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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

In after Baud. Damn.

I really should read my own blog.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

I don’t recall signing up for living in a dystopian sci-fi novel.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Their shamelessness is their super power.

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

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

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

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

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Open Thread:  Hey Lurkers!  (Holiday Post)

Open Threads

You are here: Home / Archives for Open Threads

Early Morning Open Thread: Send in the Klowns

by Anne Laurie|  May 14, 20105:44 am| 41 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, The Wingularity, We Are All Mayans Now

Since the Very Serious People are all obsessed with the Very Serious Question of Elena Kagan’s softball skillz, thank gods for the potty-mouthed humor blog Wonkette, who will tell us about Maine’s Insane Klown TP Party…

Earlier this week we learned that the Maine GOP, during its state convention, replaced its standard platform with a hilarious four-page teabagger e-mail that one local reporter could only describe as “a mix of right-wing fringe policies, libertarian buzzwords and outright conspiracy theories.” It turns out, though, that this was only the second most comical thing that the teabaggers did during the convention. Some folks, while caucusing in a rented classroom at the nearby middle school, got it in their heads that the classroom’s teacher was a commie liberal indoctrinating the children with commie liberalism, and so they just dug through all of his stuff and trashed the place.
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“The Republican State Convention was held at the Portland Exposition Building, which is on Park Avenue, near the middle school. Party members from Knox County caucused in a classroom used by eighth-grade social studies teacher Paul Clifford.
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When Clifford returned to school on Monday, he found that a favorite poster about the U.S. labor movement had been taken and replaced with a bumper sticker that read, “Working People Vote Republican.”
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Later, Clifford learned that his classroom had been searched. Republicans who had attended the convention called Principal Mike McCarthy to complain about “anti-American” things they saw there, including a closed box containing copies of the U.S. Constitution that were published by the American Civil Liberties Union…”

Yes, a bunch of Republicans called a guy named McCarthy to complain that the Constitution was “anti-American”.
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*****
Also, only Wonkette seems to properly appreciate the lulz involved when the Republican National Committee rejected both wrinkly old John McCain (Phoenix) and glossy humanoid pretender Mitt Romney (Salt Lake City) by choosing Tampa, “the nation’s lap-dance capital”, as the site of the 2012 Republican Convention. Hey, I believe the last RNC national convention in Florida was Richard Nixon’s 1972 coronation!
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*****
And finally, to meet the new mandatory Elena-Kagan-related quota, Wonkette informs us that Orrin Hatch forced Kagan to admire his sparkly yet underpowered antique weapon, in front of the cameras, because that is how he rolls.

Wonketteer Jim Newell is rapidly becoming one of my favorite journalists.

Early Morning Open Thread: Send in the KlownsPost + Comments (41)

Everyone Hates Our Media

by John Cole|  May 13, 20109:31 pm| 66 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Our Failed Media Experiment

Via Hot Air, a video of Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) responding to a reporter asking about his confrontational tone:

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

Let’s not get bogged down in an argument over the value of Christie’s policies and agree that it would be really nice if there were any Democrats who would be that blunt. And admit a little bit that you had to stifle a cheer when he ripped into the guy for their bullshit habit of covering nothing but process. Because I sure did.

I’ve spent the last year reading about Obama’s choice in mustard and what he put on the Queen’s Ipod and whether or not he is smoking or plays enough basketball with women or whether he will seem “soft” on terror, and sweet Jeebus I would love it if he ripped into Dana Milbank or someone like him and did what Christie did right there.

Everyone Hates Our MediaPost + Comments (66)

Open Thread: Thursday Night Menu

by Anne Laurie|  May 13, 20109:30 pm| 16 Comments

This post is in: Cooking, Garden Chats, Open Threads

Take it away, Bad Horse’s Filly…

We had snow two days in a row and today was still 20 degrees below normal temps. My tomatoes have been living under black plastic and have their own hot water bottle. So far, so good. Despite that, this weekend looks great for grilling in my neighborhood, so here is something just a bit different to spice up traditional hamburgers. As usual, this is a quick and tasty dinner, don’t want to spend what nice weather I have stuck cooking. I’d probably add chips to the menu – have to balance out those green beans. Also, I’d love to know how your garden is growing this spring and summer and if you’re growing anything unusual.

On the board tonight:

1. Italian Hamburgers
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2. Crusty Sandwich Rolls
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3. Green Beans
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4. 3-Layer Bars

As ever, recipes and shopping list at the link.
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P.S. from Anne Laurie: First of two shipments of tomato plants arrived in the mail today: Rose de Berne, Oxheart, Pineapple, Black Cherry, Juliet (all of which we’ve grown before and loved); Chocolate Stripes, Black Krim, Carmello, Vintage Wine, and Opalka (which are new to us). Of course, after an unusually warm April & May, our area north of Boston has been under a frost advisory ever since the plants were shipped from Alabama Monday… but at least we haven’t had to worry about snow!

Open Thread: Thursday Night MenuPost + Comments (16)

Open Thread

by John Cole|  May 13, 20107:44 pm| 89 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Pollen levels are simply through the roof around here. According to the pollen index, they are near pegged at high. According to the thin layer of film on my windows that has appeared in the last few days, I would have to think the index is accurate.

Speaking of crap floating around in the air, the most depressing thing about the blank slate folks like Elena Kagan is that she is obviously very smart, but has to be careful what she says lest she be punished for her thoughts. Meanwhile, deeply stupid people like Mike Pence, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachman, Joe the Plumber, and so on, are unfettered by similar restraints and in fact rewarded for their idiocy, often with great sums of wealth and power and status well beyond what they deserve. As such, the smart people are quiet, and the morons run around polluting our discourse.

Open ThreadPost + Comments (89)

Another Tech Question

by John Cole|  May 13, 20107:16 pm| 54 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Science & Technology

How do I set up a network such that my Mac laptop will be able to view files on my Windows 7 Machine? I get the wireless fine on my laptop and have the Windows machine hooked up to the router via cable, but I really have no idea how to get the two machines connected.

Linksys router, Windows 7 machine.

Another Tech QuestionPost + Comments (54)

Open Thread

by John Cole|  May 13, 201010:03 am| 145 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Open Threads

Going to reload on coffee (press #2 of some solid Kona- for the win- I’m shaking- lots will get done!) and I saw this in the living room:

How could you just not love that face!

I know everyone thinks they have the cutest pet/kid/whatever, but in my case, I really do.

Open ThreadPost + Comments (145)

Early Morning Open Thread: Urban Sheepdog

by Anne Laurie|  May 13, 20101:38 am| 35 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Open Threads

At last, a use for all those banished-to-the-back-of-the-closet exercise balls:
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I got this in a link from someone on the local papillon yahoo group. Treibball — which google-translate says means “driving-ball”, but I’m guessing “ball-herding” — is so new a dogsport that it doesn’t even have a wikipedia entry yet. From what I can glean off YouTube, it seems to be confined to Germany and its environs at the moment, but the commands (“waulk on”, “push”) are the standard English-language sheep dog signals. The serious herding enthusiasts would point out that a sheepdog barking & holding its tail high is committing two breaches of decorum, but I say there’s little enough raw joy in this world already…

Early Morning Open Thread: Urban SheepdogPost + Comments (35)

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