Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

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

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

Everybody saw this coming.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

“But what about the lurkers?”

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Infrastructure week. at last.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Bark louder, little dog.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

T R E 4 5 O N

You are here: Home / Politics / GOP Death Cult / Saturday Night Horrors Open Thread: At the Lamprey Dance

Saturday Night Horrors Open Thread: At the Lamprey Dance

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Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union; his wife Mercedes Schlapp, White House Director of Strategic Communications in the Trump administration; and someone who wears gold lame pumps with a red dress.

From the comments:

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75Comments

  1. 1.

    Winston

    Had to turn on the heat here in Florida today. Bummer. Long sleeves, long pants, socks.

    Also. Now is the time to turn your clocks back an hour.

  2. 2.

    CaseyL

    @Winston: Are you referring to Delta AY.4.2.? So far (admittedly, an extremely small data set) it seems to be more transmissible than regular old Delta, but doesn’t seem to cause more serious illnesses, and the current vaccines are still good protection.

    I know we’re all worried about a variant that can evade the vaccines, but it seems just as likely variants will be more transmissible but less deadly.  Truly “no worse than the flu” – which can be pretty damned bad, which is why we get flu shots every year.  In the long run, Covid will probably be another virus we need yearly shots for.

    ETA: Oh, this is something new.  This comment was No.19, I went back in to edit, and it became Comment No. 2.  How did that happen?

  3. 3.

    Chetan Murthy

    @CaseyL:

    Truly “no worse than the flu.”

    I know what you mean: “it won’t land you in the hospital”.  But the flu only rarely leaves long after-effect symptoms in otherwise-healthy people.  The (admittedly meager — only two studies I’ve seen) evidence is that long covid symptoms are just as prevalent in vaccinated infected people, as in unvaccinated infected people.

    Until we know more, I’m assuming that I don’t want to risk a breakthrough case, b/c long covid.

  4. 4.

    James E Powell

    They are horrible people and we live in a nation filled with people who worship them.

    And our media makes stars out of the worst of them while ignoring decent people who are doing good things.

  8. 8.

    Winston

    @prostratedragon: But BJ runs on Eastern time.

    Don’t think I’ve mentioned this anywhere, but I got all my teeth pulled in June and July and got dentures, which feel like two 3 inch washers floating around in my mouth. So I don’t wear them. I’m sorry I did that.

  9. 9.

    Winston

    I think the squad probably voted against BIF to remind Cenimach of their obligation to pass BBB.

  10. 10.

    rose weiss

    @Winston: So sorry. I’m starting to have serious dental problems too, although thankfully I still have most of my teeth. Dental expenses in this country are highway robbery, so from a financial POV getting all your teeth pulled is the smart thing to do!

  11. 11.

    JWR

    Hey, look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s “Constitutional Republic City” town!

    OROVILLE (CBS13) — The city of Oroville is getting national attention for announcing they will not follow controversial orders issued by the governor or president. The fight stems from a number of federal and state pandemic protection mandates.

    Oroville city leaders are launching a resolution revolution. In a 6-1 vote, the city council declared Oroville a “Constitutional Republic City.”

    “This mandate is not saying we are against laws or for anarchy,” said Scott Thomson, Oroville vice mayor.

    [..]

    “It makes a statement that says, you know, enough is enough. We’re done, we’re tired,” one city councilman said.

    Aw, you’re tarred, ain’tcha? Sorry, boneheads, ‘cuz Covid’s just warming up.

  12. 12.

    Winston

    @rose weiss: getting teeth pulled is the major expense, all right. In 2022 my HMO will cover a set of dentures every 5 years. By that time I think my gums will have healed to a point that they fit.

  16. 16.

    Dan B

    @JWR: Many people have raked Oroville over the coals for their stunt. One of my favorites was the question about whether they would need visas to visit American California.  And there was the question of whether residents would no longer get their Social Security checks.  Many many questions.

  17. 17.

    Winston

    @JWR: Looks to me like covid has a new variant and is heading back up. Hope I’m wrong, be JFC, I’m sick of this pandemic too. Doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on Vaccines or mitigation. We have to fight this.

  18. 18.

    JWR

    @Winston: Owie!

    I’ve long thought that dental costs should be a part of any heath care plan. (Or even in BBB, but thanks to you know who, we can’t have nice things like healthy mouths.) I was forced into early retirement in 2005, when I was only 48, and had just gotten all my lowers, and a few of my upper teeth fixed. But now, I think I’ll probably need at least two implants, which I won’t be able to afford.

    Hope the new choppers work out for you.

  19. 19.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Winston:

    Looks to me like covid has a new variant and is heading back up.

    Um, where did you see this?  Just curious: I know about the Delta sub-variant, but had thought it wasn’t catching on, even in the UK.  Obviously, things may have changed ….

  21. 21.

    Brachiator

    @James E Powell:

    And our media makes stars out of the worst of them while ignoring decent people who are doing good things.

    I don’t know who half these people are. The rest I don’t care about.

  22. 22.

    Winston

    @Chetan Murthy: The long story is dentists filled my molars with  mercury amalgam over the years and likely didn’t know that its property of continual expansion would eventually explode the tooth from within. So all my molars exploded. I had to chew like a rabbit. Even though I had a dentist who thought he could put bridges in to rectify that, he died when he fell of his roof (truth) and never got around to it. After a few years my front teeth were diseased and started falling out. My smile was ugly. So I had them all pulled. I’m willing to have some patience with the dentures but it sucks to eat sometimes. Soft food is a must. I can’t chew. My wife went thru this 20 years ago and I have some experience cooking for her. A food processor is a must.

  27. 27.

    MisterForkbeard

    @JWR: Oroville is super right wing and generally pretty unvaccinated.

    Back when the vaccines were first available and there was a 3-4 week wait in California? You could get them same-day in Oroville, because no one wanted them. It’s an old sad town where the Walmart has destroyed the downtown and when I was last there 10ish years ago they were really excited because a “thai + Japanese” restaurant had moved to town.

    Yeah.

  28. 28.

    Winston

    @Chetan Murthy: Several reports but if you follow worldometer.info you can see we bottomed to a degree in the usa and if past is prolog… you know what I mean. Still to early to tell but no reason to lower ones defenses.

  29. 29.

    Brachiator

    @Winston:

    Sorry to hear about the dental issues.

    Is there anything the dentist can do to help you adjust?

     

    ETA. Just saw your follow up comments.

  30. 30.

    NotMax

    @Winston

    We’ve been fortunate in that Beta hasn’t broken out in a widespread manner. My understanding is that Beta is particularly clever at sidestepping clinically anticipated levels of vaccine protection.

  31. 31.

    JWR

    @NotMax: Boo F*cking Hoo! (Fixed it for him. ;)  )

    @Dan B: I think calling their city a “Constitutional” whatever is just another variant of “F*ck you, Brandon”. I’m just surprised they didn’t call  it a “Constitutional RepublicAN City”.

    @Winston: TV news tonight said that southern Europe is experiencing another wave, just in time for the colder months ahead. And now we get these WATB towns declaring they’re not gonna follow no stinking rules.

  32. 32.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Winston:

    we bottomed to a degree in the usa

    Funny you mention that: here in SF, we’re bumping along at a bottom of 50 cases/day, where back in June it was 10 cases/day.  Sigh.  Yeah, I fear you’re not wrong.  Crossing my fingers waiting for oral antivirals.

  34. 34.

    Winston

    @CaseyL: Well implants are not out of the question. My gums have not yet fully healed. Doc says 6 to 9 months. Just another 5 grand or so. In Costa Rica another 2 grand.

  35. 35.

    eclare

    @Winston:  Around the year 2000, I worked with a woman who needed a lot of expensive dental work.  She went to Canada.  She timed it with some jazz festival and had a nice vacation.  IIRC she went to Montreal.

  36. 36.

    Winston

    @NotMax: Last report that I read was the Y.2.A variant has been detected in 8 states. Preliminarily reported to be more contagious   than delta 1.0. But that hasn’t been confirmed by Rogers and Dorgan.

  38. 38.

    Joey Maloney

    @CaseyL: I bet it has to do with the time change. Did the hour turn over, by chance, between when you posted and when you edited?

  39. 39.

    JWR

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Back when the vaccines were first available and there was a 3-4 week wait in California? You could get them same-day in Oroville, because no one wanted them.

    So, I’m guessing they were stupid way back then, too?

    ;)

  40. 40.

    Yutsano

    @Winston: Meh. I’m not going to panic until there’s something to panic about. From what I have noticed Delta does not like any other variants honing in on its territory.

  43. 43.

    prostratedragon

    @Winston: Clocks go back at 2:00 on local time, so 1:59 Eastern is at 12:59 Central per usual, then a minute later both are showing 1:00.

  49. 49.

    Winston

    @Winston: The plot would be a crime was committed in time zone A while the suspect could prove s(he) was in time zone B. (Just across the border). Maybe I have already seen this movie?

  51. 51.

    mrmoshpotato

    So Trump co-conspirator Jeffrey Clark showed up on his subpoena but refused to testify. Trump’s lackeys & sycophants think this whole thing is a game. They use democracy as their play thing, the right to fair elections as their punchline. Hey DOJ, how about some [email protected] justice?— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) November 6, 2021

    PUNCH THESE FUCKING SHITSTAINS IN THE SHITSTAIN FUCKING FACE WITH THE FULL FUCKING FORCE OF THE FUCKING LAW!

  53. 53.

    opiejeanne

    @sab: I did too, and it could have described either town. The one in Washington is very red, in the very red Okanagon County.

  55. 55.

    JWR

    @mrmoshpotato: NPR has a good quote from Chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson:

    “His refusal to answer questions about the former President’s attempt to use the Department of Justice to overturn the election is in direct contrast to his supervisors at the Department,” Thompson said. “It’s astounding that someone who so recently held a position of public trust to uphold the Constitution would now hide behind vague claims of privilege by a former President, refuse to answer questions about an attack on our democracy, and continue an assault on the rule of law.”

    I want nothing so much as indictments, indictments, and just a few more indictments. IOW, bombshell indictments.

  56. 56.

    Anya

    I don’t know who that lady is but is she doing a parody of AOC’s “tax the rich” Met Gala dress? One thing I know though she’s a right winger and her outfit is tacky AF.

    Also, I keep seeing “let’s go Brandon” on twitter but honestly I have no desire to know what is about. All I know is it’s another rightwing obsession and it’s probably juvenile and weird.

  58. 58.

    Geminid

    @Anya: I think the “Let’s go Brandon” phrase came out of the aftermath of a NASCAR race at Talledega, Alabama. The winner’s first name was Brandon. Fans were chanting “Fu#k Joe Biden” during the post race interview, and one of the broadcasters quipped “they’re saying ‘let’s go Brandon!’ ”

    NASCAR racing has been fading in popularity for fifteen years now, so it is fitting that one of it’s races would supply Republicans with this shabby inside joke.

  60. 60.

    Anya

    @Frankensteinbeck: They are so juvenile. What is it about the Republican Party that attracts assholes who are still stuck in middle school mentality? They don’t even have any creativity. But the shocking part of all of this is how the media continues to cover for them.

    @Geminid: I figured it was something incredibly dumb and juvenile. It also makes sense that southern conservatives love NASCAR. It’s on brand to like high speeds that gets you no-where.

    @John S.: I avoid that imbecile on twitter. I tried to block every possible reference to her so that I don’t lose brain cells whenever I accidentally stumble into dumb attention seeking shit she says or does. Her and the other one from Georgia are obsessed with OAC. It’s so creepy.

  61. 61.

    Nancy

    It’s late for a Saturday night, early for a Sunday morning and here I am, catching up on the Balloon-Juice.
    Much was said about this post already, so I will just add that I deeply admire the subtle slam: “someone who wears gold lame pumps with a red dress,” making my heart sing.

  62. 62.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @MisterForkbeard: Do they have a dentist in Orville? The thing that struck me about Orville the time I was going threw the was the bad teeth.

    “anti-goverment rural California” means drug production.

  64. 64.

    StringOnAStick

    @Winston:  Former dental hygienist here; the healing phase after full extraction is tough and as the tissue heals and adjusts, your gums and the underlying jaw bone structure is going to change, a lot, so constant adjustments to the dentures is part of the process until a steady state is achieved.  Also, implant supported dentures are amazing, 4 implants on top, 4 in the bottom and having dentures that are attached to them means no gum contact for the dentures so they are much easier to tolerate, plus they stay attached no matter what.  Also, not having the roof of your mouth covered by a full upper denture means food tastes better because the subsidiary taste buds up there that help provide nuance to flavours are not covered up.  In implant supported dentures both the top and bottom are the horseshoe shaped arch you have now just for the bottom arch.

    And yes, dental care is way too expensive here.  I never could get over the fact that my second career in dentistry was such an elites only profession.

  65. 65.

    StringOnAStick

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Oroville is a prison town too; lots of jobs there are in “corrections”.  Corrections officers are one of the most poorly vaccinated occupations in the US.  So many of them are failed wannabe cops who couldn’t get hired for various reasons, so their vaccination rates are even worse; seems fitting.

    I have a relative who does admin work in a state prison system.  The prisons are so short staffed that it’s a powder keg and the quit rate continues to increase because of crappy pay, crappy and dangerous working conditions and huge forced overtime rates that keep increasing as the quit rate (or sick/die rate) increases.  I will not be surprised when a big prison riot happens somewhere in the US, and it will be directly traceable to Covid and antivax BS.  Putin’s gonna love it.

  66. 66.

    Miss Bianca

    @John S.: Yep. Recognized her right away. Fortunately, I think a lot of CD-3 is fired up and ready to kick her ass to the curb. At least, that’s what the state Democratic Party seems to think. Le sigh

    @Jerry:  Alas, no. One of the proposed maps had her districted out, but not the current one that looks like it will adopted.

  68. 68.

    Jerry

    @Miss Bianca: Alas, no. One of the proposed maps had her districted out, but not the current one that looks like it will adopted.

    As a great philosopher is often heard saying: blech

  69. 69.

    kindness

    I’m really starting to enjoy the Brandon meme outburst.  Rightwingers love it to death.  Openly going there has to offend some folk though.  Not the Republican base.  They’ve already told us they are all in on being Trump’s Brownshirts.  The middle though.  You know, liberal Republicans (the dozen or two that still exist), independents and people who call themselves Democrats but don’t much act it (Manchin).  It’s so lo-brow it’s sad bordering pathetic.  Wallowing in the gutter is a really odd way to sell one’s identity.  The base thinks it’s helpful but I don’t think that’s what most people think.
    Maybe I’m the one who lives in a bubble, eh?​

  71. 71.

    BigJimSlade

    @JWR: I was saying in another thread that we should impose an export tax of 50% to all goods shipped to the new “Constitutional Republic” of Oroville.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    The blog has always screwed up comment timing on the fall time change. It doesn’t do it in the spring because 2:00-2:59 simply disappears.

  73. 73.

    tokyokie

    @Miss Bianca: Under the previous configuration, the largest city in Boebert’s congressional district was Pueblo. I drove through Pueblo a few months ago, and it’s one of the most depressing, flat-ass broke towns I’ve ever visited even briefly. Pueblo formerly was a major steelmaking site, and I’ve read that it has one of only three foundries in the country capable of producing steel rails for trains, and the infrastructure package is going to mean the country will have to produce a whole lot more train rails. Boebert, of course, voted against the bill and by doing so, she voted directly against the economic interests of the largest city she represents. If Pueblo’s still the largest city in her district, she’s going to lose.

  74. 74.

    dnfree

    @rose weiss: it is terrible what dental work costs. But depending on your age/life expectancy, having all your teeth pulled can lead to disaster. When I had my first crown (in my 30s) there was a woman in the office having extensive surgery. In the days long before HIPAA, the dentist told me she’d had all her teeth pulled in her forties. That leads to the structure of the gum changing so she could no longer use her false teeth—nothing to hold them. So she was having her gums slit open where the teeth used to be and packed with pellets so she’d be able to wear dentures again. “And that’s why you try to keep every tooth you have”, he concluded. I still have that crown 40 years later.

  75. 75.

    CaseyL

    @StringOnAStick: I didn’t know you could get by with only a few implants to bolt a denture to!  I was envisioning replacing every tooth, which would cost at least $40K.

    That’s good to know (I still have most of my teeth, but am also 65, and have bad-ish gums ) and hopefully excellent news for Winston.

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