Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

The National Guard is not Batman.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

He really is that stupid.

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

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

I really should read my own blog.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

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Reader Interactions

215Comments

  1. 1.

    redshirt

    Serious question: What’s in it for your average MSM reporter? Why would they go against their training and be biased for the Republicans?

    Tire swings are enough?

  2. 2.

    Ruckus

    At some point the media will notice that Pappy Bush and Gail Collins are not the GOP.

    You think this might happen in your lifetime?

  5. 5.

    dr. bloor

    At some point the media will notice that Pappy Bush and Gail Collins are not the GOP.

    Not in my lifetime.

    My family has been here since 1632. Mrs. dr. bloor and I are actively engaged in wrangling with the question “how do you know when it’s time to leave?”

    ETA–Pappy Bush absolutely is the GOP, he’s just a smidgen–at most–better than hiding his sociopathy than his kid.

  6. 6.

    Helen

    Just back from dinner with my semi-wingnut 76 yr old neighbor. She is soooooo voting for Hillary. I think this is probably more common than we think. Most people can’t really analyze policy the same way many of us at this blog can, but they know batshit mutherphuckin crazy when they see it.

  15. 15.

    dexwood

    @redshirt:
    Career advancement. Bigger markets. Dancin’ Dave Gregory was a tv guy in my small city before hitting it big nationally. People I know who worked with him considered him a self-centered backstabber.

  17. 17.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @dr. bloor:

    They don’t train to be journalists anymore. They train to be media.

    Huge difference.

    Yup, a journalist’s job is to inform, a media person’s job is to entertain.

  19. 19.

    hovercraft

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Gail Collins is a democrat. She used to be part of an online back and forth with David Brooks, where each was giving the perspective from their parties point of view. They may still do it, basically the same thing as the WaPost Post Partisan Series.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Oh, but if he hadn’t done that, we would have missed the amazing responses, like this one:

    Chris Caple ‏@chriscaple 2h2 hours ago
    @BryanJFischer Your talent for stringing together words that make no logical sense whatsoever is unmatched & awe-inspiring.

    And the GIFs! There are unmatched GIF responses to Crazy Uncle Racist in there.

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    Okay, all y’all, I made my hotel reservation with the Nevada Democratic Party block and will be pounding the pavement in the Las Vegas area next weekend to canvass for Hillary. Because I am fed up with this Trump bullshit and it’s gotta stop.

  23. 23.

    hovercraft

    @lamh36:
    Don’t you get it, MLK, Rosa Parks, Mohammed Ali, and anyone else who is now admired, has now been appropriated by the GOP. The democrats can keep the ones who are still controversial like Malcom X belong to the democrats. Never mind that the silent majority hated all those “heroes” in real time. They only came around because public opinion about them changed so much that they had to change too.

    EDIT: Your niece is just too cute. Good luck keeping up with her.

  25. 25.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:
    @hovercraft:

    Actually, I think Crazy Uncle Racist is onto something, now that I think about it. It only took Colin Kaepernick a month to rip the mask off of white racists like him and make them reveal themselves. There’s been an infected, pus-filled wound under that mask for 60 years that needs to be lanced and disinfected, not ignored.

  28. 28.

    SenyorDave

    People like Bryan Fischer HATED MLK when he was alive. I just googled Gallup poll and MLK, and I came up with this:

    His prior ratings were at best slightly more positive than negative, and in a 1966 measurement, Americans were nearly twice as likely to have a negative (63%) as positive (33%) opinion of him.

    So basically the people who approved of MLK were blacks and liberal whites. the rest of America disliked him.

  29. 29.

    gene108

    @dexwood:

    Career advancement. Bigger markets. Dancin’ Dave Gregory was a tv guy in my small city before hitting it big nationally. People I know who worked with him considered him a self-centered backstabber.

    And this is why you will never see any condemnation from the MSM about GOP dirty tricks. In their world lying, cheating, and backstabbing are how th game is played to get ahead and get the big paycheck. Anyone who does not play, and settles for a smaller role is a chump, who should be mariginalized.

    They are savants in their own little world, but useless otherwise.

  31. 31.

    Mnemosyne

    @HinTN:

    I’m actually coming in from California, so it was all organized by the California office in coordination with the Nevada office. I would look on the HillaryClinton.com website for the Las Vegas office and call or email them.

  32. 32.

    SenyorDave

    I keep seeing polls that show Clinton with a 30 – 35 point lead among Hispanics. But the totals are usually about 75% (typically about 53 – 22 or so). I would think this is a big opportunity for Clinton. How about an ad featuring his attack on Judge Curiel, that was one of his most blatant racist episodes? Got to make sure Hispanics know just how racist Trump is. Maybe couple it with his great Cinco de Mayo taco salad comment.

  38. 38.

    James E Powell

    @SenyorDave:

    Got to make sure Hispanics know just how racist Trump is.

    I’m pretty sure they already know. What they need to hear is what Clinton is going to do. She really ought to make that one of her signature priorities – solving this immigration situation with 11-13 million undocumented people . We can’t send them back, we can’t leave things like they are, the only way is forward.

  40. 40.

    SenyorDave

    @Brachiator: I have a feeling that Latinos know exactly how Trump feels about them.

    He’s still getting 20% of the vote, and Hillary’s not even polling at 60%, so either it doesn’t matter to some or they don’t know about it.

  42. 42.

    hovercraft

    @SenyorDave:

    As a Federal Judge I don’t think that’s allowed. But an Ad with prominent Latinos talking about the episode running on Spanish language media, could be just as effective.

  45. 45.

    Mike J

    BTW Seattlites, Debate watch party @ Pyramid Alehouse tomorrow night. That’s in SoDo, across from Safeco. Mariners are playing an away game.

  46. 46.

    PsiFighter37

    Man there is an awful lot of handwringing out there, and people thought I was the cliff-jumper a week back.

    Keep calm. GOTV. Bank those votes early and often. And trust that the surrogates are absolutely going to crush Trump on the trail.

    There’s a reason Tim Kaine is campaigning a lot in Texas…

  53. 53.

    dr. bloor

    @PsiFighter37: The problem isn’t that Trump will pull this off. He won’t.

    The problem is that 40+% of the American electorate will vote for the crassest, ugliest, no-fucking-use-for-dog-whistles neofascist that the Republicans possibly could have found to contend for the highest office in the country. They’re all still going to be here on November 9th, and none of them will have changed a bit.

  56. 56.

    Percysowner

    @SenyorDave: I have a friend who was from Chicago and was a kid during the 60s she and her entire family never “forgave” MLK for “causing trouble” in Chicago with his sit ins and what not. I was shocked when she said that. The interesting thing was, it wasn’t like the family was from the south or had centuries long prejudice. Her Grandparents, on both sides, had immigrated from Poland! But the family manged to adopt the racism of the country anyway.

  58. 58.

    The Sheriff's A Ni-

    @dr. bloor: The problem is that Trump and Trump-alikes can run for GOP nominations, win, and never receive any backlash from the party or the national media. We’re about this close to having one of them say screw Lee Atwater and drop the n-bomb three times.

  59. 59.

    mike in dc

    A series of positive policy ads, with appropriate visuals, will be helpful to shore up numbers with wavering groups: college tuition assistance and student loan reform(youth and millennials), immigration reform and a path to citizenship(latinos and Asian americans), policing reform(African Americans), child care and equal pay(women).

  62. 62.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I like bats.

    I do too. Love them. Also spiders. And even snakes.

    Not that I want any of them snuggling up close to me. I don’t. But over the years I have moved from sheer terror of these marginalized creatures to a great affection for and appreciation of the role they play in keeping the planet alive and tolerably healthy.

  63. 63.

    Omnes Omnibus

    As far as the debate goes, HRC should just begin every response to Trump with this:

    Mr. Trump, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

  65. 65.

    Tokyokie

    @dr. bloor: I got an undergraduate degree in the mid-1970s from one of the top journalism programs in the country, and back then, the department was a “journalism school.” The name is concise, direct, understandable, to the point, just like they taught us to be. Now the department is a “school of communications.” Longer, confusing, more subject to interpretation.

    And I have to assume that such branding affects the curriculum.

  67. 67.

    dr. bloor

    @schrodinger’s cat: Of course not, and anyone who emigrates to what they think is a “promised land” is naive. But there are a number of places where my son’s odds of (a) finding himself guarding oil fields in the middle of a desert or (b) being the victim of a hate crime are considerably lower.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I like bats.

    I might have posted here before one of the best public service ad campaigns I’ve ever seen.

    From Australia:

    A picture of a koala, with the caption “No tree, no me.”
    A picture of a bat, with the caption: “No me, no tree.”

    Half the ads had the koala first, and half had the bat first. Works either direction.

  69. 69.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: So a little known, but important fact about Circus Circus: they have a VERY high end and highly regarded chophouse on site.
    circuscircus.com/en/restaurants/the-steak-house.html#/Menu

    THE Steak House at Circus Circus has been voted Best of Las Vegas for over 30 years and was named Zagat’s 2011 Top Steak House in Las Vegas and received Zagat’s award ratings for the 2014 year. Our-award-winning restaurant features mesquite-grilled steaks, prime rib, lobster and crab legs in a traditional steakhouse setting. The mouth-watering cuisine and impeccable service make this the best kept dining secret in Vegas! Those who know fine dining know THE Steak House.

    vegas.com/searchagent/restaurant/ViewRestaurant.do?restaurantId=3133
    youtube.com/watch?v=6lZTB2kdgME
    youtube.com/watch?v=1yFOQuUO49I

  70. 70.

    hovercraft

    @lamh36:
    He’s been saying that since his AIPAC speech early this year. He seems to think that being as extreme as Likud has become will win him the jewish vote.

  73. 73.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @SiubhanDuinne: That’s pretty much been Republican policy since St. Ronnie, there’s really no news here except that Trump’s such a loose cannon he might actually move the embassy.

  74. 74.

    Jeffro

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Guys, you need to calm down. Obama was elected twice. He is enjoying high approval ratings now. Trump doesn’t speak for everyone. Its not over till its over.

    Seconded, plus I’d just like to add that we can only do what we can do – get out there and register voters, help early voters, make arrangements NOW so that you’re able to drive people to the polls, anything. G.O.T.V….it’s effective, and you’ll meet a ton of nice people doing these things!

    On balance, all things considered, the wind is with us. We’d better make sure our sails are in good shape and in place, and if the wind dies, we’d better be ready to put our backs into those oars. The prospect of what will happen to this country – and the world – if we wake up on Nov 9th to President-elect Moron McDickhead is just too horrible to contemplate. Oh no thank you.

  75. 75.

    Prescott Cactus

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Its not over till its over.

    Was it over when the Germans bombed. . .

    This election is like Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s 5 stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I’m going to bust my hump for Hillary, but accept that this country has enough dumb fucks to elect this snake oil salesman.

    The Brits got a hole in their collective foot by voting out of the EU. I never thought we would elect a B-movie actor twice or the idiot son of 41 twice. Then again a we wised up and went with the Hawaiian Chicagoan 2 times. . .

    Being a Democrat ain’t easy.

  76. 76.

    hovercraft

    @Percysowner:
    It’s the same resentment that Keapernack (sic) is generating right now, it’s the shut and play mentality. Why are you bringing up all this heavy shit when I’m just trying to watch a football game. There are privileged people who normally get to ignore all this BLM stuff and go on with their lives. This protest is forcing it into their lives, and that pisses them off. MLK brought the issues of the civil rights era to Northern cities, he made it an issue people up North had to contend with, it was no longer a far away problem for those yahoos in the South. They don’t want a mirror thrust in their faces showing them how ugly they were/are.

  77. 77.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: I once had to send an email to the senior leadership, minus the Commandant/Commanding General, that we have a responsibility to NOT have people brief him that leave him dumber than before briefing is delivered. And this included invited speakers to guest lecture to the student body, faculty, staff, and command staff. Many colonels went into full pucker when they read that email.

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Many colonels went into full pucker when they read that email.

    For some reason, this came to mind:

    Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!

  85. 85.

    sinnedbackward

    Some perspective here: at this point in the 2012 election, Barack Obama led Romney in the HuffPost national average by 3.2%; Hillary now leads Trump by 4% in that average.

    The last HuffPost national average before the vote had Obama leading by 1.5%; he actually won by almost 4%, outperforming the final polling by 2.4 points.

    (I use HuffPost because apples, and the head-to-head minor candidates’ share of the vote is likely to shrink.)

    Romney had a ground game, however flawed; Trump does. not.

    I could go on with many more factors positive for Hillary. I am most emphatically NOT saying be complacent; please keep working your butts off. But please also do not waste energy worrying. All evidence is we have this.

  87. 87.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hovercraft: Its not just that, it also demonstrates quite clearly that there is no form of protest or demonstration or call for redress of grievances that are acceptable to some. Do it with quiet dignity, such as taking a knee or raising a fist or linking arms during the National Anthem is unacceptable as is marching and chanting as is resorting to violence, under the Just Revolution concepts of Just War Theory, when all else fails. Apparently natural rights, whether enumerated or not in the Constitution or in civil law, apply to some, but not others. Who knew?

  89. 89.

    hovercraft

    @Mr Stagger Lee:
    At this point I doubt it would make much difference, everything Trump has done since he rode down that escalator has been off putting to Latinos. One of the biggest issues has been throwing Univision’s Jorge Ramos out of his presser. Ramos is the most trusted and popular voice in the media, to most Latinos that insult is unforgivable.

  93. 93.

    Luthe

    @Omnes Omnibus: I want something simpler, like:

    Mr. Trump, when will you stop lying to the American people? Or is it that if you stop lying you won’t have anything to say at all? You lie about our President, you lie about the state of our country, you lie about your business record, and you lie about your taxes. When will the American people get to see your taxes? I’ve shown them mine; why don’t you show them yours?

  94. 94.

    Peale

    @SenyorDave: the number of Mexicans who are likely voters is greatly reduced by the number who are not eligible to vote. The majority of Latinos who are eligible to vote did not take the “illegal to legal” or even the naturalization path. You can’t reach Latino voters if you treat them like they are just over the wall fearing for their lives at the impact of trump immigrants…that’s not their story.

  95. 95.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: We should have been so lucky. What’s funny is the Old Man at the time referred to those who wouldn’t, politely, but firmly, speak up as The Legion of Frightened Men. Part of his goals was to push our graduates to not be part of that legion. Kind of hard when far too many of his staff and faculty were. I normally don’t get sentimental when someone has to retire at just 2 stars, but his becoming stuck was not simply something that was unfair to him professionally, but, in my professional opinion has denied the Nation one of the better senior general officers/flag officers that it needs given we are at war (in all but name).

  101. 101.

    lamh36

    On the debate and my thoughts…

    HRC has been living and breathing all this stuff for what 40yrs…she like PBO are constantly keeping up with the new info and nuances of politics policies etc…

    DJT has not. So he’s essentially taking a crash study course in everything that HRC lives and breathes. what happened with u crash study? you may pass, but never as well as you might have with intensities study.

    So what do you do if you haven’t been studying long? You bullshit your way to passing. That is what DJT does and has done this entire season never having to be called up on it.

    When confronted in debates his M.O. is to mock and ignore and just make faces. Or in the case with the female pastor or the Mexican Prez to just fold like a cheap suit.

    So he won’t have leaves as much as HRC to recall…so expect him to go for zingers and insults. Which may backfire in the face of a lone female opponent who’s a strong debater like HRC. Like her or hate her, she’s no slouch. We all know as women and POC we have to be the best at debating cause we usually are against a opponent who either condescends or outright want to demote us.

    HRC will likely have to be fact checker and debater cause we all figure the moderates will be trash anyway. I don’t know but i think she can do it. And if past is prologue, the debate watchers at home see things differently than how the media portrays it.

  102. 102.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Its not just that, it also demonstrates quite clearly that there is no form of protest or demonstration or call for redress of grievances that are acceptable to some. Do it with quiet dignity, such as taking a knee or raising a fist or linking arms during the National Anthem is unacceptable as is marching and chanting as is resorting to violence, under the Just Revolution concepts of Just War Theory, when all else fails. Apparently natural rights, whether enumerated or not in the Constitution or in civil law, apply to some, but not others. Who knew?

    Just ask them: what kind of protest (including what time of day, indoor/outdoor, vocal or silent, etc) would be acceptable to you, Mr. Bigot? (The unspoken answer: whatever doesn’t disturb my football game, Bruce concert, or commute, thanks very much!) The only kind of protest they want others to have is the ineffective kind. I’m sure they’d be okay with it if positions were reversed (we can all ask them that too, whenever the opportunity presents itself).

  103. 103.

    Corner Stone

    @Adam L Silverman: Circus Circus is a shit hole of a c@s!n0/hotel. But if you don’t have reservations ahead of time it can sometimes be difficult to get in their steakhouse.

  104. 104.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman:
    For those people any protest is a lack of gratitude, these are the same types who got mad at Michelle Obama for pointing out that she’d raising her daughters in a house built by slaves. Apparently she should have pointed out that those slaves were the beneficiaries of their owners benevolence. After all they were given food, clothing, a roof, and christianity. All protest by anyone other than them is illegitimate.

  105. 105.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @hovercraft:

    One of the biggest issues has been throwing Univision’s Jorge Ramos out of his presser. Ramos is the most trusted and popular voice in the media, to most Latinos that insult is unforgivable.

    I’m really interested, and very glad, to see this. I think of that moment quite often and wonder whether it had any legs among Latinos-Hispanics. To me (as a person who is not a member of that community), it was horribly offensive. I can only imagine how humiliating and insulting it must be to a lot of folks with names ending in -os, -ez, or a vowel.

  107. 107.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Corner Stone: I’m aware. I wouldn’t stay there, but the steakhouse is good. Given she’s got a couple of weeks, I figured a heads up tonight would be helpful if she wants to get reservations.

    As for me: Vegas does nothing for me. So I don’t go.

  112. 112.

    lamh36

    my thoughts about this debate tomorrow…

    HRC has been living and breathing all this stuff for what 40yrs…she like PBO are constantly keeping up with the new info and nuances of politics policies etc…

    DJT has not. So he’s essentially taking a crash study course in everything that HRC lives and breathes. what happened with u crash study? you may pass, but never as well as you might have with intensities study.

    So what do you do if you haven’t been studying long? You bullshit your way to passing. That is what DJT does and has done this entire season never having to be called up on it.

    When confronted in debates his M.O. is to mock and ignore and just make faces. Or in the case with the female pastor or the Mexican Prez to just fold like a cheap suit.

    So he won’t have leaves as much as HRC to recall…so expect him to go for zingers and insults. Which may backfire in the face of a lone female opponent who’s a strong debater like HRC. Like her or hate her, she’s no slouch. We all know as women and POC we have to be the best at debating cause we usually are against a opponent who either condescends or outright want to demote us.

    HRC will likely have to be fact checker and debater cause we all figure the moderates will be trash anyway. I don’t know but i think she can do it.

  113. 113.

    lamh36

    HRC has been living and breathing all this stuff for what 40yrs…she like PBO are constantly keeping up with the new info and nuances of politics policies etc…

    DJT has not. So he’s essentially taking a crash study course in everything that HRC lives and breathes. what happened with u crash study? you may pass, but never as well as you might have with intensities study.

  114. 114.

    hovercraft

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Maria Teresa Kumar President of Voto Latino and Maria Hinojosa of NPR stress this point all the time, he is beloved. And even Univisions competitors beat the issue like a drum. That is part of why Trump says that Spanish language media is biased against him, they won’t let it go. For them it’s like the birther issue with black people, they see it as disrespectful.

  116. 116.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    As for me: Vegas does nothing for me. So I don’t go.

    I’ve never been, and can’t think of anyplace I’d rather not go.

    I did one of those FB quizzes about “which states have you visited?” and “which states do you want to visit?” Nevada showed up on neither list.

  118. 118.

    Lizzy L

    @Luthe: If, as you suggest, she says “When will the American people get to see your taxes? I’ve shown them mine; why don’t you show them yours?”, it creates an opening for him to yammer about her discarded e-mails and the transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs. She’s not, I hope, going to do that. I think her two best weapons are dignity — demonstrating that he cannot rattle her — and humor, because he seems to have no defense against it. And I also think that any tactic you, or I, or Cole, or anyone here might come up with has already been considered and either rejected or slotted into her arsenal by her debate advisory team. They know her, they know what she’s comfortable with, what she’s capable of, and what will come naturally to her: that’s probably the most important stuff.

    I spent part of the afternoon phone banking — calling Illinois — from home. Will do more tomorrow, and every day. GOTV GOTV GOTV.

  131. 131.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    It’s not my favorite place, either, but I’m biting the bullet to go and help out with the election.

    For me, the worst part is going to be the omnipresent cigarette smoke — smoking in public places in banned in California, so I’ve gotten very spoiled. I’m just going to have to resign myself that I will come back absolutely reeking of cigarettes.

  132. 132.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @redshirt:

    Sad day, with bookends. Fernandez cut down so young and with such unfulfilled promise, and Palmer at the end of a long, well-lived life. May they both R.I.P.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Reservations could be tricky, because I won’t know what my schedule will be until I get there. Sometimes the maitre d’s will take pity on a lone woman by herself in a resort area, so we’ll see if I can play that card.

  134. 134.

    SenyorDave

    I was looking at Yahoo stories and saw that Kellyann Conway referred to Obama as glib when he discussed Trump’s remarks about African Americans being the worst off ever,ever, ever. First off, she is a revolting POS, even for a campaign manager. Imagine the gall of her criticizing Obama’s critique of Trump on this issue. But worse, I cam across this transcript of her once again saying it was Clinton who started the birther issue. Stephanopolous is a complete joke for the lack of push back against her lies. Read below.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: But Hillary Clinton and her campaign did not bring this up.

    CONWAY: Really?

    The volunteer guy in Iowa who then was fired, Patti Solis Doyle telling Wolf Blitzer last week, yes, it started with him?

    People — the McClatchy former news chief in D.C., saying that Sid Blumenthal came and asked him to go and investigate Obama’s ties in Kenya?

    And McClatchy actually sent a reporter to Kenya. Donald Trump was busy being a successful businessman that year. It was Hillary Clinton who, again, did never saw Obama coming. So I guess they resorted to desperate tactics.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Kellyanne Conway, thanks for coming in —

  135. 135.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I would hate that part of it. You’re going in a good cause, and I respect that very much, but not sure I could manage. It’s all I can do to walk into a bar or restaurant and have about two seconds near the outdoor ashtrays. They sicken me.

  138. 138.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Adam L Silverman: @SiubhanDuinne: I’m not a Vegas person either. I get sensory overload, the tourists make me weep for America, I hate gambling, and the city’s very existence offends the tree higher in me.

    That said, if you have time to kill in an airport and enjoy people watching, find a gate with a flight heading to either Vegas or Miami.

    I was in Vegas for work last month. I was far from the strip, but there is still no avoiding the scene. Hell, there are slot machines throughout the airport and in every grocery store other than Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

    On the plus side, I have a friend there who runs a golf club so free drinks and free golf!

  140. 140.

    sukabi

    @lamh36: clicked over to see if it was who I thought it was…yep, same racist asshole….

    Who knew all it would take to rollback 60 years of progress is for one black guy to sit out the nat. Anthem to protest unjustified, but apparently sanctioned murders by the cops.

    The guy is an idiot.

  142. 142.

    redshirt

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    What a nightmare. Nope, never.

    I like Vegas for what it is – something very different – but imagine going into a convenience store to get a bottle of water, and there again is that sound: DING-DING-DING-DING.

    It never stops.

  145. 145.

    Emerald

    @sinnedbackward:

    The last HuffPost national average before the vote had Obama leading by 1.5%; he actually won by almost 4%, outperforming the final polling by 2.4 points.

    Exactly. The polls in 2012 really were skewed—in favor of Romney. Then as now, they assume that far fewer POC are going to show up to vote than actually will show up to vote. This time they are gaming their polls by calling fewer POC and discounting them in their Likely Voter screens.

    Look, you cannot now win the presidency with only white votes no matter how angry those white voters are. Romney got 62% of the white vote. Trump will get a majority but not that much. Plus he’s losing the Latino vote by massive margins—and they are registering to vote in droves. He’s losing the Black vote by an even larger margin, and anyone who thinks Black voters are just going to let some wannabe-KKK grand wizard waltz in and trash Obama’s legacy ought to take a few minutes for rational thought. He’s losing the Asian vote. He’s losing the women’s vote, white or not.

    There really is no path to 270 for him, although our intrepid media will do their best to make you forget that.

    It’s gonna be a rout.

  149. 149.

    Steve in the ATL

    @redshirt:

    Free golf sounds like paradise. Until you keep quadruple bogeying every hold.

    The free drinks are both a cause of quadruple bogeys and a cure to frustration relating thereto

  153. 153.

    p.a.

    @hovercraft: Been to Vegas a few times; Cirque du Soleil, Penn & Teller, Hoover Dam; plusses. Oh yes, gambling, tackiness, obese buffet diners, the full Vegas monty; negatives. It is what it is. I remember playing dollar machines and a group of Texas ladies (we chatted) feeding dozens of $100 bills into their machines. Hubbies were in the high roller areas.

  154. 154.

    hovercraft

    @Emerald:
    The pollsters are still assuming that people of color came out in record numbers for Obama because he is black, because we are the real racists. So now that a white person is back at the top of the ticket, we lazy people will go back to sitting on our asses waiting for our handouts.

  155. 155.

    mike in dc

    The best way to undermine Republican chances long term:
    1. Immigration reform
    2. Tuition free public university and community college education

    Latinos are moving heavily towards the Democrats, and college educated whites tend to be less supportive of Republicans than non-college educated white voters. Ergo, doing something widely supported by latinos and increasing the number of whites with college educations will tend to reduce support for Republican candidates and positions.

  161. 161.

    Chris T.

    @SiubhanDuinne: There are some beautiful places in Nevada, such as Mt Wheeler in Great Basin National Park (eastern edge, near Utah), and Red Rocks State Park and the Calico Hills, both near Vegas. So there are some reasons to visit.

  162. 162.

    redshirt

    @Steve in the ATL: Like watching a baseball game in person, I feel like golf is ruined by drinking, though so many people do it. I so enjoy the basics of each – going to a pro game, or playing 18 on a nice course. Alcohol has its place, but I don’t think it’s at the ball field or the golf course, contra normal behaviors.

    Did I mention I got my first birdie on a difficult course a couple of weeks ago? Plus a par 5, two par 4’s, and a par 3. Best round of my life. The birdie was like a dream – a 120 yd par 3 with about 150 feet of elevation and a tiny green surrounded by traps and scrub. I hit it within 5 feet of the pin and tapped in for an easy Bird. I even played a practice round after and got within 3 feet of the pin. Felt so good.

  163. 163.

    workworkwork

    @Steve in the ATL: My wife and I drove to L.A. last May for our 25th anniversary.
    Neither of us had been to Vegas and it’s a good mid-point between Denver and L.A. so we stayed there our first night out.

    Never again. I consider it the GOP vision for America. We both hated it.
    We loved L.A., though.

  164. 164.

    Steve in the ATL

    @redshirt: Congrats! There seems to be a split between golfers who get frustrated when they hot a bad shot in a round, and the rest of us who hit 119 bad shots in a round but get pumped to come back by the one good shot we hit that day.

  166. 166.

    Mnemosyne

    @Patricia Kayden:

    The mask was that they were “only” upset because black people were being destructive when they protested, but obviously even a completely peaceful protest freaked them right the hell out.

    I mean, I’m not trying to say that POC were ever fooled by it, but it’s something that white people have been telling each other for a few decades.

  168. 168.

    Lizzy L

    Nevada is beautiful outside of Vegas, but if you do go to Vegas, go to the Bellagio and look at Dale Chihuly’s art glass ceiling. It is AMAZING. Also check out Arlin Robins bronze mermaids in the Mirage. And do not go into the casino.

  169. 169.

    piratedan

    well, to be fair… I really can understand everyone’s fears and concerns…

    1) Trump really is that bad of a candidate/person/politician. He’s petty, vindictive and stupid. A lethal combination of Id and Ego. Dude was born on 3rd base and thought he hit a triple.
    2) The GOP could give a shit as a political polity. They want to be in charge. If for no other reason than they believe it is a birthright and they will do anything to serve that purpose. They are the Gordon Gecko of politics
    3) The media doesn’t give a fuck. They want revenue and clicks and that makes advertisers happy. Content is for suckers, controversy sells and as such they intend to sell it by the ton.
    4) Remember, half of Americans are below average. Considering how the media has been used, it is very difficult for someone to be truly informed.
    5) White people have been in charge, white dudes, essentially. The thought that someone else gets to be in charge chills their collective shit. This applies to a bunch of people that you once thought were sane. Who still controls the message, white dudes, who still owns the majority of shit, white dudes. Until that dynamic has changed, the forces will continue to be arrayed anything that allows anyone else to have any power.

    I’m still voting for HRC because… everyone should have an opportunity to succeed and thrive. That’s what we’re selling, the opportunity. No guarantees of success, the opportunity to achieve it.

  171. 171.

    Chris T.

    @Mnemosyne: Just so. With some protests, some white people could say: “Look, they’re smashing windows and looting businesses! We don’t object to their legitimate grievances but this must stop.” Now those same white people are saying: “Look, he’s kneeling! He’s showing respect the WRONG WAY! We don’t object to their legitimate grievances but THIS MUST STOP!”

    Yeah, how dare you respect the Sacred Cloth by kneeling, instead of standing?!

  172. 172.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Steve in the ATL: I don’t golf, but I do ski and I have seen comparisons between the sports that say that for the average to good participant, one enjoys it. But on a given day, an individual shot or a particular hole in golf or a set of turns or a full run can be damn near perfect and can make up for shitty performance the rest of the day. If so, I can relate.

  173. 173.

    redshirt

    @Steve in the ATL: My theory with golf is when you expect to do well, that’s when you get frustrated/angry. When you don’t have very high hopes, than who cares?

    I’d even put this frustration level at the score of 100 for 18. If you can do better then this, you’ll probably get frustrated when you hit a bad shot. If you do worse than 100, you probably are not too concerned. There are exceptions of course.

  175. 175.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @piratedan:

    I’m still voting for HRC because… everyone should have an opportunity to succeed and thrive. That’s what we’re selling, the opportunity. No guarantees of success, the opportunity to achieve it.

    Fucking A!

  176. 176.

    Helen

    So the purchasers of my apt have gotten their mortgage. That was the most difficult step in the sale. Next is approval of the co-op board. That’s a walk in the park. Not worried.

    All of this to say that I am feeling a bit nostalgic about leaving the good olé USA.

    Also, too, here. This place with all its curmudgeons and assholes and academics. And Baud. Where the fuck is Baud? He told us a few days back that he was almost home. But I digress.

    I will stay here once I am HeleninEire (should I change my nym?). But still.

  178. 178.

    divF

    @SiubhanDuinne: Tom Wolfe did a whole riff on the sounds in a casino.

    The stickman tried to get the game going again, but every time he would start up his singsong, by easing the words out through the nose, which seems to be the style among craps dealers in Las Vegas–“All right, a new shooter . . . eight is the point, the point is eight” and so on–Raymond would start droning along with him in exactly the same tone of voice, “Hernia, hernia, hernia; hernia, HERNia, HERNia, hernia; hernia, hernia, hernia.”

  180. 180.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Helen:

    Where the fuck is Baud?

    He mentioned the other day that he was avoiding threads that you were in. Said you’d know why. That’s all I know.

  183. 183.

    hovercraft

    @Adam L Silverman:
    One of my favorite ironies, white people who destroy property after they win or lose championships are exuberant, black people who destroy property after someone is killed by the police are out of control thugs. I guess black people just need to get their priorities straight, riot for sporting events not for the loss of life. Got it.

  186. 186.

    Omnes Omnibus

    So the Movies channel, deep in my cable numbers, is showing “To Catch a Thief.” Bed is not imminent.

  190. 190.

    Xenos

    @schrodinger’s cat: Europe has its issues, but living in the EU has been quite a pleasure. There are still issues regarding racism, but they are different, and I do not have to feel implicated everytime a stupid asshole opens his racist mouth and is promoted by the media. I no longer feel the need to wrestle with the constant stream of racist propaganda pouring out the TV machine and the papers, as it no longer reaches me.

    I do miss Americans, but the white ones, not so much.

  193. 193.

    hovercraft

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Tut tut, he didn’t hit a home run, he hit a grandslam, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, with two strikes, after fouling off 10 strikes, in game seven of the world series, off of the greatest closer in the history of baseball (Mariano) on the road.

  196. 196.

    Chris T.

    @trollhattan: I got a ticket for that near Battle Mountain…

    (I later looked it up and it’s a known speed trap area, so it was my fault in more than one way :-) )

  205. 205.

    Another Scott

    @SiubhanDuinne: Hoover Dam is worth seeing (the water level wasn’t that low when I was out there). Red Rock Canyon is nice, too.

    And getting shocked every time one gets into a car (due to the dry air) is interesting, but gets annoying after a while.

    Other than that… ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  211. 211.

    Ruckus

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    I’ve been many, many, many times to LV. Only once 43 yrs ago for anything other than business. I detest the place. There isn’t anywhere more phony to me than LV. It’s like being on a movie set, from the camera angle looks real and nice, go around the back of the false front and it’s all crap. And it’s all there to make you leave as much poorer as they can get you to be when you leave.

  212. 212.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    I once played in a business best ball golf event. To put it in a word my game is crap. Two words, pure crap. But in best ball a foursome has to play everyone’s ball a certain amount of time so crap counts. One of my partners went to college on a golf scholarship and was quite good, if I remember zero handicap. On the 4th hole I hit a 150-160 yard dead straight shot and he just stood there with his mouth open. Of course I’d never hit anything like that ever before and never since, but that one shot was worth all the rest of the time playing.

  213. 213.

    RaflW

    At some point the media will notice that Pappy Bush and Susan Collins are not the GOP.

    Shortly before they are frog-marched to the gulag by Trumpeters.

  214. 214.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @Ian:

    Gail Collins is a genuinely good writer and commenter. She is second only to Krugman at the Times and has written a couple of good books on American women and feminism.

  215. 215.

    evodevo

    @Mnemosyne: Ah, yes, Circus Circus. The hubby booked us in there one visit because it was so cheap … back in the early aughts ….I was startled to see they had clown/circus paintings on all the walls in the common areas that were Steven King-level creepy+. A lot of them looked like porn fantasies to boot, if you homed in on certain “details”. I still can’t believe whoever owned the place would let those pass inspection in a hotel that is ostensibly aimed at the “family” market.

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