Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

… gradually, and then suddenly.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

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

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Books are my comfort food!

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

You are here: Home / Politics / Low Energy, Drugged Up, Fat Elvis Energy

Low Energy, Drugged Up, Fat Elvis Energy

by | 171 Comments

This post is in: ,

I hadn’t been able to listen to any of my political podcasts in the past few months.  Between the setbacks on pretty much all of the Trump cases and the Biden bashing and hand-wringing, I just couldn’t do it.

I dipped my toe in with Talking Feds last night and it was mostly okay.

I did really appreciate the “low energy, drugged up, Fat Elvis energy line, though.  That was pretty good.

Guess who they were talking about?

Open thread.

 

Reader Interactions

171Comments

  4. 4.

    VeniceRiley

    I listened to some x clips and was shocked. By the time I saw some on CNN and BBC, they’d been doctored to take the lisps out.

    That’s some outrageous “journalism” and exactly what I expect.

    The content? Still weird and creepy.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    I caught a snippet on MJ this morning and he definitely sounded different to me. But I also can’t remember the last time I heard Trump speak. I try to avoid it.

  6. 6.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    Sounds like it could easily have been a reference to Bill the Cat, on multiple levels.

  7. 7.

    Hungry Joe

    POSTCARD UPDATE

    Postcards to Swing States: Completed — 200.

    Postcards for Jon Tester: Completed — 50

    Postcards for Sherrod Brown (assisting Ms. Joe with her batch of 50) — 4 yesterday

    Awaiting next batch of 200 from Postcards to Swing States

  10. 10.

    jonas

    To be fair to Elivs, there’s a great video on YouTube of his last concert performance, IIRC just a few days before he died. He looked sallow, sweaty and out of breath. But then he sits down at the piano and bangs out a rendition of “Unchained Melody” that is just incredible. Trump is fat Elvis, but without any of the talent and drenched in curdled nastiness.

  12. 12.

    OId Man Shadow

     “low energy, drugged up, Fat Elvis energy line

    Now if only the news media would pick this up they way they ran with “BIDEN OLD!” for years.

    Lousy two-bit motherfuckers.

  15. 15.

    zhena gogolia

    It’s the only Baz Luhrmann movie I’ve seen, and I thought it was good. (Don’t hit me!)

  16. 16.

    Hungry Joe

    POSTCARD NOTE

    I started reporting my daily postcard output in hopes of inspiring a few others to give it a try. But because I’ve committed, semi-publicly, to doing this, I find that I’ve actually inspired (forced?) myself: When I just plain don’t feel like writing any postcards I say to myself, “So what are you going to report on POSTCARD UPDATE tomorrow?” Then  I write a few. Then, usually, I write a few more, because once you get started …

    There’s peer pressure, and  then there’s JACKAL PRESSURE.

  17. 17.

    MomSense

    I like Elvis.  He was such a talented musician who was abused by a con artist.  He was kept drugged and taken advantage of and never deserved what was done to him.
    Trump is not a victim.  He is the Colonel Parker in this saga.

  18. 18.

    MomSense

    @Hungry Joe:

    I’m not doing post cards but my Saturday canvass was awesome.  Not many people at home, but a lot more volunteers showed up instead of just us olds.  Good to see.

  19. 19.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    Whether or not the audio of Trump is genuine in that clip of him in his golf cart talking about Kamala Harris, just look at his body, the way he moves. He’s not well and it’s much worse than just a few years ago.

  20. 20.

    Kay

    Julián Castro reposted

    This race has been fun to watch. A younger up and comer!

    Kyle Griffin

    @kylegriffin1

    Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego has just been endorsed by three former Republican officials in the Arizona Senate race. Former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana, former Phoenix Vice Mayor Peggy Neely and former state Rep. Robin Shaw all threw their support behind Gallego over Kari Lake— citing his stance on reproductive rights

  21. 21.

    karen marie

    @VeniceRiley: I listened to the clip in the Meiselas tweet below and it was only at the end that I heard slipping dentures. It was much worse in this Daily Show clip from six years ago. Fast forward to 2:10.

    Trump’s slurring is small potatoes compared to the batshit crazy shit he said.

  22. 22.

    gkoutnik

    @Hungry Joe: Thanks for the challenge.  Postcards are one more way to be patriotic, and I’m thrilled to hear from folks who are doing it.  I’ve got 200 Swing States cards waiting to send to Nevada; the next 200 should be here any day now.  I’m especially motivated by the results of the first race I wrote postcards for:  George Santos’ old district (and my old stomping grounds).

    Keep it up.  This is the kind of thing the good guys do

    Edit:   Also, a lot of talk here on BJ about the slim margins at play this time.  Any GOTV action is a good thing.  I feel like I’m part of something important.

  23. 23.

    Gretchen

    If you are burned out on most political podcasts, I recommend The Professional Left (the Cornfield Resistance). They are old-school bloggers who started blogging during the Bush administration. They’re a married couple who live next to a cornfield in Springfield, IL. They’re hopeful without being unrealistic – they’re used to being right while the people who have been wrong forever are still on my tv. Their motto is “chop wood, carry water” – just keep doing the work.

  24. 24.

    zhena gogolia

    @Hungry Joe: I’ve done 280 postcards to swing states, and plan to finish 300 today and put the stamps on tomorrow.

    But I might be done for now (work is impinging, plus Joe isn’t the candidate any more so I’ve lost steam).

  28. 28.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @VeniceRiley: I listened to the clips on the MeidasTouch and Trump sounded like he was wearing badly fitted dentures and having trouble with too much saliva.  I noticed that the clips the MSM networks have been playing, have been cleaned up and smoothed out.  But they still can’t make him sound less bat-shit…Getting rid of the Department of Education? He thinks the Time’s cover of Kamala Harris looks like Melania ? he was a rambling pile of crap.  Elon sounded like he could not get a word in…

  32. 32.

    206inKY

    The usual Dem-bashers are struggling to find anything that sticks. The Wall Street Journal has a headline up: “Tim Walz Isn’t Very Rich. Americans Disagree On Whether That’s a Good Thing.” Translation: They’ve got nothing on him.

  34. 34.

    M31

    @jonas: came here to post this — That recording is both cool and very sad — by the end Elvis was a serious fucked-up mess but holy shit there’s a voice and talent in there, and talent (except for griftconning) is something that Trump never had.

  37. 37.

    M31

    Elvis’s death — keeling over on the toilet — is something I wouldn’t wish on anybody

    well actually

  39. 39.

    BC in Illinois

    @jonas:

    To be fair to Elvis, there’s a great video on YouTube of his last concert performance . . . he sits down at the piano and bangs out a rendition of “Unchained Melody” that is just incredible.

    Here’s the song. The first minute of intro is painful to watch. But then he starts to play and sing, and the band comes in, and it’s Elvis.

    The decline of Trump is less of a tragedy.

  40. 40.

    stinger

    @zhena gogolia: ​
     OT, but I thought you’d appreciate this: I heard a report on NPR this morning about a study that showed how people’s values can increase or decrease depending on the time of year. For example, judges and juries can be more lenient with the accused during the winter holidays. I thought, “No shit, SherlockSteve Inskeep! Have you never seen Remember the Night?”

  44. 44.

    Scout211

    So this is the Time cover photo that Trump was praising last night, calling Kamala Harris beautiful.

    (USA Today)     Trump complimented Harris’ cover image during an Aug. 12 interview with Elon Musk broadcast on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

    He described her as a “beautiful woman,” comparing her to his wife, former first lady Melania Trump.

    As most of us females of a certain age know, calling a very competent and powerful woman “beautiful” is not a compliment in the context of the work world.

    But comparing her looks to Melania’s bought and paid for extra work she’s done?  Nope, it is not a compliment of Kamala Harris and it diminishes them both, IMHO.

    Trump, the sexist idiot.

  45. 45.

    Jackie

    @Kay: LOVE watching Arizonian republicans turn their backs to MAGA! Hopefully more purple states follow their lead!🤞🏻

  47. 47.

    M31

    NYT Pitchbot: Trump’s concern for election integrity hits Dems hard on ouster of Biden. Why this is bad news for “Kamabla”

    WaPo Pitchbot: Trump slurs sibilants, not ethnics, slams Dems for being the real rathiths

    Fox News Pitchbot: Check out these hot new summer salads!

    Summer Salad Network Pitchbot: Holy shit get these deranged lunatics off my computer

  52. 52.

    robtrim

    Lara Trump is now blaming the “Deep State” for the hacking of the Trump Campaign computers.

    The Deep State fiction is something out of pre-Nazi Germany. Dark forces, often hidden but sometimes obvious, are subverting the forces for good (Trump) in order to control the political order. In Germany the Deep State was a varied conspiracy of the Jews, Communists, Socialists, anarchists, urban liberals and other tools of the Weimar Republic. The Reichstag fire was blamed on a Dutch communist.

    America’s Deep State is equally amorphous (and fictitious). But, it serves as a key bogy man for the MAGA right. When Trump loses the Electoral College vote, no legal or illegal effort by the Right will be spared in order to deny the outcome. Thus, the veiled threats of violence and rejection of the valid Electoral College outcome. Biden is right: Trump will not allow a peaceful transfer of power that does not declare him the winner.

  53. 53.

    Mike E

    @Baud: regarding FDR they were apoplectic over his “class treason” and fomented plots to remove him from power…”Those people” are merely something nasty on their nice shoes that the help cleans off.

  54. 54.

    BC in Illinois

    From Meidas Society’s Child on Threads.

    Going forward, MSM should refuse to air any of the Madman of Mar-a-Lago’s public speeches/rants and simply inform the viewers that he will be speaking and should he say anything truthful, they will let the audience know. Kind of like fact checking, but only truth checking.

    Not “Here are the [many] lies Trump said yesterday.”

    But “Here is something Trump said that was true.”

    Leaves time for reporting on actual news.

  56. 56.

    artem1s

    @206inKY: ​ 

    “Tim Walz Isn’t Very Rich. Americans Disagree On Whether That’s a Good Thing.”

    Dammit, that was gonna be our headline this week!
    The Onion

  57. 57.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Scout211:

    I do not have a problem that Melania is a sex worker.  If that much money is worth being married to Trump to her, that’s none of my business.  (I do have a problem with her being an awful person.)

    That said, it didn’t occur to me that that might be the exact reason Trump made the association.  It’s so weird a comparison.  Harris isn’t Trump’s kind of woman, at all.  He’s a meanspirited misogynist immersed in elementary school insults, and he’s the kind of guy that might make the association of a woman he hates with prostitution.  Almost certainly would.  To use his trophy wife as his example is weird, but it sounds like exactly the kind of insult women get and men who aren’t seething misogynists don’t pick up on.

  60. 60.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @robtrim:

    America’s Deep State is equally amorphous (and fictitious). But, it serves as a key bogy man for the MAGA right.

    It’s neither amorphous nor fictitious.  The ‘Deep State’ term is ridiculous and MAGA attach conspiracy theories to it, but the thing they are describing with that term is completely real.  It’s the professional administrative state that enforces rules they don’t like.  It says no, you can’t just throw your enemies in jail on a made-up charge or order the army to shoot protestors or throw out the results when you lose an election.  The Deep State is indeed their enemy, because they believe laws and systems should exist only to help them oppress others.

  63. 63.

    PJ

    @BC in Illinois: You can’t have tragedy if you don’t start with greatness, or at least its possibility.  As an adult, Trump was always below average as a businessman and well below average as a person.

  66. 66.

    Scout211

    @Frankensteinbeck: I do not have a problem that Melania is a sex worker.

    I was referring to the “bought and paid for extra work” as the numerous cosmetic surgeries she has had done.  But your version works, too. 😉

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    @206inKY:

    The Wall Street Journal has a headline up: “Tim Walz Isn’t Very Rich. Americans Disagree On Whether That’s a Good Thing.”

     

    That’s an actual headline?

    Oh FFS!

  69. 69.

    Jackie

    Isn’t Venezuela one of those shithole countries? Other than the caveat of not having an extradition treaty with the US…

    Surely there are other countries TCFG would feel more at home?

    During Donald Trump’s “marathon” Monday night conversation with Elon Musk on the social media platform X, the convicted ex-president who faces criminal sentencing next month acknowledged the fact he could lose the presidential election, and invited his billionaire benefactor if he were again defeated, to “meet” with him in Venezuela, considered a “safe haven” as it has no extradition treaty with the United States.

    https://www.rawstory.com/trumps-venezuela-invitation-to-musk-raises-flight-risk-fears-among-legal-experts/

  73. 73.

    Kristine

    I know we’ve been doing a lot of fundraising here, but I found this link on Bluesky and I think it’s worthwhile. Five most underfunded House candidates according to the most recent FEC filing. Two seats are holds and three are flip opportunities.

    It’s ActBlue and you’ll probably get slammed with emails and texts. It’s a pain but given what’s at stake I’m gritting my teeth and unsubbing when necessary.

  75. 75.

    Ruckus

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    shitforbrains is an old. One who has not exactly taken decent care of himself – because he believes he is invincible. I believe that he is learning (to the degree that he is able to learn – a very, very minor degree) that he is just pure shit. Of course he would never, ever admit this… even if he fully knows it. Because in his mind (such a small, small putrid thing) he is the world’s greatest human. Aww the human mind, capable of greatness and capable of the exact opposite. Guess which of those opposing sides shitforbrains fits into…….

  76. 76.

    rikyrah

    @Kristine:

    I know we’ve been doing a lot of fundraising here, but I found this link on Bluesky and I think it’s worthwhile. Five most underfunded House candidates according to the most recent FEC filing. Two seats are holds and three are flip opportunities.

    It’s ActBlue and you’ll probably get slammed with emails and texts. It’s a pain but given what’s at stake I’m gritting my teeth and unsubbing when necessary.

     

    WaterGirl,

    are you interested in this? Just boosting,hoping that you will see this.

  77. 77.

    JML

    @206inKY: Tim Walz is so “not rich” that he maxed his credit cards during his first run for Congress. (I do not recommend this!)

    But unlikely many Congress Critters he didn’t become a millionaire while in office, and didn’t leave Congress to suck up sweet sweet sacks of lobbyist cash.

    I think it’s probably a good thing. Although I’d much rather a good and faithful public servant like Tim Walz get rich than corporate CEOs who get huge payouts have crashing their companies, or vulture capitalists who intentionally wreck companies to drain out their value before selling off the parts and moving on…

  79. 79.

    jimmiraybob

    I wonder if he’s cleared fleeing to Venezuela with the probation people.  Also too, we apparently have an extradition agreement with Venezuela.

    Really dude, yous gots to plan better.  Why not Russia, China or North Korea?  I hear that they are run by really smart and strong people.  Sounds great.

  80. 80.

    Another Scott

    @BC in Illinois: +1

    The fact that they don’t do this tells us which side they’re on.  Nobody, anywhere, should think that these media outfits that give him millions of dollars in consequence-free publicity are objective, good-faith, news outfits.

    They’re not.

    They’re “entertainment” and “engagement” outfits that sell audiences to advertisers.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  81. 81.

    Baud

    It’s his type of country.

    More than two weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed reelection victory, the U.S. and other Western countries are showing little sign of swift tough action over what many of them have condemned as voting fraud.

    Most governments have demanded that Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) release a full set of voting tally sheets after both Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez declared they won. Brazil and others are trying to secure talks between the two sides, irreconcilable in decades.

    Protests against Maduro following the vote were met with a crackdown, leaving 23 dead and about 2,400 people arrested, according to latest U.N. data.

  83. 83.

    VOR

    There is a picture of Trump during the call using a cell phone on speaker. That’s the audio setup. WTF?

    He’s an alleged billionaire. Mar-A-Lago supposedly does meetings so there must be an A/V person on call, if not on staff. Why can’t do they do a better audio setup for a call which will be heard by millions of voters? Go buy a $100 Yeti Blue microphone from Best Buy – it would be an improvement.

    Surely they have media consultants who could advise on setting up a proper A/V environment. None of this is hard, but it does take a minimum of effort.

  84. 84.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Jackie:

    Isn’t Venezuela one of those shithole countries? Other than the caveat of not having an extradition treaty with the US…

    Venezuela’s president just outright stole their recent election (per international observers) to stay in office. So you can see the appeal.

  85. 85.

    NotMax

    @Jackie

    Could be mistaken but isn’t surrender of passport a condition of pre-trial release in criminal cases involving felonies?

  86. 86.

    hueyplong

    @jimmiraybob: It would be some kind of extra sweet if Trump fled to a country that sent him back. After which we exchanged him for an American held in a Russian prison and then Putin did the honors.

    I fucking demand this of our script writers.

  88. 88.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @VOR:

    He’s an alleged billionaire. Mar-A-Lago supposedly does meetings so there must be an A/V person on call, if not on staff.

    Not since he undoubtedly stiffed all the A/V people in the greater Miami area.

  89. 89.

    Another Scott

    @Frankensteinbeck: There’s that aspect, sure.  And that’s why they keep pushing Schedule F, Drain the Swamp!!, and all the rest.

    But there’s also the ancient “conspiracy” aspect going back to the Birchers and all the rest.  The bankers and the Masons and the Trilateral Commission and all the rest running the US government and the world in secret. I’m sure most of the MAGA folks think of the latter more than the former.

    [/clever quip from the Illuminatus! Trilogy]

    Something something floor polish and dessert topping!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  90. 90.

    Rachel Bakes

    @gkoutnik: I’m about 15 postcards into my 200 for Illinois.
    Decorated 83 postcards for our local race. For some reason one of the coordinators no longer trusts other volunteers to write the script so she prints out copies of a hand-written message over a variety of people’s signatures, then asks people to “decorate” the front. I’d much rather write than decorate but you do what you can.

  95. 95.

    NotMax

    @VOR

    “Sir, we found this leftover autotune mic from the karaoke machine used at the last wedding party.”
    //

  100. 100.

    RaflW

    @VOR: Trump would have to admit that he needs to be assisted in having an AV setup. “I call in to Fox and Friends on this thing, it’s not my fault Musk’s audio was bad.”

  103. 103.

    SatanicPanic

    @Jackie: wait, so the convicted criminal who has been warning us about Venezuela sending criminals to the USA is now talking about seeking refugee status in… Venezuela?

    I guess everything really is projection with this guy

  104. 104.

    StringOnAStick

    @Kristine: I’m in the district one of those 5 candidates are running in, and Janelle Bynum is getting by far the largest amount of one time and monthly cash from me, and I’ve been donating a lot more than ever this election.  I plan to start volunteering next week though it will to be office stuff because an Achilles injury means walking is out.

  105. 105.

    Theflippsyd

    OT — and since you mentioned a podcast. I just listened to a (2020) podcast episode about Reagan. It’s called The Dollop, it’s with Dave Anthony, Gareth Reynolds and Patton Oswalt. It’s on YouTube as well. Boy are there some real similarities between Trump and Reagan. Reagan apparently lied all the time. Even though it’s over 2 hours, it’s funny and the hosts knowledge about Hollywood and history is pretty comprehensive.  It’s also funny, as they’re comedians.

  107. 107.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Another Scott: It kind of amazes me that the Masons are still a major focus of conspiracy theories. You see these old dudes in fezzes driving around in miniature racing cars in the Fourth of July parade and it doesn’t elicit feelings of a mortal threat that secretly runs the world.

  110. 110.

    jimmiraybob

    @Villago Delenda Est: ​
      And not the only one of the FFs.

    Also too, the Declaration of Independence was a woke globalist conspiracy the likes of which had never been known before:

    “…let facts be submitted to a candid world.”

    Facts!!?! Science! Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!! (Also too, the late 18th century MAGA religious fanatics did refer to Jefferson as an atheist.)

  111. 111.

    RedDirtGirl

    @Hungry Joe: I’ve sent out about 400 postcards through Activate America. They have been to a variety of campaigns around the country. About to start a new one to Native voters in Arizona.

  112. 112.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Baud: The bigger scandal is how pathetic Twitter is at this.

    “Scandal”? Not the word I would choose. Though I’m having difficulty thinking of the best description.

    [ETA “pathetic” does seem suitable.]

  114. 114.

    Di

    @Hungry Joe: Just signed up, so thank you for the push. I don’t knock on doors and the thought of phone banking makes my blood run cold, but I can happily deal with hand cramps and the cost of postcard stamps.

  116. 116.

    matt

    @robtrim: The fact that it was Roger Stone who got phished raised the possibility that it is some kind of ratfuck operation by quite a bit IMO.

  121. 121.

    Mousebumples

    @RedDirtGirl: how do you like working with them? I think I have them on the list in the 2024 Activism/Postcards post, but I love real experience thoughts, too!

  123. 123.

    SatanicPanic

    “The biggest threat is not global warming, where the ocean’s going to rise one, one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years. The big — and you’ll have more oceanfront property, right?” the former president said.

    It continues to boggle my mind how stupid this man is.

    The one thing that was totally shocking to me in 2016 was just how fucking dumb Trump is. I couldn’t believe it at first. I still struggle to wrap my mind around how someone could be this dumb. Like Terrence Howard’s math. Like… how? How is it possible? HOW?

  131. 131.

    JaySinWA

    @rikyrah: text from the tweet:

    Caroline Wanga: Who is Kamala Harris?

    Vice President Kamala Harris: The Vice President of the United States of America. And I am a wife. We have children. I am a godmommy. I am an auntie. I am a best friend. I am a good cook. I am a fighter for the people. I care about the people.

    So many things. I see another identity crisis attack coming

    ETA Kamala can’t decide who she really is./Trump

  133. 133.

    WaterGirl

    @Kristine:   @rikyrah:

    We have two more efforts for organizations starting on Balloon Juice this week.

    We’ll be starting with candidates a bit later, more in the Sept-Oct timeframe.  That’s the point at which it becomes obvious how close the races are and whether $$ will make a difference.

  138. 138.

    cain

    @Baud:

    I think he’s been having mini-strokes. Remember that 20 second pause and then suddenly waking up? I think he’s stroking out and he’s getting worse. By the time election comes up he’s going to be a drooling loon.

  140. 140.

    Craig

    @Theflippsyd: The Dollop is great. Great little chunks of history. Dave researches a topic, Gareth has never heard of it and they riff their way through the story. The Errol Flynn episode is fantastic, as is the story of Hatpins, and one on a 1903 car race from NYC to Paris. They leave NYC going West and go the long way to Paris.

  141. 141.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @cain: Good. Hope it slows down the “stop the steal” shenanigans we know are coming, maybe even gives his legal team a little pause as to whether it’s worth it.

    @rikyrah: Your links are always the wind beneath my wings. I posted that “black focus group” family gathering to several places the day you posted it.

  143. 143.

    stinger

    @lamh47: That’s fabulous. I love what she’s wearing: black, which looks serious and business-like, but the small white polka dots on the blouse just light her up in a sparkly way without actually being sparkly, which would be unserious and unbusiness-like. Simple pearl earrings and a flag pin. Perfect.

  144. 144.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    Do remember that for many newspapers their only goal is to sell newspapers. How they do it is mostly beside the point of selling them. News papers are expensive to get from the tree they are made of to the payment they receive, and more so than they used to be, like everything else.

    And they are always behind the curve of radio/TV

  150. 150.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    To the WSJ, yes that is an important thing. The WSJ is about money, always has been. My father started a manufacturing business many decades ago that I worked in and later on owned and for longer than he did. Dad took the WSJ because it was, and is, about money, who or what company had some (or a lot!) and how to get more.

    As the economy has grown with the population, to some people so has the need for the WSJ. It had/has it’s good points, it has it’s bad ones as well. This country has changed a lot in my lifetime, has far more huge conglomerates that sell things that we didn’t have when many alive were born. Not that we actually need many of those things but still, there is a market and a population to make and sell those things.

  151. 151.

    Geminid

    @StringOnAStick: You sure are having a rough summer. First you mashed your finger and now you have an Achilles injury. I hope that’s it for 2024 and that next year is injury-free.

    I was interested to see Janelle Bynum was born Janelle Sojourner Irick, in Washington DC on Jan. 31, 1975. Bynum earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M in 1996 and an MBA from the U. of Michigan in 2000. She has beaten the incumbent Congresswoman twice in elections for state Representative, I believe

  152. 152.

    Rachel Bakes

    @Di:  precisely my reason! I may walk with a canvasser but with the understanding that I’ll chat with her but not knock on doors!

  156. 156.

    Seanly

    @VOR:
    The lisps, pauses & trouble with ‘s’ words wasn’t due to the position or quality of his Russian-hacked iPhone.

    He sounded like a drunk grandpa and was arguably worse than Biden’s very bad debate performance. EDIT: Someone above mentioned he sounded like he had badly fitted dentures and that’s very true but also drunk or heavily medicated. Was that why “dentures” was trending on Twitter?

    And if CNN & others tweaked the audio to make Trump sound better they won’t have that oppurtunity during a night-time debate with Harris as it’ll be live.

  159. 159.

    StringOnAStick

    @Geminid: Thanks.  The Achilles injury is older and stumbling because of it is now I ended up breaking my finger, so it’s linked. Someone here suggested water running as a good rehab options so I just did an hour in the current channel at rec centre and it actually feels better instead of worse, so big thanks to whoever suggested that!  Ski season is coming and I want my fitness back!

    Janelle Bynum has beaten the incumbent twice in state elections.  The conservadem Schrader who lost the primary last time was pharma’s best buddy, but the district was also redrawn and the person who ran was just too liberal and has never won an office she’d ran for in the past.  Janelle has won before in the part of the district that was added to this one, so I think her chances are quite good.  Kelly is the guy to ask, he’s a native and I’m merely yet another person who moved here 4 years ago.

  160. 160.

    Geminid

    Replying to StringonAStick:

    I usually defend House Blue Dogs, but I did not think ditching Kurt Schrader was much of a loss for the Democratic Party.

    I saw an interesting item about Republican House Campaign Committee spending: they reserved $6 million in advertising time for the Portland TV and radio market. They intend to use it to attack Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on the Washington side of the Columbia River, and to defend Republican Laurie Chavez-DeRemer on the Oregon side.

  161. 161.

    Tony G

    @BC in Illinois: That’s actually an amazing performance — less than two months before he died.  I was only 21 years old when Elvis died, and when he was alive I basically thought of him as a joke.  But he had real talent during his short life.

  162. 162.

    SomeRandomGuy

    “Fat Elvis” wasn’t so much a thing as the effects of the drugs they were pumping into him. A lot of his weight was likely fluid retention (per a hospice LPN I know). Now, this is assuming veritas from the Elvis movie, but she said they made him up, and what little they said about his medications, made it seem like he had congestive heart failure, and, given his age, a long, extended, rest, possibly including dialysis to take the load off his kidneys, might have restored him to health. That’s a big “might,” and yet, there’s something that seems uncivilized that we don’t *know*.

    Something about that movie, and Brittney Spears, makes me think we’re not that civilized as a nation. We had the warning shot, *the* god of Rock and Roll!!! (because, too many people would refuse to watch, or allow their children to watch, live acts with Black people, meaning, until a white star rose up… look, you know the story, they caught it in the movie, yay us for learning to tell much of the truth) was nevertheless worked to death, and it’s okay, because he was a grown-ass man who signed contracts, and then, another goddess gets served the same measure of shit, though she survived, and we all gasped, “how could that have happened while we sat idly by, amused by our bread and circuses?”

    Anyway. I’m in a rambly mood, and in so much pain I need to do *something* or scream. I came here to post bullshit and scream in pain, and I’m all out of… excuse  me SND FX: creaky door opens; quickly running steps; deep breath of someone about to scream in primal agony (/SND FX)

    MAHNA MAHNA.

  165. 165.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @Jackie: My husband and I spent a little less than 2 weeks in Ecuador a few weeks ago and while the country is beautiful and the birding wonderful, I got really tired of only drinking bottled water, among other things. I always forget how wonderful the water in N CA is compared with other places (or bottled water). And at 73, I don’t like being gone from home for too long any more. I’m wondering if Trump feels the same way about home. Haven’t seen a good explanation of why he didn’t move up to his place in NJ from MAL as he usually does in the summer.

  167. 167.

    Ruckus

    @A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan):

    Haven’t seen a good explanation of why he didn’t move up to his place in NJ from MAL as he usually does in the summer.

    His brain is on terminal fritz. Which means it is only going to get worse, till enough of it stops working, at which point he ceases to have any function whatsoever. He’s aging out. It’s normal human – or as normal as possible, given who it is. It just happens at different times and different rates for different people. And of course not everyone ages out, many have bits and pieces that arrive at end of component life, which takes care of that living concept. All of us that age out, do so at different rates and age.

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    @jonas:

    Trump is fat Elvis, but without any of the talent and drenched in curdled nastiness.

    That deserved to be repeated. BTW it is supposed to be bad to encourage this type of current behavior in any way. But I’d bet that exceptions can be made, especially considering the end result and the person doing his own thing…..

  170. 170.

    sab

    @Ruckus: Alzheimers AND narcissistic decompensating. His world view is falling apart and he doesn’t have the intelligence or memory to invent a new fictional narrative.

    I wouldn’t wish that combination on anyone.

    Back to the age old question: are people with personality disorders that make them horrible people even responsible for who they are or what they do? It is just their God-given born with nature that makes them so horrible. Some of it is fixable with good counseling.

    Toxic narcisism isn’t from what I have heard. But it is often misdiagnosed.

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