Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

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

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Fuck that bum, let’s go Joe!

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

We’re not going back!

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

I’m more Christian than these people and I’m an atheist.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Democrats are back in array!

Peak wingnut was a lie.

You are here: Home / Politics / Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

by | 188 Comments

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Great news for Montana!

(Democracy Docket)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today in a sweeping 4-3 decision ahead of the 2024 elections, the Montana Supreme Court struck down four major voter suppression laws.

The laws — House Bill 176, House Bill 530, House Bill 506 and Senate Bill 169 — which eliminated Election Day registration, banned paid ballot collection and curtailed other forms of ballot return assistance, prohibit the mailing of ballots to new voters who will be eligible to vote on Election Day but are not yet 18 and made it more difficult to vote with a student ID, respectively, were struck down for violating the state’s constitution.

The opinion issued earlier today held that the Montana Constitution “affords greater protection of the right to vote than the United States Constitution” and struck down the laws which stood to disproportionately impact young voters, Native American voters and voters with disabilities.

Originally filed in 2021 in response to the Republican-controlled Legislature passing these voter suppression laws, the Montana Democratic Party, Western Native Voice and Montana Youth Action each brought lawsuits challenging the suppressive measures. These lawsuits were consolidated and eventually a trial court struck down the laws in September 2022.

Today, the Montana Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s decision holding that the law that curtailed ballot assistance discriminates against Native American voters writing “HB 530 takes away the only option to vote for a significant number of Native Americans living on reservations. Thus, it impermissibly interferes with the right to vote.”

The court similarly found that the restrictions on student voting do not pass constitutional muster writing that excluding student IDs from the list of acceptable photo IDs “imposes a burden on student voting and the Secretary has not established that it is necessary for any legitimate government purpose, much less that it is more important than the right to vote. Nor is it a reasonable restriction of voter’s rights.”

Regarding the law eliminating election day registration, the court held that the law “impermissibly interferes with the right to vote.” The court further explained: “The record shows that more than 70,000 Montanans have utilized election day registration to vote since 2005 and that many electors would be disenfranchised without the availability of election day registration.”

This decision is a major victory for Montana voters, specifically Native American, young voters and voters with disabilities who would have been adversely impacted by these laws. Thanks to the court’s decision, as voters head to the polls in 2024, they will not be subject to these restrictive voting laws.

.

This is gross.  I hadn’t seen the bible that Trump was selling.  I presume this is it.  Ugh.

Whatever happened to separation of church and state?

 

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

188Comments

  3. 3.

    JaySinWA

    I hadn’t seen the bible that Trump was selling.  I presume this is it.

    That’s it. As I mentioned down below [eta the BFD post] Trump isn’t actually selling it. One of his businesses has licensed his name, images, etc. Just like the Trump labeled buildings he doesn’t own

    ETA 2 Unless you click on the image it’s hard to make out the embossed US flag on the cover.

  6. 6.

    Almost Retired

    This is great news for the Native community in Montana, and should make Four Directions’  job a little easier.  I feel better about Jon Tester’s ability to retain his seat, with Native help, even if it’s a reach for Biden or the less-red of the two House seats.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Obscene that he’s selling it for the classic sale price of $59.99 rather than a tidy $60.00.

    Actually obscene that he’s selling it at all. There are plenty of legal and legit ways to acquire a physical dead-tree Bible for little or no expense. Same goes for the other items — Constitution, Declaration, Pledge, whatever else he’s stuffed in. And it’s all available free gratis comp no charge on line by simply Gooling.

    As for that Lee Greenwood song, well, you don’t want to read my views on that.

  10. 10.

    BeautifulPlumage

    Yay Montana!

    Looking forward to adding to the AZ fund after this next payday.

  12. 12.

    WaterGirl

    I just read that the 6-man crew that was lost when the bridge collapsed were all Latino men.  Somehow, that makes it even more sad.  Workers trying to make a living.

  14. 14.

    Trivia Man

    Prediction: mega churches will order thousands because its easier than donating to the campaign.

    I use the word “order “ because they will pay full price but don’t actually need a warehouse full. “Sorry, its on back order.”  That’s fine,  take your time but be sure to cash the check.

  17. 17.

    TBone

    Poetic justice will make her visit, and her name is Karma.  (Insert meme of Anjelica Huston playing Morticia with teacup).

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    @BeautifulPlumage:   We actually ended up pausing the Worker Power AZ fundraising – that covered 2 of the original 3 weeks of the canvass team we were funding.

    Why?

    Because Four Directions called and said they had found a donor who wanted to match $20,000 for Four Directions for AZ and $20,00 for NV.

    The external match person had a specific timeframe and I didn’t think we could complete the $40k for Worker Power and raise $40k for Four Directions in that limited time period.

    I contacted Worker Power, and they are going to cover the third week for the canvass team :-).

    So in a small number of days, we’ll have two thermometers going at once – one for Four Directions AZ and the other for Four Directions for NV.

    I’m guessing that some folks might want their money to go to one state vs. the other.

    And we have a couple of angels lined up, so at least for awhile we’ll have double matches

    So save your pennies, if you want to participate. :-)

  27. 27.

    Spanky

    I didn’t think it would be so literal.

    I would have thought Mueller, She Wrote would be familiar with Father Coughlin.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: I had given Four Directions a heads up a few weeks ago that we will want to be funding them for 5 of our key states:

    AZ
    NV
    MT
    MI
    WI

    I asked if they could rustle up some matches.  They came through with those pretty quickly, so it’s just a matter of rearranging the order of things.

    We plan, god laughs, isn’t that what they say?

  32. 32.

    Neldob

    Kinda makes me want to get into the Trump merch biz. Short pencils for small hands anyone?

  34. 34.

    randy khan

    A Trump Bible is so very weird, but since he only wants the money, he doesn’t care.

    Anyway, not a First Amendment problem, since he’s not a government official now (and here’s hoping it’s not a First Amendment problem going forward, either).

  36. 36.

    Harrison Wesley

    I’ve seen a couple items about a Disney – DeSantis settlement, but I can’t quite figure what it is.  It sounds to me like Disney lost, but the PR on both sides makes it a bit tough to parse.

  37. 37.

    Brachiator

    Yep. Very good news for Montana.

    and made it more difficult to vote with a student ID

    A lot of this going around. In the UK, a senior bus pass is acceptable ID, but not a college student ID card.

  38. 38.

    realbtl

    This Montana residents thanks all of you for your support.  Us Ds are here, just currently outnumbered.

  39. 39.

    Ksmiami

    Montana is a better state for us to flip than TX. It’s further west in its outlook and actually likes women’s healthcare. Plus there are a lot of Californians who moved there. I dunno I think it’s less of a stretch

  42. 42.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Brachiator: IIRC, in Texas a gun license is valid but a student ID is not.  And my two college roommates in Texas wonder why I don’t visit them!

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    The rubes be rubing:

     

    The New York Times (@nytimes) posted at 11:20 AM on Wed, Mar 27, 2024:
    Donald Trump has spent more than $100 million — none of it his own money — since leaving office on legal costs related to fending off investigations, indictments and his coming criminal trials, federal records show. Here’s how he has funded those expenses. https://t.co/gJENU5lup4
    (https://x.com/nytimes/status/1773022186359361863?t=aoL5fo6IJA_6sbAjCSpu9Q&s=03)

  45. 45.

    Steve in the ATL

    @SiubhanDuinne: ​
     my new side hustle will be taking the bibles from hotel rooms, writing “TRUMP!!!” on them in Sharpie, and selling them to rubes.

    In some places there is also a koran–I can sell that to them as well for their book burning bashes!

  46. 46.

    trollhattan

    @Ksmiami: Had a jerb offer in Bozeman (“the Austin of South Bends”) and in process of discussing it with the spouse, researched the temperature delta of an average year.

    And that was as far as I got. Still, lovely place Montana, at least the left half. Think only Alaska has a lower population density.

  47. 47.

    Betty Cracker

    @Harrison Wesley: I’m not a lawyer but my read is that Disney came to some sort of understanding w/ the Pudd’n Boots regime that benefits Disney monetarily and lets DeSantis get away with violating the First Amendment. The losers are the people of Florida.

  48. 48.

    Jeffro

    VA Senator Louise Lucas is taking a well-deserved victory lap after the Gov’s proposal to move the Wizards and Capitals to Alexandria is now officially dead.  She’s probably going to tweet GoT and Godfather memes all evening.  =)

    I’m glad to see it!

    “Tell Glenn it was me.” LOLOLOLOL

  49. 49.

    JaneE

    It is pretty obvious that in the Trump Bible, God takes second place to the USA (not the current constitutional version, but the one Trump plans to make) probably had to make that “blessing” under duress.

  52. 52.

    NotMax

    Backstory FYI (from 2021).

    In May, controversy over “the ultimate American Bible” briefly rocked the Christian publishing world. Big-name Christian authors penned a letter blasting it as “dangerous,” and more than 900 people signed a petition decrying the decision to print the book. The Bible’s advertised publisher, a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, disavowed the book and denied it ever had plans to print it in the first place. Source

    Also from then:

    Why Christians Should be Troubled by the New “God Bless the USA Bible”

  54. 54.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Jeffro: ​

    VA Senator Louise Lucas is taking a well-deserved victory lap after the Gov’s proposal to move the Wizards and Capitals to Alexandria is now officially dead.

    That is great news. I originally thought it would be a poke in  the eye to Leonsis as well but it looks like he’s still gonna make out like a bandit.

  55. 55.

    SomeRandomGuy

    This is gross. I hadn’t seen the bible that Trump was selling. I presume this is it. Ugh.

    Whatever happened to separation of church and state?

    Republicans have never believed in the separation of church and state – how else could they cheer on Christian bigotry nationalism?

    That Bible reminds me of Paper Moon – local conman followed obits to find widows, and pretended the widow’s husband had ordered her a copy of The Good Book, but still owed some money on it. Except, let’s face it: so many of his followers think that “Christian” is just the word they’d like inscribed on their truncheon and their M-16. To such people, “Christianity” is viewed only as  a way of generating enemies who their fellow nationalists can hope to slaughter.

  56. 56.

    cain

    @rikyrah: surprised that his lawyers got paid. Probably overcharging him.

    As for the bible, surprised it didn’t say God Bless Trump.

  58. 58.

    RevRick

    It’s Holy Week. But that’s really old news, so not really news. Our church will have a Maundy Thursday Communion service and a Good Friday Tenebrae service. (For those not literate in church-speak, Maundy is derived from commandment, recalling Jesus’ new commandment that we love one another, and Tenebrae is Latin for darkness, representing the darkness of the violence ending in the cross, symbolized by the extinguishing of candles. The service ends in darkness and silence).

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    @Jeffro: yup, they’re already a-flowin’  LOL

    The one I just saw has her flashing a “V” over the ‘grave’ of Youngkin’s/Leonsis’ hopes for a new arena in Virginia.

    The caption reads:

    F

    A

    F

    O

    (I’m officially dead here)

    MOAR PLEEAZ LOUISE!!!

  62. 62.

    eclare

    @Steve in the ATL:

    I think those are mainly New Testament, with all of the wussy things Jesus said about tending to the least of our brothers, charity, love, etc.  TIFG supporters want the “vengeance is mine” Old Testament God version.

  63. 63.

    JaySinWA

    @NotMax: Interesting. NIV proposed in 2021 is now King James

    WHAT TRANSLATIONS ARE AVAILABLE?

    The God Bless The USA Bible is produced in the trusted King James (KJV) translation.
    Please Note:
    We do not offer additional translations at this time

    The rest of the 2021 story checks out in the current edition:

    WHAT MAKES THIS BIBLE UNIQUE AND SPECIAL?

    First and foremost, The God Bless The USA Bible is the ONLY Bible inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, God Bless The USA.

    The Bible also features a copy of:

    Handwritten chorus to “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood.
    United States Constitution
    Declaration of Independence
    Bill of Rights
    The Pledge of Allegiance

  66. 66.

    cmorenc

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I don’t think Trump selling Bibles is primarily for the very modest (on the scale of his financial situation) direct revenue from them.  But folks who would spend $60 for a Trump bible are obvious marks for whom the purchase will amplify their motivation to give much bigger donations, and help persuade others to donate.  Yeah, so it’s also because Trump is the most colossal malignant narcissists in American history, and most shameless and crass.

    These two factors to the scheme are not inconsistent.

  69. 69.

    JaySinWA

    @JaySinWA: Ah, from the Slate article:

    It’s hard to know whether Zondervan’s rejection of the Lee Greenwood Bible will actually damage its sales. While Kirkpatrick will no longer be able to print with the NIV translation—the best-selling Bible out there—he said he has found other printers and companies that will use the historic, public domain version of the King James Bible.

    So the original was going to be NIV, but licensing hit the fan. So they opted for a public domain version. A little ironic to make a USA version wrapper around an English King James version.

    To be clear this is the Lee Greenwood bible that has licensed Trump’s name for advertising.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    @JaySinWA:

    The God Bless The USA Bible is the ONLY Bible inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, God Bless The USA.

    Really?  I hadn’t gotten the memo, so I had no idea.

    I think of it as the song that ruins the fireworks display while they are playing it.

  74. 74.

    coin operated

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    As for that Lee Greenwood song, well, you don’t want to read my views on that.

    I do, just to see if they’re as bad as mine.  My one visit to the Grand Ole Opry was the night Lee Greenwood was headlining. I walked out halfway through his set so I wouldn’t have to hear it.

  77. 77.

    rikyrah

    Ragnarok Lobster  (@eclecticbrotha) posted at 1:56 PM on Wed, Mar 27, 2024:
    Ukraine is a nation with the spirit of MacGyver.

    Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) posted at 2:02 PM on Mon, Mar 25, 2024:
    Ukrainians put 8,000 cellphones connected to microphones on 6-foot poles around the country to detect incoming Russian drones. They detected 84/84 and shot down 80 of them with AA guns.  Cost: $500ea

    — Gen James B Hecker, Commander US Air Forces, Europe
    https://t.co/sisNvXdyxQ
    (https://x.com/chr1sa/status/1772338187349934355?t=q052_7XJEob4LZkLMEIywA&s=03)

  78. 78.

    JaySinWA

    @BeautifulPlumage:

     I’m shocked it isn’t gold to match the sneakers

    But wait: You want gilt, you got gilt, but only on the edges.

    WHAT IF MY BIBLE HAS STICKY PAGES?

    Are some of the pages in your Bibles sticking together?  No worries, this is very common with new Bibles that have gold gilding around the edges of the paper.  For your convenience, we have provided links to a Youtube video that does a wonderful job of explaining how to break your new Bible in.

    Sticky pages from sticky fingers!

  79. 79.

    rikyrah

    Been done told you.

    President Biden stopped their book grift. They are madder than a muthaphucka.

    The competency of him and his Administration angers them to no end…because they can’t keep things that they should be reporting to hold for their phucking books.

     

    Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) posted at 0:20 PM on Wed, Mar 27, 2024:
    SCOOP: In another sign of the soft Biden book market, Simon and Schuster has withdrawn its contract with Axios’ Alex Thompson for a book about the Biden administration, two sources told me. The book was originally scheduled to be published early this year. https://t.co/IC0pMnDxKj https://t.co/qKy1vr8IoC
    (https://x.com/dlippman/status/1773037353830945131?t=ixGkpYwMtEj-vXUsTYhJ8w&s=03)

  80. 80.

    louc

    Re: Trump Bible. When I saw the headlines, all I could think of was this song. And interestingly, one of the things for sale in the Temple was a machine gun.

  83. 83.

    japa21

    Should be noted that the King James Version is considered by the vast majority of biblical scholars as being the least accurate translations out there.

  88. 88.

    HinTN

    @NotMax: Same here. Plus, state law explicitly prohibits wine sales on Easter Sunday. (Generally, you may purchase wine or beer after 10 AM on Sundays. Hooray for blue law revisions!)

  89. 89.

    Captain C

    @coin operated:

    “And I’m proud to be an American/

    Where at least I know I’m free/

    And I have the right to kill and fight/

    Anyone who disagrees with me…”

  91. 91.

    JaySinWA

    @HinTN:Plus, state law explicitly prohibits wine sales on Easter Sunday.

    I suppose that gets people in church for communion.

  92. 92.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @JaySinWA:

    They went King James because it’s free, no strings unlike NIV. This bible is Lee Greenwood’s scam that is being repurposed for Hair Furor. Word is that people who have ordered both (from Greenwood and then TFG) discovered that they are the exact same thing…lol!

    The only difference is that Hair Furor’s version of the bibble costs $10 more than the Greenwood version. Fleecing the flock from all directions…lol!

  93. 93.

    Steve in the ATL

    @HinTN: thankfully I have a well-stocked wine cellar.  And don’t live in Tennessee any more!

    But your area is absolutely beautiful.

  94. 94.

    Tom Hamill

    Lieberman dies.  Surely loved by his family and maybe Pete Peterson. Anyone else?

  96. 96.

    MazeDancer

    @Baud: Please do not fall.

    Don’t know exactly what the case is with Lieberman, but even if the fall doesn’t kill you, the aftermath will.

    It is established fact that when they fall and break something, like a hip, older men die. It’s like they can’t deal with being incapacitated, and they just leave.

  97. 97.

    topclimber

    @brantl: It comes as a SHOCK to learn halfway through the article that MAGAT in question told one story about Trump wanting the National Guard in place to the committee (crickets) and another in the media (oh yes he wanted the guard there!).

    So the Jan 6 committee staffers no doubt told him either to swear to the story or STFU.

  98. 98.

    sdhays

    @cain: “As for the bible, surprised it didn’t say God Bless Trump.”

    Trump would be very upset to find out it doesn’t say that, but he’ll never actually open it to read anything in it, so he’ll never know.

  103. 103.

    coin operated

    Joe Lieberman (No Labels fuckwit) was busy attacking Biden last month, saying it was time to leave the stage.

    You first, asshole.

  104. 104.

    SW

    That is a Saturday Night Live cold open.  “Get me the prop dept.  How do we get a Bible to burst into flames in someone’s hand without injuring him?”

  107. 107.

    Layer8Problem

    @MazeDancer:  A neighbor of mine.  I saw him in the street a couple of times, once in the grocery store.  I held back from saying something obnoxious about his efforts against national health care policy.  He kind of looked generally glum.

  110. 110.

    CaseyL

    @MazeDancer:

    Time for that great quote from Clarence Darrow (often misattributed to Mark Twain):

    “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”

  112. 112.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah:

    Been done told you.

    President Biden stopped their book grift. They are madder than a muthaphucka.

    I’m not sure what you mean by this.  Can you say more?

    Do you think Biden stopped that book from being published? It looks like they are looking around for a new publisher.

  113. 113.

    PST

    @Origuy:

    Lots of hotel rooms in Utah have the Book of Mormon. Probably in parts of Idaho and Arizona, too.

    I believe every Marriott property has them in each room. I picked one up once and tried to read it but failed.

  114. 114.

    cain

    @HinTN: It was a reaction to Clinton’s sex scandal. Get some conservative guy – boy, that was seriously ridiculous. The patriarchy applauded Clinton.

    Gore should have gotten someone much better – unfortunately, the guy was the opposite in terms of charisma to Clinton and Lieberman didn’t help there.

  117. 117.

    cain

    As for Lieberman’s death – the manner of his death, I will note and say nothing more.

  118. 118.

    Baud

    IIRC Lieberman was strong on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  So that’s my nice thing to say about him.

  119. 119.

    hueyplong

    Y’all nicer than me.  I figure Leiberman’s demise to have occurred almost precisely a quarter century too late to have been harmless.

  121. 121.

    Layer8Problem

    @Baud:  One of my happiest recollections of him was Barack Obama apparently berating him, maybe after a State of the Union, Lieberman with his back to the wall and looking uncomfortable.

  122. 122.

    Geminid

    One recent news story: Turkish President Erdogan wangled an invitation from President Biden, and will visit Washington May 9. Among other topics, Erdogan is expected to discuss the war in Gaza and prospects for a Two-State resolution to the larger Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

    The two Presidents will likely also discuss security matters in northeast Syria, where their two countries have been at odds the last decade over US support for the YPG militia. The US Army considers the YPG a vital ally in the fight against the Islamic State, while Turkiye considers them a branch of the PKK that Turkiye has fought a long and bloody war with for 40 years.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the head of M.I.T., Turkiye’s intelligence agency, visited DC recently, and Syria was probably a hot topic. The US may withdraw its miltary missions on either side of the Syria/Iraq border later this year, and Turkiye plans to wage an offensive against the PKK in northern Iraq this summer, so officials had a lot to talk about.

  123. 123.

    Scout211

    Lieberman’s death reminds me that campaign advisers and inner party  pols think they know what and who the voters want in office and often get it very wrong.

    Lieberman was a very wrong choice for Gore.

    But Joseph R. Biden got it exactly right!

  126. 126.

    opiejeanne

    Joe Lieberman has died at age 82. Guess he won’t be RFK jr’s VP.

     

    (I know who Kennedy chose, just wanted to get a dig in)

  127. 127.

    Nina

    Biden will inevitably say something nice about Lieberman.

    I am attempting to forgive him in advance.

  130. 130.

    Layer8Problem

    @MazeDancer:  I’m sure with the No Labels crowd he was the life of every party, sitting at the keyboard playing and singing Cole Porter tunes with his customary dry martini on top of the piano, or dancing like Astaire with the big donors’ wives.

  131. 131.

    Dan B

    @JaySinWA: Wasn’t King James the gay one.  There’s a movie coming out with that sort of storyline.  Nicholas Galatzine and Julianne Moore supposedly chewing up the scenery.  ‘Mary and George’ I believe.

  133. 133.

    JaySinWA

    @MazeDancer: It is established fact that when they fall and break something, like a hip, older men die.

    I was surprised at that assertion, but it checks out (not as an absolute but significantly higher death rates between men and women).

    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7235a1.htm#:~:text=The%20fall%2Drelated%20death%20rate%20was%20higher%20among%20men%20(91.4,other%20racial%20and%20ethnic%20groups.

    The fall-related death rate was higher among men (91.4 per 100,000) than among women (68.3). Death rates were higher among non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons than among other racial and ethnic groups.

    Perhaps because men get up on and fall from ladders more often than women. I’ve heard that anecdotally from medical people. But the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercial keeps playing in my head, along with personal knowledge of fall injuries (few resulting in death) that seem to tilt more toward women than men.

    ETA

    It’s like they can’t deal with being incapacitated, and they just leave.

    We may be less likely to follow medical advice after a fall related injury than a woman might as well.

  134. 134.

    Geminid

    @cain: Gore was a very thoughtful man, and I think he over-thought his VP selection. A conventional choice would have been a Senator from a swing state, like Bob Graham of Florida.

  137. 137.

    prostratedragon

    @rikyrah:  His burn rate must be accelerating; seems it was only $50mill as recently as January sometime. I guess as trials ramp up he’ll be rivalling the gdp of smaller States.

  140. 140.

    Brachiator

    @Dan B:

    Wasn’t King James the gay one.

    He may have been. He had his favorites. It is supremely ironic that this beautifully poetic English Bible was sponsored by a gay monarch.

  141. 141.

    Misterpuff

    I want to say something nice, but I can’t think of anything.

    Bub Bye Droopy Dawg.

  142. 142.

    Raoul Paste

    I really hope that Lieberman’s fall and death doesn’t morph into a “Biden is too old “argument.

    Any bets?

  144. 144.

    RevRick

    @MazeDancer: Joe Lieberman was the Senior Class President of Stamford High School in 1960. I know this bit of trivia, because he graduated with my brother and sister-in-law.

  147. 147.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Dan B: ​
     clearly you have never been a NOC who was wounded in a shootout in a foreign country and desperately trying to staunch blood loss and head off infection, so whatever….

  148. 148.

    eclare

    @CaseyL:

    Bette Davis on Joan Crawford’s death:  you should never say bad things about the dead, only good.  Joan Crawford is dead.  Good.

    Mee-ouch!

  150. 150.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott: There’s no way the stubborn Erdogan will ever apologize for anything, but Joe Biden won’t be looking for one either. Right now, US-Turkish relations are the best since George Bush invaded Iraq 21 years ago, and the two leaders want to turn the page on the last 20 years of conflict. They started the process last July at the Vilnius summit in Vilnius.

  154. 154.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Geminid: Gore himself was temperamentally culturally conservative and the drive to distance himself from Clinton’s scandals was probably driven in part by his own preferences.

  155. 155.

    Geminid

    @Trollhattan: I think the leader you are talking about was not Kurdish; it was Mr. Gulen, a Turkish religious leader and former Erdogan ally who Erdogan blames for the attempted military coup of July, 2016.

  156. 156.

    BlueGuitarist

    @WaterGirl:

    Great fundraising news.

    OT
    In the thread downstairs, Gretchen mentioned Jess Piper in Missouri bringing uncontested seats down to 18% from 40%.

    haven’t caught up to the most recent filing deadlines, but in the 15 states where the deadline passed before March 15 (about 1/3 of seats up this year):
    42% of state legislative seats uncontested (by major party)
    23% no Democratic candidate
    19% no Republican candidate

  158. 158.

    Quadrillipede

    @Baud: From my (limited, years ago) Bible studies, I remember The Book of Revelations being by far the most engaging part of the entire text, with its really quite far-out descriptions of various beasts made of all kinds of metals with thousands of eyes and shooting chromatic flames in various directions.

    It was certainly much more interesting to 8-year-old me than whatever section of the New Testament I was supposed to be studying…

  159. 159.

    RevRick

    @Scout211: Gore was trailing Bush badly and selecting an Orthodox Jew was considered a bold move. Indeed, his poll numbers greatly improved. And Ralph Nader notwithstanding, Gore probably would have won Florida if not for the horrendous butterfly ballot in Palm Beach County that led to Pat Buchanan winning several thousand votes that were accidentally chosen by voters thinking they were voting for Lieberman.

  160. 160.

    Dan B

    @Steve in the ATL: It would not surprise me that most vets could do a great job with people with the exception of some human specific maladies although specialists in primate care could probably do very well.

  161. 161.

    Geminid

    @Matt McIrvin: Like I suggested, Gore over-thought the matter. The selection of a running mate should be first and foremost a matter of practical politics. Gore needed to win before he could start setting a good moral example, and using Joe Lieberman to signal virtue was a very poor decision I think, and not just in hindsight.

  162. 162.

    eclare

    @Dan B:

    When my dog tore her equivalent of an ACL I took her to a specialty clinic where I bet the surgeons there could have operated on people.  They were all grads of Mississippi State, which has a very well respected vet program.

  163. 163.

    prostratedragon

    @NotMax:   Not sure if still true, but Chicago Public Schools used to have it as a holiday also. The city used to be 60 percent Catholic — literally — and still might be Catholic-plurality.

  165. 165.

    Citizen Alan

    @Dan B: There was a King James episode during the Jodie Whitaker era of Doctor Who. He was played by Alan Cummings and spent the whole episode blatantly hitting on Ryan when he wasn’t trying to burn the Doctor as a witch.

  166. 166.

    Citizen Alan

    @RevRick: I think any advantage that came from picking an Orthodox Jew was offset by the fact that the pick was intended to say “Fuck Bill Clinton! I hate him as much as the NYT does!”

  167. 167.

    Bill Arnold

    @Steve in the ATL:

    In some places there is also a koran–I can sell that to them as well for their book burning bashes!

    With or without the “TRUMP!!!” written in sharpie?

  170. 170.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:

    It was Kay who pointed it out first..

    The tendency of these reporters to actually keep pertinent information that should have been revealed in real time…so that they could use it for their books.

     

    In order to report about Biden and his Administration, you actually have to report on POLICY. They can’t hold shyt back for books

  171. 171.

    wjca

    @rikyrah: In order to report about Biden and his Administration, you actually have to report on POLICY. They can’t hold shyt back for books.

    Sure you can.  As long as nobody is reporting on policy in real time….

    Which, unfortunately, seems more common than not.

  172. 172.

    Rene

    @SomeRandomGuy: Absolutely! Conman Moses Pray/ Ryan O’Neil in Paper Moon (award winning movie) came immediately to mind. I’m surprised no one has made a cartoon of this yet but I’m old and that movie came out several decades ago.

  173. 173.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: That should be “the NATO summit in Vilnius,” July of last year. There was a visible warming of US-Turkiye relations afterwards, expressed among other ways  by high-profile joint naval exercises the next month.

    The FBI raid on Senator Menendez and his subsequent indictment probably helped. Menendez was hostile to Turkiye, and his Foreign Relations Chairmanship was a stumbling block for relations.

  177. 177.

    Paul in KY

    @cmorenc: All the idiots that buy one will soon be getting visits from aluminum siding salesmen. Even if their house is brick.

  179. 179.

    Paul in KY

    @MazeDancer: Yay!  I celebrated a little last night! That POS might have cost us the win back in 2000. He sure didn’t bring one fucking voter. Let Darth Snarly just play with him as a cat plays with a mouse. Then did the ‘Connecticut for Lieberman’ stunt.

    God I hated that MFer! Glad he is dead.

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