Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

The problem people have with Biden’s age is the color of the VPs skin.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

He really is that stupid.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

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

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Hot air and ill-informed banter

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

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

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "Stories from the Road" / Thursday Night Open Thread

Reader Interactions

66Comments

  1. 1.

    stacib

    Open thread – I have a question, and unfortunately, it goes back to the SC and trump.  Does anybody read anything into the fact that all of the headlines are as if trump won, the Democrats are freaking out, his supporters are energized and yet, he’s been as quiet as a church mouse?  I would have expected a lot of all cap posts declaring vindication.

  6. 6.

    eclare

    I am waiting for the latest episode of The Traitors to be released at 8 pm CST tonight on Peacock.  Yes, it is a reality show, yes it is campy, but wow, Alan Cumming is in his element as the host of a murder mystery show in a Scottish castle.

  7. 7.

    stacib

    @Ben Cisco: If #1 is true, they should be shouting from the rooftops because, again, the Democrats did a full freakout yesterday.  They should have been crowing like it was 5:00 a.m.  I’m starting to think it’s more #2.  We may have spent yesterday looking in the funhouse mirror.  Hell, I’m probably wrong on both, but I do find it curious.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    There is a redo Shogun miniseries in 10 eps, that started this week on FX Hulu. Good reviews so I’ll probably dive in, being a sucker for historical Japanese settings. Dr. Kildare obviously not part of this one. Am sure his replacement is also very stinky and eats like a cretin.

  14. 14.

    raven

    The House and Senate both passed a stopgap bill on Thursday to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the week.
    To provide additional time for full-year funding bills to be finalized and passed, the stopgap measure will extend funding on a short-term basis and set up two deadlines on March 8 and March 22. The bill will now go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

  15. 15.

    piratedan

    suspect its a mixed bag…. delay… yes, vindication, no.  So while it’s a “success” on THIS front, he’s still broke and trying to fight a delaying action on that front.  If there’s someone over there pulling strings, its also apparent that one of his core groups is going off the fucking rails, i.e. evangelicals and now they’re going after birth control, recreational sex and IVF, which will piss off millions more.  So how do they stop the bleeding of those self owns?

    Perhaps Faux also realized that making a Trump a dictator who could even put THEM up against the wall for any perceived slight may have filtered thru, dunno, they’ve never struck me of being self-aware much, but you never know.

  17. 17.

    laura

    I have a red, hot ear and am feeling logey, and had hot, open-faced turkey sammich for lunch. I’m turning in early too.

  18. 18.

    Albatrossity

    @stacib: Perhaps their reptilian brainstems understand that D voters might be energized and voter turnout might be juiced by the prospect that the Mussolini wanna-be would escape justice if he wins the election…

    At least I hope that is how this turns out!

  20. 20.

    karen marie

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):  Trump’s handlers have explained to him that he’s already let certain SCOTUS members know they owe him and he needs to be quiet so they don’t get spooked and do something crazy like rule against him.

  23. 23.

    Dangerman

    @Ben Cisco: I could be wrong.

    Seems to me TFG must know there is JS he can do to delay the stormy trial. By which, I mean the Stormy Daniels trial.

    Cohen did time for that crime right? TFG might prefer jail to what Melania has planned for him after THAT trial. As if they sleep in the same bedroom.

  24. 24.

    karen marie

    @TBone:

    Merchant has claimed Willis financially benefited when Wade took her on lavish vacations after she hired him as special prosecutor.

     

    If “lavish vacations” were disqualifying, Clarence Thomas wouldn’t still be on the Supreme Court.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    @trollhattan:

    There is a redo Shogun miniseries in 10 eps, that started this week on FX Hulu. Good reviews so I’ll probably dive in, being a sucker for historical Japanese settings.

    Read the book and saw the original TV miniseries. Enjoyed them both. I don’t get FX Hulu, but am tempted.

    I also used to watch a lot of Japanese TV historical dramas. The era in which the series is set has generated a lot of great genre series and quite a few movies.

  28. 28.

    TBone

    @NotMax: ❤️ she’s always so great!  That the story line plot twist relied on letters freaked me out when I read the latest Fani news I posted.

  29. 29.

    bbleh

    As to The Other Eternal Topic, any legal opining re Trump requesting August trial date in Mar-A-Lago flagrant espionage classified documents case? Gift link

    “One possibility was that the lawyers, by proposing to spend much of late summer and early fall in court on the classified documents case, were seeking to prevent the former president’s other federal trial — on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election — from being held before voters make their choice,” sez The New York Times (please remember to capitalize the “The”; thank you).  Rilly?  That seems like … borderline desperation?

  30. 30.

    VOR

    @Dangerman: TFG might prefer jail to what Melania has planned for him after THAT trial. As if they sleep in the same bedroom.

    Please. As if they sleep in the same building. Or state.

  31. 31.

    Jeffro

    y’all are overthinking the Fox/RWNJ media’s mild reaction re: SCOTUS’ decision yesterday…

    …they know this shit is not going away.  Lengthy delays put the bad stuff (up to/including felony convictions) closer to the election.

    They saw what happened to Hillary.  They know it’s going to be 10x worse for their guy.

  32. 32.

    bbleh

    @Jeffro: thank you.  Been whoa-doggie on the five-alarm panic, but alas with little general agreement.  Yeah there’s probably 1-3 Supremos who are happy to delay ‘cuz the Orange Guy says he wants it, but his is a visceral reaction rather than a strategic one, and it ain’t at all clear to me that re-running all the Jan. 6 tapes on the nightly news a month or two before the election is gonna help him.

    And in any case, nothing we can do about THAT.  Donate! Volunteer!  Organize!  Those are things we can do that will make a difference — THE difference.

  33. 33.

    Jackie

    @raven: It’s ridiculous; Congress should be working on the FY budget for ‘24/‘25, and they (GQP) can’t get the ‘23/‘24 budget done.

  34. 34.

    wjca

    @stacib: …yet, he’s been as quiet as a church mouse?  I would have expected a lot of all cap posts declaring vindication.

    The Court granted cert, which he wanted.  But they didn’t stay the judgement, which is what he needed.

    So, a small plus for him.  But not the win he badly needed.  He knows (even if the Democrats, not to mention his cult, don’t), so he’s not in a happy mood.

  39. 39.

    VFX Lurker

    @MomSense: Thank you for the tip.  My youngest is here tonight.  He’s a martial artist and I think he would like a Shogun series.

    To follow up on another poster’s concern upthread, if your youngest is too young for Shogun, he might enjoy Netflix’ recent Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. I have not yet seen it, but I have heard good things about it.

  42. 42.

    Kayla Rudbek

    As if I didn’t have enough health issues to deal with, I was officially diagnosed with diabetes yesterday. :( so now I definitely have to lose 30 pounds and change my diet yet further.

  43. 43.

    Gin & Tonic

    When I am cooking something like potatoes or carrots, where the cut-up vegetables are boiled, I cut them up, bring the water to a boil and drop the veg in. My dear wife cuts them up, puts them in cold water and brings that to a boil. I feel that’s wrong, but after this many years of marriage I won’t say anything. I end up doing most of the cooking anyway, for other reasons. Is there a right answer? Why?

  49. 49.

    karen marie

    @TBone:   Yes, I did.  It was terrific, except for the whole part where Clarence Thomas didn’t take him up on the offer and is still on the court.

  50. 50.

    karen marie

    @bbleh:   I’m baffled that anyone would think that being on trial for STEALING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS is less bad than being on trial for ATTEMPTING TO SUBVERT AN ELECTION.

  51. 51.

    Jay

    @zhena gogolia:

    The basic rule is that vegetables that grow underground — also called root vegetables — like potatoes and carrots, should be started in cold water so that they cook more evenly. Starting the cooking process in cold water allows the vegetables to cook from the inside out and prevents the exterior from overcooking. Vegetables that grow above ground should be added to boiling water. Delicate vegetables, such as leafy greens and broccoli, should be added to boiling water to quickly blanch them. Blanching is a technique that involves boiling the vegetables for a short period of time and then immediately plunging them into ice water to stop the cooking process, preserving the color and texture of the vegetables.

    Read More: https://www.thedailymeal.com/1253632/the-rule-of-thumb-for-when-to-start-veggies-in-cold-vs-boiling-water/

  52. 52.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @eclare: My doctor kept asking me if I was okay, if I had any questions, but I have a family history of diabetes so I wasn’t that surprised. Is it unpleasant news, yes, but we caught it early and my eyes are fine which is my current worry as my grandmother went blind (glaucoma and diabetes were a bad combination for her). It’s just going to be really annoying to change my overall diet as I already can’t eat dairy or eggs.  At this rate, my brother and my sister-in-law will be cooking air for me at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

  54. 54.

    eclare

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    That is great that you caught it early.  Eyesight would be my big concern too.  Air for Thanksgiving, ugh.  Here’s hoping you can get it under control by then and have some actual food.

  55. 55.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @eclare: weirdly enough, I had done a visit to the eye doctor last week, and when they did the picture of the inside of my eyes, they said everything looked good (the glaucoma history was both my grandmother and her mother so they will monitor me more closely). So my primary care physician wants confirmation of that from the eye doctor.

  56. 56.

    Timill

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    Sounds rather like a paleo diet. Are there diabetic-friendly meal kits that you could use to help establish your new normal diet?

    Marcia decided to go vegetarian (mostly) for Lent so we reactivated a meal kit and swapped it to vegetarian for the duration – 4 meals a week we don’t have to worry about.

  57. 57.

    eclare

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    Fingers crossed that everything does indeed look good.  A good friend of mine was diagnosed with glaucoma in her forties, so far under control, but what a scary diagnosis.

  58. 58.

    glc

    @Kayla Rudbek:  Been there, I know what you mean. I’ve been keeping on an even keel with permanent dietary changes,  a little medication, and twice annual blood tests. I still have regular but limited amounts of pasta and such. Things that I like but that I can’t have as the centerpiece of my diet.

    Good luck with finding the approach that works for you, and that doesn’t feel like martyrdom.

  59. 59.

    frosty

    @TBone: ​
     Oliver is just awesome when he pulls one of his stunts. My favorites are like this: “We wondered what would happen if we tried it … so we did!”

    I haven’t been a regular watcher for a couple of years. I need to put it back on my schedule.

  60. 60.

    Glidwrith

    @Gin & Tonic: By dropping the veggies into hot water, you shorten the cooking time needed, preserving more of the nutritional value. The veggies will also be firmer and not mushy.

  61. 61.

    Glidwrith

    @VFX Lurker: Kids (and me) watched The Last Airbender when it was the animated series and loved it. The live action movie was horrible. Is the series an improvement?

  62. 62.

    slightly_peeved

    @stacib:

    Didn’t he just have to admit he didn’t have the money to make bond to appeal the $454 million judgement? I imagine him getting a trial delayed isn’t near as big a deal as him going broke right now.

    It’s awful that the chance of him ending up in jail is being delayed, but it gives me some comfort that publicly being made bankrupt is going to hurt him more than anything in the world bar him being put in jail.

  66. 66.

    2liberal

    @Kayla Rudbek: was officially diagnosed with diabetes

     

    try to get approved for those new miracle weight loss drugs,,  they actually work.  There are medical practices set up to do exactly that.  I think  what used to be weight watchers is set up to do this.

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