Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

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

Consistently wrong since 2002

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Bark louder, little dog.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

This blog will pay for itself.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Don't Mourn, Organize / Thursday Morning Open Thread: Fighting the White Snowflakes

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Fighting the White Snowflakes

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We’re due for the first serious snowstorm of the season here north of Boston (12-15″ currently predicted), so if I’m not here this evening, either I’m busy shoveling or the power has gone out. Or both!

***********

A path to start fighting back against Jefferson Beauregard Sessions and his racist enablers:

Reader Interactions

185Comments

  2. 2.

    Quinerly

    Good morning from Tucumcari, NM. 6 weeks great American road trip now in progress! Just a chick and her dog, Poco, heading west. Nice to wake up to Balloon Juice.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Quinerly:

    Safe and memorable travels to you! I love long-haul solo road trips. Do keep us updated with postcards from the road :-)

  4. 4.

    bystander

    I haven’t thought of Tucumcari since I worked for TraveLodge in the early ’70s.

    I’m trying to watch “Battle of Algiers” thinking it would be a resistance inspiring movie. Brutal and harrowing before breakfast is no way to start the day in Alt America. (How long before we go back to “Amerikkka”?)

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @rikyrah:

    Morning, Rikyrah! Thought I would stay awake until I saw your cheerful greeting. Now I can go back to sleep for a couple of hours, I hope.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Tickets. Tickets, please.

    Is it far to Tucumcari?

    Thank you. Tickets. We should pass there in about three or four minutes.
    Thanks.

    Excuse me, but you’ve made a mistake, Reverend. I couldn’t help hearing you’re going to Tucumcari. I peddle goods around here, and I better tell you you’re on the wrong train. I think the nearest stop to Tucumcari is Amarillo.
    By getting off at Sante Fe and returning by way of Amarillo… you should be able to get right where you’re going. You see, the train doesn’t stop at Tucumcari.

    This train’ll stop at Tucumcari.

    -For a Few Dollars More.

  13. 13.

    Woodrowfan

    get the state government to report hate crimes? Hell, we’ll be lucky in the repubs in Richmond don’t pass laws requiring hate crimes..

  16. 16.

    NorthLeft12

    From a recent phone call between the French President and Deadbeat Donald;

    At one point, Trump declared that the French can continue protecting NATO, but that the U.S. “wants our money back,” the official said, adding that Trump seemed to be “obsessing over money.”

    THIS^^^! is a big chunk of the reason that the Republicans are successfully elected. They, and their followers, are absolutely fixated on making [no, not earning…that’s for chumps] money, and retaining it once you have it.

  18. 18.

    debbie

    @NorthLeft12:

    One of these foreign leaders needs to point out to Trump that they’ve given something far more important than money: human lives. Has America really sacrificed for other countries and willingly followed their lead the way other countries have joined with America?

    Ol’ Donald’s so good at monetizing. Make him calculate the cost of lost lives for these pointless causes.

  20. 20.

    bystander

    @SiubhanDuinne: Did not know that one. Learn something new on Balloon Juice ever day.

    Now, I have to find the video of Rodgers in a duet with Jimmy Durante somebody mentioned in the notes.

  22. 22.

    raven

    @OzarkHillbilly: been warped by the rain, driven by the snow
    I’m drunk and dirty don’t ya know, and I’m still, willin’
    Out on the road late at night, Seen my pretty Alice in every head light
    Alice, Dallas Alice
    I’ve been from Tucson to Tucumcari
    Tehachapi to Tonapah
    Driven every kind of rig that’s ever been made
    Driven the back roads so I wouldn’t get weighed
    And if you give me, weed, whites, and wine
    And you show me a sign
    I’ll be willin’, to be movin’

  23. 23.

    MomSense

    @bystander:

    Oh no! My dog loves the snow but she can stay out in it far longer than her humans. One time when she was a little puppy she went nuts digging a really deep hole in the snow. I started to get worried I would lose her so I reached in and pulled her out. She came out with a frozen Dunkin Donuts coffee roll! The poor snowplow driver probably dropped it.

  27. 27.

    Patricia Kayden

    @NorthLeft12: Strange that Trump is talking about American $$$ designated for NATO as “our money” when he hasn’t paid personal tax to the Federal government in decades.

  29. 29.

    Iowa Old Lady

    Charming

    Donald J. Trump
    Verified account
    ‏@realDonaldTrump 53m
    53 minutes ago

    More
    Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?

  31. 31.

    chris

    The blizzard will be here around supper time. The grocery store will be fun this morning. Stay safe, everyone.

  34. 34.

    Immanentize

    @raven: I heart Little Feet.

    ETA As my University is closed due to the impending storm, I can cue up some Goodbye Columbus and kick back a bit. Thanks Raven for the idea.

  36. 36.

    retiredeng

    Good morning. Somewhat off topic: We sent a message to our son about the USDA APHIS hiding the reports behind the FOIA (to protect the privacy of violators). He has a dog that was so mistreated before they adopted her that she still cowers from strangers a year later. Our son and his wife are Trump supporters.
    .
    Without even reading the notice he made this remark:
    “Rachel Maddow is a left wing liberal extremist. I would believe the weather man before I believed this idiot. She is in the California circle of bullshit extremist liberal rhetoric and I do not believe a word from these complete liberal ridiculous, irresponsible, obtuse, and black lives matter supporters.”
    .
    Now, where do you think he got this idea that Rachel is a “liberal extremist”?

  38. 38.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @chris:

    She’s a goddamned idiot who is apt to start a war with the canucks out of generalized stupidity, but on a positive note, her authentic prairie gibberish is something some canucks understand. And, unlike the rest of his appointees, she has a generalized idea of the object of her job – relate her wisdom to the polite white people in a cold climate country that she thinks might be close to Alaska.

  43. 43.

    JMG

    Had my wrist re-surgery (plate in broken wrist must be removed as its rubbing up against tendsons) postponed for the second time due to storm. Dr. understandably not eager to drive to Waltham to perform noon surgery. Neither did I want to go, so we’re cool. Try again on the 28th.

  45. 45.

    JGabriel

    Just came in from outside (Manhattan), and have a couple warnings for my fellow Northeasterners:

    1. Be careful even when just walking out there today. This is very wet, incredibly slippery snow – at least so far. It’s not the kind of deep or dry snow that you just tromp around in. You will slip around out there – and if you’re not careful you’ll probably fall.

    2. I love snow, and even I thought it was miserable out there. High-ish bitter winds blowing the snow right in your eyes. If you’re going outside, you might want to consider taking an umbrella.

  50. 50.

    Quinerly

    @satby:
    Thanks! Next stop Santa Fe and lunch with a friend at La Fonda. My indulgence of the day….that $8.00 fresh made Sangria! Thanks for all the the Little Feat and Tucumcari references. Should have posted yesterday morning from Tulsa.?

  52. 52.

    gene108

    I had a First yesterday.

    It started normally enough. I went to a diner for lunch, having skipped breakfast, I ordered an omelet that came with home fries.

    I went to put ketchup on the home fries. Shook the bottle a bit, because why not. Flipped the lid on the squeeze top bottle and ketchup erupted everywhere. My face, hair, glasses and shirt were splattered with ketchup. A bit even got on my pants.

    Ive never had a non-carbonated beverage explode like that, when opened.

    And least of all would I expect it from a supposedly innocuous ketchup bottle.

    Went through the day picking bits of dried ketchup from my hair.

    Diner was nice enough to not charge me for lunch.

    But beware, ketchup bottles are more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    @debbie

    While she possesses vocal chops and talent, I have issues with Ronstadt stemming from working part-time for A&M records while in college and had to deal with her spontaneous diva demands once.

    P.S.: She lost that battle.

  57. 57.

    Jeffro

    Hey, um, could somebody please hurry the heck up with that counter-intelligence report? I need Manafort, Page, and Flynn in handcuffs by the end of February or I’m going to lose a bet. And my country.

  58. 58.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @gene108:

    Were you dining with Cole, perchance? That sounds like his luck, with some rubbing off onto you.

  59. 59.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Jeffro:

    I’m still awaiting 2/28 with great glee. SOTU better involve a coordinated game plan.

  61. 61.

    delk

    CNBC is interviewing my husband about trump wanting to put a halt to that Labor Department regulation that would require advisors on retirement accounts to act as fiduciaries. I told him since he would be saying ‘fiduciary’ over and over to just go ahead and call trump a ‘douche bag’.

  62. 62.

    Spanky

    @father pussbucket: “… loofa-faced s***gibbon”, to be precise!

    Done with the mostly-rain & snow here in MD. I see it’s mostly out in the Atlantic headed north to come back ashore around LI Sound. Given the amount of heat energy still in the off-shore water, I expect it to wind up real good as it comes ashore.

    Y’all hang tight. Winds are gonna be a bitch, too.

  65. 65.

    Peale

    @chris: I’m fine with Palin in Canada. I think Trudeau is going to get squishy on Nafta and throw Mexico under the bus to protect his own trade surplus with the US. I would like that process to be as uncomfortable as possible for him.

  66. 66.

    Betty Cracker

    @Quinerly: So jealous! I love a good, long road trip! Please do keep us posted!

    I once started a cross-country road trip by driving from Pensacola, FL to Tucumcari, NM in one shot, which was insane. My logic at the time was that I wanted to get all the country I’d already seen in the rear-view mirror and start the trip proper in a strange place.

    Well, when I arrived at my motel in Tucumcari (it may have even been a TraveLodge!), it was an hour or so before check-in. I was so tired I could barely stand or speak, so I told the desk clerk I was going to sleep in my car until my room was ready and asked if she could knock on my window when it was, which she did. Good thing, too — this was in July, and if I’d slept in my car all day, I would have roasted to death, most likely.

    Have a wonderful time!

  67. 67.

    Oldgold

    It gets worse.

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    5m
    Sen. McCain should not be talking about the success or failure of a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy! He’s been losing so….

    …long he doesn’t know how to win anymore, just look at the mess our country is in – bogged down in conflict all over the place. Our hero..

  71. 71.

    Jeffro

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    I’m still awaiting 2/28 with great glee. SOTU better involve a coordinated game plan.

    Maybe we should start pressing our MoCs to walk out w/ Trumpov’s first lie? That would be entirely appropriate (and a lot classier than “YOU LIE!”, even if he deserves it)

    Anyway…will be organizing a wine & pizza party here with my fellow commies for that night…thanks for the reminder!

  72. 72.

    john (not mccain)

    @Iowa Old Lady: It might turn out to be actually charming if this sinks the Gorsuch nomination. Either Gorsuch verifies that he did, indeed say that, or denies he said it. If he denies, he’s going to be asked if he thinks Donald Trump’s comments have damaged the judiciary. And either way he answers that it’s a problem for his nomination.

  77. 77.

    Baud

    @delk: I’m sorry for the innocents, but I assume most of the people who use those services are white Trump supporters. Don’t care if they get cheated.

  78. 78.

    Jeffro

    @Oldgold: It gets a lot worse that that: Trumpov’s actually got the nerve this morning to be questioning…wait for it folks…OTHER PEOPLE’S SERVICE IN VIETNAM(!therearenotenoughexlamationpointsintheworld!)

    Holy fucking cow.

    Whenever you’re ready, 25th Amendment Strike Team…

  81. 81.

    MomSense

    So I’m watching Buttigieg on my tv and thinking about an interview he gave on Pod Save America. One of the points he made was that Democrats can win in red counties/states/cities if we deliver. The reason I could never be in broadcasting is because I started yelling “explain Fucking Elkhart”.

    Nobody delivered better for that community than Obama and the Democrats but those assholes voted for 45 anyway. I’m just really sick of white guys acting like racism isn’t a factor.

  82. 82.

    amk

    GOP is angry someone read a letter saying Sessions stopped black people from voting but not angry Sessions stopped black people from voting.— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) February 8, 2017

  84. 84.

    Peale

    @chris: I’m actually wondering how long before they notice that surplus. It’s bigly! If Trudeau thinks he can skirt that issue by agreeing that it’s Mexico that’s the problem…so that the US won’t look too closely…well he needs to sit in a room with Palin for long periods of time.

  89. 89.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @amk: What I’m afraid of is that some white people might find out that they really like how White Supremacy feels.

  91. 91.

    Quinerly

    @Betty Cracker:
    Thanks for the well wishes, Betty! I have stayed at this beat up Motel 6 on several different times stopping here. I think the old Travel Lodge is next to where I ate fried chicken livers and gravy last night.(Del’s).I know people laugh about Motel6s but when traveling with a dog, it’s the best for me for getting from point A to point B. Plus if you make the reservation on line and note that you are checking in early, most let you in by 2:00pm. Have a great day everyone and thanks for all the kind words!

  92. 92.

    efgoldman

    @JMG:

    Dr. understandably not eager to drive to Waltham to perform noon surgery.

    We’re hunkered down in Northern RI. Local; forecast per Weather Underground is “12”++” with temps dropping from current ~32 thru the single digits by afternoon.
    Technically there’s no blizzard warning here (we’re well inland) but if it snows like a duck, and wind blows like a duck….
    Hope the really nice retired Marine, who lives across the street and owns the biggest snow blower you can buy without mounting it on a tractor, hasn’t gone to Florida. He loves using it, does everybody’s driveway on this part of the street. mrs efg makes cookies for him.

  93. 93.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Jeffro:

    When will McCain learn to quit giving him what he wants? Trump types only back down when stymied – you can’t criticize while affirming unacceptable cabinet nominees.

    This is the mistake investors and vendors make with developers like him.

  94. 94.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    It’s more BS with him. The bottom line is that voter suppression, purging the voter rolls, new ID laws combined with Russian interference, media failure, and the FBI cost us the election. Pretending that Dems just have to reach out to disaffected whites,talk about jobs more, or deliver will magically lead to winning is foolish. Do none of these people remember where our economy was in 2008?

  95. 95.

    Baud

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Remember when this was enough to sink a career

    I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over the years, either.

  96. 96.

    efgoldman

    @gene108:

    ketchup bottles are more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

    Yeah, but now that the grifting regime is in full force, they’ll take bribes campaign contributions not to put labels on.
    I’m not even sure this is sarcasm. I expect them to reinstate “ketchup is a vegetable.”

  98. 98.

    tobie

    @MomSense: I’ve heard Buttigieg’s shtick about how Dems could win people in his home state of Indiana if they’d leave their safe bubbles in DC and do things for down home, regular, honest, hardworkin’ folks on Main Street. Does he even believe the populist shit he spouts? Small town America doesn’t look anything like a Norman Rockwell painting…it’s a dystopian shit hole filled with people seething with resentment at minorities whom they blame for their miserable lot.

  101. 101.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @MomSense:

    Oh, they remember.

    They think it was because black and Hispanic people got home loans.

  102. 102.

    rikyrah

    Spicer tries to squelch criticisms of Trump’s failed raid in Yemen
    02/09/17 08:45 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Two weeks ago in Yemen, the first military raid ordered by Donald Trump went horribly wrong. The plan was to acquire intelligence and equipment at an al Qaeda camp, but the mission quickly went sideways: Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owen, a member of SEAL Team 6, was killed; several other Americans were injured; and by the end of the operation, multiple civilians, including children, were dead.

    It’s been described as a mission in which “almost everything went wrong,” a dynamic made more complicated by U.S. military officials suggesting to Reuters that Trump approved the mission “without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.”

    Worse, some of the Trump White House’s claims about what transpired have struggled to stand up to scrutiny, and when the president’s Defense Department tried to present evidence of the raid’s value, that went wrong, too.

    The consequences of the events continue to reverberate: the New York Times reported yesterday that Yemen “has withdrawn permission for the United States to run Special Operations ground missions against suspected terrorist groups in the country,” which is an important setback for the Trump administration.

    Despite all of this, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said last week that the operation was “successful” and “well-executed.” Yesterday, Spicer went even further.

    The White House said Wednesday that anyone who questions the success of last week’s deadly U.S.-led raid in Yemen “owes an apology” to the Navy SEAL who was killed there. […]

    Spicer said that “anyone who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and [does] a disservice” to the life of Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens, who was killed in a firefight…. Spicer repeated his declaration that the Jan. 28 strike – which also left an 8-year-old girl and an unknown number of other civilians dead – was a “huge success.”
    Wait, it gets worse.

    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told NBC News this week after a briefing on the raid, “When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don’t believe you can call it a success.”

    Yesterday, Spicer suggested McCain was among those who should apologize for having done “disservice to the life of Chief Owens.” The senator was not amused.

  104. 104.

    rikyrah

    On civil rights, Republicans pick the wrong fight at the wrong time
    02/09/17 08:00 AM—UPDATED 02/09/17 08:18 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Given the racially charged themes tying together several recent Republican moves, the GOP would probably be better off avoiding an argument over civil rights, but a variety of prominent officials in the party were nevertheless eager to dive in yesterday.

    White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, for example, was asked at a briefing yesterday about Republicans shutting down Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) when she tried to read a letter from Coretta Scott King about Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). The press secretary touted Sessions’ record on civil rights “throughout his career,” and added that he “would hope” that King would support the Alabama Republican if she were alive today.

    Given Sessions’ actual record, Spicer’s rhetoric was difficult to take seriously. Coretta Scott King wrote 30 years ago that Sessions would “irreparably damage” her slain husband’s work, and there’s literally nothing to suggest she’d feel any differently today.

    Around the same time, however, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was taking the broader argument in an even more ridiculous direction. The Washington Post reported:
    The day after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was rebuked while making a speech critical of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Sen. Ted Cruz blasted Democrats, saying their party is the one rooted in racism.

    “The Democrats are the party of the Ku Klux Klan,” Cruz (R-Tex.) said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday. “You look at the most racist – you look at the Dixiecrats, they were Democrats who imposed segregation, imposed Jim Crow laws, who founded the Klan. The Klan was founded by a great many Democrats.”

    There are a couple of dramatic problems with this. The first is recent history: just last year, during the presidential campaign, a KKK newspaper published its support for Donald Trump’s candidacy. It was part of a broader push among white nationalists to help elect the Republican Party’s presidential ticket.

    This followed an incident from last February in which Trump was asked to denounce support he’d received from white supremacists – and the Republican hesitated.

    Perhaps Ted Cruz missed this.

  105. 105.

    MomSense

    @tobie:

    Seriously. How does he explain that the Obama administration and Democrats delivered big time for Indiana and they didn’t reward them with their votes? Did he miss the town hall Obama did in Elkhart? How does one get through to people like that?

  106. 106.

    efgoldman

    @Betty Cracker:

    I once started a cross-country road trip by driving from Pensacola, FL to Tucumcari, NM in one shot,

    Lemme’ guess. You were…. umm… 18!

  108. 108.

    rikyrah

    Trump’s White House takes on retailer over his daughter’s deal
    02/08/17 04:07 PM—UPDATED 02/08/17 04:17 PM
    By Steve Benen

    Nordstrom, a prominent high-end retail chain, had a business arrangement with Ivanka Trump, one of Donald Trump’s adult children, which recently ran its course. Nordstrom said last week that her products simply weren’t selling: “Based on the brand’s performance, we’ve decided not to buy it for this season,” a Nordstrom spokeswoman said Thursday. Other retailers featuring Ivanka Trump’s products made a similar decision.

    Apparently, the president is not handling the developments well. Donald Trump interrupted his busy work schedule this morning to declare via Twitter, “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person – always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”

    It was a bizarre message, and not just because his poor writing skills made it seem as if he thinks it’s terrible that his daughter is always pushing him to do the right thing. In practical terms, the message was unprecedented: a sitting president used his position to criticize a private entity, targeting an American company for hurting his daughter’s bottom line.

    Given Trump’s existing conflicts-of-interest troubles, this showed ridiculous judgment. The president should at least try to separate himself from his family’s business interests, instead of using his office to interfere in his daughter’s retailing opportunities.

    It’s one thing to badger companies on issues such as foreign manufacturing; it’s something else to use the presidency to harass a company over his family’s profits. (Note, Trump’s tweet about Nordstrom was soon featured on the official presidential Twitter account, as well as Trump’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.)

    But as outlandish as this was, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made matters considerably worse with his defense of his boss’ tweet:

  109. 109.

    Baud

    @rikyrah:

    “The Democrats are the party of the Ku Klux Klan,” Cruz (R-Tex.) said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday. “You look at the most racist – you look at the Dixiecrats, they were Democrats who imposed segregation, imposed Jim Crow laws, who founded the Klan. The Klan was founded by a great many Democrats.”

    He’s right. Whenever you hear people talk about how Democrats have betrayed them, this is what they are referring to — the abandonment of our racist past in the 60s and 70s.

  111. 111.

    chris

    @Peale: I’ve been waiting for them to notice Canada. And wondering what the NATO position is on one member invading another.

    Catch up later, gotta do some last minute storm prep.

  112. 112.

    efgoldman

    @Jeffro:

    Maybe we should start pressing our MoCs to walk out w/ Trumpov’s first lie?

    There are three good options none of which the Dems will actually do.
    1) Boycott. Just don’t show up. Leave all the seats empty.
    2) Walk out at some pre-arranged point, same end result except with more commotion.
    3) When he starts to “speak” all stand and turn their backs to the podium silently.

    I wonder if Lewis, Clyburn and some others just won’t go as a personal gesture, but boy howdy would I love to see some group effort.

  114. 114.

    rikyrah

    New Era of Education Passion, Protest and Politics Will Follow DeVos Confirmation
    by Liz Willen
    February 8, 2017 3:04 PM

    If nothing else, the historic confirmation of billionaire Betsy DeVos as President Donald Trump’s education secretary ushers in a new champion for public education: the public.

    Education, as it often does, took a back seat during the heated and closely contested election campaign between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

    Not anymore.

    The 50-50 Senate confirmation vote – broken only by Vice President Mike Pence’s unprecedented tie-breaker – means the pro-school-choice DeVos, who attended private schools and sent her children to them – will take the helm. But in the process, public education has gained much- needed attention after Democratic senators held a marathon all-night session ahead of the vote, angry crowds protested outside their politicians’ offices back home, and late-night comedians even took notice of the uproar.

    The enormous scrutiny and publicity surrounding the vote have reminded us that education is an issue nearly everyone cares about, although it’s too often overlooked in the coverage of horse-race politics and click-bait stories or obscured by inaccessible acronyms and jargon. Even ardent opponents to DeVos found some reasons to feel heartened.

    …………………………..

    During her contentious hearing, DeVos made clear her preference for an education system that favors choice – including virtual charter schools with dismal track records. The Obama administration also invested federal dollars in charter schools, but the $20 billion level Trump has proposed for promoting school choice is unprecedented.

    Much of that money would go toward the private sector, and DeVos has also been challenged repeatedly for supporting vouchers that allow parents to use government dollars to pay for private, for-profit and religious schools, a cornerstone of Trump’s stated plan. Results for voucher programs have been questionable, according to several studies.

  115. 115.

    Betty Cracker

    @MomSense: I’m pretty much ignoring anyone who has a grand unifying theory about the presidential election loss of 2016. It was a black swan event that involved all of the factors you mentioned and more, IMO.

    I’m certainly open to hearing new ideas about how Democrats can reach out — especially on the local level, where we really do have long standing issues that must be addressed. But to echo Kay, anyone who thinks they have the answer should run a candidate on their message and prove it by winning. That’s how the “establishment” becomes established — they win elections and convince others that their message works.

    Buttigieg probably won’t get the DNC gig, but maybe he should run for governor. If his message is on target, it’ll resonate outside of South Bend in a red state. And if that happens, Democrats nationwide would sit up and take notice.

  116. 116.

    Peale

    @rikyrah: once there is a dead soldier, there’s no point in criticism. Bush taught us that. We live dead soldiers more than anything at all.

  117. 117.

    laura

    @rikyrah: Good morning Rikyrah.
    Man, I wish I had a road trip with a dog.
    Instead, I’ll be road tripping through a major storm, through the flood watch, to do strike duty, in Gustine, from midnight to 6. Ugh!

  118. 118.

    rikyrah

    The GOP Just Corbetted Themselves
    by Martin Longman
    February 7, 2017 3:40 PM

    As a Pennsylvania resident, I was perplexed by Gov. Tom Corbett’s persistent unpopularity which led ultimately to his political defeat when he sought reelection. To be more specific, I saw many reasons for the citizens of the Commonwealth to oppose him, but most of those reasons applied with equal or greater force to Republican governors in Maine, Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin who all managed to maintain better approval numbers and who were all ultimately given a second term in office.

    Eventually, through talking to knowledgable people who are more engaged in state-level politics than I am, I came to understand that Corbett had crippled himself in his first year in office by how he handled education. In doing a post-mortem on Corbett’s defeat, G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young made this exact point.

    Every governor to seek re-election but one since 1968 had a bad first year, and all won re-election. Milton Shapp, Bob Casey, Tom Ridge and Ed Rendell all had tough first years and low job approval ratings. But each recovered by the end of his second year. Corbett never did. Corbett’s major first-year challenge was the education budget that dominated the press coverage and the polls, ultimately becoming fodder for campaign commercials, and framed subsequent political discussions. Corbett lost control of the narrative that he needlessly cut education spending, resulting in property tax hikes, faculty layoffs and program curtailments.

    Democrats are frustrated that they couldn’t stop the confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be the Secretary of Education, but (setting aside the damage she will surely do) this could be a very Pyrrhic victory for the Republicans. There were already big problems with the Democratic Party before the stunning election loss in November. Primary among them was that the party was built to win presidential elections but increasingly incapable of winning control of the House of Representatives or control of most state legislatures. But, just as their blue Electoral College wall unexpectedly crumbled in Pennsylvania and parts of the Midwest, the Republicans’ advantage in supposedly red districts could fall apart over how they handle our public schools.

  119. 119.

    Steve in the ATL

    @rikyrah:

    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told NBC News this week after a briefing on the raid, “When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don’t believe you can call it a success.”

    Sounds like a case of “everyone is wrong”–how many airplanes did McCain crash in his undistinguished Navy career?

  120. 120.

    Tripod

    @Peale:

    I just…. a mature economy, aging workforce, (relatively) low consumption, too high a savings rate. Let’s further depress consumption by jacking around with NAFTA. Consumers don’t magically swallow those upward price point shifts, THEY JUST STOP SPENDING.

  121. 121.

    bemused

    Another white nationalist in WH was revealed a few days ago but I just read about it. Michael Anton, national security analyst on Dolt team. Has someone compiled a list of how many white supremacists are now whispering in Dolt’s ear because they seem to be multiplying pox carrying vermin?

  124. 124.

    Woodrowfan

    snow schmoo. We have a slight drizzle in DC. and it’s chilly out. (I’m surprised they haven’t shut the city down given how DC reacts to snow).

  125. 125.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    I listened to Glenn Beck’s minions (hopefully, he’s off sick somewhere) for a bit. Despite their rabid hatred of Elizabeth Warren, they think McConnell’s move (and the GOP support for it) was really stupid and short-sighted.

  126. 126.

    The Lodger

    @Jeffro: I prefer having one MoC walk out every time T tells a lie. People will wonder if there are enough MoCs to last through the speech.

  127. 127.

    MomSense

    I have an issue with we need to field candidates in all the races promise. The liberal idealist in me loves that idea but that doesn’t mean I want the party to spend significant money on candidates who don’t have a chance in hell. I’d like to spend money on races where we have a shot at winning. I’m also not so sure that people realize that running candidates who can win in some of these districts means running blue dogs.

  128. 128.

    Adria McDowell (formerly LurkerExtraordinaire)

    @LibraryGuy: Hey! I grew up in Ulster County!

    Ohio is nice, but I really want to move back to New York. Not enough snow in the C-bus area!!

  130. 130.

    Baud

    @MomSense:

    It’s a tough calculus, but if we have local candidates in more races, we can hopefully increase turnout enough among Dems to win some more state wide races.

    I’m also not so sure that people realize that running candidates who can win in some of these districts means running blue dogs.

    I realize and am comfortable with this, but I agree a lot of people don’t want to admit this.

  132. 132.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    I realize and am comfortable with this, but I agree a lot of people don’t want to admit this.

    Well, tell them reality sucks, but it’s still reality.

  133. 133.

    Peale

    @Tripod: we don’t have too high a savings rate, but the rest I agree on. exiting the trade agreement with Canada actually makes more sense than with Mexico if the point is to protect American Jobs. But honestly, this is about punishing Mexico for “stealing” and “cheating” somehow. There’s no point in Mexico bothering to negotiate new terms, since Trump has basically made the country into an enemy that needs to surrender. Why should they bother?

  134. 134.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    Yes, local candidates are great but I don’t think people realize just how much support they need especially if they are going to run in Republican areas. It’s not just campaigning help. In many cases they are going to need help dealing with harassment and threats.

  139. 139.

    tobie

    @MomSense: Too true. How to revive manufacturing was also one of the main themes of HRC’s stump speech, if anyone bothered to listen. It’s not like jobs were never mentioned. Quite the contrary.

    I’d like to be involved in a project that tracks at the local level how much federal and state aid specific counties and municipalities receive versus how much they fork over in taxes. I know this has been done at the state level and it’s clear blue states like Mass, NY, and CA subsidize red states. But I’d really like to see data at a local level. My neighbors in Cecil County, Maryland are convinced that they’ve never received a dime in assistance, even as they brag that the state paid to the tune of $50K for their new septic system (Chesapeake Bay protection). I bite my tongue whenever I hear this.

  140. 140.

    bystander

    @MomSense:

    In many cases they are going to need help dealing with harassment and threats.

    Don’t forget rank stupidity and willful ignorance. There will be much of that.

  141. 141.

    Kathleen

    @Quinerly: We could have regaled you with the classic 24 Hours From Tulsa by Gene Pitney. Daily BJ challenge: come up with song for each of your stops.

  144. 144.

    Betty Cracker

    @MomSense: My county-level party organization has a program to train folks to run for office and/or manage campaigns, which I think is a smart way to harness all the energy that’s now afoot in the Trump era. We’ve got people in this organization who were Clinton supporters and also many who are still fired up about the primary runner-up’s message. Instead of allowing that divide to consume all the energy, the party is saying, okay, here are the skills you need to promote the local candidates you favor; go forth and prosper. It’s a good approach, IMO.

  146. 146.

    Denali

    I am old enough to remember how much political capitol Jimmy Carter lost when the hostage rescue went wrong. These disasters stick in peoples’ minds; we must not let this go down the memory hole.

  147. 147.

    Yarrow

    @The Lodger: @Jeffro: @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
    Anyone who doesn’t think the State of the Union address is going to be the How Great Donald Trump Is address isn’t paying attention. Whatever the Dems decide to to, they need to be prepared that he’ll heckle them by name from the podium. He’ll instruct the Republicans to boo. If he doesn’t know that Member of Congress (the Dem who’s walking out or doing some other protest) he’ll turn to Ryan and Pence and ask them who that is so he can heckle them. The “You lie!” break in decorum of the Obama years is going to seem quaint.

    He may end up not doing those things because someone drugged him or Putin told him he had to behave, but Dems need to be prepared.

  150. 150.

    rikyrah

    Now, repeat after me, Ladies and Gentlemen…

    What would have happened if, Malia and/or Sasha Obama, had a clothing line, and Josh Earnest came out and told folks to buy it?

    Kellyanne Conway endorses Ivanka Trump’s merchandise
    02/09/17 10:08 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Donald Trump, already beset by a series of conflict-of-interest controversies, broke new ground yesterday: the Republican president used his office to chastise an American company for no longer selling his daughter’s merchandise. In case this isn’t obvious, we’re not accustomed to seeing the chief executive of a superpower exploit his platform to interfere in his daughter’s retailing opportunities.

    Making matters worse, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Nordstrom’s decision to stop selling Ivanka Trump’s products represented an “attack.”

    And just when it seemed this story couldn’t get more ridiculous, a prominent member of Team Trump turned things up a notch.

    During a Thursday morning Fox & Friends interview, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway told viewers to buy products from Ivanka Trump’s clothing line.

    This comes the day after Donald Trump tweeted angrily at Nordstrom for dropping his daughter’s line, writing that she had been “treated so unfairly.” Conway referred to Ivanka as a “champion for women empowerment, women in the workplace,” before adding, “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I would tell you. I hate shopping, and I’m gonna go get some on myself today.”

    Hmm. A White House official – which is to say, a public official whose salary is paid by American taxpayers – appeared on national television this morning in what looked like the press briefing room in the West Wing. She then used that platform to, in effect, do a little commercial/testimonial in support of her boss’ daughter’s merchandise, encouraging people to buy Trump products.

  151. 151.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:

    Ol’ Donald’s so good at monetizing. Make him calculate the cost of lost lives for these pointless causes.

    You made a funny!

  152. 152.

    Jeffro

    @Yarrow:

    Anyone who doesn’t think the State of the Union address is going to be the How Great Donald Trump is address isn’t paying attention. Whatever the Dems decide to to, they need to be prepared that he’ll heckle them by name from the podium. He’ll instruct the Republicans to boo. If he doesn’t know that Member of Congress (the Dem who’s walking out or doing some other protest) he’ll turn to Ryan and Pence and ask them who that is so he can heckle them. The “You lie!” break in decorum of the Obama years is going to seem quaint.

    He may end up not doing those things because someone drugged him or Putin told him he had to behave, but Dems need to be prepared.

    Agreed. I like @The Lodger: ‘s idea myself…a slow dribble of walkouts would send him right over the edge…

  153. 153.

    JMG

    Have to mention this. As usual, local Boston TV news has someone stationed at a seashore community because big snowstorms also bring coastal flooding. Reporter says “it’s an angry sea today!” Showing unbelievable restraint, the anchor did not chime in “like an old man sending soup back in a deli.”

  154. 154.

    Jeffro

    @rikyrah:

    Now, repeat after me, Ladies and Gentlemen…

    What would have happened if, Malia and/or Sasha Obama, had a clothing line, and Josh Earnest came out and told folks to buy it?

    And then once you picture THAT, just picture Stephanie Cutter coming out and telling folks to buy Chelsea Clinton’s book…whew…

  155. 155.

    Canuckistan

    @Peale:

    How does exiting the trade agreement with Canada make more sense?
    Industry is leaving Canada to go to Right To Work states/Mexico and definitely not the reverse.

  156. 156.

    Yarrow

    @schrodingers_cat: I’m not going to watch either. I didn’t watch any of the inauguration and have changed the channel or muted or stopped clips running every time a bit of it is shown in another place. I refuse.

    My point still holds though. He’s going to heckle people, maybe even by name, from that podium and it’s going to be all about him. Dems need to be prepared, especially if they are planning any kind of protest or walkout. I hope he heckles one or more of the Supreme Court Justices, if he decides to heckle people. Wonder how that would work for him.

  157. 157.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: Never bought her stuff before, don’t see a need to start right now. Read somewhere that Marshall’s and TJ are going to discontinue her merchandise too. May be it has nothing to do with politics at all. May be its just not selling.

  159. 159.

    Yarrow

    @rikyrah: I hope another Senator cc’s the clip of her statement and sends it to the Ethics Office.

    I heard on one of the morning infotainment shows that Breitbart had some story about how people are protesting Nordstroms and a boycott is planned. Oh, and they’re cutting up their Nordstrom’s credit cards. Anyone heard anything about that?

  162. 162.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @retiredeng:

    Now, where do you think he got this idea that Rachel is a “liberal extremist”?

    Correct reply “That sounded like someone else talking, are you there?” and then explain to him the logical fallicy of guilt by association – that just because this person has such and such political belief doesn’t automatical mean their statement can’t be true and fruther more do you need to point out to your son that the man he supports belives in made up facts.

  163. 163.

    Yarrow

    @schrodingers_cat: I have quit watching news except to check the weather. I changed the receiver channel so it’s set on TCM and that’s what comes up when the TV comes on. I’m enjoying watching the 31 days of Oscar movies they’re showing now. It’s alphabetical and I think they’re just starting G at the moment. I haven’t watched that much of them but it’s fun to dip in and out of them when you turn the TV on.

  164. 164.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Jeffro: it’s not the State of the Union. You give that after the first year of your presidency. This is a special address to a joint session of congress. I wish people would point this out, it would drive him Nuts. Hasn’t even been president long enough to give a state of the union! Will he even make it that far? Etc.

  165. 165.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @JGabriel:

    When he was in the shit fighting STDs all around him. Whoring around was PeePee LeSpew’s personal Vietnam.

    We should penition Congress to award the Trump a medal for it.

  167. 167.

    The Lodger

    @rikyrah: After what she wore on inauguration day, I’m sure people are just lining up to take clothes advice from Kellyanne Conway.

  174. 174.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @rikyrah:

    Update: Trump turned to Twitter this morning to criticize McCain for telling the truth about the raid in Yemen, saying it “emboldens the enemy!” This just isn’t a healthy attitude for a democracy.

    It wouldn’t be a healthy attitude in a dictatorship ether. That’s what the movie Downfall was pointing out and why the scene of Hilter ranting sticks in everyone’s mind; how ludicrously out of the touch the Nazis were because they refused to tolerate information they didn’t like.

  175. 175.

    Larkspur

    @laura: Good for you, laura, but please oh please be careful of this massive Pineapple Express that’s hitting the North California coast. It’s got me worried. I am housesitting at a place with an electric gate, and I’m going to move my car down to the road, because I expect to lose power sometime today. This is a big storm.

  176. 176.

    Larkspur

    @Denali: But the very fabric of reality has rewoven itself since then. They can just say it didn’t happen. I just hope Melissa McCarthy keeps telling the truth.

    Also, I wish there were a little elf in DC who could sneak in and change the sign on Stephen Bannon’s door to “Steve Benen” and then we get him to move right in.

  177. 177.

    Larkspur

    I know this is a dead thread but it’s an open thread, so good luck with the snow in the east, and wish us luck here on the northern left coast. We’re getting hammered with wind and rain, and in an hour we’ve got a big 7 foot tide. This is officially a YIKES! situation.

  179. 179.

    jake the antisoshul soshulist

    @chris:
    Why would Snowbilly Snooki be any worse than anyone else Trump might pick?
    She knows hockey so that would make her more qualified than Betsey DeVos or Ben Carson are for their positions.

  181. 181.

    Larkspur

    @opiejeanne: Okay, not strictly northern. Northish. Like north of SF and beyond. Hi Oregon and Washington! We will try to keep the storm from hitting the actual Northern Left Coast.

    Love, Northish.

  182. 182.

    princess (now general) Leia

    @Quinerly: When you pass through Wislow AZ, stop at the La Posada hotel and eat at the Turquise room. Amazing building and food.

  183. 183.

    J R in WV

    Well, Samuel Sinyangwe’s suggestions are great, but in my state, the AG is a carpetbagging Right-wing nut-job from Maryland, the Secretary of State is a newly elected RWNJ who fired everyone who knew how to do the job to hire his cronies, and the legislature is majority RWNJs out of control.

    And our newly elected governor is a DINO coal billionaire who has never held a government position, who’s father was a coal man, who never had a job aside from volunteering to coach scholastic girl’s basketball. Let me think… who does that sound like? Sounds like someone well known, interested in young girls, on the tip of my tongue… but won’t come to me. I have real trouble with names…

    So, like the larger US of A, West Virginia is so fucked. WVISF?

  184. 184.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    It wouldn’t be a healthy attitude in a dictatorship ether. That’s what the movie Downfall was pointing out and why the scene of Hilter ranting sticks in everyone’s mind; how ludicrously out of the touch the Nazis were because they refused to tolerate information they didn’t like.

    I had always wondered where that “Hitler is pissed” clip came from, but was too lazy to use google to find out. I wonder if the original dialog is as good as some of the recent “translations”.

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