Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

This really is a full service blog.

People are weird.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

When they say they’re pro-life, they don’t mean yours.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

This blog will pay for itself.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

I really should read my own blog.

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

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

The revolution will be supervised.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / A Little More Knowledge Lights Our Way

A Little More Knowledge Lights Our Way

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If you haven’t seen this yet, you might find it helpful.  Indivisible Guide

We can do this. Yes we can.

Open thread

ETA: Definitely one to follow.

Reader Interactions

80Comments

  4. 4.

    RobertDSC-Mac Mini

    I can’t imagine what 44 is thinking right now. 8 years of doing the best he can, and he knows that Shitbag 45 is in way over his head. How would someone let go in such a situation?

  5. 5.

    Smiling Mortician

    I don’t do Twitter, but this makes me want to start, just to follow my president.

    Feeling kinda O captain! my captain! today . . .

  6. 6.

    Oatler.

    The grace is almost heartbreaking. Meanwhile at Ricochet (the Koch Bros-Nat’l Review organ) we have jubilation that the climate change page is now gone. From a “Thatcher Level” member we get “It’s wonderful to see scientific sanity returning to government.”

  8. 8.

    Major Major Major Major

    Slate had a pretty good read on “The best-case scenario for Trump’s America” the other day from one the writers who’s been very good on Trump. It’s what passes for optimism, these days.

    But while we need to imagine the most pessimistic scenarios to know what to oppose, it’s just as important to envisage the most optimistic scenario to know what to fight for. In fact, thinking through the best-case has already taught me an important lesson: It’s not enough to defeat Trump. To neutralize the broader threat to liberal democracy, we need to forge the widest possible coalition against his brand of politics—and start thinking about how to build a healthier politics atop the ashes of his presidency.

  9. 9.

    Mnemosyne

    I wore my Hillary “pantsuit spectrum” t-shirt to the Happiest Place on Earth today, and I don’t think I’m wrong to think that I got some extra nods and smiles, plus one, “Ohmygod I LOVE your shirt!” from a passerby.

    However, it was only visible part of the day because it POURED rain. I’m finally ensconced in my hotel room trying to get warm and dry.

  11. 11.

    MazeDancer

    Anyone marching tomorrow, small tip: holding a sign, no matter how lightweight, can get tiring over hours. Because you have to keep your arms in one place. You won’t last.

    Punch two holes in the top of your sign, lace with string or ribbon, and be able to let your sign drop and your next support it. You can even let the sign hang behind your back if you get tired of it flapping in front of you. (Also, carry some extra pre-cut pieces because others will see your nice set-up and desire same.)

    Say whatever you’d like to say on your sign. But since the “leadership” are still Bernistas who are determined to dis Hillary, by keeping her name out of honoring, consider something about She Won. Or any HRC thing you’d like.

    If you’re making your sign tonight, test market your lettering ability first. Write first words on a piece of paper. Step back 15 feet. Can you read that? If not, augment before committing to posterboard.

    Have fun. Send pictures.

  12. 12.

    Mnemosyne

    Also, just an anecdote for the #NotAllWhiteGuys files — on the bus to the convention center/HPOE, one older white guy was showing a middle-aged white guy his countdown clock to when Trump leaves office in 2021. Living in Southern California is a great comfort to me right now.

  15. 15.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Smiling Mortician: you can just make a bookmark in your browser to follow without joining, if you don’t mind not getting immediate updates

    as Brian Beutler pointed out, Obama has four times as many followers as a certain individual who has been much in the news today, and whose media reach the MSM is determined to find unprecedented, unmatched, barely comprehensible by the mind of man, et cetera et cetera…..

    I’ll be curious to know how many people joined the email list of the Obama Foundation (boggles my mind that such lists are such a big deal, but apparently they are).

  17. 17.

    Quinerly

    Chris Matthews just reported that some in the spectator crowd were screaming “Lock her up” during Pence’s swearing in. Did anyone hear it? I didn’t but I did kinda blank out during the Pence/Clarence Thomas crap.

  18. 18.

    delk

    It took me a moment to realize they were not showing the inauguration on the TV in my gastroenterologist’s office this morning but a video of how to deal with an irritable bowel. ;-)

  19. 19.

    A Ghost to Most

    Hurrah for Cali snow and rain. Your bonanza is also Colorado’s. Epic amounts of snow in the mountains here.

    One catastrophe ends as another begins.

  20. 20.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Quinerly: I didn’t hear it but I’ve seen it tweeted

    Simon MaloyVerified account
    ‏@ SimonMaloy
    there were also some scattered “lock her ups,” chanted at half volume and with fun in-joke glances

    osh RoginVerified account
    ‏@ joshrogin
    They are chanting “Lock Her Up” on 3rd street right now. #facepalm

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    It should be nice tomorrow. Don’t forget to wear your pink hat. ?

    @EBT:

    I have a friend who lives in the mountains in Santa Cruz county and it got pretty crazy up there. They also got to discover how many leaks there are in the roof of their new-to-them house.

  24. 24.

    Johio

    I studied history in college (U.VA, ’76, third class to admit women), and what I’m feeling now is a loss of faith in this country. A country that can elect an ignorant, hate-full narciscist is not the one I thought I knew. I love the country Barack Obama represented, “we the people in order to form a more perfect union”. How the hell do we reconcile that faith with what is now leading our nation in Congress and the White House? I have no hope and no faith.

  27. 27.

    p.a.

    tRump is such an ingrate he hasn’t nominated Jill Stein for anything even though he owes her big time. I propose ambassador to hell.

  30. 30.

    Mnemosyne

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    Well, don’t blame me if the kid gets mad at you on your birthday. Heck, maybe she’ll bring you one as a present.

    (I don’t even know your kid, but it would be really funny if she did.)

  31. 31.

    hilts

    @Quinerly:

    I did not watch the ceremony, but I’ve seen it reported elsewhere. Hillary was absolutely correct about her “basket of deplorables” comment.

  35. 35.

    Mnemosyne

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):

    I saw a reference on Facebook to some kind of online protest designed for disabled people who can’t go in person. If you’re feeling cut off tomorrow, it may be worth tracking down.

    Me, I’m going to be at Disneyland all day, so I’m going to Disney Bound my protest: pink thermal undershirt, pink and white “Star Wars” t-shirt (with Rey on it), and the pussyhat I made for the occasion.

  36. 36.

    Hal

    I still can’t get over this:

    On Twitter, the @POTUS Twitter account shed Obama’s portrait and cover photograph replaced, just after 9 a.m., by Trump’s likeness and an image of a crowd of people waving American flags as they stood, in the freezing cold, in front of the Capitol.

    Trump wants to be Obama so badly. It must eat him up inside that he is so unpopular. I heard some new blip about how the festivities were limited on inauguration day because Trump wanted to get right to work. Right. Complete lack of popularity and practically having to beg people to come to your inauguration has nothing to do with the sparse post celebration.

    Like the Simpsons episode where Bart is the only one who goes to Nelson’s birthday party, and Nelson is oblivious to the fact that none of his classmates want to go to a celebration for the person who bullies them everyday.

  37. 37.

    Ruckus

    @Johio:

    I have no hope and no faith.

    Don’t really have an answer for you, just that there at least seems to be more of us than there is of them. That there is a chance that we will survive till 2018 and maybe we can get a congress that isn’t as retrograde and make some progress. If it’s half as bad as I expect, I’d bet we will be able to elect a reasonable person for president in 2020. And maybe we can then rebuild the things that will be torn down even better than they are now.

  38. 38.

    Hellbastard

    I like JOsh Marshall’s take:

    And yet here we have the opportunity to be its guardians and protectors at a unique moment, perhaps a moment of especial peril. Who would not embrace that challenge? We know the curse: may you live in interesting times. We are living in interesting times. Most of us would not have chosen it. But we have it. I think many of us look back at critical momentous moments in our history, the Civil War, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement and other comparable passages in the country’s history and think, what would I have done? Where would I have been? Well, now’s your moment to find out. We are living in interesting times. We should embrace it rather than feel afraid or powerless. We have a fabric of 240 years of republican government behind us. We have the tools we need.

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-few-thoughts-on-entering-the-trump-era

  39. 39.

    Mnemosyne

    @Hal:

    I heard some new blip about how the festivities were limited on inauguration day because Trump wanted to get right to work.

    Except that Trump himself already said he’s taking the whole weekend off and won’t start presidenting until Monday.

  40. 40.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    In the shit gibbon dictionary the word work does not have the same meaning as the rest of us use.

    ETA Also he lies. And it’s not all that difficult to determine which is the lie. All of them Katie is the correct answer.

  41. 41.

    lamh36

    @AP

    BREAKING: White House says Trump chief of staff Priebus to issue government-wide order immediately freezing regulations.

  43. 43.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @delk:

    It took me a moment to realize they were not showing the inauguration on the TV in my gastroenterologist’s office this morning but a video of how to deal with an irritable bowel. ;-)

    Interchangeable.

  48. 48.

    Smitty

    @Ruckus: Who ever Dems put up in 2020 will be running against Ivanka Trump. Experience in the White House. Woman. Mother. Business owner. Jewish. Wealthy. Hooked up w/ Murdoch and Koch bros. Media savvy.
    We have to start attacking her brand yesterday.

  49. 49.

    martian

    Hey, have y’all heard that the Women’s March people issued a list of women being honoured by the march and Hillary Clinton is not on it, and people are saying it’s because the organizer is a Wilmerstan? I guess the latest excuse is something about bad optics because Hillary attended the inauguration. They’ve quoted her without attribution, too, that women’s rights are human rights. I can’t believe how much this stings to hear, today of all days.

  53. 53.

    Chet Murthy

    @martian: Crikey. *progressives*. Rs would never do that. They defend their own. Shit. She took and keeps on taking shots for the team. Damn, now I wish I had a Nasty Woman tshirt.

  56. 56.

    martian

    @MazeDancer: Oh, I see you’ve mentioned it. I’ve been trying to detach from the day, but this deliberate disrespect got right under my skin.

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @AxelFoley:

    I’m on the list, and I already got an email from Barack that was infinitely more inspirational, substantive, thought-provoking, humorous, and literate than the Shitgibbon’s inaugural address.

    (Edited because Shitgibbon)

  59. 59.

    martian

    @Chet Murthy: For real. I think some of the leftier-than-thou haters hate her even more now since the Trumpocalypse, because blaming her is easier than facing up to having been chumped by Putin. Same bullshit misinformation as ever about Clinton is being feverishly spread on the Twitter today.

  60. 60.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Thank you, TaMara,for the positive threads. It really helps a lot of us.

  61. 61.

    Maoserati

    Hey all. i’m a longtime reader of the Juice, am sister to Phoebe’s mom who has gone to the mat here asking for contributions for my beloved NC NAACP. i’m a 3 time Moral Monday arrestee – my last on Dec. 16th 2016 when our equally mean shitgibbony general assembly played more restrictive tricks.

    today i accidentally stepped on my cat and the floodgates opened/ended up on the kitchen floor in tears apologizing for not working hard enough on Clinton’s campaign – and of course, stepping on my cat. anyway, i thought i might just need to vent and join in from time to time, so here i is, ms North Carolina.

    Bonne chance, Obi-Wan Obama <—- must use, thanks Villago Delenda Est

  62. 62.

    Lyrebird

    @martian: I wait in hope for some CafePress stuff with Hillz photos and “never ever ever give up!”

    if I were marching, my poster would be about John Lewis, though —

    John Lewis is right
    and Putin is wrong

    To protect our rights
    we must stand strong

  65. 65.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @AxelFoley: Me too. I sign “petitions” from people like Sherrod Brown in full knowledge that he’s collecting addresses for fund-raising, it just baffles me that something so banal is treated like the lost treasure of Midas by pols, but those lists represent clout, so I’m happy to let pols I like fill up my junk folder. And yes, I do send money to some of them, but not based on emails.

  66. 66.

    Bostondreams

    @Hal:

    I still can’t get over this:

    On Twitter, the @POTUS Twitter account shed Obama’s portrait and cover photograph replaced, just after 9 a.m., by Trump’s likeness and an image of a crowd of people waving American flags as they stood, in the freezing cold, in front of the Capitol.

    Trump wants to be Obama so badly. It must eat him up inside that he is so unpopular. I heard some new blip about how the festivities were limited on inauguration day because Trump wanted to get right to work. Right. Complete lack of popularity and practically having to beg people to come to your inauguration has nothing to do with the sparse post celebration.

    Fun and true fact: the crowd image is from one of Obama’s inaugurations. Not Trumps. Ha.

  67. 67.

    Johio

    @Jeffro: I understand that, but it doesn’t help much. Sharing a continent (country/family!) With anyone who would vote for that total nitwit makes you think that evolution is totally over-rated. Fortunately, global warming should kill us all off within 200 years. Maybe cephalopods will do better!

  68. 68.

    Larkspur

    @Mnemosyne: I got lucky yesterday and today with my dog walks – got them done in between some ferocious squalls (just north of San Francisco). Another squall is moving across the headlands right now like a mass of clenched fists. It’s scary driving, and there’s a leak in the roof of the condo (bucket out; owners know), and trees are coming down, but damn it’s still just such a relief after years of strangely dry, bleak winters. Everything is coming up so green it’s like the vegetation is plugged in and glowing.

  69. 69.

    hovercraft

    @Hal:

    I heard some new blip about how the festivities were limited on inauguration day because Trump wanted to get right to work. Right.

    Yes he is so eager to get to work that he’s taking the weekend off, so that he doesn’t distract from the weekends celebrations and festivities. These people can’t even keep their fucking cover story straight.

  70. 70.

    Uncharismatic megafauna

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I’ll be curious to know how many people joined the email list of the Obama Foundation (boggles my mind that such lists are such a big deal, but apparently they are).

    I am. Their final goodbyes got to me today. FWIW, to the question posed under “share an idea” of what makes a good citizen, I offered this: Being informed, involved, and inclusive.

  71. 71.

    Larkspur

    @Maoserati: Hey hi. Contrary to many people’s opinions, cats are very forgiving – they can tell accidents from meanness. Plus, unlike dogs, who will immediately assume it was their fault for being in the way of your feet, cats can assess inadvertent human clumsiness, be amused by it, shake off the owie, and still like you. God, I love cats and dogs. And pigs and chickens and goats and sloths, etc. Dehydrated salmon treats are good for apologies too. You know all this already, of course; I’m just wanting to comfort you and say I’m happy to see you here.

  72. 72.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @martian:

    Hey, have y’all heard that the Women’s March people issued a list of women being honoured by the march and Hillary Clinton is not on it, and people are saying it’s because the organizer is a Wilmerstan? I guess the latest excuse is something about bad optics because Hillary attended the inauguration. They’ve quoted her without attribution, too, that women’s rights are human rights. I can’t believe how much this stings to hear, today of all days.

    Oferfuckssake. Wish they would grow the fuck up. I’ll give them one more week (which is over-generous), then we all need to get working on 2018.

  74. 74.

    Maoserati

    @Larkspur: thanks so much for the welcome. of course needing to assert who’s boss, cat forgave me after yowling like i’d killed her.

    i can’t for the life of me get the thought contortionss supporters of Our New Improved Mussolini must master. he’s so insane, so unfit and a grifter. his adult children’s eyes are dead. how do people support him? yes, all rhetorical. that and Vlad The Bad, BUT EMAILS! & white people.

  75. 75.

    Another Scott

    @SiubhanDuinne: The march is bigger than the organizers. I thank the organizers for their (too often thankless) work in getting it arranged, but they’re not determining who I support (or don’t).

    The Virginia Group for the Women’s March has that famous HRC quote on the front page:

    Welcome to the Virginia Chapter for the Women’s March on Washington!

    Women’s Rights are Human Rights, and Human Rights are Women’s Rights – HRC

    JANUARY 21, 2017
    Rally Start Time: 10am
    Estimated March Start Time: 1:15 pm
    Intersection of Independence Ave and 3rd Street SW (Near the Capitol)

    […]

    I agree that giving them another week is fine, but let’s not expect that passionately held beliefs are going to be easily changed! :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  76. 76.

    Lizzy L

    I’m wearing a blue hat tomorrow.

    @efgoldman: I lived in the Midwest for 8 years, thanks. But you misunderstand the Californians: we’re not complaining, simply reporting. Rain is GOOD.

    Per NYT:

    President Trump on Friday issued an order to government agencies to scale back as many aspects of the Affordable Care Act as possible… Its broad language gave federal agencies wide latitude to change, delay or waive provisions of the law that they deemed overly costly for insurers, drug makers, doctors, states or patients, suggesting that it could have wide-ranging impact, and essentially allowing the dismantling of the law to begin even before Congress moves to repeal it.

  79. 79.

    randy khan

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I think Hillary herself would say it doesn’t matter – it’s not about who gets credit.

    And I guarantee there will be a ton of pro-Hillary signs there tomorrow.

  80. 80.

    Couldn't Stand the Weather

    If I were BHO (and Michelle and the kids), after the last two months, I’d want a vacation, too.

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