Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

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

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Republicans do not trust women.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

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

You cannot shame the shameless.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

You are here: Home / Elections / 2022 Elections / TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Don’t Stop Believing

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Don’t Stop Believing

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(h/t commentor Origuy)


Mitch McConnell has a sad!

The expectations-setting for the 2022 midterm elections is off to an early start, and this entry is a doozy.

In an appearance back in his home state of Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) downplayed the odds of Republicans reclaiming the Senate — and, by extension, him reclaiming the title of majority leader. In doing so, he suggested that “candidate quality” was a key factor…

In one way, this merely acknowledges an emerging reality. The generic ballot has tightened in recent weeks, and polls show Republican candidates struggling in some states — such as Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania — that are key for McConnell’s path back to majority leader. Some prognosticators now have Democrats as favorites to keep their majority.

It’s also convenient for McConnell to set the bar lower in this way, such that an adverse outcome on election night is laid at the feet of those specific candidates (or perhaps someone who endorsed them), and is not seen as a referendum on the broader political strength of his party.

But viewed another way, it’s pretty striking that McConnell’s even in this position — that is, of having to manage expectations. And it’s abundantly clear that he’s not particularly happy with it…

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  3. 3.

    Baud

    While the GOP did nominate some unappealing candidates, it’s interesting that the media would focus on that rather than abortion rights being taken away.

  7. 7.

    p.a.

    Thumbs up this is a replay of the time the anti-Witch Rethug Senate candidate and other whackjobs helped the Dems win elections.  Don’t forget, the tax-exempt, apolitical, totes not an arm of the Republican Party white fundy churches get those loons to turn out bigly on election day.

     

    OT: saw a tv news teaser that 2 Californians have been charged or at least investigated for running a car repair insurance scam responsible for 8 BILLION spam phonecalls.  If convicted, I will be forced to reconsider my opposition to capital punishment.  The punishment should fit the crime.😉

  8. 8.

    Ken

    I had a bad experience with bagpipes once, at a funeral. The piper was playing for the recessional (where the casket and mourners leave), and I was going to toll the bell afterward. That put us both in the relatively small room above the vestibule.

    Bagpipes are definitely an outdoor instrument.

  9. 9.

    danielx

    @Ken: ​
     
    Had a similar experience at a funeral with a guy playing Amazing Grace on the pipes – inside the funeral chapel. Deafening.

  10. 10.

    Baud

    In some ways, JD Vance is the worst of them all.  He’s not even a true believer in anything. Complete poser.

  11. 11.

    Spanky

    @Baud: Yeah, if by “interesting” you mean further evidence that most large media outlets push the Republican view regardless of reality.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @Spanky:

    The media understands that America is a center-right country that would only vote for Democrats if circumstances were dire and there was no other choice.

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    Y’all realize if Dems take an outright majority in the Senate and overperform in the House, it will be covered as Trump killing his GOP host organism, right? It’ll be a whiplash-inducing case of “Dems have no agency.” The narrative won’t be entirely incorrect — Trump really is killing his host. But I don’t anticipate tons of media credit going to the pro-choice, anti-fascism party.

  15. 15.

    Ken

    @p.a.: The punishment should fit the crime.

    I’m thinking life in prison with a constantly-ringing phone outside their cell would be more fitting. Maybe change the ring tone randomly every twenty minutes, so it doesn’t become ignorable background noise.

  16. 16.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    My wife and I had bagpipes at our wedding.  Good times.  Also, we were coming back from getting ice cream last night and the little one commented that I listen to music and mommy listens to the news.  This led me to making fun of NPR and my wife said they mentioned Balloon Juice that day.  Then I remembered reading Mistermix’s thread.  Lol….

  17. 17.

    Leto

    @p.a.: I think the punishment should be something akin to A Clockwork Orange for them.

    @germy shoemangler: something I learned about a few years ago is that one of my relatives is a professional bag pipe player. I like the bag pipes but haven’t really gone out of my way to find any of his stuff.

  18. 18.

    Old School

    @Betty Cracker: While I agree that it won’t be covered as “the country supports Democratic policies”, I can’t see it being spun as anti-Trump either.

  19. 19.

    Brachiator

    A little international news.

    Now that Finland has been approved for NATO membership, those who practice the political dark arts are trying to embarrass that country’s prime minister. From BBC News.

    The Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, is facing a backlash after being seen partying in a leaked video.

    In the footage, thought to be taken from social media, she and friends including Finnish celebrities are seen dancing and singing.

    She has faced criticism from opposition parties, with one leader demanding she take a drug test.

    Ms Marin, 36, denied taking drugs, saying she only drank alcohol and just partied “in a boisterous way”.

    Formerly the world’s youngest head of government – a title now held by Chilean President Gabriel Boric – Ms Marin makes no secret of partying, and has often been photographed at music festivals.

    Just last week, Ms Marin was dubbed the “coolest prime minister in the world” by German news outlet Bild. However, opposition parties in Finland are working hard to discredit her.

    Someone on Twitter noted that her partying was mild by Italian political standards.

  20. 20.

    SFAW

    @Leto:

    I think the punishment should be something akin to A Clockwork Orange for them.

    Do you mean the “Ludovico Technique”? OK, but you also remember that Alex de-programmed himself, right?

    Although I guess there’s nothing to prevent the Technique from being used annually* — just to be sure.

    * Or monthly, to make double-plus sure.

  21. 21.

    delphinium

    @Ken:

    Bagpipes are definitely an outdoor instrument.

    One of my coworkers would bring his in bagpipes and play them in the evenings after work. We worked at a garden store/nursery, so he would go off into the trees and play from there. It was one of my favorite things about working there.

  22. 22.

    Tony Jay

    You can stick as many bagpipes as you like in the mouths of as many hot Disney princess cosplayers as you can muster, it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s an instrument of war that sounds that bad on purpose.

    Come to think of it, Mitch McConnell’s face kind of looks like a sad bagpipe.

  24. 24.

    The Moar You Know

    I remember the days when Mitch McConnell was the lunatic fringe.

    I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said “believe faith not facts”.  Non-ironic, it’s apparently a shortened version of something that theocratic prosperity gospel lunatic Joel Olsteen said.  These people will destroy America if we let them.

  25. 25.

    SFAW

    @Tony Jay:

    Come to think of it, Mitch McConnell’s face kind of looks like a sad bagpipe.

    As opposed to a happy bagpipe? What does that look like?

  28. 28.

    germy shoemangler

    Bro the string section is playing your recurring musical motif but in a minor key to indicate you're turning evil ahaha

    — D-Mill the frog summer mode 🌤️ (@davjosmil) August 18, 2022

  29. 29.

    catclub

    @Leto:

     

    something I learned about a few years ago is that one of my relatives is a professional bag pipe player.

    Does that mean he gets paid not to play?

  30. 30.

    Soprano2

    @Leto: I listened to most of that interview, and I agree it was a good listen. Some pretty alarming trends there for sure.

  33. 33.

    germy shoemangler

    The turtle’s drawing fire from all sides!

    Tucker ripping into Mitch McConnell: "It's entirely possible Mitch McConnell doesn't want to retake the Senate, because then you'd have to run things. And if there's one thing Republican leaders dislike, it's running anything. Much easier to complain on Fox News." pic.twitter.com/BBM9Xiz8Jy

    — American Firebrand (@FirebrandPAC) August 19, 2022

  34. 34.

    OzarkHillbilly

    My first exposure to bagpipes was on a hike around Lake Louise in Banff National Park when I was 10 or so. We were at the 3/4 mark of the hike when a lone bagpiper started up from across the lake.

    Pure magic.

  35. 35.

    Tony Jay

    @Betty Cracker:

    Which is about as good as you can expect from the Village Media, no? “Democrats didn’t win this, Trumpists lost this” might be a garbage message if you’re hoping for non-partisan, independent, professional coverage of important political issues, but we’re way past even dreaming of that, aren’t we?

    And if it encourages the Village to go hard in favour of the “Please come and dominate our Sunday morning shows and opinion pages Traditional, pre-Trumpist Republican Kenobi, you’re our only hope” scenario that’s been chewed over here for a few days, all the better. Nothing like a fully-covered GOP civil-war to properly depress Righty turnout and turn off the mushy middle.

  36. 36.

    Spanky

    @Tony Jay:

    Come to think of it, Mitch McConnell’s face kind of looks like a sad bagpipe.

    OK, you blow into it. I ain’t gonna go near it.

  38. 38.

    Betty Cracker

    @Old School: We’ll see, but my guess is if Dems add Senate seats and hold the House (the latter unthinkable to paid pundits right now), the Beltway media will absolutely pound Trump and discover that they like the cut of that fresh-faced fascist DeSantis’s jib…

  43. 43.

    Spanky

    @Tony Jay: Ya know, if it comes to pass that the Dems hold the House and increase their Senate majority, let the press whine all it wants. The deed is done, and it’ll be Infrastructure Week on a rocket sled.

  45. 45.

    pacem appellant

    I went to bagpipe camp with Chelsea! When the video dropped, I was like, huh, have I seen her in a video before? Then it dawned in me that she was a student at camp with me this summer. She is amazing and talented (all three pipers are), and it’s so cool to see her rock out with those fabulous pipes!

  49. 49.

    Tony Jay

    @Brachiator:

    It’s just hilariously bad and desperate. The FTF Guardian’s article on it yesterday was in full-on stenographic scold mode on the topic, because the Finnish Right aren’t trying to slut-shame the very popular, very cool, and let’s be honest, very, very hot lefty Prime Minister (that’s a series of words I never thought I’d use in that order), oh no, they’re just terribly, terribly worried that she’s a rabid drug-addict who just needs to provide daily urine samples before she can put all of this behind her and earn their trust.

    Arseholes. That video clip probably just guaranteed her a shit-ton more votes.

  50. 50.

    SFAW

    @Spanky: ​

    OK, you blow into it. I ain’t gonna go near it.

    Well, THAT merits a big “EEEWWWW!!!”
    Mainly because it’s not the big baggy part that one (directly) blows into.​​

  52. 52.

    The Moar You Know

    I see bumper stickers and quotes like that and I have a hard time convincing myself they’re not jokes. People say those things in public and apparently mean them.

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: this was in no way meant as a joke.   That was obvious.

  54. 54.

    SFAW

    @Baud: ​
     

    If we get 52 in the Senate, we get voting rights and abortion rights passed.

    Part of me agrees with you, and part of me is thinking that some other Manchinema-like “institutionalist” will come out of the woodwork. [Angus King comes to mind.]

  56. 56.

    Tony Jay

    @Spanky:

    ‘Zaktly. You guys just keep on doing what you’re doing, grinding out some pretty amazing legislative victories from a 50/50 Senate while the Republicans spend their time rubbing shit all over each other and howling “Slut!!” at every passing woman.

    Winning strategy in my book.

  59. 59.

    zhena gogolia

    @Tony Jay: I used to LOVE the movie Tunes of Glory. I tried to watch it recently and it didn’t hold up. Lots of great pipes, though.

  60. 60.

    kalakal

    The Danes proving they have a sense of humour ( beyond claiming Carlsberg is “probably the best lager in the world” with a straight face) and making this truly excellent public service video. I laughed

    https://youtu.be/pD-f45TbvEw

  62. 62.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Brachiator:

    Someone on Twitter noted that her partying was mild by Italian political standards.

    people are just trying to provoke Boris Johnson into a “leaked” video of him doing that dance, aren’t they?

  63. 63.

    Tony Jay

    @zhena gogolia:

    Can’t do it. I’ve tried, honestly, even going so far as to be born from authentic Gaelic stock, but all I hear whenever they pump that sack is the doomed yowling of half a dozen crashing Stukas.

  65. 65.

    Immanentize

    I Do Not Like Bagpipes, by Imm.

    I do not like bagpipes; why, when or how.
    Not in a church nor in a mighty tower,
    Not in the forrest nor a field of flowers
    Not by a brook, nor in leafy bower.
    Their screeching sound suggests no power,
    And they aren’t a drone that makes me cower:
    Rather I question the Piper’s misspent hours.

  68. 68.

    Eolirin

    @Baud: Unfortunately he has the best chance of winning out of all of the competitive races. That’s part of why they’re pulling money from other places and dumping it there.

  69. 69.

    Roger Moore

    someone else made the very smart point that the party out of power is usually able to close gaps/make hay/flip seats by leveraging “extreme” actions of the party in power. but in this case, the most extreme stuff (notably roe) has flowed from the party out of power

    You can also think of this as the Republicans not really being the party out of power as long as they control the Supreme Court.  This is why the Republicans on the Court are so upset that people perceive them as political actors.  Their goal was to take over the Court and have it do the party’s dirty work while leaving the politicians untouched.  Sorry guys, you can’t run for decades on “we have to appoint enough judges on the Supreme Court so it will rule our way” and then pretend the stuff the Court does is out of your control.  The Republicans politicized the Court, so they now get to suffer the negative consequences of the Court’s unpopular rulings.

  75. 75.

    kalakal

    @Tony Jay: Hey! You forgot the freckles. We’ve got them in abundance. In the right light you could use me as a join the dots puzzle.

    Bagpipes can sound great in the right place (that place being in a different hemisphere) and I love Scotland dearly but I do get pissed off with all the tourist imagery crap. Shortbread, Claymores, Clan MacSporran and all. Worst bit is a lot of Scots buy into it. I went to a relatives wedding & foolishly agreed to go in the full rig, kilt, skean dhu etc. Saw some friends from Edinburgh wearing kilts.

    “Wow, didn’t know you were from the Highlands”

    “We’re not, this is the Braveheart tartan”

    Silly sods had paid a LOT for film merch

  76. 76.

    Booger

    @Tony Jay: You can stick as many bagpipes as you like in the mouths of as many hot Disney princess cosplayers as you can muster

    Is this too long for a rotating tag line?

    Cuz it has a certain genesee koi.

  77. 77.

    Roger Moore

    @Spanky:

    OK, you blow into it. I ain’t gonna go near it.

    I wouldn’t want to blow into it, but I could definitely see putting it under my arm and squeezing as hard as possible.

  78. 78.

    Geminid

    @Eolirin: Republicans would have done better of they’d spent some of that money this summer. Ryan has pretty well had the airwaves to himself, and has started to sell himself to Ohio voters as a good, pragmatic politician. Vance and his backers have to play catch up now.

  80. 80.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Tony Jay:

    Come to think of it, Mitch McConnell’s face kind of looks like a sad bagpipe.

    HAHAHAHAHA!

    That’s mean – to bagpipes!

  81. 81.

    Tony Jay

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m sure that if you ask around you’ll find a bookie willing to take odds on who will be the first super-savvy pundit to float the brilliant notion that Biden must – simply must, I tell you – drop that unpopular hag Harris from the 2024 ticket and select Cheney as the obvious bipartisan solution to Washington Gridlock.

  82. 82.

    CaseyL

    @kalakal: That is a truly excellent PSA.  Would watch more from whoever made that.

    I love bagpipe music – admittedly, not in huge quantities.  Went to a Master of the Scottish Arts concert some many years ago.  Bagpipes figured prominently.  After a few pieces, I realized they all sounded the same.

  84. 84.

    Eolirin

    @Geminid: He’s still up in some polls. It’s a winnable race for us, but it’s going to be much harder than the others.

    Ohio also has the worst partisan lean for us. By a lot. So the fact that they’re having to defend it is really bad for them. But things don’t look great there.

  85. 85.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m surprised the judge is releasing the affidavit, even if redacted. I guess death threats work.

  86. 86.

    Betty Cracker

    @Tony Jay: I’m pretty sure I already read that somewhere! Also, there’s a column in WaPo that argues if Garland charges Trump with crimes, Biden should pardon Trump in the name of national unity.

  88. 88.

    Tony Jay

    @kalakal:

    Oh I hear ya. I’m pretty much the same about all the Beatles merch and relentless “DID YOU KNOW THE BEATLES CAME FROM LIVERPOOL? DID YOU? DID YOU?!?!?” nonsense you get whenever Liverpool is promoting itself.

    The Beatles were awesome and their music is a hell of a legacy, but come the fuck on and calm the fuck down with all that stuff. It’s downright embarrassing.

  89. 89.

    eversor

    @Baud:

    I’m not so sure about that.   Other Democratic senators have been non commital or hostile to getting rid of the filibuster or been very tepid about possibly supporting a temporary carve out on say voting rights only, maybe, could see supporting it, who knows…. and then mumble mumble.

    The catch is that as long as Manchin and Senima are will to go out and take the heat on things they can sit back and either not be asked or make non commital motions towards it.   I think if we get 52 or even 53 or even 55 or whatever someone will walk back from their tepid commital or add another caveat such as “I’ll do it if one Republican will do it” and then things will be back to where they are.

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    @Geminid:
    @Eolirin:
    I just popped in over at LGM. (Why? I never learn!) And Lemieux is expecting Vance to win. Of course he is, but that guy is so wrong politically so much of the time, it has helped inspire new hope that Ryan will prevail.

  91. 91.

    kalakal

    @CaseyL: My father adored trad Scottish music ( he was in the Black Watch in WW2 so he was exposed to a lot of the real thing) and my mother was… not as keen. She maintained there was only one tune in all Scottish music, they just varied the tempo

  93. 93.

    Eolirin

    @eversor: We have 48 senators on record for voting rights. Schumer held a vote on that one. Walking back that support will be difficult.

    We might have a little more resistance with abortion, though I suspect any hold outs can be brought around, but we may have an issue with other legislative priorities. We would pass much better reconciliation bills at minimum.

  94. 94.

    cain

    @Spanky: ​
     
    Once the veil (veal?) has been removed – you can’t unsee the stark dishonesty and grifting. It’s hard to support a GOP party that doesn’t believe in anything but tax cuts.

  95. 95.

    Soprano2

    @danielx: I know a man who plays the bagpipes and used to work for my sister. I found out last year, quite by the accident of us arriving at her gravesite at the same time on the anniversary of her death, that he goes out to my sister’s gravesite every year to play “Amazing Grace”. It was quite moving to me.

  96. 96.

    Elizabelle

    @germy shoemangler:

    Tucker Carlson: if there’s one thing Republican leaders dislike, it’s running anything. Much easier to complain on Fox News.”

    That is a (Michael) Kinsley gaffe if ever I heard one.

  98. 98.

    Ken

    @CaseyL: Bagpipes figured prominently.  After a few pieces, I realized they all sounded the same.

    I do feel a little sorry for bagpipers. I’m sure they rehearse lots of pieces, but the only ones they’re ever asked to play are “Loch Lomond” and “Amazing Grace”.

  100. 100.

    Tony Jay

    @Betty Cracker:

    That does not surprise me. They’re like the annoying guy on a night out who constantly suggests after every round that you all move on to a shitty lap-dancing bar on the other side of Town and gets more and more desperate and insistent as time ticks around to when he knows the dancer he’s obsessing on finishes her shift.

    No, you fear-sweat smelling oddball, nobody likes your terrible bad idea. Shut up and stop trying to make your crush think you’ve got friends.

  103. 103.

    cain

    @Wag: ​
     
    I’ve heard that finnish people have high standards when it comes to partying. They let all the hair down, ALL OF IT! Come on – half the time they are in complete darkness. I’d be letting my good cheer hang out all the time.

  106. 106.

    Immanentize

    @kalakal: Regardless of our disagreement about musical instruments, I loved Scotland when I visited and didn’t buy into any of the tourist stuff. Two of my favorite things I learned was about the original form of the kilt (huge wrap apparel, blanket, night roll, etc.) And the fact that the current accepted “authentic” tartans are actually the creation of Victorian English folk (I thought “colonizers” might be too harsh).

    My son seriously considered college in Scotland. Until Brexit. My friend’s daughter who really likes St. Andrews is going to Trinity instead (her father, my friend is Swiss, so Brexit again). My son wants me to retire to Inverness, because of the tech community….

  108. 108.

    louc

    I love the goddesses of bagpipes. Their rendition of Enter Sandman is so much fun. Archy (the Indian bagpiper) also has a brilliant mashup of Shipping to Boston and Punjabi music. The Punjabi dancers are brilliant.

  109. 109.

    kalakal

    @Tony Jay: Oh yeah, people love to put Liverpool into 1 of 2 boxes, the Beatles (yay!) , or thieving Scousers (boo!). Guess which one the tourist board goes with. I like the place*, there’s a hell of a lot more to it than that

    If you want a really weird cultural split vis-a-vis tourism Saltzberg is the place.

    The locals are very proud of local boy made good Mozart, almost everything is named after him but most of the tourists want The Sound of Music. Fun fact if you decided to follow the escape route used in the film they’d have been escaping the Nazis by fleeing from Austria to Germany, Switzerlands in the opposite direction.

    * except for the memory of queuing for hours at the passport office

  110. 110.

    moonbat

    What McConnell is really saying is that it is easier to gerrymander House districts to favor Republicans that it is to skew statewide elections to the GQP side.

  111. 111.

    Brachiator

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    people are just trying to provoke Boris Johnson into a “leaked” video of him doing that dance, aren’t they?

    Ha! That would be something to see. I think Johnson may be vacationing in Greece. We might get some shots of him prancing around.

    I seem to recall a short video of Tory MP Michael Gove shaking his tail at some event. Looking at him frightened little children.

  112. 112.

    trollhattan

    @Betty Cracker: That’s the kind of shit thinking that kept St. Ronny from having to answer for his treasonous criming. And now St. Ronny is held in god status.

  113. 113.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t anticipate tons of media credit going to the pro-choice, anti-fascism party.

    If, in the end, they have to give any credit to the Dems at all, it’ll be in the most grudging, half-ass way possible.

    Josh Marshall, I think it was, was saying that the GQP basically viewed this election as unfuckupable: they figured the normal midterm effect benefiting the party out of power, plus inflation, Afghanistan, etc.  They figured they might drop a seat here or there with an Oz or Herschel, but by and large they assumed they’d be able to win with Alfred E. Neuman or Krusty the Clown, as long as he was outspoken with all the usual right-wing bullshit.

    And now with Dobbs and the IRA and gas prices coming down, there’s nothing guaranteed about this election anymore, but they’re still saddled with Oz and Vance and Herschel and all the other crazies.  Couldn’t happen to a more deserving party.

  114. 114.

    eversor

    @lowtechcyclist:

    There’s something else as well.  It seems like things were good for Mitch when the GOP machinery was a few major orgs pushed by big donors and they could somewhat control who was going to what.  But now you’ve got rogue operators like Peter Thiel who may have managed to fuck up Ohio and Arizona all on his own vanity project.

  115. 115.

    kalakal

    @Immanentize:

    And the fact that the current accepted “authentic” tartans are actually the creation of Victorian English

    Walter Scott had a lot to do with it. Some are much older. The Black Watch are thought to have got their name from the tartan of their uniforms and date back to 1725.

    I like the bagpipes really, it’s the tourist tat that gets me. I’m very fond of Inverness, lived near there for years, but that was a long time ago. I love the countryside and can actually speak Doric (Northeast Scots) making me proudly inarticulate in more than one language

  116. 116.

    Tony Jay

    @kalakal:

      Fun fact if you decided to follow the escape route used in the film they’d have been escaping the Nazis by fleeing from Austria to Germany

    There’s at least a moral and very probably a 12-part Netflix series in there somewhere.

    Regarding Liverpool, I put a lot of the wider cultural blame on ‘Bread‘, Carla Lane’s godawful ’80s sitcom that was basically 7 series’ of “All Scousers are thieving, shifty, lying benefit-frauds who are ripping off everyone else“.

    Oh, and Harry Enfield’s ‘Scousers’ characters. It’s literally impossible for anyone with a Liverpool accent to say “Calm down” without every other fucker bursting into a chorus of “Calm down! Calm down!”

    My hometown really paid a pretty substantial price for standing up to the Tories in the ’80s, and they’ve never forgiven us.

  117. 117.

    Immanentize

    @kalakal: Well I am certain I will make it back to Scotland someday in the not-too distant future. Perhaps I could buy you a beverage of choice?

    PS the last time I was there I was mostly in Edinburgh. I stayed at a beautiful Inn, The Black Ivy and had a wonderful walk every day across the nearby green (and golf course, it seems). The weather was beautiful and everyone was commenting on how the sun was likely to kill everything. It was delightful.

  120. 120.

    Bill Arnold

    @Betty Cracker:

    it will be covered as Trump killing his GOP host organism,

    Well, there is the Theocratic GOP Majority on the Supreme Court. The GOP has been all-in on that, and on overturning RvW in particular; that was not a Trump project, though he happily rode it for the power gain.

  121. 121.

    kalakal

    @Tony Jay: Oh hell Bread. it wasn’t even funny. Harry Enfield could be hilarious*, his problem was people took his satire for reality. You’re right about the Tories hating you ( and I was living in Scargill land at the time) before that the pop culture was pretty positive Mersey Beat, The Liver Birds. You did get your revenge with The Boys from the Blackstuff though, Yosser Hughes became a national icon.

    *Harry Enfield at his best with English for Aliens 

    https://youtu.be/0k1eicbZqfA

  122. 122.

    kalakal

    @Immanentize: That would be great. However for the next few years I’m in Florida ( ironically surrounded by Scottish place names eg Dunedin, Kintore etc . )

    I’m glad you liked it there, it really is a very nice part of the world, and we’re a friendly bunch

  123. 123.

    twbrandt (formerly tom)

    @Tony Jay: ​
      I heard a story that’s too good to verify that a mother asked some famous British orchestral conductor (Sir Thomas Beecham maybe?) what instrument her son should play. She said it should not long to master because she didn’t want to listen to beginner’s struggles for very long. He replied: “Then madame I recommend the bagpipes, because they sound just as wretched when played by an expert as by a beginner.”

  124. 124.

    Bill Arnold

    @germy shoemangler:

    Tucker ripping into Mitch McConnell: “It’s entirely possible Mitch McConnell doesn’t want to retake the Senate, because then you’d have to run things.

    LOL. It is absolutely clear from McConnell’s statements that he is seething with masked fury at Trump for damaging McConnell’s schemes to steal back Precious.

  125. 125.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @kalakal: pop culture–ish tourism true confession: Years ago I was in London and took a day trip to Oxford. I mostly wanted to see the Dreaming Spires, of course, but in my mind I was planning a silent tribute to Inspector Morse. Then I got there and John Thaw’s face was freaking everywhere, on freaking everything. I didn’t know the show was that popular, and I now regret not buying at least a mug. That’s when I found out me and Old Betty were both huge fans. Probably the only thing we have in common.

  127. 127.

    Old School

    @WaterGirl:

    A federal magistrate Thursday set up the possible release of a heavily-edited version of the Justice Department affidavit authorizing the search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, ordering government lawyers to provide a redacted copy of the document for his consideration by next week.

  128. 128.

    cintibud

    @Immanentize: Saw my first Vance TV ad last night,after seeing scores of Ryan ads. It was the basic introduce the candidate spot using the story in his book illustrated by shots from the movie, i. e.  Glen Close as his grandma when talking about his gm

  129. 129.

    Brachiator

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Then I got there and John Thaw’s face was freaking everywhere, on freaking everything. I didn’t know the show was that popular, and I now regret not buying at least a mug.

    That’s funny. Somehow I had imagined that the people there would have been sniffy about the Morse series invading the area. But cool, because I loved that show.

  130. 130.

    kalakal

    @Brachiator: Ha! Lol! There’s a lot of pubs making money out of “Morse drank here in episode xx”. I loved that series & love Oxford

    The UK is weird like that, get a successful TV show and the area it’s filmed in morphs into a theme park

    “James Herriot Country, Last of the Summer Wine Country, Spiders from Mars Country”* . Local opinion tends to be divided

    *One of these may not actually exist

  133. 133.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Betty Cracker: There’s a type of pundit who will never, ever stop fantasizing about grand bipartisan gestures, usually Democrats making concessions to Republicans out of the goodness of their hearts.

  136. 136.

    twbrandt (formerly tom)

    @Immanentize: In spite of my snark about bagpipes, I love Scotland too. I’ve been three times already, and am returning this fall to hike the West Highland Way, a 90-mile trail through the highlands. It begins just north of Glasgow, follows the western shore of Loch Lomond, and ends at Fort William. Can’t wait.

  137. 137.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Bill Arnold: Exactly right. Overturning Roe isn’t some Trumpist aberration, it’s what the mainstream Christian conservatives who are supposed to be the heart of Real America have been saying they plan to do for 45 years.

  139. 139.

    Gravenstone

    @SFAW:  OK, but you also remember that Alex de-programmed himself, right?

    No. The government deprogrammed him after his nearly fatal encounter with his former droogs.

  140. 140.

    jefft452

    I didn’t know “attractive bagpipe player videos” was a thing, but since I clicked on that one,  Youtube is recommending a ton of them now

  143. 143.

    Gravenstone

    @SFAW: /twitch

    My freshman roommate had the “Air Supply Greatest Hits” album. I still have flashbacks 40 years on…

  144. 144.

    DrDaveChemist

    Several years ago, my wife gave one of her students permission to practice her bagpipes in a chemistry lab after hours because the student was banned from using the (nominally soundproof) practice rooms in the music department.

  151. 151.

    Lobo

    She does remind one of the  heroine from Brave. Am I the only one who enjoys the bagpipes?  Don’t forget bagpipes are played in northern Spain.  Look it up!

  152. 152.

    karen marie

    Anyone else in AZ a little concerned by the closeness between Hobbs and Lake?

    Hobbs is considering not debating Lake. I’d be okay with that except she also refused to debate during the primary. The conversation is now about her pattern rather than that Lake is too insane to waste time debating.

  153. 153.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Lobo:

    You are not the only one! I love the sound of the bagpipes, whether we’re talking about a lone piper or massed pipe bands at the Edinburgh Tattoo. Great sound!

  154. 154.

    Ruckus

    @Tony Jay:

    “Come to think of it, Mitch McConnell’s face kind of looks like a sad bagpipe.”

    That may be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard about crappy old Mitch. He’s 80 and well liked by possibly dozens a few human stand ins.

  155. 155.

    Tony Jay

    @Lobo:

    The proto-Bronze Age tribes enshrined in Gaelic myth as the Tuatha De Danann almost certainly came from northern Spain. So that’s where they got the dreadful sound-testicles from. 8-)

  157. 157.

    Ruckus

    @Tony Jay:

    I think it would be impossible to make a habit of saying nice things about him. I mean, to become a habit one has to do something at least twice, and in this case, saying something nice about that twice seems to be an impossibility.

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