Highlights of the Loretta Lynch’s confirmation hearing.

Thom: The real deficit that the GOP doesn’t talk about.

Mental Floss: 17 crazy hair myths.

White House: Precision medicine:

Maddow with a nice Fox story.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

David Pakman: Obama has reduced Bushes’ $1.4 trillion deficit by 75%.

$889 Million:

• Young Turks: Koch plan to spend almost a billion to buy the 2016 elections.
• Jon: Your next President…Johnny actual Cash.
• Ann Telnaes: The Koch Brothers and $889 million free speech dollars.
• Larry Wilmore: Dark Money
• David Pakman: Koch Brother’s intend to buy the 2016 elections.
• Young Turks: Candidates drop to their knees to please the Koch brothers
• Sam Seder: The Koch brother’s puppet for 2016

Thom: The Right’s home schooling conspiracy.

David Pakman: ObamaCare will cost 20% less than was originally projected:

Mark Fiore: King Abdullah, Royal pain.

Mental Floss: 24 cheese name origins.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

On the Road to 2016:

• Maddow does Letterman to laugh at 2016 candidates.
• Young Turks: Sarah Palin teleprompts herself into a reality war with FAUX News
• Young Turks: More fur flies in the Sarah Palin, Bill-O-The-Clown war.
• David Pakman: Sarah Palin lashes out a FAUX News.
• Maddow: What if Hillary doesn’t run?
• Jon on Sarah et al.
• James Rustad: Jesus loves me this I know; ’cause Rick Perry tells me so.
• Pap and Thom: Will Perry do some time in the Pokey?
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Who can win what in the primary?
• Chris Christie falls out of a chair.
• David Pakman: Mike Huckabee says something idiotic about school prayer and school violence
• Sam Seder: Mike Huckabee’s “Trashy NY Women” comment
• Alex Wagner: Mitt’s a no-go
• Young Turks: The Mittster gives his fans a sad
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Why Mitt Romney dropped out.

Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week.

Richard Muller: I was wrong on climate change.

David Pakman: DUI State Senator claims he can drive drunk and be privileged from arrest.

New Territory in the Republican War on Women™:

• Michael Brooks: Louie Goober, “Republican ‘Females’ Send the Wrong Message!”.
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Republicans try to hide their disgusting women’s health politics

Thom: GOP turns Medicaid expansion over to banksters.

David Pakman: Thanks to Republicans, Obama’s approval keeps increasing.

White House: West Wing Week.

Super What???

• Jon: PSI–New England.
• Ed: The ad everyone will be talking about.

Maddow: Five U.S.Pipelines Rupture in January.

Thom: Even more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Matt Binder: Politifact finds FAUX News lies more than ever:

Grandpa McCain to protesters: “Get outta here you low life scum”.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for drinks, conversation, and, perhaps, dinner at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. Our starting time is 8:00 pm, but feel free to stop by earlier than that for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. On Wednesday, the Bellingham, Burien and Spokane chapters meet. And next Monday, the Yakima and South Bellevue chapters meet.

There are 186 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon and two in Idaho. Chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Eric Schwartz: Obama’s New Favorite Word.

Ann Telnaes: A bad taste in West Virginians’ mouths.

Jon calls out Mike Huckabee…to his face.

Mental Floss: 26 fascinating founding father facts:

Michael Brooks: Pope Francis, “Climate change is real.” Rush’s head explodes.

Maddow: Scalise, “Believe what I say, NOT what I DO.

David Pakman: Top 1% will own 50% of wealth by 2016.

Freedom Fries in Old Europe:

• Mark Fiore: The Muhammad Minute.
• Jon is shocked by FAUX News…again.

Larry Wilmore: Exactly what we’re going to get when we open up relations with Cuba .

Thom: FAUX News pushes faulty Gitmo numbers.

Maddow: Christian wackos & Gov. Jindal’s Presidential prayer rally???

Vsauce: Is all fair in love and war?

Roll Call: This Week’s Congressional Hits and Misses.

SOTU:

• President Obama’s 2015 SOTU.
• Boehner Clapping
• Cenk: Joni Ernst’s 2015 State of the Union response
• David Pakman: Obama drops epic burn on Republicans
• Sam Seder: Did Obama set a trap in his speech?
• Pap and Sam dissect Obama’s SOTU
• Young Turks: Obama jabs Republicans.
• Ed and Pap: About Joni
• David Pakman: Joni’s response.
• Joni Ernst castrates Obama’s SOTU speech
• Thom’s state of the union.
• Sam Seder: Talk Radio nutburger things Obama is sending subliminal Muslim messages during SOTU.
• Al Sharpton with some prompter tips for Ted Cruz.
• Mainstream media on the Youtube interviews of Obama
• Hank Green’s excellent Presidential interview adventure.
• Youtubers interview President Obama
• Obama’s SOTU before a ’90s sitcom audience
• Jon gives the ‘Implodey’ award for the worst responses
• Sam Seder: Joni and the SOTU non-response
• Obama’s 2014 SOTU address: What he got done, and what Congress blocked.
• Chris Hayes: The State Of Our Billionaires Address
• 31 times Republicans applauded
• Sam Seder: FAUX News host accidentally makes the case for free community college.

Jon: The Monsters of Money.

David Pakman: Mitt Romney’s new focus on poverty is hilarious.

Maddow: Koch brothers’ dirty money:

White House: West Wing Week.

Sam Seder and Michael Brooks: The 2016 Republican Clown Car has arrived.

Thom: Citizen’s United…five years later.

The Renewed Republican War on Women™:

• David Packman: Republican nutbags introduce 6 anti-abortion bills in first week.
• Chris Hayes: Republican women revolt against abortion ban.
• Maddow: GOP women reject abortion bill, end debate
• Young Turks: Antiabortion bill passes the G.O.P. House.
• Ann Telnaes: March for more government intrusion.

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about cleanliness and germs.

Ann Telnaes: Sochi Putin and the real Putin.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Goldy is live tweeting, so hell, I’ll live blog. Please join the fun in the comment thread.

We’ve got MSNBC on the tube here.

6:07: Obama is in the house.

6:08: Let’s try embedding a Goldy tweet:

6:10: Boehner still sounds drunk…

6:12: Goldy’s first verbal comment during Obama’s speech: “Look how grey he is”.

6:14: “The shadow of crisis has passed…” Okay…

6:16: Why the fuck do Presidents throw these stupid anecdotes into the SOTU?

6:18: Carl Ballard: “People almost always agree with cliches.”

6:18: Man…maybe it is MSNBC pulling tricks, but Boehner looks a LOT darker than Obama…

6:21: Did Obama just pull a Palin?!?!

6:23: ANOTHER ANECDOTE?!? WTF…did Shrub’s speech writer contribute to this??

6:34: My inner fashion nazi asks, “Is Michelle wearing some kind of armor?!?”

6:39: Precision medicine? How about just more accurate medicine?

6:49: Cuba: I think Marco Rubio’s head just exploded….

6:53: Climate: “Obama is trying to confuse us with numbers and facts and stuff.”

6:54: “We commit to cutting the population of Gitmo in half” But, but, but…isn’t that TORTURE???

7:26: Let the squealing begin!

7:29: “…higher monthly insurance bills….failed policies like ObamaCare.” YOU LIE!

7:30: “Keystone Jobs Bill” Um…somebody tell Joni about the Keystone jobs expectations.

7:40: The DL communists are now streaming Kshama Sawant.

8:02: Sawant’s live stream started but there is troubles with the livestream. No doubt we can blame the troubles on some flunkie earning minimum wage….

Please join us tonight for a special State-of-the-Union edition of the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally. Festivities are scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm sharp.

We meet every Tuesday evening, speech or no speech, at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. Our usual starting time–when there is no SOTU address–is 8:00 pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, WA, and Shelton chapters also meet. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. The Woodinville and Kent chapters meet this Thursday.

There are 181 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon and two in Idaho. Chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Liberal Viewer: FAUX News IDIOT claims that no non-Muslims in Birmingham.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Steve Scalise’s “unbelievable” slavery explanations.

Mental Floss: 30 stories from behind the scenes of blockbusters.

The Republican War on Social Security:

• Jimmy Dore: Social Security reform means YOU don’t get to retire.
• Sam Seder: How Republicans aim to destroy social security.
• Pap: Why is the GOP going after the disabled?
• Farron Cousins: Can we save Social Security?

James Rustad: I’m not your steppin’ stool.

Thom: FAUX News is wrong! America IS progressive.

Alex Wagner: SCOTUS primed for same sex marriage decision.

Maddow: Texas Republican Congressman apologizes for Obama/Hitler remark.

White House: Big Block of Cheese Day.

Steve Kornacki: Republicans eager to erode Wall Street Reform.

Jon explains Florida.

David Pakman: Anti-Science nutjobber Sen. Ted Cruz will oversee NASA.

Je Suis Charlie:

• Young Turks: Charlie Hebdo’s defiant post-shooting cover
• David Pakman: Charlie Hebdo’s first post-shooting cover
• Jon: On Obama’s no-show
• Eric Schwartz: Another Mother Flood (Je Suis Charlie):

• Jimmy Dore: Tribalism and religion
• Jon: Je Suis confused.
• Jimmy Dore: Charlie Hebdo critics are missing the fucking point
• Young Turks: French TV show exposes FAUX News lies.

Mark Fiore: Whip Steve Scalise.

Ed: U.S. and England are united over Iran sanctions.

Mental Floss: Is blood ever blue?

Alex Wagner: Why deniers deny…2014 was the hottest year on Record.

Pap: Right wing extremism kills people.

Young Turks: Recreational vs medicinal marijuana…the Washington regulation debate.

Roll Call: SOTU Promo.

Sam Seder: FAUX News’ sad Petraeus conspiracy.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-9) “co-sponsors” a bill he strongly opposes.

Represent.us: How to fix America.

2016 Presidential Wannabes:

• Sam Seder: The 2016 election has begun!
• Young Turks: Mike Huckabee hates on Beyonce songs but has his own history with explicit lyrics
• David Pakman: The bowels of the 2016 G.O.P. primary show movement
• Sam Seder: Hilarious flashback…the moment Mitt thought he “had” Obama on Benghazi.
• Steve Kornacki: Nutjob Presidential wannabe Mike Huckabee questions Obama’s parenting.
• Chris Hayes: Rand Paul slams Romney and the 2016 GOP traveling circus
• Michael Brooks: Huckabee kicks off his 2016 campaign
• Gov. Christie: A record we can celebrate
• Young Turks: Mitt 3.0—The Reboot.
• Maddow: Romney surprises with reversal on running for president again.
• James Rustad: Mitt me baby, one more time
• Sam Seder: Should we be worried about Jeb Bush?
• Chris Hayes: GOP wackos line-up for 2016 and why Romney can’t run.
• Michael Brooks and Cliff Schecter: Asshole Rand Paul mocks veterans and the disabled
• Maddow: GOP moves up convention to lessen primary woes

People’s climate march: wrap up.

Young Turks: 2014 was the hottest year ever recorded.

David Pakman: Unemployment falls to 5.6% under Obama.

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about getting sick.

Pap: Republicans are too dysfunctional to lead.

David Pakman: “Freedom fries, boycott France” Republican hypocrites are “angry” Obama didn’t go to France:

Obama announces plan to expand broadband internet.

Maddow: Friday night news dump…weird bucket of stuff edition.

The Republican War on America’s Borders:

• GOP’s love of homeland security is less than their hatred of young immigrants.
• Young Turks: Republicans threaten border anarchy if they don’t get their way.

White House: West Wing Week.

Thom with The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Maddow: Anonymous v. ISIS.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Hazard Above: A drone films its own demise.

Thom with The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

David Pakman: Explosion outside NAACP Colorado Springs likely domestic terrorism:

Maddow: Remembering the John Ensign sex scandal.

Paris Burning:

• Mark Fiore: Je suis Charlie.
• Sam Seder: The real reason Charlie Hebdo was a target for terror?
• Maddow: French newspaper no stranger to Muslim threats
• Pap and Thom: Religious extremism and the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack
• David Pakman: FAUX News turns Paris attack into (wait for it)…BENGHAAAAAAZZZIIIIIIII!!!11!1!!
• Ana Kasparian: 12 dead in Paris
• Sam Seder: Right Wing Catholic group leader sympathizes with terrorists in Paris
• Maddow: Obama delivers American condolences to France
• Obama speaks on the terrorist attacks in France
• Conan: Heartfelt statement on Charlie Hebdo.
• Sam Seder: FAUX News host asks, “How do we know they’re bad guys if we can’t see their skin color?”.
• Maddow: Terrorist manhunt in France
• Jon: Comedy shouldn’t be an act of courage.
• WaPo: 20 years of terrorist attack in France
• Sam Seder: Implications of the Paris terrorist attacks.
• Young Turks: Simultaneous hostage situations and raids end horrifying week in France
• Ann Telnaes: Charlie Hebdo retaliates against the terrorists.

White House: West Wing Week.

Elizabeth Warren: Wall Street is rigged.

David Pakman: “Fiscal conservative” Gov. Jan Brewer leaves AZ broke and hands out big bonuses.

Sam Seder: Michele Bachmann explains how she beat progressives.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Old McDonnell Had a Cell:

• Two years: McDonnell case by the numbers
• Sam Seder: Pat Robertson blames Bob McDonnell’s wife for Bob’s crimes.

Young Turks: Staggering numbers killed in Boko Haram massacre.

A cleaner Anacostia River for Washington D.C.

Hilarious Joe Biden moments.

Thom: The secret war against Solar power.

Young Turks: Cure for cancer is in the Bible, according to Mike Huckabee.

A New Congress:

• Harry Reid addresses the 114th Congress after his new home tries to kill him
• David Pakman: Day 1, Republicans introduce anti-abortion bill that violates Roe v Wade
• Young Turks: John Boehner gets hammered, cries & glows orange over Speakership.
• Sam Seder: GOP Congress day 1…Attack Seniors and disabled
• David Pakman: New Congress 80% white, 80% male, 92% Christian.
• Maddow: Boehner survives a challenge
• Jon: Congress as herpes
• Farron Cousins: Were midterm losses a blessing for Democrats?.
• Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week:

• David Pakman: Day after taking office, GOP majority takes credit for Obama’s economy
• Young Turks: This fact tells us why our Democracy is broken.
• Maddow: GOP Congress’ futile agenda.
• Barbara Boxer to retire from the Senate in 2016.
• Young Turks: GOP wages war to ruin the internet forever
• Sam Seder: Poor Louie Gohmert really wants to be Speaker of the House.
• David Pakman: Republicans elect whip with neo-nazi ties.

Thom: Republicans didn’t really win the Senate.

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about driving.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Let the 2016 games being.

David Pakman: Jeb Bush has new gay marriage stance after negative reaction to 1st one.

Obama’s Community College Proposal (SOTU preview):

• Obama announces his Free Community College Plan.
• Obama speaks on his “America’s College Promise” proposal.
• Young Turks: Obama proposes new tuition plan that anyone can afford

David Pakman: Reagan or Obama—Who will have a better economic and fiscal legacy?

Chris Hayes: From David Duke to the modern GOP

What if Earth treated us like we treat Earth?

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for some politics and conversation over a drink at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening, rain or shine, at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. The starting time is 8:00 pm, but some folks show up before that for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? You have options! Check out one of the other DL meetings this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. The Bremerton chapter meets on Thursday, as does Washington’s newest DL chapter in Kent.

There are 181 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon and two in Idaho. Chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Mental Floss: What is dirt made of?

The “Duke” of Louisiana:

• Steve Kornacki: GOP manages political fallout of Scalise speech to racist group
• Chris Hayes: Conservatives clash with GOP leaders over Scalise
• Ed: Steve Scalise claims ignorance after giving speech before a hate group
• Young Turks: Hate group scandal engulfs top Republican Congressman
• Steve Kornacki: Steve Scalise addressed racist group in 2002
• David Pakman: House majority whip was honored guest at White supremacist group
• José Díaz-Balart: Republicans eat their own over Steve Scalise’s speech to David Duke group
• Sharpton and friends: Steve Scalise and David Duke

Thom: Who should be drug tested?

Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Republicans have moved to crazytown on immigration reform.

White House: West Wing Week.

Obama messes up wedding…but helps makes it memorable.

“President” Michele Bachmann delivers on $2/gal gasoline (via Crooks and Liars).

It’s Back, Baby:

• Sam Stein and Jared Bernstein: Americans show confidence in economic recovery
• Steve Kornacki: Americans feeling effects of improved economy.
• The Rundown: 2015 marks turning point for economic recovery (and G.O.P. re-messaging)
• David Pakman: Obama’s approval rating matches Ronnie Reagan’s approval rating:

Thom with some Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Al Sharpton: Six years and running…Obama’s greatest accomplishments.

Michael Brooks: Freedomworks hilariously attacks net neutrality.

Mental Floss: 21 things that turned 21 in 2014.

Reflections and Resolutions:

• Young Turks: Police brutality launched a new civil rights movement in 2014
• Mark Fiore: The Year in Crazy.
• David Pakman reviews Pat Robertson’s 2014 predictions:

  
  

• Ed: The Robertson’s predictions of 2014
• Roll Call: Best Congressions hits and misses of 2014
• Young Turks: 2014 was the year the Right Wing fell in love with Putin (and then fell out of love again).
• 2014: Restoring faith in humanity
• Rubin Report: 10 most admired women of 2014.
• Rubin Report: Most admired men of 2014.
• Farron Cousins: 2014 was a shitty year.
• Ann Telnaes: Good riddance to 2014.
• Alex Witt and Beth Fouhy: The top political scandals of 2014
• Young Turks: Right wing lunacy dominated the 2014 elections
• Ana Kasparian and Dave Rubin’s best and worst moments of 2014.
• Hank Green: Best and Worst of 2014
• Ed and friends: The worst of conservative media in 2014
• Young Turks: Ebola caused more freak-outs than (U.S.) cases in 2014
• Michael Steele and friends: A year of scandal and sleaze in politics.
• Grace Parra: New Years resolutions with the probability fairy
• Young Turks: Craziest politicians of the year

Hylp: A app for ladies.

John Green: Racism in the U.S. by the numbers:

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about exercise.

Sam Seder: Republican admits G.O.P. Benghazi report is “Full of crap.”.

David Pakman: 20 states raise minimum wage in 2015.

Young Turks: West Virginia finally gets some justice, Don Blankenship is indicted.

Grimm Reaper:

• Steve Kornacki: Grimm resigns
• Michael Grimm quits over felony tax evasion
• David Pakman: Republican convicted felon Michael Grimm resigns
• Young Turks: Rep Michael Grimm resigns after criminally embarrassing Republicans
• Steve Kornacki: Fossella eyed to replace Grimm despite two-family scandal.

Thom and Pap: How the Kochtopus is reaching for our criminal justice system.

Vsauce: Reduplications and other language curiousities.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Happy new year all!

Join us tonight as we close out 2014 and toast in the new year at this week’s Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening for friendly conversation at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. The starting time is 8:00 pm, but some folks show up before that for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. And next Monday, the Yakima and South Bellevue chapters meet.

There are 177 chapters of Living Liberally, including fifteen in Washington state, four in Oregon and two in Idaho. Chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Obama violates his own “head” rule.

Sam Seder: FAUX News affiliate smears and distorts an anti-Police brutality rally.

Young Turks: Darrell Issa turns up bupkis in IRS “scandal”.

Alex Wagner and friends: The race gap:

Pap: Republicans up a creek on immigration.

2014 in Review:

• HuffPo: The funniest moments of 2014.
• The Hill’s photos of the year.
• White House Chief of Staff: 10 best moments of 2014
• The year’s top 10 moments for V.P. Joe Biden.
• Jibjab: 2014 in review.
• Hank Green: Best and Worst of 2014
• Young Turks awards JERK of the Year to….
• Young Turks awards TURK of the Year to….
• Sam Seder and Digby: The Year in Review.
• The 10 best political quote of 2014.
• The best science visualizations of the year.

A holiday message for Congress.

WaPo: Can we buy Cuban cigars now?

Farron Cousins: What can you get when you buy a politician?

A Grimm Reality:

• Rep. Michael Grimm pleads guilty to tax evasion
• Young Turks: Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) is guilty of felony tax fraud. Still serving in Congress.
• Maddow: GOP Convicted felon in Congress?

David Pakman: FCC ignored hundreds of thousands of net neutrality comments.

Michele Bachmann talks with God.

Young Turks: D.A. McCulloch knowingly put liar on the stand.

Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: What led to the fracking ban in NY?

WaPo: Members recall their best and worst days in Congress.

David Pakman: More Chris Christie corruption?

Bang!

• WaPo: The evolution of toy guns.
• Jonathan Mann: A gun for Christmas.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Putin v. Obama.

White House: West Wing Week.

David Pakman: Almost everything Republicans have said or predicted about Obama has turned out to be wrong.

Thom Hartman: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Eric Schwartz and friends: MPG for Kim Jong-Un (NSFW):

Chris Hayes: GOP and FAUX News are WRONG again on Economy and Obamacare.

Thom: Where did Santa and the elves come from?

The Koch Dystopia:

• David Pakman: pretends to be a social liberal, Barbara Walters calls him out.
• Farron Cousins with Howard Nations: Koch brothers are more powerful than you think.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Innocent 14 y.o. executed and exonerated 70 years too late.

Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Why would Jeb Bush run?

WaPo: Caught in the ocean during the 2004 tsunami.

What do Democrats and Republicans think of each other.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Join us tonight for some pre-holiday cheer and some political catharsis over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday evening for friendly conversation at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. The starting time is 8:00 pm, but some folks show up before that for dinner.

There are 177 chapters of Living Liberally, including fifteen in Washington state, four in Oregon and two in Idaho. Chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Thom: Politically correcting Bill-O on his crazy climate change statements.

Season’s Greetings:

• Roy Zimmerman: Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa:

• Nick Offerman reads a more casual “Twas the Night Before Christmas”
• Mental Floss: 16 innovative origins of holiday traditions
• Slate: Pain and violence in Christmas movies
• Roy Zimmerman: Christmas is Pain.
• Sam Seder: Bill-O-The-Clown claim victory in the War on Christmas.
• Young Turks: Mission accomplished–the Grinch who SAVED Christmas
• James Rustad: The Bush’s 12 Days of Christmas

James Rustad: Ted Cruz…a rebel without a clue.

Thom: You don’t frack with New York.

Jon hits Hannity over referring to Jay Z as a “crack dealer”

The Cuban Mingle Crisis:

• Lawrence O’Donnell: Sen. Rubio’s blatant hypocrisy
• Stephen hits the Pope over Cuba
• Young Turks: New Cuba policy provokes nutburgers into a frenzy of nonsense
• Obama defends his actions over Cuba.
• Sam Seder: U.S. begins normalizing relations with Cuba
• Young Turks: Rand Paul and Marco Rubio have a Cuban missile crisis.
• Ann Telnaes: Sen Marco Rubio responds to normalizing relations with Cuba.
• Sam Seder shares his stories from Cuba

Congressional Hits and Misses.

Ed and Pap: Another corrupt Bush seeking White House?

Young Turks: Andrew Hawkins has some powerful words:

Megyn Kelly: When things go weird with Obama.

Torture in our Name:

• Jon: Dick Cheney’s mind is the scariest fucking place in the Universe
• Jimmy Dore: The torture report is so funny you’ll shit your hummus.
• Farron Cousins: The Bush Administration needs to stand trial. Period.
• Thom: Will Europe prosecute Bush or Cheney for torturing?
• Ann Telnaes: Dick has no regrets about torture.
• Stephen: Debates a formidable opponent on torture
• David Pakman: For 1st time Cheney admits some detainees were innocent. Doesn’t care.
• Jimmy Dore: Here’s what nobody understands about torture
• David Pakman: CIA didn’t just torture…they did human medical experiments
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Dick Cheney—The disgusting torture apologist

Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show promo.

Sam Seder: Jeb Bush and the Republican clown car.

Obama talks about his own experience with racial profiling.

Thom: Is a climate disaster lurking off of the coast of Washington state?

Poison Pills:

• Jon: Look what Congress slipped into the spending bill.
• Mark Fiore: Citygroup Democracy
• Sam Seder: The argument for voting FOR the CRomnibus
• Ed O’Keefe: What’s inside the spending bill

White House: West Wing Week.

“Mom…you’re embarrassing us!”

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Obama takes a swing at Keystone.

Sony and Kim-J:

• Lawrence O’Donnell: North Korea wages war on Sony.
• Obama: I am sympathetic…but Sony made a mistake
• Young Turks: FBI confirms the source….
• Jon: So now Kim Jong-un determines what movies get made?
• Ari Melber: Is canceling ‘The Interview’ caving to terrorists?
• Slate: The Interview, as reenacted with pencil puppets

Jimmy Dore: Ben Stein reveals his racist side talking about Ferguson.

Mental Floss: 13 inventions and innovations creating a better future for women.

Matt Binder: Ten Sandy Hook families sue gun maker.

Maddow: On Putin, GOP & FAUX News must eat their words:

Jimmy Kimmel: The YEAR in unnecessary censorship.

Does Stephen Commit Comicide?:

• Stephen: 12 very good moments from the Colbert Report.
• The final Colbert Report
• FAUX News dullard thinks Colbert should write a check to FAUX
• Slate: A tribute—Stephen’s music
• Stephen holds a yard sale.
• Stephen: 10 years of ALMOST staying in character
• Stephen’s final “Word”.

Thom: Is George Zimmerman right?

Sam Seder: Ted Cruz “own goals” the G.O.P..

Farron Cousins: Jeb Bush is the worst Republican traits on one package.

Not Mental Floss: 13 thing you think are true but aren’t.

Nutbag Republican state lawmaker proposes women have to ask men’s permission to have an abortion.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

As most of you know, the Horsesass in the title of this blog was inspired by Tim “Biggest Lie of My Life” Eyman. Specifically, Goldy purchased this domain name as part of his initiative that, if passed, would have declared Mr. Eyman a horse’s ass.

The fate of the initiative in qualifying for the ballot and, ultimately, succeeding at the ballot cannot be known, as the meddling state Attorney General sued Goldy to keep the initiative off the ballot. And, no, it wasn’t Rob McKenna—who certainly was an irrational Goldy-phobe. No…it was actually AG Christine Gregoire.

Goldy stuck with the Horsesass brand name, if only to give former FEMA Director Michael “Heck-of-a-Job-Brownie” Brown a little bit of irony in his life.

Goldy’s little local lefty blog has, apparently, inspired more than just McKenna and Brownie. People for the American Way who, among other things, have a project called Right Wing Watch, have an annual award that seems related to this blog:

The Equine Posterior Achievement Award has been created to honor that leader whose abilities to misrepresent an issue, manipulate his/her followers, brazenly disregard reality or pander to our baser instincts reach such ridiculous levels that we don’t know whether to laugh or cry. In other words, a genuine “horse’s patootie.”

Huh…it sounds like something Tim Eyman could qualify for…I mean, if he was actually a leader and had something approaching a national profile.

In any case, since you are reading a blog called Horsesass, might I interest you in voting for the most worthy recipient of the Equine Posterior Achievement Award?

This year’s nominees are Ted Cruz, the Benham Brothers, Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jody Hice, Texas State Board of Education, Glenn Beck, Pat Robertson, Ben Carson, Bryan Fischer, and Kevin Swanson. Them are some good nominees…but you can, instead, write-in your own favorite horse’s ass.

But don’t bother writing in Eyman. He’s no longer relevant.