Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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

Even though I know this is a bad idea, I’m off to do it anyway!

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

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

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

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Republicans don’t trust women.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

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

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

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

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

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Saturday Afternoon Open Thread

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The Onion.

WASHINGTON—Pointing at each other and shouting as huge grins formed on their faces, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas shared a long laugh this week after discovering they had both leaked the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “Wait, you leaked the Dobbs majority opinion to Politico back in May? But I leaked the Dobbs majority opinion to Politico back in May!” said Alito, who, through sharp gasps between raucous belly laughs, added how uncanny it was that they both—on the exact same day—posed as an aide, leaked the exact same draft of an upcoming opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, and then tried to pin it on the exact same unspecified clerks when allegations came to light. “Seriously, what are the odds? Plus, neither of us have even gotten close to getting caught. Wait. You’re going to blackmail me? I’m going to blackmail you! Twinsies!” After simultaneously wiping away tears of joy and agreeing to get a beer, Alito and Thomas both acknowledged that they should have known they leaked the same decision after they both harassed the same aides.

A bit of levity from the other Jack Smith.

 

Reader Interactions

127Comments

  5. 5.

    WaterGirl

    I can’t believe the Rs are so foolish as to believe that they can get information about open cases.  Unless the point of the exercise is then to issue random subpoenas and then impeach the heads of the various parts of government.

    It’s like the making the most delinquent kids in high school the principal and vice principal.

    They are making a mockery of the House.

  12. 12.

    delphinium

    After simultaneously wiping away tears of joy and agreeing to get a beer, Alito and Thomas both acknowledged…

    Poor Justice Kavanaugh must have been red-faced from crying that he wasn’t invited to go along.

  18. 18.

    James E Powell

    @Math Guy:

    Question: Who – besides Biden – would be a good Democratic presidential candidate?

    For 2024? If Biden runs, nobody would be better than him. If for some reason he does not – saints preserve us! – Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom. Still have my doubts that the great mass of American voters are ready to put a woman in the White House, but I’m sure many felt the same way about an African American before Barack Obama won.

  20. 20.

    HeartlandLiberal

    A few days ago, I told you about my middle aged son who lives with us and sat up with our dying 16 year old cat in the wee hours so he would not pass from this life w/o a hand on him.

    I took son to walk in clinic yesterday, they did tests, doc called, and I took him to ER this morning. He has pneumonia for the fourth time, not as bad as the last time, but they are keeping him overnight in the hospital. Maybe for just one night till they are clear on how serious it is.

    So I spent most of the day in ER with him, came home, ate some lunch, and took wife to see him as they took him to his room in intermediate care wing for the night.

    An exhausting day. But I have NOTHING BUT PRAISE for the nurses in our hospital.

  22. 22.

    HumboldtBlue

    @eclare:

    I don’t either. Doug Pederson, the Jags coach, led the eagles to the title in 2017, and he’s playing against his mentor, both as player and coach, in Andy Reid.

  26. 26.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I said it:  Get used to hearing “I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.”  The House can do nothing about the DoJ’s prosecutions but whine.

    I will grant they are world class whiners elected by whiners to turn the US government into a toddler tantrum because white men aren’t 100% in control and the center of the universe* anymore.  The whining will be legendary.

    *They imagine the USA is the universe.

  30. 30.

    JPL

    @eclare:  I just put it on when Kansas City’s backup quarterback threw a touch down pass.  Do you have any idea how Mahomes is.   He apparently just reentered the game.

  32. 32.

    HeartlandLiberal

    @WaterGirl: He is a recovering alcoholic, five years sober. He smoked for years. He quit a couple years ago, but a few months ago started smoking again. He promised me would quit this time again, and not smoke ever again. I think he realizes he is not invulnerable now. He has mild COPD and mild emphysema.

  33. 33.

    JPL

    @HeartlandLiberal: That is so stressful, and I hope he is okay.

    just saw your update and hopefully he will quit for good.

    I guess Kevin decided that it was okay to smoke in certain areas of Congress again.

  34. 34.

    PsiFighter37

    @JPL: I can’t believe they are sending Mahomes back out again, if they are. His mobility is clearly impaired, and the way his leg got rolled looked like the makings of a very serious injury. Henne seemed to be playing well, so I would go with him for as long as possible. Just my uninformed take…if you make it to the AFC Championship, you’re going to need a rested Mahomes against either the Bills or the Bengals.

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    @eclare: The NFL uses the players up and spits them out.  They give not one fuck about the players.  Disgusting.

    EVERYTHING revolves around the players, and the NFL still doesn’t care. I imagine we will see a rant from Dave Zirin.  They are shameless.

  46. 46.

    ian

    @Math Guy: Hard to say for sure, it would really depend on what context 2028 looks like.  It seems all but assured that Biden will be the 2024 nominee.

    Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Gavin Newsom would be the big 3 names that come to mind.  Should (heaven forbid) the Democratic party lose the presidency in 24, the people within the Biden Administration (Harris, Buttigieg) would lose some of their current luster.  Should the Democratic party win in 2024, it would appear to put Mrs. Harris in the driver’s seat for that contest.

    A dark horse (Such as Jay Inslee or Raphael Warnock) could conceivably make a strong showing in 2028, but with lack of available data and context from our current viewpoint, such speculation is as good as drawing a name out of a hat.

  49. 49.

    PsiFighter37

    @ian: Outside of Warnock, I do not think any of the other names would be realistic shots to win in 2028. Personally, I think Gretchen Whitmer would be the strongest ‘next generation’ candidate by a longshot. Shapiro has a great resume, but he frankly had a walkover of an election against a clown of a candidate in Mastriano. Newsome, FWIW, has been in the national spotlight too long at this point (will have been well over 20 years since he allowed gay marriage licenses in 2004), and he really needs to do something about the homelessness problem in CA. Obviously he is not solely responsible, but that’s a huge problem, and from what I can see (from stories but also from visiting CA fairly frequently), I’m not convinced there’s been meaningful movement on alleviating the issue.

  50. 50.

    zhena gogolia

    Disingenuous questions don’t deserve an answer. Joe Biden is the candidate.

    God, did any Repugs sit around asking who should run instead of TFG in 2020? No, I didn’t think so.

  52. 52.

    PaulB

    @zhena gogolia:  Has anyone seen Alison Rose lately? She got upset in one of the Ukraine threads, and I haven’t seen her since.

    Adam replied on a recent Ukraine thread that she was taking a break and that he had been in touch with her. Specifically, comment 45 in this thread:

    She’s fine. She’s taking a break, bit of self care, and I expect her back when she’s ready. I’m in contact with her.

  53. 53.

    eclare

    @PaulB:   Thank you for the info.  I do not read the UKR posts anymore because of all the acrimony.  The Guardian has a good daily round up of current news.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia:

    Has anyone seen Alison Rose lately? She got upset in one of the Ukraine threads, and I haven’t seen her since.

    Yeah, the Ukraine threads can get pretty hurtful at times.

    Alison Rose said that if anyone asked about her, I should let them know that she’s okay but is taking some space from the blog.

    Speaking more generally…

    I have received 3 email messages recently from beloved BJ peeps, all saying that they are taking a break from Balloon Juice because of certain comments on the Ukraine threads.

    Some people we care about are leaving Balloon Juice, not just skipping the Ukraine threads, but leaving the blog because of comments in the Ukraine threads, at least for awhile.  If three people have written to me about it, we can be sure that there are more who feel the same way who have not written.

    I hope the folks commenting in the Ukraine threads can be aware of the dynamic at play here.  We are all angry and saddened and appalled and frustrated and enraged by Putin’s willingness, perhaps intention, to destroy Ukraine and all of its people.  “If I can’t have Ukraine, no one can.”

    There’s enough brutality in the news of the war itself, without adding to the brutality of it in the comments.

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL: I have not heard from debbie.  I contacted her three different times, maybe a week or more apart, and never heard back.  The best I can hope for is that she got super busy.  Or maybe she got mad and left.  Either of those would be better than the alternatives.

  58. 58.

    HumboldtBlue

    @PsiFighter37:

    I’m not convinced there’s been meaningful movement on alleviating the issue.

    Having watched officials at the local, county, and state level try and come up with solutions to homelessness for the past 25 years or so, I’m not convinced anyone has any clue how to solve the issue. We have to fix our broken healthcare system before we can make any meaningful movement on homelessness, because addiction and substance abuse, mental health struggles and a hundred other factors play large roles in how folks end up on the street.

    I’ve watched earnest and dedicated people work on solutions over and over — housing initiatives, street outreach (I’ve mentioned Betty Chinn dozens of times), attempts at addiction and substance abuse support and yet Humboldt County in general and Eureka in particular, still have a homeless population that never really drop in numbers.

    That you’re laying this at Newsom’s feet as some sort of anchor that would drag him down the national stage makes little sense.

    People in Pennsylvania don’t give a fuck about homelessness in California.

  62. 62.

    Starfish

    @HumboldtBlue: I am not going to believe any of these people who want to solve all the world’s problems with therapy until they start paying therapists who work for non-profits and government entities significantly more.

  63. 63.

    Geminid

    @eclare: I too was put off by the acrimony in the Ukraine threads. I think they’ve settled down some in the last few days though.

  64. 64.

    Starfish

    @HumboldtBlue: Did Pennsylvania not have increased homelessness during the pandemic? I can imagine them not having those problems because housing prices didn’t spiral out of control. Between housing prices and meth, I am going to guess there is more homelessness across the board.

  66. 66.

    Kent

    @Math Guy:Question: Who – besides Biden – would be a good Democratic presidential candidate?

    Lots of options, not all from the DC world.  Gretchen Whitmer, for example.  Or if you want more white guys, Jay Inslee or Gavin Newsom.

  68. 68.

    Kent

    @zhena gogolia:Disingenuous questions don’t deserve an answer. Joe Biden is the candidate.

    Has he even announced yet?  I haven’t been paying attention.  Trump was running full bore for re-election at this point in 2019.

  69. 69.

    patrick II

    I thought number 49 put his knee on the side of Mahome’s knee purposefully. Feel that way even more after he took a head shot at Henne .​​
     

    just saw the replay and I am even more sure he drove his knee into Mahome’s ankle.

  71. 71.

    zhena gogolia

    @Geminid: It is enraging, horrible, I can’t believe what Russia is doing. Why do they need any more territory? Why are they destroying Ukraine, which had no intention of attacking them, and self-destructing in the process? There is no answer. So I totally understand the acrimony. I just have to stay away for a while myself, although I read the posts because it’s the only way I can stand to get the news. I OD’ed on YouTube a long time ago.

  73. 73.

    Martin

    @Math Guy: If I have to vote for another person older than me, I’m going to fucking explode.

    AOC turns 35 a few weeks before Election Day 2024. That’s what I’m looking for. I want someone young enough to get carded by the secret service.

    (Should note, I’m totally fine with Joe running. But if he’s NOT running…)

  76. 76.

    Ohio Mom

    @WaterGirl: I have long wondered what happened to debbie — as a fellow Ohioan I felt a certain bond with her.

    Anyway, I feel a little better knowing that you tried to contact her several times, WaterGirl. Thank you. I know we all hope she is well.

    On the topic of the Ukrainian threads, I don’t read them as much or as carefully anymore, all the important info is in the post and I am too old to look for extra aggravation (life supplies enough). That is why it took me a while to notice Alison Rose is missing (I am the one Adam is responding to). I’ll look forward to her returning (crosses fingers).

  78. 78.

    CaseyL

    As far as I can tell from the blogs at SBNation, KC Coach Reid didn’t “make” Mahomes go back in, Mahomes insisted on going back in.

    @HeartlandLiberal: I am so sorry to hear your son is ill.  Getting pneumonia once is bad enough, but four times?!  I hope he keeps his resolve to quit smoking, forever this time!

    (Ask him to try vaping.  I was a chain smoker for, uh, 20+ years…and am now a chain vaper.  Not great, but considerably less bad than smoking.)

  79. 79.

    Cacti

    @Math Guy: Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan won an easy, double digit reelection as a swing state Governor.

    Jared Polis of Colorado absolutely crushed his R opponent, winning a second term as Governor.

    I think either of them would make a great candidate.

  81. 81.

    Cacti

    @Martin: I’ll support Biden if he seeks a second term, but I think his age will be a concern to fence sitters now that it starts with an 8.

  82. 82.

    HumboldtBlue

    Since college, Trevor Lawrence is 34-0 on Saturdays. Looks like that streak comes to en end.

  84. 84.

    Ohio Mom

    @HeartlandLiberal: What a hard road your son has walked. It’s good he had a safe place to land in your home.

    I can only imagine how heartbreaking his years of using were for you and your wife as his parents.

    Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery from his pneumonia, and a smoother path going forward.

  85. 85.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Ohio Mom:

    Whatever happened to Laura in Minnesota? She was active during the George Floyd protests but haven’t seen her in quote a while.

  87. 87.

    karen marie

    @WaterGirl:  Rs absolutely know what the rules are.  This is nothing but performative bullshit for their base.  They’re seen as “doing something” but “the swamp” aka “the deep state” are not cooperating for nefarious reasons.

    Is the US unusual in having this constant round of fundraising and elections because of short two-year terms?  On the one hand, I’d hate to see these motherfuckers in office for an extended period of time before they could be voted out (as rare as that occurrence is) but, on the other hand, a four-year term would perhaps give voters an opportunity to understand that Republicans have nothing constructive to offer.

  88. 88.

    gene108

    @WaterGirl:

    The NFL uses the players up and spits them out. They give not one fuck about the players. Disgusting.

    If I were in my 20’s, playing a pickup game, I’d suck it up and try to play through most injuries, where I could still move. I’ve played through mild ankle sprains and felt it the next day.

    Sometimes players have to be protected from themselves.

  91. 91.

    Ohio Mom

    After I was convinced that
    Obama was a terrible candidate because America would never elect a Black person to the Presidency;

    After I was convinced that America would never elect the clown that was Trump the candidate;

    After I’d had rotating crushes on almost every one of the what was it, close to twenty different Democrats running in the primaries *except* for Biden;

    I decided to get out of the “Who should run for President?” business.

    Besides, I’m going to vote for the Democrat no matter what. Other people can get tied up in knots about this, I’m (metaphorically) taking a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to start knocking on doors.

  92. 92.

    Geminid

    @HeartlandLiberal: Tobacco is very addictive in and of itself. I think some people use it as an antidepressant, which is another problem. I know I have.

    Knowing as little as I do about your son, I can only suggest that depression might be an underlying factor. It’s fairly prevalent in lesser and greater degrees.

  93. 93.

    Brachiator

    @Ohio Mom:

    Besides, I’m going to vote for the Democrat no matter what. Other people can get tied up in knots about this, I’m (metaphorically) taking a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to start knocking on doors.

    Totally agree.

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    @sab: On Jan 11, I sent email to Alison Rose to check on her, and she very graciously wrote back to let me know that she’s okay, but gone from BJ for awhile.

    She said that if anyone asked, I should let you guys know.  I hadn’t seen anyone ask until today.

  96. 96.

    karen marie

    @HeartlandLiberal:  The main reason I still smoke is because of my depression.  People have always promised me I would die early from smoking, so I continue to smoke.  It’s a very slow suicide, as far as I’m concerned.

    I hate to suggest mental health counseling given my own experience with multiple decades of really shitty therapists (one wanted me to get a second job when I told her I couldn’t afford to continue seeing her twice a week; one asked me on my second visit what my plans were because the insurance only covered so many and when I missed the next appointment never bothered to call to find out if I was okay; the director of the center for anxiety of depression at University of Washington, who I saw for an evaluation, told me I was faking and then, when I responded by opening my mouth and just SCREAMING, told my mother she should have me committed; the rest were simply agents of benign neglect) but it might be helpful for him to talk to a neutral party about why he smokes.

  97. 97.

    Jackie

    More Classified documents found yesterday at Biden’s residence. The six items taken included some papers from Mr. Biden’s tenure in the U.S. Senate, where he served for 36 years. Others came from his time as vice president.

    Sigh… reported on MSNBC.

  99. 99.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: ​
      If my old 1SG is right and there is one mad shitter in every battery (at the time about 90 soldiers), there should be at least two in the House GOP caucus. I would guess more because their base line of crazy is far higher than it is in a typical army unit.

  100. 100.

    Ohio Mom

    @HumboldtBlue: There are so many commentators who apparently are just passing through. They capture our attention and sometimes our hearts and then, Poof!

    I think it was when Rosie died that I went back to the series of posts that described her jumping into Cole’s car and Cole’s struggles to help her adapt to life in his house. That was just about the time I started stopping by here on a regular basis.

    It was surprising to me how many nyms I didn’t recognize but were clearly regulars at the time. I guess there’s always been a large portion of rotating cast members.

  102. 102.

    Medicine Man

    Had to have my poor kitty Hugo euthanized yesterday. Kidney failure from some unidentified congenital illness. Only 7 years old. Easily the most kitten-like, friendly little critter I’ve ever adopted. I’m crushed. Still catching myself doing the parts of my routine that involved him and choking up.

  104. 104.

    Math Guy

    Had dinner and a Scrabble game (I lost – Mrs. Math Guy is GOOD) since I posted, but I think Sherrod Brown would be a good pro-union, pro-labor candidate in the spirit of Biden.

  107. 107.

    Ohio Mom

    @karen marie: You know, you could ask your primary care doctor (if you don’t have one, you can get one) for an antidepressant.

    That might very well be more effective than talk therapy in addressing chronic, low level depression. It has been for me.

  108. 108.

    sab

    @Math Guy: Sherrod Brown isn’t that much younger than Biden, and if he ran for president Ohio would absolutely elect another Republican senator.

  110. 110.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Ohio Mom:

    I guess there’s always been a large portion of rotating cast members.

    Yeah, there was a stretch there where I was rarely around. That coincided with ABL, I think, because my schedule was completely wack at the time.

  112. 112.

    Kent

    @Professor Bigfoot:Ever notice how these takes alway erase the sitting Vice President, and almost always propose white people?

    Funny, that.

    Has a sitting Vice President ever primaried a sitting President?   That would be awkward I think.

    If Biden decides not to run then obviously Harris would be the default front runner.   I thought we were talking about people running against him.

  116. 116.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jackie: I am going to bet that Biden’s mislaid classified materials are very low level stuff and that almost every elected official has low level classified materials scatttered about.

    These people’s work involves a sea of papers. They are going to concentrate on the critical things (hopefully) and the trivial things are going to fall by the wayside, so to speak (and plenty of low level classified stuff is in fact, trivial).

    Just that no one is searching through all these other elected official’s belongings in their offices and homes looking for folders marked classified.

    I am also going to bet that the materials Trump has abscounded with are highly, highly sensitive.

    But no one is going to compare and contrast the relative significance of the papers Biden forgot about and the papers Trump carefully selected to steal because it’s all…Secret!

  117. 117.

    Kent

    @Ohio Mom:

    After I was convinced that
    Obama was a terrible candidate because America would never elect a Black person to the Presidency;

    After I was convinced that America would never elect the clown that was Trump the candidate;

    After I’d had rotating crushes on almost every one of the what was it, close to twenty different Democrats running in the primaries *except* for Biden;

    I decided to get out of the “Who should run for President?” business.

    Besides, I’m going to vote for the Democrat no matter what. Other people can get tied up in knots about this, I’m (metaphorically) taking a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to start knocking on doors.

    Shamed to admit I was Edwards curious in 2008.  But by the time the race actually got to Texas it was down to Clinton and Obama and I fiercely caucused for Obama.  In direct conflict with my Black next door neighbor Edith who was some sort of local Dem party official and a hard core Hillary supporter.  She was pulling all the caucus strings for Hillary.  “I’ve spent enough of my damn life listening to Black me tell me what to do” was what she told me.

    Of course she had about 25 “OBAMA 08” signs during the general election and sat out with her lawn chair in her driveway to hand out candy that Halloween so none of the trick or treaters would mess with her signs.

  119. 119.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @sab:

    and if he ran for president Ohio would absolutely elect another Republican senator.

    ISTR he tested the waters in 2019 and decided against it

  121. 121.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yes. I’ve been following his wife’s Twitter (journalist Connie Schultz) and Sherrod Brown briefly tested running for President the last time around and quickly decided against it.

    He’s already started sending out fundraising letters for his next Senate run (ask me how I know). We need him to win that race!

    @Kent: Oh, I was quite taken with Edwards and his “Two Americas.”

  122. 122.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yeah, but those are the stats for the army. But if the army was advertising specifically for crazies, it would be a lot higher than that.

    That’s what we’ve got in the House.  Which you already know, of course.

  125. 125.

    kalakal

    @Kent:

    Honestly my dream candidate is whoever can fucking win.

    My take too.

    Until Biden says he’s not running the candidate is Biden

  126. 126.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Kent: My impression has always been that these good folk are always in a hurry to replace Biden; but once they’ve wiped him from the board they ignore the sitting VP.

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