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Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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T R E 4 5 O N

Peak wingnut was a lie.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Scenes from an Italian restaurant

Scenes from an Italian restaurant

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I’ve said all along that I what wanted most in Biden’s running mate is someone who can pass the gun behind the toilet test. And Kamala does, with flying colors. She’s destroyed people in Senate hearings and she’ll destroy Pence.

I’m excited about this pick, so I’m going to do something that I only plan on doing a few times during this race (now, maybe after each debate, and maybe once or twice during the convention): raise money for Biden.

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97Comments

  3. 3.

    A Ghost to Most

    Hard to find someone around here who COULD pass the gun behind the toilet test. Most are looking for a place to hide out until it’s over.

  4. 4.

    germy

    J. Christian Adams was recently compelled—by a court settlement—to apologize to U.S. citizens whom he falsely accused of voting illegally in a racist smear.

    Trump just appointed him to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. https://t.co/TTkGGq2zSs https://t.co/8lDA53B9C4

    — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) August 11, 2020

    J. Christian Adams was sued—under the KU KLUX KLAN ACT—for engaging in a conspiracy to deprive minority voters of their civil rights. He had to settle the case and apologize to his victims.

    And now he is on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. https://t.co/jBlKmrr3zz

    — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) August 11, 2020

    “only the best people” etc.

  5. 5.

    randy

    Anger, depression, anxiety all reduced today. I might get some work done. I can finally forgive Joe for mistreating Anita Hill.

  6. 6.

    low-tech cyclist

    Pardon my ignorance, but what’s the “gun behind the toilet” test?

    Googling wasn’t any help – mostly pulled up stuff like stories about TP shortages from earlier this year.

  9. 9.

    Josie

    @low-tech cyclist:

    It’s from the Godfather.  Al Pacino has to go into the restaurant toilet and find the gun hidden behind the toilet, so he can come out and shoot the opposing mob boss.

    ETA: Too slow.  Again.

  10. 10.

    cmorenc

    Now the hard-right (most prominently via talk radio host Mark Levin) is trying out a “Harris’s claim to be black is bogus, cause she’s really Jamaican and not the descendant of native US black slaves
    .  And BTW she’s really Asian anyways.

    Doesn’t matter how you see her ethnicity Mark Levin, because:

    • what matters is how actual AAs see her – you really think “not one of us” is going to sell to any AAs except see the handful described immediately below who are already firm Trump supporters?;
    • your racist RW followers are going to see Harris as disturbingly not-white, and not the kind of black that passes (see, Clarence Thomas) because they have adopted comfortably white acculturation within RW circles who can thereby pass as virtual whites within their crowd.
  12. 12.

    Hoodie

    @cmorenc:  They aren’t trying to affect her perception among black folks. Of course, Harris went to Howard and is a member of AKA, but that is lost on the morons in the audience for talk radio. Like with Obama, their likely aim is to make Harris into something exotic and foreign.

  14. 14.

    oldster

    Thanks to Another Scott, I now have a synopsis of the gun-behind-the-toilet scene from the Godfather, as well as more reasons not to watch the Godfather.

    But that does not answer the question: what is the gun behind the toilet *test*?

    I assume from context that it is a willingness to be ruthless? To be tenacious and pugnacious?

    If so, I agree that these are among Harris’ virtues, and reasons to like her. She can knife Pence, and let Joe be affable Joe.

  16. 16.

    MJS

    Unlike some others here, I knew what the reference was from, but don’t understand what the “test” is. Is it the willingness to take the gun from behind the toilet and shoot two people, or is it the ability to 1) find out where the meeting will take place and 2) place the gun in a location where it can be obtained to shoot two people?

  21. 21.

    Captain C

    @oldster:

    But that does not answer the question: what is the gun behind the toilet *test*?

    The gun had to be placed and hidden, ready to fire, within about two hours (the time between when the Corleones found out the location of the meeting and the meeting start time) and without detection or even suspicion.  It took an adept Corleone soldier to make it happen (assuming Clemenza didn’t do it himself, then it would be an adept capo).

  25. 25.

    Lavocat

    The Gun Behind the Toilet Test!

    That made me laugh out loud. In other words, Kamala is the streetfighter we’ve all been yearning for. I want to see her rip Pence’s throat out at their debate.

    It’s not personal; it’s strictly business.

  29. 29.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Hoodie: I am curious what the RW nutjobs will make of the fact that she lived in Canada from age 12 to 17 and graduated from high school in Montreal.  Her mom was teaching at McGill and working at a hospital in Montreal.

  31. 31.

    WereBear

    @MJS: Is it the willingness to take the gun from behind the toilet and shoot two people, or is it the ability to 1) find out where the meeting will take place and 2) place the gun in a location where it can be obtained to shoot two people?

     
    You need all three.

    VP traditionally the attack dog so the nominee keeps hands clean.

  34. 34.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Lavocat:

     

    In other words, Kamala is the streetfighter

    The scenario is that you have a problem. You need to solve the problem. The solution is brutal. You want the world to know that a brutal solution was planned and executed (pun intended), that you were the planner and the executioner, but that you didn’t want your fingerprints on it (literally and figuratively) and you so did it in a way that, though the world knows you did it, nobody can do anything about it except say “damn, I am not going to fuck with that guy going forward.”

  35. 35.

    Jinchi

    @Kelly: Millions of Indian parents upon seeing the VP news: why “vice” presidential nominee, Kamala? Why couldn’t you be presidential nominee?

    Not to worry, Harris will probably be the nominee in ’28.  Those kids should still be young enough to be inspired by her success.

  36. 36.

    Mom Says I*m Handsome

    Regarding the post title:  I just watched Three Identical Strangers on Hulu — a very disturbing documentary about identical triplets who were separated at birth & placed with different families around NY state, only to be reunited at the age of 19.  I had no idea that one of the brothers was the Eddy of “Brenda and Eddy” fame that Billy Joel wrote about in the titular song (at least that’s what the doc makers suggest).

     

    btw I prefer “cannolus” to “cannolo” — sounds better in the original Latin.

  37. 37.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Yutsano: Yep!  I like the idea of another vice president or  president who has experienced what it’s like to live outside the U.S. for part of their childhood. Whenever people say the U.S. is the greatest country on Earth I ask them,  what their basis for comparison is(channeling David Bowie).  I am patriotic, but that doesn’t mean I should be blind to reality.

  40. 40.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Hoodie:

    They aren’t trying to affect her perception among black folks.

    Yes, they honestly, truly are.  They are trying very hard.  They are desperately pushing ‘Kamala is a cop’ and ‘Biden is a racist’ on Twitter with sock puppet accounts pretending to be black.  I will not provide personal judgments about this effort, but I promise you that they are focusing as much or more on black voters as white voters with these messages.

  42. 42.

    jonas

    @Yutsano:  You know, the one who was born in Canada to parents of nebulous citizenship?

    *And* who had been part of the JFK assassination conspiracy? Very suspicious!

  43. 43.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @MJS:  When Sonny’s ordering Clemenza to hide the gun in the toilet, he tells him to make sure it’ll be there when Michael goes into the john, explaining (paraphrased from memory)

    I don’t want my brother to come out of there with nothing but his dick in his hand.

    (Censored version for TV changed “his dick” to “a stick.” Which didn’t make a lot of sense, but hey…)

    IMO the implication here is that the Dems need to make sure Kamala comes out into the fray “loaded for bear.”

  45. 45.

    Yutsano

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: Remember how they tried to use Obama being raised in Indonesia as a strike against him? As far as I recall that didn’t work out too well for them. It will definitely be a way to try to “other” her but I don’t see how that would work. Or I’m missing something. I don’t know. My wingnut translator has been on the fritz lately.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack

    @cmorenc:

    Apparently Levin has never heard of the “one drop of blood” theory. ?

    And I guess Barack Obama isn’t black either because his father isn’t descended from American slaves?

  54. 54.

    sdhays

    @Steeplejack: Well, that was a thing back in 2007.

    It’s interesting how the degree of blackness is a problem only for black people. If they’re sooo concerned that Kamala isn’t black enough, then perhaps Preznit Tangerine and VP “White-As-A-Sheet” Dense aren’t either.

  55. 55.

    Ksmiami

    @oldster: it means, if a Demo pol planted a gun before a sit down, would said candidate be willing and able to retrieve the gun and smoke the targets- rn Barr and Trump etc… and yes, Harris is tough

  56. 56.

    Steeplejack

    @oldster:

    But that does not answer the question: what is the gun behind the toilet *test*?

    I take it to be the cold-blooded nerve to conceive and execute a plan to eliminate an enemy.

  57. 57.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Steeplejack:

    And I guess Barack Obama isn’t black either because his father isn’t descended from American slaves?

    This actually was advanced quite a bit in 2008 by Republicans. “He’s not really black! Except for all the blackness and terrorist fistbumps and so on”.

    You’ll see a fair bit of the “Kamala had ancestors that owned slaves!” crap repeated as a really bad gotcha.

  58. 58.

    satby

    So one of the goofy online ads shows the latest RW attempt: “say no to the corrupt Democrats” with scary Biden and Harris pictures. Pretty piss poor if that’s all they got.

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    @Jinchi: Well it’s POSSIBLE…but the shenanigans to make it happen are so beyond unlikely I’m more certain of waking up on Mars tomorrow.

  60. 60.

    zhena gogolia

    @Chief Oshkosh:

    I thought he was referencing the fact that Michael was trying to be a good guy and marry Kay and settle down and not be mixed up in the dirty stuff, but when it came down to it he was able to take the gun and do the murders. It’s not referring to the person who put the gun behind the toilet.

  61. 61.

    Ksmiami

    @oldster:

    ps – The Godfather is American cinema at it’s finest And the violence isn’t gratuitous in the way it’s portrayed in recent movies. It’s  really a film every adult American should have familiarity with.

  64. 64.

    Shakti

    I’ve said all along that I what wanted most in Biden’s running mate is someone who can pass the gun behind the toilet test.

    I don’t know this test. I have a hammer beneath my kitchen sink.

    I’m pretty sure Kamala has the hammer and more receipts than CVS.  And yes, she learned it from her mother.

  65. 65.

    piratedan

    there’s also the context in the Godfather scene where prior to this act, Michael was essentially on the outside of the “family business” and this one act means that he’s made a conscious decision to join in the family business.  It’s about total commitment to the cause (imho).

  66. 66.

    artem1s

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone:

    I am curious what the RW nutjobs will make of the fact that she lived in Canada from age 12 to 17 and graduated from high school in Montreal.

    oh great.  here come the pixel analysts. when is she going to release her REAL birth certificate?  BTW, are those Trump guys still surfing searching for Obama’s birth certificate in Hawaii?

  69. 69.

    BruceFromOhio

    Arkon DougJ, I love these fundraisers, alas, I’m passing on this one. Sarah Gideon, Amy McGrath, Tedra Cobb, Alaina Shearer, and Monique Smith are getting my coin. Biden/Harris is a juggernaut, and my few shekels aren’t going to move that needle. In contrast, a double-sawbuck to Monique Smith’s state race can make a big difference.

    Meanwhile, Rex Huppke at the Chicago Tribune has some helpful suggestions for preznit shitwhistle:

    Imagine the possible ways Trump could spice up his campaign by ditching Milquetoast Mike and firing up his addicted-to-being-fired-up base.

    The most noted possibility is former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, but she seems tied up lately in a dispute with The Popcorn Factory, an Illinois-based company that apparently messed up some delivery orders.

    Haley tweeted Monday: “Ok @PopcornFactory two messed up birthday orders missed delivery dates with no explanation. First time I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Second one tells me not to buy from you again. #DisappointedNephew.”

    She’s clearly not in a good position to join the Trump campaign right now. Thoughts and prayers.

    But there are other sensible vice presidential suggestions to help get the Trump Train chugging:

    • An angry can of Goya beans. Not long ago, after the head of Goya Foods praised Trump, the president continued his demolition of political ethics by promoting several of the brand’s cans of beans. People in Trump’s campaign are likely to think this will constitute diversity, and if the can of beans can effectively communicate a message of intolerance, it will perfectly augment Trump’s reelection message.
    • The MyPillow guy holding a can of angry Goya beans. Trump’s base LOVES Mike Lindell, the CEO and founder of MyPillow, a company that makes pillows that I assume cause liberals neck pain. Pairing Trump with Lindell would energize voters who admire TV salesmen, and the angry Goya beans would just be added value for the campaign.
    • A yacht emblazoned with Trump banners. This is likely to be Trump’s ideal pick. He has repeatedly tweeted images of yachts and other large boats displaying Trump flags and signs with exclamations like: “We love our boaters!” There’s even a “Boaters for Trump” hat for sale on the Trump campaign website. So why not leverage this sensible appeal to America’s forgotten men and women — the yacht owners who for so long have had no voice — by ditching Pence and replacing him with a sleek Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht. The slogan writes itself: “Trump/Yacht 2020: Make America Buoyant Again!”

    All good suggestions.

  72. 72.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @zhena gogolia:

      It’s not referring to the person who put the gun behind the toilet.

    Of course not. The guy who placed the gun was just a gun placer guy. Sonny and Michael (and maybe Robert Duvall) planned and executed.

    And I agree with others and should have noted, this was the point in the narrative when Michael goes all in.

  74. 74.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    I very much look forward to Haley, Ponnunu, and D’Souza’s reactions as the RWNJ start ripping on people with Indian ancestry as foreign and unAmerican..

  75. 75.

    Bookeater (formerly JosieJ)

    @Bobby Thomson:

    at least 2/3, with rape of slaves being as common as it was.

    Exactly.  I have slave blood in me.  I also have slaveowner blood in me.

    Just goes to show how artificial all these racist rules are.  They were made up to define us and hold us down, but they suddenly don’t matter when it serves the purpose of racists.  Like, with the “one-drop” rule that clearly doesn’t apply to Kamala Harris, now that they need it not to.

  78. 78.

    low-tech cyclist

    Sounds like there was a certain amount of confusion about what the ‘gun behind the toilet’ test was, even amongst those familiar with the Godfather movies/books.

    But yeah, one of the things I like about Harris is that she’s got just the right amount of ruthlessness, a quality that Dems are notoriously short on. They need more of a killer instinct towards GOP officeholders and media figures, and she’s got that.

    Maybe between her and the Lincoln Project, the rest of the party will start getting the idea of how this game needs to be played.

    @Mom Says I*m Handsome: 

    I had no idea that one of the brothers was the Eddy of “Brenda and Eddy” fame

    That’s Brender and Eddie, thankyewverymuch.

  79. 79.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @SiubhanDuinne: Being a terrible governor finally caught up with him.  You can only do a crappy job for so long before even your allies start to notice.

  82. 82.

    MisterForkbeard

    I am thoroughly amused by the Right’s furious and desperate accusations that Kamala is “transactional”. Firstly because there’s no evidence of this at all, but secondly because they’ve used it glowingly to describe Trump for years as proof that he’ll deal with anyone for America’s benefit.

    They can’t even keep their attacks straight.

  83. 83.

    Just Chuck

    Are there even any debates scheduled?  I don’t see any upsides for the current regime to bother with attending any.

  85. 85.

    Kent

    @cmorenc:

    Now the hard-right (most prominently via talk radio host Mark Levin) is trying out a “Harris’s claim to be black is bogus, cause she’s really Jamaican and not the descendant of native US black slaves

    Mark Levin is  a fat bald white guy who’s audience is mostly fat bald white guys

    And besides.  The ancestors of Black Jamaicans got there the same exact way as the ancestors of Black Americans.   Possibly on the same exact slave ships.

  86. 86.

    Yutsano

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Ah yes Piyush. For some reason his name won’t go down my memory hole easily. Funny thing is after he left the Louisiana governorship I lost track of him. I think he went to some exclusive law firm or something. Yes I’m too lazy to look it up. Actually apathetic is more accurate.

  88. 88.

    Kent

    @SiubhanDuinne: Whatever happened to Bobby Jindal, by the way?

    He ran for president in 2016 and embarrassed himself trying to be a racist asshole to appeal to the GOP primary electorate like the rest of the GOP field.   They didn’t buy it and he got relegated to the children’s table debates and then disappeared along with Carly Fiorina and George Pataki.

  90. 90.

    burnspbesq

    @randy:

    I can finally forgive Joe for mistreating Anita Hill.

    I’m not forgiving him for that, or for being the Senator from MBNA. I’m setting them aside because there are more important things at issue

  91. 91.

    James E Powell

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Whatever happened to Bobby Jindal, by the way?

    He is in an alternate universe where, just as predicted by the Village, he and Marco Rubio have utterly transformed the Republican Party, which now governs according to norms set by David Brooks and Tom Friedman. And Mitt Romney has a beard.

  93. 93.

    randy

    @burnspbesq: MBNA still bugs me. I don’t calculate or balance atrocities, I just feel better and healthier with a little less anger and mistrust atoned.

  94. 94.

    NoraLenderbee

    @Jinchi: Billy Joel released “Brenda and Eddie” in 1977. The identical triplet brothers, born in 1961,  didn’t discover each other until they were 19, which would be 1980-81. The song is not about the triplets.

    I’m a year younger than them. And, coincidentally, I grew up with three identical triplet GIRLS who were born just a few weeks after I was. So this story is one I’ve followed a bit over the years.

  96. 96.

    Lavocat

    @Bex:  Okay, now all we need is someone to take some video of Kamala and add some perfectly-placed audio from “The Godfather”. But, then, we’ll have to figure out a whole new cast of characters. I’m guessing Joe Biden is playing Marlon Brando in this one. So, who’s Sonny? And who’s Luca Brazzi (yikes!)?

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