Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fight them, without becoming them!

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

In after Baud. Damn.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

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

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

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

Petty moves from a petty man.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

You are here: Home / Elections / Biden-Harris 2020 / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Vote for the Democrats – *We* Don’t Wreck Stuff

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Vote for the Democrats – *We* Don’t Wreck Stuff

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(TL; DR: When it comes to lying, bullshit, and general dishonesty, the Repubs have a rock-solid advantage. It’s up to us sane people to make sure Biden has a big enough win that the GOP Death Cult can’t steal another election. And as of right now, we’re making a good job of doing just that — much to the Political Racetrack Tout’s disappointment.)

Reader Interactions

167Comments

  5. 5.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Today in “Old People Be Crazy,”

    My over-55 building has raised garden plots for residents to claim. Right now, the vegetables are ripening, including the cherry tomatoes. A friend went out to pick hers and found the plant stripped. A couple told her they’d been sitting on their patio having a drink when they saw an old lady come out and go from garden to garden, picking whatever and stowing it in the plastic bag hanging from the handle of her walker. Then she high-tailed it back inside, as much as you can high-tail with walker.

  8. 8.

    John S.

    The White House South Lawn and its iconic Rose Garden are undergoing extensive re-sodding and other work after last month’s Republican National Convention turned them into a muddy mess.

    The Rose Garden as a perfect metaphor for America. Beautiful, full of pricks and absolutely trampled by Trump and his GOP death cult.

  9. 9.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Morzer: Also, the same couple that spotted the tomato thief was coming toward the entrance and passed an old guy in a wheelchair being pushed by a health aide, with an old lady trailing him. The aide was masked but the two old folks weren’t. My friends were masked, and the guy gently said, “Do you have your masks?” And the old guy in the wheelchair says, “I’m not intimidated.”

    OK, then.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Blech. Day 5 with the sore throat from hell. No covid, just allergy induced post nasal drip with a heaping helping of acid reflux. I’ve been dealing with both for years but the 2nd is seemingly worse now for whatever reason.

  12. 12.

    NotMax

    Almost afraid if I rinse a glass out in the sink that the authorities will bust the door down.

    Severe drought condition water restrictions went into effect Tuesday for parts of the island, including the threat of instituting whatever the liquid equivalent of rolling blackouts might be called. Aquapause?

  18. 18.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Immanentize: LOL. This place is ripe for Terry Pratchett, god rest his soul.

    @Immanentize: I’m afraid my reaction was extremely unkind (OK, get COVID and die). I’ve said before that one of the things I resent most about Trump is that he’s made me a worse person. It’s really true that everything he touches is made worse, and that includes me.

  20. 20.

    germy

    Jerry Falwell spoke by phone with Reuters. He said that “someone stole some pictures I took of my wife in the back yard. Topless. Big deal. OK?” But he said his endorsement of Trump had nothing to do with Cohen’s role in suppressing the racy photographs.

    “It was no quid pro quo,” Falwell said. “There was no me supporting Trump because of whatever Michael was doing.”

    Falwell said he endorsed Trump, at Cohen’s behest, because Falwell “believed that a businessman needed to run this country.”

    Toward the end of the call, Becki Falwell, who has not commented on the Cohen book or the photographs, could be heard urging her husband to cut short the conversation with Reuters. “Hang up the goddamn phone,” she told her husband. “Hang up the phone, Jerry!”

    Maybe “Hang up the phone, Jerry!” should be a rotating tag.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: When I was younger I had no problem with them. In the past 10-15 years I have developed fall allergies. They vary year by year but this year is the first where post nasal drip became a problem. I really hope this is just a one time occurrence and not a new trend because it sucks.

  22. 22.

    WereBear

    Trump nommed for Nobel Peace Prize.

    I am literally going back to bed. My usual “every other night is rotten sleep” and now this. I have to run errands tomorrow, too.

  23. 23.

    Ken

    @germy: Falwell: “Topless. Big deal. OK?”

    Yes, it is a big deal according to Liberty U’s code of conduct.  As always the problem is the hypocrisy.

  24. 24.

    Soprano2

    NPR is doing their part to try to tighten the race, with a story this morning about how Minnesota is in play because of white rural people moving away from Democrats. They interviewed a woman who said she voted for Hillary Clinton but is now disillusioned with Democrats.  Here’s the quote from the interview:

    Democrats could find a growing problem for their party with a voter named Gretchen, sitting outside a brew pub in the rural northern Minnesota town of Aitkin.

    “I’m kind of disillusioned, and I’m really confused,” she said. “I’m a registered Democrat, but yet, I see all of this stuff that I kind of disagree with.” Gretchen asked not to be identified with her last name because she fears sharing her politics could hurt her family’s business.

    She doesn’t like President Trump and voted for Hillary Clinton four years ago. But she’s no longer happy with Democrats. She opposes the face mask mandate Minnesota’s Democratic governor ordered, in addition to blaming Democrats for recent rioting that has accompanied some protests in Minneapolis-St. Paul and other urban areas.

    So, this former Clinton voter is backing Trump.

    “The Republican Party is kind of speaking to my heart more than the Democrats,” Gretchen said.

    Because they aren’t willing to address the part that race plays in this phenomenon, they can’t really dig into what is happening here with any kind of honesty IMHO. They didn’t ask her why Republicans are “speaking to her heart” right now, but I guarantee you that if they did she wouldn’t be able to articulate it any better than “they just do”, because she wouldn’t want to be honest with them about the “scary black people”. She’s finally become uncomfortable with Democrats being a party with a makeup that’s significantly non-white and outspoken. I think for people like her as long as it seemed like those non-white people were in the minority in the party, and stayed kind of quiet and voted for Democrats it was OK, but as soon as they started demanding things and being more in the forefront of the party she became uncomfortable. I can’t think of any other explanation for why you’d have voted for Clinton 4 years ago but are now ready to vote for Trump rather than Biden! I know Republicans say we make everything about race, but in this instance I can’t think of any other explanation for it. I also would have asked her why she opposes the mask mandate.

  26. 26.

    Ken

    @WereBear: Trump nommed for Nobel Peace Prize.

    “And sir, this year because of the China virus, the awards will be at the Hague. Just ask for the international court of justice.”

  27. 27.

    germy

    The White House lawn and Rose Garden were damaged by large crowds and heavy equipment during the Republican National Convention festivities. @AshleyRParker @PhilipRucker President Trump’s reelection campaign is paying to replace sod.

    — Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) September 8, 2020

    so some of the money that should be going towards his reelection is instead paying for the damage he’s done.

  31. 31.

    germy

    @Ken:

    I love how Jerry’s first reaction, when the story came out, was to blame his wife.

    I still think it was Adam’s idea to bite the apple, and he made up the story about Eve’s involvement after the fact.

  32. 32.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: I take nexium for the acid reflux and it smooths out my GI rather well (I also have irritable bowel syndrome). About 2 weeks ago I just started burping a lot, then a week or so ago I started feeling a warmth in my upper esophagus. Didn’t pay it any mind until yesterday when I finally put it all together.

    I’m gargling with salt water 3-4 times a day and sucking on Ricolas and that all helps but… I may go out and get a bottle of bourbon to see if I can duplicate my grandmother’s honey/lemon/whiskey recipe.

  33. 33.

    Gin & Tonic

    @germy:

    President Trump’s reelection campaign is paying to replace sod.

    Call me a cynic, but I’m going to want to see the audit trail on that.

  36. 36.

    Immanentize

    @germy: Who? “Stole” pictures he took in the backyard?

    Maybe Becki was trying a little sexting?

    In the old days, those pics would have made the cover of the National Enquirer

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2:They didn’t ask her why Republicans are “speaking to her heart” right now, but I guarantee you that if they did she wouldn’t be able to articulate it any better than “they just do”, because she wouldn’t want to be honest with them about the “scary black people”.

    Pretty sure she is incapable of being honest with herself.

  40. 40.

    germy

    @Immanentize: In the old days, those pics would have made the cover of the National Enquirer

    I thought the enquirer only went after liberal celebrities and politicians.

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @germy:so some of the money that should be going towards his reelection is instead paying for the damage he’s done.

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA…. gasp….. wheeze…. As tho trump would ever willingly pay for anything.

    You a funny guy, you know that?

  48. 48.

    zzyzx

    @Soprano2: one other theory is that she could have crossed over the event horizon of Fox News; perhaps a friend or family member watches and she started mocking and then slowly bought into it. That phenomenon terrifies me.

  49. 49.

    narya

    On the good-ish news front: the tile guy is already back here pulling tile off the wall. We may still be short some tile–I’m not convinced the original measurements took everything into account, but that is so long ago I couldn’t tell you who arrived at the measurements. This is like the adventure with the kitchen window: Things happen, people make mistakes; it’s what you do when the mistakes happen that matters most. One thing that stuck with me from last night’s convo is that the contractor said, “You’ve saved up for this and I want you to be happy with it.” I really appreciated that even more after I thought about it.

  50. 50.

    Chyron HR

    So on the one hand I can’t scroll my feed without seeing links to stories saying suburban women are in play but on the other hand *Rasmussen* has Biden up by 7 in Wisconsin.

    Maybe I’m politically naive but it seems to me that suburban women being in play is what’s pushing Biden UP in the polls.

  51. 51.

    Baud

    @germy: 
    Some better news (politico)

    Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 9 percentage points among Pennsylvania’s likely voters, according to a new survey — adding to a spate of recent public polling showing the former vice president ahead by single digits in the swing state where he was born.

  53. 53.

    Baud

    Biden leads Trump by 12 points nationally among likely voters: Reuters/Ipsos poll

    Obviously, it’s not the electoral college, but we should try to run up the score.

  54. 54.

    satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: @Baud: Last night I had the congestion and sore throat from sinus stuff, headache too. I feel better this morning, I assume because we had another rain last night that cleaned the air a bit. But it figures that hell year 2020 would also be a bad allergy year too. Not even counting all the horrible fire pollution that I’m thousands of miles away from.

  58. 58.

    germy

    @Soprano2:  “I’m kind of disillusioned, and I’m really confused,” she said. “I’m a registered Democrat, but yet, I see all of this stuff that I kind of disagree with.”

    I bet if someone did a little digging, they’d learn this “registered democrat” is in reality a member of her local republican committee, and her husband is active in republican politics.

    Salena Zito made a career out of writing fraudulent stories like this about people who say “I usually vote democrat, but now I don’t like the direction they’re taking this country” etc.

    I think Luntz was caught doing it a few times as well.  “Here’s a random sample of undecideds”  and then it turns out they’re all active and devoted republicans.

    I don’t believe a lot of the bullshit coming from NPR.

  62. 62.

    Baud

    @rp: I noticed that too.  Nuts, right.  We need to teach ourselves how to identify the subtler forms of manipulation, as well as the overt stuff.

  66. 66.

    Ian

    @germy: 
    If we are descendants or repeated inbreeding then this whole scenario makes more sense.
    The whole metaphor of Eve eating the apple is about social dominance and social hierarchy. Same with the rib and her creation. So is it really surprising that to Falwell this is somehow all is wifes fault?

  68. 68.

    Nelle

    We move a lot and what I’ve found is that the first year in a place, I don’t have much of an allergic reaction.  The second year, particularly if I’m in the Midwest, is hell.  It hit last Friday.  Over the years, the doc I had in Kansas had worked out that if I got a steroid shot in mid-August and took loratadine until the hard freeze, not only could I function, but I avoided the sinus infection and bronchitis that would plague me until January.  Allergies came on hard on Friday and by evening, my husband drove me to Urgent Care walk-in.  They gave me the shot, I spent three days in a very darkened room (my eyes can’t tolerate any light), listening to podcasts and audio books.  Couldn’t even read.  Yesterday, a little better, today, fine.  (Of course, the weather changed, the wind shifted, and the sun isn’t shining so that also might be part of it.).

    The only places I haven’t had allergies are New Zealand and Kaktovik, Alaska (off the north coast of Alaska where nothing grows over five inches high).  Not much in Seattle, but there may be smoke problems on the coast this year.

    This is not the year to mess around with anything respiratory.  I’ve had some form of long-lasting severe cough the last two winters.  Ozark Hillbilly, remember that severe cough of last winter?  That was a weird virus that swept the country (friends in Phoenix, Fargo, Boston, and here all got laryngitis within a week of each other, followed by severe coughing for weeks).  Flu shot in about two or three weeks.  Be proactive in self-care.

  69. 69.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: There are vitamin and supplement aisles at drug stores? Huh.

    Even better, unregulated vitamins and supplements. At least I assume there’s a reason they’re better; Orrin Hatch certainly put in a lot of time making them possible.

  70. 70.

    ixnay

    @Immanentize: I also used ranitidine; now omeprazole (Prilosec) seems to work ok. Pro tip: prescription omeprazole may be covered under insurance – I got 90 for 0 copay.

  72. 72.

    TS (the original)

    @germy:

    so some of the money that should be going towards his reelection is instead paying for the damage he’s done.

    You assume too much. Has the payment been made? I think that will be very low on the priority list of a campaign running out of money.

  74. 74.

    rp

    @OzarkHillbilly: Of course it’s technically true, but no one uses the phrase “single digit lead” in a purely descriptive sense. It’s a qualitative assessment to suggest the race is close. If the Dodgers are beating the Giants 10-1, no one would describe that as a single digit lead.

  75. 75.

    JPL

    @rp: Technically he has a double digit lead nationwide according to this poll

    new USC/Dornsife national likely-voter poll: Biden 53% Trump 41%

  77. 77.

    germy

    @Ken:Even better, unregulated vitamins and supplements.

    Yes, the vitamin/supplement aisle should be called the Unregulated/Anything Goes aisle, with everything from lead to arsenic in the ingredients, and unsubstantiated claims on the labels

  78. 78.

    Jeffro

    @Soprano2: I think the “voted for Clinton but now backing trumpov” demographic has a N in the single digits nationwide (if not literally an N of 1 – this one lady).  Gimme a break, snooze media.  The number of trumpov=>Biden voters must be thousands of times this person.

  79. 79.

    JPL

    @Baud: HAH    After Clinton won, a conservative said that he wasn’t really president because he didn’t get fifty percent of the vote.   After the Supreme CT decided Bush was duly elected, said person changed his tune.  Now of course, only the electoral college matters.

  80. 80.

    Falling Diphthong

    Re tightening: There’s a polling rule that late in the race the undecideds break for the challenger. Because every race is to some extent a referendum on the incumbent, and people know exactly what he or she is like–“I’ll be totally different!” is not a working strategy.

    In most races, being an incumbent is good and you start out ahead. With this initial polling configuration, the undecideds breaking late for the challenger will cause the race to tighten in the final days. But if the incumbent starts out behind, then the race widens close to election day.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rp:It’s a qualitative assessment to suggest the race is close.

    That’s how you perceive it. It may even be how most people perceive it. That doesn’t make it any less a factual statement.

    If the Dodgers are beating the Giants 10-1, no one would describe that as a single digit lead.

    If they did, would they be wrong? Anyway, baseball isn’t politics but they do have one thing in common: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

  82. 82.

    TS (the original)

    A month into the forced reopening of Florida’s schools, dozens of classrooms — along with some entire schools — have been temporarily shuttered because of coronavirus outbreaks, and infections among school-age children have jumped 34 percent. But parents in many parts of the state don’t know if outbreaks of the virus are related to their own schools because the state ordered some counties to keep health data secret.

    Volunteers around the state have set up their own school-related coronavirus dashboards, and one school district is using Facebook after the county health department was told to stop releasing information about cases tied to local schools.

    And folks vote for them?  They know they are lied to, they know their children are ill & still they vote for them?

  84. 84.

    germy

    While accounts detailing their father’s racist beliefs and business practices were public prior to his run for office, Cohen writes that Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Jared Kushner were “mortified” by Trump’s announcement that he was running for president — in which he claimed that Mexicans immigrating to the country were “rapists.” Cohen writes that the Trump kids feared their father’s racist comments could “totally” destroy the family name, resulting in their “social position and legacy” being “flushed down the drain.”

    “Ivanka led the charge,” Cohen writes. According to the attorney, she said, “You’ve got to get Dad to stop the campaign. It’s killing the company.” Trump Jr. allegedly said to Cohen, “If he keeps this up, you’ll be named the CEO of the Rump Organization. We’re losing millions.”

    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/09/everything-we-learned-about-trump-from-michael-cohens-book.html

  85. 85.

    Quiltingfool

    @narya: My husband was a floor installer; he only does a few side jobs now, as his knees can’t take it anymore.  Anyway, I’ve been reading your posts about the tile situation, and I was flabbergasted! Hubby is really good at tile installation.  I was always amazed at how he made laying tile look so easy and effortless, when I knew I would make a big mess of it!  I can’t believe your installers didn’t listen to you, but am glad they will make it right.  We built a house a few years ago, and my husband did all the flooring (saved a lot of money); mostly hardwood and tile.  The tile layout is beautiful, he has a knack for design.  As I was reading your posts, it made me wish he could’ve done the job, I know he would’ve listened to you!  I hope it turns out good for you.  Tile can be changed, but, whoo, what a pain.  Get what you want, as tile is around for a long time.  I might add you should consider getting an extra box of tile to keep on hand.  Drop something heavy on a tile floor, tile will break.  One or two tile being replaced is doable, but you want to make sure you have a match.

  86. 86.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Here is the thing about the ‘race tightening’ and ‘Hillary was ahead of Trump by a lot, too!’  Hillary vs Trump’s polls bounced around, and in fact when the time came, were pretty accurate.  Comey was found to push things the roughly 2% that the polls were ‘off’.  Right, so far?  But Biden has always been ahead.  He has never been behind Trump, and the aggregates have stayed dead on in place, shifting only a percentage point or two but with Biden retaining a big 7-9% lead.  Moreover, Biden’s fat lead is echoed in the key battleground states, the ones Trump won by a sliver last time.  Yes, things theoretically could change, but probably not.  By now, everyone knows Trump, and everyone knows Biden.  There’s a chunk of people who for some bizarre reason seem to decide randomly, but that’s fine.  They’ll split like they always do, because they decide randomly.  We are honestly and truly in a landslide level lead, so let’s get out there and crush the GOP and turn the Senate and try to fix our heavily damaged country.

    @WereBear:

    Trump nommed for Nobel Peace Prize.

    By the guy who nominates Trump every year, some goober politician in Norway.  Trump being one of… I think it was 318 nominees.  It’s very easy to get nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  You don’t have to be on the committee to do it.

    @Ian:

    Same with the rib and her creation.

    I have always loved the Apocryphal story of Lilith, who like Adam was made of dust.  Adam could not handle a woman who was his equal and that she liked to have sex cowboy position terrified him.  So God kicked Lilith out of Eden and made Eve out of a body part of Adam, who because of that was a mere adjunct to Adam, lesser and submissive.

    The story absolutely nails insecure masculinity.  You can see the exact emotional process play out today in shit like Gamer Gate.

  87. 87.

    Steeplejack

    Re the South Lawn/Rose Garden fiasco: My semi-connected insider D.C. friend reports that word on the street—well, in the salons—is that Melania was scapegoated as the brains behind the operation. It was Trump and his campaign minions all the way. They wanted the changes for camera crane shots and sight lines and to accommodate the gathering of the apparatchiks.

    (This is not to be construed as any sympathy for Melania.)

  92. 92.

    narya

    @Quiltingfool: It’s actually a tile backsplash, not floor! The floor is old maple–refinished, looks great–but the tile was special ordered from the place that holds the license for Fiesta colors. He’s fixing it now–it’s not EXACTLY what I had in mind–he staggered the tiles by halves, not thirds, from from to row–but it looks so much better just by moving a few around. I think it will be okay. We’ll see whether we need to order more or not. If we can get by w/o ordering more, that would be ideal, as it’s an 8-week turnaround

    ETA: Yeah, even though it’s wall-not-floor, would still love to have your husband doing it. :-)

  94. 94.

    evodevo

    @Ian: This is standard fundagelical mindset…their religious “ethic” is that man is at the top, and woman and children are under his “protection”/authority…and he tells them what to do and how to think…truly frightening that a third of the country subscribes to this ….

  95. 95.

    Calouste

    @JPL: Well, they’re a conservative. In other words, they start with the conclusion they want to reach, and work out the argument from there. Conservatives are not just anti-science because they don’t like the outcomes, but also because the scientific method conflicts with that particular way of reasoning.

  96. 96.

    Sloane Ranger

    Open thread, so has everyone heard of the British government’s plan to break the law “in a specific and limited way” (Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland Secretary) by passing laws regarding trade with Northern Ireland that are in breach of an international treaty?

    The plan is to revisit aspects of the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU concerning the prevention of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic concerning State aid to businesses and customs arrangements. The Bill to enact all this is due to be published today. All the opposition parties are up in arms and a number of senior Tory backbenchers have spoken out against it, including Teresa May and Bob Neill, Chair of the Justice Committee. Whether they’ll actually vote against the government on this issue and, if they do, whether they’ll get enough support to stop the Bill becoming law remains to be seen. Also, a senior government legal adviser has resigned. Dear Boris seems to have taken by surprise by all the outrage! No doubt, Dominic Cummings told him no-one would care. I imagine this will end up before our Supreme Court in due course.

    Anyway, people are already taking the piss out of Lewis. “So, you’d be OK with me going to your house, using a crowbar to prise open your front door, then walking off with your TV? After all, I’m only breaking the law in a specific and limited way!”

  98. 98.

    Kropacetic

    @TS (the original): And folks vote for them?  They know they are lied to, they know their children are ill & still they vote for them?

    In 2016, Michigan voted Republican for President for the first time in ages after a city being literally poisoned by a Republican governor and his emergency manager.

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack

    @germy:

    Bonus dirt info: Apparently there is a sizable cabal of old-school Rose Garden aficionados who have zealously preserved and curated the garden legacy of Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, who did the seminal redesign in 1961. No surprise, they are pissed. Not rioting in the streets pissed, but, you know, lots of rattling of teacups. That’s got to cut into Trump’s Republican base!

    Interesting background here (Vanity Fair, September 2017): “How Bunny Mellon Reinvented the White House Rose Garden.”

  102. 102.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rp: No, are you arguing that the truth is irrelevant? If so, KellyAnne has some alternative facts for you.

  103. 103.

    Steeplejack

    @Sloane Ranger:

    I’ve read a bit about that. It sounds crazy. Boris and the Tories seem to be decompressing in parallel with Trump and the GOP.

    What’s the word on the rude awakening for British consumers if January 1 comes with no new deal in place? I’ve read only a few snippets about that.

  104. 104.

    Spanky

    @Immanentize:

     Too bad Zantac has been determined to kill you with cancer.  That stuff worked for me.

    Same here. I moved to Prilosec, which seems to be doing the job. Hopefully it won’t kill me, as I’m using it nightly.

  106. 106.

    Ken

    @Steeplejack: What’s the word on the rude awakening for British consumers if January 1 comes with no new deal in place?

    I read Chris Grey’s Brexit blog and some of the articles he links. He thinks that the pro-Brexit strategy will be to claim that “Brexit wasn’t done right”, because (according to him) that’s been their strategy for years, even now when they’re in power and the ones “doing” Brexit.

  108. 108.

    Haroldo

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Open thread, so has everyone heard of the British government’s plan to break the law “in a specific and limited way” (Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland Secretary) by passing laws regarding trade with Northern Ireland that are in breach of an international treaty?

    I’ve been reading about it in The Guardian and the BBC web pages. It seems about right for Boris, et al. The looming question is what’s the UK going to look like after the inevitable No-deal Brexit

    ETA.  It seems it’s the question on everyone’s lips.

  109. 109.

    Jay C

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Actually, S.R., this being America, it’s probably only a fringe of Internet-news junkies who have heard of this – or even know that there are still “Brexit” negotiations going on.

    Of course, said “talks” seem to be more of the same stuff the Tories have been doing for years: i.e. conduct a shambolic farce of “negotiations” consisting mainly of making demands (tailored to the domestic political audience) designed to be unacceptable, so that the Government can have Somebody Else to blame for any fallout from a “hard Brexit” – which outcome seems to have been the Tory plan all along.

    So what is the latest Irish proposal?

  114. 114.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Steeplejack:

     

    What’s the word on the rude awakening for British consumers if January 1 comes with no new deal in place? I’ve read only a few snippets about that.

    Depends on who you are:-

    Brexiteers – “It’s a hoax, won’t happen!” “We managed without all these exotic fruits and veg when I was young. It won’t hurt those entitled young people to go without tangerines for a bit or pay a bit more for them.” “Buy British!”

    Reality Based Community – There will be shortages. Prices for everything imported (and that’s a lot) will go up. This will affect all consumers and businesses and inevitably lead to some companies, which have already taken a hit with COVID, going bust. This will lead to increased redundancies and put more pressure on government spending. Additionally, there will be chaos in and around the major ports as lorries get backed up going through customs, causing stress to customs officers and quality of life issues for locals.

    In other words, BAD!

  115. 115.

    Soprano2

    I just listened to Rachel’s interview with Michael Cohen. He does come across as truthful, because he doesn’t say things that would be convenient for him to say just to “feed the narrative”. For example, he said he doesn’t know of Trump ever paying for anyone to have an abortion. It would have been easy enough for him to say that. Well worth watching IMHO.

  116. 116.

    Joe Falco

    @Soprano2:

    Shorter NPR:

    WE MUST HAVE HORSE RACE!

    But yeah, to hell with so-called Democrats that say this nonsense. I heard the story as well. I can’t expect NPR to give more than 2 minutes to ask a question then move on. They know what they’re doing by not actually pressing on these answers. The woman interviewed could have said any such garbage why she’ll vote for Trump (“economically anxious”, doesn’t think Biden is “serious”, the stars are aligned with Republicans), and NPR will just take it on its face to present to listeners. Just a massive disservice.

  118. 118.

    Steeplejack

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Weighing in from personal experience: saline nasal rinse. I used to get raging sinus infections and post-nasal drip when I taught and coached swimming and was in the water five or six hours a day all week. Would see the doctor occasionally for expensive drugs but finally got lasting relief with the rinse. Did it twice a day, morning and night.

    You don’t have to go full neti pot. I used a bit of (non-iodized) salt in a cup of distilled water, heated to lukewarm, sort of sniffed up into my nostrils. Did it again this spring/​summer when the pollen was bad (no allergies, but the sheer volume of junk in the air was getting to me), and I discovered that CVS has “sinus wash refill packets” that are very convenient: 700 mg sodium bicarbonate, 2,300 mg salt.

    ETA: Be sure to use distilled water!

  119. 119.

    narya

    @Soprano2: Yeah, that was my impression, too. I am not a huge fan of his–it’s not like it was a surprise to discover what DJT was like and what he was getting into–but I completely agree with this. I thought one of the more interesting exchanges was when RM asked him why he was the only one who had gone to prison over these bad acts, and he wondered the same thing. He mentioned Alan Whatshisname a few times as someone who also knew/did a lot.

  121. 121.

    VOR

    @Soprano2: Aitkin, MN is a town of 2000 people in the middle of Minnesota. It’s what we call “cabin country” where the economy is heavily dependent on people who are part-year residents, typically residents of Minneapolis/St. Paul who vacation at their cabin. Tourism is also a big driver of the local economy.

    Governor Walz (D) has been using emergency powers to shut down bars, restaurants, and has imposed a mask mandate. He is being fought tooth and nail by the state Republicans, who have a majority in one house of the legislature. Minnesota has a classic rural/urban split which the Republicans are exacerbating.

    So it is likely Gretchen is blaming Governor Walz and the Democrats for any economic problems in her area. The Republicans are telling her to shed the mask and everything will be just fine. There probably aren’t many COVID cases in her area so why is that tyrant Governor Walz making such a big deal about it?

  124. 124.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @OzarkHillbilly: They could also say winning by nearly 10 points which would also be technically correct but would convey a completely different impression of the result.  A statement can be true but still be misleading.  But you already know that.

  125. 125.

    Immanentize

    @narya: I have been silently but very interestedly following the re-do.  It’s so exciting!!  We redid our kitchen a few years ago.  We swore it would be project number one when we bought the house in 2001.  Nine years later….

    The whole thing is stunning and I love it each day from morning to lights out.  It really improved our lives.  But one thing that bothers me to this day is that the subway tile on the backsplash was not put up as evenly as possible.  The lines are near perfect, but the tiles do not create a near perfect flat surface.  No one will ever notice it because it looks fabulous, but it ticks me off that the contractor couldn’t be bothered to spend an extra 10 minutes on each run or use a wood press like the old dudes did to make it and keep it flat.

    So try to get what you want.  Thank you so for sharing!

  126. 126.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Jay C:

     

    So what is the latest Irish proposal?

    Don’t know specifically. as far as I can see it hasn’t been published yet but both Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh equivalent have already denounced it as a threat to devolution.

  127. 127.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rp: I figured, seeing as you seem to have so much trouble with it. I may have a solution for you tho, instead of counting in base 10, try base 5, that might make you feel better.

  129. 129.

    Immanentize

    @Spanky: I did a prilosec course of treatment as recommended.  14 days.  It helped some but not a knockout blow.   Frankly I know I could do myself a world of good if I stopped drinking black coffee in the morning and wine at night.  But a man’s gotta have some small pleasures.  And death stalks us all.

  131. 131.

    Jeffro

    @Frankensteinbeck: Biden has always been ahead. He has never been behind Trump, and the aggregates have stayed dead on in place, shifting only a percentage point or two but with Biden retaining a big 7-9% lead. Moreover, Biden’s fat lead is echoed in the key battleground states, the ones Trump won by a sliver last time. Yes, things theoretically could change, but probably not. By now, everyone knows Trump, and everyone knows Biden. There’s a chunk of people who for some bizarre reason seem to decide randomly, but that’s fine. They’ll split like they always do, because they decide randomly. We are honestly and truly in a landslide level lead, so let’s get out there and crush the GOP and turn the Senate and try to fix our heavily damaged country.

    Yup, yup, and yup.  Biden’s already in 330 EV territory but I want 350+ and the Senate.  Go go GO Dems!

  132. 132.

    Steeplejack

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I hadn’t seen this comment when I wrote before. I think the nasal rinse might work better than gargling, because it gets to the “nasal” part. When I had PND it would irritate my throat and lead to a nagging “kennel cough” kind of thing. Irritating.

  133. 133.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Omnes Omnibus:They could also say winning by nearly 10 points which would also be technically correct but would convey a completely different impression of the result. A statement can be true but still be misleading. But you already know that.

    Yes I do and people everywhere are susceptible to their preconceptions (and yes, that includes me). But no matter what, 9 points is a single digit lead. That is just simple math.

  134. 134.

    Matt McIrvin

    @OzarkHillbilly: I think I need to start getting allergy shots just to keep myself from getting completely paranoid in the next respiratory pandemic.

    But getting my general reflux disease treated helped a lot with the second. I had ill-defined abdominal pains I thought might be any number of terrible things and it turned out it was just GERD. I don’t get painful heartburn associated with nasal drip any more either.

  139. 139.

    Another Scott

    "We were starting to come together in the last few months” before the pandemic. “I was getting calls from Democrats."

    That was when they impeached you, Biff.

    — Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) September 9, 2020

    Yup.

    Don’t buy his revisionism that he was cruising to re-election before the Jyna Virus blew up because of his incompetence and narcissism. It’s not true.

    (He’s planting stories that it’s all Xi’s fault that he lost in November. “I take no responsibility.”)

    Grrr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  141. 141.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @OzarkHillbilly: And the writer or an editor chose in that particular instance to use a true statement that conveyed an impression that the race was close rather than one that conveyed an impression that Biden’s campaign has a comfortable lead or a neutral statement of fact.  “Single digit lead” vs “lead of nearly 10 points” vs “up by 9%.”

  142. 142.

    SFAW

    @Soprano2:

    “The Republican Party is kind of speaking to my heart more than the Democrats,” Gretchen said.

    That’s because when the Dems tried speaking to your brain, all they found was mush, you fucking moron.

    I’m getting really tired of NPR’s Cleetus Safaris.

  143. 143.

    Kropacetic

    @Another Scott: (He’s planting stories that it’s all Xi’s fault that he lost in November. “I take no responsibility.”)

    Republicans, only the party of personal responsibility if by “personal responsibility” you mean “the rich and powerful can do whatever they want and you, the average person, are personally responsible to deal with the consequences of their actions.”

  146. 146.

    Jay C

    @Immanentize:

    @Omnes Omnibus:@Ken:
    Isn’t the doctrinal question regarding Lilith whether it was “cowboy” or “reverse cowboy?”

    Yeah, I think one of those Orthodox-vs-Conservative-vs-Reform things.

    You know, where everyone has to take a position….

  147. 147.

    Cameron

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’ve long been partial to the movie Bubba Hotep, in which Elvis and JFK team up in their retirement home to defeat an evil Egyptian entity.  Although I’m a fan of Joe Lansdale, I never read his work on which this was based.

  152. 152.

    narya

    @Immanentize: @Steeplejack: Yeah, one wall is done, he’s working on the other. We may still be short some tile–which I think may be partly my fault–but we’ll figure it out. It isn’t EXACTLY what I had in mind, but it is very damn close, and SO much better. And, frankly, even though it’s not exact, the re-do involved moving some, but not all, tiles, which is preferable for a number of reasons. I feel sooo much better. it won’t be a perfectly flat surface, but I’m fine with that–the tile replaces fking BEADBOARD, which, hello, impossible to clean, so perfectly flat is not a requirement at all.

  153. 153.

    Kay

    Geoff Bennett
    @GeoffRBennett
    · 1h
    NEW: Trump has not held a single mock debate session, and has no plans to stage a formal practice round, as he readies for his first faceoff with Joe Biden in less than three weeks

    Trump isn’t relying on beating Biden in a debate. He’s relying on the political media giving him another in-kind contribution of kid glove treatment in a debate. He’s confident he can manipulate them again, and can you blame him?
    His approach is never about “our candidate”. His approach is always designed to manipulate the gatekeepers and interpreters. Been doing it successfully for 50 years.

  155. 155.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Frankensteinbeck: Andrew Tannenbaum’s website plots electoral votes according to a really simple parsing of state polls (much simpler than the kind of thing Nate Silver or even Sam Wang does). He’s been doing it since 2004, and he has this cool page showing graphs of every cycle since then:

    https://electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/ec_graph-2020.html

    The difference between 2020 and 2016 is readily visible there. In the EC count, Hillary kept whipsawing between a clear lead and “way too close to call”. The changes seemed much more sensitive to events in the news than the numbers in 2020 are.

    Though it’s also striking how far off his final 2016 number was from the election result, probably (in part) because there was a rapid change brewing after “Comey: Emails!” that the late public state polls never caught (combined with some election fuckery in the upper Midwest). On the basis of all the previous cycles you’d have said the methodology was remarkably good; it gave no clear answer in 2004 but only because that one was really close.

    What the current situation looks most like is the late stage of the Obama-McCain 2008 race, after the financial meltdown.

  156. 156.

    Soprano2

    @VOR: So it is likely Gretchen is blaming Governor Walz and the Democrats for any economic problems in her area. The Republicans are telling her to shed the mask and everything will be just fine. There probably aren’t many COVID cases in her area so why is that tyrant Governor Walz making such a big deal about it?

    It’s not so much that I mind that they’re interviewing this kind of voter; what I hate is that it’s so shallow. Take 4 minutes and actually dig into what this voter thinks about things rather than letting her make a shallow comment like that and then just go on. If someone voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and now says they want to vote for Trump, I think it’s worth a few minutes to try to find out why, because that’s extremely unusual.

  157. 157.

    Kay

    I do think we got bad analysis of the law n order push in Wisconsin. It was IN Wisconsin, that is true, but it was as much directed to PA and MI as it was to Wisconsin, so a Wisconsin polling number doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. You have to look at the whole group of Great Lakes states he needs, because they some commonalities.
    I mean, they’re dumb, but they’re not that dumb. The racist appeals are capable of crossing state lines. If it didn’t take off in WI doesn’t mean it was wholly ineffective in PA.

  161. 161.

    Geminid

    So trump says he has signed an executive order extending a moratorium on oil drilling off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. I hope people don’t believe he won’t approve drilling after reelection. Same with the move postponing approval of the Pebble Mine in Alaska.. trump favored these projects throughout his term, and the turnaround in past couple weeks is solely to help his election prospects, and maybe to get a piece of the action.

  162. 162.

    Barbara

    @OzarkHillbilly: Can I just say that politics is probably more like basketball or football than baseball in this regard?  Baseball is one of the few sports where time is irrelevant.  You can have a huge inning and totally change the outcome — we’ve all seen it — whereas, as the clock winds down from first to second to third to fourth there just isn’t enough time to overcome a huge deficit.  It isn’t over until it’s over is still true enough, but there is a distinction.

  163. 163.

    Matt McIrvin

    …though I’d certainly be happier if Biden’s count of EVs from states where he’s way ahead (outside statistical MOE) were higher than exactly 270, which is where Tannenbaum has it now.

    One thing he doesn’t do, as far as I can tell, is take into account electoral vote splits in Nebraska and Maine. But the leading polls right now suggest that both are going to be split by one vote and the effects will cancel out.

  165. 165.

    germy

    @Miss Bianca:  I stumbled upon that movie one day.  It was on one of the antenna TV sub channels that usually shows really crappy B movies.

    I watched it, expecting more garbage and instead… I was blown away!  I loved the movie.

  166. 166.

    J R in WV

    @germy:

    The White House lawn and Rose Garden were damaged by large crowds and heavy equipment during the Republican National Convention festivities. @AshleyRParker @PhilipRucker President Trump’s reelection campaign is paying to replace sod.

    — Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) September 8, 2020

    so some of the money that should be going towards his reelection is instead paying for the damage he’s done.

    You really think so? I think more likely federal funds paid for the remodel, installing all the heavy equipment that caused the damage, and all the repairs to that damage. Not legal, at all, but who in THIS administration cares about that?

    Or is my snark detector broken again? that must be it…

  167. 167.

    J R in WV

    @Immanentize:

    Isn’t the doctrinal question regarding Lilith whether it was “cowboy” or “reverse cowboy?”

    If it was what SHE wanted, then it was cowgirl, or reverse cowgirl. Wake up men!!!

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