Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

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

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

In after Baud. Damn.

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

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

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

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

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

Wednesday Night Open Thread

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What a difference a day makes. At around this time last night I was freaking out, started to watch the debate, lost my nerve about 45 seconds in, and turned it off. But about ten minutes later people on twitter said it was getting good, so I went back, and man am I happy I did. What a thorough beatdown, and in retrospect it started when Kamala walked over at the beginning and cornered Trump at his podium and made him shake her hand. At that point, I think Trump started to realize he was not in charge and that he could not control. Some big dick energy from Kamala, as the kids used to say.

She was so good at baiting him and the fucker fell for it every single time. He couldn’t look at her, he couldn’t say her name and just waved and said “these people,” and she just smiled and dropped the next piece of chum in the water. There were so many good moments, but my personal favorite was when she said he was fired by 81 million people and having a hard time “processing it.” So masterful. Reminded him he got millions fewer votes than Biden, lost, used his fired terminology from the apprentice, and the best part, the most delicious, was saying he was having a hard time processing it- which cuts in multiple ways. It insinuated he was too addle-brained to handle it, and used the language an adult might use to another adult while dressing down a recalcitrant child- “Little Donnie is still processing this and he is going through some things.” Fucking chef kiss, again, as the kids used to say.

So yeah, it was nice, real nice, to watch someone finally after ten fucking years taking a two by four to that bulbous pumpkin head and cut the mother fucker down to size. We’ve been waiting for someone to stick it him like this for so long and everyone tried to act like this is politics as usual and treated him like an equal, when he doesn’t even deserve to be in the same fucking city as Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Damn it was fucking cathartic. And like I have mentioned before, one of the reasons she was so able and ready to do it is because she is younger, and doesn’t have the memories of bipartisanship and working across the aisle with a sane Republican party. She came of age politically after prop 187, and she has never known anything other than batshit crazy dipshits like Trump. Give the woman a club and she’ll fucking use it, because she understands that treating him with respect and dignity because of tradition just legitimizes the fucker.

I’m still flabbergasted that we had a former President and current candidate for President scream that black people are stealing family pets and eating them. It’s like an acid dream. Am I flashing back to when I was a much younger man with a PhD in Street Pharmacology? And I realized today that it totally gives Lloyd Christmas Dumb and Dumber vibes when he was screaming about their pets heads falling off.

And I am now 100% convinced that Donald Trump believes everything he sees on television, does not understand tariffs, and has no idea that there are multiple meanings and connotations to the word “asylum.”

Now, will the debate matter? I don’t know (and really don’t care). The only true thing Donald Trump has ever said in his entire fucking life is “I could stand in fifth avenue and shoot someone and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” So I doubt he will lose any voters at all. He might even gain a few because racism. But he surely did himself no good with independents and may have depressed his own turnout. But it really doesn’t matter because the only way we can win this thing is to go balls to the wall and get every fucking vote we can in the khive column and maybe we will overcome Trump and his voters, the media, the electoral college, and the GOP saboteurs at every level and in every branch of government.

About the only people I think Kamala really convinced is the media. Whether that will pay any dividends is subject to question, but I do expect a shift in coverage and how they approach Donald.

***

Had a great time at the gym, getting in about five miles walking, using the machines, and doing some swimming. It’s amazing to me that in two months I have gone from a pretty “meh” attitude about exercise to the time spent at the gym being the highlight of my day. I just feel so much better mentally and physically, and if I don’t go I notice I am stiffer and less mobile. If you have been waiting or ashamed you are too out of shape or fat, knock it the fuck off and go join and start moving. Find a wellness center associated with a rehab or a hospital- it will be cheaper than other gyms, and most everyone there is my age or older and DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK how you look or how out of shape, just wipe down the machines when you are done you sweaty bastards. My gym has only a smattering of dudebro lifters and lululemon instagram fitness model girlies, but even then it’s hard to even judge if they are that attractive because they are surrounded by a bunch of decidedly unattractive people like me, so maybe they just look good by comparison? Whatever. Go, and trust me on this. And even if you can not do much at first, go anyway every day just to get into the routine of it and before you know it everything will be much easier.

In other news, Joelle’s mum is in the hospital with a heart related issue. I have no other information than what I just told you, so don’t even try to get more info out of me because I do not have it. Joelle’s sister is coming into town tomorrow, and I am going to check in on her once she gets released.

That’s it for me. What a night that was. I felt like a thirsty man in the desert and from off in the horizon Kamala came running with a big glass of water. So good. By the way, this is awesome:

Fucking brilliant.

Reader Interactions

174Comments

  4. 4.

    Soprano2

    You’re right about exercise. I’m so used to it now that I get anxious if I can’t work out for a few days. Plus, it’s nice being strong and able to carry and lift things easily.

  6. 6.

    BellyCat

    Sending good thoughts to Joelle’s mom and family.

    Kamala spoke truth to power, wrongly assigned by the media for far too long. About friggin’ time!!!

  10. 10.

    Steve in the ATL

    So I was watching the debate last night in my red state hotel and could not resist posting in my college crew group chat…okay technically posting but more like goading…my fraternity brother who turn a hard right turn after some time in the army (infantry, not tanks or artillery, so Cole and Omnes aren’t to blame) about the utterly embarrassing performance of his orange god.  He became increasingly unhinged, finally dropping an anti-gay slur play on my last name.  He then apologized (“I’m down with the LGB!”) and logged off for the night.

    Do I feel bad for doing that? Not in the slightest!

  11. 11.

    Pete Downunder

    John – completely agree about the gym. I’m way older than you ( about the same age as dirt) and go three times a week. I have a personal trainer who makes sure I do all the right things and pushes me just enough to get better without injury. If your budget permits even an occasional session it’s worth it.

    ETA for grammar

  14. 14.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Fabulous post, John, at least what I’ve read so far. Will go back and do it properly in a minute. But your using the phrase “batshit crazy” reminds me that last night I saw somewhere, maybe even in a thread here on BJ, that now, when bats talk amongst themselves, they refer to stuff as being “Trumpshit crazy.” I am a fan of bats, and I like that they think this way. 

  19. 19.

    SomeRandomGuy

    Fucking chef kiss, again, as the kids used to say.

    John,

    You mean “as old people say.” (I’m sorry!)

    Technically, *old people* say “flipping chef kiss,” unless they’re Unix folks, in which case they say “fscking chef kiss,” but you can’t think kids are going to say “chef kiss” just for permission to drop the f-bomb, which they’ll do anyway.

  20. 20.

    dm

    I’m not sure the debate might not have a bigger effect than we expect. Over at TPM there’s an article about how the Trump/Parson Mike plan to hold the budget hostage to a vote-suppression move has stalled because a bunch of “moderate“ Republicans don’t want to take a risky vote just to give Trump a Stop-the-Steal-2.0 talking point, all of a sudden.

  21. 21.

    cmorenc

    @john cole:

    Agree 100% with the “get moving and you will feel better” – provided you stick through with the first 2-3 weeks when your out-of-shape body is inclined to misinterpret and exaggerate the initial fatigue & discomfort as a near-insurmountable obstacle rather than the positive feedback of your body beginning to melt the flab and sloth from your system on your way to physical shape.

    I am 75 yo and a gym rat ( where i am right now) and refereed a boys middle school soccer match this afternoon.  People down at the beach say when the watch me stand-up paddleboarding – they are impressed a 75yo guy is still doing SUPing – and my response is what may at first seem a bit snide: “I am still doing it because I am still doing it” – but I always add that it is not intended that way, but rather speaks a profound truth about the circular self-reinforcing positive feedback loop among physical activity, your mental image of your physical health, and your actual physical shape and health.

  26. 26.

    SuzieC

    It was fucking great.  I ended up watching it on CSPAN with sound off.  71 million viewers across all platforms, I heard.  Rev. Al Sharpton had a great comment on MSNBC:  for Trump, debating Kamala was like debating a combination of Hillary and Obama.

  27. 27.

    waspuppet

    And I am now 100% convinced that Donald Trump believes everything he sees on television, does not understand tariffs, and has no idea that there are multiple meanings and connotations to the word “asylum.”

    He also definitely thinks bitcoins are real things you can hold in your hand and can’t comprehend the notion of someone being of multiple races.

  28. 28.

    New Deal democrat

    Two things:

    1. Harris and Walz ought to make a campaign stop in Springfield Ohio with the mayor and various Haitian immigrants *showing* (I.e., their storefronts and goods for sale) how they’ve brought the dying town back to life, and how the locals appreciate it.

    There are plenty of other similar stories all across the country (I well recall how Latinos did the exact same thing with Bridgeton, NJ).

    2. On a negative note, Radley Balko shines a spotlight on Trump’s threats to ABC:

    “Time to start amplifying the hell out of these threats.
    “He can’t do this. At least as of now. But as always, the point is that he’ll try.”

    bsky.app/profile/radleybalko.bsky.social/post/3l3v6bmsvob2g

    And, because of SCOTUS, the “can’t … as of now” part is particularly ominous. Two hundred year old bedrock legal concepts about the country we thought we lived in are being tossed aside with gleeful abandon by that crew.

  30. 30.

    West of the Rockies

    The MSM obsessed over Joe’s performance until he finally decided to drop out.  It would be extra super duper swell if they hammered Clump in a similar manner.

    No, I’m not holding my breath.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    I got home about an hour and a half ago. Very glad to be here and not in Florida.

    I have been enjoying the meltdown about Kamala’s earrings. I informed Mr. Suzanne that I expect similar for milestone gift-giving occasions. Just setting the bar.

  34. 34.

    Mai Naem mobile

    Hope Joelle’s mom mends quick and gets back home.

    I’m glad the media appears to be acting like KH won the debate. I wasn’t expecting that so its a pleasant surprise. TFG will probably just get nastier. Still waiting on the October surprise. I am thinking either Gaza or an infrastructure  cyber attack by Putin.

  36. 36.

    SatanicPanic

    It was funny when Trump was like “they call Orban a strongman because he’s so strong “. No dumbass that’s a word for “autocrat”.

  37. 37.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    I am now 100% convinced that Donald Trump believes everything he sees on television.

    During the 2016 campaign, Trump held an outdoor presser and just before he delivered opening remarks a deranged individual rushed towards his podium and was quickly tackled by the secret service.  A few days later, Trump was interviewed by Chuck Todd on Meet the Press and claimed that this individual was connected to Al Qaeda. Todd told Trump that an NBC News investigation found no connections between this person and Al Qaeda. Trump responded with “All I know is what I see on the Internet” and according to some corner of the Internet this person had Al Qaeda ties.

  42. 42.

    Jeffro

    My normie better half is just now watching clips from last night’s debate, and her jaw keeps dropping.

    colbert’s take on everything is just AWESOME too btw

  44. 44.

    New Deal democrat

    In re:

    Now, will the debate matter? I don’t know (and really don’t care).

    Dan Guild points out that sometimes they don’t and sometimes they very much do (and didn’t we just have a demonstration of that about 45 days ago?)

    nitter.poast.org/dcg1114/status/1833852348151550229#m

    I suspect the debate and its aftermath may move the needle with maybe 1% of the 3% who are actually still undecided. And it – plus Taylor Swift’s endorsement – can certainly help with enthusiasm and turnout, especially among younger registered voters.

  50. 50.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @cmorenc:

    Agree 100% with the “get moving and you will feel better” – provided you stick through with the first 2-3 weeks when your out-of-shape body is inclined to misinterpret and exaggerate the initial fatigue & discomfort as a near-insurmountable obstacle rather than the positive feedback of your body beginning to melt the flab and sloth from your system on your way to physical shape.

    Mandatory PSA:  did you know it’s possible to keep trying to exercise, good and hard, for three full decades, when you have a condition that gets really bad if you exercise?

    If you never “get over the hump” with exercise, look up Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and consider the term “Post-Exertion Malaise.” Malaise means “feeling bad” “under the weather” and “flu like symptoms”. If you’re “normal” (yes, I know), you should feel the opposite of malaise after exercising, unless you’re really pushing yourself during your workout.

    If you realize, wow, you actually *do* feel worse on days you exercise, and maybe even feel you’re afraid to stop exercising, because you’re always so tired, you’re afraid of getting out of shape, because how will you ever get *in* shape again…?

    You need help. It’s out there. You might not have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but that cycle, exercising harder, for fear of losing what you have, can be fatal (sometimes via alcohol through the esophagus, via opioids through the vein,   via a (depressing mental “a through b” image, elided), none are nice.

  60. 60.

    TBone

    @SomeRandomGuy: I Found Out 😔 the hard way a couple years ago. Now I just look at my cats on the bad days and we snuggle up together in a big ball of fuckit.  Still have some good days when I can ride a bike or go for a walk, etc. so I’m not headed for ruin just yet.  I figure I have 12 spoons in my pocket and use them accordingly for priority activity first (keeping clean and fed).

    psychologytoday.com/us/blog/full-catastrophe-parenting/202403/what-is-spoon-theory-and-why-is-it-imp…

  61. 61.

    hells littlest angel

    The notion that Trump can’t lose any of his voters is foolish and cynical. People change, people grow, people become ashamed, people lose their enthusiasm. Trump has no magical powers. He is just a dirty little man who can manipulate weak-minded people, but that ability is atrophying as he sinks further into delusion.

  62. 62.

    frosty

    @SomeRandomGuy: Post-Exertion Malaise can occur with Long COVID. Exercising to get better after recovery can be counter-productive and cause the symptoms to get worse.​

    @Maxim: ​ Yep. Beat me to it.

  63. 63.

    frog

    @Soprano2:

    it’s nice being strong and able to carry and lift things easily.

    There was a picture on Mock Paper Scissors a few weeks ago …

    “I’m so strong I can now lift a $100 bag of groceries with one hand.”

  64. 64.

    Piety, keep me strong

    PhD in Street Pharmacology

    Never went beyond Ms level myself, but still managed to do some serious damage in my old age by ingesting things of unknown provenance years before. No regrets, but plenty of false bravado along the way led to lots of ill-informed behavior. Kids these days have it much worse with fentanyl, even one instance of stupidity can lead to premature burial.

    Kudos to candidate Harris for baiting the shitgibbon successfully.

  66. 66.

    Suzanne

    I will note that I am going to have a pumpkin spice latte this weekend, I am also going to roast a chicken. IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS.

  71. 71.

    frosty

    @TBone: I’m sorry to hear that. I have a friend who got COVID in January 2022 who is still struggling. The advice she was given to exercise was a mistake.

  72. 72.

    patrick II

    Trump did not interrupt and shout over Kamala’s turn as I have seen him do over other debates at every opportunity.  The one time Kamala interrupted him he was ready with an “It’s my turn”, a call-back to her response to Mike Pence four years ago.  I think it was an advantage to Kamala that I hadn’t foreseen — he was reluctant to appear overbearing to a woman during the debate for which I am sure she was ready.

  73. 73.

    SW

    “Does the debate matter?”

    Yep.  Why when it hasn’t in the past? In the past which direction the undecided broke in large measure determined the outcome.  I would assert that in this cycle that is not true. Why? Because after forty years in the public eye as well a four years as President there is hardly anyone who hasn’t formed an opinion regarding Trump’s character and fitness for office.  The “undecided” are a dwindling handful of utter morons.  Which way they “break” is essentially meaningless.  Your reaction to Trump is tribal and this election is going to come down to enthusiasm and turnout.  Which tribe can get the greater fraction of its membership to cast a vote.  Last night energized the blue tribe and that is more likely to get them to vote.  Not sure if these polling outfits are supple enough to modify their likely voter profiles in real time.

  77. 77.

    Ken

    Republicans fear Laura Loomer is Influencing Trump, by Shelby Talcott and David Weigel. I saw this at Weigel’s bluesky page, and have to agree with the commenter who said “I might be alone in this but I think Loomer is doing a great job”.

    And with every possible trigger warning (so don’t blame me if you rot13 it): Nobhg unys gur pbzzragref guvax gurl’er univat frk.

  78. 78.

    TBone

    @Suzanne: I will be roasting butternut squash and onions and carrots from nearby farmer lady’s garden for homemade butternut squash soup soon!

  82. 82.

    twbrandt

    JC, glad you are going to gym consistently. I’m 68, have been going to the gym religiously three days a week for the past few years, and yes, it makes a huge difference. I go to Planet Fitness, a gym for normies, and the great thing is that my Medicare Advantage pays for it.

  85. 85.

    Origuy

    @Baud: This post from Loomer. I’ve got to say, I agree with Greene.

     

    If @KamalaHarris wins, the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand. t.co/EebUiKKxVw
    — Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 8, 2024

  88. 88.

    David 🐝KHive🐝 Koch

    I’m starting to think Taylor Swift’s endorsement might be bigger than Kid Rock’s endorsement.

  90. 90.

    patrick II

    @Baud:

    Kamala had asked for it to be on. When she interrupted him I could hear her, so I assumed it was a two-way deal.  Perhaps I just heard her through Trump’s mic.

    Looked it up.  You were right they were turned off. The first time I have been wrong on the internet … today.

  91. 91.

    New Deal democrat

    @Matt McIrvin:

    moving the needle by 1,2,3% is huge. It could be the difference between a loss and a win.

    Yes, very much agreed. That was one of the points I was going for, probably not very well.

  93. 93.

    Lyrebird

    @Origuy: @Baud: I am weird but not shady.

    And it is VERY WEIRD to agree with MTG about ANYTHING AT ALL.

    Maybe she gets it that Shady Vance and Trumpster Fire are gonna lose Florida with the hating!

  95. 95.

    SomeRandomGuy

    Taylor Swift endorsing Harris after her debate performance against Trump is like the soldier who walks up to the guy executed by firing squad and shoots him again to make sure he’s dead

    Honestly? I’d be more terrified of the cat, whose groomer made sure to do the perfect shuriken look, to remind all that even the least among the cats are potent ninja. And while most cats just cunningly place a hairball in the place most likely to disable their enemy, *that* cat looks like it’s into disem-meow-lings, and I’m *sure* I met that cat in kindergarten, just before being having to repeat the chant, “remember: once you pull the pin, on Mr. Hand Grenade, He Is No Longer Your Friend.”

    How many would-be Hitlers loved cats, and found the bad luck, when a black cat “crosses your path” is *not* when it walks *ahead* of your path, but *crosses IN* your path? So, *personally*, I’m betting that’s a cat that reminds us all that nature is red in tooth and claw. Or at least sharp in can opener.

  97. 97.

    Anoniminous

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Shifting one, two, or three percentage points is massive.

    Biden won:

    Arizona by 0.30% (11 EVs)
    Georgia by 0.23% (16 EVs)
    Wisconsin by 0.63% (10 EVs)

  100. 100.

    Lyrebird

    Sorry for so many posts at once.  I have a question –

    From previous posts, seems like numerous commenters have, like JC, had some experience with anxiety symptoms.  I have been waking up with a dry mouth over the past several weeks, no clue why, and anxiety is one of the possible reasons, but it’s something I have made a bunch of progress on.  Not enough progress to be chill about a new symptom, though!

    Anyone had this symptom, and better yet  had it go away?  FWIW I am close to JC’s age, too.

    (If I drink any more water I will have to take too many breaks at work!)

  104. 104.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @SomeRandomGuy: And apparently a lot of the symptoms of that syndrome are worsened by long Covid (or may be a form of what we call long Covid)

     

    ETA: Maxim (and possibly others) beat me to it.

  106. 106.

    Wave Function Collapse

    I woke up this morning with a very disturbing thought.

    The last decade has shown that a lot of the time if RW’ers say something particularly crazy it is projection. “Democrats all vote multiple times,” and the only people ever caught doing it are GOP. Wild allegations of pedophilia and the people making the most noise get caught doing exactly that crime.

    So now I’m wondering if filet of Fido is on the menu at a bunch of Wingnut dinner tables.

  107. 107.

    Scout211

    @Lyrebird: Do you snore and/or have sleep apnea?

    Are you taking any new medications?

    Those are my first questions to ask regarding what could cause dry mouth in the morning.

    But if it’s not either one of those, I would recommend seeing your doctor to check for any possible health conditions that would cause dry mouth in the morning.

  110. 110.

    Anoniminous

    @sdhays:

    I don’t believe it.  GOP has 1,000,000 more registered voters than Dems and the state government has gone after Democrat organizations registering new voters.

  111. 111.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Normie wife watched the first 30 minutes.  Felt moderators did okay, Felonious D said the same ole same ole, Harris held her own.  She doesn’t think there will be a second debate based on what she saw and the take from Totebagger Radio this morning, Trump’s team has gotta be shitting their pants after that.

    Gamer friends tonight who watched the first hour were gobsmacked at just how more unhinged he became.  All bemoan the fact that such a display will still mean he’ll get 46% of the vote.

  112. 112.

    hells littlest angel

    @Origuy: I think Loomer is genuinely mentally ill, meaning diagnosed as such by a pro. She doesn’t stay on her meds.

     

    But she’s still an asshole.

  113. 113.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @Lyrebird: dry mouth is often neurological. Anxiety/fear can cause dry mouth, but, hang it, if you’re “scared spitless” you should know. At the very least, you should be able to say you’ve had some kind of adrenaline shock. So if you say you have dry mouth, but you’re only middling anxious, I would suspect another cause.

    (Keep in mind, I’m not a doctor, I’m someone you met at random on the internet, so my suspicions are only “kind stranger observations.”)

    Dry mouth can be caused by TMJ syndrome – technically, that’s just saying “it can be neurological”, but, when I first learned about TMJ syndrome, I didn’t realize how important the neurological signs were.

    More water *will not* tend to help – the only reason water would help is if you’re so thirsty, your body is no longer wetting your mouth. You have to be *really* thirsty for that to happen. Obviously, though, if your mouth is dry, you want something wet on it, so, what to do?

    Gums, mints, and other hard candies are the traditional recommendations – there are other possible interventions, but those usually come after your dry mouth (and nothing but your dry mouth) is starting to harm you. If you’re alone, keep in mind, you can re-use chewing gum, or hard candies, by placing them on a saucer and returning them to your mouth when your mouth is feeling dry again.

    (If you’re not alone, always remember to return your own gum to your mouth, and not any of your friends. Putting your friends in your mouth as if they were chewing gum will get you put in time-out.)

  115. 115.

    Bupalos

    Harris delivered that unique performance because she is smarter and more talented and works harder than Biden or Clinton.

    It’s been a little surprising to me the degree to which her over performance as a matter of personal accomplishment and growth has gone mostly unremarked and cited for the most part with a kind of narrative voice that doesn’t emphasize her agency. I think that’s mostly because she is a woman. This post is an outlier in that sense, and mostly talks about what SHE did.

    This was available to Clinton or Biden and I don’t really think that in their respective contests age or the era they lived through was the decisive factor in why they didn’t come up with the right strategy or execute it. Frankly I think it’s because neither of them really appreciated the task in front of them, neither of them is sharp or hungry enough, neither of them had the same kind of skin in the game. I think they both thought “this is beneath me, I’ll just show up and be me and wait for America to do the right thing that should be enough.”

    Kamala and her team had a killer strategy which she executed like a ninja. “Donald Trump is a narcissist that cannot help talking about himself. Sit back and watch.”

    It’s perfect.

  116. 116.

    Lyrebird

    @Scout211: Thanks!  Much appreciated.  Might have occasional snoring, but have had the dry mouth even with mouth shut, sigh.  But hey, new work gig -> better insurance, can more easily go to the doctor now!

    @SomeRandomGuy:  Wow, I am actually getting kicked around the block by a TMJ flareup (bad ergonomics at work, more driving, stress).  Gotta see if anyone around our area has any clues on this.

    Thank you for the apostrophe ninja joke!  (friends != friends’) Laughter is good medicine.

    Now to try for some sleep…

  118. 118.

    Jackie

    @New Deal democrat:  I kept flashing back to 2015/16 and how TCFG just made minced meat out of all his primary opponents during the debates. Hillary held her own against him, and it’s accepted she won both debates.

    But, HARRIS sliced and diced him so deftly – and did it with a smile. TCFG couldn’t look at her at ALL – other than when she strode across the stage into “his space,” introduced herself while thrusting her hand out for a shake. He lost his mojo right then and there and never got it back.

    I’ve seen three four five strong women best him: Michelle Obama, Hillary, Pelosi, Angela Merkel*… but none like Kamala Harris did last night.

    Sadly, I doubt he’ll agree to another debate – even with Faux.

    *see photo at link: vogue.com/article/angela-merkel-congratulates-joe-biden-ignores-donald-trump

  119. 119.

    Gvg

    @Lyrebird: aside from new medications and getting older, early indications of diabetes is one possibility (sorry my dad scared me with that) and also talk with your dentist. Dry mouth leaves you more Vito cavities and you may need stronger toothpaste and mouthwash no matter what the underlying cause is.

    My guess is medications interacting with each other. As I get older and get prescribed more things, this can happen and my dentists have said I was always prone to dry mouth. Evidently it seemed normal to me, until it got worse. That’s why I nearly always had a drink around. Now, I need water, not just some random drink.

    you are going to have to bring it up with a doctor. Just spend some time thinking about any changes and when it started. Write it down so you don’t forget to tell the doc some point. All we can do is brainstorm with you to help you think things over before you see the doc so you have good questions.

  120. 120.

    VOR

    Back in 2016 it was clear (to me at least) that Trump didn’t understand the difference between the budget deficit and the trade deficit. I subscribe to the theory that when he hears immigrants are seeking asylum, he thinks “insane asylum” and therefore the image of Hannibal Lector comes to his mind. He still doesn’t seem to understand the NATO target of 2% of GDP is spending on member’s own military, not NATO membership dues. And now he thinks tariffs are taxes levied on other countries and not taxes paid by importers of foreign goods. His real beef with Taylor Swift is he knows she is more popular than he is and that fact galls his narcissistic little self.

  121. 121.

    Bupalos

    @Jackie:

    Hillary held her own against him, and it’s accepted she won both debates.

    That was the conventional wisdom, but I think it came from a different place than the correct measure for such things: Did she improve her chances of winning. I think she gave a performance that made people who were already going to vote for her feel that she won, basically not engaging with Trump at all, completely ignoring him. Just giving policy positions to the camera.

    Trump won by appearing on the stage with her which gave him gravitas, while still maintaining his “outsider” and “speaks plain frontier gibberish” persona.

    Kamala is the first person in all the debates to actually hand Trump a clear and meaningful L. That said, this should be the only debate. Trump fucked up so bad and was so blindsided. He shouldn’t be given a chance to correct the impression here.

  122. 122.

    bluefoot

    @lowtechcyclist: ​

    @Lyrebird: ​
      Alternating Indian and Jamaican food trucks would be most excellent. Hell, if there were also a cart that sold good masala chai, that would work for me.

    I realized that one of the things I subconsciously like about Kamala Harris is how very Oakland/California she is. Her body language, how she communicates, how she projects power – it’s all very familiar to me. We’re similar in age, both mixed-race Indian American women with history in Oakland and San Francisco. Relatedly, it was difficult for me to be taken seriously when I first moved to Boston many years ago – I had to change my mannerisms and communication style in order to even be heard in a professional setting – so I’ve been happy to see how people have responded to Harris. I’m super happy times have changed.

  123. 123.

    Jackie

    @Origuy:

    Loomer and MTG are having a cat fight

    TCFG is loving it, I’m sure! Although MTG’s undying love for DonOLD doesn’t seem reciprocated very much these days…

  125. 125.

    John Cole

    @Suzanne: 

    I will note that I am going to have a pumpkin spice latte this weekend, I am also going to roast a chicken. IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS.

    Why does this feel like a personal threat

  126. 126.

    bluefoot

    @Jackie: ​
      I don’t think Kamala Harris could have done what she did last night against TCFG and have it be accepted if this were the same political and media environment as 2016. A LOT has changed since then. And I think some credit has to go to Hillary Clinton – I am not sure the American electorate would have been so willing to accept Kamala Harris as a serious candidate without Hillary first.

  130. 130.

    mrmoshpotato

    @SpaceUnit:

    I agree. No second debate. If pressed, KH should just say there’s simply no point and it would be a waste of her time.

    “Why? To further humiliate the orange manbaby?”

  131. 131.

    bluefoot

    @mrmoshpotato: ​  Well of course we need taco trucks! We were promised taco trucks and I never see any in my neighborhood, though there were a couple near my old workplace.
    Okay, now I’m hungry.​
     
    My old alma mater had a food truck that parked at the edge of campus at night. It was the place for late night food. When I am working late I will even decades later get the occasional craving…

  133. 133.

    RevRick

    I get in 7,000 steps daily. In fair weather I either walk the hood and pick up litter and recyclables (metal/glass) or the nearby park. In bad weather I drive to the nearby zombie mall and get my steps in there. And I also do sciatica prevention exercises.

    While I too am basking in last night’s evisceration, I think we misunderstand the full measure of the ugliness of Trump’s claims about Haitian immigrants, forced trans surgeries, crime, how foreign countries are dumping criminals, the mentally ill and drugs on us, and China.
    The lies he told serve several purposes:

    1). it’s a loyalty test for his supporters, preparing them for the violence. He has already announced that his deportation plans will be a ‘bloody story’;

    2). Make the rest of us exhausted or cynical or dismissive.

    Trump is a God-damned fascist and we need to think about what the 1930s fascists did. We laugh at his ridiculous lies, but they have a sinister purpose.

    Praying for Joelle’s mom, Joelle, and all who are providing her medical care.

  135. 135.

    BR

    I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s debate with Trump but I just don’t think it’s a good comparison. Harris was better than Clinton — she’s just more skillful of a communicator than Clinton — and Trump ’24 was worse than Trump ’16.

  137. 137.

    BR

    MOSKOWIZ DEMOCRAT FOR CONGRESS

    MOSKOWITZ STATEMENT ON DONALD TRUMP’S ABILITY TO CONTINUE CAMPAIGN

    If we are being honest, last night’s debate performance by former President Donald Trump was disastrous and hard to watch. I believe now is the time for the former President to have those difficult conversations about whether or not he should continue serving as the Republican Party’s nominee for President. For now, I want to give him the space to meet with his family and make that decision.

    Thank you, Jared Moskowitz

  138. 138.

    prostratedragon

    Mary Trump, on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show tonight:

    For his entire life, Donald Trump has existed on a very narrow band of the continuum of human emotion. He’s trapped in grievance, rage, and fear of humiliation, and for almost 9 years he has forced most of us to exist there with him. She [Kamala Harris] opened the door to the dungeon and showwd usvthat we can exist in the sunshine again and that was one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced.

    [My emph]

  142. 142.

    CaseyL

    Best wishes to Joelle’s Mom for a quick recovery.

    The way you feel about going to the gym is how I feel about hiking. I tend to hike frequently and consistently for a year or two and then – tired of the driving*, or just plain tired – I stop for a year or two. And then when I start up again, I *always* wonder why I stopped. (Which does not prevent me from doing the hiatus yet again, for some reason.)

    *The best hikes are at least an hour’s drive away. Mt. Rainier is 2.5 hours away. That’s a LOT of driving for, at most, a 3 hour hike.

  147. 147.

    RevRick

    @VOR: Actually, according to classical economics a trade deficit is far, far worse than a budget deficit. In the latter case, as long as debt holders keep getting their interest payments, a budget deficit is nothing to worry about the sky falling. If you look at what the Treasury is offering in long-term interest, most holders of US debt are, when factoring in inflation, paying the government to hold their money.

    We have run a chronic trade deficit since 1980. As a result, we own foreign countries trillions of dollars. By all rights, we should be constrained from importing more by sky high interest rates and having to devalue the dollar (like what happens to the rest of the world). But instead, the rest of the world happily accepts all our dollars in lieu of goods and services. Effectively, the rest of the world gives us trillions of dollars of stuff for seemingly next to nothing. We are paying no penalty for running up a chronic trade deficit.

    How’s this possible?
    Well, when the world abandoned the gold standard, US Treasuries became the gold standard. Every financial instrument in the world today is measured against the US Treasury bonds. US financial institutions are required by law to hold a certain percentage of their assets in US Treasuries. The global financial world revolves around Wall Street. The prices of commodities like oil and food are pegged in dollars. Our currency has, in effect, become the world’s currency. The last thing the rest of the world wants us to do is pay off our debt.

  150. 150.

    TS

    Going to the gym and dieting have at least one thing in common – you have to decide for yourself that this is what you want to do. I restarted both about 4 years ago – mainly for health reasons – and it has been the best thing I’ve ever done, but no-one could persuade me over many years that I should do this. I’m not doing nearly as much exercise as Cole – 1 hour/day at the gym is my thing, plus a couple of “easy” classes (not easy for me) each week. It is a real hit to the psyche & you get the stage of being stressed with yourself if you miss more than one day.

    I would recommend anyone to think about it – but remember, some people have jobs/recreation that provide more exercise than the gym – if looking to burn calories, gardening & housework will usually outdo my hour at the gym & may give the “hit” that I get from same.

    The debate was such a great event, I missed the gym yesterday – will do double today to celebrate!

    Can someone explain the ratings for me – Is 67million really good? Does this exclude everyone watching outside of the US? What about online streaming?

    thanks in advance

  151. 151.

    ArchTeryx

    @SomeRandomGuy: Crohn’s disease does that nicely too. It activates on any serious exertion. The more you exercise, the worse it gets, and the end result can be fatal even without pharmacologic assistance. Yet doctors who don’t specialize in Crohn’s will keep pushing it at you. *sigh*

    I tried the gym route. It was seriously costly to me, then COVID squashed it for good. I need a more gentle exercise program than some poorly-trained personal trainer kid would ever do. They just operate on one size fits all.

  153. 153.

    TS

    @ArchTeryx:

    See if there are any groups/trainers near you that do exercises for retirees – they have really good gentle exercise routines that they adapt for different ages/conditions

  154. 154.

    LadySuzy

    @Bupalos: Kamala was absolutely excellent; her experience as a prosecutor has given her excellent debate skills. She and her team have also benefitted from the experience of others. I don’t doubt for a moment that the whole team has studied past debates with Trump.

    The Kamala of today would have had good success against the Trump of 2016. But debating the Trump of 2024 is easier… he is diminished, more incoherent than ever.

    While I am in awe of the political talent of Kamala Harris, I can’t not respond to one of your previous posts…

    Hillary Clinton is known for her high work ethics.

    As for President Biden, the man has been running the country , is handicapped by his age, and by his speech impediment (which is a much bigger obstacle than I thought, after informing myself and hearing experts about it… it’s not only about “stalling” on a word… it’s about having to use a lot of mental energy in a series of “avoidance tricks”, etc).

    Last thing: the affection and respect of that Kamala Harris expresses towards the President seem genuine.

  155. 155.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @RevRick:

    The lies he told serve several purposes

    Two purposes:

    He thinks they make him look good.

    He enjoys saying whatever that thing is.  He likes saying Haitians eat pets because he’s stone racist and that’s what he thinks black people are like.

    None of the strategic ‘loyalty test’ type stuff is part of the purpose.  Those are accidental.  Like most abusers and malignant narcissists he has refined his schtick by trial and error over the course of his life.  It’s not a strategy any more than an orchid resembling a wasp is a strategy.  It worked, he likes it, so he keeps doing it.

  157. 157.

    Jackie

    This is interesting:

    WASHINGTON – The 2025 Counting and Certification of Electoral Votes in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 2025, has been designated a National Special Security Event by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

    This marks the first time a National Special Security Event designation has been granted for a Certification of Electoral Votes and follows a request made by the DC Mayor to designate this event a National Special Security Event. Various reports including from the House Select January 6 Committee and the Government Accountability Office also called for the DHS Secretary to consider a National Special Security Event designation for future Certification of Electoral Votes.

    “National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” said Eric Ranaghan, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division. “The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.”

    The formal planning process is underway with the formation of an Executive Steering Committee. The Executive Steering Committee is made up of senior representatives from federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners and will begin convening in the coming weeks.

    In addition to the 2025 Counting and Certification of Electoral Votes on Jan. 6, the 2025 Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20 was previously designated a National Special Security Event and planning has been ongoing for several months.

    This designation allows for significant resources from the federal government, as well as from state and local partners, to be utilized in a comprehensive security plan. When an event is designated a National Special Security Event, the U.S. Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan.

    secretservice.gov/newsroom/releases/2024/09/2025-counting-and-certification-electoral-votes-designat…

     

  161. 161.

    karen marie

    @Ken:

    One Trumpworld source downplayed her role on the campaign, telling Semafor she was not involved in debate preparations. “She doesn’t interfere, or whatever other people call it,” the person said. “She’s actually very encouraging and a positive person to be around.”

     

     

    omfg

  162. 162.

    karen marie

    @patrick II: I believe it was Driftglass who suggested the reason Harris asked for mics to be hot was so either way it ended up, Trump couldn’t complain that he had been handicapped.

  164. 164.

    Jay

    So, another round of exams and tests today.

    The rectal cyst is cancerous but small. There is a team meeting in the next two weeks, so that everybody can agree on a game plan. The current plan is to do an endoscopic surgery, ( non “invasive) to remove the cyst,

    But, if the cyst has grown enough to penetrate the outer membrane of the lower intestine, then with women, it will have anchored in the fatty tissue,  women, (just women, not men) have around the lower intestine.

    They won’t know until plan A is tried.

    If it has, then they have to do another surgery, invasive, to remove about 4” of her lower bowels.

    Of course, we still don’t know about how they are going to address the 12cm pelvic mass, that will be part of the team meeting.

    While we know more, at the same time we know less.

    So far, I am impressed by T’s medical team.

  165. 165.

    Geminid

    @TS: Greene has a good opponent this year, a retired Army Brigadier General I believe. It’s a very Republican district though, not because of gerrymandering so much as its location in the northwest corner of Georgia, with Alabama to the west and Tennessee to the north. So the Democrat challenging Greene has a very steep uphill battle.

    Greene may be looking over her shoulder though, at a very ambitious, 30 year-old Republican State Senator named Colton Moore. He’s a “maverick,” a boat-rocker; some months ago, Moore was ejected from the Senate Republican caucus because he wouldn’t shut up about having a special session to remove Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis. Moore and a couple legislative allies have formed their own “Freedom Caucus” to harrass their Republican colleagues from the Right.

    Moore is a young men in a hurry who was 25 when he knocked out a Republican state Rep. in a primary. He’s is also a fast talker: Moore won a competition for Georgia’s top auctioneer at the age of 21.

    And unlike Margie Greene who carpetbagged in from the Atlanta suburbs, Colton is a native son, the scion of a successful Dalton trucking and excavation family. I think Rep. Greene knows it’s not a matter of whether Moore challenges her in a primary, but when.

  166. 166.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Rep. Greene’s Democratic challenger is retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris. He has a cattle farm in Polk County, near the town of Rockmart. Harris is one of the 14th CD’s 9% African American population. He seems like a very serious, strong candidate from what little I’ve read

    Cook’s Political Reports rates the 14th District R+22, so despite her defects, it would probably require a Blue Super-Tsunami to wash Greene out of office. But down-ballot strength could be critical in a toss-up state like Georgia. A Kamala Harris wave might not knock Marjorie Greene out, but a smaller Shawn Harris wave could help put Georgia’s 16 Electoral votes in the Democratic column.

  167. 167.

    Ruckus

    @cmorenc:

    Being active is what our bodies are meant to do. Now it is possible to go too hard and all but with care and activity life does seem better. And as one ages up into the older segments the amount and the level may ease up a bit but the results of actually staying active and moving is so much better. I’m up there in the 4th quarter age bracket myself and still I feel good staying active. I sleep better, and while life is life one can make it still feel good.

  171. 171.

    TBone

    Waking up today with my TDS (The Denouement Syndrome) still in full swing.  All of their flailing around searching for something, anything, that will stick to VP Harris will continue to highlight the utter absurdity of the idea of “me strong man” and I am HERE for it!  Our outrageously quirky local TV weather man is celebrating the anniversary of the day Arnold Shwarzenegger became a US citizen, showing a photograph where Arnold is wearing a flag shirt and is also draped in a flag.  Two things: pro-immigration AND making gentle, tonic masculine fun of a former “strong man.”  He’s subtle but unmistakable, and I adore him!  Keep it up Joe Schnedeker, you are a PA institution! 💙🇺🇲😆

    menshealth.com/entertainment/a28929476/arnold-schwarzenegger-immigration/

    Joe S. is like the Bill Murray character from Groundhog Day after he had his epiphany!

  172. 172.

    Expletive Deleted

    Oooooooh, genuinely had not put together the “asylum” thing amongst all the other unhinged ramblings. Good lord.

    Also, my favorite thing watching the clips are the bits where he goes on a rant and Harris’ expression moves from incredulity to almost pity, like heya confused elderly relative who has forgotten where he is and what he’s talking about.

  173. 173.

    TBone

    Misspelled, it’s Snedeker and I just looked up his bio page for the first time

    ….Just the Facts……

    Born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA on February 19, 1966. Grew up a mile north of there in Simpson, where bars and churches outnumber country clubs by a factor of fifty. Attended Fell Elementary School in the 70s. At recess got hit in the head by a metal swing while looking at green bug in swing’s path. Graduated with honors and bump on head in 1978.

    Age 12, tried to be football star, failed. Attended Carbondale Area High School, but stayed loyal to Simpson friends. Joined football team, didn’t start. Age 14, got golf clubs as present. Sold golf clubs for $200, bought personal Computer. Took apart computer and Mom’s stereo, got grounded. Went to senior prom…Hated It! Acted like sheep following herd, ended up in wrong direction. Slowly became individual, being true to oneself! Graduated in 1984, skipped ceremony, threw gown away, looked for new sheep, or NO SHEEP!

    Left home at 18 to attend Millersville University. Majored in Earth and Space Science! Great sheep! Didn’t join football team. Graduated in 1988….Solid B student! Drove around in rusty 1978 Ford Fairmount looking for job. Changed oil every 3000 miles on Ford. Landed teaching job at Carbondale Area High School in 1988. Bump on head cleared up.

    Age 22, bought new car, no rust, began science teaching career. Courted pretty brunette just a few miles down the road! Explained bump and sheep issues!

    The 20 somethings..Got married to Dawn (pretty brunette), reproduced (Joseph, Luke, Aleah), stuccoed house, got hernia. Played touch football, hockey, cycling and worked at WNEP-TV on weekends. 1999, became full time at WNEP-TV. Left teaching science career, hernia cleared.

    The 30 somethings…Masters Degree in Biology/Environmental Science from East Stroudsburg University. Solid B student. Got another degree and hernia! Being DAD, best thing ever done with body! Offspring…Better, smarter, faster…Must be the pretty brunette. The 40s somethings…Instructor at Marywood University. Cycling more, less football, more nose and ear hairs. Being DAD, still best thing ever…Offspring may not agree! Pretty bruenette still pretty. More on inside than outside! Thank you Universe!

    Continues to live in peace, love, and happiness.

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