I’m writing for tomorrow, day 2, even though 11-7 feels no luckier than Tuesday, which came up snake-eyes. Obviously, I’m still not a happy camper, but I didn’t give up after the disasters of 2000, 2004, or 2010. We should have another chance to save this nation in 2016, so campaign 2016 starts now.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Congressional seats are on pace to fetch a whopping four billion dollars on Tuesday night, a record-smashing sales figure that has exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic insiders.
The seats, which include four hundred and thirty-five in the House of Representatives and thirty-six in the Senate, have attracted buyers from a broad spectrum of industries, including investment banking, energy, pharmaceutical, and gun.
“With all of the uncertainty in the world today, the United States Congress is considered a very safe place for the rich to invest their money,” said Charles Michollot, of the auction house Sotheby’s. “Congressional seats are like Manhattan real estate—they aren’t making any more of them.”
But Anton Pickardin, of the rival auction house Christie’s, sounds more skeptical. “I hate to be a wet blanket, but these sales figures lack rhyme and reason,” Pickardin said. “When someone is willing to pay millions of dollars for a pre-owned Mitch McConnell, you know that people have lost their minds.”
Given that this came out on election morning, before any returns were available, Andy proved himself a prophet, not just a comic.
From Upworthy: The Great Barrier Reef is in real danger. A lot of good folks are drawing attention to what’s going on and calling out companies that are doing the literal dirty work. How dirty? Very dirty.
Sadly any help the US might have been in curtailing the use of fossil fuels in the next two years just went up in smoke. This is just one of the reasons campaign 2016 begins now.
From NY Times: All told, Republican outside groups spent about $205 million on television advertising in Senate races, according to a Democrat tracking media purchases, who agreed to share the information on condition of anonymity, while Democratic groups spent $132 million.
Note that this does not count the spending after the reporting deadline that has not yet been reported. Republican spending during this period was so massive that there was no ad time left for candidates to buy. We have the worst Legislature money has ever bought.
Cartoon:
8 Responses to “Open Thread–11/7/2014”
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New Yorker – once again Andy's satire is too close to home for comfort – though I do like the idea of Christie's selling them, that would be more honest than what happens in back rooms at the moment!
Upworthy – thanks for this TC, I had missed this so I listened to the video and clicked on the link – and found five petitions to sign (the C2 one I had come across before and signed) – I added this to the letter in the fourth one "To dredge the Reef and cause the massive knock-on damage that it will cause to the Reef's coral and the sea grass beds is like saying you would like a pound of apples – so cutting down the whole tree!"
Thanks for this TC – remember what a friend of mine told me during a time of hideous stress, he wrote (there are different phrasings of it) Noli illegitimae te carborundum! (Don't let the ******** grind you down!) – I think it should be the motto of all of us trying to do good against insuperable odds!
2:54 It figures! I get all the way to the top and find there is no food there. That's why TC took his sweet time today.
2:56 I'm trying to be vegetarian so the leaves look good!
New Yorker ~ Sob!
Upworthy ~ When are they going to pay the fines they already owe. Probably when BP finishes cleaning up the Gulf. I signed all the petitions listed if you click on the link at the end of the video.
NY Times ~ Let's hope they aren't able to buy the Presidency.
Cartoon ~ Never!
4:33 average unchanged.
New Yorker – House seats were said to be averaging $20 million, though of course not every race must have been spent in, because $4 billion would only buy 200 house seats at that price, with othing left over for the Senate. Who would buy a pre-owned Mitch McConnell? the same people who would buy a pre-owned Ted Crux and a pre-owned Louie Gohmert, plus a brand new Glenn Grothman and a brand new Joni Ernst.
Upworthy – Like Pat A, I had previously signed the Care2 one (last December, actually) and since then have signed several others. But of these five, four were new to me, so I signed them today. Australia too needs Democats who are smart enough not to foul their own nest.
NY Times – But listen to Republicans crowing that they won in spite of being outspent. They are indeed the People of the Lie, and the truth is not in them.
Puzzle — 2:56 I'm trying to be vegetarian so the leaves look good!
The New Yorker — “When someone is willing to pay millions of dollars for a pre-owned Mitch McConnell, you know that people have lost their minds.” — Hell Andy, when someone is willing to pay millions of dollars for any McTurtle, new or used, they have to be nucking futs!
Upworthy — For those who didn't catch the petition link at the end of the video, here is the link:http://helpsavethereef.wix.com/helpsavethereef I signed them all and have previously signed a number of petitions.
NY Times — Can you fathom the amount of real good a quarter of a billion dollars could have done . . . like feed the hungry instead of the political and corporate oligarchic fat cats! Boogles the mind! This is obscene!
Cartoon — Wave the red flag? Hell, wrap the bastards in it until they choke! I hope this most recent humiliation energises progressives and the apathetic voters to get their shit together!
The New Yorker: I called Andy a prophet on your last Open Thread. This confirms it.
Upworthy: I am disappointed, I thought Australia was more progressive than the USA. Guess the dollar controls it all everywhere. You are right, TC, we are at the mercy of frackers, Monsanto, GMO's, those who totally strip mountains, and anyone who wants to pollute our water for the next six years.
NY Times: The spending in this election would be criminal if SCOTUS had not passed Citizens United. We are now an oligarchy and our government has been bought and paid for and we do not even know who has bought us.
Cartoon: I wil NEVER wave the red flag. Living blue in a red state is punishment enough.
I hope you are feeling better, and don't have to walk too far to get your coat.
The best news perhaps is that State supreme courts did not prove to be for sale in the same way as Congress. And the House member reputedly the strongest XL pipeline advocate lost on Tues…
International pressure (and UN Heritage site attention) may be the reef's best hope.
I'm seeing red, but not as a flag.