Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

The willow is too close to the house.

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

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Come on, man.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

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

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Everybody saw this coming.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

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

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You are here: Home / Economics / Grifters Gonna Grift / Open Thread: (Open) Hands Across the Waters

Open Thread: (Open) Hands Across the Waters

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Schroedinger’s Cat posted about this rally on Wednesday. I can’t claim her expertise in Indian affairs, but it’s gonna be interesting to see how the American grifters navigate the tricky politics of this event…

Howdy Modi is a community summit hosted by Texas India Forum (TIF) for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, September 22nd at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas at 10 am. Over 50,000 attendees have registered in three weeks for the sold-out event though online registration, waitlist registration for free passes is still open. The live audience will be the largest gathering for an invited foreign leader visiting the United States other than the Pope. The “Howdy Modi” summit has been organized with the support of more than 1,000 volunteers and 650 Texas-based Welcome Partner organizations…

There’s the GOP’s omnipresent xenophobia, for instance:

Or a certain ‘Democratic’ presidential candidate, who may not have been willing to risk such public connection with a controversial figure:


Not to mention wincing at the broad range of possiblities for Trump to embarrass the rest of us (since he’s incapable of being embarrassed). I’m just hoping he manages to restrict himself to sharing-a-cheeseburger ‘jokes’, and avoid speculating on how many women he could grab if he were a multi-armed Hindu deity…

ALWAYS. BE. GRIFTING!

Reader Interactions

151Comments

  3. 3.

    Chetan Murthy

    Sigh. She [Gabbard] ain’t “Indian-origin”. She’a Samoan and European. Nothing wrong with that. But not of Indian origin. And she sure ain’t no Hindu.

  4. 4.

    JPL

    ot .. Local news is covering the ND/GA game and I’m not able to find Raven in the stands. Notre Dame has not fielded a good team in a decade so why are we treating this as anything but a romp.

  8. 8.

    Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)

    @JPL:

    ot .. Local news is covering the ND/GA game and I’m not able to find Raven in the stands. Notre Dame has not fielded a good team in a decade so why are we treating this as anything but a romp.

    This is an old joke but still funny.

    Q: What’s the difference between Notre Dame & Rice Krispies®?

    A: Rice Krispies® belongs in a bowl.

  9. 9.

    AliceBlue

    David Perdue–Georgia’s own third rate back bencher Trump lickspittle senator. If he gets taken out in 2020, I’ll do cartwheels down my street. (Most likely seriously injuring myself, but it’ll be worth it.)

  10. 10.

    Jay

    1/ This Ukraine incident would be described—were it *anyone* but this president—as a crime *spree*: extortion, bribery, witness tampering, conspiracy, illegal solicitation of foreign campaign donations, obstruction of justice, Logan Act crimes and more. It's a *historic* scandal.— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) September 21, 2019

  12. 12.

    lamh36

    OT but relevant

    YA’LL KNOW WHAT TODAY IS!!!

    Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Official Music Video) https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk via @YouTube

    “Do you remember the 21st night of september?
    love was changing the mind of pretenders
    while chasing the clouds away
    Our hearts were ringing
    in the key that our souls were singing.
    as we danced in the night,
    remember – how the stars stole the night away, yeah yeah yeah.
    Hey hey hey,
    ba de ya – say do you remember
    ba de ya – dancing in september
    ba de ya – never was a cloudy day”

  13. 13.

    debbie

    Am I alone in thinking “Howdy, Modi!” is a goofy name? Or is this a deliberate attempt to smear the good name of Howdy Doody?

  23. 23.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    Uh, because Notre Dame is #7 in the latest poll, and Georgia is #3.

    (“Previous performance not a guide to future results.”)

  24. 24.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jay: It is being described that way. That dude is an asshat. He’s busy trying to self promote himself into this story so he can, as he always does, monetize the self promotion. He has no fucking clue about national security, counterintelligence, information warfare, political warfare, and most of the other stuff he spends 300 tweets per thread blathering on about.

  27. 27.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @JPL: Speaking time changes, the youngin’ should be back in LA now from her trip to Bali. Madame informed me that she’s almost immediately headed to NotMax’s rock with her father’s side of her family. So barely adjusting to the jet lag returning from Bali and then get it back going to Maui. Heh, she’s young.

  28. 28.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    So will this mean an instant Pravada change on Indian immigration from the Right now The Sun King has blessed this rally?

    And ha! Who would figured American Conservatives were so conservative they agree with Charles I.

  31. 31.

    Jay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Isn’t that what a crap load of twitteratii do?

    He has picked a side, and being an agitator for the right cause is not not nothing compared to those who keep saying “nothing to see here”.

    We need as many Molotov Cocktail throwers as we need torchbearers and Lawyers.

  32. 32.

    debbie

    @Jay:

    According to his bio, he’s got another book coming out, so that explains that.

    Everybody wants to be an influencer. //

  35. 35.

    Dan B

    On a flight to Mumbai the guy next to me was heading to an offshore oil platform near Mumbai. His dream was to work in Texas. I told him there would be huge barbecues with 40 feet of burgers and ribs and smoked chickens. He looked very queasy.

    I’d love to see a photo op with Trump scarfing down a giant burger next to Modi.

    And a cartoon with a many armed Trump holding streaming burgers would be my second choice.

  48. 48.

    HeleninEire

    Open Thread? Thanks. Adam Silverman are you here? I ask because I am reading a VERY easy series of books. Called 44 Scotland St. Takes place in Edinburgh. That’s where you got your Ph.D, yes? I now want that city to be my next vacation. Where should I go? I like to do touristy places but not dumb touristy places.

    Meaning, don’t say the equivalent of Guiness Storehouse in Dublin. The biggest ripoff ever.

    Of course anyone else visited Scotland? Let me know.

  50. 50.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Comic book related question: I think you’re more of a DC guy than a Marvel guy, Adam, but maybe you can answer my question anyway. The X-Men, creations of the 1960s, with it’s mutants were clearly meant as stand ins for ethnic minorities and were an allegory for the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

    However, I think that allegories such as that are fundamentally flawed because real ethnic minorities can’t destroy an entire metropolis in a few hours and can’t threaten human civilization as we know it, despite boneheaded claims by Nazis.

    As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much more sympathetic to characters that distrust the (superpowered) heroes, not always in comic-related media either. All I can see is how such powers can be abused and that uncheckable power is a horrendous thing that no one should possess.

    I don’t know if I’m interpreting such allegories too literally or something

  53. 53.

    lahke

    @HeleninEire: It’s been many, many years, but loved it. At that time the country felt very open and under-populated. After you’re done with Edinburgh, I recommend Skye.

  54. 54.

    Raoul

    Lemme sat that, while I may occasionally weep (eg for immigrant families separated), or be frequently enraged by things Trump does, I for one will never feel embarrassment on his behalf. He doesn’t even deserve that space in my psyche.

  55. 55.

    Jay

    Reporter: "Senator Sanders says that costs for middle class families will go up."Warren: "I don't think that's what Senator Sanders said."Reporter: "Taxes, rather. I'm sorry."Warren: "And notice what you just immediately slipped to." https://t.co/GRfzBC0xgm— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) September 21, 2019

  57. 57.

    HeleninEire

    @lahke: My mother’s best friend Isabelle (they met here in America as young immigrants) told me “It’s beautiful. But you can’t eat the scenery.” And that’s what brought her to America.

    ETA: I’m a city girl but I’d like to see the scenery.

  59. 59.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    It’s “news” because it’s a big deal in the local area. The 24/7 news channels get to the real news faster, so local broadcast channels are left with “two shot in northside bar,” “councilman texts dick pic” and “sportsball event of local significance.” Just filling time for ad dollars.

    I got back from Las Vegas Thursday morning but didn’t start to feel “normal” until last night, thanks to some liberal napping. Feel even better today.

    Took the housecat to a vet’s appointment at noon (results pretty good—kidney problem and mild anemia in check), and afterwards I realized that I feel truly relaxed for the first time in a long while, probably since my sudden operation August 1. Nothing on my schedule until next week, and nothing major at all. Deflector shields switched from 11 in Las Vegas to standby now. Big relief of tension.

    I think I’m over the time change, although my “sleep hygiene” is a little screwy under the best of circumstances.

  60. 60.

    frosty

    @HeleninEire: Many years ago I took a day trip from Edinburgh (bus) to Dunbar and took a hike on the Clifftop Trail. The trail must have been within walking distance of the town since I had no wheels. Spectacular views, even in the pouring rain. I got soaked to the skin and a nice lady in a laundromat dried my clothes while I sat in the bathroom in my skivvies. Ah, fond memories of travel!

    Still, it was worth it.

  63. 63.

    Raoul

    @Jay: Seth gos on in that thread to be amazed by how being brazen works.

    I’m reminded of the bad ol’ days in Texas. I was an up-and-coming future AA member. But TX had open container, so you could literally drive past a cop with an open can of beer to your lips (except in certain local jurisdictions that by ordinance banned it). You had to be swerving, speeding like mad (or be non-white and have something like a burned out license plate light) to then have ‘probable cause’.

    It was the freakin’ wild west.

    Not a perfect analogy, but ohh the — messy, but thankfully no one was injured — rememberies.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    @HeleninEire:

    Ian Rankin has a long-running series of detective novels featuring Inspector John Rebus set in Edinburgh.

    I visited the city once as a child about 100 years ago. I still remember the castle sitting above the city. I was very impressed.

  74. 74.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lahke:

    Spent most of a week in Skye in 1975. Too stunning for my limited vocabulary.

    I will say, it’s a damned good thing I like both venison and kippered herring, because one or other was on the hotel menu three meals a day. Kippers for breakfast, venison steak sandwiches to take on my “tramps,” venison stew, venison soup, roast venison, ooh kippers for breakfast again!

  76. 76.

    Brachiator

    I’m just hoping he manages to restrict himself to sharing-a-cheeseburger ‘jokes’

    Cheeseburger jokes at a rally for a Hindu leader. What could go wrong?

    It’s Howdy Modi time,
    He makes your booty shine.
    Did you get yours today?
    I had some yesterday.

    I’m sure that Trump will tell everyone how much he loves Indians.

  77. 77.

    Jay

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Yeah, it’s really something, unless one hates bagpipes.

    Me, I love the pipes, and while Scottish/Irish are best known, they are all over the place, India, Pakistan, Druse, Dervish,….

  80. 80.

    HeleninEire

    @Steeplejack: I’ve read all of the Rebus books. Love them. This author brings Ian Rankin in as himself. When asked Rankin said “I’m not nearly that nice.”

    Funnily it was the Rebus books that made me avoid Edinburgh. Big Ger scared me.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    Apart from the scenery and Royal Tattoo, my very favourite memory of Edinburgh is of a Cadbury Chocolate Shop on Princes Street (long gone, alas), where they served a concoction called “Freezing Hot Sundae.” Ginger ice cream with bits of candied stem ginger, topped with a dark chocolate hot fudge sauce. I’ve tried to replicate it, and have come close, but never quite managed the real thing.

  85. 85.

    lamh36

    @JPL:

    @EoinHiggins_
    88% of voters say they could be persuaded to support someone else. Still in flux. But a big jump for Warren.

    88% seems to me to not be good for any candidate especially the leading ones.

  86. 86.

    frosty

    @Jay: What’s the joke? Playing the bagpipes looks and sounds exactly like someone is holding a cat and biting its tail.

    That being said, I love this genre: Prydein

  88. 88.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jay:

    I adore bagpipes. Except for “Amazing Grace,” which, sadly, is what most people associate with the pipes. Give me a nice pipe band playing regimental marches and Scottish folk airs, and I’m a happy Subaru Diane. But play “Amazing Grace” at my funeral, and I will haunt your nightmares.

  89. 89.

    Jay

    @Amir Khalid:

    Red Deer herds are raised, and culled on the Estates. The absence of large predators, and the artifical nature of the ecosystem, and the Tofts owning the estates, means venison, not beef or mutton.

  90. 90.

    lahke

    @SiubhanDuinne: My most vivid Skye memory was when my ex and I encountered the filthy, naked, cigarette-smoking man chained to a handcart outside a pub. He reassured us that he didn’t need any help, this was just the typical pre-wedding send-off. His friends would be out in a bit to bring him a beer and haul him off to the next pub. Real disincentive to marriage, that.

  91. 91.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Brachiator:

    I’m sure that Trump will tell everyone how much he loves Indians.

    We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t address Modi as “Sitting Bull.”

  92. 92.

    Amir Khalid

    @Jay:
    Pakistan is the world’s leading exporter of bagpipes.The instrument was invented around 1000 BCE, and is found all over Europe as well as in northern Africa and western Asia..

  94. 94.

    Raoul

    DougJ posted a tweet a bit ago linking to an analysis piece at WaPo by Philip Rucker, Robert Costa and Rachael Bade. The piece is more or less OK.

    But they say this

    The effort — which came as the Trump administration was withholding financial and military support from Ukraine to help the small democracy protect itself against Russian aggression — illustrates Trump’s expansive view of executive power and what appears to be a cavalier attitude about legal limits on his conduct. [emphasis added]

    Here is what journos get so, so wrong. Trump doesn’t have an “expansive view of executive power”. He has a maximalist view of HIS power. He is 100% able to simultaneously hold that Obama was often and wantonly abusing executive power.

    So it isn’t the office that has unitary power. It is him. Only.

    And trying to cram Trump into a frame wherin he even considers a theory of executive power places on him a systemic ability he utterly lacks. He’s just the same arrogant narcissist he’s always been, brazenly trying to get away with the shit he’s aways pulled off.

    Placing on him any grand themes or abilities to game out Unitary Execitive theory makes him out to be far smarter than he is. Canny? Sure. Smart? Hell no!

  95. 95.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Jay: This is so infuriating. I read in that thread that the Black kids have been charged with various crimes. Outrageous. Portland police haven’t hidden their bias towards the Proud Boys.

  97. 97.

    lamh36

    @lamh36: In case ya think I’m making up that 88% number here’s the quote:

    “But Selzer said Warren’s numbers also reveal some vulnerability.

    Among those who say she is their first choice for president, only 12% say their minds are made up, while 88% say they could be persuaded to support another candidate.

    More Biden supporters are firm in their choice: 26% say their mind is mind up, with 70% saying they could be persuaded. ”

    Elizabeth Warren leads Register’s Iowa Poll for the first time, besting Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/iowa-poll/2019/09/22/iowa-poll-election-2020-iowa-caucus-elizabeth-warren-joe-biden-bernie-sanders-democrat-candidates/2370015001/

  98. 98.

    eddie blake

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

    yeah, but that’s what xavier’s x-men WERE. they acted in defense of humanity in the face of often incredibly overpowered ‘evil’ mutants. that was xavier’s original dream, that of humanity and mutantkind living in harmony.

    after far too many deaths and setbacks, he’s pretty much said ‘ fuck that shit’ and he and magneto have teamed up to unite all the world’s mutants under their banner and in the sovereign nation of krakoa.,

  99. 99.

    Brachiator

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

    However, I think that allegories such as that are fundamentally flawed because real ethnic minorities can’t destroy an entire metropolis in a few hours and can’t threaten human civilization as we know it, despite boneheaded claims by Nazis.

    Sigh. Allusion ain’t allegory. Stan Lee claimed (probably to hype the comic) that Professor X had overtones of Martin Luther King, and Magneto was inspired by Malcom X, but this doesn’t mean that the comic is an allegory of the civil rights movement. I note though, that I know people who cannot accept any SF or fantasy work unless they can read it as a narrow allegory of historical or contemporary events. So, for example, you have people who insist that Game of Thrones is a retelling of the War of the Roses. With dragons.

    Of course you also get people who insist that the X-Men are an allegory of the gay rights movement. And bringing things around again, there are comic book readers absolutely furious at the idea that Marvel might reboot the movie series with black actors as Professor X and Magneto. These people never got that original civil rights allegory memo.

    The best stories always make sense as standalone narratives. They are internally consistent independent of allegorical ripples.

    As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much more sympathetic to characters that distrust the (superpowered) heroes, not always in comic-related media either. All I can see is how such powers can be abused and that uncheckable power is a horrendous thing that no one should possess.

    It never made sense to me that nonpowered humans could ever defeat mutants. So, in my mind, the comics should have ended after no more than 8 issues, with the X Men taking over the world.

    As always, your mileage may vary.

  100. 100.

    Chyron HR

    @lamh36:

    “Well, she’s leading in the polls but when we look at the ‘do you worship her as a god’ crosstabs, it paints a less rosy picture…”

  102. 102.

    Brachiator

    @Raoul:

    Here is what journos get so, so wrong. Trump doesn’t have an “expansive view of executive power”. He has a maximalist view of HIS power. He is 100% able to simultaneously hold that Obama was often and wantonly abusing executive power.

    So it isn’t the office that has unitary power. It is him. Only.

    Yep. Trump is pretty much acting exactly the same as when he was a private citizen. The only difference is that he is cunning enough to demand that his staff find some justification for his decisions.

    And of course, he has no power with executive authority. He just didn’t like it when Obama used it.

  105. 105.

    Draco7

    @HeleninEire: I know Edinburgh reasonably well, and the main point of interest is indeed Edinburgh Castle. Even with all the tourists it’s very cool. I was impressed by the Scottish war memorial there – whatever they did was so solemn and dignified that I was really struck by it. The Royal Mile is the main drag, with the castle at the top of the street and Holyrood Palace at the the bottom of it. That’s worth visiting but not as good as the palace. St. Giles Cathedral is worth stopping in for a number of reason, the National Museum is very good, and there’s lots of great Georgian architecture to admire.

    However, someone mentioned Skye above and I have to concur. The Highlands are captivating. I took the train to Inverness and rented a car there, drove along Loch Ness and stopped at Urquhart Castle on the loch with a piper playing in the fog somewhere. It’s definitely a thing. The drive to Skye is enjoyable and not too much traffic. The Talisker distillery on the far side of the island is a good tour, and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (Gaelic school) is interesting. Lots more to do and see there. Lots more – I have to cut this short or I’ll be typing for hours.

  107. 107.

    Kay

    Taniel
    @Taniel
    ·1h
    Warren leads Biden by 12% in combined 1st+2nd choice in the DMR/CNN poll of Iowa:
    Warren 42%
    Biden 30%
    Sanders 21%
    Buttigieg 18%
    Harris 16%

    This is when we find out what the Bernie people are going to do.

  108. 108.

    lamh36

    @Chyron HR: don’t know if your snarking or being a dick but whatever.

    What I think that number says is that folks don’t want a repeat of 2016…so they are willing to change the vote if say someone catches fire before or after and they will be willing to change their votes.

    here, maybe these numbers are better to your liking…??

    Sanders, too, has hit a new low among those younger than 35, falling from a high of 25% in March — just after he announced he would run. He dropped to 16% in June and is at 11% today.

    Part of Sanders’ problem: Warren has eaten into some of his key constituencies.

    Among those who say they caucused for Sanders in 2016, 25% say they will do so again. Thirty-two percent say they will support Warren instead, and 12% opt for Buttigieg.

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    Sid and Marty Toft. Made a fortune in puppetry and bought a lot of Scottish real estate.

    Krofft, not Toft. Didn’t know they had been so heavily invested in Scotland.

  110. 110.

    Mary G

    It’s white people, especially the rich ones, that are against impeachment:

    This is from a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll. Compare opposition to impeachment among white people to support for impeachment among Black people. pic.twitter.com/PXggCffVpK— Ethan Grey (@_EthanGrey) September 22, 2019

    “Economic anxiety” my ass.

  111. 111.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jay:

    Brown beans and chips as the side, breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner.

    You obviously didn’t stay at the Ardvasar Hotel in late July 1975. Kippers and venison! Venison and kippers!

  113. 113.

    Patricia Kayden

    There are so many racist trolls in the Michelle Hackman tweet thread. They seem not to understand that the Indian workers are here legally and aren’t going to be deported just because this bill failed. The bill’s failure just means that they won’t get green cards. Sigh.

  114. 114.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Kay:

    I’m trying very hard to take my own advice and remind myself that polls mean very little this far out from an actual primary election.

  118. 118.

    Jay

    @Amir Khalid:

    Yuppity whipple with generations of stolen money that bought land out from under the residents, sold them off into indenturetute, then used the land to raise invasive species like peacocks while building 17th Century McMansions.

  120. 120.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    Oh, really sorry. I saw your comment but failed to check the comment to which you were responding.

    Clever pun (I know — too little, too late —but I’m trying to make amends).

  121. 121.

    laura

    @lamh36: Thanks for the timely reminder. They passed through Sacramento last fall opening for Nile Rogers and Chic. So. Very. Satisfying.

  126. 126.

    Kay

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    True. It’s been fun to watch her get better, though.

    Alex Burns
    @alexburnsNYT
    ·11h
    Holly Petraeus, a former senior CFPB official, said she saw sexism at work in the way Warren was treated and criticized.
    “Men never get this adjective, ‘strident.’ That bothers me, because I don’t think she is.”

    Petraeus is interesting. She got involved because she was angry at how veterans were getting ripped off with student loans.

    September 28, 20114:00 AM ET
    For-profit colleges have been under fire for graduates’ high loan default rates. Now the industry is accused of targeting members of the military with aggressive and often misleading marketing. David Greene talks with Holly Petraeus, director of service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and the wife of General David Petraeus, who recently wrote about the issue in The New York Times.

  131. 131.

    Bill Arnold

    @John Revolta:

    So there’s a mixup with the new site and I’m actually at The Onion, right? RIGHT?

    No mix-up. You’re in a The Onion timeline!
    One of them. One of the more [redacted] ones.

  133. 133.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jean:

    Notes From a Small Island, Bill Bryson. Excellent!

    Exactly what I was thinking of! And its (not quite as funny but still worth reading) sequel, The Road to Little Dribbling.

  135. 135.

    Mary G

    Love this freshman congress member:

    This thread is a reveal. Disclaimer: it has nothing to do with policy or politics.But there will be pictures. And humility. (1/9)— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) September 20, 2019

    Warren’s protegee, and just as down to earth.

  140. 140.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jay:
    Warren did well in that exchange: “And notice what you just immediately slipped to.”
    She called it out in real time.

  142. 142.

    SiubhanDuinne,

    If someone with dashboard keys is around, may I kindly be released from moderation limbo (currently between #135 and #136)? Thanks in advance.

  143. 143.

    SiubhanDuinne

    If someone with dashboard keys is around, may I kindly be released from moderation limbo (currently between #135 and #136)? Thanks in advance.

  144. 144.

    cain

    I lay odds that Trump will talk about crowd sizes. If that stadium is full, he’ll literally try to take it over. He’s going because of the crowds. He’s going to be a very jealous and petty man.

    Also fuck Modi, if he thinks he can enforce speaking hindi on all of India, the south will definitely will have a word to say about that. Also fuck his politicization of Hinduism. This is why Abrahamic religions are in such a mess.

    Somebody asked me about conversion to one of these religions especially Christianity, and I was like I’m not converting to any religion whose adherents tried to conquer my country.

  145. 145.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Pro tip: If you do this comment as a reply to the moderated one, readers can easily jump back to it when it appears. It is nice that you gave the bracketing comment numbers, but not all people do that. So then you have to search by nym, and you’re not sure which is the moderated comment or even whether it has appeared yet.

  147. 147.

    Chetan Murthy

    @cain:

    If that stadium is full, he’ll literally try to take it over. He’s going because of the crowds.

    What I don’t get, is that this is Modi we’re talkin’ about here. The crowd is gonna be Indian-Americans. We’re ….. (not to put too fine a point on it) mostly *brown*. I mean, *brown*. What’s he gonna do/say? I mean, he’s not a smart man. How’s he gonna manage his racist schtick? Gotta say, as much as I fuckin’ want him to drop dead of a coronary, I’m curious how he’s gonna thread that needle. And imagine if a buncha his stans show up: imagine how the crowd dynamics are gonna work, with a bunch of us dark-skinned types (and some of us with mannerisms, dress, and accents from India, b/c we were born/raised there) and his redneck buck-toothed cretins. The crowd dynamics ….

    I just don’t get it. How can his handlers be so stupid not to have explained this to him with handy-dandy visuals of people who look like me?

  148. 148.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    Thanks. It’s been almost an hour, so I guess it’s not going to happen. I changed my nym just for you, and knew I’d be in mod for a short while, but it’s not even amusing or relevant now.

    But I appreciate the pro tip and shall try to remember it for next time.

    (Narrator: If there IS a next time.)

  149. 149.

    Amir Khalid

    @Chetan Murthy:
    Trump has a persistent belief that he knows better than those he pays to advise him. So maybe they did try to dissuade him from doing this event, and just got blown off. Then again, someone whose advice Trump wants to hear is quite possibly as dumb and bigoted as he.

  151. 151.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @SiubhanDuinne, Humourless Toff:

    I was joking. Just wanted to see toff make at least one appearance in this thread. I thought Amir Khalid was joking about not understanding Toft/​toff, but perhaps not.

    And now you have another nym in your quiver.

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