Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

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

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

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

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

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

“More of this”, i said to the dog.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

The revolution will be supervised.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

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

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

The words do not have to be perfect.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / You Remind Me of the Babe

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111Comments

  4. 4.

    cat copeland

    Yea, cute, however, I’m NOT a fan of OTHER peoples’ kids posted on the internets.
    I am NOT an, Ahhh, type of person with re to babies I know there are people who can’t stop bragging about the ‘babies’, but I have no “Ahhhh’s” . ‘Wonkette’ does it. It’s like ENUF, please.
    Thank You!
    GIVE ME ANIMALS, anyday!!! Thank You!!!

  11. 11.

    PIGL

    Well, since it’s an open thread, I wanna talk about Naked Capitalism. Any takers?

    I used to quite admire the key players, but the hysterical Hillary hate they encourage, and — let’s me honest — the comment banning policy, has caused me to doubt them. Despite the good work they have done on the California pension plan, and international money laundering and corporate shenanigans, I think there is something wrong with them.

  12. 12.

    Mnemosyne

    First world problem of the day: I got soup and sandwich at a takeout place for lunch, but the soup filled me up so much, I can’t eat the sandwich.

    And it’s all from Porto’s, so locals will understand why this makes me sad.

  20. 20.

    BR

    Just a reminder to everyone — sign up to volunteer with the campaign. I’ve gone to a couple of local phone banks, and even though I wasn’t a Clinton supporter in the primaries it’s too important for me to sit this out. I’ve already gotten a number of volunteers to join me, and I want to encourage everyone here to do the same. We’re looking at less than a month before early voting starts in some places!

  27. 27.

    Original Lee

    Just had to unfollow a person who’s been a close friend since middle school and who is also a cousin of my sister’s BFF. He proudly outed himself out as a bigot and has started a Hillary’s Deplorables group on FB. SMH.

  29. 29.

    PIGL

    @Mk3873: I guess it finally got up my nose. The only explanation I can come up with derives from Yves’ history in the industry….do you remember an article in Mother Jones, about 1992, about the reflexive, vituperative, irrational hatred that the wall street crowd had for then President Elect Clinton?

  30. 30.

    Emerald

    @Mnemosyne: On an optimistic note, I’ve already had two calls today supporting Colonel Doug Applegate, Darryl Issa’s opponent. Looks like there might be an actual chance this year! Democrats are out there working!

  31. 31.

    jacy

    Since this is an open thread, I have a lawyer question. My ex has a problem with texting while driving. He does it compulsively. It’s in our custody agreement that he is not allowed to text with the kids (16 and 11) in the car. (It’s also against Louisiana law to use the phone for email, text, or to check social media unless you are legally parked.) The boys have been sending me pictures of him texting constantly (for 20-30 minutes at a time) while driving on the Interstate. They’ve asked him to stop. I’ve asked him to stop. He knows they document it with photos. He won’t stop. Do I go back to my lawyer for contempt of court? Do I pursue child endangerment? Can I pursue contempt of court without paying a lawyer? I don’t want to “punish” him, I just want to make sure he stops before he kills somebody.

  34. 34.

    Hal

    I was on vacation last week and got to indulge in many episodes of House Hunters, quite a few of which I have not seen. Every episode starts the same: “She loves mid-century modern, while he loves ranch style. Will they be able to compromise?” I’ve also learned that many people apparently have an aversion to stairs. Multiple episodes of people complaining that if they buy a two story, they’ll have to walk up and down the stairs every day! For the rest of their lives!! Life is hard.

  41. 41.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Hal:

    Multiple episodes of people complaining that if they buy a two story, they’ll have to walk up and down the stairs every day! For the rest of their lives!!

    If the people are young and without physical disabilities, stairs should not be an issue. If they are older and thinking ahead about potential mobility issues, it is another thing.

  42. 42.

    Hillary Rettig

    @jacy: ugh I’m sorry. ianal but good on you for teaching the kids to take this so seriously. can they insist on holding the phone before they get in the car?

  44. 44.

    Suzanne

    Dolores is adorable and hopefully her elementary school classmates will remain unfamiliar with Seinfeld until they are older.

    I am just loving the “basket of deplorables” comment. They criticize her for “lying”, and then when she tells the God’s-honest truth, they get butthurt. I wholeheartedly support shaming racists and xenophobes. They can lose friends all day long, IMHO.

    Wingnut tears: drink up, there’s plenty more.

  45. 45.

    Botsplainer

    @jacy:

    In my courts you wouldn’t get a lot of traction on that – an order perhaps, but not really enforced.

    That said, it would behoove you to file the motion AND request reimbursement of fees. That would get his attention, and the judge should be happy to do that. I would hold the photos though, unless I absolutely needed them. No need to pit the kids against him.

  46. 46.

    Mnemosyne

    @jacy:

    Actual lawyers have said there’s probably not much you can do, so I would have your kids always sit in the back seat with their seatbelts on. At least if he crashes, they’ll be better protected.

  47. 47.

    Suzanne

    @Hal: I have a two-story, and I like it in some ways, but babyproofing the stairs was really difficult when Spawn the Younger was wee. Gates at top and bottom. Considering that the kitchen is upstairs, that made grocery schlepping really difficult. In general, though, I like it for privacy, when the bedrooms are upstairs and public areas are downstairs.

  48. 48.

    Eric U.

    @Omnes Omnibus: my wife has broken her leg falling down the stairs, and we aren’t getting any younger. Unfortunately there aren’t many houses around here that are single story.

  49. 49.

    jacy

    @Hillary Rettig:

    They’ve tried. When I say it’s a compulsion, it’s literally a compulsion. If they bring it up, he becomes unreasonably angry and berates them for “snitching.” I’m increasingly of the mind that the only way to stop it is legally. I’ve considered publicly shaming him by posting pictures of him texting while driving, but I don’t want to devolve down to his level of crazy…

    For a week, he would pull off the Interstate every 10 minutes to text and then tell them, “It’s your fault we’re going to be late, because now I have to park.” But now he’s back to just constantly holding a text conversation every moment he’s in the car. It’s pathological.

  50. 50.

    SenyorDave

    Two weeks ago Hillary gave what I thought was excellent speech about the alt-right and their rising influence in the Republican party, to the point that Trump’s campaign CEO is one of the key people in the alt-right movement. MSM’s response was pretty much crickets chirping, tumbleweeds rolling – no interest at all in chasing that story.
    Yesterday we had the basket full of deplorables, identifying many Trump supporters as bigots.
    So he’s surrounded himself with bigots and his supporters are bigots, what’s the missing link?
    Why not just call it for what is, say it out loud that Trump is a racist, sexist bigot? Get that into the conversation, give the evidence of his long-time pattern of racism, his rapists and murderers remarks and his comments about Judge Curiel.

  52. 52.

    JMG

    @Original Lee: Your unhappy story is what will happen in the next week. The bigots will proudly, loudly self-identify. It’ll be hard even for the media to ignore them, since they’ll all be dying to talk about it.

  55. 55.

    Peale

    @Omnes Omnibus: yep. I don’t have a single elderly relative who didn’t end up spending their last few years living on one story. They were otherwise healthy, but 90 is not the new 25.

  56. 56.

    jacy

    @Mnemosyne:

    Even if it’s literally in our custody agreement? It says, “Neither parent may text while driving with the children in the car.” Like I said, I don’t want to be petty, but it’s kind of terrifying. Studies show that texting while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving. If he was drunk and driving the kids around, I’m sure a court would intervene. What I’d ideally like is a court to order him to install an app on his phone that won’t allow him to use it if the car is moving. (They have apps like that.)

  57. 57.

    Original Lee

    @jacy: I’m wondering if the older child could file a complaint with the judge. I think in many states once they’re teenagers, children can have a voice in disputes like this. A friend whose ex was an alcoholic in denial and was driving drunk with the kids in the car was successful in getting an order for the ex never to drive the children anywhere by getting a lawyer for the oldest child and having them complain.

  59. 59.

    Hal

    @Hillary Rettig: Slightly over forty. I think I find it strange because I’ve never lived in a house with stairs. Hell, I’ve only lived in one apartment that was on the ground floor. I just didn’t know people hated stairs so much. Though I do get the hate for wallpaper and carpet in the bathroom.

  62. 62.

    Van Buren

    @jacy: This is when you need a judge with common sense. I would tell the guy he’s losing visitation rights/custody if he continues. There is a wealth of evidence that this constitutes child endangerment. You wouldn’t let him drive drunk with them, right?

  66. 66.

    Suzanne

    @jacy: When my ex got a DUI (no kids in car at the time), he had to get the interlock device on his car. My next-door neighbor is a paralegal for a family law attorney, and she said that I could take him to court and get an order that he couldn’t drive the kids anywhere. We ended up working it out that his wife at the time was the only one who could drive them, but that’s because my ex was broke and couldn’t handle more attorney’s fees.

    Speaking of asshole exes, mine hasn’t paid child support in almost two years, and yet he showed up yesterday to pick up Spawn the Elder for the weekend, and he proudly showed me the new tattoo he got for himself for his birthday.

  70. 70.

    Starfish

    @PIGL: I have opinions on this! When they stick to the specifics of financial policy, I feel like I learn things. Their politics are awful, and you probably see more of that because it was election season. I had a sense that they were pro-Hillary when she was running against Obama.

  73. 73.

    James E Powell

    Practiced law for 25 years. Did domestic relations for four of them. I still have nightmares. I’ve been on both sides of situations like this. Very hard to get a court to care. Does your jurisdiction have any mediation services for post-decree motions?

  76. 76.

    Suzanne

    @redshirt: The MIDI ports on a synthesizer, on his forearm. So fucking lame. He was so excited.

    Meanwhile, I have paid for every dime of our child’s mental health treatment, orthodontia, and extracurricular activities.

  77. 77.

    Starfish

    @jacy: Look into short range cellphone jammers, and give one to the kids to carry on these car rides. These are legally dubious objects because FCC does not like people jamming signals, but it appears that they exist. And they would end this.

  81. 81.

    PIGL

    @Pogonip: No. Many people comment. My few attempts have all been killed by the mods. I liked (most of) The Water Cooler so much that I even gave the 15$ a month. But finally the utter derangement re the Clintons (whom I do not like or trust) made me cancel.

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    @jacy:

    IANAL, so you should probably consult yours. Requiring both of you to have an app installed that prevents texting might be something a judge is willing to do since it’s not that much trouble.

    Is there any way to tell the people he’s texting to not reply if they think he’s in the car?

  83. 83.

    Suzanne

    @redshirt: It’s not that the tattoo itself is so awful. It’s not great or bad, just wh. The location is really bad, though. He has been unemployed for over six months even though everyone in this damn city is hiring, and he just went and got a large visible tattoo, like a fucking dumbass, even though he owes me thousands of dollars and he is mooching off his current girlfriend. Based on his history, she will be kicking him out in 6-12 months and if he doesn’t want to move in with his mom again, he should get his shit together.

  84. 84.

    PIGL

    @Starfish: Yes. Thank you for your reply. That’s just how I felt. I learned a lot about recondite areas of international trade and finance and shenanigans, and many useful insights into neoliberal capture of everything. But their politics are hard to understand. The commenters are in many cases not distinguishable from arch-Republican RWNJs: and Yves and Straether encourage this somehow. I got into a spat with one of them about that fucking reactionary lying lunatic “the archdruid”, and Straether came down on the nutbar side. Anyway, I am seeking some other source of insight. Do you have any sites you’d care to recommend, Mr. Pisaster?

  90. 90.

    Juju

    @PIGL: I stopped reading when the Hillary derangement syndrome started. I can understand the disagreement with policy, but they just went full on loopy. Also I’m with her —>, so effem.

  96. 96.

    jacy

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s only his girlfriend that he texts. They can’t exist without being in constant (and I do mean constant) text contact. He does at the dinner table with his parents, in the car, he was even doing it when we were in court (he hid his phone in a folder). When he has the kids, they stay in their rooms 24/7 when they’re not in school, and he sits on the couch and texts with her. Like I said, it’s pathological.

    Thanks to everyone for the advice — I have sent an email to my lawyer, and I’m just waiting for her to get back to me. I am going to stay on it until I get him to stop. I think if it came down to him choosing between texting and having custody, he would definitely choose texting. That’s not hyperbole.

  97. 97.

    Starfish

    @PIGL: I am going to qualify this with “I have not been keeping up with my financial blogs.” I would go with interfluidity and Marginal Revolution. Interfluidity guy is pretty hardcore left wing, but it is refreshing to see someone doing economics from a place that does not seem sociopathic. He rarely posts, but his stuff is really long when he does.

  100. 100.

    Bruce Webb

    Well I like Angry Bear as an Econoblog. But then I am a contributor so I would. Right now the hands down best econoblog out there is Mark Thoma’s Economist’s View. Not least because he has an actively maintained blogroll to just about everyone else. Including Interfluidity and Marginal Rev. That is any posts there show up at EV anyway.

  101. 101.

    Pogonip

    @jacy: I guess this is the 21st-century version of those tiresome people who must have their hands on each other at all times. Once at an amusement park we saw the following sequence: girl has her hand in guy’s back pocket. Instead of saying “While you’re in there, could you hand me my wallet?” he reaches for it and bumps into her hand. She puts her other hand in his other back pocket, does a half turn, puts the original hand on his belt, lifts the first hand and puts it in his non-wallet pocket, then does the whole sequence in reverse after he pays for the tickets. You’d think these idiots would have heard all the eyes rolling behind them.

  105. 105.

    PIGL

    @Starfish: Thank you for these pointers. I do look at Marginal Revolution from time to time.

    May I take it you are not recommending Zero Hedge?

  107. 107.

    Starfish

    @PIGL: I used to read Zero Hedge, but I am pretty sure that Zero Hedge went insane and drove me off before Naked Capitalism. It was so bad that I unsubscribed from it in my feed reader. I think that Zero Hedge was full of gold bugs and other idiots.

  109. 109.

    PIGL

    @Starfish: @Starfish: That was me being arch, Starfish. Zero Hedge is indeed full of gold bugs and other forms the teh cray-cray.

    (I get liking gold, it’s pretty and charming as fuck, and very useful in certain specialised industrial applications, but to think the amount of gold above ground should have more than epsilon to do with the economy is nuts)

  111. 111.

    cat copeland

    @srv:
    I don’t know about “this little one”, but after reading the replies to My comment, I’ve just been put in the “deplorable basket”. It’s all good. Just DON’T send me in to the cornfield!
    Thanks, over & out!!!!!!!!!!!

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