Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

When we show up, we win.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

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

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

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

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

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

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Reader Interactions

146Comments

  2. 2.

    Cain

    Steve seems more sedate than this bomb thrower! :D

    BTW today is the last day of the ACA, I have really good COBRA coverage until December.. should I ditch Cobra or go with ACA before they destroy it… or maybe stay with Cobra in the hopes that I will have a job in the near term.. .I have something that I am a really good fit for… it will start half time, but become a full time position, working at a trade organization.

  6. 6.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    I don’t believe it.

    But my cat frequently calls me “Mom,” so what do I know?

    It’s actually more like “mmaaaaaaawwwm,” in the manner of a whiny teenager.

  8. 8.

    Another Scott

    Nice!

    My great aunt had a Pomeranian that could say “Out!” as clear as day when she really wanted to go out badly – and only then.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  9. 9.

    trollhattan

    “He was such a normal cat, then the inauguration happened….”

    ETA I see ruemara is all over this.

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Cain: If the ACA coverage through the state or Federal exchange is as good or better than the COBRA at a lower price point, go with the ACA coverage.

  13. 13.

    greennotGreen

    We’ve heard “Steve’s” opinion; how are the rest of the pets liking their new digs? Is there a/will there be a fenced-in part of the yard for them?

  16. 16.

    opiejeanne

    Boy, have I missed your commentary this past week, Adam.

    Or did I just miss your commentary this past week?

  17. 17.

    Anonymous At Work

    I don’t believe your cats have ever had a request denied, so there’s no way they learned such terms.

  19. 19.

    slag

    I’ve finally realized that I’m not constitutionally prepared for all this shit again and am still burnt out after GW. Today, I was eating breakfast at a local establishment when two guys come in and start talking politics. Apparently, Trump’s doing great even though what he’s doing is bad for the country, and Democrats are to blame for Trump, and Obama was a “weak leader” because “he just wouldn’t listen” on bathrooms, gay marriage, and abortion…

    I realized that if I didn’t get out of there, I would start throwing knives. And the only thing I could manage to say as I walked out was, “Excuse me, I just wanted you to know that you are having the most ignorant conversation I’ve ever heard.” That’s it. Extremely tepid, weak sauce.

    Honestly, I don’t think I have it in me anymore, and I don’t know what to do about that.

  22. 22.

    Adam L Silverman

    @bystander: Is an internal, under cover of election/de jure presidential legitimacy, attempt to seize complete governmental control and power possible? Yes. Would that be a coup? Not by traditional definition. Is it probable? Perhaps, but I’m not sure anyone knows how to quantify or qualify the probability. The refusal of CPB to even receive the Federal Court orders on the immigration stuff is troubling. So is the rumors that the Marshals deferred to the US Attorney’s Office in LA and that the US Attorney’s Office has refused to act.

  24. 24.

    Adam L Silverman

    @opiejeanne: I’ve been posting on the front page and in comments. If it is stuff within my areas of expertise, using the quick links to Silverman on Security should take you to anything you missed in terms of a front page post.

  26. 26.

    Percysowner

    @slag: I understand slag. I didn’t do much to fight against GW, and I wish I had. I’m keeping going because my daughter got married and is hoping to have kids. I want those kids to grow up in the America I love, so I have to fight as hard as I can. I’m old, and I’ve had a good life, I want my kids and my grandkids to have the same. But I’m so depressed about what is happening.

  29. 29.

    Yarrow

    @slag: Resist where you can, support others where you can. You may find your energy for all of it ebbs and flows. Be sure to take care of yourself.

  31. 31.

    ThresherK

    @Mike J: The UK and Europe seem to have more tolerance for cheeky in ads, don’t they?

    We’re getting snow, a pretty scarce commodity so far this winter.

  32. 32.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    More belivable it was Steve if he was clawing his human slave’s foot to get feed.

  33. 33.

    tobie

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The refusal of CPB to even receive the Federal Court orders on the immigration stuff is troubling.

    I find this very frightening. CPB is violating a court order. It’s happening at Dulles. Does this fall within the jurisdiction of the Virginia governor?

  34. 34.

    chris

    @TaMara (HFG): I brush her every day and she gets that malt stuff but at least once a week she produces a present. Usually somewhere hard to clean too.

    ETA Also use a furminator per John Cole

  36. 36.

    Yarrow

    So Twitler is going to break into TV programming tonight to announce his Supreme Court pick? WTF? Reality show president. I guess we’re the reality show country now.

  37. 37.

    geg6

    I filed my taxes today. I usually don’t mind it. But, boy, did I hesitate over that send button this year. I really don’t want to be financially enabling this shit. I really don’t know what to do. I don’t see a way to leave the country, but I don’t want to stay.

  38. 38.

    LAO

    @slag: With all due respect — what were you supposed to do? Throw down with a couple of idiots? Engaging in public arguments with random stranger Trump supporters is probably not very productive. Engage on line and with people you know, and if possible attend some protests.

  41. 41.

    HeleninEire

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The refusal of CPB to even receive the Federal Court orders on the immigration stuff is troubling.

    Big story in the Irish papers today. Someone was turned away in Dublin for a flight to NY. When you leave Dublin for the US you go through American immigration and customs in Dublin. Everyone bitches cuz it’s going through security twice and the lines are always crazy cuz all of the US bound flights take off in the morning. Blah blah blah. It’s a called pre-clearance and its awesome because once you get to your American destination you go directly from your gate to your ground transportation. It is an incredible perk after a long international flight. The question now is, is Trump gonna take that away? Enda Kenny, the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) is supposed to meet with Trump at the White House on St. Patty’s day. The whole country is telling him not to go unless Trump agrees to keep pre-clearance.

    In related news, I’m flying back to NY for a week in Feb to take care of some business that I just can’t handle from 3,000 miles away. My friends are teasing me: Will I get in????? Yeah, I fly into the US on my US passport and into Dublin on my Irish passport. Mostly because that gets you into the best lines.

  42. 42.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    @bystander: I’ve seen that being shared, and it’s scary. But even if everything the article posits is true, how should our behavior change in response? We can’t NOT resist Trump just because he might be planning something else that’s bad. I guess the most important thing to do is to remain nonviolent. Don’t give them a semblance of an excuse to crack down.

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    Trump Admin Doesn’t Really Care About Working Americans
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    January 31, 2017 3:52 PM

    By my count, the Trump administration has issued 20 executive orders and memoranda since inauguration day. They have dealt with everything from taking health care away from millions of Americans, to building walls, to banning Muslim immigrants and refugees from seven countries. Those were all things he promised to do during his campaign.

    But he also promised to address the concerns of working-class Americans. That was the heart of his so-called “populist” appeal. Since this administration is moving pretty fast on so many of their promises, it might be time to ask the “what have you done for me lately” question.

    There are those who would point to the president’s memorandum last week withdrawing the U.S. from the Transpacific Partnership trade agreement as his nod in the direction of American workers. Even if you are prepared to buy the idea that doing so helped them, Trump’s statement merely formalized what was already a reality. It was a totally empty gesture.

    On the other hand, many of the president’s executive orders will hurt American workers. For example:

    Destabilizing the health insurance market by taking the first steps to repeal Obamacare
    Created an opening to remove corporate regulations that protect workers and their families
    Rather than creating jobs, instituting a federal hiring freeze
    Starting the process to spend tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on a wall that accomplishes nothing

  46. 46.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    Yowza. That cat is….sorta scary.
    Open thread? I haz question. This coming Saturday has freed up, and I have two things I could do:
    (1) Attend the Jefferson County (CO) Democrats reorg meeting. Sounds like those of you who have gone to your reorgs have overall had positive experiences.
    (2) Attend a rally in support of our Muslim neighbors.
    Both happening at the same time, natch, and across town from each other.
    Which is more useful?

  47. 47.

    LAO

    @tobie:

    Does this fall within the jurisdiction of the Virginia governor?

    I can’t see how — it’s a federal court order not a state court order and the parties refusing to receive service are federal. It’s on the DoJ to accept service — this a real “through the looking glass” moment.

  48. 48.

    opiejeanne

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks. I’m usually here late at night (Left Coast Time) and probably just missed you; I’ve been kind of fretting about it all weekend, wondering what Adam would say.

  50. 50.

    jonas

    If it is Steve, Cole’s probably just informed him that he’s going to need his ass scrubbed again.

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @tobie: No. Its a Federal Court order to Federal agencies/departments dealing with immigration. Unless Terry McCauliffe is willing to mobilize his National Guard and take Dulles Airport by force, there’s nothing he can do. And that’s not really an option. This will build through the Federal Courts to an actual constitutional crisis. And at that point we will see what is to be seen and know what is to be known. Until then continue doing what ever you may doing: contacting your member of Congress and Senator. Supporting the civil liberties, civil rights, and civil society groups fighting this. Peacefully assembling if that’s your thing.

  53. 53.

    Alain the site fixer

    Adam, I figured out that the tweets in comments often caused said comments to be blocked (too many links). This was even more so with replies to those comments.
    So I upped the limit. Not sure if it will work, but since you often have tweets and replies to them in comments, check out the Spam folder. They get completely deleted, not just quarantined like normal. If you do see some, please hover mouse over the comment and count the different links. It should now take 6 to trigger but then again, they should go to moderation, not trash, so it’s not working correctly somehow.

    Also this might result in more spam comments getting through, so if so, please let me know.

  54. 54.

    bystander

    @Thoroughly Pizzled: Having lived thru the 60s, they often don’t need the excuse or provide one themselves IIRC.

    @Adam L Silverman: Once court orders become meaningless, there goes the shooting match.

    OK, nobody’s making me feel better here so I better watch that insane cat again. I would in no way put my hand out to that cat while its “no no noing”.

  55. 55.

    Pogonip

    I wonder what that cat sounds like when it’s NOT about to puke up a hairball?

    If I were the owner I wouldn’t be hanging out petting it, I’d grab it up and run for the yard! Run, now! Before it’s too late!

  61. 61.

    slag

    @Percysowner: Yeah. I keep looking for that ironic distance that used to keep the gray matter springy, but I can’t find it. I think it has to do with the repetitiveness of it all. “Fool me once”, and all that. This must be what getting old feels like.

    I think if I’m going to live this life, I’m going to need a personal screenwriter on staff. To at least make it entertaining.

  62. 62.

    elm

    @Thoroughly Pizzled: Exactly right. If they plan a coup, then they plan a coup. I don’t control that, you don’t control that, nobody here controls their plans.

    What we can and should do whether their plan is mere bad governance or an actual coup is to resist and refuse to cooperate.

    If and when institutions collapse around us, we will need other approaches. For now, protest, talk to friends and family, petition congress, vote in ever election, and encourage your allies.

  65. 65.

    mai naem mobile

    I think Possibly Fake Steve is imitating what he thinks.Dolt 45 does when he doesn’t get his way. I give cats a little more credit for bigger thinking than just whining.

  67. 67.

    Mohagan

    That is one upset cat. Look at how its ears are back and it is licking its lips (indicates anxiety), along with that banshee howl. At first it was a little funny (It really does sound like No No No), and then it was just creepy listening to a really freaked out cat.

  68. 68.

    Pogonip

    @jonas: Translated, the cat is saying, “No! Don’t touch my dingleberries!”

    (What it’s really saying is “I’m going to throw up now! Front row seats still available!”

  71. 71.

    Ridnik Chrome

    @HeleninEire: Speaking of Long Island’s Greatest Living Embarrassment, I see he’s denying that he had any hand in drafting that immigration EO.

  73. 73.

    Spanky

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The refusal of CPB to even receive the Federal Court orders on the immigration stuff is troubling. So is the rumors that the Marshals deferred to the US Attorney’s Office in LA and that the US Attorney’s Office has refused to act.

    Right, when the enforcement bodies under direction of the courts start taking direction from the executive branch, that’s a huge red flag. The other one is the legislative branch’s de facto relinquishing of their powers to the executive branch. I haven’t seen any effort to push back against Trump/Bannon, even after the hijacking of the committee staff to write that shitty EO. Not a peep!

  74. 74.

    Elizabelle

    @LAO: I think we should have a morning picture of Maggie. Or anytime of day. Email to Anne Laurie.

    Beats the Orange Cheat-o and Fascist Bannon any day.

  75. 75.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Spanky: Actually Congressman Goodlatte came out this morning at the GOP House press conference and basically explained it all away and said it was all good. As several people have noted in various places, if those staffers weren’t fired and replaced today it would become clear that, at least, Goodlatte had been knuckled under.

  78. 78.

    slag

    @LAO: I’ve had various successes in the public argument arena in the past. At the very least, I was able to leave feeling good about nailing certain arguments to the wall in no uncertain terms. And quite frankly, these guys were ripe for it. The inherent logical contradictions alone were a veritable playground. But there was no fun to be had there. Nothing but exhausted fury. As our new president would say…Sad.

  79. 79.

    Weaselone

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Just a second. Given the orders by the judges, the federal officers should no longer have any right to hold these people. Doesn’t that mean these people are now victims of kidnapping and wrongful imprisonment? These are charged that local law enforcement have jurisdiction over, do they not?

  80. 80.

    Pogonip

    @Mohagan: That guy’s braver than I am. I wouldn’t approach a cat in that state without heavy gloves. I hope the poor critter felt better after it unloaded the hairball.

  85. 85.

    LAO

    @Elizabelle: It always surprises me — cause she’s a funny looking thing — the reaction she gets from people on the street. We are stopped at least once a day by people who think she’s the cutest thing. Of course, I know her devilish personality so, she seems less cute to me.

    I have an Instagram account under the nym “laoppy” where I only post pictures of her (about 6 cause I lazy).

  86. 86.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Shell: Exactly. Until Congress appropriates the money for those hires, all he’s doing is stating that the policy of the US is to increase the size of the Customs and Border Patrol and the Immigration Customs Enforcement agencies by 1/3 each.

  87. 87.

    randy khan

    @Spanky:

    I’m trying to figure out how CBP *could* refuse service. Process servers don’t generally give people a choice. They hand them the papers (or sometimes throw the papers at them) and tell the servees that they’ve been served. Heck, some agencies have a box sitting on the receptionist’s desk for serving papers.

  88. 88.

    JAFD

    Greetings from New Jersey!

    This came via the Ironbound neighborhood* email list

    “ATTENTION PEOPLE

    If you are a green card holder (lawful permanent resident) outside of the U.S. please reach out to an immigration attorney before you travel back to the U.S.

    If you do plan to travel back to the US, you should fill out a USCIS G-28 form first that officially appoints an attorney to represent you in immigration situations and have that completed form with you as you board your flight.

    The refugee program is being halted immediately, for at least 120 days. This will mean that anyone, anywhere in the process, will not move forward. The effort to resettle Syrian refugees in the U.S. is being halted indefinitely.

    Other info:

    If you are non-citizen, even green card holder (lawful permanent residents), from one of the seven countries named, and you are ALREADY INSIDE the U.S., plan to DELAY all international travel for at least 90 days

    IF YOU LEAVE YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE DENIED RE-ENTRY

    If you are a non-citizen from one of the seven countries named, and you are OUTSIDE of the U.S., you will face issues at the airport upon attempting to re-enter the US

    **IF YOU ARE ASKED TO SIGN AN I-407 AT THE AIRPORT OR BORDER DO NOT SIGN IT, ASK FOR THE SUPERVISOR WHO HANDLES LPR ADMISSIONS ?? If you sign it, you will be giving up your green card.**

    Please keep looking for updates in the coming days to assess your travel options. If you are facing an emergency at the airport or are returning to the US in the coming days, please have our numbers on hand (CAIR National: 202.488.8787)

    Whether you are a citizen or not, do not permit law enforcement to enter your home without a warrant. Even if they have a warrant, you should consult with an attorney before speaking to them. Get copies of business cards of all law enforcement officials. [Edit: IF YOU CAN. This is not an option for many.]

    Continental Africans who aren’t from countries on that ban list are being detained too, including Kenyans!

    From a friend’s page who is an attorney!

    If anyone knows a Syrian, Iranian, etc. green card holder who is stuck outside the US with tickets to return to IAD — please let Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg know ASAP. He is the Director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Center in Washington, DC.
    [email protected]
    703-778-3450

    If you hold a passport from the following countries and you are not a U.S. citizen, please feel free to contact CUNY CLEAR for free legal advice:
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Somalia
    • Sudan
    • Syria
    • Yemen
    The number is 718-348-4558

    Green card holders who are denied entry or detained should resist any CBP demands to give up their green cards.
    Do NOT sign Form I-407. Even if they say it will make things easier. DEMAND a hearing before an immigration judge.
    Additionally, if your mosque or community organization would like to organize a «Know Your Rights» workshop, CLEAR offers workshops on 4 main topic areas:
    1) How to exercise your rights in the face of police or FBI questioning.
    2) What your rights are at the airport and while traveling.
    3) How to give to charities without running afoul of complex federal laws.
    4) What to do if you have concerns about informants in your community
    We can provide literature or training in many languages, including Arabic, Bangla, English, French, Spanish, and Urdu.

    You can contact CLEAR at [email protected] or (718) 340-4558
    Feel free to copy and paste the above information as your own status message to distribute to those who may need it.”

    *The Ironbound neighborhood in Newark – east of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor tracks, north of the Conrail Shared Assets freight line, south of the Passaic River. Capitol of Lusophone North America

    And for real politics junkies with nothing to do Friday night at 8, you can surf to WBGO.org (or tune in radio, 88.3 FM, the old fashion way), hear the four living mayors of Newark, Ken Gibson, Sharpe James, US Senator Cory Booker and current mayor Ras Baraka, talk about their city today

    Stuf on the NJ governor’s race coming when I get out of hibernation.

  89. 89.

    LAO

    @slag: Fair enough. I rarely engage in political arguments with strangers because I’m surprisingly non-confrontational in my personal life. I get enough confrontation professionally.

    Edited to make sense

  91. 91.

    The Moar You Know

    The other one is the legislative branch’s de facto relinquishing of their powers to the executive branch.

    @Spanky: For decades they threw those “tough decisions” to the courts, but that’s not always gone the way they wanted.

    This is guaranteed, so the courts are now going to be bypassed and every legislative decision will go to the executive branch, at least until/if the Democratic party can get it back again, at which point those tough decisions will get tossed back to the courts.

    Whatever happens, Congress offloads as much of its workload as possible to someone, anyone else. They don’t want those votes coming back to haunt them.

  92. 92.

    Aleta

    From US Rep Swallwell: http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/01/truth-trump-and-security-we-need-independent-commission-russian-meddling/135022/?oref=DefenseOneTCO

    Our 17 U.S. intelligence agencies concluded with a high degree of certainty that the Russian government was responsible for hacks into private email systems and several states’ voter registration systems – as well as a coordinated “fake news” operation – to bolster the president’s campaign. Since then, reports of active U.S. investigations into whether four of Trump’s associates, including National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, communicated and coordinated with the Russian government have deepened and broadened the cause for concern.

    … Ignoring such an attack invites more such interference in future elections and signals our national deference to anyone possessing the technological means to meddle.

    Worse, leaving the situation unaddressed means anything the Trump administration now does – every nomination or appointment, every policy put forth, every sanction lifted or imposed, every word the president utters – is viewed through a lens of doubtful motive.

    No president should want this kind of cloud hanging over the White House. Yet President Trump has refused to take even the most basic steps – releasing his tax returns and making his overseas business dealings transparent – to begin dispelling this cloud. His silence grows more deafening by the day.

    That’s why I and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act, or H.R. 356. Our bill would create a 12-member, bipartisan and independent commission empowered to interview witnesses, obtain documents, issue subpoenas, and receive public testimony in examining the Russian government’s attempts to use electronic means to influence, interfere, or sow distrust in last year’s U.S. elections. The commission, which also would examine similar efforts by any other foreign governments or entities, would issue a final report including recommendations for future security protections to Congress and the President.

    Each of four Republican and Democratic Senate and House leaders would appoint three commission members, and the commission would then choose a chair and vice chair of different parties. But this commission would include neither members of Congress nor federal employees. Instead, it would consist of prominent U.S.citizens with national recognition and significant depth of experience in governmental service, law enforcement, armed services, law, public administration, intelligence gathering, foreign affairs, cybersecurity, and federal elections.

    These respected experts would devote themselves full-time to their fact-based investigation, a commitment Congress simply cannot make.

  98. 98.

    Patricia Kayden

    @JAFD:

    Continental Africans who aren’t from countries on that ban list are being detained too, including Kenyans!

    Why am I not surprised by this? I assume eventually Trump will move from Islamophobia to straight up racism. This is going to get much uglier and impact more than just Muslims. The argument that this makes us safe is such nonsense given how many innocent people are going to be caught up in this unnecessary ban.

  99. 99.

    The Moar You Know

    (1) Attend the Jefferson County (CO) Democrats reorg meeting. Sounds like those of you who have gone to your reorgs have overall had positive experiences.
    (2) Attend a rally in support of our Muslim neighbors.
    Both happening at the same time, natch, and across town from each other.
    Which is more useful?

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: No brainer. County meeting. Whatever Dems are doing, it ain’t working, so we need to regroup and fix it. Get down there. I fully intend to if our local Dems have such a function. In my mind nothing is more important.

  101. 101.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    So it is probably going to be Gorsuch, a Judge of the necromancing philosophy, where we conduct seances to determine what the drafters of the constitutions and statutes believed.

    Plus, his mommy was a scammy piece of shit:

    I’m thinking that it took the Supreme Court to send us into the Civil War. Will a Supreme Court be similarly disposed to send us into another civil war?

  102. 102.

    Shalimar

    In non-cat news, upon further reading I am convinced that Steve Bannon isn’t a nihilist. He’s a libertarian white supremacist who thinks destroying the government will eliminate the constraints that keep superior white people from enslaving and genociding all other races. He doesn’t have a plan for what happens after he breaks down our current society because it really doesn’t matter as long as there are only white people left.

  103. 103.

    Bex

    @Mike J: I saw a TV commercial the other night and the baby in it was wearing a pussy hat. Can’t remember what the product was because I could hardly believe my eyes.

  104. 104.

    ? Martin

    @randy khan:

    I’m trying to figure out how CBP *could* refuse service. Process servers don’t generally give people a choice.

    Process servers are for civil cases. The US Marshals are the ones that would do the work here. The problem is that the US Marshals are part of the judicial, not executive branch, but report to the Atty General. Assuming an independent Atty General, they would be ordered to enforce the TRO, but if the Atty General is not independent, the judicial has no means to enforce a TRO against the executive. That’s a big problem, and that’s why people have been concerned about reports that the US Marshals have refused to enforce the TRO against the CBP. That’s a conflict nobody wants to see come down, but it’s not clear if the Marshals themselves backed off, or the Atty General instructed them to back off, or whether it’s just an erroneous report.

  105. 105.

    Snarkworth, short-fingered Bulgarian

    @Mohagan: That’s exactly what I thought. The flattened ears, the position of the tail, the stiff crouch…that’s a very upset cat.

  106. 106.

    ? Martin

    @Iowa Old Lady: I suspect he’ll announce both of them. One to replace the vacant seat and one to replace Kennedy. Trump does not accept that people cannot be fired.

  108. 108.

    Tenar Arha (same Tenar, more Nameless Ones)

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: This is a repeat, but I’d say that if you want to be active in local politics, go to the meeting. But, do encourage your friends & family to go to the demonstration. And FWIW you can tell any friend who is feeling like they have to “DO” something, but maybe don’t have much time to give, a demonstration makes you realize you’re not alone & for a period of time they will feel better.

  109. 109.

    chris

    @Shalimar: Are you familiar with Accelerationism and/or the Dark enlightenment? (Wikipedia’s a good place to start.)
    1. Burn it down.
    2. ?
    3. Profit!

  112. 112.

    Miss Bianca

    @chris: would the “Dark enlightenment” properly be known as “the endarkenment”?

    Asking for a friend. Of course!

  114. 114.

    Peale

    @Shell: Again, this is going to be a problem if he just hires them and Congress still doesn’t bother to tell him no. That’s not some minor expense. Republicans I think are going to try and let Trump do the unpopular things and not give a shit until its time to cut taxes. They do not want to give up their authority to cut taxes. But I don’t think they want to vote for unpopular things. I think they think that they can strut out two or three members to “tsk tsk” the situation and enough voters will think “well, my Republican is different” and that will be the end of it. I think we’re going to be in a situation soon where the president spends money and Congress just cuts taxes.

  115. 115.

    slag

    @ruemara:

    Help people get ready to vote.

    Yeah. I live in liberal paradise though, so, that’s not directly helpful—at least at a national level. And while protesting is a gimme, it’s hard to do and not be resentful that we’re in this situation in no small part because stupid-voters-that’s-why.

    This isn’t like BLM or Occupy, which are in some ways, reactions to diffuse, long-standing systems of oppression for which no single entity is immediately responsible. We’re in our current situation because voters made an active choice to put us in it. Every time I go to make my sign, all I want to write is, “I shouldn’t even have to be here, you fucking assholes!”. I got nothin’.

  116. 116.

    Shalimar

    @chris: It is true that Bannon legally needs Senate approval to sit on the NSC. The statutory language seems clear. This does not necessarily mean that the administration will seek it.

  119. 119.

    steverinoCT

    One of the cats I had growing up developed a habit of yowling. He would stand at the foot of the stairs and yowl up to us; he would stand in the middle of the room and yowl. We thought it was amusing. Turns out he had an infected tooth, that (we being poor) did not get diagnosed and treated. He suffered for quite some time. I continue to feel very bad about this, although it’s more on my mom, since I was but a kid. I hope this cat is just suffering from a hairball: it clearly is in distress. /downer

  121. 121.

    StringOnAStick

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: I can’t be here for either, but I’m thinking the democratic party event is the most important because of the long term implications, plus I know the Wilmer crowd is big, big, big into the anti-Muslim bad protests. My husband and I are are headed out of country on that day, which has been planned since before the election. Now I’m a little worried by it.

    Plus, that poor cat is scared to death of something it is seeing, but I can’t tell what it is. That is pure terror, and hard to watch if you like cats because it is in such terrific distress over something.

  123. 123.

    Miss Bianca

    @chris: All I had to do was google the sucker, and note the name “Thomas Carlyle” as one of his literary heroes to realize that I wouldn’t want to be guilty of anything the little SOB would be likely to “approve of”. Bleah!

  124. 124.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Adam L Silverman: Shit, thought John posted it about Steve the cat. My bad.
    I bet *John Cole* has never denied his cats anything, so they wouldn’t learn such language.

  125. 125.

    chris

    @Miss Bianca: There’s that and his screeds are, to me, unreadable. But I can certainly see them appealing to the techbros and others who are very smart in their specialties and clueless in everything else.

  126. 126.

    Mike in NC

    Just heard on TV that tomorrow is the start of Black History Month. Will there be an EO from Trump/Bannon cancelling it?

  127. 127.

    Shana

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: At least in my county you can’t take part in a reorg unless you’re a member of the committee. And you need to file an application and be voted in. It’s not a big deal but it does take a little time so you may not be able to just walk in and take part. You can most likely attend but may not be able to vote.

  129. 129.

    pat

    @Mohagan:
    Yes, I had the same thought. There is something wrong with that cat. Look how it stands, with its back hunched.

    My Pablo comes at 5AM and says “Ma?”

  133. 133.

    El Caganer

    @Mike in NC: “In honor of Black History Month, the President wishes to extend his deepest appreciation to all of the White People who made it possible……”

  135. 135.

    Cain

    @Adam L Silverman:

    @Cain: If the ACA coverage through the state or Federal exchange is as good or better than the COBRA at a lower price point, go with the ACA coverage.

    Thanks, I will look at it. I didn’t bother before because I did get pretty good coverage through COBRA, I wasn’t sure about the long term viability of ACA given the Tangelo Kid and the Dickless Thugs in charge.

  137. 137.

    Cain

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I just checked.. my cobra plan is really good (cuz it came from a very large high tech company and they negotiated something really good) I checked and I saw that I can enroll into the ACA once COBRA runs out. So I think I’m going to stick with what I have. Hopefully there will be something at the end of the year…

  140. 140.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    @geg6: my husband and I filed yesterday. The preparer was able to take us from owing $12 (we’ve never owed, since we’re poor, always have been, probably always will be in this new Gilded Age) to getting a refund of over $1000. My husband is a contractor and makes about $8.50 am hour (the rest is made up in per diem). It chaps my ass that we make barely over $50,000, and we would have had to pay in, and Cantaloupe Caligula and his Klan probably haven’t paid in in decades. It also pisses me off that he wants to send my friends off to fight some dumb ass war in China over something that has nothing to do with us, and will probably result in mushroom clouds. I’m not down with that.

    I hate him and his family with the intensity of a thousand fiery suns.

  141. 141.

    chris

    @Miss Bianca: That’s why the FSM gave us Wikipedia. The Accelerationism and Endarkenment (ty!) pages are quite enough IMO. Also, bonus, wiki editors are having a discussion about combining the Dark Enlightenment and Alt-Right pages. Says a lot.

  142. 142.

    Seth Owen

    @bystander: Even in Zimbabwe, Mugabe was resisted by the courts, which were independent. It would be sad if rule of law means less in Trump’s America than Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.

  143. 143.

    ska delite

    I realize nobody is going to read this but I have to put it out there anyway and I know this would harsh everyone’s buzz but I heard that somebody put peanut butter in kitty’s mouth for this video. :(

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