Category Archives: Schadenfreude

Monday, March 4, 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hurt Fe-Fe’s

NPR dutifully reported that some Republicans were upset by President Obama’s inaugural address.

Whiny BabyMARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Republicans didn’t just object to President Obama’s speech, they were affronted by it. Whit Ayres is a Republican pollster and strategist.

WHIT AYRES: Republicans were hoping for something akin to the president’s 2004 convention speech where he talked about there being no red America or blue America, but a United States of America. But his tone yesterday was 180 degrees away from that tone in 2004. It was graceless, confrontational, combative, in your face.

LIASSON: It was the tone, even more than the substance, that bothered Republicans. House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan, who was Mitt Romney’s running mate, told the Laura Ingraham Show today that Mr. Obama’s speech departed from the approach of a traditional inaugural address.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN: There was sort of, you know, campaign’s over, bring everybody together and try and unify. That was not a speech we got and it doesn’t surprise me that he did that because he’s basically saying: I’m a liberal and I’m going to govern as a liberal and I won, so there.

They were affronted!  Oh my stars and garters!  Oh my ears and whiskers!  How will they ever recover?  This could be the end of comity and bipartisanship in Washington!

Sheesh.

After four years of some of the most vicious and childish backbiting and foot-stomping tantrums from the Republicans, plotted out on the night that Barack Obama was first sworn in four years ago, they want him to come back to them with his hat in his hand and play nice?

They should count themselves lucky that the inaugural speech didn’t include “Bite me.”

Get over it.  You lost.  Move on.  So there.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Frankly Speaking

Barney Frank is not what you would call a shrinking violet.

Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), whose 32 year career in the House of Representatives came to an end yesterday, said Friday that he’s told Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) that he would welcome an interim appointment to the seat expected to be vacated by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

Frank said that the fiscal cliff deal that passed the House of Representatives earlier this week and set the stage for a return to the same legislative fight in a matter of months “means that February, March and April are going to be among the most important months” for the American economy.  The outspoken Democrat indicated he would only hold the seat until the statewide special election and has no designs of carving out a career in the Senate, but he relishes the opportunity to be a part of the next fiscal battle on Capitol Hill.

“I’m not going to be coy. It’s not anything I’ve ever been good at,” Frank said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I’ve told the governor that I would now like, frankly, to do that because I would like to be a part of that. It’s only a three-month period. I wouldn’t want to do anything more. I don’t want to run again.”

Still, it would be worth it for three months just to watch John McCain fulminate.

And that would make Elizabeth Warren the senior senator from Massachusetts.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Last Call For Schadenfreude

I don’t want to dwell on rubbing the Republicans’ noses in their defeat for the rest of the year… seriously, I don’t.  No, really, I mean it.  We need to be gracious, right?  We’re bigger than that, aren’t we?  Well, aren’t we?

But I just can’t resist offering this glimpse into how well some folks are taking it.

My favorite is the one who plans to move to Australia “because their president is a Christian and actually supports what he says.”  First, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, and second, Australia doesn’t have a president; they have a Prime Minister, and her name is Julia Gillard.  And she’s an atheist.

HT to Soonergrunt.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Rolling In The Schadenfreude

Josh Marshall at TPM has a handy guide of all those folks who got their long-due comeuppance  and those who won against the efforts of the Orcosphere in the election.  From Karl Rove to Donald Trump and gay rights to bong hits, there’s plenty of schadenfreude to share with your coffee.

For me, the best was the flaming explosion of Karl Rove’s head on live TV when Fox News announced that Obama had won the election.

In an epic on-air tantrum, he refused to acknowledge Obama had won, sending anchor Megyn Kelly walking off-set to ask the network’s vote analysts to explain for him why tipping point Ohio was lost to Romney. Democrats will be replaying this clip for years to cheer them up in their darker moments.

Now he has to explain to the billionaires why their unprecedented spending earned them — nothing. For all the money spent, there’s still a Democratic president and, almost as unbelievably, a net gain in the Senate.

Heh.  The best part is that if you enjoy this sort of thing, none of these people are going to go away.  It is completely against their nature to retreat quietly once they’ve had their ass handed to them because they never, ever learn.  So count on them being around for a long time.

Bonus: Go watch Jon Stewart assess the election.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Harrumph

Shorter George F. Will:

Barack Obama is going to win, and I don’t like that at all.

His version of a primal scream is fun to read because he embodies the uptight bow-tied daddy mentality, especially when he incorporates words like “bilious.”

I don’t think Mr. Will is an out and out bigot, but it’s clear from his tone that he thinks Barack Obama was presumptuous in running for president and that once in office, he put on airs as if he was worthy of being the Commander in Chief when anybody could see that someone like him had no business being in the Oval Office.  How dare he?  Who does he think he is?

Of course all the things he accuses Mr. Obama of doing — and not doing — in his first term would be excused by Mr. Will if he was a WASP Republican working against an intransigent and stubborn opposition party (which is a fantasy in itself), but because Mr. Obama is neither, he’s the one who is guilty of arrogance and condescension.  He doesn’t use the word “uppity,” but he might just as well; a sneer from him is as good as the N-bomb from anybody else.

I won’t be waiting around to see if Mr. Will casts his watery gaze at the flailing campaign of Mitt Romney and his blatant misstatements and outright lies.  In fact, I expect that Mr. Will will defend the Romney camp; what else can they do when they’re under attack from the gang that doesn’t respect the manifest destiny of their superiors?

What must be especially galling for Mr. Will is that in the last twenty years, the best examples of leadership and inspiration in this country have come from men he despised not for their policy but for their lack of breeding.  It must really rattle the sensibilities of the old boys at Burning Tree that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, neither of whom could pass muster at the country club admissions committee, rallied the nation while their best example, a scion of the aristocracy, turned out to be a fool and a laughing stock.

I love the smell of freshly-made karma.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

When The Going Gets Tough…

…the “tough” get all whiny and cranky.

Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, is leaving his gig at Fortune magazine.

Welch said he will no longer contribute to Fortune following critical coverage of the former CEO of General Electric, saying he would get better “traction” elsewhere. On Friday, Welch suggested that the Obama administration, calling them “these Chicago guys,” had manipulated the monthly jobs report in order to make the economy look better than it actually is just weeks before the election. Welch has been battered by criticism since making the suggestion on Twitter.

Monday morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Fortune managing editor Andy Serwer said there were a number of things wrong with Welch’s tweet, the biggest of which was that the economy doesn’t back up the former executive’s claim that the numbers were faked.

“I think it’s exactly the opposite of what Jack Welch is saying,” Serwer said. “Things are actually improving.”

CNNMoney, which shares content with Fortune.com, ran a story on Friday covering Welch’s tweet. The piece said that even conservative economists thought Welch was wrong to question the jobs numbers. On Tuesday, Fortune.com ran a story detailing Welch’s record as a job destroyer. GE lost nearly 100,000 jobs during the 20 years in which Welch ran the company. “I never put myself out there as an employment agency,” Welch told Fortune.

I’ve always suspected that these big tough hardcore business leaders who bully everyone from the parking attendant to the corporate lackeys in his suite were just a bunch of thin-skinned jerks, and Mr. Welch isn’t doing anything to prove me wrong.  The Dow is inching close to 14,000, up from 6,000 where it was when President Obama was inaugurated, and they are pissed at him?

Friday, August 24, 2012

Briefly Noted

Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The Rev. Grant Storms, the former “Christian patriot” pastor whose marches against homosexuality at New Orleans’ Southern Decadence festival briefly put him in the national spotlight, was convicted of obscenity Wednesday, for exposing himself while masturbating at Lafreniere Park last year.

[...]

In his confession, Storms told Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kevin Balser he had taken a break from his grass cutting business to sip a beer in the park, where he said he became “horny.” He said he put his hands into his underwear, but he never exposed himself.

What a jerk.

Briefly Noted

Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The Rev. Grant Storms, the former “Christian patriot” pastor whose marches against homosexuality at New Orleans’ Southern Decadence festival briefly put him in the national spotlight, was convicted of obscenity Wednesday, for exposing himself while masturbating at Lafreniere Park last year.

[...]

In his confession, Storms told Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kevin Balser he had taken a break from his grass cutting business to sip a beer in the park, where he said he became “horny.” He said he put his hands into his underwear, but he never exposed himself.

What a jerk.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Approaching the Event Horizon

I see stories like these…

- Romney Backer Wishes “Obama Would Learn How To Be An American”

- John McCain: I Didn’t Pick Romney Because ‘Sarah Palin Was The Better Candidate’

- 15 Prominent Republicans Who Want Romney To Release More Tax Returns Right Now

…and I know what’s happening: the Republicans know they’re going to lose the election. They can see it coming, there’s nothing they can do about it — it’s too late to get Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, or John Thune to ride to the rescue — and so all they can do is watch as this black hole of a campaign sucks the life and light out of everything it touches. So of course they’re freaking out.

Sure, it’s only July. A lot could happen between now and November. For instance, a giant asteroid could wipe out every living thing on the planet. But unless the Hubble telescope missed it, the next big celestial event will be the implosion of the GOP, and we don’t even need special glasses to watch it.

Approaching the Event Horizon

I see stories like these…

- Romney Backer Wishes “Obama Would Learn How To Be An American”

- John McCain: I Didn’t Pick Romney Because ‘Sarah Palin Was The Better Candidate’

- 15 Prominent Republicans Who Want Romney To Release More Tax Returns Right Now

…and I know what’s happening: the Republicans know they’re going to lose the election. They can see it coming, there’s nothing they can do about it — it’s too late to get Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, or John Thune to ride to the rescue — and so all they can do is watch as this black hole of a campaign sucks the life and light out of everything it touches. So of course they’re freaking out.

Sure, it’s only July. A lot could happen between now and November. For instance, a giant asteroid could wipe out every living thing on the planet. But unless the Hubble telescope missed it, the next big celestial event will be the implosion of the GOP, and we don’t even need special glasses to watch it.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

The Bain Of His Existence

Mitt Romney has been saying that he left Bain Capital in February 1999 to run the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and therefore all the outsourcing/offshoring done by the company after that are someone else’s responsibility. But the Boston Globe has found some documents that call that claim into question.

Government documents filed by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital say Romney remained chief executive and chairman of the firm three years beyond the date he said he ceded control, even creating five new investment partnerships during that time.

Romney has said he left Bain in 1999 to lead the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, ending his role in the company. But public Securities and Exchange Commission documents filed later by Bain Capital state he remained the firm’s “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”

Also, a Massachusetts financial disclosure form Romney filed in 2003 states that he still owned 100 percent of Bain Capital in 2002. And Romney’s state financial disclosure forms indicate he earned at least $100,000 as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.

So he either lied on the SEC form or he lied on the public disclosure form. Both are official documents, and if you file false reports, that’s a felony.

And in keeping with the spirit of the moment, the Romney campaign has released an ad claiming President Obama is lying about Mr. Romney’s tenure at Bain.

(Yes, I know everyone else has used that title. But it’s my turn.)

The Bain Of His Existence

Mitt Romney has been saying that he left Bain Capital in February 1999 to run the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and therefore all the outsourcing/offshoring done by the company after that are someone else’s responsibility. But the Boston Globe has found some documents that call that claim into question.

Government documents filed by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital say Romney remained chief executive and chairman of the firm three years beyond the date he said he ceded control, even creating five new investment partnerships during that time.

Romney has said he left Bain in 1999 to lead the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, ending his role in the company. But public Securities and Exchange Commission documents filed later by Bain Capital state he remained the firm’s “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”

Also, a Massachusetts financial disclosure form Romney filed in 2003 states that he still owned 100 percent of Bain Capital in 2002. And Romney’s state financial disclosure forms indicate he earned at least $100,000 as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.

So he either lied on the SEC form or he lied on the public disclosure form. Both are official documents, and if you file false reports, that’s a felony.

And in keeping with the spirit of the moment, the Romney campaign has released an ad claiming President Obama is lying about Mr. Romney’s tenure at Bain.

(Yes, I know everyone else has used that title. But it’s my turn.)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Reactions From Wingnuttia

The reactions from the right wing to the Supreme Court ruling have ranged from the blisteringly stupid to the just plain sick.

Here’s the blisteringly stupid Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY):

Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be “constitutional” does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional. While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of our health care right,

Yes, it actually does, and if you had been paying attention in Grade 8 Social Studies class, you would have known that. Talk about being too dumb to play dead in a cowboy movie…

And here’s the this from Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN):

In a closed door House GOP meeting Thursday, Indiana congressman and gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence likened the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Democratic health care law to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to several sources present.

He immediately apologized.

Well, I should hope so. That’s Rudy Giuliani’s schtick, you sick fuck.

I get it that the wingers and the Orcosphere thought at 9:59 a.m. this morning that they had a slam-dunk in the making and that they were all ready to not just spike the ball but give President Obama an atomic wedgie that would have made him a one-termer. And then their hopes and dreams were curb-slammed by the Chief Justice himself. (Okay, enough of the mixed-metaphor festival.) So these spluttering reactions are not surprising. Give them a day or two and they’ll come up with something reasonable… like a move to impeach the Chief Justice.

And for once, we get to do a little gloating. To quote Henry Higgins, “How simply frightful! How humiliating! How delightful!”

Reactions From Wingnuttia

The reactions from the right wing to the Supreme Court ruling have ranged from the blisteringly stupid to the just plain sick.

Here’s the blisteringly stupid Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY):

Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be “constitutional” does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional. While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of our health care right,

Yes, it actually does, and if you had been paying attention in Grade 8 Social Studies class, you would have known that. Talk about being too dumb to play dead in a cowboy movie…

And here’s the this from Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN):

In a closed door House GOP meeting Thursday, Indiana congressman and gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence likened the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Democratic health care law to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to several sources present.

He immediately apologized.

Well, I should hope so. That’s Rudy Giuliani’s schtick, you sick fuck.

I get it that the wingers and the Orcosphere thought at 9:59 a.m. this morning that they had a slam-dunk in the making and that they were all ready to not just spike the ball but give President Obama an atomic wedgie that would have made him a one-termer. And then their hopes and dreams were curb-slammed by the Chief Justice himself. (Okay, enough of the mixed-metaphor festival.) So these spluttering reactions are not surprising. Give them a day or two and they’ll come up with something reasonable… like a move to impeach the Chief Justice.

And for once, we get to do a little gloating. To quote Henry Higgins, “How simply frightful! How humiliating! How delightful!”

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Radio Waves

While the local classical music public radio station is having their end-of-year begathon, I’m listening to Interlochen Public Radio out of the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. I used to listen to it when I lived in Petoskey, and it’s nice to hear them again.

It’s also interesting to hear their weather reports. Thanks to the heat wave yesterday, it was hotter up there than it was here in Miami. They also had a rip-current warning for Lake Michigan; something I’m used to hearing down here when there’s a strong on-shore wind on Miami Beach.

If IPR can keep their stream working — it’s had drop-out issues in the past — I’ll keep listening. I still know some of the people there, they play a broader selection of music, and there will be a tad of schadenfreude on my part next January when the weather report warns of temperatures approaching -17 F.

Radio Waves

While the local classical music public radio station is having their end-of-year begathon, I’m listening to Interlochen Public Radio out of the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. I used to listen to it when I lived in Petoskey, and it’s nice to hear them again.

It’s also interesting to hear their weather reports. Thanks to the heat wave yesterday, it was hotter up there than it was here in Miami. They also had a rip-current warning for Lake Michigan; something I’m used to hearing down here when there’s a strong on-shore wind on Miami Beach.

If IPR can keep their stream working — it’s had drop-out issues in the past — I’ll keep listening. I still know some of the people there, they play a broader selection of music, and there will be a tad of schadenfreude on my part next January when the weather report warns of temperatures approaching -17 F.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Fool’s Names…

The internet has been around for about twenty years (or longer if you believe Al Gore), and Google has been around since 1998. So you would think that George Tierney, Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, would have figured out that when you go on the internet and say really terrible things to people, your expectation of privacy is, well, pretty much shot to hell. Especially with one of them Twitter doohickeys.

Alas, no.

(See what I did there? That’s called a “Google bomb.” Come and get me, George Tierney, Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina.)