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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Monday Morning Open Thread: Back to the Daily Leap of Faith

Monday Morning Open Thread: Back to the Daily Leap of Faith

by Anne Laurie|  December 2, 20194:56 am| 113 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Election 2020, I'm With Her 2016, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Warren for President 2020, Daydream Believers

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This is Toffi. She tried her best and that’s all we can ask for. 12/10 and the couch is cancelled pic.twitter.com/dRfHhclbZL

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) November 27, 2019

And a little start-the-week-well self-indulgence, because she’s not just my favorite candidate…

Seems the ?@ewarren? campaign scheduled this Chicago town hall perfectly to ward off the impending narrative about dwindling enthusiasm pic.twitter.com/4bkKuhnQ6j

— Zak Hudak (@cbszak) December 1, 2019


Later, in Iowa:

Asked by an audience member about healing divides in the Democratic Party, Warren says the debates make it seem like Democrats are more divided than they really are: pic.twitter.com/yB6JKPEx05

— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) December 2, 2019

I was waiting to see if/how Warren would shake things up; this event definitely has. Long, game answer on Medicare-for-all (walking through each step), some goofball crowd work.

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 2, 2019

One woman asks Elizabeth Warren about a Senate impeachment trial, says she’s worried it’ll mess up her campaign by keeping her in DC

“Some things are bigger than politics, and one of them is the Constitution of the United States of America,” Warren responds pic.twitter.com/w2nnmlW7RU

— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) December 2, 2019

Another not-so-typical Q from the town hall in Marion tonight. A lawyer asked Warren if McConnell should be disqualified from voting on impeachment

"On this one, you gotta let all of the folks who took the oath of office in the House in the Senate, come in and live that oath…" pic.twitter.com/h8fdotLE6K

— Deepa Shivaram (@deepa_shivaram) December 2, 2019

Ahead of the next phase of the impeachment inquiry, @ewarren tells #FoxNews she’s caught up on previous testimony, saying she’s also “done a lot of reading around it as well.” Says Trump used “American taxpayer dollars as bait & [used] a trip to the White House as a sweetener.” pic.twitter.com/ccMJTQ9YZ7

— Tara Prindiville (@taraprindiville) December 1, 2019

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Reader Interactions

113Comments

  1. 1.

    John Revolta

    December 2, 2019 at 5:13 am

    Toffi’s not a quitter. She will RISE AGAIN!!

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 5:26 am

    Maine man dies after being shot by own booby trap at home

    I was certain sure they spelled Florida wrong but no, it really was in Maine. Protip: Don’t booby trap your home. Just don’t. Get a dog. Teach it to bark at noises.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 5:38 am

    From the weratedogs twitter:

    This is Narwhal. He was born with an extra tail on his forehead. It hasn’t wagged yet but he’s working on it. 14/10 always read the instructions before assembling your puppy

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 5:41 am

    Shiffrin took a 1.13sec first-run lead over Vlhova and more than doubled it the second time down a windswept Super Star course in -6C (21F) temperatures.

    Standing calmly in the finish area to check the leaderboard, Shiffrin waved to a noisy crowd and gestured as though she had been close to the limits of staying on the course. Anna Swenn Larsson was third, trailing 2.73 behind Shiffrin. No other skier was within three seconds of Shiffrin.

    She’s a badass.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 5:42 am

    Seems the ⁦@ewarren⁩ campaign scheduled this Chicago town hall perfectly to ward off the impending narrative about dwindling enthusiasm

    I’ve never understood the thinking behind treating crowd size as a substitute for poll numbers, but our side seems to do it a lot.

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 5:44 am

    @Baud:  Republicans do it too. trump obsesses over it. I think it’s just a visual thing. Seeing is believing.

     

    ETA: counting yard signs too

  7. 7.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 5:50 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

     

    For my next rally, I’m going to give a speech to a stadium full of lawn signs.

  8. 8.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    December 2, 2019 at 5:54 am

    @Baud:  Chicago has a very diverse population, yet the crowd looked 99.5% white. somehow the mainstream reporter didn’t notice.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 6:02 am

    @Baud:  HA! Can I come? Or are yard signs only allowed?

  10. 10.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 6:07 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Yard signs and bumper stickers. My supporters are diverse.

  11. 11.

    WereBear

    December 2, 2019 at 6:15 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: That’s what killed both Collier brothers, after all.

  12. 12.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 6:18 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  13. 13.

    JPL

    December 2, 2019 at 6:18 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Apparently he called 911 also, but to no avail.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 6:19 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  15. 15.

    JPL

    December 2, 2019 at 6:24 am

    OT    If you haven’t already, read the Lisa Page article in The Daily Beast.   Apparently trump’s fake or.gasm was a bit much for her, and I hope she continues to speak out.   As the asshole himself would say, what do you have to lose.   Has there been another time in history that a president performed a fake or.gasm on stage?   Did MSM even cover it?   After reading the article, I watched the clip and gotta say Meg Ryan could give him a few pointers.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 6:24 am

    @Baud:   But not shitstains eh? snif snif…

    @WereBear:  A thrice told tale. I remember one guy who shot himself with his crossbow.

  17. 17.

    MagdaInBlack

    December 2, 2019 at 6:36 am

    @JPL:

    Guessing the only “O” he is familiar with is the one in “get Offa me!”

  18. 18.

    Steeplejack

    December 2, 2019 at 6:40 am

    @rikyrah:
    Good morning. ?

  19. 19.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 6:44 am

    Montana Gov. Steve Bullock drops out of presidential race

  20. 20.

    Steeplejack

    December 2, 2019 at 6:44 am

    @JPL:

    Link to the actual article.

  21. 21.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    December 2, 2019 at 6:55 am

    @Baud:

    First Sestak, now Bullock — Bloombergmania is clearing the field.

  22. 22.

    debbie

    December 2, 2019 at 7:04 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    I check yard signs in the yards of neighbors known to be conservatives so I know who not to vote for.

  23. 23.

    debbie

    December 2, 2019 at 7:07 am

    @JPL:
    They showed it several times around here. What an embarrassment he is.

  24. 24.

    Chyron HR

    December 2, 2019 at 7:22 am

    @David ??Booooooo?? Koch:

    Daily reminder that whining, “Only my candidate’s supporters count because we’re the base!” is literally a Bernie-ass move.

  25. 25.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 7:26 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning from San Antonio ?

    What’d I miss news-wise?

     

    Made it just fine, Qunoot have me a tour of the Riverwalk and Pearl District, had a great meal and slept from 8:30 until now.

    And yeah, there was a shooting on my block yesterday, but the story is a bit hinky. No one seriously hurt.

  26. 26.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 7:28 am

    So thanks to folks for reading my story on Joe Biden’s staying power with black voters. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile now, as poll after poll, the results have pointed to the same fact: His top-tier status is mainly attributable to his firewall with black voters.— Auntie Thanksgiving (@emarvelous) December 1, 2019

  27. 27.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 7:30 am

    As I’ve watched this play out in the primary, I wondered what it is about a 77-year-old white man that is resonating with black voters headed into 2020 in the most diverse field ever. Gaffes? Crime bill? Anita Hill? He was still out front with black voters in particular.— Auntie Thanksgiving (@emarvelous) December 1, 2019

  28. 28.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 7:31 am

    And Biden hasn’t just led; from the beginning he has far outpaced his rivals with black voters since officially entering the race in April, later than many other candidates. Talking to some of the black folks who know him best gave me some insight as to why.— Auntie Thanksgiving (@emarvelous) December 1, 2019

  29. 29.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 7:34 am

    @rikyrah: If that holds, expect another debate about whether we should allow Southern states to vote in the primary.

  30. 30.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 7:35 am

    @satby:

    Morning satby.

    Hope your trip has been good ?

  31. 31.

    JPL

    December 2, 2019 at 7:36 am

    @satby: Have a wonderful time.   When my sons were in elementary school we went X-mas time and the river walk was a big hit.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    December 2, 2019 at 7:37 am

    @Steeplejack: Thanks.

  33. 33.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 7:40 am

    @David ??Booooooo?? Koch: @Chyron HR: Chicago has a very diverse population balkanized into pretty segregated areas. Even if I still lived there, as a South-sider I wouldn’t haul my ass way the hell up far north to go to a town hall. But that crowd was probably diversified by Puerto Ricans and East Asians as well as ethnic whites.

  34. 34.

    Princess

    December 2, 2019 at 7:42 am

    Warren is smart to campaign in Chicago on her way to Iowa. We have a ton of delegates, we vote relatively early, and no one else is doing much here, though Harris got some key endorsements. Warren was here to get Jan Schakowsky’s endorsement.

  35. 35.

    Phylllis

    December 2, 2019 at 7:45 am

    @satby: The Spanish Governor’s Palace is worth the time.

  36. 36.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 7:46 am

    Fuck! Snow! Supposed to turn to rain later. For the next two days. Blech.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 7:50 am

    @Princess:

    Warren was here to get Jan Schakowsky’s endorsement.

    Yup. Warren is also a good personal politician, in the same way Biden is, and I think her campaign is attempting a shift to highlight that- hence the town hall and the interaction with individual voters. I don’t think she has the reputation for it like Biden does, but they think it’s a strength.
    Hillary Clinton was actually good at it too, but she never got credit for it. One on one she was great. It’s a weird thing. It’s like they don’t get credit unless there’s a preconceived notion that it’s a strength.

  38. 38.

    Cheryl Rofer

    December 2, 2019 at 7:51 am

    @rikyrah: Aunt Thanksgiving’s thread is good on Biden’s appeal with black voters, and AP had a good article on the subject. It’s something I’ve been wondering about.

  39. 39.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 7:57 am

    @rikyrah:

     

    Biden is, by far, the favorite of white working class activist Democrats here- “the labor people”, we call them, and I think it’s simple for them. They trust him. They think on balance he will be fine for them.

     

    It was like – Biden enters- whoosh!- they all go over there. I personally love them because they’re very reliable D voters and they’re extremely well-informed about the issues they care about, so workplace, wages, etc. Base Democrats who go to meetings, so not union voters generally.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:00 am

    @Kay:

    I assume that carries over into other Midwestern states.

  41. 41.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 8:00 am

    @rikyrah:

     

    My middle son is switching from Bernie to Biden and I think it’s because he spends his days around IBEW members, because he sort of prides himself on not taking this seriously in an annoyingly “cool” way. They think he will be fine and can win, and they want to win.

  42. 42.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 8:03 am

    @Baud:

    It’s amusing because it’s so different than online. They’re just matter of factly Biden. Like it’s a given. They think I’m kind of eccentric so they ask me like I’m going to say “Gabbard! Of course. She’s a maverick”.  They expect some specific weirdness from me.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:05 am

    @Kay:

     

    More evidence that Bernie’s and Warren’s bases don’t overlap as much as you’d think.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 8:07 am

    @rikyrah:

     

    It’s funny too because the long held dream of the Left wing of the Party is AA working class and white working class coalesce around a candidate. It just isn’t supposed to be a centrist candidate. In this dream.

  45. 45.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:08 am

    @Kay:

     

    They expect some specific weirdness from me.

    Telling them you support Baud! 2020! would validate their suspicions.

  46. 46.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 8:09 am

    @Phylllis: thanks! I have some free time to tour around while Qunoot is in school today.

  47. 47.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:10 am

    @Kay:

     

    The Left wing wants to be top dog. Just like every other wing.

  48. 48.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    December 2, 2019 at 8:11 am

    On how John Kennedy’s current act is all just an act, he first ran for senate in 2004 as not just a Democrat (he switched to the GOP in 2007) but as the liberal Democrat in the race.  Everyone runs in one primary in Louisiana, and the three big candidates were Kennedy, running as a liberal Democrat, a democratic congressman who ran as a moderate, and the Republican, representative David Vitter.  Vitter was actually the first republican to win a Louisiana senate race post reconstruction.  By 2008, Kennedy was running for senate as a Republican against Mary Landrieu.

  49. 49.

    Betty Cracker

    December 2, 2019 at 8:16 am

    @Kay: I’m increasingly resigned to the idea that Biden will get the nomination, which I find utterly terrifying and depressing. Sure hope he picks someone great for a running mate. The conventional wisdom is that running mates don’t add much to a ticket, but a lot of CW has gone out the window, and for a candidate who’s pushing 80, the running mate choice matters.

  50. 50.

    PST

    December 2, 2019 at 8:19 am

    @satby: Even if I still lived there, as a South-sider I wouldn’t haul my ass way the hell up far north to go to a town hall.

    Especially in this weather! Warren was here a few weeks ago, however, in support of the teachers strike. Photos of her at that time included true Chicago cross sections.

  51. 51.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:22 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    You know how I feel. On one hand, a Biden win would be poetic Justice for the way progressives shat on Hillary. On the other, it’s depressing because Biden offers no improvement on any front on what we could have had with Hillary.

    I’m not terrified because I’ve given up trying to predict how voters will respond. Biden could win big or lose big and everything in between, and so could all the others.

  52. 52.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 8:24 am

    A couple of things for the Not-Cynical-Enough News, Canada Edition.

    Yesterday Bert and I went for a walk in the little provincial park here. A cold, brilliantly sunny afternoon and we had the place to ourselves. A normal day until thishappened. Close-up.

    Came home shaking my head, turned on the internet and discovered Holodomor Denial. In Alberta, of course, where Ukrainian names are very common.

    Think I’ll stay home for a couple days. Be careful out there, they walk among us.

    ETA: Link fail. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/u-of-a-edmonton-macdonald-holdomor-1.5377661

  53. 53.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 8:28 am

    @chris: when I go to public parks I always pick up the odd bits of trash and litter ?

    Always try to leave a park a wee bit cleaner than you found it.

  54. 54.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 8:30 am

    @satby:
    I left it as a warning to others.

  55. 55.

    Baud

    December 2, 2019 at 8:31 am

    @Baud:

     

    I think of Bernie dropped out, half of his supporters would go to Biden. If Warren dropped out, half of her support would probably go to Buttigieg. Political coalitions are weird.

  56. 56.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 8:34 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: the family was complaining the police didn’t take his multiple reports of minor thefts seriously, but it sounds like the real story is that he was slipping into dementia. But I’m unable to be sympathetic to someone who considers petty theft (if it even happened) a death penalty offense.

  57. 57.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 8:34 am

    @chris:   No matter where you go, the stupid is always closer than you think.

  58. 58.

    Kay

    December 2, 2019 at 8:41 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     

    Me too. I don’t think anyone else can pull together the necessary (if perhaps not sufficient) groups.

     

    I just don’t believe Vice President matters at all. I’d go back to picking one from a state we need, frankly. If they contribute anything it’s maybe that. I have yet to meet a single voter or activist who says “the VP really sealed the deal for me”. I think Biden got way too much credit for Obama’s performance with white people and that analysis was insulting.

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 8:42 am

    @satby:   Families always want to blame somebody for the death of a loved one, it’s a human reaction to tragedy. They never want to admit that “Daddy did this to himself.”

     

    ETA especially when they could have done something themselves.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 8:45 am

    @Kay:  

    I have yet to meet a single voter or activist who says “the VP really sealed the deal for me”.

    However, while canvassing for Obama in ’08 I met a # of voters for whom McCain’s pick of Palin made them question his judgement.

  61. 61.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 8:47 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Especially out here with the salt of the Earth. You know, morons.

  62. 62.

    Betty Cracker

    December 2, 2019 at 8:52 am

    @Kay: I can’t think of a time when a VP choice made a huge difference, but times feel different, so who knows? I’ll drag my unenthusiastic ass to the polls for Biden if I must. But I’d feel a lot better about it if someone like Katie Porter or Stacy Abrams were also on the ticket. It would make a difference to me, but you’re probably right that most people don’t care.

  63. 63.

    JPL

    December 2, 2019 at 8:53 am

    @JoeyJoeJoe:  He must really relish the power to go from a liberal to a Putin puppet.

  64. 64.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 8:57 am

    @chris:   There’s no shortage of stupidity no matter where one goes.

  65. 65.

    khead

    December 2, 2019 at 8:58 am

    I’m increasingly resigned to the idea that Biden will get the nomination

    @Betty Cracker:

    @Kay:

     

    I’m not.  Give it time.  At least until some votes are cast.

  66. 66.

    WereBear

    December 2, 2019 at 8:58 am

    @satby: That was also my take. And the family let him do it.

  67. 67.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 9:00 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: You’re right there. Maybe it’s more noticeable with the smaller sample size.

  68. 68.

    WereBear

    December 2, 2019 at 9:01 am

    @Betty Cracker: I think this is why Harris is polling so poorly. It’s two strikes as a WOC.

     

    During the 2008 primaries I was asked if Obama had a chance. He was neck and neck with Hillary at the time. I said, “Sexism is stronger than racism” and I think that is still operational.

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 9:02 am

    Ukraine Officials Linked To Giuliani Pressure Campaign Are Getting The Boot Over Corruption

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is taking his anti-corruption, pro-reform agenda seriously, with plans to boot more than 500 Ukrainian prosecutors from the governmental payroll by the end of the month.

    And some of those prosecutors are directly tied to to President Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and his pressure campaign to get Ukraine to probe the Biden family, one of Trump’s top 2020 political rivals.

    Money quote:

    According to the Post, Zelensky’s efforts to root out corruption in his own country may harm his relationship with Trump, who’s currently under impeachment inquiry in the House for an alleged effort to recruit Zelensky to probe his political rival.

    There you have it folks, being a straight arrow is detrimental to a relationship with the POTUS.

  70. 70.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 9:10 am

    @chris:   I don’t know. I once watched two neighbors go at each other with baseball bats over the measliest of slights. And then the stupidity got squared when I saw my ex walk into the street waving the phone and saying she’d just called their landlord.

  71. 71.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 9:31 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Sounds like a winner! (Very glad you said “ex.”)

  72. 72.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 9:35 am

    Nodding my head. Thread

    Waking up & starting a new day has become an interestingly weird process in that you can't quite believe what's happening around you, or, really, work out a convincing explanation of why things got the way they are. Must have been like this in Germany in the 1930s.— Mike Harrison (@mjohnharrison) December 2, 2019

  73. 73.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 2, 2019 at 9:39 am

    @chris:   We were well on our way apart by that time, tho I was still in denial about it. I’ve always had to learn my lessons the hard way.

  74. 74.

    Spanky

    December 2, 2019 at 9:44 am

    @Betty Cracker: The VP choice makes a huge difference every time a President dies in office. And if we elect an 80+ year old as President, you can bank on the VP assuming the office.

     

    In fact, I will be banking on it – in that I’ll be rearranging my portfolio to take that into consideration.

  75. 75.

    ola azul

    December 2, 2019 at 9:45 am

    @WereBear:

    During the 2008 primaries I was asked if Obama had a chance. He was neck and neck with Hillary at the time. I said, “Sexism is stronger than racism” and I think that is still operational.

     

    Think yer right. All men regardless of stripe got the franchise before the first woman of any stripe did. Prolly notta accident of U.S. his-story.

     

    Personally am in favor of a dickless Dem twin ticket (prez and vice) blessedly devoid of a y-chromosome.

  76. 76.

    Spanky

    December 2, 2019 at 9:47 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: There you have it folks, being a straight arrow is detrimental to a relationship with the POTUS.

    Which is a big plus in Ukraine’s relationships with the rest of Europe at this point.

  77. 77.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 2, 2019 at 9:47 am

    @Baud: A straw poll at my family Thanksgiving in Wisconsin (not Madison) had 6 Biden (including my 18 y/o nephew), 1 Warren (my 73 y/o aunt), 1 Buttigieg (my 76 y/o dad), and 1 Harris (me).  All these people (except the nephew) are long time Dems and enthusiastic Obama-Obama-Clinton people.

  78. 78.

    chris

    December 2, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I’ve always had to learn my lessons the hard way.

    You too? Well, I never…

  79. 79.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 2, 2019 at 9:55 am

    Asked by an audience member about healing divides in the Democratic Party, Warren says the debates make it seem like Democrats are more divided than they really are:

    So do blogs.

  80. 80.

    glory b

    December 2, 2019 at 9:59 am

    @Cheryl Rofer: From Auntie Thanksgiving:

     

    “This means five decades of going to black churches, black colleges, NAACP dinners, and every other cultural institution important to black folks in trying to get their vote. That’s a lot of practice.”

  81. 81.

    moonbat

    December 2, 2019 at 10:01 am

    @khead: Thank you!

  82. 82.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 2, 2019 at 10:08 am

    @Betty Cracker: I don’t know about a VP choice affecting my vote, but I’m going to be bitterly disappointed if we nominate two white men.

  83. 83.

    Betty Cracker

    December 2, 2019 at 10:09 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: The 2016 election convinced me the party is pretty divided.

  84. 84.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 10:09 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: yep. Any of the top ones – (minus) Bernie would be fine. And though it gags me to say it, even Shouty McFingerwagger would be a modicum of improvement over the bastards in the office now.

    But I’m not counting anyone out unless they drop until primary voting starts.

  85. 85.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 2, 2019 at 10:09 am

    We’re in Montevideo, Uruguay. We walked off the ship and strolled through a market this morning. We usually buy mustard to take home to our son when we’re on trips. (Insert a Cole joke here.) So that’s what we looked for. This afternoon, we’re taking a tour.

  86. 86.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 10:14 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: enjoy! After finishing my last cup of coffee, I’m heading to the Spanish Governor’s Palace as suggested by @Phylllis: which turns out to be a five minute walk! Then the mission district.

    Everyone have a great day.

  87. 87.

    Patricia Kayden

    December 2, 2019 at 10:16 am

    When Republican intellectuals support Russian aggression, when Republican congressmen promote Russian disinformation, when Republican committees accept Russian money, and when the Republican Party deifies the president Russia backed, its alignment becomes self-evident.— Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) November 26, 2019

  88. 88.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 2, 2019 at 10:16 am

    Zelensky, speaking clearly and plainly:

     

    “We’re at war. If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness. It’s not about a quid pro quo. It just goes without saying.”

  89. 89.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 2, 2019 at 10:17 am

    @satby: You enjoy too! You need a vacation. We all do.

  90. 90.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 2, 2019 at 10:18 am

     

    @JPL: I’m intrigued.  Tell me more about this Asm organization.

  91. 91.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 2, 2019 at 10:20 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Buenos Aires tomorrow, then? Enjoy – so much to see and do.

  92. 92.

    glory b

    December 2, 2019 at 10:29 am

    @satby:

     

    @OzarkHillbilly:

     

    @satby:

     

    @OzarkHillbilly:

     

    @satby: Also, didn’t his security cameras show evidence of burglary? I had a friend whose husband was a property manager for a low income housing complex. He said that a first sign of dementia in some of the older residents there was accusing the maintenance employees of stealing from them.

  93. 93.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 2, 2019 at 10:31 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Republican intellectuals?

  94. 94.

    Miss Bianca

    December 2, 2019 at 10:33 am

    @rikyrah: Shoot, I clicked out of her thread too early. Did she write an earlier article that she is referencing?

     

    Anyway, good information. I just hope Uncle Joe is up for the task if he becomes our candidate. I probably won’t vote for him in the primary, but I would be damn proud to vote for him in the general.

  95. 95.

    Betty Cracker

    December 2, 2019 at 10:33 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Good for him!

  96. 96.

    zhena gogolia

    December 2, 2019 at 10:36 am

    @JPL:

     

    Very powerful.

  97. 97.

    satby

    December 2, 2019 at 10:36 am

    @glory b: yes, accusations of theft (of small value items) are often an early sign of dementia. The person has often just misplaced something. But, because they are forgetful they can become targets of theft too. If a family isn’t closely involved it’s hard to tell sometimes.

     

    I’m really leaving now ???

  98. 98.

    Aleta

    December 2, 2019 at 10:36 am

    @Cheryl Rofer: Icymi, the AP article you linked is by Errin Haines (aka Auntie Thanksgiving).

     

    Errin Haines Associated Press’ National Writer on Race and Ethnicity. An award-winning journalist, she is currently a member of AP’s 2020 politics team, covering the intersection of race and the presidential election. Errin is also a Fall 2019 Ferris Professor at Princeton University, teaching a class on black women and the 2020 election.

  99. 99.

    Miss Bianca

    December 2, 2019 at 10:37 am

    @Cheryl Rofer: Oh, thanks, gonna read that one.

  100. 100.

    Miss Bianca

    December 2, 2019 at 10:44 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Damn, I forget, is McMullin still identifying as Republican or is he an independent now?

  101. 101.

    Chris Johnson

    December 2, 2019 at 10:54 am

    @Betty Cracker: You know what? I have a new hope about all this. Look at Trump. He is a complete bozo, but it’s not him wrecking the country, it’s other people on (or controlling) the Republican team who are NOT the President. He is rubber-stamping their shit, and doing a poor job of it, and it’s still doing a lot of damage.

    I’m asking myself the question, ‘would someone like Harris, someone like Warren, be able to DO MORE when not actually the President’. Warren’s already done lots with the consumer-protection thing, and it took the Trump forces to dismantle that. Harris is a prosecutor.

    What if Biden is willing to be a willing dumbass much like Trump, and just rubber stamp an agenda, but it’s OUR agenda?

    It seems like that’s a really big question… and like our human nature is to want to consolidate all this into one Superman figure who is to do everything. And maybe that’s actually bullshit. I don’t actually want to vote Biden in the primary for that reason: I’d rather communicate to the elites by electing Warren, and I hope that would not actually be a less powerful position than what she could do outside the Presidency.

    But, we’re a team, and it’s fucking important. And we have a HELL of a potent bench, who aren’t going to go away just because the ceremonial headpiece gets worn by someone more suited to being Homecoming Queen.

    I’m not at all frightened about Biden getting the nomination. I would be frightened if it meant he was in charge. He’s old, and no more likely to be effective than Trump is, and if I can identify who really has power and I think they’re good (they are also going to be elected officials, nearly all the time) then we are not actually screwed.

    Biden for Rubber Stamp. If he is so faithful to us, let him sign all our shit into law, unhesitatingly, and not screw any of it up. We have always needed way more than a chief executive, and that’s the thing the Republicans have screwed up for themselves, and we’re not suffering that problem at all. More Harrises, more Warrens, more AOCs and we’ll be fine with a Biden ‘leading’ it all. Have him sign our shit into law.

  102. 102.

    Miss Bianca

    December 2, 2019 at 11:18 am

    @Chris Johnson: OK, you have just managed to shift my perspective a bit, and for that, I thank you!

  103. 103.

    catclub

    December 2, 2019 at 11:23 am

    @Chris Johnson: Biden for Rubber Stamp.

     

    Biden as president pulling in Obama as senior advisor for policy would make a lot of RWNJ heads explode.

    Possibly even more than Obama as President.

     

    We live in hope.

  104. 104.

    catclub

    December 2, 2019 at 11:31 am

    @khead: somebody else said:

    I’m increasingly resigned to the idea that Biden will get the nomination

    and you said:

     

    I’m not.  Give it time.  At least until some votes are cast.

    I am with you. McCain got the nom in 2008 after being essentially written off in 2007. A leader of the week in a big field seems pretty common.

  105. 105.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 11:31 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

     

    Thank you for keeping us in the loop. This trip sounds DIVINE :)

  106. 106.

    rikyrah

    December 2, 2019 at 11:33 am

    @Miss Bianca:

     

    Here is the article:

     

    https://twitter.com/emarvelous/status/1201245453993598976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  107. 107.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 2, 2019 at 11:36 am

    @Miss Bianca: That is a thing that is true of everyone running.  If we get the Senate and keep the House, none of the people currently running (except Tulsi) would fail to sign good legislation.  Hence the whole Team Broken Glass concept.  I usually disagree with Chris Johnson and I do think he made his argument in the worst possible manner, but he is basically correct here.

  108. 108.

    NotMax

    December 2, 2019 at 12:12 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor

    In case you weren’t aware of it, on flights in the U.S. mustard is now classified as a liquid and if container is greater than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) can be transported only in checked luggage, not in carry on. Presumably holds true for flights to the U.S. as well.

  109. 109.

    Martin

    December 2, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    As a corgi owner, the outcome of that was certain to me. My corgi is a big boy – cardigan welsh, not pembroke – and he can’t do stairs more than 1 because he high-centers on them. And even the one is like swimming the english channel level of difficulty. His treat is being picked up to sit on the outdoor swing with us. But it is not a graceful operation.

  110. 110.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 2, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    @NotMax: It’ll be in our checked bag. I see no reason to carry it.

  111. 111.

    Miss Bianca

    December 2, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    @rikyrah: Thank you! Read it and thought it was really solid.

  112. 112.

    Chris Johnson

    December 2, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Oh good. That really does make me happy as I’ve often been a thorn in the Balloon Juice side: my parents died a couple years ago and it took that (and inheriting as much as I’d usually earn in five years) to get a certain amount of security, and I calmed down.

    I am sorry for how harsh I have been during the times when I was desperate, frightened, and saw no future. We may still have no future but it ain’t for lack of trying, and I would like to think I can learn from my mistakes (even if it doesn’t make me the exact clone of everyone else here). This distinguishes us from the wingnuts (and russian trollskis).

    I still don’t want Biden, but he is part of a team and that’s what makes us powerful and resilient as Democrats. We could get Biden, or maybe even Sanders, and it wouldn’t be ‘game over man!’. It’s not a superhero we’re electing, and he or she is not solely responsible for fixing everything. Look to our bench, and our ability to fight through impossibly hard obstacles and disagreements.

    I’m proud of that part. I wish I had more reliably picked the right side to be behind, but all I can do is the best I can from where I’m standing. :)

  113. 113.

    The Lodger

    December 2, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    @Chris Johnson: I’d love to see a 2021 executive branch featuring about 5 or 6 of the Democratic candidates. Not necessarily with Joe in the Prez seat, but he’d be good on the team.

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