Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

We are aware of all internet traditions.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

The willow is too close to the house.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

T R E 4 5 O N

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

People are complicated. Love is not.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

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

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

It’s the corruption, stupid.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Style Notes for A Kakistocracy

Open Thread: Style Notes for A Kakistocracy

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The Kushners were the new stars at this year’s “bipartisan” Alfalfa Club annual dinner, apparently.

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307Comments

  3. 3.

    MJS

    Much love to all the protesters, including my brother in DC, who are out today protesting this diarrhea shit of an administration.

  4. 4.

    JMG

    She is a beautiful woman (on the outside) and that dress is hideous. My goodness, I’m a retired man who worked in sportswriting and editing so I never had to wear a tie and I could’ve told her, “Oh, honey, no!”
    Big contrast with Michelle Obama, who has splendid high fashion sense. This was just an unfortunate choice.

  7. 7.

    PsiFighter37

    Apparently 5,000 people at the Philly airport today. I am surprised at the depth of the passion and resentment against the administration. I thought the Women’s March was a one-off, but damn, it looks like there are a lot of people who have stayed angry and are going to make it known.

    I only hope this translates into elections, while we’re still allowed to have them (being a bit of a fatalist here – it seems like Bannon is intent on destroying the government, and given he’s said that in the past, I do not doubt it).

  8. 8.

    Pooh

    Remember way back in about ’05 when, with DougJ as a ringleader some of us started a satire blog called The Kakistocrats? We had to stop after a few weeks because we realized even then the RW was nigh impossible to parody.

  11. 11.

    Peale

    Posted this down below. Something kellyanne said today about how the countries on the travel ban list all generated terrorists and training camps made me remember this:

    “We’re going to take out seven countries in 5 years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran”

    the travel ban list is basically this same list with Lebanon replaced by Yemen. I know the white nationalists will love this ban domestically since the goal isn’t national security but the reduction of the numbers of Muslims. But this also seems like the neocon fantasy regime change list.

  12. 12.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Have there been any protests at Trump properties yet? It occurs to me that hitting him smack on the pride side would go a long way toward getting him even more nuts.

    The bonus is they’re all in big blue cities, in blue states run by blue governors , Illinois being the sole exception on the governor front.

  13. 13.

    Another Scott

    Obviously the girl wore it better, even in the horrible circumstances…

    How about Jared’s clothes, though? What’s with suit jackets that don’t keep your shirt covered if you move your arms a tiny bit? It looks hideous.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  15. 15.

    PsiFighter37

    Trump already going after McCain and Graham on Twitter, with valid criticism (it sounds like something a Democrat would say, to be honest – that they are always trying to start WWIII) but also trying to distract as well. If the two of them had any ounce of patriotism, they would say they would not vote for a single damn measure that comes up in the Senate until the EO is rescinded. It shouldn’t be that hard for them to figure out that with only a 2-seat advantage, they can have huge leverage if they can convince anyone else (like Flake, perhaps) to take a stand.

    I loathe both of them intensely, but we need anyone’s help at this point to make it stop.

  18. 18.

    debbie

    That photo is clearly elongated. They both look like pinheads. And the style of buttoning only the top jacket button is sloppy looking and inappropriate for a formal occasion, dammit.

  19. 19.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    @PsiFighter37: Seriously, I thought I knew the rules of effective protest, but it appears that they can be bent (I’ll say they’re broken when Trump backs down in a significant way).

  20. 20.

    ThresherK

    “Alfalfa Club Dinner” is just begging for a He-Man Woman Hater’s Club joke, which is more appropriate now than ever.

    —

    Watching the NHL All-Star Game.

    Is there any more ironic reward for any All Star than to play goalie in a game where breakaways and odd-man rushes are routine, and goals are scored every three minutes?

    (Okay I don’t have the exact figures, but there were 3 goals in 19 seconds right now.)

  22. 22.

    Baud

    @PsiFighter37: Elections are handled by the states.

    Sadly, Trump’s administration will probably one day be a case study on the importance of federalism. Assumptions will have to be revisited.

  25. 25.

    Bruuuuce

    A thought from earlier: ISTM that another reason El Presidente and his ilk are working to devalue his 3 million vote loss in the popular vote is the upcoming fight over a SCOTUS appointment. Remember that the GOP’s claimed reason for refusing to even consider President Obama’s nomination was that they were “waiting to determine the will of the people.” If they can’t erase that popular vote total, Democrats can — and SHOULD — throw that rationale right back into their faces with every refusal and filibuster on the nomination. And make damned sure that the press hears it, repeatedly, along with the vote totals. Then again, I’m sure they’re just waiting for the ink to dry on the “evidence” they’ll produce for the “investigation”

  26. 26.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Gack, Kushner is a putz. Would it hurt to shampoo once in a while? Greasy hair the consistency of over-cooked spaghetti, a doughy build and a smug expression on a charmless face… Ivanka sure landed a keeper, no?

  27. 27.

    Ohio Mom

    Stuck on that smirk on Jared. He knew mirror would show his hand, that’s why he put it there and that’s why he’s smirking.

    It’s one thing to affectionately tease your spouse. It’s another thing to use her as a punchline.

  30. 30.

    chris

    Charles Stross has a policy change up today. He will honour his near-term commitments but won’t return to the US after that unless things change for the better.

  31. 31.

    gene108

    @Another Scott:

    How about Jared’s clothes, though? What’s with suit jackets that don’t keep your shirt covered if you move your arms a tiny bit? It looks hideous.

    Tux looks poorly tailored.

    ******************************************

    Watched CNN and MSNBC this morning, flipped between “State of the Union”, Fareed Zakaria (sp?) “GPS” and “AM Joy” and even CNN was coming down hard against Trump’s Muslim ban.

    I think Bannon hopes that playing to his white nationalist base will keep Trump winning, but I doubt it. “Economic anxiety” only carries you so far, at some point you have to be able to manage things properly.

    And so far – one week into this Presidency – Trump’s already made a mess of things.

    “State of the Union” had a former Mexican Foreign Minister on. He pointed out that all the drugs that are coming from and through Mexico are heading to the U.S. Mexico’s putting it’s butt on the line against these drug gangs, because there is currently good relations with the U.S. If we piss off Mexico, they won’t have to do a damn thing to the drug gangs. They aren’t selling drugs in Mexico. It’s really not their problem.

  38. 38.

    ThresherK

    @debbie: I’m feeling pretty lazy, but stirred to paraphrase the Wiki.

    The group’s name is a reference to the plant’s supposed willingness to do anything for a drink.
    When founded in 1913, the Club’s function was to celebrate the birthday of Confederate Civil War General Robert E. Lee. It began admitting blacks in 1974, and women in 1994. (The latter policy caused Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton boycotted the dinner.) Barack Obama attended in 2009.

  41. 41.

    Brachiator

    Alfalfa Club, my, my, my

    The Village must maintain its traditions.

    When founded in 1913, the Club’s function was to celebrate the birthday of Confederate Civil War General Robert E. Lee. It began admitting blacks in 1974, and women in 1994. In 2009, President Barack Obama spoke at the club’s annual dinner, saying “this dinner began almost one hundred years ago as a way to celebrate the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. If he were here with us tonight, the General would be 202 years old. And very confused.”

    The president is usually asked to deliver remarks at the dinner. President George W. Bush spoke at the Alfalfa Dinner each year of his presidency; the Alfalfa Club was one of only three clubs that his father, George H. W. Bush, was a member of as president.

    Donald Trump did not attend these festivities this year.

  42. 42.

    PsiFighter37

    @debbie: Yeah, but they need to take a stand. Be willing to torpedo your own agenda (cutting taxes, taking away healthcare for millions of people) to make this crap stop.

    And they won’t. Because they’re spineless pieces of garbage.

  47. 47.

    Baud

    @dmsilev: If he did, though, it would be the hugest, most beautiful war. You’re going to be sick of how great the war is.

    ETA:. NotMax sucks.

  50. 50.

    Corner Stone

    I just don’t get all these fucking millionaires and billionaires who somehow can not find the time to get a tailored outfit made for them.

  51. 51.

    pat

    Didn’t I hear somewhere that the scumbag has ordered his generals to come up with a plan to defeat ISIS in 30 days?

    I can hardly wait……

    ETA, the plan, not the defeat should come in 30 days

  53. 53.

    lollipopguild

    @Doug R: My fathers family came over from Northern Ireland in the 1790’s, my mothers family came from Germany in the 1840’s. I guess that makes me a mongrel. Arf!

  55. 55.

    Corner Stone

    @pat: People in Iraq and Syria are lining up to cooperate with us I hear. It’s all working very nicely. Very nicely.

  58. 58.

    Keith P.

    @Corner Stone: Amen. That drives me nuts, as I used to work in menswear ($1000 shoes and $3000 suits types of places). The level of fashion at the WH is shockingly bad. Kushner is a pair of white socks away from being George Costanza at the opera.

  60. 60.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    Greg Siskind:

    AILA member reports passengers on LAX-bound flight still in the air being forced to sign I-407s surrendering green cards. Passengers contacted family in US and lawyers are waiting for flight to land. Extremely illegal. Reports from two different flights – one from Middle East and one from Europe.

  61. 61.

    Baud

    @pat:

    The garbage NYT in April 2016

    Neither Trump nor Cruz favors major new deployments of American soldiers to Iraq and Syria (nor, for that matter, does Clinton). If anything, both are more skeptical than Clinton about intervention and more circumspect than she about maintaining the nation’s post-World War II military commitments. Trump loudly proclaims his opposition to the Iraq War. He wants the United States to spend less to underwrite NATO and has talked about withdrawing the American security umbrella from Asia, even if that means Japan and South Korea would acquire nuclear weapons to defend themselves. Cruz, unlike Clinton, opposed aiding the Syrian rebels in 2014.

  64. 64.

    StringOnAStick

    Jared and Ivanka seem to make a big deal out of their weekly sabbath observation requirements as orthodox Jews, and while most of my husband’s family are in the Reform category, a few are Conservative but that’s as strict as they get (Orthodox is the next level past Conservative in terms of strictness). Still, the Conservative Jews we know are fairly conservative in dress and such, which makes Ivanka’s need to be eye candy with hubby’s hand on her ass seem, well, unseemly as far as being so serious about how observant they are. Am I the only one who has noticed this? I don’t know a Conservative Jewish woman who would even consider wearing a dress like that or being photographed with the ass-pat and then publishing it everywhere. They would be mortified.

  65. 65.

    bluehill

    Hoping the dems and sane repubs are spending time trying to understand the motives of Bannon and Kushner. The resistance is in defensive mode right now and the sooner we can understand the grand plan the more effectively we can disrupt their actions and go on the offensive. Bannon is clearly a smart but delusional individual.

    Here’s the transcript of a speech he gave in 2014. Interesting comments about Cantor’s loss and foreshadowing of the 2016 election.

    Harnwell: The third-largest conservative news website is something to be extremely impressed by. Can you tell for the people here who aren’t within the Anglosphere and they might not follow American domestic politics at the moment — there seems to be a substantial sea change going on at the moment in Middle America. And the leader of the majority party, Eric Cantor, was deselected a couple of weeks ago by a tea party candidate. What does that mean for the state of domestic politics in America at the moment?

    Bannon: For everybody in your audience, this is one of the most monumental — first off, it’s the biggest election upset in the history of the American republic. Eric Cantor was the House majority leader and raised $10 million. He spent, between himself and outside groups, $8 million to hold a congressional district. He ran against a professor who was an evangelical Christian and a libertarian economist. He ran against a professor who raised in total $175,000. In fact, the bills from Eric Cantor’s campaign at a elite steak house in Washington, DC, was over $200,000. So they spent more than $200,000 over the course of the campaign wining and dining fat cats at a steak house in Washington than the entire opposition had to run.

    Now, Eric Cantor, it was a landslide. He lost 57-43, and not one — outside of Breitbart, we covered this for six months, day in and day out — not one news site — not Fox News, not Politico, no sites picked this up. And the reason that this guy won is quite simple: Middle-class people and working-class people are tired of people like Eric Cantor who say they’re conservative selling out their interests every day to crony capitalists.

  67. 67.

    pat

    Here’s what I don’t get. Dem senators voted for Kelly as head of DHS hoping he might be a check on the scumbag, but he seems to be GOING ALONG with this unconstitutional travesty.
    WTF?

  73. 73.

    pat

    @Baud:
    I haven’t seem a statement from him, just reports of what the DHS is doing. I assume it’s with his blessing.

  75. 75.

    Baud

    @pat: It’s off that he hasn’t been mentioned more. He may be trying to fix things behind the scenes. Trump is already walking things back, as expected.

  77. 77.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Damn me (speaking figuratively)

    Cardinal Cupich
    ‏@ CardinalBCupich
    This weekend proved to be a dark moment in U.S. history

    IF I believed in god, I do believe Francis and his Cardinals would at least make me curious about re-joining the Church of my ancestors.

    (I wandered through the tubes to Ross Dothat’s twitter feed, and he counts Francis among the mediocre leaders of the West, and blames him for starting a “civil war” inside the Church, that has something to do with the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. Because the Knights of Malta still exist, and apparently it’s 1432 in Douthat’s round and useless noggin).

  78. 78.

    pat

    @Baud: Trump is already walking things back, as expected.

    I haven’t seen that but I doubt it will be walked back where it is no longer unconstitutional or disruptive.
    I read of one family that has sold all their possessions and quit their jobs and after two years of vetting were finally on their way to the US having spent $5000 on the flight arrangements, and were sent back to Iraq. One weeps.

    eta, obviously the first sentence was the quote. FAIL.

  79. 79.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Oldgold: Tweeter in Chief going after McCain and Graham.

    Good. I’ll root for injuries. For Trump’s to be worse.

  80. 80.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Peale: Lawyers are waiting for the planes to land to get more information. Right now, he’s trying to get congressional reps involved.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Keith P.:

    I expect you have … views … on Dolt 45’s overlong red neckties whose tips hover down around his crotch. Seriously, if he tucked the ties in his pants and then left his fly open, one would be forgiven for thinking he looked like a bad case of the clap.

    (‘Course, he kinda does anyway.)

  83. 83.

    Another Scott

    @bluehill: That’s all a bunch of self-serving nonsense.

    Cantor didn’t campaign. He didn’t turn out his voters (who had gotten sick of him anyway). And he lost.

    Blue Virginia:

    […]

    As I said here, Eric Cantor is notoriously unpopular in his district. He’s not accessible to his constituents and he doesn’t much care about them. He takes them for granted, treating them like a rich uncle you have to have dinner with occasionally if you want to keep receiving the checks, only in this case it’s votes. He’s a Republican in a very conservative district which up until now had no challengers. That’s all.

    Say what you will about his political and economic views, and I think we all know that I don’t agree with the vast majority of them, but Dave Brat is accessible and he hit the pavement during this campaign. He is happy to sit and explain his views to you, no matter who you are, in great detail. He will talk to anyone who will listen–whether at Estes, the Randolph Macon dining hall, at lunch time or on a campaign stop. He met with any group that asked and entertained any question that was asked. And remember, he is a teacher; it’s his job to explain.

    Furthermore, driving around the area of the 7th district where I live in recent months, I have seen clusters of Brat supporters waving signs and chanting–I’ve seen them in Hanover where I live, in the city of Richmond, and in Chesterfield. All of the kids on my sons’ soccer team know who David Brat is because they have driven past these clusters and asked their parents, “Who is Dave Brat and why does he want to fire Cantor?” I know I have had this conversation several times with my own children. At this point, they probably know more about this primary than the national media did.

    While Dave Brat actually talked to the constituents he was courting, Eric Cantor’s campaign was sending out glossy mailers and putting up posters and lawn signs. That’s it: mailers and lawn signs. Otherwise, he kept his distance from the little people. When you actually talk to and listen the people you are hoping to represent, it makes a difference. As political science professor and Associate Dean Lauren Bell said, “to borrow from Roll Call’s assessment of Oklahoma Democrat Mike Synar’s 1994 loss in the primary, Eric Cantor’s loss tonight demonstrates that ‘there’s a limit to the number of times you can tell your constituents to go screw themselves’

    […]

    He thought he was entitled and took his position for granted. He thought his voters didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t some grand repudiation of Crony Capitalism or a giant swing to the Bannon/Breitbart camp.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    I haven’t heard him walk anything back. He’s been saying that the travel ban is proceeding successfully (paraphrase), which makes me think he’s been away from a television all weekend.

  90. 90.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: So, can mere mortals embed Tweets now? Let’s see:

    Unacceptable lack of public guidance on immigration order from @DHSgov. Secretary Kelly, we urge you to provide immediate clarity. https://t.co/UqOATxKgaY— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 29, 2017

    Worky?

    Kinda, I guess. I was hoping for the fancy graphics, but I guess only our overlords can do that.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  93. 93.

    Kay

    Trump’s incompetent. They better pray there isn’t a genuine emergency in the next 4 years – one that wasn’t created by the Trumps, I mean.

    They’re mediocre people who were promoted beyond their capabilities. It’s a real failure of what is supposed to be a merit-based system. Neither one of those people did anything to earn their fame or power. It’s depressing to watch them revel in it.

  96. 96.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Kay,

    Does it not horrify you that Bannon will be a prinicpal member of the NSC? Even Alberto Gonzalez doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

  97. 97.

    Shalimar

    @chris: From the website: “The thought screen helmet has effectively stopped several types of aliens from abducting or controlling humans. Only one failure since 1998.”

    Finally, an explanation for Alex Jones.

  100. 100.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Unfair to Lazenby, but I chuckled

    Matt Oswald ‏@ MattOswaltVA Jan 28
    More
    Obama must feel like Sean Connery watching George Lazenby playing James Bond

  104. 104.

    Baud

    Via vox

    Days until achieving MAJORITY disapproval from @Gallup

    Reagan: 727
    Bush I: 1336
    Clinton: 573
    Bush II: 1205
    Obama: 936

    Trump: 8. days.

  105. 105.

    cynthia ackerman

    Remember when every pissed off RWNJ screamed about Obummer the tyrrant?

    Good times.

  106. 106.

    Shalimar

    @Kay: Bannon wants suffering. He wants people not to trust or depend on the government. As long as he is in charge, Trump’s team is even worse than incompetent.

  109. 109.

    Iowa Old Lady

    It really annoys me to hear Trump’s various mouthpieces say they’re just following what the Obama administration did with these 7 countries. Funny but I don’t remember this kind of chaos at the airports under Obama.

  110. 110.

    bluehill

    More from that Bannon interview. Makes me think that the ban is intended to be provocative. It seems like he wants ISIS to attack. In this way, he has the same goal as ISIS to start a war between Islam and the West. If this happens, it will likely solidify public opinion to take aggressive action and also nullify opposition voices as being more supportive of Islam than their own country. Taking control of the NSC with Flynn makes it not only easier to start an attack but allow one to happen to the U.S. or our interests.

    Questioner: What do you think is the major threat today, to the Judeo-Christian Civilization? Secularism, or the Muslim world? In my humble opinion, they’re just trying to defend themselves from our cultural invasion. Thank you.

    Bannon: It’s a great question. I certainly think secularism has sapped the strength of the Judeo-Christian West to defend its ideals, right? If you go back to your home countries and your proponent of the defense of the Judeo-Christian West and its tenets, often times, particularly when you deal with the elites, you’re looked at as someone who is quite odd. So it has kind of sapped the strength.

    But I strongly believe that whatever the causes of the current drive to the caliphate was — and we can debate them, and people can try to deconstruct them — we have to face a very unpleasant fact: And that unpleasant fact is that there is a major war brewing, a war that’s already global. It’s going global in scale, and today’s technology, today’s media, today’s access to weapons of mass destruction, it’s going to lead to a global conflict that I believe has to be confronted today. Every day that we refuse to look at this as what it is, and the scale of it, and really the viciousness of it, will be a day where you will rue that we didn’t act [unintelligible].

  111. 111.

    Patricia Kayden

    @MJS: At what point does Trump get it through his little brain that the majority of Americans cannot stand him? What happens when the lightbulb goes on?

    The good thing is that it should be clear to Trump and his supporters that if there is a terrorist attack in the U.S., he’s not going to get to use it as an excuse to start unnecessary wars a la George W. Bush. Trump will not be given any benefit of the doubt.

  113. 113.

    PsiFighter37

    @debbie: Should alarm anyone. He and Flynn are both conspiracy theorist nutjobs, and they are basically running our foreign policy. I will say that I think Rex Tillerson, Nikki Haley, and the rest of the morons who think they are going to have any input are in for a big surprise (although Haley showing her ugly side on her very first day at the UN undoubtedly didn’t help and was 100% her).

  116. 116.

    Adam L Silverman

    @gene108: Almost no one remembers what Mexico was like before NAFTA. Yes, I know it did terrible things to their agricultural economy. But it gave leverage to force some political and social reforms. Government there actually switches between parties now. There’s been a lot of change, and a lot of it positive because of the agreement. I don’t expect it would all be reversed if the US pulls out of NAFTA, but NAFTA wasn’t just horrid all the way around.

  123. 123.

    Adam L Silverman

    @StringOnAStick: They sure do. Except their Shabbat observance includes the Chabad House Rabbi and the Glam Team!
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4166088/The-Kushners-break-bread-Team-Trump.html

    The Kushners break bread with Team Trump: Jared and Ivanka welcome several members of the President’s cabinet for the first big Shabbat meal at their new DC home
    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner celebrated Shabbat with a flurry of cabinet picks on Friday
    Department of Commerce pick Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary Ross attended the festivities
    Strategic Communications Director Hope Hicks, former president of Goldman Sachs and top economic policy adviser Gary Cohn, and Department of the Treasury pick Steve Mnuchin also visited the Kushners’ new home
    Workers at Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner’s home were seen preparing for the Jewish Sabbath in Washington, D.C.
    A rabbi and members of a glam squad were spotted entering their house Friday afternoon
    Secret Service inspected people bringing flowers and boxes as they came into the house

  126. 126.

    Peale

    @Adam L Silverman: I know they’ll keep it a secret because Trump wants a sneak attack, but what checks are there left against his instincts for doing something audacious but sesnselessly destrctive?

  127. 127.

    Adam L Silverman

    @pat: The hope was that he, in conjunction with his former boss Mattis, and Mattis’s other former trusted aide the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would form a salient of Marines to hold fast against some of the crazy. What I think we’re seeing with both SecDef Mattis and DHS Secretary Kelly is that they haven’t figured out how to adjust to being the civilian authority that gives the orders, not the uniformed personnel who receive the orders and move out sharply. In one way this is a reassuring sign that our endeavors to educate and socialize US military personnel to civilian control is very effective. In another way it is a problem because we need these guys to act like Senate confirm cabinet Secretaries not generals. Cabinet Secretaries do not take orders from speech writers.

  128. 128.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Dustin VolzVerified account
    ‏@ dnvolz
    NEW: @A CLU now says it has received 290,000 online donations totaling $19.4 million since Saturday morning. Average per year is $3-4 million

  129. 129.

    Kay

    Remember how Ivanka was the warm, humane Trump who would influence her father and “soften” his horrible, mean-spirited personality? She was the sort of “consolation prize” for Clinton supporters? Not ACTUALLY elected or legitimately powerful, but the best we could hope to get?

    That’s working out well. Good prediction there, pundits. Dead-on as usual.

  131. 131.

    divF

    @chris: Philip Roth in Zuckerman Unbound has a great bit in which he describes his first experience in getting a custom-made suit, and not knowing what the tailor was talking about when he asked, “on which side do you dress, sir?”

  132. 132.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Douthat’s problem is that Pope Francis stripped former Cardinal Burke’s appointment as a Cardinal, fired him from his official duties in the Vatican, and sent him off to be the chaplain to the Knights of Malta. Not only a major demotion, but it was intended as a warning shot across the bow to the traditionalists and the straphangers left over from Pope Benedict that things were going to change. If not in substance, then definitely in style.

  133. 133.

    ThresherK

    @Baud: I don’t remember whom, but one of the high-profile NASCAR drivers said some very uncomplimentary things about the GOP and conservatives, IIRC, before the 2008 election.

    In that environment, it is fairly brave behavior; remaining silent is an option nobody will criticize you for. Remove your hat for the anthem, and thank servicemen and -women, and you’re good to go.

  134. 134.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Days until achieving MAJORITY disapproval from @Gallup

    So far my favorite anti-Trump protest came from random people in Philadelphia- “we hate you, go home”

    I literally LOL’ed when I read it.

  135. 135.

    Peale

    @Shalimar: it enables us to invade and take the oil? Look we’ve been constrained by too much political correctness in our policy there. Syria Good, everybody else bad simplifies it a lot. Now we can act. Freedom!

  138. 138.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Another Scott: Click on the down arrow in the right top corner of the tweet. Click on embed tweet. Copy the embed code. Paste it into the comment box. Hit return. Hit the post comment button. And you should be good to go.

  139. 139.

    weaselone

    @Kay:

    Mediocrity would be a significant improvement. Most people are pretty mediocre. The people in the Trump Administration are largely gilded turds.

  140. 140.

    Kay

    Can we get some immigrants to come over and be our new elites? We’ll send them the Trumps.

    I want better quality elites. This modern batch sucks. We have to cast a wider net. International search.

  141. 141.

    clay

    So, has there been any speculation as to how the travel ban will affect the markets? I figure if there’s one thing that will cause GOP congressfolks to stand against him, and for his (non-explicitly-racist) supporters to waver, it would be economic failure.

    I can’t imagine that the markets will like the uncertainty that this has caused, nor that they favor the closing of borders in any way, shape, or form. On the other hand, doing it on a Friday night means that investors have had time to process, and won’t just go on a gut reaction.

  149. 149.

    Zinsky

    Jared the Lame’s jacket doesn’t fit right. These millionaires/billionaires may have money, but they are definitely N.C.A.A. (No class at all) material…

    God bless the little children this vile family will be harming…..

  150. 150.

    Ohio Mom

    @StringOnAStick: As I explained in an earlier thread, the Kushners go to Chabad. The Lubavitch who run Chabad don’t expect the non-Lubavitchers to follow all the rules.

    The Lubavitcher get to act magnanimous, forgiving and ever tolerant, arms always open to accept those with shortcomings. The Kushners of the world get to fund the operation and pretend to be religious. It’s a win-win I suppose.

  151. 151.

    Baud

    According to MSNBC, Trump cleared the EO with the Office of Legal Counsel at DOJ.

    My guess is that that is a bald faced lie.

  152. 152.

    Adam L Silverman

    @cynthia ackerman: What’s really interesting here is just how weak the President and the GOP are. They hold an unstoppable majority in the House and a minimal one in the Senate, but they control both chambers. All of this could and should be done through legislation. But they’re too scared to do so. They could have had the same type of photo ops: the President, VP, the various appointees, and the GOP leadership from both chambers making a big deal of symbolically submitting batches of legislation each day. As you and everyone else here knows, the reason President Obama used EOs was because he couldn’t get the Congress to act on anything and because they kept creating crises. So he looked to what legislation existed, had the White House counsel, OLC at DOJ, and GAO determine where he had room within legislation to act by Executive Order and then he did. And all the time making it clear he’d rather have it done by legislation even if that meant compromising with the GOP in Congress.

  153. 153.

    Peale

    @Adam L Silverman: my guess is that he’ll respond by closing the borders like that whimp Obama never did, which is why we all died of Zika and Ebola carried north by Guatemalan school children.

  155. 155.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @divF:

    not knowing what the tailor was talking about when he asked, “on which side do you dress, sir?”

    Because this is Balloon Juice, I feel reasonably comfortable asking this question of the menfolk: Is the side on which one “dresses” strictly a physical thing, or is it a preference similar to handedness, i.e., that you feel just weird and uncomfortable if you normally dress right but find yourself wearing trousers with a little extra room on the left?

    Serious curiosity. I never thought to ask my husband, and it never came up (so to speak) with any of my other men friends or relations.

  156. 156.

    Another Scott

    @Adam L Silverman: That’s what I did. :-) I assume the fact that the graphics didn’t show up is due to the same limitations that prevent us normal users from posting jpegs and the like.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  157. 157.

    clay

    @Adam L Silverman: As always, with Trump it’s projection: He railed against Obama’s “illegal executive orders” not because he had anything against EOs (obviously). But because he wanted the power for himself. I think a large part of this is “well if the [black guy] can do this, then I’m going to too!”

  159. 159.

    dmsilev

    As I explained in an earlier thread, the Kushners go to Chabad.

    Somehow, this surprises me not at all. Of course it would be Chabad.

  161. 161.

    Adam L Silverman

    @bluehill: What he, and his new national security deputy Seb Gorka, misunderstand is that what we’re watching is really an Islamic Civil War. Gorka gets part of the diagnosis right: that this is about ideology, or as I have called it here and in my work for the Army Islamic doctrine/theology. But what they are getting wrong is that the attacks in the West are almost incidental to the actual conflict – over who, within Islam, gets to define what Islam is, how its practiced, who is and is not a Muslim, and who will control the Muslim community. All you have to do is look at the casualty numbers. Including 9-11 we’re talking maybe 5,000 westerners (US, Europe, Australia, NZ, Canada) killed. In terms of actual Muslims killed by al Qaeda and its affiliates, ISIL and its affiliates, Boko Haram, al Shabab, Jemmah Islamiyah, etc we’re at almost 2 million. And I’ve purposefully left out US KIA numbers from OIF and OEF as they result from different drivers, even if they’re filtered through the same doctrinal extremism.

  165. 165.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Timurid: If you click across to the pics, you can see the Rabbi getting fashion tips from the ladies of The Glam Squad!

    It appears they have joined the Chabad House in DC, which is interesting as that is far more devout than the Modern Orthodoxy they practice. I’m wondering whether they were basically told they wouldn’t be welcome in the big Modern Orthodox synagogue in DC. Kushner got lambasted in two different Haaretz columns – one yesterday and today. Jewish Americans are tweeting pics of his grandmother who survived the Holocaust alongside pics of him standing next to Bannon that say “what a difference two generations make”. He’s going to be getting fire from all sides and from what I’ve read of him, he will not respond well. Apparently he’s into revenge too.

  167. 167.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @Shalimar:

    I am normally a big believer in forgiveness, redemption, but I long to see the decline, personal suffering, and bad deaths of Trump, Bannon, Gingrich, Conway, etc. They are wretched, vile creatures.

  169. 169.

    divF

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’ve never thought much about it. Almost all of the clothes I own are mail-order (Levi’s web site doesn’t have the side you dress on in the pull-down menus). Plus, I’m left-handed, and I’ve just internalized the idea that I have to adjust to the wishes of the majority in terms of symmetry breaking.

    According to the internets, most (75%) men dress on the left. I dress on the right.

  170. 170.

    Peale

    @clay: uncertainty only is a problem when Obama is in office.

    Anyway, I’ve spent time this weekend in numbers mode, figuring out how many people may be impacted, and the answer is not enough to be noticed economically. There just aren’t that many travelers to the US and vice Versa from those countries to hit. A banket ban on all Muslim countries would hit, but since the number of travelers to and from Canada and Mexico dwarfs everyone else, the lost money won’t be an issue. The big one will be China and Mexico. Interrupt Chinese travel and Mexican cross border travel and that will hurt a lot. I know universities might suffer a loss of tuition and could suffer quite a bit. But universities aren’t publicly traded companies so the markets don’t care about that industry much.

  173. 173.

    ProudGradofCatLadyAcademy

    Hello. Just a brief update on my one-woman protest in solidarity with the Americans protesting at larger airports. A few things changed, I found the Duluth Women’s March group on Facebook, and someone asked if there were actions planned for Duluth International, I mentioned my efforts and the plan to go back this afternoon and received a lot of support but no solid commitments from people to help out. I didn’t expect it, as a single spinster aunt I enjoy the luxury of being able to drop everything and go where my heart takes me. Besides, it was just an afternoon of cleaning, so the choice between wind burned lips and deep cleaning a toilet is a no-brainer.

    I showed up for the 12:18 arrival, and stood outside in the 15-degree weather holding my sign REFUGEES WELCOME HERE. (I need better artwork!) . A few waves from the passing cars kept my spirits up. I went inside after the traffic died down, and a cop approached me. He smiled and said, “warmer in here?” I smiled and replied “most definitely.” He was very friendly. Being a member of the white plump middle-aged women’s brigade makes me so non-threatening, so I think that helped my cause. I told him I felt stupid, but he said you are doing what you feel is right. Officer Ken told me to not interfere with the airport operations, and I could exercise my constitutionally guaranteed rights all I wanted to. We shook hands. Told the police officer I would be back at 2:00 pm for the Chicago arrival. I showed up at 1:45 pm armed with chapstick and a liberal approved soy latte -held my sign and stood on the corner. This time more people waved and thanked me for my presence. A grandfather being dropped off for a departing flight actually stood and shook his fists in the air and cheered for me.

    I am going to go on Wednesday if needed, we are getting a storm tomorrow, so I have to shovel out and all that good stuff after work. Hopefully, I can post my plans that Facebook group and I can get more people to join in. Or if there is a bigger action, join that one.

    Thanks for letting me tell my story here. I am really quite shy and hate being present on the internet. However, in this fascist government, the luxury of being private is one I am willing to sacrifice for the greater good. I will see if I need to go Wednesday and get someone to take my picture. Also, I need to buy those handwarmers!

  175. 175.

    JMG

    @Peale: If people decide on their own hook not to travel to the US, especially Europeans of means, tourism, a very big part of the economy, will take a significant hit.

  176. 176.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Peale: A number. Conventional forces, specifically conventional ground forces, don’t move quickly. It would take weeks to transit forces into theater, and by forces I mean both personnel and equipment, in order for the US to mount a proper conventional campaign. And that’s not including all the DOD and Service civilian and contractor support we rely on. Bases will have to be refurbed or rebuilt. Supply lines established. Overflight negotiated. And to be honest we don’t enough bodies to do this. We are down to three Corps. One is there now. One just got back. One is dedicated to Asia-Pacific (barring a massive problem elsewhere). We are also several divisions and brigade combat teams light as well. As it is we have theater Army commanders with no actual theater Army. We don’t have enough SF and what we do have is already deployed, preparing to deploy, or refitting from deployment. And we really don’t have enough of what we need: Civil Affairs and PSYOPS. Because no one knows how to really measure what they do, and because the effects of what they do take a long time to be seen, we undervalue them when what we really need is a lot more of those bubbas and bubbettes.

  177. 177.

    Mike in NC

    Of course Bannon wanting to take down Eric Cantor had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was the only Republican Jew in the House.

    Bannon may think of himself as a Leninist, but he deserves to go out like Trotsky.

  178. 178.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @divF:

    I’m left-handed […] According to the internets, most (75%) men dress on the left. I dress on the right.

    Interesting. I wonder if there’s a natural correlation.

  180. 180.

    Lizzy L

    @Adam L Silverman: It may not matter to him. It’s possible he’s fundamentally a nihilist, and the rhetoric about terrorism/Islamic radicals is just that, rhetoric. He really just wants to tear stuff down and blow shit up. I certainly don’t get the sense that he’s basing his actions (so far as one can discern what they are) on any set of moral principles: I’m inclined to doubt he has any.

  181. 181.

    bluehill

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks, Adam. How does this misunderstanding potentially help avert the religious war that Bannon seems to want? Indulge my inner-conspiracy theorist – because it seems like Bannon wants a terrorist attack so he has an excuse to attack something in the Middle East.

  182. 182.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Shalimar: Makes a complete mess. The Iraqi parliament has yanked entry permission for American passport holders into Iraq. It is unclear to me so far if this also applies to US government civilians and uniformed personnel already deployed there for Operation Inherent Resolve. If it does it is even more unclear if those folks are okay as long as they don’t go on mid deployment leave and leave Iraq – as in they can’t come back or until they are supposed to redeploy home. If this is the case then the next 3 star HQ that will begin prep to take over the Combined Joint Task Force in about three or four months, won’t be able to rotate in. Neither will the next 2 star command that will be beginning to prep to take over the Combined Joint Land Force Component Command. Same thing will go for the Combined Joint Air Force Component Command – though that may be run out of the air base in Abu Dhabi.

  183. 183.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @ProudGradofCatLadyAcademy:

    Thanks for letting me tell my story here. I am really quite shy and hate being present on the internet.

    You write like a dream. Please keep protesting and posting. Thank you for showing up.

  187. 187.

    Timurid

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Terrorists, almost without exception, kill many more members of the group they identify with than the groups they identify as enemies.

    18 months ago the city I live in (I don’t call it my city anymore after 11/9) was attacked by a white supremacist terrorist who embodied that contradiction. He came to town to hunt and kill ‘cucks,’ supposed traitors to the white race, After it happened there was an outpouring of grief and platitudes (LAFAYETTE STRONG!) covered over with an oily sheen of ‘We got our own terrorist attack! We’re on CNN! LOOK AT US, WE’RE A BIG CITY NOW!’ But when it really counted, 65% of them (over 90% of the whites) voted for a candidate who embodied the exact same values as the crazed gunman. Antarctica sent more people to the Women’s March than Lafayette. No joke.

    They didn’t learn the real lesson the first time around, but they may get another chance soon, likely at a far higher price.

    (I’ve been on a rage high all weekend. This must be what being on meth feels like…)

  189. 189.

    amk

    @Peale: I am sure people of all hue and religion from every country are now rethinking their travel plans to america given the unstable and tinpot dictator style leadership. Ripple effect.

  191. 191.

    NotMax

    @efgoldman

    Strangely enough, a valuable commodity produced by the 1%.

    Kemp, the author of “Floating Gold: the Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris” (University Of Chicago Press, 2012), notes that the stuff commands a high price because “only one percent of the 350,000 sperm whales can actually make it,” he told ABC News. “Because it’s so rare, it’s very valuable.” Source

  193. 193.

    Corner Stone

    @chris:

    Agreed, but have you ever had a suit made? They measure everything and might brush your junk in the process.

    Goodness, no. I have had suits/jackets tailored after purchase. Which is fairly inexpensive. At one point I thought my body shape had settled in to a routine and I thought about having 3 or so suits hand made just for me. I looked into it off and on for a few months but never invested. Kind of good thing (!) I did not as I went through a sustained illness and loss of weight that would have made them look a little odd. However, after I started feeling better, a couple hundred bucks and a Vietnamese lady tailor later and I looked better for under $500 than billionaire Kushner does in his suit. And I have always known how to tie a necktie for different collar styles. It’s not like I go around marking people down for their style/appearance, but if you are the spokesperson for the WH, or a billionaire, or the fucking POTUS then you have a higher standard when you step out in your finery. IMO

  194. 194.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    I just got these emails:

    Dear Bella:
    Thank you for your support, for your friendly feelings and for being A free American that cherish freedom and diversity .
    We will share your genuine message with our community and friends , you are welcome to visit us and give us opportunity to know a person of understanding and compassion .
    Zenab Abdelalim
    Secretary of Islamic Center of Somerset

    Hello,
    Thank you so much for the support. It’s comforting to know that there are plenty people out there that still believe in humanity. Thank you so much for reaching out! I appreciate you and all the others that will stand up for what is right.
    Mona Salti, M.Ed
    Principal, Sunrise Academy
    5657 Scioto Darby Road
    Hilliard, OH 43026

    On Jan 29, 2017 PM, “First/Last name of Islamic center rep” wrote:
    Thank you for your Compassion and Love my Fellow American and Loving Human.
    On Jan 29, 2017 PM, wrote:
    There has been a submission of the form Contact Us through your concrete5 website.
    FIRST NAME Bella
    LAST NAME Q

    EMAIL ADDRESS Bella’s email
    SUBJECT other
    MESSAGE
    Greetings,
    I am embarrassed by and ashamed of recent actions taken by the US government. Please know that many of us in the US do not support these actions. I have urged friends to reach out to local mosques so that leaders can share our views with their faith communities, as well as to schools and community groups. I hope that my brief message is at least somewhat encouraging to your community.

    Best regards,
    Bella Q
    Anytown OH
    NO BAN
    NO WALL

    I sent that message that got the reply to schools, mosques, and Islamic Centers in OH and KY. By email when I found it, and contact form when I couldn’t. Snail mail tomorrow for places without digital contact. It seemed like the least I could do. It’s heartening to know the message is appreciated.

  195. 195.

    Peale

    @JMG: yes. It will. It’s a hidden balance of trade helper. Foreign tourists spend a lot more in the US than US travelers do overseas. Yeah, I know, most of the Somali travelers are going to be staying with family and whatnot. But it’s stil a hundred or so billion dollar surplus we run with the world. My guess is that this will hit China and Mexico and when it does a lot of European travelers will stay home. The US can’t just Willy nilly cancel visas and expect people to plan trips here. And if too many people from too many countries are left out, those “global business meetings” that used to be held in New York will be held in a country that doesn’t ban travel.

    I haven’t check to see how many patients seeking medical assistance are being boxed out.

  196. 196.

    Adam L Silverman

    @bluehill: Not sure it does. They misunderstand some of the drivers and the larger context. When you do that you’re not going to develop an effective policy and strategy.

  197. 197.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Another Scott: it’s coming tomorrow I hope. I have lots of stuff that I didn’t want to launch late Friday afternoon since I promised my love that I would. Not. Let. Balloon.juice. take any time this weekend. Wise woman, she.

  202. 202.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Vhh: I don’t know. I am not involved with any of that. Just reading various reporting and sources like everyone else. And having the experience from working in/with that world knowing how to interpret it.

  205. 205.

    Corner Stone

    @Baud:

    I think the most difficult thing about the next four years will be accepting our ad hoc allies.

    A case where severe pragmatism is in high order. They are not our allies and damn sure not our friends. They have a shared interest. For the moment. Maybe.
    That is the most we can take when dealing with these people. People like Jennifer Rubin, Rick Wilson, any other prominent R asshole. They can not be allowed anywhere inside the tent without a guard.

  206. 206.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I don’t remember ever thinking about it, so it’s probably a low-level thing like “handedness,” as you suggested. I dress right and am ambidextrous: eat and write left-handed, throw and play sports right-handed.

  207. 207.

    NotMax

    @Corner Stone

    Walter Slezak’s officious slimeball governor character in the movie The Spanish Main, to his tailor:

    “I pay you to measure me, not to fondle me!”

  208. 208.

    Sloane Ranger

    Has any Dump apologist specified what they think the weaknesses of the current vetting processes are?

    Has anyone in the media asked them?

    Apologies if this has already been asked and answered.

  211. 211.

    Another Scott

    @Alain the site fixer: Neat. But don’t do it for me. Keep your wife happy. :-) I don’t really care that much about Twitter – just thought I’d try it since I’d seen some in other FPers comments.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  213. 213.

    amk

    @Baud: their interests and causes are entirely different. they are just pissed that the mad man is not doing their bidding.

  215. 215.

    NotMax

    Courts in the EU might well sustain lawsuits filed against the airlines. Should that occur and significant money for damages is involved, watch how fast things go into reverse.

  220. 220.

    Jeffro

    @Patricia Kayden:

    At what point does Trump get it through his little brain that the majority of Americans cannot stand him? What happens when the lightbulb goes on?

    That would be, “never” and “it won’t”. He is his own audience, his own fanbase, his own raison d’ etre. This is why he will never resign, even once impeached and tried.

    The good thing is that it should be clear to Trump and his supporters that if there is a terrorist attack in the U.S., he’s not going to get to use it as an excuse to start unnecessary wars a la George W. Bush. Trump will not be given any benefit of the doubt.

    Think about this: Trump and his supporters already blame Obama for everything under the sun – lone wolf attacks, a head cold they got a few months ago, and so on. He will most certainly use any and all incidents as excuses to do whatever he wants. He doesn’t care about other peoples’ “benefit of the doubt” – he already assumes he is right in all things, so who cares if the majority of this country (or the US Senate) thinks he’s wrong?

  222. 222.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Sloane Ranger: They can’t. They can’t accurately articulate the process as it exists, let alone indicate what needs to be adjusted or added other than “must love and be able to contribute to the US”.

  223. 223.

    Jeffro

    @divF:

    Philip Roth in Zuckerman Unbound has a great bit in which he describes his first experience in getting a custom-made suit, and not knowing what the tailor was talking about when he asked, “on which side do you dress, sir?”

    took me a minute…

    …guess I’ve never had a suit that nicely made either, and might not be too upset about that!

    (“Alterations” don’t count as “custom made” ;)

  229. 229.

    Corner Stone

    @chris: I got your point. I just wanted to make clear I was not Mr. Fancy Pants. And that I would probably pay extra to have anyone brush my junk right about now.
    “Is that a ..good.. fit, sir?”
    “I’m not sure. Let’s see how many other ways may be better, thanks.”

  230. 230.

    Iowa Old Lady

    Question for Adam. I saw a post about the composition of the NSC which implies that some people are always on it and others are presidentially appointed with the “advice and consent of the Senate.” So is Bannon’s apt legal? Here’s the code text:

    (a)Establishment; presiding officer; functions; compositionThere is established a council to be known as the National Security Council (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Council”).
    The President of the United States shall preside over meetings of the Council: Provided, That in his absence he may designate a member of the Council to preside in his place.
    The function of the Council shall be to advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the national security so as to enable the military services and the other departments and agencies of the Government to cooperate more effectively in matters involving the national security.
    The Council shall be composed of—
    (1)the President;
    (2)the Vice President;
    (3)the Secretary of State;
    (4)the Secretary of Defense;
    (5)the Secretary of Energy; and
    (6)the Secretaries and Under Secretaries of other executive departments and of the military departments, when appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to serve at his pleasure.

  231. 231.

    Suzanne

    Remember, just like competence/showing up to work on time, having clothes that fit is a sign of ELITISM!!!

  232. 232.

    Gravenstone

    A mental exercise, given the recent death of the Navy. SEAL in the Yemeni operation, presumably ordered by someone within the current administration. In the unlikely event Dolt 45 actually releases a statement on it, just imagine the self aggrandizing word salad that would result. Now mentally contrast that to how President Obama (or frankly any president in the last 75 years) would handle the same circumstances. Now consider that as a preview to the onslaught of calamity that likely awaits us. Comforting, no?

  233. 233.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    That’s odd about scissors, because most of them are engineered to be used right-handed. I am genuinely ambidextrous with (most) tools; when I worked briefly as a carpenter I sawed and hammered with either hand, to the mild amusement/​consternation of my boss.

  234. 234.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman:

    What’s really interesting here is just how weak the President and the GOP are. They hold an unstoppable majority in the House and a minimal one in the Senate, but they control both chambers. All of this could and should be done through legislation. But they’re too scared to do so.

    Too scared (of being found out re: election hacking and Russia), too scared (of “radical islamic terrorism”, as they have been for 16 years now), too impulsive (obviously – couldn’t wait to do this w/ legislation, as you’ve noted), and too vindictive (as seen in the blanket ban affecting vastly more people than necessary, even in their minds).

    They’re hustling to get their war on, to try and curtail civil liberties and the press, and to keep the GOP unified before/as/after the CI report comes out. Can’t take down a president when a war’s just started, after all…

  237. 237.

    Jeffro

    @Peale:

    my guess is that he’ll respond by closing the borders like that whimp Obama never did, which is why we all died of Zika and Ebola carried north by Guatemalan school children.

    So THAT’s what was really stashed in those “cantaloupe calves” of theirs! Steve King saw it coming all along…;)

  238. 238.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: his brother– the one who runs the family trusts where Jared parked his money– took part in the Women’s March in DC. I imagine that might make for an interesting talk.

  239. 239.

    Felonius Monk

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I feel reasonably comfortable asking this question of the menfolk:

    The answer lies in the response to the age old question among menfolk: “How they hangin’?”.

  241. 241.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Steeplejack (phone): She’s a natural lefty, but her step-mother “trained”* her to use her right hand around the house, I guess she didn’t use scissors until she got to school and was not “trained” in their use.

    *Pretty common in Asian countries back then.

  242. 242.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Iowa Old Lady: Yes, but… The President has the authority to set who will sit on the principals and deputies committees. This is normally done in either a Presidential Policy Directive (PPD), which is what Democratic Administrations call them or a National Security Directive (NSD), which is what Republican Administrations call them. The directive is usually one of the first two or three issued.

  249. 249.

    Jeffro

    @NotMax:

    Were pantswetting an Olympic contest, they’d have a lock on the gold, the silver and the bronze.

    They’ve been terrified for 16 straight years (all while driving this nation’s highways, eating fast food, and not exercising). Math is hard.

  252. 252.

    Jeffro

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Has any Dump apologist specified what they think the weaknesses of the current vetting processes are?

    It came up a few times in the campaign and the answer always was that we needed “EXTREME vetting”. Because a 2-year, 13-part process isn’t enough, you see? It still didn’t erase that last little bit of doubt in their minds, minds so given over to fear that they’re worried that their water tower in Podunk, OH might be THE NEXT 9-11!!!!

    They want 100% assurances that they’re safe from things they don’t understand. Meanwhile, per my note in #262 above, they’re busy pulling their toast out of the toaster w/ a fork while it’s still plugged in, and dining 3 nights a week at Cracker Barrel. Holy jumping Jesus.

  253. 253.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Kristine:

    Geez – we got Kochs and Trump and Adelson, and not a single one of those billionaires decided to be The Batman…

  254. 254.

    Corner Stone

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Not uncommon here in the US as well a bit ago. I have a friend* who should have been a lefty. But his dad made him adapt to throwing and kicking right side. So even though he was fairly dominant at his position in football through HS, he could not get to the next level. Maybe it had nothing to do with anything and he just was not good enough. His older brother was a bluechip LB recruit for a DIV I college, so who knows.

    *I’ve known him since I was 15 but don’t speak with him anymore because he is an inhumane asshole RWNJ. Maybe there’s a correlation in there somewhere?

  258. 258.

    Corner Stone

    @Steeplejack (phone): I can do most routine tasks with either hand and prefer using my left for a number of them (no dirty!). But I can barely write legibly with my right and would never bother to try with my left. On the rare occasions where I fill out a check I feel like I am on Mars trying to adapt to some weird environment.

  259. 259.

    Peale

    @Jeffro: the extreme vetting includes an oath that they share our values, and my guess it will include things that a devout Muslim may privately agree with but that they shouldn’t state publicly.

  260. 260.

    Elmo

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Heh. I’m very strongly right-handed, except for two things: I shoot long guns left-handed, and I shoot pool left-handed. Those things were taught to me by my two older brothers, both leftys.

    I’ve tried to re-learn to shoot long guns right-handed, because the shell ejection is awkward. Can’t do it. Feels like trying to write lefty, just wrong.

  262. 262.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks for the reply Adam. I’ve signed the UK petition and, although it will probably be a waste of time as he’s a foaming at the mouth Brexiteer, I will write to my MP asking him to attend the debate and speak in support.

  264. 264.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Vhh:

    They don’t believe that will happen. When your entire life has been spent assuming order, during periods of crisis and change, you have a tendency to rely on the predictable.

    This is why I’m predicting American first use of a nuclear weapon in Raqqa within 90 days, maybe less.

  266. 266.

    gammyjill

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: YES! I had the same thoughts and even looked up the rules for peaceful protests outside Trump Tower here in Chicago. (By the way, Trump Tower is an incredibly beautiful building – marred only by the huge letters on the outside – and set beautifully on its site on the north side of the Chicago River. I have pledged to myself not to go in until Trump is out of office, which is a problem for me because I’m an architectural buff!)

    If possible, there should be picketing outside the building all day, every day.

  267. 267.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho:

    You’re a good egg – calling you tomorrow, BTW.

    I’m going to a rally called by the Mayor of the Supreme Soviet of the People’s Democratic Soc!alist Kenyan Shariah Republic of Louisville, to be held at the Muhammad Ali Center (conveniently located 85 yards north of my office).

  268. 268.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Sloane Ranger: You’re welcome. Same problem with the Brexiters. They know there’s something wrong with Britain’s interactions with the EU, but they can’t rally articulate what something better would be. Just conjuring words like sovereignty and independence.

  269. 269.

    Jeffro

    @Peale:

    the extreme vetting includes an oath that they share our values, and my guess it will include things that a devout Muslim may privately agree with but that they shouldn’t state publicly.

    Muslims who just want to get on with their lives will say the oath and keep on goin’…

    Muslims who are coming here to kill us will say the oath and then try to kill us…

    It’s the dumbest “plan” (air quotes intended) in the world.

  270. 270.

    p.a.

    Takeaways from Whitehouse’s talk (he was in the school q & a from 5- 5:40, then came outside with those of us who couldn’t fit inside from 5:45-6:55. (And inside had to be moved from its usual cafeteria to the aud. I would gestimate 150-200 outside. But I’m v bad at that.) Lots of topics, so here’s what stuck in my gray matter, which isn’t what it used to be. My comments in ital.

    Senate Dem caucus 100% on OCare. Absolutely no give on repeal. If Rs want to go nuclear, that’s their choice and they will have to deal with repercussions- if any. If Rs drop repeal, Ds will talk about actual improvements. A public option bill is written now, Medicare to 55 will be. Possibly SS tax income ceiling elimination also. It’s just a way to highlight differences between parties, obviousl

    He took a lot of shit and kept getting shouted down about the pro-Pompeo vote. Did a bit of shuck-and-jive, but that wasn’t working.. Finally said and maybe this was post-hoc rationalization that some at least of the Ds who voted pro-Pompeo felt 1) that because of Mattis and several other appointees, and because Whithouse has confidence in Graham and Walnuts (sigh) Pompeo will be ‘fenced in’ from actually enabling a return to torture. Also because of 1), Whitehouse implied, I think, that the up vote on someone whose worst instincts couldn’t be enacted anyway would help counter obstructionist charges against Ds if they vote no on everyone. Would not say crowd was much convinced by this.

    Besides OCare hardline, according to him the other reason to ‘keep their powder dry’ is that they want and need to have the filibuster for the USSC nominee(s).

    He’s a no on Sessions, a no on all remaining appointments except a ? right now on Commerce. Crowd applause.

    When questioned on Russian influence/hacking he said he feels Graham is serious about a real investigation, and that part of the investigation IIRC following Trump income and Trump campaign $ is in his Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. Graham, Sessions, Cornyn, Flake. Whitehouse, Schumer, Klobuchar, Franken.

    About 2018 election, in the Senate 25D, 8R are up. Not good. Not good.. He said the best they can hope for is to hold, although of course tRump’s (un) popularity is the x factor.
    House Ds will be coming out soon with a list of 50-60 flipable districts. He urged us RI is blue, although tRump overperformed here to pay attention to the list and donate $ and or time. Interestingly, he made NO mention of DSCC or DCCC. Think he took the pulse of the crowd; he only said there are organizations out there that do good jobs supporting Ds.

    When asked about R Senator thoughts on tRump, he said privately the main emotions are anxiety to panic. Aaawwwww. He also noted the fear is electoral. Didn’t mention any concern for the republic. Or ethics. Or morals. Decency, humanity… Says there is actually a Senate R 100 day group- they don’t think tRump will last 100 days.

    On Bannon and NSC, well that’s Pres prerogative, not much the Senate can do.

    That’s what I recall. Think it’s fairly accurate. Sorry I can’t remember more. I’ll look for video online later.

  271. 271.

    Another Scott

    @p.a.: Thanks for the report! And thanks for doing your part to show him that we’re taking citizenship seriously and the folks that represent us in DC need to as well.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  273. 273.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Corner Stone:

    Handwriting seems to be going away for everybody. When I try to write anything more than my signature it is a tremendous effort.

  275. 275.

    Another Scott

    JJMacNab has an excellent 18-part tweet up. Here’s part 1:

    <a href="

    Trump exaggerates,believes conspiracy theories, lies and makes those around him to the same. But these are not what make him dangerous. 1/— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) January 29, 2017

    >

    Well worth a look for pointers on what she thinks is happening, and how to fight it.

    [bah – here’s hoping I fixed the linky]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  276. 276.

    XTPD

    @SiubhanDuinne: Really late to the thread, but FL went for Obama both times and would’ve gone for Clinton but for its westernmost three counties (not to mention Gore only lost it by 537 votes). It’s still heavily Republican – especially the glorified Alabama that we call the Panhandle – but it isn’t anywhere near hopeless.

  278. 278.

    Aleta

    Perhaps a reason that the Tr administration is acting first from the executive branch alone, instead of working with Congress to pass legislation, has to do with The Heritage Foundation. It may also explain why most R Congresspeople stayed quiet, if they are in line with this thinking. From the H.F. website, (from a 2014 “checklist to revitalize” immigration policy)

    Any President who truly wants to fix the U.S. immigration and border security problems must first fulfill his duty to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Fulfilling this responsibility requires 10 areas of action, and without a commitment to every area, U.S. immigration law is not being faithfully executed. These 10 policies are:

    Overriding and removing existing executive orders, agency memorandums, or other executive policy directives that ignore or contradict existing law;
    Allowing immigration agencies to enforce and apply the law without workplace interference, political pressure, or procedural obstacles;
    Providing the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency with a fully operational system of sensor and camera technologies and infrastructure on the southwest border to multiply the efficacy of their efforts;
    Using the appropriate judicial and administrative tools efficiently to remove and return unlawful immigrants to their home countries;
    Increasing enforcement against businesses that knowingly employ unlawful labor;
    Engaging with international partners and remaining committed to citizen security and democratic governance in the Western Hemisphere;
    Making U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more efficient and effective;
    Reporting accurate immigration data to Congress and the American people in a truthful, consistent, and complete manner;
    Soliciting the assistance and support of the states in enforcing immigration laws and limiting the effectiveness of those governments that attempt to frustrate enforcement with sanctuary policies; and
    Verifying the success of these actions through honest and accurate Census survey data of the unlawful immigrant population.
    These policies are a checklist for the current and future Administrations, and a step-by-step process for reforming the U.S. immigration system. Other reforms, including improving the legal immigration system and creating an effective temporary worker program, are desirable and should be studied by Congress—but Congress should first ensure that the executive branch is fulfilling its duties on this checklist. Acting on other reforms before the executive branch faithfully executes existing immigration law would only obscure a major cause of the U.S.’s immigrations woes. The government must first commit itself to fulfilling its current responsibilities; then it can and should consider changes to the immigration system.

  280. 280.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @XTPD:

    I was thinking of state government more than presidential votes. Florida has a very Republican governor (ask Betty Cracker if you don’t believe me), and both chambers of the state legislature are strong GOP majority. So I would indeed categorise it as a Republican state. But demonstrating, marching, and protesting at Mar-A-Lago sounds like a fine idea regardless.

  283. 283.

    Timurid

    @p.a.:

    From now on, anyone who talks about ‘keeping powder dry’ that does not actually own a flintlock musket needs to get a good solid dope slap.
    After this weekend, all the usual calculus about optics and accusations of obstruction are out the window…

  284. 284.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    In all modesty, my handwriting is pretty good — reasonably legible, and not unattractive — especially considering my age. It’s deteriorated a lot, of course, in the past two or three decades, partly as a result of age and partly because of the ubiquity of keyboard devices. But I find I retain and manage information much better if I take notes or write things down in ink, on paper. All my various writing projects are in Circa notebooks, and I buy ink pens a dozen at a time.

  289. 289.

    p.a.

    @Timurid: those weren’t his words, just my gloss of why everything isn’t being filibustered. If I misinterpreted, the error is mine. He didn’t address it directly.

  291. 291.

    PST

    @gammyjill:

    By the way, Trump Tower is an incredibly beautiful building – marred only by the huge letters on the outside – and set beautifully on its site on the north side of the Chicago River.

    I agree 100 percent. It does a much better job than most tall buildings in fitting in with its neighbors. It was a huge improvement over the old Sun-Times Building that occupied that site. Too bad I look out my office window every day directly at the oversized letters of Benedict Donald’s surname.

  292. 292.

    Timurid

    @p.a.:

    I’ve just heard that cliche way too often since 11/9, by people who really mean it.
    I realize you were just reporting someone else’s statements in your post.

  294. 294.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Bruuuuce:

    A thought from earlier: ISTM that another reason El Presidente and his ilk are working to devalue his 3 million vote loss in the popular vote is the upcoming fight over a SCOTUS appointment.

    Over thinking Trump; Those three millions votes means Trump isn’t the most AWESOME and HUUUGE president ever.

  295. 295.

    Doug R

    @amk: We live about 45 miles from Bellingham WA where the locals have been known to complain about cheap Canadians clogging up the local Costco. In fact one of the smartest things Fred Meyer did was build a new store on the north side of town.
    I have a feeling the locals are going to have plenty of room now.

  298. 298.

    bk

    Not sure if this has been noticed, but if you go to whitehouse.gov, and after getting pitches for the Cheeto, go to the bottom of the right hand side of the page where it lists “Our Government”. There seems to be a branch missing, as in the branch that issued a stay against Friday’s executive order.

  299. 299.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    Ugly up north:Five people were killed after gunmen opened fire in a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers, the mosque’s president told reporters on Sunday.

  302. 302.

    Gelfling 545

    @Corner Stone: I recall my mother getting quite a bit of flack from the school because she refused to let them “train” my brpther to be right hsnded. By the time 8 years later my left handed sister entered school it was no longer a thing.

  305. 305.

    ltelf

    I’m late to the thread, but the first thing I thought of when I saw that picture was, “are they still selling Jiffy Pop in the stores these days?”

  306. 306.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I love pens, but as a left-hander we have a love-hate relationship (especially fountain pens).

    I agree with you that some things feel better when committed to paper. I keep a Week-at-a-Glance calendar and always carry a Fisher Space Pen and my homemade hipster PDA—a short stack of half-sized index cards clipped together.

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