced law at the same law firm as Chief Justice Roberts.

  172. 172.

    lamh36

    @linnyitssn
     John McCain who supports Donald Trump even though Trump doesn’t support him has opinions on Obama working with Putin

    @SenJohnMcCain
    It’s morally reprehensible Obama Admin continues to pursue cooperation with #Putin in #Syria – my stmt:

  175. 175.

    Kay

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Trump almost has to attack him again. Good. The judge won’t care and it will hurt Trump. Now people have the Khan context to put it within so all attacks will be magnified as “pattern”.

    I have to keep reminding myself this is actually what Donald Trump believes about these people. This isn’t an act. This is what he is.

  177. 177.

    germy

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Blitzer is beyond useless. The guy who argued with his own on the air experts about whether or not the “Balloon Boy” could actually be floating over Denver.

    A gray beard, like a British accent, can take a person far in this country.
    Gives them gravitas.
    Even if there is nothing behind the beard (or accent).

  180. 180.

    Miss Bianca

    @SiubhanDuinne: I just re-read that whole thread not too long ago – someone posted a link to it – I was lurking at the time and, of course, being in CO Balloon Boy was a big story, so I have a vague memory of seeing it in real time, sitting at my desk with a glass of wine cracking up.

    Sitting with a glass of wine at my desk reading them the second time was even funnier. ; )

  184. 184.

    rikyrah

    Alec MacGillisVerified account
    ‏@AlecMacGillis
    Suburban county w/ 820K residents & zero public housing just voted to let landlords keep discriminating vs Section 8

  186. 186.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Shana:

    where she took it

    IIRC, that was the same place (hotel) where the Drumpf held a rally, thought the room was too hot, and has now threatened not to pay for the room rental. Or am I conflating my (admittedly vague) memory with something else?

  188. 188.

    sigaba

    @Gin & Tonic: He’s just making friends everywhere today.

    A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s pretrial bid to win a lawsuit brought by Trump University students who said they were defrauded into signing up for its real-estate seminars.

    U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said in a written ruling that there was a “genuine issue of material fact” as to whether Trump knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud the students.

    Curiel said there was extensive evidence Trump had not personally met, interviewed or selected Trump University instructors, though he represented they had been handpicked.

  190. 190.

    Schlemazel

    @ThresherK:
    As ordained as a county judge!

    BTW, he married 2 men and you are happy but Trump married 3 women & you complain about it! Wait til R-word gets here, you’re gonna get it!

  191. 191.

    Peale

    @Kay: yep. But you see Isis or its predecessor, acorn, is also registering Fake People, which is why you didn’t hear complaints from people showing up to the polls and finding out they’d already voted

  194. 194.

    Mnemosyne

    @scav:

    Most states have some provision for a person who’s not otherwise authorized to perform weddings to get a one-time permission. Here in California, it’s called “Deputy Commissioner for a Day” (can’t you just SMELL the romance?!?) and you basically have to pay $75 and then show up to get sworn in.

    There’s a much bigger list of people who are authorized to perform marriages than a lot of people realize, including most judges. And lazy or cheap people in CA make their friends get “ordained” by an online church that’s recognized by the state for purposes of performing marriages.

  197. 197.

    Mandalay

    The eradication of the rodents continues…:

    The shake-up at the Democratic National Committee after an embarrassing breach of its email system continued on Tuesday with the departure of three senior officials.

    Amy Dacey, the committee’s chief executive; Luis Miranda, its communications director; and Brad Marshall, its chief financial officer, will leave amid a reshuffling of leadership positions, said Donna Brazile, the interim chairwoman.

    Good riddance.

    Even as an ardent Clinton supporter, Donna Brazile does seem to have been genuinely pissed off by the ugly shenanigans within the DNC.

  198. 198.

    different-church-lady

    Enjoy your purple heart, Donald, because by the time this election is over you’re going to have a black-and-blue ass.

  200. 200.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    When I was a little girl, there was a locally-owned office supplies/stationery store just around the corner from my mother’s book store. There were times when it was difficult for me to choose which store was my favorite. I’ve never got over that wonderful sense of “anything and everything is possible” that accompanies a new calendar/planner, or a virgin notebook, or a set of index cards and blank dividers just waiting to be labelled.

  203. 203.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mandalay: Concerned leftist idiot troll is concerned. Meanwhile, Donald Drumpf is attacking a gold star family and you have nothing to contribute.

  205. 205.

    hovercraft

    @lamh36:
    So he’s trying to distract us from his little spat with Trump, he wants Trumps mouth breathing hordes to not pay attention to his statement criticizing Trump and Trumps refusal to endorse him, by trying to start a fight with the president. At this point who does he hate more, Obama for beating him, or Trump for forcing him to grovel before such an obvious buffoon. This was not how his life was supposed to end, he was supposed to be finishing off his second term having conquered Iran and Iraq and destroyed Putin and all his ambition of the return of Greater Russia.
    Sad.

  206. 206.

    Miss Bianca

    @JMG:

    True leftists can’t admit Trump’s support is based on racism rather than “economic insecurity” because they’d have to repudiate the “working class.” Rightists can’t because they know it’s true.

    I’m telling you, man…”White Wing America”. It’s my new theory, which is mine, about how the same forces that are driving Trumpeters are also driving the BoB – they’re essentially focused on their issues and grievances to the exclusion of being able or willing to consider anyone else’s. They’re scornful of actual democracy, indulge in conspiracy theories, and they lie to themselves, by omission if not commission, about what really drives them. They’re not even willing to examine their own privilege, let alone check it at the door.

  207. 207.

    scav

    @Mnemosyne: I’m pretty sure I’ve been to one of those on-line church ordained weddings, only in Iowa — could have been broke or lazy or just really fond of the cheesy ambience. That was just the crowd. (The bride was only slightly confused when three of us all together introduced ourselves as Jack Wheeler — we were groom side. Very baroque.)

  209. 209.

    Mnemosyne

    @Schlemazel:

    . I know the guy is a MoH winner so he has the capacity for thought but how did he get tied into that clown show?

    Even Medal of Honor winners are not immune to having their little head overrule their big head.

  210. 210.

    Adam L Silverman

    @ThresherK: Did he get Dr. Mrs Biden’s permission? I’d think she’d have to agree if he was going to get married to two other people.//

  211. 211.

    different-church-lady

    @Baud:

    There are no inconvenient facts in the wingnut universe.

    Because there’s no facts at all there.

  213. 213.

    ThresherK

    @SiubhanDuinne: Don’t forget us lefties.

    I am very picky about pens and paper, and I will spend more for things which keep my scribbling at its least-smeared.

  215. 215.

    Kay

    @Peale:

    Okay, but it’s not just “people”. The fake people have to have real addresses.

    It’s just very complex, this scheme. It must take hundreds of people, meetings, team captains- I’ve been volunteering on election day for years- I have never seen or heard of one of them and if they’re anywhere they’re in or around Democrats, right? It isn’t just big urban areas. They had an elaborate voter fraud theory about Wood County, Ohio in 2012. It’s a college town and an expensive-house-town. There are about 100k people in the whole county. This just isn’t happening.

  217. 217.

    Mnemosyne

    @Iowa Old Lady:
    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Me three (or four, since I assume Emma is on this train with us). I just sent my 10-year-old niece some stationery, a book of stamps, and an address book with my address in it as a STRONG HINT that she should write me a thank-you letter.

    (Plus I’m hoping to have a line of communication from her to me that Crazy Mom can’t access, but anyway …)

  219. 219.

    Kay

    This was PPP’s response to Trump’s claim that Obama is worst in history:

    Americans would prefer a third Obama term to Trump, 53-44
    PublicPolicyPolling

  221. 221.

    Emma

    @Iowa Old Lady: I had a huge collection of notebooks and office supplies which I had received over the years from different vendors/suppliers/publishers at the ALA conferences and the AALL conferences. A couple of years ago a cousin of mine recently arrived from Cuba asked me how much would it cost to buy some notebooks and pens to send to our school age cousins because getting good paper and pencils was near impossible. I showed him the stash cabinet and I thought he was going to cry. We send three huge boxes. Got all he kids supplied, up to and including the premed student. Now we make sure we get info on who needs what at the beginning of the school year.

    The most wonderful place to browse used to be Kate’s Paperie in New York City. Closed now, dammit.

  223. 223.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Kay: A significant problem is that these people can’t think through what they’re screaming about, because they’re too busy screaming about it. If they stop and examine all the things that must happen in order to cast a vote, they’d realize that the conspiracy theory falls apart. But they’re too wed to the conspiracy theory, because it cannot be that real ‘Muricans would vote for a Democrat over a Rethuglican.

  227. 227.

    J R in WV

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Hey, congratulations in raising her up oll korrect, and tell her congratulations for a lot of successful hard work. I have a number of very bright friends who have become RNs either as a first or second career.

  232. 232.

    Kathleen

    @Miss Bianca: And they’re victims. System is rigged against them. Poors and the blah people get everything and they get nothing. Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah.

  233. 233.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Kathleen:
    @J R in WV:
    @Steeplejack (tablet): Thanks much again. This is her second career effort, the first attempt at college ended rather badly. She went into the Air Force and was a med-tech and liked it and pursued nursing after leaving the military. She graduated with honors and now is a nurse. She’s already got employment lined up.

  234. 234.

    Kathleen

    @ThresherK: So you’re talking about real paper notebooks? I thought you were talking about exotic virtual notebooks and, Luddite that I am, I felt very stupid about not knowing about cool software for writing. (Says she who has 10 notebooks laying around the condo with notes scribbled in all of them.) I am so relieved! I love office supplies and notebooks too! ETA Can I go shopping with you two?

  235. 235.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    It’s very cool that you and her mom left her plenty of space to make choices that didn’t necessarily align with her talents and interests, and gave her great support when she found something that did! Her accomplishments are a wonderful reflection on her parents as well as on her, and from what you’ve said about her previously, I’m sure she knows and appreciates that.

  237. 237.

    Emma

    @SiubhanDuinne: I am seriously considering a spring visit next year. Passing through on my way to Cardiff. It’ll be contingent on whether we get some of my health issues settled, but I am hopeful.

  238. 238.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @ThresherK:

    Would never forget my lefty friends. I think one of the great things about a disc-based system like Circa or Arc is that you can easily, and repeatedly, remove the pages from the notebook to do your writing and note-taking, and then replace the page either where it was originally or in a totally different notebook. (Yes, of course you can do that with three-ring loose leaf binders, but you can also amputate a finger if you snap the notebook shut too fast. The disc system Does Not Amputate.)

  239. 239.

    wenchacha

    @gene108: Right. Heatstroke during hot practices shouldn’t surprise anyone. The risk is there. People are supposed to be paying attention. FFS, don’t start shaming kids for being in touch with their bodies.

  240. 240.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Emma:

    Stay in touch about that. I am way overdue on a visit to Wales and Cornwall, and if the pound sterling is still affordable next spring, I will definitely be planning a trip to the UK.

  242. 242.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Ali Vitali Retweeted John Harwood

    A Trump campaign source, in reax to this, tells me “it’s all true” and “way worse than people realize.”

  247. 247.

    TriassicSands

    November 9, 2016: Donald Trump, who lost the presidential election yesterday, has filed suit in federal court to have the outcome overturned. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a federal lawsuit has been filed via Twitter.

    “I won in a landslide,” said Trump, but “Crooked Hillary rigged the election and I never had a chance.”

    Trump called on his supporters to arm themselves and head for the streets, just in case the courts fail to do their duty.

  248. 248.

    Mandalay

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Meanwhile, Donald Drumpf is attacking a gold star family and you have nothing to contribute.

    While you blather on about Wolf Blitzer?

    Stick to what you do best: going on and on and on about who you want to torture and kill.

  249. 249.

    Terry chay

    @Comrade Scrutinizer: I haven’t written novels. I use Ulysses for short pieces and note taking. I like its minimal nature.

    Scrivener is much more powerful and has the added benefit of easily integrating not other media Ina research folder. Personally, though, it didn’t work for me.

  251. 251.

    J R in WV

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Here’s my personal experience with high quality nursing. Mrs J came down with asymptomatic pneumonia while we were at the beach, Thursday she said “I don’t feel so good…” and we were out of there. The B&B forgave the room charges we weren’t going to use. Saturday at home she was a little vague. Sunday afternoon I took her to the ER, when they asked her birthday she said “1913” (really 1949). 90 seconds later she was being seen.

    Septic shock from the pneumonia. 21 days in MICU where the nurses, mostly ex-military medics (especially one named, no kidding, Rowdy) discharged after serving in combat in the ‘stans, saved her life, along with great doctors. It’s a teaching hospital, which helped, new electronic medical records, PhD Parm, really it was a big group of specialists, everyone you can think of.

    She was in hospital for 59 days, and nurses on other wards kept infectious patients away from her, saving her life again. Collapsed lung! Eventually an experienced thoracic surgeon said, “I’m going to repair that collapsed lung, this is taking too long. Should be 20 minutes, half an hour…” Four hours later he showed up, pale and sweaty, and had found the bottom lobe of her left lung to be necrotic. I asked how common that is, he answered “Very, very rare!” Later that night an MD friend says that’s doctor speak for “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

    She totally recovered, her lung expanded to fill the void, 18 months later we walked all over the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain and France touring the caves with ancient paintings, along with castles, museums, archaeological digs, finishing in Paris with dinner across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

    TL;DR: Ex military nurses saved Mrs J’s life, a target for your daughter to shoot for, saving people’s lives.

  252. 252.

    Miss Bianca

    @Kathleen: Or in the case of the left-wingers, it’s more like “I don’t trust Hillary Clinton to do what she says she’s going to do domestically but I TOTALLY trust that she’s going to get us into a war and that’s all I care about, so who cares what minorities care about?”

  255. 255.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    ‏@nytpolitics

    Meg Whitman will support and “try to raise money” for Hillary Clinton, calling Donald Trump “a dishonest demagogue”

  259. 259.

    jenn

    @SiubhanDuinne: You are a woman after my own heart! I have more notebooks than I could ever possibly use, and it takes all my willpower to not buy more (willpower that all too frequently falters). I hadn’t realized until maybe six months ago why that was – that addiction to the potential contained within those blank pages. The stories, the art. Love it! But periodically, I have to go through and give some of these notebooks away, because I can’t stop buying the things, and there’s no way I can write or draw enough to fill them all! :*)

  260. 260.

    Anne Laurie

    @ThresherK:

    … they’re both employees at the White House, and he must be ordained or something.

    Yeah, I posted Biden’s celebratory tweet this morning. But he didn’t have to be “ordained or something”; in many states, anyone can preside over a marriage ceremony as long as they obtain a one-day, one-use waiver. The couple still needs to fill out all the paperwork to get their license from the state, but some people decide they’d like to have a relative or an old friend or someone they really respect lead the public celebration.

    When I filled out the forms here in Massachusetts, 23 years ago, there was a long checklist of different ‘qualifying’ religions… including some I’d barely read about, but *not* Wiccan/pagan, or Christian Science (and this in a statehouse not a mile from the CS Mother Church!). Since we’d asked a pagan friend to officiate for us (Chris had registered in the umbrella Church of the Goddess for just such eventualities), I asked the clerk, and she said that we of ‘irregular religions’ could pay $25 for a ‘waiver’. The ‘irregular’ remark ticked off my friend somewhat, but our ‘waiver’ came in the form of a very nice signed letter from then-Governor Bill Weld… and by that time we’d spent money & time on wedding ‘necessities’ that weren’t nearly as easy, so I didn’t feel too offended.

  261. 261.

    Groucho48

    @Feebog:

    Back in the day, I lived with a bunch of roommates. When I went down the street to vote in the firehouse, the little old ladies knew more about what my roommates were up to than I did. On the other hand, there is no way any of them could look at a driver’s license and see much more than a blur of a photo.

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