Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

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

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

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

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

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

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

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

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

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

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

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

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Sunday Evening Open Thread

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  1. 1.

    Gin & Tonic

    This pining for the old, especially on the Dem side, is starting to really piss me off. Barack Obama, with all due respect, is two decades older than the median American. Joe Biden is more than twice the age of the median American. Nancy Pelosi is older than that, even.

    Why can’t the people be represented by people who are, you know, more representative of them?

  2. 2.

    lamh36

    Evening BJ.

    I am so glad to be finish with this work weekend. My weekend rotation partners (we work in 3s on the weekends) this this rotation got me drove.

    I got the one coworker who always manages to find a way to make EVERYTHING more difficult and negative than it has to be. This bish would complain to Jesus bout his 2nd coming. I basically ignore her complaiing, or I just outright say to her…”ok so whatcha gon do? Whacha complainin to me for?”

    The other coworker is not “that” bad, she’s just older and always manages to make the easiest thing become this major complication and what takes most folks relatively short time to do, she ALWAYS manages to make is almost 2x longer. So you either end up having to work well over your time to help her or you have to try to finish ur work early so that you can halfway help her cut her remaining work in half

    SMH..ya’ll

    https://media.tenor.com/images/0c864f8a6d6cd11c04f26833ddca44ad/tenor.gif

  3. 3.

    CaseyL

    SFAIK, Michelle doesn’t want to do electoral politics anymore, and would probably rather run off to joint the French Foreign Legion than move back into the WH.

    But I don’t think there are any actual laws against Biden naming her his Veep.

    It’s a wonderful fantasy.   So many heads would explode, the splats could be heard from space.

  5. 5.

    Brachiator

    @Gin & Tonic:

    This pining for the old, especially on the Dem side, is starting to really piss me off. Barack Obama, with all due respect, is two decades older than the median American.

    Obama is a youngster in my eyes.

    I want to see younger candidates in various offices, but defining anything in terms of the “median American” is not useful.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36: High school was bad enough when you had to work with a team on a project, where someone always dragged it down and one or two people did all the work.  But at a job, where everyone is supposed to be competent?

    They don’t pay you enough!

  7. 7.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Gin & Tonic: It’s part of the mindset that wants Warren as Secretary of Treasury, Harris as AG, etc.  Most people, even those who follow politics, don’t know that many players, so they think they want familiar faces in the top jobs.

  8. 8.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Ima take all these “reports” with a big grain of salt. Biden is a traditionalist and an institutionalist, and he knows the Obamas pretty well. The odds that he would give serious consideration to MRO as his Veep, or that he would think it was something worth pursuing, seem pretty slim to me. I’m thinking some hanger-on is trying to make himself (probably) seem important by leaking that.

    also, y’all saw The Beast was ranting thing morning that all those mean reporters should give back their Noble (sic) prizes in journamalism for being mean to him, and that he was going to contact “the committee” about it? Well, apparently he saw all the people mocking him, and he’s going with the “Webster’s defines X as….” defense. And sarcasm, again

    Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump  46m
    Does anybody get the meaning of what a so-called Noble (not Nobel) Prize is, especially as it pertains to Reporters and Journalists? Noble is defined as, “having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.” Does sarcasm ever work?

  9. 9.

    Brachiator

    A repost from an earlier thread

    @rikyrah:

    The Mayor of San Juan says no one in Puerto Rico has received their $1200 stimulus money

    Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, have their own tax systems.

    A resident of Puerto Rico who files a Form 1040 should get a check. If they file a Form 1040-PR or Form 1040-SS, they don’t get a check.

    This is not right, but this little detail was not publicized.

    If an American citizen is married to a non-citizen who does not have a Social Security Number, this couple will not get a check. However, the US citizen will get a check of $1,200 if he files married filing separate.

    The Trump administration believes in a narrow definition of who are deserving citizens.

    I think some of these rules were in play for an earlier bonus credit, from maybe 2008.  But Trump and Congress could have been more generous if they wanted to be.

     

  10. 10.

    jl

    ” How is the world celebrating this date today? ”

    The US celebration (commemoration seems better word, though) seems to be a metaphorical reenactment gone very wrong.

    On the other hand, for the US ‘celebration’ might be right, since the ability to maximize loss of life, economic and social welfare, and just senseless waste in general, seems to be celebrated by our national leadership.

  13. 13.

    Achrachno

    “How is the world celebrating this date today?”

    By making the same political mistakes all over again?

  15. 15.

    dmsilev

    Attention, all passengers on the RMS Trumptanic. The deck chairs are hereby being rearranged:

    Expect to see a pivot from the White House in the days ahead, focusing on the economy and a more hopeful, forward-looking message,” one of these officials said.

    • Trump will host businesses who’ve been harmed by the coronavirus, and he’ll highlight the governors who are reopening their economies in line with the Trump administration’s guidelines.
    • That group pointedly does not include Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. (More on that below.)

    The big picture: The U.S. has now passed 54,000 confirmed deaths from the virus.

    Also,

    • A source close to the deliberations captured a prevailing view in our Friday story when he said Trump’s appearances were dragging on so long he was running out of new things to talk about. The source wondered aloud: “I mean, you wonder how we got to the point where you’re talking about injecting disinfectant.”

    Yes, ‘you’ wonder how a gibbering idiot who listens to anti-vax nuts might possibly have come up with that.

  16. 16.

    lamh36

    @WaterGirl: I mean working in a group is college is not that much better.

    In my marketing class this semester we had to do group assignments for like 50% of our grade.

    Mahnnnnn…listen.

    I finished my segments for the final group MKT paper. All the other girls need to do is copy and paste their parts into 3 remaining spots and the paper will be ready to go.

     

    I texted the group to tell em I’m done, so now ya’ll do ya’ll thing. Last person to edit the doc can also be the one who emails it to the teacher. I’m done.

     

    Two of group members, barely did thier parts. One of them turned her draft in seperately from the group earlier in the semester and now she talking bout she gone call me later to I guess get me to “help” her do her part…naw chick I’m done. I told you what to do, I’m NOT planning on writing the entire damn segment for you.

     

    I already said, I finished my bits early cause Ima be busy. its now up to them to finish it up.

     

    Of course I’ll be monitoring the Google Doc until it’s due. But i’m not staying on them to finish it. I’m ignoring ALL calls about it ? til it’s due on Tues. Then bout an hr or so before it’s due, Ima send another text to say deuces!

     

    But I’ll be damned if I do anything else ?. To be clear, I’m not turning in an incomplete paper. Fac is, fact…I’ve got segments ready to add JIC. But them damn girls need to fly or fall. Ok. I’ve all but spoon fed these girls on EVERY part of our group project. I’ve done enough for these folks.

     

    They all got another semester or two to go. I’m done and I am OVER IT! I

     

    Heck, I’ve still got another paper to write for another class and an exam to study for. I need this group shit to be DONE!!!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/82cb8b4d4db160e9bff42f7fa8ff48f474b8ead605f56dcdd20263c642b968a5.gif

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    @CaseyL:

    SFAIK, Michelle doesn’t want to do electoral politics anymore, and would probably rather run off to joint the French Foreign Legion than move back into the WH.

    She would not be moving into the White House, not unless Biden also married her.

    However, naming her to be Vice President would be a weird stunt that would doom the ticket.

    I know that Michelle Obama is fabulous and can probably do anything, but has she ever held any elective office?

    Everyone will look to Biden’s VP as a possible successor. I do not want a relative political amateur in that job.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: Oh my gosh, he still can’t do rallies, so he is going to do his own version of something akin to the Oscars/Emmys etc.

    Or maybe the “event” version of a book tour.

    This is horrifying.

  20. 20.

    satby

    So the Indiana stay at home orders expire next Friday, 5/1. I heard from another vendor that almost every vendor who left returned to the market and only a few of us are holdouts. Her husband went to put up a sign at her booth and observed very few vendors or customers were wearing masks, social distancing was ok, not great. I don’t think Indiana has hit a peak at all, but it looks like the Republican governor will fold and drop the order this Friday. IL order is extended to May 30. Just one more reason to hate living in a red state.

  21. 21.

    Gvg

    @Gin & Tonic: First, I want to be represented by people way above average and not “representative” of how we look or median age. Shrug, nostalgia won’t solve our problems, I just don’t think your solution is well thought out.

    we haven’t heard of most of the best people we have who haven’t already had their turn, so we can’t speculate about them. Biden, for all our concerns, actually does know a lot of good people to hire and has proven he listens to good advice.

    some or maybe all of that speculation you quoted is our version of owning the conservatives who you have to admit have done plenty to piss us off and make us want to make them scream. Relax, it’s just blowing off steam.

  22. 22.

    TriassicSands

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Why can’t the people be represented by people who are, you know, more representative of them?

    So, you think we should elect someone stupid and ignorant? That’s what we have now. More seriously, the only reasons age should be an issue:

    1) the person is too young to be eligible. I’ve seen people say they want AOC. Sorry, she’s not 35.

    2) the person is too young and lacks experience and other associated qualifications. Buttigieg.

    3) the person is too old and/or is clearly in mental and/or physical decline. Biden, Sanders, Trump, etc.

    Number 3) is, in my opinion, one of the reasons Biden is a poor choice. Being better than Trump is the lowest imaginable bar.

    In between, age should be irrelevant.

  23. 23.

    joel hanes

    Repeat from the dead end of one of last night’s open threads:

    I’m re-reading Brunner’s amazing 1972 sf dystopia The Sheep Look Up.
    Astonishingly prescient. Really exactly the book for this moment in history.
    If you read sf, and haven’t yet read this, do so.

    In the book, what we now call the red states have elected a man with the demeanor of a game show host to the Oval Office. The current dysfunction of our media is depicted with almost perfect fidelity, as are the pathologies of late-stage capitalism. Multiple simultaneous inter-related environmental and public-health crises.  People go about masked.

  24. 24.

    BC in Illinois

    The West Point website has two press releases side by side:

    April 22 – – President to speak at West Point Graduation

    “We are honored to host the Commander-in-Chief as we celebrate the many accomplishments of our graduating class,” said Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, 60th Superintendent of the USMA.

    The size and scope of the graduation ceremony will be determined by safety considerations for Cadets and the entire West Point community. The Academy leadership is conducting a thorough analysis and plan for the safe return of the Corps of Cadets.

    April 7 – – West Point Implements New Face Covering Policy

    The U.S. Military Academy will require cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain in accordance with Department of Defense and Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines effective Wednesday, April 8. . . .

    All military personnel, family members, civilian employees, contractors and visitors will wear cloth face coverings on academy grounds to the extent practical when they cannot maintain six feet of social distance in public areas or work centers. This does not include wearing face coverings for residents living in military housing on the installation.

    Personnel are encouraged to follow the same guidance when not physically on West Point.

    Could set up an interesting tension.

    Especially since Donald “I don’t take responsibility at all” Trump has said that he is interested in having the Corps of Cadets  his props arrayed”nice and tight” not at a “politically correct” social distance.

    Duty? Honor? Country?   Trump knows nothing of these things

  25. 25.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @dmsilev: The big picture: The U.S. has now passed 54,000 confirmed deaths from the virus.

    And we should hit the million-cases mark early tomorrow. Currently 987,000 with about 30,000 new cases a day.

  27. 27.

    Brachiator

    Trump will host businesses who’ve been harmed by the coronavirus, and he’ll highlight the governors who are reopening their economies in line with the Trump administration’s guidelines.

    Again, Trump has done little to effectively fight the virus and is treating it as a bad guest at his MAGA party who won’t go away.

    He desperately wants to move on to the next thing, which will be something involving praising him for something because, well dammit, just because.

  30. 30.

    joel hanes

    Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?


    Man in Black: Oh no. It’s just that they’re terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

  32. 32.

    Brachiator

    @joel hanes:

    I’m re-reading Brunner’s amazing 1972 sf dystopia The Sheep Look Up.

    Astonishingly prescient. Really exactly the book for this moment in history.

    Sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip.

  33. 33.

    Martin

    @lamh36: So, engineering  programs normally  have ways of handling this. At the start of the course, everyone writes their job description. At the end of the course, everyone submits a performance evaluation of everyone else on the team.

    Even better, the good instructors require the students to manage their work in git so everyone has to check in their contributions. Git keeps track of what they submitted and when. Just from the commit history you can tell who did what and when.

  34. 34.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: He HAS to be the center of attention, and at the same time someone has managed to convince him that talking, even ‘sarcastically’, about deliberately inhaling WWI-era poison gas is counterproductive at best. The desperation is becoming ever more palpable.

  36. 36.

    lamh36

    @WaterGirl: not quite over.  Final paper is due this Tuesday at 6pm.

    I’m holding off on adding anymore to the doc until the other ladies in the group contributes what they are supposed to.

    But Tuesday morning I’ll text the group again to say “are we good” and that’s it.

    On one part of the paper we had due last week, one of the group members didn’t finish adding her segment until like 15 min before the paper was due to be emailed, which she still turned in after the due time cause she had to proofread.

    It’s been frustrating the entire semester.

    The silver lining I see is that it’s proof that I could be a good leader, able to keep our team w/their eyes on the prize.  So imagine what I could do with a more engaged team!

  37. 37.

    joel hanes

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    The U.S. has now passed 54,000 confirmed deaths from the virus.

    … and the rate of deaths/day is slaloming around an average of about 2,000/day.

    So, since the pressure to “re-open” is growing, and no new stay-home orders seem to be in the offing, it’s a safe bet that we pass 60,000 in four days, and 100,000 before June 1.

    Trends don’t last forever, and this one probably won’t; but if it does, we’re looking at 200,000 COVID-19 deaths before the end of July.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: Shaking my head, wondering how all our institutions managed to fail us.

    OT, did you see my reply this morning about braiding bread?

    Also, King Arthur Flour has a great video on this page, showing how to do a 6-strand braid.

    https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/jeffreys-challah-recipe?go=EC200423_R1&trk_msg=S30Q53MG59LKPCMKGEMRC1VET0&trk_contact=KNOS4JH5SL02TANLDHEJNU2BVC&trk_sid=I69JERH6S6FGSKOL63QN97RC7C&utm_source=ltk_master&utm_medium=email&utm_term=inrid-recipe1&utm_campaign=EC-200423&utm_content=content-video-isolation

  41. 41.

    danielx

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Because the people who are more representative don’t have any money.

    This has been another edition of Simple Answers To Simple Questions.

  42. 42.

    satby

    @zhena gogolia: was looking for you earlier, AcornTV is doing an extended free trial so you can finish the entire Foyle’s War series! Sign up directly with them and use the code FREE30 for a 30 day trial.*

    I will not earn a commission from this ?

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36:

    The silver lining I see is that it’s proof that I could be a good leader, able to keep our team w/their eyes on the prize.  So imagine what I could do with a more engaged team!

    Silver lining is right!  If they were your work team, you could mentor them and bring them along.  That’s just not realistic for a group project in school.

    So this is it?  At some point in May you will have your Master’s?

  46. 46.

    RepubAnon

    I’d like to see Barack Obama nominated for a spot on the Supreme Court.  Heads would be exploding like shells on the Western Front.

  47. 47.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: No,I missed your earlier comment. I’ve seen the braiding video you linked before; it was one of the things that gave me the idea to try it myself.

  49. 49.

    zhena gogolia

    @satby:

    I know. I just don’t want to sign up for yet another thing. I can’t keep track of them. We’re watching the fourth episode of the first season now (we can only take half an episode per night), and it’s fabulous.

  53. 53.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: maybe they are waiting for more people to queue up?  technical difficulties?  it’s “live” so of course there will be issues, right?  :-

    or waiting to get to 100,00?  we’re at 98k right now.

  56. 56.

    Mandalay

    @Brachiator:

    I know that Michelle Obama is fabulous and can probably do anything, but has she ever held any elective office?

    Good point, and it would completely undercut any argument from the Democrats about Trump being a disaster because he’d never been elected to anything.

    Regardless of that, both Bidens need to immediately STFU drooling about her if she isn’t going to take the job. This is what Joe said the other day:

    On Tuesday, April 21, Biden said Obama tops his list of potential vice presidential candidates, and the country would be better served if she joined his ticket…

    “I’d take her in a heartbeat,” Biden said of Michelle Obama… “She’s brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a wonderful woman…”.

    Well that’s great if she takes the job, but what if she doesn’t? Whoever does take the job is already “the backup option”, and risks being tagged as not-Michelle.

  57. 57.

    lamh36

    @WaterGirl: 3 weeks officially. Yes, Masters in Health Care Management

    Tuesday, I’ve got this final paper for MKT, but majority of my grade is in, all I need is half the credit and I’ve passed the class.

    The following week, I’ve got a final paper due in my HCM Capstone course (seminar course taken in final semester) that WAS a group paper but thanks to COVID-19 it’s now an individual paper…thx ‘Rona!

    Then on May 12, final official day of classes, I have my final test for my Finance Class.  That one I’m a bit worried about, but not really, I’ve already got a B+ in the course and as long as I don’t TOTALLY tank that last test (which would be hard since this teacher is DEEP curve giver), I’ll pass the class.

    Then is all done but the signature on the diploma.  Official grades aren’t due until May 17th, but I’ll already know it’s done.

  58. 58.

    zhena gogolia

    Maybe the Phantom has sabotaged Zoom until they let Christine Daaé sing the first number.

  59. 59.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    We are having tech issues but it is being taken care of and we’ll be right with you. Stars are still on the red carpet and we’re waiting for them to get to their seats. The curtain always goes up late on opening night. ?— Raúl E. Esparza (@RaulEEsparza) April 27, 2020

  61. 61.

    hitchhiker

    Expect to see a pivot from the White House in the days ahead, focusing on the economy and a more hopeful, forward-looking message

    Oh, I’m definitely looking forward to that. What exactly are they planning to focus on with respect to the economy? Not the market, which is still off by 5000 points from where it had been. Not the resurgence of anything, because nothing is resurging and especially not coal. Not employment numbers.

    They still don’t seem to have realized they’re trapped. The economy can’t stabilize until consumers have confidence that engaging with others isn’t going to put us all back in lockdown. We can’t have that confidence until there is sufficient testing.

    All they have to do is demonstrate that they understand this and lay out a coherent plan — with timelines — for testing. That’s it. Show us the testing plan, update us every day on progress toward the necessary # of tests, and do that until we’ve met that necessary #.

    That’s all they need to do, and instead they’re going to ignore testing and give us a happy-talk message about the economy while they insult the media.

    I’m in WA. My guess is that King County will be one of 4 or 5 places in the USA where efforts to test and trace in sufficient numbers ramp up quickly. By then it will be June, and we’ll know a lot that we don’t know today. Happy talk will not move the needle.

  65. 65.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mandalay: Natalie Dormer tops my list of second wife candidates.  I’d take her in a heartbeat.

    And now all other women are my backup option and risk being tagged as “not Natalie.”

    Oh noez!

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Maybe you should think of her as your “final” wife?  My BIL gave the toast at his best friend’s wedding – wife #3 – and he introduced her as wife #3, which didn’t go over well.

  68. 68.

    Percysowner

    @satby: Ohio’s expires May 1 as well. DeWine says he’ll announce plans for phasing in reopening Monday. I’m concerned that he will cave to the Republicans who are demanding reopening. My daughter’s work says they will keep people working from home until June, but we don’t know about my son-in-law’s job. I show up every day and take care of my granddaughter, so I hope he can keep working from home until June as well.

  69. 69.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @hitchhiker: NC Repukes are ramping up a plan to use the antibody test used in the Stanford study. I assume they expect to get a high positive rate so they can start screaming that we’re ready to reopen.

  72. 72.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: I like the fact that you accept Ms Dormer’s candidacy but worry about the terminology.  I would disagree with the term final as I would assume that Ms Dormer would sober up at some point and, well, that would be that.

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl:

    There’s a song for that: “My Next Ex Wife.”

    BTW the guitarist, Little Charlie Baty, recently passed, which is hugely sad news for folks here who used to watch them at a local club. Best jump blues guitarist you never heard of. Seriously, he had chops for days. R.I.P. and thanks for all the music.

  76. 76.

    CaseyL

    @August West:

    Everyone is.  First they started half an hour late, and now the sound isn’t working.

    …. and now it’s all gone dark.

    I really appreciate the gesture, but you’d think they’d done a technical rehearsal first.

  77. 77.

    Mandalay

    @Baud:

    You’re the only person in the world who is concerned about that.

    I’m not remotely concerned; there are plenty of other things to be concerned about. But you are very naive if you think Republicans won’t paint Biden’s eventual VP selection as a backup option. Why wouldn’t they?

  78. 78.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @WaterGirl: It’s the usual reason why opening night is always late.

    Poor Raul. Just happily talking away with no mic.

  79. 79.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    That’s pretty awesome that the guy running a huge Zoom meeting watched all over the world didn’t remember to unmute.

    I’ve actually been really impressed at shows that made the transition. We’ve become Fallon fans and never really watched him before. Colbert’s doing pretty well after a rocky start, and so is Trevor Noah. It’s all weird and sad but cool that it works as well as it does.

  84. 84.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mandalay: You’re worried that Republicans might try to use something a Democrat did or said against them?  Fuck it, if it’s not that it will be something else.  Christ.

  85. 85.

    germy

    What’s the matter with you libs? Don’t you get sarcasm?

    Does anybody get the meaning of what a so-called Noble (not Nobel) Prize is, especially as it pertains to Reporters and Journalists? Noble is defined as, “having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.” Does sarcasm ever work?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2020

  87. 87.

    CaseyL

    @Mandalay: Y’know, if Biden offered me the Veep spot, I wouldn’t care how many people said “no” before me.  I’d grab it with both hands.

    Anyone who’d sulk and grumble at not being the first choice… would not be a good choice.

  93. 93.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @CaseyL: also, I suspect by the time a formal offer is made, Biden’s five or six closest aides will have assurances from (just to pick a possibility at random) Kamala Harris’ five or six closest aides that she’s not gonna say no.

  95. 95.

    CaseyL

    The Sondheim thing has restarted.  Fingers crossed!

    …..and gone again.  Well, they’re offering some very nice time fillers.  I’m watching All That Jazz on another tab :)

  96. 96.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    And baadda-boom.

    I don’t know if this is happening, guys.

  97. 97.

    Steeplejack

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    A subset of Green Lantern syndrome. Person X pops into the public view for being good or great at one thing, ergo they must be the superhero who is the answer to all our problems, or at least the things we see as most pressing right now. E.g., Andrew Cuomo for president. Forget his checkered history as governor and major-league asshole.

  98. 98.

    Kent

    @Omnes Omnibus: 43-year old Greek philosophy scholar Shakira is my backup wife.  My current wife is on notice in case she becomes available.  Her backup husband is Denzel Washington because fair is fair.

  101. 101.

    hueyplong

    @Mandalay: So from all you’ve seen from the GOP in campaign strategies, you figure they’ll go with “the VP is a second choice.”

  103. 103.

    Elizabelle

    @zhena gogolia:   Foyle!  Love that show.

    Was watching a bit of Inspector Morse this weekend.  Second episode had a really complicated plot, and Hyacinth Bucket’s long suffering husband in the mix.

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    Can I just say how happy I am not that I am not part of the tech support crew or sound crew for this thing?

    It hasn’t really started, right?

  115. 115.

    germy

    "I’m not a doctor, but I’m, like, a person that has a good, you know what,” Trump said, forgetting the word for "brain"

    — Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) April 25, 2020

  117. 117.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Elizabelle:  @zhena gogolia: trying to remember, is that The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn?

    One Brit cop show I want to watch is Inspector Rebus.  Maybe that’s how I’ll decompress this week. Big Ger Cafferty could be my nomination for memorable secondary character in the thread below

  120. 120.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    @germy: what’s even funnier, he was doing the hand gesture for crazy while he was saying it. (gif)

  122. 122.

    A Ghost to Most

    @trollhattan: In the same vein, “The Company I Keep”:

    My first wife told me, you need to get a life
    My third wife told me to get another wife
    I brought a bottle and the van’s parked right outside the door
    So come on out with me, if you want to be number four

  127. 127.

    Mike in NC

    About to watch the HBO miniseries on Chernobyl for the third time, it was so great.

  128. 128.

    Steeplejack

    @Brachiator:

    This brings up a question I meant to poll the jackaltariat about.

    A friend who does (phone) business with people in a lot of states told me a few days ago that he doesn’t know of anyone in a blue state that has gotten a stimulus check yet. I said that sounds kind of conspiracy-theory-ish, and he said, “Yeah, but just sayin’.” And he is not usually a conspiracy theory guy.

    So the questions: (a) Have you received your stimulus check? (b) Do you live in a red or blue state?

    I have not received mine in Virginia.

    ETA: Not only is my friend not a conspiracy theory guy, he’s pretty hip and up to speed on politics in general, so for him to bring this up really struck me.

  129. 129.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @CaseyL: Yah, I just don’t think you can do it without actually streaming. So, plan to start a few minutes early to do the check.

    Yaaaaassssssss.

  130. 130.

    Kent

    @Baud:

    Shakira 2005:  “My hips don’t lie”

    Shakira 2020:  “Truth is subjective based on the reality of the observer, so really…My hips can’t lie.”

  132. 132.

    J R in WV

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    @dmsilev: The big picture: The U.S. has now passed 54,000 confirmed deaths from the virus.

    I don’t recall the daily death toll, but I DO recall that the Vietnam war killed 58,000+ Americans over 20 years. We will blow past that number in the next week, after just a few months. I  hope that this comparison is made repeatedly over the next 8 months,

    Trump’s incompetence has killed more Americans than a 20 year war!!  Beat that statistic like a drum circle !!!

  135. 135.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Two thousand Americans died today, and getting this story into the Post was probably the top priority of the President, his CoS, and Kellyanne Conway

    President Trump’s schedule is so packed amid the coronavirus crisis that he sometimes skips lunch, his aides told The Post — refuting a report that the commander-in-chief spends his days obsessing over TV coverage and eating fries.

    White House staffers said the president works around the clock and can make five dozen work-related calls a day during the pandemic.

    “I can tell you that the biggest concern I have as a new chief of staff is making sure he gets some time to get a quick bite to eat,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told The Post.

    The only thing less believable would be a story claiming that trump is anonymously donating to COVID relief charities (if his lack of charitable giving were on anyone’s radar at the moment).

  137. 137.

    CaseyL

    @Steeplejack: I live in a Blue state and got my stimulus check within a day or two.  But I’ve e-filed my taxes the last few years, and have direct deposit.

  139. 139.

    Steeplejack

    @dmsilev:

    Expect to see a pivot from the White House in the days ahead, focusing on the economy and a more hopeful, forward-looking message.

    “Since there will be fewer people, there will be more money and vacant jobs to go around for the survivors. Win!”

  140. 140.

    August West

    @Kent:

    When it comes to ignorance, corruption, and malevolence, Trump is head and shoulders above any politician in American history.

  141. 141.

    Yutsano

    @Steeplejack: I got my direct deposit April 15th. I live in Washington. I know a friend of mine got his and he lives in Illinois. So I wonder if it’s based on the last income from the last return filed.*

    *I have no insight as to whether this is accurate or not. My office was shut down by the middle of March before the rules were set.

  144. 144.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Gave up on the Sondheim thing, now watching SNL sketches done at home.

  147. 147.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Steeplejack: My son, whose legal address is in NYC, got his direct deposit on like the first day. My daughter and SIL, living in MD, got theirs the same day.

  148. 148.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    pay-walled article, but this would explain today’s on-going meltdown (and on Melanie’s birthday, too…)

    Lachlan Cartwright@LachCartwright · 12h
    Donald Trump Seethes About Michael Cohen’s Early Release and New Tell-All Book. The latest in the saga of Trump and his former fixer with @swin24

  150. 150.

    Brachiator

    @Steeplejack:

    So the questions: (a) Have you received your stimulus check? (b) Do you live in a red or blue state?

    I know quite a number of people in California and in Texas who have received payments.

    Here are some details:

    More than 88 million individuals received a stimulus check from the IRS in the last three weeks, according to data from the federal agency.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS have distributed a total of $157.9 billion in so-called Economic Impact Payments. …

    In all, the taxman anticipates delivering more than 150 million of these stimulus payments.

    California is at the top of the heap in terms of total cash paid to residents so far. More than 9 million households in the Golden State received a stimulus payment, adding up to $15.9 billion in payments.

    Texas followed in second: Checks have been sent to 7.8 million households, a total of $14.4 billion.

    Florida rounded out the top three states whose residents received funding so far, with 6.3 million households getting payments, adding up to $11 billion.

    It’s funny how some people derided the checks as pittance: “$1,200 is nothing,” even though the amounts could be $2,400 and more for married couples.  Now, there is talk about a second round of stimulus payments.

  152. 152.

    Steeplejack

    @satby:

    I might bite on this. I’ve been seeing ads the last couple of days for the miniseries Deadwater Fell on Acorn. I loves me some Cush Jumbo. I didn’t watch The Good Wife, but I loved her in her short tenure on Vera.

    Plus Acorn has a lot of other stuff I want to watch anyway. I keep dithering because I can never decide between Acorn or BritBox or both.

    And I wouldn’t mind bingeing Foyle’s War in order. I think I’ve seen them all, but I came a little late and might have missed a few in the first couple of seasons.

  156. 156.

    Brachiator

    @Yutsano:

    I got my direct deposit April 15th. I live in Washington. I know a friend of mine got his and he lives in Illinois. So I wonder if it’s based on the last income from the last return filed.*

    This may have figured into the direct deposit schedule. I have seen reports that distribution of physical checks will be based on AGI amounts on the last filed tax return.

    According to a Forbes article, the government will begin sending paper stimulus checks starting April 24.

    This week, the IRS will begin sending paper stimulus checks. The plan is to send paper stimulus checks to taxpayers with the lowest adjusted gross income first. Therefore, taxpayers who earned less than $10,000 will receive a paper check first.

  160. 160.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, it looks like conspiracy theory shot down on the stimulus checks. I’ll let my friend know and tell him to breathe into a paper bag for a while each day.

  164. 164.

    Nora

    @Kent:

    Liam Neeson is my backup husband.   My husband is on notice, but says he’ll take Gwyneth Paltrow if she becomes available.  Frankly, I think I’m getting the better deal.

  166. 166.

    leeleeFL

    @Gin & Tonic: Because you have to be 35 to be President, but no one has amassed enough experience by then.  I agree that Dems need to start nominating younger ppl, but Barack is only 50 ish.  That’s probably about right.

    Don’t misunderstand,  I like AOC, she’s smart and feisty and she has a future.  But she is in no way ready for the Bigs.  She learns fast, and that’s good.  Let’s see where she is in 15 years

    Who would you have wanted!  I kinda had my heart set Mayor Pete.  Young but not too young.  Military,  gay,  married, cute.  I got over it.

    If it’s Joe, then it’s Joe.

    tRump needs gone.

  167. 167.

    Steeplejack

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:

    LOL. I don’t follow Broadway that much, so it always kills me when I discover that some actor I’ve seen on TV has a whole other dimension to his career. Case in  point: Raúl Esparza, best known to me as a D.A. on Law and Order: SVU. He also was in Hannibal, if I remember correctly.

  168. 168.

    Brachiator

    @catclub:

    so have any checks arrived in the mail?

    The Forbes article I linked to earlier noted that paper checks will be sent starting April 24, starting with those people with the lowest Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on 2018 or 2019 tax returns.

  169. 169.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Ee-zackly.

    Democrats shouldn’t even be dignifying talk of Michelle Obama as VP with any kind of response except to say, “Ridiculous”. She has said repeatedly and firmly that she has no interest in seeking office.

    Not least, perhaps, because she probably realizes better than anyone that if she were to decide to do so, then she would likely immediately be pilloried, dragged through media mud, have bullshit made-up scandals attached to her name, and generally see her status as one of America’s most admired women change almost overnight to a grasping, overambitious, untrustworthy harpy.

    You know…kind of like what happened to *another* Democratic President’s wife who *did* decide to run for office.

  170. 170.

    James E Powell

    @Brachiator:

    Everyone will look to Biden’s VP as a possible successor.

    Agree and there’s no way to get around it, so we (and by “we” I mean Biden) need to make it a positive. The usual considerations – region, ideology – will not govern the choice. Fitness for office is a Democratic strength and this is one year where we make that the center of the argument. So far, that’s what Biden’s been doing.

  173. 173.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Steeplejack: Has he checked the IRS site? I was just able to input bank information today after many days of error messages.

  174. 174.

    zhena gogolia

    @Steeplejack:

    Oh, we watched them all the first time, but it is really fun to revisit. Eagle Day is fab — both Roger Allam and Anton Lesser as guest stars! Allam’s scene with Honeysuckle is a gem.

  176. 176.

    Brachiator

    @Steeplejack:

    I don’t follow Broadway that much, so it always kills me when I discover that some actor I’ve seen on TV has a whole other dimension to his career. Case in  point: Raúl Esparza, best known to me as a D.A. on Law and Order: SVU. He also was in Hannibal, if I remember correctly.

    I think I read that it was a thing for some Broadway actors to appear on the L&O shows between theater roles.

  178. 178.

    catclub

    @August West: also butthurt

     

    President Trump tweeted Saturday evening that holding White House press briefings to address the coronavirus pandemic were no longer “worth the time and effort” because the media asks “nothing but hostile questions” and then “refuses to report the truth.” The tweet comes after Friday’s briefing, which was the shortest since Trump began holding them in March. There was no briefing Saturday, and Sunday’s White House schedule did not list any public events for the president. The decision to scale back the briefings is likely related to backlash to Trump’s comments on Thursday, when he pondered whether doctors should look into injecting harmful disinfectants into COVID-19 patients.

  180. 180.

    Kent

    @Nora:

    @Kent:

    Liam Neeson is my backup husband.   My husband is on notice, but says he’ll take Gwyneth Paltrow if she becomes available.  Frankly, I think I’m getting the better deal.

    You are.

    Gwyneth?   I don’t see the appeal.  She’s into that freaky weird health stuff and seems like she would be a humorless nag to have around.  “not now honey, I’m applying my goop”  My second backup would be Penelope Cruz.  Hmm..I guess I see a trend there.

  183. 183.

    James E Powell

    @Steeplejack:

    I’ve received nothing. I live in California

    I thought the checks were being held up for some reason. I’m not desperate for money right now, so I’m not sweating the wait.

  184. 184.

    Steeplejack

    @Baud:

    Goddamn it, I can count on one hand the times it has been worth it to go to Google Translate to see what somebody’s foreign gibberish says. Yours just makes the cut. Barely.

    For everyone else: “These hips do not lie.“

  186. 186.

    Gin & Tonic

    @leeleeFL:  My comment was neither an attack on Biden nor a promotion of AOC. If you think it was, you get an “F” in reading comprehension.

    American politics is graying and that’s not good as the country is getting younger. The mean age of a *newly-elected* representative in 2010 was 48; in 2018 it was almost 51. The mean age of a *newly-elected* senator was 52 in 2010, and nearly 55 in 2018. The two leading Presidential candidates in 2020 are beyond the mandatory retirement age for CEO of any publicly-traded company. The Senate Majority Leader is 78. The Speaker of the House is 80. The House Majority Leader is 80. The House Majority Whip is 79. I can go on.

    Meanwhile the President of France is 42. The Prime Minister of Spain is 48. The Prime Minister of Finland is 34. The Prime Minister of Canada is 48. The Prime Minister of New Zealand is 39. A long-serving, aging leader like the Chancellor of Germany is –gasp– 65. Dianne Feinstein is old enough to be her mother.

  190. 190.

    Mandalay

    @hueyplong:

    you figure they’ll go with “the VP is a second choice.”

    Correct.

    Not the biggest issue of our times, but why is Biden promoting someone for the job when she has publicly stated she doesn’t want it, and he has publicly stated she doesn’t want it? It’s so mindless and pointless.

  193. 193.

    Chris Johnson

    “It was a pun.”

    “A PUN?”

    “No no, what was it, the thing where a word spells the same forwards as backwards?”

    “A palindrome?”

    “Yeah!”

    “No it’s not! The palindrome of Bolton would be Notlob!”

     

    …as far as Vice President Michelle Obama is concerned, I would say… not sensible, not serious, but all the same I would laugh so fucking hard. And it goes without saying it’d be a hell of an upgrade, and they’d have my vote. I guess if we are a massive joke we might as well be a witty one.

  196. 196.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    That reminds me that I need to get caught up on Endeavour. I’m about a season and a half behind. Even farther behind on Doctor Blake’s Mysteries.

  198. 198.

    Steeplejack

    @Brachiator:

    Yes, there’s a whole anecdotal “literature” about New York actors subsidizing their “real” careers by appearing on the various L&O shows. There was even an annual party for people who appeared only as victims and dead bodies.

    I was just surprised by the “big musical star” thing for Esparza. I could see him in gritty off-Broadway dramas for sure.

  200. 200.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus:  When I try that, it seems to only be about a tax refund for this year and I’m supposed to enter an amount.  I don’t seem to get to the part for the EIC payment.

    My google fu sucks.

  201. 201.

    JAFD

    @Steeplejack: I don’t know.  Really.

    Have direct deposit.  Not going to hike up to closest branch of my bank just to check balance, not going to pay fee from other bank with closest ATM.  Have enuf money to get what I need – and can’t go out shopping  –  so when it gets here (New Jersey) it gets here.

  202. 202.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: Ah, that’s part of the identity verification thing.  They might ask for your AGI and refund/amount owed from the last time you filed taxes.

  207. 207.

    J R in WV

    @lamh36:

    So many huge congratulations on all your hard work !!

    Also traveled all over the world while working and in grad school !!!!

    Best of luck with the reports/papers/finals.

    Stay safe, keep in touch!

  208. 208.

    Brachiator

    @Steeplejack:

    That reminds me that I need to get caught up on Endeavour. I’m about a season and a half behind. Even farther behind on Doctor Blake’s Mysteries.

    I love Inspector Thursday. Great character and the actor is excellent in the role. But somehow, I don’t really see the future Morse in his younger self.

    I note that I have liked individual episodes.

  215. 215.

    catclub

    @Mandalay: but why is Biden promoting someone for the job when she has publicly stated she doesn’t want it,

     

    ummmm, Biden? or “team Biden”?

  217. 217.

    joel hanes

    @Nora:

    Gwyneth Paltrow

    Hmm.  de gustibus, I guess.

    Cate Blanchett here.   Or Geena Davis.

    If I were much much younger, maybe Emma Watson.

    Intelligence appeals to me.

  218. 218.

    Steeplejack

    @JAFD:

    You know, they have this whole thing now where you can check your balance via the Intertubes. But, hey, point taken.

  221. 221.

    Steeplejack

    @Brachiator:

    I have somewhat decoupled the two series in my mind. I enjoy both without straining to make the admittedly strained connection.

    It’s a much easier transition from later Morse to the Lewis series, which I also like.

  225. 225.

    A Good Woman

    @WaterGirl: I liked Esparza too, however my understanding is that he was looking to move on, that he had done all he could with the character. That came from an interview I found online, perhaps his web page.

  226. 226.

    satby

    @catclub: Pat and Mike.

    @Steeplejack: people on SSI will start getting direct deposits this week if you didn’t file a return for last year, or like me owed taxes in 2018. Even when the payment was directly taken from my account, the IRS didn’t consider that info as direct deposit info.

  228. 228.

    Bill Arnold

    @germy:

    What’s the matter with you libs? Don’t you get sarcasm?

    Every day many strangers came to town, and among them one day came two swindlers. They let it be known they were weavers, and they said they could weave the most magnificent fabrics imaginable. Not only were their colors and patterns uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.
    “Those would be just the clothes for me,” thought the Emperor. “If I wore them I would be able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts. And I could tell the wise men from the fools. Yes, I certainly must get some of the stuff woven for me right away.” He paid the two swindlers a large sum of money to start work at once.

    In this case the “weavers” and the God Emperor are one and the same, and yet, through thought processes that only He is capable of,  the God Emperor believes that his magnificent clothes are real.

  229. 229.

    WaterGirl

    @A Good Woman: Glad to hear that.  I was kind of worked up about it, but apparently not worked up enough to do some googling.  I have a bit more time on my hands at the moment, so maybe I’ll do that now.

Comments are closed.