Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Come on, man.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

White supremacy is terrorism.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Let’s finish the job.

Consistently wrong since 2002

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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

He really is that stupid.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Day Two In Florida

Day Two In Florida

by | 104 Comments

This post is in: 

So far, I am having a pleasant time in South Beach. I spent a few hours in little Havana today, and had a delightful coffee:

I had a very nice time watching people playing dominos in the park, and spent a good bit of time watching people roll cigars. I picked up a few decent ones for Brian, Tammy’s husband.

Came back, spent some time by the pool, and then ordered Thai food for dinner. Watching Boston Legal and calling it an early night, as my sister is showing up tomorrow for a few days.

Good to see the blog has not blown up.

Reader Interactions

104Comments

  1. 1.

    Sister Golden Bear

    But the important question is: Did you go bicycling? Inquiring jackals need to know.

    Since no ER trips were mentioned, I’m guessing not. But there’s still time to go shopping for full-body bubble wrap tomorrow.

  4. 4.

    Sister Golden Bear

    For myself, I’m about to return home from Palm Springs after some much needed relaxing and pampering. (The spa at The Spring in Desert Hot Springs is amazing and definitely recommended — and yes they have three hot spring-fed pools.

    It wasn’t much warmer than the Bay Area, but desert sun, and heavy dose of Mid-Century Modern was just what I needed.

  5. 5.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Heard all about Bird Box on Thursday ao i read the book. Watching movie on Netflix now.
    ,

  7. 7.

    rikyrah

    Media Alerts:
    Casablanca is about to come on TCM at 10 pm EST

    Tomorrow morning, beginning at 8:45 am EST, they are going to have a Thin Man marathon until 6pm. EST

  8. 8.

    A Ghost To Most

    Enjoy! We are to get 3-6 inches of snow down here on the flats (more in the mtns), and temps below zero tomorrow night.

  9. 9.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    Good to see the blog has not blown up

    You fool! Now it will, you jinxed it!

  11. 11.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Jimmy Stewart

    I’m not the only one who thinks he resembled Nicholas Cage, right?

    There was a Perry Mason episode that had a guest star on that looked eerily like John Goodman too.

  15. 15.

    PaulWartenberg

    Went to the Tampa Bay Bucs game today, tried out a new camera I got for Saturnalia from my parents, found out it’s too bulky to carry out in the open and that I need a carry case which they don’t allow into Ray Jay so I won’t be bringing the camera back to any future games, and the Bucs lost and are firing their bad Head Coach and now we’re in REBUILD MODE again and we’ll never see another Super Bowl Bucs win again in my lifetime, I blame trump for that.

  19. 19.

    waratah

    I really like coffee and tea served in cups made of china or glass.
    Disposable cups seem to change the taste and I like to see the frothy stuff.
    That coffee looks gréat John.

  25. 25.

    Adam L Silverman

    Ruh Roh! Anyone seen Sirota or GG or Konst or Zogby or Turner lately?

  27. 27.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    The picture for the Politico article is perfect. Then again, Wilmer seems to only have two modes: constipated and finger-wagging.

    Didn’t we have a really obnoxious commenter on here that claimed to work for the Sanders campaign? I haven’t seen them in at least a year or more. Applejinx? I wonder if he had anything to with this…

  28. 28.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Gin & Tonic:

    And the Wingnut Wurlitzer hasn’t even turned on him yet. If he decides to run and makes it to the debates, the candidates should take the kid gloves off and bring up that NYDN interview from 2016 that showed he didn’t even known anything about his signature issue: the financial industry.

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Gin & Tonic: @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: Here’s what I think is likely to happen:
    I am completely convinced that when Senator Sanders does not get the Democratic nomination, in fact when it becomes clear very early on in the primaries that he won’t get it, that his supporters and his monomaniacal focus on economics issues, coupled with his ego, will drive him to run as an independent. And if he doesn’t, Nina Turner will shiv him and do it herself. I’m actually quite surprised that she hasn’t done this already. I honestly didn’t think she had this much restraint. Sanders won’t get the nomination because of the internal evolution and generational changes within the multi-ethnic and multi-religious coalitions that comprise the Democratic Party. And he won’t get the nomination because his trusted lieutenants, for lack of a better term, are even more abrasive than he is. No one paying attention within Democratic Party politics has forgotten that neither he, nor his most senior and vocal agents, will take yes for an answer. The behavior of Turner, Konst, Zogby, and several others at the various DNC meetings over the past 18 months or so was unprofessional, unpleasant to watch, to hear, and to read about. And, frankly, way out of line. What little welcome they had, they’ve worn it out. Sanders, no matter what he does, has the potential to function as a super spoiler for the Democrats in 2020. Think Jill Stein’s effect on the electoral college on steroids. And if he decides he’s going to be a team player and not do so, his trusted agents won’t play ball and you’ll have the same problem regardless.

  31. 31.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    That sounds like a very real and disturbing possibility. For Trump to win via the EC twice in a row would be unthinkable. I believe there would be real anger and chaos that would follow that event.

    Speaking of the DNC and unprofessional behavior, remember how we were all supposed to worship some guy named “Zack” for like 5 min for walking out of a DNC meeting where Donna Brazil was speaking?

  32. 32.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    In Sydney for a short time for combo trip – 29th anniversary last night (ate high end Vietnamese, with wine pairings, an amazing meal), and now getting ready for NYE 2019 festivities. Have tickets for the greenspace at the base of the bridge at The Rocks, next to the Park Hyatt. We will have a great view of Harbour festivities and the Opera House, and are at ground zero for fireworks.

    Also, I left my pouch with underwear and socks out, and forgot to pack them, so I’m having to roll commando….

  34. 34.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: I think you’re likely to see Stein run again as the Green Party candidate, which is, essentially, running as an independent. I would also guess, based on what he wrote in his book about trying to draft Mattis in 2016 to run against Trump, that Rick Wilson is already in contact with Mattis about an independent run. This is bolstered by the interview that Mattis’s brother gave the weekend after Mattis announced his resignation. At this point the electoral college is a live piece of unexploded ordnance from the 18th century just waiting to go off if triggered.

  35. 35.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    True. Fuck, I hope he’s not the nominee. And I hope he doesn’t Ross Perot us either. He’s an egotistical asshole with a messiah complex.

  36. 36.

    plato

    Arkansas is throwing thousands of people off its Medicaid rolls each month for not complying with work requirements, blindsiding vulnerable residents panicked about losing their health coverage. https://t.co/UWQdrZKimG— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 31, 2018

    awww, who cudda known voting repeatedly for ‘compassionate conservatives’ would ruin your precious bigoted lives?

  37. 37.

    Mnemosyne

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Also, I left my pouch with underwear and socks out, and forgot to pack them, so I’m having to roll commando….

    I’m pretty sure that even an exotic land like Australia has stores that sell men’s socks and underwear, so if you’ve decided to go commando instead, that’s on you, pal.

  38. 38.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Christ, this could get pushed to the House if all of those people run, plus the Dem nominee and Trump, and nobody gets a majority of electoral votes. Although that’s probably unlikely. Guess who will control the House in 2020?

  41. 41.

    Mike in NC

    Been to Florida many times but never anything south of Fort Lauderdale. Visiting Key West is on my bucket list for some reason.

  43. 43.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    President, because of a similar dynamic to what occurred in 2016, wins a slim majority in the electoral college.

    Trump would have to be sedated before he could be removed from the White House if that happened. And his supporters? Let’s just hope that the vast majority of them are all hot air.

    That said, that would be awesome. Does that scenario include an independent Sanders run as well?

  47. 47.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    Oh fuck. I thought he meant the Dem would win a majority of the EC votes. That would be absolutely insane for him to win the EC twice in a row. That would be absolutely destabilizing. I could totally see riots and mass chaos breaking out because of that.

  50. 50.

    CaseyL

    @Adam L Silverman: Holy crap, I hope you’re wrong about this. If 2016 happens again, with Wilmer and Stein playing leading roles again, I may spontaneously combust from sheer rage.

    Hey, Cole! Have you had any Cuban coffee yet? It’s not espresso: it’s about two ounces of thick coffee saturated with sugar, no cream. Amazing buzz. I used to practically live on the stuff when I lived there.

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: I think you need to reread that. I said that we are more likely to get a rerun of how 2016 went down – Democratic candidate wins the popular vote and the President eeks out a narrow electoral college majority and gets a second term – than we are to see the election thrown into the House for a decision.

  52. 52.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Mary G:
    Mattis should run just for that reason. He obviously hates Trump and knows he’s a national security risk. He should play the hero and fall on his sword. Take one for America and let the Dem win. There’s a pretty good chance that at least the Dem won’t be a Russian puppet.

  53. 53.

    Steve in the ATL

    @PaulWartenberg: did I ever tell you about the time I sat next to Keith McCants on a flight from Tampa a couple of years ago?

    It was good for you to lose today. We won, but got nothing for it other than a worse draft pick.

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: I did. The reporters neglected to ask some key questions and the answers they did get were a strong example of of self serving and self aggrandizing passive aggressive bullshit.

  58. 58.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: Cause most left of center and center left Americans are the first people you think of when you think of revolutionaries…

    Trust me, Americans, despite talking a lot about it, don’t have much revolution left in the marrow. Murder? Yes. Revolution? Not so much.

  60. 60.

    Adam L Silverman

    @CaseyL: I don’t think it will happen, I think it is a possibility. And it is a possibility that any actual serious contender for the Democratic nomination and his or her campaign team better be thinking about now and taking seriously so that it can be prevented. If they’re not, they deserve to lose. And we will all suffer for their shortsightedness.

  64. 64.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I’m thinking about if there’s some other disaster, like a depression, or some massive terrorist/cyber attack that causes mass chaos and confusion on top of that. Sometimes I feel as if we’re on the cusp of some transformative event that will change the global order forever, for the worse.

    I guess the root of this is that I simply can’t believe that Trump could win the EC twice in a row and that be considered ok or legitimate.

  66. 66.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Wut?

    Also, don’t take my half-baked predictions as me wanting to see revolution. I know where that often leads and it’s nowhere good.

  69. 69.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: I’m not saying it would be considered ok or legitimate. But think about all the people you know who would consider it illegitimate, how many of them do you think will go and march? Participate in a general strike*? Commit themselves to rebel risking their freedom and their lives to do something about it? Are you willing to do it? How about the loudest voices on social media or the front page of blogs or in the comments?

    * Given the nature of the US economy, including both right to work laws and the reality that far too many are living paycheck to paycheck, I’m not even sure it would be ethical and moral to call for a general strike.

  71. 71.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I’m slightly less pessimistic than you are about 2020, mostly because I think Sanders would primarily take votes away from Stein and because I think that most actual Democrats are sick of Sanders’ drama and will vote for the actual nominee.

    I also suspect that if any vote-changing by the Russians is found, it will be that they switched Clinton votes to Stein votes in places like MI and WI, which is why Stein inserted herself into the 2016 recount processes in those states.

  72. 72.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Honestly? Not many would rebel. Under the current circumstances we find ourselves anyway. I’m sure many would march. However, if things got bad enough, I think enough people would become fed up and try to do something.

    Given the nature of the US economy, including both right to work laws and the reality that far too many are living paycheck to paycheck, I’m not even sure it would be ethical and moral to call for a general strike

    Didn’t past general strikes happen in the past where many of the participating workers were very poor? Just out of curiosity?

    But honestly, this is all probably moot anyway. You said a repeat of 2016 wasn’t likely, just a possibility.

  73. 73.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: Nothing specific, just a general feeling of concern. Could be nothing more than the wilderness of mirrors. I’m pretty sure, however, that Putin is going to roll across Ukraine’s border fairly soon. He’s been conducting the maskirovka and disinformation campaigns about Ukraine massing for a conventional attack, Ukraine planning a chemical weapons attack, etc for weeks. All of it to create a provocation that he can use to justify the attack with, of course, manufactured provokatsiya that he’ll release through Lavrov and his captured state news outlets so he has a fig leaf for what is clearly an one sided act of war. Wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t try to take Belarus while he’s at it.

  75. 75.

    Fair Economist

    @Adam L Silverman: Mattis might run but he would get even less traction than Evan McMullin, which is to say none. Not surprised if Never Trump conservatives support him — because conservatives are delusional.

  76. 76.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t try to take Belarus while he’s at it

    I thought Belarus was already a puppet of Russia AND was in CSTO?

  77. 77.

    hervevillechaizelounge

    Bernie and his bots are definitely gearing up to screw us in 2020 but I can’t figure out if we’re better off letting him run for the Dem nomination or letting him wage an Independent campaign.

    I feel like allowing him to run as a Dem in 2016 was a mistake—it gave him a legitimacy and national profile he never could’ve achieved with a pie-in-the-sky third party run. But since that (geriatric) cat is already out of the bag what’s the best course forward?

    BTW, is there any chance our blog-father is really in Miami to infiltrate Jerry Falwell’s gay hostel? Get a Homer Simpson camera hat, slap a tutu on Lily—the photos would be priceless!

  78. 78.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Fair Economist: That’s the problem now. Despite how Mattis ran the Pentagon and how he resigned on principle, he would be unlikely to draw significant Democrats and Democratic leaning independents because he served in the President’s cabinet.

  79. 79.

    laura

    Hey Mr. Cole, get yourself a Cuban breakfast from a cafe on or beyond Collins Ave. You can access the wooden walkways between the swanky hotels and the beach at Dawn’s crack with your pooches, breakfast and then siesta till the next thing.

  82. 82.

    Jay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Does Putin want the trouble that Ukraine would be?

    With Crimea, the DPR and LPR, he’s already got enough to keep Ukraine “broken” and out of NATO, a “frozen” war, like Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Georgia.

    Does he even have the manpower?

    On the other hand, minor escalations cost Ukraine far more to respond to, than it costs Putin to stage.

  84. 84.

    Origuy

    I agree with Adam that the 2020 election won’t go to the House, but if it did, it’s by no means certain that the Democrat would win. Remember that it’s by vote of each state’s delegation. California gets one vote, as does Wyoming. In a straight party-line vote, the small states have the edge.

  87. 87.

    divF

    Cole’s opening piece made me think of Wallace Stevens.

    Call the roller of big cigars,
    The muscular one, and bid him whip
    In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.

  89. 89.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: I am not convinced Jill Stein will run. Articles like this one won’t help her much.

    An NBC News analysis found that Russians working under the direction of the Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg-based firm run by a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, tweeted the phrase “Jill Stein” over 1,000 times around the time of the election.

    The posts were often accompanied by variations of the same hashtag, “Grow a spine and vote Jill Stein.”

    “This hasn’t gotten enough attention,” said Andrew Weiss, a Russian expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, referring to Moscow’s efforts to promote Stein.

    “The fact that the Russian propaganda apparatus helped create awareness and support for her candidacy and promoted her candidacy is critical to our understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

  90. 90.

    CaseyL

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m less worried about the Democrats being aware of what’s going on, more worried about the MSM being as useless or actively malevolent as they were in ’16.

  91. 91.

    Jay

    @CaseyL:

    Yup, double yup. They are still doing Cletus Safari’s and expanding Pennochio’s rather that writing about inherent racism, irrational fears or calling a lie, a lie.

  93. 93.

    Amir Khalid

    A minute ago, a long, more or less triangular package arrived for me. I have just extracted the guitar stand, and unboxed my new “ch-affordable” Yamaha F-310 dreadnought-size acoustic guitar. (Alas, no sign of a truss-rod adjustment tool.) Now I’m thinking of a name.

  94. 94.

    smike

    @Jay:
    When it’s Pennochios all the way down, at least the post can recognize “Bottomless Pinocchios.” But I wish they had used “Pennochios All The Way Down”. Or “Our Judgement: That’s a Fucking Lie! Just Utter, Complete Bullshit!”

  100. 100.

    2liberal

    you probably won’t see this however: Eek vs. eke
    To eke is (1) to manage with difficulty (to make a livelihood), and (2) to make something last by practicing strict economy. The word is usually embedded in the phrasal verb eke out; for example, one might eke out a living by selling cookies and picking up change off the street. Eek is a noise one might make upon seeing a spider—that is, it’s a (sometimes humorous or sarcastic) interjection expressing fear, shock, or surprise.

    Because spell check doesn’t catch eek, it is often used in place of eke in the phrase eke out—for example:

  103. 103.

    Procopius

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m not sure. The first entries on a google search are from the 19th Century, which I know is wrong. About tenth down the list is:
    https://thinkprogress.org/flashback-americas-last-general-strike-was-in-oakland-in-1946-15dfa289b243/

    I’m pretty sure there were at least three during the Depression. I think one was in Oakland, I think there was another in St. Louis. I would have to dig through my copy of Schlesinger’s “The Crisis of the Old Order.” It’s a dead trees book, so not easily searchable.

  104. 104.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    Yamaha F-310 dreadnought-size acoustic guitar. (Alas, no sign of a truss-rod adjustment tool.) Now I’m thinking of a name.

    Dreadnaught size? Hmmm.. How about Big Mama?

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