Walter seems to be happy to be back in the presence of cats:
Getting in good with the feline overlords is a solid move regardless who you are and where you live, because they call the shots.
by John Cole| 54 Comments
This post is in: Walter
Walter seems to be happy to be back in the presence of cats:
Getting in good with the feline overlords is a solid move regardless who you are and where you live, because they call the shots.
This post is in: Election 2016, Hillary Clinton 2016, Open Threads, Our Failed Media Experiment
Hillary aide on press joining her on plane next week: "I hope this will shut you the hell up"
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) September 2, 2016
Ah yes. Asking to cover the favorite to be president is SUCH an inconvenience! https://t.co/biLDZsQUsr
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) September 2, 2016
Hey, guys, the press isn’t perceived as smug & entitled as we think it should be. Can you get on that for us? https://t.co/rn2zFUNntq
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) September 2, 2016
Summer’s over, so Hillary Clinton will dutifully invite the press corpse to join her, where they will no doubt proceed to do their best to ensure Donald Trump gets as close to winning the election as the man’s innate unworthiness will allow. Discussion topic from Jay Rosen, something of an expert on the modern American media and its biases:
Here's a question for the gang. Why is the pivot such a seductive idea to political journalists?
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 1, 2016
@Maghielse That's what half the respondents said.
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 1, 2016
@jayrosen_nyu They assume candidates don't really believe what they're saying. Sometimes they're right, but often they're wrong.
— Tony Fratto (@TonyFratto) September 2, 2016
@TonyFratto @jayrosen_nyu I can't help but wonder if it's also our propensity to boil politics down to sports metaphors
— William Pesek (@WilliamPesek) September 2, 2016
@jayrosen_nyu maintains illusion of Trump's sanity. Makes journos feel better about covering a crazy person as if he's not
— Sean Gregory (@qkslvrwolf) September 1, 2016
Top replies by volume: 1. Plot twist: something new. 2. Sports: comeback! 3. Normalizes bizarre election. 4. Savvy! https://t.co/ymk88wtDgo
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 1, 2016
@jayrosen_nyu Why isn't the "horrific train wreck" frame used by MSM for Trump instead of "plot twist"?
— Thomas Logan (@Penman1961) September 1, 2016
Open Thread: Our … Ongoing Media ExperimentPost + Comments (185)
This post is in: Election 2016, Foreign Affairs, Hillary Clinton 2016, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Stupidity
Here @realDonaldTrump – I fixed it for ya. #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner pic.twitter.com/1Ir4vl2UOd
— Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas) September 2, 2016
Must be time to start thinking about dinner. Sometimes the Trickster God gives you the perfect political meme material, just in time for a holiday weekend…
Robby Mook & Team Brooklyn is fired up for #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner pic.twitter.com/KOcnT9HDIW
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) September 2, 2016
Colorado Democrats are trolling Trump by parking a taco truck outside his Denver campaign office to register voters: https://t.co/VjUm0N84MO
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 2, 2016
Tim Kaine should mainly campaign out of a taco truck from this point on…https://t.co/AF6fjbmg9Q
— Al Giordano (@AlGiordano) September 2, 2016
Context, because this is a full-service blog. No, seriously, watch this if you haven’t already…
Sometimes things happen on the air that are just inexplicable. #inners https://t.co/f2htXzotE4
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 2, 2016
@brianefallon How about a wall of taco trucks? It will pay for itself.
— Margaret Schankler (@mschankler) September 2, 2016
Open Thread: Taco Trucks on EVERY Corner!Post + Comments (253)
This post is in: Election 2016, Hail to the Hairpiece, Humorous, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Republicans in Disarray!, Schadenfreude
The GOP dumping of Trump has begun https://t.co/NcES3eaUBb https://t.co/TBQbjN8jTo
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) September 2, 2016
Cassidy: "It really seems to boil down to Mr. Trump’s personality being not what people like," not GOP policies https://t.co/vtzAg0Wg6C
— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) September 2, 2016
You just keep telling yourself that, Sen. Cassidy — it’s not the message, it’s the messenger! If only Deadbeat Donald could be a little more… restrained about your party’s appeal to all the worst elements of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny in American politics…
But Cassidy’s from Louisiana, he needs emergency reconstruction funds for his state right now, not when Mitch McConnell gets tired of stonewalling in hopes that Hillary (or better yet, Donald) will be struck by lightning before November. “Principles” are all very well when your gang of Freedom Caucus Liberty Patriots are riding high, but when the guy at the top of the ticket looks to be bent on self-immolation…
For the special delectation of Balloon Juice readers: The NYTimes reports that “Tensions Deepen Between Donald Trump and R.N.C.”:
The Republican National Committee had high hopes that Donald J. Trump would deliver a compassionate and measured speech about immigration on Wednesday, and prepared to lavish praise on the candidate on the party’s Twitter account.
So when Mr. Trump instead offered a fiery denunciation of migrant criminals and suggested deporting Hillary Clinton, Reince Priebus, the party chairman, signaled that aides should scrap the plan, and the committee made no statement at all.
The evening tore a painful new wound in Mr. Trump’s relationship with the Republican National Committee, imperiling his most important remaining political alliance.
Mr. Priebus and his organization have been steadfastly supportive of Mr. Trump, defending him in public and spending millions of dollars to aid him. But the collaboration between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Mr. Priebus’s committee has grown strained over the last month, according to six senior Republicans with detailed knowledge of both groups, some of whom asked to speak anonymously for fear of exacerbating tensions….
Ya think? [surreptitious sounds of blame being shifted; reporters pretend not to recognize figures behind the curtain]
… There is no prospect of a full public breach between the Trump campaign and the R.N.C. because both sides rely on a joint fund-raising arrangement crucial to their election efforts.
But tensions have grown to such a point that they threaten to diminish the party’s ability to work smoothly with Mr. Trump during the most critical post-Labor Day phase of the race, when the committee traditionally helps supervise an extensive voter turnout effort.
Mr. Trump, who has struggled to raise money, is dependent on his party’s national committee to perform many of the basic functions of a presidential campaign. Should the partnership continue to deteriorate, it could hinder Mr. Trump’s bid for a late comeback in the race…
Too Late Now Open Thread: GOP Attempts to Flee Its Hand-Built Monster’s EmbracePost + Comments (200)
by Betty Cracker| 143 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, General Stupidity, Our Failed Media Experiment
One theory about why the Beltway press keeps thrashing long-deceased steeds named “Clinton Email” and “Clinton Foundation” while ignoring the galloping scandals, gaffes and lies emanating near-daily from the Trump scampaign is the sheer volume of material on the Trump side. I can sympathize. I mean, who has time to unpack the implications of the Paul Manafort-Putin-Russian hacking thing, amirite?
In the interest of reducing the daunting array of promising lines of inquiry, here are just 10 questions some enterprising band of reporters could doggedly pursue until they get a response: (Note: Some are real questions that deserve answers because they are relevant to the candidate’s fitness for the job, and some are bullshit likability questions of the type Secretary Clinton must frequently answer.)
1. Why do a clear majority of Americans dislike and distrust you?
2. Why do only 1% of black voters support your candidacy?
3. Why do you think your support among Latino voters has dropped to just 19%?
4. You’ve said you can’t release your tax returns because they are being audited, which is not true: Richard Nixon released his returns under audit as a sitting president, and the IRS has stated there’s no restriction on releasing returns while undergoing an audit. You also have the option to release past returns that aren’t under audit but have refused to do that either. What are you hiding?
5. In 2011, you claimed you sent a team to Hawaii to investigate the president’s birth certificate and reported that “they cannot believe what they are finding,” yet you never released any findings. Did you lie about dispatching investigators? If not, who were they, and what did they find?
6. Did you bribe your supporter Pam Bondi, the attorney general of Florida, to drop the Trump University fraud investigation? Do you think it’s appropriate for a state’s attorney general to accept substantial campaign contributions from a person whose company she is investigating for fraud?
7. In response to your frequent criticism of the Clinton Foundation, the Clinton campaign released the following statement:
Donald Trump has been falsely attacking the charity run by President Clinton when it is Trump’s own Foundation that has been caught in an actual pay-to-play scandal.
While the Clinton Foundation has received the highest ratings from independent charitable watchdogs, Donald Trump’s use of foundation money to donate to the Florida Attorney General actually broke the law. Worst of all, it appears the payment may have been intended to stave off an investigation into the sham Trump University that has ripped off unsuspecting students.
Donald Trump has no standing whatsoever to question the Clinton Foundation, which works to make AIDS and malaria drugs more accessible, when it’s been proven he uses his own foundation to launder illegal campaign donations.
Can you rebut those claims with specifics?
8. Why is a vicious, misogynistic workplace predator, Roger Ailes, serving as your advisor? Do you leave that pervert alone with female staffers or family members? Do you stand by the supportive remarks you made about Ailes in the wake of Gretchen Carlson’s accusations of sexual harassment?
9. In early August, you said your wife would hold a press conference to clear up questions that arose about her immigration status during a 1995 photo shoot in light of the fact that she previously claimed to have entered this country on a work visa in 1996. When will that press conference take place?
10. During your post-meeting press conference with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, you claimed that payment for the wall was not discussed, but Peña says he told you Mexico would not pay for the wall. Which of you is lying? If you’re telling the truth and payment was not discussed, why not? You say Mexico will pay for the wall at every rally, and this is widely known in Mexico. Were you too cowardly to bring it up to Peña’s face?
I can think of many more questions that should be pursued, such as the allegations that the Trump modeling agency exploited undocumented workers and that the Trump organization screwed unions and imported / abused Polish workers while building Trump Tower, etc. The list truly is dizzying. But you gotta start somewhere.
This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Election 2016, Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads
@PCalith Maybe they're having trouble figuring out the exchange rate from rubles to dollars.
— Daily Trix (@DailyTrix) September 2, 2016
In a normal year, you’d think we were due for a few days of political peace & quiet, while every sensible person took advantage of the last days of summer. This year? — I’ll be happy if nothing notable happens between the time I post this and when I check back in this afternoon…
I asked Paul Krugman: if Trump is so risky for the world economy, why isn't he dragging down financial markets? https://t.co/l0FBLXBWSb
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) September 1, 2016
Fingers crossed: What’s on the agenda for the day?
Saturday Morning Open Thread: K’rugthulu Speaks!Post + Comments (150)
by Sarah, Proud and Tall| 81 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Assholes
Anyone awake?
So, I’m serving seared tuna (which has been marinating in teriyaki and rice wine for a while) with a mint, coriander, savoy cabbage and bean sprout salad, drizzled with argan oil and lime juice
And I’m stuck as to what cocktail to serve with it on a warmish spring evening. Mai tais to start, but then I need something to go with the fish. I’m thinking gimlets or white ladies at the moment.
ETA: WTFF?