Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

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

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Let there be snark.

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

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

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

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Four More Sleeps Till Victory Tuesday

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Four More Sleeps Till Victory Tuesday

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Four More Sleeps

(Clay Bennett via GoComics.com)

Reader Interactions

238Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Whole bunch of people talking about what will happen if Harris loses.

     

    None are talking about what happens if she wins big and it’s clear fairly early Tuesday night that it’s not close. Which is the more likely scenario.

    Dem political discourse hasn’t been positive since 2008. It’s just a sad fact.

  2. 2.

    narya

    @Baud: I don’t do nearly the work of many others here and elsewhere, but I feel like I’ve been shoveling sand against the tide since Reagan. Obama was a bright spot, but he was so thoroughly shut down by the forces of evil, and, especially since Citizens United, the oligarchs and religious nationalists have solidified, with outside/malign influence. And then throw 2016 on top of that–and I actually was not confident Clinton would win–and (waves hands around) I’m just so tired. I’m too scared to hope, honestly, even as I do what I can

    ETA: on a brighter note (hah!), I just told my best friend, who lives in Appleton, WI, that Harris is supposed to be there today, so she signed up to get in; fingers crossed!

  3. 3.

    Trivia Man

    I was briefly on stage next to Bon Jovi at a rally more than 20 years ago. As we waited for the  stage to  fill with the other speakers we had a brief chat. He was very friendly and we chatted for a minute or 2. He was more comfortable with an audience of 15,000 than i was. My biggest speech as a candidate.

  6. 6.

    H.E.Wolf

    I’m volunteering (tasks for introverts!) right through Election Day, and beyond.

    And for these final 5 days, I have an uplifted spirit to go with my absolute determination. Whether the 2024 outcome is a victory or a set-back, these days are for hope and elation.

    “The heart is a muscle the size of a fist. Keep loving. Keep fighting.”

  7. 7.

    eclare

    Does anyone know when final results could come in for NC?  Is it like PA, not counting mail in or early voting til after polls close?  Or like FL?

  9. 9.

    H.E.Wolf

    @narya:I don’t do nearly the work of many others here and elsewhere ​

     I’d argue that you do! Not just postcards (in which you are a constant inspiration to me), but in your posts about skilled baking, which leave me in awe. And so much else in your comments, besides.

    I’m not usually a dessert baker, but I’m going to bake an Election Cake on Tuesday. I looked at all the “election cake” recipes online, and pivoted to my late father’s favorite poppy-seed cake recipe.

    Dad would have been adamant that Harris is the right choice for our country; and he loved desserts… so this will be for him. ❤️

  10. 10.

    Scout211

    Love the video with Kamala Harris swaying with the baby.  Sweet!

    The media are starting to report that the Trump team and the surrogates are starting to worry about the early voting numbers.

    Women are dominating early voting in the 2024 election so far, prompting concern among some of former President Donald Trump’s allies.

    Women are outpacing men in casting ballots nationally and in all seven battleground states, according to NBC News’ tracker of early ballot returns. Of the more than 58 million mail-in and early in-person votes that have been cast nationally, 54 percent were cast by women and 44 percent by men.

    In the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina, there is at least a 10-point gap between men and women in the early vote. The gender gap was widest in Pennsylvania as of 2 a.m. ET on Thursday, with women accounting for about 56 percent of the early vote, and men for about 43 percent.

    The Trump team keeps saying that men usually vote on election day so they will show up and everything will be fine, but they need to show up. The surrogates are trying to whip up the bros with misogynist and paternalistic scolding.  But the theme overall is that women voters are a problem for Trump.

    But I also wonder just how many men are not voting for Trump this year.  I would like to think that wives just might be influencing their husbands’  votes this time around.

    I like our chances.

  13. 13.

    Dangerman

    TCFGPOS says he would win CA if there wasn’t fraud; he needs to stop the Dr. Feelgood shit.

    I read someplace last night that his bail might get revoked if he acts up after the Election. That would work for me.

    The MAGAs will act up. That’s fine. Free speech and all. If out of line, arrest or whatever.

  15. 15.

    TBone

    My foraging trip to resupply the pantries at Casa TBone took me to my red county Walmart yesterday, where it used to be chock full of maga specimens.  But the entire public flavor has changed.  IT NOW TASTES LIKE VICTORY, my favorite morning flavor! 😋

  16. 16.

    Ken

    @Scout211: I don’t know why the campaign is worried about the large women’s turnout. Don’t they have faith in Trump’s speech about being every woman’s protector?

  17. 17.

    Chief Oshkosh

    I haven’t seen any serious analysis (polling, early voting, other data types) showing Harris being behind for the EC or total votes, so that’s good. I’m optimistic.

    I’m also rooting for continued injuries on the other side. As with everything Trump touches, he’s turned the GOP into a pile of infighting, fetid garbage. Stick an aeration pipe in it to release the methane; it’s done.

  18. 18.

    TBone

    @eclare: I just learned that PA can start counting ballots at 7AM on November 5.  So we will drop off our ballots at the County Election Board office on Monday, November 4.

  24. 24.

    narya

    @H.E.Wolf: Thank you; that’s so sweet (I’m blushing)! In baking news, I have nearly gotten the blondie recipe where I want it. Much as I like chocolate, I actually prefer blondies to brownies.

  25. 25.

    Jeffro

    “just go beat him” INDEED!

    I am psyyyyyyyched for next Tuesday!  Not overconfident, just paying attention.  ;)

    GO BLUE!!!

  28. 28.

    TBone

    @NotMax: 💜 fuck Lee Greenwood with a rusty hotel room bible.  He sold his song to Canada too but forgot to make it rhyme.

    I think it was Humboldt Blue who shared John Oliver’s intro clip to that new song that must replace Greenwood’s atrocity.

  29. 29.

    narya

    @Baud: Exactly. Michelle Obama’s speech was particularly powerful about this, and I have to hope that it reached some men. Also, those fuckwads on FAUX, going on about how voting differently from your husband is the same as infidelity . . . I try very hard not to wish death or harm on my opponents, and they really test me on that.

    In other anecdata, as I’ve noted here, I live in a very blue area of a very blue city that turns the state pretty blue, and even here I have seen WAY more Harris signs than I’ve seen for any Dem candidate except maybe Obama (but possibly even more than for him).

  31. 31.

    TBone

    @narya: don’t know if you’ve seen it, but Donold explicitly threatened Michelle Obama over that recently.

    We ride at dawn.

  33. 33.

    Peal

    @Baud: I don’t know how to prevent it this time, either. By May of 2009, I started to drop away from the liberal online blogosphere and web sites that got me through the Bush years. Salon for instance seemed to think what I wanted was article after article about the failure of the Obama administration. daily kos seemed poised to blow up after June. Our inability to not “hold Democrats’ feet to the fire” combined with the GOP’s automatic hatred of whatever Democrats do just greatly reduces that the chances a person hears a positive word.

  34. 34.

    cmorenc

    @eclare:

    Does anyone know when final results could come in for NC?  Is it like PA, not counting mail in or early voting til after polls close?  Or like FL?

    NC tends to come in relatively early, especially larger urban areas.  For example, Wake County (Raleigh) uses a paper ballot form designed to be quickly machine-counted with great accuracy,

  37. 37.

    Jeffro

    from Jennifer Rubin’s newsletter (and probably out in a column later today or tomorrow): I Like Democracy’s Chances

     

    I like democracy’s chances this election. Ignoring the polls that are all within the margin of error (and the incessantly inane chatter about small, statistically nonsignificant changes) has its benefits; one can step back to assess the performance of the two campaigns and candidates. Vice President Kamala Harris has been doggedly working swing states; giving interviews to Black, local and mainstream media; slamming her opponent’s racism and fascist ambitions; and driving a large early vote (including a Democratic Senior Surge. She has come across as warm, sincere and quick on her feet. (She has about a 10-point advantage over former president Donald Trump on favorability.)

    On Tuesday, Harris held a mammoth and uplifting event on the National Mall in D.C. Standing in front of the illuminated White House on the very spot felon and former president Donald Trump summoned the mob to attack the Capitol, Harris called for unity, vowed to be an inclusive president and implored us to reject another “petty tyrant.” The contrast with Trump’s Madison Square Garden event — a grotesque and vulgar display of racism — could have not been starker. As the campaign has gone on, Harris has become more confident, eloquent and, yes, presidential; Trump has become more crass, unhinged, angry and scattered.

    I concur with Jill Lawrence’s assessment that Harris’s campaign is one of the best organized, most effective and most enthusiastic in history. She has elevated the tragic results of Dobbs, put criticism to rest by setting out a robust domestic agenda, made a considerable effort to reach out to Republicans and run to Trump’s right on national security. All of this is even more remarkable when you recall she only entered the race in July.

    Trump, by contrast, has maintained a leisurely schedule, spent time cultivating the same group of voters and made one offensive comment after another. He seems determined to offend just about everyone (women, minorities, Puerto Ricans, retired generals) outside his base. In the last week of the campaign, his schedule is shockingly light. (Is he exhausted?) He wastes time in uncompetitive states such as California, New York and New Mexico. He lacks a decent ground game to turn out the vote (having outsourced that effort to inept billionaires) and hides from mainstream news outlets.

    This does not mean the race is “in the bag” for Harris, merely that she and her team have done everything humanly possible to maximize the chance of victory. If the Harris voters show up at the polls in numbers the campaign expects, democracy will survive a near-death experience*.

    I also remain optimistic about any post-election fight.  Republicans’ pre-election litigations have consistently failed. Unlike 2020, voters in 2024 can rely on a reformed Electoral Count Act to provide further protection against a coup (e.g., empowering governers to issue the certification, raising the threshold for challenges in Congress). In addition, the Justice Department and local law enforcement are prepared for any violence (on Election Day and on Jan. 6, 2025). And certification refusal is not the magic bullet MAGA Republicans imagine.

    Despite Republican disinformation, the election system is safe, secure, and accurate. And outside the swamplands of right-wing media, Republicans cannot overturn results in court without replete evidence of widespread fraud.

    Americans need to retain perspective, muster up patience, let the vote counting proceed, avoid bestowing MAGA legal challenges credibility they do not deserve and insist on bipartisan recognition of the winner. We can do this, America.

    *I want our snooze media working on those “How Close We Came to Losing It All” pieces before I hit the sack on Nov 5th.

  38. 38.

    dr. bloor

    I know that sway in my bones and it instantly takes me back to when my kids were little. Can you ever even imagine him doing that, or even having that instinct?

    Hey, TFG has that move too.

    Of course, he uses it while trying to interact with garbage trucks.

  43. 43.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    As I’m seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, it’ll be approximately stupid o’clock Wednesday morning for me when the returns start coming in. I plan to be very much asleep at that time.

    I’m hoping that when I wake up on Wednesday, I’ll see discussion of Trump having a “Mortimer Duke on the ComEx trading floor” meltdown.

  46. 46.

    brendancalling

    I’ll be out canvassing again this weekend, and doing GOTV all day Tuesday.

    But please pray for me: something like 20 staff members called in sick today, including ALL of our deans. Our school is chaotic—that’s putting it mildly—and I only get a lunchbreak today. I’m kind of not even bothering to teach today. The kids are going to be off the hook, and I’m too tired to deal with it.

  48. 48.

    TBone

    @Baud: I like your perspective on this point.

    We have many ‘Repubs Against Trump” and “Vets Against Trump ” campaign signs visible in this red county.

  53. 53.

    Warren Senders

    I’m headed to NH tomorrow to do my fourth day of canvassing.  Last time it was all senior housing and there were a good lot of elders fuming about “that horrible man” and how much they wanted to see him flushed down history’s toilet.  I found that inspiring.

    Phonebanking today, Sunday, and Monday.  Tuesday I expect to be alternating between teaching and huddling under the bed, now that i no longer have postcards to write.

    I ran my numbers on Wednesday and since 11/05/2023 I have written 7,595 postcards through Postcards To Voters.  It would be nice to have a hobby that wasn’t directly connected to an ongoing existential threat, but here we are.

  54. 54.

    Soprano2

    So, I heard a segment on “Morning Edition” about Frank Luntz doing a focus group of 15 men who used to vote Democratic but are going to vote for TCFG. They totally reject the idea that their objection to Harris is her gender, even though they also said they thought Michelle Obama had more experience for the presidency “through her husband” (does Luntz not understand that what the men mean is that they believe Barack would actually be in charge, and that this is misogynistic?). One of the men said what I believe is probably the truth for most of them, that he is envious of how TCFG lives his life and wishes he could be like that. I wish someone would dig into that with examples, or ask these guys if there’s anything about TCFG that they wouldn’t want to emulate. Why am I completely unsurprised that the two R men totally rejected the idea that this opposition has anything to do with misogyny? They also said that TCFG “doesn’t hate people like me”, that he “likes everyone”. The problem is, this is just not believable to anyone who listens to what TCFG actually says.  I wonder if Luntz asked them if they voted for Hillary, or are they too young for that so they’re allowed to speculate that they probably would have?

  56. 56.

    ArchTeryx

    @Dangerman: They can make all the noise they want but if they start getting violent again they need to be put down HARD. I normally don’t use Ksimi style rhetoric, but around here the state and county cops will be patrolling for trouble, and for once, they’re on our side.

  70. 70.

    eclare

    @Soprano2:

    My question is when did these men last vote for the Democrat for president.  Because we know that these focus groups are often full of “independents” who turn out to be Republican operatives.

  74. 74.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: According to my anecdata I know of at least 2 Rs who became Ds IRL in 2008 and are now reliable Ds. I am sure there are many people like that. But we never hear of them in the MSM but we still hear of the Reagan Democrats.

  75. 75.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    Will be canvassing/GOTV for Alsobrooks just before the Election.  A friend of mine is staying with relatives in Ohio so she can work towards Sherrod Brown’s re-election.  I’m feeling optimistic; but will not but champagne until Tuesday.

  76. 76.

    Velocifowl

    @narya:

    I’m in a very blue area and I haven’t seen any signs in the vicinity.

    One of the neighbors did put a red cross crusader flag on their porch and another one with Christian Nationalist sayings in English and Spanish out.  So now the peace and quiet has been disrupted as it’s right next to the community area with the grill where the little old white ladies walk their dogs and they are not having it.

  78. 78.

    Geminid

    @cmorenc: Mecklenburg County’s results ought to be a good indicator of which way North Carolina is swinging this year. It includes the city of Charlotte as well as suburban areas like Mathews and Mint Hill.

    Charlotte radio station WBT will probably carry some good live reporting Election night. That’s a clear channel station, so someone with a good radio ought to be able to catch them from hundreds of miles away at 1100 AM.

    I’ll listen to them from my car and flip to Atlanta’s WSB (750 AM) from time to time. WSB will have good live coverage of Georgia results.

  82. 82.

    Yarrow

    @Soprano2:  Did he ask any of the assholes if they had any daughters and if they’d talked to their daughters about the election? Maybe listened to the “grab them by the p” recording together? Those would have been way more interesting questions and everyone would have learned who they are.

  84. 84.

    Soprano2

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh, I think it’s educational, especially the things they don’t ask. I wish I could hear the whole thing. They seem to accept everything these people say at face value and never try to dig into it. I think another part of the butthurtness is that these men want everything to be centered around them. They are OFFENDED that the Harris campaign is reaching out to women, who vote more consistently and in greater numbers than men do!

  85. 85.

    glory b

    Sadly, the Westmoreland County (PA) suburb of Mt Pleasant had a Halloween parade with a float depicting a triumphant Trump surrounded by secret service agents, with a woman dressed to look like Harris following the vehicle in chains.

    The mayor is actually a Democrat, in an interview she said no one involved with the parade has said who approved the float for inclusion in the parade.

  86. 86.

    Soprano2

    @Baud: Nope, I wish Inskeep had asked Luntz and the other R (can’t remember his name) who was talking about this if he had done anything like that.

  87. 87.

    mappy!

    I get the feeling that many in the media have gotten wind of his internals, and they’re bad. Really bad. And all the ink now is just so much ketchup on the walls, whether we like it or not.

  88. 88.

    TBone

    Now I’m remembering an oldish meme about Election Day cake.  The baker made a pink strawberry one layer cake but the batter was too thick and it came out of the oven looking exactly like an anus.  It was for 2016.

  89. 89.

    Soprano2

    @eclare: I don’t know, he said they were people who had “voted for Democrats”. He didn’t say the ages, or say that they had voted for Biden in 2020. It makes you feel dubious, doesn’t it?

  92. 92.

    narya

    @Raoul Paste: Thank you :-)

    One other bright spot: I went to see my PCP yesterday (annual Medicare visit). I told him I tend to reduce my alcohol consumption when I’m under stress/anxiety, and mentioned the election and waiting to see if the fascists were going to take over, and he said something to the effect of, “well, if we [non-fascists] win, then pop out the bubbly and drink a bunch of it,” or something to that effect. I wasn’t expecting such explicit support and was glad to hear it.

  97. 97.

    Soprano2

    @Yarrow: No, although he said many of them had wives and daughters but didn’t find the idea that a vote for Harris was protecting those women compelling. I really think the guy who said he admired how TCFG is and wished he could be like that is the most truthful statement I heard in the whole segment. Like I said above, there is never any digging into this – “TCFG was convicted of 34 felonies and found responsible for sexually assaulting a woman. Is that part of what you are envious of?” or “TCFG said yesterday that he wishes Liz Cheney would face a firing squad. Is this part of what you find admirable about him?”.  These people just want permission to be assholes, and TCFG gives them that permission. It seems so clear to me.

  99. 99.

    BritinChicago

    @narya: ” I feel like I’ve been shoveling sand against the tide since Reagan”

    You have been! (I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling that way.) If Manchin and Sinema had been more mainstream Democrats, or if we had not somehow managed to lose the House in ’22, then there would have been changes to the tax-code that really started to reverse the neo-liberalism/supply-side nonsense that came in with Reagan. (The changes Biden wanted to make would not have gone far enough for me, but would still have been a bit improvement.) I worry that we won’t hold the Senate, so even if MVP become President (please please!) and we retake the House (ditto), it will be tough to change much. But the expiration of some of the 2017 tax changes will give the administration a lot of leverage.   —But it all depends on MVP’s winning, of course.

  102. 102.

    TBone

    @NotMax: 🥰

    My favorite this year so far was the Kimmel / Dave Bautista video where they show Donold dancing but he’s actually jerking off two giraffes 😆😆😆

  103. 103.

    Warren Senders

    @E.: I decided to go with Postcards To Voters in 2019, and afterwards I kept doing 10/day in off years.  I doubled my quota one year out from E-day, and increased it to 30 at the beginning of October.  Plus there were a couple of extra bursts of activity here and there over the year.

    When I have spare time I take cards and write opening & closing sentences so they’re ready for candidate content.  At the beginning of October I had 440 cards prepared!  I also have weirdly neat handwriting that does not degrade over time.

  104. 104.

    BritinChicago

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Clear and early signs of victory would be wonderful, but I’m not expecting them. PA does not start counting early and mail-in votes until Election Day, and the process may not go quickly—as we’re seeing, there are huge numbers of such votes to count. But that’s a good thing!

    ETA : Wisconsin too.

  106. 106.

    narya

    Okay, you’re all inspiring me: I’m gonna make an Election Day cake (here‘s the CIA’s recipe). I have dried cranberries, but I don’t know if I have any other appropriate dried fruit, and I’ll end up using bourbon rather than whiskey. Maybe I can find some dried blueberries today.

  107. 107.

    Soprano2

    @schrodingers_cat:  The two people in my sample are white men. So if you vote D you are invisible to the media

    I think it’s funny how once Harris became the D’s candidate all the press discussion switched to “why are young men voting for TCFG”. There’s been little discussion of “why are young women voting for Harris”. It’s always, always, always about men and what men want and what men are doing. Always. I guess the only exception is that sometimes they’re obsessed with how mothers of young children are voting. It’s always about people who are seen as more “serious” and “conservative”. Never mind that the Democratic presidential candidate has gotten the most votes in every presidential election except 2004 since 2000!!

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Soprano2: See, I think one of the problems we as a group have is that we analyze everything Luntz or any of the rightwing sphere says about anything. They don’t bother analyzing or parsing out what we or our voters say, they go all in on misstating, lying,  and opposing it. Saves them time and keeps them focussed. The Harris campaign hasn’t fallen for that, it just repeats what they say and then states their opposition. It’s a far more powerful response and we should all adopt it.

  110. 110.

    Warren Senders

    @eclare: I’m a professional musician, so I just transferred the practice-every-day-whether-you-want-to-or-not energy to writing postcards.  10/day in off-years, 20/day for the big years, with another boost in the last month.  The numbers add up, don’t they?

  115. 115.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Soprano2: But if they vote D, the press will ignore them even if they are white men, even working class white men.

    Many white working class men in New England and NY for example vote D especially those with a union background but do you ever hear about them in the NYT or NPR?

  116. 116.

    Steve LaBonne

    @satby: Harris is an incredibly disciplined candidate- nothing throws her off message. That’s one of the things the mediots hate about her, of course.

  120. 120.

    CaseyL

    Had to bow out of a ballot-cure phone bank for AZ yesterday, due to my being sick as a dog. Today I feel very nearly human, and am hoping I’ll be in shape for GOTV phone banking for my state (WA) tomorrow.

  122. 122.

    narya

    @TBone: Probably? But I’m sure I can find stuff at a nearby grocery store on today’s walk. I know I have cranberries, cherries, fig pieces, dates, and whole dried peaches, and I might have apricots, but I want to do a red fruit and a blue fruit, just for election-day signifying. Apricots and dates go together quite nicely, but they’re brown, so . . .

  123. 123.

    RaflW

    Semi-related, given the horrible election antics of Twitter’s owner:

    Austrian Airlines Abandon’s Elon Musk’s X Platform Due to “Increasing Spread of Hate, Agitation and Disinformation”

    Austrian Airlines has abandoned Elon Musk’s increasingly lawless X social media platform (formerly Twitter) after publishing its final post with a witty photo of a member of cabin crew with the caption: “We took a moment to locate our nearest X-it.” (The image is great.)

    Austrian is in the Lufthansa Group (with LH, Swiss and Brussels airlines). No word on the others abandoning the Muskrat swamp.

  126. 126.

    hueyplong

    @Omnes Omnibus: Well, assuming they’re for real and not local GOP activists, 15 is about how many such guys I expect to exist, so it looks like Luntz found them all.

  127. 127.

    Yarrow

    Saw a neighbor last night who had spent time the day before canvassing in a mostly Latino party of town. She said it was tough going. TFG signs everywhere. This neighbor is an older woman who lives with her daughter and family who have a nanny. The neighbor said the nanny is Latina and told the neighbor family that she (nanny) and her entire family are voting for TFG. Sigh.

    Observationally in a different part of town that also has a large Latino community there are a ton of TFG signs. I’ve seen them myself but another neighbor works over there and has seen more of them. There are streets that are just TFG sign after TFG sign.

    I understand that there is a lot of targeting of Latinos on rightwing Spanish radio and social media. It seems hidden from a lot of English language media/English speakers so it doesn’t get much coverage. I am not sure if/how the MSG fascism fest will affect anything in that community. It seems like it will affect the Puerto Rican community but the wider Latino community I don’t know.

  128. 128.

    Velocifowl

    @zhena gogolia:

    Same reasons the Senate or Navy offers recipes.  PR.  Also it’s just CIA.

    /pendant

    As for threatening Liz Cheney it’s typical Trump and it’s horrible but I think this threat is empty.  It’s also a stupid idea to threaten someone who’s dad shoots people in the face and they apologize for being shot.

  129. 129.

    schrodingers_cat

    Queen of Passive Aggressive has found a new way to harrass me, insisting on a vegetarian meal with no onions and garlic on “holy days”. So I gave her a calendar asked her to circle those days she circled  16 days in November. She totally is making up this BS as she goes along

    I am going to let her cook her own meals, which will end up annoying husband kitteh because he is the dish washer. Joy. But mother and son can sort out this mess.

  130. 130.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jeffro:

    *I want our snooze media working on those “How Close We Came to Losing It All” pieces before I hit the sack on Nov 5th.

    In which they’ll ignore their own role in how it came to be so close.

  132. 132.

    Ken

    @Omnes Omnibus: Frank Luntz doing a focus group with 15 dipshits?

    Somewhat like the comedians who haven’t changed their material since the 1990s, and complain they’re being censored because no one goes to their shows any more.

  135. 135.

    MP

    @Steve in the ATL:  Yep, no on all 3. Friend sent me a rundown afterwards of why I should have voted no (I voted no because I assumed the Rs had pushed the resolutions), and this is what he sent:

    As early voting gets underway this Tuesday October 15th it is important to know about 3 resolutions that will be on the ballot. When checking my Voter Registration to see that I hadn’t been unlawfully purged, I printed out my sample ballot and saw House resolutions 1022, 598 and 808. Needless to say as usual all three were brief, but written in legal ease meant to befuddle & confuse voters. They sound great on the surface, but after further investigation and explanation that is not the case. I just attended a FDC meeting where Representative Jackson explained all three and why they will have a negative impact on our community. As he pointed out, it’s always good to know who wrote a bill and where they live to help determine who will actually benefit from said Bill. I will be voting NO as recommended on all three resolutions. 

    1. House Bill 1022 – this effectively makes a statewide exemption that puts home values across all counties equal, taking the power away from the local municipality to determine home values and the mileage rate. This means that areas like like Alpharetta, (Which is where the author of this new Bill lives) will see their taxes go down while ours will go up!! VOTE NO ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 1022

    2. House Resolution 598- If passed, this Bill will fold the Georgia Tax Court under the jurisdiction of the Superior Court.  Here’s the kicker… this new court would no longer be elected by the people but instead, the governor would appoint the Chief Justice over the court who would then have the power to appoint the remaining members, taking away any power that we have with our votes. Again, here’s the kicker… unlike currently under the separate Georgia Tax Court where  if you want to appeal your taxes you can represent yourself in court without any fees, under this new Bill you can no longer represent yourself. You will be required to obtain an attorney and be  responsible for all legal fees and court costs.  VOTE NO ON RESOLUTION 598

    3. House Resolution 808- At first glance it seems great to raise the exemption from $6,500 to $20,000 but the deeper implications were explained in the meeting. It doesn’t just refer to property taxes it says  all tangible “PERSONAL” property.  Once again this will benefit those in wealthier counties by allowing tax right-offs that most folks in our community will not be able to take advantage of at all. Here’s the kicker on this bill … the tax revenue  lost could reach $250 million a year which will negatively affect funding for our area schools. It could also mean local counties might need to initiate a local option sales tax to make up the lost revenue. VOTE NO ON RESOLUTION 808

    Historic data shows that the majority of people know nothing about these Bills until they are at the polls standing there them so the tendency is to just vote yes. This is how some very dangerous and costly Bills are passed. Hopefully this serves as a reminder for people to go online to print and read your sample ballot ahead of every election. If you don’t, we risk passing passing bills that hurt us economically and socially in all kinds of ways.

  136. 136.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)

    @Baud: No words. Thank you for posting this. MVP has it right. We have to speak their names, but it’s not enough. We need to vote people in who will see women as people with agency who have rights over their own body. I don’t know what we do with the SC, but we need to get a Dem majority in and enshrine these rights like never before.

  138. 138.

    Mousebumples

    @narya: I thought about making the drive, but I have a huge work meeting on Tuesday (yes, Election day) and I can’t really miss the prep time.

    I did have a neighbor say she was going last night when I complimented her yard sign.

    I think I might sign up to canvass tomorrow. Just getting a nasty cough, so I’m debating…

  140. 140.

    schrodingers_cat

    @eclare: She treats me like her personal maid and cook.

    Yesterday I made, pineapple curry, plantains and a green salad with rice because it was the first day of Diwali. But I can’t do this when I get back to work full time from Monday.

  142. 142.

    narya

    @NotMax: Oh, I bookmarked that one! I bought a giant bag of fig pieces awhile ago (feels like it was 500 lbs but probably only 5) to use in various recipes and it has taken me forfuckingever to get through it, but that recipe would work. I can see the figs adding a nice chewiness to the whole thing.

  147. 147.

    Layer8Problem

    @satby:  Frank Luntz is well paid to provide a particular product for a select clientele.  NPR is always available for him to present his so-called insights, presented not as a party’s propaganda but as informative deep dives into the minds of mostly the Republican electorate.

  150. 150.

    Steve in the ATL

    @MP: ​
     excellent–thank you. That’s how we all voted in my household. There was a disagreement on the tax court one from a couple of county Democratic committees, so I stuck with my default which is “no” on everything unless our state Democratic leaders tell me otherwise. And the way this state is gerrymandered no Democratic bill is going to make it to the floor anyway, so I am already disinclined to support.

  157. 157.

    Layer8Problem

    @Velocifowl:  And the FBI Light Opera Society has for sale their complete set of the work of Gilbert and Sullivan.  On The Simpsons anyway.

    And I trust that this is the CIA’s field office in Hyde Park, NY.  Lovely countryside up there.

  160. 160.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @TBone: I love this clip but sorry, he lost me the minute he decided to make his goal to endlessly bash Joe Biden/Dems.

  161. 161.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Soprano2:

    Never mind that the Democratic presidential candidate has gotten the most votes in every presidential election except 2004 since 2000 1992!!

    FTFY. :-)

  162. 162.

    BritinChicago

    @zhena gogolia: For some years I had a PCP who was also Obama’s PCP, until Obama moved to DC. The doc liked Obama but thought he was nothing like left-wing enough, especially on health-care. My kind of person,

  163. 163.

    RevRick

    Things that give me hope:

    1). The incredible enthusiasm and energy of Harris and Walz rallies;

    2). The Gallup poll indicating Democrats are 10% more enthusiastic about voting than Republicans;

    3). Harris polls as far more likable than Trump, and undecided voters usually break for the more likable candidate;

    4). Democrats control all the election machinery in the Blue Wall states and Arizona;

    5). Women will be a significant majority of the electorate;

    6). The GOP is bonkers, repulsive and fascistic.

  165. 165.

    Layer8Problem

    @RevRick:  “The GOP is bonkers, repulsive and fascistic.”

    But we have promises to keep, and miles to go before Wednesday morning.

  167. 167.

    narya

    My friend is going to the Appleton rally!! And I’ve converted the CIA recipe to grams (cannot believe they use measures instead of weights). You all will get reports of both the rally and the baking . . .

    Ed to correct the weights/measures thing. They do use measures, which is nuts for a culinary school.

  168. 168.

    Soprano2

    @MP: If I saw something on the ballot that I didn’t understand, I would either not vote on it at all or vote no.

  169. 169.

    Situation Normal

    @NotMax: #12 — This one evoked laughter. Still dark on a rainy morning, Oregon Coast Range. hoping the remnant Chinook run will make it up to our creek to spawn.

  173. 173.

    TBone

    I had a BF who used to tell me this in Seminole, while widening his arms and buffalo stance:

    I LOVE YOU BIG BIG LIKE SKY.

    This will be my cheer on Election Day for VP Harris!

  174. 174.

    gene108

    @Soprano2:

    Never mind that the Democratic presidential candidate has gotten the most votes in every presidential election except 2004 since 2000!!

    This goes back to 1992. 2004 was the only election since 1992 a Republican got more votes than the Democrat.

    That’s 7 of the last 8 presidential elections with the Democrats winning the most votes.

  178. 178.

    Marmot

    @Anoniminous:

    15 men focus group is meaningless nonsense.

    Agree. WTF is the point, Innskeep? Time to drop another angry email into the unhearing NPR abyss.

    Edit: While I’m busy correcting auto-correct, in a previous thread, I allowed it to put an apostrophe after “Robert,” when the name was actually “Roberts.” I know the difference, and the shame is burning me.

    Edit II: Grrrrrr.

    Edit III: Arrergggghhhhhhhh!

  179. 179.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @geg6: I am not sure that I shouldn’t include that in the bad pile along with overthrowing democratically elected governments in Central America.

  180. 180.

    TBone

    @UncleEbeneezer: I have not seen that, am caught unawares 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️🤦 all the facepalms!

    Regardless, his treatment of reverse racism in the clip I shared is the best two minutes I’ve ever seen on the subject.

  181. 181.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Kareem Rifai on Twitter:

    A coalition of Green parties from 16 different European countries just released a statement calling Jill Stein a Putin shill and telling her to drop out of the race.

  182. 182.

    cmorenc

    @narya:

    Also, those fuckwads on FAUX, going on about how voting differently from your husband is the same as infidelity .

    The way to answer “those fuckwads” who assert that wives and husbands should vote for the same candidates is:  “well, OK then guys, why shouldn’t YOU be the one to change your vote to match her choice, in the interest of marital fidelity?”   Or: “If you know she chooses to vote for Harris, aren’t you being the unfaithful spouse voting for Trump?”

  183. 183.

    Yarrow

    @cmorenc: That’s not what they say. They say the man is the head of the family and decides how to vote. The wife needs to “heed his counsel because they are one according to God.”

  184. 184.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @TBone: No worries.  I guess he’s always been pretty Tankie/Progressive and Gaza broke his brain.  Even in the Anti-Racism clip (which I think is still great) he’s using all the Social Justice language that the Soviets have been using to perpetuate Anti-Semitic tropes on the Left, since the late 60’s.  So it’s not surprising that he went the path he has.

  187. 187.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @Soprano2: I heard the same segment. Basically, they said they felt that the pro-woman message of the Harris campaign was anti-men. I would have loved to have dug into that more. Especially when that was emphasized after playing a clip of Michelle Obama pleading with men to consider how GOP abortion policies are hurting women. How that clip can be seen as anti-male makes absolutely zero sense to me. GOP abortion policies are literally killing women, but assuming men may not understand that and asking them to consider it is anti-male?! I’ve seen and left-wing white male bashing that I do think is ugly. I can see how that alienates people. I’ve seen nothing like that from the Harris campaign.

  190. 190.

    Soprano2

    @gene108: And yet somehow the press continues to see Republicans as the “majority, regular” voter and Democrats as the “minority, strange” voter.

  193. 193.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Many white working class men in New England and NY for example vote D especially those with a union background but do you ever hear about them in the NYT or NPR?

    Yes, at least on NPR. They did a story about union canvassing for Harris and it definitely included men.

  194. 194.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Do we have any good information on how the House will go? That will make a difference in election denying hijinks because the new congress in sworn in on Jan. 3, and the election certification is Jan 6.

  196. 196.

    eclare

    @frosty:

    My parents just put food on the table when I was growing up.  And they had very adult tastes, like liver, sauerkraut, no nuggets.  I could eat or not.  I survived.

  197. 197.

    Layer8Problem

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:  If one says something positive or rational about a less-privileged group you’re obviously demanding the oppression of the privileged, uncaring, and oblivious, as seen with self-evidently unobjectionable statements such as “Black Lives Matter”.  “You’re making me feel bad.  You’re guilting me out.  Help, help, I’m being oppressed.”

  198. 198.

    Ruckus

    There will always be people who are fixated by their own prejudices, which often run deep.

    Screw them.

    There are people who cannot think outside the very small closed box they keep their minds in.

    Screw them.

    We have an opportunity to elect a smart, strong, decent human being to be president. Or an old fart who  we the people elected once before, and who did so well we had an attempt to overthrow the government (which he desired BTW – to keep him in office) We are at a crossroad here, keep the government that we have, with all it’s warts and good bits or elect an old man who was in the office once before and did such a great, decent, shitty job or the first woman to hold the position. And it’s more than about time to do that. So says one old man.

  199. 199.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Warren Senders: ​I ran my numbers on Wednesday and since 11/05/2023 I have written 7,595 postcards through Postcards To Voters.

     omg.

    That is phenomenal. Thank you, and all hail your writing hand!

  202. 202.

    schrodingers_cat

    @frosty: That won’t work. Her onion and garlic less food won’t be ritually pure then. She doesn’t wear weather appropriate clothing eats like a bird. She also insists on handwashing saris.
    She is the hairshirt wearing Queen of Passive Agressive.

  203. 203.

    TBone

    I just invented a new “morning after” breakfast in case I’m hungover from champagne.  TBone’s DelCo Muffins:

    Your favorite variety of English muffin, toasted and generously buttered (I have Land O’ Lakes).

    Your favorite variety of good honey ham.  This must be chipped for the melt-in-your-mouth texture that chipping provides.

    Land O’ Lakes Slender American Cheese.

    After toasting and buttering muffin, pile some chipped honey ham on each muffin half and top with a slice or two of cheese.  Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes so it’s hot and melty.

    These are open faced sandwiches easily made and they go well with chocolate milk.

  204. 204.

    Ruckus

    @dr. bloor:

    Thing is he’s not trying to sway. He’s just incapable of not swaying. He’s just not able to control himself reasonably. Not that he actually ever was but now it’s just a lot more obvious. I wonder if he’ll even last another 4 yrs, he seems to be deteriorating at an ever increasing rate. And he started from such a high low rate….  Not.

  205. 205.

    Soprano2

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: I’ve seen nothing like that from the Harris campaign either, which is what makes me suspicious that the whole thing is basically “the message isn’t explicitly tailored to me, so it’s anti-men”. You know that old trope about how equality feels like oppression to people who have always been on top? I think we’re seeing the same thing here, where a campaign having a message more directed to women voters is seen as anti-men. Note how most previous campaigns have had  messages much more directed at men, and it was rarely said or even perceived that those messages were anti-women.

    I still think the guy who said he was envious of TCFG and wanted to live like him was the best messenger for what these guys actually think and feel. They all wish they could be rich, married to a model and say whatever they think and bare no consequences for it, so they think if they vote for TCFG they could live that life vicariously through him.

  206. 206.

    RaflW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: It’s always been hard to know what’s happening with House races, but it seems that there’s less and less money spent on public polls of House races, so it’s really murky.

    And so damn important! Johnson keeps saying things about how they have a ‘secret plan’ to steal the WH, but of course that’s predicated on them having power (and something more than an underpants gnome theory of what to do).

    Speaker Jeffries is not going to countenance shenanigans. And if, pasta forbid, TFG squeaks an electoral college path, we must have the House to prevent at least some of the catastrophe.

  212. 212.

    Kosh III

    @Dangerman:I read someplace last night that his bail might get revoked if he acts up after the Election.

     

    Do you remember where? We all need some encouragement. :)

  213. 213.

    Steve LaBonne

    @Omnes Omnibus: Next door in Michigan, the final Detroit Free Press poll shows a 3 point lead for Harris, similar to the Marist poll that just came out. If there’s any late movement it’s in the right direction.

  215. 215.

    Ruckus

    @Soprano2:

    These people just want permission to be assholes, and TCFG gives them that permission. It seems so clear to me.

    Clear to me as well.

    And fortunately likely a large section of the voting public as well, because he’s so open about it. And not only permission – an example.

  216. 216.

    NutmegAgain

    I love the image of Kamala swaying while holding that baby. It’s beautiful, and says so much about who she is.  (Heck, I still do “the sway” sometimes in line at the grocery, and my kid is well over 30!) It’s such a fundamentally comforting thing, deep in our bones as humans.

  217. 217.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @schrodingers_cat:  If she went to the mountains in India, would she dress for the weather?  I guess I am asking if  this is a suffering because she is in the US thing or if she is actually that ascetic all the time?

  219. 219.

    NutmegAgain

    @schrodingers_cat: So much sympathy! I wish you the best. (I too had a queen of Passive Aggressive for a MIL. She came to visit from the other side of the globe when my daughter was born, and one of the first meals I cooked was a lovely pilaf. MIL took a bite and said, “oh, this is what we feed to the dogs.” Yeah, not so passive I guess!

  220. 220.

    Geminid

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I checked out House ratings posted by U. Va.’s Center for Politics. They’re compiled Larry Saboto protege Karl Kondyk and were updated October 24.

    They showed Republicans flipping three open North Carolina seats currently held by Democrats, due to gerrymandering by the Republican legislature.

    Voting Rights Act lawsuits created majority-Black districts in Louisiana and Alabama. The Louisiana district is rated “Safe D” and the Alabama district is rated Likely D. Both seats are now held by Republicans.

    Races for three Republican incumbents– Bacon NE02, Esposito NY04, and Williams NY22– are rated Lean D.

    So if the 8 seats listed above fall as expected, Democrats will gain 2 seats.

    The Center for Politics rated 7 Republican seats as “Tossup.”. All are defended by incumbents: Ciscomani AZ06, Schweikert AZ01, Duarte CA13, Steele CA45, Garcia CA27, Molinari NY19 and Chavez-DeRemer OR05.

    Seven seats currently held by Democrats are also rated “Tossup.” Five are being defended by incumbents: Peltola AK, Caraveo CO08, Cartwright PA??, Golden ME02, and Gluesnkamp Perez WA03. Two open seats in Michigan are also rated as Tossups. That would be the the 7th CD held by Elissa Slotkin who is running for Senate, and MI08 currently held by Dan Kildee who is retiring.

    So if the first 8 races come out as expected and the 14 Tossup races split evenly, Democrats will gain two House seats.

    However, my Occam’s Eightball predicts that Hakeem Jeffries will be elected Speaker next January with at least 10 votes to spare.

  224. 224.

    UncleEbeneezer

     

    @schrodingers_cat:  Hang in there.  Sounds like you’ve got a real drama queen on your hands.  Just get through it, is the only advice I can think of.  I’m lucky that my in-laws (both now deceased) mostly did this annoying shit to my wife, not me.  But it drove us both nuts.

  225. 225.

    Kosh III

    Open Thread?  Sure

    We sat in the garage and gave out candy for about an hour, then it was getting dark and started to rain.

    We came inside and watched Rocky Horror Picture Show for the thousandth time.

  226. 226.

    Kosh III

    Here in Middle Tn I vainly hope that the very corrupt Andy Ogles will be defeated by Maryam Albolfazli in a R leaning district.  But I doubt it since a second generation Iranian woman is enough reason for the rednecks to vote against her since she’s not a “real” Amerikkkan.
    In another R leaning district including Fort Campbell, Mark Green is damaged because he got caught banging a woman half his age and now in a messy divorce  with his kids denouncing him as a fake Christian.
    This might doom him but his opponent Megan Barry had to resign as Nashville mayor in 2019 when she was caught banging her bodyguard and using city money. She pled guilty to a felony which later was expunged.
    sigh…..

  227. 227.

    AWOL

    @Yarrow: My 90 percent Latino neighborhood in Northern Manhattan, mostly Dominican, features many MAGA hats, fascist black flags, fascist thin-blue police-power flags, and multiple houses of rightist worship featuring primitive forms of Catholic and Evangelical lunacy.

    The Arab shopkeepers loathe Biden, despite the fact that in 2017, so many non-Arabs from the neighborhood rushed to airports to prevent Trumpist deportations.

    Maybe it’s time for liberals/progressives to rethink some basic assumptions.

    Maybe there’s good and bad in every culture. And it arcs toward the bad.

    Maybe Sartre’s most famous line was on-point.

  230. 230.

    FelonyGovt

    @narya: My dental hygienist, who is usually scrupulous at avoiding political talk, tactfully sounded me out this past Tuesday and then gave me a Harris/Walz bracelet on my way out.

  231. 231.

    satby

    @NutmegAgain: 😂 There’s an advantage to being raised in my ethnic group (Irish, we do active, not passive). Had I been on the receiving end of that comment, I would have laughed and said “lucky dogs” and then taken her plate to set on the floor for my own dogs as I kept eating. My FiL used to try that kind of shit, but he only tried it twice. Then he quit visiting, my preferred solution.

  234. 234.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: The “Tossup” Oregon 5th and Washington 3rd CD races have got my attention because the districts mirror each other. Both are anchored in the Portland, Oregon suburbs but include rural/exurban counties.

    The Oregon 5th was represented by a “Centrist” Democrat until 2022, when Blue Dog Curt “Fu*king” Schrader lost his primary to a more liberal Democrat. She then lost to Republican Chavez-DeRemer in November.

    The Washington 3rd CD was held by Republican Jaime Herrera Butler, but she came in 3rd in the 2022 jungle primary after voting to impeach Trump over the January 6th Insurrection. Then, political newcomer* Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won an extremely close race against MAGAite Joe Kent.

    This year Rep. Perez faces Kent again,  while across the Columbia River Rep. Chavez-DeRemer faces State Rep. Janelle Byner. The results in the two contests may provide an indication of which way politics are heading in the Pacific Northwest.

    * Marie Gluesnkamp Perez’s only previous elective office was member of the board for her local Soil and Water Conservation District.

  237. 237.

    Ruckus

    @Steve LaBonne:

    Harris is also rather smart and quick witted as well as disciplined.

    I believe that is why some men don’t appreciate her. She can show them up in several ways. Humanity, or possibly societies and humanity have for centuries followed men and pushed most women into background work. And while background work is very necessary, it is also, less glamorous, and often less rewarded. Think of food – throughout history. Who are the majority of cooks in our lives? I’d say women. Who are the most rewarded chefs in much of our history? I’d say men. Who in your lives has been the better food preparation people – overall? In my experience it’s women. A good example against which to measure is the food in the military. My experience was always male cooks and most of the time, at best the results were OK, and far more often than not, minimally eatable. The starting items were decent, the end results often quite a bit less than. Think of Radar on Mash. Eats more than anyone else and eats everything. Everyone else reminds me of my fellow sailors – we ate for nourishment, not for enjoyment. And I know the opposite was possible – for the first 2 weeks I was on the ship I was stationed on for 2 years we had a head cook who demanded good results and got them. You took anything offered and it was amazing. He retired. It took about 2 weeks to get back to shove it in and swallow it before the taste hits. Both levels started with the same supplies. The results were remarkably different.

  238. 238.

    Elizabelle

    @schrodingers_cat: I think having MIL and her son cook and clean up after is brilliant.  Maybe you should add a few holidays to the November calendar.

    Meanwhile, you can create art, read, or just enjoy being nowhere near the kitchen.

Comments are closed.