Who throws a costume party in December anyway, other than in Eyes Wide Shut? https://t.co/oHJN3LFM81
— Schooley (@Rschooley) December 4, 2016
Somewhere Jay Gatsby is going, “Ugh, tacky. ” But not Politico! “Trump attends donor’s ‘Villains and Heroes’ party — as himself”:
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday night attended a lavish costume party on Long Island hosted by his biggest donors, the Mercer family…
According to a Saturday evening pool report, Trump’s motorcade arrived at the party at 8:35 p.m. As Trump entered, dressed in a dark suit, overcoat and tie, he was asked who he was dressed as. Pointing at himself, the president-elect mouthed the word “Me.” Neither his wife, Melania Trump, nor Trump’s children attended. Top aide Steve Bannon and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway attended, with Conway dressed as Super Woman, according to the pool report…
Although Trump during the campaign decried the influence of big donors, the Mercer family played a major role in his campaign and has wielded vast influence in his transition.
The family patriarch, hedge fund tycoon Robert Mercer, donated $2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC that came to be run by his daughter Rebekah Mercer, who controls the family’s political operations.
Rebekah Mercer played a pivotal role in persuading Trump to bring on three close allies of hers to run the campaign — incoming White House senior counselor Bannon and top campaign officials Conway and David Bossie…
The Mercers have hosted the party at their estate on Long Island’s North Shore around the holidays in each of the past several years.
It’s become an increasingly hot ticket as the Mercers have become bigger players in conservative politics.
Robert Mercer and his youngest daughter, Heather Sue Mercer, are competitive poker players, and past years’ parties have featured blackjack and poker tables. The Mercers supply chips — free of charge — that can be redeemed at the end of the night for lavish prizes such as gold Rolexes, according to people who have attended.
Staff and security at the event were dressed as Hell’s Angels and retro Salvation Army members, according to the pool report.
So, I guess this was a sort of coming-out party for Rebekah Mercer, as the new generation of bloated plutocrat parasitizing our commonwealth.
Maybe the best outcome the rest of us can hope for is that Ms. “But She’s the Smart One” comes to blows with “Daddy’s Little Princess” before the Trump Kakistocracy can embed itself too deeply in the national hide. Because I suspect those two have as many issues to work out as their more-famous-for-now daddies…
1. Remember this photo, demonstrating Trump's contempt for ethics and democracy? https://t.co/8TxnnE1Oip pic.twitter.com/Lq2h20IA3k
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 4, 2016
4. The Japanese retail giant Ivanka wants to do business with is OWNED by the Japanese government https://t.co/wNTKf5qvLC pic.twitter.com/gY4Unn4CLn
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 4, 2016
Aleta
retro Salvation Army members ?
Yutsano
At this point it’s like he’s daring the Electoral College to not choose him.
SiubhanDuinne
DONALD TRUMP = DAMN TURD POL.
Accuracy with anagrams.
Iowa Old Lady
These people demonstrate why we need a 90% inheritance tax.
Librarian
The funny thing is, that eastern Long Island will be one of the first places to go underwater as sea levels rise.
Jami
Off subject, but I wanted to get it out there as something I think people know little about and may be judging based on the boogieman projection it’s gotten over the years… A little explainer on what the Republicans want to do to Obamacare (the ACA). Basically, among other things, they want to eliminate a tax credit for the working class. The way I understand it is, if you earn between 200% to 400% of the poverty line and you’re in the individual market (self-employed or working for a company that doesn’t provide health insurance) you get a tax credit you can apply to your health insurance premiums. This is a tax break for the working class and it is what the Republicans and the Trump administration want to eliminate. This is the part that is so hypocritical! They want to take away this tax credit! Here’s how it works: You chose your insurance plan. If you chose one on the exchanges you can get a tax credit. You estimate how much you will earn in the next year. (For anyone who is self-employed this is just like what you do to figure your self-employment tax that you pay quarterly.) Based on your projected earnings and the cost of your insurance plan you are given a tax credit that you can choose to be fully, partially, or not at all applied to your insurance premiums throughout the year. At the end of the year, when you do your taxes, the amount you actually made that year determines how much of a tax credit you should have received. At that point, if you earned less then you projected or you chose not to apply the whole amount to your premiums, you get a credit for the difference, which reduces your end of the year taxes. If you earned more than you projected and had more than should have been applied to your premiums then you owe that back and it’s added to your end of year taxes. Having worked for a tax prep place, it’s the same as a tax break for a dependent—you pay less during the year and at the end of the year, if it turns out you can’t claim that dependent, you have to make up the difference of claiming that tax break. It’s a tax break for the working class and the Republicans want to eliminate it! WTF! Why aren’t they being called out on raising taxes!
Major Major Major Major
The Mercers are gross. This story is gross. My kale and pork shoulder salad turned to ash in my mouth when I read this. I’m going back downstairs.
Tenar Arha (same Tenar, more Nameless Ones)
In related news to craptastic men & their women enablers will/have taken over the government.
I like movies a lot. Enough to occasionally run thru best of lists. But I’ve never been a fan of the 1970’s more “experimental” stuff so I never bothered watching Last Tango In Paris. And now, since that story in Elle magazine two days ago blowing up, I’m so glad I never ever watched it.
I think the worst part for me is that the actor never changed her story until her death, yet it was never accepted as truth. It required the confirmation of the man who victimized her to actually gain traction.
Why mention this at all? It’s reason #1001 that I want to scream when anyone ignores that patriarchy & misogyny was a major force in this election.
ETA I replaced powerful with craptastic
Cpl. Cam
Goodbye, American oligarchy. Hello, world’s first ever kleptcuckracy. I’ve always known we were fucked but I had no idea how “bigly.”
trollhattan
Why are all rich douches attracted to gold leaf and polished brass? #FrenchWhoreHouse
mai naem mobile
I went on Twitter today and am back to being depressed about this election. This motherfuckING POS is not fit to clean Barack Obamas slippers. The fucking basket of deplorables are the assholes he’s hiring. He’s got Carl Icahn who is spending $200M to meet EPA regs interviewing people for the EPA head position. The shithead has Blackstones Steve Schwarzmann heading his commission on keeping jobs in the US. Schwarzmann,another POS luuurves him some outsourcing. Fuck the WWC and their feefees. Fuck the Steinfuckers and the BernieBros. Jeezus fucking Christ. Four years of this shitbag.
Oldgold
I wonder how many Appalachians were invited to this shindig?
Suzanne
@trollhattan: John Mulaney (comedian) said that Trump is “a hobo’s idea of what a rich man is like”, and nothing could be more accurate. I don’t hang out with people this loaded, but it’s been the case IME that the truly rich don’t gold-plate shit. It’s the nouveau riche who gold-plate shit.
Mnemosyne
@Tenar Arha (same Tenar, more Nameless Ones):
We were discussing that here last night, and the spouse and I were also talking about it this morning.
There is sometimes this weird and hostile thing that directors do where they decide they want a “real” reaction from their actors (because, yanno, professional actors can’t be trusted to act) and will pull bullshit games like this. This one was particularly unsavory because Bertolucci and Brando conspired together to pressure the young actress into filming a scene that she wasn’t comfortable with, which adds the fear of losing your job to the fear of essentially being sexually assaulted on camera.
I have seen Last Tango (years ago, in film school) and I don’t remember being particularly impressed by it. As G said this morning, you sometimes run into these movies made in the 1970s and 1980s by men who fear women’s sexual liberation and don’t know how to handle it. Last Tango has one of those endings that could only be made in that period, where we’re supposed to think that it’s bad for the heroine to shoot and kill the guy who’s been forcing her into weird sexual games, stalking her to find out who she is, and physically assaulting her when she tells him that their relationship is over and he needs to leave her alone.
Sort of like how some people seem to think it’s a deep mystery why the heroine of Repulsion is so messed up when she was very clearly molested by her father, and Polanski includes many, many clues to that. And yet some people watch the movie and absolutely refuse to see what the director is telling them.
SenyorDave
@Iowa Old Lady: These people demonstrate why we need a 90% inheritance tax.
I vote for pitchforks and torches, its a more permanent solution
Brachiator
@trollhattan:
The gold leaf adds irony to this recent story.
Expect some interesting trinkets to be sold by street vendors this holiday season.
“I swear! It’s real gold. For you, only 50 bucks.”
Jeffro
@Yutsano:
Sure would be nice to see a nationally-known Democrat go for broke and give a humdinger of a speech in the next week or so, listing everything Donald Arsonist has done just since the election (with special emphasis on a) the dangerous stuff, like pissing off China and not understanding Americans’ basic civil rights and b) the crazy-ass amount of self-promotion/conflict of interest he’s done and will do every day); noting that Hillary won the popular vote by 2.5M; and reminding the Electors that history is watching.
There’s still time yet. Harry, Barack,…Hillary…the country is calling on you here.
Suzanne
O/T, but I am really sad about the Oakland fire. A friend of mine has some friends from when she lived in SF who are among the missing. When you read the news stories about the building, it is clear that the building owner was unbelievably, criminally irresponsible. I hope everybody knows to look for multiple exits whenever they find themselves in any place like that.
Oatler.
Isn’t that Trump room used in the movie “The Devil’s Advocate”?
Ruckus
@trollhattan:
They really are just hobos in disguise, hoping that everyone will be blinded by the craptactular display of bullshit to not notice?
Damn it. Suzanne got there with the hobos first.
Ruckus
@SenyorDave:
Point of order.
90% tax first, THEN pitchforks and torches.
debbie
@Brachiator:
That bucket was said to weigh 86 pounds.
Mike in NC
Trump is our Caligula, but this photo shows that he at least doesn’t wear white socks with his suits.
Roger Moore
@SenyorDave:
I don’t think that’s necessarily correct. Yes, torches and pitchforks (and tumbrels and guillotines) are great at doing away with the current generation of super-rich. But history shows us a new generation will arrive soon enough unless we do something to keep more people from being able to accumulate great wealth. That’s where 90+% taxation comes in; it helps to keep people from accumulating that degree of wealth in the first place.
Doug R
Death or Exile?
SenyorDave
Kellyanne Conway is as bad, if not worse than Trump!
I was at the gym this morning and flipped on MTP. The Toddster had Kellyanne (for some reason I always feel like I’m on a first name basis with horrible people) and Joel Benenson, a Clinton pollster. She is truly a repulsive human, and I think that Benenson must have an amazing constitution to put up with her for more than a minute without wanting to strangle her. She alternated between condescending and her usual sore winner persona (multiple times she said we won, get over it).
Trump is largely a product of his upbringing and genes. He was born and bred as a racist, sexist piece of shit. I really believe he doesn’t know any better. Doesn’t excuse him in the least, but partially explains him. She knows what Trump is, and she pushed an unqualified, ignorant, anti-Semitic sexual predator across the finish line and now he is president-elect.
My New Year’s resolution is to stop wishing bad things on Trump and his team, but for the next 27 days I’ll still be doing it. If I were a firefighter and had to rush into a burning building, and Kellyanne and a hamster were there, and I could only save one, I’d have to go with the hamster. And I hate hamsters!
By the way, I had an amazing workout. Anger really can get you moving.
Ruckus
@Suzanne:
Wow. I hadn’t heard about that. Just wow.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
I never felt that what the woman did was bad. It’s pretty clear that the Brando character has been looking for a way to commit suicide, ever since the death of his wife, dealt with at the beginning of the film.
I remember watching people in New York standing in long lines to see the film. Didn’t Pauline Kael write a particularly glowing review of the film?
Ruckus
@Mike in NC:
I started to go with Caligula the other day as an example but wanted to make sure I was remembering history correctly. I didn’t use him as a comparison as I felt he was a lot better than the shit-gibbon elect.
Brachiator
@SenyorDave:
Sounds like the title of a rejected Gordon Lightfoot song.
Pogonip
@Oatler.: I think so, it looks very familiar.
Ruckus
@SenyorDave:
Hamsters are better. Yes they leave little brown jelly beans all over the place but that’s a lot better than death and destruction to go with the condescension.
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
Most of the commentary I’ve read about the film says that the Maria Schneider character is rejecting this great love that Brando’s character is offering her, or that she gets frightened and goes back to her bourgeois life, blah blah blah. I’ve rarely seen anyone mention that he’s stalking and threatening her before she shoots him.
Meh. I don’t get the cult of Pauline Kael. And the fact that she frequently got plot points wrong in her reviews because she refused to watch movies more than once only annoyed me more.
Brachiator
@Roger Moore:
We’ve never really had a 90 percent top tax rate, and even when we did have high marginal tax rates, that still did not prevent the accumulation of large personal fortunes.
And Trump isn’t really all that rich, compared to other plutocrats. Also, historically, rich families dissipate their wealth in later generations or are displaced by newcomers.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
So, the NC State Board of Elections had a meeting yesterday, and someone with an amazing constitution was there to take notes for the rest of us who can’t stand to listen to Rhonda Amoroso any more.
The TL:DR: McCrory’s lawyers think GOTV is an illicit activity, Amoroso is an idiot, and McCrory really does qualify as a Mayberry Machiavelli.
Mj_Oregon
Gah! Mercer has been trying to unseat my House rep, Peter DeFazio for the past four or five House elections because DeFazio had the temerity to introduce a bill to minutely tax high-speed market trades, which when the vendetta began was what Mercer had made his gazillions on. Thank goodness so far, Mercer’s been trying to force Art Robinson on the district and he’s still a bit too weird for the area that includes Eugene. Robinson did manage to take over the Oregon Republican party a few years back but he’s not running them now and I didn’t follow it enough to learn how they removed him from the party hierarchy. Maybe it had something to do with the flyer he sent out to many households in Oregon requesting people send him a sample of their urine for research purposes. It bothers me hugely that Mercer has gotten his claws into Littlefinger, oops, I mean Trump. Mercer is definitely right up there with the Koch brothers in evil except he’s much more brazen with his attachment to the Trumpster. Gah again!
pacem appellant
My comic book geek creds aren’t solid, but I’m pretty sure there is no “Super Woman”. There is Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, both DC properties. As a bumbling villain, it works, but good luck sneaking into the JLA.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@pacem appellant: There isn’t. Conway was dressed as Supergirl.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
The commentary I’ve read, and my own view of the film, is that the Brando character is pathetic and desperately searching for some last grasp at existential significance. The central conceit of wanting the anonymous affair with the woman is pointless from the start, an unreal bubble that cannot possibly be maintained. And he is the one who breaks the stupid rule that he himself insisted on, by wanting to know her name. But outside the mutually agreed upon bubble, he has nothing to offer her and is just some jerk on the street who is bothering her.
I think that the film “Damage” is interesting counter-programming for “Last Tango.”
Doug R
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: I wish Melissa Benoist was there to punch Conway in the face while growling “You’re not worthy of that costume”.
And then Helen Slater kicks her a few times.
prob50
@Brachiator: .The Toddster had Kellyanne
Sounds like the title of a rejected Gordon Lightfoot song.
Maybe that was the original title of Lightfoot’s song “The Mountains and Marianne”. Perhaps he changed it so he could slip some alliteration in there, that sneaky devil.
In other fake news, Gordon’s last name was really “Stinkfoot:”.
J R in WV
@Suzanne:
Once visited (professionally) Jay Rockefeller’s home in Charleston WV, long ago, and it was very tasteful. Large enough to have room for the staff they needed, but very homey and attractive, without any sign of ostentatious stuff. Comfortable, with no glitz.
That’s real old money there.
SiubhanDuinne
@Suzanne:
I keep imagining that his private quarters probably look like the bastard offspring of Graceland and Liberace’s bedroom.
Suzanne
@J R in WV: Yes. Real rich people, like generationally rich, go for quality rather than flash.
Not to mention, they are typically brought up with some education in fine arts and design, so they don’t go for the trashy shit.
Woodrow/asim
@pacem appellant: Oh Irony, thy taste can be sweet.
There actually have been quite a few Super Women characters from DC — and the most famous ones? Are villains.
NeenerNeener
@SiubhanDuinne: I don’t remember whether it was the 1st, 2nd or 3rd season of The Apprentice, but the contestants got to meet with Melania at home, and everything was gold. And tacky.
Brachiator
@Suzanne:
I know women who were history of art majors so that they could marry someone from their station and take their eventual role on a museum board. Some were neither bright nor particularly cultured, but developed an ability to meekly follow the lead of whatever interior designer was recommended to them.
Their sense of taste, such as it was, was safe and predictable. Stale.
bmaccnm
@Mnemosyne: Last Tango remains the only movie I’ve ever walked out on. TMI, but I am a rape survivor, and that scene was too uncomfortable, too real to watch. I’ve watched other movies where I knew actors were acting a rape scene, but even then, I knew in my gut that Maria Schneider was not acting.
Suzanne
@Brachiator: I knew a few of those types in college (I was an art major as an undergrad), but they always struck me as innocuous. Their taste sounds innocuous, too. Better safe and predictable (“basic”, Spawn the Elder would say) than full of Trumpy Epic Fail.
I have very little room to judge. I also have fairly innocuous taste, but I have a weakness for monkeys, roosters, and moose (mooses?).
eddie blake
@pacem appellant:
it fits.
superwoman is from earth three (or quard)
a member of the crime syndicate, she’s an evil doppleganger amalgam of supergirl and wonderwoman.