Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

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

Battle won, war still ongoing.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

I was promised a recession.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / The Debate Part II: The Debating!

Reader Interactions

261Comments

  12. 12.

    patroclus

    @Baud: Warren’s pivots on trade and health care are the story of this debate; which she is winning.  I say that as someone who has not been a huge fan.

  13. 13.

    stinger

    Why is every new topic first addressed to Sanders? Apologies if this was addressed on the earlier thread.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    @patroclus: Interesting.  I don’t get a sense of who is doing best.  I think Pete may be doing the worst (given preexisting expectations).

    Iowa voters may feel differently.

  19. 19.

    Adam L Silverman

    @stinger: The old Jewish guy who yells rule. Old Jewish guy who yells (Blitzer) gets to direct all questions first to the other old Jewish guy in the room who yells (Sanders).

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    Some of youse (forgive the unwarranted formality) have been complaining that certain candidates are not being allowed equal time to give their answers. An onscreen answer clock would show just how much time each was being allowed by moderators, and (it seems to me) expose any disparity. Would that help?

  25. 25.

    stinger

    @Baud: I missed the first half hour, but I believe that since I started watching, he’s been given first crack at every new question. Odd.

  28. 28.

    Gin & Tonic, Duke of Tanqueray

    @Baud: I wish I lived in a world where nobody gave a shit what people in Iowa thought about anything but the price of soybeans.

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Amir Khalid: I think they should run the whole thing like one of those crazy Japanese game shows. So each candidate only has 30 seconds to answer while their head is inside an empty container and before they release a chipmunk inside the container.

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud:

    Warren doesn’t use the term “Medicare 4 All.”  Interesting.

    if she had figured out to stay away from that anvil a couple of months ago,  we might be looking at a very different race

    @Adam L Silverman: you ever notice how much Cole hates us?

  34. 34.

    Emerald

    Biden looking old old old (and I’m supporting him). Bernie is always Bernie. Amy doing great until she forgot the name of her good friend the governor of Kansas . Pete pre-programmed as usual. EW probably doing best so far. Amy just landed a good hit re EW’s Healh care plan.

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    “This is not a complicated problem…  That’s why I’m for term limits.” – Bazillionaire guy.

    (groucho-roll-eyes.gif)

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  42. 42.

    sdhays

    I’m not watching, but I did look up the clip of Warren’s answer regarding whether a woman can beat Donny Dump. I have to say one of things that I’ve really liked this campaign cycle is seeing the women run (Tulsi excepted) without trying to tear each other down. Not that I was expecting them to, it’s just nice to see. A big part of what made Warren’s answer really effective was was how she crafted it to include Amy.

  43. 43.

    patroclus

    Geez.  Term limits.  Get Steyer off this stage please and let us only hear from real candidates.

  46. 46.

    Another Scott

    “Why does it make sense for the Government, THE GOVERNMENT, to do anything at all, Especially when NOBODY TRUSTS THE GOVERNMENT, huh, Liz?  Huh???”

    Grrr…

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  49. 49.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    You people will bitch about anything!

    Didn’t you know that before you signed up? BJ commenters aren’t called jackals for nothing! : )

    By the way, how did you stumble on BJ and become a FPer?

  53. 53.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @schrodingers_cat:

    BTW did you know that Giant multinational corporations are gigantic and they are evil?

    Well, you have to admit, they do tend to fit that description, don’t they?

  56. 56.

    dmsilev

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I think they should run the whole thing like one of those crazy Japanese game shows.

    I vote for Iron Chef. In honor of Iowa “cuisine”, all candidates will be required to give their answer in the form of a butter sculpture which is subsequently deep-fried.

     

    Edit: Deep fried _with foie gras_ for proper Iron Cheffery. Apologies for the omission.

  59. 59.

    piratedan

    @schrodingers_cat: his ideas that term limits would solve a majority of our political ills make me think he’s terribly unserious and misinformed on just how the sausage is made… Hard pass.

  62. 62.

    tobie

    @Another Scott: the questions in this debate may be the worst yet of any debate this primary. The time allotted the candidates to speak is also too brief. It’s like a speed dating debate

  63. 63.

    Baud

    @tobie: I agree.  They need at least 15 more seconds each.

    ETA:  I don’t mind the questions though.  But the past debates are a bit of a blur now.

  65. 65.

    Gin & Tonic, Duke of Tanqueray

    And with a wee bit of my son-in-law’s Laphroiag, I think it’s time to call a halt to the festivities.

  66. 66.

    Marcopolo

    I dunno, you watch enough of these debates & you wind up in a place where assuming Harry & Megan spend enough time in their new lives living in the US You wind up saying just install a caretaker gov’t until Prince Archie is ready to take the reins.

  70. 70.

    patrick II

    @trollhattan:

    Duck tape is the original name. Used in WW II because of its waterproof attributes. It has only been called duct tape since the mid 60’s when it became popular for sealing air ducts. Yon must have a smart kid.

  72. 72.

    patroclus

    Senator Warren, many countries have tried a “wealth tax” and the projected revenue is never what the actual revenue is because tax accountants exist and money is moved to where it won’t count for your purposes.  So, in reality it won’t be a “2cent” tax or it won’t pay for all you want to do.  Plus, you get tarred for being for vastly increasing taxes.  You were winning this debate until you didn’t pivot off that.  Why?

  73. 73.

    Kent

    Doesn’t Steyer have enough money to afford a better tie?

    He looks like he belongs in 1950s Lodge of some sort.

  74. 74.

    jl

    @tobie: I think the subject mix and the perspective of the question (is it essentially a GOP talking point?) have been both very good and very very bad tonight (cough… Wolf.. cough).

    But, yeesh, enough with the moderators spinning BS hypotheticals, and basing questions on premises and assumptions that are false as often as they are true.

  76. 76.

    Baud

    @patroclus:

    Unlike M4A, I think the wealth tax can be compromised down without causing resentment, so it doesn’t bother me as much as it would if I thought it were actually going to pass Congress.

  77. 77.

    Mr. Kite

    @Adam L Silverman: Nice idea but I think the chipmunk container is a bit undignified for the dignitude of the office. How about branding with a backwards-B iron? Or sharpied for the squeamish. And maybe any fingers found above shoulder level will be shot at with lasers.

  79. 79.

    Another Scott

    @jl: Agreed.  Wolf’s questions have been horrible.  The Des Moines woman (? – I’m just listening) have been pretty good (child care, why/why not free college).  And she pressed for answers when Mayor Pete didn’t really answer (her kinda bogus question about whether he would “prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon”).  But there should be time for follow-ups.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  81. 81.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I’d read it for a while. In August 2008 my brigade combat team got pulled to do a kinetic operation just north of our area of responsibility. Specifically we were supposed to go up and clear out a bunch of terrorists and insurgents and the brigade combat team that owned that area didn’t want to do it, complained it was too far away from their command forward operating base, etc, etc. So it got tasked to us. The short story on that is no one was there but a family of sheep herders. Any bad guys in the area had fled by the time we’d finished preparing the battlespace.

    During that operation a reporter that had manipulated my higher headquarters into arranging for him to embed with my team got to our forward operating base, basically blew us off, which was the reason for the embed, and started sniffing around for “real action”. When he heard about the kinetic op, he got himself embedded with one of the units going forward. One of them was a company from our Armor battalion and he decided to do a personal interest story about one of the junior NCOs in the company. This junior NCO was actually the company paymaster/money guy for paying the local contractors where that company operated. This information was included in the story, which included a photo of the Soldier and his name. Because he’s the money guy, his name and image were classified. When he went outside the wire to deal with the locals, he wore a mask and a sterile uniform – no name tape or unit insignia or anything else identifying. Of course no one, not his company commander, battalion commander and XO, no one in the command group of the brigade had any idea this story was published in The Wall Street Journal or that this Soldier’s life had just been put at risk by this reporter. I’m assuming our idiot Public Affairs Officer knew, but he was a moron, which is why this got approved for publication.

    I happened to be working off of the combat outpost (COP) where that company, and that company’s battalion were located. After spending the day helping a Civil Affairs Team Alpha (CAT-A) do a medical/humanitarian assistance operation, I got back to the COP, got cleaned up, had some chow, when back to my quarters, pulled out my laptop, tried to IM with my girlfriend and pulled up Balloon Juice, where John had featured the story on the front page. I immediately threw my boots on and a t-shirt, screen grabbed the page, closed my laptop, and went running across the compound to the battalion command building, found the XO who was running things while the battalion commander was forward on the operation that was a dud, and showed him what the idiot reporter had done. We were then able to get on the radio to ensure that Soldier was secured and not at risk. As far as I recall they had to assign a different junior NCO to do the contractor payments after that and this guy was limited in regards to going outside the wire.

    As soon as we were sure the Soldier was secured and the XO had worked up a way forward for him and, most likely, began planning to kick the idiot PAO in the nuts, I went back to my quarters and crashed. At some point after my deployment ended, I had a reason to email Cole. I introduced myself, explained why I was emailing, and then told him the story of how he and Balloon Juice had helped to ensure a Soldier’s safety in Iraq. And that’s how he and I first connected. Shortly after I did a few guest posts for him and when it was time for me to leave where I’d been writing, we discussed and agreed to my coming aboard here. And that’s the story.

  82. 82.

    Chris Johnson

    @schrodingers_cat: 

    Yeah how is that going to make corporations tiny and saintly?

    You’re talking about someone who made the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If anyone on that stage can rein in the gigantic trusts and megacorporations out of William Gibson stories that we currently have, it’s Warren. I suspect that it is ONLY Warren who can do this, and Bernie can’t do a damn thing about it but huff, and the others aren’t interested in doing it.

  83. 83.

    jl

    I think most proposals for free higher education include community colleges, which function as technical and vocational schools these days.

    Klobuchar talks like a kid has to go to UC Berkeley to get an MBA or study ancient Greek to take advantage of the program. Is she ignorant, or is she cynically spouting a GOP talking point?

    Come kind commenter please correct me if I’m wrong.

  86. 86.

    sab

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Can you ship me frozen tilapi without it thawing?  No! I thought so!

    Wandered in to Costco tonight with bad glasses and a new prescription. Could not believe how easy it was to order new glasses, and with a frame I liked. Not fashion forward, but okay for my weird face.

    Remembered that I had  a brief boyfriend in western Michigan in the early 1980s. He was an optometrist. Better than an optician, but certainly not an opthamologist. Had a house on Lake Michigan by his early thirties, simply by overcharging for glasses.

  87. 87.

    Another Scott

    @patroclus: It would be nice if they pressed her (and the other candidates) on things like that rather than “You’re going to have to RAISE TAXES aren’t you?  TAXES TAXES TAXES!!  Muaahh!!” as they seemed to learn in TV Talking Head School.

    (sigh)

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  88. 88.

    patroclus

    Moreover, the entire 20th century has shown that income taxes are FAR more progressive and generate revenue better.  I was impressed by Warren’s pivots on trade and health care; her Bernieistic attitude towards taxes makes me like her less.

  89. 89.

    jl

    Baud 2020! is pissy about the debate because his silent strength is not shining through this time. Tough break.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: I wasn’t sure if Marcopol was snarking or not. Several months ago a woman asked about childcare, and as Warren was drawing in her breath to start her answer, the woman said, “Not all of us have an Aunt Bea”. Warren stuck to the script. I don’t fault her. I think it’s a great story

  94. 94.

    jl

    @Another Scott: I think the ordinary, often local, reporters, when they are given a chance to moderate, generally do a better job than the corporate news media celebrities. Same is true this time.

    I missed the beginning, so I’ll need to check who is moderating later, or catch the chyrons when they come up.

  96. 96.

    patroclus

    @Kent: In a Democratic primary, I agree.  In a general election, I don’t.  And actual reality isn’t always a “winning argument.”  I want good policy; not a “winning argument.”

  97. 97.

    zhena gogolia

    Is there some reason why they can’t ask, “What do you think about the President  encouraging people stalking and planning to assassinate the U. S. Ambassador to Ukraine? What do you think the President meant when he said, ‘She’s going to go through some things’?”

  103. 103.

    Marcopolo

    This may be an unpopular opinion but I am missing Yang. Not because I’m a supporter but I am pretty sure he’d have injected a little good natured humor into a lot of his replies. This debate could use a little more lightness & humor.

  105. 105.

    jl

    But I’m pissy too, I hate these BS custom tailored questions for each candidate. Unfair,  moderators exploit to manipulate the debate, play gotcha gimmicks, and wastes time with moderator generated horseshit.

  110. 110.

    Another Scott

    “Climate Crisis – flooding, people displaced from their homes.  What about farms and factories that can’t be moved.”  To Mayor Pete.

    Good question.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  111. 111.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

     This information was included in the story, which included a photo of the Soldier and his name. Because he’s the money guy, his name and image were classified. When he went outside the wire to deal with the locals, he wore a mask and a sterile uniform – no name tape or unit insignia or anything else identifying. Of course no one, not his company commander, battalion commander and XO, no one in the command group of the brigade had any idea this story was published in The Wall Street Journal or that this Soldier’s life had just been put at risk by this reporter.

    Wow. What a fucking idiot; that PAO and the reporter. I can’t believe an newspaper editor approved this story either, but hey it is the WSJ.

    At some point after my deployment ended, I had a reason to email Cole. I introduced myself, explained why I was emailing, and then told him the story of how he and Balloon Juice had helped to ensure a Soldier’s safety in Iraq. And that’s how he and I first connected. Shortly after I did a few guest posts for him and when it was time for me to leave where I’d been writing, we discussed and agreed to my coming aboard here. And that’s the story.

    In August 2018? I’m remember you doing posts on BJ since at least 2016 or so. Maybe even a few years before that.

    That’s an amazing story that a blog save a man’s life. BJ is a pretty special place

  112. 112.

    Chris Johnson

    @Kent:

    I don’t think “we can’t tax rich people because they have clever accountants” is the winning argument you think it is.

    This, plus with the trade agreements going on and the rise of fascism globally, this is simply not the 80s anymore. I think rich people believe they will always be able to flounce off to New Zealand or wherever, and thus they will get to make any demand however unreasonable.

    Nope.

    There will be no safe haven, and what a President Warren would demand of them would NOT be anything like so unreasonable. Having individual people with the literal wealth of half the sovereign country they belong to, that’s unreasonable. This is just not how personal wealth is supposed to work. It’s out of scale, off the charts, bonkers.

    George Harrison wrote ‘Taxman’ because he was mad that, though he was still wealthy, the government was taking 95 (NINETY-FIVE) percent of his income for themselves. These people are pissed when the government takes ANYTHING and they need to be smacked down. They’re not going to be whacked anywhere near as hard as the Beatles were, or as hard as Americans in wartime.

  113. 113.

    jl

    First climate change question promising. Buttigieg, who I don’t support, gives a good answer, given his platform. WTF with the moderator’s follow-up.

    Well, Mayor Pete, what do you do about land that will inevitably be flooded in the near term. How will you fix what can’t be fixed?

    What is with BS moderator questions that take longer to state than the candidates have time to answer?

    Same question to all the candidates would solve that problem.

  114. 114.

    Marcopolo

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:Somehow, as someone who has been supporting & contributing to EW since last March/April I somehow missed that the family member helping her w/ her kids was named Aunt Bea. I knew she had help from a relative not sure how I never heard the name. Lol. But also too I have gotten to the point of generally making all my comments on this debate snarky. Credit debate fatigue.

  116. 116.

    Another Scott

    “Mr Steyer – You claim to be the climate guy, but you made your $1.6B in part by investing in coal, oil, and gas.”…

    “I’ve been fighting climate change for 10 years since I divested…”

    Good question.  Stick the (proverbial) knife in him.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  118. 118.

    Jinchi

    @jl: I think most proposals for free higher education include community colleges, which function as technical and vocational schools these days.

    What annoys me about the “we can’t afford free college” debate, is that college was largely subsidized when most of these candidates were college aged, themselves. The public university I attended is 5 times more expensive now, in inflation adjusted dollars, than it was when I attended.

  119. 119.

    Adam L Silverman

    @zhena gogolia: There are those who recognize that we are at war and there is everyone else. Unfortunately there are many, many more of the latter than the former.

  120. 120.

    jl

    Seems like many ‘how will you square the circle?’ questions in this debate.

    I guess that is better than recycled GOP talking points, but Wolf is there for that.

  121. 121.

    Adam L Silverman

    @CaseyL: I don’t have a lot of speed, but once I’m at pace, I’m basically like a grader going downhill with its break lines cut.

  122. 122.

    mad citizen

    @sab: Yes, glasses at a regular eye doctors are one of the most marked up things there are.  I still do my exam at a regular eye doctor, but then buy and wear glasses from costco.  They always have some fashion-forward (I guess) frames set off in separate cases.  I have some of those, but once I bought a second pair because of a sale they were doing, and added on a Field & Stream frame which are my main ones around the house.  I’ve also bought a couple on Zenni.com as well–easy to buy when the frames are $20/30.

  129. 129.

    mad citizen

    @jl: How to fix the flooded land?  Obviously the answer is to detonate nuclear bombs on the ocean floor to create more space for the world’s oceans, thereby lowering the level of oceans back to what they used to be.  Or if you do more mega explosions, create even more land for humanity.  Pretty simple.

  133. 133.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Chris Johnson:

    Yeah, that song I never really liked by the Beatles.

    Fun fact about the song “Taxman”, via wiki:

    In 2006, Virginia State Senator and future Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli introduced an amendment to make “Taxman” the state song of Virginia, stating that taxes were an important part of Virginia history. He gave the example of Patrick Henry‘s strong opposition to British taxation during the American Revolution. The measure did not pass.

  136. 136.

    Jinchi

    @Baud: I vaguely remember Mitt Romney, nobly declaring that unlike many politicians, he would commit to serving only 2 terms in the Senate.

    If he keeps his promise, he’ll be about 83 years old when he retires.

  139. 139.

    Another Scott

    “Bernie – 2/3 of people don’t want Socialism.  Aren’t you going to have trouble beating Trump?”

    “Nope … (insert stump speech here)”

    (sigh)

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  144. 144.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Baud:

    To be fair, the party and Americans in general have moved further left under Trump it seems. Not enough for Sanders to probably win a general. He legitimately scares. His ego is disqualifying in and of itself because he’s not a team leader. Even if he were to win, I doubt he’d get much accomplished even through executive order. He’s a buffoon who surrounds himself with sycophants who attack those that don’t 100 percent agree with him. Sound familiar?

  145. 145.

    Marcopolo

    Okay I gotta head off in a minute but here’s some good news out of MO. Today the MO Supreme Court (once again) struck down the Voter ID law that Rethuglicans in the state lege have been trying to impose on us since 2016.

    Y’all have a lovely evening.

  152. 152.

    jl

    Klobuchar’s answer on how she’ll inspire voters is not inspiring. Not sure I caught the last bit about living in a basement helping a relative get through 2 year college education. Shit, that is what people are complaining about now.

  153. 153.

    Elizabelle

    Interviewer:  Trump is known for  … telling lies …  I love hearing that, so boldly.  It’s true.

    Biden says he has been the object of Trump’s attention.  Witty

    ETA:  Yes, I think it was “affection.”  Anyhow, clever.  A good answer by Joe.

  156. 156.

    J R in WV

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Now that you’ve spent a lot of time typing that great story, I’m pretty sure I’ve known that, though I had forgotten until re-reading it.

    Saved that kid’s life, perhaps.  And brought the Jackals a huge amount of knowledge over the years since then!

    Thanks for all you do! Keep up the good work.

    ==========================================================

    PS:

    We saw some great headline news on MSNBC this evening. Chris Hayes had the document dump from Les Parnak, released by the House this evening. Wonderful stuff, lots of Republicans who belong in jail may get there thanks to this data.

    Amazing plot to deal with the Ambassador to Ukraine — unbelievable stuff!

  157. 157.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jinchi:

    I vaguely remember Mitt Romney, nobly declaring that unlike many politicians, he would commit to serving only 2 terms in the Senate.

    Susan Collins made big noise when she first ran in ’96(?) about only serving two terms. I believe she’s currently running for her fifth.

  159. 159.

    Elizabelle

    @Baud:   That’s excellent.  I have missed 75% of this debate; doing other stuff.  Might try to look at a transcript, eventually.

    This is the first debate I have watched.  It’s been good.

    And I love the Ron Reagan, proud atheist, commercials.

  160. 160.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud:

    and the Secretary of State and the Vice President and the Attorney General. Don’t forget. That’s the beauty of it. Oh, and the Senate Majority Leader.

  162. 162.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: She (the moderator woman) is clear eyed about Trump and lots of other things.  If she were able to give, say, a 3 hour interview with each of the candidates, that would probably be very enlightening.

    This “at 75s I’m going to talk over you so don’t say one more word” stuff is annoying though.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  163. 163.

    Baud

    Debate is almost over.  I think they just have closing statements left.  I don’t have a sense of a clear winner.  I doubt this will move the polls much.

  166. 166.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Susan Collins made big noise when she first ran in ’96(?) about only serving two terms. I believe she’s currently running for her fifth.

    I think out of all the so-called GOP “moderates”, I dislike her the most for some reason. I guess it was the Kavanaugh vote that did it. I hope Maine kicks her butt to the curb this fall

  168. 168.

    Kent

    @Baud: “money can’t buy you love”

    I think this debate might nip some of the billionaire love in the polls.  Steyer isn’t ready for prime time.  And his tie???  Some 1958 Moose lodge called and wants it back.

  169. 169.

    jl

    I missed the beginning. Was there a question about housing problems? Has there been a question about housing in any of the debates.

  171. 171.

    patroclus

    @Baud: Fair point.  The Ways and Means and Finance Committees will actually write the next tax bill; not the next President or Treasury Secretary.  I’ll calm down about Warren’s answers on that.  And aside from that, I was actually impressed with her tonight, which has not been the case until now.  Amy did okay, but I’m not expecting her to last long, so for me, it’s now down to between Warren and Biden.

  172. 172.

    PsiFighter37

    I just tuned in. Klobuchar has a decent closing statement. Steyer – meh. Listening to Mayor Pete now.

  177. 177.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Baud: I suppose you’re right. I wasn’t as politically aware then as I am now

     

    @Baud: It’s been noted here and elsewhere that the GOP is terrible on education. This is not a smart play imo. Teachers tend to be Democrats and many people across the country tend to support teachers

  180. 180.

    PsiFighter37

    Oh Jesus Christ, Bernie’s closing statement is his usual shtick. Shut the fuck up, old man.

  182. 182.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kent:

    Nice close by Warren.  What we DIDN’T talk about tonight.

    was one of those things judges? something I think our candidates ought to start talking about

  184. 184.

    lamh36

    @JoshNBCNews

    More

    NEWS – Robert Hyde reacts He tells me tonight via text message: “How low can liddle Adam Bull Schiff go. To take some texts my buddy’s and I wrote while we had a few drinks to some dweeb I met a few times…. Bull Schiff is a desperate turd.”

    9:47 PM – 14 Jan 2020

  185. 185.

    Mnemosyne

    @mad citizen:

    Man, I envy you guys for whom the most expensive part of getting glasses is the frames. I have Incredibly shitty eyesight, so my lenses inevitably cost more than even designer frames. ?

  187. 187.

    Another Scott

    Biden replayed his standard closing “… there’s nothing that we can’t do as Americans, so let’s go do it.”

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  188. 188.

    zhena gogolia

    “In May, Hyde was removed by police from Trump National Doral Miami in Florida. According to an incident report filed by the Doral police department, Hyde told the responding officer that he was in fear for his life and ‘a hit man was out to get him.’ Hyde gave police with a variety of names and contacts to provide information about why he felt his life was in danger,” the newspaper reported.

    See, this is what explains the bizarre behavior of the Repubs. They’re all afraid of being whacked.

  189. 189.

    Elizabelle

    Elizabeth would not take Bernie’s hand, extended as the candidates dispersed.

    Anyway, good closing comments.

    Proud to be a Democrat.

  192. 192.

    Baud

    @lamh36: That’s what they do.  They try to distract with their over-the-top rhetoric and insults.  Thankfully, Schiff is too disciplined for that.

  193. 193.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: same reporter just said Hyde wouldn’t say there was not a surveillance camera on Yovanovitch, which could prove interesting

  195. 195.

    zhena gogolia

    @lamh36:

    Yeah, it was just some drunken prank texts. That’s why the President of the United States said to the President of Ukraine, “She’s going to go through some things.”

  199. 199.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    reading tweets and posts about Wolf Blitzer and thinking “How the hell has CNN not put him out to pasture”, and now MSNBC, my regular network, is cutting to fucking Tweety, looking very smug.

    I’ll give him props, he went after trump hard on the new evidence of massive conspiracy

  201. 201.

    hilts

    Hoping Warren’s great performance will carry her to a win in the Iowa Caucuses.  Klobuchar was very good, but I’ve got Warren as the clear winner tonight.  Warren’s response to the woman question was the best answer given in any debate during this election season.

  202. 202.

    PsiFighter37

    Since I only tuned in for the end – was there anything memorable? Did Warren shiv Bernie?

  203. 203.

    stinger

    @Mnemosyne: Same here. And the “one hour” places take days to provide my glasses, as the lenses need to be special ordered. So I stick with my small town, locally owned, non-chain optometrist.

  204. 204.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: They generally seem to be getting better.

    SPW was better.

    Amy K was a little better.

    Biden was better at times, but still gets tongue tied at times.

    Pete seemed the same to me, and not in a good way.

    Steyer shouldn’t be there.

    Bernie is Bernie.

    I think SPW had a lot to lose tonight and showed that she can take the pressure and get better.  I like her chances going forward.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  208. 208.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Another Scott:

    That was a good closer by Biden. He’s not my first choice, but when he hits it, he hits it

    @Elizabelle:

    Elizabeth would not take Bernie’s hand, extended as the candidates dispersed.

    I don’t blame her. The dude’s an ass and I’m sure she feels betrayed

  209. 209.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Another Scott:

    Pete seemed the same to me, and not in a good way.

    the ghost of a dead president agrees

    Richard M. Nixon‏ @dick_nixon 4m4 minutes ago
    Buttigieg has hit his limit, and I think he knows it. There was a sense of the piano player playing the tune for the fourth time tonight.

  212. 212.

    Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]

    So I am declaring a new political rule.  Friday is no longer the best time to bury a major political story.  The best time is during a primary presidential debate.  TWO HOURS AGO I posted that Michel Avenetii was brought into federal custody, and Popehat (who has a history) tweeted an hour ago on the case. It will never be seen in the MSN.  You could shoot somebody on fifth avenue during a primary debate and it would barely raise a ripple.

  217. 217.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Adam L Silverman:

     I introduced myself, explained why I was emailing, and then told him the story of how he and Balloon Juice had helped to ensure a Soldier’s safety in Iraq.

    Must have been in ALL CAPS since Cole read it.

    P.S. Got the tartar sauce, where should I send it?

  218. 218.

    Kent

    from the TPM debate blog

    A single exchange that captures a quality in Buttigieg that, anecdotally, turns some people off: Steyer dings him for his scant private sector experience — “Mayor Pete has three years as an analyst at McKinsey” — and Buttigieg simply cannot let the insult stand.

    “You demoted me, I was actually an associate but that’s okay,” he says, spelling out a distinction indistinguishable to all but his former McKinsey colleagues.

  222. 222.

    Another Scott

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Thanks for the pointer.  I was just listening.

    His hands seemed to be making excuses or trying to down play it.  It looked to me like she wasn’t having it.

    Good.  She, and the rest of the party, needs to stand up and let him know that he doesn’t have enough support to be the nominee and he better stop his replay of 2016.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  225. 225.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about him trying to talk about 5 things at once in a sentence.  He’s not good when he’s rushed.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Who thinks that Obama has a stutter too, at times.”)

  228. 228.

    jl

    @Kent: And Buttigieg identifies himself  with a corporate exec with a job title more appropriate for a corporate exec than an analyst drone. And gives an inaccurate picture of what he did, not to his benefit. Nice job, Mayor Pete. Kill three birds at once in a bad and unnecessary response.

  229. 229.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]:

    I don’t feel too bad about it. He’s a slimeball.

    He also had this to say recently about impeachment:

    Turning over the articles of impeachment is yet another blunder in a long list of blunders by the Democrats. Once again, they caved and got out-maneuvered by the Republicans.

    He’s a Monday morning quarterback. There was very little the Dems could do. McConnell has absolute control over the the Senate.

  230. 230.

    jimmiraybob

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Glad you cleared that up.  I was assuming something to do with 35 gallon drums of tartar sauce.  And maybe scotch.

    As someone said earlier, thanks for being here.

  232. 232.

    Another Scott

    @jl: Yeah, that seemed like an own goal to me, too, but for some reason it got a laugh from at least a few people in the audience.

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  233. 233.

    Jinchi

    @lamh36: To take some texts my buddy’s and I wrote

    Nice that he just straight up confesses to it. Usually they blame a maid or a mistress while shouting ‘Anybody could have accessed my phone!’

  237. 237.

    jl

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    ” I don’t blame her. The dude’s an ass and I’m sure she feels betrayed ”

    My hunch is that Warren raised this now to get some attention for her campaign. She’s starting to make a slight comeback in national and early state polls, but not big and not fast enough for her like.

    But I also think Bernie did tell her that he didn’t think a woman could win in 2020, but in passive aggressive ‘Berniesplain’.

    But the nonsense about Warren appealing more to upper income voters is toxic BS from BS’s campaign.  If I am right and Warren is bringing up the ‘women can’t win’ issue now for campaign reasons, then it won’ have lasting impact. But the talking points about Warren’s base of support will last longer.

  238. 238.

    Kent

    @jl: She is a hell of a lot more believable than him.  Especially to any woman who has ever had a boss like Bernie.  Or ever got cornered at a bar by an old guy like Bernie.

  239. 239.

    Jinchi

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): There was very little the Dems could do. McConnell has absolute control over the the Senate.

    Pelosi was smart to delay sending over the articles of impeachment. McConnell was hoping to brush this whole thing off before Christmas, while most Americans were distracted by other things. Just making Trump miserable over the holidays was worth it.

  240. 240.

    Another Scott

    Probably should be at least one question about what you're going to do about purges, poll closures, voter intimidation and everything else Republicans are definitely going to do to keep Americans from voting?— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) January 15, 2020

    +1

    It sure would be nice to see the League of Women Voters running these things again.

    (sigh)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Rassin’ Frassin’ Visual Tab…”)

  241. 241.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    but we are going to find out.

    I hope so. If my and others’ interpretations are true, then it means Trump is becoming far worse. The GOP can’t stand by while a US president tries to murder a high-ranking diplomatic offical and above all an American citizen. If he can try to do it to MY, then he can do it to anyone, including you and me

  242. 242.

    Barbara

    @jl: “Don’t vote for someone you like, vote for someone other people like.”  That’s real quality logic.

  244. 244.

    NotMax

    Assumed the couch position, changed the TV channel, intending to watch, and next thing I knew was waking up 2 hours and 15 minutes later.

    The nappage is strong in this one.

  245. 245.

    Jinchi

    I usually follow the livestreams, and I was surprised to read that Warren and Klobuchar had the most speaking time (18.8 and 17.2 minutes) according to the Guardian. It seemed like Bernie was dominating at the start.

  247. 247.

    jl

    @Barbara:  I think Sanders dished out that nonsense, even if not in so many words in order to retain plausible deniability, and he knew it was BS when he said it. But that’s just my guess.

    Edit: and he said to Warren’s face. Which I find hard to imagine. But politicians don’t care about saying hilarious and insulting things if they think they need to.

  248. 248.

    jl

    @Jinchi: “It seemed like Bernie was dominating at the start.”

    You recall the yelling for quite a spell afterwards from the ringing in your ears. Seems to have lasted longer than it did.

  249. 249.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jinchi:

    Exactly.

    @jl:

    My hunch is that Warren raised this now to get some attention for her campaign. She’s starting to make a slight comeback in national and early state polls, but not big and not fast enough for her like.

    That’s very possible and speaks to Warren’s political chops.

  251. 251.

    StringOnAStick

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks for the whole story; I had assumed you had met John in Iraq.  I’m very happy you saw that post and got that story to the necessary people asap.

    I have an elderly aunt who was a reporter in a small town state capitol.  She would have likely done something like that if it got her a story, because I know she trashed a person ‘s career in pursuit of a story.  Why anyone trusted talking to her after that I will never understand..

  252. 252.

    Mnemosyne

    @Kent:

    Well, I do usually try to make it clear that I was the second assistant manager at Crown Books, not a first assistant manager. ?

  255. 255.

    Another Scott

    @Adam L Silverman: Posted the twitter embed in the Visual tab.  So I had to do an edit to paste it into the Text tab to fix it.

    You know, the usual stuff that happens on a day ending in “y”.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  257. 257.

    Mnemosyne

    @Kent:

    I mean, I did skyrocket to being the first assistant manager at a different store that only had one assistant manager. But I got that extra 25 cents in my paycheck, baybee!

    Ironically, the store I ended up at was only a few blocks from where I now live, but I moved to this neighborhood a good 20 years after the store I had worked at closed. But I still have the sciatica to remember that job by! ?

  259. 259.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Another Scott: I’m not particularly thrilled with the two tabs issue either. I’ve raised the objection and have been told it can’t be changed. Which I don’t actually believe.

  260. 260.

    tomtofa

    @Bill Arnold:

    I make Very Large Bubbles, for which one of the ingredients is powered personal lubricant, which I buy in bulk from Amazon.

    Powered personal lubricant? Huh. I’m torn between looking it up and just imagining what that might encompass.

  261. 261.

    tomtofa

     

     

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Wow. That might not make a movie, but it would make a hell of an episode.

    A question – I’ll pose it again later if I’m too late to this thread; are there others like you out there, experienced and well-founded both academically and operationally? What are they up to?

Comments are closed.