Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let there be snark.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

The lights are all blinking red.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Come on, man.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Friday Morning Open Thread: Not THIS Guy

Friday Morning Open Thread: Not THIS Guy

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Even the devoutly ‘nonpartisan’ USA Today:

In the 34-year history of USA TODAY, the Editorial Board has never taken sides in the presidential race. Instead, we’ve expressed opinions about the major issues and haven’t presumed to tell our readers, who have a variety of priorities and values, which choice is best for them. Because every presidential race is different, we revisit our no-endorsement policy every four years. We’ve never seen reason to alter our approach. Until now.

This year, the choice isn’t between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences. This year, one of the candidates — Republican nominee Donald Trump — is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency…

We’ve been highly critical of the GOP nominee in a number of previous editorials. With early voting already underway in several states and polls showing a close race, now is the time to spell out, in one place, the reasons Trump should not be president:

He is erratic…
He is ill-equipped to be commander in chief…
He traffics in prejudice…
His business career is checkered…
He isn’t leveling with the American people…
He speaks recklessly…
He has coarsened the national dialogue…
He’s a serial liar…

Where does that leave us? Our bottom-line advice for voters is this: Stay true to your convictions. That might mean a vote for Clinton, the most plausible alternative to keep Trump out of the White House. Or it might mean a third-party candidate. Or a write-in. Or a focus on down-ballot candidates who will serve the nation honestly, try to heal its divisions, and work to solve its problems.

Whatever you do, however, resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue. By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump.

When you read the whole thing, you have a nice laundry list of Trump’s various flaws & criminalities, well suited for forwarding to GOP-fixated or Trump-curious acquaintances. (For what little it’s worth, the sidebar poll “What do you think of this editorial?“ currently has ‘strongly agree’ at 81%.)
***********
Apart from the ongoing battle for truth justice & the American way, what’s on the agenda as we wrap up the week?

Goal Thermometer

Reader Interactions

164Comments

  1. 1.

    amorphous

    Yeah, but even USA today has a line in there about how they can’t endorse Clinton because of how she handled classified docs blah blah blah. Trump has just been so scandalous and frankly criminal that the media can’t find one thing to focus and hammer on.

    I wonder if Trump has ever send emails through a personal AOL account???????

  5. 5.

    Shantanu Saha

    I will rank the candidates in descending order of competence:

    1. Clinton
    2. Harambe
    3. Everyone else

  7. 7.

    amk

    Who is this idiot? The carnival barker was literally phoning it in for months and the fucking media didn’t normalize him?

  8. 8.

    NorthLeft12

    Ruthven nails the reason for Deadbeat Donald’s success in his tweet. The Republican Party has betrayed whatever principles they have left [not much to be sure] and provided the support and infrastructure for a truly awful human being on virtually every level to challenge for the presidency.
    All they care about is power and do not care a whit how they get it.
    Disenfranchise voters? Check.
    Pander to racists. Double check.

  9. 9.

    Bruce K

    Hate to say it, but “truth, justice, and the American way” is a skeetch contradictory these days, if you look hard and wide at what’s going on out there…

  11. 11.

    Helen

    LOL. Trump is right now having a tweet vomit re: Miss Universe. Talking about her “sex tape.” Says Hillary fell for the “con” and Miss U became a US citizen just to be used against Donald in the debate!!

    Someone needs to wake up KellyAnne.

  15. 15.

    raven

    This “I didn’t want to do it on front of Chelsea” is such bullshit. She’s a grown woman who knows what the score is.

  17. 17.

    raven

    I don’t know why this got deleted yesterday but it’s worth a read and a listen to their new song

    But it’s Donald Trump that infuriates him the most—particularly as he sees men of his generation and origin selfishly throw their support behind him. “I think it needs to be voiced that we don’t all feel that way, you know?” Hood says. “I’ll stand here with my southern accent and say, ‘Fuck you, Donald Trump. You do not speak for me. You do not speak for my family. You do not speak for my values. You do not speak for my vision of what this country could and should be. It’s good to hear Patterson Hood say these things, loudly and proudly. And the accent with which he says them is a comfort, a reminder that what’s on the surface doesn’t necessarily reveal what’s lying underneath. The fervor with which he speaks these truths reflects itself on American Band, which just might be the most vital and important rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.'”

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: The surgeon said I have 4 weeks just to get to PT. I really did think it would be less. Delusions I’ll never see.

  22. 22.

    oldster

    “(For what little it’s worth, the sidebar poll “What do you think of this editorial?“ currently has ‘strongly agree’ at 81%.)”

    Well, the Trump people tell me that the on-line polls of debate performance are the only ones you can trust, so there’s that.

  24. 24.

    Cermet

    The really serious mistake many make is that the Rump is exactly the type of person that amerikans of the 1950’s would consider represents all the real ideal’s of Amerika. Worse, this isn’t just the thug 27% but closer to the thug 50% – because frankly, a majority of white amerikans are a raciest lot; on the good side, many of these people realize this and fight against these terrible thoughts; looks like 45% of amerikans like racism and are determined to give in.

  29. 29.

    Kay

    @Helen:

    Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States:

    Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 1h1 hour ago
    Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?

    Incredible. “Check out sex tape”. Remember: Roger Ailes runs this campaign. This is his handiwork.

  30. 30.

    gogol's wife

    If we escape the threat of fascism and Putinism this year, we should engrave the following names on the Washington Monument:

    Khan
    Machado
    Farenthold
    Eichenwald

  31. 31.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Joe of the Morning said that Trump can’t let any slight slide. This is a really big problem.

    ETA: I’m convinced that Trump is insane or has a substance abuse issue, OR BOTH.

  32. 32.

    Botsplainer

    OT – referencing the plethora of clown sightings: clowns are evil, everyone knows this.

    One person on my Facebook feed asked what we’d be most frightened to run across, a real ghost or a clown. It was about 20-1 hands down clown….

  35. 35.

    Schlemazel

    @Cermet:
    That guy would not have survived national politics in the 50’s. He might have been a Southern Senator of Congressman but not a Presidential candidate. That guy is a product of our celebrity obsessed instant gratification society. Even the racists would have demanded a candidate that knew something about governing and many would not have been happy about the overt racism. The fight against racism has not been a straight improvement from FDR to here, it has been a series of waves in a upward growth. This is one of the valleys in a wave.

  36. 36.

    NorthLeft12

    After reading the following in the article;

    Or a focus on down-ballot candidates who will serve the nation honestly, try to heal its divisions, and work to solve its problems.

    With no mention whatsoever of how that one certain party in those down ballot races, not only put forward this odious candidate, but is providing the support and legitimization Deadbeat Donald absolutely needs to be a serious candidate.
    If you are clueless enough to somehow think that a Republican congress will provide any kind of check on Donald Trump [paging raving lunatic Jill Stein] then your advice is worse than useless. It is just as dangerous as if you whole heartedly endorsed Trump.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    People have been asking why there aren’t “testimonial” ads from all the people the Trumps have ripped off. There are now!

    The organization has created several ads featuring first-person testimonials of contractors who say Trump skipped out on paying them. In one ad, a contractor hired to work at Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, maintains that Trump did not pay his small, family-run business a $232,000 bill. Due to this loss, he says, “My dad had to lay off his own brother.”

    There are thousands of lawsuits. You could literally have a rally for just the people who have been stiffed by Donald Trump.

  38. 38.

    Botsplainer

    Actually, Trump is running a campaign which pretty closely resembles a Constitution Party campaign featuring some wart like Michael Peroutka.

  40. 40.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Botsplainer: They’ve had clown sightings in Pevely MO, and are afraid of vigilantes (while searching some woods for a ‘clown with a knife’ they were ‘joined’ by several ‘patriotic’ Americans with guns doing their part to keep their communities ‘safe’). Jesus H fuckin Christ, what a bunch of bed shitters Americans have become.

  42. 42.

    RK

    Where does that leave us? Our bottom-line advice for voters is this: Stay true to your convictions. That might mean a vote for Clinton, the most plausible alternative to keep Trump out of the White House. Or it might mean a third-party candidate.

    So Trump’s so unfit for office USA Today breaks with precedent and opposes him yet endorses voting for a third party which could enable his election. Brilliant.

  43. 43.

    NorthLeft12

    @The Thin Black Duke: And sad to say, none of those 45% will ever admit that voting for Deadbeat Donald was the wrong thing to do.
    They will wander your country forever, safe in their ignorance and hatred.

  49. 49.

    Taylor

    @RK:

    So Trump’s so unfit for office USA Today breaks with precedent and opposes him yet endorses voting for a third party which could enable his election. Brilliant.

    After the precedent of Brexit, they are terrified that this clown could actually be elected.

    But they don’t want to lose readers, so we get this mealy-mouthed “vote your conscience.”

  50. 50.

    TS

    The media – paper/TV/internet just cannot bring themselves to admit that Hillary Clinton is ready and able to be US President. As Chelsea noted – all her life people have been attacking her family – it’s a way of life. Telling folks not to vote Trump, or pointing out his massive failings, racism, misogyny – is pointless if they will not support the only person who can beat him in November.

    Morning person & the collection of men who attend him are well into this mode – pontificating as to “what shall we do”

  52. 52.

    p.a.

    Trump has jabbed and whined at and about ‘the media’, but he hasn’t gone full Khan and Machado yet. I expect that’s the only way they’ll get off their asses and bury him like he deserves to be buried.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Progress Ohio seem like smart people. Their stuff is always high quality- the bill analysis and such that they do. To really understand a new state law you need the context, because what they’re striking thru (omitting) is often the most important part of the proposed change. That’s where lobbyists do the most damage- not adding but subtracting.

  56. 56.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Agreed. The Senate’s second thoughts on sovereign immunity is just the latest example of legislators not paying attention to the context — or consequences.

    OT, but I loved ECOT calling ODE “childish” after ODE released numbers showing how wildly ECOT had overstated their attendance figures. (“I am rubber, you are glue…).

  60. 60.

    bystander

    @Kay:

    “Check out sex tape”.

    In all fairness, that may be just a Note to Self and not necessarily an imperative. Just like Trump’s suggestion about taking away Clinton’s security detail’s guns and then we could see what happens. For all I know he meant that a new episode of Ray Donovan was streaming on Amazon that night, and we would all want to see what happens.

  61. 61.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Trump still doesn’t get it. He gets hurt in the polls when he punches down. He can’t attack ordinary individuals who oppose him. It isn’t presidential. Imagine Obama or Clinton or Bush “I hate that Steve M. with his dirty attacks on me!”

    You can’t. They would never, ever do it. How stupid is he that he let Clinton bait him into this? No self control. No discipline.

  62. 62.

    Applejinx

    Maybe Trump and the Village will destroy each other like Kilkenny cats. Or eat each other up and disappear in an ill-smelling foop?

  64. 64.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    We have a juvie judge who orders them to school if they say they’re going to ECOT. “ON MONDAY, you will attend school”

    I wait for it. “I’m going to online school…” then his face gets red and he starts barking out orders. It’s a trigger for him at this point.

  70. 70.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    My son has a nice long view and he was “comforting” me debate night with that. His take is the risk was always out there and it is just a matter of time before people take the bait. I don’t actually find this comforting but it’s nice he’s so Zen-like :)

    I didn’t anticipate that all the checks along the way would fail. It really looks like a cascading series of failures, leaving Hillary Clinton as the sole “safety”. She has to save the world! Imagine that! I would crawl under my desk and cry.

  71. 71.

    TS

    @debbie:

    Agreed. The Senate’s second thoughts on sovereign immunity is just the latest example of legislators not paying attention to the context — or consequences.

    They are so used to 3rd parties “think tanks” writing their legislation, they no longer see a need to even check what is written.

  72. 72.

    TS

    @Baud:

    It may be their worst, but their treatment of President Obama runs a close second. Still waiting to see how low they can go.

  74. 74.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @Cermet: I think you have a distorted view of the 50s. Eisenhower was President, we had a functioning government, we had a far more progressive tax structure (with a 90% top bracket) than we do now. There were important landmarks in the civil rights movement (Brown v Board), and women were entering the workplace, both of which were necessary for the greater achievements in the 60s. The 50s weren’t Ozzie and Harriet or Happy Days.

  75. 75.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: Got it. Nah, I can pretty much walk around and do light things as long as I limit the use of my right arm. The one exercise I do have is “penduluming” my arm. I lean over and let my arm hang down then move it in a circular pattern both clockwise and counterclockwise, the purpose being to keep it loose.

  76. 76.

    Percysowner

    @Helen: Oh let Kellyanne have a few more hours before she starts wanting to abuse the Xanax, again. Honestly, I suspect his entire staff is hoping for an accident that leaves his hands bandaged until election day. Or maybe they really hope his stumpy little fingers get cut off.

  77. 77.

    Baud

    @Kay: I have some things going on in real life that’s causing me some anxiety, and I kind of hate myself a little for not being as tough as Hillary has been. If she wins, I’m ready to put her on Mt Rushmore alongside Obama just for defeating that bastard.

  78. 78.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Also, Trump voters in Ohio are full of shit. If they think this is a bad economy they’re not in any way participating in it.

    It took us three months to find a cleaning lady for the office. We ended up hiring a police officer’s wife who is nursing a baby and wants 4 hours a month. EVERYONE who wants to is working. This county is at full employment. It doesn’t get better than this, and hasn’t in their lifetimes if they’re 50 or younger.

  79. 79.

    Percysowner

    @Helen: Try this again without using the name of a certain prescription drug.: Oh let Kellyanne have a few more hours before she starts wanting to start drinking again. Honestly, I suspect his entire staff is hoping for an accident that leaves his hands bandaged until election day. Or maybe they really hope his stumpy little fingers get cut off.

    I almost feel sorry for Kellyanne, then she starts to blather the most awful nonsense and I stop. She does look awful, excessively thin and drawn. I don’t remember her looking that way earlier.

  81. 81.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud:The irony is how much it would hurt White Americans if they elected Trump. His racist supporters may think that a Trump presidency would hurt “those people” but it would hurt many of them just as much or worse depending on their income bracket. Trump cares about Trump. That’s about it.

  83. 83.

    Weaselone

    @Kay:

    The last time the economy was nearly this strong, the country narrowly elected George Bush over Al Gore. There’s something about prosperity that tends to incline Americans to vote for Republicans. I suspect that it’s a combination of complacency among Democratic core voters and a shift in independent voters once the need or potential need for a helping hand from the government recedes.

  84. 84.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    My son started this supporting her for just those qualities so he may be calm because he believes in her- he supported her because she’s tough. I do admire it though- you described her as “unflappable” but to me it’s more than that- it’s an affirmative quality of concentration and discipline. Pundits bitch because they say “you can see the gears working” but that’s the kind of effort it takes to stay focused when someone interrupts you 40 times. It’s work.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: But Kay, they can’t afford to buy the 96 inch high def flat screen with Dolby surround sound stereo and speakers with latest in Blueray dvd player and every film that has ever been nominated for best picture in history. That and the stainless steel AK-47 with 14 hundred round clips, a life time supply of ammo and laser sight. And why can’t they buy stinger missiles? A drone flew over their house just the other night.

  86. 86.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Kay: I’m puzzled as to why Iowa and Ohio are trending towards Trump when President Obama won them both twice (he was up 10 points in Iowa in 2008). How are so many people who voted for President Obama now voting for Trump? I really don’t get that at all. Especially given how good the economy has been under POTUS, as you point out in your comment.

  87. 87.

    D58826

    Trumps 3am twitter comments today on Alicia Machado are simply beyond words. Every time he hits rock bottom he gets a bigger shovel to keep digging deeper. And the GOP remains silent. A Trump in the WH gives them power over patriotism. THey are the ‘good Germans’ of the 1930’s

  88. 88.

    Percysowner

    I did love it yesterday when Clinton said Donald is going to run his campaign however he wants, in response to a question about him using Bill’s infidelities. She’s emotionally prepared for Donald to get down, dirty and sleazy.

  89. 89.

    Bruce K

    Reading the rags this afternoon, and I can almost hear it:

    “Baldrick, when I told you to change Mr. Trump’s Twitter password, you didn’t actually change it to ‘password’, did you?”
    “No, Mr. B. Had to be something distinctive. I used ‘Twitter password’.”
    “You know, that’s almost stupid enough to be clever. So how is it that Mr. Trump is now tweeting faster than the spin team can handle?”
    “Well, he asked for the password last night, sir. He was screaming so nicely, I couldn’t find it in my heart to tell him no…”

  91. 91.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    This county is at full employment. It doesn’t get better than this, and hasn’t in their lifetimes if they’re 50 or younger.

    The most frustrating thing about that is that Obama will get the credit, instead of George W. Bush and his tax cuts.

    Aah, who am I kidding? Obama get credit, from those morons, for anything good?

  92. 92.

    Kay

    @Weaselone:

    There’s something about prosperity that tends to incline Americans to vote for Republicans.

    That’s a great point and one I didn’t consider. It’s personal for me. I need a period of years without Republican voters fucking things up so I can add to my empire :)

  93. 93.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It is good. 3 days of being confined to bed in the hospital and I was going batshit insane.

    And coming here reduces that how?

    Sorry you’re still feeling lousy. A few weeks ago, I would have hoped that your shoulder healed super-fast, because the Mets were down about five starters. But apparently their farm system has it covered.

    Anyway: best wishes for 100 percent as soon as is physically possible.

  94. 94.

    Kay

    @SFAW:

    Whiny baby Trump is worried about that. He worries (already!) that he will be blamed when he fucks everything up.

    I will blame him. Him and his insane posse and that criminal cartel he calls his family.

  96. 96.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    Will blame him? Hell, he deserves (as we say here) a metric fucktonne of blame for how fucked-up this election has become.

    No, I’m not ignoring Reinhard Priebus, the ZEGS, nor any of his other enablers — there’s more than enough blame to go around for those treasonous motherfuckers.

  97. 97.

    amk

    @Weaselone:

    I suspect that it’s a combination of complacency among Democratic core voters and a shift in independent voters once the need or potential need for a helping hand from the government recedes

    A very good point. Most vote for dems to do the clean up act and then they go back to either being disinterested or worse, vote for the rethugs to start the shitshow all over again.

  99. 99.

    Kay

    Jennifer Rubin ‏@JRubinBlogger 20m20 minutes ago
    What I love are the “values voters” charlatans who back the guy telling us to look at a sex tape.

    Clearly doesn’t spend a lot of time with the GOP rank and file “white male non college” voter. Ignore the religious posturing. They love them some porn. It may be because they’re assholes to the women they actually meet so have to look at pictures. Their hero isn’t a one-off.

  100. 100.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW:

    And coming here reduces that how?

    I get to vent in as insulting a way as I feel like with out fear of having my oxygen cut off or somebody injecting a morphine overdose in my IV while I sleep (if you can call what I did there ‘sleep’)

    ETA I’m not really feeling all that bad, I just feel like whining and my wife isn’t here and the dog and the cat don’t care.

  101. 101.

    Kay

    @SFAW:

    I think Clinton will win. People are wrong when they say it should have been a shoe-in, though. Third terms are rare AND Republicans will vote for the Republican. I knew they would.

  102. 102.

    Ben Cisco

    Woke up to the news that Dad is in the MICU after a stroke (not minor this time), bleeding on both hemispheres of the brain. Shunts pending, but he is alert at the moment. Mom told me to say put, which I want to attribute to the situation being under control but wondering if she’s simply trying not to worry me and my brother. Meanwhile, I get to take another shot at my MRI next week. I decided that Redshirt was right – definitely have a loss of control issue (and clearly current events are not helping), so I’m just going to get sedated and get it over with.

    Seeing a ton of Burr ads, which means he’s in a battle, and that’s GOOD. He badly needs to be beaten and sent home, and it may just happen.

  103. 103.

    Baud

    @amk: Yep. When the economy is going well, then maintaining social privilege becomes more important than economic issues.

  106. 106.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Republicans will vote for the Republican

    I’ve called this a clarifying election, and I hope the lesson we learn is that there is no bridge too far for the GOP voter. As frustrating as it may be sometimes, the Democratic Party is the exclusive means we have at maintaining some sense of sanity in our government.

  110. 110.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ben Cisco: That’s tuff. Speaking as a father who damn near died last week and didn’t bother telling either of his sons what was going on until it was all over, my thinking was, “Why bother? Bob’s on vacay in CO and Conor is in Louisiana. The only thing I can do by telling them is ruin their day/vacay.”

    ETA: my parents did the same thing.

  112. 112.

    hovercraft

    @Botsplainer:

    Ivanka needs to wake her sweet ass up, roll over and snatch the phone from his stubby little fingers while hurling it at the wall.

    That’s so gross, the scary thing is that it’s not inconceivable.

  113. 113.

    hueyplong

    @Ben Cisco: Rest up. Your mother will let you know when you’re needed. Went through something similar for months earlier this year. You have to trust her.

  115. 115.

    Jeffro

    @RK:

    So Trump’s so unfit for office USA Today breaks with precedent and opposes him yet endorses voting for a third party which could enable his election. Brilliant.

    I’m glad they slammed him but you’re right – any vote that’s not for Hillary (and all stay-homes) potentially helps Trump. At least several of these major conservative-for-100+ years newspapers have come out and said quite plainly, “Vote Hillary”.

    It’s almost Brooksian, the way some organizations squirrel around trying to find any way possible, ANYTHING that will stop Trump without having to vote for Clinton. Hey Brooks & Co, she’s about as moderate and modern a Dem as you’re likely to find…the only thing to have to do is let go of your 40 years of brainwashing and attendant prejudices, then vote 4 Hillz!

  119. 119.

    Kay

    Will cable news convene any more panels of ancient, jowly, overweight old men to critique a young woman’s body?

    If they’re worried about pornography on the Right they should look at their own standard bearers. They’re obscene. It’s not enough Ailes trolled the halls of FOX for decades, they have to foist him on the rest of us?

  120. 120.

    Jeffro

    @Baud:

    I’ve called this a clarifying election, and I hope the lesson we learn is that there is no bridge too far for the GOP voter. As frustrating as it may be sometimes, the Democratic Party is the exclusive means we have at maintaining some sense of sanity in our government.

    Yes indeed.

    I’ve tried pitching the ‘reverse’ of this election to my RW dad and brother in various ways: “what if it were John Kasich vs Sean Penn, or Jeb Bush vs Louis Farrakhan – wouldn’t you be yelling at me to come to my senses?” But really, given Trump’s utter lack of principles, his minute-by-minute flexibility on the issues, his constant dissembling, the best thing to ask is simply, “what if it were Kasich (R) vs Trump (D)?”

    (Now, we all know that Trump wouldn’t have made it through our primaries…I think we know that, anyway…the D electorate is not the same as the R one, and the Democratic Party has largely been delivering on its promises to its voters, unlike the Reps. But still…)

    It helps illuminate the whole thing. If Trump had a (D) by his name, the media AND every last R & Ind voter would be on fire every day…and at least half of the Dem party would be in on the daily drumbeat for him to drop out, too.

    Sorry so long – Fareed Zakaria’s column in the Post today, with its mention of GOP tribalism and Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, got me going today.

  121. 121.

    raven

    @OzarkHillbilly: And the entire episode was hilarious. Larry realized he could get out of almost anything by saying “my mom dies” and he used it! When he goes to the cemetery to visit her grave he learns they burned her in the Potters Field because she couldn’t be buried in the Jewish Cemetary. “She had a tattoo on her ass”!!!

  122. 122.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @JPL: The oldest said, “I could have come back, I was only in KC at that point.” that and, “I’m always the last to hear this stuff.” which isn’t true because I still haven’t told his brother (I’ve called twice but no answer and he doesn’t have voice mail set up).

  123. 123.

    hovercraft

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I’m puzzled as to why Iowa and Ohio are trending towards Trump when President Obama won them both twice (he was up 10 points in Iowa in 2008). How are so many people who voted for President Obama now voting for Trump? I really don’t get that at all. Especially given how good the economy has been under POTUS, as you point out in your comment.

    I know in the case of Iowa, the demographics are tailor made for Trump. not very diverse, in 2012 white with no college degrees made up 36 % of the electorate nationally, in IA it was 56 %. So since those voters are his core supporters, it’s one of his best states. Even though it’s gone democratic the last few times, it’s not exactly a bastion of liberal voters, so his appeal there is stronger. Ohio he is doing well with white working class democrats because of his stance on trade, and his promise to bring back jobs.

  125. 125.

    DissidentFish

    @raven: Yes, and if he respected Chelsea in any way, he would not be able to lie and call the Clinton Foundation a corrupt slush fund. She’s on the board — lying about the Clinton Foundation is a direct insult to her integrity.

  128. 128.

    Elizabelle

    @OzarkHillbilly: Wishing you the best, and comfort.

    Broke an arm, but nothing as complete and long-lasting as what you are struggling through. Hope you are back to better than normal soonest.

    And Happy Friday to everybody.

  129. 129.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    I’ve called this a clarifying election, and I hope the lesson we learn is that there is no bridge too far for the GOP voter. As frustrating as it may be sometimes, the Democratic Party is the exclusive means we have at maintaining some sense of sanity in our government.

    So true, Baud. I’m working for a big win but it is still a bit horrifying to think that 40-47% of our fellow citizens are ok with racism, xenophobia, misogyny, lies, fraudulent business dealings, connections with foreign dictators, etc. It’s clarifying like a heart attack.

  130. 130.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    And we’re glad you’re here for the insulting. No, to be insulting. No, to … aah, screw it.

    Anyway, glad you’re feeling better. Maybe you can throw BP to Tebow? (When you’re 100 percent recovered, of course)

  132. 132.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Congressional Republicans are blocking investigation into Trump/Russia DNC hacking.

    They don’t give a shit. They want a Supreme Court seat or seats and they will kill the hostage if they don’t get it.

    Trump closing the gap in polls is what’s inspiring this. They think they can win, so all bets are off.

  133. 133.

    rikyrah

    Only One Thing Seems to Hurt Trump
    by Martin Longman
    September 29, 2016 10:55 AM

    It looks like the intelligence community is convinced that Russian spooks are trying to undermine confidence in the outcome of our presidential election. Trump and his advisors are unnaturally close to Russian (and Russia-allied) leaders. This would have been a bit of problem in any prior election. Does it matter in this one?

    The country’s most famous Klansman, David Duke, says “The fact that Donald Trump’s doing so well, it proves that I’m winning. I am winning.” I was born in 1969. For my entire conscious life, this would have been a major liability for a presidential candidate. Is that still true?

    Trump is such a pig that his Rancho Palos Verdes golf club has to take special measures to protect its female employees:

    “When Trump did visit, the club’s managers went on alert. They scheduled the young, thin, pretty women on staff to work the clubhouse restaurant — because when Trump saw less-attractive women working at his club, according to court records, he wanted them fired.”

    Will Trump’s objectification of women hurt him at the polls the way we’d expect it to?

  135. 135.

    Matt McIrvin

    @RK:

    So Trump’s so unfit for office USA Today breaks with precedent and opposes him yet endorses voting for a third party which could enable his election. Brilliant.

    Since their target audience is super Republican, this probably counts as a win.

  138. 138.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    The WSJ pretends to be the educated Right but I’ve been following voting rights for 17 years and they pushed the most rank bullshit on “voter fraud” from 2000 to 2010. It started on the elite Right. Only AFTER the “smart conservatives” had adopted it did the bottom feeders grab hold. They gave it the stamp of approval.

    It was racist then and it’s racist now, and Ivy League lawyers and pundits on the Right invented it. They can’t blame Trump voters for it- they created it. I stopped buying the paper because of it.

  139. 139.

    rikyrah

    Congress Does Something Stupid, Blames Obama
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    September 29, 2016 4:31 PM

    This is one of those days when I really wish the American people paid attention to Congress.

    Last May, the Senate passed a bill that would allow the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. The House passed it on September 9th. We all know that everyone in this country wants to do anything they can to support these families. But all along, President Obama has said why this bill wasn’t a good idea and has been clear that he would veto it.

    On the day the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act passed the House, here is how Haroun Demirjian described the President’s concerns:

    But bill supporters are bracing for a veto fight with the White House, which argues the bill could harm the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia and establish a legal precedent that jeopardizes American officials overseas.

    Three days later, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said this in response to a question during his daily briefing about a potential veto.

    “The way this bill is currently written exposes the U.S. … to significant risks in courts across the world,” Earnest added, repeating his boss’s rationale for his opposition to the measure. “The President believes that it’s important to look out for our country, our service members and our diplomats and allowing this bill to come into law would increase the risk that they face,” Earnest added.

    On September 23rd, when President Obama did, in fact, veto the bill, here is part of what he wrote:

    Enactment of JASTA could encourage foreign governments to act reciprocally and allow their domestic courts to exercise jurisdiction over the United States or U.S. officials — including our men and women in uniform — for allegedly causing injuries overseas via U.S. support to third parties. This could lead to suits against the United States or U.S. officials for actions taken by members of an armed group that received U.S. assistance, misuse of U.S. military equipment by foreign forces, or abuses committed by police units that received U.S. training, even if the allegations at issue ultimately would be without merit.

  141. 141.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Elizabelle: I’ve never been normal. My grandmother once told my mother, “That is one strange child.”

    (OK OK, she actually said, “You sure have some strange children, Mary.” but she was looking at me when she said it.)

  143. 143.

    NorthLeft12

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    they can’t afford to buy the 96 inch high def flat screen with Dolby surround sound stereo and speakers with latest in Blueray dvd player and every film that has ever been nominated for best picture in history.

    This is what it is all about. Our [I’ll include Canada in this because we are very similar in this respect] societies are driven by consumer consumption. How much you make, how much you spend is becoming the yardstick by which your intrinsic value as a human being is measured. It is exactly what Deadbeat Donald is all about. Morals, principles, charity, kindness, empathy, etc. are all worthless values in this metric.
    Trump’s people are greedy, selfish, and amoral ignoramuses who not only want the good life, but resent others who have it and they think are unworthy.

    BTW, I agree with the people who say those that support Deadbeat Donald are not good people. I feel for those of you who have family members who you love and cherish that are all in on The Donald, but no matter what else they do for family and friends, the blind ignorance and willful stupidity to support what Trump does and says means that they are not good people.

  144. 144.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: She followed it with “bless their little hearts”.

    My Grams was one of the sweetest most loving women I’ve ever known, but as a Texas Southern Baptist she had some very set ideas about what was and was not normal behavior.

  146. 146.

    danielx

    Could not bring myself to actually read George Will’s latest harrumph of disapproval in this morning’s WaPo….follow the link if you’re so inclined.

    Donald Trump’s rise reflects American conservatism’s decay

    However, It’s a fairly safe bet that there is no mention whatever of the role played by various individuals and entities in creating this state of affairs, which most definitely include George Will and he Washington Post. As far as I can tell one of the Post’s major issues with the Orange One is that whatever else he may be, he is Not A Villager.

    Note: some people say – not me, you understand, but some people – that there are dictionaries of the vernacular out there which show a picture of George Will above the definition for ‘pompous ass’.

  147. 147.

    Jon

    @Kay:

    I think it’s that the people who were teetering on the brink of needing assistance now are semi-gainfully employed, and those who were looking for white collar work are now actually gainfully employed and creeping into the higher tax brackets so they start punching down. It creates a feedback cycle- Dems create a functioning economy, then people start making more money, needing less Gov assistance and paying higher marginal tax rates, so they elect Republicans so they can get a $900 check and then be out of a job in 2 years, then elect a Dem to come fix it again-circle of life. Short-term memory and selfishness is what makes America, Sad!

  149. 149.

    Miss Bianca

    @rikyrah: Oh, whoa…damn it. If I had Netflix I wouldn’t be getting anything else done. Luke Cage has been my favorite superhero (besides Wonder Woman) since I was little.

  150. 150.

    NorthLeft12

    @Kay: You know things have gone really crazy when Dems and liberals are on the same side of the fence and promoting Jennifer Rubin tweets and comments.

    She is one of the worst of the worst, but obviously she does recognize competence and cannot bring herself to support an odious being like Deadbeat Donald.

  152. 152.

    NorthLeft12

    @danielx: No, I think Georgie got that wrong. Deadbeat Donald is the direct result of US conservatism’s evolution over the last forty years.

  155. 155.

    Elizabelle

    @OzarkHillbilly: And now you are strange in style.

    Tim Burton’s screenwriter is coming over to talk to you. Any day now.

    Especially you, with all that time on your hands (temporarily).

  157. 157.

    Fair Economist

    @Kay:

    It took us three months to find a cleaning lady for the office. We ended up hiring a police officer’s wife who is nursing a baby and wants 4 hours a month. EVERYONE who wants to is working. This county is at full employment. It doesn’t get better than this, and hasn’t in their lifetimes if they’re 50 or younger.

    Employment is pretty good, but still not as good as the late 90’s. Wages are still down – they’ve started to move up but are still below the 2007 peak, never mind the 1999 one.

  158. 158.

    Fair Economist

    @NorthLeft12:

    She is one of the worst of the worst, but obviously she does recognize competence and cannot bring herself to support an odious being like Deadbeat Donald.

    A lot of the more offensive Republicans are probably not supported Donald because he’s taking away the political engine they built, not because he’s likely to be a disaster. Of course they can be thinking about both.

  161. 161.

    JR in WV

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    You have to wait and let everything the Doc worked on heal, and the swelling go down. Ice is your friend! Wife had knee replacement, was up and walking that afternoon, doing PT the very next day.

    My shoulder surgery, I was iced and on major painkillers for weeks before the first PT, and the therapist started gentle and slow, just getting things loosened up for the first week or two. Once they tell you to, work hard at it, but don’t stretch or lift anything without their thoughtful direction.

    Take your time. Let it heal first, then get mobility and strength back.

  162. 162.

    JR in WV

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    And pain killers really affect the bowels. I used MiraLax on my family doctor’s advice. Another advantage is that you dissolve the powder in fruit juice, which is also good for you. Actually I used the generic which is half the price.

    Sorry for TMI, but this is important stuff post-op.

  164. 164.

    Ian

    @Matt McIrvin:
    It should be noted we are talking about a newspaper designed to be more like television than newspaper. No surprise on the older, more republican audience.

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