Not to interrupt this apparent homemaking/travelogue with anything relevant to the current world, but as predicted, Joe Biden won South Carolina with 96.2% of the vote, with Marianne Williamson coming in a close second with 2.1% of the vote, which translates into approximately 2500 deluded souls who probably should not be allowed to own sharp knives (Ior anything with an edge, for that matter).
Speaking of not so sharp tools, we shan’t forget good ole Dean Philips, who came blasting across the finish line with 1.7% of the vote, or approximately 2200 sad persons who maybe we should let own sharp knives just to see if this problem takes care of itself. At any rate, our Dimestore David Duchovny was very pleased with his performance:
My dude, you came in third in a one person race. https://t.co/Nk2JCxP7fg
— Kate Bedingfield (@KBeds) February 4, 2024
I don’t get with these people. I just googled this fucking guy and his net worth is 64 million dollars. Don’t you have any hobbies or anything. You could be doing literally anything else in the world with this money. Fucking hell I’d start a free kitchen. Or an animal sanctuary. Or build the world’s most elaborate cattery in the backyard above and around the fucking pool I would have obviously installed.
And I know I have said this a billion times and you have to be sick of hearing it, but dear lord baby jeebus I do not understand these motherfuckers.
wmd
I’ve been messing with the RFK jr cult – somehow his campaign targeted me on Facebook. I leave a laugh reaction and a comment with some variation of calling out his narciscism, asking him to get mental health care, telling his cult they’re a cult and being fleeced… Which results in me continuing to be targeted. Which means his campaign is spending money to have someone laugh at him.
West of the Rockies
Does this count as Bigfooting yourself
And, yes, WTF with these moronic people?
Alison Rose
I wouldn’t want to be president even if everyone in the country wanted to vote for me. I can’t imagine wanting to be president when almost no one in the country wants to vote for you.
Alison Rose
@West of the Rockies: The posts are almost an hour apart. That’s not bigfooting. That’s…toenudging.
NotMax
And then there’s Baud….
:)
Carlo Graziani
A millionaire, flattered by billionaires? What’s to understand?
He’ll stop when the flattery stops, which is to say when the fools currently being separated from their money to back him make their next foolish investment, and drop him like a soiled kleenex.
Alison Rose
LOLLLLL
NotMax
Word on the grapevine is that RFK Jr is close to having the spork vote locked up.
//
steve g
At the CNN link they dutifully put up 3 lanes, one for each candidate, showing how far they have to go to get to the nomination. It’s a horse race! Thanks CNN.
Alison Rose
@steve g: A horse race in which two of the three entrants are actually dachshunds.
Gvg
I don’t know. I sort of wonder if he is faking it out of pride. Otherwise I really don’t think it’s our business, his family needs to intervene.
It’s obvious the GOP brains hoped to use him as a spoiler with us, but we aren’t falling for it and I don’t think it’s going to be a problem even in swing states. Polls had him getting more Republican votes than dem.
I do think Trump is one of those people stuck in the past and impressed by celebrity names. That’s why he wants to be one. He probably liked being in the tabloids all those years. One with a certain kind of kook.
Wheras I grew up hearing endless Kennedy conspiracy stories and rehash of the same gossip….I was bored of them and ignoring them before I graduated high school which was a LONG time ago. Not the Kennedy’s fault, it was tabloid buyers and media who did that. It may be that decades of unhinged silliness by the population, warped RFK Jrs life experience so much that he doesn’t have enough connection to reality and doesn’t know he is delusional.
Also glad Marianne Williamson is doing worse than before. I think she is all fraud and needs to be rejected soundly.
West of the Rockies
@NotMax:
I forgot about RFK Jr. (although there is one yard sign in town for him). He didn’t receive enough votes to warrant mention in South Carolina? Sad.//
dmsilev
He hired a bunch of expensive campaign consultants, who apparently are very skilled at feeding his ego and their own bank accounts, and not much else.
dmsilev
@West of the Rockies: Isn’t he running as an independent, so the primary is irrelevant?
Harrison Wesley
Joe Biden may have won the Democratic primary in SC overwhelmingly, but I don’t think any Democrat takes the Presidential electors from there this year.
Omnes Omnibus
@Harrison Wesley:
Not the point.
karen gail
Politicians; minds like steel trap! rusted shut and stuck with dead animal in jaws.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Laughing hysterically…
Laughing damn near to death…
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Harrison Wesley: I saw messaging somewhere that said Biden was contesting South Carolina in the general election, along with the usual slate of battleground states.
ETA: Landslide bay-bee!!! No complacency, pad them numbers.
BlueGuitarist
MN Senator Tina Smith:
Harrison Wesley
@Omnes Omnibus: I don’t understand. It’s important that he wins Democratic primaries in places like SC (and here in FL as well), even though their electoral votes will wind up going to Republicans? What is the point?
CaseyL
Even though $64 million is peanuts compared to the MOTUs who are having fun funding these fringe candidates, it is still quite a lot of money. If you have no discernible talents – and that seems to describe Phillips – the only way you get that rich is by being a narcissistic asshole.
So of course he’s staying in. This is the most attention he’s ever gotten and, once it’s over, nothing else will come close.
Hob
@Harrison Wesley: I’m not sure I understand what you believe the relationship between a primary election and a general election is. Reversing things, let’s say South Carolina was favored to be carried by a Democrat in the general – why would you think his win in the SC primary would be so much more significant then? Since he has no real competition this year, it’s a non-event either way, except inasmuch as it means Biden has not suffered a bizarre catastrophic collapse of some kind. And if he did have real competition, winning SC’s delegates would still be significant regardless of how SC went in the general, because it would increase the odds of Biden being the candidate in the general. I mean… that’s what a primary is.
Alison Rose
@BlueGuitarist: Dang.
Frankensteinbeck
@Harrison Wesley:
Our incumbent got 96% of the primary vote. Their incumbent got 51% of the primary vote. Good signs that we are a united party and the Republicans are divided and unenthusiastic. Given how hard we have had narratives pushed at us that Democrats want an alternative to Biden while Trump is the absolute master of his party, it’s important that the early numbers don’t back up those claims.
In Biden’s case, it is extra important because we need to know black voters are still with him. An absolute knockout in South Carolina suggests they are.
Anne Laurie
That’s the Cole we know and love!
Alison Rose
Oh, NYT.
HumboldtBlue
@BlueGuitarist:
Hahaha, that’s perfect.
This SNL skit is pretty good too.
Eolirin
@Frankensteinbeck: You talking about the NH result with that 51%?
Redshift
Inherited money. It’s bad enough when people who’ve made money think that means they’re smart about everything, but when someone who inherited believes he’s special just because just because, I dunno, when you have money people treat you like you are? That’s just sad.
anitamargarita
Yeah, it’s just unfathomable that a person would waste their life and money in such a way.
HumboldtBlue
Ohio, where you have to test horses for meth.
Captain C
@CaseyL: With $64 million, that should throw off enough ‘earnings’ such that one would have about a million bucks a year or so to spend without ever touching the principal. Other than buying a nice pad somewhere here in NYC, I think I’d just try and have an enjoyable life (more On The Road photosets!) and probably use a good chunk every year for good causes (hey school district whose music program was cut–here’s an endowment to pay a couple music teachers and also here’s some good instruments for the kids to play). Although if I had a public humiliation fetish like Dean Phillips apparently does…
Traveller
I am not going to make any friends with this post, but I rather like Dean Philips. I have seen him live on several business and/or news shows. He seems bright, articulate, spends most of his on air time praising Mr Biden as a person, as a president, and always touts the Biden Administrations accomplishments.
It is admitted that I have had very limited exposure to Mr Phillips, but from what I’ve seen and heard he is a walking, living advertisement for Joe Biden.
Further, my dream ticket is probably Gov’s Murphy and Whirmer,, in either order. There are probably a half dozen prominent Democrats that I would prefer to Biden/Harris.
I confess that I have had very little exposure to Mr Phillips…and he may be different now. But from what I’ve seen, he is O’kay.
I even find the above Tweet to be funny & acceptable….kind of praise for Joe. Best Wishes, Traveller
Best Wishes, Traveller
HumboldtBlue
@Traveller:
Gov’s Murphy and Whirmer
There’s always that one guy who sides with Dean Wormer, err…Whirmer.
Chetan Murthy
@Traveller: It’s true that early-on Phillips was doing Biden fanservice. But he was also echoing the media narrative that Biden’s too old, and that the Dem electorate didn’t like him. So far, maybe (maybe) so innocuous. But more recently, if you look at some of his pronouncements, he’s started to attack Biden from time-to-time. Not a good look.
But overall, he’s toothless, so maybe he won’t cause much damage. Then again, with the nation so finely balanced between muddling-thru-democracy and …. catastrophe, it might not take a lot of damage to tip things over.
HumboldtBlue
Caitlin Clark is special.
The woman can ball.
sab
@HumboldtBlue: As an Ohioan I want to say yikes, but I just can’t.
TS
Headline in the Washington Post
Imagine if trump won with 96.2% of the vote – it would be an overwhelming win, an amazing win, a win for the ages, they just hate to admit that democrats will vote for Biden!
sab
@CaseyL: He didn’t get rich. He was born rich. Born on third base and thought he had somehow earned it. Those private prep schools can be rigorous and make their grads believe they have really suffered because they couldn’t actually compete as equals with the scholarship kids.
patrick II
@Chetan Murthy:
And that is why crushing Phillips in SC is important. If he had done well with those attack lines we would be hearing about in every news media, especially FOX and NYTimes. Narrative is important even if those particular electoral votes may not be.
Chetan Murthy
@HumboldtBlue: She’s impressive. I’m not a basketball fan, but from what I understand, it’s only in recent years that there’s been such a rise in the number of 3-point shots being taken and sunk ? I wonder if at some point, this will necessitate something being done to make 3-pointers hard to sink (like maybe narrowing the diameter of the basket ?) in order to force players to shoot from closer, and hence to be more vulnerable to defenders ?
I’m just spitballin’ here, no actual idea. But watching the play, and thinking back to what I’ve read of the men’s game, it seems like 3-pointers are really a much more important part of the game than they were …. a decade ago.
wjca
The only reason to want to be president would be if, God forbid, the only alternative would be having someone like, or even enthused by, TIFG. Fortunately that will never happen in this universe.
sab
3:30 am ESTOhio
Cats are rocketing around the place. Multiple cat household. Cats amuse themselves by hunting their housemates. Hunting not to kill, just to embarrass. All day, everyday. Also, more at night.
sab
@sab: I saw one cat hunt a housemate into a corner. Max hissing.
Two hours later the victim cat beat the winning cat in a different corner.
This is cat play. They do it all day. Because I don’t let them outside where coyotes and raptors might make my cats face the real world. Real world they might get eaten.
Shalimar
Listening to MSNBC. Bad day for Joe Biden. Low turnout. Lots of “concerns”.
God, I hate all of these assholes. Fuck narratives. Your job is to report what happened. Not tell me why it sucks for Democrats.
HumboldtBlue
@Shalimar:
Fuck’em.
Let’s listen to Shalimar.
NotMax
If they did that they couldn’t be a 24/7 outlet. More like 4/7.
//
MagdaInBlack
@sab: I sometimes miss the thunder of cat hooves in the hallway. How do they make it sound like there are 20 cats?
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@HumboldtBlue: 🐐
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@HumboldtBlue:
NotMax
Move aside, Lorelei Lee.
Diamonds are an architect’s best friend.
Baud
Via Reddit
Baud
@Alison Rose:
Why don’t more liberals see them for what they are?
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@Baud: Fat, drugged out Elvis rambling and mumbling on stage
Dangerman
Cracking 4 digits IS indeed wonderful, but, typically, it is 2 on each hand.
Speaking of crack, what is this Trump and Elbis bullshit? Well, at least it was Elvis. We could have been treated with John Holmes.
This is still BJ after dark, right?
Baud
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:
It would be fitting if Trump dies on the crapper.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@Baud: His crapper, otherwise known as “The Bunker”
matt
Philips really did well for him – he got 500 votes less than Williamson, who officially dropped out of the race last week. Netting a total of 0 delegates out of 55 in South Carolina, Phillips has shown that he has what it takes to keep fighting when his arms and legs have been cut off.
matt
@Shalimar: Maybe this primary being a race Biden easily won by more than 90% with a sweep of 100% of the delegates kept turnout low.
Baud
In fairness, there may be a big protest vote in Michigan, so it makes some sense for Dean to stay in for that.
Princess
Have to say, I’m kind of intrigued by the idea of RFKjr as Trump’s eventual running mate. It would firm up their QAnon and antivax vote. RFKjr has enough disturbing skeletons in his closet Trump could easily control him if necessary. Neither of them wants to do a lick of work. And Trump is enough of a climber that I think he’d really go for having a Kennedy as a second fiddle.
Wait. I forgot RFKjrs voice. Too much like a disability. Trump won’t go for that.
Princess
@Shalimar: This would be the same MSNBC that saw Trump’s win in a contested Iowa with vastly lower turnout than has become normal as a convincing blow?
Shalimar
@Princess: i heard varying people on MSNBC the night of Iowa describe it as everything from a convincing win to a disappointment for Trump. I must have missed the disccusion tonight about how 96% is a good number because all i heard was 3 people including Kornacki talking shit before i turned it off.
Baud
@Shalimar:
96% is Kim Kong Un numbers.
Shalimar
@matt: Without a doubt, there are caveats tonight for Biden that should have been in paragraph 6 of the story. Turnout was 1/3rd of the heavily contested 2020 primary. There are purer-than-thou leftists angry at Biden over various things who are threatening to stay home. MSNBC made those very small concerns the entire story.
Shalimar
@NotMax: I used to keep CNN’s 2nd channel, Headline News, on all the time 20-30 years ago as background noise. A lot of the news repeated, and maybe viewership was not that high, but it absolutely is possible to fill 40 30-minute newscasts per day along with 4 hours of Nancy Grace at night to make everyone want to hurl.
Baud
@Shalimar:
In 2012, in the West Virginia Democratic primary, 40% of the vote went to a convicted felon over Obama.
The drama is bullshit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_West_Virginia_Democratic_presidential_primary
Shalimar
@Baud: North Korean news would know better than saying Kim Jong Un only got 96% because turnout was low.
Ken
@Alison Rose: @wjca: Not want to be President? Think of all the wonderful things and terrible vengeances you could accomplish with the traditional “One Day of Dictatorship”!
Shalimar
@Baud: The drama has one goal: increase eyeballs. Same as spousal abuse scares the victim into compliance. I’m sick of being abused with this manipulative bullshit, and I think I am behind the curve. So many other formerly committed viewers have given up already.
Baud
@Shalimar:
Welcome to the club. Your comment is spot on.
Shalimar
@Ken: I’m with Alison Rose. The positives come with being a celebrity and center of attention wherever you go for the rest of your life. No way in hell I would actually agree to that bargain.
RevRick
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Besides the laughter, this vote gives us a good sense of how Democrats feel about President Biden. The MSM has been selling the pitch that there’s this large, hidden reservoir of disaffected Democrats. Phillips and Williamson, whatever the ridiculous reasons they float for their candidacy, are handy opportunities for Democrats to voice their dissatisfaction. Inflation? Biden’s support of Israel? Immigration control?
A vote for those two could easily have been interpreted as a scream.
Instead, it was a yawn.
Whatever complaints some Democrats may have about Biden’s policies and performance, they seem to understand the real stakes in the coming election, and that is all that matters.
South Carolina’s black church ladies are America’s savviest voters. It pays to listen to what they have to say.
NorthLeft
John, what is really fucking sad is that this schmo and a lot of Americans don’t really consider a guy worth $64 million rich any more.
He is well off, comfortable, independent, …..whatever similar descriptor you want to use but “rich” seems to be reserved for the Scrooge McDucks of the world.
Personally, I don’t know if I could spend $20 Million before I die without turning into a total jerk. My solution would be to give most of it away to good causes. Having the money to make your every wish/desire come true would not end well for most people IMO.
RaflW
@BlueGuitarist: Wow, I never knew Tina Smith could be one of the mean girls. Good for her!
Geminid
@Baud: Back in 1960, West Virginia’s Democratic primary was dramatic. John Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey were the two leading contenders. Kennedy had already beaten Humprey in Wisconsin.
The Mountain State was 95% Protestant though, and people wondered if this would be a stumbling block for Kennedy. So Kennedy made contest the occasion for a statement on his beliefs regarding separation of Church and State. And his campaign team went all out for a win.
Kennedy scored a convincing primary victory and Humphrey dropped out that evening. Kennedy went on to beat Richard Nixon that November by 45,000 votes out of 900,000 votes cast. That netted him 8 Electoral votes because West Virginia had 6 Representatives in 1960. Now they have two.
NotMax
@NorthLeft
Firing up the viewer on the WABAC machine, it was a more innocent time.
;)
bcwbcw
Anyone have a dollars/ per vote number for Dean Philips in SC?
WaterGirl
@RaflW: Mean girls are mean. They are assholes. Tina Smith is not a mean girl.
But she did shiv him nicely in the best political tradition. There’s a difference.
dearmaizie
COLE FOR PRESIDENT!
Quaker in a Basement
I have seen this in several instances. Some guy succeeds in achieving a goal, through inspiration, hard work, and maybe some luck involved. He convinces himself that he has invented the entire concept of success and that he can therefore achieve any other goal he chooses.
In one place I have lived, a local fellow got the idea to set up a great big TV antenna and run a cable from the antenna to small communites where reception was poor. His idea happened to coincide with the boom in cable televison and he made a fortune.
Based on that success, he turned his hand to content creation and was sure he’d be successful again. He wasn’t.
RSA
@NotMax: What an excellent story about the (new) world’s largest office building. Thanks for the link.