• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

After roe, women are no longer free.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

White supremacy is terrorism.

This fight is for everything.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

You cannot shame the shameless.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Second rate reporter says what?

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

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

He really is that stupid.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
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

by Anne Laurie|  September 23, 20207:21 am| 128 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

FacebookTweetEmail

RBG ad worth a watch until the very end and retweet pic.twitter.com/LjjxO3T7b2

— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) September 19, 2020

Good news (for now):

House passes bipartisan spending bill to avert government shutdown after Pelosi reaches deal with Treasury's Mnuchin https://t.co/6XfZTUWRv8

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 23, 2020

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…

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday/Wednesday, September 22-23
Next Post: Wishing to be green with envy »

Reader Interactions

128Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    September 23, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  2. 2.

    rikyrah

    September 23, 2020 at 7:27 am

    Appreciate your commentary AL?

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 7:27 am

    DEMs can take hostages too.

  4. 4.

    debbie

    September 23, 2020 at 7:34 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    And boy, had they better!

  5. 5.

    Emma from FL

    September 23, 2020 at 7:45 am

    Nancy knows politics. Nancy also carries a nutcracker.

  6. 6.

    Betty Cracker

    September 23, 2020 at 7:52 am

    @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.

  7. 7.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 7:55 am

    @debbie: Turtle soup.

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 23, 2020 at 8:00 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:01 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:02 am

    @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?

  11. 11.

    Goku (Amerikan Baka)

    September 23, 2020 at 8:07 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Is Lukashenko just hoping this will all go away? I don’t think that’s going to happen

  12. 12.

    prostratedragon

    September 23, 2020 at 8:07 am

    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.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:07 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 23, 2020 at 8:08 am

    @Goku (Amerikan Baka): I believe he’s planning to just tough it out.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:09 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Lukashenko held a self-inauguration

    I should have done this.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:10 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:10 am

    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.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:14 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Just yesterday people were calling it the dumbest things DEMs had ever done.

    What was?

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:15 am

    @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!

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:17 am

    @Baud: passing a bill without aid to farmers.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:21 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hmm. Nancy not helping farmers is dumb, but the GOP not helping children is just good politics, I guess.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    September 23, 2020 at 8:23 am

    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.

  23. 23.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 23, 2020 at 8:23 am

    @Baud: You still can.

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:23 am

    @Baud: Yep. The little brats are misbehaving anyway.

  25. 25.

    johnnybuck

    September 23, 2020 at 8:24 am

    @Baud: Kids don’t vote.

  26. 26.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    September 23, 2020 at 8:24 am

    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.

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 23, 2020 at 8:25 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Looks like the RonJon-Grassley report is another dud:

    This is my shocked face.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:26 am

    @Betty Cracker: Taxpayer money well spent.

    They’ll lie, but people are on to them, and we are pushing back on everything more than I think I’ve ever seen.

  29. 29.

    rikyrah

    September 23, 2020 at 8:28 am

    Go Cole???

    No offense, Sam, but the media clearly learned nothing from their behavior in 2016, but that doesn’t mean the campaigns didn’t. https://t.co/yY4gqO8LDw— John Cole (@Johngcole) September 23, 2020

  30. 30.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:32 am

    @rikyrah: Agreed.  That Sam Stein tweet was atrocious.

  31. 31.

    germy

    September 23, 2020 at 8:33 am

    It always warmed my heart that RBG and Scalia were friends. I hope she is up in heaven wondering where he is

    — Matt Goldich (@MattGoldich) September 20, 2020

  32. 32.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    September 23, 2020 at 8:36 am

    That RBG ad was wonderful. I retweeted

  33. 33.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 8:37 am

    @Betty Cracker: The horse is long dead, and they’re still fucking that chicken. Bless their hearts.

  34. 34.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 8:40 am

    @germy: That tweet gave me a good laugh.

  35. 35.

    Joe Falco

    September 23, 2020 at 8:41 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:41 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:44 am

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

    Cannot believe this fuckery has already started.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:44 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:45 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:46 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:46 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:48 am

    @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.

  43. 43.

    Betty Cracker

    September 23, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @Baud: Yep. Next up, the Durham report.

  44. 44.

    germy

    September 23, 2020 at 8:50 am

    Ed O’Keefe is mad about his access journalism not working

    — PACK THE COURT (@Ta_NeHashiCoats) September 23, 2020

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:50 am

    @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.

  46. 46.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 8:52 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: 

    “Ok, she does interviews, but not with meeeeeee!”

  47. 47.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 8:53 am

    @Jinchi: You can call it whatever you want, the GOP got the message post haste.

  48. 48.

    Soprano2

    September 23, 2020 at 8:54 am

    @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.

  49. 49.

    kindness

    September 23, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Are farmers the biggest welfare queens?

    Sure are the whiniest.

  50. 50.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 8:55 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:55 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:57 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 8:59 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:03 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:06 am

    @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.

  56. 56.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 9:12 am

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

  57. 57.

    hueyplong

    September 23, 2020 at 9:14 am

    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.

  58. 58.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 9:16 am

    @mrmoshpotato: Yep. Here in Ozarkistan, Misery would be just peachy keen without STL and KC.

  59. 59.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 23, 2020 at 9:16 am

    @mrmoshpotato: I’m going to tell my wife to start addressing me as “Sir.” That’ll make for a healthy relationship, don’t you think?

  60. 60.

    Zelma

    September 23, 2020 at 9:19 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:19 am

    @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.

  62. 62.

    Baud

    September 23, 2020 at 9:21 am

    @Zelma: My condolences.  That is hard.

  63. 63.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    September 23, 2020 at 9:21 am

    @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”.

  64. 64.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 23, 2020 at 9:21 am

    @Gin & Tonic: You know, you could just sleep on the couch if you really wanna.

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    September 23, 2020 at 9:22 am

    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!

  66. 66.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 23, 2020 at 9:23 am

    @Zelma:

    I’m very sorry to hear that. Simmons sounds like a real sweetie. Condolences to you and Bandit.

  67. 67.

    germy

    September 23, 2020 at 9:23 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:25 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:25 am

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

    I think this is the first accidental sir story in the history of sir stories, but darling stories are basically sir stories anyway.

    — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 22, 2020

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:26 am

    “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)

  71. 71.

    Betty Cracker

    September 23, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @Zelma: I’m sorry. :(

  72. 72.

    Jeffro

    September 23, 2020 at 9:29 am

    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.

  73. 73.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 9:31 am

    @Zelma: It’s always hard.

  74. 74.

    OzarkHillbilly

    September 23, 2020 at 9:32 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:33 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:35 am

    @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.

  77. 77.

    Just One More Canuck

    September 23, 2020 at 9:36 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Let us know how that works out

  78. 78.

    germy

    September 23, 2020 at 9:39 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:39 am

    @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.

    September 23, 2020 at 9:50 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 9:54 am

    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)

    September 23, 2020 at 9:57 am

    @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.

  83. 83.

    Dupe1970

    September 23, 2020 at 9:59 am

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

  84. 84.

    Haroldo

    September 23, 2020 at 10:03 am

    @Zelma:

    My condolences.  It’s hard when a family member goes.

  85. 85.

    Kay

    September 23, 2020 at 10:03 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:06 am

    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.

  87. 87.

    Ms. Deranged in AZ

    September 23, 2020 at 10:07 am

    @Zelma: I am so so sorry to hear about your loss. I know how terribly difficult it is. My heart goes out to you.

  88. 88.

    Kay

    September 23, 2020 at 10:07 am

    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” :)

  89. 89.

    taumaturgo

    September 23, 2020 at 10:07 am

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Nope. the industrial-military complex is the socialist welfare king and the big pharma cartel a distant second.

  90. 90.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    September 23, 2020 at 10:10 am

    @Kay:

    They don’t really cover Biden.

    He should have gotten an email server.

  91. 91.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 23, 2020 at 10:12 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: They’d just cover the server.

  92. 92.

    Kay

    September 23, 2020 at 10:12 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    He probably had one. As we found out the national security email issue only applies to Hillary Clinton.

    Because she’s evil. In her heart.

  93. 93.

    Another Scott

    September 23, 2020 at 10:13 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:15 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:15 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:17 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:24 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:27 am

    @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?

  99. 99.

    Chris Johnson

    September 23, 2020 at 10:29 am

    @germy: AHAHAHA oh WOW

    That one got me :D

  100. 100.

    Chris Johnson

    September 23, 2020 at 10:30 am

    @Joe Falco: Wouldn’t Cindy McCain have that available? Seems to me they’re looking for the tire swing on the wrong side.

  101. 101.

    hueyplong

    September 23, 2020 at 10:34 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:34 am

    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.”

  103. 103.

    planetjanet

    September 23, 2020 at 10:34 am

    @Jinchi:  You just care about stunts.  Taking care of people who are hurting is just not enough for you.

  104. 104.

    Mo Salad

    September 23, 2020 at 10:35 am

    @Mo Salad: Not likely to have happened, but we need to swing for the fences here.

  105. 105.

    Quinerly

    September 23, 2020 at 10:37 am

    @Jeffro: everyone should read that Atlantic piece.

  106. 106.

    Chris Johnson

    September 23, 2020 at 10:39 am

    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.

  107. 107.

    hueyplong

    September 23, 2020 at 10:40 am

    @Mo Salad: If the Court were to decide to act in bad faith, they’d dispense with the $1 in a footnote to the opinion.

  108. 108.

    Mo Salad

    September 23, 2020 at 10:49 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:52 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 10:52 am

    @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

  111. 111.

    laura

    September 23, 2020 at 10:55 am

    @Zelma: Simmons sounds like a lovely moggie. I’m so sorry for your loss and wish you and your bereft pup comfort and grace.

  112. 112.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 23, 2020 at 10:57 am

    @Mo Salad: The tax exists notionally.  The fact that the rate is currently zero is immaterial.  If the Court wants to find that way.

  113. 113.

    Zelma

    September 23, 2020 at 11:00 am

    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

    September 23, 2020 at 11:03 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 11:07 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 11:11 am

    @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.

  117. 117.

    Jinchi

    September 23, 2020 at 11:12 am

    @planetjanet: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

  118. 118.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 23, 2020 at 11:13 am

    @Chris Johnson: It’s for bringing not peace but a sword!

    also, I’m sure he would curse figs if he had the opportunity.

  119. 119.

    Jeffro

    September 23, 2020 at 11:20 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 11:24 am

    @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

  121. 121.

    patrick II

    September 23, 2020 at 11:33 am

    @Jinchi:

    No, but the sticking point was having to feed children which Republicans are loathe to do.

  122. 122.

    ...now I try to be amused

    September 23, 2020 at 11:35 am

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    @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.

  124. 124.

    Ian

    September 23, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    @TS (the original):

    Sometimes I read about Mnuchin and I think, ‘thank g*d someone wants to keep it all together so they can keep the grift going.’

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    September 23, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 2:13 pm

    @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

    September 23, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    @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.)

  128. 128.

    Bill Arnold

    September 23, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    @Kay:
    Thanks, useful, here’s her Bloomberg permal-link:
    Jennifer Epstein, Reporter:White House, Bloomberg

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • Gravenstone on TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Some *Good* News, Too! (Sep 22, 2023 @ 2:08pm)
  • trollhattan on Bibi & Bone Saw (Sep 22, 2023 @ 2:06pm)
  • Jackie on Senator Menendez (D-NJ) indicted for corruption (again) (Sep 22, 2023 @ 2:05pm)
  • Omnes Omnibus on Senator Menendez (D-NJ) indicted for corruption (again) (Sep 22, 2023 @ 2:03pm)
  • trollhattan on Bibi & Bone Saw (Sep 22, 2023 @ 2:03pm)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
What Has Biden Done for You Lately?

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Talk of Meetups – Meetup Planning

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Cole & Friends Learn Español

Introductory Post
Cole & Friends Learn Español

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!