Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The willow is too close to the house.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

The words do not have to be perfect.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

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

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

This fight is for everything.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

I really should read my own blog.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

We still have time to mess this up!

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Saturday Night Open Thread: “What It Means”

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254Comments

  2. 2.

    Travels with Charley

    Anecdata, but….the Republicans in my life (4-6 of them) are all voting for Hilary. Not due to me (although I try) but because they can’t accept Trump. Also, I’ve become obsessed with checking Sam wang’s site….?

  3. 3.

    Travels with Charley

    Wow! I’m mostly a lurker because I’m always reading threads hours after they have died….for once, I am here – LIVE! Hmmm….what shall I say?????

  6. 6.

    WereBear

    We’re watching Real Time with Bill Maher’s show, from last night with Ann Coulter… and I have never heard such screechy tones in her voice. It’s like a car with bald tires on an icy road.

    Sounds like victory.

  9. 9.

    Travels with Charley

    Well, I’ll go with something true….I was moved by Michelle Obama’s speech this Thursday. Listening, i felt that she had … Experienced that kind of personal degradation. Rose above it, but could never forget it – or the threat of it becoming WORSE, instead of better.

    I thought things had become better, baby steps. I’m a woman who served 20 yrs in the army, from 1984-2005. Things got better – until all the stories of sexual trauma began emerging from the deployments in Iraq & Afghanistan. We had fought to eliminate gender harassment….I ASSUMED that would include rape! I am told (I was in the medical field) that a significant fraction of PTSD is related to sexual trauma. ANY form of sexual harassment or assault – among any combinations of genders – needs to be a “crash & burn” offense. But that will take a while, because these offenses are very difficult to prove. Sigh. Well. I didn’t mean to be such a downer! Balloon Juice has been a lifeline for some years now, and I’m glad to be a part of this very interesting community, even if usually asynchronously. ?

  17. 17.

    Iowa Old Lady

    My phone is ringing again. Caller ID says “Washington DC.” Obviously I don’t answer. For months now, I don’t answer. They don’t leave a message.

  23. 23.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Yet another WikiLeaks nothing burger with extra meh just released.

  24. 24.

    Anoniminous

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    You could walk into the living room, stare intently at a corner, back away slowly, then suddenly shout, “there are FACES … faces in the WALL! – and they are COMING FOR ME!!!! and run out of the house screaming.

  25. 25.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Travels with Charley: Just speaking for myself, that was a pretty awesome debut, a welcome new voice and perspective. These old commenters get kind of dusty and predictable *blows dust off self*.

  27. 27.

    debit

    I built a squirrel baffle that actually seems to work. I’m withholding my gloating until I see positive proof they can’t get around it, however.

  30. 30.

    StringOnAStick

    Roy Edroso has a fabulous blog, he’s an incredible and entertaining writer; a professional even.

  34. 34.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Anoniminous:

    stare intently at a corner, back away slowly, then suddenly shout, “there are FACES … faces in the WALL! – and they are COMING FOR ME!!!! and run out

    Ladies and Gentlemen, the Republican nominee for President around oh next Thursday.

  37. 37.

    lamh36

    @Iowa Old Lady: I’ve been getting calls from Baton Rouge periodically lately. When i google the number, it’s a non white pages but not a yellow pages number…ya know.

    I suspect it’s either a telemarketer or a polling company?

    Like you, they never leave a message…

  38. 38.

    debbie

    @Travels with Charley:

    Glenn Beck damned the speech with faint praise, as they say. With that speech, he thought the Democrats had become the party of family values. He had to add that he was sure it was all a set-up because there were multiple camera angles, something he insisted never happened at political rallies.

    Click.

  39. 39.

    Highway Rob

    @Iowa Old Lady: I’ve started picking up the phone on “unknown” calls and engaging in whatever absurdity occurs to me at the time. Usually it involves a song of some sort, but I’ve also been a Scotsman, the Swedish Chef, that sort of thing. Not once has the caller said a word in response, and I get to amuse myself in the meantime.

  42. 42.

    Travels with Charley

    @debit: yes, but watching them try beats most other activities!

    Umm, perhaps I should clarify that I’m referring to squirrels trying to raid squirrel proof bird feeders…

  45. 45.

    jeffreyw

    @Iowa Old Lady:
    Michelle: Get ahold of her yer, Barack?
    Barack: No, not yet, still not answering her phone.
    Michelle: Let’s give her one more ring, you think?
    Barack: OK, one more time, but later.
    Michelle: I worry that we may be too late already. Remember Gen. Stuck?

  46. 46.

    Feebog

    Another outreach event for our Neighborhood Council tonight; this one is Movie Night in the Park. A little late in the year, as we normally do this around labor day, but we have lovely 75 degree weather in the San Fernando Valley today, cooling off into the low 60s tonight. A free movie, free balloons and popcorn in the park, what’s not to like?

  48. 48.

    smith

    @lamh36: Re unknown number, you can often find out who’s calling by entering the number into 800notes.com. If it’s a spammer or a scammer, and you have call blocking, you can block it and never hear from them again.

  57. 57.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I don’t know, but I saw a clip today and he seemed to be really and finally going off the rails which was amazing since it had seemed like he’d already done that long ago. I read this a short time later and it’s exactly what I was thinking also.

  59. 59.

    Anoniminous

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Having been through the process (too many times,) we take the survey report with us and talk about how, what, and when we want to do to each room and in what order, mainly to accomplish something so the thing isn’t a total waste of time.

  66. 66.

    MomSense

    @Travels with Charley:

    Happy you are here with us in real time. I was really moved by Michelle Obama’s speech as well. She’s right that this campaign is causing a lot of trauma and hurt. There was something about the FLOTUS bringing that message with such emotion that was powerful and empowering. I’m not naive enough to think that one speech can defeat the sexism and rape culture in our country but it does feel like a shift happened.

  71. 71.

    lamh36

    @MomSense: A short term move from my current apt to stay with my mom for about a month or so…To save a bit of money and to help her out a bit

  72. 72.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Travels with Charley: I was moved by FLOTUS’s speech too. It was important and honest and real. It was also not primarily political. Politics might flow from her position but they didn’t determine it. That kind of genuine talk is striking during a campaign when we hear so much false, empty talk. Bill E. Pilgrim cites a good example at #57.

  73. 73.

    debit

    @Pogonip: My feeders are on an old clothesline pole. I bought a 3′ length of 6″ duct and a 6″ duct cap. I cut a hole in the cap with some tin snips, then fitted it about 6 feet up the pole, then fixed the duct to it. The theory is that the squirrels will climb inside it, but won’t be able to get past the cap (or chew through it) and the duct is to slippery for then to climb on the outside. So far it’s working.

  75. 75.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Back when I picked up the phone whenever it rang (before I even had Caller ID, so a while ago) I used to get calls all the time about my credit card account. I always knew they were fake, because I’ve been cash-only for everything since 1981.

  76. 76.

    Baud

    Cole

    Grumpy Old Man ‏@Johngcole
    It’s a conspiracy this election between the Republicans, the far left, and the libertarians to drive us all insane.

  78. 78.

    Jeffro

    @raven: DBTs rawk!

    Btw my kids already know and love “What It Means” and “Ramon Casiano”…then again, they’ve loved “Ronnie and Neil” for quite a while now

  79. 79.

    lamh36

    Haven’t watched this movie in YEARS, hell, maybe decade!

    Dolly Parton – Nine to Five via @YouTube

    I hate to admit it, but I’d legit watch a remake of this film…but I guess it’s already been remade over and over just with different names?

    The interesting thing about remakes…is what things in a modern tale would just never be tolerated?

  82. 82.

    lamh36

    When Jane Fonda comes in and the mail guy says…”lady you are gonna hate it here”…
    Imagine if someone had told ya that ur 1st day

    Lord…we all have a Roz don’t we?
    “if you want to gossip in ladies rooms…check under stall for her shoes”

  85. 85.

    jl

    @Baud:

    ” That’s a filthy lie invented by Carlos Slim and the Jews. ”

    There is a sinister silent force even deeper than the obvious Jew Muslin Arab Mexican real estate billionaire banker loser PC beta male HRC media conspiracy to crush the righteous Trump. Even Trump dare not speak his name…

    Oh. My. Baud! I wonder who it is. The real master mind, chucking pennies behind the 7-11 and pretending to collect beer cans for campaign ad buys. The real mastermind. Must be Baud.

    Or, check that, maybe, DougJ!.

    Well, at least we have it down to two possibilities. I’ll work on it some more tomorrow.

  86. 86.

    Roger Moore

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Maybe it’s the IRS calling to say there’s a problem with your taxes and you’re going to jail if you don’t call them back.

    The real IRS will always send a letter. They’re old fashioned that way.

  87. 87.

    MomSense

    @lamh36:

    I’m doing the same but in reverse. My mom is having surgery and will need some care. I just need to figure out how to get her to stop giving people food to my dog.

    Wishing you and your mom the best.

  91. 91.

    lamh36

    @MomSense: thx…my mom is actually not that old. She was a teen mother (thanks to me…lol) so she’s only 56.

    But she has congestive heart diseaese as a complication from her diabetes…so she mobile and sorta healthy…just restricted in some respects…

  94. 94.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    I’d like to see ND. I’ve been to exactly half the states…
    Actually though, I said that as a purposeful non-sequiter to demonstrate my sorry idea of wit.

  96. 96.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @raven: I love this record, but I’m a Truckers fan (and of their most famous alumnus also, too).

    Patterson speaks his mind, and Mike Cooley is not subtle either:

    “I don’t want there to be any doubt as to which side of this discussion we fall on,” Hood says. “I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding of where we stand. If you don’t like it, you can leave. It’s okay. We’re not trying to be everybody’s favorite band, we’re going to be who we are and do what we do and anyone who’s with us, we’d love to have them join in.”

    Mike Cooley is somewhat more direct. “I wanted this to be a no bones about it, in your face political album,” he says. “I wanted to piss off the assholes.”

    link

  98. 98.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Iowa Old Lady: Everyone gets those robocalls. But I’ve been bugged by the IRS for real a couple of times (once over money they erroneously thought I owed, another time over somebody else’s shenanigans), and I know that when you get a nastygram from them they always start with paper mail.

    Also, I’ve found they’re remarkably rational when confronted in good faith.

  100. 100.

    redshirt

    @debit: You made yours? Impressive. I bought mine for like 10 bucks and it’s about 98% successful, and if the squirrels get through, it’s not the baffles fault.

    I’ve won the war against squirrels at the bird feeders, and it feels like…. VICTORY!

    Now, the Blue Jays on the other hand. I’ve accepted defeat. I put a lot of effort trying to keep them away. But they. Do. Not. Stop. Ever.

  103. 103.

    lamh36

    Violet, Judy and Doralee

    The storyline of Doralee was the most interesting one to me…I like that they didn’t make Doralee just a “dumb” blonde. She knows exactly what Mr Hart wants and she rebukes him. But she needs her job, of course doesn’t stop office gossipers.

    The interesting about the film for me is that in my experience, just as many men I’ve worked with are as gossipy as some women.

  104. 104.

    Baud

    @jl: Yeah, twitter is all over that. It’s ludicrous. What is wrong with them? Do they want to be the next RT?

  105. 105.

    Ceci n'est pas mon nym

    @Roger Moore: Do they ever call the UK and pretend to be Inland Revenue or do they specialize in the US because we’re extra-special gullible?

    Surely the existence of British tabloids and the Brexit vote means the UK has their share of idiots as well.

  106. 106.

    trollhattan

    @The Lodger:
    The Texas Jewboys! Never saw them but did see Chinga Chavin and Country Porn. My school was not amused at the stripper who was part of the show, but we were most appreciative.

  107. 107.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @lamh36:

    Oh yes, I remember. I was just thinking “casting.” Dabney Coleman was really the best for slightly creepy, smarmy, semi-authoritarian types (see also his role as Jane Fonda’s boyfriend/fiancé in On Golden Pond).

    I honestly don’t even know if he’s still alive. Haven’t thought of him in years. Off to check the Google Machine.

  109. 109.

    Mike J

    Ruh ro. Power flashing, ups in the corner kicking on and off. Even with the wind predictions downgraded to “only” 50mph, bad juju.

  110. 110.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    Carlos Slim and the Jews

    Aren’t they the opening act for Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys?

    ETA: And I see The Lodger beat me to it. Dagnabit.

  111. 111.

    frosty

    @lamh36: I generally don’t answer unknown numbers. I type them into Google and mrnumber.com tells me if they’re spam. Most of the time they are.

  112. 112.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @West of the Rockies (been a while):

    I got your non sequitur. My reply was sort of a riff on how some people “personalize” everything without regard to context. (And it’s true, of course.)

    “The news says a flash flood wiped out Figbyville last night.”

    “Huh. I had a blind date in college with a girl from there. She smelled like flowers.”

    ETA: True that my family lived in Minot.

  120. 120.

    Gelfling 545

    @Iowa Old Lady: Even when you WANT to talk to somebody at the IRS on the phone it’s helllishly difficult. They send letters and want letters back. Even faxes can be difficult to get through.

  122. 122.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @The Golux:

    You’d be a fish out of water in Sweden.

    Not really, probably. By “cash-only” I didn’t mean that I pay for everything exclusively with Hamiltons and Benjamins; more that I carry no debt at all. I have a debit card and use electronic transfers, and those seem to be fine with the Swedes.

    But just as some people have an addiction to drugs or alcohol or sex, I am unreliable when it comes to credit. So about 35 years ago I cut all my credit/charge cards in little pieces, settled all my outstanding debts over a period of several years, and vowed never again to buy things I couldn’t pay for on the spot — a vow which I have kept, including three new cars in that period.

    As for Sweden, it’s funny, I took one of those stupid Facebook quizzes the other day “What Ideal Country Should You Live In?” and Sweden was my answer. I’ve never even visited there but have always wanted to, and am thinking I might just do that next year when I celebrate my 75th birthday.

  123. 123.

    scav

    @Mike J: Ah, the upper left-hand corner and their blustery night. There was reportedly quite a run on candles in PT and the stores were emptying their freezers.

  129. 129.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @SFAW:

    Wiki says he’s still with us at age 84.

    (What raven, Amir, and VDE said, also too. EDIT.)

  131. 131.

    lamh36

    Of all the fantasies, I think I liked Violet’s the most.

    But I did LMAO when Doralee says Hart should hitch up his pants cause “he’s got a nice package, he should show it off”..

    BWAHAHAHAHA

    #9to5

  134. 134.

    The Golux

    @redshirt:

    Sigh. Stupid Red Sox.

    As I said to my son in a text about an hour ago, I imagine the Sox wish they still had Andrew Miller. And the Yankees. And the Orioles.

  136. 136.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @Steeplejack (tablet):

    That sounds like the beginning of one of Raymond Reddington’s stories! “Delightful girl, but she had a disturbing fondness for reptiles….”

  139. 139.

    debit

    @redshirt: It was actually pretty easy and only took about ten minutes. I am okay with Blue Jays. They have a certain jaunty way about them that I like.

  140. 140.

    The Golux

    @Debbie1:

    Glenn Beck is, how shall I put this… a Mormon.

    Yesterday we took a tour of the new Mormon temple here in Farmington (CT). So goddamn weird, and all the permanently smiling guides seemed…catatonic.

    Creepy as hell.

  143. 143.

    lamh36

    When you mistakenly put rat poison in your boss’s coffee instead of sugar and you think you’ve killed him
    #9to5

    Oops

  145. 145.

    scav

    @Amir Khalid: I think about every possible thing that could happen to a gob just occupied the same space-time. smacked, dropped, inverted, spaghettifacation . . .

    ETA: oh, phew, he’s still being a weasel-tongue, so my gob has a chance to recover.

  146. 146.

    Roger Moore

    @redshirt:
    All I can say is that if the Cubs finally make it to the Series, they should be sure to invite John Paul Stevens to one of their games. He was on hand in 1932 and says Ruth really did call his shot.

  148. 148.

    lamh36

    all need friends like Doralee & Judy, who when you tell ’em you u may have poisoned the boss, they got your back. I’d like to think my sisters would surely help me dispose of a body?

    LOL

    #9to5

  149. 149.

    normal liberal

    @lamh36:
    Can you experiment with the furniture you want to store? Make a 4 x 4 ft. outline on the floor with masking tape, and see what you can actually get in it.

  151. 151.

    redshirt

    @The Golux: No doubt. But Miller on the Sox wouldn’t have made a difference in that series. The entire Sox team shut down the last week of the regular season (after an 11 game winning streak of all things), and they kept it shut down in the playoffs.

    Fire Farrell!

  157. 157.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Amir Khalid:

    Nigel Farage has qualified his admiration of Donald Trump, saying he could not support his comments about groping women, banning Muslims from the US or derogatory remarks about Mexicans.

    Doesn’t leave a lot, does it?

  161. 161.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @The Golux: Nothing so sweet as to see the mighty Sawx swept in the first round of the playoffs. Except for maybe September 28, 2011. My beloved O’s went nowhere that year but it was sheer pleasure to watch them, down to their last strike, come off the floor & ruin the Bosox’s season.

  163. 163.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @redshirt:

    Cub fans must be insanely superstitious this year.

    I keep telling everyone, go read the amazing short story “Last Pennant Before Armageddon” by the late and incredibly great Bill Kinsella. It’s in a collection of his baseball stories called The Thrill of the Grass.

  167. 167.

    Elizabelle

    Good evening. Drinking some white wine after a marvelous hike today, and seeing the harvest moon, looking like it was about two miles up the road at dusk. Could not get a good photo, but gorgeous.

    CNN doing a Trump hagiography. Makes him very human and appealing.

    Thanks, Jeff Fucking Zucker.

    How was your day?

  168. 168.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @lamh36:

    Don’t we all have that 1 sibling who we think knows EXACTLY how to dispose of a body…

    My siblings would tell you, that would be moi….

  169. 169.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch: I love, love, love your novel in the works: The Pinchbeck T.

    pinchbeck: definition: noun
    an alloy of copper and zinc resembling gold, used in watchmaking and costume jewelry.

    adjective
    appearing valuable, but actually cheap or tawdry

    Well done, Madame Duinne. Well done. Commenter for literacy/vocabulary.

  171. 171.

    dazedandconfused

    Consider this my “cry into the wilderness” post. I’ve always found the Balloon Juice community to be filled with wonderful people, so I figured this was as good of a place as any to dump in search of wisdom.

    So, my girlfriend of year got a new job, and I, being in love, decided to pull up roots and follow her.

    Started selling stuff. Started looking for work. Out of my old job. Began the process of selling my home. Announced to everyone that I’m moving.

    About two hours ago, she told me that the stress of having to work through all of this and commit to moving multiple states away with each other was just too much to handle (There’s more behind it- isn’t there always…) and she thought we should break up.

    I’m not upset with her- because I love her, and if she’s not happy, I’m not happy.

    But I’m sitting here, lost, and have no clue where to turn. My life just blew up, and the thought of facing everyone I know and saying “hey, that whole life change thing with the woman of my dreams deal… guess what?”

    I feel like just getting into my car, leaving town, and not being heard from for a week or month or year.

    This may be the worst day of my life. And I just don’t know what to do.

    So here I stand, typing to strangers. What a wild world.

  173. 173.

    lamh36

    Ha…when they are deciding what leverage they had on Mr Hart…and they were thinking of strategy to keep him from talking…

    1) Doralee – “I say we hire a coupla wranglers to go upstairs and beat the shit out of him”

    2)

    Judy – “a sex scandal…take a picture of him with a prostitute”

    Doralee – “oh who would care…

    Violet – “hart would just buy up the copies and send them out as Christmas cards”

    Ha…so maybe this guy IS like Donald Trump

  174. 174.

    debit

    @efgoldman: Mine is the same basic concept, but as the pole is fixed in the ground I can’t slide anything on. Hence the homebrew version.

  176. 176.

    Old Dan and Little Anne

    @Steeplejack (tablet): Ain’t that the truth. There are two older people I work with who I hate engaging since no matter what comes out of my mouth the both of them are going to blather on about themselves for 10 minutes. Drives me fucking nuts. /rant

  177. 177.

    lamh36

    One of the flaws in the film is the idea that Hart could just decide to install all these changes…without 1st permission from corporate. I mean even in 1980…they couldn’t just do that right?
    #9to5

  178. 178.

    MomSense

    @lamh36:

    My best friend has congestive heart disease so I have some idea of the challenges. Sorry she is going through this. It is really good of you to be with her.

  179. 179.

    MomSense

    @lamh36:

    I thought Dolly’s character was signing for him since he seemed to be pretty disengaged when he was there and she was signing for him all along.

    Love that movie, btw. A friend of mine and I watched it with a 20 something young woman and she was shocked by the workplace environment in the movie.

  180. 180.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Elizabelle:

    Thanks! I’ve known and casually used the word for years, but was recently reminded of it by our own Anne Laurie. Seems more than appropriate for Trump.

  181. 181.

    Betty Cracker

    Gators won. Cubbies winning. Ohio State losing. Good sportsball day so far! (Sorry, Raven.)

  185. 185.

    Elizabelle

    @redshirt: Hunter’s moon, you say? Dang it. I was meant to fill it with lead, rather than just admire it.

    And it did have a face in it, tonight. Rose quickly.

  186. 186.

    patroclus

    @redshirt: Not really. Although I’m not planning on walking under any ladders, stepping on any cracks or breaking any mirrors. But Cubbie fans mostly just assume we’re gonna lose at some point so there’s no point in being too superstitious about it. (Except if I happen to see Steve Bartman around, I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t interfere with an Alou catch).

  189. 189.

    geg6

    Finally kicking back with a beer after making and consuming a fine dinner, if I do say so myself. Oven roasted (low and slow, 4.5 hours at 225) beef ribs with cheesy scalloped potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta, with corn muffins on the side. Peach pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. The ribs were falling apart and to die for.

  191. 191.

    The Golux

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    …it was sheer pleasure to watch them, down to their last strike, come off the floor & ruin the Bosox’s season.

    As we say, a real Papel-boner. That was excruciating (I was following on ESPN Gamecast), although it was ameliorated by the fact that I’m still coming down from the euphoria of 2004.

    Funny thing about 2011: the Sox’ meltdown came at almost the same moment as the Braves imploded, opening the door for the eventual champions, the Cardinals. And if it had been 2012, neither implosion would have occurred, because the Sox and the Braves would have already clinched one of the wild card spots under the new rules. There would have been no drama on the last day of the regular season.

  192. 192.

    lamh36

    Funny though…corporate was okay with all the changes, except that “equal pay thing…that’s uh…that’s got to go…alright as an incentive, but we don’t need to keep on priming the pump”

    One step forward…

    #9to5

  196. 196.

    catclub

    @Pest Bog Mummy, Frakensteinbeck:

    The leaks appear to have been tampered with and they’re still boring.

    I thought the point of lots of boring but honest leaks is that when it is too late to check, you release the earthshaking, faked one, and since all the previous ones have been accurate, it gets the benefit of the doubt.

    Faking dull ones even loses that.

  201. 201.

    lamh36

    9to5 really does stand up pretty well after all these years…

    The same issues of sexism and misogyny in the work place is still the same as it ever was…

    20+ years later, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

  207. 207.

    Major Major Major Major

    @catclub: I’m sure they’ll have something doctored and insanely bomshellish to release in two weeks. It will be so patently absurd that only the most clintonly deranged people will consider it to be true; so absurd that even the media will just give it a cursory glance (especially since it will be competing with Trump, I don’t know, having punched out Carlos Slim).

    So of course 27% of voters will eat it up and it will become one of those facts on the right/far left that “everybody knows”.

  210. 210.

    Lizzy L

    Josh Marshall is writing a book on Donald Trump and “Trumpism,” and he’s thinking aloud and posting it at TPM. In his current post, he writes about the shrinking Republican base. Here’s the last paragraph.

    There’s much discussion of the fact that many whites see the prospect of a white majority America slipping away and this election as the ‘last chance’ to turn back the tide. But another dimension of the story is that as the GOP electoral base has shrunk it has required increasingly apocalyptic arguments and more extravagant promises to activate that base to a sufficient intensity to win elections. But that comes at the cost of slowly degrading their own credibility by painting an escalating cast of horrors and dangers they’re never able to solve and in most cases do not even logically address. Most of these promises are simply unrealizable – thus the focus on blocking things rather than pushing an agenda that can sustain popular support. That in turn is I think the root of the now almost total disconnect between GOP elites (the ‘establishment’) and the bulk of Republicans voters. Trumpers say they’ve been lied to by their leaders. And in a very real sense they have been.

    It makes a lot of sense.

  211. 211.

    redshirt

    @efgoldman: I like the idea, but they say nothing about Jays, and they do say Cardinals can use it, which are roughly Jay sized. I’m skeptical. Jays are smart and crafty, and can fly.

  216. 216.

    The Golux

    @Major Major Major Major: Jonathan Papelbon was the Sox’ closer then. He was great the first few years, then started to get himself in trouble with some regularity; hence, Papel-boner. That last game of 2011 was “The Final Meltdown”.

  217. 217.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @lamh36:

    I mean even in 1980…they couldn’t just do that right?

    Easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

  222. 222.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @efgoldman:

    screw the baffle on

    Sounds like the title of one of Oscar Brand’s “Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads.”

  224. 224.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Lizzy L:

    Josh Marshall is writing a book on Donald Trump and “Trumpism,”

    Josh and how many scores of Beltway scribes? I do hope Rick Perlstein is among them; the rise (and, pray God, fall) of Trump would be a fitting fourth volume in his history of modern conservatism series.

  226. 226.

    Smiling Mortician

    @MomSense:

    I’m not naive enough to think that one speech can defeat the sexism and rape culture in our country but it does feel like a shift happened.

    I’m late to this thread, but here’s a positive sign: A couple of weeks ago, I assigned my students (college freshman writing) to choose one of a list of 12 important speeches to write about, analyzing its meaning in context. About a quarter of them chose Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC (other speeches ranged from political to non-, from anywhere in the past 5 decades). Then, Wednesday, after her New Hampshire speech, a majority of students asked if they could switch their topics because they want to research the context of the most recent speech — its place in history. They’re convinced it’s that important.

  228. 228.

    catclub

    Juan Cole has a pointed question:

    Were Kansas White Terrorists Self-Radicalized? or was it Trumpism?

  231. 231.

    martian

    @dazedandconfused:

    Consider this my “cry into the wilderness” post. I’ve always found the Balloon Juice community to be filled with wonderful people, so I figured this was as good of a place as any to dump in search of wisdom.

    So, my girlfriend of year got a new job, and I, being in love, decided to pull up roots and follow her.

    Started selling stuff. Started looking for work. Out of my old job. Began the process of selling my home. Announced to everyone that I’m moving.

    About two hours ago, she told me that the stress of having to work through all of this and commit to moving multiple states away with each other was just too much to handle (There’s more behind it- isn’t there always…) and she thought we should break up.

    I’m not upset with her- because I love her, and if she’s not happy, I’m not happy.

    But I’m sitting here, lost, and have no clue where to turn. My life just blew up, and the thought of facing everyone I know and saying “hey, that whole life change thing with the woman of my dreams deal… guess what?”

    I feel like just getting into my car, leaving town, and not being heard from for a week or month or year.

    This may be the worst day of my life. And I just don’t know what to do.

    So here I stand, typing to strangers. What a wild world.

    Wow. What a kick in the chest. I’m so sorry that’s happened to you. Is there any way back into your job? Do you even want it back? For what it’s worth, unless you are some kind of heinous, Trump-like person in real life, I would think the folks you have told your exciting, happy news to are going to respond with real sympathy to the awful way things have suddenly fallen apart for you. Is there maybe one person you feel comfortable reaching out to? Maybe there’s a friend you could delegate to spread the word so you don’t have to have the same painful conversation over and over.

    Leaving town for a few days or a week to clear your head is not the worst idea, if you can think of someplace to be where you can breathe, and think, and grieve. And maybe, if you’ve already cut your ties to the place you live now, you have the freedom to think about changing directions in some new way that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

  232. 232.

    sukabi

    @Mike J: since that is obviously so foreign to the GOP for the last several elections, and this year’s GOP clown parade and drumpf in particular, it’s PROOF, I TELL YA PROOF!!!1!!! that the Clintons are cheating.

  233. 233.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Highway Rob: Up here in Canuckistan, since there’s no election on, those calls are almost certainly some guy trying to sell air duct cleaning. I’ve been responding to them by meowing repeatedly until they give up, much to my daughter’s amusement (although one guy did threaten to fuck me up)

  234. 234.

    Steve in the ATL

    @dazedandconfused: I was upset about the Dawgs losing to Vandy, so thanks for putting that into perspective. Not sure what to say here other than condolences–that really sucks. The first step is of course drinking heavily, but the second step I suppose is trying to figure out whether it’s really over or she is just overwhelmed right now. We BJers can’t help much with that part, but there is surely someone nearby who can get you hammered!

  235. 235.

    gbbalto

    @dazedandconfused: So sorry to hear this! Not your fault and yoy should not feel that you have to justify yourself to anyone. Step back – where do you want to be and what sort of job do you want? Just some thoughts from a rank amateur
    ETA – I think it is over.

  237. 237.

    lava rock

    @dazedandconfused: It is a really good idea to reach out; what you’re going through is so thoroughly disorienting. I think your comment here got lost at the end of an old thread. Can you repost it in a newer one? I’m sure you’ll get some useful advice.

  238. 238.

    Cckids

    @lamh36: Lol. I live in Vegas; I have a sister who works in a medical lab (they do medical tests + stuff for criminal cases). Last time we were together, we were having exactly this discussion, talking about the stupid mistakes people make in body disposal. We agreed that Vegas would be easier than Seattle for such disposal & talked over important items to remember.
    Then we looked up to find our kids & the rest of the family staring at us in horror.
    Pansies.

  239. 239.

    Jeannet

    @dazedandconfused: Oh, that’s a rough situation for you! I can understand wanting to get out of town and be alone (that would probably be my first choice, too), but don’t be afraid to call on some of your closest friends or family for support too. Even if those friends can’t change anything for you, just being with them may help you cope with your losses, little by little.

  240. 240.

    Fair Economist

    @dazedandconfused: Ouch, that’s rough. My sympathies. Best resource would be to talk to a good friend or family member. Under the circumstances, if you’re that kind of person, just going somewhere by yourself for a few days might be good. I’d probably do something like that myself.

  242. 242.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @dazedandconfused: Oh, I wish I had words of comfort – that’s a tough spot. Out of the old job, jeez, I hope things look up soon. And that the house sale can slow down if it needs to, or close quickly if that would be better for you. That all sucks. I got nothing except good wishes, but you’ve got all of those that I have.

  244. 244.

    WaterGirl

    @dazedandconfused: Wow, coming out of the blue like that, I’m impressed that you’re not rocking in the corner. Kudos to you for following your heart and jumping in with both feet to follow the woman you love, that says a lot about the kind of person you are.

    Sadly, this is an old story. Sometimes people bail on relationships when things get real. On the positive side, she didn’t leave you at the church or wait until you were planning your wedding, and she didn’t wait until you’d actually relocated. So there’s that.

    I know someone who quit their job for a better one, and after just 3 days in the new position it was clear that he had made a terrible mistake. He swallowed his pride, went back to the old boss and asked for his job back. They were thrilled to have him! So if you liked your old job, I say contact them right away to tell them you aren’t moving after all, and why. See if you can get your old job back; you can always start planning a new adventure on your own if you decide that’s what you want to do, but I don’t see an advantage to being jobless while you do that.

    You said you began the process of selling your home. Unless you are wanting to move to a new home, if it were me I would contact the realtor ASAP and explain the situation. I am not a lawyer, but I don’t see that they can make you sell your house.

    If it were me, and i was losing all the dreams of a life together with the woman I loved, I would be uncomfortable with all the moving pieces and would likely want to get back to the stability of my old job and the house that i (presumably) liked while I dealt with this huge emotional loss. I would, however, see if it would be possible to take a few weeks off to get my head together before starting back at work.

    But if you do want to change your life – the things you can control like where you work or where you live – I say great! But do it on your own terms and your own timetable, not because the woman you love blew up your life. But if the idea of starting your life over somewhere else right now appeals to you, and you can afford to do that, then that is on your own terms and on your own timetable.

    So that’s my two cents on the practical side of things. As for the emotional side of things, I am so sorry this happened to you. Sometimes I think it’s harder to lose the dreams we had of our future with someone than it is to lose things that are more tangible.

    Hopefully there will be something in these ramblings that might be helpful. Even if there’s not, please know that you’re not alone in this, not as long as you keep talking to us snarling jackals at Balloon Juice. Big hugs.

  248. 248.

    Ruckus

    @Ruckus:
    Also something else to consider. This person and I are still on speaking terms, although we don’t much any more, this was over 15 yrs ago, and one of the things she has mentioned was that she considered her decision to be a mistake. Unfortunately for her, in the long run I feel like I’m better off. One of us is wrong. Could go either way.
    You’ve gotten some good advice, this is a tough thing to go through but with your attitude you can make it out the other side OK.

  249. 249.

    Original Lee

    @Matt McIrvin: Mostly rational. A while back, they managed to lose the check we had attached to our return. IIRC they separate the check from the return, scan in the return, and enter the amount of the check in a box at the bottom of the scan. Somewhere after that, the check vanished. So while they had the amount of the check, indicating that we had in fact sent a check, it never went through whatever processing they do afterwards. We noticed in mid-May that the check had not been cashed and contacted the regional office. It took them two days to figure out what had happened, at which point we got a phone call to let us know the nastygram was on the way and that we owed the original amount plus interest, even though it was totally not our fault. We paid it as soon as the nastygram arrived and were all clear about a week later, but it was annoying as hell.

  253. 253.

    Porlock Junior

    @Iowa Old Lady: I have had many of them. They fall harmlessly into my voicemail and are never seen again.
    If I got that crap on a phone that *answer* I would be royally pissed.

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