Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

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

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

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.

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

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

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

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

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Women Get It Done

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Women Get It Done

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Good news (for now):

The House overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill late Tuesday to keep the government funded through early December and avoid a shutdown just before the November election.

The 359-to-57 vote sends the legislation to the Senate, which could take it up later this week and send it to President Trump. White House officials say they don’t want a shutdown, and Trump is expected to sign the bill, though he’s wavered at the last minute in such scenarios in the past.

The deal was negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a chaotic series of events over the past several days. Talks abruptly collapsed late Friday just as a deal appeared within reach, and Pelosi released a partisan bill on Monday that was swiftly rejected by Republicans. But on Tuesday morning, Pelosi and Mnuchin resumed negotiations, and Pelosi announced late Tuesday that they had reached a deal.

The sticking point was demands from the Trump administration and Republicans — along with a handful of largely farm-state House Democrats — for an infusion of money into a farm bailout program that Trump has used to repay farmers hurt by his trade policies. In exchange for agreeing to the bailout money, Pelosi secured about $8 billion for a variety of nutrition programs, including for schoolchildren affected by the coronavirus pandemic — a significantly larger sum than had been on the table Friday…

There was no immediate comment from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), but in light of the strong vote in the House, the Senate looked likely to approve the legislation.

Congress needs to pass a spending bill by Sept. 30, the last day in the 2020 fiscal year, or large portions of the government would begin to shut down. The bill also must be signed by Trump ahead of the shutdown deadline…


Trump gets his slush fund, Pelosi ensures the most vulnerable won’t suffer more than they are already. McConnell pretends he has no idea what that other legislative body might be doing, and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows confirms his status as a human speed bump.

Additional notes per the AP:

… The measure also extends many programs whose funding or authorizations lapse on Sept. 30, including the federal flood insurance program, highway and transit programs, and a long set of extensions of various health programs, such as a provision to prevent Medicaid cuts to hospitals that serve many poor people.

It also finances the possible transition to a new administration if Joe Biden wins the White House and would stave off an unwelcome COVID-caused increase in Medicare Part B premiums for outpatient doctor visits.

The underlying stopgap measure deals with the 30% of the federal government’s day-to-day budget that goes to Cabinet agency operations funded by Congress each year. The annual appropriations process broke down in the Senate this year and it’s unclear but probably unlikely that the $1.3 trillion in agency spending bills will be enacted this year, even in a post-election lame duck session, especially if Biden is elected to replace Trump…

Reader Interactions

128Comments

  6. 6.

    Betty Cracker

    @Emma from FL: Thank dog she’s there! It’s pretty clear Pelosi is keeping the lights on, with Mnuchin doing all the presidenting the Trump admin is capable of, which isn’t much.

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    Women are also the face of the public protests in Belarus, where this morning Lukashenko held a self-inauguration. In private, not broadcast on TV. That’s always the mark of a powerful and confident leader, amirite? Crowds almost as big as Trump’s.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: I for one am happy to see it. Just yesterday people were calling it the dumbest things DEMs had ever done. Nancy just has NFLTG.

  10. 10.

    Jinchi

    @OzarkHillbilly: Wait. What was the hostage they took? Pelosi got a deal to keep the government open for another 2 months. Which is good, but hardly an 11-dimensional chess move. Did anyone think Republicans wanted to shut down the government a month before the election?

  12. 12.

    prostratedragon

    He’s such a gossamer little flower.

    Nine current and former officials said in interviews that CIA Director Gina Haspel has become extremely cautious about which, if any, Russia-related intelligence products make their way to President Donald Trump’s desk. Haspel also has been keeping a close eye on the agency’s fabled “Russia House,” whose analysts she often disagrees with and sometimes accuses of purposefully misleading her.

    Last year, three of the people said, Haspel tasked the CIA’s general counsel, Courtney Elwood, with reviewing virtually every product that comes out of Russia House, which is home to analysts and targeters who are experts in Russia and the post-Soviet space, before it “goes downtown” to the White House. One former CIA lawyer called it “unprecedented that a general counsel would be involved to this extent.”

    Four of the people said the change has resulted in less intelligence on Russia making its way to the White House, but the exact reason for that — whether Elwood has been blocking it, or whether Russia officers have become disillusioned and are producing less, or even self-censoring for fear of being reprimanded — is less clear.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Jinchi:

    The sticking point was demands from the Trump administration and Republicans — along with a handful of largely farm-state House Democrats — for an infusion of money into a farm bailout program that Trump has used to repay farmers hurt by his trade policies. In exchange for agreeing to the bailout money, Pelosi secured about $8 billion for a variety of nutrition programs, including for schoolchildren affected by the coronavirus pandemic — a significantly larger sum than had been on the table Friday…

    “No farm aid without helping schoolchildren.”

  17. 17.

    Baud

    The annual appropriations process broke down in the Senate this year and it’s unclear but probably unlikely that the $1.3 trillion in agency spending bills will be enacted this year, even in a post-election lame duck session,

    Duh. Appropriations aren’t judges.

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: But if there is no appropriation bill, how do the judges get paid? Wait a minute… Duuuuhhhhh, kickbacks of course! trump judges get the biggest beautifulest kickbacks in the history of kickbacks!

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    Looks like the RonJon-Grassley report is another dud:

    A pair of Senate Republican committee chairmen released a report Wednesday arguing that Hunter Biden’s board position with a Ukrainian energy company was “awkward,” “problematic” and interfered with “efficient execution of policy” for the Obama administration, but offered few specific examples that it impacted Vice President Joe Biden’s actions and failed to demonstrate that it changed the administration’s policy toward Ukraine.

    I’m sure they’ll just lie about the content on camera. That’s what Rubio did. Bill Barr set the standard with the Mueller report.

  26. 26.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    It’s all aid to farmers. Nutrition aid is aid to farmers. Farmers sell food. If there are fewer people who can afford to buy food, they sell less food, which is bad for them. It boggles my mind how many farmers are pro subsidy but anti SNAP because they can’t look a couple steps down the demand chain and see that those SNAP recipients wouldn’t buy food if they didn’t have SNAP, and if they didn’t buy food, farmers would sell less food and make less money.

  35. 35.

    Joe Falco

    @rikyrah: The press just misses the days when they can swing on John McCain’s tire swing and play like coddled children again by a Republican candidate that knows how to indulge them.

  36. 36.

    germy

    This smirking little shit is covering Biden/Harris for CBS. His latest complaint is that Harris isn’t making herself available to the press, a complaint that is obvious bullshit.

    Doesn’t speak to the traveling press pool, doesn’t do local interviews when traveling nor interviews beyond the friendliest of national, niche outlets. Her debate with @mike_pence, who frequently sits for interviews, is in 15 days. https://t.co/jTqBSkdybh— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) September 23, 2020

    I stand corrected: The senator does do local interviews when on trips, recently with TV stations in Miami and Philly. But the reluctance to answer questions on a regular basis is frustrating, especially for a candidate who used to more regularly.— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) September 23, 2020

    “I stand corrected” should just be your new byline.— U.S.O.U.S. (@hyperauxetic) September 23, 2020

  37. 37.

    Dupe1970

    Someone stole my Biden / Harris Don’t Stop at the Top sign last night.

    Cannot believe this fuckery has already started.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    @germy: Wow. The media has its marching orders.  That’s just like the Sam Stein tweet Cole responded to.  Maybe if the media didn’t see itself as the arm of the RNC, our candidates wouldn’t need to go around them to reach the voters.

    the friendliest of national, niche outlets

    Interesting way to refer to MSNBC.

  39. 39.

    germy

    Trump said he goes home all the time and asks Melania: “How did you like the crowd?”According to him, Melania responded: “Sir, I didn’t see it.”

    — Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 22, 2020

    So he asks her if she noticed how big it was and she says she didn’t see it. Sounds about right.

    — June Casagrande (@JuneCasagrande) September 22, 2020

  40. 40.

    Jinchi

    @OzarkHillbilly: That’s not a hostage. That’s run of the mill horse trading. It’s happened in virtually every political negotiation in history.

    When Republicans have taken hostages they’ve literally taken hostages: ‘You want government workers paid, give me money for my wall‘. The hostages that Trump has taken include threats to deport millions of Dreamers, along with their US born children; literal children in cages at the border; aid to major American cities (unless they prosecute protesters against him) and the paychecks of every American on the government payroll.

    These are not acceptable forms of retaliation. That’s why we call them hostages.

    Democrats aren’t doing that.

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Betty Cracker: They were never going to say much because if they did they might attract unwanted attention to the low hanging fruit that is the trump family cartel.

  42. 42.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: According to a story at TheHill, the Democratic argument was that there was unspent money in the CARES act for farmers, and that Donnie was using the CCC money as a slush fund.  She got more oversight of his use of CCC money, and more money for food for kids not in school buildings.

    She did very well.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @germy: My wife likes to say, “I sit down corrected.” I like it better because that is exactly what one should do if one makes a mistake.

  48. 48.

    Soprano2

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:  It boggles my mind how many farmers are pro subsidy but anti SNAP because they can’t look a couple steps down the demand chain and see that those SNAP recipients wouldn’t buy food if they didn’t have SNAP, and if they didn’t buy food, farmers would sell less food and make less money.

    My husband says this about the rural hatred of big cities, and all their incorrect attitudes about them. He wonders if they ever think about who buys all that stuff they sell, and who would buy it if those people in the cities weren’t there. It’s really a symbiotic relationship. Farmers used to understand that SNAP helped them, but I think years and years of listening to Fox News and right-wing talk radio rail about how benefits to “those people” are bad has made them forget who actually benefits from SNAP in the long run.

  50. 50.

    mrmoshpotato

    @germy:

    Trump said he goes home all the time and asks Melania: “How did you like the crowd?”According to him, Melania responded: “Sir, I didn’t see it.” 

    1. Sir?
    2. She’s the gold-digging birther bitch of the loveless marriage, not the narcissistic manbaby who needs his orange ass constantly applauded.
  51. 51.

    Jinchi

    @Dupe1970: Someone stole my Biden / Harris Don’t Stop at the Top sign last night.

    Has anyone gotten video of people doing this?

    Seems like it would be funny to replace the stolen sign with a blown up photo of the culprit in the act and the subtitle ‘No need to steal it Bob, the signs are free – Biden/Harris 2020‘

  52. 52.

    Soprano2

    @kindness: I have a great “Bloom County” cartoon on my bulletin board where Opus tries to say two conflicting things without laughing and cannot. First is “Keep those flat-footed goombahs in Washington out of my hair”.  Second is “Hurry up with my federal bail-out check”. I think that illustrates it in a nutshell.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2:It’s really a symbiotic relationship.

    That dips into the parasitic when one considers how much of city tax revenues underwrite rural living.

  54. 54.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    They don’t really cover Biden. The NYTimes is (as usual) the worst. When this is over and Nate Silver does an analysis of the coverage it will be 10-1 Trump. Part of that is incumbency but the substantive coverage of Biden is REALLY thin and there’s not even much campaign coverage. There’s one Bloomberg reporter who is assigned to him and she’s the only example I’ve found of what I would consider “normal” coverage of a Presidential candidate, in that she’s focused on that candidate and that campaign.

    Biden is IN some of the horserace coverage- what are the polls, what are his real or perceived problems with various groups of voters but I think the lack of coverage of Biden/Harris is remarkable, in that it’s unusually thin.

  55. 55.

    Baud

    @Kay: I’m paying less attention to the news these days, but I’ve noticed the same thing.  Substantive Biden/Harris doesn’t enter my info bubble as often as one would think it would.

  57. 57.

    hueyplong

    I wouldn’t trust the FTFNYT to cover Biden/Harris in a way that isn’t death by a thousand cuts, so undercoverage is, in context, probably ok.  The fewer “clouds and questions,” etc., the better.

  60. 60.

    Zelma

    I just lost my wonderful cat Simmons. He was a rescue and I’ve had him for 12 1/2 years. He was at least 16 and probably older. He was the sweetest, softest cat I’ve ever had. Ruled the roost, like every cat. I can’t imagine not having a cat around the house, but I wonder if I should at my age. My dog Bandit is sort of depressed right now. He knows Simmons is gone too.

    You always know you’re going to say good-bye, but it’s still hard.

  61. 61.

    WereBear

    @OzarkHillbilly: That dips into the parasitic when one considers how much of city tax revenues underwrite rural living.

    Mr WereBear never tires of pointing out that blue states, “Trump’s enemies,” are the economic powerhouses of the US economy. Kill them, kill the money spigot.

  63. 63.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @kindness: 

    Are farmers the biggest welfare queens?

    Decades ago, I think it was Bill Maher of all people that said “The biggest welfare queens wear overalls”.

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    the Barton Gellman story in The Atlantic right now should be retitled. Instead of What If trumpov Refuses to Concede?, it should be What Can We Do Now to Minimize the Chaos trumpov’s Going to Inflict On This Country In Order to Stay Out Of Jail?

    It’s a nightmare that will surely come true to some degree. We have to hang in there and get every vote counted!

  67. 67.

    germy

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Moms Mabley:  “I married an old man; he said ‘Remember!  I did you a favor!  I gave you my name!’  I said ‘Yes, and I’ve got some names for you!’“

  68. 68.

    Sally

    @kindness: Farmers the world over are the most fervent socialists. They invariably want, and often receive, insurance, minimum price guarantees, tax concessions, and various subsidies. But they hate govt handouts to anyone else. Now, more and more often, those farmers are huge, multi national agri businesses shifting their profits from place to place depending on the tax structures.

  69. 69.

    Betty Cracker

    @germy: Daniel Dale tweeted about the sir/darling mix-up.

    I despise the Third Lady, who’s just as awful as her husband, but if she addresses her putrid mate at all, it’s probably with hisses.

  70. 70.

    Jeffro

    “If you are a voter, think about voting in person after all…spread word that it is normal for the results to keep changing after Election Night…Take agency. An election cannot be stolen unless the American people, at some level, acquiesce.”

    (from the Gellman piece)

  72. 72.

    Jeffro

    From a WaPo piece about polling tightening up in FL and AZ:

    Majorities of registered voters in both states (57 percent) say they are either “very” or “somewhat worried” that they or someone in their family might contract the coronavirus, with 7 percent in each state saying a family member has caught the virus. Asked to evaluate Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, 54 percent of Arizona voters and 52 percent of Florida voters say they disapprove.
    Voters in these states are more divided on which candidate would better handle the coronavirus outbreak in the future, with Biden ahead, 48 percent to 43 percent, in Florida and also ahead, 49 percent to 45 percent, in Arizona, although neither margin is statistically significant. Biden also has narrow edges in both states on health care and “discouraging violence at political protests,” while Trump has a slight edge on “crime and safety” in both states.

    The mind boggles.  Biden is edging trumpov on the handling of the coronavirus by about 5%, not 80%???
    Granted, Biden does not need these two states to win.  But good lord, Sun Belt peeps.

  74. 74.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WereBear: Ask any trumper, “What is the 6th largest economy in the world?” Then watch their head explode when you say “California.”

  75. 75.

    Citizen Alan

    @Baud: I don’t give a shit about farmers anymore even though I have some in my family. Is there a single state where farmers make up a significant portion of the electorate that is purple, let alone blue? If not, fuck all those tractor-riding welfare queens.

  76. 76.

    germy

    @Zelma:

    Condolences.  Remember that Simmons lived the best life with your love and care.

    Here’s a poem Raven used to post here:

    “We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
    Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.
    We cherish memory as the only certain immortality,
    never fully understanding the necessary plan.” 

    Irving Townsend.

  78. 78.

    germy

    @Kay:

    Trump’s town hall was shown on a major broadcast network.

    Biden’s was on CNN.  We don’t have cable TV, so we hoped to see it the next day on youtube, or on the CNN website, but all we could find were little one-minute excerpts.

  79. 79.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Baud: I was a government acquisition weenie, trained in the complex federal budget and acquisition process. One of the things I look forward to is seeing that process actually happen instead of the goddamned continuing resolutions. It’s like running the federal government by breaking open piggy banks.

  80. 80.

    John S.

    @Baud: Which is why the latest Biden ad running here in FL reminds people that Trump is lying about Biden raising taxes on everyone, and casually points out that Biden only proposed raising taxes on people making more than $400K per year. Specifically the wealthy and corporations.

    That’s the whole ad. It’s simple, it’s factual and it only exists because the media is too lazy to be bothered pointing out the facts or covering what Biden’s campaign is about.

  81. 81.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Am I the only one watching the very moving tribute to RBG at the Supreme Court?

    (It’s over now.)

  82. 82.

    TS (the original)

    @Betty Cracker:

     Mnuchin doing all the presidenting the Trump admin is capable of, which isn’t much.

    Never imagined he would be the one  to realise they have to negotiate with the leader of the House.  Seems to have kept his wife out of the news to his advantage.

  85. 85.

    Kay

    @germy:

    I feel like it’s a good campaign so maybe they just don’t care about the lack of coverage. Still, it’s weird. In a way it’s another move away from “norms” where Trump has managed to make himself the center of everything.

    Shouldn’t there be like those stories they do? “Jill Biden- what makes her tick?” :)

    I don’t know a thing about Kamala’s husband other than that he has kind eyes and smiles a lot.

  86. 86.

    Another Scott

    The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast will present an award to Attorney General Barr for “Christlike behavior” tomorrow morning. A.G. Barr has ordered the executions of six men with at least one more on the calendar. What is “Christlike” about using discretionary power to kill?

    — Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean) September 23, 2020

    “… let’s tax religion!” – Jello Biafra

    (via nycsouthpaw)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    Kay

    Here’s who I check in on for newsy-news on Biden/Harris:

    Jennifer Epstein
    Political reporter at Bloomberg News covering the Biden campaign and Democrats

    It’s just straight reporting, which is what I want. I’m interested in “the Democrats” :)

  93. 93.

    Another Scott

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: … “breaking open piggy banks after the bill collectors are at the door ready to take your clothes, furniture, and car because your boss hasn’t paid you on time in 6 months.”

    FIFY.

    :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  94. 94.

    mali muso

    Anyone else see the new FB post from Barack Obama?

    All right, let’s try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you’re doing, what’s on your mind, and how you’re planning on voting this year.
    I’ll be in touch from time to time to share what’s on my mind, too.

    When you text the number, you get a response back and a link to an online community. Then the following text message sends you a contact card for Barack Obama to save in your contact list. Not sure how he plans to use this particular forum, but I miss him so much, I don’t even care.

  95. 95.

    ...now I try to be amused

    @mrmoshpotato:

    And yet there are downstate jackasses that would like to kick Chicago out of Illinois.

    My parents grew up in southern Illinois. I never lived there myself, but I got the impression that downstaters see Chicago as Sodom and Gomorrah to the north, not really part of Illinois.

    On the other hand, I can see why they feel that way. They really are entirely different worlds.

  96. 96.

    Kay

    Peter Baker
    @peterbakernyt
    ·8m
    When news broke that Ginsburg had died, Trump was just five minutes into a campaign rally. Aides opted not to pass word to him onstage. If he announced the death of the liberal justice from the lectern, they feared the crowd would cheer. ⁦
    @maggieNYT
    ⁩

    Every time I read one these I mentally add “Trump hires said”. If they’re not credible in any other area why would they be credible in this one?
    I find it amazing people trust their campaign finance reports. I mean, seriously. What are the odds those are close to real? Maybe 10%? If the Trump Family produced an accurate financial record it’ll be the first one.
    They have some money and they spent some. That’s as far as I would go.

  97. 97.

    Geminid

    @Citizen Alan: Most farmers will not see that money. The bulk of it will go to LLC’s, and to people whose zip codes are gated golf communities, or big cities like San Francisco (Central Valley agriculture heirs, I guess). These people hardly ever see a tractor, much less ride one.

  98. 98.

    WereBear

    @Zelma: I’m so sorry for your loss of Simmons.

     

    I can’t imagine not having a cat around the house, but I wonder if I should at my age.

     

    I have lined up people to take them in case of misadventure, etc. Because why bet against myself, and a cat who needs rescuing?

  101. 101.

    hueyplong

    @Zelma: Getting another cat would be a tribute to Simmons, showing how the love and affection that flows from having a cat is a real part of who you are.  The benefit of having one (or a dog) around in this time of limited human contact is not something to underestimate.

    King Henry, the black footed African wildcat wannabe, has given us quite a bit of joy for this past year.

  102. 102.

    Mo Salad

    The CR is not good news. It was the point of most leverage. All she had to do was insist on the Obamacare individual mandate penalty be set at $1, and the upcoming ACA  case would be moot.

    Then, if there was a shutdown, Dems everywhere could say, “Republicans shut down your government during all this for $1.”

  106. 106.

    Chris Johnson

    The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast will present an award to Attorney General Barr for “Christlike behavior” tomorrow morning. A.G. Barr has ordered the executions of six men with at least one more on the calendar. What is “Christlike” about using discretionary power to kill?

    I can see a good parallel. He is furthering their goals even to the point where it seems like nailing him to something until he dies would be appropriate.

    If he, because of his twisted ideas, knows this and understands that he’s gonna be actually killed for his treasonous murderous bullshit, and he’s doing it anyway, then that is indeed Christlike while simultaneously being nothing like Christ and missing the point horribly.

    Way to be unclear on the concept, guys.

  108. 108.

    Mo Salad

    @hueyplong: Thanks for the reply.

    I thought that the premise of the case was since the individual mandate was held to be a tax in the previous SCOTUS case, now that the mandate penalty is zero, there is no tax, therefore Congress did not have authority to pass the ACA.

  109. 109.

    WaterGirl

    @Zelma: Oh, Zelma, I’m so sorry.

    You don’t have to get a kitty, you know.  You could adopt an older cat if you  are worried about that.

    edit: but WereBear’s response was 100x better:

    I have lined up people to take them in case of misadventure, etc. Because why bet against myself, and a cat who needs rescuing?

  110. 110.

    hueyplong

    @Mo Salad: You’re right, which is why I said “if the Court decided to act in bad faith.”  Your point would be made in a dissent

    The bad faith thing to do would be to call it a mere fee and not a tax

  113. 113.

    Zelma

    Dogs are amazing.  Bandit is sticking very close to me and he jumped onto my lap, something he almost never does.  He’ll miss Simmons too.  They spent a lot of time about 6 inches from each other on the couch or the bed.

  114. 114.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jeffro: I don’t like the ones that urge people to drop their existing plans and vote in person. This late, that’s just adding to the chaos and playing into Trump’s hands by helping him delegitimize early voting–and for some, it creates extra complications because they’ve already requested mail ballots, and in some states, it’s harder to vote in person if you’ve already requested a mail ballot.

    Also, at this point, for many that’s going to mean voting on Election Day, and voting on Election Day has its own whole set of vulnerabilities which is why we were pushing early voting in the first place.

  115. 115.

    Zelma

    @WereBear:

    I feed three ferals on my deck every day.  Part of the TNR program.  One of them prefers loves to food!  I wonder about bringing him in from the cold.  I’ve never dealt with a feral, although Simmons was one before he was rescued.  I wonder about how he’d get along with Bandit who loves to chase him off the deck.  It is hard to imagine not having a cat after 50+ years.

  116. 116.

    PST

    @Zelma: Very sorry for your loss of Simmons. I kept seeing my Kenny out of the corner of my eye for a long, long time after he was gone. I’m glad Simmons found his place in the world early in life and had many years to enjoy it.

  119. 119.

    Jeffro

    @Quinerly: I have already put it out on my FB and Twitter, and emailed it to a few others.

    Everyone needs to assume he WILL cheat, contest the election, do whatever it takes to get ‘his’ electors recognized, etc.  Like, literally every battleground state is going to have this fight.

    And knowing that, the Dems need to beat on the media and whatever remains of the GOP: “Why are we having to do this?  He got his clock cleaned and doesn’t want to go to jail, we get it.  But that’s just too bad – perhaps he should have led the country, and perhaps he shouldn’t have been a crook.  And now there’s no reason on earth our democracy should have to take his abuse any longer, not one minute longer!”

    (offered gratis to Biden & Co ;)

  120. 120.

    Jeffro

    @Matt McIrvin: it’s probably too late now anyway – we just have to fight and insist that every ballot of every kind be counted.

    And THEN we’ll have to insist that the right electors be approved by their states.

    And THEN we’ll have to insist that Congress, Pence, etc all do their jobs according to the law – not their law, THE law

    And THEN And THEN And THEN…

    Hey GOP dipshits – maybe electing the world’s most corrupt and dishonorable man, America’s king of lawsuits, a man whose word means less than nothing – maybe that was a bad idea

  122. 122.

    ...now I try to be amused

    @Jeffro:

    Hey GOP dipshits – maybe electing the world’s most corrupt and dishonorable man, America’s king of lawsuits, a man whose word means less than nothing – maybe that was a bad idea

    I still can’t get over the fact that Trump is the hill they’re choosing to die on. Perhaps the GOP Senators’ alacrity in seating a new SC justice is a sign they know Trump’s time is up and they will accept the election. I dunno.

  123. 123.

    StringOnAStick

    @Zelma: Please consider adopting an older cat, they have such a hard time finding homes for them.

    When we adopted two sister kittens 3 years ago, we knew they would be the last kittens we could adopt because of our age.  If we lose them before we shuffle off, we’ll adopt senior cats because I just can’t be without a cat or two in my life.

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    @Kay:

    …the lack of coverage of Biden/Harris is remarkable, in that it’s unusually thin.

    Well, in case Trump actually wins an election, for a change, none of these reporters want to go to jail for fake news, like Biden is actually well spoken and alert, which is obviously a criminal lie. //

  126. 126.

    J R in WV

    @Zelma:

    I just lost my wonderful cat Simmons. He was a rescue and I’ve had him for 12 1/2 years. He was at least 16 and probably older. He was the sweetest, softest cat I’ve ever had. Ruled the roost, like every cat.  I can’t imagine not having a cat around the house, but I wonder if I should at my age.

    I’m sorry to hear about your loss. Simmons sounds like he was a wonderful companion and friend. I think you should look at your friends with regard to identifying someone who would be willing to undertake to care for your pets if you were no longer able to.

    We have neighbors who will care for our critters should we become unable to, but we take that uncomfortable situation into account as we adopted new family members with fur. Stay close to your pup, we all know how upset they can be at a loss in the family.

  127. 127.

    Bill Arnold

    @Dupe1970:

    This would be the only reason I would install cameras at my house.

    Webcams are pretty cheap, and can be easily configured to email stills or video clips on motion detect using e.g. house wifi (or wired internet). (Trailcams with built-in cell internet are rather more expensive.)

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