Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

The words do not have to be perfect.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

When I was faster i was always behind.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

In my day, never was longer.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

The revolution will be supervised.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

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Reader Interactions

53Comments

  3. 3.

    geg6

    I hope you are enjoying it.  Not my bag though.  The new season of the Great British Baking Show is lovely though.  Paul Hollywood seems to have softened up a bit and Noel’s new sidekick, Alison (I think) is delightful.  Not as delightful as Noel is, but then, who is?

  6. 6.

    Mike in NC

    Watched “The Killer” starring Michael Fassbender as some hitman on Netflix tonight. Still trying to figure it all out. IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes are our friends.

  8. 8.

    geg6

    @Urza:

    I’ve tried both the books (well, one anyway) and the series.  Never got further than about a quarter of the way through the book and couldn’t finish the first episode of the first season.  I seem to be immune to the whole thing.  Bored me stiff.  I get that some people love it, but I am left completely cold.  I’m sure some of my favorite stuff does the same to others.  To each their own.

  9. 9.

    Brachiator

    There are a lot of episodes of Game of Thrones.

    Yes, there are.

    Back in the day, a number of coworkers enjoyed the series, talked about it much. I finally watched previous episodes, and got caught up in it. I still appreciate much of it.

    Saw a trailer for a new version of the mini series Shogun. Might be good.

    I remember a friend lent me a copy of the novel. Started reading it while in the laundry room washing clothes. I stayed down there for hours while I got caught up in the world of the novel.

    The original mini series was also pretty good.

  10. 10.

    Martin

    I think we need lawyerly help here.

    CO judge said that Trump did engage in an insurrection but will remain on the ballot in CO, because the 14th Amendment doesn’t apply to Presidents. I cannot fathom how the wording of the 14 amendment doesn’t apply to Presidents

    No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

    Is the president not covered under ‘hold any office’? I mean, yeah, it’s odd that there’s a list which doesn’t include President, but doesn’t that then render ‘hold any office’ to have no meaning if they are interpreting only the itemized offices?

  13. 13.

    CaseyL

    @Brachiator: Oh my god, that trailer for the new Shogun… what it did was remind me of how transformative the original miniseries was, how it felt to watch and experience the original.

    I don’t see how the new version can produce the same cultural and social thunderclap of the original, but it hopefully will be excellent in its own way.

  14. 14.

    TheOtherHank

    My kids are still mad about season 8. I forgive the show for not sticking the landing. So few long-running series manage to have a satisfying end.

  16. 16.

    eclare

    @geg6:

    GoT is not my thing, either, but I love GBBS!  Are all of the episodes out yet?  Once they are I’ll switch from Hulu to Netflix.  I switch between those two a few times a year to catch new seasons of shows.

    I googled, looks like it is up to patisserie week, so a few weeks left.  Binging that will be a great Christmas present!

    No spoilers!

  20. 20.

    Big R

    @Martin: the legal argument is more or less formalist nonsense, but it basically amounts to, because of some other text, that the President is not an “officer of the United States,” and so the bar imposed does not apply to Presidents who engaged in insurrection.

    Even a moment’s thought demonstrates the utter absurdity of the logic (so you’re saying the person who has the power to make sure that an insurrection succeeds does not suffer the consequences of insurrection?), but my guess is that the judge (correctly, in my mind) recognizes that there’s no good ending to the story that begins with disqualifying Trump, so they seized on this very thin reed of an argument to avoid having to do so while still making the important point, which is that he’s a treasonous shitweasel.

  21. 21.

    Annie

    The creep  who attacked Paul Pelosi was convicted in federal court yesterday.  Unclear if the San Francisco DA will continue with the state case against him (I hope she will but I don’t think anyone should count on Brooke Jenkins for anything)

  24. 24.

    PaulWartenberg

    @Martin: I know. It’s right there in the text of ‘elector of President or Vice President’. It’s like the judge knows – and spells out in the ruling – that trump incited violence, it’s that the judge doesn’t want the responsibility to hold trump accountable and so uses this twisted logic that he’s ‘not an officer’ to let him go. /headdesk

  25. 25.

    Martin

    @Big R: I mean, make that goddamn argument. Surely the authors of the 14th amendment didn’t mean ‘no insurrectionist electors – that’s too far, but by all means, let’s allow the insurrectionist to take unchecked command of the armed forces’.

    Will it be appealed? Of course – there’s no scenario in which it’s not. But at least put that reasoning in writing and make the higher court make the absurd case for why it’s wrong.

    Fucking hate cowards.

  26. 26.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Apparently, we need to codify that violating the oath of office of President of the United States is a criminal offense.

  30. 30.

    scav

    @Villago Delenda Est: It’s apparently like the Supreme Court.  Above all ethical concerns — especially if conservative,  Hell, even running for the office is a get out of obeying mere laws, norms or ethics if you’ve got the right lapel pin.

  32. 32.

    wjca

    @Villago Delenda Est: Apparently, we need to codify that violating the oath of office of President of the United States is a criminal offense.

    Seems unlikely to happen any time soon.  After all, if we did that what would be the justification for not doing the same for members of Congress?  (Not that they need even a fig leaf, of course.  Look how many labor laws, etc. explicitly exclude the legislature.)

  33. 33.

    currawong

    @Brachiator: That looks awesome. I loved the original series with Richard Chamberlain and the book too.

    I’ll definitely have this marked down to watch next Feb.

  34. 34.

    Ivan X

    The general genre of GoT is most definitely not my thing, but after forcing myself through several episodes I found myself fully hooked, if as much for the political machinations and great characters as anything else. Disliked the magic/supernatural aspects, and I feel like it’s almost a perfect mountain shape, building until it peaked in the fourth season, and very gradually declining since, never enough to make it a waste of time. Well glad I spent my time on it though I can’t imagine doing so with anything remotely similar.

    Whereas, despite it seemingly being much closer to the kind of thing I usually like, the first episode of Breaking Bad I hated, and my friends were like no, you’re wrong, so I tried the second, and halfway through, I was like, I’m out. But I thought Better Call Saul was sublime. Fight me.

  35. 35.

    Dangerman

    @Martin: Fucking hate cowards.

    I can understand the Judge’s obvious cowardice; the first one to DQ Trump better have great fucking security for the rest of his or her life. Not saying that’s right but I get it.

    What we need is a shitload of people moving from California, where Biden will carry the State by a gazillion votes, give or take a few, to swing states; we have the surplus to share. Else it’s going to be a nailbiter because of those stupid motherfuckers in those swing states.

  38. 38.

    Dlwchico

    Supernatural has a lot of episodes.
    I finished season four and can’t believe it goes to 15 seasons, I think.

  39. 39.

    C Stars

    Anyone watching KATLA on Netflix? Particularly eerie given what has been happening in Iceland for the last few weeks.

  41. 41.

    C Stars

    Tonight we watched the World’s End, which I thought really dragged compared to Hot Fuzz, and started a fun new movie called the Portable Door. Sam Neil is in it and he’s so funny

  43. 43.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @C Stars: OMG someone finally made a film of a Tom Holt Book!!  I know what I’m watching this weekend.  And from the J, W. Wells series, which includes the fabulously titled : You Don’t Have To Be Evil To Work Here, But It Sure Helps.

  44. 44.

    Craig

    I like all the times a character that I’ve liked gets suddenly dead. Never fucked with my girl. Well played Mr. Martin.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    Watched The Potable Door earlier this year. Entertaining enough to give it a B — recommendation with reservations.. Reminiscent of the better of the Discworld video outings (Going Postal, The Colour of Magic). Can’t quite come to a decision of what it wants to be; loses the thread, IMHO, about 80% of the way through.

  49. 49.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I just heard on the terrestrial radio that Apartheid Clyde is filing a “THERMONUCLEAR LAWSUIT!!!!” against Media Matters for accurately reporting something that he said and did on the Nazi shit hole social media site that he has created.

    Incoming SLAPP suit!! What a fucking whiny-assed racist man-baby Elon Mush is.

  51. 51.

    R-Jud

    @Ivan X: Your opinion maps with mine about both GoT and Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. (Though I think that S6 of GoT is also worth re-watching.)

    Sometimes when I need to write a fight scene I pull up the “every fucking chicken in this room” tavern brawl from S4. It’s just so well-constructed.

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