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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread – Poking the beast

Open Thread – Poking the beast

by Sarah, Proud and Tall|  January 9, 20175:31 pm| 39 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Assholes

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Our requests are eminently reasonable, shared by leaders of both parties. I'll return this letter to @SenateMajLdr with the same requests. pic.twitter.com/IMT7ZtJFjV

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 9, 2017

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Previous Post: « Engulf & Devour, Inc.
Next Post: Nothing to Worry About Here »

Reader Interactions

39Comments

  1. 1.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    The Republicans will ignore it, of course, but … pwned.

  2. 2.

    SG

    January 9, 2017 at 5:36 pm

    Chuck’s actually starting to show a little flair for this. Yup, pwned.

  3. 3.

    Major Major Major Major

    January 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    “Democrats changed the game when they used the nucular option to get rid of the filibuster, so both sides do it and this accusation of hypocrisy is just more evidence that democrats are hypocrites.”

  4. 4.

    Mikefromarlington

    January 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    I think Trump played everyone again. Nobody talking about hacking, everyone talking about his tweets that everyone will forget about.

    One thing he’s good at is changing the narrative.

    There is no way the utter ridiculousness of his tweets is unintentional

  5. 5.

    Thoughtful David

    January 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    We need to make the media report this. Not sure how.

  6. 6.

    Served

    January 9, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    I don’t think Trump intentionally does things like this with his tweets, but I do think someone is letting him have access to his phone and lets his idiot brain do what his idiot brain is meant to do.

  7. 7.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 9, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    Good for Senator Schumer. He has some fight in him yet.

  8. 8.

    debbie

    January 9, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    McConnell’s talking right past Schumer, insisting Republicans voted for a number of Obama’s appointees, even though (chuckle, chuckle) they didn’t like them. Apples / Oranges.

  9. 9.

    debbie

    January 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    @Mikefromarlington:

    Hogwash. That’s his ego speaking in those Tweets. Also, no one’s forgotten about hacking. The hearings haven’t even started yet.

  10. 10.

    JeanneT

    January 9, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    I copied McConnell’s letter and sent it to McConnell and to my home state Senators, asking them to follow these sensible protocols. I used Faxzero’s page that lets you select the Senators of your choice. I’m hoping that many Senators will find overflowing inboxes tomorrow.

  11. 11.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    @debbie:

    Of course he is. But now I’m wondering if we can all fax our own versions of this letter to McConnell’s office. Force him to turn off the fax machine, at a minimum.

    ETA: JeanneT read my mind!

  12. 12.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    January 9, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    All we can do is shine lights on this shit and mock them for it. If anything, I think we’ll get the most mileage out of the mockery. For one thing, it eats at Trump, and I think it’s likely, his children, too. For another, I wonder if the only way to make the press sit up and say something about this shit will be for Democrats to make it funny. Everybody likes to laugh, after all. Get Chris Cilizza chuckling, and he’ll say something about it. That’ll get Chuck Todd chuckling. And on and on. And sooner or later, it might even make its way out to the marks who voted for Trump. I don’t know, maybe I’m being over hopeful here, but what else can we do?

  13. 13.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 9, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    @Mikefromarlington: We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We’re capable of talking about the Russian hacking which benefited Republicans and Trump’s crazy tweets simultaneously. With someone as unhinged as Trump in the White House, we’re going to have to figure out how to focus on several issues at the same time, since he and his Republican henchmen will be doing all kinds of illegal/immoral/unethical things. I’m sure they feel that they have carte blanche to do as they please.

  14. 14.

    Major Major Major Major

    January 9, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    @debbie:

    The hearings haven’t even started yet.

    Something that might be true for a very long time.

  15. 15.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    @Mikefromarlington:

    Actually, we’re now talking about Trump’s appointments, not his tweets. Not sure who’s talking about Trump’s tweets.

  16. 16.

    Betty Cracker

    January 9, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    Well played, Schumer.

  17. 17.

    West of the Cascades

    January 9, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    This is good stuff from Schumer. My guess is that the more he does it, and the more the Republicans’ own incompetence and internal dissentions rise to the surface, the more Schumer will hew to this line. Maybe “hope” rather than “guess” but this is a good start.

  18. 18.

    West of the Cascades

    January 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Plus, making it funny is more fun than outrage for our team, so wins all around.

  19. 19.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I’m hoping the confirmations go through without any support from Democrats so that Republicans wholly own the mess that these cabinet appointments engender.

  20. 20.

    geg6

    January 9, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    @Patricia Kayden:

    This.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I’m pretty sure they will if this is the attitude of the Minority Leader. The only wobbly Dem I know of right now is Manchin.

    And, of course, Sanders could always stab us in the back, but he’s not a Dem.

  22. 22.

    Calouste

    January 9, 2017 at 6:10 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: Might be better to let a few confirmations go through that are relatively sane and qualified, as long of course as they file all the paperwork. It’s kind of hard to argue against the nomination of Elaine Chao for example (except that the shitgibbon did it as a quid-pro-quo for Mitch McConnel). She’s been Labor Secretary for 8 years and Assistant Transport Secretary for a few as well.

  23. 23.

    Calouste

    January 9, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    @Mnemosyne: We already know what Sanders thinks about submitting financial disclosure statements and tax returns. Most likely he’ll come out on the side that it is a rule that applies to other, but not him.

  24. 24.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    @Calouste:

    If Chao jumps through all of the hoops that McConnell himself laid out 8 years ago and is grilled by Congressional Democrats for a minimum of 14 hours, then … maybe.

    And even then, I would say that the most the Democrats do is let it come up for a vote and then vote as a block against her. We need to be on record that we said “no” to Trumpism at every level.

  25. 25.

    randy khan

    January 9, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    @Calouste:

    I’d start by insisting on following normal procedures, then hack away at the worst nominees and anyone whose background checks, etc., show them to be too awful to allow in.

    Chao does seem like someone who ought to get through without much trouble. Personally, I’d pass on Mattis and Haley, too (even considering her utter lack of qualifications), and maybe even Ben Carson. But I want the Dems to go hard at Sessions, Price, Tillerson and a bunch of others.

  26. 26.

    Elizabelle

    January 9, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    I endorse this. Well done, cousin of Amy Schumer.

  27. 27.

    hovercraft

    January 9, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    @Served:
    It’s not a strategy per se, Meryl Streep tweaked him last night, and he couldn’t resist lashing out. The fact that the media thinks that his twitter tantrum is as big a story as the Russian hack, is just a bonus for him. Celebrity stories sell they get more clicks than boring stories about stolen/hacked elections, especially when the result is an exciting new administration which will be unpredictable and keep the villagers entertained.

  28. 28.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    @Calouste:

    Also, too, a friend of mine who was applying for a management position at a big company told me that she ended up having to do a total of 20 hours of interviews — 5 separate 2-hour interviews — before they decided to go with someone else. Chao can undergo at least the same amount of scrutiny for a much more high-profile job.

  29. 29.

    Betty Cracker

    January 9, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Agreed. The GOP shouldn’t be able to endorse a proclamation for Mothers’ Day without cloture.

  30. 30.

    hovercraft

    January 9, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    @Patricia Kayden:

    We are normal sentient people, we can multitask, the media, not so much. They tend to fixate on one thing at a time. Our job is to call them on it. We have to refuse to follow them down every twitter tantrum rabbit holes. We need to make sure that we keep hounding them and him about the lack of qualification, the corruption, of his appointees. While still keeping focused on the Putin story and what it means for our national security

  31. 31.

    Major Major Major Major

    January 9, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    @Elizabelle: That always kind of cracks me up.

  32. 32.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 9, 2017 at 6:32 pm

    @hovercraft: Agreed. I think Trump’s inappropriate tweets are relevant to the fact that he’s dangerously thin-skinned and cannot stand any criticism, no matter how minor. This is a trait that we should highlight any chance we get. But yes, of course, the media should be focused on the Russian hacking and other major issues which Trump has generated. We have lunatics in power. We’re going to have to multi-task. In fact, we’re going to miss some of the messiness because there will be so much. Huge sigh.

  33. 33.

    Roger Moore

    January 9, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    I think this is a bit of an unfair comparison:

    1) Chao has already worked at a cabinet-level position, so she’s more like somebody who’s trying to come back to the same company or get promoted from within than a complete unknown the way an outsider would be.

    2) The Senate confirmation hearing isn’t the whole interview process. Your friend was being interviewed for a competitive position where the company had to decide between several candidates. For a Presidential appointee, the equivalent process is the President (and staff) interviewing candidates; the confirmation is an additional level of scrutiny.

  34. 34.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    Don’t care. If Chao isn’t willing to be scrutinized the same way a private sector hire is, then she can withdraw her nomination. No sale.

    ETA: Also, my friend didn’t get the job for a really stupid reason I will reveal at the next meet-up.

  35. 35.

    Major Major Major Major

    January 9, 2017 at 6:55 pm

    @Mnemosyne: A private sector hire for a C-level position, when everybody knew each other and had worked together before and been through whatever the private sector version of Senate confirmation is, would have about ten seconds of interviews and they would consist of saying ‘cheers!’ to the other members of the team as they have congratulatory martinis.

  36. 36.

    Mnemosyne

    January 9, 2017 at 6:57 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Depends on where you work. I had to interview for my current position after having been in it for a full year as a temp-to-hire. And, yes, they looked at resumes and interviewed at least 2 other people before they decided to keep me.

  37. 37.

    Lizzy L

    January 9, 2017 at 7:03 pm

    @randy khan: Mattis, Chao, Haley — those are the only candidates Democrats should support. Carson is completely unqualified.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    January 9, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    The only job I ever interviewed for I had worked for that company in a part time hobby capacity for 20 yrs before. I knew all the interviewers, one of which was the person that I replaced, who moved up the ladder and became my boss for the next 11 yrs. There were 3 interviews in all, with 3 vice president level people. I was there for the entire day. I was told that they interviewed 2 other people for the job. Now I will say that only one of the interviews was an actual can you do the job interview and the others were just marking time. Over the next few years it became obvious that the one professional interview was done by the one professional person out of the three and he wasn’t my boss. The day I gave the CEO my 2 week notice was a grand day for me.

  39. 39.

    Skepticat

    January 9, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    I’ve just asked my senators to do the same thing as Sen. Schumer, and if I had access to a fax, I’d send lebendy-leben copies to McConnell. I did email it to his office, which at least made me feel better. I also let my senators know I expect them to hold the line on vetting and that I’m firmly against all nominees, with the possible exception of Matthias (who probably will withdraw or get booted, as he isn’t knuckling under to Cheeto Benito).

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