An Idea Whose Time Has Come: HELL NO - the Sensible Horror Film

A world where logic and reason rule
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Imagine a realm where the most horrifying terrors of the underworld emerge to wreak bloody vengeance upon any who… hmm? what’s that? you wanna go literally anywhere else? yeah, good idea let’s get out of here

Directed by Joe Nicolosi
Written by Joe Nicolosi and John Freiler
Produced by Stephanie Noone
Shot on the Red Scarlet
Director of Photography: Drew Daniels
Music by Danny Gray

Visual Effects by Moontower VFX, Ray Pena and Greg Omelchuck

Cast: Alex Dobrenko, Ashley Spillers, Jessie Tilton, Sam Davis, Brandon Potter, Sam Eidson, Katie Folger, Sam Van Metre, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Zack Carlson, Bryan Connolly, David Hess, Mike Gassaway, Jason Newman, Elise Garza, April Swartz, Isaac Solomon, Marc Calderaro, Matt Van Doren, Drew Daniels, Aimee Thomas, Brock England, Jenniemarie Jemison, Clay Crenshaw, Andrew Matthews, Katie Graham, Will Elliott, Mallory Culbert, Joey Hood

Assistant Director: Thomas Fernandes
Gaffer: Emmett Kerr-Perkinson
Art Department: April Swartz, Elise Garza, Stephanie Noone
Assistant Camera: Zach Sprague
Key Grip: Matt Van Doren
Sound Recordist: Landry Gideon
Sound Designer: Eric Friend
Colorist / Online Editor: Daniel Stuyck

Special Thanks:
Kate Eads, Erik Horn, Derek Gildersleeve, Willie Rockefeller, Alan Berg, Zach Loeb, Derrick & Shareina Garner, Clay Liford, Bradley Jackson, Dave Ward, Kayla Kromer, Tony Brummer, Andy Young ,Don Swanos, Owen Egerton, Kirk Johnson, Peter Dealbert, Isaac Solomon, Sarah Siegel, Thomas Humphreys, Zilker Park Boat Rentals
Great Hall Games, Quonset Hut, Delta Millworks

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205 comments
1 Belafon  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 8:43:24pm

Gotta go to xkcd.

2 blueraven  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 8:54:51pm

Good Lord Megyn Kelly, go home, you’re drunk.

3 austin_blue  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 8:55:59pm

Hmmm…shot in Austin…

4 Interesting Times  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 8:58:09pm

This is a total longshot, but is there any possibility a class action lawsuit could be filed against GOPers on behalf of people economically harmed by the shutdown? Especially those who’ve gone bankrupt as a result.

5 klys  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 8:59:01pm

I sacrificed the margarita I wanted as a second choice (after the Japanese place) so that we could go to the beer place he likes that is just beer and wine.

And so I had cider. Which is never a first or second choice.

Someone owes me a margarita and a trip for good Japanese food.

6 Stanley Sea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:00:23pm

re: #5 klys

I sacrificed the margarita I wanted as a second choice (after the Japanese place) so that we could go to the beer place he likes that is just beer and wine.

And so I had cider. Which is never a first or second choice.

Someone owes me a margarita and a trip for good Japanese food.

I got some lemons.

7 goddamnedfrank  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:00:46pm

re: #4 Interesting Times

This is a total longshot, but is there any possibility a class action lawsuit could be filed against GOPers on behalf of people economically harmed by the shutdown? Especially those who’ve gone bankrupt as a result.

No. Legislative immunity. Sorry.

8 klys  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:00:58pm

re: #6 Stanley Sea

I got some lemons.

Unlike Sarah Palin, I do actually know my margaritas.

But the thought is appreciated.

9 Stanley Sea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:03:00pm

re: #8 klys

Unlike Sarah Palin, I do actually know my margaritas.

But the thought is appreciated.

I am still laughing at the newest idiocy.

10 Interesting Times  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:03:37pm

re: #7 goddamnedfrank

No. Legislative immunity. Sorry.

*flips desk*

(this is what made me think of it: Shutdown hits town near Yosemite already hurting from wildfire)

11 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:03:49pm

re: #4 Interesting Times

Congress is immune to suits against them regarding acts of their office.

12 Weet  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:08:14pm

On the House budget vote, I like this format — by state by party.

You can see which states have the most Republican nutters.

For example, my state of Texas has all Republican nutters.

Washington state has sane Republicans.

House vote by state and party

13 Lidane  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:09:29pm

re: #3 austin_blue

Hmmm…shot in Austin…

This is my shocked face. Heh.

I don’t know if you saw one of my posts from earlier, but someone actually called the Austin Chronicle offices raging at them for retracting their endorsement of Ted Cruz. The Chronicle replied:


Haha.

14 blueraven  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:14:18pm

re: #13 Lidane

This is my shocked face. Heh.

I don’t know if you saw one of my posts from earlier, but someone actually called the Austin Chronicle offices raging at them for retracting their endorsement of Ted Cruz. The Chronicle replied:

[Embedded content]


Haha.

Anyone who would think the AC would endorse Cruz, knows nothing about Austin!

15 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:19:46pm

re: #12 Weet

Washington state has sane Republicans.

House vote by state and party

Not sure I’d rack it up to sanity on the part of any individual Republican so much as desiring to be re-elected in a district where there are enough people aware they were being hurt by closure to make enough calls.

What that says about TX I don’t know - perhaps it’s something in the water.

16 elizajane  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:22:46pm

Comment on this clip from my 14-year-old: “Mom, was that movie supposed to be about the Republicans?”

No, darling, nobody is describing them as “sensible.” Only as horrors.

17 Interesting Times  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:22:54pm

re: #15 freetoken

What that says about TX I don’t know - perhaps it’s something in the water.

Agricultural runoff and fracking fluid.

18 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:25:15pm

Apparently marxism is coming back in style:

We All Feel Like Something is Going to Happen

This piece by Michelle Goldberg is the first I’ve seen to notice the Marxist renaissance among young intellectuals, and does a great job telling the story without an overly skeptical frame. I think the renaissance was already under way before 2008, but the combination of the crash and the failure of Obama was, as Goldberg and her subjects argue, crucial to the radicalization of a generation.

[…]

Though the establishment political world goes on as usual following the play-by-play from the Hill, you can feel the futility seeping into even the best liberals. Ezra Klein on this Slate podcast is a great example: he hammers home the fact that there is no solution to this crisis—that none of the usual strategies from the liberal playbook will be able to fix it. His tone is heavy; he truly has no idea what to say about the future of this system, how to talk about it like it even has a future. True, maybe people like Klein and Chris Hayes just think a few structural fixes to American democracy would fix the chronic dysfunction, but neither one of them has any delusions that those structural fixes are possible. The pessimism about what liberalism is capable of has to be at its lowest point in my lifetime—despite, incredibly, two consecutive elections of the most liberal president the U.S. has had since Kennedy. The problem is obviously not just a few crazy right-wingers who put together a movement and took the perfectly-fine American system hostage; it’s something that’s always been there, pushed to its breaking point.

[…]

19 Kragar  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:41:34pm

re: #15 freetoken

Not sure I’d rack it up to sanity on the part of any individual Republican so much as desiring to be re-elected in a district where there are enough people aware they were being hurt by closure to make enough calls.

What that says about TX I don’t know - perhaps it’s something in the water.

What water?

20 austin_blue  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:54:21pm

re: #19 Kragar

What water?

No shit!

All the rain we had in town the last few days has increased our reservoirs west of Austin (2,000,000 acre feet capacity) from 33 to 34% full. Farther west, it’s dustbowl bad.

21 Aqua Obama  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:55:24pm

Ok, I’ve got a question for you Jersey lizards: what happens to Newark now?

22 Weet  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 9:59:59pm
23 goddamnedfrank  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:10:17pm

re: #22 Weet

[Embedded content]

Difficulty level on this dive: Pretty much every viable nation for expatriation is going to have socialized heath care. Also, very, very few of these wingnuts have either the capital resources or, alternatively, the combination of youth and requisite skills / education to market themselves effectively as immigrants. Like it or not they’re pretty much stuck here.

24 The Ghost of a Flea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:13:19pm

When life gives you lemons, you make a French ‘75.

Because after the first two, life can give you lemons, mangoes, or flaming badgers on spikes, and you’re not really going to notice.

25 Lidane  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:16:05pm

The Freepers are taking defeat in their usual calm and rational manner:

GOP 142 NO , only 87 Yes.
I take it Boner and Kantor are the new Democrat leadership of the House.
—

“House passes senate budget compromise”

Since when is a traitorous gang rape of the United States considered a “compromise”?
—

The Republicans have agreed to stop hitting the Democrats fists with their faces.
—

If Amnesty happens its adios America..that will be the final nail in the coffin of the GOP, they will never win another election again..I think those elitists in the GOP know this, they just dont care
—

I’m with you. I have made the same promise today, but multiple times in the last year.

As a side note, I am watching Hannity and there is a Congressman that cannot speak the American language. I will withhold any river crossing comments because I really don’t know where he came from.
—

There is no longer an option for a political solution.

We are on the road to destruction.

It can’t be fixed. It can’t be changed. The people are too stupid.

We are heading into Weimar Republic circa 1933 territory here and the outcome is going to be very very ugly.

People are going to end up dead in large numbers before it is all over.

(Dear NSA busybody: The above is not a threat. It is merely a prediction and an observation, so go back to surfing kiddie porn, ok?)
—

I will GLADLY vote for an honest (meaning they are clear about who and what they are) communist (democrat) than vote ever again for a lying RINO.

I’ve had it! I will vote dem 100 times before I vote for one of those lying, faithless pieces of shoe-scraping.

Yes, it might be painful for a couple of years, but if those flea-bitten, lice-infested, lying GOP politicians think they are immune because the only other choice is a dem - SURPRISE you scum-sucker! I choose the dem!!! Why? Not because I like the dem - but because I HATE the RINO much more than I dislike the dem.

Primary the lying RINO in office - even with another RINO - then primary that RINO if they don’t get the message. Before we put another RINO back in office, we MUST vote dem.
—

Words cannot express my disdain for the surrender monkey republicans. Is there a “Going Galt for Dummies” manual? As it sits today this ship is sinking and I’ve no desire to ride it to the bottom. It’s either CWII to take over command of the vessel, or “Going Galt” to get off it. Something must change.

Sweet, sweet wingnut tears. Hahahaha.

26 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:21:39pm

We are optimistic to think that the TPers are going to anything but double down and affix a larger magazine to their assault rifles.

27 Stanley Sea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:22:23pm


For Freetoken esp

28 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:24:52pm

re: #27 Stanley Sea

[Embedded content]


For Freetoken esp

Had she been a TP congresswoman, she would have people up defending her brave and pricipled defense of America…

29 Stanley Sea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:29:59pm

Btw I’m on a plane. 1st web experience from on high.

30 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:33:34pm

Youtube Video

31 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:33:59pm

re: #27 Stanley Sea

As I wrote downstairs, America’s God-problem is betting more vocal.

32 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:38:48pm

There is the question of the separation of church and state, there is the question of the separation of politics from religion and there is the question of the separation of reality from 2,000-year-old mythologies.

33 piratedan  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:40:41pm

RIP Ed Lauter

movies.msn.com

great character actor, specialized in 2nd tier villainy IIRC, always had a soft spots for guys who played bad guys.

34 dog philosopher  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:42:27pm

Hvordan bli bedre på å finne, vinne og beholde kunder?

and why shouldn’t i get business spam in norwegian??

35 dog philosopher  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:44:09pm

re: #25 Lidane

The Freepers are taking defeat in their usual calm and rational manner:

Sweet, sweet wingnut tears. Hahahaha.

they need some chew toys

36 Lidane  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:49:15pm

re: #35 dog philosopher

they need some chew toys

I think my favorite comment in that thread that isn’t the long, rambling, incoherent “ZOMG AMERICA IZ DEAD!” rant about how socialism is on the rise and there’s creeping liberalism from the Vatican and dogs and cats living together is the guy who tried to correct another Freeper about the definition of communists and fascists:

Communists are Fascists with machine guns.

So many things wrong with that I don’t know where to start. But it’s a Freeper, so I’ll just point and laugh instead of trying to parse it.

37 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:53:31pm

Speaking of a God-problem, and in light of the story I linked downstairs about the current scandal in the UK where the education minister’s top advisor, in a white paper, puts forward the idea that since some races are inherently inferior in IQ that the UK needs to modify its educational system (though race and IQ is hardly the only point of the white paper but only plays a supporting role yet because it is such a political volatile point it stole the headlines), I bring you this:

Surprise: ‘Segregation’ Does Not Undermine African American Well-Being

[…]

Much of this narcissistic progressivism comes from a pervasive misunderstanding of what drove the Civil Rights movement. Many progressives seem to believe that in the 1950s and 1960s blacks were fighting to be around white people in order to experience “the good life.” This is far from the truth. In fact, the Civil Rights movement was a fight for equal treatment under the same laws without deference given to whites. It was a fight to end discrimination so that all Americans, regardless of race, could exercise the exact same freedoms. Perhaps this may explain why there seems to be a sense of surprise and shock in a Huffington Post blog entry explaining that blacks who were attending segregated schools have better overall health and well-being than those in integrated settings:

The long view of racial segregation in America paints a relatively gloomy picture of the impact social exclusion has had on black health. A new study by researchers at the University Of Iowa tells a different story, indicating that baby boomers who attended segregated schools during first to twelfth grade may actually have better physical performance and a great sense of control over various aspects of their lives down the road than those who went to desegregated schools.

Much of the surprise results from the limitations of a form of racial reasoning that conflates and confuses race with all sorts of categories like class, geography, social mores, religious involvement, marriage, parenting norms, moral choices, individual preferences, and so on. Race is not nearly as helpful of a category as progressives want us to believe in our efforts to evaluate what constitutes flourishing. In a country where blacks are free to form stable families, able to participate in the marketplace, and held to the same rules and standards as everyone else, the historical evidence suggests that their flourishing is simply unrelated to whether or not their next-door neighbors or children’s classmates are white.

It’s written by an African American male, Anthony Bradley. Now, whatever the actual merits or contention over the University of Iowa study mentioned (and I don’t think it means what Bradley wants it to mean), the interesting thing is this: Anthony Bradley hangs out with the Acton Institute (and he links to an old article he wrote there years ago.)

If “Acton Institute” does not ring a bell, then one thing you should know about them is they seem to be rather cozy with Charles Murray, and you’ll find articles there treating his work kindly.

But there is an important reason why that doesn’t seem to bother Anthony Bradley - because he is a fundamentalist Christian, and the Acton Institute throws in “God” quite a bit when needed.

The ability of religious indoctrination to blind one to blatant positions or facts (in this case the association and admiration of racists to a particular institution in which one partakes) is both enlightening and disheartening to watch.

38 dog philosopher  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:55:33pm

re: #37 freetoken

Many progressives seem to believe

many ‘conservatives’ seem to believe that they know what progressives believe

39 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 10:55:41pm

Religion has a lot to say on race and most of what it has to say on race is bullshit.

Science has a lot to say on race, namely that the very concept of race is bullshit.

40 The Ghost of a Flea  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 11:23:17pm

re: #39 Sol Berdinowitz

Religion has a lot to say on race and most of what it has to say on race is bullshit.

Science has a lot to say on race, namely that the very concept of race is bullshit.

You mean, after it got over that gawky adolescent phase of anthropometry and racial evolutionary hierarchies? And except for the persistence of scientific racist materials still in wide circulation, such as The Bell Curve?

41 Sol Berdinowitz  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 11:25:51pm

As long as people are stupid enough to believe that relative scores on a written intelligence test are a 100% flawless indicator of actual real relative intelligence, we will have people who insist that there is a racial basis for intelligence.

42 freetoken  Wed, Oct 16, 2013 11:48:38pm

re: #41 Sol Berdinowitz

Studies have shown that, depending upon how one defines “intelligence” and measure it (i.e., IQ test), there are small differences between groups of people.

And while those who study inheritability of traits will conclude variously how much intelligence is inheritable, there are studies which show a significant dependence of “intelligence” on inheritability though inheritance can not explain all of intelligence.

One of the problems though is when you combine the above two statements that one not confuse what is important. While we might summarize that inheritance plays an important (but not exclusive) role in intelligence the differences between groups is quite small and thus you are talking about the inheritability of something of not great importance.

This harkens to the bigger problem - trying to make a couple of points on an IQ test mean something of great importance in life. Frankly, it doesn’t. There is a real fallacy underlying so much of the arguments, and which racists in particular are fond to use, and it is known as the Ecological Fallacy . Likewise, unlike in physical science, social science studies can be quite susceptible to hasty generalizations.

In the latter case this will be particularly true of trying to put people into “races”, as we now know from genetics that there is more diversity among H. sapiens in Africa than in those of groups descended from the major OOA event some 60 thousand years ago.


So there is a lot to say about this subject. But in our society we are too little prepared to tackle it, because it takes quite a bit of knowledge about evolution, genetics, statistics, and history, four topics in which our nation is not particular well versed.

43 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 12:19:17am

re: #42 freetoken

But in our society we are too little prepared to tackle it, because it takes quite a bit of knowledge about evolution, genetics, statistics, and history, four topics in which our nation is not particular well versed.

We pursue science as a means to make money. As such, it will always be subjugated to economic and political interests.

But what I note lately is a basic lack of understanding of how science works, where it applies and where it does not.

44 goddamnedfrank  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 12:38:01am

Loves me some Wonkette. Their editorial style guide calls for eleventy times the snark:

Because Senator Ted Cruz sucks all the oxygen out of any room he is in, it is easy to forget that he must employ a staff of people who are equally terrible. What kind of clueless, spackle-brained, addlepated, emotionally stunted, wingnut lickspittle crap weasels drink the Ted Cruz Kool-Aid? Let’s dicksplore.

Meet Amanda Carpenter, old Moose Jaw Ted’s speechwriter and senior communications advisor. Yesterday, as the House announced that its final offer in the shutdown showdown would include some version of the Vitter Amendment, Amanda took to Twitter for some good old-fashioned whinging about the coming Obamacarocalypse, in the process showing a remarkable misunderstanding of the original purpose of the Affordable Care Act and a misplaced sense of grievance over whom to blame for the fact that she, along with every other Hill staffer, will soon have to switch health plans.

A string of adjectival invective that inventive just warms the cockles of my heart. Also, “dicksplore” is going in the toolkit.

45 piratedan  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 12:53:51am

re: #44 goddamnedfrank

Loves me some Wonkette. Their editorial style guide calls for eleventy times the snark:

A string of adjectival invective that inventive just warms the cockles of my heart. Also, “dicksplore” is going in the toolkit.

such a stellar example of thoughts from deep inside the GOP bubble and how their POV manifests itself in how they interact with the rest of the world.

46 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 12:55:26am

Gotta love me some libertarians: they just make up their own certification as they go along.

Dr. Paul: Not board-certified, but self-certified

47 sagehen  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 1:22:13am

re: #42 freetoken

This harkens to the bigger problem - trying to make a couple of points on an IQ test mean something of great importance in life. Frankly, it doesn’t. There is a real fallacy underlying so much of the arguments, and which racists in particular are fond to use, and it is known as the Ecological Fallacy . Likewise, unlike in physical science, social science studies can be quite susceptible to hasty generalizations.

When the people who claim test scores are “scientific proof” of “natural” white superiority over blacks follow up with a declaration that jews and asians are white people’s rightful overlords, that’s when I’ll think they might actually believe what they’re saying.

48 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 1:24:40am

re: #47 sagehen

When the people who claim test scores are “scientific proof” of “natural” white superiority over blacks follow up with a declaration that jews and asians are white people’s rightful overlords, that’s when I’ll think they might actually believe what they’re saying.

Jews and Asians are cunning and deceitful, that’s not the same as moar intelligenz!

49 piratedan  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 1:48:18am

for those keeping score:

msnbc.com

I do understand that per an inside source from the Northern climbs that these guys will indeed find a lump of coal in their stockings, but it won’t be from Santa, but rather a donation in kind from the fossil fuels consortium….

50 Weet  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 1:51:35am

Mean comment that I enjoyed:

Tea Partier: The TEA Party Patriots were elected to correct the wrongs of the fascists. This is the legacy of Joe the Plumber and it’s a work in progress. The Senate can pound sand. We are no longer Taxed Enough Already; we are Sons of Liberty.

Response: No you’re not. You’re just leaches sucking the life blood and soul out of the Republican Party. At best you’re a scab that needs to be picked. There are ticks out there on dogs smarter then people like you. You’re this huge land anchor that needs to be cut loose.

51 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 2:01:03am

re: #49 piratedan

for those keeping score:

msnbc.com

I do understand that per an inside source from the Northern climbs that these guys will indeed find a lump of coal in their stockings, but it won’t be from Santa, but rather a donation in kind from the fossil fuels consortium….

Not even coal, a big heap of slate that they will have to frack themselves…

52 Lidane  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 2:20:15am
53 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 2:41:23am

re: #46 Sol Berdinowitz

Gotta love me some libertarians: they just make up their own certification as they go along.

Dr. Paul: Not board-certified, but self-certified

Sorry, it’s old news. The Kentucky press corps unearthed this nugget while Paul fils was running for the Senate.

I would think twice about going to Dr. Paul for any kind of eye surgery. Just sayin’.

54 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 2:49:13am

re: #53 wheat-dogghazi

Sorry, it’s old news. The Kentucky press corps unearthed this nugget while Paul fils was running for the Senate.

I would think twice about going to Dr. Paul for any kind of eye surgery. Just sayin’.

I gathered, but it really sums up an attitude that everyone should be free to find out for himself if his hamburger is full of e. coli or if his doctor really has a valid medical degree…

55 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 2:56:54am

re: #11 freetoken

But they’re not immune to ethics violations charges, censure, and removal, though.

Good luck with getting that done in the House, although Cruz might be a good target in the Senate.

Yeah, I know, long shot.

56 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:25:12am

About Dianne M Reidy—makes over $10K/mo as Clerk of the House, long time employee, since at least 2005. Wonder if she was one of those Liberty U graduates hired by the Bushies?

legistorm.com

Anyway, this is the gist of what she said:

“He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ. “

WTF? A teabagging conspiracy theorist?

That stuff will drive you nuts. We know so from the numerous examples out there.

57 freetoken  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:34:08am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

From the Daily Caller story:

[…]

“He will not be mocked,” she said repeatedly, as five or so people held her in front of the elevator door. Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert stood to the side looking very concerned. He touched her arm and tried to comfort her, but she appeared inconsolable.

“It is deception here,” she continued, yelling loudly. “This is not, one nation under God. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been… It would not have been, the Constitution would not have been written by Free Masons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, Lord Jesus Christ.”

Reidy continued ranting until an elevator arrived and she was pushed inside.

Other members followed her out of the chamber, looking deeply concerned. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was among them, and got in the elevator with a couple other members to find the woman.

“There are many wonderful people working in the Capitol I have gotten to know, and Diane is one of the sweetest,” Gohmert told The Daily Caller through a spokeswoman. “She will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers while continuing to monitor her recovery.”

How convenient kind of GOHMERT! to be the one standing at the ready, and to monitor her “recovery”.

Reidy really didn’t say anything different than what one can read on a zillion different fundamentalist and tea party websites, or what one watches on so much wingnut TV.

58 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:36:45am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

About Dianne M Reidy—makes over $10K/mo as Clerk of the House, long time employee, since at least 2005. Wonder if she was one of those Liberty U graduates hired by the Bushies?

legistorm.com

Anyway, this is the gist of what she said:

“He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ. “

WTF? A teabagging conspiracy theorist?

That stuff will drive you nuts. We know so from the numerous examples out there.

She’s either become a Bible-thumping witness (in the Christian sense) or a victim of schizophrenia. There is fine line separating the two conditions.

59 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:36:50am

re: #57 freetoken

Reidy really didn’t say anything different than what one can read on a zillion different fundamentalist and tea party websites, or what one watches on so much wingnut TV.

Had she been a Tea Party Congresswoman, Gohmert would be praising her forthright commitment to American Christian values…

60 freetoken  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:45:34am

All the tea idiots over at Daily Caller leaving messages of support for Reidy. She no doubt is one of them.

61 freetoken  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:48:23am

For example, a commenter on WND left this, regarding this story:

abrasmom • 6 hours ago −
Oh my. The lady voiced her faith, and called out the farce of a bill being voted on. So, she ws treated as a person who had lost touch with reality, forced off the floor, and into an elevator. The woman has done this job since 2005, yet they seemed to not have recognized her, and thought someone had entered the chamber that wasn’t staff. Gee, after nine years, one would think the stenographer would be recognized! So, she is treated as one who lost touch with sanity, and wished a speedy recovery! Gee lady, we know how it feels. Neither party seems to see the regular folk that are affected by their, “bills’

And that one is mild compared to many comments floating around wingnut-world about this incident.

62 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:49:47am

She has finally touched on the Core Probem with America: namely that we were not founded as a Christian Nation, we were founded by deists and freemasons.

The only way to save us from God’s just wrath is to renounce the Constitution and base our country’s laws on the Ten Commandments, in the King james standard translation, of course, as that is what the Puritan Founders of America brought with them.

63 freetoken  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:52:40am

re: #62 Sol Berdinowitz

That is the position of many fundamentalists/Reconstructionists.

BTW, Gohmert is from Tyler, home also of Gary North.

Not so much a coincidence.

64 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:56:12am

re: #63 freetoken

Which goes to show that there is no negotiating or compromising with these people, we can only try to limit the amount of damage they can do.

65 freetoken  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:57:23am

And speaking of Christian Nation, over on Townhall, owned by explicitly Christian company Salem Communications, here are comments on the AP story about Booker’s win:

americathebeautiful Wrote:5 hours ago (1:24 AM)
Just another LYING b*sturd criminal con man democrat/liberal/commie has just joined the congress.

americathebeautiful Wrote:5 hours ago (1:46 AM)
And oh hey, guess what, he’s another black con man.

——

Jeff39 Wrote:5 hours ago (1:07 AM)
Just what we need, another liberal POS in the senate. Welcome to the club. Make sure you get your new membership to the Congressional Black Caucus. They need some new blood.

——

bibleman KJV Wrote:8 hours ago (10:45 PM)
what can I say—just another black mark for America.—no pun intended

——

66 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 3:57:32am

re: #57 freetoken

“There are many wonderful people working in the Capitol I have gotten to know, and Diane is one of the sweetest,” Gohmert told The Daily Caller through a spokeswoman. “She will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers while continuing to monitor her recovery.”

Babies are sweet because they’re still innocent. Grown-assed women? Please. I’m not sure you fully “recover” from what ails her.

67 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:08:55am

re: #62 Sol Berdinowitz

She has finally touched on the Core Probem with America: namely that we were not founded as a Christian Nation, we were founded by deists and freemasons.

Freemasons have religiosity as a prerequisite for joining, and the vast majority of ‘freemasons’ at the time of the founding of the US were Christian.

The cool thing about the US is that we are a secular nation founded by Christians and deists.

68 Stoatly  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:13:40am

Youtube Video

69 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:18:16am

This is Dianne Foster Reidy.

facebook.com

70 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:25:34am

re: #69 Justanotherhuman

Let’s leave the poor woman alone.

71 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:26:29am

The wingnut tears of impotent rage are still flowing.

72 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:28:56am

re: #71 Vicious Babushka

GOP said debt ceiling was where they’d take a stand. If that was them taking a stand, I shudder to think what surrender looks like.

Because a sanctimonious dick like you equates “compromise” with “surrender”

73 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:29:31am

PRUDENCE HAZ A RAGE:

74 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:30:27am

re: #73 Vicious Babushka

PRUDENCE HAZ A RAGE:

[Embedded content]

not “if Obamacare”… WHEN Obamacare!!!

75 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:31:09am

re: #74 Sol Berdinowitz

not “if Obamacare”… WHEN Obamacare!!!

and I personally canot wait for Americas 40 milion uninsured to start feeling the effects…

76 Eventual Carrion  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:38:39am

re: #54 Sol Berdinowitz

I gathered, but it really sums up an attitude that everyone should be free to find out for himself if his hamburger is full of e. coli or if his doctor really has a valid medical degree…

Angie’s list?

77 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:41:37am

re: #70 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

Well, the House is in recess until next Tuesday. At least they can’t do any more harm until then.

78 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:50:25am
79 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:51:35am

re: #78 Vicious Babushka

RINO chip - the new dogwhistle?

80 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 4:57:22am
81 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:01:56am

The debate won the GOP nothing except to make it clear to everyone that the Tea Party caucus has hijacked the party, they have a gun and are not afraid to use it.

82 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:23:26am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

About Dianne M Reidy—makes over $10K/mo as Clerk of the House, long time employee, since at least 2005. Wonder if she was one of those Liberty U graduates hired by the Bushies?

legistorm.com

Anyway, this is the gist of what she said:

“He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ. “

WTF? A teabagging conspiracy theorist?

That stuff will drive you nuts. We know so from the numerous examples out there.

Heh. At least she got it halfway right in that a lot of the Founding Fathers were indeed Freemasons; usually, the wingnuts gloss that fact over.

Morning, all.

83 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:30:01am

re: #81 Sol Berdinowitz

The debate won the GOP nothing except to make it clear to everyone that the Tea Party caucus has hijacked the party, they have a gun and are not afraid to use it.

They didn’t even need a gun for this one.

Image: tearsofboehnerElephant.gif

84 Mattand  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:33:09am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

About Dianne M Reidy—makes over $10K/mo as Clerk of the House, long time employee, since at least 2005. Wonder if she was one of those Liberty U graduates hired by the Bushies?

legistorm.com

Anyway, this is the gist of what she said:

“He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ. “

WTF? A teabagging conspiracy theorist?

That stuff will drive you nuts. We know so from the numerous examples out there.

Thanks for the update. I saw that semi-live (DVR was on a 15 minute delay due to dinner making) and rewound it to make sure I actually thought I saw it correctly.

Hope she gets better.

85 Archangelus  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:36:31am

Good morning/afternoon/evening, my fellow Lizards!
So having tuned out all news yesterday on account of an absolutely insane work day, I find out today that a deal ending the ridiculousness and insanity was passed, GOP/TPers the big losers with their rep hitting rock bottom, and Booker won the Senate seat.
Definitely a good start for this Thursday, IMO…

86 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:37:22am

re: #82 Dr Lizardo, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

Heh. At least she got it halfway right in that a lot of the Founding Fathers were indeed Freemasons; usually, the wingnuts gloss that fact over.

Morning, all.

As I mentioned upthread, she is püutting a finger on what is the sore point for a lot of Dominionists and fundamentalists: that our nation made a major mistake at its founding by not declaring the Ten Commandments the basis of all law.

Don’t worry, they are doing everything they can to rectify that shortcoming.

87 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:40:55am

re: #84 Mattand

Thanks for the update. I saw that semi-live (DVR was on a 15 minute delay due to dinner making) and rewound it to make sure I actually thought I saw it correctly.

Hope she gets better.

Yes, so do I. Seems she has an awful lot on her plate, including 2 young children, in her late 40s. I can’t imagine living such an awful concrete mixer-like lifestyle. The stress must be overwhelming.

88 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:41:17am

re: #86 Sol Berdinowitz

As I mentioned upthread, she is püutting a finger on what is the sore point for a lot of Dominionists and fundamentalists: that our nation made a major mistake at its founding by not declaring the Ten Commandments the basis of all law.

Don’t worry, they are doing everything they can to rectify that shortcoming.

Dominionists and fundamentalists are nothing if not singularly persistent.

89 Internet Tough Guy  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:42:59am

re: #73 Vicious Babushka

Feel the Christian love.

90 Ian G.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:44:13am

Monin’ Lizards.

So I watched the house vote on CNN while on the eliptical at the gym and felt like popping a bottle of champagne when the ticker hit 218.

So what now for the teabaggers? Please tell me Louie Gomer is going to bring impeachment charges against the President. Please, please, please. That would be a clusterfuck for the GOP that makes the shutdown look like a victory for them.

91 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:44:47am

re: #88 Dr Lizardo, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

Dominionists and fundamentalists are nothing if not singularly persistent.

They have a monopoly on Truth, Justice and The American Way.

92 Ian G.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:47:00am

re: #56 Justanotherhuman

About Dianne M Reidy—makes over $10K/mo as Clerk of the House, long time employee, since at least 2005. Wonder if she was one of those Liberty U graduates hired by the Bushies?

legistorm.com

Anyway, this is the gist of what she said:

“He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ. “

WTF? A teabagging conspiracy theorist?

That stuff will drive you nuts. We know so from the numerous examples out there.

“You cannot serve two masters”

That is the essence of why I don’t trust Christian fundamentalists with the levers of democracy. If their first and foremost loyalty is to the supreme being in the sky whose laws are immutable, then democracy must go if it defies those laws.

The GOP, being a Christian theocratic party, is a threat to democracy.

93 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:49:06am

re: #92 Ian G.

“You cannot serve two masters”

That is the essence of why I don’t trust Christian fundamentalists with the levers of democracy. If their first and foremost loyalty is to the supreme being in the sky whose laws are immutable, then democracy must go if it defies their boneheaded, literalst, narrow-minded interpretation of those laws.

The GOP, being a Christian theocratic party, is a threat to democracy.

FTFY

94 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:55:42am

Time to do away with chaplains in the House and Senate, too.

Just my opinion as someone who thinks govt should be secular and not influenced by religion of any kind.

95 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 5:57:10am

re: #94 Justanotherhuman

Time to do away with chaplains in the House and Senate, too.

Just my opinion as someone who thinks govt should be secular and not influenced by religion of any kind.

People can be as resligious as they want to be, but our institutions must remain secular.

96 Ian G.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:00:14am

re: #95 Sol Berdinowitz

People can be as resligious as they want to be, but our institutions must remain secular.

Pretty much.

The Catholic Church doesn’t have to recognize two gays getting married, but the state should.

97 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:03:26am

re: #96 Ian G.

Pretty much.

The Catholic Church doesn’t have to recognize two gays getting married, but the state should.

That is the point. An employer can be against gambling, drinking and contraception, and can say so. But he cannot deny his adult employees access to them just because he disagrees.

98 Ian G.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:08:01am

Nice work, Jersey Shore:

nytimes.com

Is Lonegan a climate change denier? I’d guess yes, since it’s pretty much required of Republicans these days. So that freak storm that wrecked the Jersey Shore last year? Yeah, he doesn’t think anything abnormal happened there.

Also, do you think he would have lifted a finger to get any disaster relief for the Jersey Shore afterward? Yeah, I got a bridge to sell you.

99 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:08:48am

re: #80 Vicious Babushka

I wish I could believe that the fight’s over, but it isn’t.

Not by a long shot.

The TP/GOP is already ginning up the outrageous outrage to fight the ACA heading into the next series of deadlines that were included in the resolution of the default scheduled for today.

Ted Cruz used this entire episode as a fundraising and name building generator for 2016, when he intends to win the White House and repeal Obamacare. There’s no secret to the strategy.

The next three months will see the GOP trot out a steady stream of stories about how the ACA website is a failure, that the number of people is well below the numbers the Administration has been trotting out, and inserting poison pill provisions into all manner of legislation to sabotage the ACA.

As I’ve been wondering, the insertion of income verification is likely to be one of those poison pills. The ACA already has income verification of sorts, with the IRS handling the subsidies/penalties/clawback provisions if individuals exceed the income for the subsidy support.

The GOP thinks that they should have real-time income verification, which is something that the private sector doesn’t even have. In fact, the private sector has been trying to get this for decades - after all, it’s why banks need to go back and get months of payroll information before authorizing loans, etc. The IRS is the closest thing we have to income verification right now, but self-employed people have income that is highly variable, making verification tougher.

The GOP income verification provisions are likely to increase the burden on the self-employed people and the IRS (yes folks, the same agency the GOP has sought to dismantle). Cut funding and increase the workload.

That’s a guarantee for a hot mess. The GOP knows this. Creating chaos in the provision of affordable health insurance is what the GOP is after, and if they get enough people disgusted with the process, they think that they can get it repealed.

100 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:11:33am

DARVO ON DISPLAY

101 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:16:20am

re: #98 Ian G.

Nice work, Jersey Shore:

nytimes.com

Is Lonegan a climate change denier? I’d guess yes, since it’s pretty much required of Republicans these days. So that freak storm that wrecked the Jersey Shore last year? Yeah, he doesn’t think anything abnormal happened there.

Also, do you think he would have lifted a finger to get any disaster relief for the Jersey Shore afterward? Yeah, I got a bridge to sell you.

Lonegan calls global warming hysteria. He was okay with the shutdown, and was thinking that his election over Booker would usher in the GOP’s success against Obamacare - foisting its repeal upon the President and Democrats.

Delusional doesn’t begin to touch on this.

And he and the rest of the GOP have no problem holding back assistance for those on the Jersey Shore after Sandy. He sided with Rand Paul against Gov. Christie on claiming that NJ got too much aid.

New Jersey Senate candidate Steve Lonegan (R) said Saturday that he is siding with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in his ongoing war of words with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R), and claimed that aid for the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy last fall was “over the top.”

During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Up W/Steve Kornacki,” Lonegan said while he believes his former gubernatorial rival Christie is a “strong leader,” he disagrees with the governor on several issues, including recovery funds for Hurricane Sandy.

“I disagree with Governor Christie and President Obama on Hurricane Sandy funding,” he said. “I thought it was over the top. I thought it was too much money.”

When asked about the governor’s ongoing feud with Paul, Lonegan said he’s “more on the side” of the Kentucky senator.

“I am deeply concerned about a government that really should be protecting us from our enemies rather than spying on our friends and our neighbors and our families,” he said. “The NSA has overreached its powers.”

Not just TP, but a Paulian. And willingly would screw over the Jersey shore - many of those who decided to vote for him anyways. Low information voters? Quite possibly. But not all of them. Some really are drinking the Kool-Aid.

102 Feline Fearless Leader  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:21:16am

re: #101 lawhawk

Lonegan calls global warming hysteria. He was okay with the shutdown, and was thinking that his election over Booker would usher in the GOP’s success against Obamacare - foisting its repeal upon the President and Democrats.

Delusional doesn’t begin to touch on this.

And he and the rest of the GOP have no problem holding back assistance for those on the Jersey Shore after Sandy. He sided with Rand Paul against Gov. Christie on claiming that NJ got too much aid.

Not just TP, but a Paulian. And willingly would screw over the Jersey shore - many of those who decided to vote for him anyways. Low information voters? Quite possibly. But not all of them. Some really are drinking the Kool-Aid.

Also have to guess that there would be a potentially large set of residents there along the shore who would want the tourism in that area to dry up. Lower property values leading to lower taxes, less traffic, and fewer annoying tourists on *their* beaches in the summer. A sort of “get off my lawn” mentality.

103 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:24:47am

re: #102 Feline Fearless Leader

I really don’t think that’s it. There are some towns and enclaves where beach access is limited - passes required, etc., so they’ve got the beaches to themselves, but most of the shore is easily accessible and is a huge driver for the NJ economy.

Tourism generates 10% of total employment in the state, $34.7B in state GDP in 2012 or 7% of entire state economy.

Source: visitnj.org (downloads a PPT).

104 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:26:13am

I once spent a summer in Cape May as an intern for a summer theater group. Lots of beautiful old Victorian homes, nice resort area.

Also a bunch of fundamentalists, who thought our performances were Teh Stan.

105 sagehen  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:27:11am

All my Philadelphia friends used to go to the Jersey Shore every single weekend from spring thaw until well after the fall rains started.

106 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:30:44am

It is just a local symptom of politicians who would rather shoot themselves (and their constituents) in the foot than accept any federal assistance.

107 miclaine  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:35:26am

from Chicago Sun Times editorial: D.C. debacle — Requiem for the Yahoos -

suntimes.com

…The American people did rise up and speak in an overwhelming voice, but not against Obamacare — for all their legitimate doubts — or in support of holding a gun to the economy’s head.

…The biggest takeaway from this manufactured crisis is that the Republican Party, if it has any hope of remaining a viable national party, finally must stand up to the yahoos in its ranks. No more tolerance for crazy ultimatums. No more feeding on the saddest populist anger, fear and ignorance. No more rigid extremism that calls compromise a sin. No more living in a cartoon alternate reality in which defaults don’t matter, global warming is a liberal plot and the theory of evolution is doubtful.

Read the whole thing.

108 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:35:42am

Good morning. I notice that there is an interesting coalition of the butthurt this morning between the far left and the far right.

109 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:35:44am

Mornin’ everyone.

110 Feline Fearless Leader  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:35:46am

re: #103 lawhawk

I really don’t think that’s it. There are some towns and enclaves where beach access is limited - passes required, etc., so they’ve got the beaches to themselves, but most of the shore is easily accessible and is a huge driver for the NJ economy.

Tourism generates 10% of total employment in the state, $34.7B in state GDP in 2012 or 7% of entire state economy.

Source: visitnj.org (downloads a PPT).

Just reflecting a bit since I heard a few locals down in a cafe near the Wilmington (NC) area beaches bitching about what a pain it was using the roads and how crowded things were during season.

111 Feline Fearless Leader  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:37:00am

re: #108 b.d.

Good morning. I notice that there is an interesting coalition of the butthurt this morning between the far left and the far right.

Expect something from Greenwald shortly since he has to wrest attention away from Congress and the shut-down and back onto himself. An ego shrivels unless it gets the spotlight.
/

112 Dark_Falcon  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:37:12am

re: #108 b.d.

Good morning. I notice that there is an interesting coalition of the butthurt this morning between the far left and the far right.

What is the far left saying? More Greenwaldism?

113 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:37:55am

Johnathan Chait - always a good read if you want to understand what’s going on…

Here he is explaining that there are two crazy fucking wings within the GOP.

But will Republicans continue to hold the debt ceiling hostage indefinitely (or, at least, until a Republican occupies the White House)? I doubt it. The debt-ceiling fight was not brought on by Ted Cruz and his baying hordes. It was actually the preferred strategy of mainstream Republicans, especially Paul Ryan. The Ryanites opposed shutting the government down because they wanted to extort Obama with default. The crazies who favored the shutdown were actually willing to lift the debt ceiling so they could keep the shutdown going.

That is to say, debt-ceiling extortion was not the tool of Republican ultras, unwilling to acknowledge political limits. It was the tool of the calculating party leaders. They viewed the debt ceiling as a smart leverage play to fulfill their goal of winning concessions without giving any in return.

114 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:41:49am

re: #113 darthstar

Johnathan Chait - always a good read if you want to understand what’s going on…

Here he is explaining that there are two crazy fucking wings within the GOP.

Holy shit…there’s a magic bullet in the compromise!

The plan includes a proposal offered by McConnell in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis that allows Congress to disapprove of the debt ceiling increase, which means lawmakers will formally vote on whether to reject a debt ceiling increase until Feb. 7. Obama can veto that legislation if it passes. If Congress fails as expected to gather a two-thirds majority to override the veto, the debt ceiling would be raised.

In other words, the GOP can rally behind their Gadsden flags and vote NO! NO! NO! all they like, but without 2/3 in both houses, debt ceiling increases will occur as necessary.

115 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:42:13am

re: #112 Dark_Falcon

What is the far left saying? More Greenwaldism?

There’s a rec. list diary on KOS saying how all this is just a setup for the catfood commission and anyone celebrating this is just a bunch of idiots. A sampling:

After this fiasco, it’s very clear that the front page and the loudest voices on this site have lost all credibility.

dailykos.com

Obviously Obama should have demanded a single payer option in exchange for Boehner opening the government.

//

116 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:43:13am

re: #114 darthstar

In other words, the GOP can rally behind their Gadsden flags and vote NO! NO! NO! all they like, but without 2/3 in both houses, debt ceiling increases will occur as necessary.

But then they can claim a moral victory for having fought against it, and can go home and tell their constituencies that they are still good, fiscally responsible Republicans at heart…

117 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:44:16am

re: #111 Feline Fearless Leader

Expect something from Greenwald shortly since he has to wrest attention away from Congress and the shut-down and back onto himself. An ego shrivels unless it gets the spotlight.
/

I’m not so sure that Greenwald didn’t quit a real paying job based off of a drunken pipe dream talk with a billionaire.

Pressed for details on their deal and site there doesn’t seem to be anything there at all. It was beautiful drunk talk but turning it into something that is real is another story.

118 Professor Chaos  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:48:40am

re: #114 darthstar

Holy shit…there’s a magic bullet in the compromise!

In other words, the GOP can rally behind their Gadsden flags and vote NO! NO! NO! all they like, but without 2/3 in both houses, debt ceiling increases will occur as necessary.

Not increases, just the next one:

That mechanism would utterly defang the debt ceiling, returning it to its historical place as an opportunity for ineffectual posturing rather than extortion. Alas, it only applies to the next debt-ceiling vote. But Democrats hope that using this method this time will set a precedent that eases the way for Congress to make it a permanent procedure. It seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, but the groundwork is being laid to one day lock up dangerous weaponry lying around the American political system and prevent future crises.

119 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:49:11am

re: #114 darthstar

Holy shit…there’s a magic bullet in the compromise!

The plan includes a proposal offered by McConnell in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis that allows Congress to disapprove of the debt ceiling increase, which means lawmakers will formally vote on whether to reject a debt ceiling increase until Feb. 7. Obama can veto that legislation if it passes. If Congress fails as expected to gather a two-thirds majority to override the veto, the debt ceiling would be raised.

In other words, the GOP can rally behind their Gadsden flags and vote NO! NO! NO! all they like, but without 2/3 in both houses, debt ceiling increases will occur as necessary.

I noticed that as well; the Breitbrats and the Freepers noticed that fairly quickly, and their reaction was…….predictable; i.e., barely coherent shrieking.

Heh.

120 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:49:16am

re: #116 Sol Berdinowitz

But then they can claim a moral victory for having fought against it, and can go home and tell their constituencies that they are still good, fiscally responsible Republicans at heart…

That’ll work for the gerrymandered teabaggers. But the more important thing is they can’t hold the country hostage anymore…I still expect zero jobs bills from them before late 2014 when they need one to help get reelected, but that’s just politics.

121 Dark_Falcon  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:50:06am

re: #116 Sol Berdinowitz

But then they can claim a moral victory for having fought against it, and can go home and tell their constituencies that they are still good, fiscally responsible Republicans at heart…

That’s the point of the provision: It lets those who are worried about primary challenges whirl their teabags around without actually disrupting the government.

122 Dark_Falcon  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:51:37am

re: #115 b.d.

There’s a rec. list diary on KOS saying how all this is just a setup for the catfood commission and anyone celebrating this is just a bunch of idiots. A sampling:

dailykos.com

Obviously Obama should have demanded a single payer option in exchange for Boehner opening the government.

//

Not for nothing have we called people posting things like that ‘firebaggers’. They’re less influential than teabaggers, but still obnoxious.

123 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:52:28am

re: #118 Professor Chaos

Not increases, just the next one:

Ah, I see that. But it puts us in the right direction on this subject. Let’s see if the GOP is smart enough to say they want the debt increase to last beyond the next election or if they want to have this fight in August.

124 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:53:03am

MORON

125 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:53:58am

re: #124 Vicious Babushka

Alright you 800,000 non-essential govt employees, back to work! There are non-essential jobs to be done!

You mean like maintaining our National parks and monuments?

126 Professor Chaos  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:54:39am

This only means the gun safe is locked in February. They can still get the combination and can pick up the gun after that increase, if they so choose. We have to hope that somewhere along the way the adults in Congress vote to permanently lock the safe so that the children are permanently unable to hold another temper tantrum hostage taking.

127 makeitstop  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:55:33am

re: #114 darthstar

Holy shit…there’s a magic bullet in the compromise!

In other words, the GOP can rally behind their Gadsden flags and vote NO! NO! NO! all they like, but without 2/3 in both houses, debt ceiling increases will occur as necessary.

Ted Cruz will call a presser to proclaim this as a ‘great victory’ this afternoon./

Dopes. Obama really took ‘em to the cleaners yesterday.

128 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:57:58am

re: #122 Dark_Falcon

Not for nothing have we called people posting things like that ‘firebaggers’. They’re less influential than teabaggers, but still obnoxious.

Like Teabaggers, they like noting that their supposed political party does. Chronic bitchers who would never like anything, even the stuff they say they want.

129 Gus  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:58:45am


Anti-Israel howler monkeys in 3, 2, 1…

There was already THAT WRT to Cory Booker anyway.

130 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 6:58:50am

Heh…..good editorial cartoon from the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Image: RepublicanFamilyValus_zps07f69d5f.jpg

131 Gus  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:00:02am


Splodey heads!

132 makeitstop  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:02:10am

re: #128 b.d.

Like Teabaggers, they like noting that their supposed political party does. Chronic bitchers who would never like anything, even the stuff they say they want.

Yeah, a firebagger friend went on an extended Facebook rant last night about how the agreement adhered to sequester funding levels, both sides are baaaaad, etc.

They’re no different from the Teabaggers in the respect that they expect 100% of what they want right now, and anything less is completely unacceptable.

I’ve given up on trying to engage them at all. It always ends in a flurry of self-righteous whining and slinging of the term ‘O-Bot.’

Fuck ‘em. Them and their opposite numbers running loose on the Right.

133 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:02:43am

re: #130 Dr Lizardo, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

Heh…..good editorial cartoon from the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Image: RepublicanFamilyValus_zps07f69d5f.jpg

Nice touch. The burner has a Fox News label half hidden by the glassware in front.

134 Professor Chaos  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:02:45am

re: #127 makeitstop

Ted Cruz will call a presser to proclaim this as a ‘great victory’ this afternoon./

Dopes. Obama really took ‘em to the cleaners yesterday.

I have not been a big supporter of President Obama, but mainly rather an enemy of his enemies, as I have recognized the craziness within the GOP for some time and have been repelled by it. That being said, I am proud of my President today. This was a Constitutional stand that had to be taken and he did not back down.

135 Gus  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:03:45am

CORY BOOKER IS TEH SEKRIT JUICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

//

136 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:05:09am

re: #134 Professor Chaos

I have not been a big supporter of President Obama, but mainly rather an enemy of his enemies, as I have recognized the craziness within the GOP for some time and have been repelled by it. That being said, I am proud of my President today. This was a Constitutional stand that had to be taken and he did not back down.

Doing what he’s supposed to do, uphold the Constitution and perform the duties of his office. Something some crazies have forgotten in their zeal to overturn every amendment since the Constitution was first written.

137 Aqua Obama  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:06:23am

Youtube Video

138 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:07:32am

re: #135 Gus

CORY BOOKER IS TEH SEKRIT JUICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

//

WE HAVE A BLACK MUSLIM PRESIDENT AND NOW WE HAVE A BLACK JEWISH SENATOR?

139 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:08:31am

re: #133 wheat-dogghazi

Nice touch. The burner has a Fox News label half hidden by the glassware in front.

I noticed that as well; it certainly made me chuckle.

140 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:12:10am

It really is embarrassing to live in a country that has shown such ignorance over the last few years with so many engaging in ODS (Black man presidenting). The world is changing—just because some don’t want it to doesn’t mean it won’t. Demographics, cultural “norms”—should all point to a better situation for billions on the planet who deserve a certain level of existence, including education and work, that makes life worth living. Countries can afford that as long as the self-anointed privileged are stopped from taking more than their share, but not only do they, the privileged, try to stop progress for everyone else, they enlist the fearful in their causes.

Although lately, in the US and even elsewhere, it’s as though the lunatics have taken over the asylum and everyone else is having to pay them for the “favor”.

You’d think that in the 21st century fear of “the Other” would be meaningless, but as long as certain segments of a population continue to push that fear, through religion, politics and economics, we haven’t advanced as far as we think we have, technology and industrialization notwithstanding. They’re smart enough to use that to their own advantage.

But I think we’ll get through this, and be the wiser for it. Some won’t change, but it will be to their disadvantage, not ours.

141 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:13:51am

re: #140 Justanotherhuman

The GOP was alow to distance itself from the raving chowderheads in its ranks, little did they realize that it would quickly turn into a free-for-all, attention-grabbing race to the bottom in order to say anything critical of Obama and the federal government.

Now it is too late, they have hijacked the narrative.

142 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:15:09am
143 Dr. Matt  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:16:35am

So, to recap: The GOP lost the debt ceiling/CR deal AND Steve Lonegan’s bid for the Senate.

What’s the word I’m looking for….Schaden-something, Schadenment, Schadenski, …..Schadenfreude? Ah….yeah, that’s it. Schadenfreude.

144 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:17:27am

re: #143 Dr. Matt

So, to recap: The GOP lost the debt ceiling/CR deal AND Steve Lonegan’s bid for the Senate.

What’s the word I’m looking for….Schaden-something, Schadenment, Schadenski, …..Schadenfreude? Ah….yeah, that’s it. Schadenfreude.

Schadtinthefootenfreude

145 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:17:44am

re: #125 Sol Berdinowitz

And funding and doing cancer research. And protecting food from pathogens. And getting paid for monitoring the weather and issuing forecasts so that people have warnings for severe weather, producing crops, etc.

146 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:18:48am
147 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:19:17am

re: #143 Dr. Matt


Booker’s win was never really in doubt, but it does suggest that the dynamic hasn’t really changed looking forward to 2014 (if more of the same obstructionism and extortionism is what you’re seeking from the GOP).

If anything, this episode will be a preview of the attack ads by both sides in 2014.

148 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:19:47am

re: #146 Justanotherhuman

Joe Biden greets EPA workers and he brought muffins!

Typical, getting people dependent on free government stuff…


/

149 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:22:18am
150 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:22:47am
151 Dark_Falcon  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:23:19am

re: #132 makeitstop

Yeah, a firebagger friend went on an extended Facebook rant last night about how the agreement adhered to sequester funding levels, both sides are baaaaad, etc.

They’re no different from the Teabaggers in the respect that they expect 100% of what they want right now, and anything less is completely unacceptable.

I’ve given up on trying to engage them at all. It always ends in a flurry of self-righteous whining and slinging of the term ‘O-Bot.’

Fuck ‘em. Them and their opposite numbers running loose on the Right.

They want to scream and rant, not govern. Some people just cannot accept the impurity that is an integral part of governing in a nation as diverse as the US.

152 Dr. Matt  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:23:38am

re: #147 lawhawk

So either #NJSen was a single-digit race until recently or the shutdown didn’t hurt Rs at all. Neither is good news for Ds in 2014.
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) October 17, 2013

I wonder in how many places Phil injured his spine attempting to twist that statement into “logic”. It’s pretty fucking embarrassing to claim a single race, on a Wednesday, in October, which the Dems won is “not good news for Ds in 2014”.

153 Interesting Times  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:23:43am

re: #147 lawhawk

WTF kind of idiotic concern-trolling is that tweet? I can’t make heads or tails of it. And what would that wanker have to say about this?

Democrats pick up a Republican-held seat in the Florida legislature

On Tuesday night, Democrats scored a big win in central Florida, picking up a GOP-held seat in a special election for the state House. Democrat Amanda Murphy scored a narrow 51-49 win over Republican Bill Gunter in the 36th House District, even though she was heavily outraised. What’s more, the state Republican Party spent over $250,000 to hold this seat (far more than the Dems did), but couldn’t keep it in their column.

154 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:24:49am

re: #153 Interesting Times

WTF kind of idiotic concern-trolling is that tweet? I can’t make heads or tails of it. And what would that wanker have to say about this?

Democrats pick up a Republican-held seat in the Florida legislature

PRICELESS

155 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:25:50am


Failed New York City mayoral candidate and infamous sexter Anthony Weiner recently told GQ magazine that if the Internet did not exist, he would have been elected mayor.
156 Dr. Matt  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:26:53am

re: #147 lawhawk

P.S. Booker won by double digits. Irrespective, his overarching premise is fucking obtuse. Just like teabaggers claiming the special elections they won prior to the last Presidential Election were “indicators” that Obama would lose.

157 b.d.  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:27:07am

re: #151 Dark_Falcon

They want to scream and rant, not govern. Some people just cannot accept the impurity that is an integral part of governing in a nation as diverse as the US.

It would be different if the Firebaggers didn’t turn out to be wrong every single time. How many posses have they sent out to fight the phantom catfood commission and in their minds Obama HATES old people and wants them to starve and shiver on the street.

At least the Teabaggers got people elected on their views, notice how not even ONE democrat bolted last night? Not even non-dem, ultra-pure Bernie.

158 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:27:12am

re: #152 Dr. Matt

I wonder in how many places Phil injured his spine attempting to twist that statement into “logic”. It’s pretty fucking embarrassing to claim a single race, on a Wednesday, in October, which the Dems won is “not good news for Ds in 2014”.

Yeah, really.

It’s wishful thinking. But we need to keep up the narrative about who these people really are—that they’re not good for the country. They have a lot to live down in trying to take down the US economy with their antics.

159 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:27:27am

re: #146 Justanotherhuman

[Embedded content]

HE’S SPIKING THE FOOTBALL! I MEAN MUFFIN!

Actually, Biden’s the designated football spiker on this occasion, because he just looks so damn happy doing it.

160 Dark_Falcon  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:30:39am

BBL

161 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:31:34am

re: #146 Justanotherhuman

They’d better have been blueberry muffins, or I’d have turned around and gone home.
//

162 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:32:43am

President Obama gives a statement.

163 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:32:44am

re: #155 darthstar

Failed New York City mayoral candidate and infamous sexter Anthony Weiner recently told GQ magazine that if the Internet did not exist, he would have been elected mayor.

Okay, let the MBF sprinkle a little dust and remind us that the GOP has no monopoly on arrogant dickheads…

164 Gus  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:33:57am

No comment.

165 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:35:51am

re: #163 Sol Berdinowitz

If Weiner had been born female, he might been elected mayor, too. Or if he had a lick of common sense and not sexted in the first place …

166 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:36:31am

re: #163 Sol Berdinowitz

Okay, let the MBF sprinkle a little dust and remind us that the GOP has no monopoly on arrogant dickheads…

Weiner wasn’t a very good congressman…yeah, he gave some good speeches, but he didn’t accomplish much and wasn’t a proactive member. I’m just tired of him and want him to go away. It has nothing to do with party affiliation.

167 darthstar  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:36:56am

re: #165 wheat-dogghazi

If Weiner had been born female, he might been elected mayor, too. Or if he had a lick of common sense and not sexted in the first place …

If it wasn’t for the internet he’d still be in congress.

168 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:38:44am

re: #162 darthstar

President Obama gives a statement.

He’s about to really give a statement. : )

169 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:40:30am

re: #93 Sol Berdinowitz

re: #92 Ian G.

“You cannot serve two masters”

That is the essence of why I don’t trust Christian fundamentalists with the levers of democracy. If their first and foremost loyalty is to the supreme being in the sky whose laws are immutable, then democracy must go if it defies their boneheaded, literalst, narrow-minded interpretation of those laws.

The GOP, being a Christian theocratic party, is a threat to democracy.

FTFY

You know, that’s not actually an improvement. It doesn’t matter whose interpretation, or how boneheaded - the idea that Government should privilege God’s laws over democratic principles is the problem.

170 Feline Fearless Leader  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:40:56am

Big Kitty is Watching

And we note that Felining While Black does not disturb the nuts. But even they know better than to flaunt the Feline Overlords.

171 Feline Fearless Leader  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:42:07am

re: #169 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi

FTFY

You know, that’s not actually an improvement. It doesn’t matter whose interpretation, or how boneheaded - the idea that Government should privilege God’s laws over democratic principles is the problem.

I see this stuff and remember reading about the anti-Catholic rhetoric flowing about the Kennedy campaign due to the know-nothingism claiming he would be in thrall to the Pope.

172 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:43:27am

re: #171 Feline Fearless Leader

You know, that’s not actually an improvement. It doesn’t matter whose interpretation, or how boneheaded - the idea that Government should privilege God’s laws over democratic principles is the problem.

I see this stuff and remember reading about the anti-Catholic rhetoric flowing about the Kennedy campaign due to the know-nothingism claiming he would be in thrall to the Pope.

Same thing happened when Al Smith ran.

173 makeitstop  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:43:28am

re: #166 darthstar

Weiner wasn’t a very good congressman…yeah, he gave some good speeches, but he didn’t accomplish much and wasn’t a proactive member. I’m just tired of him and want him to go away. It has nothing to do with party affiliation.

He was one of the best partisans the Dems ever had - he never failed to land kidney-punches on the GOP when he was on any of the news channels.

That said - too clever by half. How he ever thought he’d get away with what he did perfectly illustrates his arrogance, which was his fatal flaw.

174 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:43:47am

re: #152 Dr. Matt

Politics is local. Lonegan wasn’t going to win unless Booker had some unbelievable gaffe or scandal emerge to kill his chances. That didn’t happen. Democrats hold an advantage in NJ despite significant parts of the Jersey shore and SW NJ being solid GOP territory. It’s why the GOP hasn’t won a Senate election here in 40+ years.

But it does suggest that Christie’s coattails aren’t as long as people might hope them to be. Or, Christie was doing just enough to show he supported the GOP ticket, but not too much to give independents and moderates the fits for backing a loon like Lonegan. I suspect the latter was in play. Christie had no reason to expend political capital on an extremist with whom he’s had slugfests before in primaries (for being an extremist out of touch with NJ values).

What does all this suggest for 2014 chances?

For the core Democrats, this is good news. Fundraising opportunities and Booker is a passionate and coherent voice whose media saavy and use of twitter and social media is something that will help the Democrats GOTV and rally around their vision.

For core GOPers, the outcome doesn’t have the same resonance. They can take away that Booker was going to win anyways and Lonegan made it about as close as anyone expected (the polls were pretty much on target - the 10-14 point spread, with the higher difference being the outlier). Low turnout didn’t help/harm either candidate. It cut both ways.

GOP strategists will try and claim that this is about all we can take away from the special election - and that it doesn’t show any national trends.

That’s probably accurate. We’d have to see national polling on the shutdown ending and avoiding the default to see who wins/loses this round.

As for my own winners/losers from the past week:

Winners:

Booker (obviously)
Obama (for upholding the separation of powers, Obamacare, etc.)
Cruz - for turning this into a fundraising stump speech for his 2016 presidential campaign

Losers:
GOP - screwed with the markets, the economy, and got nothing in return (the way it should be because of their extortionist acts).
The American people (all political affiliations) - we got screwed by the GOP shutdown, regardless of where you stand, and your politics, and we’ll be right back at this in 3 months. The deal is little more than a cortisone shot when we need surgery to fix the debt ceiling/appropriations process. Delays the inevitable.
Lonegan (obviously)
Those seeking insurance via Obamacare exchanges and finding all the problems with the healthcare.gov rollout
Those seeking insurance via the exchanges and likely subjected to increased income verification requirements as part of this deal that are more intrusive and make more paperwork for everyone.
Rubio (overshadowed by Cruz).

175 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:43:52am

57 days will fly by, what w/holidays and all—like the actual days the House works during that period.

176 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:45:38am

re: #166 darthstar

Weiner wasn’t a very good congressman…yeah, he gave some good speeches, but he didn’t accomplish much and wasn’t a proactive member. I’m just tired of him and want him to go away. It has nothing to do with party affiliation.

Weiner saw himself as a Schumer protege (he won Schumer’s House district after Schumer went to the Senate). But he had none of the discipline or ability to get legislation through to succeed as Schumer did.

But Weiner maintained the airs of entitlement to be in office. He’s learned nothing since.

177 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:47:27am

re: #133 wheat-dogghazi

Nice touch. The burner has a Fox News label half hidden by the glassware in front.

I like the flask containing the Gadsden flag snake.

178 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:48:38am

re: #169 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi

FTFY

You know, that’s not actually an improvement. It doesn’t matter whose interpretation, or how boneheaded - the idea that Government should privilege God’s laws over democratic principles is the problem.

We have a clear choice: the Bible or Sharia.

Which side are you on?

179 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:49:37am

re: #177 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi

I like the flask containing the Gadsden flag snake.

I caught that, too. The whole cartoon has an early 20th century feel to it, which is not a bad thing.

180 Varek Raith  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:50:25am

re: #155 darthstar

[Embedded content]

Lol.

181 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:51:06am

re: #178 Sol Berdinowitz

Ramayana.

182 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:51:29am

re: #175 Justanotherhuman

57 days will fly by, what w/holidays and all—like the actual days the House works during that period.

[Embedded content]

23 working days left for the House, including Dec 13.

majorityleader.gov

Of course, they worked some this week, when they weren’t scheduled because of the intransigence of the GOP.

183 HappyWarrior  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:53:20am

re: #174 lawhawk

Politics is local. Lonegan wasn’t going to win unless Booker had some unbelievable gaffe or scandal emerge to kill his chances. That didn’t happen. Democrats hold an advantage in NJ despite significant parts of the Jersey shore and SW NJ being solid GOP territory. It’s why the GOP hasn’t won a Senate election here in 40+ years.

But it does suggest that Christie’s coattails aren’t as long as people might hope them to be. Or, Christie was doing just enough to show he supported the GOP ticket, but not too much to give independents and moderates the fits for backing a loon like Lonegan. I suspect the latter was in play. Christie had no reason to expend political capital on an extremist with whom he’s had slugfests before in primaries (for being an extremist out of touch with NJ values).

What does all this suggest for 2014 chances?

For the core Democrats, this is good news. Fundraising opportunities and Booker is a passionate and coherent voice whose media saavy and use of twitter and social media is something that will help the Democrats GOTV and rally around their vision.

For core GOPers, the outcome doesn’t have the same resonance. They can take away that Booker was going to win anyways and Lonegan made it about as close as anyone expected (the polls were pretty much on target - the 10-14 point spread, with the higher difference being the outlier). Low turnout didn’t help/harm either candidate. It cut both ways.

GOP strategists will try and claim that this is about all we can take away from the special election - and that it doesn’t show any national trends.

That’s probably accurate. We’d have to see national polling on the shutdown ending and avoiding the default to see who wins/loses this round.

As for my own winners/losers from the past week:

Winners:

Booker (obviously)
Obama (for upholding the separation of powers, Obamacare, etc.)
Cruz - for turning this into a fundraising stump speech for his 2016 presidential campaign

Losers:
GOP - screwed with the markets, the economy, and got nothing in return (the way it should be because of their extortionist acts).
The American people (all political affiliations) - we got screwed by the GOP shutdown, regardless of where you stand, and your politics, and we’ll be right back at this in 3 months. The deal is little more than a cortisone shot when we need surgery to fix the debt ceiling/appropriations process. Delays the inevitable.
Lonegan (obviously)
Those seeking insurance via Obamacare exchanges and finding all the problems with the healthcare.gov rollout
Those seeking insurance via the exchanges and likely subjected to increased income verification requirements as part of this deal that are more intrusive and make more paperwork for everyone.
Rubio (overshadowed by Cruz).

You’re right about Rubio. I imagine he has been completely overtaken by Cruz as the base’s sweetheart. Anyhow glad Booker won. Not surprised obviously.

184 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:53:26am
185 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 7:59:09am

Wingnuts falling back to old favorite memes:

186 Dr Lizardo  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:00:55am

re: #185 Vicious Babushka

Wingnuts falling back to old favorite memes:

[Embedded content]

No surprises there, I have to say. Wingnuts have a hard time dealing with political failure reality.

187 HappyWarrior  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:01:48am

Well I got my email from OPM. I can pick up my government ID now.

188 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:03:15am

DERP

189 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:03:26am

“There are no winners here.” Pres Obama, saying that all the to-do going on over the shutdown hurt the economy.

190 HappyWarrior  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:04:12am

re: #189 Justanotherhuman

“There are no winners here.” Pres Obama, saying that all the to-do going on over the shutdown hurt the economy.

He’s handling this like a president should so naturally the wingnuts will be furious.

191 aagcobb  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:04:51am

re: #75 Sol Berdinowitz

and I personally canot wait for Americas 40 milion uninsured to start feeling the effects…

I just hope the damn website gets up and running soon. Thank goodness the idiot Teahadis made focused all the media’s attention on the shutdown, otherwise the top story would’ve been how dysfunctional the healthcare website has been.

192 lawhawk  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:05:12am

re: #153 Interesting Times

I hadn’t seen that particular race. Glad that the Democrats picked up a seat that they weren’t expected to gain. But how does that carry over to Congressional races, or to the House/Senate makeup? Is that enough to carry into 2014?

I’m not so sure.

193 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:05:14am

re: #190 HappyWarrior

He’s handling this like a president should so naturally the wingnuts will be furious.

Yes, the adult in the roomful of children.

194 aagcobb  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:07:54am

re: #96 Ian G.

Pretty much.

The Catholic Church doesn’t have to recognize two gays getting married, but the state should.

They can marry, as long as its a gay man marrying a gay woman!

195 Sol Berdinowitz  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:08:05am

re: #193 Justanotherhuman

Yes, the adult in the roomful of children.

He is talking down to us, which is the moral equivalent of spiking the ball.

See?

/

196 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:15:15am

Was this idiot bitching about the National Parks being closed?

197 Justanotherhuman  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:21:00am

“Don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent over 200 years building.” Pres Obama

And, thanking Federal workers for service.

“We are Americans first. We can’t allow disagreement to become dysfunction.”

198 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:22:02am

Don’t forget James Woods…

199 Vicious Babushka  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:23:40am

DERP

200 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:23:55am

re: #198 Vicious Babushka

Don’t forget James Woods…

Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood are runners-up.

201 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:24:30am

re: #196 Vicious Babushka

Was this idiot bitching about the National Parks being closed?

No work and all pay makes Jack a Government worker(And/Or Union Thug). #LNYHBT

Should be # LNYBBT - Let Not Your Brain Be Troubled.

202 wheat-dogghazi  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:26:12am

re: #199 Vicious Babushka

DERP

Obama just blamed the bad economy on Republicans in Congress, bloggers, and the Tooth Fairy.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 17, 2013

Shapiro really is an insufferable little p—z, isn’t he?

203 William Barnett-Lewis  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 8:42:27am

re: #202 wheat-dogghazi

Shapiro really is an insufferable little p—z, isn’t he?

pissant would be a better description, to me at least.

204 Backwoods_Sleuth  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 9:16:31am

…..

205 Eventual Carrion  Thu, Oct 17, 2013 9:26:40am

re: #200 wheat-dogghazi

Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood are runners-up.

Ronnie Raygun


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