Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

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

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

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

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Let me file that under fuck it.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

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

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

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

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

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: Encouragement, Endorsements, & Otherwise

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(#bydhttmwfi = But you don’t have to take my word for it)

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Friday Night Open Thread

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Had a busy day today doing prep work to head to Arizona next week. Went to get my car inspected because it is going to run out in February, got there for the inspection and discovered my registration had expired TODAY, 1 November. Drove to the DMV, got a two year registration, and because I was there with all my stuff (birth certificate, dd-214, etc. because I had my important shit folder for the inspection, decided to get a new federal license since my expires next year anyway. Got that done, went back to get my inspection, and turned out I did not need an inspection since they switched to two year inspections this year and my inspection does not run out until February 2026, but I needed new tires. I finagled and haggled for a while and got an ok deal on a pair of Michelin Defenders, which is all I like on this CRV, got them put on, and went home.

It’s like the universe knows when it is payday and managed to turn a 30 dollar inspection into a SHITLOAD more than that. Oh, well. This Honda CRV has been such a brilliant car and I have had to do SOOOO little maintenance on it, and I firmly believe that tires are something you should absolutely not skimp on, especially on these country roads and in advance of a cross country trek.

Adulting. When I taught freshmen in large lectures I used to tell them to enjoy themselves, because right now, unless they are one of the fortunate few, they will never be in a position where a higher percentage of their income can be designated for fun shit.

***

This also happened today:

Surprised how good his voice sounded.

***

Long time readers may know I am a big fan of Marc Maron, his comedy, his podcast, his general outlook, and him as a person. Here’s more confirmation he is a good guy, a post calling out the Joe Rogan’s, Andrew Schultz’s, Theo Vons, and Shane Gillis’s, and the young dudebro’s like them:

Friday Night Open Thread 21

Friday Night Open Thread 22

Love that guy.

***

I’m watching a show with Priyanka Chopra, Stanley Tucci, and one of Ned Stark’s kids, and it is pretty bad. But I am enjoying the hell out of it because it has lots of pretty people and it is not in any way challenging.

Shout at ya later.

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War for Ukraine Day 982: Russia Double Tap Strikes Kharkiv, Attacks Odesa, Drone Strikes Sumy

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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)

A quick housekeeping note. Rosie is doing great. She’s started jumping up on the bed again! Thanks you for all the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Russia conducted a double tap strike on Kharkiv earlier today:

Here’s the October 2024 Ukrainian air defense tally:

In October, russia launched a record number of strike UAVs at Ukraine with a total number of 2,023 UAVs.

Ukrainian air defenders destroyed 1,185 drones, while 738 were lost from radar. Additionally, 29 drones left the Ukrainian-controlled airspace.

Ukraine needs more air defense to protect our people from russian terror.

The General Staff reported 2,000 strike drones in October. That means 170,000 foreign components in these drones: microchips, microcontrollers, processors, voltage regulators, transceivers… Without them, the Shaheds wouldn’t fly. Sanctions effectiveness is insufficient.

Manufacturers: American companies Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, CTS Electronic Components, Maxim Integrated; Swiss STMicroelectronics, U-Blox; Chinese Bixinda; Irish Taoglas…

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

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Friday Evening Open Thread: LFGoooo!

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All the coolest celebrities agree!

“Come with me if you want to live”

[image or embed]

— Mir ?? (@mirgal.bsky.social) October 30, 2024 at 4:15 PM

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Hey Lurkers!

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looking in a large storefront window with reflections in the glass and a sign that says “Come in, We’re Open"

It’s bee 6 months since we had a Lurker’s thread – that’s  way past time!

You guys may already know this, but when you post your first comment, it goes into moderation, and sometimes it takes a while for one of us to see it and free your comment so it shows up for everyone.  Once it’s released from moderation, it goes into the comments with the time-stamp for when you first submitted it, so then most people probably never see it.  So it’s not surprising that first comments often don’t get replied to.

So here’s a special open thread where we can keep a particular eye out for first comments that go into moderation.

A few of you who poked your heads up on previous lurker threads have turned into commenters, but don’t let that scare the rest of you away!

I think it’s especially awesome to see lurkers joining in on the raffles, meetups, Balloon Juice zooms, fundraising, and even being Balloon Juice angels.  We don’t know your names, but you guys rock.

In any case, it’s lurker appreciation day here on Balloon Juice!  Welcome, all.

Totally open thread.

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Magic 8-ball, fortune tellers, and the folded paper thing

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Are you looking at polls for information to predict the outcome of the election?

If so, may I recommend a Magic 8-ball instead?

Or perhaps go see a fortune teller?

Or maybe he folded paper thing that girls in grade school make to answer their questions?
Does Bobby like me?  Will I get married?  Will I get asked to the dance?

SERIOUSLY.

The polls cannot tell you what you want to know.

I am not mocking anyone here.  Most of us are on edge.  The one thing I do know is that you will have more peace of mind over the next few days if you accept that we do not know what the outcome will be.

Between conventional wisdom in an unconventional time, thumbs on the scale, refrigerators on the scale, each pollster’s secret sauce, and all the agendas, the polls can’t tell us anything, and neither can the “early voting” info, because that’s based on unconventional wisdom in an unconventional time.  And don’t forget all the wildcards!

We do not know.  No one can know.   It is unknowable.

THE MEDIA DOES NOT KNOW.  But they have an agenda, and they do not have our best interests at heart.

THE LYING LIARS WHO LIE DO NOT KNOW.  They, too, have an agenda, but it is not for our benefit.

I am reminded of the moment when I first understood that the HR person is not there for the benefit of the employees.

The closest anyone can get to knowing would be to see the internal polls, and we don’t have access to those.  Even those are based on assumptions.  Not on some verifiable truth or fact.

So if you’re not looking to make calls, or cure ballots, or take a canvass shift, or donate, then distract yourself.  Dig out your best coping mechanisms and put them to work.

What’s your best bet when you need to stop overthinking somethig?

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Point and Laugh (and donate!)

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All the best people!

So Deb Fisher, who currently holds a Senate seat in Nebraska, puts out an ad about how great a place Nebraska is to raise a family, with lovely wholesome, happy footage of Nebraska.   I mean, footage of Vermont and other parts of New England.

Vote. Her. Out.  Kick her reliable Republican vote out of the Senate.

And let’s put a pro-choice and pro-labor guy in her place.

The other side just dropped 3 million dollars for the Deb Fisher, and Dan Osborn isn’t accepting funds from either party, so the Democratic party can’t respond.  But we can!

I’ve added the Dan Osborn thermometer back in the sidebar, so there are now two options for donating if you are so inclined.  Either thermometer can potentially have an impact on a key Senate seat.

Open thread.

 

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