Have at it!
We Might Actually Get to Debate Question #2 Some Time Tonight Open ThreadPost + Comments (111)
Archives for September 2016
What to Watch for Tonight
I stopped on the way home from the gym and dojo this evening and picked up some takeout. The young man at the restaurant working the register asked if I was going to watch the debate. I said most likely yes, not that the debate itself is likely to matter to around 90% of the population. He replied with “yep, its not like there’s really a choice, each one is bad. So who are you supporting?” I told him that was the wrong question to ask. Without going into my extended resume, I explained that I work on defense and security policy and strategy and explained that there is really only one thing to watch for tonight, as well as at the follow on debates, and all the campaign rallies. What you should be watching for is for the candidate to delineate what their policy is for each issue they are asked about, then for their strategy – the ways and means – to achieve those policy objectives. And then what you want to think about is are those feasible (do the means make sense), are they acceptable (can it be gotten through Congress, will the US citizenry support it), and are they suitable (will they actually resolve the problem). And I said this was important because no matter what the news reporters or analysts or pundits tell you, this isn’t about who you want to have a burger and a beer with, because you’re never going to have a burger and a beer with the President or any other candidate. I finished by explaining that if you’re the candidate claiming that you are promoting change, than you have to delineate and lay out what that change means and how to achieve it. That this is what President Obama did in 2008, even if you didn’t agree then/don’t agree now with what those changes are. And this is what Governor Romney did in 2012. What President Obama proposed in 2008 resonated with enough voters to get him elected, what Governor Romney proposed in 20102 didn’t. And if a candidate just calls for change, but can’t actually articulate what that alternative system would be – domestic or global – and a coherent strategy to get there, then that should tell you something. So you have to ask yourself: which one of these two candidates have a plan, has articulated policies, and has delineated strategies and which one doesn’t. I then took my takeout order and headed home.
Pre-Debate Open Thread
Soooooo Hillary has to be warm yet tough. Presidential yet down to Earth. Donald Trump has to not fling poo. Seems fair.
— Brian Lynch (@BrianLynch) September 26, 2016
Also, Hillary better not correct Trump's lies too much or she'll look bossy. https://t.co/M2yzRXaYqJ
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) September 26, 2016
NBC wants your eyeballs — they’ve got a raft of sites linked here, including their YouTube channel, which is the one I’ll have open.
The Guardian‘s invaluable liveblog here.
NBC’s virtual-reality thingamabog is here.
PBS Newshour livstream will be here.
MOOK: No contempt — that killed Gore. And if you sense a spot to lighten the mood–
HILLARY: Tell me to smile and it'll be your dick, Robby— Owen Ellickson (@onlxn) September 26, 2016
this is real pic.twitter.com/2RVT6MoNMo
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) September 26, 2016
To be fair, they had to keep it short because that's all the cheat notes that would fit on Trump's miniature hand. https://t.co/K9WJR9Gmw9
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) September 26, 2016
Not Getting Out Of The Boat
I’m not going to be watching tonight. My wife and son will be, but me? I’m around the corner to a bar with the ballgame on.
I’m a wimp. I’ll admit it. I can’t take the debates anymore. I get too pissed off; I get scared; I get enraged…you get the idea. I’d rather follow on my phone, switching between the Balloon Juice thread and Twitter, and maybe the Guardian liveblog.
My goal — to get to sleep tonight before two or three, having dodged the useless-replay that I’ve found myself pacing through for hours before I actually get to sleep.
So, this is just to create a thread for those who want to rage, rage against the dying of the light endless derp of modern media, and to offer a little distraction.
Which would be this. I heard it on the radio today just before I headed off to the dentist to confirm the horrible suspicion that the howling pain in my molar meant (another) root canal (tomorrow at 4, thanks for asking).
I’ve always loved this song, but for some reason it seemed so on point to this election. It certainly put me in a better mood than I had any right (or inclination) to hope for — and maybe it’ll do the same for some of you, mes sembables, mes frères (et soeurs).
It doesn’t make me feel like the media will ever do its job — I just heard a clip on the local Boston public broadcasting station in which New York Times reporter (of course) Farah Stockman rather giddily proclaimed that this election wasn’t about facts or policy or any of that stuff (in a segment seemingly decrying the calls for fact checking the debate) but about fear.
Well, if so, oh Main Stream Media stalwart, it is because you and your stunningly less clever than they think they are colleagues have allowed it to become so.
So yeah. Bare Naked Ladies beat our elite political press any day and twice on Sundays. Enjoy, and say what you will below.
Open Thread: Grifter Newt Gingrich Thinks He’s Found His King
Clinton is a fox who knows many things you can fact check. Trump is a hedgehog who knows one very big thing: We need change.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) September 25, 2016
“Secretary of State Gingrich” he whispers to himself…
.@newtgingrich show me on the doll where facts touched you.
— Justin Marks (@Justin_Marks_) September 25, 2016
Replace "Trump" with "Honey Boo Boo" or "your average Juggalo" and it makes just as much sense as a criterion for choosing the president. https://t.co/GSWgc3Ic2A
— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) September 26, 2016
Mao brought change. So did Hitler. And Pol Pot. https://t.co/6rFd0p1f3n
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) September 25, 2016
Cranky #NeverTrump conservative:
The "hedgehogs," it's true, see one "big idea." But it's not a slogan or a bumpersticker. It's an adherence to a narrow, defined belief. /2
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 25, 2016
Actual "hedgehogs" tend to be like engineers or scientists – deep, if not wide. Trump isn't that. A dumb mis-application of a metaphor. /4
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 25, 2016
@RadioFreeTom @newtgingrich Trump is like a hedgehog in that he is surrounded by pricks like Newt.
— Pok-e Mango (@yugebigly) September 25, 2016
Open Thread: Grifter Newt Gingrich Thinks He’s Found His KingPost + Comments (217)
REPOST: Cat Rescue Bleg – L.A. Area
From lurker cthulhu
About a month ago while on my nightly walk, I noticed a cat nursing her four kittens near the curb of a busy street. In fact, I believe the mom might be from an earlier litter at the same location that I noted about a year ago. In any case, the owners of the house where the cat and kittens were residing were not specifically taking care of them. It seemed that their likely future was a combination of a premature death by automobile or continued population explosion of cats at area. Thus at the urging of my wife and daughter, we collected them all with the plan of turning them in to the local shelter.
Well, after conferring with our neighbor who is part of a cat rescue we agreed to foster them while she works to get them adopted. The good news is that two of the four kittens have already found a new home. But we still have the mom and two other kittens. While I feel our neighbor is making good progress during the weekend adoption events, perhaps casting a wider net is a good idea. The thing is that, despite her big heart, my wife has become very allergic to cats (and we have one of our own who is our last, very wonderful cat).
So maybe a Balloon Juicer might have a place for one or more of these kitties. Mom is due to get spayed next week but they have otherwise had their shots etc. and are all very healthy. The cat rescue we are working with will want to interview/home visit anyone interested and will expect pretty much an indoor/safe living arrangement.
Of the kittens, one is male (currently given the name “Chill” by my daughter) and the other is female (“Tuna”). Mom is referred to as “Sue Sylvester” (not my show but the wife and daughter’s).
Frankly, if it weren’t for the allergy issue, we would keep Chill for sure as he already has a pretty good relationship with our dogs. Sue, despite being raised mostly feral, is a pretty friendly and sweet cat with humans but wary of dogs. Tuna remains the skittish one – her next human companion might need to take some time.
Chill is white and gray [top pic], Tuna is gray.
If you have a lead (or need a new cat in your home), leave a comment. Or email me at annelaurie (dot) verizon (dot) com, and I’ll forward your message directly to cthulu.
If the Debate Were An Actual Super Bowl
Image via the Washington Post
I’ve heard numerous people describe this debate as a political Super Bowl and that it will draw Super Bowl like ratings. So fine. Let’s make a football analogy.
If this debate/election was the Super Bowl, the Democrats would be sending the New England Patriots, coached by Bill Belichick. He’s a total asshole to them as he hates the media, he does some ethically questionable shit from time to time, everyone hates him and his team, but he is impeccably prepared, knows the system and the game in and out, always gets the most out of his players, makes the most of bad situations (like having Tom Brady benched for four games and still going 3-0), and they generally just succeed at whatever they do.
The Republicans would be sending this guy:
Or this guy:
And this is not hyperbole, which is terrifying.
If the Debate Were An Actual Super BowlPost + Comments (204)