Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

This fight is for everything.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

In my day, never was longer.

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

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

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

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Everybody saw this coming.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

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

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Reader Interactions

104Comments

  1. 1.

    Yarrow

    She is the sweetest, bestest girl! She does look a bit like she’s part kangaroo. It’s her back legs. Where’s her best friend Yuki?

  7. 7.

    donnah

    Adorable girl! And yes, very kangaroo-like.

    My husband and his sister went to the Dayton, Ohio Women’s March today…I had to work. But he said there were easily three thousand attendees and they were enthusiastic and loud.

    We have to keep firing up the voters. The shutdown is terrible news here in Dayton because Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a major part of Dayton’s economy. While I support the shutdown as a reaction against the Republicans and their issues with immigration, I want Dayton area people to keep working.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    “If you don’t have a treat, leave.”

    No matter how cozy the lounging spot, a dog will always seek something even more comfortable. It’s how they roll.

  17. 17.

    Another Scott

    Hey everyone. Haven’t had a chance to catch up on the threads yet – I just got back from marching.

    It was a great day in DC at the Women’s March to the Polls. A story I saw on RollCall (IIRC) yesterday said that 1,500 people were expected. The only politician listed on the schedule at that point was Sen. Tim Kaine. I was kinda worried but thought – that can’t be right. I didn’t ‘register’ and I’m sure thousands of others didn’t either. Right?

    I was a little disappointed that the Metro platforms weren’t packed when I got there, but immediately saw a couple of young women with a poster on the train, so that was a good sign.

    I got to the Lincoln Memorial end of the Reflecting Pool around 10:45. There was one Jumbotron and a pair of speakers, but the steps of the Memorial were already packed and more people were arriving all the time. Lines at the portatoilets, too.

    I’m no expert, but it looked to me that there were at least a couple of good-sized stadia worth of people (between 50,000 and 100,000) maybe more, maybe less, but in that ballpark. A great turnout, IMHO.

    Lots of good speeches, lots and lots of politicians – Reps. Beyer and Connolly (local VA reps), then Nancy Smash had a dozen or more Reps with her, then there was another half-a-dozen or so later. Sens. Kaine, Gillibrand, and maybe one or two more. (Kirsten gives a good speech.) . It seems like the word went out that the crowd was huge and Democratic people should get down there. ;-)

    Lots of other good speeches, too. The woman from CLUW was especially good. There was a passionate speech by the head of EqualMeansEqual.org urging us to work – NOW – to get the ERA passed in the remaining states. For example, Virginia hasn’t passed it and the legislature is only in session for the next 55 or so days. Action is needed NOW. She made a good, inspiring case.

    Tom Perez of the DNC gave a great speech, telling us what they’ve been doing to get people organized and to turn out to vote. (E.g. they were working Alabama for a month before the special election that gave us Sen. Doug Jones.)

    The start of the March was delayed by all the extra speakers, and the crowd was getting a little restless. The March was short – just up to the White House. Good chants, good signs, good people. The uniformed Secret Service people were out walking around, and the snipers (?) on the roof of the White House were busy walking around too. Letting all the Nasty Women and their supporters know that, I duuno, that they’re not afraid of them, or something. :-/

    Most of the attendees that I saw were women, of all ages, colors, national origins, etc. Lots of men, too. The women were fired up. :-D

    It was a very good day. The enthusiasm of the movement isn’t diminished in this area, and there’s continuing momentum to get women out to vote, to run for office, and to win and change the government.

    Inspiring. Let’s keep it going!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  19. 19.

    wonkie

    My reaction was ghat she was trying for a Goya-style pose something along the lines of the Naked Maja. But yes, could be a kangaroo.

  20. 20.

    raven

    @MomSense: Better, my bride is dragging me to se Cracker, the Darnell Brothers and the Chickasaw Mud Puppies. I’m going to pass on Thelma and the Sleaze.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Another Scott:

    Scott, what a great, inspiring report. Thank you so much.

    I do hope you and other Marching Jackals took photos around the country and will send them to Alain for one or more “On the Road & In Your Backyard” features. Would love to see some of our own Juicers (ideally in their pussy hats) out there representing!

  26. 26.

    Another Scott

    @Mnemosyne: There seemed to be a few (private?) school/church groups that were part of the M4L around the Washington Monument (some had T-shirts, all had big ostentatious badges on lanyards) today. They were very, very out numbered.

    During the March, there was some jackass with a PA system in the street, trying to lecture everyone about (the usual propaganda). He was very quickly drowned out by “My Body, My Choice” chants. :-)

    I haven’t looked to see the relative turnout, but we were really fired up today. The M4L school kids don’t stand a chance going forward. ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  29. 29.

    lamh36

    Alright BJ…Guess who’s finally going to LA???

    ME!!!!

    i’ve been planning a trip to LA at least 3x now in the past 2 years at least…in fact i’ve actually bought SW tickets 2x and had to cancel the trip.

    I’ve wanted to get to tickets for a taping of Will & Grace reboot since it was announced but the dates never were aligned..

    so last night i just randomly checked google for flight prices and AA had a 4days 3 night RT, nonstop ticket from NOLA to LA for $218…which is actually not a bad deal at all

    i had the money for the flight…i checked the average hotel rates and did some calculations and wham bam thank you ma’am…i bought my ticket and i’m going to LA!! next weekend!!!

    YAY!!!

  30. 30.

    lamh36

    @lamh36:

    So…this literally is a last mintue trip. Each time I planned a trip to LA, there was a primary directive for me going.

    1st time, I got tickets to see Adele for the LA stop on her last US concert tour (I’d had tickets for her 1st big US tour, but she canceled that year cause of her throat surgery)…I had the tickets, I had a GREAT deal on the flight, but the hotel rates just weren’t in my price range (thx to the higher price for the concert and an unexpected personal expense)…so I had to cancel the flight and lost out on the ticket money.

    The 2nd time, there was another great sale, but money was once again too tight…so I had to cancle that flight.

    Well I guess the 3rd time was the charm…cause the stars all aligned…money, time off, and good hotel rates!

    And so…finally, LA here I come!!!

    So any suggestions from folks who’ve been there in recent times?

  34. 34.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    This is kind of fun

    Wen-Yee Lee 李玟儀‏ @ Wenyee_Lee
    This is what The Trump tower looks like. #WomensMarchNYC #WomensMarch2018 #trumphotel

    has anyone seen crowd estimates for the different rallies?

    ETA: D’oh! Forgot the link to the trump tower tweet.

  38. 38.

    Betty Cracker

    Been busy today but looking at Twitter every now and then, and I’m blown away by the photos and accounts of women’s marches. Someone here mentioned them a couple of weeks back, and I expressed skepticism about the idea — thought it might backfire since it would be smaller than the original. Boy, was I WRONG! March on, awesome people. ?

  42. 42.

    trollhattan

    @lamh36:
    And still she persisted! :-)

    Good for you.. I’d suggest avoiding fire season but it’s now always fire season, but on the plus side winter is your best chance to actually see the San Gabriels and Catalina Island. I’ll leave the details to our many local jackals, Have fun!

  43. 43.

    Mary G

    @lamh36: That’s my favorite Indiana Jones picture, too. The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery as grumpy grandpa was fantastic.

    In LA, the Watts Towers that BillinGlendale posted about are inspiring in person.

  44. 44.

    Corner Stone

    Whoever booked the panel for this Joy Reid segment deserves to be shot, hung upside down, bled out and processed.

  50. 50.

    Corner Stone

    @Mary G: To be fair, Hermione had an idea what she was getting in to. Harry was still in a Quaalude fog for most of that book.

  52. 52.

    lamh36

    @Corner Stone: I’m thinking tho…if Phoenix had not have died. Harrison may have retired his older Indy after Crusade and Phoenix could have become a reboot for a young Indy franchise…him being shorter might now have been noticed, because the series would be about his early years…and of course use the TomCruise/MelGibson/RDJ Hollywood technique of shoe lifts and making the actresses/actors wear flats instead of heels…lol

    ETA: Phoenix is a good enough actor, that he could do a reverse Hugh Jackman as Wolverine…folks initially hated the casting of Jackman cause Wolverine is not supposed to be as tall or taller than really any of the X-Men…but now folks can’t imagine anyone else as Wolverine now

  54. 54.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Another Scott:

    Letting all the Nasty Women and their supporters know that, I duno, that they’re not afraid of them, or something.

    Letting you all know that Trump is terrified of you and insisted they do stupid extra crap to defend him from the march. Because Trump only feels safe if he has guns pointed at everyone who disagrees with him. The key is they’re walking around, because they’ve been assigned a stupid job and they’re not actually interested in pointing guns at you waiting for the kill order the way Trump imagines it in his diseased brain.

  56. 56.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Corner Stone:
    I’ve always thought Harry himself was the least interesting and likable character in the series. As an author, I have to wrestle with needing a main character people can identify with, while not wanting them to be a boring blank. Harry is just a shitty little self-absorbed teenage boy. A little on the mean side, but only in the immature way of not having totally grasped the difference between mischief and cruelty. He’s not a terrible person or anything, but I wouldn’t like him if I met him. Hermione, yes. I can’t figure out if I would love or hate the Weasley Twins. I think I might like Ron, but it would be condescending because he’s wildly immature. At least he’s charmingly earnest about it. Harry is brave. He’s really good at being brave. Other virtues, he’s just kind of there.

  58. 58.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: My husband shares your enthusiasm for Last Crusade. I love it too, but I’m not sure I’d rank it above the original. He definitely does!

  62. 62.

    Betty Cracker

    Did anyone else hear “This American Life” on NPR today? Contained a hit job against the Democratic Party. I’m still fuming.

  63. 63.

    dmsilev

    Oy. Washington Post just now:

    BREAKING: McConnell schedules early Monday vote to reopen government

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced plans for a vote at 1 a.m. Monday on a bill to fund the government through Feb. 8. The move appeared designed to force Democrats to either agree to reopen the government without concessions on immigration and other issues, or to vote again for a government shutdown, which Republicans believe will hurt Democrats. The government shut down early Saturday morning after a four-week spending bill failed to gain enough votes to advance in the Senate.

    So, he’s going to drag the entire Senate in during the dead of night for a stunt that will most likely fail. I’m sure the members of his own caucus are deeply grateful to have a leader of this caliber.

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Yay! If you have time for a meetup, I know all us LA jackals would love to see you.

    As far as what to do — what do you like to do? We really have it all out here. You can drive 90 minutes in one direction and be in the mountains, or 90 minutes the other direction and go whale watching. And that’s even before we get to the museums, the dining, the shopping, etc.

    Traffic is just as terrible as you’ve heard, though, so if you can give us an idea of where your hotel is, we can advise you better. The hotel’s website should tell you which neighborhood it’s in (ie Downtown, Koreatown, Westside, etc).

  69. 69.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @dmsilev:
    I’ve heard he’s as big an asshole to his own caucus as he is to the rest of America. I don’t know why they didn’t ditch him after the ACA fiasco. I also don’t know… yes, I do know. He knows he can’t get cloture on this 1am vote, so he’s just trying to hurt the Senate in an extremely petty way.

  70. 70.

    dmsilev

    @Frankensteinbeck: I’m wondering whether President Toddler called McConnell up and demanded another vote, so as not to ruin Toddler’s Excellent Davos Adventure or the State of the Union.

  72. 72.

    Gravenstone

    @lamh36: in a just world, that would flatten Trump from the force of the slap upside his head. Unfortunately, he’ll either ignore it or have some inane and demeaning nickname coined for Sen. Duckworth in response.

  74. 74.

    Yarrow

    @Betty Cracker: The original is my favorite.

    @dmsilev: I’m sure the senators will love voting at 1:00 a.m. How is this a bad thing for Democrats? I heard a clip of McConnell’s speech last night on the radio this morning. He said something like, “This is making the Senate look bad.” I thought he was in charge of said Senate. Who’s looking bad, Mitch?

  76. 76.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne: How am I supposed to plan the rest of this trip when The Last Crusade is on…damnit…LOL.

    To be honest, I’d like to not have to pay for a rental and have to worry bout parking…I’m looking at Marriott properties because I’m usually able to get a great discount thanks to the friends and family discount…

    If anyone has any recommendations about a good place centrally located with good access to public transportation?

    I mean, how IS public transportation? Is it better to rent a car after all? Just an FYI, I’d likely be paying to park, I’m don’t parrallel park, so street parking has always been a problem for me when I travel…lol

    As for activities… I’ll be there Friday late, Sat & Sun, will all be free, although I do plan to meet a former co-worker/friend who lives there now. I’ll also either have all day free on Mon, or at the very least I’ll have most of Monday free until the afternoon. If I am able to get the Will & Grace tickets for Monday evening, then of course I’ll be spending my time getting there early and hopefully being able to make in into the screening (which as I understand it, they tend to overbook it).

    As for activities, I like sightseeing, museums, history, movies, pop culture, and food. I’m not an athletic person, so hiking or “rigourous” walking tours aren’t my thing…

  77. 77.

    Yarrow

    @lamh36: If you’d have to pay for the car and parking, have you considered just using Uber or Lyft? Cost might be about the same and you wouldn’t have to deal with the traffic and parking.

  79. 79.

    lamh36

    @Yarrow: yep…my plan is Lyft/Uber for long distances or if I”m trying to get somewhere for some exact time.

    like for sure, I’ll Uber/Lyft to/from airport and hotel, and if I am able to get the Will & Grace tickets for Monday afternoon, I’ll Uber there if public transporation is too confusing.

    Otherwise, I am not adverse to public transportation. In fact, if the city has a really good PT system and “tourist” friendly, then it’s my usual transportation of choice when I travel.

    My first two trips to San Francisco, I used the BART system and the towndown tourist trolley’s got get everywhere. And every solo trip I’ve taken so far, where I didn’t rent a car, I’ve used public transportation. Just get me a good map, a fully charged phone/music player and some good headphones…and I’m all set

  80. 80.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Public transit is not quite as bad as its reputation now that we have Metro light rail — when Ruemara was out here she got the one-day pass and took it all over town. We also have Uber and Lyft to get you between places.

    I would find out the address you need to get to for the “Will & Grace” taping and plan to stay somewhere reasonably close since that’s the primary thing you want to do. There are a limited number of studios where they do those, and they usually have hotels nearby.

    I would say that the Getty is probably the biggest “must-see” thing. It’s a museum, but it’s also at a gorgeous location right between the Valley and West LA, so there are a lot of great vistas of the city. Admission is free, but you would probably have to Uber or Lyft to get there since it’s nowhere near public transit.

    A place that is near public transit is the big museum complex near USC, which is south of downtown. That’s where the California Science Center and the Museum of Natural History are, plus a couple of smaller museums (like the African-American History Museum, which is really more of an art museum, but does some cool exhibits). The Expo Line train goes right past it.

  82. 82.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Spanky:
    Goodness. I’m flattered, but no. I’m a Slytherin, and I get pissed off that Rawling dumped all the racists and lazy inheritance babies into the House that’s supposed to be about ambition, about a drive to be the best. Meanwhile, ‘bravery’ is treated as if it wasn’t the cause of half the wars in history, where some asshole just had to run off and get some glory.

    I strongly respect Ravenclaw and particularly Hufflepuff, although I am definitely not the latter.

  83. 83.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    There was another march somewhere near Union Station that I was told was about something to do with abortion. I don’t think there was any worry about the women’s march being much bigger.

  84. 84.

    dmsilev

    @Mnemosyne: To extend the list a bit, LACMA (LA County Museum of Art), La Brea Tar Pits, and the Peterson Museum (a really nice collection of cars, if that’s at all of interest) are all in a compact little cluster. Reachable by public transportation (subway from city center, followed by a bus), or not too expensive in a cab/Lyft/Uber/whatever.

    If modern art is at all interesting, see if the Broad Gallery has any tickets available. They’re free, but “sell” out quickly. That’s right in the middle of downtown LA (next door to the Disney concert hall).

  88. 88.

    dmsilev

    @chris: I actually don’t own a car (or any other form of motorized transport). Public transit, cabs/rideshare, plus ZipCar hourly rental works quite well. I can only get away with this because I can walk to work and don’t need a car for daily commuting, but yes even in the LA area it is possible.

  89. 89.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Okay, I Googled it, and you’re in luck as far as public transit goes — the “Will & Grace” tapings are at Universal Studios, which is on the Red Line. The slight downside is that we don’t have a lot of Marriotts out here, unfortunately. There’s a nice one in downtown Pasadena that’s within a couple blocks of the Gold Line station. (If something is the [Color] Line, it’s Metro light rail and they all meet up downtown at Union Station.) However, Pasadena and Universal Studios are on opposite ends of the Valley, so getting there is potentially tricky.

    I think there are a couple of Marriotts in Burbank — I would go for the downtown Burbank one over the airport since there’s a lot of restaurants etc you can walk to from the downtown one. They’re not on the Metro line, but an Uber from there to Universal wouldn’t be too expensive. They are close to the Metrolink train, but those have a really weird schedule, so Uber/Lyft would be better.

  90. 90.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne: @Ruckus: Will & Grace films at Universal Studios in Studio City…I’ll admit, I’m having trouble figuring out the Universal Studios where they film shows is different than the theme park right?

    I’d like to be close to that area, but also wouldn’t mind being in a central location, with good public transportation access…

    As I said, I’m looking at Marriott properties because I can get discounted rates…but I’m also willing to look into other places, as long as they are safe for solo female travellers…

    and NOOOOO HOSTELS…I CANNOT share a bathroom with folks…nope…

    I’m gonna get to looking soon as Indiana Jones is finshed…I just can’t stop watching it

  91. 91.

    chris

    @dmsilev: Well it has to be better than it was in 1969 when I was last there. There might have been a bus or two but I don’t really remember. It was a bit of a shock, coming from Montreal.

  92. 92.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    I can’t get Marriott’s website to give me a good link, but there are two Marriots in downtown Burbank — a Residence Inn and a Springhill Suites. The Springhill is a little cheaper and newer, but it’s also a few blocks further to where the restaurants and shops are. They’re also both pretty close to the Metrolink station and other public transit.

    And close to the giant Ikea! Apparently we now have the largest Ikea in North America. ?

    Eta: One more planning tool: the Metro website.

  93. 93.

    NotMax

    @lamh36

    Should you have a surfeit of saliva, Dolt 45’s star on the sidewalk is in front of 6803 Hollywood Blvd. north side of street, near the intersection with Highland Ave.

  95. 95.

    Mnemosyne

    @NotMax:

    And it’s an easy trip on the Red Line — the stop is right at Hollywood & Highland.

    Just don’t touch it — it’s now a popular place for people to take their dogs to relieve themselves.

  96. 96.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    Was going to recommend a stop to refuel at Nate ‘n’ Al’s to lamh36 as an opportunity to chow down on stuff not necessarily found in NOLA. Any mass transit stations near there?

  98. 98.

    frosty

    @trollhattan:

    San Gabriels and Catalina Island.

    Catalina is great but it will take a whole day of your trip. OTOH, Mt Baldy would give you a 360 view from Barstow to Catalina. If you’re in LA proper, that’s probably a whole day again though.

    ETA: You gotta wet your feet in the Pacific somewhere. Malibu, Santa Monica, Hermosa, Sunset, Huntington, doesn’t really matter.

  99. 99.

    frosty

    @chris: I was in LA for the first time in ’69. Claremont to LAX on the RTD was a three hour trip, with a change at the bus station on 6th St.

    And that was about it for public transit. I still can’t get over subways, light rail, and commuter trains in SoCal.

  100. 100.

    M. Bouffant

    @NotMax: Sadly, no mass transit (but buses) near Nate & Al’s; the NIMBY jerks of Beverly Hills are scared people will steal their Picassos & then take them away on public transit or something.

    Another 10 yrs. & the subway to the sea may be open there.

  101. 101.

    Ruckus

    @lamh36:
    If you are using public trans I’d stay away from Burbank, there is only the bus the Metro trains don’t go there, only Metrolink. And Metrolink is a different animal the the Metro commuter rail lines. Use Menms link to show you how to get around on the Metro, which includes bus and light rail. If the Red line goes to where you want, I’d see about staying out that direction. You can take the red line from Union Station to North Hollywood, be sure to get on the Red line, not the Purple. The Expo line goes all the way into Santa Monica so if you want to see beach. @M. Bouffant: It now goes all the way.
    You need any other info on the Metro just ask, I’m a seasoned user, Pasadena to west LA and points inbetween and surrounding. Rode it today to the LA women’s march.

  104. 104.

    Stacy

    @Another Scott: @Another Scott: Great wrap-up of the DC march. Wasn’t sure how big it would be as WTOP said they were expecting 5,000. Clearly it was at least 10 times that. The speakers were just great and I was glad to hear from one of the 11 candidates looking to run against my GOP rep in VA 10. Also loved the Batalá Washington Women’s Drum Corps playing in front of the White House. Awesome.

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