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You are here: Home / Today in Presidential Politics

Today in Presidential Politics

by John Cole|  January 25, 20194:11 pm| 193 Comments

This post is in: Just Shut the Fuck Up

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I was texted this today from Our Revolution:

“Whether he wins or not…”

There are kids in cages and federal workers at food banks and these fucking guys STILL. DON’T. FUCKING. GET. IT.

In other news for people who are not going to win, this fucking guy:

Former West Virginia State Sen. Richard Ojeda on Friday dropped his long-shot bid for the White House.

“I don’t want to see people send money to a campaign that’s probably not going to get off the ground,” the Democrat said in a video provided to The Intercept. In a subsequent statement posted to Facebook, Ojeda lamented how big money still dominates politics and, as such, it was difficult for him to gain traction and attention.

To recap, Richard Ojeda won a state Senate seat in WV, where every Democratic vote is sorely needed. His big issues allegedly were marijuana legalization (which would be great for this state from a revenue standpoint and to help lower our reliance on pain meds and heroin), teacher’s and public employees, and blue collar issues. He promptly resigned his seat, allowing our Republican governor, Jim Justice (last seen offering the WV Capitol to Trump for his SOTU), to appoint… a coal lobbyist to his seat. Oh, and btw- the Republican led WV senate is now debating marijuana legislation (trying to kill it by passing it off to localities) and introduced a massive education bill aimed at… union busting and making teacher strike’s illegal.

So, yeah.

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Previous Post: « Breaking: Speaker Pelosi Publicly States the State of the Union is Not Planned at this Time!
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Reader Interactions

193Comments

  1. 1.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    We lost Schlemazel today — I hope there’ll be a front-page post about it.

  2. 2.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

  3. 3.

    Raoul

    January 25, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    “wether he wins or not, his entry will keep the focus on his wizened, saggy ego”
    FTFY, Daniel.

  4. 4.

    Raoul

    January 25, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Oh, dang. Sad news.

  5. 5.

    ruemara

    January 25, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Hey, the Greens are already hyping up people to run as a Green so they can get their 5% and get their federally mandated funding. Everyone of these spoiler, “purer than thou” types – has no soul. They’re all out for themselves and what they can get, children in cages be damned.

  6. 6.

    Betty Cracker

    January 25, 2019 at 4:20 pm

    And speaking of STFU, Nina Turner is sitting next to Bill Kristol on a CNN panel right now.

  7. 7.

    Gravenstone

    January 25, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    I can only hope your reply (if any) to that text was suitably … brusque.

  8. 8.

    laura

    January 25, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Schlemazel Tov

  9. 9.

    Spanky

    January 25, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    I have no words, just a deep, sad sigh.

    So quick, and too soon.

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    January 25, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    @zhena gogolia: There will be later today.

  11. 11.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:24 pm

    Wilmer and his ilk, like Tulsi Gabbard, are not going to do well this time. Democrats want someone who can win. The Berncrowd cannot win. They will not go far.

  12. 12.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 25, 2019 at 4:26 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Tonight. It is being worked.

  13. 13.

    Citizen_X

    January 25, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Oh, no.

    That was so fast. I can only hope it that that lessened the suffering.

  14. 14.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:29 pm

    Well, this is one take.

    Political chess game continues. President Trump reopens government – a good thing. Gives Dems three weeks to make a border security deal. Reasonable. Advantage Trump today.— Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) January 25, 2019

    Hilarious.

  15. 15.

    gene108

    January 25, 2019 at 4:29 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    :-(

    Is there a way to contribute something to his family, in his memory? Flowers? Donation to favorite charity?

  16. 16.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    Also hilarious.

    Maybe the solution to the border crisis is not deporting 22 million illegals but one Jared Kushner.— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 25, 2019

  17. 17.

    John Revolta

    January 25, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    Fuck.

  18. 18.

    gene108

    January 25, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    And speaking of STFU, Nina Turner is sitting next to Bill Kristol on a CNN panel right now.

    Call the cops!!! CNN is trying to actively injure the brains of their audience

  19. 19.

    Ohio Mom

    January 25, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Thanks for letting us know. I hope there will be a link to an obituary or memory page where we can leave our memories and condolences.

    I realize I know next to nothing about the IRL people he left behind — well, other than Niece Laura. It would be nice to have a way to reach out to them.

  20. 20.

    Suzanne

    January 25, 2019 at 4:35 pm

    @Yarrow: The mental gymnastics are unreal.

  21. 21.

    rikyrah

    January 25, 2019 at 4:35 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    ????

  22. 22.

    John Cole

    January 25, 2019 at 4:35 pm

    @zhena gogolia: There will be.

  23. 23.

    tobie

    January 25, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I didn’t know this. Thanks for posting. How very sad.

  24. 24.

    chopper

    January 25, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    @Yarrow:

    “this is good news for john mccain”

  25. 25.

    Ohio Mom

    January 25, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    I have said this before. I remember fondly when Sanders was a harmless novelty act — a independent Congressman who was a socialist. You never heard about him doing anything but it was cute that we had this outlier in Washington. It was a bit of local color.

    God, those days are over. Can he please go away?

  26. 26.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Okay, thanks.

  27. 27.

    Kristine

    January 25, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I am sorry.

  28. 28.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    @Citizen_X:

    He had already suffered a great deal, I think.

  29. 29.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    @gene108:

    I don’t know. Maybe the front-pagers will be in touch with his niece to find out.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    @zhena gogolia: We knew it was coming, but it’s still heartbreaking.

  31. 31.

    Suzanne

    January 25, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    Trying to decide if I should head on over to Breitbart.

    Schadenfreude is such an ugly but powerful part of my personality.

  32. 32.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    Inorite? I didn’t even know what he looked like.

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    Cole, how did you reply to the Dear John letter? (ha!)

    I’m going with FUCK NO, all caps, no punctuation. Am I close?

  34. 34.

    hilts

    January 25, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    Daniel is a goddamn idiot. Putting aside Bernie’s policy positions, he and Biden are way too fucking old to run for President. They both need to go away and STFU.

  35. 35.

    JPL

    January 25, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    @Spanky: That’s how I feel. He finally thought he had answers to his medical issues and wham. I’m just sad.

  36. 36.

    CaseyL

    January 25, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Damn. Damn. DAMN. We will miss the hell out of him.

  37. 37.

    humboldtblue

    January 25, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    “I have an advanced degree, 17 years in with the Forest Service a husband and four kids and I haven’t been paid in a month,” said a woman I spoke with today. She’s an employee with the Forest Service and she was in tears because she needed to pick up food from a local labor drive to help feed her family.

    Some fresh fruit, some paper products and for her, a ton of shame and embarrassment. I hugged her at least three times and the despair that came through when she said “I’m a hostage, I have been held hostage and there is nothing I can do about it,” was palpable as were her tears.

    As you would expect, we have vast tracts of Federal land up here and hundreds of locals are employed by the Federal Govt and that doesn’t include the 270 or so Coast Guard personnel who kick ass every day.

    This is fucking madness caused by traitors.

    The GOP is an enemy of my country.

  38. 38.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    @Suzanne: It’s just beyond, isn’t it? I guess that’s the spin over on Fox News, etc. I don’t think it’s going to work as well this time, though.

  39. 39.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    January 25, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    @hilts: What hilts said.

  40. 40.

    humboldtblue

    January 25, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    And fuck cancer.

    Slainte! Schlemazel!

    I’m gonna get drunk tonight for a lot of reasons and I’ll come up with a goy version kaddish that will be blasphemous, scandalous and hilarious.

  41. 41.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    @hilts: If their strategy in selling Wilmer to people is, “whether he wins or not” that is not a good sign for his campaign. That’s terrible messaging. He’s only in it to get out his message is not a winning strategy. He’ll be less than a sideshow this time around.

  42. 42.

    Doug R

    January 25, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    I see “the intercept” or Sanders, Sarah or Sanders, Bernie and my eyes glaze over.
    I think it’s a self defense reflex.

  43. 43.

    MattF

    January 25, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    @Yarrow: The rhetorical strategy is to toss shit at fans and hope that the resulting mess hits some liberals. See WaPo columns from Thiessen and Hewitt for examples.

  44. 44.

    VeniceRiley

    January 25, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    Schlemazel, Rest in peace, jackal extraordinaire.

  45. 45.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    Didn’t Richard Ojeda run for something else like a House seat last election? He’d do a ton more good by focusing on the WV Democratic party and reinvigorating it. That he’s running then not running for President and talking to The Intercept instead says a lot about him, none of it good. Do not trust.

  46. 46.

    The Dangerman

    January 25, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    Will you add your name to our petition…

    You answered in the proper, Balloon Juice approved, negative reply, I hope.

  47. 47.

    TaMara (HFG)

    January 25, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    @Yarrow: OMG, now I’m in agreement with Ann Coulter, the apocolypse cannot be far behind.

  48. 48.

    Miss Bianca

    January 25, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    So, JC, let me see if I’ve got this straight: Ojeda fucking resigned to run for President, instead of staying in WV legislature where he could have fucking made an actual difference?

    WTF is wrong with this guy? So fucking tired of white guy conservative born-again progressives. They can all go to straight to hell where they belong.

    Except you. You, we love!

  49. 49.

    schrodingers_cat

    January 25, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    @Ohio Mom: He was never cute. He has always been pro-gun and anti-immigrant. And kind of an asshole. Check his voting record not just his soundbites.

  50. 50.

    bluehill

    January 25, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    With the number of people who already have declared and those rumored or likely to declare, hope this is isn’t going to be the dem version of the 2016 repub primaries.

  51. 51.

    Chyron HR

    January 25, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    “Hi, Daniel, were you born stupid or did your parents raise you that way?”

  52. 52.

    Haroldo

    January 25, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Your US version of the Guardian:

    So far, eight major Democrats have entered race: Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, California Senator Kamala Harris, former housing secretary Julian Castro, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former tech executive Andrew Yang, and former Maryland Congressman John Delaney.

    Look at all those ‘major’ Democrats.

  53. 53.

    Jeffro

    January 25, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    Ojeda couldn’t even hang in there for a Gilmore unit, hmm?

  54. 54.

    cain

    January 25, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    We lost Schlemazel today — I hope there’ll be a front-page post about it.

    oh no.. I’m so sorry. That’s just so sad. I hope at least the thought of Roger Stone getting hauled out by the FBI would leave him with at least a smile. I was really hoping that he would stay on this plane for awhile longer. This world sucks. Godspeed, Schelemazel.

  55. 55.

    patrick II

    January 25, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Whether he wins or not, his entry will keep the focus on progressive issues…

    As I remember the last time he ran he didn’t keep the focus on progressive issues but on cutting the legs out from under the Democrat who did win. There are plenty of other Democrats who want to expand Medicaid and are for the New Green Deal. He can only do them harm. He should stay home. But I am afraid he is becoming the new Ralph Nader, loving the sound of his own purest of the pure voices.

  56. 56.

    Kent

    January 25, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    @ruemara: After Trump goes down we need to lock up Jill Stein for being a Russian stooge as well. I hope to God there is at least a paragraph about her in the Mueller report.

  57. 57.

    bluehill

    January 25, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Check his bank account.

  58. 58.

    cain

    January 25, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    My friend texted me yesterday, she had to put down her dog Ginger today who was suffering from doggy dementia. If you are toasting to Schelmazel, please do an extra one for suffering dogs who find peace.

  59. 59.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Well, he’s talking to The Intercept so that says it all to me. Who’s paying him?

  60. 60.

    opiejeanne

    January 25, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I’m so sorry to hear that, but I hope he was made comfortable.

    This has been a shock, from the misdiagnoses to the last one, with very little time for his family and friends to adjust. I hope his family is able to find peace.

  61. 61.

    Miss Bianca

    January 25, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    @Yarrow: Or as my favorite fictional hero, Stephen Maturin, has been known to observe when confronted with an obnoxious/clueless political observation: “Sure, it’s a point of view.”

    (Been practicing that one in my best Patrick Tull-inspired Irish accent for when the local Trumpanzees get to blathering at me.)

  62. 62.

    Another Scott

    January 25, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Something smells to high heaven about this…

    “Follow the money”, maybe.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  63. 63.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 5:07 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Today you get to tell them Trump got beat by a girl. That’ll really rile ’em up. Heh.

  64. 64.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    @Another Scott: Exactly. Some enterprising journalist in WV should have a look at his bank accounts. Also, why’d he quit so quickly? What happened there? Scared of something?

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Ha! That reminds me of my friend who also was my fixer-upper guy who helped with my house projects.

    If I would suggest something that he wasn’t crazy about, he would always say: “It’s a look.” I would immediately know that what I had suggested was not a good idea!

  66. 66.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    January 25, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    @JPL:
    You never know when you’re gonna go. Heartbreaking, especially for his family.

  67. 67.

    Mike in NC

    January 25, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    We can only hope that somebody slips some rat poison into Bernie Sanders’ favorite maple syrup. He’s one big reason we got Trumped.

  68. 68.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 25, 2019 at 5:16 pm

    @Yarrow:

    Democrats want someone who can win. The Berncrowd cannot win. They will not go far.

    Sanders was a novelty last time. No one really knew him except for his nice sounding slogans. He sucked in a lot of new voters, and by the time the more experience voters realized he was an asshole, he had just enough support to launch his ‘the Democrats are cheating you’ ratfuck.

    Sanders has none of that this time. Too many people remember, and hold grudges. Too many of the newly activated women and people of color and especially women of color will not even consider him. He pissed off the brand new generation by trying to make himself the figurehead of the anti-gun movement. He will die so early, his ‘You were robbed’ schtick that does the real damage will have no power. Especially since a lot of his lunch will be eaten by Warren, who if she loses will lose gracefully.

  69. 69.

    lurker dean

    January 25, 2019 at 5:17 pm

    @zhena gogolia: ahhh, crap. rest well, schlemazel.

  70. 70.

    opiejeanne

    January 25, 2019 at 5:19 pm

    Was it MomSense earlier today who had picked up medication for a friend but then couldn’t contact her, and was considering a health check for the woman? Do we know the outcome of that story yet?

  71. 71.

    humboldtblue

    January 25, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    Or as my favorite fictional hero, Stephen Maturin

    That’s something we share in common. I go back and re-read his blistering takedown of Mrs. Williams (after she threatens Clarissa and Padeen) just to lift my spirits.

  72. 72.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    January 25, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    @Haroldo:
    Out of all of those names, I only recognize four. They’re all women. Harris, Warren, Gillibrand, and Gabbard. And Gabbard is an a nobody. That’s pretty bad. Is it the Intercept?

  73. 73.

    John Revolta

    January 25, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    You guys. So cynical. As if the coal industry in WV ever did anything untoward. I’m ashamed of yez.

  74. 74.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    January 25, 2019 at 5:23 pm

    @opiejeanne: Yes, that’s who it was. I haven’t seen a follow up.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    January 25, 2019 at 5:24 pm

    Twitter gold:

    Ann can you block me? you are the only one left in my framed “blocked by” collection of “women who banged @DineshDSouza” Truly up yours

    — ALT- Immigration ? #NoPayNoWork (@ALT_uscis) January 25, 2019

  76. 76.

    Ian G.

    January 25, 2019 at 5:27 pm

    John, how do you blue ball us all by not showing the very John Cole reply to that Our Revolution guy about where he can stick his head?

  77. 77.

    Haroldo

    January 25, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:

    Out of all of those names, I only recognize four. They’re all women. Harris, Warren, Gillibrand, and Gabbard. And Gabbard is an a nobody. That’s pretty bad. Is it the Intercept?

    The Guardian.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    January 25, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    @Yarrow:
    I’ll bet tens of people still miss his show.

    “Advantage Trump.” Ha! Maybe in the queue for best tee time. Maybe.

  79. 79.

    FlipYrWhig

    January 25, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    My theory with B. Sanders ’16 is that he specifically ran to bark at Hillary Clinton, and that if Hillary does not run this time he will not, and that Hillary will not — thereby making this problem moot.

    (My theory with O’Malley ’16 is that he ran to become Hillary’s VP and successor. But no one particularly cares about theories of Martin O’Malley, do they? ;) )

  80. 80.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    January 25, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Oh hell. /sobs/

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    January 25, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    @Steeplejack:
    That’s gold, indeed. This here is gold also, too.

  82. 82.

    feebog

    January 25, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Too many of the newly activated women and people of color and especially women of color will not even consider him.

    Yep. Plus Warren has already announced and she takes up the same philosophic space on the progressive side of the party. Her “wealth tax” on the .00!% is brilliant in it’s simplicity and logic. Dead candidate walking.

  83. 83.

    ArchTeryx

    January 25, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I’m so very sorry. :< There but for the grace of the goddess (and the pack of jackals) go all of us.

  84. 84.

    trollhattan

    January 25, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    @FlipYrWhig:
    I hope you’re right because as a vanity project Wilmermentum seemed to thrive off its own vapors.

    Whoever shoves him in my direction today gets a quick “Show me his tax returns, then we can talk.”

  85. 85.

    opiejeanne

    January 25, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Thanks. That post really troubles me. I hope the friend is ok.

  86. 86.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    I would respond y asking whether Bernie has released his tax returns yet

    ETA: [shakes fist at trollhattan]

  87. 87.

    Lyrebird

    January 25, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: I hope we get to hear more about Yang and Delaney as well, even though I am thrilled with all the GRRRRRRL power in the field already. The more awesome candidates we hear from with interesting, progressive ideas – I have heard Delaney has some fwiw – the less airspace is left for sh)t-stirrers from up here in the frozen Northeast.

    To you specifically:
    I may have been disagreeable in responding to your question about fetal rights ‘n all. Sorry if I flamed rather than informed. Wishing you well either way.

  88. 88.

    Burnspbesq

    January 25, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    And speaking of STFU, Nina Turner is sitting next to Bill Kristol on a CNN panel right now.

    If we’re lucky, Bill will partially repay his debt to society by slapping her silly.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    January 25, 2019 at 5:40 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Bad link! You fix.

  90. 90.

    Lyrebird

    January 25, 2019 at 5:41 pm

    @FlipYrWhig: Hey, where else can we come to air our theories like this? O’Malley and BS both declined to budge a single bit as far as acknowledging their blindness and deafness to African American voter concerns.

    I don’t think highly of O’Malley after that, but I also don’t think he had any compromised individuals running his campaign, at least. Tick tock tick tock…

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    January 25, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    The one Sandernista I know gets around that by saying, “He did!” Upon investigation it turns out Sanders released an edited or abridged version of one year’s return. Sandernista hand-waves that away as mean nitpicking.

  92. 92.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    Seen on Rick Wilson’s Twitter feed. Look at the year!

    Just remember this: Where there is Trump, there is also Roger Stone.— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) April 7, 2011

    Trump gotta be nervous tonight.

  93. 93.

    ThresherK

    January 25, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    RIP Schlemazel.

    Ojeda’s name I heard, very minimally, but had no idea why or where from. He is like Linc Chaffee, and I only know that guy’s name cause I live in the next state over.

    So, Ojeda’s not even famous on a scale bigger than Rhode Island? Good riddance.

  94. 94.

    debbie

    January 25, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Sigh. This has been a day of very high highs and one very low low.

  95. 95.

    debbie

    January 25, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    @Yarrow:

    I worked from home today and was looking forward to Glenn Beck’s incoherent spin on this. Sadly, he started off with abortion. Click.

  96. 96.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 25, 2019 at 5:48 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Hell. He’ll be missed. I hope he enjoyed Infrastructure Week as much as possible. :(

  97. 97.

    trollhattan

    January 25, 2019 at 5:48 pm

    @Steeplejack:
    Site eated it three times. Here in its naked link glory.

    https://twitter.com/CIAspygirl/status/1088852751566557184

  98. 98.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 5:48 pm

    @cain: ok, will do.

  99. 99.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 5:50 pm

    @Lyrebird: I don’t understand how Martin O’Malley is blind to African American concerns. He was mayor of Baltimore for 8 years, and then governor after that.

    Baltimore has been more than 60% black for years now. O’Malley was elected as a Democrat.

    Not being contentious, but your comment surprises me.

  100. 100.

    Baud

    January 25, 2019 at 5:50 pm

    I’m am saddened to her about Schlemazel. RIP, good man.

  101. 101.

    Immanetize

    January 25, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I know I have no control over this (or anything, really) — but this pisses me right the fuck off. And makes me so sad at the same time. Schlemazel is dead! Long live all Schlemazels!

    PS: “I Am SCHLEMAZEL! (or, more accurately, I hope to live up to his example.)

  102. 102.

    Jay

    January 25, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    Wonkette has a post up on all the delicious wingnut tears today.

  103. 103.

    daryljfontaine

    January 25, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    Sorry to hear about Schlemazel. Condolences to his family (and to our jackal family as well).

    From FB today, roughly equivalent to subtweeting:

    And when you lose control
    You’ll reap the harvest you have sown
    And as the fear grows
    The bad blood slows and turns to stone
    And it’s too late to lose the weight
    You used to need to throw around
    So have a good drown
    As you go down, all alone
    Dragged down by the Stone.

    D

  104. 104.

    Genine

    January 25, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Oh, no. I’m so sorry. :(

  105. 105.

    Amir Khalid

    January 25, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    @zhena gogolia:
    Damn. The news came down while I was sleeping. Hell of a thing to wake up to.

  106. 106.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    @Amir Khalid: lesson learned: never sleep

  107. 107.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    @Amir Khalid: We are going to have a good memorial thread later. An online wake.

    Shocking to me how quickly this all occurred. Missing that jackal. Irreplaceable.

  108. 108.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 6:18 pm

    @Amir Khalid: get out your new acoustic and play something in a minor key. Out of respect for his Minneapolis roots, perhaps some Dylan. Or Prince. Or the Replacements….

  109. 109.

    Ohio Mom

    January 25, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    @Elizabelle: I hope I get back from the dinner event I’m going to in time for the virtual wake.

  110. 110.

    p.a

    January 25, 2019 at 6:21 pm

    RIP Schlemazel. Peace to his family.

  111. 111.

    ruemara

    January 25, 2019 at 6:23 pm

    @Steeplejack: Unlike their demands to have transcripts & records of Hillary’s speeches where they can read it in subtext. They’re gross.

  112. 112.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    From Emma Best in Sept 2018

    …
    …
    Among other highlights, the FBI documents establish that Stone:

    Committed and directed acts of political sabotage
    Was investigated for possible “violations of election laws”
    Made a cash donation to the Democrats while posing as part of the Young Socialist Alliance
    Acted as bagman for a mysterious $16,050 payment two weeks after the Watergate break-in
    Ran a political spy operation until a month after the Watergate break-in, with operatives infiltrating Democrat campaigns
    Answered a phone call from a Watergate burglar at his handler’s house
    Stone’s handler and source of funds also paid a Watergate burglar
    Had a handler in contact with at least two of the Watergate burglars
    Planted information in the newspaper to divide the Democrats
    Played “political pranks” aimed at “disrupting the election campaigns of political opponents” for CREEP
    Was a bagman for operations “infiltrating the campaigns of the Democrats”
    Came to the attention of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, the FBI Director, and Members of Congress
    Had a file restricted enough that a Senator employing Stone was denied access
    Described political espionage and sabotage as a routine “way of life” for political campaigns – a sentiment Trump

    [Emma Best obtained 17 documents from the FBI through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), available to download at the link, which goes to the site of Property of the People.]

  113. 113.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 6:27 pm

    @Aleta: link: https://propertyofthepeople.org/2018/09/07/fbi-documents-on-roger-stone-reveal-sabotage-espionage-and-the-life-of-a-serial-bagman/

  114. 114.

    debbie

    January 25, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    @Aleta:

    @dick_nixon is churning out tweets disavowing Stone.

  115. 115.

    Lumpy

    January 25, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    In my opinion, that comment “whether or not Bernie wins” is referring to the primary, not the general election. Too bad that Our Revolution could not have made that explicit. Because it’s a little tone-deaf to miss that nuance.

    Bernie ran a message campaign last time – with Warren in the race this time (and I’m rooting for her to win) there’s no real need. He does have a lot of name recognition and interest left over from 2016, even if some of those people are incredibly stupid and annoying.

  116. 116.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 25, 2019 at 6:32 pm

    @Jay: Some of the 12th-dimensional chess handwringing in that article is amazing. “Trump is being a genius! He did this so he could make the case for the wall at the SOTU and have Nancy sit right behind him while he proclaims a national emergency! It doesn’t get better than that, think of the look on her face!”

    Which goes to show: It’s all about pwning the libs. Not to mention that he can’t “make the case” because the case doesn’t exist.

  117. 117.

    The Midnight Lurker

    January 25, 2019 at 6:33 pm

    God bless, Schlemazel. He will be missed.

    My timing is poor, but maybe this will help cheer everybody up…

    “At the crack of dawn, 29 FBI agents arrived at my home with 17 vehicles, with lights flashing, when they could have contacted my lawyer,” Stone explained after a court appearance Friday. “But the FBI agents were extraordinarily courteous.”
    “A SWAT team, searching the house, scaring his wife, scaring his dogs—it was completely unnecessary,”
    Stone’s attorney said.

    That’s 29 UNPAID FBI agents!

    And I would have tipped each and everyone of them a C-note if they had kicked the living shit out of that traitor scum.

  118. 118.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 6:34 pm

    Ugh. What a day. We lost our dear Schlemazel and my friend is very upset with me because I called the EMTs and they decided she needed to go to the hospital. I really didn’t have a choice. When I got inside the apartment she was a mess- barely conscious, slurring, confused, etc. We went to the ED and they decided to keep her at least overnight. Something neurological is going on and they don’t know the cause yet. She’s mad though because she feels so terrible all the time and just wants to die. She doesn’t want to be in the hospital.

  119. 119.

    HeleninEire

    January 25, 2019 at 6:35 pm

    So tomorrow is my last full day in Dublin. My friends threw me a great party. They asked if I was happy or sad. I said both. I have made incredible friends here. The Irish are the friendliest people on earth and they brought out the friendly in me.

    But something I realized. I am not afraid of what anyone thinks. Years ago I cared. I said to my friends tonight “If I thought for a second that this was the wrong decision I would reverse it in a second. Screw anyone who thinks I’m crazy.”

    So. Glad I’ll get home on Sunday. See you all there!

  120. 120.

    Greg Ferguson

    January 25, 2019 at 6:35 pm

    Fucking geniuses. That was fast. ???

  121. 121.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 25, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    @FlipYrWhig: (My theory with O’Malley ’16 is that he ran to become Hillary’s VP and successor. But no one particularly cares about theories of Martin O’Malley, do they? ;) )

    He was rather desperately auditioning for Veep in ’08, but whining about a “coronation” in ’16. I’m only kind of mildly interested that he never seemed to attract the likes of Sirota and Stoller and others always on the hunt for the great white hope, but not enough to give it much thought. I guess he wasn’t screechy enough or Stoller, or anti-Obama enough for either

    One random 2020 thought I’ve been having is how Obama got such a huge boost from Ted Kennedy in ’08, and on a more inside-baseball level, from Harry Reid. I can’t think of anyone who has Kennedy’s stature with Dems, unless it’s Obama.

  122. 122.

    Gravenstone

    January 25, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    @Yarrow: Throw Stephen Miller into the pot and we might have the start of a negotiation.

  123. 123.

    Gelfling 545

    January 25, 2019 at 6:42 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Terrible news.

  124. 124.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 6:42 pm

    @MomSense: Oh, gosh, that is terrible. So sorry to hear that. How awful for your friend. Do the doctors have any idea what’s happening?

  125. 125.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 25, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    @zhena gogolia: RIP Schlemazel.

  126. 126.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    January 25, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    @Yarrow: Hey if we can get him, Coulter and Limbaugh crowing about “victory” while we get what we want, I’m all for it.

    So shocked to hear about Schlemazel.

  127. 127.

    Jay

    January 25, 2019 at 6:46 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    DPRK News is burning both Stone and Jones on twitter,

    https://mobile.twitter.com/DPRK_News/status/1088933375027699714?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

  128. 128.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 6:46 pm

    @HeleninEire:

    I am not afraid of what anyone thinks.

    Isn’t that genetic for New Yorkers?

    I’ll never forget my first visit to Ireland. Visiting someone’s home mid-morning, the hostess poured each of us half a pint glass of straight whiskey. Good morning to you too, ma’am!

  129. 129.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 25, 2019 at 6:46 pm

    Seth Masket @ smotus
    Seth Masket Retweeted The Daily Beast
    Yes, Ojeda is the first to drop out, if you ignore Avenatti, Casey, Cuomo, Murphy, O’Malley, Patrick, and Steyer.
    #winnowing #InvisiblePrimary

    I didn’t know Murphy and Cuomo had taken themselves out of the running. I like Murphy, and I think there’s something to be said for staying in the Senate.

  130. 130.

    Baud

    January 25, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    @FlipYrWhig:

    My completely speculative theory about Sanders is that he is trying to get Ocasio-Cortez to endorse him out of the gate and she hasn’t agreed to do it yet.

  131. 131.

    HeleninEire

    January 25, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Oh that was so fast. RIP my friend Schlemazel.

  132. 132.

    Chyron HR

    January 25, 2019 at 6:48 pm

    @Lumpy:

    Bernie ran a message campaign last time

    “Worship me or America must die” isn’t much of a message.

  133. 133.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 6:48 pm

    @Yarrow:

    She has congestive heart failure – her heart function is between 15-18%.

  134. 134.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 25, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    @Jay: That needs a trigger warning.

  135. 135.

    The Midnight Lurker

    January 25, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    @MomSense: I went through that same scene with an old friend not a month ago. He’s still kinda pissed, but admits that it was for the best. Old people… sheesh!

    You did the right thing by them, and I thank you.

  136. 136.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    @MomSense: Oh, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry.

  137. 137.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    @Aleta:

    Nixon Foundation @nixonfoundation
    This morning’s widely-circulated characterization of Roger Stone as a Nixon campaign aide or adviser is a gross misstatement. Mr. Stone was 16 years old during the Nixon presidential campaign of 1968 and 20 years old during the reelection campaign of 1972. 1/2

    Mr. Stone, during his time as a student at George Washington University, was a junior scheduler on the Nixon reelection committee. Mr. Stone was not a campaign aide or adviser. Nowhere in the Presidential Daily Diaries from 1972 to 1974 does the name “Roger Stone” appear. 2/2

  138. 138.

    bluehill

    January 25, 2019 at 6:55 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: Kinda like the leader of a doomsday cult pushing back the the hour of destruction. Not sure where I saw this. Maybe here, but some social psychologists studied this example of cognitive dissonance: When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of A Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World – Festinger, Riecken, Schachter

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 6:55 pm

    @MomSense: Oh, what a day for you. I have never been though a situation quite that bad, but a few years ago a good friend was supposed to pick me up for some time sensitive thing and he did come and didn’t come and didn’t answer his cell phone, his land line, a text or an email.

    I was quite worried about what I would find, so I called a friend and had her on the phone with me while I knocked and knocked and knocked and then let myself in with the key. I called out, nothing. Looked all around the downstairs, went upstairs in total dread, and he finally work up and came out into the hallway and was ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS with me. Beyond angry.

    What, I was supposed to do? Do nothing and potentially have him be in trouble or dying? And then he was so furious. It was hard, but I would do the same thing all over again. So sorry you went through that today of all days.

  140. 140.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    @MomSense: You did the right thing, MomSense.

    Let your friend be mad. She is lucky to have you for a friend.

    I wonder if some of her issue is severe dehydration?

  141. 141.

    Gbbalto

    January 25, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    @MomSense: Not an MD but I keep hearing that an UTI can do this.

  142. 142.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    @Baud: She would plummet to the basement of my esteem if she were to do that.

    edit: she seems way too smart to do something that stupid.

  143. 143.

    The Midnight Lurker

    January 25, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    AND TRUMP CAVES!!!!!

    GOVERNMENT TO REOPEN!!!!!

    AND THE BIG ORANGE NOTHING GOT JUST THAT!!!! NOTHING!!!!!

    NOW… IMPEACH THE MOFO!!!!!!

  144. 144.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    @MomSense: Oh, yikes, that’s terrible. You said this morning that she had turned off her I-something-something. I googled and couldn’t figure out what it was.

  145. 145.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 25, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    @gene108: Yrs ago she was on Sharpton’s MSNBC show a few times. She seemed pretty sharp. Also when she tried for OH sec of state.

    Then she got discouraged or disillusioned or something and seemed to just go off the rails into Wilmer land. He gave her a position in his campaign? ie recognition?

  146. 146.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    @The Midnight Lurker:

    My friend is only 53 – which is part of why this is so hard for her. She wants to live her life but her heart doesn’t let her do more than exist.

    @Elizabelle:

    She is really puffed up with fluid. They recently increased her diuretic but I don’t think it is keeping up. She has to be so careful about her fluid intake.

  147. 147.

    Aleta

    January 25, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    @MomSense: (Of course you know this ) You did the right thing. Protecting her from some reasonable possibilities, any one of which would have made her life much worse.

  148. 148.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    @Gbbalto: Yup. Wondered about that too.

    All this heart failure at only 53. That’s very sad.

  149. 149.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    ICD is a defibrillator that they install in the chest. The kind she has is located below her sternum and hard wired to her heart. About a month ago it shocked her back to life and she requested that they turn it off.

  150. 150.

    Baud

    January 25, 2019 at 7:06 pm

    @WaterGirl: Me too. We’ll see. She’ll end up having to support someone eventually.

    @Ladyraxterinok: She spoke at the latest Women’s March and her speech was actually pretty good. It’s a shame.

  151. 151.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 7:07 pm

    @MomSense: thank you. I hope things can turn around for her.

  152. 152.

    Jinchi

    January 25, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Honest question. At 7 am this morning I was reading about major flight delays at airports all along the East coast (possibly including Reagan airport in D.C.). When I checked the news again at noon, I read that Trump had caved completely on the shutdown.

    Is this really what it looks like? Did Republicans cave because they thought they might be a few hours late to get home on Friday? Because just yesterday Republicans were justifying the hardship of 800,000 federal employees who hadn’t been paid for 35 days in the name of national security.

  153. 153.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @Baud:

    My completely speculative theory about Sanders is that he is trying to get Ocasio-Cortez to endorse him out of the gate and she hasn’t agreed to do it yet.

    That’s preposterous. She’s been Team Baud!/Poco for at least a year.

  154. 154.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Damn I’m really sad about Schlemazel. I’m glad he realized how much we care about him but it makes me sad that he struggled with acceptance. Listen Jackals, if any of you feel this way this is the place to say it and get some support. I figure we are all on the spectrum of misfit to hermit since we mostly like to stay home with our pets and snark with online friends.

    And I hope efgoldman will let us help him find the right device so he can play with us. We miss you Ef to the G!

    I’m terribly worried about Archteryx. Please check in with us and let us know how you are doing.

  155. 155.

    Amir Khalid

    January 25, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @Elizabelle:
    Congestive heart failure forced me into medical retirement at 47. I think I know how she feels.

  156. 156.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    You know, how news outlets responded to Roger Stone’s access and leaks is going to be very instructive.

    They were active participants.

  157. 157.

    Jackie

    January 25, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    OT, but I suddenly have a BJ problem. I have to turn off WiFi to open and/or refresh. Then I can turn WiFi back on and scroll thru. But, to refresh page or open new window, or post, I have turn off WiFi each and every time. Any other websites I go to work as normal. Only BJ.
    This started this morning. I have cleared all cookies, etc. Rebooted. This is on my IPhone and Safari. It’s very, very frustrating. And, as I stated earlier, this issue is only happening with BJ.

  158. 158.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I’m so sorry, Amir. I’m glad you are here with us and that you are enjoying your music.

  159. 159.

    Elizabelle

    January 25, 2019 at 7:11 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Journalism’s loss.

    But we are gaining a rock star. Very glad you are still with us!!

  160. 160.

    ruemara

    January 25, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    @Lumpy: Well, it is an opinion.

    @MomSense: You did the right thing.

  161. 161.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    @Jinchi: this isn’t the first time that air travel delays have ended a shutdown.

    Also, it will always be National airport, not [expletive deleted to protect the children] airport.

  162. 162.

    Jay

    January 25, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    @Jinchi:

    Yes.

  163. 163.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 25, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    @bluehill: With GOP basically saying no one is allowed to primary Trump so there will be no GOP primaries/caucuses–repubs may/will? register dem and vote in ours.

    Way to further damage US democracy/norms GOP!!!

  164. 164.

    eemom

    January 25, 2019 at 7:16 pm

    @Jinchi:

    The people on those flights might have included a few republican donors whose private jets are in the shop

  165. 165.

    wasabi gasp

    January 25, 2019 at 7:18 pm

    You fell off one too many barber chairs.

  166. 166.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 7:19 pm

    @Jackie: BJ on my iPhone makes my phone overheat, so it doesn’t seem to be very phone friendly at the moment.

    If there’s a link in a thread, can you open that in another tab without having to turn wifi off and on?

    One of the potential developers we are talking with showed us a speed ranking of 8 out of 100 for the front page on the phone.

  167. 167.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 25, 2019 at 7:19 pm

    @Yarrow: Didn’t he get severely beaten in one of his races by people who really hated his politics? Days in hospital?

  168. 168.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 25, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    For quite a while, we had a lovely dedicated thread to green not Green. We have also mourned General Stuck, as well as beloved spouses, parents, siblings, and animal companions. I don’t suggest turning this blog into the BJ Memorial Garden, but I wouldn’t mind a category where condolence/memorial threads could find a permanent home. Maybe in the site rebuild?

  169. 169.

    Gravenstone

    January 25, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    @Jinchi: Air travel being messed up begins to affect a lot of people with money and clout. Those people can make their displeasure clear. That’s the sort of thing that can actually break through the studied indifference the Republicans have been hiding behind.

  170. 170.

    Amir Khalid

    January 25, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    @Ladyraxterinok:
    Can a party just cancel its presidential primary season and nominate its incumbent? I’m sure there are going to be ambitious/delusional Republicans in 2020 who fancy themselves in the Oval Orifice, and will declare a run. They’re not short of such people, as we saw in 2016.

  171. 171.

    debbie

    January 25, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    @MomSense:

    That must have been horrendous for you. Has your friend considered writing out a directive so everyone will know and comply with her wishes?

  172. 172.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 25, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    Air travel being messed up begins to affect a lot of people with money and clout.

    Yeah, and it also affects people like me!

  173. 173.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Everyone is invited to the live Q&A for the site rebuild – This Sunday from 1-3 pm.

    Ask any questions you want, share concerns if you have them, and every person can nominate their “if I could have just this one new thing” or “this one change”.

  174. 174.

    Yarrow

    January 25, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    @Ladyraxterinok: They say that now, but if Trump is no longer in office and they won’t allow any other candidates, that’s not going to work out very well for them.

  175. 175.

    Immanentize

    January 25, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    @MomSense: ugh
    My favorite uncle went through years of congenital heart disease. Died late last year. I do empathize.

  176. 176.

    Amir Khalid

    January 25, 2019 at 7:34 pm

    @Yarrow:
    They seem to be betting that Trump will still be in office because McConnell will refuse to move on even an overwhelming House vote to impeach. Also that they cannot afford any division in the party over Trump’s legitimacy.

  177. 177.

    Jackie

    January 25, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    @WaterGirl: No. And, to add insult to injury, when I go back to where I clicked the link from, it starts me back at reply #1. This is a brand new snafu. I may have to go to AT&T. Of course this WOULD HAPPEN the day so much exciting news…. Needless to say my poor finger is exhausted ?

  178. 178.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    January 25, 2019 at 7:36 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Also, it will always be National airport

    Thank you! I agree, and I no longer live there and have to see that name on Metro maps or hear people say it.

    It will also always be the Cabin John Bridge, but I don’t have as much emotional investment in that.

    I moved to Philadelphia in 2001 and have developed new renamings to be curmudgeonly grumpy about, mostly on the commuter train system.

  179. 179.

    Immanentize

    January 25, 2019 at 7:36 pm

    @MomSense: My uncle had that thing jolt him three or four times. He finally went to Rochester for some surgical help. And it let him have another two years. At his wake, my Aunt and I were talking and she said after a conversation that all the trouble he went through and all the care she had to provide was worth the time with him over the years.

  180. 180.

    Immanentize

    January 25, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    @Amir Khalid: And yet you are a rock star! Good on you.

  181. 181.

    WaterGirl

    January 25, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    @Jackie: That kind of stuff makes me crazy frustrated, so I feel your pain. And on a day like today! I don’t believe that Alain is making any changes to the site, so I can’t imagine what might have changed, but I’m sorry it’s happening.

    We are making great progress with the developer search, if that helps at all.

  182. 182.

    chris

    January 25, 2019 at 7:41 pm

    @Jackie: Browser issue? Maybe try Firefox or Chrome before you throw the phone at something.

  183. 183.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 25, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Can’t vote on impeachment within two years before the election, it’s a corollary to the Garland Rule.

  184. 184.

    Jackie

    January 25, 2019 at 7:48 pm

    @chris: It is ONLY with BJ. And, of course that sucks. I don’t know if I can – or would know how to change browsers on the phone??‍♀️

  185. 185.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 25, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    @bluehill: Fascinating book/analysis.

  186. 186.

    chris

    January 25, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    @Jackie: I’m not an Apple user but I have heard others complain about mobile Safari doing odd things. This is guesswork on my part but maybe your version is too old/new or something. Both Chrome and Firefox are available in the App Store which should make either one easy to download and install.

  187. 187.

    cain

    January 25, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    @HeleninEire:

    So. Glad I’ll get home on Sunday. See you all there!

    Welcome to back to the land of the crazies. I can understand. I lived in Dublin for 3 months and it was life changing for me. I made good friends, and had a gang. It was just fun and brought me really close to the Irish. They welcomed me with open arms. For me the Irish can never do wrong. I had felt emotional when I left. Love ya, Eire

  188. 188.

    zhena gogolia

    January 25, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    @MomSense:

    Archteryx commented on one of the Schlemazel threads, I think the one down below from earlier today.

  189. 189.

    opiejeanne

    January 25, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    @MomSense: I’m glad you posted this because I’ve been wondering all day. I hope they can figure out what’s wrong with her and help her.

  190. 190.

    MomSense

    January 25, 2019 at 8:12 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Oh thank you! I’ll go look for him.

  191. 191.

    Uncle Cosmo

    January 25, 2019 at 8:13 pm

    @Elizabelle: Not only that, but in the 1999 Mayoral primary, O’Malley got 30% of the AA vote – versus two AA candidates with credentials as good as or better than his.

    IMO the black votes for O’Malley came from the kind of neighborhood where I’ve owned a home for >30 years – 85% AA, working class/lower middle class/petit bourgeois. Most of the folks here own their homes & take care of them – & the issue they were most concerned with was crime, because they had managed to build lives that crime threatened. Probably the main reason Martin ran for mayor was that neither of the other two major candidates was addressing the issue; he made it central to his campaign, promising to take vigorous action against the then-current crime wave.

    Unfortunately the action he took was to implement a superficially attractive but seriously flawed approach to crime prevention, so-called “Broken Windows”. This appeared to have worked to bring down the crime rate in NYC under Giuliani, & he brought senior personnel down from there to run it in Baltimore. Emphasizing statistics like arrest rates only encouraged the cops to run up their numbers by running in mostly young blacks on ridiculous charges (not moving off a street corner became “failure to obey an officer,” etc.). We would have been much better off with a community-policing approach – but that takes a lot more time to implement.

    I’ve known Martin O’Malley & have considered him a personal friend for more than 3 decades. He was an excellent two-term Governor of MD; among other things he stood up for Hispanics & was instrumental in abolishing the death penalty here. He got blindsided at Netroots Nation 2015. I tell you that while all us white folks carry a residuum of racism in our guts like a bad intestinal bug, his dose is no larger than any other well-meaning center-left politician of his generation.

    @FlipYrWhig: “My theory with O’Malley ’16 is that he ran to become Hillary’s VP and successor. But no one particularly cares about theories of Martin O’Malley, do they? ;) ” I do, but I recognize that there aren’t many of us.

    I have no inside knowledge, but my take is that O’Malley’s Presidential bid was an honest effort determined by (& ultimately sabotaged by) timing & personal history. The latter first: Martin (b. 1963) was elected Mayor of Baltimore in 1999. The term-limited Governorship of MD was coming open in 2002 & it was widely expected he would run – but the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend (RFK’s oldest daughter) was considered by the national party apparatus “next in line”, & he was considered just “a young guy in a hurry.” Martin did not file, KKT won the primary & proceeded to run the lamest gubernatorial campaign in MD Democratic history (at least until another Lt-Gov’s 2014 fiasco), losing to Republican Congressman Bob Ehrlich. O’Malley defeated the incumbent in 2006, beat him again in a 2010 rematch, & left office (term-limited) in January 2015. US Sen. Barbara Mikulski was retiring in 2016 & he could have run for her seat, but it would’ve been a tough primary slog against DC-suburban Congressman Chris Van Hollen. And the White House beckoned.

    I honestly believe that if O’Malley had brushed off the national party’s concerns & run for Governor in 2002, he’d have defeated KKT (90 seconds onstage side-by-side would’ve left no doubt who was the real Kennedy & it wouldn’t have been the one with the genetics) & then mopped the floor with Ehrlich – & been out of office in early 2011 with nothing opening up until 2016. Come 2016, I think Martin felt that hanging back in 2002 had been a mistake, & it led him to jump the other way – not that he had any problems with the Clintons (he was grateful to them for help in his elections & supported HRC in 2008) but he felt he could make a case for his candidacy on issues & as the “loyal opposition.” Then Netroots Nation 2015 & the confrontation with BLM, Wilmer sucking up all the oxygen to Hilary’s left, the national press ridiculing his campaign – & frankly it was probably exactly the wrong point in the electoral rhythm for a Kennedyesque Second-Turning candidate in a Fourth-Turning cycle. The result was disheartening for everyone who knew Martin, & it looks like it’s ended any national ambitions. Which is a shame. He was (& still could be) a good public servant faithful to the people.

    (And on that note I’ll finally shut up for the night.)

  192. 192.

    John Fremont

    January 25, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Condolences to his family and friends

  193. 193.

    Another Scott

    January 25, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: Thanks for this.

    I donated to MOM early on and think that he had some good ideas and a lot to offer, but there was a “perfect storm” of things against him.

    The sound system not working well at all for his big kickoff announcement rally didn’t help at all, either.

    I still get e-mails from “him” occasionally – he’s been campaigning for others and trying to be a strong team player. He’s walking the walk, and I hope he is able to continue to help supporting the party and the country in coming years. His time in elective office may have passed though.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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