Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Second rate reporter says what?

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

I was promised a recession.

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

“Squeaker” McCarthy

It’s the corruption, stupid.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Friday Night Open Thread: One Small Win

Friday Night Open Thread: One Small Win

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Not so much he said, we said as we said, they lied, IMO — but a win is a win:

The Trump administration has reversed plans to scrap all Obamacare outreach in the finals days of the law’s enrollment period, a day after the move sparked outcry from the law’s supporters and health insurers.

HHS officials on Friday said automatic phone calls and other online and digital outreach — including Twitter messages and emails — would continue through the Jan. 31 deadline for obtaining coverage…

The Trump administration’s decision on Thursday to halt all HealthCare.gov advertising and outreach enraged the law’s supporters, who say ads and other tools — such as reminder emails — have been crucial in motivating younger, healthier people who frequently wait until the last minute to enroll in coverage.

“Let’s be clear: President Trump and Republicans are creating Trumpcare by sabotage — and they are going to have to answer to every family who loses coverage, faces more uncertainty, or has to pay more in health care costs as a result,” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said in a statement earlier on Friday.

Obamacare supporters have taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to encourage enrollment,and insurers also expressed alarm that the Thursday decision could result in higher prices and more unstable markets…

The Obama administration’s HHS had estimated that 13.8 million people nationwide would sign up for Obamacare plans during the three-month open enrollment window. As of Dec. 24, national enrollment figures stood at 11.5 million people.

If we beat the 13.8 million figure, maybe the publicity helped. If we don’t, let’s pin this around Paul Ryan’s neck tighter than his Good GOper tie.

In other news, the NPS tweeters remain defiant members of the Resistance…

Reader Interactions

154Comments

  2. 2.

    Mary G

    They were already paid for; Obama’s administration knew what they were doing. These people are so bad it would be funny if they weren’t burning down the American way of decency.

  3. 3.

    Jerzy Russian

    I have often wondered how prairie dogs, gophers, and other burrowing critters ventilate their underground abodes.

  4. 4.

    Pogonip

    Can someone please recommend a good household drill? I don’t mind paying extra if it will work for longer than a year.

  5. 5.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    How long until Trump utterly melts down and starts crying in public? Or begins screaming and hitting people? I don’t think his brittle ego can take much more of this failure. He says he’s winning bigly, and all his speeches are home runs, but nobody likes him, and deep down, that has to be eating away at him. He’s going to break sooner or later, and, as tightly wound as he is, I’m guessing sooner.

  7. 7.

    debit

    @Pogonip: Anything Ryobi. I have a cordless that I love, not heavy duty enough for drilling into concrete, but it handles everything else.

  8. 8.

    ThresherK (tablet)

    The ad at the pagetop is for a pet food called Petcurean, and it has the cutest calico ever (except the one in my house).

    Do the ad servers have cameras in my home?

  9. 9.

    MomSense

    @Pogonip:

    Makita. I’ve had my cordless for about 25 years now and it’s perfect. When I was building a swing set I had to borrow my neighbor’s corded Makita because I needed a little more power but for all other jobs, the cordless has been great.

  11. 11.

    Schlemazel

    Saw an ad for ACA on one of those electronic billboards out on I-94 between St. Cloud and Minneapolis tonight. Was wondering about that.

  13. 13.

    Chip Daniels

    Trump has always backed down when faced with determined resistance. He isn’t a fighter, has never had to really struggle against adversity.
    If he can’t get an easy win against a helpless opponent, he runs.

  14. 14.

    sukabi

    Proportionaly the prairie dogs hands are actually MUCH LARGER than drumpfs…

    And they have the added benefit of not turning everything they touch into shit.

  15. 15.

    Brachiator

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.):

    He says he’s winning bigly, and all his speeches are home runs, but nobody likes him

    Nobody likes him? You obviously have not been paying attention. His biggest fans are deliriously happy with him. UK Prime Minister May kissed the ring on his tiny hand.

    He’s nuts and may blow up, but his handlers will humor him as he spits out noxious executive orders and gets ready to help the GOP Congress move us into conservative Nirvana, no Muslims allowed.

  16. 16.

    Cacti

    I ran across my favorite H.L. Mencken quote this evening, and it seems appropriate for times such as these:

    “Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

  17. 17.

    debit

    @Brachiator: How long until he turns on his handlers? Everyone is laughing at him, everything he does is being broadcast as a failure and unforced error. He must be burning in impotent rage right now and someone else must be to blame.

  18. 18.

    Adam L Silverman

    @ThresherK (tablet): Yes. And not just the ad servers. We really need to discuss how you put the food away in your refrigerator. Also, the wallpaper in your bathroom is horrid. Please do something about that.

    Thanks!

  19. 19.

    khead

    John Hurt dead at age 77.

    It’s been parodied to cliche in my lifetime, but when I was a kid I freaked the hell out when the Alien came out of his chest and then destroyed the crew of the Nostromo.

  20. 20.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @debit: Well, certainly the smartest, most terrific, most temperamental, most respectful of women man in all of history can’t be to blame for FAIL FAIL FAIL that marked his first week in office so much that he can’t enjoy it.

    Suffer, fascist shitstain. Suffer.

  21. 21.

    ? Martin

    These things are more than small victories. Trump was basically elected on the promise that he would dominate Obama and liberals, and every time he and the GOP have to take a step back, due to this, or the president of Mexico standing up to him, it hurts their core promise.

  22. 22.

    debit

    @Cacti: I keep thinking back to Quentin Crisp:

    Whenever we confront an unbridled desire we are surely in the presence of a tragedy-in-the-making.

    Trump wanted this so badly. And now here we are.

  23. 23.

    amk

    Any news on veep dense’s anti abortion screw the women ‘rally’? fu bbc is already comparing it to the last week’s citizens rally.

  26. 26.

    Schlemazel

    It occurs to me that the GOP is very well positioned here. Trump goes off the deep end and the GOP leads the charge to impeach him. The can claim to be the saviors of America (because they never really wanted him) and they get the truly evil Mike Pence to finish the job they want to do.

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    I know the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera is a highly controversial figure, but I just saw a photo of a billboard recently placed on the Ukrainian side of the Crimean border with this quote of his: “when a nation, faced with a choice between bread and freedom, chooses bread, in the end it will lose everything, including the bread.”

  28. 28.

    frosty

    @Pogonip: I had a Craftsman that lasted 40 odd years although I wouldn’t recommend one now. I’ve got a Dewalt cordless that must be around 10 yrs old, long enough that I’ve replaced the battery. Becore that, 2 or 3 Black and Deckers that didn’t last

  30. 30.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    So Emmett Till’s accuser has finally admitted hat he never Wolf whistled her.

    As I said on facebook:

    God grant me the humility to recognize the advantage I’ve been given at having my words generally accepted as true as uttered because of my status as a mediocre white person.

  35. 35.

    Adam L Silverman

    @amk: They tweeted the picture of the crowd from Obama’s 2009 inauguration and got brutally called out on it. Here’s the real shot of their crowd today, it was not a giant turnout:

    And here’s the time lapse:

  36. 36.

    Another Scott

    @frosty: Black and Decker owns DeWalt now. And Porter-Cable. And they just bought Craftsman from Sears.

    :-/

    I’ve been partial to Hitachi hand power tools the last few years. If one doesn’t mind a few scuffs, one can get good deals on refurbished ones at BigSkyTools, also too. But I don’t buy drills and rechargeable tools expecting they will last forever (especially if they’re things like hammer drills that will have a very hard life). YMMV.

    For tools that are specialized or require high precision, I’m willing to spend a lot because I know it will save time and do a better job in the long run. Like stuff from Festool. But I cringe every time the bill for stuff like that finally arrives, and I’d never spend $600 on a cordless drill… ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  39. 39.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Major Major Major Major: He’s not well:

    And:
    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pro-trump-sheriff-david-clarke-detained-man-shaking-head-article-1.2949810?cid=bitly

    MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man says a tough-talking, cowboy-hat wearing Wisconsin sheriff detained him after a flight because the man shook his head at the lawman, who has gained a national prominence for his outspoken support of Donald Trump.

    Dan Black said in a complaint submitted through the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office website that his gesture of disapproval was about football, not politics. Black said he was disappointed that Sheriff David Clarke was wearing Dallas Cowboys gear the same day that team was playing the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

    But Clarke didn’t view the interaction as harmless. He said in a Facebook post Wednesday that he “reserves the reasonable right to pre-empt a possible assault.”

    The encounter happened during boarding for a flight from Dallas to Milwaukee hours before kickoff. The Packers went on to beat the Cowboys 34-31.

    Black, 24, said in the complaint that Clarke wasn’t wearing his trademark cowboy hat and Black asked him whether he was Milwaukee’s sheriff. When Clarke said, “Yes,” Black said he shook his head, then walked toward his seat. Clarke then asked him if he had a problem, Black said, and Black shook his head to say, “No.”

    Black said deputies questioned him for about 15 minutes after the plane landed before letting him go.

    The status of Black’s complaint was not immediately known.

    Clarke’s profile has been elevated by his outspoken support of the president-elect, and he’s been mentioned as a possible candidate for a job in Trump’s administration. He was one of the few African-Americans to speak at the Republican convention and has called anti-Trump protesters “anarchists” who “must be quelled.”

    In his Facebook response to Black’s complaint, Clarke warned: “Next time he or anyone else pulls this stunt on a plane they may get knocked out.” He added he “does not have to wait for some goof to assault him.”

    Black, who said he was shaken by the experience, called Clarke “unhinged.”

    “Who in their right mind responds, ‘I’m going to kick that guy’s ass next time?'” Black said.

  40. 40.

    Jim Faith

    @khead: The scene from Alien is definitely iconic. But his portrayal of Caligula in ‘I, Claudius’ is a gold standard. RIP, Mr. Hurt.

  42. 42.

    ? Martin

    @Pogonip: Makita 18V drills are pretty much the standard for pros. I have one and it’s fantastic. It’s beat to hell, and I’ve used the hammer drill feature for hours on end – still works great, batteries still last a long time.

    Next best option is DeWalt. I prefer their tools overall, but Makita wins for drills.

    Avoid drills for low-end consumers. Even from good brands they’ll largely be crap. Buy what the guys who use theirs 8 hours a day buy.

  45. 45.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Brachiator:

    He’s nuts and may blow up, but his handlers will humor him as he spits out noxious executive orders and gets ready to help the GOP Congress move us into conservative Nirvana, no Muslims allowed.

    Sounds like King George III.

  46. 46.

    Debbie(aussie)

    Although I have commented here a few times I have been a lurker since the election (yours). I just wanted to delurk to say that I want to BE most of you when I grow up. You are all doing such great stuff in defence of your republic/democracy and our civilisation (for all its faults) against the raging shitgibbon and his flying monkeys, I humbly thank you. When (if) I get the courage to participate in my community I shall take much of your shared wisdom with me. (Maybe a p&$$yhat too)
    Silly to say I suppose, but I think of you as my friends. I have completely isolated myself except for family and although I am lonely I have forgotten how to make friends with the fear & anxiety at times overwhelming, just thinking about it. BUT, my daughter gets married in eight weeks and plans to start a family. So I have to be able to say that Mama did more than just read and rage.
    Keep up the great work. You have my deepest regard, Debbie K

  50. 50.

    Bupalos

    This is a great example of how we can score with pick 6’s. This guy is going to be a gift that keeps giving. We need to tie Paul Ryan and his ilk to this pig before we run him into the ocean though.

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’m aware, as we’ve discussed that the Police Chief of Milwaukee City controls the majority of the law enforcement in the county and as there are no unincorporated areas, Clarke is limited to (poorly) running the jail, provide security at the courthouse, and patrolling a several mile stretch of the Interstate out to the county line. Of course he gave himself one more star on his shoulder boards than the Milwaukee City Chief, so he sure showed him who was in charge!

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Debbie(aussie):

    I want to BE most of you when I grow up.

    Dear god, NO!

    As far as getting involved and reaching out goes, start small. Find a homeless or animal shelter and put in a couple of hours. Build on it it you can. If you do no more than that ever, you are still doing good things.

  54. 54.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: From what I’ve seen of following his behavior in the local press, he’s a hair trigger away from doing something that will allow the Milwaukee City Police Chief, Edward Flynn, arrest him. He’s constantly threatening people using his position as cover. This includes the county medical examiner, as well as trying to intimidate Chief Flynn during the BLM protests last year. Eventually he’ll tell someone with some stature to do something, they’ll ignore him or tell him no, and he’ll put hands on them (at the least). At that point he’s going to find out that when you piss off your County Executive, as well as all your law enforcement peers in the different jurisdictions in the county, that you’re not going to get expedited handling/the kid gloves treatment. He’s a bully with a badge, a big ego, limited self control, and a big mouth. That’s not a combination for continued success.

  55. 55.

    Bupalos

    @Debbie(aussie): g’day!! And continue de-lurking. What’s with this isolation stuff?…DO NOT DO THAT. We’re all in this together, even “them.” And even if they don’t know it!

  58. 58.

    Peale

    @Omnes Omnibus: my guess is, that with the new weekly list of the immigrants and their crimes, that congress is going to pass some kind of law where if you’re mugged in a city, you can sue the city for negligence or something like that.

  60. 60.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yep, I was explaining to someone earlier that trying to knuckle California and NY State, as well as the City of NY, Seattle, and a whole host of other states and municipalities is not going to be easy. Mayor Walsh of Boston, in his press conference yesterday, answered one of the questions that everyone would just have to wait to see what might happen if Federal officials tried to enter Boston City Hall and remove anyone he was providing protection for. I doubt Mayor Walsh would be making this statement had he not first consulted with his Chief of Police.

  61. 61.

    Vhh

    @Pogonip: Dewalt cordless. I’ve had a bunch of Dewalt power tools for 12 yrs. Solid, pros us em.. I got the 18 v NiCd model, recently bought 3rd party NiMH battery packs to replace the NiCDs. Ther is a newer 20 v Lithium powered model, cost more.

  62. 62.

    Bupalos

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Find a homeless or animal shelter

    I’ll admit, I’ve always had something of a problem with the odd priority for animals on this site. This odd phrasing right here encapsulates it for me. Its just me, I happened to work with a real life Nazi (I mean 1940’s German Nazi Hitler person, like non-biden-literally) who would corner you in the basement and explain how Churchill was “the real monster,” and she basically gave every last cent of liquid income to animal shelters and plastered her car with pleas to save the kittens. Despite loving animals my whole life, ever since then I get a twinge when these things appear in equivalence.

  63. 63.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Chip Daniels:

    If he can’t get an easy win against a helpless opponent, he runs.

    Pretty good description of a bully/coward, if you ask me…

  66. 66.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Bupalos: Deal with it. I was trying to advise someone who is having trouble connecting with people but wants to.

    ETA: I added animal shelter specifically because it doesn’t have to involve dealing with people but it does make the world better. Context matters.

  68. 68.

    lurker dean

    @debit: one of the “rogue” government twitter accounts posts a lot about the WH inner workings. it may be fiction, but it sure sounds realistic.

    https://twitter.com/RoguePOTUSStaff

    in other news, rex huppke of the chicago tribune has a good twitter thread on today’s muslim refugee ban.
    https://twitter.com/RexHuppke/status/825185769937596416

    starts like this and continues:
    “Let me address the people out there celebrating what happened today. The people who think keeping out Muslim refugees has somehow made us safer. That it has somehow made America better. That it has somehow shown us to be strong. You are wrong. Woefully, embarrassingly, pathetically wrong.
    Today, the terrorists won. ISIS won. This is exactly what they wanted. For us to defy who we are, who we’ve always been. They can claim victory for getting us to bend to their will, not due to force, but due to fear.”

  70. 70.

    Bupalos

    @Omnes Omnibus: Didnt mean to criticize really, Just kind of free-associating, and I thought I gave enough of a disclaimer there.

    In reality an animal shelter is probably a better option.

  73. 73.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: I saw video of him today with PM May. He looks even worse than in his interview two days ago. Even with the makeup, his color looks terrible. The bags under his eyes having gotten much bigger, his hair looks stranger than usual, including more unkempt. Regardless of anything else, if the people around him don’t get him to start taking care of himself, he’s gonna be a complete mess by February.

  74. 74.

    Aleta

    @Pogonip: I got this Panasonic cordless 12v drill in the late 90s, and it’s a really nice drill. One thing that was great was it charged really fast, in about 15 minutes. I got 2 batteries for it and we actually built a simple little cabin with it, without having to wait for the battery to recharge. I still have it but haven’t used it in years; it needs new batteries. It also came with a nice work light that ran off the battery and could really light up the woods at night in a dramatic way.

    ETA We were using it to drive screws not so much drill. Panasonic cordless drill and driver 12v EY60100

  76. 76.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t. Not without your help. But you’re not helping.

  77. 77.

    GregB

    RIP John Hurt. Rewatching Alien and realizing how young Kellyann Conway was when she burst out if his chest.

  78. 78.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: Sheriffs are elected in the majority of jurisdictions. Some places are fusion departments, where the largest municipality and the county have one unified force and an appointed Chief. Savannah, GA is like this. I think Jacksonville, FL is as well. I know a lot of places that the incumbent sheriff is largely unbeatable at reelection and basically hands the job off to a handpicked successor/ who is a trusted agent.

  80. 80.

    Cacti

    @Peale:

    my guess is, that with the new weekly list of the immigrants and their crimes, that congress is going to pass some kind of law where if you’re mugged in a city, you can sue the city for negligence or something like that.

    SCOTUS has ruled clearly in Printz v. United States (1997) and New York v. United States (1992) that Feds can’t commandeer state or local governmental organizations for the enforcement of federal law. They may in fact flatly refuse to cooperate with Federal law enforcement officials. They are also under no obligation to ascertain someone’s immigration status who is arrested for a state or local offense, and can’t be compelled to by Uncle Sam. No less than Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion in Printz.

    On the issue of Federal grants, SCOTUS has also ruled that conditions on receipt of any money by the States are enforceable only to the extent they are unambiguously stated, so that the States can knowingly decide whether to accept them (Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman (1981)).

    Trump has a weak hand here to try and bully cities into compliance.

  81. 81.

    Yarrow

    I thought Nikki Haley was supposed to be one of the slightly less crazy of Trump’s nominees.

    Nikki Haley says US will have the backs of its allies and expects them to have America's back. For those who don't: "We're taking names."— columlynch (@columlynch) January 27, 2017

    So she’s starting off her UN ambassador gig with threats to our allies? Diplomacy!

  85. 85.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: It’ll actually be worse. Ever notice his periods of worst activity, as in he’s at his worst, are when his son in law and daughter are not around? Late at night, early in the AM, Friday nights through Sunday mornings. The longest periods without them around are Friday afternoon through Saturday night because of the Jewish sabbath and Jewish holidays when they’re off the grid.

  87. 87.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: He’s not sleeping in his own bed. Didn’t he go to great lengths during the campaign to sleep either in a suite at a hotel property he owned or fly back to one of his homes? He doesn’t own the White House. I wonder if that’s setting him off so he can’t sleep?

  90. 90.

    NotMax

    As it’s an open thread (and as Adam is here), something comic booky. Worst manifestation of super-powers ever?

    (Unretouched, this is what was printed depicting the origin of Marvel’s Maggott.)

  91. 91.

    Another Scott

    @Cacti: Yup.

    A bunch of Donnie’s fans are going to be disappointed in the next few weeks when his Executive Orders are ignored or worse. McConnell and Ryan aren’t going to be pushed around by Bannon and Kushner. The courts aren’t going to be bullied, either.

    Yeah, there will be some areas of agreement, but Trump is going to get weaker by the week and he’ll end up being led by the nose by McConnell and Ryan rather than the other way around. Assuming he doesn’t keel over with some health issue before then…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  92. 92.

    Yarrow

    @Another Scott: If he issues orders and no one follows them he’ll get angry. He’s probably dangerous at that point. He may also get bored because there’s so much hard stuff to do and he doesn’t seem to like that kind of thing. He wants crowds to adore him and the majority of presidentin’ doesn’t include that. So he’ll probably create excuses to have people cheer him just so he can get that juice.

  93. 93.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Yarrow: I know from reporting they moved his stuff in. I’m not sure if they moved his bed from Trump Tower or they just bought a new bed for him that’s the same as at home. But right now he’s in the residence portions on his own. His wife and son, who have their own floors/wings at Trump Tower, are in NY. So once he’s done for the day/night he’s completely isolated. There’s no one else up there with him. From the reporting he gets bored easily and watches TV, then tweets about what he sees. Basically what he’s watching sets him off. This is how we got the Chicago silliness and the voter fraud silliness. He saw cable news coverage of each, then within fifteen minutes he was tweeting about it. I have serious concerns about what he’s doing as a national security professional, but if there’s anyone that actually, really cares about him (not because they have to, or hope to get power or money) they should be very, very concerned for him as a person. Being isolated, lonely, bored, stressed out, and in over one’s head is not going to end well.

  94. 94.

    Aleta

    Maybe said here earlier; sorry if repeat:

    (from nyt) The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin, replacing the old prejudicial system and giving each country an equal shot at the quotas. In signing the new law, President Lyndon B. Johnson said that “the harsh injustice” of the national-origins quota system had been “abolished.”

    Nonetheless, Mr. Trump asserts that he still has the power to discriminate, pointing to a 1952 law that allows the president the ability to “suspend the entry” of “any class of aliens” that he finds are detrimental to the interest of the United States.

    But the president ignores the fact that Congress then restricted this power in 1965, stating plainly that no person could be “discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person’s race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence.” The only exceptions are those provided for by Congress (such as the preference for Cuban asylum seekers).

    When Congress passed the 1965 law, it wished to protect not just immigrants, but also American citizens, who should have the right to sponsor their family members or to marry a foreign-born spouse without being subject to pointless discrimination.

    Mr. Trump may want to revive discrimination based on national origin by asserting a distinction between “the issuance of a visa” and the “entry” of the immigrant. But this is nonsense. Immigrants cannot legally be issued a visa if they are barred from entry. Thus, all orders under the 1952 law apply equally to entry and visa issuance, as his executive order acknowledges.

  96. 96.

    p.a.

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    : Sure, Adam, blame the fucking Jews.

    They’re on the list with the new misadministration, just a question of how high up. We’re a Judeo-Christian nation, don’tcha know. It’s in all the papers…

  97. 97.

    Bupalos

    I like the Boston thing but I really don’t get why someone in one of these zero risk enclaves doesn’t push this thing a little further. Like taunt this fucker. I was waiting for him to point behind him and say “Mr trump, this IS America. It’s as american as apple pie, and twice as american as your kompromised ass. If you can stop and concentrate long enough to have someone explain to you what this country was founded on, you’ll find that I and the people standing behind me are a much better example of that spirit than you. You and your father’s money. You and your ” deals” and rents and million dollar interests. You and your purchased political favors. You and your scams. And above all your sick Iago-like penchant for setting people against each other for your own gain and amusement. If anyone needs to go back where they came from for not being “american” enough, its you, you fucking lousy wife-swapping, coke-snorting, pussy-grabbing, white-nationalist KGB-Nazi fuck!!!”

    Alright, maybe without the f-word stuff. Might need to lose the Shakespeare. But you know, AMP IT UP.

  98. 98.

    Cacti

    @Another Scott:

    The most ironic precedent of all would be NFIB v. Sebelius (2012), the case that struck down the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. Under its finding that conditions to Federal funding can’t amount to a “gun to the head” of the States, any law proposing to strip all funds from States or cities that don’t assist with deportation efforts would likely be unconstitutional.

    Thanks, John Roberts!

  100. 100.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: It is not a particularly appetizing mutation… There have been some doozies that Marvel has rolled out within the huge number of mutants over the years, especially starting in the late 80s/early 90s.

  101. 101.

    swbarnes2

    Can someone keep a running total of all the things that Trump supposedly had a “mandate” to do, and then cowardly took back under public pressure? It’s only been a week, but aren’t there at least 3 now?

  102. 102.

    Peale

    @Aleta: you know they’ll argue that they didn’t mention “religion”…because they probably didn’t think they had to.

  106. 106.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @p.a.: I think you missed the context of my comment. It was aimed purely and sarcastically at Adam. I understand what is happening.

  108. 108.

    Adam L Silverman

    @swbarnes2: When you lose the popular vote by 3 million and only win the electoral college as a result of 79K votes in three states you don’t have a mandate to do anything other than proceed with caution as a caretaker of what is already there.

  110. 110.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: I’ve seen it. Its missing former residents, like the Russian mob guy who ran an underage prostitution service out of his apartment. Or the Russian drug dealer. Both of these guys did business with the President.

  111. 111.

    Cacti

    @Adam L Silverman:

    When you lose the popular vote by 3 million and only win the electoral college as a result of 79K votes in three states you don’t have a mandate to do anything other than proceed with caution as a caretaker of what is already there.

    Right, but did you actually expect Trump to proceed with humility, or that he would try to rule us like an absolute monarch?

  113. 113.

    amk

    Hawaii ‘exotic’ locals win against book of faces man.

    After Mr Zuckerberg dropped the case, Mr Ing responded saying: “I am humbled. Thousands of everyday people stood up and spoke out against one of the most influential billionaires, the best PR professionals, and the best attorneys in the world, and we won.”

  117. 117.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: Yeah, I know they moved his stuff in, such as it is. But it’s still not his house. I wonder if at some level that’s messing with him.

    As to your other point, your description of him as alone, isolated, bored, in over his head and watching too much TV and maybe someone who cares about him should check on him…that’s just kind of sad. I don’t know if there is anyone who cares about him as a human. Even his kids…. I wonder if he’ll end up having an affair with some of his staffers. He’s alone and bored and I’m sure there are some pretty and young women working there.

  119. 119.

    Peale

    @Aleta: my guess is that the the EO was written by someone who subscribes to the view that Islam isn’t a religion, but a political movement like communism. They will be slapped down hard.

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yarrow:

    He’s alone and bored and I’m sure there are some pretty and young women working there.

    Fewer as he gets older, fatter, and more droopy.

  122. 122.

    Peale

    @Cacti: I was actually expecting to use that lack of humility against him. The worst thing he could do is turn out to be a nice guy.

  123. 123.

    Westyny

    @Debbie(aussie): Hey, unlurked here week ago after years looking in from the outside, frosting the window with my breath. I’ve overwhelmed with school duties and a new condo that isn’t shaping up as fast as Cole’s new digs, so I haven’t posted much. So I’m still looking in. But it seems like the nicest pack of jackals around . . . minus the trolls and accumulated personal vendettas.

  125. 125.

    Ruckus

    @Pogonip:
    We use DeWalt and Milwaukee at work and they last a long time and work well. I have a Mikita 14 volt that I’ve had for 12 yrs and while it works OK each replacement battery costs more than I paid for the drill with 2 batteries. So I’d suggest that you go with DeWalt 18 volt, which is what we use daily in the machine shop i work in. Not too expensive, batteries widely available, plenty of power.

  126. 126.

    Yarrow

    @BillinGlendaleCA: True enough.

    @Omnes Omnibus: How does Trump’s age, weight and droopiness impact the number of young and attractive women working there? I do understand they’d be less inclined to have anything to do with him. Although what young woman in her right mind would choose to work for him? So he might be choosing from among a group of women who could be more easily swayed by whatever they consider his charms?

  127. 127.

    Westyny

    @GregB: @Debbie(aussie): Hey, unlurked here week ago after years looking in from the outside, frosting the window with my breath. I’ve overwhelmed with school duties and a new condo that isn’t shaping up as fast as Cole’s new digs, so I haven’t posted much. So I’m still looking in. But it seems like the nicest pack of jackals around . . . minus the trolls and accumulated personal vendettas.

  129. 129.

    Tenar Arha (same Tenar, more Nameless Ones)

    @Adam L Silverman: Well it isn’t at all like the City of Boston doesn’t have some old timey experience with telling the Federal Government to feck off from taking it’s citizens or anything, does it? (/sarcasm & fugitive slave law reference intended).

  130. 130.

    Bupalos

    @Yarrow:

    I wonder if at some level that’s messing with him.

    You’re trying to from figure out what might be making Donald Trump act like an enraged todler on meth? I think you’ll need to go back a little further than the day he moved in the white house.

    I also have a hard time believing the relationship between he and melania goes much further than the contract language in the Russian bride catalogue. He’s probably somewhat LESS lonely with nothing but bannon and the teevee.

  132. 132.

    Quinerly

    @debit:
    He’ll turn on his handlers…it’s only a matter of time. Also, I’ve thought for a long time he physically abuses his wives…Melania included.

  133. 133.

    Aleta

    @Peale: I keep writing a comment that keeps disappearing … so I’ll remove some words … The NYT author (David J. Bier) says that the EO is illegal because it is written to apply by country, not religion. (I suppose if they’d written it by religion they’d end up banning too many countries?)

  134. 134.

    sukabi

    @Adam L Silverman: and that’s just from pissing and moaning about his in ugh eration numbers…just think what he’ll look like if he actually decides to pay attention and do some actual presidenting…

  135. 135.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yarrow:

    I wonder if he’ll end up having an affair with some of his staffers. He’s alone and bored and I’m sure there are some pretty and young women working there.

    Pretty & young men, too. Given Donnie’s age & health, were I Ivanka/Jared/Bannon, I’d worry less about a Monica Lewinsky than a young man with a big plan ready to show up at 4am with a bucket of KFC and listen to the old phart whinge endlessly about how nobody appreciates him for who he really is.

    There’s a long American history, going back to our very first President, who — if you believe the contemporary rumors, or what that kid bragged about at the time — got seduced into fiscal recklessness by a hotshot on the make, name of Alexander Hamilton.

    You think there aren’t a few next-gen Stephen Millers and Tom Cottons putting in extra reps at the gym, while dreaming of being the power behind the gilded… megaphone?

  136. 136.

    Peale

    @Aleta: it’s just obnoxious. On every level. I was originally thinking he carved out these countries (Iran was a no brainer) because they actually don’t send a lot of tourists to stay on hotels. But then they are reporting in Australia that tourists from that country will now need interviews for tourist visas. If that’s global you’ll see quite a bit of pain in the hospitality industry. There are other places to see Mickey Mouse in the world that don’t require the hassle.

  139. 139.

    PIGL

    @oklahomo: from the time lapse video it looks like it very well may have been in the tens of thousands. We have an actual reliable estimate from somewhere reliable ?

  140. 140.

    Debbie(aussie)

    @Westyny: agreed. Been around for ten years come September, with the occasional dipping of the toe. Nicest bunch of jackals you could find anywhere ?

  141. 141.

    Tehanu

    @GregB:

    Wonderful, I copied it to Fbk. You really nailed it. Too bad John Hurt is gone for real. I loved him in an obscure (?) 1884 film, The Hit, with Tim Roth.

  143. 143.

    Aleta

    @Peale: My former fil and family were Syrians who left to settle in Brooklyn. Most but not all were Christian, but they only declared it, didn’t have to prove it. This insane claim that US immigration will/can identify Christian vs Muslin Syrians as they are coming out of a country blown apart by war is beneath contempt, and then on top of that, the timing. I’d like to know who is writing these EOs. The Heritage Foundation? Koch-related lawyers?

  148. 148.

    Central Planning

    @Pogonip: We have a Makita set that came with a regular cordless drill and an impact one. Both are brushless and the kit came with 4AH batteries. They are GREAT. I was rebuilding a deck this summer and they did not run out of juice taking off/putting on the top boards. My FIL’s ran out after an hour or so… I don’t remember the brand, but not Makita (and TBF not 4AH batteries)

  150. 150.

    tybee

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Some places are fusion departments, where the largest municipality and the county have one unified force and an appointed Chief.

    savannah/chatham county has a consolidated police force (savannah chatham metropolitan police department) but the other 8 municipalities in chatham county each have their own police and the chatham county sheriff’s department is separate from any police department.

  151. 151.

    Starfish

    Colorado state legislators are trying to repeal Colorado’s health insurance exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, through SB17-003 – Repeal Colorado Health Benefit Exchange. Connect for Health Colorado helped over 200,000 Coloradans get covered in 2016, and is seeing record numbers of people use the marketplace to enroll for 2017.

    What happened to keeping your insurance if you like it?
    Why are they trying to take away insurance that people have been paying for?
    We are in the middle of a big mumps flare up. (14 people caught mumps in the last month in Colorado.)

  152. 152.

    Brachiator

    Coming late to this thread, which is probably done. Some really great comments about Trump. But I think that you have fundamentally underestimated him, and the degree to which his supporters see strength despite his missteps.

    The next few weeks will be very interesting.

  153. 153.

    laura

    @khead: I headed for the lobby and waited, and waited, and waited for my “boyfriend” to join me in leaving. Had to head back in and watch the rest through the fingers over my eyes.
    But his skeeviest role was Richard Rich in A Man for all Seasons. Very Paul Ryanesque. . . .

  154. 154.

    Revrick

    I shared this on my facebook page: “You can still signup for health insurance for this year by Tuesday,January 31st at https://www.healthcare,gov.” A nice picture popped up when I hit enter. Use your social media folks!

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