Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

No one could have predicted…

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Consistently wrong since 2002

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / Missing Obama Already / Uncle Joe!

Reader Interactions

147Comments

  3. 3.

    Cacti

    O/T but saw this earlier and cracked up:

    “How come when prostitutes wet the bed, they get paid, but when I do it I have a ‘drinking problem’?”

    LOLOLOL

  5. 5.

    Chris

    Good work, POTUS.

    Given the shitshow that’s the nation’s about to plunge into, good to remember what a worthwhile politician looks like. And reward it.

  8. 8.

    bluehill

    Well-deserved, Joe. Going to savor these last days. The next four years will be a stark reminder of how good it was.

  9. 9.

    Calouste

    @Chris: The last worthwhile Presidential Medal of Freedom to be awarded for a while.

    The next is probably going to V.V. Putin.

  10. 10.

    Booger

    After these two, it’s like a feral herd taking over. I am proud to have been a part of the Obama years.

  12. 12.

    Feebog

    Take a good long look, this is what a true and tried patriot looks like. Humble, gracious, compassionate, honest, and loving man. Gunna miss ya Joe.

  14. 14.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I am so glad you posted this, Tom. I heard the last few minutes of Biden’s response on the car radio and was hoping the whole thing would show up on BJ. Have plugged in the earbuds and am about to settle in to watch. And cry, probably.

    Like so many others, I cannot describe how much I am going to miss the Obamas and the Bidens. They have graced our country, whereas those coming in show every sign of disgracing it. Sigh. Just seven more days.

  15. 15.

    Elizabelle

    Love it. Deserved, too. But the surprise rocks.

    Also, WaPost headline: 200 buses have applied for DC parking for the inaugural.

    And 1,200 have applied for the p u ssy hat march. Which may or may not mean anything.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    I love that they started as rivals and became besties. And it’s even more fortuitous that Michelle and The Original Dr. Jill hit it off, too — any married person can tell you how rare that is!

  17. 17.

    Calouste

    @Cacti: Nathan Bedford Forrest has never done anything for the shitgibbon, so he’s going to get nothing.

    Newt Gingrich, now there’s someone who hasn’t gotten a reward yet from the shitgibbon for his services. I wonder what he has his eyes on, Supreme Court probably.

  21. 21.

    mai naem mobile

    There will be booKS written way into the future (assuming Lumpy doesn’t end the world ) about this friendship.

  24. 24.

    hovercraft

    All of these touching beautiful moments are so bittersweet. I will treasure them always, but over the next four years, we can always watch them in moments of darkness.

    @FlipYrWhig:
    He wants to be the greatest, who’s to say he doesn’t become the first president in history to give himself the medal? He can give it to himself for making America great again, for becoming the richest man in the history of the world, the possibilities are endless.

  25. 25.

    JordanRules

    Well done! So well done for 8 years at the highest levels of service.

    *scurries off for tissues*

  32. 32.

    Baud

    @hovercraft:

    He wants to be the greatest, who’s to say he doesn’t become the first president in history to give himself the medal?

    Along with a self-pardon.

  34. 34.

    Mnemosyne

    OT question for any frequent travelers: I’m looking at flights to Orlando and the nonstop won’t work, so I’m probably going to red-eye it, which will require an hour-long layover in ATL. Any tips I need to know?

  35. 35.

    debbie

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Well, he does have a Purple Heart:

    Without setting foot on a battlefield, Donald Trump said he received a Purple Heart medal on Tuesday at his rally in Ashburn, Virginia, from a retired lieutenant colonel and supporter.

    “I said to him, ‘Is that like the real one, or is that a copy?” the Republican nominee said moments after taking the stage at a local high school.

    Trump recounted the exchange, remarking that the man, who he identified as retired Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman said, “That’s my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you.”

    “And I said, ‘Man, that’s like big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart,” Trump said. “This was much easier.”

    Trump then invited Dorfman to appear onstage with him on camera, as the two posed for photographs and Trump flashed a thumbs-up before placing the Purple Heart back in his suit jacket pocket.

    (Trigger alert: Politico)

    ETA: It later was said to be a copy.

  38. 38.

    geg6

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s ridiculously busy, so be glad you have the hour and hope your plane from LA isn’t running late. At least it’s not through O’Hare or Philly. Those might be some of the worst airports ever.

  39. 39.

    James Powell

    Among the most powerful evidence that there are Two Americas is the fact there are people who despise these two, who call them evil and tyrannical, who cannot or will not see them for who they really are.

  40. 40.

    geg6

    I still can’t deal with the thought of the horror to come after these decent, humble and good men. My heart breaks into smaller pieces every time I think of it.

  41. 41.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    Somebody must be cutting some onions in here. If the President didn’t have better things to do in his post presidency like fixing out fucked up election system, he’d make a killing on the stand-up circuit.

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I actually don’t hate O’Hare, but I’ve flown into and out of it so many times that I probably know all the insider tricks.

    When my mom was flying from IL to FL via ATL, she ALWAYS had a delay of at least an hour, so I’m a little paranoid that her bad luck will follow me there.

  43. 43.

    lamh36

    @Chris: Good…does this means no more special treatment for Florida Cubans over other South American/Carribean immigrants!

  44. 44.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    @Mnemosyne:

    Run, don’t walk to the next gate. An hour in ATL is super tight.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    @geg6:

    Luckily, the ATL to Orlando leg runs once an hour, so even if I miss the connection, there should be another flight they can squeeze me onto. That’s the other reason I’m doing the red eye — plenty of chances to get caught back up if there’s a delay!

  47. 47.

    stinger

    Fantastic! Richly deserved–truly a lifetime of honorable service to this country. I cried along with Joe, then replayed and cried the whole way through the second time.

  49. 49.

    Chris

    @James Powell:

    Among the most powerful evidence that there are Two Americas is the fact there are people who despise these two, who call them evil and tyrannical, who cannot or will not see them for who they really are.

    Read this on Twitter the other day from one of my favorite (not even American) bloggers:

    “Continually shocked by the realization that the right looks at Obama and sees the man Trump actually is. Saw someone the other day complaining about Obama’s ego. The man silently put up with eight years of insults to him and his family.”

    And there are too many other examples to list. As several people here said WRT Hillary; everything they accused him of, they do.

  51. 51.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    @debbie:

    What a fucking idiot.

    Trump will probably wear it like a Politburo member?

  53. 53.

    jonas

    These two guys really loved each other. Biden probably has a book in him about his 8 years in the Obama White House that would have some good stories about their relationship. Trump has no friends and I doubt he and Pence really even like each other; they probably talk formally for two minutes about something or other and then hang up.

    Gawd, it’s going to be a long four years. Even The Onion is just sort of phoning it on Pence. You can’t even parody these idiots. Trans-Am-polishing, beer-swigging Uncle Joe — now there was a VP you could cover!

  56. 56.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @satby:

    Just finished watching the whole thing and I sobbed my eyes out.

    Cannot even BEGIN to express how much I will miss this team.

  57. 57.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    @Mnemosyne:

    Concourses all the way through F, but that tends to be international. You’ll undoubtedly be changing concourses, which is where the risk kicks in.

  59. 59.

    Chris

    @lamh36:

    Or other immigrants, period. I live with friends who make a living investigating the backgrounds of asylum-seekers (the job Trump and half the country thinks doesn’t exist). The process takes one to two years and, as one of them reminded me last night, they turn down a LOT of people – for not qualifying, for attempted fraud, or for being national security risks. And those refugees come from all over the world, frequently from war zones where ethnic cleansing is a real danger and that’re basically the modern version of Rwanda or Bosnia twenty years ago.

    The idea that next to all that, any asshole at all gets to just say “eh, I’m Cuban. Give me my passport!” would be obscene even if Cuba were half as bad as most of these places. And even at its worst, it was never even close.

  60. 60.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Biden says Obama offered financial help amid son’s illness

    Washington (CNN) As his eldest son faced the prospect of resigning as Delaware’s attorney general amid health concerns, Vice President Joe Biden received an offer that floored him: financial support from his boss, President Barack Obama.

    In the never been told before story, Biden recalled how concerned Obama had been.

    Describing in an interview with CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger one of his weekly lunches with Obama, Biden said he told the President he was worried about caring for Beau’s family without his son’s salary.

    “I said, ‘But I worked it out.'” Biden recalled telling Obama. “I said, ‘But — Jill and I will sell the house and be in good shape.'”

    Obama, Biden remembered, pushed back vehemently on the thought of Biden and his wife selling their home in Wilmington, Delaware.

    “He got up and he said, ‘Don’t sell that house. Promise me you won’t sell the house,'” Biden continued, speculating Obama would be “mad” he was retelling the story.

    “He said, ‘I’ll give you the money. Whatever you need, I’ll give you the money. Don’t, Joe — promise me. Promise me.’ I said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to have to anyway.’ He said, ‘promise me,'” Biden recalled.

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    Any tips I need to know?

    No, but if it ends up looking as though you’ll have a layover of several hours, either on the way over or on your return, let me know. I’d love to meet you in person, but honestly 60 minutes is hardly enough to get you from one terminal to another

  63. 63.

    randy khan

    @Mnemosyne:

    Tip #1: Try to have more than an hour to change flights if you possibly can. Delta flights can go in and out of any terminal at the airport. I’ve even had domestic flights go out of the international terminal.

    Tip #2: The T gates are nearest to the original terminal (“T” as in terminal, apparently), then A, B, C, etc. Knowing this can be important if you’re short on time, although there are lots of signs. There are relatively few amenities near the T gates, so if you want to buy a soda or chips or magazine, try to do it in another terminal.

    Tip #3: If you are a fast walker or just like to walk, it’s somewhat less hassle to walk through the underground walkways from terminal to terminal than to take the little train, but the train is faster. Also, there’s art in the walkway between the T and A gates (Zimbabwean sculpture) and the walkway between the A and B gates (a wild rainforest installation) that’s worth seeing. There’s nothing that’s particularly interesting in the walkways between the other terminals.

  64. 64.

    satby

    @rikyrah: @SiubhanDuinne: thirded.
    Most especially for the comfort you have brought to the bereaved which we cite here over and over again, comfort you have had to deliver too many times to too many preventable tragedies.

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    @randy khan:

    My main worry is having to go through TSA a second time — if that happens, I’ll be screwed on the timing. I’m a pretty fast walker, and my flight lands at 6:45 am (or 5:50 am, depending on which flight o choose). Does the train between concourses run that early?

  67. 67.

    SenyorDave

    I know most president-elects hope for sunny, mild weather on inauguration day, but apparently for some reason Trump is praying for showers.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Chris:

    I’m so happy I’m not in Miami anymore. The whole city must be an incoherent scream of rage right now.

    Hoping Mustang Bobby will be able to give us a first-person report tomorrow morning.

  69. 69.

    Peale

    @Mnemosyne: you can actually still smoke in the Altanta airport. If you haven’t started yet, you might as well get addicted to help get you through the next 4 years.

  71. 71.

    randy khan

    @Mnemosyne:

    Unless you do something very very wrong, you won’t have to go through TSA in Atlanta.

    I can’t say for sure whether the trains run 24/7, but I would be really surprised if they didn’t – this is an airport that never closes. Thinking back, I believe I once did change in Atlanta after a redeye flight from the West Coast, and the trains were running.

  72. 72.

    NeenerNeener

    FSM, I’m going to miss Obama and Biden. We really are going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

    Somewhat OT: when did The Young Turks go over to the dark side? I remember Crooks and Liars featuring some of Cenk Whatshispuss’s criticism of Dubya but I haven’t read C&L since Obama was elected. So what happened? Did The Turks all go so far to the left that now they’re on the right?

  73. 73.

    TriassicSands

    The best vice president ever???

    Oh, c’mon.

    Better than Hannibal Hamlin? Ridiculous!
    Ahead of Schuyler Colfax? Crazy!
    Edges out Levi P “Ol’ Muttonchops” Morton? Insane!
    And what about Millard Fillmore, who took what he learned as Veep to go on to become one of America’s truly great presidents? Today, he’s on every academic’s Top 43 list of greatest presidents. Absolute travesty!

    That’s just four. I could go on…

    Seriously, probably the only person who knows how good any individual vice president has been is the president under whom the Veep served. So, I’ll yield to the president on this one.

  74. 74.

    Tom Levenson

    Note all: I just removed a comment that made a direct threat of physical harm to those seeking to destroy access to health care. I appreciate (and agree) with the disgust and loathing for those who would willingly do such damage to their fellow human beings. But it’s wrong — and stupid — to add to that disdain the kind of threat expressed here, much less the suggested act itself.

  76. 76.

    Annie

    @Mnemosyne:

    I change planes in Atlanta a lot, going to visit relatives in Florida. I’d say, especially after a red-eye, schedule a layover that’s longer than an hour, and go to the Xpres spa for a chair massage. I’ve found that really helps after a red-eye flight.

    There’s also a decent restaurant-bookstore, but can’t recall its name right now.

  77. 77.

    hovercraft

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
    That story tells you everything you need to know about both men, one willing to sell his home to take care of his sons family, the other willing to give his friend whatever financial help he needed to take care of his family. They are good people.
    We are going from these two descent men to a person who is so malicious that he took out his pique on his disabled nephew, because his family had contested Fred Sr.’s will, and a man who would force women who have suffered a miscarriage or chosen to have an abortion to have funerals for the fetuses. The depth of depravity about to occupy those hallowed halls is depressing.

    I’m grateful for all they did for us, they will be sorely missed.

  78. 78.

    Mnemosyne

    @Peale:

    I know you’re mostly joking, but smoking killed both my dad and one of my older brothers past the last 5 years so, nah, I’ll pass.

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I’m not sure if you have, but now I’m tempted to make you wait for a Silverman thread tonight. He was at DW the day Epcot opened, so we could have all of the DW stories in one thread.

  79. 79.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @randy khan:

    I can’t say for sure whether the trains run 24/7, but I would be really surprised if they didn’t

    Years and years ago, I had a whole thing of connecting flights that didn’t connect — probably from Ottawa, although I cannot remember now — anyhow, for whatever tiresome reasons, I ended up getting into ATL about 2:00 a.m., into one of the far-distant terminals, D or something. The trains were not running, so it was a long, exhausting, slow hike to baggage claim. At this point I can’t remember whether this was normal schedule or whether there was some kind of mechanical issue that night. If memory serves, I didn’t get home until about 4:30 a.m.

    There may be more frequent train service now, but I’d still want to plan for contingencies.

  80. 80.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m not sure if you have, but now I’m tempted to make you wait for a Silverman thread tonight.

    No worries, I’ve waited 45+ years. Another hour or so isn’t going to make no never mind.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne

    @Annie:

    I had to double-check and it’s actually an hour and 15 minutes, FWIW. I’m pretty sure the massage folks won’t be there at 6 am, sadly.

  83. 83.

    lamh36

    Best thing about Obama/Biden Bromance on display today: how it really pisses off Trump’s Deplorables, not used to a good man w/a good heart

  84. 84.

    NeenerNeener

    @Peale: Hmmm…must be Cenk was featured for being a right-winger critical of Bush the Lesser, then. I suppose that would have made him first cousin to a unicorn back in those days.

    Which reminds me…I need to see if Smirking Chimp, C&L and some of my other haunts from the oughts are still around.

  85. 85.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    @Tom Levenson:

    Sorry – those stories are killing me, and I know them to be all too true.

    I swear I’ll be good now.?

  86. 86.

    TriassicSands

    After watching the presentation, I now realize that Obama hates Biden and set this whole thing up to give Biden either a stroke or heart attack. From the looks of Joe, Obama nearly succeeded.

    Obama is so gracious. It is beyond amazing that so many Americans have invested so much of their energy into hating such an obviously decent person.

    (I hate to say this, but the medal itself is kinda ugly (IMO). If the ribbon were gold with golden bangles hanging off it, I’d say Trump could have designed it. Except it would be at least a foot in diameter. I have much simpler tastes.)

  87. 87.

    Cacti

    @Peale:

    the young Turks have always been conservative.

    When is Cenk going to drop the “young” part? He’s on the back end of his 40s now.

  88. 88.

    hovercraft

    @NeenerNeener:
    YT have been on the darkside for a while, they were with Wilmer, and they never recovered. Cenk is a recovering wingnut, and like too many converts, he has become the purest of all the liberals, he has been highly critical of Obama throughout his presidency, so I’d written the YT off years ago.

  89. 89.

    Skepticat

    This is a bit of brightness in the encroaching darkness. The class, spirit, dignity, effectiveness, and just plain fun of this team are outstanding–and a team is what they’ve been. We shall not see their like again soon enough.

  90. 90.

    debbie

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I went to DW with relatives over spring vacation when it opened. Not everything had opened yet, which was a bummer. A younger cousin made us all go through It’s a Small World three times, an even bigger bummer.

  91. 91.

    RoonieRoo

    I watched this earlier today and cried for a variety of reasons. How much I am going to miss them but also the giant cloud of doom that is moving in with each day. I believe that I will have to completely tune out come the 20th. I think it’s the only way I can get through this.

  92. 92.

    Steeplejack (sky-high wi-fi)

    Steep checking in barside at IAD before embarking on the (approximately) annual sitting of the hounds in Las Vegas. Flight delayed, so I’m replacing those vital electrolytes.

  93. 93.

    zhena gogolia

    @Skepticat:

    I could only watch the short version. What I partly saw in Biden’s face was the years and years of work he and Obama have put in, day by day, using all their intelligence and experience to make this country better. And now it’s going to be trashed.

  94. 94.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    RE: Snowjob

    It would have been nice if we could’ve maintained all those NSA data collection programs and retention requirements in order to ferret out the extent of penetration and ID perpetrators.

    Looking at timelines, Vlad moved quick once programs collapsed and he digested Snowjob’s laptops.

    But on the positive side, fat guys in filthy “Han Shot First” tshirts can feel safe in the knowledge that no NSA computer contains searchable traces of his porn, hentai, brony or gamergate history, and the only entities with any tracking knowledge are PayPal, Facebook, the purveyors of the sites they use, the operators of BitCoin, eBay, Tor…

  95. 95.

    Irony Abounds

    As much as I want to fondly reflect on Obama and Biden, my thoughts can’t stop from journeying into that dark place where I am livid, depressed and frightened as hell about what January 20th brings this fucked up country of ours. Neither Obama nor Biden are perfect, both have made mistakes in their lives. But both of them have more class, more dignity and more integrity in their ear lobes than the entire lot of Trump and his merry band of misfits and misanthropic asshats. I was mildly upset with Bush Sr. beating Dukasis, and upset with Bush over Gore, but this is entirely different and more intense. I literally wish awful things on Trump when I see his fugly face and hear his gawd-awful voice. More importantly, I fear greatly for the country. Thanks Obama and Biden, we can only hope Trump and the Republican Congress don’t destroy all the good you’ve done in the next few months, let alone next 4 years.

  97. 97.

    Kathleen

    @lamh36: Yes. The elegance, grace, brilliance and compassion displayed by the Obamas and Bidens is like sunlight to a vampire.

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack (sky-high wi-fi)

    @Mnemosyne:

    An hour in ATL is nothing. Really, no prob. And chances are your connecting flight will leave from the same terminal.

  101. 101.

    jonas

    @Chris: Word. If the system were halfway just, it would be people from Honduras or El Salvador who got the dry-foot privilege — those places are 10x more fucked up than Cuba.

  102. 102.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @RoonieRoo:

    I think I’ve already said how I am going to keep myself from seeing any part of the inaugural ceremonies or celebrations on the 20th. Getting my hair cut in the morning, then having my photo taken, then taking the pictures of newly-shorn me to apply for renewal of my passport. By the time all the paperwork is done, I figure the worst will be over. And because I don’t own a television set, it will be easy enough to ignore the evening’s inaugural balls. If there’s anything desperately worth knowing, I rely on BJ to keep me informed.

  103. 103.

    Cacti

    @jonas:

    Word. If the system were halfway just, it would be people from Honduras or El Salvador who got the dry-foot privilege — those places are 10x more fucked up than Cuba.

    Or Haiti, the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere by a country mile.

  106. 106.

    RoonieRoo

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m worried that I’m going to have to stay tuned out for the whole 4 years. I suppose the good side is my house will get a lot cleaner and I will get a whole lot more quilts made than I normally complete in a year. As the 20th gets closer, I find myself swinging even more wildly between the emotional polls.

  107. 107.

    TriassicSands

    Questions about presidential powers:

    Will Donald J. Trump be the first president ever to award himself (and his whole family?) the Medal of Freedom?

    Will Donald J. Trump issue blanket pardons in perpetuity for himself and all of his kids?

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    O/T. Seen at Digby’s place:

    “It will not be my intention to do anything that will benefit any American” — Ben Carson

    Please please please can we have this as a rotating tag line?

  111. 111.

    Steeplejack (sky-high wi-fi)

    @Mnemosyne:

    Delta tends to bunch the common layover routes together, so L.A.-ATL-FL should be fine.

    ETA: Gates for the routes, I mean.

  113. 113.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    An hour is cutting it close. By the time you exit the plane, find the gate for the other flight, stretch your legs, rehydrate, and make use of a rest room which isn’t the size of a shoebox, it’ll be nearly time for boarding to begin.

  115. 115.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @RoonieRoo:

    As the 20th gets closer, I find myself swinging even more wildly between the emotional polls.

    I am still at some level of denial. In my mind/intellect, I know Trump will be sworn in as POTUS a week from tomorrow at 12:00 noon EST. But there is still a significant part of me that is into the magical thinking that says, No, it won’t happen, it can’t happen, at the last second there will be a Rescuer on a White Steed riding in to Save Us All.

    I know, I know.

    Sigh.

  117. 117.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Chris: Not the whole of Miami. I bet the Haitians and other folks from the Caribbean aren’t too angry about this change. It was obsolete and unfair.

  119. 119.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I didn’t see or hear or read about any part of the Carson confirmation hearings. Did anyone on the committee confront him on his statement early in the transition period that he felt he was so lacking in experience as to be unqualified for any Cabinet post? If so, what was his response? If not, why not?

  120. 120.

    artem1s

    I am glad there is an internet that has chronicled their friendship. Their admiration for one another cannot be faked. Future generations will get to experience it too and compare the bookends of cynicism and maliciousness. Elections have consequences indeed. I am lucky to have witnessed this. No one can take their friendship away from them. That’s a BFD.

  122. 122.

    Yarrow

    Thanks for posting the videos. I didn’t know about this and getting to see Biden’s face as President Obama went through Joe’s accomplishments and spoke of his character and then surprised him with the medal was really great viewing.

    I will miss them all so much. We really are going from class to ass.

  123. 123.

    japa21

    @Mnemosyne: FWIW, I once made a connection at ATL and it was like 5 minutes. So it can happen. However, from what the others are saying my situation was a once in a lifetime event.

  124. 124.

    hovercraft

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    But he did not rule out allowing the Shitgibbon from profiting from HUD, he said that if it benefitted the American people and also happened to benefit his boss, he wouldn’t deny the people the benefit, just to ensure his boss didn’t make money.

  126. 126.

    Mnemosyne

    Wait. Hang on. Hold the phone. I just realized that there is a NON-STOP red eye from LAX to MCO! Sure, I get to Orlando at 6 am, but it’s not like I have to drive myself — they send a bus for me.

  127. 127.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: ATL isn’t that bad. But yes, if you arrive into a T gate on the far end of that terminal and have to transfer to a C gate at the end of that terminal then it can take awhile. The train is fine but you have to go down the escalator to get it and then back up. If you’re going only one terminal, walking is probably easier. I’ve transferred in ATL with the same airline and been in the same terminal just a few gates down, so I had plenty of time. Since you’re on Delta, you might be in the same terminal and you might not.

  129. 129.

    Yarrow

    @TriassicSands:

    Will Donald J. Trump issue blanket pardons in perpetuity for himself and all of his kids?

    Is this a thing that can be done? Can a president issue a pardon for acts that have yet to be committed? Or would the law or rule have to be changed to allow that?

  130. 130.

    geg6

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s all the luck of the draw. I’ve had connections there that were no problem and absolutely nightmarish and futile sprints through the place. Like I said above, I’d rather connect through ATL than at O’Hare or Philly.

  131. 131.

    Origuy

    @Cacti:

    When is Cenk going to drop the “young” part?

    It’s a historical reference. The Young Turks was a group of students, army officers, etc. who were opposed to the Ottoman monarchy. They weren’t all particularly young, either.

  132. 132.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yarrow:

    Can a president issue a pardon for acts that have yet to be committed? Or would the law or rule have to be changed to allow that?

    Haha! You’re so cute!

  133. 133.

    Cacti

    @Yarrow:

    ATL isn’t that bad. It’s stupendously, horribly, awful and should be remade into a nuclear test site

    FTFY.

    Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and I have an unhappy history.

  137. 137.

    Steeplejack (sky-high wi-fi)

    Boarded and seated. Going dark until the advent of the sky-high wi-fi. United 528, for those who want to follow at home.

  138. 138.

    TriassicSands

    @Yarrow:

    History and precedent do not matter. We’re talking about Donald J. Trump. (However, I don’t believe the president could actually pardon someone before the fact. Still, there’s plenty to pardon them for that has already happened.

    I think it is fair to say that Donald J. Trump is going to do lots of things that have never been done before.

  139. 139.

    резидент американской области Российской Федерации

    @Mnemosyne:

    Worse than O’Hare but better than Charlotte for distances.

  141. 141.

    Suffragete City elftx

    @Yarrow:
    Newt seems to think so, others not so much.

    “In the case of the president, he has a broad ability to organize the White House the way he wants to. He also has, frankly, the power of the pardon,” Gingrich said. “It’s a totally open power. He could simply say, ‘Look, I want them to be my advisers. I pardon them if anyone finds them to have behaved against the rules. Period. Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority.”

  143. 143.

    J R in WV

    @Mnemosyne:

    In Atlanta the terminals are like the concourses at O’Hare – and the subway trains get you from one terminal to the next in 4 or 5 minutes tops. Escalator down, 3 minute train trip, escalator up. Not a big deal. It’s my favorite big city airport. Of course, I’m always connecting, not checking in.

  144. 144.

    J R in WV

    @efgoldman:

    That is true, Nixon hadn’t yet been accused in a court of law, just in the House of Representatives. But the acts for which Ford pardoned Nixon were in the past.

    Mostly.

  145. 145.

    Gemina13

    So proud to have voted for these two men twice. They are both noble and gracious men, and while no one is free of flaws, they did their damnedest to do good by our country while swimming in the shark tank.

    I hope Mitch McConnell chokes on his own mold while watching this. And the Orange Shitgibbon can just choke.

  146. 146.

    randy khan

    @J R in WV:

    The pardon power (not just for the President, but for governors as well) generally is understood to extend only to past acts. I don’t care what distinguished Constitutional scholar Newt Gingrich says, since he is well known for just making stuff up if it suits him.

    As I said in an earlier thread, I do think that abuse of the pardon power is one of the few things that might get a President Trump impeached, although it largely would be because the Republicans would be scared that they would be held responsible.

    Also, a fun fact: The Constitution specifically exempts impeachment from the pardon power. This has two big impacts – (1) a President can’t get someone out from impeachment via the pardon; and (2) a President can’t undo the part of the impeachment clause that makes someone who’s been impeached and convicted ineligible for office if the Senate decides that is an appropriate punishment.

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