"Empathy is our lifeline here. It’s what will get us to the other side," Michelle Obama said of the coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/vbXXTQ9veE
— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) April 27, 2020
… The former first lady, whose 2018 best-selling memoir “Becoming” shared her experiences from growing up in Chicago to serving in the White House, is giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her experiences connecting with communities across the country during her book tour.
“It’s a whole new track,” Obama says in a clip released Monday, answering a young woman’s question about getting her life back on track after her time in the White House. “It’s just all different and it’s different forever. So it’s not getting back on track, it’s creating my next track. I’m doing what you’re doing: I’m figuring out ‘What do I want to do? What do I care about?’ ”
The documentary, from the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground, has the same title as her book and will be released May 6 on the streaming service…
Singalongs with Sting and Sir Rod Stewart, a Shakespeare lesson with Sir Patrick Stewart and a virtual cocktail with Hillary Clinton offered in charity auction to raise funds for refugees during coronavirushttps://t.co/JQ55W7U5Eb pic.twitter.com/5nvdxhD08V
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 27, 2020
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be hosting a town hall on how COVID-19 is impacting women — and I'll be joined by a special guest. Tune in at 3 PM ET to watch: https://t.co/xk0GcSpr50 pic.twitter.com/nw44aea7UP
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 28, 2020
Alicia Keys' new song "Good Job" has a message of gratitude and thanks for essential workers who have stepped up during the coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/x0wwi9D1te
— CNN International (@cnni) April 25, 2020
OzarkHillbilly
Blech.
Baud
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ???
WereBear
Grocery run today. Always makes me nervous, but it does feel good to get back home :)
debbie
The lack of empathy is the true plague in this country. ?
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
Mustang Bobby
Good morning, Friends. Been a while since I stopped by to say hello. All’s well here in my fortress of solitude (which includes a housemate teaching his middle school broadcast arts class from the dining room table and his cat, Sombra, watching with feline superiority our every move). I’ve been doing a lot of writing — plays and stuff — and I’m happy to announce that this Sunday at 3 pm ET my play “A Tree Grows in Longmont” will be presented via YouTube, produced by Silver Tongued Stages, and directed by Ricky J. Martinez. It’s a one-act play about my life with my late partner. I hope you can make it.
Baud
@Mustang Bobby:
Good to see you. You should get a front pager — probably WaterGirl — to front page it.
Mustang Bobby
@Baud: So noted and so alerted. Thank you.
debbie
@Mustang Bobby:
Nice to see someone’s being productive at this time. Impressive!
raven
@Mustang Bobby: Good to see ya!
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Mustang Bobby: Yo MB – it’s great to hear from you.
arrieve
@WereBear: It’s my grocery day too, and I’m already dreading it. I have Instacart deliver the heavy non-perishables when I can get a slot, but I need fresh fruit, milk and eggs. Also ice cream. NYC, so I have four flights of stairs to carry everything up.
I got an email yesterday from one of the big urgent care chains that starting today they are doing both Covid testing and antibody testing. I will probably do the antibody test. I know immunity is still an open question, but I would feel better knowing if the cough-headache-loss of sense of smell from mid-March was actually Covid.
satby
@Baud: who would have thought that “sacrifice the weak and old” would reduce motivation for the senior citizens to vote Republicans?
@OzarkHillbilly: ?
@rikyrah: Good morning ?
satby
@Mustang Bobby: looking forward to watching it! Good to see you.
rikyrah
@Mustang Bobby:
Yeah ??
Baud
@satby:
Trump 2020: Volunteer as tribute!
rikyrah
I am on my way to work ?
Hopefully,.I will get what I need done so that I don’t have to go back until the end of May
????
satby
@WereBear: @arrieve: I did a big run yesterday. My local store has been good about keeping people safe distances, high mask usage (all the staff and 2/3 the customers), and for the first time in 6 weeks there were paper products available. But general compliance with masking and the stay at home order is mediocre in Indiana and we’re nowhere near a peak of cases. The Republican governor said yesterday he’ll “update” the stay at home orders this Friday when they expire, which indicates to me he’s mostly dropping them. So now I have to decide how to handle the farmer’s market booth. I said I would go back when the order lifted but I don’t want to. EDIT: because I assumed he’d be reasonable and keep them in effect longer, at least a couple more weeks.
Mustang Bobby
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): Thanks! PS: I binged the entire ST:DS9 series over spring break and thought that it was better than I remembered. I especially appreciated the growth of the characters as it went on and the arc of storytelling as opposed to the “alien-of-the-week” episodes that plague some of the other series in the ST universe.
rikyrah
satby
@rikyrah: the Soledad O’Brien tweet lower in that thread is ?
rikyrah
????
satby
@Baud: and the Florida is “God’s waiting room” crack by the governor was icing on the shitcake.
rikyrah
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mustang Bobby: Good to see you. And congrats on both writing and getting the play ready to go. My brain is broken.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
Seeing Sir Patrick Stewart reminds me of a not so close encounter I had with him back in 1986. I was in High School but my oldest cousin on my mom’s side was attending Oberlin College. They have a place on Lake Erie, not too far from Sandusky that we used to visit every summer for a few days. Oberlin is not too far from there, and my cousin suggested we go see a production of The Tempest that they were doing, with theater students playing most of the roles but a visiting scholar from the Royal Shakespeare Company playing Prospero. So we went, and the guy playing Prospero was indeed excellent and got a standing ovation at the end, but I had no idea who he was until the fall of 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted. The guy playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Patrick Stewart – was the guy I’d seen playing Prospero that night.
satby
@rikyrah: you know what, that’s Darwin in action. Jim Jones Trump said drink the koolaid and if his demented followers did I have real difficulty working up sympathy.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@arrieve:
I’ll be curious to hear how your antibody test works out.
@satby: The market booth is a tough decision. I’m looking at all the new case numbers and thinking if that’s what happens when most of the country is locked down, what’s going to happen when the lockdowns lift? Are the people currently catching it all essential workers? Or did they get it on their bi-weekly grocery trips? Where is it being spread at the moment?
Jeffro
Seeing how cases are ticking back up again in places like Germany, it’s pretty clear that the U.S. is screwed (like, with an industrial auger). We haven’t even done our first shelter-in-place right, people aren’t taking it seriously enough, and some dumb states are even looking to re-open already.
Next to no testing and no real safety net for workers who have to stay home = screwed. We bought a slight pause these past six weeks but that’s about it. Thanks, Republicans!
Nicole
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: What a cool story! I saw him do Prospero a little over a decade later, obviously he was much more famous by then. It was at Shakespeare in the Park, and then I went to go see the show again when it moved to Broadway because a friend of mine who was a huge Star Trek:TNG was in town and it was her birthday and she wanted to see him. We waited at the stage door afterwards to get his autograph and while he signed her program I said, “It’s her birthday!” and he wished her happy birthday. Made her year. ?
germy
Here’s what I don’t understand:
I’ve read that people shouldn’t assume that if they test positive for antibodies, they won’t get the virus again.
But then I saw a report of a man who recovered from the virus after receiving plasma from another guy with antibodies. CBS news did a big “feel good” story about them meeting.
germy
Baud
@germy: As I understand it, they haven’t confirmed that antibodies confer immunity. They just don’t have enough specific evidence yet.
germy
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Mustang Bobby: I maintain that it was the best of the ST shows. Between BBC America running it and Comet running BSG it’s been a good time to catch up.
p.a.
@Mustang Bobby: hey! Don’t be a stranger!
Is The Five O’clock Fury a regular thing again, or is it a day-to-day issue? “It’s ratings gold I tells ya. Ratings gold!”
El Dougo
Years ago I spent a couple of seasons in Antarctica. I keep seeing that it’s the only continent currently free of Covid-19. At this time of year no more flights or ships are coming in until August or so (that’s how it worked when I was there, at least). So, picture yourself, on “the Ice” preparing for the already stressful prospect of wintering over in the most isolated place on earth, with no idea of what happens when it’s time to leave. We think we live with uncertainty about the future……
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Contemplated a couple of things just now:
1. Why gripe about me walking the dog without her this morning? Interacting nearly only with each other constantly isn’t enough?
2. Even if we don’t spike and businesses open well, there will be structural unemployment at roughly 15-20 percent going into the fall election.
3. A second Trump term would be trickle-down on steroids, with an ever increasing unemployment rate reaching late stage Romanov levels by 2022 or 2023.
satby
@Jeffro: yeah people never took it that seriously here except for geeks like me. And though the current known infections number 586 (up 2% from yesterday) the stats show no recovered patients in this area, only 571 active cases and 15 deaths. That tells me it’s got lots of room to get much worse.
CarolDuhart2
Haven’t been near a store since 3/14, and no Kroger run since 3/3. Things are okay at home, but I wonder even with deliveries now. Some paper masks, but am running out of those, and need cloth masks now.
So good to see that jackals are mostly sensible and doing well so far. But still nervous about 5/4 reopenings. I’m staying locked down regardless, but wonder what happens if/when more people start going outside and more often, and the delivery and mail people make more contacts with people.
JAFD
The future brightens a bit:
Got an email from my doctor, wants me to come in for an appointment on June 29. So guess the MDs think the epidemic will have eased by then. KOW
Got a bag of ads, supermarkets and drugstores, Friday. Included sheet of coupons from Burger King, with one for discount on ‘Impossible Whopper Meal’
Must do milk and bread run, later today, myself. Will report afterwards
Immanentize
It seems like people are confusing two things — it’s not so much the pandemic has let up as much as in some states, and in some areas of some states, the pandemic has been stretched out enough that the hospitals will not be overwhelmed.
It is the latter idea motivating most semi-caring “open early” moves. Even in New York. Sure. People will die. But not because the hospitals couldn’t handle the emergency cases….
germy
I have not seen dishwashing liquid (dawn or the store brand) on my supermarket’s shelves for weeks now.
How many dishes are the hoarders washing? I suspect they’re using dish soap as hand soap, since the shelves with the hand soap are also empty.
Also, is it so difficult to obey the arrows in the store aisles? My last visit (during the morning old folks’ hour) people were going up and down the aisles ignoring the one way arrows.
NotMax
Probably old hat for the feline folk, linking it as they might care to see it again.
Switching gears, repeating for those in the morning crowd who ? favor emojis.
PST
I scored two spray bottles of Lysol yesterday by being at the local CVS when it opened. The pharmacist tipped me off that Sunday night they restock. I left plenty for others. Still looking for rubbing alcohol. Got to sterilize the family thermometer between uses. Count me in as someone else happy to see Mustang Bobby posting. I have a soft spot for everyone who shares my Toledo roots.
NotMax
@germy
They’re consistent. Same people who disregard the arrows in parking lot lanes.
germy
Don’t Leave Your House for Anything Non-Essential, Unless You’re my Parents Dropping off a Care Package
germy
@NotMax: I made a left turn and was about to push my cart (the correct way) into the next aisle, and this old dude comes rolling out of the aisle towards me. I had to back up to let him pass. “You know, this is One Way” I told him (nicely) and I couldn’t hear his reply through his mask, but he was still talking as he entered the aisle I’d just emerged from. He was again going the wrong way. I think I pissed him off.
khead
Going to repeat this again:
“I’m old enough to remember the malaise of the Carter administration. While it’s true that it was a lot harder to get gas, it’s also true that there was also a lot less dead people.”
Someone with a bigger voice needs to hang this around Trump’s neck like an anchor.
CarolDuhart2
Can anyone help me with the “old people’s hours”. Are they really safe or not? I’m not getting much info about them either way, and while I will continue delivery as long as possible, one benefit of shopping in person is seeing something that just isn’t on the list, like deli stuff, and things that are heavily discounted. Also, if it’s something like Walmart maybe I can do some bulk purchases of toilet paper, bread and what not so I don’t keep asking my neighbor to do grocery pickup. She’ll have to take me there, of course. (Vulnerable, so no cab or bus until a vaccine)
OzarkHillbilly
@Mustang Bobby:
On the calendar.
zhena gogolia
@CarolDuhart2:
Do you have a friend who’s been going locally who can tell you? I think it varies a lot from place to place. I haven’t been going, but I get reports from a friend, who says it’s pretty uncrowded and easy to keep away from people. But I see different things on BJ, so I think you really need to get advice from someone in your area.
germy
@CarolDuhart2: The very first time I visited during the Old Folks’ Hour (6am-7am) the place was packed! A long line in front of each entrance. When I got in, the aisles were so packed, I was asking myself “What am I doing here?”
Two weeks later, I tried again, and there weren’t as many shoppers.
The logic of having it first thing in the morning is that the store is closed overnight for restocking and sanitizing. If you wait until later in the day, the young people have already emptied the shelves and handled everything that remains
It made me feel weird, though. All the other shoppers were roughly my age. We were all teenagers in the 1970s. And the PA system was blasting music from the ’70s, like Creedence Clearwater Revival, while we all tottered along in our facemasks. I felt like I was in a sci-fi movie that I might have seen in the ’70s about a dystopian future (now) I’d find myself in as a old person.
satby
@Immanentize: Stretching out the pandemic and not overwhelming the hospital systems was the goal, yes. But in many places it’s only been a delaying action (like here) and prematurely dropping restrictions can lead to a new spike that could just overwhelm the systems anyway. Or, as around here, increase the spike that hasn’t even happened yet.
My friends and I, all over 65, assume at some point we will get Covid-19. The goal was to try to avoid getting it until they had better treatment protocols and not have to be triaged out of treatment entirely. In the desire to kick people off unemployment by opening up earlier than an infection peak, Republicans are just undoing everything we all self isolated for in the first place.
Sab
@germy: We as a nation must have had really dirty houses before. At least we are all cleaning now.//
NotMax
Full property mowing accomplished Monday. With reckless abandon, unmasked.
;)
(For any aghast, no need. Not a soul to be seen for 100 feet or more in any direction except the occasional car on the street – with windows rolled up and A/C blasting – when I trimmed the berm. Temps were in the high eighties, with tropical sun doin’ its thing. Besides, no one has talent enough to puff on a stogie while wearing a surgical type mask.)
MomSense
Morning everyone. Hope you are all feeling healthy.
Making the best of things here.
Woodrow/asim
@CarolDuhart2: “Safe” is 1000% a relative term. Nothing is completely safe.
That said, it’s likely that early shopping is the safest time, yes. More than that depends on too many variables to count — what the cleaning process is for that store, how others in the store will act/protect themselves, how the store employees interact, does the store encourage employees to take time off if they have symptoms w/o financial impact, etc.
And that’s outside of any factors in general, like percentage of people in your area who might be carriers.
In general: If you are At Risk, I would say it’s not worth the shopping you described to go into a store at this point. If I have access to have someone shop for me, and I know COVID-19 is a serious issue for my health, I would only enter a store if I had a critical item I needed ASAP.
satby
@NotMax: only need to be masked around people anyway ?
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@khead:
His malaise speech was spot on point. It is just that white Americans, particularly southern and rural ones, suffer from deep cultural defects which make them suck as human beings. They’re mentally and physically lazy as fuck, self-entitled, and view deliberate cruelty as an essential component of the public policies they like.
Sab
@satby: Well in Ohio Mike deWine says he wants facemasks for employees and customers to be required for any reopening businesses. My local grocery has been prompt about implementing his suggestions, so maybe we mask-wearing seniors won’t be getting stalked by MAGAt jerks anymore during the senior times.
Immanentize
@satby: I agree completely! I’m not saying we are ready to reopen at all. Alls I’m sayin is: that’s the thinking. Ok, goal of flattening was met. Party time!
The idea that schools should reopen this year (so parents can get back to work?) Is THE stupidest idea in this whole shitshow. Dead teachers, custodians, parents, grandparents. Yes, even dead school cops. FTW!
JMG
@germy: I have also noticed the long term lack of Dawn. Did score a bottle of store brand my supermarket visit before last, but usually there’s nothing. Plenty of dishwashing machine detergent though. Some social psychologist could have had a field day just examining the Stop ‘n Shop shelves for the past six weeks.
Immanentize
@JMG: Hopefully some social scientist (hopefully pre tenure!) Will have done so.
khead
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I don’t disagree at all about Carter. Dude gets a bad rap. Just saying it’s time to turn the whole “Carter is the worst POTUS in my lifetime” bullshit to our advantage. The wingnuts think Carter was bad? Well, Trump is worse. Because, dead people. Make Trump go down as the worst POTUS ever. Set the narrative now in terms that wingnuts understand. Carter >> Trump will drive those folks crazy. Spreading that idea to the masses is beyond my pay grade as a mere commenter on one of the top 10K blogs.
BobS
I hope that this publicity tour is a prelude to her selection as Biden’s VP.
Scout211
@CarolDuhart2:
We went to the very first Costco old folks hour and it was a nightmare. But the second time we went (3 weeks later) we showed up at 7:15 and the doors were open with no line. It is supposed to open at 8:00 but they open early most of the time if people show up. That shop was easy. Most of the shoppers were wearing masks.
satby
@BobS: Who you talking about, Michelle Obama? Not happening.
SFAW
@Mustang Bobby:
Good to see you back. I was wondering where you was.
terraformer
McConnell:
FTFY, you demonic turtle.
Baud
@khead: We should have done that with W, but too many people spent too much time discussing whether Obama was worse.
germy
satby
@PST: if you have hydrogen peroxide, you can use that. Dump it between uses and use fresh each time if sitting the thermometer in a cup.
Edit, or bleach in water, just rinse the thermometer before using.
SFAW
@NotMax:
How TF do you “mow” palm trees? That’s all they have there, right? I guess cooled lava, too, but I figure that stuff’s not mow-able. Well, not with a standard lawn mower or lawn tractor.
khead
@Baud:
The majority of dead folks are American this time.
NotMax
@JMG
Check at a local hardware or Ace/Home Depot/Lowe’s. They usually are deep stocked on household stuff like that.
Or in a pinch, if your market has a
hoity-toitygourmet aisle, there might a so-organic-it-hurts, guaranteed free range brand you’ve never heard of before. Depending on your area, also could be Rokeach brand kosher kitchen soap bars in the ‘ethnic’ aisle.OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: If the goal was to avoid a spike in cases, testing is key to that. As for right now we still suffer from a lack of testing. It’s like sending a a bunch of cows into a feedlot knowing fully well that some of them have madcow disease but not caring which ones.
PST
@satby:
That’s how I see it too, and I think it gives me more peace of mind than those of my friends who are trying to avoid even the slightest possibility of infection. Of course I have immune compromised friends who don’t have the luxury, but I’m calmer when I don’t have to fret about whether it’s necessary to wash my hands after touching the dog, etc. Even if I’m unlucky enough to get it relatively early, by collectively doing a decent job at social distancing at least we’ve slowed things down enough (here in Chicago, anyway) that I don’t expect the hospital to be a hell hole. And putting off the day of contracting the disease increases the odds that treatment will have substantively improved.
WaterGirl
@Baud: You read my mind!
After the last call for Artist submissions, I started thinking of featuring one of our talented peeps every week or so. I just wrote to Mustang Bobby asking if he might like to be the first. We’ll see what he says.
BobS
@satby: Yeah, Michelle Obama, and I fear you’re right. However, I would hope this national crisis we’re in (and I mean the existential threat to American democracy that November represented, even before COVID19 appeared) will cause her to reconsider. Her appearance on the ballot would change a ‘maybe/probably’ to ‘landslide’, and probably drag a Democratic senate candidate (or 2, or 3) across the finish line with her.
OzarkHillbilly
Teachers are always sick with one bug or another. What’s one more? //
satby
@PST: if I get it I’m hotfooting it back to Chicago for treatment pronto! Which, honestly, is what I would do for any serious illness.
SFAW
@Immanentize:
Listened to a Charlie Baker presser the other day. No matter how many times he said “We need to see some fucking data that shows a fucking decline in the new cases and deaths, you morons,” he kept getting asked whether he would extend the May 4th end date of his original order. The questioners seemed not to understand that the “flattening the curve” thing did not mean that the curve looked like the non-social-distancing curve, only with a lower peak.
Baud
@khead:
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have made the attempt with Bush.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
My RWNJ mom has, through the help of Fox News and talk radio, found out who is responsible for failures in the PPP program.
Harvard.
Because they have plenty of money (oh, the irony there – she never saw a tax cut for wealthy white people she couldn’t support).
I pointed out that Harvard wasn’t accessing PPP and think I shorted out her brain.
Betty Cracker
@Immanentize: Great point. I confuse the two myself sometimes. Was talking to my clinician sibling and sister-in-law yesterday, and they’re encouraged about how well Florida has weathered the storm so far, despite our idiot governor.
Thanks almost entirely to Democratic mayors who shut the urban centers down while the governor waited for Trump to give him the go-ahead, we seem to have successfully bent the curve because the hospitals didn’t get overwhelmed as originally feared. But due to lack of testing, it’s hard to predict what will happen next…
satby
@BobS: it’s ridiculous. She would be the first to tell you she’s not qualified, and probably to point out that we haven’t done very well with celebrity elected officials. Plus, she didn’t like being in the White House and would like Number One Observatory Circle even less, I would imagine.
Baud
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Harvard took some type of money but was shamed into returning it IIRC.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@khead:
I have a soft spot for Carter because he was the first winning presidential candidate I ever voted for. Since then, there’s been Clinton and Obama. That’s it, and I am old.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@OzarkHillbilly:
I suspect teachers are MORE at risk for fatality due to the cytokine storm and the fact that their immune systems are more developed.
COVID is a tricky fucker.
JMG
@SFAW: I am certain that the earliest the Massachusetts stayhome protocols will be eased, let alone lifted, is by Memorial Day weekend.
Just Chuck
Toilet paper is back on the shelves to some degree here in Colorado Springs. Pasta, rice, beans, all low stock but there. The thing I noticed though is that with the food items, it was always the most expensive items that would be left on the shelves. TP? Always the expensive stuff gone first, the bargain brands were most of what was left.
SFAW
@germy:
Unfortunately, “olds hour” does not necessarily mean “non-morons hour.”
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Baud:
It was some side fund for the support of impoverished students, from what I heard.
khead
@Baud:
Is that you Atrios? Water under the bridge now. Trump is the here and now.
Baud
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I wonder if people can protect themselves by getting injections of HIV. #TodayOnTrumpTV
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Betty Cracker:
The Kinsa health weather map still shows deep red spots in Florida, but I’m encouraged that things are going better than expected. Mr DAW’s sister and BIL live there.
NotMax
@Just Chuck
Koch Industries must be making a(nother) mint on paper products.
Baud
@khead: Well, no. We need to remind ourselves of the mistakes of the past.
Miss Bianca
@Mustang Bobby: Longmont? As in Longmont, CO?
I will mark it on my calendar!
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Baud:
On the good side, nobody gauges their actions on my mental farts.
The Thin Black Duke
Michelle Obama did her time and has earned the right to stay home. It’s not her fault too many idiots didn’t appreciate what her and Barack did.
zhena gogolia
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Trump himself started that — I saw it on Colbert. Someone asked Mnuchin whether big companies were going to give back their PPP money, and Trump jumped in to say he was going to make Harvard give theirs back. Harvard didn’t get any PPP money. But you’d only know that if you watched Colbert — the reporters in the room said nothing.
germy
bluefoot
Regarding shopping and opening up, I wish there were repeated and frequent PSAs (and training!) on how properly to wear/use gloves and take them off, how to fit a mask, etc. I see people wearing gloves acting like the gloves magically make them immune, and don’t do anything differently than if they had bare hands. For instance, they touch door handles then touch their faces or masks, etc. It takes time and practice to develop the habits of using PPE properly. Part of that is developing awareness – of what you’re touching, of what’s “clean” and what’s “dirty,” etc.
zhena gogolia
@Baud:
They were supposedly going to get CARES money for the direct support of students. But they haven’t gotten anything yet, just like my own institution. Harvard has nothing to do with PPP.
SFAW
@JMG:
Yeah, maybe. My point was that the press at Baker’s presser were not unlike Cookie Monster asking Siri about the cookies (starting around 0:20).
BobS
@satby: I disagree, with respect to her qualifications. She’s not a simple “celebrity”- she’s a smart (and highly educated) woman who spent 8 years as an ‘unofficial’ advisor to a president, and before that a US senator- while her ‘resume’ isn’t classic, it’s legitimate.
And while I understand what she’s said about political office, if Trump ekes out a win in November, American democracy as we like to think of it is done for our (and probably our children’s) lifetimes. She’s in a unique position to do something about that.
Do you disagree with my assertion that her name on the ballot would do more to guarantee a victory in November than any other VP candidate?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I just wish someone had used trump’s prattling about Harvard’s $40B to point out that since he claims to be worth $10B, surely he doesn’t need to apply for any relief for his tacky hotels….
MagdaInBlack
@BobS:
She. Isnt. Going. To. Run.
bluefoot
@bluefoot: I should add: One training method is to put powder on the palms of your hands. They are now “dirty”. Then spend 15 minutes trying not to spread the powder to any surface you haven’t already designated as “dirty.” A friend uses a similar method in the lab by coloring hand lotion, having students spread it on while wearing gloves, then looking at what has color on it after a set amount of time. Then also has the students practice taking the gloves off without getting lotion on anything. Powder and bare hands won’t waste your stockpile of gloves, which is why I suggest it here. :)
pluky
@germy: The presence of antibodies is only part of a competent adaptive immune response.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_response
OzarkHillbilly
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Plenty more where they came from! Right??? I mean, those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Right???? s//
PST
I drive past Northwestern Memorial every day. No sirens, no hustle or bustle. A friend’s daughter is a surgical nurse there who has been temporarily assigned to testing staff all day. She reports things are quiet and calm. I live near Rush, and a friend delivered pizza to the ER there. Same story. My upstairs neighbor is a doctor at Loyola. I haven’t seen her for a week or so, but when I did, she said it was still the calm before the storm. So hotfoot back here if it comes to that, because it looks like we have room, even though Illinois is up there in fourth or something like that in number of cases.
NotMax
@SFAW
Heh. Reminded of Cat on Red Dwarf.
gene108
@khead:
I’m 45 going on 46 this year. My memories of President Carter, from when I was 4-5 years old, were that he seemed nice. Literally, my young self just felt he was a nice guy. I like him.
For people younger than me, President Carter is the nice man, who builds homes for poor people.
In short, most people alive today, in this country, don’t remember him as President, and his post-Presidency work has made him very popular.
There’s nothing there to “turn the tables” on Republicans, with President Carter.
BobS
@MagdaInBlack: Wow.
All. Those. Periods. Are. Melodramatic.
Miss Bianca
@satby: This. Christ, I wish certain people would stop pimping this “Michelle Obama for VP!” BS. It reeks of pre-emptive flop sweat.
khead
@gene108:
I’m a smidge older. 52 this year. So, I’m not really aiming this at you. Just saying it’s pretty much a given among the wingnuts my age and older that Carter was a total failure. Hey, maybe you don’t know as many wingnuts as I do.
Immanentize
@MagdaInBlack: Michelle went to Harvard Law, too. She HATED the place. My best friend at work was her teacher/supervisor in H-LAB (Harverd Legal Aid Bureau) which is a live-client-clinic representing poor people (mostly in benefits case, back then). Michelle said it was the only class she cared about at all while at Harvard.
She is NOT going anywhere near politics for the rest of her life. And if she is the great mother I think she is, neither will her daughters.
Miss Bianca
@BobS: I absolutely fucking disagree with it. Your obsession with Michelle Obama is, frankly, creepy.
germy
BobS
@PST: The patient census in my ER (metro Detroit) is way down. Notsomuch the ICU’s.
raven
@CarolDuhart2: The ones I’ve gone to I’ve gone first thing and it’s not crowded.
satby
@BobS: ok, you’re heading into troll status. Done here.
Gin & Tonic
@BobS: I disagree with your assertion. While she is a well-known and popular figure, and she has been close to power, she has literally zero experience in elective office or executive administration. Having at one time started on an actuarial track, and having remained close to actuaries throughout my life, I want someone with a more substantive resume who can take over administration immediately once Biden is dead or incapacitated. Her presence on the ticket would, of course, not make me vote for Trump, but it will make me question Biden’s seriousness in choosing staff. I suspect I am not alone.
germy
@MagdaInBlack: The only news outlets I see pushing the “Michelle Obama VP” angle are right wing outlets trying to frighten their base.
Which makes me think they’re trying to inspire dispirited trump16 voters who plan on not voting this year to get up and vote against the Obamas.
NotMax
@BobS
I disagree, if for no reason other than the solid ones given above that it would tee up the “See? Biden admits he’s so incapable he can’t operate without an Obama there to hold his hand.” malarkey.
No necessitous reason to hand out extra ammunition to the opposition.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: NYTimes has an article on the front page today about parents trying to teach their children at home discovering that educating people is really fucking hard.
TS (the original)
@BobS:
She has done her time in support of the US. If she even considered the VP slot – every last horrible revolting comment and description used over 8 years by racist birthers would come to the fore again. They have both earned everything that life has to give them and that doesn’t include any more time as part of the US government.
BobS
@Miss Bianca: Wanting a qualified/charismatic candidate who would essentially guarantee a victory in November = “creepy”.
Yeah, right.
Given your expansive vocabulary, what would your single word characterization of a Trump victory in November be?
Fair Economist
@satby: South Indiana has been having a significant fever outbreak per Kinsa. The Kinsa map has not been as predictive as I’d expected, but it’s still concerning.
germy
@OzarkHillbilly: …and those who can’t teach, teach gym.
(old woody allen joke)
satby
@germy:
Exactly. They can always pump them up with racism.
BobS
@NotMax: That (‘an Obama to prop up Biden’) is the only legitimate negative I’ve seen offered with respect to her appearance on the ticket.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@khead:
Carter was stuck with dealing with the miseries of:
– fallout for the final tranches of Vietnam spending;
– the realization of the Muslim oil countries that they could leverage their commodity into political power to try and contain the expansionism of an aggressive Israeli state;
– a military still inflicted with unrealistic notions of capacity and unearned hubris;
– an insane chair of the Fed whose fear of any level of inflation led him to make crazy efforts to choke off all notions of economic growth.
Combine that with a population that had at least 40% of the people that were still in support of Nixonian policies and rule, and you can see 1978-1980 in microcosm.
gene108
@BobS:
Yes. We are running on needing experienced leadership, in 2020, and against the failure of an inexperienced celebrity candidate.
Michelle’s place on the ticket would undermine that message.
rp
@Baud: Bush was widely regarded as a horrible president and probably the worst of all time when he left office. How else did a guy named Barack Hussein Obama win in a landslide? His image has softened a little because of time and through comparisons to Trump, but his reputation was well-established during the Obama administration.
TS (the original)
@BobS:
I do – Michelle would bring those to the polls who would come anyway to get rid of trump. She would also have an impact on the racist voters who would be sure to vote against her. Probably come out a wash whether she was there or not. Have you read her book? No way she will go through this again.
khead
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I was there. How hard is it for jackals to understand that I LIKE Carter? It’s the wingnuts who hate him. Wingnuts think he’s a failure. So let’s tie Trump to Carter because THE WINGNUTS hate him.
Sheesh.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@rp: Bush’s image should be re-tainted by his silence during the past three years and especially the last eight months and even more especially (forgive me, I’m still on my first cup of coffee) during the last two months
satby
@TS (the original): I would bet that Bob S hasn’t read the book, and also that he’s arguing in bad faith.
Ruckus
@arrieve:
Sense of smell came all the way back?
If it did was it all of a sudden or snuck up on you?
BobS
@gene108: I don’t understand the insistence that her 8 year experience in the White House doesn’t count for anything- you’re fooling yourself if you think she spent that time just planning dinners.
And with respect to her “celebrity” status, this is the American electorate we’re talking about.
Fair Economist
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
That “atypical” map is showing the situation a month ago, because there’s been no above average fever rates (aka “atypical”) anywhere for about 3 weeks. Restrictions plus people being sensible have almost eliminated fever in the US, at least among people who buy Kinsa thermometers. Click over to the “observed” overlay to see what areas have basically any fevers at all reported (just a few rural areas today). Generally any of their maps are currently of limited use because fever rates are so low.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@germy:
That makes me a little sad – the lady who owned it probably dropped it accidentally and never knew what happened to it. Frankly, she probably wondered about it off and on for months, if she was like me at all.
Jinchi
Maybe some of our Florida commenters could chime in on this, because at least in the state where I live, it’s still incredibly difficult to get a coronavirus test.
TS (the original)
@satby:
Agreed – seems there have been a couple of threads in recent days derailed by one commenter wanting to talk about Biden for one reason or another.
BobS
@satby: That tells me your gambling ability is on a par with Miss Bianca’s vocabulary skills.
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: Why don’t we have that video?
Immanentize
@satby: You know who would be really great as a running mate for Biden? Black Lightning! Let’s spend an hour or two discussing the advantages of that choice.
Then, maybe, we can talk about whether Michael Jordan would help or hurt the ticket after the recent biopic.
satby
@Fair Economist: and the largest growing areas for Covid-19 are not places where people would buy a smart thermometer, or even if they did, they’re unlikely to download the fever tracking app.
satby
@BobS: fuck off
germy
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I love history twitter.
The discovery of everyday items like combs and eating utensils even more than the great monuments. (Although I love the great monuments)
germy
@Immanentize: Surely one of Black Lightning’s daughters.
Gin & Tonic
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: So you’re suggesting it’s up to the archaeologists of two millennia hence to find Cole’s mustard?
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I’ve heard from my 95-year-old aunt in Manhattan, and all is well with her. I was worried. She says she already had a kind of a shut-in life, with all the essentials delivered, so it wasn’t a real transition for her.
This is my favorite relative, the last of my Dad’s family. She spent a lifetime as a special-ed teacher in the NYC public school system, so she’s a tough girl.
NotMax
Yay! Don’t really need them yet but lingering worries about places being (or remaining) open plus about supply inconsistencies led me to reorder my usual cigars a couple of weeks early. Just got off the phone with the place I do business with in Florida and success, they’re open (mail order only, to my knowledge they never had a storefront) and item I’m after confirmed in stock.
gene108
@WaterGirl:
Guy who created “The Apprentice”, and has rights to the videos, is a big Trump supporter.
Fair Economist
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Carter was dealt a bad hand, true, but he did do harm by being too conservative. He blocked Kennedy’s attempts at health care reform by refusing to accept universal coverage. Also, he inherited Arthur Burns as Fed chair, who thought unemployment above 6% was unacceptable in fighting inflation. It was Carter who appointed bleed-the-country-to-stop-inflation advocate Volcker, who got his chance in the ’79 oil shock and helped get Reagan elected.
germy
@Gin & Tonic: If we can’t elect Biden, there may not be archaeologists two millennia hence.
dexwood
Thought I’d be dead by thirty, but things didn’t work out. Happy 69th to me.
satby
@Immanentize: @germy: ? I had to look up who that was.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Gin & Tonic: Can you imagine the fanfare around the discovery? “Writings of the time had hinted of the existence of the mustard jar, but for centuries scholars had thought that was merely mythology…”
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: Whooocooodanoooode????
Teacher’s are the most underpaid people in the country.
satby
@dexwood: Happy Birthday ??dexwood!
Immanentize
@germy: Yes, but which one?
Thunder? or Lightning? And are either old enough? I prefer the powers of Lightning, but Thunder would be the first openly gay Veep….
O. Felix Culpa
@satby: Seconded.
Booger
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I would clarify your point as Arab countries, not Moslem countries.
satby
@NotMax: yay x2! It’s the little necessities that make life easier.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: Silly wabbit – Black Lightning is for kids. Now, BLACK PANTHER, there’s a serious candidate choice. Wakanda forever!
ETA: Chadwick Boseman, also too. Swoon.
NotMax
@dexwood
Congrats! 69 is the new 68.
Ruckus
@El Dougo:
I volunteered to go when I was in the navy but they told me how long I’d have to reenlist for and that seemed, not worth it.
germy
@Immanentize: I’m a Lightning fan.
Also, what a great job Wayne Brady did as “Gravedigger” !
I love when comedians stretch out into more serious roles.
Shawn in Showme
@BobS:
If running a former first lady on the ticket is the only way the Democrats can prevent a Trump victory in November, the Democratic party needs to close up show now. That’s just further proof that the Obamas have been propping up a zombie party for the last 12 years.
hueyplong
@dexwood: Happy 69th to you. Glad you FUBARed your attempted early checkout.
satby
@El Dougo: I remember that one woman doctor had to perform her own needle biopsy and give herself chemotherapy until she could be evacuated.
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: You are right! But was he born in America? How about STORM? She is pow.er.ful.
(I think T’Chala was also Wakanda-born)?
Immanentize
@germy: Agreed, he was scary.
Gin & Tonic
@germy: I just finished reading David Farrier’s Footprints, a very interesting meditation on what our fossil record will be millions or tens of millions of years from now. No mention of Cole’s mustard, but also no expectation of anything human-like on that timescale. It’s sobering to think how short human history has been.
The jellyfish, though…
NotMax
@El Dougo
Pretty interesting (although would have been tighter with some judicious cutting for time) documentary on Prime about those who work and especially those who winter there, imaginatively titled Antarctica.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: Dagnabbit, leave it to a lawyer to invoke the Constitution! Correctly, even. Now checking on Storm’s origin story…. BRB.
Ok…Storm was born in Manhattan and moved with her parents to Cairo when she was seven months old. So she’s natural-born, plus female as Joe Biden promised for his VP choice. Will shoot an email to his campaign forthwith.
JCJ
@germy:
Hmm. Maybe they will find Cole’s mustard
ETA: Dang it! G & T got there long before me!
Immanentize
@dexwood:
Check Out Time — Nick Lowe
Happy Birthday!
Jinchi
I thought the wingnut rule was: ‘the most recent Democratic president is the worst of all time’.
So the worst presidents would be:
Johnson > Carter > Clinton > Obama > (Hillary)
I know she didn’t make it, but the way they go on about her, I think they add her in their rankings anyway.
NotMax
@O. Felix Culpa
I’d be willing to bend the Constitution’s natural born citizen requirement just this once in order to witness the debate between Pence and Wolverine.
Even though the latter is another chronologically elderly white dude.
:)
O. Felix Culpa
@dexwood: Birthday wishes sent your way from a few miles north!
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: Now we are talking dream team. Literally!
Fair Economist
@SFAW:
Here in OC CA, I have been waiting for cases and deaths to drop to get takeout and do nonessential shopping. And waiting. And waiting. We have had a two-crest wave here, with the second crest bigger than the first, and still are – at best – just a few days past the second crest. It’s not bad – we are well below CA averages, never mind national ones – but I’m still disappointed – and stuck at home. To my displeasure, my husband *has* been getting takeout but there’s a limit to what I can get him to do.
Looking at the city incidence data, it looks like the first wave was in wealthier areas, presumably because they brought it in, and the second wave has been in poorer/immigrant areas. LA county has a similar pattern but several times the case rate, I assume because it has more of both the hyperconnected rich *and* the poor than OC does.
Northern California is looking much better, and is planning to relax restrictions slightly this week.
Gin & Tonic
@NotMax: If I’m not mistaken, that film began its life as a Kickstarter project (to which I contributed.)
O. Felix Culpa
@NotMax: @Immanentize: If we can’t dream now, then when?
germy
@Gin & Tonic:
When I buy something for my house; a porch railing or fence or some other thing I want to outlive me… it begins falling apart and decaying almost immediately.
And then when I buy something temporary, like a pack of batteries, or perishable food, the plastic shell will live on for centuries, if not recycled (which it probably won’t be, even if I leave it in a recycling bin). Something ain’t right here.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I was just out for a walk. It’s a gorgeous day. I think the birds were staging a riot, they were singing so loudly.
NotMax
@germy
Encase your porch railing in clamshell plastic containers. Problem solved.
:)
BobS
@satby: And your vocabulary skills are on a par with hers, as well.
Betty Cracker
@Jinchi: From what I can gather, DeSantis is lying. Or, more charitably, he was lying when he said supply outstrips demand and means to make it briefly true before it turns into a lie again.
There probably WAS at least a temporary surplus of tests because the restrictions on who can get a test were stringent. But at the same presser, DeSantis said he was changing those restrictions to make tests more widely available.
The timing is perfect: he got to say that right before getting a pat on the head from Trump in the Oval Office.
PS: This is petty as fuck and I have no standing since I’ve been baking more and exercising less lately, but DeSantis has really packed on the pounds over the last few months! Lord!
Betty Cracker
@BobS: Did you read Michelle Obama’s book?
WereBear
I wouldn’t.
Report from the field: Aldis has shields at the checkout, sanitized carts, and all personnel wearing masks. The PEOPLE are about 90% CLUELESS about social distance. I can’t use a whistle because that throughs stuff in the air.
Maybe a bell…
My local health food store, which I buy my usual stuff at so they will stay in business, is REALLY good about it all.
Not even going to the downtown grocery at this point. It’s tiny and narrow aisles and I don’t see how social distancing could work there at all.
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
Is Michelle Obama qualified to be Joe Biden’s running mate? I guess so. Does she have the temperament and integrity? Arguably. Does she want to be in another political campaign? She has said no; but more importantly, as she has repeatedly made plain, she does not want to seek any public office. You should respect that, and quit touting her.
dexwood
Thanks for all the well wishes. Gorgeous day in Albuquerque, heading outside for a few hours. Balloon Juice keeps me sane.
gwangung
And that’s why you should be dismissed. It DOESN’T count as much because she wasn’t sitting in the chair making the decision. Hilary needed the years as SOS and Senator to get close (and you saw what happened there).
Kattails
@PST: Christ, I hope not. I’ve got asthma. Live alone in the woods, really can’t get anyone to shop for me, just go out fully masked every 10 days or so. Other than that, no contact with anyone except to get my car inspected. I’m on leave of absence from work with a doctor’s note, but will need to renew that in a couple of weeks. It’s insane that we are doing so little testing and tracking.
BobS
@Shawn in Showme: Michelle Obama is more than “a former first lady”. I’m surprised that so few here seem to appreciate that. Equally surprised that ‘star power’ is under-appreciated when it comes to politics on a national stage, or the supposition that racism (by Republicans) won’t be a feature with any black VP candidate.
germy
Trolley Problem
raven
I’m still tweaking but the pups did an inspection of the new bed. Back in the 70s I had a GMC that was basically the same body and not only did the dogs ride back there but they could jump over the side into the bed. Really stupid in retropect.
NotMax
@WereBear
“Unclean! Unclean!”
Everything old is new again.
:)
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
What part of “Michelle Obama doesn’t want to be Vice-President” do you not understand?
BobS
@Betty Cracker: Not cover-to-cover, but excerpts (out of chapter order) while my wife did.
germy
Priorities
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@BobS: so… you think Michelle Obama will be open to being Biden’s running mate if you can create a groundswell in the comments section of an almost not quite top ten thousand political blog?
MagdaInBlack
@BobS:
Thank you ☺
Gin & Tonic
@raven: I expect you had to pick Lil Bit up into the bed?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy:
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Booger:
I started to say that, but then recalled that Iran isn’t Arab…
BobS
@Amir Khalid: The part that understands she’s supremely qualified for the job, the part that understands a Biden-Obama ticket significantly increases the odds of a Democratic victory in November (and creates a pathway to her own presidential candidacy in 2024), and the part that understands a Trump victory effectively ends American democracy.
NotMax
@germy
“Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear.”
– Douglas MacArthur
.
Also too, won’t the RWNJs be cowering indoors about chemtrails?
Immanentize
@raven: They look very very pleased with the results! Bodhi tested, Lil Bit approved!
(Nice job, Raven)
BobS
@MagdaInBlack: You’re. Welcome.
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Both of them. Bohdi is really struggling with his mobility and I don’t see how it is going to get better. His front right is sort of bent and his rear legs splay and he is having trouble walking and peeing. He still manages stairs and hops on the couch now and then and, against one of the vets advice, I’m not taking anything more away from him now.
raven
@Immanentize: I really need the help I got from Ozark et al.
BobS
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I know- tough crowd, here. Going against the grain is like bucking BernieBros.
hueyplong
As a mover and shaker within the Party heirarchy, I’m prepared to (1) take Michelle Obama as VP under consideration and (2) improve my working vocabulary.
Is there anything else I can do for you?
NotMax
@raven
Looking good. Humble suggestion that adding a carpet saddle (sometimes called a transition strip) would help extend the life of the wooden edge closest to the tailgate.
Gonna use your extra John Deere barbecue black to paint it?
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
If nominated Michelle Obama will not run, if elected she will not serve. That is the reality. It doesn’t matter how well-qualified you think she is.
Another Scott
@Gin & Tonic:
It’s small beans compared to the federal government, and I know that’s what you mean, but my recollection (too late to look) is that Michelle was making around $350k a year as a fairly big-wig administrator for the U of Chicago Hospitals while Barack was in state government and a Senator. She was the breadwinner.
I have no doubt she could do the job, and do it well.
But pining for it is like pining for fairy gumdrop land. And it demeans the rest of our very deep bench. We’ve got lots of good people who could and would do well on Biden’s ticket.
Cheers,
Scott.
BobS
@hueyplong: I’m assuming the comment/question is addressed to me.
With respect to #1, that would be wise of ‘movers and shakers’ like yourself, and #2, that depends- are you the one who describes speculating on/endorsing Michelle Obama as VP candidate as “creepy”, or are you the one whose argumentative skills consist pretty entirely of “fuck off”?
NotMax
Just noticed that Blue Velvet is available on Prime. Extremely reticent to watch it again after all these years in case it doesn’t hold up at all.
Jeffro
@Amir Khalid: only the parts between “Michelle” and “Vice-President”, apparently.
Booger
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Good point. I just recall it being called “The Arab Oil Embargo,” maybe some conflation going on in my addled brain.
Immanentize
@raven: I see how that lip must have been a bear. And, it’s always nice to give advice when someone else has to do the actual work!
raven
@Immanentize: Let’s just say it’s a good thing the dogs were doing the inspection!
hueyplong
@BobS: That’s so disrepectful of them. Hoping you’ll be able to weather the storm.
raven
@NotMax: I might, I used spar urethane on the edges.
Barbara
@NotMax: I didn’t even really love it at the time.
hueyplong
@NotMax: It does hold up.
But it’s possible that you’ve changed so that it isn’t your cup of tea anymore.
It’s rare when someone sees a movie through the same eyes in two viewings that are, what, 34 years apart?
BobS
@Amir Khalid: You’re probably right- I’ve never really disputed that she probably wouldn’t (although what you or me know about what “reality” will be in July or August doesn’t mean shit). I have argued (against other’s assertions) that she is in fact qualified to be VP (and president), and that her presence on the ticket would do more than any other person to guarantee a Democratic victory (as well as Democratic coattails) in November- are either of those things untrue?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
my hot and very important and influential take on Biden’s Veep: If he’s committed to picking a woman of color, and I think he should be, Kamala Harris is the most conventional choice, Biden is a conventional politician, and the post-2016 election results suggest the electorate as a whole is lot more conventional than a lot of people in the tubes want it to be. Also, reports are that KH had a strong personal connection to Beau Biden, and I think that would be a strong pull for Joe.
(Full disclosure: I’m a Harris fan from way back)
schrodingers_cat
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Agreed.
Stacey Abraham’s campaign to be the VP nominee is reeking of desperation and is not a good look IMHO.
BobS
@hueyplong: I can take some solace in the fact that “movers and shakers” like yourself are licking envelopes and answering phones.
trollhattan
@NotMax:
“Play ‘The Candy-Colored Clown!'” Frank Booth–character for the ages.
I’d start it for the opening tracking shot and see how it goes for there. Worst date movie ever, but launched several impressive acting careers.
hueyplong
@BobS: Yes, I’m thankful that those jobs remain available in these dark times.
trollhattan
I can remember being glad to leave home for work on days they’re doing construction–of which there’s been a lot the last couple of years in the ‘hood. Well, today they’re ripping out sidewalks and now home is also the office, so close the windows and turn up the music. It’s also supposed to hit 92 and I just checked, still April.
Grumble grumble.
The Thin Black Duke
@BobS: Troll. Goodbye.
PST
@Ruckus: When my father was in the navy, in the 40s, he was offered a chance to go to Antarctica. When he asked why he was selected, he was told that it was because he had no fillings in his teeth. They tended to contract in the cold and fall out. He declined. I believed him, but it’s a good yarn true or not. Too late to check his mouth.
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
Your first claim, that Michelle Obama could do the job, is arguably true. Your second, that her personal popularity would be a great asset to the Democratic ticket and its coattails, is more of a stretch — she is completely untested as a candidate in her own right, and no one can know how well she would do.
And you persist in running into the brick wall of her refusal to even consider any political career. It is pointless to obsess on her as VP, which is why most people here don’t.
MattF
@schrodingers_cat: Disagree. I don’t think Biden should choose her, but Abrams understands that a small chance is better than no chance. Raising your hand and getting attention is how you get ahead in politics.
mrmoshpotato
What an orange sack of shit. (But you all knew that.)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@mrmoshpotato: good god, I never heard him say out loud that he had “Bachelor finale” ratings. I think the audio is better in those kinds of ads than a tweet.
EthylEster
@bluefoot: I saw an article last week that asserted that airborne virus was much more of a risk than virus on surfaces. Makes sense…the stuff coming out of folks’ mouths has the heaviest virus load. Then that gets transferred to a surface in a less than 100% efficient manner….assuming no door knob licking.
MattF
@mrmoshpotato: Sack of shit is baffled.
Barbara
@schrodingers_cat: I don’t know if it’s desperation, but I was surprised at how openly she is lobbying for the job. I really feel for progressive candidates like her and Beto O’Rourke facing high odds in achieving statewide office in red states but I don’t think leapfrogging to be VP (or president) is the answer, at least not for the nation.
NotMax
@hueyplong
it can also be not only fun but personally instructive to discover how (or if) the actuality deviates from the memory.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Barbara: I think she figured out a (possible) way around the red state trap by building a national organization for voting rights, but I don’t think she had the time to make that platform fill the gap between the state lege to the Veep spot.
BobS
@Amir Khalid: Actually, I think the second point is more arguably true than the first- that she’s one of the more beloved and respected public figures in the US is incontestable. If you don’t think she would put Biden over-the-top without breaking a sweat you simply don’t understand the American electorate. Who would you suggest has the name recognition/’star power’ that Michelle Obama would bring to the ticket?
With respect to that “brick wall”, yes, I fucking understand what she’s said and written. I also understand that human beings have the ability and propensity to change their minds. And while I understand that the odds of that happening are about the inverse of the odds that her being on the ticket would guarantee victory, I personally retain some hope that what has happened since the publication of her book would cause her to reconsider if she were asked.
BobS
@The Thin Black Duke: I’ll miss you. You offered a lot to the conversation.
SFAW
@BobS:
Will you please stop with that ridiculous bullshit already? She isn’t “supremely qualified” by any stretch of the imagination, except yours. Hillary was not “supremely qualified” prior to her governmental service, either. And, I would venture to say, Hillary had a better legal resume — before becoming First Lady — than Michelle Obama has/had. Being smart, well-educated, and the spouse of a former president does not make one “supremely qualified.”
EthylEster
If this thread isn’t dead yet it deserves to be.
Stop engaging BobS!
Waste of space, time, and bandwidth.
H.E.Wolf
Alas, I suspect it’s the part where white men presume that women should serve them whenever white men demand it, regardless of the women’s own desires.
It’s a particularly bad look when the woman of whom the white man is demanding service is Black, and is descended from enslaved people, and has said that she does not want to tote that bale.
Immanentize
@NotMax: It is one of the most visually amazing films I have ever seen. When Isabella Rossellini comes out from beside the house naked (when MacLachlin and Dern were talking) she said she was trying to emulate the B/W photograph of the naked girl who was napalmed. It is supposed to be difficult.
BobS
@SFAW: It’s my belief that, given their shared legal background as well as her own history as an administrator, Michelle and Barack Obama ‘traded notes’ as a matter of routine (similar to my own marriage, where my wife and I have a similar educational background/professional responsibilities- we talk (a lot) about our jobs, and help each other solve problems). Frankly, I think that 8 year ‘apprenticeship’ in the actual White House is arguably as valuable (probably even more valuable) than Barack Obama’s rather thin experience as a state and (one-term) US Senator. And he was one of our better presidents.
By the way, I think Hillary Clinton would have been a fine president in 2001, particularly when compared to who we got.
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
Maybe, but you’re not showing any respect for her wishes.
BobS
@Amir Khalid: Watching democracy die can do that.
JMG
Steny Hoyer has said the House will not return to DC and reopen for business on May 4 because the virus is still too present in the DC area. All the Democrats we worked hard to elect in 2018 ought to be ashamed of themselves. You weren’t drafted for this job. You don’t have to do it to feed your families. If you don’t think you are essential government workers in a national emergency, you are useless to your party, your constituents, and your country. Resign or show up for work.
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
Hillary in 2001? A freshman senator? You gotta be kidding.
Immanentize
Meanwhile in things more important than what BobS’ fantasy life entails, it seems that there is not a lot of support internationally for the idea that Density is a key factor in virus spreading.
It makes so much intuitive sense, yet science may have a different opinion.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
What if Michelle Obama wanted to run for office?
What if Joe Biden were ten years younger?
What if the American people gave a shit about corruption and foreign interference in our elections?
What if James Comey weren’t a scoldy (and probably misogynistic) prig?
What if Stacey Abrams had won the GA governor’s race?
What if Bernie hadn’t gotten high on his own supply in 2016?
What if Elizabeth Warren hadn’t decided that unpopular ideas would become popular if you say “fight” a lot?
What if South Carolina went before Iowa?
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Nicole: That’s awesome. I don’t get into celebrity worship at all but he seems genuinely like a really good guy. I wish I’d have gotten his autograph back then but who knew? To be honest I’m not even sure I knew he was a visiting scholar at the time – for all I knew he was one of the regular theater department faculty.
A few years ago I actually started to doubt my own memory of the whole thing – thinking maybe it was just some guy who looked like him and then when I saw ST:TNG my memory tricked me into thinking that was the guy I saw, so I googled whether he’d ever been at Oberlin. The internet says yes, he was, and he did indeed to a production of The Tempest in which he starred as Prospero while on campus.
trollhattan
@SFAW:
Have ZERO IDEA why anybody wastes a milliwatt of energy pondering Michelle’s future office potential.
She. Does. Not. Want. It.
Having the closest, most intimate perch from which to observe how her husband was treated for eight years in office she knows better than any human how miserable the job truly is, doubly so for a person of color.
She can continue to make a difference as Michelle Obama. Is that not enough?
BobS
@Amir Khalid: You’re seriously arguing that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have been a better president in 2001 than Bush2? Because that’s what I wrote.
BobS
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: What if you weren’t comparing apples, i.e. things that occurred in a past that can’t be changed, with oranges, i.e. a future that’s not pre-ordained?
Immanentize
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:@Nicole:
“Extras” was one of my favorite shows ever. Ricky Gervais…
For your viewing pleasure, four minutes of Sir Patrick Stewart.
Cracks me up every time!
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
What if God were one of us?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: Ha!
Amir Khalid
@Baud:
.. Just a slob, like one of us?
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
My cat would also have made a better POTUS than George Walker Bush. But neither she nor Hillary in 2001 would have really been ready for the Oval Office.
Another Scott
@JMG: See TheHill story about it. They will be continuing to work and will return for votes when necessary. They’re going to pass proxy voting in the House soon.
They’re being smart.
Cheers,
Scott.
trollhattan
@Immanentize:
The “Extras” episode with David Bowie serenading Ricky with the “piggy little piggy man” song was perhaps the most breathtakingly cringe-worthy television moment ever. Evidently Bowie really enjoyed doing it.
BobS
@Amir Khalid: Not excluding the possibility you had a really special cat, but no, probably not.
On the other hand, HRC probably could have managed the job as well in 2001 as she might have in 2009 (had she won the nomination that year. A lot of Democrats- and probably more than a few here- supported her that year). While a few years as a US Senator were certainly of value, after a lifetime of public service and 8 years of witnessing presidential politics up close, they were as much a resume polisher as anything else
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@trollhattan: Gervais can be a dick, but some of the moments on that show were freaking hilarious: Bowie, Clive Fucking Owen, Diana Rigg, and my personal favorite, Sir Ian McKellan.
Kelly
Carter stood up and took the heat for for Paul Volker squeezing inflation out of the economy. Same for energy efficiency. If we’d stayed on Carter’s energy efficiency plans climate change would be less of a problem now. Like always a Democrat did the hard thing then Republicans got in.
Carter would have had a hard time winning even without the Iran hostages.
Amir Khalid
@BobS:
You really should quit pining for your favourite FLOTUSes.
BobS
@Amir Khalid: Strong argument there, Amir. On the other hand, your understanding of the political scene (and political personalities) in the US seems to rival that precocious cat of yours.
Uncle Cosmo
Concur.
In ordinary times, with a younger, fundamentally healthy candidate at the top of the ticket, what a VP candidate brings to the ticket in other areas (e.g., appeal to specific constituencies, campaign verve & panache, ability to mediate relations with Congress, specific expertise/experience) would have greater weight.
But these are not ordinary times. The amount of effort needed to drag this nation back from the overhang above Neofascist Valley will be immense. And if the SSA’s actuarial tables can be trusted, a 78-year-old American male has greater than a 1 in 5 chance of dying before his 82nd birthday (for Uncle Joe, 20 Nov 2024, when he would still be POTUS), without taking incapacitation or COVID-19 or the pressures of the most stressful job on the planet into account.
Let’s fill out the ticket with someone as ready as possible to step into the job from day 1, and commit to helping her get even readier with each passing day.
BobS
@Uncle Cosmo: So, the names I’ve seen mentioned as VP candidate are Warren (bad choice- Republican governor appoints her replacement), Harris, Deming, Abrams, Klobachar, & Whitmer.
Who among them brings that (as well as a relatively experienced consigliere) to the extent of someone who spent 8 yrs seeing the job done well from up close?
Uncle Cosmo
@germy: Have you ever read Motel Of The Mysteries? If not, try it, it’s fun and a well-directed satire.
I have always respected archaeology as the one field of human endeavor that could turn our notions about how we got to this moment topsy-turvy in the time it might take to tumble into an unsuspected subterranean vault. Other fields could change our concepts, but it would take a lot longer.
Uncle Cosmo
@BobS: Any of them (including Klobuchar, whose name you can’t be arsed to spell correctly, geenyuss) is far preferable to someone who has said over&over&over&over&over&over that she doesn’t want the job. People believed Sherman when he said as much 136 years ago – what’s your fucking problem?
(Answer: You’re a fucking imbecile.)
Another Scott
@BobS:
“So, you’re telling me, there’s a chance??!?!!”
Cheers,
Scott.
The Lodger
@WereBear: “Bring out your dead… (CLANG!)
J R in WV
@BobS:
What about the part where she says she will not run for the nomination, will not accept the nomination, further, if nominated, she will not run for office? Does NOT want that job!
That’s not a legitimate reason not to nominate her?
Sounding like a troll for sure! Obsessed with Michelle, but why?
BobS
@Uncle Cosmo: “preferable” (to you) wasn’t the question, dumb-fuck (apparently my poor performance in the vp candidate name spelling bee is the equivalent of your ability to understand what’s written).
None of the names mentioned bring more (excepting possibly Warren, who has age issues of her own), particularly the in-house counsel an ex-president would provide, to the ‘first day on the job’ that Obama would.
@Uncle Cosmo:
J R in WV
@BobS:
Isn’t this a classic example of what is called Sea Lion trolling?
Asking questions better answered by the questioner?
I’m thinking it is, for sure. Into the Pie Safe with you, BobS~!!~
BobS
@J R in WV: Jesus, there’s strong competition for the most dense person here- welcome to the competition (and if the WV is for West Virginia, you’re probably already playing from ahead).
As I’ve written, over&over, it’s my fear that if Trump wins in 2020 American democracy is over, for a generation or more (at least). Also, as I’ve written, over&over, I understand what Michelle Obama has written and stated- however, I merely hope that she shares my supposition that this may very well be an existential moment for democracy in the US and (at the very least, as a mother of young daughters) she would reconsider her rejection of politics based on the fact that she, as one of the most respected and trusted figures in American public life, would virtually guarantee, as I’ve written over&over, a Democratic victory in November.
Sab
@JMG: I personally don’t want my House member dead. Stay home and set a good example.
CindyH
@Sab: agreed
J R in WV
@BobS:
And now we know BobS isn’t even an American, as all Americans know that HIllary didn’t run for any office in 2001. Whether he is a Sea Lion or a Russian pseudo-bot is still to be determined.
Immanentize
@trollhattan:. Oh, I agree. My wife
Was s HUGE Bowie fan. We watched Funny Little Fat man over and over….
BobS
@J R in WV: Uh, dumbfuck, I was responding to an assertion that HRC would have been unprepared for the presidency after 8 years of Bill’s presidency. As most non-dumbfucks would understand, the November 2000 election would have resulted in her assuming the presidency in 2001.
Yep, definitely West Virginia.
(some of you irascible old fucks are like Teabaggers under a different flag)
J R in WV
@BobS:
OK, now you’re demonstrating your bias against the state this blog is owned in and run from? Not that you are the first instance of prejudice against Hillbillies I have run into, but perhaps the most irritating instance of prejudice more recently.
Perhaps you can understand this “Fuck you with a rusty chain saw, bigot!” No one admires Michelle Obama more than I do, but not wanting a job makes one totally unqualified for that job!
Not being willing to understand that simple fact makes you as dumb as Trump.
So glad I put you in the pie safe, won’t be toggling to see what foolishness you’re up to again.
Classic Russian Troll-bot behavior
BobS
@J R in WV: Ironic, inasmuch as running away makes one as gutless as Trump.
(and since you’re from WV, have someone explain ‘irony’ to you.
SFAW
@BobS:
Donnie? Is that you? Your projection is showing, Donnie.
I had thought that you just had a “thing” for Mrs. Obama, but the more you write, the more you display your general moronitude. “Without breaking a sweat.” My my my, you DO go on.
SFAW
@BobS:
Yeah, yeah, I get it that you think that an intelligent, accomplished woman being married to a President certainly makes her “supremely qualified.”
Supreme: adj. superior to all others
We all get it, that you (cluelessly) believe Mrs. Obama is the one-and-only magic elixir that Biden needs. Most of the rest of the rational world disagrees.
SFAW
@BobS:
Ironic, inasmuch that repeating the same bullshit — as if more repetition will magically make it true — makes you as much of a “stable genius” as Trump.