Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Let there be snark.

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

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

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

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

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

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

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Happy 2018!

Reader Interactions

58Comments

  2. 2.

    Elizabelle

    Lily? Thurston? Rosie? Yuki?

    May your view always include a dog in lap. It’s a good thing, any year. Happy 2018.

  7. 7.

    BretH

    Enjoyed once again Mr. Plinketts reviews of the Star Wars prequels. Happier New Year’s to all.

  9. 9.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    The view from my lap is remarkably similar to 2017.

    Well, you’ve got better wall colors and (marginally) better lighting. So there’s that.

    Happy New Year! And thanks for providing the venue.

  10. 10.

    A. J.

    I mostly lurk, and when I try to comment it goes into the black hole of moderation, but you guys are my first stop in the morning and my last read at night.

    Thank you for helping me stay (somewhat) sane and informed.

    Let’s take the House AND the Senate in 2018.

    Fvck em.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    Cole, I always wonder. Do you still start every day with Lily, saying “who’s the best doggie?”

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara (HFG): My niece who hosted Christmas got two 8-week old lab mixes on Christmas Eve. Puppy love for Christmas. So adorable and crazy and sweet. I got the leaping nose bite once, but it was so worth it.

  20. 20.

    NotoriousJRT

    Happy new year, John Cole and the entire Balloon Juice community! Keep the faith in 2018.

  21. 21.

    NotMax

    Weird.

    Out of the blue Happy New Year phone call from step-brother in NY, with whom I normally speak twice a year, on each of our respective birthdays.

  22. 22.

    mai naem mobile

    Happy New Year 2018! 2017 can go DIAF. Idiots outside doing fireworks. I want to be one of the idiots but it’s too fucking cold.

  23. 23.

    scav

    Happy New Year and Calendar Rollover Day. May they be filled with good things, appointments and achievements for us all. A few wild parties and days where we resolutely guard private space and sanity wouldn’t go amiss either.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    January 1.

    The day all thoroughbred horses in the northern hemisphere officially become one year older.

  26. 26.

    Mnemosyne

    We watched the first 3 Thin Man movies before we moved on to a “Simpsons” marathon on FXX. G is already asleep, but I’ll wake him up for midnight.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    Prosit Neujahr, alle! Feliz año nuevo, ¡todo! Beatus festis annoque proxime omnes!
    @NotMax:
    I hope that it’s because of distance, rather than any bad blood, that you two only speak twice a year, and that it was a welcome phone conversation. Perhaps more frequent conversations might be a thing to hope for in the new year?

  28. 28.

    hedgehog mobile

    Just after midnight in the Mountain time zone. New Year toasted and kisses given. Good night and Happy New Year!

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    @Amir Khalid

    No bad blood at all. We’re not and never have been what one would call a close family and function best with occasional interaction. First time I met or spoke with his younger daughter was after she had graduated from college.

  31. 31.

    Mary G

    Looks like I may be awake for the new year this time in about eight minutes here. I did sleep earlier, though. I am so grateful for this place and the people here.

  32. 32.

    Bruuuuce

    Now that we’re there (okay, for almost three hours :-)), happy new year, all of yez!

    Finally caught up on Star Trek: Discovery before the second half of the season begins. Not terrible, the way Enterprise was, but nowhere near Deep Space Nine. Now to binge the other current Star Trek series (The Orville) and compare.

  33. 33.

    Yutsano

    As I just tweeted:
    Dear 2017:
    DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YA WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLIT YA!
    Happy New Year y’all!!!

  34. 34.

    something fabulous

    Happy New Year, everyone! thanks for being and remaining my favorite blog for pets food and politics (in varying orders). Resolved: lurk less in 2018! Best wished to you Fabulous Jackals for the new year! (re-lurk).

  36. 36.

    CaseyL

    Happy new year, everyone! May 2018 be better than 2017 in every way!

    I’m greeting the New Year with one kitty on my lap and the other kitty playing Crazy Cat chariot races all through the house.

  38. 38.

    gbbalto

    Happy new year and may it be better than 2017!

    As a usual lurker, I thank you all for the wisdom, inspiration, and snark.

  39. 39.

    IvankaThrowUp (AKA RedDirtGirl)

    Here’s to stirring up a whole lotta trouble for some folks this year!

  40. 40.

    CarolDuhart2

    Happy New Year’s everybody! No fireworks or gunfire tonight for a change. Maybe the Wind Chill Advisory for everywhere around me kept everyone in for a change. Four in the morning here, sleep has been like-2 hours on and 2 hours off. Wake up for first breakfast, still hungry even with nibbling all day (and a bit of the night anyway)

    Down to snuffy nose and a trace of itchy throat. Maybe staying in all day has really helped me considerably.

  43. 43.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I’m a gonna stay up all night and try to get some pics of the flyover, the New Year celebration here at the cave was a rousing success. Madame and the kid got well toasted and ate most of the two shrimp platters I picked up @ Costco.

  44. 44.

    IvankaThrowUp (AKA RedDirtGirl)

    The Brooklyn fireworks were wonderful this year. I am wound up. Can’t sleep!

  45. 45.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    @Bruuuuce: I too have been playing catch-up, though I’ve started with The Orville first. It’s honestly better than I expected. I’m kind of surprised at how idealistic it is, in contrast with nearly every other sci-fi show these days. (And particularly because idealism is not what you generally expect from Seth MacFarlane.) Not every episode has worked (episode 9, which I watched on Sunday, is kind of a mess, largely because the writers didn’t really deal adequately with the implications of the episode), but on the whole, it’s really good. It’s nice to see a show that honestly believes we can do better and is pointing a way forward for us to do it.

    Happy 2018, BJ. There were a few good things about 2017 for me, but overall, I’m happy to see the end of it.

  47. 47.

    Debbie(aussie)

    Happy new year Jackals all. I wish you all success in your fight for a return to sanity in politics and civic life. I join you for similar if not quite so desperate need for change. Sad to say, but our planet and very survival depends on us. You are a truly wonderful community of caring compassionate people. Resist!

  48. 48.

    Sloane Ranger

    Happy New Year everyone! I watched Remington Steele reruns until midnight, then stood in my garden with a glass of whiskey watching the fireworks round about until things had calmed down enough to get to sleep.

    Hoping for a better 2018 than 2017 but I broke my favourite mug when I washed up last night so auguries not good.

  49. 49.

    fuckwit

    @mai naem mobile: Well. I don’t tell anyone or anything to DIAF anymore, since some friends-of-friends actually did DIAF at the end of 2016. Which was a sucky year in many ways, especially that one. 2017 was pretty shitty in terms of politics, civil rights, and climate, though it was a great year economically and in terms of large numbers of people getting woke AF and getting involved and engaged and organized. The country might have hit bottom; if so, it’s only up from here.

    I start 2018 deeply pessimistic about the past and present, but firmly optimistic about the future. It can get better and probably will.

  50. 50.

    fuckwit

    @Debbie(aussie): I think the planet will get along just fine without us. It’s suffered much worse and it’s still here. We, however, had better save our own asses. A +4 degree C (and beyond) earth will certainly support life perfectly well– just not ours.

  52. 52.

    No One You Know

    New Year’s Day–
    Everything is in bloom!
    I feel about average.
    –Issa

    My favorite of all NY poems. More goodies here

  55. 55.

    glaukopis

    Currently -1 outside and expected max of 7 degrees, but pooches did their business, got food & are now lounging beside me. Good day for hot cocoa and a good book.

  56. 56.

    donnah

    Happy New Year, all!

    My visitng family members have all gone home now and I will be taking down the Christmas tree and putting the decorations away. Then there’s the cleaning of the guest room and kitchen.

    Gee, the start of 2018 isn’t much fun.

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