Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

This fight is for everything.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

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

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Republicans in disarray!

đŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockin’ đŸŽ”

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

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

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

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

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

The willow is too close to the house.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Evening Open Thread: Gathering the Ghouls

Monday Evening Open Thread: Gathering the Ghouls

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They really don’t care. If they can’t be arsed to provide a halfway plausible cover story for whatever pile of manure they’ll present as a bill tomorrow, why should they worry about coming across as second-time-as-farce?

[9 July 2008] – The cancer-stricken Democratic senator Edward Kennedy made a dramatic return to Congress today, providing the boost needed to pass a bill securing healthcare coverage for senior citizens.

Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in May after suffering a seizure at his home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The youngest brother of John and Robert F Kennedy, a revered figure in US politics, was not expected to return to Washington until September.

But Kennedy made an unexpected appearance on Capitol Hill as Democrats prepared to vote on a plan that shores up Medicare, the country’s government-run programme for senior citizens’ healthcare…

Apart from [facepalm]-ing, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
.
***********

Reader Interactions

304Comments

  1. 1.

    CarolDuhart2

    I kind a think that Kennedy was closer and not just coming out of surgery. Maybe he even had a house in town.

  2. 2.

    Patricia Kayden

    @CarolDuhart2: And he was voting for a bill which provided heathcare to millions versus the monstrosity that Republicans are voting on tomorrow.

  4. 4.

    lamh36

    Don’t ya think if McCain had spoken to Coryn and said he’s a NO vote, then Coryn and McConnell wouldn’t tell folks that they talked to McCain about coming in.

  7. 7.

    eemom

    Look, if McCain had died in this last week, they would have kept the fact secret, paid an embalmer whatever it cost to make him look alive, and wheeled him in to cast his “vote.”

    Does anybody think they wouldn’t, if they could get away with it?

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    @SiubhanDuinne: No. But Nancy Pelosi once said something that, when taken out of context, might possibly be construed as being similar, so really both sides do it.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    If it’s going to pass anyway, I hope McCain gets to vote for it. He’s still overly respected in circles he shouldn’t be respected in.

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    @eemom:

    Look, if McCain had died in this last week, they would have kept the fact secret, paid an embalmer whatever it cost to make him look alive, and wheeled him in to cast his “vote.”

    Truth be told, are we really sure they haven’t already done that?

  14. 14.

    efgoldman

    Speaking of old men and medical care…..
    i started dialysis training on Thursday. but my nephrologist said: no way you’re going home for the weekend. So while my daughter and granddaughter were in town, and she hosted the annual BBQ and party at our house on Saturday, I was in the kidney unit having round the clock dialysis..
    Whoever invented the hospital bed ought to be made to stay in one for 3-4 days. I came home today more disabled and crippled than when I went in.

  15. 15.

    TenguPhule

    If you’re a person who believes in the power of prayer, now is the time to pray for at least two Republicans in the Senate to drop dead of natural causes.

  17. 17.

    TenguPhule

    @dmsilev:

    Truth be told, are we really sure they haven’t already done that?

    We’re still able to detect zombies.

    I think.

  18. 18.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yarrow:

    McCain wouldn’t be a no vote.

    Let’s be honest, since we are not Repubs: If McCain tried to vote no at this point, McConnell would claim that the brain tumor had left him non compos mentis and therefore McCain’s vote should be discarded.

  19. 19.

    Face

    I was unaware, up to this point, that the Senate could schedule a vote but not tell anyone what they’re voting on. Seems a bit……undemocratic. How many minutes (seconds?) before the actual vote must they announce it?

    And that this is not leading to every news station just screaming “bullshit!” tells you how “normalized” this insanity has become.

  20. 20.

    TenguPhule

    @efgoldman:

    Whoever invented the hospital bed ought to be made to stay in one for 3-4 days. I came home today more disabled and crippled than when I went in.

    Look on the bright side, you could be John McCain instead.

  21. 21.

    Yarrow

    Maybe there is a God and another Republican Senator, a confirmed Yes vote, will be rendered unable to vote tomorrow.

    Or perhaps some very juicy dirt on McConnell will drop. That would be fun.

  23. 23.

    JPL

    Trump’s speech tonight to scouts scared me because they cheered him when he went off script. Maybe the kids aren’t all right. If you have any connection to scouts, call tomorrow.

  24. 24.

    Ithink

    @efgoldman:
    Oh man, I had no idea you needed or were now having dialysis! Blessing and salutations to you in having that treated. My maternal grandfather has been getting it for the past 7 years or so and yeah, its hell to deal with; But at least he’s over having kidney cancer that claimed one of the two of them…

  25. 25.

    Anne Laurie

    @efgoldman: Glad to hear you’re home now, at least!

    (I’m convinced hospital beds — like hospital food — are designed to make patients feel that, no matter how uncomfortable they may be when they’re released, it’s still less misery-inducing than being there.)

  26. 26.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Notes from post-Norman Rockwell America: A guy at the citizenship party here just told the story of how he discovered his younger brother was gay. The guy logged onto Grindr, and it showed that the nearest gay guy was 25 feet away—and the profile picture was his brother. Hilarity ensued.

  28. 28.

    Yarrow

    @efgoldman: I’ve been wondering where you were. Sorry to hear about your weekend. I hope the dialysis worked and you start feeling better soon. Being in the hospital is exhausting and you’re supposed to be healing. Glad you’re home where you can get some rest.

  33. 33.

    lamh36

    FRFR though ya’ll…I”m really upset for any kids of color who may have been at that Boy Scouts jamboree and had to listen to that Cheeots bullshit…

    As an adult person of color, you sadly have developed a thick skin, and learn to not show how uncomfortable you are, esp if ur “the only” in a group AND away from home…smh. Kids 11-17 don’t have that skin yet, and imagining them having to deal w/their troop mates after that…smh

  34. 34.

    TenguPhule

    This may be an insult to trainwrecks.

    Trump and his advisers are privately discussing the possibility of replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and some confidants are floating prospects who could take his place were he to resign or be fired, according to people familiar with the talks.

    Members of Trump’s circle, including White House officials, have increasingly raised the question among themselves in recent days as Trump has continued to vent his frustration with the attorney general, the people said.

    Replacing Sessions is seen by some Trump associates as potentially being part of a strategy to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and end his investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

    The Shadow of the Kremlin is looming over DC.

  36. 36.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    Ah, shit, efg, that just sucks. Did you at least get to see your daughter and granddaughter? Were they able to come by the hospital and distract you for a few hours?

  37. 37.

    Kathleen

    @efgoldman: I am so sorry you are going through this. Healing prayers and thoughts to you and your family. I imagine your wife and daughter are concerned for you.

  39. 39.

    Barbara

    @efgoldman: I hope you are feeling at least a little better now that you are home. Dialysis is hard and I will think good thoughts that over time it will help you feel better and improve your overall health.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Face:

    I was unaware, up to this point, that the Senate could schedule a vote but not tell anyone what they’re voting on. Seems a bit

undemocratic. How many minutes (seconds?) before the actual vote must they announce it?

    And that this is not leading to every news station just screaming “bullshit!” tells you how “normalized” this insanity has become.

    It is 100% totally crazy and bullshit and fucked up. And most certainly undemocratic. This is what I tried to convey, in somewhat more civilized language, when I left messages for Isakson and Perdue earlier today. I’ll call again tomorrow morning, just to reiterate the message — and maybe my tongue won’t be quite as bridled as it was this morning.

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @JPL: Dan Zak‏Verified account @ MrDanZak 2h2 hours ago
    Trump tells the Boy Scouts he’s going to kill Obamacare; Boy Scouts respond with chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

    What the fucking fuck?

  46. 46.

    Mnemosyne

    @efgoldman:

    Well, that sucks. But hopefully it means you’ll be around for much longer and will get to see your lovely granddaughter turn into a sullen teenager.

  49. 49.

    Skerry

    Not sure if anyone else has seen Trump’s vile “rally” to the Boy Scout Jamboree today, but no one can tell me that it is all about economics after watching it. Standing by for his announcement of Trump Youth organization.

  50. 50.

    mai naem mobile

    I think Mitch and Cornyn are going to have long painful deaths. Karma always gets you at the end.

  52. 52.

    efgoldman

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Did you get to see her, at least?

    Thursday night and Friday morning. Of course she’s wonderful. She’ll be four in three weeks or so. She told Grammy that she (Grammy) was ambivalent about Grandpa being in the hospital. Used correctly, in context. Of course, her Mom writes professionally for a living.

  57. 57.

    Felonius Monk

    @mai naem mobile:

    I think Mitch and Cornyn are going to have long painful deaths.

    At the very least, they should be subjected to space alien rectal probes with extreme prejudice.

  65. 65.

    Haroldo

    @efgoldman: Holy Moly. I had no idea this was coming your way. My father had in-home dialysis for the last, maybe 6 years of his life – my mom was his in-home care giver. I wish you temporary kidney troubles. Good luck and good health.

  67. 67.

    Barbara

    @Mnemosyne: They pulled out when the BSA dropped all limits on the participation of gay men as leaders. They had previously dropped limits on gay scouts.

  69. 69.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne: more so cause they want to brainwash their own teens…they don’t like the Boys Scouts decision to allow gay Scott masters

  74. 74.

    Roger Moore

    @Anne Laurie:

    I’m convinced hospital beds — like hospital food — are designed to make patients feel that, no matter how uncomfortable they may be when they’re released, it’s still less misery-inducing than being there.

    Hospital beds are designed by and for caregivers, not patients. I think the low value placed on patient comfort says a lot about the way our medical system thinks.

  75. 75.

    Mnemosyne

    @Barbara:

    According to the linked article, they had stayed until recently because BSA told them they could hire scoutmasters based on their own beliefs. This pull-out decision was just a couple of months ago.

  79. 79.

    Mnemosyne

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Boy Scouts, yes. The Girl Scouts are okay.

    And my advice for your 14/15 year old students is to find an experiment that lets them blow something up. They will love you forever.

  83. 83.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    Girl Scouts should invite Hillary to speak.

    And be rounded up as Handmaidens by the Gilead regime as punishment for consorting with “the unclean one”?

  84. 84.

    Tenar Arha

    @efgoldman: That sounds terribly uncomfortable just reading it. (As far as I can tell the beds are mostly designed to make it easier to move people around rather than for their comfort).

    ETA Forgot to add: Hope your back is recovering.

  88. 88.

    sukabi

    @dmsilev: well then someone is having a “weekend with Bernie” … News tonight had a photo of McCain “on a hike” with someone…he was actually sitting on a rock ankles deep in muddy water.

  89. 89.

    Barbara

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I never expect kids to know what to do in this situation. Chanting USA is probably about as neutral as you can get. But yes, I would be gritting my teeth as an adult. BSA should not subject kids to this but what the fucking fuck he is the president and it is shocking that it would be high risk to invite him to speak. He is mentally unbalanced.

  91. 91.

    TenguPhule

    Today’s Shaming of the USA: Panhandling teachers. Yes, teachers. You didn’t misread that.

    So when Danks’s husband joked over breakfast last Tuesday about how she could resort to begging — as she was venting her frustration over recent cuts to Oklahoma’s education budget — she didn’t immediately brush him off.

    “He’s like, ‘Well, I guess you could make a sign, hit the streets like a panhandler,’” Danks said. He then laughed it off; she didn’t. “I thought, you know, that might just generate a buzz on Facebook to help me get the supplies I need,” she told The Washington Post on Monday.

    Danks said she had never panhandled before and wanted to act quickly before she changed her mind. After picking up a poster board from a nearby QuikTrip, she laid it on the hood of her car outside and scrawled a message: “Teacher Needs School Supplies! Anything Helps. Thank You.” At the bottom, she added a smiley face.

    That she had to do this at all is a shameful indictment of her state.

  92. 92.

    lamh36

    Wow…so McCain will be back tomorrow for the vote…smh.

    If past is prologue, McCain will be a YES…

    SMH

  94. 94.

    Roger Moore

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Was the scouts always so wingnutty.

    No. They were co-opted by the wingnuts as part of the rise of the Religious Reich. As was pointed out above, they have made some small moves toward shaking of the most extreme parts of wingnutism, and the Reich is starting to have second thoughts about them as a result.

  95. 95.

    CaseyL

    @efgoldman: Add me to the long list of people who didn’t realize you needed dialysis, and are kind of stunned right now. And, “training”? What is that, so you can do it yourself at home? Best wishes for your health to improve!

  96. 96.

    dmsilev

    @schrodingers_cat:

    blowing up stuff in university classrooms would be problematic.

    Oh, pfft. Been there, done that, haven’t lost any body parts or injured any students.

  97. 97.

    lamh36

    Who here really believes McCain will be a “NO” vote…cause for all the talk of his maverickness…I don’t believe shit…

  101. 101.

    smintheus

    @TenguPhule: The best tactics would be for Trump to order Sessions to fire Mueller, then Trump could fire Sessions for politicizing the investigation by firing the special prosecutor. Then Trump could shut down the investigation because it had been politicized. Then Trump could pardon himself for ordering Sessions to politicize the investigation.

  104. 104.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @lamh36:
    Yup. Brainwashing kids instead of teaching them how to think and exterminating those who were disabled was just swell for him.

    “That Hitler had some good ideas” always raises alarms with me amd I try to kill it asap. The Nazis had no good ideas that others hadn’t already thought off that didn’t have the authoritarian baggage. Ex: autobahn

  107. 107.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Benjy Sarlin‏Verified account @ BenjySarlin 27m27 minutes ago
    There was a conservative freakout in Obama’s first year over a video message telling kids to study hard and be good

    I’d forgotten this. They all started screaming about indoctrination.

  108. 108.

    Barbara

    @schrodingers_cat: Well, they banned participation by gay men and boys, which shifted their support and funding in the direction of organizations that are not gay friendly. The have reversed these policies, so now many of the most conservative organizations are leaving scouts.

  109. 109.

    Trentrunner

    For everyone who was sucking on McCain’s dick after his cancer diagnosis, he’s flying back to DC tomorrow to take healthcare away from millions and fuck up the system for everyone else.

    How do you feel about him NOW?

  112. 112.

    TenguPhule

    @Trentrunner:

    For everyone who was sucking on McCain’s dick after his cancer diagnosis, he’s flying back to take healthcare away from millions and fuck up the system for everyone else.

    How do you feel about him NOW?

    Thread won.

  114. 114.

    frosty

    @TenguPhule: Every year our school districts put out a list of supplies for the parents to buy. A significant number of them were classroom supplies (paper towels, wipes) that the school should have provided. The only thing new in this story is begging from passersby instead of parents.

  115. 115.

    lamh36

    @Major Major Major Major:

    @owenrumney
    Replying to @Gus_802
    He wouldnt have to come to vote no. He could just say it from AZ.

    ETA: Like I said above, why even mention trying to get doctor’s ok for McCain to come to DC for the vote, unless they confirmed him for a YES vote…

  117. 117.

    Anne Laurie

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Was the scouts always so wingnutty.

    Let’s just say… between its founder Lord Baden-Powell, and its first Presidential booster Teddy Roosevelt, the Scouts have always been authoritarian-friendly!

    (P.S. I quite like Teddy Roosevelt, but this side idolatry, and that ‘strong man in the arena’ crap was not worthy of a would-be great man.)

  118. 118.

    smintheus

    @efgoldman: I’m sorry to hear that. At least the Bruins didn’t make any more dumb moves while you were being held incommunicado. I’m sure you’ll be relieved.

  119. 119.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Barbara:

    Real hilarity. This happened several years ago. Guy 1 is gay, so he was all “What’s your problem with coming out?” with his brother. It’s not like mom and dad would be traumatized when their second son came out.

    I think the brother was just young and nervous, but Guy 1 was like “But you’re on Grindr!”

  122. 122.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Trentrunner:

    For everyone who was sucking on McCain’s dick after his cancer diagnosis, he’s flying back to DC tomorrow to take healthcare away from millions and fuck up the system for everyone else.

    How do you feel about him NOW?

    Still like he and his family don’t deserve an agonizing death?

  123. 123.

    efgoldman

    @CaseyL:

    What is that, so you can do it yourself at home?

    Yes. They offer home dialysis as an alternative. A visiting nurse keeps track of supplies, they ship them directly to the house.
    Because we live in New England, we have to take seriously the possibility of undriveable weather for at least 3-4 months. Since the center does does not provide transportation, and going there three days a week puts you on a very rigid schedule and missing a day is a real hassle.

  124. 124.

    Ohio Mom

    I just did a quick google and see no legitimate source confirming McCain’s return to DC. Which never sounded realistic to me.

  127. 127.

    Yarrow

    @lamh36: It seems like a really stupid medical move to fly. Maybe his brain will explode on the flight. That sounds mean. Don’t really care.

  128. 128.

    JMG

    McCain’s arrival is the end game. At this time next week, something else (bet heavily on whatever hurts the most people) will be the health care law of the land.

  129. 129.

    Trentrunner

    @Ohio Mom: McCain’s office released a statement, he tweeted it; it’s official.

    And he wouldn’t be coming back to muck up the works. And he wouldn’t be coming back unless the GOP is very very very close to–or has–the votes.

  132. 132.

    smintheus

    @schrodingers_cat: In the early ’70s, my oldest brother’s Eagle badge was rejected by the national Scouts because he came from a family of atheists.

    I had briefly joined the Scouts and detested their fraudulence, and the Hitler Youth vibe.

  135. 135.

    sharl

    @Ohio Mom:
    From Reuters

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, who has been recuperating in Arizona after being diagnosed with brain cancer, will return to Washington for a vote on healthcare reform on Tuesday, his office said in a statement on Monday.

    “Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow to continue working on important legislation, including health care reform, the National Defense Authorization Act, and new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea,” the statement said.

    Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Writing by Eric Beech; editing by Diane Craft

  136. 136.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Trentrunner: And he wouldn’t be coming back unless the GOP is very very very close to–or has–the votes.

    I take it too mean Moore-Capito, Heller, Murkowski and Lee have flip-flopped into line, and Collins and Paul are holding out. Or McConnell is willing to roll the dice on those four coming around when the vote is actually on

  138. 138.

    JMG

    So what’s next? Will people be madder than ever when Trumpcare becomes law, or will they retreat into apathy? I sure don’t know.

  139. 139.

    smintheus

    @Yarrow: If he’s dumb enough and mean enough to fly back just to help yank away from millions of citizens the very same medical insurance that paid for his own brain surgery, then his brain deserves to explode.

  141. 141.

    TenguPhule

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Still like he and his family don’t deserve an agonizing death?

    How many Americans does McCain need to kill to change your mind?

    A million? Ten million? Thirty two million?

    At what point do you finally condemn him?

  142. 142.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Ohio Mom: Maybe it’s not “realistic”, but I can easily see McCain dragging his carcass out of a hospital bed to vote yes on that obscenity of a health care bill. It’s his last chance to fuck “that one”.

  143. 143.

    Anne Laurie

    @Barbara:

    Well, they banned participation by gay men and boys, which shifted their support and funding in the direction of organizations that are not gay friendly. The have reversed these policies, so now many of the most conservative organizations are leaving scouts.

    And IIRC, they ‘reversed those policies’ because it turned out that the Talibangelicals and their authoritarian kindred, while very good at complaining, did not come through with either money or useful volunteers. Unlike us crunchy-granola lie-brals, who chip in for the campsite rentals, and show up to drag a bunch of whiny reckless adolescents to spend time in the wilderness doing things other than checking their phones…

  144. 144.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Trentrunner: No one was saying that McCain was a great and good man. I think he is an asshole. Lots of people were saying what I did, that they wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone. You calling that “sucking on McCain’s dick” (aside from the homophobic/misogynistic vibe) is an asshole play.

  145. 145.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    He’s dying in less than 2 years, long enough to see the negative effects of this bill that no one really knows what’s in it. What does he have to gain from this?

  146. 146.

    eemom

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Wishing cancer on someone is not the same thing as not giving a shit when an evil scumbag of a human being who has dedicated his life to destroying millions of others gets it.

    Wishing cancer on someone is also not the same thing as being in a position to ensure that millions of others fucking die from it.

    So STFU.

  150. 150.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:
    If he votes to advance, he deserves a slow and painful death, sorry. He’s always been a phony fake. He’s dying. He has nothing to gain from this.

  154. 154.

    Roger Moore

    @Immanentize:

    It has to be diet Coke. I’m serious.

    Testing the reaction with different mints and different soft drinks sounds like an actual scientific experiment. Of course you’d need a reproducible way of putting the mints into the drink, and a large enough sample size…

  156. 156.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yarrow:

    I said the same thing in the previous thread. I hope the only thing the Republicans manage to do by forcing this vote is kill McCain with their assholery.

  159. 159.

    glory b

    Rachel Maddow just finished a report on Trump’s FBI Director nominee, he represented a Russian Bank (Alfa Bank), and his firm delayed billing the state of New Jersey for 11 months (!) while he represented Chris Christie during the Bridgegate scandal.

    So, a FOIA type request for information wouldn’t turn up anything.

    His firm billed hours EVERY DAY except for 3 days during the duration of the scandal, and continued to bill after the trials were over and sentences had been handed down.

    Then, Christie recommended him to Trump to head the FBI.

  162. 162.

    Trentrunner

    @JMG:

    McCain is not all bad, but his vanity is off the charts.

    I hear that Jeffrey Dahmer had a lovely singing voice, too.

  163. 163.

    Immanentize

    @schrodingers_cat: OK, I Have a really good one but it is electricity, not chemistry. Does it need to be chemistry?

    It is a shock glove made out of a disposable camera some wire and tin foil. No danger but the shock from the flash capacitor is significant. Very not 70’s.

  165. 165.

    Mnemosyne

    @eemom:

    I don’t wish McCain the best, but a glioblastoma diagnosis is a death sentence. All the thoughts and prayers in the world won’t change the fact that he’s a dead man walking. There is no recovery from a glioblastoma, just increasingly futile attempts to stop it from growing.

  168. 168.

    Ohio Mom

    @Trentrunner: Just re-goggled, and there it is. CCN, posted two minutes ago. I stand corrected.

    My Senator, Bob Portman, would probably give anything right now to have as good as an excuse for not voting as Mccain has (and is throwing away). I wish McCain a turbulence-filled flight.

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @TenguPhule: You seriously underestimate the power of Republican Spite.

    And even in that crowd, McCain stands out. His spite is fueled by his delusions about his stature

  171. 171.

    Anne Laurie

    @Trentrunner:

    And he wouldn’t be coming back to muck up the works. And he wouldn’t be coming back unless the GOP is very very very close to–or has–the votes.

    Or unless McConnell really, really needed a little more media-friendly “persuasion” for his wavering Senators.

    That’s why I immediately flashed on Kennedy returning for his last vote — I can remember the Repubs, including “Leader” McConnell, throwing major pearl-clutching fits over the terrible abuse of a very sick man, forcing him to show up just for the optics.

    If McConnell really thought McCain was the decisive vote, he wouldn’t be advertising it so blatantly. It’s supposed to be a threat to the unconvinced / sobworthy ‘get’ for the Trump-friendly media.

  174. 174.

    lamh36

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: McCain is essentially dying and I sincerely think he’s bitter as hell about it (even though he’s already old ass hell and near death’s door anyway) and as a spiteful old man, with patches of honor, is still just a SPITEFUL OLD MAN.

    So nope I don’t put it past him to have his last vote be one to take away health care for millions…

  176. 176.

    mai naem mobile

    @Trentrunner: I thought he was a self aggrandizing POS before and that hasn’t changed. I also still think Cornyn and McConnell are big fat POSs. Also,McCain is not only my Senator but was my US Rep as well so I’ve thought he was a dick for a long long time,not just since ’08. He was an asshole to his first wife. I am tired of the POW rah rah stuff and the mavericky shit.

  181. 181.

    Felonius Monk

    @raven:

    Like it fucking matters what all you douche bags think.

    Good evening to you too. :)

    ETA: Thanks for the info this morning. Had found some of it before, but all was interesting. Lots more stories to tell.

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    more boy scout speech

    Dan Zak‏Verified account @ MrDanZak 3h
    He now has them booing Obama. Rick Perry and Tom Price laughing behind Trump.

    Trump now has the Boy Scouts booing Hillary Clinton. “She didn’t work hard” in Wisconsin and Michigan.

  185. 185.

    MomSense

    No John McCain doesn’t deserve cancer. NOBODY deserves cancer. That is not what this is about. The thing is John McCain knows what it is like to get that diagnosis. He knows what it is like to see his family struggle with the aftermath. If he turns around and votes to take health care away from millions of us knowing what the stakes are, then he is the absolute worst kind of person.

  188. 188.

    Mnemosyne

    @Trentrunner:

    I wouldn’t have wished a glioblastoma on Jeffrey Dahmer, either. People who talk airily about anyone deserving one has never had to watch a loved one die from it.

  190. 190.

    Aleta

    McCain’s not of sound mind.

    returning to Senate tomorrow to continue work on health care reform, defense bill & #RussiaSanctions

    It can’t be his drs opinion that he’s up for this.

  191. 191.

    Immanentize

    @Major Major Major Major: But at least my Catholic family and friends believe you need the time, painful or not, to make a peaceful (in the soul sense) exit. Not agreeing, jes saying. Look at Atwater!

  192. 192.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    People who talk airily about anyone deserving one has never had to watch a loved one die from it.

    Wrong. I have. It was horrible and she was a good person who didn’t deserve it.

    I would only wish it on my worst enemies.

    Republicans qualify.

  194. 194.

    mai naem mobile

    @Mnemosyne: if he dies they’ll blame it on the poor Mayo Clinic doc for giving the okay to travel. I hope for the doctors sake he doesn’t die on the trip.

  195. 195.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Speak for yourself. There were and are plenty of people who deserve to die for the things they’ve done. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot. What makes McCain any different? His actions will still lead to millions of unnecessary deaths. His legacy will hopefully be trashed. And for What? To spite the man who beat him in an election? That’s what a monster does.

    I used to believe like you do, that there’s good in everyone. I’ve realized that’s not all true.

  196. 196.

    lamh36

    @Anne Laurie: If I’m wrong, I’d gladly say so, but if McCain was a solid NO, he does NOT need to be physically in the Senate to vote NO…so unless he’s thinking to use this as his last ditch effort to save his soul before he dies…I guess maybe he’s just egotistical enough to do so…smh

    But honestly, I just believe the dude is a spiteful fuq’er…

  197. 197.

    Trentrunner

    @Mnemosyne: Read what I wrote. You’re strawmanning up the joint. I’m glad you can parade your virtue by responding to something I didn’t fucking write. Read.

    Your sympathy and admiration for McCain’s “struggle” blinds you to the fact that he’s about to inflict suffering on tens of millions of others just to spite the N*gger President.

  198. 198.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MomSense:

    If he turns around and votes to take health care away from millions of us knowing what the stakes are, then he is the absolute worst kind of person.

    I agree completely. This little contretemps is a continuation of a discussion the erupted when one commenter suggested popping champagne corks at McCain’s diagnosis and others objected.

  204. 204.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Steven Dennis‏Verified account @ StevenTDennis 8m8 minutes ago
    Before the brain cancer diagnosis, McCain told me he never votes against motions to proceed and wants amendments per AZ Medicaid $

    he only wants a state specific payoff. What a guy

  207. 207.

    mai naem mobile

    @TenguPhule: I think that’s a great idea. It will ruin Cruz’s career and maybe make it slightly more likely you get a Dem Sen from Texas. I know it’s still highly unlikely .

  208. 208.

    Felonius Monk

    @raven:

    Same arguments over and over.

    Yes, but it’s like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer ’cause it feels so good when you stop.

  209. 209.

    raven

    @Yarrow: Got it fixed today. The second visit by the tech yesterday confirmed that it was the condenser fan. He was a good guy but said he’s have to charge $600 to do it yesterday so we waited. A big storm rolled through at sunset and it cooled it down enough that open windows and fans did the trick. I thought about doing it myself but “electrical work is not a hobby” kept echoing in my head. It cost 3 bills today so $575 total. Could have been worse. Thanks

    Ya’ll have fun now, it’s beddy bye time in Georgia.

  212. 212.

    Yarrow

    @raven: Glad it got fixed. You’re right that electrical work is not a hobby. I know someone who found their dad dead in the attic because he was doing electrical work as a hobby.

  213. 213.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yarrow:

    JUST IN: Trump considering Ted Cruz as to replace Sessions as AG: report https://t.co/VoSI9zPiq3 pic.twitter.com/eRrOtj1Hnr— The Hill (@thehill) July 25, 2017

    Things are changing so fast. Last I heard, perhaps four or five hours ago, it was Giuliani.

    Holy shit, also too.

  215. 215.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:
    I don’t think worthless people like McCain deserve mercy. Not when they’re knowingly going to take away health insurance from tens of millions.

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m not sinking to the level of a savage for wishing on McCain what he deserves. He’s a monster. And, with respect, karma doesn’t exist. We live in a chaotic senseless universe that doesn’t care who is good or evil. Bad things happen to what you and I would consider good people all the time for no real reason. Morality is a human concept that is based on millions of years of evolution.

  217. 217.

    tobie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    If he is coming back, he is coming back to fuck over Obama.

    Yup. And that will be the measure of the man in the history books. The Democratic senators better not give him a standing ovation when he’s wheeled in. Leave it to the Republican senators and FOX to crow about the heroic sacrifice John McCain made to come back to DC after surgery just to vote to screw over millions of Americans.

  218. 218.

    efgoldman

    @JMG:

    McCain is not all bad, but his vanity is off the charts.

    He’s always been a bog-standard Southwestern RWNJ: Steal what you can, give the Pentagon whatever goodies they ask for, pretend to be very concerned about his Arizona retiree voters.
    Why should he change now?

  219. 219.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I didn’t say there’s good in everyone. I said nobody deserves a slow and agonizing death.

    Co-signed.

    And, no, strawmanners, the probability that McCain will condemn other people to a slow and agonizing death doesn’t mean he deserves that kind of death any more than those people do.

  220. 220.

    Felonius Monk

    @lamh36:

    he does NOT need to be physically in the Senate to vote NO

    This vote is on a Motion to Proceed — he will most likely vote yes. So, he does indeed need to be present on the floor to cast that vote. If his vote wasn’t needed, he wouldn’t be coming back.

  222. 222.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @tobie:

    The Democratic senators better not give him a standing ovation when he’s wheeled in.

    They won’t.

  224. 224.

    Chet Murthy

    @lamh36:

    Kids 11-17 don’t have that skin yet, and imagining them having to deal w/their troop mates after that
smh

    Other troop mates. Holey moley. Yeah, children of “racist parents who know better than to utter their contemptible views in public” say the darndest things. Really the darndest things. I cringe in absolute sympathy for every child of color at that jamboree, and of course for any non cis-sexed also. I’d fear a terrified time was had by all of them.

  225. 225.

    Mnemosyne

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    I’m not sinking to the level of a savage for wishing on McCain what he deserves. He’s a monster.

    If McCain is the worst possible monster you can think of, you probably need to get out more, or at least read more history.

    And, with respect, karma doesn’t exist. We live in a chaotic senseless universe that doesn’t care who is good or evil.

    That’s your opinion. I have a different one.

  227. 227.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne: No, he does. He’s an evil fucking monster who likes to pretend he’s a principled moral person. He’s not and has never been in his miserable pathetic life. 80 wasted years.

  228. 228.

    sharl

    I’ve been picking through a 2008 Rolling Stone long-read on McCain:

    John McCain: Make-Believe Maverick
    A closer look at the life and career of the candidate reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty

    John Sidney McCain III has only ever cared about himself, and I’m wondering now if (a.) he is sufficiently introspective and self-aware to be strongly thinking about his mortality; (b.) if he cares about what reputation he will leave behind; and (c.) if he wants to go out as a “hero”, what exactly might that mean in his mind, and how might that influence how he votes on this Motion to Proceed tomorrow (if it does at all)?

    His big thing has always been in military affairs, and clamoring to jump into every potential foreign military intervention that comes up. For all I know, he’s more interested in the vote(s) on sanctions against North Korea, Russia, and Iran; he’d be especially keen on that last one I’ll bet.

    Whatever his motivation, we’ll find out soon enough.

    And by the way, fuck the memory of R.W. “Johnny” Apple and every other ass-kissing swaggering media titan who helped so much in the fabrication of this phony’s bullshit “maverick” reputation.

  229. 229.

    Jeffro

    @Aleta:

    It can’t be [McCain’s] drs opinion that he’s up for this.

    No…it’s his staff. At this point, he probably barely knows where he is. His staff, meanwhile, are most likely Regent U Randians and they’ll be more than happy to drag his carcass in (or hold a phone to his head, whatever) so that McCain can cast a vote for whatever crap McConnell has cooked up.

    It’s another argument for term limits…

  230. 230.

    MomSense

    I am now feeling kind of sick and have a raging headache. Thanks GOP.

    I’m going to try to rest.

  231. 231.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne:

    If McCain is the worst possible monster you can think of, you probably need to get out more, or at least read more history.

    He’s evil enough if he’s not going to vote to kill this genocide masquerading as a healthcare bill.

    That’s your opinion. I have a different one.

    Fair enough

  233. 233.

    Jeffro

    @SiubhanDuinne: Holy shit, yes, but perhaps not in the way we think. Giuliani would never, ever get confirmed (he’s wrapped up in the Russia scandal, and was likely in touch with Assange/Wikileaks pre-Hillz-leak). Cruz is a wacko who the entire rest of the Senate hates.

    The real ‘tell’ here is that only names who are sufficiently toady-like are even possibilities, no matter how outlandish. Trumpov and his gang of thieves can’t staff positions because, due to their lifelong record of scuzzy “achievement”, they just don’t have enough friends and allies to get them very far.

  234. 234.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense: Take a couple of pain killers of choice and rest. Tomorrow will undoubtedly be another day of curious experiences.

  236. 236.

    Jeffro

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh pray tell why, dear sage. Having a staff ‘run’ a Senator for 24+ years is a good idea? Strom Thurmond, Bill Roth, others: did they look like they were doing much for their final two terms, other than vote however their staff told them to vote?

  237. 237.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jeffro: I wonder about his family, if Cindy or Meghan see themselves succeeding him and needing this vote for their own futures. Meghan has a case of born-on-third-base-itis that would choke a Bush

  238. 238.

    eemom

    I am so tired of the pious ass preaching scolds on this thread who were over getting seconds on the smug when God was dishing out the reading comprehension.

    NOBODY ever fucking said McCain “deserved” to get cancer. Once again, refusing to waste empathy on a depraved monster who’s never exhibited a shred of that emotion for another human being in his whole miserable lie of a life when a bad fate comes his way is not the same thing as WISHING it on him.

    And even if it were, wishing ain’t doing. McCain has spent his entire political career, and as he’s now made clear, will gladly continue to his dying day, DOING things that cause suffering to millions and millions of, you know, INNOCENT people.

    So really, take your pious “nobody deserves” righteousness and shove it up your sanctimonious asses. Please.

  239. 239.

    hueyplong

    What are the most famous contrarian votes John McCain has cast so as to be considered such a maverick?

  241. 241.

    Immanentize

    @Mnemosyne: I have known many people who did very very bad things to people. Some of them, many people. Up close and personal type things.

    I don’t believe people are evil. Or at least I have to say having more experiences than most, I haven’t seen it yet. None of us are as bad as the worst thing we ever did.

  242. 242.

    Jeffro

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: They’d probably like to, and unfortunately name recognition seems to be a qualification in many voters’ eyes. Hence the need for term limits. I used to be against them, but until voters quit treating name recognition like a positive, they (term limits) would help democracy immensely.

  243. 243.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne:
    They deserved horrible deaths too. I’m just angry and pissed off that this might affect me and my family someday. Destroying the health insurance industry will probably also make it harder for me to find a job as a nurse. I feel like the GOP is trying to destroy my life as well as ruin and end the lives of millions of others.

  244. 244.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: It doesn’t matter if he’s worse, better or just as bad as those horrible people. McCain’s getting the death he’s getting. Whatever we think in our heads about it isn’t going to make one bit of difference to what happens to him. He, however, has the option to make a big difference in other people’s lives, to directly impact their ability to get treatment for treatable diseases and for them to live longer healthier lives. He’s not going to choose that option. No matter if he was the healthiest person in the Senate or dying of a deadly form of brain cancer, fuck him for making that choice.

  247. 247.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @hueyplong: in early 2001 he was mad at Bush, I think he voted against a couple of things and there were rumors about him switching parties. Jim Jeffords beat him to it

  249. 249.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Immanentize:
    I’d like to think I had earned that blessing by being a decent person. What has McCain ever done to earn it?

  251. 251.

    El Caganer

    I hope Senator McCain has a peaceful and painless passing. Preferably on his way to Washington.

  253. 253.

    eemom

    @Mnemosyne:

    Christ, you really need to get a job as a propagandist somewhere. Or maybe rethink your politics, because you would make an awesome right wing pundit. Saying McCain is a monster is NOT the same as saying he’s worse than Hitler and Pol Pot and the worst monster in history, for fuck’s sake.

    Lemme know next time they’re handing out awards in your neck of the woods — you deserve a golden statue for intellectual dishonesty.

  254. 254.

    hueyplong

    @eemom: Come now, everyone knows that History’s Worst Monster is Hillary Clinton. It appears to be taught in the Boy Scouts.

  255. 255.

    Mnemosyne

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    That’s why I’m hoping the only thing the Republicans manage to accomplish with this stunt is cause a brain bleed that kills McCain mid-flight. Not because he “deserves” it, but because it will stop their little stunt in its tracks.

    @Yarrow:

    We all get the death we’re going to get, and there’s very little we can do about it. The Fates are indifferent to who receives what.

  256. 256.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eemom: I think he is an asshole. I think that, if he comes back for this vote, it is out of spite. I condemn this. At the same time, I can still be opposed to popping champagne corks over his diagnosis. As for the rest, you can go fuck yourself. Seriously. I refuse to toss away my vision of my humanity because of the fascists.

    ETA: I’ll vote. I’ll work. I’ll give money. I’ll make calls. I’ll march. If it comes to it, I will fight – I have some skills that way. I will not be like them. I won’t.

  257. 257.

    Mnemosyne

    @eemom:

    Yarrow and I are the only ones here making a useful wish that McCain dies in transit. If you’d rather wish him a painful death six months down the road when the vote is long past, be my guest.

  258. 258.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major: Where did I pooh-pooh the concept of morality? Morality is still important even if there isn’t some outside force watching us and punishing us accordingly. I firmly believe that there are certain moral truths that transcend space and time simply because of our shared humanity. We all feel pain and don’t like it. Therefore you shouldn’t knowingly inflict pain on others if you can help it. McCain and others can. I have no sympathy for those who cause unnecessary suffering fully aware of the consequences of their actions with no special mitigating circumstances

  260. 260.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: Some people choose their own death. And to be clear I’m not wishing that he dies in transit. Seems likely that it could happen and I wouldn’t be too upset about it, though. It’s dumb for him to fly.

  263. 263.

    eemom

    @Mnemosyne:

    If you’d rather wish him a painful death six months down the road

    Holy shit. Is there a DSM code for borderline psychotic fabrication of things nobody said?

  264. 264.

    Florida frog

    @MomSense: I second this. All three books are fun. I particularly like the speculation on the need for vampires to make a living over the centuries.

  266. 266.

    Mike R

    @MomSense: Well said, having had to accept a cancer diagnosis it boggles that he apparently hasn’t the ability to emphasize with the rest of humanity. Something is really lacking in him, I personally think he is without a conscience and is throwing away any honor he may have had.

  267. 267.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Back home from the citizenship party and starting to get caught up on MSNBC. Seem to have accidentally snagged an almost full bottle of champers, which I will nurse through the remainder of the evening.

    Question: I haven’t really kept up on my GQ listicles, but are short spread collars really a good look for a pencil-neck like Jared Kushner? Asking for a friend who actually has to wear shirts with collars occasionally (unlike myself).

  270. 270.

    Yarrow

    @Mike R: Republicans don’t have empathy. They only understand things when they affect them personally. He has received a dire cancer diagnosis, but the loss of health insurance and inability to afford treatment hasn’t affected him. Therefore, the healthcare vote is an abstract.

  271. 271.

    eemom

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Much has been made of the passage in Anne Frank’s diary where she said she believed people were more good than bad (or something to that effect) — amazingly without regard to the fact that she said that before the Nazis murdered her and her family at Auschwitz.

    Keep your precious “vision of your humanity”. Hope it helps.

  272. 272.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yarrow:

    If he’s dumb or driven enough to get on a plane less than a week after major brain surgery, then he deserves to die in transit. Not because he lost the brain cancer lottery, but because he was dumb enough to ignore doctor’s orders. He would deserve it because his death would be the result of a specific choice he made.

  276. 276.

    Felonius Monk

    @Mnemosyne:

    Your strawman … better add some more hay

    @eemom:

    I can’t — you’ve used it all up.

    Real ‘muricans know that hay and straw are not the same thing. You cannot build a strawman with hay. Sorry, not even close. :)

  277. 277.

    Gretchen

    @efgoldman: Sorry to hear that. It stinks to be in the hospital. It stinks worse to know you’re missing fun on the outside. Loved the ambivalent anecdote.

  278. 278.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: I don’t know his doctor’s orders. Maybe you’ve seen something confirming them. Possibly they have a special medical evac plane that can provide him a safe environment. I can’t see him flying if it was super risky, but it sure looks dumb from here.

  279. 279.

    weaselone

    @Jeffro:

    It’s another argument for term limits


    It’s not an argument for term limits. You have swallowed the Republican big donor propaganda hook, line and sinker on this issue, haven’t you?

  280. 280.

    Sloegin

    I have an uncle who spent some 7 years sharing accommodations with the North Vietnamese (and part of that time was spent in the vicinity) to John McCain. After those 7 years of confinement, part of my uncle came back to the USA, part of him didn’t. McCain could have had that ‘come to Jesus’ moment when he found out that his own party sabotaged Johnson’s negotiations and dragged out his confinement another 5 years. He didn’t have that moment then, he won’t have it now. In a better world, he would realize that he won’t see next Christmas and would think hard on of the people that would be victimized by this vote. He would come back to vote no.
    I hope he gets to meet all the people that die before their due in the hereafter. I hope they give him hell.

  281. 281.

    Mnemosyne

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    We’re okay. I am also mad and sad and frustrated, but I know from experience that cancer doesn’t give a shit who it strikes, so it bugs me to see people running around talking about how McCain “deserves” cancer. Did my mother deserve to die of breast cancer at 38? Did my brother deserve to die of lung cancer at 51? Did my father in law deserve to die of the same brain cancer that McCain has? Who gets to pick and choose which cancer victims deserve to die and which ones don’t?

    IMO, nobody gets to pick and choose, because nobody deserves to die that way. Once you decide that some people deserve that fate, you’re allying yourself with the people who whine that they shouldn’t have to pay for health insurance for other people’s bad choices.

  282. 282.

    Bobby Thomson

    He wouldn’t be coming back to vote No, and they wouldn’t be getting him back to vote Yes unless they had the votes. Collins,as is her forte, will fold after a big show that reinforced her illegitimate cred as a “moderate.”

  285. 285.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne:
    I’m sorry about your family. I’m assuming that they were fundamentally good, but flawed people, like most others. McCain, by voting to take away millions’ health care out of spite is pretty fucking evil in my book. Not Hitler level evil, but evil all the same.

    I suggest a compromise: McCain deserves to (somehow) lose his health insurance.

  286. 286.

    Felonius Monk

    @Mnemosyne:

    Ironically, I probably live closer to a stable than you do

    Lol — I live near the Saratoga Race Track and racing season started last Friday. Everyone in the world is here for the next 6 weeks and the amounts of straw and hay that will be used are enormous. Can’t wait for Travers Day.

  287. 287.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Thank you. That is my opinion as well, but I wanted to appear open-minded.

    ETA: Okay, maybe if you’re an original member of a 1960s British invasion band.

  288. 288.

    Mnemosyne

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    I suggest a compromise: McCain deserves to (somehow) lose his health insurance.

    I’m fine with that. I’m also fine with his family finding out after he dies that he had a lifetime cap on benefits and now they’re on the hook to pay off a few million in medical bills.

    Weird coincidence: McCain is being treated as the same hospital where my dad died in 2013.

  290. 290.

    Felonius Monk

    @Anne Laurie:

    Well, you can, but it’s wasteful and will rot a lot faster.

    True, AL. I’ve seen people make a scarecrows out of hay and it’s not long before they start to smell. :)

  291. 291.

    eemom

    @Bobby Thomson:

    they wouldn’t be getting him back to vote Yes unless they had the votes.

    In all of this stupid thread, the only thing that matters is the hope that you are wrong about that.

  292. 292.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eemom: Thank you for the respect that you have given my comments. You really are open to dissenting views.

  293. 293.

    Jinchi

    Cornyn says they are trying to get doctor approval for McCain to come back tomorrow for healthcare vote

    How cold-hearted would you have to be to make your final significant act ensuring that millions of people lose their health care? Arlen Specter was converted to the cause after he suffered a bout with cancer and Kennedy fought for people to his dying day. Is this really the legacy McCain wants to be remembered for?

  294. 294.

    Another Scott

    @efgoldman: Bummer. :-( Here’s hoping it’s a one-time thing and you never miss being with your grandaughter like that again.

    Hang in there.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  296. 296.

    Amir Khalid

    Re John McCain. I oppose wishing bad things upon people who do despicable things for the same reasons I oppose capital punishment. One of those reasons is that no matter how despicable the person, wishing bad things on them is in itself a bad thing to do. In other words, I’m with Omnes.

    @Steeplejack (phone):
    I do not miss the days when rock bands dressed up in identical suits.

  299. 299.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    And, no, strawmanners, the probability that McCain will condemn other people to a slow and agonizing death doesn’t mean he deserves that kind of death any more than those people do.

    Let’s revisit this after the first thousand or so Americans die from his vote and see whether you have reconsidered your view.

  300. 300.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    I think we have a group of people here who never understood the phrase, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

    I think you need to understand I am quite willing to wish that on my worst enemies. Good people have suffered enough, its time for evil to start paying what it owes.

  301. 301.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    Once you decide that some people deserve that fate, you’re allying yourself with the people who whine that they shouldn’t have to pay for health insurance for other people’s bad choices.

    No we’re not. We’re saying that the bastard is willing and able to kill millions of Americans, that he’s a crook, a liar and all around scum of the earth who has served an evil cause knowingly and willingly. You can feel mercy for him, fine. But some of us are not going to pretend we’re not grateful he’s going to get at least some of the payback he’s long overdue for.

    There has to be justice. Or there is nothing, nothing at all.

  302. 302.

    TenguPhule

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Thank you for the respect that you have given my comments. You really are open to dissenting views.

    Who are you and what have you done with Omnes Omnibus?

Comments are closed.