Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

No Justins, No Peace

Good lord, these people are nuts.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

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Reader Interactions

171Comments

  6. 6.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Is that the rightwing version of this? I think so

    ‏@ jackshafer
    Bumpersticker spotted this morning: “Bernie: Because Fuck This Shit.”

    (does not apply in shadowy corners where the idea of Newt as an intellectual and –possibly– leader of the civilizing forces still lurks and waits like Miss Havesham in her wedding dress)

  9. 9.

    Emma

    If this happens it would be a sure sign that God wants Hillary elected. Has anyone started to monitor the Marian miracle sites?

  11. 11.

    Mike R

    Oh yes the Newtster, and Robert Walker as press secretary and Dick Armey as, who cares but bring him back. What about Louie Gohmert, and Blake Farnethold they have a deep bench of goons. Good grief are the republicans looking for political seppuku.

  14. 14.

    MattF

    One ‘advantage’ of Noot for VP is that Adelson will get onboard. An actual billionaire, which would fix Der Trump’s embarrassing little $$$ problem. Of course, that won’t fix his other ‘little’ problem.

  16. 16.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Roger Moore: I suspect the insiders pushing Gingrich are insiders like the twenty-something who still hangs out in the place he hung out in high school is a student. And my hunch is that Trump will never pick Gingrich because he knows Newton Leroy will never fetch him McDonalds, but he might string Newtie along for a while just to make the ultimate rejection that much more humiliating.

    ETA: @MattF: I thought Shelley was already on board?

  17. 17.

    LAO

    I’m curious, based on the near total collapse of the Republican leadership/”elites,” who are these “insiders?” And why would anyone give them the time of day?

  18. 18.

    Redshift

    The only question is, is Newt a good enough grifter to actually grift at Trump’s expense, or is he enough of a suckup to convince him to form a grifting team?

    In the competition for the post, he dies have the advantage that he’s an excellent yes-man, and that’s the only kind Trump hires. And unlike people with real careers, he likely has no problem with the fact that the essential question about whether to seek the post is not “can I do the job if we win,” but “what’s in it for me?”

  19. 19.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    Paraphrasing Barney Frank, I did not think I had lived a good enough life to see this happen.

  24. 24.

    MJS

    @Kay: Exactly this. The stupid person’s idea of what a smart person is coupling with the stupid person’s idea of what a rich person is.

  25. 25.

    Mustang Bobby

    Between the two of them they have as many wives as Henry VIII. And the same views on democracy and religious tolerance as that medieval monarch.

  26. 26.

    rikyrah

    If he does..this is conclusive proof that God is a woman.

    LOL

    But, I have to agree with those that say that Little Leroy comes with the Adelson check.

    A very astute poster here yesterday pointed out that Trump has been trying to get money from the one group in America that is very CLEAR on how he does business, and they are NOT opening their checkbooks to him to pay him back for the money he LOANED his “self-financing ” campaign.

    Adelson’s checkbook is a big incentive.

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    And the counting of the wives shall be six.

    Ladies and germs, your family values party!

  29. 29.

    rikyrah

    New Leadership at the DNC
    Meet Brandon Davis.

    by Nancy LeTourneau
    June 16, 2016 4:25 PM

    As the Clinton campaign gets into gear for the Democratic Convention and the general election campaign, they are bringing new leadership to the DNC.

    Hillary Clinton’s campaign is taking the reins of the Democratic National Committee, installing a new top official on Thursday to oversee the party’s day-to-day operations through the general election.

    Brandon Davis, national political director for the Service Employees International Union, will become the general election chief of staff for the Democratic Party. His selection formalizes the coordination of the Clinton campaign and the committee, a stark contrast to Donald Trump who is currently at odds with his party.

    Robby Mook, the Clinton campaign manager, arrived Thursday morning at Democratic headquarters on Capitol Hill to introduce Davis to the party’s staff.

    “We have a lot of work to do over the next five months to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president,” Mook said as he introduced Davis, according to a person in the room. “With so much at stake in this election, we could not ask for a better partner in that mission than the team here.”

    …………………………

    It’s hard to gather much information about Brandon Davis at this point – other than the fact that he has been the national political director for SEIU. Markos Moulitsas writes that he’s known him for years and that he’s “smart, energetic, passionate, and competent as f*ck.” By choosing him, Clinton also continues to tap into young millennials of color to energize both her campaign and the Democratic Party in a way that builds for the future.

  33. 33.

    Bex

    Two new Trump nicknames I saw on GOS. Hindentrumptanic and Trumpty Dumpty. I like the latter because of the well-known verse that follows.

  37. 37.

    Gravenstone

    I understand the attraction and the huge (nay, infinite) potential for mockery. But just imagine a worst case scenario, Trump is elected, bringing with him a Republican Senate and House. The evening of the inauguration, impeachment proceedings are started. Inside of a week, we’re now faced with President Gingrich! (gulp).

    No thanks.

  39. 39.

    magurakurin

    @rikyrah: but…but… but… bring me the head of Debbie Wasserman Shultz…

    so much head slap, so little time.

    worst. primary. ever.

    so glad it is over.

    Clinton is going to rock this shit. I sent her another little 50 dollar donation this morning. Sanders is good for one thing. Every time he pisses me off I send money.

  41. 41.

    Chris

    If you can’t relive the 2000s with another Bush, relive the 1990s with Newt Gingrich!

  42. 42.

    Kay

    @MJS:

    Can we at least get a real rich person to fill that role? I refuse to go along in pretending Trump is one. I wasn’t fooled.

  47. 47.

    D58826

    Somewhat OT but does anyone have any idea what Bernie hopes to accomplish in the next 4 weeks. He won’t drop out. He will continue to highlight his differences with Hillary. He will continue to push for rules changes that the party has no power to deliver. And finally he will continue his petty vendetta against DWS.
    Seems to me that over the next few weeks Hillary will poll Sanders supporters and as more of them ‘come home’ he will lose more and more leverage. All he is at this point is a distraction.

  48. 48.

    Seanly

    Asshat McCain blamed Obama for Orlando. When will his paste-eating ass be out of office? Actually that doesn’t matter because then he’ll get his own show on each network and 24-hour cable news company. They’ll probably animate his eventual corpse to bestow his plane-crashing wisdom on us until the Earth is consumed by the Sun.
    He first made it sound like Obama was personally behind the shooter handing him clips (sorry, magazines). Then he pulled the standard Republican “the media took my direct and easily understood quote out of context and what I actually meant was something slightly different but still odious and now the media pretends that the slightly less odious comment is therefor okay”.
    Trump/Gingrich would be one doozy of a combination. Donald and his living toupee along with Newt’s outsized head. Good lord…

  49. 49.

    JanieM

    @NotMax:

    Well, that would stand as "balance," because LePage is an independent.

    Is this a joke that I’m somehow missing? LePage is a Republican.

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    @D58826:

    Somewhat OT but does anyone have any idea what Bernie hopes to accomplish in the next 4 weeks.

    He gets attention for that extra time, and maybe even manages to get some idiots to keep donating to his campaign.

  51. 51.

    Kay

    @Roger Moore:

    The part that makes me laugh about Gingrich, in terms of rugged conservatives, is how fancy he is. He’s so clearly someone who goes from the black SUV to the “event” under an awning. He’s so soft looking- pampered and puffy.

  53. 53.

    LAO

    @magurakurin: In the summer of 1987, I was a senate intern (for a Republican senator — long story short was always a dem but wanted to see how the other side operated) and we were required to attend Newt’s weekly lectures — I sat there eyes bugging and brain melting. I was 18 years old, hadn’t started college yet and I knew he was full of shit. But my Dog, the young republicans loved him! Finally, a senior staffer took pity on me and waived me out of attending.

  54. 54.

    SenyorDave

    With Newt on board, the ads write themselves. Six wives, multiple adulterous affairs/bankruptcies, ethics violations.

    Ladies and gentleman, I give you the modern GOP, aka “the family values party”

    I almost forgot – an incalculable number of temper tantrums

  55. 55.

    Patricia Kayden

    If Trump picks Gingrich as his VP, they will make history as the Presidential team having the most wives between them (with a grand total of 6). Go for it, Trump!! Those are some exquisite family values you have there.

    @Seanly: McCain is in the political fight for his life so I guess he’ll say just about anything to win. You would think he would retire and enjoy his grandchildren or something rather than humiliate himself after spending so long in the Senate. Losing to that Black Kenyan in 2008 has devastated him and he’ll never let us forget that.

  56. 56.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Trump’s VP pick will not be strategic. As a completely out of control narcissist, he will make the decision based on impulse, and then conclude it’s genius. That’s not to say it will be completely random, and Newt’s sucking up skills and Adelson’s cash both might tip the moment of ‘I like that guy.’ Just don’t expect deliberated ‘what my campaign needs is…’ Thinking.

    Proviso: I am no longer one hundred percent sure Trump will be nominated. After this week, IF the GOP establishment has the power to steal the nomination, they’re thinking even violent riots and mass sitting out of the election is better than Trump.

  57. 57.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Bex:

    Which two will be beheaded?

    It won’t be Callista. That hair-helmet would deflect the keenest axe-edge and the sharpest sword.

  61. 61.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Seanly: he then went on to explain that if we had troops in the Syrian/Iraq borderlands, the NYC-born self-hating gay son of a whack job Afghan immigrant would never have purchased a killing machine in Florida and taken it to a night club where he was enough of a regular to be recognized by other regulars.

    To VSPs of the Politico/MorningJoe/SundayShow Axis of Derp, this is, agree or disagree, a perfectly logical theory because John McCain has always been a leading voice on foreign policy. Andrea Mitchell says so, and the giant rotting head of Tim Russet’s corpse nods in furious agreement

  62. 62.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    If Trump picks Newt we’ll know the jig is up and he really doesn’t want to be President. Newt or someone equally hated by the Democrats. Veep pick could be the poison pill that he takes to ensure failure in November.

  64. 64.

    Iowa Old Lady

    I honestly don’t see how the Rs can proceed with Trump as their candidate, but then I also don’t see any viable alternative route for them to take.

    ETA: Also assuming Trump gets to the point of picking a VP, my bets are on Jeff Sessions, who’s already advising Trump on foreign relations.

  65. 65.

    MomSense

    Let the punditubbie/GOP/journalist fluffing begin. If this happens we are going to hear non-stop how this serious choice proves der Trump is oh so serious about blah, blah, blah.

    On the one hand these are two of the best choices for maximum humiliation and defeat but WTF does this say about 40-45% of our population that this is even possible???

    The GOP and our pathetic media built this shit show. They should be reminded of how miserably they have failed every single day.

  68. 68.

    germy

    @Kay:

    The part that makes me laugh about Gingrich, in terms of rugged conservatives, is how fancy he is. He’s so clearly someone who goes from the black SUV to the “event” under an awning. He’s so soft looking- pampered and puffy.

    He actually does remind me of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

  70. 70.

    qwerty42

    @Mike R: … Good grief are the republicans looking for political seppuku.
    After careful reflection, I’m ok with that.

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    also the result of Obama’s feckless failure to commit to a land war and massive occupation in Asia, probably:

    2 Marines Investigated For Posting Threat To Shoot Up Gay Bar

    NY Brothers Arrested After Weapons Cache, Nazi Flags Found At Home

  73. 73.

    Kay

    @germy:

    What if it’s a plot to elect Trump, have him resign, and then get Gingrich as President?

    I guess we could foil that by beating Trump, so maybe not.

    Although, they could replace Trump with Gingrich in Cleveland.

  75. 75.

    C. Isaac

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Why, those boys could have been part of the tens of thousands of casualties involved in invading Iran! Obummer isn’t doing everything he can to keep our LGBT community safe!

    Once they’re safely stuffed into their closets, no mooslim terrorists will be able to gun them down!

  77. 77.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @Kay:

    What if it’s a plot to elect Trump, have him resign, and then get Gingrich as President?
    I guess we could foil that by beating Trump, so maybe not.
    Although, they could replace Trump with Gingrich in Cleveland.

    This is precisely as likely as any other absurd explanation. This election is completely incomprehensible to me from the GOP perspective. It makes my head hurt and I hope it’s the last like this in my lifetime. Unfortunately if Trump torpedoes the GOP it could get even weirder.

  78. 78.

    NorthLeft12

    Honestly, whoever herr Trumpf picks is going to be a kneeslapper. Just look at the deep bench that the Repubs have and think about the hilarity that will ensue with any of them. Although to be fair, some are more hilarious than others. My top picks for entertainment value;
    1. Sarah Palin
    2. Louie Gohlmert
    3. Bobby Jindal
    4. Rick Perry
    5. Rick Santorum
    6. Mike Huckabee
    7. Ben Carson
    8. Carly Fiorina
    9. Newt Gingrich
    10. Michelle Bachmann

    And there are many more that would ably fill the role of straight wo/man quite admirably. Although a bunch of them [Rice, Gilmore, Kasich, Pataki] would just be boring and sad.

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    @MomSense:
    Thought I spotted her on display at Legoland.

    The before/after photos on becoming Mrs. Gingrich are truly creepy, as though she went under the knife and to the auto-body shop as her honeymoon.

  83. 83.

    germy

    @Kay:

    What if it’s a plot to elect Trump, have him resign, and then get Gingrich as President?

    It would have worked if not for those meddling kids.

    I can’t see drumpf doing anything the GOP tells him to do. Trump: “Newt?? No way! I’ve got Tom Cotton all lined up! He’ll get the youth vote!”

  85. 85.

    Bruce K

    @Iowa Old Lady: Yeah, they’re not far away from their own political Kobayashi Maru – a couple more mistakes, and they’ll be at the point where there’s no way for them to win, so they’ll be judged on how well they handle losing.

    Or maybe it’s more like the end of The Last Starfighter:

    “What do we do now?”
    “We die.”
    KABOOM

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @D58826: Somewhat OT but does anyone have any idea what Bernie hopes to accomplish

    opening up the primaries, an issue that has been a top priority or Real Progressives for weeks.

    I checked the date of the New York primary, and in just a couple of days this will have been the chief obstacle to real reform for, literally, months.

  89. 89.

    Aimai

    @magurakurin: i maxed out for the primary. never ever bothered before. I always used fundraising as a way of gauging other peoples enthusiasm for the candidate. Ive always figured that was a good way of picking a candidate who could be successful in the general and i saved my money for later. Ive been so angry at the anti democratic primary bernie ran that i gave hillz all my moneez early.

  90. 90.

    Kay

    @germy:

    This is his whole life, and has been for years:

    Enjoyed meeting @ConstanceZimmer from #HouseOfCards with @newtgingrich at the WH Correspondents Dinner.

    There’s something almost decadent about it, out-of-touchness as a lifestyle choice.

  92. 92.

    burnspbesq

    If Trump actually does this, the bookies will have to reset the Clinton electoral vote over/under at around 380 to balance the action.

  93. 93.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Between the two of them they have as many wives as Henry VIII. And the same views on democracy and religious tolerance as that medieval monarch.

    The thread has been won. Thank you.

  94. 94.

    germy

    @Kay: I love their blurb for the book “Duplicity” the BEST SELLER written by NEWT GINGRICH!!!

    (and then in tiny four-point type: and Pete Earley)

    How much do you want to bet poor Pete did the majority of work on the book. Newt’s contribution was to pace the room and then blurt out “Hey!! What if…”

  95. 95.

    germy

    @Patricia Kayden:

    McCain is in the political fight for his life so I guess he’ll say just about anything to win. You would think he would retire and enjoy his grandchildren or something rather than humiliate himself after spending so long in the Senate. Losing to that Black Kenyan in 2008 has devastated him and he’ll never let us forget that.

    Humiliation! The history books will all say “Lost to Obama, chose Sarah fucking Palin as his running mate”

    Like “shot by a disappointed office seeker” became the shorthand for Garfield.

  98. 98.

    Applejinx

    @D58826: Fine. I don’t assume he makes good judgement calls anyway. He’s welcome here in Vermont, his job is very completely done now.

    What he’ll do is keep gradually cooling it down so his more… intense supporters can be brought on board. Hillary axing DWS (redundantly) will help.

    We (america, not vermont) don’t need him. We need his ideas for the platform (I’m watching to see if ANYTHING was learned from his focus on wealth inequality) and we need his voters to deliver an epic electoral drubbing. Nothing less will suffice.

    He didn’t have specific proposals to REJECT so there aren’t ‘hippie dumb ideas’ to ignore anyhow. Just the highlighting of the big problems: money in politics, and the excesses of modern capitalism. These problems are only getting worse and I’m happy to see Hillary Clinton beginning to address them.

    And that will be very much like what Bernie is doing: trying to spin some of the excesses down for a graceful landing rather than a destabilizing crash. That’s why Bernie can’t become Cheerleader #1, and that’s why Hillary can’t suddenly go all socialist even to win votes. She will be making guidelines (I think Elizabeth Warren will be playing a prominent role: another reason DWS got ceremonially whacked) and then if Wall Street etc. actually complies, it’ll be moderate incremental improvements.

    I don’t think they will, I think Wall Street are going to betray her trust. Thing is, if you pretend to cooperate with a Clinton and then betray their trust it’s bad news and you become an enemy. The press is of course a known enemy, just as they were for Sanders. Bernie didn’t really count as an enemy unless he fucks this up, and Hillary understands the ‘be loyal to your fanatical supporters’ thing very well and isn’t judging him for the position he’s in, so there’s that. And Elizabeth Warren made damn sure not to move against Hillary because they need not to be enemies in any way, and they’re not. Warren might even be tapped for Veep. (I’m not sure we’ve ever had a President or Veep who actually didn’t want to take the job: some say those are the best possible ones to have because they have enough sense to know you’d have to be nuts to want to be President!)

  100. 100.

    burnspbesq

    @Kay:

    Can we at least get a real rich person to fill that role?

    Huntsman is richer than Trump, so he’s probably out of the question. How about Jerry Jones? He’s easily Trump’s equal in bombast and narcissism.

  102. 102.

    Brachiator

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Between the two of them they have as many wives as Henry VIII. And the same views on democracy and religious tolerance as that medieval monarch.

    Ouch!

    Wait. Does this make Ivanka Elizabeth I?

  104. 104.

    Mike R

    @germy:

    Newt’s contribution was to pace the room and then blurt out “Hey!! What if…”

    It might have sounded like this, Hey!! What if you get busy and write faster I gotta get paid.

  105. 105.

    burnspbesq

    @Applejinx:

    We need his ideas for the platform

    Nagahappen. Picking West for the platform guaranteed that. He will piss off even the people who agree with him.

  106. 106.

    catclub

    @eric: I would guess Pete Wilson must be in his 80’s. Newt and Trump would probably be the combined oldest Pres/VP slate ever. This would be another helpful thing for Clinton.

  107. 107.

    Chris

    @germy:

    The history books won’t remember him at all. Or Mitt Romney.

    Well, at least the history textbooks won’t. How many history textbooks mention Alf Landon or Wendell Wilkie? Or Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis? Or Bob Dole?

    Professional historians will know who he is. But as far as the history books most people read… nope.

    And that’s fine by me.

  108. 108.

    mark

    @germy: John is 79 years old. Time to call it a career and move on. Nothing left to accomplish.
    My first thought for a running mate for the Donald was Sarah. They might as well humiliate themselves again.

  109. 109.

    rikyrah

    Obama Rejects the “Carly Simon Syndrome”
    Donald Trump thinks President Barack Obama is sympathetic to ISIS. In reality, Obama knows much of the Middle East is outside U.S. control.

    by Nancy LeTourneau
    June 16, 2016 3:21 PM

    No one has interviewed President Obama on foreign policy more often or competently than Jeffrey Goldberg. So when presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump suggests that the President is sympathetic to ISIS, who better than Goldberg to knock that kind of nonsense out of the park.

    Before getting to what he had to say about Obama, it is important to note that Goldberg starts off with a few comments about Trump.

    Barack Obama, to Donald Trump, is, and will forever be, the Manchurian President—Manchuria, by way of Kenya, with a detour in Raqqa.

    He goes on to say that Trump’s critique of Obama is “analysis-free and comprehensively unserious.” So the question becomes, why bother with addressing it at all? My response would be that it provides a way to distinguish President Obama’s approach – not just from the lack of anything coherent from Trump — but from how most Republicans have tried to frame the issue. Here is Goldberg doing a masterful job of providing the really big picture (with some choice takes on Trump thrown in):

    The fundamental difference between Obama and Trump on issues related to Islamist extremism (apart from the obvious, such as that, unlike Trump, Obama a) has killed Islamist terrorists; b) regularly studies the problem and allows himself to be briefed by serious people about the problem; and c) is not racist or temperamentally unsuitable for national leadership) is that Trump apparently believes that two civilizations are in conflict. Obama believes that the clash is taking place within a single civilization, and that Americans are sometimes collateral damage in this fight between Muslim modernizers and Muslim fundamentalists.

  110. 110.

    germy

    @mark: Why not Meat Loaf for running mate?

    On October 25, 2012, Meat Loaf endorsed Mitt Romney for President of the United States, citing poor relations with Russia as a major reason he had been “arguing for Mitt Romney for a year”.[79] Meat Loaf explained that “I have never been in any political agenda in my life, but I think that in 2012 this is the most important election in the history of the United States.” He cited “storm clouds” over the United States, and “thunder storms over Europe. There are hail storms – and I mean major hail storms! – in the Middle East. There are storms brewing through China, through Asia, through everywhere.”[79] The same day, he performed “America the Beautiful” standing next to Romney.[80][81] Due to his failure to complete his voter registration, however, Meat Loaf was ultimately unable to vote for Mitt Romney in 2012.[82]

    Meat Loaf has criticized the court-ordered removal of a school prayer banner in Cranston, Rhode Island to Providence Journal on March 23, 2012: “I just said the world is going to hell in a handbasket because there are a lot more things to worry about than whether there is a prayer on the wall that’s been on the wall for 50 years that you think needs to come down.”

  112. 112.

    burnspbesq

    @Applejinx:

    if Wall Street etc. actually complies, it’ll be moderate incremental improvements.

    All it will take is a rumor, sourced to a “senior campaign official,” that Mary Jo White is shortlisted for AG, Andrew Ceresney is moving up from head of the Enforcement Division to SEC chair, and Rich Cordrey and Preet Bharara are staying on. Lloyd and Jamie will shit themselves and offer surrender terms.

  114. 114.

    trollhattan

    @catclub:
    Young Pete Wilson was utterly soporiphic so I can’t imagine how thrilling senior Pete would be on the stump. But I’ll give him benefit of the doubt that he’d stay far away from this particular trainwreck. It’s not as though he could “deliver California” to Donny. Not even chicken-fried Jeebus can do that.

  115. 115.

    NorthLeft12

    @Bruce K: Upvote for the reference to “the Last Starfighter”.

    For the record that was a very underrated movie…..and ……WHERE THE HECK IS THE SEQUEL!111!!

  116. 116.

    Jeffro

    @rikyrah: Trump, Gingrich, AND Adelson…the ads just write themselves

    But then again on the GOP side that’s been the case this whole cycle !

  117. 117.

    Patricia Kayden

    @NorthLeft12: I cannot link here without going into moderation, but I recall that Manafort, Trump’s spokesperson, has already said that choosing a minority would be pandering so you should eliminate any non-Whites from your list.

    Based on Manafort’s statement, it can be safely assumed that Trump will choose a White male as his VP candidate. Probably won’t be the hapless Christie but any other Rightwing kook is in the running. Trump is not a rational person so his pick doesn’t have to make any sense to anyone but him.

  118. 118.

    Chris

    @rikyrah:

    In reality, Obama knows much of the Middle East is outside U.S. control.

    It would be nice if this were more broadly acknowledged. The American belief that everything that happens outside our borders is about us is the gift that just keeps on giving. (The people when the Arab Spring started who were talking about it in terms of whether the Arabs had been inspired by Bush bringing democracy to Iraq or by Obama giving a speech in Cairo; the goddamn “Reagan won the Cold War” meme; etc).

    Trump apparently believes that two civilizations are in conflict.

    A belief he shares with the terrorists, not incidentally.

    I wish I could remember who said this, but there was a quote years ago that went “If Bin Laden had to choose the one book he’d rather be stuck on a deserted island with, it would be Samuel P. Huntington’s ‘The Clash of Civilizations.'”

  119. 119.

    NorthLeft12

    @catclub: I don’t think that Donald could/would share the stage with Nugent…..although it is amusing to consider.

  122. 122.

    Applejinx

    @Aimai:

    @magurakurin: i maxed out for the primary. never ever bothered before. I always used fundraising as a way of gauging other peoples enthusiasm for the candidate. Ive always figured that was a good way of picking a candidate who could be successful in the general and i saved my money for later. Ive been so angry at the anti democratic primary bernie ran that i gave hillz all my moneez early.

    You’re maxed out. Us poors are far from maxed out. I guess Hillary will just have to rely on us now ;)

    Bloody tempted to donate to her just for the kabuki replacing of DWS, who was leaving anyway. I swear if Hillary even suggests she’s done that because her replacement is better (I won’t even expect her to crap on DWS, Debbie is a loyalist after all and has earned some consideration) then I’ll donate to her. Or, if she taps Warren for veep, I’m all in. Because that would be audacious as hell, and it would mean Hils was all in too.

  123. 123.

    NorthLeft12

    @Patricia Kayden: Sorry Patricia, but I am firmly in the camp that believes that Trump does not mean half the stuff he says. And that goes double for his slavering sycophants!

  124. 124.

    Patricia Kayden

    @germy: Meat Loaf fainted during a concert in Canada recently so I don’t think he’s up to running as anyone’s VP. Hopefully he’s got his voter ID situation fixed so he can vote for Trump this year. LOL.

  126. 126.

    leinie

    @Applejinx:

    I have a friend who is a delegate for Bernie to the state Dem convention happening right now. Been calling for DWS’s head for months, but now finds something nefarious and “fucked up” in her being gone and a Hitlery person replacing her, and oh, the truth is out now that the DNC wanted Clinton from the start and that is fucked up too. I’m not convinced St. Bern can talk them off the ledge. I swear, for some of them, the cult of personality rivals the hardon Republicans have for their version of Reagan.

  127. 127.

    gvg

    I have been wondering for a while who Trump could pick for vice president. He doesn’t get along with anyone for very long. Once elected he can’t just fire the guy. most people realize that Trump will lose so they don’t want to be near him. He doesn’t know many politicians and insults the ones he does know. He doesn’t actually have any positions beyond the moment and most people do;I can’t think of anyone who would accept that would increase his election chances. He thinks his supporters prefer that he not get along with real politicians (I think he is right) so who can he pick that won’t lose him support?

    Does the constitution require a vice president candidate or can he run alone with House majority leader the presumptive VP?

  128. 128.

    RoonieRoo

    @leinie: Grumpy is at the Texas state Dem convention right now as a Clinton delegate. I’m hoping the crazed Bernistas don’t turn him off. I know he’s stronger than that but still hate for it to be a negative experience due to the cultists.

  131. 131.

    Jeffro

    @D58826:

    does anyone have any idea what Bernie hopes to accomplish in the next 4 weeks.

    What he hopes to accomplish…is basically lie in wait and hope that HRC has an indictment drop on her head (for the email non-issue, for whatever). At this point he might actually want that more than Reince does…

  132. 132.

    tsquared2001

    @Paul in KY: President Obama won Whisky by nearly 7% in 2012 and that was against Rmoney. Even with the voting fuckery by the Wisconsin GOP, I can’t see nearly enough crazies existing to overcome that margin with The Cheeto at the head of the ticket.

  133. 133.

    Applejinx

    @leinie: I know, I know. I’ve been trying. Don’t you think I’ve been trying? As someone who helped Bernie win NH what seems like a lifetime ago I feel it’s kind of on me (and those like me) because the super committed berniacs are sure as hell not listening to BJ Hilbots (nor should they: that’s Hillary’s lunatic fringe and not predictive of what Hils will do)

    Of course the DNC wanted and intended Clinton from the start. If they are acting surprised or like that’s breaking news they are gaming you because we all knew that already. It was unexpectedly nice of the DNC to give Bernie as much rope as he got, though frankly it’s the voters that did it, and the DNC proved unable to stop it. Only Hillary running smart and well, gave her the victory. If it had been up to the DNC they’d have blown it and we’d have Sanders running against Trump: three ring circus, one for each and the center ring for corporate media, having more fun than anybody.

    Bernie’s going to have to talk them off the ledge, since it’s obvious that he’s getting what he needs. Blew my mind when I heard he was greeted, in the Senate, with applause. That did NOT happen by accident, somebody-ary ASKED the Senators to cheer him and I think he knows it. All he wanted in the start was to steer things leftward, and manipulated applause is cheap: so is the Democratic party turning into the Sanders Hagiography party and making him the not-yet-zombie Reagan of the left. He’s not calling any shots, he will be a figurehead.

    In exchange, the Democrats only have to get and take what THEY want (and always did, before ‘permanent Republican majority’ forced their hand) and to graft politely when they do graft. What Bernie wanted them to do is not far from what they wanted anyway, and anybody believing otherwise is dumb. What’s more, classic liberal answers are the only way forward in a post-automation, decline-of-capitalism world, and further kowtowing to freemarket Republicans is just plain suicide, and a lot of rich and influential people know that quite well.

    I’m guardedly hopeful about the state of affairs. I think this just might work.

  134. 134.

    germy

    @Patricia Kayden:

    “He had just finished ‘Bat Out of Hell’ and had just started ‘I Would Do Everything For Love,’ and it looked at first like he was just being theatrical and lying down on the stage,” Britt Brewer, who attended the show with her brother, mother and a co-worker, told the Edmonton Journal.

    The confusion was deepened by the fact that backing tracks appeared to continue for a few seconds even after the singer had stopped singing and collapsed on stage.

    Members of the crowd began to chant “Meat Loaf” and clap as the singer lay on the stage.

    (from RawStory)

  136. 136.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne: @trollhattan:

    I should probably apologize for being so catty. I just can’t help it sometimes. Am I correct in thinking that Gingrich thinks kids should work at their schools to pay for their lunches and actually thought the movie Boys Town was a model for what to do with kids?

    These Republicans are just genuinely awful at this point on every single subject. They fail at basic decency and compassion. Maybe we should just counter the meanness by being doubly kind but I confess that thinking about them brings out the urge to point and mock in me.

  137. 137.

    Jeffro

    Hey here’s an actual #NeverTrump possibility:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dozens-of-gop-delegates-launch-new-push-to-halt-donald-trump/2016/06/17/e8dcf74e-3491-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html?postshare=3501466179648445&tid=ss_tw

    Loving this:

    Dozens of Republican convention delegates are hatching a new plan to block Donald Trump at this summer’s party meetings, in what has become the most organized effort so far to stop the businessman from becoming the GOP nominee.
    … Many involved in the delegate-driven movement supported Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the primary, but say they have no specific candidate in mind and are not taking cues from any of Trump’s vanquished opponents.

    So now we know what ol’ Lyin’ Ted has been up to…

  138. 138.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @catclub: Boykin is a disgrace to the uniform he once wore…and of course is a Jeebofascist superstar for those same actions.

  141. 141.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @leinie: Let the stupid motherfuckers jump. I’m so done with Bernie and his rabid fanbase. They can all find a fucking fire to die in, as soon as possible.

  143. 143.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @NorthLeft12: Teh Donald’s major problem, as we’ve seen with Christie, is that he cannot share a stage with anyone, unless they’re props behind him like his collection of Robert Palmer background voguers.

    Nugent is used to being the center of attention, too, so he won’t be acceptable to Teh Donald.

  145. 145.

    Barbara

    @trollhattan: Six wives with a complete smorgasbord of reprehensible marital behavior between them. I mean, seriously, even with Trump I think any sentient person should be able to tell any Republican of any stripe that they should not be permitted to utter the expression “party of family values” for the foreseeable future.

  146. 146.

    Paul in KY

    @tsquared2001: I’m just opining on what they think. I personally don’t think they have much of a chance of taking WI, but if they thought they really, really, really needed it, then Walker would be a plausible choice, IMO. Also, too.

  148. 148.

    Patricia Kayden

    @rumpole: Would it end his political career? Or would it just put him in a good spot to appeal to the bigoted base in 2020 for the top spot? We must keep in mind that what appeals to the folks on the other side is what repulses us.

  149. 149.

    Honus

    Trump and Newt. And Trump has promised to make an issue of Bill Clinton’s infidelity.

  151. 151.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Patricia Kayden: Speaking of Manafort, and going off topic, what happens if Trump’s senior advisor cant get a security clearance after being a lobbyist for such luminaries as Marcos, Savimbi, and Yanukovych

  154. 154.

    Kay

    If Republican were smart they’d pick someone unexpected and fresh. Justin Amash. He’s not qualified to be President but either is Donald Trump and Amash is smarter than Trump. Donald Trump just isn’t very bright. Sad (!) but true, I’m afraid.

    He’s the libertarian groovester who also aligns completely with every monied interest. Like Rand Paul, but not horrible and patronizing and haughty. He would also add some ethnic diversity.

  155. 155.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: That might be a little too unexpected/fresh…I’m worried about them rallying behind Ben Sasse, Nikki Haley, or Brian Sandoval. But I suspect they will be stuck between Cruz, Rubio, and perhaps another ‘deep bencher’ or two in 2020.

  156. 156.

    D58826

    @Applejinx: What I have found so frustrating is that many of the policy differences are relatively minor. Take healthcare. I doubt that there are many democrats opposed to universal healthcare. The difference is how to get there. Bernie is in favor of single payer. As the primary evolved you might have gotten the idea that the existing healthcare system had not been reformed in decades and that Hillary was indifferent to universal healthcare. Never mentioned in any serious way was Obamacare or that Hillary tried to get national healthcare in 1993 and it sank like a brick.

    As the primary season continued Bernie seemed to pivot from policy differences to the system was rigged to deny the will of the people as expressed thru Bernie’s revolution. Of course DWS and the DNC wanted a smooth and quiet primary season leading up to Hillary’s nomination. If the shoe had been on the other foot Bernie would have wanted the same thing for himself.

    I think it would be a lot easier to get the Bernie supporters behind Hillary if it were just the policy issues. After all it should be easy to say ‘that while I prefer single payer I can support Hillary’s incremental approach to improving Obamacare’. It’s a lot harder to walk back ‘Hillary and the DNC stole a primary victory that was rightfully mine’.

  157. 157.

    The Lodger

    @Kay: Problem is, it wouldn’t get him out of the House. He’d do what Ryan did in 2012, just run in two elections. Although he’s on a lot of Least Awful Republican lists.

  159. 159.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    Do you think so? I think they would do better staying away from Trump. Trump’s polling average has never been less than down about 5 points to Clinton. Romney was closer to Obama than Trump is to Clinton. He has never (yet) been a notably strong general election candidate, despite all his bullshit and media speculation. There’s so much risk and so little chance of reward.

  160. 160.

    Gravenstone

    @rumpole: In the same way that Paul Ryan hitching his star to Mittens ended his career? Sorry, no it doesn’t work like that on the Republican side.

  161. 161.

    maya

    In keeping with The Donald’s megalomaniac personality, I predict the ticket will be:

    Trump / Trump

  162. 162.

    Humdog

    Calling Trump Cheeto Jesus may just raise his popularity in Wisconsin. They are cheese heads, right?

  163. 163.

    Miss Bianca

    @Aimai: I finally bit the bullet and set up a monthly donation to Michael Bennet’s campaign. It ain’t much – and I may opt to increase it as the election gets closer – but I was proud of him for being part of the filibuster effort. He’s usually a very cautious centrist type and he’s an embattled encumbent in CO – so I was doubly proud of him.

    Awesome posts over at NMMNB, btw – thanks for pointing them out to us!

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): to be fair to Henry VIII, his views on religious tolerance were proably more advanced than either Newt’s or Trump’s.

  167. 167.

    gvg

    @Gravenstone: Romney and Ryan were both long connected to the GOP establishment so of course Ryan’s career didn’t end with a loss. It wasn’t the kind of loss that a Trump loss might be either. Both men were previously elected and had demonstrated they could work with others plus they were connected to long term ideas that the GOP supported.
    Trump is different. He has never been elected to anything and clearly wouldn’t bother to learn how to do any job. He has boasted of buying politicians including GOP ones. He doesn’t really hold most of the GOP “values”. He really is not a conservative. He is an irreligious bigot bullyboy. Now I’ll grant you I associate the GOP with bigotry, but the last couple of decades I came to expect the religious side too. His policy is to pick a fight with everyone, the GOP was more selective even though I had previously thought they wanted a fight with “everyone” it turned out I hadn’t realized anyone would think it was also a good idea to pick fights with the EU, England,Japan and who knows who else. Trump won’t share any power he gets now do anything for anyone else, thats why the other GOP officials can’t work with him. After he loses, he won’t get any cushy jobs from the wingnut welfare circuit. Surprises me that Gingrinch or Christie threw in with him. I assume that means they weren’t getting enough before. Trump may have internalized of=r just enjoyed the primaries too much, he is still fighting the other GOP people.
    I don’t actually know of any historical parallel but I don’t think the end results will be like other GOP elections.
    I do think it implies that the other GOP officials were not that aware of how many of a certain type of voter they had. religion is clearly less important than they thought.

  169. 169.

    The Other Chuck

    @gvg:

    Does the constitution require a vice president candidate or can he run alone with House majority leader the presumptive VP?

    The constitution only says the VP position exists, lays out eligibility, and states that electors vote for the position. Who’s even on the ballot is up to the individual states.

    One interesting fact is that the VP position is not term limited. As long as they’re still eligible to be president, one can theoretically serve as many VP terms as they care to win.

  170. 170.

    Soylent Green

    @gvg:

    After he loses, he won’t get any cushy jobs from the wingnut welfare circuit.

    Not his goal. Trump is a TV celebrity, and when his ill-fated run tanks his other businesses, he will monetize it by creating a new TV network or other television presence. There he will bask in his newfound glory as national leader of the goons, the no-nothing bigots who attend his rallies and hang on every hateful word he utters.

    Of course his ego is too big to see that his popularity will have no staying power once the election is behind us.

  171. 171.

    JustRuss

    @Mike J:

    Trump will still make him use the back door of the plane.

    If you mean mid-flight, I’m good with that.

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