Now seems like a good time to start tightening the vise around Republican Senate “moderates'” heads. Nominee funds are a great way to get good candidates to oppose clowns like Susans Collins and Cory Gardner.
You know what to do

Benny says give til it hurts.
zhena gogolia
OMG he’s cute!
Arclite
You should have said, “Benny says donate a Benny!”
geg6
OMG, his cuteness is killing me.
JPL
He’s so cute!
WilliamC
DougJ, your baby is adorable…but a fedora? Really? Isn’t it common knowledge that babies have a well-known Newsboy cap bias… ?
eemom
Brilliant title.
Gorgeous baby. Is he about 10 months now?
eta: Love his little solar system outfit!
Doug!
@eemom:
The picture is from about 2 months ago. He’s almost thirteen months now.
joel hanes
@WilliamC:
IMHO, that’s no fedora
https://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/blog/trilby-vs-fedora-the-difference-between-these-hat-styles.html
ETA: actually, with that brim, it looks to me like a homburg
WereBear
Adorable! And he likes hats? That’s rare.
trollhattan
Lost amidst the AG hearings are the hearings for the new EPA administrator. Worked for Murray Energy, eh? That’s just great.
rikyrah
Benny is adorable. :)
He is SOOO wearing that hat :) :)
WilliamC
@joel hanes: I stand corrected, and also stand to purchase tons of new hats when I come home from South America in a couple months thanks to your introduction of me to a new source of Newsies. thanks for the link!
germy
@trollhattan: He says climate change is not a serious problem? Well, that’s reassuring.
trollhattan
@germy:
“I believe it is an issue, one I have put on the list right behind getting these Italian loafers resoled. Can you believe they need it after just seven months?”
catclub
@Doug!: I am 702 months old. give or take.
john b
seems like Tillis (NC) should be on that list. You can’t gerrymander a Senate race. Cooper won statewide in 2016
germy
gbear
I’ve got a whole pile of postcards (well, 24 of them) with a message saying screw McConnell, screw Trump, pass the damned clean spending bills and override the veto. I need add addresses of republican senators this evening and get them in the mail tonight. (I would have printed more, but my cheap printer decided to quit processing cardstock).
I figure that staff probably tosses them, but someone has to read them before they get tossed.
Gin & Tonic
@germy: Who makes up those rules?
germy
@Gin & Tonic:
Big Words.
They’re more powerful than Big Oil and Big Banking combined.
Gravenstone
@germy: I suggest a disaster of Republicans, per the tweeted query.
catclub
@germy: Big Word took over from Big WordPerfect. unfriendly takeover.
catclub
@Gravenstone: in the GNU way of abbreviations, a Garbage Of ‘Publicans.
SiubhanDuinne
@joel hanes:
Which would mean little Benny is a Homberder
jl
@Gin & Tonic: @germy: We make the rules. American is an English language. We have no Academy. So, anyone interested should submit something and we’ll see what comes out on top.
I’ll start:
cesspool of Republicans
corruption of Reublicans
dung of Republicans
mendacity of Republicans
I like ‘dung’. A dung of Republican House members lost their seats in November 2018.
On the other hand, this has a ring to it: a mendacity of Republicans feigned outrage at the racist Steve King when forced to do so.
I’m sure some commenters can do better. I am hampered by too many ideas unfit for an almost top 10,00 family gardening and pet blog running through my head.
WereBear
@germy: Love that!
Patricia
@germy: Viper. No insult to vipers intended.
jl
@catclub: I like that one. Need to remember to spell it out until it becomes common knowledge. So,
A Garbage of Republicans (GOP) is subverting democratic government by supporting Trump’s criminal acts as President.
Patricia
My comment is waiting moderation. No cuss words were used so I’m not sure why. Lol
germy
@WereBear: A clowder of cats or other small felines.
trollhattan
@SiubhanDuinne:
Does McDonald’s have that copyrighted?
germy
A crime of republicans.
germy
@Gravenstone:
Disaster is when they win an election.
trollhattan
Let us now praise bureaucrats, big and small, state and federal.
trollhattan
@germy:
Oh, I thought it was chowder.
dexwood
A plague of Republicans, I suggest.
germy
@trollhattan: No, a chowder is a group of clams.
trollhattan
@germy:
Must. Resist. Temptation. To release. A groan of Spongebob puns.
Immanentize
A Punishment of Republicans?
Patricia Kayden
@germy:
https://twitter.com/JesseLaGreca/status/1085580488134283264
Best answer I’ve seen.
Mel
@Doug!: How do you guys not just spontaneously combust in the presence of such incredible cuteness?!?
He’s absolutely adorable!
Mikefromarlington
Any chance Pelosi constituents on here could convince her to invite an array of guests to speak instead of the SOTU, maybe start out with some brave metoo victims, move onto shooting victims, victims of cruel Republican policies, and end it with some positive messages and agendas from someone, maybe Obama or something. Something along the lines of those dipshite republicans did when they invited Benjamin Netanyahu to speak b4 Congress.
Redshift
@gbear:
Or at least read enough to tally them.
germy
Title of this thread reminded me of the great songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. Someone should make a movie about their life together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felice_and_Boudleaux_Bryant
sgrAstar
?Wake Up Litttle Susie? Amirite? Everly Brothers. Great song, even greater baby. Benny is oooooooh!
Don K
@john b:
And Ernst (IA), also, too. Dems need four seats to get a majority.
germy
Mugshot and everything.
Patricia Kayden
My comments are waiting moderation for some strange reason. No cuss words used.
Fair Economist
@Don K: Only 3 seats if we win the Presidency because the VP breaks ties. I’d like to see more though, so that the deciding vote isn’t in the hands of Manchin, Sinema, and (maybe) Jones.
zhena gogolia
@sgrAstar:
Oh, how did I miss that reference?
John Revolta
A Pilfer of Republicans
germy
A Smash and Grab of Republicans
Ryan
Susan Collins or GTFO.
debbie
@rikyrah:
Agreed! Quite the sharp dressed tot!
poleaxedbyboatwork
@germy:
Haven’t read all comments yet, so if this may be a repeat, but clearly, like a group of ravens, a group of Republicans is self-evidently a conspiracy.
debbie
@germy:
Too close to chowder, I think.
Frankensteinbeck
@germy:
A treason of Republicans.
For joke’s sake, I would accept a collusion of Republicans.
sdhays
A dump of Republicans.
poleaxedbyboatwork
@john b: @Don K: @Fair Economist:
All good and deserving suggestions, but know who’s also up for reelection in 2020?
Mitch “Destroyer-of-Democracy” McConnell.
Apart from retaking the presidency and the Senate and augmenting the House lead, think one of the very best statements of repudiation would be if Dems can draft a solid candidate in Kentucky and remove one of the most loathesome (and, unfortunately, effective) leaders of GOP destructiveness.
I don’t want that motherfucker to just be Minority Leader. Ain’t good enough. (Six years under Obama showed what he’s capable of as an obstructionist goon.) I want, and the country desperately needs, McConnell fucking gone.
(Frankly, sooner than later. Would prefer, e.g., if McConnell is/was part of the Russia attack — how well and truly I hate the insipid term “meddling”; meddling is what happens onna episode of ScoobyfuckingDoo — then McConnell be forced from office under indictment for conspiracy. But that’s me.)
Nicole
A Klan meeting, duh.
J R in WV
A Giant Turd of Republicans is keeping Giant Mendacity Trump in office?????
poleaxedbyboatwork
@poleaxedbyboatwork:
Along those lines, if a Dem candidate for Senate in Kentucky started running against McConnell now, it’d focus a spotlight on the fact that the government is shut down now not solely b/c Trump is hostage-taking arsonist throwing a temper tantrum, but *also* b/c unobtrusive insurgent (tho notta violent one, to use Adam’s formulation) McConnell is entirely responsible for blocking a vote. Which would likely pass, thereby forcing Trump to decide whether to veto it nor not.
Force McConnell to rattle his wattles and show his invisible bloody hand. Name, blame and shame. Repeatedly, directly and vociferously, w/o mushy qualification. It’d be helpful to the Dem candidate in gaining name recognition, it’d (perhaps) compel the press to cover McConnell’s role in this shit-show, and it’d be a boon and a service to the country.
J R in WV
Really want enough Senators (R) to be indicted for major criminal events to turn that group Dem for life. Will live clean to live longer, also too!!!
WaterGirl
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Do you live in Kentucky?
poleaxedbyboatwork
@WaterGirl:
Negative. Gooper occupied territory of Alaska.
WaterGirl
@poleaxedbyboatwork: I guess you can’t run, then!
Aleta
I don’t know how you stand it DougJ …
oh Benny
You’re part of the past, but now you’re the future
Signals crossing can get confusing
It’s enough just to make you feel crazy, crazy, crazy
Sometimes, it’s enough just to make you go crazy
You get ready, you get all dressed up
To go nowhere in particular
Back to work or the coffee shop
Doesn’t matter ’cause it’s enough
To be young and in love
To be young and in love
Look at you kids, you know you’re the coolest
The world is yours and you can’t refuse it
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
(Benny Blanco etc. )
Ohio Mom
@poleaxedbyboatwork: I agree, we need a strong candidate to go up against McConnell. I don’t know who it could be, but boy, McConnell needs to go.
Against that statement of determination — a little voice telling me I’m expecting a lot from Kentucky. A good portion of it might as well be West Virginia. Can you imagine realistically hoping for a strong Democrat to come out of West by God Virginia? We’re all thrilled they managed to seat Joe Manchin.
Ohio Mom
@Nicole: Not much anyone can add to that. I think you’ve won.
plato
@Nicole: A clan of klans?
Felanius Kootea
A complicity of Republicans or a confederacy of Republicans though I really like the mention of a Klan of Republicans upthread.
Frankensteinbeck
@Ohio Mom:
You are expecting a lot from Kentucky. It is a culture of hate and a cesspool of racism. It went ballistic when a black man became president, voted by like 20% for Romney, and Trump is god in most of the state. McConnell in particular knows how to press Kentucky’s. His election against Allison Grimes was all Obama-and-Mexicans, and it worked. Boy, did it work.
That said, he is not popular, women are PISSED and we don’t know what effect that’s going to have, and taking Alabama was even more insane. It’s worth a shot.
Nicole
@Ohio Mom: Hee hee.
Mnemosyne
@Frankensteinbeck:
Like in Alabama, you’re probably going to need a straight white guy to run as the Democrat. I hate saying things like that, but in certain states, it’s true.
joel hanes
@Nicole:
A Klan meeting, duh.
I believe that a Klan’s local organization is properly called a Klavern.
Personally, I’m leaning toward a malignancy of Republicans, but it’s too many syllables to be punchy.
Perhaps a smug of Republicans.
Or a hubris of Republicans.
Perhaps a cesspit of Republicans
An abcess of Republicans ?
A grudge of Republicans.
joel hanes
A hostility of Republicans
A meanness of Republicans
Doug R
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Yeah. When are we going to target McConnell? I mean him and Rand Paul are their Senators, who can we run against him? John Yarmuth?
Steve in the ATL
@Mnemosyne: at least you didn’t say “like in South Carolina …”
joel hanes
@Doug R:
When are we going to target McConnell?
Ady Barkan, the terminally ill guy who organized the successful $3M+ gofundme for Susan Collins’s next Democratic challener,
is eyeing doing the same for ol’ Yertle.
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/should-we-go-after-mitch-mcconnell/
poleaxedbyboatwork
@Doug R:
Taylor Swift, of course!
(Only half-joking.)
I know very little about Kentucky except lotta wingers hates that evil ol’ Obummercare but they sure loves them some KYNECT. Functionally the same thing, course, but one has the advantage of pretending that a black guy never done nothin for you.
@Mnemosyne:
Perhaps. I certainly understand your reality-based cynicism, but think there’s real value in contrast, specially when shit’s all fucked up, as it assuredly is now.
E.g. Think it’s one reason why a young, energetic black guy with a funny name won the Dem nom over a formidable opponent in ’08, and then went on to win the presidency twice. Shit was plenty fucked up at the end of Jr.’s reign of errors, course, and Obama’s fresh, shiny, newness contrasted markedly with McCain — yet another old “get-off-my-lawn” white guy, same-shit-different-year — and inspired a lotta peeps to give Obama a shot.
Admittedly, winning in Kentucky is a much steeper climb than winning a national election for a Dem, but running a youngish person with a more diverse background is becoming an asset in many surprising places, e.g. Sharice Davids in fucking Kansas, right? “It’s so crazy, it just might work!”
Wish I could remember who said it, but in the aftermath of the 2018 mid-terms, recall one smart cookie (I thought) make the observation that many Dem candidates who won (if memory serves, this person cited a black candidate who won somewhere in New York) wind up not getting sidetracked on issues of race and gender (when used by wingers as a red-herring) so much because they *already* represent it. They embody it. They *are* it. Which allows them to talk more about policy issues (like healthcare) that voters who ain’t wingnuts actually care about.
Personally, I would like to see a qualified youngish female who ain’t white announce a bid against McConnell and just start banging the fucking contrast drum. It may be true that a straight white pen1s-enabled candidate is the best shot, but given that most seem to think KY is unwinnable anyway, think we’d all be better served by getting an unabashedly progressive candidate with a diverse background and watch her sink her teeth into McConnell.
Give peeps a chance to be inspired and see what happens.
oatler.
@germy: Tell Dildrum that Doldrum is dead,
Mohagan
DougJ you are a BJ treasure with your song lyric post titles. I love them, and I love me some Everlys.
Richard Guhl
A Calhoun of Republicans
Because that is who they are.
Steve in the ATL
@Richard Guhl: well played
joel hanes
@oatler.:
Then I’m to be king of the cats!