Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

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

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

People are weird.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tuesday Evening Open Thread: Scotland Rejects the Marquis of Turnberry

Tuesday Evening Open Thread: Scotland Rejects the Marquis of Turnberry

by | 195 Comments

This post is in: 

Per the NYTimes (those turncoats), ‘playing golf is not an essential purpose… ‘

… Rumors that Mr. Trump would head for Scotland flared after a Scottish paper reported that an American military version of a Boeing 757 — sometimes used by Mr. Trump — was scheduled to land at a nearby airport on Jan. 19, the day before Joseph R. Biden Jr. is to be sworn in as president.

“We are not allowing people to come into Scotland,” Ms. Sturgeon told reporters in Edinburgh, “and that would apply to him just as it applies to anybody else — and coming in to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”…

Mr. Trump has owned the Trump Turnberry resort since 2014 and has long thought of it as an escape. In November 2016, according to Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, he had planned on flying to the resort if, as he then expected, he lost the presidential race to Hillary Clinton. In July 2018, Mr. Trump spent two days golfing there during a visit to Britain, before flying to Helsinki, Finland, to meet President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia…

So (tongue so firmly in cheek as to protrude from the vulgar bodily orifice) maybe just a layover on his way to a nice private dacha?

Unlike Mr. Johnson, whom Mr. Trump cultivated as a like-minded populist, Ms. Sturgeon, who is the leader of the Scottish National Party, has never made much of a secret of her views about Mr. Trump.

On the Friday after the election, when Mr. Biden appeared headed for victory, she said on Twitter, “The world can be a dark place at times just now — but today we are seeing a wee break in the clouds.”

Reader Interactions

195Comments

  1. 1.

    NotMax

    Breaking news.
    Several burly men spotted trudging out of MSNBC offices after spending the morning taking turns winding up Steve Kornacki.

    :)

  2. 2.

    debbie

    Any way to get that Turnberry lawn image projected onto 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? I think it might cheer most of the populace to see it.

  3. 3.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Trump is half Scottish right? Can’t he just apply for citizenship? Seems pretty fitting to die on the desolate island of Outer Hebrides.

  4. 4.

    artem1s

    don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but I just realized I’m going to be up all night (and several days) watching election maps and trying to will them to turn blue.

  5. 5.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Aw, let ’em land AF2, just don’t let anyone off the airport grounds. And don’t refuel. After a while, the Secret Service and airmen will figure out that it’s him or them, and nature will take its course.

  6. 6.

    divF

    tongue so firmly in cheek as to protrude from the vulgar bodily orifice.

    I always love it when AL uses an R.A. Lafferty quote.

  7. 7.

    Elizabelle

    Not surprised.  I did not think the great Nicola Sturgeon was going to be down with Trump winging his way over.

  9. 9.

    Bill Arnold

    Open thread, so – Javad Zarif – Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran
    (He tweeted the same in Arabic as well. Bold mine :-)

    Congratulations to Qatar for the success of its brave resistance to pressure & extortion.

    To our other Arab neighbors: Iran is neither an enemy nor threat. Enough scapegoating—especially with your reckless patron on his way out.

    Time to take our offer for a strong region. #HOPE
    — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 5, 2021

  12. 12.

    Elizabelle

    I see the Atlanta Journal Constitution has a headline up:

    Georgia runoff election:  Few problems. short lines

    That could be good.

    Polls close at 7 pm Eastern.

  13. 13.

    Chetan Murthy

    B/c this is a Nicola Sturgeon appreciation thread, has anybody seem the Tracey Ullman sketches where she plays Sturgeon?  Brilliant stuff!  Brilliant stuff!  Almost as good as her portrayal of Angela Merkel!

  14. 14.

    Leto

    @Elizabelle: something windup Kornacki is currently explaining is that each county has different reporting procedures. Some count the in person vote first, some count the mail in ballots first… so there’s going to be a bit of a delay because of course asking Republicans to be consistent is just asking for the fucking moon.

  15. 15.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Another Scott: I’m planning on the Dems losing both seats, but I’m absolutely keeping some whiskey available next to my desk should to best result happen. :)

  17. 17.

    Leto

    @Elizabelle: apparently in strong Dem areas the lines are shorter (more early/mail-in voting) v Repuke areas (GIMMIE DA RONA!); again, hoping team democracy has the momentum.

  18. 18.

    Eunicecycle

    Does anyone know what time the “festivities” start in the joint session of Congress tomorrow?

  19. 19.

    JPL

    @Elizabelle:  I read that in order for the repubs to catch up, they needed turnout to be at least 900,000, and they were on track to get that.    Let’s hope not.

  20. 20.

    Bill Arnold

    Ah, this is more complicated. N757AF is the Trump org’s 757 and last anyone knew it was missing the port engine, and they were looking for a loaner engine to fly it to Louisiana for required maintenance.  He apparently did not expect to need it and had been deferring fixing/maintenance. :-) He also owns (“owns”) a smaller business jet [1] with sufficient range to reach Europe.  He has played games with the ownership of that jet in the past.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Force_One (I’ve read that this is called the T-Bird.)
    Last I knew it was parked at Stewart International airport sans port engine. (Nearby so I might go have a look with binoculars.)
    Naturally, aviation geeks have been gaming this out the last day.
    [1] https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/donald-trumps-other-jet-is-this-heavily-badged-but-seld-1766617173

  21. 21.

    oldster

    Why in God’s name would that loser be allowed to use a US military airplane to fly himself into exile?

    The only military airplane that I want to see him on is a helicopter hovering over rough seas with the side door wide open.

    Up until that time he can fly coach.

  25. 25.

    randy khan

    My father-in-law died today and, yes, it was COVID-19.  He went into the hospital before Christmas and steadily declined.  He was in his 80s, but before he was infected he was as active – still working because he liked what he did – and as healthy as anyone in his 80s could be.  They did everything they could, including remdesivir and antibody treatment, and none of it worked.  We got warning it was coming, so my wife and I were there.  Although of course we couldn’t be right with him, we were as close as we could be.

    I am incredibly sad because my wife loved him dearly and I loved him, too.

    But I’m also angry.  As much as the virus killed him, so did the Trump Administration, through neglect, through all of its conscious decisions to thwart good public health policy, by not wearing masks or social distancing, through its bungled roll-out of the vaccine (he would have been in an early cohort, but it hadn’t reached him yet), and so much more.  And listening to the doctors and nurses, particularly today as they were trying to comfort us while we watched him die, it was obvious how terrible they felt and how frustrated they were.  They’re still there every day – one told us that ICU staff regularly worked extra shifts – trying to save whatever lives they can, but they all know it didn’t have to be this way.

  27. 27.

    Calouste

    @Just Some Fuckhead: He was born outside the UK to British parent who had not been resident in the UK for a long time (if his mother even still held UK citizenship at the time of his birth) so his chances of citizenship are pretty much zero, short of bribing Boris the clown.

  28. 28.

    Alison Rose

    If anyone somehow missed this from right after the 2016 election, Sam Bee sent someone to Scotland to talk to them about Trump, and it was glorious and hilarious. Especially the guy whose property was next to where Trump wanted to build his golf course.

  29. 29.

    Leto

    @JPL: Stacey Abrams on MSNBC right now saying that they’re seeing strong/steady turn out in Dem areas, but it’ll come down to the final numbers. Note of hope but also realism.

  31. 31.

    mrmoshpotato

    @MattF:

    Note that Cleta Mitchell has resigned from her law firm. 

    Let us have a long moment (several decades) of no sadness for her.

  32. 32.

    Princess

    Hearing news that run-off e-day voting > November e-day voting, has got me down — that’s good news for the GOP.

  38. 38.

    Miss Bianca

    @randy khan: Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this. My condolences.

    A friend of mine just posted on FB that she lost her beloved aunt today to COVID. 2020 is the gift that keeps on taking. : (

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    @mrmoshpotato

    Will be popping in periodically to look. Certainly not an uninterrupted viewing; am not anywhere near masochistic enough to subject myself Brian Williams’ insipid verbiage for any extended period.

  43. 43.

    Tim C.

    I know it’s mostly meaningless… but some days I’m proud,  very proud of my Scottish ancestry.

  44. 44.

    Elizabelle

    @randy khan:   I am so sorry.  What a loss for you and your wife, and your FIL was cheated out of several more years of productive life.

    Sad all around.

  50. 50.

    cain

    @randy khan:

    Even so, we collectively killed him and so many others when we refuse to wear masks, social distance, or follow guidelines. Even though our govt failed us, we could have been better people and we weren’t.

    My deep condolences on your loss.

  52. 52.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @cain:  I saw a pic of him today from back when and he was walking ahead of the queen. Not sure he’d be able to navigate that system properly.

  55. 55.

    Jeffro

    I hold the Scots in about the same high esteem as I do the Kiwis at this point.  Excellent leadership that looks out for the country and points out nearly every day that trumpov is a big fat moron.

  56. 56.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @randy khan: Sorry for your loss. When Trump killed John Prine, no one was safe. But, to be fair, Trump didn’t do anything the entire Republican party wouldn’t have done. They don’t believe in collective action and smart government policy. The entire hideous Covid response was their worldview: every man for himself.

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL: Today I saw the video of Stacey Abrams saying that 100,000 people who didn’t vote in November had already voted, many of them being black and latino voters.

  58. 58.

    Jeffro

    @Leto:Stacey Abrams on MSNBC right now saying that they’re seeing strong/steady turn out in Dem areas, but it’ll come down to the final numbers.

    Like every post-game football interview ever.  “Well, we played hard, gave it our best, but in the end, the team that scores the most points is gonna win the game.”

    Insightful!  ;)

  62. 62.

    Elizabelle

    How quickly does Georgia count its mail in vote?  Have they been able to start counting earlier, or do they have to wait for the polls to officially close?

  64. 64.

    raven

    @Elizabelle: yes

    The polls are set to close at 7 p.m. EST on Election Day, and that’s when ballot counting can begin. Absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls to be counted. Military and overseas ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by Friday will be counted, and absentee voters also have until Friday to fix any problems so their votes can be counted.

    No ballots, including absentee ballots received in advance of Election Day, can be counted until the polls close. But a state election board rule requires county election officials to begin processing absentee ballots — verifying signatures on the outer envelope, opening the envelopes and scanning the ballots — before Election Day. That should speed things up on election night. Still, some absentee ballots received by mail or in drop boxes up until 7 p.m. on Election Day will still need to be processed.

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    Georgia has too many counties.

    NY: 62 counties.
    PA: 67 counties.
    FL: 67 counties.
    GA: 159 counties.

    //

  74. 74.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @randy khan:

    My deepest condolences on losing your dad.

    Fuck Trump and fuck the party of Sedition, the Republican party. Oh, and fuck their seditious supporters. They own these deaths because not only did they choose to do nothing to prevent them but they also actively sabotaged attempts to do anything.

    Fucking treasonous, seditious murderers.

  77. 77.

    MattF

    @Elizabelle: From the NYT:

    Lisa Lerer 3m ago

    Officials were able to process and organize, but not count, early votes before 7 p.m. They hope that rule change will speed up counting of the 3.1 million early ballots cast.

  78. 78.

    Another Scott

    Whoo, hooo! Warnock and Ossoff are ahead!!

    Ossoff 536 / Perdue 187
    Warnock 534 / Loeffler 189

    (According to Google’s summary of AP results.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  79. 79.

    debbie

    @raven:

    Good news that mail-ins can be processed ahead of time. That’ll cut off one avenue Trump can misuse to claim fraud.

  80. 80.

    banditqueen

    @randy khan:  Condolences and comfort to you and your family–no, it didn’t need to be like this. May your FIL’s memory always be a blessing & may he rest in power.

  81. 81.

    Chetan Murthy

    @randy khan: Randy, I’m so sorry for you and esp. for your wife and her immediate family.  Nothing anybody can do, can make up for, undo, your loss.  May his memory be a blessing to you and your family.

    For the rest of us, all we can do is to carry with us the memory of these people, unjustly taken before their time, by the moral and mental imbecility of the monsters who rule us.  So that we never forget, and never forgive them, for what they’ve done to us, for the people and the health they’ve robbed.

    And last, it’s a reminder of why we quarantine, isolate, distance, mask, wash, etc.  So that we can do our part to make sure our neighbors don’t have to die.

  85. 85.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @NotMax: Virginia has the third most counties right behind Georgia and we don’t have any problems running elections. Of course, we don’t have Republicans running elections so there’s that..

  88. 88.

    debbie

    @Elizabelle:

    No hope of ever finding it, but there was a Trump tweet a few years ago tsktsking Nicola Sturgeon about something, and the colorfully worded replies were hilarious.

  92. 92.

    NotMax

    @raven

    IIRC there was a small dust-up over the Georgia 25 cent piece showing a map of the state which was missing one county completely (Dade?), a notch in the state border being depicted instead.

  93. 93.

    Elizabelle

    @debbie:   It will surface again.  We’ll keep an eye out.

    No one has gotten tired of dissing Trump.

    And the Scots in the Sam Bee segment have his number.

  96. 96.

    raven

    @NotMax:

    In 1800, Georgia had 24 counties. As the state grew, so did the number of counties.

    “Counties were created not to be so large that the citizens could not reach the county seat within a reasonable one day round trip,” Harry Hayes, Senior Public Service Associate with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government said.

    There were political implications.

    Until 1962, Georgia used the County Unit System to choose many elected officials. The system gave more political muscle to urban counties, so it benefited rural Georgia to create more counties and therefore more muscle.

    “Another rural county, that’s two more rural votes there, off-set those interests in Atlanta,” Charles Bullock, Political Science Professor at the University of Georgia explained.

    In 1945, the Georgia Constitution capped the number of counties at 159.

    Some are quite small. Taliaferro County has a population of about sixteen-hundred people.

    “There’s occasionally talk about consolidating counties, but it never gets very far because the hometown folks are saying we want to keep our separate identity,” Bullock went on to say.

    What may seem like an excessive number of counties isn’t so much when you consider some states are loaded with special purpose districts that are an added form of government.

    When you look at the number of counties per capita, Georgia’s not in the top ten.

    Two states are divided into counties, but in Connecticut and Rhode Island counties have no governmental function.

  97. 97.

    Ohio Mom

    Randy Khan: Crap! So unfair, so unnecessary and so, so sad. What a terrible loss.

    I hope there is some comfort in seeing how hard the doctors and nurses fought for him.

  98. 98.

    Jinchi

    I know it’s a quirk of the early count, but the Democrats are currently leading the reported vote by 70%-30%.

  102. 102.

    JanieM

    @randy khan:  Sorry to hear it, randy khan. It’s hard enough at the best of times, horrible right now when you know it didn’t have to be this way.

  103. 103.

    cain

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    @cain:  I saw a pic of him today from back when and he was walking ahead of the queen. Not sure he’d be able to navigate that system properly.

    Yeah, you can’t disrespect the queen there – but he can probably break all kinds of other rules and some of those folks will cheer him on.

    I mean, we thought rules were sacrosanct here too – but nope.

  110. 110.

    Aziz, light!

    I’m not expecting wins. White repub suburbos who didn’t want to vote for Trump will faithfully turn out for their corrupt pols this time. They will tell you it’s to maintain “balance.”

  114. 114.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: Good to know.  In November there were definitely places that had the option, but they allowed the county to decide.  Glad to know that’s not the case today.

  115. 115.

    Brachiator

    Comedian Jane Godley channels her inner Nicola Sturgeon on Trump

    “Listen if wee Jeanette canny visit her granny in Prestwick, then Trump canny fly into it”

  117. 117.

    Jinchi

    @Hildebrand: Yep – my confidence is not high regarding the Democrat’s chances.

    Not sure why all the negativity here. The Democrats have at least even odds of winning this. Early voting was record breaking, especially in areas Dems perform strongly. I know it’s early, but with 10% reporting NYT’s Live forecast has been edging slowly into the blue (currently Warnock +0.7%, Ossoff +0.6%), which means they’re outperforming expectations in areas that have been counted.

  120. 120.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @NotMax: They’re essentially fiefdoms. The waste because of duplication of services in each county has to be horrendously inefficient. Look at a national map of counties and you see that the east is carved up into tiny chunks, most with small numbers of people in them.

    I’m sure it leads to more county jobs for rugged patriotic individuals so they can say that they have a job and don’t suck off of the government teat, so there’s that.

  121. 121.

    randy khan

    @Ohio Mom:

    I hope there is some comfort in seeing how hard the doctors and nurses fought for him.

    There is.  There definitely is.

    And this is a good point to add that they are all really beaten up by dealing with this for 9 months.  You can tell from their voices and the way they talk about the disease that they’re all hurting, and will still be hurting for a while after this is over.

    Yet they’re still committed to providing the best care and fighting for their patients as much as possible.  We spent a couple of hours in the ICU today, and watching the nurse who was caring for my father-in-law was a balm.  Her touch was gentle and precise, even comforting, despite the gloves, gown, face shield, respirator, and mask.  You could see how much she cared, even though she knew he only had a little time left.

  122. 122.

    Baud

    @Jinchi:

    I think we’re a slight underdog.  I don’t believe in aggressively predicting failure, but I don’t think we’re favored. Glad to hear the early numbers are positive.

  124. 124.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @randy khan: I’m so sorry for your loss.  I’m already so beyond-fuming mad at these fuckers, I can’t even imagine how much that would escalate if I lost someone close to Covid.  Be good to yourself.

  125. 125.

    WaterGirl

    @Jinchi:

    NYT’s Live forecast has been edging slowly into the blue (currently Warnock +0.7%, Ossoff +0.6%), which means they’re outperforming expectations in areas that have been counted.

    Would you mind explaining that in more detail?  I don’t quite get what you’re saying

    edit: I get what you’re saying but I don’t understand how/why one thing is related to the other.

  126. 126.

    dmsilev

    @Jinchi: I know it’s a tiny gap especially so early in the count, but I was a little surprised to see Warnock running slightly better than Ossoff; I’d have guessed any ticket splitting would have tilted in the opposite direction because racism.

  128. 128.

    Mel

    @Chetan Murthy: 

    It is fabulous! She has an older skit series where she is a frighteningly believable doomsday prepper / militia wife. I think the character is “Birdie Godsen”. The skit where she’s hunkered down waiting for the apocalypse is a treasure.

  130. 130.

    patrick II

    If it’s close (and it probably will be) there may not be winners until tomorrow.  Tomorrow may be an historically BFD.

    If it’s very close, and as raven notes above, military absentee ballots accepted until Friday. That would be too much tension for too long.

  132. 132.

    Barbara

    @randy khan: I am really sorry.  A co-worker’s father in law died last April, and yes, he was old, but he was active and as healthy as someone his age could be.  Death is natural and grief is always hard, but knowing that so many don’t care makes it so much worse.  Condolences to you and your wife and all your family.

  137. 137.

    Mary G

    @randy khan: Oh Randy, I am so sorry for your family’s avoidable loss. When I saw video of Pence swearing in Tommy Tuberville, both wearing masks and greeting each other with elbow bumps. I just wanted to scream. If they had done that from day 1, so many could have been saved.

  138. 138.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    I think we’re a slight underdog.

    The polls gave the Democrats a small but noticeable lead.  Of course we’ve all learned to distrust polls, but it’s a data point.

  139. 139.

    Brachiator

    @Jinchi:

    Not sure why all the negativity here. The Democrats have at least even odds of winning this.

    I am trying to be neutral about this. The polls and other stuff don’t really matter.

    We shall see how it all turns out.

  140. 140.

    prostratedragon

    @randy khan:  At least there is comfort in that at this sad and enraging time. My condolences, and may you and his caregivers eventually find peace.

  141. 141.

    Jinchi

    @dmsilev: I know it’s a tiny gap especially so early in the count, but I was a little surprised to see Warnock running slightly better than Ossoff

    Actually, it’s kind of what I expected. Warnock outperforming Ossoff among the Democratic base, Ossoff outperforming Warnock in rural areas. That would give Warnock a broader range: doing really well relative to Ossoff in a Democratic sweep and more poorly relative to Ossoff if the Republican turnout was stronger.

    If one was to eke it out and the other to lose it, I would bet Warnock for the win.

  142. 142.

    Baud

    @Roger Moore:

    Exactly. I think the history of the state balances the slight lead in polls that are a little less trusted.  It would not surprise me at all if we win, but I still think the odds are just under 50%.

  143. 143.

    Roger Moore

    @WaterGirl:

    The basic idea with FTFNYT’s needles is that they compare the vote in this election with the vote in past elections as a way of predicting the outcome.  For example, if Candidate D is leading Candidate R in county X by 20%, but was only leading by 16% in the previous election, that suggests a 4% swing compared to the last election.  If Candidate R finished 2% ahead statewide last time, that suggests Candidate D would win by 2% this time.  If you do that county by county or precinct by precinct, you can make a pretty good prediction of the outcome even before all the votes are counted.  If you also factor in some measure of turnout, you can do even better.

  145. 145.

    Mike in NC

    @WaterGirl:  Aren’t we all supposed to start using the expression, “Big Biden Deal” in honor of Joe returning the White House to adult supervision?

  148. 148.

    patrick II

    @randy khan:

    I am very sorry for your loss.  This year there as been too many reports of lost family members such as yours.

    Everyone I read here, both in the comments and on the front page, seems to be such decent people that I wish them all well. We have faced the double threat of an invisible killer and a government that is too immoral to do what it should have to fight it.   People here work with the intention of making things better, and it is good to join you and others and feel a very small part of a good community and to know they feel for you too.

  149. 149.

    Jinchi

    @MattF: Pence has told Trump he can’t change election result.

    I hope he had his Secret Service detail nearby when he said it. Trump probably figures he can shoot anybody on WH grounds and pardon himself before the body hits the ground.

  150. 150.

    Amir Khalid

    @randy khan:

    My condolences on your loss. You are absolutely right: it didn’t have to be this way. Trump didn’t have to be so maliciously derelict in presidential duty.

  151. 151.

    dmsilev

    Right now, a Dem sweep is the single likeliest outcome, but a Warnock/Perdue split (while still unlikely) is a bit likelier than I would've guessed before polls closed.— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 6, 2021

  153. 153.

    Geminid

    @dmsilev: It may not be ticket splitting, but rather an undervote for Loeffler. She is more closely identified with Governor Kemp. His appointment of Loeffler was panned at the time by conservative leaders. Some conservatives may be mad enough at the party establishment to not vote for Loeffler in protest, even if they don’t  vote for Warnock. Plus, as another commenter suggested, misogyny may play a role.

  154. 154.

    Elizabelle

    @dmsilev:   Please, please, please, please.

    To two new Democratic Senators, and ensconcing Stacey Abrams as a secular saint.

    Enjoying a vermouth; jazz on in background.  Time to have some dinner soon.  Suspect watching cable news online would just agitate.

  156. 156.

    zhena gogolia

    I am nervous enough. It will be Downton Abbey for me tonight.

    ETA: Speaking of which, I no longer find Lady Mary’s behavior with Mr. Pamuk plausible in the slightest. Funny how things look so different a few years later.

  157. 157.

    tokyokie

    I’m happy that Scotland nixed the soon-to-be fugitive’s flight to the Highlands, but it really steams me that for Trump, breaking with tradition by not attending in the swearing-in of his successor is not enough, he not only intended to skedaddle to one of his golf resorts, he chose the one that would cost the government the most money, one final grift of the U.S. Treasury. What a horrible person. I wish when he’s flown to exile, the pilots change the destination to McMurdo Station and drop the entire rotten family there.

  158. 158.

    planetjanet

    Virginia never stops having elections.  One of our sophomore “blue wave” delegates decided to run for governor.  It has not been easy for candidates to organize over the holidays in a pandemic.  Jennifer Carrol Foy resigned less than a month ago.  Looks like we will hold the seat as Candi King is ahead with all precincts reporting at 51.5% to 48.4%, a 263 vote lead.  There is one other special election in HD 90, where the Democrat resigns to accept a judgeship.  Angelia Graves easily held that for the Democrats 63% to 36%.   Breathing sigh of relief now.

  161. 161.

    Jinchi

    @Geminid: It may not be ticket splitting, but rather an undervote for Loeffler.

    There’s definitely some ticket splitting, you can see it in the counts currently being reported.

  167. 167.

    Leto

    From some of the small counties that have almost all of their vote in, Republican turnout is down anywhere from 15-23% from just Nov. Apparently that was something Republican officials were worried about. Will have to send Trumpov an extra hamberder for his help.

  169. 169.

    raven

    @Leto: Washington County flipped and every time we go through Sandersville there is a huge trump billboard. It’s the home of kaolin so there is that.

  170. 170.

    NotMax

    @zhena gogolia

    Should you ever happen across it (library maybe?) you’d likely really enjoy St. Ives, a/k/a All For Love. Not streaming anyplace at the moment, apparently.

    Definitely not to be confused with the Charles Bronson movie of the same name.

  172. 172.

    planetjanet

    @Elizabelle:  I am worried I am going to lose my delegate who decided to run for Lt. Governor after two terms.  This seat has been so red for so long and I have only been able to enjoy it being blue for three years.  Just not enough.

  173. 173.

    Geminid

    @Jinchi: the relative numbers among among same party candidates will be interesting. Besides misogyny, a commenter yesterday mentioned anti-semitism as a potential factor. Not that people are going to admit either prejudice to exit pollers.

  177. 177.

    Roger Moore

    @Leto:

    I assume some of the drop-off is due to Trump not being on the ballot.  As much as Trump turned off some more moderate voters, he also brought out a lot of extremist crazies, and that probably helped the Republicans overall.  Without him on the ballot, the crazies aren’t going to show up, and not all of the moderates are going to swing back to supporting the Republicans down-ballot.

  181. 181.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Of course, it’s the number of votes for each Democrat relative to his Republican opponent that matters. The same-party comparison is just interesting in a wonky way.

  185. 185.

    Leto

    @raven: I had not heard about it until Avalune and I applied for WIC when we were a young, young couple in college. They also asked about freezer burn. We said no to both, and also though, “what the hell?” I’m reading through that article you sent and it takes it down a different path. Personally I’ve never seen white/black/red dirt for sale, but it doesn’t surprise me?

    @Roger Moore: that and also you have him/Traitorous Twelve/reich-wing media all screaming about how the vote was stolen, so I’m sure that helped depress their own vote too. I’m not going to stop them from stepping on their own dicks…

  186. 186.

    raven

    @Leto: My wife worked in the WIC program for many years. The local grocery store used to have it but now it’s mostly in little stores in rural towns.

  187. 187.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Well, with nearly 2 million votes counted in rach, Warnock was running ~7500 votes ahead of Ossoff, and Loeffler was running ~7500 votes behind Perdue. No discernable undervote for Loeffler. Just a small amount of ticket splitting.

  188. 188.

    FelonyGovt

    @randy khan: I’m so sorry. Infuriating to think he was robbed of more time he (and your family) should have had. May his memory be a blessing.

  189. 189.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @randy khan: I am so sorry. I just found out today a friend’s 56 year old brother died. And another’s elderly mom is in the hospital. Like Dr Fauci said it is going to be a very dark winter and it didn’t have to be that way.

  190. 190.

    Leto

    @raven: Our town had Bi-Lo’s, Food Lion (which recently bought out Bi-Lo), Piggly Wiggly, and later a Publix. None of them carried it as far as I know, and I worked at our Bi-Lo for a few years. Now you have me wondering about it and I need to text my dad about it in the morning!

Comments are closed.