Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

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

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

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

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

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

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

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

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

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

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

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

This really is a full service blog.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

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

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

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Biden For President / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Biden Rulz, Repubs Droolz

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Biden Rulz, Repubs Droolz

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Late Night Minor Consolation Open Thread: At Least the Oval Office Occupant Is Miserable, Too

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)
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The Biden shadow presidency continues apace!

Reader Interactions

250Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    Woke up to a tweet saying it took Trump 3 hours to delete that White Power tweet because he was out on the golf course and could not be reached. Am I the only one to be skeptical about his being without his phone for that long? I can’t believe there’s no reception.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Just 37% say that of Donald Trump, who has been president for 3½ years.

    Ouch. That’s gonna leave a mark.

  5. 5.

    PsiFighter37

    Looks like Hickenlooper won the CO primary in the end. Anyone more familiar with state politics know how all the recent stuff has impacted him? Gardner is still so loathsome that I would think he’s going to still win handily.

  6. 6.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Just 37% say that of Donald Trump, who has been president for 3½ years.

    I’m guessing that 37% is Hair Furor’s effective “base”.  I always look at this through the Crazification Factor lense.  The 27% factors out racism, we get that from the basic premise.  Perhaps the additional 10% is the “he hates who we hate” element, thus, he’ll never go below 37%.

  11. 11.

    PsiFighter37

    @Baud:  Looks like we lost this race by 8% in 2018. Feels like it should be in reach if we are running against a QAnon believer and Trump’s top-level performance will be even worse this year.

  12. 12.

    Starfish

    @PsiFighter37: 

    The thing with Colorado politics is that it is vote by mail so last minute stuff may sway things some but not that much.

    Hickenlooper had a lot of money. Romanoff was near the end of the money he had, and people were using this difference of funds in hand to vote for Hickenlooper as more able to beat Gardner.

    We had a fairly diverse field go down to two white men. One painted himself as being more pro-environment than the other. I did not watch any of their debates. I live in a place where people like Romanoff better, but it was clear that people who considered themselves politically savvy were voting for Hickenlooper.

    We had a race for county commissioner that was between an “electable” (white dude) and a woman who was pulling in much less money, and that election was still too close to call at midnight.

  14. 14.

    PST

    @debbie:

    Woke up to a tweet saying it took Trump 3 hours to delete that White Power tweet because he was out on the golf course and could not be reached.

    This is the second time in days that the excuse has been more disturbing than the initial report. The president* is out of reach for hours on end? I’m sure that’s a lie, but it would be an outrage if true. Just like never having been told about Russian bounty hunting of US and allied troops is a lie, but would be an outrage if true. I’m sure there are many more examples.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to veto Congress’ annual defense authorization bill over objections to renaming U.S. military bases honoring Confederate commanders — hardening his rhetoric regarding the preservation of controversial American sites and statues.

     

    “I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!” Trump wrote on Twitter, reprising his previous criticism of the modified measure.

    ….

    Nonetheless, the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee approved an amendment last month to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that would force the Pentagon to remove names, monuments and paraphernalia honoring the Confederacy from military bases over the next three years.

  16. 16.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Good morning, everyone! Happy Canada ?? Day!

    Today is a double “hump day.” Not only is it Wednesday, but July 1st in a leap year means this is Day 183, with 183 days remaining. This miserable year is half over ???

  18. 18.

    Mousebumples

    @PST:

    https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/1277988188401938432?s=09

    In the mid ‘90s when I needed to reach my dad, I’d walk to the pay phone outside my high school, drop in change, dial the @WhiteHouse operator and then be connected. Wherever he was. The President is always reachable if he or she cares to be.

    My bet is that the delay was over who had to tell him to delete the tweet. Or he was talking to Vlad and wouldn’t hang up to take a call from whomever drew the short straw in the White House.

  19. 19.

    Baud

     Why Do Reporters Assume Candidates of Color Are Insurgents?

     

    It’s a pernicious stereotype—and downright lazy journalism.

     

  21. 21.

    Baud

    @trnc:

    It’s important that Trump be reachable in the event of war so he can decide which country to support.

  22. 22.

    trnc

    “This is the most unusual campaign, I think, in modern history,” Mr Biden said at a press conference in Delaware.

    Not by a long shot. DT had a 100% substance free campaign, sought foreign govt assistance and broke a ton of norms along the way. Biden speaking to people using technology instead of in front of large crowds? Pfffffffft.

  24. 24.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I missed previous threads on this, but when did the ‘only 19% of Republicans are happy’ poll come out?  Because I think the best explanation is the Supreme Court LGBT decision.  It blew out of the water one of the biggest things they wanted from a Trump administration.  Republican and especially evangelical hatred of queer everything is deranged and obsessive.

  25. 25.

    Zinsky

    In just the “common human decency” category alone, Biden beats Trump by a country mile!  His coronavirus speech yesterday was really well done.  I still have grave concerns about Biden’s mental brittleness, though.  That is why his VP choice is so critical now!!

  27. 27.

    Barbara

    @Baud: I find it increasingly hard to read articles that feature the opinions of the professional Republicans with a vested interest in getting Teump reelected no matter how deranged and awful he is. They focus on tactics and strategy as a way of not confronting their status as hostages to a sociopath.

  28. 28.

    Brachiator

    From our new USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Two-thirds of those surveyed, 67%, say Joe Biden has “the right experience to be president.” Just 37% say that of Donald Trump, who has been president for 3½ years.

    Ooh, that’s gotta burn. A nice judgement on Trump’s inadequacy.

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    I wonder if there has been any research in states that conduct elections via mail to see how it has affected campaigning? I’m sure campaigns adjusted, but I’d be interested to see the data and details. Will have to look that up.

    Another fascinating research project would be a study to determine if there really is an increase in voters functioning as pundits and voting strategically on the basis of their own analysis of what OTHER voters will do. It sure seems more prevalent since Trump, but maybe it has always been that way and we’re just more aware of it now due to social media.

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Frankensteinbeck: Don’t forget the abortion case too. Repubs may not be happy, but it has nothing to do with what the GOP does, rather everybody else’s overwhelming reaction against them.

    Protests against cops shooting unarmed black people? What a bunch of snowflakes. Whaddya mean 76% of Americans agree with the protestors???? Thathathat’s un AMURIKAN!!!!!

  39. 39.

    trnc

    @Baud: “I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!”

    Because a name change makes a base useless.

    Also, “of all people?”  How is her heritage related to his love of traitors?

  41. 41.

    rikyrah

    @David Fud:

    They did. The GOP chose the June Elections because they thought the odd time would lower turnout. Well, they got a vote about Healthcare in the middle of a PANDEMIC ?

    I don’t give a shyt that it barely passed.

     

    It passed

    In OKLAHOMA.

    THOUSANDS of our fellow citizens will now get access to Healthcare ????

  42. 42.

    WereBear

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Never say never. I live in hope.

    While Biden is not my personal first choice, in terms of contrasting with Trump, he’s my #1 pick.

    Old White Guy vs. Old White Guy is like a scientific experiment to filter out bias and confounders. We need every edge.

  43. 43.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Baud:

     many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars

    What’s with the random capitalization? I know he does it, but it’s really weird to me.

  44. 44.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That’s just bizarre.

    But then in order to have the experience, he’d actually have had to be acting presidential and doing such things as reading his briefings.

    Adam’s post from last evening points out that the Rs current excuse is he doesn’t read and everyone knows it, so what are you going to do? Can’t get too upset. And that’s what the constant barrage of failure has led us to. Of course he fails. So what?

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

    ? Susan in Montclair, NJ spends 30 minutes harassing two black lawyers because she wants to know if they have a permit for their new stone patio. Then lies and says the husband attacked her. But the rest of the white women on the street congregate to drag her unwashed ass. pic.twitter.com/7SKTFOWll5— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) July 1, 2020

  46. 46.

    Gin & Tonic

    @gene108:

     Republicans go more conservative fascist.

     

    FTFY. The Republican party has not been “conservative” in decades. They are radicals in every sense of that word.

  47. 47.

    Chyron HR

    @Zinsky:

    I still have grave concerns about Biden’s mental brittleness, though.

    I myself have grave concerns that Biden is secretly dead.  Are we still supposed to be spreading that meme?  I assume Bernie would tell us if it was no longer operational.  SECRETLY DEAD!

  49. 49.

    Zinsky

    @Frankensteinbeck:   I think that is a good analysis.  With Roberts siding with liberals on the Louisiana abortion admitting rights decision and the LGBTQ decision last week, evangelicals have to feel more than a little betrayed about now!  I think Trump’s falling approval rating bears that out.

  50. 50.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    Why Do Reporters Assume Candidates of Color Are Insurgents?

    Interesting commentary. Some pundits never let the facts get in the way of a predetermined narrative.

  51. 51.

    gene108

    @Gin & Tonic:

    What’s with the random capitalization? I know he does it, but it’s really weird to me.

    Trying to get in touch, with his German heritage?

    All nouns are capitalized in German.

  54. 54.

    John S.

    @SiubhanDuinne: I think most people just want a return to normalcy, and unfortunately in politics that looks like an old white guy (who isn’t Trump or a Republican).

    I’m hoping a couple years of a Biden presidency will embolden voters to support a more diverse field of candidates than what we’re seeing so far this year. A solid VP pick from Biden should help with that.

  61. 61.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    It would be a lovely gift for us all if Congress overrode his veto on this. Slap that fat bastard right back down.

  62. 62.

    Betty Cracker

    The Trump campaign did a huge media buy in Florida, and this is the ad that is running incessantly:

    Not sure a 74-year-old’s attack on a 77-year-old for being too old is as effective as they imagine. Likewise, the campaign stringing together clips of Biden sounding addled just invites the listener to recall Trump’s many rambling, incoherent monologues. Oh well, Parscale is probably making a mint, so there’s that.

  63. 63.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Totally agree

    That abortion is (still) legal and LGBTQ people have rights—to Evangelicals, this means demonic/Satanic forces, ie democrats have dragged America away from god. Trump MUST be re-elected so he can bring America back to god See a minute of so of any JimBakker video

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Adam’s post from last evening points out that the Rs current excuse is he doesn’t read and everyone knows it, so what are you going to do? Can’t get too upset. And that’s what the constant barrage of failure has led us to. Of course he fails. So what?

    This is some championship level enabling. The lie used to be that Trump was a natural genius who didn’t even need a briefing because he was smarter than any of his advisors. Trump himself pushed this hard.

    But Trump supporters don’t even notice the spins, reversals and contradictions as they desperately try to prop up their incompetent Dear Leader.

  66. 66.

    Betty Cracker

    Also regarding that ad, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t associate “strength and stamina” with a chubby Trump waddling toward a golf cart…

  70. 70.

    hueyplong

    @rikyrah: 1. There is a bad part of me that assumes “Susan in Montclair” stories are a big part of why GOPers are no longer optimistic about the direction of the country.  I mean, when an angry Karen can’t pivot from a lame accusation to “that black dude attacked me,” it’s no longer America at all.

    2. About the supposed 3 hour delay in reaching President Replacement Value Internet Troll, why do we even tote the football around if he can’t be reached for hours at a time?

    3. The corollary to #2 is, so what happens when Trump is unreachable and decides to launch because someone called him on his miraculous “finding” of a ball lost in the rough, or a passerby gives him the finger?

  73. 73.

    Amir Khalid

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Trump is one of those who came by a university degree without getting the education. That’s why he doesn’t know the difference between a noun and a cardinal number.

  75. 75.

    prufrock

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve seen that ad a few times (consequence of watching Jeopardy!). Its biggest sin is that it feels tired and lazy.  Which, given the administration from which it originates, is appropriate.

  76. 76.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Betty Cracker: Or needing two hands for a sip of water from a glass. I wonder how many hours he spent practicing in front of a mirror before mastering the one handed sip?

  77. 77.

    MattF

    @Betty Cracker: FOX news commentary has been ranting full blast about Biden’s supposed ‘cognitive decline’. The Trump campaign is mainly echoing that.

  78. 78.

    raven

    Janet Frick, a psychology professor at the University of Georgia, isn’t happy about her institution’s plans for the fall term. As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus swell to record highs in the state, which reopened most businesses in May, its public institutions of higher education are pressing forward with aggressive return-to-campus plans. In particular, Frick is shocked that the University System of Georgia (USG), the body that oversees the state’s 26 public institutions, appears to have pressured its member institutions into not requiring masks in buildings and classrooms, despite the fact that they are high-risk environments for transmission, and that masks can reduce that transmission substantially.

  80. 80.

    Baud

    @Baud:

    This is the second time my Android flag emojis show up on the website as letters instead of symbols.  What’s going on?

    That was supposed to be a Canadian flag.

  81. 81.

    MagdaInBlack

    Anyone else remember the Clinton 3 am phone call ad? Wasnt is basicly “I’ll be there answering and keeping you safe?”

  82. 82.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @gene108:

    In 90s there was a move in Germany to stop capitalizing nouns. Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed. With  often very long sentences, the capitalized nouns provide necessary points of reference, esp for non-native readers,

     

    @gene108:

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    @Zinsky:

    I still have grave concerns about Biden’s mental brittleness, though.  That is why his VP choice is so critical now!!

    You can’t really be serious.  This was a joke, right?

    Joe has adapted to at least 100 big things in the past 2 months, and seems to be embracing the new reality.

  87. 87.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Awesome Brexit tweet thread for those who take comfort in knowing our fellow citizens are not alone in their idiotic voting

     

    Just had conversation with a British couple who have a holiday home near us. They voted for Brexit and have made no arrangements whatsoever for what happens on Jan 1. They have now discovered the reality of their situation. The blame apparently is with "Brussels".— RS Archer (@archer_rs) June 29, 2020

  93. 93.

    Jeffro

    @Betty Cracker: Aren’t quite a few old folks in Florida “hiding in [their] basements” too?  Due to trumpov’s laziness and lack of care?

    Oh yeah, KILLER ad, GOP.  Way to go! (eyeroll)

  94. 94.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @John S.:

    Nobody’s talking about probabilty that a female, esp a black one, will draw barrage of negative, hostile attacks that GOP, media haven’t been able to fling –and make stick–at Biden. She’ll have to be really thick-skinned!

  95. 95.

    Betty Cracker

    @Gin & Tonic: Trump addressed the capitalization issue once, and I know this will come as a shock, but his explanation was stupid and nonsensical! He said he capitalizes the Important Words.

  97. 97.

    Spanky

    @Gin & Tonic: It’s not him tweeting, it’s the Holder of the Phone attempting to simulate El Crapo’s style. So you have someone with (or without) high school level English trying to channel a brain-damaged elderly drug addict. Not an easy needle to thread, I’ll grant them that.

  98. 98.

    JWR

    Hair Furor, about an hour ago, now with fresh HOAX:

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    “No corroborating evidence to back reports.” Department of Defense. Do people still not understand that this is all a made up Fake News Media Hoax started to slander me & the Republican Party. I was never briefed because any info that they may have had did not rise to that level
    5:07 AM · Jul 1, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

  100. 100.

    Jeffro

    One more quick note before I have to get back to work: I saw that Ken Jennings, brilliant Jeopardy! winner that he is, has proposed a novel solution to Confederate monuments issue.  Since the likenesses of most of the statues isn’t all that great, just relabel/re-plaque them all as monuments to Dave Grohl.

    Dave would be happy, Foo Fighters fans would be happy, no one gets crushed under a falling monument, the neo-Confederates wouldn’t know what to do with themselves, and we’d still be honoring a great Virginian!  =)

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Predetermined narrative is how you get your words in by deadline with enough time to make it to cocktail hour.

    I SO wish that was short enough for a bumper sticker or a rotating tag.

  107. 107.

    narya

    I am convinced that he didn’t actually DRINK from the glass, merely held it up to his lips.

    Kitchen update! Walls went up yesterday, and the carpenters are here right now, doing . . . carpenter things (probably taping the drywall). Contractor is bringing the Floor Guy at some point today, when I will find out when the floor will get done (everyone is annoyed/forgot about the Friday holiday, so I would say there is some chance that they may actually work on Friday, if it means the floor can get done expeditiously. And I think they’re supposed to deliver cabinets today, too, and pile them up in the dining room. As long as I can get to the fridge (where the beer lives . . .) I’ll be fine. As I see the contractor try to balance this crew with that crew, and fit in this or that task, I am even happier that I just went with gutting the whole thing; it gives him just that little bit of freedom to do whatever can be done right this minute.

  108. 108.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Brachiator:

    Even if they noticed, they wouldn’t care. Anti abortion and anti homosexuality! More far RW judges! Tax cuts for wealthy!

  109. 109.

    charluckles

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t think the tactic will be as successful when used by an incumbent against a male candidate, but Trump tearing everyone down to his own level did work for him in part in 2016.  I am still gobsmacked that anyone was able to look at H. Clinton and Trump and think they were both equally corrupt.

  114. 114.

    JWR

    Now it’s about this bit, from the Greatest Hits collection.

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    Biden was asked questions at his so-called Press Conference yesterday where he read the answers from a teleprompter. That means he was given the questions, just like Crooked Hillary. Never have seen this before!
    5:30 AM · Jul 1, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

  115. 115.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I have a Carl Reiner story that I hold very dear to me. I figured I’d share it today, on the day of his passing, because I hope it will bring some other people some joy the way it does me.

    If you want a good laugh and aren’t allergic to dust, click on thru.

  119. 119.

    cmorenc

    @PsiFighter37:

    Looks like Hickenlooper won the CO primary in the end. Anyone more familiar with state politics know how all the recent stuff has impacted him? Gardner is still so loathsome that I would think he’s going to still win handily.

    Contemplate that among current GOP Senate incumbents, Gardner is comparatively one of the handful of least loathsome among them – consider how skewed the curve is for that to be so.

  120. 120.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I saw that comment from you yesterday, but the thread was dead.  Seemed like everybody else saw them properly yesterday, was that the case?

    Can you check on all the devices you have access to, and let me know which ones display incorrectly?

    Can you grab a screen capture on the ones that display incorrectly?

  123. 123.

    Betty Cracker

    @Ladyraxterinok: Good point. If history is any guide, the attacks on Biden’s VP pick will be of limited utility. Sarah Palin was a disastrous VP candidate, but she didn’t cost McCain the election.

    I’m not so sure history is a guide anymore. Trump has blown up historical frameworks. Biden’s age makes his VP selection more consequential than most.

    Does anyone know when he’s supposed to make the pick? Is it this month or next?

  124. 124.

    Benw

    @raven: that’s messed up. They couldn’t open bars for 2 weeks without fucking everything up and they want us to put our kids back in lecture halls and elementary classrooms next month? Fuck that!

  125. 125.

    Baud

    @WaterGirl:

    Flag shows  up on my Samsung S8 and ipad Mini.  It does not show up on my Windows Firefox or Chrome Browsers.  A screen grab isn’t worth the effort.  What I see on my computer browsers instead of a flag is this (without the blockquote):

    ??

     

    ETA: Looks like the “CA” turns into a flag for you. In case you can’t see it, instead of a flag, I get the letters “CA” in some weird font.

  127. 127.

    germy

    This article reveals the person responsible for the “I can’t wear a mask because I have a health condition, this card exempts me” scam:

    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/misinformation-and-disinformation-about-facemasks-and-covid-19/

    It turns out that the person who originated this card is someone named Lenka Koloma, who publishes claims like this about COVID-19:

    Virus is created in each and every living organism at any given time. Virus is a way how [sic] your cells cleanse themselves of toxic material that has been absorbed from an external environment. This a wonderful, natural process of your body’s intelligence for self-preserving functions.

  129. 129.

    SiubhanDuinne

    1. @WaterGirl:

    Joe has adapted to at least 100 big things in the past 2 months, and seems to be embracing the new reality.

    Joe is demonstrating a nimbleness that’s seems to elude people many years — May, many decades — his junior.

    Honestly, I’m increasingly impressed with him every day.

  131. 131.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Baud:  Looks like we lost this race [edited to add: CO-03] by 8% in 2018. Feels like it should be in reach if we are running against a QAnon believer and Trump’s top-level performance will be even worse this year.

    In 2018, Balloon Juice backed Democratic candidate Diane Mitsch Bush for CO-03. She will be on the ballot again in Nov. 2020.

    There’s at least 1 other 2018 Balloon Juice-supported returnee to the 2020 US House races.

    As we get closer to November, would there be any interest in another jackals’ list of 2020 candidates to support? (In 2018 we had 3 successive lists, for a total of 94 candidates, and a number of victories.)

  134. 134.

    Baud

    @SiubhanDuinne: That emoji shows up on my computer Firefox.

    ETA: I can see other people’s emojis too.  Maybe the problem is limited to flag emojis.

  137. 137.

    germy

    @WaterGirl:

    Is it worth it to tinker further with this site so that every last emoji in the world is visible?

    This place looks great, loads quickly, and the ads seem less obnoxiously intrusive than they did a few months ago.

    You all did a great job.

  138. 138.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @H.E.Wolf: Yes. Xochitl Torres Small in NM CD2 is in a tight race for reelection against a rightwing nutjob and could use help. Thanks!

  139. 139.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @H.E.Wolf: Absolutely! I’m eager to share the news about Carolyn Bourdeaux, candidate for the open seat in GA-07. It’s been in GOP hands for decades, but this year I think it might be flippable!

  140. 140.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Gin & Tonic:

    The capitalization isn’t that weird.  It’s mostly childish.  It’s a standard method of emphasizing words and especially phrases, implying they are such important and archetypical concepts that they count as a proper noun.  It reads awkwardly under the best of circumstances, and like everything Trump does it badly.

    I assume the aides who take dictation and clean up his grammar, or occasionally make up tweets, are trying to copy as much of his style as they can without being incoherent.  Or maybe he gets pissed if they don’t capitalize words in a way he feels makes him a brilliant orator like his idol Hitler.

  142. 142.

    WaterGirl

    @germy: I agree with what you’re saying.

    It’s important, though, to understand what an issue is and what the scope of the issue is, in order to determine whether it’s something that needs to be addressed.

    That’s how I approach it anyway.

  146. 146.

    germy

    @WaterGirl:

    That’s a good approach.

    Thanks again for all the work you did, and continue to do.

    I’m actually spoiled now.  I visit other places and they load slowly, or are overwhelmed with pop-ups, or are badly designed.  And then I appreciate Balloon-Juice even more.

  148. 148.

    NotMax

    @germy

    Emojis are always problematic, as even plenty of common ones might display differently on different systems.

  153. 153.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Ladyraxterinok: FWIW – On my first trip to Europe in 1980 I met a gentleman my father’s age (who had a daughter my age) on a train between Geneva and Basel. We had a lovely conversation, first in French & then (because I needed the practice) in German, & exchanged addresses before he disembarked. We corresponded for the better part of a year, alternating languages, & although my French was better, it was easier to decipher his handwriting in German, as I could identify the capitalized words as nouns.

  156. 156.

    Another Scott

    @Baud:

    https://www.google.com/get/noto/help/emoji/

    Noto Color Emoji supports all emoji defined in the latest Unicode version (v10.0). This font format is supported on Android and Linux, but doesn’t work on macOS or Windows. Source images and tools for this font can be found in the Noto Emoji GitHub repository.

    (Emphasis added.)

    Why it doesn’t work is a mystery, at least to me.

    Presumably Firefox loads its own Emoji font (if it’s working on the desktop Firefox).

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  159. 159.

    NotMax

    Saw a Carl Reiner memorial spot on TCM.

    Expect this one was already in the can.

  161. 161.

    Suzy

    @Zinsky: He was very good in his Q & A after the speech yesterday. Sharp, clear, thoughtful, honest, comfortable.

    Maybe some perspective here…

    In the first months of the primary campaign, Mr. Biden seemed to me very “rusty” and very nervous.

    Policy wise, I think he was a little behind in his preparation. And he had to find back his political “mojo” after more that two years of being out of the arena.

    As for the nervousness… Being the front runner and the prime target for attacks was a totally new experience for him. I sensed that he was much more nervous than usual. He was having more difficulty to control his stutter, and since the controlling drains some brain energy, he had more laps of concentration.

    As the campaign continued, he became more comfortable, became better at debates.

    Note: Barbara Boxer has said that Mr. Biden has ALWAYS had little moments, from time to time, where he said the wrong word, or made a little mistake on a detail. This is not a question of age.

    While the job is more challenging for a man of his age, I remain confident that he will be good at it. The occasional slip up on a number or on a word is NOT a problem in governance, especially in a big team work that is a REAL presidency.

    I’ve listened to numerous interviews, I’ve listened to debates. On the substance, his knowledge is evident. He really knows what he is talking about. And more and more, his work behind the scenes on policy is showing. And this campaign with much less traveling gives him more time to prepare.

    On another note, Mr. Biden has excellent people skills and will be a good leader, of a formidable team. He presents a great balance between confidence in himself and openness to other points of views. In fact, the confidence in himself is what makes him able to listen to others.

    Obviously, Mr. Biden has, and will have to be disciplined and manage his energy. He knows that.

    I don’t know… this Q & A of yesterday was special for me… It had a calming effect. He looked and sounded like a statesman. Intelligence, heart and maturity.

  162. 162.

    Gin & Tonic

    Here’s a perspective on BLM from Russia:

    “African-Americans can be divided into two groups. One live entirely decent lives, are educated and often high earners; the others never leave the ghetto, vegetate on unemployment benefits and are often gang members.”

    Oh, sorry, not from Russia, but from D.C. That was written by Vitali Shkliarov, a visiting scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard. According to his bio, he’s worked on both the Obama and Sanders campaigns. I’m sure the Obama people are delighted.

    The article in which these pearls appeared (in Russian.)

  163. 163.

    Another Scott

    @MattF: I’m just the messenger!!

    Seriously, I didn’t do a lot of searching – that’s the first thing that seemed to be semi-authoritative.

    I agree with NotMax – Emoji are problematic (though seem to be getting better).  It used to be that iOS and Android emoji weren’t guaranteed to be the same (or closely similar), so you could send 3-hearts to someone and they might see a flamethrower (or something).  Plus, they’re often so small that who knows what they are.  “Oooh, purple and red blob.  That’s good, right??!”

    (sigh)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“… and get off my lawn!!1”)

  164. 164.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Ladyraxterinok: Nobody’s talking about probabilty that a female, esp a black one, will draw barrage of negative, hostile attacks that GOP, media haven’t been able to fling –and make stick–at Biden

    I guess I’m nobody then** – since I’ve been warning for months that, within a New York nanosecond of Uncle Joe naming his running mate, the Global Oligarchy Project will throw everything they can dredge up (including stuff that doesn’t stick to him) at her, with the justification that –

    Biden’s OLD! He’s GOING TO DIE SOON! Do you want that {insert gender & ethnic slurs} to become PRESIDENT?? OF COURSE NOT! VOTE TRUMP! HE’S NOT A {repeat gender & ethnic slurs}!!!

    ** On this site at least. Not one of The Blogmeister of Naked Mopping’s Kewl Kidz, won’t ever be, don’t especially care to be.

  167. 167.

    There go two miscreants

    re: the Ohman cartoon in the OP, first time I’ve ever seen blinders on the horse’s ass!

  168. 168.

    NotMax

    Bypass the flag proper. Maple leaf emoji ? is ancient in computer years, ought to show everywhere.

  169. 169.

    germy

    @Gin & Tonic:

    “Visiting scholars can be divided into two groups: One is a high earner who says whatever he thinks will please the ruling class, and the other is someone who sinks into obscurity and poverty because his research contradicts the ruling class.”

  170. 170.

    Miss Bianca

    @Baud: Somehow, I just knew this was going to be about my Congressional district.

    And her Democratic opponent is the same one who lost to Scott Tipton 2 years ago. *Maybe* she’ll pull it out this time, but give my District a chance between a sane, somewhat anodyne Democratic woman candidate and a buggier-than-batshit gun-totin’ Republican one to vote for, and I’m guessing we’ll be stuck with the latter.

  172. 172.

    Baud

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Not on my computer Firefox.  I get these letters:

    “CAILJPGBUS”

    Looks like the browser replaces flag emojis with a two letter country code.

  173. 173.

    MattF

    @Uncle Cosmo: Note, though, that Trump’s current ‘Pocahontas’ slur against Warren got some pushback (of all things). The Oligarchy can wring its hands, but they still have to deal with the Toddler-In-Chief’s limited behavioral repertoire.

  174. 174.

    germy

    @NotMax:

    Saw a Carl Reiner memorial spot on TCM.

    1965 – Carl Reiner hosts the Celebrity Game with guests Lee Marvin, Connie Stevens, Sal Mineo, Gypsy Rose Lee, Louis Nye, Mickey Rooney, and Oscar Levant.

  176. 176.

    NotMax

    @Another Scott

    “Oooh, purple and red blob. That’s good, right??!”

    Yup. Coupled with older eyes, 90% of the time on the PC’s monitor they are incomprehensible splotches. Oddly, all too often of a vaguely phallic shape.

    Don’t have one of them newfangled phones, so cannot speak to those.

  177. 177.

    Amir Khalid

    @NotMax:

    It almost certainly was. It’s common practice in the news business to have pre-written obits for famous people, which can be quickly updated when they are finally needed.

  178. 178.

    OGLiberal

    Even with how terrible things are and how bad the economy is right now, it still drives me nuts that the default position of way too many voters is that GOP daddies are always better on the economy than the Dems.  In the USAToday poll I think Trump only leads on that by 1 or 2 points, which is actually a very good spread for Dems, historically speaking.  Don’t want to focus on about the only negative in this poll but, jeez, what does it take for folks to realize that the GOP, in reality, sucks when it comes to the economy?  And I’m pretty certain that among the folks who say Trump is better qualified on the economy are a number of people who are going to vote for Biden and were always going to vote for Biden.  Even some of the Dems own voters fall for this “GOP good for business” garbage.  (I’m sure some of this is also “Trump is a businessman so he would be better” even though he’s a horrible businessman)

  179. 179.

    MattF

    @OGLiberal: They’re still hoping for the fabled V-shaped recovery. Problem is that Trump’s catastrophic mismanagement of the pandemic response means that’s not going to happen. Ooopsie.

  180. 180.

    rikyrah

    America’s Newsroom host Ed Henry is FIRED for sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee – four years after a four-month leave of absence due to extra-marital affair with Vegas cocktail waitress

    • America’s Newsroom host Ed Henry, 48, was fired by Fox Wednesday over sexual misconduct allegations
    • A complaint was made by a former Fox employee on June 25
    • It referred to willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago
    • He was dismissed following an investigation 

    By FRANCES MULRANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
    PUBLISHED: 09:33 EDT, 1 July 2020 | UPDATED: 09:43 EDT, 1 July 2020
     

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8479381/Fox-FIRES-Americas-Newsroom-host-Ed-Henry-sexual-misconduct-allegations.html?ito=push-notification&ci=20957&si=733427

  181. 181.

    germy

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    Yes.  And this is why Romney beat Obama so handily.   We never should have run Barack Hussein Obama.  What were we thinking?

  182. 182.

    Suzy

    @SiubhanDuinne: Joe Biden has gone through so much, and has survived it. He has found the courage to go on, to find purpose, and still believe in the future. He is resilient.

    I have a feeling that while he is concerned, very concerned, he is not scared. 

    America needs resilience, moral strength, hope, healing and guidance right now. Joe Biden is able to offer all of it.

  184. 184.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzy: Thanks for taking the time to say all that.

    Biden clearly has a top-notch team on every front.  Ads. Domestic Policy. Foreign Policy.  Public Heath.  etc

    I always liked Biden (yes, he has some flaws) and I was SO pissed that he ran this time, but in spite of his age, it sure seems like he is exactly the right candidate for these times.

  187. 187.

    Another Scott

    TheHill:

    A federal judge late Tuesday night struck down a Trump administration rule that banned most migrants from receiving asylum at the southern border with Mexico.

    U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly said the administration failed to follow the procedural law governing how regulations can be implemented, which requires advance notice and a period for the public to comment on the proposal.

    “These procedures are not a mere formality,” Kelly, who was appointed by President Trump, said in his opinion.

    The rule was implemented last year by the Justice Department and Homeland Security in an attempt to crack down on migrants from Central America trying to enter the U.S. It makes all applicants at the southern border ineligible for asylum unless they had previously applied from another country or are the victims of sex trafficking.

    […]

    As usual, God-Emperor Donnie got slapped down for not following procedures.

    The SCOTUS will probably try to over-rule him, but maybe it will be too late to do so. (And Biden’s DOJ will reverse such policy attempts anyway.) More chaos, but the end is in sight.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  188. 188.

    MattF

    @WaterGirl: I counted Biden out because of his age. But I recalled the sense of relief I felt when Obama chose him– Biden was clearly someone who could pick up the ball and run with it if anything happened to Obama.

  189. 189.

    NotMax

    @Amir Khalid

    Excellent opportunity to again highly recommend the superb documentary film Obit.

    Very quick checks turns up it is currently free only on Kanopy, so if your local library is a participant in that service one could watch it that way.

  193. 193.

    zhena gogolia

    @Suzy:

    The debates were so upsetting to me because they devolved into nitpicking over which health-care plan would be best. ANY HEALTH-CARE PLAN THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE DONALD TRUMP WOULD BE BEST. I’ve been a lot happier since Biden got the nomination, even though he was far from my top choice, because now the existential struggle we face has come into sharp focus. And he knows what’s at stake and has been articulating it beautifully.

  194. 194.

    germy

    After reading my latest Post report, @hughhewitt tells his radio audience this morning that he hears from several leading conservatives that Justice Alito, 70, is considering retirement, and adds that he also hears the Alito family is ready to leave Washington, D.C.

    — Robert Costa (@costareports) July 1, 2020

  195. 195.

    MattF

    @germy: I’m sure that Alito wants to be replaced by a young conservative justice, so now’s his chance to guarantee that.

  197. 197.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Suzy:

    Barbara Boxer has said that Mr. Biden has ALWAYS had little moments, from time to time, where he said the wrong word, or made a little mistake on a detail.

    I have paraphrasia and it will be the squid of me.

    That was a joke, yes, but I have had lifelong paraphrasia problems.  It’s a Thing.

  198. 198.

    danielx

    Feeling schizophrenic at the moment.

    On the hand, hopeful at increasing signs the GOP in November will get flipped on its collective pointy head and hammered into the ground like a tent stake.

    On the other, dread and sorrow for the sickness, death and economic misery suffered by so many – and it’s going to get worse.

    Toss in my increasing ire with all too many of my fellow citizens who demonstrate on a daily basis that they don’t give a flying fuck about their own health or anybody else’s. It’s like having a large rock in my shoe all the time. I haven’t – yet- burst into a tirade at a grocery*, but Christ Jesus it’s getting more difficult.

    *grocery and hardware stores are the only retailers I’ve visited since March. Fortunately there’s a Menards not too far away – John Menard is an asshole of near-Trumpian proportion but the store has and enforces a rule about masks.

  199. 199.

    MattF

    @germy: Among the Names Being Mentioned. I guess Roberts is trying to head off a court-packing Biden Administration, so he wouldn’t favor a stone-cold RW ideologue.

  202. 202.

    Ken

    @germy: Sources said he was a favorite of Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott.

    Is that a “wink wink nudge nudge favorite“?

  204. 204.

    Suzy

    @MattF:

    Is it just me, or the Trump campaign is doing a great job at lowering the expectations for BIDEN in the debates ?

    If Trumps stays in the race, he may regret to have attacked Joe Biden on cognitive ability…

  205. 205.

    Doug R

    @mrmoshpotato: There’s at least 2 Secret Service agents following him around, probably a small team around the main building where anybody could call them, even if cell service has failed, the course has a land line.

    They’re lying, he told them do not disturb.

  208. 208.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: That made me crazy in the debates, too.  Every single one of them should have said that “of course we all differ on the details” and then hammered home that we need a democratic house and a democratic senate in order to pass ANY improvement, and of course every single one of us on this stage will work to get the absolute best system that can be gotten through congress.

  209. 209.

    Kay

    Tommy Vietor
    @TVietor08
    ·13h
    “Trump is the second Republican president in a row to win the presidency while losing the popular vote, and is on pace to be the second Republican president in a row to bequeath his successor a nation on its knees” via
    @brianbeutler

    It’s true and the wildest part is Joe Biden will have been part of or the leader of the national rescue from a Republican President both times.
    What will be the constant between the failed Bush Presidency and the failed Trump Presidency? The line that runs thru both?

    One Mr. Joe Biden :)

  211. 211.

    MattF

    @Suzy: I think the Trump campaign really believes that Biden is senile. It’s their own expectations that are really at risk here— the party line, after all, is that Trump is the greatest debater on the face of the earth.

  212. 212.

    dopey-o

    @WaterGirl: emojis???? As someone who is aware – and has been aware of all internet traditions since ’92 – i can tell you that emojis are the triumph of code over content. Cuteness over communication. We don’t need no stinkin emojis!

    homo sapiens have spent tens of thousands of years developing symbolic means of communication which have influenced evolution and culture. Culture has developed incredibly powerful communication computers that enable me to access most of human knowledge anywhere, any time. If trump is lying, i can know within seconds.

    And then my kids send me a little multi-colored blob instead of taking the 5 seconds necessary to spell out “yeah, trump sux and we’re all gonna die!”

    i thought i had raised them better. you kids GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!!!

  213. 213.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Aleta:

    Wow! Those are both great. Thank you! (Some terrific voices in the 11-language version, especially the Italian dude.)

    I’ve always loved the song itself, but more than that, I love the way Canadians just have so damned much fun with their national anthem without ever being disrespectful of it.

  215. 215.

    Geminid

    @H.E.Wolf: I think a list would be great. Sharice Davids (KS) and Kendra Horn (NE) are two more vulnerable freshmen. And it looks like the Club for Growth is all in on unseating Abigail Spanberger in the Va. 7th.     It would be great to provide links to the campaign websites. I don’t  know how much detail can be put into a postcard, but the campaign website hopefully would state the issues the candidate thinks is worth emphasizing.

  217. 217.

    different-church-lady

    @dopey-o: It is quite curious that we have devices that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars that connect to satellites, but then they don’t work right when we try to communicate by sending each other the kinds of primitive little pictures that ancient civilizations used to etch by hand into stones.

  218. 218.

    different-church-lady

    @Suzy:

    Note: Barbara Boxer has said that Mr. Biden has ALWAYS had little moments, from time to time, where he said the wrong word, or made a little mistake on a detail. This is not a question of age.

    Perhaps this statement is not quite as helpful as Sen. Boxer seems to think it is?

  220. 220.

    MisterForkbeard

    @JWR: The “he was leaked all the questions ahead of time!” is their new pretend point to explain why Biden was incisive and on-point the whole time. So they’re sticking to a “It was staged!” shriek.

    And they can’t even admit that Biden might have a good memory, so they’re going to the “everything was secretly on the teleprompter!” primal yell, which you can literally see was not the case on the video.

    It’s sad.

  222. 222.

    dopey-o

    @different-church-lady:

    different-church-lady:

     It is quite curious that we have devices that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars that connect to satellites, but then they don’t work right when we try to communicate by sending each other the kinds of primitive little pictures that ancient civilizations used to etch by hand into stones.

     

    images etched in stone communicate across time. Very advanced thinking! Kids nowadays just sh!tpost from the mall. To paraphrase both The Bible and Hunter S Thompson, “how the Mighty have been humbled!” By which i mean this whole failed experiment called Humanity.

    (I am not a curmudgeon, but i play one on The Internets.)

  223. 223.

    Jinchi

    @debbie: he was out on the golf course and could not be reached.

    Just what you want in a president. It’s not like anything important might happen that would need his attention.

  224. 224.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Another Scott:

    As usual, God-Emperor Donnie got slapped down for not following procedures.

    The SCOTUS will probably try to over-rule him,

    Maybe not. Hasn’t “failed to follow procedure” been the basis of a couple of recent sane rulings lately, like the decision not to blow up DACA?

  225. 225.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @germy: If the GOP can’t lay a glove on Uncle Joe, you think they’ll just curl up & die? Of course not. The obvious strategy is to hammer the VP nominee. Especially since Biden is 77 years old & the argument can be made that she is very likely to become POTUS at some point during his elected term, so time to dirty her up. (It’s a pot/kettle/black argument, but when has that ever stopped the Thuglicans?) It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,

    IMO the campaign has wisely pushed that announcement as far down the road as possible, pleading the need for extensive vetting (which for all I know may be the simple truth). I questioned (& still question) – solely on the grounds of electoral expediency – restricting the pick to a woman so early in the process; I only hope the campaign collected extensive data to support that action beforehand.

    FTR I’m just as disgusted with the prospect of Joe’s running mate being smeared as you are. But I believe we should face the (likely) prospect head-on, rather than make cleverly snide comments that only show an inability to muster any sort of coherent argument against it.

    Then again, “cleverly snide when bereft of arguments against a distasteful prospect” seems to be a Balloon Juice tradition. I stick around here for the cleverness, & the posts from Cole’s SMEs (when restricted to the subject matter in which they are expert), & have learned to bypass the all-too-often inept political content.

  226. 226.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Ladyraxterinok: I love every story in Reiner’s book and the way he tells them on the audio book. I love the part of that linked story about how “they all agreed Beef Stroganoff was funnier”. Reportedly the writer’s room on the Dick Van Dyke show was based largely Reiner’s experience working for Sid Caesar [*]. I’ve often thought about what it would be like working in a writer’s room with Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen, making each other laugh for a living.

    There’s a story about them deciding what number is funniest for a roulette sketch, and they settle it by having Imogene Coca read the different numbers. (I think 37 won). There’s not necessarily a rational reason for why something is funny. It just is. As Brooks has said, “funny is funny.” Those guys had an amazing instinct for it.

    [*] I love watching Caesar’s show, but apparently he was kind of a terrible boss, the way Reiner is on that show. I once read a story about him ranting and throwing furniture around the room while Woody Allen cowered and Mel Brooks was riding on his back saying “Down, boy!” Which apparently happened more than once.

  227. 227.

    WaterGirl

    @dopey-o: the emoji I hate the most is the big ugly thumbs up.  Like it’s so proud of itself!  It always feels like a big FU to me a small FU, the ultimate symbol of “I don’t have even 2 seconds to type a single word like “great” or “yay!” or even 2 words “sounds good!”.

    A lot of the smiley face emojis feel to me like they were designed by a serial killer.  Seriously, that smiley face with the big heart eyes?  Totally creeps me out.

    I send you a beautiful photo of something I care about, and you send me back the image the serial killer painted on the wall at his last kill.  Ugh.  I’m sorry I took the time to share something I was excited about.

    rant over.

  228. 228.

    Suzy

    @MisterForkbeard: Mr. Biden had a list of journalists to call out. Press secretaries often do prepare a list. Trump either is 1) devious enough to use that fact and make his supporters believe that Mr. Biden knew the questions in advance. OR 2) Trump is ignorant of past habits with presidential press conferences, how they try to give each media its turn; maybe Trump really believes that having a list of journalists means you know the questions in advance.

    Come to think of it…

    since Trump also said that Joe Biden read his responses from the teleprompter, something that is easily debunked just looking at the video, I vote for 1. Or both 1 and 2.

  229. 229.

    Jinchi

    @OzarkHillbilly: I wonder how many hours he spent practicing in front of a mirror before mastering the one handed sip?

    Yes, but all that practice paid off in the thunderous applause he got at the Tulsa rally. It was the highlight of his day.

  230. 230.

    dopey-o

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    There’s a story about them deciding what number is funniest for a roulette sketch, and they settle it by having Imogene Coca read the different numbers. (I think 37 won). There’s not necessarily a rational reason for why something is funny. It just is. As Brooks has said, “funny is funny.” Those guys had an amazing instinct for it.

    37 is the funniest number. Imogene Coca is the funniest woman. Perfect combination.

    Was Brooks or Reiner the funniest man? There are some things we are not meant to know. Cue Magic 8 Ball: “ask again later when current sh!tstorm has passed.”

  231. 231.

    J R in WV

    @Baud:

    On my laptop, which was built to run Linux / Ubuntu, the Canadian flag emoji shows up just fine. Firefox, also. Up to date versions of OS and browser.

  234. 234.

    SFAW

    I received some e-mail from Tim Scott. He was outraged or saddened or whatever because Senator Dick Durbin had called Timmy’s “let’s pretend to reform the police” proposal a “token process” or “token approach”:

    Those words hurt me in my soul.

    Senator Durbin went on to call my bill a “half-hearted approach” to police reform.

    I don’t know exactly what Senator Durbin meant, but his rhetoric was out of line and represents a divisive moment for our country.

    I sent Senator Scott my IOU for the sum of One Gazillion American Dollars, in the hope that it would assuage his horrible and existential pain. [I would have sent One Skillion Dollars — which is somewhat more than a Gazillion — but I’m a little short this month.]

    I think the Rethugs should rename their Partei the Grand Old Party of Snowflake Traitors (GOPOST), or something similar, because it would be more accurate.

    These fucking guys.

  235. 235.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: Nice.

    (I use “thumb’s up” on comments on MS Teams a lot, simply because I hate the interface and notifications are sometimes problematic and I want the sender to know that I read their note.)

    “thumb’s up” is reasonably clear.  So many of the others are just plain dangerous because they’re not at all clear and I’m not up on the lingo.  If I send someone an Orange Book or a Chair, have I just insulted their grandmother??!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  237. 237.

    trnc

    @Ladyraxterinok: Nobody’s talking about probabilty that a female, esp a black one, will draw barrage of negative, hostile attacks that GOP, media haven’t been able to fling –and make stick–at Biden. She’ll have to be really thick-skinned!

    I’m pretty sure anyone he picks crap bigger than Stephen Miller (If you don’t get the reference, see City Slickers with Billy Crystal and Jack Palance).

  238. 238.

    J R in WV

    @Bex:

    There you go, expecting consistency from McConnell… not gonna happen, no way.

    He’ll move the most incompetent, venal nominee Trump (and The Federalists) can come up with instantly.

  239. 239.

    trnc

    @MisterForkbeard: The “he was leaked all the questions ahead of time!” is their new pretend point to explain why Biden was incisive and on-point the whole time. So they’re sticking to a “It was staged!” shriek.

    Funny thing about that complaint – DT can’t even read one of his own speeches without going off the rails.

    I assume every crease in Biden’s jacket during the debates will look like a wire to the Qanon Qrew.

  240. 240.

    scav

    @dopey-o: The magnificent ancestors who bequeathed us shitric asstons of accounting records in their earliest ingenious codes — later expanded to include curses, graffiti and the professional boastings of kings — are having a bit of a giggle.

  242. 242.

    Gravenstone

    @Baud: And his veto will be overwhelmingly overridden because no one in Congress is going to let that bill die.

  243. 243.

    evodevo

    @Ladyraxterinok:  Yes.  this is exactly why they are so “disappointed” and why his ratings are in the tank.  THEY haven’t regained sanity….they are just dismayed that the insanity appears to be over…

    They are authoritarian to the max, and want nothing more than to inflict it on everyone else…

  246. 246.

    evodevo

    @Jinchi: Yes…and even with all the practice it probably took, it still looked like he was either faking it or still having trouble…I mean, I’m 74 and I can drink down a small glass of water single-handed without taking tiny, wussie sips lol

  249. 249.

    The Lodger

    @dopey-o: Not only is 37 the funniest number, but it’s larger than the highest number on a roulette wheel.  That’s like saying I went to a roulette table and put all my money on beige.

  250. 250.

    logjam

    @Kay: What will be the constant between the failed Bush Presidency and the failed Trump Presidency? The line that runs thru both?

    Barack Obama. Sec of State Barack Obama =)

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