I despise Donald Trump so much that when I learned about my medical condition, one of my initial thoughts was, “Damn it, that orange motherfucker will probably outlive me, and I won’t get to join the wild rejoicing with fellow haters at his demise!”
I swear, I thought of my loved ones first! But dismay at the thought of crossing the River Styx before Trump was one of the many depressing notions that swarmed my addled thoughts that day. (I’ve since converted it into motivational mental bulletin board material!)
For me, one of the worst things about this nation’s putrid, ridiculous and humiliating entanglement with Donald Fucking Trump is the inescapability of it all. Long before he and the sour-faced third lady descended the accursed escalator to announce his candidacy, Trump embedded his stupid, tacky self in our culture, albeit in mostly minor ways that were easy to ignore back then. Not so much now!
As I mentioned last week, I was watching a 20+ year old rom-com on TV, and BAM, there the sumbitch was, appearing in an unexpected cameo! It ruined the entire experience; I turned the TV off without viewing the utterly predictable conclusion.
But it’s not just the broader culture that is degraded by Trump’s presence; the rancid piece of shit’s influence has even filtered down into my personal home decor and household hardware decisions.
It cropped up again this week under the heading of door repair. Almost every interior door in our swampy fixer-upper was screwed up in some way when we moved in, and we’ve addressed that door-by-door over the past six years, making repairs as “annoying” evolves into “untenable.”
The latest door issue is a strike plate that doesn’t match up perfectly with the latch on the door to one room, which means the door doesn’t close properly and can easily be pushed open by 20-lb. dogs when one might wish to keep the yappy monsters at bay.
I suspect all the doors suck because either the entire house is slowly falling into the swamp or because the prior occupants (MAGAs who still live nearby) were incompetent DIYers, the latter a fact long ago established by other half-assed projects that required repair. The priors were also fond of gold fixtures and door hardware, or maybe whoever built the place in 1986 was, and the priors got stuck with it too. I’m not sure.
But the point is, there was a lot of gold shit, and I don’t like it because I associate it with Trump. So I have been patiently effecting its removal at every opportunity. Bill thinks this is irrational and has tried to gaslight me by calling the gold fixtures “brass” every time I demand replacement of a fixture or hardware set that could probably be salvaged.
Maybe technically they are brass, but when I see them, I perceive a residue of star-struck swamp MAGA dopes trying to ape the tacky splendor of Mar-a-Lago by barfing gold everywhere. And I want it eradicated.
New brushed nickel hardware for the latest malfunctioning door, damn it. Nothing gold can stay!
Open thread.
Wanderer
Gold always looks cheap.
Mr. Bemused Senior
Incompetent DIY isn’t just an annoyance, it’s a hazard as I discovered when a heat lamp installed by the previous owner started a fire. No injuries but plenty of damage. I was lucky our next -door neighbor saw it and ran water on the roof. (We weren’t home)
Baud
I’m with Bill. As long as the toilet isn’t gold, don’t stress.
ETA: Great title BTW.
Parfigliano
Melanie is not a lady. She’s an “escort” which is a cleaned up word for prostitute.
Snarki, child of Loki
Did the first two houses sink into the swamp?
Just asking.
JustRuss
The house I rent has “gold” fixtures in the bathroom, and OMG do I hate them. If I owned the place they’d be gone yesterday.
M31
hahahaha my front screen door doesn’t latch and it was easily pushed open by a 7 lb cat who spent some quality time rooting around in the flower beds for rodents
but at least the door has the excuse of being 90 years old so I’ll fix it some time, it’s a tedious but satisfying fix at least
weirdest thing the previous owners did was actually put carpet in the kitchen, which is among the more wtf moves
Harrison Wesley
I think that most of Trump’s “gold” stuff is fake. Especially the toilet; remember the old saying “all the shitters are not gold.”
sab
I never thought and never hoped I would see (because I am so much older) Betty Cracker with no fucks left to give.
I very much hope that things work out and that you outlive me. I am seventy and so already got my biblical lifespan lived.
FastEdD
I used to dye my hair. It looked nothing like Hair Fuhrer’s, but still … Screw it. I went all gray. Same idea. Don’t want anything to do with the bastard.
Gary K
Thanks for the allusion to the Frost poem, which you motivated me to read again. So simple, so profound.
rikyrah
BNO News
@BNONews
Jerry West, the NBA legend who inspired its logo, has died at 86
Betsy
Sour-faced first lady – that is the perfect description.
It avoids “looksism” while capturing the motivations and shortcomings of the person that we find so reprehensible, reflected in their demeanor and expression.
So many Republicans show this. There is the sour “regretfulsmile” of Paul Ryan, the self-interested sneer of Ted Cruz, the baleful sneer of Kellyanne Conway, the prim puss of Ivanker, the wilfull blockhead look of Joe Manchin (R-Honorary) …
Kay
I sometimes think about him dying, just because I am so, so sick of him and all his gross fans. Not, like MURDER, some natural cause.
I know it’s bad – I don’t care though. I want him to go away and leave us in peace.
Betsy
I too feel the
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Kay: I fantasize about lightning strikes on the golf course
Baud
@Kay:
If nothing else, I’m surprised more people who answer polls aren’t motivated by the same sentiment of just wanting him gone.
rikyrah
Chris D. Jackson
@ChrisDJackson
Wow! All precincts in Ohio’s 6th district have reported. Michael Rulli (R) wins by only 8.6% in a district that Trump carried by almost 30% in 2020. There was a 20% swing left from 2020. I can’t wait to hear how Nate Silver and the NYT will tell us this is bad for Joe Biden and Democrats.
https://x.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1800726693570633956
Kay
And, Ms Cracker, I think you will be inside the survival stat. That’s my gut on it.
Kay
@rikyrah:
That is genuinely good news. Very positive for Democrats, and I haven’t seen anything positive since the last special election. Welcome news.
cope
We’re going brushed nickel in our huge, major, scary renovations of the kitchen and both baths set to begin next week. We are also redoing all the floors. A daunting project for olds such as us.
The most egregious infiltration of Trump into my own personal life is that he has made Stephen Colbert not funny anymore. Colbert has turned his show into a one note tirade against The Orange Shitstain. He mimics Trump endlessly which is funny once or twice in a monologue but gets tiresome very quickly. Most of his monologue material is aimed at Trump and the Trump adjacent and it’s just too much. In contrast, Jon Stewart’s Monday “Daily Show” was (again) hilarious and I don’t think he mentioned TFG once.
Anyway, yes, our personal lives have been invaded and infected by this horrible, foul, awful person and I am so tired of it.
rikyrah
I aspire to this level of petty.
Jonathan ‘Boo and Vote’ Cohn
@JonathanCohn
Clyburn says he won’t attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress “Because I’m going to treat him the same way he treated Barack Obama.
https://x.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1800726693570633956
The Cat's Chair
A rabid leftie Georgia friend of mine fought his final battle w/colon cancer in September 2020. He didn’t get to see 1. Georgia flip, enraging Trump. 2. Georgia refuse to un-flip, enraging Tinkerbell Hands more. 3. Trump spray his stink all over the two Senate runoffs, snatching failure from the jaws of victory.
We, his friends, have toasted our departed mate at a dozen get-togethers since. The money and time he gave won part of that victory, a gift that’s kept on giving.
rikyrah
@Kay:
I want him beaten. And, all those muthaphuckas who clung to him without a phucking spine to defend this country.
Phuck all of them.
Period.
Baud
@rikyrah:
👍
Jeffg166
I hope and it seems likely I will be able to live long enough to vote against TFG in October when my mail in ballot should arrive.
If TFG somehow manages to get back in office checking out will be very important to me. I am too old and tired to move to another country. Plus they don’t want old sick people.
TBone
@Kay: when he was airlifted out of the White House with Covid I was literally jumping for joy. That he survived is one of the bitterest disappointments of my entire life. It could have have been the biggest self own in human history.
Betsy
(Whoops, false start at comment 15)
I too feel the chagrin of TFG infesting the national well-being with his grossness from long before he was any electoral presence. Back in the late eighties I lived in NYC briefly while he was carrying on his affair with Georgia peachpit, Marla Maples. He was grossly boastful about all his money and gold toilets, etc.
His disgusting exploits and sneers were unavoidable, as every corner newsstand’s tabloid racks showed the headlines and images of Himself, Himself, Himself, everywhere.
I remember thinking: You weird turdman, you’ll never enjoy the things that money can’t buy — respect, regard, taste.
I remember thinking: I pity the gold-plated buffoon since he would never savor my personal favorite food, guava jelly homemade by my Florida granny, or mayhaw jelly made by her dear friend and neighbor — a delicacy rare, both dainty and feral — representing love, delight, wilderness, sharing, and other precious non-things that the marketplace of money and power could never support.
I wish you the deep savor of your Florida delights, Betty, knowing you’ve already outlived him in every possible way. The esteem of your loved ones, the delight of your readers in your remarkable wit and apt expression, and the bellows and eeps of the frogs and limpkins around your swampside retreat …
Betty
@cope: When he isn’t going after Trump, he is mocking Joe’s age. At this point, that is just a cheap shot and not original or funny. He must have lost his good writers. I used to be big fan.
TBone
@Betsy: Both your head and heart are in the right place. I’m
practicallyin tears.TBone
I wonder how much long Covid has contributed to Dotard’s rapid decline. It’s almost certain that he’s been infected repeatedly by his minions.
TBone
@Dorothy A. Winsor: come sit by me.
Steeplejack
@The Cat’s Chair:
Check out this link to change your nym, otherwise all of your comments will have to be individually approved by a front-pager.
karen marie
@Kay: That’s the problem. Death will not rid us of his chaos or stench. His cult members won’t allow it – there’s too much money in the cult of personality.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: I knew it was from a poem but I was thinking Gerard Manley Hopkins, not Frost!
Bill
I just fixed this issue on my bedroom door. Gravity made it hit the strike plate too low for the latch to close. It’s an easy fix. Take the strike plate off the doorjamb and get a file and file down the bottom of the opening for a while. Then screw the strike plate back into the jamb. If it still won’t close, repeat until it does. That’s it!
I’m so sorry about your illness. I hope you find solace in the fact that if that orange shitstain is buried anywhere public, his grave will be a favorite pilgrimage for bleeding hearts like myself to piss on.
TBone
@zhena gogolia: my mother’s younger (only) sister read that aloud during our tiny family celebration of life. Every time I see it, it’s in my aunt’s voice now.
zhena gogolia
@rikyrah: Good for him.
karen marie
@cope: Have you looked at yelp reviews for your contractor? I recently transcribed depositions in a home reno case. Angie’s list showed good reviews, yelp detailed nightmares from three different people that were similar to what the homeowners in “my” case had to deal with in approximately the same timeframe.
Good luck!
Ksmiami
Don’t care but my God, I want Trump and all his appointees eradicated from the public view
Dorothy A. Winsor
@zhena gogolia: It made me think of the YA novel The Outsiders. Pony Boy likes that poem. Another character eventually tells him “Stay gold, Pony Boy. Stay gold.”
Betty Cracker, you stay gold.
zhena gogolia
@Betty: It never was original or funny. I never look at him any more.
zhena gogolia
@Betsy: Wow, seconded!!!
Mel
Oh, Betty – having to fix someone else’s prior re-muddling is definitely NOT fun.
The best / worst re-muddling discovery I have ever heard of was in a pretty, old Victorian painted lady that a friend rented.
She needed a place asap as she had gotten a “we need you to start in seven days” out-of-town job offer at a company that she desperately wanted to work for, and she had four days to find a place and two days to get her essentials moved.
It was the middle of winter, and the landlord said that there was a little plumbing issue to be tweaked, but that he would have it fixed before her Sunday move-in date.
Fast forward a few weeks, and said friend noticed a foul smell that had been growing worse and worse, especially potent on the first floor. She called the landlord, who came over and went to take a peek in the basement. (My friend has a spider phobia and had not ventured into the basement as such.)
Lo and behold, the little plumbing issue had been a cracked clay sewage pipe running under the basement floor, causing the pipes to back up. Instead of running a liner through the pipe as promised, the plumber had cut the backed up pipe about three feet above the floor, and just left it disconnected, with a large bucket below it, then “forgot” to return and do the repair.
They were smelling three weeks of toilet and dishwasher waste water, overflowed and brewing on the basement floor.
Good times!
Scout211
I like your style, Ms. Cracker. The designs shows on cable are pushing gold fixtures and accents right now as the new trend in design, along with wallpaper. I despise both of those “new” trends or anything trendy for that matter. But I like your reasoning for purging your home from the dreaded gold even better than mine. All my home’s hardware is brushed nickel and I like it still after 16 years.
On another topic, we have yet another unseasonably hot day and I woke up grumpy because of it. But on our morning walk in the heat, we saw a mama wild turkey and her seven babies that were the cutest. It lifted my mood. But it’s still too hot.
Steeplejack
@karen marie:
I hope you saw that I (and several others) responded to your question about digitizing photos last night.
Kristine
@rikyrah: Oh, rats, I wrote postcards for that one. I had heard it would be a really heavy lift, but I had hope.
Still, helluva a swing. May it continue.
cope
@Betty: I blame the writers as well, too many 12-year-old boy gross jokes for sure. However, Colbert also deserves blame in my book, it’s his show.
karen marie
@Steeplejack: Oh, thank you! I forgot about that!
Ohio Mom
For some reason, I imagine Trump will have a long, slow decline. Sort of like Ariel Sharon, another leader the world could have gone without.
This should give the people in charge of such things plenty of time to figure out how to avoid having him lay in state and all the other rigamarole.
Notorious JRT
@Kay: I’m sorry to say I’ve imagined murder and had no regrets. His malevolence is boundless.
Betty, you are a treasure.
Hoodie
Yes, the thing that is most infuriating about Trump is the amount of time and energy wasted on his worthless existence, to the point of even making decisions about decor in reaction to him. He’s a wellspring of negative energy, making everyone around him worse. It makes you terribly cynical about human nature that so many of your fellow Americans deify this asshole.
cope
@karen marie: Yes, I did very due diligence choosing a contractor. They are established in town and known for their high-end homes and quality work. I know it’s more expensive this way and also taking much longer but it will be worth the price and hassle when they are done.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Holy crap! Glad everything came out all right.
Our neighborhood, including our house, was all built around 1890. We watched our next door neighbor’s house of the same age burn down due to an electrical fire that started in the walls, and it’s something we’re very paranoid about.
We’ve learned our entire upstairs is still the old knob and tube wiring and we want to get it replaced but it’s such a major job we keep putting it off.
CaseyL
I, alas, quite like warm-tone metal, so a number of switch-plates and plug outlets in my house are copper (or, possibly, “copper”) or brass.
@cope: @Betty: *sigh* I’m not the only one, then. It would be better if Colbert went for something genuinely funny, but he goes for the easy shot. And I REALLY don’t like the cultish response of his audience.
Sure Lurkalot
@Kay:
I think you are in good company (raises hand and waves it enthusiastically).
Just about 9 years since he descended the escalator in front of a paid audience and has there been one fucking day that his name is not on a front page or “breaking” “news” does not feature his idiotic utterances?
And now that his jabberings have become more incoherent, it seems patent that he’s just a puppet with some truly evil players pulling his strings.
Uncle Cosmo
OK, I gotta jump all over this one.
Istanbul, 1996, coupla daze into my 17-day Türkiye trot. I hoofed over to Aya Sofia and was accosted by a carpet hawker who inveigled me to come see his wares. I beat feet for the Blue Mosque figuring to lose him there. He followed me the whole frackin’ way & abruptly realized that I couldn’t duck out a side exit because I had to leave my shoes where I entered.
So OK, I was stuck, & followed him to the second floor of the shop where a fistful of salesmen were softpedaling there wheres (;^p). While my erstwhile pursuer was trying to persuade me to purchase a carpt, I was listening to a John Revolta lookalike attempting to do likewise with his customer, a fireplug shaped bottle-redhead. In Italian.
I’d buried my face in my hands trying my damnedest to avoid bursting out into laughter…and eventually escaped the shop without buying so much as a stair tread…
TBone
This cheers me up a bit. He can’t get out of his own way, and that train’s a-coming like a jail on wheels.
“I have no regrets. I will not say I’m sorry.” DOJ seeking 7+ years in federal prison for Dale Huttle, a 73-year-old commercial driver who was “one of the more violent participants” in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Buh bye, loser!
Betty Cracker
@Betsy: Mmmmm, guava jelly! ❤️
stinger
LOL — I’m with you, Betty! Gold Must Go.
Quiltingfool
I am so sick of that ferret-headed shitgibbon (ht to Scotland!) and his shitty sycophants. The devil on my shoulder conjures up fantasies of 2x4s meeting up with faces, while the angel on the other shoulder pleads for nonviolent thoughts (screaming, “Karma! Do unto others! Be careful what you wish for!”). The devil is a bit more entertaining.
I need to go to my happy place and work on a quilt. Say! Here’s a photo of a blue and yellow (Slava Ukraini!) cat quilt! https://pin.it/hCRQYjAOw
trollhattan
Gold plumbing fixtures (and electrical) are to me the epitome of tacky and lordy, did they get heaped on in the ’90s or thereabouts. Does it get any “better” than this? It does not.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/donald-trump-melania-trump-and-their-son-barron-trump-pose-news-photo/103174256?adppopup=true
His toy cars are fucking limos.
I’m with ya, Betty, I’d be ripping all that garbage out with prejudice.
Ruckus
@cope:
Anyway, yes, our personal lives have been invaded and infected by this horrible, foul, awful person and I am so tired of it.
Personal lives, I imagine work if you still do, this blog and likely most every other one, hell I can not think of one situation that he hasn’t given that smelly, brown, unhealthy sheen to. He is such a reprehensible POS that he doesn’t even have to actually touch something to screw it over, just the idea of his breathing and the idea that enough idiots voted for him does that.
He is the prime example of the shitty, no, the SHITTIEST side of humanity.
Ohio Mom
@karen marie: The contractor we hired to remediate the basement flood had great reviews, and one that ranted what a awful person he is. We thought, okay, one very picky and hard-to-work with homeowner. Nope, we should have heeded her.
The problem with good reviews of contractors is that people tend to write them soon after the work is done. It can take a bit of time before the work fails.
Case in point, the roof leak in the corner of our family room. The contractor who did the roof came back and fixed it, all seemed well until a couple of months later the brown splotches reappeared. I would have written Roger a good review after both jobs but not anymore.
Same thing as with doctors. You can never be sure you have a good one, sometimes you are unlucky and find out you have a terrible one.
stinger
@Parfigliano: And a nude model. During the 2016 campaign, I couldn’t believe the Rs would actually nominate someone so low-class, would actually hope to make someone with that background First Lady; surely his latest wife’s career wasn’t what rumors said. So I googled.
Yep, there was a comprehensive photo shoot displayed, I forget how I found it. I’ve seen ALL of her. Ugh.
Chat Noir
@Kay:
Same here. He’s a cancer on society.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker: There’s a song.
No metaphors were harmed in its writing and performance.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@cope: We’re still tolerating Colbert and getting enjoyment from him and his guests. But I agree, the “Biden is old” jokes are incredibly annoying. Every time he pulls out the aviator glasses we start rolling our eyes so hard we can hear each other’s eyeballs.
I think our favorite segments now might be the occasional First Draft greeting card bit. We first met wife Evie on camera during lockdown when everything was weird and she and the kids comprised the entire audience, and we’re so gratified that she continues to have a place on the show.
stinger
@The Cat’s Chair:
Lovely tribute.
RaflW
@Parfigliano: I don’t have a problem with professional sex workers (as long as they are truly doing this work by choice and not out of coercion or exploitation).
I think Melania is trash because of what she’s done as Trump’s wife & as third lady (brilliant labeling, BTW, Betty). She secured her residency status under a bullshit premise, and is married to an anti-immigrant demagogue of the absolute worst sort. Added bonus, she brought her parents over in a manner the MAGAt now seeks to slam shut.
Her “I don’t care, do you” sums up her entire profane existence To hottest hell with her (and I mean much, much hotter than Palm Beach).
At least she’s largely invisible this run. I assume this means she’s using her cunning if terrible survival senses to understand her shitty husband is probably losing.
TBone
@stinger: so many memes, so little time. I had Christmas card memes of FLOTITS 😆
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/melania-trumps-nude-1995-modeling-pictures-surface-w431848/
I don’t normally slut shame but this case is a deserving exception. Genius VISA as the comment above astutely explains.
satby
Well, last night Colbert opened with a lovely comment about Hunter Biden’s family’s support, and showed and read Jill and Joe’s statement in full. The old Joe jokes can be irksome, but they’re seldom really meanspirited; and his tcfg jokes always include “convicted felon” when he says that name. I get that he’s not everyone’s taste, but he’s an ally. And since he was picked by Joe to moderate the Three President conversation (last month?) I bet one guy who laughs at Colbert is Joe Biden.
Ruckus
@Ohio Mom:
I find that crap doctors are rather easy to give that moniker to. They may actually know their medicine but to me their personalities suck. I use the VA and of course one doesn’t get to select their doctors. But vets do not seem to be the types that never complain to those that make the decisions. There is always a head doctor and one can complain to them. And I understand that it works. I’ve never had to file on one because the crap usually gets flushed away rather quickly.
HinTN
@Kay: I saw a poll that had Sherrod Brown decidedly ahead (and over 50%) of his challenger. Is that your sense of the race?
Quiltingfool
I must confess I do like a bit of gold thread in fabrics, especially in Christmas fabrics and Laurel Burch fabrics. However, IMO, fixtures choices are brushed nickel, brass or copper. No shiny chrome or gold, thank you very much!
Renie
Having worked and lived in NYC in the 80s I already had enough of trump before his stupid tv show. I’m confused that he hasn’t died yet from either a heart attack or stroke (esp being in the hot hot weather at a rally lately). The drawback to him dying will be the 24/7 conspiracy crap of the “Swamp” doing it to him. But I would rather have that than to see his disgusting orange/brown face or hear his endless whining.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@trollhattan: We had a trip to DC sometime during his presidential* term. Stayed at a charming old hotel we knew, the Hotel Harrington. Walking around the block we came face to face with the T***p Plaza in all it’s fake-gold glory. It was disgusting.
Doubly so because as former residents of the area, we had fond memories of the Old Post Office Pavilion. It had been a frequent stop when we went to the Smithsonian. The bones were still recognizably there.
After that we made sure our walks in the neighborhood avoided going past there.
A little bonus: The Harrington has a wall of Presidents in the lobby, with a portrait of each one painted on the wall. At the time, the last one on the wall was Obama. I found that gratifying, though I suppose by now his picture is sullying the wall.
@satby: Colbert went quite a long time managing to avoid saying TFG’s name. I enjoyed that since I do that too, and was sorry to see that he stopped doing that and now says The Name.
M31
lol yeah, not putting that one by a fireplug Italian redhead
but in my case the kind of imbecile also put in a custom cherry-fronted trash compactor, lol, that stupid faddish appliance from around 1980 that meant you got to keep your smelly garbage in the house for longer
took it out and gave it to this guy who collected beer cans from the side of the rode and crushed them for scrap, he was so happy
RaflW
@Uncle Cosmo: I’m that imbecile. I have a very nice wool 5 x 7 carpet in the kitchen. Tightly knotted wool pile is hydrophobic, the very dark blues and reds as well as the busy pattern hides stains, crumbs and dust, and I like the cush under foot while I cook.
That the rug cost under a hundred at IKEA mean that I kind of doubt their ‘ethical sourcing’ claim, so maybe I’m a monster as well as an imbecile, but so be it. The deed was done like 14 years ago (and the carpet still looks great!).
M31
like hit by lightning just when he’s cheating at golf?
works for me
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@Wanderer: That’s one reason I prefer silver. Less in-your-face and doesn’t look tawdry.
cope
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Agreed. His sparse quarantine shows helped us get through that rough time and we still record each show and watch it the next day and it does have more good than bad content (Cory Booker was pretty good on Monday’s show) but we fast forward chunks of his monologues at times.
evodevo
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Yep..when some friends of ours bought an older house in central Lexington many years ago, he discovered the previous owner had run wiring in the attic that consisted of 5 feet of #10, followed by several feet of #16 extension cord, succeeded by a few feet of #12. He was aghast and spent the next few weeks rewiring. Luckily he spotted it when he did.
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@RaflW: Melania is lawful evil, and Trump is chaotic evil.
Baud
People who understand cricket, US is batting first and is currently at 103 runs(?). What’s a good score for them to have before India bats?
ETA: Now 107.
ETA 2: Go 🇺🇲🏏!
MomSense
Damn I have some really old brass/gold light fixtures and was thinking I should go with brass faucets. Now I’m not so sure.
Does that disgusting motherfucker have to ruin everything?
Because I’ve been paying attention to the GOP for longer than 9 years, I am not surprised that the party is sticking with him. And yet I do sometimes feel a primal scream of WTF I can’t believe they are sticking with him. From the bone spurs/draft dodging to the multiple wives and affairs, to the calling our troops suckers and losers, the open support for Russia against our oldest allies, to mocking a person with physical disabilities, to orchestrating an attempted coup, and now multiple felony convictions it is unbegoddamnedlievable that he is the presumptive nominee and has so many supporters.
Their support of this craven man puts the lie to every value and moral they supposedly stood for all these decades.
MazeDancer
There is no telling when any of us catch a ride in the Styx boat, but this I know – we will all be there celebrating when Trump demises, be we in body or without.
Imagine the party in Dem Heaven will be the loudest.
Am battling with my snooty proclivities right now. Maybe I am not so egalitarian.
Beyond MAGA enjoying rampant hatred and misogyny, is how much they love Trump being repulsively tacky. Because they are.
I am used to Presidents and leaders looking “like me”. Like “people I know”. Barack Obama looked better than me and people I know, but in general, I expect a certain degree of polite and classy deportment.
.Now tacky MAGA gets a mirror to their tackiness. And I have to realize I do “look down” on them. Not great on my part.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun):
I just love a good D&D reference from out of the blue.
Kelly
My worst moment of a prior homeowner’s sloppy DIY was when a leaking, improperly grounded electric water heater shocked me. On the upside their atrocious wall to wall shag carpet had protected the finish on the oak floors.
evodevo
@TBone:
You can be sure he is still suffering from lung damage due to that episode – all his huffing and puffing and “low energy” is a good indicator of that. I too hope he dies a lingering breathless death, but only after he has lost this third election…including the electoral college of course (unlike the 2016 debacle)
Nelson
I forget who said it, but the gist of it was that Trump’s tastes are what a poor person’s idea of what a rich person should be.
jonas
@TBone: If he hadn’t been the POTUS/a very rich and influential man with access to the best, around-the-clock health care in the world in a private suite at Walter Reed, he likely would have died. It was close.
President Pence would have sucked donkey nads, but also would probably not have tried to stage a coup to stay in office.
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: especially when that’s the only part of the game I understand!
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@jonas: President Pence wouldn’t even stage a coup to stay in the closet.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
A little bit of good election news, anyone? While the mainstream media has been hammering us with polls claiming Biden’s support is underwater, everybody hates the Dems, and TFG’s coronation as emperor for life is inevitable, actual election results continue to show the opposite.
So here’s a Wonkette article about an OH-6 special election for Congress. The main takeaway is that this was a district that went nearly +30 points for the Orange Clown in 2020, but the Republican won here by only 9 points. Against a waiter who spent $20K on his campaign.
But it gets even better. There’s a graphic in that article with a county-by-county breakdown, comparing special election margin to “trump margin”, which I presume is the 2020 margin. Not only are there huge shifts away from the TFG in every case, but if I read the chart right there’s one county which swung from R+40 to D+12. They voted for the Democratic waiter! By 12 points!
I’d say that’s pretty promising, wouldn’t you?
Baud
@jonas:
Pence is really awful, but I think he’s done enough to prove he’s not a traitor.
JaySinWA
Reminds me of an old joke.
A duffer priest and pious nun are on a golf course.
The priest makes a series of bad golf shots, and exclaims “God damn it, missed again” after each failure. The nun chides him about taking the lords name in vain, warning of consequences.
After his last curse a lightning bolt comes out of the blue killing the nun. Then God yells “Damn it, missed again”
Be careful what you wish for.
Baud
US finishes with 110.
BlueGuitarist
@Kristine:
yay for postcards and you!
BlueGuitarist
@Betty Cracker:
Bob Marley, Guava Jelly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y53zT3LEMG4
(first 40 seconds= Guava Jelly, more Bob Marley acoustic follows)
Villago Delenda Est
The women are lovely, the wine is superb
But there’s something about the song that disturbs you
jonas
You’re just begging for the NYT pitchbot, aren’t you?
“Why four plumbers in this East Canton diner say Democrats shouldn’t be too excited about their performance in Tuesday’s election”
Mousebumples
@Kristine: thank you for postcarding! Hopefully these voters will show up for Sen Brown and Pres. Biden in November!
Baud
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
But Biden’s not a waiter.
Mousebumples
Re – TCF in charge of the GOP, I’m hoping for a heart attack/aneurysm/etc., on stage/on TV.
I don’t know if I’d trust his hangers on to not try a Weekend At Bernies’s effort to keep money and power for as long as possible…
Quaker in a Basement
Don’t worry, Betty. If he doesn’t stroke out in time for you to enjoy it first hand, we’ll bust out the ouija board and summon your spirit. One way or another, you’ll be there.
BellaPea
The things that demonstrated how stupid and crazy the Repubs are is the fact that they have let the Orange Shitstain take over everything. He should not have been allowed to run in 2016, he certainly should not have been renominated in 2020 and after January 6 they should have voted to impeach his sorry ass. My husband has been a Republican voter most of his adult life (yeah, I know) but he has steadfastly refused to vote for Trump in every election since 2016. Repubs do not comprehend how many people despise the man. And how they could make Melania, with her background, First Lady after the incredible Michelle Obama is just another breathtaking bit of idiocy.
Ruckus
@MomSense:
Do you think they might have someone better?
Never forget they are trying to reelect him.
TBone
@jonas: that’s the bitterest part of my disappointment at his survival. I was suffering from Covid at the time as well (still am), and to think that my tax dollars (all of our tax dollars) were being used to treat that abomination with medicines and care unavailable to the rest of the nation was particularly galling. I’ve never allowed any other human to intrude into my heart with hatred. He’s the first who was able to make me hate. I do not forgive and I cannot forget. I’ve had reasons aplenty over the course of my life to have hatred. But I was always able to give myself the gift of forgiveness. No one else ever polluted me like he did.
Citizen Dave
Y’all bring back memories of TFG and his covid episode. His death indeed would have been all-time. Reading this account, one thinks–repeatedly–christ what an asshole. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/24/nightmare-scenario-book-excerpt/
Gonna be a tough call for any former or current president on whether to attend orange man’s final service.
Miss Bianca
@Snarki, child of Loki: I did find myself mentally running through the “Swamp Castle” routine when BC mentioned her house sinking into the swamp!
Shakti
@Betty Cracker:
There’s a lot of people who should and should’ve outlived TFG. But you know, evil manages to keep itself alive. Dick Cheney has been on borrowed time since the 1970s.
You will outlive that man and Dick Cheney. Out of sheer cussedness and spite. YOU WILL.
Making the toilets gold plated is such a Mida’s Touch maneuver. Turning everything to gold wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be in the myth. And gold plated toilets imply that everything he touches turns to shit.
Miss Bianca
@Kay: IKR? I feel so badly sometimes knowing that I am actively *rooting* for his demise.
That’s what RWNJs have done to my brain. Actively rooting for deaths and injuries for all their “thought” leaders.
Ned F
@CaseyL:
I went to a taping in NY of the tonight show with colbert in 2016.
Trump was running and the production assistant coached the audience for responses at various times. We were instructed to make gagging noises at the mention of his name.
Much fun, love to go again sometime.
Ruckus
@Shakti:
If you believe in a god what makes you think that he’d want to disrupt hell by letting ShitForBrains die?
Isn’t hell bad enough on it’s own?
Citizen Dave
@TBone: I am right with you. I’m attending a family thing Sunday and was just thinking about how there is something fundamentally broken with anyone who could not recognize orange man for what he was. D’oh! Also attending my wife’s family thing on Saturday. If politics comes up at all, I fully expect the “both sides do it” line..
TBone
@Citizen Dave: I hope they all whip it out and piss all over his coffin. On live TV.
TBone
@Citizen Dave: 💔😖 stay strong my friend, think of what all of us jackals would say, and smile within
CaseyL
We’ve always had that 30% of the country who shit on everything we’ve been taught to believe this country stands for.
I think we’ve actually made a great deal of progress, because that number was closer to 75% or more during the first century of our country’s existence. Genocide of Native Americans, and stealing their land, was a hugely popular policy. And don’t get me started on slavery and Jim Crow.
And they had their media enablers/magnifiers, too! The tabloid press, then as now; charismatic preachers sending people into a lynching frenzy, then as now.
Private armies, even, to enforce oligarchic law (Pinkertons, anyone?).
It’s awful to be living during an era of their ascendancy. They always do damage that outlasts them, for generations.
Fortunately, so far, they seem inevitably to finally disgust enough people that their movements fail or fade. It can’t happen soon enough, of course, but it will happen.
TBone
I hope Hillary gives the eulogy 😆
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@BellaPea:
How does he vote down ballot?
With a couple of exceptions (Rubin at the WaPo I’m guessing), I assume all the Never-Trumpers still vote straight GQP otherwise.
kindness
I’m with you Betty. We replaced all the ceiling fans, light switch & electrical plates with brushed nickel. Much more classy than fake gold.
Jackie
OT For baseball enthusiasts, today is the Congressional baseball game for charity. 7 pm blog time on FS1.
The Blue team has a GREAT roster – including several Blog favorites; the Red team not so much. GO BLUE!⚾️
https://www.congressionalbaseball.org/teams/
Ruckus
@cope:
Colbert does a good job on The Late Show in my opinion. I can sure understand why he might not be everyone’s choice but he does OK.
@Citizen Dave:
Both sides act like ShitForBrains? Not on this planet.
SFB is a petulant child in a very ugly, very misshapen, very ignorant adult body.
lowtechcyclist
@Betsy:
Come sit my me – and bring some of that homemade guava jelly! I’ll bring a jar of homemade strawberry guava jam made by a close friend of my late MIL, and we can spread them on toast and compare!
hitchhiker
@Kay: I remember my feeling on Nov 7th, 2016: Finally, that asshole will be out of the news!
Sigh.
My preferred order of operations going forward is:
I’m just being real here.
rikyrah
who doubts this in any way?
The Daily Beast
@thedailybeast
A Republican Senate hopeful in Nevada is accusing former President Donald Trump of taking money in exchange for endorsements—a bombshell claim that his campaign, when pressed by The New York Times for evidence, said it could prove.
https://x.com/thedailybeast/status/1800724761334468855
brendancalling
Speaking of brass and grifters, have y’all heard the story going around about the Mayor of Burlington, VT? It’s a doozy.
As y’all may know, I lived in Bernie’s Socialist Paradise for a few years, and this completely fits with that state’s brand of performative progressive politics. More here. A truly amazing story.
Baud
@brendancalling:
I didn’t even realize stress existed in Vermont.
Jeffro
@TBone: I hear ya. When trump got Covid and went down hard, right after trying his best to give it to Biden at their debate, I was a lot happier than I probably should have been.
He sure had it coming, and it sure would have been one heck of a “KARMA STRIKES!” moment
lowtechcyclist
@Kay:
I want him incarcerated, because if he never has to pay that sort of price for his criming, then our legal system is hopelessly broken.
But if his fan club all wanted to disappear to a commune in Alabama or Idaho, I’d be totally good with that, as long as the emphasis is on the ‘disappear’ part. To quote Groucho, “go away, and never darken my towels again.”
Trivia Man
@Mr. Bemused Senior: My near death from bad DIY still haunts me 20 years later. Standing ankle deep in water in the shower (hadnt done my regular hair-from-drain surgery in too long) i touched a wet wash cloth hanging over the shower curtain rod. Small tingle. WTF!!
After drying i got my circuit tester. The fan housing over my head was full on hot 110v. Apparently lathe and plaster conducts enough to electrify a metal rod screwed into the wall.
I am tall so at any point i could have easily decided to touch the housing to wipe off some dust while standing ankle deep in water. I suspect that would be quick and final.
RaflW
@BellaPea: The incredible lackluster GOP effort to oppose him in 2016 was pretty bad. I mean, sure it was funny to see Trump kick Ted Cruz’s ass, but it was all quite pathetic.
What is more shocking is that what seemed like long-entrenched Republican operatives let Trumpist ninnies and incompetents get in control of the RNC and the other close-in party apparatuses.
It was a takeover, but eased tremendously by abdications of power.
RaflW
@Citizen Dave: Can someone please offer Trump a nice big glass of ice cold, delicious unpasteurized milk?
artem1s
@rikyrah:
If the Dems had found a qualified candidate they might have won. or possibly the swing was because the D-candidate is nearly indistinguishable from your average GOP retiree sitting in a Youngstown diner.
Democrat Michael Kripchak is an Air Force veteran, working as a research physicist. He dealt with federal contracts, he said. He was a member of the Honor Guard, serving the entire New England region. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and got his Master’s at NYU.
After he “
separated” from the Air Force, he moved out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He had a startup business, but it crumbled during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was most recently a server at a restaurant in Youngstown, but he quit two months ago to pursue the 6th District seat.
Kripchak would like to be on the Science, Space and Tech Committee, as that is what his background is.
WTH does ‘separated’ from the Air Force mean? “working as a research physicist?” I thought he was working as a server in a restaurant? Does this resume scream ‘experience legislator’ or does it scream “Job Creator, Libertarian, JD Vance wannabe grifter” in Dem clothing?
This ‘swing’ has nothing to do with rejecting MAGAism or TCFG.
Eunicecycle
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: my BIL lives in that district and voted for Trump twice. He just told my husband the other day that he’s not voting for Trump this time. He didn’t say he was voting for Biden but he’s not voting for Trump at least.
Jeffro
@Citizen Dave: I hope Obama attends trumpov’s eventual funeral, saying nothing but sitting there with the ever-so-slightest trace of a smile the whole time.
Tens of thousands of MAGAts will stroke out at the sight.
Millions of progressives will be doubly heartened.
So, a win-win.
Baud
According to Google, the US/India cricket match is paused for “Drinks.”
Baud
@Jeffro:
Fixed.
Fair Economist
I have a slightly different take on death. Mine is not currently imminent, although I do know things happen, and I have the expectation of another 2-3 decades. My fear is that the fascists win; I have enough “privilege stickers” (white and reasonably well-off) that I’m unlikely to suffer much personally; but even for me it will be so emotionally crushing to watch a new Dark Age descend when the future of the planet could have been so much better. For those who don’t have enough privilege stickers, of course, it will be so much worse.
Betsy
@lowtechcyclist: Sounds like a plan!
Belafon
@artem1s: The other stuff is weird but separated just means left before retirement. I separated from the Navy after my first enlistment. The question is did he leave honorably or not.
Tony G
The fact that Donald Trump was EVER famous — even in the early eighties when his ugly face was all over the New York City tabloids — is an indictment of American “culture”.
CliosFanboy
@RaflW:
with 🍒 cherries, as with President Taylor?
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud:
Once the Japanese built that golf course, it should have been eradicated forever.
Villago Delenda Est
@Tony G:
TCFFG/PAB put a lot of effort into making himself well known, and the gossip scandal tabloids were quick to get that copy out.
CliosFanboy
A buddy of mine is a home inspector, currently looking at US Army base housing, and he says the amount of DIY “fixes” he’s finding that violate building codes in all sorts of horrible ways is stuptifying.
raven
@Belafon: From his site
lowtechcyclist
@TBone:
Or at least streaming over the Internet. ;-)
Villago Delenda Est
@artem1s: “Separated” means being given a discharge from service of somesort. For an officer, it’s pretty much always honorable in nature, except when they’re separated “for the good of the service” which is the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge for enlisted.
Trivia Man
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: My first house was a small bungalow with K&T. I had a professional do a new service panel and the 220v outlets. Everything else i did myself, one room at a time over several months. Easy and extremely satisfying. One floor so everything was accessible from unfinished basement or attic,
smith
I disagree. I think it takes a lot for a member of the tribe to pull the lever for a D. These are likely people who know few if any Democrats, and swim in the rural red sea of hate radio and RW cable, like everyone else in their community. I’m guessing that for many of them it was significant moment to vote against the Republican.
rikyrah
@brendancalling:
Didn’t the Republican Governor of Vermont turn down the money for kids to get free lunches over the summer?
Melancholy Jaques
@CaseyL:
Whether it’s the legendary 27% or 30% or even in the 40s as it seems sometimes, our problem is getting our Democratic and Democratic leaning voters to show up.
The good news is that while we can never change that 27, 30 or maybe even 40%, we can do something about getting our own people to vote. If we do that, we win. Every time.
Ken
I think that’s part of the official rules; or if not, it’s such a hallowed custom that it might as well be part of the rules.
Belafon
@raven: Does seem weird to go from that to waiter. It might be interesting if someone did more research on him.
Harrison Wesley
@TBone: It would be perfect if he were stuck in a mausoleum – “Lock him up!”
indycat32
@Trivia Man: I have an old house (1918) with old wiring and plaster walls, unfinished basement and attic. The electrician I called for a quote was planning on knocking holes in the walls to rewire, which would have been a catastrophe. Are you saying that’s not necessary? I didn’t call anyone else assuming that was the only way to do it.
TBone
@lowtechcyclist: 😊 in my fantasy “lying in state” streaming/TV coverage, Hillary, Nancy Smash, and Michelle Obama open the coffin, take big hatpins out of their fancy black hats, and stick the corpse repeatedly just to be sure. Then they close the lid and say, in unison, “Ok boys, let ‘er rip!” as their husbands unzip and make history great once again. Closing the lid beforehand is optional.
TBone
@Harrison Wesley: 👍
Harrison Wesley
@artem1s: Vance? Sounds more like George Santos.
jonas
@TBone: Rarely (or perhaps never) has someone in American public life had zero, I mean *zero* redeeming qualities, such that the only response to them is outright disgust. The hatred comes from how he has used his own soulless self-centeredness and spite to infect our body politic. He can never be forgiven for that.
TBone
@jonas: a putrifying infection of fetid, gangrenous, gelatinous walking pustules. Excision is the only way.
scav
@Belafon: Yeah, but then again, jobs requiring Japanese and Physics qualifications don’t exactly litter the ground, opening positions exactly when one comes on the market. Waiter, yard work, UPS jobs during Xmas, a little more consistently available even to the Oddly-if-Highly qualified. If only research labs went scouting for hires in soda shops!
And there was a highly successful baker in town that ran away to pursue his dream of being a long-haul trucker. Luckily for us, he at some point returned to make pizza and soups. Peoplez iz unexpected.
MomSense
@Jeffro:
I hope he wears a tan suit. 😉
Baud
India wins. Congrats to 🇮🇳
smith
I’ve come to distrust polls, and it’s early yet, but I’m feeling a little bit of optimism about this one, in which Rick Scott leads Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by only 2 points, 45-43%, among likely voters, so it’s basically tied. This is a big shift from April, when it was 53-36%.
Baud
@smith:
That would be a nice gift for Betty C.
brendancalling
@brendancalling: I think he did!
I just love the sight of a wealthy white lady and her partner (who is Director of the City Water Dept), who make $250K between them, having people buying them free meals. Especially in a city with a massive homelessness problem. ESPECIALLY in a city/state that expends SO much time peacocking about how progressive and just they are.
brendancalling
@rikyrah:
I think he did!
I just love the sight of a wealthy white lady and her partner (who is Director of the City Water Dept), who make $250K between them, having people buying them free meals. Especially in a city with a massive homelessness problem. ESPECIALLY in a city/state that expends SO much time peacocking about how progressive and just they are.
Doc Sardonic
@TBone: Why close the lid?
rikyrah
RIP
howardfineman
@howardfineman
This is Howard’s wife, Amy Nathan. I am heartbroken to share my brilliant and extraordinary husband passed away late last night surrounded by those he loved most, his family. He valiantly battled pancreatic cancer for 2 years. He couldn’t have been adored more. The world was a better place because he lived in it and wrote about it.
https://x.com/howardfineman/status/1800937922822050017
brendancalling
@Baud: It’s a hellish place to live, TBH. Great to visit, but hellish to live. Wages are low. As a first year teacher, I couldn’t afford to rent a 1BR house. Transit is what you’d expect, you have to drive EVERYWHERE, cell service is spotty AT BEST, there’s not a lot of broadband, the dairy industry is dying, there’s a housing crisis, a homelessness crisis, and an opiate crisis. NIMBY as far as the eye can see.
Beautiful in summer though.
TBone
@Doc Sardonic: I edited at the last minute to say that part was optional. I’m in a very weird mood today, scattered and unsettled. Uncharacteristically so. Can’t put my finger on the cause yet. Maybe the upcoming Supremacists rulings…
Baud
@brendancalling:
Wow. Didn’t know. Seems so bucolic. I’ve actually never been to VT.
Zelma
Oh Betty, I know how you feel about outlasting Trump! I am 81 and in pretty good health, as far as I can tell. Still…. But I really want to see the orangutan gone from this world. I really wish I believed in heaven and hell because I know where he would be.
I also always want to know how things turn out; the joy of being a historian is that you do know the what if not the why and how. And I follow the news assiduously. But if Trump wins, I am closing my computer and devoting myself to reading romances and mysteries.
Trivia Man
@RaflW: With cherries as a presidential nod to Zachary Taylor.
eclare
This was one of the readings at my parents’ funeral. It has deep meaning for me.
Soprano2
My husband told me that all the con artists wanted their stuff printed with gold ink, because they thought it looked “rich” to most people.
Doc Sardonic
There is a really fucked up, weird vibe in the air the last few days. I’m not sure what it is from but the Weird-Shit-o-Meter is headed toward TILT on the dial.
MomSense
@Doc Sardonic:
I’m so glad you said that. I’ve been feeling it too and finding it really unsettling.
Soprano2
@rikyrah: I find it interesting that so many of the polls are “bad for Biden” yet the elections are good for Democrats. I think it’s an effect of all the bad stories the press has printed about Biden since the withdrawal from Afghanistan without talking much about his accomplishments.
StringOnAStick
@Melancholy Jaques: I had planned on starting up my postcard efforts and helping the local campaign for the D who is hopefully going to replace the 1 term MAGAt in the House, but having a broken finger renders me unable to hold a pencil or pen for the next 5 weeks until the splint is off, who knows how long to rehab my finger after that. My Achilles tendon is way irritated so I can’t walk much; I’m busy climbing the walls currently because both injuries limit so much. We had to buy a new car because the Outback blew a head gasket (like they always do; this is the second one for us and our brand loyalty is officially over); I haven’t even driven it yet because of my finger brace. Crap.
TBone
@Doc Sardonic: glad I’m not alone in noticing. I thought it was just me, again.
Trivia Man
@indycat32: It’s all about accessibility. Because i had a close access point to every receptacle and switch snd outlet it was easy. Even longer runs can be done with patience- there is a tool to lead the new wire through the walls. I didn’t have to make a new hole anywhere.
I bet there are YT vids showing tips and tricks i didn’t have in 1995.
Good luck!
Soprano2
@cope: Good luck, it’s not fun to renovate but you’ll be glad you did it once it’s done.
Harrison Wesley
@smith: Still a bit early. They don’t poll the Undead until sometime around Halloween.
TBone
@Soprano2: pollsters are using AI to create poll results because no one answers their phones anymore.
MomSense
@brendancalling:
Every time I visit VT I think I could live there and then I check the housing prices! Honestly southern Maine is turning into what you describe. Lots of wealthy retirees have moved in, housing values have skyrocketed, the people who work the service jobs at the places that made the area so desirable can’t afford to live there, and they say they are progressive but they vote against expanding the family shelter and other NIMBY things like that. Ugh.
StringOnAStick
@scav: HIs bragging about managing $1 million in contracts after that big lead up that sounded so impressive, is a bit weak. $1 million in government funded weapons systems physics research isn’t huge. I suspect the number was rounded upwards too.
I’m not the one to kvetch about it since my working life has seen incredible swings, hills and valleys, but something about his descriptions triggers my suspicions.
Soprano2
@Mel: OMG!!!! What a horrible thing to have done to someone.
louc
@brendancalling:
I love visiting Vermont, but I’ve had a sour taste about performative politics there ever since the overrated novelist John Irving campaigned against Act 60 and sent his kid to private school in protest of making school funding more equitable. Didn’t he, of all people, call it Marxist?
Geminid
@smith: Former Rep. Mucarsel-Powell likes to point out that Rick Scott has not won any of his 3 races by more than one percentage point, and he has never run in a Presidential election year.
RaflW
@StringOnAStick: Oh, that all sucks!
On the Subie thing, I though they corrected the design issue that made head gaskets more vulnerable. I was faced with a very stressful situation in 2003 when my Forrester acted up far, far from home.
The SLC dealer wanted $4K to rebuild the engine. I staggered around the shop long enough for the clean hands & tie “service advisor” to lose interest and walk away. The mechanic very quietly said “You can make it home if you drive gently and check the radiator fluid really often & carry 50/50 mix with you.”
That dude saved me $2200 and my car ran another 45,000 miles after the repair till I traded it in (for a Volvo that was lemony-frustrating). We’re a two Subaru household now. [fingers crossed]
O. Felix Culpa
What a beautiful poem. I’m sure I read it in my youth, but had forgotten it. Thank you, BC, for the reference, even if the trigger is … triggering.
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
rikyrah
@Soprano2:
they literally want the Orange Menace back so that they don’t have to actually work for the next four years. They enjoyed the chaos too.
We really do need Biden to win. We need to win, top to bottom.
Soprano2
@satby: I get the same vibe you do, that the jokes about Biden come from a place of love rather than sneering like the right wing does. I think my favorite segment is “Meanwhile”. LOL, some of those stories are truly funny.
rikyrah
@Geminid:
THIS
In addition to the Abortion Amendment on the ballot.
I definitely think it’s possible.
And, before the Abortion Amendment, I would have written off Florida.
StringOnAStick
@brendancalling: The one old friend who lives in VT and peacocks about it constantly (while living on the state welfare dime) was the first supposedly liberal person who gave me the “I refuse to vote for old Joe, the Democrats need to come up with someone else” BS. We had a few words over it for sure, but you know, his vote is too virginal and pure to be so roughly used as to vote against a fascist takeover.
He had been my favorite of my husband’s crew of very old friends but after that he cut us off and has been sullen the two times I tried to contact him, so I stopped. He had a bit of that ultralefty “I refuse to make a living because my taxes would go to war” BS that seems to be at the heart of the far left O’ Sphere, and VT has them in droves apparently. Talk about disappearing up your own ass.
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@brendancalling: Reason #53 why Jersey is better than Vermont. We might not be as “progressive”, but at least we’re willing to do the hard work of actual public stewardship and not play performative politics for a population that’s 99.997% white.
O. Felix Culpa
@rikyrah:
Agreed, 1000%.
For fact-based 2024 elections encouragement plus action opportunities, I follow Simon Rosenberg of The Hopium Chronicles (substack). The first 15-20 minutes of this video provide an overview of his strategic thinking.
Steve in the ATL
@Baud: hate to blow a 107-0 lead. Reminds of the Cubs back in the seventies!
Belafon
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/12/2246093/-DA-who-convicted-Trump-draws-ire-for-daring-to-defend-himself-from-GOP-attacks?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_5&pm_medium=web
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@Jeffro: while wearing the tan suit.
Trivia Man
@RaflW: My favorite part was the official 2020 RNC platform at the convention. Everyone was terrified of trying to adopt a new platform with all the bat shit crazy off leash. So they adopted the 2016 platform in full. Including every reference to “the current president is a crook who should be impeached and jailed”
RaflW
@MomSense: Just re: housing prices (and rents) being sky high, I’m one who believes this is a key to ‘the economy sucks’ vibes. Normal people can’t afford what’s available.
Housing starts (via FRED) have been in the shits since 2006, basically. Yes they rose on a trendline similar to past retrenchments, but on a significantly lower baseline. BF said he read recently that the US is about 4,000,000 units shy of what’s needed. So some of it is retirees snapping up desirable places, the rich buying spare playhouses, and so on.
But even in the hard interest rate environment (thanks, Federal reserve, can you take a hint from the ECB please? Krugman link), methods have to be found to get apartment homes and ‘starter’ houses built. ASAP.
Geoduck
@rikyrah: “If Biden had dropped out of the Presidential race, the random Democrat in Ohio would have won.”
O. Felix Culpa
@Steve in the ATL: Or the White Sox, always, except for 2005.
Jeffro
@MomSense:
@rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun):
Great minds think alike! 😁
Belafon
@RaflW: And destroy that massive ring of collusion on setting apartment prices.
Baud
@Steve in the ATL:
110-0 lead.
smith
@Geminid: I hadn’t realized he’d only squeaked by before. Maybe this will be the year, especially, as rikyrah points out, there is the abortion referendum as well.
DFH
Thank you, Betty!
MomSense
@Jeffro:
I know we like to talk about pissing on the mandarin menace’s grave but it isn’t easy for a woman to do that so I’m thinking it would be fun to bring photo of HRC and BHO and write better than you in every way.
Jeffro
Related to all the talk about the orange toddler potentially passing away: his campaign sent out a fundraising email reminding MAGAts that Kathy Griffin once posed for a pic with his (fake) bloody head, and “THIS IS STILL THE SICK DREAM OF EVERY TRUMP-DERANGED LUNATIC OUT THERE!”
(sooooo GIMME ALL YER MONEY!) 🙄
Where will we be come December, America? Where will we be?
MomSense
@RaflW:
And a lot of the holdup is with local zoning ordinances. There is a proposed development of very small, affordable homes proposed for a strip of land near my old condo. The neighbors are challenging it. They bring their not tote bags to the farmers market but they don’t want their housing values spoiled by 10 small houses in an otherwise useless strip of land between two busy roads.
Steve in the ATL
@Baud:
they must have scored the last 3 when I broke for tea
StringOnAStick
@RaflW: We’ve had several Outbacks, all purchased new and every scheduled maintenance was done because we are religious about maintaining our vehicles; the 2004 blew a head gasket and was repaired; we were told it was much better when we bought the 2012 and now the same things has happened yet again. It may be a characteristic of boxer engines is the rumor. We made it back on our last trip by running the heater full blast when the car would start getting warm, but it is no longer driveable and it’s $5k to replace the head gasket as long as the piston walls looks good, otherwise it’s $7k for a new block too, and on a body with nearly 180,000 miles, we just didn’t trust it for a complete rebuild to be our primary winter car.
We live in snow country and are serious back country skiers (no ski areas for us; if we want to ski down it, we climb it first), so we need one snow capable car and my ancient Prius ain’t it. We just bought a hybrid RAV 4 because we insisted on this car being at least a hybrid, Subaru doesn’t make an affordable one or even make one anymore, and as retirees we won’t spend a fortune on a car, so the RAV 4 won. I think we’re officially done with Subaru, which is too bad because in the snow with a good set of snow tires, they are super stable and great on ice.
RaflW
@Belafon: Haven’t read up on that yet, just seen the alarming headlines. But, seemingly yes, that too!
Betty
@Baud: In “real cricket”, it would be tea at three. T20 is the modern version for those who can’t even take one day cricket, much less the traditional four to five day match.
Belafon
@RaflW: 95% of apartments are controlled by companies using software to coordinate rental prices. Headed up by a group including Harlan Crow.
Melancholy Jaques
@brendancalling:
When Socrates asked for free dinners, people who voted he was not guilty voted to give him the death penalty.
Jeffro
A little OT but anyway: am I correct that Bannon reports to prison on July 1, and trumpov’s sentencing is July 11?
Just noting things on my calendar, so I don’t get caught short on 🍾 🥂 😁
RaflW
@StringOnAStick: Ouch!
My BF is occasionally sad that he didn’t get on the waiting list for a hybrid RAV-4 when he needed to get his new car 18 months ago. But at that time, Toyota was indicating 4+ month waiting lists.
I’ve said that when my Outback gets too long in the tooth (2015, running great at 125,000, still a road warrior on my long trips) I’d gladly take over his Crosstrek and we can get a RAV. The only thing I don’t love about his car is the newer cruise with the 5-mph tap.
Mine doesn’t have eyesight, and I actively enjoy being smarter than tech in anticipating a 1 or 2 mph drop or gain in the speed of whatever ‘peleton’ I’m speeding with is. I get in his car, think I’m adding one click and voom we’re suddenly going 80 in stead of 76. :/. Yeah, there’s the press-n-hold 1 mph increments, but that should be a user toggle-able option somehwere in the software.
To which, larger point: So much in cars is software now, why TF do we tolerate car companies making so little of the ‘convenience’ items not more user-adjustable? I rented a Nissan Altima recently, the electronic turn signal beep was stupid loud, and completely unchangeable. Dumb.
Jeffro
@RaflW: we are now a 4(!) Subaru family, and loving it
Mrs. Fro’s beloved Volvo finally gave up the ghost last month, and although I could tell she wanted something ritzier, she ended up going with a new Outback.
KSinMA
@rikyrah: I’m going to go and sit next to Jim Clyburn.
RaflW
@Jeffro: I wanted to love my Volvo, I’m half Swedish and my SIL has been a three-peat buyer of ’em (and brother owned one — he’s the least brand/make loyal of any car driver I know).
But I spent waaaay too much on maintenance for that car, alas. When the transmission threatened to fail, she was gone in a flash.
Melancholy Jaques
@O. Felix Culpa:
Featured in the The Outsiders.
“Stay gold, Pony boy.”
StringOnAStick
@RaflW: We bought the bottom end RAV 4 and then found there is only one speed on the intermittent wipers, which rather sucks.
The Subaru only independent mechanic we brought our old one to said the head gaskets consistently go at 140-160k, so consider where you are in that time frame and plan accordingly. We were lucky to get to 178k.
BellaPea
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Well, he does vote for Democrats, and did vote for Obama. He can’t stand our two senators, the horrible Marsha Blackburn and the other guy who’s a Trump toady (can’t think of his name, all he’s done in the Senate is worship the Orange Idiot) so he certainly won’t vote for either one. He’s slowly coming around and I keep working on him.
Soprano2
@BellaPea: Except that they all think Michelle is actually a man. Or at least they say that. It’s gross, but I’ve seen it on FB.
Geminid
@StringOnAStick: How is your finger doing? That must be a painful injury.
Melancholy Jaques
My random hot take of the day is that a lot of right-wingers are saying they won’t vote for Trump, but I think they are going to vote for him, they are just tired of people giving them shit about it.
Kayla Rudbek
@Miss Bianca: I am perhaps even worse, rooting for their family lines to die out. “May they have no roots in their past or in their future” is a curse I am happy to wish upon them.
Trivia Man
@Soprano2: One of my pet peeves… blame Biden for a withdrawal ORANGE HEAD NEGOTIATED
rikyrah
Steve Benen (@stevebenen) posted at 11:39 AM on Wed, Jun 12, 2024:
Removing medical debt from consumer credit reports might not be a front-page story, but it’s another example — the latest in a series of examples — of the Biden administration taking meaningful steps to help consumers. https://t.co/W21viu3Aya
(https://x.com/stevebenen/status/1800931003269366090?s=03)
Scout211
Yes, for July 11 sentencing.
Bannon has filed an emergency appeal to stay out of prison.
Because, you know, “meaningful advisers” need to meaningfully advise from outside of prison.
trollhattan
Modest Subi experience: spouse bought their econobox Justy and while not too much broke on it, it kind of dissolved before our eyes over its modest lifespan. As far as boxes go, I’ve had better cardboard ones but it was also a pricepoint exercise (inline 3, baby!).
We rented an AWD wagon for an extended Colorado visit and while it held our stuff and was perfectly comfortable and handled well, it struggled in the mountains, which kind of defeated its reason for being. I would never buy one not turbocharged and don’t know what options there are besides the racer-boy WRX.
Our late A4 Avant Q is the car Subi wants to be.
Geoduck
@Melancholy Jaques: Some of them mean it, at least to the point of still voting for Haley after she officially dropped out of the race.
StringOnAStick
@Geminid: Very kind of you to ask. It is slowly waking up and the nerve is pissed off at what happened, but thanks to begging my regular GP for some pain meds (Tramadol) I have had two full nights of sleep since it happened, and that’s been wonderful. The daytime pain has gotten better. It’s the 3rd finger of my right hand so I can still play ukulele (I led the local ukulele group play along last night and paid for it a little bit) and some guitar, but I can’t use scissors or a sewing machine so I am frustrated with limited options during this not able to walk much period (PT scheduled starting next week for the Angry Achilles). I wrap it in plastic and garden one handed, type one handed, and do limited kitchen stuff. 5 more weeks of a splint is going to be a bit annoying but time always passes and it will be fine.
Trivia Man
@StringOnAStick: I was once in Purchasing for a book of business at $200mm annually. It was not that impressive but it sounds HUGE!
MomSense
@Soprano2:
And the “proof” was an old obituary for the wrong Marian Robinson which mentioned her son Michael. I hate that we have to deal with their level of stupidity.
Jeffro
@RaflW: yup…maintenance and other stuff too
Mrs. Fro: “Did you know that the insurance on the new Subaru is HALF of what it was on the Volvo?”
(not to mention…we’ve had good experiences with the local Subaru dealer, both on sales and service. The Volvo guys? Not so much.)
We did have an interesting experience trying to get rid of the Volvo, though. It would have needed a lot of work to get it driveable again. The Volvo dealer’s service dept gave us a repair quote that seemed to be about twice as high as it ought to have been (we looked and asked around) and not worth it for an 8-year-old car anyway.
So we tried selling it to Carvana…who said they wanted it, then upon inspection didn’t want it(!) I was going to donate it to Habitat and take the deduction, but the Volvo dealer made a last-minute offer (complete lowball). I told him he could add a couple Gs to the offer, or it was going to Habitat. He called back within an hour, offering another $2k, and poof – no more Volvo. 😁
Lots of lessons learned for next time!
Steve in the ATL
@Kayla Rudbek: not unreasonable at all. A quote from a post yesterday:
Jeffro
@Scout211: it’s funny…before trumpov and his crew of scumbags, not EVERYTHING had to go to the Supreme Court.
Trivia Man
@Geminid: I bet he is hoping for VP. Still amazed he keeps winning among retirees after being found guilty if the largest Medicare fraud ever.
trollhattan
@Melancholy Jaques:
100% agree. “I’m-a not vote for Trump!” is no reliable measure of what they will do come November. They sure as heck aren’t voting Biden “The Democrat Party hates America; I LOVE America!” there’s no meaningful third lever and our only hope is they stay the fuck home and sulk.
Steve in the ATL
@StringOnAStick:
The sixth horseman of the Apocalypse, just after the leaf blower
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@BellaPea:
Good for him and good for you!
He’s a crumbly stone wall and you’re water, you’ll win in the end. ;)
StringOnAStick
@Steve in the ATL: That’s right buddy, and don’t you forget it! I’m also a serious lead singer, so make of that what you will.
Seriously though, if more people could feel the sheer joy that comes from playing any kind of music together, we’d all be exponentially happier.
RaflW
@Trivia Man: When I worked in accounting in 1987, I once invoiced Exxon for over $1M for a single event. It kinda freaked me out at the time (our typical invoices to other energy co’s was in the $200K range). But to Exxon it was n.b.d.
Kayla Rudbek
@StringOnAStick: yeah, if he can read Japanese and knows physics, he should have been able to get a job in the intellectual property sector (translating patent documents if nothing else, although the translation tools at the European Patent office and World intellectual property office might have cut into that too much)
Geminid
@Trivia Man: If Scott were the VP pick Republicans would likely lose that Senate seat, so I think the nod will go to someone else. If Trump wants a Senator for his VP, there’s still Vance, Cotton and Britt to choose from.
smith
@Geminid: And the other Scott.
Manyakitty
@TBone: definitely something in the air. 😬
Trivia Man
@Geminid: Probably right. My score sheet for his selection criteria, in order of importance:
Ass kissing at 100%, every day
Will never contradict TCFG. Ever.
TV good looks (subjective call by TCFG who we know has ridiculous taste and judgement)
Big bucks given to TCFG with ZERO strings attached. Could be personal $$ (hi, gov bergum!) or some access to billionaires too squeamish to deal with asshole directly. Obviously consideration given to the likelihood of a stroke event any time from VP announcement day up to and past the election,
Tony G
@Villago Delenda Est: That’s true. The Eighties were the Golden Age of Murdoch’s rag the “New York Post”. And the “New York Daily News” wasn’t much better.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@Baud: yup, I never thought Pence would hang tough
Tony G
I remember back in 1969 “Vance, Cotton and Britt” were a TERRIBLE opening act for “Crosby, Stills and Nash”. Bummer, man!
scav
@StringOnAStick: Oh, suspicions about claims on CVs are probably mandatory, especially on the exaggerated responsibilities end! But those should likely be poked really hard at irregardless of copping to a stint of being wait staff to keep food on your own table. That’s all.
Geminid
@Trivia Man: If Trump wants to attract money, Vance is his man. Peter Thiel sponsored Vance’s Senate campaign and he and his friends would want to back a ticket with Vance on it.
Trump’s need to fundraise could affect his decision whether or not to debate Biden. I don’t think he’s up to the task, and Susan Wiles and Chris LaCivita, his campaign managers, will problably discourage him. But if Trump passes on the debate he’ll also pass on a big fundraising opportunity. Trump’s greed may override his strategic interests.
Tony G
@Steve in the ATL: I’m actually surprised that nobody has come up with a pop group in which all of the members play leaf blowers. What happened to the creative spark in the entertainment industry?
Trivia Man
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: Special shout out to everybody’s favorite Dan Quayle for his assist. 🫣
Trivia Man
@Geminid: If i were betting, money is on JD for that reason. Bonus points for “JD is what a stupid person thinks smart sounds like.” Extra bonus for youth for the Project 2025 peeps who want permanent rule baked in.
raven
Our contractors are finishing up our new sidewalk! Really nice couple and he spread the concrete while she mixed it. She carried 80lb bags way further than she needed to but my policy is to let contractors do the job and stay out of it. This should help me avoid falling, the brick sidewalk was pretty but the roots had pushed the bricks up and it was a hazard!
Doc Sardonic
@Trivia Man: He didn’t get found guilty, his company did. He had a complete case of amnesia about anything he did as CEO, as well as plead the 5th around 75 times.
trollhattan
Poor rest-of-the-world, suffering through the election along with us.
Sure Lurkalot
@Belafon: @RaflW:
And nuke private equity to smithereens.
Doc Sardonic
@Tony G: Jesse James Dupree plays a chainsaw.
rikyrah
@trollhattan:
lips so pursed.
Trivia Man
@Doc Sardonic: Point taken. I still give bonus points to senator skeletor for “proven ability to skim public funds for private use with no consequences” entry on his CV.
Kayla Rudbek
@Steve in the ATL: see, this is where I think I am going down the wrong path, as I never want to agree with eugenicists…
TBone
@Manyakitty: 💙
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@raven: Excellent news!
raven
@rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun): We’re happy. It wasn’t an easy decision to take up the brick sidewalk but we hope it pays off.
Manyakitty
@Jeffro: then again, when was the SCOTUS so comprehensively compromised?
rikyrah
@raven:
anything that helps one to avoid falls is welcome :)
rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun)
@raven: I understand. Brick sidewalks are so charming, but yeah one trip can be a life-changer (or ender, unfortunately.)
BlueGuitarist
Low special election turnout: 60k votes yesterday,
approximately 20% of 2022 turnout.
Tim Ryan got about 4x as many votes for US Senate in 2022 in this district as the D got yesterday, 38% of the district vote for US Senate
Differential turnout more likely than party switching.
SomeRandomGuy
Any foundation change to a house (settling – or, the correction of settling) can take your door frames out of alignment. It can also break windows, and tear wallpaper. I only learned about the first! You sometimes need to re-check the frame, and/or reframe the door entirely.
RaflW
@Sure Lurkalot: I just want the ‘carried interest’ loophole slammed shut for starters. I think that would start to put a real dent in the lure of VC raiders. And raise money for worthwhile gov’t programs.
SomeRandomGuy
I wouldn’t have called them brass – I’d have called them “brightwork” which just stuck in my brain one time. And, I wouldn’t ever try to gaslight someone, but, have you ever considered looking for one that’s a bit subtle, doesn’t look too bad, and polishing it? You’ll need some polish, and you might need some Youtube or TikTok to learn the tricks to get every bit of it pretty, unless it’s smooth and even.
If you make a change to it, you might find that you like it, and you’ve washed the f’ing gold out of it. Or, you might find you still don’t like it.
My point is, sometimes, you can handle something that bugs you (like brass fixtures) by approaching them sideways, like Bill suggesting “brass” for “gold.”
(Also: Trump’s what they used to call a “tin horn” – thinks he’s a member of a brass band, but no, he’s just a tin horn. Real brass would show he’s just a painted tin horn. Oh! Oh! I don’t mean his horribly ugly makeup, I don’t insult him over *that*, nor over his 300lb weight issue where he keeps swearing he’s 240, but if he was 240, he wouldn’t have shrunk to 5’10” as an old, feeble man who can’t walk down a ramp. I don’t insult people over their physical attributes. Anyway: for me, real brass, that looks like *brass*, not gold, would be a double reminder that it’s not tinhorn Trump.)
BellyCat
Brass plating and clear coats can be removed with acetone. If it’s real brass you, soak it (like cowboys used to do) in horse piss to age it. That process might be cathartic given your (laudable) obsession?!?! If it’s cheap steel with brass plating (if it’s from1986, likely that’s what it is), sand with 400 grit and spray paint desired color. Why do all this? Door hinges get really F’d up and weak when screws don’t align with the holes.
raven
@rebelsdad (aka texasboyshaun): If she hadn’t planted that damn crepe myrtle that pushed up the bricks!
The Cat’s Chair
@Steeplejack: Thanks!
Uncle Cosmo
@JaySinWA: It;s early morning on the Georgia coast. Jesus wanders out to the Pearly Gates & finds no line there at all, and St Pete asleep over his big black book.
He wakes him up & says, “Hey Pete, how about we go down to Augusta and play the front nine before everyone wakes up?” So they do.
First hole, 420 yards Par 4. Pete hits a mighty tee shot, 290 yards straight down the fairway. Jesus slices his ball into the deep rough. A squirrel runs down a tree, scoops up the ball and runs off, only to be scooped up in turn by a hawk who carries him high over the green, where he drops the ball, which bounces 3 times and drops into the cup.
Peter shoots Jesus a disgusted look and snarls, “Do you wanna play golf or are you just gonna fuck around!?!?!”
/rimshot
matt
@Nelson: Mulaney said he’s a hobo’s idea of a rich person.
Gloria DryGarden
@MomSense: well said.
Gloria DryGarden
@Uncle Cosmo: thank you for this joke. And to the joke you replied to. Needed a laugh.
Gloria DryGarden
Anyone been to Italy and seen how much gold leaf is dripping from palazzos and church interiors? Appalling, unattractive, imo.
Re doors, in arid Denver, when we get some rain or snow, my front door swells just enough to become very difficult to close and lock. I’m sure it’s way less humidity here than places east of the Mississippi. Maybe it’s the variation, but it does get untenable at times.
When I think of gold, I think of a rock, mined from the earth, fought over in gold rush towns, stolen from one continent or another, using colonies and conquest to loot other places and other peoples. But I live near gold panning, gold mining territory, it’s all over my state.
Gold is for jewelry ; a necklace, a ring. I don’t mind the gold leaf on my state capitol building. But that’s enough. Totally understand your repulsion.
Hate when djt shows up in old shows, or recent stupid jokes on Colbert. Really dislike Colbert jokes about president Joe…
crossing several tangents, gold is a nice light from the sun, or in the afternoon by some trees, or in a spiritual meditation. If you need that kind of gold, metal from rocks in the earth, isn’t going to feed your spirit.
more about the lightning strike fantasy in another post.
mvr
How old is your house and what parts are you needing? I have an old house for which I have been accumulating hardware and likely have some surplus parts that might work for you, at least knobs that aren’t brass, if nothing else.