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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Interim Open Thread

Interim Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  October 8, 20206:17 am| 105 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

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My favorite moment:

Total time a fly sat on Mike Pence's head: two minutes pic.twitter.com/PtI0rKSi5I

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 8, 2020

Somehow, I processed the Fly Incident and the infuriating exchange that was going on during the Fly Incident on two separate levels. I used to have a one-track mind, but apparently I’ve developed new skills during this hell-presidency. Open thread!

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Reader Interactions

105Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 8, 2020 at 6:19 am

    I hear there was a debate of some kind last night.

  2. 2.

    danielx

    October 8, 2020 at 6:22 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    But you weren’t masochistic enough to watch. Very prudent.

  3. 3.

    JPL

    October 8, 2020 at 6:22 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: By tomorrow it will no longer be mentioned.   I did have to mute his answers because I find him to be a slimy, lying bastard.   I do hope that the fly managed to lay some eggs.

  4. 4.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    October 8, 2020 at 6:32 am

    So will QAnon and the fundies start getting paranoid about whether Pence is actually Beelzebub? It would be irresponsible not to speculate, and would explain the red eyes too. Beware false prophets and all that.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    October 8, 2020 at 6:34 am

    I’m glad Pence has white hair.

    The fly will dominate the news until they announce Pence’s positive COVID test.

  6. 6.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 6:36 am

    I’m still pissed off about Page and the question from a smarmy “both sides” lily white Utah eighth grader. In a just world, the idiot child would be socially corrected into deleting social media and changing schools. What I’d have liked to see Harris say is this:

    “How DARE you trivialize this conversation by including this maudlin sentiment from a young person who has no context and little experience that is common to most Americans – that experience being one where people of many racial and economic backgrounds are living, going to school, working and governing together. These are extraordinary times calling for real solutions, because we are speaking of millions of lives. This isn’t some sort of philosophical exercise where two opinions differ – this is a deadly time, where one group prefers to throw their hands in the air, do nothing and say ‘governing is hard and we’re just going to say that we’re solving it while actively making things work’. We NEED to be passionate, we NEED to be strident, we NEED people to pay attention to save their own lives, not just the lives of others. Unlike the President, neither Joe nor myself call people names, insult them on social media or bully anyone, yet you have the audacity and gall to equate passion and objections with the childish tantrums thrown by the President. And Susan, by making this choice, you have revealed nothing to the American people, other than your complete failure as a journalism professional and American citizen.”

  7. 7.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    October 8, 2020 at 6:38 am

    If Pence gets Covid all future debates have to be cancelled. We can’t let these jokers wage biological warfare on our ticket, and if he had it that’s basically what they’ve been doing.

  8. 8.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 6:45 am

    My colleagues in the family bar and I are all in agreement – we want all debates moderated by seasoned family court judges. They know how to tell people to shut the fuck up regardless of economic, social or political class, and are pretty good on picking up the threads of avoided responses and asking followips themselves.

    It would be magnificent – we LARPed as a couple of them during the debate last night.

  9. 9.

    Yutsano

    October 8, 2020 at 6:48 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Oh he has it. I can’t see him escaping from the virus after the superspreader event for Amy Covid Barrett. I expect the announcement to come either today or tomorrow, but I would bet money he’s infected, he knows it, and insisted on going through with the debate to attempt to knock Harris out of campaigning. Dense is not a smart man but he can follow orders.

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    October 8, 2020 at 6:53 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: It was infuriating to hear Page repeat “Thank you, Mr. Vice President, Thank you, Mr. Vice President, Thank you, Mr. Vice President, Thank you, Mr. Vice President, Thank you, Mr. Vice President…” as Pence droned on through each talking point.

    On the other hand, Pence’s behavior was repellently familiar to every woman listening, a softer version of Trump’s bulldozer act last week (my God, has it only been a week?!?). So that didn’t help them with voters they desperately need.

  11. 11.

    MomSense

    October 8, 2020 at 6:53 am

    @Yutsano:

    He’s a Covidian.  He was sweaty and it looked like he has conjunctivitis in his left eye.  Given his exposure to so many people who have tested positive, he should have been quarantined.  Was there any independent verification of his negative test result?

  12. 12.

    WereBear

    October 8, 2020 at 6:53 am

    I was apprehensive about the risks before I saw Pence’s red eyes. That, and his constant lying, had me bailing a half hour in. I became nauseated at that point, and it went away when I got ready for bed.

    Pence isn’t good for living beings.

  13. 13.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 6:54 am

    Something else – I’m noticing that Morning Joe is now focusing on the lives of the dead.

    I think that’s great.

    I’ve long thought that the debating pundit shows – particularly the Sunday shows – would benefit the public for once if they had people on who are negatively impacted by government policies. Have ‘em tell their stories, and government officials, Congress members,  and senators can respond directly to the aggrieved. The journos are there for prompting and followup.

  14. 14.

    rikyrah

    October 8, 2020 at 6:56 am

    @Yutsano:

    He totally has it ?

  15. 15.

    ET

    October 8, 2020 at 6:56 am

    This is reminding me of the Vincent D’Onofrio character in MIB who gets grosser and grosser throughout the movie has the husk rots and the flies gather.

  16. 16.

    rikyrah

    October 8, 2020 at 6:56 am

    Morning BC.

    You are up early ☺️

  17. 17.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 6:57 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’d have been fine with her telling him “for the last time, I told you to shut the fuck up!”

  18. 18.

    TS (the original)

    October 8, 2020 at 6:58 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     It was infuriating to hear Page repeat “Thank you, Mr. Vice President,

    MJ  says they are having her on the show this morning & intend to ask why she continually allowed pence to run over time.

    Wonder if they will carry through with that?

  19. 19.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:02 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Something else about him – he’s got all the personality of a soaked bar rag at closing time. He doesn’t have a genuine smile – all he can manage is that dead smirk, he has no physical presence, and doesn’t speak well extemporaneously.

    I wouldn’t  understand how he had any traction as a retail politician if I didn’t live and work a few miles from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. He’s not atypical of the culture there.

  20. 20.

    Aleta

    October 8, 2020 at 7:03 am

    And he insulted Harris (not the organizers) about  decision to put up barriers, put it out that though he was refusing one until the last minute, and at the end  KP came on w/o a mask.   They’re already spreaders by example and their attempts to instruct.

  21. 21.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:03 am

    @TS (the original):

    If she had a flash of average intelligence, she’d unplug her wifi while claiming that her cell coverage is splotches. All she can do is dig a deeper grave for her reputation.

  22. 22.

    J.

    October 8, 2020 at 7:06 am

    The fly’s twitter account has over 95K followers.

  23. 23.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:06 am

    House Oversight needs to bore in on these NDAs that he convinces everybody to sign.

  24. 24.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    October 8, 2020 at 7:08 am

    I believe the Betty Cracker term for a Villager like Page is “godawful hack”.  Said Villager representative lived down to her reputation last night.  Clearly she still has fucks to give unlike so many others of late.

    Didn’t watch because, well obvious reasons.

    Sharia Mike, the leading “light” of the American Taliban.  Just as big a threat to ‘Murkin democracy as Emperor Tang, just a different kind.

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 8, 2020 at 7:10 am

    WTO to appoint first female boss as shortlist narrows to two

    The World Trade Organization is set to be run by a woman for the first time in its 25-year history after it was announced that the final choice to be its new director-general will be between South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
    …………………………..
    Okonjo-Iweala has served two terms as Nigeria’s finance minister and has also been her country’s foreign minister. Having also been the number two at the World Bank, she is running as an outsider and as the candidate to give the WTO fresh political momentum.
    ………………………..
    Yoo has a record in government stretching back 25 years and has worked on a number of bilateral trade deals, including those with the US and the UK.

  26. 26.

    p.a.

    October 8, 2020 at 7:10 am

    Fly now being shunned by all 347 generations of family after hanging out w Pence.

  27. 27.

    TS (the original)

    October 8, 2020 at 7:14 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Just listened to the replay of Pence saying it was fine to be at the spreader event because “people can make their own choices”.  It highlighted Susan Page saying “thank you thank you” & then a response from Kamala saying people need the right information to make decisions and you give them nothing.

    Ole Joe is going  loudly berserk about it.

  28. 28.

    debbie

    October 8, 2020 at 7:14 am

    Listening to a Rethuglican operative on NPR insisting that Biden would have handled the pandemic worse than Trump. How could it possibly be worse

     

    ETA: Huh, I believe Steve Inskeep has actually muted the operative’s mic a couple of times. This is new.

  29. 29.

    debbie

    October 8, 2020 at 7:16 am

    I’ve seen reports of dogs able to sniff out COVID; could that fly have been doing the same?

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    October 8, 2020 at 7:16 am

    @rikyrah: Morning!

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Pence really is a nonentity in every sense — a bowl of cyanide-seasoned oatmeal in appearance, mannerisms and speech. In the minds of some stupid people, Pence’s soaked bar rag mien creates a comforting contrast with his screeching, tubby Oompa Loompa boss. But when Pence shares a stage with the witty, intelligent and gorgeous Kamala Harris, the contrast is decidedly NOT to Pence’s advantage.

  31. 31.

    Kathleen

    October 8, 2020 at 7:17 am

    @JPL: That would be appropriate. Fly landed on Pence because it’s a MAGAT.

  32. 32.

    Just James

    October 8, 2020 at 7:21 am

    https://images.app.goo.gl/N6u9Ebspyg77nDkK7

  33. 33.

    Kathleen

    October 8, 2020 at 7:23 am

    @Betty Cracker: I only watched 5 minutes and his smirky condescending mojo permeated the airwaves. I could tell the propagandist “moderating” the debate was going to annoy the hell out of me after she uttered her first sentence.

  34. 34.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:23 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    She was always my first candidate this cycle. I won’t deny that I have a raging crush (even moreso today, LOL), but she really did demonstrate that she’s ready intellectually and temperamentally for the top job.

    This woman is tough as nails, well-prepared, smart, empathetic – a born leader.

  35. 35.

    A Ghost to Most

    October 8, 2020 at 7:23 am

    Not really my wheelhouse, but christians who aren’t nazis should be playing the “t** is the antichrist” card. Play Calvinball on their sorry asses, using their own bullshit on them.

  36. 36.

    Kathleen

    October 8, 2020 at 7:30 am

    @ET: Great description of Repugnantan Party

  37. 37.

    TS (the original)

    October 8, 2020 at 7:31 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    All she can do is dig a deeper grave for her reputation.

    Did I miss it – or did she not yet turn up?  Maybe decided to opt out?

  38. 38.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:34 am

    Made the mistake of looking at Politico, and found myself choking back the urge to buy a plane ticket so I could take a baseball bat to Ryan Lizza.

    That dumbass eighth grade kid from Page’s final question could easily do the job of executive editor there.

  39. 39.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:35 am

    @TS (the original):

    I haven’t seen her yet.

  40. 40.

    tinare

    October 8, 2020 at 7:36 am

    Announcement made that next Presidential debate will be virtual. Good.

  41. 41.

    TS (the original)

    October 8, 2020 at 7:38 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Thanks – me neither.

  42. 42.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 7:38 am

    @tinare:

    He’s still gonna whine about it.

  43. 43.

    Kathleen

    October 8, 2020 at 7:45 am

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Worst. He’s a true believer and that makes him just as dangerous as Trump in a different way.

  44. 44.

    Geminid

    October 8, 2020 at 7:52 am

    I saw in Politico that the Duty and Country Superpac affiliated with the Democratic Senate leadership will spend $7.5 million in Kansas, supporting Barbara Bollier. Recent polling shows the race to be within the margin of error. Kansas hasn’t sent a Democratic Senator to Congress in 88 years.

  45. 45.

    Geoduck

    October 8, 2020 at 7:53 am

    @tinare:  Yes, it is good Biden won’t get anywhere near the Shiatgibbon. That’s assuming the latter will be physically capable of doing it; he still hasn’t made any sort of live appearance since leaving Walter Reed.

  46. 46.

    Sab

    October 8, 2020 at 7:55 am

    @debbie: It probably just liked his hairspray.

  47. 47.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 7:56 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Debate?  Doesn’t that require all participants arguing in good faith?

  48. 48.

    trnc

    October 8, 2020 at 8:00 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’m still pissed off about Page and the question from a smarmy “both sides” lily white Utah eighth grader. In a just world, the idiot child would be socially corrected into deleting social media and changing schools.

    You can think what you want about Page including the question, but for fuck’s sake, LAY OFF THE GODDAMN KID! SHE’S A KID! Maybe her parents are the kind of out of touch voters who can’t be bothered about actual issues. Maybe the kids sees dems and pubbies fighting because that’s what the media show instead of focusing on policy.

    Give the kid a break!

  49. 49.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:01 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: A question from an 8th-grader was included?  Seriously?  What was the question?

  50. 50.

    Geoduck

    October 8, 2020 at 8:05 am

    @mrmoshpotato:  “Why are both sides bad”, essentially.

  51. 51.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:05 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    we LARPed as a couple of them during the debate last night. 

    We need pictures.  And everything damn well better have been accurate, or you will face LARPer scorn. ?

  52. 52.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 8:06 am

    @trnc

    Nah – she (or her parents told her to) inserted herself into the most consequential election since 1860. People are dying, lives are being ruined and I’m not going to let up on that “both sides” ignorant fucking bullshit, regardless of source.

  53. 53.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 8:07 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    ‘When I watch the news, all I see is arguing between Democrats and Republicans.‘When I watch the news, all I see is citizen fighting against citizen. When I watch the news, all I see are two candidates from opposing parties trying to tear each other down. If our leaders can’t get along, how are the citizens supposed to get along? … your examples could make all the difference to bring us together.’

  54. 54.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:07 am

    @Betty Cracker: “For fuck’s sake!  Shut the fuck up, Mr. Vice President!  We’re moving on!”

    Glad I didn’t watch it.

  55. 55.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 8:09 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    It was verbal, describing their tics and commands when they’re irritated about interruptions and obfuscations. Some of them participated, in good spirits.

    It was fun, and kind of a nice bonding moment for a group that is constantly in professional combat.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    October 8, 2020 at 8:10 am

    NEW: @actblue has processed close $9 million from the start of the debate until now. The total from the night of @KamalaHarris's VP debate performance could actually end up raising more for @JoeBiden's campaign then from the night of his debate with Pres. Trump. https://t.co/Ketlzpyhv1— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) October 8, 2020

  57. 57.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:10 am

    @WereBear:

    Pence isn’t good for living beings. 

    A very kind assessment.

  58. 58.

    mali muso

    October 8, 2020 at 8:11 am

    So I went to bed early and missed the whole thing.  Sounds like Pence lied (shock!) and mansplained (double shock!) and that a fly was a star of the show.  Glad I caught up on my sleep instead.  How long until he tests positive for the ‘rona?

  59. 59.

    dmsilev

    October 8, 2020 at 8:11 am

    Huh. LA Times:

    President Trump rejected the idea of debating former Vice President Joe Biden shortly after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Thursday that the next debate would be held virtually.

    “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about,” Trump said on Fox Business.

    Edit: Dumb move on Trump’s part. Millions of Americans have  had to adapt to virtual meetings, virtual schooling, virtual religious services, etc., and he thinks that’s a waste of his time to do the same?

  60. 60.

    stinger

    October 8, 2020 at 8:12 am

    Why wasn’t Kamala allowed to bring a pet? The Commission on Presidential Debates has some ‘splaining to do.

  61. 61.

    Ramalama

    October 8, 2020 at 8:13 am

    Check out FLYwillvote.com

    Very nimble, these social media professionals.

  62. 62.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:14 am

    @TS (the original):

    MJ  says they are having her on the show this morning & intend to ask why she continually allowed pence to run over time. 

    Oh! Oh!  Will Morning JoeBlows ask themselves why they repeatedly gobbled Dump’s orange cock over the phone in 2015/16?

  63. 63.

    Sab

    October 8, 2020 at 8:18 am

    So next debate, if it happens, will be virtual. About time.

    Note to all: don’t put Cleveland Clinic in charge of infection control. Their unusually high MRSA rate has been a running issue in Cleveland professional sports for at least a decade. Athletes are disciplined for commenting on their infections.

  64. 64.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    October 8, 2020 at 8:22 am

    @trnc: Yes this. If someone had asked me to submit a question on politics In 8th grade – and it seems like something one of my teachers might have given as an assignment – I probably would have written something dumb, but I would have written something to fulfill the assignment.

    That dumb question would have been submitted along with tens of thousands of others. Most of the others probably wouldn’t have been all that great either, because 8th graders. Some, however, might have been really good questions. It wouldn’t have been my fault if some moron of a journalist picked my dumb question out of the thousands available to be picked from. In this case the blame lies with the picker, not the writer of the question picked.

  65. 65.

    trnc

    October 8, 2020 at 8:22 am

    @dmsilev: As with anything DT says, there’s no point in paying attention. He throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. These days, the floor below that wall is piled pretty high with shit.

  66. 66.

    dmsilev

    October 8, 2020 at 8:27 am

    @trnc: The obvious response from the Biden team is ‘Joe will show up to the Town Hall to answer American’s questions regardless of what Donald Trump decided to do.’ Or something along those lines.

    Also, apparently one of Trump’s gripes about a virtual debate is that someone could cut off his mic. Uh, yeah, that’s a feature, not a bug.

  67. 67.

    Geoduck

    October 8, 2020 at 8:29 am

    @dmsilev: Again, he may not be physically up to a debate, and seeking any excuse to duck out.

  68. 68.

    evodevo

    October 8, 2020 at 8:32 am

    @Geoduck: Yep…by next week the only way he could make it through the first five minutes of a standup debate would be with an oxygen tank next to the podium, so no, I don’t think the debate will happen.   And, yes, Biden should show up and answer the town hall questions anyway lol  “Trump is WEAK  AND a liar”

  69. 69.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:44 am

    @Geoduck: Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

  70. 70.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    October 8, 2020 at 8:44 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I would have loved it if Kamala had been able to say “if a bully is knocking you down and spitting in your face and taking your lunch, should you be expected to Make Friends with that person, or are you allowed to defend yourself?”   I know she couldn’t but I still wish…oh well.  Kamala did awesome especially considering the moderator was a joke and Pence is a complete, mansplaining ass.

  71. 71.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 8, 2020 at 8:46 am

    Still no electricity at the homestead after last evening’s line of storms. Debating where to go for something warm.

  72. 72.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:48 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Thanks.  I repeat – Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

    And to answer the kid’s question – it’s because the Republican party is a goddamn pile of shit that’s spent 40+ years trying to destroy any good done by the federal government for those who aren’t trust fund assholes.

  73. 73.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Waffle House or local equivalent.

  74. 74.

    zhena gogolia

    October 8, 2020 at 8:49 am

    @dmsilev:

    Fuck him. Fuck him. I’m presently in the middle of teaching War and Peace virtually. It is like climbing Mount Everest. But I’m doing it. Fuck him.

  75. 75.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 8:53 am

    @dmsilev: Excuse me!  Excuse me!  Debating is only about being able to be an assclown in person and spread a deadly virus to everyone in the room!  Virtual debates are total losers!  SAD!

  76. 76.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 8:54 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    It was 2020’s equivalent to 2016’s “say something nice about each other”, which forced Hill to say “your ex-wives raised nice kids” about his trashpile spawn.

    It provided Page the fig leaf for the useless gruel she so craved.

  77. 77.

    sdhays

    October 8, 2020 at 8:59 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: As I said last night, the question was still better than the question in 2016 asking Hillary and Dump to say something nice about each other. But not much.

    I don’t blame the kid. She’s an eighth grader in Utah. She participated in a contest of sorts and won. Good for her. But can you imagine the other kids who came up with creative questions, ones that they never hear asked, and sent them in only to find some that a warmed over version of a question the media is wringing its hands over at every turn is the one which got chosen? It’s insulting and patronizing.

  78. 78.

    Ken

    October 8, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @mali muso: How long until he tests positive for the ‘rona?

    My guess is negative four days.  As with Trump, we’ll never know the real date and will have to back-project from when treatment begins.

  79. 79.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @evodevo:

    And, yes, Biden should show up and answer the town hall questions anyway lol  “Trump is WEAK  AND a liar” 

    “And a Soviet shitpile mobster conman who’s a god-damned traitor to the United States, and a plague rat who’s killed over 200,000 Americans.”

  80. 80.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 8, 2020 at 9:02 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’d forgotten about 2016’s “say something nice about each other.” Ugh.

  81. 81.

    LarryB

    October 8, 2020 at 9:05 am

    Between the pink eye and the fly, it should be no problem starting a “Pence is a brain-eating zombie” meme. This administration is devolving into a horror show.

  82. 82.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 9:08 am

    @sdhays:

    It IS insulting and patronizing. Page chewed up some valuable informational real estate and put up the equivalent of a second rate shaved ice shack.

  83. 83.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 8, 2020 at 9:10 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Waffle House?! You want me to get shot? What did I do to you?

  84. 84.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 8, 2020 at 9:13 am

    My dear wife, a clinical pharmacist, says Trump is on a treatment protocol that calls for 6 mg of dex per day for 10 days. If that’s true, he’ll be crazier than a shithouse rat by next week.

  85. 85.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 9:15 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    How will we be able to tell the difference?

  86. 86.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 8, 2020 at 9:16 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Waffle House steak and eggs with hashbrowns and some hot coffee will improve everything….

  87. 87.

    Soprano2

    October 8, 2020 at 9:19 am

    @debbie: ETA: Huh, I believe Steve Inskeep has actually muted the operative’s mic a couple of times. This is new.

    Yes, maybe he’s finally learned that Republicans will filibuster you so that you can’t ask the question they don’t want you to ask. Wilbur Ross did that to him yesterday when they were interviewing him about wanting to stop the Census early.

  88. 88.

    cope

    October 8, 2020 at 9:22 am

    So a couple of possibilities spring to mind.  One, is it possible that the “fly” was actually a miniature, insect sized drone?  I know they exist…I saw one on Pinterest.  If it was, what activity might it have been performing on the shorn lamb’s fleece pate of Mr. “Thank You, Mr. Vice President”?

    Also, two, might it be that a Musca domestica is Pence’s support animal?

  89. 89.

    trnc

    October 8, 2020 at 9:23 am

    @dmsilev: Also, apparently one of Trump’s gripes about a virtual debate is that someone could cut off his mic. Uh, yeah, that’s a feature, not a bug.

    Yeah, that’s the setup for the martyrdom when they do. What they should do instead of cutting the mic is lowering the output so that he can continue spewing as much as he wants but Biden will be able to speak. That has the added benefit of being able to go back and listen to what DT says while having zero command of the convo.

  90. 90.

    trnc

    October 8, 2020 at 9:25 am

    @Geoduck: Any idea what is the make or break point in DT’s recovery? IOW, when does he get to the point where either the treatment is really working or it can’t hide the worsening symptoms?

  91. 91.

    Skepticat

    October 8, 2020 at 9:26 am

    I was disappointed in Harris (and yes, I subjected myself to the entire grinding event). Her background as a prosecutor, which is excellent, showed, as she arrived already having decided what she was going to say and said it. It was good but not responsive. I would have preferred to have her address the questions asked, which were surprisingly decent. If you didn’t know that Dense is a lying sack of manure, you might have thought him calm and rational. I so wanted Page to stand up and yell “STOP” when he blathered on, as someone earlier said, like many men talking over women. Harris also missed the chance to say something such as, “You can see that no one in this administration thinks the rules or laws apply to them.” And I did like the calm, smiling way in which Harris said, “I’m speaking now.”

  92. 92.

    Soprano2

    October 8, 2020 at 9:26 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I think Page included the 8th grader’s question because that’s what the press wants to ask. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of adults who think the same way, and that’s because of how the press covers everything. I wish Harris had said something like that in her answer, but I know she couldn’t because it would hurt all their little feelers.

  93. 93.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 8, 2020 at 9:26 am

    @dmsilev: Trump thinks this is a reality TV show.

    And it’s nice to see the Debate Commission thinking about their staff even if Dickhead-In-Chief can’t be bothered.  Masks are a second chance to avoid Mss Corona, it’s much better to not be in the room.

  94. 94.

    Skepticat

    October 8, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @cope: might it be that a Musca domestica is Pence’s support animal?

    More likely his spirit animal.

  95. 95.

    artem1s

    October 8, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @A Ghost to Most:

    Not really my wheelhouse, but christians who aren’t nazis should be playing the “t** is the antichrist” card.

    not going to be particularly effective. Fundagelicals already believe Trump is the anti-Christ. He’s one of a number of boxes they are actively trying to tick off to make the endtimes come faster.  they believe the apocalypse is the will of God and that they should be trying to make the Kingdom come faster.  They aren’t going to listen to people who worship that wimpy limped-wristed Christ who said to give away half of everything you own. They know that supply-side Jeebus will let them keep all the riches they have amassed here on earth and they get a one way ticket to Rapture heaven. Not-nazi Christians basically can’t conceive of how much people like Jim Baker and Falwell have corrupted their religion.

  96. 96.

    trnc

    October 8, 2020 at 9:34 am

    @Skepticat: And I did like the calm, smiling way in which Harris said, “I’m speaking now.”

    I thought Harris let a few easy things go by, like the implication that the economy was in bad shape when DT inherited it. However, the “I’m speaking now” spoken as a patient parent to a 6 year old and Pence’s reaction when he realized he had to shut his yap made up for a lot of it.

  97. 97.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 8, 2020 at 9:42 am

    @artem1s: not going to be particularly effective. Fundagelicals already believe Trump is the anti-Christ. He’s one of a number of boxes they are actively trying to tick off to make the endtimes come faster.  they believe the apocalypse is the will of God and that they should be trying to make the Kingdom come faster.  They aren’t going to listen to people who worship that wimpy limped-wristed Christ who said to give away half of everything you own. They know that supply-side Jeebus will let them keep all the riches they have amassed here on earth and they get a one way ticket to Rapture heaven. Not-nazi Christians basically can’t conceive of how much people like Jim Baker and Falwell have corrupted their religion.

    I would also add what he said;  one of the warped things about Christian-Fascism is how it excuses its’ believers from any failings. Trump is one of the Chosen Elect so manner how vile Trump’s behavior is,  Trump is good because Supply Side Jesus is guiding Trump’s actions, meanwhile since Biden is not one of the chosen elect, no matter how benevolent Biden’s actions are, he is still an awful hellbound sinner because Biden is in league with the Devil. There is simply is no personal agency in Christian Fascism (except for people who chose not be born white, male and rich)  Just consider how Christopher Hitchens, a avowed strident Atheist, did a post-mortem conversion to Christianity because Hitchens was a conservative.

  98. 98.

    Ken

    October 8, 2020 at 10:11 am

    @trnc: There’s a lot of variation in corona cases and we don’t really know when he caught it, so difficult to guess.  He might also end up a long-hauler, so never really get back to full health.

  99. 99.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 8, 2020 at 10:13 am

    Have fun with this one, folks:

    “The Fly,” by Karl Shapiro

    but make sure you’ve eaten a decent interval beforehand – those of delicate and suggestible sensibilities (AFAICT, that includes most of yinz) might find your alimentary canal rejecting a repast consumed too recently.

  100. 100.

    Nicole

    October 8, 2020 at 10:31 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I would also add what he said;  one of the warped things about Christian-Fascism is how it excuses its’ believers from any failings.

    This, a thousand times over.  Having known some of them for a good chunk of my life, they are astoundingly selfish and self-centered.  And judgy as fuck.  One of them once told me she didn’t think Catholics were real Christians because they were too focused on “good deeds.”

    When I need a mood lift, I will still think back to the day I cut them out of my life entirely.

  101. 101.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 8, 2020 at 10:45 am

    @Skepticat: Spirit animal for a doofus well past his Blest By date: Beenelzebub.

  102. 102.

    cain

    October 8, 2020 at 11:04 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Let’s not get crazy.. besides, Chuck Todd would challenge these people but give the Rs a pass. I’m looking forward for lower ratings for his shows.

  103. 103.

    ballerat

    October 8, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    @trnc:. There was no valid reason to have a child deliver a question. Especially the kind they chose for her. For the reason you just demonstrated. It is difficult to criticize because she is a child, and motives can always be dismissed as the naiveté of a child. They used a child to deliver the adults’ bullshit and using a child shielded themselves from pushback on what is a red herring as one of the last questions of the debate.

    Who decided that? Who decided a child would deliver it?

  104. 104.

    ballerat

    October 8, 2020 at 2:13 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: When 8th graders can vote then they can submit questions to a VP debate.

    But yes, it was the people who picked the question that are to blame. Adults with agency using a person without agency to further the adults agenda.

  105. 105.

    Ian

    October 8, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    It is one thing to call a youngster stupid, you get your choice on that.

    It is the “she should delete her social media account and change schools” part that goes from treating this young person as an uneducated being in the process of learning to calling for a scarlet letter on her head.

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