Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

This really is a full service blog.

In after Baud. Damn.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

We will not go back.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

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

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

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

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

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

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Reader Interactions

131Comments

  6. 6.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    I’m going to do up a batch of popcorn and get some decent beer for the denouement.

  9. 9.

    Corner Stone

    How many damn chairs do you need? It sounds to me like you are setting yourself up for a late night fall after Steve “accidentally” rearranges a chair or two from where they should be.

  13. 13.

    Keith P.

    All I have to do is pick up chairs and a coat rack.
    I can do this.

    At the same time? As long as you’re not trying to balance the chairs on top of the coat rack, you’re probably OK. Otherwise, just stay focused and believe in yourself.

  17. 17.

    greennotGreen

    OTOH, we could try to prevent disaster and alert Highway Patrol to be on the lookout for a Subaru with chairs strapped to the roof – maybe in a field?

  25. 25.

    humboldtblue

    Guarantee you he either hurts his ankle, a bird shits on him as he’s carrying the chairs to the car or a tree branch falls across the road on the way home and he gets stuck helping out the old lady in the car in front for two hours.

  26. 26.

    Ripley (Whiskey Fire version)

    No one goes out for two things and comes back with only two things. Not in ‘Merica.

    May I vent? I’m going to vent. I’ve been working at a dream job for the past ~1.5 years. I have a coworker who is one of those people who just insists upon herself. She’s not all that bright, and her alleged technical acumen is fairly suspect most of the time, but she just won’t stop the damned Mary Beth* show. Yesterday, our team leader announced that she’s leaving after 8+ years at this organization, and I’m pretty god damned sure it’s because of the Mary Beth* show.

    I’m pissed because I’m losing a colleague, I’m losing a buffer between Mary Beth* and myself, and the org is losing a highly dedicated, super motivated employee. I mean absolutely, stayed up until 4:30AM drinking and cursing to myself, pissed off. I want to beg my team leader to change her mind and stay because we need her 100 times more than we need the blissfully unaware ignorance and arrogance of my coworker. And no one appreciates the Mary Beth* show – not one person in the dept. Seriously, if I tried to describe how she co-works, you’d think I was making it up.

    I’m also feeling guilty – was I part of the team leader’s decision to leave? I can be a handful to work with, but I’m hoping it wasn’t my attitude/behavior that pushed her to walk away from a great job. I’m so mentally dragged out right now, I don’t feel like I can even make a mature, comment or decision about any of this. First world problems…

  27. 27.

    max

    I can do this.

    Remember – don’t pull your chute until 10 seconds after you’ve jumped, and try to keep quiet on the ground until you’ve hooked up with your stick! They’ll be lots of American paratroopers running around down there, and you don’t want to be shooting at each other instead of Germans.

    Good luck!

    max
    [‘Hope you brought your nylons and candy bars!’]

  28. 28.

    CarolDuhart2

    Could there be a surprise trip to Niagara Falls here? IHave you met her family yet, and are they nice people? Hopefully there are no Trumpers to deal with, if so, , Mazel Tov. If it’s really chairs? You can really never have too many if you have guests. It never fails that the good one breaks…

  32. 32.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @low-tech cyclist: Thank you. Top story I knew about from yesterday, of course, but still, the LGM take on it warmed the cockles of my heart.

    As for the Gorka story below, yup, that too, even though I knew about it as well. Our own Adam “Best friend of Sarah” Silverman knows about it as well.

  33. 33.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): Ripley, sorry to hear about this. My question is why isn’t Mary Beth* getting the heave ho? She seems to be the constant in the misery equation here. Oh, no, let me guess: insulated via blood relation or sexual liaison from consequences?

  37. 37.

    CaseyL

    Be careful out there! Coat racks are treacherous beasts, all those hooks just looking for something to snare. I can just see you sailing down the highway with the rack on the roof amassing a fine collection of birds, stray plastic bags, and a coat that flew out of someone’s open car window.

    Is anyone going with you??

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @CarolDuhart2:

    The ladyfriend commented on one of the threads last night, and provided a link to her Twitter feed. She seems Balloon-Juice nice, meaning that she’s willing to post profanity-laced rants against Trump and say “bite me” to John Cole. She’ll fit right in.

  39. 39.

    Feathers

    @Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): There was an article in the Harvard Business Review a few years back about how much toxic low level employees can cost a company, through lowered employee satisfaction, reduced productivity and increased turnover.

    At one former workplace of the nasty variety we used to have a running joke about what animal(s) certain employees had photos of our boss enjoying carnal knowledge of. It was useful, because you could just mutter “goat,” and the people in on the joke would nod knowingly.

  40. 40.

    different-church-lady

    @Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): a) most likely neither you nor Mary Beth were responible for team leader’s decision.

    B) odds are overwheming everyone else has the same problem with Mary Beth.

    C) if you can, ask team leader for advice about mary beth before she/he leaves. Perhaps team leader knows someone else in the org the team can talk to

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    Also, too, I did not go on a hike with my work friends this morning, because I only got 5 hours of sleep by the time my alarm went off, and my asthma was acting up, too. Instead, I’m going to take a really long (6 mile or so) walk on level ground, stopping off at the post office, Panera Bread, and possibly the used bookstore.

  45. 45.

    Gravenstone

    Did you ever find out why the majority of your spark plugs went tits up all together? Because if you haven’t, another road trip would not be high on my to do list until the cause is identified and a repeat occurrence prevented.

  52. 52.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @lgerard:

    I hate him too much to laugh. Just want the smug chunk o’ poo to expire in a fitting fashion.

  54. 54.

    ruemara

    Writing up my End of Life/Pallitive care directives and finalizing my power of attorney paperwork. Surgery on Monday! And so over the DNC chair race. It’s Bernie versus Hillary lite, as if we didn’t just lose the presidency, the Senate, the House and are barely hanging onto enough governorships to prevent a constitutional convention. Nuts

  55. 55.

    LurkerNoLonger

    OT: Senator Dick Durbin just came into the store where I work. I’m in Upstate New York, he’s a long way from Illinois. I wonder what he’s doing here? Anyway, it was cool to see a politician in the wild.

  60. 60.

    Another Scott

    @ruemara: Best of luck!

    It’s good to have those things prepared, but here’s hoping you don’t need them any time soon!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who also can’t wait for the DNC Chair election to be over, but it has kept the Party in the news off and on, so there’s that…)

  61. 61.

    Ruckus

    @mouse tolliver:
    It’s kind of right in the name, in the suffix at the end, Jr.
    The real problem is that Ali was a man who stood up for his principals, was willing to lose everything for them, something no republican understands at all, the only thing they stand up for is a paycheck under the table.

  64. 64.

    ? Martin

    Heh. HRC is running ads on Grindr around the CPAC conference saying “You can’t be with us in the bedroom and against us in the CPAC ballroom.” They wouldn’t be running the ads if they didn’t know there was an audience for them.

  67. 67.

    Another Scott

    @Mnemosyne: I’ve checked her Etsy store multiple times, but none are listed there (it doesn’t look like her Etsy store has been updated since she sold out of her initial batch).

    :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  70. 70.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    @Tenar Arha: Thanks for the link! I took the survey. I made hats for myself and several friends for the San Francisco march.

    Also, I never got around to saying it here, but I make fleece (sewn, not knitted) pu55yhats and would be happy to send one to anyone who asks.

    ETA: I don’t have an Etsy shop and I’m reluctant to put even disguised email info online – perhaps a frontpager could serve as go-between? Anyway, I’ll check this thread for a bit and take suggestions on how people can reach me if they want hats.

  72. 72.

    chopper

    @CaseyL:

    we’re talking about a guy who can’t eat corn without breaking his jaw. he doesn’t need a person, he needs a whole medivac team.

  76. 76.

    different-church-lady

    All I have to do is pick up chairs and a coat rack.

    Bend at the knees, not the back.

  77. 77.

    different-church-lady

    @Ruckus:

    …Ali was a man who stood up for his principals, was willing to lose everything for them, something no republican understands…

    He also knew how to take a punch — something else no republican understands.

  78. 78.

    Chet Murthy

    OT comment-bleg (for the CA voters out there)?

    I’m not a fool who thinks we need to primary Heitkamp & Manchin. But I do think that Dems in safe seats who aren’t 100% with the party, need to fear for their political careers. And as I look around, I see that Feinstein’s “trumpscore” is much, much worse than predicted (from her electoral margin). That is, if we predict what level of agreement with trump somebody in her job (CA-Sen) ought to have, and compare it with what she actually does, she’s much worse. Like: the worst of the Dems.

    Then ISTR that she’s been a bit of a squish for years. But I was never paying attention to that sort of politics before (I was always thinking about “gotta vote those damn Rs out”). I am now, and I think that part of pulling the party to the left, is pulling Dems in safe seats to the left.

    Is Feinstein a Dem we ought to be primarying? Does anybody know where I could read about her record with a critical eye to this subject? Or even a well-written overview of her recent career in the Senate? I’m saying I’m convinced that she should be primaried. But I’m open to the idea, let’s say.

  79. 79.

    mai naem mobile

    @humboldtblue: you forgot the flea bitten ticked on dog with a gimpy leg that smells of racoon shit that he finds shivering and hiding under the tree branches that he absolutely has to bring home.

  81. 81.

    mai naem mobile

    @? Martin: are you for real? Shit, Hilz has bigger balls than I thought and it’s not like I didn’t think she had balls or something .

  83. 83.

    Chet Murthy

    @mai naem mobile: [I might have told this joke before]

    [from 1993]
    Q: what’s the difference between Bill Clinton and GHWB?
    A: GHWB didn’t marry Hillary Clinton.

    Even back then, it was clear that Hillary was the smart one, the one with fire and ambition and drive.

  84. 84.

    MomSense

    Holy shit the knitters are fired up, sharpening their needles against 45. Just splurged and bought some handspun cashmere from a woman owned cooperative in Afghanistan. Need to take a nap before we all start drinking while stitching and bitching.

    Oh and a bunch of us are sharing info on how to protect people from ICE. Never piss of middle aged women who play with sharp sticks.

  85. 85.

    Ruckus

    @Chet Murthy:
    Feinstein is a Dem. But she is also 8000 yrs old and her huby has made a small pile, in with government contracts. If it hadn’t been for the twits running against her the last two times, she should have been primaried. She needs to be gone but we haven’t had anyone to run against her and able to sort of insure a win in the jungle primary. BTW, she isn’t the worst dem senator that we’ve ever seen, not by a long shot. She’s far from the best though.

  87. 87.

    humboldtblue

    @Chet Murthy:

    Is Feinstein a Dem we ought to be primarying?

    Yes, but it will prove fruitless. I was hoping she would do the right thing and not run but she’s got huge seniority in the Senate and I don’t think Dems want to give that up yet.

    @mai naem mobile:

    Yup

  88. 88.

    ? Martin

    @Chet Murthy: I don’t think Feinstein should be primaried. The Trumpscore was mainly generated around cabinet votes, which she’s had more of due to her committee assignments (which are plum as shit, btw – and CA losing those would be a big loss). Keep in mind that the early Dem strategy was to not filibuster every single thing – to try and establish that Dems were reasonable and bipartisan where it made sense, and so on. They thought that by showing support for qualified candidates like Kelly and Chao that it would help them peel off Trump independents. Feinstein being a committee minority chair was expected to lead that strategy which she did. However, that strategy didn’t survive McConnell’s procedural tactics, and Schumer signaled that they were going to change approach so they switched to a much more solid no vote across the board. Her Trumpscore reflects a lot of those early votes.

    Give it some time and see where things go. Feinstein will likely turn out to be incredibly important in the next year. We have her as ranking member of Judiciary and she and Harris are on Intelligence. She’s also on Immigration subcommittee and on appropriations. Harris is also on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Budget.

    We are really, really well situated right now.

  91. 91.

    Another Scott

    ObOpenThread?

    One for raven: Mark K. Updegrove at the NY Times – Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam:

    On the morning of May 27, 1964, a little more than two months before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution sailed through the House and Senate, allowing the White House the military authority to do what was needed in Southeast Asia, President Lyndon B. Johnson made two phone calls.

    The first, which phone logs show he made at 10:55, was with Senator Richard B. Russell, the Georgia Democrat who headed the Armed Services Committee. “What do you think about this Vietnam thing?” Johnson asked the senator, a longtime friend and mentor. “I’d like to hear you talk a little.”

    “Frankly, Mr. President,” Russell replied, “if you were to tell me that I was authorized to settle it as I saw fit, I would respectfully decline to undertake it. It’s the damned worst mess I ever saw.”

    […]

    What’s that old saying? Oh yeah…

    “Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” – H.L. Mencken.

    You know who else thinks there’s no such thing as a complex problem that can’t be solved simply?

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  92. 92.

    sharl

    OT, but a tornado spotted in La Plata, MD at 3:03 ET, headed northeast at 50mph. Be careful my fellow Terps.

    In the general DC area we’re under a severe weather warning until 8pm. Make the usual preparations, etc.

  94. 94.

    ? Martin

    @humboldtblue: What matters is that California have influence where it matters to us. VA is an important committee, but it’s not like California has unique needs in that area. We can trust any Democrat from any state to do well by us.

    Judiciary and Homeland Security both cover immigration, and having two senators there is really good for us. Ranking on judiciary means that we’ll have some influence on supreme court fights, which is good for a strongly pro-choice state. Having one on climate change and infrastructure is really good for us. Budget and appropriations are good for the largest state recipient of federal dollars. Intelligence isn’t particularly critical to California, but it’s going to be in the spotlight because of Trump dicking around with Russians. That puts our two senators in the spotlight, which is awesome if you want one of them to be president in 2020.

  95. 95.

    NotMax

    Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unlearned.
    He may ride forever on the streets of Pittsburgh. He’s the man who never returned.

  96. 96.

    trollhattan

    @Chet Murthy:
    Not, you don’t primary Feinstein, at least not unless you are assured of locking up the second slot in the top-two for the general, under the current system. Otherwise it’s a dangerous gambit with zero payoff.

    DiFi is playing it close WRT running, my hope is she’s retiring.

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    @MomSense:

    I need to sit down and start my summer-weight protest hat knitting, but my neck/shoulder issue that makes knitting painful has been acting up again. ? I have a big box of cotton-blend yarn from KnitPicks just waiting to be turned into hats.

  99. 99.

    MomSense

    @Mnemosyne:

    Sorry about the shoulder. My wrist was acting up so I had to slow down for a couple days. Did you see the lace/ribbing pattern I linked to the other day? I think you could knit it in the round for the whole hat and then do a three needle bind off at the end. The lace looks a bit like cats, too which is kind of fun.

  103. 103.

    ? Martin

    @trollhattan: The challenge here is the timing with both the Senate and Governor races up for grabs. I’d feel better if we weren’t splitting our bench between them. Putting up 4 really solid Dems concerns me.

  105. 105.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Yutsano: I’m not upset at all. I wouldn’t be upset with Ellison, or that dark horse guy from Indiana who sounds like a guy to watch in the future.

    The intense desire for a fucking horse race anywhere at anytime for something that has the potential to profoundly affect the lives of hundreds of millions, unlike an actual horse race, is what disturbs me.

  106. 106.

    Mnemosyne

    @MomSense:

    I don’t think I saw that — do you still have the link? My other pink hats were knitted in the round with a 3-needle BO and they formed quite nice ears when on.

    I was leaning towards knitting flat, using a simple mesh lace pattern, and seaming up the sides for a little more structure. I have bulky, worsted/heavy worsted, and sport weights, so lots of options!

  113. 113.

    Mnemosyne

    @? Martin:

    I would LOVE for my former rep Adam Schiff to run for Senator. He would be a solidly liberal choice, with a lot of foreign policy experience.

    But the purity ponies would hate him because he’s tied in with Big Entertainment and is on the wrong side of the copyright argument.

  115. 115.

    hovercraft

    @Yutsano:
    Perez immediately nominated him as deputy chair, and he was voted in, so maybe that’s enough a bone for the sane ones. As too the rest, so long as we don’t jump when they tell us to, they will wail.

  121. 121.

    japa21

    @humboldtblue: Chicago mix is really good s long as the popcorn is done right. Some people put too much caramel on and the cheese ones are overly dusted. But when done right, and Trader Joe’s is one of the few done right, it is fantastic.

  122. 122.

    efgoldman

    @Yutsano:

    Perez in as DNC chair.

    Cue Wilmerbots whining and threatening to leave the party in 3… 2…
    [As a practical matter, I didn’t and don’t think it makes any damned difference]

  123. 123.

    humboldtblue

    @Mnemosyne:

    @japa21:

    Huh, I can see the sharp and the sweet being good, does sound odd, though.

    Now why am I so enamored with the packaging? (I am easily entertained)

  124. 124.

    glaukopis

    @MomSense: I like the lace rib. I too have shoulder and neck issues of late but do have an available pussyhat. Anne Laurie has forwarded requests to me before, so if anyone wants it you can try through her.

  126. 126.

    Francis

    @Chet Murthy: DiFi is immensely powerful, wealthy, popular and connected. Launching a successful primary challenge from her left would require a truly extraordinary candidate, whose efforts are probably better spent elsewhere.

    In all seriousness, who do you think could beat her, or even launch a serious challenge, in a primary?

  127. 127.

    ? Martin

    From the ‘no shit, sherlock’ files:

    A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that the legalization of same-sex marriage is associated with a reduction in the proportion of high school students who reported making a suicide attempt. This study indicates that governmental policies regarding non-normative sexuality may have an influence on mental health outcomes for adolescents.

  129. 129.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @glaukopis:

    As a recipient of one of your delightful pink pussyhats, I can attest to your workmanship. Mine fits beautifully and is so cute with the little ears. Can’t wait to wear it at an upcoming march, protest, or rally!

  131. 131.

    No One You Know

    @Sarah, Proud and Tall: Henry V, by way of the Bard, would disagree. He didn’t just go up to the breach, amirite? Once more into the breach, dear friends, and every man wearing a leek is a good friend o’ mine.

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