Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Finding joy where we can, and muddling through where we can’t.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

The lights are all blinking red.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

… gradually, and then suddenly.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

You are here: Home / Elections / Biden For President / Thursday Morning Open Thread: Remember Normal?…

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Remember Normal?…

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Good news, if we can keep it:



Speaking of which… missed this on Tuesday, but it’s still good advice, if you wanna keep it circulating:

Meanwhile, the Repubs remain convinced that if they’re doomed as a party — and it increasingly seems like they are! — they’ll take as many innocent victims with them as possible:

Reader Interactions

168Comments

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “we can’t just throw money at the problem, especially when the problem is a lack of money.”

  5. 5.

    different-church-lady

    Here’s Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) talking of the prospect of extending the $600 benefit: “I promise you over our dead bodies will this get reauthorized.”

    The offer is acceptable.

  7. 7.

    Brachiator

    Maybe an earthquake in Southern California. Small, but I am not sure. A bit of a jolt woke me up.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    That LA Times headline enrages me. It’s not fucking “Congress members” who think $600/week is too much — it’s fucking Republicans.

    Yes, there’s a brief paragraph in the piece itself that acknowledges that “Opposition to extending the $600 weekly payment, which expires this week, is concentrated among Republicans on Capitol Hill,“ but then it adds the poison qualifier “perhaps out of pure coincidence.” JFC, LAT. 

  9. 9.

    prostratedragon

    @debbie:  I ran into that, but emptied my cache and cookies (Everything) and was able to read it. It’s powerful, and they should make it open to everyone. Directed especially to young people:

    Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

    When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

  10. 10.

    WereBear

    I knew this day would come and I socked away my “extra” $600 as much as possible.

    I picked the wrong week to go into tourism two decades ago…

  11. 11.

    Joey Maloney

    Sorry, I just had to ask about this comment from the overnight thread:

    Now that it seems that roughly 60% of males who got Covid 19, and survived, experience erectile dysfunction, testes shrinkage, penis breakage, penis reduction and infertility,

    Penis breakage???

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    “perhaps out of pure coincidence.”

    The rest of it is standard media fecklessness, but WTF is this???  I can only hope it’s a misguided attempt at sarcasm.

  14. 14.

    PsiFighter37

    After seeing the clusterfuck that has been NYS’ inability to count primary results, more than a month after it has occurred, forget it – I am voting in person for the general election.

  16. 16.

    satby

    Someone on the internet cited Ben Carson (?) and in my reply I intended to say something about him being in the hospital with covid, but I couldn’t find any sources confirming that. Did I just imagine that?

  17. 17.

    prostratedragon

    Gentle suggestion to Mr. Obama: It might be better to fill out one’s mail-in ballot carefully before sending it in early.

  21. 21.

    dmsilev

    @satby: You’re probably thinking of Herman  “999” Cain. He’s been in the hospital with Covid for the last three or four weeks.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    “It had 0 money in for states and municipalities to pay for coronavirus related expenses,” Sen. Murphy says about the GOP coronavirus relief bill. “McConnell’s gonna have to come to the conclusion he can only pass a bill with Democratic votes.”

    I am trying to find the story again, but I thought I had read a story about some conservative plutocrats being against aid to state and local government. The GOP may not just be responding to faux concern about budget deficits, but trying to keep their masters happy.

    In the long run, aid to states and to cities will be inevitable.

  25. 25.

    debbie

    @prostratedragon:

    So I did that and got in. What’s weird is that I’d just cleared them last week, I hadn’t clicked on any links (other than to see that there were still free crossword puzzles) but there were already more than 30!

    ETA: So I read it (powerful), closed the window, and found 8 new cookies. Bastards.

  28. 28.

    prostratedragon

    @debbie:
    I wonder if they can track the computer’s state, so that for example they know when a page is suspended and then restarted later.

  29. 29.

    Ken

    @Joey Maloney: I was going to ask about that too. It was posted by Jay, but had no links. He doesn’t usually do snark, so I don’t think he was joking.

    If it is true, I imagine there is also damage to female fertility but it might not be as immediately obvious.

  30. 30.

    debbie

    @prostratedragon:

    I used to pdf pages so I could go back later. This time, his photo extended the length of the article, blocking the right half. Very vindictive, I think.

  31. 31.

    Kay

    Jennifer Berkshire
    @BisforBerkshire
    ·12h
    Pence and DeVos were on hand to tout Thale Academy as a model of safe reopening and getting kids back to learning. Well, not ALL kids. From the Thale website: *As a private school, Thales Academy does not offer special education services*

    Pence and DeVos went to a avowedly Right wing private school yesterday- where they didn’t wear masks- to scold public schools about reopening.

    This is what now counts as a day’s “work” on the pandemic crisis in that administration. No practical assistance or support of any kind- just a photo op at a far Right private school and another stern lecture to the OTHER 49.9999999 million children they don’t care about.

    Why bother? Just stop coming to work. 99% of people wouldn’t notice anyway.

  32. 32.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    Makes sense.  Cash strapped financially desperate states are easier to negotiate with if you’re a plutocrat.

    I don’t get a sense that they want to negotiate anything. It’s more an expression of their ideology that the government should not be responsible for helping people or states. This is an offshoot of their free market fantasies.

    ETA. They don’t seem to mind if the federal government helps corporations. Nobody said that these right wing dopes were consistent.

  33. 33.

    satby

    @Joey Maloney: @Ken: didn’t read the article, but considering covid has severe blood clotting and other vascular effects and a penis is mostly vascular tissue, that’s probably not surprising.

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    You SoCal jackals okay? Just heard there was an earthquake a few minutes ago, 4 point something. Don’t know where it was centered.

    (Oops, typed before I saw @Brachiator at #7.)

  35. 35.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Ha, me too! I’ve accepted that I am incapable of being as good a person as he was. Maybe that’s okay. It takes all kinds of people to change the world. Perhaps we bitter, angry folks have a role to play too. :)

  36. 36.

    Brachiator

    @dmsilev:

    The quake was centered 1.3 miles from Pacoima and 1.4 miles north-northeast of San Fernando, USGS said.

    I just hope it is a “real quake” and not a foreshock. I’m not in the mood for a stronger quake. It’s enough with the pandemic jangling my nerves.

  37. 37.

    Ken

    @Kay: Pence and DeVos were on hand to tout Thale Academy as a model of safe reopening and getting kids back to learning.

    See, I read that and think “Thank goodness someone is running an experiment. Let’s check back in three weeks and see how well that’s worked out.”

  38. 38.

    raven

    @Betty Cracker: My brother lives fairly close.

     

    ”

    An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 struck the Pacoima area Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

    The temor hit at 4:29 a.m. about 1 mile north of Pacoima.

    There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.?

  40. 40.

    Joey Maloney

    @Ken: I know that penises can break, but it takes some kind of impact or force. How does COVID-19 cause it? Do a whole bunch of them get together and jump on your crotch?

  42. 42.

    raven

    @OzarkHillbilly: After 8 sessions my physical therapist threw in the towel since we had made zero progress on my leg problem. Since I’ve had a nasty plantar fasciitis flareup I’m going to rest it and I ordered a recumbent exercise bike. Getting old sucks.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    The jolt was enough where I was to wake me up. I hate when that happens. Not hearing any reports of significant damage. Seems like a minor quake.

  45. 45.

    Ken

    So is $10 billion enough to rescue the USPS?  Because that doesn’t seem like that much, especially in the context of the federal budget. A lot less than wall, for example.

  46. 46.

    Kay

    @Ken:

    Jennifer Berkshire
    @BisforBerkshire
    ·13h
    The private school that Pence & DeVos dropped by today is run by a right-wing free-marketeer who called North Carolina’s response to Covid-19 an assault on freedom. His *classical* schools are open for business, btw, as are the commercial kitchen ventilation factories he runs.

    Interesting that vehement pro-lifers like Pence and DeVos are promoting a private school that doesn’t serve students with disabilities. When I worked for the postal service we had a cleaning contract. Our “cleaner” – I got to know him quite well- suffered a head injury when he was 8 years old. He never went back to school. There were no special ed services available in his tiny rural town prior to the 1973 federal law mandating services be offered in public schools. Even then it took 20 years to force states to comply with it.

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JMG:

    @Baud:

    “Failed” and “misguided”? Definitely. Although I got no hint of sarcasm from the line. Maybe the sarcasm detector requires coffee. Yeah, coffee, that’s the ticket….

  50. 50.

    TS (the original)

    Former President Barack Obama will give the eulogy at US Rep. John Lewis’ funeral on Thursday

    A real President. The comforter-in-chief – it will be wonderful.

  53. 53.

    Ken

    @Joey Maloney: Do a whole bunch of [viruses] get together and jump on your crotch?

    Yes, but from the inside. As satby said, it’s vascular tissue and covid causes clotting and blood thickening, among many other things. Now I’m wondering what it might do the endometrium.

  54. 54.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Joy Reid
    @JoyAnnReid
    This is quite a set of facts about these two presidents.
    Quote Tweet

    Geoff Bennett
    @GeoffRBennett
    · 10h
    After tomorrow, former President Obama will have euologized John Lewis, Elijah Cummings and John McCain at funeral services the current President of the United States either stayed away from or was not invited to.

  56. 56.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    It is infuriating.  This is how the press has played right into the GOP strategy of sabotaging government.  They know that people blame government and that it erodes trust in government and they will not be held accountable.  They’ve been doing this with assistance from the press for decades.

  60. 60.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @raven: Hope you get the bike.

    Back in March I ordered what looked like a nice compact foldable rowing machine from Hammacher Schlemer. Still waiting.

    We’ve noticed that the supply chain is also disrupted on all kinds of crafts-related things. I decided to get back into a childhood hobby of ship-modeling, but then discovered that nobody had the ships I was interested in in stock. Primary colored craft paints also nowhere to be found.

    A rush on crafts? Outbreaks in factories that shut them down? Maybe both.

    It’s silly stuff to be sure, but it makes me extremely conscious of how fragile the supply chain is and how easily it could break down in a much more serious way on more important things. We lost our favorite local grocery store this week, they stopped home delivery and curbside pickup. I asked and they said it was because of a shortage of cashiers.

  61. 61.

    germy

    There are three stages in a woman’s life: birth, death, and “too ambitious.” t.co/wcq4Aow1VW

    — Kashana (@kashanacauley) July 29, 2020

    NEW: Joe Biden’s allies have been waging a shadow campaign to stop Kamala Harris from becoming vice president.

    Some have argued to members of the search committee that Harris is too ambitious and that she’ll only focus on becoming president if she becomes VP t.co/3bopF4I1ZB

    — Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) July 29, 2020

  62. 62.

    satby

    @rikyrah: yep. @Amir Khalid: usually during intercourse if someone zigs and the other zags and a hard object meets a harder one. The erectile tissue ruptures and can bleed into the rest of the structure if it’s severe, and the danger is that inflammation and scar tissue forms which can cause more permanent damage. Inflammation and vascular scarring is what covid does.

  64. 64.

    Ken

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I asked and they said it was because of a shortage of cashiers.

    There are tens of millions out of work, so there’s no shortage of cashiers. The store is ignoring what the market is telling them, which is that they have to pay more for cashiers.

  65. 65.

    donnah

    @raven:  I have a recumbent exercise bicycle and it’s great. No back strain, no shoulder pain. And it can be a very challenging workout, depending on how you program it. It’s a good, safe way to work out those legs.

  67. 67.

    oopzwtf

    Meanwhile, Kodak gets 3/4’s of a billion dollars to start producing demon semon or alien dna or something. And the area magats are thrilled, because adding 300 jobs to a county that lost 60,000+ in the 20 years before Kodabankruptcy is somehow a huge success story that no libturd pol could ever pull off.

    Meanwhile too, Kodak Park adjacent residents, and various aquatic species of the lower Genesee and Lake Ontario look forward to Kodak’s renewed efforts to kill them. Although maybe demon semon production involves less dichlormethane and dioxin and silver and various metals contamination than the still waiting to be cleaned up messes from film and paper coating.

  68. 68.

    Betty Cracker

    Have we talked about the sexist attacks on Kamala Harris by dinosaur Biden bundlers?

    Some of Joe Biden’s allies are waging a campaign behind the scenes to stop Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., from becoming his vice president…

    Some remain bitter about her attacks on Biden during primary debates last year, saying they bring into question her loyalty to the former vice president. Others argue that she’s too ambitious and that she will be solely focused on becoming president herself.

    IIRC, Biden called then-candidate Obama “naive” and insinuated he wasn’t up to the big job during the 2008 primaries. And you know what? That’s okay — they were competitors! Also, are we now supposed to be horrified that a U.S. senator and candidate for president harbors ambition? Biden has run for president three fucking times, but since he’s a dude, that’s just love of country, not ambition.  

    I’m 99% certain my fave (Warren) doesn’t have a shot, and I plan on voting for Biden even if he picks Susan Collins, so I wasn’t all that invested in the VP selection before. Now I hope it IS Harris, if only to spite those assholes.

  71. 71.

    Ken

    @Kathleen: Under the circumstances it does seem to be tempting fate rather too much.  “The bill had been opposed by Republicans in the Senate, but after eight of them died from coronavirus….”

  72. 72.

    Amir Khalid

    For everyone’s amusement:

    Back in the 1960s, there was a curious form of mass hysteria among ethnic Chinese in parts of Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore: there was supposedly a disease that could cause Mr Happy to shrink before your eyes until he totally disappeared into your body, and this disease could be contracted by eating pork. I understand that there were guys holding on to their members with chopsticks and making panicked phone calls to doctors.

  74. 74.

    Kay

    Full page ad in the paper copy of the Toledo Blade today- “Why Trump Will Smash the Left and Win”

    It’s plugging a grift book and speaking tour by David Horowitz. The grift on the Right deserves real exploration. Ideology aside it is an absolute money machine. I think it crashes at some point, just as a market, because it so insanely over-valued. There are 10,000 Right wing grifters competing for every mark’s dollar. It can’t just keep going up.

  78. 78.

    Ken

    @germy: Great work, people, keep brainstorming. Another couple of hours and we’ll have a script for that 1980s teen sex comedy, and heaven knows there haven’t been enough of those lately.

  81. 81.

    Catherine D.

    The USPS money apparently came with major strings – they have to hand over the terms of delivery agreements with Amazon, FedEx, UPS, etc

  83. 83.

    Soprano2

    Every time I read a story about the COVID relief bill I substitute “the Senate” for “Congress”, which is what all of the press should do. The House did their job two months ago, but you’d never know it from the way the press writes about it. I think Republicans honestly believed, back in May, that the economy was going to “reopen” and take care of all this, so there would be no need for further help.

    If COVID really does cause impotence and other male performance and fertility problems, perhaps that’s what should be emphasized in order to get men to wear masks! They might not care about the threat of dying, but the thought of their “equipment” malfunctioning might get their attention.

    @raven:  I feel for you, it took me a year to get rid of plantar fascitis.  Mostly I wore foot braces when I slept and did stretches on and off. It’s some nasty stuff, I hate the thought it could come back! Good luck to you.

  88. 88.

    jonas

    @Betty Cracker: Now I hope it IS Harris, if only to spite those assholes.

    It’s supposedly a group around Chris Dodd, a close Biden adviser, who really hate Kamala for some reason. My guess is that this is about certain people — or their proxies — jockeying for position in the 2024 campaign. They know she would be a formidable contender as VP and are scrambling to get Biden to choose someone less threatening (to their own interests). He should tell them to get bent and pick Harris if he thinks she’s the best choice.

  92. 92.

    FelonyGovt

    Earthquake and a sore throat woke me up early. And trying not to think the worst about the sore throat.

  94. 94.

    A Ghost to Most

    t* just tweeted about mail-in ballots again, and floated delaying the elections.

    Slowly, then suddenly.

  95. 95.

    germy

    @MomSense:

    And I read somewhere that Bloomberg is laying low and keeping quiet until he’s certain Biden doesn’t pick Warren for VP.

    If it’s anyone but Warren, he’ll turn on his money hose.

  98. 98.

    Joey Maloney

    @Kay:

    I think it crashes at some point, just as a market, because it so insanely over-valued. There are 10,000 Right wing grifters competing for every mark’s dollar. It can’t just keep going up.

    The marks are not the yokels that buy the book or a ticket to one of their college-campus rantfests. That money is incidental. They’ll take it, but they’re really aiming at the insane right-wing billionaires that are financing the whole circus. And those chucklefucks show no sign of getting tired of lighting money on fire to hear people parrot their dumb ideas back to them.

  99. 99.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    On the ship modeling thing, do you find that your fine motor skills have changed?  I used to be able to do pysanky, the intricate Russian/Ukrainian Pascha eggs.  When I tried last year, I couldn’t keep a straight line to save my life.

  100. 100.

    TS (the original)

    Just heard about this from trump’s twitter

    With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

    He definitely knows he is going to lose in November

    Edit: as mentioned by A Ghost to Most above

  101. 101.

    Betty Cracker

    @germy: Haha, Bloomberg will never get over being chewed up and spat out in Las Vegas. I’m pretty sure it won’t be Warren, but I hope Bloomberg’s threat to take his ball and go home isn’t a factor in the decision. I wouldn’t trust him to come through even if Biden picks someone plutocrat-friendly like Raimondo as VP.

  102. 102.

    Baud

    @Baud:

    @Betty Cracker:

    What’s especially odd about this line of attack is that, while I don’t know Biden personally, I find it hard to believe that these “criticisms” of Harris would be the type of criticisms that influence his choice.

    Unfortunately, if Biden doesn’t choose Harris, people will point to these attacks and say that’s the reason, even if there is no evidence of it.

  105. 105.

    Brachiator

    @Betty Cracker:

    Have we talked about the sexist attacks on Kamala Harris by dinosaur Biden bundlers?

    I agree that it is sexist, even though these donors prefer other women candidates.

    It is weird that they think that Harris is too ambitious. This supposed bad trait in a woman running for office really seems to upset some men and women.

    I’ve read pundits who prefer Susan Rice precisely because she has not held elective office and might be free of the flaw of being… ambitious. Oh that dreaded word!

    But Jesus H Christ, Biden is a thousand years old. Anybody with half a brain might want a VP who might have to complete Biden’s term. And I want Biden to be president for two full terms and have as his VP someone young enough to serve for two full terms herself.

    But I also assume that any VP will be a partner, because God knows there will be a lot of crap that needs attention. I’m not worried about an overly ambitious VP trying to seize power. You know, like Dick Cheney.

    ETA. A lot of folks I know think that Biden is going to pick Duckworth.

  106. 106.

    Baud

    It’s kind of funny that picking Harris would piss off both the Chris Dodd centrist wing of the party and Rose Twitter.

  107. 107.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Don’t know yet. Just decided few weeks ago to pursue this and I’m still waiting for my ship to come in, as it were.

    I’m hoping that I have more patience and attention to detail than I did at 14. Also better tools.

    And also possibly better glue. My dad was a chemical engineer who did a lot of work with plastics, and he used to bring home his favorite work solvent, tri-chloroethylene, for us to use with models. That stuff would EAT tiny parts at the drop of a hat.

  108. 108.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Baud:

    There’s a certain kind of political hanger-on that will always suggest that the VP be a white dude, age 60+.

  110. 110.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Just don’t be too surprised if the hands aren’t quite as steady as before. If there are any “crutch” tools, don’t be afraid to get them.

  111. 111.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @TS (the original): With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good),

    OK, I’ll bite. How is mailing in a ballot good if it’s called Absentee and evil if it’s called Mail-In?

  112. 112.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Brachiator: The O’bros were talking up Susan Rice yesterday because they said Biden could hand off rehabbing international relations or even the virus response to her. Also, she has experience in the executive branch and knows how things are supposed to work. There’ll be a ton of work to do, even apart from being ready to step into the presidency if necessary.

    OT: My writer zoomed last night. Zoom is better than nothing, but I really miss seeing them in person.

  113. 113.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Baud:

    Yup. Just praying to the goddess that his number 2 will be of an age to run on her lonesome in 2024, and that it isn’t Elizabeth Warren.

    Either Harris or Duckworth would be fantastic. My nod is with Harris, mainly for her executive experience and the fact that I’ve got a bit of a crush.

  119. 119.

    Baud

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    That doesn’t make much sense to me. The President and the Secretary of State should be taking the lead on rehabbing international relations.  I don’t see other countries who we have to make amends with being impressed with that job being handed off to the Veep, even if it’s someone respected in that field.

  120. 120.

    Brachiator

    So, I didn’t notice that Trump is testing the waters for political bullshit.

    With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

    Delay the election?

    Yeah, if he doesn’t like the result, he is going to try to challenge it. We need to vote his ass out by a convincing margin.

  121. 121.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    OK, I’ll bite. How is mailing in a ballot good if it’s called Absentee and evil if it’s called Mail-In?

    The obvious answer: if it’s Absentee, you are more likely to be a Republican (possibly overseas military), and if it’s Mail-In, you are more likely to be a Democrat (e.g. a resident of Oregon).

  122. 122.

    TS (the original)

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    OK, I’ll bite. How is mailing in a ballot good if it’s called Absentee and evil if it’s called Mail-In?

    Well – not to presume what dear president* would say

    It’s absentee voting if done by donald trump but mail-in voting if done by those other people.

  123. 123.

    PsiFighter37

    @Brachiator: He can’t do it – law is very clear on when elections are held. Given SCOTUS’ recent rulings on Wisconsin holding their elections come hell or high water in April, I think Roberts & team would unanimously strike down any attempt to postpone the election.

  124. 124.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Brachiator: Suppose a bunch of Republican-controlled governments actually delay/cancel the election in the deep-red states. They could actually do this thing. Shut down the election, refuse to certify presidential electors so the Electoral College can’t vote.

    They have no constitutional authority to do this, but who’s going to enforce that? Gin up a 5-4 SCOTUS vote respecting the governors’ sovereign dignitude and declaring no EC vote valid without those electors, and Trump’s in as long as he likes–he can say it’s for the duration of COVID, then do his best to keep COVID going forever. The only real endgame is probably that COVID finally kills him.

  126. 126.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hard to ignore a “broken dick” theme.  One of my colleagues reported he so suffered because, he said, he and his wife — and I quote — “got frisky on the pool table.” TMI!!  But still one of the most memorable sentences I ever heard.

  127. 127.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Matt McIrvin: They could actually do this thing. Shut down the election, refuse to certify presidential electors so the Electoral College can’t vote.

    They tried that back in 1864. Lincoln won a 2nd term anyway.

  128. 128.

    TS (the original)

    @PsiFighter37:

     I think Roberts & team would unanimously strike down any attempt to postpone the election.

    I’m sure 2 or 3 of the team would lean the other way

  129. 129.

    Baud

    @Matt McIrvin: As long as Biden states vote, it doesn’t matter what Trump states do.

    ETA: And once again, not holding an election doesn’t keep Trump’s term from expiring.

  131. 131.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: All that really matters is what the people with the guns will enforce. Trump is their boss, and with a favorable SCOTUS ruling they could even be convinced of the legitimacy of whatever happens.

  132. 132.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    The O’bros were talking up Susan Rice yesterday because they said Biden could hand off rehabbing international relations or even the virus response to her. Also, she has experience in the executive branch and knows how things are supposed to work.

    All good points. My preference is someone who has held elective office and may help deal with Congress. Biden has a lot of good candidates. I will be happy with any one of them.

    OT: I find the various ways that Zoom and similar services are now just a part of life to be fascinating.

  133. 133.

    Baud

    @Matt McIrvin:

    What favorable ruling? If the election is close, there will be issues.  If red states don’t let people vote, it won’t matter one whit.

  135. 135.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    The donut fairy came this morning. Sadly, they left two filled, puffy ones and no plain. So Mr DAW did well. Frankly, I’d rather have toast.

    I feel a little guilty bitching about free donuts but not guilty enough to refrain from doing it.

  136. 136.

    Danielx

    @Kay:

    That ghoul Pat Robertson has been running the 700 Club scam for decades and still fleeces marks. There is a never-ending stream of people who will pay to have someone tell them what they want to hear.

    See also: consultants!

  138. 138.

    MomSense

    @Brachiator:

    I’d love to see Susan Rice at Sec Def because she would be really good at it, but also for wingnut head explosions.

    Samantha Power at State.

  139. 139.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Brachiator:

    I find the various ways that Zoom and similar services are now just a part of life to be fascinating.

    People have been very creative in trying to work around the restrictions of the pandemic. You see TV shows adapting, frex.

  140. 140.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Joy Reid Retweeted
    Dave Temkin
    @dtemkin
    ·
    13h
    This is 2:18 of uncomfortable wincing and absolute shame. Watch.
    Quote Tweet

    Yashar Ali
    Elephant
    @yashar
    · 13h
    My God

    Harrison Arkansas, I know it well.

  141. 141.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Matt McIrvin: There would be the additional problem of giving up their seats in the House and the Senate. Those elections are certified by the members. No elections? No certifications. Basically handing over the house and the senate to DEMs.

  142. 142.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Matt McIrvin: I’m trying to imagine a scenario where the U.S. military is going to support a guy planning a hostile and illegal takeover who they know is a Russian stooge. Cynical as I am, I don’t see that happening.

  143. 143.

    Ken

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: You see TV shows adapting, frex.

    I’m sure there will be dissertations on that subject in five or ten years.

    Also the various strategies used by the ad agencies, ranging from ignoring it entirely, to discreet references to “the current situation” or “when we get back to normal”, to using the epidemic to sell their services.

  146. 146.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The co-founder of conservative student group Turning Point USA, Bill Montgomery, has died from complications of the coronavirus, according to two friends of his.

    Montgomery, who started it in 2012 with young conservative star Charlie Kirk, died at the age of 80 on Tuesday from Covid-19, according to pro-Trump conservative strategist Caleb Hull, who posted about the death on Twitter and his personal Facebook page, and Chicago-based citizen journalist Vic Maggio.

    “I really wish people would just stop politicizing this pandemic and grow up while innocent people around us are dying,” Hull also said. “You have no idea how painful it is to be forced to sit at home while your loved one dies alone in a hospital.”

  149. 149.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: You noticed that too, eh? I can’t help noting that he doesn’t point any fingers at Charlie Kirk who has been quite loud and proud about not wearing a mask.

  150. 150.

    Connor

    @raven:

    After 8 sessions my physical therapist threw in the towel

    Have you tried a form of physical therapy called A.R.T. (Active Release Techniques)? Over the years it has provided incredible relief for me and my wife from serious physical issues — carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, damage to my rotator cuff and her lower back, horrible nerve pain issues in my leg …it really has been our go-to rescuer for all kinds of physical problems. Yet somehow, despite its great benefits, most doctors and PT people don’t seem to know anything about it. If you haven’t been seen by someone certified in this discipline, you might want to give it a try. There is a practitioner locator at the top of http://www.activerelease.com.

    Direct personal testimonial: in 1999 I had such severe carpal tunnel in both wrists that multiple doctors told me it was going to be a chronic pain problem for the rest of my life, even with surgery. I wore splints on both wrists pretty much 24/7 to cope (barely) with the agony while I debated going under the knife. Then I heard about A. R. T. and decided to check out a local therapist. She listened to my story, did some motion tests, and said she could fix everything in four or five sessions. Not reduce, or ameliorate. Fix. I was incredibly dubious…but four sessions later I was completely pain free and haven’t had so much as a twinge in either wrist in 21 years. So it sure the heck worked for me.

  151. 151.

    TS (the original)

    @debbie:

    Took me awhile to realise  it was probably in response to President Obama’s tweet about national vote by mail day.  Trump wears his hate in the open & on twitter.

  152. 152.

    OzarkHillbilly

    ACLU@ACLU
    REMINDER: Only Congress can reschedule Election Day.

    It’s in the Constitution.
    Quote Tweet

    Brian Tyler Cohen
    @briantylercohen
    · Jul 28
    BREAKING: Barr refuses to answer whether the president can move the election date.
    Show this thread

  153. 153.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: How does it go? “A conservative is a liberal who’s just been mugged; a liberal is a conservative who’s just had to spend six months in isolation because the idiot sitting in the Oval Office started out calling the pandemic a hoax and hasn’t done anything about it since.”

  155. 155.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: I don’t find that hard to believe at all, but hopefully it’s just jockeying by the hangers-on. We’ll know more next week.

  159. 159.

    chopper

    @dmsilev:

    ‘herman’ means brother. so ironically, as he’s in the hospital on oxygen, the brother of cain is not currently able.

  161. 161.

    Nicole

    @germy:

    And I read somewhere that Bloomberg is laying low and keeping quiet until he’s certain Biden doesn’t pick Warren for VP.

    If it’s anyone but Warren, he’ll turn on his money hose.

    And that’s such an indication of how stupid even (relatively) self-made men can be about how things work outside of their field of expertise.  Being Biden’s VP is about getting to be in the history books as the first woman VP, because the VP is NOT a powerful office.  It’s one of the least powerful offices (although, of course, with potential for power).  Warren can cause Bloomberg a lot more hurt in the Senate, or in another position in the Administration than she could as VP.

    And looking to 2024- it’s better for the party if Biden runs for a 2nd term, because he’d be the incumbent, and even if he doesn’t, it’s not like the party is just going to hand the nomination to the VP; there are plenty of Democrats who will throw their hats in the ring, and, unfortunately, a lot of them will be white men, who have a built-in advantage.  I’ll be shocked if Cuomo doesn’t try to parlay his Randy Rainbow fame into a run.

    I know, Biden’s 77, but the age at death of our recently deceased ex-Presidents are:
    GHW Bush: 94, Ford: 93, Reagan: 93, and then Nixon at 81 back in 1994.  Clinton and Carter are still on this mortal coil.  Hell, even Herbert Hoover lived to 90.  I just don’t get the assumption that Biden’s going to collapse as soon as he meets the actuarial table.

    Frankly, VP should be EXACTLY where Bloomberg would want to see Warren.  Which is why it’s where I don’t want to see her, much as I love her and ponied up to tune into the grassroots funder she and Biden are doing this Friday.

  163. 163.

    catclub

    @Matt McIrvin: Roberts has NOT been a Trump hack on the court. In contrast to Alito, Thomas, and Kavanaugh. ( Gorsuch was non-hack on at least one case), who have been.

    So I doubt they would find 5 votes for trump 4evar.

     

    I think if electors for GOP states did not show up, that would just allow a 100% Electoral College vote.

    [if the Confederacy states had kept sending their representatives to DC, it would have made governing impossible.]

  168. 168.

    dopey-o

    @SFAW:

    Getting old sucks.

    “Old” is OK, “decrepit” is what sucks.

    Getting old doesn’t suck. Getting decrepit doesn’t suck. What sucks is realizing how stupid our country has become.

Comments are closed.