Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

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

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

In my day, never was longer.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The revolution will be supervised.

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

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

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

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

Their freedom requires your slavery.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Let’s finish the job.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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Reader Interactions

121Comments

  2. 2.

    tom

    Trump will send a certified letter to Sen. Graham stating he has no Russian financial ties. So that should clear that up.

  4. 4.

    Sab

    Another ground cat! My sister had one that spent most of her life living in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. I hope yours are more adventurous.

  9. 9.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    I had a tortoise Persian once (until my ex accidentally backed over her). Sweet and lovely (the cat).

  10. 10.

    Patricia Kayden

    @tom: Naw. We want an independent investigator. Trump certifying something to be true means that it’s a lie from the pits of hell. Believe me!

  20. 20.

    raven

    @JPL: I dunno,

    Former president Jimmy Carter, while gushing about Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, candidly told a crowd on Monday he voted for the independent senator over Democrat Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic primary.

    Sanders and Carter shared the stage at the Carter Center in Atlanta for a conversation on human rights. There, Sanders spoke with his campaign-style vigor on a range of issues, from American values, the need to “revitalize American democracy” and boost voter turnout.

  23. 23.

    Elizabelle

    @JPL: Jimmy Carter voted for Hillary in the general, although it is a private ballot.

  25. 25.

    satby

    Had an unplanned day off because we had almost no appointments this afternoon at the Drs. office (I go in at 1-7pm). I used my time wisely and finally unearthed the box that had most of my missing kitchen gadgets.
    Felt like early Christmas!

  30. 30.

    TenguPhule

    @Elizabelle:

    No reason we can’t discuss child prostitution and smallpox in this thread.

    Other then good taste?

    /Cue the mockery

  34. 34.

    Sab

    @Major Major Major Major: We have four cats and my dad has one. His cat and one of mine hate to climb anything. They wander around on the ground, poking into cupboards and closets. The other guys climb everything, curtains, counters, halltrees, etc. So we divide the world into ground cats and climbers. I think think on a venn diagram the ground cats are sort of Persians and the climbers are orientals.

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    @Elizabelle:

    And scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    I miss boring times with a competent government.

  39. 39.

    bystander

    Carter notoriously did not get on with the Clintons. Come to think of it, Carter isn’t too friendly with any of the other POTUSs, is he?

  43. 43.

    Sab

    @Denali: Not disappointed when he was out travelling around with James Baker in favor of voter ID laws, oblivious to the fact that that was a cornerstone of voter suppression?

  45. 45.

    hovercraft

    @raven:
    Carter never liked the Clinton’s and he was only so so on Obama, so I’m not surprised.

  47. 47.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Shell: a large purse. She’s a bit wee. Especially compared to my other, Iynx. She’s about 2.5x the weight and longer, taller, thicker, bigger head and sturdy chest. I’ll post her another time soon. They are both glorious girls and so interesting and challenging. They truly make life rich. And yes, the wife and I do prefer their company to most people!

  48. 48.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list? I mean it would make sense, up tell now no one’s challenged their thinking and now they are finding out with the hearth care thing the American public loathes their ideas, so obvious to them it’s the American public who is wrong since the idiology is beyond question, but it’s a really bizarre line of thinking for a politician.

  49. 49.

    sigaba

    @raven: I suspect Jimmy didn’t stay home during the general because notadimesworthofdifferenceamirite.

  50. 50.

    TenguPhule

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list?

    Its not your imagination. The House at least has all but slapped up a list written in blood on the doors outside of the chamber.

    And of course, that leads to the uncomfortable question of, “Why do they seem to think they’re gonna get away with this?”

  51. 51.

    Alain the site fixer

    @hovercraft: she just loves to chew and scratch and chew…on us, especially me and my hands. Scars you can’t believe. But I keep putting my hand in danger’s path because squee, but also I love her and she needs that. I try to not let it get out of hand but I often have a few blood spots. She is my faithful office girl, in my home office. For that I am truly grateful, except for the epidermis damage. ?

  54. 54.

    hovercraft

    @Elizabelle:

    And scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    Hey who knows what exciting new adventures await us with the warmer planet, maybe the ““Sweating Sickness” can come back so that scientists can finally figure out what the hell it was, talk about survival of the fittest, that’ll take care of over population!
    See they really do want to help scientists, they want to challenge them to innovate and find new cures, they may not give them the money to do so, but hey lets see how resourceful they can be.

  57. 57.

    TenguPhule

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Wait, why are we mad at Carter for a primary vote?

    Because Wilmer is now Satan? Or something. I can’t really figure out the new purity line anymore.

    Can’t we all just focus on the real enemy and get back to the circular firing squads later?

  59. 59.

    hovercraft

    @Major Major Major Major:
    I’m not mad, or surprised. That’s what primaries are for to vote for your first choice, the general is for the survival of the planet. That’s where the purists go wrong.

  60. 60.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @TenguPhule:

    Its not your imagination. The House at least has all but slapped up a list written in blood on the doors outside of the chamber.

    Ok, so I am not nutters. I am wondering if the result of all these town halls were the plebs dare question the wisdom of their betters had resulted in the GOP going kamakize out of the shere rage of finding out they were wrong.

  62. 62.

    jacy

    @A Ghost to Most:

    I’ve been suffering from insomnia, and so everything is a bit blurry and confusing, so for a moment I was trying to figure out how voting for Bernie caused an anthrax outbreak in reindeer. Because, currently, everything seems possible.

  63. 63.

    TenguPhule

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I am wondering if the result of all these town halls were the plebs dare question the wisdom of their betters had resulted in the GOP going kamakize.

    The GOP have decided the solution to town halls going off the rails is to stop having town halls.

    Really not liking the vibes of how they seem to expect to stay in power while ignoring the people who will presumably vote next year. Its the kind of thing you expect from banana republics and places where voting is just a formality.

  64. 64.

    TenguPhule

    @jacy:

    so for a moment I was trying to figure out how voting for Bernie caused an anthrax outbreak in reindeer. Because, currently, everything seems possible.

    Of all the universes we could have gotten, we ended up in the worst possible one.

  65. 65.

    Mike J

    Trey Yingst‏ Verified account @TreyYingst 2m2 minutes ago
    BREAKING: President Trump has dismissed FBI Director James Comey, Press Secretary Spicer tells me

  66. 66.

    jl

    @TenguPhule: I really don’t understand the feud at all.
    If the Democratic Party cannot move beyond the 2016 choice between the Clinton platform and Sanders platform, and Clinton/Sanders feud, we will be in very big trouble. Now people are tracing people’s bloodlines to see if there is any taint of treachery.

    By 2020 I hope we can have some new candidates who can both win and effectively govern, not Clinton and not Sanders, and not Clinton and not Sanders mini-me’s and stand-ins. My problem with Clinton was that she is not a very good electoral politician and I thought she would manage to squeak out a loss, which she did. My fear about Sanders was that if he did win, he would not be able to deliver on his promises and would produce a frustrating administration. But both would be far superior to the dangerous clown we have now.

  69. 69.

    Raoul

    @Mike J: Just seeing this. WHoo boy.

    I really don’t even know what this means, except for the general sense of Shitshow, episode 109.

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mike J: Huh. I can imagine this going many different ways from here, few of them good.

    ETA: I wonder if Trump made the call himself. They say he actually hates firing people in real life, as opposed to on an ‘unscripted’ TeeVee show

  76. 76.

    Keith P.

    @raven: I didn’t even know the president was able to fire the head of the FBI. I thought it was appointed.

  79. 79.

    randy khan

    @PsiFighter37:

    I just saw it myself. Wow.

    The local news radio station is reporting that Trump informed him of the firing, which is interesting in and of itself. I guess maybe they thought it would look strange for Sessions to do it.

  82. 82.

    jacy

    @raven:

    So who will be the new head of the FBI? Dick Cheney? Hitler’s reanimated corpse? Satan is too smart to get anywhere near the Trump admin.

  83. 83.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    @Patricia Kayden: This isn’t a shock, but it’s still worrying. The next FBI head is gonna suck worse than Comey.

  85. 85.

    jl

    Yeah, I saw Comey firing as breaking news several places.

    And Spicer is saying unusually nutty and disturbing stuff:

    Spicer: WH Slow To Act On Yates’ Warning Because She Was ‘Political Opponent’
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-delayed-action-on-yates-flynn-warning-because-she-was-political-opponent

    So, we inch closer to open lawlessness in executive and legal and constitutional crisis.
    Shit show gets deeper and stinkier.

    Worst case is that Trump was involved in dirty Russian money himself and desperate to cover it up. Or that Comey was close to getting the goods on so many of Trump’s flunkies, it would bring down the administration.

  89. 89.

    Raoul

    @raven: Huge difference between voting for Bernie in the primary and voting for ??? in the general election. I would certainly hope and expect that Carter voted HRC in the general. That Carter preferred further left (or whatever Bernie is) in the first round is part of normal party positioning and deciding who a party is.

    So, not really a big deal to me, I don’t think.

  90. 90.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    I also heard Dolt 45 hired a lawyer. Maybe the noose is closing in? Any investigation by FBI looks dead now.

  97. 97.

    Mike J

    Trump’s letter to Comey firing him says,

    “while I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”

  100. 100.

    mai naem mobile

    Comey got canned. Shit,I want this guy to testify again. Whatever fucking committee…. House, Senate..
    I don’t care.

  101. 101.

    jacy

    Guy on CNN just mentioned that Comey is 6’8″ tall. Is this true? It strikes me as both factually bizarre, and a bizarre thing to report. I feel like I need to start drinking more.

  103. 103.

    Keith P.

    Damn, the wording of Trump’s letter to Comey looks sketchy as hell:

    While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the DOJ that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.

  104. 104.

    HRA

    Trump was feeling the heat of the Russian investigation. He is even questioning Senator Graham about it now.

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mike J: that’s probably the longest paragraph Trump ever read. I’m sure he read it aloud, with Ivanka and Jared sitting next to him, to make sure it said everything he wanted it to say.

  109. 109.

    Raoul

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list?

    Oh, I think you’re correct. Just saw that Hatch is saying they won’t do the Senate AHCA version in open markup. Here at home, the MN GOP signed off on their conference committee reports very abruptly at 10:15 last night (ie: too late for the 10pm news, even a live cutaway is damn unlikely then). And had ‘hearings’ at 8:30 this morning and floor debate at 10am.

    A state that (up to now) set a pretty good bar for transparency and good governance, going with the Paul Ryan slam-n-jam shitshow. Fortunately our Governor has a spine and isn’t down with that timeline.

    But, yes, the GOP has realized that they are cockroaches, and have to legislate like cockroaches. Filthy rich cockroaches, of course…

  110. 110.

    Raoul

    @Elizabelle:

    scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    It seems like the earth’s checks and balances may work in ways our idiot politicians and greedy businesses have failed to appreciate.

  111. 111.

    mai naem mobile

    The Dems should get a couple of Republicans to come along and suggest Patrick Fitzgerald. The guy is clean as clean can be. He went after mostly Dems in Chicago. Nothing for Dolt to criticize.

  112. 112.

    Mel

    @Sab</
    A friend took her two elementary school aged sons to a rural county animal shelter years ago, to adopt a family cat, hoping to keep one kitty from death row, since the shelter was notorious for euthanizing animals with even very minor health issues (awful, awful place).

    They found a vivacious calico, but the boys quickly noticed a terrified, emaciated kitty, missing half of one ear, cowering alone in a cage near the back of the kitty area. The boys asked a shelter worker about her, and were told that she had been removed from a home, along with 8 other critters, and that the owner had been cited for multiple counts of abuse and cruelty. The worker claimed that the cat was "completely unadoptable" because of her absolute terror of people, and that she was scheduled to be euthanized.

    My friend and her sons begged to adopt her along with the calico, and after much pleading, were able to convince the shelter staff to let kitty go home with them.

    For two years, terrified kitty lived under their living room sofa, coming out only under cover of darkness to use the box and eat, and only after everyone was asleep. The boys and my friend would quietly slip toys and treats under the sofa for her, and their terrific vet made housecalls for kitty's yearly checkups.

    One night, about two and a half years after Sofa Cat had arrived home with them, my friend awakened to find Sofa Cat sleeping on the edge of her pillow. She didn't move, didn't say a word for fear of startling kitty. About an hour later, she felt a paw tentatively reach out and touch her chin. After that, every night until that kitty passed away at age 13, she would come out after the lights went off, and snuggle in with my friend. It eventually got to the point where my friend could leave a very dim light on, and Sofa Kitty would play with a Da Bird toy, and even sit next to my friend or the boys and let the family gently pet her. Sofa Cat slept on my friend's pillow every night after that, purring them both to sleep and gently patting my friend's face every so often during the night.

    Sofa Cat never voluntarily showed herself in the light of day, though, and still lived under the sofa in daytime and whenever strangers arrived. One of the boys set up a camcorder to see if kitty came out during the day while the house was empty of people. Nope. Sofa Cat, all day long.

    Although their Calico kitty was much beloved, Sofa Cat held a special, special place in their hearts. She was especially precious to my friend, who had left an abusive marriage when her boys were tiny babies and started her life again from scratch, in order to give her boys and herself a chance at a happy, safe future. She used to say that SC was the bravest creature she ever met, and the finest cat she had ever known.

  113. 113.

    mai naem mobile

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: more like it was written for him. Maybe by Sessions,Jared or Reince. Maybe Spicey. I know I’m not supposed to feel sorry for him but I kind of feel sorry for Spicey. He’s got to be so stressed out
    I am surprised he’s not stroked out or had an MI. I would be nauseous all day with a job like that.

  115. 115.

    Elizabelle

    And the firing of James Comey blows sweet Echo off the top of the page.

    But Echo will be back.

  116. 116.

    A Ghost to Most

    @Mel: What a great story. The rescue cat we adopted in the wake of Tunch’s passing was also from a bad situation, and took a while to come around. Freaked out the first time I set her in the grass.

  117. 117.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Elizabelle: yeah, she’s like that. Her name is a whole ‘nother story, as they say. Nothing to do with sound and everything to do with being a mountain nymph.

  118. 118.

    Mel

    @hovercraft:
    I saw a couple of articles acfew years back, wherein some epidemiologists and a professor from Lancaster University (his theory was written ip in Discover magazine, if I remember correctly) postulated that the Sweating Sickness might have been Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, like what hit the Four Corners region here in the states heavily decades ago and periodically shows up in isolated cases.

    It seems to match pretty well: rapid onset, confusion, sweats, fever, extreme respiratory distress. Becomes airborne when the dried droppings of infected mice are disturbed by cleaning, by household activity, etc.

    So… health inspectors, decent public waste management, and public health monitoring and education (check out the CDC warning about hantavirus and cleaning out owl and raptor bird houses – it’ll give you nightmares!!) help keep it at bay, and all that is on the chopping block now.

    I shudder to think…

  119. 119.

    Elizabelle

    @Baud:

    Ha! If Comey hadn’t interfered, he’s still ha e a job.

    That is the sweet beauty of this.

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