The countertop inspection on the judge who blocked Trump’s immigration order is going to be brutal:
“I will now step back from my very precise legal practice and give you the following observation — from me,” he said.
He spoke of the police — training and accountability and leadership: “The men and women who go out and walk around Seattle and proudly wear the Seattle Police Department uniform,” he said. “They are entitled to know what they may and may not do.”
He breathed in again. Then he spoke of protests against police that had spread across the country, and FBI statistics showing that black people are twice as likely to be shot dead by police as their share of the population would warrant.
“Black lives matter,” the judge said.
His words, the Seattle Times noted, caused “a startled, audible reaction” in the courtroom. Here was a federal judge echoing a slogan used by protesters.
Robart was not done. “Black people are not alone in this,” he went on. “Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans are also involved. And lastly and importantly: police deaths in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and let’s not forget Lakewood, Washington, remind us of the importance of what we are doing.”
Robart was appointed by Bush II and confirmed by unanimous vote. Trumpelstiltskin has already called him a “so-called judge”, so I assume Minister of Propaganda Bannon will start smearing the guy immediately.
trollhattan
Judicial overpreach!
Yeah, he’s in for it.
Nora
Well, leave it to a so-called President to call someone else a so-called judge.
Ruckus
@Nora:
It’s a so-called Republican president.
We like to identify him so everyone is 100% sure who we are talking about.
hilts
Trump’s tweet against this judge is awfully cranky. It sounds like he needs Ivanka or Melania to give him a diaper change.
? Martin
Boy, broke rule #2 of republicans:
Rule #1: Don’t use ethnic slurs
Rule #2: Make clear that you really wish you could break rule #1
Yep, he’s in for it.
? Martin
@Ruckus: Actually so-called Republican president suggests that he’s not republican. I would suggest Republican so-called President to be clear. He is the Republican party now, whether they like it or not.
Keith P.
The only political capital the guy has is with his own party, but he’s burning through that at a furious pace (think about this – today is the beginning of week THREE). He’s going to wind up with no friends and a whole bunch of enemies.
Chet Murthy
OT: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/02/entertainment/matthew-mcconaughey-trump/index.html
Looks like “do-not-watch” just got a name added.
JordanRules
@? Martin: Yup, move that qualifier a bit for clarity. The current, enabling branch of the government thinks he’s one of theirs. And so it shall be!
Ruckus
@? Martin:
True, your way is better. I usually leave out the so-called, he is unfortunately the president. As unqualified, undignified, uneducated, illogical, maniacal, childish, boorish as he also is.
Iowa Old Lady
I think we forget how far the R party fell during the Obama administration and rise of the Tea Party. Not that things were wonderful before, lord knows. The fall showed how hollow their values were, but they are much worse now and many of the older generation are gone. I read that some very large percent of House Rs had never served under an R president. I want to say 60% but I’m not sure. They’re a new group that add ignorance of governing to whatever other flaws they bring.
Kenneth Kohl
@Ruckus: In my various conversations/correspondence/etc, I refer to him as ‘Trump’. I refuse to acknowledge him as our President. Just a little quirk of mine…
gene108
@Chet Murthy:
I guess we should stop buying Lincolns, until they drop him as a spokesman.
I wish I had more money to boycott more things and pay off my mortgage and student loans.
Shalimar
Off judge topic but on Trump topic: I have seen various people mention supporting Celebrity Apprentice because of Schwarzennegar’s very pointed criticism of Trump.
Trump is still an executive producer, and he also spent years working with Vince McMahon ‘ s wrestling promotions so he knows what a heel is. If I had to bet, my money would be on the whole “feud” being a publicity stunt.
LAO
Lifetime appointment and, in the words of Jack Weinstein, one of the greatest federal judges ever to grace the bench, the best job in the world.
I always laugh, because the definition of judicial activism, is always, “I don’t agree with the Judge’s decision.” Of course, we shall see how the federal bench deals with an administration that seeks to delegitimizate the judiciary.
Major Major Major Major
@gene108: can we still use pennies?
Ruckus
@Keith P.:
Thing is neither he nor they care how big an ass he is. To the party members, as long as he signs the crap they send him, he’s good to go. And as long as they don’t impeach him, which they won’t do, he’s one of them and they know it, he will sign whatever they send him. They are all as bad as he is, most of them just aren’t as loud. And even if they won’t admit it, he is their role model. He has more property (with at least his name on the building if not on the paperwork) than them, he has his own 757 (they don’t care if it’s 25 yrs old and third hand), people play golf in his yards. He may be all the things I listed in #10 and far more and worse, but he is one of them. And they are nothing if not a bunch of jr high assholes running for class president just because they want to lord it over everyone. Only now we see that we should have given a fuck in jr high about these assholes.
mai naem mobile
I wonder what John Roberts is thinking. I know he’s a devious little fuck but I have to wonder if this is what he envisioned when he gutted the Voting Rights Act, let the red states do great damage to the ACA and let Citizens United go through.
CaseyL
@Chet Murthy: That one may actually hurt, because I like his work. Ah, well: there are so many other actors out there, also doing great work, and I can watch them instead.
CaseyL
@mai naem mobile: Oh, he knows.
To quote Goldfinger: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.”
Three lousy decisions, each with consequences that were predicted at the time?…. Of course Roberts knows. He’s a willing tool.
Oatler.
@? Martin: During the election I saw a lot of “anxiety” about what seemed like Trump’s impending loss like “So he’s a pussy grabber now? well he’s a democrat anyway.” . Even now there’s a simultaneous story thread suggesting that if Trump pushes the Button, he was in bed with liberals anyway. I mean, seriously written, paid for and archived for possible use. They’re going to keep trying to destroy The Other even if they have to eat their own heads.
LAO
@mai naem mobile: I think, based on nothing but my opinion, that non-Trump Republicans look at Trump as a vehicle to accomplish their goals and don’t believe the damage he will cause will be long lasting. Roberts, may be embarrassed by Trump, but from I don’t see a great deal of policy differences.
skerry
I may be alone in this, but the “so-called judge” part of the tweet isn’t the part that bothered me the most. I reacted to the “takes law-enforcement away from our country” part. As if the judge and the judicial system isn’t part of our country or at most, a lesser part than the executive.
Ruckus
@Kenneth Kohl:
I’d like to do that as well but, well he is the president. The Republican president. As much as that disgusts me, sickens me, pisses me off, fucks with my head, makes me throw up, causes cancer, ruins every day he is and I’m sure many that will follow, causes me to think bad thoughts, he is. I can fight for change, I can protest, I can march, I can spit at the mention of his name, I could rename taking a dump as taking a drumpf, and he’d still be the president.
But I don’t have to mention his name or type it out, it’s a small protest but maybe it adds up.
skerry
Here’s the latest from Trump on the subject. (posted at 2:44pm ET)
He doesn’t understand that anyone with a visa or a green card can come, not just “anyone”
ETA: I see that it is a “ban” again. I can’t keep up with the name changes.
retiredeng
@Major Major Major Major: You can try to use pennies but it ain’t easy. They stack up on me and end up in a jar.
Nora
I go back and forth on Roberts. On one hand, he certainly does know what he’s doing, and he was responsible for one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of my lifetime (Citizens United Not Timid). On the other hand, he does seem, occasionally at least, to have some concern for his reputation. After all, he’s the Chief Justice and history books will refer to the “Roberts” court and not to the Scalia Court or the Kennedy Court, and sometimes — in the ACA cases, for instance — he seems to worry that if he acts like a total Republican tool, he will be remembered badly for that.
Nora
@skerry: “Bad intentions”? Good Lord, the man’s a five year old.
Yarrow
@Ruckus:
Republican President Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Leader of the Republican Party
GOP head Donald Trump
There’s no so-called about it. He’s their leader. Let’s keep repeating it. Repetition works.
**I did see your comment on the previous thread that you can’t write his name out like that. Everyone can do what they can do. So long as we tie him to the Republicans it’s all good.
zhena gogolia
@Chet Murthy:
Is he the most overrated actor in America, or just second behind all the Ryans?
Baud
@skerry:
The country where Donald Trump is the president? What is that country coming to?
gene108
@Major Major Major Major:
The store or the coin?
Yarrow
@skerry: I agree. The “so-called judge” part that’s getting the attention, but the “takes law-enforcement away from our country” part also really scary.
gene108
@skerry:
Psychics need to be deployed. Only way to figure out someone’s intentions.
retiredeng
@Nora: Moron \Mo”ron\ (m[=o]”r[o^]n), n. [Gr. mw^ros foolish, stupid.]
1. A mentally retarded person whose intellectual
development proceeds normally up to about the eighth year
of age and is then arrested so that there is little or no
further development; an adult having the mental
development of an 8-to-12-year old. A moron is considered
capable of doing routine work under supervision.
[Webster 1913]
He’s a moron.
Ruckus
@skerry:
You do understand that republicans think the courts are the work of the devil don’t you? The courts have sided with liberals more than once in the last 200 yrs, that makes them enemies. They like that cops have been able to take the law into their own hands so much over the last, well 200+ yrs and avoid the court system entirely. The only time they think in any way positive about the courts is when the courts lock up scum. And you know who they think is scum, right?
Like everything else the courts are only reasonable when they agree with conservatives, 100%.
gene108
@mai naem mobile:
Probably. The Right has been itching to undo the New Deal, Great Society and Progressive Era reforms.
You follow their thinking to its logical end, without opposition and we’ll end up in the 1890’s.
Roberts has been a big cog in bringing this vision to legal fruition.
LAO
@Yarrow: His latest tweet is equally alarming. https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/827996997093240832
? Martin
I’m encouraged that the media narrative is slowly creeping toward calling Trump/Bannon straight up deliberate white supremacists. They aren’t there yet, but they are getting ever closer. The courts seem to be adding some voice to that finally.
Ruckus
@retiredeng:
Capable of doing routine work of an 8 yr old in 1913. That’s not the same as today. It’s actually less intellectually stimulating, today’s 8 yr olds are expected to learn in school. Maybe 5 is now closer to the mark. Although it’s still offensive to 5 yr olds.
Mike in NC
Leave it to Trump to encourage his Bigot Brigade to go after Federal judges the way they go after doctors who dare to provide abortion services.
Brachiator
So, Trump is losing his mind over a judge who won’t let him have his way over immigration.
Good.
Love it.
Keep it up, America.
lollipopguild
@gene108: They really want the 1850’s if they can get it.
Frank Wilhoit
“…I assume Minister of Propaganda Bannon will start smearing the guy immediately.”
“Immediately” is already over. With things of this kind, “immediately” is roughly twelve hours. So this one’s gone. We’ll see how they handle the next one. But one of the few things that we know about our Republicans is that their nerve always fails them: typically quite late and after disproportionate collateral damage, but it always fails them. (Just think how much worse things would be if this were not true.)
joel hanes
Yay for Robarts, standing prominently and taking the heat.
Meanwhile, more quietly, stalwart Judge Leonie Brinkema has told the “Executive” branch that it must provide to her court the name of every person who was denied entrance or deported. I know her work from other cases; that woman grinds slow, but grinds exceedingly fine. Trump/Bannon better work fast, because their toe is now caught in a wringer, and there’s no going back.
Brachiator
@LAO:
Yep. Absolutely right. And they are so wrong.
The Republican leadership also believe that they can rein Trump in, if necessary. But as they keep shredding the Constitution and twisting law and tradition to best suit their purposes, they undermine whatever standard they could use to halt Trump when he inevitably veers out of control.
Aleta
What is our country coming to when … anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?
@skerry: Well yeah people with bad intentions can come into the US. His proclamation didn’t stop them to begin with. It just discriminates, and breaks a promise to people who met US requirements.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@skerry: It all bothered me, from denigrating the judiciary to the whole warped view of the government. This is NOT NORMAL, and I wish more people would keep saying so.
As for the guy in the Cadillac commercials (I still crack up thinking about Whoopi Goldberg asking “what’s up with those Cadillac commercials?” at the ad awards), I’ve always been a sucker for a pretty face. But, I (perhaps showing that bias) interpreted his comment as a very diplomatically phrased “we’re stuck with him now, so we need to try to figure out how to deal with it” suggestion that used carefully chosen language (e.g., embrace) to flatter VP Toddler in Chief. YMMV.
@Nora: Counsel for five year olds will be in touch, asking that you rephrase that remark.
Brachiator
Kellyanne Con Job is at Spin Central, getting ready for her next media appearance. Look at that practice twirl. Fantastic.
Brachiator
I thought that conservatives liked judges who didn’t have narrow legal backgrounds and who were not super Ivy League.
We will see when the right wing attack dogs go after the judge in this case.
p.a.
@Brachiator: Their targets, like their policies, are redefined daily. A Cleek Corollary, so to speak.
Emerald
@Keith P.:
I think he’s gone within six months. And I don’t think they’ll impeach him. They’ll use the 25th Amendment, and correctly, because he really is profoundly mentally ill, and he has nukes, and he likes nukes and thinks they ought to be used, and it’s OK to use them on Europe.
They’d rather have Pence anyway. So would I.
Lizzy L
“Will the Supreme Court Stand Up to Trump?” — Linda Greenhouse, NYT. One of our best and most experienced SCOTUS watchers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/04/opinion/sunday/will-the-supreme-court-stand-up-to-trump.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170204&nlid=20900995&tntemail0=y
Major Major Major Major
@Nora: Citizens United Not Timid is a different group from the Citizens United in the Supreme Court case.
Brachiator
From the Guardian:
Can’t link from my browser, but it is worth a look.
The whole world is watching. The whole world is mocking.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@Yarrow: Tie Trump to his Republican enablers – but give credit to good patriotic Republicans like this “so-called judge” who are resisting Trump. We’re gonna need them! We need all the help we can get in this fight. #notallrepublicans
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@Emerald: Me too (shudder)
Roger Moore
@gene108:
1850s. That’s what they really want.
Emerald
@Formerly disgruntled in Oregon:
That’s assuming he doesn’t use the nukes in the meantime, of course.
I mean, yeah, the Rethugs will use him while they can, but even they don’t want to get blown up.
rikyrah
The Trump administration is showing white nationalists it won’t fight them at all
The dangers in rebranding a program to stop extremism so it only focuses on “radical Islamic terror.”
By J.M. Berger February 3
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to rebrand a government effort to combat violent extremism into one that focuses only on terrorists acting in the name of Islam.
The program, launched by the Obama administration in 2011, is counterterrorism by other means. It seeks nonkinetic ways to prevent terrorism through various kinds of “soft power” initiatives, from messaging campaigns and community intervention to jobs and education programs. Theoretically, up to now, it’s been targeting all forms of violent extremist ideology, from radical Muslim groups to domestic white nationalists. In practice, though, even under Obama, the focus was almost entirely on Muslims, aside from a tiny handful of mostly invisible grants and programs.
…………………………………………
This toxic brew of actions joins a host of other worrisome developments around the administration’s increasingly apparent view that our national identity is primarily white and Christian. Taken individually, some of the controversies and debates over the administration’s staff choices might be considered politics as usual, but it would be foolish to separate them from the typhoon of signals emanating from this White House at every turn. It would be foolish to ignore what the administration is trying so hard to tell us. It would be foolish to let the significance of its message sink beneath the daily eruptions of both legitimate controversy and bizarro world nonsense.
And its message is stark. It is a message of religious and racial exclusion: the demonization of Islam, slowly moving from coded language to more overt steps, such as declaring that violent extremism is exclusively a Muslim problem; the demonization of vulnerable refugees, especially those who are nonwhite and non-Christian; and targeted attacks on voting rights.
J.M. Berger studies extremist networks and propaganda as a fellow with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague. He is co-author with Jessica Stern of “ISIS: The State of Terror” and author of “Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam
hilts
@Brachiator:
This Vox post also has the photo you referenced
h/t http://www.vox.com/world/2017/2/3/14498680/sweden-deputy-pm-trolls-trump-all-women-photo
rikyrah
uh huh
uh huh
Michigan GOP Official Calls For ‘Another Kent State’ For Campus Protesters
“One bullet stops a lot of thuggery,” tweets Dan Adamini in the wake of Berkeley demonstration against Breitbart’s Milo Yiannopoulos.
02/03/2017 11:09 pm ET | Updated 5 hours ago
A Republican Party official in northern Michigan has issued what amounts to a death threat against American college protesters, calling for “another Kent State” in the wake of protests at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired on unarmed Kent State University students protesting the U.S. incursion into Cambodia. Guardsmen killed four students and wounded nine, including one who was paralyzed for life.
Dan Adamini, former chair and current secretary of the Marquette County Republican Party, indicated that a single death might be sufficient to end student protests this time around.
“I’m thinking another Kent State might be the only solution protest stopped after only one death,” he posted on Facebook on Thursday. “They do it because they know there are no consequences yet.”
Roger Moore
@Mike in NC:
Judge Curiel would point out it’s not the first time he’s gone after a Federal judge for ruling against him.
Tokyokie
@Keith P.: Sounds like the arc of U.S. foreign policy as well.
rikyrah
Todd Johnson Verified account
@rantoddj
“Give Trump a chance” is the new “All Lives Matter” … speaking loudly, saying nothing. #tryagain #haveseveralheatedseats
rikyrah
Todd Johnson Verified account
@rantoddj
5 Black Muslims speak out on Trump’s ‘Immigration Ban’: “Trump is who we thought he was.” via @ashantaih83 #facts
chopper
lol, nothing makes a fascist prick hit the roof like being told he can’t write his own laws. this is great.
? Martin
@Emerald: The GOP is kind of screwed either way here. Trump will never submit to a mental evaluation, so they’d be removing him based on, essentially ‘he’s kind of fucked up’. The GOP is all over the map here (pro doctor for ACA, anti doctor for abortion, who fucking needs doctors for 25th amendment – toss Terri Schiavo in this category as well)
Impeachment doesn’t hold up a lot better for them, but they’re on firmer ground here. Simply point to some inevitable blowup with the judicial branch and absolve themselves of any culpability in enabling it.
I mean, nobody comes out ahead having Louis Gohmert on the floor of the House determine who is and isn’t crazy.
debit
@rikyrah: It’s like republicans don’t realize that liberals can buy guns too.
Lizzy L
@rikyrah: He’s getting lots of pushback. He’s had to take down his FB page, poor baby! What an a**hole.
Major Major Major Major
@debit: I’m sure that if conservatives had their druthers, liberals couldn’t.
Thru the Looking Glass...
@LAO:
Hell, I’m waiting for Trump to decide he can just fire a judge… that’ll be priceless…
rikyrah
The Answer-Man
@ebonstorm
At $400,000 a day, it’ll cost the nation $548,000,000 to keep Melania Trump in New York City for four years. @realDonaldTrump #HalfABillion
rikyrah
@rikyrah:
Krystian Majewski
@krystman
Krystian Majewski Retweeted The Answer-Man
This is just 10 million short of the 4-year budget for National Endowment for the Arts that was cut. Jesus Christ.
Timurid
@rikyrah:
“Give Trump a chance’ is the new ‘Sieg Heil!’
rikyrah
BWA HA HA HA AH HA
Alternative Fat
@DeiFrankOne
Alternative Fat Retweeted The Answer-Man
She better act like the immigrant she is and migrate her ass from NYC to DC ?
rikyrah
FANTA FUHRER?
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA A
Nell Lancaster
@nlanc
@ebonstorm I’m sorry, that’s just obscene. MT entitled to live where she wants but not at our expense. Fanta Fuhrer’s big donors should pay.
? Martin
@rikyrah: Actually, that the cost to keep Barron in his school, since that’s the argument for them staying there. Will Betsy DeVos send all of us half a billion dollars to keep our kids in their school against a job change?
Baud
@rikyrah: Heh.
@rikyrah: Heh.
Ruckus
@rikyrah:
At least now we know why he ran for office.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Emerald:
The 25th will come up sometime around the State of the Union Address. It will be his first time speaking before a large crowd of powerful people, nearly half of whom already despise him before his first word is uttered. Another rough quarter of the room will be apprehensive, and 10% will be demonstrably indifferent. His hard ceiling of people who like him is maybe 15% of the audience.
I give him a 65% chance of launching into bluster from the start and when the boos start, a career threatening tirade. The other 35% chance is for a dead reading of text OR a no show and written statement.
Roger Moore
@? Martin:
This isn’t necessarily much of an impediment. The 25th Amendment just says the President can be removed when he “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”, and it leaves it up to the VP, cabinet, and Congress to make that determination. I don’t think it does, or should, take a medical diagnosis to show somebody is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office; it just takes ordinary observation of their activities.
Roger Moore
@rikyrah:
How much of that money is rent for space in Trump’s building? How much is that price going to go up once he thinks nobody is watching? It’s grift, pure and simple.
Cain
@Brachiator:
The Republicans can only hope to control him if they know what is going on, but so far they are in as much in the dark as we are about what is coming. Even with their spy, Preibus as chief of staff, Bannon and Mr. Ivanka will be doing the end run around him and everyone else doing their own thing.
No the first military conflict that is going to happen is going to happen either by tweet or a botched ‘black ops’ that will have a country react very badly. Things will escalate very quickly. Foreign policy is going to be utter mess.
? Martin
@Roger Moore: Actually, I think that’s just the cost to NYC to keep 5th Ave partially shut down, reroute buses, 24/7 police, and whatever coordination of these things is needed. Trump Tower is in roughly the busiest neighborhood in the United States.
Cain
“What is our country coming to when … anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?”
What is our country coming to when… a black man, even without bad intentions are around our white women?
rikyrah
As Senate offices are overwhelmed with calls against DeVos, supporters resort to shady tactics
A group linked to DeVos is reportedly paying people to support her nomination.
As opposition to Betsy DeVos’ nomination for education secretary grows, DeVos’ supporters are reportedly resorting to shady tactics, such as paying people to support her. After DeVos’ confirmation hearing — during which she showed a deep lack of knowledge on major education policy issues — thousands of people called their senators’ offices, asking them not to support DeVos.
Teachers, students, and parents held hundreds of protests across the country opposing her nomination. Democratic senators have been particularly vocal in their opposition to DeVos — Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) explained her staunch opposition in the New York Times. And on Wednesday, two Republican senators, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Lisa Ann Murkowski (R-AK), said they would not vote for DeVos to become the next education secretary. Only one more Republican senator would need to vote against DeVos to break a tie, with the final Senate vote expected Tuesday.
Due to the overwhelming opposition to DeVos, someone is paying sites to pay people to go to SupportDeVos.com, a website that is run by American Federation for Children, which was formerly led by DeVos, and voice their support for her nomination, Jezebel’s The Slot reported. Jezebel spotted these requests on Swagbucks.com and Instagc.com, sites where people can earn money through filling out surveys or watching videos with advertisements.
When Jezebel made calls to American Federation for Children, Dean Petrone, CEO of GoBigMedia, who said he was handling media requests, said “these ads are not the property of AFC.” These requests for support disappeared soon after they received press attention.
The LIBRE Initiative, which calls itself non-partisan but is a pet project of the Koch brothers, is also trying to drum up support for DeVos. Its mission is to “empower the U.S. Hispanic community.”
The organization urged its followers on Twitter to call Sens. Collins and Murkowski and claimed Latino students would lose educational opportunities if DeVos is not confirmed.
skerry
@rikyrah: If they want to live separately, they should pay for it. President Obama moved his children in the middle of the school year. Can’t imagine the outrage if Michelle and the kids had stayed in Chicago.
? Martin
@Roger Moore: Yeah, I don’t think there’s any legal impediment, but Trumps most loyal supporters and the media that surround them (all of whom marinade in conspiracy theories every day) are the group that ‘the VP, cabinet, and Congress’ need in order to get re-elected.
Good luck making the ‘no medical diagnosis’ argument to them, especially when Trump will fight this tooth and nail. I think they’re better off impeaching him, which at least implies that the President is going to fight back and I think gives them a better case to make.
JordanRules
Some interesting reading:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/03/in-charter-77-czech-dissidents-charted-new-territory/
Twitter THREAD – The Lady Clapping Nazis Back With Her Handbag – I’m gonna speak on this for a second.
Mary G
I like this alternate universe (not necessarily the bill, but the image is awesome):
Let us Imagine Hillary signing a bill
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
imagine the shrieking and gnashing of teeth if Obama had launched unhinged personal attacks on federal judges.
Cain
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
It is only okay if you are a republican, because they are always good and right and cuz Jesus.
Cain
For a fun read, A Trump advisor from the Nixon days did an AMA on Reddit. It was a complete trainwreck.
Roger Moore
@? Martin:
As I’ve said before, it’s actually easier to get him out long-term by impeachment than by 25th Amendment, because the requirement for impeachment is lower in the House. My gut feeling is that using the 25th Amendment is something that would only happen in a crisis when it became obvious that it was the only way of stopping Trump from leading us into imminent disaster, e.g. threatening a nuclear first strike. That would get him out of power temporarily, since there’s a 21 day period where he can be kept out of power while Congress deliberates. Then they’d move to impeach rather than/in addition to confirming he was unable to serve under the 25th Amendment.
skerry
Another tweet.
MattF
On-topic SMBC comic.
Mandalay
Slightly OT but somewhat related, CNN was offered KellyAnne “Bowling Green” Conway for Jake Tapper’s State of the Union Show tomorrow.
CNN grew a pair and told the White House to get lost because they’ve had a belly full of her lying. Or politely declined. One of the two anyway.
Or maybe both.
Bunter
@? Martin: 5th is only partially closed to commercial traffic. That stops a block or so after parvum digiti’s building. City and tour buses still go by normally. There is an EMS truck parked on 55th or 56th right off 5th going west and three cops (might be four, depends how many intersections). The Secret Service wanted 5th shut down and rerouted and the city pretty much said screw that.
Chet Murthy
@Shalimar: Gotta say, I doubt it. Dampnut would never let somebody insult him so cuttingly and -accurately-, not even as part of a Cunning Plan ™.
GregB
That such an obviously authoritarian and manifestly unfit person was ever allowed to be a major party nominee will be an enduring shame to his supporters and all of this nation.
Roger Moore
@GregB:
Too bad shamectomy is a mandatory part of being a died-in-the-wool Republican.
SFAW
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
Is imagine “shrieking and gnashing of teeth” the newest euphemism for “lynching”? Or is it a euphemism merely for “impeaching”?
SFAW
@Mandalay:
WTF? Has TBogg gone mainstream? (I don’t mean like the MSM, I mean different from his usual snark, etc.)
Steve in the ATL
@gene108:
Proud to do my part, and continue my multi-decade refusal to buy Lincolns. Or any other American car, just to be safe. MB/Audi/BMW uber alles!
Yarrow
@skerry:
I feel the same way. I wonder why Barron is so special that he can’t move schools in mid-year. It’s not like he’s in the last semester of his senior year in high school or something like that where it would be complicated to move. He’s ten years old.
BBA
The 25th amendment is wishful thinking. As long as Trump is physically capable of tapping out a tweet, no Republican or red-state Democrat will dare lift a finger against him.
Chet Murthy
@skerry: Oh, inDEED. He’s sayin “l’Etat, c’est moi”. Loud and clear. Loud and clear.
Mnemosyne
@Yarrow:
There are persistent rumors that Barron is on the autism spectrum, and given the fact that autism is often tied to paternal age, the rumors seem to be plausible. If that’s the case, then it would make sense not to move him since it would be far more disruptive to him than to a neurotypical child.
However, tradition holds that Trump should be reimbursing the US government for that cost, not pocketing taxpayer money. I ain’t going to hold my breath waiting for him to write that check, though.
Chet Murthy
@zhena gogolia: I liked him in True Detective Season 1. His movies were in my queue. Not anymore. Need to find the address of his agent, send him a letter.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: I’ve heard those rumors. If he is on the autism spectrum, then it would be a great opportunity to promote education about that issue and other related issues. But my guess is that Trump would not be able to admit that one of his kids had an issue like that.
They should be reimbursing the US government for sure.
Teddys Person
@BBA: “tapping out a tweet” sounds like a euphemism for masturbation which will now make me think about Lord Dampnut rubbing one out while tweeting his nonsense. Brain bleach stat.
Mnemosyne
@Chet Murthy:
I’m not a huge fan of his BUT IIRC his wife is an immigrant from Brazil, and I’m not sure if she’s a citizen or here on a green card. I can see that that situation might make one a little wary of speaking out, especially when you have small children.
sigaba
@Oatler.:
Conservative apologists always have three excuses whenever someone on their side crosses the line– I called it the Dreher Trilemma over at LGM:
1) We’re totally on-board with this and liberals are just freaking out for no reason. After all, Muslims/Iran/China is a legitimate existential threat because reasons and blah blah… (This is the “Breivik had a point” defense).
2) Trump (etc.) is totally wrong, but liberals made this happen because they’re bigoted and intolerant and they censor our views, we have no choice but to side with Trump. (This is the “liberals made Breivik” defense).
3) What happened was awful and just goes to show that Trump was always a crypto-liberal. A conservative would never do that. (This is the “Breivik was a liberal” defense).
Watch for them, learn them.
Brachiator
@Cain:
Foreign policy is already a mess.
But I agree with you that the Republicans don’t know what they are dealing with.
I also wonder if they might be afraid to oppose him.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: I felt like the McConaughey comments weren’t as bad as some people are making them out to be. I got the impression he was rather ineptly saying, “he’s the president, we have to make the best of it.” That’s not speaking out against Trump, which would have been better, but it’s sort of saying, “we have to deal with it.”
I just checked and Wikipedia says his wife became a naturalized American citizen in 2015.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mnemosyne:
@Yarrow:
I’ve been reluctant to mention it here or elsewhere, but I agree that IF Barron is on the spectrum, and IF discussion of his (possible) condition is thoughtful and careful and not harmful, it would be a great opportunity to help normalize autism and to discuss causes/prevention/mitigation/treatment. But I am really nervous about invading his privacy on this front, so personally I’ll approach it gingerly.
Eric S.
@Steve in the ATL: Think Porsche, my friend.
PS, I loved my 3 series Bimmer.
sdhays
@Brachiator: David Brooks’ assertions aside, I see no indication that they have any desire to oppose him. They find him irritating and distracting at worst. Nothing he plans to do has them actually worried in the slightest.
If it ever gets to the point where they actually are moved to act against him, it will be far too late. There is no more “old guard” with a smattering of honor left.
Chet Murthy
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): [To that fascist apologist McC] Sorry, no. Actually, not sorry.
The fool was raised in a moderately wealthy household. He has no excuse for not having paid attention in High School Government class (I was also raised in Texas, and am 4yr older than he. Given how crappy my H.S. was, I can state with confidence that his H.S. provided him with opportunities to learn his responsibilities as a citizen.
As they say, “Ignorantia juris non excusat” (just looked that up, love it that it goes back to Roman law). He should know his responsibilities as a citizen (ffs, Dampnut just said (basically) “l’Etat, c’est moi”! FFS!) This isn’t about immigration, or refugees, or LGBT, or women, or minorities. This about the basic existence of our nation as a democracy and a Republic, and if McC doesn’t get that, then he’s only got himself to blame.
Honestly, I hope his career craters and he dies in obscurity, soaked in rum and heroin. Aafter being robbed by a series (hopefully >4) of mistresses (or boy-toys, whatever floats his boat).
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Yarrow: Thank you. I tried to explain that I had the same take earlier in the thread. Especially given his marriage to an immigrant (along with the “divisive” comment) I suspect he’s not a giant fan of VP Toddler in Chief. I think he’s saying, let’s do our best to make this work, to the extent that anyone can.
@Chet Murthy: Clearly you have a different take. Cool; I recognize that opinions differ.
Yarrow
@SiubhanDuinne: I agree. It’s a delicate subject, though, and if that is the case then the first obligation is to Barron and what is best for him.
HinTN
@Thru the Looking Glass…: 3 2 1 … I, too, cannot wait.
Yarrow
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I’m angrier at Susan Sarandon, who actively made things worse during the campaign, than I am McConaughey who just seems like he doesn’t want to take a side. If you look at the interview, Andrew Marr was pushing him as well, setting up the whole question in a way that put him on the spot. Being out of the country makes it even a bit more awkward.
I think McConaughey could have gone further, but I’m not going to get too worked up about it. He’s middle-aged, rich, white guy who isn’t professing love for Trump. That right there is a unicorn.
Chet Murthy
@rikyrah: I know it’d never happen, but shit, I bet Melanoma would divorce him for a quarter (half?) of that.
HinTN
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: “You lie”
amk
@CaseyL: Yup. I put him in the same sick group as the granny starver pushing the rw agenda behind a veneer of concern.
amk
Chet Murthy
@Teddys Person: Doubt he can. My understanding is, he takes Propecia, and that’s a mimic of estrogen. Teh funny.
Chet Murthy
@Mnemosyne: Then he could keep his yap shut. Like “I’m not a political person. I and my wife and family support our country and our citizens”.
No, he gets no pass on that.
A whole lotta people will end up having to flee before he and his wife have to. Again: this is part of his responsibility as a citizen. To, at a minimum, not support a fascist who wants to destroy our way of life. It’s not complicated.
Chet Murthy
@Yarrow:
[again, to Mr. McC:] “be constructive”? Have you read anything about the man, Mr. McC? *Anything*? He’s a grifter. And a racist. And a misogynist. Why don’t you ask your wife how she’d feel about spending an evening in the man’s company?
There is no “be constructive” with this despicable excuse for a human being.
Chet Murthy
@Yarrow: Yep, very angry at Sarandon and others. But last thing about McC: we don’t have a choice now, do we? We all have to take sides, and those who don’t, are also taking a side: the side of the status quo.
Yarrow
@Chet Murthy: Just for clarification, that sentence you quoted is not from me. It’s from him.
As for spending much time hating on McConaughey, there’s a lot worse out there than him. People who actually affect policy and people’s lives. I’m saving my energy for them. McConaughey could have done more. He didn’t. He also didn’t say he loved Trump and supports everything he stands for. He was mealy-mouthed and in the middle. It’s not worth my energy hating on him.
Nora
@Major Major Major Major: Damn. I’ve been making that mistake for a while. Thanks for letting me know.
Yarrow
@Chet Murthy: A lot of people don’t follow the news that much. And sometimes life gets in the way. I have a friend who is usually rather up on things and didn’t know about the EO’s, the immigration issues, airport protests, etc. I couldn’t believe it until I found out her dad was in the hospital with significant health issues. She’d been completely absorbed in all of that and said the hospital only showed ESPN whenever she saw a TV.
My point being, we don’t know everything about him and maybe there are reasons he’s not publicly speaking out. Not everyone feels they can. I’m okay with that. I’m not okay if they tell us to get in line and support Trump. And that’s not what he did.
Steve in the ATL
@Eric S.:
Two kids in private college at the moment–fun comes after that!
Karen
@Roger Moore:
I suck at history so are the 1850s when the 13th and 19th Amendment are what they’re shooting for?