Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Come on, man.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Bark louder, little dog.

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Reader Interactions

107Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    This commercial with the guy chopping wood using karate moves speaks for me. That is all.

  2. 2.

    donnah

    My spouse is geared up to watch the Steelers. He became a fan when they got Big Ben, because Ben went to Miami University, where both of us went to school.

    He’s also glad Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth are calling the game. Al used to call the Cincinnati Reds games and Chris played with the Bengals, who were our favorite football team back in the day.

    The Bengals currently suck, so I couldn’t care less about pro football. I’m a fair weather fan at best.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Thought we weren’t supposed to be supportive of football because concussions.

    Some days I just can’t keep up.

  5. 5.

    Corner Stone

    If my kid were just a little older I would have him training to be an NFL place kicker. I don’t know what happened to these guys but nowadays, as a group, they suck.

  7. 7.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    Is it too late for pet pictures for the 2019 BJ Calendar? I emailed them to you, John, a week or so ago.

  12. 12.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    I went to Miami, too, and initially I rooted for the Steelers because of Big Ben. I don’t actually pay much attention to Miami sports otherwise, though.

    Since it turned out that Big Ben is a scumbag, I’ve been rooting against the Steelers. Seriously, *that* jackass had to be the most successful Miami athlete since Ron Harper (and arguably of all time)?

  16. 16.

    Corner Stone

    @Gwangung:

    who is the Tony Award winning playwright, has a son who’s just finishing up college as a place kicker. Sounds like he has a real shot at accomplishing his dream….

    To dream the impossible dream?

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @donnah:

    It’s possible I missed an announcement, but did you donate your Christopher Robin and Pooh rug to the library, as planned? Has it been hung or otherwise displayed? Would love an update!

  23. 23.

    Platonailedit

    Fuck the mad dog and the whiny wolf.

    Muck around? Election interference is an act of war. Interfering with the outcome of your vote & my vote is the act of a hostile nation. Mucking around is what I do in the garden.

    https://t.co/JiBfElPBWI— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) December 2, 2018

  26. 26.

    donnah

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Thanks for thinking of that! I have contacted the person with whom I need to make arrangements at the library. The holidays are a bad time to make appointments, unfortunately. I do plan to meet with her soon so we can figure out the process of donating the rug and what I need to do to get it ready, like appraisals, how to display it, etc.

    And I’ve entered it into a competition that takes place in August, so I may need to hang onto it until then, because it will be on display for a week. After that, it’s all theirs! And I look forward to making it happen. It was a true labor of love.

  29. 29.

    Mike in NC

    SyFy channel has a new show at 10:00 EST tonight called “Nightflyers” based on something George R. R. Martin wrote circa 1980. Set on a spaceship.

  31. 31.

    Doug R

    @NotMax:

    Thought we weren’t supposed to be supportive of football because concussions.

    Some days I just can’t keep up.

    Plus the Stealers have rapin’ Ben.

    Yes, I am a Seahawks fan.

  33. 33.

    Damned at Random

    @Doug R: Native Pttsburgher here. I wish the Steelers had a less rapey QB, but I was happy rooting for William Gay. Now I cheer for Conner and Smith-Schuster.

    Did anybody else notice Mean Joe Greene looks like Black Santa now?

  34. 34.

    Yutsano

    @Gwangung: He probably has already been told this, but kickers rarely get drafted. But he would certainly be welcome to participate in open calls and make league minimum until he establishes himself. But it’s a doable dream!]

  37. 37.

    frosty

    I just followed John’s link on his Twitter feed: “Millennials are wreaking havoc on these 18 industries”

    I agree, most of them need to die anyway.

  40. 40.

    Suzanne

    @frosty: Every time I read about Millennials killing something, it turns out to be something totally worth killing, i.e. Applebee’s and gas-guzzling vehicles.

    Related note: it pisses me off to see pickup trucks with nothing in the bed. Like, are you seriously commuting to your office job in that thing?! 12 MPG at best?! Ergh.

  44. 44.

    Corner Stone

    @gene108: I think punters are overrated. The Texans had one that will probably end up in the Hall of Fame one day but he consistently outkicked his coverage team every game and had big returns set up because of it. For FG kickers, if you have ever looked at the goal posts from 45 yards you know how tiny they can seem.

  45. 45.

    magurakurin

    @A Ghost To Most: Every time I here the name Joe Buck all I can think of is Midnight Cowboy.

    Also, too…what’s the assessment on the trade war “cease fire” between the US and China? I’ve been hoping Adam or Cheryl might have some comments about it.

  46. 46.

    magurakurin

    @rikyrah: I follow Chris. That was totally awesome the last couple of days. It was really cool seeing someone discover that movie. He’s only 31.

  47. 47.

    magurakurin

    @frosty: I read it and thought I must be the oldest millennial alive because I ain’t doin’ nothin’ to support any of those industries.

  49. 49.

    Adam L Silverman

    @magurakurin: Not really a ceasefire. The Chinese haven’t actually committed to doing any of the things the President claimed they did. The US soybean sector is effectively dead forever, that market in China is gone and is not coming back. Here’s a good side by side breakdown of what the President/his administration occurred and what the Chinese say occurred:

  50. 50.

    gene108

    @Corner Stone:

    Yeah, but you’ll never have the pressure of hitting a game winning field goal and it’s a good living.

    Texans punter isn’t getting in the Hall of Fame. NFL caliber punters should have a lot more control over where their punts go.

  51. 51.

    Yarrow

    @frosty: The one about cereal being too much of a pain to eat because you have to clean up after you eat it just about did me in. I thought cereal was the lazy choice for a meal. Apparently not!

  54. 54.

    Amir Khalid

    i have decided!
    To quit buying Lay’s salt&vinegar potato chips. I find them too addictive.
    But sugarfree mints are okay, and I shall keep on with those.

  56. 56.

    magurakurin

    @Adam L Silverman: thanks, Adam, I knew I could count on you. I’ve been searching for some deeper insight, but not much appearing in the news media yet. Maybe it is still being digested? Pretty sure Trump will be praising himself for a glorious victory, but he was gonna do that no matter what. Purely anecdotal, but people’s opinions of Trump here in Japan are turning downright hostile. The sooner we get rid of this joker the better for everyone concerned.

  57. 57.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The US soybean sector is effectively dead forever, that market in China is gone and is not coming back

    Why? I’m a firm believer in “It’s never too late.”

    Also, did the Chinese have any success in their policy of targeting R districts through tariffs this cycle?

  59. 59.

    frosty

    @Suzanne: Pickups: my boss and the company president. And dozens of others.., engineers. Although, to be fair, most of them are deer hunters too and it’s a lot less messy using the bed of a pickup instead of an SUV.

    Another to be fair: my boss has almost 300,000 miles on his diesel, so while he’s not getting the best MPG, at least he’s not wasting resources buying a new one every 5 years.

  60. 60.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Yarrow:
    You ever tried eating GoGurts? They’re the most annoying things to eat because it takes too much effort to suck out the yogurt from the tubes. It’s literally not worth the effort.

  61. 61.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: Because the Chinese are now getting their soybeans at the same or better price they were getting from us from others. And, as a result, they do not now, nor will they need in the future, to buy them from American farmers. It took US farmers a very long time to get access into the Chinese market, to grow that market, and to maintain it. That is now gone.

  64. 64.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    What about the Chinese targeting farmers in R districts that supported President Trump? Have they dented any of his support in those areas/hurt R officeholders by making them lose reelection?

  69. 69.

    magurakurin

    @Adam L Silverman: lol. My wife and mother-in-law like natto, but her Papa hates it and he is an 80 year old Japanese man. They say here that East Japan likes natto more than West Japan. Lots of folks eat it every day everywhere, though. I don’t care for it at all. Tofu is good, but natto just doesn’t do it for me. It is supposed to be very healthy to eat, so there’s that for the Mid Westerners. And since much of the crop is rotting in the field…they are halfway home to natto anyway.

  71. 71.

    gene108

    @Adam L Silverman:

    By the time the farmers really start to feel the pain, hopefully, we will have a Democratic President, who will get all the blame, so these farmers can continue their Trump worship.

  79. 79.

    magurakurin

    @Adam L Silverman: People here like to take a bowl of rice, crack in a raw egg, and then mix in a box of natto. Stir it all up and call it breakfast. I can do rice, pickles, a bit of cold fish, and miso soup for breakfast…but not the raw egg/natto thing.

  81. 81.

    Steeplejack

    @John Cole:

    Just got home and flipped on the game. Steelers just tied it up with 4:10 to go. Can’t be cranky about that!

    Very foggy out here in NoVA. Eerie.

  84. 84.

    Gvg

    @Adam L Silverman: my relatives have been growing soybeans since at least the 80’s and it wasn’t a new crop then. I am not sure where it was sold, but if it was China, they got access a looong time ago. I would not bet we couldn’t get access when Trump is gone. The trade war cuts out suddenly a big buyer that the market expected and it will ruin a lot of farmers because they are always in debt and always at risk. There will still be soybean demand if smaller though.
    I think it is animal feed here. Also it’s a valuable winter crop that enriches the soil so farmers like it. It’s part of the crop rotation in Wisconsin.

  87. 87.

    Yutsano

    @Gvg: Brazil is going to be more than happy to destroy more of the Amazon rain forest to get that sweet sweet soybean renminbi. It’s a complete gift to their farmers and they’ll have to deforest like mad to keep up with Chinese consumption patterns as well as provide for Europe. American soybean farmers are screwed. They just don’t know how bad yet.

  88. 88.

    Steve in the ATL

    @frosty: preposterous! Who doesn’t love golf? My millenial-ish daughter loves her new Pings! Well, they’re my old Pings that I gave her when i upgraded to Honma, but still…Pings!

  89. 89.

    CaseyL

    OK, that was a crazy finish.

    I’m glad the kick was good and the Chargers refused the THIRD offsites penalty. Otherwise I could see them scoring a TD just on penalties.

  91. 91.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @CaseyL:

    How many deliberate offsides does it take before you get sent off?

    Actually, I have no idea if a player can be sent off.

  93. 93.

    mainmata

    Soybeans are originally from China and are pervasive in the cuisine (also Japan) as in soy sauce, tofu, etc. They grow well in the US Midwest because the climate is the same temperate well-rained climate. Where they have been grown in SE Asia, e.g. Thailand or Indonesia, they struggle against blights and pests although they survive barely. This is the dynamic with China: they have to import so many soybeans because they use soy in so much of their cuisine. Ditto in SE Asia. Now, because of Stupid Trump, soybean exporters are forced to sell at a low price to Brazil who then sell their beans to China at a higher price and use the gringo beans for domestic uses.
    Trump is a really stupid businessmen. Always has been, always will be hopefully right into Fed Max.

  94. 94.

    Amir Khalid

    @Burnspbesq:
    The almost-goal that got cleared off the line was probably just as frustrating. Everton have yet to win an away derby this millennium.

  97. 97.

    tobie

    @Gvg: yes, soy replenishes the nitrogen in the soil that corn depletes, which is why the 2 crops are rotated. We grow much more soy than we use domestically for animal feed. I gather the Dakotas exported almost no soy to China in the fall, which is usually their biggest export season. I’ll try to find a reference for that stat.

  98. 98.

    Martin

    Would like to note for the record that two shitty teams move to LA, neither of which has a proper stadium by team owner standards, and suddenly they’re a collective 20-4.

    Please disregard the current and recent bay area teams who have collectively managed to rack up the same number of wins as the Browns.

  100. 100.

    Corner Stone

    @Steeplejack:

    Steelers just tied it up with 4:10 to go. Can’t be cranky about that!

    This is like the height of freuding someone’s schaden. This is fucking genius level.

  101. 101.

    Martin

    @tobie: And worth noting that soybeans are no worse as a fuel source than corn is, which could at least keep the two crops in balance rather than dumping fertilizer on the fields which required a fair bit of energy to produce.

    That said, I imagine we’re not far off from corn modified with that strain recently discovered in Mexico that can fix nitrogen from the air.

  103. 103.

    Suzanne

    @frosty: I understand that pickups have valid uses. However, I would guess that the majority of pickup owners actually use them for that purpose no more than 2% of miles driven. All the time, I see these enormous extended-cab things that have obviously never been off-road even once because FSM forbid it might damage the paint. I have no idea why anyone would use one for day-to-day in-town use (commuting, shopping, schlepping kids, etc) unless one is insecure about his penis. Every once in a while, I need one. So I rent one, or borrow one, and save a bunch of money.

  106. 106.

    joel hanes

    @gene108:

    a Democratic President, who will get all the blame

    Farmers are more market-aware than that: they already know perfectly well who screwed them and how, and are only just waiting to find out how badly and how long it will last. Memories of such things are long: Trump may have broken the R hammerlock on Steve King’s district, although the effect won’t show until after he’s gone.

  107. 107.

    Gvg

    @Suzanne: I used to have a pickup and loved it until we began fostering and I finally had passengers. I am a girl. Yes it used more gas but in my small town renting or borrowing one was not an available choice. I garden. Getting massive amounts of horse manuer to that garden, not to mention mulch, plants, fertilizer etc was really challenging in a car. I had a topper for camping too. I did a lot of my own home renovation too and enjoyed those. Drywall at 4 by 8 sheets, long lengths of lumber, fencing supplies and a lot of other things don’t go in cars well. I did a lot! It was also the first vehicle I got brand new as basic pickups cost much less than cars. It had nothing to do with off road. Pickups are a utility vehicle. I kept mine in really good shape, waxed and all but it worked. I could not have afforded two vehicles then. Modern paint finishes look good with less care though so just because one looks nice, does not mean it doesn’t work.
    SUV’s are the looks over practicality ones. Most people just want to haul stuff or large families. A minivan would work as well and be safer, but people decided they didn’t care for that image. I can’t make other people’s taste for them and there are actually fewer minivan choices because people stopped buying them.

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