Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

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

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

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

“woke” is the new caravan.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

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

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Friday Evening Open Thread: Put Out More (Russian) Flags!

Friday Evening Open Thread: Put Out More (Russian) Flags!

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TPM explains:

… Two young, progressive activists from DC, Jason Charter and Ryan Clayton with the group Americans Take Action, purchased tickets to the conference, and handed out nearly 1,000 flags to attendees as a prank. After they were thrown out of the conference, they told TPM they wanted to “shed light on an important issue”—namely, the drip of revelations of backchannel communications between the Russian government and the Trump campaign—and allow people to “get a laugh out of their day.”

Charter, 22, told TPM by phone that he and Clayton organized the prank in order to “honor Trump’s relationship with Putin.” He said almost no one at CPAC seemed to realize the flag he handed them bore the horizontal red, white, and blue stripes of the Russian Federation underneath Trump’s name…

Apart from cheering on the pranksters, what’s on the agenda as we prepare to start the weekend?

The President-Asterisk is on it!!!!…

Reader Interactions

80Comments

  1. 1.

    Feebog

    I find the CPAC Russian flag prank hilarious. The funniest part is that apparently none of these morons attending the conference had the least notion this was the Russian flag. Well played libs, well played.

  3. 3.

    Jeffro

    I think I’m going to CPAC next year…what a freak show. Maybe hand out oranges?

    Or bananas?

    I bet I could put a fake Milo book cover around one of Obama’s books, leave it on a seat, sit back, and watch the magic happen!

  4. 4.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Feebog:

    That goes down in the annals of epic pranks.

    I came up with the corollary to the Grand Unification Theory of Conservatism today:

    Movement conservatism defined:

    “that nagging feeling that some other person somewhere isn’t suffering enough for your philosophical and religious preferences to be validated”

  8. 8.

    TenguPhule

    @Feebog: Or worse, they just don’t care anymore.

    Dear Leader has become the Cult’s God and Blood must be spilled for him and skulls for his throne.

  11. 11.

    Jeffro

    @liberal: too funny but I can’t help thinking that as he grows more desperate, Trumpov will actually call for “his” people to violently act out. starting with telling them to open carry at town halls, and then everywhere

    When his time comes, he better be taken out of power fast…

  12. 12.

    lollipopguild

    @debbie: Get back! He’s gonna sue…….. somebody….. as soon as his lawyer figures out who to sue. This might take awhile. I think I will drink some naked bourbon.

  13. 13.

    jacy

    @debbie:

    Wow, a 27-minute phone call whining about mean tweets. Good gravy, but all these losers are whiny little babies. I’m surprised they haven’t all melted into fucking little puddles at this point. I don’t see him having a long shelf life…..

  14. 14.

    Roger Moore

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Movement conservatism defined:

    “that nagging feeling that some other person somewhere isn’t suffering enough for your philosophical and religious preferences to be validated”

    I think there’s an important extra point. The core of “conservative” thought is that the rich only respond to rewards while the poor only respond to punishments.

  15. 15.

    jl

    @Roger Moore: I dunno about ” your philosophical and religious preferences “. seems like a very generous interpretation. How about “your vengeful malice’?

  16. 16.

    Brachiator

    I will probably try to see the film “Lion,” this weekend. To distract myself from this Year of Trump, I have tried to see many of the most lauded films this season. I might even watch the Oscars (I sometimes enjoy them and immediately forget who won them when the telecast is over).

    This brings to mind a recent bit in Jezebel about moviegoers and Oscar nominations. Most people have not seen the most praised films.

    A new Morning Consult poll reported by Vanity Fair has found that just 44.7% of Americans have seen either Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester By the Sea, or Moonlight. This figure makes sense, as just two of the nine films (La La Land and Hidden Figures) have made more than $100 million at the box office, and four of them (Moonlight, HOHW, MBTS, and Lion) made under $50 million. Based on the average ticket price of around $8.90, even the year’s highest-grossing best picture nominee, Hidden Figures, has only been seen by around 15 million people. (Which, by the way, is about 309 million too few.)

    The article goes on to note that …

    71% of Americans make their decision to see a movie based on its stars (this explains Hidden Figures, because my god, that cast), 62% decide because of trailers, 48% because of word of mouth, and just 34% because of Oscar nominations.

    Still an Oscar nod is sometimes good for a bump at the box office or maybe a memory jog when it’s time to rent a video.

    I most recently saw the movie about James Baldwin, “I Am Not Your Negro,” and enjoyed it immensely. A little more on it later, time permitting.

    I had fun with “John Wick, Chapter 2.” The original hit the spot because of its ridiculous premise which sets the plot in motion, well crafted stunts and action scenes, and a cool mythology centering on the world of the assassins. The sequel matches the original in terms of action and in extending the mythology in interesting directions, but nods to the absurd premise, but can’t match it in providing character motivation.

    Keanu is a lean, mean, fighting machine. It is a bit odd to realize that he is only three years younger than Laurence Fishburne, his buddy from the Matrix, who does a cool cameo here.

  17. 17.

    scav

    Quite an image, the Twittering Drip at the top complaining furiously about leaks.

    on a possibly unsecured phone.

  18. 18.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Roger Moore:

    Try it this way:

    Movement conservatism defined:

    “that nagging feeling that someone in the ‘working poor’ demographic isn’t suffering enough for your philosophical and religious preference to provide greater rewards for the already well off to be validated”.

  20. 20.

    Mnemosyne

    @Brachiator:

    All of my co-workers and loved ones have been trying to prepare me for the probability that Lin-Manuel will NOT win an Oscar this year, because one of the songs from “La-La Land” will almost certainly win. I am trying to take a mature outlook and realize that he’ll have another chance next year with “Mary Poppins Returns” since he’s both performing and writing songs for that one.

  21. 21.

    jayboat

    @jacy:
    Thoughts like that help me to sleep.
    In the face of all this derp, I remain optimistic that the eventual result will be the end of the gee-oh-pee.

    Dreams are good.

  22. 22.

    sigaba

    @Feebog: I’m sure some of the CPACers knew they were Russian flags, but they were afraid to say something and just decided to play along. That’s what Congress is doing after all…

  23. 23.

    efgoldman

    @Jeffro:

    I bet I could put a fake Milo book cover around one of Obama’s books, leave it on a seat, sit back, and watch the magic happen!

    Assumes the attendees can read. Since illiterate Salmon Schmuck is their leader……

  24. 24.

    Baud

    The next prank has to be replacing the Star Spangled Banner with the Russian national anthem at a Trump event. That would be epic.

  26. 26.

    Brachiator

    @Mnemosyne:

    All of my co-workers and loved ones have been trying to prepare me for the probability that Lin-Manuel will NOT win an Oscar this year, because one of the songs from “La-La Land” will almost certainly win. I am trying to take a mature outlook and realize that he’ll have another chance next year with “Mary Poppins Returns” since he’s both performing and writing songs for that one.

    Yeah, I think that Lin will have to wait. La La Land is more Hollywood, and Hollywood loves to congratulate itself, and may not want to honor the Broadway interloper.

  27. 27.

    PsiFighter37

    God they are idiots. I wonder if they thought they were waving the French or Dutch flag around (not that they would know the difference).

    I will also say I find it weird that Jake Tapper(??!?!?!?!) is being the hardest-hitting MSM journalist in this day and age. What the hell?

  28. 28.

    Feebog

    @sigaba:

    Well, someone with a brain realized at some point because aides started confiscating them. the dialogue writes itself:

    CPAC Aide: I need your flag sir.
    CPAC Attendee: You can go fuck yourself, this is my Trump flag.
    Aide: Its a Russian flag sir.
    Attendee: No way, Russian flags are red, with hammers and sickles and all.
    Aide: Just gimme the fucking flag moron.

  30. 30.

    Mike in NC

    I’m still disappointed that a mounted Cossack band didn’t show up for Trump’s love parade on Inauguration Day 2017.

  33. 33.

    John Revolta

    It’s funny, but at least many on the Right have figured out that Russia is no longer the Commie Menace they used to hate but rather something that they can now kinda get behind or even cozy up to. Meanwhile, a lot of lefties still think that if you say anything bad about Putin and company, you must be some kind of leftover John Bircher/ McCarthyite. Weird.

  36. 36.

    Roger Moore

    @jl:

    Was Infowars invited to the gaggle. That’s what I want to know. If not, why not?

    Why would they need to be invited? They’re the ones who tell Trump everything he needs to know in the first place, so there’s no need for them to ask his administration questions.

  37. 37.

    jl

    @Roger Moore: I won’t feel safe until Alex Jones is appointed the Minister of Official and True Forever Informations, And, they make up a cute uniform for him. Something Ruritanian. Or… Sylvanian.

  39. 39.

    Roger Moore

    @John Revolta:

    Meanwhile, a lot of lefties still think that if you say anything bad about Putin and company, you must be some kind of leftover John Bircher/ McCarthyite.

    I think it’s more that the people on the left who want to distract attention away from Russia realize that accusing people of a Red Scare/McCarthyite witch hunt is still a potent accusation. All the people on the left I’ve seen using that approach are the ones who have their heads furthest up Putin’s ass.

  47. 47.

    Brachiator

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Hidden Figures was excellent. And, to be quite blunt, should be required viewing before anyone is allowed to vote.

    I wouldn’t mind seeing this film win Best Picture, but I think some Oscar voters see it as enjoyable, but not scaled big enough.

    I think that Moonlight is magnificent, but it hasn’t been seen by as many people as other films this season.

  49. 49.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    almost no one at CPAC seemed to realize the flag he handed them bore the horizontal red, white, and blue stripes of the Russian Federation underneath Trump’s name.

    Did no one notice, or did no care, or did some think it was GREAT!?

    It would be irresponsible to not speculate…

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    A bit off-topic, but to do with effective protest: has anyone read Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism by L. A. Kauffman? I heard a fairly lengthy interview with her on NPR a few days ago (yeah, I still listen) and was impressed enough that I downloaded her book immediately. Have just begun it — seriously, am not even through the Introduction yet — but it occurred to me to wonder if any fellow Juicers know of her work. It’s brand new, a 2017 pub date.

    Anyhow, if it turns out to be both readable and useful, it might be something to consider down the road as a BJ community book to discuss, and maybe invite Kauffman to participate. I’ll provide my report once I’ve read enough to have something intelligent to say.

    As for movies, this year is the first time in forever that I’ve managed to see any of the nominated best films (edit: before the Oscars, I mean), let alone more than one. Have seen Manchester by the Sea and Hidden Figures, and also saw Jackie, which earned a best-actress nomination for Natalie Portman. Still haven’t seen La La Land or Moonlight, and now I guess I won’t until after the awards are announced (MET Opera tomorrow, and I’m busy with other stuff on Sunday).

  52. 52.

    Kristine

    @Brachiator:

    I had fun with “John Wick, Chapter 2.” The original hit the spot because of its ridiculous premise which sets the plot in motion, well crafted stunts and action scenes, and a cool mythology centering on the world of the assassins. The sequel matches the original in terms of action and in extending the mythology in interesting directions, but nods to the absurd premise, but can’t match it in providing character motivation.

    Michael Nyqvist’s Viggo was a major reason why JW1 was so good–his past relationship with Wick, and the wonderful tics and overtones he added to a character who could have been so, so cookie-cutter. I hope they find the same sort of antagonist for JW3. I enjoyed JW2, but Wick’s adversary was professional, not personal.

  58. 58.

    Sloane Ranger

    Most probably didn’t know it was the Russian flag. They are Repukes so they know nothing about furrin country’s and care less. Others,I’m sure, willingly and joyfully embraced the flag of their their bestest ally in fascism but I suspect that some would have been scared to refuse to take one even if they knew it was a Russian flag and understood the bad optics. After all it had the Great Leader’s name on it and other people might notice them refusing and accuse them of being some dirty liberal traitor!

  60. 60.

    Iowa Old Lady

    I wouldn’t recognize the Russian flag either, but I might wonder why the flag had the colors it did. At any rate, it was entertaining and we need entertainment.

  64. 64.

    tBone

    @Brachiator:

    Co-sign on the John Wick Chapter 2 love. It was ridiculous in all the right ways. And it’s been doing well enough at the box office that we’re almost assured to get a third film, which, if it pays off the seeds planted in Chapter 2, will be gloriously bananas.

    Keanu isn’t going to win an Oscar for his dramatic chops, but once the action starts, he’s like a weapons-draped Fred Astaire in terms of sheer grace and physicality, which is even more impressive when you consider his age. If you haven’t seen it, watch the clip of him training for the film on a gun range; it’s insane.

  66. 66.

    Roger Moore

    @John Revolta:

    But, if you’re that much of a Putineska, are you actually “on the left”?

    You can be. There actually are some leftists like the ones the right imagines who believe that America is always wrong, so foreign leaders are admirable in direct relation to how strongly they oppose everything we do. That kind of leftist can have their head lodged so far up Putin’s ass that they’re looking out his mouth.

  67. 67.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Don’t forget your beret!

    Will a pussyhat do? Because my very own pussyhat arrived in yesterday’s mail, and it fits perfectly and looks good on me and I love it! (It was knitted by a Balloon Juicer. I would give her full credit but I’m not sure if she wants to be identified. But if you see this, dear pussyhat knitter, please out yourself if you want to!)

  73. 73.

    Lalophobia

    @Adam L Silverman: Puttanesca, from the Italian Puttana, which means whore. The apocrypha is that Pasta Puttanesca was a quick dish ladies of the evening could make between serving clients. So that’s a bonus in its value as a nickname.

  74. 74.

    J R in WV

    @Brachiator:

    We wanted to see Moonlight, but it wasn’t shown here for more than a few days. Later on I learned that there was a gay love story in it, which made everything as clear as glass to me.

    Hidden Figures was hard for me to see, as I lived in the 1950s and 60s when Jim Crow was still going on. Such a moving piece of work! Should get best picture, great drama!

    That senior guy with the ax chopping down the Colored Womens Room sign was quite a scene… best part for me. White guy pissed that his best math guy (a black woman!) was being forced to run all over the place to take a restroom break. And that guy who wouldn’t let the better mathematician put her name on the papers she was writing, with his lame ass name on them. All dead true to life.

    If Moonlight wins an award, maybe we’ll get to see it in the theater, I prefer that to seeing it on a laptop or flat-screen.

  75. 75.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Hidden Figures was excellent. And, to be quite blunt, should be required viewing before anyone is allowed to vote.

    Amen brother. Yertle’s “And she persisted” characterizes the three main characters quite nicely.

  76. 76.

    Anne Laurie

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Isn’t putineska red sauce with sliced olives in it?

    Whore’s ‘leftism’! — encourage the peasants to get themselves killed for The Revolution, while you squat safely behind your keyboard in a nicely-appointed redoubt within easy walking distance of at least three upscale coffee houses and a revolutionary bookstore…

    (For the easily outraged: puttanesca — whore’s sauce — which I was told by my Italian-American classmates back in the 1960s was called that because it didn’t require long simmering or extensive preparation; a lazy home cook could spend her time otherwise all afternoon, and still have something tasty available when her husband came home after work.)

  77. 77.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @Brachiator: Hidden Figures was great, as was Loving, but Moonlight was a GD masterpiece! It should clean up in a just world.

    And screw that mediocre-ass La La Land. I love jazz and musicals but that flick did nothing for me.

  78. 78.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @J R in WV: Definitely try to see Moonlight on a bigger screen. It’s visually stunning and the score was incredibly moving. To say nothing of the amazing performances and story.

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