What follows will be my only post about the Biden pardon, and this sums up my thoughts completely:
I don’t give a fuck and I hope he pardons about 100k more people. Would I rather that things take the normal course and he be sentenced and all that, yes. But that would require this to have been a normal prosecution, which it wasn’t. Let me put it this way- the Republican party, the folks who would get rid of every gun law in the country if they thought it would get them more votes and NRA money, the people who sit by and do nothing actively block gun control measures as children are slaughtered in schools and the population is massacred in grocery stores, finally found a white male American they think should not have a gun, and it just so happened that guy was named Biden during the Biden presidency. What a fucking coincidence.
Give me a fucking break. And the media making this a multi-day freakout just confirms everything I think about them. So fuck it. Joe Biden decided that his surviving son should not rot the rest of his life in jail to give the worst people on the planet the jollies. That it has given our failed media a big giant sad is just a bonus.
We are about to enter a period of profound lawlessness, and Biden decided to protect his son, and I don’t blame him one bit. Now commute the death penalty sentences of everyone on federal death row, pardon as many people as you can, and hand out a fuck ton of preventive pardons if that is possible.
Other than that, I got nothing. The institutions are not going to save us, the media is actively aiding the other side, and it is every man for himself and I applaud Joe for taking care of his family.
Beautiful day here- we just got back from the gym and it is time for dinner.
TheOtherHank
What John said.
trollhattan
+2. The energy I have and plan to put into pondering the pardon: .
A Ghost to Most
I’ve been gaming out what would happen if civil war breaks out in and around Colorado. The twists and turns I’ve run through have been unexpected. Who knew we might have to fight for Colorado Springs, because of a semiconductor factory?
hrprogressive
+3
And to add, ‘never-trump’ fuckwits like Tim Miller running their mouths about Biden “destroying his legacy” are exactly the reason anyone paying attention to them should disregard them from here on out.
Freemark
They basically couldn’t find anyone else who was prosecuted for this offense that didn’t involve other, more serious, crimes. So fuck the pearl clutching Trump sucking media.
Ohio Mom
@TheOtherHank: No argument here. I am very happy for Hunter and hope his recovery continues apace.
I am on the second load in my new washer and dryer set. The old ones were failing and we thought we’d beat whatever tariffs are heading this way.
I am convinced the engineers who design these things have never done any laundry, the machines are unnecessarily complicated. The wash cycle options include such mysteries as “Casuals” and “Active Wear.” All our clothing is casual and we are very inactive.
One cycle is for Towels and Sheets, how do such different weighted fabrics belong together? Why can’t I just have a choice of water temperatures, water levels, and regular or delicates?
sxjames
+4 A-f*cking-men
that is all
MobiusKlein
100% yes
Chief Oshkosh
As I’ve mentioned on other threads, I am only pondering the pardon as a possible welcome harbinger to President Biden taking additional actions based on what appears to be his new-found understanding that the other side really does think that tire irons, razor wire, and anthrax are legitimate menu options alongside spaghetti and salad. C’mon Joe, if the other side is actually crazy and cruel, there are no “norms,” just actions to be taken to prevent or mitigate the evil.
mrmoshpotato
@hrprogressive:
Fuck ’em! Fuckers want all the same Rethuglican shit, but not an orange shitstain yelling the quiet parts.
The Truffle
Who wants to bet the felon will turn on his fellow Republicans first. Particularly the ones in Congress?
Jay
Not interested in all the yammering and pundit wanking about the Hunter Biden Pardon. It’s done, it was the right thing to do given everything.
Not interested in all the yammering and pundit wanking about “what Dem’s did wrong”. The facts are a significant minority, almost a majority of “Merkins” are racist, misogynist, idiots, and a significant number of “Merkins” have no interest in democracy.
How’s Rosie doing now that you are back in the picture?
Gloria DryGarden
Hunter B got himself sober, paid his back taxes. He’s not likely to take a gun into a school and harm people, nor to leak stolen documents to foreign enemies, and it seems he’s not even a sexual predator/rapist. There’s no reason for him to pay for his dad being president.
And if we’re heading into a time of institutionalized and sworn in lawlessness, it’s not a time to be flawless.
Im all for massive pardons coming from the president, including Leonard Pelletier; why didn’t that happen already?
I f it were safe to do street theater, I can imagine vast gatherings of Harris supporters, in a park, holding lit candles, and the minute that man puts his hand on the Bible, (or whatever represents his worship) everyone blows out their candle.
Or uses it to light some bigger candle to represent ,oh, the good of all, health, happiness and rights.. the right to life, and care, and support, for Born people of all genders, colors and religions, all ages and abilities.
(I sound silly, with my puerile optimism. It’s pretty hard to hold onto. It’s like a hurricane warning, a big damaging storm, coming in, and we’re waiting, like with Helene.)
blindyone
Agree. As some have said, after Trump is inaugurated Hunter would have been one of the main targets though his criminality was relatively minor. The essential cruelty which has proved itself to be foundational to the MAGA movement would have relished dragging this Biden down, and possibly pushing him back into addiction, as a way to hurt his father.
Jay
@Ohio Mom:
Have you seen a modern microwave?
MagdaInBlack
@Jay: Agree on everything, except: I think it’s Thurston. I think.
Jay
@MagdaInBlack:
Muy bad,………. Thurston.
Albatrossity
Amen, brother.
And none of the pearl-clutchers could honestly say that they would not do the same thing if they had pardon power and their kid was targeted solely on the basis of their last name.
Dorothy A. Winsor
You go, Cole. No lie told
seefleur
BRAVO! At the moment I am beyond disgusted at Jared Golden’s opinion that “this pardon undermines the trust of the current administration”. What a total useless faux-“democrat” and we are stuck with him in Maine’s 2nd district in order to prevent Austin Theriault “the good-looking LePage” (I kid you not, that’s how he was described to me by a member of the public with whom I had to be civil to due to my job). I find that since the election, I’m grinding my teeth and my jaw doesn’t appreciate that.
Chief Oshkosh
@Ohio Mom
Try this experiment: Set Cycle to Speed Wash, set Wash/Rinse temps to Cold/Cold, set Spin to Medium, and set Soil Level to Light.
Do this for several loads and see if the outcomes are acceptable. It is very, very rare that this minimalist combination doesn’t serve well in our household (and we do a lot of gardening and vehicle maintenance). Saves time and money.
NB: I add an Extra Rinse to get rid of any soap odors. It’s an additional 4 mins and a little more water, but the lack of scent is refreshing. To me.
Starfish (she/her)
@Ohio Mom:
“active wear” -> everyone wears crappy yoga pants now because no other pants fit properly because clothing manufacturers on the low-end are cutting every corner to bring us cheap prices
Gloria DryGarden
@Chief Oshkosh: I’m with you.
Who has Biden’s ear, in congress, that I could call and add my nudging thoughts to?
NotoriousJRT
My opinion is Joe should have refused to answer the inquiry about pardoning his son. He should not have said he would not do so if there was even the remotest chance that he would. I get that the mileage of others here varies.
It is unfortunate and more than a bit astonishing that the timing of the announcement of the pardon has displaced or diverted even temporarily the discussion/condemnation of the absolute scandal surrounding Trump’s nominations of Kash Patel and other farts of protoplasm to positions of great importance to this nation. I can’t believe anyone seriously opposed to Trump’s election would take time off from beating the drum on all that to cry about this pardon. Now let’s see Joe get aggressive with this awesome power and bestow protection or freedom on others not related to him. That and load up all the aid to Ukraine that can be mustered.
sab
@hrprogressive: I wish Tim Miller would just clutch those pearls he always wears and then shut up.
piratedan
@hrprogressive: y’know what’s REALLY destroying the “Biden legacy”, is the country thanking him from pulling our collective nuts out of the fire post pandemic, kick-starting a green energy revolution, fixing a shitpotfull of stuff, rebuilding the middle class and lowering drug prices and forgiving student debt, promising to restore abortion rights and the fucking country electing a fucking convicted felon because they felt that the current guy was too old and the VP too something something.
Eric S.
Amen, Brother John
– a committed atheist
Jeffro
I’m very interested here, JC…keep going…
In all seriousness, we know that Biden won’t do most of it, but that’s no reason not to encourage him. Pardon every member of the Democratic Party, for everything. Pardon Liz Cheney, just because. Pardon James Comer for being a fucking moron and pardon Rudy Giuliani – whoops, can’t do that, those are state charges! EAT IT, Rudy (sez Uncle Joe)
Hell, make it performance art since that’s the only thing the MAGAts seem to understand: pardon trumpov himself for treason, for selling our country out to Russia time and time again. MAKE HIM REFUSE IT, lol.
lowtechcyclist
@Ohio Mom:
Seriously, WTF?! That makes no sense at all.
We bought a new washer and dryer 2-3 years ago, and the washer has about 8 different settings, but two of them are regular and delicate (I’d have to go to the basement and look at the dial to tell you what the other six are), and you can adjust the temperature and water level for each of those, so all the other bullshit can be ignored.
Plus when its cycle ends, it cheerily plays a short riff from Schubert’s Trout Quintet.
Jeffro
“Mr. President? There’s a call on the red phone from Seal Team Six, they want to know if you were serious about…”
sentient ai from the future
motherfuckers gonna use this as a justification when fuckbag pardons stewart fucking rhodes for sedition, and aint none of these media muppetfuckers gonna point out that buying a single gun that you turned back in two days later because your conscience wouldnt let you keep it around for fear of what access to it might do to you or others is different from setting up an armory in a holiday inn across the potomac from the capitol, in case you needed reinforcements for your attempted autogolpe.
Jackie
@Gloria DryGarden:
Any doubt it will be a trump bible – which he’ll promptly sign and auction off to the highest sucker?
Chief Oshkosh
@Gloria DryGarden:
I have no idea. I’d just call your representatives, maybe? And please share your nudging thoughts here! :)
sab
@Jay: We took a week to figure out ours. We wondered why it took four button presses to do anything, then we read the control panel: express must mean something. OH! Express 1 is one minute. 30 seconds plus is just that. Express 2 is two minutes. Plus 30 seconds plus. Etc, etc, etc. Very express. 2 buttons only.
To get exact time you want push cook time then the minutes you want then the start. 4 buttons at least for 1:15. Not express. So I usually do express 1 plus 30 seconds then cancel at 1:15. Three buttons. Leave it at 1:30 if you are busy elsewhere and tea or coffee will cool down anyway.
sab
@Ohio Mom: Towels and sheets. All cotton and need hot, hot water that other items could not survive. That’s my guess.
Old Dan and Little Ann
Is Hunter Biden in the news today? I have no clue because I’ve avoided all msm since a particular Tuesday.
Ramona
@Gloria DryGarden: Wow! What a great idea!
Starfish (she/her)
@Jeffro: Someone in the other thread was arguing against pardoning Trump, but I am glad to see that someone is on my wavelength for pardoning Trump.
coin operated
Every f’ing word of this, Cole! Every f’ing word!
way2blue
Amen.
Eric S.
@Chief Oshkosh: These settings work for me. The only time I do different is when I’m washing running (wicking) clothes. That doesn’t sound like an issue from the original post. Those I give a ore-rinse with the odor removing detergent.
geg6
Every word, John, every word. Oprah those fucking pardons and commutations. You get a pardon! And you get a commutation! Everybody gets one! I’m all for it.
tam1MI
@Ohio Mom:I am on the second load in my new washer and dryer set. The old ones were failing and we thought we’d beat whatever tariffs are heading this way.
My mom’s washer broke and the repairman told her a repair would cost $200 with no guarantee it would be fixed. I pushed her to take advantage of a Black Friday sale to get a new one. I wanted her to beat the tariffs.
sab
@Gloria DryGarden: I agree. My first husband was Jewish from Minnesota. His dad had had a bar in North Minneapolis where all the native, indigeous guys drank.
FIL was sure Pelletier was innocent but that someone he knew had killed the FBi guy. FIL was sure he knew who did it but FIL has been gone 25 years. Pelletier could have dropped a dime but didn’t.
Leto
@sab: this. You actually want to disinfect those items. I’d link the numerous studies done on this topic, but I’m enjoying my time.
Lily
Elon, 45 and RKjr are each driven to say or do something that dominates headlines almost every day. Each also believes himself born superior, destined to know more and be more powerful than other humans. I wonder how long it will take before 45 begins to seethe at the competition for press attention if it’s diverted too many days in a row. RFK fell behind last week, resorted to pseudo-candid, naked arm poses in a shower. The media ate it up, temporarily turned away from covering “who’s at Mar a Lago.”
lgerard
New trump slogan just dropped
I have immunity but I need Kash now!
Dan B
@Gloria DryGarden: Street theater at the inauguration sounds great. Maybe a Lady Liberty either a funeral or a mass of people supporting / defending her.
Nukular Biskits
I (by my count) 49th this.
KatKapCC
@lgerard: You bastard, now that ad is gonna be in my head for the next three days.
scav
Only thing I wanna read from the bulk of the current press is their epitaph.
And in the interim, I have better things to waste my time and money on than paying them for exclusives on their death rattles.
Andrya
@NotoriousJRT: I think Biden was justified in changing his mind about pardoning his son. He said he would not do so in the expectation of a fair, unbiased justice system. When Trump’s cabinet nominees made it clear they were after Banana republic vengeance style justice, the situation changed enough to justify changing his plan.
citizen dave
I hope Biden starts burning it down in his own special way. I support a full pardon of every Harris/Walz voter.
Jackie
James Comer still plans to go after Hunter. Says there’s unfinished business with the House Oversight Committee.
https://www.rawstory.com/hunter-biden-2670285967/
Comer really hates the Bidens. I hope future AG Bondi dashes his hopes.
tam1MI
Lady Liberty in a coffin and a funeral service for her.
Trivia Man
First world problems: got a new iphone (old was a 7 because i rarely upgrade). I went for a + and its too big. I knew it was larger but it feels enormous.
Most things came over fine but all photos before june are missing. Not in icloud either.
Plus i now have 4 headphones with the old jack. One still new in the package, one for my work phone, and 2 more perfectly useful sets. Maybe ill finally sign up for Next Door and give them away.
Lapassionara
@citizen dave: I think Joe Biden should pardon himself. That way, the concept of a president pardoning himself could be trashed in the media, and maybe even tested in the courts, so when Trump decided to pardon himself, we would know what to expect.
is that snark?
Old Man Shadow
If America wanted norms, they didn’t vote that way.
Fuck it all. Flip America the bird on your way out, Joe.
HeleninEire
I am only still here because Dad is still here. The second he’s gone I am out. I apologize to those who need me to fight for them. I’ve been fighting for too many years.
If anyone needs to get out I will have a house in Ireland. You all are welcome.
Trivia Man
@NotoriousJRT: IMHO the timing helps draw more attention to old man kushner and HIS pardon. Saw several people suggest joe should name hunter ambassador to france for a month
YY_Sima Qian
My sentiments the same as John C.’s.
As I posted in the previous thread, in normal times, Biden’s expansive pardon of his son would not be a good look. But, these are not normal times, so I couldn’t care less, & the useless pearl clutchers are once again focusing on the weeds, as they are wont to do.
I would like the Dems to be just as free of historical [& no longer operative] norms on much more weighty matters.
The fact that a dye in the wool institutionalist such as Biden is finally doing something so out of norm, to protect his son, portends dark days ahead.
Brant Lamb
Hunter was persecuted because he’s Joe’s son. That’s all there was to it. Those miserable cocksuckers couldn’t get anything on Joe, so they went after Hunter. They can all eat a bag of salted dicks.
Dan B
@HeleninEire: That’s a nice offer to this gay guy’s ears. I don’t know how long it will take for the Christianists to get to us but they’ll be chomping at the bit.
Suzanne
Tons of presidents have given iffy-to-shitty pardons. I can’t muster up any give-a-damn about this one.
Fair Economist
Biden absolutely did the right thing pardoning Hunter. What he didn’t do right was messaging why. He should have said “I pardoned Hunter because Trump has said he will abuse the justice system to persecute political opponents, and has demonstrated he means it by appointing a sex trafficker to head the department of Justice and an open advocate of abuse of justice to head the FBI.”
HeleninEire
@Dan B: Ireland made gay marriage legal before America did. I remember the TV ads in Ireland. Crazy. But here’s what I thought…if you can do it in Ireland you can do it anywhere!
Keep in touch. Tell John or WaterGirl to share my email with you.
Jay
@Fair Economist:
Nice statement, but missing mention of the White Supremacy Court and corrupt Dolt45 appointed judges. (eg. Loose Cannon).
Ohio Mom
@Starfish (she/her): Ah, leggings are active wear? I think my leggings do perfectly well in a mesh bag in with the colored clothes.
opiejeanne
I’m with John and all of the rest of you guys, on all of it except pardoning anyone in TFG’s circle of buddies, including TFG.
YY_Sima Qian
@Jay: Sentimentally, that is probably a bridge too far for a dye in the wool institutionalist like Biden (he perhaps thinks Roberts is still reachable), even though his act of an expansive pardon of Hunter Biden clearly indicates a complete lost of faith in the institutions, & rightly so.
Ramona
@Lapassionara: IIRC, Allison Gill suggested this on the podcast Jack knowing that this SCOTUS would not grant Biden the privelege to self-pardon.
Eric S.
@Fair Economist: I agree with this. If for no other reason, if (when) Trump’s DOJ goes after Hunter anyway, for whatever, having made that statement would have been useful.
Jay
@Ramona:
That’s where Seal Team 6 comes in, it’s an “official” act and the Scotus victim’s past ruling about “Presidential Immunity” factors in,……………
While Biden would not be able to get anybody new on the Court, there would only be 3 Justices.
Lapassionara
@Ramona: and then?
dc
@Jackie:
Can’t he just drop dead of a heart attack?
Lyrebird
^This. This is THE WAY…
And agreeing with John’s take up above, for sure.
One of the minor reasons I am demoralized about the success of the Sauron party is that people like RFK and K-A Conway the the McEnany look-alikes won over people like Walz and Wikler and other ordinary-looking people with dedication and integrity.
FK.
Back to work…
Martin
@Lapassionara: No, I mean, that’s illustrative of the process.
The GOP exploits ambiguities in the law by adopting them in their own favor and letting the court strike them down or let them through. Best case they gain an advantage, worst case they are no worse off. There’s never a punishment for doing this. And it works to their advantage because Democrats rarely do this so they never gain the advantage.
This is why I argued that Obama should have seated Garland when McConnell refused to hold hearings because if nothing else it would set a necessary precedent, because sure as shit Democrats weren’t going to do the same to the GOP – Democrats internalized the norm that a hearing must be held in good faith. The GOP did not. If USSC sided with the GOP, then Dems are free to respond in kind without breaking their values. If USSC sided with Obama, Garland would be on USSC.
Martin
@Jay: Yeah, it’s a fun challenge. Can USSC issue a ruling on the President’s immunity in assassinating justices faster than the President can assassinate justices?
Oh, just impeach him? Same game with the Senate.
YY_Sima Qian
@Martin: Dems at the time thought Hilary Clinton was going to be a shoo in, who would then nominate someone even more liberal, & Repub’s obstruction would come back 7 bite them in the rear…
RaflW
I’ve had multiple breaking points about our failing press, but at the same time that Kash Patel is being pushed into our lives to be an absolute wrecking ball, and the same weekend the Trump-pardoned ultra-creepy Charles Kushner (TFG’s son-in-law’s dad) is proposed to be ambassador to France, the 100s of press freakouts about Biden’s pardon can all, every one of them, fuck off and die.
It is clear that any fight against tyranny will have to occur without 98% of the press. Deeply frustrating.
And no, I’m not asking the press to become active resistance. But they cannot — frankly will not — deal with the scale of difference in these situations. One party unbuttons their top shirt button and dances a tad suggestively. The other rapes and pillages. Both sides! It’s fucking deadly deception and misdirection. On purpose.
YY_Sima Qian
@RaflW: The MSM serve monied interests, who will almost always accommodate themselves to the powers that be, no matter how repugnant, to protect their monies. There are still many outstanding reporters doing excellent investigative work, but the ownerships & the editorial boards will not make even unsteady allies.
JiveTurkin
Maybe Biden should call a press conference and say that yeah, he lied about pardoning his son. And when he lies another 32,999 times he’ll be even with Trump.
Martin
@RaflW: The scale doesn’t really matter. They’re owned by corporations and billionaires. They’ll always cave to Trump’s threats even when their journalists won’t and censor them. That shit started even before the election.
Bill Arnold
@Jay:
My microwave has a “+30 seconds” button, a “start” button, and a “stop/clear” button.
Also many other buttons but they can generally be ignored.
A stick of butter from the refrigerator gets “+30 seconds”, then “stop” when the countdown counter reaches 20.
Princess
What’s so gross about all the media tie-tutting the pardon is it shows that they’re going to fall over themselves to ingratiate themselves with Trump for the next four years. It’s a really bad thing that we have almost no independent news media but we don’t and we’ll be worse off if we continue to pretend we do.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@sab: wild guess, but since towels & sheets are bulk items, that setting may turn off the “imbalance” signal.
then again, I have no idea what purpose the “imbalance” signal really serves in the first place.
i think Biden should blanket pardon not just his family but everyone likely to be investigated for anything whatsoever by these Fox talking heads. And pardoning Trump would be great too!
Tim in SF
I think President Biden should get to pardoning Fauci and anyone else for whom Trump’s vindictive incoming prosecution team is sharpening their knives.
Jackie
THIS is why Joe pardoned his son: The GQP is behind Patel being confirmed. Patel will go after Hunter – even while he’s in prison. Again, as mentioned repeatedly here, Joe more than likely saved Hunter’s life.
YY_Sima Qian
@Martin:
Or, in cruder terms:
Jackie
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
What the hell are you smoking?!?
Martin
@Jackie: The problem is there’s no reason to believe Patel wouldn’t go after Hunter despite the pardon.
That’s part of why I don’t care about the pardon – if there is no respect for the fair enforcement of the law, having the magic get out of jail free card won’t matter – Patel will go after him regardless.
The pardon only really matters in what it tells us of how elected Dems view the utility of norms and how to fight.
Martin
@Jackie: It’s a trick. A pardon requires you to admit to the crime you are being pardoned for. Pardoning Trump for colluding with the Russians requires him to admit to doing so in order to gain the protections.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Jackie: the idea is that he has to deny it, it’ll also make it clear that Trump engaged in armed insurrection & collusion & selling top secrets documents.
I see Martin got there ahead of me.
different-church-lady
@seefleur: You know what really undermines the trust of the current administration? HAVING IT GET VOTED OUT OF OFFICE.
NotMax
@Bill Arnold
The Power Level button can be your buddy.
different-church-lady
@NotMax: The true secret to using a microwave: never do anything above 50% power.
hitchhiker
@Jay: lol, my millennial daughter was ranting last week about microwaves.
Quinerly
Maddow and LOD have been very good tonight on the pardon.
My only complaint is the pardon has knocked Hegseth, Patel, and Kushner out of the headlines. Might have been better if Biden had waited a few days.
And, before I am jumped on….yes, I know Hunter’s sentencing is coming up.
Just saying the pardon is taking all the air out of the room. We don’t control the press. And, from I witness around here, many seem to be “boycotting” MSNBC. It’s the closest thing we have for our messaging. If Dems abandoned it, will make it easy pickings for Musk or someone cut from the same cloth to buy it.
Jackie
@Martin:
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
Gotcha. That makes sense – except the GQP will completely ignore TCFG’s admission of any guilt and proclaim Biden admits it was a witch hunt all along, claiming Total Victory and Validation.
hitchhiker
Having you jackals as my only source of news is truly refreshing. It’s only been a month or so, but I’ve learned that paying attention to what the people mr h calls “news pukes” wasn’t doing any good at all.
I slipped on bluesky last night when I saw what Nichols had said and reacted to it … 20 minutes of my life I won’t get back. I need to clean up my following list — it got messy when I used a few of those batch follow things.
Anyway, yeah. I’m glad Hunter is off that particular hook. Kinda want him to gloat like a motherfucker. :) Just for the fun of it.
Jay
@Jackie:
Some commenter’s still post as if facts and reality will affect MAGgoTs or even ReThugs.
They live, breathe, eat and sleep in an alternate Universe.
Jay
@hitchhiker: Wonkette is safe, https://www.wonkette.com/, Jeff Tiedrich is safe, https://www.jefftiedrich.com/
there are other places as well.
Martin
@Jackie: Yeah, it’s a fun gotcha in a world where rule of law and respect for it means anything.
Martin
@hitchhiker: They still make microwaves with just a single dial. They’re the standard in restaurants and have consumer models out there. Usually pretty inexpensive too.
Zelma
@Ohio Mom:
Oh I feel your pain. I just got a new set too and I can’t get it to do what I want. What was the matter with dials?
hitchhiker
@Martin: thanks, I’ll tell her. :)
We took our offspring and their little kids to a quirky, beautiful beach house for a long weekend, where all of us had to figure out how to work the gizmos. The induction stove had me baffled for a while, and she was deeply annoyed at how hard she had to work to heat up a waffle for one of the twins.
NaijaGal
For those who know – can a political appointee of a national agency with a set term of five or ten years refuse to resign if their term isn’t up for a few years and it’s clear that their nominated replacement would not get through Senate confirmation?
rikyrah
Tell that truth, Cole👏🏾
Hope he does pardon a lot more people.
rikyrah
David Doney (@David_Charts) posted at 1:30 AM on Mon, Dec 02, 2024:
Just remember with all the takes on Biden pardoning Hunter:
Democrats have to be perfect, Republicans only have to be white.
Trump pardons a bunch of criminals, gets re-elected.
Biden pardons son, media will say end of Democratic Party.
(https://x.com/David_Charts/status/1863485820591558779?t=ynLfHx09h3Mj6OHZI9mDTg&s=03)
Tim in SF
Biden’s mistake was not appointing Hunter as Ambassador to France right after the pardon.
Jay
@NaijaGal:
Yes, then it goes to court, new appointee confirmed or not.
Yutsano
@HeleninEire: If/when I have to high tail it to the Canadian embassy downtown I’ll DM you on the Book of Faces. I’m sure they’ll get me safe passage to the closest Irish embassy which is *checks notes* San Francisco. I think I would feel more at home with my grandfather’s adopted homeland* than Canada, although I’m sure I could scrabble out some kind of living in the Vancouver area if necessary.
*Grandpa is of unknown ethnic origin because the government of Missouri is a bunch of assholes, but he was adopted by either an Irishman or the son of an Irishman. That would make my mom an Irish citizen if she ever needed to leave the country. I still wish my grandfather had done the paperwork. I’d be a dual Canadian-American citizen now.
NaijaGal
@Jay: Thank you.
Kayla Rudbek
@HeleninEire: and Ireland has had a openly gay man as Taoiseach (prime minister)
Jay
@Yutsano:
I have been “scrabbling” a living in Canada for 30 years now. In big Cities it’s not that hard.
sab
@NaijaGal: If only Wray had had the FBI do its actual job when they were assigned the task of checking Kavanagh’s rapey background.
Yutsano
@Jay: I may drop a message to start an e-mail conversation if/when I need a Canadian sponsor. I do have other people I could make that request to should it become necessary, but the first move is to get me to safety should it be necessary as a queer disabled person.
Jay
@Yutsano:
Watergirl has my Email. So do Adam and Sab.
JaySinWA
@Jeffro: For some reason I didn’t think there was a Federal death row. I looked it up and there are 40 people (all men) currently on it. Yeah, commute their sentences to life. =
Gloria DryGarden
@Dan B: it needs to not be exactly there. Ok to be within sight. But not to get counted as part of his “crowd” of supporters and sycophants.
love both your ideas. Wonder how many cities might have some street theater going..
JaySinWA
@Ohio Mom: Our LG washers and dryers have several settings. They have you press power then spin a dial, then make adjustments from the defaults for a setting by pressing buttons, then press start. I soon discovered that if you press power and then start it defaults to the normal cycle for both. Two buttons for 90% of our laundry.
Martin
My wife’s dad was adopted in Missouri under similar circumstances, with the similar black hole in her family tree.
Gloria DryGarden
@tam1MI: all of dan’s ideas. And mine. Maybe every big city has something.
Gloria DryGarden
@Fair Economist: between the lines that’s just exactly what Biden implied, as I understood it.
i thought his letter showed diplomacy and tact, and political wisdom. But he was still quite clear. IMHO
but i relish the way you put it, nevertheless
Gloria DryGarden
@HeleninEire: can i ask water girl or Betty cracker for your email?
Jackie
@sab: TCFG blocked the FBI from investigating.
edited to add https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-administration-undermined-fbi-investigation-into-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-claims-senate-report/
Martin
@Jackie: Not just blocked, but all of the tips from the tipline went to the White House, not the FBI, so I don’t think Wray even had access to the tips even if he wanted to defy that.
Jackie
@Martin: I edited to add link.
Gloria DryGarden
@opiejeanne: i agree. If Nixon hadn’t been pardoned, I wonder what else might be different.
TFG has taken the dignity of the nation, already. I am against him being pardoned.
Gloria DryGarden
@JiveTurkin: he didnt lié. He changed his mind. He saw which way the wind is blowing.
Msb
You’re 100% right, John.
And the Rs were probably hoping Hunter would relapse under the pressure. And they would have howled with glee if he had killed himself. Those Bidens are tough; sadly, they have had to be.
anastasio beaverhausen
Can I make one suggestion, please use the term “marriage equality” instead of gay marriage? People don’t get Jew married, or Black married, they just get married. Sorry, but it always rubs me just a little bit the wrong way when I see that. Thanks
sab
@Jackie: And the FBI just went along. Like they would have for Carter or Clinton. I wasn’t born yesterday. I was born 70 years ago and I have seen a lot and I am not buying any of it lately.
Martin
John Gray is still about 150 votes ahead of the R incumbent in CA-13. That would be a nice pick up for Dems in a Central Valley district (which we tend to not win).
sab
@anastasio beaverhausen: I was an Episcopalian and I did get Jew married my first time because he insisted although he was not personally observant. Just saying.
My second husband, Catholic, was willing to be married secularly at the courthouse without expecting me to reject my entire culture and background.
ETA Nothing against Judaism which I like and admire. Just that my first husband, Jewish, was very much an asshole.
Jay
@sab:
Got Catholic Married the first time, got wildflower married the second time.
First reception, 400 people, 9 course Italian meal, didn’t eat at all, ( too busy doing the “greet”,) had pizza delivered to the room,…..
Second reception, Alton Browned ribs, bakers, fresh corn, Jay Salad, apple/blackberry pie with our cats, dogs and 4 close friends, and the Civil Clerk.
sab
@Jay: I have been thinking about you and T a lot lately. My sisters in law have been through similar health issues.
sab
@sab: Carter fucked up so badly in Iran because the CIA withheld anything they knew about what was going on.
sab
@sab: But yes, both times I was just married. Ten years first time, twenty plus this time.
sab
@anastasio beaverhausen: Responding to you better this time. Yes married is married, however it is done. Once you get home, you are just married. And legally, that is how it should be.
Chris T.
@Ohio Mom:
This is why I loved my (2003 I think) Miele washer: you could set the water temperature and the spin speed and whether to do all 4 rinses (using 13 gallons of water total including the wash cycle), or to shorten things with just 2 rinses, and then push “go”.
Took a long time for a full cycle (approx 3 hrs) but got stuff so very clean!
Was still going strong almost 20 years later when we moved to a place that already had W/D and were not able to take them with us. The Samsung set here are huge in terms of capacity (a plus) but the controls are ridiculous and even with an extra rinse, stuff just isn’t as clean.
Jay
@sab:
Thank you.
Tehanu
@Chief Oshkosh:
This. And good for Joe and Hunter.
sab
@Tehanu: I always thought Joe was a realist yet an optimist. American voters just blew optimism out of the water but Joe is still Joe so he still has his realism.
Ramalama
@Princess: Canadian tv news which is normally very good tripped over themselves to discuss Biden going back on his word about the pardon. Nary a word about the egregious pardons Trump made already and the ones he’d dangled for the upcoming punch-you-in-the-face future.
Jay
@Ramalama:
So did the BBC and the Guardian.
Even Al Jazeera,
Curate what you read.
Geminid
@Martin: California’s latest round of redistricting shifted districts quite a bit because California had lost a seat. It left CA13 close to a 50-50 district. In 2022 Republican John Duarte won by less than 1000 votes. It was one of the two last House races called, the other being Lauren Boebert’s in southwest Colorado.
It would be a good pickup for sure, and it could be interesting to see how Adam Gray goes about his work as Congressman, especially his efforts towards reelection. Speaking as a partisan Democrat who wants to see us reclaim a House majority in 2026, I consider that a major component of his job.
Democrats will likely target Rep. David Valadeo next cycle. It’s another Central Valley district that has been close the last two elections; I think Valedeo has won by less than 4% in each of the his last two elections. Challenger Rudy Salas has come up short each time, so I expect Democrats will end up running a fresher face in 2026.
One thing I noticed about Duarte’s and Valadeo’s elections: the total vote for the districts was far less than for other California races like George Whitesides’ and Derek Tran’s. I figure that is due in large part to the portion of residents who are non-citizens, but Democrats may also be leaving votes “on the table” so to speak.
Princess
@Yutsano: Yutsano, maybe you have a claim to Canadian citizenship that I don’t know about, but you and everyone else who’s thinking of it needs to know this now: Canada will never accept claims of refugee status from citizens of the United States. I don’t even think they’d take a Fauci type person, though they might give him safe passage.
anastasio beaverhausen
@sab
Funny you should mention, “Once you get home, you are just married.” Well, after my husband and I got married in Maryland in 2013, before Obergefell, we went home to Virginia and were just roommates.
Barry
@Ohio Mom: “am convinced the engineers who design these things have never done any laundry, the machines are unnecessarily complicated. The wash cycle options include such mysteries as “Casuals” and “Active Wear.” All our clothing is casual and we are very inactive”
IMHO, They are putting fancier and useless things to make it look fancier. There was a saying once that blenders only needed low, medium, and high. They did not need 10 settings, but it looked more impressive.
Geminid
@Geminid: Correction: While Rep. Valadeo beat Democrat Rudy Salinas by less than 4% in 2022 (51.6-58.4%), he won his rematch last month 53.4-46.6% or almost 7 points.
Valedeo may have been hurt in 2022 by his vote to impeach Trump early in his previous term. He avoided elimination in the jungle primary by less than 2000 votes. Acording to a Politico article written not long after last month’s election, Kevin McCarthy persuaded Trump not to endorse any of Valadeo’s Republican challengers.
The Politico article attributed some of Valadeo’s strength the 22nd CD to his familiarity among district residents. The 47 year-old dairy farmer has been a ubiquitous presence in the district since he was elected to California’s state legislator in 2010 and then was elected to Congress in 2012. According to the reporter, Valdeo has kept a low profile on national issues but is on a first-name basis with many of his constituents.
evodevo
@Chris T.:
I found out that how clean the laundry gets depends on the agitator type – most of the newer machines have the “impeller”, while older, cheaper ones had an agitator. From what I understand from appliance reviews, the impellers don’t clean very well, and that’s why I got an on sale, very simple controls, Roper agitator machine several years ago from Lowe’s. Have been very happy with it.
sab
@anastasio beaverhausen: Back in my youth when I lived near SanFrancisco I did tax returns for gay couples who couldn’t legally marry. So they had joint bank and brokerage accounts. Every year we had to list everything on one tax return and then back half of it out to report on the other tax return. Complicated and wildly expensive but the only way to be sure significant other would have the property rights married couples take for granted. And this was at height of AIDS so those inheritance rights were a front and center concern.
Sherparick1
@TheOtherHank: Again, what John said, with one more GFYS to NYT and the rest.
Meanwhile, every Democrat criticizing Biden about this better be hiring a white collar criminal defense lawyer and doing a deep audit on their papers to make sure every “t” is crossed & “i” dotted as Kash Patel’s FBI will be coming along soon to server subpoenas on them & every donor. Let’s see how they feel about pardons then.
AM in NC
@Fair Economist: THIS. If you’re breaking a norm, explain why REPUBLICANS forced your hand – chapter and verse. Love this comment.
AM in NC
@HeleninEire: Mr. AM in NC and I are starting to plan a month-long sojourn over there (probably including GB as well). May I ask what would be your “must do this/go here” items for Eire?
We are in our 50s and in good shape for hiking. Want to get a sense of the different places and don’t care so much about big touristy things (unless they are do not miss things).
No worries if you can’t respond. You are not my Ireland whisperer!
chrisanthemama
Free Leonard Peltier (echoing Gloria DryGarden upthread). Also, clear the federal death row.