Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

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

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

đŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockin’ đŸŽ”

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.


 riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

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

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Peak wingnut was a lie.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

How stupid are these people?

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Walk-Back (Open Thread)

Walk-Back (Open Thread)

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The low-quality hires must’ve made a colorful bar graph showing that in Florida, Democrats are outpacing Republicans in vote-by-mail requests by about half a million.

Auto Draft 13

Then maybe the low-quality hires performed a sock-puppet show or interpretive dance to convey the possibility that the combination of the pandemic and flu season in November will discourage older voters from voting in person, leaving the subset who believe mail-in ballots will result in THE MOST CORRUPT ELECTION IN HISTORY parked on their sofas instead of at the polls filling in the oval next to “Trump-Pence.”

Will it work? I don’t know. The intended audience isn’t well represented on Twitter.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

247Comments

  1. 1.

    Elizabelle

    Thank you for making that Trump tweet palatable, Betty C.  You only improved it.

  2. 2.

    Cacti

    I haven’t read the comments from all the earlier FP posts, but did anyone catch what happened with Jerry Falwell, Jr. today?

    For some reason known only to himself and Evangelical Jebus, he posted a photo of himself on his yacht, with his arm around a not Mrs. Falwell woman, and his pants unzipped.

    He’s since taken it down, but the internet is forever.

  7. 7.

    mali muso

    @Cacti: Yeah, that happened yesterday and we had some discussion about it in one of the open threads.  I’m still totally gobsmacked.  Like…in what universe did he think that this was something to do, let alone post on social media?

  9. 9.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Chyron HR:

    I have to admit, I appreciated his taste (I always have this thing for “slightly trashy”. Don’t judge me.)

  10. 10.

    Johannes

    Just a follow up on my kvetching about Act Blue and it’s handling of my contributions from a Doug J’s weekend thread. This afternoon, I received a very thorough email from a named person at Act Blue, who verified my contributions, gave me some tools to track them on an ongoing basis, and was very reassuring about how careful Act Blue is.

    Since I shared the gripe, I thought I should share the good result.

  11. 11.

    arrieve

    I’ve been rewatching Torchwood: Children of Earth. The plot includes the British government trying to figure out how to spin turning over ten percent of the world’s children to aliens; I remember when I first watched it in 2009 thinking that the British were even more cynical than Americans, that you’d never see American TV portraying our government as quite that evil.

    Everything’s changed. Reality is so much worse than even the most dark and cynical artist could come up with; Kushner would be busy figuring out if he could turn a profit by offering an additional million children.

  12. 12.

    Cacti

    Here are some back to school photos from the great state of Georgia.

    Kids packed together like cattle in a chute, with no one wearing masks.

    In a few weeks, the Republicans will be saying “No one could have predicted”.

  13. 13.

    Mike in NC

    Should Fat Bastard lose in Florida, might he try to sell Mar-A-Lardass in a snit and move back to Queens?

  14. 14.

    PenAndKey

    So his “we stopped the Democrats attempts at change” he’s referring to the ballot initiative that the state GOP blocked after it passed to return the franchise to ex-felons, isn’t he? I swear, everything is a dog whistle these days from him.

  16. 16.

    zhena gogolia

    @Johannes:

    I’ve been very happy with them.

    Patreon is another outfit I was wary of but have had good experience with. Support BillinGlendale!

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @Cacti: I don’t know what’s true and what’s not, but I don’t really care because I already know he is a despicable person.

    But I saw something here on BJ yesterday that it was dress-up for some party or event.

  21. 21.

    zhena gogolia

    @Elizabelle:

    It looks as if the tornado watch has been lifted now. I grew up in Missouri and spent many hours in the basement, but I didn’t think I needed to get a basement setup plus pool table here in New England. I guess I have to think again. But somehow the definition of “tornado” seems different these days.

    Anyway, the generator is blasting and the winds are still whipping the trees. Not out of the woods yet.

  22. 22.

    jl

    Any Trumpster flunky going to get fired for allowing him to do an interview with an Australian journalist? By the interviews I’ve seen from there, Trump was treated with kid gloves, but something Trump is not used to (Edit: he wasn’t called a fool and a knave and invited to bugger off, for example). Maybe the US courtiers will get a clue. But, they haven’t from the milder Chris Wallace treatment.

  24. 24.

    Falling Diphthong

    I think we should start pushing a “Put your ballot where Trump’s mouth is” initiative. If voters believe the election is rigged, the one thing they can do is refuse to participate. Don’t lend the election legitimacy. Every Trump supporter who starts mouthing off about the conspiracy should be challenged to show he means it by not voting.

    Credit to Swan for noting that it is unusual for the ruling party to accuse itself of setting up fake elections.

  25. 25.

    Patricia Kayden

    Say what you will about trump, but I think it was mighty nice of him to film that hour-long ad on Axios for Joe Biden.— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) August 4, 2020

  26. 26.

    jl

    BTW, where is Yoah-samieyet? Or was it Yoah-simmighty?

    Edit: Maybe Bugs Bunny brought onto the speech writing team?

  27. 27.

    H.E.Wolf

    Volunteers with http://PostcardsToVoters.org

    are writing to Democratic voters in Florida, with the assistance of the FL State Democratic Party, to urge them to enroll in Florida’s Vote By Mail program.

    I’m currently working on a batch of their addresses, all of which are in Travis McGee territory. There hasn’t yet been any address for a boat slip at the Bahia Mar marina in Ft. Lauderdale, but I keep hoping. :)

    I’ve had a good experience with this organization over the past year. I appreciate their methodical, easy-to-follow process.

    They’re gearing up to write for candidates in the November elections, so check them out if you’d like to help flip some seats without having to phonebank.

  28. 28.

    Betty Cracker

    @PenAndKey: He might mean a lawsuit a Democratic superPAC brought against the state that was recently dismissed. They were trying to get the state to provide postage-paid mail-in ballots and make it so that ballots that were post-marked by election day but not received by that day would still be valid (I think).

  29. 29.

    Redshift

    @Cacti: Both of their pants are unzipped, geez.

    Nothing better illustrates the fact that evangelicals are largely authoritarian followers than extending “the Leader is permitted to break taboos” to someone who isn’t even a minister, he’s a lawyer trading on his daddy’s name.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: The year the tree fell on my house, I was nervous every time we had high winds, and I would sit in the hallway (closest thing to an inside room that wasn’t the bathroom) and distract myself by reading/comment on BJ.

    I can attest to the distraction being very helpful in getting through that.  Hope we can distract you through this.

  33. 33.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mike in NC:

    Should Fat Bastard lose in Florida, might he try to sell Mar-A-Lardass in a snit and move back to Queens?

    only if Florida institutes a state income tax and NY elects a Tea Party governor.

  34. 34.

    Patricia Kayden

    Chuck Todd to NBC exec: "So, you're moving my show to 1pm?"NBC Exec: "Yep." He never found out why because he doesn't ask follow-up questions.— Frank Conniff (@FrankConniff) August 3, 2020

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    @gkoutnik: Who goes to a white trash, trailer trash, or “slightly trashy” themed party???

    Though I did work with a vet at the vet school who had an annual “beer belly and vericose vein” contest at his summer party.  Flyers were complete with photos of the winners for the previous year.

  36. 36.

    Falling Diphthong

    @Cacti: I am somehow focused on his claim that he is holding a glass of black water. That’s just a prop for the photo, like we all keep glasses of black water around for photoscaping reasons.

    Incubi?

  38. 38.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl:

    Thank you! There are a lot of big trees near our house, and they are our pride and joy in good weather! But on days like this they’re a bit scary. We try to keep them healthy and trimmed, but anything can happen. Tfu, tfu, tfu.

  39. 39.

    WaterGirl

    @Falling Diphthong:

    Credit to Swan for noting that it is unusual for the ruling party to accuse itself of setting up fake elections.

    Did he do that in the interview?  I only watched the two clips for the Anne Laurie thread.

  41. 41.

    Roger Moore

    @mali muso:

    Like
in what universe did he think that this was something to do, let alone post on social media?

    History says that many, many Evangelical leaders love partaking in things they tell others are sinful, so it should come as no surprise that Junior Falwell is doing the same.  Why he thought it was OK to post to social media is another question entirely.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    Earlier today I got participated in an online poll about the AP. I think they are contemplating charging for an app with targeted news alerts.

    I then got served up a Survey Monkey political poll.  I usually ignore this stuff, but this time I took a look. Lots of questions about the virus, and about Trump. I had fun noting how strongly I disapproved of Trump, his handling of the pandemic, and his bullshit about mail in votes.  Some interesting questions asked.

  45. 45.

    trollhattan

    @Cacti:

    Good god, that’s a horrible way to treat kids and teachers. I hope there’s some kind of retribution coming for that monster of a governor–how many deaths is he responsible for?

  46. 46.

    jl

    @WaterGirl: I’d like to know too, but not sure I can take watching the whole interview. By the standards of where Swan is from, he was a very sweet pussy cat. But very disrespectful, not nice, and barbarous by US media standards. And impertinent, very impertinent. Acted like he didn’t know his place.

  49. 49.

    trollhattan

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Hilarious show, “Trailer Park Boys.” Have a hard time believing the Good Students and Faculty of Liberty U would be encouraged to watch such Canadian trash, but what do I know?

  50. 50.

    Kent

    @Cacti:

    I haven’t read the comments from all the earlier FP posts, but did anyone catch what happened with Jerry Falwell, Jr. today?

    For some reason known only to himself and Evangelical Jebus, he posted a photo of himself on his yacht, with his arm around a not Mrs. Falwell woman, and his pants unzipped.

    He’s since taken it down, but the internet is forever.

    Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Liberty University have achieved the ultimate Peak  Trump and MAGA in a way that no on else has quite mastered:

    Scammy fake university?  Check

    Claims to be anointed by God?  Check

    Overt racism?  Check

    Preys on ignorant white rubes?   Check

    Sex scandals?  Check

    Science denial?  Check

    Embezzlement and real estate scandals?  Check

    Threatens to sue anyone and everyone who looks at him crosswise?  Check

    Surrounded by tacky women not his wife?  Check

    Anything I forgot?

  51. 51.

    glory b

    In the “Good Black Don’t Crack” category, today is Hakeem Jeffries’ 50th birthday!

  52. 52.

    mrmoshpotato

    THE MOST SAFE AND SECURE, TRIED AND TRUE, CORRUPT ELECTION IN HISTORY

    Fixed.  Dump is yelling about Florida after all!

  56. 56.

    jl

    @Kent: Substandard sartorial decisions. Worse than Trump, at least his open fly would be tastefully covered up by way too long power tie.

  61. 61.

    Gin & Tonic

    @zhena gogolia: This morning I had three large and mostly or completely dead oaks taken down. I have a lot of oak trees, and some of them didn’t survive the gypsy moth infestations. There are more to be take down in winter, when the ground is frozen and the tree guys work for less. Now the trees are really swaying, but I still have power.

  62. 62.

    Brachiator

    @Cacti:

    I haven’t read the comments from all the earlier FP posts, but did anyone catch what happened with Jerry Falwell, Jr. today?

    For some reason known only to himself and Evangelical Jebus, he posted a photo of himself on his yacht, with his arm around a not Mrs. Falwell woman, and his pants unzipped.

    Wow. This is sleazy, even for people known for their sleaze.

    This comment was unexpectedly illuminating.

    Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also tweeted: “How is this Jerry Falwell Jr. photo even real? Also if you’re running the largest Christian university in America maybe don’t put photos of yourself on social media with your pants undone on a yacht — with random women in bad wigs. So gross, so hypocritical.”

    In other words, don’t get caught.

  63. 63.

    jl

    @HumboldtBlue: California place names and geography are troublesome for people from some parts of the country. I remember some tourists from the Midwest at a gas station on highway 99 near Merced ask where the San Joe-Keen Valley was. And another time, someone wanted directions to San Joezee.

    Edit: as I implied above, I tend to blame the malign influence of Bugs Bunny on our culture.

    Edit2: and Los Anggileeze is too common to mention.

  66. 66.

    LuciaMia

    It was bizarre that Trump somehow believed only Democrats used Mail-in ballots…So now…

    Mail-in voting in Nevada=Bad!    Mail-in voting in Florida=Good!

    Fuck me!!

  69. 69.

    Captain C

    @Roger Moore: I wonder if ‘trailer park-themed’ included stereotypical trailer park activities which might end with an appearance on Springer.

  70. 70.

    Betty Cracker

    Troof:

    There’s a recent boomlet of Dems/what passes for center-left media figures publicly advising Biden not to participate in the debates lately. I hope they’re consciously feeding into the Trump campaign’s pathologies, but probably not since it includes dullards like Tom Friedman. Whatever. Keep digging.

  72. 72.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Mike in NC:

    Should Fat Bastard lose in Florida, might he try to sell Mar-A-Lardass in a snit and move back to Queens 
    attempt to flee the country?

    Fixed. No charge.

  73. 73.

    laura

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Roadie brother the younger stars in Trailor Park Boys as himself only more awful – in the going to Europe season and follow on. The hypocracy of the spawn of Jerry Falwell needs to be ground into his greasy face/exposed pubis mound from now till Liberty University is shut down, burnt and the earth it sat on salted.

  74. 74.

    jl

    @Kent: Besides the vest problem, it looks like a white-tie and tails suit left over from Taft, re-tailored to work in some stylish sack suit flare and swank.

  75. 75.

    HumboldtBlue

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Mazel tov cocktails?

    So wait, Yosemite Sam is a defrocked Rabbi and he’s angry about that so he’s waging war on varmints critters and other sundry undesirables?

    Can a Rabbi be defrocked or is a Rabbi de-phylacteried?

    We had dogs, here’s a cat playing golf.

    @jl:

    I got side-eyed when I pronounced San Rafael San Ra-fah-ell instead of San Ra-fell.

  79. 79.

    jonas

    Good catch, BC. Yep, someone definitely got it through his dementia-addled head that “sir, if you lose Florida because too many of your supporters refuse to use absentee or mail-in ballots, you have no path to reelection.”

    Of course then in the same tweet-breath he flips out about Nevada authorizing sending a mail-in ballot to every registered voter, claiming it makes it “impossible for me to win” there. Again, he’s telegraphing straight to Biden’s people how his campaign is thinking. Mail-in ballots in FL: good, because lots of seniors use them. Mail-in ballots in NV? Bad, because a lot of unionized casino workers who might not otherwise be able to vote due to their work schedules will vote and probably for Biden in large numbers. He’s so transparently craven and corrupt.

  80. 80.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl:

    But I saw something here on BJ yesterday that it was dress-up for some party or event. 

    I only saw the very bottom of the photo – enough to see she was wearing cut-off jeans.

    Was it dress up for the White Trash Ball?

  81. 81.

    Cacti

    @Falling Diphthong:  I am somehow focused on his claim that he is holding a glass of black water. That’s just a prop for the photo, like we all keep glasses of black water around for photoscaping reasons.

    You can tell that he’s a true evangelical, based on the fact that he’s most worried that someone might think he was drinking.

  82. 82.

    jl

    @HumboldtBlue: “I got side-eyed when I pronounced San Rafael San Ra-fah-ell instead of San Ra-fell.”

    I think that’s a little harsh of the natives, myaan… yah knaaa.

    Did anyone ever make fun of Arnold when he kept saying ‘Gawwleevahnia”

  85. 85.

    mali muso

    @Cacti: Yes, THIS!  In all of the horribleness of that photo, the thing he is most concerned with pointing out is that he’s not really drinking…it’s just a prop!

    Reminds me of my younger years in the Evie world (I grew up in it…am now recovering as an adult).  I went to an Xtian college where we had to sign a lifestyle statement that included swearing off things like sex, drugs, and dancing.  The joke used to be “why can’t we have sex?  Because sex leads to dancing, and dancing is a sin.”

  88. 88.

    jl

    @jonas: Good thing is, maybe, that since his legal flunkies have asserted that the goof’s tweets are official executive documents, the contradiction can be used in court. But, IANAL, so just my guess.

  90. 90.

    Brachiator

    @jl:

    Edit2: and Los Anggileeze is too common to mention.

    This was largely a deliberate affectation of the WASP political class.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Julie Tsirkin@JulieNBCNews· 2h
    .@kasie: Speaker Pelosi suggested $600/week for federal benefits is her red line. Could that pass the Senate if POTUS wants it too?
    @senatemajldr: “It’s something I’m prepared to support. Even if I have some problems with certain parts of it.”

  94. 94.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: Man, that was an image I definitely didn’t need to see, but I couldn’t help myself.

    LOL at Meghan McCain calling someone else hypocritical though. Little Miss “I love the gays but I still vote Republican” can shut the fuck up.

  96. 96.

    Matt McIrvin

    Rain band coming through here in northeastern Mass., wind’s picked up quite a bit.

  98. 98.

    RobertDSC-Work

    I appreciate Betty’s doctoring of the current occupant’s photo, but why do we have to endure ZergNet and three photos of his orange face? Why is ZergNet there in the first place?

  100. 100.

    leeleeFL

    @Mike in NC: Poor Queens!  Why do you hate Queens? The US Government should confiscate all of his propertires and  he should be re-homed to Leavenworth.  FTFY

  105. 105.

    Mary G

    ??????????????

    Just a reminder that one day Ivanka will try to distance herself from her father’s shameful legacy – and it’s our job to make sure she can’t.— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) August 3, 2020

    I’m calling it right now: There will be a book, or a speaking tour, and *definitely* a sob story. Whatever it is, she can’t ever be allowed to wash off the stink of this administration.— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) August 3, 2020

  108. 108.

    Brachiator

    @jl:

    California place names and geography are troublesome for people from some parts of the country

    Hell, California residents, especially newcomers, often cannot even pronounce their own addresses correctly.

    When I worked for a great metropolitan newspaper, customer service clerks had to deal with subscribers calling for the paper to be delivered to “100 Kally Mayer in Pallace Virdis.”

    The brilliant industrial engineer who worked for the company insisted on a strong phonetic search system for the online customer service system.

    ETA: 100 Calle Mayor, Palos Verdes

  110. 110.

    rikyrah

    Then maybe the low-quality hires performed a sock-puppet show or interpretive dance

     

     

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AHH A

  113. 113.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @raven:

    Did you get a lot of weather yesterday? It poured and thunder-lightninged in Alpharetta like a sumbish in mid-afternoon, but lasted no more than an hour and then all was serene.

    Edited for geographical precision.

  114. 114.

    Roger Moore

    @jl:

    California place names and geography are troublesome for people from some parts of the country.

    Names are troublesome everywhere in this country.  There are a huge number of place names from other languages- Spanish, French, Dutch, Native American, etc.- which trip up people who aren’t good at pronouncing those languages.  Then there are names that are obviously foreign but that have Anglicized pronunciation just to trip up the people who can speak those languages.  And then there are names that are just plain weird, like Norfolk, Nebraska, which the locals pronounce Norfork because that’s what they wanted the name to be until somebody “corrected” the spelling for them.

  121. 121.

    Jeffro

    I’m enjoying the absolute crap out of rubbing this 180-degree trumpov turnaround in the face of every TCNJ that I know (including the entirety of my nuclear family).

    They just don’t want “those” people voting, is all they ever meant…it’s literally their only principle at this point and I should probably put “principle” in quotes too.

  122. 122.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mary G: I hadn’t thought of that, but I can imagine it. After he dies, she releases a heartfelt memoir of how, in spite of her best efforts, Jason Miller and Kellyanne (or somebody led him astray…. I wonder if Jared will still be around, I guess it depends on how ironclad a prenup Papa Kushner foisted on her.

    Sidenote: Mary Trump says that at Ivanka’s wedding, Papa K, not long out of federal prison I believe, made a toast announcing that at first, he didn’t think Ivanka was good enough for his little princeling, but he was impressed by how seriously she took the process of converting to Judaism.

  124. 124.

    Matt McIrvin

    @noncarborundum: The watch is still up, they issued a tornado warning for an area west of here around Ayer and Littleton (sounds like a tornado wasn’t actually spotted but the potential exists).

  125. 125.

    mrmoshpotato

    @HumboldtBlue:

    So wait, Yosemite Sam is a defrocked Rabbi and he’s angry about that so he’s waging war on varmints critters and other sundry undesirables? 

    I have no clue, and LOL

  126. 126.

    Kent

    @Brachiator:

    Hell, California residents, especially newcomers, often cannot even pronounce their own addresses correctly.

    When I worked for a great metropolitan newspaper, customer service clerks had to deal with subscribers calling for the paper to be delivered to “100 Kally Mayer in Pallace Virdis.”

    The brilliant industrial engineer who worked for the company insisted on a strong phonetic search system for the online customer service system.

    ETA: 100 Calle Mayor, Palos Verdes

    At least it’s not like Texas where they just DELIBERATELY mis-pronounce most Mexican place names.

    In Austin the Guadalupe River is pronounced Gwa-da-LOOP River

    In Waco the Brazos River is pronounced “BRAW-zus

    In south Texas the Rio Grande is pronounced Rio-GRAND

    And don’t even get me started on Palacios, Pedernales, and San Jacinto.

  129. 129.

    Matt McIrvin

    Rain coming down really hard now. It looks like this is the one big rain band that’s going to hit us–the big rain is in central and upstate NY and Vermont.

  131. 131.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Roger Moore:

    I remember my dad, a Philly native, telling me of the first time he took the 118 freeway headed to Simi and passed the Tapo Cyn exit and was absolutely flummoxed being a man familiar Bala Cynwyd and such. He couldn’t understand how SoCal had Welsh road names.

    He finally figured it out.

  134. 134.

    mrmoshpotato

    @mali muso:

    I went to an Xtian college where we had to sign a lifestyle statement that included swearing off things like sex, drugs, and dancing. 

    We’re just going to assume everyone was in a rock band then.

  135. 135.

    Geminid

    @mali muso:  “Muslims don’t  recognize images of Muhammed, Jews don’t  recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and Baptists don’t recognize other Baptists at the liquor store.” Heard on the Neal Boortz show.

  136. 136.

    noncarborundum

    @HumboldtBlue:

    A commenter over at JMG mentioned a crossword constructor who once clued the answer “YOSEMITE” with the single word “Shalom”.

  138. 138.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @zhena gogolia:

    The storm was a no-show here in my little corner of NoVA. Very dark overcast and light, steady rain for a few hours this morning, but by noon it was sunny and dry. Go figure.

  141. 141.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Kent:

    In Kentucky, Versailles Road and the town of Versailles are officially pronounced ‘ver-SALES.’  Louisville is officially ‘loo-ee-vil’, but in practice pronounced ‘loo-uh-vul’.

  142. 142.

    mrmoshpotato

    @RobertDSC-Work:

    I appreciate Betty’s doctoring of the current occupant’s photo, but why do we have to endure ZergNet and three photos of his orange face? Why is ZergNet there in the first place? 

    YES!  A fellow traveler!  FUCK ZERGNET!

    I use Duckduckgo for my browser on my phone and get the ZergTrash on the main page, but not individual posts.

  143. 143.

    Benw

    Storm’s blown through Long Island. Still gusting pretty hard. Lucky no trees down in my yard, but there’s definitely branches down out in the road. The last storm took down a tree in my backyard that by some miracle landed right between the house and fence while hitting neither, so the heavy gusts earlier were a little nerve wracking. Lost power a couple hours ago, please send Internet!

  144. 144.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

    OMG! I never knew that!

    Ah, then you may not be aware that he was a POW.

  146. 146.

    Matt McIrvin

    @noncarborundum: The way the wording of the warning put it was that there was a specific thunderstorm with the potential to create a tornado, so I guess there are now different levels of specificity to these things. Whereas the watch is for the whole area until 9, on general principles because a tropical storm is coming through.

  149. 149.

    Matt McIrvin

    @mrmoshpotato: Nate Silver made a fairly compelling case that Trump’s approval ratings on “the economy” are only as high as they are because the CARES Act gave people a lifeline; he argued that if that weren’t the case there would be a lot more economic suffering going on and Trump might be more in the dumpster than he is. By caving on this the Republicans are probably actually helping themselves, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them.

  150. 150.

    Brachiator

    @Kent:

    At least it’s not like Texas where they just DELIBERATELY mis-pronounce most Mexican place names.

    There is a lot of that as well. San “Pee dro” instead of San Pedro.

    But yeah, Texas is probably worse.

    I was born in Texas and my family moved to California. In college, people from Spain I met at parties would complain about how everyone, including Mexican Americans, mangled their beautiful Spanish.

  153. 153.

    WereBear

    @Matt McIrvin:

    By caving on this the Republicans are probably actually helping themselves, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them.

     
    And they get to strut around and scold in the meantime.

    Is it illegal to projectile vomit on someone? That’s gotta be an accident, right?

  154. 154.

    noncarborundum

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Depends on the context.  If it was one of the NYT “Puns and Anagrams” Sunday puzzles, or something of that nature, pretty much anything is fair game.  Solvers go in expecting tricks like that.

  156. 156.

    noncarborundum

    @bucachon: It started out as “Yo, Semite”, but then he realized there was something wrong with that, so he amended it to “Yo, Seminite”.  Which doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.

  157. 157.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Brachiator:

    In college, people from Spain I met at parties would complain about how everyone, including Mexican Americans, mangled their beautiful Spanish.

    Then they’d be miserable in Atlanta, where one of the main thoroughfares, Ponce de Leon, is locally pronounced Pontz duh LEE-on. It’s a traditional shibboleth around here, to weed out long-time Atlantans from newcomers.

    Fun fact: I once had an orange marmalade cat I named “Pounce de Lion.”

  158. 158.

    MoxieM

    @WaterGirl: Yep– I must be near Zhena G since I got a tornado warning at the same time. Alas I had most of a maple tree come down and take out various things like a porch railing, but it looks like it just missed my car. (If I’d put the car in the garage, I’d be marooned in there.)  A large branch is balanced on the power line, but the nice lady at the power company said they get to those after they restore power to customers without any. Seems reasonable… I have power packs to run phone and computer, but, Oh! My! the air conditioning–

  160. 160.

    Quiltingfool

    @jl: Heh.  I worked at Ozark Caverns as a guide; had tourists from other parts of U.S.  One day a lady asked me for directions to Osage Beach, but she pronounced it “O-Soggy Beach.”  I gave her directions, then gently said, “Around here, we call it “Osage.”

    Our little cave was located smack dab in the middle of dense woods.  In addition to the cave, there were several nature trails.  A tourist asked me what there was to do besides go on a cave tour.  I explained the hiking trails.  He then asked if there were trees on the trail.  I had to remind myself not to say, “Take a look outside, dumb ass, there’s your answer,” but to say, very nicely, “Yes, there are lots of trees on the trail.”

    State park naturalists get some pretty amusing questions.

  162. 162.

    zhena gogolia

    @rikyrah:

    Thanks. The sun is out now. But the local weather guy says, “That means the wind will be worse!” I’m hoping he’s just trying to make us stay tunred.

  163. 163.

    Quiltingfool

    @Frankensteinbeck: Hey!  Versailles, Missouri is pronounced the same way!  The pronunciation of Bois d’Arc would make a French person weep – “Boy Dark.”  Heh.

  164. 164.

    Anya

    @Cacti: the whole thing is gross to the max.  I think him and his wife are either swingers or polyamorous. The pool boy used to travel with both of them. Maybe he was sending the pictures to his wife.

    whatever it is he is a despicable hypocrite. The school he uses to fund his life style asks students to follow strict rules like   prohibiting consumption of media that includes “lewd lyrics, anti-Christian messages, sexual content, nudity, pornography and so on but he keeps flaunting his sleazy life.

  165. 165.

    Tony Gerace

    @ant: This is perfectly logical.  After all, everyone knows that we have always been at war with Eastasia.

  168. 168.

    Kent

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:Julie Tsirkin@JulieNBCNews· 2h
    .@kasie: Speaker Pelosi suggested $600/week for federal benefits is her red line. Could that pass the Senate if POTUS wants it too?
    @senatemajldr: “It’s something I’m prepared to support. Even if I have some problems with certain parts of it.”

    And there were people who thought that the Democratic Party would be better served with [checks notes]  Tim Ryan or Marsha Fudge as Speaker?

    Because some Republicans had said mean things about Pelosi and that made them nervous?

  169. 169.

    WereBear

    @Quiltingfool: A tourist asked me what there was to do besides go on a cave tour.  I explained the hiking trails.  He then asked if there were trees on the trail.  I had to remind myself not to say, “Take a look outside, dumb ass, there’s your answer,”

     
    Restraint and a good deadpan is essential for working with visitors.

  171. 171.

    zhena gogolia

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    We have a generator. The problem is, we don’t remember how to deal with it (the oil needs to be checked every 12 hours), and the service company’s not answering their phone either.

  172. 172.

    Brachiator

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Nate Silver made a fairly compelling case that Trump’s approval ratings on “the economy” are only as high as they are because the CARES Act gave people a lifeline.

    This makes a lot of sense. However, a lot of voters also believe that “generally, Republicans are better for the economy,” despite the facts.

    But the $1,200 stimulus payment is unusual for Republicans. Early reporting suggested that Mitt Came up with the GOP version of this idea, originally a $1,000 payment for every American. But Trump certainly has been able to burnish his populist credentials by taking credit for it.

  173. 173.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WereBear:

    Is it illegal to projectile vomit on someone? That’s gotta be an accident, right? 

    You can projectile vomit on demand?  That is impressive, concerning and horrifying.

  174. 174.

    Ruckus

    @jl:

    I have no idea but I’d bet not. And I haven’t kept track of the not obvious ones.

    I have some respect for myself.

  177. 177.

    Ajabu

    California really is two states. I had a friend who was visiting me In L.A. from Berkeley. Called for  directions. Where are you? “On Sepul-VEEDA Blvd“ she said.

  178. 178.

    WereBear

    @West of the Rockies: Well, duh, he has been. It’s just his Authoritarian followers believe people with black water in their drinks glasses and their zippers at half mast are partying on a yacht while playing Chutes and Ladders.

  180. 180.

    Another Scott

    @mrmoshpotato: The CBC’s As It Happens last night reran a segment from 1975 with a guy who had the record for rapid beer drinking.  A “pint” (19 oz) in about 1 second, a “yard” (2.5 liters) in 4.0 seconds.

    Afterwards, he was making all kinds of burping noises, and they said something about him heaving in a toilet after the “yard”.

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5672830 (Part 1)

    So, I guess there are people who conceivably projectile vomit on demand, given enough beer!

    /TMI

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  181. 181.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Quiltingfool:

    A few of my favourite definitions from the classic “Fractured French”:

    Jeanne d’Arc — the light is out in the bathroom

    Hors de combat — camp-followers

    HonorĂ© de Balzac — no hitting below the belt

  182. 182.

    James E Powell

    @Betty Cracker:

    I think it would be a waste of time for Biden to debate Trump. Especially with the usual a holes as “moderators” or whatever they call themselves.

  185. 185.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @zhena gogolia: Check on the internet and see if there are instructions or even a YouTube vid on how to do that.  I couldn’t find the windshield washer fluid container on my Prius on Sunday and checked YouTube and and found a vid.

  186. 186.

    James E Powell

    @jl:

    Did anyone ever make fun of Arnold when he kept saying ‘Gawwleevahnia”

    Yes, many people, including Arnold himself.

  187. 187.

    Mo Salad

    Up here, if you get convicted of a crime in Day-twa, they send you to Me-lan prison.

    (Detroit, Milan “Mile-en”)

    The real fun starts when newbies up here finally realize that the pronounciation of Gratoit (Ave.) is Grah-shit.

  190. 190.

    Another Scott

    @Johannes: Excellent.  Thanks for the followup.

    (I once accidentally, somehow, clicked the wrong radio button and gave $1,000 when I intended to give $100.  They fixed it quickly.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  191. 191.

    zhena gogolia

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Yes, we found the instructions from our service company online.

    I’m just a little nervous that they’re not answering their number. But I guess I should be grateful that it seems to be working for now.

  192. 192.

    Brachiator

    @Ajabu:

    California really is two states. I had a friend who was visiting me In L.A. from Berkeley. Called for  directions. Where are you? “On Sepul-VEEDA Blvd“ she said.

    My favorite street name is Salsipuedes Street, in Santa Barbara. I always hoped that the name had to do with outlaws, but it referred to an area prone to flooding.

    ETA. I’ve read that Maiden Lane in San Francisco has historical connections to crime.

  193. 193.

    MomSense

    I’m watching the fucking asshole give his press conference.  I loathe him.  I don’t even have words.  I want him to suffer in agony.  He’s turned me into a horrible person because I am sincerely wishing pain and suffering for him.  He’s despicable.

  194. 194.

    something fabulous

    @Brachiator: Waving at you from Los FEEL-izz [Los Feliz]! Was corrected that that is how IT IS PRONOUNCED when I moved in. Having come from the Chicago suburbs where Dess Playnz  [Des Plaines] is standard, I could not argue too much.

  195. 195.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Ken: There’s a scene in the latest version of Rrrrrob Rrrrrroy – pardon, Rob Roy – where the fellows are dancing the Gae Gordon’s around the campfire & one of them says

    Hey Rrrrrrrob! Ye know why Calvinists dunna shag standin’ oop? They’re afeared it’d lead t’ dancin’!

    & when I heard that I swore instant eternal vengeance on whatever half-arsed scriptwriter snuck that one in (probably giggling as he typed). Having his lungs ripped out through his left nostril might be sufficient. Might.

  198. 198.

    James E Powell

    @Brachiator:

    Hell, California residents, especially newcomers, often cannot even pronounce their own addresses correctly.

    Los Angeles local pronunciation doesn’t always go as one might expect. People pronounce San Pedro san-PEE-dro. Most people pronounce the J in San Jacinto as if it were an English J. And almost everybody pronounces the “a” in San or Santa with a sound that does not occur in Spanish.

    Shortly after I moved to Los Angeles, my jeep broke down in Beverly Hills at the corner of Olympic and Cañon Drive. I called AAA and waited. And waited. They called back, “We can’t find you.” I say, “I have not seen a tow truck.” Another phone call and I tell them. I am right in front of the Avalon Hotel. Long pause & keyboard clicking. “I’m sorry sir, that is Canon drive. We’ll be right there.”

  199. 199.

    Roger Moore

    @Matt McIrvin:

    By caving on this the Republicans are probably actually helping themselves, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them.

    Whining about it lets them have it both ways.  They get the benefit of a slightly less bad economy while still claiming they stand for limited government and fiscal responsibility.  Letting the Democrats drag them theatrically kicking and screaming into sensible economic policy is one of their standard tricks.

  201. 201.

    zhena gogolia

    Our electric company seems to be completely hors de combat. I’m expecting at least a week’s outage. I hope I’m wrong.

  203. 203.

    gwangung

    @Roger Moore:

    Letting the Democrats drag them theatrically kicking and screaming into sensible economic policy is one of their standard tricks.

    Well, that’s kinda standard fo Democrats, too. Impeachment was an easier slog when they showed extreme reluctance…

  204. 204.

    Calouste

    @Roger Moore: Foreigners might also think that Americans wrap certain dishes in German cabbage rather than French pastry, from the pronunciation of “en croĂ»te”.

  205. 205.

    MomSense

    @zhena gogolia:

    My son said there are a lot of trees down where he is.  His family (SO and puppy) are without power.  He left work early and said the drive home was terrifying because the wind kept blowing his car – and he had trouble staying in the lane.

  207. 207.

    zhena gogolia

    @MomSense:

    What’s most upsetting is that the power company doesn’t seem to have been prepared. I’m glad it’s summer not winter, and we have a generator, but it’s a dismal prospect to have the damn thing running for a week. I hope I’m wrong about that.

  210. 210.

    bucachon

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m a gringo living in Puerto Rico. Nothing gives me the joy of using google maps navigation here. The google accent is so hilariously bad gringo Spanish it makes me feel better about myself. At least I’m not THAT bad.

  211. 211.

    Kent

    @James E Powell:I think it would be a waste of time for Biden to debate Trump. Especially with the usual a holes as “moderators” or whatever they call themselves.

    I’m guessing that a town hall format with audience questions would be the format that most favors Biden.  As actually listening and showing empathy are natural strengths of his.  While being utterly foreign to Trump.

    But I’m not worried about Biden’s debating chops.  He did just fine against Bernie in a one-on-one debate.  He’s done this before.

    But yes, asshole moderators who try to ask trap questions are always going to be a problem.  Like all the “raise your hand” bullshit they tried to pull in the primary debates.

  215. 215.

    zhena gogolia

    @MomSense:

    I’m not far from there. At least the weather now seems to be calming. But I have no faith in the electric company.

  217. 217.

    zhena gogolia

    @MomSense:

    Good luck! We have huge ones right in the backyard, so it’s always dicey. We keep them trimmed and healthy so I always hope that’s enough. I hate to get rid of them.

  218. 218.

    Brachiator

    @James E Powell:

    Long pause & keyboard clicking. “I’m sorry sir, that is Canon drive. We’ll be right there.”

    Great story! Yeah, local pronunciation is often wildly inconsistent. You also have some false word histories. I heard a couple of times that Azusa came from “A to Z in the USA.” Not even.

  219. 219.

    Mary G

    Don’t get me started on La Jolla or La Canada. Where I live the streets are named in the Spanish style – Avenida or Calle in front of whatever the street name is. Talking to people in call centers who insist on a street, road, or avenue after that is always an adventure.

  222. 222.

    mrmoshpotato

    @MomSense: If you feel the need to watch the daily word vomit, I recommend Hal Sparks’ YouTube channel.  He gives running commentary (along the lines of *pause* “That’s bullshit.  Here’s why…”) that makes it more bearable.

  224. 224.

    Roger Moore

    @Mary G:

    You also get weird mashup names.  Pasadena is actually Chippewa- why someone gave a city in Southern California a name in Chippewa is a whole other story- but I guess someone thought it sounded Spanish when they decided to name the community just uphill from it Altadena.  I guess I have a bit more sympathy for the people who mangle all the Tongvan names like Topanga and Cucamonga, since the “nga” sound does not come naturally to English speakers.

  229. 229.

    Origuy

    @bucachon: I usually have my maps apps use the British or Irish English voice. It’s funny to listen to it give directions here in San Jose.

  232. 232.

    leeleeFL

    @mrmoshpotato: mazel tov cocktails in this thread.

    Different church lady’s needing an atom smasher to split the black vote in Vermont

    Impressive IMHO

  235. 235.

    TriassicSands

    One of the key features of living in a state that has all mail-in voting is the existence of secure drop boxes. I would never mail my ballot in. The USPS is excellent, but they do make mistakes and mail does occasionally get lost or delayed. (I once mailed an insurance payment to a destination 60 miles away and it took 17 days to arrive. My vote is too important to ever allow the possibility of something like that happening.

    So, I put my ballot in a secure drop box or deliver it directly to the county clerk. It may be convenient to toss your ballot in the mail, but I recommend direct delivery, if possible. I don’t know if states that have absentee voting make secure drop boxes available. That may be a key difference between absentee voting and all mail-in voting as in Washington State. If you have to mail your ballot in that is one link in the chain that you can’t control. So, if you don’t have secure drop boxes, I’d recommend taking you ballot and turning it in in person.

    We can’t afford to lose a single vote.

  236. 236.

    WaterGirl

    @evodevo:

    If You’ve Ever Thought ‘I Wonder What Jerry Falwell’s (Great Big) Upper Pubic Mound Looks Like’ This Is Your Blog Post!

    The title was laugh out loud funny!  Haven’t read the post yet, but I have to say… I taught human sexuality and I’m not sure I have ever heard the term “upper pubic mound” before.

    edit: oh my god, she beats him around the head and face with the “upper pubic mound” and (my favorite) “great big upper pubic mound”.

    edit 2:  Wonkette is relentless.  Thanks for the laughs.

  238. 238.

    planetjanet

    @WaterGirl: I think it was Wonkette that had video from the party.  There were a lot of very young ladies there.  This was not a group aging boomers having dress up fun.  Felt a bit pervy that he was walking around with his pants open with all the 20-somethings around him.

  242. 242.

    prostratedragon

    @Kent:  It’s long been my contention that a man who spends that much time on his hair to get that result cannot be trusted with the most mundane tasks of taste and good form.

  243. 243.

    J R in WV

    @Johannes:

    We have never had a problem with ActBlue that wasn’t dealt with ASAP. And it’s easy to undo a monthly contribution you made by accident.

    I stay away from the summary of contributions made this election cycle… too scary!!    ;-)

  244. 244.

    Brachiator

    @TriassicSands:

    One of the key features of living in a state that has all mail-in voting is the existence of secure drop boxes.

    Probably coming back to a dead thread, but this makes a lot of sense. It should be a reminder when we get closer to November.

    Thanks

  245. 245.

    hotshoe

    @Quiltingfool:

    James McMurtry, in the Choctaw Bingo song — pronounces Bois D’arc as “Boe-dark” — about 6:10 into the song. Of course it’s NSFW, so if you aren’t already familiar with it, don’t blast it at top volume — but it’s the best!

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