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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Monday Morning Open Thread: Off to A Good Start

Monday Morning Open Thread: Off to A Good Start

by Anne Laurie|  November 12, 20184:56 am| 104 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Election 2018, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Fuck Yeah!

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Elijah Cummings says "voter suppression" is an oversight priority for House Democrats: "We cannot have a country where it becomes normal to do everything in folks power to stop people from voting." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/kdvYFSPjBg

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 11, 2018

Another way of putting this: It is easily the highest midterm turnout since the beginning of universal suffrage. https://t.co/HYHjvMmUjD

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) November 11, 2018

The Midwest 'blue wall' may be back and that spells trouble for Trump https://t.co/ZqXbsE5X7w

— Detroit Free Press (@freep) November 11, 2018

Just crunched: the percentage of white men as a share of House Democrats is set to decline from 41% to 38% as a result of the 2018 election.

Meanwhile, the percentage of white men as a share of House Republicans is on track to rise from 86% to *90%.*

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 11, 2018

Half the House Members Who Wrote Trump's Tax Law Are Out of Their Jobs After Tuesday's Vote https://t.co/9wZXCYYKOk

— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) November 11, 2018

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Previous Post: « #GlobalFacepalms Open Thread: The Trump-Putin Bromance in Paris
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Reader Interactions

104Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 5:09 am

    If Elijah had asked me, that’s exactly where I’d tell him to start.

  2. 2.

    Platonailedit

    November 12, 2018 at 5:12 am

    Why only half of these corrupt critters are out of job?

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:13 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:13 am

    ????

    Spencer Ackerman (@attackerman) Tweeted:
    EXCLUSIVE: Non-public stats show that ICE has a record 44,000+ people detained *daily*. It’s more than Congress authorized, for an agency that was recently caught moving $ around to lock ppl up. ICE & DHS won’t explain where it found the extra money.

    https://t.co/EWfbEpE2VP https://twitter.com/attackerman/status/1061796014196252673?s=17

  5. 5.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:14 am

    Thank you, Congressman Cummings???

  6. 6.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:16 am

    The latest
    Dem wins AZ Senate
    Dem leading AZ Secretary of State

    Last outstanding Congressional race in NM gone for the Democrat

  7. 7.

    NotMax

    November 12, 2018 at 5:17 am

    @rikyrah

    Saw you earlier expressed interest in things Black Fridayish/Cyber Mondayish.

    This site is the most comprehensive, AFAIK, and updated frequently.

  8. 8.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:19 am

    SpicyFiles (@SpicyFiles) Tweeted:
    ‘A train wreck’: Veterans haven’t received GI Bill benefits for months
    “>82,000 are still waiting for their housing payments with only weeks remaining in the school semester, according to the VA. Hundreds of thousands are believed to have been affected.“

    https://t.co/TIzROYqGBy https://twitter.com/SpicyFiles/status/1061730172142084097?s=17

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:20 am

    @NotMax:
    Thank you. Been making a list?

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 5:21 am

    @Platonailedit: Because 46% of Americans voted that way.

  11. 11.

    JGabriel

    November 12, 2018 at 5:23 am

    Lydia Polgreen via Anne Laurie @ Top:

    Half the House Members Who Wrote Trump’s Tax Law Are Out of Their Jobs After Tuesday’s Vote

    So … did Karma leave the job half done?

    Or did she leave half the guys (since we’re talking about Republicans, I assume they’re mostly guys) there to suffer even more punishing fates, as they watch their dreams of a permanent Republican majority crash all around them in the debris of Combover Caligula’s inevitable hubristic downfall?
    _______________________________________________

    Hopefully, this also serves as a response to Platonailedit‘s trenchant question: Why only half of these corrupt critters are out of job?

  12. 12.

    Tokyokie

    November 12, 2018 at 5:32 am

    @rikyrah: Woohoo! The last congressional race in New Mexico to be decided was U.S. House #2 (Democrats won #1 & #3 with 59% or more), which is Xochitl Torres Small, one of the candidates for whom I did postcards! That result gives Democrats a clean sweep in the Land of Enchantment, governor, senator, and all 3 House seats.

  13. 13.

    Platonailedit

    November 12, 2018 at 5:32 am

    The Gallup assholes used to poll Obama’s numbers every fucking day. Did they stop doing it for the totus thug?

  14. 14.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 5:39 am

    @Platonailedit:
    The curve for Unqualified White Men is REAL ??

  15. 15.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    November 12, 2018 at 5:40 am

    @rikyrah:

    Dem wins AZ Senate

    Sending thoughts and prayers to Martha McSally.

    At least in this trying time, she can take comfort in knowing Obamacare will provide her good healthcare.

  16. 16.

    JoyceH

    November 12, 2018 at 5:44 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    If Elijah had asked me, that’s exactly where I’d tell him to start.

    Same. We need to keep this on the front burner for the next two years at least. One of the brightest spots of this election was that Kim Davis was defeated. Now let’s turn our attention to the county clerk who made it almost impossible for Dodge City to vote, and sent that “LOL” to suppressor in chief Kris Kobach.

  17. 17.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    November 12, 2018 at 5:50 am

    I was just checking the CA Sec of State site, CA-39 and CA-45 have the Dems down about 2K votes. I really think they may end up flipping. That would mean the OC has turned blue.

    Harley has beat Dana(up by 9K).

  18. 18.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    November 12, 2018 at 5:56 am

    The Astronomy Pic of the Day has a good shot of the Lagoon Nebula, that’s the bright pink spot you see at the center of Milky Way pics.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 6:05 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  20. 20.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 6:05 am

    @Tokyokie: Way to go, New Mexico.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 6:07 am

    @Platonailedit: I actually think they stopped doing daily pollls in the second half of Obama’s term.

  22. 22.

    Quinerly

    November 12, 2018 at 6:09 am

    @NotMax: great site. Thanks. I’m in the market for a smart TV and soundbar for the walk out basement apartment that is soon to be finished.

  23. 23.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 6:18 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: They are working on the assembly of an actual picture of Sagittarius A*. Not sure when they expect to be able to release it.

  24. 24.

    Raven

    November 12, 2018 at 6:29 am

    Thanks for your service suckers

    Veterans haven’t received GI Bill benefits for months due to ongoing IT issues at VA
    “Right now Secretary Wilkie and Dr. Lawrence have only been on the jobs for months,” Murray said. “People have been coming in and out of the VA like it’s a revolving door, and this is another example where a lack of consistent leadership causes these problems.”

  25. 25.

    TS (the original)

    November 12, 2018 at 6:31 am

    @Baud: Seems it was 2018
    gallup changes daily polling

    Beginning in 2018, Gallup will start updating presidential job approval on a weekly basis, rather than on a daily basis.
    Gallup remains committed to tracking presidential approval using probability-based, telephone interviewing, but is reducing the sample size from 3,500 to 1,500 U.S. adults per week. As a result, Gallup will aggregate and report presidential job approval each week, rather than daily, beginning on Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. ET.

  26. 26.

    TS (the original)

    November 12, 2018 at 6:35 am

    @Raven: I seem to remember when the ACA had initial IT issues it was all blamed on President Obama (by republicans and the media) – who called in the IT experts and had it fixed within a month. Funny how this doesn’t happen when the GOP is in charge.

  27. 27.

    oldster

    November 12, 2018 at 6:42 am

    “Just crunched: the percentage of white men as a share of House Democrats is set to decline from 41% to 38% as a result of the 2018 election.”

    That’s the Party of Liberty and Justice for All.

    “Meanwhile, the percentage of white men as a share of House Republicans is on track to rise from 86% to *90%.*

    That’s the Party of Entitled Male Pissy-Pants waving their Tikki-Torches screaming “Jews will not replace us!”

    Sorry, whiners–you are going to be replaced. Not because you are vicious patriarchal thugs–though that should have been enough–but because you are such incompetent losers.

  28. 28.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 6:49 am

    @Raven:

    There are many veterans, like Roundtree, across the country who are still waiting for VA to catch up with a backlog created after President Donald Trump signed the Forever GI Bill in 2017. The landmark piece of legislation greatly expanded benefits for veterans and their families, but it did not upgrade the VA’s technical capabilities to account for those changes.

    Gee, who’da thunk it? Governing is hard.

  29. 29.

    SFAW

    November 12, 2018 at 6:54 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    If Elijah had asked me, that’s exactly where I’d tell him to start.

    Are you telling me/us that he DIDN’T? That BASTID!!!!

    Are you OK? Do we need to send Quinerly (and Poco, of course) to check on you hourly? We’re here for you, buddy.

    Strong letter to follow! (To Cummings, that is.)

  30. 30.

    Quinerly

    November 12, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Good, concise piece by Tribe in HuffPo on Whitaker. I feel like the Whitaker appointment is getting lost in this firehose of news coming at us: https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5be891e4e4b0dbe871ac6599

  31. 31.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 12, 2018 at 7:16 am

    Another way of putting this: It is easily the highest midterm turnout since the beginning of universal suffrage.

    An easy thing to achieve, since universal suffrage hasn’t happened yet.

  32. 32.

    CliosFanboy

    November 12, 2018 at 7:19 am

    who won Ryan’s seat in Wisc???

  33. 33.

    SFAW

    November 12, 2018 at 7:23 am

    @Quinerly:
    I read through a decent portion of Tribe’s op-ed. I’d feel more comfortable if he didn’t couch every other phrase in weasel words (“could” “may” “appears” for example).

    Also, given the authoritarian bent of SCOTUS, I’m less sanguine about the idea that the Bald Grifter’s appointment will ultimately ruled unconstitutional.

    I hope Tribe is right, but the last two years have proved that the so-called “institutional norms” don’t mean shit any more.

  34. 34.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 7:23 am

    @Quinerly: Even if the fires were contained and the recounts finished, Trump is a master of changing the subject and not in a good way.

  35. 35.

    SFAW

    November 12, 2018 at 7:25 am

    @CliosFanboy:
    The Rethug

  36. 36.

    CliosFanboy

    November 12, 2018 at 7:27 am

    @SFAW: damn

  37. 37.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 7:34 am

    @TS (the original): When I read that story was that I wished Obama was president, so MSM would collectively be outraged by this. Then it would be fixed.

  38. 38.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 12, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @JPL: When the VA story popped up I seriously saw people commenting that liberals were faking their concern for veterans because if they really cared they’d build the wall and stop all the “money being wasted on illegals”. Every single thing is about the need for ethnic cleansing now.

  39. 39.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 12, 2018 at 7:49 am

    @Platonailedit: That’s a start. Baby steps. We can work towards another blue wave in 2020 which knocks Trump out of office and takes back the Senate.

  40. 40.

    SFAW

    November 12, 2018 at 7:55 am

    @CliosFanboy:

    Yeah, I know. I’m guessing Ryan would have lost, had he not run away. Steil (the winner) probably did not have Ryan’s baggage.

  41. 41.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 8:00 am

    ABC news online has Michelle Obama’s interview with Robin Roberts. In part 3 she doesn’t hold back on her feelings about trump.

    @Matt McIrvin: I know and it’s sickening.

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 8:17 am

    @Matt McIrvin:
    Because, that is who they are

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 8:18 am

    Not that you will notice, but on the 20th of May in 2019, the Kilogram will no longer be what we once thought. But then it never was:

    For the past 129 years, the world’s official unit of mass has been the international prototype kilogram, or IPK, a shiny cylinder of platinum-iridium stored under three sealed bell jars at the international bureau of weights and measures (BIPM) in Sèvres, west of Paris. National metrology labs hold copies of the IPK to calibrate measurements in their own countries. Every 40 years or so, the copies are returned to Paris for checks against the IPK, nicknamed Le Grand K.

    It’s not a bad system. Because Le Grand K defines the kilogram, its mass is never in doubt. It is always, with 100% accuracy, one kilogram. And yet its weight goes up and down. In storage, the platinum picks up pollutants from the air and the cylinder gets ever so slightly heavier. When it is cleaned, the kilogram loses weight as tiny amounts of alloy are removed. The net effect is hard to gauge, but copies can put on tens of micrograms in a century. All scientists know for sure is that the kilogram that defines all others is not what it used to be.

    It is enough to irk metrologists. “If aliens ever visit Earth what else would we talk about other than physics?” said Schlamminger. “If we want to talk about physics we have to agree on a set of units, but if we say our unit of mass is based on a lump of metal we keep in Paris, we’ll be the laughing stock of the universe.”

    ………………………….

    The redefinition is easier said than done. Scientists first use a supremely sensitive piece of equipment called a Kibble balance to calculate Planck’s constant from a 1kg reference mass. The instrument is similar to a scales, but instead of counteracting one weight with another, the object being weighed is balanced by electromagnetic forces. Planck’s constant is proportional to the energy needed to balance the mass. Then, armed with a precise value for Planck’s constant, researchers can do the reverse, and use the balance to measure unknown masses.
    …………………………
    “The greatest satisfaction for me will be completing the historic arc that started with the French revolution,” said Schlamminger. “The idea was to have a measurement system for all times and for all people. They fell short on the kilogram. It has these problems with stability, so it is not for all times, and it is locked in a safe, so it is not for all people. Planck’s constant never changes, so it is the same for all time. And its value is woven into the fabric of the universe, so it is there for everyone.”

  44. 44.

    Quinerly

    November 12, 2018 at 8:26 am

    Subpoena cannon is being loaded.
    https://www.axios.com/2018-midterm-elections-house-democrats-investigations-6bcfabb1-f1b2-49ce-8014-3e9b0c30db6c.html

  45. 45.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 12, 2018 at 8:35 am

    Remember when his supporters claimed that Trump deserved a Nobel Peace prize for what he “accomplished” with North Korea. What a joke. North Korea has as much respect for Trump as most western European leaders. None.

  46. 46.

    Schlemazel

    November 12, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @CliosFanboy:
    the fucking Republican, by a lot

    edit: I see I am not the first

  47. 47.

    Uncle Cosmo

    November 12, 2018 at 8:39 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Nice. A welcome change from the Buffoon Knobula, visible in orange light wherever Shitler lays his combedover pate…

  48. 48.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 8:39 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    None

    More than he deserves.

  49. 49.

    debbie

    November 12, 2018 at 8:40 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    It would be interesting to ask Rick Scott what he thinks of Roehrbacker’s refusal to concede.

  50. 50.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 8:40 am

    @Schlemazel: And in a year in which Scott Walker lost. Iron Stach was a real disappointment.

  51. 51.

    satby

    November 12, 2018 at 8:47 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

    I’m totally doing retirement wrong. Not only did I agree to help out at the doctor’s office, now the exchange program that my exchange daughters came through in 2015-16 has asked me to be a coordinator for the rest of the school year for a student placed in the area.
    It’s nice to be needed, I guess?

  52. 52.

    debbie

    November 12, 2018 at 8:47 am

    I don’t even know which poll to watch. 538 has him back at 42% approval, but then I see this:

    Poll of the week: The network exit polls found on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s approval rating was just 45%. His disapproval rating was 54%.

    This was in line with pre-election polling pegging his approval rating in the mid-40s among voters.

    What’s the point: It turns out that Trump does not walk on political water. He does not defy political gravity. This is very bad news for him heading into the 2020 campaign.

    I know which poll i like better, but I want to follow a poll that is accurate.

  53. 53.

    Schlemazel

    November 12, 2018 at 8:49 am

    @Baud:
    EDIT: I looked it up, it was 12% margin
    Yeah, that one hurt a little. I wanted to do some phone work for him but thought we had a really good chance of sending one shitty & one evil Congressman home. I spent all my time with Angie Craig & Dean Phillips who both won . . . while the GOP took two empty seats that had been Dem up North and down South. That hurt more particularly since one was self-inflicted when our governor-elect gave it away (it had been GOP for years before him) in order to challenge the party’s nominated candidate. She would have been a better gov & we would have held that seat.

    But I hope Iron Stach tries again in 20

  54. 54.

    Spanky

    November 12, 2018 at 8:51 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Coincidentally (?) looks like a red poppy on this Veteran’s Day.

  55. 55.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 12, 2018 at 8:52 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Wikipedia has a long and detailed article on the new SI standards (this is the kind of area where Wikipedia actually shines, though that graph of the relative mass drift of the kilogram standards is out of date–there was a later measurement that seemed not to show the linear drift continuing, go figure).

    I’m fascinated by some of the other redefinitions, particularly the kelvin and the mole. The kelvin used to be defined so that the triple point of water had some exact temperature; now it’s defined through the derived energy units by fixing Boltzmann’s constant. In general there’s a much greater emphasis on fixing defined values for fundamental constants, so that the base units have rigidly defined relations to one another, in preference to “substance X under conditions Y has a value of exactly Z”. Cleaner theoretically, but maybe further removed from everyday experience.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 8:53 am

    @Schlemazel: At this point, I’m kind of partial to the woman he beat in the primary.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 8:56 am

    @Schlemazel: I’m glad to hear that Ellison won. I know you were worried about him.

  58. 58.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 8:56 am

    This is a Public Service Advisory. Stay buckled up this week because Michelle Obama will be on ABC, CBS and NBC this week discussing her book. Most of the appearances will be taped interviews, although. I assume that trump will not be happy that someone more popular than he is will be receiving so much attention and adoration.

    @debbie: I’d stay with 538. Although turnout was high for the midterms that poll doesn’t take into account all who normally vote only presidential years.

  59. 59.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 12, 2018 at 8:59 am

    @satby: Good morning!

    I’m totally doing retirement wrong.

    So am I. I’m reviewing my volunteer commitments over the coming weeks with an eye to cutting back. The investment in election work was worth it – clean sweep, New Mexico!!! – but going forward I want to shift from being a party officer to a worker bee. I don’t need the stress. And I’d like to mix in a little fun here and there. In other news, we haz snow!

  60. 60.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 9:02 am

    @satby: You did a great job with your exchange students, so it’s easy to see why they would ask you to help out.

  61. 61.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @Quinerly:
    Morning to Poco and the tribe :)

  62. 62.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 12, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @satby:

    It’s nice to be needed, I guess?

    One of the lessons I keep trying to learn is that just because you can do a thing – and do it well – doesn’t mean you should do it.

    Shorter: “No, thank you” is a useful phrase. Maybe you can teach me how to use it. ;)

  63. 63.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @rikyrah: Poco has probably gone back to bed by now. That’s what they do.

  64. 64.

    Schlemazel

    November 12, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @Baud:
    I’m proud of those MN hillbillies on seeing through this one. I never thought a black man who was Muslim could win enough votes in those 2 districts that flipped red to pull it off. Polls had him behind.

    OTOH, the Assclown he was running against for AG wanted to institute biblical law, said his first act would be to fire anyone who was a Democrat and had bullied a gay kid badly enough that he attempted suicide. He was scum even by todays GOP standards

    Ellisons replacement is a mystery. The 5th CD would be represented by a ficus if the DFL chose to run one. I know she is very young and an immigrant Muslim but she made no impression on me. Ellison was a good, vocal rep with enough firebrand in him to be a real value on TV. That is lost now & I have no idea what we have in its place. I am angry that the DNC co-chair does not support the party’s nominating process. But that is inside baseball

  65. 65.

    debbie

    November 12, 2018 at 9:12 am

    @JPL:

    Thanks.

    Glenn Beck is railing at the indignities inflicted upon Tucker Carlson’s family, yet says nothing about RWNJs’ rudeness and instead pivots to blaming this on feminism. What’s he really afraid of????

  66. 66.

    tokyokie

    November 12, 2018 at 9:20 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: A very good friend of mine is one of the curators of that site.

  67. 67.

    Schlemazel

    November 12, 2018 at 9:20 am

    The FYNYT has an op ed out today suggesting we increase the size of Congress to 593 representatives. That would be nice since Wyoming’s 550,000 residents get one while it take 700,000 in any civilized state. 593 would get us closer to equitable.

    Though we still have the problem that 40 million Americans have 36 US Senators with 40 million Californians having exactly 2

  68. 68.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 9:20 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: I prefer the simple “No.” saying “thank you” afterwards implies you were impressed/flattered/whatever and just invites further incursions on your life.

  69. 69.

    satby

    November 12, 2018 at 9:32 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: you done good, and others can step up to the plate next time. Yay you!

    @JPL: well, I was a coordinator that year too, and I ended up hosting mainly because we had a really hard time placing Muslim students, especially hijab wearing girls. I was glad I decided to host though.

  70. 70.

    Quinerly

    November 12, 2018 at 9:34 am

    @JPL: Poco did not want to get out of MY bed this morning . He took it upon himself to go up to the third floor to my bed around 5:30 pm yesterday. Just gave me “the look” because I hadn’t been around much all weekend. Finally got him to come down about an hr ago with the smell of frying sausage. Amazing bladder in that ex street dog.

  71. 71.

    Quinerly

    November 12, 2018 at 9:35 am

    @rikyrah: and good morning back at you!

  72. 72.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 12, 2018 at 9:40 am

    @Raven:
    Thank you for calling. The government is too busy drowning in the bathtub to get back to you at this time.
    Please call again later.

  73. 73.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 12, 2018 at 9:49 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: 5 inches of beautiful powder here, and feet in the mountains. Let’s hope this keeps up.

  74. 74.

    WaterGirl

    November 12, 2018 at 10:04 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: From what I’ve read, she can take comfort in knowing that she will be appointed as the other AZ senator.

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    November 12, 2018 at 10:08 am

    @JPL: All I can find are one and two-minute snippets. Do you have a link to the entire interview?

  76. 76.

    Platonailedit

    November 12, 2018 at 10:11 am

    Florida accepts overseas/military ballots through Nov. 16, (provided they were postmarked by Nov. 6).

    The president is effectively calling for the disenfranchisement of military service-members … the day after Veteran's Day.

    https://t.co/bg00BACUv3— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 12, 2018

    To those military types and vets who continue still to vote for these group of pigs, when you gonna catch a clue?

  77. 77.

    oldgold

    November 12, 2018 at 10:13 am

    This has to be seen to be believed. This would not be believed by Rod Serling. It is waaaayyy beyond the outer limits of the Twilight Zone.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/atrupar/status/1061965651470925825

  78. 78.

    tobie

    November 12, 2018 at 10:16 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Thus far, the polls were right about AZ, ND, MT, and MO, and wrong about NV, TN, and IN. We desperately need a hand count in Florida to see what shenanigans the GOP has been up to for years. Scott’s and Trump’s panic about the hand count is telling. They’re scared, and it’s not just about Scott losing. It’s about the system they’ve built through voter disenfranchisement, perverse signature and name matching requirements, voter roll purges, and outright fraud to engineer GOP victories. No more!

  79. 79.

    MomSense

    November 12, 2018 at 10:18 am

    @Baud:

    In the future let’s not throw our panties at whoever puts together a great first ad. The dude had arrests for OUI, driving with a suspended license, and driving without a license. Then there were the missing child support payments. That doesn’t fly in the year of the pissed off woman voter.

  80. 80.

    germy

    November 12, 2018 at 10:21 am

    @MomSense: I find myself wondering how Cathy Myers would have done. I preferred her. She might have contributed to the blue wave. But she didn’t get the attention the Iron Stache got in the primary.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 10:24 am

    @oldgold: It’s not near fat enough and it doesn’t have raccoon eyes. Also the flag should be coming out of it’s ass, not at the neck. That said, I applaud their efforts at profiteering the desecration of the flag.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    November 12, 2018 at 10:25 am

    @MomSense:

    In the future let’s not throw our panties at whoever puts together a great first ad.

    I’m already there, but I don’t know if we collectively have it in us to change.

  83. 83.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 10:26 am

    @tobie:
    I want that hand count too.

  84. 84.

    oldgold

    November 12, 2018 at 10:29 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Consumer Reports has just issued a warning that it is not rain proof.

  85. 85.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 10:34 am

    @WaterGirl: The interview is 4 parts each consisting of five or six minutes. Enjoy!
    https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/transcript-gma-anchor-robin-roberts-interviews-lady-michelle/story?id=59127771

    There will be many females a tad envious of her relationship with Barack.

  86. 86.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 12, 2018 at 10:35 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I prefer the simple “No.”

    Point well taken.

  87. 87.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 10:36 am

    @oldgold: What about fire proof?

  88. 88.

    Yarrow

    November 12, 2018 at 10:37 am

    Meanwhile, not in Florida and not in Arizona…

    "Elections officials in Bexar County have not complied with the Texas Democratic Party’s public records request” in uncalled #TX23 race re: provisional, vote-by-mail, military, and overseas ballots #tx2018 https://t.co/2jbHJGHCxZ
    — Evan Smith (@evanasmith) November 11, 2018

    I saw that CNN is going to do another “election night” thing on Tuesday to update people on the state of the election because so many races are taking so long to be called. Interesting to consider how much vote by mail is changing the be “Election Night!111!!” coverage on TV.

  89. 89.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 12, 2018 at 10:38 am

    @satby: Thank you. I guess a consideration for taking on the coordinator job again is – do you want to host again?

    @A Ghost To Most: It’s beautiful and, I hope, a good sign for this winter.

  90. 90.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 12, 2018 at 10:39 am

    @oldgold: Heh.

  91. 91.

    WaterGirl

    November 12, 2018 at 10:40 am

    @JPL: Thanks so much for the link! Can’t wait to watch.

    P.S. You mean there are still women who weren’t already envious of Michelle’s relationship with Barack????

  92. 92.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 10:41 am

    Oliver Willis (@owillis) Tweeted:
    After losing Death Star, Empire extends olive branch to Rebels.

    https://t.co/Fw3ztMaAfZ https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1061959945426534405?s=17

  93. 93.

    rikyrah

    November 12, 2018 at 10:45 am

    Marcus H. Johnson (@marcushjohnson) Tweeted:
    This guy voted for Trump and the intercept thinks hes gonna compete for 2020 nomination ??? #desperation

    https://t.co/bNAiHMIT7J https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1061860461279432704?s=17

  94. 94.

    joel hanes

    November 12, 2018 at 10:50 am

    @Schlemazel:

    I hope Iron Stach tries again in 20

    I don’t.
    A successful career as an ironworker requires certain skills and aptitudes.
    Other skills and aptitudes are required to be a successful politician.
    Bryce, who I admire, and to whose campaign I donated more money than I could afford, did not have political skills, nor does he seem to have picked any of them up during his campaign.

  95. 95.

    oldgold

    November 12, 2018 at 10:51 am

    The Trumpy Bear is bizarre and amusing, but this is the grim side of what this national disgrace has fostered.

    https://twitter.com/barabooSD/status/1061980071462952961

  96. 96.

    joel hanes

    November 12, 2018 at 10:54 am

    @debbie:

    Glenn Beck is railing at the indignities inflicted upon Tucker Carlson’s family

    Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has continually been receiving credible death threats, has been forced to move four times, and cannot work at her job.

    Somehow I’m having a hard time developing any sympathy for the family of that racist asshole Carlson, even though what he says is not their fault.

  97. 97.

    japa21

    November 12, 2018 at 10:55 am

    @WaterGirl: There are also a lot of men envious of Barack’s relationship with Michelle.

  98. 98.

    japa21

    November 12, 2018 at 10:57 am

    As we listen and read about the GOP’s angst over the elections and particularly the Trumpster’s reaction, let us remember that he is the first Presidential candidate in history to refuse to say that he would accept the election results unless they showed him winning.

  99. 99.

    JPL

    November 12, 2018 at 10:58 am

    @oldgold: The Hitler salute and white power symbols are never out of favor for white trash and that’s what they are. It’s simply disgusting that their parents stood by and watched.

  100. 100.

    germy

    November 12, 2018 at 11:11 am

    @japa21: They had couples therapy

    https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/michelle-obama-says-she-and-barack-went-to-couples-therapy.html

    I felt vulnerable all the time. And I had to learn how to express that to my husband, to tap into those parts of me that missed him — and the sadness that came from that — so that he could understand. He didn’t understand distance in the same way. You know, he grew up without his mother in his life for most of his years, and he knew his mother loved him dearly, right? I always thought love was up close. Love is the dinner table, love is consistency, it is presence. So I had to share my vulnerability and also learn to love differently. It was an important part of my journey of becoming. Understanding how to become us.

    By opening up about her marriage struggles, Michelle hoped to dispel the notion that she and Barack have a flawless relationship — or that such a thing exists. “I share this because I know that people look to me and Barack as the ideal relationship,” she said. “I know there’s #RelationshipGoals out there. But whoa, people, slow down — marriage is hard!”

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    November 12, 2018 at 11:54 am

    @japa21: Obama envy — something for everyone! :-)

  102. 102.

    satby

    November 12, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    @O. Felix Culpa: don’t need to host to be a coordinator, in fact it’s a conflict of interest so a different coordinator would be assigned to my student. I’m not going to host this year or next, but may again in the future. It’s hard work, but I also think that it’s a lot of fun.
    This winter I intend to go visit two of my former exchange sons in Mexico, brothers that my family hosted two years apart. Grown men with families of their own now.

  103. 103.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 12, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    @satby: Those enduring connections are lovely. I first got to “know” you from your posts when you were hosting your two girls in Michigan. I knew right away you were good people. :)

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    November 12, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    @debbie:
    It’s statistics. It’s moving the numbers around till you like the answers. OK, not fully, but there can easily be differences of opinion by how you work the numbers. If one is completely consistent in their gathering and calculations, their numbers will be consistent across time. But someone else just as consistent in their gathering and calculations may have differing answers. Statistics is not a fixed science, like most mathematics, there are differing ways of manipulating the information and asking questions. As well, people will answer differently when asked at differing times. The larger the sample will help smooth out the inconsistencies. Hopefully.
    An example would be the Vietnam war. Success was measured by statistics, not by sq footage gained/lost or number/severity of casualties. So you had situations where after all the death and destruction, the US forces would win a battle and then just leave. The enemy would come back and the all the shit would have to start once again. Or this in Afghanistan.

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