Wow.

There's some poetry here that makes a moving theme even more so:

We also love to bat each other around like mice in a slim cat's clutches ...

You sorta mixed your metaphors after that, but that's a very nice phrase.

Our own little human unique snowflakes. Who sometimes melt down softly, or stay frozen and cold and rather sharp to the vulnerable un-scarfed part of your face that's exposed to snow in harsh, bitter wind.

Wow. Just fucking wow.

Wreckomended. ;-)

(And I was first to do so. So there!)

Ding ding ding!! FIRST!! And you wreck-o-mended my post!! Awesome. Seriously, thank you.

Just wait til the rabbit-bunny-thing comes racin' through here trying to catch Billy G - so much so them snowflakes. Sooner or later, someone's gonna hold up a frying pan as he roars round the corner, and....

Hah. Very nice, Lis. And thanks for the mybo and beer plugs!

And speaking of plugs, it seems like it's time to metion this again:

We're (that's the TPM-aholics group Lis mentioned above) still planning a fundraiser on July 19th. It'll be houseparties all over the country with a call-in from a super fantastic special guest (yes, that means we're still working on who, exactly, that will be.) There are about a dozen cities with parties planned, but plenty without. (Chicago? LA?) Get in touch with me or Genghis if you're like to participate.

As far as the rest of your post... I'm a recent junkie. Got hooked on the primary drama and suddenly couldn't stop learning more, gathering more data. But at the peak of my madness, I realized I was coming here, to the TPM reader's corner, before anywhere else. Why? Not to get the latest news; that was easy to find. No, it was to get the latest debate about the latest news. And becuase the debate here is flavored by real people with strange and interesting perspectives, not to mention rivalries and friendships, the discussions are about 1,000 times more interesting than anything on the network news. This place is the wood-fired brick oven bread to the rest of the world's Wonderbread.

Hi Lis,

a few days away trying to pay the rent AND getting tore-adopt our last puppy because - she unrepentantly [sp?] chases squrrels and doves and chipmonks [oops! a no-no for seeing eye] so we were #1 on the 'adopt-Fernie-poo' list.

[altho seeing eye says she's a flunkie, she's a #1 primo winner in my heart]

won't be on site very much to comment due to the exigencies of being a solo practitioner - not to mention, dismay at the FISA mess - and the $8000k average paid by the TelCom PACS tp the 94 House Members who 'decided' to change their vote in the last two months - all with the imprimatur of my formerly beloved candidate Barack.

but up worrying in the middle of the night about a case [family law] and HAD to check out the politics on TPM :):):) so ran across your post and wanted to send regards and a REC hug.

ALSO - checked out Calif Paige's beer page and a WILL i WILL get their and do beers when all settles down later this summer
so KUDOs to you Lis and to You CalifPaige and all the diarists whose writings i LOVE to read
-anonymous, aka Brahms, puppy -and- kittie lover

Lovely post (as usual), LisB. The are few groups of people on the Internet who are more engaging, enraging, provocative, intelligent and warm than this one. Now, if only Josh could figure out a way to put in a few taps or an espresso machine or something...

I always love reading your posts Lis. Great start to the day!

Lots of informed opinion here, as well as many rants. And, yes, I am addicted to it, even though there are not that many posts that emanate from the heart as well as the brain.
Your posts offer both. Thank you, LisB, for the gimbal you provide to steady (and humanize) this wildly tilting blog.

PS: Glad to see your positive post took the top spot over my tirade! :O)

I don't usually impose my political-junkie self on my friends, but I was overcome yesterday by the Joementum to remove Joe Lieberman.

So I reached out and e-mailed some of my middle of-the-road to conservative friends from CT about Lieberman and urged them to give to Obama if they're interested. I got thrashed basically for caring too much and believing that a petition could help anything. Oh yeah, I was told that the GOP is "not that bad", and that I should stop believing conspiracy theories on the blogs. They also questioned my sanity.

So, yeah, I love TPM too.

LisB,

You nailed it; we love politics.

Every election I express the same semtiment that Patton (at least in the movie) did about battle:

"I love it. God help me I do love it so. I love it more than my life."

Grope hug.

I hate politics and everyone at TPM. Whatever you do, do not become a member of TPM-aholics. They're all losers. If you ignore this message and sign up for this group anyway, do not, I repeat, do not friend me at my.barackobama.com or send me a message at xengis@gmail.com offering to host a fundraiser on July 19th. Barack Obama does not need your help, and I don't want to hear from you.

LisB, if I ever catch you pimping any TPM-aholics events again, I will post screed after angry screed denouncing you and everything you stand for. In all caps. Then I will promise to leave TPM forever, sulk for an hour, and return with a new, more irritating and brightly colored avatar.

Tons of smiley-faced agreement and grope hags and all good, happy stuff. TPM is a great spot. I love the intelligence and energy and debates, and if I ever won the lottery, I think I would spend 16 hours a day here.

Cheers LisB for a great post. Grope hug to all!

PS For the TPM development committee, I recommend angry meter emoticons that alert folks when you are in a particulalry asstastick mood. Sorry for the venting in your direction the other day :)

LisB, you definitely top my list of favorite people that I've never met!

Though not the most vocal of participants, I am definitely a regular TPM peruser that looks forward to the avatar battles & enlightenments.

I get the headlines from Yahoo then come here to see what's REALLY going on... ;)

gropes & kisses,

OakV

Lis, your posts are fun! We never know what's going to develop on the threads, but its almost always a good time.

LisB you are one of my all time favorite people. I love your attitude!

LisB, you are a poet. I -- insofar as I have any authority to do so, which I don't -- declare you the mother of TPM!

Side note, my latest post about Bobby Jindal is somewhat a response to the spirit of your touching story last week.

Great post Liz, I always count on you to add some warmth to the energetic, interesting and (mostly) smart commentary here at TPM.

I have developed an addiction to this site and, like Paige above, I find myself hanging mostly in the cafe or election central to read the reader posts and comments. Some of the smartest, funniest political commentary online resides here.

Cheers to the love fest!