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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

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

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

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

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

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

Come on, man.

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

“They all knew.”

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Decision time: keep arguing about the last election, or try to win the next one?

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Fucking consultants! (of the political variety)

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Bark louder, little dog.

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You are here: Home / Archives for 2024

Archives for 2024

First Time For Everything

by WaterGirl|  August 2, 20245:47 pm| 347 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics

This is the first time I have ever seen Pete Buttigieg look anything less than 100% comfortable.

What a welcome!

Open thread.

 

First Time For EverythingPost + Comments (347)

Odds & Ends (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  August 2, 202411:05 am| 618 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Primaries, Elections 2024, Foreign Affairs, Kamala Harris for President, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

Is it Friday already? Days of the week are meaningless here in Happy Funville. That said, the news has been a lot more fun since the, uh, vibe shift in the 2024 election.

Exhibit A, did you know Trump is now too fucking old to be president? Even Republicans acknowledge that: (Newsweek)

In a fresh polling blow for Donald Trump, a majority of Republican voters have said they would prefer a president who is younger than the 78-year-old former commander-in-chief.

In a YouGov poll conducted between July 25-29, 59 percent of Republicans surveyed said they would prefer a president under the age of 75. Trump celebrated his 78th birthday in June. Forty percent said they had no preference, and just two percent said they would prefer a president over the age of 75.

After reveling in the media’s “Biden is old” chorus for years, even as their own candidate decayed before our eyes, now Trump and his shitty campaign say age is just a number:

“It’s not about age, it’s about competence…a Trump campaign spokesperson told Newsweek…

This latest poll could suggest the tables are turning on Trump, who regularly attacked his former rival, President Joe Biden, over his age. Biden is 81.

Trump seemed to row back on this sentiment at recent remarks at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“81 is not old,” Trump said, and now Biden has withdrawn from the race, Trump is faced with a substantially younger competitor in Vice President Kamala Harris, who will turn 60 just weeks before Election Day.

Good luck to the self-masticated lump of vintage Naugahyde and the henchmen who are trying to sell that!

Continuing with the general twin Trump campaign themes of pathetic and weak, Trump surrogates are trying to steal the limelight from Joe Biden by claiming credit for the prisoner swap. The sofa-shagger weighs in: (The Hill)

“But we have to ask ourselves: Why are they coming home? And I think it’s because bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trump’s about to be back in office, so they’re cleaning house,” he said. “That’s a good thing, and I think it’s a testament to Donald Trump’s strength.”

(Slurp slurp!) The non-entity from North Dakota had similar thoughts: (The Hill)

“The reason why Russia wanted to do the deal now is that they think that President Trump’s gonna win and they don’t want to deal with him,” [Doug] Burgum said in comments.

As every schoolchild knows, it’s weak and pathetic to take credit for someone else’s work. When asked about Trump’s preposterous attempt to steal credit, Biden very sensibly asked, “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?”

Answer, as Biden noted while announcing the deal: the task required the participation of allies. Multinational collaboration is a skillset He Who Does Not Play Well With Others conspicuously lacks. (There’s also the matter of Trump being Putin’s obsequious toady.)

***

Here’s an item that may be of interest to the many ambitious home cooks who comment in this space — a tongue-in-cheek analysis of the stack of cookbooks in Kamala Harris’s kitchen: (Esquire)

Odds & Ends (Open Thread)

Here is a person whose horizons are broad but whose focus is pragmatic. What is immediately clear is that, if these cookbooks are indicators of an overall umwelt, Harris values the restorative powers of cooking—not individually but as part of a community. In other words, she cooks not just for herself but for others. She understands food not simply as caloric intake but as identity.

The best cooks do! Also, it warms my heart to see Louisiana Kitchen in that stack.

Have we ever had a competent cook in charge of the country? I can’t recall one. The article speculates that Biden visits the kitchen only to raid the freezer for ice cream, which seems fair. He’s a good president even without apparent cooking skills, but maybe a candidate’s approach to food — and sharing it — says something meaningful nonetheless.

***

Looking ahead, Harris will announce a VP pick soon, and the DNC is coming up fast. The potential lack of media attention on Trump and the sofa-shagger may cause them to wilt like water-dashed wicked witches.

Or maybe they’ll do or say additional stupid things to attract the media herd. Who knows? Who cares? Trump and Vance are the worst kind of weirdos — stale and boring!

I’m interested in Harris’s VP decision (pick Pete!) but don’t believe any of the candidates being vetted would fundamentally change the race. If she can wring a point or two out of a battleground state with a VP pick, it sounds like she should do so.

That’s all I’ve got. Open thread!

Odds & Ends (Open Thread)Post + Comments (618)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: What A Year This Week Has Been!

by Anne Laurie|  August 2, 20248:24 am| 230 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Foreign Affairs, Kamala Harris for President, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

THIS FRIDAY: Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris call.

Join Jewish celebrities, elected officials, spiritual leaders and more who are coming together because we’re ready to ELECT KAMALA HARRIS!!

Check out the list of speakers and SIGN UP HERE ⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/0ZgZy8LS04 pic.twitter.com/IDMP8uLiy6

— Jewish Dems (@USJewishDems) August 1, 2024

Dark Brandon at work. pic.twitter.com/U65iBvjwgn

— Nurses Against Dick Pics. ?????? (@ClaudetteGGibs1) August 2, 2024

This entire video is incredible.

"Thanks for bringing us home."pic.twitter.com/esmkURZhup

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 2, 2024

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greet Evan Gershkovich pic.twitter.com/xqiqGE4GUh

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 2, 2024

Today's deal included the release of seven Russian political prisoners. They stood up for democracy and their own leaders threw them in prison.

We helped secure their release because we stand for freedom – not just for our own people but for others as well.

That's who we are.

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2024

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: What A Year This Week Has Been!Post + Comments (230)

On The Road – PaulB – The Cascade Loop, Part 10

by WaterGirl|  August 2, 20245:00 am| 9 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging, The Cascade Loop

PaulB

Welcome to stage 10 of “Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip,” the Cascade Loop. Today, we’ll be spending a short time taking a look at Deception Pass, which connects Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island and, hence, to the mainland. The reason it’s called Deception Pass, according to Wikipedia, is:

A group of sailors led by Joseph Whidbey, part of the Vancouver Expedition, found and mapped Deception Pass on June 7, 1792. George Vancouver gave it the name ‘Deception’ because it had misled him into thinking Whidbey Island was a peninsula. The ‘deception’ was heightened due to Whidbey’s failure to find the strait at first.

For this part of the trip, I was staying in Anacortes, at the northern tip of Fidalgo Island, having returned from a day trip to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands the day before. I was heading south to Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island, which you’ll see more of in a future post in this series.

Note: You can see full-size versions of these photos here.

On The Road – PaulB – The Cascade Loop, Part 10Post + Comments (9)

On The Road - PaulB - The Cascade Loop, Part 10 7
Deception PassMay 18, 2024

This was my first view of the bridge, taken from the side of the road. It’s a beautiful spot and an often-photographed bridge, as a web search would demonstrate, should you be so inclined.

Rising Dawn Open Thread: Hopefully, A Tipping Point

by Anne Laurie|  August 2, 20244:57 am| 153 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Kamala Harris for President, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republicans in Disarray!, Trumpery

Civil rights violator, tax cheat, con artist, rapist, slanderer, insurrectionist, national security threat…why can’t Donald Trump decide who he is?

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 1, 2024

Trump: I have never been asked a question in such a horrible manner, first question. You don't even say "Hello, how are you." Are you with ABC? Because I think they are a fake news network, a terrible network pic.twitter.com/K8qnUnYKUf

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024

I think we’re getting the first view of imploding Donald Trump as he realizes that what was his for the taking ten days ago is slipping away and he’s likely to go to prison rather than the White House. He being dominated and humiliated by Harris and he’s losing it.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 31, 2024

Since Black women have been the backbone of the Democratic party, it would be extremely fitting if it turns out that three Black women journalists heralded the public implosion of the GOP’s latest Thane of Cawdor.

TRUMP'S HANDLERS PULLED HIM OFF THE STAGE https://t.co/HVOlO8hAFF

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 31, 2024

Amazingly, Politico called a faceplant a faceplanthttps://t.co/DXmNE6DOyj

— Robert Holzer (@RobertHolzer) August 1, 2024

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Rising Dawn Open Thread: Hopefully, A Tipping PointPost + Comments (153)

Some Furry Company for Late Night Conversation

by WaterGirl|  August 1, 202410:42 pm| 102 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Pet Blogging

Meet Rusty’s Juno & Bear. Or Bear & Juno, I do not know which is which.

I love this one on the water.

This is Anne’s Leeloo.  This is as big as this photo gets, and ti took me some time to make it out.

Possibly related to my Miss Willow.  I actually considered naming her Twister.  Of course, Miss Willow suits her better.

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – What If? (Mix Tape)Open thread.

Some Furry Company for Late Night ConversationPost + Comments (102)

War for Ukraine Day 890: A Brief Thursday Night Update

by Adam L Silverman|  August 1, 20249:10 pm| 13 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

Painting by NEIVANMADE. It has a white background an in the center are Soldiers in green doing air defense by firing at incoming Russian missiles in the upper right. The missiles are red and yellow. In the upper left, written in green, is the text: "SAVE THE BRAVEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!" Below the Soldiers, also written in green, is "SUPPORT FOR KHARKIV"

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Four quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is doing great. Her next treatment is Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, it has been a very, very, very long day, so I’m going to keep this as short as I can.

Sweet F16s: At last, some of the vaunted American-made jets have arrived in Ukraine. After 2.5 years of breaking Russian red lines, Ukraine has shown a well-armed freedom can stop a mighty tyranny. Let’s see what kind of firepower these top guns can add!

art by @neivanmade pic.twitter.com/kCx1ra8YGl

— JP Lindsley | Journalist (@JPLindsley) July 31, 2024

Third, I want to apologize to everyone. The imagery of the F-16 over Lviv was a digital manipulation originally made as a joke. I try to make sure I don’t make you all dumber, which is why I avoid posting a lot of stuff from a lot of accounts with less than stellar track records. In this case the legit go to sources I use reposted the doctored image, which is how it wound up on the front page.

Regarding the “F-16s over Lviv”. It so happened that I know the story behind these images through my personal connections. These images were made back in October 2022. F-16s were artificially added to the photos of Lviv to try to mislead the administration of one telegram channel… pic.twitter.com/MSu7Gl9hsR

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 1, 2024

Regarding the “F-16s over Lviv”. It so happened that I know the story behind these images through my personal connections. These images were made back in October 2022. F-16s were artificially added to the photos of Lviv to try to mislead the administration of one telegram channel as a joke. And the photos remained waiting for the last two years until the creator decided to publish them.

The person responsible for creating these photos is now the administrator of this telegram channel. – https://t.me/vkpelmen/1689

No F-16s were flying over Lviv)

Well that sucks.

Fourth, thank you to everyone for the kind words in last night’s comments. I had racked out by the time you’d posted your comments. You are all most welcome.

The cost:

In the Kharkiv region, people said goodbye to Inna Zamyesova. The day before, she was killed as a result of a Russian airstrike on Goryane in the Kupyansk district. Inna was at home with her 10-year-old son: he survived, but couldn’t find his mother and called his father for help… pic.twitter.com/4XAFKHuhkF

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) August 1, 2024

In the Kharkiv region, people said goodbye to Inna Zamyesova. The day before, she was killed as a result of a Russian airstrike on Goryane in the Kupyansk district. Inna was at home with her 10-year-old son: he survived, but couldn’t find his mother and called his father for help – Serhiy Zamyesov works as a rescuer for the State Emergency Service, and he was on duty at the time. Together with his colleagues, he pulled his wife’s body from under the rubble of their own home.

Video: Suspilne Kharkiv

The story of Serhiy digging his wife from under the rubble of their own home lingers with me and keeps me up at night. No one deserves such horror

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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War for Ukraine Day 890: A Brief Thursday Night UpdatePost + Comments (13)

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