"This is treason"
September 4, 2018 8:49 PM Subscribe
The Supreme Court confirmation hearing continues Wednesday with the questioning of nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Despite low popularity, views out of step with the majority of the country, tens of thousands of pages of documents produced at the last minute, and over 100,000 pages of documents withheld from the Senate (with all the documents reviewed not by the National Archives, but by a lawyer who represents the Bush Library, White House Counsel Don McGahn, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon), his confirmation appears to be on cruise control. The Times examines How Brett Kavanaugh Would Transform the Supreme Court. SCOTUSBlog offers a liveblog of the hearings and a 16-part series on Kavanaugh's record. Wednesday's questioning can be streamed live on C-SPAN starting at 9:30 ET.
Also in the news:
• Former Senator John Kyl has been named to fill the Arizona Senate seat held by John McCain. Kyl was previously picked by the White House to shepherd Kavanaugh through the confirmation process.
• Also Wednesday, executives from Twitter and Facebook will appear before the Senate Intelligence committee for a hearing on the use of social networks to influence elections (C-SPAN, 9:30am). Separately, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for an airing of grievances from Republicans about political bias. See, previously: Facebook Does Not Understand the Conservative Grift.
• Also Wednesday, again, a federal court will hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, in which a group of Republican attorneys general argue that the repeal of the individual mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional. While legal scholars largely disagree with this argument, the Justice Department has refused to fully defend the law, leaving it to a group of Democratic attorneys general to intervene in the case.
• The President abruptly abandoned his Labor Day Monday golf game and spent the day tweeting instead, including an attack on the rule of law (and Attorney General Jeff Sessions) as he criticized the Justice Department for indicting Republicans accused of crimes.
• Read coverage of Day 1 of the Kavanaugh hearing (and protests):
The First Day Of Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing Was Chaotic As Democrats Continued To Press For A Delay (BuzzFeed), Democrats Wasted Day One (Slate), Documents Delayed and Documents Denied (Lawfare).
• Primary day in Massachusetts brought victory for Ayanna Pressley, ousting 10-term incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano: "Pressley did not shy away from questions about her identity, saying throughout her campaign that it's not just her experience as a black woman that informs her politics and how she'd lead in Washington, but also the people who feel shut out of the political process who she talks to regularly." There was also a win for Rachel Rollins for the Suffolk County District Attorney primary. Rollins ran on criminal justice reform.
• Leaked copies of Bob Woodward's ominously titled, much-anticipated Fear: Trump in the White House found their way to CNN—Bob Woodward: Trump's Aides Stole His Papers 'to Protect the Country'— and the Washington Post—Bob Woodward’s New Book Reveals a ‘Nervous Breakdown’ of Trump’s Presidency. And, according to a recorded phone conversation that the Post also released when Woodward promised his book was "going to be accurate[…]", Trump retorted, "Well, accurate is that nobody’s ever done a better job than I’m doing as president. That I can tell you."
• The Atlantic, Adam Serwer, The Second Redemption Court: The Supreme Court again appears poised to pursue a purely theoretical liberty at the expense of the lives of people of color. "Not since the end of Reconstruction has the U.S. government been so firmly committed to a single, coherent program uniting a politics of ethnonationalism with unfettered corporate power. As with Redemption, as the end of Reconstruction is known, the consequences could last for generations."
• NBC News, Mad About Trump, a three-part series on how both parties have evolved in recent years, including Democrats moving to the left, featuring an interesting analysis of positions on campaign websites.
• Chuck Todd writes It’s Time for the Press to Stop Complaining—And to Start Fighting Back. The President attacked this article tonight in a tweet.
• New Yorker, Jeffery Toobin, How Rudy Giuliani Turned Into Trump’s Clown, a lengthy profile of Trump's lawyer, and A New Book Details the Damage Done by the Right-Wing Media in 2016, a review of Yochai Bankler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts' Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics.
• Foreign Policy, James Goldgeier and Elizabeth N. Saunders, The Unconstrained Presidency: Checks and Balances Eroded Long Before Trump
Want a script to call your Senators about Kavanaugh? Block Brett has you covered.
63 days to the midterms. Have you checked your registration? Get involved by making a personalized plan to Crush the Midterms.
As always, please consider MeFi chat for hot-takes and live-blogging breaking news, the current MetaTalk venting thread for catharsis and sympathizing, and funding the site if you're able. Also, for the sake of the ever-helpful mods, please keep in mind the MetaTalk on expectations about U.S. political discussion on MetaFilter. If you're commenting about the hearings, please add substantive reports of what's happening rather than live-blog reactions without context.
Also in the news:
• Former Senator John Kyl has been named to fill the Arizona Senate seat held by John McCain. Kyl was previously picked by the White House to shepherd Kavanaugh through the confirmation process.
• Also Wednesday, executives from Twitter and Facebook will appear before the Senate Intelligence committee for a hearing on the use of social networks to influence elections (C-SPAN, 9:30am). Separately, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for an airing of grievances from Republicans about political bias. See, previously: Facebook Does Not Understand the Conservative Grift.
• Also Wednesday, again, a federal court will hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, in which a group of Republican attorneys general argue that the repeal of the individual mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional. While legal scholars largely disagree with this argument, the Justice Department has refused to fully defend the law, leaving it to a group of Democratic attorneys general to intervene in the case.
• The President abruptly abandoned his Labor Day Monday golf game and spent the day tweeting instead, including an attack on the rule of law (and Attorney General Jeff Sessions) as he criticized the Justice Department for indicting Republicans accused of crimes.
• Read coverage of Day 1 of the Kavanaugh hearing (and protests):
The First Day Of Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing Was Chaotic As Democrats Continued To Press For A Delay (BuzzFeed), Democrats Wasted Day One (Slate), Documents Delayed and Documents Denied (Lawfare).
• Primary day in Massachusetts brought victory for Ayanna Pressley, ousting 10-term incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano: "Pressley did not shy away from questions about her identity, saying throughout her campaign that it's not just her experience as a black woman that informs her politics and how she'd lead in Washington, but also the people who feel shut out of the political process who she talks to regularly." There was also a win for Rachel Rollins for the Suffolk County District Attorney primary. Rollins ran on criminal justice reform.
• Leaked copies of Bob Woodward's ominously titled, much-anticipated Fear: Trump in the White House found their way to CNN—Bob Woodward: Trump's Aides Stole His Papers 'to Protect the Country'— and the Washington Post—Bob Woodward’s New Book Reveals a ‘Nervous Breakdown’ of Trump’s Presidency. And, according to a recorded phone conversation that the Post also released when Woodward promised his book was "going to be accurate[…]", Trump retorted, "Well, accurate is that nobody’s ever done a better job than I’m doing as president. That I can tell you."
• The Atlantic, Adam Serwer, The Second Redemption Court: The Supreme Court again appears poised to pursue a purely theoretical liberty at the expense of the lives of people of color. "Not since the end of Reconstruction has the U.S. government been so firmly committed to a single, coherent program uniting a politics of ethnonationalism with unfettered corporate power. As with Redemption, as the end of Reconstruction is known, the consequences could last for generations."
• NBC News, Mad About Trump, a three-part series on how both parties have evolved in recent years, including Democrats moving to the left, featuring an interesting analysis of positions on campaign websites.
• Chuck Todd writes It’s Time for the Press to Stop Complaining—And to Start Fighting Back. The President attacked this article tonight in a tweet.
• New Yorker, Jeffery Toobin, How Rudy Giuliani Turned Into Trump’s Clown, a lengthy profile of Trump's lawyer, and A New Book Details the Damage Done by the Right-Wing Media in 2016, a review of Yochai Bankler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts' Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics.
• Foreign Policy, James Goldgeier and Elizabeth N. Saunders, The Unconstrained Presidency: Checks and Balances Eroded Long Before Trump
Want a script to call your Senators about Kavanaugh? Block Brett has you covered.
63 days to the midterms. Have you checked your registration? Get involved by making a personalized plan to Crush the Midterms.
As always, please consider MeFi chat for hot-takes and live-blogging breaking news, the current MetaTalk venting thread for catharsis and sympathizing, and funding the site if you're able. Also, for the sake of the ever-helpful mods, please keep in mind the MetaTalk on expectations about U.S. political discussion on MetaFilter. If you're commenting about the hearings, please add substantive reports of what's happening rather than live-blog reactions without context.
@realdonaldtrump: Only the Obama WH can get away with attacking Bob Woodward.
Every. Single. Time.
Also, I found it interesting that Dem leadership apparently struggled over whether to stage a mass walk-out at the Kavanaugh hearing. The forceful objections were a compromise measure.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:57 PM on September 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
Every. Single. Time.
Also, I found it interesting that Dem leadership apparently struggled over whether to stage a mass walk-out at the Kavanaugh hearing. The forceful objections were a compromise measure.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:57 PM on September 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
Canvassing has been interesting this year. I wouldn’t say that people are enthusiastic, exactly, but almost every voter I’ve talked to has agreed to sign up to vote by mail. They’re determined to do their part.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:01 PM on September 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:01 PM on September 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
@KlasfeldReports:
NEW: In the Census case, the ACLU and NYAG demand disclosure of 32 docs that may show “animus to communities of color” and “mislead the public with a pretextual explanation” for the citizenship question.posted by zachlipton at 9:02 PM on September 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
Commerce and Sec. Wilbur Ross asserted privilege over docs. For those asking, the privilege being asserted here is deliberative process privilege, i.e. intra-agency discussions, a detail that did not fit into the 280 characters of the original tweet.
According to the letter, these officials clammed up during depositions, making the disclosure of the emails necessary. "The lack of forthrightness of these senior government officials was troubling to say the least," the letter states.
Cnn: North Carolina's unconstitutional gerrymandered map will be used in midterms
How is this even allowed? Anyone?
posted by j_curiouser at 9:04 PM on September 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
How is this even allowed? Anyone?
posted by j_curiouser at 9:04 PM on September 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
Because even the plaintiffs (Common Cause, LWV, and NC Dems) in the case said it was too close to the election - NC had their primaries a while ago - and would be too disruptive.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 PM on September 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 PM on September 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
I don't have much hope for tomorrow's hearing, and it's really the least of his problems, but I honestly do want answers about his finances. We're told he ran up tens of thousands if not over a hundred thousand dollars worth of debt for baseball tickets, which included taking out a loan against his retirement, and paid it all off in a year.
I think more people in government should understand what it's like to live with debt, and debt shouldn't be disqualifying as some would have it, but this story makes no sense.
posted by zachlipton at 9:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [73 favorites]
I think more people in government should understand what it's like to live with debt, and debt shouldn't be disqualifying as some would have it, but this story makes no sense.
posted by zachlipton at 9:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [73 favorites]
Reform candidate and defense attorney Andrea Harrington wins Dem nom for DA of Berkshire County (far western Mass).
posted by Chrysostom at 9:15 PM on September 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:15 PM on September 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
The most recent episode of Chapo Trap House outlines pretty convincingly how fucked we are in terms of Kavanaugh being confirmed. And seeing clips of Democrats, particularly the women being talked over and flat out ignored do not give me much to begin to think the other way. Because this is what decades of engineered political discourse has given us.
posted by theartandsound at 9:30 PM on September 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by theartandsound at 9:30 PM on September 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Trump suggests protesting should be illegal
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:35 PM on September 4, 2018 [87 favorites]
Trump made the remarks in an Oval Office interview with the Daily Caller hours after his Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh, was greeted by protests on the first day of his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.Apparently "faithfully executing" means dragging the office out the back behind the woodshed and shooting it.
“I don’t know why they don’t take care of a situation like that,” Trump said. “I think it’s embarrassing for the country to allow protesters. You don’t even know what side the protesters are on.”
He added: “In the old days, we used to throw them out. Today, I guess they just keep screaming.”
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:35 PM on September 4, 2018 [87 favorites]
Dem primary in MA-03 may be going to recounts. Trahan campaign says lead at 223 votes with 98% counted, different outlets reporting different numbers, Koh campaign not conceding.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:39 PM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:39 PM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
The forceful objections were a compromise measure.
/facepalm
posted by mwhybark at 9:42 PM on September 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
/facepalm
posted by mwhybark at 9:42 PM on September 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't know that walking out would have accomplished more?
posted by Chrysostom at 9:44 PM on September 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:44 PM on September 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "You had a chance, and you lost," Lindsey Graham tells Democrats, advising them to "win an election" if they want to pick judges.
To which I say: MERRICK GARLAND.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:48 PM on September 4, 2018 [150 favorites]
To which I say: MERRICK GARLAND.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:48 PM on September 4, 2018 [150 favorites]
> I don't know that walking out would have accomplished more?
I know which one sends a better message to constituents and voters when they see the video.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:48 PM on September 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
I know which one sends a better message to constituents and voters when they see the video.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:48 PM on September 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
Okay - which one? Because I saw them calling out the GOP breaking the rules, and eviscerating Kavanaugh (go watch Hirono). I thought it was pretty effective, myself.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:53 PM on September 4, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:53 PM on September 4, 2018 [50 favorites]
> Okay - which one? Because I saw them calling out the GOP breaking the rules, and eviscerating Kavanaugh (go watch Hirono). I thought it was pretty effective, myself.
Yes, for political junkies like us who will sit and watch it all. A walk-out is much more visually stunning to watch in a short snippet on the news, and conveys the seriousness of the situation, in that this is an uncommon occurrence.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:57 PM on September 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
Yes, for political junkies like us who will sit and watch it all. A walk-out is much more visually stunning to watch in a short snippet on the news, and conveys the seriousness of the situation, in that this is an uncommon occurrence.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:57 PM on September 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
Here is a 8 minutes YouTube compilation of what many people really think about Donald Trump
posted by growabrain at 10:01 PM on September 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 10:01 PM on September 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
forget what image plays best on television. forget what message an action sends. Instead, focus on the effect of the action. Perform whatever action best delays Kavanaugh’s appointment to the court, regardless of how that action plays on television.
Today, fussing about procedure may be the strongest play. But before the fucker gets appointed, stronger measures must be considered. Physically block access to the chambers. Have a staffer pull the fire alarm. Arrange for rioting both inside and outside the building. Take the 2000 republican “brook brothers riot” as an inspiration.
Fight, literally rather than metaphorically.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 10:06 PM on September 4, 2018 [70 favorites]
Today, fussing about procedure may be the strongest play. But before the fucker gets appointed, stronger measures must be considered. Physically block access to the chambers. Have a staffer pull the fire alarm. Arrange for rioting both inside and outside the building. Take the 2000 republican “brook brothers riot” as an inspiration.
Fight, literally rather than metaphorically.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 10:06 PM on September 4, 2018 [70 favorites]
Up to at least three Massachusetts state House reps who lost their primary bids, all to challenges from the left (Koczera, Sanchez, Rushing). Some towns still not reporting.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
I did not vote today in the MA state primary, and I have a Baker problem- I want to vote for a smart, center-left agenda whenever I can but Baker seems to be ok and I loved voting for Bill Weld back before he got old and went libertarian. So, convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker.
posted by vrakatar at 10:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by vrakatar at 10:11 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Someone upthread noted how the protestors inside began shouting one by one, staggering their protests to maximize the amount of time their arrests would take up.
That’s the sort of tactic that’s necessary here. I’m not kidding about having staffers pull fire alarms. These hearings are not about debate, or about rules of order, or about anything to do with reason. They’re about raw physicality. It must become physically impossible for the hearings to continue in a timely fashion.
A walkout doesn’t accomplish this. No one cares whether or not the nomination goes through without the Democrats’ consent, so a dramatic withdrawal of consent does nothing. It is instead necessary to sabotage the process, by whatever means.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 10:25 PM on September 4, 2018 [100 favorites]
That’s the sort of tactic that’s necessary here. I’m not kidding about having staffers pull fire alarms. These hearings are not about debate, or about rules of order, or about anything to do with reason. They’re about raw physicality. It must become physically impossible for the hearings to continue in a timely fashion.
A walkout doesn’t accomplish this. No one cares whether or not the nomination goes through without the Democrats’ consent, so a dramatic withdrawal of consent does nothing. It is instead necessary to sabotage the process, by whatever means.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 10:25 PM on September 4, 2018 [100 favorites]
> That’s the sort of tactic that’s necessary here. I’m not kidding about having staffers pull fire alarms. These hearings are not about debate, or about rules of order, or about anything to do with reason. They’re about raw physicality. It must become physically impossible for the hearings to continue in a timely fashion.
What imaginary world does this actually happen in? Just a couple of days ago, one of the more progressive Democrats in the caucus apologized for going nuclear to get Obama judges appointed. You go to confirmation with the Democrats you have, not the Democrats you might wish to have. A walkout was a thing that was actually being considered -- pulling fire alarms and rioting is pure fantasy.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:27 PM on September 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
What imaginary world does this actually happen in? Just a couple of days ago, one of the more progressive Democrats in the caucus apologized for going nuclear to get Obama judges appointed. You go to confirmation with the Democrats you have, not the Democrats you might wish to have. A walkout was a thing that was actually being considered -- pulling fire alarms and rioting is pure fantasy.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:27 PM on September 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
The problem is that the election is not the finish line. Even if the Republicans get walloped and lose both chambers -- hell, *especially* if they lose both chambers -- they have every incentive to use the lame duck session to force nominations through by hook or crook. It all comes down to convincing at least two GOP senators to break ranks, and I've seen zero evidence that the usual suspects are at all receptive to this.
The best bet IMHO is to taint Kavanaugh as much as possible to make expanding the court later a more viable political option.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:31 PM on September 4, 2018 [30 favorites]
The best bet IMHO is to taint Kavanaugh as much as possible to make expanding the court later a more viable political option.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:31 PM on September 4, 2018 [30 favorites]
So, convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker.However comfortable you may be with Baker as an individual, do you expect to feel the same level of comfort with the people he appoints to positions of high influence? Perhaps you remember when people voted for George W. Bush, the self-described "Compassionate Conservative" that "they'd like to have a beer with" and then were surprised when it turned out they also got Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld as part of the bargain. Are you willing to risk that?
The policies, personality, and charisma of any individual politician are relevant to whether or not one should support that politician, true, but it also matter greatly who they ally themselves with.
posted by Nerd of the North at 10:53 PM on September 4, 2018 [27 favorites]
But Baker is the incumbent. It's pretty much known what he's going to be like.
(note that this is not an endorsement for Baker)
posted by Chrysostom at 10:56 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
(note that this is not an endorsement for Baker)
posted by Chrysostom at 10:56 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jesus... Facebook chief says internet firms in 'arms race' for democracy
posted by Artw at 11:03 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 11:03 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pulling fire alarms is a good idea.
Remember Florida November 2000? They rushed the polling office down in Dade county and whatever else they accomplished, it showed that they wanted it more than Gore.
So, Dems, do you want it or not? Because the Rep’s are taking it.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:15 PM on September 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
Remember Florida November 2000? They rushed the polling office down in Dade county and whatever else they accomplished, it showed that they wanted it more than Gore.
So, Dems, do you want it or not? Because the Rep’s are taking it.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:15 PM on September 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
WaPo: That was no white-power hand signal at the Kavanaugh hearing, Zina Bash’s husband says
An actual headline in an American newspaper in the Year of Our Lord 2018.
posted by non canadian guy at 11:19 PM on September 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
An actual headline in an American newspaper in the Year of Our Lord 2018.
posted by non canadian guy at 11:19 PM on September 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
From this post: "• Also Wednesday, again, a federal court will hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, in which a group of Republican attorneys general argue that the repeal of the individual mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional. While legal scholars largely disagree with this argument, the Justice Department has refused to fully defend the law, leaving it to a group of Democratic attorneys general to intervene in the case."
(Mild tin foil hat alert.) Regarding the confirmation of Kavanaugh, The Affordable Care Act is the least of our worries in my opinion. Who wants to bet this other particular law will re-adjudicated in time if Kavanaugh is confirmed, Helvering v. Davis Ring a bell? It shouldn't necessarily; it was adjudicated eighty-one years ago and heretofore had been considered settled law (not that Republicans view anything from the New Deal as settled law). From Wikipedia, Helvering v. Davis "was a decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that Social Security was constitutionally permissible as an exercise of the federal power to spend for the general welfare, and did not contravene the 10th Amendment. The Court's 7-2 decision defended the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935, requiring only that welfare spending be for the common benefit as distinguished from some mere local purpose. It affirmed a District Court decree that held that the tax upon employees was not properly at issue, and that the tax upon employers was constitutional."
Or this? United States v. Butler settled eighty-two years ago. From Wikipedia, "was a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the U.S. Congress's power to lay taxes is not limited only to the level necessary to carry out its other powers enumerated in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, but is a broad authority to tax and spend for the "general welfare" of the United States. The decision itself concerned whether the processing taxes instituted under the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act were constitutional." Settled law? Think again.
Or this? Steward Machine Co. v. Davis, from Wikipedia "was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the unemployment compensation provisions of the Social Security Act of 1935, which established a federal taxing structure that was designed to induce states to adopt laws for funding and payment of unemployment compensation. The decision signaled the Court's acceptance of a broad interpretation of Congressional power to influence state laws." Decided eighty-two years ago. Think it's settled law? Not with Roberts, Gorsuch and Kavenaugh.
Kiss the "General Welfare" goodbye?
The Republicans have been working tirelessly to realize a dream and it is now coming to fruition - overturning the New Deal. The history of court challenges to the Social Security Act.
These were ALL challenges to the Social Security Act in the 1930's and since Republicans have been determined to overturn the New Deal in total since achieving ONE PARTY RULE in Washington in a ~now clearly tainted election~, how long do you think it will take test cases regarding these issues to make their way to the radical, far right court if Kavanaugh is added?
posted by WinstonJulia at 11:22 PM on September 4, 2018 [63 favorites]
(Mild tin foil hat alert.) Regarding the confirmation of Kavanaugh, The Affordable Care Act is the least of our worries in my opinion. Who wants to bet this other particular law will re-adjudicated in time if Kavanaugh is confirmed, Helvering v. Davis Ring a bell? It shouldn't necessarily; it was adjudicated eighty-one years ago and heretofore had been considered settled law (not that Republicans view anything from the New Deal as settled law). From Wikipedia, Helvering v. Davis "was a decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that Social Security was constitutionally permissible as an exercise of the federal power to spend for the general welfare, and did not contravene the 10th Amendment. The Court's 7-2 decision defended the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935, requiring only that welfare spending be for the common benefit as distinguished from some mere local purpose. It affirmed a District Court decree that held that the tax upon employees was not properly at issue, and that the tax upon employers was constitutional."
Or this? United States v. Butler settled eighty-two years ago. From Wikipedia, "was a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the U.S. Congress's power to lay taxes is not limited only to the level necessary to carry out its other powers enumerated in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, but is a broad authority to tax and spend for the "general welfare" of the United States. The decision itself concerned whether the processing taxes instituted under the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act were constitutional." Settled law? Think again.
Or this? Steward Machine Co. v. Davis, from Wikipedia "was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the unemployment compensation provisions of the Social Security Act of 1935, which established a federal taxing structure that was designed to induce states to adopt laws for funding and payment of unemployment compensation. The decision signaled the Court's acceptance of a broad interpretation of Congressional power to influence state laws." Decided eighty-two years ago. Think it's settled law? Not with Roberts, Gorsuch and Kavenaugh.
Kiss the "General Welfare" goodbye?
The Republicans have been working tirelessly to realize a dream and it is now coming to fruition - overturning the New Deal. The history of court challenges to the Social Security Act.
These were ALL challenges to the Social Security Act in the 1930's and since Republicans have been determined to overturn the New Deal in total since achieving ONE PARTY RULE in Washington in a ~now clearly tainted election~, how long do you think it will take test cases regarding these issues to make their way to the radical, far right court if Kavanaugh is added?
posted by WinstonJulia at 11:22 PM on September 4, 2018 [63 favorites]
If they all walked out, the Grassly would say, "What no Dem's want to ask any questions? OK. So, Judge Kavanaugh want to add anything?" Kavanaugh would paint himself as a great great potential judge and then it would go to the floor and he would be nominated. And none of the fucked-up-ed-ness of this whole process would make it into the record or the press.
Pulling the fire alarms/ standing up to protest/ disrupting the process/ speaking out, loudly, is the only chance Democrats have to sway things. This is all most fucked up and only by making a loud enough noise is there any chance of averting it.
Or, if the Dem's ever win back the senate, (as was mentioned in the previous thread) boost the bench of the SC so that K and Grouch have less pull.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Pulling the fire alarms/ standing up to protest/ disrupting the process/ speaking out, loudly, is the only chance Democrats have to sway things. This is all most fucked up and only by making a loud enough noise is there any chance of averting it.
Or, if the Dem's ever win back the senate, (as was mentioned in the previous thread) boost the bench of the SC so that K and Grouch have less pull.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Kavanaugh will be confirmed, because SCOTUS is the whole game. The reason the the GOP (or at least, the wing of it that isn't either full-on Nazi, or simply scared of the magahats among their voters) puts up with Trump is so that the GOP minority can impose their will on the American people for another generation through the judiciary (as, it should be noted, they felt the minority will of civil rights for all was imposed on their white-supremacist stub confederacy in the 1960s), despite their inexorable demographic, moral, and intellectual decline. Kavanaugh will be confirmed, because the apparently-probable consequences of an open hearing -- seeing the W administration in the dock at The Hauge -- will not be allowed to happen.
The question for me is what happens after that. I'm afraid that if it's not a general strike — not just a protest, but a straight-up everyone who believes in the rule of law downs tools and goes and sits quietly in the middle of the street for a month — then probably the next step is to start writing down stories about the-America-that-was and burying them in various archives, so they'll be discovered later and someone else can have a go at building it back up again in the mid-23rd century.
(Yeah, yeah, court-packing, which is precisely as legitimate as the SCOTUS nomination process has been since Merrick Fucking Garland, and which I will fully endorse at the next-post-GOP majority, if grudgingly so, but it would have been nice to leave some semblance of the legitimacy of the system intact.)
posted by Vetinari at 1:23 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
The question for me is what happens after that. I'm afraid that if it's not a general strike — not just a protest, but a straight-up everyone who believes in the rule of law downs tools and goes and sits quietly in the middle of the street for a month — then probably the next step is to start writing down stories about the-America-that-was and burying them in various archives, so they'll be discovered later and someone else can have a go at building it back up again in the mid-23rd century.
(Yeah, yeah, court-packing, which is precisely as legitimate as the SCOTUS nomination process has been since Merrick Fucking Garland, and which I will fully endorse at the next-post-GOP majority, if grudgingly so, but it would have been nice to leave some semblance of the legitimacy of the system intact.)
posted by Vetinari at 1:23 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
To which I say: MERRICK GARLAND.
Graham and the GOP do not play weak, earnest, doormat politics. I hate him, but he is correct here.
posted by ryanshepard at 3:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Graham and the GOP do not play weak, earnest, doormat politics. I hate him, but he is correct here.
posted by ryanshepard at 3:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Graham and the GOP do not play weak, earnest, doormat politics. I hate him, but he is correct here.
Graham told Garland that the Senate wouldn’t confirm any Clinton-appointed Justices either. He’s not strong or a worthy adversary or any other vaguely complimentary thing anyone can call him. He’s a power-grubbing shit who’s using the remnants of a system that was set up to allay the fears of slavers, in an institution that famously saw a man beaten bloody because he dared speak out against slavery, elected by the people of the state that started the war over slavery.
He’s not fucking correct.
posted by Etrigan at 4:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [108 favorites]
Graham told Garland that the Senate wouldn’t confirm any Clinton-appointed Justices either. He’s not strong or a worthy adversary or any other vaguely complimentary thing anyone can call him. He’s a power-grubbing shit who’s using the remnants of a system that was set up to allay the fears of slavers, in an institution that famously saw a man beaten bloody because he dared speak out against slavery, elected by the people of the state that started the war over slavery.
He’s not fucking correct.
posted by Etrigan at 4:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [108 favorites]
To quote Graham himself, what he wants is primarily to be relevant. The lack of mention of principles is probably a clue that he'll do what it takes to make that happen.
posted by jaduncan at 4:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 4:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
He’s a power-grubbing shit who’s using the remnants of a system that was set up to allay the fears of slavers, in an institution that famously saw a man beaten bloody because he dared speak out against slavery, elected by the people of the state that started the war over slavery.
I don't like it either, but this is, historically, how politics work in the US.
Ask, for example, Lyndon Johnson, who wasn't operating under the illusions or tolerance for defeat of today's Democratic leadership.
posted by ryanshepard at 4:17 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't like it either, but this is, historically, how politics work in the US.
Ask, for example, Lyndon Johnson, who wasn't operating under the illusions or tolerance for defeat of today's Democratic leadership.
posted by ryanshepard at 4:17 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't like it either, but this is, historically, how politics work in the US.
Really? Lot of Justices nominated by the guy who, to coin a phrase, won the election weren’t even given a hearing? That’s how politics always worked in the US? Johnson didn’t let Eisenhower fill any of the five vacancies that came up during his presidency?
If you don’t like it, stop acting like what’s happening is remotely “historical” or “correct”. You don’t get to throw up your hands and then complain about other people being defeatist while ceding that ground.
posted by Etrigan at 4:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
Really? Lot of Justices nominated by the guy who, to coin a phrase, won the election weren’t even given a hearing? That’s how politics always worked in the US? Johnson didn’t let Eisenhower fill any of the five vacancies that came up during his presidency?
If you don’t like it, stop acting like what’s happening is remotely “historical” or “correct”. You don’t get to throw up your hands and then complain about other people being defeatist while ceding that ground.
posted by Etrigan at 4:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
I don't like it either, but this is, historically, how politics work in the US.
Ask, for example, Lyndon Johnson, who wasn't operating under the illusions or tolerance for defeat of today's Democratic leadership.
The “the-other-team-wanted-it-more” take isn’t especially illuminating, whether it’s Joey from Staten Island (“first time, long time!”) calling into sports talk radio or ... this.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Ask, for example, Lyndon Johnson, who wasn't operating under the illusions or tolerance for defeat of today's Democratic leadership.
The “the-other-team-wanted-it-more” take isn’t especially illuminating, whether it’s Joey from Staten Island (“first time, long time!”) calling into sports talk radio or ... this.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is Education a Fundamental Right? The history of an obscure Supreme Court ruling sheds light on the ongoing debate over schooling and immigration.
posted by homunculus at 4:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by homunculus at 4:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Britain charges two Russians with attempted murder of ex-spy with nerve agent (WaPo)
British prosecutors on Wednesday named two Russian suspects wanted for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:31 AM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
The two men, named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were charged with the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. They were also charged with the attempted murder of Nick Bailey, a British police officer who also fell ill from the nerve agent. All three have since recovered.
“It is clearly in the public interest to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov,” Sue Hemming, the Crown Prosecution Service’s director of legal services, said in a statement.
Boston voter checking in. 2018 might still be a tire fire, but goddamnit, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. The ballot I filled out yesterday had 14 positions on it, and I was able to vote for women in 12 of them. I could vote for women of color in six of them. And the women kicked ass and took names! Our long-time incumbent state rep, a blue-dog democrat who was terrible on educational policy, got his ass handed to him by Nika Elugardo, a newcomer to state politics who ran the strongest ground game I have ever seen. My phone rang twice yesterday from her campaign, and they've been to our door three times in the last two weeks. When I asked for a yard sign, it was up in 24 hours. And this was a race for state rep! No federal money involved! All of this ran on the enthusiasm of unpaid volunteers! Mark this comment down: in six years, you will have heard her name mentioned in a national race.
My house is fifty yards too far east for me to have voted for Ayanna Pressley, but this woman is AOC 2.0. I've had the privilege of hearing her speak in town halls in her capacity as City Councilor, and this woman will not take shit from anyone. She is a progressive firebrand of the strongest type. Put her in a national leadership position, and she will burn shit down. She's replacing a guy who voted very progressively, but was not much of a voice in the House. And what's more, she ran her campaign with total transparency: she out and said "My voting record is not what will distinguish me from my opponent. My leadership and perspective will do that." And she won by 15 points!
Meanwhile, we also just elected a woman of color as district attorney, who has openly said she will refuse to prosecute nonviolent drug crimes that disproportionately target African-Americans. She's basically Krasner from Philadelphia, but a woman of color! Fuck yeah!
We also picked Elizabeth Warren in a landslide, and that's the fourth-most exciting race on the ticket.
It's too early to predict a blue wave, but goddamn, the primaries in MA have me feeling better than I have since the 2016 election. We can do this, y'all. Progressive candidates that get the base fired up are the way forward.
posted by Mayor West at 4:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [92 favorites]
My house is fifty yards too far east for me to have voted for Ayanna Pressley, but this woman is AOC 2.0. I've had the privilege of hearing her speak in town halls in her capacity as City Councilor, and this woman will not take shit from anyone. She is a progressive firebrand of the strongest type. Put her in a national leadership position, and she will burn shit down. She's replacing a guy who voted very progressively, but was not much of a voice in the House. And what's more, she ran her campaign with total transparency: she out and said "My voting record is not what will distinguish me from my opponent. My leadership and perspective will do that." And she won by 15 points!
Meanwhile, we also just elected a woman of color as district attorney, who has openly said she will refuse to prosecute nonviolent drug crimes that disproportionately target African-Americans. She's basically Krasner from Philadelphia, but a woman of color! Fuck yeah!
We also picked Elizabeth Warren in a landslide, and that's the fourth-most exciting race on the ticket.
It's too early to predict a blue wave, but goddamn, the primaries in MA have me feeling better than I have since the 2016 election. We can do this, y'all. Progressive candidates that get the base fired up are the way forward.
posted by Mayor West at 4:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [92 favorites]
(And yes I know this is just the primaries and I should probably temper my enthusiasm for November, but these are Boston districts, people--we're as blue as Betsy DeVos' blood. Elizabeth Warren is the only one of these people who even have an R running against them in November, and the Republican senate challenger is three toddlers stacked under a trenchcoat)
posted by Mayor West at 4:45 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Mayor West at 4:45 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Axios: Furious Trump trapped by hundreds of Woodward tapes "President Trump is livid at the betrayal and stunning allegations in Bob Woodward’s forthcoming "Fear," but limited in his ability to fight back because most of the interviews were caught on hundreds of hours of tape, officials tell Axios."
Swan and Allen present some more "choice cuts" from it:
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:05 AM on September 5, 2018 [69 favorites]
Swan and Allen present some more "choice cuts" from it:
• Trump to James Clapper, then Director of National Intelligence, who briefed him at Trump Tower during the transition on the intelligence community's findings that Putin had interfered in the election: "l don't believe in human sources ... These are people who have sold their souls and sold out their country ... I don't trust human intelligence and these spies."We should expect more such damning anecdotes over the next week. Unlike Omarosa, Woodward isn't front-loading his book tour.
• Trump to Tom Bossert, the president's adviser for homeland security, cyber security and counterterrorism, who asked Trump if he had a minute: "I want to watch the Masters. ... You and your cyber ... are going to get me in a war — with all your cyber shit."
• Stephen Miller to Reince Priebus after Trump had ordered his first chief of staff to get the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions: "We're in real trouble. Because if you don't get the resignation, he's going to think you're weak. If you get it, you're going to be part of a downward-spiral calamity."
• "Trump was editing an upcoming speech with [then-staff secretary Rob] Porter. Scribbling his thoughts in neat, clean penmanship, the president wrote, 'TRADE IS BAD.'"
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:05 AM on September 5, 2018 [69 favorites]
I mean, it’s only damning if it damns him to something. I can’t see these having any effect at all, despite how much I do love/hate reading them. :/
posted by lazaruslong at 5:19 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 5:19 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Unlike Omarosa, Woodward isn't front-loading his book tour.
I'm sorry, can you explain what it means to "front-load" a book tour?
posted by thelonius at 5:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm sorry, can you explain what it means to "front-load" a book tour?
posted by thelonius at 5:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I mean, it’s only damning if it damns him to something. I can’t see these having any effect at all, despite how much I do love/hate reading them. :/
They 1) make him look weak and 2) serve to drive a wedge between him and his handlers. They are the emperor’s advisors talking out loud about him being naked.
In the great avalanche that is the American counter-fascist fight, they are only a few stones. But that’s how avalanches work.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
They 1) make him look weak and 2) serve to drive a wedge between him and his handlers. They are the emperor’s advisors talking out loud about him being naked.
In the great avalanche that is the American counter-fascist fight, they are only a few stones. But that’s how avalanches work.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
I'm sorry, can you explain what it means to "front-load" a book tour?
I meant that these pre-publication leaks of Woodward's book are likely to be followed by more once it's released, as opposed to leading with the most sensational details and then sputtering out. (To be fair, Omarosa's opening bombshell did reveal Kelly engaged in unethical behavior that would have gotten him fired in a normal administration. Despite this, all her promises of similar disclosures she then made on tour have come to nothing,)
Also, I need coffee.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I meant that these pre-publication leaks of Woodward's book are likely to be followed by more once it's released, as opposed to leading with the most sensational details and then sputtering out. (To be fair, Omarosa's opening bombshell did reveal Kelly engaged in unethical behavior that would have gotten him fired in a normal administration. Despite this, all her promises of similar disclosures she then made on tour have come to nothing,)
Also, I need coffee.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I don't like it either, but this is, historically, how politics work in the US.
Historically, politics in the US DO NOT WORK unless there is the out of band limiter on bad faith, originally duels to the death to defend your honor.
As envisioned by the Framers, McConnell's gaming of Garland's nomination would have required he put his life on the line when someone called him out for acting dishonorably.
This is, I believe, one reason the Constitution is very poorly written. Edge cases were solved on the field of honour.
posted by mikelieman at 5:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
Historically, politics in the US DO NOT WORK unless there is the out of band limiter on bad faith, originally duels to the death to defend your honor.
As envisioned by the Framers, McConnell's gaming of Garland's nomination would have required he put his life on the line when someone called him out for acting dishonorably.
This is, I believe, one reason the Constitution is very poorly written. Edge cases were solved on the field of honour.
posted by mikelieman at 5:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
There are a lot of potential steps to be taken but reviving dueling is maybe not one of them?
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrumpIt's Bob Woodward you fucking idiot. He's done this before. He literally has tapes.
Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?
4:33 AM - 5 Sep 2018
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [89 favorites]
There are a lot of potential steps to be taken but reviving dueling is maybe not one of them?
Pistols at noon should settle this. MetaDuel!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
Pistols at noon should settle this. MetaDuel!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
The most recent episode of Chapo Trap House outlines pretty convincingly how fucked we are in terms of Kavanaugh being confirmed.
Oh, we're so fucked. But that doesn't mean the fight isn't worth it, and I'm glad the Dems are bringing it.
Pulling the fire alarms/ standing up to protest/ disrupting the process/ speaking out, loudly, is the only chance Democrats have to sway things.
They are speaking out loudly. They're doing it at the hearings. Pulling the fire alarm would be seen as childish and counterproductive.
posted by Anonymous at 5:53 AM on September 5, 2018
Oh, we're so fucked. But that doesn't mean the fight isn't worth it, and I'm glad the Dems are bringing it.
Pulling the fire alarms/ standing up to protest/ disrupting the process/ speaking out, loudly, is the only chance Democrats have to sway things.
They are speaking out loudly. They're doing it at the hearings. Pulling the fire alarm would be seen as childish and counterproductive.
posted by Anonymous at 5:53 AM on September 5, 2018
As envisioned by the Framers, McConnell's gaming of Garland's nomination would have required he put his life on the line when someone called him out for acting dishonorably.
So less of a Congress, more of a Klingon High Council? It would be gratifying to see Republicans called out with "You rule without wisdom and without honor" in a Worf-like voice.
posted by Servo5678 at 5:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
So less of a Congress, more of a Klingon High Council? It would be gratifying to see Republicans called out with "You rule without wisdom and without honor" in a Worf-like voice.
posted by Servo5678 at 5:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
It's Bob Woodward you fucking idiot. He's done this before. He literally has tapes.
Woodward has far too much professional integrity to do this, but lordy I wish he'd fire back with "I've posted all the recordings online. Let's let the American people decide whether I've committed libel."
Maybe someday those tapes will be subpoenad for some reason. I can dream...
posted by Rykey at 6:04 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Woodward has far too much professional integrity to do this, but lordy I wish he'd fire back with "I've posted all the recordings online. Let's let the American people decide whether I've committed libel."
Maybe someday those tapes will be subpoenad for some reason. I can dream...
posted by Rykey at 6:04 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
It's Bob Woodward you fucking idiot. He's done this before. He literally has tapes.
It's Donald Trump. He and his minions will -- while listening on camera to the tape playing -- literally deny saying what's on the tape, then deny the very existence of the tape. And his cult, including the GOP Congress, will nod along.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [55 favorites]
It's Donald Trump. He and his minions will -- while listening on camera to the tape playing -- literally deny saying what's on the tape, then deny the very existence of the tape. And his cult, including the GOP Congress, will nod along.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [55 favorites]
You know who doesn't doubt Woodward, despite Trump's specific denial? GOP senators Isakman, Inhofe, Corker, Tillis and Kennedy who all denounced Trump's dumb Southerner and mentally retarded comments made about Sessions.
posted by chris24 at 6:21 AM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 6:21 AM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
They 1) make him look weak and 2) serve to drive a wedge between him and his handlers. They are the emperor’s advisors talking out loud about him being naked.
In the great avalanche that is the American counter-fascist fight, they are only a few stones. But that’s how avalanches work.
Thank you, that is encouraging.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:23 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
In the great avalanche that is the American counter-fascist fight, they are only a few stones. But that’s how avalanches work.
Thank you, that is encouraging.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:23 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Question, is this the new catch all thread, or are we focused on Kavabaugh only?
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:26 AM on September 5, 2018
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:26 AM on September 5, 2018
It's linked in the sidebar as a catch-all
posted by mrjohnmuller at 6:29 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mrjohnmuller at 6:29 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
The GOP response to the demand for documents is "Why should we have to provide them, when the people who are asking for them are already on the record saying that they're voting 'No?'"
Which is... dickish, at best, but is also a realistic statement of realpolitik. No revealed document is going to make Kamala Harris vote 'Yes.' No revealed document is going to make Collins or Murkowski vote 'No,' either. He is what it says on his tin -- a conservative partisan judge who nevertheless has a substantial track record of acting as a reasonably functional judge -- and any Republican who votes against him will be thrown off a bridge, and they know it.
The Democratic objections to Kavanaugh are based on things that Republicans either cannot or will not choose to entertain as legitimate: the roaring hypocrisy of the Garland affair, the delays involved in producing the mountain of documents pushing the confirmation to/after the midterms, the perception of Trump literally selecting his own judge right before a theoretical Supreme Court judgment involving him, the specificity of Kavanaugh's statements about Presidents being indictable, their reluctance to allow a raging conservative to replace a moderate conservative.
None of these will be allowed to matter in any vote-swaying sense because the big prize is literally in the grasp of the hard right.
posted by delfin at 6:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Which is... dickish, at best, but is also a realistic statement of realpolitik. No revealed document is going to make Kamala Harris vote 'Yes.' No revealed document is going to make Collins or Murkowski vote 'No,' either. He is what it says on his tin -- a conservative partisan judge who nevertheless has a substantial track record of acting as a reasonably functional judge -- and any Republican who votes against him will be thrown off a bridge, and they know it.
The Democratic objections to Kavanaugh are based on things that Republicans either cannot or will not choose to entertain as legitimate: the roaring hypocrisy of the Garland affair, the delays involved in producing the mountain of documents pushing the confirmation to/after the midterms, the perception of Trump literally selecting his own judge right before a theoretical Supreme Court judgment involving him, the specificity of Kavanaugh's statements about Presidents being indictable, their reluctance to allow a raging conservative to replace a moderate conservative.
None of these will be allowed to matter in any vote-swaying sense because the big prize is literally in the grasp of the hard right.
posted by delfin at 6:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's Donald Trump. He and his minions will -- while listening on camera to the tape playing -- literally deny saying what's on the tape, then deny the very existence of the tape. And his cult, including the GOP Congress, will nod along.
He already tried this with the Access Hollywood tapes.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
He already tried this with the Access Hollywood tapes.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
guys I'm really shaken by that story of Kavanaugh turning his back on the dad of one of the Parkland victims and asking security to usher the dad out.
I mean, the frosting on this turd was supposed to be that yeaaaaaaahhh he has troubling opinions and yeah the process is fucked to the max and probably good bye reproductive freedoms, but this guy? This guy that people were writing bullshit articles about how he was a really great carpool dad or whatever the fuck? He was NICE. He was a GOOD MAN.
This is not a nice good man. I hope RBG spits in his food at every opportunity.
posted by angrycat at 6:35 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
I mean, the frosting on this turd was supposed to be that yeaaaaaaahhh he has troubling opinions and yeah the process is fucked to the max and probably good bye reproductive freedoms, but this guy? This guy that people were writing bullshit articles about how he was a really great carpool dad or whatever the fuck? He was NICE. He was a GOOD MAN.
This is not a nice good man. I hope RBG spits in his food at every opportunity.
posted by angrycat at 6:35 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
Axios: Scoop: Confident Dems Plan Detailed 2019 Agenda
Finding it hard to imagine the political rationale for this after watching the GOP merrily add one-and-a-half trillion to the national debt, without any plan to pay for it. The Dem establishment continue in their quixotic determination to abide by the Queensberry Rules in their bout against a meth-addled MMA fighter.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 6:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [62 favorites]
Pelosi, despite opposition from some progressives, is committed to reviving the "pay-go" (or pay as you go) rule she had during her previous run as speaker, requiring that new spending be paid for by budget cuts or revenue offsets.Scoop: Confident Dems Pre-emptively Tie Hands Behind Back.
Finding it hard to imagine the political rationale for this after watching the GOP merrily add one-and-a-half trillion to the national debt, without any plan to pay for it. The Dem establishment continue in their quixotic determination to abide by the Queensberry Rules in their bout against a meth-addled MMA fighter.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 6:36 AM on September 5, 2018 [62 favorites]
No revealed document is going to make Kamala Harris vote 'Yes.' No revealed document is going to make Collins or Murkowski vote 'No,' either.
There are 20+ D senators who haven't expressed an opinion on Kavanaugh, so even granting the bullshit spin that senators who have an opinion don't deserve info there should be disclosure. And of course even Harris is representing millions of Americans for and against who deserve the documents.
And of course, there are definitely things that would make Collins and Murkowski vote no. Specific comments on Roe, civil rights, torture, etc. would all make his nomination untenable. And we know that pretty much for sure because of the effort they're making and lies they're saying to not fucking show 90+% of his records.
posted by chris24 at 6:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
There are 20+ D senators who haven't expressed an opinion on Kavanaugh, so even granting the bullshit spin that senators who have an opinion don't deserve info there should be disclosure. And of course even Harris is representing millions of Americans for and against who deserve the documents.
And of course, there are definitely things that would make Collins and Murkowski vote no. Specific comments on Roe, civil rights, torture, etc. would all make his nomination untenable. And we know that pretty much for sure because of the effort they're making and lies they're saying to not fucking show 90+% of his records.
posted by chris24 at 6:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
@willsommer: Today's congressional hearings on social media could be wild. Alex Jones claims he'll be in the front row, Laura Loomer is in DC, and Chuck Johnson — banned from Twitter — says he has something planned.
Alex Jones is currently in a heated discussion with Capitol Police outside the hearing room.
The Senate social media hearing kicks off. Outside, Jack Posobiec and Alex Jones are trying to get attention from the press gaggle.
Meanwhile, the Kavanaugh hearings have started with more protests and an extended ode to Kavanaugh by Chuck Grassley in lieu of questioning.
Follow Will for the social media hearing chaos, Chris Geidner for Kavanaugh.
posted by zachlipton at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Alex Jones is currently in a heated discussion with Capitol Police outside the hearing room.
The Senate social media hearing kicks off. Outside, Jack Posobiec and Alex Jones are trying to get attention from the press gaggle.
Meanwhile, the Kavanaugh hearings have started with more protests and an extended ode to Kavanaugh by Chuck Grassley in lieu of questioning.
Follow Will for the social media hearing chaos, Chris Geidner for Kavanaugh.
posted by zachlipton at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
there are definitely things that would make Collins and Murkowski vote no.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
posted by Slothrup at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
Assumes facts not in evidence.
posted by Slothrup at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
That’s the sort of tactic that’s necessary here. I’m not kidding about having staffers pull fire alarms. These hearings are not about debate, or about rules of order, or about anything to do with reason. They’re about raw physicality. It must become physically impossible for the hearings to continue in a timely fashion.
Republicans understand politics as being about raw power, while Democrats understand it as being about process. The idea that political reality requires going outside of the process will literally never occur to some Democrats.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Republicans understand politics as being about raw power, while Democrats understand it as being about process. The idea that political reality requires going outside of the process will literally never occur to some Democrats.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Assumes facts not in evidence.
I say that not because of any integrity, morality or backbone of Collins/Murkowski, but simply because what they're hiding is obviously so awful. Using Josh Marshall's Trumpian blackhole metaphor, even though we can't see it, it's clearly something big because of how it's affecting everything else they do.
posted by chris24 at 6:49 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
I say that not because of any integrity, morality or backbone of Collins/Murkowski, but simply because what they're hiding is obviously so awful. Using Josh Marshall's Trumpian blackhole metaphor, even though we can't see it, it's clearly something big because of how it's affecting everything else they do.
posted by chris24 at 6:49 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
The idea that political reality requires going outside of the process will literally never occur to some Democrats.
Well the adage is you don't wrestle a pig in its own shit because the pig will love it and you'll just be covered in pig shit. The problem is that the pig has now escaped the pen so you kind of need to wrestle it.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
Well the adage is you don't wrestle a pig in its own shit because the pig will love it and you'll just be covered in pig shit. The problem is that the pig has now escaped the pen so you kind of need to wrestle it.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
Collins knows all about Kavanaugh already, and has already signaled herself as a Yes.
The hiding of documents is not about swaying votes on Kavanaugh; those votes are carved in stone unless photos emerge of Kavanaugh literally eating babies with fava beans and a nice Chianti. The Impeachment game theory applies; Collins and Murkowski will vote 'Yes' unless evidence emerges that is SO disqualifying that those much further to the right than themselves also feel compelled to vote 'No.'
Collins and Murkowski are difficult to sway on shitshows like "skinny repeal" that even much of their base thought were ridiculous. Tilting the Supreme Court hard to the right and thus winning innumerable battles for control of America with a single vote? I state again: THROWN. OFF. A. BRIDGE if they even consider considering voting against him. This is not negotiable on their part; this is pressure like you've never imagined for them to toe the line.
posted by delfin at 6:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
The hiding of documents is not about swaying votes on Kavanaugh; those votes are carved in stone unless photos emerge of Kavanaugh literally eating babies with fava beans and a nice Chianti. The Impeachment game theory applies; Collins and Murkowski will vote 'Yes' unless evidence emerges that is SO disqualifying that those much further to the right than themselves also feel compelled to vote 'No.'
Collins and Murkowski are difficult to sway on shitshows like "skinny repeal" that even much of their base thought were ridiculous. Tilting the Supreme Court hard to the right and thus winning innumerable battles for control of America with a single vote? I state again: THROWN. OFF. A. BRIDGE if they even consider considering voting against him. This is not negotiable on their part; this is pressure like you've never imagined for them to toe the line.
posted by delfin at 6:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Rosie Gray, Atlantic, A Daily Caller Editor Wrote for an ‘Alt-Right’ Website Using a Pseudonym
Scott Greer, an editor and columnist at the Caller, also wrote as “Michael McGregor” for Radix Journal, the publication associated with the “alt-right” figure Richard Spencer.Greer's statement claims his views have "evolved" since then, while simultaneously not apologizing or expressing a shred of regret. In any case:
The former Daily Caller writer and editor Scott Greer has severed all ties with the conservative website after acknowledging that he had written under a pseudonym for the white-supremacist Radix Journal.
Greer, who stepped down as an editor at The Daily Caller in June to write a book, said he would drop his contributor status last week after The Atlantic confronted him with leaked chat logs that showed he had spent some of his time at the website also writing as “Michael McGregor” for Radix, the online publication founded by the “alt-right” leader Richard Spencer, who wants to turn America into a white ethno-state.
...
Greer expressed racist antiblack views and anti-Semitism in the Radix articles he wrote under the Michael McGregor byline, and disparaged other groups including feminists, immigrants, Christian Zionists, and the pro-life movement. In an interview with the website Social Matter in 2014, the same year Greer started working at The Daily Caller, Michael McGregor was identified as the managing editor of Radix.
Greer’s role at Radix offers yet another glimpse into how members of an underground white-nationalist scene—emboldened by the rise of Donald Trump during the 2016 election—were able to operate relatively undetected in conservative institutions.posted by zachlipton at 6:56 AM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
I say that not because of any integrity, morality or backbone of Collins/Murkowski, but simply because what they're hiding is obviously so awful. Using Josh Marshall's Trumpian blackhole metaphor, even though we can't see it, it's clearly something big because of how it's affecting everything else they do.
Honestly, I do not believe that there is anything in Kavanaugh's documentation that will be beyond the normal Lovecraftian horror that is conservative jurisprudence. They are stonewalling on documents for a few other reasons:
1) Revealing documents cannot help Kavanaugh in any way; he already HAS the votes. If fifty Republicans think that "knee-jerk conservative ideologue who will protect Trump if any cases involving Trump reach SCOTUS" is the right formula for a SCOTUS vacancy, and there's plenty of evidence that they do, this is all theater.
2) They are claiming that the amount of time necessary for Democrats to read every single document involving Kavanaugh ever will push the confirmation far past the mid-terms, some hyperbolically claiming that it'd push it out of Trump's term altogether. If it pushes it past the mid-terms, the composition of the Senate may change from its current Kavanaugh-passes lockstep to something that endangers that. Thus, no more documents, fuck you, vote now while it's a sure win.
And are the Dems asking for disclosure in part AS a delaying tactic? Damn right they are, and good for them. It's about time that they use any tactic possible to throw wrenches in this process.
3) If the confirmation is allowed to slip into/past the mid-terms, that's motivation for Dem voters to come out in droves in hopes of influencing it. More documents being revealed and laying out just how deep Kavanaugh's antipathy towards progressive causes runs will do nothing but motivate Dems even more. It is thus in their very strong interest to slam the door shut on this before voters get any additional say or motivation.
posted by delfin at 7:05 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
Honestly, I do not believe that there is anything in Kavanaugh's documentation that will be beyond the normal Lovecraftian horror that is conservative jurisprudence. They are stonewalling on documents for a few other reasons:
1) Revealing documents cannot help Kavanaugh in any way; he already HAS the votes. If fifty Republicans think that "knee-jerk conservative ideologue who will protect Trump if any cases involving Trump reach SCOTUS" is the right formula for a SCOTUS vacancy, and there's plenty of evidence that they do, this is all theater.
2) They are claiming that the amount of time necessary for Democrats to read every single document involving Kavanaugh ever will push the confirmation far past the mid-terms, some hyperbolically claiming that it'd push it out of Trump's term altogether. If it pushes it past the mid-terms, the composition of the Senate may change from its current Kavanaugh-passes lockstep to something that endangers that. Thus, no more documents, fuck you, vote now while it's a sure win.
And are the Dems asking for disclosure in part AS a delaying tactic? Damn right they are, and good for them. It's about time that they use any tactic possible to throw wrenches in this process.
3) If the confirmation is allowed to slip into/past the mid-terms, that's motivation for Dem voters to come out in droves in hopes of influencing it. More documents being revealed and laying out just how deep Kavanaugh's antipathy towards progressive causes runs will do nothing but motivate Dems even more. It is thus in their very strong interest to slam the door shut on this before voters get any additional say or motivation.
posted by delfin at 7:05 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
Finding it hard to imagine the political rationale for this after watching the GOP merrily add one-and-a-half trillion to the national debt, without any plan to pay for it.
I assume that it will be used to justify ending the tax cuts to make other legislation cost neutral and may provide some leverage when it comes time to negotiate final bills with the senate. But it’s still a double-edged sword that has cut democrats in the past.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 7:07 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I assume that it will be used to justify ending the tax cuts to make other legislation cost neutral and may provide some leverage when it comes time to negotiate final bills with the senate. But it’s still a double-edged sword that has cut democrats in the past.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 7:07 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Couple deleted; "how would a hypothetical duel go" is really not a topic we can dive into here, sorry.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
I mean. They are ensuring that a majority of this country will never see the Supreme Court — or anything it decides — as legitimate.
They are enshrining a minority rule that will be inherently unsustainable.
They are behaving remarkably like slave-holding states did in the run up to the Civil War.
I just...I don’t feel like this is something that is really appreciated or talked about. The degree of recklessness is stunning, even after you’ve recalibrated to understand that the Republicans are basically evil. They aren’t just cheating. They are actively destroying the basis of our civil society.
That is stunning.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [166 favorites]
They are enshrining a minority rule that will be inherently unsustainable.
They are behaving remarkably like slave-holding states did in the run up to the Civil War.
I just...I don’t feel like this is something that is really appreciated or talked about. The degree of recklessness is stunning, even after you’ve recalibrated to understand that the Republicans are basically evil. They aren’t just cheating. They are actively destroying the basis of our civil society.
That is stunning.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [166 favorites]
I assume that it will be used to justify ending the tax cuts to make other legislation cost neutral and may provide some leverage when it comes time to negotiate final bills with the senate. But it’s still a double-edged sword that has cut democrats in the past.
It's the Santa Claus principle and it's why the Republicans both threw the country into deep recession in the '80s and also coined the term "starve the beast". By throwing the country into deep and perpetual deficit the Democratic party wouldn't be able to do anything ambitious and spend money without being able to be laid out in the media as greedy tax and spend liberals taking your tax dollars and giving it to poor/black/immigrant people who didn't deserve it.
And it continues to work to this day.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
It's the Santa Claus principle and it's why the Republicans both threw the country into deep recession in the '80s and also coined the term "starve the beast". By throwing the country into deep and perpetual deficit the Democratic party wouldn't be able to do anything ambitious and spend money without being able to be laid out in the media as greedy tax and spend liberals taking your tax dollars and giving it to poor/black/immigrant people who didn't deserve it.
And it continues to work to this day.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:30 AM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
stevechenevey: Man intentionally rams truck into Dallas TV station @FOX4 - jumps out, yells something about high treason and waves multiple documents. Station evacuated, man in custody, no injuries
maryanncbs11: FOX 4 staffers tell me the intended target of the pick up truck driver was #WFAA. Driver had previously threatened WFAA, and he went to the wrong TV station this morning. @CBSDFW #dallas #fox4
WFAA is the Dallas ABC affiliate. Further details still sketchy at this stage.
Meanwhile, we're going through the usual sham at the Kavanaugh hearings, in which he is repeatedly adamant that Roe and Casey are settled law, yet not one anti-abortion Senator will profess the slightest bit of concern that they won't get what they want, because they know it's a sham.
posted by zachlipton at 7:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
maryanncbs11: FOX 4 staffers tell me the intended target of the pick up truck driver was #WFAA. Driver had previously threatened WFAA, and he went to the wrong TV station this morning. @CBSDFW #dallas #fox4
WFAA is the Dallas ABC affiliate. Further details still sketchy at this stage.
Meanwhile, we're going through the usual sham at the Kavanaugh hearings, in which he is repeatedly adamant that Roe and Casey are settled law, yet not one anti-abortion Senator will profess the slightest bit of concern that they won't get what they want, because they know it's a sham.
posted by zachlipton at 7:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
That's why we have to elect more left-leaning people who will call out this BS. We lose because we let the Rs set the terms of the debate, and never point out that the root of the problem is Rich People Never Paying Their Share.
posted by emjaybee at 7:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 7:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
By throwing the country into deep and perpetual deficit the Democratic party wouldn't be able to do anything ambitious and spend money without being able to be laid out in the media as greedy tax and spend liberals taking your tax dollars and giving it to poor/black/immigrant people who didn't deserve it.
But one thing Occupy Wall Street accomplished was making income inequality, which had been tilting to the ultra-wealthy since the Reagan Administration, part of the national conversation. And if memory serves me correctly, even Republicans basically recognize that the benefit of Trump's tax cut went almost entirely to the rich. Pelosi wasn't wrong not to mention taxes right now, because one should never distract a political opponent from their self destruction, but there's nothing wrong with using pay-go to roll back Trump's tax cuts, either.
And then let Trump veto a popular proposal because he wants to keep his tax cut for himself and his wealthy buddies. 2020 is coming.
posted by Gelatin at 7:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
But one thing Occupy Wall Street accomplished was making income inequality, which had been tilting to the ultra-wealthy since the Reagan Administration, part of the national conversation. And if memory serves me correctly, even Republicans basically recognize that the benefit of Trump's tax cut went almost entirely to the rich. Pelosi wasn't wrong not to mention taxes right now, because one should never distract a political opponent from their self destruction, but there's nothing wrong with using pay-go to roll back Trump's tax cuts, either.
And then let Trump veto a popular proposal because he wants to keep his tax cut for himself and his wealthy buddies. 2020 is coming.
posted by Gelatin at 7:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Kavanaugh refuses to say whether a president is subject to a subpoena. He calls it a "potential hypothetical," which I guess is doubly hypothetical.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
I just...I don’t feel like this is something that is really appreciated or talked about. The degree of recklessness is stunning, even after you’ve recalibrated to understand that the Republicans are basically evil. They aren’t just cheating. They are actively destroying the basis of our civil society.
Like Republican JFK said: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will trigger the libs LOL."
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Like Republican JFK said: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will trigger the libs LOL."
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
If Kavanaugh thinks Trump being subpoena'ed is only a hypothetical situation, he hasn't been watching the news lately.
I hope the photo of him refusing to shake the hand of Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland school shooting, becomes Kavanaugh's enduring legacy.
Though something tells me he wouldn't mind.
posted by Gelatin at 7:42 AM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I hope the photo of him refusing to shake the hand of Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland school shooting, becomes Kavanaugh's enduring legacy.
Though something tells me he wouldn't mind.
posted by Gelatin at 7:42 AM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
When it comes to walkouts as a political tactic, I always think of that time the Mensheviks and SRs walked out of the All-Russian Congress of the Soviets.
I'm not sure we've grasped—I'm not sure I've grasped—just how dedicated the right is these days to the principle of politics-as-psychological-warfare.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:49 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm not sure we've grasped—I'm not sure I've grasped—just how dedicated the right is these days to the principle of politics-as-psychological-warfare.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:49 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Obama to Join Midterm Battle, Starting in California and Ohio - Alexander Burns, NYTimes
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Starting in California and Ohio
Unless he's trying to unseat Nunes and Rohrabacher personally, get the fuck out of the west coast and head to Michigan and Wisconsin.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:58 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
Unless he's trying to unseat Nunes and Rohrabacher personally, get the fuck out of the west coast and head to Michigan and Wisconsin.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:58 AM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
What is the over/under in days on a GOP Senator outright saying, “I work at the pleasure of the President”?
posted by Roger_Mexico at 8:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Roger_Mexico at 8:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
If you don’t like it, stop acting like what’s happening is remotely “historical” or “correct”. You don’t get to throw up your hands and then complain about other people being defeatist while ceding that ground.
You are completely misinterpreting what I'm saying - I want the Democrats to fight like hell, and like they want to win.
The comment I was responding to references the near-beating to death of Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856 during a floor debate over slavery. The idea of the norm of US political life being bipartisan and civilized is a lie our liberal elites tell themselves partly out of bloated self-regard and wishful thinking, and partly out of an ignorance of history.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
You are completely misinterpreting what I'm saying - I want the Democrats to fight like hell, and like they want to win.
The comment I was responding to references the near-beating to death of Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856 during a floor debate over slavery. The idea of the norm of US political life being bipartisan and civilized is a lie our liberal elites tell themselves partly out of bloated self-regard and wishful thinking, and partly out of an ignorance of history.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
I mean, the frosting on this turd was supposed to be that yeaaaaaaahhh he has troubling opinions and yeah the process is fucked to the max and probably good bye reproductive freedoms, but this guy? This guy that people were writing bullshit articles about how he was a really great carpool dad or whatever the fuck? He was NICE. He was a GOOD MAN.
This is not a nice good man. I hope RBG spits in his food at every opportunity.
I hope we remember this the next time a Republican, a conservative, or a libertarian insists that their policy preferences are just matters of value differences and opinion, and the people who hold them are nice and good.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is not a nice good man. I hope RBG spits in his food at every opportunity.
I hope we remember this the next time a Republican, a conservative, or a libertarian insists that their policy preferences are just matters of value differences and opinion, and the people who hold them are nice and good.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
He already tried this with the Access Hollywood tapes.
HES STILL DOING THAT TOO - SEE YESTERDAYS INTERVIEW WITH THE DAILY CALLER.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
HES STILL DOING THAT TOO - SEE YESTERDAYS INTERVIEW WITH THE DAILY CALLER.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
They are actively destroying the basis of our civil society.
and the legitimacy of our government and constitution - we will have to have a 2nd republic, one that ensures that the majority will be represented as a majority in all branches of government and that votes of no confidence or failures to pass budgets will result in new elections, with in some cases all officeholders prohibited from running in that election (they can run in the next one)
it will never be done according to the rules of the constitution any more than the constitution was done according to the rules of the articles of confederacy - we will have to insist that the majority have a right to declare what their government will be
our other option will be corporate rule - it's my belief that the current crop of fascists are going to overplay their hand and the economic powers that be will insist on a government that is better for all business, not just right wing capitalists
it's going to be a long rough ride
posted by pyramid termite at 8:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
and the legitimacy of our government and constitution - we will have to have a 2nd republic, one that ensures that the majority will be represented as a majority in all branches of government and that votes of no confidence or failures to pass budgets will result in new elections, with in some cases all officeholders prohibited from running in that election (they can run in the next one)
it will never be done according to the rules of the constitution any more than the constitution was done according to the rules of the articles of confederacy - we will have to insist that the majority have a right to declare what their government will be
our other option will be corporate rule - it's my belief that the current crop of fascists are going to overplay their hand and the economic powers that be will insist on a government that is better for all business, not just right wing capitalists
it's going to be a long rough ride
posted by pyramid termite at 8:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
"This argument seems weak, however, given the deeply rooted history and tradition of this country's jurisprudence that the President is not above the law," he said, later asking, "Why should the President be different than anyone else for purposes of responding to a grand jury subpoena ad testificandum?"
I think I see the problem. The correct quote goes "the Democratic President is not above the law" and "Why should the Democratic President be different than anyone else?" Hope that clears it up.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:06 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I think I see the problem. The correct quote goes "the Democratic President is not above the law" and "Why should the Democratic President be different than anyone else?" Hope that clears it up.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:06 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Starting in California and Ohio --- Unless he's trying to unseat Nunes and Rohrabacher personally, get the fuck out of the west coast and head to Michigan and Wisconsin.
There are 14 R congressmen in California. That's over half of the 23 needed to take control of the House and they are some the the best targets. I'm fine with him hitting CA. Many other places his help will also motivate the racists as much as the Ds.
posted by chris24 at 8:07 AM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
There are 14 R congressmen in California. That's over half of the 23 needed to take control of the House and they are some the the best targets. I'm fine with him hitting CA. Many other places his help will also motivate the racists as much as the Ds.
posted by chris24 at 8:07 AM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
I'm also totally fine with not armchair quarterbacking President Obama's midterm stumping, tbh. That prospect sounds exhausting.
posted by lazaruslong at 8:08 AM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 8:08 AM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
We are at this point in history because the founding fathers figured that things would come down to a (now entirely unrealistic) duel long before it was national news that a president had betrayed the country because any decent person who knew that a president had betrayed the country would demand immediate satisfaction. This is no longer a solution or possibility and that brings to mind a more serious and somber topic.
Given that we may have to rise from the wreckage and rewrite the constitution after this is all over, I think that the safeguards that we could be put in place to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future is something that needs to be considered long before we are in that position.
We can no longer rely on shame. Duels are as long gone as Burr. We can't rely on country being put ahead of party. With all of those unwritten safeguards no longer in place, can a system exist? Can our current system be rewritten to take the lack of those things into account? Could even an entirely new system be put in place that would mitigate or eliminate the danger that Trump has taken from hypothetical to real? The people who are now acting in bad faith are not going to change. How do we protect ourselves from them?
I don't expect anyone here or anywhere to pull a magic bullet-like simple solution out of thin air, but while much of our forces are rightly pointed towards the immediate situation and fighting back, I think it is worth it to mull this topic over, and to think about what a safe system of government that we would want to live under would look like, even if it isn't a question for today or tomorrow, or even next month.
I've been told that when you punch a nazi, you should punch past the face. I feel that keeping the future in mind is the only way to do that.
posted by bootlegpop at 8:10 AM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
Given that we may have to rise from the wreckage and rewrite the constitution after this is all over, I think that the safeguards that we could be put in place to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future is something that needs to be considered long before we are in that position.
We can no longer rely on shame. Duels are as long gone as Burr. We can't rely on country being put ahead of party. With all of those unwritten safeguards no longer in place, can a system exist? Can our current system be rewritten to take the lack of those things into account? Could even an entirely new system be put in place that would mitigate or eliminate the danger that Trump has taken from hypothetical to real? The people who are now acting in bad faith are not going to change. How do we protect ourselves from them?
I don't expect anyone here or anywhere to pull a magic bullet-like simple solution out of thin air, but while much of our forces are rightly pointed towards the immediate situation and fighting back, I think it is worth it to mull this topic over, and to think about what a safe system of government that we would want to live under would look like, even if it isn't a question for today or tomorrow, or even next month.
I've been told that when you punch a nazi, you should punch past the face. I feel that keeping the future in mind is the only way to do that.
posted by bootlegpop at 8:10 AM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
What is the over/under in days on a GOP Senator outright saying, “I work at the pleasure of the President”?
I said in the previous thread that if we had a non-broken system, the Senate would tell Trump that they'd consider his nominee just as soon as he handed over the documents, and wait for him to fold -- simply as a matter of defending Senatorial privilege and their own power as Senators.
it can't be stressed enough, and isn't being, how badly Republicans (no, media, not "partisan gridlock" or whatever bothsiderist nonsense you're pushing) are damaging our ability to have a functioning government at all.
posted by Gelatin at 8:12 AM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
I said in the previous thread that if we had a non-broken system, the Senate would tell Trump that they'd consider his nominee just as soon as he handed over the documents, and wait for him to fold -- simply as a matter of defending Senatorial privilege and their own power as Senators.
it can't be stressed enough, and isn't being, how badly Republicans (no, media, not "partisan gridlock" or whatever bothsiderist nonsense you're pushing) are damaging our ability to have a functioning government at all.
posted by Gelatin at 8:12 AM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
Axios has posted another preview anecdote from "Fear" that echoes Woodward's title:
Meanwhile, @realDonaldTrump tweeted this morning, "Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?" Then bragged "I’m tough as hell on people" and "Also, I question everybody & everything-which is why I got elected!" Later, however, came retweets of yesterday's statements from Kelly and Mattis, except this time, addressing them as "General Kelly" and "General Mattis" and slipping in "book is boring & untrue!" and "book is total fiction!" This is what flop sweat smells like.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Trump life advice: "Trump gave some private advice to a friend who had acknowledged some bad behavior toward women. Real power is fear. It's all about strength. Never show weakness. You've always got to be strong. Don't be bullied. ... 'You've got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women.'"Trump's obviously internalized Roger Stone's rule "Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack".
"'If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you're dead. That was a big mistake you made. You didn't come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness. You've got to be strong. You've got to be aggressive. You've got to push back hard. You've got to deny anything that's said about you. Never admit.'"
Meanwhile, @realDonaldTrump tweeted this morning, "Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?" Then bragged "I’m tough as hell on people" and "Also, I question everybody & everything-which is why I got elected!" Later, however, came retweets of yesterday's statements from Kelly and Mattis, except this time, addressing them as "General Kelly" and "General Mattis" and slipping in "book is boring & untrue!" and "book is total fiction!" This is what flop sweat smells like.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
God I fucking miss Al Franken
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
The alt-right is drunk on bad readings of Nietzsche. The Nazis were too. - Sean Illing, Vox
Nietzsche says the world is in constant flux, that there is no capital-T truth. He hated moral and social conventions because he thought they stifled the individual. In one of his most famous essays, The Genealogy of Morality, which Spencer credits with inspiring his awakening, Nietzsche tears down the intellectual justifications for Christian morality. He calls it a “slave morality” developed by peasants to subdue the strong. The experience of reading this was “shattering,” Spencer told Wood. It upended his “moral universe.”posted by ZeusHumms at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
There is, of course, much more to Nietzsche than this. As someone silly enough to have written a dissertation on Nietzsche, I’ve encountered many Spencer-like reactions to his thought. And I’m not surprised that the old German philosopher has become a lodestar for the burgeoning alt-right movement. There is something punk rock about his philosophy. You read it for the first time and you think, “Holy shit, how was I so blind for so long?!”
But if you read Nietzsche like a college freshman cramming for a midterm, you’re bound to misinterpret him — or at least to project your own prejudices into his work. When that happens, we get “bad Nietzsche,” as the Week’s Scott Galupo recently put it.
And it would appear that “bad Nietzsche” is back, and he looks a lot like he did in the early 20th century when his ideas were unjustly appropriated by the (original) Nazis. So now’s a good time to reengage with Nietzsche’s ideas and explain what the alt-right gets right and wrong about their favorite philosopher.
We are at this point in history because the founding fathers figured that things would come down to a (now entirely unrealistic) duel long before it was national news that a president had betrayed the country because any decent person who knew that a president had betrayed the country would demand immediate satisfaction. This is no longer a solution or possibility
Dueling hasn't been a possibility since Hamilton/Burr, and yet the government functioned, more or less, for 200 years. It wasn't so long ago that a member of Congress who actively colluded with the Russians, openly accepted bribes, or was caught in a sex scandal would have been run out of office on a rail.
Republicans have made it clear -- and have, really, since so-called evangelicals abandoned Jimmy Carter to vote for Ronald Reagan -- that they do not care about anything but Team Republican, and pretense to the contrary was the tribute hypocrisy paid to virtue.
posted by Gelatin at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Dueling hasn't been a possibility since Hamilton/Burr, and yet the government functioned, more or less, for 200 years. It wasn't so long ago that a member of Congress who actively colluded with the Russians, openly accepted bribes, or was caught in a sex scandal would have been run out of office on a rail.
Republicans have made it clear -- and have, really, since so-called evangelicals abandoned Jimmy Carter to vote for Ronald Reagan -- that they do not care about anything but Team Republican, and pretense to the contrary was the tribute hypocrisy paid to virtue.
posted by Gelatin at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
The idea of the norm of US political life being bipartisan and civilized is a lie our liberal elites tell themselves partly out of bloated self-regard and wishful thinking, and partly out of an ignorance of history.
There's a lot of room between "bipartisan and civilized" and not bothering to call out obvious, rank, personal hypocrisy. Graham was literally calling for bipartisan, civilized following of procedure that he didn't respect two years ago.
Don't call that "correct". Don't begrudgingly defend it as the state of nature. Don't act like that shitheel or the shitheels he works with are just doing what's to be expected, even by shitheels. Don't call an assault that happened 162 years ago and led to the ejection of the assaulter from Congress a "norm".
As noted by the bard of our modern age, you do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to them".
posted by Etrigan at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
There's a lot of room between "bipartisan and civilized" and not bothering to call out obvious, rank, personal hypocrisy. Graham was literally calling for bipartisan, civilized following of procedure that he didn't respect two years ago.
Don't call that "correct". Don't begrudgingly defend it as the state of nature. Don't act like that shitheel or the shitheels he works with are just doing what's to be expected, even by shitheels. Don't call an assault that happened 162 years ago and led to the ejection of the assaulter from Congress a "norm".
As noted by the bard of our modern age, you do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to them".
posted by Etrigan at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
For all you number crunchers, electoral-vote.com has started their poll tracking seriously. Their page today explains their methodology, and they've always been a good 'competitor' to 538 in their analysis.
posted by DreamerFi at 8:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by DreamerFi at 8:16 AM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
So, convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker.
Vrakatar, you may like Baker now, when he's stuck governing a state bluer than 90% of Metafilter liberals. But how well will you like him when he takes his decade or more of centrist popularity in MA to a presidential race, and is chased to the far right of The Handmaid's Tale by the Republican base? How will you like him when he's the one deciding what judges to put on the Supreme Court? ANY Republican of high office right now could be the next Republican presidential candidate, and should they win, they will be subject to the same pressures to kill Roe v. Wade (and other significant protections for women and minorities).
If you imagine Baker's agenda, or any Republican's agenda, would be any different from Trump's, you're not paying attention to sickening amounts of NOTHING every single Republican in the country is doing right now to stop him.
I don't think we should allow any safe harbors at this point for anyone still willing to call themselves Republican. The label has been tarnished so badly it can never come clean. Anyone who wants to maintain traditional conservative financial policies while leaving behind the stain of white supremacy and misogyny should be forced by all conscientious voters to find something else to call themselves, or go the fuck home.
posted by invincible summer at 8:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [40 favorites]
Vrakatar, you may like Baker now, when he's stuck governing a state bluer than 90% of Metafilter liberals. But how well will you like him when he takes his decade or more of centrist popularity in MA to a presidential race, and is chased to the far right of The Handmaid's Tale by the Republican base? How will you like him when he's the one deciding what judges to put on the Supreme Court? ANY Republican of high office right now could be the next Republican presidential candidate, and should they win, they will be subject to the same pressures to kill Roe v. Wade (and other significant protections for women and minorities).
If you imagine Baker's agenda, or any Republican's agenda, would be any different from Trump's, you're not paying attention to sickening amounts of NOTHING every single Republican in the country is doing right now to stop him.
I don't think we should allow any safe harbors at this point for anyone still willing to call themselves Republican. The label has been tarnished so badly it can never come clean. Anyone who wants to maintain traditional conservative financial policies while leaving behind the stain of white supremacy and misogyny should be forced by all conscientious voters to find something else to call themselves, or go the fuck home.
posted by invincible summer at 8:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [40 favorites]
I said in the previous thread that if we had a non-broken system, the Senate would tell Trump that they'd consider his nominee just as soon as he handed over the documents, and wait for him to fold -- simply as a matter of defending Senatorial privilege and their own power as Senators.
it can't be stressed enough, and isn't being, how badly Republicans (no, media, not "partisan gridlock" or whatever bothsiderist nonsense you're pushing) are damaging our ability to have a functioning government at all.
Which is exactly what they want, and has been the default Republican mantra for decades. They want government sufficient to impose their will on lesser beings, foreign and domestic, and nothing more.
Pushing back on Trump goes against any Republican Senator's two core principles: (1) tax cuts and other monetary windfalls for the wealthy and (2) remaining elected by pleasing the rabble in the primary and the wealthy benefactors on the campaign trail.
posted by delfin at 8:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
it can't be stressed enough, and isn't being, how badly Republicans (no, media, not "partisan gridlock" or whatever bothsiderist nonsense you're pushing) are damaging our ability to have a functioning government at all.
Which is exactly what they want, and has been the default Republican mantra for decades. They want government sufficient to impose their will on lesser beings, foreign and domestic, and nothing more.
Pushing back on Trump goes against any Republican Senator's two core principles: (1) tax cuts and other monetary windfalls for the wealthy and (2) remaining elected by pleasing the rabble in the primary and the wealthy benefactors on the campaign trail.
posted by delfin at 8:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
What is the over/under in days on a GOP Senator outright saying, “I work at the pleasure of the President”?
Will a couple Congressmen fit the bill?
(Update) House Leader: Congress Serves At The 'Pleasure' Of President
posted by scalefree at 8:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
Will a couple Congressmen fit the bill?
(Update) House Leader: Congress Serves At The 'Pleasure' Of President
posted by scalefree at 8:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
schadenfrau I just...I don’t feel like this is something that is really appreciated or talked about. The degree of recklessness is stunning, even after you’ve recalibrated to understand that the Republicans are basically evil. They aren’t just cheating. They are actively destroying the basis of our civil society.
And that's the real answer to "why are they hiding the Kavanaugh papers?"
There is no smoking gun in those papers that would convince anyone to switch their vote. They are not worried that the American public will see something bad in those papers.
The answer to "why are you hiding the Kavanaugh papers" is "fuck you".
It is the same reason why Sarah Sanders is press secretary. Her job is not to answer questions. Her job is not to defend the President. Her job is not to do any of the things we have traditionally understood Press Secretaries to do.
Her job is to say "fuck you" as loudly and often as possible. What is Trump's position on trade? Fuck you. What does Trump think about Russia? Fuck you. Is Kavanaugh qualified for the Supreme Court? Fuck you.
The point is nothing more or less than a display of dominance and an explicit rejection of the basis of civil society. The position of the Senate Republicans is exactly the same as the position of Sarah Sanders, or indeed Donald J. Trump himself: fuck you.
Conservatism is the ideology of aristocracy. It is the belief that the strong should dominate the weak in all areas. It is the belief that the weak are to be bound by the law but not protected by it, and the strong are to be protected by the law but not bound by it. And it is, in part, the belief that being part of the law immune elite depends on dominance displays such as this.
The Republican voting base is 100% behind breaking the normal process for Kavanaugh, as they were with breaking it to block Garland. To them it proves that they were right, that they backed the strong and their representatives in the government will glory in subjugating and humiliating the weak.
It isn't even hypocritical for the Republicans to be calling for Democrats to respect process and norms. To their mind those processes and norms apply only to Democrats, and not to Republicans. Because they see themselves as the representatives of the privileged elite to whom laws do not apply, and the Democrats as representatives of the despised underclass who are bound by the law.
So yes, their purpose is the destruction of the basis of our civil society. It always has been. It is part of the essential clash of civilizations that has characterized the United States throughout its history. Are we to be a nation of laws and equality, a nation where all people can be Americans regardless of skin color, religion, national background, and so on? Or are we to be a white ethnostate ruled by a monied elite who claim aristocratic privileges for themselves?
Which is why they're withholding the Kavanaugh papers. The full sentence isn't "fuck you", it's "fuck you, peasant".
posted by sotonohito at 8:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [230 favorites]
And that's the real answer to "why are they hiding the Kavanaugh papers?"
There is no smoking gun in those papers that would convince anyone to switch their vote. They are not worried that the American public will see something bad in those papers.
The answer to "why are you hiding the Kavanaugh papers" is "fuck you".
It is the same reason why Sarah Sanders is press secretary. Her job is not to answer questions. Her job is not to defend the President. Her job is not to do any of the things we have traditionally understood Press Secretaries to do.
Her job is to say "fuck you" as loudly and often as possible. What is Trump's position on trade? Fuck you. What does Trump think about Russia? Fuck you. Is Kavanaugh qualified for the Supreme Court? Fuck you.
The point is nothing more or less than a display of dominance and an explicit rejection of the basis of civil society. The position of the Senate Republicans is exactly the same as the position of Sarah Sanders, or indeed Donald J. Trump himself: fuck you.
Conservatism is the ideology of aristocracy. It is the belief that the strong should dominate the weak in all areas. It is the belief that the weak are to be bound by the law but not protected by it, and the strong are to be protected by the law but not bound by it. And it is, in part, the belief that being part of the law immune elite depends on dominance displays such as this.
The Republican voting base is 100% behind breaking the normal process for Kavanaugh, as they were with breaking it to block Garland. To them it proves that they were right, that they backed the strong and their representatives in the government will glory in subjugating and humiliating the weak.
It isn't even hypocritical for the Republicans to be calling for Democrats to respect process and norms. To their mind those processes and norms apply only to Democrats, and not to Republicans. Because they see themselves as the representatives of the privileged elite to whom laws do not apply, and the Democrats as representatives of the despised underclass who are bound by the law.
So yes, their purpose is the destruction of the basis of our civil society. It always has been. It is part of the essential clash of civilizations that has characterized the United States throughout its history. Are we to be a nation of laws and equality, a nation where all people can be Americans regardless of skin color, religion, national background, and so on? Or are we to be a white ethnostate ruled by a monied elite who claim aristocratic privileges for themselves?
Which is why they're withholding the Kavanaugh papers. The full sentence isn't "fuck you", it's "fuck you, peasant".
posted by sotonohito at 8:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [230 favorites]
Dueling hasn't been a possibility since Hamilton/Burr, and yet the government functioned, more or less, for 200 years. It wasn't so long ago that a member of Congress who actively colluded with the Russians, openly accepted bribes, or was caught in a sex scandal would have been run out of office on a rail.
Republicans have made it clear -- and have, really, since so-called evangelicals abandoned Jimmy Carter to vote for Ronald Reagan -- that they do not care about anything but Team Republican, and pretense to the contrary was the tribute hypocrisy paid to virtue.
I agree with all of that, That's why I said that dueling is as dead as Burr later in my post. I was pivoting to the broader problem and the more important and more recent norms that have been eroded. For the 200 years after Burr died, there were norms and standards that were upheld that kept things mostly safe, even if there were holes in the constitution that bad actors could drive a truck through.
Now, we have those bad actors in play. Their masks are off. The hypothetical holes in the constitution that no one drove through have been ripped asunder and left fluttering in the wind. Those bad actors are likely going to be with us in some form for as long as everyone in this thread is alive. How do we fix or reconstruct our system (or create an entirely new system) so that it will mitigate or eliminate the damage that they can do?
I don't expect you to answer that question and I hope that you don't expect me to answer that question, but I hope that when and if people with a sense of decency are in a position to answer that question with their actions, they know what to do.
posted by bootlegpop at 8:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Republicans have made it clear -- and have, really, since so-called evangelicals abandoned Jimmy Carter to vote for Ronald Reagan -- that they do not care about anything but Team Republican, and pretense to the contrary was the tribute hypocrisy paid to virtue.
I agree with all of that, That's why I said that dueling is as dead as Burr later in my post. I was pivoting to the broader problem and the more important and more recent norms that have been eroded. For the 200 years after Burr died, there were norms and standards that were upheld that kept things mostly safe, even if there were holes in the constitution that bad actors could drive a truck through.
Now, we have those bad actors in play. Their masks are off. The hypothetical holes in the constitution that no one drove through have been ripped asunder and left fluttering in the wind. Those bad actors are likely going to be with us in some form for as long as everyone in this thread is alive. How do we fix or reconstruct our system (or create an entirely new system) so that it will mitigate or eliminate the damage that they can do?
I don't expect you to answer that question and I hope that you don't expect me to answer that question, but I hope that when and if people with a sense of decency are in a position to answer that question with their actions, they know what to do.
posted by bootlegpop at 8:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
@willsommer: Heated exchange between Rubio and Alex Jones in the Senate hallway — Jones crashes a Rubio interview and touches Rubio's shoulder. Rubio tells Jones not touch him again, says he'll "take care of you myself" rather than calling the police. Alex Jones called Rubio a "frat boy," Rubio insisted that he didn't know who Jones was. Rubio eventually left, telling the press they could stay if they wanted to interview "this clown."
There's video.
Who the hell gave these people front row seats? Those are often assigned.
----
Meanwhile, in Kavanaughland, thing are heating up: it's email scandal time. No, not her emails; Congressional emails. Sen. Leahy is pressing him on his connection to the Bush-era theft of Democratic documents about judicial nominees, which he calls "digital Watergate." He cites pages from Kavanaugh's emails in which he received a stolen Democratic document. Kavanaugh says he knew nothing and that receiving documents marked "confidential" wasn't a red flag in any way.
Of course, many of the documents from Kavanaugh's work on judicial nominees haven't been given to the Senate, so who knows what else is in there. We're getting down to asking Kavanaugh if he was informed about "a mole" spying on Democrats. It's a good line of questioning.
posted by zachlipton at 8:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
There's video.
Who the hell gave these people front row seats? Those are often assigned.
----
Meanwhile, in Kavanaughland, thing are heating up: it's email scandal time. No, not her emails; Congressional emails. Sen. Leahy is pressing him on his connection to the Bush-era theft of Democratic documents about judicial nominees, which he calls "digital Watergate." He cites pages from Kavanaugh's emails in which he received a stolen Democratic document. Kavanaugh says he knew nothing and that receiving documents marked "confidential" wasn't a red flag in any way.
Of course, many of the documents from Kavanaugh's work on judicial nominees haven't been given to the Senate, so who knows what else is in there. We're getting down to asking Kavanaugh if he was informed about "a mole" spying on Democrats. It's a good line of questioning.
posted by zachlipton at 8:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
"-- NM gov: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll has Dem Lujan Grisham up 52-44 on GOPer Pearce [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. Poll was commissioned by the Lujan Grisham campaign."
There's a larger spread in this poll than one released a few weeks ago that had a much narrower margin between Lujan Grisham and Pearce. Of course this one was commissioned by Lujan Grisham's campaign.
The oil and gas industry runs New Mexico. Pretty much literally, our state budget is almost entirely dependent on revenue from oil and gas. Pearce came from the oil fields of New Mexico, he's backed by and supports the oil and gas industry. He has so much more money to spend on his campaign.
The democratic primary was contentious and while Lujan Grisham clearly won, she got about 60% of the vote and there were three candidates, her former opponent, rather than work with her campaign has now backed Pearce. Her former opponent is also backed by oil and gas money.
I really hope Lujan Grisham can beat out Pearce and his oil and gas monied campaign. Michelle Lujan Grisham's platform sounds like she could do some good work for New Mexico and bring us up from the bottom of all the lists of good things, like education and child health, and down from the top of all the lists of bad things, like crime and drug deaths.
[An aside regarding the oil and gas industry in New Mexico - the former Secretary of the Environment Department is now the head of the largest oil and gas lobbying group in New Mexico. A nice, revolving door. ]
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 8:32 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
There's a larger spread in this poll than one released a few weeks ago that had a much narrower margin between Lujan Grisham and Pearce. Of course this one was commissioned by Lujan Grisham's campaign.
The oil and gas industry runs New Mexico. Pretty much literally, our state budget is almost entirely dependent on revenue from oil and gas. Pearce came from the oil fields of New Mexico, he's backed by and supports the oil and gas industry. He has so much more money to spend on his campaign.
The democratic primary was contentious and while Lujan Grisham clearly won, she got about 60% of the vote and there were three candidates, her former opponent, rather than work with her campaign has now backed Pearce. Her former opponent is also backed by oil and gas money.
I really hope Lujan Grisham can beat out Pearce and his oil and gas monied campaign. Michelle Lujan Grisham's platform sounds like she could do some good work for New Mexico and bring us up from the bottom of all the lists of good things, like education and child health, and down from the top of all the lists of bad things, like crime and drug deaths.
[An aside regarding the oil and gas industry in New Mexico - the former Secretary of the Environment Department is now the head of the largest oil and gas lobbying group in New Mexico. A nice, revolving door. ]
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 8:32 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
schadenfrau: "They are behaving remarkably like slave-holding states did in the run up to the Civil War."
Obvious parallels with South Africa too.
bootlegpop: "With all of those unwritten safeguards no longer in place, can a system exist? Can our current system be rewritten to take the lack of those things into account? Could even an entirely new system be put in place that would mitigate or eliminate the danger that Trump has taken from hypothetical to real? "
I've been thinking of how something like this could play out in Canada and really the only advantage we have is the Senate here is never up for re-election. Not that that had much of a drag on the Harper government but it may have been more effective if the PM (and party) had been made puppets of the Russia government.
Gelatin: "Dueling hasn't been a possibility since Hamilton/Burr, and yet the government functioned, more or less, for 200 years."
You all had a civil war in the last 200 years. Besides the main difference between now and 200 years ago is the government for the last couple generations has been taking baby steps to be representative of all the citizens and not just wealthy white guys. That is what is straining the US government and driving partisanship helped out by a constitutionally mandated political structure that intentionally empowers wealthy landowners. It's the same thing that contributed to the outbreak of the north-south civil war.
Wealth trying to preserve their status is also, IMO, one of the reasons the Democratic party appears to be so feckless. All that money sloshing around is having an effect on votes.
posted by Mitheral at 8:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Obvious parallels with South Africa too.
bootlegpop: "With all of those unwritten safeguards no longer in place, can a system exist? Can our current system be rewritten to take the lack of those things into account? Could even an entirely new system be put in place that would mitigate or eliminate the danger that Trump has taken from hypothetical to real? "
I've been thinking of how something like this could play out in Canada and really the only advantage we have is the Senate here is never up for re-election. Not that that had much of a drag on the Harper government but it may have been more effective if the PM (and party) had been made puppets of the Russia government.
Gelatin: "Dueling hasn't been a possibility since Hamilton/Burr, and yet the government functioned, more or less, for 200 years."
You all had a civil war in the last 200 years. Besides the main difference between now and 200 years ago is the government for the last couple generations has been taking baby steps to be representative of all the citizens and not just wealthy white guys. That is what is straining the US government and driving partisanship helped out by a constitutionally mandated political structure that intentionally empowers wealthy landowners. It's the same thing that contributed to the outbreak of the north-south civil war.
Wealth trying to preserve their status is also, IMO, one of the reasons the Democratic party appears to be so feckless. All that money sloshing around is having an effect on votes.
posted by Mitheral at 8:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Meanwhile, in Kavanaughland, thing are heating up: it's email scandal time. No, not her emails; Congressional emails. Sen. Leahy is pressing him on his connection to the Bush-era theft of Democratic documents about judicial nominees, which he calls "digital Watergate." He cites pages from Kavanaugh's emails in which he received a stolen Democratic document. Kavanaugh says he knew nothing and that receiving documents marked "confidential" wasn't a red flag in any way.
Kavanaugh is a visibly different witness after that exchange. Leahy shook him.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [53 favorites]
Kavanaugh is a visibly different witness after that exchange. Leahy shook him.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [53 favorites]
Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get elected president without retribution or cost.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 8:40 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Kavanuagh's approach of essentially asking "which one?" when asked if he worked with John Yoo on a "warrantless surveliance program" because there were so many is pretty fucked. "I can't rule anything out. There was so much going on in the wake of 9/11."
Once again, Leahy is pissed that documents relating to this are committee confidential and wants them made public so he can ask about them. Grassley is making no promises on that. Leahy says he requested these documents on August 16th.
I shudder to think how many straight-up crimes are contained in these withheld documents at this point.
On whether Trump can pardon himself: "The question of self-pardons is something I have never analyzed...It's a hypothetical question that I cannot begin to answer"
----
Please also enjoy Trump blaming Don Jr. for his endorsement of Foster Friess.
posted by zachlipton at 8:46 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Once again, Leahy is pissed that documents relating to this are committee confidential and wants them made public so he can ask about them. Grassley is making no promises on that. Leahy says he requested these documents on August 16th.
I shudder to think how many straight-up crimes are contained in these withheld documents at this point.
On whether Trump can pardon himself: "The question of self-pardons is something I have never analyzed...It's a hypothetical question that I cannot begin to answer"
----
Please also enjoy Trump blaming Don Jr. for his endorsement of Foster Friess.
posted by zachlipton at 8:46 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
ZOMG this mole business is some crazy business. Kavanaugh stole emails? And used them somehow in Bush judicial noms? So he's totally shady in addition to having an evil philosophy? Is this going to matter at all?
posted by angrycat at 8:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 8:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
> When it comes to walkouts as a political tactic, I always think of that time the Mensheviks and SRs walked out of the All-Russian Congress of the Soviets.
so I've got this personal rule: I strive to never be the first person in a conversation to mention the Russian Revolution.
But now that you've mentioned it, yep, that's precisely what I think of when I think of walkouts -- the SRs and Mensheviks just straight up delivering power to the Bolsheviks. Yielding the floor is only an effective tactic if it's an effective way to attack the legitimacy of the institution you've walked out on -- if it's possible to, say, deny quorum. Otherwise, it's just a stylish form of surrender.
Here's my proposed rubric for assessing actions of the Democratic minority in the captured federal legislature: An action's value directly correlates to the number of Republican minutes it wastes. A successful strategy will requiring wasting every minute between now and the midterms, and then wasting every minute between the midterms and the start of the new congress.
A walkout is only valuable if it wastes minutes, but in the absence of the ability to deny quorum, a walkout wastes zero minutes.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [84 favorites]
so I've got this personal rule: I strive to never be the first person in a conversation to mention the Russian Revolution.
But now that you've mentioned it, yep, that's precisely what I think of when I think of walkouts -- the SRs and Mensheviks just straight up delivering power to the Bolsheviks. Yielding the floor is only an effective tactic if it's an effective way to attack the legitimacy of the institution you've walked out on -- if it's possible to, say, deny quorum. Otherwise, it's just a stylish form of surrender.
Here's my proposed rubric for assessing actions of the Democratic minority in the captured federal legislature: An action's value directly correlates to the number of Republican minutes it wastes. A successful strategy will requiring wasting every minute between now and the midterms, and then wasting every minute between the midterms and the start of the new congress.
A walkout is only valuable if it wastes minutes, but in the absence of the ability to deny quorum, a walkout wastes zero minutes.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:50 AM on September 5, 2018 [84 favorites]
And of course, there are definitely things that would make Collins and Murkowski vote no.
In addition to the things listed above by Chris24, here's another source of pressure on Collins that I thought was interesting:
Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent
Donations aren't processed until the vote. If she votes yes on Kavanaugh, the donations go toward her future opponent. If she votes no, the donations aren't charged. Currently at about $350,000.
posted by robotdevil at 8:55 AM on September 5, 2018 [79 favorites]
In addition to the things listed above by Chris24, here's another source of pressure on Collins that I thought was interesting:
Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent
Donations aren't processed until the vote. If she votes yes on Kavanaugh, the donations go toward her future opponent. If she votes no, the donations aren't charged. Currently at about $350,000.
posted by robotdevil at 8:55 AM on September 5, 2018 [79 favorites]
Flake notes that Kavanaugh has run the Boston Marathon twice. "It demonstrates not just your competitive spirit but a strong sense of purpose and commitment."
Just part of the ridiculous hagiography. The Boston Marathon has complete records of every entrant going back decades. Turns out that Kavanaugh ran 3:59 in 2010 as a 45-year-old and 4:08 in 2015 as a 50-year-old. Both of these times are more than 30 minutes above the official qualifying cutoff times for entry, which means that Kavanaugh pulled strings to get a bib without a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time, perhaps as a charity entry. This is a bone of contention among dedicated runners as it means some people with much better qualifying times were bumped and did not get a bib.
Flake -- useless even when not bowing and scraping to get re-elected. No doubt looking to sweeten his lobbying career.
posted by JackFlash at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
Just part of the ridiculous hagiography. The Boston Marathon has complete records of every entrant going back decades. Turns out that Kavanaugh ran 3:59 in 2010 as a 45-year-old and 4:08 in 2015 as a 50-year-old. Both of these times are more than 30 minutes above the official qualifying cutoff times for entry, which means that Kavanaugh pulled strings to get a bib without a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time, perhaps as a charity entry. This is a bone of contention among dedicated runners as it means some people with much better qualifying times were bumped and did not get a bib.
Flake -- useless even when not bowing and scraping to get re-elected. No doubt looking to sweeten his lobbying career.
posted by JackFlash at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent
no, we should fund her future opponent no matter what she does
posted by pyramid termite at 9:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
no, we should fund her future opponent no matter what she does
posted by pyramid termite at 9:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
An opponent with $350,000 will have Collins shaking in her shoes, I'm sure.
posted by delfin at 9:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by delfin at 9:02 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
dude is not exuding Alpha Male Strength.
For a second, I thought I was reading Breitbart. Just come out and call him a cuck already.
posted by jpe at 9:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
For a second, I thought I was reading Breitbart. Just come out and call him a cuck already.
posted by jpe at 9:14 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
I have never understood why Democratic senators don’t just stand up and start talking, one after the other, forcing one sixty-vote count after the other, using every single rule available to force the Republicans to actually perform the steps for cloture rather than just stipulating. It would make great TV. I think maybe just reading the Declaration of Independence over and over. It is a powerfully written document, and every point it makes about tyranny applies today.
It is possible my ideals about senatorial behavior owe too much to Jimmy Stewart
posted by bigbigdog at 9:17 AM on September 5, 2018 [58 favorites]
It is possible my ideals about senatorial behavior owe too much to Jimmy Stewart
posted by bigbigdog at 9:17 AM on September 5, 2018 [58 favorites]
He bent the knee to Trump in public -- that statement at the nomination announcement was absolutely ludicrous, and represents his now-obligatory sacrifice of personal dignity on the altar of Trump. One (or all) of the Dems should be reading it back to him at the hearing and asking how anyone can possibly trust his judgment or independence if the first words out of his mouth as a Supreme Court nominee were such an obvious, subservient lie about the man who nominated him.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:18 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:18 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
Kavanaugh stole emails? And used them somehow in Bush judicial noms? So he's totally shady in addition to having an evil philosophy? Is this going to matter at all?
He didn't steal them himself, but when he was forwarded them, he allegedly used them without reporting anything to anyone. And then he allegedly lied about the whole thing in front of Congress.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:18 AM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
He didn't steal them himself, but when he was forwarded them, he allegedly used them without reporting anything to anyone. And then he allegedly lied about the whole thing in front of Congress.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:18 AM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Brett Kavanaugh said he "grew up in a city plagued by gun violence, and gang violence, and drug violence."
Ha, he grew up in Bethesda, MD, a very wealthy suburb of DC, the son of wealthy parents. He went to exclusive Georgetown Prep boarding school. Hey, maybe the prep school hazing rituals were particularly notable.
posted by JackFlash at 9:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [93 favorites]
Ha, he grew up in Bethesda, MD, a very wealthy suburb of DC, the son of wealthy parents. He went to exclusive Georgetown Prep boarding school. Hey, maybe the prep school hazing rituals were particularly notable.
posted by JackFlash at 9:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [93 favorites]
Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent
Current conventional wisdom here in state is that Collins is much more concerned about being primaried from the right (a legit concern) than any Dem opponent. LePage had been making noise about running against King, but apparently likes being Governor more than he likes campaigning. I would not be surprised at all if he's said privately that he'd run against Collins.
posted by anastasiav at 9:24 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Current conventional wisdom here in state is that Collins is much more concerned about being primaried from the right (a legit concern) than any Dem opponent. LePage had been making noise about running against King, but apparently likes being Governor more than he likes campaigning. I would not be surprised at all if he's said privately that he'd run against Collins.
posted by anastasiav at 9:24 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
ICE subpoenas 44 NC elections boards
Just a white nationalist paramilitary taking a break from brutal crimes against humanity to help stamp out the last dying embers of democracy in North Carolina, nothing to see here.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
Just a white nationalist paramilitary taking a break from brutal crimes against humanity to help stamp out the last dying embers of democracy in North Carolina, nothing to see here.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:25 AM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
MA-03 Dem primary update: Trahan lead over Koh down to 51 votes (out of 84k+ cast); state orders ballots sealed in anticipation of recount. About 100 votes from Lowell not counted last night.
I think MA's recount rules are that Koh can request one if within 0.5%, and that he'd have to get 500 signatures and request by Friday.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:29 AM on September 5, 2018
I think MA's recount rules are that Koh can request one if within 0.5%, and that he'd have to get 500 signatures and request by Friday.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:29 AM on September 5, 2018
On whether Trump can pardon himself: "The question of self-pardons is something I have never analyzed...It's a hypothetical question that I cannot begin to answer"
Oh, FFS. He's a legal scholar. He can take a stab at an academic question. It's not a decision, it's not a precedent for anything, and I doubt it would even show bias.
Here, let me try: "Well, there's an obvious problem of conflict of interest and self-dealing, and is it what the framers intended? What is the true intent of the pardon power? Is it strictly a post-judgement remedy? Are there cases of pre-judgement exercises of pardon power which demonstrate a bad-faith intent, and what were the remedies for those? These are interesting questions, and ones I would need to consider the arguments on very carefully."
How hard was that? 'Never analyzed'. Come on. Lawyers and judges get off on these 'what if' questions and think about them all the time. It's like a baseball player saying he's never thought of what it would like to be at a full count at the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, game seven of the World Series. We've all thought about this.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [42 favorites]
Oh, FFS. He's a legal scholar. He can take a stab at an academic question. It's not a decision, it's not a precedent for anything, and I doubt it would even show bias.
Here, let me try: "Well, there's an obvious problem of conflict of interest and self-dealing, and is it what the framers intended? What is the true intent of the pardon power? Is it strictly a post-judgement remedy? Are there cases of pre-judgement exercises of pardon power which demonstrate a bad-faith intent, and what were the remedies for those? These are interesting questions, and ones I would need to consider the arguments on very carefully."
How hard was that? 'Never analyzed'. Come on. Lawyers and judges get off on these 'what if' questions and think about them all the time. It's like a baseball player saying he's never thought of what it would like to be at a full count at the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, game seven of the World Series. We've all thought about this.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [42 favorites]
From the previous thread:
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
...You don't get points for actually repeating the slanderous lie. As LBJ famously said "I don't care if it's a lie. I just want to hear him deny it." You already are halfway towards creating doubt in some people's minds.How about: Ted Cruz campaign video lies about Beto O'Rourke
How about : Ted Cruz video falsely depicts flag burning. Period.
That way you have people wondering about Cruz, not Beto.
posted by JackFlash at 7:50 PM on September 4 [15 favorites +] [!]
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:37 AM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I have never understood why Democratic senators don’t just stand up and start talking, one after the other, forcing one sixty-vote count after the other, using every single rule available to force the Republicans to actually perform the steps for cloture rather than just stipulating. It would make great TV. I think maybe just reading the Declaration of Independence over and over. It is a powerfully written document, and every point it makes about tyranny applies today.
Due to a rule change earlier this term, you only need 50+1 votes to break a filibuster on judicial nominees. It'd only buy them 30 hours of legislative time, which is like a week in normal people time.
posted by jmauro at 9:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Due to a rule change earlier this term, you only need 50+1 votes to break a filibuster on judicial nominees. It'd only buy them 30 hours of legislative time, which is like a week in normal people time.
posted by jmauro at 9:38 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
> It'd only buy them 30 hours of legislative time, which is like a week in normal people time.
Is it possible to win more time by donking up other senate business through denials of unanimous consent, or can the nomination go through while the Senate is otherwise jammed?
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 9:49 AM on September 5, 2018
Is it possible to win more time by donking up other senate business through denials of unanimous consent, or can the nomination go through while the Senate is otherwise jammed?
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 9:49 AM on September 5, 2018
It's a safe assumption that Kavanaugh bent the knee to trump in private and is compromised somehow. It's the same pattern with all nominees who come out with fawning praise for him at official WH announcements. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Kavanaugh knows exactly why he was chosen and what he is expected to do once on the Supreme Court.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Kavanaugh knows exactly why he was chosen and what he is expected to do once on the Supreme Court.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
The Daily Caller has now posted the transcript of their Trump interview yesterday.
Here's a turn of phrase, I don't think he's used before:
posted by pjenks at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Here's a turn of phrase, I don't think he's used before:
"Well, I view it as an illegal investigation."Update: Oops. I guess he started saying this in the Bloomberg interview (or maybe before).
posted by pjenks at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Because even the plaintiffs (Common Cause, LWV, and NC Dems) in the case said it was too close to the election - NC had their primaries a while ago - and would be too disruptive.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 PM on September 4 [9 favorites +] [!]
White privilege in action: Racially gerrymandered districts aren't too disruptive, but being inconvenienced by rescheduling to make the election fair is.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:58 AM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 PM on September 4 [9 favorites +] [!]
White privilege in action: Racially gerrymandered districts aren't too disruptive, but being inconvenienced by rescheduling to make the election fair is.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:58 AM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
He was NICE. He was a GOOD MAN. This is not a nice good man.
The thing is, we need to move away from the idea that it matters whether someone is nice for these kinds of confirmations. The reason you got a million op-eds arguing he was a nice dude who took kids to soccer practice or whatever is because, for whatever reason, people now believe that the ability to have a beer with someone makes them a good appointee for federal office and it 1000% does not.
There are plenty of people who would be excellent judges but are curmudgeonly as shit. There are plenty of people who are smarmy and shitty and good looking but will be terrifying death judges.
There are So. Many. Reasons. to have a problem with Kavanaugh that are not 'he was shitty to X person', and I think every time we bring in the 'he was shitty to X person' we implicitly defend the idea that the ability to be nice in front of people is more important than a yawning maw of hell-ideas. And that's what gets these Ken Dolls Of Despair nominated and ultimately appointed.
posted by corb at 9:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [62 favorites]
The thing is, we need to move away from the idea that it matters whether someone is nice for these kinds of confirmations. The reason you got a million op-eds arguing he was a nice dude who took kids to soccer practice or whatever is because, for whatever reason, people now believe that the ability to have a beer with someone makes them a good appointee for federal office and it 1000% does not.
There are plenty of people who would be excellent judges but are curmudgeonly as shit. There are plenty of people who are smarmy and shitty and good looking but will be terrifying death judges.
There are So. Many. Reasons. to have a problem with Kavanaugh that are not 'he was shitty to X person', and I think every time we bring in the 'he was shitty to X person' we implicitly defend the idea that the ability to be nice in front of people is more important than a yawning maw of hell-ideas. And that's what gets these Ken Dolls Of Despair nominated and ultimately appointed.
posted by corb at 9:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [62 favorites]
Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen says Russian interference in 2016 election was, "a direct attack on our democracy."
posted by Chrysostom at 10:00 AM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:00 AM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
@ryanjreilly: NEW: DOJ says Jeff Sessions will meet with state attorneys general to discuss “growing concern" that social media companies "may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms.”
@matthewamiller: Sessions’ response to Russian infiltration of social media is to echo right wing attacks on social media companies for trying to police their platforms and imply he might use DOJ authority to retaliate against them? What in the world?
----
Kavanaugh's back, disclaiming all responsibility for the withholding of his documents in response to questions from Sen. Durbin.
If you had trouble following the prior exchange with Sen. Leahy over stolen Democratic documents during the Bush Administration, TPM has a quick write-up: Leahy Trips Kavanaugh Up With Questions About Allegedly Stolen Emails.
I'm out for a while, if anyone wants to pick up the hearings here, or consult your friendly neighborhood reporter.
----
I snarked this wouldn't happen yesterday, but Daily Caller actually did release a transcript of their Trump interview. "And I could give you 100 pictures of [Mueller] and Comey hugging and kissing each other."
It's also deeply disturbing how stuff like the President of the United States saying stuff like "Ana Navarro, she’s sick. I mean, she’s sick. The hatred" doesn't even register as anything anymore, though there's also merit in not repeating it.
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
@matthewamiller: Sessions’ response to Russian infiltration of social media is to echo right wing attacks on social media companies for trying to police their platforms and imply he might use DOJ authority to retaliate against them? What in the world?
----
Kavanaugh's back, disclaiming all responsibility for the withholding of his documents in response to questions from Sen. Durbin.
If you had trouble following the prior exchange with Sen. Leahy over stolen Democratic documents during the Bush Administration, TPM has a quick write-up: Leahy Trips Kavanaugh Up With Questions About Allegedly Stolen Emails.
I'm out for a while, if anyone wants to pick up the hearings here, or consult your friendly neighborhood reporter.
----
I snarked this wouldn't happen yesterday, but Daily Caller actually did release a transcript of their Trump interview. "And I could give you 100 pictures of [Mueller] and Comey hugging and kissing each other."
It's also deeply disturbing how stuff like the President of the United States saying stuff like "Ana Navarro, she’s sick. I mean, she’s sick. The hatred" doesn't even register as anything anymore, though there's also merit in not repeating it.
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Trump's cunning, super-secret plan to make Woodward's new book the non-fiction bestseller of 2018 is going according to plan
posted by growabrain at 10:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 10:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Buzzfeed court reporter Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) checks in from EDVA and Manafort's upcoming trial (ThreadReader version):
All eyes are on Kavanaugh this morning, but I'm a few blocks away at the federal courthouse, where Paul Manafort's lawyers and prosecutors are back for a pretrial conference[...]posted by Doktor Zed at 10:11 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
The latest hearing in Paul Manafort's DC case just wrapped up. We got a series of rulings from the judge on what will and will not be allowed in his upcoming trial — some are similar to the EDVA case, and some are different:
- No evidence allowed about the fact that the Russian collusion probe is ongoing; judge said this means the lawyers will need to be careful about how they ask Rick Gates about his cooperation (if he testifies, that is — the govt said that wasn't for sure yet)[...]
- Prosecutors will be allowed to introduce evidence about Manafort's role in the campaign; they said it was relevant in order to establish why he started creating an allegedly false narrative about his work in Ukraine that went to what he reported to the US govt[...]
- If Rick Gates does testify, the judge has barred any reference to or questions about extramarital affairs. This came up a bit in the EDVA trial. The judge doesn't want it in DC, saying it's not relevant
- The judge in EDVA barred references to the term "oligarch." The judge in DC left the door open, saying that if anyone wants to use it, they need to define it for the jury and not leave it out there as a mystery[...]
- The judge denied Manafort's motion to move the trial to Roanoke, Virginia. This was the expected outcome — at the last hearing, the judge gave not too subtle hints that she didn't think the request had much merit. The judge in EDVA denied a similar effort
- At the end, the govt argued Manafort's lawyers failed to comply with an order to disclose any expert witnesses they planned to put on. They showed the judge a doc they got from Manafort's lawyers that appeared to refer generally to expert testimony, but no name or details
- Manafort's lawyer basically admitted they didn't do what they were supposed to, and said they were still working to get the witness. The doc the judge saw isn't public, but she said it referred to international banking and money laundering issues. They have until 9/10 to file
What's next? Another pretrial conference is scheduled for next week, and that'll be focused on the defense's objections to the government's list of proposed exhibits. Jury selection still on track to start 9/17
Hey, remember Duncan Hunter, Mr. Liaison Hotel? Seems that ...liaison... wasn't the only one. Prosecutors say he spent campaign funds on 5 different affairs.
Duncan spent some of that money on five unidentified people living in Washington, D.C., with whom he had “personal relationships,” prosecutors allege: “Individuals” 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 in the indictment. [...]posted by chris24 at 10:19 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
In January 2010, just one year into his first term in office after succeeding his father representing San Diego County, Hunter dropped more than $1,000 in campaign money on a “personal” three-day ski trip at a resort in Lake Tahoe with Individual 14.
He spent $121.34 on food and beer two months later at a concert with Individual 14 and “Congressman A” and his date, the indictment states.
Hunter’s spending on Individual 14 lasted through June 2011, when he allegedly spent $254 of campaign money on beer, golf, and clothes.
For two years, from 2013 to 2015, Hunter charged his campaign for expenses on Individual 15. He ordered Uber rides to Individual 15’s home and paid for bar tabs and food, per the indictment.
In June 2015, overlapping by a month with his spending on outings with Individual 15, Hunter allegedly began using his campaign cash on Individual 16.
Hunter, who worked with Individual 16, according to the indictment, spent $203 at Washington’s H Street Country Club with the individual, as well as “Congressman C” and his date.
Hunter had brief relationships with two other people in Washington, Individuals 17 and 18, in October 2015 and September 2016, respectively.
Hunter charged his campaign $42 for Uber rides to and from Individual 17’s home on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of October 2015.
One early morning in September 2016, he paid $32 for an Uber from Individual 18’s home to his office.
Hunter also “spent $865.63 in campaign funds for a room at the Liaison Capitol Hill while Individual 7,” a California friend of Hunter and his wife, “visited from San Diego” while Margaret Hunter was still in California, the indictment reads.
Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2018
His “Be A Hero” campaign has a simple message for the senator. Barkan will raise as much money as he can for Collins’s 2020 Democratic opponent.Wouldn't it be better to fund a primary opponent? That would keep her out of the race altogether if successful, plus as a "moderate," she'd be easy to primary from the right.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2018
There are So. Many. Reasons. to have a problem with Kavanaugh that are not 'he was shitty to X person', and I think every time we bring in the 'he was shitty to X person' we implicitly defend the idea that the ability to be nice in front of people is more important than a yawning maw of hell-ideas.
But can't we have "... is a minimally decent person" as an entry-level requirement? The way I read it is not only does Kavanaugh have radical judicial views that ought to exclude him, not only is he being nominated by an historically unpopular, probably illegitimate, treasonous President, which ought to make confirmation impossible, not only is there procedural irregularity and a massive lack of transparency, which ought to make confirmation impossible, not only have the scales not been balanced with respect to Merrick Garland, but come on, the man isn't even a minimally decent person. There are lots of perfectly good reasons to reject Kavanaugh. One reason that ought to apply to everyone right out of the gate is that he isn't even a minimally decent person. That, to me, makes him unfit for the position. I don't need to know about his policy positions because even if I agreed with his policy positions, there are lots of minimally decent people who are also qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and the public interest is served by having more, not fewer, minimally decent people in positions of power.
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 10:21 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
But can't we have "... is a minimally decent person" as an entry-level requirement? The way I read it is not only does Kavanaugh have radical judicial views that ought to exclude him, not only is he being nominated by an historically unpopular, probably illegitimate, treasonous President, which ought to make confirmation impossible, not only is there procedural irregularity and a massive lack of transparency, which ought to make confirmation impossible, not only have the scales not been balanced with respect to Merrick Garland, but come on, the man isn't even a minimally decent person. There are lots of perfectly good reasons to reject Kavanaugh. One reason that ought to apply to everyone right out of the gate is that he isn't even a minimally decent person. That, to me, makes him unfit for the position. I don't need to know about his policy positions because even if I agreed with his policy positions, there are lots of minimally decent people who are also qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and the public interest is served by having more, not fewer, minimally decent people in positions of power.
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 10:21 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
NYT, Haberman, Jerome Corsi, Conspiracy Theorist, Is Subpoenaed in Mueller Investigation
Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist and political commentator with connections to the former Trump adviser Roger J. Stone Jr., has been subpoenaed to testify on Friday before the grand jury in the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and whether Trump associates conspired with the effort, his lawyer said on Wednesday.posted by zachlipton at 10:22 AM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
The lawyer, David Gray, said that he anticipates that investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, plan to ask Mr. Corsi about his discussions with Mr. Stone, who appeared to publicly predict in 2016 that WikiLeaks planned to publish material damaging to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
”He fully intends to comply with the subpoena,” Mr. Gray said, adding that the subpoena was not specific about the topic but that he and his client anticipated “it has to do with his communications with Roger Stone.”
Mr. Mueller’s team appears to be zeroing in on Mr. Stone as a possible nexus between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which was used by Russian intelligence officers to spread information stolen from Democrats, according to an indictment by Mr. Mueller’s team. Another former associate of Mr. Stone, the New York political gadfly Randy Credico, is also expected to testify before the grand jury on Friday.
Oh, and in regard to term limits to get old folks out of the Senate?
Leahy Trips Kavanaugh Up With Questions About Allegedly Stolen Emails
Leahy Trips Kavanaugh Up With Questions About Allegedly Stolen Emails
Leahy presented Kavanaugh with claims the judge made during the mid-2000s confirmation hearings about never receiving the stolen emails. Kavanaugh said that his comments then were 100 percent accurate.posted by Mental Wimp at 10:24 AM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Leahy asked him specifically about information provided to him by Manny Miranda, then a Republican staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, about what senators were planning to ask Bush’s judicial nominees. Miranda, a Senate investigation revealed, had been covertly reading Democratic staffers emails and leaking them to right-wing outlets.
Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist and political commentator with connections to the former Trump adviser Roger J. Stone Jr., has been subpoenaed to testify on Friday before the grand jury...
How is this person useful, and not just going to muddy the waters with his Crazy?
posted by wenestvedt at 10:27 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
How is this person useful, and not just going to muddy the waters with his Crazy?
posted by wenestvedt at 10:27 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I honestly do want answers about his finances.
Those are good questions to ask. Most states have some form of disclosure and in theory he's been subject to them for years. If there is some form of fraud - it is rather hard to keep forms in order over years to keep large scale fraud hidden.
But who's gonna sue a judge to get access to the disclosure forms if they don't fill them out? My memory was the Wisconsin Supreme court has (or had) a member who didn't complete the forms but alas I can't find the wiseye link where I remember reading it.
posted by rough ashlar at 10:28 AM on September 5, 2018
Those are good questions to ask. Most states have some form of disclosure and in theory he's been subject to them for years. If there is some form of fraud - it is rather hard to keep forms in order over years to keep large scale fraud hidden.
But who's gonna sue a judge to get access to the disclosure forms if they don't fill them out? My memory was the Wisconsin Supreme court has (or had) a member who didn't complete the forms but alas I can't find the wiseye link where I remember reading it.
posted by rough ashlar at 10:28 AM on September 5, 2018
My memory was the Wisconsin Supreme court has (or had) a member who didn't complete the forms but alas I can't find the wiseye link where I remember reading it.
You're thinking of the retired Michael Gableman, whose seat was recently claimed by the progressive Rebecca Dallet.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
You're thinking of the retired Michael Gableman, whose seat was recently claimed by the progressive Rebecca Dallet.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:33 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist and political commentator with connections to the former Trump adviser Roger J. Stone Jr., has been subpoenaed to testify on Friday before the grand jury...
How is this person useful, and not just going to muddy the waters with his Crazy?
A lot of Russian influence is done via Paid Crazy. Perhaps he has some receipts.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
How is this person useful, and not just going to muddy the waters with his Crazy?
A lot of Russian influence is done via Paid Crazy. Perhaps he has some receipts.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
That's a great New Yorker profile of Giulliani. So many gems:
During the Presidential transition, Giuliani tried—and failed—to persuade Trump to nominate him for Secretary of State. “I’ve always thought that I knew a lot more about foreign policy than anybody ever knew,” Giuliani told me. “He had me slotted in as Attorney General. He offered me the job, I turned it down.” (He also turned down Secretary of Homeland Security.) Theories abound about Trump’s refusal to give Giuliani the State Department job. One of them is that Trump was penalizing him for his closeness to Christie, who had been placed in charge of the transition and then was quickly fired. “Rudy was aligned with Chris Christie, and that wasn’t a good thing to be in that period,” a Trump friend told me. Another is that Priebus, Trump’s first chief of staff, sabotaged Giuliani’s bid. “Reince was leaking like crazy, trying to kill Rudy’s chances,” Anthony Scaramucci, who was on the transition team before his brief stint as the White House communications director, told me. (Priebus denies this.) Yet another theory is that Kushner and Bannon wanted a weak Secretary of State so that they could run foreign policy out of the White House. In the end, Rex Tillerson, the Exxon chief executive, who had no government experience and no prior relationship with Trump, was given the position.posted by Melismata at 10:46 AM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
...
Despite this pileup of lawyers, Trump’s defense has shown little coherence or strategic thinking. Neither Sekulow nor Giuliani is working full time; Sekulow is also representing other clients, including Andrew Brunson, the Christian pastor whose detention in Turkey has set off a crisis in U.S.-Turkish relations, and Giuliani is still running his security consulting business. He was on vacation, attending a wedding and playing golf in Scotland, the week that Cohen pleaded guilty and Manafort was convicted. (In an interview with Sky News conducted from a golf cart, he called Cohen a “massive liar.”)
...
The problem for Giuliani is that his loyalty may not be reciprocated. Since Trump became President, his closest advisers have been humiliated (Tillerson, Priebus), disgraced (Sean Spicer, Bannon), prosecuted (Flynn, Rick Gates), or all of the above (Manafort). At one point, I asked Giuliani whether he worried about how this chapter of his life would affect his legacy.
“I don’t care about my legacy,” he told me. “I’ll be dead.” ♦
Pistols at noon should settle this. MetaDuel!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:52 AM on September 5 [7 favorites +] [!]
Epistles at noon, surely.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:52 AM on September 5 [7 favorites +] [!]
Epistles at noon, surely.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Pelosi, despite opposition from some progressives, is committed to reviving the "pay-go" (or pay as you go) rule she had during her previous run as speaker, requiring that new spending be paid for by budget cuts or revenue offsets.
This was floated before and discussed in detail, eg in this June 4 thread (search PAYGO or pay-go). It is a staggeringly bad idea, for many reasons, primarily (1) it prevents or severely hampers the Democrats from passing most of the major legislation the progressive wing is advocating for (pre-K, college tuition, universal healthcare, jobs program, etc), and (2) it is utterly illusory as actual budget protection, since historically Republicans just ignore it, so it only serves as a ratchet to prevent leftward motion while allowing rightward motion. It also (3) has no grounding in financial reality (there is no problem with a government deficit), and more importantly, (4) it amplifies right-wing frames over left-wing frames (deficits over improving lives). There are many ways to attack the Republican tax cuts, and this is the worst possible one: it ties our hands, prevents other policies, reinforces Republican framing, and is financially unnecessary. Much better to just say yes, we care about X (health, education, inequality, etc, etc) and are passing this in order to achieve X, and leave the debt bullshit to the Republicans (who, again, only bring it up regarding Democratic legislation, not Republican tax cuts).
I was listening to Pressley on the radio before the election and she was asked about supporting Pelosi. She artfully and repeatedly dodged the question, but one of the responses she half-made was, well, let's wait until we see who the competitors are to lead the Democrats and what their positions are, which seemed reasonable. But if PAYGO really is Pelosi's main policy pillar, I have trouble seeing how Pressley and those like her would vote for Pelosi over a more left-leaning challenger. And such a challenger need not be very left -- being opposed to PAYGO does not make you remotely left-wing. PAYGO is a Blue Dog, center-left idea, beloved particularly by those Democrats who also happen to oppose the sorts of liberal policies PAYGO happens to prevent in the name of (pseudo) fiscal rectitude.
posted by chortly at 11:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
This was floated before and discussed in detail, eg in this June 4 thread (search PAYGO or pay-go). It is a staggeringly bad idea, for many reasons, primarily (1) it prevents or severely hampers the Democrats from passing most of the major legislation the progressive wing is advocating for (pre-K, college tuition, universal healthcare, jobs program, etc), and (2) it is utterly illusory as actual budget protection, since historically Republicans just ignore it, so it only serves as a ratchet to prevent leftward motion while allowing rightward motion. It also (3) has no grounding in financial reality (there is no problem with a government deficit), and more importantly, (4) it amplifies right-wing frames over left-wing frames (deficits over improving lives). There are many ways to attack the Republican tax cuts, and this is the worst possible one: it ties our hands, prevents other policies, reinforces Republican framing, and is financially unnecessary. Much better to just say yes, we care about X (health, education, inequality, etc, etc) and are passing this in order to achieve X, and leave the debt bullshit to the Republicans (who, again, only bring it up regarding Democratic legislation, not Republican tax cuts).
I was listening to Pressley on the radio before the election and she was asked about supporting Pelosi. She artfully and repeatedly dodged the question, but one of the responses she half-made was, well, let's wait until we see who the competitors are to lead the Democrats and what their positions are, which seemed reasonable. But if PAYGO really is Pelosi's main policy pillar, I have trouble seeing how Pressley and those like her would vote for Pelosi over a more left-leaning challenger. And such a challenger need not be very left -- being opposed to PAYGO does not make you remotely left-wing. PAYGO is a Blue Dog, center-left idea, beloved particularly by those Democrats who also happen to oppose the sorts of liberal policies PAYGO happens to prevent in the name of (pseudo) fiscal rectitude.
posted by chortly at 11:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
In "theres so much news who can follow it all" news:
Judge orders Shaun Brown's name removed from ballot, citing fraud
i dont remember hearing anything about this story to date, but from todays legal proceedings it appears there was substantial evidence that campaign staff of a sitting R congressman from VA (Scott Taylor) forged petition signatures to get a third candidate (nominally independent, non-D endorsed Shaun Brown) on the ballot to split the Dem vote. As a result of this fraud the judge has ordered the third candidates name to not appear on the ballot.
This race was already rated as a toss up by Sabato's Crystal Ball prior to today's ruling.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Judge orders Shaun Brown's name removed from ballot, citing fraud
i dont remember hearing anything about this story to date, but from todays legal proceedings it appears there was substantial evidence that campaign staff of a sitting R congressman from VA (Scott Taylor) forged petition signatures to get a third candidate (nominally independent, non-D endorsed Shaun Brown) on the ballot to split the Dem vote. As a result of this fraud the judge has ordered the third candidates name to not appear on the ballot.
This race was already rated as a toss up by Sabato's Crystal Ball prior to today's ruling.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:03 AM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
i dont remember hearing anything about this story to date
I've linked it like six times! Is my work here in vain?
[/joke]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:09 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
I've linked it like six times! Is my work here in vain?
[/joke]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:09 AM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
So there is some justice in this world. So, like, who gets charged with fraud for doing this, the candidate or one of his senior campaign managers?
We are going to fix all of this shit, people. I know it.
posted by Meatbomb at 11:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
We are going to fix all of this shit, people. I know it.
posted by Meatbomb at 11:26 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Daily 202: Kavanaugh hearing offers an ‘unprecedented’ display of the Senate’s institutional decline - James Hohmann, WaPo
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said what was truly “unprecedented” was when Democrats blocked Robert Bork’s confirmation back in 1987. “This is my 15th Supreme Court confirmation hearing since I joined the committee in 1981,” said the Iowa Republican. “Thirty-one-years ago, during my fourth Supreme Court confirmation hearing, liberal outside groups and their Senate allies engaged in an unprecedented smear campaign against Judge Robert Bork.”Emphasis theirs.
Bork, as the solicitor general, conspired with Richard Nixon in 1973 to carry out the “Saturday Night Massacre” and fire Archibald Cox in a scheme to obstruct the special prosecutor’s investigation into the Watergate affair. He did so after then-attorney general Elliot Richardson and deputy attorney general William Ruckelshaus had resigned rather than do so. Bork’s nomination to the high court went down 42 to 58 on the Senate floor, with six Republicans joining every Democrat in opposition. Ronald Reagan subsequently nominated Anthony Kennedy as a more moderate replacement.
Kavanaugh is now up for this seat, which Grassley still resents did not go to Bork. The chairman read at length from an op-ed that ran over the weekend in the Wall Street Journal by conservative legal blogger Mark Pulliam. “By confirming Judge Kavanaugh,” Pulliam wrote, “the Senate can go some way toward atoning for its shameful treatment of Justice Robert Bork 31 years ago.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), whose father was Reagan’s solicitor general, also complained about Bork being blocked during his opening statement. “It remains something of a rock-bottom moment for the Senate and for the Senate Judiciary Committee,” he said.
The chorus of reverent Republican paeans to Bork, whose legacy will always be tainted by his role as the hatchet man in the “Saturday Night Massacre,” were particularly striking against the backdrop of Democratic charges that Kavanaugh would give legal air cover to Trump in the plausible scenario that he moves against Bob Mueller, as well as the continuing unwillingness of congressional Republicans to pass legislation that would safeguard the special counsel.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:34 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
So, like, who gets charged with fraud for doing this, the candidate or one of his senior campaign managers?
There's a special prosecutor investigating. Taylor claims he knew about the effort to get Brown on the ballot, but not the specific usage of fraudulent signatures.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:43 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
There's a special prosecutor investigating. Taylor claims he knew about the effort to get Brown on the ballot, but not the specific usage of fraudulent signatures.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:43 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
They can't even understand how much of a travesty it would have been to fulfill the quid pro quo of the Saturday Night Massacre. Legitimizing that level of corruption and then impaneling it into the highest court of the land?
That Bork was even nominated was an insult to the notion of an impartial judiciary.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:46 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
That Bork was even nominated was an insult to the notion of an impartial judiciary.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:46 AM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
All that talk of Bork from Republicans, and an article about it, and neither of them mention Garland still.
posted by reductiondesign at 11:51 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by reductiondesign at 11:51 AM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said what was truly “unprecedented” was when Democrats blocked Robert Bork’s confirmation back in 1987.
Fuck him. Bork got a full hearing in committee and a full vote on the floor. He was rejected 58-42. 6 Rs voted against him, 2 Ds for him. And if you need further proof that it wasn't partisan bullshit but rather a person who shouldn't be named to the court, the nominated justices before and after Bork - Scalia and Kennedy - were confirmed unanimously by a D majority Senate.
posted by chris24 at 11:54 AM on September 5, 2018 [81 favorites]
Fuck him. Bork got a full hearing in committee and a full vote on the floor. He was rejected 58-42. 6 Rs voted against him, 2 Ds for him. And if you need further proof that it wasn't partisan bullshit but rather a person who shouldn't be named to the court, the nominated justices before and after Bork - Scalia and Kennedy - were confirmed unanimously by a D majority Senate.
posted by chris24 at 11:54 AM on September 5, 2018 [81 favorites]
Once again, the ire of Republicans saying "how dare the Senate use its Constitutionally mandated power to advise and consent and not rubber-stamp a president's nominee" is feckless subservience to the Executive -- and this Executive at that! -- not to mention, as others pointed out, utterly hypocritical given that Garland didn't get so much as a hearing.
In fact, I wondered at the time why McConnell didn't just go thru the motions and reject Garland, and it occurs to me that keeping Borkrage as a political tool may have been a factor -- if Garland had been rejected, the Republican posturing would be less convincing. Than usual.
posted by Gelatin at 11:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
In fact, I wondered at the time why McConnell didn't just go thru the motions and reject Garland, and it occurs to me that keeping Borkrage as a political tool may have been a factor -- if Garland had been rejected, the Republican posturing would be less convincing. Than usual.
posted by Gelatin at 11:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
> All that talk of Bork from Republicans, and an article about it, and neither of them mention Garland still.
Not sure what you mean. What happened to Bork was the unconscionable act of talking about Robert Bork's record during his confirmation hearing, while what happened to Garland was the perfectly acceptable act of making sure only Republican Presidents are allowed to select Supreme Court justices, as justified by the landmark case of Fuck You v. Whaddya Gonna Do About It?
posted by tonycpsu at 11:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
Not sure what you mean. What happened to Bork was the unconscionable act of talking about Robert Bork's record during his confirmation hearing, while what happened to Garland was the perfectly acceptable act of making sure only Republican Presidents are allowed to select Supreme Court justices, as justified by the landmark case of Fuck You v. Whaddya Gonna Do About It?
posted by tonycpsu at 11:57 AM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
In fact, I wondered at the time why McConnell didn't just go thru the motions and reject Garland
Because you run the risk of Republicans defecting after getting unnerved at the prospect of either having Clinton pick a justice or facing the blowback holding a SCOTUS seat open for bullshit reasons for four years and witnessing the complete collapse of constitutional order.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Because you run the risk of Republicans defecting after getting unnerved at the prospect of either having Clinton pick a justice or facing the blowback holding a SCOTUS seat open for bullshit reasons for four years and witnessing the complete collapse of constitutional order.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:59 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
And the good old boys were sure as fuck ready to keep HRC from getting to pick any justice even our stalwart of "Senate order", the late John McCain.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
> Well, how soon before the GOP starts relitigating Watergate in order to discredit Mueller?
A while back I was struck (prolly after reading something here) by the idea that the Civil War didn't really end with the surrender of the Confederate government, and that the end of Reconstruction was effectively the South finally actually kinda winning the Civil War.
In that same vein, I'd argue that it's less that the GOP is going to relitigate Watergate and more that the rise of Trumpism in America has shown us that Watergate never ended.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 12:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
A while back I was struck (prolly after reading something here) by the idea that the Civil War didn't really end with the surrender of the Confederate government, and that the end of Reconstruction was effectively the South finally actually kinda winning the Civil War.
In that same vein, I'd argue that it's less that the GOP is going to relitigate Watergate and more that the rise of Trumpism in America has shown us that Watergate never ended.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 12:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
It also (3) has no grounding in financial reality (there is no problem with a government deficit)
There is no problem with a government deficit sounds like one of those things said which isn't really a truth. It sounds like something said by people who don't want to deal with the spending priorities of a system in need of serious examination. Or a chapter title in a series of books called "The Rise and Fall of" where the people of the future will talk about the hubris of the past and how now, with the gay space condos, things like that can't happen.
If there is no problem with a government deficit, then why even keep books which record the surplus of deficit of the government? Why even have a budget process? Just declare the parts of the law formed after the memory of The Contentinal and its effects as an old, useless thing no longer worthy of consideration in the new, modern world.
posted by rough ashlar at 12:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
There is no problem with a government deficit sounds like one of those things said which isn't really a truth. It sounds like something said by people who don't want to deal with the spending priorities of a system in need of serious examination. Or a chapter title in a series of books called "The Rise and Fall of" where the people of the future will talk about the hubris of the past and how now, with the gay space condos, things like that can't happen.
If there is no problem with a government deficit, then why even keep books which record the surplus of deficit of the government? Why even have a budget process? Just declare the parts of the law formed after the memory of The Contentinal and its effects as an old, useless thing no longer worthy of consideration in the new, modern world.
posted by rough ashlar at 12:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Watergate never ended.
6 Ways You Didn't Realize Ronald Reagan Ruined The Country (Cracked, 2016)
posted by Melismata at 12:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [35 favorites]
6 Ways You Didn't Realize Ronald Reagan Ruined The Country (Cracked, 2016)
posted by Melismata at 12:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [35 favorites]
why were and are we not all losing our shit about the supreme court shenanigans afoot? i mean i know internet people are being upset on the internet, but the GOP refusal to confirm Garland and now the Kavanaugh matter seems like just, idk, straight up chicanery on the part of Republicans. why is this kind of thing not something that normal people get upset about?
posted by nixon's meatloaf at 12:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by nixon's meatloaf at 12:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Everything they do makes sense when you realize their intertwined desires:
1. Undo Emancipation.
2. Undo the New Deal.
3. Revenge for Watergate.
Oh and nowadays:
0. “Policy” is whatever pisses off the most liberals.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
1. Undo Emancipation.
2. Undo the New Deal.
3. Revenge for Watergate.
Oh and nowadays:
0. “Policy” is whatever pisses off the most liberals.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
In fact, I wondered at the time why McConnell didn't just go thru the motions and reject Garland, and it occurs to me that keeping Borkrage as a political tool may have been a factor -- if Garland had been rejected, the Republican posturing would be less convincing. Than usual.
They've been acting like Garland never existed while actively lying about whether Obama's nominees were treated fairly, so they clearly don't care about how convincing their posturing is. McConnell simply didn't think he could keep hold of his caucus to reject Garland, but knew he could ignore it and no Republican would call him on it.
posted by Etrigan at 12:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
They've been acting like Garland never existed while actively lying about whether Obama's nominees were treated fairly, so they clearly don't care about how convincing their posturing is. McConnell simply didn't think he could keep hold of his caucus to reject Garland, but knew he could ignore it and no Republican would call him on it.
posted by Etrigan at 12:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Because you run the risk of Republicans defecting
Senators are supposed to be jealous of their prerogatives, and yet the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were perfectly fine with having McConnell telling them how to do -- or not do -- their jobs.
I doubt McConnell would have risked a Republican defection in confirming a Democratic SCOTUS pick. The process is so obviously partisan -- and the results, like Bush v Gore, equally so -- that it's amazing anyone takes this entire charade seriously.
The story the media covers should not be the distracting spectacle of the hearings, but rather that an undemocratic Senate is about to install an undemocratic SCOTUS judge, who is sure to vote in ways contrary to the popular will on a host of issues, on behalf of an illegitimate president.
posted by Gelatin at 12:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Senators are supposed to be jealous of their prerogatives, and yet the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were perfectly fine with having McConnell telling them how to do -- or not do -- their jobs.
I doubt McConnell would have risked a Republican defection in confirming a Democratic SCOTUS pick. The process is so obviously partisan -- and the results, like Bush v Gore, equally so -- that it's amazing anyone takes this entire charade seriously.
The story the media covers should not be the distracting spectacle of the hearings, but rather that an undemocratic Senate is about to install an undemocratic SCOTUS judge, who is sure to vote in ways contrary to the popular will on a host of issues, on behalf of an illegitimate president.
posted by Gelatin at 12:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
why were and are we not all losing our shit about the supreme court shenanigans afoot? i mean i know internet people are being upset on the internet, but the GOP refusal to confirm Garland and now the Kavanaugh matter seems like just, idk, straight up chicanery on the part of Republicans. why is this kind of thing not something that normal people get upset about?
There are people protesting? Go to Washington and join them if you want. I don't know what you expect people to do.
posted by dilaudid at 12:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
There are people protesting? Go to Washington and join them if you want. I don't know what you expect people to do.
posted by dilaudid at 12:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
If there is no problem with a government deficit, then why even keep books which record the surplus of deficit of the government? Why even have a budget process? Just declare the parts of the law formed after the memory of The Contentinal and its effects as an old, useless thing no longer worthy of consideration in the new, modern world.
If you really want to think about how absurd things are, the government owes half of the national debt to itself.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
If you really want to think about how absurd things are, the government owes half of the national debt to itself.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
why is this kind of thing not something that normal people get upset about?
Because "normal" people are toolazy busy to follow politics because it supposedly doesn't affect them much. It's a pretty significant form of privilege to be able to ignore politics with generally few repercussions.
Well those chickens are now coming home to roost. And I'm done making excuses for people who don't have a clue about what's going on because they can't be arsed to pay attention.
posted by Justinian at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Because "normal" people are too
Well those chickens are now coming home to roost. And I'm done making excuses for people who don't have a clue about what's going on because they can't be arsed to pay attention.
posted by Justinian at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
why is this kind of thing not something that normal people get upset about?
Generally speaking, it is the American Way for 'normal people' to not care in the slightest about politics, unless something affects them personally. And by 'affects them personally,' I mean 'smacks them right in the goddamned mouth.'
"Them" refers to, in roughly descending order, themselves, their families, their wallet, their job, their civil rights, then MAYBE circles out to some close friends, maybe even a coworker or two. But without either "if I vote for X, something very good will happen to me specifically" or "unless I vote for Y, something very bad will happen to me specifically," Joe Average stays home.
Look at the last Presidential election in America. We had a candidate that alarmed the living shit out of conservatives from her very existence alone, and a candidate that alarmed the living shit out of THE REST OF THE ENTIRE THINKING WORLD by his existence alone. One of them was going to become POTUS. Roughly 58-60% of eligible voters in the United States cast their votes.
That's about 40% of eligible Americans who looked at THAT race and went "ehhh." Is there any doubt that only the diehards can even name more than two SCOTUS judges, let alone grasp the how and why of this newest vacancy?
posted by delfin at 12:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
Generally speaking, it is the American Way for 'normal people' to not care in the slightest about politics, unless something affects them personally. And by 'affects them personally,' I mean 'smacks them right in the goddamned mouth.'
"Them" refers to, in roughly descending order, themselves, their families, their wallet, their job, their civil rights, then MAYBE circles out to some close friends, maybe even a coworker or two. But without either "if I vote for X, something very good will happen to me specifically" or "unless I vote for Y, something very bad will happen to me specifically," Joe Average stays home.
Look at the last Presidential election in America. We had a candidate that alarmed the living shit out of conservatives from her very existence alone, and a candidate that alarmed the living shit out of THE REST OF THE ENTIRE THINKING WORLD by his existence alone. One of them was going to become POTUS. Roughly 58-60% of eligible voters in the United States cast their votes.
That's about 40% of eligible Americans who looked at THAT race and went "ehhh." Is there any doubt that only the diehards can even name more than two SCOTUS judges, let alone grasp the how and why of this newest vacancy?
posted by delfin at 12:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
> Well those chickens are now coming home to roost. And I'm done making excuses for people who don't have a clue about what's going on because they can't be arsed to pay attention.
In addition to the people who are comfortable enough with their present circumstances that they can afford to not care, I'd suggest there's also a large group of people whose present circumstances are already so bad that the Kavanaugh appointment amounts to a baseball bat to the kneecap while they are already engulfed in flames. It's on their list of things threatening them, but not at the top. Having enough time / energy / financial resources to participate is another form of privilege.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
In addition to the people who are comfortable enough with their present circumstances that they can afford to not care, I'd suggest there's also a large group of people whose present circumstances are already so bad that the Kavanaugh appointment amounts to a baseball bat to the kneecap while they are already engulfed in flames. It's on their list of things threatening them, but not at the top. Having enough time / energy / financial resources to participate is another form of privilege.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker
He's still a Republican fighting for Republican ideals? Like family welfare caps, level funding for Transport Authorities and the MBTA, underfunding MassHealth to force a shift to employer sponsored insurance, opposing the Safe Communities Act and making Massachusetts a Sanctuary State, etc, ad nauseum.
Just because he can be cajoled and dragged to the left on some social issues doesn't mean he's not going to a) fiscally behave like a republican and b) at the very least not cross - if not outright court - the far right support he needs to be reelected, since 36 fucking percent of Republicans voted for fucking Scott Lively yesterday.
I mean, the better question is why do you think, as a leftist, that Jay Gonzalez would do worse than Charlie Baker?
posted by lydhre at 12:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
He's still a Republican fighting for Republican ideals? Like family welfare caps, level funding for Transport Authorities and the MBTA, underfunding MassHealth to force a shift to employer sponsored insurance, opposing the Safe Communities Act and making Massachusetts a Sanctuary State, etc, ad nauseum.
Just because he can be cajoled and dragged to the left on some social issues doesn't mean he's not going to a) fiscally behave like a republican and b) at the very least not cross - if not outright court - the far right support he needs to be reelected, since 36 fucking percent of Republicans voted for fucking Scott Lively yesterday.
I mean, the better question is why do you think, as a leftist, that Jay Gonzalez would do worse than Charlie Baker?
posted by lydhre at 12:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
Mod note: Let's not get off into the weeds of general "why don't people care" etc, let's keep the thread for substantive updates on specific things actually happening.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 12:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 12:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker
This is weird. It's like saying "convince this astrophysicist that the Earth is not flat."
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
This is weird. It's like saying "convince this astrophysicist that the Earth is not flat."
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
rough ashlar: If there is no problem with a government deficit, then why even keep books which record the surplus of deficit of the government?
There is no problem != there could never possibly be a problem.
All humans are susceptible to alcoholism, but we don't therefore say that every human "has an alcohol problem" because why else would anyone bother to monitor how much they drink? Or perhaps a better parallel is water -- it's actually good for a government to have at least a little debt, or else it's truly wasting money (among other things), but water toxicity and the Greek crisis are both real things too.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
There is no problem != there could never possibly be a problem.
All humans are susceptible to alcoholism, but we don't therefore say that every human "has an alcohol problem" because why else would anyone bother to monitor how much they drink? Or perhaps a better parallel is water -- it's actually good for a government to have at least a little debt, or else it's truly wasting money (among other things), but water toxicity and the Greek crisis are both real things too.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Gin and Tacos on Kavanaugh, Schumer, etc.
posted by wittgenstein at 12:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by wittgenstein at 12:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
it's actually good for a government to have at least a little debt, or else it's truly wasting money
This. Government debt is investment in its people and investing wisely can reap immense rewards. If I'm the government and I borrow $100m and build a port, I'm making a bet that my people using that port will create enough economic activity which I can then tax and recoup my investment on. Which it often will. Hell, just the taxes from the workers who build the port recoups me ~15% of the investment without a single boat going in or out.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
This. Government debt is investment in its people and investing wisely can reap immense rewards. If I'm the government and I borrow $100m and build a port, I'm making a bet that my people using that port will create enough economic activity which I can then tax and recoup my investment on. Which it often will. Hell, just the taxes from the workers who build the port recoups me ~15% of the investment without a single boat going in or out.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
This is weird. It's like saying "convince this astrophysicist that the Earth is not flat."
Only if you don't know Massachusetts and its small and dwindling stock of moderate Republicans and our long tradition of electing Democrats to the legislature and a Republican to the governor's office. lydhre pointed to some reasons for a Democrat not to vote for Baker, but in some ways, he's almost more sui generis than a 21st-century Republican. Or as the Boston Globe put it a couple months ago: Some conservatives are fuming that Baker is too far left. Of course, we'll see how well that'll work in the Senate race, where you've got Elizabeth Warren vs. Trump's state co-chairman, who said in a debate last month that Warren is a bigger threat to the US than Russia (in fact, he doubled down on that).
posted by adamg at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Only if you don't know Massachusetts and its small and dwindling stock of moderate Republicans and our long tradition of electing Democrats to the legislature and a Republican to the governor's office. lydhre pointed to some reasons for a Democrat not to vote for Baker, but in some ways, he's almost more sui generis than a 21st-century Republican. Or as the Boston Globe put it a couple months ago: Some conservatives are fuming that Baker is too far left. Of course, we'll see how well that'll work in the Senate race, where you've got Elizabeth Warren vs. Trump's state co-chairman, who said in a debate last month that Warren is a bigger threat to the US than Russia (in fact, he doubled down on that).
posted by adamg at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
As brief aside as to how things could've gotten this way, the current free eBook through the University of Chicago Press program is "That’s the Way It Is: A History of Television News in America," by Charles L. Ponce de Leon; Dr. Ponce de Leon teachs history at California State, Long Beach.
The subject line in the email: "Our free e-book for September isn't fake news."
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
The subject line in the email: "Our free e-book for September isn't fake news."
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
WaPo, Josh Rogin, The White House is discussing potential replacements for Jim Mattis
“The speculation about who replaces Mattis is now more real than ever,” said a senior White House official who was not authorized to speak about internal matters. “The president has always respected him. But now he has every reason to wonder what Mattis is saying behind his back. The relationship has nowhere to go but down, fast.”posted by zachlipton at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
No decisions have been made and a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Mattis’s plans. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. But several administration and congressional officials said that a shortlist for his successor is already being constructed in an informal manner.
There is no problem with a government deficit sounds like one of those things said which isn't really a truth. It sounds like something said by people who don't want to deal with the spending priorities of a system in need of serious examination.
Deficits are not a function of spending priorities. For the past 40-odd years deficits have been almost exclusively a function of governments unwilling to tax billionaires and corporations appropriately.
posted by rocket88 at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
Deficits are not a function of spending priorities. For the past 40-odd years deficits have been almost exclusively a function of governments unwilling to tax billionaires and corporations appropriately.
posted by rocket88 at 12:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
It also (3) has no grounding in financial reality (there is no problem with a government deficit).
posted by chortly at 12:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
If there is no problem with a government deficit, then why even keep books which record the surplus of deficit of the government?Sorry, I should have said "there is not problem with the government deficit". And that goes for the debt as well. Sure, there are theoretical cases where a sufficiently hight debt can be harmful to inflation, but the US appears to be trillions of dollars away from those ceilings. So for all current practical purposes, there is no fiscal harm in unfunded big bills such as the tax cuts, single-payer, universal pre-K, free college tuition, and many other such things, especially when most reasonable estimates suggest the progressive policies will also have enormous economic benefits. Since Democrats are always free (should they take control of everything in 2020) to vote down any individual bill that seems too expensive, the only purpose of PAYGO is to preemptively take grand policies off the table as too expensive to even consider. And that's premised on the idea that deficits and the debt are already dangerously large, which is not true.
posted by chortly at 12:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
He didn't steal them himself, but when he was forwarded them, he allegedly used them without reporting anything to anyone. And then he allegedly lied about the whole thing in front of Congress.
So what if, hypothetically, a Supreme Court nominee or justice were to be indicted for crimes? Crimes such as fraud, for example?
Fraud investigators and lawyers need to go through Kavanaugh's records (especially his financial records) with a fine-toothed comb. The Repubs have the votes for a confirmation already, so they can't be afraid of confirmation-related repercussions for releasing the docs -- so why not release them? I'm sure that, if nothing else, they want to withhold them as a screw you to the Dems, but in light of what has already come out in the hearings, I've also got to start wondering -- are they scared that if those records get looked at, evidence of crime might be discovered? And if there is criminal evidence buried in those records, might some members of congress or congressional donors be implicated?
I used to not be anywhere near this suspicious, but ever since the Republicans thunderously struck down any attempt to see Trump's tax returns, I've started seeing their compulsion for hiding records as possible signs of conspiracy and corruption, frankly. If they're not in on it, why do they want so badly to help hide it?
posted by rue72 at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
So what if, hypothetically, a Supreme Court nominee or justice were to be indicted for crimes? Crimes such as fraud, for example?
Fraud investigators and lawyers need to go through Kavanaugh's records (especially his financial records) with a fine-toothed comb. The Repubs have the votes for a confirmation already, so they can't be afraid of confirmation-related repercussions for releasing the docs -- so why not release them? I'm sure that, if nothing else, they want to withhold them as a screw you to the Dems, but in light of what has already come out in the hearings, I've also got to start wondering -- are they scared that if those records get looked at, evidence of crime might be discovered? And if there is criminal evidence buried in those records, might some members of congress or congressional donors be implicated?
I used to not be anywhere near this suspicious, but ever since the Republicans thunderously struck down any attempt to see Trump's tax returns, I've started seeing their compulsion for hiding records as possible signs of conspiracy and corruption, frankly. If they're not in on it, why do they want so badly to help hide it?
posted by rue72 at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Yahoo News video via Twitter: Laura Loomer stood up in the social media hearing today to shout some crazypants stuff pleading for Donald Trump to "save us" (and film herself while doing it). The reaction from Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) was, uh... well, it's the first time I've appreciated something a Republican did in quite a while.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
And that's premised on the idea that deficits and the debt are already dangerously large, which is not true.
Also, where that money goes. We've been flooding money into the economy over the past decade. Turns out if the vast majority of it goes into being just another zero on a rich person's bank account it doesn't have very much of an inflationary effect.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also, where that money goes. We've been flooding money into the economy over the past decade. Turns out if the vast majority of it goes into being just another zero on a rich person's bank account it doesn't have very much of an inflationary effect.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
The New York Times: The Times today is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure. We believe publishing this essay anonymously is the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers.
Opinion:
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
We work for the president but we have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
Opinion:
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
We work for the president but we have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
This feels bombshell-y. Like a "maybe we can take this as truth and not speculative"
posted by Brainy at 12:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.
[...]
The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility.
posted by Brainy at 12:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
So what if, hypothetically, a Supreme Court nominee or justice were to be indicted for crimes? Crimes such as fraud, for example?
Back of the napkin math: You can't remove via impeachment without 67 votes. You can't get 67 votes while the lunatic right fringe of the electorate holds 40 votes hostage in the primaries. It's easy to get the rank and file to toe the line when the Senate Majority Leader is getting pilloried by his base for not being cruel and ruthless enough.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Back of the napkin math: You can't remove via impeachment without 67 votes. You can't get 67 votes while the lunatic right fringe of the electorate holds 40 votes hostage in the primaries. It's easy to get the rank and file to toe the line when the Senate Majority Leader is getting pilloried by his base for not being cruel and ruthless enough.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous.
Oh, so this means nothing. Whoever this is, they have no legitimacy. Fuck the NYT for publishing this.
posted by dilaudid at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [66 favorites]
Oh, so this means nothing. Whoever this is, they have no legitimacy. Fuck the NYT for publishing this.
posted by dilaudid at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [66 favorites]
From the op-ed:
@pattymo: Every single shithead that works for Trump will eventually claim to have written this
@chrislhayes: As far as I can tell many people within the administration appear to be sending constant signals, anonymously, through reporters that the president is a genuine danger to the country, and that only they are standing between us and apocalypse. This seems morally dubious, wildly self-serving and entirely plausible.
posted by zachlipton at 12:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [120 favorites]
Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.@steve_vladeck: As you read this @nytimes op-ed from an anonymous senior administration official stressing that "Americans should know that there are adults in the room," note the institution that isn't mentioned even once: Congress. That's a stunning indictment, IMHO.
@pattymo: Every single shithead that works for Trump will eventually claim to have written this
@chrislhayes: As far as I can tell many people within the administration appear to be sending constant signals, anonymously, through reporters that the president is a genuine danger to the country, and that only they are standing between us and apocalypse. This seems morally dubious, wildly self-serving and entirely plausible.
posted by zachlipton at 12:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [120 favorites]
Anybody who seriously makes all those charges against Trump and still works to prop him up and conceal his unfitness in order to advance their fucking right-wing agenda, rather than publicly, loudly doing all they can to get him the fuck out of office?
is a puredee fucking traitor to the republic and ought to be hanged from the nearest, highest yardarm.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [59 favorites]
is a puredee fucking traitor to the republic and ought to be hanged from the nearest, highest yardarm.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [59 favorites]
That op-ed is pure sophistry.
posted by rue72 at 12:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by rue72 at 12:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
So Woodward is right.
posted by chris24 at 12:52 PM on September 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 12:52 PM on September 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
And our newest entrant for the "dumbest thing said on a day when Trump has already said things that are pretty fucking stupid" award...
Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani to Bob Woodward: Release the ‘Tapes’
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani to Bob Woodward: Release the ‘Tapes’
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
We don't want to cause a constitutional crisis so we'll let him destroy democracy and the rule of law. Fuck this person.
posted by chris24 at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
The erratic behavior would be more concerning if it weren’t for unsung heroes in and around the White House. Some of his aides have been cast as villains by the media. But in private, they have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing, though they are clearly not always successful.Translation: we're the real heroes and you're all so mean for thinking we're monstrous, soulless voids who think only of ambition and profit :( you'll be sorry when we get fired and everything gets even worse!!! p.s. we will not do anything more than whine anonymously and steal some papers off Trump's desk. We trust you understand how such service makes us worthy of Medals of Honor.
posted by yasaman at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
Mattis probably wrote it. A) They're already talking about firing him and B) he's probably the only "senior" official who would NOT say the racist xenophobic immigration shit is part of the good Trump stuff.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.Invoking the 25th Amendment wouldn't be a constitutional crisis, it would be using the 25th Amendment for what it's designed to do. Most Americans disapprove of Trump. If they knew enough about the Constitution to know that there's a completely Constitutional way to remove a nutjob president, they'd be all over it.
If we're not going to use these things, can we just drop them? See also: Emoluments Clause, Electoral College.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
To be clear, ours is not the popular “resistance” of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous.
Name one. The NYT should not have allowed this generic Republican commercial inside its op-ed page, anonymous perspective or no.
posted by Gelatin at 12:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
Name one. The NYT should not have allowed this generic Republican commercial inside its op-ed page, anonymous perspective or no.
posted by Gelatin at 12:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
note the institution that isn't mentioned even once: Congress. That's a stunning indictment, IMHO.
To me, this is the real issue the Founders failed to foresee, not the decline of dueling, or whatever. They expected that the branches would be rivals, jealous of their prerogatives, thus keeping each other in check. And for a long time, even after the rise of parties this worked by and large. Even when the same party held Congress and the White House, there was a lot of sniping and give and take - go read about the Carter presidency sometime.
But over the last few decades, that's broken down, and the branches are working much more as one (more so in the case of the GOP). So, we've got effectively parliamentary government, without any of the concomitant controls.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [43 favorites]
To me, this is the real issue the Founders failed to foresee, not the decline of dueling, or whatever. They expected that the branches would be rivals, jealous of their prerogatives, thus keeping each other in check. And for a long time, even after the rise of parties this worked by and large. Even when the same party held Congress and the White House, there was a lot of sniping and give and take - go read about the Carter presidency sometime.
But over the last few decades, that's broken down, and the branches are working much more as one (more so in the case of the GOP). So, we've got effectively parliamentary government, without any of the concomitant controls.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [43 favorites]
Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis.
It isn't a constitutional crisis when the process for removing a president is in the Constitution. It's been invoked; if memory serves me correctly, George H. W. Bush temporarily held the powers of the Presidency while Reagan underwent a medical procedure.
posted by Gelatin at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
It isn't a constitutional crisis when the process for removing a president is in the Constitution. It's been invoked; if memory serves me correctly, George H. W. Bush temporarily held the powers of the Presidency while Reagan underwent a medical procedure.
posted by Gelatin at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
I'm going to declare myself as holding what I'm surprised to seems to be the minority view, which is that between the op-ed not having been written and the op-ed having been written, I prefer the latter.
posted by gurple at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by gurple at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [41 favorites]
But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis.
Hard things are hard assholes. Real leaders taught us that.
posted by cmfletcher at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hard things are hard assholes. Real leaders taught us that.
posted by cmfletcher at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
The op-ed writer is attempting to claim the mantle of anti-Putin Maquis, which is intriguingly, though possibly coincidentally timed with Britain's charging two GRU assassins in the Skripal attack:
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
The op-ed writer is attempting to claim the mantle of anti-Putin Maquis, which is intriguingly, though possibly coincidentally timed with Britain's charging two GRU assassins in the Skripal attack:
Take foreign policy: In public and in private, President Trump shows a preference for autocrats and dictators, such as President Vladimir Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and displays little genuine appreciation for the ties that bind us to allied, like-minded nations.This is what happens when the Oval Office is occupied by a Russian intelligence asset (and I use the term precisely).
Astute observers have noted, though, that the rest of the administration is operating on another track, one where countries like Russia are called out for meddling and punished accordingly, and where allies around the world are engaged as peers rather than ridiculed as rivals.
On Russia, for instance, the president was reluctant to expel so many of Mr. Putin’s spies as punishment for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. He complained for weeks about senior staff members letting him get boxed into further confrontation with Russia, and he expressed frustration that the United States continued to impose sanctions on the country for its malign behavior. But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable.
This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state. It’s the work of the steady state.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis.
This article describes a President who is a force for chaos, and whose alleged successes occur in spite of, not because of, his incumbency. In this context, there is no way to interpret the historic statement quoted here, other than as an admission that the President would already have been removed from office by his appointed staff, in conjunction with the Vice President, if not for one thing.
Fear.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
This article describes a President who is a force for chaos, and whose alleged successes occur in spite of, not because of, his incumbency. In this context, there is no way to interpret the historic statement quoted here, other than as an admission that the President would already have been removed from office by his appointed staff, in conjunction with the Vice President, if not for one thing.
Fear.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
6 Ways You Didn't Realize Ronald Reagan Ruined The Country (Cracked, 2016)
I was a politically aware Australian twentysomething during Reagan's term. Let me see how many of these I remember being appalled by at the time...
6: Corruption, Iran/Contra etc... yup. Had a lovely cartoon stuck on my wall depicting an ant labelled Nicaragua perched on the toe of Reagan's shoe; he's about to bust it with this massive mallet, and Ed Meese is coming up from behind with one twice the size saying "here, you need a bigger one". And Oliver North, omfg.
5: Reaganomics: trickle-down supply-side restaurant-napkin Laffer-curve bullshit, so manifestly bullshit, deregulate every fucking thing, no way that's ever going wrong... also yup.
4: Crushing the unions... yup.
3: Allowing thousands to die of AIDS as a sop to the "Moral" "Majority"... yup.
2: Funding Osama bin Laden... yup.
1: Fucking over the mentally ill... yup.
And they left out the part where Reagan put James "mine more, drill more, cut more timber" Watt in charge of National Parks and claimed that trees cause pollution, and the part where he helped Saddam gas Kurds and Iranians, and the part where he got an astrologer in to advise on policy timing... not on policy though, oh no, we'd never do that, that would be wrong.
Eight years the US put up with that dipshit. Eight years. And now the syrup machine has been working on his memory for enough decades that he's become some kind of sainted father figure. Fuxache.
When he got his second term I remember thinking WTF, America? And then came the Bush family, putting the nasty in dynasty... WT fucking F is the US smoking? I need to know, lest I inadvertently get exposed to it.
Also utterly appalled when Trump got in, of course, but no longer surprised.
posted by flabdablet at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
I was a politically aware Australian twentysomething during Reagan's term. Let me see how many of these I remember being appalled by at the time...
6: Corruption, Iran/Contra etc... yup. Had a lovely cartoon stuck on my wall depicting an ant labelled Nicaragua perched on the toe of Reagan's shoe; he's about to bust it with this massive mallet, and Ed Meese is coming up from behind with one twice the size saying "here, you need a bigger one". And Oliver North, omfg.
5: Reaganomics: trickle-down supply-side restaurant-napkin Laffer-curve bullshit, so manifestly bullshit, deregulate every fucking thing, no way that's ever going wrong... also yup.
4: Crushing the unions... yup.
3: Allowing thousands to die of AIDS as a sop to the "Moral" "Majority"... yup.
2: Funding Osama bin Laden... yup.
1: Fucking over the mentally ill... yup.
And they left out the part where Reagan put James "mine more, drill more, cut more timber" Watt in charge of National Parks and claimed that trees cause pollution, and the part where he helped Saddam gas Kurds and Iranians, and the part where he got an astrologer in to advise on policy timing... not on policy though, oh no, we'd never do that, that would be wrong.
Eight years the US put up with that dipshit. Eight years. And now the syrup machine has been working on his memory for enough decades that he's become some kind of sainted father figure. Fuxache.
When he got his second term I remember thinking WTF, America? And then came the Bush family, putting the nasty in dynasty... WT fucking F is the US smoking? I need to know, lest I inadvertently get exposed to it.
Also utterly appalled when Trump got in, of course, but no longer surprised.
posted by flabdablet at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
My god this...thing...is terrible. Just terrible.
The press-as-enemy business is practically a plank in the platform.
The kinds of deregulations accomplished so far are anti-democratic. The tax reforms are anti-democratic. The "more robust military" claim is utterly spurious.
CTRL-F Puerto Rico 0/0
CTRL-F children (i.e. in cages) 0/0
CTRL-F immigrants 0/0
And whatever else a person of conscience would discuss as troubling to their soul and worthy of direct action.
This is not a serious person of conscience.
This is party-over-country BS, with an eye toward personal redemption, with the least possible veneer of "concerns."
And it's nothing but a 48-hour distraction.
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [57 favorites]
In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the “enemy of the people,” President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic.
Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.
The press-as-enemy business is practically a plank in the platform.
The kinds of deregulations accomplished so far are anti-democratic. The tax reforms are anti-democratic. The "more robust military" claim is utterly spurious.
CTRL-F Puerto Rico 0/0
CTRL-F children (i.e. in cages) 0/0
CTRL-F immigrants 0/0
And whatever else a person of conscience would discuss as troubling to their soul and worthy of direct action.
This is not a serious person of conscience.
This is party-over-country BS, with an eye toward personal redemption, with the least possible veneer of "concerns."
And it's nothing but a 48-hour distraction.
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [57 favorites]
honestly I think it was written by some low-level staffer who realized what they had to do to ever get [pick one] (laid/hired) again.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
It isn't a constitutional crisis when the process for removing a president is in the Constitution. I
This is the same as the 2000 election - there is a perfectly clear process for settling a disputed election, right there in the Constitution: the House Of Representatives votes. It's even been done before. But "everyone" knew that it would be a "Constitutional Crisis" and that it was intolerable that there was no immediate settlement.
posted by thelonius at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
This is the same as the 2000 election - there is a perfectly clear process for settling a disputed election, right there in the Constitution: the House Of Representatives votes. It's even been done before. But "everyone" knew that it would be a "Constitutional Crisis" and that it was intolerable that there was no immediate settlement.
posted by thelonius at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
But, I guess this is a trial balloon for how the Republicans plan to go forward into the post-Trump madness. "It wasn't just me. It was all of us. And now, it's time for all of us to pray, repent and heal."
There was zero chance they'd ever say "lol we were wrong and you were right, sorry about everything" and tbh I am 1000% down with laughable Republican attempts at rewriting history to save their worthless egos if it helps Trump stop being the president
posted by theodolite at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
There was zero chance they'd ever say "lol we were wrong and you were right, sorry about everything" and tbh I am 1000% down with laughable Republican attempts at rewriting history to save their worthless egos if it helps Trump stop being the president
posted by theodolite at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Look at all those em dashes in that op-ed. I vote Ivanka.
(SL to politico article with excerpts from her book, "Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules of Success")
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
(SL to politico article with excerpts from her book, "Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules of Success")
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm going to declare myself as holding what I'm surprised to seems to be the minority view, which is that between the op-ed not having been written and the op-ed having been written, I prefer the latter.
I'm right there with you, as I imagine many others are. I'd rather have more evidence of the criminal fraudulent enterprise that is this White House than less. That doesn't stop me from hating its author for their horrific actions, inactions, choices, and motivations, though.
I mean, they've got a lot of fucking nerve complaining about Trump's amorality.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
I'm right there with you, as I imagine many others are. I'd rather have more evidence of the criminal fraudulent enterprise that is this White House than less. That doesn't stop me from hating its author for their horrific actions, inactions, choices, and motivations, though.
I mean, they've got a lot of fucking nerve complaining about Trump's amorality.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
We work for the president but we have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
Real Translation: "When this is all over, please don't hate me or shun me in public life, because tax cuts really are worth the cost of inflicting catastrophic child abuse on hundreds of victims. Oh and astounding graft. That's cool, too, y'know?"
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
We work for the president but we have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
Real Translation: "When this is all over, please don't hate me or shun me in public life, because tax cuts really are worth the cost of inflicting catastrophic child abuse on hundreds of victims. Oh and astounding graft. That's cool, too, y'know?"
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
Self-important but useless piece of shit?
I bet a cake that it’s Kelly. No, two cakes.
posted by lydhre at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I bet a cake that it’s Kelly. No, two cakes.
posted by lydhre at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm going to declare myself as holding what I'm surprised to seems to be the minority view, which is that between the op-ed not having been written and the op-ed having been written, I prefer the latter.
I'm with you, gurple. I acknowledge there are Republicans and conservatives in this country who disagree with me on fundamental principles about how American society should be organized. That has always been true. What is so deeply disturbing to me about the Trump Administration is the notion that anyone with half a brain believes any of this crap. Confirmation that the people who work for him are aware, indeed, that the emperor has no clothes, comes as a great relief. It makes me feel less insane. At least we are all not insane.
posted by something something at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm with you, gurple. I acknowledge there are Republicans and conservatives in this country who disagree with me on fundamental principles about how American society should be organized. That has always been true. What is so deeply disturbing to me about the Trump Administration is the notion that anyone with half a brain believes any of this crap. Confirmation that the people who work for him are aware, indeed, that the emperor has no clothes, comes as a great relief. It makes me feel less insane. At least we are all not insane.
posted by something something at 1:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
honestly I think it was written by some low-level staffer who realized what they had to do to ever get [pick one] (laid/hired) again.
I don't think the Times goes with this without it being someone high level.
posted by chris24 at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
I don't think the Times goes with this without it being someone high level.
posted by chris24 at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
Mattis probably wrote it. A) They're already talking about firing him and B) he's probably the only "senior" official who would NOT say the racist xenophobic immigration shit is part of the good Trump stuff.
It doesn't sound anything like Mattis to me, really. I'd say it was Elaine Chao but I'm not exactly certain how much styming of disaster a Secretary of Transportation can really get up to. So I'm going with Mnuchin or Mulvaney.
posted by Justinian at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2018
It doesn't sound anything like Mattis to me, really. I'd say it was Elaine Chao but I'm not exactly certain how much styming of disaster a Secretary of Transportation can really get up to. So I'm going with Mnuchin or Mulvaney.
posted by Justinian at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2018
Buckle up, kids:
@PeterAlexander: Just handed top Trump communications officials a printed copy of NYT op-ed. They say it’s the first they’re seeing it. I’ve requested WH comment. They’re huddled in Sarah Sanders office now.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [77 favorites]
@PeterAlexander: Just handed top Trump communications officials a printed copy of NYT op-ed. They say it’s the first they’re seeing it. I’ve requested WH comment. They’re huddled in Sarah Sanders office now.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [77 favorites]
This is the same as the 2000 election - there is a perfectly clear process for settling a disputed election, right there in the Constitution: the House Of Representatives votes. It's even been done before. But "everyone" knew that it would be a "Constitutional Crisis" and that it was intolerable that there was no immediate settlement.
So instead a partisan Supreme Court installed George W. Bush (because that's more legitimate, although the so-called "liberal media" sure fell in line). Who appointed more Republicans to the Court. And here we are.
posted by Gelatin at 1:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
So instead a partisan Supreme Court installed George W. Bush (because that's more legitimate, although the so-called "liberal media" sure fell in line). Who appointed more Republicans to the Court. And here we are.
posted by Gelatin at 1:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
And if you thought Trump was paranoid before, hoooboy. I hope he sees enemies in every single staffer he has, from Chief of Staff to the fucking soda boy.
posted by lydhre at 1:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by lydhre at 1:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
I'm going to declare myself as holding what I'm surprised to seems to be the minority view, which is that between the op-ed not having been written and the op-ed having been written, I prefer the latter.
I'm glad it was written because then we can all talk about what hypocritical bullshit it is that the “reasonable” Republican position is to maintain the presidency of a man who they agree is “anti-democratic,” “amoral,” “impulsive” and basically a toddler. This person is proud that they kept him on the throne, because they were able overcome those hurdles in order to achieve their real goals of cutting rich people's taxes and rolling back everything the EPA, CFPB, etc., did since 2009. Long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy as a whole is the price they're willing to pay to get along. They should be pilloried every day of their life as a coward and traitor to democracy.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [72 favorites]
I'm glad it was written because then we can all talk about what hypocritical bullshit it is that the “reasonable” Republican position is to maintain the presidency of a man who they agree is “anti-democratic,” “amoral,” “impulsive” and basically a toddler. This person is proud that they kept him on the throne, because they were able overcome those hurdles in order to achieve their real goals of cutting rich people's taxes and rolling back everything the EPA, CFPB, etc., did since 2009. Long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy as a whole is the price they're willing to pay to get along. They should be pilloried every day of their life as a coward and traitor to democracy.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [72 favorites]
We should be very clear to the "administration officials" that are staying in to try to do good on the inside: Nobody looks kindly on dudes who decided they needed to be Nazis in 1938 because if they left, only Nazis would be in power. In fact it would be fair to say we look upon those people relatively unkindly.
That's you. You're the nazi functionaries trying to work within the system, senior administration officals.
posted by Justinian at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
That's you. You're the nazi functionaries trying to work within the system, senior administration officals.
posted by Justinian at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [51 favorites]
tbh I am 1000% down with laughable Republican attempts at rewriting history to save their worthless egos if it helps Trump stop being the president
But once Trump is gone, no forgiveness, no "let bygones be bygones," no trusting the Republicans to act in good faith until they demonstrate repentance by their actions.
Indeed, Democrats should work to disrupt the Republican power center -- the ultra-wealthy -- the way the Republicans go after school teachers.
posted by Gelatin at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
But once Trump is gone, no forgiveness, no "let bygones be bygones," no trusting the Republicans to act in good faith until they demonstrate repentance by their actions.
Indeed, Democrats should work to disrupt the Republican power center -- the ultra-wealthy -- the way the Republicans go after school teachers.
posted by Gelatin at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
And if you thought Trump was paranoid before, hoooboy. I hope he sees enemies in every single staffer he has, from Chief of Staff to the fucking soda boy.
Maybe he'll fire the whole joint and spend the rest of his term holed up in a cobweb-strewn Oval Office like Miss Havisham.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
Maybe he'll fire the whole joint and spend the rest of his term holed up in a cobweb-strewn Oval Office like Miss Havisham.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
So instead a partisan Supreme Court installed George W. Bush (because that's more legitimate, although the so-called "liberal media" sure fell in line). Who appointed more Republicans to the Court. And here we are.
Its the Katamari Demacy problem. They don't lose ground. They just slow down their gains.
posted by Brainy at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Its the Katamari Demacy problem. They don't lose ground. They just slow down their gains.
posted by Brainy at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
the purpose of the op-ed isn't to make the writer beloved to Good Liberals Like Us ffs. if you're really quietly sabotaging the administration from inside, writing about it in the NYT is hell of dumb. the point of the op-ed is to pour accelerant on Trump's paranoid spiral into madness and force the 25th amendment option to come to a head.
I mean, who knows if it'll achieve anything, but I appreciate the attempt.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
I mean, who knows if it'll achieve anything, but I appreciate the attempt.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
Confirmation that the people who work for him are aware, indeed, that the emperor has no clothes, comes as a great relief.
Of course, it's possible this was its entire purpose.
posted by Atom Eyes at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Of course, it's possible this was its entire purpose.
posted by Atom Eyes at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't think the Times goes with this without it being someone high level.
Agreed. They know their credibility is on the line publishing this and that there's a good chance the identity of the author will eventually become public one way or another. It's not necessarily someone the nation has heard of, and it's potentially a career official rather than an appointee (in the NSC perhaps, given the focus on foreign policy, though clearly a partisan Republican), but I don't think the Times would put their credibility on the line if it was someone from the White House florist's office.
posted by zachlipton at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Agreed. They know their credibility is on the line publishing this and that there's a good chance the identity of the author will eventually become public one way or another. It's not necessarily someone the nation has heard of, and it's potentially a career official rather than an appointee (in the NSC perhaps, given the focus on foreign policy, though clearly a partisan Republican), but I don't think the Times would put their credibility on the line if it was someone from the White House florist's office.
posted by zachlipton at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I'm going to declare myself as holding what I'm surprised to seems to be the minority view, which is that between the op-ed not having been written and the op-ed having been written, I prefer the latter.
I'm glad it was written because then we can all talk about what hypocritical bullshit it is that the “reasonable” Republican position is to maintain the presidency of a man who they agree is “anti-democratic,” “amoral,” “impulsive” and basically a toddler. This person is proud that they kept him on the throne, because they were able overcome those hurdles in order to achieve their real goals of cutting rich people's taxes and rolling back everything the EPA, CFPB, etc., did since 2009. Long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy as a whole is the price they're willing to pay to get along. They should be pilloried every day of their life as a coward and traitor to democracy.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:10 PM on September 5 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
We should be very clear to the "administration officials" that are staying in to try to do good on the inside: Nobody looks kindly on dudes who decided they needed to be Nazis in 1938 because if they left, only Nazis would be in power. In fact it would be fair to say we look upon those people relatively unkindly.
That's you. You're the nazi functionaries trying to work within the system, senior administration officals.
posted by Justinian at 1:11 PM on September 5 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
Yes. It's a good thing this was published, because it is documentation that these people are crooks and hypocrites. Don't imagine it can relieve them of guilt.
posted by mumimor at 1:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'm glad it was written because then we can all talk about what hypocritical bullshit it is that the “reasonable” Republican position is to maintain the presidency of a man who they agree is “anti-democratic,” “amoral,” “impulsive” and basically a toddler. This person is proud that they kept him on the throne, because they were able overcome those hurdles in order to achieve their real goals of cutting rich people's taxes and rolling back everything the EPA, CFPB, etc., did since 2009. Long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy as a whole is the price they're willing to pay to get along. They should be pilloried every day of their life as a coward and traitor to democracy.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:10 PM on September 5 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
We should be very clear to the "administration officials" that are staying in to try to do good on the inside: Nobody looks kindly on dudes who decided they needed to be Nazis in 1938 because if they left, only Nazis would be in power. In fact it would be fair to say we look upon those people relatively unkindly.
That's you. You're the nazi functionaries trying to work within the system, senior administration officals.
posted by Justinian at 1:11 PM on September 5 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
Yes. It's a good thing this was published, because it is documentation that these people are crooks and hypocrites. Don't imagine it can relieve them of guilt.
posted by mumimor at 1:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
the fucking soda boy
Not the Diet Coke fetcher! He's the most essential of all!
So I'm going with Mnuchin or Mulvaney.
Mnuchin feels right for this. I thought Mulvaney was on board with the worst of the administration's racist impulses. Mnuchin probably prefers a more genteel white supremacy. Didn't it leak that Mnuchin had a suicide pact with Tillerson back in the day?
posted by gladly at 1:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Not the Diet Coke fetcher! He's the most essential of all!
So I'm going with Mnuchin or Mulvaney.
Mnuchin feels right for this. I thought Mulvaney was on board with the worst of the administration's racist impulses. Mnuchin probably prefers a more genteel white supremacy. Didn't it leak that Mnuchin had a suicide pact with Tillerson back in the day?
posted by gladly at 1:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
And if you thought Trump was paranoid before, hoooboy. I hope he sees enemies in every single staffer he has, from Chief of Staff to the fucking soda boy.
This, I think, is the real value of that piece. Again, fuck the person who wrote it. They're abdicating higher responsibilities and enabling ongoing disasters and damage to the republic. But I agree that it's better this gets out rather than not, if only because it further deepens the divisions in the White House and hopefully puts more pressure on them to actually do something.
They're all crooks. They don't all want to blow up the planet, or maybe not the economy, or maybe not their chances at a soft landing when this is over. So on the level of telling one another "it's not just me," maybe this pushes things forward another notch. And I'm reminded of what was said upthread or maybe in the last post about an avalanche being the result of individual rocks.
...and yes, I think rocks are a good metaphor for the brains and hearts at work in this White House.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
This, I think, is the real value of that piece. Again, fuck the person who wrote it. They're abdicating higher responsibilities and enabling ongoing disasters and damage to the republic. But I agree that it's better this gets out rather than not, if only because it further deepens the divisions in the White House and hopefully puts more pressure on them to actually do something.
They're all crooks. They don't all want to blow up the planet, or maybe not the economy, or maybe not their chances at a soft landing when this is over. So on the level of telling one another "it's not just me," maybe this pushes things forward another notch. And I'm reminded of what was said upthread or maybe in the last post about an avalanche being the result of individual rocks.
...and yes, I think rocks are a good metaphor for the brains and hearts at work in this White House.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
Tomorrow's rally in Montana is gonna be lit.
posted by chris24 at 1:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 1:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy as a whole is the price they're willing to pay to get along.
Seems more likely to me that long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy is the object of the exercise.
posted by flabdablet at 1:17 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Seems more likely to me that long-term damage to the institutions of government and democracy is the object of the exercise.
posted by flabdablet at 1:17 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Didn't it leak that Mnuchin had a suicide pact with Tillerson back in the day?
Tillerson, Mattis, and Mnuchin yes. Tillerson is gone and Mattis is reportedly in trouble.
I do think Munchkin is the most likely candidate for author but it's impossible to say for sure. I wasn't aware Mulvaney was all-in on the white nationalist stuff? But it's true that the color Mnuchin cares most about is green.
posted by Justinian at 1:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Tillerson, Mattis, and Mnuchin yes. Tillerson is gone and Mattis is reportedly in trouble.
I do think Munchkin is the most likely candidate for author but it's impossible to say for sure. I wasn't aware Mulvaney was all-in on the white nationalist stuff? But it's true that the color Mnuchin cares most about is green.
posted by Justinian at 1:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This article lays out an excellent case for the activation of the 25th Amendment. The anonymous author had the opportunity to use this article as a clarion call to activate the 25th Amendment. Instead, they squandered that opportunity and said that "no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis". They have achieved anonymity and are still opting to pass the buck to some Court or Congress Ex Machina. Craven cowardice. Negligence akin to treason.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
but I don't think the Times would put their credibility on the line if it was someone from the White House florist's office
The peony tape is real, people.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
The peony tape is real, people.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.
That "one way or another" is doing a lot of absolving-myself-of-any-responsibility work.
However, yes: this seems calculated to enrage Trump. The closing praise for McCain; and this very carefully constructed para which pokes directly at his smartest-man-in-the-room delusions and at his deep-state paranoia: many? How many of them? Who?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
That "one way or another" is doing a lot of absolving-myself-of-any-responsibility work.
However, yes: this seems calculated to enrage Trump. The closing praise for McCain; and this very carefully constructed para which pokes directly at his smartest-man-in-the-room delusions and at his deep-state paranoia: many? How many of them? Who?
The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.(I think its Sessions; tired of eating shit sandwiches, feels the axe approaching.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
The focus in the letter that one of the very bad things about Trump is he's anti-trade probably gives a clue to who wrote it. They literally equate being anti-trade to being anti-First Amendment and anti-democracy.
posted by chris24 at 1:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the “enemy of the people,” President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic.That's not Mattis.
posted by chris24 at 1:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
the purpose of the op-ed isn't to make the writer beloved to Good Liberals Like Us ffs. if you're really quietly sabotaging the administration from inside, writing about it in the NYT is hell of dumb. the point of the op-ed is to pour accelerant on Trump's paranoid spiral into madness and force the 25th amendment option to come to a head.
It's pretty clearly at least partly designed to polish the image of the "WH officials," just like the constant leaks on the same themes that come every single day. Also, nobody has said the word "Kavanaugh" for the last hour.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
It's pretty clearly at least partly designed to polish the image of the "WH officials," just like the constant leaks on the same themes that come every single day. Also, nobody has said the word "Kavanaugh" for the last hour.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
It's the apotheosis of Republican government-by-hostage-taking.
It's also the case that while a passive coup by White House staff is preferable to Trump run amok, it's still an anti-democratic coup. If they believe he's unfit, he should be removed. If they want our help and appreciation, don't ask us to support their non-democratic replacement of him with their random preferred policies. Do the democratic thing and remove him.
posted by chortly at 1:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people. At best, he has invoked these ideals in scripted settings. At worst, he has attacked them outright....Ie, help us smoothly pass conservative policy, because if you don't help us, Trump will destroy the country.
Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.
But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.
It's also the case that while a passive coup by White House staff is preferable to Trump run amok, it's still an anti-democratic coup. If they believe he's unfit, he should be removed. If they want our help and appreciation, don't ask us to support their non-democratic replacement of him with their random preferred policies. Do the democratic thing and remove him.
posted by chortly at 1:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
I mean, when Woodward's book was said to have dozens of White House sources I assumed it was everyone up to and possibly including Trump.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 1:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Personally, I'm glad to know that there are people who are preventing him from seeing information that will make him say, "yup, let's go ahead and bomb North Korea and Venezuela right now."
posted by Melismata at 1:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 1:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
also, it'll be a long, long time before we ever know the real inside story of this fucking mess of a presidency, but it is entirely possible that there are people who accepted and stayed with WH jobs for the sole purpose of doing whatever they possibly could do to mitigate the damage. we should all know by now that going full #resistance and artfully dunking on Trump at every given opportunity is not necessarily the most effective or expedient way to bring this shitshow to an end, and besides, we hate the Republicans who've gone that route just as much anyway.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
"In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the “enemy of the people,” President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic."
That's not Mattis.
Nor Kelly nor Mulvaney. Mulvaney is certainly pro-trade, but he's a total psychopath who openly cares nothing about democracy or human decency and would run over a basket of puppies to pick up a nickel. I just can't picture him -- giving a tiny shit about Trump's erraticness or lack of principles -- or even pretending to for rhetorical effect.
So Mnuchin, I guess?
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
That's not Mattis.
Nor Kelly nor Mulvaney. Mulvaney is certainly pro-trade, but he's a total psychopath who openly cares nothing about democracy or human decency and would run over a basket of puppies to pick up a nickel. I just can't picture him -- giving a tiny shit about Trump's erraticness or lack of principles -- or even pretending to for rhetorical effect.
So Mnuchin, I guess?
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
The focus in the letter that one of the very bad things about Trump is he's anti-trade probably gives a clue to who wrote it.
I'm guessing Gary Cohn although he resigned earlier in the year.
posted by PenDevil at 1:26 PM on September 5, 2018
I'm guessing Gary Cohn although he resigned earlier in the year.
posted by PenDevil at 1:26 PM on September 5, 2018
it is entirely possible that there are people who accepted and stayed with WH jobs for the sole purpose of doing whatever they possibly could do to mitigate the damage.
That is not this person, who explicitly says that they consider "effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military" to be achievements of the administration that they are part of.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:27 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
That is not this person, who explicitly says that they consider "effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military" to be achievements of the administration that they are part of.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:27 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Atlantic's Natasha Bertrand has a scoop from "Fear": Woodward’s Account of Trump’s Mock Interview with Prosecutors Isn’t Pretty—In his new book, “Fear,” the legendary reporter writes that Trump stumbled over questions about Michael Flynn.
Incidentally, I'd bet on Mattis over Kelly as the NYT op-ed secret writer. Although both of them have been on the outs with Trump for a while, both of their WH bridges got burned by Woodward, and both of them had to issue demeaningly fulsome statements denying "Fear", Trump can't simply fire Kelly, who is a material witness, at the very least, to Trump's obstruction of justice. If Kelly goes, then so goes the executive privilege shielding him from Mueller, and he'll be lined up for a Special Counsel interview the minute he leaves the West Wing. Firing Mattis presents the only slightly less hazardous likelihood that he'll talk to the press about everything to do with the administration's twin horror shows of foreign policy and national security.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
In a new book, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” by Bob Woodward, obtained by The Atlantic ahead of its release next week, Woodward offers the first detailed look at the way the president might handle an interview with the experienced prosecutors on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team. “If the questions seem harmless, don't treat them that way,” Trump’s then-lawyer, John Dowd, advised the president during the mock interview in January, according to Woodward’s account. “And I want you thoroughly focused on listening to the words.”[...]And when it became apparent that's exactly what Trump would do, Dowd quit.
"When did you first learn that there was a problem with General Flynn?" Dowd asked Trump in their mock interview, Woodward writes. "I'm not sure,” Trump replied. “I think when McGahn had talked to Sally Yates. But John, I'm not sure." Dowd, playing the role of a prosecutor, retorted: “What’d you do about it?” "I think Don took ahold of it,” Trump said. "Did you call Flynn in?" Dowd asked. “No,” Trump said. "Did you talk to Flynn at all?" Dowd pressed. "I don't know,” Trump replied. "Well, Mr. President, did you ever ask him if he talked about sanctions with Kislyak?" "No,” Trump said. Dowd, Woodward writes, was unrelenting: "Are you sure about that, Mr. President? We have some evidence that there may have been such a conversation. Are you sure about that?"
At that point, Trump went off on a tangent that was difficult to follow, according to Woodward, eventually reiterating that he “felt very bad” for Flynn, whom he “admired,” but that McGahn and the then-chief-of-staff Reince Priebus had recommended that Flynn be fired.
Dowd then posed a question that is considered central to whether Trump was trying to obstruct justice when he fired Flynn and then asked Comey to consider letting him go: Did McGahn and Priebus “ever tell you about an FBI interview?” “I don’t know,” Trump replied. “I can’t remember.” This back-and-forth is notable in light of Trump’s tweet in December, one month before this mock interview with Dowd, in which he appeared to admit that he’d known Flynn had lied to the FBI. “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI,” Trump wrote. “He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!” (In an ironic twist, Dowd later took responsibility for writing that tweet.) Trump was similarly forgetful when asked whether he knew anything at all about Flynn’s calls with Kislyak during the transition period. “I don't know,” Trump reportedly said. “I know there were a lot of conversations among the staff.”
[...]“If you don't know the facts, I'd just prefer you to say, Bob, I just don't remember,” Dowd told Trump, according to Woodward. “Instead of sort of guessing and making all kinds of wild conclusions."[...]
Incidentally, I'd bet on Mattis over Kelly as the NYT op-ed secret writer. Although both of them have been on the outs with Trump for a while, both of their WH bridges got burned by Woodward, and both of them had to issue demeaningly fulsome statements denying "Fear", Trump can't simply fire Kelly, who is a material witness, at the very least, to Trump's obstruction of justice. If Kelly goes, then so goes the executive privilege shielding him from Mueller, and he'll be lined up for a Special Counsel interview the minute he leaves the West Wing. Firing Mattis presents the only slightly less hazardous likelihood that he'll talk to the press about everything to do with the administration's twin horror shows of foreign policy and national security.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people.
Jesus these people have no idea. Still!
There is no Republican party but the party of Trump. Just go try to get yourself elected as a non-Trump Republican.
You're either a Yeah-I'm-a-Nazi-so-go-fuck-yourself-libs-Republican, or you're not a Republican. And guess what, secret resistor, you're the first kind.
posted by pjenks at 1:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [59 favorites]
Jesus these people have no idea. Still!
There is no Republican party but the party of Trump. Just go try to get yourself elected as a non-Trump Republican.
You're either a Yeah-I'm-a-Nazi-so-go-fuck-yourself-libs-Republican, or you're not a Republican. And guess what, secret resistor, you're the first kind.
posted by pjenks at 1:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [59 favorites]
"Trump was editing an upcoming speech with [then-staff secretary Rob] Porter. Scribbling his thoughts in neat, clean penmanship, the president wrote, 'TRADE IS BAD.'"
He probably thinks this way because he thinks international trade is sharing, which I am confident he also hates.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
He probably thinks this way because he thinks international trade is sharing, which I am confident he also hates.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I really cannot see Mnuchin writing this. I've never heard him say anything that would imply he has a sense of morality or any particular affinity for traditional conservative views beyond "I'm a rich dude and thus I should have more money."
Maybe Dan Coats? Is he still around?
posted by melissasaurus at 1:30 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Maybe Dan Coats? Is he still around?
posted by melissasaurus at 1:30 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Maybe Dan Coats? Is he still around?
I really don't see, based on the content of the op-ed, this having been written by a defense or intelligence person. "anti-trade"? It has to be one of the domestic people. Chao. Mnuchin. etc.
posted by Justinian at 1:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I really don't see, based on the content of the op-ed, this having been written by a defense or intelligence person. "anti-trade"? It has to be one of the domestic people. Chao. Mnuchin. etc.
posted by Justinian at 1:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Galaxy Brain: It was Rick Perry.
posted by Justinian at 1:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
Somebody suggested Nikki Haley, and I can buy that.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
Well lets all make sure to keep listing the names of people that work in the white house that's sure to do it
posted by lazaruslong at 1:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 1:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
Believe nothing. It's after Labor Day. Everything is information warfare now. This stupid fake NYTimes anonymous Op-Ed is just another information operation, released at the perfect time to try to get the heat of Kavanaugh. Notice how it neatly rebuts the now extremely popular notion that we need to elect new members of Congress to reign in Trump's worst impulses. "We're already doing it!" says Anonymous Hero White House Staffer. Does that Trump guy look crazy? He sure does! But don't worry, we're on it!
Another stupid distraction is the alleged white power symbol thrown by the woman in the audience of the Kavanaugh hearings. She got a text telling her she was on camera, then made an innocuous hand sign that yet another anonymous person on 4Chan had set up months earlier. This is an old trick. Back during the 2008 Obama-McCain race, Obama was giving a big speech that was televised live. Republican operatives tried to cause a controversy about the white columns in the background of the stage Obama was speaking on. They were too pretentious, too much like the White House, too presidential looking for a mere candidate.
Why did they do this? To get you look at the background, not at the person on the screen speaking to you. If you're too busy trying to read meaning into an innocuous background, you're too busy to listen to the words coming out of the speaker's mouth. It also had the secondary effect of trying to delegitimize Obama, saying he was not worthy of the White House, but the primary effect of the tactic was get the audience to take their eyes off the ball. They were literally framing the discussion by talking about the background.
And this NYTimes OpEd does something similar. It's primary purpose is distraction, the "wave a shiny thing at the press" tactic. The secondary purpose is to ease the minds of voters who want a check on Trump, because "the adults" are really in charge. There's also an element of drama. Who betrayed the president? Was it Mattis? Some low-level staffer? Now we're all primed for another Trump blow-up, which will happen in public, far away from the hearing room.
Everything is information warfare with these guys.
posted by vibrotronica at 1:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Another stupid distraction is the alleged white power symbol thrown by the woman in the audience of the Kavanaugh hearings. She got a text telling her she was on camera, then made an innocuous hand sign that yet another anonymous person on 4Chan had set up months earlier. This is an old trick. Back during the 2008 Obama-McCain race, Obama was giving a big speech that was televised live. Republican operatives tried to cause a controversy about the white columns in the background of the stage Obama was speaking on. They were too pretentious, too much like the White House, too presidential looking for a mere candidate.
Why did they do this? To get you look at the background, not at the person on the screen speaking to you. If you're too busy trying to read meaning into an innocuous background, you're too busy to listen to the words coming out of the speaker's mouth. It also had the secondary effect of trying to delegitimize Obama, saying he was not worthy of the White House, but the primary effect of the tactic was get the audience to take their eyes off the ball. They were literally framing the discussion by talking about the background.
And this NYTimes OpEd does something similar. It's primary purpose is distraction, the "wave a shiny thing at the press" tactic. The secondary purpose is to ease the minds of voters who want a check on Trump, because "the adults" are really in charge. There's also an element of drama. Who betrayed the president? Was it Mattis? Some low-level staffer? Now we're all primed for another Trump blow-up, which will happen in public, far away from the hearing room.
Everything is information warfare with these guys.
posted by vibrotronica at 1:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Robert Lighthizer is the United States Trade Representative. He was previously involved with Reagan and Dole, and was confirmed by the Senate 82-14. He was an international trade lawyer for 30 years. Notably, since he is not the "principle officer of an executive department", he would not be involved in the 25th Amendment process, and so is perhaps more free to speak about it. He could be the guy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's funny that no one has suggested Pence, despite the fact that he's the obvious beneficiary.
posted by Slothrup at 1:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Slothrup at 1:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'd add that whoever wrote this, if they're not a career government official, knew what they signed up for. The campaign was pretty widely covered. "The president’s amorality" could not possibly have come as a surprise.
I think back on something Trump said around the 100 day mark in an AP interview when he was asked how being President is different from his business career: "here, almost everything affects people...Here, everything, pretty much everything you do in government, involves heart, whereas in business, most things don't involve heart."
I don't know how much more clearly you can announce you're a sociopath than only after becoming President are you surprised your actions affect other people. Anybody working for him knew what they were getting into.
The author seems like someone who would be perfectly happy with the harm that would occur under Jeb! (or Rick Perry, as Justinian points out, but Jeb! is so much more fun to type). They wanted a fairly far-right economic policy, masquerading as "common sense," lots of deregulation and tax cuts, and whatever social policy is required to keep evangelical voters reasonably happy, which is what you do when you aren't personally impacted by who gets hurt. They want us to know that the "adults in the room" are trying to make him act like Jeb!, even though he's an amoral madman who doesn't believe in true conservatism like Jeb! obviously does, and therefore...I don't know; the op-ed has no real ending and just ends in a stupid platitude because what the hell do you say after that?
I don't really care who wrote it. The core of the message here is that Trump isn't a real conservative, and the adults around him are trying their best to make him seem like one. To me, it reads more like a plea for help to the kinds of Republicans who dreamed of a President Romney: send reinforcements, we're drowning.
posted by zachlipton at 1:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
I think back on something Trump said around the 100 day mark in an AP interview when he was asked how being President is different from his business career: "here, almost everything affects people...Here, everything, pretty much everything you do in government, involves heart, whereas in business, most things don't involve heart."
I don't know how much more clearly you can announce you're a sociopath than only after becoming President are you surprised your actions affect other people. Anybody working for him knew what they were getting into.
The author seems like someone who would be perfectly happy with the harm that would occur under Jeb! (or Rick Perry, as Justinian points out, but Jeb! is so much more fun to type). They wanted a fairly far-right economic policy, masquerading as "common sense," lots of deregulation and tax cuts, and whatever social policy is required to keep evangelical voters reasonably happy, which is what you do when you aren't personally impacted by who gets hurt. They want us to know that the "adults in the room" are trying to make him act like Jeb!, even though he's an amoral madman who doesn't believe in true conservatism like Jeb! obviously does, and therefore...I don't know; the op-ed has no real ending and just ends in a stupid platitude because what the hell do you say after that?
I don't really care who wrote it. The core of the message here is that Trump isn't a real conservative, and the adults around him are trying their best to make him seem like one. To me, it reads more like a plea for help to the kinds of Republicans who dreamed of a President Romney: send reinforcements, we're drowning.
posted by zachlipton at 1:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
It can't be Cohn -- the author is stated to be currently in the administration.
I think they might be running cover for him.
posted by PenDevil at 1:43 PM on September 5, 2018
I think they might be running cover for him.
posted by PenDevil at 1:43 PM on September 5, 2018
Pence is deeply entangled with Trumps criminality - if Trump goes, Pence goes.
(sadly this makes it less likely Trump will go)
posted by Artw at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
(sadly this makes it less likely Trump will go)
posted by Artw at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
The knives are out for Mattis, an anonymous Trump White House official tells the Washington Post: The White House Is Discussing Potential Replacements For Jim Mattis: “The speculation about who replaces Mattis is now more real than ever,” said a senior White House official who was not authorized to speak about internal matters. “The president has always respected him. But now he has every reason to wonder what Mattis is saying behind his back. The relationship has nowhere to go but down, fast.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018
That’s the final scene of the movie.
[Obama, Dubya, and Jimmy Carter step over smoking White House rubble.]
Obama: You must be Lodestar.
Dubya: Good thing you deactivated the launch codes before the building blew.
Carter: The nation is in your debt.
posted by growabrain at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
[Obama, Dubya, and Jimmy Carter step over smoking White House rubble.]
Obama: You must be Lodestar.
Dubya: Good thing you deactivated the launch codes before the building blew.
Carter: The nation is in your debt.
posted by growabrain at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
who gives a shit who the author is? this is a distraction from things that actually matter.
posted by Old Kentucky Shark at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Old Kentucky Shark at 1:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
"We're already doing it!" says Anonymous Hero White House Staffer. Does that Trump guy look crazy? He sure does! But don't worry, we're on it!"
Smart, Qualified People Behind The Scenes Keeping America Safe: 'We Don't Exist' (Onion, 2010)
posted by Iridic at 1:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
Smart, Qualified People Behind The Scenes Keeping America Safe: 'We Don't Exist' (Onion, 2010)
posted by Iridic at 1:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [33 favorites]
who gives a shit who the author is? this is a distraction from things that actually matter.
We're swimming in distractions. Another one won't matter.
The only thing that matters is voting D November 6th.
posted by notyou at 1:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
We're swimming in distractions. Another one won't matter.
The only thing that matters is voting D November 6th.
posted by notyou at 1:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
hey guys what if it's Pence! that'd be crazy lol
who gives a shit who the author is? this is a distraction from things that actually matter.
we're reading this on MetaFilter. we're already distracted. Kavanaugh will be confirmed whether we assiduously liveblog his hearing or not.
it's not always time for some game theory. sometimes it's OK to just watch one of the wheels come off the bus and bounce down the road.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
who gives a shit who the author is? this is a distraction from things that actually matter.
we're reading this on MetaFilter. we're already distracted. Kavanaugh will be confirmed whether we assiduously liveblog his hearing or not.
it's not always time for some game theory. sometimes it's OK to just watch one of the wheels come off the bus and bounce down the road.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
"We're already doing it!" says Anonymous Hero White House Staffer. Does that Trump guy look crazy? He sure does! But don't worry, we're on it!
I mean, the other reading is that Random Anonymous Guy Who Could Easily Be Purged Tonight might be all that's stopping the president from ordering a nuclear strike on Canada, so let's get rid of the fucking president rather than hoping he doesn't figure out which smarmy old white guy he should fire.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I mean, the other reading is that Random Anonymous Guy Who Could Easily Be Purged Tonight might be all that's stopping the president from ordering a nuclear strike on Canada, so let's get rid of the fucking president rather than hoping he doesn't figure out which smarmy old white guy he should fire.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
> The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
Why would you write this essay if you really, *truly* felt like you and your fellow "senior officials" were working to thwart the worst excesses of Trump's presidency? "Hello! I'm a spy and my fellow spies and I are doing lots of spying!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Why would you write this essay if you really, *truly* felt like you and your fellow "senior officials" were working to thwart the worst excesses of Trump's presidency? "Hello! I'm a spy and my fellow spies and I are doing lots of spying!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Pence's job can't in any meaningful way be jeopardized by the disclosure that it's him. He already does nothing, and can't really lose his job of doing nothing just because Trump doesn't like him, which he already doesn't.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:52 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 1:52 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Bork got a floor vote. He wasn’t filibustered. Garland didn’t even get a committee hearing. That we still talk about Bork as some injustice (heh) is a testament to how effective conservative talking points are with the MSM.
posted by persona au gratin at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by persona au gratin at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
It's heartening that someone's trying to throw him under the bus, is all, even if it's only an attempt to save their own sorry hide.
(The op-ed author "works for the president," declares "effective deregulation, historic tax reform" and "a more robust military" as bright spots of the administration, criticizes him for being anti-trade and un-Republican, and firmly distances themselves and their colleagues from his Russian stance. It's senior staff getting tough with those sanctions, they'll have you know, in direct opposition to his 'worst inclinations'. Then they finish by lauding current archnemesis McCain? 10/10, would read again, though they're at peace with letting those inclinations take point on child torture, neo-Nazis, the Puerto Rico crisis, climate change... they remain conservative & Republican, it's just majorly inconvenient he's so unmanageable)
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
(The op-ed author "works for the president," declares "effective deregulation, historic tax reform" and "a more robust military" as bright spots of the administration, criticizes him for being anti-trade and un-Republican, and firmly distances themselves and their colleagues from his Russian stance. It's senior staff getting tough with those sanctions, they'll have you know, in direct opposition to his 'worst inclinations'. Then they finish by lauding current archnemesis McCain? 10/10, would read again, though they're at peace with letting those inclinations take point on child torture, neo-Nazis, the Puerto Rico crisis, climate change... they remain conservative & Republican, it's just majorly inconvenient he's so unmanageable)
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
From LGM comments re: our anonymous hero: "At least Haig stood in front of the cameras when he declared himself in charge."
posted by tonycpsu at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 1:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
So whoever wrote it is trying to make Pence a suspect by using his verbal binky "lodestar".
2014 me would never believe this year.
posted by maudlin at 1:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
2014 me would never believe this year.
posted by maudlin at 1:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
With regard to not using the 25th Amendment, @rauchway (historian):
Let's put it this way: declining to use the Constitution and instead using unconstitutional means to run the executive branch is, very much, a Constitutional crisis.posted by zachlipton at 1:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [81 favorites]
Even a quite short list of things that are not constitutional crises would, I think, have to include "doing what the constitution instructs."
So for example: sending the Army to Little Rock to enforce _Brown v. Board_ was not Eisenhower precipitating a constitutional crisis. Eisenhower was enforcing the Supreme Court's (unanimous) ruling on what was in the constitution. He was exercising his constitutional authority. It was the Arkansas government that, acting in *defiance* of the constitution, precipitated the crisis.
If you want to avoid a constitutional crisis, you should act within the confines of the constitution, not outside them.
So whoever wrote it is trying to make Pence a suspect by using his verbal binky "lodestar."
Yeah, it's either a frame-up job on Pence or it's Pence. He's used "lodestar" at least 3 times in the last year, and as far back as 2011.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Yeah, it's either a frame-up job on Pence or it's Pence. He's used "lodestar" at least 3 times in the last year, and as far back as 2011.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
that dash is an Ivanka tic, tho
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Re "lodestar": The Director of Speechwriting for the Vice President is Stephen Ford, who is also "Special Assistant to the President". He doesn't seem sufficiently senior to match the NYT's description, but he could have helped someone out by editing their article and inserting his favorite word. (I feel sure it's not Pence, for the reason cited by cjelli.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I really don't see, based on the content of the op-ed, this having been written by a defense or intelligence person.
___
Yeah, it's either a frame-up job on Pence or it's Pence.
If there's one thing an experienced defense/intelligence careerist would never ever do, it's cloak an anonymous letter in the well-known concerns and verbal tics of another party.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
___
Yeah, it's either a frame-up job on Pence or it's Pence.
If there's one thing an experienced defense/intelligence careerist would never ever do, it's cloak an anonymous letter in the well-known concerns and verbal tics of another party.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
I don't know man I think actual embedded resistance would involve more sabotage and destroying of supply lines myself
posted by The Whelk at 2:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
A pithier version of my comment: @NPRinskeep: In a way, the op-ed amounts to pro-administration messaging: “Don’t worry, we know he’s off his rocker but we’re on that and don’t forget the tax cuts.”
posted by zachlipton at 2:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [53 favorites]
It can’t be Pence if Pence wants any legitimacy if Trump is impeached/25th-ed. He needs to keep his hands as clean as possible, especially of any whiff that he might be manipulating or circumventing the president now.
I don’t understand why one would claim this is a distraction. There has been an admission that an actual secret cabal is running the country. I know it’s 2018 but Jesus fucking Christ that merits at least some attention, I would think.
posted by lydhre at 2:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [57 favorites]
I don’t understand why one would claim this is a distraction. There has been an admission that an actual secret cabal is running the country. I know it’s 2018 but Jesus fucking Christ that merits at least some attention, I would think.
posted by lydhre at 2:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [57 favorites]
Yeah, it's either a frame-up job on Pence or it's Pence. He's used "lodestar" at least 3 times in the last year, and as far back as 2011.
posted by Rust Moranis at 0:00 on September 6 [has favorites +] [!]
that dash is an Ivanka tic, tho
posted by Iris Gambol at 0:03 on September 6 [+] [!]
I'm voting discordian writing style mashup deliberately containing shibboleths of multiple people for maximum chaos.
posted by each day we work at 2:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 0:00 on September 6 [has favorites +] [!]
that dash is an Ivanka tic, tho
posted by Iris Gambol at 0:03 on September 6 [+] [!]
I'm voting discordian writing style mashup deliberately containing shibboleths of multiple people for maximum chaos.
posted by each day we work at 2:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [50 favorites]
Without adding to the speculation over authorship myself, here’s Dara Lind (Vox) breaking down the anonymous NYT op-ed and providing some context:
The New York Times’s Trump-bashing op-ed from a senior Trump official, explained
The New York Times’s Trump-bashing op-ed from a senior Trump official, explained
... And even when people are actively trying to protect America from Trump, that effort may not work. The “free market” op-ed author, whoever they are, hasn’t stopped Trump from enacting steel and aluminum tariffs with very little review, or engaging in an escalating trade war with China — or from nearly-scuttling NAFTA renegotiation talks by insulting Canada off-the-record during an interview.posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
The “deep state” can try to hammer out an agreement with representatives of Kim Jong Un about denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but they can’t stop the president from agreeing, behind closed doors, to Kim’s request to formally declare an end to the Korean War.
The Times op-ed writer seems convinced that they are doing more good by staying than they would by telling the truth, with name attached, and leaving. But that doesn’t mean that every reader, even without knowing who the author is, has to agree.
NBC News, Trump admin rejected report showing refugees did not pose major security threat
The Trump administration has consistently sought to exaggerate the potential security threat posed by refugees and dismissed an intelligence assessment last year that showed refugees did not present a significant threat to the U.S., three former senior officials told NBC News.posted by zachlipton at 2:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
Hardliners in the administration then issued their own report this year that several former officials and rights groups say misstates the evidence and inflates the threat posed by people born outside the U.S.
At a meeting in September 2017 with senior officials discussing refugee admissions, a representative from the National Counterterrorism Center came ready to present a report that analyzed the possible risks presented by refugees entering the country.
But before he could discuss the report, Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand dismissed the report, saying her boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, would not be guided by its findings. "We read that. The Attorney General doesn't agree with the conclusions of that report," she said, according to two officials familiar with the meeting, including one who was in the room at the time.
Pence is deeply entangled with Trumps criminality - if Trump goes, Pence goes.
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Do you KNOW how loco he's going to get tonight when he goes up to the residence? I bet Hannity is on the way down from NYC with a snuggie and a tranquilizer gun
posted by growabrain at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?
Mainly speculation fueled by the fact that he was pushed heavily on Trump by Manafort.
posted by dilaudid at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mainly speculation fueled by the fact that he was pushed heavily on Trump by Manafort.
posted by dilaudid at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why would we deal with a dangerously incompetent President by using the constitutionally-prescribed remedy, when we could instead be governed by means of the Director of the National Economic Council literally stealing shit off the Resolute Desk
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [75 favorites]
@gin_and_tacos:
Check out my new piece "I am in the Manson Family and Sure I Killed a Couple of Drifters to Earn their Trust but I am Resisting from the Inside" in @nytopinion
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [100 favorites]
Check out my new piece "I am in the Manson Family and Sure I Killed a Couple of Drifters to Earn their Trust but I am Resisting from the Inside" in @nytopinion
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [100 favorites]
if you're really quietly sabotaging the administration from inside, writing about it in the NYT is hell of dumb.
“Hell of Dumb” would be a good title for the 12-season, 300-episode Netflix series that eventually results from the smoking ruins of this administration.
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
“Hell of Dumb” would be a good title for the 12-season, 300-episode Netflix series that eventually results from the smoking ruins of this administration.
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
Maybe Putin wrote it.
posted by yoga at 2:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by yoga at 2:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
vibrotronica: Its primary purpose is distraction, the "wave a shiny thing at the press" tactic. The secondary purpose is to ease the minds of voters who want a check on Trump, because "the adults" are really in charge.
I think this is something that a lot of voters did/do believe in the abstract, back when they made the decision to do something other than vote for Hillary. "I know he's terrible, but there are safeguards in place". But when you have particular examples of "The president wanted to bomb such-and-such and we intervened in the nick of time", it's very different, even though the reality is in-principle the same as the original notion... because that notion was only ever a kind of dream logic.
There's an episode of The Good Place in which the philosophy professor Chidi is put through a highly realistic simulation of the trolley problem. As a result, all his prior rumination about it is overtaken by panic. That's what this piece is like with respect to "There are adults in the room". Anyone coming away from those accounts reassured about the state of the White House was always unswayable in the first place, and/or literally incapable of caring about anything that matters.
(Come to think of it, whoever wrote it probably shared the same notion before taking whatever job they have, implicitly assuming that some amorphous Them would always prevail. "When I signed up for leopard wrangling, I didn't think I'd have to get between the leopard and the faces! Don't leopards have wranglers, for christsakes?")
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
I think this is something that a lot of voters did/do believe in the abstract, back when they made the decision to do something other than vote for Hillary. "I know he's terrible, but there are safeguards in place". But when you have particular examples of "The president wanted to bomb such-and-such and we intervened in the nick of time", it's very different, even though the reality is in-principle the same as the original notion... because that notion was only ever a kind of dream logic.
There's an episode of The Good Place in which the philosophy professor Chidi is put through a highly realistic simulation of the trolley problem. As a result, all his prior rumination about it is overtaken by panic. That's what this piece is like with respect to "There are adults in the room". Anyone coming away from those accounts reassured about the state of the White House was always unswayable in the first place, and/or literally incapable of caring about anything that matters.
(Come to think of it, whoever wrote it probably shared the same notion before taking whatever job they have, implicitly assuming that some amorphous Them would always prevail. "When I signed up for leopard wrangling, I didn't think I'd have to get between the leopard and the faces! Don't leopards have wranglers, for christsakes?")
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
it's not always time for some game theory. sometimes it's OK to just watch one of the wheels come off the bus and bounce down the road.
This can't be grey propaganda! It's telling us what we want to hear!
posted by vibrotronica at 2:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This can't be grey propaganda! It's telling us what we want to hear!
posted by vibrotronica at 2:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Lord, that op-ed was garbage.
It was basically just a substance-free, limited hangout of Trump-the-person in an effort to rehabilitate the Trump administration.
Up until now, I have resisted getting on the "fuck the New York Times" bandwagon, but seriously: Fuck the New York Times.
This was not "an important viewpoint." There was no significant new information or analysis in it at all. It's an easy, breezy, bullshit PR document, and there was no reason on Earth to publish it except as a solid to the Whitehouse.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
It was basically just a substance-free, limited hangout of Trump-the-person in an effort to rehabilitate the Trump administration.
Up until now, I have resisted getting on the "fuck the New York Times" bandwagon, but seriously: Fuck the New York Times.
This was not "an important viewpoint." There was no significant new information or analysis in it at all. It's an easy, breezy, bullshit PR document, and there was no reason on Earth to publish it except as a solid to the Whitehouse.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
@alexandraerin: "When this is all over, if the GOP and the country outlast Trump in any form, expect the individual who penned this essay to come forward ready to accept accolades and help be the face of the New GOP, or whatever the GOP becomes."
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
"Everyone can relax, the President really does show up to work with his underwear on his head most days, but we got this"
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
This is the written equivalent of the one blank round they put in the firing squad rifles. It may help the executioners sleep at night but we're still tied to a post with a dozen rounds in our carcasses.
posted by cmfletcher at 2:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 2:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [56 favorites]
This can't be grey propaganda! It's telling us what we want to hear!
I don’t see that happening in here at all. Lots of folks are calling into question the background, motives, angle, etc. of the author of this piece. You deserve kudos for refraining from calling us “sheeple,” though! :p
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I don’t see that happening in here at all. Lots of folks are calling into question the background, motives, angle, etc. of the author of this piece. You deserve kudos for refraining from calling us “sheeple,” though! :p
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm not sure how many "I'm too smart for this" takes we really need
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
Bloomberg' Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) reports SHS is parroting Giuliani from yesterday: "NEW: "This coward should do the right thing and resign," Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement about the anonymous senior admin official's opinion piece in the NYT."
Purges incoming soon!
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Purges incoming soon!
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Lord, that op-ed was garbage.
Yeah, but in her heart, Nikki Haley knows she'd make a better president.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yeah, but in her heart, Nikki Haley knows she'd make a better president.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
@alexandraerin: "When this is all over, if the GOP and the country outlast Trump in any form, expect the individual who penned this essay to come forward ready to accept accolades and help be the face of the New GOP, or whatever the GOP becomes."
I swear that I will drive anywhere within 100 miles of Detroit to put a pie in that person’s face, forever.
posted by Etrigan at 2:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
I swear that I will drive anywhere within 100 miles of Detroit to put a pie in that person’s face, forever.
posted by Etrigan at 2:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
that dash is an Ivanka tic, tho
This is getting into very silly weeds, but Ivanka seems to have a style to her em-dash use— and she often follows them with a conjunction, separating the sentence into two halves.
This is getting into very silly weeds, but Ivanka seems to have a style to her em-dash use— and she often follows them with a conjunction, separating the sentence into two halves.
I believe that we each get one life — and it’s up to us to live it to the fullest.Whereas Anonymous Op-Ed Writer more often uses dashes to — in the very middle of the sentence — interrupt and elaborate on their thought to play with tension and flow in the reader's mind. (I've marked the exceptions to this in bold to keep myself honest). They do not follow their dashes with conjunctions at all.
We often don’t realize that while we’re waiting for our lives to begin, they already have — and they’re made up of all the decisions we make, big and small, conscious or not.
During this time, we disconnect completely — no emails, no TV, no phone calls, no Internet.
Learning to negotiate is essential to truly staking your claim — and not just because it’s a critical career skill.
The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.posted by a snickering nuthatch at 2:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.
But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable.
So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.
But we will always have his example — a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue.
@alexandraerin: "When this is all over, if the GOP and the country outlast Trump in any form, expect the individual who penned this essay to come forward ready to accept accolades and help be the face of the New GOP, or whatever the GOP becomes."
I swear that I will drive anywhere within 100 miles of Detroit to put a pie in that person’s face, forever.
I’ll chip in on gas, Etrigan. And pie.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I swear that I will drive anywhere within 100 miles of Detroit to put a pie in that person’s face, forever.
I’ll chip in on gas, Etrigan. And pie.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
When this is all over, if the GOP and the country outlast Trump in any form, expect the individual who penned this essay to come forward ready to accept accolades and help be the face of the New GOP, or whatever the GOP becomes.
And I will then say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, evildoers.
posted by tclark at 2:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
And I will then say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, evildoers.
posted by tclark at 2:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Daily Beast confirms Woodward's reporting that Trump used an offensive term for people with intellectual disabilities to describe Jeff Sessions, citing two sources, despite the President's denials. Trump claimed he's never used that word, despite er examples., among oth
As far as the comments about Giuliani, Rudy's math has been revised from 20-30 witnesses down to 5, but I am still unsure how he plans to prove a negative, as I, too, can assemble thousands of witnesses who did not hear Trump attack Giuliani in this way:
As far as the comments about Giuliani, Rudy's math has been revised from 20-30 witnesses down to 5, but I am still unsure how he plans to prove a negative, as I, too, can assemble thousands of witnesses who did not hear Trump attack Giuliani in this way:
Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney and the former mayor of New York City, similarly tweeted that a passage in which Trump called him “a little baby that needed to be changed” was a lie. ”20 to 30 witnesses saw it and can say he or his source are liars,” Giuliani wrote. “Most important for libel purposes, he never called me. Didn’t want to know truth.”posted by zachlipton at 2:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Asked by The Daily Beast on Wednesday about his tweet, Giuliani revised his numbers, claiming, while declining to name names, that “so far I have 5 eyewitnesses,” and that he has “10 to 15 to go.” Noticeably annoyed with the book and his cameos in it, Giuliani added: “I know [Woodward is] a DC god but he has a history of sloppy [journalism to] make money…I’m tired of it.”
I mean, it's bonkers that this op-ed exists, whether it's written completely in earnest or is some multidimensional chess fakeout that SHS wrote under Trump's direction. The NYT even included a "we know this is bonkers, here's a text entry field in case you want to yell at us" box in the middle of it. If the republic dies because we we're busy slapping lodestars and em-dashes on our red yarn boards, so be it
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
An opponent with $350,000 will have Collins shaking in her shoes, I'm sure.
380k+, now.
If that fund breaks $450k, it's on the order of magnitude as Collins' cash on hand as listed in that link you provided. In one swoop. That's not the sum total of the fundraising her opponent will have; that's an easy bonus because she took one vote.
Maybe the GOP will throw her over the bow if she votes no, but there's more than one way to end your political career, and if your constituents toss you in favor of a well-funded opponent, continued support of your party isn't worth quite as much.
Also, the idea that the GOP would take drastic retaliatory measures against any individual Senator right now seems to ignore that the margin of Senate control is so thin that breathing wrong could mean they lose control of it.
And if we here on the blue are right about exactly how thoroughly infested and traitorous most of the damn GOP really is, well, the shift of the Senate along with the House not only means lost momentum, it means the country gets to find out about everything.
So, my bet is that while the pressure is real, it's also still as diplomatic. At least, as these times allow.
posted by wildblueyonder at 2:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
380k+, now.
If that fund breaks $450k, it's on the order of magnitude as Collins' cash on hand as listed in that link you provided. In one swoop. That's not the sum total of the fundraising her opponent will have; that's an easy bonus because she took one vote.
Maybe the GOP will throw her over the bow if she votes no, but there's more than one way to end your political career, and if your constituents toss you in favor of a well-funded opponent, continued support of your party isn't worth quite as much.
Also, the idea that the GOP would take drastic retaliatory measures against any individual Senator right now seems to ignore that the margin of Senate control is so thin that breathing wrong could mean they lose control of it.
And if we here on the blue are right about exactly how thoroughly infested and traitorous most of the damn GOP really is, well, the shift of the Senate along with the House not only means lost momentum, it means the country gets to find out about everything.
So, my bet is that while the pressure is real, it's also still as diplomatic. At least, as these times allow.
posted by wildblueyonder at 2:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
I don't think it's Ivanka. It seems as if Ivanka just wants to ride this out so she can spend the rest of her life in a skyscraper in Russia avoiding extradition.
Whatever it is, fake or real, it's nonsense and a show of shame. But if Trump's not in on its being a fake -- and why would they tell him? he would refuse to even pretend to be believed incompetent -- it'll put the cat among the pigeons, and that will be amusing for half a minute.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Whatever it is, fake or real, it's nonsense and a show of shame. But if Trump's not in on its being a fake -- and why would they tell him? he would refuse to even pretend to be believed incompetent -- it'll put the cat among the pigeons, and that will be amusing for half a minute.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm not sure how many "I'm too smart for this" takes we really need
Is kneejerk skepticism really any worse than game theorizing, amateur sleuthing, or armchair kremlinology? It's all equally speculation at this point.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Is kneejerk skepticism really any worse than game theorizing, amateur sleuthing, or armchair kremlinology? It's all equally speculation at this point.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Marist/NBC is out with a poll of the Indiana Senate seat. This should be one of the Republicans top opportunities. Upshot? Donnelly +6 among LV, Donnelly +6 among RV, narrower leader (but still a lead) if the libertarian candidate is included.
That's excellent news for Democrats hopes for the Senate if it holds.
My "everything is terrible" scenario is still that Democrats hold all or all but one of their red-state seats and Bill Fucking Nelson and Bob "Greed is Good" Menendez screw us. I know Chrysostom will yell at me for worrying this much about Menedez but, seriously, I just know he's gonna fuck us somehow.
posted by Justinian at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
That's excellent news for Democrats hopes for the Senate if it holds.
My "everything is terrible" scenario is still that Democrats hold all or all but one of their red-state seats and Bill Fucking Nelson and Bob "Greed is Good" Menendez screw us. I know Chrysostom will yell at me for worrying this much about Menedez but, seriously, I just know he's gonna fuck us somehow.
posted by Justinian at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
. If the republic dies because we we're busy slapping lodestars and em-dashes on our red yarn boards, so be it
It dies not with a bang, but with a “well, actually”
posted by schadenfrau at 2:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
It dies not with a bang, but with a “well, actually”
posted by schadenfrau at 2:51 PM on September 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
Any Mefites who live in Florida who can drive down to Bill Nelson's house when he's in state and let him know he's up for election in a couple months? It's not clear to me he realizes this is an election year. You'd be doing us a solid.
posted by Justinian at 2:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I mean, it's bonkers that this op-ed exists, whether it's written completely in earnest or is some multidimensional chess fakeout that SHS wrote under Trump's direction. The NYT even included a "we know this is bonkers, here's a text entry field in case you want to yell at us" box in the middle of it. If the republic dies because we we're busy slapping lodestars and em-dashes on our red yarn boards, so be it.
I'm not sure what gives you the impression that people can't care (or just chin-wag) about this while also simultaneously resisting and calling Congress and doing whatever it is you feel is a better use of our time and thought. I mean, I can fuck off on MetaFilter AND donate to campaigns AND keep up on other types of news AND remain mindful of Kavanaugh, and I'm below average. And none of it is going to get in the way of my voting or getting out the vote. Geez. If you think it's a dumb topic, talk about other things. That's why it's called a catch-all thread.
Also, between the Woodward book and this op-ed and all the other mini-leaks, multiple unelected administration officials have now publicly (anonymously) confessed to perpetrating a kind of soft -- or in the case of Mattis, not-so-soft -- coup d'etat. That's a fairly unusual development even by batshit 2016-18 standards.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm not sure what gives you the impression that people can't care (or just chin-wag) about this while also simultaneously resisting and calling Congress and doing whatever it is you feel is a better use of our time and thought. I mean, I can fuck off on MetaFilter AND donate to campaigns AND keep up on other types of news AND remain mindful of Kavanaugh, and I'm below average. And none of it is going to get in the way of my voting or getting out the vote. Geez. If you think it's a dumb topic, talk about other things. That's why it's called a catch-all thread.
Also, between the Woodward book and this op-ed and all the other mini-leaks, multiple unelected administration officials have now publicly (anonymously) confessed to perpetrating a kind of soft -- or in the case of Mattis, not-so-soft -- coup d'etat. That's a fairly unusual development even by batshit 2016-18 standards.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Rudy's math has been revised from 20-30 witnesses down to 5
"I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department."
posted by kirkaracha at 3:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
"I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department."
posted by kirkaracha at 3:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I mean, I can fuck off on MetaFilter AND donate to campaigns AND keep up on other types of news AND remain mindful of Kavanaugh, and I'm below average.
you misunderstand me. I agree with what you are saying here.
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
you misunderstand me. I agree with what you are saying here.
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Apologies -- I misread your comments!
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Any Mefites who live in Florida who can drive down to Bill Nelson's house when he's in state and let him know he's up for election in a couple months? It's not clear to me he realizes this is an election year. You'd be doing us a solid.
I call constantly and they don't even bother answering the phones anymore. His "campaign" is a joke and I wouldn't be surprised if Gillum won and he still lost to Rick Scott.
posted by photoslob at 3:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I call constantly and they don't even bother answering the phones anymore. His "campaign" is a joke and I wouldn't be surprised if Gillum won and he still lost to Rick Scott.
posted by photoslob at 3:13 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think it’s Sessions. He’s a high-ranking official, he’d praise McCain, he has an incentive to cover his ass and undermine Trump, and the bit about the author’s job being in jeopardy definitely fits.
posted by EarBucket at 3:19 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by EarBucket at 3:19 PM on September 5, 2018
The cursed op-ed is nicely self-proving, with events since its publication already demonstrating several of its claims:
And so it is written:
And so it is written:
“There is literally no telling whether he might change his mind from one minute to the next,” a top official complained to me recently, exasperated by an Oval Office meeting at which the president flip-flopped on a major policy decision he’d made only a week earlier.And thus Reuters proclaims, In quick reversal, Trump threatens shutdown over border wall:
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be willing to shut down the U.S. government over border security issues, reversing a stance he took a day earlier.The op-ed:
...
Trump reiterated that threat on Wednesday. Responding to a reporter’s question about a possible shutdown, he said: “If it happens, it happens. If it’s about border security, I’m willing to do anything. We have to protect our borders.”
His stance contradicts an interview he gave to the Daily Caller on Tuesday, when he said: “I don’t like the idea of shutdowns.” “I don’t see even myself or anybody else closing down the country right now,” he was quoted as saying.
Given the instability many witnessedAnd so the President tweets (in its entirety):
TREASON?posted by zachlipton at 3:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Surprisingly, this is not not the most hypocritical thing the Times has published this year.
posted by Roger_Mexico at 3:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Roger_Mexico at 3:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I wish people would stop referring to the great Trump economy. Obama lowered unemployment from 10 to 5%. Trump has lowered it from 5 to 4%, mostly by eliminating foreign work visas and kicking out immigrants. Obama had a great economy. Trump rides the fumes.
For the link, select ten year window.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
For the link, select ten year window.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [46 favorites]
When did he start harping on treason, one of those crimes that can be pushed through a friendly fashy court and results in death?
posted by Slackermagee at 3:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 3:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
And so the President tweets (in its entirety):
TREASON?
Now he's going to have to ask his yogi for a new mantra.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
TREASON?
Now he's going to have to ask his yogi for a new mantra.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Between this TREASON? tweet and Trump's on-camera response to the NYT anon. op-ed, this thread may need the batshitinsane tag.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Refresh. We regret the omission; things were merely batshit last night.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
Despair, or folly? It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope.
- Gandalf
Walk out of these corrupt hearings.
posted by adept256 at 3:43 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
- Gandalf
Walk out of these corrupt hearings.
posted by adept256 at 3:43 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Someday when I’m not president, which should hopefully be in about… [dramatic pause]I was very surprised to hear him follow that with “six and a half years.”
posted by lostburner at 3:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Pence is deeply entangled with Trumps criminality - if Trump goes, Pence goes.
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on September 5 [2 favorites +] [!]
I don't know that it's pure speculation. WaPo had this to say about his involvement in the Russian collusion.
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on September 5 [2 favorites +] [!]
I'm perfectly willing to believe this, but what are the details?Mainly speculation fueled by the fact that he was pushed heavily on Trump by Manafort.
posted by dilaudid at 2:14 PM on September 5 [3 favorites +] [!]
I don't know that it's pure speculation. WaPo had this to say about his involvement in the Russian collusion.
Pence reportedly was present at the Oval Office meeting where Trump read the draft memo concerning his decision to fire Comey. That memo apparently was a screed about Comey’s handling of the Russia probe. Pence subsequently related to Congress and the press the phony cover story that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein had cooked up, namely that Comey had improperly handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Pence denied Comey was fired over the Russia investigation, a position Trump swiftly contradicted in his interview with NBC News’s Lester Holt.posted by Mental Wimp at 3:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Moreover, like now-embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Pence repeatedly denied that the campaign had any contacts with the Russians. Perhaps Pence knew and forgot, perhaps he knew and lied on behalf of the president, or perhaps he was kept in the dark.
Bob "Greed is Good" Menendez screw us. I know Chrysostom will yell at me for worrying this much about Menedez but, seriously, I just know he's gonna fuck us somehow.
I haven't seen any ads for Menendez. I haven't been called, canvassed, I haven't gotten anything in the mail. I've seen Hugin's attack ads a lot, and Menendez as far as I can tell is not defending himself. This is in pattern for him - he's never in the news except for bad things. I don't get it, I don't like it, and I wish I had someone else besides Menendez to vote for.
My local house race is hopping, if you want a brighter note, NJ 07 is considered a swing district for the first time in a decade and I've been canvassed twice already.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 3:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
I haven't seen any ads for Menendez. I haven't been called, canvassed, I haven't gotten anything in the mail. I've seen Hugin's attack ads a lot, and Menendez as far as I can tell is not defending himself. This is in pattern for him - he's never in the news except for bad things. I don't get it, I don't like it, and I wish I had someone else besides Menendez to vote for.
My local house race is hopping, if you want a brighter note, NJ 07 is considered a swing district for the first time in a decade and I've been canvassed twice already.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 3:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Real Translation: "When this is all over, please don't hate me or shun me in public life,
The reason I hate this op-ed is not because I don't think adults are working to mitigate this toxic president: I do think that. So do many, many adults throughout the country. We see the effects and we know.
What I do hate is that the writer of this op-ed felt that plausible deniability, people not hating Cabinet members (and the 25th amendment statement, imho, tips this off as a Cabinet member) is worth giving up the operational security of being a covert agent. The writer has literally, by coming out in the NYT, one of the few papers Trump is aware enough to be interested in, told the enemy directly there's an agent of the resistance in the henhouse. So he's basically initiated fucking purge trials for the benefit of being able to be less socially shunned.
Fuck this author and the horse he (It's almost definitely a he, my bet is on Zinke) literally or metaphorically rode in on.
posted by corb at 4:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
The reason I hate this op-ed is not because I don't think adults are working to mitigate this toxic president: I do think that. So do many, many adults throughout the country. We see the effects and we know.
What I do hate is that the writer of this op-ed felt that plausible deniability, people not hating Cabinet members (and the 25th amendment statement, imho, tips this off as a Cabinet member) is worth giving up the operational security of being a covert agent. The writer has literally, by coming out in the NYT, one of the few papers Trump is aware enough to be interested in, told the enemy directly there's an agent of the resistance in the henhouse. So he's basically initiated fucking purge trials for the benefit of being able to be less socially shunned.
Fuck this author and the horse he (It's almost definitely a he, my bet is on Zinke) literally or metaphorically rode in on.
posted by corb at 4:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
Can we just step back and take a beat to consider that the NYT just published an op-ed that amounts to "we are the Deep State and we are working to stymie the elected president"? This is, like, a NeverTrump QAnon. Except in the Times.
As to why it was important to publish- and, furthermore, even more important to know who wrote it? Well- whoever it is is claiming to have the real levers of power in the US Government and say they are a member of a cabal dedicated to undermining the president!
David Frum (yeah yeah I know): This Is a Constitutional Crisis: A cowardly coup from within the administration threatens to enflame the president’s paranoia and further endanger American security.
That said, if the writer meant what they said, they should have called on Congress to act. They should have called on people to vote for the Democrats. But nope: it's party over country every single time with these cowardly assholes.
posted by BungaDunga at 4:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
As to why it was important to publish- and, furthermore, even more important to know who wrote it? Well- whoever it is is claiming to have the real levers of power in the US Government and say they are a member of a cabal dedicated to undermining the president!
David Frum (yeah yeah I know): This Is a Constitutional Crisis: A cowardly coup from within the administration threatens to enflame the president’s paranoia and further endanger American security.
That said, if the writer meant what they said, they should have called on Congress to act. They should have called on people to vote for the Democrats. But nope: it's party over country every single time with these cowardly assholes.
posted by BungaDunga at 4:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [74 favorites]
It’s a laughably transparent attempt to save the Republican Party and Conservatism from Trump in the midterms, and possibly to set up a post-midterm 25th amendment remedy.
I want to duel whatever delusional, gas lighting piece of shit wrote it.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
I want to duel whatever delusional, gas lighting piece of shit wrote it.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
I mean, this is very clearly an extra-constitutional political move. Whoever wrote it, and whatever actual cabal they represent, are part of the story. They should absolutely not be granted anonymity, what the FUCK.
Like this is not something that should be run without corroboration. It’s a literal statement of a existence of a shadow fucking government.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
Like this is not something that should be run without corroboration. It’s a literal statement of a existence of a shadow fucking government.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
I just knew this day would end in a duel.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Also the thrust of that piece isn't "I'm from the Deep State here to save America", it's "the Republican agenda is in jeopardy because he's a fucking moron".
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [73 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [73 favorites]
I want to duel whatever delusional, gas lighting piece of shit wrote it.
They didn't have the guts to put their name to it. There's even less chance of them showing up to a duel.
Anyway, I really feel like it's pointless to try to guess who wrote this stupid thing. They're all horrible people regardless. Oh god what if Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote it?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
They didn't have the guts to put their name to it. There's even less chance of them showing up to a duel.
Anyway, I really feel like it's pointless to try to guess who wrote this stupid thing. They're all horrible people regardless. Oh god what if Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote it?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
As an aside, there's a Facebook group or two that's part of a sort of lefty mirrorverse QAnon, who believe they're being fed tips from insiders at the White House who are adults in the room keeping a check on Trump, and that there's a whole conspiracy being set up to eventually snap shut a mousetrap on Trump. It's a lot more coherent than QAnon but approximately as believable.
And then this op-ed comes out which (if you take it at face value, which you shouldn't) seems to validate the entire conspiracy theory. I've never seen anything quite like it. It's like the NYT publishing an anonymous op-ed from someone at the top of the Air Force saying that actually there are extraterrestrials being kept at Area 51.
Also the thrust of that piece isn't "I'm from the Deep State here to save America", it's "the Republican agenda is in jeopardy because he's a fucking moron".
It's a 2 faces / 1 vase sort of thing. The overt words are "we're saving America from Trump" but what it's really saying is "we're saving the Republican party from Trump"
posted by BungaDunga at 4:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
And then this op-ed comes out which (if you take it at face value, which you shouldn't) seems to validate the entire conspiracy theory. I've never seen anything quite like it. It's like the NYT publishing an anonymous op-ed from someone at the top of the Air Force saying that actually there are extraterrestrials being kept at Area 51.
Also the thrust of that piece isn't "I'm from the Deep State here to save America", it's "the Republican agenda is in jeopardy because he's a fucking moron".
It's a 2 faces / 1 vase sort of thing. The overt words are "we're saving America from Trump" but what it's really saying is "we're saving the Republican party from Trump"
posted by BungaDunga at 4:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
I think it is McGahn. It is a nice parting shot with the added benefit of distracting from the Kavanaugh testimony snafus re: stolen Senator emails.
posted by Roger_Mexico at 4:16 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Roger_Mexico at 4:16 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Sorry, corb, but Ryan Zinke couldn’t write sentences like those even if his fucking zodiac boat depended upon it.
posted by valkane at 4:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by valkane at 4:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Chris Hayes: The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse. It's a very public hedge meant to preserve the reputation of the GOP's entire political and governing class.See, they tried to help us the whole time. It was all Trump's fault, and no other elected Republican or Republican voter.
Dan Phiffer: This is right. It’s a way for the Paul Ryans and John Kellys of the world to justify enabling a dim witted, narcissist as President.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
And then this op-ed comes out which (if you take it at face value, which you shouldn't) seems to validate the entire conspiracy theory.
“...and a single conspiracy nut who no one will believe!”
posted by schadenfrau at 4:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
“...and a single conspiracy nut who no one will believe!”
posted by schadenfrau at 4:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
...and we said Woodward wasn't front-loading his book tour...
[jeez louise that was only this morning]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:30 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
[jeez louise that was only this morning]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:30 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I think it was actually smart to go in anon at least at the start. Everything right now is about the message rather than the person who wrote it. Who wrote it is just a flame for the pundit moths.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 4:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 4:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Chris Hayes: The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse. It's a very public hedge meant to preserve the reputation of the GOP's entire political and governing class.
Please please run in 2020 on "We could've impeached or 25th-ed him before the apocalypse, but we wanted to make sure you got your very unpopular and insignificant tax cuts."
posted by chris24 at 4:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
Please please run in 2020 on "We could've impeached or 25th-ed him before the apocalypse, but we wanted to make sure you got your very unpopular and insignificant tax cuts."
posted by chris24 at 4:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
The overt words are "we're saving America from Trump" but what it's really saying is "we're saving the Republican party from Trump"
Could be an opening shot in a Blame Trump for Everything movement. I've said before that any other Republican candidate would have done most of the same damage (especially the same things Mr. WHanon approves of) but with far less chance of stirring things up enough to hurt the Party. The 'stick with Trump' motivation probably comes from seeing the polls not precipitously drop... until just now. I thought the polls collapse was inevitable but not until close to the midterms, and the closer we get, the more it will look like even maximum Russian hacking can save the GOP. If so, we're starting to be saved... we'll just have to get past the 2020 elections and especially 2022 to have a real chance at making America into a True Democracy, or even a True Republic, and not the Sham System I've seen for my entire adult life (and I'm old enough to have voted for Carter).
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Could be an opening shot in a Blame Trump for Everything movement. I've said before that any other Republican candidate would have done most of the same damage (especially the same things Mr. WHanon approves of) but with far less chance of stirring things up enough to hurt the Party. The 'stick with Trump' motivation probably comes from seeing the polls not precipitously drop... until just now. I thought the polls collapse was inevitable but not until close to the midterms, and the closer we get, the more it will look like even maximum Russian hacking can save the GOP. If so, we're starting to be saved... we'll just have to get past the 2020 elections and especially 2022 to have a real chance at making America into a True Democracy, or even a True Republic, and not the Sham System I've seen for my entire adult life (and I'm old enough to have voted for Carter).
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
No clues in the writing itself lead me to believe this, but I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Miller. He's the right mixture of evil, dumb, and bombastic to think of something like this, and it would definitely give him a Nazi-boner to use the press against itself in this way. Just a thought.
posted by Rykey at 4:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 4:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
The point is not whether it is Pence, it's whether we can convince Trump that it's Pence. (in time for a change of Speakers of the House).
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:38 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
See, they tried to help us the whole time. It was all Trump's fault, and no other elected Republican or Republican voter.
The Republican voters (and their enablers, foreign and domestic) gave the keys to the visibly drunk driver. The Republican Congress — and now Party — keep plying him with booze from the backseat.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
The Republican voters (and their enablers, foreign and domestic) gave the keys to the visibly drunk driver. The Republican Congress — and now Party — keep plying him with booze from the backseat.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:41 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
(edited to add long em dashes to cover my tracks)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Bill Kristol thinks it's Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
posted by BungaDunga at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by BungaDunga at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Well, if Bill Kristol says it's Hassett, then it's definitely not Hassett.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Can we stop guessing who wrote the thing
posted by localhuman at 4:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [43 favorites]
posted by localhuman at 4:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [43 favorites]
PLOT TWIST: Trump wrote it himself to get everyone to stop talking about Russia or Kavanaugh and get back to paying attention to him.
posted by SisterHavana at 4:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by SisterHavana at 4:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
My thoughts are on record so no further guessing, but Kristol is dumb. Nobody knows who Hassett is and the NYT would make a grave error granting him anonymity in this fashion. It's somebody whose name people would actually recognize.
posted by Justinian at 4:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 4:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
And so the President tweets (in its entirety):
TREASON?
So he admits it now?
posted by SisterHavana at 4:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
TREASON?
So he admits it now?
posted by SisterHavana at 4:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
The current consensus that it's a face-saving operation is encouraging, because it implies that the future USA (nor even just the future GOP) won't simply lionize Trump, just as with Reagan and (now) Bush. Or for that matter, you know, Robert E Lee.
I think the deciding factor in whether or not that happens comes down entirely to whether there's something like impeachment or similar external threat to the regime's legitimacy. Otherwise, if he can plod along until 2020, then he'll be remembered at least as fondly as any other one-term president. The history of this country in general, and the Republican Party specifically, does not have Damascus moments where a fuckup is collectively acknowledged.
Also, even when a president manages to be genuinely disgraced as with Nixon, the accomplices still come away clean. The Kavanaugh proceedings have revived the old Republican grudge about Bork, and as far as I know he never did anything to bother distancing himself from the Saturday Night Massacre. If Mnuchin or whoever wrote this was worried about his political future... he needn't have been. (His or her legal future, on the other hand, may benefit very slightly, assuming there's any risk to begin with.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think the deciding factor in whether or not that happens comes down entirely to whether there's something like impeachment or similar external threat to the regime's legitimacy. Otherwise, if he can plod along until 2020, then he'll be remembered at least as fondly as any other one-term president. The history of this country in general, and the Republican Party specifically, does not have Damascus moments where a fuckup is collectively acknowledged.
Also, even when a president manages to be genuinely disgraced as with Nixon, the accomplices still come away clean. The Kavanaugh proceedings have revived the old Republican grudge about Bork, and as far as I know he never did anything to bother distancing himself from the Saturday Night Massacre. If Mnuchin or whoever wrote this was worried about his political future... he needn't have been. (His or her legal future, on the other hand, may benefit very slightly, assuming there's any risk to begin with.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
The most troubling part of all of this is that there are still folks who think there are adults in this administration. That would not include anyone appointed by the administration, and certainly nobody who is at cabinet level, or physically in the white house.
This just underlines how much Trump's policies are exactly what they want while facing just how vulgar and awful those positions are when espoused by someone who has taken off the mask.
posted by maxwelton at 4:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
This just underlines how much Trump's policies are exactly what they want while facing just how vulgar and awful those positions are when espoused by someone who has taken off the mask.
posted by maxwelton at 4:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Please please run in 2020 on "We could've impeached or 25th-ed him before the apocalypse, but we wanted to make sure you got your very unpopular and insignificant tax cuts."
It's not about saving Trump in 2020, this is already the groundwork for re-branding the post-Trump GOP, again. Just how the supporters of George W. instantly became the "Tea Party" as soon as he was out of office, every Republican who went to the mat for Trump will suddenly have been NeverTrumpers all along when he falls, and our media institutions will help them gaslight the country again exactly like they memory-holed everything about 2002-2008 and helped sell us Trump.
Republican ideology can never fail, it can only ever be rehabilitated by the loyal high priests of both sides at the NYT.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
It's not about saving Trump in 2020, this is already the groundwork for re-branding the post-Trump GOP, again. Just how the supporters of George W. instantly became the "Tea Party" as soon as he was out of office, every Republican who went to the mat for Trump will suddenly have been NeverTrumpers all along when he falls, and our media institutions will help them gaslight the country again exactly like they memory-holed everything about 2002-2008 and helped sell us Trump.
Republican ideology can never fail, it can only ever be rehabilitated by the loyal high priests of both sides at the NYT.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
Over on a site I'll call Screed Flubdubnik, people are of two minds- the whole op-ed is fake, or it is real and the prez needs to give his whole staff a polygraph to find the traitor, who ought be tried and hung.
Watching them try to decide if it is fake or real is oddly satisfying. A few outliers even think donnie did it himself, to distract everyone from something, first stage of the Q-storm yada yada crazy nonsense. I need a drink.
posted by vrakatar at 4:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Watching them try to decide if it is fake or real is oddly satisfying. A few outliers even think donnie did it himself, to distract everyone from something, first stage of the Q-storm yada yada crazy nonsense. I need a drink.
posted by vrakatar at 4:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's not about saving Trump in 2020...
Sorry, my comment wasn't very clear. Whether it's 2020, 2024, or whenever the post-Trump post-disaster era begins, trying to run on 'We could've stopped him cold but instead let him have a really fucking long leash that helped destroy the world for tax cuts' isn't really compelling.
posted by chris24 at 5:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sorry, my comment wasn't very clear. Whether it's 2020, 2024, or whenever the post-Trump post-disaster era begins, trying to run on 'We could've stopped him cold but instead let him have a really fucking long leash that helped destroy the world for tax cuts' isn't really compelling.
posted by chris24 at 5:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
An opponent with $350,000 will have Collins shaking in her shoes, I'm sure.
In the 8 hours since this comment was posted, it's grown to over $400K, so . . . I think it's getting a lot of traction despite the pessimism
posted by robotdevil at 5:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
In the 8 hours since this comment was posted, it's grown to over $400K, so . . . I think it's getting a lot of traction despite the pessimism
posted by robotdevil at 5:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
"[M]entally retarded comments made about Sessions."
posted by chris24 at 6:21 AM
Can we NOT have an ableist slur in place of more descriptive and accurate words to describe his words? Intellectually disabled people do not act like Trump by nature. Please don't throw intellectually disabled people under the bus just to make a sloppy point about Trump's nefarious and selfishly childish comments. I think I agree with all of your general political views and people need to stop being ableist, using an outdated and offensive word for some of the most vulnerable people in society as a slur.
posted by RuvaBlue at 5:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 6:21 AM
Can we NOT have an ableist slur in place of more descriptive and accurate words to describe his words? Intellectually disabled people do not act like Trump by nature. Please don't throw intellectually disabled people under the bus just to make a sloppy point about Trump's nefarious and selfishly childish comments. I think I agree with all of your general political views and people need to stop being ableist, using an outdated and offensive word for some of the most vulnerable people in society as a slur.
posted by RuvaBlue at 5:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I apologize. I was quoting what Trump said about Sessions according to Woodward.
posted by chris24 at 5:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 5:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
it's actually good for a government to have at least a little debt, or else it's truly wasting money (among other things), but water toxicity and the Greek crisis are both real things too.
Is a 5 Trillion deficit/debt a problem? How about 10 Trillion? 21 Trillion? At what point did "little debt" get passed or is $21 Trillion still "little"?
What seems to be keeping America afloat is the use of the Dollar as a settlement nexus for trade. Such propped up the Romans, the Dutch, the Spanish and the Brittish Pound Stirling.
Trump writing TRADE IS BAD should have those who are expecting a retirement or stability in the future rather nervous. Because what happens to the US of A if Trump's pulling out of the WTO happens? Or the SWIFT system is replicated/replaced with some other currency?
People trading are typically people who are NOT at war with each other. But what's the proper reaction of the US if the Dollar stops being the prefered method of settlement?
Wasn't money's lack of respect for national status why Adam Smith talked about a hand which lacked visibility?
posted by rough ashlar at 5:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Is a 5 Trillion deficit/debt a problem? How about 10 Trillion? 21 Trillion? At what point did "little debt" get passed or is $21 Trillion still "little"?
What seems to be keeping America afloat is the use of the Dollar as a settlement nexus for trade. Such propped up the Romans, the Dutch, the Spanish and the Brittish Pound Stirling.
Trump writing TRADE IS BAD should have those who are expecting a retirement or stability in the future rather nervous. Because what happens to the US of A if Trump's pulling out of the WTO happens? Or the SWIFT system is replicated/replaced with some other currency?
People trading are typically people who are NOT at war with each other. But what's the proper reaction of the US if the Dollar stops being the prefered method of settlement?
Wasn't money's lack of respect for national status why Adam Smith talked about a hand which lacked visibility?
posted by rough ashlar at 5:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
In her response to the op-ed Sarah Huckabee Sanders says:
2) Did she forget who she's talking about? The last two sentences could easily apply to Trump.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States. He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people. This coward should do the right thing and resign.1) "duly elected"? нет, товарищ
2) Did she forget who she's talking about? The last two sentences could easily apply to Trump.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
I'm pretty sure chris24 was talking about Trump's comments about Sessions such that Sessions was mentally deficient, not making an observation of his own about Trump's comments.
If there is a better term to use when describing someone else's use of the "r" word, I'd welcome education. When talking about these things, I'm sure we all want to make sure we're doing so respectfully. If that was your criticism, I'd be appreciative of advice in this area.
posted by narwhal at 5:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
If there is a better term to use when describing someone else's use of the "r" word, I'd welcome education. When talking about these things, I'm sure we all want to make sure we're doing so respectfully. If that was your criticism, I'd be appreciative of advice in this area.
posted by narwhal at 5:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Please please run in 2020 on "We could've impeached or 25th-ed him before the apocalypse, but we wanted to make sure you got your very unpopular and insignificant tax cuts."
Hell, they just gave the Democrats a massive fucking GOTV talking point for 2018: "You absolutely cannot trust any Republican anywhere -- see, they SAY RIGHT HERE that they know he's dangerous and unfit, but they're covering for him and have grabbed control of the government so they can impoverish you and take away your healthcare and reproductive rights. They must be stopped: in the Senate, the House, and Yourtown."
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
Hell, they just gave the Democrats a massive fucking GOTV talking point for 2018: "You absolutely cannot trust any Republican anywhere -- see, they SAY RIGHT HERE that they know he's dangerous and unfit, but they're covering for him and have grabbed control of the government so they can impoverish you and take away your healthcare and reproductive rights. They must be stopped: in the Senate, the House, and Yourtown."
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
Yes, thanks narwhal. I wasn't meaning to say they were m. r. comments. I was referring to Trump's "m. r." comments. And I'd likewise love to know how best to deal with talking about someone else's use of the slur. It was certainly not my intention to insult anyone and I'm sorry I didn't write it clear enough to make that distinction obvious.
posted by chris24 at 5:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 5:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
That SHS statement reads like it's written for an audience of one specific person.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:16 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:16 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Hah. Trump the mobster associate with nowhere to turn as the GOP finishes the bustout of his Presidency?
He won’t give up the store easily.
posted by notyou at 5:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
He won’t give up the store easily.
posted by notyou at 5:18 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
I have a fever dream that Pat Leahy's receipts sink this nomination.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
InTheYear2017: The Kavanaugh proceedings have revived the old Republican grudge about Bork, and as far as I know he never did anything to bother distancing himself from the Saturday Night Massacre.
Out of curiosity I pulled up some transcripts from Bork's hearing (pdf link to the first session here). Here's part of the opening statement from one of the Republican senators (emph. added):
posted by mhum at 5:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Out of curiosity I pulled up some transcripts from Bork's hearing (pdf link to the first session here). Here's part of the opening statement from one of the Republican senators (emph. added):
Still another tactic, familiar to political campaigns is to accuse you of ethical violations. In that vein, we have heard too much recently about the so-called Saturday Night Massacre. In fact, this was one of your finest hours. You were not the cause of Watergate but you were part of the solution. As a precondition of carrying out the President's order, you gained a commitment that the investigation would go forth without further interference. You had to make a difficult decision on the spur of the moment. Even then you had to be convinced by Attorney General Richardson not to resign, but the evidence that your decision was correct is history. Because you preserved the investigation, the President was later forced to resign and several others were prosecuted. The performance that you gave, it seems to me, deserves commendation, not criticism.That senator's name? Orrin Hatch.
posted by mhum at 5:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Does anyone who has studied or is more familiar with the ethics of journalism know: Is the NYT news division bound by an anonymity agreement made by the editorial page or if their reporters track down the author would they be able to report it?
posted by Justinian at 5:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 5:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
rough ashlar: At what point did "little debt" get passed or is $21 Trillion still "little"?
There's no amount of money that's objectively too much debt, because what matters is its size relative to other factors, namely GDP. There's currently no reason to doubt the government's ability to continue paying its creditors (even considering the immensely stupid tax cut for the rich), and that's what it comes down to. I think a lot of people conceptualize "growing debt" as something that's not getting paid at all, and one say lenders will knock on our door demanding "their" money. But in reality they're getting paid fine (outside of manufactured crises like the extremely pointless "debt ceiling"). Uncle Sam remains an extremely dependable investment.
What seems to be keeping America afloat is the use of the Dollar as a settlement nexus for trade. Such propped up the Romans, the Dutch, the Spanish and the Brittish Pound Stirling.
Trump writing TRADE IS BAD should have those who are expecting a retirement or stability in the future rather nervous. Because what happens to the US of A if Trump's pulling out of the WTO happens? Or the SWIFT system is replicated/replaced with some other currency?
Trump's trade policies definitely could have very dire consequences. But that's more a fact in itself than something that tells us how to approach the issue of debt. Yes, we could have spent generations shoring up a national surplus on the off-chance of one day electing a hyper-protectionist, but (to mix my previous metaphors further) that's like keeping all your walls soaked in water all the time, because your kids have a friend who likes to play with matches. Your efforts are better spent keeping the arsonist away, plus your house will still suffer from your "solution".
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
There's no amount of money that's objectively too much debt, because what matters is its size relative to other factors, namely GDP. There's currently no reason to doubt the government's ability to continue paying its creditors (even considering the immensely stupid tax cut for the rich), and that's what it comes down to. I think a lot of people conceptualize "growing debt" as something that's not getting paid at all, and one say lenders will knock on our door demanding "their" money. But in reality they're getting paid fine (outside of manufactured crises like the extremely pointless "debt ceiling"). Uncle Sam remains an extremely dependable investment.
What seems to be keeping America afloat is the use of the Dollar as a settlement nexus for trade. Such propped up the Romans, the Dutch, the Spanish and the Brittish Pound Stirling.
Trump writing TRADE IS BAD should have those who are expecting a retirement or stability in the future rather nervous. Because what happens to the US of A if Trump's pulling out of the WTO happens? Or the SWIFT system is replicated/replaced with some other currency?
Trump's trade policies definitely could have very dire consequences. But that's more a fact in itself than something that tells us how to approach the issue of debt. Yes, we could have spent generations shoring up a national surplus on the off-chance of one day electing a hyper-protectionist, but (to mix my previous metaphors further) that's like keeping all your walls soaked in water all the time, because your kids have a friend who likes to play with matches. Your efforts are better spent keeping the arsonist away, plus your house will still suffer from your "solution".
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump Whisperer Philip Rucker contributes to the Washington Post's new story ‘The Sleeper Cells Have Awoken’: Trump and Aides Shaken by ‘Resistance’ Op-Ed
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [80 favorites]
Trump reacted to the column with “volcanic” anger and was “absolutely livid” over what he considered a treasonous act of disloyalty, and told confidants he suspects the official works on national security issues or in the Justice Department, according to two people familiar with his private discussions.[...]He can trust only his children. Like in a mafia family.
The column, which published midafternoon Wednesday, sent tremors through the West Wing and launched a frantic guessing game. Startled aides canceled meetings and huddled behind closed doors to strategize a response. Aides were analyzing language patterns to try to discern author’s identity, or at a minimum the part of the administration where the author works.
“The problem for the president is it could be so many people,” said one administration official, who like many others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid. “You can’t rule it down to one person. Everyone is trying, but it’s impossible.”
The phrase, “The sleeper cells have awoken,” circulated on text messages among aides and outside allies.
“It’s like the horror movies when everyone realizes the call is coming from inside the house,” said one former White House official in close contact with former co-workers.[...]
In the Times column, the official writes about the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) in heroic terms, describing him as “a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue.”
This invocation angered Trump, who in his private talks with advisers and friends expressed particular dismay because he has long viewed McCain as a personal enemy, according to people familiar with the president’s thinking. The column reignited Trump’s frustration with last week’s remembrances of McCain and the widespread adulation of his life.
The president was already feeling especially vulnerable — and a deep “sense of paranoia,” in the words of one confidant — in the wake of his devastating portrayal in Woodward’s book. He was upset that so many in his orbit seemed to have spoken with the veteran Washington Post investigative journalist, and had begun peppering staffers with questions about who Woodward’s sources were.
Trump already felt that he had a dwindling circle of people who he could trust, a senior administration official said. According to one Trump friend, he fretted after Wednesday’s op-ed that he could only trust his children.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [80 favorites]
LOL if Anonymous is Jared Kushner.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
There are a *delightful* number of anonymous sources quoted in that Rucker article.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:57 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:57 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
notyou: Hah. Trump the mobster associate with nowhere to turn as the GOP finishes the bustout of his Presidency?
He won’t give up the store easily.
Doktor Zed:He can trust only his children. Like in a mafia family.
"as the GOP finishes the bustout of his Presidency"
For all the "Trump as Mob connected" stories, this is the most believable part. The GOP used Trump to move forward, and then they're going to let him take the fall. A quick chorus of "We've always been Never Trumpers!" and the ( less insane part of ) the GOP will go along because it's less painful than admitting they were roped into a fraud, while the 27% that's totally nuts will just realign with the "Worst Option Left", but still vote (R) because "fuck the libs..."
I'm hoping that the Mueller thing goes the way that the DNC is going with their civil suit. The GOP is the RICO target, not the Trump Admin.
posted by mikelieman at 6:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
He won’t give up the store easily.
Doktor Zed:He can trust only his children. Like in a mafia family.
"as the GOP finishes the bustout of his Presidency"
For all the "Trump as Mob connected" stories, this is the most believable part. The GOP used Trump to move forward, and then they're going to let him take the fall. A quick chorus of "We've always been Never Trumpers!" and the ( less insane part of ) the GOP will go along because it's less painful than admitting they were roped into a fraud, while the 27% that's totally nuts will just realign with the "Worst Option Left", but still vote (R) because "fuck the libs..."
I'm hoping that the Mueller thing goes the way that the DNC is going with their civil suit. The GOP is the RICO target, not the Trump Admin.
posted by mikelieman at 6:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
He won’t give up the store easily.
Go back in your hole!
posted by mikelieman at 6:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Go back in your hole!
posted by mikelieman at 6:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
More proof that Corker is absolutely worthless. Acknowledges that the president is such a danger to the republic that his cabinet needs to secretly restrain/oppose him, but does nothing about it.
Alan He (CBS)
Senator Corker on the wild NYT Op-Ed: "This is what all of us have understood to be the situation from day one... I understand this is the case and that’s why I think all of us encourage the good people around the President to stay. I thank General Mattis whenever I see him..."
posted by chris24 at 6:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
Alan He (CBS)
Senator Corker on the wild NYT Op-Ed: "This is what all of us have understood to be the situation from day one... I understand this is the case and that’s why I think all of us encourage the good people around the President to stay. I thank General Mattis whenever I see him..."
posted by chris24 at 6:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
I'm voting discordian writing style mashup deliberately containing shibboleths of multiple people for maximum chaos.
I'm sort of perplexed why anyone thinks that the NYT wouldn't have aided with this process. Op-eds don't just run without inspection, feedback, and editing. If you're fortunate you get the one in ten folks in editorial who are willing to actually insist on them not having grossly false checkable assertions & they might refuse to run one. But since they're actively helping to shield this person's identity I don't see any reason to think they didn't provide some assistance in removing any identifiable voice from the text, or even put in some misdirection.
But shit, who knows. This is through the looking glass stuff in my opinion. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens if someone gets dragged in front of a judge and ordered to produce a name. You want to talk crisis? I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a serious hunt and either Trump orders some investigation or someone decides to work towards the Führer and do it on their own initiative. What happens when one of Trump's newly loyal judges declares everyone on this page in contempt and holds them indefinitely? All the other papers that still have functioning editorial staffs run another coordinated piece condemning it?
I would wager a functional administration wouldn't even need to do it. I'd bet my 2048 bit private key that the board's opsec is meh enough that this person could be unmasked by a decent investigative department. But perhaps dragging these folks and fucking up the NYT's operation would be a more attractive course of action for this administration. I wonder if the folks who agreed to run this anonymous bit of self-serving trash were cognizant of the fact that the person doing it might well consider any shit that rains down on the NYT and staff to be a bonus?
posted by phearlez at 6:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm sort of perplexed why anyone thinks that the NYT wouldn't have aided with this process. Op-eds don't just run without inspection, feedback, and editing. If you're fortunate you get the one in ten folks in editorial who are willing to actually insist on them not having grossly false checkable assertions & they might refuse to run one. But since they're actively helping to shield this person's identity I don't see any reason to think they didn't provide some assistance in removing any identifiable voice from the text, or even put in some misdirection.
But shit, who knows. This is through the looking glass stuff in my opinion. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens if someone gets dragged in front of a judge and ordered to produce a name. You want to talk crisis? I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a serious hunt and either Trump orders some investigation or someone decides to work towards the Führer and do it on their own initiative. What happens when one of Trump's newly loyal judges declares everyone on this page in contempt and holds them indefinitely? All the other papers that still have functioning editorial staffs run another coordinated piece condemning it?
I would wager a functional administration wouldn't even need to do it. I'd bet my 2048 bit private key that the board's opsec is meh enough that this person could be unmasked by a decent investigative department. But perhaps dragging these folks and fucking up the NYT's operation would be a more attractive course of action for this administration. I wonder if the folks who agreed to run this anonymous bit of self-serving trash were cognizant of the fact that the person doing it might well consider any shit that rains down on the NYT and staff to be a bonus?
posted by phearlez at 6:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
> More proof that Corker is absolutely worthless. Acknowledges that the president is such a danger to the republic that his cabinet needs to secretly restrain/oppose him, but does nothing about it.
Remember when people seriously believed that McCain, Corker, and Flake were going to save us? Good times, good times.
posted by tonycpsu at 6:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Remember when people seriously believed that McCain, Corker, and Flake were going to save us? Good times, good times.
posted by tonycpsu at 6:24 PM on September 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
I'm voting discordian writing style mashup deliberately containing shibboleths of multiple people for maximum chaos.
I just went there, maybe even keywords. Give him lots of suspects. What is he going to do, wake up tomorrow and arrest and question his whole damn staff? Yeah that will go well. We have an executive branch at war with itself. Stay alert everyone, this is unknown constitutional, cultural, and political ground.
posted by vrakatar at 6:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I just went there, maybe even keywords. Give him lots of suspects. What is he going to do, wake up tomorrow and arrest and question his whole damn staff? Yeah that will go well. We have an executive branch at war with itself. Stay alert everyone, this is unknown constitutional, cultural, and political ground.
posted by vrakatar at 6:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
And so the President tweets (in its entirety):
TREASON?
No, thanks, Don -- we've all had enough already.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
TREASON?
No, thanks, Don -- we've all had enough already.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
"I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration"
I was only not following orders
posted by standardasparagus at 6:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
I was only not following orders
posted by standardasparagus at 6:35 PM on September 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
Punch a Nazi, pay a dollar, Virginia man convicted of punching rally organizer fined $1:
A Virginia man convicted of punching the organizer of last summer's white nationalist rally after he attempted to hold a news conference has been fined $1.posted by peeedro at 6:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [48 favorites]
Jeffrey Winder of Afton was found guilty Tuesday of misdemeanor assault and battery for a second time during an appeal trial Tuesday, news outlets reported.
Prosecutors said Winder could be seen on video punching Jason Kessler, who was mobbed after he called a news conference Aug. 13, 2017, the day after the "Unite the Right" rally drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville, along with counterprotesters. A woman protesting the white nationalists was killed and dozens more were injured when a car plowed into a crowd.
Punch a Nazi, pay a dollar
I gotta say these fundraising email subject lines are getting more creative.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [117 favorites]
I gotta say these fundraising email subject lines are getting more creative.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [117 favorites]
I'm voting discordian writing style mashup deliberately containing shibboleths of multiple people for maximum chaos
My memory is software is 10-15 years in the rear view mirror to help identify a style or help copy someone's style. OpSEC tradecraft 201? 301? Not beginner but not master/PhD level work.
At this point just accept that all you have to do is actually outlive Trump by a couple of years to know who it was OR if you die before he does that the idea of a great book of truth exists and you get to see it when you die and then you can look up who it was.
board's opsec is meh enough that this person could be unmasked by a decent investigative department.
Oh, I agree. But how many of those people would want to aid The Donald? Or be able to be bought for the amount of money The Donald could pay? Remember the comments about the press in the book The Mighty Wurlitzer - odds are someone knows. But why tell - how is that gonna get you promoted?
And if shit rains down on the NYT and staff may THAT be the reason we get new laws.
I'm hoping for church commission/Nixon style. (Who's the elected official or person running for office on such a platform?) Odds are I'll be dissapointed and it'll be called something awesome but really suck.
Ya might get the public to care about end to end email encrytion and start using it.
posted by rough ashlar at 6:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
My memory is software is 10-15 years in the rear view mirror to help identify a style or help copy someone's style. OpSEC tradecraft 201? 301? Not beginner but not master/PhD level work.
At this point just accept that all you have to do is actually outlive Trump by a couple of years to know who it was OR if you die before he does that the idea of a great book of truth exists and you get to see it when you die and then you can look up who it was.
board's opsec is meh enough that this person could be unmasked by a decent investigative department.
Oh, I agree. But how many of those people would want to aid The Donald? Or be able to be bought for the amount of money The Donald could pay? Remember the comments about the press in the book The Mighty Wurlitzer - odds are someone knows. But why tell - how is that gonna get you promoted?
And if shit rains down on the NYT and staff may THAT be the reason we get new laws.
I'm hoping for church commission/Nixon style. (Who's the elected official or person running for office on such a platform?) Odds are I'll be dissapointed and it'll be called something awesome but really suck.
Ya might get the public to care about end to end email encrytion and start using it.
posted by rough ashlar at 6:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
My memory is software is 10-15 years in the rear view mirror to help identify a style or help copy someone's style. OpSEC tradecraft 201? 301? Not beginner but not master/PhD level work.
Dave Aitel's little tool is from around that time, not sure if still available? it was on the immunityinc website once upon a time.
posted by some loser at 6:43 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dave Aitel's little tool is from around that time, not sure if still available? it was on the immunityinc website once upon a time.
posted by some loser at 6:43 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Punch a Nazi, pay a dollar
Shut up and take my money
posted by nubs at 6:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [76 favorites]
Kamal Harris to Kavanaugh, just now: “Can you think of any laws that give the government the right to make decisions about mens’ bodies?”
Stunned silence.
Oh now she’s busting his chops over his comments when his nomination was announced.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [158 favorites]
Stunned silence.
Oh now she’s busting his chops over his comments when his nomination was announced.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [158 favorites]
So this NYT Op-Ed basically lays bare the existence of an unelected, unaccountable cabal that is running a branch of the American government in place of an unstable President?And we are supposed to find this reassuring?
posted by nubs at 6:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by nubs at 6:53 PM on September 5, 2018 [52 favorites]
Senator Corker on the wild NYT Op-Ed: "This is what all of us have understood to be the situation from day one... I understand this is the case and that’s why I think all of us encourage the good people around the President to stay.
1. What good people?
2. Corker's unsaid ending: "But I'm still voting for his entire agenda!"
posted by SisterHavana at 6:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
1. What good people?
2. Corker's unsaid ending: "But I'm still voting for his entire agenda!"
posted by SisterHavana at 6:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Pence reportedly was present at the Oval Office meeting where Trump read the draft memo concerning his decision to fire Comey. That memo apparently was a screed about Comey’s handling of the Russia probe. Pence subsequently related to Congress and the press the phony cover story that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein had cooked up, namely that Comey had improperly handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Pence denied Comey was fired over the Russia investigation, a position Trump swiftly contradicted in his interview with NBC News’s Lester Holt.
Moreover, like now-embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Pence repeatedly denied that the campaign had any contacts with the Russians. Perhaps Pence knew and forgot, perhaps he knew and lied on behalf of the president, or perhaps he was kept in the dark.
This says nothing about why Manafort wanted Pence. That's what I need to know.
posted by M-x shell at 6:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Moreover, like now-embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Pence repeatedly denied that the campaign had any contacts with the Russians. Perhaps Pence knew and forgot, perhaps he knew and lied on behalf of the president, or perhaps he was kept in the dark.
This says nothing about why Manafort wanted Pence. That's what I need to know.
posted by M-x shell at 6:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
> Kamal Harris to Kavanaugh, just now: “Can you think of any laws that give the government the right to make decisions about mens’ bodies?”
Stunned silence.
I rather like the cut of this lady's jib.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [63 favorites]
Stunned silence.
I rather like the cut of this lady's jib.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [63 favorites]
Opinion: I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Avon Barksdale Crew (Twitter)
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
@poniewozik: I Am Willing to Sacrifice Anything to Protect Our Democracy, Up to But Not Including Losing an Election or Giving Up Literally Any Policy That I Support: A Hero's Story
posted by tonycpsu at 7:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 7:03 PM on September 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
If there is a better term to use when describing someone else's use of the "r" word, I'd welcome education.
If you must use them in that context, quote them: e.g. Trump's “dumb Southerner and mentally retarded” comments made about Sessions.
posted by Brak at 7:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
If you must use them in that context, quote them: e.g. Trump's “dumb Southerner and mentally retarded” comments made about Sessions.
posted by Brak at 7:04 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
@nycsouthpaw:
posted by zachlipton at 7:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [54 favorites]
Senator Harris starts with the Special Counsel's investigation--asking if he's had a conversation about Mueller or the investigation with anyone at Kasowitz's firm. Atmosphere in the room totally shifts. Mike Lee is objecting to Harris's question, frequently interrupted by protesters, and Senator Whitehouse is objecting to his objection Now we're back to the question. Kavanaugh says yes he has discussed the investigation with people, fellow judges and others. But he can't say if he spoke to anyone at the specific law firm because he doesn't know who all works there.There's a lot more in Sen. Harris' questioning, but it sounds like there's something we'll be hearing more about here.
Asked about what prompted this question, a Democratic aide says "we have reason to believe that a conversation happened and are continuing to pursue it."
posted by zachlipton at 7:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [54 favorites]
Via interwebs: "If people are burning their Nike gear because the new face of the company didn’t stand for the National Anthem, then why didn’t they burn their American flag gear when a draft-dodger became President"
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
It’s 10:15 pm DC time. Why haven’t they adjourned and taken up the questioning tomorrow?
posted by notyou at 7:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Kavanaugh, Raised in a Test Tube for the High Court & More on the Test Tube - Josh Marshall, TPM
Editorials on the idea that Kavanaugh has been groomed since law school to be the perfect Federalist candidate for the Supreme Court. No surprises, no hidden flaws.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Editorials on the idea that Kavanaugh has been groomed since law school to be the perfect Federalist candidate for the Supreme Court. No surprises, no hidden flaws.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Who or what is the (prophetic) thread title quoting?
posted by lazugod at 7:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by lazugod at 7:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
An Open Letter to Brett Kavanaugh
You have very obviously perjured yourself this week. You had previously said that a crucial Watergate ruling was "wrongly decided". Now you say it's "one of the greatest moments in Supreme Court history", and your previous position was misinterpreted.
No, you boot-licking piece of shit, you do not believe that, you never believed that, and you were not misinterpreted. Your job is to state your legal opinions clearly and unambiguously, and you did. You are now lying through your motherfucking teeth so you can be confirmed and let your narcissistic man-child sponsor Trump off the hook for crimes too numerous to list, of which he is very clearly guilty, at least to anyone with two functioning neurons.
You are a traitor to your country, he is a traitor, and every Senator who votes to confirm you is a traitor as well. I wish I believed in Hell because it's exactly what the lot of you banana republic stooges deserve. May God have no mercy on any of your vile, malicious souls.
posted by shponglespore at 7:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [60 favorites]
You have very obviously perjured yourself this week. You had previously said that a crucial Watergate ruling was "wrongly decided". Now you say it's "one of the greatest moments in Supreme Court history", and your previous position was misinterpreted.
No, you boot-licking piece of shit, you do not believe that, you never believed that, and you were not misinterpreted. Your job is to state your legal opinions clearly and unambiguously, and you did. You are now lying through your motherfucking teeth so you can be confirmed and let your narcissistic man-child sponsor Trump off the hook for crimes too numerous to list, of which he is very clearly guilty, at least to anyone with two functioning neurons.
You are a traitor to your country, he is a traitor, and every Senator who votes to confirm you is a traitor as well. I wish I believed in Hell because it's exactly what the lot of you banana republic stooges deserve. May God have no mercy on any of your vile, malicious souls.
posted by shponglespore at 7:21 PM on September 5, 2018 [60 favorites]
A few decades ago the easy answer to that question would have been "The Draft."
posted by Uncle Ira at 7:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Uncle Ira at 7:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Kamala Harris to Kavanaugh, just now: “Can you think of any laws that give the government the right to make decisions about mens’ bodies?”
No to diminish Harris's point or anything, but...the draft? Forcibly shipping men's bodies off to foreign countries to be shot at seems like a pretty important decision to me.
[Edit: Uncle Ira: JINX!]
posted by shponglespore at 7:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
No to diminish Harris's point or anything, but...the draft? Forcibly shipping men's bodies off to foreign countries to be shot at seems like a pretty important decision to me.
[Edit: Uncle Ira: JINX!]
posted by shponglespore at 7:29 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ok, watch the video of Kavanaugh being asked if he's discussed the Mueller investigation with anyone at Kasowitz's firm, at least the first couple minutes. He comes off spectacularly bad.
Kavanaugh: I would like to know the person you're thinking of because what if there's—
Harris: I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us.
And it descends into objections and protests (a total of 67 protesters were arrested today at the hearing, plus 7 in other Congressional offices) and more from there. And Kavanaugh cannot manage to answer the question at all. Highly recommend watching. This hit a nerve.
Who or what is the (prophetic) thread title quoting?
I can't claim to be prophetic about today's developments. It was from the Woodward excerpts, specifically what Trump is said to have told Cohn when he was given his resignation letter after Charlottesville.
It’s 10:15 pm DC time. Why haven’t they adjourned and taken up the questioning tomorrow?
They have now. 30 minutes per Senator, plus breaks, takes a while, and Grassley is determined to speed through this, so not finishing the round is not an option. Tomorrow resumes with a second round, 20 minutes per Senator, at 9:30am Eastern.
posted by zachlipton at 7:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
Kavanaugh: I would like to know the person you're thinking of because what if there's—
Harris: I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us.
And it descends into objections and protests (a total of 67 protesters were arrested today at the hearing, plus 7 in other Congressional offices) and more from there. And Kavanaugh cannot manage to answer the question at all. Highly recommend watching. This hit a nerve.
Who or what is the (prophetic) thread title quoting?
I can't claim to be prophetic about today's developments. It was from the Woodward excerpts, specifically what Trump is said to have told Cohn when he was given his resignation letter after Charlottesville.
It’s 10:15 pm DC time. Why haven’t they adjourned and taken up the questioning tomorrow?
They have now. 30 minutes per Senator, plus breaks, takes a while, and Grassley is determined to speed through this, so not finishing the round is not an option. Tomorrow resumes with a second round, 20 minutes per Senator, at 9:30am Eastern.
posted by zachlipton at 7:31 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
RE: the NYT's "I Am Part of the Resistance [sic] Inside the Trump Administration [sic]" story.
So the White House baited the NYT with access again, and the NYT again took the bait.
It used to be that the WH would "catapult the propaganda*" by baiting with so-called leaks and let the machinery of journalism do the rest automatically. Now this is even worse: direct indoctrination from anonymous power.
And why do you think the source was anonymous? They've calculated that the sign of anonymity would given them more clicks and eyeballs. Insider! Access!
The oligarchy is normalizing its abuses again. And the media is in a codependent abusive relationship with it and can't get out.
* h/t George W. Bush
posted by runcifex at 7:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
So the White House baited the NYT with access again, and the NYT again took the bait.
It used to be that the WH would "catapult the propaganda*" by baiting with so-called leaks and let the machinery of journalism do the rest automatically. Now this is even worse: direct indoctrination from anonymous power.
And why do you think the source was anonymous? They've calculated that the sign of anonymity would given them more clicks and eyeballs. Insider! Access!
The oligarchy is normalizing its abuses again. And the media is in a codependent abusive relationship with it and can't get out.
* h/t George W. Bush
posted by runcifex at 7:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Roy Moore sues Sacha Baron Cohen for calling him a pedophile, so there's that problem solved
posted by Artw at 7:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:36 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
BuzzFeed fired up the satire machine: I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the New York Times Opinion Desk: "I work for the Gray Lady, but my loyalty is to the Take."
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
To walk through the turnstiles on Eighth Avenue is to feel the solemn silence, the slow contemplation, the unshakable self-confidence that has always defined great American opinion journalism. And to imbibe a sacred duty to the Take. The Take — the sanctity of an exquisitely mixed Tom Friedman metaphor, which rings like a thunderbolt as it breaks the surface of the bottomless pit.This is also brilliant: "To be clear, ours is not the reflexive Gray Lady hatred that animates the Twitter mobs. We want this newspaper to succeed, and we believe that many of its articles have already improved America and its guacamole."
...
But what our readers must know — what all serious people must know — is that from the inside, we are resisting this dangerous trend in ways big and small. We come in every day and make sure that the vital voices are still heard, and that the energy of new political movements, such as Andrew Cuomo’s inspiring underdog run in the New York governor’s race, are brought to the forefront of the conversation. We promise you that if any of our columnists ever get high, they will freak out and write about it.
This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state. It’s the work of the steady state.
The bigger issue is not what is happening to the world’s most important Opinion page, but rather what is happening to you, the reader, as your mind loses its most vital nourishment. Like the impossibly complicated Italian sandwich that terrified David Brooks’s working-class friend, these pages have always contained a thoughtful mixture of intellectual sopressata, idea capicola, and thought mortadella. Our current leadership wants to replace such a complex delight, as Brooks did, with a common plate of nachos — to concede ground to the masses. We will resist.
Sen. John McCain explained our Opinion pages best in his farewell letter. “We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history,” he wrote — and our support for the liberation of the Iraqi people was indeed one of this page’s finest moments. “We have acquired great wealth and power in the progress,” he wrote, and we are, indeed, rich and powerful.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on September 5, 2018 [28 favorites]
That could be better phrased as "Roy Moore sues Sacha Baron Cohen for enabling Roy Moore to be Roy Moore on television."
posted by delfin at 7:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by delfin at 7:39 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
"The Draft."
"And, understanding that you have been nominated by a president who dodged said draft *checks notes* five times, do you believe the draft is a good thing?"
I have no doubt that Sen. Harris' rejoinder would be more eloquently devastating than mine.
posted by mrgoat at 7:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
"And, understanding that you have been nominated by a president who dodged said draft *checks notes* five times, do you believe the draft is a good thing?"
I have no doubt that Sen. Harris' rejoinder would be more eloquently devastating than mine.
posted by mrgoat at 7:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
A few decades ago the easy answer to that question would have been "The Draft."
That ended in 1973; nearly half a century ago. Not really "a few decades".
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 7:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
That ended in 1973; nearly half a century ago. Not really "a few decades".
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 7:44 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
And Kavanaugh cannot manage to answer the question at all. Highly recommend watching. This hit a nerve.
Yeah, during that exchange he comes off as dishonest and fearful of answering Sen. Harris. He tries to coax her into naming a person at the firm, and that just makes him look more desperate to hide whatever the answer is.
posted by gladly at 7:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
Yeah, during that exchange he comes off as dishonest and fearful of answering Sen. Harris. He tries to coax her into naming a person at the firm, and that just makes him look more desperate to hide whatever the answer is.
posted by gladly at 7:46 PM on September 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
Nation Stunned That There Is Someone in White House Capable of Writing an Editorial (Borowitz)
posted by vverse23 at 7:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 7:49 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
Also Wednesday, again, a federal court will hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, in which a group of Republican attorneys general argue that the repeal of the individual mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional.
I wanted to circle back to this post-hearing: Texas asks a federal judge to block Obamacare nationwide
Even lawyers who have spent the last decade fighting the ACA think this argument is nuts. But the judge is a Bush appointee who is quite hostile to the ACA, and it's all pretty terrifying.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
I wanted to circle back to this post-hearing: Texas asks a federal judge to block Obamacare nationwide
At the hearing Wednesday, Texas aimed to convince U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor to block the law across the country as it continues to fight a months- or years-long legal case that could land before the U.S. Supreme Court.In other words, the Trump administration would like to kill the ACA more slowly than the State of Texas.
Citing rising health care premiums, Texas says such an injunction is necessary to preserve state sovereignty and to relieve the burden on residents forced to purchase expensive insurance coverage. California counters that temporarily blocking or ending the law would cause more harm to the millions of people insured under it, particularly the 133 million people the state says enjoy the law’s protections for pre-existing conditions. The U.S. Department of Justice, which has taken up many of Texas’ positions in the case, nonetheless sided with California, arguing that an immediate injunction would throw the health care system into chaos.
Even lawyers who have spent the last decade fighting the ACA think this argument is nuts. But the judge is a Bush appointee who is quite hostile to the ACA, and it's all pretty terrifying.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Roy Moore sues Sacha Baron Cohen for calling him a pedophile, so there's that problem solved
These people do realize that discovery is a thing, right?
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
These people do realize that discovery is a thing, right?
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:54 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
And Kavanaugh cannot manage to answer the question at all. Highly recommend watching. This hit a nerve.
Yeah, during that exchange he comes off as dishonest and fearful of answering Sen. Harris. He tries to coax her into naming a person at the firm, and that just makes him look more desperate to hide whatever the answer is.
posted by gladly at 7:46 PM on September 5 [+] [!]
He could have just said "Not to my knowledge." That would have covered the instance where he had talked to someone of the firm without knowing she worked there, which he lamely implied was his concern for evading an answer. His entire demeanor became one of a rattled man looking for an escape from a place with no exits. He clearly did not want to lie (he did talk to a lawyer from that firm) and was desperately seeking to not answer the question without saying "I won't answer that," and he was afraid that Harris had some unexpected information about him. I hope she does. I hope it torpedoes him.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
Yeah, during that exchange he comes off as dishonest and fearful of answering Sen. Harris. He tries to coax her into naming a person at the firm, and that just makes him look more desperate to hide whatever the answer is.
posted by gladly at 7:46 PM on September 5 [+] [!]
He could have just said "Not to my knowledge." That would have covered the instance where he had talked to someone of the firm without knowing she worked there, which he lamely implied was his concern for evading an answer. His entire demeanor became one of a rattled man looking for an escape from a place with no exits. He clearly did not want to lie (he did talk to a lawyer from that firm) and was desperately seeking to not answer the question without saying "I won't answer that," and he was afraid that Harris had some unexpected information about him. I hope she does. I hope it torpedoes him.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:00 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
These people do realize that discovery is a thing, right?
Why would a former justice of the Alabama supreme court know about this "law" thing
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Why would a former justice of the Alabama supreme court know about this "law" thing
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Editorials on the idea that Kavanaugh has been groomed since law school to be the perfect Federalist candidate for the Supreme Court. No surprises, no hidden flaws.
You know, except for designing the legal rationale for institutionalized torture along with John Yoo and Jay Bybee that they're covering up. But what's a few hundred thousand emails about torture between Federalists?
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
You know, except for designing the legal rationale for institutionalized torture along with John Yoo and Jay Bybee that they're covering up. But what's a few hundred thousand emails about torture between Federalists?
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I just watched two of the interchanges between Kamala Harris and Kavanaugh. Harris is a total baller and Kavanaugh is a condescending jerk. The pretend confusion about her question concerning laws governing men's bodies made me want to stand up and scream. I love her that she asked it and I'm astonished no one has ever addressed this questions to a SC nominee before.
posted by bluesky43 at 8:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 8:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
This from Chris Hayes @chrislhayes, MSNBC on the NYT opinion piece:
The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse. It's a very public hedge meant to preserve the reputation of the GOP's entire political and governing class.
This is *exactly* what I thought -- it's manipulation for the future and I don't buy that the GOP is trying to do anything other than save their own asses when this mess is concluded (after their inaction has brought the country to its knees).
posted by bluesky43 at 8:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse. It's a very public hedge meant to preserve the reputation of the GOP's entire political and governing class.
This is *exactly* what I thought -- it's manipulation for the future and I don't buy that the GOP is trying to do anything other than save their own asses when this mess is concluded (after their inaction has brought the country to its knees).
posted by bluesky43 at 8:10 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrumpfor National Security purposes,
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
for National Security purposes,
for National Security purposes,
brb, changing my underwear because that's pants crappingly terrifying.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 8:16 PM on September 5, 2018 [41 favorites]
Am I missing something? Is there anything at all illegal about the anonymous op-ed?
posted by reductiondesign at 8:21 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by reductiondesign at 8:21 PM on September 5, 2018
Surely an admitted secret cabal inside a corrupt and illegitimate administration trying unsuccessfully to control a president who just so happens to be a complete madman qualifies as a national security issue.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:22 PM on September 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
I mean, I don't feel particularly secure.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:23 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
"National security purposes" is the government's open sesame for the courts.
To hear the president using it in terms of a private dispute? It's something you'd say if your plan is to send the fucker responsible to a CIA black site to have their nuts shocked with a golf cart battery.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 8:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
To hear the president using it in terms of a private dispute? It's something you'd say if your plan is to send the fucker responsible to a CIA black site to have their nuts shocked with a golf cart battery.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 8:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Dave Aitel's little tool is from around that time, not sure if still available? it was on the immunityinc website once upon a time.
unmask1.0.tar.gz
posted by scalefree at 8:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
unmask1.0.tar.gz
posted by scalefree at 8:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
> Wait, what? This reads more like “Make threat! Use serious-sounding phrases!” Genuine question: how is this (additionally) terrifying?
The man making threats and using serious-sounding phrases routinely sicced his supporters on members of the press (who he corralled in pens like so many farm animals) during the campaign. He now controls the apparatus of the state, and is using the guise of "national security" to intimidate a news outlet. Is the picture getting any clearer now?
posted by tonycpsu at 8:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
The man making threats and using serious-sounding phrases routinely sicced his supporters on members of the press (who he corralled in pens like so many farm animals) during the campaign. He now controls the apparatus of the state, and is using the guise of "national security" to intimidate a news outlet. Is the picture getting any clearer now?
posted by tonycpsu at 8:34 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'm just hoping that whoever it was to pushed Kavanaugh's name to the top of the list is the one behind this op-ed and that they get outed pronto.
Would it be too much to ask in this time line that a face saving op-ed undercuts what should be a GOP triumph at the last possible second?
posted by Slackermagee at 8:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Would it be too much to ask in this time line that a face saving op-ed undercuts what should be a GOP triumph at the last possible second?
posted by Slackermagee at 8:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Surely an admitted secret cabal inside a corrupt and illegitimate administration trying unsuccessfully to control a president who just so happens to be a complete madman qualifies as a national security issue.
A couple thousand years from now, I, Barron is going to make a helluva miniseries.
posted by condour75 at 8:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
A couple thousand years from now, I, Barron is going to make a helluva miniseries.
posted by condour75 at 8:47 PM on September 5, 2018 [39 favorites]
So, convince this leftist in MA not to vote for Baker.
I know the thread has moved on way past this. And I know that he was never exactly the most memorable dude, and that this stuff all feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far away at this point. But do you remember, way back when in that more innocent time, there was a guy named Mitt Romney? Binders full of women? Ran against Obamacare? 70th Governor of Massachusetts? Yeah, this line of thought you're thinking about Baker, that is how you get your Mitt Romneys.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I know the thread has moved on way past this. And I know that he was never exactly the most memorable dude, and that this stuff all feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far away at this point. But do you remember, way back when in that more innocent time, there was a guy named Mitt Romney? Binders full of women? Ran against Obamacare? 70th Governor of Massachusetts? Yeah, this line of thought you're thinking about Baker, that is how you get your Mitt Romneys.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Chris Hayes: The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse. It's a very public hedge meant to preserve the reputation of the GOP's entire political and governing class.
Yeah, this is such a transparent attempt to get an early start on the ass-covering that I'm fully anticipating an "I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" black comedy moment when half a dozen people all claim to be the writer of the op-ed.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Yeah, this is such a transparent attempt to get an early start on the ass-covering that I'm fully anticipating an "I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" black comedy moment when half a dozen people all claim to be the writer of the op-ed.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
If the real one outs themselves, the Times will cheerfully confirm it, I expect.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 8:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I can't settle on a worst aspect of the op-ed, but high up on the list is how Trump will now be so paranoid about his secret handlers and in such a narcissistic rage about being handled that nobody will be able to stop whatever he does to lash out to prove he's in control.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 8:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
He now controls the apparatus of the state, and is using the guise of "national security" to intimidate a news outlet. Is the picture getting any clearer now?
He's lashing out but there's no willpower behind it. Even at his most agitated it's an empty threat, a bluff. It should be incredibly scary, with anyone else who's ever held or likely will hold the office it would be. But Trump? This is not a thing he could ever execute on; it just isn't in him.
posted by scalefree at 8:59 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
He's lashing out but there's no willpower behind it. Even at his most agitated it's an empty threat, a bluff. It should be incredibly scary, with anyone else who's ever held or likely will hold the office it would be. But Trump? This is not a thing he could ever execute on; it just isn't in him.
posted by scalefree at 8:59 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
is *anonymous* serious? prove it. start subtly repositioning the furniture by an inch, slightly angling the artwork, moving the diet coke...
posted by j_curiouser at 9:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 9:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Am I missing something? Is there anything at all illegal about the anonymous op-ed?
It's an open admission that a cabal at the highest level of government has been acting in concert to subvert the will of the president.
The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse.
Probably, but I don't doubt it's main point is true as well. Trump is mentally unfit to be president. He is crazy, unpredictable, dangerous, is beholden to deeply un-Democratic and un-American ideals, and must be resisted by any means, including legally treasonable ones.
posted by xammerboy at 9:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's an open admission that a cabal at the highest level of government has been acting in concert to subvert the will of the president.
The op-ed is an attempt to take out an insurance policy for the GOP and conservatism if and when things get much much worse.
Probably, but I don't doubt it's main point is true as well. Trump is mentally unfit to be president. He is crazy, unpredictable, dangerous, is beholden to deeply un-Democratic and un-American ideals, and must be resisted by any means, including legally treasonable ones.
posted by xammerboy at 9:06 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I was already a fan of Kamala Harris but these clips from the hearing have turned me from fan to "I Can't Even"-level Fan.
And yeah, there's no way Kavanaugh doesn't know exactly who she's asking about. The only real question is how many lawyers from that firm does he damn well know he talked to. You're at a hearing as a nominee for the Supreme Court, you're asked a question like that, and you just plain can't remember who might work at that firm? Bullshit. The brain goes straight to an answer like that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
And yeah, there's no way Kavanaugh doesn't know exactly who she's asking about. The only real question is how many lawyers from that firm does he damn well know he talked to. You're at a hearing as a nominee for the Supreme Court, you're asked a question like that, and you just plain can't remember who might work at that firm? Bullshit. The brain goes straight to an answer like that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:07 PM on September 5, 2018 [37 favorites]
If anybody wants to take a crack at a technological path to unmasking the author, here's several more options for you. I make no warranties as to fitness or usability; you're on your own.
Online Authorship Attribution Tool (web app)
Testing Authorship Attribution with Signature (Windows)
stylo: Stylometric Analyses (R package)
StyleTool: A simple, open source, word frequency based stylometry tool (Ruby/TK)
JGAAP: The Java Graphical Authorship Attribution Program (Java)
posted by scalefree at 9:27 PM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
Online Authorship Attribution Tool (web app)
Testing Authorship Attribution with Signature (Windows)
stylo: Stylometric Analyses (R package)
StyleTool: A simple, open source, word frequency based stylometry tool (Ruby/TK)
JGAAP: The Java Graphical Authorship Attribution Program (Java)
posted by scalefree at 9:27 PM on September 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
I just watched the Kamala Harris video and, yeah. If you did not do the wrong thing (ie. you did not counsel the legal team on an investigation your new job will have you judging), then it's easy to quickly and confidently answer the question: "I mean of course I've discussed the investigation with people, we all have, and since I don't know everyone who works at the firm it may have casually come up in a conversation without me being aware of who I was talking with. But if you're asking if I counselled or advised the legal team on the topic, absolutely not. I would never do something like that, it would be deeply unethical given the job I'm being nominated to do"
I mean, I don't think this is hard to come out with if you're innocent.
But wow that is not what he does. I kept being reminded of how children act when caught in an obvious lie.
posted by antinomia at 9:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [78 favorites]
I mean, I don't think this is hard to come out with if you're innocent.
But wow that is not what he does. I kept being reminded of how children act when caught in an obvious lie.
posted by antinomia at 9:28 PM on September 5, 2018 [78 favorites]
> children act when caught in an obvious lie.
A reminder that these aren't nefarious masterminds, but greedy assholes who couldn't possibly anticipate being asked just a basic question if they had any relation to lawyers of a sitting President currently being investigated.
Jesus, I remember when failing to pay social security for your nanny was enough to require you to step aside from nomination. (Not to mention that having to pay for childcare so you can pursue one's legal career is almost always something a man never has to worry about).
posted by mrzarquon at 9:37 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
A reminder that these aren't nefarious masterminds, but greedy assholes who couldn't possibly anticipate being asked just a basic question if they had any relation to lawyers of a sitting President currently being investigated.
Jesus, I remember when failing to pay social security for your nanny was enough to require you to step aside from nomination. (Not to mention that having to pay for childcare so you can pursue one's legal career is almost always something a man never has to worry about).
posted by mrzarquon at 9:37 PM on September 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
** 2018 House:
Tomorrow, primary elections in Delaware. Main attraction here is there's at least a slim chance Dem Senator Carper, who's pretty centrist, gets primaried from his left. A few other state races previewed here.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
** 2018 Senate:
-- IN: Marist poll has incumbent Dem Donnelly up 49-43 on GOPer Braun [MOE: +/- 5%]. Due to restrictive state laws, Indiana polling is pretty rare, so we probably won't see too many more here.
-- FL: Quinnipiac poll has Dem incumbent Nelson tied 49-49 with GOPer Scott [MOE: +/- 4.3%].
** 2018 House:
-- VA-02: A judge has kicked the independent splitter candidate Brown backed by the Taylor re-election campaign off of the ballot, in the wake of the fake signature scandal. Brown is African-American and a past Dem candidate, so posed a serious threat to siphon off votes from Dem candidate Luria. A special prosecutor is continuing to investigate; it's unclear whether Taylor authorized the forgeries (he was aware of the Brown effort in general). | [Trump 49-45 | Cook: Lean R]** Odds & ends:
-- CA-50: Rep Hunter's campaign finance scandal gets juicier as the indictment reveals at least five affairs he was conducting with stolen money. | [Trump 55-40 | Cook: Lean R]
-- MA-03: Dem nominee to fill the seat of retiring Rep Tsongas is still up in the air, as a 52 vote margin separates the top two vote-getters. Provisionals are still being counted. | [Clinton 58-35 | Cook: Solid D]
-- MA-07: Media immediately compared Ayanna Pressley’s upset win here to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's, but there are some major differences.
-- UT-04: Mellman Group poll has GOP incumbent Love up 46-44 on Dem McAdams [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. The poll was commissioned by the McAdams campaign. Notably, McAdams still has pretty low name rep, suggesting he has room to grow yet. | [Trump 39-32 | Cook: Lean R]
-- NC-02: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll has Dem Coleman up 45-44 on GOP incumbent Holding [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. The poll was commissioned by the Coleman campaign. | [Trump 53-44 | Cook: Lean R]
-- SC-01: PPP poll has GOPer Arrington up 49-42 on Dem Cunningham [MOE: +/- 3.9%]. Poll was commissioned by End Citizens United PAC. | [Trump 54-40 | Cook: Lean R]
-- Enten: Trump deterioration in approval looks like it might be real, and if so, could seriously impact on midterm results.
-- AZ-gov: PPP poll has GOP incumbent Ducey up 44-43 on Dem Garcia [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Garcia campaign.===
-- GOP parliamentary chicanery in the Michigan legislature will keep initiatives to raise the minimum wage and mandate paid sick leave off of the ballot (although the maneuver may be illegal, so litigation is possible). Dems have a good chance of taking back at least the MI House, which would end up making these changes law anyway.
Tomorrow, primary elections in Delaware. Main attraction here is there's at least a slim chance Dem Senator Carper, who's pretty centrist, gets primaried from his left. A few other state races previewed here.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [25 favorites]
As a Brit, I'm somewhat reminded of the resignation speech of Norman Lamont (he of the eyebrows and later career on Mopatop's Shop) insofar as the anonymous writer effectively frames Trump as "being in office but not in power". Took it at face value initially so appreciate reading other people's takes that it functions equally as a way of propping up the nose-holding Republican vote.
kirkaracha quotes SHS above as saying:
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 9:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
kirkaracha quotes SHS above as saying:
"The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States. He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people. This coward should do the right thing and resign. " [emphasis mine]Dunno if it's actually her obviously, but that has to be the clumsiest, most transparent attempt at a "Not me, Guv!" I've seen in a while.
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 9:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
So ICE is trying to get voter records from 44 counties in NC in order to deny those people voting rights? Am I understanding that correctly?
posted by gucci mane at 9:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 9:50 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Made my heart skip a beat, but MA-03 is rated solid D, no?
posted by shenderson at 9:54 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by shenderson at 9:54 PM on September 5, 2018
Goddammit. Yes, Solid D.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:56 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Fixed MA-03, you're welcome Middlesex County!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
-- FL: Quinnipiac poll has Dem incumbent Nelson tied 49-49 with GOPer Scott [MOE: +/- 4.3%].
Mother of God. The last D statewide elected official in Florida has decided to just sit there farting dust until he loses. Mindblowing, catastrophic incompetence; all these older-than-penicillin Democrats need to be primaried out yesterday.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Mother of God. The last D statewide elected official in Florida has decided to just sit there farting dust until he loses. Mindblowing, catastrophic incompetence; all these older-than-penicillin Democrats need to be primaried out yesterday.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
So ICE is trying to get voter records from 44 counties in NC in order to deny those people voting rights? Am I understanding that correctly?
They're not saying but it makes sense that they're looking for non-citizens to arrest & deport & also hoping to depress the minority vote through fear.
posted by scalefree at 10:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
They're not saying but it makes sense that they're looking for non-citizens to arrest & deport & also hoping to depress the minority vote through fear.
posted by scalefree at 10:01 PM on September 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
And yeah, there's no way Kavanaugh doesn't know exactly who she's asking about.
Prosecutors don't ask a question unless they already know the answer.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Prosecutors don't ask a question unless they already know the answer.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:15 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Rafael "Ted" Cruz, who was born in Canada, wants to deport fourth-generation American Robert "Beto" O'Rourke to ... Ireland.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:25 PM on September 5, 2018 [19 favorites]
Speaking of Beto, here's a Rolling Stone piece on his punk rock band, Foss (fast fact: means "waterfall" in Icelandic). Beto O’Rourke Shares the Story of His Old Band, Foss — and a Single.
posted by scalefree at 10:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:48 PM on September 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
At this point just accept that all you have to do is actually outlive Trump by a couple of years to know who it was
I dunno. Between Nixon’s funeral and the reveal of Deep Throat was 11 years.
Side note: I corrected my initial typo of “Derp Throat,” which somehow seems appropriate for Stupid Watergate.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
I dunno. Between Nixon’s funeral and the reveal of Deep Throat was 11 years.
Side note: I corrected my initial typo of “Derp Throat,” which somehow seems appropriate for Stupid Watergate.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:11 PM on September 5, 2018 [31 favorites]
Q2 didn't even include a tripcode in their post, I don't think we'll ever know their identity for sure.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 11:18 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 11:18 PM on September 5, 2018
There is value in having a cabinet member admit things are not normal.
posted by jaduncan at 12:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 12:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
[W]hat's a few hundred thousand emails about torture between Federalists?
20 to life, SAIT.
posted by riverlife at 12:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
20 to life, SAIT.
posted by riverlife at 12:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
AZ-gov: PPP poll has GOP incumbent Ducey up 44-43 on Dem Garcia [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Garcia campaign.
Wow, that's closer than I dared hope.
Since Ducey's state Supreme Court buddies just kicked the Invest in Ed measure off the ballot, and teachers are mad as hell. Garcia won the nomination largely because he's so strong on education; it's probably the number one driving issue this election. Fingers crossed those shenanigans are enough to sink Ducey (who will probably run for McCain's seat on the next go-round, anyway) and get Garcia into office.
Either way, we need to work hard to get Katie Hobbs elected Secretary of State. In Arizona, the SoS is the next in the succession line to the governor, and it's how we ended up with Jan "Stabby Fingers" Brewer when Janet Napoletano was tapped for DHS. We need a safety in place for when Dougie drops out to pursue his dreams of going to Washington.
posted by Superplin at 12:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Wow, that's closer than I dared hope.
Since Ducey's state Supreme Court buddies just kicked the Invest in Ed measure off the ballot, and teachers are mad as hell. Garcia won the nomination largely because he's so strong on education; it's probably the number one driving issue this election. Fingers crossed those shenanigans are enough to sink Ducey (who will probably run for McCain's seat on the next go-round, anyway) and get Garcia into office.
Either way, we need to work hard to get Katie Hobbs elected Secretary of State. In Arizona, the SoS is the next in the succession line to the governor, and it's how we ended up with Jan "Stabby Fingers" Brewer when Janet Napoletano was tapped for DHS. We need a safety in place for when Dougie drops out to pursue his dreams of going to Washington.
posted by Superplin at 12:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
This ICE an voting records subpoena shit an attack on our democracy. It's not just aimed at suppressing individual voters, but fucking with all the county boards of elections targeted in eastern North Carolina. It seems that it will be a huge administrative burden on them to comply with the extent of the records requested by the September 25th deadline. What can be done to stop this?
posted by Mister Cheese at 12:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Mister Cheese at 12:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
GOP may bail on Trump now because they got what they wanted, $1.5T tax cut and the Supreme Court.
Now it’s time for face saving and ‘moving on’.
posted by growabrain at 12:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Now it’s time for face saving and ‘moving on’.
posted by growabrain at 12:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Is the fact the former Justice Kennedy's son was Trump's personal banker and may have been a backchannel in getting Kennedy to resign in any way relevant to Kavanaugh's hearing?
posted by PenDevil at 1:30 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 1:30 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
There are like 400 comments about the op-ed and only 1 about Comey and Mueller kissing. Where are our priorities, MeFi?
posted by Literaryhero at 1:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 1:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
I just watched Harris grilling Kavanaugh. She is incredible and I guess I'm finally coming around to being happy to have voted for her (even if she's yet another prosecutor). I hope President Harris follows up on this thread tomorrow. Did I say President Harris? Hah hah. I meant Senator, of course. Senator Harris.
posted by Justinian at 1:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Isn’t Hunter’s excuse for this whole campaign finance scandal thing, “My wife spends all the money!” So... did she pay for the five affairs as well?
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:01 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:01 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
So this NYT Op-Ed basically lays bare the existence of an unelected, unaccountable cabal that is running a branch of the American government in place of an unstable President?
The shallow state
posted by dng at 3:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
The shallow state
posted by dng at 3:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Beto O'Rourke campaign says impostor sent text to voters seeking rides to polls for 'undocumented immigrants'
First “send him back to Ireland” now this. And it’s only the first week of September.
Ted Cruz is not going without a fight.
posted by notyou at 3:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
First “send him back to Ireland” now this. And it’s only the first week of September.
Ted Cruz is not going without a fight.
posted by notyou at 3:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
This morning @realDonaldTrump is displaying classic bunker mentality signs, tweeting "I’m draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back. Don’t worry, we will win!" and "Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims “unwavering faith in President Trump.” Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!"
This is why we have the batshitinsane tag. The only place left for him to go is Downfall memes.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:18 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
This is why we have the batshitinsane tag. The only place left for him to go is Downfall memes.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:18 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims “unwavering faith in President Trump.” Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!"
Way to disprove the OpEd...
Way to disprove the OpEd...
"Trump shows a preference for autocrats and dictators, such as President Vladimir Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and displays little genuine appreciation for the ties that bind us to allied, like-minded nations."posted by chris24 at 4:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Completely normal when the vice president has to put out a statement saying he's not leading a soft coup against the president. And telling about the Administration's honesty that I don't think it is Pence, but the statement actually makes me suspect him more.
Jarrod Agen (@VPComDir)
The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.
posted by chris24 at 4:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Jarrod Agen (@VPComDir)
The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.
posted by chris24 at 4:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Axios: Exclusive: Trump's Nightmare: "The Snakes Are Everywhere"
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [36 favorites]
President Trump is not just seething about Bob Woodward. He’s deeply suspicious of much of the government he oversees — from the hordes of folks inside agencies, right up to some of the senior-most political appointees and even some handpicked aides inside his own White House, officials tell Axios.[...]Also, McSweeney's I AM PART OF THE RESISTANCE INSIDE NYARLATHOTEP’S DEATH CULT
"I find the reaction to the NYT op-ed fascinating — that people seem so shocked that there is a resistance from the inside," one senior official said. "A lot of us [were] wishing we’d been the writer, I suspect ... I hope he [Trump] knows — maybe he does? — that there are dozens and dozens of us."
Several senior White House officials have described their roles to us as saving America and the world from this president. A good number of current White House officials have privately admitted to us they consider Trump unstable, and at times dangerously slow. But the really deep concern and contempt, from our experience, has been at the agencies — and particularly in the foreign policy arena.
For some time last year, Trump even carried with him a handwritten list of people suspected to be leakers undermining his agenda. "He would basically be like, 'We’ve gotta get rid of them. The snakes are everywhere but we’re getting rid of them,'" said a source close to Trump.
Officials describe an increasingly conspiracy-minded president: "When he was super frustrated about the leaks, he would rail about the 'snakes' in the White House," said a source who has discussed administration leakers with the president. "Especially early on, when we would be in Roosevelt Room meetings, he would sit down at the table, and get to talking, then turn around to see who was sitting along the walls behind him. One day, after one of those meetings, he said, 'Everything that just happened is going to leak. I don’t know any of those people in the room.' ... He was very paranoid about this."[...]
"People talk about the loyalists leaving," the source close to Trump tells us. "What it really means is [that there'll be] fewer and fewer people who Trump knows who they really are. So imagine how paranoid you must be if that is your view of the world."
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [36 favorites]
Andrew Paul, McSweeney's: I Am Part of the Resistance Inside Nyarlathotep's Death Cult
The root of this problem, we believe, is in Nyarlathotep’s very essence. It is a being incapable of viewing Its servants as anything other than playground toys or troublesome fleas. Many may argue that we should have known this to be the case for the Stalker Among the Stars. And that might well prove true, to a point. We summoned the God of a Thousand Forms assuming the weight of responsibility would rein It in slightly, remind It to adhere to the Necronomicon’s nightmare prophesies first and foremost. If it was foolish to assume the Outer God would care so little about this dimension that it wouldn’t even acknowledge the Tome’s existence, well, call us fools. We still believe utter ruin can be brought to the land through the proper rituals and unhallowed traditions, not by this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-tentacles kind of governing.posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:06 AM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
there are dozens and dozens of us."
Great to know there are lots of craven pieces of shit selling out our country to enable and collaborate with a manifest threat to democracy and the world for some tax cuts.
And they think this is exculpatory. Which tells you how fucking awful they are.
posted by chris24 at 5:09 AM on September 6, 2018 [57 favorites]
Great to know there are lots of craven pieces of shit selling out our country to enable and collaborate with a manifest threat to democracy and the world for some tax cuts.
And they think this is exculpatory. Which tells you how fucking awful they are.
posted by chris24 at 5:09 AM on September 6, 2018 [57 favorites]
The democratic crisis described by Bob Woodward and the anonymous New York Times op-ed (Aaron Blake | WaPo)
[On “avoiding” a constitutional crisis:] The cat appears to be very much out of the bag on that one. The idea that we are in a constitutional crisis is overwrought — and has been for quite some time — but the rest of the op-ed and some anecdotes from Bob Woodward's new book portray what could very justifiably be described as a democratic crisis.posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
The NYT op-ed author says “many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [Trump's] agenda and his worst inclinations.” They add that departments and agencies are “working to insulate their operations from his whims.” They say some “heroes” in the White House “have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing."
This, either by happenstance or because there is a building sense of desperation and/or mutiny, sounds a lot like what Woodward describes some senior officials doing in his book, portions of which broke Tuesday.
... Most of the country that opposes Trump may cheer that because they dislike Trump, and the officials may justify it to themselves and their like-minded fellow officials by pointing to the potentially calamitous alternative. But in this official's telling, these officials are essentially trading one type of crisis for another — or perhaps somehow convincing themselves that a president's own aides and advisers forming a “resistance” isn't a crisis.
It seems the same thing that convincing them to remain anonymous is convincing them that this crisis isn't as bad as that crisis: Raw, ambitious hope. If they were truly that worried, you'd have to think they would be so alarmed that they'd come out publicly about what's happening. Instead, they seem to want to protect themselves and hope everything turns out okay. They think it best to muddle through with a democratic crisis that could turn into an American crisis, while shunning the constitutional option that was put in place, it seems, for just such a circumstance.
But if things are truly as bad as they say they are, that's quite the gamble.
So this NYT Op-Ed basically lays bare the existence of an unelected, unaccountable cabal that is running a branch of the American government in place of an unstable President?
And this differs from Reagan's second term, and possibly most of his first how again?
posted by delfin at 5:43 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
And this differs from Reagan's second term, and possibly most of his first how again?
posted by delfin at 5:43 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
...building sense of desperation and/or mutiny...”
Trump’s greatest sin in this presidency will be that of barratry. His inability to steer the ship of state, and his downright contempt for the rule of law will ultimately be his undoing. In Dante the barrators (the “barratieri”) reside in the bolge of Fraud, so Trump’s other sins fit right in.
posted by Roger_Mexico at 5:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump’s greatest sin in this presidency will be that of barratry. His inability to steer the ship of state, and his downright contempt for the rule of law will ultimately be his undoing. In Dante the barrators (the “barratieri”) reside in the bolge of Fraud, so Trump’s other sins fit right in.
posted by Roger_Mexico at 5:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
WSJ: White House Searches for Anonymous Inside Critic—Aides chase rumors of who could have written opinion piece on alleged effort within administration to thwart Trump’s impulses "Inside the West Wing, top officials canceled afternoon meetings and huddled behind closed doors to strategize about how to expose the author, White House officials said. Some officials called reporters to chase down rumors about who was behind the op-ed, and whether it came from inside the White House or a cabinet-level agency."
NYT: Pence and Pompeo Deny Writing Op-Ed Critical of the Trump Administration "'It is not mine,' Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said of the Op-Ed published on Wednesday in The New York Times. [...] Traveling in India, Mr. Pompeo said if he felt he was not able to 'execute the commander’s intent,' he would resign. 'And this person instead, according to The New York Times, chose not only to stay, but to undermine what President Trump and this administration are trying to do,' he said. 'I have to tell you, I find the media’s efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing.'"
Perfectly normal state of affairs in the middle of a Supreme Court approval process, critical trade negotiations, mid-term election campaigns, etc.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
NYT: Pence and Pompeo Deny Writing Op-Ed Critical of the Trump Administration "'It is not mine,' Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said of the Op-Ed published on Wednesday in The New York Times. [...] Traveling in India, Mr. Pompeo said if he felt he was not able to 'execute the commander’s intent,' he would resign. 'And this person instead, according to The New York Times, chose not only to stay, but to undermine what President Trump and this administration are trying to do,' he said. 'I have to tell you, I find the media’s efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing.'"
Perfectly normal state of affairs in the middle of a Supreme Court approval process, critical trade negotiations, mid-term election campaigns, etc.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
This op-ed filled me with rage in a way that nothing else has lately. I despise Trump, but I despise this person more.
Yes, this. I'm waiting for the computational linguists to do their thing and out this jerk (JKRowling = Robert Galbraith - this is not an endorsement of what happened to JkRowling, who I adore for a million reasons, just an example of the bag of tricks linguists have that could be brought to bear here).
posted by bluesky43 at 5:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Yes, this. I'm waiting for the computational linguists to do their thing and out this jerk (JKRowling = Robert Galbraith - this is not an endorsement of what happened to JkRowling, who I adore for a million reasons, just an example of the bag of tricks linguists have that could be brought to bear here).
posted by bluesky43 at 5:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
'I have to tell you, I find the media’s efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing.'
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Pompeo, who manages to blame this whole thing on the fucking media.
posted by lydhre at 5:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Pompeo, who manages to blame this whole thing on the fucking media.
posted by lydhre at 5:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
NYT: Pence and Pompeo Deny Writing Op-Ed Critical of the Trump Administration "'It is not mine,' Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said of the Op-Ed published on Wednesday in The New York Times.
and despite my rage I find it hilarious that the vice-president and the freakin secretary of state have to deny authorship (lodestone....).
posted by bluesky43 at 5:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
and despite my rage I find it hilarious that the vice-president and the freakin secretary of state have to deny authorship (lodestone....).
posted by bluesky43 at 5:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump’s greatest sin in this presidency will be that of barratry.
While I don't think it is necessarily a productive use of time to try and rank the sins of the Trump presidency, I gotta think that fatal baby jails and Puerto Rico would rate higher than that vocab word I just looked up.
posted by lazaruslong at 5:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
While I don't think it is necessarily a productive use of time to try and rank the sins of the Trump presidency, I gotta think that fatal baby jails and Puerto Rico would rate higher than that vocab word I just looked up.
posted by lazaruslong at 5:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
A few decades ago the easy answer to that question would have been "The Draft."
That ended in 1973; nearly half a century ago. Not really "a few decades".
Registration for the Selective Service is still mandatory for male citizens. There are fines for failure to register, but the real coercion comes from its ties to the student loan system.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
That ended in 1973; nearly half a century ago. Not really "a few decades".
Registration for the Selective Service is still mandatory for male citizens. There are fines for failure to register, but the real coercion comes from its ties to the student loan system.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
barratry = fraud or gross negligence of a ship’s master or crew at the expense of its owners or users.
bolge = [from It. “bolgia”] pit or ditch.
Checks out.
(New words. Thanks!)
posted by notyou at 6:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
bolge = [from It. “bolgia”] pit or ditch.
Checks out.
(New words. Thanks!)
posted by notyou at 6:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
And this differs from Reagan's second term, and possibly most of his first how again?
Despite possibly being mentally incapacitated, Reagan never said the quiet part out loud.
posted by Glibpaxman at 6:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Despite possibly being mentally incapacitated, Reagan never said the quiet part out loud.
posted by Glibpaxman at 6:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
WSJ: White House Searches for Anonymous Inside Critic—Aides chase rumors of who could have written opinion piece on alleged effort within administration to thwart Trump’s impulses
"I'm in charge of finding myself, and I make sure it never happens."
--[crazy methos fangirl]
posted by invincible summer at 6:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
"I'm in charge of finding myself, and I make sure it never happens."
--[crazy methos fangirl]
posted by invincible summer at 6:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Doktor Zed: "When he was super frustrated about the leaks, he would rail about the 'snakes' in the White House,"
Seems fair to say that he's had it with these motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking White House.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
Seems fair to say that he's had it with these motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking White House.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
I'm not trying to be a party pooper, and I'm 100% down with Harris and all the other Democrats making Kavanaugh look bad, but I'm asking seriously: is there anything we can really do?
Kavanaugh is going to be confirmed, every single Republican Senator will vote aye, and I'm personally betting at least one and possibly several DINO's will vote aye as well (Manchin has previously said he's open to Kavanaugh and he's criticized any effort to delay the hearings or confirmation vote).
I'm hoping some of this helps us drive Democratic voters to the polls in November, and if it does than that's certainly a positive.
But do we have any chance at all of actually fixing this or dumping Kavanaugh at some point in the future?
Assume he has committed straight up perjury that will at some point after his confirmation be trivially provable. Audio of him bragging about how he talked with Trump's personal lawyers about the best way to defy Mueller maybe, or something equally damning. Is there any chance at all that we can use that to get rid of him?
Impeachment only requires a simple House majority, which we might have every now and then, but removal from office requires 67 votes in the Senate which we not only do not have now but will never have; after 2026 we're pretty much guaranteed never to have even 51 votes in the Senate for the foreseeable future. And I don't see any Republicans ever voting to remove a Republican Justice from the Court for any reason up to and including murder and cannibalism.
Is the only benefit to the masterful attacks on inevitable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh really just a hope for a bump in our turnout in November? Or is there some hope for more that I'm missing?
posted by sotonohito at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Kavanaugh is going to be confirmed, every single Republican Senator will vote aye, and I'm personally betting at least one and possibly several DINO's will vote aye as well (Manchin has previously said he's open to Kavanaugh and he's criticized any effort to delay the hearings or confirmation vote).
I'm hoping some of this helps us drive Democratic voters to the polls in November, and if it does than that's certainly a positive.
But do we have any chance at all of actually fixing this or dumping Kavanaugh at some point in the future?
Assume he has committed straight up perjury that will at some point after his confirmation be trivially provable. Audio of him bragging about how he talked with Trump's personal lawyers about the best way to defy Mueller maybe, or something equally damning. Is there any chance at all that we can use that to get rid of him?
Impeachment only requires a simple House majority, which we might have every now and then, but removal from office requires 67 votes in the Senate which we not only do not have now but will never have; after 2026 we're pretty much guaranteed never to have even 51 votes in the Senate for the foreseeable future. And I don't see any Republicans ever voting to remove a Republican Justice from the Court for any reason up to and including murder and cannibalism.
Is the only benefit to the masterful attacks on inevitable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh really just a hope for a bump in our turnout in November? Or is there some hope for more that I'm missing?
posted by sotonohito at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Despite possibly being mentally incapacitated, Reagan never said the quiet part out loud.
Oh, Ronnie was pretty loudly quiet throughout his entire racist career.
posted by Harry Caul at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh, Ronnie was pretty loudly quiet throughout his entire racist career.
posted by Harry Caul at 6:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
"When he was super frustrated about the leaks, he would rail about the 'snakes' in the White House,"
If he hates snakes so much maybe we can reclaim the Gadsdsen flag. I didn't realize that the rattlesnake was so admired as an early American symbol:
If he hates snakes so much maybe we can reclaim the Gadsdsen flag. I didn't realize that the rattlesnake was so admired as an early American symbol:
I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of stepping on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?posted by mikepop at 6:08 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
- Benjamin Franklin
I used to have hope that Trump might just ragequit, because he's a feckless attention-seeker and why stay in a job that requires him to actually (at least appear to) work?
But that was before I understood that he was up to his eyeballs in obligations to Russia and might not be able to quit because then all his bills come due.
And now I assume that the Republicans are split between those with the same problem and those who are just flat-out high on their authoritarian crazy dreams (though the two can overlap).
I don't know where we go from here.
posted by emjaybee at 6:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
But that was before I understood that he was up to his eyeballs in obligations to Russia and might not be able to quit because then all his bills come due.
And now I assume that the Republicans are split between those with the same problem and those who are just flat-out high on their authoritarian crazy dreams (though the two can overlap).
I don't know where we go from here.
posted by emjaybee at 6:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
“Hell of Dumb” would be a good title for the 12-season, 300-episode Netflix series that eventually results from the smoking ruins of this administration.
Or to stay on brand, "The Clown".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Or to stay on brand, "The Clown".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Is the only benefit to the masterful attacks on inevitable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh really just a hope for a bump in our turnout in November?
Maybe peripheral to this is that acting on behalf of the American people, and being on the right side of history, have merit in themselves. I want people elected to represent me to fight for what's right even if there's a zero percent chance of success, because that's what they're supposed to do.
posted by Rykey at 6:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
Maybe peripheral to this is that acting on behalf of the American people, and being on the right side of history, have merit in themselves. I want people elected to represent me to fight for what's right even if there's a zero percent chance of success, because that's what they're supposed to do.
posted by Rykey at 6:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
And this differs from Reagan's second term, and possibly most of his first how again?
reagan had better hair
posted by entropicamericana at 6:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
reagan had better hair
posted by entropicamericana at 6:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Breaking:
Trump administration to circumvent court limits on detention of child migrants (WaPo)
Trump administration to circumvent court limits on detention of child migrants (WaPo)
The Trump administration said Thursday it is preparing to circumvent limits on the government’s ability to hold minors in immigration jails by withdrawing from the Flores Settlement Agreement, the federal consent decree that has shaped detention standards for underage migrants since 1997.posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [51 favorites]
The maneuver is almost certain to land the administration back in court, where U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee, who oversees the agreement, has rejected attempts to extend the amount of time migrant children can be held with their parents beyond the current limit of 20 days.
But under changes proposed Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, the administration said it would issue new regulations that “satisfy the basic purpose” of the Flores settlement and ensure migrant children “are treated with dignity, respect and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors.”
... In August, the mother of a Guatemalan toddler filed a claim alleging the little girl died in May as a result of negligent medical care while detained with hundreds of other families in Texas.
“The Trump administration is seeking to expand its power to jail families for longer in worse conditions and lock up children indefinitely in unlicensed and inhumane facilities," said Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, in a news conference last month.
"We're talking about an administration that intentionally and forcibly separated children from their parents knowing the torment and trauma that that would cause and we're now allowing them to set a new standard ... of care for immigrant children."
In Dante the barrators (the “barratieri”) reside in the bolge of Fraud, so Trump’s other sins fit right in.
You could make a case for the False Counselors, or Sowers of Discord, too. Minos is gonna have a tough time. Or maybe the False Counselors are where the Cabinet goes.
posted by thelonius at 6:17 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
You could make a case for the False Counselors, or Sowers of Discord, too. Minos is gonna have a tough time. Or maybe the False Counselors are where the Cabinet goes.
posted by thelonius at 6:17 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Apparently the (Trumpist) Republican nominee in the Florida governor's race has picked a Lt. Gov who said some especially #nevertrump-y things during the 2016 primaries (which she is totally backpedaling on now, all hail god-emperor Trump, etc etc)
I really wish the Democrats would play dirty more often. Republicans are great at driving wedges in the Democratic electorate, but the Democrats rarely return the favor. The Trumpists are the core of the Republican electorate, and they view any slight against their messiah as immediately disqualifying. So what's stopping the Democrats from engaging in information warfare against the Trumpists? What's stopping the Democrats from relentlessly reminding the Trumpists in Florida, via targeted Facebook ads, that a vote for the Republican ticket is a vote for a #nevertrump heretic? If you can convince a few thousand of them to stay home out of disgust, you stand a better chance of swinging the election.
The same holds true in my state of Maryland, where the widely-liked Republican governor (who is also an immigrant-baiting, police-state-revering shitbag) is distrusted by the Trumpists who make up a large portion of his party, due to his occasional feeble "condemnations" of the president's actions. Can't we spend some of our energy and money reminding every Trumpist in Maryland about their distrust of their Establishment Republican governor from now until November 6?
posted by duffell at 6:17 AM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
I really wish the Democrats would play dirty more often. Republicans are great at driving wedges in the Democratic electorate, but the Democrats rarely return the favor. The Trumpists are the core of the Republican electorate, and they view any slight against their messiah as immediately disqualifying. So what's stopping the Democrats from engaging in information warfare against the Trumpists? What's stopping the Democrats from relentlessly reminding the Trumpists in Florida, via targeted Facebook ads, that a vote for the Republican ticket is a vote for a #nevertrump heretic? If you can convince a few thousand of them to stay home out of disgust, you stand a better chance of swinging the election.
The same holds true in my state of Maryland, where the widely-liked Republican governor (who is also an immigrant-baiting, police-state-revering shitbag) is distrusted by the Trumpists who make up a large portion of his party, due to his occasional feeble "condemnations" of the president's actions. Can't we spend some of our energy and money reminding every Trumpist in Maryland about their distrust of their Establishment Republican governor from now until November 6?
posted by duffell at 6:17 AM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
> Maybe peripheral to this is that acting on behalf of the American people, and being on the right side of history, have merit in themselves. I want people elected to represent me to fight for what's right even if there's a zero percent chance of success, because that's what they're supposed to do.This is not peripheral IMO. The fight alone is worth it in itself.
And...
Patrick Henry (allegedly), Virginia House of Burgesses, 1775:
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?posted by runcifex at 6:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
Thinking about it I suspect that what Harris is up to is she's trying to put Kavanagh in a position where he would have to recuse himself if any Trump related issues hit the supremes
posted by mbo at 6:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by mbo at 6:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
Grassley is out of the gate on document release. I can't wait until Leahy is up.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Of course, and I agree fully that there's merit in the fight itself. Your rank in hell is determined by the number of enemies you take with you and all that. I was just wondering if we had any real chance of material gains too.
I'm extremely happy that finally some of my elected Democrats are finding their spine and fighting even if it's futile. I'm just hoping that there's more to be gained than moral victories and the inherent rightness of fighting for a just cause.
emjaybee I don't know where we go from here.
Me either, and what really disturbs me is that throughout history movements almost never revert from an extreme position once they've committed to it. Coupled with the guaranteed Republican ownership of the Senate post 2026 and massive gerrymandering I'm increasingly convinced we're going to see the Federal government dominated by a minority fearful of and hateful towards the majority. That's not a recipe for a good future.
posted by sotonohito at 6:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm extremely happy that finally some of my elected Democrats are finding their spine and fighting even if it's futile. I'm just hoping that there's more to be gained than moral victories and the inherent rightness of fighting for a just cause.
emjaybee I don't know where we go from here.
Me either, and what really disturbs me is that throughout history movements almost never revert from an extreme position once they've committed to it. Coupled with the guaranteed Republican ownership of the Senate post 2026 and massive gerrymandering I'm increasingly convinced we're going to see the Federal government dominated by a minority fearful of and hateful towards the majority. That's not a recipe for a good future.
posted by sotonohito at 6:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
So as not to absue the edit window: mbo, no Supreme Court Justice can be compelled to recuse themselves in even the most egregious of circumstances. Kavanaugh will not recuse himself from any Trump related case, he's already all but said as much explicitly.
posted by sotonohito at 6:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by sotonohito at 6:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Thinking about it I suspect that what Harris is up to is she's trying to put Kavanagh in a position where he would have to recuse himself if any Trump related issues hit the supremes
I hope she isn't so stupid as to believe that he would actually do that, no matter what he promises or signs or swears unto dread Nyarlathotep at a crossroads under the light of a new moon.
posted by Etrigan at 6:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
I hope she isn't so stupid as to believe that he would actually do that, no matter what he promises or signs or swears unto dread Nyarlathotep at a crossroads under the light of a new moon.
posted by Etrigan at 6:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Here's the PBS Newshour stream of the hearing. Here is chat. Come join us. I have little chocolate donuts and coffee.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
sotonohito, in addition to the "merit of the fight," I find I need to keep reminding myself that the Democrats will miss 100% of the shots they don't take. A breakthrough in the SCOTUS hearings/vote is vanishingly unlikely, but a breakthrough is impossible if the Democrats don't push hard even when they know their chances are slim. Maybe there will be a leak about Kavanaugh's past that makes supporting him politically untenable. Maybe one of the Senate's bluish-state Republicans will fall into an open sewer and drown in sewage before the vote, delaying proceedings until a Democratic governor nominates a moderate replacement. But if the Democrats were to cede the fight now, none of that would matter anyway.
Unlikely? Hell yes. But nobody knew Duncan Hunter or Chris Collins would be indicted, either, and thankfully there are strong Democrats running hard in both districts anyway, ready for the opening.
posted by duffell at 6:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
Unlikely? Hell yes. But nobody knew Duncan Hunter or Chris Collins would be indicted, either, and thankfully there are strong Democrats running hard in both districts anyway, ready for the opening.
posted by duffell at 6:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
NYT's Charlie Savage says they have leaked, committee confidential documents from Kavanaugh's time in the White House. Not sure there's anything really surprising in what they have - some comments on Roe not being the settled law of the land, and apparently some stuff on affirmative action though that doesn't seem to be discussed in the article.
posted by nubs at 6:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by nubs at 6:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh FFS, so Harris shouldn't be highlighting his conflict, corruption and lies? The sniping and negativity is a bit ridiculous.
"Fight to the death for us!"
- She fires what ammo she has.
"Why are you doing that, that'll never work. They don't care."
First off, while it may very well not cause him to recuse, highlighting it will make the illegitimacy of any decision even more obvious, firing up the base and hurting the reps of Rs and the court. Secondly, shame does still work. Not like it used to but even Trump has had to backtrack on certain things when there's been a groundswell of opposition and outrage. Third, working the refs definitely fucking works. Just look how Rs take arguments and situations way worse and weaker than this and spin them into legislative, judicial and political wins.
Quit assuming it's hopeless and go for it.
posted by chris24 at 6:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [107 favorites]
"Fight to the death for us!"
- She fires what ammo she has.
"Why are you doing that, that'll never work. They don't care."
First off, while it may very well not cause him to recuse, highlighting it will make the illegitimacy of any decision even more obvious, firing up the base and hurting the reps of Rs and the court. Secondly, shame does still work. Not like it used to but even Trump has had to backtrack on certain things when there's been a groundswell of opposition and outrage. Third, working the refs definitely fucking works. Just look how Rs take arguments and situations way worse and weaker than this and spin them into legislative, judicial and political wins.
Quit assuming it's hopeless and go for it.
posted by chris24 at 6:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [107 favorites]
I signed up for a free trial of Hulu so that I could watch this: Active Measures (documentary film). It's also on iTunes, and in select theaters now.
Very worth watching. There's nothing here that isn't public information, but if you have not been following politics in the former Soviet Union the past 10 years, this will catch you up. Actually even if you HAVE been obsessively paying attention you will almost certainly learn something (I certainly did, and I have been obsessing for about 2.5 years now.)
What happened in the 2016 election in the US already happened in Georgia in 2012 and in Ukraine in 2014. All of it. Chants of "lock her up." Fake news on social media. Russian hackers. Race baiting. Birtherism. It happened there before it happened here. And much of the cast of characters is the same too. Paul Manafort. Rick Gates. Oleg Deripaska. Alex fricking Jones.
This is the context you need to understand our current place in history. If you watch this, our politics right now will still be frustrating, but it will be a lot less bewildering.
It has nothing to do with my site, though it covers much of the same ground as the page I titled "The Story So Far" so if you are looking for links to more info on some of this stuff, there are some there. I have to say, though, as someone who has been reading about all of this, actually seeing and hearing it is much more visceral and compelling in some ways. These shadowy figures appear as flesh and blood human beings, and somehow that makes this all more real and chilling. Kinda gave me goosebumps, to be honest.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [78 favorites]
Very worth watching. There's nothing here that isn't public information, but if you have not been following politics in the former Soviet Union the past 10 years, this will catch you up. Actually even if you HAVE been obsessively paying attention you will almost certainly learn something (I certainly did, and I have been obsessing for about 2.5 years now.)
What happened in the 2016 election in the US already happened in Georgia in 2012 and in Ukraine in 2014. All of it. Chants of "lock her up." Fake news on social media. Russian hackers. Race baiting. Birtherism. It happened there before it happened here. And much of the cast of characters is the same too. Paul Manafort. Rick Gates. Oleg Deripaska. Alex fricking Jones.
This is the context you need to understand our current place in history. If you watch this, our politics right now will still be frustrating, but it will be a lot less bewildering.
It has nothing to do with my site, though it covers much of the same ground as the page I titled "The Story So Far" so if you are looking for links to more info on some of this stuff, there are some there. I have to say, though, as someone who has been reading about all of this, actually seeing and hearing it is much more visceral and compelling in some ways. These shadowy figures appear as flesh and blood human beings, and somehow that makes this all more real and chilling. Kinda gave me goosebumps, to be honest.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [78 favorites]
Hot damn, right out the gate:
Booker says he's prepared to release the email on racial profiling that was mentioned in his line of questioning of Kavanaugh last night even if the consequence is expulsion from the Senate. Calls this an important moment of civil disobedience
Twitter
posted by robotdevil at 7:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [105 favorites]
Booker says he's prepared to release the email on racial profiling that was mentioned in his line of questioning of Kavanaugh last night even if the consequence is expulsion from the Senate. Calls this an important moment of civil disobedience
posted by robotdevil at 7:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [105 favorites]
Is the only benefit to the masterful attacks on inevitable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh really just a hope for a bump in our turnout in November? Or is there some hope for more that I'm missing?
Although a justice can't be forced to recuse, Democrats can make a big deal about Kavanaugh's conflict of interest if it does look like something related to the Mueller probe is headed towards SCOTUS.
It also helps build a good rationale for eventual court packing as a way to counteract the illegitimacy of Gorsuch (because of Garland) and Kavanaugh (because of this).
posted by duoshao at 7:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Although a justice can't be forced to recuse, Democrats can make a big deal about Kavanaugh's conflict of interest if it does look like something related to the Mueller probe is headed towards SCOTUS.
It also helps build a good rationale for eventual court packing as a way to counteract the illegitimacy of Gorsuch (because of Garland) and Kavanaugh (because of this).
posted by duoshao at 7:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Tweet: "Sen Whitehouse is up now. Says he does not accept the process or legitimacy or validity of committee confidential documents. Says he's not under any obligation to recognize it."
Whitehouse is from my state, Rhode Island. A few years ago, he seemed to be pretty limp, just used as a party mouthpiece to deliver scripted remarks.
But I have grown to like him over the years, and I am proud of him now.
Go, Sheldon, go!!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:07 AM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
Whitehouse is from my state, Rhode Island. A few years ago, he seemed to be pretty limp, just used as a party mouthpiece to deliver scripted remarks.
But I have grown to like him over the years, and I am proud of him now.
Go, Sheldon, go!!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:07 AM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
It also helps build a good rationale for eventual court packing as a way to counteract the illegitimacy of Gorsuch (because of Garland) and Kavanaugh (because of this).
100 fucking percent. Dems should be doing nothing but talking about the illegitimacy of the Court. That and the threat of packing it is probably the only thing that will restrain the worst of Roberts. He's the swing vote now and as Chief Justice concerned about the image of the court and his place in history. We need to make it toxic for every undemocratic shitty case that makes it to the Supremes. Let him preside over a Court hated and disrespected by a majority of Americans if that's what he wants to do.
EDIT: While FDR's court packing plan didn't pass, it worked in the sense that the court started ruling more in his favor. We need to put the same pressure on here.
posted by chris24 at 7:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
100 fucking percent. Dems should be doing nothing but talking about the illegitimacy of the Court. That and the threat of packing it is probably the only thing that will restrain the worst of Roberts. He's the swing vote now and as Chief Justice concerned about the image of the court and his place in history. We need to make it toxic for every undemocratic shitty case that makes it to the Supremes. Let him preside over a Court hated and disrespected by a majority of Americans if that's what he wants to do.
EDIT: While FDR's court packing plan didn't pass, it worked in the sense that the court started ruling more in his favor. We need to put the same pressure on here.
posted by chris24 at 7:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
Durbin, re Booker: "Let's jump into this pit together... if there's going to be some retribution... count me in."
Fuck. Yeah.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [79 favorites]
Fuck. Yeah.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [79 favorites]
Booker and Whitehouse are smart as fuck. They go through with this, and it's both a political win and a moral victory.
If either of them get booted, a Democratic governor picks and chooses the replacement. The expelled Senator is a hero to the left and the expulsion of a sitting Senator for releasing IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT A FUCKING SUPREME COURT NOMINEE is major news that reaches people that are usually pretty disengaged from political news. Democrats are able to present a coherent case to the public: "Why was vital information kept from the public by Republicans and why is RELEASING this information the crime here?" Booker gets juice for a 2020 run. And of course, if they don't get booted, it emboldens and enables further resistance from even their more ossified colleagues.
posted by duffell at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [113 favorites]
If either of them get booted, a Democratic governor picks and chooses the replacement. The expelled Senator is a hero to the left and the expulsion of a sitting Senator for releasing IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT A FUCKING SUPREME COURT NOMINEE is major news that reaches people that are usually pretty disengaged from political news. Democrats are able to present a coherent case to the public: "Why was vital information kept from the public by Republicans and why is RELEASING this information the crime here?" Booker gets juice for a 2020 run. And of course, if they don't get booted, it emboldens and enables further resistance from even their more ossified colleagues.
posted by duffell at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [113 favorites]
Is the only benefit to the masterful attacks on inevitable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh really just a hope for a bump in our turnout in November? Or is there some hope for more that I'm missing?
You never know which straw is the one that does the breaking. You just have to keep piling them on.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [49 favorites]
You never know which straw is the one that does the breaking. You just have to keep piling them on.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [49 favorites]
NYT: Leaked Documents From Kavanaugh’s Time in White House Discuss Abortion and Affirmative Action
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:13 AM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
a reminder - a 2/3rds vote is necessary to expel a senator
posted by pyramid termite at 7:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 7:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
Just to remind you that the speeches and debate of members of Congress (including reading any documents into the record) are expressly immune under the Constitution to any legal proceeding other than the rules of their House. Booker could get kicked off the Judiciary Committee, maybe, but they definitely don’t have the votes to kick him out of the Senate.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Also, pretty sure nothing would preclude a governor or state electorate from reinstalling the expelled senator. Am i wrong?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:15 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:15 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Even better then. Especially good news for Durbin, since his state is currently governed by a Republican.
posted by duffell at 7:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by duffell at 7:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hirono is out of fucks and giving it to the press. Klobuchar is so angry she's on the edge of tears.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
The PBS NewsHour feed has unhelpfully placed graphics directly on top of the name placards in front of Senators. C-Span is much better.
posted by BungaDunga at 7:18 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by BungaDunga at 7:18 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Cory Booker believes in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
posted by guiseroom at 7:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [91 favorites]
posted by guiseroom at 7:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [91 favorites]
Just to remind you that the speeches and debate of members of Congress (including reading any documents into the record) are expressly immune under the Constitution to any legal proceeding other than the rules of their House. Booker could get kicked off the Judiciary Committee, maybe, but they definitely don’t have the votes to kick him out of the Senate.
Booker himself just basically made this point - he hasnt violated any senate rules, just the chairs rules.
Hes now challenging the Rs on the comittee to initiate the process of removing him. Damn.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Booker himself just basically made this point - he hasnt violated any senate rules, just the chairs rules.
Hes now challenging the Rs on the comittee to initiate the process of removing him. Damn.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Booker just called out Cornyn and dared him to bring Senate charges against him.
BALLER.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [83 favorites]
BALLER.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [83 favorites]
For what it's worth, my therapist told me yesterday that the Freudian opposite of "anal-retentive" is "anal-expulsive," which I'm leaving here as a humble suggestion to describe our president's behavior (Freud's hackishness aside). Wikipedia characterizes anal expulsiveness as "the state of a person who exhibits cruelty, emotional outbursts, disorganization, self-confidence... and general carelessness."
posted by duffell at 7:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by duffell at 7:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
the guaranteed Republican ownership of the Senate post 2026
Just want to push back on this a little. This depends on enough existing trends continuing as they are forever... but often that's not what trends do. There are any number of scenarios that would cause the Senate to have a Democratic majority at some point on or after 2026; for example, if the Democrats get full control in 2020, they could grant statehood to D.C. and a few islands (why stop at Puerto Rico? The population requirement for statehood is very small by modern standards); if they can universalize health care the death rate discrepancy between red and blue could drop so enough blues can survive to prime voting age (retirement). Or some currently-red states flip because even smaller cities are blue and eventually manage to grow enough, or because enough current non-voters (which are legion) become politically active. Or the extremity of GOP ideology causes them to adopt a position that turns out to have an unexpected electoral price (see what's happening with teacher pay right now; there's no reason to suspect this will be an isolated incident).
I'm not saying that any one of these scenarios is particularly probable by itself, but the chance of at least one development counter to the current trends is likely enough that "guaranteed" is not justified.
Nothing is inevitable. Fatalism is a sin.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [55 favorites]
Just want to push back on this a little. This depends on enough existing trends continuing as they are forever... but often that's not what trends do. There are any number of scenarios that would cause the Senate to have a Democratic majority at some point on or after 2026; for example, if the Democrats get full control in 2020, they could grant statehood to D.C. and a few islands (why stop at Puerto Rico? The population requirement for statehood is very small by modern standards); if they can universalize health care the death rate discrepancy between red and blue could drop so enough blues can survive to prime voting age (retirement). Or some currently-red states flip because even smaller cities are blue and eventually manage to grow enough, or because enough current non-voters (which are legion) become politically active. Or the extremity of GOP ideology causes them to adopt a position that turns out to have an unexpected electoral price (see what's happening with teacher pay right now; there's no reason to suspect this will be an isolated incident).
I'm not saying that any one of these scenarios is particularly probable by itself, but the chance of at least one development counter to the current trends is likely enough that "guaranteed" is not justified.
Nothing is inevitable. Fatalism is a sin.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [55 favorites]
Dang. How does Grassley regain control of his committee and this process? If the usual sanctions won’t work, he has to put the hammer down (whatever that may mean), or compromise on docs and process.
Nice work, Dem Senators!
posted by notyou at 7:37 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Nice work, Dem Senators!
posted by notyou at 7:37 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Here's video of some of what Sen. Booker just said. "Bring it."
posted by zachlipton at 7:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Well shit, Booker gave me hope. And I hadn't thought of the threat of court packing as being an influence on current SC conservatives. Huh.
posted by emjaybee at 7:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 7:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Also it appears as though Schumer has objected to the suspension of a senate rule that would allow this committee hearing to continue while the whole chamber meets - Grassley, somewhat confusedly (shocker), suggests that they go to executive session at 1pm prior to a 2pm shutdown of the hearing.
It seems to be just procedural tricks but i guess id rather they make this difficult if at all possible.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:41 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
It seems to be just procedural tricks but i guess id rather they make this difficult if at all possible.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:41 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm waiting for the computational linguists to do their thing and out this jerk
Here's someone giving it a shot, thinks it's someone in the State Department, maybe Pompeo, but the data is really really vague. (Also: going off just the Twitter corpus is kind of lazy).
Also: I personally think the "lodestar" thing was thrown in as a red herring to fuck with Pence.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Here's someone giving it a shot, thinks it's someone in the State Department, maybe Pompeo, but the data is really really vague. (Also: going off just the Twitter corpus is kind of lazy).
Also: I personally think the "lodestar" thing was thrown in as a red herring to fuck with Pence.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Not sure there's anything really surprising in what they have - some comments on Roe not being the settled law of the land,
That's surprising, and approximately contrary to his repeated platitudes yesterday. We know he believes it, but there's a difference between that and having him write it. I'd go as far as to say it, along with a hell of a ton of pressure from constituents, is about the only thing that could get Collins and Murkowski to vote no, though only if they were in a position where they really had to confront it and acknowledge it.
Sen. Feinstein is reading the email, which was supposed to be "committee confidential," right now.
Kavanaugh says he was writing about the views of "legal scholars" and wasn't even "technically accurate," overstating what legal scholars think back then. He goes back to the Roe is an "important precedent" platitudes from yesterday.
posted by zachlipton at 7:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
That's surprising, and approximately contrary to his repeated platitudes yesterday. We know he believes it, but there's a difference between that and having him write it. I'd go as far as to say it, along with a hell of a ton of pressure from constituents, is about the only thing that could get Collins and Murkowski to vote no, though only if they were in a position where they really had to confront it and acknowledge it.
Sen. Feinstein is reading the email, which was supposed to be "committee confidential," right now.
Kavanaugh says he was writing about the views of "legal scholars" and wasn't even "technically accurate," overstating what legal scholars think back then. He goes back to the Roe is an "important precedent" platitudes from yesterday.
posted by zachlipton at 7:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Right on schedule. Dr. Chuck Tingle's new work, VEEP THROAT: MIKE BENCE POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY THE WORD LODESTAR, now available at all fine retailers.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:52 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:52 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
Cory Booker's comments on release of the emails concerning racial profiling gave me shivers. This guy is the real deal and it is him and Kamala Harris who give me hope. Wow, just wow.
posted by bluesky43 at 7:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 7:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [56 favorites]
My fellow Americans, let us not talk of dastardly "court packing" plans, but instead about the routine and unexceptional adjustments to the Supreme Court's size that were common throughout the 19th century. For example, the once well-established policy that the Court should have one justice for each appellate circuit, of which there are now twelve regional ones and one special-purpose circuit. Or the fact that it was also, at one time, quite common to let the size of the Court adjust down by attrition, when that was considered desirable.
Really it would only be responsible to expand the Court to reduce the workload on individual justices and increase geographic representation; after all, we're a much different country now than we were in 1866 when Court size was last adjusted. And if we later realize that was a mistake, then shrink it back down. There is precedent for both moves!
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 7:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [100 favorites]
Really it would only be responsible to expand the Court to reduce the workload on individual justices and increase geographic representation; after all, we're a much different country now than we were in 1866 when Court size was last adjusted. And if we later realize that was a mistake, then shrink it back down. There is precedent for both moves!
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 7:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [100 favorites]
Trump inauguration crowd photos were edited after he intervened - Jon Swaine, The Guardian
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:59 AM on September 6, 2018 [69 favorites]
A government photographer edited official pictures of Donald Trump’s inauguration to make the crowd appear bigger following a personal intervention from the president, according to newly released documents.Where it all began.
...
The detail was revealed in investigative reports released to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act by the inspector general of the US interior department. They shed new light on the first self-inflicted crisis of Trump’s presidency, when his White House falsely claimed he had attracted the biggest ever inauguration audience.
The records detail a scramble within the National Park Service (NPS) on 21 January 2017 after an early-morning phone call between Trump and the acting NPS director, Michael Reynolds. They also state that Sean Spicer, then White House press secretary, called NPS officials repeatedly that day in pursuit of the more flattering photographs.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:59 AM on September 6, 2018 [69 favorites]
Here's the NYT article on the leaked Kavanaugh emails. Roe vs Wade is not settled law.
posted by bluesky43 at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Maybe the GOP will throw [Senator Collins] over the bow if she votes no, but there's more than one way to end your political career, and if your constituents toss you in favor of a well-funded opponent, continued support of your party isn't worth quite as much.
Susan Collins totally relies on the "moderate Republican" pose, even as she votes practically in lockstep with a caucus that keeps marching relentlessly toward the right. Reminding her that there is, indeed, more than one way to end a political career seems a good move, even if it does depending on the media changing its narrative about her (as it never did with so-called "serious, honest conservative" Paul Ryan).
Also, the idea that the GOP would take drastic retaliatory measures against any individual Senator right now seems to ignore that the margin of Senate control is so thin that breathing wrong could mean they lose control of it.
Good point -- if memory serves me correctly, Joe Donnelly, currently fighting to retain his seat here in Indiana, won because Dick Lugar was primaried by a Tea Party Republican that proved too frothingly far right for Hoosiers to send to the Senate.
posted by Gelatin at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Susan Collins totally relies on the "moderate Republican" pose, even as she votes practically in lockstep with a caucus that keeps marching relentlessly toward the right. Reminding her that there is, indeed, more than one way to end a political career seems a good move, even if it does depending on the media changing its narrative about her (as it never did with so-called "serious, honest conservative" Paul Ryan).
Also, the idea that the GOP would take drastic retaliatory measures against any individual Senator right now seems to ignore that the margin of Senate control is so thin that breathing wrong could mean they lose control of it.
Good point -- if memory serves me correctly, Joe Donnelly, currently fighting to retain his seat here in Indiana, won because Dick Lugar was primaried by a Tea Party Republican that proved too frothingly far right for Hoosiers to send to the Senate.
posted by Gelatin at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Kavanaugh won't answer whether he thinks Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is constitutional.
Section 2 basically reaffirms the 14th Amendment, so he's signaling that he will vote for an explicit return to Jim Crow voting law.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
Section 2 basically reaffirms the 14th Amendment, so he's signaling that he will vote for an explicit return to Jim Crow voting law.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
And here are the four "committee confidential" pages that Sen. Booker just posted online.
They include an email thread on the use of racial profiling in post-9/11 airport security. Kavanaugh appears to want race-neutral security measures while saying they need to address the "interim question" of what to do in the meantime. In the thread, Helgard Walker cites Korematsu (!) for the prospect that they could justify the use of race in security measures.
posted by zachlipton at 8:01 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
They include an email thread on the use of racial profiling in post-9/11 airport security. Kavanaugh appears to want race-neutral security measures while saying they need to address the "interim question" of what to do in the meantime. In the thread, Helgard Walker cites Korematsu (!) for the prospect that they could justify the use of race in security measures.
posted by zachlipton at 8:01 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
In a "saying the quiet parts loud" moment, Illinois's embattled GOP governor (who is probably going to lose in November) calls for term limits for Democrats ... but not Republicans. (It's funny, you can laugh, because he can't pass a damned thing and he's going to lose.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm waiting for the computational linguists to do their thing and out this jerk
If I were a famous person planning to publish a controversial op-ed, I would absolutely run the final thing through this type of software first and then tweak it accordingly (or have someone else edit it) until it stopped thinking I had written it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:06 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
If I were a famous person planning to publish a controversial op-ed, I would absolutely run the final thing through this type of software first and then tweak it accordingly (or have someone else edit it) until it stopped thinking I had written it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:06 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Susan Collins, like Murkowski, is a Profile In Courage in that she might be the 52nd vote for or against a given bill or nominee... once someone ELSE has provided the decisive vote. Her idea of taking a stand is to wait for someone else to take a bullet and then to stand on them.
posted by delfin at 8:09 AM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by delfin at 8:09 AM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
Speaking of anal-explusive temperaments, CNN: Woodward Book Prompts West Wing Witch Hunt, Sources Say
The other important aspect of this behind-the-scenes donnybrook is how well it illustrates Team Trump in a crisis—as incompetent and febrile as it is paranoid and vindictive. Now imagine how they will perform in a genuine emergency, particularly one not of their own making or not publicized well in advance.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Before [the NYT op-ed] published, two officials who have spoken directly to the President say he is pleased with the denials of speaking to Woodward offered by chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis.[...]H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn are likely targets, CNN's sources suggest, but really, nobody in Trumpland is going to be safe from Donald's retribution, one way or another, after this degree of narcissistic injury.
In Trump's eyes, what makes or breaks aides who are reported to have made disparaging comments about him is how strongly they push back on the accusations.[...]
But he is also taking note of the silence from several other former administration officials.
"He wants to know who talked to Woodward," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity amid the highly tense atmosphere in the West Wing in the wake of the book.[...]
One source close to the White House said people inside the administration are "frustrated because they know it's true."[...]
The President is directing the response strategy personally, officials say, in consultation with top communications official Bill Shine and other aides. At this point, it seems unlikely that anyone is immediately fired because of the book, one official says, because that would "lend credence to a book he is trying to discredit."
More broadly, the White House's emerging strategy to push back against Woodward's reporting seems to be going after those former officials suspected of sharing documents and stories, according to several people familiar with the game plan.
"You don't discredit Bob Woodward. You discredit the motives of the people" who provided the information, one person said.
Evidently caught off guard by the level of detail in the book, White House officials were soliciting advice from allies on how to respond to the book as recently as this weekend, a person familiar with those conversations said.
The other important aspect of this behind-the-scenes donnybrook is how well it illustrates Team Trump in a crisis—as incompetent and febrile as it is paranoid and vindictive. Now imagine how they will perform in a genuine emergency, particularly one not of their own making or not publicized well in advance.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Senator Harris starts with the Special Counsel's investigation--asking if he's had a conversation about Mueller or the investigation with anyone at Kasowitz's firm
Sen. Hatch gave him a do-over this morning.
@nycsouthpaw: "I don't recall any conversations of that kind with anyone at that law firm." Kavanaugh says, after Hatch raises Harris's questioning from last night. "I haven't had any inappropriate conversations," about the investigation, he adds.
He left himself a bit of room with the "I don't recall" and the wiggle-room of "inappropriate," but the question now is whether Democratic staff can run down whatever the basis for Harris's question was in enough detail to press him on it by the end of the day.
She said this morning "I have a good reason to believe there was a conversation" based on "information that I’ve received that’s pretty reliable." Whether she can show that today is key.
posted by zachlipton at 8:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
Sen. Hatch gave him a do-over this morning.
@nycsouthpaw: "I don't recall any conversations of that kind with anyone at that law firm." Kavanaugh says, after Hatch raises Harris's questioning from last night. "I haven't had any inappropriate conversations," about the investigation, he adds.
He left himself a bit of room with the "I don't recall" and the wiggle-room of "inappropriate," but the question now is whether Democratic staff can run down whatever the basis for Harris's question was in enough detail to press him on it by the end of the day.
She said this morning "I have a good reason to believe there was a conversation" based on "information that I’ve received that’s pretty reliable." Whether she can show that today is key.
posted by zachlipton at 8:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
So the order of questioning alternates by party in order of seniority. We're HOURS from Kamala Harris and ugh I can't wait.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Susan Collins totally relies on the "moderate Republican" pose, even as she votes practically in lockstep with a caucus that keeps marching relentlessly toward the right. Reminding her that there is, indeed, more than one way to end a political career seems a good move, even if it does depending on the media changing its narrative about her (as it never did with so-called "serious, honest conservative" Paul Ryan).
I'm among the "oh please" crowd when it comes to venerating McCain as this example of principled mavickery bipartisanship, but every single Senator and House member trying to walk this line needs to be repeatedly beaten about with his legend in this election and the next. "What would McCain think of your works here, Congresscritter?" should be on repeat. Leverage all this lionization to make them look inferior to McCain and make them embrace his legend so the MAGAs get depressed by it.
Just to remind you that the speeches and debate of members of Congress (including reading any documents into the record) are expressly immune under the Constitution to any legal proceeding other than the rules of their House.
The preferred term is 'chamber' since house/House is confusing.
posted by phearlez at 8:21 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I'm among the "oh please" crowd when it comes to venerating McCain as this example of principled mavickery bipartisanship, but every single Senator and House member trying to walk this line needs to be repeatedly beaten about with his legend in this election and the next. "What would McCain think of your works here, Congresscritter?" should be on repeat. Leverage all this lionization to make them look inferior to McCain and make them embrace his legend so the MAGAs get depressed by it.
Just to remind you that the speeches and debate of members of Congress (including reading any documents into the record) are expressly immune under the Constitution to any legal proceeding other than the rules of their House.
The preferred term is 'chamber' since house/House is confusing.
posted by phearlez at 8:21 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
If I were a famous person planning to publish a controversial op-ed, I would absolutely run the final thing through this type of software first and then tweak it accordingly (or have someone else edit it) until it stopped thinking I had written it.
The first ghostwriter to offer "articles in any voice but yours" is gonna make a mint.
posted by Etrigan at 8:22 AM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
The first ghostwriter to offer "articles in any voice but yours" is gonna make a mint.
posted by Etrigan at 8:22 AM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
Just to remind you that the speeches and debate of members of Congress (including reading any documents into the record) are expressly immune under the Constitution to any legal proceeding other than the rules of their House.
The preferred term is 'chamber' since house/House is confusing.
A confusion that the Constitution itself falls victim to, as Article 1, Section 5 refers to "Each House", "either House", and "Neither House". (Sections 6 and 7 also do it a few times.)
posted by Etrigan at 8:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
The preferred term is 'chamber' since house/House is confusing.
A confusion that the Constitution itself falls victim to, as Article 1, Section 5 refers to "Each House", "either House", and "Neither House". (Sections 6 and 7 also do it a few times.)
posted by Etrigan at 8:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Senator Hatch just now: "Some people seem to think that religious people shouldn't work in government because they swear allegiance to their faith as well as their country."
The people who share this view all happen to be made of straw.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [67 favorites]
The people who share this view all happen to be made of straw.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [67 favorites]
Senator Mazie Hirono, @maziehirono: These are the docs Rs don't want you to see—because they show that Judge Kavanaugh wrongly believes that Native Hawaiian programs are Constitutionally questionable. I defy anyone reading this to be able to conclude that it should be deemed confidential in any way, shape, or form. (Docs attached)
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
Anyone who "swears allegiance" to their faith at the expense of being able to fulfill their sworn obligations to their country probably shouldn't work in government, no.
posted by AndrewInDC at 8:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [60 favorites]
posted by AndrewInDC at 8:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [60 favorites]
The people who share this view all happen to be made of straw.
I dunno, after all this Dominionist shit, I’m starting to come around
posted by schadenfrau at 8:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
I dunno, after all this Dominionist shit, I’m starting to come around
posted by schadenfrau at 8:34 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
Senator Hatch just now: "Some people seem to think that religious people shouldn't work in government because they swear allegiance to their faith as well as their country."
The people who share this view all happen to be made of straw.
No, those people are very real. They're just all white Protestants (with some allowances made for Catholics and Jews who don't get all social-justice about it).
posted by Etrigan at 8:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
The people who share this view all happen to be made of straw.
No, those people are very real. They're just all white Protestants (with some allowances made for Catholics and Jews who don't get all social-justice about it).
posted by Etrigan at 8:35 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's not "as well as" that concerns us, it's "instead of." Just like people who swear allegiance to the Republican Party instead of the country should be driven out of politics with pitchforks and torches.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Senator Mazie Hirono, @maziehirono: These are the docs Rs don't want you to see—because they show that Judge Kavanaugh wrongly believes that Native Hawaiian programs are Constitutionally questionable.
Good strategy to open up another possible point of pressure on Senator Murkowski.
posted by mikepop at 8:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
Good strategy to open up another possible point of pressure on Senator Murkowski.
posted by mikepop at 8:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
Trump drugged and moved to a replica White house, where he carries on thinking he’s governing. Millions spent on hiring actors to play his staff, Senators, news anchors, people at rallies.
I read this book, it was called The Parsifal Mosaic
posted by some loser at 8:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I read this book, it was called The Parsifal Mosaic
posted by some loser at 8:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump drugged and moved to a replica White house, where he carries on thinking he’s governing. Millions spent on hiring actors to play his staff, Senators, news anchors, people at rallies.
It is no coincidence that I've been thinking about Emperor Norton a lot these days. There's also a Lucky Luke comic L'Empereur Smith that makes use of the same theme. The least one could do is to cart him off to Elba, I guess.
posted by Namlit at 8:42 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
It is no coincidence that I've been thinking about Emperor Norton a lot these days. There's also a Lucky Luke comic L'Empereur Smith that makes use of the same theme. The least one could do is to cart him off to Elba, I guess.
posted by Namlit at 8:42 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Jpfed: "for example, if the Democrats get full control in 2020, they could grant statehood to D.C. and a few islands"
Speaking of which, Sen Duckworth has signed on to the D.C. Admission Act, bringing it to 29 Senate co-sponsors.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
Speaking of which, Sen Duckworth has signed on to the D.C. Admission Act, bringing it to 29 Senate co-sponsors.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
Uh, about ICE's North Carolina voting demand, Justice Dept. Demands Millions of North Carolina Voter Records, Confounding Elections Officials:
posted by zachlipton at 8:50 AM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
Of particular concern was the subpoena’s request for actual ballots that had been cast in prior elections. In North Carolina, votes cast on Election Day are anonymous and untraceable, but absentee ballots and those cast in early voting — a sizable share of the total — are marked with numbers that can be traced to the people who cast them.That's fucking terrifying. Why the hell does the state keep traceable ballots after they're counted? I thought the normal standard was to anonymize them once they're checked, accepted, and ready for counting.
Some election officials said they were unsettled at the prospect of handing over traceable ballots to federal prosecutors, and believed that their counties’ voters would be as well.
“I thought it was a hoax when I got it,” said Kellie Hopkins, the director of the elections board in Beaufort County. “A subpoena for ballots? I’d think they’d understand you don’t give out ballots.”
posted by zachlipton at 8:50 AM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
I am the real Resistance, the Resistance within the Trump administration (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
I am here, and I am secretly in charge, kind of, I hope, except when the president takes any action on the public stage over which I have no control, which is quite often, but not ALL the time. That is my point. Sometimes, the administration does something that I would like it to do, and we should all cling to that, like a mariner to a floating sign post that says “IMMIGRANTS NOT WELCOME AND LOOK AT ALL THIS DEREGULATION.”posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:50 AM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
Trump is wrong to say that he is surrounded by a deep state of people working and conspiring to undermine his policies at every turn. He is surrounded by a steady state of people working and conspiring to undermine his policies at every turn, except for those that involve deregulation and stopping Certain People from coming here, which we are all for. […]
But I have been resisting as best I know how. I often knock papers off his desk to prevent him from signing them. Once I stuffed an entire memo in my mouth while his back was turned. Another day I knew that it would startle and confuse him to learn that there was such a person as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, so I ran through the White House devouring every newspaper I could see. One day he picked up a red phone and said, “I would like to Start World War III, please, I don’t care with whom,” and if it had not been for me on the other line pretending to be a dial tone, who can say what would have happened. It is these little things that make all the difference between the unimaginable chaos you see and an unimaginable worse chaos. Once in a meeting he became upset because I made a positive remark about John McCain, and we had to pretend that he had force-choked me to death. My limp form was carried out by aides. But fortunately the next day, he had forgotten, and I was able to keep my position. After Vice President Pence and his rabbit did something that bothered him, we told him that Pence had been sent to the cornfield. Sometimes I call his phone pretending to be the president of France so that he can yell at me and not our ally. He derailed the last meeting we had by making truck noises, and he would not stop even when asked nicely by several other senior officials who will also remain nameless. I am positive he thinks NAFTA is a naughty word for a body part and NATO is a kind of expensive fruit. Honestly, I don’t know what he thinks. Sometimes I think his mind is just a loose marble rolling around and if he tilts his head to one side you can hear it. He spent a whole Cabinet meeting asking us what an updog was. Once he made Sean Spicer eat an entire chocolate cake.
> What the heck got withheld completely?
Mostly items critical to national security, like risotto recipes.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:50 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Mostly items critical to national security, like risotto recipes.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:50 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Email to Kavanaugh, Subject Line: Spying
Opening Line: I have a friend who is a mole for us on the left.
Wow. I was totally prepared for this to be a spoof but it's not. Republicans really did have a mole informing on Dem efforts to protect Roe V Wade.
posted by scalefree at 8:51 AM on September 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
Opening Line: I have a friend who is a mole for us on the left.
Wow. I was totally prepared for this to be a spoof but it's not. Republicans really did have a mole informing on Dem efforts to protect Roe V Wade.
posted by scalefree at 8:51 AM on September 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
Celsius1414: “Hell of Dumb” would be a good title for the 12-season, 300-episode Netflix series that eventually results from the smoking ruins of this administration.
To be followed up in 20 or 50 years with Twitter (or whatever replaces it) day-by-day updates of what happened, capturing the nuance of this ongoing shitstorm, like people are doing for WWI now.
Definitely Not Sean Spicer: "National security purposes" is the government's open sesame for the courts.
And "Treason!" is anything that anyone does or says against God-King-President Trump. He sees himself as the King, whose word and self are the same as The Country.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
To be followed up in 20 or 50 years with Twitter (or whatever replaces it) day-by-day updates of what happened, capturing the nuance of this ongoing shitstorm, like people are doing for WWI now.
Definitely Not Sean Spicer: "National security purposes" is the government's open sesame for the courts.
And "Treason!" is anything that anyone does or says against God-King-President Trump. He sees himself as the King, whose word and self are the same as The Country.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:53 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yet another worthless R senator admits they all know he's manifestly unfit and yet do nothing.
Michael Calderone (Politico)
Ben Sasse says anon NYT op-ed is "similar to what so many of us hear from senior people around the White House, you know, three times a week"
posted by chris24 at 8:54 AM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
Michael Calderone (Politico)
Ben Sasse says anon NYT op-ed is "similar to what so many of us hear from senior people around the White House, you know, three times a week"
posted by chris24 at 8:54 AM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
Key to what, though? Will any GOP votes be changed even if there's a smoking gun showing Kavanaugh wants to bring on Gilead?
No. Kavanaugh could say out loud during these hearings that he thinks anyone who even considers abortion should be publicly executed and Collins and Murkowski would still vote yes on him twice if they could. They're Republicans, which means they will always lie about where their moral lines are. They are willing to accept much, much more heinous things than they will admit, in large part because they believe that they will be immune from those things. Remember that thing people are always quoting about in-groups protected by the law and out-groups bound by it.
posted by IAmUnaware at 8:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
No. Kavanaugh could say out loud during these hearings that he thinks anyone who even considers abortion should be publicly executed and Collins and Murkowski would still vote yes on him twice if they could. They're Republicans, which means they will always lie about where their moral lines are. They are willing to accept much, much more heinous things than they will admit, in large part because they believe that they will be immune from those things. Remember that thing people are always quoting about in-groups protected by the law and out-groups bound by it.
posted by IAmUnaware at 8:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
I want to remind those of us who have been calling our elected officials, protesting in the streets, registering voters, sending postcards, and getting arrested that the Dem congresspeople who are loudly fighting this administration (including in the Kavanaugh hearings) have been emboldened by us. As a Pennsylvanian, I have to remember that every time I protest in front of Toomey's office, it's a nudge to Casey to be louder and stronger. Toomey will never change (one can't buy back one's soul from the devil) but making his life miserable has far reaching effects. Please, let's keep it up.
posted by mcduff at 8:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [67 favorites]
posted by mcduff at 8:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [67 favorites]
Hey @realDonaldTrump
if you don't like the Woodward book and the NYT op-ed, you're really not gonna like what's coming next.
This is just the beginning.
We look forward to more of your insane Constitution-bending tweets as this gets worse for you.
And it will.
posted by growabrain at 8:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
if you don't like the Woodward book and the NYT op-ed, you're really not gonna like what's coming next.
This is just the beginning.
We look forward to more of your insane Constitution-bending tweets as this gets worse for you.
And it will.
posted by growabrain at 8:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Cook ratings moves:
* IA-01 (Blum) | Tossup => Lean D
* VA-02 (Taylor) | Lean R => Tossup
Taylor is enmeshed in the fake signature scandal, Blum is being investigated by the Ethics Committee and has been mentioned as an NRCC triage target.
***
Current totals:
Solid D: 182
Likely D: 11 (8 D, 3 R)
Lean D: 10 (2 D, 8 R)
Tossup: 30 (2 D, 28 R)
Lean R: 26 (0 D, 26 R)
Likely R: 26 (1 D, 25 R)
Solid R: 150
posted by Chrysostom at 8:59 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
* IA-01 (Blum) | Tossup => Lean D
* VA-02 (Taylor) | Lean R => Tossup
Taylor is enmeshed in the fake signature scandal, Blum is being investigated by the Ethics Committee and has been mentioned as an NRCC triage target.
***
Current totals:
Solid D: 182
Likely D: 11 (8 D, 3 R)
Lean D: 10 (2 D, 8 R)
Tossup: 30 (2 D, 28 R)
Lean R: 26 (0 D, 26 R)
Likely R: 26 (1 D, 25 R)
Solid R: 150
posted by Chrysostom at 8:59 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
A couple comments about the anonymous op-ed:
1) The NYT believes this to be written by high-level person the the Trump administration. 2) This will exacerbate the crisis in the administration created by the publication Woodward's book. Trump will try to identify and fire the author and probably conduct a purge. Trump will also probably try to take action against the NYT which he doesn't have the legal authority to do. 3) The author knows this.
I think the op-ed is deliberately trying to provoke such a crisis. The intended audience isn't us (except to the extent that knowing how Trump would react the publication of something like this is part of the strategy). The intended audience is members of Trump's cabinet, Mike Pence, and Republicans in Congress. The message boils down to: "Remember how we/y'all were talking about removing Trump from office via the 25th Amendment? We/y'all need to do this right now, because we/y'all are all going to be fired in about a week if we don't". (Of course, the urgency exists because they published this.)
posted by nangar at 9:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
1) The NYT believes this to be written by high-level person the the Trump administration. 2) This will exacerbate the crisis in the administration created by the publication Woodward's book. Trump will try to identify and fire the author and probably conduct a purge. Trump will also probably try to take action against the NYT which he doesn't have the legal authority to do. 3) The author knows this.
I think the op-ed is deliberately trying to provoke such a crisis. The intended audience isn't us (except to the extent that knowing how Trump would react the publication of something like this is part of the strategy). The intended audience is members of Trump's cabinet, Mike Pence, and Republicans in Congress. The message boils down to: "Remember how we/y'all were talking about removing Trump from office via the 25th Amendment? We/y'all need to do this right now, because we/y'all are all going to be fired in about a week if we don't". (Of course, the urgency exists because they published this.)
posted by nangar at 9:00 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
They're Republicans, which means they will always lie about where their moral lines are. They are willing to accept much, much more heinous things than they will admit, in large part because they believe that they will be immune from those things.
At the same time, it is important to them not to admit that they are accepting the things they want to accept. Plausible deniability is the key to their personas, and just as with healthcare the goal here is to lay bare what a "yes" vote would actually mean to the point where it becomes indistinguishable from a vote to overturn Roe directly.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
At the same time, it is important to them not to admit that they are accepting the things they want to accept. Plausible deniability is the key to their personas, and just as with healthcare the goal here is to lay bare what a "yes" vote would actually mean to the point where it becomes indistinguishable from a vote to overturn Roe directly.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
The NYT believes this to be written by high-level person the the Trump administration.
The author is known to the Times. The anonymity is for readers, not for the editorial staff.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
The author is known to the Times. The anonymity is for readers, not for the editorial staff.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
Have thought for a long time now that if Leverage or Mission: Impossible were real, a fake newscast (Faux News?) would be broadcast directly to the president to influence behavior.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:08 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:08 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Email to Kavanaugh, Subject Line: Spying
Opening Line: I have a friend who is a mole for us on the left.
Worth noting that the author of that email is Barbara Ledeen, wife of Michael Ledeen of "One can only hope that we turn the [Middle East] into a cauldron, and faster, please" fame, an aide to Chuck Grassley, and a close associate of Michael Flynn. In 2015, Ledeen was trying to run her own investigation of Hilary Clinton.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
Opening Line: I have a friend who is a mole for us on the left.
Worth noting that the author of that email is Barbara Ledeen, wife of Michael Ledeen of "One can only hope that we turn the [Middle East] into a cauldron, and faster, please" fame, an aide to Chuck Grassley, and a close associate of Michael Flynn. In 2015, Ledeen was trying to run her own investigation of Hilary Clinton.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
Somewhere in between St. Maximilian Kolbe and Kim Davis, the truth lies.
And, unfortunately for America, our roll call is tilted about 1:60000000 in favor of Kim Davis.
posted by delfin at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
And, unfortunately for America, our roll call is tilted about 1:60000000 in favor of Kim Davis.
posted by delfin at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
What the heck got withheld completely?
How he helped design the torture program.
Brett Kavanaugh Was In the Loop on (Broader) Precursor to John Yoo's Stellar Wind Memos
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
How he helped design the torture program.
Brett Kavanaugh Was In the Loop on (Broader) Precursor to John Yoo's Stellar Wind Memos
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
WTF Lindsey Graham? Is Kavanaugh going to get confirmed?
Graham's made his miltonian choice and will happily rule in Hell.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Graham's made his miltonian choice and will happily rule in Hell.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
I've never liked Graham, but he seems more off the rails nuts today than I've ever seen him. And that's mighty weird.
posted by Harry Caul at 9:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Harry Caul at 9:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Hirono document seems to be about concerns about Congress's relationship to Native Hawaiians. The relationship between the United States government as an entity and Native Hawaiians is different legally than the relationship between the US government and Native American tribes with which it has treaties. So it might not carry over to Murkowski. This is all just fyi, we would most likely not expect Kavanaugh to be happy about giving any more "entitlements" to any more brown people anyhow.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 9:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 9:14 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
weird, its almost like the whole republican party has been compromised or something
posted by entropicamericana at 9:15 AM on September 6, 2018 [62 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 9:15 AM on September 6, 2018 [62 favorites]
The message boils down to: "Remember how we/y'all were talking about removing Trump from office via the 25th Amendment? We/y'all need to do this right now,
No, I don't agree that's the message the writer is trying to send, because they state that the reason for not invoking 25.4 earlier in the administration was that it would provoke a "Constitutional crisis," and the writer does not push back against this claim.
Many, many people have already pointed out that taking an action explicitly permitted by the Constitution would not be a Constitutional crisis. If the writer wanted the VP & Cabinet to do this, they would have made that point as well.
The message the writer is trying to send is "yeah, Trump is nuts, but we've got this under control, so no need to remove him from office, let alone do something rash like actually electing Democrats in November."
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
No, I don't agree that's the message the writer is trying to send, because they state that the reason for not invoking 25.4 earlier in the administration was that it would provoke a "Constitutional crisis," and the writer does not push back against this claim.
Many, many people have already pointed out that taking an action explicitly permitted by the Constitution would not be a Constitutional crisis. If the writer wanted the VP & Cabinet to do this, they would have made that point as well.
The message the writer is trying to send is "yeah, Trump is nuts, but we've got this under control, so no need to remove him from office, let alone do something rash like actually electing Democrats in November."
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:19 AM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
y'all i'm light years behind in this thread but
i just texted a group of very young (21, 22??) kids from work and said "sorry, can't do happy hour, have tickets for beto" AND ALL OF THESE NORMIE SORORITY GIRLS REPLIED WITH HEART EYES AND ENTHUSIASM
we live in DC!! i did not even know all of their politics! and they know and are swooning!
good luck beto DC loves you
posted by skrozidile at 9:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [78 favorites]
i just texted a group of very young (21, 22??) kids from work and said "sorry, can't do happy hour, have tickets for beto" AND ALL OF THESE NORMIE SORORITY GIRLS REPLIED WITH HEART EYES AND ENTHUSIASM
we live in DC!! i did not even know all of their politics! and they know and are swooning!
good luck beto DC loves you
posted by skrozidile at 9:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [78 favorites]
Meanwhile, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is abusing her official government Twitter account, @PressSec, to goad MAGA-hatters "asking for the identity of the anonymous coward" into flooding the NYT's switchboard, whose telephone number she includes in an attached statement.
The statement itself sounds #batshitinsane, ranting about "the media's wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward" (a.k.a. "gutless loser") and how it's "recklessly tarnishing the reputation of thousands of great Americans who proudly serve our country and work for President Trump". It sounds, of course, like it was dictated by Trump and makes her statement yesterday seem temperate in comparison.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
The statement itself sounds #batshitinsane, ranting about "the media's wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward" (a.k.a. "gutless loser") and how it's "recklessly tarnishing the reputation of thousands of great Americans who proudly serve our country and work for President Trump". It sounds, of course, like it was dictated by Trump and makes her statement yesterday seem temperate in comparison.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
There is a term for obeying one's moral compass rather than the rule of law.
It is "civil disobedience," and it involves not only standing true to your beliefs but also recognizing that doing so violates the rule of law, and being willing to accept whatever penalty is associated with that violation.
It does not involve carving out religious liberty exceptions to the rule of law so that people with specific religious belief systems have privileges that others do not, as the GOP is more than happy to push for.
posted by delfin at 9:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [69 favorites]
It is "civil disobedience," and it involves not only standing true to your beliefs but also recognizing that doing so violates the rule of law, and being willing to accept whatever penalty is associated with that violation.
It does not involve carving out religious liberty exceptions to the rule of law so that people with specific religious belief systems have privileges that others do not, as the GOP is more than happy to push for.
posted by delfin at 9:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [69 favorites]
WTF Lindsey Graham?
This is the kind of thing that really needs some context. Please bear in mind we're not all watching the livestream.
posted by shenderson at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [41 favorites]
This is the kind of thing that really needs some context. Please bear in mind we're not all watching the livestream.
posted by shenderson at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [41 favorites]
An officer may swear on a bible or a Torah or a Koran, but that's to demonstrate seriousness of purpose: (s)he's standing there pledging to a duty, and that holy book is a token to show how much the pledge means, personally.
I'm a Catholic and I would swear on a bible, but the promise I say aloud would be "to uphold and defend the Constitution" -- not the ten commandments.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm a Catholic and I would swear on a bible, but the promise I say aloud would be "to uphold and defend the Constitution" -- not the ten commandments.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, please reload, and either let the religious loyalty argument drop, as the comment everyone's disagreeing with has been deleted, or reframe your comment in a way that stands on its own and is relevant. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Okay, serious question: the op-ed was published anonymously, so obviously the source is not going to reveal themselves and in fact is quite likely to say it wasn't them since they're already obviously willing to leak..... so why the hell are these idiots stumbling over themselves to say "it wasn't me!!!!!"
Or in less words: he who smelt it dealt it.
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Or in less words: he who smelt it dealt it.
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
William Gibson: Writing fiction that enjoyably induces a degree of cognitive dissonance has become exponentially more difficult
posted by growabrain at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [51 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [51 favorites]
@nycsouthpaw: On the left, sworn testimony in which Brett Kavanaugh tells Ted Kennedy he was "not involved in handling" Bill Pryor's nomination. On the right, Brett Kavanaugh is invited to an "emergency umbrella meeting" at a private law firm "to discuss nominee Bill Pryor's hearing."
posted by zachlipton at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 9:29 AM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
The intended audience is members of Trump's cabinet, Mike Pence, and Republicans in Congress.
This is a tempting thought, but I think we may still not be fully grappling with the nature of the current situation. It seems like Trump himself is at least an equally likely intended audience -- the author may feel secure in their perceived loyalty to Trump, and be hoping to set off a purge of everyone else.
Of course we have basically nothing to go on, but thinking about it this way, someone like SHS suddenly seems like a much more plausible candidate.
posted by shenderson at 9:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is a tempting thought, but I think we may still not be fully grappling with the nature of the current situation. It seems like Trump himself is at least an equally likely intended audience -- the author may feel secure in their perceived loyalty to Trump, and be hoping to set off a purge of everyone else.
Of course we have basically nothing to go on, but thinking about it this way, someone like SHS suddenly seems like a much more plausible candidate.
posted by shenderson at 9:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
From Vince Warren from the Center for Constitutional Rights in response to the NYT op-ed:
No, you are not part of the resistance from DemoncracyNow.
But what is outrageous, I think, is number one that that inside official would dare to call his or herself part of the resistance. That is not the resistance. It is not only not the popular resistance. Let’s think about what they’re resisting. They’re resisting what we’re all resisting, which is of course Trump’s horrible, ill-conceived and impetuous urges, but what they are not resisting are the horrible and cruel policies that that administration is putting in. They are high-fiving themselves in that administration when they criminalize immigrants, when they are getting rid of the EPA, when they are turning public education on its head. That to them is a victory.
So part of me says, if it is so outrageous, why did everybody else in America realize that he was going to be the disaster that he was, but you decided that you wanted to go work there?
posted by bluesky43 at 9:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
No, you are not part of the resistance from DemoncracyNow.
But what is outrageous, I think, is number one that that inside official would dare to call his or herself part of the resistance. That is not the resistance. It is not only not the popular resistance. Let’s think about what they’re resisting. They’re resisting what we’re all resisting, which is of course Trump’s horrible, ill-conceived and impetuous urges, but what they are not resisting are the horrible and cruel policies that that administration is putting in. They are high-fiving themselves in that administration when they criminalize immigrants, when they are getting rid of the EPA, when they are turning public education on its head. That to them is a victory.
So part of me says, if it is so outrageous, why did everybody else in America realize that he was going to be the disaster that he was, but you decided that you wanted to go work there?
posted by bluesky43 at 9:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
> This is the kind of thing that really needs some context.
Apologies.
WTF Lindsey Graham? The right to abortion does not equal liberty; Islamic hordes are at the door; how could this whole process have been made better for poor Mr Kavanaugh?; you (Kavanaugh) WILL be confirmed
posted by Myeral at 9:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Apologies.
WTF Lindsey Graham? The right to abortion does not equal liberty; Islamic hordes are at the door; how could this whole process have been made better for poor Mr Kavanaugh?; you (Kavanaugh) WILL be confirmed
posted by Myeral at 9:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
WTF Lindsey Graham?
This is the kind of thing that really needs some context. Please bear in mind we're not all watching the livestream.
I'm following the hearing via Jessica Mason Pieklo's twitter feed. I wish I could thank the mefite who linked her in the last thread, but I can't remember who did it. Her tweets are very good for people who can't watch/listen. Graham spent a good amount of time monologuing during his 20 mins:
This is the kind of thing that really needs some context. Please bear in mind we're not all watching the livestream.
I'm following the hearing via Jessica Mason Pieklo's twitter feed. I wish I could thank the mefite who linked her in the last thread, but I can't remember who did it. Her tweets are very good for people who can't watch/listen. Graham spent a good amount of time monologuing during his 20 mins:
Graham wants to talk about the liberty clause and the fact that abortion isn't in it. Graham just also said that the right to reproductive autonomy isn't a liberty [ie constitutional] interest "even though the Surpeme Court said it is".posted by gladly at 9:37 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Graham asks what the outer limits of liberty interests and privacy rights are
So... like marriage equality for example
Graham asks Kavanaugh if Congress has the power to come in and legislate "on behalf of the unborn" before medical viability [ie federal constitutional abortion ban] and supersede Roe
Graham asks where is the authority for the Supreme Court to block Congress from banning abortion [basically] Graham asks if the only way is through constitutional amendment
Kavanaugh doesn't want to answer Graham answers for him: when the Court has decided a constitutional matter you need a constitutional means to undo it [ie amendment] Kavanaugh: well yes
FYI for those trying to follow along with all these document drops, @nycsouthpaw appears to be tweeting all of them.
posted by robotdevil at 9:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by robotdevil at 9:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Kavanaugh doesn't want to answer Graham answers for him: when the Court has decided a constitutional matter you need a constitutional means to undo it [ie amendment] Kavanaugh: well yes
Or you install your lunatic fringe friends and have SCOTUS overturn a previous decision... Come on Lindsay. You want the christofascist state so badly you can taste it and now you're letting things slip in the face of almost certain victory.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Or you install your lunatic fringe friends and have SCOTUS overturn a previous decision... Come on Lindsay. You want the christofascist state so badly you can taste it and now you're letting things slip in the face of almost certain victory.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
The author is known to the Times. The anonymity is for readers, not for the editorial staff.
The anonymity is not "for the readers". It is inflicted upon the readers. The anonymity is for the writer who wishes to evade the consequences of their own words.
posted by srboisvert at 9:44 AM on September 6, 2018 [73 favorites]
House Dems calling for inspector general investigations at DOJ, HHS of the NC voting subpoenas.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [51 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [51 favorites]
The statement itself sounds #batshitinsane, ranting about "the media's wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward"
The media's obsessed with the anonymous coward's identity, so I want to you flood their switchboard to find out who it is?
posted by kirkaracha at 9:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
The media's obsessed with the anonymous coward's identity, so I want to you flood their switchboard to find out who it is?
posted by kirkaracha at 9:48 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Meanwhile, back in the two-track Trump administration, Buzzfeed: US Accuses North Korea of Hacking Sony Hours After Trump Tweets ‘Thank You To Chairman Kim’—The Department of Justice has issued a massive complaint, accusing North Korea of years of hacking.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:54 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:54 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
nangar: I think the op-ed is deliberately trying to provoke such a crisis.
This is very appealing to me, but I don't think that's the case, or else the writer may as well have been even bolder, especially with the advantages brought by anonymity. The headline could have been "Trump Must Be Removed From Office", which would do substantially more good because it's much harder to square with believing that actually Trump should remain in office for now.
(However, I bet many Republicans are on the verge of asserting both premises, because truth isn't truth. "Of course I don't think he should stay president, I'm not nuts, I can see the irreparable harm he's doing and we all want it to stop, but also, for the time being, obviously he should remain president, I'm not some kind of radical." Or as Alexandra Erin put it: Trump is so awful, so dangerous, so disastrous and destructive that he has put the party and the country into a crisis. And in a crisis, you back the leader.).
It's worth remembering that while they are not abuse victims and definitely ought to take the fight against him to a public setting, anyone working with Trump is constantly exposed directly to his instinctive array of abusive tactics. As a result, their attitude has likely become something like "medium chill", a common technique for adapting to narcissists.
Of course, how could they not realize that what they wrote is the opposite of medium chill and would provoke a reaction? Well, being in a narcissist's orbit can do things to your rationality. My general sense is that the writer's attitude is tunnel vision rather than a grand plan for What Happens Next. "Just make it stop, please don't blame me, let's all ride this out a few years and then everything will be okay".
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is very appealing to me, but I don't think that's the case, or else the writer may as well have been even bolder, especially with the advantages brought by anonymity. The headline could have been "Trump Must Be Removed From Office", which would do substantially more good because it's much harder to square with believing that actually Trump should remain in office for now.
(However, I bet many Republicans are on the verge of asserting both premises, because truth isn't truth. "Of course I don't think he should stay president, I'm not nuts, I can see the irreparable harm he's doing and we all want it to stop, but also, for the time being, obviously he should remain president, I'm not some kind of radical." Or as Alexandra Erin put it: Trump is so awful, so dangerous, so disastrous and destructive that he has put the party and the country into a crisis. And in a crisis, you back the leader.).
It's worth remembering that while they are not abuse victims and definitely ought to take the fight against him to a public setting, anyone working with Trump is constantly exposed directly to his instinctive array of abusive tactics. As a result, their attitude has likely become something like "medium chill", a common technique for adapting to narcissists.
Of course, how could they not realize that what they wrote is the opposite of medium chill and would provoke a reaction? Well, being in a narcissist's orbit can do things to your rationality. My general sense is that the writer's attitude is tunnel vision rather than a grand plan for What Happens Next. "Just make it stop, please don't blame me, let's all ride this out a few years and then everything will be okay".
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
It seems like Trump himself is at least an equally likely intended audience -- the author may feel secure in their perceived loyalty to Trump, and be hoping to set off a purge of everyone else.
tired: this is a watergate reduxposted by octobersurprise at 10:03 AM on September 6, 2018 [59 favorites]
wired: we've collapsed into like a late-Hapsburg or late-Ottoman state, where advisors and aides all govern according to their own whims and manage up by distracting the angry and inept leader with theater, trying to ride it out before collapse
— Kelsey D. Atherton @AthertonKD
I suspect it was meant to provoke Trump, while trying to cordon off the GOP, and I doubt it's actually by one single person. It's pretty calculated and I doubt we know enough to understand exactly how it is supposed to have an impact within the WH, but it is.
posted by Miko at 10:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Miko at 10:04 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
That Harris questioning is masterful. Lee managed to buy Kavanaugh some time, but not very deftly in my opinion. Then again I don’t watch a ton of CSPAN.
Not sure the activists helped there, though I empathize with the impulse. The seconds in which Kavanaugh blinked dimly and stammered were the important ones.
posted by eirias at 10:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not sure the activists helped there, though I empathize with the impulse. The seconds in which Kavanaugh blinked dimly and stammered were the important ones.
posted by eirias at 10:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
How he helped design the torture program.
"Brett Kavanaugh Was In the Loop on (Broader) Precursor to John Yoo's Stellar Wind Memos"
"Stellar Wind" was the Bush's NSA warrantless wiretapping program, not Bush's CIA torture program. God, Bush was awful.
posted by OnceUponATime at 10:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
"Brett Kavanaugh Was In the Loop on (Broader) Precursor to John Yoo's Stellar Wind Memos"
"Stellar Wind" was the Bush's NSA warrantless wiretapping program, not Bush's CIA torture program. God, Bush was awful.
posted by OnceUponATime at 10:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
People Are Replacing Pictures Of Donald Trump With Penguins - Laura Silver, Buzzfeed News
Hello and welcome to today's installment of "can satire can ever be weirder than real life?" in which Armando Iannucci — the UK's foremost political satirist and the man behind Veep, In the Loop, and The Thick of It — challenged Twitter to replace Donald Trump with penguins in photos, suggesting that the images would still make sense.posted by ZeusHumms at 10:10 AM on September 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
Imagine the elite media reaction if John McCain had done what Booker did today.
and then compare with their actual reaction to Booker in tomorrow’s op-eds.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
and then compare with their actual reaction to Booker in tomorrow’s op-eds.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
@seungminkim: DOCUMENTS:
--Rs say the "committee confidential" docs were cleared for release before 4 a.m.
--Ds say the docs were cleared for release at about 10:31 a.m. this morning
--REGARDLESS, they were cleared for public release before Booker and Hirono posted them on their websites.
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
--Rs say the "committee confidential" docs were cleared for release before 4 a.m.
--Ds say the docs were cleared for release at about 10:31 a.m. this morning
--REGARDLESS, they were cleared for public release before Booker and Hirono posted them on their websites.
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Someone needs to update my "Make Trump Into Kittens" filter, I've seen those kittens a billion times over by now. Maybe just do a penguin one now?
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:21 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:21 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
"elite" is one of those words I think we should let the right wing just go ahead and keep for themselves
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
If they were released and it was a "big fuss", why did the Republicans blow their tops?
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 10:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 10:26 AM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
I feel like this "the docs were already released" is the Republican cover story for why they're not pursuing expulsion of the Democrats who released docs this morning. The Democrats know that there's no actual rule or bipartisan agreement under which the documents were held confidential but the Republicans are forced to maintain the charade that everything they've been doing to block transparency is really just standard procedure.
posted by SpaceBass at 10:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by SpaceBass at 10:28 AM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
If they were released and it was a "big fuss", why did the Republicans blow their tops?
Because their bluff got called and they were holding a 2-7 off suit.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:30 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Because their bluff got called and they were holding a 2-7 off suit.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:30 AM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
I think it's important to remember that the docs that the Republicans have now released are only 4% of the Kavanaugh papers. They are going to try to spin this to seem like they are now being transparent.
posted by mcduff at 10:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by mcduff at 10:32 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Keep in mind the Republicans are feverishly defending and working at whatever they're doing, too. They want to win, but there's a path that needs to be cut through the Jungles of Confirmation to the Seat of Justice, and Dems are working to steal their hoes and pickaxes.
posted by rhizome at 10:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 10:33 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
People Are Replacing Pictures Of Donald Trump With Penguins - Laura Silver, Buzzfeed News
Could we do that with the actual Donald Trump?
posted by Grangousier at 10:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Could we do that with the actual Donald Trump?
posted by Grangousier at 10:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
I just cant believe how messed up this process is.
posted by H. Roark at 10:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by H. Roark at 10:40 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Could we do that with the actual Donald Trump?
Sadly, no. They aren't born here and they typically only live to be 20 years old. Maybe there's an older emperor penguin that was born in captivity in a US zoo but then we're just back with the same problem.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:42 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Sadly, no. They aren't born here and they typically only live to be 20 years old. Maybe there's an older emperor penguin that was born in captivity in a US zoo but then we're just back with the same problem.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:42 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
> H. Roark:
"I just cant believe how messed up this process is."
I'm glad it's still possible to mess up this process.
posted by rhizome at 10:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
"I just cant believe how messed up this process is."
I'm glad it's still possible to mess up this process.
posted by rhizome at 10:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
If someone was actually working in a (purposefully) documented way at 4am, then the Dems on the judiciary committee have a leak to plug.
posted by Slackermagee at 10:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 10:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Could we do that with the actual Donald Trump?
Sadly, no. They aren't born here and they typically only live to be 20 years old. Maybe there's an older emperor penguin that was born in captivity in a US zoo but then we're just back with the same problem.
Well, I volunteer as tribute.
posted by azpenguin at 10:52 AM on September 6, 2018 [80 favorites]
Sadly, no. They aren't born here and they typically only live to be 20 years old. Maybe there's an older emperor penguin that was born in captivity in a US zoo but then we're just back with the same problem.
Well, I volunteer as tribute.
posted by azpenguin at 10:52 AM on September 6, 2018 [80 favorites]
From the department of things that are harder to burn than shoes, Ford motor company has released a statement in support of NFL players protesting injustice.
posted by cmfletcher at 10:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 10:56 AM on September 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
Well, I volunteer as tribute.
"There's nothing in the rule books that says the penguin replacement of the president can't be a human!"
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
"There's nothing in the rule books that says the penguin replacement of the president can't be a human!"
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 10:57 AM on September 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
I just cant believe how messed up this process is.
Ben Sasse, I believe, earlier was explaining why the judicial confirmation processes is all screwed up. Basically, the legislative branch has totally abdicated its responsibilities with most of them being now executed by the executive. And because Congress now follows the lead of the President, the legislature is no longer a place of meaningful debate where power is exercised. Because of this loss, the Supreme Courts (and the courts in general) become that societal zone where learned men and women debate the specifics of policies. He says that the overt politicization of the confirmation hearings comes with we now look to the courts as the deliberative body of the nation.
Sasse is a disingenuous asshole, but he's somewhat right here. Congress as a whole does not take their job seriously and thus is not the deliberative body the country needs to create policy. Many of us do look at the courts as our last lifeline of meaningful decision making, which is why we're terrified of losing it to some partisan hacks. But I would rather the courts be boring and the legislature be the places where we can create protections for women's bodies, where we can limit corporate influence on elections, where we can create the rules governing workers' unions.
I don't know if the system is broken since its inception or if it was broken by people like Sasse, but no one in America has faith in their legislative branch.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 10:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Ben Sasse, I believe, earlier was explaining why the judicial confirmation processes is all screwed up. Basically, the legislative branch has totally abdicated its responsibilities with most of them being now executed by the executive. And because Congress now follows the lead of the President, the legislature is no longer a place of meaningful debate where power is exercised. Because of this loss, the Supreme Courts (and the courts in general) become that societal zone where learned men and women debate the specifics of policies. He says that the overt politicization of the confirmation hearings comes with we now look to the courts as the deliberative body of the nation.
Sasse is a disingenuous asshole, but he's somewhat right here. Congress as a whole does not take their job seriously and thus is not the deliberative body the country needs to create policy. Many of us do look at the courts as our last lifeline of meaningful decision making, which is why we're terrified of losing it to some partisan hacks. But I would rather the courts be boring and the legislature be the places where we can create protections for women's bodies, where we can limit corporate influence on elections, where we can create the rules governing workers' unions.
I don't know if the system is broken since its inception or if it was broken by people like Sasse, but no one in America has faith in their legislative branch.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 10:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
"There's nothing in the rule books that says the penguin replacement of the president can't be a human!"
I thought we weren't relitigating the campaign.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
I thought we weren't relitigating the campaign.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:02 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
mcduff, above:
Keep calling.
posted by kristi at 11:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
I want to remind those of us who have been calling our elected officials, protesting in the streets, registering voters, sending postcards, and getting arrested that the Dem congresspeople who are loudly fighting this administration (including in the Kavanaugh hearings) have been emboldened by us. As a Pennsylvanian, I have to remember that every time I protest in front of Toomey's office, it's a nudge to Casey to be louder and stronger. Toomey will never change (one can't buy back one's soul from the devil) but making his life miserable has far reaching effects. Please, let's keep it up.YES. And: there is value in calling to say "I saw the great thing you did, please keep it up," and also in calling to say "thank you."
Keep calling.
posted by kristi at 11:05 AM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
I don't know if the system is broken since its inception or if it was broken by people like Sasse, but no one in America has faith in their legislative branch.
It’s been broken since the country’s inception. They wrote the constitution and immediately Hamilton and Jefferson pissed each other off so much that the first ideological fault lines started to form.
Most of the US constitution is written with allegiance to one’s state not ideology in mind. You know with the whole equal Senators for each state and the appointment of them by the legislature instead of election. The dilution of the state as an administrative unit has really brought the ideological battle to the forefront. Can we fix it? Probably not in a way 3/4 of the states will ever agree on.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:06 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
It’s been broken since the country’s inception. They wrote the constitution and immediately Hamilton and Jefferson pissed each other off so much that the first ideological fault lines started to form.
Most of the US constitution is written with allegiance to one’s state not ideology in mind. You know with the whole equal Senators for each state and the appointment of them by the legislature instead of election. The dilution of the state as an administrative unit has really brought the ideological battle to the forefront. Can we fix it? Probably not in a way 3/4 of the states will ever agree on.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:06 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Why doesn't the legislative branch have time to execute its responsibilities? They spend more time fundraising than doing their elected jobs.
The parties like it this way because that increases the dependence of legislators on party fundraising and decreases their independence.
posted by Emmy Noether at 11:07 AM on September 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
The parties like it this way because that increases the dependence of legislators on party fundraising and decreases their independence.
posted by Emmy Noether at 11:07 AM on September 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today upheld the state's 111-year ban on companies giving direct contributions to candidates for state and local offices - in a case brought by two companies, one an auto-parts company co-owned by Rick Green, a Republican running for Congress in MA-3.
As federal courts have done, the state's highest court ruled there was a free-speech distinction between directly giving money to a candidate and spending corporate dollars on "independent" advertising or giving it to "independent" PACs (both of which are legal here) - and said the state has a legitimate interest in safeguarding against political corruption (of which, the court noted, Massachusetts already has plenty).
The court also rejected arguments that the companies' equal-rights protections are violated (because unions can give to candidates), saying that in a case like this, that would only apply if the companies could show discrimination based on race, gender or national origin, which they couldn't.
posted by adamg at 11:08 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
As federal courts have done, the state's highest court ruled there was a free-speech distinction between directly giving money to a candidate and spending corporate dollars on "independent" advertising or giving it to "independent" PACs (both of which are legal here) - and said the state has a legitimate interest in safeguarding against political corruption (of which, the court noted, Massachusetts already has plenty).
The court also rejected arguments that the companies' equal-rights protections are violated (because unions can give to candidates), saying that in a case like this, that would only apply if the companies could show discrimination based on race, gender or national origin, which they couldn't.
posted by adamg at 11:08 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Good grief, as NYT-Op-Ed-a-Lago runs amuck, the Trump White House has escalated to DEFCON MELANIA and has issued a statement from the First Lady, per NBC's Peter Alexander: "BREAKING: First Lady Melania Trump on anonymous NYT op-ed."
Her press release extols a "free, unbiased, and responsible [...] free press" as "important to our democracy" but complains, "People with no names are writing our nation's history." (Nobody tell her about The Federalist Papers or Common Sense.) It goes on, "If a person is bold enough to accuse people of negative actions, they have a responsibility to publicly stand by their words and people have the right to be able to defend themselves." (Nobody tell her about "John Barron" or "John Miller" or "David Dennison".) "To the writer of the oped {sic} - you are not protecting this country, you are sabotaging it with your cowardly actions." (Nobody tell her…well, you know.)
Seriously, the Trump White House doesn't enlist Melania as a proxy in a scandal unless it's spun out of control of the regular comms team (e.g. the migrant family separations). That this has happened within a day of publication suggests that either (a) the internal situation is in disarray or (b) we're being trolled (e.g. the jacket she wore to the ICE's child detention center). Or maybe it's both—because of (a), they're resorting to (b).
Meanwhile, Putin's Twitter information guerrillas are promoting #nytimesoped and #anonymous, per Hamilton 68's tracking, as though this flamewar needed accelerant.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
Her press release extols a "free, unbiased, and responsible [...] free press" as "important to our democracy" but complains, "People with no names are writing our nation's history." (Nobody tell her about The Federalist Papers or Common Sense.) It goes on, "If a person is bold enough to accuse people of negative actions, they have a responsibility to publicly stand by their words and people have the right to be able to defend themselves." (Nobody tell her about "John Barron" or "John Miller" or "David Dennison".) "To the writer of the oped {sic} - you are not protecting this country, you are sabotaging it with your cowardly actions." (Nobody tell her…well, you know.)
Seriously, the Trump White House doesn't enlist Melania as a proxy in a scandal unless it's spun out of control of the regular comms team (e.g. the migrant family separations). That this has happened within a day of publication suggests that either (a) the internal situation is in disarray or (b) we're being trolled (e.g. the jacket she wore to the ICE's child detention center). Or maybe it's both—because of (a), they're resorting to (b).
Meanwhile, Putin's Twitter information guerrillas are promoting #nytimesoped and #anonymous, per Hamilton 68's tracking, as though this flamewar needed accelerant.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:11 AM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
Which Obama statement is this plagiarized from?
posted by Artw at 11:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:16 AM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
538 and Sam Wang practice a different demography and use different data sets than Ford and Nike marketing wonks - and both camps seem to see the wind blowing from the same direction. It's one thing to predict a blue wave, but quite another to decide banking your brand on it is a sound business decision.
posted by klarck at 11:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by klarck at 11:20 AM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
Trump White House has escalated to DEFCON MELANIA and has issued a statement from the First Lady
The first mention of this I saw was from a CNN reporter who claimed she asked FLOTUS for a response, and that was the answer given to CNN. Which isn't quite the same as the White House blasting out a statement from FLOTUS to the entire media unprompted. Oddly most of the tweets after that paint it as a standalone statement, and don't link to any source, just show the standard (and annoying) "twitter screenshot" of the text.
posted by Roommate at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The first mention of this I saw was from a CNN reporter who claimed she asked FLOTUS for a response, and that was the answer given to CNN. Which isn't quite the same as the White House blasting out a statement from FLOTUS to the entire media unprompted. Oddly most of the tweets after that paint it as a standalone statement, and don't link to any source, just show the standard (and annoying) "twitter screenshot" of the text.
posted by Roommate at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
From the department of things that are harder to burn than shoes, Ford motor company has...
Insert Ford Pinto joke here.
Pizza Hutt, brand new as a sponsor, are taking the reverse approach "We are about Pizza not Politics"
By my count there enough major corporate NFL sponsors (at least 32 even when you consolidate all the Pepsi brands as one) for a decent bracket to decide which corporate sponsor can snuggle up to / piss off POTUS the most. My guess is Amazon Web Services versus SiriusXM in the final.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Insert Ford Pinto joke here.
Pizza Hutt, brand new as a sponsor, are taking the reverse approach "We are about Pizza not Politics"
By my count there enough major corporate NFL sponsors (at least 32 even when you consolidate all the Pepsi brands as one) for a decent bracket to decide which corporate sponsor can snuggle up to / piss off POTUS the most. My guess is Amazon Web Services versus SiriusXM in the final.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 11:23 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
kristi: And: there is value in calling to say "I saw the great thing you did, please keep it up," and also in calling to say "thank you."
Don't forget that Resistbot makes it easy, using Facebook Messenger or text messaging. I just thanked my Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, and reminded him and Jack Reed to keep talking & voting against Kavanaugh!
posted by wenestvedt at 11:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Don't forget that Resistbot makes it easy, using Facebook Messenger or text messaging. I just thanked my Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, and reminded him and Jack Reed to keep talking & voting against Kavanaugh!
posted by wenestvedt at 11:24 AM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
From the department of things that are harder to burn than shoes,
From the department of How To Burn Things That Won't Burn: Chlorine Trifluoride.
posted by Stoneshop at 11:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
From the department of How To Burn Things That Won't Burn: Chlorine Trifluoride.
posted by Stoneshop at 11:25 AM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
The first mention of this I saw was from a CNN reporter who claimed she asked FLOTUS for a response, and that was the answer given to CNN.
Thanks for that information—I had overlooked the option that the media would hype anything that came out of the East Wing (all-caps "BREAKING" indeed). The statement does stay on-message with the "cowardly" theme at least.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thanks for that information—I had overlooked the option that the media would hype anything that came out of the East Wing (all-caps "BREAKING" indeed). The statement does stay on-message with the "cowardly" theme at least.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Could we do that with the actual Donald Trump?
He's pretty much already The Penguin. Wheh wheh wheh.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
He's pretty much already The Penguin. Wheh wheh wheh.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:36 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Why doesn't the legislative branch have time to execute its responsibilities? They spend more time fundraising than doing their elected jobs.
Representatives should be four year terms.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Representatives should be four year terms.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
From the department of things that are harder to burn than shoes, Ford motor company has...
Ford just issued a massive recall of the model of their product most likely to get burned by its owners in a fit of anti-kneeling fervor, coincidentally enough, because it has a habit of setting itself on fire, no "protest" impulse required
posted by halation at 11:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Ford just issued a massive recall of the model of their product most likely to get burned by its owners in a fit of anti-kneeling fervor, coincidentally enough, because it has a habit of setting itself on fire, no "protest" impulse required
posted by halation at 11:38 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Just kicked $50 in to the "Collins votes no or else" fund, which is nearly up to half a million.
posted by duffell at 11:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by duffell at 11:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
A photo gallery of American heroes:
Buzzfeed: Here Are The Intense Pictures Of Protests During The Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [43 favorites]
Buzzfeed: Here Are The Intense Pictures Of Protests During The Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:39 AM on September 6, 2018 [43 favorites]
"Collins votes no or else" fund
Would you mind linking to it, please? I'll see if I can scrounge up some loose change in the couch or something.
posted by AwkwardPause at 11:44 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Would you mind linking to it, please? I'll see if I can scrounge up some loose change in the couch or something.
posted by AwkwardPause at 11:44 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is really more about men and how society handles power in general than Kavanaugh specifically, but wow.
@courtneymilan: I just want to say that it is pretty telling that Kavanaugh’s very rehearsed, obviously thought about for weeks, answer about witnessing harassment is that he would immediately inform a bunch of powerful men, instead of talking to the victim and asking what they needed.
posted by zachlipton at 11:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
@courtneymilan: I just want to say that it is pretty telling that Kavanaugh’s very rehearsed, obviously thought about for weeks, answer about witnessing harassment is that he would immediately inform a bunch of powerful men, instead of talking to the victim and asking what they needed.
posted by zachlipton at 11:45 AM on September 6, 2018 [66 favorites]
@courtneymilan: I just want to say that it is pretty telling that Kavanaugh’s very rehearsed, obviously thought about for weeks, answer about witnessing harassment is that he would immediately inform a bunch of powerful men, instead of talking to the victim and asking what they needed.
Not in his defense or anything, but his answer did sound like he studied the official-by-the-book ( which appears to need revision ) process of responding to a claim of harassment or misconduct.
The real issue is he was lying through his teeth, unconvincingly, when he gave the expected answer of, "I didn't see anything or I would have reported it."
posted by mikelieman at 11:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not in his defense or anything, but his answer did sound like he studied the official-by-the-book ( which appears to need revision ) process of responding to a claim of harassment or misconduct.
The real issue is he was lying through his teeth, unconvincingly, when he gave the expected answer of, "I didn't see anything or I would have reported it."
posted by mikelieman at 11:49 AM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
All the Theories on Who Wrote the Anonymous Anti-Trump Op-ed
Here’s a look at the theories that have emerged so far: A few are somewhat plausible, while others may ascribe too much cunning to the gang that couldn’t lower a flag to half-staff without controversy.13 people who might be the author of The New York Times op-ed
...there are very few clues about who it could be. And the description used by the Times -- "a senior official in the Trump administration" -- is broad enough to include virtually anyone in the Trump White House, a Cabinet official, undersecretary or someone on, say, the National Security Council.posted by kirkaracha at 11:49 AM on September 6, 2018
...
Below, 13 people who might be the author of the op-ed, based on what we know about the various factions, likes, dislikes, motivations and ambitions within the Trump administration. These are in no particular order.
This op-ed filled me with rage in a way that nothing else has lately. I despise Trump, but I despise this person more.
Yes, this.
Oh, me too. The honorable thing would be to resign and speak out publicly.
As to House/house and using "chamber," back in my day the preferred term was "body." You'll hear members and senators refer to "the other body."
posted by jgirl at 11:52 AM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
@RyanLizza: Woodward has receipts. For instance he publishes the draft letter Cohn swiped from Trump’s desk
posted by BungaDunga at 11:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 11:55 AM on September 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
Is....it...potentially bad that the draft letter which was removed from Trump's desk is now publically viewable on Twitter, meaning that now the original intended recipient can also see it?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think South Korea already knows this guy is a moron
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
Is....it...potentially bad that the draft letter which was removed from Trump's desk is now publically viewable on Twitter, meaning that now the original intended recipient can also see it?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ZeusHumms: People Are Replacing Pictures Of Donald Trump With Penguins - Laura Silver, Buzzfeed News
I hoped they were talking about in public places, where the president's official portrait (Wikipedia) with penguins. Alas, I was let down.
If it were me, I'd swap the second poorly shot portrait (PetaPixel review, and reminder that we had NINE MONTHS of this tragic pose) with his angry toddler pose (HuffPo article, with bonus silly photoshoppery), which seems really appropriate with the current level of angst and faux rebellion from within the White House.
On that "internal resistance," Paul Ryan has Strong Feelings, as reported from NPR:
posted by filthy light thief at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ZeusHumms: People Are Replacing Pictures Of Donald Trump With Penguins - Laura Silver, Buzzfeed News
I hoped they were talking about in public places, where the president's official portrait (Wikipedia) with penguins. Alas, I was let down.
If it were me, I'd swap the second poorly shot portrait (PetaPixel review, and reminder that we had NINE MONTHS of this tragic pose) with his angry toddler pose (HuffPo article, with bonus silly photoshoppery), which seems really appropriate with the current level of angst and faux rebellion from within the White House.
On that "internal resistance," Paul Ryan has Strong Feelings, as reported from NPR:
"A person who works in the administration serves at the pleasure at the president; [the New York Times op-ed writer] is obviously living in dishonesty," he told reporters at his weekly press conference. "It doesn't help the president. If you're not interested in helping the president, you shouldn't work for the president, as far as I'm concerned."Expect no help or assistance from these quarters. Also, if you're so happy with Trump, why aren't you running for re-election?
Ryan has been an occasional critic of the president's, and the two clash on issues like tariffs, Russia and immigration.
Still, the speaker emphasized what he believed were the positive results coming out of the Trump administration's actions, like the rising economy and increased military spending.
"What I concern myself about are the results of government. And the results of government are good results," Ryan said. "I know the president is very unconventional. And I know his tweeting and unconventional tactics bother people ... our branch of government is in charge of making sure that we pass good laws that improve people's lives. And guess what, we are passing good laws that improve people's lives."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is really more about men and how society handles power in general than Kavanaugh specifically, but wow.
@courtneymilan: I just want to say that it is pretty telling that Kavanaugh’s very rehearsed, obviously thought about for weeks, answer about witnessing harassment is that he would immediately inform a bunch of powerful men, instead of talking to the victim and asking what they needed.
I think it is specific considering she was one of the women harassed by Kozinski, and Kozinski was Kavanaugh's mentor.
posted by robotdevil at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
@courtneymilan: I just want to say that it is pretty telling that Kavanaugh’s very rehearsed, obviously thought about for weeks, answer about witnessing harassment is that he would immediately inform a bunch of powerful men, instead of talking to the victim and asking what they needed.
I think it is specific considering she was one of the women harassed by Kozinski, and Kozinski was Kavanaugh's mentor.
posted by robotdevil at 12:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
> meaning that now the original intended recipient can also see it?
We already knew what the message conveyed by the letter was, and I'm pretty sure they have Internet in South Korea.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
We already knew what the message conveyed by the letter was, and I'm pretty sure they have Internet in South Korea.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Everything about this is bad. I'm still somewhat flummoxed by the fact that a letter signifying a major policy decision/direction can be drafted, placed on the President's desk, stolen, and nobody raises the question or issue of "hey, whatever happened to that letter about us pulling out of the trade deal?" Like, where's the process around these documents that have pretty major significance?
posted by nubs at 12:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by nubs at 12:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [34 favorites]
The "Collins votes no or else" fund is here, and their stated goal is now to surpass the amount of campaign money Collins currently has in the bank: $1,302,388.
posted by duffell at 12:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by duffell at 12:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
@mel_bough:
BREAKING: U.S. Attorney's Office is postponing subpoena compliance to Jan. 2019 if @NCSBE agrees to preserve info -- they're also asking for info to be redacted so as not to compromise voter privacy #ncpolposted by Chrysostom at 12:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [31 favorites]
> (we had NINE MONTHS of this tragic pose)
When what you think is your Blue Steel actually makes it look like you desperately need to take a shit.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
When what you think is your Blue Steel actually makes it look like you desperately need to take a shit.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
nubs: Everything about this is bad. I'm still somewhat flummoxed by the fact that a letter signifying a major policy decision/direction can be drafted, placed on the President's desk, stolen, and nobody raises the question or issue of "hey, whatever happened to that letter about us pulling out of the trade deal?" Like, where's the process around these documents that have pretty major significance?
Well, when the president apparently eats paper and Trump won't stop tearing up official papers so the White House archives employ a staff to tape them back together for the National Archives, losing a policy paper or two is totally within the realm of normal working conditions.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
Well, when the president apparently eats paper and Trump won't stop tearing up official papers so the White House archives employ a staff to tape them back together for the National Archives, losing a policy paper or two is totally within the realm of normal working conditions.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
...In a scene captured in (...) Fear, Bannon told Trump that he (meaning Trump) was for the common man, against crony capitalism and insider deals.
“I love that,” Trump said, according to Woodward’s account. “That’s what I am, a popularist.”
Woodward completes the scene:
“‘No, no,’ Bannon said. ‘It’s populist.’
“‘Yeah, yeah,’ Trump insisted. ‘A popularist.’”
posted by growabrain at 12:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
“I love that,” Trump said, according to Woodward’s account. “That’s what I am, a popularist.”
Woodward completes the scene:
“‘No, no,’ Bannon said. ‘It’s populist.’
“‘Yeah, yeah,’ Trump insisted. ‘A popularist.’”
posted by growabrain at 12:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
Paul Ryan: "our branch of government is in charge of making sure that we pass good laws that improve people's lives."
Your branch of government is also in charge of oversight on the Presidency. And guess what, you've totally advocated that duty.
(I won't even get into the irony of phony "serious, honest conservative" Paul Ryan chiding someone else for "living in dishonesty.)
posted by Gelatin at 12:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Your branch of government is also in charge of oversight on the Presidency. And guess what, you've totally advocated that duty.
(I won't even get into the irony of phony "serious, honest conservative" Paul Ryan chiding someone else for "living in dishonesty.)
posted by Gelatin at 12:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump lashed out at military for not making money on Libya's oil
In July 2017, then-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster asked the president to sign an order related to Libya, but Trump lashed out and said the military wasn’t doing enough to make money from the country’s oil reserves, the book said. “I'm not going to sign it, Trump said. The United States should be getting oil. The generals aren't sufficiently focused on getting or making money. They don't understand what our objectives should be and they have the United States engaged in all the wrong ways,” the book, which was obtained by Newsweek, stated.
Seems fine.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
In July 2017, then-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster asked the president to sign an order related to Libya, but Trump lashed out and said the military wasn’t doing enough to make money from the country’s oil reserves, the book said. “I'm not going to sign it, Trump said. The United States should be getting oil. The generals aren't sufficiently focused on getting or making money. They don't understand what our objectives should be and they have the United States engaged in all the wrong ways,” the book, which was obtained by Newsweek, stated.
Seems fine.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
U.S. Attorney's Office is postponing subpoena compliance to Jan. 2019 if @NCSBE agrees to preserve info
90% of what these fuckers try can't stand the light of day. We take the House with that giant fucking subpoena flashlight and send them scurrying.
posted by chris24 at 12:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
90% of what these fuckers try can't stand the light of day. We take the House with that giant fucking subpoena flashlight and send them scurrying.
posted by chris24 at 12:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
And because "Moar Lib Tears" is a top policy, Scientist who thinks more CO₂ is great joins National Security Council -- Physicist William Happer has a history of rejecting climate science. (Scott K. Johnson for Ars Technica, Sept. 6, 2018)
Droegemeier's focus is on extreme weather events, in comparison to Happer who wanted to explicitly dedicate funding to scientists who reject the consensus conclusions of climate science. I wonder how much of Trumps' time Kelvin will get, or if he's seen as the token respectable scientist in the room.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
For the many months preceding the appointment of Kelvin Droegemeir to finally fulfill the role of White House Science Advisor, there was a bit of a “will they/won’t they” storyline with retired Princeton physicist William Happer. Happer—who also served at the Department of Energy during the George H.W. Bush administration—is better known these days as a climate contrarian willing to publicly claim that CO2 emissions are a boon rather than an existential threat.Upside: Meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier's nomination came as a rare spot of welcome news for the scientific community, especially because many of Trump’s choices to lead or advise scientific agencies have been criticized either for lacking relevant qualifications, or for being diametrically opposed to the organization they were tapped to run (or even were in support of shutting down the offices they were tapped to oversee). Downside: the position was vacant for 19 months, the longest in the 42 year history of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) -- the next longest was GWB at 4 months of vacancy, where Obama made his pick a month before his inauguration.
In the end, Happer was not tapped as Science Advisor by the Trump administration, but E&E News reported Tuesday that he is now a member of the National Security Council.
Happer was previously listed as the director of a group called the “CO2 Coalition,” which has a website that claims that CO2 released from fossil fuels is just good news for global plant growth while having no real effect on Earth’s climate. (These claims are false.) He has also taken to referring to the field of climate science as a “cult movement.”
Droegemeier's focus is on extreme weather events, in comparison to Happer who wanted to explicitly dedicate funding to scientists who reject the consensus conclusions of climate science. I wonder how much of Trumps' time Kelvin will get, or if he's seen as the token respectable scientist in the room.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I want to remind those of us who have been calling our elected officials, protesting in the streets, registering voters, sending postcards, and getting arrested that the Dem congresspeople who are loudly fighting this administration (including in the Kavanaugh hearings) have been emboldened by us. As a Pennsylvanian, I have to remember that every time I protest in front of Toomey's office, it's a nudge to Casey to be louder and stronger. Toomey will never change (one can't buy back one's soul from the devil) but making his life miserable has far reaching effects. Please, let's keep it up.
Seconding/thirding/fourthing this to infinity.
One of the things that galls me most about the NYT op-ed is that it tries to create a single-handed hero narrative around the anonymous author and like-minded enablers, minimizing the efforts of grassroots activists all over the country who have stepped up in the wake of the election.
They aren't the ones who have been preventing the worst effects of the Trump admin. We are.
posted by orbit-3 at 12:26 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Seconding/thirding/fourthing this to infinity.
One of the things that galls me most about the NYT op-ed is that it tries to create a single-handed hero narrative around the anonymous author and like-minded enablers, minimizing the efforts of grassroots activists all over the country who have stepped up in the wake of the election.
They aren't the ones who have been preventing the worst effects of the Trump admin. We are.
posted by orbit-3 at 12:26 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Thanks for the NC updates, chrysostom.
posted by yoga at 12:28 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by yoga at 12:28 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Lifehacker in with a life hack how-to that has a very small and specific audience: "How to Remove an Unfit President with the 25th Amendment"
posted by jason_steakums at 12:31 PM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 12:31 PM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
vrakatar Way late to the party, but I'd hope that if you were a leftist all it would take is a single word to convince you to vote for literally any Democrat over literally any Republican: Comey.
Everyone wanted to pretend Comey was "one of the good ones". Obama and many, many, others praised his moderate credentials, his professional credentials and ethics, and his other qualifications. And the instant he had a chance to screw us and impose Trump on the nation, he took it.
There is no such thing as a good Republican. Every single one of them will betray us and cause us maximum harm the instant they get a chance. I'd rather vote for the worst, most right wing, DINO scumbag in the world than the most centrist well qualified Republican you can find.
The fact that people, liberal, even leftist, people from Massachusetts keep electing Republican governors to totally fuck their state and block or impede necessary leftist laws is a constant source of bafflement and frustration for liberals all over the country. It seems willfully self destructive.
Any Republican is a Comey waiting for their moment to strike. To vote Republican is to vote for your own betrayal.
posted by sotonohito at 12:34 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
Everyone wanted to pretend Comey was "one of the good ones". Obama and many, many, others praised his moderate credentials, his professional credentials and ethics, and his other qualifications. And the instant he had a chance to screw us and impose Trump on the nation, he took it.
There is no such thing as a good Republican. Every single one of them will betray us and cause us maximum harm the instant they get a chance. I'd rather vote for the worst, most right wing, DINO scumbag in the world than the most centrist well qualified Republican you can find.
The fact that people, liberal, even leftist, people from Massachusetts keep electing Republican governors to totally fuck their state and block or impede necessary leftist laws is a constant source of bafflement and frustration for liberals all over the country. It seems willfully self destructive.
Any Republican is a Comey waiting for their moment to strike. To vote Republican is to vote for your own betrayal.
posted by sotonohito at 12:34 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
I'm confused. Wasn't there a plan to discuss adjournment by 2pm this morning in the Kavanaugh hearing? Did i mis-hear that fracas?
posted by Harry Caul at 12:36 PM on September 6, 2018
posted by Harry Caul at 12:36 PM on September 6, 2018
The "Collins votes no or else" fund is here, and their stated goal is now to surpass the amount of campaign money Collins currently has in the bank: $1,302,388.
Wait, so if she votes no then she gets the $? I don't get it exactly. Please splain to the stupid yoga.
posted by yoga at 12:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Wait, so if she votes no then she gets the $? I don't get it exactly. Please splain to the stupid yoga.
posted by yoga at 12:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
"How to Remove an Unfit President with the 25th Amendment"
Among the many sins of the political press is 2016 was treating Hillary Clinton directly calling Trump unfit for the presidency as just another piece of campaign rhetoric and not as interesting as Butteremails.
The press is coming around to portraying Trump as unfit -- apparently having given up on the idea that he will "pivot" -- but they'll never admit in so many words that Clinton was right.
posted by Gelatin at 12:37 PM on September 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
Among the many sins of the political press is 2016 was treating Hillary Clinton directly calling Trump unfit for the presidency as just another piece of campaign rhetoric and not as interesting as Butteremails.
The press is coming around to portraying Trump as unfit -- apparently having given up on the idea that he will "pivot" -- but they'll never admit in so many words that Clinton was right.
posted by Gelatin at 12:37 PM on September 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
Wait, so if she votes no then she gets the $?
If she votes yes, her opponent gets the money. If she votes no, the money will be refunded to the donors. Under no scenario will she get any money.
posted by anastasiav at 12:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
If she votes yes, her opponent gets the money. If she votes no, the money will be refunded to the donors. Under no scenario will she get any money.
posted by anastasiav at 12:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
jason_steakums: "Lifehacker in with a life hack how-to that has a very small and specific audience: "How to Remove an Unfit President with the 25th Amendment""
From the comments:
From the comments:
Thanks Beth, your article serves as journalistic lodestar to the rest of this nation.posted by Rhaomi at 12:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [55 favorites]
by: Anonymous Mike Pence
Just kicked $50 in to the "Collins votes no or else" fund, which is nearly up to half a million.
I very strongly am opposed to this fund or any sort of fund like it. I can't imagine it getting much worse than having federal and state legislators across the country looking at the their phones before casting votes so they can see what vote will directly put more money in their pockets. Don't think for a moment that is not exactly where something like this will be headed.
"Hmmmm....should I vote for this tax decrease? Let's check the phone. If I vote yes, my PAC gets 4 million dollars! If I vote no, my PAC gets 1 million dollars."
This is absolutely not the path democracy needs to go down.
posted by flarbuse at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
I very strongly am opposed to this fund or any sort of fund like it. I can't imagine it getting much worse than having federal and state legislators across the country looking at the their phones before casting votes so they can see what vote will directly put more money in their pockets. Don't think for a moment that is not exactly where something like this will be headed.
"Hmmmm....should I vote for this tax decrease? Let's check the phone. If I vote yes, my PAC gets 4 million dollars! If I vote no, my PAC gets 1 million dollars."
This is absolutely not the path democracy needs to go down.
posted by flarbuse at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
Wait, so if she votes no then she gets the $? I don't get it exactly. Please splain to the stupid yoga.
If memory serves me correctly, she gets the fund if she votes no on Kavanaugh. If she votes to confirm him, the fund goes to her opponent. (edit: Or not, per a previous comment)
With luck, it'll also help change the narrative around Collins' phony "moderate" stance in which she gets cover from pretending to believe him pretending not to be positively itching for a chance to overturn Roe v Wade.
Of course he'll vote to overturn Roe, and Collins knows it. Voting for him makes her supposed "moderate, pro-choice" position a lie.
posted by Gelatin at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2018
If memory serves me correctly, she gets the fund if she votes no on Kavanaugh. If she votes to confirm him, the fund goes to her opponent. (edit: Or not, per a previous comment)
With luck, it'll also help change the narrative around Collins' phony "moderate" stance in which she gets cover from pretending to believe him pretending not to be positively itching for a chance to overturn Roe v Wade.
Of course he'll vote to overturn Roe, and Collins knows it. Voting for him makes her supposed "moderate, pro-choice" position a lie.
posted by Gelatin at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2018
I thought if she votes no, the payments don't process (ie no one gets the money)
but if she votes yes, her opponent gets the money?
posted by ian1977 at 12:42 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
but if she votes yes, her opponent gets the money?
posted by ian1977 at 12:42 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
I very strongly am opposed to this fund or any sort of fund like it. I can't imagine it getting much worse than having federal and state legislators across the country looking at the their phones before casting votes so they can see what vote will directly put more money in their pockets. Don't think for a moment that is not exactly where something like this will be headed.
That is exactly how it already works.
posted by dilaudid at 12:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [126 favorites]
That is exactly how it already works.
posted by dilaudid at 12:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [126 favorites]
If memory serves me correctly, she gets the fund if she votes no on Kavanaugh. If she votes to confirm him, the fund goes to her opponent.
That is not correct. Here's the page itself: Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent.
"There are two scenarios:
Senator Collins votes NO on Kavanaugh and you will not be charged, and no money will go to fund her future opponent.
Senator Collins votes YES on Kavanaugh and your pledge will go to her opponent's campaign, once that opponent has been identified."
posted by anastasiav at 12:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
That is not correct. Here's the page itself: Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent.
"There are two scenarios:
Senator Collins votes NO on Kavanaugh and you will not be charged, and no money will go to fund her future opponent.
Senator Collins votes YES on Kavanaugh and your pledge will go to her opponent's campaign, once that opponent has been identified."
posted by anastasiav at 12:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
I stand corrected that Collins doesn't actually get the money. Which means it's completely cricket to tell a politician that one will support her opponent if she votes against one's interest, especially if doing so (once again) belies the "moderate, centrist, pro-choice" stance she uses to trick voters into re-electing her.
posted by Gelatin at 12:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 12:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am part of the resistance inside the dominion An op-ed by Gul Dukat.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
Friend of the megathreads Glenn Greenwald tries to use the NYT op-ed as evidence to support his infallible "shadowy deep state cabal" theory:
posted by tonycpsu at 12:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
It's been obvious from the start that large, unelected factions within the US Government have been devoted to sabotaging Trump & his agenda: some of whom he appointed, many who he did not. The "crazies" are not those who have pointed this out, but those who deceitfully denied it.Glenn, of course, is trying to ret-con his previous ramblings about anti-Trump forces leftover from Democratic administrations, when the anonymous writer makes it clear that's not the case, as Lemieux points out at LGM. Some selections from the comments on that post:
Murc:As usual, Greenwald leaves himself an escape hatch of "some of whom he appointed, many of whom he did not", so that he can later attack anyone who accuses him of being deceitful by linking this senior Trump official to his fan-fiction involving Hillary loyalists embedded in US intelligence agencies. But the number of people he's fooling with this stuff has to be pretty small at this point, and the person I feel the most sympathy for at this point is @GlemGreenwald, who has to keep up with this shit.
There's a strong argument to be made that a president shouldn't be willfully sabotaged by the rest of the executive branch, and that this reflects severe dysfunction, a failure of transparency, and rank cowardice from all involved.
And I'm prepared to make that argument, and listen to it from people who aren't named Glenn fuckin' Greenwald.
Abigail Nussbaum:
GG during the 2016 campaign: Clinton is a warmonger and will attack Syria.
GG after Trump's election: the Deep State is interfering with Trump's government.
Bob Woodward: Trump wanted to assassinate Assad and his order was ignored by high-ranking White House staffers.
GG three days later: see, this proves I was right.
stepped pyramids:
So the fundamental deceit in Glenn's argument here is that when Trump says "Deep State" he's not talking about career bureaucrats quietly resisting institutional change. He's explicitly describing a conspiracy, a stay-behind operation planted by Obama and "Crooked Hillary" and dating back years, that has illegally spied on Trump, fabricated evidence against him, etc. It is not a secret that career government types despised Trump and that some chose to stay in office to reduce the damage he caused. Indeed, I remember literally months of public discussion of whether or not people should quit in order to "not normalize" Trump.
To Trump, "Deep State" and "Rigged Witch Hunt" mean the exact same thing. Glenn knows this. He's just lying, because he knows that openly embracing the "Rigged Witch Hunt" narrative would permanently strip him of the last vestiges of credibility.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
I can't imagine it getting much worse than having federal and state legislators across the country looking at the their phones before casting votes so they can see what vote will directly put more money in their pockets.
A recent NYT story: Trump Tax Cut Unlocks Millions for a Republican Election Blitz.
posted by skymt at 12:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
A recent NYT story: Trump Tax Cut Unlocks Millions for a Republican Election Blitz.
Republicans are struggling to make the $1.5 trillion Trump tax cuts a winning issue with voters in the midterm congressional elections, but the cuts are helping the party in another crucial way: unlocking tens of millions of dollars in campaign donations from the wealthy conservatives and corporate interests that benefited handsomely from it.I haven't decided how I feel about the vote no or else campaign, but there's a case to be made that this kind of crowdfunding just democratizes a process already in use by the wealthy.
posted by skymt at 12:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
"Hmmmm....should I vote for this tax decrease? Let's check the phone. If I vote yes, my PAC gets 4 million dollars! If I vote no, my PAC gets 1 million dollars."
This is absolutely not the path democracy needs to go down.
I don't know: if big $ is already tweaking the system, isn't this one of the few ways the little guys can get equal leverage?
posted by yoga at 12:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
This is absolutely not the path democracy needs to go down.
I don't know: if big $ is already tweaking the system, isn't this one of the few ways the little guys can get equal leverage?
posted by yoga at 12:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
I very strongly am opposed to this fund or any sort of fund like it. I can't imagine it getting much worse than having federal and state legislators across the country looking at the their phones before casting votes so they can see what vote will directly put more money in their pockets. Don't think for a moment that is not exactly where something like this will be headed.
---
That is exactly how it already works.
Yep. This just gets us into the game billionaires and corporations have been playing for decades. Still at a huge disadvantage, but at least swinging.
posted by chris24 at 12:51 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
---
That is exactly how it already works.
Yep. This just gets us into the game billionaires and corporations have been playing for decades. Still at a huge disadvantage, but at least swinging.
posted by chris24 at 12:51 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
I don't know: if big $ is already tweaking the system, isn't this one of the few ways the little guys can get equal leverage?
I'm sort of curious to see if it works in this specific instance, but "let's fund Republican primary opponents to own the RINOs!" has some built-in conceptual flaws that will make it, uh, hard to scale
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:56 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm sort of curious to see if it works in this specific instance, but "let's fund Republican primary opponents to own the RINOs!" has some built-in conceptual flaws that will make it, uh, hard to scale
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:56 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The funds will go to her general election opponent.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:58 PM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:58 PM on September 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
I'm sort of curious to see if it works in this specific instance, but "let's fund Republican primary opponents to own the RINOs!" has some built-in conceptual flaws that will make it, uh, hard to scale
Again, from the page I linked above:
"If you fail to stand up for the people of Maine and for Americans across the country, every dollar donated to this campaign will go to your eventual Democratic opponent in 2020. We will get you out of office. "
posted by anastasiav at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Again, from the page I linked above:
"If you fail to stand up for the people of Maine and for Americans across the country, every dollar donated to this campaign will go to your eventual Democratic opponent in 2020. We will get you out of office. "
posted by anastasiav at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
The @BeAHeroTeam in Maine:
Maine voters -- @SenatorCollins constituents -- are standing up today to let her know: if she votes for Kavanaugh, they will defeat her. Watch the new video, and pledge $20.20 at http://bit.ly/collinsbeahero to defeat Susan Collins *if* she votes for Kavanaugh
(link to crowdpac page -the tally is currently over $500,000 pledged)
posted by bluesky43 at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Maine voters -- @SenatorCollins constituents -- are standing up today to let her know: if she votes for Kavanaugh, they will defeat her. Watch the new video, and pledge $20.20 at http://bit.ly/collinsbeahero to defeat Susan Collins *if* she votes for Kavanaugh
(link to crowdpac page -the tally is currently over $500,000 pledged)
posted by bluesky43 at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Good piece from Dave Weigel on successes and failures in the efforts to elect reformers as DAs.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm confused. Wasn't there a plan to discuss adjournment by 2pm this morning in the Kavanaugh hearing? Did i mis-hear that fracas?
It was a threat if Schumer invoked the "2pm rule" (which prohibits committees from meeting past 2pm without consent from both leaders on days the Senate is in session) as he did yesterday. Schumer did not do so today, so the hearing continued. As far as I can tell, it's all a meaningless bit of theater that impacts nothing, even more than the whole hearing is meaningless theater, since Schumer already made his deal with McConnell to move judicial nominees on the floor.
Speaking of meaningless theater in the Senate, Booker's office is now repeatedly trying to argue that he did violate Senate rules by releasing committee confidential documents, while Republicans are trying to argue that they approved the docs for release first. What a world.
posted by zachlipton at 1:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
It was a threat if Schumer invoked the "2pm rule" (which prohibits committees from meeting past 2pm without consent from both leaders on days the Senate is in session) as he did yesterday. Schumer did not do so today, so the hearing continued. As far as I can tell, it's all a meaningless bit of theater that impacts nothing, even more than the whole hearing is meaningless theater, since Schumer already made his deal with McConnell to move judicial nominees on the floor.
Speaking of meaningless theater in the Senate, Booker's office is now repeatedly trying to argue that he did violate Senate rules by releasing committee confidential documents, while Republicans are trying to argue that they approved the docs for release first. What a world.
posted by zachlipton at 1:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Huh. I would think Democrats would want to raise money for Collins' general election opponent regardless, so I'm not sure there's anything especially innovative (or perilous) about this kind of fundraising.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
The funds will go to her general election opponent.
And part of the political media's failure in covering the confirmation is that the fix is in -- of course Kavanaugh will vote to overturn Roe v Wade; Trump promised to appoint only SCOTUS justices who would do just that. There is a litmus test, but the Republicans don't dare acknowledge it, because abortion rights are popular. But the media pretends to take the Republicans' charade at face value.
Collins claims that Kavanaugh told her that he'd keep an open mind, and who knows? Maybe she's telling the truth as far as it goes. But if so, Kavanaugh was lying, and what's more, Collins knows he's lying. And so she's lying to her constituents in order to safeguard her phony "moderate" credentials and still stave off a primary challenge if she votes against him.
Collins' stance on Kavanaugh, like all Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, is phony, and she does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. One hopes that this fundraising campaign not only gives her next opponent a boost, but also helps dilute the media narrative that she supports abortion rights, so she doesn't get to pretend to be disappointed when Kavanaugh votes as we all know he's going to.
posted by Gelatin at 1:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
And part of the political media's failure in covering the confirmation is that the fix is in -- of course Kavanaugh will vote to overturn Roe v Wade; Trump promised to appoint only SCOTUS justices who would do just that. There is a litmus test, but the Republicans don't dare acknowledge it, because abortion rights are popular. But the media pretends to take the Republicans' charade at face value.
Collins claims that Kavanaugh told her that he'd keep an open mind, and who knows? Maybe she's telling the truth as far as it goes. But if so, Kavanaugh was lying, and what's more, Collins knows he's lying. And so she's lying to her constituents in order to safeguard her phony "moderate" credentials and still stave off a primary challenge if she votes against him.
Collins' stance on Kavanaugh, like all Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, is phony, and she does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. One hopes that this fundraising campaign not only gives her next opponent a boost, but also helps dilute the media narrative that she supports abortion rights, so she doesn't get to pretend to be disappointed when Kavanaugh votes as we all know he's going to.
posted by Gelatin at 1:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
Hit post too soon to add the latest example of meaningless theater in the Senate: @taragolshan: Sen. Jeff Flake is up. His first question: he asked Kavanaugh to introduce his youth basketball team. The girls are sitting in the front row. Kavanaugh listed their names and ages correctly and got a round of applause. SPORT!
posted by zachlipton at 1:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
@emptywheel: Brett Kavanaugh describing torture and illegal wiretap memo author John Yoo his "magic bullet" for the Ninth Circuit.
Remember: Bill Burck thought American citizens shouldn't know that Brett Kavanaugh thinks John Yoo--one of the worst government lawyers in history--is his "magic bullet" before he becomes SCOTUS.
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Remember: Bill Burck thought American citizens shouldn't know that Brett Kavanaugh thinks John Yoo--one of the worst government lawyers in history--is his "magic bullet" before he becomes SCOTUS.
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
@NARAL
Kavanaugh just referred to birth control as "abortion-inducing drugs," which is not only an anti-science lie, it's an anti-choice extremist phrase that shows that our right to access both abortion and contraception would be in SERIOUS danger if he is confirmed. #StopKavanaugh
posted by chris24 at 1:23 PM on September 6, 2018 [124 favorites]
Kavanaugh just referred to birth control as "abortion-inducing drugs," which is not only an anti-science lie, it's an anti-choice extremist phrase that shows that our right to access both abortion and contraception would be in SERIOUS danger if he is confirmed. #StopKavanaugh
posted by chris24 at 1:23 PM on September 6, 2018 [124 favorites]
So this comment is old by thread standards, but I think this:
Can we just step back and take a beat to consider that the NYT just published an op-ed that amounts to "we are the Deep State and we are working to stymie the elected president"? This is, like, a NeverTrump QAnon. Except in the Times.
needs a correction.
QAnon/Deep State stuff always deals in stories of careerist political opposition embedded in federal agencies -- by OBAMA, by DEMOCRATS.
This Op-Ed? It's about Trump Staff. Some like to call them "the best people."
In other words, it totally defies the claim that the call is coming from anywhere except inside the white house. Either Trump made some poor staffing decisions (and really, where else would final accountability lie?), or Trump is a poor enough leaders that he can't effectively manage even his best staffing decisions.
Also, naming the fact of Trump's staff functioning to make the executive function a "coup" just seems ridiculous to me. The reality is that however the Trump Administration is arrayed -- whether he himself manages to retain enough respect from his staff and has enough interpersonal savvy to lead, or whether he's being outmaneuvered by is own people -- it's ultimately still as accountable to voters come election day as it was back in 2016. The word "coup" only becomes really apt the moment that's no longer true.
(Not that I think we need to be complacent about that -- it's pretty clear that there's a significant presence in the GOP that'd enthusiastically disenfranchise as much of the electorate as they need to in order to win, and some additional complement that would be more than satisfied with a straight-up tyrant).
posted by wildblueyonder at 1:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Can we just step back and take a beat to consider that the NYT just published an op-ed that amounts to "we are the Deep State and we are working to stymie the elected president"? This is, like, a NeverTrump QAnon. Except in the Times.
needs a correction.
QAnon/Deep State stuff always deals in stories of careerist political opposition embedded in federal agencies -- by OBAMA, by DEMOCRATS.
This Op-Ed? It's about Trump Staff. Some like to call them "the best people."
In other words, it totally defies the claim that the call is coming from anywhere except inside the white house. Either Trump made some poor staffing decisions (and really, where else would final accountability lie?), or Trump is a poor enough leaders that he can't effectively manage even his best staffing decisions.
Also, naming the fact of Trump's staff functioning to make the executive function a "coup" just seems ridiculous to me. The reality is that however the Trump Administration is arrayed -- whether he himself manages to retain enough respect from his staff and has enough interpersonal savvy to lead, or whether he's being outmaneuvered by is own people -- it's ultimately still as accountable to voters come election day as it was back in 2016. The word "coup" only becomes really apt the moment that's no longer true.
(Not that I think we need to be complacent about that -- it's pretty clear that there's a significant presence in the GOP that'd enthusiastically disenfranchise as much of the electorate as they need to in order to win, and some additional complement that would be more than satisfied with a straight-up tyrant).
posted by wildblueyonder at 1:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Huh. I would think Democrats would want to raise money for Collins' general election opponent regardless, so I'm not sure there's anything especially innovative (or perilous) about this kind of fundraising.
i think part of the idea is that future opponents will get a big boost in starting campaigns at all, knowing this fund is there for them.
the other thing, though, is this just seems to me to be kind of a hail mary for stopping kavanaugh. maine is not a very populous state, and calling and appealing to her morals seems to have limited value because no one is convinced she has any. as noted upthread, if she is responding only to money, this is how smaller donors from across the country can do something concrete to get her attention RIGHT NOW. it's the timing more than the money.
and maybe it won't work and maybe it is problematic, etc. but i think it's novel and for better or worse it's getting attention, so, ya know. desperate times, etc etc. maybe it won't help much but maybe it will, at least we're trying something big.
posted by robotdevil at 1:28 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
QAnon types aren't known for... nuance. They will eagerly classify anyone who is Against Trump as part and parcel of The Grand Conspiracy, will come up with nineteen PROOFS that those people were Obama lackeys and turncoats from day one, and are as unaffected by personal loyalty as Trump himself.
These are the kinds of people who tried to claim that Paul Ryan was a Muslim sympathizer and closet Democrat, for crying out loud.
posted by delfin at 1:30 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
These are the kinds of people who tried to claim that Paul Ryan was a Muslim sympathizer and closet Democrat, for crying out loud.
posted by delfin at 1:30 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Speaking of meaningless theater in the Senate, Booker's office is now repeatedly trying to argue that he did violate Senate rules by releasing committee confidential documents, while Republicans are trying to argue that they approved the docs for release first. What a world.
Now THAT brought a smile to my face.
posted by M-x shell at 1:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Now THAT brought a smile to my face.
posted by M-x shell at 1:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
I am so glad more people are coming to a long-held opinion of mine: Glenn Greenwald is a fucking Libertarian hack who should not be trusted.
Welcome, friends.
posted by asteria at 1:46 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Welcome, friends.
posted by asteria at 1:46 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Profiles in courage:
Kavanaugh won't answer if he considers Justice Ginsburg to be competent, nor will he respond in any way to whether it's wrong to attack a judge based on their ethnicity or comment on attacks on the judiciary in general, even though Justice Roberts did. It was incredibly weaksauce; he couldn't even muster up some general platitudes about racism being bad or an independent judiciary being good.
He's been asked a couple more times about his conversations about the Mueller investigation. He continues to say he's had no "inappropriate" conversations and Republicans keep asking questions that frame it as whether he had conversations where he promised anything, rather than if he had discussions about the investigation in general.
Still waiting for someone to ask him about his finances.
----
BuzzFeed, After Multiple Provocations, Twitter Bans Alex Jones And Infowars. It's a permanent suspension:
Kavanaugh won't answer if he considers Justice Ginsburg to be competent, nor will he respond in any way to whether it's wrong to attack a judge based on their ethnicity or comment on attacks on the judiciary in general, even though Justice Roberts did. It was incredibly weaksauce; he couldn't even muster up some general platitudes about racism being bad or an independent judiciary being good.
He's been asked a couple more times about his conversations about the Mueller investigation. He continues to say he's had no "inappropriate" conversations and Republicans keep asking questions that frame it as whether he had conversations where he promised anything, rather than if he had discussions about the investigation in general.
Still waiting for someone to ask him about his finances.
----
BuzzFeed, After Multiple Provocations, Twitter Bans Alex Jones And Infowars. It's a permanent suspension:
The incident that inspired Twitter to action appears to have been a series of tweets containing a 9-minute Periscope video of Jones confronting CNN reporter Oliver Darcy. In the video, Jones and his camera men confront Darcy while Jones lambastes him as " the equivalent of like the Hitler Youth" and accuses him of "smiling like a possum that crawled out of the rear end of a dead cow."posted by zachlipton at 1:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [47 favorites]
He also won't say if he believes there's widespread voter fraud.
posted by chris24 at 1:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 1:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
QAnon/Deep State stuff always deals in stories of careerist political opposition embedded in federal agencies -- by OBAMA, by DEMOCRATS.
The QAnon conspiracy is that QAnon (a fictional person) is supposed to be a high-level Trump aide who is anonymously leaking to the local MAGA-types by means of cryptic 4chan info dumps, which detail the steps that Trump has been taking to secretly take down the Deep State cabal.
The Lodestar Letter (or whatever we're calling it, I like 'WHAnon' from upthread) is a real high-level Trumper anonymously leaking to NeverTrumpers by means of a NYT op-ed detailing steps that he and colleagues are doing to preserve "free trade" etc against the wishes of Trump.
It feel coup-y because in the US system, all of the executive power is invested in one guy, the President. If his orders are being deliberately ignored, in an organized way, the slippery-slope ending of this is Trump screaming down a disconnected phone line locked in the Residence while Pence hacks into the @realDonaldTrump account and governs on his own. See: palace coup. We're (apparently) being governed by un-elected lackeys of the demented King who keep him around as a figurehead so as not to precipitate a crisis.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
The QAnon conspiracy is that QAnon (a fictional person) is supposed to be a high-level Trump aide who is anonymously leaking to the local MAGA-types by means of cryptic 4chan info dumps, which detail the steps that Trump has been taking to secretly take down the Deep State cabal.
The Lodestar Letter (or whatever we're calling it, I like 'WHAnon' from upthread) is a real high-level Trumper anonymously leaking to NeverTrumpers by means of a NYT op-ed detailing steps that he and colleagues are doing to preserve "free trade" etc against the wishes of Trump.
It feel coup-y because in the US system, all of the executive power is invested in one guy, the President. If his orders are being deliberately ignored, in an organized way, the slippery-slope ending of this is Trump screaming down a disconnected phone line locked in the Residence while Pence hacks into the @realDonaldTrump account and governs on his own. See: palace coup. We're (apparently) being governed by un-elected lackeys of the demented King who keep him around as a figurehead so as not to precipitate a crisis.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
I know it's not a particularly novel observation but these hearings have become jokes since Bork. They should get rid of them. What a waste of time and effort.
posted by Justinian at 1:54 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:54 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Looks like Kavanaugh's approach is the same as Sarah Huckabee Sanders'; his answers to questions from Democrats can be translated to "fuck you, see you in court."
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:55 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:55 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
@CoryBooker: Here are 6 more Kavanaugh "committee confidential" documents: (attached)
Dude's still going for it. Fuck yeah.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [54 favorites]
Dude's still going for it. Fuck yeah.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [54 favorites]
About the whole "Kamala Harris trying to force Kavanaugh to recuse himself" angle, here's the thing: she/Dems don't need to make Kavanaugh recuse himself. They just need to make Donald Fucking Trump believe that Kavanaugh may choose to or have to recuse himself.
After a year-plus of being obsessively ENRAGED that Jeff Sessions recused himself and repeating 500,000 times that "if he had said he would recuse, we would have found somebody else," Trump probably blows a few capillaries every time someone says the word "recuse." No way he'd take on yet another disloyal uncooperative recuser. If Trump becomes paranoid that Kavanaugh's compromising chats with Kasowitz or whoever will turn him into another Sessions, he'll burn Kavanaugh like a porterhouse steak. And it's already a stressful week.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
After a year-plus of being obsessively ENRAGED that Jeff Sessions recused himself and repeating 500,000 times that "if he had said he would recuse, we would have found somebody else," Trump probably blows a few capillaries every time someone says the word "recuse." No way he'd take on yet another disloyal uncooperative recuser. If Trump becomes paranoid that Kavanaugh's compromising chats with Kasowitz or whoever will turn him into another Sessions, he'll burn Kavanaugh like a porterhouse steak. And it's already a stressful week.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
New Marist poll of TN Sen:
(likely voters):
Bredesen (D): 48%
Blackburn (R): 46%
Undecided: 5%
Among larger pool of registered voters:
Bredesen: 48%
Blackburn: 44%
Undecided: 7%
posted by Chrysostom at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
(likely voters):
Bredesen (D): 48%
Blackburn (R): 46%
Undecided: 5%
Among larger pool of registered voters:
Bredesen: 48%
Blackburn: 44%
Undecided: 7%
posted by Chrysostom at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [30 favorites]
@CoryBooker: Here are 6 more Kavanaugh "committee confidential" documents: (attached)
One of those emails details Judge Kavanaugh's view that, while diversity is important and beneficial, it must not be served at the exclusion of those more-american values of equality of opportunity and non-discrimination.
yeah that was really his take on affirmative action. smdh.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
One of those emails details Judge Kavanaugh's view that, while diversity is important and beneficial, it must not be served at the exclusion of those more-american values of equality of opportunity and non-discrimination.
yeah that was really his take on affirmative action. smdh.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Addendum: a stressful week in which the Woodward book and the op-ed already have him in Trust No One, Even Those Who Make You Sincere-Sounding Promises mode.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
There's also no conceivable chance Trump didn't ask Kavanaugh directly if he'd recuse from anything relating to Trump. I kinda doubt he appoints anyone at all without asking that first at this point. He's all about loyalty (to himself) first. But as FelliniBlank says, given the pressures and revelations of the last week or two, just making Trump doubt Kavanaugh on that issue is significant.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
In which Trump sends Rep. Pramila Jayapal a decidedly bland birthday note, except it's addressed "Dear Congressman Jayapal."
She tweets: "P.S. It's CongressWOMAN Jayapal."
posted by zachlipton at 2:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
She tweets: "P.S. It's CongressWOMAN Jayapal."
posted by zachlipton at 2:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
If it had come out this week, no one would have given Omarosa's book a second look.
posted by Slothrup at 2:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Slothrup at 2:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Trump is 47% approve - 43% disapprove in that TN poll.
Bredeson favorability is 61% - 22%.
posted by chris24 at 2:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Bredeson favorability is 61% - 22%.
posted by chris24 at 2:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
I find the idea that it isn't normal for cabinet members to be pursuing their own agendas quite possibly in opposition to the president to be somewhat naive. Picking a cabinet is always a balancing act of getting people powerful, influential and independent enough to get the job done while not getting screwed by them because those are the kind of people who will pursue their own agenda and empire-building.
posted by Bovine Love at 2:09 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Bovine Love at 2:09 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah, and Bredesen is a known quantity, so it's harder (not impossible, of course) to pull down his favorables.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
More on Kavanaugh intentionally confusing birth control and abortion, which is simply wrong: Brett Kavanaugh Refers To Birth Control As ‘Abortion-Inducing Drugs’ At Confirmation Hearing
Meanwhile, at the Trump rally: @jonallendc: New (or renewed) Trump rally policy. Reporters told they are not allowed to leave the press pen once they enter. That is, not allowed to interview attendees. I asked if I could go to the bathroom over the next seven hours or so and the answer was no, until USSS intervened.
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
Meanwhile, at the Trump rally: @jonallendc: New (or renewed) Trump rally policy. Reporters told they are not allowed to leave the press pen once they enter. That is, not allowed to interview attendees. I asked if I could go to the bathroom over the next seven hours or so and the answer was no, until USSS intervened.
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
QAnon types aren't known for... nuance. They will eagerly classify anyone who is Against Trump as part and parcel of The Grand Conspiracy
Agreed, and I don't expect any contribution to actual discourse to penetrate into that system.
I just would like that realm of actual discourse, from the careful analysts to the short-order cooks at the hot-take drive-through, to consider the reasons why this doesn't actually merit the word "coup."
It feel coup-y because in the US system, all of the executive power is invested in one guy, the President. If his orders are being deliberately ignored, in an organized way, the slippery-slope ending of this is Trump screaming down a disconnected phone line locked in the Residence while Pence hacks into the @realDonaldTrump account and governs on his own. See: palace coup. We're (apparently) being governed by un-elected lackeys of the demented King who keep him around as a figurehead so as not to precipitate a crisis.
The idea that all of the executive power is invested in one guy seems like a legal fiction. It might also be a useful and legal fine point certain important decisions can turn on, but in practice, it's simply not adequate. Nothing as ambitious as the execution of a nation state is ever really the investment of one person. Hence, a cabinet and staff.
And ultimately, it strikes me as a feature rather than a bug that even an elected President cannot lean on the authority of the office alone and must bring the ability to command some degree of personal respect and interpersonal political savvy in order to effectively lead their staff.
The thing that feels distinctly not-coup-y to me is that whoever WHAnon represents, they're Trump's picks to go to work on the tasks of doing what the executive branch should do. They are therefore at some level a genuine expression of the president's choices, and this is one area he and his supporters assured everyone he was superlative at.
Perhaps the day-to-day reality is that his staff are leading him more than the other way around, that managing up is happening even more than usual in any organization. Perhaps, if they can get away with it, they will let him literally or figuratively isolate himself in an ecosystem of either imagined effectiveness or real frustration. Perhaps that's something the American people should consider when it comes time to elect the next Presidency. Nevertheless, the *Presidency* remains accountable to voters. Whether Trump is leading it or whether Trump has created an organization he is as fundamentally unable to manage as he is unable to manage his own impulses, the Trump Presidency can effectively be treated as a black box from the outside for purposes of ballot accountability (and to some extent, always is).
This isn't to say that this is an ideal state of affairs. Ideally, you have a President that can command the respect of their staff and that has the requisite political and interpersonal savvy to both get the best out of them AND personally aggregate it to high-quality nation-state decisions. And when there is a President that fails this test badly as badly as Trump seems to, I'd think the 25th amendment and impeachment are better solutions than containing a nominal leader who is actually a crisis waiting to happen. But we know why those solutions have failed and will likely continue to. To the extent that staff can in fact do containment, it's all we've got until the next election, which, God willing, will provide some opportunity for the system to actually work, assuming our elections haven't already been compromised to the point where the USA will become an outright illegitimate state.
posted by wildblueyonder at 2:28 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Agreed, and I don't expect any contribution to actual discourse to penetrate into that system.
I just would like that realm of actual discourse, from the careful analysts to the short-order cooks at the hot-take drive-through, to consider the reasons why this doesn't actually merit the word "coup."
It feel coup-y because in the US system, all of the executive power is invested in one guy, the President. If his orders are being deliberately ignored, in an organized way, the slippery-slope ending of this is Trump screaming down a disconnected phone line locked in the Residence while Pence hacks into the @realDonaldTrump account and governs on his own. See: palace coup. We're (apparently) being governed by un-elected lackeys of the demented King who keep him around as a figurehead so as not to precipitate a crisis.
The idea that all of the executive power is invested in one guy seems like a legal fiction. It might also be a useful and legal fine point certain important decisions can turn on, but in practice, it's simply not adequate. Nothing as ambitious as the execution of a nation state is ever really the investment of one person. Hence, a cabinet and staff.
And ultimately, it strikes me as a feature rather than a bug that even an elected President cannot lean on the authority of the office alone and must bring the ability to command some degree of personal respect and interpersonal political savvy in order to effectively lead their staff.
The thing that feels distinctly not-coup-y to me is that whoever WHAnon represents, they're Trump's picks to go to work on the tasks of doing what the executive branch should do. They are therefore at some level a genuine expression of the president's choices, and this is one area he and his supporters assured everyone he was superlative at.
Perhaps the day-to-day reality is that his staff are leading him more than the other way around, that managing up is happening even more than usual in any organization. Perhaps, if they can get away with it, they will let him literally or figuratively isolate himself in an ecosystem of either imagined effectiveness or real frustration. Perhaps that's something the American people should consider when it comes time to elect the next Presidency. Nevertheless, the *Presidency* remains accountable to voters. Whether Trump is leading it or whether Trump has created an organization he is as fundamentally unable to manage as he is unable to manage his own impulses, the Trump Presidency can effectively be treated as a black box from the outside for purposes of ballot accountability (and to some extent, always is).
This isn't to say that this is an ideal state of affairs. Ideally, you have a President that can command the respect of their staff and that has the requisite political and interpersonal savvy to both get the best out of them AND personally aggregate it to high-quality nation-state decisions. And when there is a President that fails this test badly as badly as Trump seems to, I'd think the 25th amendment and impeachment are better solutions than containing a nominal leader who is actually a crisis waiting to happen. But we know why those solutions have failed and will likely continue to. To the extent that staff can in fact do containment, it's all we've got until the next election, which, God willing, will provide some opportunity for the system to actually work, assuming our elections haven't already been compromised to the point where the USA will become an outright illegitimate state.
posted by wildblueyonder at 2:28 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
There's a difference between Cabinet members having their own agendas and working at the margins to accomplish them, and Cabinet members working together to directly block the president from doing what he wants to do, on the basis that he's so stupid he either won't realize that he didn't actually do the thing, or will forget about wanting to do it after a cool-down period.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Reporters told they are not allowed to leave the press pen once they enter.
History says it's best to stop attending events that are filled with thousands of people who want you dead and that also demand you enter confined spaces that you are not allowed to leave.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [79 favorites]
History says it's best to stop attending events that are filled with thousands of people who want you dead and that also demand you enter confined spaces that you are not allowed to leave.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [79 favorites]
So to conservatives affirmative action is bad, but Kavanaugh is repeatedly lauded in these hearings for hiring with an eye to diversity?
posted by lumnar at 2:38 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by lumnar at 2:38 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
CNN, Jeremy Diamond, The many examples of Trump officials resisting the President
In other news, Kavanaugh didn't vote for Trump, or anyone, as he's decided not to vote since he became a judge.
posted by zachlipton at 2:42 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
It is impossible to quantify the efforts of that quiet resistance. When asked to share examples of efforts to frustrate Trump's more rash decisions, one former senior administration official told CNN: "That's a daily occurrence. Literally multiple times a day."The list includes, all reported elsewhere, killing the order to evacuate military families from South Korea, McGahn refusing to fire Mueller, Gary Cohn swiping the letter pulling out of the US-South Korea free trade agreement and off the Resolute desk, and Marris not assassinating Assad. Of course, none of these daily occurrences involved stopping the Muslim bans, separating children from their parents, and other horrors.
But there are several illustrative examples, listed here:
In other news, Kavanaugh didn't vote for Trump, or anyone, as he's decided not to vote since he became a judge.
posted by zachlipton at 2:42 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Bolsonaro has been stabbed, is in serious condition and undergoing surgery
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
So to conservatives affirmative action is bad, but Kavanaugh is repeatedly lauded in these hearings for hiring with an eye to diversity?
Schrodinger's Racist. They want to appeal to racists, but (most want to) maintain the plausible deniability that allows them to court the occasional Hispanic or Asian voter, so a lot of them can't go full Steven Miller. Even Trump has his beards providing cover for his white nationalism.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 2:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Schrodinger's Racist. They want to appeal to racists, but (most want to) maintain the plausible deniability that allows them to court the occasional Hispanic or Asian voter, so a lot of them can't go full Steven Miller. Even Trump has his beards providing cover for his white nationalism.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 2:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Friend of the megathreads Glenn Greenwald tries to use the NYT op-ed as evidence to support his infallible "shadowy deep state cabal" theory:
It's been obvious from the start that large, unelected factions within the US Government have been devoted to sabotaging Trump & his agenda: some of whom he appointed, many who he did not. The "crazies" are not those who have pointed this out, but those who deceitfully denied it.
All senior white house officials are there at the discretion of the current sitting president. The responsibility for all the conspiracy that is described in the NYT editorial can only land in one KFC crumb covered lap.
posted by srboisvert at 2:47 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's been obvious from the start that large, unelected factions within the US Government have been devoted to sabotaging Trump & his agenda: some of whom he appointed, many who he did not. The "crazies" are not those who have pointed this out, but those who deceitfully denied it.
All senior white house officials are there at the discretion of the current sitting president. The responsibility for all the conspiracy that is described in the NYT editorial can only land in one KFC crumb covered lap.
posted by srboisvert at 2:47 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hey MetaFilter, I just wanted to drop in a quick thank you for these threads and everyone's consistently excellent participation and analysis in them.
It's been a month now since I started a new job as a campaign manager for a city council candidate.
I think back to the rolling national tragedy that was inflicted upon us at the end of 2016 and the hopelessness I felt then. After I climbed out of the pit (the deepest pit, at least) these threads were invaluable in pointing me toward ways to get involved (and if you peruse my last two years of comment history you'll see I've tried many. Very many) and developing my understanding of the sort of work and justice that might drag this messed up country back from the brink.
So—older, wiser, disillusioned—as campaign season ramped up this year I went to go work for the gayest blackest most progressive woman I could find. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I'm not even the candidate! Campaigning sucks, and there is absolutely a racial and gender gap in fundraising and enthusiasm. I'm here because of the fine tuning you've wrought on my moral compass, MetaFilter, and despite the overwhelming vastness of the task I know it's the right thing to do, and I'm here to step up and do it.
It comforts me remembering that you all are here, striving toward the same vision and with the same sense of justice I share. So, thanks. Now it's back to work.
posted by books for weapons at 2:47 PM on September 6, 2018 [191 favorites]
It's been a month now since I started a new job as a campaign manager for a city council candidate.
I think back to the rolling national tragedy that was inflicted upon us at the end of 2016 and the hopelessness I felt then. After I climbed out of the pit (the deepest pit, at least) these threads were invaluable in pointing me toward ways to get involved (and if you peruse my last two years of comment history you'll see I've tried many. Very many) and developing my understanding of the sort of work and justice that might drag this messed up country back from the brink.
So—older, wiser, disillusioned—as campaign season ramped up this year I went to go work for the gayest blackest most progressive woman I could find. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I'm not even the candidate! Campaigning sucks, and there is absolutely a racial and gender gap in fundraising and enthusiasm. I'm here because of the fine tuning you've wrought on my moral compass, MetaFilter, and despite the overwhelming vastness of the task I know it's the right thing to do, and I'm here to step up and do it.
It comforts me remembering that you all are here, striving toward the same vision and with the same sense of justice I share. So, thanks. Now it's back to work.
posted by books for weapons at 2:47 PM on September 6, 2018 [191 favorites]
I guess we've been underestimating the strategic geopolitical value of Portland in the context of the Korean nuclear issue.
"Donald Trump sought to put missile-defense system in Portland, Bob Woodward book says" (OregonLive)
"'This is a piece of s--t land," Trump is quoted as saying in the book. "This is a terrible deal. Who negotiated this deal? What genius? Take it out. I don't want the land. F--k it, pull it back and put it in Portland!"
posted by vverse23 at 3:10 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
"Donald Trump sought to put missile-defense system in Portland, Bob Woodward book says" (OregonLive)
"'This is a piece of s--t land," Trump is quoted as saying in the book. "This is a terrible deal. Who negotiated this deal? What genius? Take it out. I don't want the land. F--k it, pull it back and put it in Portland!"
posted by vverse23 at 3:10 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
The only thing from Woodward's book that could truly shock me would be a story about Trump calmly thinking over a situation, consulting experienced staff and taking their advice into account, and then making a rational decision that resolved the issue in a fair and equitable manner.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [75 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [75 favorites]
Update: DOJ says 416 migrant children who the government separated from their parents at the border still haven't been reunited and remain in federal custody.
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
About the whole "Kamala Harris trying to force Kavanaugh to recuse himself" angle, here's the thing: she/Dems don't need to make Kavanaugh recuse himself. They just need to make Donald Fucking Trump believe that Kavanaugh may choose to or have to recuse himself.
When I read this comment earlier, I thought there was definitely some merit to it, I hadn't thought of that angle yet. I was reminded of it just now watching Sen. Booker trying to get Kavanaugh to say whether he has respect for Trump . . . he won't! I do hope that's part of the angle, to get Trump himself riled up that Kavanaugh won't say he won't recuse, and is now refusing to say he respects him. It's pretty great and I hope Trump hears about it and it makes him furious.
FYI Sen. Harris coming up within the next hour for those who are interested.
posted by robotdevil at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
When I read this comment earlier, I thought there was definitely some merit to it, I hadn't thought of that angle yet. I was reminded of it just now watching Sen. Booker trying to get Kavanaugh to say whether he has respect for Trump . . . he won't! I do hope that's part of the angle, to get Trump himself riled up that Kavanaugh won't say he won't recuse, and is now refusing to say he respects him. It's pretty great and I hope Trump hears about it and it makes him furious.
FYI Sen. Harris coming up within the next hour for those who are interested.
posted by robotdevil at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
zachlipton, I can’t favorite that, but thanks for dropping it in here.
posted by anastasiav at 3:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by anastasiav at 3:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
CNN, Barbara Starr, Russia warns US of pending attack in Syrian area with US troops
Russia has warned the US military twice in the last week that its forces, along with Syrian regime units, are prepared to attack in an area where dozens of US troops are located, according to several US defense officials.posted by zachlipton at 3:46 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Russia claims that there are militants in the area protected by US troops.
Moscow's declaration has sharply raised US commanders' concerns that American forces would be at risk if a Russian attack goes forward, CNN has learned. And it has sparked US warnings to Moscow not to challenge the US military presence.
More on Kavanaugh intentionally confusing birth control and abortion, which is simply wrong: Brett Kavanaugh Refers To Birth Control As ‘Abortion-Inducing Drugs’ At Confirmation Hearing
The anti-choice crowd has been referring to birth control as "abortiofacients" for years now. They've weaponized their opposition to the morning-after pill.
Speaking of anti-choice, they also make it pretty clear -- though they're usually savvy enough not to admit it to the media -- that their real target is not so much Roe as Griswold, which legalized birth control under the right to privacy.
posted by Gelatin at 3:58 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
The anti-choice crowd has been referring to birth control as "abortiofacients" for years now. They've weaponized their opposition to the morning-after pill.
Speaking of anti-choice, they also make it pretty clear -- though they're usually savvy enough not to admit it to the media -- that their real target is not so much Roe as Griswold, which legalized birth control under the right to privacy.
posted by Gelatin at 3:58 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
Isn't that Eisenstadt?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:10 PM on September 6, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:10 PM on September 6, 2018
Open Letter to Times Op-ed Writer: Go Public Now, Before They Bust You:
... take a deep breath, because here comes the hard part. You’re going to have to go public. You’re going to have to burn it down to save yourself. You’re thinking, “I’ll never work in this town again,” and you’re probably right.
The only path is to get into the daylight as fast as you can, not like Omarosa, but as a true whistleblower and patriot. Your only value now is in pulling down the entire system. First movers in the collapse of this White House get a book deal. The future of the tenth asshole who escapes this White House who says, "I saw all this crazy, terrible, illegal, dangerous stuff and still tried to help" is exactly zero. Here’s their future: “Welcome to Arby’s.”
posted by growabrain at 4:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
... take a deep breath, because here comes the hard part. You’re going to have to go public. You’re going to have to burn it down to save yourself. You’re thinking, “I’ll never work in this town again,” and you’re probably right.
The only path is to get into the daylight as fast as you can, not like Omarosa, but as a true whistleblower and patriot. Your only value now is in pulling down the entire system. First movers in the collapse of this White House get a book deal. The future of the tenth asshole who escapes this White House who says, "I saw all this crazy, terrible, illegal, dangerous stuff and still tried to help" is exactly zero. Here’s their future: “Welcome to Arby’s.”
posted by growabrain at 4:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
> Speaking of anti-choice, they also make it pretty clear -- though they're usually savvy enough not to admit it to the media -- that their real target is not so much Roe as Griswold, which legalized birth control under the right to privacy.
So condoms, too, I'm sure?
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
So condoms, too, I'm sure?
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rick Wilson should know that staffers in corrupt Republican administrations don't wind up working at Arby's, they get headhunted by other corrupt Republican-affiliated organizations and given a raise.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Here's Ayanna Pressley's stepdaughter watching her mother claim victory and become the first black woman ever elected to Congress from Massachusetts
posted by growabrain at 4:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 4:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Rick Wilson should know that staffers in corrupt Republican administrations don't wind up working at Arby's, they get headhunted by other corrupt Republican-affiliated organizations and given a raise.
Rick Wilson is extruded from the same mold as the mystery staffer and both are doing the same job: trying to put a smiling mask on the GOP's gore-spattered face. It is to goddamned laugh that Wilson says there's no work for them after this. He probably just doesn't want the competition.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:31 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Rick Wilson is extruded from the same mold as the mystery staffer and both are doing the same job: trying to put a smiling mask on the GOP's gore-spattered face. It is to goddamned laugh that Wilson says there's no work for them after this. He probably just doesn't want the competition.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:31 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Here's Ayanna Pressley's stepdaughter watching her mother claim victory and become the first black woman ever elected to Congress from Massachusetts
Clarification: Pressley won her primary, and has not yet been elected to Congress, but the general election is little more than a formality in her district.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Clarification: Pressley won her primary, and has not yet been elected to Congress, but the general election is little more than a formality in her district.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
@igorbobic: "The answer is no," Kavanaugh finally Harris after another question and more back and forth about whether he had ever been part of a conversation about Mueller and his investigation with anyone at the law firm that represented Trump. Harris said she had "received reliable information" that Kavanaugh had a conversation about Mueller and his investigation with Kasowitz, Benson, & Torres
Still really curious what’s going on here and if she has any cards to show at any point.
Also a new email in which Kavanuagh shares an “interesting article” arguing that Row is “bad law.”
posted by zachlipton at 4:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Still really curious what’s going on here and if she has any cards to show at any point.
Also a new email in which Kavanuagh shares an “interesting article” arguing that Row is “bad law.”
posted by zachlipton at 4:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Still really curious what’s going on here and if she has any cards to show at any point.
Isn’t she a former prosecutor?
I would guess the point is to trap him in a lie.
But I confess I don’t know if lying in your confirmation hearing remains an impeachable offense if your lying comes out during the confirmation hearing and you get confirmed anyway.
The Dems appear to be coordinated here. I’m making stuff up, but it wouldn’t be crazy to me if they were setting perjury traps to set up an impeachment after the midterms.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:40 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Isn’t she a former prosecutor?
I would guess the point is to trap him in a lie.
But I confess I don’t know if lying in your confirmation hearing remains an impeachable offense if your lying comes out during the confirmation hearing and you get confirmed anyway.
The Dems appear to be coordinated here. I’m making stuff up, but it wouldn’t be crazy to me if they were setting perjury traps to set up an impeachment after the midterms.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:40 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Loved watching Senators Hirono and Harris shut down Kavanaugh's bullshit off-topic ramblings swiftly and repeatedly and telling him, "Yes, I am already aware of the thing you're trying to tell me about." They are obviously both experts at dealing with mansplaining. Especially when Sen. Hirono cut him off talking about a case saying, "Yes thank you, I know all about that case, I was THERE." Man, government is going to be efficient when it's all women.
posted by robotdevil at 4:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [93 favorites]
posted by robotdevil at 4:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [93 favorites]
So condoms, too, I'm sure?
Condoms, diaphragms, I'm pretty sure they want to take us back to pre-Griswold.
The whole great expansion of sexual rights in the '60s was less of a black and white "it's right here in the constitution" rather, it looked at the spirit of the document and how our liberty, to quote Justice Harlan, gives us "freedom from all substantial arbitrary impositions and purposeless restraints". i.e. in the case of Griswold, do we want police to be able to obtain a search warrant for our bedroom because someone said they saw us having possession a condom? I think any reasonable American in this day in age would say "fuck no" even though there's no amendment #35 allowing us to own condoms stopping some christofascists trying to ban them.
But it's not even about owning condoms. It's about being able to threaten cultural outliers with he entire legal force of the state and the shame of all society in bending those outliers into some sick, perverted patriarchal order disguised as "morality" in the vein of Father Knows Best or Leave it to Beaver.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 4:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Condoms, diaphragms, I'm pretty sure they want to take us back to pre-Griswold.
The whole great expansion of sexual rights in the '60s was less of a black and white "it's right here in the constitution" rather, it looked at the spirit of the document and how our liberty, to quote Justice Harlan, gives us "freedom from all substantial arbitrary impositions and purposeless restraints". i.e. in the case of Griswold, do we want police to be able to obtain a search warrant for our bedroom because someone said they saw us having possession a condom? I think any reasonable American in this day in age would say "fuck no" even though there's no amendment #35 allowing us to own condoms stopping some christofascists trying to ban them.
But it's not even about owning condoms. It's about being able to threaten cultural outliers with he entire legal force of the state and the shame of all society in bending those outliers into some sick, perverted patriarchal order disguised as "morality" in the vein of Father Knows Best or Leave it to Beaver.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 4:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Wouldn't banning the legal sale of condoms piss off their frat bro bloc? I mean, banning the pill is one thing...but condoms, bro? *whatever the frat bro equivalent of a monocle is pops out*
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
anyone interested in two minutes of Jared Kushner awkwardly ignoring reporters' questions while waiting for a door to open?
posted by pjenks at 4:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by pjenks at 4:53 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
They totally could have asked better questions.
posted by armacy at 4:57 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by armacy at 4:57 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
This article is bouncing around Tumblr: Kavanaugh Thinks It’s Okay to Perform Elective Surgery on People Without Their Consent
“I am a voter from [city], and I have learned that, in 2007, Judge Kavanaugh ruled that performing abortions without the woman’s consent was legal and acceptable. I believe this is a terrible violation of rights. I urge the senator to vote against Kavanaugh because he supports involuntary abortions.”
(Ideally, “I urge Senator [name] to vote against…”)
Potential more script:
“At the very least, I urge the senator to request that Kavanaugh explain which abortions are acceptable.”
The way to refer to the case, if that’s needed, is “Doe Tarlow vs DC.”
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
In 2001, three intellectually disabled D.C. residents brought suit against the city in Doe ex rel. Tarlow v. D.C, after they were subjected to at least three involuntary procedures: two abortions and one elective eye surgery. Ultimately, the district court agreed that these women’s due process rights had been violated and that “constitutionally adequate procedures” had not been followed. ...Potential script for calling Republican senators:
On appeal, Judge Kavanaugh vacated the District Court’s injunction, arguing that “accepting the wishes of patients who lack, and have always lacked the mental capacity to make medical decisions does not make logical sense.”
“I am a voter from [city], and I have learned that, in 2007, Judge Kavanaugh ruled that performing abortions without the woman’s consent was legal and acceptable. I believe this is a terrible violation of rights. I urge the senator to vote against Kavanaugh because he supports involuntary abortions.”
(Ideally, “I urge Senator [name] to vote against…”)
Potential more script:
“At the very least, I urge the senator to request that Kavanaugh explain which abortions are acceptable.”
The way to refer to the case, if that’s needed, is “Doe Tarlow vs DC.”
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
I don’t know if lying in your confirmation hearing remains an impeachable offense if your lying comes out during the confirmation hearing and you get confirmed anyway.
We've been through this - An impeachable offense is anything Congress is willing to vote to impeach over. There's some hand-waving about needing at least crime-adjacent behaviors, but again, that's more a matter of getting votes than specific requirements. (There's a "good behavior" requirement.)
Whether the lying is also prosecutable as perjury in a federal court is a different issue. I bet SCOTUS judges, unlike the president, aren't immune to prosecution.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
We've been through this - An impeachable offense is anything Congress is willing to vote to impeach over. There's some hand-waving about needing at least crime-adjacent behaviors, but again, that's more a matter of getting votes than specific requirements. (There's a "good behavior" requirement.)
Whether the lying is also prosecutable as perjury in a federal court is a different issue. I bet SCOTUS judges, unlike the president, aren't immune to prosecution.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Wouldn't banning the legal sale of condoms piss off their frat bro bloc?
I normally find "oh you sweet summer child" comments obnoxious, but
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
I normally find "oh you sweet summer child" comments obnoxious, but
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
What universe are you living in where frat boys take responsibility for sexual health and birth control?
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [44 favorites]
Also a new email in which Kavanuagh shares an “interesting article” arguing that Row is “bad law.”
I tracked down that "interesting article", it's behind a paywall where it was originally published on Christianity Today, but someone helpfully posted it on a Nursing forum in 2004. The gist of it is:
posted by peeedro at 5:17 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
I tracked down that "interesting article", it's behind a paywall where it was originally published on Christianity Today, but someone helpfully posted it on a Nursing forum in 2004. The gist of it is:
The weakness of Roe is of course well known to constitutional scholars, most of whom support it nevertheless because they like the result. The pages of the nation's law reviews have been filled for decades with efforts to "rewrite" the decision, that is, to offer it a more stable foundation: sex equality, freedom from religious establishment, any number of others. The justices, however, have stuck to their rather shaky privacy rationale, evidently less persuaded by the proposals emanating from the academy than by their original model.Like other have said, overturning Griswold v. Connecticut is the real prize.
posted by peeedro at 5:17 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
The whole great expansion of sexual rights in the '60s was less of a black and white "it's right here in the constitution" rather, it looked at the spirit of the document and how our liberty, to quote Justice Harlan, gives us "freedom from all substantial arbitrary impositions and purposeless restraints".
The Declaration of Independence says (emphasis added):
posted by kirkaracha at 5:18 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
The Declaration of Independence says (emphasis added):
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.In Federalist 84, Alexander Hamilton argued that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary because the government couldn't do anything it wasn't specifically permitted to in the Constitution.
I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and in the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed constitution, but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers which are not granted; and on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why for instance, should it be said, that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?When James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights, he said:
It has been objected also against a Bill of Rights, that, by enumerating particular exceptions to the grant of power, it would disparage those rights which were not placed in that enumeration; and it might follow by implication, that those rights which were not singled out, were intended to be assigned into the hands of the General Government, and were consequently insecure. This is one of the most plausible arguments I have ever heard against the admission of a bill of rights into this system; but, I conceive, that it may be guarded against.I take the view that the Founders believed that people have more rights than are listed in the Bill of Rights, and you have a right to interracial marriage, same-sex marriage, using contraception, privacy, and whatever else because the Constitution doesn't give the government the authority to restrict them. I mean, what else is claiming you don't have a right to privacy than disparaging those rights which were not placed in that enumeration?
posted by kirkaracha at 5:18 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
I take the view that the Founders believed that people have more rights than are listed in the Bill of Rights, and you have a right to interracial marriage, same-sex marriage, using contraception, privacy, and whatever else because the Constitution doesn't give the government the authority to restrict them. I mean, what else is claiming you don't have a right to privacy than disparaging those rights which were not placed in that enumeration?
Welcome to world of using the 9th amendment to justify stopping the government from doing shitty but not literally unconstitutional things.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:20 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Welcome to world of using the 9th amendment to justify stopping the government from doing shitty but not literally unconstitutional things.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:20 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
But then I was an English major, so to me "it would disparage those rights which were not placed in that enumeration" clearly means there are other rights that aren't enumerated.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:21 PM on September 6, 2018
posted by kirkaracha at 5:21 PM on September 6, 2018
NYT, Nicholas Fandos, Frustration and Finger-Pointing as a House Pact Over Hacked Materials Fizzles
posted by zachlipton at 5:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
Casting blame across the aisle, House Republicans withdrew on Thursday from negotiations with Democrats over a pact that would have effectively barred both parties from using hacked or stolen material on the campaign trail this fall. Leaders of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, and their counterparts at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had labored for much of the summer over a set of rules that would have governed the way the congressionally run committees and their candidates treated material like the thousands of pages of damaging Democratic documents stolen and leaked by Russian hackers in 2016.Gosh, it's almost like Republicans are actively encouraging foreign actors to help them win.
Instead, the two parties were left on Thursday exchanging shots just two months before Election Day; Republicans claimed that Democrats had negotiated in bad faith and violated an agreement not to speak about the negotiations publicly, and Democrats insisted that Republicans were merely searching for an excuse to pull out. It laid plain once again the difficulty lawmakers in Washington have had bridging partisan divisions in the two years since Russia began its brazen attack on the American political system.
...
The two sides had been close to reaching an agreement as recently as the past week or so, according to officials involved in the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss the talks. But a key difference of opinion remained over how to deal with hacked or stolen material that entered the public domain through news or other sources. Republicans argued that such material had to be fair game and that to ask candidates not to seize on news reports was unnecessarily prohibitive. Democrats countered that any agreement would be toothless without such a provision.
As recently as Tuesday evening, Democrats proposed a draft of the agreement that would have required the two committees to pledge that they would not “use known stolen or hacked information, or promote or disseminate hacked materials to the press, regardless of the source,” according to an official familiar with the latest version.
The draft’s other provisions included a pledge not to aid hacking efforts, not to seek out hacked or stolen materials, and to report any contacts with foreign actors to law enforcement authorities.
But Republicans felt that Democrats had repeatedly tried to jam them into a premature agreement and ultimately that Mr. Luján violated the terms of the negotiations when he told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that the two parties hoped to announce final terms this week. (Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, the Republican committee chairman, had publicly acknowledged the negotiations at an event in June.)
posted by zachlipton at 5:21 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
The KORUS FTA was already somewhat renegotiated with the shit king Trump's minions; one upshot, for example, is that you won't see Hyundai pickup trucks in the US until like, 2040.
Only if they're manufactured in Korea. If Hyundai manufacturers locally they can sell pickups in the US without the tariff.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:29 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Only if they're manufactured in Korea. If Hyundai manufacturers locally they can sell pickups in the US without the tariff.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:29 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Gosh, it's almost like Republicans are actively encouraging foreign actors to help them win.
Why bother with foreigners at all? Why not just set up a Republican Hacking Office with an understanding that anybody caught hacking from it would get a pardon?
posted by scalefree at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Why bother with foreigners at all? Why not just set up a Republican Hacking Office with an understanding that anybody caught hacking from it would get a pardon?
posted by scalefree at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
The NYT has a new thing where you can watch the data coming in on their polls in real time. So you can sit there and hit refresh over and over and watch them make calls! Like a completely normal person with a completely normal amount of interest in politics!
posted by Justinian at 5:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 5:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [56 favorites]
I keep hitting refresh (like a normal person) and the numbers aren't changing. I am disappoint.
posted by Justinian at 5:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 5:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
> The NYT has a new thing where you can watch the data coming in on their polls in real time. So you can sit there and hit refresh over and over and watch them make calls! Like a completely normal person with a completely normal amount of interest in politics!
Needs more twitchy needle.
posted by tonycpsu at 5:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Needs more twitchy needle.
posted by tonycpsu at 5:48 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
I take the view that the Founders believed that people have more rights than are listed in the Bill of Rights
Coincidentally, the Founders said so explicitly in the Bill of Rights, specifically Amendment IX:
Not only is the whole "the Constitution doesn't say you have that right, so you don't, herp derp" argument wrong and fatuous, it isn't even conservative, as the conservative interpretation ought to be that the government doesn't have power to restrict rights that the Constitution doesn't specifically delegate to it (and the Founders covered that one in Amendment X for good measure, reserving rights not so delegated to the States or the people). It's pure sophistry -- but it's a conservative argument, so I repeat myself.
But it's still appalling that an aspirant to the SCOTUS gets to pretend Amendments Nine and Ten don't exist.
posted by Gelatin at 5:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
Coincidentally, the Founders said so explicitly in the Bill of Rights, specifically Amendment IX:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Not only is the whole "the Constitution doesn't say you have that right, so you don't, herp derp" argument wrong and fatuous, it isn't even conservative, as the conservative interpretation ought to be that the government doesn't have power to restrict rights that the Constitution doesn't specifically delegate to it (and the Founders covered that one in Amendment X for good measure, reserving rights not so delegated to the States or the people). It's pure sophistry -- but it's a conservative argument, so I repeat myself.
But it's still appalling that an aspirant to the SCOTUS gets to pretend Amendments Nine and Ten don't exist.
posted by Gelatin at 5:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [29 favorites]
In an absolutely shocking development foreseen by no one at all, Rudy Giuliani tells the AP that Trump will not agree to answer Mueller's questions about obstruction in any format. How can this be?
posted by Justinian at 5:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 5:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Faint of Butt: "Clarification: Pressley won her primary, and has not yet been elected to Congress, but the general election is little more than a formality in her district."
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump will not agree to answer Mueller's questions about obstruction in any format. How can this be?
Obviously he's completely innocent, so how can he answer questions about it?
posted by kirkaracha at 6:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Obviously he's completely innocent, so how can he answer questions about it?
posted by kirkaracha at 6:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
In DE Senate, incumbent Tom Carper wins the Dem nomination, with about 64%. That's a pretty good performance from neophyte challenger Kerri Harris.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:04 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07.
One could always spawn from the primordial ooze, I suppose.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
One could always spawn from the primordial ooze, I suppose.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:05 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
How can this be?
What? Anyone can refuse to answer questions from an investigator or prosecutor. It's why the investigation is handing out immunity like candy on Halloween. Normally if it were a Democrat there'd be massive political fallout but not answering questions is kind of a thing we do here.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
What? Anyone can refuse to answer questions from an investigator or prosecutor. It's why the investigation is handing out immunity like candy on Halloween. Normally if it were a Democrat there'd be massive political fallout but not answering questions is kind of a thing we do here.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:06 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
And on the GOP side in DE Senate, county councillor Robert Arlett wins with about 67%. Arlett spent most of the campaign pointing out that, unlike his rival, Eugene Truono, he's not gay.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
What? Anyone can refuse to answer questions from an investigator or prosecutor.
I was being somewhat facetious. It's been obvious for quite some time that Trump wasn't going anywhere near Mueller voluntarily.
posted by Justinian at 6:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was being somewhat facetious. It's been obvious for quite some time that Trump wasn't going anywhere near Mueller voluntarily.
posted by Justinian at 6:12 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Faint of Butt: "Clarification: Pressley won her primary, and has not yet been elected to Congress, but the general election is little more than a formality in her district."
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07
That’s the best kind of formality!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:13 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07
That’s the best kind of formality!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:13 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Trump will not agree to answer Mueller's questions about obstruction in any format.
Eh, if there's any lesson from this administration, it's that you can make more headway asking forgiveness than permission, and that saying, "fuck you, we own your ass now, no backsies" is better than both. Get Trump in a room shooting his mouth off to a federal investigator first, and all the after-the-fact "But you proooooomised!" whining won't cause his testimony to be magically unsaid.
posted by jackbishop at 6:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Eh, if there's any lesson from this administration, it's that you can make more headway asking forgiveness than permission, and that saying, "fuck you, we own your ass now, no backsies" is better than both. Get Trump in a room shooting his mouth off to a federal investigator first, and all the after-the-fact "But you proooooomised!" whining won't cause his testimony to be magically unsaid.
posted by jackbishop at 6:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Delaware downballot results:
AG Dem - All four candidates espoused some degree of reform-ism. Kathleen Jennings wins, she falls somewhere in the middle. AG is extra important in DE, because they appoint DAs, rather than electing, as in most states.
Auditor General Dem - Kathleen McGuiness squeaks out a win; she has a rep of being too close to the power structure. Aud Gen was one of the few statewide seats in GOP hands.
Also, one incumbent state House rep loses, Charles Potter in HD-01, who is supposed to be super corrupt.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:17 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
AG Dem - All four candidates espoused some degree of reform-ism. Kathleen Jennings wins, she falls somewhere in the middle. AG is extra important in DE, because they appoint DAs, rather than electing, as in most states.
Auditor General Dem - Kathleen McGuiness squeaks out a win; she has a rep of being too close to the power structure. Aud Gen was one of the few statewide seats in GOP hands.
Also, one incumbent state House rep loses, Charles Potter in HD-01, who is supposed to be super corrupt.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:17 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
The GOP is not even running a candidate in MA-07
James Michael Curley, John F. Kennedy, Tip O'Neill, Joe Kennedy II, Mike Capuano, Ayanna Pressley
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:22 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
James Michael Curley, John F. Kennedy, Tip O'Neill, Joe Kennedy II, Mike Capuano, Ayanna Pressley
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:22 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Meanwhile, Trump has begun his Montana rally. As ever, the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale is live-tweeting/fact-checking it—"Trump does an especially slow walk to the microphone, soaking in the adulation."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:22 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:22 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
subpeona time. why not push it before K-dog gets seated?
posted by j_curiouser at 6:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 6:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Article in Fast Company today: Survey says Nike's brand image has dropped because of Colin Kaepernick ad. "Another key point of the survey is that brand favorability didn’t only drop for folks you might expect to be red hat-sporting members of the MAGA brigade, but also among millennials, Gen Z, and African-Americans."
posted by StrawberryPie at 6:34 PM on September 6, 2018
posted by StrawberryPie at 6:34 PM on September 6, 2018
StrawberryPie: Article in Fast Company today: Survey says Nike's brand image has dropped because of Colin Kaepernick ad. "Another key point of the survey is that brand favorability didn’t only drop for folks you might expect to be red hat-sporting members of the MAGA brigade, but also among millennials, Gen Z, and African-Americans."
Interesting. My anecdotal evidence would have suggested the opposite, given the way my students were talking about it in class yesterday.
posted by Superplin at 6:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
Interesting. My anecdotal evidence would have suggested the opposite, given the way my students were talking about it in class yesterday.
posted by Superplin at 6:36 PM on September 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
I was wrong about something I posted earlier today, and want to correct it. When I said that Kavanaugh's opinions about Native Hawaiians would not necessarily apply to Native Alaskans, I was guessing that there was an actual treaty relationship between the US government and Native Alaskans, but I can't see that that is actually the case right now. If there is not, or if their relationship with the US government is more parallel to the relationship between the US government and Native Hawaiians, then yes the opinion about Native Hawaiians may very well apply in some way to Native Alaskans and I imagine Murkowski would be interested in that, if Native Alaskans are part of her voting block.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 6:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 6:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think the article covers it. Conservatives hate them because they are racist. More progressive folks hate it because they think its a stunt.
Long term i think it will be a seriously positive thing. I know i’m more inclined to buy nike stuff.
posted by Lord_Pall at 6:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
Long term i think it will be a seriously positive thing. I know i’m more inclined to buy nike stuff.
posted by Lord_Pall at 6:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
Trump has gone on an extended riff about how terribly Ronny Jackson was treated (the rediculous White House doctor who he nominated to run the VA, if you think back a few hundred scandals ago). This ostensibly has to do with campaigning against Sen. Tester, but really just serves to bring up an old scandal for no reason. Then randomly mid-thought, for no particular reason at all, he just: "do we love Sean Hannity by the way? I love him."
Trump out of context: "It's always nice when a President or Prime Minister calls you 'sir,' that means a certain respect."
On another channel, here's Melissa Rogers (Obama WH Counsel office, wrote the book, literally, on Supreme Court rulings about religious freedom) on something in the Kavanaugh emails (behind link): he appears to think the government is "discriminating" against religious organizations if it doesn't fund, say, religious drug treatment groups:
Trump out of context: "It's always nice when a President or Prime Minister calls you 'sir,' that means a certain respect."
On another channel, here's Melissa Rogers (Obama WH Counsel office, wrote the book, literally, on Supreme Court rulings about religious freedom) on something in the Kavanaugh emails (behind link): he appears to think the government is "discriminating" against religious organizations if it doesn't fund, say, religious drug treatment groups:
Seems like Kavanaugh's email makes it pretty clear he'd say govt discriminates against orgs when it prohibits them from using direct aid for explicitly relig activities (like prayer, worship & study of sacred texts), so long as aid program has secular purpose (e.g. drug rehab)posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Current law prohibits orgs from subsidizing explicitly religious activities w/direct govt aid, but Kavanaugh appears to disagree, as did Court plurality in Mitchell v. Helms (2000) (which Kavanaugh cites in his email) Why is his position a problem?
As Madison said:"Who does not see . . . that the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute 3 pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?" Also, what govt funds, it regulates, even if what it funds is religious. Do we want govt to regulate prayer, worship & Bible study? No. Plus, govt subsidies for certain sacred texts will provoke an outcry, ultimately resulting in de facto govt preferences for some faiths.
Of course, Alito replaced O'Connor, so Kavanaugh's position could command a Court majority (Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Roberts and Kavanaugh), if he is confirmed. Senators need to take a close look at Kavanaugh's views.
from the article: "But 38% saw it as primarily a publicity stunt."
I mean, that 38 percent aren't wrong, and speaking for myself I'm not super impressed that Nike decided to do a baseline endorsement of black people's right to not be shot by the police. It's not a bad thing but it's not making me go out and buy a pair of shoes from them either
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
I mean, that 38 percent aren't wrong, and speaking for myself I'm not super impressed that Nike decided to do a baseline endorsement of black people's right to not be shot by the police. It's not a bad thing but it's not making me go out and buy a pair of shoes from them either
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Treaty-making with Indian tribes was terminated by Congress in 1871, just a few years after the purchase of Alaska, so there are no treaties with Alaska tribes. " -- Federal Indian Law for Alaska Tribes
So I would tend to think that Kavanaugh's view of Native Hawaiians would apply to Alaska Natives as well? But I am not up to speed on the details.
posted by shenderson at 6:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
So I would tend to think that Kavanaugh's view of Native Hawaiians would apply to Alaska Natives as well? But I am not up to speed on the details.
posted by shenderson at 6:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I know i’m more inclined to buy nike stuff.
I'm due for new running shoes and they probably will be Air Pegasus for the first time in a while. But as the article notes, there is a get-your-house-in-order thing: the Kaepernick thing is great, but I'd also really like Nike to be less sweat-shoppy.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm due for new running shoes and they probably will be Air Pegasus for the first time in a while. But as the article notes, there is a get-your-house-in-order thing: the Kaepernick thing is great, but I'd also really like Nike to be less sweat-shoppy.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
I imagine Murkowski would be interested in that, if Native Alaskans are part of her voting block.
Indeed, they are. In fact, the Native Alaskan population was considered pretty crucial in her (honestly very impressive) victory as a write-in candidate in 2010.
posted by mhum at 6:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Indeed, they are. In fact, the Native Alaskan population was considered pretty crucial in her (honestly very impressive) victory as a write-in candidate in 2010.
posted by mhum at 6:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
@ddale8:
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 7:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump challenging allegations that he's lost his mind: "I beat 17 great people," including Ben Carson. "Ben Carson was tough." Also, he says, "I beat the Bush dynasty."This tickled me at first; of that field, he thought Ben frickin' Carson and JEB! were the toughest opponents? but of course it's more about insulting Cruz and Rubio.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 7:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
The President of the United States cannot say the word "anonymous," though he does not like it.
posted by zachlipton at 7:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
Meanwhile, Trump has begun his Montana rally. As ever, the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale is live-tweeting/fact-checking it
Thanks for the reminder—this is the first time I've ever followed a Trump rally solely via Dale's live tweets (up to now, I've watched the rallies live). Much better for my blood pressure, liver, and vocal cords. I'd encourage others to give it a try.
posted by Rykey at 7:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the reminder—this is the first time I've ever followed a Trump rally solely via Dale's live tweets (up to now, I've watched the rallies live). Much better for my blood pressure, liver, and vocal cords. I'd encourage others to give it a try.
posted by Rykey at 7:02 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Any thoughts on why there's not a similar crowdfunding page to push Murkowski to vote no on Kavanaugh?
posted by duoshao at 7:04 PM on September 6, 2018
posted by duoshao at 7:04 PM on September 6, 2018
Murkowski’s not up for re-election for four years.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:07 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
> Survey says Nike's brand image has dropped because of Colin Kaepernick ad.
I'd be more interested in the Nike marketing department crosstabs than I would some morning-after poll. A mega-corp whose core competency is marketing just doesn't roll the dice on a high-risk move. I don't believe corporate altruism exists, but there's data behind this decision and that gives me hope.
posted by klarck at 7:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [34 favorites]
I'd be more interested in the Nike marketing department crosstabs than I would some morning-after poll. A mega-corp whose core competency is marketing just doesn't roll the dice on a high-risk move. I don't believe corporate altruism exists, but there's data behind this decision and that gives me hope.
posted by klarck at 7:08 PM on September 6, 2018 [34 favorites]
NYT channeling Shaggy, It Wasn’t Me: Pence, Pompeo and a Parade of Administration Officials Deny Writing Op-Ed
Also Trump, who has free government health care: "I may even move to California to get free health care."
And, um, "California has just become one really large person." [video]
He is now telling his audience in Montana who to vote for in the Florida governor's race.
posted by zachlipton at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an ally of Mr. Trump’s, recommended that the president force members of his administration to take polygraph examinations, and there was at least briefly some discussion of that among advisers to the president. Another option mentioned by people close to Mr. Trump was asking senior officials to sign sworn affidavits that could be used in court if necessary. One outside adviser said the White House had a list of about 12 suspects.Trump taped a Fox News interview in which he called the op-ed "treason."
...
White House officials called around to various departments asking if cabinet secretaries were responsible and collected multiple denials. That helped incite an extraordinary parade of the nation’s top officials marching to news media microphones or issuing written statements through their aides disavowing the piece, with the most important audience sitting in the Oval Office.
Among those disavowing the piece were Mr. Pence; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Kirstjen M. Nielsen, the secretary of homeland security; John R. Bolton, the national security adviser; and Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence. Others included the secretaries of agriculture, commerce, education, energy, health and human services, housing and urban development, interior, labor, transportation and veterans affairs as well as the C.I.A. and F.B.I. directors, the president’s trade representative, acting chief of the Environmental Protection Agency and his ambassadors to the United Nations and Russia.
Also Trump, who has free government health care: "I may even move to California to get free health care."
And, um, "California has just become one really large person." [video]
He is now telling his audience in Montana who to vote for in the Florida governor's race.
posted by zachlipton at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
Apropos of the thread title, POTUS just accused his anonymous senior staffer of treason.
Will not liveblog the rally/Fox further, but damn.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Will not liveblog the rally/Fox further, but damn.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The President of the United States cannot say the word "anonymous," though he does not like it.
He's got that same drunk/loose dentures/whatever sound again. He sounds a little slurry on "resistance" too.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
He's got that same drunk/loose dentures/whatever sound again. He sounds a little slurry on "resistance" too.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:11 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Trump is extremely loose. It's the angry-loose, not the happy-loose," Dale reports, and he's not exaggerating.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Trump is ranting about people who want to "IMPEAAACH HIM!" (His impression: "WEEE WILL IMPEEEACH HIM!") He asks how you can impeach someone who's "doing a great job."And then Trump starts talking about the Woodward book and the NYT op-ed:
Trump arguing against impeaching him: "We won by a lot. We won by a hell of a margin...that Electoral College, we won by a lot." (Obviously, he lost the popular vote.)
Trump: If you impeach me, America will "turn into a thrid-world country." He says it'll set a precedent that the opposing party will always try to impeach the president.
Trump to his supporters on impeachment: "If it does happen it's your fault, because you didn't go out to vote." He has not spoken this way before.
Trump: "Even liberals that hate me" say the anonymous NYT op-ed is "terrible."This is where #batshitinsane enters truly perilous territory—and there will be another two months of such mid-term campaign rallies from him.
Trump falsely claims the New York Times apologized post-election for its "bad coverage" of him. Its letter to subscribers was not an apology, it was a sales pitch.
Trump: "The White House is really working good."
Trump ranting about, I think, the Woodward book: "They had me stomping around screaming with anger up in my area of the White House where I live with my wife and son, Barron...shouting like a lunatic..." He says he was merely talking, about Canada trade, not ranting.
Trump tries twice to say the word "anonymous." He fails both times.
Trump, speaking about "the resistance," does a you're-the-puppet: "THEY'RE the ones, honestly, that have been driven crazy."
Trump says unelected members of the "deep state" are trying to undermine him. "At some point, this whole thing is going to be exposed. And it's really bad and it's really dangerous."
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
The President of the United States cannot say the word "anonymous," though he does not like it.
Cognitively. Impaired.
Imagine how many times Trump's cabinet officials and aides saw examples like this up close and personal before they started considering 25th Amendment solutions.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Cognitively. Impaired.
Imagine how many times Trump's cabinet officials and aides saw examples like this up close and personal before they started considering 25th Amendment solutions.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
Also he said that since the mystery staffer was referred to by somebody in the media as "he," that means it's probably a woman. So much stupidity and misogyny concentrated in one little morsel.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
"We won by a lot. We won by a hell of a margin...that Electoral College, we won by a lot."
His electoral college margin was 46th out of 58 elections.
posted by chris24 at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
His electoral college margin was 46th out of 58 elections.
posted by chris24 at 7:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
My working theory is that The Editorial was written by Sanders, Miller, Gorka, Mulvaney, Sessions, Mnuchin, DeVos, Zinke, Jared, Mattis, Coats, Kelly, and Melania, one phrase at a time, Exquisite Corpse style, all of them ripped to the tits on laudanum and absinthe.
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [75 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:25 PM on September 6, 2018 [75 favorites]
@EDLesh: Kavanagh says it would be morally wrong to fire someone because of their skin. Or because of their gender. He would not say it was morally wrong to fire someone because they were gay.
@segalmr: This would likely be a disqualifying answer at most other lawyer job interviews.
Here's the video, which is worth watching for the full context.
The public hearing, and Kavanaugh's questioning, is over.
----
Trump went on an extended rant about how Lincoln wasn't appreciated by the "fake news" in his time, saying that people ridiculed the Gettysburg Address ("Many of us know it by memory") at the time, but they appreciated it 50 years later. He says he thinks the same thing will happen with him. This is riddled with historical inaccuracies and is utterly absurd.
He's trying to do his closing "America is great" riff off the prompter which has something about landing on the moon, and pauses to rant about how that movie doesn't show the flag planting.
Exit to "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as per usual trolling tactics.
I think this was one of the more notable new things he's said, that he's thinking this way now:
@ddale8: Trump to his supporters on impeachment: "If it does happen it's your fault, because you didn't go out to vote." He has not spoken this way before.
posted by zachlipton at 7:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
@segalmr: This would likely be a disqualifying answer at most other lawyer job interviews.
Here's the video, which is worth watching for the full context.
The public hearing, and Kavanaugh's questioning, is over.
----
Trump went on an extended rant about how Lincoln wasn't appreciated by the "fake news" in his time, saying that people ridiculed the Gettysburg Address ("Many of us know it by memory") at the time, but they appreciated it 50 years later. He says he thinks the same thing will happen with him. This is riddled with historical inaccuracies and is utterly absurd.
He's trying to do his closing "America is great" riff off the prompter which has something about landing on the moon, and pauses to rant about how that movie doesn't show the flag planting.
Exit to "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as per usual trolling tactics.
I think this was one of the more notable new things he's said, that he's thinking this way now:
@ddale8: Trump to his supporters on impeachment: "If it does happen it's your fault, because you didn't go out to vote." He has not spoken this way before.
posted by zachlipton at 7:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
"One outside adviser said the White House had a list of about 12 suspects."
GARETH KEENAN INVESTIGATES!
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
GARETH KEENAN INVESTIGATES!
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:27 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
** 2018 Senate:
-- TN: Marist poll has Dem Bredesen up 48-46 on GOPer Blackburn [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. | NY Mag write-up of Bredesen.** 2018 House:
-- UT: Dan Jones poll has GOPer Romney up 55-29 on Dem Wilson [MOE: +/- 3.4%]. Obviously, Romney is safe, but that's actually the lowest support for a GOP Senate candidate in over 20 years.
-- VA: Cygnal poll has incumbent Dem Kaine up 50-46 on GOPer Stewart [MOE: +/- 2.83%]. Poll was commissioned by *another* GOP pollster. | This is much closer than any previous polling, and has people questioning the poll design.
-- OH: Change Research poll has Dem incumbent Brown up 46-42 on GOPer Renacci [MOE: +/- 3.0%]. Poll was on behalf of a left-leaning think tank. | This is rather closer than any previous polling, and in fact, there's been talk of the GOP triaging the race.
-- TX-07: Atlantic write-up of race getting a lot of attention, where both candidates' internals show the race basically tied. [Clinton 49-47 | Cook: Tossup]** Odds & ends:
-- MO-02: Expedition Strategies poll has Dem Van Ostran up 43-41 on GOP incumbent Wagner [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Van Ostran campaign. [Trump 53-42 | Cook: Likely R]
-- MN-08: Budding scandal, as GOP candidate Stauber caught using government email for campaign purposes. [Trump 54-39 | Cook: Tossup]
-- MN-02: WPA Intelligence poll has GOP incumbent Lewis up 46-45 on Dem Craig [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Lewis campaign. Those aren't normally the kind of numbers you'd want from an incumbent's internals. [Trump 47-45 | Cook: Tossup]
-- NYT/Siena project of polling battleground districts where you see the results in real-time. I'm not sure of the value of that part, but there is some interesting info about how different projected results can be, using different turnout assumptions.
-- 538 revises generic ballot tracker to be less jittery.
-- GA-gov: AJC poll has Dem Abrams tied 45-45 with GOPer Kemp [MOE: +/- 3.1%]. Note that Georgia requires a runoff if no candidate exceeds 50%; Election Twitter divided on what we might expect from Abrams in a runoff situation.posted by Chrysostom at 7:33 PM on September 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
-- NM gov: Global Strategy Group poll has Dem Lujan Grisham up 54-42 on GOPer Pearce [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. Poll was commissioned by the Dem AG candidate.
-- OH gov: Same Change Research poll has Dem Cordray tied 43-43 with GOPer DeWine head to head. With third party candidates included, DeWine up 45-43.
-- WI gov: PPP poll has Dem Evers up 49-45 on GOP incumbent Walker [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. Poll was commissioned by a liberal PAC.
-- MI gov: Incumbent gov Snyder confirms he will not be endorsing GOP nominee Schuette. This may or may not matter, as Snyder is not popular.
-- GOP candidate for KS House seat charged with felony election fraud for falisifying his residency; no comment from Kris Kobach.
-- Non-profit launching massive effort to improve Latino voter registration.
Dave Weigel (WaPo)
Delaware Democrats have set a non-presidential primary turnout record... on a Thursday.
posted by chris24 at 7:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
Delaware Democrats have set a non-presidential primary turnout record... on a Thursday.
posted by chris24 at 7:35 PM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
If Trump becomes paranoid that Kavanaugh's compromising chats with Kasowitz or whoever will turn him into another Sessions, he'll burn Kavanaugh like a porterhouse steak. And it's already a stressful week.
What with the lodestar letter and Woodward's book, we know that Trump's aides are handling him to ignore his policy wishes and try to implement a standard set of Republican priorities. The majority in Congress has been doing the same and likely encouraging him to go along using the Democrats' desire for impeachment as a threat.
So Trump is basically getting played by everyone who's supposed to be on his side. I wonder what it would take for him to wake up to this reality.
posted by duoshao at 7:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
What with the lodestar letter and Woodward's book, we know that Trump's aides are handling him to ignore his policy wishes and try to implement a standard set of Republican priorities. The majority in Congress has been doing the same and likely encouraging him to go along using the Democrats' desire for impeachment as a threat.
So Trump is basically getting played by everyone who's supposed to be on his side. I wonder what it would take for him to wake up to this reality.
posted by duoshao at 7:39 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The problem is that there's not much for DE Dems to do with that enthusiasm. Carper and the House seat are safe, they already have all but a few statewide offices. They can solidify their control of the state Senate, that's about it. My advice to them is to move en masse to Maryland and swing the governor's race there.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:40 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:40 PM on September 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
"Many of us know it by memory"
If Trump can accurately recite a single line, I'll eat a Lincoln-sized hat.
posted by thefoxgod at 7:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
If Trump can accurately recite a single line, I'll eat a Lincoln-sized hat.
posted by thefoxgod at 7:44 PM on September 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
-- NYT/Siena project of polling battleground districts where you see the results in real-time. I'm not sure of the value of that part
Because otherwise I would not have been able to hit REFRESH to see the exact moment Casten in IL-6 went up by 1% over Roskam, 45-44 with a 4.8% moe.
posted by Justinian at 7:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Because otherwise I would not have been able to hit REFRESH to see the exact moment Casten in IL-6 went up by 1% over Roskam, 45-44 with a 4.8% moe.
posted by Justinian at 7:45 PM on September 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
I say this as someone who is very invested in the Dem primaries for the Rhode Island House - you may have a problem.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:46 PM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:46 PM on September 6, 2018 [17 favorites]
My working theory is that The Editorial was written by Sanders, Miller, Gorka, Mulvaney, Sessions, Mnuchin, DeVos, Zinke, Jared, Mattis, Coats, Kelly, and Melania, one phrase at a time,
My list wasn't that long, but it would make sense of the "at least 12 suspects" (Melania not being counted because of relations. Ditto with Ivanka who could be in on this), as well as being able to fit specific writing patterns (lodestar, em dashes, etc.) to multiple writers. Heck, there is good scholarly work saying the same thing (at least four authors, e.g.) about letters from Paul in the New Testament.
(FWIW, my theory, as much as I have had time to let my conspiracy mind go crazy, is Kelly being primary author and then some combination of [in no particular order] SHS, Ivanka, and Pence. With all the double-crossing, etc. what seems most likely to me is SHS suggested the letter and explicitly suggested lodestar and em dash to troll/throw Ivanka and Pence under the bus and then threw Kelly under the bus after the letter was published by continually saying it was a he that wrote the letter. She can now say she was technically right.)
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 7:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
My list wasn't that long, but it would make sense of the "at least 12 suspects" (Melania not being counted because of relations. Ditto with Ivanka who could be in on this), as well as being able to fit specific writing patterns (lodestar, em dashes, etc.) to multiple writers. Heck, there is good scholarly work saying the same thing (at least four authors, e.g.) about letters from Paul in the New Testament.
(FWIW, my theory, as much as I have had time to let my conspiracy mind go crazy, is Kelly being primary author and then some combination of [in no particular order] SHS, Ivanka, and Pence. With all the double-crossing, etc. what seems most likely to me is SHS suggested the letter and explicitly suggested lodestar and em dash to troll/throw Ivanka and Pence under the bus and then threw Kelly under the bus after the letter was published by continually saying it was a he that wrote the letter. She can now say she was technically right.)
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 7:49 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The problem is that there's not much for DE Dems to do with that enthusiasm.
Delaware Democrats could've made a difference voting out Tom Carper (D-Too Big To Fail Banks). Not really any other way. If you ever want better Democrats, and want anything to actually change if Democrats actually retake the Senate, we have to dump people like Carper and Feinstien sitting in blue states but answering only to corporate power. Huge missed opportunity. Paging New York in 2022: primary Chuck Schumer.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Delaware Democrats could've made a difference voting out Tom Carper (D-Too Big To Fail Banks). Not really any other way. If you ever want better Democrats, and want anything to actually change if Democrats actually retake the Senate, we have to dump people like Carper and Feinstien sitting in blue states but answering only to corporate power. Huge missed opportunity. Paging New York in 2022: primary Chuck Schumer.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:50 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh, hey, kids, news on the Kamala Harris Kasowitz thing from WaPo's Carol Leonnig:
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [55 favorites]
Update:Brett Kavanaugh: perjurer and general lying liar who lies.
- Kavanaugh acknowledges close friendship with Kasowitz atty Ed McNally
- White House and Kasowitz firm say McNally neither helped prep Kavaugh nor discussed Mueller probe with him.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:52 PM on September 6, 2018 [55 favorites]
Dan Friedman: Trump personally interviewed McNally for the job of US Attorney for the Eastern District of NY, a highly unusual step for a president. Also talked to candidates for US Attorney in Southern District of NY and DC.
(And McNally's bio mentions that he was one of Rudy Giuliani's assistant US attorneys in NY.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
(And McNally's bio mentions that he was one of Rudy Giuliani's assistant US attorneys in NY.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:59 PM on September 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Delaware Democrats could've made a difference voting out Tom Carper (D-Too Big To Fail Banks). Not really any other way. If you ever want better Democrats, and want anything to actually change if Democrats actually retake the Senate, we have to dump people like Carper and Feinstien sitting in blue states but answering only to corporate power. Huge missed opportunity. Paging New York in 2022: primary Chuck Schumer.
I feel you're conflating Democrat and leftist. Delaware is reliably blue, but is not terribly progressive. The fact is that Delaware Democrats like Tom Carper - they've elected him to a statewide seat ten times now. Yes, he's pretty pro-bank...and banking is a huge industry in Delaware. Carper just isn't a mismatch for his state the way that DiFi is.
Harris really did pretty well, and I would hope to see more progressive folks coming up from DE.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
I feel you're conflating Democrat and leftist. Delaware is reliably blue, but is not terribly progressive. The fact is that Delaware Democrats like Tom Carper - they've elected him to a statewide seat ten times now. Yes, he's pretty pro-bank...and banking is a huge industry in Delaware. Carper just isn't a mismatch for his state the way that DiFi is.
Harris really did pretty well, and I would hope to see more progressive folks coming up from DE.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:01 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
I say this as someone who is very invested in the Dem primaries for the Rhode Island House - you may have a problem.
If anyone is interested in making their problem substantially worse (and you may punch me for this), Daniel Nichanian (@Taniel) has one-upped his usual spreadsheet game with What to track in the 2018 election: a (very) detailed cheat sheet.
355+ contests for you to lose your mind over, including key House and Senate races, assorted state referenda sorted by category, key state legislative races, state Supreme Court seats, prosecutors, the works. If you're going to care about something being voted on in the US in November, it's probably one of your local races and/or on this list.
posted by zachlipton at 8:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
If anyone is interested in making their problem substantially worse (and you may punch me for this), Daniel Nichanian (@Taniel) has one-upped his usual spreadsheet game with What to track in the 2018 election: a (very) detailed cheat sheet.
355+ contests for you to lose your mind over, including key House and Senate races, assorted state referenda sorted by category, key state legislative races, state Supreme Court seats, prosecutors, the works. If you're going to care about something being voted on in the US in November, it's probably one of your local races and/or on this list.
posted by zachlipton at 8:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Trump: If you impeach me, America will "turn into a third-world country."
Better than a second world one?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Better than a second world one?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:03 PM on September 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
- Kavanaugh acknowledges close friendship with Kasowitz atty Ed McNally
- White House and Kasowitz firm say McNally neither helped prep Kavaugh nor discussed Mueller probe with him.
woah, go Kamala Harris. (but somehow I don't think lying and generally being a self centered bigoted lowlife will matter to the GOP.
posted by bluesky43 at 8:10 PM on September 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
My working theory is that The Editorial was written by Sanders, Miller, Gorka, Mulvaney, Sessions, Mnuchin, DeVos, Zinke, Jared, Mattis, Coats, Kelly, and Melania, one phrase at a time, Exquisite Corpse style, all of them ripped to the tits on laudanum and absinthe.
Poirot: "The deceased was stabbed once by each staffer—with a poison pen."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
Poirot: "The deceased was stabbed once by each staffer—with a poison pen."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
> but somehow I don't think lying and generally being a self centered bigoted lowlife will matter to the GOP
Of course it matters -- how else do you think he got on the short list?
posted by tonycpsu at 8:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Of course it matters -- how else do you think he got on the short list?
posted by tonycpsu at 8:16 PM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Washington Post's Philip Rucker reports on Trump's West Wing bunker—‘A never-ending cycle’: Book, op-ed show how some Trump aides work to curb his instincts
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump’s mood this week has varied from volcanic anger to disappointment, and he has been “hellbent,” in the characterization of a senior official, to root out the anonymous author of the Times op-ed and hold him or her accountable for betraying the president.Lindsay Graham and Mark Meadows, however, tell the Post this is fine, this is normal, everything is under control.
In Oval Office huddles Thursday, White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and senior adviser Jared Kushner, among other aides, tried to convince the president that he could trust them and others in his inner circle. They argued that the author was probably a lower-level employee, according to the senior official.
The twin bombshells also underscored a vexing reality for Trump — that some in his employ do treat him as an adolescent in need of chaperoning inside a White House that Corker memorably once described as “adult day care.”
But the conspiratorial and at times paranoid Trump felt a slice of vindication reading the Times column, seeing it as justifying his belief that the “deep state” and other enemies within are seeking to undercut him, according to two former White House officials briefed on the president’s private conversations.
“The functional effect of it all is for him to become more insulated, viewing the presidency more and more as a one-man band,” said one of those officials. This person characterized the president’s view as: “These people are here. Sometimes I need them to do stuff. But the presidency is not an institution. The presidency is me.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:19 PM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
If anyone is interested in making their problem substantially worse (and you may punch me for this), Daniel Nichanian (@Taniel) has one-upped his usual spreadsheet game with What to track in the 2018 election: a (very) detailed cheat sheet.
Yeah, Taniel does great research. I'm planning on putting together an elections post (I mean, if people are okay with that), like I did for VA/NJ last year, and that's definitely a key source.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:20 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yeah, Taniel does great research. I'm planning on putting together an elections post (I mean, if people are okay with that), like I did for VA/NJ last year, and that's definitely a key source.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:20 PM on September 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Delaware is reliably blue, but is not terribly progressive.
Yes, and then we wonder why 17 Democrats join with Republicans to repeal Dodd-Frank less than 10 years after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Do better, Delaware. Except you already didn't.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:26 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Yes, and then we wonder why 17 Democrats join with Republicans to repeal Dodd-Frank less than 10 years after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Do better, Delaware. Except you already didn't.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:26 PM on September 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
In Oval Office huddles Thursday, White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and senior adviser Jared Kushner, among other aides, tried to convince the president that he could trust them and others in his inner circle.You know it really does help to know that they’re all miserable
posted by schadenfrau at 8:41 PM on September 6, 2018 [108 favorites]
It's worth remembering that while they are not abuse victims and definitely ought to take the fight against him to a public setting, anyone working with Trump is constantly exposed directly to his instinctive array of abusive tactics. As a result, their attitude has likely become something like "medium chill", a common technique for adapting to narcissists.
This helps explain why the op-ed seems to be trying to be reassuring while laying out a completely screwed up nightmare scenario, and also why it's so unconvincing, like an abuse victim trying to convince their friends their abuser won't hit them again.
posted by xammerboy at 9:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
This helps explain why the op-ed seems to be trying to be reassuring while laying out a completely screwed up nightmare scenario, and also why it's so unconvincing, like an abuse victim trying to convince their friends their abuser won't hit them again.
posted by xammerboy at 9:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
In Oval Office huddles Thursday, White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and senior adviser Jared Kushner, among other aides, tried to convince the president that he could trust them and others in his inner circle.
And then at least one of them immediately leaked this info to Rucker. DELICIOUS.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [65 favorites]
And then at least one of them immediately leaked this info to Rucker. DELICIOUS.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:14 PM on September 6, 2018 [65 favorites]
FWIW, Harris endorsed Carper right after losing, arguing (correctly, I'd say) that she'd pulled him left.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:15 PM on September 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Salon: Psychiatrist Bandy Lee says White House officials told her Trump was “unraveling”
"Two White House officials actually contacted me in late October, stating that Trump was “scaring” them, that he was “unraveling.” Not wishing to confuse the role I chose, as an educator of the public, and a potential treatment role, I referred them to the local emergency room without inquiring much further."posted by BungaDunga at 9:24 PM on September 6, 2018 [24 favorites]
"Two White House officials actually contacted me in late October, stating that Trump was “scaring” them, that he was “unraveling.”
Profiles in courage: penning your NYT letter one Earth year after the president's insanity starts to frighten you.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [70 favorites]
Profiles in courage: penning your NYT letter one Earth year after the president's insanity starts to frighten you.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:32 PM on September 6, 2018 [70 favorites]
From the Salon piece:
While we keep in mind the hazards of medicalizing bad politics, we can never pound hard enough on the politics of bad medical systems.
It's just so grossly unfair.
posted by runcifex at 10:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
Two White House officials actually contacted me [Brandy Lee, psychiatrist and author of a book on Trump's mind] in late October, stating that Trump was “scaring” them, that he was “unraveling.” Not wishing to confuse the role I chose, as an educator of the public, and a potential treatment role, I referred them to the local emergency room without inquiring much further.This is a reminder that Trump has almost unlimited, on-demand, and free access to top-quality healthcare as long as he want it, while millions of the world including in the USA are deprived of the right to a healthy life and are facing mortal danger. His "local emergency room" is not like yours.
While we keep in mind the hazards of medicalizing bad politics, we can never pound hard enough on the politics of bad medical systems.
It's just so grossly unfair.
posted by runcifex at 10:00 PM on September 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
@EDLesh: Kavanagh says it would be morally wrong to fire someone because of their skin. Or because of their gender. He would not say it was morally wrong to fire someone because they were gay.
Someone ask him if it’s morally wrong to fire someone for wearing a wool-linen blend.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 1:32 AM on September 7, 2018 [34 favorites]
Someone ask him if it’s morally wrong to fire someone for wearing a wool-linen blend.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 1:32 AM on September 7, 2018 [34 favorites]
Or alternately, if it is wrong to refuse to confirm a SC Justice because they are a fucking asshole.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:35 AM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Meatbomb at 2:35 AM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
I have learned that, in 2007, Judge Kavanaugh ruled that performing abortions without the woman’s consent was legal and acceptable. I believe this is a terrible violation of rights. I urge the senator to vote against Kavanaugh because he supports involuntary abortions.”
You know, I learned REAL QUICK how acceptable conservative Christians find abortions to be as soon as the mother has a severe mental illness or intellectual disability. It was something that came up several times when I was working as a social worker, and while the families would always make sure it wasn't SPOKEN of, they sure bent over backwards to get the woman to the Big City and that Den of Evil Planned Parenthood.
(I, of course, was concerned that the mothers got whatever care they wanted and felt they had someone to support them in whatever decision they made.)
But yeah, we're not even a generation removed from mass forced sterilizations on people in institutions. Those health care providers were good Christians too.
posted by threeturtles at 2:44 AM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
You know, I learned REAL QUICK how acceptable conservative Christians find abortions to be as soon as the mother has a severe mental illness or intellectual disability. It was something that came up several times when I was working as a social worker, and while the families would always make sure it wasn't SPOKEN of, they sure bent over backwards to get the woman to the Big City and that Den of Evil Planned Parenthood.
(I, of course, was concerned that the mothers got whatever care they wanted and felt they had someone to support them in whatever decision they made.)
But yeah, we're not even a generation removed from mass forced sterilizations on people in institutions. Those health care providers were good Christians too.
posted by threeturtles at 2:44 AM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
Trump’s mood this week has varied from volcanic anger to disappointment, and he has been “hellbent,” in the characterization of a senior official, to root out the anonymous author of the Times op-ed and hold him or her accountable for betraying the president.
One of the things that kills me about this is that it would be a simple matter to catch leakers in this white house. All it would take is for Trump to strategically do outrageously things around particular people and then see which outrageous thing gets leaked in order to narrow down the source. A little bit of simple manipulation and basic 'agreement and difference' work like they have done in almost every spy movie for 60 years would do the job.
However, this white house is dumb all the way down.
posted by srboisvert at 2:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [28 favorites]
One of the things that kills me about this is that it would be a simple matter to catch leakers in this white house. All it would take is for Trump to strategically do outrageously things around particular people and then see which outrageous thing gets leaked in order to narrow down the source. A little bit of simple manipulation and basic 'agreement and difference' work like they have done in almost every spy movie for 60 years would do the job.
However, this white house is dumb all the way down.
posted by srboisvert at 2:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [28 favorites]
"This is a reminder that Trump has almost unlimited, on-demand, and free access to top-quality healthcare as long as he wants it [whereas the rest of us go without]-"
That part's terrible, but also terrible (and arguably more terrible, since it may lead to us all getting summarily evaporated), he's never going to want it. Nobody in his situation ever will. It's hard to get gramps to give up the car keys even when gramps is just a normal guy who used to be a middle manager or whatever. Trump? There is no one with the power to Baker act him, despite the fact that he is about the clearest example of "danger to self and others" in the history of the phrase. So we will all watch as he disintegrates. Michael Jackson, W. Randolph Hearst, Howard Hughes, and now "the leader of the free world." Too MUCH money to get the health care he so evidently needs.
posted by Don Pepino at 3:04 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
That part's terrible, but also terrible (and arguably more terrible, since it may lead to us all getting summarily evaporated), he's never going to want it. Nobody in his situation ever will. It's hard to get gramps to give up the car keys even when gramps is just a normal guy who used to be a middle manager or whatever. Trump? There is no one with the power to Baker act him, despite the fact that he is about the clearest example of "danger to self and others" in the history of the phrase. So we will all watch as he disintegrates. Michael Jackson, W. Randolph Hearst, Howard Hughes, and now "the leader of the free world." Too MUCH money to get the health care he so evidently needs.
posted by Don Pepino at 3:04 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
Another key point of the survey is that brand favorability didn’t only drop for folks you might expect to be red hat-sporting members of the MAGA brigade, but also among millennials, Gen Z, and African-Americans."
They probably lost the favorability of the croc crowd who were never going to buy their high margin shoes anyway. In terms of brand coolness it is probably addition by subtraction to persuade MAGAs not to wear your shoes.
posted by srboisvert at 3:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
They probably lost the favorability of the croc crowd who were never going to buy their high margin shoes anyway. In terms of brand coolness it is probably addition by subtraction to persuade MAGAs not to wear your shoes.
posted by srboisvert at 3:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Anyone else starting to come around to the idea that publishing the Editorial from Inside the Building was a deliberately accelerationist act?
(Edited in due to sloppy language: I meant writing it more than publishing it. There are plenty of good reasons to publish it.)
posted by BS Artisan at 4:15 AM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
(Edited in due to sloppy language: I meant writing it more than publishing it. There are plenty of good reasons to publish it.)
posted by BS Artisan at 4:15 AM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Anyone else starting to come around to the idea that publishing the Editorial from Inside the Building was a deliberately accelerationist act?
That's why I'm sticking with Miller as my guess.
posted by Rykey at 4:50 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
That's why I'm sticking with Miller as my guess.
posted by Rykey at 4:50 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
I mean, I guess it's better for Brands™ to endorse good than for them to endorse evil – but, yeah, they just do whatever is most profitable for the Brand™.
My reaction to this isn't "wow, Nike is on the side of good" – because Nike is a purely legal and economic construct which has neither intent nor personhood. My reaction is simply "shut the fuck up, Nike – actual people are talking about important things, and your cynical, focus-grouped interjection isn't relevant to the conversation".
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:07 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
My reaction to this isn't "wow, Nike is on the side of good" – because Nike is a purely legal and economic construct which has neither intent nor personhood. My reaction is simply "shut the fuck up, Nike – actual people are talking about important things, and your cynical, focus-grouped interjection isn't relevant to the conversation".
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:07 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
My reaction is "Nike, as close to a truly neutral party as there can possibly be, since it is motivated strictly by money and not by ideology or morality, has decided that anti-Trump is the correct side to be on, which is good news because it's a sign that we are winning."
posted by mmoncur at 5:18 AM on September 7, 2018 [139 favorites]
posted by mmoncur at 5:18 AM on September 7, 2018 [139 favorites]
On appeal, Judge Kavanaugh vacated the District Court’s injunction, arguing that “accepting the wishes of patients who lack, and have always lacked the mental capacity to make medical decisions does not make logical sense.”
The whole point of this is to deny women in total the right to make this decision, because we don't have the "mental capacity" to decide something like this. Same evil thought behind waiting periods, etc.
posted by agregoli at 5:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
The whole point of this is to deny women in total the right to make this decision, because we don't have the "mental capacity" to decide something like this. Same evil thought behind waiting periods, etc.
posted by agregoli at 5:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump taped a Fox News interview in which he called the op-ed "treason."
...echoing one or more tweets expressing the same, er, thought. Which is as clear a proof as one could find that Trump is a tyrant, or wants to be: treason is defined in the Constitution as betraying the country, not the president personally.
Since Trump and his thralls are authoritarians, of course, they don't make the distinction, but loyal Americans should never forget.
posted by Gelatin at 5:36 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
...echoing one or more tweets expressing the same, er, thought. Which is as clear a proof as one could find that Trump is a tyrant, or wants to be: treason is defined in the Constitution as betraying the country, not the president personally.
Since Trump and his thralls are authoritarians, of course, they don't make the distinction, but loyal Americans should never forget.
posted by Gelatin at 5:36 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Nike have made a decision to alienate Trumpists, and their doing so is deliberate and calculated. Obviously they believe it will make them more money in the long term.
It makes more obvious the larger point that no business transaction is apolitical. We all need to know what our money is paying for.
ULINE, the shipping supplies company, for example, is owned by hardcore MAGA assholes, and they make no bones about it. If you shop with ULINE, you're putting money in the pockets of white supremacists. I'm sure this buys them many devoted customers.
I'm keen to know what values the people who own our companies have, even if they're not keen to reveal them (Bezos is notoriously quiet about his politics). It affects my decisions on where to spend my money. I used to believe that business transactions should not invoke politics. No longer.
These days, for example, when I have to choose between a retail store that flies a small pride flag all year vs one that just puts huge ones up in the summer, I'll go with the one that isn't clearly pandering.
I have other problems with Nike, but politics isn't one of them.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:38 AM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
It makes more obvious the larger point that no business transaction is apolitical. We all need to know what our money is paying for.
ULINE, the shipping supplies company, for example, is owned by hardcore MAGA assholes, and they make no bones about it. If you shop with ULINE, you're putting money in the pockets of white supremacists. I'm sure this buys them many devoted customers.
I'm keen to know what values the people who own our companies have, even if they're not keen to reveal them (Bezos is notoriously quiet about his politics). It affects my decisions on where to spend my money. I used to believe that business transactions should not invoke politics. No longer.
These days, for example, when I have to choose between a retail store that flies a small pride flag all year vs one that just puts huge ones up in the summer, I'll go with the one that isn't clearly pandering.
I have other problems with Nike, but politics isn't one of them.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:38 AM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
Anyone could say they "didn't write" the op-ed -- because they composed it at a computer keyboard.
Denials can be super-literal.
posted by jgirl at 5:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Denials can be super-literal.
posted by jgirl at 5:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Chrysostom: I say this as someone who is very invested in the Dem primaries for the Rhode Island House - you may have a problem.
Hang on, hang on, hang on a second -- as someone who is a voter in those Rhode Island primaries, what is concerning you?!
When Chrysostom says "you may have a problem," the hair on the back of my neck goes up! Don't leave me hanging.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Hang on, hang on, hang on a second -- as someone who is a voter in those Rhode Island primaries, what is concerning you?!
When Chrysostom says "you may have a problem," the hair on the back of my neck goes up! Don't leave me hanging.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Looks like Russia is getting in on the Wingnut Welfare circuit.
Scottie Nell Hughes landing on her feet at RT.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:49 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Scottie Nell Hughes landing on her feet at RT.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:49 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Going by context, I don't think that's a reference to Rhode Island having a problem, but a joke that anyone repeatedly clicking refresh on a poll "has a problem" i.e an addiction.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:50 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:50 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ah, OK then. *slumps back in chair, draws a deep, ragged breath*
Thank you!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:51 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Thank you!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:51 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
At Montana rally, president hails Republican who assaulted Guardian reporter as fighter ‘in more ways than one’.
That would be the white supremacist supporter Greg Gianforte.
posted by adamvasco at 5:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
That would be the white supremacist supporter Greg Gianforte.
posted by adamvasco at 5:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
House and Senate interns are going to get paid — if Congress passes this spending bill - Tara Golshan, Vox
As lawmakers continue to negotiate spending bills to fund the government through 2019, they’ve agreed on one thing: They’ll budget in $8.8 million for House intern pay and $5 million for Senate intern pay, according to Michael Zetts, the House Democratic aide to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH).posted by ZeusHumms at 6:36 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
The provision will be part of the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which the two chambers are discussing this week.
If passed, the House would add $20,000 to each lawmaker’s allowance to pay interns. In the Senate, funding would vary depending on the state but would average to about $50,000 per office. The funding for interns would have to be renewed annually, and rules around how offices can use the money will be written by the administrative committees.
As it is now, more than 90 percent of House members don’t pay their interns, according to the nonprofit group Pay Our Interns. By party affiliation, 8 percent of Republican lawmaker offices paid interns, whereas roughly 4 percent of Democratic offices do. In the Senate, 51 percent of Republican offices offered interns pay, to varying extents. Only 31 percent of Senate Democratic offices offered interns pay.
Republicans are going to pass minimum wage increases and sick leave requirements in Michigan.
And then repeal them straight after the election in the lame duck session to circumvent the 3/4 majority required to repeal passed ballot initiatives but don't tell anyone that.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:36 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
And then repeal them straight after the election in the lame duck session to circumvent the 3/4 majority required to repeal passed ballot initiatives but don't tell anyone that.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:36 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
I don't understand why the White House is hunting for the anonymous op ed author.
Suppose they find him or her. Then they force the op ed writer to resign. What do they think happens next? If Omarosa doing the political new show circuit was damaging, how much damage will a former cabinet member who is invested in proving the the president is incompetent do to the Trump White House?
posted by rdr at 6:55 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Suppose they find him or her. Then they force the op ed writer to resign. What do they think happens next? If Omarosa doing the political new show circuit was damaging, how much damage will a former cabinet member who is invested in proving the the president is incompetent do to the Trump White House?
posted by rdr at 6:55 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'm not so sure that they would only force this person to resign should they find them. They are using words like treason and national security. That doesn't sound like Trump et al are imagining the consequences to be merely firing.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 6:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
My reaction is "Nike, as close to a truly neutral party as there can possibly be, since it is motivated strictly by money and not by ideology or morality, has decided that anti-Trump is the correct side to be on, which is good news because it's a sign that we are winning."
I thought about it in a similar way. Obviously Nike and this campaign are problematic for various reasons already stated above in this thread. I'm not fooling myself to believe they are altruistically woke. But as I've noted before I have a lot of faith in the science behind the idea of a tipping point for social change, which describes how once a certain threshold is reached, a major shift in public perception can happen quickly. So sure, some people may be burning their Nikes, but overall having ideas like this becoming normalized as part of the mainstream feels important to me, and welcome.
posted by robotdevil at 6:58 AM on September 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
I thought about it in a similar way. Obviously Nike and this campaign are problematic for various reasons already stated above in this thread. I'm not fooling myself to believe they are altruistically woke. But as I've noted before I have a lot of faith in the science behind the idea of a tipping point for social change, which describes how once a certain threshold is reached, a major shift in public perception can happen quickly. So sure, some people may be burning their Nikes, but overall having ideas like this becoming normalized as part of the mainstream feels important to me, and welcome.
posted by robotdevil at 6:58 AM on September 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
They can imagine punishments more severe than resignation but they can't actually implement them. We still have a legal system.
posted by rdr at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by rdr at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Republicans are going to pass minimum wage increases and sick leave requirements in Michigan.
And then repeal them straight after the election in the lame duck session to circumvent the 3/4 majority required to repeal passed ballot initiatives but don't tell anyone that.
What we’re saying here is that though Republicans hate these policies they are actually very popular and could help swing elections?
Huh. Interesting. Very interesting.
posted by Artw at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
And then repeal them straight after the election in the lame duck session to circumvent the 3/4 majority required to repeal passed ballot initiatives but don't tell anyone that.
What we’re saying here is that though Republicans hate these policies they are actually very popular and could help swing elections?
Huh. Interesting. Very interesting.
posted by Artw at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
They can imagine punishments more severe than resignation but they can't actually implement them. We still have a legal system.
I doubt that any punishments they could imagine would be both more severe and legal.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:03 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I doubt that any punishments they could imagine would be both more severe and legal.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:03 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Given the lack of specifics in the NYT op ed about exactly what actions the writer and others allegedly took to circumvent Trump's wishes, it seems like it would be very hard to make any charges stick. "Handling" the president probably isn't as unusual as we seem to think it is. Wasn't Kissinger known for presenting the president with two outrageous options and his desired third option? i.e. "well, we could surrender and accept defeat, we could go for total war and drop a 5 megaton warhead or we could increase troop deployments by 25%."
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 7:05 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 7:05 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Children are DYING OF NEGLECT after being separated from their parents for no reason than cruelty. We are way past rule of law for this admin. They'd love to put the op ed writer in Guantanamo.
posted by agregoli at 7:08 AM on September 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by agregoli at 7:08 AM on September 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
I woulda said folks claiming that the government is building secret inaccessible concentration camps for babies or deporting naturalized american citizens are being paranoid but here we are
posted by lazaruslong at 7:17 AM on September 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 7:17 AM on September 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
chris24: Delaware Democrats have set a non-presidential primary turnout record... on a Thursday.
What in the hell is that? Thursday?
Dear Democrats: once in power, make all in-person voting happen over the weekend. Saturday AND Sunday. Or heck, Friday-Monday. Will it be more expensive than a one-day event? Sure. But how much is poured into campaigning for elections now, compared to the "cost" of holding elections?
Problem: who pays and how much is all over the board, so maybe address this, too? Ooh, I know - tax all campaign ads and expenses 10%, and have that all go back to covering voting expenses. Excess funds support automatic "motor voter" registrations, and studies on what percentage of eligible voters are registered. Excess funds beyond that go into general funds for public Pre-K education.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:18 AM on September 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
What in the hell is that? Thursday?
Dear Democrats: once in power, make all in-person voting happen over the weekend. Saturday AND Sunday. Or heck, Friday-Monday. Will it be more expensive than a one-day event? Sure. But how much is poured into campaigning for elections now, compared to the "cost" of holding elections?
Problem: who pays and how much is all over the board, so maybe address this, too? Ooh, I know - tax all campaign ads and expenses 10%, and have that all go back to covering voting expenses. Excess funds support automatic "motor voter" registrations, and studies on what percentage of eligible voters are registered. Excess funds beyond that go into general funds for public Pre-K education.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:18 AM on September 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
Dear Democrats: once in power, make all in-person voting happen over the weekend. Saturday AND Sunday. Or heck, Friday-Monday. Will it be more expensive than a one-day event? Sure. But how much is poured into campaigning for elections now, compared to the "cost" of holding elections?
How would weekend voting work when many of the polling places are also places of worship with weekend services, and some religious organizations express opinions on election outcomes?
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
How would weekend voting work when many of the polling places are also places of worship with weekend services, and some religious organizations express opinions on election outcomes?
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Dear Democrats: once in power, make all in-person voting happen over the weekend. Saturday AND Sunday.
I think it bears repeating that in other countries election day is a national holiday (for President) and smaller elections are like jury duty (you get leave).
I think this is the only way to approach democracy if we actually care about what people with shitty schedules (who most of the time happen to be low income) think or want.
posted by Tarumba at 7:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
I think it bears repeating that in other countries election day is a national holiday (for President) and smaller elections are like jury duty (you get leave).
I think this is the only way to approach democracy if we actually care about what people with shitty schedules (who most of the time happen to be low income) think or want.
posted by Tarumba at 7:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
I'm not saying that this administration isn't horrifying, but there is a substantial difference between them demonizing and abusing the "other" and assassinating high ranking members of their own damn party. We are at fascism stage 1 (or 2), not full on dictatorship.
I think it's counterproductive to assume the battle is already lost. No, Trump will not have a member of his cabinet assassinated with impunity. He doesn't have that political and social power, not yet.
posted by lydhre at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
I think it's counterproductive to assume the battle is already lost. No, Trump will not have a member of his cabinet assassinated with impunity. He doesn't have that political and social power, not yet.
posted by lydhre at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
I know - tax all campaign ads and expenses 10%, and have that all go back to covering voting expenses
I would suggest that in the spirit of "Sin Taxes" that tax on campaign ads and expenses be much more. Start with 75% and settle for 50% sounds like a place to compromise.
posted by mikelieman at 7:32 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I would suggest that in the spirit of "Sin Taxes" that tax on campaign ads and expenses be much more. Start with 75% and settle for 50% sounds like a place to compromise.
posted by mikelieman at 7:32 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh, and a National Holiday for Elections on the First Tuesday of November sounds great to me.
posted by mikelieman at 7:33 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 7:33 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
I think it bears repeating that in other countries election day is a national holiday (for President) and smaller elections are like jury duty (you get leave).
India votes for a month and has a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote to all adults over 18.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
India votes for a month and has a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote to all adults over 18.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Wow a lot of people have forgotten "No Logo."
"Nike, as close to a truly neutral party as there can possibly be, since it is motivated strictly by money and not by ideology or morality"
Actually perfectly describes much of the American conservative wing, the 'neutral evil' ones. Some of them may not be full on 'chaotic evil', but it is in no way indemnifying.
I have no dog in this fight, except that making the conversation about Nike just scores one for Madison Avenue/the corporate rehabilitation machine.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
"Nike, as close to a truly neutral party as there can possibly be, since it is motivated strictly by money and not by ideology or morality"
Actually perfectly describes much of the American conservative wing, the 'neutral evil' ones. Some of them may not be full on 'chaotic evil', but it is in no way indemnifying.
I have no dog in this fight, except that making the conversation about Nike just scores one for Madison Avenue/the corporate rehabilitation machine.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
He doesn't have that political and social power, not yet.
The idea that this administration’s actions are constrained by what they’re actually capable of executing successfully is just adorable in this day and age.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:38 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
The idea that this administration’s actions are constrained by what they’re actually capable of executing successfully is just adorable in this day and age.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:38 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
What in the hell is that? Thursday?
NY has primaries next Thursday September 13th.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:39 AM on September 7, 2018
NY has primaries next Thursday September 13th.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:39 AM on September 7, 2018
Taxing campaign expenses just makes it harder for less wealthy people to run. Let's not. The only reason we "don't have the money" is because rich people and corporations aren't paying their taxes. We could fund this and a million other things by changing that fact.
National Holiday? Yes. But even on National Holidays some people end up working, therefore every citizen needs to get absentee/early voting information sent to them and it should also be posted in the workplace.
I think it should be moved to a Monday because that's easier for people to take off/have a long weekend. First Monday in November is fine.
posted by emjaybee at 7:39 AM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
National Holiday? Yes. But even on National Holidays some people end up working, therefore every citizen needs to get absentee/early voting information sent to them and it should also be posted in the workplace.
I think it should be moved to a Monday because that's easier for people to take off/have a long weekend. First Monday in November is fine.
posted by emjaybee at 7:39 AM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
Yeah, we're only up to imprisoning latinx kids indefinitely despite a court order saying no. It's not authoritarianism until it affects white people.
... but that's my point. The ones who are actually in power, here, are the Rs. They benefit from Trump being President and they benefit from Trump abusing and imprisoning latinx children and fomenting racial and xenophobic hatred.
There is plenty to be outraged about, plenty to fight, plenty of crimes to condemn: do not concede to them powers that they do not yet have.
posted by lydhre at 7:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
... but that's my point. The ones who are actually in power, here, are the Rs. They benefit from Trump being President and they benefit from Trump abusing and imprisoning latinx children and fomenting racial and xenophobic hatred.
There is plenty to be outraged about, plenty to fight, plenty of crimes to condemn: do not concede to them powers that they do not yet have.
posted by lydhre at 7:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Axios's Mike Allen reports, unsurprisingly, Trump officials use Times op-ed to knife people they hate
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:43 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Trumpworld sources tell Axios that officials rapidly shifted from trying to smoke out the author of the anonymous N.Y. Times op-ed, to using the guessing game to knife people they already hated — whispering the names of rivals and enemies as potential authors.[...]AP calculates: "Paul Light, a New York University professor and expert on the federal bureaucracy, said about 50 people could have legitimately written the column — probably someone in a political position appointed by President Donald Trump."
Here's my bet, which is contrarian to a lot of what you'll hear: There's a lot of speculation that The Times puffed up the person's importance, but I think the official actually is indisputably "senior."
Here's why: If I'm The Times, I know that publishing the anonymous blast is going to be controversial. I assume the person will be unmasked, perhaps sooner rather than later. And I don't want to look like a dope when the identity is known. If it weren't an actual big fish, I'd have a "fake news" problem.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:43 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Oh, and a National Holiday for Elections on the First Tuesday of November sounds great to me.
Holiday with some restrictions. Where I'm from, sales of alcohol are prohibited the day before presidential elections.
Also, are there any negative implications of making voting compulsory? There are countries where you have to pay a fine if you don't vote, which in a way legitimizes the need for leave and increased access for workers.
posted by Tarumba at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Holiday with some restrictions. Where I'm from, sales of alcohol are prohibited the day before presidential elections.
Also, are there any negative implications of making voting compulsory? There are countries where you have to pay a fine if you don't vote, which in a way legitimizes the need for leave and increased access for workers.
posted by Tarumba at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not exactly earth-shaking political news, but it cheered me up this morning: the people positioned immediately over Trump’s shoulder at his Montana rally last night were making skeptical “wtf?” faces until asked to leave.
Katie Moeser (@iamkatiemoe):
this was one of my favorites ‘we’ve picked up a lot of support’ plaid shirt guy ‘HAVE YOU!??’
[In response to the idea that the guy in plaid might be a paid extra who went off-script] I’ll pay his appearance fee anytime!
posted by chappell, ambrose at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [41 favorites]
Katie Moeser (@iamkatiemoe):
this was one of my favorites ‘we’ve picked up a lot of support’ plaid shirt guy ‘HAVE YOU!??’
[In response to the idea that the guy in plaid might be a paid extra who went off-script] I’ll pay his appearance fee anytime!
posted by chappell, ambrose at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2018 [41 favorites]
I wouldn't buy Nikes to reward Nike for their position, but I think I will to support Colin Kaepernick.
posted by M-x shell at 7:48 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by M-x shell at 7:48 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
mikelieman: "Oh, and a National Holiday for Elections on the First Tuesday of November sounds great to me."
Except that most of us don't get half the holidays off. I mean other than government employees, who gets Veterans Day or Columbus Day off?
posted by octothorpe at 7:48 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Except that most of us don't get half the holidays off. I mean other than government employees, who gets Veterans Day or Columbus Day off?
posted by octothorpe at 7:48 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
What in the hell is that? Thursday?
First Tuesday in September is the day after Labor Day, so that was probably nixed (people may still be traveling plus needing to get stuff in place the day before). Second Tuesday this year is the second day of Rosh Hashanah. So I'm guessing Delaware and New York decided that the first/second Thursday would be better than waiting for the third Tuesday.
(Meanwhile, New Hampshire is apparently perfectly fine with scheduling voting on Rosh Hashanah.)
posted by damayanti at 7:49 AM on September 7, 2018
First Tuesday in September is the day after Labor Day, so that was probably nixed (people may still be traveling plus needing to get stuff in place the day before). Second Tuesday this year is the second day of Rosh Hashanah. So I'm guessing Delaware and New York decided that the first/second Thursday would be better than waiting for the third Tuesday.
(Meanwhile, New Hampshire is apparently perfectly fine with scheduling voting on Rosh Hashanah.)
posted by damayanti at 7:49 AM on September 7, 2018
Oh, and a National Holiday for Elections on the First Tuesday of November sounds great to me.
Harpo Marx said that was the case in NYC when he was growing up. They would actually have celebratory bonfires in the streets, and limos paid for by Tammany Hall would pick people up and deliver them to voting stations. He said that his grandfather, who could not legally vote, voted anyway and nobody stopped him.
posted by Melismata at 7:52 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Harpo Marx said that was the case in NYC when he was growing up. They would actually have celebratory bonfires in the streets, and limos paid for by Tammany Hall would pick people up and deliver them to voting stations. He said that his grandfather, who could not legally vote, voted anyway and nobody stopped him.
posted by Melismata at 7:52 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
do not concede to them powers that they do not yet have.
I think it is less that, than a fear that they may in fact have powers that they have not yet exercised.
Every stupid, evil thing they have done so far is a thing we did not think they would be able to do. I’m not sure we can afford to draw a line in the sand for them, and assume they would scruple to cross it.
posted by invincible summer at 7:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
I think it is less that, than a fear that they may in fact have powers that they have not yet exercised.
Every stupid, evil thing they have done so far is a thing we did not think they would be able to do. I’m not sure we can afford to draw a line in the sand for them, and assume they would scruple to cross it.
posted by invincible summer at 7:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, this assassination derail has gone way off the deep end. Let it go, please.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 7:58 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 7:58 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Trumpworld sources tell Axios that officials rapidly shifted from trying to smoke out the author of the anonymous N.Y. Times op-ed, to using the guessing game to knife people they already hated — whispering the names of rivals and enemies as potential authors
I woke my cat up with this cackle
Excellent, well done, nothing can possibly top—
“HAVE you?”
This is better than many drugs.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
I woke my cat up with this cackle
Excellent, well done, nothing can possibly top—
“HAVE you?”
This is better than many drugs.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:59 AM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
While the Kavanaugh hearing are supremely important, the Trump administration continues its Gish Gallop Of Shittiness:
FIVE HUNDRED GODDAMN YEARS. And this mining company has already had one of these mines fail in a spectacular and disastrous way.
The full details are in a release from Sept. 6.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:00 AM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
The Trump Administration just gave in to foreign mining interests near the Boundary Waters. Instead of listening to the 70% of Minnesotans who oppose this toxic form of mining, this administration chose profit over process.The Threat: "Pollution from these mines will flow directly into the heart of the Boundary Waters. Even conservative models of pollution show that waterways would carry contaminants into the Wilderness. A single mine in this watershed will continually pollute the wilderness for at least 500 years."
FIVE HUNDRED GODDAMN YEARS. And this mining company has already had one of these mines fail in a spectacular and disastrous way.
The full details are in a release from Sept. 6.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:00 AM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
Without using the a-word, let me just say: DC Republicans are in lockstep with Trump because he's helping them achieve what they want to achieve. His harmful policies aren't harmful TO THEM. If he suddenly started threatening them directly, they would have much more incentive to replace him.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:04 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:04 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Toxic Algae Seeps Into Florida Congressional Races (NPR, September 7, 2018)
But Florida governor has ignored climate change risks and impact on state, critics say (Brady Dennis and Darryl Fears for the Washington Post, via Chicago Tribune, Sept. 8, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 8:05 AM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
For months now, mats of algae from Lake Okeechobee have been flowing down the river, bringing toxins that can affect people and animals. In beach communities east of the lake, the algae have had a big impact on tourism and businesses.Feeling the heat, you say? Like the heat from global climate change? The Gulf of Mexico's "Red Tide" is one type of harmful algal bloom (HAB) (NOAA Ocean Service), which is (generally) caused by nutrient overloads and sunlight, and climate change might cause harmful algal blooms to occur more often, in more waterbodies and to be more intense (EPA).
With more toxic algae blooms on Florida's west coast and a red tide algae bloom causing massive fish kills in the Gulf of Mexico, water quality is increasingly having a big impact on key midterm races in Florida. While Democrats tend to be more outspoken on environmental issues, Republican candidates are also speaking up because they're feeling the heat.
But Florida governor has ignored climate change risks and impact on state, critics say (Brady Dennis and Darryl Fears for the Washington Post, via Chicago Tribune, Sept. 8, 2017)
By all accounts, Scott and other officials have aggressively tried to prepare the state and its residents for the destructive storm's impact and immediate aftermath.Huh, dismantled a climate commission? That sounds like a bad plan, but not the only one. In Florida, officials ban term 'climate change' (Tristram Korten, Florida Center for Investigative Reporting via Miami Herald, March 08, 2015)
But for all of Scott's vigor in readying Florida for [Hurricane] Irma's wrath, his administration has done little over the years to prepare for what scientists say are the inevitable effects of climate change that will wreak havoc in the years to come. With its far-reaching coastline and low elevation, Florida is one of the states at greatest risk from rising sea levels, extreme weather events - including more powerful hurricanes - and other consequences of a warming planet.
Local officials, academics and even some political allies say Scott has scarcely acknowledged the problem and, along with the Republican-led legislature, has shown little interest in funding projects to help the state adapt and become more resilient in the face of storms such as Irma.
"The science has been brought on a silver platter to Gov. Scott, and he's chosen not to do anything," said Kathy Baughman McLeod, a conservation expert who served on the Florida Energy and Climate Commission, which was effectively dismantled after Scott took office in 2011. "If there is climate action, it's all coming from local and regional collaboration. There is no state leadership on climate change in Florida, period."
The state of Florida is the region most susceptible to the effects of global warming in this country, according to scientists. Sea-level rise alone threatens 30 percent of the state’s beaches over the next 85 years.True Fact: Florida is fucked, and it's not alone. more than 90 coastal communities in the United States are already battling chronic flooding, meaning the kind of flooding that’s so unmanageable it prompts people to move away. That number is expected to roughly double to more than 170 communities in less than 20 years.
But you would not know that by talking to officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state agency on the front lines of studying and planning for these changes.
DEP officials have been ordered not to use the term “climate change” or “global warming” in any official communications, emails, or reports, according to former DEP employees, consultants, volunteers and records obtained by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
The policy goes beyond semantics and has affected reports, educational efforts and public policy in a department with about 3,200 employees and $1.4 billion budget.
“We were told not to use the terms ‘climate change,’ ‘global warming’ or ‘sustainability,’” said Christopher Byrd, an attorney with the DEP’s Office of General Counsel in Tallahassee from 2008 to 2013. “That message was communicated to me and my colleagues by our superiors in the Office of General Counsel.”
Kristina Trotta, another former DEP employee who worked in Miami, said her supervisor told her not to use the terms “climate change” and “global warming” in a 2014 staff meeting. “We were told that we were not allowed to discuss anything that was not a true fact,” she said.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:05 AM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
For Grand Jury Friday, Roger Stone crony Randy Credico will be testifying, but Zoe Tillman reports that birtherist conspiracy-monger Jerome Corsi will not be appearing as expected and adds, "Earlier this week, Corsi's lawyer told us he was trying to set up a separate sit-down with Mueller's office, which could make a grand jury appearance unnecessary. But his lawyer isn't commenting now on what happened".
And we also have George Papadopoulos's sentencing to look forward to.
In an absolutely shocking development foreseen by no one at all, Rudy Giuliani tells the AP that Trump will not agree to answer Mueller's questions about obstruction in any format.
Axios: Trump Dares Mueller to Subpoena Him
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:11 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
And we also have George Papadopoulos's sentencing to look forward to.
In an absolutely shocking development foreseen by no one at all, Rudy Giuliani tells the AP that Trump will not agree to answer Mueller's questions about obstruction in any format.
Axios: Trump Dares Mueller to Subpoena Him
A source close to Trump’s legal team tauntingly tells us it’s “Mueller’s moment of truth.”Oh, wait: Rudy Giuliani told the AP: "That's a no-go. That is not going to happen." But told NBC those questions are "not ruled in or out."
The source close to the president's team explained: "Mueller backed off from a demand for a face-to-face, to get to a compromise of written Q-and-A on Russia. And Rudy still says no. What is Mueller to do now?"
A source with direct knowledge of the Trump’s legal team machinations said "there is no strategy" beyond the PR tactic of threatening Mueller, and attempting to bruise him as much as possible.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:11 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
What in the hell is that? Thursday?
To add to damayanti's response, next Tuesday also is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We've done this before in NYS, in 2012, and for the same stated reasons.
posted by Opposite George at 8:25 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
To add to damayanti's response, next Tuesday also is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We've done this before in NYS, in 2012, and for the same stated reasons.
posted by Opposite George at 8:25 AM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
InTheYear2017: "Going by context, I don't think that's a reference to Rhode Island having a problem, but a joke that anyone repeatedly clicking refresh on a poll "has a problem" i.e an addiction."
Yeah, just a joke about polling obsession.
That said, the RI Dem party is not great, and are trying to primary out three progressives in the House. And gov Raimondo is in a precarious situation, I think.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:25 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, just a joke about polling obsession.
That said, the RI Dem party is not great, and are trying to primary out three progressives in the House. And gov Raimondo is in a precarious situation, I think.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:25 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't understand why the White House is hunting for the anonymous op ed author. Suppose they find him or her. Then they force the op ed writer to resign. What do they think happens next?
They get to create yet another sideshow, to distract the public from... well, everything else. Mueller, Kavanaugh's confirmation, selling Alaska back to the Russians, whatever they're doing this week.
It's not an 11-dimensional-chess argument to realize that Trump et al are really only good at one thing, and that's a very blunt sort of PR—basically waving a red cape in front of a bull, where the bull is the American public's worst impulses—and they'll happily take what looks like a righteous mole-hunt scandal and ensuing lawsuit or prosecution or whatever, if it takes the focus off their continued hostile-takeover of government.
But it seems like they're just going to use it as a weapon in whatever internecine struggle is going on inside the WH, which is cool by me.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
They get to create yet another sideshow, to distract the public from... well, everything else. Mueller, Kavanaugh's confirmation, selling Alaska back to the Russians, whatever they're doing this week.
It's not an 11-dimensional-chess argument to realize that Trump et al are really only good at one thing, and that's a very blunt sort of PR—basically waving a red cape in front of a bull, where the bull is the American public's worst impulses—and they'll happily take what looks like a righteous mole-hunt scandal and ensuing lawsuit or prosecution or whatever, if it takes the focus off their continued hostile-takeover of government.
But it seems like they're just going to use it as a weapon in whatever internecine struggle is going on inside the WH, which is cool by me.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
filthy light thief: "What in the hell is that? Thursday?"
Specifically, this month, there are a number of primaries being held off-Tuesday due to a confluence of Labor Day, Sept 11th, and Rosh Hashanah. In Massachusetts, which *did* have the primary on Tuesday, there was a good deal of complaint, as it was the day after Labor Day and the first day of school for kids there. Normally, though, the only state that holds them on a non-Tuesday is Tennessee, which has always held them on Thursday, going back to its becoming a state.
This is not intended as an argument against early or by mail voting, just an explanation why we're seeing some weird days this year.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:31 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Specifically, this month, there are a number of primaries being held off-Tuesday due to a confluence of Labor Day, Sept 11th, and Rosh Hashanah. In Massachusetts, which *did* have the primary on Tuesday, there was a good deal of complaint, as it was the day after Labor Day and the first day of school for kids there. Normally, though, the only state that holds them on a non-Tuesday is Tennessee, which has always held them on Thursday, going back to its becoming a state.
This is not intended as an argument against early or by mail voting, just an explanation why we're seeing some weird days this year.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:31 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Cook ratings changes:
MO-02 (Wagner) | Likely R => Lean R
TX-22 (Olson) | Solid R => Likely R
TX-24 (Marchant) | Solid R => Likely R
posted by Chrysostom at 8:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
MO-02 (Wagner) | Likely R => Lean R
TX-22 (Olson) | Solid R => Likely R
TX-24 (Marchant) | Solid R => Likely R
posted by Chrysostom at 8:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
MO-02 (Wagner) | Likely R => Lean R
Lordy I hate West County, but I may go knock doors for Cost VanOstran
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Lordy I hate West County, but I may go knock doors for Cost VanOstran
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Harpo Marx said that was the case in NYC when he was growing up. They would actually have celebratory bonfires in the streets, and limos paid for by Tammany Hall would pick people up and deliver them to voting stations. He said that his grandfather, who could not legally vote, voted anyway and nobody stopped him.
Can we not go down the "expanding voting rights means rampant voter fraud" route? That buys into the worst Kobach-esque narratives from conservatives looking to suppress voters.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
Can we not go down the "expanding voting rights means rampant voter fraud" route? That buys into the worst Kobach-esque narratives from conservatives looking to suppress voters.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
NYTimes where the trend piece on Republican sneaker heads coping at?
I can't believe i have to wait so long for this.
posted by srboisvert at 9:49 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
I can't believe i have to wait so long for this.
posted by srboisvert at 9:49 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
President Obama is delivering a fascinating speech to students in Urbana, Illinois right now. I’ll try to dig up a link and transcript when available. But the current chyron says a lot about our age:
OBAMA: “HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY THAT NAZIS ARE BAD?!”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [69 favorites]
OBAMA: “HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY THAT NAZIS ARE BAD?!”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:54 AM on September 7, 2018 [69 favorites]
McConnell: ‘It Wouldn’t Surprise Me’ If Booker Faces Ethics Probe Over Doc Release - Kate Riga, TPM
Obama: Trump ‘Is A Symptom, Not The Cause’ - Kate Riga, TPM
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Obama: Trump ‘Is A Symptom, Not The Cause’ - Kate Riga, TPM
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't understand why the White House is hunting for the anonymous op ed author.
Now he wants DOJ to hunt.
Trump says Justice Department should investigate who wrote anonymous New York Times op-ed, citing national security
posted by chris24 at 9:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Now he wants DOJ to hunt.
Trump says Justice Department should investigate who wrote anonymous New York Times op-ed, citing national security
posted by chris24 at 9:56 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
@TheDweck, 9:02 AM - 6 Sep 2018
I’m no HR professional but it’s prob a bad sign when an employee writes an anonymous letter calling you a brain-dead asshole and you can’t even narrow it down to 100 peopleposted by kirkaracha at 9:57 AM on September 7, 2018 [167 favorites]
POLITICO: 'It will make him crazy': Anonymous anti-Trump screed backfires
Yes, comparing the President to an abusive husband would be one hell of a metaphor. If it was a metaphor.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:02 AM on September 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
Now the president is likely to view any disagreement from advisers with suspicion.This puts me in mind of an abusive husband. “Why did you have to go and make him mad by criticizing him?”
“What this person did is badly hurt the effort to rein in Trump ... and it will make him crazy,” said a Republican close to the White House. “Now, if you say to the president, ‘I see where you’re heading, but I’m not sure about that’ — he’s going to think, ‘Ah, you wrote that.’”
...
“I’m not a fan of people doing things in an anonymous way. If you’ve got something to say, look the camera in the eye and say it. Talk to people directly. When I read it, to me there was nothing new,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a frequent Trump critic. “Any of us who have dealt with the White House understand the situation that’s there.”
“There are lots of really, really good people around the president who are trying to restrain his impulsiveness,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning. “I don’t understand the morality of why anyone would write the piece, because it seems pretty obvious to me that what it’s going to do is foster more paranoia.”
Yes, comparing the President to an abusive husband would be one hell of a metaphor. If it was a metaphor.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:02 AM on September 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
ZeusHumms: McConnell: ‘It Wouldn’t Surprise Me’ If Booker Faces Ethics Probe Over Doc Release - Kate Riga, TPM
I'm pretty sure McConnell isn't usually this bad at sticking to the spin. The current conservative line on Booker has mostly been "The documents were already public" and hence he's a wannabe martyr rather than a gol-darn leaker.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:06 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm pretty sure McConnell isn't usually this bad at sticking to the spin. The current conservative line on Booker has mostly been "The documents were already public" and hence he's a wannabe martyr rather than a gol-darn leaker.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:06 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yes, comparing the President to an abusive husband would be one hell of a metaphor
To say nothing of two US senators basically conceding that the unflattering -- indeed, alarming -- picture of Trump as utterly unfit for the presidency painted by the anonymous writers is true, and disagreeing instead with the author's remedy.
I also hope that Trump latching on to "citing national security" as a universal justification for his actions, including unilaterally raising tariffs on dubious grounds -- forces courts to abandon their traditional deference to the Executive's claims. If national security is at issue, make them prove it.
posted by Gelatin at 10:10 AM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
To say nothing of two US senators basically conceding that the unflattering -- indeed, alarming -- picture of Trump as utterly unfit for the presidency painted by the anonymous writers is true, and disagreeing instead with the author's remedy.
I also hope that Trump latching on to "citing national security" as a universal justification for his actions, including unilaterally raising tariffs on dubious grounds -- forces courts to abandon their traditional deference to the Executive's claims. If national security is at issue, make them prove it.
posted by Gelatin at 10:10 AM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
President Obama is delivering a fascinating speech to students in Urbana, Illinois right now. I’ll try to dig up a link and transcript when available.
Okay I haven’t found a transcript yet, but goddamn I’m ready to run through a fucking wall again after hearing this guy. Fired the fuck up! We can win this. Vote!!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:11 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
Okay I haven’t found a transcript yet, but goddamn I’m ready to run through a fucking wall again after hearing this guy. Fired the fuck up! We can win this. Vote!!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:11 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
I'm going to hold off on watching that until I'm home from work because I know I'm going to want to wail and rend my garments over alas and alack this man is no longer our president and we are fucked
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:12 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:12 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
I am not a lawyer but this is the most incredible opening to a court opinion I have ever seen.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:13 AM on September 7, 2018 [79 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:13 AM on September 7, 2018 [79 favorites]
I think you’ll find it inspiring, Empress. It was both a rebuttal of Trumpism (and its causes) and a call to action and engagement.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:15 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:15 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I am not a lawyer but this is the most incredible opening to a court opinion I have ever seen.
Democrats need to point to these shenanigans every time they get in front of a microphone to drive home the point that Republicans basically admit they can't win without cheating, because they keep doing so.
posted by Gelatin at 10:17 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Democrats need to point to these shenanigans every time they get in front of a microphone to drive home the point that Republicans basically admit they can't win without cheating, because they keep doing so.
posted by Gelatin at 10:17 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
I will give credit to Trump if he runs with the "national security" excuse for such stupid stuff that it ruins the rationale. Everybody has to leave the McDonalds drive-thru because national security. Hannity should go on an hour earlier...national security.
posted by rhizome at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Obama delivers full-throated rebuttal to Trump's presidency (Politico)
In rare public speech, Obama says Trump poses such a threat to America that it forced him to speak out.
Former president Barack Obama, saying President Trump is capitalizing on ‘fear and anger,’ calls on Americans to vote in November (WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
In rare public speech, Obama says Trump poses such a threat to America that it forced him to speak out.
Former president Barack Obama, saying President Trump is capitalizing on ‘fear and anger,’ calls on Americans to vote in November (WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
Trump is definitely going to take the Obama bait. His staff might be able to restrain him over the weekend, but...he's a-gonna blow. These are cake words.
posted by rhizome at 10:22 AM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 10:22 AM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
This puts me in mind of an abusive husband. “Why did you have to go and make him mad by criticizing him?”
There's no way the op-ed wasn't designed to provoke that reaction. This cabal has been relying on his malleability to stop him from doing stupid shit without him realizing that he was being stopped, and then one of them declares in the Newspaper Of Record that they're secretly working against him? It's so counter to the whole strategy that it's either calculated or the result of a serious brain injury.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
There's no way the op-ed wasn't designed to provoke that reaction. This cabal has been relying on his malleability to stop him from doing stupid shit without him realizing that he was being stopped, and then one of them declares in the Newspaper Of Record that they're secretly working against him? It's so counter to the whole strategy that it's either calculated or the result of a serious brain injury.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
I am not a lawyer but this is the most incredible opening to a court opinion I have ever seen.
Huffington Post's Sam Levin (@srl): Breaking news: A federal judge in Florida issued an injunction requiring 32 counties in the state to provide sample Spanish-language ballots. The plaintiffs in the case said Puerto Ricans who moved to Florida were being denied access to the ballot under the Voting Rights Act
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [37 favorites]
Huffington Post's Sam Levin (@srl): Breaking news: A federal judge in Florida issued an injunction requiring 32 counties in the state to provide sample Spanish-language ballots. The plaintiffs in the case said Puerto Ricans who moved to Florida were being denied access to the ballot under the Voting Rights Act
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [37 favorites]
I Wrote Some of the Stolen Memos That Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About - He should be impeached, not elevated.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [87 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:24 AM on September 7, 2018 [87 favorites]
The Atlantic:
The Saddest Part of the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed - Todd S. Purdum
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
The Saddest Part of the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed - Todd S. Purdum
[one] revealing motivation—and a sadder one—comes in the anonymous writer’s celebration of the “bright spots” in Trump’s unfolding term “that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.”Congressional Republicans Are the Real Authors of the Anonymous Op-Ed - Peter Beinart
Really? And more what?
The Constitution demands that the legislature serve as a check on the executive. In its absence, unelected bureaucrats are taking it on themselves to act.To paraphrase, without accountability or mandate.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement votes to fight federal subpoenas for voter information.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
His staff might be able to restrain him over the weekend, but...he's a-gonna blow.
He's at Mar-a-lago all weekend, no chaperone, no restraint.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
He's at Mar-a-lago all weekend, no chaperone, no restraint.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
I am not a lawyer but this is the most incredible opening to a court opinion I have ever seen.
Counterpoint: Judge's aren't as funny as they think. "Once again, with depressing regularity . . . " would get the point across just as well, without the cuteness.
Do we really need to trivialize intentional voter suppression by Republicans with show tunes references so a federal judge get mentioned in Harvard Law Reviews "10 cleverest opinions of 2018"?
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Counterpoint: Judge's aren't as funny as they think. "Once again, with depressing regularity . . . " would get the point across just as well, without the cuteness.
Do we really need to trivialize intentional voter suppression by Republicans with show tunes references so a federal judge get mentioned in Harvard Law Reviews "10 cleverest opinions of 2018"?
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's a Groundhog Day reference, not a show tune reference.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:31 AM on September 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:31 AM on September 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
It’s still the cutesy crap where it’s kind of a game to them and they’re going to have big yuks about it later together at the club.
posted by Artw at 10:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:37 AM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Zina Bash did the hand signal again.
posted by christopherious at 10:40 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by christopherious at 10:40 AM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Just because it was primarily for the Harvard/club crowd doesn't mean the public at large can't get something out of it. How many Americans, or just Floridians, are even aware that Florida regularly violates voting rights? Humor can be a vector for memetic spread.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
Wow. Aalayah Eastman, survivor of the Parkland shooting, just gave her incredibly powerful testimony at the Kavanaugh hearing. On the PBS feed, shows Sen. Booker rubbing his face like he's trying not to break down in tears. Everyone applauds at the end, a first in the four days of these hearings. I really, really recommend actually watching it if you can, but if not here's her written statement. (sorry I don't know how to link to the exact part of the feed it was, but it was about 30 minutes back in the feed from right now)
posted by robotdevil at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by robotdevil at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
Trump answered some questions on his flight.
He threatens to shut down the government again, citing the favorable views of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and "your friend Hannity" (I have no idea if he was describing Hannity as a friend of a specific reporter who was present, or just has taken to calling him everyone's friend). Trump on just Tuesday: "I don’t see even myself or anybody else closing down the country right now."
Here's full context for him saying DOJ should investigate the op-ed writer. Reporters really need to stop egging him on by asking leading questions, because he's pathologically incapable of not going along with an idea.
And this, which is weird on many levels, but his admission that the press knows everything he's doing is nice:
Thanks to the magic of Groundhog Day: The Musical, it's both.
----
@frankthorp: Kellyanne Conway on Capitol Hill: “No, I did not write the op-ed. Everything I think I have the courage to say publicly.”
Counterpoint: she just asked to be an anonymous source to complain about her husband to the Post.
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
He threatens to shut down the government again, citing the favorable views of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and "your friend Hannity" (I have no idea if he was describing Hannity as a friend of a specific reporter who was present, or just has taken to calling him everyone's friend). Trump on just Tuesday: "I don’t see even myself or anybody else closing down the country right now."
Here's full context for him saying DOJ should investigate the op-ed writer. Reporters really need to stop egging him on by asking leading questions, because he's pathologically incapable of not going along with an idea.
And this, which is weird on many levels, but his admission that the press knows everything he's doing is nice:
"I didn’t meet with Russians because I love the United States.Groundhog Day reference, not a show tune reference.
If I met with Russians, you people would have found out. You know everything I’m doing. You don’t always report it correctly. But I’m used to it."
Thanks to the magic of Groundhog Day: The Musical, it's both.
----
@frankthorp: Kellyanne Conway on Capitol Hill: “No, I did not write the op-ed. Everything I think I have the courage to say publicly.”
Counterpoint: she just asked to be an anonymous source to complain about her husband to the Post.
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
Is there a video somewhere of Obama's entire speech today? I keep looking but all I find are articles about the speech.
posted by stowaway at 10:42 AM on September 7, 2018
posted by stowaway at 10:42 AM on September 7, 2018
This cabal has been relying on his malleability to stop him from doing stupid shit without him realizing that he was being stopped, and then one of them declares in the Newspaper Of Record that they're secretly working against him? It's so counter to the whole strategy that it's either calculated or the result of a serious brain injury.
Or they know that the jig will be well and truly up when Woodward's book debuts on Tuesday. The leaks from "Fear" already paint a damning picture of how Trump's aides were trying to work around the damage and head off his worst impulses. The anonymous op-ed merely spun that as favorably and self-servingly as possible at short notice.
And there's even more to "Fear", says Esquire's Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza):
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or they know that the jig will be well and truly up when Woodward's book debuts on Tuesday. The leaks from "Fear" already paint a damning picture of how Trump's aides were trying to work around the damage and head off his worst impulses. The anonymous op-ed merely spun that as favorably and self-servingly as possible at short notice.
And there's even more to "Fear", says Esquire's Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza):
There’s so much more news in the Woodward book than what’s been reported. Random page: Woodward says Rep. Mark Meadows was plottting a coup against Paul Ryan immediately after Trump won:(This deep-background anecdote totally not brought to you by Steve Bannon.)
“Meadows had big plans to oust Speak Paul Ryan. He handed Bannon a folder. 'Read this,' he said. "Some 24 hours after Trump wins, we call the question on Ryan and he's finished. We take over the House of Representatives. And then we have a real revolution.'”
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:42 AM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Is there a video somewhere of Obama's entire speech today? I keep looking but all I find are articles about the speech.
Found it: President Obama speaks at the University of Illinois
His remarks start around the 30-minute mark.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:51 AM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
Found it: President Obama speaks at the University of Illinois
His remarks start around the 30-minute mark.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:51 AM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
Zina Bash did the hand signal again.
How dare anyone think someone who works with white supremacist Stephen Miller designing racist policies for a white supremacist president might be a white supremacist.
posted by chris24 at 10:57 AM on September 7, 2018 [43 favorites]
How dare anyone think someone who works with white supremacist Stephen Miller designing racist policies for a white supremacist president might be a white supremacist.
posted by chris24 at 10:57 AM on September 7, 2018 [43 favorites]
“There are lots of really, really good people around the president who are trying to restrain his impulsiveness,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning. “I don’t understand the morality of why anyone would write the piece, because it seems pretty obvious to me that what it’s going to do is foster more paranoia.”
Reminder that the current chosen leader of the Republican Party also said there were 'lots of good people' attending the murderous Nazi riot in Charlottesville. 'Lots of Good People' means something very different to Republicans.
posted by srboisvert at 11:02 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Reminder that the current chosen leader of the Republican Party also said there were 'lots of good people' attending the murderous Nazi riot in Charlottesville. 'Lots of Good People' means something very different to Republicans.
posted by srboisvert at 11:02 AM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
christopherious: Zina Bash did the hand signal again.
Bashthe is a fash.
Barack Spinoza: Obama delivers full-throated rebuttal to Trump's presidency (Politico)
This is making the rounds pretty well, which is not a surprise, but always great to see: WATCH: Obama Says Trump A 'Symptom, Not The Cause' Of Political Resentments (NPR, September 7, 2018)
And the "article" is succinct:moment epoch, berating individuals for not doing "their part" is maybe not the message to focus on, and instead celebrate others who are out there and active.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Bash
Barack Spinoza: Obama delivers full-throated rebuttal to Trump's presidency (Politico)
This is making the rounds pretty well, which is not a surprise, but always great to see: WATCH: Obama Says Trump A 'Symptom, Not The Cause' Of Political Resentments (NPR, September 7, 2018)
And the "article" is succinct:
In his first major political speech in the U.S. since leaving office, former President Barack Obama argued that Americans must rebuke President Trump at the polls this November.NPR had a longer article up yesterday: Where Has Barack Obama Been?
"It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not a cause," Obama told students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "He's just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years — a fear and anger that's rooted in our past, but also borne out of the enormous upheavals that have taken place in your brief lifetimes."
The former president, who is receiving an ethics award at the university, also said, "You need to vote because our democracy depends upon it. This moment really is different. The stakes really are higher. The consequences of any of us sitting on the sidelines are more dire."
"The biggest threat to our democracy is indifference," Obama said. "The biggest threat to our democracy is cynicism."
Until now, Obama had not directly taken on Donald Trump, even as his successor has attacked him personally and dismantled much of his legacy by undoing policies on trade, climate change, health care and more.Counterpoint: while this is definitely an All Hands On Deck sort of
Instead, he has been working on his memoir; he and Michelle Obama have announced a deal with Netflix to produce TV series and movies on themes that inspire them; and he's focused on his foundation and planned presidential museum in Chicago.
Behind the scenes, he has offered counsel to a number of Democrats considering a run for president in 2020. But to the distress of many Democrats, Obama has been absent from this season's campaign trail.
"He's really been remarkably absent since leaving office," Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University, said before his Friday speech.
By mostly staying on the sidelines, Obama is following in the tradition of past presidents, which dictates: Don't interfere with the peaceful transition of power, treat the new president with dignity and respect, and keep quiet.
The problem is that President Trump has upended every norm, Zelizer says, and his actions demand a response.
"These are not normal times," Zelizer says, "and so that metric of what a former president should do, doesn't really work right now."
posted by filthy light thief at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
NYT Mag on the Arizona teacher's movement.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
NPR had a longer article up yesterday: Where Has Barack Obama Been?
In a moment of constitutional crises and resurgent global fascism, NPR chooses to dedicate some of its limited platform to dunking on Obama two years after he's out of office.
NPR is controlled opposition and nothing it says should be taken in good faith.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [45 favorites]
In a moment of constitutional crises and resurgent global fascism, NPR chooses to dedicate some of its limited platform to dunking on Obama two years after he's out of office.
NPR is controlled opposition and nothing it says should be taken in good faith.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [45 favorites]
How dare anyone think someone who works with white supremacist Stephen Miller designing racist policies for a white supremacist president might be a white supremacist.
Even if we take them at their word, then what?
She's the wife of a US attorney, sitting in the gallery of the hearing for the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice, and she thinks it's a good time to troll and meme?
This isn't the son of a Congressman dabbing. This is a grown woman who disrespects her culture, ancestors, and country enough to make light. How fucking embarrassing.
posted by explosion at 11:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
Even if we take them at their word, then what?
She's the wife of a US attorney, sitting in the gallery of the hearing for the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice, and she thinks it's a good time to troll and meme?
This isn't the son of a Congressman dabbing. This is a grown woman who disrespects her culture, ancestors, and country enough to make light. How fucking embarrassing.
posted by explosion at 11:27 AM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
Obama's speech made me cry.
and I wish NPR would just shut up.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
and I wish NPR would just shut up.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:28 AM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Where has George W. Bush been?
It's because the Trump administration is actually on their way to accomplishing all the stuff that he and Cheney always wanted to do but couldn't. He's giving all the former Bush people all their goodies, so they can't bring themselves to disagree even as he's stumbling like Frankenstein's monster through all known norms and traditions.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's because the Trump administration is actually on their way to accomplishing all the stuff that he and Cheney always wanted to do but couldn't. He's giving all the former Bush people all their goodies, so they can't bring themselves to disagree even as he's stumbling like Frankenstein's monster through all known norms and traditions.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:30 AM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Read the full transcript of Obama’s fiery anti-Trump speech
posted by kirkaracha at 11:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:41 AM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
@gregorykorte: Trump says the 25% auto tariff is the most powerful trade tool he has, and most countries capitulate when he threatens it. "For Canada, a tax on cars would be the ruination for the country. That's how big it is."
So now we're threatening the "ruination" of Canada.
posted by zachlipton at 12:00 PM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
So now we're threatening the "ruination" of Canada.
posted by zachlipton at 12:00 PM on September 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
@gregorykorte: Trump says the 25% auto tariff is the most powerful trade tool he has, and most countries capitulate when he threatens it. "For Canada, a tax on cars would be the ruination for the country. That's how big it is."
Wasn't the entire domestic auto industry on death's door ten years ago and begging for bailouts? Have they recovered so much that a tariff war on cars wouldn't cause them serious pain?
posted by rocket88 at 12:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wasn't the entire domestic auto industry on death's door ten years ago and begging for bailouts? Have they recovered so much that a tariff war on cars wouldn't cause them serious pain?
posted by rocket88 at 12:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Looks like the funding for Collins' opponent if she votes yes on Kavanaugh has crossed the 51% mark.
posted by yoga at 12:13 PM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by yoga at 12:13 PM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
I don't understand why the White House is hunting for the anonymous op ed author. Suppose they find him or her. Then they force the op ed writer to resign. What do they think happens next?Then, I suspect, we get to go through the interesting process of finding out what Trump's non-disparagement agreements are worth.
I am actually quite surprised that none of the reporting on this issue (that I have seen, at least) has connected the anonymous criticism to Trump's well-established practice of tying job offers and legal settlement offers to restrictive non-disclosure agreements that forbid the parties signing them from publicly criticizing Trump and a list of connected entities.
As far as I am aware we don't know for certain that Trump demanded such agreements from his cabinet appointees but it certainly wouldn't be out of character. Shouldn't the press, therefore, be asking cabinet members whether they have executed any private agreements with Trump that might conflict with their 25th amendment duties?
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:14 PM on September 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
Did he forget that Ohio and Michigan have electoral votes? What happens if Canada or another country calls his bluff? He'll tank the auto industry just to brag he's brought ruination?
posted by gladly at 12:16 PM on September 7, 2018
posted by gladly at 12:16 PM on September 7, 2018
Is it a bluff if he's clearly dumb enough to go through with it? 'Cause it seems clear he'd do it.
posted by Justinian at 12:17 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:17 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Where has George W. Bush been?
To be fair, even if GWB is opposed to even some aspects of the present regime, he's pretty much radioactive to both sides. He'd convince exactly zero GOP voters to switch sides or stay home; he couldn't even wring out a few more votes for his own brother's campaign two and a half years ago, and the party's gone even more batshit in the interim. His endorsement would do far more harm than good to Democratic candidates; what better way to torpedo a progressive underdog in a tight race than to be be stained with the Dubya Seal of Approval? Best if he stays the fuck underground like a cicada, until at least mid-November... of 2036 or so.
posted by hangashore at 12:18 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
To be fair, even if GWB is opposed to even some aspects of the present regime, he's pretty much radioactive to both sides. He'd convince exactly zero GOP voters to switch sides or stay home; he couldn't even wring out a few more votes for his own brother's campaign two and a half years ago, and the party's gone even more batshit in the interim. His endorsement would do far more harm than good to Democratic candidates; what better way to torpedo a progressive underdog in a tight race than to be be stained with the Dubya Seal of Approval? Best if he stays the fuck underground like a cicada, until at least mid-November... of 2036 or so.
posted by hangashore at 12:18 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Did he forget that Ohio and Michigan have electoral votes? What happens if Canada or another country calls his bluff? He'll tank the auto industry just to brag he's brought ruination?
I think that yes, he would totally tank the auto industry just to brag about pwning the canada libs. But while Ohio and Michigan do have electoral votes, I'm not sure economic anxiety about the auto industry would affect his numbers.
posted by lazaruslong at 12:19 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think that yes, he would totally tank the auto industry just to brag about pwning the canada libs. But while Ohio and Michigan do have electoral votes, I'm not sure economic anxiety about the auto industry would affect his numbers.
posted by lazaruslong at 12:19 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
berating individuals for not doing "their part" is maybe not the message to focus on
I hear ya, but he was addressing an audience of college students, as he points out, a demographic that showed up at under 20% at the polls last midterm elections. It was tailored to a particular audience but general enough for public, civic consumption as befits a former president (albeit, one calling out his successor by name as a threat to the republic).
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:22 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
I hear ya, but he was addressing an audience of college students, as he points out, a demographic that showed up at under 20% at the polls last midterm elections. It was tailored to a particular audience but general enough for public, civic consumption as befits a former president (albeit, one calling out his successor by name as a threat to the republic).
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:22 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
Obama Goes Old School -- is that a Good Thing?
This is precisely what didn't work for Democrats in 2016. Hillary Clinton tried to reach out to moderate Republicans, and those Republicans, even the ones who had doubts about Trump, came home to their party's nominee on Election Day. Nearly all of them are going to do that this year as well, or they're going to stay home.posted by tonycpsu at 12:27 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
This message doesn't reach the people at whom it's aimed, while it suggests to some committed progressives that the Democratic Party really isn't very different from the Republican Party. [...]
I know that this has been Obama's message since that convention speech in 2004. I'm not arguing that Obama needs to move sharply to the left. He shouldn't make that move if he's not comfortable with it. (In the speech, he did praise Medicare for All.) I'm saying that he should focus sharply on what the problem is -- the Republican Party -- and on what we need to do immediately to start solving the problem -- electing more Democrats, because Democrats are better than Republicans. Not Democrats are better than Republicans even though Republicans have been good in the past, and Democrats haven't always been so great.
I have a hypothesis that some folks didn’t listen to or read the entire speech, then, before commencing with the hot takes, and I’ll leave it at that. Eyes on the prize.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:30 PM on September 7, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:30 PM on September 7, 2018 [34 favorites]
So now we're threatening the "ruination" of Canada.
There are a lot of places where Canada is not seen in a friendly light, at least in terms of trade deals, so this statement—while it seems weird and jarring on its face—probably plays well in certain constituencies, and I think some of them are probably concentrated in northern-border swing states. (Former pulpwood and timber harvesting regions are, in my experience anyway, pretty hostile to NAFTA and Canadian imports in particular.)
That's not to say that Trump is some sort of master strategist, but he knows what people want to hear and gives it to them.
What happens if Canada or another country calls his bluff? He'll tank the auto industry just to brag he's brought ruination?
I think he'd let them call it, and if the auto industry really started to tank he'd basically bail it out at taxpayer expense. Probably not actual nationalization, but everything-but, maybe by suddenly having the military soak up the excess manufacturing capacity.
The modern Republican party would probably discover Keynesianism in a great hurry if there were a lot of white people about to become very unemployed.
And if it didn't work, they'd just blame it on the unions anyway, so what's the risk?
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of places where Canada is not seen in a friendly light, at least in terms of trade deals, so this statement—while it seems weird and jarring on its face—probably plays well in certain constituencies, and I think some of them are probably concentrated in northern-border swing states. (Former pulpwood and timber harvesting regions are, in my experience anyway, pretty hostile to NAFTA and Canadian imports in particular.)
That's not to say that Trump is some sort of master strategist, but he knows what people want to hear and gives it to them.
What happens if Canada or another country calls his bluff? He'll tank the auto industry just to brag he's brought ruination?
I think he'd let them call it, and if the auto industry really started to tank he'd basically bail it out at taxpayer expense. Probably not actual nationalization, but everything-but, maybe by suddenly having the military soak up the excess manufacturing capacity.
The modern Republican party would probably discover Keynesianism in a great hurry if there were a lot of white people about to become very unemployed.
And if it didn't work, they'd just blame it on the unions anyway, so what's the risk?
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
so, if i understand Mr. Obama correctly, Trump is the impotence, incontinence & dementia caused the United States of America's advanced syphilis, but not the syphilis itself?
posted by 20 year lurk at 12:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by 20 year lurk at 12:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
Obama, U of I speech:
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
And I should add, by the way, now that I have a daughter in college, I can tell all the students here, your parents, they cry privately. It is brutal. So please call. Send a text. We need to hear from you. Just a little something.Just pointing this out.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
National Treasure Charles P. Pierce in Esquire: Barack Obama Just Threw the Partisan Punches I Never Thought He Would
He has gone out of his way to diagnose the prion disease—when it started, its various manifestations, and how it now rages out of control, devouring the higher functions of the collective Republican conservative brain. He took hard, clean shots at alleged Never Trumpers both in and out of office, both well-known and anominush. (Hi, Ben Sasse!) He ridiculed the notion that unelected staffers are somehow saving the Republic by disobeying the orders of a crazy man.posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [69 favorites]
And, finally:We are Americans. We’re supposed to stand up to bullies. Not follow them. We’re supposed to stand up to discrimination, and we’re sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers. How hard can that be? Saying that Nazis are bad?Frankly, I never thought I'd see him address this as directly as he did on Friday.
This message doesn't reach the people at whom it's aimed, while it suggests to some committed progressives that the Democratic Party really isn't very different from the Republican Party.
Does it really? It's one thing to adopt Republican frames, like Nancy Pelosi's foolish declaration of returning to PAYGO under a Democratic Congress, but it's another to adopt rhetoric that unifies rather than divides. Many Republican voters really do have interests that are much better served by Democratic policies. If progressives can't tell the difference between Republican othering and a Democratic message of "we're all in this together," I am not greatly impressed.
Absolutely criticize Republican policies and politicians, but how can it hurt to give Republican voters the opportunity to vote Democratic without feeling they're losing face?
posted by Gelatin at 12:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Does it really? It's one thing to adopt Republican frames, like Nancy Pelosi's foolish declaration of returning to PAYGO under a Democratic Congress, but it's another to adopt rhetoric that unifies rather than divides. Many Republican voters really do have interests that are much better served by Democratic policies. If progressives can't tell the difference between Republican othering and a Democratic message of "we're all in this together," I am not greatly impressed.
Absolutely criticize Republican policies and politicians, but how can it hurt to give Republican voters the opportunity to vote Democratic without feeling they're losing face?
posted by Gelatin at 12:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Obama Goes Old School -- is that a Good Thing?
I fundamentally disagree with this assessment of Obama's speech. Having just finished listening to the whole thing, Obama did — very clearly — say that the problem is the current Republican party, and the solution is to vote more Democrats into place.
My feel for his bit about the historical "badness" and "goodness" of the parties not being static is that he was specifically trying to point out that this isn't the same self-serving tribalism that goes into a general call to vote for one's normal political party. He's not making this speech just because he's a Dem and the Reps are in power. He's specifically saying that this is a moment in history during which THIS Republican party is PARTICULARLY corrupt, and it's a public duty to oppose it.
posted by bluemilker at 12:35 PM on September 7, 2018 [37 favorites]
I fundamentally disagree with this assessment of Obama's speech. Having just finished listening to the whole thing, Obama did — very clearly — say that the problem is the current Republican party, and the solution is to vote more Democrats into place.
My feel for his bit about the historical "badness" and "goodness" of the parties not being static is that he was specifically trying to point out that this isn't the same self-serving tribalism that goes into a general call to vote for one's normal political party. He's not making this speech just because he's a Dem and the Reps are in power. He's specifically saying that this is a moment in history during which THIS Republican party is PARTICULARLY corrupt, and it's a public duty to oppose it.
posted by bluemilker at 12:35 PM on September 7, 2018 [37 favorites]
berating individuals for not doing "their part" is maybe not the message to focus on
It's not about berating, it's about logical consequences. Yes, Republicans are doing their best to prevent or discourage people from voting, but as Obama said:
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
It's not about berating, it's about logical consequences. Yes, Republicans are doing their best to prevent or discourage people from voting, but as Obama said:
In the last midterm elections in 2014, fewer than one in five young people voted.This argument has the benefit of being vital and being true. The argument that apathy or the inactivity of despair lead to worse outcomes, and that voting for and actively supporting incremental improvements leads to better outcomes, was the core of this speech. I can't think of a finer or more important speech President Obama ever made.
One in five. Not two in five or three. One in five. Is it any wonder this Congress doesn’t reflect your values and your priorities?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
> Absolutely criticize Republican policies and politicians, but how can it hurt to give Republican voters the opportunity to vote Democratic without feeling they're losing face?
The question becomes how much does him muddling the message for those who are more likely to support Democrats gain in terms of votes from Republicans. To me, this speech was about him talking to the base. The timing of it a day after Booker and his colleagues openly dared the GOP to expel them from the senate is probably coincidental, but still notable, in that it's clear that the party is trying to send a message to its supporters that they get it.
This was the (former) leader of the Democratic party's chance to say that he gets it too, and that he will be there to stump for true progressive alternatives throughout the US. Instead, he undercut his message with appeals to voters that probably don't want to hear from him anyway. I doubt many votes are gained or lost on this kind of speech, but in terms of letting the left flank of the party know that he has their back, I think this was a misfire.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:41 PM on September 7, 2018
The question becomes how much does him muddling the message for those who are more likely to support Democrats gain in terms of votes from Republicans. To me, this speech was about him talking to the base. The timing of it a day after Booker and his colleagues openly dared the GOP to expel them from the senate is probably coincidental, but still notable, in that it's clear that the party is trying to send a message to its supporters that they get it.
This was the (former) leader of the Democratic party's chance to say that he gets it too, and that he will be there to stump for true progressive alternatives throughout the US. Instead, he undercut his message with appeals to voters that probably don't want to hear from him anyway. I doubt many votes are gained or lost on this kind of speech, but in terms of letting the left flank of the party know that he has their back, I think this was a misfire.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:41 PM on September 7, 2018
"I haven't watch today's Obama speech yet, but what I'm reading about it leaves me with mixed feelings."
Pretty much tells you what you need to know about this hot take.
posted by vverse23 at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
Pretty much tells you what you need to know about this hot take.
posted by vverse23 at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
The argument that apathy or the inactivity of despair lead to worse outcomes, and that voting for and actively supporting incremental improvements leads to better outcomes, was the core of this speech. I can't think of a finer or more important speech President Obama ever made.
can't help but wish he'd given it before the 2016 election rather than after
posted by halation at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
can't help but wish he'd given it before the 2016 election rather than after
posted by halation at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
I fundamentally disagree with this assessment of Obama's speech.
That may be related to the fact that the author you're responding to, by their own admission, didn't watch it. They're just responding to other people's responses and blessing us with their insights.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
That may be related to the fact that the author you're responding to, by their own admission, didn't watch it. They're just responding to other people's responses and blessing us with their insights.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 12:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
> That may be related to the fact that the author you're responding to, by their own admission, didn't watch it
I'm at work so haven't watched the video yet, but I read the transcript. I know he's a great orator and can sell anything with the way he speaks, but the words I'm concerned about are right there, so I assume he said them.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm at work so haven't watched the video yet, but I read the transcript. I know he's a great orator and can sell anything with the way he speaks, but the words I'm concerned about are right there, so I assume he said them.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
The modern Republican party would probably discover Keynesianism in a great hurry if there were a lot of white people about to become very unemployed.
Not a chance. Even for the much vaunted coal miners they do not throw money at the workers or at work or at anything at all other than at the owners.
Keynes advocated paying people 'to dig holes' (he didn't really but what the hell I'll roll with the conservative jab) in order to get money circulating in the economy.
Republicans advocate giving more money to rich people who already own holes who then deposit the check, close the hole, layoff the workers and then swim in their piles of money that fills the rooms in their mansions.
The last thing Republicans want is the circulation of money. The thing that they want is the accumulation of money. Their end goal is nothing less than the economic stagnation of a new feudal aristocracy.
posted by srboisvert at 12:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Not a chance. Even for the much vaunted coal miners they do not throw money at the workers or at work or at anything at all other than at the owners.
Keynes advocated paying people 'to dig holes' (he didn't really but what the hell I'll roll with the conservative jab) in order to get money circulating in the economy.
Republicans advocate giving more money to rich people who already own holes who then deposit the check, close the hole, layoff the workers and then swim in their piles of money that fills the rooms in their mansions.
The last thing Republicans want is the circulation of money. The thing that they want is the accumulation of money. Their end goal is nothing less than the economic stagnation of a new feudal aristocracy.
posted by srboisvert at 12:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Wow, Chrysostom, that NY Times mag article you linked to about the Arizona teachers' movement - Arizona Lawmakers Cut Education Budgets. Then Teachers Got Angry. by Dale Russakoff - is really something.
I've only just started reading it, but it's such a compelling and timely story.
It starts with a profile of a teacher, Kelly Berg, who's never paid any attention to politics:
She found a quote from the AZ House majority leader saying that teachers took second jobs not to pay bills but to buy boats or bigger houses, and then learned about an AZ tax credit for donations for private school scholarships
This article is full of Republican teachers who are asking for change and getting called socialists for their trouble.
It would be great if we all had been paying attention and being engaged for the past however long we've each been alive, but we haven't. I haven't. I started getting really involved in mid-2016, excited about Hillary. What if I had been more engaged all along? But I wasn't.
But as more and more people like Kelly Berg start to feel the effects of rapacious and cruel Republican policies, and are pushed to look beyond their four jobs to see the contempt Republican lawmakers have for them, we'll see more and more actions like hers.
posted by kristi at 12:49 PM on September 7, 2018 [78 favorites]
I've only just started reading it, but it's such a compelling and timely story.
It starts with a profile of a teacher, Kelly Berg, who's never paid any attention to politics:
“I would say, ‘Don’t talk to me about politics,’ ” she recalled. “ ‘I think it’s a waste of time.’ ” A 46-year-old lifelong Republican, she called herself a “sleepy voter,” as if she sleepwalked through the voting booth every four years. “I was just voting for the person with an R by their name or not voting.”She lived through YEARS of underfunding for education without paying attention, even though it directly affected her own paycheck. It wasn't until one of her kids' teachers quit to take a better-paying job that she finally started looking into what was going on.
She found a quote from the AZ House majority leader saying that teachers took second jobs not to pay bills but to buy boats or bigger houses, and then learned about an AZ tax credit for donations for private school scholarships
...which awards dollar-for-dollar state tax credits to individuals and corporations for donations for private school scholarships. In the previous school year, donors had given more than $157 million, and over the last 20 years $1 billion, avoiding the same amount in taxes — money that never reached the state general fund or public schools.She went to the Capitol and testified about an education bill. She and the other teachers were condescended to and mocked.
“That’s what radicalized me,” Berg said later. “As the kids would say, ‘I’m woke.’ ”
This article is full of Republican teachers who are asking for change and getting called socialists for their trouble.
She said she identified strongly with the Republican Party. “I was raised to believe in personal freedom. I was raised around people with guns. I’m pro-life,” she said. “But over time my perception has changed. Politics shouldn’t be polarized. I’m not so black-and-white that I can’t see that sometimes I might have to vote differently because of other issues. For me, all I can do is focus on something I know, and that’s education.”She was working three jobs on top of her full-time teaching job. It's disappointing that she didn't have time to pay attention to politics, but seriously, I can't imagine how she found time to eat or sleep.
She was just one teacher in a red shirt, sitting among many others in the Senate gallery in the wee hours of a morning in May. But watching the party-line votes against the teachers’ demands, she felt compelled to take a stand. Pulling out her phone, she went to the online portal for the Arizona state government and changed her voter registration — at least for now — to Democratic.
It would be great if we all had been paying attention and being engaged for the past however long we've each been alive, but we haven't. I haven't. I started getting really involved in mid-2016, excited about Hillary. What if I had been more engaged all along? But I wasn't.
But as more and more people like Kelly Berg start to feel the effects of rapacious and cruel Republican policies, and are pushed to look beyond their four jobs to see the contempt Republican lawmakers have for them, we'll see more and more actions like hers.
posted by kristi at 12:49 PM on September 7, 2018 [78 favorites]
could someone edit the Veep closing credits into this video of Jared Kushner standing around awkwardly after literally being locked out of the NAFTA talks please and thank
posted by halation at 12:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by halation at 12:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
The first couple of NYT/Siena polls have finished and they are not great for the Democrats. The Rs are ahead by a point in two races and tied in the Rohrabacher race, with all three races showing 10+% undecided. But the undecideds, according to the polls, are quite Republican-leaning.
If you look at the poll weightings Siena's estimated turnout model is heavily favorable to Republicans. In all cases it is significantly more Republican than the other three more standard weightings. So clearly Siena thinks that Republicans will, once again, turn out much more consistently than Democrats in a midterm election. Our path to the House is showing Siena that they are wrong, because the results under their model would be a really long night with an iffy chance at the House (ie the races we really need to win to take the House are tied at best, and the races which would make it less of a question as to who would win are leaning R).
So turnout, turnout, turnout.
Here's an example of what I mean for those who aren't diving deep into the NYT pages: IL-6. IL-6 is a Clinton district represented by Republican Roskam with decent Dem challenger Casten. Siena's topline numbers under their model are Roskam 45, Casten 44, U(ndecided) 11%. So R+1 with 11% R-leaning undecideds. That's not a particularly strong result obviously.
But Siena kindly reports the results under various models. Here they are for IL-6:
They've only finished in 3 races so it's a little early to draw conclusions but if this pattern holds for further polling it's fair to say that Siena's model would have a very close race for the House with an advantage to the Republicans holding it because of all the R-leaning undecideds. But common public polling models would have the House being taken by Democrats fairly robustly.
So basically Democratic enthusiasm has to outpace what Siena believes will be the turnout in 60 days. They are getting strong Democratic response to their calls but modeling it way down, and we can't let that happen on election day.
posted by Justinian at 12:57 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
If you look at the poll weightings Siena's estimated turnout model is heavily favorable to Republicans. In all cases it is significantly more Republican than the other three more standard weightings. So clearly Siena thinks that Republicans will, once again, turn out much more consistently than Democrats in a midterm election. Our path to the House is showing Siena that they are wrong, because the results under their model would be a really long night with an iffy chance at the House (ie the races we really need to win to take the House are tied at best, and the races which would make it less of a question as to who would win are leaning R).
So turnout, turnout, turnout.
Here's an example of what I mean for those who aren't diving deep into the NYT pages: IL-6. IL-6 is a Clinton district represented by Republican Roskam with decent Dem challenger Casten. Siena's topline numbers under their model are Roskam 45, Casten 44, U(ndecided) 11%. So R+1 with 11% R-leaning undecideds. That's not a particularly strong result obviously.
But Siena kindly reports the results under various models. Here they are for IL-6:
Don’t weight by primary vote, like most public polls: Casten +6So under the models often used by public polls this would be D+6. But their model has it at R+1. And this is one of the lower disparities. In CA-48 with Rouda (D) -vs- Rohrabacher (R-Vladivostok) their model has it tied 45-45 with 10% Republican leaning undecideds. This is a district we really, really want to win to take back the House. The public polling models have it at Rouda+10 (!) and Rouda+8, but Siena's model has it tied.
Weight using census data instead of voting records, like most public polls: Casten +6
Don’t weight by education, like many polls in 2016 : Casten +2
Our estimate: Roskam +1
They've only finished in 3 races so it's a little early to draw conclusions but if this pattern holds for further polling it's fair to say that Siena's model would have a very close race for the House with an advantage to the Republicans holding it because of all the R-leaning undecideds. But common public polling models would have the House being taken by Democrats fairly robustly.
So basically Democratic enthusiasm has to outpace what Siena believes will be the turnout in 60 days. They are getting strong Democratic response to their calls but modeling it way down, and we can't let that happen on election day.
posted by Justinian at 12:57 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
could someone edit the Veep closing credits into this video of Jared Kushner standing around awkwardly after literally being locked out of the NAFTA talks please and thank
Here ya go.
posted by chris24 at 12:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Here ya go.
posted by chris24 at 12:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
@gregorykorte: Trump says the 25% auto tariff is the most powerful trade tool he has, and most countries capitulate when he threatens it. "For Canada, a tax on cars would be the ruination for the country. That's how big it is."
I wonder if anyone has told him how dependent the united states car manufactures are on the Canadian auto parts industry. Hell border bridge delays cost US manufacturers hundreds of thousands each year messing up their Just-In-Time inventory systems. Try and fuck Canada over on car imports and you might find your manufacturing of autos completely grinds to a halt until you spin up some domestic parts manufacturing capacity - which will take longer than Trump's time in office (fingers crossed). So why would a prospective manufacturer even gamble on investing given the likelihood of the former status-quo being restored post-Trump?
The complicated interplay of the Canada-US auto manufacturing was deliberately negotiated to make this kind of political chicanery extremely punitive because Canada knew full well it was in bed with an elephant that could roll over at any time.
Maybe the US could go all auto industry protectionist but that's a long term project rather than a dictator's whim.
posted by srboisvert at 1:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
I wonder if anyone has told him how dependent the united states car manufactures are on the Canadian auto parts industry. Hell border bridge delays cost US manufacturers hundreds of thousands each year messing up their Just-In-Time inventory systems. Try and fuck Canada over on car imports and you might find your manufacturing of autos completely grinds to a halt until you spin up some domestic parts manufacturing capacity - which will take longer than Trump's time in office (fingers crossed). So why would a prospective manufacturer even gamble on investing given the likelihood of the former status-quo being restored post-Trump?
The complicated interplay of the Canada-US auto manufacturing was deliberately negotiated to make this kind of political chicanery extremely punitive because Canada knew full well it was in bed with an elephant that could roll over at any time.
Maybe the US could go all auto industry protectionist but that's a long term project rather than a dictator's whim.
posted by srboisvert at 1:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
For much of my adult life, I believed that Republican politicians were bad because, for example, they put principles such as laissez-faire capitalism and deficit reduction above the acutely visible, immediate real-world needs of the population they governed.
I was right to ascribe moral deficiency to Republican politicians. But the past two years have shown that for the most part, I was deeply wrong about their motivations. I was wrong to think that, simply because Republican politicians spoke incessantly about the sacred nature of free markets, they might speak out against a President who launches global trade wars and calls for a boycott on Harley-Davidson. I was wrong to think that, simply because they cited the national debt as an urgent crisis and their primary practical and philosophical rationale for opposing the social safety net, they might ever express concern about an astounding and ballooning deficit under a Republican president. I was wrong to think that their proclamations of patriotic fervor as a primary virtue might make them willing to investigate whether a foreign power is running a successful ongoing operation to bribe or blackmail the Commander in Chief of the United States military.
I was wrong to ascribe any principles to these people other than the desire to acquire and maintain personal power, personal wealth, and a sense that their team kicked the shit out of the other team.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
I was right to ascribe moral deficiency to Republican politicians. But the past two years have shown that for the most part, I was deeply wrong about their motivations. I was wrong to think that, simply because Republican politicians spoke incessantly about the sacred nature of free markets, they might speak out against a President who launches global trade wars and calls for a boycott on Harley-Davidson. I was wrong to think that, simply because they cited the national debt as an urgent crisis and their primary practical and philosophical rationale for opposing the social safety net, they might ever express concern about an astounding and ballooning deficit under a Republican president. I was wrong to think that their proclamations of patriotic fervor as a primary virtue might make them willing to investigate whether a foreign power is running a successful ongoing operation to bribe or blackmail the Commander in Chief of the United States military.
I was wrong to ascribe any principles to these people other than the desire to acquire and maintain personal power, personal wealth, and a sense that their team kicked the shit out of the other team.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
It appears that George Papadopoulos does not expect a presidential pardon. At the sentencing hearing, Kyle Cheney, Politco:
posted by gladly at 1:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
NEWS: In sentencing hearing, lawyer for PAPADOPOULOS says @realDonaldTrump “hindered this investigation more than George Papadopoulos ever could” by launching a “fake news campaign” and calling FBI Russia probe a “witch hunt.”Judge has recessed to consider the sentence.
PAPADOPOULOS’ attorney said Trump’s efforts dwarfed his client’s actions. “The president of the United States, the commander in Chief, told the world that this was fake news.” He called Mueller’s team “professional” and well-prepared.” Said George was “naive” and “a fool.”
posted by gladly at 1:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
It appears that George Papadopoulos does not expect a presidential pardon.
Should have remembered Dear Leader likes Sweet'n'Low not Splenda.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 1:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Should have remembered Dear Leader likes Sweet'n'Low not Splenda.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 1:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Keynes advocated paying people 'to dig holes' (he didn't really but what the hell I'll roll with the conservative jab) in order to get money circulating in the economy.
When Obama took office I really wanted a WPA-style program that would've paid people to fill holes in our roads, shore up our bridges, and generally improve our--what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, yeah--infrastructure and gotten money circulating in the economy. But we didn't elect enough Democrats.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:19 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
When Obama took office I really wanted a WPA-style program that would've paid people to fill holes in our roads, shore up our bridges, and generally improve our--what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, yeah--infrastructure and gotten money circulating in the economy. But we didn't elect enough Democrats.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:19 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
When Obama took office I really wanted a WPA-style program that would've paid people to fill holes in our roads, shore up our bridges, and generally improve our--what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, yeah--infrastructure
*AHEM*
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:23 PM on September 7, 2018 [35 favorites]
*AHEM*
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:23 PM on September 7, 2018 [35 favorites]
"For Canada, a tax on cars would be the ruination"
s/Canada/Ford and GM/
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:29 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
s/Canada/Ford and GM/
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:29 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
fill holes in our roads, shore up our bridges
A phrase that brings me right back to 2009 is "Shovel ready projects."
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
A phrase that brings me right back to 2009 is "Shovel ready projects."
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Texas constituent here... friends and I have been having such a fun time watching Ted Cruz negative ads about Beto O'Rourke that literally make him look like a badass.
This one that showed up my my feed is the absolute best - Beto O'Rourke Showing the *$ Up.
Ted also compared him to Whataburger, one of the most beloved fast food chains in Texas.
I'm starting to think his campaign staff is trolling us.
posted by hillabeans at 1:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
This one that showed up my my feed is the absolute best - Beto O'Rourke Showing the *$ Up.
Ted also compared him to Whataburger, one of the most beloved fast food chains in Texas.
I'm starting to think his campaign staff is trolling us.
posted by hillabeans at 1:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
schadenfrau,
I only caught the last portion of the speech, so I can't fully answer your question. What I can say is he did go of on a bit of a spiel about protecting the rights of women and to ensure they got promoted and hired and paid as well as their male counterparts. So there is that, if it helps.
posted by sardonyx at 1:34 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I only caught the last portion of the speech, so I can't fully answer your question. What I can say is he did go of on a bit of a spiel about protecting the rights of women and to ensure they got promoted and hired and paid as well as their male counterparts. So there is that, if it helps.
posted by sardonyx at 1:34 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I have a hypothesis that some folks didn’t listen to or read the entire speech, then, before commencing with the hot takes, and I’ll leave it at that.
Of particular relevance to Metafilter, maybe, is the part where he talks about not letting perfect be the enemy of "better"?
In all seriousness, there seems to be debate about the intended audience here. Personally, I tend to wonder if people in these threads, or writing these articles, overestimate the amount of detail about current events your "average" self-identified Democrat actually knows about. I have a friend from college who lives far away but we talk occasionally and I know he likes to think of himself as a woke, Obama-loving Democrat. He also is slightly more on the sheltered and privileged side than most of my friends. He's also married with a toddler and has a fairly demanding job. (I realize many of us have busy lives, but I can also admit I spend more time than I really have following these things, often to the detriment of other things.)
We were recently catching up and the conversation turned to politics. He did not feel the degree of urgency I did, and it became clear to me it was because he wasn't really tuned in to a lot of major things that have happened. When I tried to explain some of the stuff he got defensive and admitted he had checked out a bit because he was overwhelmed by it and life was busy.
This, I think, is what a large part of the intended audience is. There are people out there who certainly feel more aligned with Democratic principles than Republican, and who maybe think Trump is a lunatic. But then they also lack that sense of imminent danger requiring action. I think the media is a large part of it, by a combination of the fact that until recently (but also still now) headlines still aren't really conveying the gravity of the situation, but also because I think the constant hammering of "both sides" and "don't trust the media" seeps into people's subconscious even if they think they're smarter than that, plus the nonstop torrent of shocking and crazy news that ends up with seemingly no consequence. It's like they're waiting for the news to be Really Bad and that's how they'll know things are now Really Bad and Serious, but the news just doesn't have that wake-up call punch it used to, due to all those factors. They also seem to be skeptical about the outrageous-sounding stuff (he expressed skepticism to me about whether Russian interference "really mattered" or if it was all just overblown and I couldn't even)
So I think Obama's speech may be the wake-up call people like my friend need. They trust him. They respect him. They know he wouldn't just say all these things lightly. And I think that's part of his power, is that he HAS stayed out of the spotlight, so now that he's back in it, it seems even more important. Oh shit- this is how we know things are Really Serious and Bad, because Obama is out here saying listen the fuck up guys this is bad and you need to understand that. His speech isn't for Republicans (though, who knows, maybe some will like it) nor is it for those of us who already know and understand the gravity of a million nuanced threads of bullshit. He lays out quite a lot of the things we've been talking about here for a long time, in a straightforward way, giving them credibility and making them real. It's for the well-meaning but distracted and incredulous self-proclaimed Democrats who are just kinda too distracted to be bothered by things right now but need to snap out of it and join the resistance like the rest of us.
And I agree that if you haven't actually watched/ read the whole thing it's worth doing so before making up your mind.
posted by robotdevil at 1:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
Of particular relevance to Metafilter, maybe, is the part where he talks about not letting perfect be the enemy of "better"?
In all seriousness, there seems to be debate about the intended audience here. Personally, I tend to wonder if people in these threads, or writing these articles, overestimate the amount of detail about current events your "average" self-identified Democrat actually knows about. I have a friend from college who lives far away but we talk occasionally and I know he likes to think of himself as a woke, Obama-loving Democrat. He also is slightly more on the sheltered and privileged side than most of my friends. He's also married with a toddler and has a fairly demanding job. (I realize many of us have busy lives, but I can also admit I spend more time than I really have following these things, often to the detriment of other things.)
We were recently catching up and the conversation turned to politics. He did not feel the degree of urgency I did, and it became clear to me it was because he wasn't really tuned in to a lot of major things that have happened. When I tried to explain some of the stuff he got defensive and admitted he had checked out a bit because he was overwhelmed by it and life was busy.
This, I think, is what a large part of the intended audience is. There are people out there who certainly feel more aligned with Democratic principles than Republican, and who maybe think Trump is a lunatic. But then they also lack that sense of imminent danger requiring action. I think the media is a large part of it, by a combination of the fact that until recently (but also still now) headlines still aren't really conveying the gravity of the situation, but also because I think the constant hammering of "both sides" and "don't trust the media" seeps into people's subconscious even if they think they're smarter than that, plus the nonstop torrent of shocking and crazy news that ends up with seemingly no consequence. It's like they're waiting for the news to be Really Bad and that's how they'll know things are now Really Bad and Serious, but the news just doesn't have that wake-up call punch it used to, due to all those factors. They also seem to be skeptical about the outrageous-sounding stuff (he expressed skepticism to me about whether Russian interference "really mattered" or if it was all just overblown and I couldn't even)
So I think Obama's speech may be the wake-up call people like my friend need. They trust him. They respect him. They know he wouldn't just say all these things lightly. And I think that's part of his power, is that he HAS stayed out of the spotlight, so now that he's back in it, it seems even more important. Oh shit- this is how we know things are Really Serious and Bad, because Obama is out here saying listen the fuck up guys this is bad and you need to understand that. His speech isn't for Republicans (though, who knows, maybe some will like it) nor is it for those of us who already know and understand the gravity of a million nuanced threads of bullshit. He lays out quite a lot of the things we've been talking about here for a long time, in a straightforward way, giving them credibility and making them real. It's for the well-meaning but distracted and incredulous self-proclaimed Democrats who are just kinda too distracted to be bothered by things right now but need to snap out of it and join the resistance like the rest of us.
And I agree that if you haven't actually watched/ read the whole thing it's worth doing so before making up your mind.
posted by robotdevil at 1:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
@ryanjreilly: BREAKING: George Papadopoulos sentenced to 14 days of incarceration
posted by zachlipton at 1:39 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:39 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
“I’m not a fan of people doing things in an anonymous way. If you’ve got something to say, look the camera in the eye and say it. Talk to people directly. When I read it, to me there was nothing new,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a frequent Trump critic. “Any of us who have dealt with the White House understand the situation that’s there.”
“There are lots of really, really good people around the president who are trying to restrain his impulsiveness,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning. “I don’t understand the morality of why anyone would write the piece, because it seems pretty obvious to me that what it’s going to do is foster more paranoia.”
The unmitigated gall of these GOP congresscritters. You know he's out of control. Don't take these weak-ass potshots at his enablers. Impeach the motherfucker.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:40 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
“There are lots of really, really good people around the president who are trying to restrain his impulsiveness,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning. “I don’t understand the morality of why anyone would write the piece, because it seems pretty obvious to me that what it’s going to do is foster more paranoia.”
The unmitigated gall of these GOP congresscritters. You know he's out of control. Don't take these weak-ass potshots at his enablers. Impeach the motherfucker.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:40 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
This one that showed up my my feed is the absolute best - Beto O'Rourke Showing the *$ Up.
To be fair to the Cruz campaign, the people who share that web ad because they admire O'Rourke's badassery are going to show up and vote for O'Rourke anyhow. Cruz is targeting old-school Republicans who are tired of defending a vulgar and uncivil President and who might be tempted to forget politics and stay home. He is saying, I am the well-groomed and obsequious old guard who will defend you against this rude, angry young socialist.
(Just so you don't have to look it up: Cruz is O'Rourke's senior by two years.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
To be fair to the Cruz campaign, the people who share that web ad because they admire O'Rourke's badassery are going to show up and vote for O'Rourke anyhow. Cruz is targeting old-school Republicans who are tired of defending a vulgar and uncivil President and who might be tempted to forget politics and stay home. He is saying, I am the well-groomed and obsequious old guard who will defend you against this rude, angry young socialist.
(Just so you don't have to look it up: Cruz is O'Rourke's senior by two years.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Personally, I tend to wonder if people in these threads, or writing these articles, overestimate the amount of detail about current events your "average" self-identified Democrat actually knows about.
You don't need to wonder.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
You don't need to wonder.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:42 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Axios's Mike Allen reports, unsurprisingly, Trump officials use Times op-ed to knife people they hate
Trumpworld sources tell Axios that officials rapidly shifted from trying to smoke out the author of the anonymous N.Y. Times op-ed, to using the guessing game to knife people they already hated — whispering the names of rivals and enemies as potential authors.[...]
Getting the humans to turn on each other in paranoia was exactly the aliens' strategy in this excellent Twilight Zone episode from my youth: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
Trumpworld sources tell Axios that officials rapidly shifted from trying to smoke out the author of the anonymous N.Y. Times op-ed, to using the guessing game to knife people they already hated — whispering the names of rivals and enemies as potential authors.[...]
Getting the humans to turn on each other in paranoia was exactly the aliens' strategy in this excellent Twilight Zone episode from my youth: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
@ryanjreilly: BREAKING: George Papadopoulos sentenced to 14 days of incarceration
It sounds like Papadopoulos's lawyers' throw-Donald-Trump-under-the-buss strategy paid off.
Politico's Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) reported earlier this afternoon:
It sounds like Papadopoulos's lawyers' throw-Donald-Trump-under-the-buss strategy paid off.
Politico's Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) reported earlier this afternoon:
NEWS: In sentencing hearing, lawyer for PAPADOPOULOS says @realDonaldTrump “hindered this investigation more than George Papadopoulos ever could” by launching a “fake news campaign” and calling FBI Russia probe a “witch hunt.”And:
PAPADOPOULOS’ attorney said Trump’s efforts dwarfed his client’s actions. “The president of the United States, the commander in Chief, told the world that this was fake news.”
He called Mueller’s team “professional” and well-prepared.” Said George was “naive” and “a fool.”
Papadopoulos attorney Thomas Breen said he was struck as they were waiting for an interview at FBI’s Chicago office by the photos on the wall of President Trump and Attorney General Sessions: “We were going in there to potentially ... cooperate against those individuals.”
BREAKING: Papadopoulos sentenced to 14 days in prison, a year of supervision, 200 hours of community service, $9,500 fine.posted by Doktor Zed at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Judge said he believed Papadopoulos was genuinely remorseful but didn’t agree to a probation sentence because he needed to send a message about the seriousness of lying to the FBI.
Judge Randy Moss emphasized that there’s “no reason to think the FBI bamboozled” Papadopoulos, and he said his lies were not intended to boost Russia but to serve his own self-interest of getting a job in the Trump White House.
“This was not a noble lie,” Moss said.
BREAKING: George Papadopoulos sentenced to 14 days of incarceration
Can anyone provide some frame of reference for how harsh/lenient this is, given all the circumstances?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2018
Can anyone provide some frame of reference for how harsh/lenient this is, given all the circumstances?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2018
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to a felony as part of a plea deal, then publicly resisted and reneged on the deal. The only reason I can see for Mueller and the judge to treat him so leniently is that he provided something very useful behind closed doors.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
Prosecutors asked for up to six months. "Judge said he would’ve gotten 30 days but he was impressed w Papadopoulos’s remorse."
My understanding is that it's not all that exceptionally lenient given the circumstances, and doesn't particularly imply any kind of cooperation.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
My understanding is that it's not all that exceptionally lenient given the circumstances, and doesn't particularly imply any kind of cooperation.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on September 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
This from Vox Ezra Klein. It is on the one hand another attempt to understand why Trump got elected, but it is specifically relevant today in response to Obama's speech. I don't really care why Trump got elected but what I do care about is the best way forward is to deal with the rage and fear he capitalized on. Klein's analysis goes beyond racism; clearly that's in play, but it's more. The article is worth reading.
The right reacted to this with outrage, but also with an alternative explanation, one even simpler than Obama’s. Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro put it most succinctly:
Obama lecturing us is LITERALLY how you got Trump.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 7, 2018
A critical mass of Republican voters responded to the eight years of Obama’s presidency by turning to Trump. The question is why.
Obama’s answer blames demographic and technological shifts that scrambled our economic, social, religious, and civic institutions. Shapiro’s blames an emotional reaction to to the first black president.
These answers omit the information the other includes. Obama left himself out of his explanation. Shapiro left everything except Obama out of his tweet. But combine them and you get something convincing: Donald Trump capitalized on fears triggered by demographic, technological, economic, social, religious, and civic change, and nothing represented or activated those fears as powerfully as Obama himself.
posted by bluesky43 at 1:57 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
The right reacted to this with outrage, but also with an alternative explanation, one even simpler than Obama’s. Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro put it most succinctly:
Obama lecturing us is LITERALLY how you got Trump.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 7, 2018
A critical mass of Republican voters responded to the eight years of Obama’s presidency by turning to Trump. The question is why.
Obama’s answer blames demographic and technological shifts that scrambled our economic, social, religious, and civic institutions. Shapiro’s blames an emotional reaction to to the first black president.
These answers omit the information the other includes. Obama left himself out of his explanation. Shapiro left everything except Obama out of his tweet. But combine them and you get something convincing: Donald Trump capitalized on fears triggered by demographic, technological, economic, social, religious, and civic change, and nothing represented or activated those fears as powerfully as Obama himself.
posted by bluesky43 at 1:57 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
First, fuck that judge because im pretty sure "50% off for seeming remorseful" isnt a sentencing option for plenty of folks in way worse situations than Papadopoulos.
How long before Hugh Hewitt or someone like him point to the short duration of the sentence as a way to brush off the serious of the felony guilty plea.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
How long before Hugh Hewitt or someone like him point to the short duration of the sentence as a way to brush off the serious of the felony guilty plea.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
Justinian: "So basically Democratic enthusiasm has to outpace what Siena believes will be the turnout in 60 days. They are getting strong Democratic response to their calls but modeling it way down, and we can't let that happen on election day."
Agreed. That said, I think it's notable that a lot of people still don't know the Dems. Here are the favorables in IL-06:
Casten [D] | 30% favorable rating; 18% unfavorable; 52% don’t know
Roskam [R] | 36% favorable rating; 38% unfavorable; 25% don’t know
That's a lot of room to grow for Casten.
Nate Cohn's take:
posted by Chrysostom at 2:01 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Agreed. That said, I think it's notable that a lot of people still don't know the Dems. Here are the favorables in IL-06:
Casten [D] | 30% favorable rating; 18% unfavorable; 52% don’t know
Roskam [R] | 36% favorable rating; 38% unfavorable; 25% don’t know
That's a lot of room to grow for Casten.
Nate Cohn's take:
I think this was a pretty terrible poll for Roskam (R) in IL06, tbh. He's up 1, but... Fav rating is underwater, 36/38 Trump approval minus-21, D+7 gb He has district's GOP lean: R+3 party ID, R+7 by primary vote hist Is that really going to hold?Yes, we have to turn out. But basically tied results in the three polled districts (IL-06, IL-12, CA-48) are not the numbers I'd want to be seeing if I were the GOP.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:01 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Immediately after the sentence, CNN went to their interview with Papadopoulos:
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos says he doesn't remember telling anyone on the campaign that Russia had damaging emails about Hillary Clinton, but "can't guarantee" that he kept the bombshell from his campaign colleagues.On a related note, the DNC updates the court on their efforts to effect service in their lawsuit: "All other defendants [except the Russian ones, that's happening separately] have been served, except for 'Mifsud (who is missing and may be deceased.'"
...
"As far as I remember, I absolutely did not share this information with anyone on the campaign," Papadopoulos said, adding, "I might have, but I have no recollection of doing so. I can't guarantee. All I can say is, my memory is telling me that I never shared it with anyone on the campaign."
...
Complicating these denials, Papadopoulos admitted that he told a senior Greek official about the Russian dirt while visiting the country on a trip authorized by the Trump campaign.
"He explained to me that where you are sitting right now, tomorrow Putin will be sitting there," Papadopoulos said. "And then a nervous reaction I had, I blurted out, I heard this information."
...
"My recollection was that the senator [Sessions] was actually enthusiastic about a meeting between the candidate and President Putin," Papadopoulos said, adding, "I remember him being enthusiastic about a potential meeting between the candidate and President Putin after I raised the question."
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't find any of these patronizing "Obama talking is how you got Trump" explanations at all compelling. We lost because Obama couldn't be on the ballot again and Democrats did not have another candidate nearly as good, and ran a canidate instead with 30 years of right wing attacks poisoning the electorate against her. Obama would've resoundingly defeated Trump if he were able to run again, so don't tell me that America rejected anything about Obama or what he represented, because that is not at all what happened.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:05 PM on September 7, 2018 [91 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:05 PM on September 7, 2018 [91 favorites]
This one that showed up my my feed is the absolute best - Beto O'Rourke Showing the *$ Up.
Don't vote for him! He talks like a person!
And hearing a politician say "I fucked up," as Beto does in the video, is genuine and refreshing.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Don't vote for him! He talks like a person!
And hearing a politician say "I fucked up," as Beto does in the video, is genuine and refreshing.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
He gets an extra year if he does any more crimes, so there’s that. His entire job is crime-ing and he’ll have a lot of attention on him so fingers crossed.
posted by Artw at 2:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also a new email in which Kavanuagh shares an “interesting article” arguing that Row is “bad law.”
I happen to agree it's bad law. Roe diminishes women's autonomy by telling them when they can and can't have a risk-reducing elective abortion.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I happen to agree it's bad law. Roe diminishes women's autonomy by telling them when they can and can't have a risk-reducing elective abortion.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Obama talking is how we got eight years of Obama, no?
posted by echo target at 2:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [82 favorites]
posted by echo target at 2:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [82 favorites]
Read the Vox article posted above. It's not Obama per se but what he represents - all of those changes in the country have pushed whites in particular to more conservative views. The same thing happens when you do experiments in which a minority test population is put in a scenario of losing population to another minority. There is a really interesting video at the bottom of the Vox link where Klein talks to some researchers who have looked at how attitudes change.
I knew this would push buttons but that is not what I intended by the post - I found it extremely interesting and the analysis reflects something about who we are. It would be interesting to me to understand why some in positions of power (via race or otherwise) reacted differently to these changes in the US (didn't feel threatened or turn conservative)
posted by bluesky43 at 2:12 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I knew this would push buttons but that is not what I intended by the post - I found it extremely interesting and the analysis reflects something about who we are. It would be interesting to me to understand why some in positions of power (via race or otherwise) reacted differently to these changes in the US (didn't feel threatened or turn conservative)
posted by bluesky43 at 2:12 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Reading Rainbow: Bob Woodward's 'Fear'
posted by growabrain at 2:14 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 2:14 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yes, we have to turn out. But basically tied results in the three polled districts (IL-06, IL-12, CA-48) are not the numbers I'd want to be seeing if I were the GOP.
True. I shouldn't have said that the polls were not great for the Democrats, I should have said that Siena's model isn't great. They really don't seem to think there will be a surge in D turnout. You and Nate Cohn are right that given the unknown-numbers in he Democratic IDs, the district fundamentals, and the R incumbents being a bunch under 50% there is plenty of room to grow the D numbers even under Siena's model.
I'd still feel better if we just turn the fuck out and blow away their model than rely on name identification improving and R-undecideds breaking against the incumbents.
posted by Justinian at 2:15 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
True. I shouldn't have said that the polls were not great for the Democrats, I should have said that Siena's model isn't great. They really don't seem to think there will be a surge in D turnout. You and Nate Cohn are right that given the unknown-numbers in he Democratic IDs, the district fundamentals, and the R incumbents being a bunch under 50% there is plenty of room to grow the D numbers even under Siena's model.
I'd still feel better if we just turn the fuck out and blow away their model than rely on name identification improving and R-undecideds breaking against the incumbents.
posted by Justinian at 2:15 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
@MarshallCohen: NEW: Papadopoulos' lawyer just told reporters he believes Professor Mifsud was acting as a Russian agent when he talked to Papadopoulos. (This contradicts what Papadopulos' wife has been claiming, without proof, that Mifsud worked for Western intelligence to frame Papadopoulos.)
Just how close did Papadopoulos come to following his rather suspicious wife's advice, firing this apparently competent lawyer, and trying to change his plea?
posted by zachlipton at 2:17 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Just how close did Papadopoulos come to following his rather suspicious wife's advice, firing this apparently competent lawyer, and trying to change his plea?
posted by zachlipton at 2:17 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Guys the live polling is happening again. Warm up your REFRESH fingers.
KY-06 and MN-08 are live and MN-03 is starting soon. I'm hoping for McGrath to pick up a point in the late calls; it's quite early in their polling but right now its R+2. It's a lean-R district, though, so that's not a terrible result even if it holds! Once again Siena is modeling it from D+7 or D+6 down to R+2.
posted by Justinian at 2:20 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
KY-06 and MN-08 are live and MN-03 is starting soon. I'm hoping for McGrath to pick up a point in the late calls; it's quite early in their polling but right now its R+2. It's a lean-R district, though, so that's not a terrible result even if it holds! Once again Siena is modeling it from D+7 or D+6 down to R+2.
posted by Justinian at 2:20 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah, maybe Nike knows their customers better than pollsters.
Nike’s online sales jumped 31% after company unveiled Kaepernick campaign, data show
The other thing about Kaepernick and Nike, beyond sales and polls, is that this improves their chances of keeping their current iconic African-American endorsers and attracting the next Lebrons and Serenas.
posted by chris24 at 2:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [71 favorites]
Nike’s online sales jumped 31% after company unveiled Kaepernick campaign, data show
The other thing about Kaepernick and Nike, beyond sales and polls, is that this improves their chances of keeping their current iconic African-American endorsers and attracting the next Lebrons and Serenas.
posted by chris24 at 2:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [71 favorites]
It's not Obama per se but what he represents - all of those changes in the country have pushed whites in particular to more conservative views.
Yes. I've read all the white rage pieces since November 2016. Ad nauseam. And I still don't find that explanation enough to overcome the fact that 2016 was between two historically unpopular candidates, while Obama left office with 60%+ approval. Again, America didn't reject Obama, it wasn't allowed to vote for him again. And Hilary was not Obama.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yes. I've read all the white rage pieces since November 2016. Ad nauseam. And I still don't find that explanation enough to overcome the fact that 2016 was between two historically unpopular candidates, while Obama left office with 60%+ approval. Again, America didn't reject Obama, it wasn't allowed to vote for him again. And Hilary was not Obama.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
ULINE, the shipping supplies company, for example, is owned by hardcore MAGA assholes, and they make no bones about it. If you shop with ULINE, you're putting money in the pockets of white supremacists. I'm sure this buys them many devoted customers.
I did not know this. Looked into some more and they're also super anti-weed. But now I'm pumped because Uline is one of our main suppliers and guess who has the power to now phase them out? Guess who already talked to the rest of our department and finance person and now we're on a mission?
That would be me.
We were already talking about reducing what we get from them for other reasons. There's the right wing maga shit but the anti-weed info sealed the deal. We're a weed company.
I have to say that it feels good to be in a position of costing those fucks $$$.
They totally supported Roy Moore! Fuck.that.noise.
posted by Jalliah at 2:40 PM on September 7, 2018 [193 favorites]
I did not know this. Looked into some more and they're also super anti-weed. But now I'm pumped because Uline is one of our main suppliers and guess who has the power to now phase them out? Guess who already talked to the rest of our department and finance person and now we're on a mission?
That would be me.
We were already talking about reducing what we get from them for other reasons. There's the right wing maga shit but the anti-weed info sealed the deal. We're a weed company.
I have to say that it feels good to be in a position of costing those fucks $$$.
They totally supported Roy Moore! Fuck.that.noise.
posted by Jalliah at 2:40 PM on September 7, 2018 [193 favorites]
I don't find any of these patronizing "Obama talking is how you got Trump" explanations at all compelling.
Really? Because I think Ezra Klein is effectively re-stating what Ta Nehisi Coates told us in "Donald Trump is the First White President."
I actually thought Obama did acknowledge this himself in the speech, in an oblique way... He alludes to "demographic shifts" and says
He is implying (delicately) that his presidency was "two steps forward" and that if we get out and vote we can make sure Trump's is only "one step back."
But he is trying to do this in a way that invites white people into his multiracial coalition, rather than blaming and alienating them, and pushing them toward Trump. (Ben Shapiro feels blamed and alienated anyway.) Obama is trying to say "If you have to give up a little privilege for the sake of justice, you won't regret it. Justice has no bitter aftertaste, and unlike privilege it can be shared. Join us. We'll make sure everyone gets justice."
posted by OnceUponATime at 2:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [59 favorites]
Really? Because I think Ezra Klein is effectively re-stating what Ta Nehisi Coates told us in "Donald Trump is the First White President."
For Trump, it almost seems that the fact of Obama, the fact of a black president, insulted him personally.This is Coates acknowledging Shapiro's explanation about backlash against Obama, but then he goes on to explain how it wasn't really against Obama, it was against the loss of power of whiteness that Obama symbolized.
...
THE SCOPE OF TRUMP’S commitment to whiteness is matched only by the depth of popular disbelief in the power of whiteness. We are now being told that support for Trump’s “Muslim ban,” his scapegoating of immigrants, his defenses of police brutality are somehow the natural outgrowth of the cultural and economic gap between Lena Dunham’s America and Jeff Foxworthy’s. [...] In this rendition, Donald Trump is not the product of white supremacy so much as the product of a backlash against contempt for white working-class people.
“We so obviously despise them, we so obviously condescend to them,” the conservative social scientist Charles Murray, who co-wrote The Bell Curve, recently told The New Yorker, speaking of the white working class. “The only slur you can use at a dinner party and get away with is to call somebody a redneck—that won’t give you any problems in Manhattan.”
I actually thought Obama did acknowledge this himself in the speech, in an oblique way... He alludes to "demographic shifts" and says
Not everyone was included in this prosperity. There was a lot more work to do. And so in response to the stain of slavery and segregation and the reality of racial discrimination, the civil rights movement not only opened new doors for African-Americans but also opened up the floodgates of opportunity for women and Americans with disabilities and LGBT Americans and others to make their own claims to full and equal citizenship.Put those sections together and it becomes pretty clear that Obama agrees with Coates and Klein that white supremacy and white privilege are the "status quo", and that civil rights for minorities are the "progress" that white supremacy is currently pushing back against.
...
Of course, there’s always been another darker aspect to America’s story. Progress doesn’t just move in a straight line. There’s a reason why progress hasn’t been easy and why throughout our history every two steps forward seems to sometimes produce one step back. Each time we painstakingly pull ourselves closer to our founding ideals, that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, the ideals that say every child should have opportunity and every man and woman in this country who’s willing to work hard should be able to find a job and support a family and pursue their small peace of the American dream, ideals that say we have a collective responsibility to care for the sick and the and we have a responsibility to conserve the amazing bounty, the natural resources of this country and of this planet for future generations — each time we’ve gotten closer to those ideals, somebody somewhere has pushed back.
The status quo pushes back. Sometimes the backlash comes from people who are genuinely, if wrongly, fearful of change. More often it’s manufactured by the powerful and the privileged who want to keep us divided and keep us angry and keep us cynical because it helps them maintain the status quo and keep their power and keep their privilege. And you happen to be coming of age during one of those moments.
He is implying (delicately) that his presidency was "two steps forward" and that if we get out and vote we can make sure Trump's is only "one step back."
But he is trying to do this in a way that invites white people into his multiracial coalition, rather than blaming and alienating them, and pushing them toward Trump. (Ben Shapiro feels blamed and alienated anyway.) Obama is trying to say "If you have to give up a little privilege for the sake of justice, you won't regret it. Justice has no bitter aftertaste, and unlike privilege it can be shared. Join us. We'll make sure everyone gets justice."
posted by OnceUponATime at 2:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [59 favorites]
First, fuck that judge because im pretty sure "50% off for seeming remorseful" isnt a sentencing option for plenty of folks in way worse situations than Papadopoulos.
I find this kind of take utterly perplexing. Shouldn't it be, "fuck the judges who don't factor remorsefulness into sentencing?"
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
I find this kind of take utterly perplexing. Shouldn't it be, "fuck the judges who don't factor remorsefulness into sentencing?"
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Thank you for that onceuponatime. I found that analysis very compelling. I don't know if Trump supporters who voted for Obama will see the subtlety in his rhetoric but maybe it's enough to be compelled by a vision of America that I believe most American's want. And that vision is Obama's.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:48 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 2:48 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: 14 days for $28 MILLION - $2 MILLION a day, No Collusion. A great day for America!
I understand individual components: that he's talking about the total cost of the Mueller investigation, and Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days, and he's done math, and he maintains there was no collusion, and that days can be great. But even by his standards, this really doesn't make any sense at all.
posted by zachlipton at 2:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
I understand individual components: that he's talking about the total cost of the Mueller investigation, and Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days, and he's done math, and he maintains there was no collusion, and that days can be great. But even by his standards, this really doesn't make any sense at all.
posted by zachlipton at 2:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
It's not Obama per se but what he represents - all of those changes in the country have pushed whites in particular to more conservative views.
Yes. I've read all the white rage pieces since November 2016.
The white rage pieces may be more about stoking fear and less about inclusion. I think those white rage pieces are precisely what Obama means when he talks about those using divisions to maintain power among the status quo. And the shift is attitudes is real - and the Vox piece does a very good job at talking about the evidence for how feeling the loss of power moves people to more conservative and self protecting views. But again, my interest in this is trying to understand why that attitude change doesn't happen to all people - there are outliers to these attitude tendencies and I would like to know why.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yes. I've read all the white rage pieces since November 2016.
The white rage pieces may be more about stoking fear and less about inclusion. I think those white rage pieces are precisely what Obama means when he talks about those using divisions to maintain power among the status quo. And the shift is attitudes is real - and the Vox piece does a very good job at talking about the evidence for how feeling the loss of power moves people to more conservative and self protecting views. But again, my interest in this is trying to understand why that attitude change doesn't happen to all people - there are outliers to these attitude tendencies and I would like to know why.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
We interrupt our puzzlement over the President's broken brain to bring a (not terribly unsurprising) report of YET MORE CRIMES! Bloomberg, Greg Farrell and Christian Berthelsen, Trump Executives Face U.S. Campaign-Finance Probe, Source Says
posted by zachlipton at 2:56 PM on September 7, 2018 [39 favorites]
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether anyone in the Trump Organization violated campaign-finance laws after securing a conviction last month of Michael Cohen, according to a person familiar with the matter.It's really weird how Cohen stood up in court and implicated the President in a series of felonies and then nothing happened.
The inquiry, not previously reported, shows that the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office doesn’t intend to stand down following the guilty plea from Trump’s longtime personal lawyer. Manhattan prosecutors are working on a parallel track to U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is tasked with examining Russian interference in the presidential election and who is referring other matters as they arise to appropriate sections of the Justice Department.
...
Central to the inquiry will be longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who has already provided narrow cooperation with authorities over Cohen’s activities and hush agreements, according to the person. It’s not clear whether Weisselberg is a focus of the continuing inquiry.
posted by zachlipton at 2:56 PM on September 7, 2018 [39 favorites]
The white rage pieces may be more about stoking fear and less about inclusion.
Exactly. The white rage pieces aren't about reflecting anything; they're about planting something.
posted by IAmUnaware at 3:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Exactly. The white rage pieces aren't about reflecting anything; they're about planting something.
posted by IAmUnaware at 3:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
It's really weird how Cohen stood up in court and implicated the President in a series of felonies and then nothing happened.
Maybe not nothing. We'll see if it sticks, but look at this graph and notice the drop in approval ratings starting just after Manafort/Cohen Day.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 3:04 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Maybe not nothing. We'll see if it sticks, but look at this graph and notice the drop in approval ratings starting just after Manafort/Cohen Day.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 3:04 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Can anyone provide some frame of reference for how harsh/lenient this is, given all the circumstances?
Martha Stewart got five months.
posted by dirigibleman at 3:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
Martha Stewart got five months.
posted by dirigibleman at 3:07 PM on September 7, 2018 [27 favorites]
chris24: Nike’s online sales jumped 31% after company unveiled Kaepernick campaign, data show
A good, lengthy write-up on Nike's decision, with the bonus context of Nike's doing nothing with Kaepernick's contract for a few years already, sexual harassment claims against the company and its use of sweatshop labor:
Nike’s Big Gamble on Colin Kaepernick -- The business strategy behind the sneaker giant’s new, political advertising campaign (Michael Baumann for The Ringer, Sept. 4, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 3:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
A good, lengthy write-up on Nike's decision, with the bonus context of Nike's doing nothing with Kaepernick's contract for a few years already, sexual harassment claims against the company and its use of sweatshop labor:
Nike’s Big Gamble on Colin Kaepernick -- The business strategy behind the sneaker giant’s new, political advertising campaign (Michael Baumann for The Ringer, Sept. 4, 2018)
But most of all, Nike’s move is a direct wager against appeasement of white supremacy as sound business policy. Even as the NFL has strained to resolve the president’s opposition to the protests of Kaepernick and players like him, the league and its sponsors continue to endure attacks from the right. For instance, former Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter’s fall from grace began when he blamed his company’s falling stock prices on the NFL’s inability to resolve the controversy Kaepernick ignited. Maybe Nike figures that the far right is going to throw a tantrum no matter what the NFL and its corporate partners do, and if that’s going to happen they might as well sell some athleisure to people who don’t find Kaepernick’s message of racial equality offensive. Socialists buy sneakers, too.But this also brought to mind the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt story line about getting the Washington Redskins to agree to renaming themselves because who buys more merch than protesters? If you burn your shoes, you don't have any Nike merch to burn, so you have to buy more merch if you want to keep protesting ;)
posted by filthy light thief at 3:08 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Martha Stewart got five months.
Yes but Martha Stewart's case also involved monetary loss. Papadopoulos's case involved no money and was just straight lying to investigators.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 3:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yes but Martha Stewart's case also involved monetary loss. Papadopoulos's case involved no money and was just straight lying to investigators.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 3:10 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Bloomberg: Manafort Weighing Plea Deal to Avoid New Criminal Trial, Source Says
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:18 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Paul Manafort’s lawyers have talked to U.S. prosecutors about a possible guilty plea to avert a second criminal trial set to begin in Washington this month, according to a person familiar with the matter.[...]Hear that, Donald? There's still time!
The negotiations over a potential plea deal have centered on which charges Manafort might admit and the length of the sentence to be recommended by prosecutors working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the person familiar with the matter said. Manafort, 69, already faces as long as 10 years in prison under advisory sentencing guidelines in the Virginia case.
By pleading guilty, Manafort could avoid the risk of a longer prison term if he’s convicted at a second trial, as well as the threat of forfeiting several properties and financial accounts. He could also save the cost of paying lawyers to defend him at trial. Such white-collar criminal cases can cost defendants millions of dollars.
[...]It’s not clear whether Manafort might cooperate in Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to the person. Trump, who said he was “very sad” after Manafort’s conviction, could still pardon him.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:18 PM on September 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Why would they give him a plea without full cooperation?
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:21 PM on September 7, 2018
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:21 PM on September 7, 2018
I thought it'd be at least six months. still interested in what the usual sentencing is on 'lying to the fbi' - if anyone with some experience could speak up. since we're still on 'field execution for selling loosies (while black)' rules...two weeks is, well, weak.
posted by j_curiouser at 3:21 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 3:21 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Re Uline, we too have eliminated them from our supply chain, although we did it lo those many scarramuchis ago, when their owner posted something maganuts around xmas, or right after the election...I dunno time doesn't work like it should in this timeline.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 3:22 PM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 3:22 PM on September 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
Colin Kaepernick's setting his career aside at the height of his physical abilities to protest social injustice reminds me of a young Muhammad Ali. NFL quarterbacks can play well into their 30s, but he's sacrificed two plus years of his prime.
A statistical analysis of his numbers puts him right in the middle of the QBs who started in 2017. He also compares well to the 50 quarterbacks who have signed since he became a free agent. I hope he crushes the NFL in his lawsuit.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:27 PM on September 7, 2018 [43 favorites]
A statistical analysis of his numbers puts him right in the middle of the QBs who started in 2017. He also compares well to the 50 quarterbacks who have signed since he became a free agent. I hope he crushes the NFL in his lawsuit.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:27 PM on September 7, 2018 [43 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: 14 days for $28 MILLION - $2 MILLION a day, No Collusion. A great day for America!
TRUMP GOLF COUNT: 143 days
COST TO TAXPAYER: About $77,000,000
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [60 favorites]
TRUMP GOLF COUNT: 143 days
COST TO TAXPAYER: About $77,000,000
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:31 PM on September 7, 2018 [60 favorites]
TRUMP GOLF COUNT: 143 days
This is from today's WaPo, but the headline is evergreen: Trump has visited a Trump property or held a rally on more than half of the days in the past three months.
posted by peeedro at 3:38 PM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
This is from today's WaPo, but the headline is evergreen: Trump has visited a Trump property or held a rally on more than half of the days in the past three months.
posted by peeedro at 3:38 PM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
Haha an 18-29 year old in KY-06 finally answered their phone and bumped McGrath up a couple points! Answer your phones, kiddos!
This nyt live poll thing is like crack.
posted by Justinian at 3:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [21 favorites]
This nyt live poll thing is like crack.
posted by Justinian at 3:41 PM on September 7, 2018 [21 favorites]
oh god NYT gaze upon the JCPL you hath wrought and weep
posted by lazaruslong at 3:59 PM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 3:59 PM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
What's the non-awful alternative to Uline, if someone needed a one-stop shop for random packaging needs?
posted by explosion at 4:11 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by explosion at 4:11 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
This was a profoundly depressing article from Hugh Hewitt in the Washington Post on Kavanaugh saving the constitution.
And this one as well from the NY Times that the Republican agenda is falling into place.
Even a blue wave can't undo all this damage.
posted by shoesietart at 4:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
And this one as well from the NY Times that the Republican agenda is falling into place.
Even a blue wave can't undo all this damage.
posted by shoesietart at 4:37 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
What's the non-awful alternative to Uline, if someone needed a one-stop shop for random packaging needs?
Say No To ULINE: The List
posted by coffee and minarets at 4:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
Say No To ULINE: The List
posted by coffee and minarets at 4:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump has visited a Trump property or held a rally on more than half of the days in the past three months.
And today, Trump visited North Dakota to make a speech at a campaign fundraiser, the highlights of which Daniel Dale has posted:
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:45 PM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
And today, Trump visited North Dakota to make a speech at a campaign fundraiser, the highlights of which Daniel Dale has posted:
—Trump on the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee: "The way they're screaming and shouting, it's a disgrace to our country, actually...They're making fools out of themselves."Dale's also noticed another of Trump's tells for when he's spouting total bullshit:
—Trump says that he knows North Dakota has a big population of Native American voters, and he'd say the same thing to them as he did to African-Americans: "Very respectfully: what the hell do you have to lose?"
—"U.S. Steel is opening up eight plants," Trump lies again. It's announced major investments in two plants since he announced his tariffs.
—Trump claims Democrats will destroy Social Security, as usual providing no evidence or any additional sentences of any kind. He says of Republicans: "We're going to keep it. We're not going to touch it."
—Trump says "this idiot Woodward" wrote "fiction" about his views on defending other countries, then concedes the substance is accurate: "He put it in a very crude manner...the concept is true but the way it was said was very, you know, hey - I went, like, to the best college."
I’m starting a Tears Alert. Trump keeps telling tales about people bursting into tears around him. The crying “tough guy” is a particular favourite.Unfortunately, Trump's bullshit can manipulate a friendly audience, even to the extent of encouraging them to laugh along at his blatantly self-serving exaggerations. He's narrowed down his constituency to the people you can fool all of the time.Aaron Rupar (@atrupar):
TRUMP makes stuff up: "When I walked in, I was walking in with Kevin Cramer, & walking through the door & a strong man came up to me, tough kind of a guy & said, 'I want to thank you, Mr. President, for saving our country.' And he had tears coming down his eyes... he had tears."
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:45 PM on September 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
I wonder if there's a way to do a kind of Sleeping Giants thing with ULINE. Like, at least start with every indie record company, publisher, ETSY, etc. to see if they use them and if so, let them know about their politics...
posted by coffee and minarets at 4:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by coffee and minarets at 4:47 PM on September 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
My yarn shop dumped ULINE after we heard they were Trump donors, but that was at least a year ago. Guess I need to keep spreading the word.
posted by rikschell at 4:52 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 4:52 PM on September 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
...the people you can fool all of the time...
This guy was my hero today.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:06 PM on September 7, 2018 [31 favorites]
This guy was my hero today.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:06 PM on September 7, 2018 [31 favorites]
He had on a DSA rose sticker to boot
posted by The Whelk at 5:14 PM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 5:14 PM on September 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
He had on a DSA rose sticker to boot
God damn it, that's the last straw: I finally paid up to become the newest Montanan DSA member.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:29 PM on September 7, 2018 [40 favorites]
God damn it, that's the last straw: I finally paid up to become the newest Montanan DSA member.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:29 PM on September 7, 2018 [40 favorites]
Barack Obama delivered a campaign-style speech Friday that shattered the norm against ex-presidents criticizing their successors, openly accusing President Trump of threatening American norms, institutions, and even lives. But he urged Democrats to think of Trump not as a disruptive force but as a defender of the powers that be, a clown whose antics distract from the need to fundamentally reform the status quo.Matthew Yglesias | Vox
Speaking, as he often does, about the long arc of history and America’s troubled efforts to live up to its founding doctrines, Obama observed that “each time we’ve gotten closer to those ideals, somebody somewhere has pushed back. The status quo pushes back.” He allowed that “sometimes the backlash comes from people who are genuinely, if wrongly, fearful of change,” but argued that “more often, it’s manufactured by the powerful and the privileged who want to keep us divided and keep us angry and keep us cynical because it helps them maintain the status quo and keep their power and keep their privilege.”
Obama just gave the speech the left’s wanted since he left office
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
Colin Kaepernick's setting his career aside at the height of his physical abilities to protest social injustice reminds me of a young Muhammad Ali. NFL quarterbacks can play well into their 30s, but he's sacrificed two plus years of his prime.
I don't want to derail on this, but I admire this guy, and part of me is grateful that his brain is not being subjected to the physical injuries of NFL players overall. In a weird way, I'm glad, for him, that he is not playing.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [35 favorites]
I don't want to derail on this, but I admire this guy, and part of me is grateful that his brain is not being subjected to the physical injuries of NFL players overall. In a weird way, I'm glad, for him, that he is not playing.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [35 favorites]
Obama should step up now & lead the resistance! He has the experience, and the track record. And he can get back into his old winning mode.
If he go all out in the next 60 days to mobilize the 65%, he can be in front of a second wave of "HOPE".
His job as the leader was not over after 8 years. He must continue the fight, and take back what is lost. There is no reason for him to sit this one out. He must help!
posted by growabrain at 5:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
If he go all out in the next 60 days to mobilize the 65%, he can be in front of a second wave of "HOPE".
His job as the leader was not over after 8 years. He must continue the fight, and take back what is lost. There is no reason for him to sit this one out. He must help!
posted by growabrain at 5:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
"When I walked in, I was walking in with Kevin Cramer, & walking through the door & a strong man came up to me, tough kind of a guy & said, 'I want to thank you, Mr. Presidentsir, for saving our country.'...”
Is there anyone here who didn’t hear it this way in their head, when they read it?
posted by Brak at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Is there anyone here who didn’t hear it this way in their head, when they read it?
posted by Brak at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
@juliusgoat
The 'adults in the room' are thieves who let somebody not in their usual crew in on the heist and are now livid that his fuckups are bringing the police so fast they might not have time to empty the whole safe before they escape by blowing the whole building up w/everyone inside.
posted by Artw at 6:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
The 'adults in the room' are thieves who let somebody not in their usual crew in on the heist and are now livid that his fuckups are bringing the police so fast they might not have time to empty the whole safe before they escape by blowing the whole building up w/everyone inside.
posted by Artw at 6:32 PM on September 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
WaPo, Nikki Haley op-ed, September 7 at 3:09 PM:
When I challenge the president, I do it directly. My anonymous colleague should have, too.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
When I challenge the president, I do it directly. My anonymous colleague should have, too.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:33 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Obama should step up now & lead the resistance! He has the experience, and the track record. And he can get back into his old winning mode.
posted by mikelieman at 6:43 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
You can be the generation that at a critical moment stood up and reminded us just how precious this experiment in democracy really is, just how powerful it can be when we fight for it, when we believe in it. I believe in you. I believe you will help lead us in the right direction, and I will be right there with you every step of the way. Thank you, Illinois. God bless you. God bless this country we love.Conclusion of remarks from Barack Obama at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Sep 7, 2018
Thank you.
posted by mikelieman at 6:43 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
WaPo, Nikki Haley op-ed, September 7 at 3:09 PM: When I challenge the president, I do it directly. My anonymous colleague should have, too.
Jonathan Swan (Axios)
This Nikki Haley piece is getting a bit of attention inside the WH. And not in a good way.
posted by chris24 at 6:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Jonathan Swan (Axios)
This Nikki Haley piece is getting a bit of attention inside the WH. And not in a good way.
posted by chris24 at 6:58 PM on September 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
tierney sneed at tpm reports:
so. two weeks out of a six month potential sentence (per the 'guideline' mentioned above; i assume it's a federal sentencing guideline).
posted by j_curiouser at 6:59 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
...Judge Randy Moss said that before the hearing he thought he was likely going to give Papadopoulos 30 days in jail — comparable to the sentence Dutch lawyer Alex Van Der Zwaan received in the Russia probe, also for lying to the FBI — but Moss was moved to reduce it in part by Papadopoulos’ words of contrition at the hearing....Prosecutors, in a brief asking the judge to sentence Papadopoulos to at least some incarceration within the six-month guideline, said that his crime was “serious and caused damage to the government’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.”[my emphasis, ed.]
so. two weeks out of a six month potential sentence (per the 'guideline' mentioned above; i assume it's a federal sentencing guideline).
posted by j_curiouser at 6:59 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Plaid shirt guy" is a 17-year-old high school student who had his name drawn out of a hat to be with the President.
posted by Peach at 7:26 PM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by Peach at 7:26 PM on September 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
"I believe you will help lead us in the right direction, and I will be right there with you every step of the way."I think the Obamas have already found a post-Presidential hobby with producing stuff on Netflix.Obama should step up now & lead the resistance! He has the experience, and the track record.
"right there with you" I'm interpreting as supporting the emerging leaders, rather than continuing to be an/ the overt leader.
posted by porpoise at 7:44 PM on September 7, 2018
Tim Kaine belatedly decided he won't vote for Kavanaugh after all.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:49 PM on September 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:49 PM on September 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
ZeusHumms: "How would weekend voting work when many of the polling places are also places of worship with weekend services, and some religious organizations express opinions on election outcomes?"
Have voting at schools.
emjaybee: "I think it should be moved to a Monday because that's easier for people to take off/have a long weekend. First Monday in November is fine."
Wouldn't that be counter productive as people use the long weekend to be away from where they live?
posted by Mitheral at 8:11 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Have voting at schools.
emjaybee: "I think it should be moved to a Monday because that's easier for people to take off/have a long weekend. First Monday in November is fine."
Wouldn't that be counter productive as people use the long weekend to be away from where they live?
posted by Mitheral at 8:11 PM on September 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
One of the details in Woodward's book that is now coming out:
Apparently Trump didn't enjoy meeting the coffin of fallen SEAL Ryan Owens (who died in that clusterfuck in Yemen), when the body was returned to the US at Dover AFB, so he has refused to attend any more of those events.
posted by suelac at 8:27 PM on September 7, 2018 [31 favorites]
Apparently Trump didn't enjoy meeting the coffin of fallen SEAL Ryan Owens (who died in that clusterfuck in Yemen), when the body was returned to the US at Dover AFB, so he has refused to attend any more of those events.
posted by suelac at 8:27 PM on September 7, 2018 [31 favorites]
What the everloving fuck? WSJ, Michael Cohen Seeks to Rescind Nondisclosure Agreement With Stormy Daniels: Former attorney for President Trump also demands the return of $130,000 paid in 2016
Which is a bit of a problem, because Trump paid back Cohen for the $130,000. So Cohen has already been made more than whole here (just on the payment, obviously not with the whole multiple felonies thing). So who gets the $130,000? Obviously, Daniels should keep it, but if anyone is getting it returned, shouldn't it be Trump, not Cohen? And why the hell is he doing this?
posted by zachlipton at 8:43 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
Michael Cohen told a federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday that he has agreed to rescind the nondisclosure agreement that legally requires former adult-film star Stephanie Clifford to keep silent about an alleged sexual encounter with President Trump.I'll note here that Novartis paid Michael Cohen $1 million, had a meeting, realized they wasted their money, and just let him keep the cash. But Cohen is demanding the $130,000 back? This guy really is like Trump.
The filling came in a lawsuit that Ms. Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, filed in March against the shell company Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former lawyer, had used to pay her $130,000 for signing the agreement in October 2016. She also sued Mr. Trump, who was named as a party to the agreement but didn’t sign it.
In the suit, she asked that the nondisclosure agreement be declared “null and void” on the grounds that Mr. Trump hadn’t signed it.
A lawyer for Mr. Cohen on Friday also sent a letter to Ms. Clifford’s lawyer demanding the return of the $130,000 to the shell company that paid her.
Mr. Cohen’s civil lawyer, Brent Blakely, said in the filing that Mr. Cohen’s company, Essential Consultants LLC, “has accepted the rescission of the Confidential Settlement Agreement” and has agreed not to sue Ms. Clifford. The filing asks U.S. District Judge S. James Otero to dismiss the part of Ms. Clifford’s lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the agreement. A defamation claim against Mr. Cohen related to his public comments about his deal with Ms. Clifford would remain.
Which is a bit of a problem, because Trump paid back Cohen for the $130,000. So Cohen has already been made more than whole here (just on the payment, obviously not with the whole multiple felonies thing). So who gets the $130,000? Obviously, Daniels should keep it, but if anyone is getting it returned, shouldn't it be Trump, not Cohen? And why the hell is he doing this?
posted by zachlipton at 8:43 PM on September 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
Maybe he needs the money (to pay his lawyer)?
posted by notyou at 9:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 9:44 PM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Twitter: BREAKING: @TheDemCoalition just filed a criminal complaint against Brett Kavanaugh for perjury in his Congressional testimony. See the complaint below
posted by Rumple at 9:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [84 favorites]
posted by Rumple at 9:53 PM on September 7, 2018 [84 favorites]
I hope they have Kamala Harris's receipt, whoever they are.
posted by M-x shell at 10:00 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by M-x shell at 10:00 PM on September 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
My recollection is not only did Papadopoulos lie to the F.B.I, but he continued to lie to Mueller in ways that hurt the investigation. Namely, he withheld information Mueller could have used to interrogate several Russian persons of interest who have since left the United States.
Papadopoulos lied, and then he continued to lie, knowingly harming an investigation into an attack on the U.S. election. 14 days? What am I missing? I feel like this guy should be drawn and quartered.
posted by xammerboy at 10:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Papadopoulos lied, and then he continued to lie, knowingly harming an investigation into an attack on the U.S. election. 14 days? What am I missing? I feel like this guy should be drawn and quartered.
posted by xammerboy at 10:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
I hope they have Kamala Harris's receipt, whoever they are.
If you're talking about the criminal complaint, it's not connected to Harris's line of questioning (that gun is still on the mantelpiece; it might never go off). It's instead about documents stolen from Leahy in the early aughts, and Kavanaugh's statements to Congress about his (ostensible lack of) knowledge of those documents.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:21 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
If you're talking about the criminal complaint, it's not connected to Harris's line of questioning (that gun is still on the mantelpiece; it might never go off). It's instead about documents stolen from Leahy in the early aughts, and Kavanaugh's statements to Congress about his (ostensible lack of) knowledge of those documents.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:21 PM on September 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Resistance is good, even symbolic resistance, but don't get your hopes up that the complaint above is more than symbolic. The train will not be stopped. Republicans are too close to the brass ring.
posted by Justinian at 10:28 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:28 PM on September 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
That complaint against Kavanaugh is some pretty satisfying Friday night reading. It succinctly makes a serial, triple-perjury case out of, of all things, email [shout out to my homie Hillary!] by among other things deploying Kavanaugh's own deprecating "universe of memos" against him and dropping an unexpected cameo by the avenging ghost ofTeddy Kennedy.
posted by riverlife at 10:28 PM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by riverlife at 10:28 PM on September 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
I'm disappointed that none of the questions during the hearings appear to have addressed Kavanaugh going into tens of thousands of dollars of debt for baseball tickets -- and suddenly having the debt wiped out.
posted by suelac at 10:38 PM on September 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by suelac at 10:38 PM on September 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
BREAKING: @TheDemCoalition just filed a criminal complaint
I'm not a law-talking guy, but I believe this translates to "Scott Dworkin's sketchy super PAC sent the Department of Justice a letter."
posted by zachlipton at 10:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
I'm not a law-talking guy, but I believe this translates to "Scott Dworkin's sketchy super PAC sent the Department of Justice a letter."
posted by zachlipton at 10:51 PM on September 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
From the complaint: The Democratic Coalition is a nationwide political committee working to promote democracy and the rule of law.
I think it's these people.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:52 PM on September 7, 2018
I think it's these people.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:52 PM on September 7, 2018
Regardless, private citizens can't file charges. Seems like a bit of coat-tailing to me by whoever they are.
posted by rhizome at 11:27 PM on September 7, 2018
posted by rhizome at 11:27 PM on September 7, 2018
Regardless, private citizens can't file charges. Seems like a bit of coat-tailing to me by whoever they are.
I know very little of federal Criminal Procedure, but my reading of Rule 3, regarding the Complaint, I do not see any prohibition against anyone with knowledge of the alleged crime, filing a complaint in Federal court. Then, if the complaint shows probable cause, the magistrate issues a warrant.
I know very little of federal Criminal Procedure, but my reading of Rule 3, regarding the Complaint, I do not see any prohibition against anyone with knowledge of the alleged crime, filing a complaint in Federal court. Then, if the complaint shows probable cause, the magistrate issues a warrant.
The complaint is a written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Except as provided in Rule 4.1, it must be made under oath before a magistrate judge or, if none is reasonably available, before a state or local judicial officer.posted by mikelieman at 12:13 AM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
A follow up thought: I am pretty sure these guys did NOT take their complaint to a magistrate judge, and follow the proper procedure. So I'm putting them in the "Sov Cit" class of legal acumen. They got the format of a complaint right, near as I can tell, but then just mailed it to the DOJ. Which means it's going nowhere fast.
I'd be interested though if someone actually did the right things, how far it could go.
FYI, In NYS, anyone can file a misdemeanor complaint and kick off the process. Getting the court clerk to accept a misdemeanor complaint outside their normal "A police officer files this." process can take some extra effort, since it might take the supervising administrative judge for the district to issue guidance. "The clerk will accept your filing"
NOW, after that point, the DA will drop the prosecution anyway, but at least you can get the process right.
posted by mikelieman at 12:46 AM on September 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'd be interested though if someone actually did the right things, how far it could go.
FYI, In NYS, anyone can file a misdemeanor complaint and kick off the process. Getting the court clerk to accept a misdemeanor complaint outside their normal "A police officer files this." process can take some extra effort, since it might take the supervising administrative judge for the district to issue guidance. "The clerk will accept your filing"
NOW, after that point, the DA will drop the prosecution anyway, but at least you can get the process right.
posted by mikelieman at 12:46 AM on September 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
From rest of the world news
Makers of everything from doggy bow ties to inflatable kayaks, from leaf blowers to motorhome upholstery fabric, are counting the potential cost of the latest round in the Trump trade war, as US consumers face their first big direct hit from tariffs on imports from China.
US consumers, and the businesses that cater for them, are braced for new tariffs of up to 25 per cent on a further $200bn in Chinese imports,
*insert chest thumping rah rah rah*
Mr. Trump initiated the trade war to punish Beijing for what it says are China’s predatory tactics to try to supplant U.S. technological supremacy.
*them's fighting words*
First, let's repeat, at the highest level of state, to our Chinese, Japanese and German friends what they already know. If they want unhindered access to keep selling in U.S. markets, they have to step up purchases of American goods and services in a way that would keep narrowing the bilateral trade imbalances. They could get the same result by dumping on somebody else while buying more from the U.S.
posted by infini at 3:30 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Makers of everything from doggy bow ties to inflatable kayaks, from leaf blowers to motorhome upholstery fabric, are counting the potential cost of the latest round in the Trump trade war, as US consumers face their first big direct hit from tariffs on imports from China.
US consumers, and the businesses that cater for them, are braced for new tariffs of up to 25 per cent on a further $200bn in Chinese imports,
*insert chest thumping rah rah rah*
Mr. Trump initiated the trade war to punish Beijing for what it says are China’s predatory tactics to try to supplant U.S. technological supremacy.
*them's fighting words*
First, let's repeat, at the highest level of state, to our Chinese, Japanese and German friends what they already know. If they want unhindered access to keep selling in U.S. markets, they have to step up purchases of American goods and services in a way that would keep narrowing the bilateral trade imbalances. They could get the same result by dumping on somebody else while buying more from the U.S.
posted by infini at 3:30 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
From the "how to threaten your neighbours" bucket list:
posted by infini at 3:36 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by infini at 3:36 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
More from the WTF world club:
By all accounts, Trump is excited about presiding over the most exclusive club devoted to world peace and security.
Beyond faulting Iran’s behaviour, though, it is not clear what Trump hopes to accomplish when he sits at the horseshoe-shaped table in the Security Council’s chamber. With so much resistance to his Iran policy from Russia, China and other veto-wielding members, there is no prospect of winning support for any kind of resolution.
Wind farm opposed by Trump opens near his golf course in Scotland
Mr Trump thinks the wind farm will ruin the view from his property and 'be terrible for tourism'
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the farm will help establish Scotland as a global leader in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels.
Donald Trump had to be tricked out of killing a U.S.-South Korean trade deal? He threatened to move a U.S. missile defense system from South Korea to Oregon? He ordered a plan for a pre-emptive attack on North Korea?
These supposed moves by Trump, detailed in journalist Bob Woodward's new book, will cause bafflement and worry among government officials in Seoul. But, for many South Koreans, they just add more pieces of evidence to an established picture of an erratic U.S. leader who thinks little of an alliance forged in the turmoil of the Korean War and often described here as a "bond of blood."
posted by infini at 3:58 AM on September 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
By all accounts, Trump is excited about presiding over the most exclusive club devoted to world peace and security.
Beyond faulting Iran’s behaviour, though, it is not clear what Trump hopes to accomplish when he sits at the horseshoe-shaped table in the Security Council’s chamber. With so much resistance to his Iran policy from Russia, China and other veto-wielding members, there is no prospect of winning support for any kind of resolution.
Wind farm opposed by Trump opens near his golf course in Scotland
Mr Trump thinks the wind farm will ruin the view from his property and 'be terrible for tourism'
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the farm will help establish Scotland as a global leader in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels.
Donald Trump had to be tricked out of killing a U.S.-South Korean trade deal? He threatened to move a U.S. missile defense system from South Korea to Oregon? He ordered a plan for a pre-emptive attack on North Korea?
These supposed moves by Trump, detailed in journalist Bob Woodward's new book, will cause bafflement and worry among government officials in Seoul. But, for many South Koreans, they just add more pieces of evidence to an established picture of an erratic U.S. leader who thinks little of an alliance forged in the turmoil of the Korean War and often described here as a "bond of blood."
posted by infini at 3:58 AM on September 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Justinian: Haha an 18-29 year old in KY-06 finally answered their phone and bumped McGrath up a couple points! Answer your phones, kiddos!
Could have been mine. I have two daughters in college in the 6th. I am impressing upon them their opportunity to make history by voting in a district that could flip the house. But then again, my kids never answer their phones, either.
posted by Miss Cellania at 3:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Could have been mine. I have two daughters in college in the 6th. I am impressing upon them their opportunity to make history by voting in a district that could flip the house. But then again, my kids never answer their phones, either.
posted by Miss Cellania at 3:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
From the "Its not yet Thanksgiving so why are you basting it" section:
America Can’t Be Trusted to Run the Global Economy
After Donald Trump’s unprovoked attack on Turkey, the world must protect itself from Washington’s economic power.
posted by infini at 4:47 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
America Can’t Be Trusted to Run the Global Economy
After Donald Trump’s unprovoked attack on Turkey, the world must protect itself from Washington’s economic power.
posted by infini at 4:47 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Trump says good relations with Japan 'will end when I tell them how much they have to pay'
Because he hasn't pissed off the rest of the world enough, apparently.
Apropos of nothing, we Germans currently are more scared of Trump than terrorism.
Because he hasn't pissed off the rest of the world enough, apparently.
During the call, he wrote, the president sounded "still very focused on eliminating trade deficits with America's trading partners" in line with his "America First" mantra.I think we're currently at the stage of the King Ralph scenario where the lovable dope has found a thing that works (tariffs! national security! no trade deficit!) and tries it for wacky results in every appropriate and inappropriate situation. I can't wait for the dramatic scene where it all comes crashing down around him when he overdoes it, it'll be such a zany yukfest!!!
Apropos of nothing, we Germans currently are more scared of Trump than terrorism.
With 69 percent, the Trump administration’s policies beat anxiety over Germany’s ability to cope with the influx of refugees (63 percent) and the tensions their arrival could cause with locals (63 percent), as the country’s top fear.posted by PontifexPrimus at 5:07 AM on September 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
"Trump's ruthless “America First” politics, his aggression with regards to international arrangements and his equally aggressive trade and security politics, even towards allied countries, scare the majority of the population," Professor Manfred G. Schmidt, who served as a consultant for R+V told public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
So who had money on "Trump claims the (relatively) short Papadopolous sentence is vindication"? I vaguely anticipated it, but then I considered how much he's ranted lately about the awfulness of flipping. I assumed the way flipping works was in some way on his mind, but of course not.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:12 AM on September 8, 2018
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:12 AM on September 8, 2018
Bwahahahhahahahah
Trump says he fell asleep during Obama’s speech, says U.S. would have negative growth if Democrats won
posted by infini at 5:13 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump says he fell asleep during Obama’s speech, says U.S. would have negative growth if Democrats won
posted by infini at 5:13 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
This reminds me:
Deutsche Welle - German news in English
NHK World - Japanese news in English
France24 - French news in English
SBS World News Australia
Al-Jazeera English
If you only watch US news, then you're in a bubble. You'll be surprised by the objectivity and lack of blowhard personalities.
The rest of the world likes you enough, but almost everyone thinks Trump is a clown vandal.
posted by adept256 at 5:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [113 favorites]
Deutsche Welle - German news in English
NHK World - Japanese news in English
France24 - French news in English
SBS World News Australia
Al-Jazeera English
If you only watch US news, then you're in a bubble. You'll be surprised by the objectivity and lack of blowhard personalities.
The rest of the world likes you enough, but almost everyone thinks Trump is a clown vandal.
posted by adept256 at 5:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [113 favorites]
So uh, I was out at a movie last night (Crazy Rich Asians, and it was really good, y'all), and a trailer came on before the movie with... a really weird narration style. Something about a firefighter who receives a prophecy from God? And immediately I was like... ohhhhh, this is one of those terrible right-wing Christian movies financed by terrible right-wing Christian multimillionaires. AND IT IS. But y'all, the name of that movie, like for real? "The Trump Prophecy."
Every time that trailer plays, Jerry Falwell Jr. pops a boner.
posted by duffell at 5:28 AM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Every time that trailer plays, Jerry Falwell Jr. pops a boner.
posted by duffell at 5:28 AM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
this was one of my favorites ‘we’ve picked up a lot of support’ plaid shirt guy ‘HAVE YOU!??’
As always, world's greatest author and national treasure name of Chuck Tingle, of Billings Montana, providing much-needed levity in my twitter feed:
@ChuckTingle
yes son jon owns green plaid shirt i do not know why so many are asking
11:05 AM - 7 Sep 2018
posted by robotdevil at 5:44 AM on September 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
As always, world's greatest author and national treasure name of Chuck Tingle, of Billings Montana, providing much-needed levity in my twitter feed:
@ChuckTingle
yes son jon owns green plaid shirt i do not know why so many are asking
11:05 AM - 7 Sep 2018
posted by robotdevil at 5:44 AM on September 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
The rest of the world likes you enough
This is what I worry is changing though, as many (Obama's speech for instance) lay out the position that Trump is only the symptom, not the disease.
From the Is that your secondhand smoke I'm inhaling section:
Warnings about potentially severe consequences of climate change were deleted from a Trump administration plan to weaken curbs on power plant emissions during a White House review.
posted by infini at 5:51 AM on September 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is what I worry is changing though, as many (Obama's speech for instance) lay out the position that Trump is only the symptom, not the disease.
From the Is that your secondhand smoke I'm inhaling section:
Warnings about potentially severe consequences of climate change were deleted from a Trump administration plan to weaken curbs on power plant emissions during a White House review.
posted by infini at 5:51 AM on September 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
"The Trump Prophecy."
Oh, wow. I just looked into this movie. Apparently the "prophecy" the firefighter wrote down in 2011 included this:
"The dollar will be the strongest it has ever been in the history of the United States and will once again be the currency by which all others are judged. "
Yes, there's an all powerful creator and he's worried about the strength of the dollar in the international marketplace. Do these people even pick up the bible or nah?
posted by bluecore at 5:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
Oh, wow. I just looked into this movie. Apparently the "prophecy" the firefighter wrote down in 2011 included this:
"The dollar will be the strongest it has ever been in the history of the United States and will once again be the currency by which all others are judged. "
Yes, there's an all powerful creator and he's worried about the strength of the dollar in the international marketplace. Do these people even pick up the bible or nah?
posted by bluecore at 5:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
something something god and mammon
posted by EarBucket at 5:58 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by EarBucket at 5:58 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
During the call, he wrote, the president sounded "still very focused on eliminating trade deficits with America's trading partners" in line with his "America First" mantra.
There are literally not enough dollars in the world to cope with eliminating the trade deficit with all of our trading partners. Our dollar would skyrocket along with our borrowing costs as governments flood the treasury market trying to claw back any hard currency they can get their hands on.
The US dollar being 60-70% of the world's reserve currency is one of the biggest soft power projections a nation has ever seen in history and we're pissing it away because racist grandpa thinks we're "losing".
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [68 favorites]
There are literally not enough dollars in the world to cope with eliminating the trade deficit with all of our trading partners. Our dollar would skyrocket along with our borrowing costs as governments flood the treasury market trying to claw back any hard currency they can get their hands on.
The US dollar being 60-70% of the world's reserve currency is one of the biggest soft power projections a nation has ever seen in history and we're pissing it away because racist grandpa thinks we're "losing".
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 5:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [68 favorites]
Trump is only the symptom, not the disease.
Trump is the throbbing, glowing, pus-filled weak-spot dangling from the jowls of the final boss that is white supremacist patriarchal capitalism. Our job is to clobber him until it all explodes and we get a sweet victory cut-scene while we escape the wreckage.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 5:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
Trump is the throbbing, glowing, pus-filled weak-spot dangling from the jowls of the final boss that is white supremacist patriarchal capitalism. Our job is to clobber him until it all explodes and we get a sweet victory cut-scene while we escape the wreckage.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 5:59 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
I did a bit of Googling a while back and I was unable to find a reference to tjis "prophecy" that predated June 2016 IIRC. Trump hadn't yet secured the Republican nomination, but many people considered it a done deal.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:02 AM on September 8, 2018
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:02 AM on September 8, 2018
"The dollar will be the strongest it has ever been in the history of the United States and will once again be the currency by which all others are judged. "
aaah, so
Trump’s policies will displace the dollar
these benefits depend on the US providing high-quality monetary services to the world. The dollar is widely used because it has been the most convenient, lowest-cost and safest unit of account, medium of exchange and store of value. But it is not irreplaceable. America’s monetary stewardship has stumbled badly over the years, and Trump’s misrule could hasten the end of the dollar’s predominance.
Dollar slips vs. yen on report Trump eyes Japan on trade
posted by infini at 6:04 AM on September 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
aaah, so
Trump’s policies will displace the dollar
these benefits depend on the US providing high-quality monetary services to the world. The dollar is widely used because it has been the most convenient, lowest-cost and safest unit of account, medium of exchange and store of value. But it is not irreplaceable. America’s monetary stewardship has stumbled badly over the years, and Trump’s misrule could hasten the end of the dollar’s predominance.
Dollar slips vs. yen on report Trump eyes Japan on trade
posted by infini at 6:04 AM on September 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Xi has been wanting to replace the dollar with the yuan since forever. The sticking point with the International financial system has been its lack of full convertibility. China wants capital coming in and very little coming back out.
However, you now have a choice between racist grandpa sabotaging the world's biggest economy, a trading bloc interested only it itself, and now an authoritarian regime that will stake a permanent claim on any capital you send it. None of them are good choices for the stable leader of a world financial system.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:12 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
However, you now have a choice between racist grandpa sabotaging the world's biggest economy, a trading bloc interested only it itself, and now an authoritarian regime that will stake a permanent claim on any capital you send it. None of them are good choices for the stable leader of a world financial system.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:12 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Kavanaugh Thinks It’s Okay to Perform Elective Surgery on People Without Their Consent
Amazing how abortions are ok when it's a man ordering a woman to have one.
posted by chris24 at 6:23 AM on September 8, 2018 [57 favorites]
Amazing how abortions are ok when it's a man ordering a woman to have one.
posted by chris24 at 6:23 AM on September 8, 2018 [57 favorites]
Preshent … Trump … can't say amomous. Amomymus.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sesame Street anticipated Trump’s trouble with “anonymous” in a song.
posted by notyou at 7:42 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:42 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
The musical act on the Late Show wth Stephen Colbert was Jay Rock and his dancers wear Nike all over.
Those Nike people are geniuses. I'm glad they're using it for good.
posted by adept256 at 7:50 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Those Nike people are geniuses. I'm glad they're using it for good.
posted by adept256 at 7:50 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sesame Street anticipated Trump’s trouble with “anonymous” in a song.
The obligatory mashup.
posted by chris24 at 7:51 AM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
The obligatory mashup.
posted by chris24 at 7:51 AM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
One wonders if there's tape of Trump clearly and cleanly saying 'anonymous'. Would make an interesting comparison.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:53 AM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:53 AM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Peak 2018? Armando Iannucci tweets out 'Fake America Great Again' pitch for comedy Trump film, gets 'big offer and eight studios interested'.
Go watch Death of Stalin and then tell me this is a bad idea. Double dares.
(you should watch Death of Stalin anyway, and if you have, you should watch it again.)
posted by Devonian at 7:53 AM on September 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
Go watch Death of Stalin and then tell me this is a bad idea. Double dares.
(you should watch Death of Stalin anyway, and if you have, you should watch it again.)
posted by Devonian at 7:53 AM on September 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
For those that don't know, Armando is responsible for writing the first few seasons of Veep and the years 2016-2018.
posted by adept256 at 8:02 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 8:02 AM on September 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
Trump Administration Discussed Coup Plans With Rebel Venezuelan Officers (NYT)
The Trump administration held secret meetings with rebellious military officers from Venezuela over the last year to discuss their plans to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to American officials and a former Venezuelan military commander who participated in the talks.posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:19 AM on September 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Establishing a clandestine channel with coup plotters in Venezuela was a big gamble for Washington, given its long history of covert intervention across Latin America. Many in the region still deeply resent the United States for backing previous rebellions, coups and plots in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil and Chile, and for turning a blind eye to the abuses military regimes committed during the Cold War.
The White House, which declined to answer detailed questions about the talks, said in a statement that it was important to engage in “dialogue with all Venezuelans who demonstrate a desire for democracy” in order to “bring positive change to a country that has suffered so much under Maduro.”
But one of the Venezuelan military commanders involved in the secret talks was hardly an ideal figure to help restore democracy: He is on the American government’s own sanctions list of corrupt officials in Venezuela.
Washington Post: Ryan, McConnell Try to Coax Trump Away From Shutdown — Using Props and Flattery
Incidentally, Daniel Dale writes in the Toronto Star: According to Donald Trump, a Lot of People Are Crying Around Donald Trump Supporters are supposedly crying in his presence, and enemies cry out of frustration (Chuck Schumer is “Cryin’ Chuck” and “Fake Tears Chuck”, Richard Blumenthal “cried like a baby”, “crazed, crying lowlife” Omarosa “begged me for a job, tears in her eyes.”) But as for Trump, “The last time I cried was when I was a baby.” Trump's Mirror is cracking.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:27 AM on September 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
The top two Republicans in Congress arrived at the White House this week armed with props aimed at flattering and cajoling President Trump out of shutting down the government at the end of this month.But by Friday, Trump was telling reporters, “I would do [a government shutdown] because I think it’s a great political issue. I was reading and watching the other day, there are some people I have a lot of respect for. Rush Limbaugh says it’s the greatest thing you can do. Mark Levin, the greatest thing you can do. Your friend [Sean] Hannity, the greatest thing you can do.”
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) showed the president glossy photos of a wall under construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) brought an article from the Washington Examiner that described Trump as brilliantly handling the current budget process, and portrayed the GOP as unified and breaking through years of dysfunction.
Their message, according to two people briefed on the meeting: The budget process is going smoothly, the wall is already being built, and there’s no need to shut down the government. Instead, they sought to persuade Trump to put off a fight for more border wall money until after the November midterm elections, promising to try then to get him the outcome he wants, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to reveal details of the private discussion.
Incidentally, Daniel Dale writes in the Toronto Star: According to Donald Trump, a Lot of People Are Crying Around Donald Trump Supporters are supposedly crying in his presence, and enemies cry out of frustration (Chuck Schumer is “Cryin’ Chuck” and “Fake Tears Chuck”, Richard Blumenthal “cried like a baby”, “crazed, crying lowlife” Omarosa “begged me for a job, tears in her eyes.”) But as for Trump, “The last time I cried was when I was a baby.” Trump's Mirror is cracking.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:27 AM on September 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
Before Trump tries to call Obama low energy please remind him who fell asleep during the middle of the day
posted by growabrain at 8:33 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 8:33 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Brett Kavanaugh: ‘I coach a girls’ basketball team’ (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
I have been watching and listening to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings for the past three days. Here is, approximately, how they have gone. I have skipped large sections for no clear reason, just as we have done with Kavanaugh’s papers.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:34 AM on September 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
Democratic Senator: First, I object to this hearing happening at all, on the grounds that there are still thousands, if not millions of pages of documents that we have not been able to see. I would like to see them! I object!
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa): Well, I . . . don’t object.
Democratic Senator: BY GOD, SIR, BY GOD, IF THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE, WHY THE RUSH? WHERE, AT THE END, IS YOUR DECENCY? I AM RAISING A CORRECT POINT, BUT I AM ALSO A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS.
Grassley: Let’s hear from people who support you, Judge.
Female Lawyer: I am a liberal Democrat, and a woman. I would have voted for Barack Obama three times if I could have! That wasn’t a reference to “Get Out,” at least not on purpose. I would just like to testify that Judge Kavanaugh is a very, very qualified judge and really, what more could we hope for? Go RBG! I wish she were all nine of the judges. The future is female. The present is Brett Kavanaugh. I have a pink hat at home!
Kavanaugh Acquaintance: No one should worry that Judge Kavanaugh lacks the capacity to understand their experiences. Not only does he do frequent volunteer work, but has been a fierce advocate for the most downtrodden members of our carpool.
Republican Senator: Judge Kavanaugh, would you describe yourself as God’s gift to the court, or as God’s gift to all mankind? Why is your handwriting so terrific and your hair so sumptuous? Is it true that you have never really been wrong? Is there anything you would like to add?
Kavanaugh: (gravely) 9/11.
Democratic Senator: Do you believe Roe v. Wade was correctly decided?
Kavanaugh: I believe that Roe v. Wade was decided in the past.
Democratic Senator: Correctly?
Kavanaugh: I coach a girls’ basketball team.
Democratic Senator: You’ve said Brown v. Board was a great decision. Do you believe that Obergefell v. Hodges was a great decision?
Kavanaugh: I believe that Obergefell was written by Justice Kennedy.
Democratic Senator: Do you agree with it?
Kavanaugh: I can quote it!
From the Alexandra Petri link above:
[Merrick Garland’s ghost rattles all the papers in the room (not very many papers). Everyone feels a slight chill. They pretend not to notice.]
I feel like all I do lately is just shout "Merrick Garland!" at people. That's hyperbole, I'm polite about it, and it does actually temporarily give pause to some of the local Trumpists on Sheldon Whitehouse's Facebook page.
If I'm not shouting Merrick Garland, I'm shouting Jay Bybee, and it's been interesting watching Trumpists ties themselves up in knots to explain that there is no possible way that any of the unreleased documents could be anything like the Torture Memos.
posted by Ruki at 8:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
[Merrick Garland’s ghost rattles all the papers in the room (not very many papers). Everyone feels a slight chill. They pretend not to notice.]
I feel like all I do lately is just shout "Merrick Garland!" at people. That's hyperbole, I'm polite about it, and it does actually temporarily give pause to some of the local Trumpists on Sheldon Whitehouse's Facebook page.
If I'm not shouting Merrick Garland, I'm shouting Jay Bybee, and it's been interesting watching Trumpists ties themselves up in knots to explain that there is no possible way that any of the unreleased documents could be anything like the Torture Memos.
posted by Ruki at 8:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
Kavanaugh: I coach a girls’ basketball team.
Trotting those girls into the fucking hearing room was disgusting from the same party that 7 months ago told us that the Parkland kids speaking up from their slain classmates was Democrats using children as political props, and called those same already traumatized children crisis actors paid to pretend their friends weren't actually murdered. And still to this day attacks David Hogg and threatens his family on literally a daily basis.
And looking at all those little white girls underscored just how lily white Kavanaugh's neighborhood and private school are. Find a child of color in this picture.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:06 AM on September 8, 2018 [69 favorites]
Trotting those girls into the fucking hearing room was disgusting from the same party that 7 months ago told us that the Parkland kids speaking up from their slain classmates was Democrats using children as political props, and called those same already traumatized children crisis actors paid to pretend their friends weren't actually murdered. And still to this day attacks David Hogg and threatens his family on literally a daily basis.
And looking at all those little white girls underscored just how lily white Kavanaugh's neighborhood and private school are. Find a child of color in this picture.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:06 AM on September 8, 2018 [69 favorites]
In news that will give trump happy feelings , Egypt just sentenced hundreds of people to prison and 75 to death for taking part in the protests. These were mass trials after the legislature gave the security forces immunity for everything they did, including the murder of protesters.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 9:21 AM on September 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 9:21 AM on September 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Trotting those girls into the fucking hearing room was disgusting from the same party that 7 months ago told us that the Parkland kids speaking up from their slain classmates was Democrats using children as political props, and called those same already traumatized children crisis actors paid to pretend their friends weren't actually murdered.
And Kavanaugh is being put there to judge that the indefinite arbitrary imprisonment of children (and the neglect of them to the point of death and near-death) is A-OK. Putting all the white girls behind him should be seen not as hypocritical pandering but as an explicit white supremacist message: "don't worry, he'll look out for your kids."
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:28 AM on September 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
And Kavanaugh is being put there to judge that the indefinite arbitrary imprisonment of children (and the neglect of them to the point of death and near-death) is A-OK. Putting all the white girls behind him should be seen not as hypocritical pandering but as an explicit white supremacist message: "don't worry, he'll look out for your kids."
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:28 AM on September 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
Ruki: If I'm not shouting Merrick Garland, I'm shouting Jay Bybee, and it's been interesting watching Trumpists ties themselves up in knots to explain that there is no possible way that any of the unreleased documents could be anything like the Torture Memos.
Which Trumpists do you know that are uncomfortable with torture?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:35 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Which Trumpists do you know that are uncomfortable with torture?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:35 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Which Trumpists do you know that are uncomfortable with torture?
Catholic ones. It’s Rhode Island.
posted by Ruki at 10:04 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Catholic ones. It’s Rhode Island.
posted by Ruki at 10:04 AM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
A couple of Twitter thread of possible interest to those following Nazi activities:
@EmilyGorcenski
So this is going to be interesting.
Sometimes I live tweet talks. I’m going to livedox during this one instead.
[Image of projected slide "Infiltration: Mapping the International Far Right"]
EmilyGorcenski
Continuing this thread here:
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on September 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
@EmilyGorcenski
So this is going to be interesting.
Sometimes I live tweet talks. I’m going to livedox during this one instead.
[Image of projected slide "Infiltration: Mapping the International Far Right"]
EmilyGorcenski
Continuing this thread here:
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on September 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
KY-06, final: Barr 47, McGrath 46
Barr also refused to debate McGrath on the state's most popular radio show (hosted by rumored Barr and now McConnell opponent Matt Jones).
Jones:
Edit: also they had somehow sponsored the food truck fair, where you had to trade in your real cash for fake food truck money with McGrath's face on it to buy food.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:23 AM on September 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
Barr also refused to debate McGrath on the state's most popular radio show (hosted by rumored Barr and now McConnell opponent Matt Jones).
Jones:
Announcement:I was in Lexington 3 weeks ago, the McGrath people were everywhere like I can't remember seeing before in a congressional race. They had 2 registration tents and people walking at the downtown art fair, and people walking with clipboards registering UK students on the first week of school. KY Republicans are not used to actually competing, usually a truckload of McConnell PAC TV ad money is enough. We'll see how it turns out, but this is a different Democratic race than KY-06 has seen in a long time.
We invited Amy McGrath and Andy Barr to do a Congressional Debate LIVE on WLEX for the 6th District Race with myself and Lee Cruse as moderators
McGrath accepted our invite but after 1 month of “consideration”, Congressman Barr turned it down today The Barr Campaign said that there was no way “Matt Jones could be fair to Congressman Barr.” We noted that I moderated the KY GOP Governor’s Primary Debate and General Election Debate.
Matt Bevin was in both and said they were 100% fair. But Congressman Barr still declined, I wish both Amy McGrath and Congressman Andy Barr luck in the race....but as I have said many times, it is always a disappointment when a candidate refuses to debate on what would have been the most watched stage of the entire election. It’s no secret I am a Democrat and Lee Cruse is a Republican. But we both are committed to being fair and I included Lee specifically because of Andy Barr’s concerns
The Congressman is first Kentucky politician, Republican or Democrat, to refuse a debate on KSR or @hey_kentucky.
Edit: also they had somehow sponsored the food truck fair, where you had to trade in your real cash for fake food truck money with McGrath's face on it to buy food.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:23 AM on September 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
PA-17 field report: Worked for several hours at the booth for our local Democratic organization at our town's harvest festival. A LOT of people came by to get Conor Lamb stuff, we had much more energy than the GOP booth across the street. People excited for Lamb, also good vibes for re-electing Senator Casey and Governor Wolf ("Women For Wolf" signs went quickly), and for electing Michele Knoll to our state House seat. Anecdotes aren't evidence and all, but I got a really good feeling about these races.
I also met Conor Lamb, who is *extremely* tall.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
I also met Conor Lamb, who is *extremely* tall.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:26 AM on September 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
AP: People from across the country have mailed about 3,000 coat hangers to [Susan Collins's] office, symbolizing back-alley abortions that took place before they became legal.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:38 AM on September 8, 2018 [70 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:38 AM on September 8, 2018 [70 favorites]
Trump says he fell asleep during Obama’s speech, says U.S. would have negative growth if Democrats won
when the ambien, diet cokes and KFC famous bowl® hits
posted by standardasparagus at 11:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
when the ambien, diet cokes and KFC famous bowl® hits
posted by standardasparagus at 11:55 AM on September 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Brett Kavanaugh touched his pocket Constitution at least 378 times during his confirmation hearings (WaPo).
posted by peeedro at 12:08 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 12:08 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Popehat responds to the DemCoalition "filing" a "criminal complaint" with the DoJ about Kavanaugh:
posted by Justinian at 12:48 PM on September 8, 2018 [24 favorites]
Only the government can file a federal criminal complaint. You can send something you label a criminal complaint, but you’re basically cosplaying, kind of like a sovereign citizen. These are serious times. Try to be more serious, dipshit.So, yeah. This is like Jill Stein's recount. In all likelihood a way to separate the naive from their money.
posted by Justinian at 12:48 PM on September 8, 2018 [24 favorites]
You can send something you label a criminal complaint, but you’re basically cosplaying, kind of like a sovereign citizen.
What House Democrats could actually do is file a real, legitmate, not cosplaying, bill of impeachment against Kavanaugh for perjuring himself in Senate testimony. He's a sitting federal judge. He could be impeached, today. It would obviously be futile, but there's value in putting action behind rhetoric. Filing impeachment would get coverage of Kavanaugh's lies ahead of the vote, and set a marker for if Democrats are ever in power again.
Kavanaugh and Gorsuch must be impeached, or the Court expanded, or even if Democrats retake the control, every piece of progressive legislation is dead anyway. If you thought the New Deal era court prior to the Switch in Time was extreme, nothing will compare to the Gorsuch* court in the event of Democrats controlling the other two branches. Republicans will rule by judicial junta the for rest of our lives unless Democrats decide to fight back and make the case that the court is illegitimate, which has the virtue of being fucking true.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:57 PM on September 8, 2018 [45 favorites]
What House Democrats could actually do is file a real, legitmate, not cosplaying, bill of impeachment against Kavanaugh for perjuring himself in Senate testimony. He's a sitting federal judge. He could be impeached, today. It would obviously be futile, but there's value in putting action behind rhetoric. Filing impeachment would get coverage of Kavanaugh's lies ahead of the vote, and set a marker for if Democrats are ever in power again.
Kavanaugh and Gorsuch must be impeached, or the Court expanded, or even if Democrats retake the control, every piece of progressive legislation is dead anyway. If you thought the New Deal era court prior to the Switch in Time was extreme, nothing will compare to the Gorsuch* court in the event of Democrats controlling the other two branches. Republicans will rule by judicial junta the for rest of our lives unless Democrats decide to fight back and make the case that the court is illegitimate, which has the virtue of being fucking true.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:57 PM on September 8, 2018 [45 favorites]
ArtW she stopped tweeting almost right after you linked :(
posted by infini at 12:58 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 12:58 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
ArtW she stopped tweeting almost right after you linked :(
Maybe, but she definitely outed one Nazi. Scroll down her timeline; I just confirmed it's still there.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 1:01 PM on September 8, 2018
Maybe, but she definitely outed one Nazi. Scroll down her timeline; I just confirmed it's still there.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 1:01 PM on September 8, 2018
there are dozens and dozens of us."
Great to know there are lots of craven pieces of shit selling out our country to enable and collaborate with a manifest threat to democracy and the world for some tax cuts.
What I find interesting about this ongoing tug of war for control and sanity is that in Obama's era, it was the presidential side that was held immobile by invisible forces in the system.
posted by infini at 1:02 PM on September 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Great to know there are lots of craven pieces of shit selling out our country to enable and collaborate with a manifest threat to democracy and the world for some tax cuts.
What I find interesting about this ongoing tug of war for control and sanity is that in Obama's era, it was the presidential side that was held immobile by invisible forces in the system.
posted by infini at 1:02 PM on September 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Newly-released FBI documents detail Roger Stone’s Watergate-era dirty tricks. The documents detail Roger Stone’s role as a bagman for the Nixon campaign, in which he funneled over $25,000 (equivalent to $150,000 in 2018) to fund political intelligence gathering and other dirty tricks, including mole embedding and a mysterious payment related to the Watergate break-in.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:05 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:05 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
What House Democrats could actually do is file a real, legitmate, not cosplaying, bill of impeachment against Kavanaugh for perjuring himself in Senate testimony
Quinta Jurecic (and Helen Klein Murillo) on why it's not perjury.
posted by rhizome at 1:29 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Quinta Jurecic (and Helen Klein Murillo) on why it's not perjury.
posted by rhizome at 1:29 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
I just got done hate-donating to Devin Nunes' opponent. It did make me feel a tiny bit better. I don't even care who they ARE lol just want Nunes out out out...
Also Beto and Kim Schrier who is running against Dino Rossi in WA 8th (I've already seen the attack ads on her on MSNBC of all places, and CNN) and also Lisa Brown who's running against Cathy McMorris Rodgers in WA 5th. McMorris Rodgers was who had the relatively recent fundraiser where Devin Nunes said “We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away.”
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 4:44 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Also Beto and Kim Schrier who is running against Dino Rossi in WA 8th (I've already seen the attack ads on her on MSNBC of all places, and CNN) and also Lisa Brown who's running against Cathy McMorris Rodgers in WA 5th. McMorris Rodgers was who had the relatively recent fundraiser where Devin Nunes said “We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away.”
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 4:44 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Sheriffs who cheered Trump's attack on press have their own media run-ins. A group of sheriffs gave the president a troubling ovation after he called journalists ‘very, very dishonest’. Here is a taste of local media scrutiny of 10 of them.
A review of coverage produced by regional media outlets over recent years found that many of the sheriffs who cheered the president have come under sharp scrutiny from the press for their own actions – or for those of the officers in their departments.posted by scalefree at 5:23 PM on September 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
They have been held accountable by local journalists for incidents including the leaving of a service pistol in a casino bathroom, alleged mistreatment in jails, the wearing of blackface by an officer, and various other actions.
Quinta Jurecic (and Helen Klein Murillo) on why it's not perjury.
The laws are written so powerful white guys can never commit perjury, and the Supreme Court has intentionally destroyed even that watered down definition just like it destroyed campaigning finance, and legalized bribing a public official. Now that redefinition will benefit a Republican who perjured himself in confirmation hearing to become a Justice...where he will continue to redefine the law to benefit people like himself, and fuck everyone else.
Intentionally lying to Congress can and should still support an impeachment charge, call it whatever the fuck you want. I'll call it perjury.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:31 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
The laws are written so powerful white guys can never commit perjury, and the Supreme Court has intentionally destroyed even that watered down definition just like it destroyed campaigning finance, and legalized bribing a public official. Now that redefinition will benefit a Republican who perjured himself in confirmation hearing to become a Justice...where he will continue to redefine the law to benefit people like himself, and fuck everyone else.
Intentionally lying to Congress can and should still support an impeachment charge, call it whatever the fuck you want. I'll call it perjury.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:31 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
What House Democrats could actually do is file a real, legitmate, not cosplaying, bill of impeachment against Kavanaugh for perjuring himself in Senate testimony. He's a sitting federal judge. He could be impeached, today. It would obviously be futile, but there's value in putting action behind rhetoric. Filing impeachment would get coverage of Kavanaugh's lies ahead of the vote, and set a marker for if Democrats are ever in power again.
This is exactly what the GOP would do (since Newt, at least) and we are long past turning our noses up at it, or ought to be. But it won’t happen.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:50 PM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is exactly what the GOP would do (since Newt, at least) and we are long past turning our noses up at it, or ought to be. But it won’t happen.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:50 PM on September 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
This may be kind of a philosophical question more than one that matters to anything but the poll guys constantly point out that most of the toss-up seats tend to break one way or the other on election day. If most of a category go in one direction is it really accurate to call them toss-ups? They aren't, we just don't know which side has the advantage until it's over?
Yeah, I know, stop thinking so much.
posted by Justinian at 5:56 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I know, stop thinking so much.
posted by Justinian at 5:56 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
If most of a category go in one direction is it really accurate to call them toss-ups?
Doesn't toss up come from coin toss? The point is that the odds are close to even before the event. It is easy to know the result of a coin toss after it's done.
posted by snofoam at 6:02 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Doesn't toss up come from coin toss? The point is that the odds are close to even before the event. It is easy to know the result of a coin toss after it's done.
posted by snofoam at 6:02 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Of course, if a coin toss comes up Tails ten times in a row, it's not unreasonable to think that it's not really so random. There are many reasons for somebody to declare themselves "undecided", including being rather ashamed of the people/party/positions they're supporting (going back to California's "Bradley Effect" where the polls significantly understated the opposition to a Black candidate), or that shame may represent a real partial change in some people's minds (which, if the Blue Wave is bigger than forecast, will become known as the "Trump Effect").
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:12 PM on September 8, 2018
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:12 PM on September 8, 2018
Nate Silvers big insight in 2016 was that states are much more coordinated than the odds suggest. So even if the odds are 54/46 in an bunch of districts, the actual outcome will be much more than the sum of a bunch of 54/46 flips, because they’re actually correlated. The result of 100 correlated 54/46 flips is more likely to be 78/22 one way, or 32/68 the other, than actually 54/46.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on September 8, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on September 8, 2018 [12 favorites]
A twitter thread from earlier today by Jeet Heer, which I believe to be germane and of interest to those here.
Jeet Heer @HeerJeet
11:35 AM - 8 Sep 2018
1. So I have some thoughts on Carl Schmitt, Ernst Jünger, Herman Melville, slave revolts, Leo Strauss, allegorical & esoteric reading, & that anonymous New York Times op-ed.Jeet
2. The novelist Jünger (1895-1998) & the political theorist Schmitt (1888-1985) were near contemporaries & corresponded from 1930 until Schmitt's death. Both their lives were, of course, inseparable from the nightmare of German history.
3. Jünger was a great German military hero in the First World War, awarded the highest Prussian medal, a position that was solidified by his bestselling 1920 novel In the Storm of Steel, which answered pacifism by celebrating the cold sheen of mechanized war.
4. For Jünger, there was nothing more beautiful than Freikorps solidarity, which naturally attracted him in the Weimar period to far-right paramilitary challengers of liberal democracy, including, briefly, the Nazi Party.
5. Schmitt, a Machiavellian figures in several senses, had a different profile in the 1920s: He was not a Nazi but a conservative trying to figure out how to protect Weimar from extremism. You could say he was "Never Hitler"
6. But like the German conservatives he counselled (notably von Papen) Schmitt's desire to preserve order led him to quickly shift from anti-Nazism to trying to trying to make Nazism work. He became the chief legal theorist of the Third Reich.
7. Once Hitler was in power, the two friends had reversed their politics of the 1920s: Junger, although not a critic of the regime, kept his distance, while Schmitt (lavished with power & position) defended the Night of the Long Knives.
8. Junger, smartly, told Schmitt to quit & leave Germany. Schmitt didn't and in any case quickly lost political power but not before forever tarnishing his own name. By the late 1930s, both were in a kind of limbo, an "internal exile"
9. The two men continued to correspond in the 1930s & 1940s, but (for obvious reasons) couldn't discuss their politics directly. So instead they relied on allegory (which Junger also did for his 1939 covertly anti-Nazi novel On the Marble Cliffs).
10. So instead of talking about Hitler directly, Junger & Schmitt wrote to each other about Hieronymous Bosch, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville & Malraux. But, as Leo Strauss would note, it's best to read between the lines since persecution breeds esoteric writing.
11. Schmitt kept returning to Melville's novella "Benito Cereno" -- about a slave rebellion. The title character (SPOILER ALERT) is a Spanish captain who seems to be the head of his ship but in fact is a prisoner of mutinous slaves who really direct the action.
12. I'll leave aside the grossness of equating revolting slaves to Nazis for another day, but it is very tied to how order-loving German conservatives saw the 1930s: Nazis were an insurgency from below which elites failed to quell.
13. The subtext of Schmitt's letters are clear. "I am Benito Cereno -- when it looks like I was collaborating with the regime I was actually a prisoner with no agency."
14. (Tangentially: the exact relationship between Carl Schmitt & Leo Strauss is a subject of intense scholarly controversy, but the two read each others work. Strauss' discovery of esoteric writing came later, but was surely informed by aware of lived reality of tyranny).
15. When I read the anonymous Times op-ed, it called to mind many of the dilemmas faced by Junger & Scmitt, about conservative elites trying to tame racist demagogues, about the need for secret communication, about how quickly the adult in the room can become a prisoner.
16. To wrap up: both Junger and Schmitt overlapped socially with the members of the Officer's Plot, who tried to kill Hitler in 1944 but neither participated in the coup. Junger spent the war administrating Paris, which actually helped his post-war reputation.
17. Post-1945 Schmitt was arrested & jailed for 2 years, stripped of his academic titles, and lived on as a contaminated figure. Junger, much admired not only in Germany but also in France, continued to be a literary hero, hailed by, among others, Mitterrand.
posted by standardasparagus at 6:17 PM on September 8, 2018 [47 favorites]
Jeet Heer @HeerJeet
11:35 AM - 8 Sep 2018
1. So I have some thoughts on Carl Schmitt, Ernst Jünger, Herman Melville, slave revolts, Leo Strauss, allegorical & esoteric reading, & that anonymous New York Times op-ed.Jeet
2. The novelist Jünger (1895-1998) & the political theorist Schmitt (1888-1985) were near contemporaries & corresponded from 1930 until Schmitt's death. Both their lives were, of course, inseparable from the nightmare of German history.
3. Jünger was a great German military hero in the First World War, awarded the highest Prussian medal, a position that was solidified by his bestselling 1920 novel In the Storm of Steel, which answered pacifism by celebrating the cold sheen of mechanized war.
4. For Jünger, there was nothing more beautiful than Freikorps solidarity, which naturally attracted him in the Weimar period to far-right paramilitary challengers of liberal democracy, including, briefly, the Nazi Party.
5. Schmitt, a Machiavellian figures in several senses, had a different profile in the 1920s: He was not a Nazi but a conservative trying to figure out how to protect Weimar from extremism. You could say he was "Never Hitler"
6. But like the German conservatives he counselled (notably von Papen) Schmitt's desire to preserve order led him to quickly shift from anti-Nazism to trying to trying to make Nazism work. He became the chief legal theorist of the Third Reich.
7. Once Hitler was in power, the two friends had reversed their politics of the 1920s: Junger, although not a critic of the regime, kept his distance, while Schmitt (lavished with power & position) defended the Night of the Long Knives.
8. Junger, smartly, told Schmitt to quit & leave Germany. Schmitt didn't and in any case quickly lost political power but not before forever tarnishing his own name. By the late 1930s, both were in a kind of limbo, an "internal exile"
9. The two men continued to correspond in the 1930s & 1940s, but (for obvious reasons) couldn't discuss their politics directly. So instead they relied on allegory (which Junger also did for his 1939 covertly anti-Nazi novel On the Marble Cliffs).
10. So instead of talking about Hitler directly, Junger & Schmitt wrote to each other about Hieronymous Bosch, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville & Malraux. But, as Leo Strauss would note, it's best to read between the lines since persecution breeds esoteric writing.
11. Schmitt kept returning to Melville's novella "Benito Cereno" -- about a slave rebellion. The title character (SPOILER ALERT) is a Spanish captain who seems to be the head of his ship but in fact is a prisoner of mutinous slaves who really direct the action.
12. I'll leave aside the grossness of equating revolting slaves to Nazis for another day, but it is very tied to how order-loving German conservatives saw the 1930s: Nazis were an insurgency from below which elites failed to quell.
13. The subtext of Schmitt's letters are clear. "I am Benito Cereno -- when it looks like I was collaborating with the regime I was actually a prisoner with no agency."
14. (Tangentially: the exact relationship between Carl Schmitt & Leo Strauss is a subject of intense scholarly controversy, but the two read each others work. Strauss' discovery of esoteric writing came later, but was surely informed by aware of lived reality of tyranny).
15. When I read the anonymous Times op-ed, it called to mind many of the dilemmas faced by Junger & Scmitt, about conservative elites trying to tame racist demagogues, about the need for secret communication, about how quickly the adult in the room can become a prisoner.
16. To wrap up: both Junger and Schmitt overlapped socially with the members of the Officer's Plot, who tried to kill Hitler in 1944 but neither participated in the coup. Junger spent the war administrating Paris, which actually helped his post-war reputation.
17. Post-1945 Schmitt was arrested & jailed for 2 years, stripped of his academic titles, and lived on as a contaminated figure. Junger, much admired not only in Germany but also in France, continued to be a literary hero, hailed by, among others, Mitterrand.
posted by standardasparagus at 6:17 PM on September 8, 2018 [47 favorites]
Blocking the poor from entering the country is nearly as old as US immigration law itself. In his 2017 book, Expelling the Poor, Hidetaka Hirota, an assistant professor at Waseda University in Tokyo who previously taught US immigration history at the City College of New York, explains how Massachusetts and New York created the foundation for US immigration restrictions by turning away and deporting Irish migrants fleeing the potato famine in the 1840s. When the United States adopted its first comprehensive immigration law in 1882, both states made sure there was a public charge provision that allowed immigration officials to exclude impoverished Irish migrants. The current version of that provision states that immigrants who are “likely at any time to become a public charge” will not be admitted into the United States or allowed to adjust their immigration statuses. Now, the Trump administration hopes to use this provision to target migrants who are disproportionately people of color. SL: Mother Jones piece by Noah Lanard.
A different piece on immigration from Mother Jones by Sophie Murguia and Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn: Since the beginning of the year, the attorney general has severely limited judges’ ability to manage their cases, increased pressure on judges to close cases quickly, and dramatically reshaped how America determines whom it will shelter. While Sessions isn’t the first attorney general to exercise these powers, immigration advocates say he’s using his authority in unprecedented ways and, as a result, severely limiting due process rights for migrants.
TD;DR: 1. It’s now much more difficult to apply for asylum. 2. Judges have less control over their case loads. 3. And will have to move through them more quickly. 4. It’s harder for them to reschedule cases. 5. And as more judges retire, Sessions gets to staff up.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:19 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
A different piece on immigration from Mother Jones by Sophie Murguia and Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn: Since the beginning of the year, the attorney general has severely limited judges’ ability to manage their cases, increased pressure on judges to close cases quickly, and dramatically reshaped how America determines whom it will shelter. While Sessions isn’t the first attorney general to exercise these powers, immigration advocates say he’s using his authority in unprecedented ways and, as a result, severely limiting due process rights for migrants.
TD;DR: 1. It’s now much more difficult to apply for asylum. 2. Judges have less control over their case loads. 3. And will have to move through them more quickly. 4. It’s harder for them to reschedule cases. 5. And as more judges retire, Sessions gets to staff up.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:19 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
emptywheel nails it: Brett Kavanaugh Thinks Using Stolen Emails Is Acceptable Behavior
Anyway, Sen. Collins is playing the "still undecided" card, so you know who to call.
posted by zachlipton at 6:22 PM on September 8, 2018 [47 favorites]
And whatever you believe about whether Kavanaugh lied in any of these confirmation processes, what is irrefutable is that last week he was told, from the people involved, that he had, in fact, received and used stolen emails. For example, Patrick Leahy told him, repeatedly, that a document of his that got forwarded in draft form, that the document was not public at the time Kavanaugh received it.I think there are not-horrible arguments why his statements don't rise to the level of perjury, legally. I also think we want Supreme Court Justices to exemplify the highest standards of ethics, and that Kavanaugh repeatedly fell short.
Given such a circumstance, there is one natural, decent response. You apologize. Upon learning, allegedly for the first time, that you had indeed used stolen emails, you apologize to the people they were stolen from. “Gosh, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I’m sorry.” That’s what you say when you discover you used emails stolen from someone.
Brett Kavanaugh didn’t do that. He sat in front of his entire Catholic school girl’s basketball team, and instead of apologizing, he defended himself.
So no matter whether he was lying, one thing is crystal clear: he doesn’t think it was wrong to use stolen emails. He had no moral or ethical regret upon learning, definitively, that he had used stolen emails.
...
But the biggest reason why Brett Kavanaugh might be reluctant to apologize for a clear ethical injury, even if he claims it was unwitting, is that it would taint his actions confirming judges. That is, it would make it clear he cheated — even if unwittingly — to push lifetime appointments through Congress. Those judges were confirmed illegitimately. And Kavanaugh, bidding for the third of three lifetime appointments, doesn’t want to do anything to highlight that illegitimately confirmed judges are, themselves, tainted.
Anyway, Sen. Collins is playing the "still undecided" card, so you know who to call.
posted by zachlipton at 6:22 PM on September 8, 2018 [47 favorites]
Re: Tossups - I believe they tend to break one way in wave elections, not every time. Districts that, in another year, might reasonably go either way, all tend one way or the other due to the underlying trend.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Kavanaugh is a vat grown Republican. The guy has been marinating in partisan politics for his whole damn life, why should anyone think he has an independent neuron in his body. He used stolen emails to place other partisan crooks in office. No wonder Trump likes him - he has his own stolen email scandal.
posted by benzenedream at 7:50 PM on September 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 7:50 PM on September 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 House:
** 2018 House:
-- MA-03: We're officially in recount mode in the Democratic primary here. 52 votes (0.06%) separate the two leaders.** 2018 Senate:
-- Vox summary of House GOP scandals (Taylor fake signatures, Collins insider trading, Hunter campaign finance, Blum ethics committee investigation).
-- More than 100 women may be elected to the House in the fall. Increase is entirely on the Dem side - GOP women actually likely to decrease.
-- WP: Primer on how to better analyze polls.
-- Summary of the NYT/Siena polls so far:* IL-06: Incumbent GOPer Roskam up 45-44 on Dem Casten [MOE: +/- 4.7%]. | [Clinton 50-43 | Cook: Tossup]Still in the field are MN-03, MN-08, and WV-03.
* IL-12: Incumbent GOPer Bost up 44-43 on Dem Kelly [MOE: +/- 4.6%]. | [Trump 55-40 | Cook: Tossup]
* CA-48: Dem Rouda tied at 45-45 with GOP incumbent Rohrabacher [MOE: +/- 4.8%]. | [Clinton 48-46 | Cook: Tossup]
* KY-06: GOP incumbent Barr up 47-46 on Dem McGrath [MOE: +/- 4.8%]. | [Trump 55-39 | Cook: Tossup]
I'd say the basic takeaway is that this confirms the qualitative analysis from Cook that these are tossups, and that, while I'd certainly prefer the Dems to be up 15 points, I think they are well-situated in these races. Elliott Morris points out that there is a considerable Dem advantage on enthusiasm. And if you dive down into the detail, you'll see that modeling assumptions are doing a lot of work here.
If we see the Dem enthusiasm that people are reporting, and that I think have been indicated in the special elections and other indicators, I think we're in good shape. It's a clichéd joke (up there with "crucial Waukesha County"), but we really are looking at a lot of races where it comes down to turnout.
-- TX: Wasserman: Beto may not be able to pull of the win, but he's likely to have positive impacts on downballot races, including some big House races. | Top GOP officials starting to contemplate possibility of Cruz losing, due to lack of likeability.** Odds & ends:
-- FL gov: St Pete Polls has Dem Gillum up 48-47 on GOPer DeSantis [MOE: +/- 2.1%]posted by Chrysostom at 8:07 PM on September 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
-- OK gov: GOP candidate Stitt has been revealed to be an anti-vaxxer.
Also, although I think the "here's our LIVE results!" aspect of the NYT/Siena project is pretty clickbaity-y, they've done a great job of detailing how it works and assumptions made, and what the outcome is under different voter models. The graphic design is also very impressive.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:08 PM on September 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:08 PM on September 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
What House Democrats could actually do is file a real, legitmate, not cosplaying, bill of impeachment against Kavanaugh for perjuring himself in Senate testimony. He's a sitting federal judge. He could be impeached, today. It would obviously be futile,
An alternative strategy is to just collect evidence of lies or improper behavior and let him get confirmed*. The next time a Dem president is elected (which, given Trump's abysmal approval ratings, will probably be 2020), use your evidence as the basis for their impeachment from SCOTUS. Then the Dem president gets to nominate a replacement. Playing nominee whack-a-mole with a hostile president doesn't really net you seats** in the long run. Impeaching SCOTUS justices when your party has the presidency does.
*without enough Senate seats to pull the McConnell maneuver, someone or another is going to get confirmed. Better it be someone you have enough dirt on that you can realistically impeach later.
**though, granted, torpedoing nominations does delay your opponent from controlling the seat for a while.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:20 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
An alternative strategy is to just collect evidence of lies or improper behavior and let him get confirmed*. The next time a Dem president is elected (which, given Trump's abysmal approval ratings, will probably be 2020), use your evidence as the basis for their impeachment from SCOTUS. Then the Dem president gets to nominate a replacement. Playing nominee whack-a-mole with a hostile president doesn't really net you seats** in the long run. Impeaching SCOTUS justices when your party has the presidency does.
*without enough Senate seats to pull the McConnell maneuver, someone or another is going to get confirmed. Better it be someone you have enough dirt on that you can realistically impeach later.
**though, granted, torpedoing nominations does delay your opponent from controlling the seat for a while.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:20 PM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Re: Tossups - I believe they tend to break one way in wave elections
Speaking of breaking one way in waves.
@NateSilver538
Underrated: How rarely incumbents lose when their party is having a good year overall.
In our Senate database, there are 5 years I'd consider wave elections (94, 2010 and 14 for R's; 2006 and 08 for D's). How did incumbents from the waving parties do? Undefeated. 54 for 54.
The logic here is that if you're an incumbent, you usually will have won election in tougher environment than you're facing now. e.g. all the Democratic Senate incumbents who are trying to get re-elected in a D+8 environment in 2018 already won races in a D+1 environment in 2012.
posted by chris24 at 8:24 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Speaking of breaking one way in waves.
@NateSilver538
Underrated: How rarely incumbents lose when their party is having a good year overall.
In our Senate database, there are 5 years I'd consider wave elections (94, 2010 and 14 for R's; 2006 and 08 for D's). How did incumbents from the waving parties do? Undefeated. 54 for 54.
The logic here is that if you're an incumbent, you usually will have won election in tougher environment than you're facing now. e.g. all the Democratic Senate incumbents who are trying to get re-elected in a D+8 environment in 2018 already won races in a D+1 environment in 2012.
posted by chris24 at 8:24 PM on September 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
use your evidence as the basis for their impeachment from SCOTUS
Which would require a non-trivial fraction of the Republican Senate caucus to vote to remove a conservative justice who would be replaced by a liberal one. Fact Check: No.
posted by Justinian at 8:25 PM on September 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Which would require a non-trivial fraction of the Republican Senate caucus to vote to remove a conservative justice who would be replaced by a liberal one. Fact Check: No.
posted by Justinian at 8:25 PM on September 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yeah, that stat was going around, and I think even in non-wave years, Senate incumbents from the out party won like 90% of the time.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:28 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:28 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
And yet there's Bill Nelson...
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:53 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:53 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Which would require a non-trivial fraction of the Republican Senate caucus to vote to remove a conservative justice who would be replaced by a liberal one. Fact Check: No.
Assuming a Democratic Senate and President in 2020, you simply offer the Republicans a choice: Vote to impeach Kavanaugh and let the president nominate a replacement, or the Dems pass legislation allowing said president to appoint two new justices to the Supreme Court.
In my fantasy, the Democrats actually have backbones and decide to use their powder instead of eternally keeping it dry.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 8:59 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Assuming a Democratic Senate and President in 2020, you simply offer the Republicans a choice: Vote to impeach Kavanaugh and let the president nominate a replacement, or the Dems pass legislation allowing said president to appoint two new justices to the Supreme Court.
In my fantasy, the Democrats actually have backbones and decide to use their powder instead of eternally keeping it dry.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 8:59 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
That legislation requires fewer Republican Senators but still more than a handful.
Unless the legislative filibuster were discarded obviously. But even Mitch McConnell hasn't been willing to do that and he's willing to do basically anything.
posted by Justinian at 9:05 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Unless the legislative filibuster were discarded obviously. But even Mitch McConnell hasn't been willing to do that and he's willing to do basically anything.
posted by Justinian at 9:05 PM on September 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
And Chuck Schumer preemptively promised never to get rid of the legislative filibuster in any circumstances regardless of how many Republicans sit on the Supreme Court. It'll be 7-2 with just Kagan and Sotomayor writing sad dissents in 100% of cases and Schumer and Patrick Leahy will still be clinging to bipartisan comity and the ghosts of Tip' & Ronnie.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:09 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:09 PM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
We should do what we can do TD Strange, but I think you'd agree that the real long-term solution is for people to get off their asses and vote. Half the damn country sits out even Presidential elections. And midterms... don't even talk to me about midterms.
Yes, yes, voter suppression, voter ID laws, etc etc. Those are evil. They are also a fraction of the number of non-voters. (Though locally the proportion can be high enough to make a big difference. I'm looking at you North Carolina, ie American South Africa.)
posted by Justinian at 9:12 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yes, yes, voter suppression, voter ID laws, etc etc. Those are evil. They are also a fraction of the number of non-voters. (Though locally the proportion can be high enough to make a big difference. I'm looking at you North Carolina, ie American South Africa.)
posted by Justinian at 9:12 PM on September 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
All I've ever wanted is for Democrats to act like they're playing the same game they've been losing to Republicans for 40 years. Bipartisanship has been dead since at least 1994. After Obamacare repeal, we got basically nothing from a once in a generation 60 seat majority, while they turned 52 seats into permanent judicial control and the ability to nullify all future elections. Fight. Back.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:15 PM on September 8, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:15 PM on September 8, 2018 [57 favorites]
Kavanaugh is a vat grown Republican.
David Brock I knew Brett Kavanaugh during his years as a Republican operative. Don't let him sit on the Supreme Court. (David Brock, NBC News)
David Brock I knew Brett Kavanaugh during his years as a Republican operative. Don't let him sit on the Supreme Court. (David Brock, NBC News)
Brett actually makes a cameo appearance in my memoir of my time in the GOP, "Blinded By The Right." I describe him at a party full of zealous young conservatives gathered to watch President Bill Clinton's 1998 State of the Union address — just weeks after the story of his affair with a White House intern had broken. When the TV camera panned to Hillary Clinton, I saw Brett — at the time a key lieutenant of Ken Starr, the independent counsel investigating various Clinton scandals — mouth the word "bitch."posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:21 PM on September 8, 2018 [53 favorites]
But there's a lot more to know about Kavanaugh than just his Pavlovian response to Hillary's image. Brett and I were part of a close circle of cold, cynical and ambitious hard-right operatives being groomed by GOP elders for much bigger roles in politics, government and media. And it’s those controversial associations that should give members of the Senate and the American public serious pause.
A fascinating 1 hr.: Taking Trump's corruption seriously Ezra Klein interviews Adam Davidson
posted by growabrain at 10:34 PM on September 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 10:34 PM on September 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
After Obamacare repeal, we got basically nothing from a once in a generation 60 seat majority
Obamacare isn't repealed. Millions are being kept alive by it. And the Window it moved plus the unsuccessful R attempts to kill it and the intentional damage that Trump has done to it will knock wood lead to Medicare For All.
And besides health care, Ds saved the economy, saved the auto industry, passed Dodd-Frank, repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell, and passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act.
Not bad for what was actually only 2 months of a 60 vote majority thanks to recounts, deaths, special elections, etc. And they did it knowing it would probably kill them in midterms which it did.
posted by chris24 at 12:16 AM on September 9, 2018 [53 favorites]
Obamacare isn't repealed. Millions are being kept alive by it. And the Window it moved plus the unsuccessful R attempts to kill it and the intentional damage that Trump has done to it will knock wood lead to Medicare For All.
And besides health care, Ds saved the economy, saved the auto industry, passed Dodd-Frank, repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell, and passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act.
Not bad for what was actually only 2 months of a 60 vote majority thanks to recounts, deaths, special elections, etc. And they did it knowing it would probably kill them in midterms which it did.
posted by chris24 at 12:16 AM on September 9, 2018 [53 favorites]
And they did it knowing it would probably kill them in midterms which it did.
Democrats pass most ambitious healthcare ever and a third of their electorate evaporates into thin air in the next election. Shit, I fucking wonder why Democrats are gun shy about single payer.
This country doesn’t deserve Democratic Socialism.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:32 AM on September 9, 2018 [36 favorites]
Democrats pass most ambitious healthcare ever and a third of their electorate evaporates into thin air in the next election. Shit, I fucking wonder why Democrats are gun shy about single payer.
This country doesn’t deserve Democratic Socialism.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 12:32 AM on September 9, 2018 [36 favorites]
Democrats pass most ambitious healthcare ever and a third of their electorate evaporates into thin air in the next election. Shit, I fucking wonder why Democrats are gun shy about single payer.
This is what is so confusing to look at from the outside.
David Brock I knew Brett Kavanaugh during his years as a Republican operative. Don't let him sit on the Supreme Court. (David Brock, NBC News)
Read this! It's short and fresh and scary. If anyone was in doubt, Kavanaugh is a right-wing zealot who thinks the purpose justifies any method.
That picture of him with the girls he coaches was a scary reminder of how they raise younger people to be like themselves. Yes, the kids are white and privileged, but they don't have to be brought up to be Republican Christianists. At my new job I teach young, white and privileged people, and they are curious and want to learn.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 AM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
This is what is so confusing to look at from the outside.
David Brock I knew Brett Kavanaugh during his years as a Republican operative. Don't let him sit on the Supreme Court. (David Brock, NBC News)
Read this! It's short and fresh and scary. If anyone was in doubt, Kavanaugh is a right-wing zealot who thinks the purpose justifies any method.
That picture of him with the girls he coaches was a scary reminder of how they raise younger people to be like themselves. Yes, the kids are white and privileged, but they don't have to be brought up to be Republican Christianists. At my new job I teach young, white and privileged people, and they are curious and want to learn.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 AM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
Obamacare isn't repealed. Millions are being kept alive by it
Right now we're basically depending on John Roberts to save Obamacare from the next round of court challenges in the wake of zeroing the mandate penalty. I'm not exactly thrilled with that position but here we are. Will he hold firm or use the zeroing of the mandate penalty as justification for upholding the new challenges? And if he does, will he find the entire law unconstitutional or just the mandate?
I have no idea. Most legal analysts I've heard don't find the new arguments persuasive... but they thought the last round of challenges were ridiculous and those came within a hair's breadth of scuttling Obamacare in its entirety.
posted by Justinian at 12:51 AM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
Right now we're basically depending on John Roberts to save Obamacare from the next round of court challenges in the wake of zeroing the mandate penalty. I'm not exactly thrilled with that position but here we are. Will he hold firm or use the zeroing of the mandate penalty as justification for upholding the new challenges? And if he does, will he find the entire law unconstitutional or just the mandate?
I have no idea. Most legal analysts I've heard don't find the new arguments persuasive... but they thought the last round of challenges were ridiculous and those came within a hair's breadth of scuttling Obamacare in its entirety.
posted by Justinian at 12:51 AM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
This country doesn’t deserve Democratic Socialism.
The only people served by this kind of talk are the ones making the poor die in the gutter and putting babies in secret prisons. Frustration at low Democratic midterm voter turnout eight years ago does not merit it.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:38 AM on September 9, 2018 [54 favorites]
The only people served by this kind of talk are the ones making the poor die in the gutter and putting babies in secret prisons. Frustration at low Democratic midterm voter turnout eight years ago does not merit it.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:38 AM on September 9, 2018 [54 favorites]
Love this idea. Keep investigating him and gather hopefully more evidence of perjury, etc., and try to impeach him, or if not him, the reputation of the Roberts court. Or it's rationale to expand the court.
JonathanWeisman (NYT)
“All of the relevant documents will eventually become public and we may well end up having a much clearer record,” said Sen. Chris Coons. “And at that point, Judge Kavanaugh will most likely be serving as a justice of the Supreme Court.”
Brian Beutler (Crooked)
Retweeted JonathanWeisman
This is a good tack for Democrats: If Republicans confirm Kavanaugh on a party line vote, after what we've learned from a tiny fragment of his public service record, Democrats should resume the vetting process the moment they control either chamber.
posted by chris24 at 7:08 AM on September 9, 2018 [24 favorites]
JonathanWeisman (NYT)
“All of the relevant documents will eventually become public and we may well end up having a much clearer record,” said Sen. Chris Coons. “And at that point, Judge Kavanaugh will most likely be serving as a justice of the Supreme Court.”
Brian Beutler (Crooked)
Retweeted JonathanWeisman
This is a good tack for Democrats: If Republicans confirm Kavanaugh on a party line vote, after what we've learned from a tiny fragment of his public service record, Democrats should resume the vetting process the moment they control either chamber.
posted by chris24 at 7:08 AM on September 9, 2018 [24 favorites]
If Republicans confirm Kavanaugh on a party line vote
There's the rub, it won't be on party lines. He's going to get at minimum 1 and likely up to 4 traitor Democrats. All future attempts to do anything about future revelations will be hindered by that label "confirmed with a bipartisan consensus".
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:14 AM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
There's the rub, it won't be on party lines. He's going to get at minimum 1 and likely up to 4 traitor Democrats. All future attempts to do anything about future revelations will be hindered by that label "confirmed with a bipartisan consensus".
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:14 AM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
All future attempts to do anything about future revelations will be hindered by that label "confirmed with a bipartisan consensus".
Fuck that. Rs constantly rail about Bork and 6 Rs voted him down. We need to quit worrying about whether an argument is perfect or what Rs will say and just endlessly push the reality of the situation; he's a perjured partisan hack who needs to go.
posted by chris24 at 7:17 AM on September 9, 2018 [60 favorites]
Fuck that. Rs constantly rail about Bork and 6 Rs voted him down. We need to quit worrying about whether an argument is perfect or what Rs will say and just endlessly push the reality of the situation; he's a perjured partisan hack who needs to go.
posted by chris24 at 7:17 AM on September 9, 2018 [60 favorites]
And if some Ds vote for him and we later find definite evidence of perjury or other lies, corruption, etc., it gives them an excuse for why they're now voting him out.
"I trusted Kavanagh and Rs that his record and statements were honest and what they claimed. Based on this new evidence, I would not have voted for him and will now vote to impeach him."
posted by chris24 at 7:27 AM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
"I trusted Kavanagh and Rs that his record and statements were honest and what they claimed. Based on this new evidence, I would not have voted for him and will now vote to impeach him."
posted by chris24 at 7:27 AM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
That’s assuming actual buyers remorse from Manchin et al. Given that there’s unlikeky to be a single awful thing Kavanaugh wants to do that Manchin actually opposes that seems unlikely.
posted by Artw at 7:56 AM on September 9, 2018
posted by Artw at 7:56 AM on September 9, 2018
Manchin voted for Obamacare and voted against repealing it. He's running in large part right now on healthcare and that's why he's leading. Kavanagh will vote to destroy it.
posted by chris24 at 7:58 AM on September 9, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 7:58 AM on September 9, 2018 [14 favorites]
And he will vote for Kavanagh, destroying the one non-R thing he allegedly cares about. Honestly, I do not understand the fanboyism for a dude who is a straightline R voter except under extreme duress. It’s the worst centrist trait after McCain worship.
posted by Artw at 8:03 AM on September 9, 2018
posted by Artw at 8:03 AM on September 9, 2018
I know this is low-probability and probably a result of failing to limit my exposure to demented funhouse prognostication, but if Kavanaugh does suffer a scandal that breaks only after his elevation to the Court, and Roberts and the solidifying right-wing of the Court feel it threatens their long-term gameplan, I could see Kavanaugh stepping down in a show of faux-martyrdom, to go into national politics instead. He's already such a political creature.
And then Trump can put on an equally sanctimonious show of selecting someone just as radical, but with more subtlety and less baggage.
It would have to happen pretty quick, but I don't think it's impossible.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:06 AM on September 9, 2018
And then Trump can put on an equally sanctimonious show of selecting someone just as radical, but with more subtlety and less baggage.
It would have to happen pretty quick, but I don't think it's impossible.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:06 AM on September 9, 2018
I'm not a Manchin fanboy. I was giving an example contrary to your hypothetical. I do think Manchin is much better than an R, which is basically the other option in WV. I also think centrist as an insult is tired, especially when it's not accurate.
posted by chris24 at 8:06 AM on September 9, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:06 AM on September 9, 2018 [15 favorites]
Sen. Ben Sasse said he thinks about leaving the GOP ‘every morning’
And by noon he thinks about his money and power.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:09 AM on September 9, 2018 [47 favorites]
And by noon he thinks about his money and power.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:09 AM on September 9, 2018 [47 favorites]
I want credit for something I will never do, says Sasse.
posted by chris24 at 8:09 AM on September 9, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:09 AM on September 9, 2018 [57 favorites]
"Manchin will inevitably stab us in the back even if he hasn't the last few times" isn't really adding anything new to the conversation. Honestly neither is most of the speculating about Kavanaugh getting votes, barring new information. Kavanaugh is clearly horrid. Call your senator.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:18 AM on September 9, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 8:18 AM on September 9, 2018 [18 favorites]
Just finished writing a long letter to my Senator and Resistbot says it's too long! I don't think I want to pare it down- can anyone recommend a different service that will fax/send my letter?
posted by robotdevil at 8:40 AM on September 9, 2018
posted by robotdevil at 8:40 AM on September 9, 2018
Faxzero's free service for faxing senators is my preferred service.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:44 AM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:44 AM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
I think it's right that if you do want to/have the ability to lean on Manchin to do the right thing healthcare might be the lever to do it with, assuming you can get an acknowledgement that Kavanagh will act against it: Manchin Counts on Health Care to Stave Off Republican Tide in West Virginia
posted by Artw at 9:03 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:03 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
robotdevil, Resistbot chokes if you paste a lot of text into one message. Split your letter into one- or two-sentence chunks.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:04 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:04 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
Dallas / Fort Worth Airport WiFi Connections
posted by growabrain at 10:03 AM on September 9, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 10:03 AM on September 9, 2018 [23 favorites]
Bill Nelson commercial update:
Finally saw a commercial FOR Nelson two days ago. He advertises himself as one of the most independent senators. Does he really think Republican voters will choose him over Rick Scott?
Why isn't he motivating the Democratic base?
Still losing.
posted by wittgenstein at 10:16 AM on September 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
Finally saw a commercial FOR Nelson two days ago. He advertises himself as one of the most independent senators. Does he really think Republican voters will choose him over Rick Scott?
Why isn't he motivating the Democratic base?
Still losing.
posted by wittgenstein at 10:16 AM on September 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
Why isn't he motivating the Democratic base?
Because when Nelson was born there were still thousands of living Civil War veterans and synthetic rubber hadn't yet been invented. Crypt Keepers in suits don't motivate the Democratic base.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:37 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
Because when Nelson was born there were still thousands of living Civil War veterans and synthetic rubber hadn't yet been invented. Crypt Keepers in suits don't motivate the Democratic base.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:37 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
I giggled, but being born in 1942 means being scarcely older the Boomers. Bernie was born in '41.
The average Senator is 62 years old.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:44 AM on September 9, 2018
The average Senator is 62 years old.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:44 AM on September 9, 2018
The average Senator is 62 years old.
And even that's pushing it. The last few years have convinced me that all Democratic senators over 70 are hopelessly out-of-touch. Schumer's an honorary septuagenarian at 67.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
And even that's pushing it. The last few years have convinced me that all Democratic senators over 70 are hopelessly out-of-touch. Schumer's an honorary septuagenarian at 67.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
That's one thing that's hopefully in this political hellworld - the possibility that any coming wave election will deepen the political bench for Dems beyond the living dead.
posted by Artw at 10:58 AM on September 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:58 AM on September 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
From the article linked by ArtW (NYTimes):
Way back, during the decade before Brazil elected Lula, thousands of activists went out to educate people, and to include them in participatory decision-making. Maybe that is what America needs today.
posted by mumimor at 10:59 AM on September 9, 2018 [34 favorites]
In fact, West Virginians covered under the Medicaid expansion don’t always believe they are benefiting from the law. They simply know they became eligible for a “medical card” entitling them to government benefits, which many neighbors and family members already had under more restricted programs.There are so many things to say about this, and then again, I'm left speechless.
David Johnson, 57, worked in a sawmill for decades, with two mangled fingers to show for it. In 2009, his employer canceled his insurance benefits, he said, and when he sought a policy on the open market the premiums were $1,700. He blames the Affordable Care Act, even though the law was not yet enacted.
At the Cabin Creek Health Center in Dawes, Mr. Johnson brought a letter from the state on Wednesday entitling him and his wife to Medicaid under the expansion, which they qualified for as low-income adults without dependent children. But he did not connect his benefits to the Affordable Care Act.
He plans to vote for Mr. Morrisey. “My dad would roll over in his grave to think I’d vote Republican,” he said.
Way back, during the decade before Brazil elected Lula, thousands of activists went out to educate people, and to include them in participatory decision-making. Maybe that is what America needs today.
posted by mumimor at 10:59 AM on September 9, 2018 [34 favorites]
U.S. energy secretary to visit Moscow September 11-13: Russian media
Rick Perry checking on the strategic treason reserves over 9/11.
posted by Artw at 11:02 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
Rick Perry checking on the strategic treason reserves over 9/11.
posted by Artw at 11:02 AM on September 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
Way back, during the decade before Brazil elected Lula, thousands of activists went out to educate people, and to include them in participatory decision-making. Maybe that is what America needs today.
I mean, yeah, so cut down all the "ACA" Obamacare or whatever lightning rod term they're probably used to hearing and talking about, and just talk about the cards. There's much less need for them to be taught the naming conventions of politicians than to vote for their cards. It's in the actual words they're already using!
posted by rhizome at 11:05 AM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
I mean, yeah, so cut down all the "ACA" Obamacare or whatever lightning rod term they're probably used to hearing and talking about, and just talk about the cards. There's much less need for them to be taught the naming conventions of politicians than to vote for their cards. It's in the actual words they're already using!
posted by rhizome at 11:05 AM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
RNC asks court to keep recount plan for 2020 secret
Last week, RNC lawyers asked a federal judge in New Jersey to order that the so-called "recount memo" drafted in 2016 be kept under wraps until after the 2020 election because of the role it could play in that contest. [...] A transcript of a phone conference held in the case last year indicates the memo involves designation of particular counties as "high risk" or "medium risk" during a potential recount. Democratic Party lawyers said the selection of those counties raised the specter of the race-focused efforts the RNC agreed to abandon more than three decades ago.
seems fine
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:07 AM on September 9, 2018 [17 favorites]
Last week, RNC lawyers asked a federal judge in New Jersey to order that the so-called "recount memo" drafted in 2016 be kept under wraps until after the 2020 election because of the role it could play in that contest. [...] A transcript of a phone conference held in the case last year indicates the memo involves designation of particular counties as "high risk" or "medium risk" during a potential recount. Democratic Party lawyers said the selection of those counties raised the specter of the race-focused efforts the RNC agreed to abandon more than three decades ago.
seems fine
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:07 AM on September 9, 2018 [17 favorites]
I mean, yeah, so cut down all the "ACA" Obamacare or whatever lightning rod term they're probably used to hearing and talking about, and just talk about the cards.
...present it as welfare for whites...
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on September 9, 2018
...present it as welfare for whites...
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on September 9, 2018
There are so many things to say about this, and then again, I'm left speechless.
I don't know if WV was one of them, but some states like Kentucky actively tried to separate the Medicaid expansion from Obamacare because that was the only way people would sign up for it.
Also, humans are idiots who care more about winning and losing than they care about their own welfare.
posted by Anonymous at 11:13 AM on September 9, 2018
I don't know if WV was one of them, but some states like Kentucky actively tried to separate the Medicaid expansion from Obamacare because that was the only way people would sign up for it.
Also, humans are idiots who care more about winning and losing than they care about their own welfare.
posted by Anonymous at 11:13 AM on September 9, 2018
> Artw:
"...present it as welfare for whites..."
This is exactly what I'm talking about: it doesn't need a new Punchy Name! If people are saying, "I like my medical card," THEN IT'S A MEDICAL CARD NOW. Call it a medical card. "Medical cards for all!" on pickets, "If you like your medical card, vote Manchin." Product names for politics and snappy slogans are no match for connecting with people in their own language. I hope.
posted by rhizome at 11:19 AM on September 9, 2018 [36 favorites]
"...present it as welfare for whites..."
This is exactly what I'm talking about: it doesn't need a new Punchy Name! If people are saying, "I like my medical card," THEN IT'S A MEDICAL CARD NOW. Call it a medical card. "Medical cards for all!" on pickets, "If you like your medical card, vote Manchin." Product names for politics and snappy slogans are no match for connecting with people in their own language. I hope.
posted by rhizome at 11:19 AM on September 9, 2018 [36 favorites]
The problem being that if you match far enough down that road it’s veru hard to connect “voting for the judge who doesn’t like women and black people” back to “you’re not going to get your ‘medical card’ anymore” because you’ve kicked the foundations of reality out from everything in the name of expediency.
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on September 9, 2018
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on September 9, 2018
The Senate's unrepresentative age distribution is an issue, but there are are lots of old people who would make great senators. The heart of the problem isn't how many years they've been around, it's what they've spent those years doing. Which in the case of a healthy majority of actually-existing Senate Democrats is "hanging out with rich and powerful people, working out how to protect their interests and assuring them that we'll continue to protect their interests."
A lot of these folks aren't interested in motivating the Democratic base because the Democratic base is who they're trying to protect their constituency from. Which is actually fine IMO -- we're all better off keeping a healthy distance from the illusion of "leadership" anyway -- but it does become a weensy bit problematic in the context of a close-fought election where the alternative is open fascism, yet our ostensible representatives (referring to folks like Donnelly in IN and Nelson in FL) still can't bear the thought of fighting on our side.
posted by shenderson at 11:38 AM on September 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
A lot of these folks aren't interested in motivating the Democratic base because the Democratic base is who they're trying to protect their constituency from. Which is actually fine IMO -- we're all better off keeping a healthy distance from the illusion of "leadership" anyway -- but it does become a weensy bit problematic in the context of a close-fought election where the alternative is open fascism, yet our ostensible representatives (referring to folks like Donnelly in IN and Nelson in FL) still can't bear the thought of fighting on our side.
posted by shenderson at 11:38 AM on September 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
The whole point of calling it Obamacare was to get just this result. People rejecting something they'd normally support. You don't have to argue why someone should oppose a program if you can just say it's named for the guy you don't like. It's stupid and cheap and cynical. But it did work.
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:43 AM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:43 AM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
Twitter: The President of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has written a letter to Senator Murkowski on behalf of those Tribes asking her to vote NO on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
posted by Rumple at 11:46 AM on September 9, 2018 [69 favorites]
posted by Rumple at 11:46 AM on September 9, 2018 [69 favorites]
You don't have to argue why someone should oppose a program if you can just say it's named for the guy you don't like.
Right, and by the same token (I think) you can more easily argue why someone should support a program if you call it the name that they do like.
posted by rhizome at 11:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Right, and by the same token (I think) you can more easily argue why someone should support a program if you call it the name that they do like.
posted by rhizome at 11:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is exactly what I'm talking about: it doesn't need a new Punchy Name! If people are saying, "I like my medical card," THEN IT'S A MEDICAL CARD NOW.
This feels like it's missing the point. The problem with this person not realizing it was the ACA helping them is not that the it's a tragedy that they're not using the branding it was presented as. The problem is that it's yet another case where white folks can benefit from an important government assistance program while believing they do not, which is what allows them to then vilify those programs and support those will will dismantle them.
So yeah, we can try e.g. "don't vote for [GOP Candidate] because he wants to take your medical card away", but if the person receiving this benefit doesn't get that the ACA (a.k.a. "Obamacare", which they seethe at daily listening to Rush and his imitators) is actually what's keeping them alive , the likelihood that they will ever connect the GOP's actions to when they lose their healthcare is roughly 0%.
posted by tocts at 11:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
This feels like it's missing the point. The problem with this person not realizing it was the ACA helping them is not that the it's a tragedy that they're not using the branding it was presented as. The problem is that it's yet another case where white folks can benefit from an important government assistance program while believing they do not, which is what allows them to then vilify those programs and support those will will dismantle them.
So yeah, we can try e.g. "don't vote for [GOP Candidate] because he wants to take your medical card away", but if the person receiving this benefit doesn't get that the ACA (a.k.a. "Obamacare", which they seethe at daily listening to Rush and his imitators) is actually what's keeping them alive , the likelihood that they will ever connect the GOP's actions to when they lose their healthcare is roughly 0%.
posted by tocts at 11:48 AM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
the likelihood that they will ever connect the GOP's actions to when they lose their healthcare is roughly 0%.
I think this is going too far. I don't think it's quite as important for "Obamacare" to be the battlefield because care proponents can just ignore it and change their terminology just like the GOP did in coming up with "Obamacare".
I also think you've imposed a multilayer set of meanings that the voter would have to understand in order to hurt the GOP. I think this "medical card" distinction is a gift, and proponents can now start building on that understanding, shorn of GOP BS.
tl;dr: Medical care is more important than sticking it to your opponents.
posted by rhizome at 11:54 AM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think this is going too far. I don't think it's quite as important for "Obamacare" to be the battlefield because care proponents can just ignore it and change their terminology just like the GOP did in coming up with "Obamacare".
I also think you've imposed a multilayer set of meanings that the voter would have to understand in order to hurt the GOP. I think this "medical card" distinction is a gift, and proponents can now start building on that understanding, shorn of GOP BS.
tl;dr: Medical care is more important than sticking it to your opponents.
posted by rhizome at 11:54 AM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
A lot of these folks aren't interested in motivating the Democratic base because the Democratic base is who they're trying to protect their constituency from.
I guess 18-21-year-olds are old rich white men, because right now across the country DNC organizations are trying to motivate them to come out.
posted by Anonymous at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2018
I guess 18-21-year-olds are old rich white men, because right now across the country DNC organizations are trying to motivate them to come out.
posted by Anonymous at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2018
tl;dr: Medical care is more important than sticking it to your opponents.
Again, you're missing the point. It's not about sticking it to opponents. Very simply, white folks who benefit from the ACA but think "Obamacare" is an awful law they never benefited from will vote for those pledged to destroy the ACA, no matter how you try to point it out. They will not listen to any appeals about how they'll lose their "medical card", because they know their guy has never said he'd take that away, he's only ever talked about getting rid of that awful "Obamacare", which is of course only for those people.
tl;dr: Medical care is more important than the pride of white folks who don't want to be viewed as having taken a handout (and one from a black person, no less!)
posted by tocts at 12:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [21 favorites]
Again, you're missing the point. It's not about sticking it to opponents. Very simply, white folks who benefit from the ACA but think "Obamacare" is an awful law they never benefited from will vote for those pledged to destroy the ACA, no matter how you try to point it out. They will not listen to any appeals about how they'll lose their "medical card", because they know their guy has never said he'd take that away, he's only ever talked about getting rid of that awful "Obamacare", which is of course only for those people.
tl;dr: Medical care is more important than the pride of white folks who don't want to be viewed as having taken a handout (and one from a black person, no less!)
posted by tocts at 12:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [21 favorites]
I'm watching the results of the MN-08 polling (Duluth, Grand Rapids, etc) and the results are the opposite of what I'd usually expect. The older voters are tilting Democratic while the 18-44 set is heavily Republican. Anybody have a clue what that's about? Why would young people in this area be so conservative?
posted by Justinian at 12:16 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:16 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Why would young people in this area be so conservative?
What's the membership in FFA like there?
posted by rhizome at 12:20 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
What's the membership in FFA like there?
posted by rhizome at 12:20 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
No idea. Maybe the kiddos are just big Red Wings fans? Stauber played with the Wings IIRC.
posted by Justinian at 12:21 PM on September 9, 2018
posted by Justinian at 12:21 PM on September 9, 2018
Omarosa: WH Staffers Used #TFA As Shorthand For 25th Amendment
posted by kirkaracha at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
Trump administration officials often used the hashtag #TFA with each other as a shorthand for the 25th Amendment, former staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman said Sunday. That lends some credence to the anonymous New York Times op-ed writer — a “senior” Trump administration official, the paper said — who claimed “there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president.”#TFA #ITMFA
posted by kirkaracha at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2018 [12 favorites]
The President of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has written a letter to Senator Murkowski on behalf of those Tribes asking her to vote NO on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.Hot damn.. I don't know whether it'll do any good but it's a lot more likely to be listened to than my own objection, filed at Murkowski's local office on Friday. I was rather depressed about it, actually -- usually I have a polite interaction with the Senators' local staffer (both Alaska senators share one office in my town, for convenient one-stop shopping..) but this time around there was noticeably less cordiality extended by the staffer. I had a hard time deciding whether that person was simply having a bad day, whether they are growing more hostile towards opposing views, or whether the mask is slipping and our legislators are abandoning even the pretense of being interested in constituent disagreement, but in any case I left feeling even less heard than usual. Hearing that an organization who represents a bloc too large for Murkowski to ignore and on whose political support she has depended in the past is speaking is encouraging.
Nobody expects or even pretends to expect anything but the party line from Sullivan, though; he's basically a sock full of talking points. If Alaska currently had a Republican governor I think Sullivan would have been picked for a cabinet post by now -- he's the perfect combination of bland white-guy looks, good hair, and straight party-line positions.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:32 PM on September 9, 2018 [18 favorites]
I'm watching the results of the MN-08 polling (Duluth, Grand Rapids, etc) and the results are the opposite of what I'd usually expect. The older voters are tilting Democratic while the 18-44 set is heavily Republican. Anybody have a clue what that's about? Why would young people in this area be so conservative?
The unions are gone. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) benefited from heavy unionization on the iron range that is no longer present. It's a mostly rural area with underlying demographics that would usually skew R. The influx of refugees and economic migrants from the Chicago area have made people think about social safety net issues in terms of race. Younger hunters are concerned about their guns. Minnesota had its own health care safety net prior to ACA, so the drop in uninsured wasn't as dramatic as it was elsewhere.
posted by Emmy Noether at 12:39 PM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
The unions are gone. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) benefited from heavy unionization on the iron range that is no longer present. It's a mostly rural area with underlying demographics that would usually skew R. The influx of refugees and economic migrants from the Chicago area have made people think about social safety net issues in terms of race. Younger hunters are concerned about their guns. Minnesota had its own health care safety net prior to ACA, so the drop in uninsured wasn't as dramatic as it was elsewhere.
posted by Emmy Noether at 12:39 PM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
If it's anything like PA, they're all white. About a third of registered voters aged 18-21 are registered Republicans, and 99% of them are white. If you take out the white voters the PA under-30 are bright blue, but you add the white voters back in and, well.
posted by Anonymous at 12:56 PM on September 9, 2018
posted by Anonymous at 12:56 PM on September 9, 2018
> The older voters are tilting Democratic while the 18-44 set is heavily Republican. Anybody have a clue what that's about?
Very few young people have landlines, most that do live in rural areas that don't have cell-phone service. That can produce odd results.
If you're following the NYT's live-while-you-watch polling thingie, do they report landline results before cell-phones or something?
posted by nangar at 1:00 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Very few young people have landlines, most that do live in rural areas that don't have cell-phone service. That can produce odd results.
If you're following the NYT's live-while-you-watch polling thingie, do they report landline results before cell-phones or something?
posted by nangar at 1:00 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hey, it's only... uh... 95% white.
White college grads are going Radinovich (D) pretty strongly. It's just that they are only 30% of the electorate in MN-08. 66% are white non-college grads which are breaking Stauber (R).
nangar - I don't believe so. They report both. I think Emmy must have it; the older set are legacy ex-DFL union types while the young uns don't have that background. This is backed up by the Iron Range going for Radinovich 49-43 even though its rural while the other rural areas are going like 50-35 for Stauber. You'd expect more ex-union types up in the Iron Range.
posted by Justinian at 1:04 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
White college grads are going Radinovich (D) pretty strongly. It's just that they are only 30% of the electorate in MN-08. 66% are white non-college grads which are breaking Stauber (R).
nangar - I don't believe so. They report both. I think Emmy must have it; the older set are legacy ex-DFL union types while the young uns don't have that background. This is backed up by the Iron Range going for Radinovich 49-43 even though its rural while the other rural areas are going like 50-35 for Stauber. You'd expect more ex-union types up in the Iron Range.
posted by Justinian at 1:04 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
My sister's virginia district is getting polled next! I have contacted her to make sure she answers her phone! She was... less than thrilled with my enthusiasm.
I will contact her again later to make sure. And maybe again tonight.
posted by Justinian at 1:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
I will contact her again later to make sure. And maybe again tonight.
posted by Justinian at 1:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
We will have to poll her ourselves to get a rating for the JPITAL. I’m predicting “high/big.”
posted by phearlez at 1:28 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 1:28 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Have We Ever Had a Trump Before? Jon Meacham looked at critical moments in American history and how they relate to today at the 18th annual National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. (Youtube 54 min, 9/1/18)
posted by growabrain at 2:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 2:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Stop Talking About the 25th Amendment. It Won’t Work on Trump
During hearings in 1964 and 1965, members of Congress debated what constituted “inability” in Sections 3 and 4. Some, such as Representative Richard Poff of Virginia, suggested that Section 4 should be used when the president was simply “unable or unwilling to make any rational decision.” But the burden of the congressional commentary was to conclude, as Feerick wrote, that “unpopularity, incompetence, impeachable conduct, poor judgment, and laziness [did] not constitute an ‘inability’ within the meanings of the amendment.”posted by kirkaracha at 2:51 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
...
The legislative debate over the amendment and the prevailing interpretations of its meanings suggest that, despite its vagueness, it doesn’t apply to someone like Trump. Trump has an extreme personality, with many negative qualities—as the Times' op-ed writer notes, he is “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.” Some might judge him to be a grandiose narcissist or even a pathological liar. But having a personality disorder or even certain forms of mental illness doesn’t necessarily render a president unfit to govern (Lincoln suffered from depression). And in fact, Trump is not “unable” to serve as president, as would be required to invoke the 25th Amendment. He is actually a high-achieving, high-functioning person who has excelled in business, entertainment and now politics. He hasn’t suffered from a crippling stroke, a psychotic break or dementia. He is, we would argue, temperamentally unsuited to be president—but that is a reason to vote against him, not to resort to a never-used clause in a constitutional amendment.
kirkaracha: "He is actually a high-achieving, high-functioning person who has excelled in business"
... for values of 'excelling' that include 'having casinos go bankrupt'.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:57 PM on September 9, 2018 [35 favorites]
... for values of 'excelling' that include 'having casinos go bankrupt'.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:57 PM on September 9, 2018 [35 favorites]
The problem with the 25th Amendment isn't, to my mind, that it would precipitate a crisis but that it won't work. If you have the votes to sustain the removal of the President via the 25th Amendment (as Trump would surely challenge his removal) then you have the votes to impeach him. The 25th is harder, not easier, than impeachment.
posted by Justinian at 3:02 PM on September 9, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:02 PM on September 9, 2018 [13 favorites]
I know he had extensive conduct issues, but is there anything that would lead us to believe that Dr. Jackson's assessment of the president's mental acuity was incorrect? Most of the theories as to why he is unfit mentally fit his prior business successes into a narrative of decline.
posted by Selena777 at 3:02 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Selena777 at 3:02 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm a voter in the MN 08 district. I'm a transplant here from Ohio, and having lived in rural Ohio for many years I can say that this district feels like home. I'm not surprised at all to hear that it's trumpy out beyond the blue bubble of Duluth. An anecdote that may help put things in perspective: last cycle, there was a period of a couple of weeks where *both* candidates had a TV commercial that featured them splitting wood. These ads ran at the same time and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they were conceived indepently, without knowledge of the other campaign's ad. That image just plays really strongly up here.
The other big issue in our district, which was mentioned above, is copper sulfide mining in the boundary Waters national wilderness. A lot of folks identify very strongly with mining around here. To the point of yard signs reading, starkly, "we support mining". The policy platforms break across party lines, as expected, but I think a lot of folks who would otherwise tend Democratic will vote to expand mining.
posted by dbx at 3:09 PM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
The other big issue in our district, which was mentioned above, is copper sulfide mining in the boundary Waters national wilderness. A lot of folks identify very strongly with mining around here. To the point of yard signs reading, starkly, "we support mining". The policy platforms break across party lines, as expected, but I think a lot of folks who would otherwise tend Democratic will vote to expand mining.
posted by dbx at 3:09 PM on September 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
MN-08 finished its poll, final result Radinovich 44%, Stauber 43% MOE 4.6.
posted by Justinian at 4:03 PM on September 9, 2018
posted by Justinian at 4:03 PM on September 9, 2018
Mod note: It's helpful to put Ds and Rs after names, especially when talking about state races, because the cast of characters of this omnishambles is so gigantic that most of us can't keep track of EVERY politician's alignment, let alone candidates!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:15 PM on September 9, 2018 [45 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:15 PM on September 9, 2018 [45 favorites]
Axios, Trump expected to declassify Carter Page and Bruce Ohr documents
posted by zachlipton at 4:17 PM on September 9, 2018 [17 favorites]
President Trump is expected to declassify, as early as this week, documents covering the U.S. government's surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and the investigative activities of senior Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr, according to allies of the president.Oh good. Another round of "wave around some documents and insist there's a scandal in them, because if Hannity repeats it, people will believe it."
The big picture: Republicans on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees believe the declassification will permanently taint the Trump-Russia investigation by showing the investigation was illegitimate to begin with. Trump has been hammering the same theme for months.
posted by zachlipton at 4:17 PM on September 9, 2018 [17 favorites]
MN-08 went 54-39 Trump, FYI.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:24 PM on September 9, 2018
posted by Chrysostom at 4:24 PM on September 9, 2018
Justinian: "No idea. Maybe the kiddos are just big Red Wings fans? Stauber played with the Wings IIRC."
FWIW, he spent four years in the Red Wings organization, but never reached the NHL.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:25 PM on September 9, 2018
FWIW, he spent four years in the Red Wings organization, but never reached the NHL.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:25 PM on September 9, 2018
kirkaracha: "He is actually a high-achieving, high-functioning person who has excelled in business"
... for values of 'excelling' that include 'having casinos go bankrupt'.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:57 AM on September 10 [12 favorites +] [!]
Forgive me for getting a little yelly, but no. No, if we're focusing on what he is, he's a professional millionaire conman, complete with all the money laundering, mobsterism, and being a traitor that requires. He is an asshole, the rich kind, which is the worst kind, and he is not unique.
The blatant lies, the repetition, the nicknames, the coverups, women, shameless tackiness (or corresponding meticulous fashion sense), cronies, sloppiness, and denials are all part of a tookit that spreads across time, nations, and politics. The word for it is thug. He is a f**king thug. He is someone who bluffs through life on charisma and threats, a vampire who feeds on fear, and if you've ever thought your friends are suckers and/or idolized the rich for knowing something we don't, guess what? You can stop, because that corner card sharp or subway station psychic is now the president. We are all the same.
MN-08 went 54-39 Trump, FYI.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:24 AM on September 10 [+] [!]
My grandparents are from there, and fouling the Boundary Waters will turn this district bluer than metafilter if the D's play it right. I don't know where the lever for that is, but I happen to come from a line of seniors who have never voted R and would burn down every ice house on Mille Lacs before they let the bass get toxic. My grandparents live in the woods, off the land, and like it. I hope to the gods the damage to the ecosystem and pollution is worth allowing mining there to resume, such that Minnesota stays blue forever. I hope against hope the R's messed with the wrong state by ruining that pristine patch of paradise, and that swift action is taken to clean it up and shut down the new iron mines. Assholes.
posted by saysthis at 4:43 PM on September 9, 2018 [28 favorites]
... for values of 'excelling' that include 'having casinos go bankrupt'.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:57 AM on September 10 [12 favorites +] [!]
Forgive me for getting a little yelly, but no. No, if we're focusing on what he is, he's a professional millionaire conman, complete with all the money laundering, mobsterism, and being a traitor that requires. He is an asshole, the rich kind, which is the worst kind, and he is not unique.
The blatant lies, the repetition, the nicknames, the coverups, women, shameless tackiness (or corresponding meticulous fashion sense), cronies, sloppiness, and denials are all part of a tookit that spreads across time, nations, and politics. The word for it is thug. He is a f**king thug. He is someone who bluffs through life on charisma and threats, a vampire who feeds on fear, and if you've ever thought your friends are suckers and/or idolized the rich for knowing something we don't, guess what? You can stop, because that corner card sharp or subway station psychic is now the president. We are all the same.
MN-08 went 54-39 Trump, FYI.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:24 AM on September 10 [+] [!]
My grandparents are from there, and fouling the Boundary Waters will turn this district bluer than metafilter if the D's play it right. I don't know where the lever for that is, but I happen to come from a line of seniors who have never voted R and would burn down every ice house on Mille Lacs before they let the bass get toxic. My grandparents live in the woods, off the land, and like it. I hope to the gods the damage to the ecosystem and pollution is worth allowing mining there to resume, such that Minnesota stays blue forever. I hope against hope the R's messed with the wrong state by ruining that pristine patch of paradise, and that swift action is taken to clean it up and shut down the new iron mines. Assholes.
posted by saysthis at 4:43 PM on September 9, 2018 [28 favorites]
MN-03 polling is dragging on and on and on and seems to have been backburnered. I hope they wrap it up tonight. It does however look like the first of Siena/NYT's polls where someone will have an actual lead. Right now Phillips (D) is leading Paulsen (R) 51-42 with something like 85% of the calls (my estimate) completed. MOE is 5% at this point.
If anything like 51-42 holds it would be the first of the polls which showed something unexpected since this district is considered a tossup or leans R by three of the race raters. 538 has it at leans D, so a result like this would make their model look pretty decent.
posted by Justinian at 4:55 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
If anything like 51-42 holds it would be the first of the polls which showed something unexpected since this district is considered a tossup or leans R by three of the race raters. 538 has it at leans D, so a result like this would make their model look pretty decent.
posted by Justinian at 4:55 PM on September 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sounds like Stormy Daniels won:
President Donald Trump said he won’t seek to enforce a $130,000 hush agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels that was set up before the election. The president’s attorneys said in a court filing that Trump does not think the agreement is valid and will not go forward with threats to sue her for breaking the deal.posted by clawsoon at 5:12 PM on September 9, 2018 [19 favorites]
MN-08 finished its poll, final result Radinovich[D] 44%, Stauber[R] 43% MOE 4.6.
FTFY :)
posted by VTX at 5:17 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
FTFY :)
posted by VTX at 5:17 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sounds like Stormy Daniels won
Does this mean the (dozens of? hundreds of?) folks with nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements with Trump and his minions might start speaking out, too?
posted by duffell at 5:23 PM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
Does this mean the (dozens of? hundreds of?) folks with nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements with Trump and his minions might start speaking out, too?
posted by duffell at 5:23 PM on September 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
Well, it certainly means that Avenatti will not have a chance to force a deposition on Trump.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:25 PM on September 9, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:25 PM on September 9, 2018 [10 favorites]
(Granted, there are plenty of other reasons people may prefer to keep quiet, beyond the fear of potential legal action.)
posted by duffell at 5:25 PM on September 9, 2018
posted by duffell at 5:25 PM on September 9, 2018
Sounds like Stormy Daniels won
One down, many, many more to go.
For instance, Reuters: Trump to Provide Written Responses in Summer Zervos Defamation Lawsuit
“U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to provide written answers to questions in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former contestant on the television show “The Apprentice,” according to court papers filed on Friday. Lawyers for Trump and Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos agreed to exchange sworn answers to written questions by Sept. 28, according to the filing in New York State Supreme Court.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:31 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
One down, many, many more to go.
For instance, Reuters: Trump to Provide Written Responses in Summer Zervos Defamation Lawsuit
“U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to provide written answers to questions in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former contestant on the television show “The Apprentice,” according to court papers filed on Friday. Lawyers for Trump and Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos agreed to exchange sworn answers to written questions by Sept. 28, according to the filing in New York State Supreme Court.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:31 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
Nobody’s Heroes (Bob Woodward’s new book, Fear: Trump in the White House, reviewed.) - Isaac Chotiner, Slate
Pullquotes:
Pullquotes:
Bob Woodward’s new book presents Trump staffers as our last line of defense. We’re doomed.posted by ZeusHumms at 5:39 PM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
...
Fear will make plain to the last optimist that, just as Republicans in Congress are unlikely to save us, neither are the relative grown-ups in the Trump administration.
...
Woodward himself seems to suffer one of the same maladies as his sources: namely, the condition of thinking that a better version of Trump might exist out there.
During hearings in 1964 and 1965, members of Congress debated what constituted “inability” in Sections 3 and 4. Some, such as Representative Richard Poff of Virginia, suggested that Section 4 should be used when the president was simply “unable or unwilling to make any rational decision.” But the burden of the congressional commentary was to conclude, as Feerick wrote, that “unpopularity, incompetence, impeachable conduct, poor judgment, and laziness [did] not constitute an ‘inability’ within the meanings of the amendment.”
Speaking only for myself, I would classify incompetence as a rather severe form of inability. I wonder what Feerick would say today?
posted by M-x shell at 7:07 PM on September 9, 2018
Speaking only for myself, I would classify incompetence as a rather severe form of inability. I wonder what Feerick would say today?
posted by M-x shell at 7:07 PM on September 9, 2018
Well, it certainly means that Avenatti will not have a chance to force a deposition on Trump.
USA Today reports Avenatti says he won't accept their offers: "My client and I will never settle the cases absent full disclosure and accountability. We are committed to the truth. And we are committed to delivering it to the American people." We'll see what his formal response is to this, but he's indicating he still wants to depose Cohen and Trump.
It's possibly they think they can avoid this if they fold on Daniels's main complaint, hoping a judge will toss out the case. However, although Daniels's initially sued to void her NDA, her complaint was later amended to include defamation by Cohen, and later she filed a separate lawsuit against Trump for defamation, then another one against Cohen and Keith Davidson for colluding against her.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:09 PM on September 9, 2018 [20 favorites]
USA Today reports Avenatti says he won't accept their offers: "My client and I will never settle the cases absent full disclosure and accountability. We are committed to the truth. And we are committed to delivering it to the American people." We'll see what his formal response is to this, but he's indicating he still wants to depose Cohen and Trump.
It's possibly they think they can avoid this if they fold on Daniels's main complaint, hoping a judge will toss out the case. However, although Daniels's initially sued to void her NDA, her complaint was later amended to include defamation by Cohen, and later she filed a separate lawsuit against Trump for defamation, then another one against Cohen and Keith Davidson for colluding against her.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:09 PM on September 9, 2018 [20 favorites]
Man, the western part of my county has terrible taste in politicians.
Va. state senator who met with Assad says British are planning fake chemical attack (Laura Vozzella, WaPo)
Va. state senator who met with Assad says British are planning fake chemical attack (Laura Vozzella, WaPo)
Fresh off a sit-down with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Virginia state Sen. Richard H. Black turned up on an Arab TV channel last week making an extraordinary claim about one of the United States’ closest allies.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:19 PM on September 9, 2018 [20 favorites]
Black said Britain’s MI6 intelligence service was planning a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people, which it would then blame on Assad.
“Around four weeks ago, we knew that British intelligence was working toward a chemical attack in order to blame the Syrian government, to hold Syria responsible,” Black said on Al Mayadeen, an Arab news channel based in Beirut.
Black (R-Loudoun) said later that he meant the British were planning not to carry out an attack themselves, but to either direct rebels to do so or stage a phony attack, with actors posing as victims.
Black also said some chemical attacks previously reported to have occurred in Syria were British fakes, pulled off with help from volunteer first responders known as White Helmets.
Fresh off a sit-down with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Virginia state Sen. Richard H. Black turned up on an Arab TV channel last week making an extraordinary claim about one of the United States’ closest allies.
The GOP must have quite the budget for their dictatorial mentorship program (Big Big Brothers?) with all the trips these guys take to hang with totalitarians. How does a state senator get a sit down with Assad?
posted by jason_steakums at 7:39 PM on September 9, 2018 [31 favorites]
The GOP must have quite the budget for their dictatorial mentorship program (Big Big Brothers?) with all the trips these guys take to hang with totalitarians. How does a state senator get a sit down with Assad?
posted by jason_steakums at 7:39 PM on September 9, 2018 [31 favorites]
I note that VA SD-13 went from 51-48 Romney to 51-43 Clinton. We are just over a year from the next Virginia Senate elections....
posted by Chrysostom at 7:41 PM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:41 PM on September 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
Woodward himself seems to suffer one of the same maladies as his sources: namely, the condition of thinking that a better version of Trump might exist out there.
There is never, ever going to be a pivot. Ever.
The pivot cannot save you.
posted by notyou at 7:58 PM on September 9, 2018 [15 favorites]
There is never, ever going to be a pivot. Ever.
The pivot cannot save you.
posted by notyou at 7:58 PM on September 9, 2018 [15 favorites]
Tucker Carlson is done with diversity and doubling down on cryptonazism.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 8:23 PM on September 9, 2018 [19 favorites]
But our leaders aren't even asking these questions. Instead they're trying to silence anyone who raises them, while at the same time promoting mindless tribalism for political expedience. Division keeps them in power.What an evil little fucking man.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 8:23 PM on September 9, 2018 [19 favorites]
@missmayn
Tucker Carlson always looks like he’s getting sex explained to him for the first time.
posted by Artw at 8:40 PM on September 9, 2018 [22 favorites]
Tucker Carlson always looks like he’s getting sex explained to him for the first time.
posted by Artw at 8:40 PM on September 9, 2018 [22 favorites]
There's a still active Tucker post here.
'Know your enemy' is a good maxim, watch them, note their behaviour, see how they react. We don't really need that here. He's a 2d flapping jaw on fox, interpolate from there.
posted by adept256 at 8:51 PM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
'Know your enemy' is a good maxim, watch them, note their behaviour, see how they react. We don't really need that here. He's a 2d flapping jaw on fox, interpolate from there.
posted by adept256 at 8:51 PM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
He hasn’t suffered from a crippling stroke, a psychotic break or dementia
I mean, if you track his linguistic decline over the past decades--even just the past decade--and you run it through algorithms designed to diagnose early-stage dementia on the basis of speech there are obvious problems. His father died from Alzheimer's, we know it runs in the family, and we know the symptoms start early. Every report from inside the WH indicates he is not mentally all there and continues to deteriorate. This is a conversation we all should have had more seriously back when he was a candidate and we're all still afraid to have.
The man is a pathological narcissist and always has been, but something else is going on that's making everything worse. He used to be able to keep it together. Shit, even his tweets have gotten less coherent than when he first started on Twitter, and he's never exactly been a coherent tweeter.
posted by Anonymous at 8:54 PM on September 9, 2018
I mean, if you track his linguistic decline over the past decades--even just the past decade--and you run it through algorithms designed to diagnose early-stage dementia on the basis of speech there are obvious problems. His father died from Alzheimer's, we know it runs in the family, and we know the symptoms start early. Every report from inside the WH indicates he is not mentally all there and continues to deteriorate. This is a conversation we all should have had more seriously back when he was a candidate and we're all still afraid to have.
The man is a pathological narcissist and always has been, but something else is going on that's making everything worse. He used to be able to keep it together. Shit, even his tweets have gotten less coherent than when he first started on Twitter, and he's never exactly been a coherent tweeter.
posted by Anonymous at 8:54 PM on September 9, 2018
Yup, even by his own low standards, he's trending downwards.
posted by some loser at 8:59 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by some loser at 8:59 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Supreme Court Is Headed Back to the 19th Century -- The justices again appear poised to pursue a purely theoretical liberty at the expense of the lives of people of color. (Adam Serwer for The Atlantic, Sept. 4, 2018)
Starts with an overview of the Colfax massacre of 1873 and the subsequent court case, United States v Cruikshank, where the Supreme Court overturned the convictions of the white men who massacred 150 black men, holding that the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies only to state action, not to actions by individual citizens. And then things got worse --
posted by filthy light thief at 9:16 PM on September 9, 2018 [26 favorites]
Starts with an overview of the Colfax massacre of 1873 and the subsequent court case, United States v Cruikshank, where the Supreme Court overturned the convictions of the white men who massacred 150 black men, holding that the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies only to state action, not to actions by individual citizens. And then things got worse --
Federal troops were withdrawn from the South in 1877, and elections afterward were often fraught with fraud and violence as white Democrats struggled to suppress black Republican voting. From 1890 to 1908, the southern states passed new constitutions or amendments that resulted in disfranchisement of most black people and many poor whites, to prevent the type of Populist coalition that had gained temporary power in the 1880s. This status of political exclusion lasted until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in the 1960s.Emphasis mine.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:16 PM on September 9, 2018 [26 favorites]
Another Problem for Trump: A 2020 Primary Challenge Is Growing More Likely
Republican pros have, in recent weeks, quietly settled on new conventional wisdom: If Donald Trump is not impeached first, he is likely to face a primary challenge — of some sort — in 2020. The matter was regarded as an open question for most of 2018, but a new emergent consensus among the party’s consultants and strategists has taken root after Paul Manafort’s conviction and Michael Cohen’s implication of the president in federal court.posted by kirkaracha at 10:03 PM on September 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
...
But what would a primary challenge actually look like, and how much of a threat would it actually be to Trump? Operatives interested in helping such an effort have narrowed it down to two scenarios.
There’s option A: an all-out NeverTrump-style protest campaign against the president that would challenge him directly. While that would almost certainly fall far short, it would serve to prove to anti-Trump conservatives that the Republican Party is not yet fully unified behind the president — potentially weakening him, or exposing his weaknesses, enough to ensure a Democrat’s election. “It’s important for there to be an alternative” candidate to Trump, said veteran GOP operative Stuart Stevens, Romney’s chief strategist in 2012 and one of the president’s most outspoken critics on the right. “But I can’t tell you who that alternative would be.”
...
Or B, perhaps the likelier option: a wait-and-see campaign that doesn’t really go anywhere, unless Trump implodes and the alternative candidate is ready to swoop in and save the GOP’s day. To be successful, even this type of candidate would likely already need to be laying quiet just-in-case groundwork in order to rise above the inevitable free-for-all that would result in Trump’s hypothetical implosion — donors ready to donate, organizers ready to organize, activists ready to activate.
Oh yes, John Kasich or Ben Sasse will primary Trump and win even one vote in today's Republican party that actually exists in real life instead of the NYT op-ed page.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:25 PM on September 9, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:25 PM on September 9, 2018 [18 favorites]
Maybe someone screamingly insane could somehow primary him from the right? About the only way I could see the challenge working.
(God, could you imagine the screaming and shouting from him if someone did? Or if they won?)
posted by Artw at 10:35 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
(God, could you imagine the screaming and shouting from him if someone did? Or if they won?)
posted by Artw at 10:35 PM on September 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
Is Donald Trump Too Doltish to be Dangerous? - T.A. Frank, Vanity Fair ("Op-Ed Gate")
For all that Trump blusters about assassinations and libel laws, the saga of the West Wing whistle-blower proves the president is a paper tiger without the self-discipline to get anything done.posted by ZeusHumms at 11:05 PM on September 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
God am I tired of people who don't feel at risk minimizing the damage he's already doing.
If you're a member of one of the families of the 400 unreturned children who are still being held somewhere I'm sure it's a great consolation to know that he's not getting as much done as he might if he were more competent..
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:46 PM on September 9, 2018 [106 favorites]
If you're a member of one of the families of the 400 unreturned children who are still being held somewhere I'm sure it's a great consolation to know that he's not getting as much done as he might if he were more competent..
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:46 PM on September 9, 2018 [106 favorites]
Yes, let's wipe out Trump. But take neoliberal Democrats with him, too
After a scorching summer of discontent, Donald Trump’s endless tweets and scandals have given Democrats their best chance to retake Congress since George W Bush’s second term. And yet, insurgent progressives are not limiting themselves to dethroning Republicans: they are taking aim at corporate-friendly Democrats within their own party, too.posted by michswiss at 11:58 PM on September 9, 2018 [16 favorites]
Amid an upsurge of populist energy that has alarmed the Democratic establishment, a new wave of left-leaning insurgents have been using Democratic primaries to wage a fierce war on the party’s corporate wing. And, as in past presidential primary battles, many Democratic consultants, politicians and pundits have insisted that the party must prioritize unity and resist grassroots pressure to support a more forceful progressive agenda.
I know it's ancient history, but serious primary challenges to incumbent presidents seeking election tend not to go well for either the challengers or the incumbents:
1952 - Kefauver beats Truman in New Hampshire, Truman pulls out; Stevenson is eventual nominee, loses badly to Eisenhower
1968 - LBJ beats Eugene McCarthy in NH but by relatively close margin, LBJ drops out; Humphrey is eventual nominee, loses narrowly to Nixon
(Those were under the system where relatively few states held primaries, and most delegates were chosen at state conventions. By 1972 the Democrats had moved to primaries in all states and territories, followed by the Republicans in '76.)
1976 - Ford narrowly leads Reagan in delegate count heading into the convention and secures the nomination by capturing sufficient uncommitted-delegate votes; loses general to Carter
1980 - Carter builds an early lead over Ted Kennedy but the challenger picks up a number of later contests and refuses to withdraw until the convention; Carter loses handily to Reagan
1992 - GHW Bush beats wingnut Pat Buchanan in all contests, loses general to Bill Clinton
So certainly each of the above incumbents were in trouble for any number of other reasons, e.g. recessions (Ford, Carter, Bush) or foreign-conflict quagmires (Korea for Truman, Vietnam for LBJ, Iran for Carter). But not since 1932 has a president sailed essentially unopposed through the nomination process and lost the general. Over the same period, no president eligible for re-election has been unseated without first facing a serious revolt from within his own party. A party that looks like a bunch of infighting backstabbers is going to have a hard time whipping up voter enthusiasm, especially if the opposition gets its act together early on in the process. (But I thought Hillary was a lock for at least 350 electoral votes last time out, so analysis isn't exactly my strong point.)
posted by hangashore at 12:10 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
1952 - Kefauver beats Truman in New Hampshire, Truman pulls out; Stevenson is eventual nominee, loses badly to Eisenhower
1968 - LBJ beats Eugene McCarthy in NH but by relatively close margin, LBJ drops out; Humphrey is eventual nominee, loses narrowly to Nixon
(Those were under the system where relatively few states held primaries, and most delegates were chosen at state conventions. By 1972 the Democrats had moved to primaries in all states and territories, followed by the Republicans in '76.)
1976 - Ford narrowly leads Reagan in delegate count heading into the convention and secures the nomination by capturing sufficient uncommitted-delegate votes; loses general to Carter
1980 - Carter builds an early lead over Ted Kennedy but the challenger picks up a number of later contests and refuses to withdraw until the convention; Carter loses handily to Reagan
1992 - GHW Bush beats wingnut Pat Buchanan in all contests, loses general to Bill Clinton
So certainly each of the above incumbents were in trouble for any number of other reasons, e.g. recessions (Ford, Carter, Bush) or foreign-conflict quagmires (Korea for Truman, Vietnam for LBJ, Iran for Carter). But not since 1932 has a president sailed essentially unopposed through the nomination process and lost the general. Over the same period, no president eligible for re-election has been unseated without first facing a serious revolt from within his own party. A party that looks like a bunch of infighting backstabbers is going to have a hard time whipping up voter enthusiasm, especially if the opposition gets its act together early on in the process. (But I thought Hillary was a lock for at least 350 electoral votes last time out, so analysis isn't exactly my strong point.)
posted by hangashore at 12:10 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
The GOP must have quite the budget for their dictatorial mentorship program (Big Big Brothers?) with all the trips these guys take to hang with totalitarians. How does a state senator get a sit down with Assad?
If Putin wants a couple of his subordinates to have a face-to-face meeting, finding money for plane tickets and hotel rooms isn't gonna be a problem.
posted by shponglespore at 12:58 AM on September 10, 2018
If Putin wants a couple of his subordinates to have a face-to-face meeting, finding money for plane tickets and hotel rooms isn't gonna be a problem.
posted by shponglespore at 12:58 AM on September 10, 2018
If anyone remembers the exotic animal keeper made famous by John Oliver for his 2016 independent presidential candidacy, who recently failed in his attempt to be the Libertarian nominee for Oklahoma governor, Joe Exotic has been arrested in connection to a murder-for-hire plot.
posted by peeedro at 4:03 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by peeedro at 4:03 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
AP: A senior Palestinian official says the U.S. has given notice it's closing the PLO delegation office in Washington.
posted by Rykey at 4:14 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 4:14 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
‘Scott Walker fatigue’ haunts Republicans - Natasha Korecki, Politico
The signs that Walker is ripe to be taken down are everywhere. His opponent, Schools Superintendent Tony Evers, has a slight lead in recent polls and there’s evidence that critical suburban voters are shifting leftward.posted by ZeusHumms at 5:18 AM on September 10, 2018 [38 favorites]
Three former Walker aides have even turned on the governor, with two cutting ads for Evers. And Walker has quickly gone negative on Evers, including in a new, highly-charged ad.
Just as important, Democrats are running a populist candidate they believe is made for the moment — Evers, who built momentum from decisively winning a crowded primary and went on to raise $1 million in his first week as the nominee.
A career educator, Evers presents a crisp contrast with Walker, who’s held elected office for more than two decades. Democrats have seized on a “Walker fatigue” message that blames him for a teacher shortage, deteriorating roads (“Scottholes” as one group calls them) and rising health care costs.
The governor’s real soft spot in his bid for a third term, however, might be his 2016 run for president. His detractors hold it up as evidence that Walker is more concerned about his political ambition than the people of Wisconsin. TV ads are already panning Walker’s White House run, saying he can’t be trusted to stick around for a full four-year term.
It clearly hits a nerve with Walker.
Mod note: One deleted; reminder to use "fake" and "real" (or, for example, "[Onion link)]") where warranted.
posted by taz (staff) at 5:39 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 5:39 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
Justinian: ...[in northern Minnesota] the older set are legacy ex-DFL union types while the young uns don't have that background.
I think this sounds pretty correct. I have one aunt & uncle who moved Up North in the 1970s, and raised three daughters there. He was a master electrician in a taconite mine, and she a nurse. Their girls all live in the Twin Cities, and recently they sold their (gorgeous!) house on a lake and moved south to be with the grandkids. Two hippies and lifelong union workers, who probably voted DFL.
My parent's lake cabin is up even farther north than Duluth, on Lake Vermilion. There are two competing newspapers in the area: the Timberjay and the Cook [MN] News Herald. The Timberjay's editorials are frequently angry screeds against the other paper, and liberals in general. My dad subscribes to both and enjoys the conflict a bit; but to me it shows that there's a lot of political partisanship up there.
Certainly when we visited this summer, we had to explain to the kids why people had signs in their yards saying "We support mining," as dbx describes, above. They know that my uncle worked in a mine, and we have visited Mineview in the Sky before, but they were appalled when they heard about the effects of mining when we ducked into the Save the Boundary Waters office during a power outage in Ely one morning. *sigh*
posted by wenestvedt at 5:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
I think this sounds pretty correct. I have one aunt & uncle who moved Up North in the 1970s, and raised three daughters there. He was a master electrician in a taconite mine, and she a nurse. Their girls all live in the Twin Cities, and recently they sold their (gorgeous!) house on a lake and moved south to be with the grandkids. Two hippies and lifelong union workers, who probably voted DFL.
My parent's lake cabin is up even farther north than Duluth, on Lake Vermilion. There are two competing newspapers in the area: the Timberjay and the Cook [MN] News Herald. The Timberjay's editorials are frequently angry screeds against the other paper, and liberals in general. My dad subscribes to both and enjoys the conflict a bit; but to me it shows that there's a lot of political partisanship up there.
Certainly when we visited this summer, we had to explain to the kids why people had signs in their yards saying "We support mining," as dbx describes, above. They know that my uncle worked in a mine, and we have visited Mineview in the Sky before, but they were appalled when they heard about the effects of mining when we ducked into the Save the Boundary Waters office during a power outage in Ely one morning. *sigh*
posted by wenestvedt at 5:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump says he'll 'write the real book' to counter Woodward's - Emily Goldberg, Politico
Tidbit came out of his tweets this morning denouncing "Fear".
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:27 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
Tidbit came out of his tweets this morning denouncing "Fear".
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:27 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
notyou There is never, ever going to be a pivot. Ever.
The pivot cannot save you.
The constant pivot talk, the constant utterly unwarranted hope that Trump is hiding a "real Trump" who isn't quite so stupid and reckless and utterly ignorant and foolhardy, all seems to be rooted in humanity's tendency towards the optimism bias. It's sort of a survival characteristic, but it does make us deny real dangers too.
It's natural for (most) people to want to pretend that everything is ok. If for no other reason than rocking in the fetal position or running around screaming "we're all doomed" until you fall over from exhaustion tends to be contra-survival.
But dang does it seem that a lot of people are basically incapable of action because they're unwilling or unable to admit just how bad Trump is.
I also suspect there's a lot of self censorship based in the unwillingness to be the target of every MAGAhat in America. It's one thing for us pseudo-anonymous types here on Metafilter to say things, but for a journalist with their real name on the byline saying openly and plainly that the President is clearly suffering from senile dementia of some sort, and remains the pathological liar and wannabe mobster he has been for his entire life is a riskier proposition.
I don't think that justifies their inaction and self deception, but it does explain it.
Naturally the entire Republican Party has a lot to answer for that they never will. They looked at their options and decided that tax cuts for billionaires and ownership of the Supreme Court was worth enabling and empowering Donald J. Trump in his mental decline. That's not optimism bias, that's just putting Party over country and exemplifying the supreme greed and utter indifference to consequences that the Republican Party has embodied for my entire life. Who cares if the world falls apart and WWIII happens, at least they got their tax breaks right?
posted by sotonohito at 6:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
The pivot cannot save you.
The constant pivot talk, the constant utterly unwarranted hope that Trump is hiding a "real Trump" who isn't quite so stupid and reckless and utterly ignorant and foolhardy, all seems to be rooted in humanity's tendency towards the optimism bias. It's sort of a survival characteristic, but it does make us deny real dangers too.
It's natural for (most) people to want to pretend that everything is ok. If for no other reason than rocking in the fetal position or running around screaming "we're all doomed" until you fall over from exhaustion tends to be contra-survival.
But dang does it seem that a lot of people are basically incapable of action because they're unwilling or unable to admit just how bad Trump is.
I also suspect there's a lot of self censorship based in the unwillingness to be the target of every MAGAhat in America. It's one thing for us pseudo-anonymous types here on Metafilter to say things, but for a journalist with their real name on the byline saying openly and plainly that the President is clearly suffering from senile dementia of some sort, and remains the pathological liar and wannabe mobster he has been for his entire life is a riskier proposition.
I don't think that justifies their inaction and self deception, but it does explain it.
Naturally the entire Republican Party has a lot to answer for that they never will. They looked at their options and decided that tax cuts for billionaires and ownership of the Supreme Court was worth enabling and empowering Donald J. Trump in his mental decline. That's not optimism bias, that's just putting Party over country and exemplifying the supreme greed and utter indifference to consequences that the Republican Party has embodied for my entire life. Who cares if the world falls apart and WWIII happens, at least they got their tax breaks right?
posted by sotonohito at 6:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
Inside the GOP’s rescue mission for Ted Cruz
They're really worried about Texas. Even if Beto doesn't win, making them divert money to save a senator in Texas is huge. Even the Kochs do not have infinite money, and they really can't spend equally in every race. Making them defend safe seats means they can't as hard against Democratic incumbents like McCaskill, or in open contests like Arizona. They're close to giving up on saving the House, and starting to get antsy about losing all of it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:49 AM on September 10, 2018 [64 favorites]
They're really worried about Texas. Even if Beto doesn't win, making them divert money to save a senator in Texas is huge. Even the Kochs do not have infinite money, and they really can't spend equally in every race. Making them defend safe seats means they can't as hard against Democratic incumbents like McCaskill, or in open contests like Arizona. They're close to giving up on saving the House, and starting to get antsy about losing all of it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:49 AM on September 10, 2018 [64 favorites]
> @realDonaldTrump: 14 days for $28 MILLION - $2 MILLION a day, No Collusion. A great day for America!
TRUMP GOLF COUNT: 143 days
COST TO TAXPAYER: About $77,000,000
TMZ—President Trump Puts the Cart Before the Taxpayers ... $300k for Secret Service Green Rides "Taxpayers footed bills totaling $300,675 for golf cart rentals alone, so the Secret Service could follow Trump on the links ... this according to federal documents obtained by TMZ."
(This negative coverage is interesting since Trump's relationship with TMZ publisher Harvey Levin has historically been almost as positive as his with the National Enquirer's David Pecker. Then again, TMZ staff seem to hate Trump.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
TRUMP GOLF COUNT: 143 days
COST TO TAXPAYER: About $77,000,000
TMZ—President Trump Puts the Cart Before the Taxpayers ... $300k for Secret Service Green Rides "Taxpayers footed bills totaling $300,675 for golf cart rentals alone, so the Secret Service could follow Trump on the links ... this according to federal documents obtained by TMZ."
(This negative coverage is interesting since Trump's relationship with TMZ publisher Harvey Levin has historically been almost as positive as his with the National Enquirer's David Pecker. Then again, TMZ staff seem to hate Trump.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
What the TMZ article doesn't say is that the $300K isn't just being paid, it's being paid to Trump. Grifty McGriftface.
posted by chris24 at 6:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 6:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [52 favorites]
Woodward: Trump 'almost sent tweet that North Korea would have seen as warning of attack'
“He drafts a tweet saying ‘We are going to pull our dependents from South Korea – family members of the 28,000 people there,’” Woodward said, referring to families of US troops stationed on the Korean peninsula.posted by BungaDunga at 7:01 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
The tweet was never sent because of a back-channel message from the North Koreans that they would view it as a sign the US was preparing to attack, according to CBS.
“At that moment there was a sense of profound alarm in the Pentagon leadership that, ‘My God, one tweet and we have reliable information that the North Koreans are going to read this as ‘an attack is imminent.’”
I spent part of this weekend canvassing for a local candidate and I'm doubtful, at best, that he has a rational campaign strategy. The candidate is Joseph Kopser, running for TX-21, Lamar Smith's seat.
In theory the retirement of Smith should make it easier for Kopser to try for the seat, though given that it's a gerrymandered seat it's going to be difficult for him no matter what. I voted for Kopser's opponent, Mary Wilson in both the primary and the runoff, and this weekend kind of cemented in my mind both why, and why I think Kopser will lose in November.
Take a quick look at Kopser's campaign website and try to answer one quick and simple question based on what you see there: what Party does Kopser belong to?
You wouldn't think it was a tough question, but he literally never once says on his website, or in his campaign materials. He seems to think his best shot at winning is to hide his party affiliation.
Literally every single person I spoke to in person while canvassing, literally literally not figuratively literally, asked me if he was a Democrat.
Which brings me to the other part. Kopser is running a very standard canvassing campaign, and a low key campaign against his opponent Chip Roy (who won by running as being even more extreme right wing than either Lamar Smith or his own primary opponent, Roy is basically a mini-Trump).
We were canvassing only addresses where people had voted in at least two prior general elections and at least one prior Democratic primary in the past three cycles. Those people are the last people I'd think we needed to be canvassing, they're already clearly politically involved and voting. And more important, they're exactly the sort of people who aren't going to be fired up by Kopser's middle of the road, hiding his Democratic Party affiliation, "independent", milquetoast campaign.
He's running such a low key campaign, and hiding his Party affiliation so well, that out of the roughly 12 or so people I spoke to [1] only two even recognized his name, and one of them was a hardcore Beto supporter who told me that he'd voted for Mary Wilson in the primaries.
So he's running away from being a Democrat in a year when the Democrats are doing better than ever, and he's running a ground campaign focused on people who are virtually guaranteed to be voting for him anyway.
The district is gerrymandered all to hell, it basically exists to nullify a lot of Democratic votes in the more liberal parts of Austin and San Antonio by blending them with a whole shit ton of rural and conservative suburban voters. So sure, the odds aren't in his favor even given a Blue Wave.
But it seems as if Kopser is almost deliberately running a conventional wisdom based campaign that is utterly unmoored from any realistic assessment of the current political climate.
[1] Gotta love canvassing, out of 60+ addresses I got around 12 live people. Which I'm told is exceptionally good.
posted by sotonohito at 7:15 AM on September 10, 2018 [39 favorites]
In theory the retirement of Smith should make it easier for Kopser to try for the seat, though given that it's a gerrymandered seat it's going to be difficult for him no matter what. I voted for Kopser's opponent, Mary Wilson in both the primary and the runoff, and this weekend kind of cemented in my mind both why, and why I think Kopser will lose in November.
Take a quick look at Kopser's campaign website and try to answer one quick and simple question based on what you see there: what Party does Kopser belong to?
You wouldn't think it was a tough question, but he literally never once says on his website, or in his campaign materials. He seems to think his best shot at winning is to hide his party affiliation.
Literally every single person I spoke to in person while canvassing, literally literally not figuratively literally, asked me if he was a Democrat.
Which brings me to the other part. Kopser is running a very standard canvassing campaign, and a low key campaign against his opponent Chip Roy (who won by running as being even more extreme right wing than either Lamar Smith or his own primary opponent, Roy is basically a mini-Trump).
We were canvassing only addresses where people had voted in at least two prior general elections and at least one prior Democratic primary in the past three cycles. Those people are the last people I'd think we needed to be canvassing, they're already clearly politically involved and voting. And more important, they're exactly the sort of people who aren't going to be fired up by Kopser's middle of the road, hiding his Democratic Party affiliation, "independent", milquetoast campaign.
He's running such a low key campaign, and hiding his Party affiliation so well, that out of the roughly 12 or so people I spoke to [1] only two even recognized his name, and one of them was a hardcore Beto supporter who told me that he'd voted for Mary Wilson in the primaries.
So he's running away from being a Democrat in a year when the Democrats are doing better than ever, and he's running a ground campaign focused on people who are virtually guaranteed to be voting for him anyway.
The district is gerrymandered all to hell, it basically exists to nullify a lot of Democratic votes in the more liberal parts of Austin and San Antonio by blending them with a whole shit ton of rural and conservative suburban voters. So sure, the odds aren't in his favor even given a Blue Wave.
But it seems as if Kopser is almost deliberately running a conventional wisdom based campaign that is utterly unmoored from any realistic assessment of the current political climate.
[1] Gotta love canvassing, out of 60+ addresses I got around 12 live people. Which I'm told is exceptionally good.
posted by sotonohito at 7:15 AM on September 10, 2018 [39 favorites]
Gotta love canvassing, out of 60+ addresses I got around 12 live people. Which I'm told is exceptionally good.
That's insanely good. I've gotten 12 live people in maybe my last 200 doors.
posted by Etrigan at 7:23 AM on September 10, 2018 [13 favorites]
That's insanely good. I've gotten 12 live people in maybe my last 200 doors.
posted by Etrigan at 7:23 AM on September 10, 2018 [13 favorites]
I love canvassing too, as much due to what it does for me as for my candidate:
1. Meeting people who agree with me psyches me up and lets me know I'm not alone.
2. Meeting people who disagree with me hones my skills at debating without alienating.
3. It's good exercise.
posted by M-x shell at 7:24 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
1. Meeting people who agree with me psyches me up and lets me know I'm not alone.
2. Meeting people who disagree with me hones my skills at debating without alienating.
3. It's good exercise.
posted by M-x shell at 7:24 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
So he's running away from being a Democrat in a year when the Democrats are doing better than ever, and he's running a ground campaign focused on people who are virtually guaranteed to be voting for him anyway.
This shit is so infuriating. This is how we get the Patrick Murphy campaign. And Alison Grimes in Kentucky refusing to say she voted for Obama, as an Obama delegate. It's how the Democratic consultant class buys a summer house while intentionally running to lose. All of these people have to be driven out of the party. Primary every Democrat, every election.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
This shit is so infuriating. This is how we get the Patrick Murphy campaign. And Alison Grimes in Kentucky refusing to say she voted for Obama, as an Obama delegate. It's how the Democratic consultant class buys a summer house while intentionally running to lose. All of these people have to be driven out of the party. Primary every Democrat, every election.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
Gotta love canvassing, out of 60+ addresses I got around 12 live people. Which I'm told is exceptionally good.
That's insanely good. I've gotten 12 live people in maybe my last 200 doors.
I'm concerned about the high numbers of dead people.
posted by srboisvert at 7:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [40 favorites]
That's insanely good. I've gotten 12 live people in maybe my last 200 doors.
I'm concerned about the high numbers of dead people.
posted by srboisvert at 7:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [40 favorites]
kirkaracha: Another Problem for Trump: A 2020 Primary Challenge Is Growing More Likely
...
the likelier option: a wait-and-see campaign that doesn’t really go anywhere, unless Trump implodes and the alternative candidate is ready to swoop in and save the GOP’s day
Yeah, I'm not holding my breath for the GOP to try and Primary him out of the 2020 election, because I'm assuming that waiting for "Trump to implode" is a literal statement, because what can he do now that will be worse than what he's done so far? Suddenly flip from being a White Nationalist to a Black Panther is honestly the only thing I can think right now, and that's never going to happen.
NSA metadata program “consistent” with Fourth Amendment, Kavanaugh once argued -- Supreme Court nominee discussed notable surveillance cases during Friday testimony. (Cyrus Farivar for Ars Technica, Sept. 9, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on September 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
...
the likelier option: a wait-and-see campaign that doesn’t really go anywhere, unless Trump implodes and the alternative candidate is ready to swoop in and save the GOP’s day
Yeah, I'm not holding my breath for the GOP to try and Primary him out of the 2020 election, because I'm assuming that waiting for "Trump to implode" is a literal statement, because what can he do now that will be worse than what he's done so far? Suddenly flip from being a White Nationalist to a Black Panther is honestly the only thing I can think right now, and that's never going to happen.
NSA metadata program “consistent” with Fourth Amendment, Kavanaugh once argued -- Supreme Court nominee discussed notable surveillance cases during Friday testimony. (Cyrus Farivar for Ars Technica, Sept. 9, 2018)
On Friday, during the final day of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) had an interesting exchange over recent privacy cases with the Supreme Court judicial nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.With Kavanaugh, national security and police powers overrule personal freedoms.
"I've talked repeatedly in this hearing about how technology will be one of the huge issues with the Fourth Amendment going forward," said Kavanaugh, who serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on September 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
Inside the GOP’s rescue mission for Ted Cruz
See, articles like this are what keep me humble. Sometimes I look at the comments on, like, Kamala Harris's facebook posts that are like "Stupid Dems are going to LOSE in November! 😂😂😂" and I'm like, "Who are these horrible people who think politics is a game?" And then I read something like this and before I know it a deep, evil HA HA HA is issuing from the back of my throat. Clearly I have more work to do. HA. HA. HA.
I texted my brother in Texas the other day to ask if he was registered to vote. I was a little nervous because we're not super close and he's always seemed apathetic about politics (and frankly a little susceptible to certain aspects of alt-right thinking when he was younger). Please enjoy this text conversation I had with him:
ME: Hey I don't blame you if you ignore this text lol but I gotta ask. Are you registered to vote? Because your senator is literally 10000 cockroaches in a human suit
HIM: Not yet, but trust me, that is on my radar. Ted Cruz eats boogers.
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:38 AM on September 10, 2018 [66 favorites]
See, articles like this are what keep me humble. Sometimes I look at the comments on, like, Kamala Harris's facebook posts that are like "Stupid Dems are going to LOSE in November! 😂😂😂" and I'm like, "Who are these horrible people who think politics is a game?" And then I read something like this and before I know it a deep, evil HA HA HA is issuing from the back of my throat. Clearly I have more work to do. HA. HA. HA.
I texted my brother in Texas the other day to ask if he was registered to vote. I was a little nervous because we're not super close and he's always seemed apathetic about politics (and frankly a little susceptible to certain aspects of alt-right thinking when he was younger). Please enjoy this text conversation I had with him:
ME: Hey I don't blame you if you ignore this text lol but I gotta ask. Are you registered to vote? Because your senator is literally 10000 cockroaches in a human suit
HIM: Not yet, but trust me, that is on my radar. Ted Cruz eats boogers.
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:38 AM on September 10, 2018 [66 favorites]
A 2020 Primary Challenge Is Growing More Likely
I can only think of two occasions where an incumbent seeking a Presidential nomination didn't get it, and both are notable for having switched parties to pursue the nomination: Tyler in 1844, and Johnson in 1868. (Truman maybe counts, although his entry into the 1952 race was so unenthusiastic it might not be accurate to say he "sought" the nomination. Anyone up to relitigate the 1952 primary?)
posted by jackbishop at 7:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I can only think of two occasions where an incumbent seeking a Presidential nomination didn't get it, and both are notable for having switched parties to pursue the nomination: Tyler in 1844, and Johnson in 1868. (Truman maybe counts, although his entry into the 1952 race was so unenthusiastic it might not be accurate to say he "sought" the nomination. Anyone up to relitigate the 1952 primary?)
posted by jackbishop at 7:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm concerned about the high numbers of dead people.
send more canvassers
posted by entropicamericana at 7:46 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
send more canvassers
posted by entropicamericana at 7:46 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
Iduffell: Does this mean the (dozens of? hundreds of?) folks with nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements with Trump and his minions might start speaking out, too?
I look forward to the book by Jane Doe of Doe v. Trump and Epstein, which was voluntarily withdrawn at the exact same time that Michael Cohen was buying silence from other people, like Stephanie Clifford AKA Stormy Daniels.
Doktor Zed: Lawyers for Trump and Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos agreed to exchange sworn answers to written questions by Sept. 28, according to the filing in New York State Supreme Court.”
That's just fine
I look forward to the book by Jane Doe of Doe v. Trump and Epstein, which was voluntarily withdrawn at the exact same time that Michael Cohen was buying silence from other people, like Stephanie Clifford AKA Stormy Daniels.
Doktor Zed: Lawyers for Trump and Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos agreed to exchange sworn answers to written questions by Sept. 28, according to the filing in New York State Supreme Court.”
That's just fine
New York Penal Law § 210.15: Perjury in the first degreeposted by mikelieman at 7:47 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
A person is guilty of perjury in the first degree when he swears falsely and when his false statement (a) consists of testimony, and (b) is material to the action, proceeding or matter in which it is made.
I like Truman a lot, but this is probably not the thread for it.
Elsewhere, the two Siena/NYT polls of MN districts wrapped up:
MN-03: Phillips [D] 51 - Paulsen [R-inc] 42
MN-08: Radinovich [D] 44 - Stauber [R] 43 (open seat, currently Dem)
In progress: VA-07 (Brat) and WV-03 (open R).
posted by Chrysostom at 7:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
Elsewhere, the two Siena/NYT polls of MN districts wrapped up:
MN-03: Phillips [D] 51 - Paulsen [R-inc] 42
MN-08: Radinovich [D] 44 - Stauber [R] 43 (open seat, currently Dem)
In progress: VA-07 (Brat) and WV-03 (open R).
posted by Chrysostom at 7:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mod note: Armchair diagnosis is not a great hobby. Let's leave that out - it's certainly been well-covered here before.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 7:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 7:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Assumes facts not in evidence. There's a family history of Alzheimer's ( His father suffered from what at the time was called "dementia" ) , and he's well into his 70's himself, so unless a comprehensive neurological evaluation rules it out, I would say that the symptoms of dementia already displayed, that that diagnosis not be ruled out.
As someone who works in the area of Alzheimer's and dementia, can I also state that the constant armchair diagnosis of dementia also assumes facts not in evidence? First off, dementia is the umbrella term for a large number of conditions that affect cognition, including Alzheimer's disease - most people confuse the two terms because for a very long time they were used interchangeably. Secondly, the familial form - direct inheritance of Alzheimer's Disease - is quite rare, only making up about 3% of all cases. And lastly, while age is the largest risk factor, getting any type of dementia is not an inevitable part of aging.
So while we can't rule it out, can we also just stop ruling it in as an assumed part of what is going on?
/pointless request
posted by nubs at 8:03 AM on September 10, 2018 [42 favorites]
I think my favorite Cruz comment now is his complaint that O'Rourke will bring "silicone, tofu and hair dye" to Texas. Ok, we are talking about the same state, right, known for its blonde-dyed women and high numbers of silicone-wielding cosmetic surgeons?
I guess maybe the "tofu" comment approaches an actual dig, but I frequent a Thai place right here in Fort Worth that has plenty of tofu-containing menu items. No one cares.
Who or what is "crafting" these messages? Because so far they have accused O'Rourke of:
1. Being somehow akin to a menu item from a beloved Texas burger chain
2. Being in a rock band
3. Looking super-hot in his rock band days (well they probably didn't intend that but the picture they released sent that message)
4. Dropping f-bombs occasionally
And contrasting that with Cruz with his rictus grin and slicked-back car salesman hair?
It's a hell of a thing to watch, is all I can say. I mean, it's Texas so who knows if Cruz can lose even with this hapless messaging, but still. A hell of a thing.
posted by emjaybee at 8:07 AM on September 10, 2018 [66 favorites]
I guess maybe the "tofu" comment approaches an actual dig, but I frequent a Thai place right here in Fort Worth that has plenty of tofu-containing menu items. No one cares.
Who or what is "crafting" these messages? Because so far they have accused O'Rourke of:
1. Being somehow akin to a menu item from a beloved Texas burger chain
2. Being in a rock band
3. Looking super-hot in his rock band days (well they probably didn't intend that but the picture they released sent that message)
4. Dropping f-bombs occasionally
And contrasting that with Cruz with his rictus grin and slicked-back car salesman hair?
It's a hell of a thing to watch, is all I can say. I mean, it's Texas so who knows if Cruz can lose even with this hapless messaging, but still. A hell of a thing.
posted by emjaybee at 8:07 AM on September 10, 2018 [66 favorites]
After Endorsement, The New York Times Backpedals Furiously On Cuomo - Sophie Weiner, Splinter News
Less than a week ago, the New York Times endorsed incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo in his reelection campaign ahead of his primary against progressive challenger Cynthia Nixon. Now, they’ve put out another Editorial Board op-ed condemning him for aggressive smears against her campaign.posted by ZeusHumms at 8:21 AM on September 10, 2018 [22 favorites]
...
Cuomo sucks just as much now as he always has. If the Times had been honest about his failures in the first place, their backpedaling op-ed wouldn’t have been necessary.
Yeah, I know a few republicans who've said they're voting for Beto. To be fair, it may be to stop me from pestering them, but fingers crossed we send Ted back to his soup can collection. Also, if I were Betos campaign, I would run as ads all those outtakes from Cruz s campaign where even his mom seemed uncomfortable when Ted was near. Cause there's so much that could be done with those.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 8:24 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 8:24 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
Josh Marshall: Manchin running hard on Obamacare.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
I am sorry if this excellent piece has already been posted:
Masha Gessen for The New Yorker: The Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed and the Trumpian Corruption of Language and the Media
Masha Gessen for The New Yorker: The Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed and the Trumpian Corruption of Language and the Media
The thing about autocracies, or budding autocracies, is that they present citizens with only bad choices. At a certain point, one has to stop trying to find the right solution and has to look, instead, for a course of action that avoids complicity. By publishing the anonymous Op-Ed, the Times became complicit in its own corruption.posted by Miko at 8:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [34 favorites]
Hey fellow Texas canvassers, I'm back ringing bells and pounding doors this weekend myself!
I've noticed that a lot of the R candidates are barely identifying party this round on the down-ballot races, actually. I've also heard at least 5 different staunch Republicans tell me that I can rest assured they're voting for Beto this round... but nobody will commit to crossing the aisle for down-ballot races. I'm concerned because we really need that Senate seat, but the House seats are important, too.
I've also had an unusually high number of people opening doors and talking to me if I door-knock in the rain on weekend mornings. Does it suck? Sure does! But I vacationed in Iceland last year and have a lot of waterproof hiking gear now, so, I'm good with it.
If you're a Dem in a safe blue state or district, might I suggest donating to Colin Allred's campaign? I know some MeFites in the past said his race was well-funded and made noises about Allred's NFL past, but frankly, his campaign could use a boost after winning the primary.
Colin Allred is an African-American civil rights lawyer, while Pete Sessions is... uh... I've heard him refuse to refute lies about the ACA and similar rumors the GOP uses to fear-monger their local base when he finally did some phone-in Town Halls last year. Other than that, Sessions is about as useful as a wet, moldy rag is for paddling a boat upstream. I'd be very grateful to have a new House rep like Allred in Sessions' seat this year.
The race is actually tight enough to be competitive, so every dollar counts!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 8:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [44 favorites]
I've noticed that a lot of the R candidates are barely identifying party this round on the down-ballot races, actually. I've also heard at least 5 different staunch Republicans tell me that I can rest assured they're voting for Beto this round... but nobody will commit to crossing the aisle for down-ballot races. I'm concerned because we really need that Senate seat, but the House seats are important, too.
I've also had an unusually high number of people opening doors and talking to me if I door-knock in the rain on weekend mornings. Does it suck? Sure does! But I vacationed in Iceland last year and have a lot of waterproof hiking gear now, so, I'm good with it.
If you're a Dem in a safe blue state or district, might I suggest donating to Colin Allred's campaign? I know some MeFites in the past said his race was well-funded and made noises about Allred's NFL past, but frankly, his campaign could use a boost after winning the primary.
Colin Allred is an African-American civil rights lawyer, while Pete Sessions is... uh... I've heard him refuse to refute lies about the ACA and similar rumors the GOP uses to fear-monger their local base when he finally did some phone-in Town Halls last year. Other than that, Sessions is about as useful as a wet, moldy rag is for paddling a boat upstream. I'd be very grateful to have a new House rep like Allred in Sessions' seat this year.
The race is actually tight enough to be competitive, so every dollar counts!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 8:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [44 favorites]
Reuters: Trump administration to take tough stance against International Criminal Court
The United States on Monday will adopt an aggressive posture against the International Criminal Court, threatening sanctions against ICC judges if they proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Americans in Afghanistan. [...] “The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” Bolton will say, according to a draft of his speech seen by Reuters. [...]
If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in American courts. “We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us,” says Bolton’s draft text. In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to The Hague-based court, says the text.
The court’s aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
They're talking like they run a rogue state of génocidaires, war-criminals and torturers. Because they do.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [69 favorites]
The United States on Monday will adopt an aggressive posture against the International Criminal Court, threatening sanctions against ICC judges if they proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Americans in Afghanistan. [...] “The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” Bolton will say, according to a draft of his speech seen by Reuters. [...]
If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in American courts. “We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us,” says Bolton’s draft text. In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to The Hague-based court, says the text.
The court’s aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
They're talking like they run a rogue state of génocidaires, war-criminals and torturers. Because they do.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 AM on September 10, 2018 [69 favorites]
Items:
• The “Nazis Suck Potluck and Food Drive” at the location of UNC's Silent Sam was disrupted by police with smoke bombs on Saturday. 8 people were arrested and the food was confiscated. Photos and videos by @sadlerja, @ssiddiqui83, @carlibrosseau, @LaFemmePhojo, @CharlieMcGeeUNC, @Tooterbelle, and @TajBSimmons.
• Per Woodward, Trump's #MeToo advice
• The Socialist Rifle Association is a thing.
posted by octobersurprise at 8:49 AM on September 10, 2018 [37 favorites]
• The “Nazis Suck Potluck and Food Drive” at the location of UNC's Silent Sam was disrupted by police with smoke bombs on Saturday. 8 people were arrested and the food was confiscated. Photos and videos by @sadlerja, @ssiddiqui83, @carlibrosseau, @LaFemmePhojo, @CharlieMcGeeUNC, @Tooterbelle, and @TajBSimmons.
• Per Woodward, Trump's #MeToo advice
“You’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women. If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead.”• Buried in Betsy Morris, Deepa Seetharaman and Robert McMillan's piece for The Wall Street Journal, "Sheryl Sandberg’s New Job Is to Fix Facebook’s Reputation—and Her Own," are allegations that Facebook execs knew about Russian disinfo during the 2016 campaign but were unwilling or unable to address it
"Mr. Stamos, the security chief, began raising alarms in the summer of 2016 about Russian interference, according to a person familiar with the situation.•INFILTRATION: Challenging Supremacism, a conference hosted by Berlin's Disruption Network Lab, the latest in their Misinformation Series was held September 7-8th.
His team had identified Russian state-sponsored activity on Facebook’s platform, although it had yet to link it to fake-news accounts that were already active on Facebook.
Internally, however, Facebook staffers were aware of fake news operations run out of Macedonia looking to make money from advertising. But the issue got bogged down between the policy team, which had no rules for fighting and disabling fake news accounts, and Facebook lawyers who were reluctant to do anything that smacked of trying to influence the election, the person said."
• The Socialist Rifle Association is a thing.
posted by octobersurprise at 8:49 AM on September 10, 2018 [37 favorites]
On the ICC, that's not actually inconsistent with the prior US policies. The Bush administration withdrew US signature, threatened to veto the UN peacekeeping budget over the ICC, and forced countries into immunity agreements with us to never refer Americans to the ICC. The Obama admin dropped the overt attacks and pledged "cooperation"...but didn't try to ratify American participation or rescind any of the Bush era agreements.
So, yes, Republicans want to build a legal regime to shield themselves from the consequences of committing war crimes. And Democrats would really like to look forward, not backwards. Same as ever.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:53 AM on September 10, 2018 [15 favorites]
So, yes, Republicans want to build a legal regime to shield themselves from the consequences of committing war crimes. And Democrats would really like to look forward, not backwards. Same as ever.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:53 AM on September 10, 2018 [15 favorites]
GOP candidate for FL Gov, Ron DeSantis resigns from his day job as Rep for FL-06. Probably no real net impact, although it might make it slightly harder to get any shenanigans through during the lame duck.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
• The Socialist Rifle Association is a thing.
They even have a warrant canary!
As an addendum, all membership data is encrypted via AES-256 and purged once processed. In the case of a subpoena, there would be no membership data for us to hand over to authorities. There is also a warrant canary at the bottom of every page.
God that sounds like a good organization, I hope they have success.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
They even have a warrant canary!
As an addendum, all membership data is encrypted via AES-256 and purged once processed. In the case of a subpoena, there would be no membership data for us to hand over to authorities. There is also a warrant canary at the bottom of every page.
God that sounds like a good organization, I hope they have success.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
Of course "bipartisanship" and "comity" is defined by the media as "doing things Republicans want in a way acceptable to Republicans." But I seriously doubt Democrats will be in a forgiving mood the next time they take power, which could be a few short months away now.
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
But I seriously doubt Democrats will be in a forgiving mood the next time they take power
You forgot the /joke tag. The D base will have to employ every carrot and stick in its arsenal to keep them from "looking forward, not backward" again should they regain power.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [17 favorites]
You forgot the /joke tag. The D base will have to employ every carrot and stick in its arsenal to keep them from "looking forward, not backward" again should they regain power.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [17 favorites]
So, yes, Republicans want to build a legal regime to shield themselves from the consequences of committing war crimes.
Does 'themselves' include military contractors?
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:12 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Does 'themselves' include military contractors?
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:12 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Senate Republicans outright stole a SCOTUS seat from Obama. And then Trump oozes into office on a combination of Russian meddling and Republican FBI director James Comey putting their thumbs on the scale. An illegitimate, unfit president tipping the SCOTUS balance like that potentially invalidates the entire Democratic agenda, and judging from the Democrats in the Judiciary Committee, they know it.
They don't have the power to stop Kavanaugh, but I seriously doubt Democrats are about to give him a 98-0 love fest.
Should Democratic voters keep the pressure on? Absolutely. Should we complain to NPR everyday time they pretend comity, civility, and bipartisanship only apply to Democrats? Sure. But while there are ways I wish Democrats -- Schumer in particular -- were fighting harder, they don't seem to be in a hurry to help Trump with his agenda now. I don't see them lining up to vote for his tax increases or abolishing the ACA after they gain more seats in Congress due to an angry blue wave.
posted by Gelatin at 9:18 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
They don't have the power to stop Kavanaugh, but I seriously doubt Democrats are about to give him a 98-0 love fest.
Should Democratic voters keep the pressure on? Absolutely. Should we complain to NPR every
posted by Gelatin at 9:18 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Every time someone refers to the blue wave as a given I hear Patton Oswalt in my head warning against complacency - Jumping the General Lee over the Bill of Rights
posted by Molesome at 9:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Molesome at 9:30 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
T. D. Strange: On the ICC, that's not actually inconsistent with the prior US policies.
I seem to recall this being framed as, "If we have to be The World's Policeman, we don't want countries who we 'had' to lean on to take us to court." Which, I guess I understood the point of view at the time, if you are assuming that you're on the side of the angels. Like, Baby Doc Duvalier filing a nuisance lawsuit from his home in exile would just be stupid, right?
Nowadays, though, after twenty years of war in hot places, I still want most American soldiers, sailors, and airmen protected....but mmmmmmaybe not all the leaders.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:48 AM on September 10, 2018
I seem to recall this being framed as, "If we have to be The World's Policeman, we don't want countries who we 'had' to lean on to take us to court." Which, I guess I understood the point of view at the time, if you are assuming that you're on the side of the angels. Like, Baby Doc Duvalier filing a nuisance lawsuit from his home in exile would just be stupid, right?
Nowadays, though, after twenty years of war in hot places, I still want most American soldiers, sailors, and airmen protected....but mmmmmmaybe not all the leaders.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:48 AM on September 10, 2018
I still want most American soldiers, sailors, and airmen protected
I don't want anyone protected from a just punishment for their crimes. If we have specific issues with the ICC able to provide that, then I can understand wanting to keep our citizens out of it. If we refuse to be subject to the same laws as the countries we invade, we have no right to invade them.
posted by soelo at 10:11 AM on September 10, 2018 [29 favorites]
I don't want anyone protected from a just punishment for their crimes. If we have specific issues with the ICC able to provide that, then I can understand wanting to keep our citizens out of it. If we refuse to be subject to the same laws as the countries we invade, we have no right to invade them.
posted by soelo at 10:11 AM on September 10, 2018 [29 favorites]
If we refuse to be subject to the same laws as the countries we invade, we have no right to invade them.
We have no right to invade them anyway.
posted by adamgreenfield at 10:19 AM on September 10, 2018 [52 favorites]
We have no right to invade them anyway.
posted by adamgreenfield at 10:19 AM on September 10, 2018 [52 favorites]
I think my favorite Cruz comment now is his complaint that O'Rourke will bring "silicone, tofu and hair dye" to Texas....I guess maybe the "tofu" comment approaches an actual dig, but I frequent a Thai place right here in Fort Worth that has plenty of tofu-containing menu items. No one cares.
Sam Elliott (V.O.): "Why does Lying Ted Cruz hate Texan farmers?"posted by snuffleupagus at 10:24 AM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
I would say "My thinking is evolving as I grow up" but I pretty much just agree with soelo. :7)
I was simply sharing what I remember being offered as the reasoning at the time, twenty years ago, when the ICC was founded.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:25 AM on September 10, 2018
I was simply sharing what I remember being offered as the reasoning at the time, twenty years ago, when the ICC was founded.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:25 AM on September 10, 2018
If we refuse to be subject to the same laws as the countries we invade, we have no right to invade them.
That would mean we wouldn't be able to invade anywhere with unjust laws. A better way of saying it is that we shouldn't declare ourselves above international law, which is more about 'hey maybe don't commit human rights abuses? just saying.'
posted by corb at 10:35 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
That would mean we wouldn't be able to invade anywhere with unjust laws. A better way of saying it is that we shouldn't declare ourselves above international law, which is more about 'hey maybe don't commit human rights abuses? just saying.'
posted by corb at 10:35 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Regarding the ICC, never forget that under George W. Bush the USA passed a law, the American Service-Members' Protection Act, which preemptively authorizes the US to go to war against the Netherlands for the purpose of "rescuing" any American being tried by the ICC at the Hague.
Basically the USA hates and fears the ICC with a perverse intensity, presumably because in any actual even handed system of justice several prominent Americans who are wrongly held in high esteem by both Republicans and Democrats would be imprisoned for crimes against humanity.
posted by sotonohito at 10:50 AM on September 10, 2018 [57 favorites]
Basically the USA hates and fears the ICC with a perverse intensity, presumably because in any actual even handed system of justice several prominent Americans who are wrongly held in high esteem by both Republicans and Democrats would be imprisoned for crimes against humanity.
posted by sotonohito at 10:50 AM on September 10, 2018 [57 favorites]
Could we just give them Henry Kissinger and call it a day?
posted by Gelatin at 10:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 10:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [27 favorites]
I think my favorite Cruz comment now is his complaint that O'Rourke will bring "silicone, tofu and hair dye" to Texas
That should read silicon. It's meant to be a dig on Austin, what with all the computer companies there.
posted by scalefree at 10:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
That should read silicon. It's meant to be a dig on Austin, what with all the computer companies there.
posted by scalefree at 10:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
What a weird dig, does he not want his constituents to have good jobs available?
posted by palomar at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by palomar at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2018 [17 favorites]
There's nothing more un-american than a good job.
posted by dng at 10:58 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by dng at 10:58 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Ted has no idea how to relate to actual humans.
posted by orrnyereg at 10:58 AM on September 10, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by orrnyereg at 10:58 AM on September 10, 2018 [8 favorites]
Internally, however, Facebook staffers were aware of fake news operations run out of Macedonia looking to make money from advertising. But the issue got bogged down between the policy team, which had no rules for fighting and disabling fake news accounts, and Facebook lawyers who were reluctant to do anything that smacked of trying to influence the election, the person said.
So I guess the Facebook lawyers heard about the law where if you shovel Nazis off your sidewalk and then someone slips and commits a Holocaust you're liable for damages.
posted by srboisvert at 10:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
So I guess the Facebook lawyers heard about the law where if you shovel Nazis off your sidewalk and then someone slips and commits a Holocaust you're liable for damages.
posted by srboisvert at 10:59 AM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
That should read silicon. It's meant to be a dig on Austin, what with all the computer companies there.
Not to mention Dallas, the headquarters of a scrappy little startup called Texas Instruments. What the hell is Cruz even talking about here?
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:00 AM on September 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
Not to mention Dallas, the headquarters of a scrappy little startup called Texas Instruments. What the hell is Cruz even talking about here?
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:00 AM on September 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
Republicans don't believe that international laws should exist, is the problem. And they've pretty much extended that doctrine to US law, at least as US law is applied to Republicans.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:02 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:02 AM on September 10, 2018 [5 favorites]
Republicans only respect you if your business is turning money into more money. Actually providing a product or service is for chumps.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:03 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:03 AM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, the company that literally made it possible to have a "silicon" based economy has Texas right in its name, and it has since the early 50's. I'm going to guess the original assessment of him saying "silicone" is actually correct.
posted by sideshow at 11:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by sideshow at 11:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Not to mention Dallas, the headquarters of a scrappy little startup called Texas Instruments. What the hell is Cruz even talking about here?
Austin has a net growth of 150 people a day, many from Silicon Valley. He's trying, in his own awkward inhuman way, to paint all that growth as "not true Texans," liberals coming in to take over & recreate San Francisco.
posted by scalefree at 11:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Austin has a net growth of 150 people a day, many from Silicon Valley. He's trying, in his own awkward inhuman way, to paint all that growth as "not true Texans," liberals coming in to take over & recreate San Francisco.
posted by scalefree at 11:05 AM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Republicans don't believe that international laws should exist, is the problem. And they've pretty much extended that doctrine to US law, at least as US law is applied to Republicans.
Republicans complain about the "loss of sovereignty" involved in international laws like the ICC. But the entire premise of the social contract is that individuals give up some of their sovereignty for the benefits and protection of a state.
Republicans deny the very existence of a social contract. But of course they do -- it implies consent and limits to authority, and mutual obligations between the state and its citizens.
It'd be nice if some of the so-called elite political press explored this idea, because it seems obvious.
posted by Gelatin at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
Republicans complain about the "loss of sovereignty" involved in international laws like the ICC. But the entire premise of the social contract is that individuals give up some of their sovereignty for the benefits and protection of a state.
Republicans deny the very existence of a social contract. But of course they do -- it implies consent and limits to authority, and mutual obligations between the state and its citizens.
It'd be nice if some of the so-called elite political press explored this idea, because it seems obvious.
posted by Gelatin at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's definitely supposed to be "silicone." He's evoking a stereotype of "Hollywood liberals." Fake silicone breasts, tofu instead of beef, hair dye instead of...hair dye?
It's really surprising that Ted Cruz ever won office to begin with. How did he not get rolled by another Republican sooner?
posted by explosion at 11:09 AM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's really surprising that Ted Cruz ever won office to begin with. How did he not get rolled by another Republican sooner?
posted by explosion at 11:09 AM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
I still don't buy it, even if you take in account he might be one those people who think "Silicon Valley" was coined in the 90's, or that SF isn't like 40+ miles north of SV. Dallas alone has a half century long history of being at the forefront of electronics and computers. Austin might be getting slightly more techbros lately, but it has multiple decades of history as well. The only makes sense is the usual "LA has way to much plastic surgery amirite???" bullshit.
posted by sideshow at 11:11 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by sideshow at 11:11 AM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
This single from Beto O'Rourke's high-school punk band is – pretty damn good!
posted by nicwolff at 11:15 AM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by nicwolff at 11:15 AM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
It's really surprising that Ted Cruz ever won office to begin with. How did he not get rolled by another Republican sooner?
Bear in mind that Cruz has only won one and a half elections in his life: The 2012 U.S. Senate primary run-off (he came in second in the original nine-way primary) and the general election, where he was running against a Democrat who hadn't held elected office in nearly a decade, and which he won by about 100,000 fewer votes than Mitt Romney got in Texas.
posted by Etrigan at 11:19 AM on September 10, 2018 [25 favorites]
Bear in mind that Cruz has only won one and a half elections in his life: The 2012 U.S. Senate primary run-off (he came in second in the original nine-way primary) and the general election, where he was running against a Democrat who hadn't held elected office in nearly a decade, and which he won by about 100,000 fewer votes than Mitt Romney got in Texas.
posted by Etrigan at 11:19 AM on September 10, 2018 [25 favorites]
Why does he keep running for President?
posted by Artw at 11:23 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 11:23 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dunning-Cruzer.
posted by adamgreenfield at 11:25 AM on September 10, 2018 [96 favorites]
posted by adamgreenfield at 11:25 AM on September 10, 2018 [96 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 House:
Final primaries this week: New Hampshire (Tue), Rhode Island (Wed), and NY state offices (Thu). And then we're done (except for Louisiana, on Election Day)! 538 summary of all three states, DKE summary of NH, Taniel races of interest.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [13 favorites]
** 2018 House:
-- (Mentioned earlier) Siena polls:** 2018 Senate:-- MN-03: Dem Phillips up 51-42 on GOP incumbent Paulsen [MOE: +/- 4.6%] [Clinton 51-41 | Cook: Tossup]-- Emerson polls of four Iowa districts [MOE: +/- 3.2%]:
-- MN-08: Dem Radinovich up 44-43 on GOPer Stauber [MOE: +/- 4.6%] [Trump 54-39 | Cook: Tossup]-- IA-01: Dem Finkenauer up 43-38 on GOP incumbent Blum [Trump 49-45 | Cook: Leans D]--GA-06: Thirty-Ninth Street Strategies poll has GOP incumbent Handel up 49-47 on Dem McBath [MOE: +/- 4.6%]. Poll was commissioned by the McBath campaign. [Trump 48-47 | Cook: Leans R]
-- IA-02: Incumbent Dem Loebsack up 45-21 on GOPer Peters [Trump 49-45 | Cook: Solid D]
-- IA-03: GOP incumbent Young up 47-31 on Dem Axne [Trump 49-45 | Cook: Tossup]
-- IA-04: GOP incumbent King up 41-31 on Dem Scholten [Trump 61-34 | Cook: Likely R]
-- Monmouth did a big analysis of eight tossup districts (CA-48, NJ-03, NJ-11, OH-12, PA-01, PA-17, VA-10, WV-03). Lots of crosstab stuff at the link, high level is that potential voters favor Dems 43-42; likely voters favor Dems 47-43.
-- UT-04: GOP incumbent Mia Love is being probed by the FEC for illegal fundraising. [Trump 39-32 | Cook: Leans R]
-- FL-06: Resignation of Ron DeSantis to run full-time for FL gov brings Congressional balance to 236-193 GOP (6 vacancies). [Trump 57-40 | Cook: Likely R]
-- Gravis poll has GOPer McSally up 49-48 on Dem Sinema [MOE: +/- 3.3%].** Odds & ends:
-- NY gov: In the Dem primary, Siena poll has Cuomo up 63-22 on Nixon [MOE: +/- 4.3%].===
-- AZ gov: Same Gravis poll has GOP incumbent Ducey up 48-44 on Dem Garcia.
-- IA gov: Same Emerson poll has Dem Hubbell up 36-31 on GOP incumbent Reynolds.
-- Randall Woodfin, progressive mayor of Birmingham, AL, is launching a PAC to build Dem bench strength in AL.
-- Governing Magazine rates downballot races. They matter, too!
Final primaries this week: New Hampshire (Tue), Rhode Island (Wed), and NY state offices (Thu). And then we're done (except for Louisiana, on Election Day)! 538 summary of all three states, DKE summary of NH, Taniel races of interest.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [13 favorites]
Why does he keep running for President?
Dunning-Cruzer.
SHUT THE THREAD DOWN NOW.
posted by Etrigan at 11:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [44 favorites]
Dunning-Cruzer.
SHUT THE THREAD DOWN NOW.
posted by Etrigan at 11:28 AM on September 10, 2018 [44 favorites]
Republicans don't believe that international laws should exist, is the problem. And they've pretty much extended that doctrine to US law, at least as US law is applied to Republicans.
But isn't World Government a cornerstone of the Book of Revelations' prophesies? If so, the evangelical End-of-Days'ers should be all for this.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 11:29 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
But isn't World Government a cornerstone of the Book of Revelations' prophesies? If so, the evangelical End-of-Days'ers should be all for this.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 11:29 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's definitely supposed to be "silicone." He's evoking a stereotype of "Hollywood liberals." Fake silicone breasts, tofu instead of beef, hair dye instead of...hair dye?
It's especially dumb since modern breast implants were pioneered by a pair of doctors at a Houston hospital.
posted by The Tensor at 11:32 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's especially dumb since modern breast implants were pioneered by a pair of doctors at a Houston hospital.
posted by The Tensor at 11:32 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Since we're on the topic of Ted Cruz, my favorite sticker this year is block-letter "HUMANS AGAINST TED CRUZ."
This whole thing may just blow over and be forgtten about, though I hope not. My partner (in building good people, not crime) is going to be campaigning for Beto, starting this week. We're in Austin, and in an obviously-Beto-friendly area. I get about 3 texts/emails per day from the campaign, and have all year, so I worry about fatigue and echo chambers. Car stickers are way more prevalent than yard signs, though there's no shortage of yard signs. What will actually make the difference in TX is turnout, turnout, tournout-- then demonstrable results.
As I was typing this, shit you not, I got another text from Beto's campaign: "50 days out, get to work! Phone banks and block walks. Details at XXX"
Again, preachin to the choir, here, but there's a lot of work happening here.
posted by rp at 11:36 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
This whole thing may just blow over and be forgtten about, though I hope not. My partner (in building good people, not crime) is going to be campaigning for Beto, starting this week. We're in Austin, and in an obviously-Beto-friendly area. I get about 3 texts/emails per day from the campaign, and have all year, so I worry about fatigue and echo chambers. Car stickers are way more prevalent than yard signs, though there's no shortage of yard signs. What will actually make the difference in TX is turnout, turnout, tournout-- then demonstrable results.
As I was typing this, shit you not, I got another text from Beto's campaign: "50 days out, get to work! Phone banks and block walks. Details at XXX"
Again, preachin to the choir, here, but there's a lot of work happening here.
posted by rp at 11:36 AM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
In addition to Resistbot and FaxZero, this "make your voice heard" service -- called StampLicked -- has been making the rounds of the Maine progressive org pages today. They're apparently promising to get a paper printout of your letter or message to Sen. Collins' office in DC before the vote on Thursday.
Also this (somewhat suspect, IMHO) Tweet has been making the rounds, claiming that the staff in Collins' office aren't actually writing down any info from people who call.
posted by anastasiav at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also this (somewhat suspect, IMHO) Tweet has been making the rounds, claiming that the staff in Collins' office aren't actually writing down any info from people who call.
posted by anastasiav at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's definitely supposed to be "silicone." He's evoking a stereotype of "Hollywood liberals." Fake silicone breasts, tofu instead of beef, hair dye instead of...hair dye?
It's especially dumb since modern breast implants were pioneered by a pair of doctors at a Houston hospital.
And of course, the same state that gave us the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (and by extension "Debbie Does Dallas") would have no concept at all of women (and men) augmenting their bodies to fit an unrealistic ideal.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's especially dumb since modern breast implants were pioneered by a pair of doctors at a Houston hospital.
And of course, the same state that gave us the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (and by extension "Debbie Does Dallas") would have no concept at all of women (and men) augmenting their bodies to fit an unrealistic ideal.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
-- IA gov: Same Emerson poll has Dem Hubbell up 36-31 on GOP incumbent Reynolds.Huh, really? I'm knocking doors for Hubbell, but I've been treating that race as another Iowa Democratic lost cause. Kim Reynolds is uninspiring and doesn't have a ton of name recognition, but she's got that folksy, faux-moderate thing that Iowans like.
I am really excited that things are looking good for Abby Finkenauer, whom I like a lot. We're going to have to do something about the 3rd district, though. That should be a competitive race.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:54 AM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
-- NY gov: In the Dem primary, Siena poll has Cuomo up 63-22 on Nixon [MOE: +/- 4.3%].
woof. I dunno what New Yorkers see in Cuomo but clearly they see something they like. Or are they simply (understandably) wary of celebrities with no political experience here in age of Trump.
posted by Justinian at 12:10 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
woof. I dunno what New Yorkers see in Cuomo but clearly they see something they like. Or are they simply (understandably) wary of celebrities with no political experience here in age of Trump.
posted by Justinian at 12:10 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
woof. I dunno what New Yorkers see in Cuomo but clearly they see something they like. Or are they simply (understandably) wary of celebrities with no political experience here in age of Trump.
There's a lot of factors (and an open NY primary thread), but part of it is that Cuomo has consolidated the NY State Democratic Party so firmly that no major Democratic institution (teachers, unions, HRC, etc) will risk offending him considering he's the front-runner. Nixon is one of the only people that doesn't have a future political career to lose by crossing Cuomo. It's really a poisonous situation, and one shouldn't read too much appreciation of Cuomo or dislike of Nixon in those poll results.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 12:15 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
There's a lot of factors (and an open NY primary thread), but part of it is that Cuomo has consolidated the NY State Democratic Party so firmly that no major Democratic institution (teachers, unions, HRC, etc) will risk offending him considering he's the front-runner. Nixon is one of the only people that doesn't have a future political career to lose by crossing Cuomo. It's really a poisonous situation, and one shouldn't read too much appreciation of Cuomo or dislike of Nixon in those poll results.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 12:15 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or are they simply (understandably) wary of celebrities with no political experience here in age of Trump.
Nixon also apparently eats lox with cinnamon raisin bagels, which is a greater crime against regional foodstuffs than even Kerry's cheesesteak gaffe. (But the NY primary thread has more, and short answer is: NY is complicated and corrupt as fuck and literally everyone hates Cuomo and yet no one can figure out how to get rid of him)
posted by halation at 12:18 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
Nixon also apparently eats lox with cinnamon raisin bagels, which is a greater crime against regional foodstuffs than even Kerry's cheesesteak gaffe. (But the NY primary thread has more, and short answer is: NY is complicated and corrupt as fuck and literally everyone hates Cuomo and yet no one can figure out how to get rid of him)
posted by halation at 12:18 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
U.S. appeals court says Missouri can enforce abortion laws [Reuters]
PDF of the opinion: Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains v. Hawley
I hate these people so much:
posted by melissasaurus at 12:19 PM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
PDF of the opinion: Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains v. Hawley
I hate these people so much:
Thus, Hellerstedt did not find, as a matter of law, that abortion was inherently safe or that provisions similar to the laws it considered would never be constitutional. Instead, it held that the “District Court applied the correct legal standard” when it “weighed the asserted benefits against the burdens.” ... In light of Hellerstedt the district court erred in so ruling. On remand, the district court should, at the very least, weigh the state’s “asserted benefits.” Despite the district court’s assertions to the contrary, Hellerstedt’s analysis of the purported benefits of the law at issue were, of course, related to what the law in that case regulated: abortion in Texas. And so the Supreme Court recognized that “before the act’s passage, abortion in Texas was extremely safe.”So the TRAP law is no longer enjoined, and the case goes back to the district court, because now we have to determine whether abortion is safe in each individual state before deciding if Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt is binding. Also, the district court can't review the challenge to the requirements regarding building size, etc, because there's only one clinic that provides surgical abortions, and maybe they can get a waiver, so what are you women whining about?
posted by melissasaurus at 12:19 PM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
The Cavalry Comes to Save Ted Cruz From Humiliation
Even if he wins this has me cackling with glee since every dollar they spend on Cruz's heretofore safe seat is a dollar they can't spend elsewhere
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 12:25 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
Even if he wins this has me cackling with glee since every dollar they spend on Cruz's heretofore safe seat is a dollar they can't spend elsewhere
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 12:25 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
Cruz isn't targeting urban Texans with his Silicon and Tofu comments. He's going for the rural base, people who think of Dallas, Houston, or Austin as liberal hives of sin and iniquity.
And normally that would work, because statewide candidates in Texas, especially Democrats, have focused exclusively on those three spots at the detriment of the rest of the state.
But Beto isn't following that pattern- he's been very visibly targeting the whole state, rural and urban, for more than a year now in the way that not even statewide Republicans traditionally do. He's gone to rural counties that Cruz has never visited, and gone to them more than once in most cases.
Cruz is scared that he can't buy his way out of that face to face deficit, and I think he's right to be.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:34 PM on September 10, 2018 [54 favorites]
And normally that would work, because statewide candidates in Texas, especially Democrats, have focused exclusively on those three spots at the detriment of the rest of the state.
But Beto isn't following that pattern- he's been very visibly targeting the whole state, rural and urban, for more than a year now in the way that not even statewide Republicans traditionally do. He's gone to rural counties that Cruz has never visited, and gone to them more than once in most cases.
Cruz is scared that he can't buy his way out of that face to face deficit, and I think he's right to be.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:34 PM on September 10, 2018 [54 favorites]
"He is actually a high-achieving, high-functioning person who has excelled in business"Every time someone pulls out that old canard that Trump has excelled in business I figure the speaker is not from New York or New Jersey. Nevermind the bankruptcies, every contractor in the tri-state area knows that a down payment from a Trump company is going to be the entire payment. Everyone around here has either been stiffed on a Trump project or knows someone who has. Even when he's not broke, he doesn't pay his bills. Ask anyone in business how they would evaluate someone who only the desperate will work for without cash up front.
... for values of 'excelling' that include 'having casinos go bankrupt'.
posted by Karmakaze at 12:39 PM on September 10, 2018 [32 favorites]
NPR: Going Deep On “The Deep State”
I almost had to pull over when I heard the upfront framing that went into this program. They were deliberately conflating concerns about "the Deep State" with the anonymous NYT op-ed and Michael Caputo went all-in on the confusion to attempt to defend Trump. I'm really tired of them normalizing intentional conflation by the right wing and then congratulating themselves for noting the conflation error at some point during the broadcast. The game they're playing is catering to the right-wingers who might listen in by presenting the talking point as a legitimate position and then trying to appease the sane people listening by telling them, "Don't worry, we know this is bullshit, too, and right here we're saying so." Sick of it.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:41 PM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
I almost had to pull over when I heard the upfront framing that went into this program. They were deliberately conflating concerns about "the Deep State" with the anonymous NYT op-ed and Michael Caputo went all-in on the confusion to attempt to defend Trump. I'm really tired of them normalizing intentional conflation by the right wing and then congratulating themselves for noting the conflation error at some point during the broadcast. The game they're playing is catering to the right-wingers who might listen in by presenting the talking point as a legitimate position and then trying to appease the sane people listening by telling them, "Don't worry, we know this is bullshit, too, and right here we're saying so." Sick of it.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:41 PM on September 10, 2018 [26 favorites]
Far-right Twitter has been all about conflating the two, so it’s basically a Nazi talking point.
(And nonsensical too, of course, the staffers being Trump appointees and not part of some civil service linage, but nonsensical goes with Nazi.)
posted by Artw at 12:45 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
(And nonsensical too, of course, the staffers being Trump appointees and not part of some civil service linage, but nonsensical goes with Nazi.)
posted by Artw at 12:45 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
I am reminded of the time NPR interviewed the organizer of a white supremacist rally and the response to the (entirely predictable) outrage was essentially "we conducted a hard hitting interview (that we mostly left on the editing room floor)."
posted by Gelatin at 12:47 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 12:47 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
(And nonsensical too, of course, the staffers being Trump appointees and not part of some civil service linage, but nonsensical goes with Nazi.)
To be fair both of the non-crazies on that NPR piece made the same point a few times. Stupid that they even HAVE to make the point though.
posted by ian1977 at 12:57 PM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
To be fair both of the non-crazies on that NPR piece made the same point a few times. Stupid that they even HAVE to make the point though.
posted by ian1977 at 12:57 PM on September 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am reminded of the time NPR interviewed the organizer of a white supremacist rally...
That was literally just a month ago.
posted by The Tensor at 12:58 PM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
That was literally just a month ago.
posted by The Tensor at 12:58 PM on September 10, 2018 [14 favorites]
halation: "Nixon also apparently eats lox with cinnamon raisin bagels, which is a greater crime against regional foodstuffs than even Kerry's cheesesteak gaffe."
I hate this kind of shit. Who cares what the fuck people eat?
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on September 10, 2018 [33 favorites]
I hate this kind of shit. Who cares what the fuck people eat?
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on September 10, 2018 [33 favorites]
ArbitraryAndCapricious: "Huh, really? I'm knocking doors for Hubbell, but I've been treating that race as another Iowa Democratic lost cause. Kim Reynolds is uninspiring and doesn't have a ton of name recognition, but she's got that folksy, faux-moderate thing that Iowans like. "
All the major raters have the race as Tossup, fwiw.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:09 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
All the major raters have the race as Tossup, fwiw.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:09 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
That was literally just a month ago.
Seventy-four years in Trump Time.
posted by EarBucket at 1:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Seventy-four years in Trump Time.
posted by EarBucket at 1:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Who cares what the fuck people eat?
as long as its not a well done steak with ketchup.
There's a pretty lively thread of this kind of thing over here.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 1:15 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
as long as its not a well done steak with ketchup.
There's a pretty lively thread of this kind of thing over here.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 1:15 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
The view from Palestine on the impending closure of the PLO office in Washington, DC.
PLO officials: 'Palestinians will not surrender'
PLO officials: 'Palestinians will not surrender'
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Members of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), responded on Monday to the expected announcement that the United States administration will close the PLO’s office in Washington as part of a widening US pressure campaign on Palestinian officials amid stalled Middle East peace prospects.PLO Office of the Negotiations Affairs Department
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, said in a statement "It is ironic that the US is punishing the PLO, the national representative of the Palestinian people and the highest political body that made the commitment to reaching a political and legal settlement of the Palestinian question and that has engaged in negotiations with successive US administrations for decades."
"It is also extremely cruel and spiteful to persist in deliberately bashing the Palestinian people by denying them of their rights, giving away their lands and rightful capital of Jerusalem, and defunding UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and Palestinian institutions, including East Jerusalem hospitals.
September 10, 2018posted by standardasparagus at 1:17 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
We have been notified by a US official of their decision to close the Palestinian Mission to the US. This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education. To this regard, we will take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services.
This dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region.
We reiterate that the rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to US threats and bullying and that we will continue our legitimate struggle for freedom, justice, and independence, including by all political and legal means possible. Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes.
Nevertheless, the international community has the responsibility to react. Lowering the flag of Palestine in Washington DC means much more than a new slap by the Trump Administration against peace and justice; it symbolizes the US attacks against the international system as a whole, including the Paris Convention, UNESCO and the Human Rights Council among others.
Yeah, speaking as a Texan, Cruz is invoking a long standing conservative Texan grudge/complaint/whine about California.
You see bumper stickers from time to time that say "Don't California My Texas".
To a lot of the more conservative Texans, California isn't so much a real place as it is a font of all that is evil and wrong in the world. And they see big Texas cities (especially Austin) as sort of outposts of that evil myth-California they imagine exists to oppose and destroy all they hold dear.
A while back I was talking to a conservative chap who confidently told me that in California it was illegal to repair your own car, he offered no explanation for why he thought this was true, presumably he just assumes that California hates all things good and manly.
That Cruz was going for bizarre stereotypes of the myth-California and trying to tie them to Beto is entirely predictable, if kind of odd looking from the outside. It's bog standard Texan political speech though. Anything liberal is evil, anything evil is from California. And evil California is sending evil people to try and turn Texas into a copy of the myth-California that exists in thier heads.
Here's Gregg Abbot, our only Governor, talking about how much he hates Austin, California, and the stench of oppression he imagines pervades those places:
Call it fragile Texanism, to go along with fragile masculinity. To some Texans the only way to be authentically Texan is to hate California, and much of Texas as well.
posted by sotonohito at 1:21 PM on September 10, 2018 [74 favorites]
You see bumper stickers from time to time that say "Don't California My Texas".
To a lot of the more conservative Texans, California isn't so much a real place as it is a font of all that is evil and wrong in the world. And they see big Texas cities (especially Austin) as sort of outposts of that evil myth-California they imagine exists to oppose and destroy all they hold dear.
A while back I was talking to a conservative chap who confidently told me that in California it was illegal to repair your own car, he offered no explanation for why he thought this was true, presumably he just assumes that California hates all things good and manly.
That Cruz was going for bizarre stereotypes of the myth-California and trying to tie them to Beto is entirely predictable, if kind of odd looking from the outside. It's bog standard Texan political speech though. Anything liberal is evil, anything evil is from California. And evil California is sending evil people to try and turn Texas into a copy of the myth-California that exists in thier heads.
Here's Gregg Abbot, our only Governor, talking about how much he hates Austin, California, and the stench of oppression he imagines pervades those places:
“As I was coming up here from Austin, Texas, tonight, I got to tell you, it’s great to be out of the People’s Republic of Austin,” Abbott told the Bell County Republican Party Dinner at the Bell County Expo Center, just under 60 miles up the road from Austin in Belton.To you non-Texans I can see how Cruz's comments could seem bizarre or like non-sequitors, but to any Texan they were immediately identifiable.
“As you leave Austin and start heading north, you start feeling different,” Abbott told the appreciative audience. “Once you cross the Travis County line, it starts smelling different. And you know what that fragrance is? Freedom. It’s the smell of freedom that does not exist in Austin, Texas.”
“That said, with your senators and legislators, I can tell you that today, Austin is more free than it was before the legislative session began because the state of Texas passed laws that overrode the liberal agenda of Austin, Texas, that is trying to send Texas down the pathway of California,” Abbott said.
On Memorial Day, the governor, in what he called a “celebration of freedom and free enterprise,” signed legislation taking ride-hailing regulation statewide and overriding the Austin ordinance that led Uber and Lyft to shut down operations in Austin.
“As your governor, I will not allow Austin, Texas, to Californiaize the Lone Star State,” Abbott said.
Call it fragile Texanism, to go along with fragile masculinity. To some Texans the only way to be authentically Texan is to hate California, and much of Texas as well.
posted by sotonohito at 1:21 PM on September 10, 2018 [74 favorites]
On Memorial Day, the governor, in what he called a “celebration of freedom and free enterprise,” signed legislation taking ride-hailing regulation statewide and overriding the Austin ordinance that led Uber and Lyft to shut down operations in Austin.I will not Allow Austin to Californiaize the Lone Star state. Instead, I will ... give free rein to two California mega-corporations instead of allowing local Texans to control and regulate commerce in their city?
“As your governor, I will not allow Austin, Texas, to Californiaize the Lone Star State,” Abbott said.
posted by dis_integration at 1:29 PM on September 10, 2018 [61 favorites]
Forget it, dis_integration. It's Texastown.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:32 PM on September 10, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:32 PM on September 10, 2018 [27 favorites]
New CNN/SSRS poll -- Trump approval rating:
Approve: 36%
Disapprove: 58%
posted by octothorpe at 1:35 PM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Approve: 36%
Disapprove: 58%
posted by octothorpe at 1:35 PM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Forget it, dis_integration. It's Texastown.
Hey, I often do find myself mumbling "..as little as possible..." when it comes to how much I (as a native son of Los Angeles) want to help Texas unfuck itself, so the movie reference checks out.
posted by sideshow at 1:39 PM on September 10, 2018
Hey, I often do find myself mumbling "..as little as possible..." when it comes to how much I (as a native son of Los Angeles) want to help Texas unfuck itself, so the movie reference checks out.
posted by sideshow at 1:39 PM on September 10, 2018
The "Californication of Texas" reminds me of an American Lit class I took in college. The prof started the first class by saying, "So what's the American dream? The house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, you know everyone in town. What's the American fantasy? Manifest Destiny, freedom, the wild west." His theory was that the American ethos is in the contradiction of those ideas. We have this idea that we want stability, but really we just want to run wild.
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:40 PM on September 10, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:40 PM on September 10, 2018 [32 favorites]
FWIW, current 538 Trump approval average is -13.7 (40.0/53.7)
posted by Chrysostom at 1:42 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:42 PM on September 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
GOP candidate for FL Gov, Ron DeSantis resigns from his day job as Rep for FL-06.
No logical reason for DeSantis to resign and leave the seat open until January except to avoid taking a difficult vote in the budget fight this month. He either supports another deficit busting budget deal or else a government shutdown. Either way he pisses off a bunch of his potential supporters.
Gillum should get some mileage out of the coward quitting his job to avoid tough choices. How can anyone trust DeSantis as governor?
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
No logical reason for DeSantis to resign and leave the seat open until January except to avoid taking a difficult vote in the budget fight this month. He either supports another deficit busting budget deal or else a government shutdown. Either way he pisses off a bunch of his potential supporters.
Gillum should get some mileage out of the coward quitting his job to avoid tough choices. How can anyone trust DeSantis as governor?
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
Looks like De Santis also was a speaker at a number of white nationalist conferences.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:28 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:28 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Nate Silver says that, while they are still tweaking their model, in order to take the Senate it looks like Democrats would have to win the generic ballot by something like 11 points. That would probably mean 60+ House seats, too. Rather a stretch.
It'll be interesting to see what the breakeven point in the Senate is, generic ballot wise. As in what do they have to win the generic ballot by to keep the Senate 52-48.
posted by Justinian at 2:32 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
It'll be interesting to see what the breakeven point in the Senate is, generic ballot wise. As in what do they have to win the generic ballot by to keep the Senate 52-48.
posted by Justinian at 2:32 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I truly believe we will win back the House, perhaps *very* narrowly (TTTCS a thousand times, of course) but that we are likely to lose the Senate. The map is too fuckin' rough. Not impossible, but not likely.
That said, in my fantasy Mike Espy manages to eke out a win in Mississippi using the Doug Jones playbook with modifications for a more rural population... and maybe even brings David Baria over the line with him. Two Senators in one... (what? Jesus, fine, TTTCS TTTCS TTTCS) Granted, I don't think any of this will happen, but I'm gonna keep that candle burning.
posted by duffell at 2:38 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
That said, in my fantasy Mike Espy manages to eke out a win in Mississippi using the Doug Jones playbook with modifications for a more rural population... and maybe even brings David Baria over the line with him. Two Senators in one... (what? Jesus, fine, TTTCS TTTCS TTTCS) Granted, I don't think any of this will happen, but I'm gonna keep that candle burning.
posted by duffell at 2:38 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I forgot about Doug Jones! The Senate is currently 51-49 not 52-48! In my defense... Alabama!!
duffell: When you say lose the Senate, you mean have a net loss of seats? I think holding the Senate where it is is quite possible. It's gaining a net of 2 seats that looks very, very iffy. Hell even pushing it to a 50/50 split isn't out of reach. The difference between +8/9 on the generic ballot (which is plausible) and +11 is huge.
posted by Justinian at 2:42 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
duffell: When you say lose the Senate, you mean have a net loss of seats? I think holding the Senate where it is is quite possible. It's gaining a net of 2 seats that looks very, very iffy. Hell even pushing it to a 50/50 split isn't out of reach. The difference between +8/9 on the generic ballot (which is plausible) and +11 is huge.
posted by Justinian at 2:42 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I meant the net gain of 2, yeah. I could definitely see us winning Nevada and/or Arizona, maybe even Tennessee (be still my heart, even Texas), but I just don't think we're going to hold the line on the red-state Democratic incumbents.
posted by duffell at 2:45 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by duffell at 2:45 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Republicans are spending hard against Menendez in New Jersey. Today's Hugin ad was a huge one covering the whole side of a bus. I've seen something new from Hugin every day so far in September, still not a peep from Menendez.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:19 PM on September 10, 2018
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:19 PM on September 10, 2018
I'm ready for Menendez/Nelson 2020
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:22 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:22 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Omarosa Manigault Newman released another recording (two parts) on MSNBC and The View and suspects Nick Ayers, Mike Pence's chief of staff, is the op-ed author. #TFA
posted by kirkaracha at 4:28 PM on September 10, 2018
posted by kirkaracha at 4:28 PM on September 10, 2018
Obama Urges Young Voters To Ignore How Many Lousy Candidates Democratic Party Runs [Onion]
posted by Artw at 4:29 PM on September 10, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:29 PM on September 10, 2018 [22 favorites]
David Scheffer, who established the ICC on behalf of the US and served as the country’s ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, said: “The Bolton speech today isolates the United States from international criminal justice and severely undermines our leadership in bringing perpetrators of atrocity crimes to justice elsewhere in the world.
“The double standard set forth in his speech will likely play well with authoritarian regimes, which will resist accountability for atrocity crimes and ignore international efforts to advance the rule of law. This was a speech soaked in fear and Bolton sounded the message, once again, that the United States is intimidated by international law and multilateral organizations. I saw not strength but weakness conveyed today by the Trump Administration.”
posted by adamvasco at 5:12 PM on September 10, 2018 [62 favorites]
“The double standard set forth in his speech will likely play well with authoritarian regimes, which will resist accountability for atrocity crimes and ignore international efforts to advance the rule of law. This was a speech soaked in fear and Bolton sounded the message, once again, that the United States is intimidated by international law and multilateral organizations. I saw not strength but weakness conveyed today by the Trump Administration.”
posted by adamvasco at 5:12 PM on September 10, 2018 [62 favorites]
Obama Urges Young Voters To Ignore How Many Lousy Candidates Democratic Party Runs
Should you cast votes for even mediocre Democrats in general elections?
Democrats elected with large margins feel free to move left. Democrats that only win narrowly treat their narrow win as a signal to be cautious. This interacts poorly with the widespread belief that the electorate is more conservative than they actually are.
The way to push the Democratic party overall to the left is vote for progressives in primaries. Once someone has won the primary (whoever it is), the way to push that candidate to the left is to run up their score in the general election so they feel like they've got a mandate.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [88 favorites]
Should you cast votes for even mediocre Democrats in general elections?
Democrats elected with large margins feel free to move left. Democrats that only win narrowly treat their narrow win as a signal to be cautious. This interacts poorly with the widespread belief that the electorate is more conservative than they actually are.
The way to push the Democratic party overall to the left is vote for progressives in primaries. Once someone has won the primary (whoever it is), the way to push that candidate to the left is to run up their score in the general election so they feel like they've got a mandate.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [88 favorites]
Here’s a question I have: we’ve seen plenty of examples of terrible far-right candidates defeating Republican incumbents in primaries and losing in otherwise red districts because they’re crazy and terrible. (Cf. Todd Aiken; that woman who had to deny she was a witch) Are there any comparable examples of far left candidates defeating mainstream incumbent Democrats in a primarty and losing the general?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:44 PM on September 10, 2018
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:44 PM on September 10, 2018
Not nearly as many if any. But before drawing the conclusion that this means we can primary in far left candidates in a ton of places and they'll still win, elections analyst types would tell you that in fact we don't see it as much with Democrats because geographical sorting results in Democrats, unlike the Tea Party, tending to nominate their farther left candidates in quite safe districts. And so they win. The Tea Party Republicans nominated them in all sorts of districts. They won in the red districts but lost in a bunch of purple districts and states.
I was going to post examples of nominating farther left candidates and losing but I had overlooked your stipulation of them beating incumbent Democrats in the primary. That adds some difficulty!
Basically IIRC very progressive voters tend to be packed into districts while veryracist conservative voters are spread out everywhere that isn't a dense urban conglomeration. Hell, they're probably in there too they just can't enact their nuttiness.
posted by Justinian at 5:59 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
I was going to post examples of nominating farther left candidates and losing but I had overlooked your stipulation of them beating incumbent Democrats in the primary. That adds some difficulty!
Basically IIRC very progressive voters tend to be packed into districts while very
posted by Justinian at 5:59 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS - Pt 2
** 2018 House:
** 2018 House:
-- Hendrix College poll of Arkansas districts [MOE: +/- 4.7%]:** 2018 Senate:-- AR-01: GOP incumbent up 57-22 on Dem Desai [Trump 65-30 | Cook: Solid R]-- FL-06: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll has GOPer Waltz up 47-46 on Dem Soderberg [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Soderberg campaign. [Trump 57-40 | CooK: Likely R]
-- AR-02: GOP incumbent Hill up 50-41 on Dem Tucker [Trump 52-42 | Cook: Leans R]
-- AR-03: GOP incumbent Womack up 53-31 on Dem Mahony [Trump 62-31 | Cook: Solid R]
-- AR-04: GOP incumbent Westerman up 54-24 on Dem Shamel [Trump 64-31 | Cook: Solid R]
-- MI-06: PPP poll has GOP incumbent Upton up 45-41 on Dem Longjohn [no MOE listed]. Poll was commissioned by a progressive group. [Trump 51-43 | Cook: Likely R]
-- WV-03: Siena poll has GOPer Miller up 48-40 on Dem Ojeda [MOE: +/- 5.0%]. [Trump 73-23 } Cook: Lean R]
-- NY-27: GOP beginning to fear they won't be able to get indicted incumbent Collins off of the ballot. [Trump 60-35 | Cook: Likely R]
-- Weekly check-in on 538 generic ballot average shows D+8.5 (48.4/39.9). Note that they've changed their methodology a bit to be less reactive.
-- MI: Strategic National poll has Dem incumbent Stabenow up 53-35 on GOPer James [MOE: +/- 3.1%].** Odds & ends:
-- WV: West Virginia Poll has incumbent Dem Manchin up 46-38 on GOPer Morrisey [no MOE listed].
-- AZ gov: Data Orbital poll has GOP incumbent Ducey up 49-41 on Dem Garcia [MOE: +/- 4.18%].posted by Chrysostom at 6:57 PM on September 10, 2018 [21 favorites]
-- MI gov: Same Strategic National poll has Dem Whitmer up 49-39 on GOPer Schuette.
• The Socialist Rifle Association is a thing.
Call me paranoid, but it looks kinda fishy, and is scarcely six months old. It appears to be, at heart, one guy.
Also gun fetishism disgusts me regardless of ideology.
posted by Miko at 7:48 PM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Call me paranoid, but it looks kinda fishy, and is scarcely six months old. It appears to be, at heart, one guy.
Also gun fetishism disgusts me regardless of ideology.
posted by Miko at 7:48 PM on September 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Does Bill Nelson even want to continue as Senator from Florida? What in hell is he doing? This is ridiculous... Manchin is up by a small but stable amount in a state Trump carried by a bazillion points. Maybe he can run both damn campaigns and Nelson can go back to watching Matlock or whatever.
posted by Justinian at 8:05 PM on September 10, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:05 PM on September 10, 2018 [8 favorites]
Don't worry, Justinian. He's just doing what Democrats do so well. You know, keeping his powder dry.
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 8:30 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 8:30 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
WaPo, Accused of MS-13 and other gang ties, separated parents struggle to get their kids back
Six weeks after the deadline, more than 400 separated children remain in U.S. government shelters. Most of their parents have been deported, but several dozen remain in ICE custody, many barred from being reunited with their kids for deportation or released because of “red flags.”posted by zachlipton at 8:48 PM on September 10, 2018 [15 favorites]
Though most of these red flags are U.S. criminal records, some aren’t convictions at all but rather contested allegations of gang involvement in Central America.
...
“It’s very much a theme of this administration that all Central Americans carry the threat of gang violence,” said Denise Gilman, director of the University of Texas Immigration Clinic, who has represented parents stripped of their children because of gang accusations. “Casting Central American asylum seekers as gang members, even when most of them are fleeing gang violence, not perpetrating it, really affects their ability to get a fair day in court.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said being a victim of gang violence is no longer grounds for asylum in the United States.
MS-13 is an American gang.
MS-13 is an American gang.
MS-13 is an American gang.
Some things are worth repeating.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:51 PM on September 10, 2018 [43 favorites]
MS-13 is an American gang.
MS-13 is an American gang.
Some things are worth repeating.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:51 PM on September 10, 2018 [43 favorites]
Does Bill Nelson even want to continue as Senator from Florida? What in hell is he doing?
Cardboard doesn't really do anything. It just sits there. Sometimes cardboard gets elected to the US Senate. And sits there for 18 years on a platform of "I'm cardboard".
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:07 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
Cardboard doesn't really do anything. It just sits there. Sometimes cardboard gets elected to the US Senate. And sits there for 18 years on a platform of "I'm cardboard".
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:07 PM on September 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
Poll: Whitmer (D) leads Schuette (R) by comfortable edge in Michigan governor's race
(The Detroit News)
(The Detroit News)
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer holds a comfortable lead over Republican Bill Schuette in the Michigan governor's race and is doing a better job attracting critical independent voters, according to a new statewide poll conducted last week.posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:08 PM on September 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
The survey of 600 likely Michigan voters conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV shows support for Whitmer was especially strong among female, college-educated, Metro Detroit and senior voters. Roughly nine weeks out from the Nov. 6 election, more respondents said they had heard of Schuette than Whitmer, but fewer said they liked the two-term attorney general.
Whitmer had a nearly 14-percentage-point lead in the Sept. 5-7 survey, which has a margin of error of plus-minus 4 percentage points.
The poll showed 49.8 percent said they would vote for Whitmer if the election were held that day, compared with 36.1 percent for Schuette. Another 4 percent of voters said they would pick a third-party candidate, including 2.3 percent who would back Libertarian Bill Gelineau, and 10 percent were undecided.
Whitmer, the former state Senate minority leader from East Lansing, had a 13.8-percentage-point advantage among self-described independents, a coveted voting bloc that can help swing close elections. Independents viewed Schuette unfavorably by a 2-1 margin.
“Michigan governors get elected by independents in Southeast Michigan, and right now, Bill Schuette has got to do something very quickly to change the way independents view him,” said Richard Czuba of Lansing-based Glengariff Group Inc., which conducted the survey.
“We’re seeing across the state that independents are harshly viewing Bill Schuette, and you can’t win (a competitive race) if independents don’t like you in Michigan.”
Both MI gov and MI Sen are at pretty significant margins, to the point where we can probably expect downballot impact. House seats, of course, plus, I believe Dems have a good shot at the state House and an outside one at the state Senate.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
You gotta love how people need to be excited to come out and vote against human garbage.
Miami is going to be underwater in a couple of decades c/o inaction from Governor Medicare Fraud but Bill Nelson is soooooo boooooring.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [15 favorites]
Miami is going to be underwater in a couple of decades c/o inaction from Governor Medicare Fraud but Bill Nelson is soooooo boooooring.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:14 PM on September 10, 2018 [15 favorites]
Seriously, how does Governor Billion Dollar Medicare Fraud get termed out in the greyest state in the union?
Next economist who tells me humans are rational actors is going to get a session with a clue-by-four.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:19 PM on September 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
Next economist who tells me humans are rational actors is going to get a session with a clue-by-four.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:19 PM on September 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
You gotta love how people need to be excited to come out and vote against human garbage.
Yes. If we've learned anything from the last 10 years, people need a reason to vote. Not running from Obama. Not refusing to defend your own accomplishments. Not hiding and pretending everything will work out if you just say nothing. And no, not "I'm not that other guy". Especially marginal Democratic constituencies that have to make a CONCENTRATED EFFORT to vote, and have their vote counted. I'm not saying they're right, or acting in their own best interest, but at this point it's just a fucking fact. People need a positive reason to vote. Democrats like Bill "I don't need the black vote" Nelson that haven't learned shit from 2016, are going to lose. That's just going to happen.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:24 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Yes. If we've learned anything from the last 10 years, people need a reason to vote. Not running from Obama. Not refusing to defend your own accomplishments. Not hiding and pretending everything will work out if you just say nothing. And no, not "I'm not that other guy". Especially marginal Democratic constituencies that have to make a CONCENTRATED EFFORT to vote, and have their vote counted. I'm not saying they're right, or acting in their own best interest, but at this point it's just a fucking fact. People need a positive reason to vote. Democrats like Bill "I don't need the black vote" Nelson that haven't learned shit from 2016, are going to lose. That's just going to happen.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:24 PM on September 10, 2018 [12 favorites]
Same pollster polled MI Sen, and has Stabenow up by 22 points. Both Senate and governor results pretty similar to the Strategic National poll earlier today.
FWIW, Cook has MI-08 and MI-11 as Tossups; MI-01, MI-06, and MI-07 as Likely R.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:36 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
FWIW, Cook has MI-08 and MI-11 as Tossups; MI-01, MI-06, and MI-07 as Likely R.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:36 PM on September 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
If Nelson is such an uninspiring non-entity, then why didn't he get a credible primary challenger like Crowley, Capuano, Graham, etc? Not saying he isn't, just wondering why nobody in the party took advantage of his apparent vulnerability.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:49 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhaomi at 9:49 PM on September 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
"When you come at the king you best not miss"
And if they can't punish you by ending your political career the institutional party apparatus will send out mailers saying you're an anti-semite.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:55 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
And if they can't punish you by ending your political career the institutional party apparatus will send out mailers saying you're an anti-semite.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:55 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also, it's much easier to primary a House member than a Senator. Particularly Florida, which is quite expensive to run in (it's big with several different population centers). Sitting Senators *have* been primaried out, of course, but it's rare.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:06 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:06 PM on September 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Miko: "Also gun fetishism disgusts me regardless of ideology."
Still (not to lend any legitimacy to this organization) it would be nice if people have happen to have a gun fetish not be forced to associate with white supremists just because they are the only training/insurance/gun community option.
posted by Mitheral at 10:26 PM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Still (not to lend any legitimacy to this organization) it would be nice if people have happen to have a gun fetish not be forced to associate with white supremists just because they are the only training/insurance/gun community option.
posted by Mitheral at 10:26 PM on September 10, 2018 [10 favorites]
Miami is going to be underwater in a couple of decades...
According to an article at Politico, "Hurricane Florence undercuts Miami Beach convention bid," it looks Miami will lose out on possibly hosting the Democratic convention in 2020 because of climate conditions right now.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:53 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
According to an article at Politico, "Hurricane Florence undercuts Miami Beach convention bid," it looks Miami will lose out on possibly hosting the Democratic convention in 2020 because of climate conditions right now.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:53 PM on September 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
The Socialist Rifle Association is a thing.
As is the Anarchist Rifle Association, Redneck Revolt, John Brown Gun Club, Liberal Gun Club and others. Gun fetishism: not just for white right wingers!
posted by bonefish at 12:02 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
As is the Anarchist Rifle Association, Redneck Revolt, John Brown Gun Club, Liberal Gun Club and others. Gun fetishism: not just for white right wingers!
posted by bonefish at 12:02 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mod note: One deleted. Please drop the gun thing now. Also, try to remember that this isn't a thread for random thoughts or news unrelated to Trump, WH, administration, etc. While a brief mention of something tangential can be okay, a protracted discussion or debate of same just takes up space and annoys people who are looking for White House / elections news and analysis. If it's off-topic and warrants extended discussion, consider a separate post.
posted by taz (staff) at 2:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 2:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
Obama Urges Young Voters To Ignore How Many Lousy Candidates Democratic Party Runs
If there's one thing I've learned in the past two years, it is super cool and effective to let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it comes to voting. It turned out so well for the left in 2016, why wouldn't we want a 2018 repeat?!
posted by Anonymous at 2:52 AM on September 11, 2018
If there's one thing I've learned in the past two years, it is super cool and effective to let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it comes to voting. It turned out so well for the left in 2016, why wouldn't we want a 2018 repeat?!
posted by Anonymous at 2:52 AM on September 11, 2018
Obama Urges Young Voters To Ignore How Many Lousy Candidates Democratic Party Runs [Onion]
The funny part is that nobody makes this joke about the Republicans because .....TOO SOON.
posted by srboisvert at 3:42 AM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
The funny part is that nobody makes this joke about the Republicans because .....TOO SOON.
posted by srboisvert at 3:42 AM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't think it's that anyone here is making the perfect hte enemy of the good, so much as it is that they're (correctly) observing that the average voter is simply not all that motivated by "vote against" even when "against" is actual Fascism and white supremacy.
Voters break into segments, with informed politically active and aware voters as one segment, but basically uninvolved voting only if and when they're interested in a candidate voters being a sizable segment too.
Everyone in these threads falls into that first category, people who aren't part of that category don't bother with threads like this.
But that second segment is essential to victory, and they won't vote for cardboard even if the alternative is a genuine [insert term deeply threatening to your side here]. That's a lesson that the Democrats and Republicans both seem to forget quite often, though the Democrats seem to forget it more often.
The more uninvolved, lazy, segment of the voting public absolutely needs flash, pizzazz, and candidates who they want to vote for rather than simply voting against worse from the other side. That's why Mondale (yawn) and Dukakis (double yawn) failed miserably. Also Bob Dole who was as boring as it gets.
As Molly Ivins would put it, they didn't have any Elvis. They lacked stage presence, charisma, pizzazz, razzle dazzle, whatever you want to call it they lacked it and had all the appeal and compelling reason to vote for them as wet cardboard.
To you and me that seems shallow and juvenile. When the fate of America is at stake how can you possibly be yammering about personality and charisma? But to a significant fraction of voters that's what really matters. You can argue that it shouldn't matter, but we've got to go to elections with the voters we have, not the voters we want.
It's unpleasant, but the reality is that you need some Elvis in your candidates.
posted by sotonohito at 3:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [54 favorites]
Voters break into segments, with informed politically active and aware voters as one segment, but basically uninvolved voting only if and when they're interested in a candidate voters being a sizable segment too.
Everyone in these threads falls into that first category, people who aren't part of that category don't bother with threads like this.
But that second segment is essential to victory, and they won't vote for cardboard even if the alternative is a genuine [insert term deeply threatening to your side here]. That's a lesson that the Democrats and Republicans both seem to forget quite often, though the Democrats seem to forget it more often.
The more uninvolved, lazy, segment of the voting public absolutely needs flash, pizzazz, and candidates who they want to vote for rather than simply voting against worse from the other side. That's why Mondale (yawn) and Dukakis (double yawn) failed miserably. Also Bob Dole who was as boring as it gets.
As Molly Ivins would put it, they didn't have any Elvis. They lacked stage presence, charisma, pizzazz, razzle dazzle, whatever you want to call it they lacked it and had all the appeal and compelling reason to vote for them as wet cardboard.
To you and me that seems shallow and juvenile. When the fate of America is at stake how can you possibly be yammering about personality and charisma? But to a significant fraction of voters that's what really matters. You can argue that it shouldn't matter, but we've got to go to elections with the voters we have, not the voters we want.
It's unpleasant, but the reality is that you need some Elvis in your candidates.
posted by sotonohito at 3:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [54 favorites]
Let's check in on how Facebook's new fact checking system is going:
Judd Legrum:
Judd Legrum:
1. Facebook's "fact checking" system is a farce.posted by T.D. Strange at 6:20 AM on September 11, 2018 [107 favorites]
It's purpose is not to check facts -- it's to appease the right wing.
That's why they made THE WEEKLY STANDARD, a partisan right-wing magazine and official fact checker
It's going very poorly 2. First, as a reminder, Facebook worked with an independent third party to validate their facts checkers.
They assessed the Weekly Standards and found THEY DID NOT QUALIFY
Facebook accepted them as a fact checker anyway
3. Over the weekend, @imillhiser of ThinkProgress wrote a piece about the implication of Kavanaugh embracing the Glucksberg test. Ian is a lawyer and it's a sophisticated legal argument.
Kavanaugh said in a 2017 that Roe would fail the Glucksberg test. 4. The Weekly Standard "fact checked" the piece and deemed it false
BUT THE FACT CHECK DOES NOT EVEN CONSIDER IAN'S ARGUMENT. IT TOTALLY IGNORES IT AND FOCUSES ON AN EMAIL THAT WAS NOT AT ALL THE POINT OF IAN'S PIECE. 5. Now because a hack at a right-wing magazine has decided he doesn't like this article, Facebook is telling every user who encounters it that it is "false".
6. Relatedly, Facebook hired John Kyl, the former Senator who was shepherding Kavanaugh through Congress to study "political bias" on its platform.
(He has since been appointed a Senator again, replacing the late John McCain). 7. More on how Facebook and rest of Silicon Valley is bending over backwards for the right-wing here: Silicon Valley Is Bending Over Backward to Cater to the Far Right.
8. Zuckerberg doesn't want to be an arbiter of truth so he has outsourced the job to the Weekly Standard. What a joke.
To you and me that seems shallow and juvenile.
Mostly it seems really sexist. Women never get to be Elvis, because everyone hates them too much. So fuck. All. Of that.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Mostly it seems really sexist. Women never get to be Elvis, because everyone hates them too much. So fuck. All. Of that.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Kamala's got some Elvis.
posted by Mental Wimp at 6:27 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by Mental Wimp at 6:27 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
I dunno, I'd say several women have a lot of Elvis. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep Maxine Waters, Sen Harris, Sen Warren, just to name a few off the top of my head.
posted by sotonohito at 6:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by sotonohito at 6:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
The funny part is that nobody makes this joke about the Republicans because .....TOO SOON.
Because they don't have to. The Republicans hold all three branches of government, trifectas in half of the states of the Union, and they do it while being openly bad at governance.
The people who want the shit that Republicans espouse would come out to vote even if there were a hurricane. Why do you think turnout is a good indicator of Democratic success?
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Because they don't have to. The Republicans hold all three branches of government, trifectas in half of the states of the Union, and they do it while being openly bad at governance.
The people who want the shit that Republicans espouse would come out to vote even if there were a hurricane. Why do you think turnout is a good indicator of Democratic success?
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
I found my Facebook account much harder to delete than my Twitter account, but when all was said and done I missed Facebook a whole lot less. As in, not at all.
posted by duffell at 6:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by duffell at 6:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
If no one has posted, here is a live feed of Trump in Shanksville.
If your tolerance for cringing awkwardness is high.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:56 AM on September 11, 2018
If your tolerance for cringing awkwardness is high.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:56 AM on September 11, 2018
I dunno, I'd say several women have a lot of Elvis. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep Maxine Waters, Sen Harris, Sen Warren, just to name a few off the top of my head.
Until they run for things, when suddenly they’re unlikeable again.
And I think maybe you haven’t been paying attention to the level of vitriol leveled at every single one of those women, who’s platforms are all dependent on extremely safe Blue seats.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:02 AM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
Until they run for things, when suddenly they’re unlikeable again.
And I think maybe you haven’t been paying attention to the level of vitriol leveled at every single one of those women, who’s platforms are all dependent on extremely safe Blue seats.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:02 AM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
(Err, just to be clear, it's watching Trump watch this happen and try to pay attention that is cringeworthy, not the poor people who lost loved ones. )
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:03 AM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:03 AM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Why do you think turnout is a good indicator of Democratic success?
Gerrymandering and vote suppression seem to be effective tools against turnout.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:05 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Gerrymandering and vote suppression seem to be effective tools against turnout.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:05 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Gerrymandering and vote suppression seem to be effective tools against turnout.
Republicans have been telling us for years now that they are afraid of the voice of the majority, from gerrymandering and voter suppression to the creation, at great expense, of an entire alternate media system.
They know their policies are not popular and they do not believe their policies can be made popular (of course, because they do not benefit the majority). They managed a win in 2016 because of overt appeals to racism, but even Lee "Southern Strategy" Atwater recognized that that approach had diminishing returns.
We, the People, get to decide what kind of society we want to be and how its resources are to be distributed. It isn't easy work, but we can overcome the obstacles the ultra-wealthy put in our way. A first step is to recognize their antidemocratic tactics not as a strength but an admission of weakness.
posted by Gelatin at 7:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [40 favorites]
Republicans have been telling us for years now that they are afraid of the voice of the majority, from gerrymandering and voter suppression to the creation, at great expense, of an entire alternate media system.
They know their policies are not popular and they do not believe their policies can be made popular (of course, because they do not benefit the majority). They managed a win in 2016 because of overt appeals to racism, but even Lee "Southern Strategy" Atwater recognized that that approach had diminishing returns.
We, the People, get to decide what kind of society we want to be and how its resources are to be distributed. It isn't easy work, but we can overcome the obstacles the ultra-wealthy put in our way. A first step is to recognize their antidemocratic tactics not as a strength but an admission of weakness.
posted by Gelatin at 7:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [40 favorites]
The people who want the shit that Republicans espouse would come out to vote even if there were a hurricane. Why do you think turnout is a good indicator of Democratic success?
That's sort of the point--the retrograde Evangelicals are always going to be at the polls, come hell or high water. They're your baseline. When turnout is low, it's because not a whole lot of other people showed up. When turnout is high, it means people of color and college students found a way to make it to the polls, despite organized efforts to stop them from doing so.
posted by Mayor West at 7:14 AM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
That's sort of the point--the retrograde Evangelicals are always going to be at the polls, come hell or high water. They're your baseline. When turnout is low, it's because not a whole lot of other people showed up. When turnout is high, it means people of color and college students found a way to make it to the polls, despite organized efforts to stop them from doing so.
posted by Mayor West at 7:14 AM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's unpleasant, but the reality is that you need some Elvis in your candidates
Elvis having been dead for over 40 years now does quite a bit to explain Ted Cruz.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Elvis having been dead for over 40 years now does quite a bit to explain Ted Cruz.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Republicans have been telling us for years now that they are afraid of the voice of the majority, from gerrymandering and voter suppression to the creation, at great expense, of an entire alternate media system.
I never once heard "we're not a democracy, we're a republic" until they could only win presidencies through the electoral college and could only take over congress through voter suppression and gerrymandering. Now "democracy" is openly becoming a dirty word to conservatives and it's only our own denial in the face of this that keeps us from confronting this thing as it is: a developing system of political apartheid in which 25% of the population has more power than the other 75% combined.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:29 AM on September 11, 2018 [45 favorites]
I never once heard "we're not a democracy, we're a republic" until they could only win presidencies through the electoral college and could only take over congress through voter suppression and gerrymandering. Now "democracy" is openly becoming a dirty word to conservatives and it's only our own denial in the face of this that keeps us from confronting this thing as it is: a developing system of political apartheid in which 25% of the population has more power than the other 75% combined.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:29 AM on September 11, 2018 [45 favorites]
"we're not a democracy, we're a republic"
Which of course is bullshit, as the terms aren't contradictory. "Democracy" refers to the notion that we get to vote, and "Republic" refers to the notion that our country is owned by the public, not by a monarch. "Democratic Republic" is no more of an oxymoron than "red square."
posted by explosion at 7:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
Which of course is bullshit, as the terms aren't contradictory. "Democracy" refers to the notion that we get to vote, and "Republic" refers to the notion that our country is owned by the public, not by a monarch. "Democratic Republic" is no more of an oxymoron than "red square."
posted by explosion at 7:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
Turn, Turn, Turn, Curse, Spit. It's what you do so as not to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:37 AM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:37 AM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
Sept. 11 Revealed The Importance And Limits Of The President's Daily Briefing (NPR, Sept. 11, 2018)
An interesting look at the history of the PDB, ending with the orange chump, and NPR trying to put some positive spin, with nothing to spin:
On top of that, President Trump's schedule shows he's getting fewer and fewer intelligence briefings, in more recent reporting by Denis Slattery for the New York Daily News, on July 21, 2018.
Dear NPR, Mike Pompeo is not president.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [37 favorites]
An interesting look at the history of the PDB, ending with the orange chump, and NPR trying to put some positive spin, with nothing to spin:
Trump's approachThat's right, NPR noted that Mike Pompeo reads the president's briefings, then noted all the people who are at the briefings, and said nothing about Trump. Carol D. Leonnig, Shane Harris and Greg Jaffe wrote for the Washington Post on February 9, 2018 Breaking with tradition, Trump skips president’s written intelligence report and relies on oral briefings, something NPR failed to mention.
President Trump initially questioned the need for a daily briefing.
But Mike Pompeo, the CIA director before becoming secretary of state, said it's become part of the president's routine.
"Nearly every day, I get up, get ready, read the material that's been presented early in the morning and then trundle down [from CIA headquarters] to the White House," Pompeo said back in January.
His successor as CIA director, Gina Haspel, is now a regular at the briefings, as is Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.
The intelligence community has had both great successes — like locating Osama bin Laden in Pakistan — and failures — like claiming Iraq's Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The former CIA briefers say their role is to provide the best possible intelligence, and leave the policy choices to the president.
David Priess cites an old CIA expression: "You can lead policymakers to intelligence, but you can't make them think."
On top of that, President Trump's schedule shows he's getting fewer and fewer intelligence briefings, in more recent reporting by Denis Slattery for the New York Daily News, on July 21, 2018.
Dear NPR, Mike Pompeo is not president.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [37 favorites]
The intelligence community has had both great successes — like locating Osama bin Laden in Pakistan — and failures — like claiming Iraq's Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
Obligatory reminder that it was the Bush Administration who claimed that, and that demanded the intelligence community "stovepipe" raw but unvetted intel that supported its preferred conclusion, then blaming said intel community when their claims turned out, as anyone paying attention at the time -- not NPR, obviously -- could tell, to be bogus.
It's shameful that NPR repeats false Republican spin that lets Bush off the hook for his deliberate misuse of intelligence, especially when their own reporting establishes it as false.
As for the limitations of the PDB, it's obvious that even the best briefing does less good when done for an incompetent, incurious, blinkered dunderhead. This is news?
posted by Gelatin at 7:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
Obligatory reminder that it was the Bush Administration who claimed that, and that demanded the intelligence community "stovepipe" raw but unvetted intel that supported its preferred conclusion, then blaming said intel community when their claims turned out, as anyone paying attention at the time -- not NPR, obviously -- could tell, to be bogus.
It's shameful that NPR repeats false Republican spin that lets Bush off the hook for his deliberate misuse of intelligence, especially when their own reporting establishes it as false.
As for the limitations of the PDB, it's obvious that even the best briefing does less good when done for an incompetent, incurious, blinkered dunderhead. This is news?
posted by Gelatin at 7:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
Mod note: A few comments deleted; we really don't need to go another n rounds over Elvis and his immanence in all our beings etc.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
Trump Jr.: White House circle of trust is 'much smaller' following op-ed, Woodward book - Emily Goldberg, Politico.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:25 AM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:25 AM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
Manchin just did this weird as shit thing, so possibly "Kavanaugh opens a legal avenue to getting rid of Obamacare" IS an argument that would be effective there. This opens the way for Doug Jones to be the most likely Dem to be complete garbage.
posted by Artw at 8:29 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:29 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Bill Nelson not on board with Andrew Gillum’s progressive proposals: the sitting Senator is happy to share the Democratic ticket with Gillum, but doesn't share his views on contentious issues.
Those contentious issues? Abolish ICE, Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage.
"He's bringing a lot of new energy to the table and I think it's going to produce more African Americans, I think it's going to produce more young people," Nelson said. "And hopefully I might have some value that I bring to the ballot as well."
Catastrophic.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:37 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Those contentious issues? Abolish ICE, Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage.
"He's bringing a lot of new energy to the table and I think it's going to produce more African Americans, I think it's going to produce more young people," Nelson said. "And hopefully I might have some value that I bring to the ballot as well."
Catastrophic.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:37 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
If Bill Nelson is reelected, I predict he'll have Andrew Gillum to thank for it. Not that he will recognize this; and if he does, he's unlikely to acknowledge it.
posted by duffell at 8:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by duffell at 8:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
Not sure why Republicans shooting legislation paper props is weird?
It's notable for Manchin. He won in 2012 with this idiotic ad shooting the Patient Affordable Care Act.
Now he's totally flipped to the opposite side, with the same ad, only now he's shooting the lawsuit that would repeal that same bill.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:40 AM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's notable for Manchin. He won in 2012 with this idiotic ad shooting the Patient Affordable Care Act.
Now he's totally flipped to the opposite side, with the same ad, only now he's shooting the lawsuit that would repeal that same bill.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:40 AM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
We now know from the Colbert interview with Woodward that the final sentence of Fear is "You're a fucking liar".
I think he missed a great title.
posted by adept256 at 8:41 AM on September 11, 2018 [35 favorites]
I think he missed a great title.
posted by adept256 at 8:41 AM on September 11, 2018 [35 favorites]
If Bill Nelson is reelected, I predict he'll have Andrew Gillum to thank for it. Not that he will recognize this; and if he does, he's unlikely to acknowledge it.
And if (when) Nelson loses, he'll blame Gillum and the very same African Americans and young people that he'd "produced."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:41 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
And if (when) Nelson loses, he'll blame Gillum and the very same African Americans and young people that he'd "produced."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:41 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Apologies for the spoiler, btw.
posted by adept256 at 8:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 8:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's notable for Manchin. He won in 2012 with this idiotic ad yt shooting the Patient Affordable Care Act.
Now he's totally flipped to the opposite side, with the same ad, only now he's shooting the lawsuit that would repeal that same bill.
As much as the guy pisses me off and I view him as the piece of rotten possum meat you eventually eat because the only other choice is starvation and death... this is not the dumbest thing. It's still massively dumb, obviously, as is any of these ammosexual demonstrations of faux penis use. But if someone was swayed by that 2012 ad and isn't paying attention they might pull the lever for him again. If someone is swayed by this one and has a poor recollection of the old ad they might think it's a sign of consistency and pull the lever for him.
tl;dr - a stunt is surely more memorable for the stunt itself than the underlying meaning
posted by phearlez at 8:52 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Now he's totally flipped to the opposite side, with the same ad, only now he's shooting the lawsuit that would repeal that same bill.
As much as the guy pisses me off and I view him as the piece of rotten possum meat you eventually eat because the only other choice is starvation and death... this is not the dumbest thing. It's still massively dumb, obviously, as is any of these ammosexual demonstrations of faux penis use. But if someone was swayed by that 2012 ad and isn't paying attention they might pull the lever for him again. If someone is swayed by this one and has a poor recollection of the old ad they might think it's a sign of consistency and pull the lever for him.
tl;dr - a stunt is surely more memorable for the stunt itself than the underlying meaning
posted by phearlez at 8:52 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Not sure why Republicans shooting legislation paper props is weird?
Manchin is (technically) a Democrat.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Manchin is (technically) a Democrat.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump, 5:58 AM - 11 Sep 2018
17 years since September 11th!posted by kirkaracha at 8:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [14 favorites]
Manchin's prior ad featured him shooting a bill to establish greenhouse gas limits, not the ACA.
Also, it's totally cool to insist that a deep-red-state Senator running on defending coverage for preexisting conditions is indistinguishable from the GOP, and does not at all make me despair of the Democratic party doing anything but burning itself down three days before the midterms.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:59 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
Also, it's totally cool to insist that a deep-red-state Senator running on defending coverage for preexisting conditions is indistinguishable from the GOP, and does not at all make me despair of the Democratic party doing anything but burning itself down three days before the midterms.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:59 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
can we make a separate megathread for people who just want to post increasingly baroque and elaborate dunkings and speculative fiction about the democrats they don't like
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:03 AM on September 11, 2018 [79 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:03 AM on September 11, 2018 [79 favorites]
1) being pro-Obamacare is his differentiating factor from republicans
2) that looks like it’s an avenue to get him to vote against a shitty judge
I think we’re actually all on the same page with saying those two at least are good things?
posted by Artw at 9:14 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
2) that looks like it’s an avenue to get him to vote against a shitty judge
I think we’re actually all on the same page with saying those two at least are good things?
posted by Artw at 9:14 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Cynthia Nixon: Democrats need to be more than a “gentler, more diverse version” of the GOP - Ella Nilsen, Vox
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Nixon has been painting Cuomo as a moneyed, corrupt insider who has drained New York schools and infrastructure systems of their money in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy. She is still polling far behind Cuomo, but she might do well enough to ruin his dreams of a presidential bid — or even defeat him in the process.Emphasis mine. How scared should we be of a President Cuomo?
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
How scared should we be of a President Cuomo?
There's no chance of President Cuomo, don't worry: it'll just be Candidate Cuomo followed by President Trump.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:20 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
There's no chance of President Cuomo, don't worry: it'll just be Candidate Cuomo followed by President Trump.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:20 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not very? Cuomo is not at all likely to be nominated. His dad had a shot, he doesn't.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:20 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:20 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Vox: House Democrats’ top priority if they win in November is a sweeping anti-corruption bill
posted by Chrysostom at 9:21 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:21 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
Donald Trump fist pumped on his way to a 9/11 memorial service and it's not going over well - Nicole Gallucci, Mashable
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:23 AM on September 11, 2018 [28 favorites]
As the world remembers the thousands of people who lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade Center, President Trump flew to Johnstown, Pennsylvania with Melania this morning to attend a memorial event. But his perplexing facial expression and his choice to pump both fists in the air on the runway were an odd choice for such a solemn occasion.His behavior isn't very flexible.
The Trumps were on their way to a 9/11 Memorial Service in Shanksville, PA, and many people feel the tone-deaf gesture and strangely excited vibe the president gave off as he greeted assembled supporters was wildly inappropriate.
Twitter users were quick to scrutinize the photo, calling Trump out for his chipper and insensitive behavior on national day of mourning.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:23 AM on September 11, 2018 [28 favorites]
Fear is the mind killer and Vox writers are not the Oracle at Delphi
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mod note: Let's take New York, Cuomo/Nixon stuff over to the New York, Cuomo/Nixon thread. And general reminder, if there's nothing happening right this moment, we don't need to rehash greatest hits like "these Dems are bad" etc.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
How scared should we be of a President Cuomo?
As a New Yorker, I personally would be quite scared. Andrew Cuomo is, in my view, a highly dangerous political cancer. By his personal and political values, he is no progressive. He is essentially a Republican — though an anti-Trump one. But he knows how to disguise himself. He knows how to pick his fights and hide behind proxies and manipulate the press. He knows how to play the corrupt political game.
And because of that, New York is full of ostensibly left-leaning people — people who aren't deeply invested in local politics — who believe that he is a progressive. I have personally had to argue with multiple extremely progressive people who just didn't realize how thoroughly Cuomo was skunking them.
I'm by no means arguing that Cuomo would be worse than Trump. But Cuomo would unquestionably be the worst Democratic president of my lifetime, and I honestly believe he would poison the national progressive movement in a way that would take decades to recover from.
[Oops, sorry LobsterMittens. I'll end this digression here, but I do believe it ties into the larger discussion about national Democratic politics at least a little.]
posted by bluemilker at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
As a New Yorker, I personally would be quite scared. Andrew Cuomo is, in my view, a highly dangerous political cancer. By his personal and political values, he is no progressive. He is essentially a Republican — though an anti-Trump one. But he knows how to disguise himself. He knows how to pick his fights and hide behind proxies and manipulate the press. He knows how to play the corrupt political game.
And because of that, New York is full of ostensibly left-leaning people — people who aren't deeply invested in local politics — who believe that he is a progressive. I have personally had to argue with multiple extremely progressive people who just didn't realize how thoroughly Cuomo was skunking them.
I'm by no means arguing that Cuomo would be worse than Trump. But Cuomo would unquestionably be the worst Democratic president of my lifetime, and I honestly believe he would poison the national progressive movement in a way that would take decades to recover from.
[Oops, sorry LobsterMittens. I'll end this digression here, but I do believe it ties into the larger discussion about national Democratic politics at least a little.]
posted by bluemilker at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Vox: House Democrats’ top priority if they win in November is a sweeping anti-corruption bill
Yes, force that fucker to veto it or Senate Rs to refuse to vote on it or vote it down. Either way a win. We get a needed bill or those crooks go on record against a popular bill that exposes their corruption.
posted by chris24 at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Yes, force that fucker to veto it or Senate Rs to refuse to vote on it or vote it down. Either way a win. We get a needed bill or those crooks go on record against a popular bill that exposes their corruption.
posted by chris24 at 9:24 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Forcing Republicans to vote for corruption would pair nicely with the smorgasbord of GOP and Trump corruption investigations that would be going on at the same time
This pleases me
posted by schadenfrau at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
This pleases me
posted by schadenfrau at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
We haven't seen a lot of Senate models yet - I know 538's is coming soon - but the one from David Byler, which had had the GOP at about 75% of retaining control for awhile, has now fallen to 59%.
[NB: TWS is a right-wing rag, but I believe Byler to be straight shooting]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
[NB: TWS is a right-wing rag, but I believe Byler to be straight shooting]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Vox: House Democrats’ top priority if they win in November is a sweeping anti-corruption bill
Yes, force that fucker to veto it or Senate Rs to refuse to vote on it or vote it down. Either way a win. We get a needed bill or those crooks go on record against a popular bill that exposes their corruption.
It's also an opportunity to encode into law a lot of the norms that the President violates, and to reinforce the narrative once again that the Democrats, and only the Democrats, are the party of good governance.
Pro tip: If Republicans start complaining about the "criminalization of politics" (a Luntz-focus-grouped term meaning "we don't like being held responsible for our unlawful conduct"), we'll know the legislation is painful for them. Good.
posted by Gelatin at 9:30 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Yes, force that fucker to veto it or Senate Rs to refuse to vote on it or vote it down. Either way a win. We get a needed bill or those crooks go on record against a popular bill that exposes their corruption.
It's also an opportunity to encode into law a lot of the norms that the President violates, and to reinforce the narrative once again that the Democrats, and only the Democrats, are the party of good governance.
Pro tip: If Republicans start complaining about the "criminalization of politics" (a Luntz-focus-grouped term meaning "we don't like being held responsible for our unlawful conduct"), we'll know the legislation is painful for them. Good.
posted by Gelatin at 9:30 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
17 years since September 11th!
I watched his speech (so you don't have to!) He started with his "I am awesome!" shit-eating grin & pointing to several off-screen VIPs then delivered a speech written by John Bolton in a low energy monotone. The speech itself was a mix of maudlin sentimentality & "don't fuck with us" rhetoric. He delivered almost all of it verbatim, only deviating a little at the end to add some unnecessary superlatives. Afterwards he shook the hand of everybody on stage, starting with Melania (which looked as weird as you'd expect), then stood around aimlessly for a minute until she guided him to a seat on stage. Somehow somebody must have gotten it through to him how important it was that he not fuck it up, his delivery was the exact opposite of his rallies, much more like his apology after the "pussy grabbing" tape surfaced.
posted by scalefree at 9:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
I watched his speech (so you don't have to!) He started with his "I am awesome!" shit-eating grin & pointing to several off-screen VIPs then delivered a speech written by John Bolton in a low energy monotone. The speech itself was a mix of maudlin sentimentality & "don't fuck with us" rhetoric. He delivered almost all of it verbatim, only deviating a little at the end to add some unnecessary superlatives. Afterwards he shook the hand of everybody on stage, starting with Melania (which looked as weird as you'd expect), then stood around aimlessly for a minute until she guided him to a seat on stage. Somehow somebody must have gotten it through to him how important it was that he not fuck it up, his delivery was the exact opposite of his rallies, much more like his apology after the "pussy grabbing" tape surfaced.
posted by scalefree at 9:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
I have been reminded that during Trump's in-the-moment reactions to the Twin Tower Attacks, captured here, were to boast that he now had the tallest building in NYC as opposed to the second-tallest.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:43 AM on September 11, 2018 [48 favorites]
Somehow somebody must have gotten it through to him how important it was that he not fuck it up
We must never forget or forgive those who are responsible for the fact that now, in 2018, this phrase is the best we can hope for from the President of the United States.
posted by Gelatin at 9:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [64 favorites]
We must never forget or forgive those who are responsible for the fact that now, in 2018, this phrase is the best we can hope for from the President of the United States.
posted by Gelatin at 9:44 AM on September 11, 2018 [64 favorites]
...pointing to several off-screen VIPs then delivered a speech written by John Bolton in a low energy monotone. The speech itself was a mix of maudlin sentimentality & "don't fuck with us" rhetoric. He delivered almost all of it verbatim...
He is terrible at these things. The only word he delivered with any energy in that entire speech was “murdered”.
posted by notyou at 9:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
He is terrible at these things. The only word he delivered with any energy in that entire speech was “murdered”.
posted by notyou at 9:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Dude must be stress-eating round the clock.
Aren’t we all?
posted by notyou at 9:55 AM on September 11, 2018 [89 favorites]
Aren’t we all?
posted by notyou at 9:55 AM on September 11, 2018 [89 favorites]
Just noticed in his tweets about Hurricane Florence that Trump is doing that thing people from the Northeastern US do where he refers to the "East Coast" as though it ends at Pennsylvania, and as though Virginia and the Carolinas (and Georgia and Florida) are not bounded on their eastern side by the Atlantic Ocean. He keeps saying "Virginia, the Carolinas, and the East Coast".
Y'all know you sound dumb when you do that, right? If not, now you do. You sound exactly as geographically illiterate as Trump. The East Coast of the US does in fact continue south all the way to Key West.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:00 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
Y'all know you sound dumb when you do that, right? If not, now you do. You sound exactly as geographically illiterate as Trump. The East Coast of the US does in fact continue south all the way to Key West.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:00 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
With Menendez in particular it's not a matter of Elvis. It's that politicians, high level politicians especially, need media coverage the way we need to eat. A senator without a media presence is just unnatural. Like dollar pizza, or zero carb pizza. An unnatural and slightly suspicious thing. I feel like there's a catch somewhere. I don't need to trust my politicians, but I do want to understand them.
there might be campaigny reasons, maybe I'm just not in their targeting, maybe they're doing in person things, maybe they're saving for the final push. Idk. The D line has my vote regardless.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 10:09 AM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
there might be campaigny reasons, maybe I'm just not in their targeting, maybe they're doing in person things, maybe they're saving for the final push. Idk. The D line has my vote regardless.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 10:09 AM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
U.S. officials suspect Russia in mystery 'attacks' on diplomats in Cuba, China
Intelligence agencies investigating mysterious "attacks" that led to brain injuries in U.S. personnel in Cuba and China consider Russia to be the main suspect, three U.S. officials and two others briefed on the investigation tell NBC News.posted by peeedro at 10:10 AM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
The suspicion that Russia is likely behind the alleged attacks is backed up by evidence from communications intercepts, known in the spy world as signals intelligence, amassed during a lengthy and ongoing investigation involving the FBI, the CIA and other U.S. agencies. The officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the intelligence.
The evidence is not yet conclusive enough, however, for the U.S. to formally assign blame to Moscow for incidents that started in late 2016 and have continued in 2018, causing a major rupture in U.S.-Cuba relations.
The evidence is not yet conclusive enough, however, for the U.S. to formally assign blame to Moscow for incidents that started in late 2016 and have continued in 2018, causing a major rupture in U.S.-Cuba relations.
Especially since U of Michigan have tested and produced similar results for environments with an ahem, surplus of ultrasound emitting and listening devices. It's probably everyone and no one's spy agencies fault.
posted by Harry Caul at 10:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Especially since U of Michigan have tested and produced similar results for environments with an ahem, surplus of ultrasound emitting and listening devices. It's probably everyone and no one's spy agencies fault.
posted by Harry Caul at 10:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
'You didn't get our message': key Trump aide Stephen Miller condemned by childhood rabbi - Andrew Gumbel, The Guardian
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:53 AM on September 11, 2018 [32 favorites]
Neil Comess-Daniels denounces Miller as a purveyor of ‘violence, malice and brutality’ for zero-tolerance immigration policiesApparently the service was broadcast on Facebook; there's a link to it in the article.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:53 AM on September 11, 2018 [32 favorites]
Or, Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers. Which would bring us back to a single actor.
posted by M-x shell at 10:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by M-x shell at 10:54 AM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Somehow somebody must have gotten it through to him how important it was that he not fuck it up, his delivery was the exact opposite of his rallies, much more like his apology after the "pussy grabbing" tape surfaced.
posted by scalefree at 9:39 AM on September 11 [7 favorites +] [!]
It's remarkable to me that when Trump reads a speech off a teleprompter, like he's doing here, it's painfully obvious he's reading it for the first time, that he can't really process much of it in real time, and that he's a poor sight reader. My second-grade granddaughter reads with more feeling and investment than he does.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:39 AM on September 11 [7 favorites +] [!]
It's remarkable to me that when Trump reads a speech off a teleprompter, like he's doing here, it's painfully obvious he's reading it for the first time, that he can't really process much of it in real time, and that he's a poor sight reader. My second-grade granddaughter reads with more feeling and investment than he does.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:56 AM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
The Case for Michael Avenatti 2020, By @EricLevitz:
...It would be something approaching a national tragedy if Avenatti actually won (and the American people were forced to choose between a man clearly unfit for the presidency and Donald Trump). But Avenatti’s presence in the 2020 race could spark a much-needed debate over whether his party should see the GOP’s ruthless approach to governance as a malignant force worth condemning — or as a model worth emulating the next time Democrats take power.
posted by growabrain at 10:59 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
...It would be something approaching a national tragedy if Avenatti actually won (and the American people were forced to choose between a man clearly unfit for the presidency and Donald Trump). But Avenatti’s presence in the 2020 race could spark a much-needed debate over whether his party should see the GOP’s ruthless approach to governance as a malignant force worth condemning — or as a model worth emulating the next time Democrats take power.
posted by growabrain at 10:59 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
TPM: Trump Lied About 9/11 Donations, Took $150K From Recovery Program
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
posted by duoshao at 11:01 AM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
posted by duoshao at 11:01 AM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
Avenatti’s presence in the 2020 race could spark a much-needed debate
yeah, and I remember when Trump's presence in the 2016 race was going to spark a much-needed debate in the Republican party. And then he won.
I'll pass on demagogic carpetbaggers coming into my party, thank you very much.
posted by BungaDunga at 11:06 AM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
yeah, and I remember when Trump's presence in the 2016 race was going to spark a much-needed debate in the Republican party. And then he won.
I'll pass on demagogic carpetbaggers coming into my party, thank you very much.
posted by BungaDunga at 11:06 AM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
But she will be swayed by the bribe from the Koch network and Federalist Society to confirm him.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:07 AM on September 11, 2018 [55 favorites]
But she will be swayed by the bribe from the Koch network and Federalist Society to confirm him.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:07 AM on September 11, 2018 [55 favorites]
Shuttle bus ferrying media at the Flight 93 memorial where Trump speaks
posted by growabrain at 11:08 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 11:08 AM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
But she will be swayed by the bribe from the Koch network and Federalist Society to confirm him.
What you have to understand is that money=free speech. Except when it isn't.
posted by duoshao at 11:08 AM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
What you have to understand is that money=free speech. Except when it isn't.
posted by duoshao at 11:08 AM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
That "microwave weapons" story is super weird. I have a really hard time seeing how microwaves could do tissue damage (as opposed to merely producing an auditory illusion, which I think is easier to understand.) I can think of a few ways to use microwaves to produce brain damage... 1) You convince your victim to stick their head in a microwave oven 2) you turn their whole hotel room into a microwave oven 3) You stick a giant broadcast antenna in their hotel room 4) You use a dish to tightly focus a powerful beam inside their heads, following them around as they move 5) You use multiple sources and get them to interfere constructively inside the victim's head.
But all of these (except maybe number 1) would require big power sources (like a Prius battery not like a cell phone battery), and 4 and 5 would require carefully aiming at and tracking your victim as they move around. 2 and 3 would cause other things in the room to heat up -- glasses of water might start steaming. And all of the above should cause a burning sensation in the skin before they cause any damage to brain tissue. (Unless I guess the focus/intererence pattern is VERY localized, and correspondingly hard to aim...) There is a reason people don't microwave whole chickens, and that reason is "skin depth." The energy can't penetrate very far through tissue which is mostly made of salt water, and so the inside of the chicken stays frozen. Likewise the inside of your head should stay cooler than your skin, so you should feel heat before you get brain damage.
The NBC article says:
It's hard to tell what is going on here because 1) the relevant government agencies are not going to be very forthcoming about what they really know, I suspect and 2) Newspaper science reporting is generally terrible anyway.
But I'm worried that the NYT story is going to give aid and comfort to the crazies who think they are being injured by WiFi or cellphones. (Distinct from the ones who think a homemade antenna can be used to cure cancer, but Big Pharma is keeping it secret.)
If a microwave weapon really is responsible for the brain damage, we can probably keep our future diplomats safe by furnishing them with genuine tinfoil hats.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:10 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
But all of these (except maybe number 1) would require big power sources (like a Prius battery not like a cell phone battery), and 4 and 5 would require carefully aiming at and tracking your victim as they move around. 2 and 3 would cause other things in the room to heat up -- glasses of water might start steaming. And all of the above should cause a burning sensation in the skin before they cause any damage to brain tissue. (Unless I guess the focus/intererence pattern is VERY localized, and correspondingly hard to aim...) There is a reason people don't microwave whole chickens, and that reason is "skin depth." The energy can't penetrate very far through tissue which is mostly made of salt water, and so the inside of the chicken stays frozen. Likewise the inside of your head should stay cooler than your skin, so you should feel heat before you get brain damage.
The NBC article says:
Although the U.S. believes sophisticated microwaves or another type of electromagnetic weapon were likely used on the U.S. government workers, they are also exploring the possibility that one or more additional technologies were also used, possibly in conjunction with microwaves, officials and others involved in the government's investigation say.So maybe the hypothesis is that the microwaves produced the auditory illusion, but something else is responsible for the brain damage? In that case, what is the point of the microwaves? Just a side effect of the other thing? To throw investigators off track?
It's hard to tell what is going on here because 1) the relevant government agencies are not going to be very forthcoming about what they really know, I suspect and 2) Newspaper science reporting is generally terrible anyway.
But I'm worried that the NYT story is going to give aid and comfort to the crazies who think they are being injured by WiFi or cellphones. (Distinct from the ones who think a homemade antenna can be used to cure cancer, but Big Pharma is keeping it secret.)
If a microwave weapon really is responsible for the brain damage, we can probably keep our future diplomats safe by furnishing them with genuine tinfoil hats.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:10 AM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
posted by duoshao at 11:01 AM on September 11 [3 favorites +] [!]
You know, Senator, that Kavanaugh's guiding light, Antonin Scalia, would insist that it's not a bribe, just a conversation. So does that mean you'll be voting against his obvious sophistry?
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by duoshao at 11:01 AM on September 11 [3 favorites +] [!]
You know, Senator, that Kavanaugh's guiding light, Antonin Scalia, would insist that it's not a bribe, just a conversation. So does that mean you'll be voting against his obvious sophistry?
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
'You didn't get our message': key Trump aide Stephen Miller condemned by childhood rabbi
There's nothing in the Talmud that says you can't revoke a bar mitzvah.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [48 favorites]
There's nothing in the Talmud that says you can't revoke a bar mitzvah.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:12 AM on September 11, 2018 [48 favorites]
If you want a really clear discussion (and profanity laced, which is the best kind of clear discussion!) overview of the state of progressive activism, Chris Hayes has a great podcast today with Sean McElwee, the orginator of #abolishICE.
"It means you don't have to talk to Republicans anymore. What a relief. What a joy. What a wonder." -- @SeanMcElwee on why the McConnell approach to legislation and the death of the Tip O'Neil/Reagan model, is, to him, liberating.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:15 AM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
"It means you don't have to talk to Republicans anymore. What a relief. What a joy. What a wonder." -- @SeanMcElwee on why the McConnell approach to legislation and the death of the Tip O'Neil/Reagan model, is, to him, liberating.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:15 AM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
What you have to understand is that money=free speech. Except when it isn't.
The fund that would be hers if she votes against Kavanaugh is made up of small donors expressing their desire that women continue to have autonomy over their bodies. That money is a lot closer to speech than whatever anonymous, high-dollar contributions are going to Collins, but obviously a lot less important to her for some reason.
Collins' sanctimony is completely misplaced, and I hope her reputation suffers accordingly. Well, all right, disproportionally.
posted by Gelatin at 11:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
The fund that would be hers if she votes against Kavanaugh is made up of small donors expressing their desire that women continue to have autonomy over their bodies. That money is a lot closer to speech than whatever anonymous, high-dollar contributions are going to Collins, but obviously a lot less important to her for some reason.
Collins' sanctimony is completely misplaced, and I hope her reputation suffers accordingly. Well, all right, disproportionally.
posted by Gelatin at 11:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
Let me get this straight: she's willing to sacrifice her job in order to preserve a yes vote on Kavanaugh? What kind of example is that?
posted by rhizome at 11:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Let me get this straight: she's willing to sacrifice her job in order to preserve a yes vote on Kavanaugh? What kind of example is that?
posted by rhizome at 11:16 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Let me get this straight: she's willing to sacrifice her job in order to preserve a yes vote on Kavanaugh? What kind of example is that?
It isn't an example, really, in that the average schmoe doesn't get to waltz into a six-figure lobbying gig or "think tank" sinecure -- or both -- after leaving a job.
posted by Gelatin at 11:19 AM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
It isn't an example, really, in that the average schmoe doesn't get to waltz into a six-figure lobbying gig or "think tank" sinecure -- or both -- after leaving a job.
posted by Gelatin at 11:19 AM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
she was never going to announce that the campaign had successfully found her price tag and that her vote had been bought. this whole thing was a good way to raise money for a future opponent but I cannot imagine why we'd want to see politicians of any party turning their policy positions into crowdfunding rewards.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:22 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:22 AM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
I didn't see it as a bribe, but as a promise. None of the money is going to her in any case, and is only going to her Democratic opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh.
At this point though, I wish the organizers could just make it a guaranteed fundraiser and a clear message of rebuke to Collins for her drawn out waffling on what should have been a clear and unnegotiable policy position. Like, we're raising this *because* you have been terrible at standing up for your own stated position.
posted by orbit-3 at 11:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
I didn't see it as a bribe, but as a promise. None of the money is going to her in any case, and is only going to her Democratic opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh.
At this point though, I wish the organizers could just make it a guaranteed fundraiser and a clear message of rebuke to Collins for her drawn out waffling on what should have been a clear and unnegotiable policy position. Like, we're raising this *because* you have been terrible at standing up for your own stated position.
posted by orbit-3 at 11:28 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Nate Silver:
Traditionally in midterms, Republicans gain ground on polls of likely voters, relative to those of registered voters. But as more pollsters release data that contain both RV and LV results—Upshot/Siena, Monmouth and Marist are all doing that—we're not seeing that this year.posted by Chrysostom at 11:29 AM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
If anything, LV results might be slightly *better* for Democrats on average, although it varies a lot from poll to poll. Reflects D enthusiasm, plus the Trump coalition containing more noncollege voters who don't always show up at midterms.
I cannot imagine why we'd want to see politicians of any party turning their policy positions into crowdfunding rewards.
Because getting a lot of small checks for voting the right way is at least slightly closer to representation than getting one big check for voting the right way?
posted by Etrigan at 11:30 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Because getting a lot of small checks for voting the right way is at least slightly closer to representation than getting one big check for voting the right way?
posted by Etrigan at 11:30 AM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
I didn't see it as a bribe, but as a promise. None of the money is going to her in any case
That's right -- her sanctimony is also dishonest. A good sign that she has something to hide.
posted by Gelatin at 11:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
That's right -- her sanctimony is also dishonest. A good sign that she has something to hide.
posted by Gelatin at 11:34 AM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
None of the money is going to her in any case, and is only going to her Democratic opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh.
Besides the Citizens United nonsense, the other parallel here is what Grover Norquist has been doing for years. Vote against taxes or you'll get primaried.
posted by duoshao at 11:36 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
Besides the Citizens United nonsense, the other parallel here is what Grover Norquist has been doing for years. Vote against taxes or you'll get primaried.
posted by duoshao at 11:36 AM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
Here's a WaPo story that throws some cold water on the NYT "microwave weapons" story.
Scientists and doctors zap theory that microwave weapon injured Cuba diplomats
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
Scientists and doctors zap theory that microwave weapon injured Cuba diplomats
Despite the buzz over microwaves, advanced in news reports in recent days, experts warn that caution is in order. There’s an old scientific aphorism that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. “And they’re not giving the extraordinary evidence. They’re not giving any evidence,” said physicist Peter Zimmerman, an arms control expert and former scientific adviser to the State Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.So I'm going to file the NYT story under "terrible science reporting." Part of the sub-genre which includes reporters being far too credulous to claims and people that actual scientists mostly don't find credible at all.
No microwave weapon that affects the brain is known to exist. The FBI has investigated the Cuba cases and found no evidence of a plot. Searches of the U.S. Embassy and other locations in Havana have turned up no sign of a weapon.
Most significantly, doctors examining the sickened diplomats have established no clear link between their symptoms and any external source.
...
“It’s crazy,” said Kenneth R. Foster, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania who studied microwave phenomena while working at the Naval Medical Research Center in Bethesda. Foster, who was not involved in examining the diplomatic personnel, said that the reported illnesses remain mysterious and that he doesn’t have an explanation.
“But it’s sure as heck not microwaves,” he added.
University of Cincinnati neurologist Alberto J. Espay said, “Microwave weapons is the closest equivalent in science to fake news.”
Critics say that Smith and his colleagues have sought an exotic explanation for a relatively common occurrence.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:39 AM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
The fundraiser is currently at a little over a million dollars. Seems reasonable to think that it'll edge a little higher before the dust settles, yes? In contrast, total spending by the Democratic senatorial candidate in the 2014 election was $2.3 million. That was from a year or more of fundraising by the state Democratic committee, plus whatever contributions came from the national committee. And Collins thinks that handing her opponent in 2020 a hair over 50% of the total 2014 warchest, 2 years before the election, is going to be a non-factor? Fascinating.
I'd tell you "good luck with that," Senator, but actually I hope you step barefoot on a Lego.
posted by Mayor West at 11:42 AM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
The fundraiser is currently at a little over a million dollars. Seems reasonable to think that it'll edge a little higher before the dust settles, yes? In contrast, total spending by the Democratic senatorial candidate in the 2014 election was $2.3 million. That was from a year or more of fundraising by the state Democratic committee, plus whatever contributions came from the national committee. And Collins thinks that handing her opponent in 2020 a hair over 50% of the total 2014 warchest, 2 years before the election, is going to be a non-factor? Fascinating.
I'd tell you "good luck with that," Senator, but actually I hope you step barefoot on a Lego.
posted by Mayor West at 11:42 AM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
Because getting a lot of small checks for voting the right way is at least slightly closer to representation than getting one big check for voting the right way?
yeah, but it doesn't look like it's going to work, and if it did work, the methodology would be completely taken over and gamed out by actual monied interests, unless we somehow created regulations on top of existing campaign finance laws, and now we're just grafting a new broken, exploitable way to allow money to influence politics on top of the ones that already exist. no thanks?
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:42 AM on September 11, 2018
yeah, but it doesn't look like it's going to work, and if it did work, the methodology would be completely taken over and gamed out by actual monied interests, unless we somehow created regulations on top of existing campaign finance laws, and now we're just grafting a new broken, exploitable way to allow money to influence politics on top of the ones that already exist. no thanks?
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:42 AM on September 11, 2018
Mother Jones imagines what went on in the president’s head as he composed his tweets this morning.
Trump Diehards Always Say You Can’t Know His Thoughts. We Disagree. Here They Are.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump Diehards Always Say You Can’t Know His Thoughts. We Disagree. Here They Are.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Since they lie about everything, sure why not lie and say this picture was taken on the way to a 9/11 memorial?
posted by mikepop at 11:47 AM on September 11, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by mikepop at 11:47 AM on September 11, 2018 [42 favorites]
I think some people are confused. Nobody is raising money to bribe Collins to vote against Kavanaugh. The campaign in question will have one of two results: A) If Collins votes against Kavanaugh, no pledges will be collected and nothing happens, or B) If Collins votes in favor of Kavanaugh, all pledges will be collected and donated to whatever Democratic candidate runs against Collins in her next election. Under no circumstances does Collins get any of this money.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:48 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
I think some people are confused.
Either Collins is herself confused or she is being intentionally disingenuous (gasp) to obscure the purpose of the fundraising campaign.
posted by dilaudid at 11:50 AM on September 11, 2018 [14 favorites]
Either Collins is herself confused or she is being intentionally disingenuous (gasp) to obscure the purpose of the fundraising campaign.
posted by dilaudid at 11:50 AM on September 11, 2018 [14 favorites]
Collins was the one to call it a bribe, she's framing it in a negative light to try and put spin on her inevitable vote to confirm. She can pretend to have withstood the temptation of a "bribe" from the pro-choice side and feed her false sense of morality.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2018 [31 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
I really don't know what else anyone could expect her to say about this. Even if she had already decided to vote against Kavanaugh when the pot hit $500K, it would be idiotic of her to say so. Of course that money will be a factor in her decision, and of course she will swear all along that it isn't.
posted by contraption at 12:03 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I really don't know what else anyone could expect her to say about this. Even if she had already decided to vote against Kavanaugh when the pot hit $500K, it would be idiotic of her to say so. Of course that money will be a factor in her decision, and of course she will swear all along that it isn't.
posted by contraption at 12:03 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Exactly, it's not a bribe. It's a THREAT. No one is trying to bribe Collins, we're trying to threaten her!
posted by sotonohito at 12:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by sotonohito at 12:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [61 favorites]
I think the term of art here is "extort". She is being extorted.
Actually I'm not completely clear on why this wouldn't qualify as criminal extortion. "Do this or we'll do this bad thing to you" would seem to be the definition. Not that I would expect anyone to waste their time on going after something like this but technically speaking I'm not sure exactly what the delineation between a legal threat and an illegal one is.
posted by Justinian at 12:13 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Actually I'm not completely clear on why this wouldn't qualify as criminal extortion. "Do this or we'll do this bad thing to you" would seem to be the definition. Not that I would expect anyone to waste their time on going after something like this but technically speaking I'm not sure exactly what the delineation between a legal threat and an illegal one is.
posted by Justinian at 12:13 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
That Collins thing is interesting. Let's say she actually had any inclination of voting No on Kavanaugh...then the "vote no or this money goes to your opponent" thing comes out. Doesn't that actually DE-incentivize her to vote no because it will be seen by her party as her capitulating to the threat as opposed to strictly voting her principles?
Not that I think she would vote no regardless, but it just seems a weird strategy if the goal is actually to sway her vote.
posted by ian1977 at 12:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not that I think she would vote no regardless, but it just seems a weird strategy if the goal is actually to sway her vote.
posted by ian1977 at 12:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Do this or we'll do this bad thing to you"
Donating money to the other side isn't doing a bad thing to someone, any more than "I won't buy products from a company that advertises on Breitbart" is extorting a free press.
posted by Etrigan at 12:16 PM on September 11, 2018 [50 favorites]
Donating money to the other side isn't doing a bad thing to someone, any more than "I won't buy products from a company that advertises on Breitbart" is extorting a free press.
posted by Etrigan at 12:16 PM on September 11, 2018 [50 favorites]
In Maine, extortion: "occurs when a person threatens to:
A. Cause physical harm in the future to the person threatened or to any other person or to property at any time; or
B. Do any other act that would not in itself substantially benefit the person but that would harm substantially any other person with respect to that person's health, safety, business, calling, career, financial condition, reputation or personal relationships."
It's more like we're the ones being extorted by her threat to vote for Kavanaugh.
posted by melissasaurus at 12:17 PM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
A. Cause physical harm in the future to the person threatened or to any other person or to property at any time; or
B. Do any other act that would not in itself substantially benefit the person but that would harm substantially any other person with respect to that person's health, safety, business, calling, career, financial condition, reputation or personal relationships."
It's more like we're the ones being extorted by her threat to vote for Kavanaugh.
posted by melissasaurus at 12:17 PM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
I have to imagine it's at least as legal as billionaires announcing in newspapers that they're going to fund primary opponents against anyone who doesn't vote for their tax breaks.
Come the fuck on and get over it. This is what happens in the world as it exists now. Crowdsourcing a primary funding threat is literally the least objectionable way to do it. It's how the perfect free speech market is supposed to work.
And while the idea of the free speech market is garbage, it's what we have to work with right now. First we win, then we change the rules. Wring your hands later.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:18 PM on September 11, 2018 [38 favorites]
Come the fuck on and get over it. This is what happens in the world as it exists now. Crowdsourcing a primary funding threat is literally the least objectionable way to do it. It's how the perfect free speech market is supposed to work.
And while the idea of the free speech market is garbage, it's what we have to work with right now. First we win, then we change the rules. Wring your hands later.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:18 PM on September 11, 2018 [38 favorites]
I'm pretty sure, Justinian, that the Supreme Court implicitly declared in Citizens United that this sort of threat, or extortion, was Constitutionally protected free speech. At least, if it's perfectly legal to "speak" to a politician by giving them money, I fail to see how it's illegal to warn a politician that you will "speak" to their opponent.
I'll confess that the law is often illogical, but it doesn't seem possible to me that if bribery is legally free speech that threatening to bribe someone else would be illegal.
posted by sotonohito at 12:19 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'll confess that the law is often illogical, but it doesn't seem possible to me that if bribery is legally free speech that threatening to bribe someone else would be illegal.
posted by sotonohito at 12:19 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm not sure exactly what the delineation between a legal threat and an illegal one is.
I'm not sure either, but it seems likely that the general case of funding an alternative to any sort of status quo state of things isn't usually a foul, and the specific case of funding an opponent when a political actor behaves in a way people don't like sounds like... just how things work, within whatever campaign finance limits exist?
posted by wildblueyonder at 12:19 PM on September 11, 2018
I'm not sure either, but it seems likely that the general case of funding an alternative to any sort of status quo state of things isn't usually a foul, and the specific case of funding an opponent when a political actor behaves in a way people don't like sounds like... just how things work, within whatever campaign finance limits exist?
posted by wildblueyonder at 12:19 PM on September 11, 2018
Doesn't that actually DE-incentivize her to vote no because it will be seen by her party as her capitulating to the threat as opposed to strictly voting her principles?
lol the Dems have provided Collins with any number of fig leaves if she wants to change her vote, including, but not limited to, literal perjury, lying to Congress, and crossing her own personal red line on Roe
posted by schadenfrau at 12:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
lol the Dems have provided Collins with any number of fig leaves if she wants to change her vote, including, but not limited to, literal perjury, lying to Congress, and crossing her own personal red line on Roe
posted by schadenfrau at 12:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
Thanks to melissasaurus for the link. I think the answer lies in the definition (part B.) While one couldn't argue the act isn't an attempt to harm Collins' career, replacing her with a better Senator would arguably substantially benefit the people donating the money against her. Since that act is substantially beneficial to the contributors it isn't extortionate.
posted by Justinian at 12:21 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:21 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
At this point I actually think it isn't in the Republican's best interests to seat Kavanaugh. Not only does he have very low favorabilty ratings, he comes with an awful lot of baggage. Even though the Senators have only seen a tiny fraction of his paper trail there is already enough to credibly charge him with perjury. Given enough seats the Democrats will impeach him the first chance they get. Why not choose someone without so many Republican political ties, without so much baggage? Oh right, because Trump thinks he will prevent the president from being indicted while in office. Is that really worth a SC seat to the Republicans?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:23 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:23 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Given enough seats the Democrats will impeach him the first chance they get.
There's been literally 1 Supreme Court justice impeached, ever. It is extremely unlikely he will be impeached. Don't count on it.
posted by dilaudid at 12:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
There's been literally 1 Supreme Court justice impeached, ever. It is extremely unlikely he will be impeached. Don't count on it.
posted by dilaudid at 12:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's also not even a threat. No one is going to attack her physically. No one is saying "vote this way or we will lie about you". Donating to another candidate is not harming Collins' reputation in any way whatsoever. It's simply a statement of intentions. If she votes no, then we will give to her opponent. The donations themselves have no impact on Collins herself whatsoever, any consequences thereof are the result of Collins' actions.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
Re: Collins’ being disincentivized to vote against Kavanaugh by the Vote No fund: reversing one’s position as the winds shift is what politicians DO. She’d have no problem doing so here (“after some consideration I have decided to listen to voices of my constituents...”).
posted by notyou at 12:31 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by notyou at 12:31 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
dilaudid, they may have to if they want to pass any major legislation and not have it be struck down by the court. Let's say for example they decide to pass a Medicare for all bill and some Republican decides to challenge the constitutionality. The 5 Conservative justices may decide that the US Congress has overreached themselves.
It's either impeach him or stack the court with 3 more justices. I think impeaching Kavanaugh may be easier. I'm already seeing this discussed as a possibility. Lots of suggestions that Clarence Thomas would be next to go.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:31 PM on September 11, 2018
It's either impeach him or stack the court with 3 more justices. I think impeaching Kavanaugh may be easier. I'm already seeing this discussed as a possibility. Lots of suggestions that Clarence Thomas would be next to go.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:31 PM on September 11, 2018
Moreover, even if they do begin impeachment proceedings, you need a 2/3 majority to convict. If the Dems can get a 2/3 majority to convict anyone the Republican Party has completely fallen apart and none of the people making this call have a political future worth worrying about. There's no point contingency planning for after your utter failure.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Just because only one Supreme Court Justice has been impeached doesn’t mean it can never happen again. They can certainly investigate him, as well.
posted by gucci mane at 12:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 12:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Believing that we can't do anything just because it hasn't been done before, or has only been done under extreme circumstances, is how we got in this mess. These are extreme circumstances. If we are fortunate enough to reattain the majority and the power to reverse as many of this administration's changes as we can, we should definitely take that opportunity.
posted by Autumnheart at 12:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 12:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
If the Dems can get a 2/3 majority to convict anyone the Republican Party has completely fallen apart and none of the people making this call have a political future worth worrying about.
Or if you choose to look at it another (more practical) way, if you can even come close to the 67 votes to remove an impeached judge it would be far easier to increase the size of the court and appoint a bunch more sympathetic judges. If you're remotely close on the 67 it would surely be easier to get to 67 in order to override a presidential veto than to remove a sitting justice.
Once you get to this easy 67 you would be better served spending your fantasy time thinking about using it to pass constitutional amendments for bodily autonomy or gun restrictions than removal of one turkey. Then you de-fang the bozo rather than just need to wait around to remove the next one.
posted by phearlez at 12:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or if you choose to look at it another (more practical) way, if you can even come close to the 67 votes to remove an impeached judge it would be far easier to increase the size of the court and appoint a bunch more sympathetic judges. If you're remotely close on the 67 it would surely be easier to get to 67 in order to override a presidential veto than to remove a sitting justice.
Once you get to this easy 67 you would be better served spending your fantasy time thinking about using it to pass constitutional amendments for bodily autonomy or gun restrictions than removal of one turkey. Then you de-fang the bozo rather than just need to wait around to remove the next one.
posted by phearlez at 12:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
Why not choose someone without so many Republican political ties, without so much baggage? Oh right, because Trump thinks he will prevent the president from being indicted while in office. Is that really worth a SC seat to the Republicans?
it absolutely is, since Kavanaugh will gives them all sorts of other things they want, but the hope of saving a republican president from an indictment would be more than enough even without those delightful social-repression bonuses, since the ego of the republican party never has recovered from watergate
posted by halation at 12:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
it absolutely is, since Kavanaugh will gives them all sorts of other things they want, but the hope of saving a republican president from an indictment would be more than enough even without those delightful social-repression bonuses, since the ego of the republican party never has recovered from watergate
posted by halation at 12:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
@EamonJavers: President Trump says of the federal government’s hurricane response to Puerto Rico - where the government recently raised its death tolll estimate to nearly 3,000 - “I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful.” Calls it “One of the best jobs that’s ever been done.”
[video]
This does not speak well of his performance on other jobs.
posted by zachlipton at 12:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
[video]
This does not speak well of his performance on other jobs.
posted by zachlipton at 12:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
The impeachment of Supreme Court justices discussion has been had repeatedly already in previous megathreads and there's nothing new to add to it. Can we table it please?
posted by Candleman at 12:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 12:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
The important thing to remember about the Trump administration's handling of Puerto Rico is that many of them, probably including Trump himself, would have preferred it if everyone on the island had died.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:48 PM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:48 PM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
These are extreme circumstances. If we are fortunate enough to reattain the majority and the power to reverse as many of this administration's changes as we can, we should definitely take that opportunity.
Yes. Nearly as bad as a continued Republican trifecta would be a scenario in which the Dems take one or both houses, make some ineffective gestures at censure/reform, and declare everything back to normal. Our whole approach needs to change to one that acknowledges the urgent necessity of overhauling this badly corroded system and replacing it with something genuinely new. As constituents, that means we need to keep making radical demands of our officials, whether or not or they're tactically able to carry them out in the short term. The zeitgeist needs to change first.
posted by contraption at 12:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yes. Nearly as bad as a continued Republican trifecta would be a scenario in which the Dems take one or both houses, make some ineffective gestures at censure/reform, and declare everything back to normal. Our whole approach needs to change to one that acknowledges the urgent necessity of overhauling this badly corroded system and replacing it with something genuinely new. As constituents, that means we need to keep making radical demands of our officials, whether or not or they're tactically able to carry them out in the short term. The zeitgeist needs to change first.
posted by contraption at 12:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
Update on the case where protesters claim Trump incited a riot by egging on his crowd as security kicked them out -- The 6th Circuit [PDF] says the case should be dismissed:
Plaintiffs participated in a Trump for President campaign rally in Louisville in March 2016 . . . with the purpose of protesting. Perceived to be disruptive, they were unceremoniously ushered out after then-candidate Donald J. Trump said, “Get ’em out of here.” Plaintiffs were pushed and shoved by members of the audience as they made their exit and now seek damages from Trump alleging his actions amounted to “inciting to riot,” a misdemeanor under Kentucky law. The district court denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the claim but certified its order for immediate interlocutory appeal. The court identified a two-part question for review: whether plaintiffs have stated a valid claim under Kentucky law and, if so, whether the First Amendment immunizes Trump from punishment under state law. We answer “no” to the first part, because plaintiffs’ allegations do not satisfy the required elements of “incitement to riot.” As to the second part, we hold “yes,” Trump’s speech enjoys First Amendment protection, because he did not specifically advocate imminent lawless action. The district court’s denial of Trump’s motion to dismiss the claim must therefore be reversed.posted by melissasaurus at 12:51 PM on September 11, 2018
For reference, all three judges who heard the protest/incitement case were appointed by George W. Bush.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:54 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:54 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) has a list of questions for Kavanaugh for the record. There are lots of questions about Kavanaugh's financial situation and possible gambling income/losses. I wish these had been asked in the hearings.
posted by gladly at 12:54 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by gladly at 12:54 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
TRUMP: "Places that are in the way and in the most jeopardy would be Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, that area. They haven't seen anything like what's coming at us in 25, 30 years. Maybe ever. It's tremendously big and tremendously wet. Tremendous amounts of water."
Imagine if we had a President who knew more words.
posted by zachlipton at 12:56 PM on September 11, 2018 [45 favorites]
Imagine if we had a President who knew more words.
posted by zachlipton at 12:56 PM on September 11, 2018 [45 favorites]
The last time either party held a 2/3 majority in the Senate was in 1967, and a lot of those guys were old-school Southern Democrats who were still blocking civil rights legislation.
There are mathematically not enough seats up for election before 2020 to give the Democrats a 2/3 supermajority, even if all the Republican candidates dropped out.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:56 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
There are mathematically not enough seats up for election before 2020 to give the Democrats a 2/3 supermajority, even if all the Republican candidates dropped out.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:56 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
Imagine if we had a President who knew more words.
It's sort of like taking the concept of Up Goer Five, but without any actual knowledge or understanding behind it.
posted by duffell at 1:03 PM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
It's sort of like taking the concept of Up Goer Five, but without any actual knowledge or understanding behind it.
posted by duffell at 1:03 PM on September 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
There are mathematically not enough seats up for election before 2020 to give the Democrats a 2/3 supermajority, even if all the Republican candidates dropped out.
One of the things that keeps me from bursting a blood vessel over Feinstein's continual disappointments is the knowledge that the right has their share of Feinstein and Schumer characters, too. Maybe not with as much seniority, and don't bet your kid's college fund on it, but when it comes to votes I don't think you can count them out, even if we don't know who they'd be yet. Overton cuts both ways.
posted by rhizome at 1:05 PM on September 11, 2018
One of the things that keeps me from bursting a blood vessel over Feinstein's continual disappointments is the knowledge that the right has their share of Feinstein and Schumer characters, too. Maybe not with as much seniority, and don't bet your kid's college fund on it, but when it comes to votes I don't think you can count them out, even if we don't know who they'd be yet. Overton cuts both ways.
posted by rhizome at 1:05 PM on September 11, 2018
Collins was the one to call it a bribe, she's framing it in a negative light to try and put spin on her inevitable vote to confirm.
The fact that Collins is squawking (not to mention lying) about the fundraising for her opponent if she violates her oft-professed "pro-choice" position by confirming Kavanaugh means she perceives the tactic as effective.
Don't give her any slack.
posted by Gelatin at 1:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [53 favorites]
The fact that Collins is squawking (not to mention lying) about the fundraising for her opponent if she violates her oft-professed "pro-choice" position by confirming Kavanaugh means she perceives the tactic as effective.
Don't give her any slack.
posted by Gelatin at 1:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [53 favorites]
I think it's a good thing but it seems like the organizers didn't re-evaluate their tactics when McCain died. We gain absolutely nothing if Collins flips if nobody else does also. There should have been another fund for Murkowski even though she isn't up until 2022. I guess any excess funds are supposedly earmarked for Murkowski's opponent in the event she votes yes, but that's obviously not sufficient.
Collins may well vote no but only if there are always 50 yes votes. The only way pressure on her to vote no matters a whit is if there aren't 50 other people voting yes.
posted by Justinian at 1:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Collins may well vote no but only if there are always 50 yes votes. The only way pressure on her to vote no matters a whit is if there aren't 50 other people voting yes.
posted by Justinian at 1:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
TPM: Collins Won’t Be Swayed By ‘Bribe’ To Vote Against Kavanaugh
Well, I suspect plenty of people are going to be swayed to run against you with (now over 1 million!) in their campaign fund.
posted by robotdevil at 1:29 PM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
Well, I suspect plenty of people are going to be swayed to run against you with (now over 1 million!) in their campaign fund.
posted by robotdevil at 1:29 PM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
Facebook’s idea of fact-checking: Censoring ThinkProgress because a conservative site told them to do so.
Last year, Facebook announced that it would partner with The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, to “fact check” news articles that are shared on Facebook. At the time, ThinkProgress expressed alarm at this decision.
The Weekly Standard has a history of placing right-wing ideology before accurate reporting. Among other things, it labeled the Iraq War “A War to Be Proud Of” in 2005, and it ran an article in 2017 labeling climate science “Dadaist Science,” and promoted that article with the phrase “look under the hood on climate change ‘science’ and what you see isn’t pretty.”
The Weekly Standard brought its third-party “fact-checking” power to bear against ThinkProgress on Monday, when the outlet determined a ThinkProgress story about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was “false,” a category defined by Facebook to indicate “the primary claim(s) in this content are factually inaccurate.”
The article in question, which this reporter wrote, pointed out that, when you read a statement Kavanaugh made during his confirmation hearing alongside a statement he made in a 2017, it becomes clear he is communicating that he opposes Roe v. Wade. Our article is factually accurate and The Weekly Standard’s allegation against us is wrong.
Just a reminder that when the right-wing complains about things, they’re actually projecting what they intend to do to everybody else. Facebook already has an issue with filter bubbles, this has the potential to be especially disastrous, and is essentially information eugenics and a way to force liberal perspectives out of sight while the right-wing proliferates their unreality.
posted by gucci mane at 1:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [58 favorites]
Last year, Facebook announced that it would partner with The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, to “fact check” news articles that are shared on Facebook. At the time, ThinkProgress expressed alarm at this decision.
The Weekly Standard has a history of placing right-wing ideology before accurate reporting. Among other things, it labeled the Iraq War “A War to Be Proud Of” in 2005, and it ran an article in 2017 labeling climate science “Dadaist Science,” and promoted that article with the phrase “look under the hood on climate change ‘science’ and what you see isn’t pretty.”
The Weekly Standard brought its third-party “fact-checking” power to bear against ThinkProgress on Monday, when the outlet determined a ThinkProgress story about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was “false,” a category defined by Facebook to indicate “the primary claim(s) in this content are factually inaccurate.”
The article in question, which this reporter wrote, pointed out that, when you read a statement Kavanaugh made during his confirmation hearing alongside a statement he made in a 2017, it becomes clear he is communicating that he opposes Roe v. Wade. Our article is factually accurate and The Weekly Standard’s allegation against us is wrong.
Just a reminder that when the right-wing complains about things, they’re actually projecting what they intend to do to everybody else. Facebook already has an issue with filter bubbles, this has the potential to be especially disastrous, and is essentially information eugenics and a way to force liberal perspectives out of sight while the right-wing proliferates their unreality.
posted by gucci mane at 1:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [58 favorites]
Shorter Facebook: The Weekly Standard says the card says "Moops." Who are we to question them?
posted by tonycpsu at 1:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 1:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
"investigate Facebook, Twitter, and Fox News" is definitely somewhere on the list of things I plan to annoy members of Congress about if the Dems take either chamber
posted by schadenfrau at 1:36 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by schadenfrau at 1:36 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
Why not choose someone without so many Republican political ties, without so much baggage? Oh right, because Trump thinks he will prevent the president from being indicted while in office. Is that really worth a SC seat to the Republicans?
I don't think there's any danger to any Republican Senator in voting to confirm Kavanaugh. All the baggage is stuff Republican voters have made amply clear they simply do not care about. And even if they did, they wouldn't vote against any sitting Republican Senator on the grounds that they voted to confirm Trump's appointee and cement a genuine 5-4 Republican majority in the Court without any inconvenient swing votes.
It'd be nice to think that the Republican Senators would pay a price for voting to confirm Kavanaugh, but that is pure fantasy on our part. The only way a Republican can get in trouble over Kavanaugh is by voting against him. If, for example, Senator Susan Collins votes against Kavanaugh she will absolutely be primaried from the Right, probably with Trump campaigning against her and siccing his cultists on her. It isn't exaggerating to say that voting against Kavanaugh would be putting Sen Collins' career at risk. Voting for Kavanaugh, by comparison, carries no risk at all.
Assume that absolutely everything bad you've ever heard about Kavanaugh is 100% true. Further assume it becomes a huge media story. Now ask yourself this question: what happens then? And the answer is: absolutely nothing. Kavanaugh continues to sit on the Court, the Republicans who voted to confirm him will, at absolute most, be sort of vaguely involved in one of those endless Washington scandals that the Republicans will brush aside as the government being evil because the government is evil and will somehow get turned by FOX into an indictment of the Democrats for failing to block Kavnaaugh at the worst.
Why should the Republicans bother spending any time looking for a candidate with less baggage than Kavanaugh when they know the baggage doesn't mater at all? "Baggage" is something they only care about when it comes to Democratic nominees.
posted by sotonohito at 1:42 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
I don't think there's any danger to any Republican Senator in voting to confirm Kavanaugh. All the baggage is stuff Republican voters have made amply clear they simply do not care about. And even if they did, they wouldn't vote against any sitting Republican Senator on the grounds that they voted to confirm Trump's appointee and cement a genuine 5-4 Republican majority in the Court without any inconvenient swing votes.
It'd be nice to think that the Republican Senators would pay a price for voting to confirm Kavanaugh, but that is pure fantasy on our part. The only way a Republican can get in trouble over Kavanaugh is by voting against him. If, for example, Senator Susan Collins votes against Kavanaugh she will absolutely be primaried from the Right, probably with Trump campaigning against her and siccing his cultists on her. It isn't exaggerating to say that voting against Kavanaugh would be putting Sen Collins' career at risk. Voting for Kavanaugh, by comparison, carries no risk at all.
Assume that absolutely everything bad you've ever heard about Kavanaugh is 100% true. Further assume it becomes a huge media story. Now ask yourself this question: what happens then? And the answer is: absolutely nothing. Kavanaugh continues to sit on the Court, the Republicans who voted to confirm him will, at absolute most, be sort of vaguely involved in one of those endless Washington scandals that the Republicans will brush aside as the government being evil because the government is evil and will somehow get turned by FOX into an indictment of the Democrats for failing to block Kavnaaugh at the worst.
Why should the Republicans bother spending any time looking for a candidate with less baggage than Kavanaugh when they know the baggage doesn't mater at all? "Baggage" is something they only care about when it comes to Democratic nominees.
posted by sotonohito at 1:42 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Calculating the percentage of the United States that would have been on fire by this time in the day if Obama had pumped his fist on the way to a 9/11 memorial ceremony is left as an exercise for the reader.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [78 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [78 favorites]
Susan Collins could always either sit as an Independent caucusing with the Democrats, or join the Democratic Party altogether. Given that Maine has in recent history elected an independent governor and senator, I don't think she would be punished by the electorate.
Same for Ben Sasse and whichever other Republican senators have a history of making upset mouth noises about the ongoing destruction of the rule of law.
They are part of a very small group of people who have concrete options for thwarting the slow-motion coup that is happening / has happened, they're just choosing not to exercise them.
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:00 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
Same for Ben Sasse and whichever other Republican senators have a history of making upset mouth noises about the ongoing destruction of the rule of law.
They are part of a very small group of people who have concrete options for thwarting the slow-motion coup that is happening / has happened, they're just choosing not to exercise them.
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:00 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
the right has their share of Feinstein and Schumer characters, too.
No they don't. Why do you think even Collins, the "moderate" of the right is taking extreme pressure and still telling the left to pound sand? They're kept in check by the primary threat of the lunatic right. They run insurgent candidates, they show up to primaries, and they take down people they don't like. They have before and they're always threatening to do it again which keeps the rank and file in line.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 2:02 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
No they don't. Why do you think even Collins, the "moderate" of the right is taking extreme pressure and still telling the left to pound sand? They're kept in check by the primary threat of the lunatic right. They run insurgent candidates, they show up to primaries, and they take down people they don't like. They have before and they're always threatening to do it again which keeps the rank and file in line.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 2:02 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
T.D. Strange: Let's check in on how Facebook's new fact checking system is going
Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy? -- The most famous entrepreneur of his generation is facing a public reckoning with the power of Big Tech. (Evan Osnos for The New Yorker)
Kneejerk reaction to the headline: why even tease at Betteridge's law of headlines?
Onto the article:
And apparently he doesn't like conflict that he can't dominate or buy out, so he caves to the right wing bullies. Or he is another conservative asshole, but in a better human disguise than the rest.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy? -- The most famous entrepreneur of his generation is facing a public reckoning with the power of Big Tech. (Evan Osnos for The New Yorker)
Kneejerk reaction to the headline: why even tease at Betteridge's law of headlines?
Onto the article:
Over the years, he has come to believe that he will always be the subject of criticism. “We’re not—pick your noncontroversial business—selling dog food, although I think that people who do that probably say there is controversy in that, too, but this is an inherently cultural thing,” he told me, of his business. “It’s at the intersection of technology and psychology, and it’s very personal.”Why yes, turning omnipresent technology into a tool of psychological manipulation is very personal. Especially when you sell harvested user data to manipulate people, but that goes without saying at this point in 2018.
In a series of conversations over the summer, I talked to Zuckerberg about Facebook’s problems, and about his underlying views on technology and society. We spoke at his home, at his office, and by phone. I also interviewed four dozen people inside and outside the company about its culture, his performance, and his decision-making. I found Zuckerberg straining, not always coherently, to grasp problems for which he was plainly unprepared. These are not technical puzzles to be cracked in the middle of the night but some of the subtlest aspects of human affairs, including the meaning of truth, the limits of free speech, and the origins of violence.Yeah, not a lot of faith in Facebook, or Zuckerberg. Apparently he still has no idea how much power he holds, or if he does, he doesn't realize how dangerous it is, and no one can really talk to him.
...
Facebook’s headquarters, at 1 Hacker Way, in Menlo Park, overlooking the salt marshes south of San Francisco, has the feel of a small, prosperous dictatorship, akin to Kuwait or Brunei.
...
On Zuckerberg’s campus, he is king. Executives offer fulsome praise. David Marcus, who runs Facebook’s blockchain project, told me recently, “When I see him portrayed in certain ways, it really hurts me personally, because it’s not the guy he is.” Even when colleagues speak more candidly, on the whole they like him. “He’s not an asshole,” a former senior executive told me. “That’s why people work there so long.”
...
The downside of Zuckerberg’s exalted status within his company is that it is difficult for him to get genuine, unexpurgated feedback. He has tried, at times, to puncture his own bubble. In 2013, as a New Year’s resolution, he pledged to meet someone new, outside Facebook, every day. In 2017, he travelled to more than thirty states on a “listening tour” that he hoped would better acquaint him with the outside world. David Plouffe, President Obama’s former campaign manager, who is now the head of policy and advocacy at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the family’s philanthropic investment company, attended some events on the tour. He told me, “When a politician goes to one of those, it’s an hour, and they’re talking for fifty of those minutes. He would talk for, like, five, and just ask questions.”
But the exercise came off as stilted and tone-deaf. Zuckerberg travelled with a professional photographer, who documented him feeding a calf in Wisconsin, ordering barbecue, and working on an assembly line at a Ford plant in Michigan. Online, people joked that the photos made him look like an extraterrestrial exploring the human race for the first time. A former Facebook executive who was involved in the tour told a friend, “No one wanted to tell Mark, and no one did tell Mark, that this really looks just dumb.”
...
Facebook engineers became a new breed of behaviorists, tweaking levers of vanity and passion and susceptibility. The real-world effects were striking. In 2012, when Chan was in medical school, she and Zuckerberg discussed a critical shortage of organs for transplant, inspiring Zuckerberg to add a small, powerful nudge on Facebook: if people indicated that they were organ donors, it triggered a notification to friends, and, in turn, a cascade of social pressure. Researchers later found that, on the first day the feature appeared, it increased official organ-donor enrollment more than twentyfold nationwide.
Sean Parker later described the company’s expertise as “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” The goal: “How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?” Facebook engineers discovered that people find it nearly impossible not to log in after receiving an e-mail saying that someone has uploaded a picture of them. Facebook also discovered its power to affect people’s political behavior. Researchers found that, during the 2010 midterm elections, Facebook was able to prod users to vote simply by feeding them pictures of friends who had already voted, and by giving them the option to click on an “I Voted” button. The technique boosted turnout by three hundred and forty thousand people—more than four times the number of votes separating Trump and Clinton in key states in the 2016 race. It became a running joke among employees that Facebook could tilt an election just by choosing where to deploy its “I Voted” button.
And apparently he doesn't like conflict that he can't dominate or buy out, so he caves to the right wing bullies. Or he is another conservative asshole, but in a better human disguise than the rest.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
"Baggage" is something they only care about when it comes to Democratic nominees.
Them and the American media.
Same with "the optics" of a statement, situation or gesture.
posted by lord_wolf at 2:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
Them and the American media.
Same with "the optics" of a statement, situation or gesture.
posted by lord_wolf at 2:34 PM on September 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
File under "I hope Trump doesn't get any ideas" -- China Is Detaining Muslims in Vast Numbers. The Goal: ‘Transformation.’ (Chris Buckley for New York Times, Sept. 8, 2018)
Also, this is how you get extremists. Do you want extremists?
posted by filthy light thief at 2:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
HOTAN, China — On the edge of a desert in far western China, an imposing building sits behind a fence topped with barbed wire. Large red characters on the facade urge people to learn Chinese, study law and acquire job skills. Guards make clear that visitors are not welcome.Emphasis mine.
Inside, hundreds of ethnic Uighur Muslims spend their days in a high-pressure indoctrination program, where they are forced to listen to lectures, sing hymns praising the Chinese Communist Party and write “self-criticism” essays, according to detainees who have been released.
The goal is to remove any devotion to Islam.
Abdusalam Muhemet, 41, said the police detained him for reciting a verse of the Quran at a funeral. After two months in a nearby camp, he and more than 30 others were ordered to renounce their past lives. Mr. Muhemet said he went along but quietly seethed.
Also, this is how you get extremists. Do you want extremists?
posted by filthy light thief at 2:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
The Case for Michael Avenatti 2020, By @EricLevitz:
God help me, I like Avenatti. It is the closest I come to understanding Trumpheads. When you are feeling crushed under storms of nihilism and fear, the person screaming into the winds seems almost empowering. Until you realize you're surrounded by people building shelters. Then voting for the screamer looks as asinine as it is.
posted by Anonymous at 2:41 PM on September 11, 2018
God help me, I like Avenatti. It is the closest I come to understanding Trumpheads. When you are feeling crushed under storms of nihilism and fear, the person screaming into the winds seems almost empowering. Until you realize you're surrounded by people building shelters. Then voting for the screamer looks as asinine as it is.
posted by Anonymous at 2:41 PM on September 11, 2018
If our existing Democratic leaders were reflecting the base anger at the Trump/McConnell era, there’d be no room for a clown figure like Avenatti.
Instead we have Schumer giving away judges wholesale and promising to never use the same procedural bullshit as we’ve suffered for 10 years now against them if he takes control. That’s why Avenatti isn’t being laughed out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:53 PM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
Instead we have Schumer giving away judges wholesale and promising to never use the same procedural bullshit as we’ve suffered for 10 years now against them if he takes control. That’s why Avenatti isn’t being laughed out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:53 PM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
No more effin' celebrities, please. President is not an entry level job. Nor is Senator, for that matter. If we want someone who can channel righteous anger, both Kamala Harris and Cory Booker (to name just two) can do it quite well, and they have actual political experience. We have a reality show celebrity in the White House now and it's gotten us...?? Do we Democrats want to go down that road? (Besides, I have my heart set on a woman or POC for 2020.)
I was at the Solano Stroll this weekend - and yes, I know it is in Barbara Lee's district and as close as we have to a blue fortress, but the booth staffed by the League of Women Voters was doing a brisk business, as was the booth for DSA candidate for Assembly District 15, Jovanka Beckles. People are not complacent here, at least that's the impression I got.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
I was at the Solano Stroll this weekend - and yes, I know it is in Barbara Lee's district and as close as we have to a blue fortress, but the booth staffed by the League of Women Voters was doing a brisk business, as was the booth for DSA candidate for Assembly District 15, Jovanka Beckles. People are not complacent here, at least that's the impression I got.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
Just because only one Supreme Court Justice has been impeached doesn’t mean it can never happen again. They can certainly investigate him, as well
I think that's key, non-stop investigation. Part of the reason we're in these mess is that these fuckers never pay a price, ever, for taking a dump on our civil rights. McConnell blocked Garland from ever even getting a hearing, no consequences. Gorsuch had the total lack of shame to take a seat that was offered to him by a fraudulently elected and patently incompetent president, and was vacant in the first place only due to McConnell's shenanigans, and no consequences to him either. Cavanaugh, who's a bought and paid-for stooge of the Heritage Foundation, and in his duplicity made a Thomas-esque mockery of this confirmation hearing, is poised to accept a seat that's vacant because of a back-door deal betewen Kennedy and Trump, yet he and all the rest of these clowns will hold their heads up high and sleep well at the end of the day? How about no, how about dragging him through the mud for so long that he'll sooner step down on his own accord even if there's no chance of an actual impeachment? How about we investigate Kennedy as well? How about we investigate the Heritage Foundation the way that Acorn was investigated literally to death?
posted by xigxag at 3:50 PM on September 11, 2018 [33 favorites]
I think that's key, non-stop investigation. Part of the reason we're in these mess is that these fuckers never pay a price, ever, for taking a dump on our civil rights. McConnell blocked Garland from ever even getting a hearing, no consequences. Gorsuch had the total lack of shame to take a seat that was offered to him by a fraudulently elected and patently incompetent president, and was vacant in the first place only due to McConnell's shenanigans, and no consequences to him either. Cavanaugh, who's a bought and paid-for stooge of the Heritage Foundation, and in his duplicity made a Thomas-esque mockery of this confirmation hearing, is poised to accept a seat that's vacant because of a back-door deal betewen Kennedy and Trump, yet he and all the rest of these clowns will hold their heads up high and sleep well at the end of the day? How about no, how about dragging him through the mud for so long that he'll sooner step down on his own accord even if there's no chance of an actual impeachment? How about we investigate Kennedy as well? How about we investigate the Heritage Foundation the way that Acorn was investigated literally to death?
posted by xigxag at 3:50 PM on September 11, 2018 [33 favorites]
I'm not holding my breath that that'll ever happen but I sure want to live in a world where they fear that it could. It's increasingly clear to me that freedom from consequences is serving as a positive feedback mechanism for much of the crazy coming from the plutocratic right. I think that badly needs addressing before it destroys our society completely.
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:55 PM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:55 PM on September 11, 2018 [18 favorites]
WaPo, Trump administration to triple size of Texas tent camp for migrant children
A tent camp for migrant children in the desert outside El Paso, Texas, will expand to accommodate a growing number of Central American children crossing the border, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.ProPublica, Authorities Can Now Deny Visa and Green Card Applications Without Giving Applicants a Chance to Fix Errors
HHS, the federal agency tasked with caring for migrant children and teenagers in U.S. custody, said it would more than triple the size of its camp at the Tornillo Land Port of Entry from 1,200 beds to as many as 3,800.
...
Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, said the need for emergency capacity was the result of the latest surge at the border, not the administration’s decision to separate families during the crackdown this spring.
“Family separations’ resulting from the zero tolerance policy ended on June 20, 2018 and are not driving this need,” Wolfe said, in a statement.
HHS officials have “worked round the clock to add beds or add shelters to avoid any backup” at the border,” Wolfe added. He said the agency currently has 12,800 minors in its custody.
HHS has used the Tornillo site primarily to warehouse older teens, channeling younger children in its custody to more “permanent” sites among the roughly 100 shelters where migrant children are housed.
On Tuesday, a new policy kicks in, allowing officers with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to outright deny any visa or green card application that is missing evidence or contains an error. Around 7 million people apply every year.posted by zachlipton at 3:58 PM on September 11, 2018 [40 favorites]
Previously, officers were required by an Obama-era policy to send notices, giving applicants a chance to correct such problems instead of closing the process. Officers can still choose to do so, but they can also opt to skip that step if the application is deemed frivolous.
Without the notices, applicants won’t have the opportunity to intervene before a decision is made, potentially adding months or years of extra paperwork and thousands of dollars in fees to the already lengthy process. In the case of those trying to renew their visas while they’re still in the U.S., they could be placed in deportation proceedings the moment their visas expire.
...
One reason the lawyers are worried is that they’ve seen a barrage of scrutiny directed at once-standard immigration applications since Trump took office. ProPublica spoke with a dozen lawyers and reviewed documentation for several of these cases. Many responses cited technicalities: One application was not accepted because the seventh page, usually left blank, was not attached. Another was rejected because it did not have a table of contents and exhibit numbers, even though it had other forms of organization.
“It seems like they are just making every single submission difficult,” Bonnefil said. “Even the most standard, run-of-the-mill” application. The lawyers call this minefield of onerous paperwork an “invisible wall,” designed to make legal immigration as difficult as possible.
Today Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (Democrat) invited supporters to attend a fundraiser for Texas Rep. John Carter (Republican) who is running against MJ Hegar (Democrat) in a neighboring district.
That's right, Cuellar is fundraising for the Republican opponent of a Democrat.
posted by JackFlash at 4:12 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
That's right, Cuellar is fundraising for the Republican opponent of a Democrat.
posted by JackFlash at 4:12 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
That's right, Cuellar is fundraising for the Republican opponent of a Democrat.
Hey now, let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the worse-than-useless.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
Hey now, let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the worse-than-useless.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
Officers can still choose to do so, but they can also opt to skip that step if the application is deemed frivolous.
submitting these applications costs thousands of dollars in fees. "frivolous" my ass.
One application was not accepted because the seventh page, usually left blank, was not attached.
or somebody at USCIS lost it, or spilled coffee on it, or hell, maybe it was in fact completed correctly and they just decided to make up a damn excuse to throw the paperwork out. an application i assisted with and checked over wound up drawing a yellow notice from USCIS for a missing copy of a birth certificate. i am absolutely certain that document was included in the packet that was sent, but USCIS decided there was an error, and it was the applicant's responsibility to fix. under the obama-era policy, that just meant mailing in the 'missing' part of the application, and accepting that the application would now take an extra month or two to process. now? deportation, i guess. and of course they won't refund the fees for these rejected applications.
posted by halation at 4:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [36 favorites]
submitting these applications costs thousands of dollars in fees. "frivolous" my ass.
One application was not accepted because the seventh page, usually left blank, was not attached.
or somebody at USCIS lost it, or spilled coffee on it, or hell, maybe it was in fact completed correctly and they just decided to make up a damn excuse to throw the paperwork out. an application i assisted with and checked over wound up drawing a yellow notice from USCIS for a missing copy of a birth certificate. i am absolutely certain that document was included in the packet that was sent, but USCIS decided there was an error, and it was the applicant's responsibility to fix. under the obama-era policy, that just meant mailing in the 'missing' part of the application, and accepting that the application would now take an extra month or two to process. now? deportation, i guess. and of course they won't refund the fees for these rejected applications.
posted by halation at 4:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [36 favorites]
Today Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (Democrat) invited supporters to attend a fundraiser for Texas Rep. John Carter (Republican) who is running against MJ Hegar (Democrat) in a neighboring district
Story
MJ Hegar sounds pretty damn great, what’s this Cuellar guy’s problem? Utterly entrenched asshat too cost with the establishment?
posted by Artw at 4:24 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Story
MJ Hegar sounds pretty damn great, what’s this Cuellar guy’s problem? Utterly entrenched asshat too cost with the establishment?
posted by Artw at 4:24 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
“I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful.” Calls it “One of the best jobs that’s ever been done.”
More Than 2,000 Puerto Ricans Applied For Funeral Assistance After Hurricane Maria. FEMA Approved Just 75.
More Than 2,000 Puerto Ricans Applied For Funeral Assistance After Hurricane Maria. FEMA Approved Just 75.
FEMA approved just 3% of applications for funeral assistance from more than 2,000 Puerto Rican families who lost loved ones after Hurricane Maria, according to a letter the agency head wrote to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.posted by kirkaracha at 4:35 PM on September 11, 2018 [32 favorites]
In response to an earlier letter from Warren, Brock Long, director of FEMA, wrote on Aug. 14 that as of July 30, his agency had received 2,431 requests for funeral assistance from Puerto Ricans related to the hurricane — they approved just 75 of them, meaning 97% have either been rejected or have not received a decision almost a year after Maria hit the island.
what’s this Cuellar guy’s problem?
Yeah, what does John Carter have that MJ Hegar doesn't?
Oh, uh, right.
posted by JackFlash at 4:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, what does John Carter have that MJ Hegar doesn't?
Oh, uh, right.
posted by JackFlash at 4:37 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump administration to triple size of Texas tent camp for migrant children
The pro “Life” and pro “Family Values” party, folks.
posted by darkstar at 4:38 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
The pro “Life” and pro “Family Values” party, folks.
posted by darkstar at 4:38 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
A tale of four tweets:
Bill Clinton: Today we honor all those who lost their lives 17 years ago in NY, VA, and PA, their loved ones, and the brave first responders who risked their own lives to save others. The best tribute we can pay is to live our lives in a way that redeems the years they could not have.
— Bill Clinton, September 11, 2018
George W. Bush: “This is a day I will certainly never forget. This morning we pause to say a prayer for the lives lost.” -President George W. Bush pic.twitter.com/kKHDFDlTd6
— George W. Bush Presidential Center, September 11, 2018
Barack Obama: We will always remember everyone we lost on 9/11, thank the first responders who keep us safe, and honor all who defend our country and the ideals that bind us together. There's nothing our resilience and resolve can’t overcome, and no act of terror can ever change who we are.
— Barack Obama, September 11, 2018
Donald Trump: 17 years since September 11th!
— Donald J. Trump, September 11, 2018
I ran across this comment, slightly edited here, on reddit in a thread showing air traffic in the U.S. back on 9.11.2001, and I wonder what my neighbors thought of the loud despairing laugh that followed. When you make even Bush the Lesser sound eloquent…
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 4:44 PM on September 11, 2018 [44 favorites]
Bill Clinton: Today we honor all those who lost their lives 17 years ago in NY, VA, and PA, their loved ones, and the brave first responders who risked their own lives to save others. The best tribute we can pay is to live our lives in a way that redeems the years they could not have.
— Bill Clinton, September 11, 2018
George W. Bush: “This is a day I will certainly never forget. This morning we pause to say a prayer for the lives lost.” -President George W. Bush pic.twitter.com/kKHDFDlTd6
— George W. Bush Presidential Center, September 11, 2018
Barack Obama: We will always remember everyone we lost on 9/11, thank the first responders who keep us safe, and honor all who defend our country and the ideals that bind us together. There's nothing our resilience and resolve can’t overcome, and no act of terror can ever change who we are.
— Barack Obama, September 11, 2018
Donald Trump: 17 years since September 11th!
— Donald J. Trump, September 11, 2018
I ran across this comment, slightly edited here, on reddit in a thread showing air traffic in the U.S. back on 9.11.2001, and I wonder what my neighbors thought of the loud despairing laugh that followed. When you make even Bush the Lesser sound eloquent…
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 4:44 PM on September 11, 2018 [44 favorites]
what’s this Cuellar guy’s problem?
He's long been one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. I think "Democrat In Name Only" gets thrown around too lightly, but it fits him pretty well.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
He's long been one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. I think "Democrat In Name Only" gets thrown around too lightly, but it fits him pretty well.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rust Moranis: "Bill Nelson not on board with Andrew Gillum’s progressive proposals: the sitting Senator is happy to share the Democratic ticket with Gillum, but doesn't share his views on contentious issues.
Those contentious issues? Abolish ICE, Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage.
"He's bringing a lot of new energy to the table and I think it's going to produce more African Americans, I think it's going to produce more young people," Nelson said. "And hopefully I might have some value that I bring to the ballot as well."
Catastrophic."
I realize this isn't going to make me popular with the Metafilter He-Man Nelson Haters Club, but I think what Nelson said is pretty reasonable:
1) Trump is unpopular
2) What ICE is doing (under Trump direction) is awful
3) What ICE is doing is broadly unpopular
4) Actually abolishing ICE is also broadly unpopular
4) The important thing is to stop mis-treating people, not so much what label it carries.
"Abolish ICE" is catchy, and I'm all for trying to move the Overton Window, but people don't really like it, because they think it means "end all immigration enforcement." It seems to me the Nelson position combines the virtues of addressing the issue AND being popular with the public.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:53 PM on September 11, 2018 [22 favorites]
Those contentious issues? Abolish ICE, Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage.
"He's bringing a lot of new energy to the table and I think it's going to produce more African Americans, I think it's going to produce more young people," Nelson said. "And hopefully I might have some value that I bring to the ballot as well."
Catastrophic."
I realize this isn't going to make me popular with the Metafilter He-Man Nelson Haters Club, but I think what Nelson said is pretty reasonable:
"I don't want to abolish ICE,” Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times’s editorial board in an interview Monday. “I want to abolish Trump. ICE is merely the administrative agency. It's the policies in that agency that is the problem."The facts are:
1) Trump is unpopular
2) What ICE is doing (under Trump direction) is awful
3) What ICE is doing is broadly unpopular
4) Actually abolishing ICE is also broadly unpopular
4) The important thing is to stop mis-treating people, not so much what label it carries.
"Abolish ICE" is catchy, and I'm all for trying to move the Overton Window, but people don't really like it, because they think it means "end all immigration enforcement." It seems to me the Nelson position combines the virtues of addressing the issue AND being popular with the public.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:53 PM on September 11, 2018 [22 favorites]
Well, I think at this point it's not _just_ the administration, you need to fire most/all ICE employees too. Anyone still there is OK with what they've been doing.
You could put a new leader in, clean house, and start over.
But at that point you've effectively done the same thing as "Abolish ICE". (Which in the cases I've heard people talk about mostly just means revert to a pre-2002 state, since ICE is pretty new).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
You could put a new leader in, clean house, and start over.
But at that point you've effectively done the same thing as "Abolish ICE". (Which in the cases I've heard people talk about mostly just means revert to a pre-2002 state, since ICE is pretty new).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
no act of terror can ever change who we are
The 9/11 attacks (and maybe those anthrax attacks everyone always forgets about) drove a lot of people into right-wing Crazytown, drove the US into two endless wars for dubious reasons, and made many Americans OK with torturing people and separating children from their parents. The attacks permanently scared the shit out of a lot of people and we're still struggling with the fallout from that. I don't think there's any way Trump would've become president if the 9/11 attacks hadn't happened.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [83 favorites]
The 9/11 attacks (and maybe those anthrax attacks everyone always forgets about) drove a lot of people into right-wing Crazytown, drove the US into two endless wars for dubious reasons, and made many Americans OK with torturing people and separating children from their parents. The attacks permanently scared the shit out of a lot of people and we're still struggling with the fallout from that. I don't think there's any way Trump would've become president if the 9/11 attacks hadn't happened.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:09 PM on September 11, 2018 [83 favorites]
The attacks permanently scared the shit out of a lot of people and we're still struggling with the fallout from that.
I was working overseas when 9/11 took place, and it was definitely harrowing, emotionally. But when I returned to the US a year or so afterward, it was obvious that the country was coping poorly with mass PTSD. Our society will be working through it for generations.
posted by darkstar at 5:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [39 favorites]
I was working overseas when 9/11 took place, and it was definitely harrowing, emotionally. But when I returned to the US a year or so afterward, it was obvious that the country was coping poorly with mass PTSD. Our society will be working through it for generations.
posted by darkstar at 5:20 PM on September 11, 2018 [39 favorites]
In the case of those trying to renew their visas while they’re still in the U.S., they could be placed in deportation proceedings the moment their visas expire.
You have to think that's the idea; otherwise, cui bono? It's amazing how many aspects of politics are predicated on people not being assholes. Denying applicants the chance to correct minor errors is something that's not going to affect people with the right contacts; if it does, they'll just end up owing someone a favour.
It turns out that all these “checks and balances” that conservatives like so much are all discretionary, and Republicans are committed to using that discretion against their enemies. So: Republican-dominated chambers won't even consider Democratic nominations; Republican-dominated election boards won't open polling booths in areas that lean towards Democrats; and Republican judges can be chosen to support these decisions. And apparently the continuing population shift from rural states means that at some point a Republican majority in the Senate is going to be locked in. I'm scared that the US is heading to a point where it will be impossible to effect peaceful, democratic regime change.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:39 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
You have to think that's the idea; otherwise, cui bono? It's amazing how many aspects of politics are predicated on people not being assholes. Denying applicants the chance to correct minor errors is something that's not going to affect people with the right contacts; if it does, they'll just end up owing someone a favour.
It turns out that all these “checks and balances” that conservatives like so much are all discretionary, and Republicans are committed to using that discretion against their enemies. So: Republican-dominated chambers won't even consider Democratic nominations; Republican-dominated election boards won't open polling booths in areas that lean towards Democrats; and Republican judges can be chosen to support these decisions. And apparently the continuing population shift from rural states means that at some point a Republican majority in the Senate is going to be locked in. I'm scared that the US is heading to a point where it will be impossible to effect peaceful, democratic regime change.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:39 PM on September 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
I’d be okay with broadly unmaking the entie DHS to pre 2002 models. The department of homeland security has been a disasterous, costly mistake.
posted by The Whelk at 5:43 PM on September 11, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 5:43 PM on September 11, 2018 [44 favorites]
In NH gov Dem primary, Molly Kelly wins by about 66-33. I don't have a good feel for ideology, but Kelly had the backing of the local heavyweights.
On the GOP side, incumbent Sununu was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
On the GOP side, incumbent Sununu was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I gotta say, I'm very nervous about the direction this country has taken, but I'm holding panic at bay until November. My people are alive because they've always been able to read the signs and escape before the brown shirts get to the door, and every instinct i have says to get the hell out, but really...To where? I mean, America has always been the destination, never the exodus point.
But, I'm a middle aged middle eastern lady with lupus, and not a million dollars. There's no country in the world that wants me, including my own.
So, I'll do what I can to turn back the tidewaters of nationalism and hate, and work to get leftists back in power, but y'all, I'm worried.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 5:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [61 favorites]
But, I'm a middle aged middle eastern lady with lupus, and not a million dollars. There's no country in the world that wants me, including my own.
So, I'll do what I can to turn back the tidewaters of nationalism and hate, and work to get leftists back in power, but y'all, I'm worried.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 5:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [61 favorites]
Woodward’s grim portrait of Trump’s White House gets a vote of confidence — via two non-denial denials (Aaron Blake | WaPo)
... Two denials, in particular — from former top White House aides Gary Cohn and Rob Porter — are conspicuously incomplete. Both men are accused in the book of effectively removing things from Trump's desk to prevent him from taking certain actions. And both have now issued statements that are rather similar, both for what they say and what they don't say.posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
... In fact, Porter seems to tacitly confirm the detail about removing things from Trump's desk — by suggesting that that's just how things are done in the Oval Office.
The department of homeland security has been a disastrous, costly mistake.
"Homeland" becoming common official and cultural terminology overnight in 2002 was my very first why is nobody else blinking an eye at this obvious Nazi shit moment. Like the first point of an exponential function.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:50 PM on September 11, 2018 [155 favorites]
"Homeland" becoming common official and cultural terminology overnight in 2002 was my very first why is nobody else blinking an eye at this obvious Nazi shit moment. Like the first point of an exponential function.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:50 PM on September 11, 2018 [155 favorites]
"Homeland" becoming common official and cultural terminology overnight in 2002 was my very first why is nobody else blinking an eye at this obvious Nazi shit moment. Like the first point of an exponential function.
This. Like Orwell’s head exploding level of ominous.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
This. Like Orwell’s head exploding level of ominous.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [24 favorites]
Yeah, that was pretty much when I started non-ironically using the term 'police state'. Sadly, my fears were confirmed.
posted by eclectist at 6:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by eclectist at 6:15 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
Tomorrow, Rhode Island primaries. Vox and DKE previews of the governor's race.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:16 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
** 2018 Senate:
-- MI: Glengariff Group poll has Dem incumbent Stabenow up 55-33 on GOPer James [MOE: +/- 4.0%].** 2018 House:
-- TX: Crosswind PR poll has GOP incumbent Cruz up 47-44 on Dem O'Rourke [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. This pollster is not listed in the 538 ratings, but they appear to have been around and done accurate past polling.
-- NV: Suffolk poll has Dem Rosen up 42-41 on GOP incumbent Heller [MOE not listed]. Some discussion online that this shows an odd number of undecideds, and a rather high Trump approval (i.e., this might be a pro-Heller outlier).
-- ND: GOP candidate Cramer skipped out on the Big Iron Farm Show to go raise money out of state. Heitkamp was there, though. Given farmers have been hit by the Trump tariffs, this seems like a pretty big own goal by Cramer.
-- AZ: Dem nominee Sinema and Dem gov nominee Garcia don't seem thrilled by each other, have yet to endorse each other.
-- TX-31: Democrats are pissed off as incumbent Dem Henry Cuellar (TX-28) is fundraising for the GOP candidate in this race. Dem Hegar is even endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition, which Cuellar is co-chair of.** Odds & ends:
-- MI gov: Same Glenariff poll had Dem Whitmer up 50-36 on GOPer Schuette===
-- Additional MI downballot polling by Glengariff:-- SOS: Dem Benson up 44-29 on GOPer Treder Lang-- TX gov: Same Crosswinds PR poll has GOP incumbent Abbott up 52-39 on Dem Valdez.
-- AG: Dem Nessel up 42-29 on GOPer Leonard
-- Generic state legislative: Dems up 46-34 on GOP
-- Recreational pot: Yes up 56-38 on No
-- Redistricting reform: Yes up 38-31 on No
-- FL gov: SurveyUSA poll has Dem Gillum up 47-43 on GOPer De Santis [MOE: +/- 5.3%].
-- NV gov: Same Suffolk poll has Dem Sisolak up 37-35 on GOPer Laxalt.
-- WP: NC state legislature may be in play, due to blue wave, extremist stuff by NC GOP.
-- Georgia House district may need to re-run primary after many voters found to be incorrectly included or excluded from the district boundaries.
-- NYT: Why primary polling is tough.
Tomorrow, Rhode Island primaries. Vox and DKE previews of the governor's race.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:16 PM on September 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
I was working overseas when 9/11 took place, and it was definitely harrowing, emotionally. But when I returned to the US a year or so afterward, it was obvious that the country was coping poorly with mass PTSD. Our society will be working through it for generations.
You see, I just don't get this. 9/11 was a one time event and since then we've had 2000 deaths in Katrina and 3000 deaths in Puerto Rico. And people don't obsess over those calamities, ritually picking at the scab year after year. Republicans delight in this weird obsession, using it to justify all sorts of bad authoritarian policies. I'm sure bin Laden is laughing in his watery grave that people are still walking around airports shoeless.
posted by JackFlash at 6:17 PM on September 11, 2018 [55 favorites]
You see, I just don't get this. 9/11 was a one time event and since then we've had 2000 deaths in Katrina and 3000 deaths in Puerto Rico. And people don't obsess over those calamities, ritually picking at the scab year after year. Republicans delight in this weird obsession, using it to justify all sorts of bad authoritarian policies. I'm sure bin Laden is laughing in his watery grave that people are still walking around airports shoeless.
posted by JackFlash at 6:17 PM on September 11, 2018 [55 favorites]
Plus 9/11 kind of tipped the hand of terrorists. They took over the flights with box cutters because people had been taught to just let them do whatever and enjoy the sun in Cuba for a week. If four Arab guys stood up with box cutters and said “we’re taking over the plane” a’la 9/11 in this day and age the plane would laugh as a couple of dozen passengers bum rush them and beat them senseless.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:22 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 6:22 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Politico: Gov. Rick Scott used his private jet Tuesday to commute to a Senate campaign stop for his “bus tour,” marking his second stumble since announcing he was traveling the Florida highways this week to “Make Washington Work.”
posted by Chrysostom at 6:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
In NH-01 Dem primary, Chris Pappas wins easily with 50% over a crowded field. Bernie's kid Levi got 1.8%. Over in NH-02, incumbent Ann McLane Kuster was unopposed.
Both GOP primaries are still too close to call.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:28 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Both GOP primaries are still too close to call.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:28 PM on September 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
@kylegriffin1
Sen. Jeff Merkley tells @maddow that he has gotten his hands on a document that appears to show that DHS requested to transfer about $10,000,000 out of FEMA's budget and into the coffers of ICE to support immigration detention programs.
posted by Artw at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [43 favorites]
Sen. Jeff Merkley tells @maddow that he has gotten his hands on a document that appears to show that DHS requested to transfer about $10,000,000 out of FEMA's budget and into the coffers of ICE to support immigration detention programs.
posted by Artw at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [43 favorites]
The 9/11 injury to the non-New York parts of the country was an injury to the sense of American dominance and invulnerability. To a certain kind of person, that was catastrophic.
Not a good person. But a certain kind of person, for sure.
As a New Yorker, every Republican alive can get absolutely FUCKED. We fucking remember what you did with funding. Like every small shit town in freaked out suburban nowheresville got a fucking Abrams tank, and first responders didn’t get medical care. And then they trot out these crocodile tears and jack off to it every year. I hope their eyes get ripped out by a murder of bald eagles.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [158 favorites]
Not a good person. But a certain kind of person, for sure.
As a New Yorker, every Republican alive can get absolutely FUCKED. We fucking remember what you did with funding. Like every small shit town in freaked out suburban nowheresville got a fucking Abrams tank, and first responders didn’t get medical care. And then they trot out these crocodile tears and jack off to it every year. I hope their eyes get ripped out by a murder of bald eagles.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [158 favorites]
For everyone saying they're OK abolishing ICE and going back to the "pre-2002" INS status quo, please realize that the abusive policies have been in place for a long time. The 100-mile "constitution free zone" was adopted by regulation in 1953, not in response to 9/11. And I personally witnessed "random" INS checkpoints (i.e., pull over the Latino-looking people) on I-19 before 9/11 when I lived in Tucson. Shit's been bad for a long time in our immigration system and abolishing the executive department currently called ICE is not sufficient to correct the racist policies currently embedded in it. I can't bring myself to be too angry at the people who also think it is not a necessary step to implementing the right policies.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 6:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [25 favorites]
Its not sufficient, but I think it is necessary to remove everyone involved with ICE. At that point, keeping ICE becomes a matter of name. I think "Abolish ICE" has more to do with getting rid of the people/culture than the name. If people want to get rid of everyone in it, change the policies, but keep the name ICE, I'm OK with that (but I think that is the same as "Abolish ICE").
(Conversely, re-orging the same people into a new department would not count as abolishing ICE).
posted by thefoxgod at 6:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
(Conversely, re-orging the same people into a new department would not count as abolishing ICE).
posted by thefoxgod at 6:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh fun the Trump admin took 10 million from FEMA and used it to pay for more child concentration camps for ICE, right before hurricane season.
posted by The Whelk at 6:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 6:40 PM on September 11, 2018 [29 favorites]
They took over the flights with box cutters because people had been taught to just let them do whatever and enjoy the sun in Cuba for a week.
I'm almost 30, and my "I guess I'm old and grew up in a different world" moments are explaining to kids that people used to hijack planes and it wasn't all that big of a deal as far as these things go.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm almost 30, and my "I guess I'm old and grew up in a different world" moments are explaining to kids that people used to hijack planes and it wasn't all that big of a deal as far as these things go.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:46 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
McConnell may keep Senate in session for all of October. Obviously, this is to cause issues for Dem incumbents, although Ted Cruz may not be thrilled by it, either.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:47 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:47 PM on September 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
The department of homeland security has been a disasterous, costly mistake.
Brought to you by the party that champions small government.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
Brought to you by the party that champions small government.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
McConnell may keep Senate in session for all of October
This was what they promised not to do when Schumer gave them all the judges, right?
posted by Artw at 6:51 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
This was what they promised not to do when Schumer gave them all the judges, right?
posted by Artw at 6:51 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
The day Donald Trump's narcissism killed the USFL - Jeff Pearlman, The Guardian
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:05 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Although the president is a constant critic of the NFL, he unintentionally helped the league during a hapless turn as a witness in a 1986 lawsuitThough the USFL eventually won their anti-trust lawsuit, his odd, narcisstic behavior on the witness stand led to the NFL having to pay an epic fine ... of $1 (multiplied by 3 because of the anti-trust behavior).
“I covered that trial, and you had to hate Trump,” said Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who hosted the [Orlando] Renegades’ postgame show. “I just never saw how anyone liked him.” [One juror] could not get past two things: (1) that the USFL’s dysfunction was the greatest culprit in the league’s failings, and (2) Trump was awful. “He was extremely arrogant and I thought that he was obviously trying to play the game. He wanted an NFL franchise … the USFL was a cheap way in.”And this was in 1986, when he was 40. Imagine him giving testimony on anything today.
Even though the NFL was eventually forced to pay the USFL $5.5m in attorney fees, the money was far too little to keep the young entity afloat.
Thanks to the selfishness and narcissism of Donald Trump, the United States Football League was dead.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:05 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
The 9/11 attacks (and maybe those anthrax attacks everyone always forgets about) drove a lot of people into right-wing Crazytown, drove the US into two endless wars for dubious reasons, and made many Americans OK with torturing people and separating children from their parents. The attacks permanently scared the shit out of a lot of people and we're still struggling with the fallout from that. I don't think there's any way Trump would've become president if the 9/11 attacks hadn't happened.
The exemplar: Dennis Miller. He might have been crazy before 9/11 but I knew nothing about it. After 9/11 it was obvious his marbles were scattered all over by the shockwaves. He was the first real big foam-spitting conversion I was aware of. As far as I know those marbles are still scattered.
posted by srboisvert at 7:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [14 favorites]
The exemplar: Dennis Miller. He might have been crazy before 9/11 but I knew nothing about it. After 9/11 it was obvious his marbles were scattered all over by the shockwaves. He was the first real big foam-spitting conversion I was aware of. As far as I know those marbles are still scattered.
posted by srboisvert at 7:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [14 favorites]
Trump’s long history of lying about 9/11 and exploiting it for personal gain - Paul Waldman, WaPo (The Plum Line opinion blog)
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:07 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
MANY people in the blogosphere were driven crazy by Sept 11.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:08 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:08 PM on September 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
Lileks went neocon after 9/11, too
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:10 PM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:10 PM on September 11, 2018 [23 favorites]
“It seems like they are just making every single submission difficult,” Bonnefil said. “Even the most standard, run-of-the-mill” application. The lawyers call this minefield of onerous paperwork an “invisible wall,” designed to make legal immigration as difficult as possible.
What is the latest count on Jared Kushner's ethics disclosure filing errors? Last I heard he had made over 40 corrections.
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
What is the latest count on Jared Kushner's ethics disclosure filing errors? Last I heard he had made over 40 corrections.
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 PM on September 11, 2018 [21 favorites]
I sometimes wonder whether the... uh, different reaction that my husband and I seemed to have had to 9/11 is because we were living in the middle of nowhere with no TV and weak dial-up internet. I pieced together what happened that morning via staticky NPR. We were living 90 minutes south of DC in a heavily military town (Naval air station the largest employer in the area) so it's not like we were cut off from civilization or anything, but we were largely cut off from the mass media presentation of it, the minute-by-minute broadcasting of the horror and then days and weeks of replaying it all day every day. And I've quite purposefully not gone out of my way to fill in those gaps in the ensuing 17 years. It doesn't seem to have done anyone outside of NYC and DC much good to immerse themselves in the horror those communities experienced, that is for sure.
Like every small shit town in freaked out suburban nowheresville got a fucking Abrams tank, and first responders didn’t get medical care. And then they trot out these crocodile tears and jack off to it every year. I hope their eyes get ripped out by a murder of bald eagles.
Also extremely this.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
Like every small shit town in freaked out suburban nowheresville got a fucking Abrams tank, and first responders didn’t get medical care. And then they trot out these crocodile tears and jack off to it every year. I hope their eyes get ripped out by a murder of bald eagles.
Also extremely this.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
9/11 broke Hitchens, too.
Also Dershowitz.
posted by notyou at 7:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also Dershowitz.
posted by notyou at 7:26 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Chrysostom: -- AZ: Dem nominee Sinema and Dem gov nominee Garcia don't seem thrilled by each other, have yet to endorse each other.
They wouldn't. Garcia is one of the more progressive candidates in the state; for our local LD race, for example, he endorsed Marcus Ferrell* (who was Bernie Sanders' national African American outreach director in 2016). Sinema has been tacking increasingly to the... center, shall we say, since her early days as a Green Party disruptor. She has been working for years to embrace "bipartisan appeal," and voted strategically with this very race in her sights. They are very different kinds of politicians.
I'll vote for them both, because party does matter in the end, but I'll feel better about my vote for Garcia. However, Sinema has a better chance of actually winning her race. Her real challenge will be getting votes from folks in more progressive parts of the state like, well, her home district.
*Ferrell lost the primary.
posted by Superplin at 7:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
They wouldn't. Garcia is one of the more progressive candidates in the state; for our local LD race, for example, he endorsed Marcus Ferrell* (who was Bernie Sanders' national African American outreach director in 2016). Sinema has been tacking increasingly to the... center, shall we say, since her early days as a Green Party disruptor. She has been working for years to embrace "bipartisan appeal," and voted strategically with this very race in her sights. They are very different kinds of politicians.
I'll vote for them both, because party does matter in the end, but I'll feel better about my vote for Garcia. However, Sinema has a better chance of actually winning her race. Her real challenge will be getting votes from folks in more progressive parts of the state like, well, her home district.
*Ferrell lost the primary.
posted by Superplin at 7:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, but. My feeling is, unless someone is outside the pale - like when that Nazi snuck into that nomination in IL - you endorse your party mates.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:33 PM on September 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
This was what they promised not to do when Schumer gave them all the judges, right?
I beleive the 15 judges deal was for an extra day of campagining in August. Completely different calculation.
And now McConnell can get Chuck to agree to 15 more for a day in October.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:41 PM on September 11, 2018
I beleive the 15 judges deal was for an extra day of campagining in August. Completely different calculation.
And now McConnell can get Chuck to agree to 15 more for a day in October.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:41 PM on September 11, 2018
National Solar Observatory shut down. The details are...weird.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [37 favorites]
Yeah, I'm old. I don't think 9/11 broke those celebrities and intelligencia. 9/11 just gave them an excuse to say the quiet parts out loud. Suddenly it was ok to hate Arabs out loud. From there, it became real easy to start othering everyone that wasn't a protected white man.
I cannot even count the number of friends I lost because I kept correcting everyone sending the constant barrage of emails like "chapter 9, verse 11 of the Koran says to kill all the infidels" , and I'd start off slow...The Qur'an doesn't have chapters and verses like a king James bible, and work towards bringing them back to reality, but y'all, it didn't work about half the time.
Those of you who remember my pre Gamergate mefi persona may remember that I had to sell the house I built just to get away from people planting flags in my yard all the time, and that was going on years after 9/11.
Some people live to hate. 9/11 gave those people permission to do it openly and proudly, and it didn't take them long before they remembered they didn't much care for black folks either. Or Hispanics, or Indians, or anyone from anywhere we've invaded, oppressed, or otherwise bothered.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [78 favorites]
I cannot even count the number of friends I lost because I kept correcting everyone sending the constant barrage of emails like "chapter 9, verse 11 of the Koran says to kill all the infidels" , and I'd start off slow...The Qur'an doesn't have chapters and verses like a king James bible, and work towards bringing them back to reality, but y'all, it didn't work about half the time.
Those of you who remember my pre Gamergate mefi persona may remember that I had to sell the house I built just to get away from people planting flags in my yard all the time, and that was going on years after 9/11.
Some people live to hate. 9/11 gave those people permission to do it openly and proudly, and it didn't take them long before they remembered they didn't much care for black folks either. Or Hispanics, or Indians, or anyone from anywhere we've invaded, oppressed, or otherwise bothered.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:45 PM on September 11, 2018 [78 favorites]
Cook ratings updates:
NH-01 | (open D): Lean D => Likely D
NH-02 | (Kuster): Likely D => Solid D
posted by Chrysostom at 7:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
NH-01 | (open D): Lean D => Likely D
NH-02 | (Kuster): Likely D => Solid D
posted by Chrysostom at 7:49 PM on September 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
Yeah, but. My feeling is, unless someone is outside the pale - like when that Nazi snuck into that nomination in IL - you endorse your party mates.
Honestly, the two biggest obstacles to turning AZ blue, especially when it comes to the senatorial race, are:
1 - Turnout (it is SO HARD to get people to the polls, even when everything is running smoothly), and
2 - Infighting between centrists and progressives.
It's making me a bit crazy, frankly. But we're are working hard on both of these.
Meanwhile, well. The candidates are all running their own races.
posted by Superplin at 7:52 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Honestly, the two biggest obstacles to turning AZ blue, especially when it comes to the senatorial race, are:
1 - Turnout (it is SO HARD to get people to the polls, even when everything is running smoothly), and
2 - Infighting between centrists and progressives.
It's making me a bit crazy, frankly. But we're are working hard on both of these.
Meanwhile, well. The candidates are all running their own races.
posted by Superplin at 7:52 PM on September 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I'm old. I don't think 9/11 broke those celebrities and intelligencia. 9/11 just gave them an excuse to say the quiet parts out loud.
Yeah, I was 20 and part of a more academic-y Bible study during the summer of 2001. I wasn't really that religious, and more of the people in the group really weren't either. The purpose was more studying the history and meaning of the New Testament.
Anyway, the next Wednesday after 9/11/2001, a dude interrupted the teacher about 5 mins in and wondered aloud why we were wasting time on the Bible when we could be working on the War Against All of Islam. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something along the lines "the details of Jesus's death and rebirth and not important now, we need to fight our enemies". Seriously, we were going through what the Gospels had to say about the literally the reason Christianity exists, and the dude was all: "Who gives a shit about Jesus, we need to kill these fuckers before they kill us".
Needless to say, that was was my last Bible study. I'm sure that dude was a racist fuck before 9/11, and now could publicly standup and say "Fuck Muslims".
posted by sideshow at 7:57 PM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
Yeah, I was 20 and part of a more academic-y Bible study during the summer of 2001. I wasn't really that religious, and more of the people in the group really weren't either. The purpose was more studying the history and meaning of the New Testament.
Anyway, the next Wednesday after 9/11/2001, a dude interrupted the teacher about 5 mins in and wondered aloud why we were wasting time on the Bible when we could be working on the War Against All of Islam. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something along the lines "the details of Jesus's death and rebirth and not important now, we need to fight our enemies". Seriously, we were going through what the Gospels had to say about the literally the reason Christianity exists, and the dude was all: "Who gives a shit about Jesus, we need to kill these fuckers before they kill us".
Needless to say, that was was my last Bible study. I'm sure that dude was a racist fuck before 9/11, and now could publicly standup and say "Fuck Muslims".
posted by sideshow at 7:57 PM on September 11, 2018 [30 favorites]
In NH-01, GOP nom goes to Eddie Edwards with about 47%. His major opponent was accused of being a serial harasser.
NH-02 still tight as a drum.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:02 PM on September 11, 2018
NH-02 still tight as a drum.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:02 PM on September 11, 2018
National Solar Observatory shut down. The details are...weird.
Part of Trump's war on solar power.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:05 PM on September 11, 2018
Part of Trump's war on solar power.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:05 PM on September 11, 2018
I don't think there's any way Trump would've become president if the 9/11 attacks hadn't happened.
Trump, or someone LIKE Trump, was almost certain to happen, 9/11 or not. I remember about...2001? 2002? Sometime around then, when the Census Bureau released population projections based on the 2000 census, which included demographic forecasts; there was a small blip of news stories about "US on track to become minority-majority country by 2050" around then, but a lot of it probably went under most people's radar because those were interesting times. When I saw that, I knew then that there was some serious white nationalist/nativist bad craziness lying in wait at some point down the line. The USA is a country that was literally founded on white supremacy and was 80% non-Hispanic white as recently as 40 years ago. The kind of demographic shift that's taken place over the past four decades or so and will continue over the rest of the century doesn't happen without reaction. The formerly dominant majority population are going to fight to maintain their position of dominance, and that's what Trump's election was about (and that's why Trump with his "build a wall to keep out Mexican rapists" campaign won a majority in every white demographic except for Jews, under-30's and people with advanced degrees).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 8:11 PM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
Trump, or someone LIKE Trump, was almost certain to happen, 9/11 or not. I remember about...2001? 2002? Sometime around then, when the Census Bureau released population projections based on the 2000 census, which included demographic forecasts; there was a small blip of news stories about "US on track to become minority-majority country by 2050" around then, but a lot of it probably went under most people's radar because those were interesting times. When I saw that, I knew then that there was some serious white nationalist/nativist bad craziness lying in wait at some point down the line. The USA is a country that was literally founded on white supremacy and was 80% non-Hispanic white as recently as 40 years ago. The kind of demographic shift that's taken place over the past four decades or so and will continue over the rest of the century doesn't happen without reaction. The formerly dominant majority population are going to fight to maintain their position of dominance, and that's what Trump's election was about (and that's why Trump with his "build a wall to keep out Mexican rapists" campaign won a majority in every white demographic except for Jews, under-30's and people with advanced degrees).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 8:11 PM on September 11, 2018 [26 favorites]
National Solar Observatory shut down. The details are...weird.
That is bizarre. . . I am involved in one of the other telescopes located near Sunspot (the SDSS telescope at Apache Point Observatory) and have heard nothing about closures (but they were in the process of reinstalling the secondary mirror this past week so wouldn't have been observing anyways).
posted by janewman at 8:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
That is bizarre. . . I am involved in one of the other telescopes located near Sunspot (the SDSS telescope at Apache Point Observatory) and have heard nothing about closures (but they were in the process of reinstalling the secondary mirror this past week so wouldn't have been observing anyways).
posted by janewman at 8:14 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
@DavidBegnaud: BREAKING: What may be millions of water bottles. meant for victims of Hurricane Maria, have been sitting on a runway in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, since last year, according to @fema, which confirmed the news to me, late tonight, after pictures, posted today on social media, went viral.
Includes pictures of a large quantity of water bottles taken by a local police officer. FEMA says they turned the water over to the government in Puerto Rico, but obviously something went extremely wrong.
posted by zachlipton at 8:18 PM on September 11, 2018 [27 favorites]
Includes pictures of a large quantity of water bottles taken by a local police officer. FEMA says they turned the water over to the government in Puerto Rico, but obviously something went extremely wrong.
posted by zachlipton at 8:18 PM on September 11, 2018 [27 favorites]
Heckuva job
posted by EarBucket at 8:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by EarBucket at 8:25 PM on September 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Some people live to hate. 9/11 gave those people permission to do it openly and proudly, and it didn't take them long before they remembered they didn't much care for black folks either. Or Hispanics, or Indians, or anyone from anywhere we've invaded, oppressed, or otherwise bothered.
Sometime on 9/13/01, I suddenly remembered there was a mosque in my neighborhood (back then I lived in the East Village). I imagined that they would be getting a lot of blowback, and went to go leave a message for them, saying in essence that "look, some of us get it, you have neighbors who understand and are with you." And while I was standing there writing it, before putting it in an envelope and slipping it under the door, some dude walking by stopped and walked over to me and sneered, "so this is the snake pit, huh?"
Now, people have dicked me over a lot over my life. But I have NEVER in my life been filled with rage as pure as I was in that moment. "THIS IS A HOUSE OF WORSHIP!" I roared at him. "How DARE YOU!"
"It's a snake pit!" he spat back. But he was starting to back away.
"IT IS A HOUSE OF WORSHIP!" I said again, charging after him. We hollered back and forth at each other, him just repeating the "snake pit" thing and me accusing him of being no better than the hijackers as he ran away.
That was 17 years ago and I still feel a twinge of that rage every time I talk about it.
However: the commotion made a couple guys from the mosque come out and see what was going on, to find a frizzy-haired WASPy looking chick singlehandedly chasing an Islamophobe off their doorstep and then handing them a note of support while still panting in rage. One of them was the community outreach guy, and he hung out there on the stoop to talk with me a bit - he made no bones about the fact that he was giving me a sales pitch, and I made no bones about the fact that I was personally good where I was but I could always do to understand how my neighbors think about things, and we were out there talking for an hour and it remains one of the top ten best conversations of my life.
Some people live to hate. Not everyone, though. And sometimes the people who live to hate fold up like a cheap tent and run away if you holler at 'em.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [147 favorites]
Sometime on 9/13/01, I suddenly remembered there was a mosque in my neighborhood (back then I lived in the East Village). I imagined that they would be getting a lot of blowback, and went to go leave a message for them, saying in essence that "look, some of us get it, you have neighbors who understand and are with you." And while I was standing there writing it, before putting it in an envelope and slipping it under the door, some dude walking by stopped and walked over to me and sneered, "so this is the snake pit, huh?"
Now, people have dicked me over a lot over my life. But I have NEVER in my life been filled with rage as pure as I was in that moment. "THIS IS A HOUSE OF WORSHIP!" I roared at him. "How DARE YOU!"
"It's a snake pit!" he spat back. But he was starting to back away.
"IT IS A HOUSE OF WORSHIP!" I said again, charging after him. We hollered back and forth at each other, him just repeating the "snake pit" thing and me accusing him of being no better than the hijackers as he ran away.
That was 17 years ago and I still feel a twinge of that rage every time I talk about it.
However: the commotion made a couple guys from the mosque come out and see what was going on, to find a frizzy-haired WASPy looking chick singlehandedly chasing an Islamophobe off their doorstep and then handing them a note of support while still panting in rage. One of them was the community outreach guy, and he hung out there on the stoop to talk with me a bit - he made no bones about the fact that he was giving me a sales pitch, and I made no bones about the fact that I was personally good where I was but I could always do to understand how my neighbors think about things, and we were out there talking for an hour and it remains one of the top ten best conversations of my life.
Some people live to hate. Not everyone, though. And sometimes the people who live to hate fold up like a cheap tent and run away if you holler at 'em.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 PM on September 11, 2018 [147 favorites]
some of my erstwhile close friends -- beautiful, radically open people -- from the city evidently became incorrigible 'phobes that day.
"homeland" immediately struck me wrong, too. sickeningly. there were norms then we veered away from.
...though, it turns out, it did not appear until late in 2004 in a letter to norm reporting suspicious activity (quasi self link), which we join already in progress:
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:36 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
"homeland" immediately struck me wrong, too. sickeningly. there were norms then we veered away from.
...though, it turns out, it did not appear until late in 2004 in a letter to norm reporting suspicious activity (quasi self link), which we join already in progress:
...Here’s another, Norm: what sortanyway, the reminiscences i'd mostly ignored all day got through to me with the above comments drawing a pretty straight line from the bush mob's seemingly deliberate efforts to break the government to the present widening, normless gyre, and i went looking for the foregoing letter to norm and read some of them and now i'm hopelessly furious again. and i had thought i was already hopelessly furious & the sheer scope of it kinda hurts. & i'm angry about that too. thanks metafilter for being there then, as now.
of sociopolitical organization would need
to refer to a particular region as the Homeland?
Only one with other regions, right?
Please write back.
I’ve oh so many
suspicions to devise...
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:36 PM on September 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
Some people live to hate. Not everyone, though. And sometimes the people who live to hate fold up like a cheap tent and run away if you holler at 'em.
And sometimes they get elected President.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:28 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
And sometimes they get elected President.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:28 PM on September 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
It isn't exaggerating to say that voting against Kavanaugh would be putting Sen Collins' career at risk. Voting for Kavanaugh, by comparison, carries no risk at all.
Which is why the crowdsourced fund for her potential opponent is a good thing -- it's an effort to change that equation and make her perceive a risk to her career if she does vote to confirm him. And judging by her comments yesterday, that effort seems to have succeeded. Ford knows how she'll actually vote -- probably for Kavanaugh, let's face it -- but rather than smirking that she gets to confirm the fifth vote against Roe v Wade while touting her "pro-life" stance to her more moderate constituency, that vote should worry her.
With any luck, it'll at least disrupt the media narrative that she's a "moderate" Republican of a different kind than the rest of McConnell's pack of reactionary crooks.
posted by Gelatin at 4:49 AM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
Which is why the crowdsourced fund for her potential opponent is a good thing -- it's an effort to change that equation and make her perceive a risk to her career if she does vote to confirm him. And judging by her comments yesterday, that effort seems to have succeeded. Ford knows how she'll actually vote -- probably for Kavanaugh, let's face it -- but rather than smirking that she gets to confirm the fifth vote against Roe v Wade while touting her "pro-life" stance to her more moderate constituency, that vote should worry her.
With any luck, it'll at least disrupt the media narrative that she's a "moderate" Republican of a different kind than the rest of McConnell's pack of reactionary crooks.
posted by Gelatin at 4:49 AM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
no act of terror can ever change who we are
Yeah, I'd like to get out in front of this: we love you, Barack, but sometimes you're blinded by your own faith in humanity. 9/11 was the single most effective military operation ever conducted in the history of the world. It was a major covert operation, planned over the course of several years by a few dozen confederates and possibly with some state backing, which was then executed flawlessly, in the bright light of day, right under the nose of the largest and most powerful military history has ever known. It completely altered the balance of world politics, threw the world's only superpower on the defensive, and legitimized Islamic radicalism literally overnight. It siphoned tens of trillions of dollars out of the world's largest economy, leaving it in staggering debt to foreign creditors who will never be repaid. If events continue apace, it will bring about the end of the petro-dollar, the isolation of the US from its longtime NATO allies, the end of the American century, and the rise of a global far-right movement the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Nazis were goose-stepping past the Fuhrer.
We can aspire to lessen the impacts of the attacks, but claiming that they didn't change who we are is laughably naive.
posted by Mayor West at 5:05 AM on September 12, 2018 [149 favorites]
Yeah, I'd like to get out in front of this: we love you, Barack, but sometimes you're blinded by your own faith in humanity. 9/11 was the single most effective military operation ever conducted in the history of the world. It was a major covert operation, planned over the course of several years by a few dozen confederates and possibly with some state backing, which was then executed flawlessly, in the bright light of day, right under the nose of the largest and most powerful military history has ever known. It completely altered the balance of world politics, threw the world's only superpower on the defensive, and legitimized Islamic radicalism literally overnight. It siphoned tens of trillions of dollars out of the world's largest economy, leaving it in staggering debt to foreign creditors who will never be repaid. If events continue apace, it will bring about the end of the petro-dollar, the isolation of the US from its longtime NATO allies, the end of the American century, and the rise of a global far-right movement the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Nazis were goose-stepping past the Fuhrer.
We can aspire to lessen the impacts of the attacks, but claiming that they didn't change who we are is laughably naive.
posted by Mayor West at 5:05 AM on September 12, 2018 [149 favorites]
The day after 9/11, like today, was when I knew I would eventually be leaving the United States, though I was a green card holding permanent resident. I'd gone out with a white male friend to a bar/restaurant, and a guy sitting at another table, out of the blue, started heckling us and calling me Osama. I, as y'all well know, am a rather nice warm shade of golden brown. My friend half stood up from his seat as though to threaten the heckler who then backed down. We finished eating and left. The melting pot had changed forever.
posted by infini at 5:09 AM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by infini at 5:09 AM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
That's the side of Obama I didn't care for - like a human jukebox outputting inspirational rhetoric.
posted by thelonius at 5:11 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 5:11 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
TPM looks briefly at recent congressional generic ballot polls, leading with a Quinnipiac poll that gives the Dems a 14 point advantage.
So. That’s the good news for today.
The bad news is that fucking hurricane doesn’t appear to have taken my suggestion to just turn around to heart, and the idiot is still in charge.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:21 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
So. That’s the good news for today.
The bad news is that fucking hurricane doesn’t appear to have taken my suggestion to just turn around to heart, and the idiot is still in charge.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:21 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
The cyclist who flipped off Trump’s motorcade is running for public office (WaPo):
Juli Briskman, the cyclist who flashed her middle finger at President Trump’s motorcade — and lost her job at a government contracting firm as a result — is parlaying an act of resistance into a run for local office in Northern Virginia.posted by peeedro at 6:22 AM on September 12, 2018 [57 favorites]
The 51-year-old marketing executive said this week she will file the paperwork to challenge Suzanne M. Volpe, a Republican who represents the Algonkian District on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in 2019.
The county reliably votes for Democrats at the state and federal level, but Republicans maintain control of the board, 6 to 3, and Republicans have represented the county in Congress for nearly 40 years.
Mod note: One deleted. Sorry, but please don't post non-WH related storm news/wishes here; we have both a Mefi and Metatalk thread for updates and sharing.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:28 AM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 6:28 AM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
TPM looks briefly at recent congressional generic ballot polls, leading with a Quinnipiac poll that gives the Dems a 14 point advantage.
And NPR/Marist just came out with one with a 12 point lead. So D leads in recent quality generic ballot polls are:
Quinn: 14 points
NPR/Marist: 12 points
Morning Consult: 10 points
ABC/WaPo: 14 points
NBC/WSJ: 12 points
Emerson: 13 points
Ipsos: 10 points
Selzer and Co: 2 points
538 average is D +9.3
RCP D +8.4
Nothing is for certain. Keep working. We need to crush these fuckers.
posted by chris24 at 6:48 AM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
And NPR/Marist just came out with one with a 12 point lead. So D leads in recent quality generic ballot polls are:
Quinn: 14 points
NPR/Marist: 12 points
Morning Consult: 10 points
ABC/WaPo: 14 points
NBC/WSJ: 12 points
Emerson: 13 points
Ipsos: 10 points
Selzer and Co: 2 points
538 average is D +9.3
RCP D +8.4
Nothing is for certain. Keep working. We need to crush these fuckers.
posted by chris24 at 6:48 AM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
National Solar Observatory shut down.
My knee-jerk reaction to that was "This is because of the whole eclipse thing isn't it?", but it seems more like a contamination issue if people were evacuated and the FBI is involved.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:57 AM on September 12, 2018
My knee-jerk reaction to that was "This is because of the whole eclipse thing isn't it?", but it seems more like a contamination issue if people were evacuated and the FBI is involved.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:57 AM on September 12, 2018
It doesn't seem to be in the online version yet, but the front page of today's WaPo reports that the budget deficit has swelled by $895 billion in the last 11 months, despite the booming economy. This is obviously, clearly, inarguably a result of Trump's moronic tax cuts for corporations and the fabulously well-to-do. The Post pretty clearly states this.
The last time the unemployment rate was this good, back in 2000, we were running at a surplus. Then rootin' tootin' Connecticut cowpoke Shrub did the same shit Trump's doing now, and blew it up. Wash, rinse, repeat. GodDAMN do I want to punch Paul Ryan in the dick every time he talks about austerity.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:00 AM on September 12, 2018 [51 favorites]
The last time the unemployment rate was this good, back in 2000, we were running at a surplus. Then rootin' tootin' Connecticut cowpoke Shrub did the same shit Trump's doing now, and blew it up. Wash, rinse, repeat. GodDAMN do I want to punch Paul Ryan in the dick every time he talks about austerity.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:00 AM on September 12, 2018 [51 favorites]
The WaPo's reporting on the 33% increase in the budget deficit is here: Government borrowing soars despite robust economy.
Also noteworthy, Lying to buy a gun? Don’t worry about the feds. There's a new GAO report showing in 2017 there were 112,000 gun-purchase denials, the ATF investigated 12,700 cases involving a lie Form 4473, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System form. Of those 12,700 investigations, there only twelve prosecutions. Lying on the form is a felony that can bring up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The report compares this to Pennsylvania, which investigates every denial and obtained 472 convictions for lying on the form.
posted by peeedro at 7:09 AM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Also noteworthy, Lying to buy a gun? Don’t worry about the feds. There's a new GAO report showing in 2017 there were 112,000 gun-purchase denials, the ATF investigated 12,700 cases involving a lie Form 4473, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System form. Of those 12,700 investigations, there only twelve prosecutions. Lying on the form is a felony that can bring up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The report compares this to Pennsylvania, which investigates every denial and obtained 472 convictions for lying on the form.
posted by peeedro at 7:09 AM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
So, re the solar telescope in NM being shut down just as a solar flare storm is about to start, according to this article, a bunch of other observatories have also gone offline.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:12 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:12 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
zachlipton: Imagine if we had a President who knew more words.
Late, but still: it is entirely possible to be sensible and intelligible and handle big ideas with a limited vocabulary. As duffel alludes to, Randall Munroe wrote an entire book called "Thing Explainer" that makes sense of complicated objects and ideas with a tiny word list:
posted by wenestvedt at 7:18 AM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
Late, but still: it is entirely possible to be sensible and intelligible and handle big ideas with a limited vocabulary. As duffel alludes to, Randall Munroe wrote an entire book called "Thing Explainer" that makes sense of complicated objects and ideas with a tiny word list:
In Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, things are explained in the style of [the XKCD cartoon] "Up Goer Five," using only drawings and a vocabulary of the 1,000 (or "ten hundred") most common words. Explore computer buildings (datacenters), the flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates), the things you use to steer a plane (airliner cockpit controls), and the little bags of water you're made of (cells).It's not hard, but you have to put a value on communications and to treat other people as people.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:18 AM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
Yeah, I'm old. I don't think 9/11 broke those celebrities and intelligencia. 9/11 just gave them an excuse to say the quiet parts out loud.
For some, yes. But it's true that there are some people whom 9/11 broke. Dennis Miller, for example. He used to say jokes like "Pat Buchanan is so homophobic he blames global warming on the AIDS quilt." Post-9/11 Dennis Miller couldn't say any part of that joke now, other than "is" and "on".
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:23 AM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
For some, yes. But it's true that there are some people whom 9/11 broke. Dennis Miller, for example. He used to say jokes like "Pat Buchanan is so homophobic he blames global warming on the AIDS quilt." Post-9/11 Dennis Miller couldn't say any part of that joke now, other than "is" and "on".
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:23 AM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
"Abolish ICE" is catchy, and I'm all for trying to move the Overton Window, but people don't really like it
"Repeal and Replace Immigration and Customs Enforcement"
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on September 12, 2018 [27 favorites]
"Repeal and Replace Immigration and Customs Enforcement"
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on September 12, 2018 [27 favorites]
Murder by Flooding.
Bruce Springsteen - How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live (Live Tour Video) (2006)
posted by mikelieman at 7:49 AM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Bruce Springsteen - How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live (Live Tour Video) (2006)
posted by mikelieman at 7:49 AM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump’s ties to the Russian mafia go back 3 decades - Sean Illing, Vox
Journalist Craig Unger talks Russia, Trump, and “one of the greatest intelligence operations in history.”posted by ZeusHumms at 7:49 AM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
...
[Craig Unger's book, "House of Trump, House of Putin"] is an impressive attempt to gather up all the evidence we have of Trump’s numerous connections to the Russian mafia and government and lay it all out in a clear, comprehensive narrative.
The book claims to unpack an “untold story,” but it’s not entirely clear how much of it is new. One of the hardest things to accept about the Trump-Russia saga is how transparent it is. So much of the evidence is hiding in plain sight, and somehow that has made it harder to accept.
But make no mistake: Trump’s ties to shady Russian figures stretch back decades, and Unger diligently pieces them together in one place. Although Unger doesn’t provide any evidence that Trump gave the Russians anything concrete in return for their help, the case he makes for how much potential leverage the Russians had over Trump is pretty damning.
One of the hardest things to accept about the Trump-Russia saga is how transparent it is. So much of the evidence is hiding in plain sight, and somehow that has made it harder to accept.
The same is true of Trump's incompetence and unfitness for office, as the media now seems to accept it as a given -- we're long past the point of hoping for a "pivot" -- but no one seems to connect the dots made by those thousands of individual incidents of incompetence and unfitiness to actually realize that, hey, the President is incompetent and unfit for office.
posted by Gelatin at 7:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [22 favorites]
The same is true of Trump's incompetence and unfitness for office, as the media now seems to accept it as a given -- we're long past the point of hoping for a "pivot" -- but no one seems to connect the dots made by those thousands of individual incidents of incompetence and unfitiness to actually realize that, hey, the President is incompetent and unfit for office.
posted by Gelatin at 7:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [22 favorites]
BART is running Holocaust denial ads in San Francisco.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) officials defended their decision to allow ads for the Institute for Historical Review (IHR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has classified as a hate group that aims to “defend Nazism” and spread Holocaust denial propaganda. [...] “We cannot deny the ads,” a Bart spokeswoman, Alicia Trost, said in an interview on Tuesday, noting that the agency does not endorse the message or group. “You have to look at it for exactly what words are used and what images are used … There is plenty of case law and court rulings that show if you deny the ad, you can be taken to court, and you’ll lose, and that’s obviously costly.”
Institutions will not save us, in SF or anywhere else.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:18 AM on September 12, 2018 [42 favorites]
Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) officials defended their decision to allow ads for the Institute for Historical Review (IHR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has classified as a hate group that aims to “defend Nazism” and spread Holocaust denial propaganda. [...] “We cannot deny the ads,” a Bart spokeswoman, Alicia Trost, said in an interview on Tuesday, noting that the agency does not endorse the message or group. “You have to look at it for exactly what words are used and what images are used … There is plenty of case law and court rulings that show if you deny the ad, you can be taken to court, and you’ll lose, and that’s obviously costly.”
Institutions will not save us, in SF or anywhere else.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:18 AM on September 12, 2018 [42 favorites]
Anatomy of a Trump rally: 68 percent of claims are false, misleading or lacking evidence
More than two-thirds of every factual claim made by President Trump at two of his rallies turns out to be false, misleading or unsupported by evidence.posted by kirkaracha at 8:22 AM on September 12, 2018 [16 favorites]
In July, The Fact Checker examined every factual claim made by the president at a rally in Montana. He returned to Montana on Sept. 9, and we decided once again to put every statement of material fact to the truth test to see whether the July rally was an outlier.
In July, 76 percent of his 98 statements were false, misleading or unsupported by the evidence. Last week the tally, out of 88 statements, was 68 percent. The average percentage for the two rallies was 72 percent.
Mod note: A few comments deleted. Sorry, it's better to skip the incredulous rhetorical "but how CAN they...?" etc. Fully understandable but it just draws the same cycle of "these fuckers" responses as always, and those are probably better in the venting thread. We're aiming to keep the mega-threads higher in new info/updates; more signal.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:40 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:40 AM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
Guardian. 'They were laughing at us': immigrants tell of cruelty, illness, and filth in US detention
The “hieleras”, or iceboxes, asylum-seekers said, were overcrowded, unhygienic, and prone to outbreaks of vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory infections and other communicable diseases. Many complained about the cruelty of guards, who they said would yell at children, taunt detainees with promises of food that never materialized, and kick people who did not wake up when they were expected to. [...] If they talked too loudly, or if children were crying, the guards would threaten to turn the air temperature down further. [...] When three-year-old Jenny Martinez came down with a bad case of the flu, she and her mother were taken to a hospital where, they said, they were left waiting for hours with nowhere to sit or lie down, and no blankets, before receiving medication. Back in the detention facility, they were put in isolation and even Rafael was denied access to them. Kimberly noticed that her daughter, like many of the detainees, was growing more jaundiced by the day for lack of vitamins or fresh air or sunshine. The toilets were filthy – with no seat covers and no toilet paper – and Kimberly observed that staff members did not throw out the crinkly blankets when detainees were moved or released; they simply passed them along to new arrivals. [...] Doctors and nurses who treated the asylum seekers after their release said they saw a lot of boils and skin rashes, attributable to the lack of hygiene, and severe constipation, attributable to dehydration and poor food intake. Almost everybody who came through the clinic [...] complained of flu symptoms or respiratory problems or both. Many of the ex-detainees said they had been forced to abandon their medicines – as well as clothing and other possessions – when they were released from custody. [...] A four-year-old boy who arrived in the United States with a broken femur had been given only mild pain medication at the Texas detention facility where he was held and ended up undergoing orthopedic surgery after his release.
This is the "solution" to the child separation policy.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [49 favorites]
The “hieleras”, or iceboxes, asylum-seekers said, were overcrowded, unhygienic, and prone to outbreaks of vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory infections and other communicable diseases. Many complained about the cruelty of guards, who they said would yell at children, taunt detainees with promises of food that never materialized, and kick people who did not wake up when they were expected to. [...] If they talked too loudly, or if children were crying, the guards would threaten to turn the air temperature down further. [...] When three-year-old Jenny Martinez came down with a bad case of the flu, she and her mother were taken to a hospital where, they said, they were left waiting for hours with nowhere to sit or lie down, and no blankets, before receiving medication. Back in the detention facility, they were put in isolation and even Rafael was denied access to them. Kimberly noticed that her daughter, like many of the detainees, was growing more jaundiced by the day for lack of vitamins or fresh air or sunshine. The toilets were filthy – with no seat covers and no toilet paper – and Kimberly observed that staff members did not throw out the crinkly blankets when detainees were moved or released; they simply passed them along to new arrivals. [...] Doctors and nurses who treated the asylum seekers after their release said they saw a lot of boils and skin rashes, attributable to the lack of hygiene, and severe constipation, attributable to dehydration and poor food intake. Almost everybody who came through the clinic [...] complained of flu symptoms or respiratory problems or both. Many of the ex-detainees said they had been forced to abandon their medicines – as well as clothing and other possessions – when they were released from custody. [...] A four-year-old boy who arrived in the United States with a broken femur had been given only mild pain medication at the Texas detention facility where he was held and ended up undergoing orthopedic surgery after his release.
This is the "solution" to the child separation policy.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [49 favorites]
George W. Bush to fundraise for GOP candidates - Alex Isenstadt, Politico
Mostly closed-door fundraisers, it seems.
George W. Bush is not a resistance leader — he’s part of the problem -"Taking to the stump to help cover up Trump’s scandals." - Matthew Yglesias, Vox
Mostly closed-door fundraisers, it seems.
George W. Bush is not a resistance leader — he’s part of the problem -"Taking to the stump to help cover up Trump’s scandals." - Matthew Yglesias, Vox
George W. Bush is coming off the sidelines to get directly involved in the 2018 midterms, a decision sure to be interpreted as part of the rise of anti-Trump resistance among establishment Republicans. But it is, in fact, the very opposite.posted by ZeusHumms at 8:55 AM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
Bush has two missions. One is to raise money for Republican House and Senate candidates. The other is to convince Republicans in districts that swung against Trump to swallow their doubts and reelect a Congress that is determined to enable Trump — his corruption and his attacks on the rule of law.
The former president could exert a powerful influence on politics by doing the reverse — saying that he likes a lot of these incumbent members personally but is disappointed that they’ve shown so little efficacy in standing up to Trump’s worst excesses. He could say he thinks that’s been a mistake that should cost them their seats. That’s what resistance would look like: an act of political sacrifice for a cause bigger than the immediate needs of the party.
Bush’s choice is about the establishment’s desire to ride out Trump and keep their priorities intact, to save the party status quo, not to confront a threat head on.
Poll: Midwest Abandons Trump, Fueling Democratic Advantage For Control Of Congress (NPR, September 12, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 9:04 AM on September 12, 2018 [73 favorites]
In a troubling sign for Republicans less than two months before November's elections, Democrats' advantage on the question of which party Americans are more likely to vote for in November is ballooning, according to a new NPR/Marist poll.Tired of Republican lies? Try voting for Democrats, now with more women and people of color as candidates! Back to those polls:
The gap has widened to 12 percentage points, up from 7 in July — and largely because of voters in the Midwest. They have swung 13 points in Democrats' direction since July. That Midwestern shift is consistent with what Marist has found in statewide polls conducted for NBC in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota that showed Trump's support there starting to erode.
"Every way we are looking at the data, the same general pattern is emerging," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll. "The Midwest is an area that is getting restless about what they hoped was going to occur and what they feel is not occurring."
Just 33 percent of Americans approved of the job Truman was doing less than a year after the end of World War II. His party wound up losing 45 House and 12 Senate seats. Truman's 12 Senate seat losses remain the worst for a president since at least 1934.Speaking of the strong economy: Americans Want to Believe Jobs Are the Solution to Poverty. They’re Not. -- U.S. unemployment is down and jobs are going unfilled. But for people without much education, the real question is: Do those jobs pay enough to live on? (Matthew Desmond for the New York Times "magazine" section, Sept. 11, 2018)
It's hard to compare to just one president, however. So widening out the lens, there have been plenty of presidents who were below 50 percent before their first midterm. And on average, their parties lost 41 House seats and 6 Senate seats.
A performance like that for Republicans this year would give Democrats control of both the House and Senate. (Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to gain control of the House and 2 seats to take the Senate.)
These days, we’re told that the American economy is strong. Unemployment is down, the Dow Jones industrial average is north of 25,000 and millions of jobs are going unfilled. But for people like Vanessa [Solivan, single mother of 3, trying to move into safer neighborhoods], the question is not, Can I land a job? (The answer is almost certainly, Yes, you can.) Instead the question is, What kinds of jobs are available to people without much education? By and large, the answer is: jobs that do not pay enough to live on.Emphasis mine, because This Is Really Important, and so often lacking from Jobs Reports and such.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:04 AM on September 12, 2018 [73 favorites]
"There is plenty of case law and court rulings that show if you deny the ad, you can be taken to court, and you’ll lose, and that’s obviously costly."
Only if BART has no guidelines whatsoever for what runs in its ad spaces.
Here in Massachusetts, the MBTA (of sainted crumbling parking-garage fame) won a two-year struggle with Pamela Geller's group over Palestinian-hating ads it wanted to run and the T said it couldn't because they would "demean or disparage" a particular group (the ads called Palestinians savages).
At issue was whether MBTA ad spaces were a "public forum" similar to, say, a town common. A federal judge and then the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled they were not, in part because the MBTA had a series of specific rules for ad approval and consistently applied them. In fact, the ruling cites a 9th Circuit ruling that made the same basic point about Seattle's public-transit system.
posted by adamg at 9:06 AM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
Only if BART has no guidelines whatsoever for what runs in its ad spaces.
Here in Massachusetts, the MBTA (of sainted crumbling parking-garage fame) won a two-year struggle with Pamela Geller's group over Palestinian-hating ads it wanted to run and the T said it couldn't because they would "demean or disparage" a particular group (the ads called Palestinians savages).
At issue was whether MBTA ad spaces were a "public forum" similar to, say, a town common. A federal judge and then the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled they were not, in part because the MBTA had a series of specific rules for ad approval and consistently applied them. In fact, the ruling cites a 9th Circuit ruling that made the same basic point about Seattle's public-transit system.
posted by adamg at 9:06 AM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
Ars Technica gets to the crux of the issue with Facebook's "fact-finding" efforts: Facebook punishes liberal news site after fact check by right-wing site -- Fact check of article on Brett Kavanaugh's abortion views hinges on word "said." (Jon Brodkin, Sept. 11, 2018)
Also from A.T.: Georgia says switching back to all-paper voting is logistically impossible -- In Curling v. Kemp, both sides are set to duke it out in court on Wednesday. (Cyrus Farivar, Sept. 12, 2018)
Also from A.T.: Georgia says switching back to all-paper voting is logistically impossible -- In Curling v. Kemp, both sides are set to duke it out in court on Wednesday. (Cyrus Farivar, Sept. 12, 2018)
A group of activists in Georgia has gone to court with a simple request to election officials: in the name of election security, do away with electronic voting entirely and let the more than 6.1 million voters in the upcoming November 2018 election cast ballots entirely by paper. Georgia is just one of five American states that use purely digital voting without any paper record.posted by filthy light thief at 9:26 AM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
As part of this ongoing federal lawsuit, known as Curling v. Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp's office says that such a change would be "reckless" with the election less than 60 days away. Plus, modifying the voting process would be too expensive, too unwieldy, and, in the end, not worth it.
"Plaintiffs raise only spectral fears that [Direct Recording Electronic machines] will be hacked and votes miscounted," John Salter, an attorney representing the state, wrote in a recent court filing.
"A theoretical possibility that a voting machine somewhere might be susceptible to tampering is outweighed by the State's legitimate interest in protecting its elections from the mad scramble that would certainly ensue if the Plaintiffs' motions were granted."
So at 10am ET Wednesday, in a federal courtroom in Atlanta, lawyers from both sides are set to argue before US District Judge Amy Totenberg.
I mean to me the point of e-voting is that the public can't trust it. Like even if you don't tamper with it, there is this huge doubt in the air that maybe someone did. And so people start to think their vote doesn't matter the first time a vote doesn't go their way (x won but i voted for y- its a conspiracy!) (even if x won fair and square) and then they stop voting, because why vote? voting doesn't matter. I always thought e-voting was a way to get people to self-disenfranchise.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:34 AM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:34 AM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
It's really not too late for Georgia to change to paper ballots. The plaintiffs are asking them to print an absentee ballot for everyone and let people mark absentee ballots at their polling places rather than use the Diebold Windows 2000 black box machines with no paper trail. The ballots would then be run through the optical scan machines that are already used to count absentee ballots. There is nothing hard about this. They just don't want to do it.
At best, that's because they just care so damn much about the integrity of the process and are worried about people being confused by such a late change. At worst, it's because they've been manipulating vote results ever since we got the damn things in 2002 and know that Kemp doesn't have a chance to win unless he cheats.
posted by hydropsyche at 9:59 AM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
At best, that's because they just care so damn much about the integrity of the process and are worried about people being confused by such a late change. At worst, it's because they've been manipulating vote results ever since we got the damn things in 2002 and know that Kemp doesn't have a chance to win unless he cheats.
posted by hydropsyche at 9:59 AM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
Senator Whitehouse has submitted written questions to Brett Kavanaugh about his financial situation. Marcie Wheeler has a good run-down.
posted by suelac at 10:01 AM on September 12, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by suelac at 10:01 AM on September 12, 2018 [32 favorites]
chris24: "538 average is D +9.3
RCP D +8.4
Nothing is for certain. Keep working. We need to crush these fuckers."
Elliott Morris points out (no link, it's on his Patreon) that since 1980, August/September polls are quite accurate in forecasting the actual outcome. And further, that the party in the White House is the one that tends to underperform the polling.
Of course, keep working. But historic trends are that current polling is not just a mirage.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:05 AM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
RCP D +8.4
Nothing is for certain. Keep working. We need to crush these fuckers."
Elliott Morris points out (no link, it's on his Patreon) that since 1980, August/September polls are quite accurate in forecasting the actual outcome. And further, that the party in the White House is the one that tends to underperform the polling.
Of course, keep working. But historic trends are that current polling is not just a mirage.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:05 AM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Senator Whitehouse has submitted written questions to Brett Kavanaugh about his financial situation.
I cannot for the life of me understand why none of these questions were posed during the confirmation hearings.
posted by Uncle Ira at 10:06 AM on September 12, 2018 [24 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me understand why none of these questions were posed during the confirmation hearings.
posted by Uncle Ira at 10:06 AM on September 12, 2018 [24 favorites]
@maryaliceparks:
.@WhipHoyerposted by Chrysostom at 10:07 AM on September 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
set to give a big speech in DC today. His staff says he will call for a major package overhauling campaign finance , renewing Congress’s oversight role, restoring voting rights, engaging in national redistricting reform...
Lawfare, Bob Bauer,Responses to the Demagogue: “Unsung Heroes” and the Impeachment Process
The op-ed as a justification of a program of internal “resistance” is confused and morally compromised. It grounds its program of internal resistance in an appeal to the national interest, but then seems more narrowly concerned with blunting the presence of deviations from standard conservative Republicanism. These are the money paragraphs, in which the author associates Trump’s amorality with errant political beliefs:posted by zachlipton at 10:15 AM on September 12, 2018 [18 favorites]
...
But nowhere in the Constitution’s provisions are there references to the protections afforded by a self-appointed cabal within the White House, its membership unknown and its motives unclear, acting to keep the president under control. Anonymous fails to see that, unlike resort to the impeachment process, internal “resistance” by “unsung heroes” is a constitutionally irresponsible choice. This peculiar undercover-operation approach can only fuel or sustain, rather than contain or resolve, crises arising from a president’s ”anti-democratic” impulses and actions. It is long past time to overcome undue anxiety about initiation of an impeachment inquiry. It is also not too early for Americans to worry about a secret society putting itself in charge of keeping the demagogue in check while maximizing the political benefits of keeping him in place.
@hydropsyche: Actually, you're right. I forgot that these boards have to print up paper ballot for every race just in case of a massive equipment failure. Then they throw them away. At least that's what is done in my home county (also DRE without paper).
Mods: request you delete my inaccurate post here.
posted by M-x shell at 10:24 AM on September 12, 2018
Mods: request you delete my inaccurate post here.
posted by M-x shell at 10:24 AM on September 12, 2018
BuzzFeed, Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold, A Series Of Suspicious Money Transfers Followed The Trump Tower Meeting: Investigators are focused on two bursts of banking activity — one shortly after the June 2016 meeting, the other immediately after the presidential election.
The particularly suspicious one is that two weeks after the election, the Agalarovs' Russian bank account made 19 transfers "to a New Jersey personal checking account belonging to Emin Agalarov and two friends from high school," something completely out of pattern for that account. That account would go on to transfer funds to a company controlled by Ike Kaveladze.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2018 [48 favorites]
The first set [of transactions] came just 11 days after the June 9 meeting, when an offshore company controlled by Agalarov wired more than $19.5 million to his account at a bank in New York.Does BuzzFeed just have access to the entire FinCEN SAR database? Their reporting has been astonishing.
The second flurry began shortly after Trump was elected. The Agalarov family started sending what would amount to $1.2 million from their bank in Russia to an account in New Jersey controlled by the billionaire’s son, pop singer Emin Agalarov, and two of his friends. The account had been virtually dormant since the summer of 2015, according to records reviewed by BuzzFeed News, and bankers found it strange that activity in Emin Agalarov’s checking account surged after Trump’s victory.
After the election, that New Jersey account sent money to a company controlled by Irakly “Ike” Kaveladze, a longtime business associate of the Agalarovs and their representative at the Trump Tower meeting. Kaveladze’s company, meanwhile, had long funded a music business set up by the person who first proposed the meeting to the Trump camp, Emin Agalarov’s brash British publicist, Rob Goldstone.
The particularly suspicious one is that two weeks after the election, the Agalarovs' Russian bank account made 19 transfers "to a New Jersey personal checking account belonging to Emin Agalarov and two friends from high school," something completely out of pattern for that account. That account would go on to transfer funds to a company controlled by Ike Kaveladze.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2018 [48 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me understand why none of these questions were posed during the confirmation hearings.
Given that it is virtually certain that he(-and-his-staff) already know the answers to every question they ask long before they ask them, whether in person or by memo, the simple and boring answer is that Whitehouse believed that other questions would be more photogenic or were in some other way better suited to the limited on-camera time available to him. Obviously he can be wrong about that.
I expect the actual answer is that his finances are a nadaburger. That he went into sharp short-term debt to finance a bunch of baseball tickets in the expectation that the people invited would pay him back, and they did, or at least that there is no evidence to the contrary.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 10:32 AM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Given that it is virtually certain that he(-and-his-staff) already know the answers to every question they ask long before they ask them, whether in person or by memo, the simple and boring answer is that Whitehouse believed that other questions would be more photogenic or were in some other way better suited to the limited on-camera time available to him. Obviously he can be wrong about that.
I expect the actual answer is that his finances are a nadaburger. That he went into sharp short-term debt to finance a bunch of baseball tickets in the expectation that the people invited would pay him back, and they did, or at least that there is no evidence to the contrary.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 10:32 AM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Of course, keep working. But historic trends are that current polling is not just a mirage.
With the assumption that free and fair elections continue to be safe, I agree. I'm pretty worried about that assumption this year.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:33 AM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
With the assumption that free and fair elections continue to be safe, I agree. I'm pretty worried about that assumption this year.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:33 AM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me understand why none of these questions were posed during the confirmation hearings.
Written questions are pretty normal as a follow up to in person testimony of this type, and generally they're questions that would require the witness to do a little research in order to answer. (I would not expect anyone, even Kavanaugh, to have complete command of their financial history on the fly at a hearing like this.)
If you're interested, by the way, here is the entire 600+ page package of documents from the confirmation of Justice Ginsburg from the Library of Congress, including answers to written questions after the hearings (and a bunch of other stuff).
posted by anastasiav at 10:35 AM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Written questions are pretty normal as a follow up to in person testimony of this type, and generally they're questions that would require the witness to do a little research in order to answer. (I would not expect anyone, even Kavanaugh, to have complete command of their financial history on the fly at a hearing like this.)
If you're interested, by the way, here is the entire 600+ page package of documents from the confirmation of Justice Ginsburg from the Library of Congress, including answers to written questions after the hearings (and a bunch of other stuff).
posted by anastasiav at 10:35 AM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Times put James Poniewozik, their TV critic, to the task of reviewing Trump's new program of vlogging: Trump’s Tweets Pivot, Loudly, to Video
@atrupar: ERIC TRUMP then dismisses WOODWARD book as "sensational nonsense" he wrote "to make 3 extra shekels."
@Yair_Rosenberg: Um, wow. The only people who refer to being paid off as wanting "extra shekels" are Israelis speaking Hebrew and anti-Semites speaking English outside Israel. Eric Trump doesn't speak Hebrew, so you know exactly who he has been reading online.
@AdamSerwer: We are in the middle of the days of awe and the president’s son is using stormfront lingo to criticize a (non-Jewish) reporter for negative coverage
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 AM on September 12, 2018 [99 favorites]
Even when his message is upbeat, he adds agitated body-language punctuation, with push-squeeze gestures and arm waving. The hands are the Caps Lock key of the body.----
One disorienting thing about the video tweets may be their lack of a visible or implicit audience. They don’t feel conversational because Mr. Trump, pitchman and reality showman, doesn’t have a one-on-one tone in his repertoire.
Some politicians can make every member of a crowd feel directly spoken to. Mr. Trump speaks even to individual people as if he were broadcasting. The delivery feels a little too loud and a little too close. He expels the words out of his mouth like evicted tenants.
@atrupar: ERIC TRUMP then dismisses WOODWARD book as "sensational nonsense" he wrote "to make 3 extra shekels."
@Yair_Rosenberg: Um, wow. The only people who refer to being paid off as wanting "extra shekels" are Israelis speaking Hebrew and anti-Semites speaking English outside Israel. Eric Trump doesn't speak Hebrew, so you know exactly who he has been reading online.
@AdamSerwer: We are in the middle of the days of awe and the president’s son is using stormfront lingo to criticize a (non-Jewish) reporter for negative coverage
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 AM on September 12, 2018 [99 favorites]
I expect the actual answer is that his finances are a nadaburger. That he went into sharp short-term debt to finance a bunch of baseball tickets in the expectation that the people invited would pay him back, and they did, or at least that there is no evidence to the contrary.
I highly doubt it's a nothing-burger. For one thing, if that were the case, he'd have happily declared it. For another, friends' repayments (checks, Paypal, Venmo, EFT) would post to his bank account prior to the card being repaid.
I don't expect anyone to have perfect records of their finances. But reasonable gaps are things like "I bought 5 season tickets, one was my own, here's the payments from John, Paul, and George. I forget how Ringo repaid me." And then the accountant calls up Ringo's accountant, and they find that Ringo gave a guitar in lieu of payment, and it's square.
Large gaping holes with no acknowledgement of a gaping hole in the record aren't "nothing." Normal, honest people are surprised or concerned by that sort of thing, they'd worry alongside you, not brush you off.
posted by explosion at 10:44 AM on September 12, 2018 [10 favorites]
I highly doubt it's a nothing-burger. For one thing, if that were the case, he'd have happily declared it. For another, friends' repayments (checks, Paypal, Venmo, EFT) would post to his bank account prior to the card being repaid.
I don't expect anyone to have perfect records of their finances. But reasonable gaps are things like "I bought 5 season tickets, one was my own, here's the payments from John, Paul, and George. I forget how Ringo repaid me." And then the accountant calls up Ringo's accountant, and they find that Ringo gave a guitar in lieu of payment, and it's square.
Large gaping holes with no acknowledgement of a gaping hole in the record aren't "nothing." Normal, honest people are surprised or concerned by that sort of thing, they'd worry alongside you, not brush you off.
posted by explosion at 10:44 AM on September 12, 2018 [10 favorites]
Senator Whitehouse has submitted written questions to Brett Kavanaugh about his financial situation. Marcie Wheeler has a good run-down.
Wheeler's point about Kavanaugh lying on his disclosure forms is interesting. Who would be able to investigate whether or not he lied? Would a Democratic-controlled House have the power?
posted by gladly at 10:44 AM on September 12, 2018
Wheeler's point about Kavanaugh lying on his disclosure forms is interesting. Who would be able to investigate whether or not he lied? Would a Democratic-controlled House have the power?
posted by gladly at 10:44 AM on September 12, 2018
Sean Hannity says Trump will fire Robert Mueller after Hurricane Florence
Taking advantage of a state of chaos, tragedy and lawlessness to further destroy the rule of law in your favor is standard playbook.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:47 AM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
Taking advantage of a state of chaos, tragedy and lawlessness to further destroy the rule of law in your favor is standard playbook.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:47 AM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
Hey, so there are a boatload of polls today, and that's probably going to happen more going forward. Would people prefer I save them up for one very long comment at the end of the day, or as a couple of smaller chunks?
posted by Chrysostom at 10:50 AM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:50 AM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I vote small chunks.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
One very long comment.
posted by Melismata at 10:52 AM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 10:52 AM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
Of course, Hannity's also been saying for months and months and months that a Real Investigation of Her Emails is About To Happen because of Startling New Evidence that will Shock The Conscience of America, and Strzok and Page and the Ohrs and Steele and Hillary and Rosenstein and Yates and Comey and Clapper and McCabe are all going to jail eventually for their part in the Great Russia Hoax.
He _does_ have more access to what's actually in Trump's brain than a lot of people do, but he's also one of the foremost practitioners of simply making wishful thinking shit up to fill airtime.
posted by delfin at 10:53 AM on September 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
He _does_ have more access to what's actually in Trump's brain than a lot of people do, but he's also one of the foremost practitioners of simply making wishful thinking shit up to fill airtime.
posted by delfin at 10:53 AM on September 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Small chunks for some, one very long comment for others!
posted by zombieflanders at 10:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by zombieflanders at 10:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [27 favorites]
Early polling is showing long vs small comments are tied 50/50.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:54 AM on September 12, 2018 [50 favorites]
Mod note: Suggest several medium size comments; but either way let's not produce a bunch more short comments just in discussing it.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:58 AM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:58 AM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Resistance Means More than Voting
Gary Wills, NYR Daily, disagrees with Obama that the only way to change things is voting. Including discussion of the trouble with tyrannicide, secret resistance vs. public resistance, and Prohibition.
Gary Wills, NYR Daily, disagrees with Obama that the only way to change things is voting. Including discussion of the trouble with tyrannicide, secret resistance vs. public resistance, and Prohibition.
posted by Hypatia at 11:18 AM on September 12, 2018 [22 favorites]
Some people said that Martin Luther King Jr.’s form of civil disobedience was justified because he broke the law openly and took the punishment prescribed by law. But that was less a moral validation than good public strategy. He was trusting that support could be recruited for his position. Harriet Tubman could not have done that, nor Oskar Schindler, nor the people hiding Anne Frank. ...
... Vote, of course. But there is no reason to think that voting is the sole allowable form of resistance.
Can Samantha Bee Gamify Getting out the Vote? (Angela Watercutter for Wired, Sept. 12, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:39 AM on September 12, 2018 [71 favorites]
Samantha Bee has a problem: 54 percent of her audience isn’t registered to vote. Yes, more than half of the people who watch Full Frontal—a group that ought to know a thing or two about politics in America by now—never make it the polls. If that number surprises you, it downright stunned the show’s host.Every bit of motivation and information helps.
"I continue to be shocked about that," Bee says. "It was so shocking to me that it seemed wrong."
It wasn’t. But that data point has given Bee hope that her show’s latest endeavor—a smartphone app called This Is Not a Game: The Game (TBS' official game page; Apple version available now; Android version coming soon)—might be able to shift some tides during this year’s midterm elections. The concept is simple: This Is Not a Game uses daily quizzes, a la HQ, to educate people about what’s happening in US politics and test the electorate’s knowledge. For cash. (When the game goes live after tonight’s episode of Full Frontal, the inaugural pot of $5,000 will be split among the winners.) Players who get knocked out can earn second chances by completing challenges like making sure they’re registered to vote and signing up for election reminders. It’s the kind of thing you’d think the civic-minded viewers of Full Frontal wouldn’t need, but if the show’s audience data is accurate, they very much do. And Bee hopes a little gamification can help get them to the polls.
...
Beyond the ballot box, there's another potential benefit to the app: awareness. The quiz questions and answers are intended to offer insight into the often granular and murky decisions that end up on midterm ballots—so that people will be more likely to want to vote on them. "Maybe you want to talk about immigration but you don’t know a lot about it and you don’t want to ask," [a segment producer, Razan] Ghalayini says "What we can do is teach you a little bit about the topic, like about what ICE is doing, and then when the midterms come maybe you’ll feel more comfortable making a choice as opposed to being like, 'I don’t know anything about this.’”
posted by filthy light thief at 11:39 AM on September 12, 2018 [71 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
** 2018 Senate:
-- OH: Morning Consult poll has incumbent Dem Brown up 47-31 on GOPer Renacci [MOE: +/- 2.0%].** 2018 House:
-- FL: SurveyUSA poll has GOPer Scott up 46-44 on incumbent Dem Nelson [MOE: +/- 5.3%].
-- AZ: OH Predictive Insights poll has GOPer McSally up 49-46 on Dem Sinema [MOE: +/- 4.0%]. Meanwhile, a Data Orbital poll has Sinema up 46-42 [MOE: +/- 4.2%].
-- NC-02: SurveyUSA poll has Dem Coleman up 44-43 on GOP incumbent Holding [MOE: +/- 2.0%]. [Trump 53-44 | Cook: Leans R]** Odds & ends
-- NY-19: Monmouth poll has Dem Delgado up 45-43 on GOP incumbent Faso [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. This is under the Monmouth potential voter model; midterm model has Delgado up 48-45, Dem surge model has Delgado up 49-43. [Trump 51-44 | Cook: Tossup]
-- TX-23: Siena College poll has GOP incumbent Hurd up 51-43 on Dem Ortiz Jones [MOE: +/- 5.0%]. This district has historically had very low Hispanic turnout in midterms. [Clinton 50-46 | Leans R]
-- VA-10: NRCC dumping in $5M to help out incumbent Comstock. Editorial comment: This move is roughly equivalent to this. [Clinton 52-42 | Cook: Leans D]
-- 538 look at swing districts.
-- OH gov: Same Morning Consult poll has GOPer DeWine up 39-38 on Dem Cordray.posted by Chrysostom at 11:41 AM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
-- FL gov: Cherry Communications poll has Dem Gillup up 47-43 on GOPer DeSantis [MOE: +/- 4.r%]. Poll was commissioned by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
-- OK gov: SoonerPoll has GOPer Stitt up 47-44 on Dem Edmondson [MOE: +/- 4.9%].
-- ACLU in court today over Arizona violations of motor-voter law for people who moved.
I'm not liking what we're seeing with McSally's consolidation of Republicans in Arizona. Perhaps that was inevitable but still. On the other hand Gillum has had a small but consistent lead in every post-primary poll. Taking Florida would be wonderful and perhaps he can carry Nelson over the finish line on his back.
posted by Justinian at 11:44 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:44 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
> SurveyUSA poll has GOPer Scott up 46-44 on incumbent Dem Nelson [MOE: +/- 5.3%].
Is this the first one with Scott up (even though it's within MoE)? Because it looks pretty clear to me that even with Beto pulling off a long shot and Heitkamp and Manchin hanging on by the skin of their teeth, it's going to be Menendez and Nelson who are going to crush our Senate hopes.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:47 AM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Is this the first one with Scott up (even though it's within MoE)? Because it looks pretty clear to me that even with Beto pulling off a long shot and Heitkamp and Manchin hanging on by the skin of their teeth, it's going to be Menendez and Nelson who are going to crush our Senate hopes.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:47 AM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
WaPo: Trump's tweets on 9/11 show he's out of touch, John Kerry says.
:|
posted by petebest at 11:50 AM on September 12, 2018 [8 favorites]
:|
posted by petebest at 11:50 AM on September 12, 2018 [8 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me understand why none of these questions were posed during the confirmation hearings.
Because Utah's own Senator Mike Lee was too busy asking why Kavanaugh writes with a normal-sized sharpie. [real]
[sob]
posted by aspersioncast at 11:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Because Utah's own Senator Mike Lee was too busy asking why Kavanaugh writes with a normal-sized sharpie. [real]
[sob]
posted by aspersioncast at 11:51 AM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Is this the first one with Scott up (even though it's within MoE)?
To the contrary, it's the best poll I've seen for Nelson in some time.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:53 AM on September 12, 2018
To the contrary, it's the best poll I've seen for Nelson in some time.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:53 AM on September 12, 2018
and Heitkamp and Manchin hanging on by the skin of their teeth
Not sure where you got this. Manchin is consistently polling a win beyond the MoE. Nothing short of a 98-2 balance will make me feel comfortable (haha like I'd ever feel comfortable) but this is pretty far from skintooth territory.
posted by phearlez at 12:02 PM on September 12, 2018
Not sure where you got this. Manchin is consistently polling a win beyond the MoE. Nothing short of a 98-2 balance will make me feel comfortable (haha like I'd ever feel comfortable) but this is pretty far from skintooth territory.
posted by phearlez at 12:02 PM on September 12, 2018
> Manchin is consistently polling a win beyond the MoE [...] pretty far from skintooth territory.
True, but he's under 50%, always dangerous for an incumbent (cf. Ted Cruz), and Trump won the state by like 30 points, so a WV Democrat is always hanging on by the skin of their teeth in my book.
Agreed with your basic point though. He's looking like he'll be OK. Nelson, not so much.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:15 PM on September 12, 2018
True, but he's under 50%, always dangerous for an incumbent (cf. Ted Cruz), and Trump won the state by like 30 points, so a WV Democrat is always hanging on by the skin of their teeth in my book.
Agreed with your basic point though. He's looking like he'll be OK. Nelson, not so much.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:15 PM on September 12, 2018
To the contrary, it's the best poll I've seen for Nelson in some time.
The three previous polls (linked in this thread) all had the race dead even.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
The three previous polls (linked in this thread) all had the race dead even.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Floridian here, echoing the fear about Nelson, but... analysis showed polls were way off on Gillum's primary total because they missed his support among younger voters and black voters. I'm hopeful that Gillum will bring them to Nelson and bump his numbers a few points. Gotta have hope... gotta work even harder...
posted by martin q blank at 12:20 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by martin q blank at 12:20 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
That's what I get for getting more polling updates from Twitter than from MetaFilter.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:27 PM on September 12, 2018
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:27 PM on September 12, 2018
538 Senate Forecast is live. Gives democrats a one in three chance of winning the majority.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 12:27 PM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 12:27 PM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
Can an Organic Farmer Win in Appalachian Virginia?
Anthony Flaccavento is running a left-wing campaign against a Tea Party Republican in one of the nation's most conservative districts.
posted by The Whelk at 12:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Anthony Flaccavento is running a left-wing campaign against a Tea Party Republican in one of the nation's most conservative districts.
posted by The Whelk at 12:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
In the last few days two of the most harmful right-wing subreddits have been taken down:
(1) /r/milliondollarextreme: fan subreddit for a canceled neo-Nazi adult swim show. Recently its denizens took to open genocide advocacy, believing that tacking "in minecraft" at the end of detailed calls to violence was a foolproof loophole.
(2) the main QAnoner subreddit, /r/greatawakening.
I guess all that Jordan Peterson fandom rubbed off because Reddit is finally cleaning its room a little. Two larger Nazi subreddits are still operating, /r/cringeanarchy and (of course) /r/the_donald. Those might bring in too much ad revenue to go anywhere.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:37 PM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
(1) /r/milliondollarextreme: fan subreddit for a canceled neo-Nazi adult swim show. Recently its denizens took to open genocide advocacy, believing that tacking "in minecraft" at the end of detailed calls to violence was a foolproof loophole.
(2) the main QAnoner subreddit, /r/greatawakening.
I guess all that Jordan Peterson fandom rubbed off because Reddit is finally cleaning its room a little. Two larger Nazi subreddits are still operating, /r/cringeanarchy and (of course) /r/the_donald. Those might bring in too much ad revenue to go anywhere.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:37 PM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
Fivethirtyeight has their senate forecast model up finally. Currently they're giving the democrats a 1/3 chance of taking the senate.
While those aren't great odds, it's worth noting how utterly dismal news that is for Republicans, who are defending far fewer seats than the Democrats. If memory serves me correctly, not long after Trump's election, the usual gang of idiots who mistake Republicanism with being actually popular were predicting that the party was likely to expand its hold on the Senate in the midterms.
Flush with the usual phony Republican bluster and triumphalism, few were talking about a blue wave in 2016. And yet here it comes.
And lest we fall victim to our own triumphalism, it's because loyal Americans from coast to coast got up after that miserable November day and went to work at it.
posted by Gelatin at 12:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
While those aren't great odds, it's worth noting how utterly dismal news that is for Republicans, who are defending far fewer seats than the Democrats. If memory serves me correctly, not long after Trump's election, the usual gang of idiots who mistake Republicanism with being actually popular were predicting that the party was likely to expand its hold on the Senate in the midterms.
Flush with the usual phony Republican bluster and triumphalism, few were talking about a blue wave in 2016. And yet here it comes.
And lest we fall victim to our own triumphalism, it's because loyal Americans from coast to coast got up after that miserable November day and went to work at it.
posted by Gelatin at 12:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
1 in 3 for the Senate is such good news that I might celebrate with tiramisu tonight. I was expecting at best 1 in 5, maybe.
Keep up the blue work, my friends.
posted by lydhre at 12:42 PM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
Keep up the blue work, my friends.
posted by lydhre at 12:42 PM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
were predicting that the party was likely to expand its hold on the Senate in the midterms.
I mean, even in this model, there's still a chance the GOP expands its hold - 32.7%, if I've added these outcomes properly.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:45 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
I mean, even in this model, there's still a chance the GOP expands its hold - 32.7%, if I've added these outcomes properly.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:45 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Right, but given how bad the numbers are for Democrats in this cycle, for the GOP to only have a 1/3 chance to expand its majority is pretty brutal.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:49 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:49 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Now that's something you don't see every day.
Trump signs order to punish foreign meddlers in US votes
Trump signs order to punish foreign meddlers in US votes
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order authorising sanctions against any countries or individuals found interfering in US elections.posted by scalefree at 12:53 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
The order instructs the intelligence community to monitor and report on attempts to disrupt election infrastructure as well as propaganda.
The directive itself is not a sanction, but imposes bans or restrictions on suspected culprits.
Mr Trump has been criticised for his response to alleged Russian meddling.
There is some frustration among lawmakers that Mr Trump's executive order could undercut congressional efforts to deter any election meddling in the US by foreign powers, according to CBS News.
I mean, even in this model, there's still a chance the GOP expands its hold - 32.7%, if I've added these outcomes properly.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:45 PM on September 12
Right, but given how bad the numbers are for Democrats in this cycle, for the GOP to only have a 1/3 chance to expand its majority is pretty brutal.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:49 PM on September 12
I'm not knocking anyone but I have to laugh that we're excitedly talking about a prediction that gives a one in three chance to a D majority, a 32% chance of GOP expansion... which means we have basically another 1 in 3 chance things stay about the same. One party will gain on the other, unless neither does! Another hit outta the park, Nostradamus!
posted by phearlez at 12:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:45 PM on September 12
Right, but given how bad the numbers are for Democrats in this cycle, for the GOP to only have a 1/3 chance to expand its majority is pretty brutal.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:49 PM on September 12
I'm not knocking anyone but I have to laugh that we're excitedly talking about a prediction that gives a one in three chance to a D majority, a 32% chance of GOP expansion... which means we have basically another 1 in 3 chance things stay about the same. One party will gain on the other, unless neither does! Another hit outta the park, Nostradamus!
posted by phearlez at 12:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
Cool primary result in my home town of Concord, NH. Democrat Safya Wazir, 27-year-old refugee from Afghanistan and (and pregnant!) beat the incumbent in the race for a seat in the state house of representatives. The incumbent is juuuust a wee bit racist, so good riddance to that joker.
Meanwhile, a friend from college and one from law school (Democrats) both won their primaries in the Executive Council race in their respective districts (college friend ran unopposed, but it was a thrill to vote for him anyway).
posted by schoolgirl report at 1:06 PM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
Meanwhile, a friend from college and one from law school (Democrats) both won their primaries in the Executive Council race in their respective districts (college friend ran unopposed, but it was a thrill to vote for him anyway).
posted by schoolgirl report at 1:06 PM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
Possibly the greatest GOTV effort I have ever seen is happening in NYC: Asian fusion chain 99 Favor Taste offers 2-hour bottomless hot pot or BBQ for anyone who votes in tomorrow's primary.
"Asked whether this is one of those while-supplies-last freebies, the employee assured us that they would not run out—a bit of realism about our state's historically terrible turnout in primary elections, perhaps."
posted by halation at 1:07 PM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
"Asked whether this is one of those while-supplies-last freebies, the employee assured us that they would not run out—a bit of realism about our state's historically terrible turnout in primary elections, perhaps."
posted by halation at 1:07 PM on September 12, 2018 [23 favorites]
Trump signs order to punish foreign meddlers in US votes
White House Order on Election Meddling Has No Teeth, Officials Say
White House Order on Election Meddling Has No Teeth, Officials Say
Three current and former U.S. officials told The Daily Beast that they viewed the executive order as another measure by Trump to appear publicly as if it is exacting harsh measures against Russia. In reality, the sources said, the White House is not committed to hitting Russia with sanctions that will change its behavior—the original goal of the sanctions system drafted in 2014 under President Obama. A harsher executive order would have designated specific entities and individuals, the officials said.On a related note, Nearly 600 Russia-Linked Accounts Tweeted About the Health Law
Two former officials said Trump’s executive order was a way to counter action on the Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have proposed a series of bills that attempt to hit the heart of the Russian economy with sanctions.
...
“Today’s announcement by the Administration recognizes the threat, but does not go far enough to address it. The United States can and must do more,” said Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who crafted their own sanctions bill, said in a joint statement. “Mandatory sanctions on anyone who attacks our electoral systems serve as the best deterrent, which is the central tenet of the bipartisan DETER Act.”
...
“The White House just wants to take control over what is going on the Hill,” said Adam Smith, a partner at Gibson Dunn in Washington and a former senior adviser to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the small federal agency in charge of sanctions enforcement. “There’s really not much else going on. There’s nothing really new."
Nearly 600 IRA-linked accounts posted to Twitter about the ACA and health policy from 2014 through this past May, with the most prolific ones tweeting hundreds of times, the new data show. One account, called TEN_GOP, rocketed from fewer than 1,000 followers to more than 138,000 in two years, sending 60 tweets that potentially reached followers more than four million times.posted by zachlipton at 1:08 PM on September 12, 2018 [20 favorites]
Researchers at Clemson University provided The Wall Street Journal with the set of about 9,800 tweets involving health policy and the ACA that the IRA posted over that period. An analysis by the Journal found that 80% of the tweets had conservative-leaning political messages, often disparaging the health law.
Barbara Res (former vice president in charge of construction at the Trump Organization) has an op-ed in the New York Daily News: "Trump and his flunkies: Why aren't staffers standing up to him?"
On this particular day, the architect had come to Donald Trump’s office to show him what the interior of the residential elevator cabs would look like.posted by box at 1:10 PM on September 12, 2018 [75 favorites]
Trump looked at the panels where the buttons you push to reach a floor were located. He noticed that next to each number were some little dots.
“What’s this?” Trump asked.
“Braille,” the architect replied.
Trump told the architect to take it off, get rid of it.
“We can’t,” the architect said, “It’s the law.”
“Get rid of the (expletive) braille. No blind people are going to live in Trump Tower. Just do it,” Trump yelled back, calling him weak.
The more the architect protested, the angrier Trump got. Donald liked to pick on this guy. As a general rule, Trump thought architects and engineers were weak as compared to construction people. And he loved to torment weak people.
But did he think the architect would remove the Braille from the panels? Never.
I had seen him do this kind of thing before and would again. He would say whatever came into his head. Ordering an underling to do something that was impossible gave Trump the opportunity to castigate a subordinate and also blame him for anything that “went wrong” in connection with the unperformed order later. A Trump-style win-win.
"Trump and his flunkies: Why aren't staffers standing up to him?"
I read that earlier and was just sort of stunned by it. Aside from the morally bankrupt and potentially fraudulent actions that Res admits to, apparently with no shame or remorse, there's this just ho-hum oh yeah well he just liked to make impossible orders so he had a reason to be abusive to underlings rather than telling that as a prelude to "and that's why we should launch him into the sun." Nope, none of that or a simple this dude should in no way lead anything, instead it's the people who work for him and who he can deprive of their livelihood who ought to be doing better. What? WHAT?
I hope everyone who ever considers hiring this person or working for her finds this when they google her and recognize the message: this is a perfectly acceptable way for people to behave towards those they oversee. No way someone who has internalized that doesn't live it themselves.
posted by phearlez at 1:18 PM on September 12, 2018 [39 favorites]
I read that earlier and was just sort of stunned by it. Aside from the morally bankrupt and potentially fraudulent actions that Res admits to, apparently with no shame or remorse, there's this just ho-hum oh yeah well he just liked to make impossible orders so he had a reason to be abusive to underlings rather than telling that as a prelude to "and that's why we should launch him into the sun." Nope, none of that or a simple this dude should in no way lead anything, instead it's the people who work for him and who he can deprive of their livelihood who ought to be doing better. What? WHAT?
I hope everyone who ever considers hiring this person or working for her finds this when they google her and recognize the message: this is a perfectly acceptable way for people to behave towards those they oversee. No way someone who has internalized that doesn't live it themselves.
posted by phearlez at 1:18 PM on September 12, 2018 [39 favorites]
ABC News, Manafort seeking plea deal with special counsel that would avoid cooperation ahead of second trial: Sources
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Sources tell ABC News that Mueller’s office is seeking cooperation from Manafort for information related to President Donald Trump and the 2016 campaign. Manafort, however, is resisting and his team is pushing prosecutors for a plea agreement that does not include cooperation, at least as related to the president, sources said.Is there any possible reason to leak this except to fish for a pardon?
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Aside from all the rest of the horror contained therein, this:
“What’s this?” Trump asked.
“Braille,” the architect replied.
WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT BRAILLE IS WHEN THEY SEE IT?????
Meanwhile, the swamp is being successfully drained, I see.
“What’s this?” Trump asked.
“Braille,” the architect replied.
WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT BRAILLE IS WHEN THEY SEE IT?????
Meanwhile, the swamp is being successfully drained, I see.
Scott Pruitt, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is in discussions to work as a consultant to the Kentucky coal mining tycoon Joseph W. Craft III, according to two industry executives familiar with the plans.posted by soren_lorensen at 1:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [10 favorites]
Mr. Craft, the chief executive of Alliance Resource Partners and a major Republican donor, enjoyed a close relationship with the E.P.A. during Mr. Pruitt’s tenure. Mr. Craft met with Mr. Pruitt at least seven times in Mr. Pruitt’s first 14 months at the agency and in December provided him with courtside seats at a University of Kentucky basketball game, a school where Mr. Craft is a prominent supporter.
Floridian here, echoing the fear about Nelson, but... analysis showed polls were way off on Gillum's primary total because they missed his support among younger voters and black voters. I'm hopeful that Gillum will bring them to Nelson and bump his numbers a few points. Gotta have hope... gotta work even harder...
I'm really hoping that Gillum's coattails are long enough to boost Florida's amendment to restore voting rights to felons. It needs 60% to pass, and that feels so high when I see candidate polls that are neck and neck.
posted by gladly at 1:39 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm really hoping that Gillum's coattails are long enough to boost Florida's amendment to restore voting rights to felons. It needs 60% to pass, and that feels so high when I see candidate polls that are neck and neck.
posted by gladly at 1:39 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Meanwhile, the swamp is being successfully drained, I see.
Unfortunately, Pruitt isn't the only one leaving the EPA, With a shrinking EPA, Trump delivers on his promise to cut government (WaPo):
posted by peeedro at 1:50 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Unfortunately, Pruitt isn't the only one leaving the EPA, With a shrinking EPA, Trump delivers on his promise to cut government (WaPo):
During the first 18 months of the Trump administration, records show, nearly 1,600 workers left the EPA, while fewer than 400 were hired. The exodus has shrunk the agency’s workforce by 8 percent, to levels not seen since the Reagan administration. The trend has continued even after a major round of buyouts last year and despite the fact that the EPA’s budget has remained stable.The crazy glue has been replaced by Crazytown. And the article focuses on EPA but points out that personnel losses are even greater at Education, Labor, State, and HUD. The only cabinet-level departments that have grown under Trump are Homeland Security and the VA.
...
Christopher Zarba, who retired in February after serving as director of the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board, disagreed with former administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision last year to overhaul the board’s membership. Zarba, a 38-year EPA veteran, said that for many staff members, a belief in the agency’s mission had compensated for less-than-ideal working conditions.
“That is the crazy glue that holds the place together, the idea, ‘This is important. We’re making a difference,’ ” he said. “And when that crazy glue begins to fall apart, things change.”
posted by peeedro at 1:50 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
I had seen him do this kind of thing before and would again. He would say whatever came into his head. Ordering an underling to do something that was impossible gave Trump the opportunity to castigate a subordinate and also blame him for anything that “went wrong” in connection with the unperformed order later. A Trump-style win-win.
Swap out underling for daughter and this is pretty much my upbringing.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Swap out underling for daughter and this is pretty much my upbringing.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
gladly: "I'm really hoping that Gillum's coattails are long enough to boost Florida's amendment to restore voting rights to felons. It needs 60% to pass, and that feels so high when I see candidate polls that are neck and neck."
Last time I saw polling on Amendment 4, approval was in the low 70s, but that's been a while. Hopefully someone asks about it soon.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Last time I saw polling on Amendment 4, approval was in the low 70s, but that's been a while. Hopefully someone asks about it soon.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Trump and his flunkies: Why aren't staffers standing up to him?"
Because they get paid in the neighborhood of $180k a year to destroy institutions (their dream) and occasionally take guff from the boss. Every dream has a downside.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:09 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Because they get paid in the neighborhood of $180k a year to destroy institutions (their dream) and occasionally take guff from the boss. Every dream has a downside.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:09 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
I read this twice and I'm still kind of flummoxed at the idea that we should believe that Trump asking for something to be done illegally -- to violate laws requiring braille signage -- meant that Trump was asking for something that was impossible, and that he routinely asked subordinates to lie and do illegal things as somehow evidence of his 'asking for the impossible' as some kind of weird dominance thing.Squaring the circle: He told his subordinates to violate bright-line laws like "elevators have to include Braille signage" that a qualified professional would never actually break (because it's impossible to conceal the violation) to normalize demands for other illegal acts that wouldn't be untenably blatant. Stuff like cutting corners on fire suppression becomes easier to go along with when you have "tell the ADA to go fuck itself" as a point of comparison.
Because the simpler, easier answer seems to be that Trump has a pattern of demanding his subordinates lie and break the law, right? Like. That's -- that's literally what they're saying he did. They can attest to that part. Reading into his motivations for those actions isn't something they're really privy to, and while I can believe that Trump asked people to break the law I'm not at all clear why we should believe this was anything other than him just wanting to break the law.
And now that he has 2.5 branches of government that are willing to declare that the sky is plaid if it means they get tax cuts and deregulation, the boundaries for what's untenably blatant have stretched waaaaaaaaay out.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:24 PM on September 12, 2018 [39 favorites]
Steve Negron was the final winner last night in the GOP primary for NH-02, by about 300 votes. Today it turns out that he supports gay conversion therapy.
(district is Solid D, btw)
posted by Chrysostom at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
(district is Solid D, btw)
posted by Chrysostom at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Every accusation a confession, every impossible demand a trial balloon.
posted by contraption at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by contraption at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [49 favorites]
The Siena/NYT pollsters simply can't reach 18-29 year olds this week. It's brutal. And the ones they are reaching are conservatives. My theory: the non-MAGAhead young uns are busy like learnin' and stuff since school has started again.
But it's been really bad. They are not answering their phones at all.
posted by Justinian at 2:40 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
But it's been really bad. They are not answering their phones at all.
posted by Justinian at 2:40 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's okay if they don't answer their phones for pollsters, as long as they actually vote when the time comes.
posted by Uncle Ira at 2:44 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Uncle Ira at 2:44 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
News flash: sensible young people don't answer their phones anymore when an unknown number is calling. There are too many spammers and scammers. I stopped answering mine 10 years ago and I'm almost 50.
Polls are just going to become less and less accurate if they continue to rely on phones.
posted by mmoncur at 2:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [95 favorites]
Polls are just going to become less and less accurate if they continue to rely on phones.
posted by mmoncur at 2:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [95 favorites]
They are not answering their phones at all.
Frankly, I'm shocked these people ever get any responses at all. I don't know anyone of any age who takes calls from unknown numbers, and that's been true at least as far back as people routinely having caller ID boxes (so mid 90's, maybe?).
posted by IAmUnaware at 2:53 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
Frankly, I'm shocked these people ever get any responses at all. I don't know anyone of any age who takes calls from unknown numbers, and that's been true at least as far back as people routinely having caller ID boxes (so mid 90's, maybe?).
posted by IAmUnaware at 2:53 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
I have Fear by Bob Woodward the audiobook, very early in and it's quite plain who is in the secret cabal and most likely to write the NYT op-ed. Cohn and Porter. It seems the op-ed was to get in front of this.
posted by adept256 at 2:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 2:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
> Squaring the circle: He told his subordinates to violate bright-line laws like "elevators have to include Braille signage" that a qualified professional would never actually break (because it's impossible to conceal the violation) to normalize demands for other illegal acts that wouldn't be untenably blatant.
don't overthink it.
One of the things I often return to while trying to understand the idiot is this story from Mark Bowden's article about covering Trump in 1996. Here's Bowden discussing how Trump ruined an entire tennis tournament because he didn't like a box:
Out here in reality, of course, the box wasn't there because people were stupid. The box was there because the water fountain's water needed to be pumped and cooled, tasks which require a bulky physical object that couldn't just be yanked out and thrown away.
The world, for Trump, exists to be pretty, at least pretty by Trump's idiot aesthetic standards, and all of the unpretty things required to support all that prettiness must be kept diligently out of sight. The concealment of functionality has been such a constant in Trump's life that he does not actually understand anything at all about how things work, or even that things need to work. Recall Trump's violent opposition to aircraft carriers using launchers that don't produce giant gouts of steam when they fling fighter jets into the air. For Trump, the value of an aircraft carrier's launcher is its aesthetic effect — zam pow look at all that steam look at that airplane go! — and so an electromagnetic launcher that doesn't produce the proper aesthetic effect is necessarily trash. It is not that he values the aesthetic over the functional, it is that, because he has never had to think about how things work, he genuinely doesn't understand that functionality outside of aesthetics even exists.
There are weird lumps on his elevator. he doesn't know what the lumps are. why are there weird stupid lumps on his elevator. the lumps are ugly. the lumps are there for blind people? why should he have blind people lumps in his tower? why should he even have blind people in his tower? the lumps must go. only an idiot would say otherwise. only an idiot would want those lumps there.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 2:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [81 favorites]
don't overthink it.
One of the things I often return to while trying to understand the idiot is this story from Mark Bowden's article about covering Trump in 1996. Here's Bowden discussing how Trump ruined an entire tennis tournament because he didn't like a box:
I watched as Trump strutted around the beautifully groomed clay tennis courts on his estate, managed by noted tennis pro Anthony Boulle. The courts had been prepped meticulously for a full day of scheduled matches. Trump took exception to the design of the spaces between courts. In particular, he didn’t like a small metal box—a pump and cooler for the water fountain alongside—which he thought looked ugly. He first questioned its placement, then crudely disparaged it, then kicked the box, which didn’t budge, and then stooped—red-faced and fuming—to tear it loose from its moorings, rupturing a water line and sending a geyser to soak the courts. Boulle looked horrified, a weekend of tennis abruptly drowned. Catching a glimpse of me watching, Trump grimaced.He didn't destroy the cooler because he wanted to normalize extreme behavior on his part. He destroyed the cooler because he thought the cooler was ugly; he had a particular clean aesthetic for the tennis court in mind, and the presence of some damn box on the court wrecked it, and he was furious that none of the idiots, idiots! around him could understand that the stupid box that they put there for no reason ruined everything about the tennis court.
Out here in reality, of course, the box wasn't there because people were stupid. The box was there because the water fountain's water needed to be pumped and cooled, tasks which require a bulky physical object that couldn't just be yanked out and thrown away.
The world, for Trump, exists to be pretty, at least pretty by Trump's idiot aesthetic standards, and all of the unpretty things required to support all that prettiness must be kept diligently out of sight. The concealment of functionality has been such a constant in Trump's life that he does not actually understand anything at all about how things work, or even that things need to work. Recall Trump's violent opposition to aircraft carriers using launchers that don't produce giant gouts of steam when they fling fighter jets into the air. For Trump, the value of an aircraft carrier's launcher is its aesthetic effect — zam pow look at all that steam look at that airplane go! — and so an electromagnetic launcher that doesn't produce the proper aesthetic effect is necessarily trash. It is not that he values the aesthetic over the functional, it is that, because he has never had to think about how things work, he genuinely doesn't understand that functionality outside of aesthetics even exists.
There are weird lumps on his elevator. he doesn't know what the lumps are. why are there weird stupid lumps on his elevator. the lumps are ugly. the lumps are there for blind people? why should he have blind people lumps in his tower? why should he even have blind people in his tower? the lumps must go. only an idiot would say otherwise. only an idiot would want those lumps there.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 2:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [81 favorites]
I have Fear by Bob Woodward the audiobook, very early in and it's quite plain who is in the secret cabal and most likely to write the NYT op-ed. Cohn and Porter. It seems the op-ed was to get in front of this.
But neither Cohn nor Porter still work for Trump, right? So they can't have penned the op-ed as the NYT's rationale for extending anonymity was that the author still works for Trump and would lose their job.
posted by Justinian at 3:01 PM on September 12, 2018 [8 favorites]
But neither Cohn nor Porter still work for Trump, right? So they can't have penned the op-ed as the NYT's rationale for extending anonymity was that the author still works for Trump and would lose their job.
posted by Justinian at 3:01 PM on September 12, 2018 [8 favorites]
Limbaugh: Hurricane Florence forecasts meant to 'heighten the belief in climate change'
“For those of you asking, ‘What’s the politics of a hurricane?’ Climate change is the politics of hurricanes,” Limbaugh continued. “The forecast and the destruction potential doom and gloom is all to heighten the belief in climate change. My experience is that the storms are bad; you don’t want to get into arguments over degrees.”
Here's hoping Rush invites all his fans to his Perfectly-Normal-Storm Watching Party down at the beach.
Seriously though, he's right that "climate change is the politics of hurricanes." Like the rest of reality, the existence of the storm that destroys your cities does have a left-wing bias.
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
“For those of you asking, ‘What’s the politics of a hurricane?’ Climate change is the politics of hurricanes,” Limbaugh continued. “The forecast and the destruction potential doom and gloom is all to heighten the belief in climate change. My experience is that the storms are bad; you don’t want to get into arguments over degrees.”
Here's hoping Rush invites all his fans to his Perfectly-Normal-Storm Watching Party down at the beach.
Seriously though, he's right that "climate change is the politics of hurricanes." Like the rest of reality, the existence of the storm that destroys your cities does have a left-wing bias.
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
From ABC, more chatter about a Manafort plea deal / prayers for a pardon:
Sources tell ABC News that Mueller’s office is seeking cooperation from Manafort for information related to President Donald Trump and the 2016 campaign. Manafort, however, is resisting and his team is pushing prosecutors for a plea agreement that does not include cooperation, at least as related to the president, sources said.posted by cudzoo at 3:18 PM on September 12, 2018
Why would Mueller's team ever agree to a plea agreement that does not include cooperation against the President? It's absurd. I agree there's no explanation that doesn't involve begging for a pardon.
posted by Justinian at 3:21 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:21 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Steve Negron was the final winner last night in the GOP primary for NH-02, by about 300 votes. Today it turns out that he supports gay conversion therapy.
That old retort that if you think being gay is a choice you must've considered it? Admitting to that is essentially Negron's argument. Which there's obviously nothing wrong with being curious about various options, but just surprising that a Republican admitted it.
That old retort that if you think being gay is a choice you must've considered it? Admitting to that is essentially Negron's argument. Which there's obviously nothing wrong with being curious about various options, but just surprising that a Republican admitted it.
Just weeks ago, he defended his vote in the state legislature against a bipartisan bill to ban gay conversion therapy for minors.posted by chris24 at 3:23 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
“I did not vote for that. I believe that’s something that, when you look at these young children that are trying to make a decision, and I remember when I was 15-16 I was confused, I had a lot of options in my life,” he said during a late August Facebook Live interview with WMUR, the state’s largest TV station.
“I think we need to be able to help them understand what it is, give them the right information, and let them get the treatment that they need to understand what the situation is,” Negron continued. “And I think the parents have a huge role in that as well.”
Sean Hannity says Trump will fire Robert Mueller after Hurricane Florence
Taking advantage of a state of chaos, tragedy and lawlessness to further destroy the rule of law in your favor is standard playbook.
Even if he doesn't fire Mueller, look out for some other slimy shit. It would be straight out of Naomi Klein's work on the idea of Shock Doctrine:
This strategy has been a silent partner to the imposition of neoliberalism for more than 40 years. Shock tactics follow a clear pattern: wait for a crisis (or even, in some instances, as in Chile or Russia, help foment one), declare a moment of what is sometimes called “extraordinary politics”, suspend some or all democratic norms – and then ram the corporate wishlist through as quickly as possible. The research showed that virtually any tumultuous situation, if framed with sufficient hysteria by political leaders, could serve this softening-up function. It could be an event as radical as a military coup, but the economic shock of a market or budget crisis would also do the trick. Amid hyperinflation or a banking collapse, for instance, the country’s governing elites were frequently able to sell a panicked population on the necessity for attacks on social protections, or enormous bailouts to prop up the financial private sector – because the alternative, they claimed, was outright economic apocalypse.
posted by mostly vowels at 3:30 PM on September 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Taking advantage of a state of chaos, tragedy and lawlessness to further destroy the rule of law in your favor is standard playbook.
Even if he doesn't fire Mueller, look out for some other slimy shit. It would be straight out of Naomi Klein's work on the idea of Shock Doctrine:
This strategy has been a silent partner to the imposition of neoliberalism for more than 40 years. Shock tactics follow a clear pattern: wait for a crisis (or even, in some instances, as in Chile or Russia, help foment one), declare a moment of what is sometimes called “extraordinary politics”, suspend some or all democratic norms – and then ram the corporate wishlist through as quickly as possible. The research showed that virtually any tumultuous situation, if framed with sufficient hysteria by political leaders, could serve this softening-up function. It could be an event as radical as a military coup, but the economic shock of a market or budget crisis would also do the trick. Amid hyperinflation or a banking collapse, for instance, the country’s governing elites were frequently able to sell a panicked population on the necessity for attacks on social protections, or enormous bailouts to prop up the financial private sector – because the alternative, they claimed, was outright economic apocalypse.
posted by mostly vowels at 3:30 PM on September 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Why would Mueller's team ever agree to a plea agreement that does not include cooperation against the President? It's absurd.
I assume for testimony against Don Jr. or Ivanka or Jared, which would be big enough to rattle Trump, because he still believes they will maintain loyalty to him, and thus far they have. None have been charged with anything, though, or put to the test. So if Manafort went against Don Jr., well, Don Jr. doesn't seem like a guy with a whole lot of spine, to put it mildly. He'd crumple like a wet kleenex.
That's the only thing I can think of that would be worth it to Mueller.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
I assume for testimony against Don Jr. or Ivanka or Jared, which would be big enough to rattle Trump, because he still believes they will maintain loyalty to him, and thus far they have. None have been charged with anything, though, or put to the test. So if Manafort went against Don Jr., well, Don Jr. doesn't seem like a guy with a whole lot of spine, to put it mildly. He'd crumple like a wet kleenex.
That's the only thing I can think of that would be worth it to Mueller.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Mueller has Don Jr. dead to rights whenever he wants to charge him though, I can't imagine he'd trade Manafort's freedom for Qusay Trump. Espeically when it's not clear how much Don Jr. would even know about the direct Russian contact. Don Jr. is the fuckup knocking at the door begging to be let in on the secret while the dirt is going down. Manafort is the guy who put all the dirty players in the same room to begin with.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:42 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:42 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mueller has Don Jr. dead to rights whenever he wants to charge him though
I'd guess if they can't get full guilty verdicts on all charges, it's best to have multiple charges to file. Manafort didn't get convicted on all of his -- what if the charges had only been filed on the ones they didn't successfully argue?
Manafort's/Don Jr's testimony could be the difference between some kind of high level treasonous charge or I dunno, tax evasion, and whichever charge sticks is a matter of how we remember this history, whether we brush it off as a minor blip of a criminal in the Whitehouse (we've had those) or an entire conspiracy that stole the presidency from the rightful candidate.
So I'd try to put eggs in a whole lot of different baskets and God love them, the Trump family is a rich tapestry of criminality.
Why choose when they have so much to offer?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:49 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'd guess if they can't get full guilty verdicts on all charges, it's best to have multiple charges to file. Manafort didn't get convicted on all of his -- what if the charges had only been filed on the ones they didn't successfully argue?
Manafort's/Don Jr's testimony could be the difference between some kind of high level treasonous charge or I dunno, tax evasion, and whichever charge sticks is a matter of how we remember this history, whether we brush it off as a minor blip of a criminal in the Whitehouse (we've had those) or an entire conspiracy that stole the presidency from the rightful candidate.
So I'd try to put eggs in a whole lot of different baskets and God love them, the Trump family is a rich tapestry of criminality.
Why choose when they have so much to offer?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:49 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Can an Organic Farmer Win in Appalachian Virginia?
Anthony Flaccavento is running a left-wing campaign against a Tea Party Republican in one of the nation's most conservative districts.
So pleased to see this article! I've been volunteering for the Flaccavento campaign since I moved back to my hometown of Bristol TN/VA. I live on the TN side, but as soon as I moved back, people were telling me I had to meet Anthony. He's the real deal... warm, compassionate, smart and driven. And he's been hustling since last year. In fact, I think he's been planning to run against Griffiths since he lost to him in the last election. I've spent the summer back in the NYC area, doing postcard parties and fundraising where I can. It helps that Griffiths hasn't done much during his incumbency, he's not particularly popular.
I agree with many points in the article. I do think there are more progressives in Appalachia than folks realize, and Trump has pushed them to finally come out of hiding. We have a long way to go, but people are showing up and doing the work.
posted by kimdog at 3:52 PM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
Anthony Flaccavento is running a left-wing campaign against a Tea Party Republican in one of the nation's most conservative districts.
So pleased to see this article! I've been volunteering for the Flaccavento campaign since I moved back to my hometown of Bristol TN/VA. I live on the TN side, but as soon as I moved back, people were telling me I had to meet Anthony. He's the real deal... warm, compassionate, smart and driven. And he's been hustling since last year. In fact, I think he's been planning to run against Griffiths since he lost to him in the last election. I've spent the summer back in the NYC area, doing postcard parties and fundraising where I can. It helps that Griffiths hasn't done much during his incumbency, he's not particularly popular.
I agree with many points in the article. I do think there are more progressives in Appalachia than folks realize, and Trump has pushed them to finally come out of hiding. We have a long way to go, but people are showing up and doing the work.
posted by kimdog at 3:52 PM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
Why would Mueller's team ever agree to a plea agreement that does not include cooperation against the President?Please say Pence,
please say Pence,
please say Pence...
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:54 PM on September 12, 2018 [21 favorites]
This strategy has been a silent partner to the imposition of neoliberalism for more than 40 years. Shock tactics follow a clear pattern: wait for a crisis (or even, in some instances, as in Chile or Russia, help foment one), declare a moment of what is sometimes called “extraordinary politics”, suspend some or all democratic norms – and then ram the corporate wishlist through as quickly as possible.
It's kind of bizarre to attribute to neoliberalism a tactic that's been used by authoritarians everywhere for, like, ever, irrespective of their economic leanings. Taking advantage of crises in order to solidify one's power and push through one's policies is as old as politics.
posted by Anonymous at 3:55 PM on September 12, 2018
It's kind of bizarre to attribute to neoliberalism a tactic that's been used by authoritarians everywhere for, like, ever, irrespective of their economic leanings. Taking advantage of crises in order to solidify one's power and push through one's policies is as old as politics.
posted by Anonymous at 3:55 PM on September 12, 2018
The American Crisis - Jeffery Goldberg, The Atlantic (Editor's Note)
posted by ZeusHumms at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Amid assaults against the press and the rise of technology, democracy is in a fragile state. Can it overcome the challenges it faces?The October 2018 printed issue will be dedicated to 'the crisis in democracy', detailing the damage done to our democracy, as well as ways to repair it.
We have tried to make this issue more than just an inquiry into the Trump presidency. Trump is a cause of our democratic deterioration, but he is also a symptom.As Hillary always said, it takes a village.
posted by ZeusHumms at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
So, I got one of those campaign texts asking if I was voting for Collin Alred, who is facing off against incumbent republican Pete sessions. So, after I said yes, and that I was both canvassing and contributed to the campaign, I asked them where they stood on Beto, and convinced them to come to a Beto planning session. Hee.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 4:03 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 4:03 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
NYT: Detention of Migrant Children Has Skyrocketed to Highest Levels Ever
Population levels at federally contracted shelters for migrant children have quietly shot up more than fivefold since last summer, according to data obtained by The New York Times, reaching a total of 12,800 this month. There were 2,400 such children in custody in May 2017.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
Population levels at federally contracted shelters for migrant children have quietly shot up more than fivefold since last summer, according to data obtained by The New York Times, reaching a total of 12,800 this month. There were 2,400 such children in custody in May 2017.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
Tweet re: the Republican nominee in NC-5 as Hurricane Florence rears its head...
posted by duffell at 4:13 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
NC-5: Mark Harris has loaded up on The Weather Channel.Is... is this normal?
Placed an additional buy today for 56 spots on TWC in Charlotte cable zones. Flight is 9/13-9/19
posted by duffell at 4:13 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mark Harris in NC-09 not NC-05. Have I been spending too much time on this when I know they are mistaken about a race 2500 miles away that has nothing to do with me?
No, it is everyone else who is wrong!
I'd say this is a smart move by the Republican slight underdog. If McCready (D) had done it I'd be calling him a good campaigner.
posted by Justinian at 4:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
No, it is everyone else who is wrong!
I'd say this is a smart move by the Republican slight underdog. If McCready (D) had done it I'd be calling him a good campaigner.
posted by Justinian at 4:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Josh Marshall basically sums up my feelings as an outside observer of NY elections:
posted by Justinian at 4:22 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
A lot of benighted states do voter suppression through voter ID, felon disenfranchisement and caging. In NY we do it by having 13 different elections a year and having each one on a different day of the week.It ain't better because you're being sneaky about it and are in a blue state.
posted by Justinian at 4:22 PM on September 12, 2018 [12 favorites]
New York has among the worst voting rules in the country. If the Dems take back control of the state Senate, reform needs to be a priority.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:31 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 4:31 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
Arkansas requires Medicaid recipients to report 80 hours of work/school/training per month to get their health insurance, will only accept such reporting via an online system, and shuts the system down during non-office hours.
It's almost as if they don't want people getting health insurance...
posted by suelac at 4:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [53 favorites]
It's almost as if they don't want people getting health insurance...
posted by suelac at 4:32 PM on September 12, 2018 [53 favorites]
Re: Menendez and Nelson screwing us by losing
Thank you whoever posted the 538 senate forecast; I looked at the numbers for NJ, and they give Menendez a 78-95% chance of winning, with 47-54% of the vote. (while his opponent gets 38-50% of the vote.) Not impossible for him to lose, but it would be a big upset. So, fact check, Menendez not likely to doom us to hellfire.
and, I'm making an assumption here, I'm pretty sure Menendez' name is mud right now, and any ads with his name would hurt more than they helped. He might well have negative coattails.
I feel a little bit liable for chicken-little-ing about not seeing any ads for Menendez. Overall, there's no good reason to put money into the campaign right now, even though it makes me twitchy, even though a low profile would be the wrong choice for any other candidate.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:39 PM on September 12, 2018
Thank you whoever posted the 538 senate forecast; I looked at the numbers for NJ, and they give Menendez a 78-95% chance of winning, with 47-54% of the vote. (while his opponent gets 38-50% of the vote.) Not impossible for him to lose, but it would be a big upset. So, fact check, Menendez not likely to doom us to hellfire.
and, I'm making an assumption here, I'm pretty sure Menendez' name is mud right now, and any ads with his name would hurt more than they helped. He might well have negative coattails.
I feel a little bit liable for chicken-little-ing about not seeing any ads for Menendez. Overall, there's no good reason to put money into the campaign right now, even though it makes me twitchy, even though a low profile would be the wrong choice for any other candidate.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:39 PM on September 12, 2018
A lot of benighted states do voter suppression through voter ID, felon disenfranchisement and caging. In NY we do it by having 13 different elections a year and having each one on a different day of the week.
The only "different day of the week" is when election day hits on 9/11. I don't agree with the it, but there's nothing really magical about election day in NY.
https://www.nyccfb.info/nyc-votes/election-calendar/
The REAL way NY does it, is to just not have enough capacity so that when you get a good turnout, it devolves into a distributed denial of service attack. Yeah, it would be NICE to have N+1 voting machines per location, but we just don't have the budget for it. ( which is another artificial constraint. If our taxes aren't being used to make voting universally easy AND robust AND auditable, then they're doing it wrong. )
posted by mikelieman at 4:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
The only "different day of the week" is when election day hits on 9/11. I don't agree with the it, but there's nothing really magical about election day in NY.
https://www.nyccfb.info/nyc-votes/election-calendar/
The REAL way NY does it, is to just not have enough capacity so that when you get a good turnout, it devolves into a distributed denial of service attack. Yeah, it would be NICE to have N+1 voting machines per location, but we just don't have the budget for it. ( which is another artificial constraint. If our taxes aren't being used to make voting universally easy AND robust AND auditable, then they're doing it wrong. )
posted by mikelieman at 4:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Well, I mean, in Presidential election years there really are 3 different primary days for different races in NY. And while they're usually on Tuesdays, not always. So Josh's "13 elections on different days of the week" may be hyperbole but I think that was already clear given there aren't 13 days of the week?
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Arkansas requires Medicaid recipients to report 80 hours of work/school/training per month to get their health insurance, will only accept such reporting via an online system, and shuts the system down during non-office hours.
When you're in school and learn about impossible "literacy" tests used to deny voting to black voters, you see these things and kind of think "well this is so obviously rigged, nobody actually could have done this with a straight face, right?" And then you find out that the website people have to use to report their work hours in order to not lose their health insurance doesn't work during non-work hours, and yep. Rigged.
The website where you have to report your work hours only operates from 7:00am and 9:00pm daily, which is perhaps better than I feared, but again, it's a website; it shouldn't close. And for many people who need to use it, their only access to the internet, if any, is at a library or a friend/relative's house, with all the time limitations and logistical/transportation constraints that entails.
Health Affairs has a column that includes the results of in-depth interviews with 18 Arkansas Medicaid recipients on how the system is working for them. 2/3rds (this is not a statistical sample, just interviews with particular participants) had never heard of the work requirement, and a number say they didn't receive the letters notifying them they were supposed to have gotten (in one case, a man recently out of an inpatient drug rehab program thinks he probably threw it away, which is the kind of thing that inevitably happens when you create punitive programs that target vulnerable people). About a third said they have no way to report hours online, and another third might be able to figure something out. A woman looking for work said she couldn't get help from the Department of Workforce Services, as Medicaid advises, because the office is 30 miles away and there's no public transit. One recipient nailed it:
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [42 favorites]
When you're in school and learn about impossible "literacy" tests used to deny voting to black voters, you see these things and kind of think "well this is so obviously rigged, nobody actually could have done this with a straight face, right?" And then you find out that the website people have to use to report their work hours in order to not lose their health insurance doesn't work during non-work hours, and yep. Rigged.
The website where you have to report your work hours only operates from 7:00am and 9:00pm daily, which is perhaps better than I feared, but again, it's a website; it shouldn't close. And for many people who need to use it, their only access to the internet, if any, is at a library or a friend/relative's house, with all the time limitations and logistical/transportation constraints that entails.
Health Affairs has a column that includes the results of in-depth interviews with 18 Arkansas Medicaid recipients on how the system is working for them. 2/3rds (this is not a statistical sample, just interviews with particular participants) had never heard of the work requirement, and a number say they didn't receive the letters notifying them they were supposed to have gotten (in one case, a man recently out of an inpatient drug rehab program thinks he probably threw it away, which is the kind of thing that inevitably happens when you create punitive programs that target vulnerable people). About a third said they have no way to report hours online, and another third might be able to figure something out. A woman looking for work said she couldn't get help from the Department of Workforce Services, as Medicaid advises, because the office is 30 miles away and there's no public transit. One recipient nailed it:
One participant argued that the policy was not about getting people to work at all, but about reducing the number of Medicaid recipients: “It seems like a ploy for the state to save money. That’s all it is. It’s nothing about trying to get people back to work…”By the way, if you don't report your hours now, you don't just lose Medicaid for the moment. Arkansas takes it away and locks you out for the rest of the year.
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [42 favorites]
There are weird lumps on his elevator. he doesn't know what the lumps are. why are there weird stupid lumps on his elevator. the lumps are ugly. the lumps are there for blind people? why should he have blind people lumps in his tower? why should he even have blind people in his tower? the lumps must go. only an idiot would say otherwise. only an idiot would want those lumps there.
Yes. Hi. 25 years ago as a college student, I interned on a show where he was a guest, and he grimaced and scowled at me in the same way. I was short and ugly to him (BTW, I am not ugly, even now, just short and not an “Aryan” white woman), and he made it clear that he wanted me to GO AWAY.
He has the insecurity of those who utterly hate themselves, so require “perfection” in order to get that hit of feeling even remotely OK with themselves for a few minutes. I grew up with someone like this, so I understood his reaction at the time. And since his feelings had nothing to do with me, I stayed and did my job, which my bosses appreciated. They weren’t fans or friends, but he’d been booked, so there he was, eager to glad-hand the above-the-line staff, who made a point to be unavailable until he was on camera—and not a moment longer.
He’s horrid, yes, but the people behind him who keep him in power are worse. Those are the people we should focus our efforts on in ending this nightmare. They have a bullpen ready to go if this one goes down, I’m sure. They all need to be stopped now.
posted by droplet at 4:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [92 favorites]
Yes. Hi. 25 years ago as a college student, I interned on a show where he was a guest, and he grimaced and scowled at me in the same way. I was short and ugly to him (BTW, I am not ugly, even now, just short and not an “Aryan” white woman), and he made it clear that he wanted me to GO AWAY.
He has the insecurity of those who utterly hate themselves, so require “perfection” in order to get that hit of feeling even remotely OK with themselves for a few minutes. I grew up with someone like this, so I understood his reaction at the time. And since his feelings had nothing to do with me, I stayed and did my job, which my bosses appreciated. They weren’t fans or friends, but he’d been booked, so there he was, eager to glad-hand the above-the-line staff, who made a point to be unavailable until he was on camera—and not a moment longer.
He’s horrid, yes, but the people behind him who keep him in power are worse. Those are the people we should focus our efforts on in ending this nightmare. They have a bullpen ready to go if this one goes down, I’m sure. They all need to be stopped now.
posted by droplet at 4:58 PM on September 12, 2018 [92 favorites]
A correction from my previous comment, thanks Justinian, it can't be Cohn or Porter to write the op-ed, though Cohn lifted the KORUS letter from the resolute desk and Porter as secretary was managing what was on the desk knowing that whatever was left there, Trump would sign without reading.
I have a day off to listen to this, I should know better to liveblog here, but just one query, do Woodward books usually have this much profanity? Political audiobooks are in general not family roadtrip material, but this stands out.
posted by adept256 at 5:03 PM on September 12, 2018
I have a day off to listen to this, I should know better to liveblog here, but just one query, do Woodward books usually have this much profanity? Political audiobooks are in general not family roadtrip material, but this stands out.
posted by adept256 at 5:03 PM on September 12, 2018
Addendum to my previous comment about the difficult they're having finding young people to poll, from Dave Wasserman:
posted by Justinian at 5:18 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
At this point, finding an 18-29 year old respondent in #VA07 feels like trying to win the Monopoly game at McDonalds...It's clear Brat (R) is going to finish this poll about 3 points up on Spanberger (D). However, it seems probably to me that if they coulda found some young people she would have a slight lead. They only talked to 21 out of 25,000+ calls and they broke strongly towards red. Which seems unlikely on election day. We should always beware of being "unskewers" of course.
posted by Justinian at 5:18 PM on September 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Pyotr Verzilov, unofficial spokesperson for Pussy Riot, has been hospitalised and is in grave condition. He began experiencing symptoms after a court hearing on Tuesday. Verzilov was arrested earlier this week, as were several other people associated with Pussy Riot. The charges laid against Verzilov and the others are unknown at this time, but may relate to their disruption of the World Cup final. Members of Pussy Riot have already served jail time for the disruption.
In news that I'm totally sure is unrelated because it's not like Verzilov's symptoms remotely suggest he was poisoned, perhaps with a nerve agent, the two men identified as suspects in the Skripal poisoning are definitely just ordinary "civilians," nothing to see here, no cause for alarm
posted by halation at 5:21 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
In news that I'm totally sure is unrelated because it's not like Verzilov's symptoms remotely suggest he was poisoned, perhaps with a nerve agent, the two men identified as suspects in the Skripal poisoning are definitely just ordinary "civilians," nothing to see here, no cause for alarm
posted by halation at 5:21 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
Bad news for now, Liquor board declines to act on Trump’s liquor license after residents complain about his character (WaPo):
An effort by a group of D.C. residents to strip Trump International Hotel of its liquor license by arguing its owner — the president — is not of “good character” hit a roadblock Wednesday when the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board declined to review the case.posted by peeedro at 5:34 PM on September 12, 2018 [14 favorites]
The board cited a technicality, noting that the character of liquor license owners is not reviewed at will, but when liquor licenses are issued, transferred or renewed. The five board members present Wednesday did not rule on the substance of the complaint, which suggests that President Trump is violating the D.C. law that states license applicants must be of “good character and generally fit for the responsibilities of licensure.”
“It is important to note that all hotel liquor license owners in the District of Columbia are required to apply for a renewal of their license by March 31, 2019,” Chair Donovan Anderson said following his decision, opening the possibility that the residents could file their complaint again next year.
Incumbent governor Gina Raimondo wins the primary in Rhode Island, with about 55% of the vote.
Raimondo's nomination brings the number of women nominated for governor by the Democrats to a record of 12 (out of 36 total).
posted by Chrysostom at 5:34 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Raimondo's nomination brings the number of women nominated for governor by the Democrats to a record of 12 (out of 36 total).
posted by Chrysostom at 5:34 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
In Rhode Island SD-5 Dem primary, progressive challenger Bell has defeated conservative incumbent Jabour, 46-37.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 5:36 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
> If our taxes aren't being used to make voting universally easy AND robust AND auditable, then they're doing it wrong. )
*waves his Oregon Vote By Mail Flag*
posted by mrzarquon at 5:39 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
*waves his Oregon Vote By Mail Flag*
posted by mrzarquon at 5:39 PM on September 12, 2018 [11 favorites]
Seriously though, he's right that "climate change is the politics of hurricanes." Like the rest of reality, the existence of the storm that destroys your cities does have a left-wing bias.
I’m reminded of a story told by Kahless the Unforgettable, the greatest warrior in Klingon history:
I’m reminded of a story told by Kahless the Unforgettable, the greatest warrior in Klingon history:
Long ago, a storm was heading for the city of Quin'lat. Everyone took protection within the walls except one man who remained outside. Kahless went to him and asked what he was doing. "I am not afraid," the man said. "I will not hide my face behind stone and mortar. I will stand before the wind and make it respect me." Kahless honored his choice and went back inside. The next day, the storm came, and the man was killed. Kahless replied, "The wind does not respect a fool".posted by Servo5678 at 5:41 PM on September 12, 2018 [87 favorites]
But federal tax dollars are obligated to pay for climate related disasters in states that take climate mitigation seriously, and North Carolina that bars any mention of the word "climate" in state documents alike.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
At issue was whether MBTA ad spaces were a "public forum" similar to, say, a town common. A federal judge and then the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled they were not, in part because the MBTA had a series of specific rules for ad approval and consistently applied them. In fact, the ruling cites a 9th Circuit ruling that made the same basic point about Seattle's public-transit system.
Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a long court fight that cost....money. The thing that .... SF doesn't want to do.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:04 PM on September 12, 2018
Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a long court fight that cost....money. The thing that .... SF doesn't want to do.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:04 PM on September 12, 2018
Well, yes... that’s kind of the problem, no?
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:20 PM on September 12, 2018
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:20 PM on September 12, 2018
Certainly hurricanes moving counterclockwise makes them conservative.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:28 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:28 PM on September 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Kavanaugh has kind of answered Sen. Whitehouse's financial questions, though he writes one long answer that doesn't explain everything and doesn't actually answer any of the specific questions that follows. Many of the answers are to questions that weren't asked.
Also, Leahy asks: "Do you personally believe that Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, or white nationalists are “fine people”?"
Kavanaugh: "There is no place in American public life for vile ideologies of hate."
He says it would be improper for him to answer whether lying under oath is an impeachable offense for a judge.
More to follow from the answers in the linked thread.
There's also an incredibly vague story in The Intercept that apparently involves a letter that somehow recounts second-hand something that involves "an incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman while they were in high school." It mainly serves to attack Sen. Feinstein for keeping it under wraps, and I hesitate to even post it here, particularly given the lack of any indication that the source or sources for this information want it shared in any way right now, but that's it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:30 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, Leahy asks: "Do you personally believe that Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, or white nationalists are “fine people”?"
Kavanaugh: "There is no place in American public life for vile ideologies of hate."
He says it would be improper for him to answer whether lying under oath is an impeachable offense for a judge.
More to follow from the answers in the linked thread.
There's also an incredibly vague story in The Intercept that apparently involves a letter that somehow recounts second-hand something that involves "an incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman while they were in high school." It mainly serves to attack Sen. Feinstein for keeping it under wraps, and I hesitate to even post it here, particularly given the lack of any indication that the source or sources for this information want it shared in any way right now, but that's it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:30 PM on September 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS pt. 2
** 2018 Senate:
** 2018 Senate:
-- Fox News dropped several Senate polls (standard reminder that Fox News polling is legit); they're reporting both registered and likely voters, so I'll mention both [all polls MOE: +/- 3.5%]:** 2018 House:--TN: GOPer Blackburn up 45-43 on Dem Bredesen (RV) // Blackburn up 47-44 (LV) [MOE: +/- 3.5%]-- TX: Dixie Strategies poll has GOP incumbent Cruz up 46-42 [MOE: +/- 4.3%].
-- ND: GOPer Cramer up 47-42 on Heitkamp (RV) // Cramer up 48-44 (LV)
-- MO: Dem McCaskill up 41-39 on GOPer Hawley (RV) // McCaskill up 44-41
-- IN: Dem Donnelly up 42-41 on GOPer Braun (RV) // Braun up 45-43 (LV)
-- AZ: Dem Sinema up 46-42 on GOPer McSally (RV) // Sinema up 47-44 (LV)
-- 538 on Dems' two paths to Senate control.
-- UT-04: Y2 Analytics poll has GOP incumbent Love up 51-42 on Dem McAdams [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. [Trump 39-32 | Cook: Leans R]** Odds & ends:
-- VA-07: Siena College poll has GOP incumbent Brat up 47-43 on Dem Spanberger [Trump 51-44 | Cook: Tossup]
-- FL-15: GQRR poll has Dem Carlson up 48-47 on GOPer Spano [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. Poll was commissioned by the Carlson campaign [Trump 53-43 | Cook: Leans R]
-- NJ-04: GOP incumbent Chris Smith under fire for saying that kids would be better off in orphanages than with LGBT families. [Trump 56-41 | Cook: Solid R]
-- New Yorker on Obama campaigning in Orange County, CA.
-- TX gov: Same Dixie Strategies poll has GOP incumbent Abbot up 53-34 on Dem Valdez.posted by Chrysostom at 6:55 PM on September 12, 2018 [18 favorites]
Bloomberg, Local Transit Projects Hobbled as Trump Agencies Mum on Funds
posted by zachlipton at 6:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
So far this year, the FTA, charged with evaluating transit projects and distributing grants, has issued one-third as many letters as last year. The agency is taking months under this administration instead of weeks to issue the documents, congressional aides and transit officials told Bloomberg Government. The letters don’t affect the federal agency’s balance sheets; local and private money can be spent — with the risk that federal money may not come.Seems like the Chao-McConnell method of governance: take the thing you're ostensibly supposed to be doing, say approving transit projects or holding confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court Justice, and then just don't do that, realizing there's no actual mechanism to require them to do what their job traditionally involves.
For its part, President Donald Trump’s administration says it’s simply doing due diligence to review the merits of each grant proposal.
...
The FTA’s annual report for fiscal 2018 showed a capital investment grant kitty of $2.6 billion, with the agency recommending $1.2 billion for existing grants and oversight. Of the remaining roughly $1.4 billion for new projects, the agency has committed a total of just $50 million to fund two new projects. Much of the grant money has gone to multi-year agreements, many of which pre-date the Trump administration, according to transit advocacy group Transportation for America.
Trump’s transportation agencies make it clear “the pipeline of transit projects should grind to a halt completely, leaving cities and communities on their own to raise yet more local funding than they already have to complete their projects,” Beth Osborne, vice president for technical assistance at Transportation for America, said in a statement.
posted by zachlipton at 6:59 PM on September 12, 2018 [29 favorites]
Just back from my polling place. We had over 260 voters, 200 of whom cast Democratic ballots. This compares to fewer than 40 cast in the 2016 primary. So a lot more interest this year although quite a few don't understand the difference between a primary and a general election and didn't want to tell us which party's ballot they wanted!
posted by Botanizer at 7:02 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Botanizer at 7:02 PM on September 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Hirono: "What is the constitutional basis for your assertion that there is a range of legitimate inquiry for a Senator in evaluating a judicial nomination?"
Kavanaugh: "The Constitution."
Yeah, these aren't answers.
posted by zachlipton at 7:04 PM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
Kavanaugh: "The Constitution."
Yeah, these aren't answers.
posted by zachlipton at 7:04 PM on September 12, 2018 [30 favorites]
Hirono: "What is the constitutional basis for your assertion that there is a range of legitimate inquiry for a Senator in evaluating a judicial nomination?"
Kavanaugh: "The Constitution."
Tfw you know it doesn't matter what you say, yer gonna be confirmed!
posted by pjenks at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers approached Alaska Tuesday, causing the US to dispatch to F-22 stealth fighters to enter the strategic Cold War-era bombers.F-22 stealth fighters intercept Russian strategic bombers near Alaska for second time this month
Tuesday's incident, which came as Russia and China kicked off massive war games in eastern Russia, marks the second time in a month US fighters have intercepted Russian bombers near Alaska.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [8 favorites]
Dropping October 2nd, Stormy Daniels' memoir "Full Disclosure"
St Martin's Press confirmed in a statement that they would be publishing Full Disclosure, which will be released on 2 October, adding that the book would chronicle Ms Daniels's journey "from a rough childhood in Louisiana onto the national stage, and the events that led to the nondisclosure agreement and the behind-the-scenes attempts to intimidate her".
“I own my story and the choices I made,” the publisher cites her as writing. “They may not be the ones you would have made, but I stand by them.”
The actress said she was motivated to write the book in part by her experience in previous interviews, where she felt she was not able to tell the full story of her affair and ensuing court case.
"I was like, 'I'm going to write everything and include it — and people can think what they want to about me, but at least it's the truth'," she said on Wednesday.
posted by robotdevil at 7:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
St Martin's Press confirmed in a statement that they would be publishing Full Disclosure, which will be released on 2 October, adding that the book would chronicle Ms Daniels's journey "from a rough childhood in Louisiana onto the national stage, and the events that led to the nondisclosure agreement and the behind-the-scenes attempts to intimidate her".
“I own my story and the choices I made,” the publisher cites her as writing. “They may not be the ones you would have made, but I stand by them.”
The actress said she was motivated to write the book in part by her experience in previous interviews, where she felt she was not able to tell the full story of her affair and ensuing court case.
"I was like, 'I'm going to write everything and include it — and people can think what they want to about me, but at least it's the truth'," she said on Wednesday.
posted by robotdevil at 7:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Missed a rare Cook move to the right: CA-16 (Costa) | Solid D => Likely D
Current totals:
Solid D: 182
Likely D: 12 (9 D, 3 R)
Lean D: 9 (1 D, 8 R)
Tossup: 30 (2 D, 28 R)
Lean R: 27 (0 D, 27 R)
Likely R: 27 (1 D, 26 R)
Solid R: 148
Dems need to gain 23 seats to take control.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:23 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Current totals:
Solid D: 182
Likely D: 12 (9 D, 3 R)
Lean D: 9 (1 D, 8 R)
Tossup: 30 (2 D, 28 R)
Lean R: 27 (0 D, 27 R)
Likely R: 27 (1 D, 26 R)
Solid R: 148
Dems need to gain 23 seats to take control.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:23 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
hmm so within the past hour the Crowdpac to fund Collin's opponent has become inaccessible. Via Twitter, Crowdpac says they're "currently down and actively investigating." Only the Collins campaign seems to be inaccessible, the site and all other campaigns seem to be functioning.
posted by robotdevil at 7:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by robotdevil at 7:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
@MOOMANiBE, on some recent changes to the State Department's page on passport gender markers:
posted by zachlipton at 7:41 PM on September 12, 2018 [39 favorites]
So.. sometime in the last two days, the US government page on changing gender designation on a passport was alterted, replacing all language referring to "Gender Designation" with "Sex Designation" & adding text explicitly specifying "sex change to male or female" across the pageAt first glance, this doesn't seem like an extraordinary degree of fuckery (compared to worst fears anyway), more bolting the door to make it clear they aren't going to consider any indicators besides "M" and "F" anytime soon, but given *gestures variously at everything going on right now*, it's concerning for these people in particular to be touching this in any way. I am concerned about the new ID rule though, as it seems like that could pose a barrier for people in the cases where judges have objected to name changes.
For some reason, links to WPATH and the AMA were also removed from a paragraph talking about them. Beyond this, a small paragraph was added specifying that people "still in the process of sex transition" must continually reapply for limited validity passports w/ accompanying doctors' letters each time their 2-year passports expire.
...
MAJOR change, enough that I'm posting the full comparison: If your ID does not match your current name and it's been at least one year since your name change, they won't issue you a passport
...
Also, a general remnder since i've seen some ppl panicking: While the language has been changed, the actual requirements are still the same: Your doctor has to tell them you've "completed appropriate treatment". Surgery is not a requirement at the moment.
The vast majority of this change seems to be targeted specifically at giving nonbinary people a hard time
posted by zachlipton at 7:41 PM on September 12, 2018 [39 favorites]
Politico, GOP senators: No Sessions replacement could get confirmed
Let's just scroll down and...
Let's just scroll down and...
The problem for the White House extends beyond filling the top job at the Justice Department. Trump has for months been mulling the prospect of replacing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is now expected to be dismissed or to resign after the midterm elections, too. Once enamored of the retired Marine general and his nickname, “Mad Dog,” the president bragged to donors, “The guy never loses a battle, never loses.” But Trump has slowly come to realize that Mattis’ political views are more moderate than his sobriquet suggests, and the president has taken to referring to him behind closed doors as “Moderate Dog.”posted by zachlipton at 8:03 PM on September 12, 2018 [25 favorites]
Maybe Mattis just likes to drink rotgut liquor.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:19 PM on September 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Maybe Mattis just likes to drink rotgut liquor.
The ludicrous nickname thing does potentially provide a window into who might actually want the job. If Lindsay Graham starts asking for people to call him Mr. Unpredictable Violent Monster, Esq., it's definitely a sign.
posted by Copronymus at 9:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
The ludicrous nickname thing does potentially provide a window into who might actually want the job. If Lindsay Graham starts asking for people to call him Mr. Unpredictable Violent Monster, Esq., it's definitely a sign.
posted by Copronymus at 9:05 PM on September 12, 2018 [9 favorites]
Chrysostom: "In Rhode Island SD-5 Dem primary, progressive challenger Bell has defeated conservative incumbent Jabour, 46-37."
Bell was endorsed by the Providence DSA. They also endorsed Rachel Miller, who won nomination for a seat on Providence city council.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:10 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Bell was endorsed by the Providence DSA. They also endorsed Rachel Miller, who won nomination for a seat on Providence city council.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:10 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
GOP senators: No Sessions replacement could get confirmed
This sounds exactly like what Republicans would say before the midterms, before confirming AG Seb Gorka after they hold the Senate.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:29 PM on September 12, 2018 [20 favorites]
This sounds exactly like what Republicans would say before the midterms, before confirming AG Seb Gorka after they hold the Senate.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:29 PM on September 12, 2018 [20 favorites]
Rachel Maddow: DHS Transferred $29 Million from the US Coast Guard to ICE.
Because the Coast Guard definitely needs less money and Trump cares about securing borders and hurricane response.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:40 PM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
Because the Coast Guard definitely needs less money and Trump cares about securing borders and hurricane response.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:40 PM on September 12, 2018 [28 favorites]
@aflores: Lawyers for the Trump administration reached a settlement tonight agreeing to allow immigrant parents who were separated from their kids at the border and subsequently had their asylum interview rejected, another chance to have their asylum request reviewed. Attorneys for the 29 plaintiffs said the settlement, if approved by a judge, could cover well over 1,000 immigrant parents. Though cases for deported parents will have to be taken up on a case by case basis. The complaint alleged that because of the trauma of family separation as a result of the “zero tolerance” policy, parents were confused, disoriented, unable to focus on anything other than the whereabouts and well-being of their children, and when they would see their kids again.
posted by zachlipton at 9:45 PM on September 12, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 9:45 PM on September 12, 2018 [19 favorites]
Rachel Maddow: DHS Transferred $29 Million from the US Coast Guard to ICE.
That doesn't even make any sense. The Coast Guard already runs floating prisons as part of the "war on drugs" and spends an awful lot of time patrolling our sea borders. It's not like ICE has much in the way of a navy! Moving money from the Coast Guard to ICE is a ridiculous thing to do.
posted by BungaDunga at 9:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
That doesn't even make any sense. The Coast Guard already runs floating prisons as part of the "war on drugs" and spends an awful lot of time patrolling our sea borders. It's not like ICE has much in the way of a navy! Moving money from the Coast Guard to ICE is a ridiculous thing to do.
posted by BungaDunga at 9:47 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Moving money from the Coast Guard to ICE is a ridiculous thing to do.
Trump thinks the Coast Guard mostly plucks people out of the water -- i.e., does public safety stuff the way FEMA does. This is not something he thinks is of any value, witness the response to Hurricane Maria. So why not use their money for something more politically valuable for the midterms?
That is, when he remembers the Coast Guard exists and realizes it's not exactly the same as the Navy. (CG doesn't need a fucking aircraft carrier, WTF)
posted by suelac at 9:53 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump thinks the Coast Guard mostly plucks people out of the water -- i.e., does public safety stuff the way FEMA does. This is not something he thinks is of any value, witness the response to Hurricane Maria. So why not use their money for something more politically valuable for the midterms?
That is, when he remembers the Coast Guard exists and realizes it's not exactly the same as the Navy. (CG doesn't need a fucking aircraft carrier, WTF)
posted by suelac at 9:53 PM on September 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
BTW, the Coast Guard's funding for 2018 is ~$10.5 billion. That's after Trump initially wanted a 14% cut in his first budget, which Congress prevented (and ultimately increased their budget).
In terms of people, the Coast Guard is about 41,000 active duty uniformed people, 7,000 reservists 8700 civilians and a volunteer auxiliary of 31,000. (The auxiliary isn't typically out there doing rescues, but they do an awful lot of grunt work, community education, safety checks, etc.) They have an enormous amount of territory to cover and a very long list of responsibilities. And, y'know, the hurricane stuff. So again, this is definitely the service that should have its budget cut.
The Coast Guard already runs floating prisons as part of the "war on drugs"
Yeah, that shit isn't okay, either. Most citations I see of that point back to the same stories, so hopefully it doesn't go farther than that, but I'm kinda dreading the eventual revelation that more and/or worse is happening there, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:08 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
In terms of people, the Coast Guard is about 41,000 active duty uniformed people, 7,000 reservists 8700 civilians and a volunteer auxiliary of 31,000. (The auxiliary isn't typically out there doing rescues, but they do an awful lot of grunt work, community education, safety checks, etc.) They have an enormous amount of territory to cover and a very long list of responsibilities. And, y'know, the hurricane stuff. So again, this is definitely the service that should have its budget cut.
The Coast Guard already runs floating prisons as part of the "war on drugs"
Yeah, that shit isn't okay, either. Most citations I see of that point back to the same stories, so hopefully it doesn't go farther than that, but I'm kinda dreading the eventual revelation that more and/or worse is happening there, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:08 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Moving money from the Coast Guard to ICE is a ridiculous thing to do.
If you've been waiting for a price drop on cocaine, Trump's your man!
posted by rhizome at 10:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [24 favorites]
If you've been waiting for a price drop on cocaine, Trump's your man!
posted by rhizome at 10:17 PM on September 12, 2018 [24 favorites]
Moving money from the Coast Guard to ICE is a ridiculous thing to do.
They need money now, they know they can't get it legitimately from Congress. So they just pick a few security/defense related agencies & quietly pull money from them with a vague handwaving explanation & hope nobody notices for a while. It's the Trump Way - everything's interchangeable, all in service to Trump.
posted by scalefree at 10:25 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
They need money now, they know they can't get it legitimately from Congress. So they just pick a few security/defense related agencies & quietly pull money from them with a vague handwaving explanation & hope nobody notices for a while. It's the Trump Way - everything's interchangeable, all in service to Trump.
posted by scalefree at 10:25 PM on September 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Dara Lind writes on why they need money now.
Congress set the budget for ICE to detain 38,000 immigrants at any given time. ICE is detaning more than 40,000, which means they're spending more than budgeted. Congress has repeatedly told ICE to detain fewer people; they have great control over who gets detained and who is released. Instead, they're grabbing money from elsewhere in DHS to make up the shortfall.
Her argument is that it's less important where the money is coming from, and more significant that ICE isn't operating within the constraints even Republicans set in the budget.
posted by zachlipton at 10:33 PM on September 12, 2018 [51 favorites]
Congress set the budget for ICE to detain 38,000 immigrants at any given time. ICE is detaning more than 40,000, which means they're spending more than budgeted. Congress has repeatedly told ICE to detain fewer people; they have great control over who gets detained and who is released. Instead, they're grabbing money from elsewhere in DHS to make up the shortfall.
Her argument is that it's less important where the money is coming from, and more significant that ICE isn't operating within the constraints even Republicans set in the budget.
posted by zachlipton at 10:33 PM on September 12, 2018 [51 favorites]
Trump comes to Texas to uh, help? Ted Cruz.
@TrumpTweetTruc1 #TrumpTweetTruck Fort Worth Texas
posted by scalefree at 10:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
@TrumpTweetTruc1 #TrumpTweetTruck Fort Worth Texas
posted by scalefree at 10:38 PM on September 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Her argument is that it's less important where the money is coming from, and more significant that ICE isn't operating within the constraints even Republicans set in the budget.
Exactly. Trump's a criminal, a sociopath. He needs money to get his way & knows he can't get it legitimately so he steals it. He breaks the theft into pieces to make it less noticeable & only steals from security agencies to make it easier to fake an explanation once it's discovered. Once you set aside any concept of morality & ethics the solution becomes obvious.
posted by scalefree at 10:54 PM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
Exactly. Trump's a criminal, a sociopath. He needs money to get his way & knows he can't get it legitimately so he steals it. He breaks the theft into pieces to make it less noticeable & only steals from security agencies to make it easier to fake an explanation once it's discovered. Once you set aside any concept of morality & ethics the solution becomes obvious.
posted by scalefree at 10:54 PM on September 12, 2018 [17 favorites]
Trump would see it differently, he would say it's "just business".
You know that whole "a corporation is a sociopath" meme? it still applies to a company headed by a sociopath, or a nation
posted by mbo at 1:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
You know that whole "a corporation is a sociopath" meme? it still applies to a company headed by a sociopath, or a nation
posted by mbo at 1:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
RT interviews the Salisbury poisoning suspects who are, of course, just innocent tourists:
“On March 4 we returned [to Salisbury] because everything had melted away in London, there was warm and sunny weather. We specifically went there [again] to see the Old Sarum and the cathedral and decided to finish this thing on March 4," said Petrov.
Simonyan clarified: “What thing?”
“To see the cathedral,” Petrov replied. [REAL]
Satirical site Newsthump got the scoop on this yesterday.
"Once described as a must-see by Magenta de Vine, Petrov and Borishov admitted they were lured by the city’s magnificent thirteenth-century cathedral, which houses the Magna Carta and other extremely interesting relics worth getting on a plane and travelling three-thousand miles at a moment’s notice." [FAKE] [Fake?] [What's the difference any more?]
posted by Buck Alec at 4:18 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
“On March 4 we returned [to Salisbury] because everything had melted away in London, there was warm and sunny weather. We specifically went there [again] to see the Old Sarum and the cathedral and decided to finish this thing on March 4," said Petrov.
Simonyan clarified: “What thing?”
“To see the cathedral,” Petrov replied. [REAL]
Satirical site Newsthump got the scoop on this yesterday.
"Once described as a must-see by Magenta de Vine, Petrov and Borishov admitted they were lured by the city’s magnificent thirteenth-century cathedral, which houses the Magna Carta and other extremely interesting relics worth getting on a plane and travelling three-thousand miles at a moment’s notice." [FAKE] [Fake?] [What's the difference any more?]
posted by Buck Alec at 4:18 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
Her argument is that it's less important where the money is coming from, and more significant that ICE isn't operating within the constraints even Republicans set in the budget.
In other words, the President isn't faithfully executing the Laws of our nation.
Trump would see it differently, he would say it's "just business".
That's an ongoing theme in the Mafia:
In other words, the President isn't faithfully executing the Laws of our nation.
Trump would see it differently, he would say it's "just business".
That's an ongoing theme in the Mafia:
Sonny: You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very personal.and
Michael: Where does it say that you can't kill a cop?
Tom Hagen: C'mon, Mikey!
Michael: I'm talking about a cop that's mixed up in drugs. I'm talking about a dishonest cop...a crooked cop who got mixed up in the rackets and got what was coming to him. That's a terrific story. And we've got newspaper people on the payroll, right, Tom? They might like a story like that.
Tom Hagen: They might, they just might.
Michael: It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.
Tony Soprano: We're soldiers. Soldiers don't go to hell. It's war. Soldiers kill other soldiers. We're in a situation where everyone involved knows the stakes and if you are going to accept those stakes, you've got to do certain things. It's business.posted by mikelieman at 5:12 AM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
If you don't feel like punching a screen avoid Trump's latest tweet on the deaths in Puerto Rico.
posted by PenDevil at 5:42 AM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 5:42 AM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
brb, buying new screen.
——
In other news: What’s Going On with the Economy? It’s the Stimulus, Stupid
(John Cassidy)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
——
In other news: What’s Going On with the Economy? It’s the Stimulus, Stupid
(John Cassidy)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
If you don't feel like punching a screen avoid Trump's latest tweet on the deaths in Puerto Rico.
Oh, look, it gets worse.
posted by zombieflanders at 5:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
Oh, look, it gets worse.
posted by zombieflanders at 5:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
Congress set the budget for ICE to detain 38,000 immigrants at any given time. ICE is detaning more than 40,000, which means they're spending more than budgeted. Congress has repeatedly told ICE to detain fewer people; they have great control over who gets detained and who is released. Instead, they're grabbing money from elsewhere in DHS to make up the shortfall.
Trump violating Congress' power of the purse to fund his own whims instead of those that duly authorized legislation charges him to faithfully execute, as per his Oath of Office, is one of the institutional prerogatives that Congress is supposed to jealously defend. Congress should call impeachment hearings for shenanigans like these regardless of party, lest it become an even more useless body than it currently seems to be.
Congressional Republicans, one and all -- yes, you, so-called "moderate" Susan Collins -- are traitors to the foundational principles of American government.
posted by Gelatin at 5:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [51 favorites]
Trump violating Congress' power of the purse to fund his own whims instead of those that duly authorized legislation charges him to faithfully execute, as per his Oath of Office, is one of the institutional prerogatives that Congress is supposed to jealously defend. Congress should call impeachment hearings for shenanigans like these regardless of party, lest it become an even more useless body than it currently seems to be.
Congressional Republicans, one and all -- yes, you, so-called "moderate" Susan Collins -- are traitors to the foundational principles of American government.
posted by Gelatin at 5:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [51 favorites]
Yeah those Puerto Rico tweets. If there exists anything like seeing something backfire before you even hear the racket, here's the moment. This is going to be big.
posted by Namlit at 6:13 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Namlit at 6:13 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Counterpoint: the last 18 months.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:16 AM on September 13, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:16 AM on September 13, 2018 [64 favorites]
This is going to be big.
If the deaths of 3,000 human beings under his watch and due, in part, to the endemic mendacity and incompetence of his Administration didn't move the needle, you may rest assured that this pair of doddering tweets will have less consequence than a flea's fart in a typhoon.
posted by adamgreenfield at 6:19 AM on September 13, 2018 [34 favorites]
If the deaths of 3,000 human beings under his watch and due, in part, to the endemic mendacity and incompetence of his Administration didn't move the needle, you may rest assured that this pair of doddering tweets will have less consequence than a flea's fart in a typhoon.
posted by adamgreenfield at 6:19 AM on September 13, 2018 [34 favorites]
This is going to be big
I mean, the actual deaths didn't seem to have a "big" effect on him in terms of shifting the narrative or having anyone in the GOP denounce him or even a lot of negative press, so I'm not banking on tweets related to the deaths having a big effect, but who knows? Maybe we can get him banned from Twitter finally for pushing the conspiracy theory that these deaths are a manufactured hoax by Democrats (see zombieflanders tweet link).
posted by mikepop at 6:20 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I mean, the actual deaths didn't seem to have a "big" effect on him in terms of shifting the narrative or having anyone in the GOP denounce him or even a lot of negative press, so I'm not banking on tweets related to the deaths having a big effect, but who knows? Maybe we can get him banned from Twitter finally for pushing the conspiracy theory that these deaths are a manufactured hoax by Democrats (see zombieflanders tweet link).
posted by mikepop at 6:20 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I mean, it could be big if by "big" we mean "the point of no return for the value of fact in the face of self-evidently false propaganda." "Big" in the 2+2=5 sense.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
People who care in the slightest about the welfare and survival of Puerto Ricans are already horrified.
People who think that Cheeto can do no wrong will not be swayed.
The usual talking point sites will be out en masse today to PROVE that Puerto Rico was already broken before the hurricane arrived, Trump personally shielded the island with his body, and when he left it was in perfect condition and better than it was before he arrived. Then MS-13 showed up and murdered thousands of Puerto Ricans in their beds, which is why we need The Wall built.
This will not move the needle one bit. Although I am comforted, very slightly, by the thought of John Kelly reading those tweets and quietly shitting out all of his intestines.
posted by delfin at 6:28 AM on September 13, 2018 [24 favorites]
People who think that Cheeto can do no wrong will not be swayed.
The usual talking point sites will be out en masse today to PROVE that Puerto Rico was already broken before the hurricane arrived, Trump personally shielded the island with his body, and when he left it was in perfect condition and better than it was before he arrived. Then MS-13 showed up and murdered thousands of Puerto Ricans in their beds, which is why we need The Wall built.
This will not move the needle one bit. Although I am comforted, very slightly, by the thought of John Kelly reading those tweets and quietly shitting out all of his intestines.
posted by delfin at 6:28 AM on September 13, 2018 [24 favorites]
I am disinclined to say Trump's tantrum is going to be "big" in any meaningful sense considering how little the death of 3,000 Americans (staggering to write it out) has been covered however.
There is such a thing as the Streisand Effect and Trump's Tweets receive inordinate amounts of coverage compared to their content. I suspect that Trump doing this will make many more people connect "Trump" and "death of 3,000 Americans" than there are right now.
Because in 10, 20, 50 years President Trump will be remembered (at least) for his corruption, internment camps, and the death of 3,000 Americans. It might not be "big" in this moment but it will start the association sooner than later.
posted by Tevin at 6:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
There is such a thing as the Streisand Effect and Trump's Tweets receive inordinate amounts of coverage compared to their content. I suspect that Trump doing this will make many more people connect "Trump" and "death of 3,000 Americans" than there are right now.
Because in 10, 20, 50 years President Trump will be remembered (at least) for his corruption, internment camps, and the death of 3,000 Americans. It might not be "big" in this moment but it will start the association sooner than later.
posted by Tevin at 6:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
Willie Nelson is doing a rally in support of Beto. Willie announced it on Facebook, and was promptly attacked by his followers.
I woke up to that mess this morning, all these comments about socialism and taking our guns away and the vomiting emoji. (Nice fans.) Now, Willie's mostly been coy about his politics, but not always, and they were there if you cared to look. I have no idea whether Willie is registered with anyone (I doubt it), but knowing which causes Willie has supported, it shouldn't be a surprise that he's not a Ted Cruz guy.
All of which is to say that if Willie feels comfortable announcing his support for Beto like this, knowing that it'll cost him fans, well, maybe there's change in the Texas air after all.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:37 AM on September 13, 2018 [77 favorites]
I woke up to that mess this morning, all these comments about socialism and taking our guns away and the vomiting emoji. (Nice fans.) Now, Willie's mostly been coy about his politics, but not always, and they were there if you cared to look. I have no idea whether Willie is registered with anyone (I doubt it), but knowing which causes Willie has supported, it shouldn't be a surprise that he's not a Ted Cruz guy.
All of which is to say that if Willie feels comfortable announcing his support for Beto like this, knowing that it'll cost him fans, well, maybe there's change in the Texas air after all.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:37 AM on September 13, 2018 [77 favorites]
He’s insane. I mean I know we know this but the POTUS is a crazy man
posted by angrycat at 6:38 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 6:38 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
(Sorry -- Willie news item here.)
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Remember when they held congressional investigations for four years over the president allegedly politizing the deaths of FOUR Americans?
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [46 favorites]
This is going to be big.
During the original aftermath of Puerto Rico, when Trump accused the mayor of San Juan of being ungrateful for his (lack of) help and blamed the crisis on her own mis-management, Lin-Manuel Miranda dropped his ordinary Mr.-Rogers-Of-Twitter aspect and tweeted "you're going straight to hell" at him.
The exchange was picked up by most media outlets, and Lin - who was also then promoting his charity song for Puerto Rico - was asked to comment upon it by all three of the big network AM news shows. The approach taken by all articles on the topic was "mercy, wasn't it shocking that someone told the president he was going straight to hell". No one made mention of of "mercy, wasn't it shocking that the president blamed the victims for the aftermath of a hurricane". Even when Lin pointed that out in subsequent interviews, no one commented further upon it.
This current set of tweets is not going to be "big". If Lin cusses the president out again, that would be "big", but he's probably not going to because he's probably been burned.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:41 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
During the original aftermath of Puerto Rico, when Trump accused the mayor of San Juan of being ungrateful for his (lack of) help and blamed the crisis on her own mis-management, Lin-Manuel Miranda dropped his ordinary Mr.-Rogers-Of-Twitter aspect and tweeted "you're going straight to hell" at him.
The exchange was picked up by most media outlets, and Lin - who was also then promoting his charity song for Puerto Rico - was asked to comment upon it by all three of the big network AM news shows. The approach taken by all articles on the topic was "mercy, wasn't it shocking that someone told the president he was going straight to hell". No one made mention of of "mercy, wasn't it shocking that the president blamed the victims for the aftermath of a hurricane". Even when Lin pointed that out in subsequent interviews, no one commented further upon it.
This current set of tweets is not going to be "big". If Lin cusses the president out again, that would be "big", but he's probably not going to because he's probably been burned.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:41 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
Big or little, the way that tweet so cavalierly glides over “anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths” with no acknowledgement of the 6 to 18 lives taken by Maria in the first hours, and all the lives connected to those 6 to 18 who have lived with that loss every hour since (and every hour hence), without even a pause on the way to tweeting his absolution.
Big news or little, the President is a ghoul.
posted by notyou at 6:59 AM on September 13, 2018 [30 favorites]
Big news or little, the President is a ghoul.
posted by notyou at 6:59 AM on September 13, 2018 [30 favorites]
The “big” talking point will be that it’s a different “country” and doesn’t count.
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah those Puerto Rico tweets. If there exists anything like seeing something backfire before you even hear the racket, here's the moment. This is going to be big.
OK, so is there anything at all -- the teeny tiniest of factoids -- to substantiate POTUS's claim that he personally raised "billions of dollars" for Puerto Rico relief? Either I missed the telethon, or that's some next-level pants-on-fire lying bullshit.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
OK, so is there anything at all -- the teeny tiniest of factoids -- to substantiate POTUS's claim that he personally raised "billions of dollars" for Puerto Rico relief? Either I missed the telethon, or that's some next-level pants-on-fire lying bullshit.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Lin - who was also then promoting his charity song for Puerto Rico - was asked to comment upon it by all three of the big network AM news shows. The approach taken by all articles on the topic was "mercy, wasn't it shocking that someone told the president he was going straight to hell". No one made mention of of "mercy, wasn't it shocking that the president blamed the victims for the aftermath of a hurricane". Even when Lin pointed that out in subsequent interviews
Part of the media's function is enforcing norms. And Republicans, dependent as they are on violating political norms -- kind of odd, for a party that bills itself as "conservative," come to think of it -- attack this vital function with their phony accusations of a "liberal media."
Effectively, as it turns out, because the media is completely inadequate in dealing with Trump, who violates norms constantly and yet presents as having no shame.
posted by Gelatin at 7:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Part of the media's function is enforcing norms. And Republicans, dependent as they are on violating political norms -- kind of odd, for a party that bills itself as "conservative," come to think of it -- attack this vital function with their phony accusations of a "liberal media."
Effectively, as it turns out, because the media is completely inadequate in dealing with Trump, who violates norms constantly and yet presents as having no shame.
posted by Gelatin at 7:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000... If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!
He's using exactly the same logic as the "that exaggerated death toll was actually caused by disease due to the Allies bombing railways" Holocaust deniers. It's like Himmler himself tweeting "Do you have any idea how long it takes for a modern crematorium to render a single corpse to ash, much less millions? The numbers just don't add up!"
Or like Trump tweeting the same thing two years from now.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:26 AM on September 13, 2018 [38 favorites]
He's using exactly the same logic as the "that exaggerated death toll was actually caused by disease due to the Allies bombing railways" Holocaust deniers. It's like Himmler himself tweeting "Do you have any idea how long it takes for a modern crematorium to render a single corpse to ash, much less millions? The numbers just don't add up!"
Or like Trump tweeting the same thing two years from now.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:26 AM on September 13, 2018 [38 favorites]
mmoncur: Polls are just going to become less and less accurate if they continue to rely on phones.
Depends on how polls are conducted. For instance, the USC/Los Angeles Times Daybreak tracking poll relied on the same panel of approximately 3,200 people, questioning about 450 of them each day in order to get to everyone each week, and for what it's worth, their results saw Trump's win coming.
538 defended the poll, in part by saying it's generally a bad idea to attack any one poll if it doesn't match your beliefs and hopes for outcomes, because you're trying to reinforce your biases.
There are polling and survey companies who maintain a reliable pool of respondents, in part to ensure that they have a statistically valid sample of whatever population they want to represent. In part, this addresses what has been recognized as a growing problem since at least 2015, as noted in that 538 article on polling, which also noted where polls were wrong in underestimating conservative turn-out in the US and UK, only after polls failed to capture the movement in the opposite direction in 2012.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Depends on how polls are conducted. For instance, the USC/Los Angeles Times Daybreak tracking poll relied on the same panel of approximately 3,200 people, questioning about 450 of them each day in order to get to everyone each week, and for what it's worth, their results saw Trump's win coming.
538 defended the poll, in part by saying it's generally a bad idea to attack any one poll if it doesn't match your beliefs and hopes for outcomes, because you're trying to reinforce your biases.
There are polling and survey companies who maintain a reliable pool of respondents, in part to ensure that they have a statistically valid sample of whatever population they want to represent. In part, this addresses what has been recognized as a growing problem since at least 2015, as noted in that 538 article on polling, which also noted where polls were wrong in underestimating conservative turn-out in the US and UK, only after polls failed to capture the movement in the opposite direction in 2012.
The concern isn’t solely with pre-election “horse race” polls, however. Although they receive a lot of attention, they represent a small fraction of what the public opinion industry does. At AAPOR, there were also representatives of groups ranging from government agencies like the Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to commercial measurement groups like the Nielsen Co. All of them rely on random-sample surveys of some kind or another. So do economists; many essential statistics, from the monthly jobs report to consumer confidence figures, are drawn from surveys.American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) set up an Ad Hoc Committee to look into Spam Flagging and Call Blocking and Its Impact on Survey Research, producing what looks to be an extensive survey of the issue, circa April 2017.
...
So then … what should we do if polling is getting harder?
For data-driven journalists like us at FiveThirtyEight, some of the answers are obvious. There’s a lot of reporting and research to be done on under what circumstances polls perform relatively better and worse. Other answers are more esoteric. For instance, if pollsters move away from purely random samples toward other techniques, the error distributions may change too. At the most basic level, it’s important for news organizations like FiveThirtyEight to continue forecasting elections. It can be easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize after the fact — we’ve done it ourselves at times — but given the pitfalls of hindsight bias that does little to advance knowledge or accountability.
Likewise, it’s essential for polling firms to continue publishing pre-election surveys. While horse-race polls represent a small fraction of all surveys, they provide for relatively rare “natural experiments” by allowing survey research techniques to be tested against objective real-world outcomes.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Effectively, as it turns out, because the media is completely inadequate in dealing with Trump, who violates norms constantly and yet presents as having no shame.
Supporting evidence: ‘The Daily Show’ Breaks Down Trump’s History of 9/11 Fails: From ‘Weird’ to ‘Hateful’ - Matt Wilstein, The Daily Beast. - "‘Trump has been saying bizarre, emotionally out-of-step shit about 9/11 since 9/11,’ Trevor Noah said."
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
Supporting evidence: ‘The Daily Show’ Breaks Down Trump’s History of 9/11 Fails: From ‘Weird’ to ‘Hateful’ - Matt Wilstein, The Daily Beast. - "‘Trump has been saying bizarre, emotionally out-of-step shit about 9/11 since 9/11,’ Trevor Noah said."
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
Once, just ONCE, I want to see it reported as "Trump lies about the death toll in Puerto Rico."
The original NYT article as it popped up on my phone said "Trump falsely claimed" blah blah but even that has been deleted already. Go figure.
posted by lydhre at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
The original NYT article as it popped up on my phone said "Trump falsely claimed" blah blah but even that has been deleted already. Go figure.
posted by lydhre at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
Willie Nelson doubles down on his support for Beto. “My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto and we share his concern for the direction things are headed,” Nelson said in the press release. “Beto embodies what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”
This will be Willie's first-ever concert in support of a political candidate.
There looks to be pushback on the FB comments now. Against the comments that Willie is now a Communist, people are pointing out the half-billion dollars he's raised for Farm Aid, and one woman declared that in support of Willie, she's made a donation to Beto's campaign in the amount of $4.20.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [96 favorites]
This will be Willie's first-ever concert in support of a political candidate.
There looks to be pushback on the FB comments now. Against the comments that Willie is now a Communist, people are pointing out the half-billion dollars he's raised for Farm Aid, and one woman declared that in support of Willie, she's made a donation to Beto's campaign in the amount of $4.20.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [96 favorites]
This certainly ought to be big, morally and practically.
Yeah I guess that's more or less what I was thinking. I'm certainly not doing many predictions any more either (...the fatigue!), but I did find the timing here, let's say, piquant: with a big storm looming, there are so many ways these tweets could turn sour in only a few days. But okay okay.
[If someone three years would have predicted to me that we would be dealing with world politics per tweet at this time, I wouldn't...and yet, here we are.]
posted by Namlit at 7:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah I guess that's more or less what I was thinking. I'm certainly not doing many predictions any more either (...the fatigue!), but I did find the timing here, let's say, piquant: with a big storm looming, there are so many ways these tweets could turn sour in only a few days. But okay okay.
[If someone three years would have predicted to me that we would be dealing with world politics per tweet at this time, I wouldn't...and yet, here we are.]
posted by Namlit at 7:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Why is it that the -Rs only discover they have a spine when they're not running for re-election.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:41 AM on September 13, 2018
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:41 AM on September 13, 2018
Is this where the latest big news involving the (other) criminal behavior Trump's trying to cover up with today's outrageous tweet comes to light?
posted by Rykey at 7:47 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 7:47 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Is this where the latest big news involving the (other) criminal behavior Trump's trying to cover up with today's outrageous tweet comes to light?
I don't even care at this point, to be honest. 3000 people died and this fuck is not only not accepting any responsibility for HIS administration's handling of the situation, he's denying that it happened at all and is blaming his political enemies for it. These statements are a fascist soup of criminality and racism in and of themselves and I don't care if he's using them as a diversion because they deserve all the attention they're going to get (which, actually, won't be enough).
posted by lydhre at 7:52 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
I don't even care at this point, to be honest. 3000 people died and this fuck is not only not accepting any responsibility for HIS administration's handling of the situation, he's denying that it happened at all and is blaming his political enemies for it. These statements are a fascist soup of criminality and racism in and of themselves and I don't care if he's using them as a diversion because they deserve all the attention they're going to get (which, actually, won't be enough).
posted by lydhre at 7:52 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
they deserve all the attention they're going to get (which, actually, won't be enough)
Anything short of journalists refusing to ask questions about anything except this lie until he recants (which he wouldn't, so... forever) wouldn't be enough.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Anything short of journalists refusing to ask questions about anything except this lie until he recants (which he wouldn't, so... forever) wouldn't be enough.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Anything short of journalists refusing to ask questions about anything except this lie until he recants (which he wouldn't, so... forever) wouldn't be enough.
Ask questions? That would be at those briefings that are no longer happening?
posted by scalefree at 8:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ask questions? That would be at those briefings that are no longer happening?
posted by scalefree at 8:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
surely this
posted by entropicamericana at 8:07 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 8:07 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm certainly not doing many predictions any more either
And I was sincere when I said "who knows" - maybe this will get picked up and dominate the news cycle for the day and re-focus attention on the people who were killed. I can't predict anything anymore either!
posted by mikepop at 8:12 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
And I was sincere when I said "who knows" - maybe this will get picked up and dominate the news cycle for the day and re-focus attention on the people who were killed. I can't predict anything anymore either!
posted by mikepop at 8:12 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm no electioneer, but I think maybe "if you die, our party will give you the goddamn common courtesy of counting you as a statistic" could be a campaign platform, if it were worded a little more delicately.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:14 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:14 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
> "if you die, our party will give you the goddamn common courtesy of counting you as a statistic" could be a campaign platform, if it were worded a little more delicately.
I'm sorry to put this indelicately, but those people were US citizens of the wrong color (brown in this case, black for Katrina) and their deaths count as features to the Republican base at this point.
When you see "Promises made, promises kept" signs at Trump campaign rallies, they aren't talking about the tax cuts for billionaires.
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm sorry to put this indelicately, but those people were US citizens of the wrong color (brown in this case, black for Katrina) and their deaths count as features to the Republican base at this point.
When you see "Promises made, promises kept" signs at Trump campaign rallies, they aren't talking about the tax cuts for billionaires.
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm no electioneer, but I think maybe "if you die, our party will give you the goddamn common courtesy of counting you as a statistic" could be a campaign platform, if it were worded a little more delicately.
"We'll make sure to tally your corpse after you die from gross negligence" is neoliberal centrism par excellence: all that's missing is "we will also offer a tax credit for the families of the dead." How about trying "we will make sure you don't die?" It would have been a welcome message from many Democratic candidates and officials this last decade or three.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
"We'll make sure to tally your corpse after you die from gross negligence" is neoliberal centrism par excellence: all that's missing is "we will also offer a tax credit for the families of the dead." How about trying "we will make sure you don't die?" It would have been a welcome message from many Democratic candidates and officials this last decade or three.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
The Fix Is In
According to a story just out this morning in Politico, Trump and Manafort still have a joint defense agreement in place, which is to say that everything that Trump’s lawyers and Manafort’s lawyers find out in the course of the probe they can share with each other.Relying on the Pardon
Here’s a key passage …Giuliani also confirmed that Trump’s lawyers and Manafort’s have been in regular contact and that they are part of a joint defense agreement that allows confidential information sharing.
“All during the investigation we have an open communication with them,” he said. “Defense lawyers talk to each other all the time where as long as our clients authorize it therefore we have a better idea of what’s going to happen. That’s very common.”
...we didn’t know until today that such an agreement existed with Manafort. That tells us that the communication that was probable and covert is actually formal and robust. From a political and right and wrong point of view, there’s a pretty basic point here. Manafort is on trial for money laundering, bank fraud and a few other specific crimes tied to his work for pro-Russian political figures in Ukraine. What’s the rationale for being in a JDA at all? What do they need to share notes, share information and coordinate strategy about? I think we know the answer to that.posted by kirkaracha at 8:32 AM on September 13, 2018 [57 favorites]
...
I didn’t have much doubt that Trump and Manafort had a tacit deal about staying quiet and getting a pardon. This makes me pretty confident that agreement is explicit.
Exclusive: Audio Reveals Potentially Illegal Coordination Between NRA and Montana Senate Hopeful Matt Rosendale
posted by Artw at 8:41 AM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:41 AM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
Democrats have nominated 182 women for the House. Previous record? 120.
posted by chris24 at 8:43 AM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:43 AM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
Given Trump's tweets on Puerto Rico, a House committee investigation into the number of deaths and the administration's response is one of the first things a D House should do.
posted by chris24 at 8:44 AM on September 13, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:44 AM on September 13, 2018 [41 favorites]
Reminder that New York state offices primaries are tonight. Previews from DKE, Vox, WP.
Active MF thread here.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Active MF thread here.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Asked about Trump's Puerto Rico tweet, Paul Ryan:
"[T]here is no reason to dispute these numbers. This is a devastating storm that hit an isolated island. And that’s really no one’s fault. It’s just what happened."
The storm happened, and wasn't anyone's fault.
The botched response also happened, and was Trump's fault.
And because Trump happened in part due to spinelessness and craven opportunism of Republicans such as Ryan, it's their fault too.
posted by Gelatin at 8:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [48 favorites]
"[T]here is no reason to dispute these numbers. This is a devastating storm that hit an isolated island. And that’s really no one’s fault. It’s just what happened."
The storm happened, and wasn't anyone's fault.
The botched response also happened, and was Trump's fault.
And because Trump happened in part due to spinelessness and craven opportunism of Republicans such as Ryan, it's their fault too.
posted by Gelatin at 8:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [48 favorites]
Rick Scott is going to try and pack the Florida Supreme Court with far right wing judges when he leaves office.
tl;dr, we could easily have a situation where:
•Two men claim to be governor at once
•Each makes dueling appointments to the Florida Supreme Court
•The court itself has to decide which are legitimate
posted by Chrysostom at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [19 favorites]
tl;dr, we could easily have a situation where:
•Two men claim to be governor at once
•Each makes dueling appointments to the Florida Supreme Court
•The court itself has to decide which are legitimate
posted by Chrysostom at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [19 favorites]
The duel argument is starting to make sense again.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by schadenfrau at 9:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Two Republican Congressmen Hobnob With an Alleged Holocaust Denier. Again.
In Rohrabacher‘s defense, he represents Russia, which is heavily backing international fascism, so meetings like this might be a little unavoidable for him.
posted by Artw at 9:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
In Rohrabacher‘s defense, he represents Russia, which is heavily backing international fascism, so meetings like this might be a little unavoidable for him.
posted by Artw at 9:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
Follow the money. Payback time for the military industrial complex.
Legislation to give Israel $38 billion over the next ten years is currently working its way through Congress. This is the largest military aid package in U.S. history.
posted by adamvasco at 9:02 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Legislation to give Israel $38 billion over the next ten years is currently working its way through Congress. This is the largest military aid package in U.S. history.
posted by adamvasco at 9:02 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Musical Interlude: Fugue on 'Donald Trump is a Wanker'
posted by neroli at 9:09 AM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by neroli at 9:09 AM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Two Republican Congressmen Hobnob With an Alleged Holocaust Denier. Again.
Alleged? Alleged?
“I do not and never have believed the six million figure. I think the Red Cross numbers of 250,000 dead in the camps from typhus are more realistic. I think the Allied bombing of Germany was a ware [sic] crime. I agree…about Auschwitz and the gas chambers not being real.”
The article's response: But he maintained that he had made these “anti-Semitic” remarks only as part of an ongoing project to determine what speech would be limited or smothered by the tech companies that manage popular social media platforms. He was asserting that his Reddit comments were part of a secret trolling experiment he was running.
They take him at his word when he says "it was a troll, bro. u triggered?" Good lord. Do better, Mother Jones.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
Alleged? Alleged?
“I do not and never have believed the six million figure. I think the Red Cross numbers of 250,000 dead in the camps from typhus are more realistic. I think the Allied bombing of Germany was a ware [sic] crime. I agree…about Auschwitz and the gas chambers not being real.”
The article's response: But he maintained that he had made these “anti-Semitic” remarks only as part of an ongoing project to determine what speech would be limited or smothered by the tech companies that manage popular social media platforms. He was asserting that his Reddit comments were part of a secret trolling experiment he was running.
They take him at his word when he says "it was a troll, bro. u triggered?" Good lord. Do better, Mother Jones.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
Third—and perhaps most ominously for Florida’s democracy—Scott’s plan could lead to a bona fide constitutional crisis in which two people claim to be governor at once. Although Florida’s governors are usually sworn in around noon, their terms begin at midnight by the plain language of the state constitution. So, theoretically, if Gillum won, he would become governor at 12 a.m. on Jan. 8. But is a governor really governor until he’s sworn in? No one seems to know, and so Gillum could demand a midnight swearing-in ceremony, as past governors have, to avoid appointments chicanery.
Offhand, I would say that if the plain language of the constitution provides for term expiry at midnight, that the swearing in is a mere formality. There might be an analogy to be made in the case of the death of a President or monarch. LBJ became President at the moment of JFK's death, not at the moment of being sworn in. Queen Liz became the monarch at the moment King George died, not at the moment of her coronation. There was no moment at which the US did not have a President. If the old governor's term expires at midnight, then the governorship has necessarily passed to the new governor.
The article doesn't quite get into this, so: even if the old governor makes these nominations, what obligation is the new governor under to give final approval to them? I'm not sure I understand why the new governor can't withhold his consent.
Of course, the whole question could be avoided if everyone acted in honourably and in good faith, but those days are gone.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:15 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
Offhand, I would say that if the plain language of the constitution provides for term expiry at midnight, that the swearing in is a mere formality. There might be an analogy to be made in the case of the death of a President or monarch. LBJ became President at the moment of JFK's death, not at the moment of being sworn in. Queen Liz became the monarch at the moment King George died, not at the moment of her coronation. There was no moment at which the US did not have a President. If the old governor's term expires at midnight, then the governorship has necessarily passed to the new governor.
The article doesn't quite get into this, so: even if the old governor makes these nominations, what obligation is the new governor under to give final approval to them? I'm not sure I understand why the new governor can't withhold his consent.
Of course, the whole question could be avoided if everyone acted in honourably and in good faith, but those days are gone.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:15 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
Given Trump's tweets on Puerto Rico, a House committee investigation into the number of deaths and the administration's response is one of the first things a D House should do.
Sen. Harris introduced the COUNT Victims Act (Counting Our Unexpected Natural Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018) in early June.
Sen. Harris introduced the COUNT Victims Act (Counting Our Unexpected Natural Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018) in early June.
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contract with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a study of matters concerning best practices in mortality counts as a result of a major disaster. A report on the study must be completed and transmitted to FEMA within two years after the contract date of September 30, 2018.posted by Iris Gambol at 9:20 AM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
The study shall address approaches to quantifying mortality and significant morbidity among populations affected by major disasters and shall include best practices and policy recommendations.
The article's response: But he maintained that he had made these “anti-Semitic” remarks only as part of an ongoing project to determine what speech would be limited or smothered by the tech companies that manage popular social media platforms. He was asserting that his Reddit comments were part of a secret trolling experiment he was running.
They take him at his word when he says "it was a troll, bro. u triggered?" Good lord. Do better, Mother Jones.
Good work on scare quoting anti-Semitic, too. Like MJ wouldn't go as far as to say that actual holocaust denial would be anti-Semitic.
posted by jaduncan at 9:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
They take him at his word when he says "it was a troll, bro. u triggered?" Good lord. Do better, Mother Jones.
Good work on scare quoting anti-Semitic, too. Like MJ wouldn't go as far as to say that actual holocaust denial would be anti-Semitic.
posted by jaduncan at 9:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
Is this where the latest big news involving the (other) criminal behavior Trump's trying to cover up with today's outrageous tweet comes to light?
The first thing to check in such cases is what news stories have been recently playing on cable news, a thankless task Media Matter's Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) has taken up:
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
The first thing to check in such cases is what news stories have been recently playing on cable news, a thankless task Media Matter's Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) has taken up:
.@JohnAvlon on CNN, seven minutes before the president's tweet denying the Puerto Rico dead: "There are nearly 3,000 humans dead. And the lack of focus on that fact, and the fact that there hasn't been an official inquest, there hasn't been a full lessons learned, is a scandal."[...]Sometimes we learn, well after the fact, that something significant behind the scenes set off one of Trump's Twitter rants, but typically, these are triggered merely by him reacting to his TV during "executive time".
Here's the video of the Camerota-Avlon discussion that probably spurred the Trump conspiracy theory.
https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1040252899056594945/video/1
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Downballot good news:
He’s a veteran state representative who has railed against immigrants “getting everything” at the expense of people born and raised in the state. She’s a 27-year-old former Afghan refugee making her first run for political office.posted by Chrysostom at 9:32 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
So when the tally from Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Concord, N.H., was announced, even Safiya Wazir said she was astounded. She hadn’t just beaten state Representative Dick Patten, a 66-year-old former city councilor. She crushed him, winning 329 votes to his 143.
@steve_vladeck: It looks like Colonel Spath (late of the Al-Nashiri #GTMO military commission) may be one of Attorney General Sessions' new immigration judges—meaning he was hired by DOJ while presiding over the case. Suffice it to say, Nashiri's lawyers have questions
Here's the filing in which Nashiri's lawyers are extremely WTF? while setting out Spath's concerning behavior and hostility toward the defense over the last year.
“On March 4 we returned [to Salisbury] because everything had melted away in London, there was warm and sunny weather. We specifically went there [again] to see the Old Sarum and the cathedral and decided to finish this thing on March 4," said Petrov. Simonyan clarified: “What thing?” “To see the cathedral,” Petrov replied. [REAL]
Please enjoy the BBC's incredibly dry wit [video], which consists of playing the clip in which they explain they just went all the way there to see the cathedral, then presenter Simon McCoy saying "That was Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are very keen on steeples."
posted by zachlipton at 9:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
Here's the filing in which Nashiri's lawyers are extremely WTF? while setting out Spath's concerning behavior and hostility toward the defense over the last year.
According to publicly available information from the Department of Justice, at all times relevant to this appeal, Colonel Vance Spath, United States Air Force (Ret.), was engaged in employment negotiations with the Department of Justice, a party opponent, while presiding over this case. At the very least, the appearance of bias requires all of the orders currently before the court to be vacated.----
“On March 4 we returned [to Salisbury] because everything had melted away in London, there was warm and sunny weather. We specifically went there [again] to see the Old Sarum and the cathedral and decided to finish this thing on March 4," said Petrov. Simonyan clarified: “What thing?” “To see the cathedral,” Petrov replied. [REAL]
Please enjoy the BBC's incredibly dry wit [video], which consists of playing the clip in which they explain they just went all the way there to see the cathedral, then presenter Simon McCoy saying "That was Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are very keen on steeples."
posted by zachlipton at 9:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
Stephen Colbert Roasts ‘Scared’ Ted Cruz for Buying ‘Late Show’ Ads to Counter Beto O’Rourke
“Beto is running in Texas against incumbent senator and man whose campaign staff is definitely watching this show right now, Ted Cruz, because it is close, which is scaring Republicans,” Colbert said. This summer, Texas Republicans practically begged President Donald Trump to campaign for Cruz. “You know it’s bad when you need backup from a man with a 36-percentapproval rating,” he added. “Their backup plan is a celebrity endorsement from the herpes virus.”posted by kirkaracha at 9:51 AM on September 13, 2018 [56 favorites]
...
The host also mocked the Texas GOP’s personal attacks on O’Rourke, including one in which they posted a photo of O’Rourke from his punk rock days with the caption, “Maybe Beto can’t debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans.”
“Yes, his plans were being smoking hot in a naughty but approachable sort of way, like your best friend’s older brother who smells like weed and listens to Radiohead,” Colbert said. “Read us your poems, Beto!” Another Cruz ad highlights O’Rourke dropping a few F-bombs. “Beto is a dirty-minded potty mouth,” the host said. “You must protect the values of Texas, and vote for the man who likes threesome porn on Twitter.”
For Older Voters, Getting The Right ID Can Be Especially Tough (NPR, September 7, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
Nearly three dozen states require voters to show identification at the polls. And almost half of those states want photo IDs. But there are millions of eligible voters who don't have them. A 2012 survey (PDF) estimated that 7 percent of American adults lack a government-issued photo ID.Fuck yes, Spread The Vote.
While some organizations have sued to overturn these laws, a nonprofit organization called Spread The Vote has taken a different tack: It helps people without IDs get them. And people over 50 years of age have presented some of their biggest challenges.
On a recent Tuesday morning in Austell, Ga., 53-year-old Pamela Moon tried to get a replacement for an ID she had lost. She worked with a Spread The Vote volunteer at the Sweetwater Mission. The group sends volunteers to the mission every other Tuesday, so that people who come for food and clothes can get help obtaining a Georgia ID at the same time.
Georgia is one of seven states with particularly strict voter ID requirements, which demand that voters show a government-issued photo ID in order to cast a ballot in person. Advocates for voter ID laws argue that showing identification at the polls reduces the incidence of voter fraud, although studies have repeatedly shown that in-person voter fraud is extremely rare.
Moon never had a driver's license. "I can drive," she said, but she never got her license, "'cause I can't afford to buy no car."
Bill Cox, a volunteer for Spread The Vote, told Moon she needs a birth certificate to get a replacement ID. She lost that, too, she said.
"We will help you get that," Cox told her. "We will pay for it."
posted by filthy light thief at 10:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
There's also an incredibly vague story in The Intercept that apparently involves a letter that somehow recounts second-hand something that involves "an incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman while they were in high school." It mainly serves to attack Sen. Feinstein for keeping it under wraps, and I hesitate to even post it here, particularly given the lack of any indication that the source or sources for this information want it shared in any way right now, but that's it.
Statement from Sen. Feinstein:
posted by zachlipton at 10:15 AM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
Statement from Sen. Feinstein:
I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.Ah, the Department of Justice. I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of this.
posted by zachlipton at 10:15 AM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
In case anyone wants to look at the facts about PR death toll, the study is here(pdf)
posted by thelonius at 10:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 10:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
the USC/Los Angeles Times Daybreak tracking poll relied on the same panel of approximately 3,200 people, questioning about 450 of them each day in order to get to everyone each week, and for what it's worth, their results saw Trump's win coming.
That's not how it works! The LA Times daybreak poll was among the worst and least accurate polls in 2016. If your poll says Trump will win the popular vote by 5% and then Clinton wins the popular vote by 3% but Trump becomes President anyway because of old white supremacist bullshit electoral votes, your poll didn't "see Trump's win coming". You missed the result by 8% and were way less accurate than polls which said Clinton +5 or Clinton +6. (Which are only off by 2 or 3%).
Which isn't to say that tracking polls aren't, as Nate Silver pointed out in the article linked, useful for stuff. But the Daybreak poll was... not good.
posted by Justinian at 10:28 AM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
That's not how it works! The LA Times daybreak poll was among the worst and least accurate polls in 2016. If your poll says Trump will win the popular vote by 5% and then Clinton wins the popular vote by 3% but Trump becomes President anyway because of old white supremacist bullshit electoral votes, your poll didn't "see Trump's win coming". You missed the result by 8% and were way less accurate than polls which said Clinton +5 or Clinton +6. (Which are only off by 2 or 3%).
Which isn't to say that tracking polls aren't, as Nate Silver pointed out in the article linked, useful for stuff. But the Daybreak poll was... not good.
posted by Justinian at 10:28 AM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
Also, the electoral college has unique effects where small changes in certain locations can have outsize effects. That's not true in other types of races.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:35 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:35 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Feinstein thing is so weird. There's obviously an accusation against Kavanaugh from when he was in high school. But I'm not sure what the individual wants to see happen here? Feinstein was already going to vote no and no secret memo will change anything for here, but since the woman has asked for confidentiality (which means the accusation itself is secret) none of the other Senators will or should be influenced by it. And referring it to the feds won't do anything; we're well beyond the statute of limitations for something that happened 35 years.
Even a non-shitty DOJ, which this isn't, wouldn't spend finite resources investigating a 35 year old cold case involving high schoolers that is way way beyond the statute of limitations.
So I just don't understand this at all.
posted by Justinian at 10:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Even a non-shitty DOJ, which this isn't, wouldn't spend finite resources investigating a 35 year old cold case involving high schoolers that is way way beyond the statute of limitations.
So I just don't understand this at all.
posted by Justinian at 10:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Because in 10, 20, 50 years President Trump will be remembered (at least) for his corruption, internment camps, and the death of 3,000 Americans.
Perhaps you haven't noticed but GW Bush, whose neglect killed 2000 in New Orleans, has his reputation is in full rehabilitation mode, and that was just 13 years ago. How soon they forget.
Didn't you see that GIF of George slipping a piece of candy to Michelle Obama at the McCain funeral? He's adorable!
posted by JackFlash at 10:40 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
Perhaps you haven't noticed but GW Bush, whose neglect killed 2000 in New Orleans, has his reputation is in full rehabilitation mode, and that was just 13 years ago. How soon they forget.
Didn't you see that GIF of George slipping a piece of candy to Michelle Obama at the McCain funeral? He's adorable!
posted by JackFlash at 10:40 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
Trump: U.S. will never default 'because you print the money'. (David Wright, CNN, May 10, 2016 article)
"People said I want to go and buy debt and default on debt, and I mean, these people are crazy. This is the United States government," Trump told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?"
...
"I said if we can buy back government debt at a discount, in other words, if interest rates go up and we can buy bonds back at a discount -- if we are liquid enough as a country, we should do that," Trump said. "In other words, we can buy back debt at a discount."
Trump told Gary Cohn to 'print money' to lower the national debt, according to Bob Woodward's book. (John W. Schoen, CNBC, 11 Sept 2018 article)
"Just run the presses — print money," Trump said, according to Woodward, during a discussion on the national debt with Gary Cohn, former director of the White House National Economic Council.
"You don't get to do it that way," Cohn said, according to Woodward. "We have huge deficits and they matter. The government doesn't keep a balance sheet like that."
Cohn was "astounded at Trump's lack of basic understanding," Woodward writes.
...
The president also floated an idea for making money from the recent rise in interest rates, according to Woodward.
"We should just go borrow a lot of money, hold it, and then sell it to make money," Trump reportedly said.
posted by phoque at 10:53 AM on September 13, 2018 [23 favorites]
"People said I want to go and buy debt and default on debt, and I mean, these people are crazy. This is the United States government," Trump told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?"
...
"I said if we can buy back government debt at a discount, in other words, if interest rates go up and we can buy bonds back at a discount -- if we are liquid enough as a country, we should do that," Trump said. "In other words, we can buy back debt at a discount."
Trump told Gary Cohn to 'print money' to lower the national debt, according to Bob Woodward's book. (John W. Schoen, CNBC, 11 Sept 2018 article)
"Just run the presses — print money," Trump said, according to Woodward, during a discussion on the national debt with Gary Cohn, former director of the White House National Economic Council.
"You don't get to do it that way," Cohn said, according to Woodward. "We have huge deficits and they matter. The government doesn't keep a balance sheet like that."
Cohn was "astounded at Trump's lack of basic understanding," Woodward writes.
...
The president also floated an idea for making money from the recent rise in interest rates, according to Woodward.
"We should just go borrow a lot of money, hold it, and then sell it to make money," Trump reportedly said.
posted by phoque at 10:53 AM on September 13, 2018 [23 favorites]
So... issue bonds?
posted by Justinian at 10:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
@lesserfrederick
Many people don't know this, but Puerto Rico is a territory subject to the jurisdiction of Congress and lacks the same level of de jure autonomy as a state, making the federal government more responsible for its welfare than that of a state, not less.
posted by Artw at 10:58 AM on September 13, 2018 [78 favorites]
Many people don't know this, but Puerto Rico is a territory subject to the jurisdiction of Congress and lacks the same level of de jure autonomy as a state, making the federal government more responsible for its welfare than that of a state, not less.
posted by Artw at 10:58 AM on September 13, 2018 [78 favorites]
The trillion-dollar platinum coin* strikes again!
*Offer no longer valid
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
*Offer no longer valid
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Cohn was "astounded at Trump's lack of basic understanding," Woodward writes.
Really? He is just figuring this out?
posted by Melismata at 11:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
Really? He is just figuring this out?
posted by Melismata at 11:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
This comic in The Nib about "when wrongdoing had consequences" speaks volumes. Trump's "just business" attitude is consistent with the mafia, but it's also consistent with the Republican Party and much of Wall Street. And the popularity of "The Sopranos" already normalized mafia thinking with a lot of America before Trump started campaigning.
No, his Puerto Rico tweets today won't "be big", but they will continue to chip away at his already crumbling support, and it's just kind of encouraging that he is incapable of any kind of 'pivot'... painful while it happens, but leading to a major sea change in the mid-terms and beyond.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
No, his Puerto Rico tweets today won't "be big", but they will continue to chip away at his already crumbling support, and it's just kind of encouraging that he is incapable of any kind of 'pivot'... painful while it happens, but leading to a major sea change in the mid-terms and beyond.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:01 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
So I just don't understand this at all.
As Michael Scott says, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
As Michael Scott says, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Foreign Disaster Assistance Chief under Obama chimes in with some very relevant perspective and information regarding 45's Puerto Rico tweets.
The tl;dr is in the second tweet:
As I have written before, it is *exceedingly rare* to see a major wave of secondary mortality after a natural disaster. This is because, usually, a robust relief effort comes in to stabilize the population and address urgent needs.
(the other recent example of significant secondary mortality being Katrina, obv)
posted by johnny jenga at 11:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [62 favorites]
The tl;dr is in the second tweet:
As I have written before, it is *exceedingly rare* to see a major wave of secondary mortality after a natural disaster. This is because, usually, a robust relief effort comes in to stabilize the population and address urgent needs.
(the other recent example of significant secondary mortality being Katrina, obv)
posted by johnny jenga at 11:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [62 favorites]
WP:
Congressional leaders from both parties have finalized a plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month over President Trump’s demands to fund a border wall, and postpone that fight until after the November midterm elections.posted by Chrysostom at 11:08 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
The bipartisan pact, announced on Thursday by Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), reflects the desire of Republican leaders to avoid a nasty shutdown fight weeks before the midterm elections — even if it means sacrificing, at least for now, one of Trump’s most prominent policy goals.
House GOP leadership aides say they believe the White House is on board with their approach, but no one can be sure what Trump ultimately will do.
so uh I noticed something in chapter 19 of the Woodward book:
Several days later Wilbur Ross laid out the reasoning on the importance of trade deficits. Echoing the president, Ross said trade deficits are the lodestar and were a mark of our economic instability and weakness.posted by theodolite at 11:18 AM on September 13, 2018 [31 favorites]
They take him at his word when he says "it was a troll, bro. u triggered?" Good lord. Do better, Mother Jones.
It doesn't matter if you say Nazi stuff because you're trolling. If you say Nazi stuff, you should get the social opprobrium you deserve, even if you're too cowardly to own your words.
posted by Gelatin at 11:22 AM on September 13, 2018 [40 favorites]
It doesn't matter if you say Nazi stuff because you're trolling. If you say Nazi stuff, you should get the social opprobrium you deserve, even if you're too cowardly to own your words.
posted by Gelatin at 11:22 AM on September 13, 2018 [40 favorites]
Even a non-shitty DOJ, which this isn't, wouldn't spend finite resources investigating a 35 year old cold case involving high schoolers that is way way beyond the statute of limitations.
Not all crimes are governed by statutes of limitation. Murder, for example, has none. In some states sex offenses with minors, crimes of violence, kidnapping, arson, and forgery have no statutes of limitation. In Arizona and California crimes involving public money or public records have no statutes of limitation. While in Colorado, treason has none.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:26 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not all crimes are governed by statutes of limitation. Murder, for example, has none. In some states sex offenses with minors, crimes of violence, kidnapping, arson, and forgery have no statutes of limitation. In Arizona and California crimes involving public money or public records have no statutes of limitation. While in Colorado, treason has none.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:26 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
"I said if we can buy back government debt at a discount, in other words, if interest rates go up and we can buy bonds back at a discount -- if we are liquid enough as a country, we should do that," Trump said. "In other words, we can buy back debt at a discount."
This is partly right and a lot wrong and goes to the ridiculous obsession over the level of debt compared to GDP. Currently it is roughly 100% of GDP.
Just some rough numbers here. If interest rates were to go up quickly to, say, 8%, then the price of current bonds would decline by 50%. The government could buy back their current bonds at a discount of 50% on the dollar and instantly cut the level of debt in half. So far Trump is right.
But there's no free lunch. In order to buy back the bonds at a discount they would have to issue new bonds at the higher 8% rate. So half the debt but twice the interest rate. If you work through the math, the amount of debt is cut in half, but the annual amount of interest the government must pay on the debt is exactly the same.
That is why the obsession with the debt to GDP ratio is pointless. It is a fairly arbitrary number since you can simply reduce the debt by changing interest rates. What you really care about is annual amount of interest on the debt you have to pay and that is somewhat independent of the level of debt. Currently the burden of annual interest on the debt is near record lows for the last half century. Less than half of what they were under Ronald Reagan.
posted by JackFlash at 11:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [33 favorites]
This is partly right and a lot wrong and goes to the ridiculous obsession over the level of debt compared to GDP. Currently it is roughly 100% of GDP.
Just some rough numbers here. If interest rates were to go up quickly to, say, 8%, then the price of current bonds would decline by 50%. The government could buy back their current bonds at a discount of 50% on the dollar and instantly cut the level of debt in half. So far Trump is right.
But there's no free lunch. In order to buy back the bonds at a discount they would have to issue new bonds at the higher 8% rate. So half the debt but twice the interest rate. If you work through the math, the amount of debt is cut in half, but the annual amount of interest the government must pay on the debt is exactly the same.
That is why the obsession with the debt to GDP ratio is pointless. It is a fairly arbitrary number since you can simply reduce the debt by changing interest rates. What you really care about is annual amount of interest on the debt you have to pay and that is somewhat independent of the level of debt. Currently the burden of annual interest on the debt is near record lows for the last half century. Less than half of what they were under Ronald Reagan.
posted by JackFlash at 11:29 AM on September 13, 2018 [33 favorites]
Not all crimes are governed by statutes of limitation.
Hmm. Rich powerful white republican is certainly a strong profile for one of those types of crime.
posted by Artw at 11:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hmm. Rich powerful white republican is certainly a strong profile for one of those types of crime.
posted by Artw at 11:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
fantastic piece
'Three thousand people did not die' - Alexandra Petri, WaPo
The empty shoes that lined up in front of the capitol in San Juan belong to people who are still among us. They did not die; they will come and step back into their shoes. They will walk back up functional roads and sit in their houses where the electricity is working. They will laugh with relief that this was not a real disaster, nothing like Katrina. They will fill glasses with water that is safe to drink. They will live on an island where the recovery has been progressing with alacrity and competence.
posted by numaner at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
'Three thousand people did not die' - Alexandra Petri, WaPo
The empty shoes that lined up in front of the capitol in San Juan belong to people who are still among us. They did not die; they will come and step back into their shoes. They will walk back up functional roads and sit in their houses where the electricity is working. They will laugh with relief that this was not a real disaster, nothing like Katrina. They will fill glasses with water that is safe to drink. They will live on an island where the recovery has been progressing with alacrity and competence.
posted by numaner at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [53 favorites]
Politico, Trump’s FEMA chief under investigation over use of official cars:
posted by jedicus at 11:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
The IG is investigating whether Long misused government resources and personnel on [six hour] trips back home to Hickory, North Carolina, on the weekends ...The grift wheel keeps on turning.
Long started using a staff driver to get him home to North Carolina at the beginning of his tenure at FEMA last year. On the weekends Long spent in North Carolina, aides were put up in a hotel at taxpayer expense ...
Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, who served under President Barack Obama, said he could remember using government cars for commuting purposes only in seven instances during the eight years he held the job.
posted by jedicus at 11:39 AM on September 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
It sure would be nice if someone would hold Trump accountable for his broken promises, including:
posted by kirkaracha at 11:47 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
- Propose a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress
- I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
- Cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities
- Never take a vacation while serving as president
- We won't tweet anymore after I'm president. It's not presidential.
- Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cutting benefits
posted by kirkaracha at 11:47 AM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
He's also not doing so good on his Contract with the American Voter.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
For Older Voters, Getting The Right ID Can Be Especially Tough (NPR, September 7, 2018)
Unless the required voter ID is free of charge, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why a voter ID law isn't an unconstitutional poll tax.
posted by Gelatin at 11:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
Unless the required voter ID is free of charge, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why a voter ID law isn't an unconstitutional poll tax.
posted by Gelatin at 11:49 AM on September 13, 2018 [60 favorites]
Lamar White, Jr. @LamarWhiteJrThey're so sloppy.
At 2 in the morning, hundreds of Ted Cruz supporters all woke up to issue the same exact statement on Twitter. Nothing suspicious about this. Nope. These are all just proud, patriotic American citizens, all deep in the heart of Texas.
12:20 AM - 13 Sep 2018
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [82 favorites]
one woman declared that in support of Willie, she's made a donation to Beto's campaign in the amount of $4.20.
Why do I find this so..heartwarming?
posted by emjaybee at 11:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
Why do I find this so..heartwarming?
posted by emjaybee at 11:56 AM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
> Paul Ryan: This is a devastating storm that hit an isolated island. And that’s really no one’s fault. It’s just what happened.
>Jeremy Konyndyk: it is *exceedingly rare* to see a major wave of secondary mortality after a natural disaster.
Yes, it's somewhat reasonable to say that at the initial event, perhaps most everything that reasonably could be done, was done.
But the thousands of deaths came in slow motion, over the course of months, and were entirely foreseeable and entirely preventable. Anyone who was paying attention could see it happening at the time (just one example). Clearly the victims of the disaster were not getting the aid and support they needed.
We were completely capable of providing the needed aid and yet we didn't.
BTW there has been some congressional investigation of the response to Maria. It's going about as well as you might expect.
posted by flug at 11:58 AM on September 13, 2018 [19 favorites]
>Jeremy Konyndyk: it is *exceedingly rare* to see a major wave of secondary mortality after a natural disaster.
Yes, it's somewhat reasonable to say that at the initial event, perhaps most everything that reasonably could be done, was done.
But the thousands of deaths came in slow motion, over the course of months, and were entirely foreseeable and entirely preventable. Anyone who was paying attention could see it happening at the time (just one example). Clearly the victims of the disaster were not getting the aid and support they needed.
We were completely capable of providing the needed aid and yet we didn't.
BTW there has been some congressional investigation of the response to Maria. It's going about as well as you might expect.
posted by flug at 11:58 AM on September 13, 2018 [19 favorites]
The tweets at night
Are not very bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
The Russian trolls
They can read the polls
Deep in the heart of Texas
posted by zachlipton at 12:00 PM on September 13, 2018 [59 favorites]
Are not very bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
The Russian trolls
They can read the polls
Deep in the heart of Texas
posted by zachlipton at 12:00 PM on September 13, 2018 [59 favorites]
Observant people who watched the Beto O'rourke interview on Colbert would have noticed the house band were playing this song by Foss as he was introduced.
It really speaks to the demographics being targeted that being in a not really offensive grunge band is an attack vector for the conservatives. Do they really think anyone under fifty are clutching pearls over devil music? The fact that he toured? Ask anybody in the business, read any biography, touring is hard work. Especially for indie bands! You really need to be organised and know what you're doing.
As for Willie's endorsement, his fans are leaving him? The war on drugs would have your hero in prison for life, of course he's a progressive. He wears pig-tails ffs. It reminds me of when Paul Ryan said he works out to Rage Against the Machine, or Reagans' Born in the USA. Music is just fun noises made by organ grinders with no opinions to them.
posted by adept256 at 12:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [49 favorites]
It really speaks to the demographics being targeted that being in a not really offensive grunge band is an attack vector for the conservatives. Do they really think anyone under fifty are clutching pearls over devil music? The fact that he toured? Ask anybody in the business, read any biography, touring is hard work. Especially for indie bands! You really need to be organised and know what you're doing.
As for Willie's endorsement, his fans are leaving him? The war on drugs would have your hero in prison for life, of course he's a progressive. He wears pig-tails ffs. It reminds me of when Paul Ryan said he works out to Rage Against the Machine, or Reagans' Born in the USA. Music is just fun noises made by organ grinders with no opinions to them.
posted by adept256 at 12:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [49 favorites]
They're so sloppy.
The timing is definitely weird, but the text of the tweet was supplied by Cruz's campaign twitter account. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if there's some weirdness happening with bots to get the hashtag trending.
posted by gladly at 12:05 PM on September 13, 2018
The timing is definitely weird, but the text of the tweet was supplied by Cruz's campaign twitter account. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if there's some weirdness happening with bots to get the hashtag trending.
posted by gladly at 12:05 PM on September 13, 2018
Not all crimes are governed by statutes of limitation.
Any of the potential crimes alleged against Kavanaugh would be. Let's be real here; he's not being accused of murder or child kidnapping. It's some sort of sexual harassment or assault.
posted by Justinian at 12:06 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Any of the potential crimes alleged against Kavanaugh would be. Let's be real here; he's not being accused of murder or child kidnapping. It's some sort of sexual harassment or assault.
posted by Justinian at 12:06 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
GOP dissenters? Senate Judiciary Committee delays vote on Brett Kavanaugh confirmation
posted by kimdog at 12:07 PM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by kimdog at 12:07 PM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised, though, if there's some weirdness happening with bots to get the hashtag trending.
The Bot Sentinel developer seems to think so.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:09 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Bot Sentinel developer seems to think so.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:09 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
he's not being accused of murder or child kidnapping
At least not until he affirms the constitutionality of ICE from his seat on the Court.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
At least not until he affirms the constitutionality of ICE from his seat on the Court.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Unless the required voter ID is free of charge, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why a voter ID law isn't an unconstitutional poll tax.
AFAIK in every state requiring ID, you can get an acceptable ID for free.
The other ID you need to get that free ID, of course, costs money, and time and effort.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 12:21 PM on September 13, 2018 [27 favorites]
AFAIK in every state requiring ID, you can get an acceptable ID for free.
The other ID you need to get that free ID, of course, costs money, and time and effort.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 12:21 PM on September 13, 2018 [27 favorites]
Let's be real here; he's not being accused of murder or child kidnapping. It's some sort of sexual harassment or assault.
They were both in high school. An 18-year-old high school senior assaulting a younger girl fits under "sex offenses with minors."
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:24 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
They were both in high school. An 18-year-old high school senior assaulting a younger girl fits under "sex offenses with minors."
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:24 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Effectively, as it turns out, because the media is completely inadequate in dealing with Trump, who violates norms constantly and yet presents as having no shame.
Fwiw, they were completely inadequate in dealing with Bush II, his daddy, and Reagan, amongst many others. So much so that unless one really doesn't want to think about it, it would look like a giant hideous scam of mind-boggling proportions.
I thought Trump would finally break that façade, but it hasn't budged at all. It's really really well-funded.
posted by petebest at 12:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
Fwiw, they were completely inadequate in dealing with Bush II, his daddy, and Reagan, amongst many others. So much so that unless one really doesn't want to think about it, it would look like a giant hideous scam of mind-boggling proportions.
I thought Trump would finally break that façade, but it hasn't budged at all. It's really really well-funded.
posted by petebest at 12:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
They're so sloppy.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:54 AM on September 13 [25 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
'Cause sloppy works just fine on their base and they know it. Why spend hours configuring different messages when blasting out the exact same one will not be noticed by those who will respond?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:27 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 11:54 AM on September 13 [25 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
'Cause sloppy works just fine on their base and they know it. Why spend hours configuring different messages when blasting out the exact same one will not be noticed by those who will respond?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:27 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
GOP dissenters? Senate Judiciary Committee delays vote on Brett Kavanaugh confirmation
Someone needs to get Schumer on record now that Trump will not be allowed to fill this seat if we retake the Senate. Or at least that Kavanaugh will not be allowed a vote and he’ll have to make an actual moderate pick. Like Merrick Garland.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Someone needs to get Schumer on record now that Trump will not be allowed to fill this seat if we retake the Senate. Or at least that Kavanaugh will not be allowed a vote and he’ll have to make an actual moderate pick. Like Merrick Garland.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Sad update to the Hot Pot 4 Votes effort in NYC: "According to the state Board of Elections, offering delicious hot pot and Chinese barbecue to New Yorkers who vote is technically a class "E" felony. The issue was first addressed by the board in 2009, in response to a complaint that a convenience store was giving out ice cream cones to the children of voters."
Judging by the primary liveblogging effort at Gothamist, though, the BoE is totally chill and fine with a variety of other questionable election day issues, including, but not limited to:
- at least one polling site where "paid workers wearing white pharmacist coats with the logo of the The United Communities and Institutions Williamsburg organization [are] hand[ing] out fliers with a sample ballot on them, instructing Hasidic voters how to vote" (there is past history of shenanigans at this particular site)
- A polling place in a public school gym with "a giant check [charitable donation made out to the school] signed by state Senator Jesse Hamilton" (who is on the ballot) "hung 'directly facing the entrance and line' to vote. A spokesperson for the state Board of Elections says there's an argument to be made that this is electioneering, but 'it's a little murky.'"
- widespread reports of voters being forced to fill out affidavit ballots even after confirming with the BoE that they're on the rolls, or should be
and a variety of par-for-the-course logistical headaches including closed polling places, staggered poll site opening times (did your polling site open at 6am? did it open at noon? maybe your polling site failed to open at all because no one had the keys!), lots of registered voters finding their registrations wiped or changed (yes, again) and one polling site where ballot scanners weren't working because a giant industrial fan kept blowing the ballots around. Honestly, after all that, I feel like voters deserve some delicious free BBQ and/or ice cream, felony or no....
posted by halation at 12:33 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Judging by the primary liveblogging effort at Gothamist, though, the BoE is totally chill and fine with a variety of other questionable election day issues, including, but not limited to:
- at least one polling site where "paid workers wearing white pharmacist coats with the logo of the The United Communities and Institutions Williamsburg organization [are] hand[ing] out fliers with a sample ballot on them, instructing Hasidic voters how to vote" (there is past history of shenanigans at this particular site)
- A polling place in a public school gym with "a giant check [charitable donation made out to the school] signed by state Senator Jesse Hamilton" (who is on the ballot) "hung 'directly facing the entrance and line' to vote. A spokesperson for the state Board of Elections says there's an argument to be made that this is electioneering, but 'it's a little murky.'"
- widespread reports of voters being forced to fill out affidavit ballots even after confirming with the BoE that they're on the rolls, or should be
and a variety of par-for-the-course logistical headaches including closed polling places, staggered poll site opening times (did your polling site open at 6am? did it open at noon? maybe your polling site failed to open at all because no one had the keys!), lots of registered voters finding their registrations wiped or changed (yes, again) and one polling site where ballot scanners weren't working because a giant industrial fan kept blowing the ballots around. Honestly, after all that, I feel like voters deserve some delicious free BBQ and/or ice cream, felony or no....
posted by halation at 12:33 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Student Borrowers And Advocates Win Court Case Against DeVos
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 12:34 PM on September 13, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 12:34 PM on September 13, 2018 [32 favorites]
Someone needs to get Schumer on record now that Trump will not be allowed to fill this seat if we retake the Senate. Or at least that Kavanaugh will not be allowed a vote and he’ll have to make an actual moderate pick. Like Merrick Garland.
Which is something that Schumer could not deliver on if he wanted to, which he doesn't. Pretty much a best-case scenario for the Senate this fall is 51D-49R, which means that Repubs would only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit to reach 50+1 -- and rest assured that voting against Kavanaugh might be possible for Manchin/McCaskill/etc., but engaging in any sustained campaign of McConnellesque obstruction would result in much wringing of hands and clutching of pearls by their ilk.
posted by delfin at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Which is something that Schumer could not deliver on if he wanted to, which he doesn't. Pretty much a best-case scenario for the Senate this fall is 51D-49R, which means that Repubs would only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit to reach 50+1 -- and rest assured that voting against Kavanaugh might be possible for Manchin/McCaskill/etc., but engaging in any sustained campaign of McConnellesque obstruction would result in much wringing of hands and clutching of pearls by their ilk.
posted by delfin at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
They were both in high school. An 18-year-old high school senior assaulting a younger girl fits under "sex offenses with minors."
Which may well still be way past the statute of limitations.
But this seems like a weird hill to die on. Either we'll learn more about these accusations, and will therefore be able to speak more authoritatively on this, or we won't in which case Kavanaugh will continue his grim, inevitable march to confirmation.
All I was saying is this is a really, really weird way to go about this situation. His confirmation battle will be over one way or another in a matter of weeks. It just... none of it makes much sense.
posted by Justinian at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Which may well still be way past the statute of limitations.
But this seems like a weird hill to die on. Either we'll learn more about these accusations, and will therefore be able to speak more authoritatively on this, or we won't in which case Kavanaugh will continue his grim, inevitable march to confirmation.
All I was saying is this is a really, really weird way to go about this situation. His confirmation battle will be over one way or another in a matter of weeks. It just... none of it makes much sense.
posted by Justinian at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Kavanaugh letter apparently came from a Stanford Law professor, and was originally sent to her local congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D, CA-18), who forwarded it to Feinstein. Eshoo's office is also refusing to release details about the contents.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:36 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Pretty much a best-case scenario for the Senate this fall is 51D-49R, which means that Repubs would only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit to reach 50+1
Right, if a nominee came up for a vote they'd only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit. But riddle me this: Who determines if a nominee comes up for a vote?
(spoiler: the majority leader. Which would be Schumer.)
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
Right, if a nominee came up for a vote they'd only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit. But riddle me this: Who determines if a nominee comes up for a vote?
(spoiler: the majority leader. Which would be Schumer.)
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
All I was saying is this is a really, really weird way to go about this situation. His confirmation battle will be over one way or another in a matter of weeks. It just... none of it makes much sense.
Well, the initial reports are that this does indeed relate to some sort of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh when he was in high school. Can you imagine the rain of shit that would fall down on this woman's head if her name became public? And for what - we see what good Anita Hill's testimony did. So maybe Eshoo, Feinstein, et al. are trying to do the best they can given the still developing, but already shitty, situation.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
Well, the initial reports are that this does indeed relate to some sort of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh when he was in high school. Can you imagine the rain of shit that would fall down on this woman's head if her name became public? And for what - we see what good Anita Hill's testimony did. So maybe Eshoo, Feinstein, et al. are trying to do the best they can given the still developing, but already shitty, situation.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
Yeah, blocking Garland was entirely McConnell's play. Even though he was impinging upon the purview of the Judiciary Committee, none of the Republican Senators uttered a peep in defense of their own senatorial privilege, placing fealty to their party over their country and governmental responsibility. At the expense of their own position's power, yet.
posted by Gelatin at 12:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 12:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Right, if a nominee came up for a vote they'd only have to pick off one low-hanging fruit. But riddle me this: Who determines if a nominee comes up for a vote?
To go into a bit more detail, there are procedural tricks that the minority party can use to force a vote on legislation that they think can pass even though the Speaker/Majority Leader (depending on the chamber) opposes it. They can use a discharge petition in the House, or offer it as an amendment on a must-pass bill like annual appropriations. They can refuse to consent to other proceedings until they get the vote. Etc. But there is nothing the minority can do to force a hearing or vote on a nominee. Whoever controls the Senate calendar has absolute control over which nominees get considered. As McConnell was happy to demonstrate in 2015-16.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:45 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
To go into a bit more detail, there are procedural tricks that the minority party can use to force a vote on legislation that they think can pass even though the Speaker/Majority Leader (depending on the chamber) opposes it. They can use a discharge petition in the House, or offer it as an amendment on a must-pass bill like annual appropriations. They can refuse to consent to other proceedings until they get the vote. Etc. But there is nothing the minority can do to force a hearing or vote on a nominee. Whoever controls the Senate calendar has absolute control over which nominees get considered. As McConnell was happy to demonstrate in 2015-16.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:45 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
The reason some one needs to nail down Schumer is Patrick Leahy. He’s already given Republicans back the ability to control judges before hamstringing Obama. If Democrats do retake the Senate AND manage to delay Kavanaugh, Leahy is likely to revert again to the old rules and restore all the protections the minority used to enjoy, and allow Republicans to carry on confirming Trumpjudges like nothing ever happened, unless Schumer committs to blocking them. He can overrule Leahy, and pull the same shit McConnell did to them. But given how he’s conducted himself so far as leader, we’re going to have to force him.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:47 PM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:47 PM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Fair enough, mea culpa. Though the secondary point remains that Chuck Schumer taking a radical and principled stand will happen about thirty minutes after Paul Reubens becomes Pope.
posted by delfin at 12:47 PM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by delfin at 12:47 PM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS:
** 2018 Senate:
** 2018 Senate:
-- MN (A): SurveyUSA poll has Dem incumbent Klobuchar up 53-38 on GOPer Newberger [MOE: +/- 4.9%].** 2018 House:
-- MN (B): Same SurveyUSA poll has appointed Dem incumbent Smith up 48-39 on GOPer Housley.
-- FL: Rasmussen Reports poll has incumbent Dem Nelson up 45-44 on GOPer Scott [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. | Scott would really like Trump to stop talking about Puerto Rico.
-- MT: Daily Beast investigation finds that GOP candidate Rosendale appears to have illegally coordinated messaging with the NRA.
-- PA-07: Monmouth poll has Dem Wild up 46-40 on GOPer Nothstein in their potential voter model. Wild up 47-45 in the midterm model; Wild up 48-44 in Dem surge model [MOE: +/- 4.9%]. [Clinton 49-48 | Cook: Lean D]** Odds & ends:
-- NY-27: NY GOP still scrambling to figure out a way to get indicted incumbent Collins off of the ballot; they've got until the end of the month to do so. [Trump 60-35 | Cook: Likely R]
-- Crystal Ball look at various poli sci House models; they basically are in agreement with the qualitative and quantitative forecasts.
-- Nate Cohn on the NYT/Siena polls so far: mostly, Dems in good, not great position, showing higher enthusiasm. A few more of those should wrap up shortly, fwiw.
-- 538 on Dem prospects in Romney-Clinton districts.
-- MN gov: Same SurveyUSA poll has Dem Walz up 47-40 on GOPer Johnson | In the AG race, Dem Ellison is tied 41-41 with GOPer Wardlow.posted by Chrysostom at 1:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [27 favorites]
-- NV gov: Not only will GOP governor Sandoval not say that he endorses GOP candidate Laxalt, he's not even sure he'll vote for him.
-- Koch Brothers backing Amendment 4 in Floriday, restoring voting rights for felons.
-- Brandon Presley, probably the most popular Democrat in Mississippi says he won't run for governor next year, unfortunately.
-- John McCain's family pissed off that candidates are using him in TV spots.
-- League of Conservation Voters dumping at least $60M into midterms, other environmental groups going big, too.
So, I'm just ham-fistedly googling in a basement teriyaki joint in Seattle, but it looks to me like Maryland (where Kavanaugh went to high school) has no statute of limitations for felonies.
I can't do any more research at the moment (and I know that this is potentially a complex issue that, ideally, a local law-talking person should speak to) but this issue might be less of a nothingburger than it appears to be.
At a minimum, it might be something he should have disclosed on his bar applications. (I would dearly love to see this jackwagon get his ticket yanked. I know it's vanishingly unlikely, and I know that there's nothing to stop a disbarred attorney from sitting on the SCOTUS, but it would do my withered, petty heart some genuine good.)
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 1:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
I can't do any more research at the moment (and I know that this is potentially a complex issue that, ideally, a local law-talking person should speak to) but this issue might be less of a nothingburger than it appears to be.
At a minimum, it might be something he should have disclosed on his bar applications. (I would dearly love to see this jackwagon get his ticket yanked. I know it's vanishingly unlikely, and I know that there's nothing to stop a disbarred attorney from sitting on the SCOTUS, but it would do my withered, petty heart some genuine good.)
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 1:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
No statute of limitation for felonies unless specified, which they generally are.
posted by Justinian at 1:09 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by Justinian at 1:09 PM on September 13, 2018
WSJ, Trump Plans to Rebrand Nafta, Warns Canada
Also persent was a cardiologist who keeps getting to talk to Trump about Syria, telling him what to tweet about. She told Trump his previous tweet about Idlib, which came in response to her warning, saved tens of thousands of lives.
posted by zachlipton at 1:11 PM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
President Trump revealed plans to rebrand the North American Free Trade Agreement as the “USMC” pact—for the U.S., Mexico and Canada—telling Republican donors at a private fundraiser Wednesday that he will drop the “C” if Canada doesn’t agree to changes he is seeking, according to people familiar with the matter.Ok, that's all the usual level of stupid, but this is notable:
Mr. Trump groused about Canada during a private meeting with about a dozen supporters, complaining that officials from the U.S.’s northern neighbor describe themselves as good friends to America while imposing tariffs of more than 200% on some American dairy exports, these people said.
Speaking with the president, Mr. Stamper repeated many of the points in a TV ad his company aired this summer during the “Fox & Friends” morning program on Fox News, which is among Mr. Trump’s favorites. The spot implored the president to revoke permits issued by the Obama administration for construction of a publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.Guy pays $100,000 for a fundraiser at Trump's hotel to tell the President to block his competition.
Mr. Stamper, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, runs the company that owns the 87-year-old Ambassador Bridge that spans the Detroit River and charges tolls.
Also persent was a cardiologist who keeps getting to talk to Trump about Syria, telling him what to tweet about. She told Trump his previous tweet about Idlib, which came in response to her warning, saved tens of thousands of lives.
posted by zachlipton at 1:11 PM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
President Trump revealed plans to rebrand the North American Free Trade Agreement as the “USMC” pact
And how does the United States Marine Corps feel about that?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:17 PM on September 13, 2018 [41 favorites]
And how does the United States Marine Corps feel about that?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:17 PM on September 13, 2018 [41 favorites]
For that matter, this Canadian is not super-enthusiastic about stamping something even tangentially related to the American military on an agreement we're party to. Can someone help me backronym APRICOTTOOL so I can constructively offer an alternative?
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:24 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:24 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I can't help but think he's trolling "Mild Dog" Mattis with this one, which does give a bit of a jolt to my pleasure center.
posted by zombieflanders at 1:27 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by zombieflanders at 1:27 PM on September 13, 2018
This web site about Maryland criminal statutes of limitations claims:
- Assault: No time limit
- Rape: No time limit
That appears right!
Those are state crimes though and unless I'm missing something Feinstein referred this to the Feds, which is part of the weirdness. Maybe they pass it on to relevant authorities? Or something else is happening. 🤷
posted by Justinian at 1:54 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Those are state crimes though and unless I'm missing something Feinstein referred this to the Feds, which is part of the weirdness. Maybe they pass it on to relevant authorities? Or something else is happening. 🤷
posted by Justinian at 1:54 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Politico, U.S. official: Canadian marijuana users, workers and investors risk lifetime border ban
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will continue to apply long-standing U.S. federal laws and regulations that treat marijuana as a banned substance — and participants in the cannabis industry as drug traffickers — who are inadmissible into the U.S. Although some U.S. states have eased marijuana laws, the U.S. continues to maintain a federal prohibition that applies at the border, said Todd Owen, executive assistant commissioner for the Office of Field Operations, who gave POLITICO a detailed preview of how CBP will apply longstanding rules.posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on September 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
Here's exactly how it would work at the border: CBP officials are not planning to go out of their way to interrogate every Canadian traveler about marijuana use. However, other factors may cause them to raise the topic. “Our officers are not going to be asking everyone whether they have used marijuana, but if other questions lead there — or if there is a smell coming from the car, they might ask,” Owen said. Likewise, marijuana residue, which can linger for weeks inside a car, could be detected by CBP inspection dogs and lead to further questioning, he noted. If asked about past drug use, travelers should not lie, he said. “If you lie about it, that’s fraud and misrepresentation, which carries a lifetime ban,” Owen said.
If a traveler admits to past use of any illegal drugs, including marijuana, the traveler will be found to be inadmissible into the United States. CBP typically will allow them the opportunity to “voluntary withdraw” from the border — or face an “expedited removal.” Whether or not the traveler enters the U.S., a record will be kept by CBP and that traveler will not be allowed to return to the U.S. They will have the ability to apply for a waiver from a lifetime ban, which costs U.S. $585, and requires several months to process. The waivers are issued at the discretion of CBP.
A common question for CBP agents to ask travelers what they do for a living. Canadians who work in the marijuana industry will not be permitted to enter the U.S. “If you work for the industry, that is grounds for inadmissibility,” Owen said. Likewise, investors in marijuana companies are considered inadmissible. “We don’t recognize that as a legal business,” Owen said. Already, marijuana investors from other countries such as Israel have been denied entry into the U.S., he noted. CBP did not specify any minimum level of investment that could trigger a ban.
A common question for CBP agents to ask travelers what they do for a living. Canadians who work in the marijuana industry will not be permitted to enter the U.S.
This may be more anecdata than useful but a band member of a group i follow, who is separately involved in the Marijuana business in California, recently skipped a few dates of that bands tour in BC, according to their social media, explicitly because Canada appears to apply this same standard to US visitors.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:58 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
This may be more anecdata than useful but a band member of a group i follow, who is separately involved in the Marijuana business in California, recently skipped a few dates of that bands tour in BC, according to their social media, explicitly because Canada appears to apply this same standard to US visitors.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:58 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
My totally wild, completely unsupported speculation is that the high school 'sexual misconduct' incident with Kavanaugh also involves an abortion. That would make it extra-relevant now considering the circumstances
posted by aiglet at 1:59 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by aiglet at 1:59 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
um
wait
If asked about past drug use, travelers should not lie, he said. “If you lie about it, that’s fraud and misrepresentation, which carries a lifetime ban,” Owen said.
If a traveler admits to past use of any illegal drugs, including marijuana, the traveler will be found to be inadmissible into the United States.
So they shouldn't lie, because if they lie, they risk a lifetime ban
But if they tell the truth, they'll.... get a lifetime ban... so....
posted by halation at 2:00 PM on September 13, 2018 [40 favorites]
wait
If asked about past drug use, travelers should not lie, he said. “If you lie about it, that’s fraud and misrepresentation, which carries a lifetime ban,” Owen said.
If a traveler admits to past use of any illegal drugs, including marijuana, the traveler will be found to be inadmissible into the United States.
So they shouldn't lie, because if they lie, they risk a lifetime ban
But if they tell the truth, they'll.... get a lifetime ban... so....
posted by halation at 2:00 PM on September 13, 2018 [40 favorites]
Are you still banned if you took the cannabis someplace it's legal, like Colorado?
posted by Karmakaze at 2:06 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by Karmakaze at 2:06 PM on September 13, 2018
Are you still banned if you took the cannabis someplace it's legal, like Colorado?
Yes. Their point is that it's not legal in Colorado, because Colorado is part of the United States, where cannabis is illegal.
The annoying part is that they're correct about that point.
posted by Uncle Ira at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Yes. Their point is that it's not legal in Colorado, because Colorado is part of the United States, where cannabis is illegal.
The annoying part is that they're correct about that point.
posted by Uncle Ira at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
It's still against federal law to take cannabis in Colorado.
posted by Quonab at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by Quonab at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2018
I'm really looking forward to them banning Canadians who've had an abortion after Roe v. Wade is overturned.
posted by Quindar Beep at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Quindar Beep at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.
An update:
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
An update:
According to a person familiar with the matter, the FBI does not now plan to launch a criminal investigation of the matter, which would normally be handled by local authorities, if it was within the statute of limitations. The FBI instead passed the material to the White House, as an update to Kavanaugh's background check, which already had been completed, the person said. The move is similar to what the bureau did when allegations were leveled against former White House aide Rob Porter.Ah, because the "we'll just let the White House know" process worked so well with Porter.
An FBI official said, "Upon receipt of the information on the night of September 12, we included it as part of Judge Kavanaugh's background file, as per the standard process."
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's legal in Uruguay and is also becoming legal in Israel in the spring.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:23 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:23 PM on September 13, 2018
This is going to get real interesting whenever the Leafs, Senators, or Habs play the Sabres or the Wings.
Also, NHL All Star Game is going to be in San Jose.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:27 PM on September 13, 2018
Also, NHL All Star Game is going to be in San Jose.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:27 PM on September 13, 2018
NYC primary update: if races are close tonight, expect final outcomes to take awhile, because it sure looks like there's been another voter rolls purge in NYC and affidavit ballots are getting cast all over the place and things are irregular as heck
affected voters include New York Magazine writer Rebecca Traister, Jalopnik editor Michael Ballaban, and... NYC mayor Bill de Blasio's son, Dante.
posted by halation at 2:29 PM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
affected voters include New York Magazine writer Rebecca Traister, Jalopnik editor Michael Ballaban, and... NYC mayor Bill de Blasio's son, Dante.
posted by halation at 2:29 PM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
Gosh I'm glad I saw a handful of Canadian rock and roll and jazz ensembles on tour of the U.S. back in the day.
posted by vverse23 at 2:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by vverse23 at 2:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ah, because the "we'll just let the White House know" process worked so well with Porter.
"we'll just let the White House know" who filed the complaint. And then attack them. I won't be surprised when we have one or (likely) more women getting dragged through the mud so the Republicans can confirm Kavanaugh in the same disgusting fashion that they did Thomas.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
"we'll just let the White House know" who filed the complaint. And then attack them. I won't be surprised when we have one or (likely) more women getting dragged through the mud so the Republicans can confirm Kavanaugh in the same disgusting fashion that they did Thomas.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Being rich/famous helps a lot. Hard to think of any rich/famous people going to jail for drugs. Snoop Dogg went to jail way back in the early 90's, but not since, for example (someone arguably even more associated with pot than Nelson).
posted by thefoxgod at 2:48 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by thefoxgod at 2:48 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
There's reportedly a tentative plea deal in the second Manafort case, to be announced Friday in court. What we don't know is whether Manafort has agreed to any cooperation with prosecutors as part of this arrangement.
Given this morning's revelations about a joint defense agreement with Trump, I fear this is all leading to no cooperation and a pardon.
Really seems like it's time to start getting Members of Congress on the record about whether a Manafort pardon is grounds for impeachment.
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
Given this morning's revelations about a joint defense agreement with Trump, I fear this is all leading to no cooperation and a pardon.
Really seems like it's time to start getting Members of Congress on the record about whether a Manafort pardon is grounds for impeachment.
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on September 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
The enemy of my enemy is not my friend, but I'll take them endorsing Democrats.
Evan McMullin
Andrew Janz is an honorable man who has made a career of upholding the law. He’ll do a much better job for farmers, businesses and everyone in CA-22 than Devin Nunes who ignores the district, while promoting himself and enabling our indecent president. #CountryOverParty
posted by chris24 at 3:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [35 favorites]
Evan McMullin
Andrew Janz is an honorable man who has made a career of upholding the law. He’ll do a much better job for farmers, businesses and everyone in CA-22 than Devin Nunes who ignores the district, while promoting himself and enabling our indecent president. #CountryOverParty
posted by chris24 at 3:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [35 favorites]
Rick Scott is going to try and pack the Florida Supreme Court with far right wing judges when he leaves office.
Fantastic. More ammunition and excuse - as with WV and NC and AZ - to expand the Supreme Court or go after Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Thanks Rick!
posted by chris24 at 3:06 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Fantastic. More ammunition and excuse - as with WV and NC and AZ - to expand the Supreme Court or go after Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Thanks Rick!
posted by chris24 at 3:06 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Technically speaking, which is the best kind of speaking, he's not expanding the size of the court. He's planning to fill vacancies that aren't his to fill and should properly be filled by his successor.
I kind of want it to turn into the Pope-Antipope schism with competing Florida Supreme Courts. But of course that would actually be incredibly terrible and damaging to democracy. But hilarious.
posted by Justinian at 3:07 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
I kind of want it to turn into the Pope-Antipope schism with competing Florida Supreme Courts. But of course that would actually be incredibly terrible and damaging to democracy. But hilarious.
posted by Justinian at 3:07 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Snoop Dogg went to jail way back in the early 90's, but not since, for example (someone arguably even more associated with pot than Nelson).
Also, after he got famous Snoop went to jail because he was charged with 1st and 2nd degree murder for driving the getaway car for an incident that happened in Palms in '93. He ended up getting acquitted, though. It wasn't drug related. Although I seem to remember he spent some time for having a bunch of cocaine, but that happened pre The Chronic.
posted by sideshow at 3:17 PM on September 13, 2018
Also, after he got famous Snoop went to jail because he was charged with 1st and 2nd degree murder for driving the getaway car for an incident that happened in Palms in '93. He ended up getting acquitted, though. It wasn't drug related. Although I seem to remember he spent some time for having a bunch of cocaine, but that happened pre The Chronic.
posted by sideshow at 3:17 PM on September 13, 2018
So they shouldn't lie, because if they lie, they risk a lifetime ban
But if they tell the truth, they'll.... get a lifetime ban... so....
I work in the industry. The answer is to not play at all. We've been told to decline to answer if asked about our work and say we no longer wish to enter. This means not getting in but no lifetime ban.
In practice this means just not ever going to the US because it's now too risky. I really hope this isn't forever. It's been awhile but I've spent a lot of time visiting many parts of the US except the East. I'd really like to go to NYC and DC and a whole bunch of other places some day.
posted by Jalliah at 3:46 PM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
But if they tell the truth, they'll.... get a lifetime ban... so....
I work in the industry. The answer is to not play at all. We've been told to decline to answer if asked about our work and say we no longer wish to enter. This means not getting in but no lifetime ban.
In practice this means just not ever going to the US because it's now too risky. I really hope this isn't forever. It's been awhile but I've spent a lot of time visiting many parts of the US except the East. I'd really like to go to NYC and DC and a whole bunch of other places some day.
posted by Jalliah at 3:46 PM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
There's reportedly a tentative plea deal in the second Manafort case, to be announced Friday in court. What we don't know is whether Manafort has agreed to any cooperation with prosecutors as part of this arrangement.
If there's a plea without cooperation I really don't know what Mueller is doing.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:52 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
If there's a plea without cooperation I really don't know what Mueller is doing.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:52 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
So the Trump-and-Manafort joint defense agreement (in which their lawyers share all the information they get about the prosecution) also includes thirty-five other people. I guess the idea is Trump pardons them all, after they've corroborated each others' alibis?
posted by suelac at 3:53 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by suelac at 3:53 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Kinda wonder if Mueller has decided he is going to issue his report on obstruction and also has decided he doesn't need Manafort anymore.
posted by azpenguin at 4:09 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by azpenguin at 4:09 PM on September 13, 2018
If there's a plea without cooperation I really don't know what Mueller is doing.
Nobody does. I would suggest this is by design.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:10 PM on September 13, 2018 [24 favorites]
Nobody does. I would suggest this is by design.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:10 PM on September 13, 2018 [24 favorites]
The annoying part is that they're correct about that point.
B-b-b-but ... "States' Rights" ... right?
Or does that only apply to things Republicans like?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
B-b-b-but ... "States' Rights" ... right?
Or does that only apply to things Republicans like?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Or does that only apply to things Republicans like?
Everything only applies to what Republicans like. It's easier to understand if you just accept that they don't have principles.
posted by Weeping_angel at 4:27 PM on September 13, 2018 [30 favorites]
Everything only applies to what Republicans like. It's easier to understand if you just accept that they don't have principles.
posted by Weeping_angel at 4:27 PM on September 13, 2018 [30 favorites]
MetaFilter: It's legal in Uruguay and is also becoming legal in Israel in the spring.
posted by petebest at 5:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by petebest at 5:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
*extremely Chrysostom voice*
NY-GOV Dem Primary: Andrew Cuomo defeats Cynthia Nixon
NY-SD18 Dem Primary: Julia Salazar wins the Democratic primary
Still early results, and a number are close, but early leads for the challengers in 5 of 6 IDC districts reporting results so far
posted by zachlipton at 6:56 PM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
NY-GOV Dem Primary: Andrew Cuomo defeats Cynthia Nixon
NY-SD18 Dem Primary: Julia Salazar wins the Democratic primary
Still early results, and a number are close, but early leads for the challengers in 5 of 6 IDC districts reporting results so far
posted by zachlipton at 6:56 PM on September 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
> MetaFilter: It's legal in Uruguay and is also becoming legal in Israel in the spring.
Well, OK. But surely...
Metafilter: The annoying part is that they're correct about that point.
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:57 PM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
Well, OK. But surely...
Metafilter: The annoying part is that they're correct about that point.
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:57 PM on September 13, 2018 [16 favorites]
Brett Kavanaugh Says He Would Have 'Listened' to Father of Parkland Victim if He Had Known Who He Was - Time.com
That would be Fred Guttenberg, announced by Sen. Feinstein that morning, who introduced himself when he approached Kavanaugh at the lunch break.
That would be Fred Guttenberg, announced by Sen. Feinstein that morning, who introduced himself when he approached Kavanaugh at the lunch break.
Kavanaugh also said that he used the term “abortion-inducing drugs” during his confirmation solely because he was mimicking the way the plaintiffs he was discussing had used it.posted by Iris Gambol at 7:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
“At the hearing, I was not expressing an opinion on whether particular drugs induce abortion; I used that phrase only to accurately recount the plaintiffs’ own assertions,” he wrote.
> NY-GOV Dem Primary: Andrew Cuomo defeats Cynthia Nixon
Their hometown newspaper:
Their hometown newspaper:
Still, in losing, Ms. Nixon arguably made as much of a policy impact on New York as some elected officials have: Mr. Cuomo embraced a series of liberal ideas soon after her entry, including moving toward legalizing marijuana, extending voting rights to parolees and brokering a deal to dissolve a group of Democratic state senators who had aligned with Republicans in Albany. ... Mr. Cuomo stumbled across the finish line in the final days, dogged by questions of the timing of a bridge opening and a mailer that incorrectly sought to link Ms. Nixon to anti-Semitism.posted by RedOrGreen at 7:02 PM on September 13, 2018 [23 favorites]
I was actually waffling between that and
MetaFilter: incredibly terrible and damaging to democracy. But hilarious.
But the Justinian Current Tagline Generator licensing was too expensive.
posted by petebest at 7:02 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
MetaFilter: incredibly terrible and damaging to democracy. But hilarious.
But the Justinian Current Tagline Generator licensing was too expensive.
posted by petebest at 7:02 PM on September 13, 2018 [14 favorites]
*extremely Chrysostom voice*
Chrysostom says come hang out in the NY results thread!
posted by Chrysostom at 7:03 PM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
Chrysostom says come hang out in the NY results thread!
posted by Chrysostom at 7:03 PM on September 13, 2018 [21 favorites]
So, I'm guessing Trump didn't vote in the NY primary because that's not what party leaders do.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:17 PM on September 13, 2018
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:17 PM on September 13, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh Says He Would Have 'Listened' to Father of Parkland Victim if He Had Known Who He Was
The father of the Parkland victim KNEW you didn't know who he was, and that is why he introduced himself to you before you blew him off, you pillock
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:22 PM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
The father of the Parkland victim KNEW you didn't know who he was, and that is why he introduced himself to you before you blew him off, you pillock
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:22 PM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
If things go well in Novemener, the DSA will have 49 dues paying members in state and federal office nationwide
(Edit, it’s actually closer to 100 )
posted by The Whelk at 7:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [22 favorites]
(Edit, it’s actually closer to 100 )
posted by The Whelk at 7:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [22 favorites]
If there's a plea without cooperation I really don't know what Mueller is doing.
If Manafort just won't talk, then there's still a benefit to a plea deal: Mueller can spend his lawyer-time developing other lines of the investigation instead of wasting that time in court pushing Manafort's already high sentence to somewhere beyond the end of his expected lifespan.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:43 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
If Manafort just won't talk, then there's still a benefit to a plea deal: Mueller can spend his lawyer-time developing other lines of the investigation instead of wasting that time in court pushing Manafort's already high sentence to somewhere beyond the end of his expected lifespan.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:43 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's about the details. If this is simply Manafort copping to everything to avoid the expense of a trial and hoping for a pardon there's not much Mueller could do. Dude could just be saying, "YOU GOT ME, COPPERS. LOCK ME UP I TOTALLY WON'T GET PARDONED SOON." If Mueller is giving him a deal, though, I'd expect something in return... obviously.
We should find out tomorrow! Big day.
posted by Justinian at 7:50 PM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
We should find out tomorrow! Big day.
posted by Justinian at 7:50 PM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
Haven't seen this reported elsewhere but the other night Rachel Maddow said that in Fear it says that Trump has a common defense agreement with no less than 37 witnesses. Manafort is only one among many, all sharing info through their lawyers. This is the only mention of it I can find. No idea why the title & text don't match.
Trump argued Mueller hurt his overseas credibility: Woodward
Trump argued Mueller hurt his overseas credibility: Woodward
Rachel Maddow describes reporting in Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear," that reveals that there were 37 witnesses sharing a joint defense agreement with Donald Trump.posted by scalefree at 10:24 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Kavanaugh Guttenberg thing was overblown in my opinion. My impression at the time was Kavanaugh just had something on his mind, or someone else he wanted to talk to, and did not know who this guy was. I get blown off by famous and not so famous people like that all the time.
posted by M-x shell at 10:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by M-x shell at 10:25 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
According to Guttenberg, Kavenaugh reported him to Senate security & had him evicted. He allegedly even ID'd him by the bracelets he worse in his daughter's memory:
Father of Parkland Shooting Victim Says Brett Kavanaugh 'Turned His Back' to Him at Confirmation Hearing
Father of Parkland Shooting Victim Says Brett Kavanaugh 'Turned His Back' to Him at Confirmation Hearing
Guttenberg again disputed Shah’s account of the encounter between him and Kavanaugh. He said that not only did Kavanaugh refuse to shake his hand, he called security to remove him from the hearing, identifying him by the bracelets he wears to remember his daughter.posted by scalefree at 10:39 PM on September 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
Marcy Wheeler notes that the crimes Manafort has been convicted of and that he has allegedly agreed to plea to have significant asset forfeiture, ehhh, encumbrances, $30 million worth, and it is not clear that a pardon will return the money. So, pardon or not, Mueller still has plenty of leverage, and not a whole lot pressing against him.
Even if Manafort decides to plead guilty to all of it, he still needs Mueller’s help to hang on to his money.
posted by notyou at 10:56 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Even if Manafort decides to plead guilty to all of it, he still needs Mueller’s help to hang on to his money.
posted by notyou at 10:56 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I stole these comments from the NY primary thread, wrt the 6/8 defeat of the IDC.
So, looks like the final total is 6 of 8 IDC Senators defeated:
the big unpassed bill is the NY Health Act, cause - holy hell single payer for all New Yorkers (also I don't want California to get there first) But there's loads of good stuff in there, like codifying Roe V Wade and abortion access into law, universal rent control acts, early and absentee voting, and oh just the most progressive climate law in the country.
I'm just some guy who's not from New York. But what I know is, when Trump's hometown itself finally goes progressive, when New York City becomes the Democratic paradise (well, y'know, compared to what it is now) it always wanted to be but couldn't, we're one huge step closer to turning the whole country into the good shit. Cuomo is an opportunist and will jump at whatever gets him re-elected. His legislative excuse to keep things crappy got ruined tonight. If leftward pressure can push good things forward there, we're in for some major changes federally. If NY can make the good shit law, like Obamacare and California's environmental standards, there will be no rescinding it without a huge cost. You guys, not just in NY but everyone all over the country pushing for progressive goals, just helped win a major strategic victory, I think. Keep it up, and thank you on behalf of a Minnesotan who hopes my own blue-ish state (the anti-Wisconson!) follows soon. We at the local level are the ones who show the feds and the rest of the country how it should be done.
posted by saysthis at 11:16 PM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
So, looks like the final total is 6 of 8 IDC Senators defeated:
the big unpassed bill is the NY Health Act, cause - holy hell single payer for all New Yorkers (also I don't want California to get there first) But there's loads of good stuff in there, like codifying Roe V Wade and abortion access into law, universal rent control acts, early and absentee voting, and oh just the most progressive climate law in the country.
I'm just some guy who's not from New York. But what I know is, when Trump's hometown itself finally goes progressive, when New York City becomes the Democratic paradise (well, y'know, compared to what it is now) it always wanted to be but couldn't, we're one huge step closer to turning the whole country into the good shit. Cuomo is an opportunist and will jump at whatever gets him re-elected. His legislative excuse to keep things crappy got ruined tonight. If leftward pressure can push good things forward there, we're in for some major changes federally. If NY can make the good shit law, like Obamacare and California's environmental standards, there will be no rescinding it without a huge cost. You guys, not just in NY but everyone all over the country pushing for progressive goals, just helped win a major strategic victory, I think. Keep it up, and thank you on behalf of a Minnesotan who hopes my own blue-ish state (the anti-Wisconson!) follows soon. We at the local level are the ones who show the feds and the rest of the country how it should be done.
posted by saysthis at 11:16 PM on September 13, 2018 [26 favorites]
I always think about the fact that something like 30% of the National DSA membership is in NYC DSA and NYS is considered impossible to enact progressive politics cause of the IDC and Cuomo.
Well now it's more likely.
posted by The Whelk at 11:38 PM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Well now it's more likely.
posted by The Whelk at 11:38 PM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
(also we only got into electoral work about two years ago)
posted by The Whelk at 11:44 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:44 PM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
BuzzFeed, Darren Sands and Ruby Cramer, Black Women Helped Build The Democratic Party. Now Those Leaders Say They’re Being Locked Out.
In interviews over the last month, black women across the party ticked off a litany of concerns and complaints about the DNC’s leadership under Perez that have been mounting in a “slow burn” since his election 18 months ago, according to Jehmu Greene, a 46-year-old Democratic strategist and commentator who served on Perez’s transition advisory team last spring.posted by zachlipton at 12:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [32 favorites]
They say the DNC doesn’t elevate black women as public spokespeople or behind the scenes. (Early on in Perez’s tenure, they wrote an open letter to their new chair to express concerns about his staff hires and “the absence of our inclusion in discussions about the party’s forward movement.”) They say Perez, a former labor secretary in Barack Obama’s administration, has an impressive resume in government service but lacks the kind of political appetite and experience that, in their view, made Brown an inclusive and commanding party chair. (“He's not political,” Caraway said of Perez. “You either are, or you're not.”) And they say that when they’ve raised these questions with Perez and his team, they are largely brushed off. (Greene took the public step of publishing an op-ed to call attention to the fact that black women are “ghosting the Democratic Party.” The DNC did not reach out after it ran, she said.)
Black women in or close to the party refer to the problem at the DNC in impassioned, at times emotional terms: People are “heartbroken,” they say. “Fed up” and “disgusted” and “appalled.”
...
“We don’t need you to set a table for us,” said Melanie Campbell, the president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Public Policy Network. Campbell, a longtime organizer, has reinvented herself as a powerful central figure in a wide-ranging effort to magnify black women’s voices in the digital age. “It’s not about apologizing to us. It’s about recognizing if you want to win, black women are who is going to drive it.”
Patrick Leahy has a WaPo op-ed, Brett Kavanaugh misled the Senate under oath. I cannot support his nomination. Basically, he "misled the Senate" about: the stolen memos; his involvement in confirmations for William Pryor, William Haynes, and Charles Pickering; and his involvement or knowledge of detainee policies and a warrantless surveillance program. "Unimpeachable integrity must never be optional," Leahy writes.
Also from a story on Kavanaugh's confirmation process and the mystery letter, somebody has a dumb idea on how to register their opposition with Susan Collins:
Also from a story on Kavanaugh's confirmation process and the mystery letter, somebody has a dumb idea on how to register their opposition with Susan Collins:
But her office has faced a firestorm of calls from Kavanaugh opponents, with the protests sometimes coming in a profane and vulgar manner that has been denounced by Republican senators and some Democrats. On Thursday, a three-foot-long cardboard cutout of male genitalia, accompanied by a profanity, was sent to Collins’s Washington office, according to her staff.posted by peeedro at 1:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
Vulgarity?! In this day and age?
/monocle_pop
posted by petebest at 4:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
/monocle_pop
posted by petebest at 4:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Vulgarity?! In this day and age?
Sending a woman a giant dick goes a little beyond vulgarity and into sexual harassment bullshit that women in leadership have to deal with all the time. I don't like Collins but that's a shitty thing to do.
posted by Anonymous at 4:29 AM on September 14, 2018
Sending a woman a giant dick goes a little beyond vulgarity and into sexual harassment bullshit that women in leadership have to deal with all the time. I don't like Collins but that's a shitty thing to do.
posted by Anonymous at 4:29 AM on September 14, 2018
Agreed, the WaPo could have said that instead.
posted by petebest at 4:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by petebest at 4:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Do any of our NYC threadmembers have insight on Tish James as NYC AG as her win relates to investigating Trump? All of the candidates seem to have offered generic platitudes about going after Trump, but Teachout was the one who laid out a detailed plan of attack as her major platform. James sounds good for New York broadly, but nationally we needed someone in that role that will aggressively investigate the president.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:06 AM on September 14, 2018
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:06 AM on September 14, 2018
somebody has a dumb idea on how to register their opposition with Susan Collins:
It apparently gets much worse than that, even. Maine Public Radio ran a story last night about her staffers being threatened with rape.
I don't care how angry you are. Threats of violence are not ok.
posted by anastasiav at 5:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
It apparently gets much worse than that, even. Maine Public Radio ran a story last night about her staffers being threatened with rape.
I don't care how angry you are. Threats of violence are not ok.
posted by anastasiav at 5:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
The Whelk: (also we only got into electoral work about two years ago)
The amount of "politican torque" you've put together in so short a time is the part that I fucking love.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
The amount of "politican torque" you've put together in so short a time is the part that I fucking love.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
AG isn't the race I followed most closely, but I'm not that optimistic. I used to be more of a Tish James fan but have come to believe she's more talk than action, and she had less Trump talk than Teachout, so. On the other hand I think she is very up for taking on a higher profile position and I basically agree with her positions, with a nitpick here or there, so maybe she'll rise to the occasion and surprise me. I hope so!
posted by ferret branca at 5:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ferret branca at 5:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
James sounds good for New York broadly, but nationally we needed someone in that role that will aggressively investigate the president.
I would argue that Barbara Underwood is setting up whoever replaces her to be very combative with Trump and his actions. When James takes over *knocks on wood*, she'll be taking over the suits levied by Underwood's office, so that will be far more difficult of which to back out than declining to sue in the first place.
I really, really wanted Teachout to win because of the corruption in NY (and being willing to put the screws to the financial industry), but I think James will do just fine in bringing the full legal power of NY upon Donald Trump's head.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 5:34 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I would argue that Barbara Underwood is setting up whoever replaces her to be very combative with Trump and his actions. When James takes over *knocks on wood*, she'll be taking over the suits levied by Underwood's office, so that will be far more difficult of which to back out than declining to sue in the first place.
I really, really wanted Teachout to win because of the corruption in NY (and being willing to put the screws to the financial industry), but I think James will do just fine in bringing the full legal power of NY upon Donald Trump's head.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 5:34 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Guttenberg again disputed Shah’s account of the encounter between him and Kavanaugh. He said that not only did Kavanaugh refuse to shake his hand, he called security to remove him from the hearing, identifying him by the bracelets he wears to remember his daughter.
Yeah but that could just mean "this guy approached me. I don't know who he is, but he has this bracelet on his wrist."
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:09 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah but that could just mean "this guy approached me. I don't know who he is, but he has this bracelet on his wrist."
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:09 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
The video that circulated was pretty clear - Kavanaugh listened to Guttenberg introduce himself, then you see the look on Kavanaugh's face, and he turns and walks away. The "security interjected" from Kavanaugh's statement is bullshit.
On top of that, when did security come and remove Guttenberg? Was he standing by the table that Kavanaugh had been sat at, or was it later, when Guttenberg had returned to the public seating area? If the former, I can understand ("You're not supposed to be here, go away"), it it's the latter, it's more "We're throwing you out of this room because he doesn't want you in here".
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 6:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [24 favorites]
On top of that, when did security come and remove Guttenberg? Was he standing by the table that Kavanaugh had been sat at, or was it later, when Guttenberg had returned to the public seating area? If the former, I can understand ("You're not supposed to be here, go away"), it it's the latter, it's more "We're throwing you out of this room because he doesn't want you in here".
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 6:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [24 favorites]
Yeah but that could just mean "this guy approached me. I don't know who he is, but he has this bracelet on his wrist."
Yes, it is true that Kavanaugh has made it crystal clear that he finds bracelets memorializing the death of children murdered by right-wing extremists with guns far more threatening than either the extremists, their murderous impulses, or the guns.
posted by zombieflanders at 6:18 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yes, it is true that Kavanaugh has made it crystal clear that he finds bracelets memorializing the death of children murdered by right-wing extremists with guns far more threatening than either the extremists, their murderous impulses, or the guns.
posted by zombieflanders at 6:18 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
Kavanaugh is so obviously shitty for his actual judicial opinions and statements made while doing his job--the job which ostensibly prepared him for the highest court--that the other ways he's shitty seem beside the point.
The party that brought you "legitimate rape" isn't going to care about his high school "indiscretions." They don't care that he snubbed a Sandy Hook parent.
I mean, use whatever ammo's in your belt, I guess, but questioning someone's character is the Republican's whole shtick. Are we already done attacking him on his supposed qualifications?
posted by aspersioncast at 6:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
The party that brought you "legitimate rape" isn't going to care about his high school "indiscretions." They don't care that he snubbed a Sandy Hook parent.
I mean, use whatever ammo's in your belt, I guess, but questioning someone's character is the Republican's whole shtick. Are we already done attacking him on his supposed qualifications?
posted by aspersioncast at 6:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
So, Manafort will plead guilty to avoid a second trial. A new "criminal information" document, just released by the Special Counsel's office, charges two counts: conspiracy (with Gates, Kilimnik) against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. These crimes were committed 2006-2017.
It remains unclear, for now, if there is a cooperation agreement. We await the plea agreement for those details.
posted by pjenks at 6:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
It remains unclear, for now, if there is a cooperation agreement. We await the plea agreement for those details.
posted by pjenks at 6:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
bracelets memorializing the death of children murdered by right-wing extremists with guns
But did Kavanaugh care enough to know (beforehand) that's what the bracelet was for? (no)
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:39 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
But did Kavanaugh care enough to know (beforehand) that's what the bracelet was for? (no)
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:39 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Leahy op-ed makes a clear and compelling case of why Kavanaugh should not be confirmed. But it drives me crazy that even now, people feel compelled to use phrases like "misled the Senate under oath" when the op-ed clearly established that he **lied** more than 100 times under oath. And that's perjury, correct?
If you want to stop the nomination, stop pulling your damn punches.
posted by martin q blank at 6:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [43 favorites]
If you want to stop the nomination, stop pulling your damn punches.
posted by martin q blank at 6:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [43 favorites]
If you want to stop the nomination, stop pulling your damn punches.
Exactly. HE LIED UNDER OATH. I THOUGHT WE IMPEACHED PEOPLE FOR THAT.
posted by aspersioncast at 6:42 AM on September 14, 2018 [50 favorites]
Exactly. HE LIED UNDER OATH. I THOUGHT WE IMPEACHED PEOPLE FOR THAT.
posted by aspersioncast at 6:42 AM on September 14, 2018 [50 favorites]
Brett Kavanaugh Says He Would Have 'Listened' to Father of Parkland Victim if He Had Known Who He Was - Time.com
Which, as pointed out, is a lie.
Kavanaugh also said that he used the term “abortion-inducing drugs” during his confirmation solely because he was mimicking the way the plaintiffs he was discussing had used it.
Which is almost certainly a lie.
But it's interesting that Kavanaugh perceives these facts as damaging enough to be motivated to lie to the national media about them. They say that if you're explaining, you're losing, and Kavanaugh is explaining in a transparently phony way.
posted by Gelatin at 6:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Which, as pointed out, is a lie.
Kavanaugh also said that he used the term “abortion-inducing drugs” during his confirmation solely because he was mimicking the way the plaintiffs he was discussing had used it.
Which is almost certainly a lie.
But it's interesting that Kavanaugh perceives these facts as damaging enough to be motivated to lie to the national media about them. They say that if you're explaining, you're losing, and Kavanaugh is explaining in a transparently phony way.
posted by Gelatin at 6:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Kavanaugh is so obviously shitty for his actual judicial opinions and statements made while doing his job--the job which ostensibly prepared him for the highest court--that the other ways he's shitty seem beside the point.
That's my feeling about this turning his back on the dad thing; I'm totally prepared to believe he's a soulless monster unable to even feign sympathy without a prepared speech, but when there's so much else he's so so so so bad about with written proof, why get into it on something with plausible and innocent explanations? Maybe he deliberately turned his back on someone, heard who he says he was, and had him ejected. Maybe he was distracted, didn't hear, and Shah is wrong about the who and why he was removed.
With either being possible, we can use the attention we have from people to get into probabilities over an unknowable state of mind or we can talk about the things Kav signed his name to or told Congress and then was revealed to be lying. Hell, this is a case where I don't even care if we call it a lie. Dude's supposed to become one of the nine top justices for life, if he can't keep his shit straight to the tune of 100 misstatements and misremembers then he's not up for the job. If using the rhetorical style of pre-conceding a foot to dig in for the remaining mile gets us more success then why not.
posted by phearlez at 7:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
That's my feeling about this turning his back on the dad thing; I'm totally prepared to believe he's a soulless monster unable to even feign sympathy without a prepared speech, but when there's so much else he's so so so so bad about with written proof, why get into it on something with plausible and innocent explanations? Maybe he deliberately turned his back on someone, heard who he says he was, and had him ejected. Maybe he was distracted, didn't hear, and Shah is wrong about the who and why he was removed.
With either being possible, we can use the attention we have from people to get into probabilities over an unknowable state of mind or we can talk about the things Kav signed his name to or told Congress and then was revealed to be lying. Hell, this is a case where I don't even care if we call it a lie. Dude's supposed to become one of the nine top justices for life, if he can't keep his shit straight to the tune of 100 misstatements and misremembers then he's not up for the job. If using the rhetorical style of pre-conceding a foot to dig in for the remaining mile gets us more success then why not.
posted by phearlez at 7:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Democratic Party Has More U.S. House Candidates on November Ballot than Any Party in Previous U.S. History
In the November 2018 election, there will be Democrats on the ballot in all but two U.S. House districts. No party in the history of government-printed ballots has ever before had candidates on the ballot in that many districts. Even in the 1930’s, the Democrats did not have that many nominees. The Republican Party has never had that many candidates.posted by kirkaracha at 7:19 AM on September 14, 2018 [70 favorites]
The only two districts that the Democrats missed are California’s 8th district, and Georgia’s 8th district.
So, Manafort will plead guilty to avoid a second trial. A new "criminal information" document, just released by the Special Counsel's office, charges two counts: conspiracy (with Gates, Kilimnik) against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. These crimes were committed 2006-2017.
It remains unclear, for now, if there is a cooperation agreement. We await the plea agreement for those details.
This seems, to me, not the best
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:20 AM on September 14, 2018
It remains unclear, for now, if there is a cooperation agreement. We await the plea agreement for those details.
This seems, to me, not the best
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:20 AM on September 14, 2018
The WaPo account seems to concur:
It is unclear how a guilty plea might alter his ultimate sentence, and some lawyers have questioned whether he is focused on winning a reprieve elsewhere. Law enforcement officials have come to suspect that Manafort hopes he will be pardoned by the president, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
posted by stonepharisee at 7:22 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
It is unclear how a guilty plea might alter his ultimate sentence, and some lawyers have questioned whether he is focused on winning a reprieve elsewhere. Law enforcement officials have come to suspect that Manafort hopes he will be pardoned by the president, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
posted by stonepharisee at 7:22 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Samantha Bee's show is back after a hiatus with her new set, so look it up. In this episode, voter suppression, gerrymandering and her new game!
This Is Not A Game: The Game by Sam Bee (app store) (google play)
posted by adept256 at 7:29 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
This Is Not A Game: The Game by Sam Bee (app store) (google play)
posted by adept256 at 7:29 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Senator Tammy Duckworth on the Attack that Took Her Legs—and Having a Baby at 50 (Rebecca Johnson for Vogue, September 12, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [46 favorites]
Currently, Abigail is in preschool and Maile is being taken care of by a nanny who has set up a crib in Duckworth’s office. Duckworth knows she’s lucky to have such an arrangement, but what she really would have liked was a six-month maternity leave. “I am tired,” she admits when I ask. “I am overwhelmed. Who isn’t? The average American mom is tired. So many of us are numb from the trauma of having a president who acts the way he does.” But when you’re in a position to make a difference, it’s hard to stay home watching, say, immigrants being separated from their children, especially if you are the child of an immigrant. So she’s gearing up for fresh battles over immigration, over Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court (she’ll vote no). “So it doesn’t matter if I am tired,” she tells me. “I am going to show up every day and fight. If that means I have to crawl to get a vote, I am going to do it.”Great article and interview, covering her tenacity and compassion. Warning: you might find its dusty while reading.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [46 favorites]
This Is Not A Game: The Game by Sam Bee
This won't let me create an e-mail log-in unless I use a valid .edu address (I don't have one), or log in by giving it my FB credentials (no-way).
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
This won't let me create an e-mail log-in unless I use a valid .edu address (I don't have one), or log in by giving it my FB credentials (no-way).
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I have a fakeo FB account for that stuff and I set the profile in it so that anything that any other app posts is set to ME ONLY. In my case I need it also for testing purposes, but it's a good way to have the FB login ability without any connection to real me. In essence it just ends up being a single sign-on credential for sites with FB login schemes.
posted by phearlez at 7:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 7:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Why Trump Can’t Block Release of the Mueller Report: "Any such effort would be an unlawful power grab, not presidential prerogative" - Jessica Marsden and Andy Wright, Slate
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
So, Manafort will plead guilty to avoid a second trial. A new "criminal information" document, just released by the Special Counsel's office, charges two counts: conspiracy (with Gates, Kilimnik) against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. These crimes were committed 2006-2017.
18 US 371. Conspiracy. One of the things about RICO is that bribery is an element, and conspiracy to commit counts.
posted by mikelieman at 7:51 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
18 US 371. Conspiracy. One of the things about RICO is that bribery is an element, and conspiracy to commit counts.
posted by mikelieman at 7:51 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Why Trump Can’t
Universal translation for articles of this sort: "SURELY Trump wouldn't dare try to..." (Spoiler: Surely he would!)
posted by duffell at 7:52 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
Universal translation for articles of this sort: "SURELY Trump wouldn't dare try to..." (Spoiler: Surely he would!)
posted by duffell at 7:52 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
Why Trump Can’t Block Release of the Mueller Report: "Any such effort would be an unlawful power grab, not presidential prerogative"
Yes, the Trump administration and the GOP would never consider unlawful power grabs. What a relief.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
Yes, the Trump administration and the GOP would never consider unlawful power grabs. What a relief.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
@amy_siskind
So to summarize, Kavanaugh can’t manage a bank account, lied under oath more than once, has extremist and anti-women views, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in high school, and this is the most qualified person Trump could find, and the GOP is okay with it too?
Honestly he’s like their dream candidate, So many of their qualities wrapped up in one person. They must be so overjoyed to be able to push a perfect reflection of their id upon an unwilling public.
posted by Artw at 7:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [21 favorites]
So to summarize, Kavanaugh can’t manage a bank account, lied under oath more than once, has extremist and anti-women views, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in high school, and this is the most qualified person Trump could find, and the GOP is okay with it too?
Honestly he’s like their dream candidate, So many of their qualities wrapped up in one person. They must be so overjoyed to be able to push a perfect reflection of their id upon an unwilling public.
posted by Artw at 7:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [21 favorites]
Kavanaugh also said that he used the term “abortion-inducing drugs” during his confirmation solely because he was mimicking the way the plaintiffs he was discussing had used it.
Why would any Judge allow testimony to include clearly false statements made under oath? "So called" must be a qualifier if you're going to indicate scientifically invalid claims. I'm more worried than ever that he's just not smart enough to do the job.
posted by mikelieman at 7:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Why would any Judge allow testimony to include clearly false statements made under oath? "So called" must be a qualifier if you're going to indicate scientifically invalid claims. I'm more worried than ever that he's just not smart enough to do the job.
posted by mikelieman at 7:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Honestly he’s like their dream candidate, So many of their qualities wrapped up in one person. They must be so overjoyed to be able to push a perfect reflection of their id upon an unwilling public.
America's Next Top Federalist.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:58 AM on September 14, 2018
America's Next Top Federalist.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:58 AM on September 14, 2018
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time
By Jose Andres, foreword by Lin Manuel Miranda. (amazon)
in the face of disasters both natural and man-made
posted by adept256 at 7:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
By Jose Andres, foreword by Lin Manuel Miranda. (amazon)
The true story of how a group of chefs fed hundreds of thousands of hungry Americans after Hurricane Maria and touched the hearts of many moreJose Andrés interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Chef José Andrés arrived in Puerto Rico four days after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island. The economy was destroyed and for most people there was no clean water, no food, no power, no gas, and no way to communicate with the outside world.
Andrés addressed the humanitarian crisis the only way he knew how: by feeding people, one hot meal at a time. From serving sancocho with his friend José Enrique at Enrique’s ravaged restaurant in San Juan to eventually cooking 100,000 meals a day at more than a dozen kitchens across the island, Andrés and his team fed hundreds of thousands of people, including with massive paellas made to serve thousands of people alone.. At the same time, they also confronted a crisis with deep roots, as well as the broken and wasteful system that helps keep some of the biggest charities and NGOs in business.
Based on Andrés’s insider’s take as well as on meetings, messages, and conversations he had while in Puerto Rico, We Fed an Island movingly describes how a network of community kitchens activated real change and tells an extraordinary story of hope in the face of disasters both natural and man-made, offering suggestions for how to address a crisis like this in the future.
Beyond that, a portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Chef Relief Network of World Central Kitchen for efforts in Puerto Rico and beyond.
in the face of disasters both natural and man-made
posted by adept256 at 7:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
Universal translation for articles of this sort: "SURELY Trump wouldn't dare try to..." (Spoiler: Surely he would!)
Read by Trump as 'Trump is too weak to x' with the predictable result.
posted by jaduncan at 8:01 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Read by Trump as 'Trump is too weak to x' with the predictable result.
posted by jaduncan at 8:01 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
[Chuck Grassley] releases a letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school (showing Rs knew about this high-school rape allegation.) These women say Kavanaugh “behaved honorably and treated women with respect.”
posted by zombieflanders at 8:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by zombieflanders at 8:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm more worried than ever that he's just not smart enough to do the job.
At no point in this nightmare hellscape has cognitive ability been a limiting factor to anyone doing anything. Manafort can't order a pizza without committing criminal conspiracy. Jindal is a Rhodes Scholar who doesn't think evolution is a real thing. DeVos has clearly never set foot in a public school. Trump is a so-called businessman who doesn't understand debt, interest, or trade deficits. Palin is... well, Palin. Any one of these confederacy of dunces makes me yearn for the days of a vice-president who spelled potato with an E. I don't think a display of total ignorance around contraceptives is going to be the death knell for this one.
posted by Mayor West at 8:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [26 favorites]
At no point in this nightmare hellscape has cognitive ability been a limiting factor to anyone doing anything. Manafort can't order a pizza without committing criminal conspiracy. Jindal is a Rhodes Scholar who doesn't think evolution is a real thing. DeVos has clearly never set foot in a public school. Trump is a so-called businessman who doesn't understand debt, interest, or trade deficits. Palin is... well, Palin. Any one of these confederacy of dunces makes me yearn for the days of a vice-president who spelled potato with an E. I don't think a display of total ignorance around contraceptives is going to be the death knell for this one.
posted by Mayor West at 8:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [26 favorites]
[Chuck Grassley] releases a letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school (showing Rs knew about this high-school rape allegation.) These women say Kavanaugh “behaved honorably and treated women with respect.”
"Here's a list of women that he didn't rape" worked great for Moore.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [86 favorites]
"Here's a list of women that he didn't rape" worked great for Moore.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [86 favorites]
North Carolina passed a law not so long ago that mandated scientists abandon science when estimating sea level changes and the damages from hurricanes related to sea level change. Specifically the law prohibited scientists working for the state from using anything but "historic norms" when estimating future sea level changes.
North Carolina politicians voted against aid after Hurricane Sandy. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham voted against aid for Hurricane Harvey victims.
I'm not arguing that there should be no aid given to the victims of Florence just because the politicians from the impacted areas did bad things. I **AM** saying that I think any aid package needs to include some serious strings. A mandate of reciprocity for the victims of future disasters, a mandate that the states in question stop impeding science, things like that.
Obviously that won't happen for this aid package, it'll be passed while the Republicans have a majority. But for the future we need to look at making sure aid to climate change related disasters includes some sort of hook.
posted by sotonohito at 8:11 AM on September 14, 2018 [30 favorites]
North Carolina politicians voted against aid after Hurricane Sandy. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham voted against aid for Hurricane Harvey victims.
I'm not arguing that there should be no aid given to the victims of Florence just because the politicians from the impacted areas did bad things. I **AM** saying that I think any aid package needs to include some serious strings. A mandate of reciprocity for the victims of future disasters, a mandate that the states in question stop impeding science, things like that.
Obviously that won't happen for this aid package, it'll be passed while the Republicans have a majority. But for the future we need to look at making sure aid to climate change related disasters includes some sort of hook.
posted by sotonohito at 8:11 AM on September 14, 2018 [30 favorites]
Who cares if they died, they voted D anyway. Republicanism is a cancer that must be excised from the body politic.
Brendan Karet
Ed Rollins, on Puerto Rico death toll estimates: "The reality is the Democrats are playing to Puerto Ricans who have moved to this country, moved to Florida, politics, and they're not for us anyways. So, at the end of the day here, the president is accurate"
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 8:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [31 favorites]
Brendan Karet
Ed Rollins, on Puerto Rico death toll estimates: "The reality is the Democrats are playing to Puerto Ricans who have moved to this country, moved to Florida, politics, and they're not for us anyways. So, at the end of the day here, the president is accurate"
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 8:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [31 favorites]
The problem with punishing NC/SC is that you punish the people who are too poor to move to a blue state, who are disenfranchised, the activists who do Moral Mondays, the ones who do vote Democratic, etc.
posted by emjaybee at 8:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 8:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the [state]: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:29 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the [state]: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:29 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Adding to the timeline on this, it's been floating around Congress since at least July -- it's kind of amazing that this hasn't been a thing until now, months later.
Who will raise a white, wrinkly hand against him?
posted by wenestvedt at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Who will raise a white, wrinkly hand against him?
posted by wenestvedt at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
If Manafort pleads out, then he is no longer in danger of prosecution, and can’t plead the 5th any more, right? I think that’s right. Maybe that’s the goal here, rather than cooperation up front.
posted by kerf at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kerf at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Evan Pérezis this where cake happens?
Prosecutor Andrew Weismann says there is a cooperation agreement with Manafort
posted by Brainy at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [26 favorites]
Equally evil in the Ed Rollins quote: "The reality is the Democrats are playing to Puerto Ricans who have moved to this country, moved to Florida, politics, and they're not for us anyways. So, at the end of the day here, the president is accurate."
Nonwhite people aren't really American, part three billion.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
Nonwhite people aren't really American, part three billion.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
A letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school??? I didn’t know 65 people in high school, much less women, much less women who would sign a letter attesting to my behavior 30 years later. Granted I’m far from a socialite, but that kinda strains credulity.
posted by Room 101 at 8:31 AM on September 14, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by Room 101 at 8:31 AM on September 14, 2018 [39 favorites]
I encourage everyone who has questions about the benefits of Mueller's team's Superseding Criminal Indictment to read it thoroughly.
By agreeing to this, Manafort is stipulating to EVERY ACT underlying the prior criminal charges. Sure he's copping to "just" conspiracy, but as I said before, "Conspiracy to Bribe is RICO territory", and don't we all want this to end up that way?
posted by mikelieman at 8:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
By agreeing to this, Manafort is stipulating to EVERY ACT underlying the prior criminal charges. Sure he's copping to "just" conspiracy, but as I said before, "Conspiracy to Bribe is RICO territory", and don't we all want this to end up that way?
posted by mikelieman at 8:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
Trump tweet-whined this week that Mueller was costing us $28 million. Mueller's Manafort plea today means $46 million in civil forfeitures. Mueller is now a profit center.
posted by chris24 at 8:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [127 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [127 favorites]
Evan Pérez
Prosecutor Andrew Weismann says there is a cooperation agreement with Manafort
Hey, that's much better news
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Prosecutor Andrew Weismann says there is a cooperation agreement with Manafort
Hey, that's much better news
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm not arguing that there should be no aid given to the victims of Florence just because the politicians from the impacted areas did bad things. I **AM** saying that I think any aid package needs to include some serious strings. A mandate of reciprocity for the victims of future disasters, a mandate that the states in question stop impeding science, things like that.
This is the exact kind of thing that the Supreme Court ruled invalid in the decision to uphold Obamacare, placing "coercive" limits on federal spending.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is the exact kind of thing that the Supreme Court ruled invalid in the decision to uphold Obamacare, placing "coercive" limits on federal spending.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:36 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes, please don't punish the people of NC because our legislature was hijacked by Art Pope et al. It happened in a multitude of states in 2010 because Dems were asleep at the wheel and Republicans were het up over Obamacare and they were smart enough to know who draws the lines after the census. Seems like whenever we get elected it's one step forward, two steps back (as opposed to the ten steps backward when the GOP is in office). That makes it hard to draw turnout, and it leads some people to conclude that the parties are the same because we go backward no matter who gets elected. BUT IT'S THE SAME PEOPLE DRAGGING US BACKWARD EITHER WAY. (Sorry, it's not a good time to rag on NC.)
posted by rikschell at 8:37 AM on September 14, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 8:37 AM on September 14, 2018 [15 favorites]
Yes, please don't punish the people of NC
No punishment. But I would like NC to have to change their laws to work on Science if they would like money from the Treasury.
They're free to refuse, but honestly, there's no rational reason to deny science any longer, so it's not coercion, but using Congress' purse to promote the progress of Science. Which no-one denies promotes the General Welfare, one of our Government's mandates.
posted by mikelieman at 8:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
No punishment. But I would like NC to have to change their laws to work on Science if they would like money from the Treasury.
They're free to refuse, but honestly, there's no rational reason to deny science any longer, so it's not coercion, but using Congress' purse to promote the progress of Science. Which no-one denies promotes the General Welfare, one of our Government's mandates.
posted by mikelieman at 8:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sure he's copping to "just" conspiracy, but as I said before, "Conspiracy to Bribe is RICO territory", and don't we all want this to end up that way?
And a conspiracy means there are conspirators.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
And a conspiracy means there are conspirators.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Manafort securing a plea deal requiring co-operation with Mueller, after holding out for so long, seems of monumental importance. Here are various cake and dessert emoji to celebrate: 🍩🍪🎂🍰🥧🍫🍬🍭🍮
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [48 favorites]
No punishment. But I would like NC to have to change their laws to work on Science if they would like money from the Treasury.
You can't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation
posted by Think_Long at 8:46 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
You can't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation
posted by Think_Long at 8:46 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
The problem is that Republicans are happy to kill their constituents in order to consolidate their own power, or to send money to rich people, or just because the constituents are poor and/or brown and therefore not really human. Setting up a trigger like that just lets them blame somebody else for the deaths.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
This [This Is Not A Game: The Game by Sam Bee] won't let me create an e-mail log-in unless I use a valid .edu address (I don't have one).
I was able to sign up with a gmail account.
posted by zakur at 8:48 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was able to sign up with a gmail account.
posted by zakur at 8:48 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
You can't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation
Republicans can and do literally every fucking time something happens to a blue state
They fucking did it after 9/11
posted by schadenfrau at 8:48 AM on September 14, 2018 [48 favorites]
Republicans can and do literally every fucking time something happens to a blue state
They fucking did it after 9/11
posted by schadenfrau at 8:48 AM on September 14, 2018 [48 favorites]
Yes but unless you have a setup that would take the Republicans hostage rather than poor and indigent communities who are the first to die from natural disasters, fighting fire with fire ain't gonna work.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:50 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:50 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
You can't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation
Republicans can and do literally every fucking time something happens to a blue state
So maybe let's amend that to "Functional human beings don't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation", and let's recall someone saying something about abysses and looking into them and suchlike.
posted by Etrigan at 8:51 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
Republicans can and do literally every fucking time something happens to a blue state
So maybe let's amend that to "Functional human beings don't leverage emergency relief as a hostage negotiation", and let's recall someone saying something about abysses and looking into them and suchlike.
posted by Etrigan at 8:51 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
Adding to the timeline on this, it's been floating around Congress since at least July -- it's kind of amazing that this hasn't been a thing until now, months later.
I don't think it actually was floating around Congress. It sounds like Feinstein's office was sitting on it until the story broke. The last paragraph of the New Yorker story has multiple complaints from people who work for other members of the Judiciary Committee, who would be the first to know about the criminal behavior of a nominee they were going to be holding hearings about, saying that they had never seen or heard anything about this letter until the rest of us did.
posted by Copronymus at 8:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't think it actually was floating around Congress. It sounds like Feinstein's office was sitting on it until the story broke. The last paragraph of the New Yorker story has multiple complaints from people who work for other members of the Judiciary Committee, who would be the first to know about the criminal behavior of a nominee they were going to be holding hearings about, saying that they had never seen or heard anything about this letter until the rest of us did.
posted by Copronymus at 8:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oh yes, agreed. You help people because they need it.
But let’s not forget that one side doesn’t believe that you help people because they need it.
The Republicans are actually evil, and have been for some time, and yet it still hasn’t quite sunk in.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
But let’s not forget that one side doesn’t believe that you help people because they need it.
The Republicans are actually evil, and have been for some time, and yet it still hasn’t quite sunk in.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Fictional powerplays that leverage disasters to induce good behaviour in recalcitrant states might be a blockbuster movie, but it is surely a derail here.
posted by stonepharisee at 8:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by stonepharisee at 8:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm frustrated about the plea deal unless it involves seriously useful cooperation and videotaped deposition. I'd rather have seen the DOJ take Manafort to trial rather than agree to a deal that involves dropping so many counts (5 of 7?). They have him dead to rights, a trial is the best way to make the facts of the case known to the public, and Manafort seems like he's angling for a pardon anyway, so I'd rather not allow him to squirm out of the spotlight.
posted by skewed at 8:54 AM on September 14, 2018
posted by skewed at 8:54 AM on September 14, 2018
Marcy Wheeler: The Manafort Cooperation Is Pardon Proof
1. Mueller spent the hour and a half delay in arraignment doing … something. It’s possible Manafort even presented the key parts of testimony Mueller needs from him to the grand jury this morning.posted by T.D. Strange at 8:55 AM on September 14, 2018 [53 favorites]
2. The forfeiture in this plea is both criminal and civil, meaning DOJ will be able to get Manafort’s $46 million even with a pardon.
3. Some of the dismissed charges are financial ones that can be charged in various states.
But North Carolina is not just a bunch of backward hicks and Trump goons. We voted for Obama in 2008, and then had our legislature stolen from us. The courts have ruled over and over again that our legislature is based on unconstitutionally drawn maps, but then they won't do fuck-all about it before an election. We're doing what we can. We go into the legislative chambers and get arrested. We tear down statues they make laws to protect. The least you could do is not threaten us in our hour of need. It might even be nice if you'd help us take our government back from the thieves and assholes who just want to kick trans and black folks.
posted by rikschell at 8:55 AM on September 14, 2018 [97 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 8:55 AM on September 14, 2018 [97 favorites]
Ryan Goodman: CNN reporting Special Counsel says Manafort has already begun giving information to Justice Departmentposted by Brainy at 8:56 AM on September 14, 2018 [30 favorites]
That makes me feel better, T.D. Strange. I was under the impression that DOJ had decided that Manafort didn't really have anything that would be of further use to them at this point in the investigation.
posted by skewed at 8:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by skewed at 8:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
A letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school??? I didn’t know 65 people in high school, much less women, much less women who would sign a letter attesting to my behavior 30 years later. Granted I’m far from a socialite, but that kinda strains credulity.
It strains even more credulity when you realize he went to an all-boys high school.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [60 favorites]
It strains even more credulity when you realize he went to an all-boys high school.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [60 favorites]
Georgetown Prep was an all-boys school when Kavanaugh was there. That makes finding 65 women - who went to neighboring schools - a pretty monumental task.
posted by frecklefaerie at 9:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by frecklefaerie at 9:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
A letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school??? I didn’t know 65 people in high school, much less women, much less women who would sign a letter attesting to my behavior 30 years later. Granted I’m far from a socialite, but that kinda strains credulity.
Hell, I went to a huge high school 25 years ago and I turned out to be widely liked with a bunch of overlapping groups (and oh yeah never assaulted anyone), and there's no way I could cough up 65 women from back then who would sign a letter about my character. Some, sure. Sixty-five? High school relationships don't work that way.
That letter is one more huge red flag showing Republicans know this guy is a problem.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:01 AM on September 14, 2018 [74 favorites]
Hell, I went to a huge high school 25 years ago and I turned out to be widely liked with a bunch of overlapping groups (and oh yeah never assaulted anyone), and there's no way I could cough up 65 women from back then who would sign a letter about my character. Some, sure. Sixty-five? High school relationships don't work that way.
That letter is one more huge red flag showing Republicans know this guy is a problem.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:01 AM on September 14, 2018 [74 favorites]
A letter with sixty-five signers must have been pretty long. Did it arrive in some kind of folder...perhaps even a binder full of women?
posted by wenestvedt at 9:02 AM on September 14, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:02 AM on September 14, 2018 [41 favorites]
Mod note: Let's not get too deep in the weeds on speculation about one aspect of the Kavanaugh thing. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
But North Carolina is not just a bunch of backward hicks and Trump goons.
I've said it before and will again -- there are good and moral people in every one of the fifty states, and when it becomes necessary we will send helicopters to airlift you out.
(Though some days I suspect that we could do Oklahoma in, like, three trips)
posted by delfin at 9:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
I've said it before and will again -- there are good and moral people in every one of the fifty states, and when it becomes necessary we will send helicopters to airlift you out.
(Though some days I suspect that we could do Oklahoma in, like, three trips)
posted by delfin at 9:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
Red states try to kill themselves in as many ways as possible and blue states waste time, money and effort trying to stop them doing so, that’s just the way of the world - they know it and we know it.
And yeah, republicans aren’t going to do shit for a blue state even if it means cutting their own throats, see above. They are just abominable assholes above anything else even above making sure blue states can make money to hand to red states.
posted by Artw at 9:15 AM on September 14, 2018
And yeah, republicans aren’t going to do shit for a blue state even if it means cutting their own throats, see above. They are just abominable assholes above anything else even above making sure blue states can make money to hand to red states.
posted by Artw at 9:15 AM on September 14, 2018
2 million people in North Carolina voted for Hillary Clinton, which is more than New Jersey, Virginia, or any New England state. The state government is famously nondemocratic. But by all means, feel free to be assholes and declare that the people who live there don’t deserve your help unless they repent sufficiently.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
Best birthday gift I ever got?
Mueller flipping Manafort. 🎁
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [79 favorites]
Mueller flipping Manafort. 🎁
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [79 favorites]
From the department of LegalLOL:
@Eamon Javers: The president's legal team put out an initial statement that said: "The President did nothing wrong and Paul Manafort will tell the truth." Minutes later, they put out a new statement that said simply: "The President did nothing wrong."
9/14/18 11:59am
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:26 AM on September 14, 2018 [91 favorites]
@Eamon Javers: The president's legal team put out an initial statement that said: "The President did nothing wrong and Paul Manafort will tell the truth." Minutes later, they put out a new statement that said simply: "The President did nothing wrong."
9/14/18 11:59am
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:26 AM on September 14, 2018 [91 favorites]
Maybe I've just spent too much time on the internet but "did nothing wrong" feels like a top kek dogwhistle
posted by theodolite at 9:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 9:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [30 favorites]
only 9 percent of households in South Carolina and 3 percent in North Carolina carried federal flood insurance as of mid-2017
They're going to need government assistance.
posted by adept256 at 9:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
They're going to need government assistance.
posted by adept256 at 9:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Maybe I've just spent too much time on the internet but "did nothing wrong" feels like a top kek dogwhistle
Note that it's not "did nothing illegal" or "did nothing criminal" or "committed no crime". They've been dropping the crumbs all along toward "Yeah, okay, fine, there was collusion, and it is criminal collusion, but he did it because someone had to stop Killary!"
posted by Etrigan at 9:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Note that it's not "did nothing illegal" or "did nothing criminal" or "committed no crime". They've been dropping the crumbs all along toward "Yeah, okay, fine, there was collusion, and it is criminal collusion, but he did it because someone had to stop Killary!"
posted by Etrigan at 9:32 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
@ReutersPoliticsIf he gets anywhere close to that post cooperation deal I have to think that he'll die in jail if he breaches it.
BREAKING: Judge says Manafort faces possible 10 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to two criminal counts
posted by jaduncan at 9:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
From the current CNN report: "Prosecutors will drop the five remaining charges in DC federal court against Manafort, including money laundering, tax fraud, failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, violating federal foreign lobbying law and lying to the Department of Justice. But the court filing says Manafort admits to the actions."
posted by Harry Caul at 9:34 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Harry Caul at 9:34 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
n.b. Manafort's agreement calls for a 10-year cap on how long he will be sent to prison and for him to serve time from his separate Virginia and Washington cases concurrently (Politico).
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Marcy Wheeler: The Manafort Cooperation Is Pardon Proof
Remember, back in January, Trump told friends and aides that Manafort could incriminate him (the implication was that only Manafort could). I believe Mueller needed Manafort to describe what happened in a June 7, 2016 meeting between the men, in advance of the June 9 meeting. I have long suspected there was another meeting at which Manafort may be the only other Trump aide attendee.posted by kirkaracha at 9:37 AM on September 14, 2018 [63 favorites]
And Manafort has probably already provided evidence on whatever Mueller needed.
So here’s what Robert Mueller just did: He sewed up the key witness to implicate the President, and he paid for the entire investigation. And it’s only now lunch time.
Just caught up on Manafort cooperation plea.
Will the cake gods accept ice cream, do you think?
posted by schadenfrau at 9:41 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Will the cake gods accept ice cream, do you think?
posted by schadenfrau at 9:41 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mana fort and Trump have some kind of ‘mutual protection’ deal thing, where their defense lawyers coordinate with each other? How does Manafort’s deal affect this?
How long before Trump throws him under the bus? Can he even, or has Manafort effectively taken over the bus and will now run over Trump? And, like, Manafort isn’t gonna get bumped off, is he? Would that be part of his deal?
Also, this thread is getting a little un-wieldy, is there another in the works, or should I head out to the kitchen?
posted by From Bklyn at 9:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
How long before Trump throws him under the bus? Can he even, or has Manafort effectively taken over the bus and will now run over Trump? And, like, Manafort isn’t gonna get bumped off, is he? Would that be part of his deal?
Also, this thread is getting a little un-wieldy, is there another in the works, or should I head out to the kitchen?
posted by From Bklyn at 9:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't think I understand what's in this for Manafort. He's agreeing to forfeit $46 million, possibly go to prison for 10 years (and he's already almost 70), cooperate with Mueller, AND he's still open to state prosecution? What could they be holding over his head that's worse? Alternatively, what are they offering him that's worth it?
posted by echo target at 9:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by echo target at 9:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Paul Manafort Tried to Pressure “Obama Jews” to Help His Secret Lobbying Campaign for Ukraine
Excuse me?
MANAFORT sought to undermine United States support for Tymoshenko by spreading stories in the United States that a senior [Ukrainian] Cabinet official (who had been a prominent critic of Yanukovych’s treatment of Tymoshenko) was supporting anti-Semitism because the official supported Tymoshenko, who in turn had formed a political alliance with a Ukraine party that espoused anti-Semitic views. MANAFORT coordinated privately with a senior Israeli government official to issue a written statement publicizing this story. MANAFORT then, with secret advance knowledge of that Israeli statement, worked to disseminate this story in the United States, writing to [lobbyist] Person D1 “I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom.”
Bada bing bada 'scuseme?
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
Excuse me?
MANAFORT sought to undermine United States support for Tymoshenko by spreading stories in the United States that a senior [Ukrainian] Cabinet official (who had been a prominent critic of Yanukovych’s treatment of Tymoshenko) was supporting anti-Semitism because the official supported Tymoshenko, who in turn had formed a political alliance with a Ukraine party that espoused anti-Semitic views. MANAFORT coordinated privately with a senior Israeli government official to issue a written statement publicizing this story. MANAFORT then, with secret advance knowledge of that Israeli statement, worked to disseminate this story in the United States, writing to [lobbyist] Person D1 “I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom.”
Bada bing bada 'scuseme?
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
Maybe I've just spent too much time on the internet but "did nothing wrong" feels like a top kek dogwhistle
Note that it's not "did nothing illegal" or "did nothing criminal"
Naw, that's not the point they're making. "X did nothing wrong" is a trope, where X is almost invariably PINOCHET or VARG or some other fascist, and mmmmmmmaybe once in a blue blue moon STALIN. At least this is how I, too, hear it in my head.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:47 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Note that it's not "did nothing illegal" or "did nothing criminal"
Naw, that's not the point they're making. "X did nothing wrong" is a trope, where X is almost invariably PINOCHET or VARG or some other fascist, and mmmmmmmaybe once in a blue blue moon STALIN. At least this is how I, too, hear it in my head.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:47 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Conspiracy against the United States is a pretty tough resume item. "So, it says here you've got a felony conviction for conspiracy against the United States. Can you tell me a little more about that?"
posted by kirkaracha at 9:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 9:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
Alternatively, what are they offering him that's worth it?
Well, his attorney made mention to the press of the 'safety of his family'. (While standing on the steps wiping his hands over and over. )
posted by Harry Caul at 9:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Well, his attorney made mention to the press of the 'safety of his family'. (While standing on the steps wiping his hands over and over. )
posted by Harry Caul at 9:54 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto)
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:55 AM on September 14, 2018 [36 favorites]
This is big:Revised draft for new FPP is up on the MeFiWiki for contribution/collaboration
Cooperation agmt includes:
-interviews & briefings with the special counsel
- turning over documents
- testifying in other proceedings
Also, Manafort has waived right to have lawyers representing him present at any interviews.
CNN’s @kpolantz reports
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:55 AM on September 14, 2018 [36 favorites]
top kek dogwhistle
It’s wall to wall dogwhistles and right wing tropes with these okay sign making motherfuckers. They’ve all absolutely been stewing in that culture to the point where they couldn’t stop themselves giving off all these tells even if they wanted to - which they won’t, because all that not-so-secret HH 88 sign making shit is absolutely their way of gloating.
posted by Artw at 9:56 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
It’s wall to wall dogwhistles and right wing tropes with these okay sign making motherfuckers. They’ve all absolutely been stewing in that culture to the point where they couldn’t stop themselves giving off all these tells even if they wanted to - which they won’t, because all that not-so-secret HH 88 sign making shit is absolutely their way of gloating.
posted by Artw at 9:56 AM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
Well, his attorney made mention to the press of the 'safety of his family'.
Beware cathedral enthusiasts bearing gifts.
posted by Artw at 9:57 AM on September 14, 2018 [27 favorites]
Beware cathedral enthusiasts bearing gifts.
posted by Artw at 9:57 AM on September 14, 2018 [27 favorites]
@realdonaldtrump Aug 22
I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!
Just four short weeks ago. Awaiting the follow up Manawho? tweet
posted by adept256 at 10:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!
Just four short weeks ago. Awaiting the follow up Manawho? tweet
posted by adept256 at 10:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
But, uh....
@NPRpolitics Paul Manafort's cooperation agreement with the special counsel does not include matters involving the Trump campaign, according to a person familiar with the case, @johnson_carrie reportsposted by pjenks at 10:04 AM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
@HoarseWisperer
The BEST part of Manafort's plea deal and asset forfeiture:
Trump now gets to picture an outcome where the government takes all of your money and possessions.
posted by chris24 at 10:05 AM on September 14, 2018 [40 favorites]
The BEST part of Manafort's plea deal and asset forfeiture:
Trump now gets to picture an outcome where the government takes all of your money and possessions.
posted by chris24 at 10:05 AM on September 14, 2018 [40 favorites]
schadenfrau: Will the cake gods accept ice cream, do you think?
That depends, is there writing on it?
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
That depends, is there writing on it?
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Interesting that of the only two charges Mueller kept, one was the witness tampering charge. Perhaps this is in order to keep Manafort in jail until sentencing. That is the charge that originally resulted in revoking his bail release.
posted by JackFlash at 10:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 10:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump tweet-whined this week that Mueller was costing us $28 million. Mueller's Manafort plea today means $46 million in civil forfeitures. Mueller is now a profit center.
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Mueller is building a prison wall, and Paul Manafort is going to pay for it.
posted by chris24 at 10:08 AM on September 14, 2018 [42 favorites]
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Mueller is building a prison wall, and Paul Manafort is going to pay for it.
posted by chris24 at 10:08 AM on September 14, 2018 [42 favorites]
@NPRpolitics Paul Manafort's cooperation agreement with the special counsel does not include matters involving the Trump campaign, according to a person familiar with the case, @johnson_carrie reports
Potential update to the update:
@johnson_carrie: BUT-- an important fact-- the plea agreement states that Manafort will cooperate "in any and all matter as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant" including "testifying fully, completely" to grand jury in DC
I'm so confused about whether I have to eat cake or not.
posted by zachlipton at 10:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [21 favorites]
Potential update to the update:
@johnson_carrie: BUT-- an important fact-- the plea agreement states that Manafort will cooperate "in any and all matter as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant" including "testifying fully, completely" to grand jury in DC
I'm so confused about whether I have to eat cake or not.
posted by zachlipton at 10:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [21 favorites]
Trump now gets to picture an outcome where the government takes all of your money and possessions.
Huh, I wonder if that was Mueller's intent. Raising the stakes for Trump.
posted by LarsC at 10:13 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Huh, I wonder if that was Mueller's intent. Raising the stakes for Trump.
posted by LarsC at 10:13 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mueller's team, or someone connected to it, has repeatedly tried to underplay the danger of their investigation to the President. For example, Mueller told Trump that he is not a "target" of the investigation. In this case, NPR's source is implying that, because the cooperation agreement doesn't specifically mention the Trump campaign (glossing over the fact that it instead mentions "any and all matters as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant"), Trump should feel more comfortable allowing the investigation to proceed, and less eager to suddenly terminate it and risk the repercussions.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:15 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:15 AM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
Update to Update to Update?
@johnson_carrie IMPORTANT NEW addition: plea agreement requires Manafort to cooperate "in any and all matter as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant" including full, complete testimony to the grand jury in DCposted by pjenks at 10:15 AM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
Also interesting that Mueller left a bunch of other charges on the table, such as money laundering and tax evasion. However, Manafort will admit to those crimes as part of his plea agreement.
This means that the New York State double jeopardy rule is out of play. If Mueller had convicted Manafort on those other charges and Trump pardoned him, New York would have been barred from re-charging him.
As it stands, Manafort has provided sworn testimony as to his guilt on those charges, but no double jeopardy because he wasn't tried and convicted. So a Trump pardon doesn't protect Manafort from possible state charges.
Clever on Mueller's part because they still hold something over him pending his continued cooperation. They convict him on the federal-only conspiracy against the U.S. charge, but leave the other charges that can also be prosecuted at the state level pending.
posted by JackFlash at 10:22 AM on September 14, 2018 [57 favorites]
This means that the New York State double jeopardy rule is out of play. If Mueller had convicted Manafort on those other charges and Trump pardoned him, New York would have been barred from re-charging him.
As it stands, Manafort has provided sworn testimony as to his guilt on those charges, but no double jeopardy because he wasn't tried and convicted. So a Trump pardon doesn't protect Manafort from possible state charges.
Clever on Mueller's part because they still hold something over him pending his continued cooperation. They convict him on the federal-only conspiracy against the U.S. charge, but leave the other charges that can also be prosecuted at the state level pending.
posted by JackFlash at 10:22 AM on September 14, 2018 [57 favorites]
Sounds like the source on that "no Trump no Trump" aspect of the cooperation deal might rhyme with Farrah Flanders:
@peterbakerNYT "This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign,” @PressSec says about Manafort plea deal “It is totally unrelated.”posted by pjenks at 10:25 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Paul Manafort's Daughter Files To Legally Change Her Name
Last month, Manafort-turned-Bond told the Los Angeles Times she is a "passionate liberal and a registered Democrat and [the legal proceeding] has been tough for me. Although I am 'the daughter of,' I am very much my own person and hopefully people can realize that."
I wish her luck, it can't be easy.
posted by adept256 at 10:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
Last month, Manafort-turned-Bond told the Los Angeles Times she is a "passionate liberal and a registered Democrat and [the legal proceeding] has been tough for me. Although I am 'the daughter of,' I am very much my own person and hopefully people can realize that."
I wish her luck, it can't be easy.
posted by adept256 at 10:28 AM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
OK - so is it correct to say now that Manafort is actually going to tell Mueller what he knows? I still feel like I'm unsure of this.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:29 AM on September 14, 2018
posted by Sophie1 at 10:29 AM on September 14, 2018
I am going to enjoy my cake (TTTCS) with a helping of postcards to voters. (Now that the IDC primaries in NY are done with, we're finally writing for the Nov 6 midterms!)
posted by duffell at 10:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by duffell at 10:30 AM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Additional details on the Kavanaugh letter from Ronan Farrow & Jane Mayer
“Hello, this is Ronan Farrow” is the new “Mike Wallace on line one.”
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [29 favorites]
“Hello, this is Ronan Farrow” is the new “Mike Wallace on line one.”
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:33 AM on September 14, 2018 [29 favorites]
If Sarah Sanders was the source on that "doesn't involve Trump" then it is dubious as best wrt to being accurate. Like "said Rudy Giuliani" levels of dubious. Most likely said to placate Trump himself.
Basically nothing can prevent cake for cake gods today
posted by Twain Device at 11:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Basically nothing can prevent cake for cake gods today
posted by Twain Device at 11:00 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Statement of Roger Stone
What could Paul Manafort share with Mueller? A lot, potentially.
posted by adamvasco at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
What could Paul Manafort share with Mueller? A lot, potentially.
posted by adamvasco at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Last month, Manafort-turned-Bond told the Los Angeles Times
Oh, good choice, nobody associates the name “Bond” with international espionage.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:04 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
Oh, good choice, nobody associates the name “Bond” with international espionage.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:04 AM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
Statement of Roger Stone
"I didn't do it! It wasn't me! No collusion! No collusion! You're the collusion!"
posted by petebest at 11:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
"I didn't do it! It wasn't me! No collusion! No collusion! You're the collusion!"
posted by petebest at 11:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Manafort's cooperation agreement
posted by zachlipton at 11:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:07 AM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hard to imagine what "undercover activities" he could assist with at this point unless he's got a really good fake mustache
posted by BungaDunga at 11:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 11:10 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hard to imagine what "undercover activities" he could assist with at this point unless he's got a really good fake mustache
Aside from the boilerplate text? I'd note that Manafort almost certainly knows a somewhat high percentage of the Russian assets in Ukraine, which remains in a state of warmish war.
posted by jaduncan at 11:14 AM on September 14, 2018
Aside from the boilerplate text? I'd note that Manafort almost certainly knows a somewhat high percentage of the Russian assets in Ukraine, which remains in a state of warmish war.
posted by jaduncan at 11:14 AM on September 14, 2018
I think it's worth remembering that Manafort is now as much a US intelligence asset as he is a criminal witness.
posted by jaduncan at 11:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 11:14 AM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
Let us not forget the line from Manafort - Yanukovich - Rosneft Co. - Tillerson.
My magic teacup here is saying Sleepy Rex is going to wake up and reappear and Carter Page is going to pop up on TV saying dumb shit in a week.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
My magic teacup here is saying Sleepy Rex is going to wake up and reappear and Carter Page is going to pop up on TV saying dumb shit in a week.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
On Manafort:
Clever on Mueller's part because they still hold something over him pending his continued cooperation. They convict him on the federal-only conspiracy against the U.S. charge, but leave the other charges that can also be prosecuted at the state level pending.
Man, Mueller's team is going for broke. Maybe this is just lawschool 101 or a contrast with the shit show which is the rest of the government but the competence on display here is impressive.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
Clever on Mueller's part because they still hold something over him pending his continued cooperation. They convict him on the federal-only conspiracy against the U.S. charge, but leave the other charges that can also be prosecuted at the state level pending.
Man, Mueller's team is going for broke. Maybe this is just lawschool 101 or a contrast with the shit show which is the rest of the government but the competence on display here is impressive.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
It’s wall to wall dogwhistles and right wing tropes with these okay sign making motherfuckers. They’ve all absolutely been stewing in that culture to the point where they couldn’t stop themselves giving off all these tells even if they wanted to - which they won’t, because all that not-so-secret HH 88 sign making shit is absolutely their way of gloating.
And it's useful to them. They do things that are obvious to almost anyone open to seeing it but have deniability. Naw, she was just sitting there like that. And we all talk about it because how can you not talk about look at this fuckin nazi doing nazi? But then we're talking about that, which people who want not to see it (or want to pretend and play the home game) can ask "but maybe it's just..." And now we're arguing about state of mind and internal monologues instead of kids are in tent city jails because this administration refuses to use a successfully tested monitoring pre-hearing release program.
Most of the "is this a distraction?" talk can be answered with no, they don't have the smarts or the patience to pull off a multi-step operation without blabbing about it. But stupid handsigns and phrases and first letters in a bullet list? That's exactly at their grade level, and it gives them an instant rush.
posted by phearlez at 11:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
And it's useful to them. They do things that are obvious to almost anyone open to seeing it but have deniability. Naw, she was just sitting there like that. And we all talk about it because how can you not talk about look at this fuckin nazi doing nazi? But then we're talking about that, which people who want not to see it (or want to pretend and play the home game) can ask "but maybe it's just..." And now we're arguing about state of mind and internal monologues instead of kids are in tent city jails because this administration refuses to use a successfully tested monitoring pre-hearing release program.
Most of the "is this a distraction?" talk can be answered with no, they don't have the smarts or the patience to pull off a multi-step operation without blabbing about it. But stupid handsigns and phrases and first letters in a bullet list? That's exactly at their grade level, and it gives them an instant rush.
posted by phearlez at 11:35 AM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
Hey, Giuliani said Mueller had to wrap it up by September 7 or he would "unload on him like a ton of bricks."
I think it's more likely that Giuliani and Trump are shittin' bricks.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:37 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
I think it's more likely that Giuliani and Trump are shittin' bricks.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:37 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
Let us not forget the line from Manafort - Yanukovich - Rosneft Co. - Tillerson.
Let us also not forget that Manafort hand-picked Pence for VP and stayed in touch with him throughout the transition.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:39 AM on September 14, 2018 [47 favorites]
Let us also not forget that Manafort hand-picked Pence for VP and stayed in touch with him throughout the transition.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:39 AM on September 14, 2018 [47 favorites]
But stupid handsigns and phrases and first letters in a bullet list? That's exactly at their grade level, and it gives them an instant rush.
To be fair, some of us got a rush from people spelling out RESIST and IMPEACH in the first letters of the paragraphs in their resignation letters.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [15 favorites]
To be fair, some of us got a rush from people spelling out RESIST and IMPEACH in the first letters of the paragraphs in their resignation letters.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:40 AM on September 14, 2018 [15 favorites]
@joshgerstein: Manafort agreed to give up the Trump Tower apartment in order to avoid seizure of a Charles Schwab securities account. Baxter St apt will also sub, for Edgewood house in Arlington...per Mueller spokesman
@emptywheel: Also note, according to plea deal, USG gets to dispose of this Trump Tower apartment any way they please.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [28 favorites]
@emptywheel: Also note, according to plea deal, USG gets to dispose of this Trump Tower apartment any way they please.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [28 favorites]
Hard to imagine what "undercover activities" he could assist with at this point unless he's got a really good fake mustache
"Hello? Donnie? Donnie, it's Paulie! How things? Been a while since we talked! I hear you're still in touch with Vlad? How's he doing these days?"
posted by bonehead at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
"Hello? Donnie? Donnie, it's Paulie! How things? Been a while since we talked! I hear you're still in touch with Vlad? How's he doing these days?"
posted by bonehead at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 House:
** 2018 House:
-- WI-01: Siena poll has GOPer Steil up 50-44 on Dem Bryce [MOE: +/- 4.7%]. [Trump 53-42 | Cook: Leans R]** 2018 Senate:
-- NJ-03: DCCC poll has Dem Kim up 47-45 on GOP incumbent MacArthur [MOE: +/- 4.3%]. The poll was (obviously) commissioned by the DCCC. [Trump 51-45 | Cook: Tossup]
-- Byler model update has Dems at 40% chance of majority.** Odds & ends:
-- FL gov: Rasmussen poll has Dem Gillum up 48-42 on GOPer DeSantis [MOE: +/- 3.5%].posted by Chrysostom at 11:52 AM on September 14, 2018 [17 favorites]
-- KS gov: PPP poll has GOPer Kobatch 39, Dem Kelly 38, indy Orman 9. [no MOE listed]. | Some two dozen GOP state legislators have endorsed Dem Kelly.
-- AZ gov: Fox News poll has GOP incumbent Ducey up 49-39 on Dem Garcia (RV) | Ducey up 51-40 (LV) [MOE: +/- 3.5%].
-- TN gov: Fox News poll has GOPer Lee up 52-34 on Dem Dean (RV) | Lee up 55-35 (LV) [MOE: +/- 3.5%].
-- IL gov: Research America poll has Dem Pritzker up 44-27 on GOP incumbent Rauner [MOE: +/- 3.1%]. In the AG race, Dem Raoul is up 43-32 on GOPer Harold.
Ted Lieu D-CA
(I don't think Manafort is innocent but to me calling something a "successful witch hunt" is akin to saying "we've convicted an innocent person".)
posted by runcibleshaw at 11:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [36 favorites]
MOST SUCCESSFUL WITCH HUNT EVERThis might be too small a nitpick, but I feel like no one on either side of the aisle understands what a witch hunt is meant to be an allusion to. A witch hunt is a witch hunt not because it doesn't find any witches, but because it invariably finds them whether or not they exist. You can accuse and convict someone of a crime and it can still be a witch hunt if they person convicted is innocent.
#FridayMotivation"
(I don't think Manafort is innocent but to me calling something a "successful witch hunt" is akin to saying "we've convicted an innocent person".)
posted by runcibleshaw at 11:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [36 favorites]
I just did a Facebook post that says "Trump campaign chair pleads guilty to conspiracy against the United States." It reminded me of the end of All the President's Men where they just show the headlines:
HUNT PLEADS GUILTY TO THREE COUNTS OF CONSPIRACY, BURGLARYposted by kirkaracha at 11:56 AM on September 14, 2018 [35 favorites]
MAGRUDER PLEADS GUILTY TO HELPING PLAN WATERGATE
SEGRETTI SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN PRISON
KALMBACH PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL WHITE HOUSE FUND
CHAPIN GUILTY OF LYING TO GRAND JURY
PORTER GETS 30 DAYS IN JAIL FOR LYING TO FBI
FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL KLEINDIENST ENTERS GUILTY PLEA
COLSTON PLEADS GUILTY TO FELONY - ADMITS JUSTICE OBSTRUCTION
STANS ADMITS GUILT TO CHARGES INVOLVING ILLEGAL FUNDRAISING
MITCHELL, HALDEMAN, ERLICHMAN GUILT ON ALL COUNTS
TAPES SHOW NIXON APPROVED COVER-UP, PRESIDENT SAYS HE WON'T RESIGN
NIXON RESIGNS
Alan Dershowitz got on MSNBC to say that the cooperation deal is a "big win" for mueller bc it "opens doors that havent been opened before" and its worrisome, he acknowledged, for the president.
Which is super weird because Dersh has been assuring us for a year plus that Trump hasnt done anything wrong . . . really makes you wonder.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [28 favorites]
Which is super weird because Dersh has been assuring us for a year plus that Trump hasnt done anything wrong . . . really makes you wonder.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:59 AM on September 14, 2018 [28 favorites]
is his Fox contract expiring?
posted by pjenks at 12:03 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by pjenks at 12:03 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
> Alan Dershowitz got on MSNBC to say that the cooperation deal is a "big win" for mueller bc it "opens doors that havent been opened before" and its worrisome, he acknowledged, for the president.
But for a low, low retainer fee, Dershowitz will put his considerable legal talents to work to navigate a route out of this mess! It's all a grift for these %^$$$%^s.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:03 PM on September 14, 2018
But for a low, low retainer fee, Dershowitz will put his considerable legal talents to work to navigate a route out of this mess! It's all a grift for these %^$$$%^s.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:03 PM on September 14, 2018
Alan "Rape Plane" Dershowitz
posted by Yowser at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
BuzzFeed's team did look into it, or at least what his former clerks are saying happened: Here’s How That Letter From 65 Women Supporting Brett Kavanaugh Came Together So Quickly
posted by zachlipton at 12:09 PM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 12:09 PM on September 14, 2018 [18 favorites]
Judge Kavanaugh's former law clerks started organizing the 65 female high-school classmates' letter after 5 pm yesterday [September 13]. Grassley's office released the letter today right after we received it. Impressive work.
I remember this scene from the Frank Capra classic, It's an Awful Life.
posted by condour75 at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
I remember this scene from the Frank Capra classic, It's an Awful Life.
posted by condour75 at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2018 [23 favorites]
It's plausible -- Team Kavanaugh would have collected lots of names and contact details in the weeks between the nomination and the hearings as potential character witnesses (the list may have been left over from the last time Kavanaugh had to go through Senate approval). From there it's just writing a letter and sending out email.
posted by notyou at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2018
posted by notyou at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2018
Who the fuck has friends from 30 years ago who're just ready to write a "Not a rapist" letter for you???
My best guess answer for who would even think to organise something like that is “rapists”, TBH.
posted by Artw at 12:22 PM on September 14, 2018 [41 favorites]
My best guess answer for who would even think to organise something like that is “rapists”, TBH.
posted by Artw at 12:22 PM on September 14, 2018 [41 favorites]
If Kavanaugh was active in a church in high school, finding those people may not be difficult, especially if the church is involved with getting the signatures. I'm not saying it's not sketchy as hell, and in no way mitigates how awful he will be, but that was my first thought upon hearing the facts.
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
odinsdream: "Who the fuck has friends from 30 years ago who're just ready to write a "Not a rapist" letter for you???"
I suspect there's a Facebook group for people for the several women's high schools near there with enough Republican women who heard Kavanaugh's name once when they were young, which is enough for them to engage in mendacious character support. Republicans know they need to support each other through these dark times when being Republican has become a slur, after all.
posted by TypographicalError at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
I suspect there's a Facebook group for people for the several women's high schools near there with enough Republican women who heard Kavanaugh's name once when they were young, which is enough for them to engage in mendacious character support. Republicans know they need to support each other through these dark times when being Republican has become a slur, after all.
posted by TypographicalError at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
That letter keeps being referred to as being from female high-school classmates... but Kavanaugh went to an all boys school. He had no female high-school classmates as far as I can tell. They may have known him back then, I have no idea, but they weren't his classmates?
posted by Justinian at 12:25 PM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:25 PM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'm going to assume that the right wing is going to pore over these signatures and associations with magnifying glasses and fine-toothed combs immediately, hunting for the slightest signs of tampering or falsehood, and any discrepancies will instantly disqualify the effort as invalid.
Because that's how these things are done, we were told repeatedly back in the Roy Moore campaign.
posted by delfin at 12:25 PM on September 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
Because that's how these things are done, we were told repeatedly back in the Roy Moore campaign.
posted by delfin at 12:25 PM on September 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
This might be too small a nitpick, but I feel like no one on either side of the aisle understands what a witch hunt is meant to be an allusion to.
Ted's just playing off the GOP's use of the word to mean "making up charges against innocent people without any evidence," which they've engaged in repeatedly (Ben Ghazi!!!!! Buttery males!!!!) and come up empty, because of course. Ted knows it's an actual investigation and that the convictions are legitimate. He's just poking his finger in their eye. I don't think you can assume he doesn't know the original meaning of the term.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:28 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ted's just playing off the GOP's use of the word to mean "making up charges against innocent people without any evidence," which they've engaged in repeatedly (Ben Ghazi!!!!! Buttery males!!!!) and come up empty, because of course. Ted knows it's an actual investigation and that the convictions are legitimate. He's just poking his finger in their eye. I don't think you can assume he doesn't know the original meaning of the term.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:28 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
So the Trump-and-Manafort joint defense agreement (in which their lawyers share all the information they get about the prosecution) also includes thirty-five other people. I guess the idea is Trump pardons them all, after they've corroborated each others' alibis?
The problem for Trump is that the cooperation of those 35 other people, who it's probably safe to assume are all dirty, is predicated on mutual silence from all of them, and knowing that if everything goes south, he can just start handing out pardons. Manafort rolling over calls into question all of that. Now each of them has to be thinking, "Have I violated any state laws? If so, do I have anything worth offering Mueller that's going to keep me out of prison? Will it still be worth anything if someone else beats me to the negotiation table?" At this point, if anybody else flips, there might be a mad dash for the exits, every worm for itself.
posted by xigxag at 12:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
The problem for Trump is that the cooperation of those 35 other people, who it's probably safe to assume are all dirty, is predicated on mutual silence from all of them, and knowing that if everything goes south, he can just start handing out pardons. Manafort rolling over calls into question all of that. Now each of them has to be thinking, "Have I violated any state laws? If so, do I have anything worth offering Mueller that's going to keep me out of prison? Will it still be worth anything if someone else beats me to the negotiation table?" At this point, if anybody else flips, there might be a mad dash for the exits, every worm for itself.
posted by xigxag at 12:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [11 favorites]
See also: Prisoner's Dilemma.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:35 PM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:35 PM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
All-boy schools can have a "sister" school which is all-girl. Catholic high schools are often in the same diocese and sometimes share resources. Maybe that's why these women are described as classmates? (I mean, not 'why' but rather how it's being justified.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:37 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:37 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
I honestly was sort of shruggo about this until this crazy letter came about, thinking like well I completely wouldn't be surprised if he was a high school rapist or whatever, but Clarence Thomas got away with bad adult shit in an age when things were not the screaming apocalypse that they are right now. He's going to be on the court, nothing matters but the midterms.
But the weirdness of 65 women to go on record as calling a woman a liar about her sexual assault when the dude went to an all-boys school. I mean these people just put a huge target on their backs, for one thing, at least in terms of their reputations as being total assholes. That's just fucking weird, man. And didn't the GOP delay the vote for some unknown reasons?
But It's probably some depressing reason like yeah these are people who will vouch for him based on the fact that he's churchy and a judge or some shit. And it will all go away and he'll be on the bench for life. I hate people.
posted by angrycat at 12:40 PM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
But the weirdness of 65 women to go on record as calling a woman a liar about her sexual assault when the dude went to an all-boys school. I mean these people just put a huge target on their backs, for one thing, at least in terms of their reputations as being total assholes. That's just fucking weird, man. And didn't the GOP delay the vote for some unknown reasons?
But It's probably some depressing reason like yeah these are people who will vouch for him based on the fact that he's churchy and a judge or some shit. And it will all go away and he'll be on the bench for life. I hate people.
posted by angrycat at 12:40 PM on September 14, 2018 [16 favorites]
Yes. I'm not a thoughts and prayers guy, but my heart goes out to the woman he allegedly victimised. That's her shown that it doesn't matter on two separate occasions now. It's just that this time it's been demonstrated to her that the entire community don't care/want to listen.
I can't imagine how much salt in the wound that is.
posted by jaduncan at 12:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
I can't imagine how much salt in the wound that is.
posted by jaduncan at 12:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
I thought we were dropping this topic
posted by Melismata at 12:47 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 12:47 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Who the fuck has friends from 30 years ago who're just ready to write a "Not a rapist" letter for you???
Also, the news about his high school "indiscretions" dropped this week. They sure did put that letter together pretty quickly, huh? Almost like they'd been keeping it around for when the accusations inevitably broke?
posted by Mayor West at 12:53 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Also, the news about his high school "indiscretions" dropped this week. They sure did put that letter together pretty quickly, huh? Almost like they'd been keeping it around for when the accusations inevitably broke?
posted by Mayor West at 12:53 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Alan Dershowitz got on MSNBC to say that the cooperation deal is a "big win" for mueller bc it "opens doors that havent been opened before" and its worrisome, he acknowledged, for the president.
I'd just like to point out that no matter how people in the media talk about this, it is not a fucking game.
It is not a win for Mueller. It is a felon pleading guilting and agreeing to cooperate with further investigations of more criminal activities for a reduced sentence.
It's simply justice being done. Nobody 'wins' at justice.
posted by srboisvert at 12:56 PM on September 14, 2018 [65 favorites]
I'd just like to point out that no matter how people in the media talk about this, it is not a fucking game.
It is not a win for Mueller. It is a felon pleading guilting and agreeing to cooperate with further investigations of more criminal activities for a reduced sentence.
It's simply justice being done. Nobody 'wins' at justice.
posted by srboisvert at 12:56 PM on September 14, 2018 [65 favorites]
This might be too small a nitpick, but I feel like no one on either side of the aisle understands what a witch hunt is meant to be an allusion to. A witch hunt is a witch hunt not because it doesn't find any witches, but because it invariably finds them whether or not they exist. You can accuse and convict someone of a crime and it can still be a witch hunt if they person convicted is innocent.
(I don't think Manafort is innocent but to me calling something a "successful witch hunt" is akin to saying "we've convicted an innocent person".)
Yes but so far the witches are also pleading guilty.
posted by srboisvert at 1:00 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
(I don't think Manafort is innocent but to me calling something a "successful witch hunt" is akin to saying "we've convicted an innocent person".)
Yes but so far the witches are also pleading guilty.
posted by srboisvert at 1:00 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
I want to know what the deal is with the 37-person Manafort-Trump joint defense agreement. Guilani yesterday was still bragging about that as why he wasn't worried about Manafort. When Flynn flipped, he telegraphed the flip by pulling out of a similar defense agreement. Manafort did no such thing. Does Mueller's cooperation agreement today require Manafort to divulge information he learned through the joint defense agreement? Usually that information would be privileged...but maybe not if it concerns pardons dangled in exchange for untruthful testimony. Mueller could potentially get that in through the crime-fraud exception. And that'd be a hell of a reason to agree to a deal with Manafort if he would testify he was offered a pardon in exchange for false testimony.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:02 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:02 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
You know what? As much as I want to believe it's rat-fucking all the way down, I think the letter could be organic.
My wife went to an all-girls Catholic high school. They had brother high schools. If someone from that circle were up for a major appointment and an allegation of this sort were made that appeared false, I'm pretty sure my wife and her friends would rally quickly to vouch.
Granted, that assumes the guy were a good guy, because someone like Kavanaugh would be persona non grata in our social circle, as they take the Catholic social justice responsibility pretty seriously. But I digress.
I'm not convinced that he's innocent of it, just not surprised that a group of women could organically and spontaneously form to say, "yeah I guess he never raped me or anyone I know."
posted by explosion at 1:06 PM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
My wife went to an all-girls Catholic high school. They had brother high schools. If someone from that circle were up for a major appointment and an allegation of this sort were made that appeared false, I'm pretty sure my wife and her friends would rally quickly to vouch.
Granted, that assumes the guy were a good guy, because someone like Kavanaugh would be persona non grata in our social circle, as they take the Catholic social justice responsibility pretty seriously. But I digress.
I'm not convinced that he's innocent of it, just not surprised that a group of women could organically and spontaneously form to say, "yeah I guess he never raped me or anyone I know."
posted by explosion at 1:06 PM on September 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
Also, the news about his high school "indiscretions" dropped this week. They sure did put that letter together pretty quickly, huh?
I mean - I don't think there's anything suspicious about how quickly they put the letter together. One dedicated woman organizing the whole thing could easily get something like that. What I do think is that it'll be very likely that women heard via Facebook and twitter and just said 'throw my name on!' without even necessarily remembering who Kavanaugh was or how he had specifically acted in high school.
posted by corb at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
I mean - I don't think there's anything suspicious about how quickly they put the letter together. One dedicated woman organizing the whole thing could easily get something like that. What I do think is that it'll be very likely that women heard via Facebook and twitter and just said 'throw my name on!' without even necessarily remembering who Kavanaugh was or how he had specifically acted in high school.
posted by corb at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
Does anyone have a list of all 37 people in that agreement? Asking for a special investigator.
posted by M-x shell at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by M-x shell at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't think there's anything suspicious about how quickly they put the letter together.
Other than that it would be impossible to adequately vet the veracity of their associations in time?
Fine, i guess im not suspicious of the speed at which they pulled the letter together, just the recklessness with which they released it. Grassley's own chief counsel for nominations said they started organizing the letter after 5pm yesterday and that Grassley's office released it right after "we received it."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:16 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Other than that it would be impossible to adequately vet the veracity of their associations in time?
Fine, i guess im not suspicious of the speed at which they pulled the letter together, just the recklessness with which they released it. Grassley's own chief counsel for nominations said they started organizing the letter after 5pm yesterday and that Grassley's office released it right after "we received it."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:16 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Emptywheel post about the 37-person JDA
posted by gucci mane at 1:29 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 1:29 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Also, somebody up-thread recommended a movie that I think was about Ukraine and that it involved a lot of Paul Manafort shenanigans and oligarchs and such, but I forget the name. Can somebody remind me what it was? I can’t find it.
posted by gucci mane at 1:32 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gucci mane at 1:32 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Vanity Fair, Emily Jane Fox, Michael Cohen is the latest former Trump ally to talk to Mueller
In recent weeks, it has also become common knowledge among close friends of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, that Cohen is talking to the Mueller team, according to people familiar with the situation. (Cohen did not respond to request for comment, nor did his attorney, Guy Petrillo. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.)posted by zachlipton at 1:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
...
According to people close to him, Cohen closely watched the White House’s reaction to his allocution in court last month. He listened as Trump railed against anyone who makes a plea deal, telling Fox News that cooperating with the government “almost ought to be outlawed.” And he has bristled at the feeling that he has taken the fall for a man who has refused to take any responsibility or face any consequence himself. In conversations with Mueller’s team, he is making good on what he told ABC earlier this summer: that his loyalty to Trump is no longer his lodestar.
So the consensus on the law twitter is that this plea agreement is a disaster for Trump. Manafort has got a lot of co-operating to do to even get out of serving 20 years.
posted by PenDevil at 1:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 1:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
that his loyalty to Trump is no longer his lodestar.
Cohen too? At this point I can only assume lodestar ranks high on Google for "phrases for old white guys".
posted by jaduncan at 1:49 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Cohen too? At this point I can only assume lodestar ranks high on Google for "phrases for old white guys".
posted by jaduncan at 1:49 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
I take it back. Tape 1 from the Talking With Gravatas box set.
posted by jaduncan at 1:55 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 1:55 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
It’s not a quote. Lodestar is just some flair from Vanity Fair.
posted by zachlipton at 1:56 PM on September 14, 2018
posted by zachlipton at 1:56 PM on September 14, 2018
gucci mane, I think that was "Active Measures," in this OnceUponATime comment. Russia, not Ukraine, but Manafort features in it.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:57 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:57 PM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I consider myself a fairly well-read person I have literallty never come across the word "lodestar" until the NYT letter, and now it is everywhere! Is this a weird American thing (I'm Canadian...)? A weird Republican thing? I am so confused!
posted by just_ducky at 2:00 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by just_ducky at 2:00 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Fine, i guess im not suspicious of the speed at which they pulled the letter together, just the recklessness with which they released it.
If they didn't thoroughly vet everyone on the list (and how could they if they put it together in such a hurry?) someone could easily screw them over. Or not actually exist.
posted by dilaudid at 2:01 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
If they didn't thoroughly vet everyone on the list (and how could they if they put it together in such a hurry?) someone could easily screw them over. Or not actually exist.
posted by dilaudid at 2:01 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
That word lodestar bugs me. I thought it was lodestone or polestar. When did people start using lodestar?
Also, thanks to whoever is making a new thread. This one just crashed my iPad.
posted by Gadgetenvy at 2:01 PM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
Also, thanks to whoever is making a new thread. This one just crashed my iPad.
posted by Gadgetenvy at 2:01 PM on September 14, 2018 [14 favorites]
AFAIK its mostly used nautically. But no, it's not an American or Republican thing. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the very first time many people had encountered the word.
posted by Justinian at 2:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
That word lodestar bugs me. I thought it was lodestone or polestar. When did people start using lodestar?
Since at least the 14th century, apparently
posted by zombieflanders at 2:05 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Since at least the 14th century, apparently
posted by zombieflanders at 2:05 PM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
🚨
New Thread! New Thread!
🚨
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:19 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
-----------------> 🚨 New Thread! New Thread!
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-----------------> 🚨posted by Doktor Zed at 2:19 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Congratulations MegaThread! You've completed the level "Paul Manafort Pleads Guilty". Please enjoy a refreshing beverage and a cake of your choosing!
posted by petebest at 2:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [108 favorites]
posted by petebest at 2:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [108 favorites]
Georgetown Prep was an all-boys school when Kavanaugh was there. That makes finding 65 women - who went to neighboring schools - a pretty monumental task.
You know, I thought 65 sounded like too many, but I went to an all-girls school, so what do I know. But now that I know he went to an all-boys school? BULLSHIT. He did not know 65 girls back in the day. I could maybe produce AT BEST 5 or 6 guys who remember me in high school, and I was one of the few high-status girls with a serious boyfriend.
Like how big were the classes in this private school? Cause 65 would be large for a graduating class from most similar schools. So somehow this dude has more girls remembering him than his entire graduating class of boys? Like if so, he must have been the biggest womanizer in the history of the school. He would have had to have SOME kind of scandal to be remembered that way. This is such suspicious fucking bullshit.
posted by threeturtles at 2:27 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
You know, I thought 65 sounded like too many, but I went to an all-girls school, so what do I know. But now that I know he went to an all-boys school? BULLSHIT. He did not know 65 girls back in the day. I could maybe produce AT BEST 5 or 6 guys who remember me in high school, and I was one of the few high-status girls with a serious boyfriend.
Like how big were the classes in this private school? Cause 65 would be large for a graduating class from most similar schools. So somehow this dude has more girls remembering him than his entire graduating class of boys? Like if so, he must have been the biggest womanizer in the history of the school. He would have had to have SOME kind of scandal to be remembered that way. This is such suspicious fucking bullshit.
posted by threeturtles at 2:27 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
You've completed the level "Paul Manafort Pleads Guilty". Please enjoy a refreshing beverage and a cake of your choosing!
No way I'm speedrunning this until Trump flips on Putin for immunity before Meuller tells him it doesn't work that way
posted by adept256 at 2:37 PM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
No way I'm speedrunning this until Trump flips on Putin for immunity before Meuller tells him it doesn't work that way
posted by adept256 at 2:37 PM on September 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
Like how big were the classes in this private school?
I went to a private school that was in the same athletic conference as Georgetown Prep so know a little about this. Georgetown Prep currently has an enrollment of about 500 boys. Holy Cross is considered the sister school of Georgetown Prep, it is across the street and has an enrollment of about 500 girls. If the signature gatherers reached out the greater Catholic school community in the DC area, there are currently 20ish schools operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; all of them are smallish by American high school standards, between 500 to 1000 high school students.
The alumni networks in these private schools are very well maintained because of fundraising, regular career networking (Justice Gorsuch is also a graduate of Georgetown Prep), and their parents are frequently well-connected, successful people. 65 signatures collected in 24 hours does not surprise me.
posted by peeedro at 3:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
I went to a private school that was in the same athletic conference as Georgetown Prep so know a little about this. Georgetown Prep currently has an enrollment of about 500 boys. Holy Cross is considered the sister school of Georgetown Prep, it is across the street and has an enrollment of about 500 girls. If the signature gatherers reached out the greater Catholic school community in the DC area, there are currently 20ish schools operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; all of them are smallish by American high school standards, between 500 to 1000 high school students.
The alumni networks in these private schools are very well maintained because of fundraising, regular career networking (Justice Gorsuch is also a graduate of Georgetown Prep), and their parents are frequently well-connected, successful people. 65 signatures collected in 24 hours does not surprise me.
posted by peeedro at 3:04 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
🥛🍪🍪
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:49 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:49 PM on September 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
Please enjoy a refreshing beverage and a cake of your choosing!
Thanks for reminding me to hydrate. These threads are brutal.
posted by shponglespore at 5:11 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Thanks for reminding me to hydrate. These threads are brutal.
posted by shponglespore at 5:11 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
I .... I'm old enough to remember Anita Hill's testimony, and the events following it, with almost as much bitterness as I feel about the 2016 failure to elect an overly qualified, not-orange-nightmare, woman.
For that reason, I have to warn you guys. Buckle up. This ain't gonna be pretty. And it's just another week in the Dump nightmare, next week we'll be on to the next outrage.
I just hope it buys enough time to dig through the stuff that was released the night before the hearings started in depth.
posted by Dashy at 7:55 AM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
For that reason, I have to warn you guys. Buckle up. This ain't gonna be pretty. And it's just another week in the Dump nightmare, next week we'll be on to the next outrage.
I just hope it buys enough time to dig through the stuff that was released the night before the hearings started in depth.
posted by Dashy at 7:55 AM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Halloween's just around the corner...
posted by M-x shell at 3:47 PM on September 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by M-x shell at 3:47 PM on September 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Politico: Kavanaugh in 2015: 'What happens at Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep'
He also said "judges need to follow the law, not make the law," and "you have to check political allegiances at the door when you become a judge," so it's possible he was just workshopping some standup material.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:51 PM on September 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
He also said "judges need to follow the law, not make the law," and "you have to check political allegiances at the door when you become a judge," so it's possible he was just workshopping some standup material.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:51 PM on September 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
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** 2018 Senate: ** 2018 House: ** Odds & ends: posted by Chrysostom at 8:55 PM on September 4, 2018 [43 favorites]