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T R E 4 5 O N

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

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

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Bark louder, little dog.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

No one could have predicted…

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

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Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

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You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Friday Morning Open Thread: Another Helluva Week, Eh?

Friday Morning Open Thread: Another Helluva Week, Eh?

by Anne Laurie|  May 6, 20229:05 am| 157 Comments

This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

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To be honest, it induces the same reaction in me. https://t.co/tlcqxyWWmW

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 6, 2022

A changing of the guard:

"This is a historic moment, and it's not lost on me."

Karine Jean-Pierre will be the next White House press secretary. She is the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. https://t.co/oUnuae8pjY pic.twitter.com/5B8rbsFIun

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 6, 2022


President Biden just announced Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be White House Press Secretary. Karine will step into the Press Secretary role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13, per WH

— Steve Holland (@steveholland1) May 5, 2022

Doocy: Sorry to see you go
Psaki: Are you? pic.twitter.com/QerK6a4GE0

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 5, 2022


Big pouties from the Media Village Idiots!

sitting on confirmation about a personnel change for less than 24 hours is not actually worth noting https://t.co/LLAaLZkXh8

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) May 5, 2022

President Joe is *such* a normie, and we are all duly grateful for that:

President Joe Biden marked Cinco de Mayo by honoring the impact that Mexican Americans and other immigrant communities have had in the United States as he hosted a White House party with Mexico’s first lady as the guest of honor. https://t.co/DdvQbbJBnk pic.twitter.com/3bsXgabDqk

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 5, 2022

"This MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that has existed in American history, in recent American history," Biden says, responding to a Q on the SCOTUS abortion draft opinion.

— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) May 4, 2022

Today, I met with grassroots worker organizers to thank them for their leadership in organizing unions. From the Amazon Labor Union to IATSE at Titmouse Productions, these folks are inspiring a movement of workers across the country to fight for the pay and benefits they deserve. pic.twitter.com/QZwdUEX3Xp

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 5, 2022

President Joe Biden hailed Team USA for bringing some unity to a deeply divided and pandemic weary nation.

About 600 athletes from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the delayed 2020 Tokyo summer games attended the White House celebration.https://t.co/qoRwwUoJOU pic.twitter.com/mvoxa8MrzH

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 4, 2022

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Reader Interactions

157Comments

  1. 1.

    japa21

    May 6, 2022 at 9:08 am

    Good morning.

  2. 2.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 9:10 am

    Oooh, I hope being lumped in with the MAGA crowd stings the Federalist Society hacks on the court. Sorry, guys, but if your goals are indistinguishable….

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:12 am

    A flamboyance of flamingos fly over a creek in Mumbai, India.

    I did not know that that is what a flock of flamingos is called. I like it, almost as much as a murder of crows..

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:15 am

    @Ken: ​I’ll bet they’re proud to wear that label.

  5. 5.

    Lapassionara

    May 6, 2022 at 9:17 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I wonder who makes these kinds of decisions? In the olden days, we used to buy an almanac every year or so, just be a cause we could find out what to call a group of animals, and other such interesting trivia.

  6. 6.

    rikyrah

    May 6, 2022 at 9:20 am

    Good Morning Everyone ???

  7. 7.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:21 am

    i think a lot about the day the scion of the family that owns the NYT literally inherited the publisher role and NYT writers’ brains just hit the frying pan and they started talking about fuckin noblesse oblige pic.twitter.com/6vP2eXbFjQ

    — worms cited (@christapeterso) September 27, 2020

    [the Paper Of Record]: our lord has ascended

    — worms cited (@christapeterso) September 27, 2020

  8. 8.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:23 am

    @Lapassionara: Who knows? But I love accidentally finding these little tidbits of info.

  9. 9.

    Steve in the ATL

    May 6, 2022 at 9:23 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: that sounds FABULOUS!

  10. 10.

    narya

    May 6, 2022 at 9:23 am

    @Lapassionara: I knew someone who made up names for collections of things/people (they weren’t real, but they were fun; I wish I could remember any of them).

    I spent this early morning calculating when I can pay off my mortgage and when I can retire–without screwing myself financially–and whether I can do the latter before I’m eligible for Medicare. I’m eligible next year, but the constant grinding my teeth over work tells me I should get out as soon as I can. My “solution” to these kinds of problems is always to create spreadsheets! and more spreadsheets! I find it soothing.

  11. 11.

    brantl

    May 6, 2022 at 9:25 am

    I can’t wait for the new lady to own Douchey the same way Psaki does.

  12. 12.

    taumaturgo

    May 6, 2022 at 9:26 am

    These are the words:
    Today, I met with grassroots worker organizers to thank them for their leadership in organizing unions. From the Amazon Labor Union to IATSE at Titmouse Productions, these folks are inspiring a movement of workers across the country to fight for the pay and benefits they deserve. pic.twitter.com/QZwdUEX3Xp

    — President Biden (@POTUS) May 5, 2022

    This was the 2020 campaign promise: “ensure federal contracts only go to employers who sign neutrality agreements committing not to run anti-union campaigns.”

    This was the action = The Biden administration has re-awarded a massive $10 billion federal contract to Amazon despite the anti-union efforts exhibited against the employees union organizing in State Island.

  13. 13.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:27 am

    it would be unbelievably funny if ginni thomas actually leaked the decision but i’m not sure she knows how to use a scanner or attach a file

    — Jane (@JaneOst_) May 6, 2022

    She’s always had an assistant and they often become Thomas clerks later on.

    — Norm Charlatan (@normcharlatan) May 6, 2022

    maybe it was the woman who lived with them for a while (the one who got a federal clerkship after getting fired from tpusa for being *too* racist)

    — sookie steakhouse (@DominantDeluise) May 6, 2022

  14. 14.

    la caterina

    May 6, 2022 at 9:27 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning rikyrah!

  15. 15.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 9:32 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I dunno. Remember that one of the few things we know (so far) about Trump’s actions on January 6 is that he didn’t like the way the mob his supporters dressed. I may be misremembering the word “low-class” was used.

    I can readily imagine that people who plan to overthrow democracy properly, by issuing rulings from the bench, might not like being associated with those nasty insurrectionists. Even if they’re married to someone who pays the mob’s expenses.

  16. 16.

    Steeplejack

    May 6, 2022 at 9:34 am

    @japa21, @rikyrah:

    Good morning! ?

  17. 17.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:36 am

    @Ken: I’ll right them letters referring to them as “MAGA head Supreme Court Justice…” and we’ll see if any of them object.

  18. 18.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 9:38 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Perfect name!

  19. 19.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 9:41 am

    @germy: maybe it was the woman who lived with them for a while (the one who got a federal clerkship after getting fired from tpusa for being *too* racist)

    Worst idea ever for a remake of Three’s Company.

  20. 20.

    Ohio Mom

    May 6, 2022 at 9:41 am

    @narya: Ohio Dad timed it so he’d have just enough COBRA coverage to get him to the magic number of 65.

    He went with COBRA rather than a ACA plan because it was the last part of Trump’s term and he was afraid that if Trump was re-elected, the ACA would be no more and he’d be without coverage for at least six months. (I wasn’t affected because I’m older and was already on Medicare, and Ohio Son was already on Medicaid because of his disability).

    So yeah, I get your spreadsheets. Retirement takes a lot of strategizing.

  21. 21.

    kalakal

    May 6, 2022 at 9:42 am

    On a bright note the UK local election results are going very badly for the Dear Leader. As a background the seats in question were until yesterday the result of all time high result for Labour in 2018 so in “normal” times one would expect them to struggle to maintain that level. Of interest also are the excellent results for the Greens*. As a standout Labour have gained Westminster, formed in 1960 and has never not been Tory

    UK 2022 council elections

    *A note for our American viewers: UK Greens in no way, shape or form resemble their US homonyms.

  22. 22.

    kalakal

    May 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @Lapassionara: A Classification of Cataloggers ?

  23. 23.

    Jeffro

    May 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @Ken: exactly

    “you don’t get to call yourselves ‘Rockefeller Republicans’ anymore, GOP.  If you’re fine with normalizing insurrection and racism, if you’re all about rolling back Roe and keeping tax cuts for billionaires, if you won’t denounce the lunatics in your own party…you’re MAGA”

  24. 24.

    Amir Khalid

    May 6, 2022 at 9:45 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I’ve always wondered: is a flock of loons called an asylum?

  25. 25.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:47 am

    It girl, model, singer, songwriter, Sky Ferreira declines date with Elon Musk after being asked by his team at the 2022’s Met Gala pic.twitter.com/bUTbeOjbWO

    — Pop Crave (@pop_crawe) May 5, 2022

    Lmao he’s working his way down the alt spotify playlist https://t.co/ISG9ZxqtQ4

    — Pugmane ? ? ? (@pugmane) May 5, 2022

  26. 26.

    Danielx

    May 6, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @Ken:

    It has always struck me as passing strange that most of Trump’s hard core supporters are people that he wouldn’t sit down to a meal with on a bet, let alone having them in his home. They are marks and he needs them, but aside from that he holds them in contempt. No great surprise, he holds anyone not named Donald Trump in contempt.

    Conversely, it’s pretty easy to imagine Biden sitting down to dinner with average supporters, even if it did cause his Secret Service detail to have kittens.

  27. 27.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @kalakal: A catalogue of classifiers?

  28. 28.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @kalakal: Someone mentioned yesterday that polls showed Sinn Fein might end up with the majority/plurality in the NI Assembly. I’m curious how that will turn out, having friends in Ireland.

  29. 29.

    hueyplong

    May 6, 2022 at 9:48 am

    @Ken: The list of things that don’t sting the Federalist Society types is probably pretty short.

  30. 30.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:49 am

    In @JDVance1, Ohio Democrats have their nightmare, a boot-strapped hard-scrabble Appalachian to blue-collar voters, a Yale-educated businessman to suburbanites. @TimRyan will have to win the suburbs big, but don't count on it. w/ @jazmineulloa https://t.co/beluLOVce2

    — Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) May 5, 2022

    New game: @nytimes article or Republican press-release? https://t.co/hKAmhzDNNj

    — David Rothschild ?? (@DavMicRot) May 5, 2022

  31. 31.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 9:50 am

    @germy: Elon Musk has a team to ask women if they’ll date him? Further proof that his social development stalled out in high school. “Jeff, could you ask Amy to ask Mary if she’d go to prom with me?”

  32. 32.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2022 at 9:51 am

    Whole lot of reports that a russian missile frigate, the Admiral Makarov, is on its way to join the Moskva at the bottom of the Black Sea. Would be a real shame if they turned out to be true.

    Surveillance aircraft are very busy:

    I’ll bet these electronic surveillance aircraft are watching something special, maybe even the Russian missile-frigate Admiral Makarov, or maybe another potential target. They can “see” quite far. But, something’s afoot; screenshot just now, open source. pic.twitter.com/T1A91f3bXv
    — Anne Clayton (@FloridaTweeter) May 6, 2022

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 9:51 am

    @Amir Khalid: I think they’re called a “laughter of loons”.

  34. 34.

    narya

    May 6, 2022 at 9:52 am

    @Ohio Mom: That’s precisely what I’m trying to do. There are a few variables–paying off the mortgage is the big one, plus making sure I have enough to pay living expenses for as long as possible (to maximize the SS benefit).

  35. 35.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:53 am

    @Ken:

    And he arranged to be seated at her table.

    “Money can’t buy me love”
    (Lennon/McCartney)

  36. 36.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 6, 2022 at 9:55 am

    @Amir Khalid: Loons don’t really flock.

  37. 37.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 9:58 am

    @Jeffro:

    “Rockefeller Republicans”

     

    Rockefeller was a NY Governor who allowed the Black inmates at Attica prison to be slaughtered.

  38. 38.

    kalakal

    May 6, 2022 at 9:58 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Your idea is better he said grudgingly

  39. 39.

    Alison Rose ???

    May 6, 2022 at 10:00 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I already own this shirt, now I need a flamingoes one.

  40. 40.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:02 am

    @kalakal: ;-)

  41. 41.

    Alison Rose ???

    May 6, 2022 at 10:02 am

    I appreciate that people are remembering to say she’s the first OUT queer person, and hopefully this means she will not be the last.

    Also, every single time I see a tweet from Ashley Parker, it makes me want to scour my family tree to make sure we’re not related somehow. Christ, what a dolt.

  42. 42.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2022 at 10:06 am

    While the song is always entertaining, the accompanying anecdote is the cherry on top.

    ;)

  43. 43.

    Steeplejack

    May 6, 2022 at 10:07 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    A loneliness of loons.

  44. 44.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 10:07 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    How the hell does BillinGlendale have the time to fly to Mumbai?

    Amazing photo, thanks!

    And, I learned this weekend that the term for a buncha ravens (the non-GA kind, that is) is an “unkindness.”

    I guess I’m glad there are no animals named “SFAW”s; the flock/herd/communist collective name would prob’ly be something like “a clusterfuck of SFAWs” or similar.

  45. 45.

    laura

    May 6, 2022 at 10:08 am

    @narya: how about “a lack of principals” that’s my personal fave for a collection. I’m stoked for Karine Jean-Pierre as Jen Psaki’s replacement. But most of all, in this rancid week, is the Labor Movement on the march, the worker solidarity and the absence of worker animus starting with President Biden. Having some measure of control over your work life even just the predictability of work hours can make all the difference in the world. And for those of you who may not be familiar with unions and what they do, they exist to improve the economic and work lives of their members (and others!). A union contract is Mutually agreed upon work rules and who could possibly object to that?

  46. 46.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    May 6, 2022 at 10:11 am

    @Steeplejack: I’m sure people probably know this already but a flock of Crows is called a murder.

  47. 47.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 10:11 am

    @germy:

    It girl, model, singer, songwriter, Sky Ferreira declines date with Elon Musk after being asked by his team

    WTF, is he a sixth grader? “Hey, Sky, Elon asked Suzie to ask me to ask you if you’d maybe want to go steady on a date with him sometime.”

  48. 48.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:12 am

    @laura: ​Management.

  49. 49.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 10:13 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us:

    I’m sure people probably know this already but a flock of Crows is called a murder.

    True, but did you know a flock of seagulls is called an “iran”?

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:13 am

    @SFAW: You know what they call a group of Ozark Hillbillies? A Hoedown.

  51. 51.

    Kathleen

    May 6, 2022 at 10:16 am

    @Alison Rose ???: Isn’t she awful? She takes an uplifting story with historical implications and makes it a poutrage  that WH supposedly lied about the appointment, thus thwarting a WaPoo scoop. I also think she had some “why does Biden visit loved ones in a cemetery” tweets. She is vile

    ETA. On another note, President Biden is visiting Cincinnati area today, specifically Hamilton, Ohio, where “Biden will meet with manufacturing leaders to see new additive manufacturing technologies at work and discuss his plan to make more throughout the country,” the release stated.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 6, 2022 at 10:17 am

    @SFAW: Delete your account.

  53. 53.

    dmsilev

    May 6, 2022 at 10:17 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: 
    A convenient list of venery terms . Sadly, loons aren’t listed. Will you accept a “leap of leopards” as a substitute?

  54. 54.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 10:17 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us: And it’s a “parliament of rooks”, which is one of my favorite Gaiman Sandman stories.

  55. 55.

    zhena gogolia

    May 6, 2022 at 10:17 am

    Haha, for the ongoing “OLDS VS YOUNGS” debate, Part 1,0003: I was going through some old files looking for something and found my letter of 5 August 1996 to President Bill Clinton:

    I will not vote for you in November, although as a lifelong Democrat I had planned to, and I will do my best to persuade my friends to deny you their votes. In your cynical calculations you have repeatedly betrayed the ideals of the Democratic party, knowing that people like me had no one else to vote for, because, after all, the Republicans are even worse. But now you have committed such a shameful and cowardly act, in signing the evil “welfare reform” bill, that I cannot bring myself to vote for you, no matter how bad Bob Dole is.

    Spoiler alert: I voted for Bill Clinton.

  56. 56.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 10:18 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    You’re just pissed you didn’t post it before I did.

  57. 57.

    Kathleen

    May 6, 2022 at 10:19 am

    @SFAW: That is hilarious!!!

  58. 58.

    germy

    May 6, 2022 at 10:22 am

    @zhena gogolia:

    pic.twitter.com/hxfm0z0l7U— dostoevsky or doesn’t she? ? (@dostoevsky_txt) May 5, 2022

  59. 59.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 6, 2022 at 10:23 am

    @SFAW: If I’d only had something to remind me.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:23 am

    @dmsilev: ​A stench of skunks. Thanx for that. I think.

  61. 61.

    Barbara

    May 6, 2022 at 10:24 am

    @Ohio Mom: Health insurance is one of the biggest issues for retiring pre-Medicare eligibility.  ACA is a real benefit for many who cannot afford COBRA, but it’s more complicated if you are carrying one or more dependents on your coverage, especially if they have health care needs.

    Anyway, my dad retired before ACA, when COBRA was not possible, and decided to risk it for a few years.  He died of terminal cancer around 6 months before he would have turned 65.  Because his cancer diagnosis was so hopeless my mother survived financially.

  62. 62.

    zhena gogolia

    May 6, 2022 at 10:25 am

    @germy: Cute.

  63. 63.

    Steeplejack

    May 6, 2022 at 10:27 am

    The classic book about “terms of venery” is James Lipton’s An Exaltation of Larks. I like “a parliament of owls” (traditional), “a sentence of judges” (traditional joke) and “a jam of tarts” (modern joke).

  64. 64.

    Barbara

    May 6, 2022 at 10:30 am

    @Ken: ​I hate to say this, because it is weird, but apparently “my people ask your people” is pretty common in the world of celebrity dating. Among other things, you try really, really hard not to have your number being known beyond a few close contacts and if a person did call you might not know whether you are talking to an impersonator.

  65. 65.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    May 6, 2022 at 10:31 am

    @SFAW: Funny. Kinda sucks that band turned into a punchline though. I’m not saying they were one of the greats but they were better than most people give them credit for. Space Age Love Song was pretty awesome at least.

  66. 66.

    Steeplejack

    May 6, 2022 at 10:31 am

    @Ken:

    I haven’t seen that. I have seen “a building of rooks.”

  67. 67.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:34 am

    @Barbara: I must be weird. I never asked a girl for a date on the phone. I always figured if I didn’t have the balls to ask in person, I didn’t deserve one.

  68. 68.

    The Moar You Know

    May 6, 2022 at 10:34 am

    In other news, Oliver Stone can die in a fire.

    If he hates America this much he damn well should not be living here.

  69. 69.

    Peale

    May 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

    @dmsilev: I’m going with a sorrow of loons.

  70. 70.

    Tarragon

    May 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us:

     

    Attempted murder

  71. 71.

    E.

    May 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

    Hey everybody, for those who were following along, I made it across the country in my UHaul with two cats. It was about 3,000 miles and took me four days, although the first one wasn’t very long. I had to plead with the good motel folks in Winnemucca, NV to let me bring the kitties into a motel. No one would take them and it cost me $175 for a truly terrible room, I mean really terrible, and a sleepless night. But after that the motels were easy. The kitties handled the drive pretty well. One of them spent the whole time looking out the window. I had them both in a dog crate with a divider.

    Now to find a bakery job.

  72. 72.

    Immanentize

    May 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

    @SFAW: i have that single (45)

  73. 73.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    May 6, 2022 at 10:38 am

    @Tarragon: LOL

  74. 74.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    May 6, 2022 at 10:38 am

    @germy:declines date with Elon Musk after being asked by his team

    Figures Musk has a team to handle his sex life. My god, imagine the meetings, the power point presentations. ROFL

    Like I predicted; When Musk falls it’s going to be because he was raping someone during a stockholders video conference call.

  75. 75.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 6, 2022 at 10:39 am

    @E.: Good luck.

  76. 76.

    Betty

    May 6, 2022 at 10:40 am

    @Alison Rose ???: It’s so tempting to give her a nickname using some of tbe same letters as her first name, as-h-le.

  77. 77.

    Captain C

    May 6, 2022 at 10:41 am

    @germy:

    It girl, model, singer, songwriter, Sky Ferreira declines date with Elon Musk after being asked by his team at the 2022’s Met Gala

    “I’m sorry, guys, but if a billionaire like Elon can’t muster the courage to ask me in person, he’s just not the guy for me.”

  78. 78.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    May 6, 2022 at 10:41 am

    @germy: Eww – maybe he could date someone his own age.

  79. 79.

    SiubhanDuinne

    May 6, 2022 at 10:44 am

    @Steeplejack:

    That is the same James Lipton who hosted “Inside the Actors Studio” on cable for decades.
    (I am desperate to put an apostrophe in or at the end of “Actors,” but apparently the word is apostropheless in this instance.)

  80. 80.

    glory b

    May 6, 2022 at 10:45 am

    @kalakal: Yes, I recall the European Greens disavowing the American ones and urging the members here to vote for Hillary Clinton. I wished that it got more press attention than it did at the time.

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    May 6, 2022 at 10:49 am

    Doocy might be the first “reporter” with Stockholm Syndrome. “I’m going to miss you, maaan.” “Are you?”

    The beatings have been a constant source of joy, thanks Jen!

  82. 82.

    Searcher

    May 6, 2022 at 10:50 am

    @brantl: Psaki was great, but one of the few things I am confidently optimistic about is our deep bench of people to snarkily humiliate idiots while honestly providing useful information.

  83. 83.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 10:51 am

    @Barbara:

    One positive about COBRA is that it’s retroactive to your termination date and fills in the gap until you qualify for Medicare.

  84. 84.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 10:52 am

    @The Moar You Know:

    Too many drugs.

  85. 85.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2022 at 10:52 am

    @germy

    And here I was under the impression “It girl” was retired along with Evelyn Nesbitt and Clara Bow.

  86. 86.

    JoyceH

    May 6, 2022 at 10:58 am

    @Danielx: while waiting for Trump to finally face consequences for his lifetime of crime, I take some solace in knowing that he is and always will be a disappointed man – he despises the people who adore him and the people he wants to adore him despise him.

  87. 87.

    Tony Jay

    May 6, 2022 at 10:59 am

      It girl, model, singer, songwriter, Sky Ferreira declines date with Elon Musk after being asked by his team at the 2022’s Met Gala

    Isn’t she a little blonde for the Musky One? All of the women I’ve seen him form a temporary pseudo-emotional arrangement with before have shared a definite Teenage Morticia vibe.

    Though what attracted Talulah Riley to that needy, compulsively demonstrative, multi-billionaire (twice!!) I’ll never know.

  88. 88.

    glory b

    May 6, 2022 at 11:02 am

    @Danielx: Howard Stern has said this repeatedly on his show, and at least a few of his guests (George Clooney comes to mind first) have said the same. Clooney said Trump would give them all up in a heartbeat if he could rub elbows with “real” Hollywood and other various big wigs. Stern assures them that Trump HATES them and uses them because he has no other choice, no one else wants him around.

  89. 89.

    Searcher

    May 6, 2022 at 11:04 am

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: She’s the ~same age Melania was when she started dating Trump, who was only a couple of years older than Elon.

    TBH these old men chasing 29-year-olds makes me roll my eyes, but it isn’t nearly as skeevy as the ones chasing 20-year-olds.

  90. 90.

    WaterGirl

    May 6, 2022 at 11:08 am

    @E.: Congratulations on getting yourself and the whole crew safely to your destination!

    Remind me again where you are moving to?

    You had your own bakery, right, and then ended up closing it related to the pandemic?  So are you looking forward to working in a bakery again, which could be a relief to just work with the dough etc and not have the headaches?  Or maybe not?

  91. 91.

    Sure Lurkalot

    May 6, 2022 at 11:08 am

    @Ohio Mom: @narya:

    It is a bunch of bullshit that the retirement decision usually devolves to the question of health insurance.

    I was able to retire at 63 because I could sign on to my spouse’s work plan. It was pretty expensive, though…his firm only paid for him, not family.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 6, 2022 at 11:11 am

    @Sure Lurkalot: I know so many people who made or are making early retirement, or a job change to lower-pay/lower-stress work, based solely on health insurance. It’s one of the reasons I can’t figure out why some kind of public option isn’t more popular, but that’s a long list of things I don’t get about my fellow Americans

  93. 93.

    Dangerman

    May 6, 2022 at 11:15 am

    @Captain C: Elon having 8 kids with 3 different women might be a turnoff. I wonder if he can remember all their names (the kids or the women)?

  94. 94.

    Steeplejack

    May 6, 2022 at 11:16 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Huh, I didn’t make that connection. Interesting.

  95. 95.

    Noname

    May 6, 2022 at 11:16 am

    @E.: I was keeping an eye out for your nym.  Glad to hear you’ve arrived safely. So sorry for the difficult time you had.  Hope the east coast (I’m assuming) treats you better.  My kitties send your kitties welcome hugs.

  96. 96.

    Uncle Cosmo

    May 6, 2022 at 11:17 am

    @debbie: One positive about COBRA is that it’s retroactive to your termination date and fills in the gap until you qualify for Medicare –

    For a maximum of 18 months.

    I had my retirement all planned out for age 63-1/2 so that I could segue from COBRA into Medicare … until they handed me a pink slip 15 months before my target date. In those pre-ACA days I was lucky that MD offered a state-run plan for those with pre-existing conditions. Yeah, lucky – lucky enough to spend something over $10,000 for what was effectively junk insurance but protected my substantial retirement nest-egg from a multimillion-dollar illness….

  97. 97.

    CaseyL

    May 6, 2022 at 11:19 am

    Wait, is Musk single again?  Or does he just go after whatever, whoever attracts his attention?

    I cannot comprehend the level of greedy-neediness someone would need to have in order to date or mate with one of these ultra-rich man-babies.   Even if they started out as normal people (a questionable proposition in itself) they become so distorted in their concepts and attitudes I can’t imagine even having a conversation with them.

  98. 98.

    Captain C

    May 6, 2022 at 11:21 am

    @Dangerman:

    Elon having 8 kids with 3 different women might be a turnoff. I wonder if he can remember all their names (the kids or the women)?

    In the immortal words of Marion Wormer, wife of Dean Wormer of Faber College, “…doubtful.”

    (I suspect he could if he wanted to, but probably can’t be arsed to do so.)

  99. 99.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    May 6, 2022 at 11:25 am

    @CaseyL: Consider when pondering the mystery of Musk’s brain; he’s notorious for working 15 hours a day with time off for years in a row. That’s a good way to end up insane or dead.  My last boss was doing that, had three strokes and then one day ran out of the door screaming  never to be seen again.

  100. 100.

    Joey Maloney

    May 6, 2022 at 11:26 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Only after the bar bitch passes out.

  101. 101.

    The Thin Black Duke

    May 6, 2022 at 11:26 am

    @glory b: It’s not just Trump, though. Almost every goon in the GOP would love to hang out with the Hollywood crowd. Ben Shapiro imagines himself as a brilliant screenwriter who’s being held back by those depraved liberals from Tinsel Town. When she was fucking Bill Maher, Ann Coulter tried mingling with his celebrity friends before Coulter realized how much they hated her. Ted Nugent saw Dolly Parton admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Republicans will never be “hip, slick and cool” and it drives them crazy.

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    May 6, 2022 at 11:27 am

    @The Moar You Know: He’s a Putin fanboi

  103. 103.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    May 6, 2022 at 11:27 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Sounds like a catch – lots of time for family //

  104. 104.

    Jeffro

    May 6, 2022 at 11:29 am

    @germy: yeah, well, the phrase has come to mean “liberal/moderate Republicans” or (FSM help me) “fiscally conservative, socially liberal Republicans”

  105. 105.

    Captain C

    May 6, 2022 at 11:29 am

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Ann Coulter tried mingling with his celebrity friends before Coulter realized how much they hated her.

    Evil Ann claimed to be a Deadhead.  She appears to have missed the entire message of the music and scene.

  106. 106.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 6, 2022 at 11:31 am

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    When she was fucking Bill Maher, Ann Coulter tried mingling with his celebrity friends before Coulter realized how much they hated her

    I forget who was being roasted but the producers thought it would be a good idea to have Ann Coulter there. It turned into a Coulter roast. The best was when Jewel got up (remember Jewel?) and said very solemnly, “I’m torn tonight, as a feminist, I find some of the things being said about Ann Coulter problematic. [pause] But as someone who hates Ann Coulter I find them really fucking funny”

  107. 107.

    Cacti

    May 6, 2022 at 11:31 am

    Just a friendly reminder:

    Now that the home addresses of the extremist SCOTUS 5 have been published, if you wanted to erect a makeshift gallows outside Sam Alito’s place, and start chanting “Hang Sam Alito!”  That’s just tourism under the Republican definition.

    Happy Friday!

  108. 108.

    Steve in the ATL

    May 6, 2022 at 11:34 am

    @NotMax: you’re going to pretend that Jeannie Shrimpton never existed?

    And for Omnes and Immanentize: the Smithereens

  109. 109.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:35 am

    Intense thunderstorms have kept me off the beach. I haven’t caught much since the Tuesday boat trip but I still have a week.

  110. 110.

    Steve in the ATL

    May 6, 2022 at 11:38 am

    @Raven: frees up your time to watch more UGA highlights.  Brock!  Zeus!  Jordan!  Trayvon!  Nakobe!

  111. 111.

    Matt McIrvin

    May 6, 2022 at 11:38 am

    @debbie: The COBRA grace period means you don’t have to hustle to apply for any kind of temporary coverage (private or public) to fill a short gap between jobs. I’ve always appreciated that.

  112. 112.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:38 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:  ever see her in Ride With the Devil by Ang Lee? Good film about the Civil War.

  113. 113.

    Ken

    May 6, 2022 at 11:39 am

    @Dangerman: I wonder if he can remember all their names (the kids or the women)?

    I’m sure he has people for that.

    (Flashback to Scrooged, where Bill Murray is having his assistant run down the list of people he’s sending Christmas gifts to, so he can say whether they get a tie or a VCR.)

  114. 114.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:40 am

    @Steve in the ATL: that ain’t why I’m here!

  115. 115.

    lowtechcyclist

    May 6, 2022 at 11:42 am

    @dmsilev:

    A convenient list of venery terms . Sadly, loons aren’t listed. Will you accept a “leap of leopards” as a substitute?

    I notice that it has a ‘herd’ of dinosaurs. How prosaic!

    I offer up as a replacement an extinction of dinosaurs.

    While I’m at it, cardinals aren’t among the birds listed, so I would propose a college of cardinals, with the obvious connection.

  116. 116.

    smedley the uncertain

    May 6, 2022 at 11:46 am

    @taumaturgo: IIRC there were only two bidders on this contract.  Neither have stellar labor reputations.

  117. 117.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    May 6, 2022 at 11:46 am

    @Captain C: There are a lot of second iteration GenX Dead Heads who wound up conservatives. I went to college with a bunch of them…from CT and dads worked in finance but the Dead were cool again so they were into the scene.

  118. 118.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 6, 2022 at 11:46 am

    @Raven: I hadn’t heard of it. It looks interesting

  119. 119.

    Another Scott

    May 6, 2022 at 11:47 am

    @E.: Big changes!  That’s a lot of driving!!

    Moving is always stressful.  Here’s to new beginnings and happier days ahead.  Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  120. 120.

    Jeffro

    May 6, 2022 at 11:48 am

    @Steve in the ATL: you can add me to the Smithereens fanclub!

    Pat DiNizio RIP

  121. 121.

    oatler

    May 6, 2022 at 11:51 am

    @Cacti:

    I remember a Mad Magazine cover that showed some American Gothic-types holding signs that said “Impeach Earl Warren”. Some things never change  [Country Time  Lemonade chuckle].

  122. 122.

    Steve in the ATL

    May 6, 2022 at 11:51 am

    @Jeffro: I have updated your dossier.

    I got to hang out with him not long before he died.  He was playing a small solo show at Star Bar in Little Five.  We talked for an hour or so–super nice guy.  He was huge from the prednisone, but his voice was exactly the same.  Loved those guys!

  123. 123.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 6, 2022 at 11:53 am

    Schadenfreude alert

    Chuck Todd‘s Meet the Press Daily is moving from MSNBC to streaming service NBC News NOW, the network announced Friday.

    Todd’s program will be renamed Meet the Press NOW and will stream live at 4 p.m. ET on the platform starting in June, NBC News states on Friday morning.

  124. 124.

    MisterDancer

    May 6, 2022 at 11:54 am

    @germy:  Ferreira does not look like someone to mess with, at least in this pic.

    She looks like she knows what she wants, and whiny rich boys aren’t on that menu.

    Good for her, if so.

  125. 125.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:55 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: There is a scene where the “Bushwackers” have attacked a Union wagon train and they capture a bag of mail. They talk Toby McQuire into reading one of the letters aloud .It’s from a Union mother to her son and she says “what kind of liberty is it that takes the liberty of others”? It’s a striking moment in a sometimes slow film as some of the confederates begin to question what they are doing.Jeffery Wright plays a former slave who rides with them and his role is fascinating.

  126. 126.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:56 am

    @E.: if you’re going to Winnemucca Mack, with me you can ride.  .  .

  127. 127.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 6, 2022 at 11:57 am

    @trollhattan: How is Karine Jean-Pierre’s Doocy-smooshing game? This is an important qualification for Press Secretary.

  128. 128.

    zhena gogolia

    May 6, 2022 at 11:58 am

    @Tony Jay: Oh, I didn’t know about that! I love Talulah Riley.

  129. 129.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 11:59 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us:
    All those day-glo freaks who used to paint the face
    They’ve joined the human race
    Some things will never change
    (Son, you were mistaken)

  130. 130.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    May 6, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Figures Musk has a team to handle his sex life. My god, imagine the meetings, the power point presentations. ROFL

    Delegating the actual work while personally reaping the rewards? Honestly sounds quite Trumpian to me. (Anyone remember the VP offer to whats-his-face: “you’ll be in charge of domestic and foreign policy, and I’ll be in charge of Making America Great Again”?)

  131. 131.

    oatler

    May 6, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    @Raven:

    A lot of 60s westerns tipped a surprising amount of “enlightened” dialog into scripts such as racism, conflicted Civil War vets, child abuse etc.

    Paladin was very generous toward his Chinese valet Boy and Boy’s sister Girl.

  132. 132.

    MisterDancer

    May 6, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: How is Karine Jean-Pierre’s Doocy-smooshing game?

    I believe she’s done a stint at the podium at least once; I’m sure if you look around you’ll find video of it.

  133. 133.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 12:08 pm

    @Immanentize:

    Hey! How’s Immp doing? I’m assuming — well, hoping — he’s still improving. [Yeah, I know it’s been only a few days since I last saw an update from you, but still …]

  134. 134.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 12:12 pm

    @oatler: And Yancey Derringer had Pahoo!

  135. 135.

    Booger

    May 6, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: That is hands down one of the best creepy songs ever. Thanks for the reminder!

    Also, RIP Pat DiNizio.

  136. 136.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: ​ Maybe it’s me, but their lead singer looks like a cross between Taylor Negron (may he Rest in Peace) and Jon Bauman.​
     

    ETA: Is that PatDiNizio? Not enough of a Smithereens fan to know him by sight.

  137. 137.

    Raven

    May 6, 2022 at 12:31 pm

    So we are RIP’ng people who died 5 years ago? I’ve lost two friends this week.

  138. 138.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    Yeah, timing is king. They’re saying it takes about three months to get approved for Medicare, which will probably end up being around the time of annual enrollment. ??‍♀️

  139. 139.

    The Lodger

    May 6, 2022 at 12:33 pm

    @germy: I get that cartoon. I was too young when I first read The Brothers Karamazov and I was convinced there were, like, 36 of them.

  140. 140.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 12:35 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I especially like that it’s retroactive. Just had my fourth doctor’s appointment this week, so I know it will all be covered!

  141. 141.

    The Lodger

    May 6, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    @Dangerman: Musk doesn’t have to remember names (kids or women.) He has staff for that.

  142. 142.

    SFAW

    May 6, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    @Raven: ​
     
    Two in one week! That’s terrible!
    Deepest condolences.

  143. 143.

    Anonymous At Work

    May 6, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    Peter Doocy’s goodbye and Jenn’s response reminds me of one of the greatest scenes in The Wire:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3i36ybA8Ms

    Doocy’s nepotism hire thinks his work “is all in the game yo”

  144. 144.

    Yukoner

    May 6, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Loons don’t usually flock except when a group of singles get together. The biggest I’ve ever seen was about 60 in a tight (and loud!) group on large lake just after the ice broke up and all the migratory birds were arriving. The number quickly diminished over the next few days as they paired up and left to find nesting sites. It was sad to see the last handful. Sort of like the singles bar at closing time I guess.

  145. 145.

    trollhattan

    May 6, 2022 at 1:26 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Thought the actress who played Coulter in American Crime Story was genius in capturing her oeuvre.

  146. 146.

    sab

    May 6, 2022 at 1:40 pm

    @The Lodger: And one of them was William Shatner.

  147. 147.

    Ben Cisco

    May 6, 2022 at 1:42 pm

    @sab: I had…completely…for..gotten..THAT!

  148. 148.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2022 at 2:04 pm

    If you’re curious about the future of Russia…

    Россия, устремлённая в будущее. pic.twitter.com/YHETUTU5lu
    — Владимир Рыжков (@Respublicanez) May 6, 2022

  149. 149.

    E.

    May 6, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yep that’s me. I have moved from a very red county in a very blue state to a very blue county in a very red state. I think it will be an improvement in terms of who my customers are at least, and I will feel less likely to be the victim of political violence, which I truly believe will be coming to my former home, particularly if Trump loses.

    My bakery would still be alive if not for Covid, but truly it was not Covid but the political reaction to Covid that shut me down. I lost many, many customers by insisting on masks and promoting the vaccine. I think a lot of people don’t realize the social cost of the politicization of stuff like that (not to diminish the loss the life that also came from it, which is worse).

    I don’t have the money to start another bakery but I am looking around for some opportunities to get me there, and I have a few leads.

  150. 150.

    Jerzy Russian

    May 6, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:   Is there a translation or context available?  Even without being able to read the “caption”, one does have to think “WTF?”.

  151. 151.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 6, 2022 at 2:47 pm

    @Jerzy Russian: Caption says “Russia, looking to the future”.

    I still don’t get it. Something about soldiers having to travel with medics and stretchers right behind them? Training them to be shot from the cradle?

  152. 152.

    oatler

    May 6, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    @E.:

    I have a notion the next civil war will be fought county-by-county but Itcan’thappenhere.

  153. 153.

    thalarctosMaritimus

    May 6, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    @E.: Hooray! Very glad to hear it. Good luck in the new place.

  154. 154.

    Jerzy Russian

    May 6, 2022 at 3:18 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:   Thanks, although (as you pointed out) knowing what the caption says does not reduce the WTF level.

  155. 155.

    debbie

    May 6, 2022 at 3:36 pm

    @Jerzy Russian:

    Looks like grooming to me. //

  156. 156.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 6, 2022 at 3:39 pm

    I look forward with giddy antici………pation when she takes up where Jen left off in skewering Reek Douchy alive.  Along with the rest of the kindergarten kids of the wretched White House Press Corpse.

  157. 157.

    Ruckus ??

    May 6, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    Retirement takes a lot of strategizing.

    It didn’t for me, I just worked till I could sort of afford retirement. And really, really, really just didn’t want to have to go to work any longer. And no I wasn’t working for an asshole. It just felt like 60 yrs of working was enough. Especially as the vast majority of my jobs were physically orientated. I do have to say it is good not to have an alarm or a bedtime.

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