Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

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

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

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

An almost top 10,000 blog!

This really is a full service blog.

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

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

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Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

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

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Tuesday Night Open Thread

Tuesday Night Open Thread

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This post is in: 

Quite a day today politically- if you did not watch the Harris rally in Atlanta, it was a barn burner. The crowd was electric and it felt great to watch. Starting to feel more and more like 2008.

I also popped into the Zoom call tonight, and that went well and it was nice to see some old and new faces. Lots going on and all of it good.

The other day I was thinking about ordering some bulk postcars, maybe a couple thousand, with Harris 2024 on the front and a little blurb somewhere on it that said something to the effect of “Brought to you by members of the online community at https://www.balloon-juice.com,’ and then we could distribute them to the folks here to fill out and send. Do some campaigning and maybe find some new friends in the process? Any thoughts?

I’d also like to get some Harris/Balloon Juice stickers in the shop if for no other reason than I want one on my car. Any thoughts there?

Spent a good chunk of the day on the road heading to the peach orchard to pick up a number of pecks for people around town. The orchard I went to (Triple B Farms) has really, really good peaches and are reliable, so they are my go to when doing runs for lots of people. Farmers markets are hit or miss. I bought myself a watermelon that was so ripe that when I slammed it on the counter it partially cracked and juices burst out.

On a side note, years ago I read or heard someone say “I’ve never seen anyone get fat just eating fruit” and it seems that I apparently took that as a personal challenge.

I think that is all for me. Check in with you in the comments and tomorrow.

Reader Interactions

379Comments

  2. 2.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    I tried to find a video of the rally but no luck. I actually find it distressing how difficult it can be finding video of.majir political events once the live broadcast is over.

    The worst is trying to find debates and interviews with more local candidates.  Still, these videos should be out there for posterity and for parsing.

  5. 5.

    banditqueen

    The NC Black Alliance zoom was as good as WG said it would be. They are doing so much now, they’re so dedicated and thorough in their work–I don’t think they’ll be sleeping at all from Sept-Nov. I hope there are groups like them throughout the south. Again–thanks to NC Black Alliance, WG, angel matches, and all who donate–and to John who came by as well!!!

  6. 6.

    Shrillhouse

    Supposedly 15,000 at that rally in Atlanta.

    Is it just me, or is that an absolutely HUGE crowd for a candidate not named Obama?

  10. 10.

    BR

    @FDRLincoln: ​
    I always wonder how campaigns choose the voice of the narrator. This one sounds a bit higher pitched, younger guy. Some campaign ads go for other voices. I wonder if they have data on who is influenced by which kind of voice.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    One of these things is not like the other.

    Eleven Republican AGs, led by Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers, submitted comments opposing the DEA’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

     

    Earlier this year, a coalition of 12 Democratic AGs wrote a letter to the DEA in support of federal efforts to evaluate and reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

  16. 16.

    bbleh

    Postcards are a great idea, since regular suppliers are backed up right now.  As to how effective they are NOW I dunno but received wisdom is that personal contact of any kind is good, so yeah why not?

    The “ground war” is all now.  We have a MAJOR advantage — the Repugs are WAY behind on offices, volunteers, etc.  They’ve been assuming that Facebook, churches, etc., will do the work for them, and they’re not entirely wrong in that, but again there is nothing like personal contact.

    Volunteer!  Donate! (which funds GOTV). And of course vote!  And make sure your friends do too!

  17. 17.

    3Sice

    Norah O’Donnell is leaving the evening news reader chair at CBS. Presumably for someone with a lower cost profile. The one-time Tiffany Network has been taking a machete to news operations.

  18. 18.

    Pink Tie

    i am struggling with perimenopause and other family issues — my father died recently. His very sweet colleague, Ruth Westheimer, also passed away a few weeks ago. it’s like i’m drowning in grief.

  19. 19.

    mrmoshpotato

    On a side note, years ago I read or heard someone say “I’ve never seen anyone get fat just eating fruit” and it seems that I apparently took that as a personal challenge.

    *SNORT!* (as a fellow big-boned person)

    Thanks John.  I needed that.

  20. 20.

    laura

    take a couple few of the ripest peaches, peel them and chuck the peaches and any accumulated juices into a blender with vanilla ice cream and buttermilk. Life Altering tangy fragrant milkshake! Do. It. Do it Now.

  25. 25.

    laura

    @Pink Tie: I am so sorry for your loss- grief can come in waves at unexpected times.

    Please schedule an appointment with your gynecologist to see if you might benefit from some form of hormone replacement therapy.

  30. 30.

    KatKapCC

    @BR: Some of them sound like “In a world” guy from movie trailers. I don’t usually dig it, it’s too…I don’t know, overdone.

  31. 31.

    cain

    @Shrillhouse:

    Kamala needs to come over here to Portland. We’ll show you crowds, bruh. 80k people came to see Obama. One of the most historic things I’ve ever witnessed. People everywhere, on bridges, roads, it was magnificent.

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    John, my only suggestion regarding postcards, stickers, and the like, is: Wait until she picks a running mate, so you can include him in the printed material, and wait until she’s been officially nominated at the convention, because reasons. But I love the idea, and will happily throw some $$ your way to help defray the print and design costs.

  36. 36.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Pink Tie: I’m so sorry. Grief is a mother-f, and the hormonal changes amplify it, if that’s possible. I second the idea of hormone replacement.

  37. 37.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Pink Tie: I am so sorry this is happening, it does get better, eventually, but it takes time. Try to be kind to yourself. Virtual hugs if you want them.

  38. 38.

    Jackie

    @Belafon: I also loved her little swagger step as she said to DonOLD*; “If you’re gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk!”

    *My word, not Kamala’s. She has more class than I have.

  41. 41.

    FreeThinkingRedneck

    I’ll gladly take stickers and cards.  Please let me know how I can get them.  I’ll stick them sobs everywhere …

  43. 43.

    HinTN

    I’m making a small run of magnetic “bumper stickers” with We’re Not Going Back (below) on blue background and Vote Blue above. These are bracketed by the Stars and Stripes and a photo of MVP. I would attach a picture here if allowed but I can send to John or WG if they want to embed.

  45. 45.

    Jackie

    @3Sice:

    Norah O’Donnell is leaving the evening news reader chair at CBS.

    She’s not leaving CBS until after Nov 5th.

  46. 46.

    BellyCat

    Love the idea of BJ postcards! Some are desperately in need of a few new lambs “trolls” to slaughter.

  49. 49.

    Bupalos

    I think Harris and the dems win if we make this campaign organic and viral and get out of the box. I want to think about what I can do in the place I am that does that.

    I’ve already done some outreach to my central and east euro peeps (I’m in a Rusyn-Ukrainian-Polish ethnic dance troupe) on the Russian invasion. Really effective, and I will do more of that. It opened me up to the reality that when people get confronted about “politics” in a way that brings it home, it can be shocking how the things we think of as entrenched are quickly levelled.

    But unfortunately the admin has far far far back-burnered WWIII, and seems content to let Ukraine basically be a russian missile test site in perpetuity, and wait for the invasion of Poland or Latvia… so… that feels a little less fruitful than it did in 2022-23. And frankly most of these central-eastern euro’s are anti-abortion freaks and racist, and if you don’t keep WWIII centered, they’ll drift that way.

    But I don’t speak Nihilist. So I need a new tack. I’m thinking burma shave on the side of NEO routes:

    1
    “Hi, I’m your senator JD Vance…”

    2
    “when was your last period?”

    3
    “Oh, yeah, I guess that was weird…no reason really, Just curious.”

    4.
    “Really curious. I’m really curious about you!”

    5.
    Like, you travelling for some particular reason?”

    6.
    And when was your last period again?

    What do you guys think? I’ll do this. I have a large format printer. I’ll take pictures. This sound good?

  50. 50.

    lamh47

    @Jackie: she was quoting the rapper Quavo who also spoke on stage after Meg performed.

    @XXL

    Kamala Harris shades Donald Trump with a Quavo reference during her speech at her campaign rally in Atlanta. “As my friend Quavo would say, he does not walk it like he talks it.”
    x.com/XXL/status/1818430231616565415

  51. 51.

    Aziz, light!

    @cain: What you said. I was up on the Hawthorne Bridge that memorable day. Let’s hope we are seeing this energy again.

  52. 52.

    Mousebumples

    My main potential objection to the postcard idea is… Where are we getting addresses? Some groups let you/require you to provide your own postcards, but if the target election/candidate is a down ballot race, I’m not sure if the mixed messaging would be ideal.

    We could maybe reuse some of the addresses from the Wisconsin Supreme Court race (spring 2023) and hopefully help 📈 swing state turnout…

    No idea about costs, and I am totally not a design person. But I agree with waiting for a Veep (and for the Official Nomination, too).

    But before we buy a bunch of postcards, we may want to determine where these will be mailed… (Also might help to think through distribution. Would it be cheaper to just have a given nym order X number of postcards vs having someone else count out and mail a pile of postcards.)

    Apologies if I’m being a bucket of cold water – just want to make sure we have a plan.

  53. 53.

    Jackie

    EXCELLENT NEWS! 👍🏻

    “The United Auto Workers is expected to formally endorse Kamala Harris for president, providing a critical boost to her campaign’s efforts to turn out blue-collar voters across battleground states,” Politico reports.

    “The union is likely to issue its endorsement in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the process, who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. They cited a call last week between Harris and UAW President Shawn Fain as crucial to mending a previously unreported rift between Biden and Fain and clinching the support of the influential labor organization.”

    “Harris’s ability to lock down the endorsement — and Fain’s support — is particularly notable given the union leader’s intense anger at President Joe Biden and his team in the last several weeks.”

    This will chap TCFG’s hide!

    Also, what is this supposed rift between Fain and Biden???

  55. 55.

    Bupalos

    @lamh47: I don’t know what quavo is, but I feel that energy, and feel that MVP knows how to deliver that.

    Y’all underrated this lady!

  56. 56.

    SFAW

    Off-topic: I doubt I’m the first to think of this, but leveraging the memes/messaging from Walz and others, I had an idea for a possible bumper sticker:

    I’D RATHER BE “WOKE” THAN WEIRD.

    [With “WOKE” in blue and WEIRD in red]
    I’m not talented enough to create the art on my own, unfortunately. And the actual phrasing probably should be tweaked, but …

  60. 60.

    Trivia Man

    Talked Mrs Trivia into canceling the FTNYT today. We kept the Games portion so it’s a partial win. Under “Why” she wrote – unfair and biased political coverage in favor of republicans. Report the new, don’t save it for your books.

  61. 61.

    BR

    If the Philly rally scheduled for Tuesday is any indication that the VP pick is Shapiro, I’m not looking forward to a resumption of all the shouting about Gaza. But I guess that’s how it goes.

  62. 62.

    Bupalos

    @SFAW: Nah they successfully killed “woke.” Time moves forward, don’t fight the last battle, no reason to reference it. In advertising terms it would just “short circuit” what you’re saying there. That these fuckers are fucking weird…with their panty sniffing and book banning and whatnot.

    Best is if we can transition “weird” to “un-American.” That’s where they’re most vulnerable, but we aren’t great with that hyphenated word. When we’re saying weird what we want to say is “un-American…” but we have some commitments here that are interfering with the win.

  63. 63.

    MagdaInBlack

    @BR: ….well, the sources are anonymous, so I’m taking my usual grain or 3 of salt

    Eta: and Suzanne came thru. Thank you….oh wait, still anonymous.

  64. 64.

    Suzanne

    @Jackie: @cain:

    After Biden’s calamitous debate in June shook the UAW’s confidence that he could beat Trump, Fain was promised a phone call from Biden himself. But the president never called Fain, two of the people said.
    Fain was furious at the perceived snub. And subsequent discussions between Biden officials and the UAW only deepened concerns about the state of the campaign, said one of the people, to the point that its leadership privately communicated that Biden needed to quickly lay out a clear path to victory.
    The union’s frustration raised fears among some Democrats that it would consider rescinding its endorsement of Biden, though it never took steps to do so, according to two of the people.

    The full story is here.

  65. 65.

    brendancalling

    @Pink Tie: I’m also sorry for your loss, but fascinated that your dad knew Dr. Ruth. my folks used to LOVE her show back in the day. When I was a teenager, they’d let me listen with them, and it was hilarious and informative. Did you ever meet her? If so, what was she like? Did she ever come to your house and hang? What did your dad do for a living?

  66. 66.

    Josie

    @Jackie: ​ The article at Political stated that Fain tried to get in touch after the debate to find out the campaign’s plan to handle the problem. The campaign did not get back to him, and that upset him. He didn’t like being ignored. Evidently Harris reached out pretty early in her process and smoothed things over.​
     Or, what Suzanne said,

  67. 67.

    pilgrimtraveller

    Long-time lurker and soon-to-be “On the Road” contributor and former graphic design professor here: I’ll gladly contribute design services for the card and/or bumper sticker. As for bumper sticker text, I think SFAW’s suggestion is good. Here’s my suggestion — since suggestions were invited — of a textual tweak: “Better Woke than Weird.”

  68. 68.

    Ksmiami

    @Bupalos: Creepy weirdos that want to spy on your bedroom, be in your gynecological appointments and decide what books you can read. Creepy weirdo Republican fucksticks. They need to back the fuck off.

  70. 70.

    Bupalos

    I’m drinking up MVP having fun whipping up a crowd. If we left had this on the table for Old White Stability we would be utter chumps.

  74. 74.

    dmsilev

    @Jackie: Says “previously unreported” rift, which honestly could mean “we made it up based on some tea leaves and the entrails of a goat”.

  76. 76.

    Ohio Mom

    @Pink Tie: it’s tough losing a beloved parent. When my mom died, life felt like a big bait-and-switch — how could part of the deal be that I’d have to live without this person for the rest of my life?

    It does get better, slowly. Be gentle and good to yourself. This is the time to cut yourself lots of slack in everything.

    Also, condolences on the loss of your sweet —and sassy — friend Ruth. What a privilege you had, knowing her.

  77. 77.

    Lyrebird

    HUGS for @Pink Tie: only if you want them, they can just be air hugs, but yes that is a LOT and do you have people near by IRL who can help you catch your breath?  Did you post a sweet photo of your father when Dr. Ruth died, or was that someone else?

  78. 78.

    Avalune

    Guys guys peaches are furry! What do you mean just eat them? Next you’re gonna tell me to just chomp into a kiwi! A coconut! Fruity slippery slope.

  79. 79.

    Ohio Mom

    @frosty: Peach skin sets my teeth on edge, I either peel them or stick to nectarines. This year the peaches are better by miles than the nectarines, so peeling the slices it is.

  80. 80.

    West of the Rockies

    @SFAW:

    Remember Palin asking, “How’s that hopey-change thing workin’ out for ya?”

    I thought a “How’s that dopey orange thing workin’ out for ya?” would sell.

  81. 81.

    Bupalos

    I’m going to just own that I was just wrong.

    I did the whole “should biden pull out” thing based on a kind of hyper-rational assessment of risks. And I thought he should, because of the downside I was looking at.

    I missed the big picture and own up to being as wrong as the wrongest of the “Schiff needs to hang” gang. The reason Biden needed to go was what we’re seeing now, and it has nothing to do with risk-minimization. We say all the time: practical politics is about emotion. That’s what Trump harnessed on the side of fear and regret and loathing and going back…. and now we’re seeing it harnessed on the side of hope and affirmation and love and going forward. Putting up MVP is like the pressure on the cork in the champagne finally popped. We still could lose, but this is what fighting looks like.

    And women are at the center here, both of the choice of how we will fight, and the outcome of that fight. Thank you Nancy, thank you Kamala…

    I… I BELIEVE…. I BELIEVE THAT…. I BELIEVE THAT WE…. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN… MVP…MVP…

  82. 82.

    Jay

    @Pink Tie:

    I am so sorry for the struggles you are dealing with now, try to take care of yourself and remember, it’s okay to grieve.

  83. 83.

    West of the Rockies

    @Bupalos:

    I think “woke” probably still gets lots of play in rural diners. Republicans ain’t early adaptors.

  84. 84.

    tam1MI

    Jesse Watters demonstrates the Streisand Effect.

    Republicans are furious that the attacks describing them as fascist little weirdos are making an impression on the American public, and their response has been to get even weirder.

    On Monday night, Fox News host Jesse Watters complained at length about the accusation from Democrats that GOP politicians — and Trump’s vice presidential pick Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) in particular — are “weird.”

    Watters played a compilation of prominent Democratic lawmakers, politicians, and commentators discussing the attack line. “The agenda, the way they talk to people, the way they address people, it’s bizarre and it’s weird. It is weird,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) says in one clip.

    While the Fox host was clearly upset about the commentary, the segment was shared on social media as a textbook example of the Streisand effect — helping further disseminate the “weird” message — especially when Watters zeroed in on the viral meme accusing Vance of describing having sex with a couch in his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy. 

  86. 86.

    Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)

    @Pink Tie:My sympathies. Looks like a lot of us are in the same boat. Be well, and take care of yourself.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    Dunno the technical ins and outs of it but could the brought to you by printing include a QR code?

  88. 88.

    Jackie

    @SFAW:

    I’D RATHER BE “WOKE” THAN WEIRD

    I LOVE this! I’d happily put this in my rear window! Minus the quotation marks around WOKE. Unless you put quotation marks around WEIRD, for the balance.

    And, I’m in MAGA country.

  89. 89.

    Spanish Moss

    @Avalune: If you rub your hands over the skin when you wash them all of the fuzz comes right off, takes just seconds. The only time I peel peaches is when I am making a cobbler.

  90. 90.

    Ken

    @tam1MI: Yes, though the Democratic messaging here deserves  kudos, we really should acknowledge the stellar effort the Republicans are putting into amplifying it.

  91. 91.

    Jay

    @Avalune:

    It’s kinda like a potato skin. That’s where the best nutrition is.

    But then, you have Leto there to peel grapes for you, so put him to work, chop chop.

  92. 92.

    Nix Besser (fmr. steppy)

    @Pink Tie: My sympathy. You must know that having a colleague like Dr. Ruth is an amazing legacy. Please remember your father as the blessing he was.

  93. 93.

    Jackie

    @Suzanne: Thanks! I had no idea.

    I’m just glad Fain didn’t punish Harris for any perceived slight he felt from Biden. Which seems very un-Biden like. I’ll read your link and see if it sheds any light.

  98. 98.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Ken: Watters giving a master class on the Streisand Effect definitely earns a thumbs-up.  What an imbecile.  What an ultramaroon.

  100. 100.

    Bupalos

    @Jay: There is no fucking way the majority of nutrition in a peach resides in the skin.

    I mean, I guess that’s coming pretty hard, but… support that.

  103. 103.

    Belafon

    @SFAW: We can own weird as well. Weird and Woke. It makes them uncomfortable because it was supposed to separate us from them.

  104. 104.

    Martin

    @Avalune: It’s not so bad if you just shove the whole thing in your mouth in one bite – kind of unhinge your jaw and jam that fucker in there. You kind of have to work the pit out with your tongue – it can take 10 or 20 minutes, but you won’t even notice the fuzzy stuff.

  105. 105.

    Bupalos

    @catbirdman: the only exposure I’ve had to this artist is her Amazon commercials that air on MLB games where she’s Megan Thee Chef or Megan Thee Horse-groomer… that are really brilliant. And she seems brilliant. I’m going to check this out.

  106. 106.

    pluky

    Am I the only person born South of the Mason-Dixon Line who doesn’t care for peaches? Add to that cola of any brand.

  110. 110.

    Spanish Moss

    @Bupalos:

    I’ve been doing it all my life and it works. The skins are still on there of course, just not the fuzz. I grew up in AL and our family ate a lot of peaches, juices dripping down our chins. I live in in MA now and the peaches just aren’t as good up here, not nearly as juicy.

    The two main foods I miss from Southern summers are juicy peaches and boiled peanuts. We pay an ungodly amount of money to The Peach Truck to have some Southern peaches shipped up here a few times in the summer. Fortunately I am able to find green peanuts in a local Vietnamese grocery store so I can make my own boiled peanuts. I have yet to convince many of my Yankee friends to develop a taste for them.

  113. 113.

    Bupalos

    @Villago Delenda Est: Wish she’d explain why, to wedge off some of the looser Trump support, instead of solidifying it via rote opposition.

    We aren’t going back because THAT IS FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE THEY ARE LYING TO YOU!!!. NO ONE HAS EVER GONE BACK EVER IT’S NOT A THING!!!! TIME MOVES ONE WAY!!

    Yes it would be bad for lots of minority people but it also would be bad for you and it’s TOTALLY FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE AND A FRAUDULENT ATTEMPT TO WEAPONIZE YOUR RATIONAL FEAR OF THE FUTURE. THEY ARE MINING YOU FOR PRECIOUS POLITICAL MINERALS.

  116. 116.

    Peale

    @Mousebumples: based on the latest poll, PA is one of the swing states where she hasn’t closed the gap. So I’m reading that as the reason she’ll be starting there.

  117. 117.

    Jackie

    @Avalune: Wash the fuzz off! Gently rub the peach under cold running water and voilà! Fuzz free!

    Bonus: you don’t have to leave the sink to eat the peach – as the juices will drip into the sink; then you scoop a few hand cups of running water to clean off your mouth and chin before leaving the sink.😊🍑♥️

  123. 123.

    Lapassionara

    @Avalune: oh my. When the peach is ripe, the skin comes off easily. Then you slice the peach, making sure you hold it over a bowl or plate when you slice, as the peach will be juicing. Fresh peaches are so worth the little time it takes to peel them.

    If the peel does not come off easily, the peach is not ripe.

  125. 125.

    Mousebumples

    @Peale: I’m wondering if she figured it would be Shapiro so they planned this out (I think they were colleagues as AGs together), and then either a wild card candidate broke through (Walz?) or Holder found something during the vetting.

    I think Holder’s more thorough than Eric or Don Jr. Right?

    Also… Your point about needing to close the gap in PA is fair. I read (*unconfirmed, could be shitposting) that the next day’s rally is in NW Wisconsin.

  130. 130.

    Jackie

    @Bupalos:

    I’m going to just own that I was just wrong.

    Leave it there. Then do what you can to help to make this a reality!

    I… I BELIEVE…. I BELIEVE THAT…. I BELIEVE THAT WE…. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN… MVP…MVP…

  132. 132.

    Avalune

    You guys are animals.

    i miss boiled peanuts. It took me a while to accept them but I did and then we went overseas and nawth.

     

    Trying to imagine Leto peeling grapes. I don’t think he likes me that much.

  134. 134.

    Bupalos

    @rikyrah: Good idea. Opening night, let’s celebrate the reality that clinging to power is not something Democrats do, that’s for the fascists. Even the oldest, most male, most cis hetero dems know that real strength is in letting go and embracing communal wisdom. I hope it’s half Biden leaving, half trump wrecking the country by trying to stay.

  136. 136.

    Avalune

    @Lapassionara: How do you pick a ripe peach at the store? I’m too far north to trust any of these peaches but might give in a go.

    The hotness around here are pink pineapples but I only eat those when my boss cuts them for me. I guess I’m an infant lol. Maybe Leto does need to peel my grapes after he cuts up my steak.

  137. 137.

    Mousebumples

    bsky.app/profile/atticusgf.bsky.social/post/3kyk757mw5c23

    ngl I think the idea that we should use “creepy” instead of “weird” is silly, same with the concern that we are using “weird” too much.

    stop being impatient! you say this until it’s ingrained.

    and changing it too fast risks the chance that your alternative doesn’t hit the same. stick with weird.

    like folks I appreciate your concern that it can get stale but it has been a week. right wing gets _way way way_ more mileage outta their insults.

    this is a real winner. requires literally no explanation. it can absolutely last until november. stop overthinking it.

     

    bsky.app/profile/figgityfigs.bsky.social/post/3kyk7aey2g22o

    I saw a big account, one run by a woman who writes a newsletter called “The Long Game,” say that everybody needed to transition from weird to creepy within the next 12 hours. Like what a strange thing to say right now! It’s still July! Most people still aren’t paying attention!

    And re: the words themselves, you’re exactly right, I think. “Weird” works in part, I think, because it’s less judgy about the substance and more about just how off putting these people are in general.

    Like put it into a more substantive space and all of a sudden you’re much more into a space where you risk activating people’s instinctive partisanship.

     

    bsky.app/profile/atticusgf.bsky.social/post/3kyk7ix7kt223

    Yep, and creepy gets pretty close to that line. Weird is very very good because you can hear it and take it as devastating and yet it can be defended as innocuous.

    there’s no reason to use “creepy” instead because many people will just translate it in their head to “creepy”! you don’t need to do extra work, it’s a word that lets people associate what they want with it!

    yeah like stop overanalyzing this and trying to find replacements when this is killing it.

    it’s like watching simone biles nail a vault routine and then anxiously shouting MY GOD DO WE HAVE A BACKUP READY

  143. 143.

    Mousebumples

    bsky.app/profile/redwoodgirl.bsky.social/post/3kyka22m7zk2c (must be logged in to view)

    Just saw this on Twitter: this couch was supposedly seen outside JD Vance’s rally in Reno today, and commenters are saying it’s on every Reno TV news program and every local Facebook group.

    {img alt text – An inflatable green couch in a vacant lot in front of the sign for the Reno/Sparks Convention Center with the marquee reading “Reno welcomes Senator JD Vance” in lights. On the couch there’s a large hand-written sign reading “JD, 👄 call me.”}

    The link to the Twitter post for those who still have an account there: x.com/3vanSutton/status/1818361049990733927?t=AMWmHztPCGE78UIdJnvucQ&s=19

  145. 145.

    Trivia Man

    @Mousebumples: What a lovely gesture – hold it in Philly so the PA governor can welcome the new VP (Walz is my choice) and demonstrate with a smile that WE ARE UNITED.

  146. 146.

    Jay

    @Bupalos:

    Flesh is carbs, like we need more carbs, sugars, like we need more sugar and vitamin C, I’ll give you that one.

    Skin is fibers, minerals, antioxidants and a bunch of other stuff.

    I don’t peel apples, kiwi’s, peaches, cherries, grapes and a bunch of other fruits. Watermelon rinds are good for you. Cantalope and Durian, not so much. Hard on the teeth.

    I don’t peel my tomatos or seed them, although some people insist that is the only way. My roast peppers have skin on, because you don’t need to char them to roast them.

    Different folks, different strokes.

    We also eat carrot tops here.

  147. 147.

    Leto

    @Avalune: we can get schnitzel and the good Vietnamese food while we’re there! We can consider it my continuing rehab for me.

  148. 148.

    Bupalos

    @Jackie: Missed that.

    It’s pretty clear Biden was completely consumed with political survival. Which makes the BidenStays revisionist history where he was planning the handoff to Harris… questionable.

    If he couldn’t service Fain, he wasn’t in the game. How people can be like “really really unprecedentedly old career politician doing things no career politician would do doesn’t indicate anything….” is… sign of the times.

  153. 153.

    Mousebumples

    @Trivia Man: I think that would be great!

    Alternate options from bsky –

    bsky.app/profile/yarrriv.bsky.social/post/3kyk6sxcca22w

    Gritty is a controversial choice but he does come from a swing state

    Harris/Gritty? (or Kamala/Gritty – idk if that’s the first or last name)

    bsky.app/profile/mootquestion.bsky.social/post/3kyk6xcpous22

    Holy shit can you imagine her VP revealing himself from inside a Gritty suit?!

    Probably not doing that either, but it made me laugh.

  154. 154.

    Jackie

    @rikyrah:

    President Biden will headline the opening night of the Democratic National Convention with a primetime speech.

    BAHAHAHAAA! The DNC ratings are going to be 🔥 after TCFG’s RNC rating’s literal snooze fest.

  160. 160.

    Bupalos

    I seriously feel like we’re gunna win at POTUS. I think we maybe got this now. MVP is changing the whole force-field.

  161. 161.

    KatKapCC

    @Mousebumples:

    Has he left his pants in Philly?

    “I Left My Pants In Philly” is the follow-up to “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” we didn’t know we needed.

  162. 162.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Bupalos: ​

    if you don’t keep WWIII centered

    Excuse me, but fuck this WWIII bullshit. Even aside from the fact that to those of us of a certain generation, WWIII was synonymous with nuclear Armageddon, what’s going on now is not anything remotely on the scale of WWI, WWII, or even the Cold War for that matter, hell, the Indochina war all by itself (fuck LBJ and Nixon too) was bigger than the war Russia’s waging now.

    If we’re gonna call this war WW Anything, then the Cold War has to be WWIII, so barring nuclear Armageddon, the number III can’t belong to this war no matter what.

  166. 166.

    lamh47

    I spoke to some young folks in Atlanta that attended the rally for
    @VP
    . They were all Energized and excited. One young woman told
    @cliff_notes
    and I that she had planned to vote but was now excited about the election. She’s now planning to organize a bus load of students from Tennessee State University to vote together as a group. She said she’s starting to that work today!

    twitter.com/MsLaToshaBrown/status/1818468554875789809

  167. 167.

    Auntie Anne

    The white peaches this year are especially good in the Mid-Atlantic states.  I’ve been going to my local farmstand shop about twice weekly (only about 5 minutes from my house) so I can eat a peach a day.  I spoke with the owner today and he told me he gets them from NJ.

  168. 168.

    Jay

    @Avalune:

    smell, and some give, but not too soft, slightly firm. Put them by a banana or an apple and they will ripen up.

    This year, we have no local stone fruits, (Okanagan). Hard freeze in early spring killed off the crops. Peaches, pears, cherries, plums.

    So everything is trucked up from the US, and is hard.

  169. 169.

    Bupalos

    @zhena gogolia: No I cannot. I didn’t bring it up but you rubbed sores seem to live for the idea that you’ve been chaffed. I don’t know what set you off, don’t know what you’re referring to but I have people in Ukraine TONIGHT UNDER FIRE and I’m not “giving it a rest” to help you feel good about being the absolutely wrongest you could be on the internet. I’m holding fire on the fact that the Biden administration started well and then sold Ukraine out for political expediency and/or because they can’t think straight.

    Like why can’t you just feel good about the much better place we are in politically? Why you wanna frag dems for getting there?  Why frag Pelosi for saving Ukrainian lives. Why do you get a pass on this? Why isn’t this just GOOD???!?!!?!

  170. 170.

    Peale

    @Mousebumples: I don’t know…does the right wing get as hung up on semantics. There is no right word. English has millions of words. Not because it is precise. But because it wants to trick liberals into thinking there’s a better word so they pause when they should be shouting.

  172. 172.

    JWR

    @Jackie:

    “The United Auto Workers is expected to formally endorse Kamala Harris for president,…”

    I was hoping they would, eventually. But did you listen to Fain’s speech to the RNC? It was the same speech he’ll probably give to the DNC. ;) As for his RNC speech, it was interesting to hear the applause for this or that Dem policy, because deep down, they know they want what the Dems have to offer, but this damn Culture War has ’em by the nads.

  173. 173.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @NotMax: Got peaches at Costco a couple of weeks ago; and most of them went straight into the trash.

    Thanks for the tip!

  174. 174.

    Jackie

    @Starfish: Oh, jeez! I trusted you enough to think PG-13 at worst…

    Trivia I didn’t need to know – much less what gameshow would ask that question* 🤦🏼‍♀️

    *Answering my own question: “Family” Feud.

  176. 176.

    Lapassionara

    @Avalune: go to farmers market. Buy peaches. Put them in a brown paper bag. Let them sit for a few days. Open the bag and sniff. If you smell peaches, then try one out. Or, maybe slice some for peach shortcake or peach cobbler. Fresh peaches are the most wonderful part of summer.

  178. 178.

    zhena gogolia

    @Bupalos:
    What set me off was this:

    It’s pretty clear Biden was completely consumed with political survival. Which makes the BidenStays revisionist history where he was planning the handoff to Harris… questionable.

    If he couldn’t service Fain, he wasn’t in the game. How people can be like “really really unprecedentedly old career politician doing things no career politician would do doesn’t indicate anything….” is… sign of the times.

    And now you will be pie, along with a few other people.

  183. 183.

    RevRick

    My day began meeting with some Lutheran colleagues to discuss the pericope texts from the Revised Common Lectionary for August 11th (which might sound incomprehensible to most of you), stopped off at the nearby zombie mall to get in 6000 steps, and came home for lunch, and prepped for my afternoon Zoom meeting. I’m chair of the Penn Northeast Conference (UCC) Racial Justice Team, which I began by sharing the story of Sisera and Jael from the book of Judges. Spoiler alert: she slays the enemy of Israel by hammering a tent peg through his temple. I asked the group what Sisera situations in the world would like to drive a tent peg through? The unanimous response was Project 2025. Afterwards, we discussed our plans and will take a bus trip to the African American History and Culture Museum on October 26th, developing a recommended reading list, and looking towards a bus trip to Selma Fall 2025.

    Other than that, watching the Olympics. Oh, and eating cheesecake, because today is National Cheesecake Day.

  185. 185.

    Avalune

    @Lapassionara: A cobbler would be amazing but apparently I have diabetes now. 😑 I love a good crumble too. Dammit. Now I’m going to have to get fruit and try to find some peanuts to boil.

  186. 186.

    different-church-lady

    My god there’s a lot of stupid coming from one place on this thread.

  187. 187.

    Eduardo

    @Jackie: unless the postcards are going to be sent to the party faithful, we should let the ‘woke’ part out.  This is what the middle segment of the electorate doesn’t like about the Democratic Party.

    I like much better something like ‘freedom vs weird’ or ‘country vs self serving egotist Trump’ .  Of course not on those words

  188. 188.

    Bupalos

    @zhena gogolia: Good. The less I hear from you the better. I honestly have a hard time believing you’re invested in Ukraine, but I guess the internet does funny things, and you maybe honestly thought Biden was the better play.

    Some gaps are unbridgeable.

  189. 189.

    Mousebumples

    @Peale: yeah, fair. And I’d rather laugh vs shout, but same idea.

    Lol, really? That’s so weird.

    I haven’t seen anything So Weird since that 90s/00s Disney Channel show. (called So Weird, lol)

  192. 192.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jackie: ​
     

    Wash the fuzz off! Gently rub the peach under cold running water and voilà! Fuzz free!

    Bonus: you don’t have to leave the sink to eat the peach – as the juices will drip into the sink; then you scoop a few hand cups of running water to clean off your mouth and chin before leaving the sink.😊🍑♥️

    Over a sink is the only way to eat a peach indoors, AFAIAC. A good peach is gonna drip all over the place, so why would you take it anywhere else?

  194. 194.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Lapassionara: ​
     

    If the peel does not come off easily, the peach is not ripe.

    I’ve had overripe peaches where the peel didn’t come off easily.

  195. 195.

    PJ

    @different-church-lady: I would like to say that some people can’t help being dicks, but I also know that some people are dicks because they love the attention it brings.  It makes them feel important, and powerful.

  196. 196.

    Lyrebird

    @Trivia Man: From your lips to the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s orecchiete (sp?).

    And thank you @Mousebumples: for the great Bsky bits!  I enjoyed the Gritty costume idea but generally hope they don’t.

  197. 197.

    Fake Irishman

    @Mousebumples:

    Right: it does make sense that Philly is the first stop no matter who it is: Philly is the biggest traditional Dem stronghold in PA, a must win state and its suburbs have been trending heavily dem for 20 years.

    I also appreciate the aide’s comments on not reading anything into the choice ….because Josh Shapiro got his start in politics in Delaware County, the biggest Philly suburban county, flipping the County executive seat to the Dems for the first time in forever sometime in the late aughts.

  200. 200.

    wjca

    @Jay: We also eat carrot tops here.

    The fruit stuff is a bit weird.  (A good weird.)  But eating carrot tops is perverted.

  201. 201.

    seefleur

    All this peach-talk is killing me… I’m allergic to pitted fruits (and a bunch of other really good stuff), like epi-pen allergic. As a kid I wasn’t, so I have memories of how good peaches are. Please, enjoy ANY peach doubly for me.

  202. 202.

    Jay

    @zhena gogolia:

    Personally, with out named confirmation, I don’t buy the Shawn Fain “story”.

    Union Leaders don’t have the President’s “hotline”, and wouldn’t be calling in the middle of the crisis.

    President Kennedy, This is Dr. Strangelove of the Allied Nuclear Weapons Cartel. I know we are in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it would really help us out if you could use one or two of our products. Please call me back as soon as you can.

  203. 203.

    Avalune

    @NotMax: I sassed you but I did watch it and it was helpful. I think part of my but I hate to peel it is because I kept ending up with bruised peaches that just kind of fell apart when I tried to peel. Thanks for the vid.

  208. 208.

    Jackie

    @Lapassionara: Picking a peach straight from the tree as a kid from my Dad’s tree in my swim suit, eating it there, fuzz and all, then running through the sprinkler to clean up… one of my best memories 🥰

  209. 209.

    Jay

    @wjca:

    Hannibal Lecter would disagree. Did you know that he “is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice.”

  210. 210.

    Bupalos

    @KatKapCC: I guess I should have clicked but I was just going with the flow which I thought was
    “MVP kicks ass.”

    I’m split-screening with the speech and this convo and it makes it seem really fucking weird when people do this low key “bring back biden” stuff. Or “please moderate your enthusiasm and/or criticism so that we feel better about ourselves.” If Biden pissed off Fain (I don’t know this is true, but it’s the contention) that is absolute evidence he was not in the right game.

    . Already had a post about how badly I missed this. I. Was. Wrong. Totally clueless about the energy we’re seeing. Embrace it. It’s about winning. Which we’re going to do and it’s going to happen because we stopped being timid. Not about you. Not about me. It’s about winning.

  211. 211.

    Mousebumples

    @Fake Irishman

    I also appreciate the aide’s comments on not reading anything into the choice ….because Josh Shapiro got his start in politics in Delaware County, the biggest Philly suburban county, flipping the County executive seat to the Dems for the first time in forever sometime in the late aughts.

    Good backstory on Shapiro, thanks!

    I think it’s plausible that this isn’t fully “decided” but they are short on time, so they’re making this plan and will announce maybe even before then? Maybe?

  215. 215.

    SFAW

    @Jackie: ​
     
    The intent of quotation marks around “woke” was to highlight that it’s a non-standard use of the word by the RWMFs, whereas weird is Standard English.
    Of course, I am probably overthinking it, and I have been credibly accused of being abstruse in some of my scrawlings.

  216. 216.

    Jackie

    @BR: He was. And at the end of his speech, he basically hinted Go Dems! It popped the MAGAts balloons and left them scratching their heads 🤭

  217. 217.

    different-church-lady

    @Bupalos: ​

    Embrace it. It’s about winning.

    That’s exactly what everyone on this thread was already fuckin’ doing before you started ranting.

  218. 218.

    Martin

    @Mousebumples: Pretty risky to have made a choice and allow a week for it to get leaked out. My guess is they told everyone to clear their calendar for next Tuesday and they’ll make a decision Monday or Tues AM.

    It’ll still be hard to keep it from leaking. It’s not that hard to track charters to Philly, or observe when the SS caravan pulls up.

  219. 219.

    Avalune

    Since I drew some of the pies in the pie filter that means even if you pie me you still have to see me. Bahahahaha. Not that anyone is pieing little ole me for being silly about fruit.

  222. 222.

    Bupalos

    @lowtechcyclist: Your perception. You’re defining WWIII by what you think it should be. Putin has declared war on the West. We just have failed to notice. If you follow Russian media monitors, it’s shockingly explicit and he does indeed summon up nuclear armageddon on the regular and with a purpose.

    He isn’t going to stop. Because he can’t. He’s restructuring the education system and economic system and society for a WWIII clash with the west. He is either going through with this or is going to die trying (a definite possibility.) Sorry that conflicts with whatever you saw on 1980’s entertainment of what WWIII was supposed to be.

  224. 224.

    Mousebumples

    @Martin: my only question on timing is if they need to have the virtual roll call nominate Harris/VP? Because I think that’s running from 8/1-8/5.

    So they might announce it (post a video?) ahead of their first appearance together.

    No idea. I agree it’s likely to leak if they keep it quiet until then

    ETA – How about an exclusive for NOT the FTFNYT? My petty self would love that.

  231. 231.

    ArchTeryx

    Just a quick note from an old bird, a picture, and a story of weird vs. weird.

    I’m glad that Anne Laurie distinguished between “creepy” weird and “good” weird. I’ve been part of furry fandom for the better part of 35 years – it’s where my nym comes from, dating back to a little known cartoon from the 1980s. I’m old. I’ve seen both kinds of weird – like with any group of fans, there are some real creeps and they, of course, get all the press. But most of us are harmless, and try to do what we can to make people’s lives better. It’s what I’ve dedicated myself to. And seeing Republicans, which are fascist creeps to the core, described the same way we are described… it’s been very mixed feelings sometimes. So I’m glad a front-page Jackal distinguished between the two. I like to think I’m on the side of the angels here. And I’d rather be celebratory than scared.

    One of the better artists I know from the community took the infamous Kamala Harris/hyena meme and turned it on its ear, producing this really awesome image:

    dropbox.com/scl/fi/nhs1y6mcfg6ncp95aaguu/BixByteKamalaHyena.jpg?rlkey=xw6ge4w8tvsh89d7lacmmbcbp&…

    Anyone that knows hyenas knows it’s a damn good characterization for Kamala Harris, and she could do far worse for having a “fursona” than this! One of the coolest pieces of political art I’ve ever seen.

    Unfortunately, BixByte also posted that to the Dead Bird site, and instantly attracted the usual pack of neo-nazis. The one leading the charge, a rightie (of course) was quickly outed as what is known as a “loli” artist. (You really don’t want to know). Good Weird vs. Bad Weird in one neat package.

    If we’re gonna beat TCFG, it’s gonna be us “good” weirdos that help lead the charge. We’re the ones knocking doors, writing postcards, and trying to outmeme the fascists. Not an easy task, but I think we’re up to it.

  236. 236.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @ArchTeryx: … it’s where my nym comes from, dating back to a little known cartoon from the 1980s.

    A wingless bird with hairy feathers?

  237. 237.

    Avalune

    @zhena gogolia: Tamara’s duck is cute but the seal chow is still my favorite. Maybe I need to make some new pies!

    Only sort of related I think my husband would like to pie filter me irl right now.

  238. 238.

    Trivia Man

    I have another convert to the boycott of FTFNYT but he wants a replacement. Any suggestions? He gets little new there but wants the daily fix of arts, travel, entertainment news, and games. He will pay actual money for a quality product.

  239. 239.

    Bupalos

    @ArchTeryx: Yeah we have to distinguish “individual” and “creative” and “imaginative” from

    “weird”

    It’s not an easy a rhetorical turn here. There are risks, and people need to understand that Trumpism is a pseudo-majoritarian movement.

  240. 240.

    KatKapCC

    @Bupalos: What “bring back Biden” stuff are you seeing here? Because I’m not seeing anything of the kind. And asserting that someone supports Russia is a pretty rude thing to say if you have zero evidence other than your petty hunch.

  242. 242.

    PatrickG

    @Bupalos: fyi I pied you over the last couple of weeks and just took you out today. I’m putting you back in because you have a tendency to make every thread about you.

    You dont, actually, have to respond to EVERY comment. Plus, your response to zhena was, in the parlance of our times, kind of weird.

    signing off for the night. Take care, all.

  244. 244.

    Trivia Man

    @Avalune: The problem with searching is you then have to vet any answers and be suspicious of motive or expertise. A trusted human is still a stellar (but not fool proof!!) way to get a head start.

    And one of my pet peeves is “Just google it!” If that advice doesn’t also come with a few key words to get started it is useless. A year, a name to start with, an industry jargon term… something that will get me on the right track. “Spanish war” is pretty useless as a search.  Adding “1898” or “Armada” or “conquistadors” or something to narrow it down to a more specific thing you want to find.

  246. 246.

    ArchTeryx

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: Dinosaucers. You’re thinking of the Apteryx from B.C., which is essentially a prehistoric kiwi. Too bad the original artist for B.C. is a hard core rightie and evangelical.

  249. 249.

    Avalune

    @Trivia Man: I’ve really been frustrated with Google searches lately too. I get all kinds of crap and none of it what I wanted. It’s like you’re at a store but they put all the good stuff behind the glass.

  251. 251.

    Bupalos

    @SFBayAreaGal: Actually a little bit, yeah. I think the 3 weeks that damaged us a little were entirely the fault of a stupid kind of masculine bravado saying “fuck you” to the entire party. Yes. I do think that a little bit. Lots of people smarter and more invested than him came to him and made the case and he said no. And he was wrong, and he probably knew deep down he was wrong.

    Although, as someone invested in history… what Biden ultimately did in listening to the voices around him instead of continuing to double down and deny reality (as almost everyone in history does)… hard to find that…. I think of him as a hero. Specifically a hero for letting go of power and affirming something way bigger than himself. It was immediately apparent and increasingly apparent that this was a case (in his words, his self-chastened words) of “personal ambition” almost risking everything.

    But yes. Those weeks pissed me off. I still have some anger for the way he weaponized my support. And maybe it’s still stinging.

  253. 253.

    ArchTeryx

    @Pink Tie: I’m very, very sorry to hear this. I always come to threads late and stupid and missed this. I know that sort of grief all too well. You aren’t alone here. {{Pink Tie}}

  256. 256.

    ArchTeryx

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: B.C. was pretty funny when Johnny Hart kept his evangelicalism out of it, but starting around the Clinton years, he basically turned the strip into a proselytizing political cartoon and that’s when I departed.

  257. 257.

    Jackie

    More great news!

    A new Emerson College Polling/WHDH survey of New Hampshire voters finds Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump, 50% to 46%.

    With third party candidates on the ballot, Harris leads Trump 48% to 41%; 6% support Robert Kennedy Jr., 1% support Jill Stein.

    RFK jr is still siphoning votes from TCFG 😂

    I’m beginning to think it’s semi-safe to believe polls 😊

    BUT! We mustn’t be complacent!!!

  258. 258.

    wjca

    @Bupalos: Putin has declared war on the West. We just have failed to notice.

    A war on the West, sure.  But a “World War”?  Not while it’s only one country attacking another.

    If you want to include cyberwarfare, and covert sabotage and assassinations, it’s still mainly just one country lashing out.  It’s got suppliers (North Korea,  China), but not really allies.  And even some suppliers on the physical weapons side, e.g. Iran, are on the other side in the cyber fight.  (Iran being intent on defeating Trump, for obvious reasons.)

  261. 261.

    Trivia Man

    @Avalune: yes, please

    I like the berry pie best so maybe a nice apple? Pumpkin with a dollop? Don’t think I’ve seen those.

  263. 263.

    Bupalos

    @wjca: I think Russia is now a Chinese client state (that economy would have collapsed otherwise) and the Russo-Ukrainian war is a kind of prelude to China trying out all its new kit in a regime-security move against Taiwan.

    Any war involving the United States or democracy is, at this point, a world war. And we all disregard the reality that most wars are ultimately about internal regime security. China will move when the regime feels threatened. But the shape of the conflict is being defined now. The United States essentially selling Ukraine out via inaction is not that far off of Munich in terms of courting a broader conflict that we will face in a worse position.

  264. 264.

    ArchTeryx

    @Jackie: I just don’t buy polls, whether they’re good for us or bad for us. After what I’ve seen the last 20 years, the only polls I believe any more are the ones on Election Day, and with all the vote suppression going on in red states, sometimes even those are suspect – though I’m not nearly as sour grapes as TCFG was when Election Day polls didn’t go his way. We didn’t attack the Capitol when Dubya was installed as President over Gore.

  265. 265.

    Trivia Man

    @Avalune: I am slightly happier with Duck Duck Go but it doesn’t have the depth. I especially like that it doesn’t spam me with Pintrest or SPONSERED links like the big G does.

  266. 266.

    Martin

    @Mousebumples: Yeah, I don’t know. They’re acting like they can keep it a secret until the 6th. Ohio deadline is the 7th, I think. Can the delegates vote for Harris + VP to be named? I would think so – it’s just a party rule.

    Trimming a lot of rules and conventions in all of this. I do hope we can avoid this sort of thing in the future.

  268. 268.

    Trivia Man

    @Jay: Thanks, LA Times is probably what he needs. We moved there for our rock & roll band back in the dark ages so he is familiar with it.

  269. 269.

    JWR

    @BR:

    I thought it was the Teamsters guy who was at the RNC?

    Yep, you’re right. I got the two unions mixed up in what’s left of my brainz. ;) So, my bad. Sorry, everyone! You may now return to the usual poo-flinging. ;)

  272. 272.

    Carolina Dave

    Send me 100 Balloon Juice postcards. After I fill those out. Ill ask for more. Fuck yeah! As a non-cat and non-child person, I want to help. 2 doggie daddy voting for Kamala

  275. 275.

    Bupalos

    @columbusqueen: No.

    There is no reason you can cite that Ukraine is currently unable to defend against Russian missiles, incoming daily, incoming as we speak.

    We could have done this. We positively decided not to. On top of that, we positively decided Russian launch sites and air bases were to be left intact. We decided that nuclear blackmail is something you should reward, that somehow that means nuclear risk is lowered. That is a simple and stupid error.

    Politics is real. But so is reality.

  276. 276.

    Martin

    @JWR: Teamsters leader is Sean O’Brian, UAW leader is Sean Fain. A couple of white guys about the same age.

    You can be excused for mixing them up.

  277. 277.

    Avalune

    @Pink Tie: I’m sorry. I didn’t really have much of a relationship with my father – we ended up estranged but not like fighting just went our own ways. I always thought golly I’m more surprised he’s still alive given the way he lived…so I wasn’t prepared for how hard it was when he killed himself. I’m sorry for your losses. Take care.

  279. 279.

    Sally

    @SFAW: I like your idea. I have read any further yet. Also, just the words WOKE not WEIRD . Maybe blue woke with a smile, or a sun, in the O, and a long red tie for the I in the red weird.

    Edit: I see woke isn’t popular, so fair enough.

  280. 280.

    RaflW

    @Jackie: Just seeing that I guess Kari Lake is it. I think I’ll toss a few bucks in for Reuben, she seems very beatable!

  282. 282.

    Bupalos

    @Sally: Just as someone that was in marketing for a while…. just let the word “woke” go. Does you absolutely no good now. You’re sacrificing “weird” to “woke.

    We don’t have to win words. We have to win for our community.

  284. 284.

    randy khan

    @FDRLincoln:

    Harris just released an ad attacking Trump for blocking the immigration bill. It’s an effective ad.

    I like it, particularly the little twist of the knife at the end.

  285. 285.

    Fair Economist

    @seefleur:

    I’m allergic to pitted fruits (and a bunch of other really good stuff), like epi-pen allergic. As a kid I wasn’t, so I have memories of how good peaches are.

    The universe is cruel.

    California should have good peaches, but I find they’re hit-and-miss. Sometimes they are REALLY good. And sometimes they go bad before they’re ripe.

  287. 287.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @SFAW:

    I’D RATHER BE “WOKE” THAN WEIRD.

    Might u suggest an edit: I’D RATHER BE “WOKE” THAN A CREEDY WEIRDO.

    Puts the focus on how deeply creepy their weird ideas and an obsessions are.

    Plus if we wanna flip Texas we don’t want to alienate the “Keep Austin weird” folks. /s

  289. 289.

    oldgold

    I don’t think even Ripley would believe this.

    At a rally in Nevada tonight this occurred.

    Vance: “I would call my wife up here to speak, but then I think I’d have to sleep on the couch.”

  292. 292.

    Trivia Man

    @Jackie: Early voting started in Wisconsin for a primary. No contested races on team Blue but two batshit referendums trying to hobble our governor even more. VOTE NO AND NO is the mantra.

  295. 295.

    KatKapCC

    @oldgold: Oh my Lord, I hope he doesn’t think he’s gonna take back the couch thing like Trump’s weirdo fans did with diapers. These people are freaking nuts.

  296. 296.

    cain

    @Jay: we tamil people eat a lot of pumpkin and squash. Lot of coconut as well. Very different than the stuff you have in the north.

  298. 298.

    JWR

    @Martin:

    You can be excused for mixing them up.

    Thank you! But whoever gave that pro union speech to the RNC, it was really something! ;)

  303. 303.

    Torrey

    @Pink Tie: ​
      I’m so very sorry. Do give serious consideration to grief counseling. It doesn’t have to take too many sessions, and it can help to center yourself so you can deal with the grief. Sending good wishes.

  304. 304.

    Geoduck

    Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran. Not exactly going to help stabilize the general situation. EDIT: Already mentioned, but the comment stands.

  305. 305.

    Yutsano

    @Jackie: ​ I was coming here to post that. I haven’t reviewed the details yet, but this is big. And not in the good way.

  306. 306.

    cain

    @RevRick: Other than that, watching the Olympics. Oh, and eating cheesecake, because today is National Cheesecake Day.

     

    I’d make cheesecake, but some here can’t have sugar. I think I should make cheesecake for my own enjoyment. I have a great recipe that I will use.

    Plus my son is on a diet, and I figure I’ll just put it out there – but I think protein is fine but the sugar will do him in :D

  312. 312.

    Sally

    @RaflW: Repub men now can’t vote for Lake – Watters has warned them, if they do they will turn into women. And what could be worse!

  313. 313.

    Colette South

    @SiubhanDuinne: Let me second Siubhan’s excellent comments: I too would be happy to chip in to  help defray the costs of postcards and would volunteer to write and send some!

  315. 315.

    wjca

    @oldgold: Vance: “I would call my wife up here to speak, but then I think I’d have to sleep on the couch.”

    Is his speech write a Democratic mole?  Even for a seriously dumb guy, this is exceptional.

  318. 318.

    Bupalos

    @Omnes Omnibus: OK I’ll revise and extend…

    Y’ALL UNDERESTIMATED THIS LADY BECAUSE NO WAY IN FUCKING HELLLLL DID YOU ACTUALLY THINK BIDEN COULD DO THIS…. AND NO WAY IN HELLLLLL DID YOU SEE KAMALA PUMPING THIS OUT AND YOU WERE JUST LIKE “NAW GIMMEE BIDEN TRYING HARD TO READ…”

    Work for you?

  320. 320.

    wjca

    @cain: I’d make cheesecake, but some here can’t have sugar. I think I should make cheesecake for my own enjoyment.

    Just means more for you, right?

  321. 321.

    piratedan

    @Sally: i can only imagine the outrage if someone demanded to track Watters menstrual periods in keeping with GOP standards….

  323. 323.

    Bupalos

    This is actual professional advice: Do not pair “weird” with “woke.” That’s losing by trying to fight old battles. They’re weird because they’re weird, and if you impose “woke” you will complicate and detract from that without adding anything on the other side.

    That’s actual professional advice.

  324. 324.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Buad’s pronouncement that the discussion about JD Vance that the Incel Wars have begun was chilling.

    Truly, the pants have hit the floor.

  325. 325.

    Colette South

    @BR: I’ve been wondering if Vance is on the spectrum.  He does seem clueless when it comes to social interactions and message targeting.

  328. 328.

    BethanyAnne

    @Pink Tie: I’m late to the thread, but I’m so sorry to hear that. Come hang out with us more here – there’s always something going on.

  332. 332.

    KatKapCC

    @Colette South: Oh please, can we stop with the “everyone who is the slightest bit odd must have autism” thing? Going on some people’s measurements, literally everyone in the world would be diagnosed as such. Awkwardness does not automatically equal autistic.

  333. 333.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Chet Murthy: Cuddy: House doesn’t have Asperger’s, diagnosis is much simpler; he’s a jerk.

    Both ant impossible, and more the point a president with aspergers is not a first we want in world full of nuclear weapons

  336. 336.

    Dan B

    @pilgrimtraveller: I’d agree with Woke being an old battle.  It might work to say ‘Better aware than weird’.  If people ask you just explain that you don’t like lies the weirdos spout: examples, climate denial, immigrant crime, etc.

    Make them explain what they think you mean.

  337. 337.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Bupalos: what profession.
    to not pair woke and weird because th3 ost usdyes, odd combo. Sa6 more/ what background, pls

  338. 338.

    KatKapCC

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Considering it’s no longer an official diagnosis used by doctors, I don’t think you need to worry. But also, do you think people on the spectrum are dangerous or crazy or something? How on Earth are you connecting that to nukes?

  341. 341.

    wjca

    Consider keeping

    BETTER WOKE THAN WEIRD

    for internal use only.  We can be amused.  The general public doesn’t need to deal with “woke”

  343. 343.

    Bupalos

    @Gloria DryGarden: marketing. Public relations. I don’t want to oversell that, just consider: you’ve got a winner… don’t use it to try and cancel out or redeem a loser.

    woke is done. Weird can have a life. Bad trade.

  345. 345.

    cain

    @sxjames: What was remarkable about that day was how community driven everything was. The cops basically did not crowd control, all of us directed traffic, got people to the right areas, it was amazing.

    I wish I took a video of the whole thing. Unbelievable.

  348. 348.

    cain

    @KatKapCC: I use the term neurodivergent a lot because in the tech world, there are a lot of us who are not on the spectrum but definitely do not think the same way as “normies”

  349. 349.

    Gloria DryGarden

    Besides, ‘woke’ became an odd pejorative, to put down kindness, inclusion, awareness of racism and other exclusions. Odd people, the weird ones being ‘anti-woke’
    it always seemed grammatically incorrect, and jargon-y. A strange in-group buzz word, when plain English would do.
    I’m happy to drop that word entirely.

  350. 350.

    Martin

    Just caught up on Olympics.

    I like how the diversity of the US teams are increasingly making it apparent that they must be the US team.

  351. 351.

    cain

    @TS: Some people have to just keep driving stuff because it is they who are offended that we didn’t immediately jump on the bandwagon.

    We didn’t because we have our own set of anxieties. Yes, it all worked out and thank god for that. But there is no reason to just keep punishing us because you were on the bandwagon first.

  353. 353.

    Chet Murthy

    @KatKapCC: [Full disclosure: I suspect I’m on the spectrum: I have never been able to read faces, and once I no longer needed to interact a ton with humans for work, I  slowly (then during the pandemic, quickly) stopped most face-to-face human interaction, and life is much more …. stable now]

    I think there’s a tendency on the part of many people to ascribe any sort of weirdness to “neurodivergence” of some kind.  Musk is a good example: maybe he’s on the spectrum, maybe he’s not.  But I think people think he is, basically b/c he’s a goddamn jerk.  And to my mind that’s not a good reason to think he’s on the spectrum: the probabilities would argue that it’s more  likely that he’s just a jerk, after all.  And I think the same logic applies even more so to Vance.

    They’re just jerks.

  355. 355.

    Citizen Alan

    @JWR:  I still think it would be hilarious if Sean Fain went to the DNC and gave the exact same speech before endorsing Harris because unlike the Republicans, she actually agrees with everything he said.

  357. 357.

    Chet Murthy

    @Chet Murthy: By “probabilities” what I mean is:

    • Googling, I find that doctors estimate <1% of people have Asperger’s.
    • I gotta believe far, far, far more than 1% of people are jerks
    • and similarly, >>>>1% are jerks who have delusions of grandeur far in excess of their abilities to actually pull things off (like it seems Vance has)

    So without any actual specialist knowledge to help us diagnose, I think it’s pretty reasonable to guess that -even if- all Aspies were jerks also (which -surely- they are not), that someone who presents as a jerk is more likely to just be a jerk, than an Aspie(-jerk).

  358. 358.

    BethanyAnne

    It’s amazing to me how much “weird” gets under their skins. Hell, the people that love me have called me weird all my life, much less damn strangers. Being called that now has a real “day ending in -y” vibe to me. But they are deeply, truly bothered by it. These mooks have such thin skins. Time to repeat it a thousand or so more times to their faces.

  360. 360.

    Ruckus

    @Chet Murthy:

    Some people think that money makes them far more important than others. A few who have money actually could give a damn about being lauded for having money. I call them humans rather than a bank account. I worked in professional sports, I’ve met me some money grubbers. I’d say about 80% of the one’s I’ve met I didn’t gave a rat’s ass about, in any way, shape or form. The other 20% were really normal human beings, they just didn’t worry about money.

  361. 361.

    Chet Murthy

    @BethanyAnne: You got me to thinking.  People talk about how “white” is the “unmarked category”.  All other categories are marked, but to be “white” is to just be “average”, not specially distinguished in some way.  The norm against which all others are deviations (so to speak).  Perhaps what’s going on, is that by calling them “weird”, we’re accusing them of not being the norm, not being in that unmarked category.  We’re accusing them of, in fact, being marked-out by their ….. weirdness.  It must be incredibly unsettling, to feel that you’ve been marked-out as different, perhaps?

  363. 363.

    KatKapCC

    @Chet Murthy: Again, Asperger’s is no longer a diagnosis. It is all simply ASD. For many reasons, one of which might be that the dude it was named for was a monster.

  364. 364.

    Chet Murthy

    @KatKapCC: Sorry, sure, I meant the spectrum.  All I really mean is, there are many reasons why somebody might display signs of being a jerk, and I think just plain “being a jerk” is more likely than some neurodivergence diagnosis, as the reason for such signs.  Sometimes a jerk is just a jerk.  And after all, lots of people are on the spectrum and -aren’t- jerks.

  365. 365.

    TS

    @Martin:

     I do hope we can avoid this sort of thing in the future.

    When republicans don’t have the power, or just stop trying to supress the democratic vote – then we won’t have this sort of thing in the future. They can’t win fair, so they try everything.

  367. 367.

    JWR

    @Citizen Alan: There was some fun during the Teamsters speech to the RNC, wondering if we’d actually tuned into the DNC, given the contents of the speech. ;)

  368. 368.

    TS

    @cain:

    they who are offended that we didn’t immediately jump on the bandwagon.

    This was not me. I stayed away until things calmed down. I just love that BJ got it back together & don’t want someone trying to change that.

  369. 369.

    columbusqueen

    @Bupalos: You actually are arguing that a full-on nuclear exchange with Russia is a risk worth taking? I believe in helping Ukraine defend itself, but you’re seriously meshuga. Just stop.

  370. 370.

    Martin

    @TS: Well, there are some self-owns here by Democrats in terms of how this whole process played out. The party has done a pretty solid job of mopping it up, and possibly with no catastrophic repercussions, but that’s not really a justification for allowing it to happen again.

  373. 373.

    NotMax

    <a href=”https://balloon-juice.com/2024/07/30/tuesday-night-open-thread-44/#comment-9294496″>Avalune</a>

    Google alternative? <a href=”https://startpage.com”>Startpage</a> (fromrly Ixquick). Based in Europe so operated under the more stringent EU privacy and functional parameters.

  374. 374.

    NotMax

    Oh fudge. Fixy fix.

    Avalune

    Google alternative? Startpage (fromerly Ixquick). Based in Europe so operated under the more stringent EU privacy and functional parameters.

  376. 376.

    Eduardo

    @Bupalos: Hard agree.

    Yes, Trump is a traitor, the worst.  But Obama and Merkel were just horrible wrt Putin and Biden and Scholz have been too timid.  And the price always goes up as Kasparov always says.

  377. 377.

    Citizen Alan

    @Martin: Probably too late to respond, But either a crustless cheesecake, which works perfectly fine in a springform pan or one with a crust made of almond flour and splenda with a dash of cinnamon.

  378. 378.

    wjca

    @Geoduck: A Yale man!

    And here I was expecting a scene from Anything Goes  (Sorry, not on a machine where I can do a youtube link)

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