Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

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

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

People are complicated. Love is not.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

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

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

No one could have predicted…

This blog will pay for itself.

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

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

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Reader Interactions

162Comments

  2. 2.

    Brickley Paiste

    This is fantastic enough to merit a repost:

    I find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful.

    It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule.

    https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1104069510238269440

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Whew, didn’t want to pollute the nice thread downstairs with politics. I hope I can cut’n’paste successfully with my eyes now on perms-roll about this new CNN poll about Iowa

    (((Harry Enten))) @ ForecasterEnten
    Iowa Selzer/DMR/CNN: Biden 27, Sanders 25, Warren 9, Harris 7…

    Matthew Yglesias Retweeted (((Harry Enten)))
    To me key sentence here is “among those who say Sanders is their first choice, 40 percent say Biden is their second choice.”
    Voters not seeing ideological “lanes.”

    I’m not surprised that ideological commitment is as deep as a mud puddle, Biden’s appeal is about affect, etc, but seeing this confirmation that the people who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for HRC because of NAFTA, the crime bill, Iraq are ready (at the moment)* to vote for the guy whose fingerprints on all those things are far clearer than Clinton’s

    * trying to remind myself that the Iowa Caucus is almost a year off and most normals probably can’t name six of the six hundred candidates

  9. 9.

    Villago Delenda Est

    If Donald ever thinks he needs to visit Australia, this is what should happen to him.

  10. 10.

    Jay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    “The CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, from last Sunday through Wednesday among a random sample of 401 likely Democratic caucusgoers reached on landlines or cell phones by a live interviewer. Results for the sample of likely caucusgoers have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points; it is larger for subgroups.”

    What’s a “likely caucus goer”?

    Who has a landline that they still answer?

    Who takes an unknown caller on their cell phone?

  11. 11.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    When I visited Australia my Cousins took us to a Wild Animal Park. The Kangaroos roamed free and were very friendly. At one point I was sat quietly interacting with one when another came up beside me and literally took my hand in her paws and just held it. My Mother managed to get a shot of it and I would look for it if it wouldn’t take me three years to go through the 2 million photographs in her house. It was a magical moment though.

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Reposting from Betty’s Badger Tarnation thread:

    EFGOLDMAN UPDATE

    I was finally able to talk at length this afternoon with mrs efg.

    They have had a tough winter, with efg in and out of hospital, rehab, home, rinse and repeat. And in early January, mrs efg broke her wrist (she’s pretty welll healed now, but it added to the general all-around stress).

    Currently — nobody’s sure for how long, but likely another few weeks anyhow — he’s in the rehab place, getting regular OT and PT. She (and he, I assume) hope he can be back home before long.

    Needless to say, I conveyed everyone’s best wishes, healing thoughts, white light, good vibrations, prayers, and fuckems. I also inquired about laptop/tablet options since he can’t use the desktop at the moment. They actually have both, but efg finds them uncomfortable to use in bed. The offers of refurbished machines are much appreciated but not needed, and declined with thanks.

    I don’t have a phone number for him at the rehab place, but you know he’d love to get proper mail — cards, notes, clippings or printouts he might find of interest. Let’s inundate efg with snail mail! Best address is:

    E. F. Goldman
    c/o M. Ross
    32 Anthony Drive
    Cumberland, RI 02864

    I can’t remember whether I previously mentioned the holiday visit of daughter, son-in-law, 5-year-old granddaughter, and 6-month-old grandson, but from what mrs efg said, it sounds as though that was the best therapy anyone could hope for! Our efg, as crotchety as he likes to pretend to be, is really just a mushy old softie grandpa :-)

    Thanks, on behalf of the goldman family, for your interest and concern and positive thoughts.

  17. 17.

    NotMax

    @Jay

    margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points; it is larger for subgroups

    Long-winded way of saying “for entertainment purposes only.”

  18. 18.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Jay:

    What’s a “likely caucus goer”?

    Who has a landline that they still answer?

    Who takes an unknown caller on their cell phone?

    These are valid questions, but almost no pollster is going to answer questions like this to our satisfaction. At some point we have to both trust that they’re doing their best as professionals, and treat all polls as flawed mechanisms for capturing snapshots of public opinion.

    ETA: the first question is probably in the fine print. I assume they answered they were likely to go to the caucus.

  19. 19.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Major Major Major Major: it would be interesting to see Old Man Shouty bellowing at Old Man Establishment that the American people demand! single pay-yuh, and Old Man Establishment answering with an anecdote about how long he was in the Senate and John McCain

  20. 20.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    One of my cats likes to ‘catblock’ me every chance he gets. I’ll come walking through the house and he’ll cut in front of me, slowing my walk, and lifting his tail high so I can admire his asshole. If I try to cut around him sometimes he’ll quickly smack me on my legs a couple of times, no claws though.

    I usually put my foot up his ass to get him moving again.

  23. 23.

    Jay

    @NotMax:

    “we polled Retirement Homes in Iowa and you won’t believe the 10 Things We Discovered! Click through to read more,….”

  26. 26.

    Jay

    @Major Major Major Major:

    It’s a commisioned poll by CNN, and at this stage of the campaign, meaningless, other than to try to build a narrative,

    and that’s not including all the issues of methodology.

  30. 30.

    NotMax

    Without going into detail, something from completely out of the blue is going to transpire this coming week which will move me back from standing on the edge of the financial cliff with one foot on a banana peel for the first time since last century. Can feel the weight of having to dither over pennies* every month lifting. Although really don’t intend to dip into it unless 200% necessary, having a real cushion again for a change is gonna be be super nice.

    *Not quite literally but you get the idea.

    Also, bringing up from downstairs:

    Someone (forget who, sorry ’bout that) asked about beginning equipment for sky watching. Friends’ radio show recently had as a guest a professional astronomer who addressed that very question for newcomers. Trying to provide a more direct link didn’t work, so here’s a link to the full page, where you’ll have to scroll down to the Feb. 23 show, part 1. Skip ahead to about about 29 minutes in. The regular primary host was absent that day, so the conversation does wander more than is normal.

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Congratulations on the financial windfall! I have experienced dire poverty, and it is not fun. We’ll throw you a party up here in the genteel poverty tranche.

  34. 34.

    HeleninEire

    So go back and look. At about the 5 second mark the shadow of the paraglider comes into focus.

    Looks like he has a manbun on top of his head.

    I don’t blame the kangaroo one bit.

  37. 37.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Unexpected and unanticipated are my Words of the Month. Celebrated by picking up a game on Steam which had been on my wishlist and is temporarily reduced to 99¢.

    Last of the big spenders, moi. ;)

  42. 42.

    oldster

    @HeleninEire:

    Not a manbun. That’s a Go-Pro, or some other camera mounted on his helmet. That’s how he filmed the video that we are watching.

  50. 50.

    Steve in the ATL

    Kangaroos may not be familiar with GoPro cameras so you can’t fault the ‘roo for thinking it was a man bun and attacking the guy.

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    Have been there myself more than once, and intimately know that feeling of profound relief. Congratulations on finally being able to have a good night’s sleep!

  54. 54.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Kanga: Extract of Malt. Roo’s strengthening medicine.

    Roo: Look at me jumping, look at me jumping.

  57. 57.

    Suzanne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Yglesias likes to play an idiot on Twitter, but he’s well aware that Sanders and Biden have overlapping personal appeal to many of their supporters, and that this is how humans actually vote.

    Troof. Most real people who are not us vote for the person that they find least objectionable to see on TV. Most people are not ideological, are not especially knowledgeable, and don’t really have positions on anything other than wanting stuff to work and maintaining a social order that they like.

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Amir Khalid:

    Traffic? What traffic? Skippy just came up to the guy and went at him for no reason.

    It was six months ago today that I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane for no reason. No kangaroos, but unfortunately my jump partner landed butt-first in a nest of ants. I was unscathed, happily, but he spent ten minutes brushing those little fuckers off his legs, and off the chute before he could repack it.

  59. 59.

    Gin & Tonic

    @NotMax: That sounds absolutely fascinating, but that link says it’s for iOS and that it’s $2.99 (the $2 isn’t going to kill me, of course, but it’s the principle.)

  66. 66.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    What an ordeal they’ve been through. I’m going to get my card stash out and pick something good for our Ef to the G.

    Fuckem isn’t the same without him.

  67. 67.

    NotMax

    When was in town the other day doing the monthly grocery run, had a few shekels left over and decided I’d be too pooped to bother preparing dinner, so stopped in at a fast food place. Probably five years since last went to one.

    Once the initial sticker shock from reading the menu board wore off, ordered a Junior Jumbo Jack. Sweat-marinated shoe leather on a bun-shaped loofah is the most complimentary description.

  71. 71.

    MomSense

    @NotMax:

    Very happy for you, NM.

    Have you watched 100 foot journey on Netflix? Not an award winner for sure but a pleasant movie with cooking and Helen Mirren.

  75. 75.

    NotMax

    @MomSense

    Haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s on the list.

    @Gozer

    I’ve got a mule
    And her name is Sal
    She smells better
    Than the Gowanus Canal

    :)

  76. 76.

    Suzanne

    I made some pasta with burst cherry tomatoes tonight and it was fucken next level. I should cook more often. I am pretty good at it.

    I am definitely getting ungainly. I have been breaking out in weird rashes this time, and as I get larger, I find myself getting winded by doing things like walking up a flight of stairs or carrying my backpack. It sucks.

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack

    The original Get Carter (1971) with Michael Caine just started on TCM a few minutes ago. Damn good little noir movie.

  79. 79.

    Ruckus

    @NotMax:

    Sweat-marinated shoe leather on a bun-shaped loofah is the most complimentary description.

    You do know that you aren’t supposed to eat loofahs, aren’t you? Now sweat-marinated shoe leather, that is a delicacy in some parts of the world.

  80. 80.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    He will love hearing from you. I also have a stash and will take time tomorrow morning* to find Just the Right Card to send him, with a little personal note.

    *Must do this in the morning, as there is a Bolshoi Ballet screening of “Sleeping Beauty” in the afternoon.

  84. 84.

    waratah

    I could not go to Austin today to see the documentary of Beto’s run for Senator, so I went to the Texas Tribune and they were having live interviews and on had aliready began with Amy K. This was the first time I had seen her talk. I cannot see her getting the nomination from those who follow politics. I could see no difference between her and Susan Collins.
    I could not see that she was interested to change the way anything was done.
    Then I was able to see the whole interview with Elizabeth Warren. Running for President was the best thing she could have done. She was marvelous explaining the need for consumer protections. Not a hard hitting interview he just let her go. This is why the the long lines for her. I love her power hot pink coat and that she still has retained most of that southern Oklahoma drawl. I still think Beto is who we need to win the presidency but she would be my next choice. They will probably have those interviews posted somewhere.

  88. 88.

    Jay

    @Amir Khalid:

    Right at the start, you can see Skippy and another roo bounding along at high speed in a straight line and the paraglider drops right in their path.

    Australian Rules, Dude.

  89. 89.

    MomSense

    @satby:

    I’m on a screen diet of pleasant. I can’t handle any more stress with the daily news being what it is.

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    They made more.

    And why are you dragging out those embarrassing high school videos of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Hasn’t she been ridiculed enough?

  93. 93.

    Suzanne

    Does anyone else remember this bit of Bill O’Reilly gold?

    “So anyway I’d be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda kissing your neck from behind and then the other hand with the falafel thing”

    “I would take the other hand with the falafel thing (sic)and I’d put it on your pussy, but you’d have to do it really light, just kind of a tease business.”

    He can’t even sexually harass a staff member right!

    ETA: Shit, this still makes me laugh as hard as it did ten years ago.

  94. 94.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    so somebody gave Coulter a microphone? will Fox still have her on? I ‘m sure Maher would

    Donald J. Trump @ realDonaldTrump
    Wacky Nut Job @AnnCoulter, who still hasn’t figured out that, despite all odds and an entire Democrat Party of Far Left Radicals against me (not to mention certain Republicans who are sadly unwilling to fight), I am winning on the Border. Major sections of Wall are being built…

    Wall!

  96. 96.

    jl

    How is the kangaroo being a dick?
    Only gave the interloper from the sky two gentle kicks, as a friendly warning.

  97. 97.

    Jay

    @Jay:

    I used to keep my jump ticket up at Horizon AeroSports in the Valley.

    15 acre landing zone with railroad tracks on one side, a highway and hydro lines on the other, a dairy farm below, and a Red Deer farm above, bounded by 6 foot deep drainage ditches.

    All ground traffic had the right of way.

  98. 98.

    Steeplejack

    @MomSense:

    Then I highly recommend Paddington 2. I noticed that it’s running on HBO now. (Perhaps available elsewhere, too.) The best way I can explain it is that it’s like a very funny, very well done British rom-com, just without the rom part.

    Also recommended: Juliet, Naked, with Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd. Also not quite a normal rom-com. Trailer here.

  100. 100.

    NotMax

    @jl

    “Call now and get a second Dickeroo for the price of one, plus shipping and handling. It’s a drinks mixer, it’s a sex toy! It’s two appliances in one strapping package!”

  102. 102.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @MomSense: pleasant movies… I’m thinking British because of Helen Mirren and Michael Caine, so
    Last Orders
    Local Hero
    and from the same director, Gregory’s Girl

    there was a great BBC movie or short series on Masterpiece theatre a long time ago about two Russian sleeper agents in Britain dealing with the fall of the Soviet Union, a Northern working man and a London stock broker who hated each other as Brits but had to work together to…. do something, does that ring any twenty-five year old bells with anybody?

  103. 103.

    Jay

    “The arrest three weeks ago of 51-year-old American Michael Calvey — Russia’s most successful foreign investor — may be a tipping point for foreigners doing business in Russia, say experts who follow the country’s increasingly uncertain business environment.

    Consider this statistic reported by the Kremlin’s business ombudsman: more than 6,000 Russian entrepreneurs are now serving time in Russian prisons, many because the criminal prosecution service frequently involves itself in settling business disputes.”

    https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5049073

  104. 104.

    Suzanne

    @Yutsano: I sweat to FSM that the idea of rubbing a falafel on someone’s pussy makes me laugh until tears run down my face. I do not know how that woman did not just burst out in hysterics right then and there.

    I still like falafel. Though not in that context.

  106. 106.

    NotMax

    @MomSense

    If you can find it, you’d likely enjoy White on Rice. Just looked; not on Netflix nor on Prime at present, is available free (with ads) on Tubi TV streaming channel. Charming, comfy little film.

  107. 107.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Suzanne: The best thing about that is falafel and loofah aren’t even spelled similarly.

    “I’m off to the orchard to pick some grapes!”

  116. 116.

    NotMax

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist

    British? Gotta mention Brassed Off. Irish, but would toss Waking Ned Devine on to the list.

    Especially for Peter Dinklage fans, the American movie The Station Agent, also too.

  120. 120.

    Amir Khalid

    @Jay:
    No, they were coming at the guy. After Skippy went for him, they didn’t continue in the same direction.

  121. 121.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    British? Gotta mention Brassed Off. Irish, but would toss Waking Ned Devine on to the list.

    Also, Calendar Girls and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain

    And The Full Monty, natch.

  125. 125.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @waratah: She is a fantastic explainer of financial matters. I first heard her over a decade ago predicting the Great Recession, and the reason for it: banksters out of control, drunk on greed.

  126. 126.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jay: We’re not going to let the market decide. We’re going to send some goons and toss our competition in jail.

  127. 127.

    NotMax

    @MomSense

    FYI, no subscription fee for Tubi TV. But it does interrupt with ads. If you have a Roku, it’s one of the channels available there (as well as plenty of other places).

  128. 128.

    Yutsano

    @Suzanne: I mean yeah strawberries and chocolate is one thing. But fried chickpea fritters? I mean, what kind of strange fetish is that?

  129. 129.

    Jay

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    In the past, if you stayed away from politics and “shared the wealth” with the kakistocracy, you had a certain level of immunity for your operations. After all, you were “helping” loot the country and offshore the wealth. By being “anchored” in the West, you provided a certain level of protection from sanctions.

    Not anymore.

  133. 133.

    CaseyL

    So much great news tonight!

    Thank you for the update and the address, @SiubhanDuinne.

    BTW, did we hear anything back about Joe Cuba, the vet in Texas whose birthday was a few weeks ago, and we all sent cards? I’d like to know how many he got.

    Great big CONGRATS to you, @NotMax!

    Me, I am finding that having a FT job again really eats into the time and energy for doing art. My Muse went on holiday altogether for a week or so, but has returned and I have a load of glass in the kiln. Yay, me!

  137. 137.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    Would like to see the BBC mini-series Private Schulz again. Good memories of it.

    Don’t know how I missed it, but miss it I did.

    Do you remember Piece of Cake? And A Perfect Hero? Loved both those series. Nobody does WWII like the Brits.

  142. 142.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Patricia Kayden: The QAnon comments on there are kind of amazing. They honestly believe the real scandal here is that Obama hushed up… Hillary’s child sex ring. Wow.

  143. 143.

    MisterForkbeard

    @NotMax: This is only tangentially related, but I would also highly recommend “The Typing Of The Dead”.

    …we should have another game recommendation thread. Maybe make it japanese themed, given M4 is in Tokyo right now. I’ve been looking for an excuse to push CrossCode or Dragon Quest XI anyway. :P

  144. 144.

    Aleta

    Computer glitch ?
    The forecast on weather underground is screwed up: their forecast for Monday (snow, ice, freezing rain, ice) is actually coming tomorrow (acc to NOAA). Their forecast for Tuesday will happen Monday, etc. Sunday the day has evaporated off the face of the earth. Is it the rapture? Or the time change tonight messed up their software.

  152. 152.

    MisterForkbeard

    @NotMax: I haven’t. I hear it’s good but hard. Basically a difficult sandbox game with no plot but tons of character and it’s entirely what you make of it.

    I’m currently playing through Anthem and a few other games. Good times, but I think I might want to dive into something a bit more interesting soon.

  153. 153.

    NotMax

    @MisterForkbeard

    Still in early access, The Spy Who Shrunk Me looks as if it could be moderately amusing.

    Currently slowly (as in leisurely) working my through Murdered: Soul Suspect Not even quite halfway through the first chapter; it’s mostly there as a diversion while awaiting something in the oven or on the stove and as a stopgap should the gaming bug bite until the next chapter of Life Is Strange 2 is released.

  154. 154.

    sm*t cl*de

    @Amir Khalid:

    Male kangaroos are big, strong, and full of testosterone. If they could afford motorcycles they’d be the meanest bikies in ‘Straya.

    There are frames in ‘Tank Girl’ showing Booga and his fellow-bikers, but I cannot be arsed scanning & uploading them.

  155. 155.

    MisterForkbeard

    @NotMax: If you want something slightly in the vein of Life Is Strange but much more comedic, the Telltale Games “Tales from the Borderlands” is crude but hilarious and actually fairly touching once you get further into the game.

    This bit from Chapter 4 (of 5) is kind of amazing. You’re pretending to be your boss and get into a 4-5 minute long finger-gun battle with a bunch of accountants, complete with them using the amazing pun: “Never mess with accountants. You can always count on us outnumbering you.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26y9H2ZLf0w

  156. 156.

    piratedan

    well if we’re talking about good British TV series, I have to say that I was always impressed by the storytelling done by their series Spooks (known as MI-5 here in the states), good stories, good ensemble cast and they wrestled mightily with the idea of security vs privacy throughout.

  160. 160.

    trnc

    @But her emails!!!:

    If that weren’t bad enough, there’s several metric tons of Qshit in the responses.

    I saw that and wondered once again why so many of them continue to roll over on their backs expecting a treat from the grifter administration. If they really had something on Hillary, we wouldn’t have had to find out through a FOIA request.

  161. 161.

    Just Chuck

    @Jay:

    What’s a “likely caucus goer”?

    Old fogeys.

    Who has a landline that they still answer?

    See above.

  162. 162.

    Just Chuck

    @MisterForkbeard: I’m pretty sure that QAnon is nothing more than a Russian operation and a bunch of 4chan types who latched onto it for the lulz. Trolls trolling trolls.

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