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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

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Their freedom requires your slavery.

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Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

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Bogus polls are all they’ve got left. Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls a year from now.

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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / If You Don’t Know Who The Patsy At The Table Is, It’s You Part [n+1]

If You Don’t Know Who The Patsy At The Table Is, It’s You Part [n+1]

by Tom Levenson|  December 3, 20166:07 pm| 160 Comments

This post is in: Election 2016, Hail to the Hairpiece, Trump Crime Cartel

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Just a quick update for the “who has Trump f**ked today” file.

AT&T is reportedly feeling confident about its ability to buy Time Warner after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team—even though Trump himself vowed to block the merger during his campaign.

“Donald Trump’s transition team has reassured AT&T that its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner will be scrutinized without prejudice,” the Financial Timesreported yesterday. “After talking with the president-elect’s team, AT&T executives are confident that their deal has a good chance of passing regulatory scrutiny, people informed about the conversation said.” [Ars Technica]

This is a couple of days old, actually. It’s tough to keep up.

To be sure, relative to little things like blowing up the world’s system of states, agreements, and understandings…

hans_holbein_the_younger_-_the_ambassadors_-_google_art_project

…letting a mega-corp misbehave exactly as any Republican president would (and some Democrats, alas) is hardly the top of either my terror or rage list.  But still, I do love seeing Trumpkins slowly wake up to the degree to which they’ve been conned/are complicit in the ongoing shit show.

Sorry, folks.  You really do need watering twice a day if you trusted the cheeto-faced, ferret-heedit shitgibbon.

That’s about the limit of the fun to be had these days — a respectful nod in the direction of the late, great Molly Ivins.  I wish I could enjoy the tears of betrayed Trumpkins a bit more, but there’s too much damage they’ve done to the rest of us to take much satisfaction.

Image: Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors, 1533.

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Reader Interactions

160Comments

  1. 1.

    Keith P.

    December 3, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Is it “They *fooled* me, Jerry!”, or is it “They fooled *me*, Jerry!”?

  2. 2.

    Davis X. Machina

    December 3, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    Where can I get a “Hey, America: did he still respect you in the morning?” t-shirt? Asking for a friend.

  3. 3.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    I do love seeing Trumpkins slowly wake up to the degree to which they’ve been conned/are complicit in the ongoing shit show.

    I haven’t seen much evidence that this is actually taking place.

    @Keith P.: The latter. Remember, the best cons are the ones where the mark thinks they’re in on it.

  4. 4.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    That painting is amazing.

  5. 5.

    piratedan

    December 3, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    well, the prevailing attitude appears to be that its all well and good as long its not your pussy that he’s grabbing. Then he’s only privatizing your retirement and watching it lose ten percent a year due to “management fees” and that change in health care appears to be a matter of here’s your coupon, that is only good Monday thru Thursday and is only good for stuff that is working fine, not what ails you.

  6. 6.

    Iowa Old Lady

    December 3, 2016 at 6:23 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: What’s the thing on the floor?

  7. 7.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    I for one am looking forward to the media being the medium.

  8. 8.

    gbbalto

    December 3, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: Look at it from an angle…finest painting in the British National Gallery – painted life sized!
    Eta- It is a skull, i am not getting right angle on phone

  9. 9.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    @Baud: *becoming the medium*

  10. 10.

    Roger Moore

    December 3, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    What’s the thing on the floor?

    It is apparently a skull, but painted in such a way that you’ll only see it correctly if you look at the painting from an extreme angle.

  11. 11.

    Jeffro

    December 3, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    I think it’s an exciting new era, when the Emper…er, excuse me…President finagles tax breaks for individual companies, approves mergers (or not), and conducts international affairs with his business interests first and foremost in mind. BOLD leadership! What could go wrong?

  12. 12.

    debbie

    December 3, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    Anamorphosis. My dad used to paint these things into his paintings. Creepier than clowns.

  13. 13.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    December 3, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    It’s a skull in anamorphic perspective. If you go to SiubhanDuinne’s link, there is an explanation and a non-anamorphic view.

  14. 14.

    debbie

    December 3, 2016 at 6:37 pm

    @Jeffro:

    I can’t find it now, but he’s “threatened” another company in Indiana over a 300-job cut. Can’t wait to see the bennies he beats them into submission with.

  15. 15.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    That skull thing is so weird. I remember learning about that in art class.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    December 3, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    I have two parties this weekend — our holiday party at work, and an end party for NaNoWriMo. And both of them are within walking distance of our apartment — score!

  17. 17.

    Tom Levenson

    December 3, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: @gbbalto: Yup. Love that painting. Stop in the National Gallery every time I’m in London to give it a Who Dat. You have to kind of squat to the right of the frame to resolve it — the fun is seeing it change shape as you get closer to the correct spot.

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    Thanks to everyone for chiming in on the anamorphic skull info for IOL. I posted my comment/link and then immediately got in the car, so missed the discussion.

    Years ago, someone gave me a kit by which one could make anamorphic drawings. I don’t remember much about it except that there was a cylinder about 2.5-3.0″ in diameter, with a very shiny mirrorlike exterior. I think you put it next to your paper and drew whatever you were drawing so that it looked right in the mirrored cylinder and it would be all distorted on the paper. But having no artistic ability to begin with, I found that it was rather wasted on me. Now I think it would be kind of fun to play with.

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    December 3, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    Skull image is very cool-creepy, and predates anamorphic lenses by a whopping four centuries. I believe our artist was showing off.

  20. 20.

    Brachiator

    December 3, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    AT&T is reportedly feeling confident about its ability to buy Time Warner after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team—even though Trump himself vowed to block the merger during his campaign.

    The Trump vow thing doesn’t really bother me as much as does the idea that we apparently now have a president who rules by decree and by granting favors to those who appear before him in his court.

    Regulatory agencies and cabinet departments no longer appear to be necessary to review or approve these actions.

    I guess this is what Trump supporters want when they talk about running the government like a business.

  21. 21.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    @Tom Levenson:

    Stop in the National Gallery every time I’m in London to give it a Who Dat.

    I saw it in the NG a million or so years ago. These days, I generally end up spending so many hours in the National Portrait Gallery that I use up whatever time I’ve allotted. I am just sick in love with the NPG.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 6:59 pm

    @Brachiator: I remember when conservatives hated when the government picked winners and losers.

    I’m old.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    @trollhattan:

    I believe our artist was showing off.

    Heh. And that was several years before he painted the famous image of Anne of Cleves that so attracted Henry VIII.

    “Anne of Cleves was Number Four —
    Her portrait thrilled him to the core.
    But when he saw her face-to-face,
    Another royal divorce took place.”

    — Herbert and Eleanor Farjeon

  24. 24.

    Keith G

    December 3, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    Oh good. I won’t be able to afford either medical care or basic cable with data. Hopefully this latest round of revanchism won’t last longer than the end of this decade. Maybe Republican overreach will make up for the fact that the Democratic Party is still likely not have its act together before the appearance of Halley’s Comet.

  25. 25.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    @Baud: National Review had a piece this week about how this is non-conservative and stupid and sucks.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Give them points for consistency on that.

  27. 27.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    @Baud: Credit where it’s due, yes.

  28. 28.

    Frank Wilhoit

    December 3, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    “AT&T is reportedly feeling confident about its ability to make a crippling mistake after meeting…”

    TIFIFY

  29. 29.

    Josie

    December 3, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    @Baud: That was back when actual conservatives existed. I seem to remember that too. I didn’t like them either, but they at least had some guiding principles.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    No one likes employers who cut jobs, but he’ll use this power against people who don’t want to discriminate or don’t want to punish undesirables.

  31. 31.

    Iowa Old Lady

    December 3, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    I went to the link and squinted at the picture some more. That’s really creepy.

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 3, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    a few years back, ten?, the NG had a mirror set up so that you could see the skull more clearly. I assumed it was permanent, but it was gone when I went back a few years later, I can’t draw a straight line, so I can’t begin to imagine how Holbein did that

    also, too, this

    SalenaZito ‏@ SalenaZito 43m43 minutes ago Scott Township, PA
    And just like that Green Party dropping its court case seeking a statewide recount of Pennsylvania’s Nov. 8 presidential election per AP

  33. 33.

    gene108

    December 3, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    Republicans will allow businesses to merge, engage in unfair labor practices, etc.

    I you are voting Republican for reasons other than banning abortion and guns, and you object to that sort of thing, you are an idiot.

    Reoublicans have been the party of “greed is good”, since Reagan.

  34. 34.

    Kropadope

    December 3, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    @Baud: 1,000 jobs for a couple million in tax breaks? Obama saved over a million auto-industry jobs for almost free. Trump wouldn’t know a good deal if it were shoved up his ass.

  35. 35.

    Kropadope

    December 3, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    @gene108:

    Republicans will allow businesses to merge, engage in unfair labor practices, etc.

    Do you mean allow or encourage?

  36. 36.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    @Kropadope: Agree. Obama is infinitely better at this. But Trump knows how to market to white people’s egos. That’s all he needs.

  37. 37.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 3, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    can I time travel back to Tudor England….?

    Michael WeissVerified account
    ‏@ michaeldweiss
    Rohrabacher and Bolton now said to be ahead of Romney for SecState:

    and I realize speculating on this clusterfuck operation, that I suspect deliberately trolls liberals and VSPs for sport, is like betting on which rain drop in a storm will hit the ground first, and we may wind up with boring old Bob Corker or Petraeus if he compliments trump’s tie in their next meeting.

  38. 38.

    m.j.

    December 3, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    I do love seeing Trumpkins slowly wake up to the degree to which they’ve been conned/are complicit in the ongoing shit show.

    They aren’t paying any attention. They weren’t before and they aren’t now. When things turn to shit (and they will) they’ll just find a convenient other to blame it on.

  39. 39.

    Rand

    December 3, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    Trump seems to have never found a regulation he couldn’t live without.

  40. 40.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    @Roger Moore: An extreme angle as, say, climbing the stairs at night, candle in hand, looking up along the wall to your left and, HOLY SHIT! A skull has popped out of the painting above you in the stairwell.

    Curious as to whether that was intended by the buyer, or as a FU from painter to buyer, as he’d see that every night as e climbed to bed.

  41. 41.

    Linda

    December 3, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    Count me among the people who don’t believe Trump voters give a damn. What they really love about him is that he hates, or pretends to hate the same people they do, and is powerful enough to be the asshole they wish they could be. All the rest is minor details. And even if he sucks, making life suck for minorities and immigrants would square everything between him and his fans.

  42. 42.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:39 pm

    @Poopyman: I would love that, personally.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    December 3, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    National Review had a piece this week about how this is non-conservative and stupid and sucks.

    The National Review opposed Trump early on. Consequently, his supporters see them as another example of the biased liberal media.

  44. 44.

    mkro

    December 3, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    Once again, a Balloon Juice blogger is making the critical mistake of assigning policy-based issues to the minds of the 62M Trump voters.

    STOP IT. STOP IT NOW.

    The vast majority of them couldn’t care one bit about an AT&T / TW merger nor the impact that it may have on their lives. They also probably could not locate Taiwan on a map.

    They voted with their feelings and they believed that Trump was a successful businessman who has always delivered on his promise. The other 25% voted Trump because they are racists who are angry about Obama being their president and like someone who says the same things that they do behind closed doors.

  45. 45.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    @mkro: To be fair for the most part we’re talking about a skull.

  46. 46.

    ThresherK

    December 3, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    @Davis X. Machina: Apocryphal ’round midnight / closing time conversation in many a bar applies:

    “Will you respect me in the morning?”

    “Morning? I don’t respect you now!”

  47. 47.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    Also too, “Holbein” reminded me of “Holborne“. You get the brass version ’cause I’m a brass guy, but there are string and woodwind version there as well.

    It pairs well with the painting, btw.

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 7:45 pm

    @mkro:

    Knock it off. We’re talking about anamorphic skulls here.

  49. 49.

    Brachiator

    December 3, 2016 at 7:46 pm

    @Linda:

    .. and is powerful enough to be the asshole they wish they could be.

    Yes, this part gets to the heart of Trumpism.

  50. 50.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 7:46 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Yeah, the painting is way more interesting than Trump.

    Sorry, TL, but thanks for throwing me into Renaissance music mode on a Saturday night!

  51. 51.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    @efgoldman: Well, jeez dude, I was naming a conservative outlet that was opposed to it because it’s government interfering in the market by picking winners and losers in response to Baud!’s comment, not listing them as a major influential think tank or whatever.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    @Poopyman: Gives me an idea for Baud! 2020! posters.

    @efgoldman: Who else would we talk to? Everyone else sucks.

  53. 53.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    Big vote tomorrow in Italy. Interesting how they have their vote on a Sunday.

    http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/italy-approaches-its-own-choice-between-liberalism-and-populism

    Here, we prefer Tuesday for some reason.

  54. 54.

    Brachiator

    December 3, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    @Baud:

    I remember when conservatives hated when the government picked winners and losers.

    Yes, conservatives used to claim that, while rigging the system so that the right people who belonged to the right clubs were always first in line to benefit from government action.

  55. 55.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 7:52 pm

    Did you ever pair unlikely combos in Google? Try “Hip Hop Sackbut”

  56. 56.

    Keith G

    December 3, 2016 at 7:53 pm

    @mkro:

    They voted with their feelings and they believed that Trump was a successful businessman who has always delivered on his promise

    Don’t neglect the significant number of voters who supported Trump simply because he was not Hillary Clinton. About the time That Mrs. Clinton was deciding to begin her campaign they were many voices here saying that they would hold their nose and vote for Hillary. Well, some voters didn’t have that dilemma as they decided to simply not vote for her at all.

  57. 57.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    @Poopyman: I remember that Amazon used to have a feature, which I wish they’d bring back but I understand why they dropped it, called something like “statistically improbable phrases.” When you’d pick a book it would give you the phrases that occurred in the text and description that were unlikely to occur in other books.

  58. 58.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    @Keith G: They could have voted third party or not voted. The Trump stink doesn’t wash off that easily.

  59. 59.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    December 3, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    @efgoldman:

    I think I’m confused.

  60. 60.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    @Poopyman: It’s always amusing when a conservative leaves a comment somewhere about some made-up bullshit or another, and says “just google it! You’ll get eight hundred million hits!” as if this somehow makes it true.

    I mean, you could google “Chicken chimney tumbleweed throwrug” and get eight hundred million hits.

  61. 61.

    Timurid

    December 3, 2016 at 7:56 pm

    They’re just going to let this guy be President. It still blows my mind…

  62. 62.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 7:56 pm

    @mkro: What mkro said. some trumpettes will be upset. Most don’t care that he’s a liar and an asshole. For them that’s a feature, not a bug.

  63. 63.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:57 pm

    @germy: Having googled, there are a lot of right wing fake news sites that come up. I can see why they say that.

  64. 64.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    @germy: Dude! My point is there’s really hip hop sackbut music out there.

  65. 65.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    @germy: whenever I hear that I tell them that you can search for sites saying the Earth is hollow and inhabited by a race of dwarves. That doesn’t make it true.

  66. 66.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    @Timurid: Oh c’mon. You know there’s no real difference between him and Hillary.

  67. 67.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    @efgoldman: You aren’t sure how old you are?

  68. 68.

    Poopyman

    December 3, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    @efgoldman: That’s kind of harsh. Except for the shawms.

    Fucking shawms.

  69. 69.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    @Poopyman: Indubitably.

  70. 70.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    @efgoldman: many more results for mitt Romney skull fucking a kitten. Sad!

  71. 71.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: google images?

  72. 72.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:12 pm

    BOSTON (AP) – U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to make some types of hearing aids available over the counter.

    The Massachusetts Democrat has introduced a bill with Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley that would lift what she described as burdensome requirements needed to obtain hearing aids.

    Warren said about 30 million Americans experience age-related hearing loss, but only 14 percent use hearing aids, often because they can’t afford them.

  73. 73.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:13 pm

    @germy: Send that to raven.

  74. 74.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:13 pm

    @Baud: I thought Raven was covered by the VA

  75. 75.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:15 pm

    @germy: Yeah, but he’s always getting that thing stuck in his ear.

  76. 76.

    Mary G

    December 3, 2016 at 8:16 pm

    Speaking of AT&T, they sent me a letter saying that there is fiber in my neighborhood now, and it is much faster than cable. I’d kind of like to pull the plug on the cable company, who keeps raising my rates every other month. Anyone know if AT&T fiber is any good? This article seems to think it’s a fraud, but my eyes glazed over and I need interpretation.

  77. 77.

    Roger Moore

    December 3, 2016 at 8:16 pm

    @Baud:

    I remember when conservatives hated when the government picked winners and losers.

    Like most of those things, you can insert a “that they don’t control” to get the real perspective. They don’t like it when the federal government that they don’t control tells states what to do. They don’t like it when the federal government that they don’t control runs massive deficits. They don’t like it when state governments that they don’t control defy federal government mandates. And on and on. The only principle that matters is that they get to do what they want.

  78. 78.

    Chip Daniels

    December 3, 2016 at 8:16 pm

    Once again, no one, no one anywhere ever, gives a shit about the “free market”.
    Its the abstract totem people use to describe their side.

    Trump voters love government bennies, so long as the firehose of cash is directed their way.

    Which is our opening. I am seeing the potential for a 21st Cnetury New Deal, where the government provides income support to the wage earning class, maybe in the form of an expanded EITC or Medicare or something.

  79. 79.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    @Chip Daniels: As always, you need a plan that takes account of the fact that liberals aren’t going to sign onto something that exclude minorities from those benefits.

  80. 80.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    @Baud: Minorities aren’t part of the wage earning class?

  81. 81.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    @Mary G: I don’t read that as saying that AT&T’s fiber service is a fraud. Generally, fiber is better than anything else.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    @germy: Politically speaking, no. Remember the election?

  83. 83.

    Pogonip

    December 3, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    Adam, are you there tonight? Smallwarsjournal dot com has Gen. Mattis’s reading list from 2007. I just saw it via a link. You probably saw it at the time; do you remember what you thought of it and him?

    I myself was disappointed that he made no mention of anamorphic paintings, but I suppose nobody’s perfect!

  84. 84.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    @Baud: I’m trying to forget it. Every once and a while it hits me about 3am.

  85. 85.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    @germy: Understandable.

  86. 86.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    @Baud:

    Obligatory, for Raven.

  87. 87.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    @Chip Daniels:

    Trump voters love government bennies, so long as the firehose of cash is directed their way.

    Which is our opening. I am seeing the potential for a 21st Cnetury New Deal, where the government provides income support to the wage earning class, maybe in the form of an expanded EITC or Medicare or something.

    Two issues here. One is that if we’re talking 21st Century New Deal, we can do better than EITC expansions. The EITC is good cash stimulus for the people who are eligible, but that’s never the very poorest, who need it the most. Something less tax-specific would be better, like actual cash, or make-work, or actual jobs.

    Second, we absolutely cannot glom onto Trump for this or we’ll have validated, rewarded, and entrenched white populism. That would be a huge strategic error, as well as, you know, abhorrent.

  88. 88.

    germy

    December 3, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    Which is our opening. I am seeing the potential for a 21st Century New Deal, where the government provides income support to the wage earning class, maybe in the form of an expanded EITC or Medicare or something.

    I think Hillary tried that.

  89. 89.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: And moral error.

    ETA: you fixed it.

  90. 90.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    @Baud: I figured it went without saying, but then decided to clarify just in case.

  91. 91.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:34 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: You’re a good man, M4.

  92. 92.

    Amaranthine RBG

    December 3, 2016 at 8:35 pm

    I don’t get this.

    Why do you think Trump voters give a shit about the AT+T merger?

    Did this come up in the campaign or something?

  93. 93.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    December 3, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: It is. I also have a weird fondness for it because it got Mr. Mingobat to agree to visit the National Gallery with me in October — “trust me, you have to see it.” He wound up enjoying the entire visit.

    And don’t tell him I told you, but he also admitted liking the Feinstein Ensemble performance at St. Martin in the Fields that evening.

    He cleans up nicer than he lets on.

  94. 94.

    Chip Daniels

    December 3, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Trump would never envision anything beyond his dick, and his GOP allies hate the idea at its root.

    But latching on to another idea that is floating around, that we Dems are overly fixated on the Presidency to the neglect of statewide and municipal offices.

    Which is where most paycheck issues percolate up in the first place. Infrastructure projects, minimum wages, different types of income support and training programs can all be done at the statewide level.

    I’m not talking about a 2017 issue- I’m thinking of a longer term project. Maybe its my optimism as a California Dem, where we have virtually exterminated the GOP and remain pretty popular.

    Again, we don’t need the rabid core of Trumps voters; we only need to peel away enough of the working class GOP voters to make a difference.

  95. 95.

    Roger Moore

    December 3, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I can’t draw a straight line, so I can’t begin to imagine how Holbein did that

    Years and years of practice make a big difference. If you had painted daily since you were elementary school age, you would be a lot better at it. Also, major paintings like this were not done by just walking up to the canvas and starting to paint. The artists would do numerous studies before starting on the final version. They’d plan the overall composition, then sketch important elements of the painting, sometimes multiple times to get them just right, before starting on the final work. It’s a good bet he spent a bunch of time on sketches of that skull and then more or less copied one for the final version.

  96. 96.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    @Amaranthine RBG: The post says that Trump promised to oppose it. But the consensus here is that his voters don’t care.

  97. 97.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    @Chip Daniels: That’s all well and good, what I’m saying is we can’t piggyback on Trump(ism) to do this. If Trump thinks a massive infrastructure project is a good idea, tough shit, he’ll have to pass that with Republican votes. Utilizing his win to do something that helps people validates the strategy behind his win. I wouldn’t be saying this if he was a normal Republican. He ran a white nationalist campaign, and we can temporarily immiserate ourselves to prevent that from becoming normalized as a valid strategy that leads to cooperation and good works and positive policies.

    Because that would be dangerous as fuck.

  98. 98.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    @Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA:

    Haha. Having met Mr. Mingobat IRL, I know that’s right.

    My favourite way of spending an afternoon/evening in London is to visit the NG and/or NPG for hours on end, followed by a concert at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields. As I’ve mentioned to you, the concerts I’ve attended there have taken place in the crypt of SMITF, which brings its own level of cool to the proceedings.

  99. 99.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:45 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Agree. That’s the danger.

  100. 100.

    kindness

    December 3, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    I don’t think Trumpettes really care about Trumps policies regarding corporations. I think all they really care about is hippie punching and pissing of Democrats. Doesn’t matter what position Trump took during the election.

  101. 101.

    Chip Daniels

    December 3, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Agreed.

    Although the GOP is smugly sitting pretty right now, the ideologue wing of Paul Ryan and the Bead and Circuses Activist Government wing consisting of Trump, are headed for a collision.
    Trump is not going to be content with a shredding of the safety net; that doesn’t yield the high fructose adulation he craves; He is going to want Carrier type deals once a week.

  102. 102.

    laura

    December 3, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    @Mary G: that’s the pitch to get you to untether from any form of land line- which you may have an interest in retaining if you live in an area where weather or conditions may limit your communication options.

  103. 103.

    Mike J

    December 3, 2016 at 8:51 pm

    A guy on the boat I crewed on today was talking about how rich he was going to get when Trump made the stock market really go up. I think you could hear my eyes roll over the 15knt wind.

  104. 104.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 3, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    @Mike J: did he skip out on the recent doubling of the DJIA because he does’ t like Obama?

  105. 105.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    @Mike J: I’m out of the market. Obama saved my retirement once. Not counting on it happening again.

  106. 106.

    Mike J

    December 3, 2016 at 8:54 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That was my first thought, but I was grinding a winch [1] and didn’t want to get into it.

    [1] Not, alas, grinding on a wench.

  107. 107.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    @Chip Daniels: Yep. Especially if you include in your thoughts something I saw around today, which is that he did the Carrier deal because he saw on TV somebody at the plant said “trump promised he wouldn’t ship our jobs to mexico!” Trump was like, huh, I don’t remember saying that, but I can’t let down this random guy from the teevee who said my name!

    So he’ll just do whatever he can to shred the consistent application of law to curry favor with whoever he wants to like him.

    This’ll be… interesting.

  108. 108.

    PR

    December 3, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    @Mike J:

    Trump’s a con-man, and that guy is the latest Mark.

  109. 109.

    TS

    December 3, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    @germy:

    U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to make some types of hearing aids available over the counter.
    The Massachusetts Democrat has introduced a bill with Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley that would lift what she described as burdensome requirements needed to obtain hearing aids.
    Warren said about 30 million Americans experience age-related hearing loss, but only 14 percent use hearing aids, often because they can’t afford them.

    Given the current presidential situation they probably prefer to stay deaf. Funny how none of this was done while the ACA was being discussed – guess the death panels were more important.

  110. 110.

    Miss Bianca

    December 3, 2016 at 9:01 pm

    @Mike J: If you’d been having that conversation with your Trumplestiltskin whilst you were grinding on a wench, I’d have to say that your relationships with your friends were…ah…highly unusual.

  111. 111.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Don’t judge.

  112. 112.

    debbie

    December 3, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    @laura:

    The phone lines also have to be solid. I live in an old neighborhood and AT&T acknowledges the lines are unreliable.

  113. 113.

    Miss Bianca

    December 3, 2016 at 9:07 pm

    @Baud: I’m just sayin’.

  114. 114.

    PR

    December 3, 2016 at 9:08 pm

    How’s the last few weeks left you feeling, libs?

    You’re worried about President Trump, but here’s the kicker: he’s not really the president.

    That’s right.

    He’s a figurehead.

    A tool.

    The real President on Janiary 20th will be (wait for it)…

    …

    PAUL RYAN. He will be the Grey Eminence who really pulls the strings. What’s left of the “great society” and “new deal” will finally be repealed. Trump is lazy and uninterested in governing, and the Jesus Freaks are placated by Pence.

    Who really runs the show? The capitalist money grabbers!

    Free markets! Free trade! Free competition!

    Lots of money will be made under President Ryan!

    Greed is good again!

    You’ll all be making money for Presidnet Ryan!

    We will have the most pro-market, pro-business government since the days of Harding and Collidge!

  115. 115.

    Miss Bianca

    December 3, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    @PR: Go home, Paul, you’re drunk.

  116. 116.

    Jeffro

    December 3, 2016 at 9:13 pm

    @debbie:

    I can’t find it now, but he’s “threatened” another company in Indiana over a 300-job cut. Can’t wait to see the bennies he beats them into submission with.

    Oh good, he’s going to keep every. last. job. here in America through sheer force of will…and bribes. “Combover Caligula” is looking more and more prescient by the day…

  117. 117.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    @Miss Bianca: is this unlimited! cash!?

  118. 118.

    Emma

    December 3, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    @PR: Are you all right? For God’s sake just get some rest!

  119. 119.

    James Powell

    December 3, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    @Chip Daniels:

    I am seeing the potential for a 21st Cnetury New Deal, where the government provides income support to the wage earning class, maybe in the form of an expanded EITC or Medicare or something.

    If African Americans would be eligible for the program, expect 70% of white people to be against it.

  120. 120.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    @Jeffro: Just needs a horse.

    @Major Major Major Major: I think so. We need to give Adam a pager so he can do his thing.

  121. 121.

    Miss Bianca

    December 3, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: it would be irresponsible not to speculate!

    ETA: I think I’d rather have a horse in the Senate than some of these other clowns. Is Anne Romney’s available?

  122. 122.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 3, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    Going by the Conway thing even the 1% are going to get screwed by Trump. As they say, everything touched by Trump turns to shit.

  123. 123.

    Jeffro

    December 3, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    @germy:

    I mean, you could google “Chicken chimney tumbleweed throwrug” and get eight hundred million hits.

    Great, thanks for throwing my two-factor authentication catchphrase out there germy…now I have to go back and re-do everything…

  124. 124.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 3, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    @PR: That’s the thing. Trump is still president. Like with Cheny and Bush. Trump may deligate but he still has the power. And remember Trump screws everyone in the end.

    ” pro-business government since the days of Harding and Collidge! ”

    And the results of it almost ended Capitalism. Careful what you wish for.

  125. 125.

    Botsplainer

    December 3, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    I think I’m going to have to draw inward and just be a selfish prick until the white light flashes of the nukes start going off.

    My engagement in the political world, my donations, my energy have all been wasted for years.

  126. 126.

    Amaranthine RBG

    December 3, 2016 at 9:22 pm

    @Baud: Thanks, I missed that.

    But, yeah, the idea that any Trump voter gives a shit about this is silly.

  127. 127.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 9:22 pm

    @Botsplainer: Take care of yourself.

  128. 128.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 3, 2016 at 9:23 pm

    @Baud: I thought the consensus was that skulls are cool. Maybe that’s just me.

  129. 129.

    Inmourning

    December 3, 2016 at 9:24 pm

    PR. We know that. You did not have to tell us.

  130. 130.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 3, 2016 at 9:24 pm

    @Chip Daniels: You’re assuming they are thinking rationally. A lot of these groups have convinced themselves their desperation and misery is somehow noble and a self sacrifice to the greater good, or at the least some kind of punishment from the Invisible Magic Sky King that will make them better people when it’s done.

  131. 131.

    Baud

    December 3, 2016 at 9:24 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: That too. We can have more than one consensus.

  132. 132.

    Emma

    December 3, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: The first concert I attended in London was Vivaldi By Candlelight at St. Martin in the Fields.

  133. 133.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 3, 2016 at 9:29 pm

    Dear god. The Horror, the Horror.

    WARNING: the words and images cannot be unseen. It is the most horrible thing ever tweeted. And it was tweeted by KA Conway. Consider your triggers warned.

  134. 134.

    Feathers

    December 3, 2016 at 9:29 pm

    @germy: It will be far better overall for basic hearing aids being available OTC, but there will be howls over those models no longer being covered by insurance.

  135. 135.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    @efgoldman: We have Cox and it’s pretty good. One reason I like living in Fairfax and not Arlington is we get Cox, Arlington gets Comcast.

  136. 136.

    Jeffro

    December 3, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    @Chip Daniels:

    Which is our opening. I am seeing the potential for a 21st Cnetury New Deal, where the government provides income support to the wage earning class, maybe in the form of an expanded EITC or Medicare or something.

    21st century New Deal? The 20th century New Deal was working pretty well, but our Kochian overlords just can’t stand the thought of people getting health care and a decent retirement if it’s even partially paid for by the rich. Instead of just contributing to that system and being grateful for their own fortunes, they’ve financed a nice little worker vs worker cold war for decades now and it got Trump elected: why would they stop, much less let workers have “Medicare For All” or income support?

    Heck, Hillz ran on keeping entitlements where they were at a minimum; she also wanted free/no-debt college, child care

  137. 137.

    Miss Bianca

    December 3, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think I’m a little worried about you…

  138. 138.

    Davis X. Machina

    December 3, 2016 at 9:35 pm

    @Feathers: Omeprazole, cetirizine, loratadine all went this route. (Prilosec, Zertec, Claritin). Were $5 co-pay generic scrips, now $25-30 OTC.

  139. 139.

    Aleta

    December 3, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    I’d like to see an effort made (successful or not, but hopefully supported by a constitutional scholar) to charge Congress members who have refused to do their job in holding a vote for Garland. If the charge can’t happen until we retake the Senate, fine. Very best case, some of these frauds might be thrown out of office, opening more seats. At the least, they should be hounded and harried for failure to serve, and the longer the case goes on the better.

  140. 140.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    @efgoldman: Yeah, we’ve talked about moving there, but

    1, Housing is even more expensive
    2. The HALRB is a pain
    3. COMCAST!

    We’ll stay in lovely West Falls Church/…..

  141. 141.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    December 3, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    @Woodrowfan:

    True. I live close to the Fairfax-Arlington line in Falls Church, and when I was looking for an apartment four years ago one of my criteria was to be on the Cox side of the line. My experience with them has been unobjectionable—about the best you can expect with a cable company—and their on-screen interface is way better than that of Comcast or FiOS.

  142. 142.

    Villago Delenda Est

    December 3, 2016 at 9:55 pm

    Here’s the thing on fiber: unless the “last mile”, that is, the connection to your router, is a fiber connection, you’re not going to see a difference. The “last mile” is very often the choke point on bandwidth/speed/latency. Just having fiber in your neighborhood means nothing if the last mile is still copper or coax.

  143. 143.

    Jeffro

    December 3, 2016 at 9:56 pm

    @Steeplejack (tablet): @Woodrowfan:

    Had no idea this was a big issue in the Fairfax area, LOL. Guess I need to pay more attention. I had to think a bit before remembering we have Verizon FIOS…no big problems there.

  144. 144.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    @Jeffro: First World Problems.. (shrug)

  145. 145.

    bemused senior

    December 3, 2016 at 9:59 pm

    @Baud: Fiber is better than nothing and nothing is better than perfect happiness… therefore fiber is better than perfect happiness.

  146. 146.

    Woodrowfan

    December 3, 2016 at 10:03 pm

    @bemused senior: well, fiber is important for regularity, which is the key to a happy life.

  147. 147.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    December 3, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    @Jeffro:

    My brother has FiOS in Arlington. No problems with connectivity or speed, but the on-screen interface is fugly and ungainly beyond belief.

    Another factor for me when I moved was that I had a ton of stuff saved on the DVR and didn’t want to lose that if I switched to Comcast.

  148. 148.

    debbie

    December 3, 2016 at 10:11 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Long Island Big Hair. I’d forgotten how ugly it is.

  149. 149.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 3, 2016 at 10:12 pm

    @Miss Bianca: I’ll be fine.

    For a while

    I hope

  150. 150.

    Ksmiami

    December 3, 2016 at 10:32 pm

    @PR:
    Nope this wrecking crew will take us all down. I wouldn’t be so smug as the Republic is truly under siege. Now fuck off

  151. 151.

    moops

    December 3, 2016 at 10:32 pm

    @Linda: yup. the Cleek’s Law President. I hate what you hate. I also hand out money.

  152. 152.

    randy khan

    December 3, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    @Mary G:

    First, you should assume that AT&T is lying to you about its deployment. For years, Verizon has advertised FiOS in places where there is limited availability to get people to buy DSL. AT&T is not much more ethical than Verizon.

    Second, don’t assume AT&T’s service will be faster than the cable company’s service Comcast, Cox, and others are rolling out their own gigabit Internet access services. (And, from a technical perspective, fiber is not necessarily better than coax, particularly over the last bit of the network. Network architecture is a pretty important factor and, besides, nearly all cable operators have pushed fiber pretty deep into their networks.)

    And if you do buy from AT&T, be sure that you (a) get the terms of your service in writing; and (b) don’t sign something when the tech installs your service that is different from what you agreed to before. It is unfortunately common for techs to have service orders that differ from what the customer agreed to buy. You can chalk it up to bad back office issues or to something else, but either way it happens all the time.

  153. 153.

    Gretchen

    December 3, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    @Mary G: I was excited when Google Fiber came to my neighborhood. I couldn’t wait to fire Time Warner Cable. Funny thing. Google’s monthly charge was exactly the same as Time Warner’s. Competition fail.

  154. 154.

    Gretchen

    December 3, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    @Emma: lucky you! That sounds amazing! I’ve been there but was with my non-music-loving sister so didn’t see a concert.

  155. 155.

    frosty

    December 3, 2016 at 11:42 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    I think I’m going to have to draw inward and just be a selfish prick until the white light flashes of the nukes start going off.

    My engagement in the political world, my donations, my energy have all been wasted for years.

    In the tagline of Our Noble Bloghost “So long, and thanks for all the fish.” Slightly more seriously, I’m leaning your way. Gotta focus on work and the house and playing guitar and spend a little less time reading blogs.

  156. 156.

    frosty

    December 3, 2016 at 11:46 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I shoulda knowed better….

  157. 157.

    VOR

    December 3, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    @randy khan: I think that is a safe assumption. For Telco I am in CenturyLink’s (formerly Qwest, formerly US West) territory. Everytime I get annoyed with Comcast, which is at least a few times per year, I check out CenturyLink’s offerings. I keep getting mailings from them advertising high speed DSL service so I check out the offerings in my area. I’ve been getting mailings for 100 Mb/s for at least 5 years only to find 3 Mb/s was all that was available. They recently improved it to 20 Mb/s, which is actually a huge improvement.

    Comcast is interesting because they stealthily keep increasing the bill. You really have to read your monthly bill carefully to find the new things they sneak in. Their advertised rates bear little resemblance to the actual bill. My rates have gone up $30/month over the last year without any changes to my service plans.

  158. 158.

    Aleta

    December 4, 2016 at 12:37 am

    @efgoldman: I must be mistaken. I thought the Senate had an obligation to act, to bring the nomination to a vote.

  159. 159.

    Ruckus

    December 4, 2016 at 3:48 am

    @Gretchen:
    That’s still better than Charter. They tried to raise my rate 2/3 and tell me it was a competitive rate. My question to every one of them was how the hell can it be competitive if Charter is the only provider in my area? “Really, it’s a competitive rate for your area.” You can’t have competition between yourself. The FCC seemed to agree with me. My rate didn’t go up. We’ll see what happens at the end of yr two.

  160. 160.

    Morzer

    December 4, 2016 at 4:00 am

    @Botsplainer:

    *nods* Good luck. Hope everything works out for you. Maybe I’ll see you on that private island sometime.

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