Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

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

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

The willow is too close to the house.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

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

Second rate reporter says what?

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Optimism opens the door to great things.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

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

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Not all heroes wear capes.

No one could have predicted…

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Lunch Among the Ruins (Open Thread)

Lunch Among the Ruins (Open Thread)

by | 251 Comments

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I met some family for lunch in Cedar Key, a remote coastal community that was devastated by a brush with Hurricane Helene last year while still recovering from the walloping it received the season before from Hurricane Idalia. The town is slowly recovering.

The storm surge washed out a bridge that leads to the main waterfront drag, Dock Street. Workers were paving the rebuilt bridge yesterday, so that’s progress.

Some buildings containing restaurants, shops, etc., on the Gulf (of MEXICO) side are still in shambles, but a few places have reopened.

Empty piers in the water where a wooden building once stood. Adjacent buildings have visible damage.

Dog help Cedar Key if it gets hit again this year. The malicious, corrupt idiot Trump put in charge of DHS immediately gutted FEMA, and the agency is wholly unprepared for hurricane season. It starts in two weeks.

***

On the way there, I listened to a This American Life episode that originally aired a few months ago called “Ten Things I Don’t Want to Hate About You.” It was about a son’s wager with his delusional Trumpist father.

In January 2024, the father bet the son $10K that 10 predictions the dad made would happen by December 31, 2024. The predictions were kooky stuff like Biden, Obama and the Clintons would be convicted of treason, martial law would be declared in the U.S., etc.

The son took the bet hoping that when the dad’s delusions were revealed as false, he would finally have an epiphany. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to reveal that the scales did not fall from the dad’s eyes.

He concluded his timing was just off, though, to his credit, he gamely paid up. Meanwhile, over the course of that year, the family basically fell apart due to the father’s pig-headed delusions.

It reminded me a little of a conversation in comments here recently. Those of us with MAGA family members know — there’s no changing their minds. The question is will you disown your relatives or not. Some do, some don’t. Same with the family in the podcast episode.

***

Speaking of family, my spouse and I have an anniversary coming up at the end of the month. It’s not a big-deal round number anniversary, but we are planning to throw a small party anyway, just a few friends and family members here at the swamp compound.

We have many talented cooks among the commentariat, so I thought I’d ask y’all for hors d’oeuvres suggestions. It will mostly be outdoors, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time fussing over things when guests are here, so I’m thinking room temperature things that can be made in advance would be ideal.

Thanks in advance!

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

251Comments

  2. 2.

    debit

    My dad is a trumper and he keeps telling me what a genius trump is (for fixing the thing trump himself broke).  I smile and change the subject.

    caprese skewers, bruschetta, puff pastry pinwheels are all low effort and do well sitting out.

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) posted at 11:57 AM on Thu, May 15, 2025:
    🚨 NEW: In a revealing Puck report, Hunter Biden allegedly told Jake Tapper at the 2018 Super Bowl: If we weren’t in public, “I’d knock you out.”

    Why? Tapper had reportedly called Hunter repeatedly from a blocked number years prior asking to be told the moment Beau Biden died.

    Now that same guy is cashing in with a smear book about the family he harassed during their grief.

    Absolutely disgusting.

    https://t.co/p2Le809Nr8
    (https://x.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1923060134902644881?t=4iz6QorID-DMRP47gBsSIQ&s=03)

  6. 6.

    rikyrah

    gil duran is on bluesky (@gilduran76) posted at 6:51 PM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
    The mask is coming off of the Network State cult.

    Here is Network State evangelist Balaji Srinivasan boosting Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling for the creation “10 or so” new tech cities on federal land.

    Of course, Trump has already announced plans for 10 new cities… https://t.co/pifdq4e1K1
    (https://x.com/gilduran76/status/1922801876476613005?t=xq2d-IT1hBRDmINExIU4eQ&s=03)

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    My MAGAphile in-laws have retreated to Ohio or the Ozarks, I think on account of standard migration patterns but regardless, I don’t have to endure/have awkward discussions with any. ‘Tis a shame said nobody.

    Another family twig are in the Portland, OR area but their issues are more grievous arrested development and unrestrained procreation, than rong politics.

    When Florida gets smacked by the next hurricane and Trump ignores it, what does Boots DeSantis do? Li’l Marco? Skeletor?

  8. 8.

    Lyrebird

    Thanks for that slice of life, Betty C!

    And I am sure you will get bolder suggestions than this, but here is my favorite low-fuss looks-cute little bite recipe I learned while babysitting:

    you need:

    string* cheese, cherry or grape tomatoes, and toothpicks.

    *can also be done with cubes of cheese

    rinse and dry tomatoes
    open string cheese sticks
    cut them into chunky wheels (or just use cubes)
    put a toothpick through a tomato
    stick a piece of cheese on after the tomato
    repeat 4&5 one or two more times depending on room, but end with a piece of cheese, and don’t put the toothpick all the way through
    put the loaded toothpick on a tray, standing up on its last piece of cheese as a base

    Can be made ahead.  In hot climates, probably want to refrigerate if you make it many hours ahead

     

    ETA: I am guessing @debit: already mentioned this, if these are caprese skewers!  Learn something new every day here.

  9. 9.

    TEL

    @Lyrebird: My sister does this as well – always a big hit at family gatherings! She uses fresh mozzarella balls instead of string cheese, a little fresh basil, and sprinkles some balsamic on it. Sort of a caprese salad on a stick.

  10. 10.

    cmorenc

    When attempting to confront a MAGA-leaning relative with objective fact, often the lead counter-tactic from them is some version of “whatabout-ism“, where they’ll try to sidetrack the discussion into some allegation about a boneheaded or wrongful move by someone they consider from the liberal or “woke” part of the spectrum, which purported counter-example often has tenuous to no relation to the subject-matter you were attempting to impart information on.

  12. 12.

    Flanders Other Neighbor

    I disengaged with my elderly father over the last year or so.  It’s not that he believes the lies as much as he WANTS to believe the lies.  I don’t know why people want to go through life thinking the worst of others, it seems tiring.

  13. 13.

    Mathguy

    Open thread, so….just watched first two Murderbot episodes on AppleTV+. It’s excellent. Great cast, great special effects and they do a fine job of capturing the tone of the story.

  14. 14.

    Poodle Mom (fka KM in NS)

    Prosciutto wrapped melon balls. No sauce needed, just some toothpicks as utensils.

  19. 19.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @cmorenc: With what-about attacks, I find it useful to say I’m putting on my mom hat. Then I say I’m not talking about Billy from next door right now. I’m talking about you. Or the equivalent. I’m not talking about X right now. I’m talking about Y. But I explicitly connect it to that Momism because everyone recognizes it.

  20. 20.

    debit

    @Lyrebird: I use grape or small cherry tomatoes, plus tiny balls of mozzarella  and a basil leaf, then a drizzle of olive oil. I love your idea of them standing upright.

  22. 22.

    Geo Wilcox

    My father would have been a Trumper but luckily he died before I had to disown him.

  23. 23.

    cmorenc

    An uncomfortable fact about both FEMA hurricane-disaster relief and federally subsidized coastal flood insurance is that both facilitate expensive property development in places especially vulnerable to devastating damage from hurricanes or severe northeasters etc.  There actually is a worthwhile point to e.g. someone in Kansas complaining about why their taxes should be used to subsidize people’s ability to live in coastal Florida.  Of course, there is a corresponding counterpoint: why should people in Massachussetts (with relatively infrequent tornadoes) subsidze people living in tornado-prone Kansas?  The answer to both is along the lines of “we’re all in this together” – but that premise, which seems inarguably intuitive to us progressive-minded folk, is not accepted at a fundamental level by many RW or pure libertarian-leaning folk, at least not beyond a fairly skeletal level e.g national defense.

  24. 24.

    George

    I have relatives similar to the MAGAt father noted in the post.

    In all the criticisms of what can and can’t be done to counter MAGAism, there is far too little attention given to the fact that followers of FFOTUS simply cannot be convinced that he is, and therefore they are, wrong. A democracy will not survive if a significant portion of the electorate ignores facts, logic, and reasonable compromise. A democracy will not survive if a significant portion of the electorate is unwilling to vote in its own economic self interest.

    For the four years of the Biden administration, MAGAworld chirped about the “Biden Crime Family,” and “Hunter’s laptop,” and other completely fabricated nonsense. For those four years, a recession was always just around the corner. Biden was simultaneously a doddering old fool and some kind of socialist mastermind destroying America.

    My relatives will get pinched by any reductions to Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, etc., in the proposed budget, and yet they will continue to consume whatever slop they are fed by rightwing (and too often mainstream) media and FFOTUS. The pain they feel from the GOP budget will be blamed on trans folk, or immigrants, or socialists, or whatever convenient scapegoat is nearby.

    They are fools who argue in favor of their own destruction, and I realize there is little value in arguing with them, and there is no reason to save them.

  25. 25.

    BethanyAnne

    I know it’s boring, but I love deviled eggs. I always perk up when I see them at a family gathering.

  26. 26.

    suzanne

    @am: Those are really yummy and I sometimes get those for movie nights. I get to watch a movie about twice a year, so not often enough!

  28. 28.

    cope

    Olive crostini.  Basically an olive/cheese/seasonings spread put on slices of French bread and popped under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  They hold up very well.  We made them for the open house we had after surviving a 9 month long interior home renovation.  They were the first thing to go.  This is not the recipe we use but it’s similar.

    https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/olive_crostini/

  31. 31.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @trollhattan:

    When Florida gets smacked by the next hurricane and Trump ignores it, what does Boots DeSantis do? Li’l Marco? Skeletor?

    Buy up properties at firesafe prices, natch. It’s what they do.

  32. 32.

    rikyrah

    This is CORRUPTION , with a capital C.

     

    Brett Murphy (@BrettMmurphy) posted at 11:12 AM on Thu, May 15, 2025:
    NEW: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, we made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.

    So @js_kaplan and I got on a plane to Banjul. 1/

    Here is what we confirmed: After Musk’s rise to power in the U.S. government, the State Department has repeatedly coaxed, lobbied and browbeat this tiny West African country into giving business to Musk’s satellite company Starlink.

    From notes and firsthand sources, we also learned of a remarkable meeting: When the U.S. ambassador went to a Gambian minister’s office to push him to approve Starlink’s license, she also noted that U.S. foreign aid there was under review

    The Gambians took it as a veiled threat.

    <!–more–>

    This is the headquarters of that government agency, which has become the target of a monthslong pressure campaign by the U.S. government in lockstep with Starlink

    It’s not just Gambia. We got internal cables, notes and other records that show how U.S. diplomats have intervened on behalf of Starlink in at least four other developing nations. All while the U.S. has withdrawn foreign aid from those same countries.

    The campaign has not been subtle. As one Starlink employee put it: “We’re pushing from the top and the bottom to ram this through.”

    We wanted to know if this is what the State Department normally does. Turns out no.

    Ten current and former agency officials said what we found is an alarming departure from standard diplomacy — because of both the tactics used and the person who would benefit most from them

    “If this was done by another country, we absolutely would call this corruption,” said Kristofer Harrison, a former high-level State Department official in the George W. Bush administration. “Because it is corruption.”

    Starlink didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House said Musk has nothing to do with deals involving Starlink and Trump does not tolerate conflicts of interest.

    The State Department said Starlink helps remote areas get the internet and “any patriotic American should want to see an American company’s success.”
    (https://x.com/BrettMmurphy/status/1923048897464631660?t=zdfTf56SmcVWHj8BFspIeg&s=03)

  33. 33.

    Kelly

    Here in the west there will be vast wildfires somewhere. The aftermath of Oregon’s 2020 Labor Day fires completely overwhelmed our state and local recovery capacity. FEMA paid. The MAGA curse the gubermint anyway and rattle on about how us independent country folk took care of ourselves on our own. Last year’s Oregon fires were the uncivilized MAGA tribal regions and set a new record for total acres burned.

  34. 34.

    am

    @suzanne: I had to adapt them to be vegan, too. That recipe is worth sharing for anyone with food restrictions if anyone’s interested. It turns out pretty close to the original.

  35. 35.

    NotoriousJRT

    “Those of us with MAGA family members know — there’s no changing their minds. The question is will you disown your relatives or not.”

    This, sadly, is where I find myself.  I note someone in the comments employs the “smile and change the subject” strategy.  That used to be my game. I cannot do it anymore. I’ve decided to try to find a way to make clear that I am not in any way obligated to sit and listen to their slop.  If in their homes, I will leave if they cannot restrain themselves. If in my house, they are the ones who will find the door. It is sad and unnecessarily stressful.

  36. 36.

    MagdaInBlack

    @schrodingers_cat: There you go teasing me with tamarind chutney. Which I never made because I’m lazy.

    I’ve also found a pickled lime chutney that I eat right from the jar.

  37. 37.

    Jackie

    @trollhattan:

    When Florida gets smacked by the next hurricane and Trump ignores it, what does Boots DeSantis do? Li’l Marco? Skeletor?

    It depends on if Maga Largo is hit, doesn’t it?

    I saw, after Gov Arkansas kissed his ass sufficiently enough, FFOTUS relented and released federal emergency funds following the devastating tornadoes.
    Not so for NC, WV or TN after Helene and Milton.

  39. 39.

    trollhattan

    I’d sit before reading. Comfy? Here’s a shocker: Donny’s alma mater says Donny and Mike’s budget is good for…

    wait

    wait

    rich people.

    “The Penn Wharton estimate sought to analyze the full scope of the Republican tax package, computing the effects of the tax cuts as well as the plan to pay for them by slashing federal spending on other programs, including Medicaid and food stamps. Combined, those policies could fall disproportionately on the poorest, including those near or below the poverty line, the economists found.”

    “People making between about $51,000 and $17,000 could lose about $700 on average in after-tax income beginning in 2026, according to the analysis, when factoring in both wages and federal aid. That reduction would worsen over the next eight years. People reporting less than $17,000 in income would see a reduction closer to $1,000, on average, also increasing over time, a shortfall that underscores their reliance on federal benefits.”

    “By contrast, the top 0.1 percent, including those with incomes over $4.3 million, would gain on average more than $389,000 in after-tax income in 2026, the data show. These earners benefit more from a Republican measure because it cuts taxes on the wealthy and makes other favorable changes, including for businesses, which may improve the value of their investments.”

    I’m as shocked as you at this development.

  41. 41.

    oldgold

    I attended a nice yard party not long ago. It featured a lot of fancy/ schmancy hors d’ oeuvres. They were all tasty, but quite a few were messy and sticky. So, folks shied away from them. The big hit was the least fancy/ schmancy – peanut butter stuffed dates. They were gobbled up.

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    Robert Reich (@RBReich) posted at 11:45 AM on Thu, May 15, 2025:
    The carried interest loophole lets rich private equity execs pay lower tax rates by treating their income as capital gains.

    The GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” makes devastating cuts to social programs but leaves this loophole intact — despite Trump promising to end it.

    Priorities.
    (https://x.com/RBReich/status/1923057072460968427?s=02)

  43. 43.

    lee

    @George:

     

    There was a reddit comment about this back in his first term. To paraphrase:

    It doesn’t matter how wrong he is or how much he’s lied. I’ve tied so much of my identity to him I’ll follow him no matter what.

    The comment after that was

    “We can close the sub now”

  44. 44.

    schrodingers_cat

    @MagdaInBlack: Its super easy to make. No cooking involved

    You need tamarind, dates and unrefined sugar (like turbinado), salt, ginger, mint and cilantro.

    Add water, salt to taste. And put it in the blender.

    You need to soak the tamarind and the dates for a couple of hours (get rid of their seeds/pits). Don’t use the tamcon (tamarind concentrate, its too potent)

    Apple butter makes a decent substitute. Just thin it a bit

  45. 45.

    trollhattan

    @Kelly: Funny you should mention, I see in today’s forecast the year’s first fire weather watch is set for Sunday-Monday. In frickin’ May.

  46. 46.

    Suzanne

    I know this is yet another indicator that I am exceedingly basic, but I made the Jennifer Aniston salad a couple of weeks ago and it was awesome. I made it with a basic lemon dressing. Would be fabulous as a starter.

  47. 47.

    Baud

    @NotoriousJRT:

    Sounds about right. If our people aren’t dominant in their family settings, you can’t expect us to be dominant at a national level.

  48. 48.

    MagdaInBlack

    @schrodingers_cat: I’m so lazy everything must be 4 steps or less, and this passes the test. I think you gave me the recipe before when I mentioned I loved it (on vanilla ice cream) but ya know…lazy.

  49. 49.

    MattF

    @Mathguy: Watched the Murderbot episodes and agree that it’s very good. Preservation Aux is more hippie-dippie than in the books and some thematic stuff is moved around, but the series can’t just be a repeat of the original, I guess. So, so far, so good.

  50. 50.

    rikyrah

    Social Conserv. 📚 (@bookkeepPLUS) posted at 10:55 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
    All these bigots salivating at a “Derek Chauvin fed pardon.

    Umm losers, he isn’t getting a state pardon and will still be in jail for 20 plus years

    He is serving his state and fed term concurrently
    /1

    Social Conserv. 📚 (@bookkeepPLUS) posted at 10:55 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
    And also, he will get transferred from his country club prison to a state prison

    Be careful what you wish for /2
    (https://x.com/bookkeepPLUS/status/1922682173183717413?t=yXMhntcHGGKELkFoo6qDCg&s=03)

  52. 52.

    Harrison Wesley

    Ms. Cracker, you mentioned the state of the buildings on the Gulf of Mexico side. What about the ones on the Gulf of America side?

  56. 56.

    Kelly

    @trollhattan: In March 2019 a logging slash fire 2 miles east of us got away due to strong east winds. It jumped the N Santiam river, about 100′ wide there. Burned 130 acres was under control by bedtime but I didn’t sleep much being 2 miles down wind. In rainy western Oregon in  fucking March. March used to be a perfectly reasonable burning time. Things have changed.

  57. 57.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @rikyrah: So, they’re cutting demand (SNAP recipient would buy food from farmers) and handing those same farmers, who now have nothing to do, $60B. Starving kids so that you can take those “savings” and pay farmers not to grow food specifically to feed those starving kids.

    Tracks.

  58. 58.

    schrodingers_cat

    @MagdaInBlack: You can buy it ready made from an Indian grocery store or try Apple butter from a regular grocery store. In a pinch Maggi’s hot and sweet sauce makes a good substitute for a chutney to serve with appetizers from the north India

    OT: Indian ketchup  too is good in a pinch. I have no idea why it tastes so much better than Heinz or Hunts.

  59. 59.

    Anyway

    @Mathguy:just watched first two Murderbot episodes on AppleTV+. It’s excellent.

    May have to spring for AppleTV and watch this – Love the  murderbot books.

  60. 60.

    Eunicecycle

    @Mathguy: ooh do they follow the plot of the books? I love Murderbot! I don’t have Apple TV but might subscribe for those!

  62. 62.

    Almost Retired

    The squirrels in my backyard are going absolutely nuts this morning – at demonic-possession levels of strange behavior.

    Screeching, dare-devil leaping from roof to tree, ass-biting, cat-harassing, etc.  Enough to make me worry about becoming a local news item (“Area man assaulted by murderous backyard squirrels”).

    I wonder if they are predicting an earthquake?  Or a recession?

  63. 63.

    Raven

    Altman’s Three Women

    The action of the film is easily described, although perhaps not very satisfactorily. Duvall, whose idea of the domestic arts is a reliable recipe for “pigs in a blanket” and a file of plastic recipe cards color-coded according to the time each recipe takes, asks Spacek to become her roommate. Spacek accepts, looking around the rather sad, relentlessly conventional little apartment with breathless enthusiasm. She says that Duvall is the most perfect person she has ever met. Duvall, naive herself, is privately stunned at such depths of naiveté in another.

  65. 65.

    Redshift

    @MattF: I’m a huge Murderbot fan, and I’m enjoying it. I knew there were going to be some changes for the TV version (like MB’s face being uncovered more of the time, because, y’know, acting) and I’m okay with those so far.

  66. 66.

    Allen Henderson

    Betty Cracker — thank you for posting this. I grew up in Florida (mostly).  My father remains in the deep red panhandle, taking breaks every 1-2 hours to rage click and sigh his righteous exasperation in front of a screen. I suppose one could say that of this 15+ year daily BJ reader, but I will argue for the differences.

    Since 2022, I’ve largely  dropped contact with my father.  Lots of reasons, of course, but Trumpist authoritarianism tipped the scale from “tolerate random cruel remarks for the sake of staying family” to “not a person I want in my kids’ lives, or mine.” It was a difficult decision, and not one I could ever advise anyone else about. So personal.

  68. 68.

    kindness

    I’m real curious to see what the Trump administration does with hurricane season.  Trump says he’s shutting down FEMA.  He stiffed California for the LA wildfires.  He cut back the assistance N. Carolina was getting for their flooding last year.  He’s refusing to name regions hard hit by stuff National Disaster Zones.  Will he stiff Florida when a huge hurricane rips through it?  Somehow I doubt it.  Trump now being a Florida resident probably will give them a pass as opposed to liberal California.

  69. 69.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Mathguy: I haven’t watched it yet but discussed the casting of Alexander Skarsgard with my wife. The interesting this is that we had almost opposite ideas about what Murderbot looks like under the armor: I imagined a very androgynous, rangy being; she imagined a bruiser with big muscles for strength and intimidation. Both legit takes, I think, given the lack of physical description in the text.

  70. 70.

    Redshift

    @MattF: From the early trailer, I was worried they were going to underplay MB’s discomfort with social interaction, but that’s not the case so far. It’s such an important part of the stories, and makes them a commentary on neurodiversity as well as establishing that a SecUnit is a different kind of thing, not just a human in power armor.

  72. 72.

    trollhattan

    @Raven:

    One strange film. On brand for Altman of course, but it was rare for any feature then to have a cast with all woman leads.

    Miss Altman. And Kubrick.

  75. 75.

    Redshift

    The son took the bet hoping that when the dad’s delusions were revealed as false, he would finally have an epiphany. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to reveal that the scales did not fall from the dad’s eyes.

    He concluded his timing was just off, though, to his credit, he gamely paid up.

    Classic cult behavior.

  76. 76.

    trollhattan

    @kindness:

    Folks in the Pacific states have benefited hugely from intensive study of atmospheric rivers the last couple decades, and predicting and tracking them has evolved tremendously. If they stanch/cease that the entire region is impacted, and in not good very bad ways.

    The asshole ag interests who are so very pro-Trump are right at the head of the list.

    Goes without saying that hurricanes are now the responsibility of Donny’s Sharpie. Good luck, everybody from New England to Texas.

  77. 77.

    Suzanne

    @rikyrah: The aspect of this that bothers me…. stop kicking the man when he’s down. This reporting may have been valuable in 2023, but now it’s self-dealing and gross.

    And now I return to not discussing this topic, because there is nothing left of value.

  78. 78.

    Juju

    If you like working with Brie, I have a quick thing that is baked so you will need to use your oven, but it is very easy to make.   Brie with oven roasted garlic. I peel a bunch of garlic cloves, at least a dozen or as many that goes with the size Brie you have. Put it in a pouch of foil with olive oil, salt and pepper and stick in a 350o oven for 15-20 minutes or until it’s soft. You will start to smell it when it’s close to done. Crush soft garlic cloves with a fork until you have a garlic paste. This can be done ahead of time and rewarmed when the Brie is baked before you serve. Put Brie on sheet pan and bake in 350o oven for 10-20 minutes or when it’s soft to the touch in the middle, but not oozing. Put cheese on serving plate and spread the roasted garlic paste on the top and serve with crackers, French bread or whatever you prefer.  It’s one of my favorites.

    As far as the thing with the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese go, I’ve had that before and it was served with a dipping bowl of balsamic bottled dressing. Ken’s Steakhouse brand, which was not bad. I usually make my own, but I’d use Ken’s in a pinch.

  79. 79.

    NeenerNeener

    @MattF: My only problem with Murderbot is that a company that can build robots and cyborgs isn’t going to waste Skarsgard’s face on a sexless Security Unit.

  83. 83.

    They Call Me Noni

    I call them “party meatballs” and everyone loves them.  You can either buy frozen meatballs or make your own.  In a deep skillet melt together chili sauce and grape jelly (roughly half and half) add the cooked meatballs and simmer for a few minutes.  Easy peasy.  Around here they disappear fast!

  84. 84.

    schrodingers_cat

    The press is all in on Tapper’s narrative because they have tasted blood. They will demand a veto over the next nominee too. They will try to saddle the next nominee with the narrative, that they were hiding Biden’s supposed decline. Especially KH or Buttigieg since they were in the executive branch.

    This is not over.

  86. 86.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Back in 2020, when Tara Reade was lying about Biden, he told a reporter that anyone who didn’t believe him when he said he didn’t do it should vote for Trump.

    I will look to see which Democrat exhibits the same courage.

  92. 92.

    chemiclord

    Yeah, this is why I think it’s an exercise in futility for ANYONE to go searching the MAGA wilderness looking for votes.

    YOU CAN’T WIN THEM.  YOU WILL NEVER WIN THEM.

    Stop looking under every rock to avoid working with those stupid (leftists/progressives/centrists/liberals) and start fighting with the electorate we have rather than the one you want to have.

  93. 93.

    dnfree

    Our family favorite, present at every gathering, is Pace Picante sauce dip (yes, requires that brand name for proper consistency). It’s from their 40th anniversary cookbook, a few decades ago.

    Picante Cream Cheese Dip

    1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
    1/3-1/2 c. Pace Picante sauce to taste (we use medium)
    1 tbsp. lemon juice

    Mix together and serve with tortilla chips and/or veggies.

  95. 95.

    Betty Cracker

    @kindness: Trump already stiffed Floridians whose claims from the 2024 season were still in process when he took office (including us). He’s a kleptocrat. No state will escape his depredations.

    @Allen Henderson: I’m sorry. You’re right — it’s very personal.

    All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. — Tolstoy

  97. 97.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Raven: I’m assuming you don’t want to ask because you think you might offend them. if they have a Hindu altar of some kind in the front office(usually a picture or a statue of Ganesh,the elephant god), chances are they’re Indian. Or an Om sign or or a picture/statue of Krishna.

  99. 99.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @They Call Me Noni:

    We talk about this a lot, but what it comes down to is that right-wingers are just wired different. No matter how fucked up & repugnant the Republican is, they hate the rest of us more. A lot more.

    Democratic voters, when challenged, scatter, stay home, or attack each other.

  100. 100.

    p.a.

    Liverwurst, food processed with plain yogurt, sour cream, or cream enough to thin it out, maybe some parsley or paprika for color, makes a nice spread/dip as a choice besides guac, hummus, roast pepper dip.

    Just keep it cool.

  101. 101.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Raven: tell them “India sucks!” or “Pakistan sucks!”.  If you don’t get beaten to death with a cricket bat then you guessed correctly.

  104. 104.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Suzanne: That salad looks so good! I have a big bag of bulgur so I’m going to use that instead of quinoa when I make it.

  105. 105.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @kindness: He’s also refused to give money to Arkansas even though Huckster Sanders begged him. I can’t decide if he doesn’t care because  he’s never going to run again or because he thinks he’s a king now and doesn’t have to worry.

  106. 106.

    Trivia Man

    @NotMax: blech. In catering i made thousands if rumaki – bacon, water chestnut, liver. Huge hit but they disgusted me. I also dont care for shrimp so i was selected to arrange the shrimp bowls.  I was the only one who wouldn’t sneak a couple samples while arranging.

  107. 107.

    Theresa,MF

    Party quiche: Like a regular quiche, but instead of using a tart or pie pan, use a sheet pan, cut into as many sizes as you like. If you don’t want to fuss with puff pastry, use pillsbury crescent rolls, unfurled and pinched together. (They’re a little heartier.)

    Also, I make this tarte flambée/flamenkuche and it’s usually a hit and works at any temp. I use crème fraîche as a base and usually a thin ham like serrano or proscuitto, as well as gruyere. It’s very tasty and you can make the crust any size or shape for party sizes: https://cnz.to/recipes/appetizers/flammekueche-alsatian-pizza-recipe/

    Nigella Lawson’s bar nuts recipe, except I like to just use pecans. Surprisingly good with a hunk of camembert or roquefort.

    Marinated mozzarella and/or olives: minced garlic, lemon zest, pepper flake, good olive oil, fresh oregano (opt).  I sometimes marinate the little mozzarella balls and serve them next to a black olive tapanade.

    Happy Anniversary!

  108. 108.

    Redshift

    @schrodingers_cat: The whole thing is so stupid. One of my rules for elections is to ignore anyone who says an election result “proves” something they already believed or wanted to be true. It’s possible the election would have gone the other way if Biden had not run, but no one who’s saying that has any evidence it’s true, and there’s plenty of evidence other things were more important.

    But the incredibly stupid thing is declaring that voters care about Democrats saying they were wrong about that. Who even remembers what their opinion was? It’s such an insider thing, and any Dem official or candidate who focuses on that just looks out of touch.

  110. 110.

    Baud

    @Redshift:

    But the incredibly stupid thing is declaring that voters care about Democrats saying they were wrong about that. Who even remembers what their opinion was? It’s such an insider thing, and any Dem official or candidate who focuses on that just looks out of touch.

     
    QFT

  111. 111.

    Baud

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    Either way he’s not accountable. And a lot of his supporters can’t turn away from Republicans because Republicans are the only protection they have for their social status.

  112. 112.

    Suzanne

    @Melancholy Jaques:

    We talk about this a lot, but what it comes down to is that right-wingers are just wired different. No matter how fucked up & repugnant the Republican is, they hate the rest of us more. A lot more.

    Democratic voters, when challenged, scatter, stay home, or attack each other.

    Yeah, this is an important point. I see it asserted often that Republicans stick by their candidates and they win, and Dems should do that, too. And I get the impulse, but I don’t think it works the same way. Republicans are authoritarians and most Democrats are not, and being cheerleader-y and ride-or-die for something (anything) works differently on those personality types.

  113. 113.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Redshift:

    You have a point, but I do think the normie voters do ingest the steady flow of Democrats wrong, Democrats stupid, Democrats bad reports that our political media produces year round. I think it accounts, in part, for Murc’s Law & the consistent low standing of the Democratic brand despite the facts that show Democrats do better for ordinary people than Republicans.

  114. 114.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Betty Cracker: roasted sweet mini peppers stuffed with cotijo/cream/feta/goat cheese. Also roasted/airfried/pan fried  shishito  peppers. You can make them ahead of time and temperature isn’t an issue. My sister had a smallish get together and did a taco bar of sorts. It worked out nicely.

  119. 119.

    chemiclord

    @Suzanne: ​
      The NPR pundit on their 1A show who tsked the Democrats about their “hypocrisy” about Biden’s mental state literally says while the CURRENT president is talking about inventing the word “groceries” just a day prior made me hope the GOP succeeds in destroying public radio.

  120. 120.

    Kosh III

    @schrodingers_cat: ” It does make the party look weak and enrages core Democratic voters.”

    They’ve been cowards ever since they refused to oppose the Patriot Act. Ever since they’ve tried being Republican Lite, claimed to be “bipartisan” and generally been awful.

  123. 123.

    Sure Lurkalot

    I dumped the FTFNYT long ago but I used to think Michelle Goldberg was a decent opinion writer.  She claims that she was against Biden running again early on but I see she has joined the pile-on.

    Plenty of Democrats are annoyed that “Original Sin” has catapulted the issue of Biden’s enfeeblement back into the news, threatening to distract voters from Donald Trump’s rococo corruption. I think, though, that Tapper and Thompson have done the party a favor. Some sort of reckoning is due for the disastrous missteps that paved the way for Trump’s return.

    Replete with the FTFNYT’s gold standard, never to be questioned line that Trump 2 is 100% the Democrats fault.

    And “Trump’s rococo corruption”? Just shoot me, now.

  124. 124.

    Betty Cracker

    @Redshift: Someone on Bluesky posted a screenshot of a Politico tweet that reads: “Dems confront the first real litmus test of 2028: Biden’s mental acuity.” That’s the heading above a graphic of Buttigieg, Murphy, Whitmer, Pritzker, etc.

    So fucking stupid!

    As someone else there pointed out, “litmus tests” are from party members, activist groups, etc., not political gossip rags. Also, does anyone remember those hacks hounding McCain, Romney, etc., about W’s disastrous presidency? I don’t.

    IMO, the proper response to that nonsense is, “What does that have to do with Trump jacking up prices, slashing critical services to give more tax cuts to billionaires, ignoring court orders, putting clueless lackeys in positions of power and general corrupt lawlessness?” (Bonus points for adding “motherfucker” to the end of the question.)

  125. 125.

    Bill Arnold

    @rikyrah:

    Pilots flying into Denver International Airport on Monday couldn’t communicate with air traffic controllers for about six minutes after multiple radio transmitters failed.

    They need to do proper root causes analyses on these incidents, to tamp down reasonable suspicions that Musk’s cybercriminalstech people are deliberately glitching air traffic control for personal gain.

  126. 126.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Shaial Ben-Efraim reposted Ro Khanna saying that Democrats had to come clean about Biden’s decline. Ben-Efraim pointed out that while Republicans were ravaging due process and threatening habeas corpus, Khanna was on Fox news doing the Republicans’ work for them. I agreed with Ben-Efraim’s conclusion: “Nobody gives a fuck about the last election. Move on.”

    I also agreed with Rep. Debbie Dingell’s response to critics complaining that she had fallen asleep 20 hours into a Ways and Means Committee hearing. “I’m in a grouchy mood today,” Dingell told reporters. “Fuck-em all.”

  129. 129.

    BethanyAnne

    I was looking for The Locked Tomb stickers on Etsy. I found a seller who had tons of them, and tons of Murderbot stickers. Lovely little shop. “FanFlairShop” was the name. My favorite sticker was the one of all the names that Gideon made up to “compliment” Harrowhawk. Gloom mistress, night boss, those ones.

  132. 132.

    Kosh III

    @Redshift: ‘”It’s such an insider thing, and any Dem official or candidate who focuses on that just looks out of touch.”

    And far far too many Dem only listen to consultants, other insiders and polls and only care about DC, LA and NYC.

  133. 133.

    Baud

    There’s a political party in this country for people who want to impose fake litmus tests on Democrats. It’s not the Democratic Party.

  135. 135.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Betty Cracker: Obviously it’s Biden and the Democratic party who are at fault for Trump winning and thus the chaos now. (that’s sarcasm, btw)  JFC the “could shoulda woulda” thinking drives me fukn crazy.

    This is where we are, this is what we have…deal with that, not coulda shoulda .

  136. 136.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    My aunt’s crazy husband learned pretty quickly not to triffle with me

    Dan “Some say Obama was born in Kenya”

    Me “Some say the earth is 4,000 years old”

    Dan”,…” blushing.

    This worked because he is a fluids engineer, and fancy’s himself a man of science.

    I was told his were amazed I was willing to call him out on his BS, but also I understand he is still crazy as ever.

    Anyway, refuse to accept their position as anything but utter nonsense. Make them defended it so they have to listen to themselves sounding like an idiot.

  137. 137.

    AM in NC

    An easy-peasy appetizer that can sit out for a while is pickled peppadew peppers filled with blue cheese. The peppers come pre-pickled, and you just stuff some blue cheese into the hollowed-out peppers. Spicy, tangy, salty yumminess.

  139. 139.

    Baud

    People say we need to be more populist. Standing up to an vapid and vacuous elite media establishment is pretty populist.

  141. 141.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @schrodingers_cat:

    And yet we have plenty of commenters who did exactly that and pretend those of us with elephantine memories will forget.  Fat chance.

    I unfortunately agree with Baud’s take on this in that we are in the minority on this in terms of primary-voting Dems.

    As always, as you’ve referenced before, I’ll take my eventual cue from the black ladies.  Sure as hell not the white ladies.

  142. 142.

    RaflW

    I haven’t made/eaten these (yet!) but they look delish and super easy (5 min prep, 15-20 min baking). Uses from-the-store puff pastry (Pepperidge farm is one readily available option), pesto and parm from jars, and an egg. That’s it.

    P.F.s pastry comes two per box, so I’d make a double recipe – I think Prue Leith’s Pesto Palmiers would go very fast. They’d still be good if baked ahead by a day, IMO.

  144. 144.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @MagdaInBlack: Eh, I sort of disagree. I think that “woulda shoulda coulda” has its place. For instance, if that “analysis” leads to the Democratic Party taking a bunch of consultants out back and shooting them (figuratively), as Republicans do when their consultants lose them an election, then GREAT. I’m all for it. But if instead it’s just a bunch of paralyzing handwringing, then fuck no, let’s not do that.

  145. 145.

    Geminid

    @Kosh III: I disagree with tbis framing thst far too msny Democrats listen to comsultants. I follow plenty of House Democrats– not just the ones who make national news– and I see them spending as much time as they can listening to their constituents. And House leadership listens to what the members tell them about constituent sentiment, not to consultants.

    I see this common fixation on consultants as a sort of echo-chamber, feedback phenomenon. It may be widespread, but that does not make it well-founded.

  147. 147.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Chief Oshkosh: Yes, to the need to analyze and make correction. No to the need to constantly rehash. Fair enough?  =-)

    p.s. also yes to tossing the consultants.

  148. 148.

    RaflW

    @Betty Cracker: Pardon me, Politico, but Joe Biden stoped being president on Jan 20, 2025. Only Betlway fart-sniffers will care about “What did people know about Joe’s brain, and when did they know it?” 19 months from now.

    Meanwhile, Trump’s perfect, not-demented-at-all-nosiree brain is fixated on rediscovering the word groceries, a term so antiquated and rare that it’s damn near archeological.

    Speaking of which, I need to go to the grocery store soon. Oh, oops I mean I need to peruse the premises which purvey victuals soon.

  149. 149.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Chief Oshkosh:

    Exactly.

    We were told by many people after the Biden-to-Harris gymnastics that “now is not the time to debate” things like policy, strategy, etc until after the election.  “There will be plenty of time to debate that after the election.”

    That last bit was said assuming Harris won.  Oops.

    Now that we’re “there” (after election) and many of us are pushing back hard on the extreme centrism doubling down we see by the Ezra Broder Klein/MattY/New Liberalism Dems that, quite frankly, control the party, we’re still being told that such discussions aren’t warranted, now is not the time, don’t be a toxic purity pony, yada, yada, yada.

    Now and over the next couple of years, is *exactly* the time to have these debates and not always try to frame them as “circular firing squads” from those on the “left” who are the ones keep saying we shouldn’t be having these debates.

  150. 150.

    Suzanne

    @Baud:

    Except our side is cheerleader-y for factions with the party. Just not enough people cheerleading the whole.

    I think that’s okay. Let every faction be their faction and be excited about their stuff. The people who are passionate about politics and stay home because their preferred candidate/issue isn’t on top (purity ponies) are outnumbered by the tuned-out don’t-care vibe-y sometimes-voters, probably by 50 to 1.

    Anti-authoritarians are more obstinate, right? For both better and worse. Trying to convince people of something they don’t feel often backfires.

  154. 154.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @chemiclord:Yeah, this is why I think it’s an exercise in futility for ANYONE to go searching the MAGA wilderness looking for votes.

    YOU CAN’T WIN THEM. YOU WILL NEVER WIN THEM.

    Everyone here seems to be utterly convinced that there is some magic phrase they can say to the Crazy, and they will have a Road to Damascus moment, and the scales will fall from their’ eyes.

    Speaking as former Conservative, it don’t work that way. It’s a series of “Oh, the Left is correct on that one” admissions to yourself over few years, and one goes through a phase of being a libertarian during it.

    I said this many times, make them defend their positions, so they have to listen to themselves sounding like a complete idiot.

  157. 157.

    Baud

    @Suzanne:

    The passionate about politics people tend to attack us. We should always have a response to people who attack us. Otherwise, we convey to the others that we don’t really believe in ourselves. IMHO.

  159. 159.

    Jay

    My go to appy, is to get unsweetened tart shells, put in some browned Chanterelle mushroom bits, add some caramelized onions, pour in beaten eggs, bake and when the egg mixture is firm, sprinkle on some asiago cheese and let finish.

  160. 160.

    chemiclord

    @Geminid: Well, it’s either believe that shadowy “consultants” are shaping the party for nefarious corporatist means… or that the American public isn’t the quietly socialist mass they want the people to be.

    Guess which one they want to believe?

  162. 162.

    Geminid

    @Chief Oshkosh:

     

    @MagdaInBlack: I could see putting a lot of time and energy analysing the events of last July and the process leading up to it, if I thought we’d nominating and electing a President in their 70s again anytime soon.

    We won’t though. As a practical matter, I expect we will revert to the prior norm, and elect presidents in their 40s and 50s like Carter, Clinton and Obama. Or maybe someone in their early 60s. I have no problem with this, because I see sufficient good prospects that fit that age criteria.

  163. 163.

    Betty Cracker

    @AM in NC: I haven’t made stuffed peppadews, but they were served at a soiree my sister and I attended some years back at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. We liked them so much we followed the poor server around like a pair of stalkers to get more each time the tray was replenished. Thanks for the reminder; they are good and seem pretty simple to make.

  164. 164.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @schrodingers_cat:

    He is.

    And while he’s an outlier, kinda-sorta, he’s not *that* much of an outlier when it comes to the Dem party’s continued closeness, in part by that bloc of the party, with Silicon valley and the general techbro billionaires.

    He, and others, don’t care about the reactionary intellectual tendencies within the techbro community.  The fact that it’s been driven by libertarian douchebags (a redundant label) who have no regard for democracy, public education and civil rights is either “Dems” like Khanna actually support or overlook for a host of other, financially-related, reasons.

  165. 165.

    suzanne

    @Baud: To me, it matters from where they’re attacking. If they’re fairly close by and we need their cohort to win, I think attacking is more damaging than helpful.

    I’m thinking of my ex, who is what most people here would consider a Berniebro. He annoys me. (Y’all…. you have no idea.) But I talked about the election with him a few times last year, and he ended up voting for Harris. He is not a pragmatist by nature (which has led to a lot of dumbass decisions in his life, not just about voting). But I sent him the video of Bernie talking about Gaza and how Donald Trump would be much worse than Harris. So I think there can be room to just get to begrudging alignment, if we don’t drive people away.

    We don’t need everybody to be excited, even if that would be ideal. Nose-holding votes count the same.

  166. 166.

    jonas

    The son took the bet hoping that when the dad’s delusions were revealed as false, he would finally have an epiphany. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to reveal that the scales did not fall from the dad’s eyes.

    That’s the beauty of apocalyptic theology. It can never fail, only be failed. The reason that stuff didn’t happen when they said it should is because he didn’t believe enough. There’s always next time, though!

  167. 167.

    Deputinize America

    Fun with AI:
    “SPRINGTIME FOR TRUMP”
    (Full Version – With Trump Solo)

    [VERSE 1]
    Springtime for Trump and the GOP,
    Winter for facts and democracy!
    Mar-a-Lago’s the place to be,
    Trading secrets for a small fee!
    Springtime for Trump and his golden crew,
    Every indictment just bounces right through!
    Watch the polls as they twist and sway,
    Truth is fake, but the memes here to stay!

    [CHORUS]
    It’s MAGA time!
    Lock her up in a two-step rhyme!
    Build the wall (and make Mexico pay),
    Then blame the Deep State when it falls anyway!

    [TRUMP SOLO – spoken, over dramatic music]
    “Folks, they never thought I’d win—losers, total losers! The fake news, the radical left, the RINOs—all against me! But I said, ‘Sir, excuse me sir, the American people LOVE me!’ And they do! The biggest crowds, the best crowds—some say the greatest in history!
    “They come after me with witch hunts—Russia, Ukraine, documents, hush money—pathetic! They raid my home like I’m some common criminal! But I’ve got the best words, the best lawyers—some people say I’m the most persecuted genius ever!
    “And the election? RIGGED! STOLEN! Everyone knows it! But we’re taking it back—bigly! We’re gonna win so much, you’ll get tired of winning! And if they try to stop me? Well… let’s just say January 6th was a beautiful day, full of love—very special people!
    “So now, we march—to the White House, to victory! And we’ll make America great again… again! Because without me? It’s all a disaster. A total catastrophe. Sad!”

    [VERSE 2]
    Springtime for Trump, he’s back again,
    Tweeting at dawn like a true has-been!
    Rally the base with a fear-filled cry,
    “They’re stealing your country—now vote or you’ll die!”
    Springtime for Trump, the lawsuits won’t stick,
    Judges he picked make the verdicts so slick!
    Fox and Truth Social spin the tale,
    While the fines pile up—but he’ll still post bail!

    [BRIDGE – GRAND FINALE]
    Hail to the Chief (who refused to concede),
    Storming the Capitol—just what we need!
    Gold sneakers marching in red, white, and blue,
    Dictator on Day One? Hey, maybe it’s true!

    [FINAL CHORUS]
    It’s Trump time!
    Chaos, grift, and a cult-like climb!
    Truth is dead, but the ratings are high,
    Springtime for Trump—till the courts say “Goodbye!”

  168. 168.

    Soprano2

    @Baud: I’m seeing people say that the Democrats need to admit to this in order to get people to trust them again. Of course, if all the information is the quality of the claim that Biden shook Jamie Harrison’s hand at an event but didn’t know him (Harrison says it never happened, and it’s not sourced in Tapper’s book), then it’s going to fall apart pretty quickly.

    You know who I feel for in this whole situation more than anyone? Jill Biden, because she’s the person who knows what’s true about this situation more than anyone. If some of it is true, and she was doing everything she could do to protect Joe’s dignity, then she’s doing the same type of thing that I did for a couple of years. I think only the people who interacted with Biden on a regular basis know the truth of the situation.

  169. 169.

    Geminid

    @chemiclord: I don’t care enough to guess. I just push back on this stuff when I see it. I feel like there are people out there trying to exploit Democratic demoralization to the end of furthering their own agendas. In order to do this they have to keep Democrats as demoralized as possible, and I’m pretty fed up with that behavior.

  170. 170.

    George

    @lee: ​
     Word. Comments such as the one you cite are more horrific than any dozen Hollywood zombie/slasher films.

  171. 171.

    Baud

    @suzanne:

    It’s always a judgment call. We also need centrists and moderates to win, but plenty of people push back on centrists and moderates.

    Appearing to play favorites does damage too IMHO.

  172. 172.

    CaseyL

    Back in the mid-1970s, during my first year in college (UF), I went to Cedar Key with my then-boyfriend.  My first time on the Gulf and Gulf Coast. I remember it being entirely bucolic and rustic.

    It was also heavily fogged in.  So heavily fogged in that the Gulf horizon and the sky merged into one uniform, cottony gray expense.  No sense of distance, or boundary, or anything, just… we were inside a vast gray bubble.  It was the first time I’d ever seen that phenomenon, and it’s still vivid in memory even if little else about that weekend is.

  173. 173.

    Soprano2

    @Suzanne: I agree. I think it’s especially gross how quickly they’ve written this book and gotten it to market. Maybe that’s for the best, because it’ll be a non-issue by this time next year (I hope). I’m not sure what’s to be gained by discussing it now other than trying to make all of the Democrats out to be big fat liars, when the truth of the matter is that few people actually are in a position to know the truth of things.

  176. 176.

    Baud

    @Soprano2:

    I’m seeing people say that the Democrats need to admit to this in order to get people to trust them again.

     

    People didn’t trust us before, which is why Republicans win despite their actual policies being unpopular.

    I say, if they don’t want to trust us, they should stop trusting us. If we start chasing people, then we’re going to have to chase everybody who makes a demand on us. As I said up thread, playing favorites also does damage.

    And also as I said up thread, there’s a political party in this country for people who want to distrust Democrats.

  177. 177.

    Soprano2

    @schrodingers_cat: The big problem for Harris is that she’s probably one of the few people who are in a position to know the truth about Biden’s condition. People with a glancing experience with him know nothing at all about how he is.

  178. 178.

    Captain C

    @Jackie:

    Have a wonderful weekend, Johnson! Wish we could eavesdrop drop on the call(s) he’s gonna receive from FFOTUS!

    Or his son.  To wit:  “Hey, dad!  I know you’re down in the dumps about this budget, but wait ’til you see this really depraved porn I found last night!  Just check your app, it should be the first one there…”

  179. 179.

    Gloria DryGarden

    Besides the ideas for deviled eggs ( lot of prep time), nut butter in dates ( add shredded coconut, or chocolate chips in some, an$ samosas,

    im thinking about spring rolls, quick breads, perhaps a spinach/onion and egg baked thing that you can cut into squares, with or without a crust.
    Also, a savory baked casserole bar, like lemon bars, or cookie bars, only mixing your batter with chopped onions, peppers, ginger, zucchini, Napa cabbage- I’m inventing this recipe, to be like the Japanese okonomiyski savory pancakes, only way less work.  Crudite platters w dips, lightly steamed broccoli, green beans, snap pea pods, as well as the usual veggies people put on those. Fruit salad, potato salad, sliced apples in lemon juice.
    Some of that will be easy enough.

  180. 180.

    Soprano2

    @chemiclord: I missed that part today, I got a phone call while the show was on. They do often have one person on that panel who straight up tells the truth about a lot of things, but I don’t think he was on there today.

  181. 181.

    Suzanne

    @Soprano2: One of the things about last summer that made all of the discussion so awful was that everyone was clearly bringing their experiences with aging to the discussion. Either their own, or watching loved ones, or caregiving. And that is poking at really painful stuff. It’s exceedingly gross to do it again.

  184. 184.

    prostratedragon

    @trollhattan:

    NOAA scientists terminated in Seattle region:

    Scientists behind some of the most important breakthroughs in Northwest scientific research over the past two decades have left their jobs in the wake of budget cutting by the Trump administration.

    This group was more involved with endangered species and environmental impact work:

    The Times interviewed five of these scientists.

    Sarah Morley built a deep understanding of the food web and hydrology of urban streams and Northwest rivers.
    Mike Ford revealed just how inbred the southern resident killer whales are, a never-before understood element in their struggle to survive.
    Lynne Barre helped lead the world’s first successful rescue of a stranded baby killer whale, even returning the animal to her pod, where she has since gone on to bear two calves.
    George Pess has been a leader in fisheries science and management since 1989 and the “papa bear” — as he is lovingly referred to — of the interdisciplinary team of scientists gathering data on the Elwha River before dam removal, then the world’s largest, to be able to understand the impacts of a historic intervention for fisheries recovery.
    Nat Scholz helped crack the code on which chemical in tire dust is killing coho in urban streams before they spawn.

  187. 187.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Soprano2:

    I’m seeing people say that the Democrats need to admit to this in order to get people to trust them again.

    Who are these people?

    I always want to source the origin of such comments, either by people with long track records showing what their actual aims are or groups with similar agendas.

    I mean if it’s pundits, it’s easy to assess the honest-motives of their assertion along these lines.  Or if it’s business as usual vis a vis keeping the ‘Dems in Disarray’ reporting going along seamlessly.

  188. 188.

    cmorenc

    @rikyrah: It would have been far better for Democratic politicians to have timely and firmly confronted the fact of Biden’s decline early enough to have avoided having it so dramatically exposed to the electorate the night of last June’s debate.  That said, agree it’s senselessly, maddeningly counterproductive for D politicians to now put that kind of retrospection on public display.  That retrospection doesn’t win us any do-overs nor future credits by the electorate, nor does it usefully point to who would make the best D nominee in 28 except maybe it should probably be someone a bit younger than 80yo.  But we know that without the retrospective yapping.

     

  189. 189.

    Soprano2

    @Baud:  People didn’t trust us before, which is why Republicans win despite their actual policies being unpopular.

    What really gets me about this is that Biden’s administration consistently did good things for the average person, yet most people don’t seem to know that. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s all buried under the right wing media ecosystem constantly telling people Democrats are all demons who don’t care about ordinary people or if it’s just that people don’t notice things until they’re actually affected by them. Like I’ve said before, I had a co-worker almost yell at me to not say the economy was good because “everyone” knows it’s bad, no one can afford anything anymore and everything is terrible. ETA – to be honest, I have to wonder how helpful it could have been to have people like Joe Rogan talking about all the good things they were doing for the average person. I just think lots of people tune most politics out.

  190. 190.

    debit

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: I don’t  believe I can change my father’s mind. He’s just a few dementia test points away from me filing for guardianship. There’s no point in doing anything BUT smiling and changing the topic of conversation, unless my goal is to send him into an incandescent burst of rage that will end up with me banished from his life. Seeing as how I’m all he has left, I’m not going to do that.

  191. 191.

    Soprano2

    @Suzanne: I don’t disagree, but what I’m trying to say is that most people don’t really have any idea of what’s true in a situation unless they’re close to it, so we honestly don’t know what’s true and what’s not. I didn’t used to think that, it was my experience the past 4 years that taught me differently.

  192. 192.

    prostratedragon

    How could I have fohotten wstermelon salad? Cubed melons, sweet tomatoes such as cherries, a little thinly sliced red onion, and fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with fresh or lemon and some balsamic vinagrette. I always serve it tossed in a bowl, but would work well with some of the skewer ideas.

  194. 194.

    Soprano2

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Well, I saw Ro Khanna said it for one, but I’m sure he’s not the last person who will say that. There seems to be a perception among a lot of people who follow politics that most Democrats in the government knew the truth of things and were actively covering it up even though that’s impossible. I’m not sure what they are supposed to admit when most of them probably only knew things they had heard from other people, which isn’t reliable information.

  195. 195.

    Juju

    @Soprano2: From what I’ve read here and there about the Tapper book is that they seem to be confusing physical with mental deterioration, but I’m  not going to spend my money on the book to find out. I haven’t seen any mental deterioration in Biden other than age related typical things, combined with his stutter issues. One article or post I read about the book pointed out that a lot of the so called mental issues occurred at the time his son was going through that stupid trial. I think the stress of that combined with the stress of being president could make anyone seem mentally incapacitated, especially when one considers the addiction problems his son has. I take care of my mother who is 91 and has dementia.  It is incredibly mentally stressful to do that 24/7. I am sure there have been times when I come off as nuts or in cognitive decline, and I’m just 63.  From what I’ve seen of Biden since he’s been out of office, and rested and not stressed, he seems fine. I wish my mother was as sharp as Biden seems to be.  As far as I’m concerned Jake Tapper can go sit on a corkscrew.

  196. 196.

    chemiclord

    @Geminid: ​ Oh, you don’t have to guess. Of COURSE it’s a shadowy conspiracy keeping the left down rather than the American people repeatedly telling them who they are.​

  198. 198.

    Eunicecycle

    @Raven: I thought you meant you caught a 450 lb tuna so I was a little disappointed in the picture at first.

    I am not a fisherman obviously.

  199. 199.

    Soprano2

    @Juju: Those are two very different things, but unfortunately too many people think one is an indication of the other. I sometimes think I’m starting to lose my mind because I have so many things I have to remember that I forget stuff more than I used to. I know it’s the stress, but still it can be kind of scary sometimes when I realize I did something really stupid.

  200. 200.

    Geminid

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Well, here’s a source with a name: Rep. Ro Khanna posted this Wednesday, May 14:

       To rebuild trust, Democrats must be honest. In light of the facts that have come out, we should have had an open primary. Cbuck Todd and David Axelrod were right.

    Now, Ro Khanna is just one person, but he has never impressed me as an original thinker. I see Khanna as more of a weathervane, and this is how the wind blows right now in his circle.

     

    @Soprano2:

  201. 201.

    Jay

    JFC,…………. so many bad things happening so many stupid things happening,……

    And while I value the appy comments,…………………..

    Y’all are focused on a “Biden is Old” book by a serial liar and notorious troll.

    Get over it, Joe Biden is old, but have you seen who is President?

  202. 202.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Geminid:

    Ro Khanna saying Chuckles Todd and David Fucking Axelrod were right.

    3 strikes right there.

  203. 203.

    Juju

    @Soprano2: It scares me to death when I forget things I usually would not forget, because some forms of dementia can be genetic. My mother is one of six siblings, three have had dementia. Her brother’s dementia was related to having a severe case of diabetes. She also had a sister who seemed to have a similar type of dementia to her dementia. It’s difficult to determine the cause, it could be genetic, lifestyle, drugs taken in the past and so on.  To calm myself I try to get a good nights sleep and de-stress as much as I can and do some crossword puzzles and whatnot to reassure myself that it’s just stress causing a temporary mental glitch.

  204. 204.

    Baud

    @Jay:

    We’re focused on current media coverage and how our party is responding to it. If you don’t want to participate, you can talk about something else. The current threads are all open threads.

  205. 205.

    Flanders Other Neighbor

    I’m sort of wondering if I tried the approach with my father that he’s been bought for next to nothing.  He gives his votes to people that are actively hurting his family, especially the women, and all he gets in return is anger at people he doesn’t know and don’t meaningfully impact his life.

    Might be a t-shirt idea.  “I gave my votes to fuck over my family, and I still had to pay for this lousy t-shirt.”

  208. 208.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    Keep cursing the F’NMSM while doing your best to enable it.

    But I understand, the recipes and crossword puzzle make it all worth it.

    An entire nation, clickbait addicted.

  211. 211.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Jay: I am sorry that we deviated from your list of approved topics.  We will endeavor to do better going forward.

  212. 212.

    lou

    @Geminid: ​
      Maybe at the House level. But not the senate and definitely not the national level. I’m watching Abby Spanberger (running for governor in Virginia) making the same ads on Facebook countless unsuccessful Dem candidates have made in the past and asking why? You have an edge! Lean into it!

  213. 213.

    Jay

    @They Call Me Noni:

    It’s the boats, not just Raven’s.

    Depending on how the Boat Share works, it can be “everybody on board get’s some tuna to take home”, or “you get to take the tuna you caught home”, and even “everybody who wants some, get’s a chunk of tuna, but the boat will sell some commercially”.

  215. 215.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @schrodingers_cat: They have to cover their asses while Biden is walking around doing interviews showing he’s still completely coherent.  These aren’t the types of people known for admitting they were wrong.  Doing so would call into question their judgement (and motivations) going forward.  And they cannot have that under any circumstances.

  216. 216.

    NotMax

    Also too:

    Baked Crab Dip Bowl Recipe.

    Watch it disappear fast.

    Also too too:

    PUB CHEESE

    14 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese
    4 oz smoked cheddar cheese
    8 oz cream cheese, softened
    2 Tbsp caramelized onions
    12-oz bottle ale
    1 Tbsp bourbon
    1/2 tsp freshly-ground black peppercorn
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp onion powder
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    2 Tbsp paprika
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder

    Get a workout whisking it all together or better yet use an immersion blender.

  217. 217.

    Geminid

    @lou: Abigail Spanberger’s ads might not impress you, but you may not be the target audience. Spanberger’s not trying to win by 4 points, she’s trying to win by 14 and will settle for 10. She’s gonna try to bring as many Delegates in with her as she can. She has to appeal to Independents to do that, because they are one third of the Virginia electorate.

    I consider Abigail Spanberger one of the sharpest Democratic politicians out there. I suggest that instead of critiquing Spanberger’s approach, Democrats would do better to forgo the backseat driving and enjoy the ride. They might learn something.

  220. 220.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Geminid: I’ve always thought of Virginia politics as a bit sui generis. It’s the South but only kind of half the South, very diverse, hugely dependent on federal employment, a blue state lately but stodgy in a hard-to-define way. Stuff works there that doesn’t necessarily work elsewhere.

  221. 221.

    Raven

    @They Call Me Noni: We broke them in portions of four. Mine are at a processing joint for flash freezing. I suspect each share is about40 lbs cleaned. Our friend is having an 80th. Birthday party so I’ll pan fry them in sesame seeds, plunge them in ice water ( to stop the cooking) and make a wasabi dip!

  222. 222.

    Raven

    @Jay: not in North Carolina. You can’t sell fish caught on charters. The 130 pounder I caught on Maui belonged to the boat !

  224. 224.

    They Call Me Noni

    @Jay: ok, I see. We took the family to Myrtle Beach back in 2014 and the guys went deep sea fishing one day. Had the whole boat to themselves and caught a bunch. We were in condos with full kitchens so we had quite the feast that night.
    my daughter and I found a nice spa and spent the day being pampered. Everyone had a great day.

  227. 227.

    Miss Bianca

    @Soprano2: None of this matters to me when I consider, as I do, that Biden in whatever state – dead, disabled, or gaga – would always, ALWAYS be a better POTUS than Trump in whatever state. *None* of the rest fucking matters once you accept that fundamental truth.

  228. 228.

    Elizabelle

    Great thread, funny blogpost title, and thank you for all the appetizer recipes and suggestions.  Bookmarked this thread.

    The absolute simplest app I know:  Pickapeppa Sauce over a block of cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese (lighter in calories).  Serve w crackers.

    You can find Pickapeppa Sauce (a Jamaican import) at Publix or World Market, and in well stocked grocery stores.

  231. 231.

    Geminid

    @Matt McIrvin: Virginia does differ from other states in that 1) there are a lot more federal civilian employees than average and a lot more military personnel, both active and retired; 2) there are a lot of immigrants and immigrants’ children and grandchildren; and 3) 20% of the population is African American.

    The latter group is the cornerstone of Virginia’s Democratic party..

    Virginia is not that different from other “light blue” and “purple” states in that the contested areas tend to be suburban, and suburbs across the country are more culturally and politically homogeneous than they were decades ago when you and I lived in Northern Virginia. This was seen in the 2018 Blue Wave. Democrats picked up 41 seats across the country– Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Texas, Kansas and Southern California.

    So I would say what works in Virginia will tend to work in other battleground states and districts, and it will be worth watching how Abigail Spanbrrger campaigns: ads, platform, organization and in-person campaigning. I am confident Spanberger will win, but I’m still interested in how she wins.

  233. 233.

    lou

    @Geminid: ​
     I’m talking Facebook. The ad I see is the usual “the polls are close! we’re only up one percentage point!” Does it really motivate people? I find it deflating.

  239. 239.

    Geminid

    @lou: Oh, that kind of ad. Sounds like fundraising. I thought you meant radio and TV ads.

    But I was thinking, when you say these ads are the same kind losing candidates make, are you saying winning candidates didn’t make those kinds of ads also? There are tough districts Democrats lose, and easier ones that Democrats win, and they could be winning and losing with the same advertising strategy.

  240. 240.

    Geminid

    @Matt McIrvin: Another fact about Virginia that doesn’t speak to these questions but which I still find interesting: Virginia, North Carolina fall right next to each other in average per capita income. I think theyre 12th to 14th or 13th to 15th, but I’m not sure on what order.

     

    @Geminid:

  242. 242.

    brantl

    Bul go gi. Korean marinated beef cut in thin rashers and cooked over an aluminum foil-wrapped grill top. Will be hoovered up too fast to get cold, trust me. My brother brought several pounds to a family gathering, After cooking started, gone in less than 5 minutes.

  243. 243.

    PatD

    @Baud: Their old guy wasn’t deep underwater in the polling and received favorable media coverage. Some of them wanted to replace Trump with DeSantis but he flamed out rather quickly.

  244. 244.

    Gretchen

    @Shana: It works with cranberry sauce with chili sauce instead of grape jelly for the meatballs. It’s a little more tart.

  245. 245.

    frosty

    We took a short day trip to Cedar Key in February – lots of destruction but not what I had anticipated based on seeing the storm surge on the Weather Channel. Our favorite dive on Dock Street got hit hard. They had an alternate site in town so we went there for lunch and left a good tip.

    Our usual lodging (Low-Key Hideaway) got hit, too. The motel was being restored but the RV sites were working and were all in use. Looked like the Tiki Bar was open.

  247. 247.

    They Call Me Noni

    @Timill: Typically on my PC using chrome.  I have not kept up with all the new (to me) computer stuff since I retired. But if you want to know about home improvement I’m your girl!

    Thank you!

  248. 248.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Jay:

    No, the origin of BBQ is West Africa.

    The indigenous peoples of the Caribbean enter the chat.

    Although the origins & contributions have disparate roots, the current versions are about as American as anything I can think of. What’s clearly American? The reuben? BLTs? Horribly over-sugared breakfast cereal?

  249. 249.

    frosty

    @CaseyL: ​ I went to Cedar Key with my then-boyfriend. My first time on the Gulf and Gulf Coast. I remember it being entirely bucolic and rustic.

    Still is – and I hope it comes back. It might be the only bucolic and rustic place left on any Florida coast.​

  250. 250.

    dnfree

    @UncleEbeneezer: You must have seen different Biden interviews than I have.  To me he’s been okay and not okay at different times.  But if he had decided not to run again, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  He did NOT have another four years in him.

Comments are closed.