Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Books are my comfort food!

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

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

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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94Comments

  2. 2.

    JPL

    So cute.   Finch’s buddy the little Maltese died shortly after my grand imp was born.   Finch is still unhappy with the trade.

  3. 3.

    VeniceRiley

    Yeah that was getting long.  Annnnnd malarkey!
    Meant to ask what the various debate formats are? Zoom? Same stage? What?

  4. 4.

    mali muso

    So my latest self-soothing activity is to watch the ActBlue tally spin higher and higher. Last Tuesday I made a note of the tally and compared to today, it’s now $130 million higher. That’s an average of $26 mill raised per day. I’d say people are activated.

  7. 7.

    LuciaMia

    @VeniceRiley: Isnt the first usually standing at the podiums. Then the more casual sitting-and-getting-up to-engage-the-audience. Forget how the third is, if we get to that

    I know they say debates dont change anything, but that second format was where Bush Sr. got a lot of heat: Looking bored as hell and looking at his watch.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    @jeffreyw:  Please send email to pet-calendar att balloon-juice.com along with the names of all your critters.  Or to my watergirl email, either one works.

    We will send you link within a day or two so you can upload your photos.

  14. 14.

    gene108

    @LuciaMia:

    I do not think debates matter as much. Gore got heat for something (sighing?) during a debate.

    I think there are very few actual undecided voters. It is all about turnout.

  15. 15.

    mrmoshpotato

    @L85NJGT: I won’t be watching either – or the third.

    I regret watching any of the 2016 shitshow.  I’ve never been on the fence with the Rethuglican party being a goddamn fucking pile of shit my entire life.

  16. 16.

    mrmoshpotato

    Biden: Where’s your tremendous bigly healthcare plan that’s been 2 weeks out for the past 4 years, you lying sack of shit?

  17. 17.

    Brachiator

    @Goku (Amerikan Baka):

    Does anybody here watch the new Trek shows? Are they worth watching?

    I like Trek, so I tend to give any Trek show a chance. And I don’t care much for the noise coming from some idiots, uh, I mean fans, who claim that the new shows are not true to Roddenberry’s vision.

    I liked ST: Picard most of all the new shows, mainly because I liked the character of Jean Luc, and it was good to see him and some of the old TNG gang again. The series was uneven, but a couple of episodes were outstanding for any iteration of Trek.

    Lower Decks is amusing most of the time.

    I tried to like Discovery, but this was the second Trek series that I just abandoned. The other was Enterprise.

    Discovery had some interesting possibilities, but would always choose the “lame” option.  BTW: there were dopes who did not like the Discovery version of the Klingons. My objections were purely practical. The make-up was so heavy and excessive that the actors could not act. I find this stuff as stupid as the idea that the Mandalorian in the Disney Star Wars series must always be seen wearing his helmet.

  18. 18.

    Almost Retired

    Love the dog photos.  Mrs. Almost Retire and I, alas, are usually dogless, except for the occasional weekend (such as this one), when we have temporary custody of the Grand-dog when my son is traveling.  She is a pit bull mix, and completely neurotic.  If there were a DSM-V for dogs, I would do further research.  She reacts as though every vehicle passing by on our quiet street is a truck full of squirrels, so we have to keep the door shut.  I always miss her when my son comes to pick her up.

  22. 22.

    Brachiator

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Biden: Where’s your tremendous bigly healthcare plan that’s been 2 weeks out for the past 4 years, you lying sack of shit?

    Or: Trump and the GOP have never offered a health care plan. They lie about protecting pre-existing conditions. They want to kill Obamacare. They want to kill Medicare. They want to kill Social Security. I won’t let them do it.

  24. 24.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Brachiator: Well, if you wanna go the nice route…

    Dump: Uuuuuuuhhhhhhh, little Marco sleepy Joe!  You’re a total loser!  My hands are enormous, and my penis is tremendous!  SAD!

  25. 25.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Goku (Amerikan Baka):  Watched the pilot of Picard, it was intriguing enough to go on with the series but I haven’t got around to it.

    (It’s a little depressing to see how old Patrick Stewart is, but I already knew that from his sonnet readings.)

    Don’t keep up enough with TV to know what other series you might be talking about. I know about Star Trek: Lower Decks and I’ve been thinking about watching that but haven’t done so yet.

  26. 26.

    Geminid

    @mali muso: There seems to a big advantage in fundraising for Democratic congressional candidates. I’m following Democratic freshmen in purple districts, like Torres-Small (NM), McBat (GA), Spanberger and Luria (VA), and they all lead their republican challengers 3-4 to 1. Same here in the open VA 5th.  Luria, Torres-Small, and McBath face rematches with their 2018 opponents.

  28. 28.

    jackmac

    @Goku (Amerikan Baka): @Goku (Amerikan Baka): I really enjoyed the ‘Picard’ show and revisiting (and learning new things about) the character. The animated — and shouty — ‘Lower Decks’ does nothing for me. I run hot and cold on ‘Discovery,’ a show in search of a consistent story line. Three seasons, three different themes. Highlight of season two was the prominence of Enterprise captain Captain Pike, a younger Spoke and No. 1. The creators were wise to announce an eventual show featuring those characters.

  29. 29.

    raven

    Well the good news is that Lil Bit is eating a mix of science diet for bad tummies and chicken. I tried chicken and rice and she ate it but the side effects have been nasty. She has three more days of the antibiotics but we’re going to the beach Tuesday so having her in this condition in someone else’s house is not great. I have three pair of diapers and ordered three more so we’ll just have to keep and eye on her. The poor little thing.

  32. 32.

    raven

    @jeffreyw: We’re doing one here too! We had to cancel the doggie parade but the calendar is a decent little fund raiser so we’re going ahead with it.

  34. 34.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    MCU question.

    I’m filling in the gaps in my MCU viewing, which are considerable. There were several characters in Endgame that I hadn’t seen before.

    I was curious about the one-armed character who shows up in the after-credits scene of Black Panther. I guess he’s called “The Winter Soldier”. I did enough Googling to figure out he shows up in Captain America: The Winter Solder (duh) which I’m now watching. Any others? Is this movie going to explain how he ends up in Wakanda as, as Shuri says, “one more white boy to patch up”?

    Haven’t see the Thor movies or the Iron Man solo movies either. Or, come to think of it, the Hulk movie. Yeah, as I said, a lot of gaps.

    Another character I saw in Endgame but never saw before is Don Cheadle. Which movie will introduce him?

  35. 35.

    raven

    @WaterGirl: Yes, most certainly. They gave us probiotic powder to put on her food and I think that really did her in. The vet said to hold off on that but make sure to complete the antibiotics so that’s what we’ll do. I may take her in in the morning but I don’t really think there is anything they can do. She also will not eat in her chair which scares us with the increased possibility of the chow going down the wrong hatch and giving here aspiration pneumonia. The vet elegantly said “that will probably be what gets her”.

  37. 37.

    raven

    @Immanentize: We go Tuesday but the beach is pretty much over for both of them. He won’t ride in the cart anymore and the sand is really bad on old dog legs. In August we found a beach on the bay and I carried him our and tried to get him to swim but his feet touched the bottom and I think it scared him. It sucks but it’s where we are.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    JR said this:

    Every time I am forced to hear Lindsey’s voice begging for help, I am forced to help – Mr Harrison. Over and over, we donate to Mr Harrison. Fuq you, Lindsey!

    So i posted this tweet.

  39. 39.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Open Secrets reported that in the open CO 3rd, Diane Mitch Bush had raised $1.1 million; her opponent had raised $150,000. Having more campaign funds does not guarantee victory for Congressional Democrats, especially with all the dark pac money out there. But it certainly doesn’t hurt.

  42. 42.

    Immanentize

    @raven: I have the drawing you’ve shared a couple of times printed and in my desk drawer.  I know you’ll do right by them.  Personally, the groundhog viddy will always be the one I think of for Bohdi.

  43. 43.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    My 2018 novel, THE WIND READER, is a semi-finalist for the UK Book Blogger’s Novel of the Year Award. The award is open only to small presses and/or self-published books. This is the first year it’s been offered, so they accepted submissions from previous years. Given how many they must have had, I was honored (and surprised) to land on this list.

    I wanted to point out that my publisher, Inspired Quill, has TWO books on this list, mine and Anne Goodwin’s SUGAR AND SNAILS. That’s a real accomplishment, since the list is very competitive. Anne’s book was short listed for the UK Polari Prize for LGBTQ literature. The book listed right after mine (WHEN WE WERE BRAVE) has won seven awards for historical fiction. One a few place earlier on the list (THE FRIDAY EDITION) was listed by Kirkus as one of the best indie books of the year.

    By Wednesday, the award committee will announce the 10 finalists. At that point, I expect to be cheering from the sideline. (Go, Anne!) A YA fantasy novel is less likely to be taken as serious literature. But I’m super pleased to be on the long list.

  45. 45.

    Brachiator

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    I’m filling in the gaps in my MCU viewing, which are considerable. There were several characters in Endgame that I hadn’t seen before.

    I salute you for jumping into the MCU.

    I was curious about the one-armed character who shows up in the after-credits scene of Black Panther. I guess he’s called “The Winter Soldier”. I did enough Googling to figure out he shows up in Captain America: The Winter Solder (duh) which I’m now watching. Any others? Is this movie going to explain how he ends up in Wakanda as, as Shuri says, “one more white boy to patch up”?

    Winter Soldier I think introduces us to Black Panther. I guess you might need to watch Captain America (but it is OK to skip it), but basically the Winter Soldier is Captain America’s pal from World War 2.  But he was captured by bad guys and turned evil. Comic book plots can be as arcane as soap operas.

    It has not been explained how Winter Soldier ended up in Wakanda. This was being saved for future films or tv shows.

    Haven’t see the Thor movies or the Iron Man solo movies either. Or, come to think of it, the Hulk movie. Yeah, as I said, a lot of gaps.

    Iron Man really kicked things off for the MCU. It is perhaps heresy, but I might watch the first Iron Man, and skip the others. I would not watch any of the previous Hulk movies.

    Another character I saw in Endgame but never saw before is Don Cheadle. Which movie will introduce him?

    He pops up in the Iron Man films.

  48. 48.

    L85NJGT

    @gene108:

    The era of network, print and cable news gatekeepers is history. Now they react to our new internet overlords. This isn’t just in the political sphere, there are OTA channels running junk like pet derp clips from the web.

  49. 49.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Congratulations and good luck!

    A YA fantasy novel is less likely to be taken as serious literature. But I’m super pleased to be on the long list.

    I believe in great literature. I can go toe to toe with anyone on Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin and all the high culture icons.

    But I hate literary snobbery. And it is stupid. The low culture of one generation often becomes the high culture of later generations. This is especially true of the novel.

    I don’t read a lot of YA fiction, but any work that hooks readers and pulls them into the fictional world and makes them laugh or cry, is serious literature.

  52. 52.

    gene108

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Another character I saw in Endgame but never saw before is Don Cheadle. Which movie will introduce him?

    Don Cheadle replaced another actor, whose name escapes me, as Col. Rhodes, USAF. He’s Tony Starks friend and gets to pilot War Machine, which is similar to the Iron Man suit.

    The character is introduced in “Iron Man”. War Machine debuts in “Iron Man 2“.

  53. 53.

    RobertDSC-Mac Mini

    It has not been explained how Winter Soldier ended up in Wakanda. This was being saved for future films or tv shows.

    Spoilers in white:

     

    Steve Rogers takes him there after the events of Civil War. His brainwashing, the thing that makes him the Winter Soldier, is cured by Shuri. He is called back to “duty” during Infinity War, with the Wakandans creating a vibranium arm for him to use to replace the metal arm that was lost at the end of Civil War.

  54. 54.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Congrats! Very exciting!

    A YA fantasy novel is less likely to be taken as serious literature.

    That doesn’t stop them from being great books. I’ve read a number of YA fantasy series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials series and Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea series are both classified as YA.

    I must admit that sometimes I do feel a little sheepishness at the library circulation desk when checking out books that are probably aimed at 12-year-old girls, like Tamora Pierce’s books. But I still check them out.

  55. 55.

    Phylllis

    It has not been explained how Winter Soldier ended up in Wakanda. This was being saved for future films or tv shows.

    It’s in a teaser at the end of Civil War–first view of Wakanda.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    From the NYT article about Trump’s Taxes

    Now, with his financial challenges mounting, the records show that he depends more and more on making money from businesses that put him in potential and often direct conflict of interest with his job as president.

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    And more:

    The New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization, including detailed information from his first two years in office. It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019.

  61. 61.

    WaterGirl

    Bummer:

    They comprise information that Mr. Trump has disclosed to the I.R.S., not the findings of an independent financial examination. They report that Mr. Trump owns hundreds of millions of dollars in valuable assets, but they do not reveal his true wealth. Nor do they reveal any previously unreported connections to Russia.

  64. 64.

    Marcopolo

    @MattF:   I have seen the Charlie/Lucy football dynamic play out too many times with Trump related “bombshells” to get my hopes up too high.  Happy to see this information come to light but remember a very large majority of R voters think Trump’s handling of the pandemic is a bigly success.

    May the flying spaghetti monster make this a big deal.

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    @L85NJGT:

    ST:Discovery….Are you saying rapid cuts, incessant use of dutch angles and cgi overload don’t replace quality story telling?

    Ha!!

    That’s it in a nutshell.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    I am enjoying this NYT article:

    Tax records do not have the specificity to evaluate the legitimacy of every business expense Mr. Trump claims to reduce his taxable income — for instance, without any explanation in his returns, the general and administrative expenses at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey increased fivefold from 2016 to 2017. And he has previously bragged that his ability to get by without paying taxes “makes me smart,” as he said in 2016.

    But the returns, by his own account, undercut his claims of financial acumen, showing that he is simply pouring more money into many businesses than he is taking out.

  68. 68.

    WaterGirl

    Okay, last one.

    The picture that perhaps emerges most starkly from the mountain of figures and tax schedules prepared by Mr. Trump’s accountants is of a businessman-president in a tightening financial vise.

    Most of Mr. Trump’s core enterprises — from his constellation of golf courses to his conservative-magnet hotel in Washington — report losing millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars year after year.

  69. 69.

    M31

    it’s really just too bad that Biden can’t answer debate questions like we would:

    “and to follow up on your comments about my son Hunter — at least when he was an infant I wasn’t out rawdogging porn stars, you cheating piece of shit”

    *no aspersions on porn stars intended

  70. 70.

    Chris Johnson

    @Goku (Amerikan Baka): I’m easily swayed by Red Letter Media, so I’m inclined to be not interested in the new Trek stuff. They make a pretty compelling case that it’s mindless violence-mongering with extra phasers and yelling. For ratings.

    It’s possible that there’s no getting back the days of Next Generation, or whatever. I do note that some of the most amazing Trek was not quite Roddenberry style. I’m thinking of Deep Space 9, particularly the wilder episodes featuring Garak.

    “My dear doctor… they’re ALL true.”

    “Even the lies?”

    “Especially the lies.”

  71. 71.

    Brachiator

    @WaterGirl: 

    Most of Mr. Trump’s core enterprises — from his constellation of golf courses to his conservative-magnet hotel in Washington — report losing millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars year after year.

    No surprise here at all.

    This will not move his base. For many the American Dream is to be rich, even if it is only fake rich, and to be powerful enough to get away with anything.

    And I don’t begrudge people this fantasy. It is not “I Got Mine, Fuck You,” but more “I Got Mine, More Power to You.” It is not nearly as bad as Trump’s noxious insecurity driven need for power and approval.

  72. 72.

    gene108

    @Marcopolo:

    Same here.

    Unless Vladimir Putin wrote Trump a personal check for millions and millions of dollars, with a note that says “down payment for future favors”, and the original* canceled check is produced, there’s nothing in Trump’s finances that would move the needle much.

    * A scanned copy of the check will get the same treatment as the memo about Bush, Jr. that got Dan Rather fired.

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    @gene108: Its true that there are few undecided this year, and turnout is key, along with whose ballots get counted. But debate performance can influence turnout, by discouraging or encouraging the candidates’ partisans. Here I think trump has the bigger potential downside.          I won’t get to see the debate, but I’ll listen on the radio.

  74. 74.

    CarolPW

    @Miki: Great photos, the joy and exuberance really comes through, and they look like wonderful dogs. The closeup of the gray one has a facial expression that makes (her?) look exactly like Joan Rivers!.

  75. 75.

    Miss Bianca

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: No need to feel sheepish about it! Hell, I’m still checking out chapter books from the “Juvenile” section of the library! Freddy the Pig books, for example, or Margery Sharp’s Miss Bianca series (natch). Or Robert Lawson books. You’re right, a good book is a good book is a good book.

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Congratulations!

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack

    In the respite zone:

    This is a nice, open thread, so I thought I would go into some detail about the content on NHK, the Japanese network, which has a ton of English-language programming.

    Some people have NHK on their cable system, and some of the programs are shown on PBS stations, but, hey, it’s nice to be able to order up something when you need some respite from the news. Lots of travel, lots of food, lots of culture on NHK. Many of the programs are in English, although there are some in Japanese (with subtitles, of course). The streaming is very reliable, in my experience.

    I have mentioned a few of the shows before, but there is a list of the available on-demand videos here.

    (Note: It’s one of those pages where the program list gets longer as you scroll down—or if you “jump” to the bottom you have to do it several times. Anyway, once you have performed the scrolling, Zen: Breaking Through the 21st-Century Mindset is the last one in the list.)

    Some points of interest:

    • 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki. Four-part documentary on the anime genius.
    • Bento Expo. Quirky show about bento (lunchbox) meals. Each episode 15 minutes.
    • Core Kyoto. “The timeless heart of Japan’s ancient capital.” Half-hour show, 73 episodes.
    • Cycle Around Japan. Gorgeous scenery!
    • Dining with the Chef and Dining with the Chef Mini. Very interesting cooking shows, even if you never make any of the dishes. Mini is five minutes, one quick dish.
    • Have a Nice Stay!. Japanese inns.
    • Japan from Above. Obligatory “flying over the scenery” show.
    • Japan Railway Journey. Trains!
    • Journeys in Japan. Great travel show with many off-the-beaten-track destinations.
    • No Art, No Life. Ten-minute mini-docs about “outsider” artists.
    • Selfie Japan!. Cute actress takes selfies in interesting places. WTF.
    • Ukiyoe Edo-Life. Deep dives into classic woodblock prints.
    • Wild Hokkaido!. Gorgeous nature show.

    ETA: Hmm, might repost this later, as new threads are piling up.

  80. 80.

    There go two miscreants

    @L85NJGT: Well I learned something, thank you! I had never heard of a Dutch angle but a quick visit to Wikipedia enlightened me.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Miss Bianca:

    No need to feel sheepish about it! Hell, I’m still checking out chapter books from the “Juvenile” section of the library!…You’re right, a good book is a good book is a good book.

    At least once a year, I return to childhood favourites, Elizabeth Enright’s Melendy Family books (the four, in order, are The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, and Spiderweb for Two). Loved them as a kid, love them even more now.

  83. 83.

    Miki

    @CarolPW: Standard Poodles certainly are exuberant – but fun and loving and worth their very long adolescence. They graced my life and my sisters’ lives for many years (always pets). (Spoos & Niece)

    The silver mismark (rescue) was a very pretty boy with a shatload of health issues (Addison’s disease, calcium oxylate bladder stones, chronic pancreatitis, cancer, seizures). The breed has a genetic bottleneck that I can’t afford – financially or emotionally. I wish I could because I love the breed.

  89. 89.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    I read the article and it’s about what I expected, not the numbers but the concepts of his tax deceit.

    He’s really not very bright, and in his current mental/physical condition, what little concept he had of reality seems to have gone bye bye.

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