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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

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

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

We will not go back.

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

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Friday Morning Open Thread — King Leer: “I Call It… Infrastructure Week!”

Friday Morning Open Thread — King Leer: “I Call It… Infrastructure Week!”

by Anne Laurie|  May 24, 20194:58 am| 153 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality, All Too Normal

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*Not* one of the more successful Shakespearian updates…

Making everyone who works for me stand up one by one during a press conference and state that I was Not Mad during the meeting I stormed out of and have spent the last 36 hours complaining about

— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) May 23, 2019

Hogan Gidley wasn’t even in the room for the meeting, but still attested to the president’s composure.

Larry Kudlow, leaned on a cane as he limped to the front of the room to tell his boss, in front of television cameras, “You were very calm.” https://t.co/Hli4ewYuf8

— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 24, 2019

In DC, every week is #infrastructureweek and every day is Festivus

— JA Sobczyk (@Joenewsguy) May 22, 2019

Somebody knows where to slip the shiv…

"He says he's in charge. And I suspect, he may be," Pelosi says on Trump. "I don't think any responsible assistant to the president of the United States would have advised him to do what he did yesterday."

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) May 23, 2019

Pelosi on Trump’s refusal to work on an infrastructure deal:

“Maybe he wasn’t up to the greatness of the challenge.”

Poor guy. He’s #InfrastructureWeak.

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) May 22, 2019

Trump’s problem is that Pelosi has framed the current kerfuffle as a question of maturity, and that’s a frame that the #ToddlerInChief can never win. https://t.co/7DZjT73MWc

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 23, 2019


Pro tip: if you have a track record of throwing temper tantrums and engaging in self-destructive behavior, it’s tough to convince people that you’re angry but in control and consciously, intentionally engaged in self-destructive behavior.

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 23, 2019

6. A few weeks ago, he met with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. They discussed a bipartisan plan to spend about $2 trillion on infrastructure, which is not something the Republicans want to do, but in any case, Trump was receptive. Things looked good. Yesterday was the follow-up.

— John Stoehr's Editorial Board (@johnastoehr) May 23, 2019

8. “I’ve said from the beginning … that you probably can’t go down two tracks,” he said. “You can’t go down the investigation track, and you can’t go down the investment track—or the track of ‘Let’s get things done for the American people.’” Those were his terms.

— John Stoehr's Editorial Board (@johnastoehr) May 23, 2019

9. Trump demanded the Democrats stop investigating him in exchange for $2 trillion. His thinking was transparent. The Democrats wanted something. So he felt he had the advantage.

— John Stoehr's Editorial Board (@johnastoehr) May 23, 2019

11. In other words, Trump came off not only as a petulant child but one trying to force the Democrats into doing something they’d never do. The president has learned nothing from the fight over the government shutdown.

— John Stoehr's Editorial Board (@johnastoehr) May 23, 2019

i do not disagree with this sentiment but can u imagine walking into an intervention and fuckin jared is sitting there https://t.co/yshGUxwRxE

— darth™ (@darth) May 23, 2019

No. Defamation requires a statement of provable fact. No reasonable person would take the President's yawp as provable fact, as opposed to unstable emotive hyperbole for the benefit of his illiterate ego and the gibbering moral cretins who support him.https://t.co/xw2oM4YECL

— ExtremelyCalmHat (@Popehat) May 23, 2019

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Reader Interactions

153Comments

  1. 1.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    May 24, 2019 at 5:13 am

    The Guardian
    ‏Verified account @guardian
    4m4 minutes ago

    BREAKING NEWS: Theresa May announces she will step down on 7 June – live news

  2. 2.

    rikyrah

    May 24, 2019 at 5:15 am

    Good Morning,Everyone ???

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    May 24, 2019 at 5:15 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
    Uh uh uh??

  4. 4.

    Suzanne

    May 24, 2019 at 5:16 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I wonder if this is how the rightward shift of the world begins to reverse itself.

    What a cornflake.

  5. 5.

    rikyrah

    May 24, 2019 at 5:16 am

    Dolt45 is now out here tweeting a doctored video of Nancy Smash????

  6. 6.

    plato

    May 24, 2019 at 5:18 am

    brexshit begets Mayexit.

  7. 7.

    plato

    May 24, 2019 at 5:20 am

    School students in Australia and New Zealand have gone on strike, marking the start of a worldwide day of climate change protests.

    Organisers expect more than one million young people will participate in at least 110 countries on Friday.

    The protesters are calling for politicians and businesses to take action to fight climate change.

    The strikes are inspired by school student Greta Thunberg who protested outside Sweden’s parliament in 2018.

  8. 8.

    Suzanne

    May 24, 2019 at 5:21 am

    I wonder how many times Boris is gonna get milkshaked in the next few weeks.

    Also, I just taught my tablet that “milkshaked” is a word.

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    May 24, 2019 at 5:25 am

    I believe that every time Nancy Smash is in front of the camera, she takes on the tone and mannerisms of an Italian Big Mama who is constantly disappointed in a loser grandchild. She completely infantilizes him, not in the way to excuse him, but to fully point out his inadequacies.. All of us have been on receiving end of this kind of belittling from an Elder at sometime in our lives. Thing is, we were probably between the ages of 15-25 when it happened..and we learned from it. He is a 70+ year old man, which makes him look even more pathetic, and he knows it.

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 5:28 am

    @Suzanne: No, Fascism can never fail, it can only be failed.

  11. 11.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 5:30 am

    The Republicans are desperately trying to push the narrative that “both sides” are being childish, and a recent CNN story about Trump’s antics takes the bait and wonders whether the American people will be disgusted by this Beltway exchange of insults. This nonsense keeps ignoring the fact that Trump’s actions precede from his resentment and insecurities, and that he simply cannot tolerate defiance, especially from a woman. He sets the tone and is the primary author of any ugliness oozing out of Washington.

    Look for Trump to become even more defensive as investigations build up. He is going to try to rule by executive order and bypass Congress as much as possible.

    OT: Theresa May is resigning on June 7. One of her last official duties will be to host Trump during his state visit to the UK.

    Boris Johnson, who is like Trump in some ways, will be one of the people vying to replace May. The next Conservative leader will probably push the UK towards a no deal BREXIT. Corbyn will try to push for a general election, but will be rebuffed. Advantage Tories.

    What a mess on both sides of the Atlantic.

  12. 12.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    May 24, 2019 at 5:34 am

    New Hampshire Poll – Tel Opinion Research – 5/22 (link)

    Uncle Joe……. 33%
    Wilmer………… 12%
    Warren……….. 11%
    Pete…………….. 7%
    Kamala………… 7%

    In a 2-way race

    Uncle Joe……. 66%
    Wilmer………… 22%

    Wilmer won his neighboring state 3 years ago with 60% of the vote and now he’s dropped to 22%.

    Feel the burn!

  13. 13.

    satby

    May 24, 2019 at 5:36 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?

    Seems like a lot of people have joined the insomniacs brigade. As long as Dolt45 is squatting in the Oval Office it feels like no one will ever get a restful night of sleep again.

  14. 14.

    satby

    May 24, 2019 at 5:40 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I’ll only be happy when Wilmer polls last. No, I’ll be happy when the old idiot shuffles off to a private life and never is seen in my TV or in the news again. Talk about past the sell-by date.

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    May 24, 2019 at 5:40 am

    @satby:
    Morning satby.
    I have been up since two something. Going to try and get a few minutes more sleep, if I can.??

  16. 16.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 5:42 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
    Balloon Juice posters: “I hate how the devilish MSM insists on horserace reporting about the presidential…ooh, a new poll!”

    Wake me when we get to the first primary election. I do enjoy how Wilmer is flailing, but otherwise the polling is most important to political insiders.

  17. 17.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 5:46 am

    @satby:

    Seems like a lot of people have joined the insomniacs brigade

    It’s weird. I woke up here in California after some fitful sleep, turned to my browser and saw stories about Trump and then PM Theresa May’s resignation.

    I need to try to get back to sleep.

  18. 18.

    satby

    May 24, 2019 at 5:51 am

    @rikyrah: Good luck!
    @Brachiator: you too!

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 5:53 am

    @satby: Insomnia is not for the weak.

  20. 20.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    May 24, 2019 at 5:55 am

    @Brachiator: I waiting for the Iowa Fair and the fried mac and cheese with maple bacon bits and spicy cream sauce.

  21. 21.

    satby

    May 24, 2019 at 5:59 am

    Completely not about politics, but an FYI to my fellow bread machine users: wonder no more (as if you ever did) about whether you can substitute wine making yeast for bread making yeast. You can! And your molasses-oatmeal bread will have the delightful crisp dryness of a fine brut.
    Seriously, the bread’s fine but not the slightest molecule of sugar can be detected. And I put both molasses and regular sugar in it to offset the wine yeast. I wouldn’t have done it at all, but the ingredients were already in the pan before I realized I was out of bread yeast.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:00 am

    Couple of items which caught the eye.

    1) Moon man craters. That was quick.

    A top NASA executive hired in April to guide strategy for returning astronauts to the moon by 2024 has resigned, the space agency said on Thursday, the culmination of internal strife and dwindling congressional support for the lunar initiative.
    [snip]
    Two individuals close to the space [program] and familiar with the situation said [he] was escorted out of NASA’s headquarters in Washington on Wednesday after his resignation. Source

    2) Nothing can go wrong … go wrong … go wrong.

    Amazon.com Inc. is developing a voice-activated wearable device that can recognize human emotions.
    [snip]
    Designed to work with a smartphone app, the device has microphones paired with software that can discern the wearer’s emotional state from the sound of his or her voice, according to the documents and a person familiar with the program. Eventually the technology could be able to advise the wearer how to interact more effectively with others, the documents show. Source

    “Don’t raise your voice to me, hoo-man. Just for that, Alexa has ordered $2000 worth of stuff you don’t want. And none of it is returnable. So there.”

  23. 23.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 6:00 am

    Some days the headlines are so painful I can’t read anymore than that. Then I find Midnight Cowboy at 50: why the X-rated best picture winner endures. Finally something that doesn’t send my blood pressure thru the roof.

  24. 24.

    satby

    May 24, 2019 at 6:01 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I hear you! Been since 3:15 am for me. Even the dogs won’t get up before 4:30.

  25. 25.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:07 am

    @David Merry Christmas Koch

    Blech blech blech. At least could you stop calling him Uncle Joe?

    That was what Stalin was called.

  26. 26.

    BC in Illinois

    May 24, 2019 at 6:07 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    Theresa May announces she will step down on 7 June

    This means that Theresa May can welcome Donald Trump on June 3 and they can share stories of failure and unpopularity.

    Then, it seems, Trump and new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to bond over the joys of insulting allies and bringing disrepute to their respective nations.

  27. 27.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 6:08 am

    @NotMax:

    Two individuals close to the space [program] and familiar with the situation said [he] was escorted out of NASA’s headquarters in Washington on Wednesday after his resignation.

    Wow. He was moon walked out of the building.

  28. 28.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 6:10 am

    @NotMax:

    Amazon.com Inc. is developing a voice-activated wearable device that can recognize human emotions.

    Recognize this motherfucker! (grabs the baseball bat)

  29. 29.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 6:19 am

    @BC in Illinois:

    Trump and new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to bond over the joys of insulting allies and bringing disrepute to their respective nations

    Man of the posh people Jacob Rees-Mogg will also be a candidate for new Tory PM. This guy is almost a caricature of an upper class twit. He named one of his kids Sixtus, for God’s sake.

    I’m hoping that a relative unknown compromise candidate is selected.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 6:23 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    Maxit!

    @rikyrah:

    Good morning.

  31. 31.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 6:26 am

    @Brachiator:

    Does he wear a monocle? That would be cool.

  32. 32.

    Raven

    May 24, 2019 at 6:27 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Except that Voight is a fucking pig.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:27 am

    So, if you happen to have some excess brain cells you want to shrivel up, TCM’s Underground is scraping the underside of the bottom of the barrel of holiday movies during the wee hours later on.

    Beginning Saturday at 2 a.m. Eastern:

    Santa Claus – Santa + Merlin vs. Satan.
    A Visit to Santa – Enough to make one long for home movies of Great-aunt Grizelda’s trip to Walmart for Preparation H instead.
    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians – really nuthin’ more to say, is there?

    :·P

  34. 34.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    May 24, 2019 at 6:33 am

    We’re up and packing to go to WisCon. Back Sunday, assuming we haven’t fallen into a Mad Max world by that point.

  35. 35.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:34 am

    @Brachiator

    I still maintain the name sounds like a politician conjured up by Lovecraft.

  36. 36.

    raven

    May 24, 2019 at 6:34 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Door County?

  37. 37.

    MomSense

    May 24, 2019 at 6:35 am

    Another wide awake at 3:00 a.m. for me.

  38. 38.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:36 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor

    WisCon

    What fun is it if they took away the Sin?

    ;)

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 6:37 am

    @Raven: It’s not my favorite movie, but Ratso Rizzo is one of my all time favorite characters, and I’m not a big Dustin Hoffman fan.

  40. 40.

    JPL

    May 24, 2019 at 6:38 am

    @MomSense: I woke at three but managed to fall back asleep until 5:30 Yeah for me! My company is still sleeping.

  41. 41.

    JPL

    May 24, 2019 at 6:39 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: His performance was amazing.

  42. 42.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 6:39 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: In Russia, burn feel you.

  43. 43.

    Raven

    May 24, 2019 at 6:40 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I think it’s a great movie and so is Coming Home and Conrack is well done. He’s still a fucking pig.

  44. 44.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:40 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Ratso Rizzo is what Benjamin Braddock became after the plastics firm went belly up.

    ;)

  45. 45.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 6:41 am

    @NotMax: It’s like they’ve never even heard of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

  46. 46.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 6:48 am

    @Raven: It is a great movie, it’s just so dawgdamned depressing that once every 10 years is enough for me. Voight is always a pig, but he can act when he puts his mind to it.

  47. 47.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 6:53 am

    FYI.

    Cree leader Poundmaker is getting an apology from Trudeau. But what really happened in 1885?

    Poundmaker was convicted of treason-felony for his role in the Battle of Cut Knife Hill in the 1885 Rebellion, on what some historians say were trumped-up charges Source

    From reading the article, Lt. Col. Otter would have no trouble finding a sinecure in the Dolt 45 maladministration.

    Otter, the losing and arguably disobedient Canadian commander, was punished for his failure with a ceaseless series of promotions that culminated in a knighthood and, eventually, overall command of the Canadian army.

  48. 48.

    Bobby Thomson

    May 24, 2019 at 7:00 am

    @Suzanne:

    I wonder how many times Boris is gonna get milkshaked in the next few weeks.

    That boy brings all the milkshakes to the yard.

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:01 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    You want depressing? Try enduring it three or four times a night for three months while ushering.

    (Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt.)

    ;)

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:06 am

    A picture is worth a thousand words: Climbers queue on Mount Everest on Wednesday.

  51. 51.

    Bobby Thomson

    May 24, 2019 at 7:08 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Deliverance. And I, too, smell bacon.

  52. 52.

    kd bart

    May 24, 2019 at 7:08 am

    It’s a West Wing full of Mr. Bernsteins without one Jed Leland.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:08 am

    @NotMax: Suicide is an option I’d probably consider but I think quitting my job is what I’d choose instead.

  54. 54.

    Ken

    May 24, 2019 at 7:09 am

    @NotMax: Have you read any of Charles Stross’ Laundry stories?

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:10 am

    Related:

    Volunteers Remove 3 Tons of Trash From Mount Everest in Two Weeks

    …The 14-person clean-up crew has also discovered the bodies of four climbers, unveiled by melting snow and ice.

  56. 56.

    Cheryl Rofer

    May 24, 2019 at 7:13 am

    “I am announcing that I’m standing to become the next Prime Minister. If Boris Johnson is running, then people deserve a serious candidate too…” #LarryForPM #YesWeCat pic.twitter.com/6mNyw2w2Pa

    — Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) May 24, 2019

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:13 am

    @Ken

    Nope. Ought I?

  58. 58.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:13 am

    @NotMax: It’s a mess up there, an unbelievable mess.

  59. 59.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 24, 2019 at 7:15 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Never got around to watching it and you folks aren’t helping me decide to queue it up. I don’t deal well with depressing movies, especially right now.

    Love that Harry Nilsson song from the movie though.

  60. 60.

    Betty Cracker

    May 24, 2019 at 7:15 am

    @Brachiator: There’s no contradiction there, IMO. It’s a disservice to the public for the mainstream media to devote 5% of coverage to policy and 95% to horse race bullshit. But at a blog that focuses on politics and is largely populated by commenters who are political junkies, of course early polls are fodder for discussion.

  61. 61.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:18 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    “Edmund Hillary’s Frozen Feces Reveal He Suffered From STD”

    :)

  62. 62.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:24 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Worthwhile though uneven documentary, Who is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everyone Talkin’ About Him) on Prime. Also free (with ads) on Tubi TV.

  63. 63.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:27 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Everybody’s Talkin’ is a great song.

    Midnight Cowboy is a fine character study of a lonely man who can’t escape the echoes of his past and even finer buddy drama about two strangers who huddle together in their unlighted corner of the world. But what really stands out in 2019 is the film’s sympathy for the marginalized, those invisible people who have no presence in the Hollywood of today, much less any political representation. Poverty is usually something to be delivered from, not something that deepens and consumes as it does here. The sad joke of Midnight Cowboy is that Joe loses money at his intended profession, lending cab money to his first trick, dropping $20 to Ratso’s scam, and getting stiffed on a movie theater blowjob before benefiting from the small mercy of a socialite opening up her wallet.

  64. 64.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Faked Pelosi videos, slowed to make her appear drunk, spread across social media

    Trust nothing.

  65. 65.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:37 am

    @NotMax

    trailer

  66. 66.

    MomSense

    May 24, 2019 at 7:38 am

    @JPL:

    No such luck here. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately. I’m hoping some garden time this weekend will help.

  67. 67.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:39 am

    @Baud: It’s just for the rubes.

  68. 68.

    debbie

    May 24, 2019 at 7:44 am

    @rikyrah:

    I wonder if that video would qualify as defamation (based on the definition in that tweet up top).

  69. 69.

    Ixnay

    May 24, 2019 at 7:46 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Not exactly the experience I’m seeking when out hiking.

  70. 70.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 7:47 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That one is. Don’t you think they also spread misinformation directed to our sensibilities?

  71. 71.

    debbie

    May 24, 2019 at 7:48 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    “I’m walkin’ here!”

  72. 72.

    Raven

    May 24, 2019 at 7:49 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I just could not place THAT song from Russian Doll!

    Harry Nilsson – Gotta Get Up

  73. 73.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 7:49 am

    Tulsi Gabbard
    ‏Verified account
    @TulsiGabbard
    Follow Follow @TulsiGabbard
    More
    “Recent efforts to sandbag Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard are crude repeats of behaviors that helped elect Trump in 2016.”
    Everyone needs to read this eye-opening piece by Matt Taibbi.

    I can’t believe they’re going to say this exact same thing again. None of the other candidates who are at 1% or less say this and there are something like 7 of them. Gabbard apparently looks at all the people in her 1% bracket and thinks “I am far superior to them, and BUT FOR this persecution I would be competitive”
    The truth is if their 2016 theory was correct Bernie Sanders should be doing better, and that’s been clear for months. He should have started higher. His support dramatically dropped from 2016 to 2019. It went down when it should have stayed even or gone up.

  74. 74.

    Ken

    May 24, 2019 at 7:50 am

    @NotMax: I recommend them, if you like Lovecraft – albeit in a modern-day setting – and/or spy novels. He also has one of the most horrific takes on vampirism I’ve ever come across.

    The one problem is that he’s up to about eight novels and a bunch of short stories, so it represents a significant investment of time.

  75. 75.

    debbie

    May 24, 2019 at 7:50 am

    @NotMax:

    That is good news. I have always hated the way climbers have thoughtlessly not cleaned up after themselves. I believe they charge fees for climbing there. All of it should be going to maintain the landscape.

  76. 76.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:51 am

    @Nilsson

    As Nilsson was brought up, zone out on this for a few minutes to get the ol’ blood pressure down.

  77. 77.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:52 am

    Senior moment. Fix.
    @MomSense

    As Nilsson was brought up, zone out on this for a few minutes to get the ol’ blood pressure down.

  78. 78.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:53 am

    From Morrissey posters banned by Liverpool’s Merseyrail transport network

    Morrissey has recently been criticised for his support of far-right party For Britain Movement, whose leader, Anne Marie Waters, is opposed to Islam. He has previously spoken out against halal and kosher meat production as well as immigration into the UK, and once described the Chinese as a “sub-species”. Toxteth resident Jack Dotchin told the Liverpool Echo that Morrissey’s opinions “offend me and a lot of other people. He’s very far right these days, going on about immigrants and being pseudo-racist. It’s just strange to think Merseyrail, being a public service for the people, is advertising someone with his views.”

    pseu·do /ˈso͞odō/
    informal adjective

    1. not genuine; spurious or sham.

    noun: pseudo; plural noun: pseudos

    1. a pretentious or insincere person.

    Hmmmm, Morrisey strikes me as quite sincere in his racism, nothing pseudo at all as far as I can see.

  79. 79.

    debbie

    May 24, 2019 at 7:53 am

    @Baud:

    Imagine the videos that could be made about Trump’s mannerisms!

  80. 80.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 7:54 am

    @Baud:

    The selective declassification by Barr is going to be wild. Our gross, embarassingly corrupt hack of an AG is going to pick and choose what to keep classified and what to release based on whether it’s good for Trump or not.

    There won’t be any context and he’ll keep back the parts that go against Trump’s interests or contradict Trump’s claims.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 7:55 am

    @Baud: Absolutely. Just pointing out how hamhanded that one is.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 7:57 am

    @Kay:

    sandbag

    Is that what all the cool authoritarians call campaigning now?

  83. 83.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 7:58 am

    @Raven

    Imagine if he wrote the score for Hamilton.

    ;)

  84. 84.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 7:58 am

    @Kay:

    Oh , absolutely. But I think it’ll hurt them when it comes to resisting the House’s subpeonas.

  85. 85.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:01 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: It’s a great movie. Ratso Rizzo is one of the best characters on the big screen, IMO. It’s depressing, like many love stories….

    But if I had to do what NotMax did, I might burn the theatre instead of the T-Shirt.

    PS. Where is Tony Jay when we need him (her?)

  86. 86.

    JeanneT

    May 24, 2019 at 8:01 am

    I am starting to think the Pelosi-Trump relationship has the makings of a drama – or an opera. Should there still be a civilization in 100 years, it sure will be interesting for creators to mine the historical video footage to work from.

  87. 87.

    Baud

    May 24, 2019 at 8:02 am

    @Kay:

    BTW, I can understand why Taibbi would write that about Bernie, who is at least competitive right now. That he felt the need to discuss Tulsi suggests a non-journalistic agenda on his part.

  88. 88.

    Spanky

    May 24, 2019 at 8:05 am

    @satby:

    Seems like a lot of people have joined the insomniacs brigade. As long as Dolt45 is squatting in the Oval Office it feels like no one will ever get a restful night of sleep again.

    I woke last night to the sound of catpuking.
    How far off? I sat and wondered.

    Then I made the mistake of checking BJ on my phone and saw Adam’s post on Barr’s declassification authority. Having had some skin in that game for the past 20 years made falling back to sleep … a tad difficult.

    What a time to be alive!

    So far.

  89. 89.

    MomSense

    May 24, 2019 at 8:06 am

    @NotMax:
    That is nice and calming. I was going to go back to a knitting project I had put down but after about 10 minutes I realized why I put it down and ended up frogging it. Splitting yarn and lace is not a good combination.

  90. 90.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:06 am

    @Baud:

    Tim Ryan doesn’t say he’s being treated unfairly. He’s about as competitive as she is. There’s something insanely egotistical about attributing every failure to personal persecution. Why would she be more competitive than all the other house members/governors/former governors running? Just as a generic question? What sets her apart and indicates she should be in the top tier? If she’s supposed to be there why isn’t Cory Booker supposed to be there?

    Their whole theory is “our candidates will be more popular”. That has to actually happen.

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:06 am

    @Immanentize

    And people wonder why projectionists were prolific drinkers.

    ;)

  92. 92.

    Ixnay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:08 am

    @NotMax: I was hoping for “Coconut.”

  93. 93.

    low-tech cyclist

    May 24, 2019 at 8:08 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    A picture is worth a thousand words: Climbers queue on Mount Everest on Wednesday.

    If I’d ever had the urge to climb Everest, that pic would have fixed it for sure.

    I mean, why would I want to go to the Ceiling of the World just to stand in a freakin’ line behind a hundred or so other people? And for the privilege of being able to claim, “I climbed Everest, just like hundreds of other people did, that very same day.” Did something special, I did! And paid tens of thousands of dollars, and ran a nontrivial risk of death, just for that privilege.

  94. 94.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:08 am

    @Baud:

    Well, the article is a disjointed mess if that explains anything. He throws Bernie in there to make it look like a conspiracy, but he strangely omits all the candidates who are at Tulsi levels of support along with Tulsi.

  95. 95.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:09 am

    It’s a start anyway: Media outlets follow Guardian to reconsider language on climate

    “We want to ensure that we are being scientifically precise, while also communicating clearly with readers on this very important issue,” said the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner. “The phrase ‘climate change’, for example, sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity.”

    Newsrooms around the globe have been digesting the changes, with journalists at several UK and US media outlets reporting internal conversations about the language used around climate.

    Laura Helmuth, the health, science and environment editor at the Washington Post, said there were no new guidelines at the newspaper as yet, but she had “circulated the Guardian story about your guidelines to our reporters and copy desk for inspiration”.

    The Los Angeles Times still uses “climate change” and “global warming” but that may soon change.

    “We are also reviewing our style guide in light of the recent report from the United Nations,” said Scott Kraft, the managing editor of the LA Times, in reference to a stark report last year that found humanity must cut its planet-heating emissions by nearly half by 2030 to avoid severely escalating climate-driven disasters such as flooding, wildfires and drought.

    Others are being more circumspect. “We use various terms, ‘climate change’ being the most frequent, and we strive to define what that means in the context of our stories,” said a spokeswoman for the New York Times.

    I had no idea ‘circumspect’ was a synonym for ‘cowardly’.

  96. 96.

    low-tech cyclist

    May 24, 2019 at 8:09 am

    @Kay: Kinda like how Nixon was planning to use the tapes.

  97. 97.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:09 am

    @Raven: Oh my!
    And I have a Nilsson greatest hits vinyl and Gotta Get Up isn’t on it.

    Thanks

    (I really like that show, haven’t seen season 2, but will miss “Sweet Birthday Baby”)

  98. 98.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:10 am

    @JeanneT:
    Yes but will it end up comedy or tragedy?

  99. 99.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:12 am

    @Kay:

    Why would she be more competitive than all the other house members/governors/former governors running? Just as a generic question?

    Because she’s Tulsi, of course.

  100. 100.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:13 am

    @Baud:

    They have a bigger problem when including Bernie in the group of Russian interference denialists. Bernie isn’t one. Bernie has made strong statements about Russian interference. Bernie never denounced the Mueller investigation as a witchhunt. Bernie is solidly in the D mainstream as far as Russian interference.

  101. 101.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:15 am

    @Immanentize: C) Both

  102. 102.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:16 am

    @Immanentize

    Still somewhat taken aback (though not, I admit, shocked) that our own Goku admitted a while back he had never so much as heard of Nilsson.

  103. 103.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:18 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Her opposition to the Deep State/imperialism was supposed to be what set her APART. It was what would draw voters TO her. Other than that she has no claim to fame- she’s one of the D House members. She has no other defining issue or distinction. If she isn’t drawing voters with that there’s no reason to vote for her over any of the rest of the bottom tier.

  104. 104.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:19 am

    @NotMax:
    I think Goku is quite young? It’s like knowing about Wings but not the Beatles?

  105. 105.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:21 am

    @Kay:

    She has no other defining issue or distinction.

    I thought her platform was
    “We ❤️ Bashar”

  106. 106.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 8:23 am

    @Suzanne: Or “milkshaken”? “Milkshook”?

  107. 107.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:24 am

    @Kay: She would be sooo disappointed to hear you say that.

  108. 108.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:25 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I take it back. You can’t even vote for her based on her being a D House member, so therefore presumably sharing the general Democratic platform. She has no issue positions on her website. She has a biography. She’s a surfer and she believes in love as opposed to believing in hate, I guess.

    So really if you’re a Democratic primary voter and opposition to the deep state and imperialism don’t grab you and you’re instead looking to vote on health care or something you’d be better off with Tim Ryan. Who also won’t win.

  109. 109.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:26 am

    @Gelfling 545: Milkshaken: What Nigel Farage was when his bus was suddenly surrounded by milkshakes in the hands of unhappy people.

  110. 110.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:26 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Kay is just trying to sandbag her.

    I do like how she conflates Bernie with herself. It is actually a clever bit of space grabbing.

  111. 111.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:27 am

    @Immanentize

    Yeah, very young. But he’s said he knows from the Fab Four.

    @Ixnay

    Ask and ye shall receive.

    :)

    (And let’s hear it for the homage to Ernie Kovacs’ Nairobi trio!)

  112. 112.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:28 am

    @Kay: Stop beating around the tulsi bush Kay, tell us how you really feel.

  113. 113.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:32 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    We in the Hawaiian 2nd CD apologize. Profusely. Gabbard is what results from crawling over broken glass.

  114. 114.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:34 am

    @Ixnay: @NotMax:
    Kermit Coconut

  115. 115.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:34 am

    ‘Phenomenal’ 2,300-year-old bark shield found in Leicestershire

    An “astonishing and unparalleled” 2,300-year-old shield made of tree bark has been discovered in Leicestershire, the only example of its kind ever found in Europe. Archaeologists say the discovery of the shield, made between 395 and 250BC, has completely overturned assumptions about the weapons used in the iron age, sparking breathless reactions among experts of the period.

    Bark shields of the period were entirely unknown in the northern hemisphere, he told the Guardian, and the assumption was that the material may have been too flimsy for use in war. However experiments to remake the weapon in alder and willow showed the 3mm-thick shield would have been tough enough for battle but incredibly light.

    It was likely that, contrary to assumptions, similar weapons were widespread, Beamish said.

    The shield is made from green bark that has been stiffened with internal wooden laths, described by Beamish as “like a whalebone corset of split hardwood”, and surrounded by a rim of hazel, with a twisted willow boss. “This is a lost technology. It has not been seen before as far as we are aware, but presumably it is a technique that was used in many ways for making bark items.”

    The malleable green wood would then tighten as it dried, giving the shield its strength and forming the rounded rectangles into a slightly “waisted” shape, like a subtle figure of eight.

  116. 116.

    Kay

    May 24, 2019 at 8:34 am

    @Immanentize:

    The Sanders supporters here are disappointed Bernie isn’t doing better, but they won’t admit that, so they have turned their ire on Pelosi who won’t impeach according to their specific timeline. I am so fucking sick of sore losers and know it alls. Their campaign against Pelosi coincides exactly with Bernie stalling in support. I don’t think “movement” is even about Bernie Sanders anymore. He’s become this symbol of their disappointment where they attribute positions to him he doesn’t even hold.

  117. 117.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    May 24, 2019 at 8:35 am

    Does anyone “sandbag” anymore?

    I thought “milkshaking” is current rage.

  118. 118.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:39 am

    @Kay: He’s always been a symbol, usually for the perceived ‘fecklessness’ of the Democratic party. Or maybe it’s the ‘inherent corruption’ of the Democratic party.

  119. 119.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:41 am

    @Kay:

    He’s become this symbol of their disappointment

    That is a very good insight.

    I never got why people thought Trump voters would like Sanders. But you are right — both are the voices of their disappointments.

  120. 120.

    PenAndKey

    May 24, 2019 at 8:41 am

    @NotMax: so what exactly defines “very young” around here? I’d never given it much thought before but always presumed you all were roughly my own age. The occasional meet up pictures and medical talks have disabused me of that notion but now I’m curious.

  121. 121.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:43 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Well that will give the members of the Society of Creative Anachronism hours of new play challenges.

  122. 122.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:43 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Always blew my mind to contemplate that finds like that are there because they were thrown away for being junk and may be the worst examples of the craft.

    :)

  123. 123.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:45 am

    @PenAndKey: Just speaking for myself, I would say that being in your mid-twenties is very young.

  124. 124.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:46 am

    @PenAndKey

    Don’t suppose Goku would mind passing along his own revelation that he’s in his early twenties.

  125. 125.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 24, 2019 at 8:46 am

    @PenAndKey: Never trust anyone under 50.

  126. 126.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 8:49 am

    @Baud: Oh god! Bertie Wooster for PM? Let’s hope he brings Jeeves along.

  127. 127.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 8:52 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: So became the motto of boomers on the day the first Yippie turned 31.

  128. 128.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:52 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Obligatory?

    :)

  129. 129.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 8:56 am

    @Ken: Yes. I read on his Twitter feed that somebody has picked them up for a tv show. Can scarcely control my excitement.

  130. 130.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 8:56 am

    @NotMax: Yes you’d ought.

  131. 131.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 8:58 am

    @Immanentize

    Abbie Hoffman was 31 when he founded the Yippies.

    :)

  132. 132.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 9:01 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Got to love it. Sub-species! People who were advancing civilization while his own ancestors were still leaping from tree to tree.

  133. 133.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 9:03 am

    @NotMax:
    Really? I am surprised by that. That wasn’t reported in “Do It”

  134. 134.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 9:05 am

    @Immanentize

    He was born in 1936. Would have been almost old enough to run for president today.

    ;)

  135. 135.

    Gelfling 545

    May 24, 2019 at 9:11 am

    @PenAndKey: Let’s just say that there are more than a few who will take cracks at “Boomers” amiss. I’m nearly 70.

  136. 136.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 9:12 am

    @NotMax: But, dead you know.

  137. 137.

    NotMax

    May 24, 2019 at 9:14 am

    @Immanentize

    No constitutional requirement that a candidate be living.

    ;)

  138. 138.

    --bd

    May 24, 2019 at 9:15 am

    No one has even suggested that the Milkshaking of racists is related to @PixelatedBoat ‘s classic Milkshake Duck tweet?

    Except it’s now, “Milkshake! Duck!”

  139. 139.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    May 24, 2019 at 9:16 am

    @Immanentize: You have email (comic!).

    Happy Holiday Weekend to all the jackals.

  140. 140.

    Immanentize

    May 24, 2019 at 9:18 am

    @NotMax:
    Like Nixon’s head?

  141. 141.

    Raven

    May 24, 2019 at 9:20 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: The Detectorists!

  142. 142.

    Uncle Cosmo

    May 24, 2019 at 9:26 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    What Niggling Falange was when his bus was suddenly surrounded by milkshakes in the hands of unhappy people.

    Fixed that 4u. Next up, Jerkoff Grees-Slogg…

  143. 143.

    Uncle Cosmo

    May 24, 2019 at 9:28 am

    Fuckit, in immoderation again.

  144. 144.

    Mnemosyne

    May 24, 2019 at 10:30 am

    @Gelfling 545:

    Bertie was at least well-meaning and good-hearted.

    They’re nominating Gussie Fink-Nottle, the snotty know-it-all. ?

  145. 145.

    J R in WV

    May 24, 2019 at 10:31 am

    @PenAndKey:

    Very young would be Goku, who is a college student in Nursing, also works in a supermarket to minimize his student loan debt load,

    I’m 68 years young, myself.

  146. 146.

    karen marie

    May 24, 2019 at 11:32 am

    @NotMax: That is not his best, in my opinion.

    But it led me to this, which I’d never heard/seen before – “I’d Rather Be Dead (Than Wet My Bed)” – with a wonderful old people chorus.

  147. 147.

    Brachiator

    May 24, 2019 at 11:36 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Never got around to watching it and you folks aren’t helping me decide to queue it up. I don’t deal well with depressing movies, especially right now.

    It’s kinda funny. I hear this quite often from people, especially about movies. They strongly prefer movies with happy endings and characters they can root for.

    It all comes down to taste and I can’t knock people’s preferences. But some of the most exhilarating movies I’ve ever seen are “sad or depressing.” Maybe it’s that catharsis thing that Aristotle wrote about.

    I saw Midnight Cowboy at my college film society. Hoffman and Voight were electrifying and I can still recall scenes from the movie. Loved the music in the film. I cannot imagine not having seen it.

  148. 148.

    katdip

    May 24, 2019 at 11:40 am

    Can someone explain to me how the president (and the press that covers him) thinks it’s OK for him to insult anyone who disagrees with him (crazy Nancy, crying Chuck, etc.), and then has a hissy fit if someone slightly impugns his actions by using the word cover-up, which is not even a personal insult? It’s like 3rd grade girls, for FSM sake..

  149. 149.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 11:55 am

    @katdip: a) The president has the psyche of a ten year old.

    B) the press is lazy and cable news loves a freak show.

  150. 150.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 12:02 pm

    @karen marie: My goodness, that certainly is… “of its time” shall we say…

  151. 151.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Listen to the strings: they hold one gorgeous chord from the intro all the way through the first verse. Ballsy.

  152. 152.

    different-church-lady

    May 24, 2019 at 12:27 pm

    @Immanentize: you realize Wings itself has not been a going concern for nearly 40 years, yes?

  153. 153.

    Tehanu

    May 24, 2019 at 10:02 pm

    @Ken: Oh yeah, the Laundry Files are great! The first three are (among other things) parodies, or maybe “homages” is a better word, because they’re not just parodies, of the spy novelists Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, and Anthony Price [my favorite spy author btw].

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