Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

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

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

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Not all heroes wear capes.

“More of this”, i said to the dog.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

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

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

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

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

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Reader Interactions

217Comments

  6. 6.

    Dopey-o

    Let’s talk bourbon! Finally some good news. Has anyone tried Angel’s Envy? Spouse brought a bottle home from Louisville, but put it under lock and key.

  9. 9.

    John Revolta

    I looked over on the right by the twitter feed and it said “John Cole- New Post” and then down below
    “I’m sipping some bourbon and water” and my eyebrows went up a bit I’ll tell you what

  10. 10.

    Baud

    @WaterGirl:

    Might be bad info, but I read somewhere that only 4% of the state’s population caucuses in the Dem caucus.

    I don’t know how that translates to % of Iowa Dems.

  11. 11.

    Martin

    On the coronavirus data front, things are stable. We’re at about 2500 new cases per day, with almost all transmission still happening inside China. That’s up from closer to 1500 cases per day 5 days ago. So it’s still accelerating but not wildly.

    The fatalities/recovery ratio is looking much better. It was more than 1:1 for a while, but that’s not unusual in the beginning when there’s a lot of misdiagnosis and when recovery takes 2 weeks or so. You wind up counting  every fatality and almost none of the recovered, but over time the recovered count gets more and more accurate. We’re now at a 2:3 ratio and I expect the recovery number to really start shooting up. All but 12 fatalities are in Wuhan, and only one is outside of China (Philippines).

    So, still no real threat to anyone outside of China, and even inside of China its a very minor threat beyond Wuhan.

  15. 15.

    NotMax

    For an affordable bourbon, have become enamored of Bulleit. Like their rye even more, and I’m generally ambivalent when it comes to rye.

    Melding booze and cooking, recently came across this interesting sounding recipe even with the site’s author having cut back significantly on the amount of liquid oomph.

  17. 17.

    Yutsano

    No time. Have dinner at the family homestead then gotta jet home and bake up some banana bread. Tomorrow I do an abbreviated physio then it’s chocolate chip walnut cookies. Then Wednesday if the weather behaves I’m off to Dallas until the 10th. Basically: I’ll be not paying too much attention for a while.

  18. 18.

    lol chikinburd

    My local community radio station, otherwise the best radio station in the world, is tonight preempting its usual Monday-night lineup that’s good enough to make me look forward to Monday nights at work, in favor of hours of Iowa caucus coverage courtesy of either Pacifica or Pacifica remnants — IOW, solid Busted propaganda.  One can’t win for being punched repeatedly in the genitals.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    It’s gonna be a shitshow!

    This year they’re reporting the initial result, then the final result after the second round, then the delegate count. We could get three potentially different winners as a result.

  21. 21.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    early reports suggest I am not gonna be happy when this is over

    is there a fixed ending to it, or will it go on into the wee hours?

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    Only result I’m curious about regarding Iowa is whether Uncommitted comes in win, place or show.

  23. 23.

    spudgun

    @Dopey-o: My brother got me a bottle once for Christmas several years ago…I don’t know much about bourbon but it was ok – if I remember correctly, it was a little too “smoky” for me. (for a taste reference, my go-to bourbon right now is Bullitt, which I love.

    ETA: oop, “Bulleit”

  24. 24.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I am thoroughly unconcerned.  The only possible significant result I could see is that if Bernie lost seriously enough he would be entirely out of the race.  Winning this doesn’t give anyone ‘momentum’.  It’s just Bernie’s biggest stronghold and a must-win for him.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: In Iowa, you can change your registration at the caucus, so anyone can caucus in either one, you just can’t caucus in both.

    When I was there on Jan 3, 2008, lots of republicans came in to change to Dem so they could vote for Obama.

  26. 26.

    Kay

    I’m watching! I wish I was there. Love that sort of thing.

    Don’t worry, I’ll be sure and give you my thoughts :)

    So far they’re just setting up chairs in a gym in their big winter coats but we’ll see some action here shortly.

  27. 27.

    chris

    About Iowa, Wiki says population is 3,155,070 (2019). Dave Weigel brings some perspective in his newsletter, The Trailer.

    As of last month, there were 613,899 registered Democrats in Iowa. The highest caucus turnout in history, 12 years ago, brought out around 239,000 voters. Winning the Democratic Party’s nomination on the first ballot in July means securing a majority of 3,979 pledged national delegates. Iowa offers just 41 of those delegates. When the candidates for president leave Iowa tonight, their party will be approximately 1 percent on the way toward picking a nominee.

  29. 29.

    Chyron HR

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    if Bernie lost seriously enough he would be entirely out of the race.

    Oh, no, he’s staying in all the way until November 3 this time.  Remember: it’s not over until the electoral college meets!

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    @Yutsano: Well, darnit, when you come back, please post your banana bread recipe.  Mine always comes out too wet. So i either have to cook it too long and the outside gets too dark, or the inside isn’t cooked.

    Safe travels!

  32. 32.

    Roger Moore

    @Martin:

    There’s apparently also a big question about underdiagnosis.  The numbers we’re seeing are based only on people who are sick enough to go to the doctor, while there are probably many times as many people whose symptoms are mild enough that they haven’t bothered.

  35. 35.

    frosty

    @Dopey-o:  My everyday and mixing bourbon has taken a step up from Evan Williams green to Wild Turkey 80 Proof. I’ve tried a few more expensive ones for sipping but keep coming back to Woodford. When we did our distillery tour a few years ago, we loved the Woodford Double Oaked but I keep balking at the $60.00 price tag for a bottle of whiskey.

    Two other good ones from that tour were Willet and Yellowstone.

  36. 36.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Adam L Silverman:

    This year they’re reporting the initial result, then the final result after the second round, then the delegate count. We could get three potentially different winners as a result.

    This is a good thing. Keep the media confused.

  40. 40.

    Carolina Dave

    Hi Betty!

    I Finished the last of my ramen wonton & noodle soup. Which is weird in 74F temps in NC. Still delicious. Shameless plug for then $1.75 ramen broth at Aldi. Don’t judge they also have Pho and Tom Yum, you go find those herbs in winter. In summer Thai basil grows wild in my garden.

    So what am I doing? Watching the not very good Tar Heels play the very good Seminoles in Tallahasse. Hopefully the young men will play as well as the name on the front of their jerseys.

    BTW, my great grandparents were proud Florida crackers, so no explanation is needed for what that term really means.

  43. 43.

    Marcopolo

    In 1988 MO had caucuses and I went in support of Jesse Jackson. So I don’t need to watch any of the coverage to learn how they work. And since that would be my only reason for viewing anything caucus related I won’t be watching. Also, not making any predictions. But I don’t necessarily see any reason for any candidate to call it quits after one event (though if Biden severely underperformed it would suck to be him). Also, also, while maybe 200,000 Iowa D’s are caucusing tonight, this morning CA started to send out something like 6 million vote by mail ballots to CA D’s. Guarantee that isn’t getting as much attention as it warrants.

    Instead, I’m heading out the door to my first Indivisible StL postcard writing session at a local library. We’re writing please make sure you are registered to vote (in the right location) to folks who are MO D’s who have changed residence.

    Everyone have a nice evening—going from summer (60) back to winter (35) here tonight. Snow forecast for tomorrow.

  47. 47.

    Gin & Tonic

    @NotMax: Weller’s Special Reserve, if it’s available out in the tropics, is a very reasonably priced wheat-forward bourbon, essentially the same mash bill as Van Winkle without the price gouging.

  48. 48.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    My highest estimation of Murkowski has generally been that she’s not the worst of that bad lot, but this is some amazing bullshit right here

    Kyle Cheney @ kyledcheney
    MURKOWSKI: “I cannot vote to convict.” She has harsh words for everyone, including Trump, but says House process was “rotten.” She also says she decided to vote against witnesses because she didn’t want to see a tie vote result in attacks on Roberts.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack

    Ignoring the caucuses here. I’ll get the no doubt equivocal/​enraging results later.

    Just had two cheese enchiladas and am deciding on my drink selection to accompany evening browsing.

    Also had an unsuccessful on-line text “chat” with someone at Cox Cable who could not fix the problem that their streaming app, Contour, suddenly stopped working on my Android tablet late last week. The app loads fine, but when I select a program from the channel grid or from the “what’s on now” list I get error messages. And, yes, I was several steps ahead of the Cox drone: I deleted/​reinstalled (several times), rebooted tablet, etc., etc. I got kicked upstairs to the “advanced department,” but I waited a long time and my position in the queue never changed, so I gave up. Tomorrow is another day.

  50. 50.

    NotMax

    @MomSense

    Real good price for the 1.75 liter bottle at Costco (if one near you has a liquor department). Only seen the bourbon at the one here, though.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    @Chris Johnson:

    Bloomberg in 2012:

    Those cuts, said Bloomberg, would include slowly decreasing benefits or raising the eligibility age for Medicare and Social Security, and increasing co-pays on Medicaid.

    I love “slowly” decreasing benefits. Another cowardly hit on younger people.

  56. 56.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    She’s a senator for life. Why doesn’t she just shut up.

    I would suggest she thinks she can only remain a senator for life by saying the kinds of things she’s been saying.  The Republicans know damn well that acquitting Trump looks bad, so they’re trying to come up with whatever excuse they can find for why they had do to it even though he’s obviously guilty.

  57. 57.

    Patricia Kayden

    There is no "right" way the House could have brought forward impeachment that Senate Republicans would not have declared to be so illegitimate as to require nullification. None.Nobody alive on this earth has to take the "House did it wrong" talking point seriously. https://t.co/Q2Tt2frYsy— Hunter (@HunterDK) February 4, 2020

  58. 58.

    Jay

    I’m catching up on the backstory to what will be Jarvanka’s turn in the barrel, (666, loans, leases, the invasion of Qatar) and the Palistinians severing ties with Israel.

  59. 59.

    Steeplejack

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Your buns look great. (Phrasing!)

    Speaking of food topics, yesterday I dug out my 1½-quart slow cooker to use as a warmer for my queso blanco cheese dip, then forgot to deploy it at the Super Bowl party. D’oh. Now that I’ve found it, after not using it in a long time, I was thinking today about recipes for a small cooker. All I could think of was overnight oatmeal. So at the store today I remembered to buy some McCann’s steel-cut oats. I’m going to give that a try, starting with Alton Brown’s recipe.

    Later I did find a surprising number of recipes on line for small slow cookers.

  60. 60.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Patricia Kayden: somebody on MSNBC was repeating a talking about how it was provocative to appoint Adam Schiff as lead manager because something FISA something Carter Page purple monkey dishwasher

  61. 61.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I was going to Red Rock early tomorrow morning to take a time lapse of the rising Milky Way fade into the rising sun, but it looks too windy up there.  I guess I’ll try again in 2 weeks(Moon will be a problem until then).  I’m thinking of taking some star trails out at Anza Borrego one night this week, the Moon could be helpful there.

  65. 65.

    Kent

    Honestly this whole Iowa caucus thing reeks with the same undemocratic elements contained in the electoral college and the Senate.  Iowa basically gets 41 delegates to the convention no matter how few or many Iowans actually participate. Might be as low as 200,000?  Whereas Oregon with a similar population and vote-by-mail primary might get closer to 1 million primary votes.   So every Iowa voter gets their vote count 5x more than every Oregon primary voter.  I know we have to put up with that sort of inequity in the general election because it is in the constitution.  But the primaries are entirely at the discretion of the parties.

    A far more democratic way of running primaries would be to simply allocate 1 delegate for every 10,000 votes (or whatever the correct ratio is) so that states which can roll out large turnouts get a lot more delegates than states with piss-poor turnout.  It would light a fucking fire under the state parties to increase overall turnout and membership in the Democratic party rather than just fighting between candidates.  And every Democrat in the country would have their vote counted equally.

    If Iowa still wants to do their quirky caucus then fine, they can caucus. But they still only get delegates proportionate to the actual number of Iowans who participate.  If they don’t like that then come up with another damn system that increases participation.

  69. 69.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    good god

    Steven Dennis @ StevenTDennis
    Murkowski said “a careless media cheerfully tried to put out the fires with gasoline.”

    Tom Nichols @ RadioFreeTom

    Yes, @lisamurkowski, the media made Trump engage in attempted extortion and obstruction, and then then you had to vote to acquit because journalists wouldn’t stop reporting on stuff. You hear that a lot in places like Turkey and Russia, too. It’s a global problem, really. 

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    Learned several new things from watching the 6-part documentary Berlin Berlin on Prime during insomniac hours last night. Covers Berlin (duh) from the end of WW2 up to about the mid-90s. There’s certainly some unavoidable repetition among the different 44 minute episodes, each focused on one topic, but also a whole bunch of film and TV footage new to me.

  73. 73.

    Kay

    Warren has arrived at a caucus location. Hugging people. She’s so warm. I don’t trust warm people. I would just shake her hand.

  76. 76.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    Playing Train Simulator 2020.  Ignoring the caucuses and the concurrent media circle jerk. Fuck Bernie.  Is Jill Stein on the radar this year, or is her grift over?

  79. 79.

    JaySinWA

    @Baud: They start in a few minutes, I wouldn’t expect much useful for several hours

    ETA I seem to recall one caucus (Nevada?) that was such a mess they didn’t have results until the next day or so.

  83. 83.

    Anya

    Watching CNN (god how I hate John King and his stupid map) and the most positive thing is that everyone they talked to said regardless of who’s the nominee they will vote for the Dem candidate.

  86. 86.

    Butter Emails

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Not sure I get the point of these types of statements anymore. As far as I know, nobody outside the national press corpse buys this type of statement. Magats understand that she doesn’t like Trump, but that he still owns her. Ditto for the rest of us. Whether she stays around depends on 1. how horrid her primary opponent is and 2. whether the Maga crowd would prefer a true believer, or wants to continue to savor her humiliation and degradation into one of Trump’s dignity wraiths.

  87. 87.

    janesays

    @JaySinWA: 2016 turnout for Democrats was 7.5% of all eligible Iowa voters. Turnout between both Democratic and Republican caucuses was 15.7% of eligible voters.

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne

    I thought about watching the coverage of the caucuses, but folding laundry sounds way more fun, so I’ll probably do that instead. I’m counting on you jackals to tell me how it all turns out in the end.

  89. 89.

    Kay

    @Anya:

    That age range isn’t particularly young though. I don’t think Biden can say they’re all college students. 35% 65 and older, which is higher than ’16.

  92. 92.

    L85NJGT

    First-in-the-nation caucus state is the only one that still outright bans former felons from voting without prior approval from the governor.

    Good reason for the DNC to move the first contest.

  93. 93.

    JaySinWA

    From the Georgian front, a midwest food tragedy moves east: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/02/03/iowa-caucus-live-results-updates-first-nation-caucuses/4602949002/

    Monday’s very first Iowa caucus took place without a hitch in a city that has spent long periods under Persian and Russian rule. Tbilisi, in Georgia, is an ex-Soviet republic and the heart of the Caucasus region, an area that straddles eastern Europe and Western Asia. Tbilisi was also the first of the so-called Iowa satellite caucuses to see action Monday, as voters there chose their preferred Democratic candidates for the 2020 race for the White House. No matter that only three Iowans showed up.
    “The Tbilisi caucus was conducted successfully, over a traditional Iowan meal of pizza and ranch dressing – accompanied by a Georgian wine,” its organizer Joshua Kucera tweeted, about 8 hours ahead of when many of the caucuses in Iowa are due to kick off.

  94. 94.

    Kraux Pas

    @John Revolta: Still looking for the streaming service where I can watch that show again. High on ky list of childhood favs that would be good to experience again as an adult.

  96. 96.

    Kent

    So what time should I turn on the TV to find out actual results and not have to listen to Chuck Todd for 3 hours?

  97. 97.

    r€nato

    OK you guys, hear me out on this one:

    Rush said in 2015 that smoking is as likely to kill you as eating carrots.

    His sometimes substitute host Walter Williams told C-SPAN in an interview: “Matter of fact, my doctor some years ago, he was trying to get me to stop smoking and so I told him, I said you know, what sense does it make to put pink lungs in the ground?”

    Let’s convince the fascists that smoking four packs a day would prove Rush right. I know that I would be totally owned if they did that

    EDIT: can’t believe I forgot about the Sandra Fluke thing.

    https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke-a-slut-and-prostitute

  98. 98.

    Anya

    @Kay: I know. It’s a college campus but the crowd looks mixed. Biden is going to lose big in that precinct.

     

    Ugh! I dislike David Axelrod

  99. 99.

    Kent

    @JaySinWA:“The Tbilisi caucus was conducted successfully, over a traditional Iowan meal of pizza and ranch dressing – accompanied by a Georgian wine,” its organizer Joshua Kucera tweeted, about 8 hours ahead of when many of the caucuses in Iowa are due to kick off.

    Could have been worse.  They could have gotten served Amy Klobuchar’s hot dish with tater tots and cream of mushroom soup!

  100. 100.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: All I can speak to is when I was in Iowa for Obama in 2008.

    By the time our caucus got finished, it was something like 7:30.  As soon as we called in to report our results, we knew that Obama had won Iowa.

    That was when everyone had to PHONE the results in, so it has to be faster now

    edit: unless something major has changed since then

    edit 2: the only way it would be late is if candidates were running neck and neck, in which  case the “winter” won’t matter because of the 3 version of reporting.

    I think we’ll know early-ish unless it’s really close.  But that’s not based on anything I’ve read, just WG thoughts.

  101. 101.

    janesays

    @Kent: Oregon has 4.1 million people to Iowa’s 3.1 million. Not a massive difference, but not a small one, either.

  102. 102.

    Juju

    @WaterGirl: that might just be a temperature adjustment or you need to see if your actual oven temperature matches what you have the oven set to, temperature wise. Sometimes it’s off a few degrees. If you have burn on the outside and raw on the inside, the temperature in the oven is too high.

  106. 106.

    Kent

    @janesays: Yea, OK, but not my main point.  OR gets much higher turnout because they don’t do quirky shit like make you stand in a corner in a gym all night to register your vote.  They do vote by mail to maximize participation.

    Main point is that we should elect our nominees by actual VOTES by actual DEMOCRATS and not replicate the neo-confederate state-by-state vote of the electoral college.  People vote, not states.

  108. 108.

    JaySinWA

    @janesays: Yes, I found some numbers and tried unsuccessfully to update my comment. They must be better organized than Washington was. We have finally abandoned the caucus in favor of a primary only.

  109. 109.

    Ten Bears

    Field Roast (brand) makes an awesome veggie chorizo that turns a broccoli and cheddar Tex-Mex ?‍♂️?

    OK, I can find my way out …

  112. 112.

    Anya

    This brings back memories. I wasn’t able to vote then but I worked so hard for Obama’s campaign. I can’t believe my parents actually let me travel to various states to canvass for him. My grandparents own a vacation home in Lincoln, New Hampshire and we’ve literally turned the place into an Obama campaign headquarters. My grandmother was a huge HRC supporter but she’s still understood Obama’s win was important for her biracial grandchildren so she didn’t make a fuss. I don’t know why but watching this is making me a bit emotional. I thought we were changing the world for better and it would stay that way. My grandpa (African side) who was a diplomat and really understood American history more than anyone I know, said to us then that America will swing sharp right and we needed to be vigilant and not give us so easily.

  113. 113.

    Baud

    Maybe if we start using  “caucus”  to describe a particularly graphic sex act, it’ll help hasten their demise in choosing candidates.

  115. 115.

    Jeffro

    Just finished making that beef stew for tomorrow night’s dinner and finished up a book.  Early bedtime tonight and then it’s GYM TIME tomorrow morning!

    Oh…the caucuses (and the whole nominating process): exactly one month from today, on Super Tuesday, I’ll vote in the Virginia primary and then actually – gag – watch the results all come in nationwide.  But until then, worrying about the ups and downs and polls and what not just seems like a waste of time.

  116. 116.

    JMG

    As the Super Bowl was last night (I covered 15 of them, habit’s hard to break) I am not staying up for the caucus results, of which there will probably be five or six at least. We had mushroom risotto for dinner (it’s a breeze in the Instant Pot) and I finishing up the last of the Tuscan red as I write this.

  117. 117.

    Anya

    @Kay: I agree. I was texting with someone who’s volunteering for the Warren campaign and she said they’re very optimistic that they’ll be a strong second.

  118. 118.

    Steeplejack

    @JaySinWA:

    Well, I’ma give it a go, and I’ll report back. Alton Brown is pretty reliable, and I seem to remember his segment had some hot tips to make the process go better. Haven’t looked up the recipe yet.

  120. 120.

    Kraux Pas

    @Baud: Maybe if we start using  “caucus”  to describe a particularly graphic sex act, it’ll help hasten their demise in choosing candidates.

    Most obvious choice would be an alternate term for an orgy.

  122. 122.

    BruceFromOhio

    Ah bourbon. Jim Beam Black for Manhattans, Breckenridge for sipping, double Bulleit neat when i am out. Four Roses Small Batch and Michters Small Batch are heavenly when they can be found.

  125. 125.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Is it a dark colored loaf pan? Switching to a light colored one could help. As could loosely tenting it with foil for the last 30 minutes.

    Or you might try lowering the temp and extending the cook time to compensate. If 350 is your usual setting, try 330 and add maybe 15 minutes.

  127. 127.

    Juju

    @WaterGirl: well that’s  just weird.

    I’d get an oven thermometer just to be sure anyway. I got one for $3 at target and found out my bottom oven was 18 degrees lower than my top oven. It explained a lot.

  130. 130.

    Steeplejack

    Slight side rant: I’m listening to Charles Mingus’s “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” on YouTube, and the sidebar lists some playlists among the “up next” items. I used to like playlists, because it meant some person put together a group of songs that they thought went well together, usually related to what you were currently listening to. But over the last few months I have noticed that a lot of the “playlists” seem to be automated, with a few related songs and a load of completely extraneous stuff. Ugh. That is all.

  134. 134.

    Nelle

    Reporting from my caucus.  Huge crowd.  One minute speech for each candidate, including undecided..vote blue, no matter who.  259 here, 39 needed for viability.  Four years ago, 221 in this precinct.  About time to do first alignment.

  138. 138.

    Baud

    As much as I hate caucuses, I’m not sure it’s a great thing to have cameras in people’s faces while they are caucusing.

  140. 140.

    Martin

    @Kent: Hillary Clinton got 4.2 million more votes than Donald Trump in 2016 in California alone, and we still only have two senators.

    Trump’s best haul was Texas which he got at +800K. He lost counties in California worse than that.

  141. 141.

    Kay

    @Anya:

    It’s interesting. Biden isn’t up against Bernie. He’s up against Mayor Pete. You wonder why he didn’t go after him.

  142. 142.

    Anya

    Hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your husbands cuz Bernie twitter is gonna be insufferable.

  144. 144.

    WaterGirl

    @NotMax: Good thought, but I have tried in 4 different pans.  The best luck I have had is with the longer, skinner loaf pan so the middle is closer to the edge.  Still too wet.

    Maybe it’s as simple as reducing the liquid.  I haven’t tried that yet.

  146. 146.

    Juju

    @WaterGirl: I have a nice recipe for banana nut bread, but it calls for sour cream, which is nice, and a bit of whole wheat flour, which can be a pain if you don’t bake with whole wheat flour that often. I do have a really nice recipe for apricot bread that has sort of replaced banana nut bread for me. I’d try “All Recipes”. They usually have a nice selection of recipes for whatever you’re interested in making. If you know about them, never mind.

  147. 147.

    Anya

    @Kay: Hate to say it but Biden is acting entitled. Either that or he’s heart is really not is not in it. I really don’t see the passion or the urgency from him.

  148. 148.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    If Joni Ersnt is trying to tell you not to be stupid…

    Manu Raju @ mkraju
    GOP senators appear to be in unison: They don’t want Trump mentioning impeachment in the State of the Union. Ernst: “I don’t” think he should talk impeachment. Cramer: “If I was writing his speech I wouldn’t include it.” Cassidy: “Personally, I’d advise him not to.”

  152. 152.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Anya:

    I hate to say it but Biden is acting entitled.

    I like Biden, and I don’t know if he’s entitled or tired or overestimating his strength(s)…. but there’s something missing in that campaign. Money, of course, which has nothing (directly) to do with Biden’s attitude.

    ETA: @Baud: knowing Pelosi is looking down at him the whole time will make it hard for him to stick to the big words he’s squinting at for the first time

  154. 154.

    janesays

    @Kent: I agree with your main point. States who hold primaries with significantly larger turnouts should get more representation at the convention than states who hold undemocratic caucuses with relatively low turnout.

  158. 158.

    Anya

    @Baud: if you can imagine it, it’s going to be like a 9 on the Richter scale. I want to know what Naomi Klein thinks because she told us the democrats don’t want Bernie to win because they KNOW he’ll win the national and they can’t handle his win.

  159. 159.

    Jay

    A company based in Hawaii has taken a mysterious interest in Maine politics.

    The Daily Beast reports that a company that was founded this past November called the Society of Young Women Scientist and Engineers LLC has funneled $150,000 to the 1820 PAC, a super PAC that is helping Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) battle through what is projected to be a tough reelection race.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/susan-collins-campaign-is-being-helped-by-a-mysterious-hawaii-company

    In a formal legal complaint against the company, the Campaign Legal Center argues that it is likely a front for an illegal straw donation designed to keep the source of money benefiting the Collins campaign a secret.

  161. 161.

    Kay

    @Anya:

    I said this months ago but the center lane can keep bitching about Bernie or they can realize the obvious, which is that they can’t split the centrist vote three ways. It isn’t going to work. It’s like they flat out refuse to look at their own lane.

  162. 162.

    Vhh

    @r€nato: The good news today is that Manafort is in prison, Roger Stone is likely headed to prison, Flynn is going to be sentenced, and Rush Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer. I know it is not nice to think this, these guys are not (yet) as bad as Himmler, but after all the damage these fuckers have done ….

  163. 163.

    Steeplejack

    @r€nato:

    Rush said in 2015 that smoking is as likely to kill you as eating carrots.

    Not what Limbaugh said. From your own quote this afternoon, he said: “Now, it’s true that everybody who smokes dies, but so does everyone who eats carrots.” Here you are implying causation from Limbaugh’s joke about correlation.

    I’m not a fan of Limbaugh’s, but for some reason today I’m tired of inaccurate bullshit being spread around.

  164. 164.

    sdhays

    @Baud:

    1. Did you vote in the Iowa Caucus in 2016? Yes/No
    2. Are you voting for Warren, Biden, or “Never Going to be President”? (Choose 1)
    3. Are you a Republican Rat-Fucker? Yes/No
    4. Thank you for you time.
  165. 165.

    janesays

    @Martin: To be fair, there is only one county in California where Clinton beat Trump by more than 800,000 votes.

    Los Angeles County went Clinton by a margin of just under 1.7 million votes. There were only three counties in California in which more than 800K votes were cast – Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange. Riverside had the fourth most votes at just over 750,000. Clinton had a relatively narrower win there, beating Cheetoman by about 40,000 votes.

  167. 167.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: who knows if it ever would have worked, but remember when Scott Walker dropped out of the race and begged his fellow second-tier/establishment candidates to get out or they’d enable trump? IIRC, it was Cruz, Rubio and Kasich who all thought the other two should get out of the way.

  168. 168.

    Jay

    @Anya:

    Naomi Klein is brilliant on Disaster Capitalism, as it applies to the world today, but she’s the daughter of a Dipper Warrior, and so is far more “left” than almost all American Lefties and was born and raised as a Dipper, so her understanding of US politics is deeply flawed by innocence.

  169. 169.

    Avalune

    I’m trying not to eat down the house while I wait on a very late dinner to be ready.

    This oven provided by our apartment is wildly inaccurate and I’ve given up baking in it but I used to make a fine zucchini bread.

    I’m ignoring the Iowa nonsense for the time being and reading “Range.” Pretty interesting so far.

  170. 170.

    Mnemosyne

    @Felanius Kootea:

    I read that last week — for obvious reasons, the controversy is Big News in author circles.

    One thing I saw is that the book is actually a thriller, but the publisher decided to try and get the literary fiction market as well, and that’s where it all went horribly wrong for them. Thriller readers are way less picky about facts than literary fiction readers are, and you can’t pass The Da Vinci Code off as the literary equivalent of The House on Mango Street without authors and readers pushing back.

  171. 171.

    Anya

    @Kay: I know it’s a small sample but everyone who said they were voting for Amy or Pete said Biden was going to be their second choice. Biden should be decimating Mayor Pete but for some reason he’s just not that focused on him. After New Hampshire some of them need to withdraw.

  172. 172.

    Jay

    The Intercept has learned of a previously unreported episode that stoked the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s anger at Tillerson and that may have played a key role in his removal. In the summer of 2017, several months before the Gulf allies started pushing for his ouster, Tillerson intervened to stop a secret Saudi-led, UAE-backed plan to invade and essentially conquer Qatar, according to one current member of the U.S. intelligence community and two former State Department officials, all of whom declined to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

    In the days and weeks after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and closed down their land, sea, and air borders with the country, Tillerson made a series of phone calls urging Saudi officials not to take military action against the country. The flurry of calls in June 2017 has been reported, but State Department and press accounts at the time described them as part of a broad-strokes effort to resolve tensions in the Gulf, not as an attempt by Tillerson to avert a Saudi-led military operation.

    https://theintercept.com/2018/08/01/rex-tillerson-qatar-saudi-uae/

  175. 175.

    WaterGirl

    @Betty: That’s a thought.  My recipe calls for something like “3 bananas” but doesn’t specify anything measured.  Maybe I am using bananas that are too big?

  178. 178.

    sdhays

    @Jay: If true, Tillerson’s reputation as being the worst Secretary of State the country has ever seen may have been premature.

  180. 180.

    Jay

    @Anya:

    “Dipper” is a non-derogatory reference to the New Democratic Party of Canada. Naomi’s dad, Michael Klien is a legendary SJW, so’s her Mom. The whole family is, and she married a Lewis, another “famous” Canadian SJW/Political family.

  181. 181.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Betty beat me to it but that was my next thought. If the recipe calls for three, try cutting back to 2½. Also that the egg(s) are at room temp before adding.

  183. 183.

    Ruckus

    Cheese is out for me.

    Salt is right the hell out. So fast food, most anything that goes in a freezer/microwave.

    Sugar is in that same ballpark. Desert – what the hell is that?

    My drink of choice was George Dickel rocks. Was, as in stopped drinking over 15 yrs ago.

    Word of warning, eat healthy, you may or may not live longer but you’ll get used to the lack of food choices a lot earlier. Or not, but that’s my advice and experience. In my case the food limits really are limits that I have to respect or life really gets worse.

  184. 184.

    Felanius Kootea

    @Mnemosyne: I’m sure the publisher isn’t unhappy about the controversy, since it’s feeding sales.  The author, on the other hand, I’m now feeling sorry for.  I think she’s getting a lot of flack for things that are the fault of the publisher (like the barbed wire themed dinner centerpieces).

  185. 185.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    the size/volume of the bananas shouldn’t matter, as they should be mashed, not puréed. The batter should be a bit moister than a muffin, but not as moist as a cake. You should have to use a spatula to turn it out of the bowl and bang it on the counter a few times to level it.

    If you can pour it, ( even a slow pour), it’s way to wet.

  188. 188.

    Yutsano

    @Steeplejack:

    Later I did find a surprising number of recipes on line for small slow cookers.

    Isn’t that a bit extreme?

    (Hopefully that fixes the format fail.)

  189. 189.

    Jay

    @Anya:

    she comes from 4 generations of SJW’s and married into a family with the same track record. As a result, on the one hand, she is cynical about Certain Things like Late Stage Capitalism, and on the other hand, nieve about others. Imagine growing up and living in a social circle and extended family filled with generations of SJWs, and never ever having a Blue Dog as a neighbour, let alone a ReThug.

  193. 193.

    Jay

    @Yutsano:

    everybody has their own preferences for their own slow small cooker recipies, some are inherited and passed down through the generations. So, there would be a lot of recipies out there, some might have raisins s some might not allow for peanuts, some might have a “metal”, rather than ceramic pot, some might be bluetooth enabled and some might interact with Alexis.

    I’ve even seen some “retro” ones out there.

     

    YMMV.

  199. 199.

    Steeplejack

    @Yutsano:

    Sorry, I don’t get it.

    The number of recipes was surprising because when I looked recently for recipes for the small Instant Pot (which I do not own) there were not a lot. But I guess small slow cookers have been around a lot longer than Instant Pots (big or small).

  201. 201.

    Nelle

    • Precinct 11, iowa caucus in Urbandale, iowa.  Realignment means Warren is viable.  I dont think Sanders is.
  202. 202.

    Steeplejack

    @Amir Khalid:

    I don’t think YouTube had playlist “curators,” paid or otherwise. It was just ordinary users stringing together songs into playlists. But now YouTube is shoving their algorithmically generated lists to the fore.

  203. 203.

    zzyzx

    @sdhays: at winning Iowa.

    The oldest age group was Biden/Pete with Sanders being non-viable. The youngest was Sanders/Pete with Biden being non-viable. I can see a way where he kind of squeaks through. I think it’ll be NV/SC until we really know anything.

  205. 205.

    J R in WV

    @Jay:

    …she’s the daughter of a Dipper Warrior, and so is far more “left” than almost all American Lefties and was born and raised as a Dipper, so her understanding of US politics is deeply flawed by innocence.

    What the hell is a Dipper Warrior, also “a Dipper”, also what the hell does “her understanding of US politics is deeply flawed by innocence.” mean? You are more incoherent than usual tonight.

    Your understanding of US politics is deeply flawed by total ignorance. Or total confusion, hard to tell the difference.

  206. 206.

    Jay

    @Steeplejack:

    Yutsano was cracking wise about “small slow cooker recipes”,

    ( making home made small slow cookers)

    opposed to recipes for cooking in a small slow cooker.

     

    @NotMax:

     

    yup.

  209. 209.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    As owner of the small Instant Pot, have found there’s no particular difference for IP recipes aside from what fits inside. Doesn’t take a Stephen Hawking to mentally make adjustments if a larger size IP recipe is too much stuff.

  210. 210.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    So, what, do you just halve recipes for the “standard” (six-quart) Instant Pot? I’ve been thinking about getting the little one.

    Do you ever get consumer lust for the big one, or does the Mini do everything you need?

  212. 212.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    The full size one would be nice but really, really, have no room for it. Only concession I can recall making is when cooking a large roast might have to cut it in half and cook each half separately on its own cycle if the halves won’t stack adequately in the small pot.

    Oh, and only for some things will tack on an extra minute, as the small one operates at a slightly lower temperature. No hard and fast rule to that – learned better when that works by trial.

  213. 213.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    As for halving recipes, play it by ear. Some, like pasta (spaghetti w/sauce, mac ‘n’ cheese), no adjustment necessary as the full package of pasta fits with room to spare. Others, I might go to 2/3 rather than half. Or for something like a pork loin, cutting the loin in half and either jamming both halves side by side or stacking them works, then just follow the regular big pot recipe so long as nothing goes up above the max fill line inscribed on the cooking pot.

  214. 214.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax, @NotMax:

    Thanks for the information.

    I probably just need to experiment more and not worry about “doing it wrong.” But I hate the waste of food when things go awry.

  216. 216.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @NotMax:

    True. As soon as I wrote my previous I thought, “Well, when have I ever had to completely throw something out?” Not often, and in fact I couldn’t remember an example.

  217. 217.

    cope

    Well, I may be late to this post but I sure am appreciative.  It’s past bedtime so I didn’t read all the replies as I usually try to do (especially on Ms. Cracker’s posts) but I will assume none of them celebrate the suffering of another human being, that none of them wish death on their least-favorite candidate and that all of them are food and/or drink related or celebrations of not paying attention to something happening in a far off land.

    We passed the evening reading.  I’m working on Anjelica Huston’s second memoir as well as a great book about WW I called “Lawrence in Arabia” and have also just started a book about Howard Hughes helping raise a sunken soviet submarine.  After reading time, we watched the latest “Maine Cabin Masters” from the DVR so we could fast-forward the commercials.  In essence, a perfect, serene evening spent in the company of my child bride.  Yes, popcorn was involved.

    Good night all.

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