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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

After roe, women are no longer free.

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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / Chill Grey Dawn Open Thread: Clusterf*ck At the Dumpster Fire

Chill Grey Dawn Open Thread: Clusterf*ck At the Dumpster Fire

by Anne Laurie|  October 4, 20206:13 am| 282 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republicans in Disarray!

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With hundreds of supporters potentially exposed to coronavirus, the White House has done little to prevent further spread https://t.co/Yx2sHf3veN

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 4, 2020

… Ain’t that just the nicest way of phrasing this mess.

Because I am a devout Cynic, it would not surprise me if lifelong germophobe and hypochondriac Trump mistook a post-bad-debate panic attack (pouring sweat, trembling hands, shortness of breath) for an attack of the ‘Rona. If so, after a few days of ‘medical’ pampering — have you seen the sweet Presidential suite at Walter Reed? — he will emerge as ‘fit’ as ever, and twice as obnoxious, braying about his superior genes.

On the other hand, who knows, maybe he’s really sick! Many emergency doctors have pointed out that frequently the first symptom of a coronavirus among the elderly is not fever, but confusion, anxiety, rage, even hallucinations — much as displayed by the guy standing on the opposite side of the debate platform from Joe Biden last Tuesday.

Either way, his entire administration and the rest of the GOP death cult will continue to lie about it, just as they are lying right now, and have been lying since news of the ‘novel Wuhan-based virus’ arose back in January. Keep the hip boots handy…

wow. would not have guessed an organization whose entire incentive structure pivots around nothing but manipulating fear and favoritism of the leader would collapse instantly on removing the leader https://t.co/syDXSwYWlm

— kilgore trout, acting president (@KT_So_It_Goes) October 4, 2020


Yesterday they said he had a mild case and was only being taken to Walter Reed as a precaution. Today they are saying he has made an "unbelievable improvement from yesterday" and they were "very concerned." They have no credibility. https://t.co/nsxuAKeMgd

— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) October 4, 2020

obviously I don’t know the trajectory of every case of covid but I don’t recall seeing any cases where a patient got to the point of hospitalization trump is at and within a week popped out the other side good as new. it’s always weeks and weeks of climbing out https://t.co/OSTSwibUNO

— kilgore trout, acting president (@KT_So_It_Goes) October 4, 2020

my only point here is “optimistic” in reality based on everything we know is “preserve survival and aiming for quasi-functional in a few weeks”, not “shake this thing off and go back to work next week”. they’re really selling the sizzle here and hiding the ball

— kilgore trout, acting president (@KT_So_It_Goes) October 4, 2020

Sources: Trump had heart palpitations on Friday, a possible negative side effect of Regeneron antibody treatment. His fever reached 103. And a G7 ally wonders if he’ll appoint Ivanka president instead of Pence. My latest:
https://t.co/ND8zVtyodU

— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) October 3, 2020

Schadenfreudelicious rumors from a best-selling rumormonger:

… The White House’s shifting chronology and lack of transparency are being driven, in part, by Trump’s desire to conceal the seriousness of his illness from the public. Three sources said Trump argued with his doctors on Friday after they told him he needed to be moved to Walter Reed. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital a month before the election,” a Republican close to Trump told me. Two sources said doctors gave Trump an ultimatum: he could go to the hospital while he could still walk, or doctors would be forced to take him in a wheelchair or on a stretcher at a later point if his health deteriorated. “They told him, ‘You can go now or we’re taking you later and it’s non negotiable,’” a second source close to the White House said. Trump waited to leave for the hospital until the stock market closed on Friday, a source said.

After spending months denying the dangers of COVID-19, Trump is expressing an emotion aides have rarely seen: fear. On Friday, Trump grew visibly anxious as his fever spiked to 103 fahrenheit and he was administered oxygen at the White House, according to three Republicans close to the White House. Two sources told me Trump experienced heart palpitations on Friday night—possible side effects of the experimental antibody treatment he received. Trump has wondered aloud if he could defeat the disease. “Am I going out like Stan Chera?” Trump has asked aides, referring to his friend, New York real-estate developer Stan Chera, who died of COVID in April.

On Saturday, two sources said Trump was feeling better. But it is difficult to assess the information given the White House’s history of lying. According to a source, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has told Republicans that the next few days will be critical to determine the virus’s outcome. “Meadows has said if Trump can get out of the hospital by Tuesday, then he’s gone through the worst of it. But if he’s still there after Tuesday, the worst is yet to come,” the source told me.

Inside Trumpworld, the shock of Trump’s hospitalization is giving way to despair about his prospects in the upcoming election. “They all know it’s over,” a Republican close to the campaign said…

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Reader Interactions

282Comments

  1. 1.

    Geminid

    October 4, 2020 at 6:22 am

    Cool clear dawn here in central Virginia, with a bright morning star. Gonna be another beautiful day.

  2. 2.

    Nicole

    October 4, 2020 at 6:23 am

    What I will never forgive the GOP for (well, one of the many things), is that I’ve reached a point where I simply don’t believe anything my government tells me. That’s a very stressful place to be.

  3. 3.

    Anne Laurie

    October 4, 2020 at 6:27 am

    @Nicole: How’s the pup doing?

  4. 4.

    Splitting Image

    October 4, 2020 at 6:27 am

    Just goes to show that Trump is the symptom, not the disease.

    The entire basis of these guys’ worldview is that everybody else is supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt no matter what they say, so telling one howler of a lie after another is all in a day’s work. Did you know that Jesus is their personal saviour?

    I’ve seen people say they are afraid that Trump will get a sympathy boost out of this, but I think the constant lying will stop that from happening.

  5. 5.

    PsiFighter37

    October 4, 2020 at 6:29 am

    A lot of people seem to think both the video and pictures released of Trump yesterday are edited and/or taken before he left for Walter Reed. Perhaps the most amusing one is of him signing a blank piece of paper with a Sharpie…these idiots can’t even fake-stage a fake signing properly.

  6. 6.

    sanjeevs

    October 4, 2020 at 6:30 am

    Likely scenario is Trump knew he had tested positive before the debate.

    So he deliberately arrived late at the debate so he couldn’t be tested.

    Then he spent two hours shouting in Biden’s direction in the hope he would infect Biden.

  7. 7.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 4, 2020 at 6:30 am

    the shock of Trump’s hospitalization is giving way to despair about his prospects in the upcoming election

    Oh these shitstained assclowns.

    How about the despair caused by the realization that we’re coming for all you Russthuglican fuckfaces and taking no prisoners?

  8. 8.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 6:31 am

    I am grimly amused by the dismantling of the latest Trump propaganda video which couldn’t even edit out his coughing competently. And then there are the propaganda pictures which show him signing… a blank page of paper.  What a miserable goat rodeo the White House currently is.

  9. 9.

    scav

    October 4, 2020 at 6:33 am

    Consider this.  We’ve finally found something that Trump and the Republicans as a whole will actually share — willingly and enthusiastically share — with everyone; a deadly disease.

  10. 10.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 4, 2020 at 6:35 am

    @PsiFighter37: How does your fancy ass sign blank pieces of paper? With a fountain pen?

  11. 11.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 4, 2020 at 6:36 am

    @Morzer: What did goat rodeos ever do to you?

  12. 12.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 6:38 am

    @mrmoshpotato: I’d love to tell you, but.. the  NDA… you know how it is.

  13. 13.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 4, 2020 at 6:40 am

    @Morzer:

    you know how it is.

    No I don’t, but I’m inclined to feel sorry for the goats. :)

  14. 14.

    Geo Wilcox

    October 4, 2020 at 6:42 am

    I just read a frightening post on the ProMed site. This shit can trigger Parkinson’s disease. It happened before after the 1918 flu pandemic. A huge surge in Parkinson’s diagnoses happened 3 years after the pandemic burned out.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474442220303057?via%3Dihub

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-23/covid-19-may-cause-parkinsons-disease-research-finds/12688384

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-020-00123-0

  15. 15.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 6:43 am

    @mrmoshpotato:  It was all very [COUGH REDACTED] therapeutic.

  16. 16.

    Nicole

    October 4, 2020 at 6:44 am

    @Anne Laurie: Thank you for asking! She’s on the last few days of a 10-day antibiotic course and seems right as rain again.  The (new) vet ran bloodwork and said everything was perfect, so it looks like a UTI was indeed the problem. She’ll have a follow up this week to be sure though.

  17. 17.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)

    October 4, 2020 at 6:53 am

    Biden will have his work cut out for him in restoring the credibility and competence of our government.

    We have no idea when the president actually found out he was positive. Was it 72 hours before or 48 hours before?

    We have a CDC who was standing by to do contact tracing, but was never told to go ahead and do so. People attending various events have apparently not been contacted.

    Local health authorities have not been contacted by the White House and are doing what they can to figure out who attended the events in their states (MN, NJ, etc.)

    We have doctors at our top military hospital providing more spin than doctoring if you listen to Commander whatshisname.

    This administration has been a farce from start to finish. I hope this closes the chapter on them, but I know it won’t. We are stuck with this reality TV family and their horribleness for the foreseeable future.

  18. 18.

    Anne Laurie

    October 4, 2020 at 6:58 am

    @Nicole: That’s great news, thanks!

    (And now, I go to bed.)

  19. 19.

    TS (the original)

    October 4, 2020 at 7:03 am

    I feel for the ordinary people who work at the white house East & West). What on earth are they supposed to do? Business as usual? Quarantine? Get tested?

    Everything I read tells me they are finding out what is happening in the media. Great example of health place work & safety within this administration.

  20. 20.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 7:13 am

    https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1312586170325495809

    NEWS: One of Trump’s personal assistants has tested positive for coronavirus, sources tell me. Nick Luna, as bodyman, works in very close proximity to the president so it’s not surprising.  @JenniferJJacobs

    Looks like COVID-19 is just mowing down anyone in the White House without mercy.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    October 4, 2020 at 7:23 am

    @Morzer:

    “I will not be denied!”

  22. 22.

    zhena gogolia

    October 4, 2020 at 7:23 am

    @Nicole:

    I never thought this country would feel like the Soviet Union in this respect. But it does.

    We’re down to the point of getting clues based on them playing Swan Lake on TV.

  23. 23.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 7:26 am

    @zhena gogolia: As Trump might put it: “We have met the enema and he is us.”

  24. 24.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 7:34 am

    I just keep thinking of this quote from Archer: “This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morissette had a baby and named it this exact situation.”

    (That episode also has a reference to Chekhov’s gun, by the way. Not too many animated comedies can boast that.)

    Whoever is writing this season has obviously given up on subtlety, but at this point, I’m here for it. Subtlety obviously was lost on most of the American public. Maybe this will sink in.

    Cēterum cēnseō factiōnem Rēpūblicānam esse dēlendam īgnī ferrōque.

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 7:37 am

    I’m having a lot of trouble reconciling this…

    Three sources said Trump argued with his doctors on Friday after they told him he needed to be moved to Walter Reed. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital a month before the election,” a Republican close to Trump told me. Two sources said doctors gave Trump an ultimatum: he could go to the hospital while he could still walk, or doctors would be forced to take him in a wheelchair or on a stretcher at a later point if his health deteriorated. “They told him, ‘You can go now or we’re taking you later and it’s non negotiable,’” a second source close to the White House said.

    …with this:

    But I had no choice because I just didn’t want to stay in the White House. I was given that alternative: Stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don’t ever leave, don’t even go to the Oval Office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it. Don’t see people, don’t talk to people, and just be done with it, and I can’t do that.

    Or better stated, I would have trouble reconciling the two statements if I didn’t know for a fact that Trump and every single person in this custerfluck of a maladministration lies about everything. Everything.

  26. 26.

    RandomMonster

    October 4, 2020 at 7:40 am

    @Morzer:

    Looks like COVID-19 is just mowing down anyone in the White House without mercy.

    It moved on ‘em like a bitch.

  27. 27.

    Bruce K

    October 4, 2020 at 7:41 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))): There’s a trope called “Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped”, and it exists for a reason.

  28. 28.

    Princess

    October 4, 2020 at 7:42 am

    “Because I am a devout Cynic, it would not surprise me if lifelong germophobe and hypochondriac Trump mistook a post-bad-debate panic attack (pouring sweat, trembling hands, shortness of breath) for an attack of the ‘Rona.”

    You say this, but i think I had the exact opposite happen to me. I thought I was having a panic attack and later realized it was a virus when my husband had the same thing happen a few days later. And even later I wondered if it had been ‘Rona because we had both bee exposed to someone who had the same thing a few days before us who herself had ben exposed to someone who died of ‘Rona.

    My own guess with Trump is that they are using a rapid test that is inclined to give false positives. He got a few positive tests and insisted they were false until he came down with symptoms. This is why they won’t tell us when his last negative test was — may have been a week Friday!

  29. 29.

    J R in WV

    October 4, 2020 at 7:45 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))):

    Good to see you,  I  missed you being here!

    How have you been lately?

    It looks like your slogan will get a good workout to me. Do keep in touch,  the place isn’t really the same without you!

  30. 30.

    Stacib

    October 4, 2020 at 7:45 am

    Where are the tweets proclaiming how he has kicked this hoax virus in the ass, and he will re emerge stronger, smarter and more handsome than evah???

  31. 31.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 7:50 am

    @RandomMonster: Grabbed ’em by the POTUSSY. They let you do that when you’re a pandemic.

  32. 32.

    RandomMonster

    October 4, 2020 at 7:53 am

    @Morzer: LOL

  33. 33.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 7:54 am

    Because I am a devout Cynic

    Northern Conservative Cynic Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Cynic Eastern Region?

  34. 34.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:26 am

    Every Democrat in a debate with a Republican needs to bring their own version of the Jamie Harrison plastic booth.

    They do not Respect science and can’t be trusted.

    That includes Kamala.

  35. 35.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 8:31 am

    @TS (the original):

    I feel for the ordinary people who work at the white house East & West). What on earth are they supposed to do? Business as usual? Quarantine? Get tested?

    Murderer-in-Chief affecting a Gert Frobe accent: “No, peons, I expect you to DIE!.”

    ETA: Yes, I know he thinks “peon” is two words, and only associated with Russian hookers.

  36. 36.

    hells littlest angel

    October 4, 2020 at 8:33 am

    The past two days I have woken up feeling great. I think I’ve turned the corner.

  37. 37.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 8:35 am

    @rikyrah:

    Every Democrat in a debate with a Republican needs to bring their own version of the Jamie Harrison plastic booth.

    I saw a clip of Harrison taking the wood to Graham last night re: Graham’s whoring on SCOTUS confirmations in an election year, but in general how did the debate go for Harrison? The usual suspects said he “destroyed” Graham, but they tend to be hyperbolic (to put it mildly).

  38. 38.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:36 am

    @sanjeevs:

    Come socially distance sit by me ?

  39. 39.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:37 am

    @SFAW:

    He did very good.

    Lindsey was whining for nearly all of it.

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:38 am

    @hells littlest angel:

    ???

  41. 41.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 8:39 am

    There are those who wish Trump a full and speedy recovery and there are those who wish the worst for him.There are good people on both sides.— Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions (@mynamesnotgordy) October 4, 2020

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:42 am

    Polls have Jaime Harrison neck and neck with Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Retweet to help air this ad in South Carolina. #2FacedLindsey pic.twitter.com/C3P7BX3QXw— Really American ?? (@ReallyAmerican1) October 4, 2020

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:43 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    ????

  44. 44.

    JPL

    October 4, 2020 at 8:44 am

    @Morzer:  The White House was hoping the president would be asymptomatic and tried to bury the Hope Hicks diagnosis.   Jacobs broke that story and then the House of Cards started collapsing.

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:45 am

    It Sure Looks Like Daniel Cameron Lied About #BreonnaTaylor’s Killing https://t.co/SE9OzVTjsm via @intelligencer— Skeptical Brotha ??? (@skepticalbrotha) October 4, 2020

  46. 46.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 8:45 am

    @rikyrah:

    Yeah, I’ve seen the polls. I’m just hoping Graham doesn’t “Harvey Gantt” him. Good to hear that you thought Harrison did well. Thanks!

  47. 47.

    Sloane Ranger

    October 4, 2020 at 8:45 am

     

    @Stacib:

     

     

    Where are the tweets proclaiming how he has kicked this hoax virus in the ass, and he will re emerge stronger, smarter and more handsome than evah???

    Yes, I wondered that. Didn’t he use to have a ghost tweeter? I remember Adam saying he could tell whether a tweet actually came from Trump based on the phone used. Where’s this guy now? Or is he one of those who have also gone down with COVID-19?

    Hell, even Herman Cain managed to tweet when he was actually dead!

  48. 48.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:46 am

    Three North Carolina establishments close to deep clean after Ivanka Trump visit https://t.co/TqFCBm3S6V— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 4, 2020

  49. 49.

    rikyrah

    October 4, 2020 at 8:47 am

    The Senate must abide by CDC guidelines — even if it means delaying Barrett’s confirmation hearings.https://t.co/t3gdinIr2i— Skeptical Brotha ??? (@skepticalbrotha) October 4, 2020

  50. 50.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 8:48 am

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Hell, even Herman Cain managed to tweet when he was actually dead!

    Well, it IS kind of fitting that twitter is the usual mode of communication from those “souls” in Hell.

  51. 51.

    JPL

    October 4, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @rikyrah: That’s what a think and in the case of Kamala in would be a giant finger to trump and his grifters.

  52. 52.

    Geminid

    October 4, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @rikyrah: There are a number of good Democratic Senate candidates this, and Jaime Harrison is one of the most impressive.

  53. 53.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @rikyrah:

    As if Mitch cares about “guidelines” that would prevent him from his further/continued dismantling of democracy.

  54. 54.

    Princess

    October 4, 2020 at 8:53 am

    @rikyrah: Yes, I watched several clips and I thought he was excellent. I felt like his message was carefully calibrated to appeal to winnable voters, and he stayed on it. His answer to the question about partisanship was especially well done. He seemed confident without being arrogant, and Graham was a scared whiny mess.,

  55. 55.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    October 4, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Kudos to John King for comparing the White House staff to the Keystone Cops.  These guys are the Keystone Cops on steroids.

     

    Kyle Pope @kylepope

    This gang doesn’t do normal, and there’s no reason to think things have changed just because the president is in the hospital. The lies, the spin, the BS are the norm with them. Pretending it will be different *this time* is the enduring mistake of journalism under Trump.

    12:11 PM · Oct 3, 2020

     

    h/t https://twitter.com/kylepope/status/1312424964189020162

  56. 56.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 8:55 am

    @Princess: That’s the way the (Graham) cracker crumbles.

  57. 57.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 4, 2020 at 8:57 am

    @SFAW: Harrison was on Lovett or Leave It yesterday and was very good.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:01 am

    Has anyone suggested that maybe Trump always signs blank pieces of paper, and they print whatever they want on them later? Barr probably has a stack of a couple hundred ready for National Pardon Day, which falls on November 5 this year.

  59. 59.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 9:02 am

    @Bruce K: For sure. This is most certainly one of them!

    @J R in WV: Thanks! I’ve been trying to avoid obsessing over the news too much lately, so I’ve been focusing more on some of my hobbies (game development being the big one – I’m trying to avoid providing any information that could potentially dox myself, but if you search for information on third-party Marathon Aleph One mods, you’ll undoubtedly uncover at least one to which I’ve contributed and/or am still contributing), but then something like this happens, and how can you not obsess?

    In any case… I’m doing OK. Lost a pet these last few months. Still grieving over that. Still grieving about RBG, too. Doing a decent job staying up with classes, with one or two slip-ups here or there. I’ll try to avoid disappearing completely for this long in the future. Hope you’re staying well as well!

    I’ve added “with fire and sword” to the end of my Latin phrase at the end of each of my comments, BTW, because Cato the Censor by himself just isn’t forceful enough to convey my utter contempt for the party any longer. The current translation is: “Furthermore, I opine that the Republican Party is to be destroyed with fire and sword.” My addendum is a phrase commonly used in Latin writing to describe scorched-earth tactics in warfare.

    At some point, I feel as though I may have to graduate to nuking the entire party from orbit… because it’s the only way to be sure. But I rather doubt that the Romans had a phrase for the use of nuclear weapons.

    Cēterum cēnseō factiōnem Rēpūblicānam esse dēlendam īgnī ferrōque.

  60. 60.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 9:04 am

    @Princess:

    and Graham was a scared whiny mess.,

    Day ending in “y,” etc.

  61. 61.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 9:05 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Harrison was on Lovett or Leave It yesterday

    Did he and Lyle sing a duet?

    I have no idea what that show is, and not enough caffeine (yet) to Google it

  62. 62.

    Chicagopat

    October 4, 2020 at 9:08 am

    “Trump is expressing an emotion aides have rarely seen: fear.”

    Rather than,  “Trump is manifesting his normal gibbering, incoherent fear of inadequacy,  embarrassment and betrayal, layered over with an actual fear of imminent death,  which they haven’t seen before. “

  63. 63.

    MattF

    October 4, 2020 at 9:08 am

    This is news to me.

  64. 64.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 9:09 am

    @Chicagopat:

    which they haven’t  seen  acknowledged publicly before. “

    Fixed

  65. 65.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 9:10 am

    @MattF:

    Well, I believe in Finland, so Suomi!

  66. 66.

    sanjeevs

    October 4, 2020 at 9:10 am

    53 to 39. Nice

     

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/biden-s-national-lead-over-trump-jumps-14-points-after-n1242018

  67. 67.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 9:12 am

    Ivanka appointed president? The last thing I need is another nightmare.

  68. 68.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 9:13 am

    Headlines from new NBC/WSJ poll (conducted after the debate, 9/30-10/1)1. Biden's national lead among registered voters expands from 8pts to 14ptsBiden 53%Trump 39%Was Biden 51%, Trump 43% in Sept poll before debate— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) October 4, 2020

  69. 69.

    MomSense

    October 4, 2020 at 9:13 am

    I texted my kids yesterday to ask if anyone else was checking their phones to see if the president was dead yet.  Teenager responded immediately that it was the first thing he did when he woke up.
    I’m not going to feel guilty about it anymore.  That motherfucker was rooting for people in blue states to die and using the power of the government to make it happen.  They have been trying to kill us.

  70. 70.

    MattF

    October 4, 2020 at 9:14 am

    And no, he wasn’t signing a so-called ‘blank’ sheet of paper. It was his healthcare plan.

  71. 71.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:15 am

    @sanjeevs: “And men 50 years and older moved from a 13-point advantage for Trump in the pre-debate NBC News/WSJ poll, to a 1-point advantage for Biden in this latest poll.”

    I finally feel I can show my face in public again.  Except for the pandemic thing.

  72. 72.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    October 4, 2020 at 9:15 am

    @Chicagopat:

    Trump has been hoisted by his own petard and I feel fine about that.

    I do hope he recovers from COVID not because I care about the ratfucking bastard, but because he deserves to die in a prison cell as a convicted felon.

  73. 73.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 9:16 am

    @debbie: President Ivanka And Related Brands, if we are going to use the official nomenclature.

  74. 74.

    hells littlest angel

    October 4, 2020 at 9:16 am

    @MomSense: I confess that upon awakening I’ve been  checking to see if Trump is dead for the last four years, but it’s been a lot more fun and exciting the past couple of days.

  75. 75.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 9:16 am

    There was a sizable Trump Truck Rally here yesterday. Apparently they drove slowly along one of the interstates. Of course, there was an altercation and one of the paraders shot at a truck driver who was probably ticked off at the slow-down.

  76. 76.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 9:17 am

    @Wyatt Salamanca: I want Trump to survive and haunt the GOP for the next 4 years making them ever less electable.

  77. 77.

    Ksmiami

    October 4, 2020 at 9:17 am

    @Baud: said Covid -19

  78. 78.

    The Thin Black Duke

    October 4, 2020 at 9:19 am

    @Wyatt Salamanca: Considering Trump owes a truckload of money to the Russian mob, he’d might not live long enough to spend life in prison.

  79. 79.

    hells littlest angel

    October 4, 2020 at 9:19 am

    @Morzer: If he survives and when he loses, the right-wing will pretend he never existed, though the ONAN network will probably give him some airtime.

  80. 80.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 9:19 am

    @Morzer: I must admit that I do sometimes think it would be fun to get lots of people to tweet at Trump “HELLO, DONALD” in the voice of Terry Pratchett’s Death.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 9:20 am

    @MattF: And no, he wasn’t signing a so-called ‘blank’ sheet of paper. It was his healthcare plan.

    But then, you repeat yourself.

  82. 82.

    Morzer

    October 4, 2020 at 9:21 am

    @hells littlest angel: I think you are absolutely wrong about that. The right wing isn’t going to get any say in the matter. The cultists will primary anyone who even suggests that Trump isn’t the bigliest and bestest.

  83. 83.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:24 am

    @MomSense: @hells littlest angel: Sounds like there’s a need for a tracker, like the two (at least) set up for Abe Vigoda. One of those was up for 15 years (2001-2016) before they had to update.

  84. 84.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 9:24 am

    I expect lots of people here were disappointed in Jim Carey’s Biden on SNL, but that bit with the remote control saved the whole thing for me.

  85. 85.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @Morzer: He wouldn’t recognize it since he’s never read Pratchett. I say that with some confidence since (1) he never reads the official papers he’s supposed to read and (2) Pratchett doesn’t talk about him so he wouldn’t see any point in reading it.

  86. 86.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

    @Morzer: Small Gods has my favourite ending of any work of literature in human history. Tagged as white text because, really now.

    “Ah. There really is a desert. Does everyone get this?” said Brutha.
    Wʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡs?
    “And what is at the end of the desert?”
    Jᴜᴅɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ.
    Brutha considered this.
    “Which end?”
    Death grinned and stepped aside.
    What Brutha had thought was a rock in the sand was a hunched figure, sitting clutching its knees. It looked paralysed with fear.
    He stared.
    ‘Vorbis?’ he said.
    He looked at Death.
    ‘But Vorbis died a hundred years ago!’
    Yᴇs. Hᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. Aʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ. Iғ ʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇᴅ.
    ‘He’s been here for a hundred years?’
    Pᴏssɪʙʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ. Tɪᴍᴇ ɪs ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ. Iᴛ ɪs… ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ.
    ‘Ah. You mean a hundred years can pass like a few seconds?’
    A ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴄᴀɴ ᴘᴀss ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪɴғɪɴɪᴛʏ.
    The black-on-black eyes stared imploringly at Brutha, who reached out automatically, without thinking … and then hesitated.
    Hᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀ, said Death. Aɴᴅ ᴀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴏғ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀs. A ᴛᴏʀᴛᴜʀᴇʀ. Wɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀssɪᴏɴ. Cʀᴜᴇʟ. Cᴀʟʟᴏᴜs. Cᴏᴍᴘᴀssɪᴏɴʟᴇss.
    ‘Yes. I know. He’s Vorbis,’ said Brutha. Vorbis changed people. Sometimes he changed them into dead people. But he always changed them. That was his triumph.
    He sighed.
    ‘But I’m me,’ he said.
    Vorbis stood up, uncertainly, and followed Brutha across the desert.
    Death watched them walk away.

    I’m resolutely agnostic, but if there’s an afterlife, I hope we get one like that.

    I, meanwhile, am nowhere near that merciful.

    Cᴇ́ᴛᴇʀᴜᴍ ᴄᴇ́ɴsᴇᴏ́ ғᴀᴄᴛɪᴏ́ɴᴇᴍ Rᴇ́ᴘᴠ́ʙʟɪᴄᴀ́ɴᴀᴍ ᴇssᴇ ᴅᴇ́ʟᴇɴᴅᴀᴍ ɪ́ɢɴɪ́ ғᴇʀʀᴏ́ᴏ̨ᴜᴇ.

  87. 87.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    October 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

    @Morzer: Could we get a GoFundMe to pay someone to stroll silently by his bed at 3 am in a Grim Reaper outfit every night? That would satisfy me.

  88. 88.

    WereBear

    October 4, 2020 at 9:33 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Why go small? Let’s have the classic 3 ghosts.

  89. 89.

    Suzanne

    October 4, 2020 at 9:34 am

    @Morzer: I want Trump to survive, too. If he dies now, he won’t live to see Melania divorce him and take what remains of his money, Ivanka become a pariah upon her return to New York, and his most hardcore followers devolve into total liars who, within eighteen months….. well, it’ll seem like no one will admit voting for the man. I’d love for all of that to happen while he’s in prison, but I’m not optimistic about that part.

    If he dies now, he gets to evade any consequences.

  90. 90.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:34 am

    “Am I going out like Stan Chera?”

    Not “Am I going out like 214,000 others?” Nope, just the one guy he knew.

  91. 91.

    H.E.Wolf

    October 4, 2020 at 9:35 am

    Electoral Vote blog’s clarity of exposition (and their sense of humor) are viewable in the first 2 paragraphs of today’s blog. Either click on the “State of the Race…” link, in the Balloon Juice “Election Action!” sidebar, or go here:

    https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/Maps/Oct04.html#item-1

    The grammarians at BJ, of whom I am one, will enjoy the first paragraph’s final sentence.

  92. 92.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 4, 2020 at 9:35 am

    @SFAW: It’s a podcast by one of the Obama bros, Jon Lovett.

  93. 93.

    Sab

    October 4, 2020 at 9:35 am

    @MomSense: Lol, or at least a deep chuckle.That’s how I start my day also.

  94. 94.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:38 am

    @sanjeevs: Likely scenario is Trump knew he had tested positive before the debate.

    Yup, but incontestable is that he and his family at least knew they had been exposed to someone who was very ill, so the malicious intent is clear.

  95. 95.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:38 am

    @trnc: I thought there were reports his brother had died of covid?  Was that ever verified or debunked?

  96. 96.

    dmsilev

    October 4, 2020 at 9:42 am

    @Suzanne: Or, to quote the classics,

    To the pain’ means that the first thing you lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists, next your nose… The next thing you lose will be your left eye, followed by your right. […] Your ears you keep, and I’ll tell you why: so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish; every babe that weeps at your approach; every woman who cries out, ‘Dear God! What is that thing?’ will echo in your perfect ears. That is what ‘to the pain’ means; it means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery, forever.

  97. 97.

    geg6

    October 4, 2020 at 9:46 am

    @SFAW:

    I didn’t see the whole thing but have now partaken in several clips.  He took a 2×4 to Lindsay’s knees, a baseball bat to his ribs and a saw to his neck.  He was beautiful.  He’s a real star, I think.

  98. 98.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 9:46 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))): Am I the only one who sees a huge blank spot?

  99. 99.

    MomSense

    October 4, 2020 at 9:47 am

    @hells littlest angel:

    @Sab:

    Yesterday I went for a really nice hike that took me to two beautiful coves.  The pup did some wading and some rolling in mud.  I felt lighter of spirit than I have in a couple years.

  100. 100.

    Brachiator

    October 4, 2020 at 9:47 am

    On the other hand, who knows, maybe he’s really sick!

    Trump might be a hell of a con man, but it would be tough even for him to take a positive test result. It’s not like sneaking in a dummy urine sample.

  101. 101.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:47 am

    @H.E.Wolf: One striking thing about that electoral map is that, if all the other states are assigned correctly, Trump could take California and still lose, with Biden taking more electoral votes than Trump got in 2016.

  102. 102.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 9:48 am

    @trnc: Reports are that his brother died of covid too. Kinda telling that trump didn’t mention him.

  103. 103.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:48 am

    @Geo Wilcox: I just read a frightening post on the ProMed site. This shit can trigger Parkinson’s disease. It happened before after the 1918 flu pandemic.

    This is why I have nothing but contempt for Scott Atlas and his ilk. It’s crazy to claim a virus with no vaccine and with known lingering effects is like the flu or any other virus we’re familiar with. Covid has after effects that would seem unrelated to the illness itself, like brain damage, and that’s just what we know 9 months in.

    Another reason someone who is not an epidemiologist or who does not have the relevant experience should not have a megaphone in the public discourse.

  104. 104.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 9:48 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Mouse-select over it.  The text is white so it’s not a spoiler.

  105. 105.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    October 4, 2020 at 9:51 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: oh please oh please!

  106. 106.

    Starfish

    October 4, 2020 at 9:51 am

    Good morning, crazification factor.

    a quarter (27%) believe Trump has taken the risk of contracting coronavirus seriously enough

  107. 107.

    TS (the original)

    October 4, 2020 at 9:51 am

    Don’t know if this has been posted

    Headlines from new NBC/WSJ poll (conducted after the debate, 9/30-10/1)

    1. Biden’s national lead among registered voters expands from 8pts to 14pts

    Biden 53%
    Trump 39%

    Was Biden 51%, Trump 43% in Sept poll before debate
    — Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) October 4, 2020

  108. 108.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:52 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Reports are that his brother died of covid too.

    No official cause was given, so that’s most likely correct. DT was probably told it wasn’t covid because he probably insisted it wasn’t.

  109. 109.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 9:52 am

    @Ken: Thanx. I don’t know these things.

  110. 110.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:53 am

    @Starfish: That number 27 continues to perform.

  111. 111.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 9:54 am

    Hell naw.

    Should the election be delayed by two weeks to allow @realDonaldTrump more time to campaign?— Jacob Heilbrunn (@JacobHeilbrunn) October 2, 2020

  112. 112.

    JPL

    October 4, 2020 at 9:54 am

    @debbie:  His aviators were cool, although I think Carey overplays the role.    We’ve all wanted to mute him.

  113. 113.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 9:55 am

    @Morzer: Looks like COVID-19 is just mowing down anyone in the White House without mercy.

    I think I read there was a no mask policy in place by Meadows, but can’t remember for sure or vouch for it.

  114. 114.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 9:55 am

    @dmsilev: I literally quoted that speech last night on LGM. I find myself thinking of it often, these days.

    @OzarkHillbilly: Done deliberately, as @Ken said, to avoid spoiling the ending of the book for people who haven’t read it yet. If you highlight it, it should be perfectly legible. If not, I recommend getting a better browser, or I guess you could always copy it to a new Notepad document.

    Cēterum cēnseō factiōnem Rēpūblicānam esse dēlendam īgnī ferrōque.

  115. 115.

    JPL

    October 4, 2020 at 9:59 am

    I’ve been thinking about The Great Gatsby lately and might have to read it again.  They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things.     The difference is that they didn’t have the power to kill so many and Daisy didn’t say f..k this Christmas stuff.

    I hope Biden can pick up the pieces and remind us what a functioning government looks like.

  116. 116.

    artem1s

    October 4, 2020 at 9:59 am

     

    I’ve seen people say they are afraid that Trump will get a sympathy boost out of this

    @Splitting Image:

    I read thru the comments on an ABC article about the superspreader debate in CLE and found not one sympathetic remark. I’m sure the bots haven’t gotten to it yet, but after a couple of dozen you always get at least one troll for the troll.  So it was definitely weird. People are pissed. Less about him than their friends, colleagues, neighbors, family who are being exposed because of someone’s complete lack of concern for others.  It might finally be sinking in exactly how ruthless and horrid these people are.  Those who have tried to be civil and remain calm have just lost all patience with that and are speaking out in numbers that we haven’t seen before.

  117. 117.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 10:01 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I saw someone yesterday suggest the election be delayed for an entire year.

  118. 118.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 10:01 am

    @Patricia Kayden: 50 year old and up men moving from overwhelmingly DT to slight Biden advantage was the biggest surprise for me.

  119. 119.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 10:02 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))): I got it now. It was just that before now I had never heard the phrase, “Tagged as white text” and had no idea what it was. I thought maybe it meant, “No dumbshit, luddite Hillbillies allowed.”

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 4, 2020 at 10:03 am

    @WereBear: Scrooge got the three ghosts because Marley interceded for him.   Who would do that for Trump?

  121. 121.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 10:04 am

    @debbie: I think that was a foreigner, with ways different from our own.  Or was that the guy who said Trump should make Ivanka vice-president?

    Anyway as someone noted, that just means Pelosi becomes president in January, since she’d (presumably) still be speaker and we wouldn’t have a president or vice-president.

  122. 122.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 10:05 am

    @MomSense: I’m not going to feel guilty about it anymore. That motherfucker was rooting for people in blue states to die and using the power of the government to make it happen.

    Yup. I was glad to see that Biden was hitting back some this morning. I suppose there’s still some kind of line somewhere he shouldn’t cross, but if DT’s team is going to keep saying how well he’s doing, why should Biden have to worry about negative ads at this point?

    Does anyone know if DT has pulled negative ads since Biden did? Or did the checks from the donors he tried to infect bounce?

  123. 123.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 10:05 am

    @MattF: And no, he wasn’t signing a so-called ‘blank’ sheet of paper. It was his healthcare plan.

    Zing!

  124. 124.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 10:05 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Good point. Marley was Scrooge’s former business partner, and I can’t imagine anyone who’s done business with Trump wanting to help him.

  125. 125.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 10:07 am

    @hells littlest angel: He might be in hiding after his main source of revenue dries up (taxpayer paid trips and hotel bookings).

  126. 126.

    JPL

    October 4, 2020 at 10:07 am

    @trnc: Negative Biden ads have been running nonstop in GA for months, and trump is still having difficulty here.

  127. 127.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 4, 2020 at 10:07 am

    @debbie: People say all kinds of stupid shit.  The presidential succession and the date of the election are not things in Trump’s control.

  128. 128.

    trnc

    October 4, 2020 at 10:09 am

    @Ken: There was nothing official, so that fueled speculation (as you would expect).

  129. 129.

    artem1s

    October 4, 2020 at 10:10 am

    @Ken:

    Trump always signs blank pieces of paper

    sad part about that dog and pony show is all of them think this is what work looks like. FFS

  130. 130.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 10:11 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Haha, no, I just meant the HTML/CSS tags on the text were specifying a white colour. Perhaps I should’ve specifically used the word “spoiler”, but in my defence, I’d just mentioned that it was the ending of the book. No worries though.

    @trnc: Judging from the shit I’m seeing on YouTube, they absolutely have not pulled negative ads.

    Cēterum cēnseō factiōnem Rēpūblicānam esse dēlendam īgnī ferrōque.

  131. 131.

    Brachiator

    October 4, 2020 at 10:15 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Scrooge got the three ghosts because Marley interceded for him.   Who would do that for Trump?

    The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein.

  132. 132.

    ThresherK

    October 4, 2020 at 10:16 am

    CBS Sunday Morning has introduced a segment talking about the idea of the October Surprise. Nixon sabotaging peace talks with North Vietnam; Reagan interfering with the Iranians; you know?

    Nothing this year has been an October Surprise.

    Aren’t there any grownup journos left at CBS?

  133. 133.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 10:17 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))): I just meant the HTML/CSS tags on the text were specifying a white colour.

    Teeheehee… You actually think that would have made a difference., your lack of knowledge about the depths of my ignorance is just adorable.

  134. 134.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 10:19 am

    @Brachiator: The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein.

    He’s more likely to interrupt Fox and Friends by crawling out of the TV to drag Trump to hell.

  135. 135.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    October 4, 2020 at 10:19 am

    @debbie: Then President Pelosi would be sworn in at noon on January 20th.

  136. 136.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 10:19 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I wasn’t worried it would happen, but I was horrified Trump might try it. My skull can’t take much more pounding against my desk.

  137. 137.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 10:21 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    That alone should be a disincentive for Trump!

  138. 138.

    MoCA Ace

    October 4, 2020 at 10:21 am

    @rikyrah: Three North Carolina establishments close to deep clean after Ivanka Trump visit

    I think that’s SOP with all Trumps isn’t it?

  139. 139.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 10:21 am

    @Chicagopat:

    “Trump is expressing an emotion aides have rarely seen: fear.”

    sources close to the president-elect who were pretty clearly Chris Christie said (IIRC) he looked like he had seen a ghost when the ’16 returns started to come in. I think Fredo let slip something similar.

  140. 140.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 10:22 am

    Yep.

    Suddenly it’s the Coronavirus and not the China Virus. Suddenly we’re all in this together. Suddenly the Republican party is calling for people to show empathy. Suddenly it’s clear none of them cared until it affected them. YOU never mattered to him or them.— Chase Stefano ??️‍? #Resistance (@StefanoChase) October 2, 2020

  141. 141.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 10:26 am

    @trnc:

    50 year old and up men moving from overwhelmingly DT to slight Biden advantage was the biggest surprise for me.

    1. Biden didn’t drool on himself like trump said he would
    2. trump undid his own ‘tool of the radical left’ talking point a couple of times, IIRC (You just lost the left!)
    3. not limited to white men over 50
    4. maybe because that’s one of the most vulnerable demos for Covid? (even though this poll was I gather before trump’s public diagnosis)
  142. 142.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 10:29 am

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Roy Cohn.

    //

  143. 143.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 4, 2020 at 10:30 am

    @Brachiator: @NotMax: But would they?

  144. 144.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:31 am

    Jaime debates Lindsey, while Lindsey stands there shaking his head.
    I didn’t see the whole debate. I wonder if Lindsey asked his donors for money from the debate stage.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, Jaime Harrison #SCSen #scsenatedebate #SendLindseyHome pic.twitter.com/hNT3wFum4I

    — Alan (@add_alan) October 4, 2020

  145. 145.

    Ihop

    October 4, 2020 at 10:31 am

    Please forgive if this has been already said, but I believe the phrase we seek is “criminally negligent genocide”.

    Although a good team of attorneys might be able to talk it down to “casually”.

  146. 146.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:32 am

    Jaime Harrison brought his own plexiglas divider to his Senate debate with Lindsay Graham. #SCSen pic.twitter.com/MX15BaY5S2

    — Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) October 4, 2020

    Harrison knew Graham would be spitting in rage, so this was a good extra precaution.

  147. 147.

    MoCA Ace

    October 4, 2020 at 10:33 am

    @debbie: I expect lots of people here were disappointed in Jim Carey’s Biden on SNL

    It was exactly what I expected.  He plays one character.  I’m just surprised he didn’t roll out an “all righty then”.  I find him unwatchable.

  148. 148.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:35 am

    From my home in New York City to my statue in San Francisco and everywhere in between, I encourage you all to wear a mask and vote! pic.twitter.com/DvkGP8jRag

    — Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) October 2, 2020

  149. 149.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 10:39 am

    @MoCA Ace: on the whole I think SNL has been pretty good the last couple years, but the reliance on stunt-casting is so weird and so weak, especially bringing Jim Carrey down from the pop-culture attic

    I guess we should be glad they didn’t go to the Kate McKinnon well again for Biden. And I like Kate McKinnon

  150. 150.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:40 am

    Trump suing to gut the ACA while his hospital room has a chandelier dining room seems like bad optics.

    — Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) October 3, 2020

    U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. Walter Reed Hospital has a six-room presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, & a dining room with a crystal chandelier. pic.twitter.com/QQVhFYjzLJ

    — Richard Southern (@richard680news) October 3, 2020

  151. 151.

    p.a.

    October 4, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Have they scheduled tRump’s Yangtze Potomac River swim yet

  152. 152.

    hueyplong

    October 4, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Just watched parts of the SC debate and just wow.  Either Lindsey Graham REALLY had to go to the bathroom or he physically showed the TV audience that he knew he was being flayed alive.

    That was some GoT-level stuff.

    I’m a fan of this Harrison guy

  153. 153.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 10:44 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Oddly enough, it occurs to me Bea Arthur could pull off a fine Biden impression.

    Except for her being dead and all.

  154. 154.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 10:46 am

    Good polling this weekend for Biden! I wonder if the low quality Trump hires are looking for work yet- is the nation’s private sector scam industry prepared to absorb all the newly unemployed Trump hires?

    I heard there were openings at My Pillow.

  155. 155.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 10:47 am

    @hueyplong:

    I was struck by how Graham looks like he knows he’s losing. He looks exhausted and scared and sad.

  156. 156.

    Humanities Prof

    October 4, 2020 at 10:47 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))): Or, even better, just get a copy of Small Gods and read the whole thing, because it’s amazing.

  157. 157.

    trollhattan

    October 4, 2020 at 10:48 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    My thought: save the country.
    My prayer: please, save the country.

    Whoops, those are the last I have in the cupboard.

  158. 158.

    trollhattan

    October 4, 2020 at 10:49 am

    @Kay:

    Is there a legit chance Lindsay loses? That would be amazing, if so. Losing to a black man in South Carolina would make it 5X so. LFG!

  159. 159.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:49 am

    @Kay:

    He’s never had to work so hard in his life.

  160. 160.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 10:50 am

    @hueyplong: I’m usually skeptical of the body language analysis, but that rocking back and forth and staring into the middle-distance did not look good.

    @NotMax: and her voice was too low even before she died

  161. 161.

    HinTN

    October 4, 2020 at 10:50 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    your lack of knowledge about the depths of my ignorance is just adorable.

    TAGLINE

  162. 162.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 10:50 am

    @germy

    Cannot bring myself to become incensed about the accommodations. They pre-date him and are being put to a use for which they are intended.

    Will go so far as to posit the layout and and decor are several steps above what’s found in the presidential suites of any of his hotels.

  163. 163.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:51 am

    So Trump is signing a blank piece of paper in the photo they released of him?

    More empty theater.

  164. 164.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 10:51 am

    @Humanities Prof: Small Gods is also relatively standalone, and you can read it without knowing the rest of the series.

    IIRC, the only characters that might need some background are the Librarian and the History Monks. The only other repeating character is DEATH, and he’s pretty self-explanatory.

  165. 165.

    p.a.

    October 4, 2020 at 10:52 am

    @Kay: Senator is a great gig, but Wingnut Welfare is pretty cush.  Does Lil Lindsey think he won’t qualify?  Should be a shoe-in if he stays in the closet, yes?

  166. 166.

    trollhattan

    October 4, 2020 at 10:52 am

    @Ken:

    Allowink me to now introduce “business partner” Vlad. Rumored to be one of world’s richest men.

  167. 167.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:53 am

    @NotMax:

    It’s not the the luxury, it’s the simultaneous attempt to destroy the Affordable Care Act.

    If Biden were in the same position after signing a bill expanding the ACA, public option, lower copays, etc.,  I’d say he deserves every comfort.

  168. 168.

    trollhattan

    October 4, 2020 at 10:54 am

    @p.a.:

    Anybody hear from Eric Cantor lately? I’m sure he landed lightly on his loafer-shod feet.

  169. 169.

    HinTN

    October 4, 2020 at 10:54 am

    @trollhattan: And SC would have two African American Senators!

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 10:54 am

    @NotMax: also, it’s a good hook for “$750/year gets great health care for some people….”

  171. 171.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 10:55 am

    @p.a.: I think after Trump loses, he’ll be lashing out in every direction but especially at any Republican Senators that have lost – he’ll be blaming them for dragging him down.  If that happens, Graham and the others might become too toxic for any network that still has to cater to the Trump cult.

  172. 172.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 10:56 am

    What a rebuttal. Enjoyed this so much this morning. Imagine a Senate with no Lindsey Graham. @harrisonjaime can win this. If you don’t already, follow him and spread the word. Also if you donate, it makes Lindsey VERY upset. pic.twitter.com/TpZ61J8BGl

    — Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 4, 2020

  173. 173.

    Jinchi

    October 4, 2020 at 10:57 am

    the first symptom of a coronavirus among the elderly is not fever, but confusion, anxiety, rage, even hallucinations

    Sure, but unless Trump has had coronavirus for the last 10 years, I don’t think those symptoms are useful for diagnosing the man.

  174. 174.

    The Thin Black Duke

    October 4, 2020 at 10:59 am

    @Kay: And Kay drops the mic.

  175. 175.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 4, 2020 at 11:00 am

    I’m reading AMERICAN DIRT. Somebody tell me there’ll be at least a semi-happy ending.

  176. 176.

    p.a.

    October 4, 2020 at 11:01 am

    @Ken: tRumpturds are all about ‘winning’.  If tRump gets someone withreal $$$ to build his network he might have staying power.  Otherwise, he might be memory-holed like the fine fascist 40% did to W.  If he survives covid, if he really has it.  So Lindsey may be in better position than donnie.  It’s donnie who’s the anchor, not the other way around.  The institutional Rethug Party survived Nixon and W.  Granted, shitmidas gonna shitmidas, but I’m afraid the Rethug Party & Lindsey will survive.

  177. 177.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:02 am

    @Kay

    There’s always the banana stand.

    :)

  178. 178.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 4, 2020 at 11:03 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))):

    Archer is fantastic. The writing is sharp, and some really literate people are clearly involved.

  179. 179.

    hueyplong

    October 4, 2020 at 11:03 am

    @HinTN: Gives off a Reconstruction vibe, doesn’t it?

    It’s time for one

  180. 180.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Brian Beutler
    @brianbeutler
    37m
    Not a huge surprise that a sleazy deadbeat liar like Miller can’t grasp the concept or value of modeling good citizenship, but the notable thing is that neither can literally anyone with any influence in the conservative movement.

    That’s what I thought about when I saw the photos of the White House supreme court party. I thought about how every single student in our ordinary Ohio public high school was wearing a mask when I went in there to sign my son out early two weeks ago.

  181. 181.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 11:08 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Because of course. ??

  182. 182.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 11:10 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I still think Jason Sedakis’s Biden was the best.

  183. 183.

    Jinchi

    October 4, 2020 at 11:11 am

    @germy: presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, & a dining room with a crystal chandelier

    I get the ICU, the kitchen, and all the rest.

    But a crystal chandelier? Who thought that was an essential item?

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 11:11 am

    Kelly O’Donnell @KellyO· 1h
    9am on a Sunday morning and “Born in the USA” and Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” blaring outside the hospital where the president is being treated for covid.

    when I was a wee lad there were signs up in the streets around the local hospital that said something like “Quiet: Hospital Zone”.

  185. 185.

    BR

    October 4, 2020 at 11:12 am

    Anyone know if there are any reports on Biden testing negative again?  Am very worried about this and it’s been on my mind constantly.

  186. 186.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:12 am

    @germy: Harrison did what I hope Senator Harris does during her debate with Pence. Protect yourself from these super spreaders. They don’t care but you should.

  187. 187.

    debbie

    October 4, 2020 at 11:13 am

    @Kay:

    Good citizenship is for suckers and losers!

  188. 188.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 4, 2020 at 11:13 am

    @debbie: me too

    @Jinchi:

    But a crystal chandelier? Who thought that was an essential item?

    Eisenhower?

     

  189. 189.

    Luciamia

    October 4, 2020 at 11:14 am

    So…any word about a health update on the Pres.? Its 11 already.

  190. 190.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:14 am

    @germy: It makes me lol whenever Graham whines that Harrison is getting donations because people hate him. Yes we hate you, Graham.  I’ve personally hated you since the Obama administration. So what?

  191. 191.

    sdhays

    October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am

    @germy: I could have sworn I saw a clip last night where he answered a challenge from Lindsey saying “who do you trust on the economy” with something like “I trust people who haven’t infected everyone with COVID”. But I can’t seem to find it, so maybe I hallucinated it.

    Last night sucked, so hallucination is definitely a possibility.

  192. 192.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am

    Three Minnesota congressmen are facing backlash over taking a commercial flight home from Washington, D.C., on Friday night just two days after they shared Air Force One with President Trump.
    U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn all were on the same Delta Airlines flight despite the airline’s restrictions on passengers recently exposed to COVID-19. Trump announced early Friday morning he had tested positive for the virus.
    Delta’s policy says customers who know they were exposed to the virus in the last 14 days cannot travel on the company’s aircraft. The airline defines exposure as face-to-face contact with someone carrying the virus, or sustained contact for more than 15 minutes less than six feet apart.

    …

    https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-10-03/minnesota-congressmen-flew-delta-after-flying-with-trump

  193. 193.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am

    OT. Lawdy, the movie on this week’s Noir Alley on TCM may be the dullest, most plodding noir ever.
    Otto Preminger must have been mainlining Miltown.

    @Jinchi

    Hey, got to plant the listening devices somewhere.

    :)

  194. 194.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am

    @Jinchi: ?

  195. 195.

    Jinchi

    October 4, 2020 at 11:18 am

    @germy: Jaime Harrison brought his own plexiglas divider to his Senate debate with Lindsay Graham.

    That’s brilliant. I imagine debate stages usually prohibit props, but given the events of last week I doubt anyone would have dared to challenge him on this. Pretty sure Graham should be quarantining right now.

    BTW is it possible that Graham looked so physically beaten at his debate for the same reason Trump looked sweaty and unhinged last Tuesday?

  196. 196.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 11:18 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Yes we hate you, Graham.

    You’d think that as a member of the party of personal responsibility, he’d understand that actions have consequences.

  197. 197.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:18 am

    @Aleta: Looking forward to airlines banning Republican Congress critters from all flights as a health risk. They’re such selfish mofos.

  198. 198.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 11:18 am

    Another good Pennsylvania poll.

    To avoid the problem of the corrupt Bill Barr and the DOJ lawyers he has corrupted (I don’t know how many but it is more than zero) we need conclusive results in a few states. We still need monster turnout. A blowout solves most of the problems with corrupt actors interfering, including the SCOTUS.

  199. 199.

    StringOnAStick

    October 4, 2020 at 11:20 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I sound a lot like Bea Arthur.  I’m also 5’3″ and rather petite, so quite the contrast. People always remember if they’ve met me, it’s the voice and the contrast.

  200. 200.

    Mike in NC

    October 4, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Looks as if after November 4th nobody is ever going to invite Lindsay Graham to golf with them. Sad!

  201. 201.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:22 am

    @Splitting Image: Sympathy boost?  From what I’m reading and hearing, quite a few of us are rooting for major injuries.  Trump lacks even basic empathy for anyone not named Donald J Trump so there’s no reason for us to show him a drop of sympathy.
    He contracted COVID because of his carelessness and mishandling of this pandemic. He’s reaping what he sowed.

  202. 202.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:22 am

    @BR

    Wouldn’t get too worked up about it. Not to say there’s no concern (and we don’t know what occurred backstage) but the nature of the camera shots make them appear much closer than they actually were.

  203. 203.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 4, 2020 at 11:23 am

    @Mike in NC: Trump will.

  204. 204.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 11:23 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    You would think airlines would enforce the rules just for their own self interest. They sell safety. They have to be able to tell people flying is safe. If you’re sitting next to some wingnut who refuses to follow the rules and no one enforces them that goes to the airline’s ability to keep passengers safe. I would think they would hang onto that with both hands.

  205. 205.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 11:23 am

    @Kay: The part about Ohio being very close is also good.  It’s generally agreed that puts Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the Democratic column since they trend bluer.

  206. 206.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 11:23 am

    @WereBear:

    @trnc:

    Stan Chera was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Chera was dead as a doornail.

  207. 207.

    Baud

    October 4, 2020 at 11:25 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Yeah, I hate Trump but I doubt redoing the presidential suite at Walter Reed was on his radar.

  208. 208.

    Baud

    October 4, 2020 at 11:26 am

    @NotMax:

    They were almost 13 feet apart.  Too close for my comfort but not close.

  209. 209.

    0.

    October 4, 2020 at 11:27 am

    @Kay:

    A blowout solves most of the problems with corrupt actors interfering, including the SCOTUS.

    My not-so-fearless prediction: If there’s an obvious Biden blowout on November 3, The Traitors (Barr and Trump) will suddenly decide mail-in ballots MUST BE COUNTED (because their fellow racists/fascists/traitors “will have decided that mail-in is the only TRUE vote”). Plus, it will give them time to challenge every in-person vote, provisional vote, etc etc, in the hope of running out the clock and getting the SCOTUS Traitors to select Trump.

    Now, I don’t REALLY think that will happen, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if they did a 180, etc.

    Your goddamn right I’m cynical.

  210. 210.

    Baud

    October 4, 2020 at 11:27 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    At some point we’re going to have to go all Waco on conservative lawbreakers just to remind them that we can.

  211. 211.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 11:28 am

    @Jinchi: BTW is it possible that Graham looked so physically beaten at his debate for the same reason Trump looked sweaty and unhinged last Tuesday?

    I assume you mean covid, rather than flop sweat, or revelation of corruption and crimes, or huge loans due to the Russian mafia, or court orders to provide DNA, or fear his children are conspiring to declare him incompetent, or….

  212. 212.

    BR

    October 4, 2020 at 11:28 am

    @NotMax:

    There have been outbreaks in restaurants between tables that were farther apart than that, and without one party spewing and spluttering for the whole time. It all comes down to airflow. (There’s good evidence that the 6 foot rule is useless indoors. It only applies to maskless, outdoors settings.)

  213. 213.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 11:29 am

    @Ken:

    Is there a way to read white text on an iPhone?

  214. 214.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:30 am

    @StringOnAStick

    Not Dr. Girlfriend timbre, one presumes.

    :)

  215. 215.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    October 4, 2020 at 11:32 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: They never have understood the lyrics to “Born in the USA”, have they?

  216. 216.

    germy

    October 4, 2020 at 11:32 am

    @Kay:  You would think airlines would enforce the rules just for their own self interest. They sell safety.

    I saw a story on the news about a man who was removed from a plane (fortunately before takeoff) because he objected to a maskless airline steward.  The passenger was wearing a mask, but the stewardess had hers down around her chin.

  217. 217.

    Geminid

    October 4, 2020 at 11:33 am

     

     

    @trollhattan: Cantor took a job with an investment bank after his loss to Dave Brat in the 2014 Republican primary, and has kept a low profile since. Dave Brat  lasted four years until Democrat Abigail Spanberger beat him in 2018. The Va 7th had been in republican hands for 48 years. Brat now teaches at Liberty University.

  218. 218.

    MagdaInBlack

    October 4, 2020 at 11:34 am

    @Humanities Prof: “Small Gods” is my favorite, I find something new and relevant every time I re-read it.

  219. 219.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:34 am

    @germy

    “When they advertised ‘topless stewardesses’ this isn’t what I envisioned.”

    //

  220. 220.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 11:35 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: No idea, I don’t have one.  If you can copy the post text and paste it into some other app, maybe you can change the color?

  221. 221.

    Baud

    October 4, 2020 at 11:35 am

    @germy:

    a man who was removed from a plane (fortunately before takeoff)

    When else would a man be removed from a flight?

  222. 222.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 11:36 am

    @Ken:

    The person who suggested delaying the election for a year was the woman who challenged Nancy Pelosi in 2018. The person who suggested that Trump might appoint Ivanka as his Veep and successor was a high-ranking person from an unspecified G-7 country.

  223. 223.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 11:36 am

    Apparently, one of my usual stunningly witty and insightful comments got eated, so posting this as a test.

  224. 224.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:39 am

    @Baud

    Aeroflot excluded, of course.

    //

  225. 225.

    OldDave

    October 4, 2020 at 11:40 am

    @Ken: Copy and then paste into a ‘Notes’ page worked.  It’s a bit of a PITA, but it worked.

  226. 226.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 11:41 am

    @Aleta:

    7/25 U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, received the Champion for Healthy Seniors Award from the Partnership to Fight Chronic Diseases.

    7/27 Congressman Pete Stauber visits Park Rapids to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected programs serving adults with disabilities and the elderly, and what kind of help Congress can provide.

    (From his site.)

  227. 227.

    NotMax

    October 4, 2020 at 11:41 am

    @SFAW

    BTW, saw your comment about the movie last night but thread was long deceased by then.

    I laughed.

  228. 228.

    trollhattan

    October 4, 2020 at 11:42 am

    @Geminid:

    Thanks, that capsule history is very satisfying. Also, I believe it’s technically Liberty “University”. ;-)

  229. 229.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 11:43 am

    @(((CassandraLeo))):

    The thing about that passage that gets me is that Brutha, after all Vorbis had done to him (and others), was still a compassionate soul.

    I’m a devout atheist, but that behavior seems pretty Christ-like.

  230. 230.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 11:44 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: Here

    “Ah. There really is a desert. Does everyone get this?” said Brutha.
    Wʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡs?
    “And what is at the end of the desert?”
    Jᴜᴅɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ.
    Brutha considered this.
    “Which end?”
    Death grinned and stepped aside.
    What Brutha had thought was a rock in the sand was a hunched figure, sitting clutching its knees. It looked paralysed with fear.
    He stared.
    ‘Vorbis?’ he said.
    He looked at Death.
    ‘But Vorbis died a hundred years ago!’
    Yᴇs. Hᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. Aʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ. Iғ ʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇᴅ.
    ‘He’s been here for a hundred years?’
    Pᴏssɪʙʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ. Tɪᴍᴇ ɪs ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ. Iᴛ ɪs… ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ.
    ‘Ah. You mean a hundred years can pass like a few seconds?’
    A ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴄᴀɴ ᴘᴀss ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪɴғɪɴɪᴛʏ.
    The black-on-black eyes stared imploringly at Brutha, who reached out automatically, without thinking … and then hesitated.
    Hᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀ, said Death. Aɴᴅ ᴀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴏғ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀs. A ᴛᴏʀᴛᴜʀᴇʀ. Wɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀssɪᴏɴ. Cʀᴜᴇʟ. Cᴀʟʟᴏᴜs. Cᴏᴍᴘᴀssɪᴏɴʟᴇss.
    ‘Yes. I know. He’s Vorbis,’ said Brutha. Vorbis changed people. Sometimes he changed them into dead people. But he always changed them. That was his triumph.
    He sighed.
    ‘But I’m me,’ he said.
    Vorbis stood up, uncertainly, and followed Brutha across the desert.
    Death watched them walk away.

    From  @(((CassandraLeo))): above

  231. 231.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 11:44 am

    @NotMax:

    The “dia-critical” comment? Thanks.

  232. 232.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    October 4, 2020 at 11:45 am

    @Patricia Kayden: I’m old school, i’ve hated Lindsey since the Clinton impeachment.

  233. 233.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 11:45 am

    @Baud:When else would a man be removed from a flight?

    Over Normandy?

  234. 234.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 11:45 am

    @trollhattan:

    I would absolutely love it if it turned out that South Carolina had two black Senators simultaneously. South Carolina, of all states!

  235. 235.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 11:46 am

    @Baud:

    When else would a man be removed from a flight?

    Well, in one episode, Harry Bosch removed a bad guy from a plane, mid-flight.

  236. 236.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 4, 2020 at 11:46 am

    @SFAW:Apparently, one of my usual stunningly witty and insightful comments got eated, so posting this as a test.

    Witty and insightful… No wonder, the system thought it was spam.

  237. 237.

    SectionH

    October 4, 2020 at 11:48 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Ken‘s suggestion works. I selected the white text, copied it, and then opened Notes and pasted it into a new note. Bit of a hassle, but if you’re out and about armed with just an iPhone, it’ll do.

  238. 238.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    October 4, 2020 at 11:50 am

    @Baud: Sounds good to me.

  239. 239.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 11:54 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I listened to it last night and i completely agree.  He was excellent.

  240. 240.

    danielx

    October 4, 2020 at 11:56 am

    @ThresherK:

    Generally surprises are not one of my favorite things in life, because they’re usually unpleasant.

    However, given the month to date, October Surprises are getting to be like packages under the Christmas tree. I know it’s a small sample so far.

    eta: I hope that pastyfaced sonofabitch William Barr is sweating like lard melting in a hot skillet.

  241. 241.

    Ken

    October 4, 2020 at 11:58 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: There’s also the Osama bin Laden example.

  242. 242.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 11:58 am

    @Ken:

    Thanks anyhow. I tried that and it shows as white text. I can vaguely make out that it’s a slightly whiter shade of pale, but the contrast isn’t sufficient to make out the words.

  243. 243.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 11:59 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Hard to imagine the extent of how horrible it must be to be T’s Drs and nurses at WR.  Of course they’ve trained to handle patients who’re argumentative,  aggressive, delusional, confused, defiant, resistant to all authority.  Ones who are powerful and won’t follow orders and recommendations… but put all those qualities together in one person who expects his every order to be obeyed immediately.  Whose life or death or impairment impacts the country.  Whose handlers are lying to the public about his condition.  Who flies into rages but probably can’t be restrained.  Who demands too much of their time.  Whose relatives are just as bad.

  244. 244.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:  I copied it here:   @Aleta:

  245. 245.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    @Aleta:

    Thank you. That’s lovely. I guess I’d better add Small Gods to the TBR queue.

  246. 246.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    @SectionH:

    An iPhone is all I have. No desktop, no laptop, no tablet. I do everything on the phone.

  247. 247.

    Aleta

    October 4, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:  Hack his entertainment system to play select scenes from The Seventh Seal at random throughout the night.

  248. 248.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I guess I’d better add Small Gods to the TBR queue.

    I think you’ll enjoy it.

  249. 249.

    SFAW

    October 4, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Witty and insightful… No wonder, the system thought it was spam.

    No, the system thought it was someone intelligent/funny spoofing my nym/nom.

  250. 250.

    Ruckus

    October 4, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    @Suzanne:

    As much as I’d like to see him in prison I seriously doubt he’ll ever be in for even a day. This country seems to go out of it’s way not to hold it’s ex “leaders” responsible for anything. Maybe it’s not actually much different in most parts of the world and only in overthrown dictatorships do ex leaders suffer much indignity, like hanging from a lamppost for a while.

  251. 251.

    MattF

    October 4, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    Folks, for the record, the way to deal with white-on-white text is to mark it and then copy-and-paste it into the ‘leave a comment’ text box. It will appear as ordinary text.

  252. 252.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    October 4, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: Who would’ve ever guessed that sometimes, I might still qualify as an optimist?

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Yes, it’s clear that Adam Reed knows his literature. There’s all kinds of clever references to obscure literary works (what other animated show would sneak in a reference to Bartleby, the Scrivener?) and random bits of pop culture trivia. And more than a bit reminiscent of Arrested Development (probably not a coincidence, since they share several cast members).

    @SFAW: That was no doubt deliberate on Pratchett’s part. I think Pratchett himself may also have been an atheist, or at least agnostic, but the Christ-like symbolism is pretty difficult to ignore.

    Throw another recommendation on the pile for Small Gods, if my praise for the ending above wasn’t enough. It’s one of the finest, wisest works of literature I’ve ever read.

    Cēterum cēnseō factiōnem Rēpūblicānam esse dēlendam īgnī ferrōque.

  253. 253.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    @TS (the original): Trump may have lost 4 points, but Biden only gained 2.

    So what are those 2% up to?  Unhappy with Trump but still can’t bring themselves to say they are for Biden?

  254. 254.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: Anyone who suggests the election should be postponed so Trump can have more time to campaign SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AGAIN.  Ever.

  255. 255.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 4, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    @Ken: … as someone noted, that just means Pelosi becomes president in January, since she’d (presumably) still be speaker and we wouldn’t have a president or vice-president.

    Sorry, but nope. US Constitution, Amendment XX, Section 3 is the applicable law:

    If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

    Which could get verrrrrry interesting if the Thugs are still busily contesting the Presidential results (i.e., throwing sand into the gears of the succession) as January 3 approaches. If the Democrats will have a majority in both Houses by then, the GOP might be desperate to dicker some sort of compromise in a lame-duck session, and if Nancy SMASH! holds the House Democrats together to block them, she would be in a perfect position to hold their feet to the fire.

  256. 256.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    @0.:

    Plus, it will give them time to challenge every in-person vote, provisional vote, etc etc, in the hope of running out the clock and getting the SCOTUS Traitors to select Trump.

    Challenges aren’t arbitrary though. They can’t just pronounce “I challenge the vote!” They know how many absentees they sent out and they know how many came back. If Biden is ahead 100k and there are 80k absentees not counted it isn’t going to change the result so they can’t just demand to hold it up.

    It’s very fact intensive and rule bound. Their ordinary low quality legal work and bullshit is going to hit a wall and that wall is called “numbers”. Math. It’s no longer about perceptions. It’s addition and subtraction. Most of the scenarios that picture Trump successfully throwing the election into chaos are like “Trump challenges…..inevitable chaos!” That isn’t how it works and it won’t be how it works here. They will need a true basis for a challenge. One that fits with addition and subtraction.

    If it were true that any losing candidate could just “challenge” results willy nilly some asshole would have come up with it well prior to these morons.

  257. 257.

    MattF

    October 4, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    @WaterGirl: They’re on the margin. They can’t make up their fucking minds.

  258. 258.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    @0.:

    The elections where conservatives have been able to either try to throw out votes or hold up calling the race have been REALLY close. That’s the condition precedent to a challenge. That matters. It’s the whole thing. So say, for example, that it’s really close in Arizona. They’re whining and suing and attempting to throw out votes. But other states are coming in and they’re not close. The math of that happening, the addition to Biden’s side and subtraction to Trumps (because Trump no longer has those electoral votes available) can and very well might make challenges moot. They can then litigate over Arizona for as long as the lawyers get paid. It doesn’t and won’t change the results of the whole race.

  259. 259.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 4, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    @Ken: The part about Ohio being very close is also good.  It’s generally agreed that puts Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the Democratic column since they trend bluer.

    You know what else puts MN, WI, and PA in the Dem column?   The polling in those states.

  260. 260.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 12:48 pm

    @NotMax:

    Cannot bring myself to become incensed about the accommodations. They pre-date him and are being put to a use for which they are intended.

    I read something last night, linked from some thread on BJ, that it was Trump’s administration that had them re-do the Presidential accommodations at Walter Reed – because of the pandemic.

    Now I don’t know whether that is true or not.  Do you know for a fact that those rooms pre-date the Trump administration?

  261. 261.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 12:49 pm

    @0.:

    We know a lot about elections, especially in swingier states. That’s how they’re able to call them before the votes are counted. The votes that are out are not enough to change the result. These are not unknown numbers. They’ll have both of them. The votes they have counted and the possible votes for either candidate they have not counted. They have the real numbers. They now have a universe of possible votes and that won’t change no matter who gets more of them.

  262. 262.

    Chief Oshkosh

    October 4, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    @Baud: Ask Pinochet’s ghost…

  263. 263.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I think people are using it as a check on the polling. Since WI and PA and MI are at their expected place relative to Ohio that lends credibility to the polling. That’s based on a real thing- 2016. If Trump was up 5 in Ohio in ’16 that should have been an indication that MI and PA and WI were too close for comfort and there was some kind of error operating because it didn’t make any sense that OH was so far Right relative to those other states.

  264. 264.

    Kay

    October 4, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Maggie Haberman
    @maggieNYT
    NEWS – Two members of the White House residence staff tested positive for the coronavirus a few weeks ago, raising new questions about exposure around the president

    These reckless fucking assholes, I swear. The staff doesn’t have any choice. They have to wait on the low quality Trump hires or they get fired.
    With the permission of the infected people (of course) I would like media to follow their health with the same attention and concern we were all ordered to show to Chris Christie. If we can wring our hands over the elite conservative ruling class who recklessly got infected at the SCOTUS cocktail party they insisted on having we can wring our hands over other people too.

  265. 265.

    Sunoma69

    October 4, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    @Geminid: Any day with Trump as president is beautiful.

  266. 266.

    Another Scott

    October 4, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    @Kay: Speaking of staff…

    Not one email to their staff — many of whom I represent — about the danger.

    This callous disregard for human life would be unacceptable from the local government of a small town.

    In the seat of government of the most powerful country in the history of the world it is appalling. https://t.co/3vmRF5zlKT

    — Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) October 3, 2020

    It sounds like the hundreds/thousands of people who work at the White House complex don’t know anything more than we do. It’s inexcusable.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  267. 267.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 4, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    Is it my imagination or does Trump’s medical team all look like they are from central casting? I am sensing more fake doctors.

  268. 268.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 1:12 pm

    @Baud: I thought the space guidelines were based on thinking that droplets were the issue.  I thought now that they know the virus is airborne, then there are other issues to consider besides distance.

    Like how well ventilated is the space, where are the vents, are they blowing on you, etc.  I don’t believe that we know enough about that building to know whether that was safe or not.

  269. 269.

    Ruckus

    October 4, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    @Ken:

    After trump gets kicked to the curb as bad as it hopefully looks he is, what republican is going to even remember his name? They like winners, not whinny losers. We look and see their history, like in my lifetime the losers they’ve elected are stunningly bad and they don’t remember or acknowledge the history of any of them. They don’t learn from history, it’s what allows them to keep finding worse candidates every time they need a new one.

  270. 270.

    Ruckus

    October 4, 2020 at 1:25 pm

    @Jinchi:

    Who was president or lead suckup when the place was designed/built?

  271. 271.

    Ruckus

    October 4, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    @Kay:

    Planes have returned to the gate and disembarked people who refuse. Pisses off everyone else because it makes them late, miss connections, dinner, etc. But the shithead usually gets a standing boo from them.

  272. 272.

    James E Powell

    October 4, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    @hueyplong:

    Agree with your assessment, but I have no idea how it looks and sounds to SC voters. It is, after all, the original confederate state.

    It got me wondering. Have any Democrats ever done as badly as Trump and Graham did this week? I couldn’t think of any.

  273. 273.

    James E Powell

    October 4, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I’m old school, i’ve hated Lindsey since the Clinton impeachment.

    Same here. I’d never heard of him. Pond scum from the word go.

  274. 274.

    theturtlemoves

    October 4, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    It likely goes without saying, based on the ‘nym I have chosen for myself, that I also highly recommend Small Gods.

  275. 275.

    smedley the uncertain

    October 4, 2020 at 1:50 pm

    @Humanities Prof: Done

  276. 276.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    @James E Powell:

    Because of my job, I started following him in 1994. And during his first two terms in the House, he was on the International Relations Committee, so we had a fair amount of interaction with his office. I never met him, but I’m pretty sure I set up meetings for my Consul General with Graham and his senior staffers in his SC state offices (the Canadian Embassy handled relations on the Hill).

  277. 277.

    Jinchi

    October 4, 2020 at 2:19 pm

    @WaterGirl: that it was Trump’s administration that had them re-do the Presidential accommodations at Walter Reed

    Aha! That explains the chandelier. Who else would put such a useless decoration in an emergency health facility.

    (Any word on whether the toilets are gold-plated?”)

  278. 278.

    Bill Arnold

    October 4, 2020 at 2:19 pm

    @Patricia Kayden:

    He contracted COVID because of his carelessness and mishandling of this pandemic. He’s reaping what he sowed.

    They were, and are, personally playing COVID-19 roulette.
    They aren’t just fucking with Loki, they’re fucking with basic probability.
    “the stochastic digraph for Russian roulette”

  279. 279.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 4, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    @SFAW:

    Already downloaded to the Kindle app.

  280. 280.

    Another Scott

    October 4, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    @James E Powell:  There’s always a tweet…

    If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it.

    — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 3, 2016

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  281. 281.

    H-Bob

    October 4, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    @Kay: A Justice Reveal Party caused Covid to spread like wildfire through the Republican elite, when a gender reveal party caused actual wildfire to spread through California!

  282. 282.

    WaterGirl

    October 4, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    @H-Bob: Well done.

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