Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Optimism opens the door to great things.

T R E 4 5 O N

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Everybody saw this coming.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

We still have time to mess this up!

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You are here: Home / Politics / An Unexamined Scandal / Open Thread: Donald Trump, FAKE! President; Real Traitor?

Open Thread: Donald Trump, FAKE! President; Real Traitor?

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212Comments

  2. 2.

    Yutsano

    There’s a Parody Richard Nixon account on Twitter. I haven’t heard anything from it lately however.

  4. 4.

    lamh36

    So yesterday, I had some severe lower back/abdominal pains. So I went to local ER. When I finally made it to the back, they wanted to rule out bladder/kidney infection vs severe muscle spasms.

    They drew blood, took a scan, and gave me some morphine. After 2 hours, I still had pain even with morphine, but from body scan everything looks normal????????

    The MD in ER says it’s just severe muscle strain. Sent me home with a strong muscle relaxer and a strong pain med.

    Told me to try to use one or the other. if not i can use both but they both make you pretty drowsy

    I was just glad to know it wasn’t an a bad organ issue!!!

    The pain was really bad last night, so much so I actually had tears in my eyes.

    But the meds FINALLY kicked in and now I’m feeling good.

    https://i2.wp.com/thecircular.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Brad-Pitt.gif

  5. 5.

    bystander

    You can tell how smart Trump is by the way he’s alienating the press while insulting the IC. A winning combination!

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lamh36: If you can get to the gym and use an arc trainer, not an elliptical, do a 1/2 hour of moderate cardio. It’ll help loosen things back up even as you’re all locked up. If they don’t have an arc trainer, then the elliptical will do.

  12. 12.

    XTPD

    I think the BJ Lexicon should change “Even the liberal New Republic” to “Even the liberal New York Times.” The former was accurate during Peretz’ ownership, but the latter is evergreen.

  15. 15.

    Major Major Major Major

    There’s a pattern to Trump’s attacks on the media. They repeatedly happen directly after reporting on Russia. Watch

    I don’t know that this is true considering that any time Trump does anything it’s immediately after reporting on Russia.

  16. 16.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yutsano: Try this RMNixon twitter account; it’s both funny *and* informative!

    @lamh36: Glad you’re feeling better, however drowsy. Assume the urgent-care people checked for… female problems? Because apart from a bout of nephritis, the worst combined back-abdomen pain I’ve ever suffered (knock wood) turned out to be endometriosis. (Which was the good news, since the next choice would’ve been ovarian cysts; they’d previously ruled out ectopic pregnancy. I was in my 30s then, so medical imaging may have improved in the ensuing 25 years… )

  17. 17.

    lamh36

    @Anne Laurie: yes…she they did a body scan and urine tests all of which came back normal. If I recall even with endometriosis and cysts, you should still see abnormal results.

  19. 19.

    lollipopguild

    @bystander: Trump has never really dealt with blowback/payback before, he has skated thru life until now. In the end it may be just him and bannon in the White House talking to the pictures on the wall just like nixon.

  22. 22.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Twitter 90 years ago: UPI using fake news about Teapot Dome, sad!
    Warren G Harding
    # TheRealWarrenHarding

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    All of my friends and family have been trying to gently prepare me for the probable reality that Lin-Manuel Miranda will NOT win tonight. I’m trying to be philosophical, especially since I know Mary Poppins Returns is up next for him.

    Also, I did not expect Taraji P. Henson to play the shy math genius in Hidden Figures because of the other roles I’ve seen her in, but she really killed that part.

  25. 25.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Keep getting better, lamh36!

    I’m hoping everyone associated with Trump is feeling the heat, is personally miserable. I imagine Spicer’s phone checks aren’t helping morale. It is to laugh!

  27. 27.

    lapassionara

    Has anyone heard anything about a bill (HB 610, I think) that would essentially eliminate most if not all federal programs for public schools, grades k through 12? Purportedly repeals a 1965 law affecting public schools. If true, this would be devastating.

  28. 28.

    XTPD

    @Chet Murthy: Yes, but that’s not in the lexicon either, and would be the replacement/supplement for Fuck the Fucking Yankees. My point is that for all intents and purposes the New Republic is no longer a kludge against liberals, so the entry should at least be edited to “even the liberal…”

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lapassionara: Here you go. Its sponsor is Steve King (R-IA).
    https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/610

    Summary: H.R.610 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)All Bill Information (Except Text)

    Listen to this page
    There is one summary for H.R.610. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
    Shown Here:
    Introduced in House (01/23/2017)

    Choices in Education Act of 2017

    This bill repeals the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) such that ED is authorized only to award block grants to qualified states.

    The bill establishes an education voucher program, through which each state shall distribute block grant funds among local educational agencies (LEAs) based on the number of eligible children within each LEA’s geographical area. From these amounts, each LEA shall: (1) distribute a portion of funds to parents who elect to enroll their child in a private school or to home-school their child, and (2) do so in a manner that ensures that such payments will be used for appropriate educational expenses.

    To be eligible to receive a block grant, a state must: (1) comply with education voucher program requirements, and (2) make it lawful for parents of an eligible child to elect to enroll their child in any public or private elementary or secondary school in the state or to home-school their child.

    No Hungry Kids Act

    The bill repeals a specified rule that established certain nutrition standards for the national school lunch and breakfast programs. (In general, the rule requires schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat free milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat in school meals; and meet children’s nutritional needs within their caloric requirements.)

    You can find the full text at the link.

    Also, it’ll never make it through the Senate.

  32. 32.

    Chet Murthy

    @XTPD: OIC. Or, erm, I think I do: you’re saying that TNR isn’t the execrable piece of agitprop it used to be under Peretz (and from a perusal of its front web-page, it seems decent) so we might stop sneering at them? Point taken. Long ago I stopped paying attention to TNR, b/c …. well, Peretz and his minions. But also Sully (stop to spit). And, I’m sure, others, but life’s too short. And you’re right, that FTFNYT has more to answer for, in recent years.

    Point taken.

  35. 35.

    Phylllis

    @lapassionara: Yes. It would repeal ESSA, which was authorized in December of 2015, and would turn Title I funds into block grants to states. Likely dead on arrival in the Senate as long as Lamar Alexander is the chair of the Senate Education committee.

  38. 38.

    randy khan

    I just got polled for the Democratic primary for the VA governor’s race. The poll was sponsored by Ralph Northam, which I’d guessed before the poller told me. It was a pretty standard preference/info/now what’s your preference poll, although unusually long, and it included potential attacks and positives for both of them, and re-asked preference three times. I wonder how many people are willing to get through the whole thing. (I did it mostly out of curiosity.)

  40. 40.

    Gindy51

    Just finished reading the Guardian’s article about Robert Mercer and big data… feeling sick to my stomach.
    ‘Facebook was the key to the entire campaign, Wigmore explained. A Facebook ‘like’, he said, was their most “potent weapon”. “Because using artificial intelligence, as we did, tells you all sorts of things about that individual and how to convince them with what sort of advert. And you knew there would also be other people in their network who liked what they liked, so you could spread. And then you follow them. The computer never stops learning and it never stops monitoring.” ‘

  41. 41.

    XTPD

    @Chet Murthy: This is an accurate reading; in fact if anything whatever wanking happens is safely identifiable as leftist (although now it’s almost entirely Jones, Chang and Shephard) — it really is much better without Peretz.

    Also, Sully & Jack Shafer were as good at executive editing as Rob Liefeld and Chuck Austen are at writing. (And I know Shafer’s never worked at TNR, but he needs to be immolated in a port-a-potty).

    Also fuck Peretz & Kelly.

  42. 42.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mike in NC: I prefer Steve ‘Pig Muck’ King. King of BigAg Pig-Slurry Pits… and so true to his personality. That’s a man who doesn’t enjoy fvcking nearly as much as he enjoys fvcking others over.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    OT. Good on Ellison

    Rep. Keith Ellison‏ @keithellison

    Trump is used to getting whatever he wants. Not anymore. Democrats are united.

    Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump
    The race for DNC Chairman was, of course, totally “rigged.” Bernie’s guy, like Bernie himself, never had a chance. Clinton demanded Perez!

  44. 44.

    Oatler.

    He seems to be talking directly to his “base” and relying on them to do the “enforcing”. I have to use quotation marks because this administration is destroying language as a communication device. I hope someone with less fried brain cells than me will articulate this, maybe Laurie Penny? We may end up inflecting the middle finger.

  47. 47.

    Shana

    @randy khan: I always answer phone polls. I’ve only bailed on a couple over the years, because they went over 15 minutes. The push polls are especially fun because I tell them that their questions are bullshit when they obviously are. YMMV.

  48. 48.

    lamh36

    Oscars tonight…like I said, I won’t be watching LIVE, but I will likely follow along.
    my predictions for the big categories.

    Best Film
    Will Win: La La Land
    Should Win: Moonlight
    Personal Choice: Hidden Figures

    Best Director:
    Will Win: D. Chazelle (La La Land)
    Should Win: B. Jenkins (Moonlight)
    My pick: B. Jenkins (Moonlight)

    Best Actress:
    Will Win: Emma Stone
    Should Win: Honestly don’t know…but…
    My pick: Ruth Negga

    Best Actor:
    Will Win: Afleck won most so I guess him
    Should Win/My Pick: Denzel Washington should always win it all

    Best Supporting Actress:
    Will Win/Should Win/My Pick: “Two words…VIOLA DAVIS”

    Best Supp Actor:
    Should/Will/ My Pick: Mahershala Ali

    Adapated Screenplay
    Will Win: Moonlight
    Should Win: Moonlight/Hidden Figures
    My Pick: Hidden Figures…BEST MOVIE THIS YEAR

    Animated Film
    Will Win: Zootopia
    Should Win/My Pick: Zootopia Moana
    Loved both films, but I’d I’ll give Moana personal ?

    Best Song:
    Will Win: probably LaLa Land song
    Should Win/My Pick: How Far I’ll Go (Moana)
    I want LMM to get that EGOT!

    Can’t wait to find out how I did

  50. 50.

    ? Martin

    @Adam L Silverman: Nope. Kansas receives half a billion per year in federal funds through that bill. The only way the Kansas experiment has lasted as long as it has is because the other 49 are subsidizing it. Roberts knows what the impact of that would be.

  53. 53.

    aimai

    @lamh36: I am so sorry you went through this Lamh36. Several years go Mr. Aimai had back spasms that landed him in the hospital twice in two days. They had to dope him up and give him muscle relaxers to get him walking again. They never found out what had caused it. Its good that they ruled out the scary things! Glad the meds kicked in!

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    “LaLa Land” will win all the things because it’s about how great LA is and how awesome it is to work in entertainment, and Oscar voters LOVE that kind of movie. Unfortunately.

    Have you seen Moonlight yet? I didn’t read anything about it before I went and didn’t figure out it was a romance until the middle of the movie. That was probably good, though, because I went in with no preconceptions. And in that last scene, I was silently screaming, Just kiss him already! like I was watching the “Kiss the Girl” number in The Little Mermaid. ?

  58. 58.

    geg6

    Fun tonight with the Oscars! I love the Oscars! I’ve only seen Hidden Figures and Fences. They were both just amazing, so I’m hoping they both bring home a lot of metal tonight.

  59. 59.

    Barbara

    @Mnemosyne: Or, as was said in I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin, it is just the kind of narcotic Hollywood has long used to deaden all kinds of negativity.

  60. 60.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne: Right…La La Land to me seems like a 2 person film…so yeah great acting from Stone and Gosling, but Hidden Figures had great performances from all the actor/actresses…so if a film it best due to the sum of it’s parts, then for my money Hidden Figures is the BEST PICTURE.

    As for Moonlight, I think it surprised alot of people who went out with preconceptions of what it was about.

  64. 64.

    laura

    @lamh36: stay on top of your dosing schedule for optimum pain relief!
    Jeez, new job and groovy in-apartment laundering capabilities. I’m sure they are coincidental and not connected, but wow, two leaps forward and one big limp back.
    But so glad that serious ailments have been ruled out.
    Here’s a big gentle (((hug))). Feel better soon.

  65. 65.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I don’t know that this is true considering that any time Trump does anything it’s immediately after reporting on Russia.

    And w/ Trump, it’s almost always an attack, on ANYTHING…

  67. 67.

    Jeffro

    @West of the Rockies (been a while): @Immanentize:

    I love the phone checks! “GIMME YOUR PHONE, staff person!” “But Spicey, why?” “Because we have these real leaks…of fake news…and we’ve got to get to the bottom of who’s leaking stuff that isn’t true…but is…and should…no wait, shouldn’t…be out there!”

    How does one get up every morning and do THAT job, eh? Spicey’s already in hell, no need to wish him ill…

  68. 68.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Also, it’ll never make it through the Senate.

    Whether or not it makes it thru the Senate, it is additional fuel for that raging fire of loathing and disdain so many of us feel for Republicans right now… I’ll be watching the special elections like yesterday’s State Senate race in Maryland, leading up to the the 2018 midterms… if Dems keep running thru them like yesterday…

  69. 69.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman:

    You can find the full text at the link.

    Also, it’ll never make it through the Senate.

    True that it’ll never make it through the Senate.

    Also funny, sorta, to see these GOP wet-dream bills keep popping up…geez what a bunch of sociopaths!

    Also funny, sorta, if someone were to ask Rep King which states, exactly, might “qualify” in his mind for those “block grants”. I have a funny feeling it might just be the most not-coastal, palest ones…

    ETA: …sort of like the discussion you guys were having above. Never mind.

  72. 72.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    I’m now considering writing a short article about Moonlight for my romance writers’ group, because it’s the first truly ROMANTIC movie I’ve seen in a long, long time. The main character goes through a horrible childhood and adolescence with a lot of heartbreak, but at the end he reaches out for hope and redemptive love. It’s probably the most optimistic movie I’ve seen in a long time even though it’s set in a world of bullying, drug dealing, and drug addicts.

    And I have to admit, when I saw Andre Holland was the romantic lead for the last part, I was like, Yes, anything you want. He was so perfect in that role, short as it was. Just watch the expressions on his face as the two characters finally get to the moment where he plays the jukebox for Black.

    (I’m not going to give away the song here because it was SO PERFECT for that moment that I want it to be a surprise for people who haven’t seen it yet.)

  75. 75.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Oatler.:

    this administration is destroying language as a communication device.

    I’ve come to suspect Trump, and Bannon, know exactly what Trump’s doing when he makes the completely contradictory comments one after the other…

    One day, he’ll call the FAKE media ‘the enemy of the people’ (H/T to Joe Stalin for that one… actually a quick search on Google says it dates all the way back to Rome…) and then a day or two later come right out and claim he never said that, only that ‘FAKE NEWS is the enemy of the people’…

    At first I thought he was either trying to cover his own inane commentaries as quickly as possible or simply didn’t remember what he said from one extemporaneous outburst to the next but now I’m beginning to wonder if this whole routine isn’t far more deliberate than I once thought…

    By constantly offering up completely contradictory statements one after another, he’s forcing all of us into two very divided camps – those who accept what he says as ‘the truth’ no matter what, as Steve Miller so notoriously stated a couple of weekends ago (the POTUS is always 100% correct), and those who refuse to surrender their critical faculties to such an astonishing level of manipulation and control…

    And once someone joins his side of the argument, they lose any control of reality to him… night can now be day and 2+2 can equal 5… this is really insidious and truly dangerous stuff… I think it’d be a real mistake to underestimate these people… right now, they do control the WH and both chambers of Congress and it looks like they’re moving as fast as they think they can to take permanent control of the Federal govt…

    I hope I explained that clearly…

    ETA: ‘When I tell you something, who are you going to believe… me or your own stinkin’ ears?’

  76. 76.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @lamh36: Speaking as someone with it; sleep with you feet up on your head board. See if you significant other can find the muscle that’s spasming and rub it with their finger to get it to unspasm. Also try to keep moving to get it loosen up.

    Edit: what Adam L Silverman said.

  79. 79.

    Bill Arnold

    @Adam L Silverman:
    That Guardian piece on Mercer a surprisingly engaging article, and full of useful links. As said up-thread, not groundbreaking, but nice to see in a widely-read venue.
    Recommended for at least skimming by those that haven’t read it yet.
    (The Guardian web site front page is on my daily reading list, fwiw.)
    As to AI, hard to tell from the text of the article, but I’d also be astonished if they weren’t feeding the data to a lot of unsupervised learning stuff.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    A couple of wise ladies (WaPo)

    According to Us Weekly, both Clinton, who stretched her résumé after her years in the White House to include the Senate, the State Department and two bids for the U.S. presidency, and [Michelle] Obama turned down offers from ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” which premieres a new season on March 20. The popular dance competition that pairs amateur two-steppers with the pros asked the former first ladies and got concrete “no’s” in response, according to a source with knowledge of season 24’s production plans

  83. 83.

    Lizzy L

    @Lapassionara: As long as there is no Senate version of this House bill, there’s nothing to vote against. The bill is nowhere near the House floor; at the moment it’s in the House Education Committee, where’s it’s been since January 23, and I suspect it will continue to sit there. Unless your Representative is on that committee, making calls is probably a waste of your time. But if your Rep is on that committee — as mine is — definitely communicate. I sent my guy an e-mail, letting him know I think this bill is a POS.

  84. 84.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Major Major Major Major: I didn’t quite see it that way at first… I thought he was just a crude buffoon/schoolyard bully but after the last couple of weeks… especially Trump contradicting his own words about who’s the enemy of the people, the FAKE media OR the FAKE news?

    Sure this isn’t going to work on some of us and it most definitely will work on some of us… remember, he lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes AND he also got almost 63 million votes… 63 million sounds like a pretty big gang to me…

    I certainly don’t think we should be afraid of this AND I also think it’d be a big mistake to underestimate the opposition… again, who’s in control of the WH and both houses of Congress right now, in addition to a solid majority of state governors and legislations?

  88. 88.

    ? Martin

    @Major Major Major Major: Well, data mining isn’t AI. It’s AI if the computer can draw conclusions from ambiguous data rather than the person doing the mining. And of course, the conclusions need to be as good or better than what the person could draw. What they’re doing could be AI if it could indicate what narrative you could put forward to influence a desired population, but it’s not clear from the article if that’s happening or not.

    Most troubling about the article is that it’s a lot of non-technical people trying to describe a system, and none of them sound like they have a clue what they’re talking about.

  89. 89.

    efgoldman

    @Adam L Silverman:

    it’ll never make it through the Senate.

    Yeah, the house, in the name of good, effective government ::::gag::retch:::: is doing the same thing they did when they voted 65357 times to repeal Obamacare: Making noise, accomplishing nothing.
    Isn’t the debt ceiling coming up again pretty soon? Granny Starver may not be speaker by spring.

  90. 90.

    Chet Murthy

    @Baud: Said of Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire: “Sure he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, …backwards and in high heels.”

    Hard stuff. Hard, hard, hard stuff. I continue to be amazed at the acrobatics women perform just -walking- in high heels.

  91. 91.

    Baud

    @? Martin:

    it’s a lot of non-technical people trying to describe a system, and none of them sound like they have a clue what they’re talking about.

    Sounds like political blogging.

  93. 93.

    patroclus

    Of the ones I’ve seen, I expect LaLa Land is going to clean up tonight (it’s about LA and the “business” and Oscar voters love that even though I didn’t), but I hope Manchester by the Sea does. Especially that kid who cracks all the jokes (forget his name), which made the movie bearable and watchable. Definitely not Casey Affleck though – if the movie was just him, I’d have gotten up and left. If the “Descendants” could win, then this should too, because it’s better. I hope Bill Paxton (or Pullman) wins the Irving Tholberg award.

  95. 95.

    TriassicSands

    I’m opposed to capital punishment. However, if they could prove that Trump committed treason. No. I’d still be opposed. Besides it would be much more enjoyable seeing him incarcerated for the rest of his life with a bunch of other sociopaths, psychopaths, and generally horrible people.

    Prison for Trump would be far worse than execution. Imagine his not being able to have gold curtains and bathroom fixtures.

  96. 96.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Major Major Major Major: I don’t doubt Bannon is the one pulling the ring on string that’s in the middle of Trump’s back… there was that one comment Trump made during the campaign…

    “Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plan the destruction of global sovereignty in order to enrich these global interest powers, her special interest friends and her donors,” Trump said.

    Right out of the Hitler playbook and it only popped up AFTER Bannon joined Trump’s campaign…

    All I’m saying is DON’T underestimate these guys… it could be a BIG mistake…

  100. 100.

    Yarrow

    @lamh36: Awesome! I remember you being a bit frustrated at your previous gig. If you recently moved and started a new job, those are two big sources of stress. And stress can show up anywhere on your body. Maybe in addition to the sound advice others have offered you can also add in some deep breathing exercises. It helps calm you down when you’re dealing with stress. I’ve also found an epsom salt bath can help sore muscles–the magnesium in epsom salts helps to relax muscles.

  101. 101.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @TriassicSands:

    However, if they could prove that Trump committed treason.

    Helping Russian/FSU gangsters and oligarchs launder money isn’t treason and not punishable by death AND it is most likely a nice, serious felony…

  104. 104.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Another Scott:

    The development leaves Trump and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis without nominees to head both the Navy and Army.

    Don’t Trump’s sons have some free time in their schedules?

    Who needs experience, especially in this administration?

  106. 106.

    TriassicSands

    @zhena gogolia:

    Trust me, I’m not dreaming. I expect Trump to finish his four-year term since the key to his removal rests in the hands of the thoroughly corrupt and spineless Republicans. With Sessions installed as AG, I don’t see any way there will be a special prosecutor appointed.

    What I do more or less count on is that if Trump serves out his term he will have cemented his position as the worst president ever.

  107. 107.

    Yarrow

    @zhena gogolia: They’ll get him out. I have confidence in the intelligence community. They know he’s a huge danger, that he’s got Russian agents in the White House and he’s up to his eyeballs beholden to Russian banks, mafia and oligarchs (often all the same thing). That the longer he’s there the less safe we all are.

    They’re leaking and will continue to leak. They’ve put pressure on Congress and so far Congress hasn’t done enough. So they’ll turn up the heat. Increase incentives (as in, “we know this about you”) to get him out. The IC can’t do their jobs to keep us safe with him in the White House. He’s a danger to the country. So they’ll find a way to make it so difficult for Congress not to investigate properly that eventually they’ll have to do it.

    The longer the Republicans drag their feet the worse it is going to be for them. So far they don’t seem to understand that. Perhaps Issa is one of the first to have an inkling of it, given his comments on Maher’s show on Friday. We’ll see who goes next.

  112. 112.

    patroclus

    Yeah, I’d like to see Denzel win again – he should have won for Glory and Malcolm X and he ended up winning for Training Day. He should get a 2nd one just because of the exceptional career. Meryl Streep should win just so we can hear her acceptance speech ripping Trump.

  114. 114.

    TriassicSands

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I assume that would be the rare 24 carat “Golden Pine” box? And it would be the biggest, most incredible state funeral in history. Billions would attend, though the NYT, CNN, and Politico would be denied entry.

    Needless to day, the mortician(s) would cleanse Trump’s body with a Golden Shower.

  117. 117.

    lamh36

    Fuq Nicole Kidman and her “give him (trump) a chance” azz
    I don’t care how she look
    #Oscars

  119. 119.

    Brachiator

    @TriassicSands:

    Needless to day, the mortician(s) would cleanse Trump’s body with a Golden Shower.

    I would want to see the body to make certain that reports of his death was not a fake news story.

  122. 122.

    liberal

    @patroclus: he did win for Glory (one of my favorite movies, btw), but best supporting actor. Though maybe you think he should have won best actor for the role.

  127. 127.

    germy

    President Donald Trump will instruct federal agencies Monday to assemble a budget for the coming fiscal year that would include sharp increases in Defense Department spending; major cuts to other agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency; and no reductions to the largest entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, according to four senior administration officials.

    The outline, drafted by the Office of Management and Budget director, Mick Mulvaney, is the first volley to the federal agencies. Departments will have several days to comment on the plan, and congressional leaders will be alerted before Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

  128. 128.

    Yarrow

    @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: I don’t know if I’m right, but when I think back that it’s only been five weeks, I feel a bit better. Taking a step back and looking at how things are going as a whole for him, things just aren’t going that well. More info about his relationship with Russia is being leaked every week if not every day. Journalists across the globe are investigating. He’s practically at Nixon levels of paranoia and it’s only been five weeks!

    Another thing, Russian ambassadors keep suddenly dropping dead. I think we’re up to three now, just in the last week or so. The ambassador to the UN that died last week is the same guy that introduced Trump around Moscow in 1986 or 1987. Funny he just dropped dead all of a sudden. Couldn’t be he knew something that Putin wants kept quiet, could it?

  132. 132.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Thru the Looking Glass…:

    now I’m beginning to wonder if this whole routine isn’t far more deliberate than I once thought…

    Naah. The thing is, this is just typical narcissist stuff. Anybody who’s been in an abusive relationship has seen it. He’s never wrong about anything, anyone who contradicts him is a liar and evil. Reality is defined by his whim with no consistency, if he can he will hurt you for questioning him in the slightest, but he’s too damn lazy to pursue vengeance beyond immediate lashing out. This has its own practical benefits for the abuser, but it’s not planned. It’s just how they are.

    By constantly offering up completely contradictory statements one after another, he’s forcing all of us into two very divided camps

    I would argue he’s able to get away with this because the American public is already divided into those two camps. There are the people who care about what’s true, and the people who are angry at the truth because it doesn’t support their bigotries, so they won’t listen to it anymore.

  133. 133.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: @Major Major Major Major: And I’ve seen other reporting that indicates that they’re really not all that good at utilizing what they’ve mined. What is really worrisome is the reporting that indicates the connections back to the Russians.

  136. 136.

    lamh36

    Yes…My predictions, I’m 1 for

    Me 1 out of 7 so far!

    Whoop Whoop!

    Congrats 2017 Best Supporting Actor *WINNER*

    #MahershalaAli

  138. 138.

    Chris T.

    @Yarrow:

    … They know he’s a huge danger …

    I somehow read this as “huge donger”. And he is!

    How can a man with such tiny … parts, be such a huge dick?

  139. 139.

    rikyrah

    VSB has done two threads about the horror movie GET OUT.

    VSB Get Out Thread #2:

    10 Pitch-Perfect Examples Of “Yeah…That’s Some White People Shit” In Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”

    Damon Young, 2/25/17

    Couple things:

    1. There will be more extensive reviews and conversations about Get Out next week. In fact, next week might just be Get Out week on VSB. (And yes, there is that much to unpack and deconstruct about this movie. It’s fucking brilliant.)

    2. I saw it last night. If you haven’t seen it yet, A) don’t read this, because this is full of light spoilers, B) make sure you see it in a Black theater, and C)come back and read this after you’ve seen it, because perhaps you’ll be able to add to this list. And, if you’re particularly ambitious and want to conduct a social experiment, D) see it first in
    a Black theater, and then see it again in a mixed-race or predominately
    White theater, and report back your findings.

    Anyway, like many of us, Jordan Peele very obviously has a PhD in
    White people. He’s studied them, he’s learned them, and he perhaps even knows them better than they know themselves.

    And the sublime and ingenious Get Out is a reflection of that knowledge, as it’s rife with dozens of instances most Black people immediately recognize as some “White people shit.” (And, for the record “White people shit” is loosely defined as “shit White people do that we generally just can’t or don’t.“)

  141. 141.

    mouse tolliver

    Jared Leto’s stupid looking Juggalo Joker just won a Best Makeup Oscar. Ledger’s iconic Joker was only nominated in that category. Ridiculous.

  146. 146.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    There are the people who care about what’s true, and the people who are angry at the truth because it doesn’t support their bigotries, so they won’t listen to it anymore.

    And there you have it. Right there.

  151. 151.

    rikyrah

    The Trump Administration’s Not-So-Benign Neglect
    While we’re watching the scandals du jour, the president and his top advisers are dismantling the federal government.

    By Phillip Carter

    This week, President Trump delighted his base with a pledge
    to treat deportations like a “military operation.” There were also
    reports that his administration is urging government officials to cherry-pick intelligence to support their desired policy outcomes and that his White House chief of staff made inappropriate contact with the FBI regarding Trump’s Russia ties. And that’s just the news from the national security sphere.

    The rage felt by the president’s critics is real, and
    understandable, but it also plays into Trump’s broader agenda. His chief strategist Steve Bannon outlined that strategy this week at the
    Conservative Political Action Conference, describing it as nothing less
    than the “deconstruction of the administrative state.” Bannon’s comments this week suggest a darker, more nefarious purpose to the nascent Trump administration’s dysfunction. It may be the case that the Trump team is deliberately failing to staff, manage, and provide resources for federal agencies so as to sabotage and slowly dismantle them. To make matters worse, the Trump team might be leveraging the controversies regarding its disastrous national security moves to obscure and conceal that slow and steady demolition of the bureaucracy.

  157. 157.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Frankensteinbeck: Indeed… and one more time, that is why they currently control the WH, both chambers of Congress, and the majority of state governorships and legislatures…

    Please, continue to underestimate them… it’s been working so well the last few years…

  159. 159.

    Brachiator

    @mouse tolliver:

    Jared Leto’s stupid looking Juggalo Joker just won a Best Makeup Oscar. Ledger’s iconic Joker was only nominated in that category. Ridiculous.

    The other characters’ makeup made the award deserving.

  160. 160.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    all these blacks winning Oscars are alienating working class white snowflakes

  169. 169.

    Suzanne

    @lamh36: UGH! Glad you’re doing somewhat better and that it wasn’t anything more serious. Hang in there and plz keep us updated.

  171. 171.

    lamh36

    @ReelTalker Lookat that. Someone in a musical who can actually sing. You could have used her voice, Mr. Chazelle #Oscars

  172. 172.

    hovercraft

    @lamh36:

    Mahershala Ali thanks his wife, celebrates newborn daughter during #Oscars acceptance speech

    Unpossible, muslims hate women and they definitely don’t respect them.
    @SiubhanDuinne:
    That was a great moment.

  173. 173.

    lamh36

    Would be so great if Hidden Figures managed and upset and won Best Picture and Katherine Johnson was able to take the stage again!

    #Oscars

  176. 176.

    Mnemosyne

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I am watching the show at work. We all just applauded our girl.

    Seriously, I can’t believe one of those crappy “LaLa Land” songs is favored over “How Far I’ll Go.” WTFF?!?!

  178. 178.

    SFAW

    @Suzanne:

    Mahershala Ali is arguably the most gorgeous man to ever win an Oscar.

    That’s only because Steve Buscemi keeps getting snubbed.

  182. 182.

    Mnemosyne

    @Suzanne:

    If you haven’t seen “Moonlight,” you should. Heartbreaking, ultimately optimistic, and filled to the brim with gorgeous men.

  183. 183.

    frosty

    @lamh36: I’ve had lower back issues for decades. See if you can find a physical therapist to work with you on a daily exercise routine. I can’t say it will fix anything, but it’s about the only thing I’ve read that might. My experience is mixed, but then again so is my commitment to the exercises. :-)

  187. 187.

    Suzanne

    @Mnemosyne: I saw “Moonlight” and adored it. Not just for the gorgeous men. I think it was the best movie I have seen in the last 5-10 years.

  191. 191.

    Mnemosyne

    @Suzanne:

    As I said above, I went in without knowing anything but the tagline and didn’t realize it was a romance until halfway through, but I LOVED it.

  192. 192.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    At Disneyworld, we’re going to have a very expensive lunch at Cinderella’s castle and then go on Space Mountain.

    This may have been poor planning on Aunt Mnem’s part.

  194. 194.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: Its not. They’ve slowed down both Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad so much since the accident on the latter a decade or so ago. I’m pretty sure you could be pregnant, with a pacemaker, and in cardiac rehab and ride them safely.

  199. 199.

    J R in WV

    @lamh36:

    Way back when I was young enough to be kayaking the New River with Mrs J we were on the river and my legs went numb. We were past the point where you could turn around, so we put in on sandbanks so I could get out and walk around. In 15 minutes I got some feeling back and we got back onto the river.

    I was obviously worried about nervous issues, like MS. It was nearly pitch dark when we reached the take out where our shuttle car was parked. This was a Saturday trip.

    Monday morning I was at our Doctor’s office when they opened. He palpated around my lower back, took pulses in my feet and ankles, listened to pulses, even. Asked “Does it hurt here?” as he felt around my waist in back. Not really, I said. He said… “It will!”

    This was before really good muscle relaxants, but he gave me meds, and sure enough, later on it did hurt. Bad!

    So glad you’re feeling better, Do get into stretching. I got physical therapy, several different clinics, they all helped, each new one I learned a couple different stretching exercises. Finally I learned how to lift correctly, I still sometimes get severe twinges and know to ease off. You never know what will set it off.

    Most recently target shooting with pistols, the next day I had a stiff minor pain in a whole new place! A recently acquired .45 pistol, small, so big recoil. Ouch!

  201. 201.

    J R in WV

    @TriassicSands:

    ‘Prison for Trump would be far worse than execution. Imagine his not being able to have gold curtains and bathroom fixtures.’

    Imagine! Could he even pee in a stainless steel bowl? Would he die of kidney issues 4-6 weeks into a sentence? Surrounded by Those People!! What a great image…

  202. 202.

    jackmac

    @lamh36: @efgoldman: Late to your post but your description also sounds like a kidney stone (which I’ve had several). Right area, intense pain. Heavy drugs to ease the pain (like morphine).

    Hope you’re feeling better.

  205. 205.

    J R in WV

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    @lamh36: Speaking as someone with it; sleep with you feet up on your head board.

    I couldn’t do that, but I did sleep on my back, with pillows under my knees, and none under under my head. That helped the stressed muscles relax and stay relaxed. Later on I could sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees, and kept my knees bent, that was almost as good for the tense muscles in my lower back, and I slept a little better.

    More recently I had numbness in my hand, and sleeping on my back with a tiny tube of a pillow under my neck and neck stretching exercises helped that to go away. Our muscles and the nerves that run through them are tightly associated. Sciatica is often that, the sciatic nerve being pinched by tense spasming muscles… I’ve been there! Hard to tell if it’s muscle spasms or a disc pinching the nerve, except my history of muscle spasms leaned that way.

    Best wishes, Lamh36!

  206. 206.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Rikyrah, you post the best informational posts!

    the Trump team might be leveraging the controversies regarding its disastrous national security moves to obscure and conceal that slow and steady demolition of the bureaucracy.

    I’m not sure this can be correct, their national security mess is impeachable crimes. It does kind of obscure their near total incompetence in staffing the Executive government, which is also impeachable to me. Actually, “misdemeanors” is left to be defined by the House of Representatives, and we already know that getting a blowjob in the oval office is there.

    So being unable to run the government must almost be there by definition. Isn’t crashing the whole government worse than getting a hummer? Seems it to me….

  207. 207.

    Ink Ognit

    @lamh36: I had the same thing, doc gave me pain meds, turned out was complications of diverticulitis and after four weeks of tolerating the pain I ended up in emergency hospital stay four days. Ask about getting a scan

  209. 209.

    catclub

    @Suzanne: Hey, that was kind of what I thought.

    OT: 50 and 100 year bonds. These are a really good idea to finance the national debt. Why (i never heard if they did) did the Obama admin never suggest them? Anybody know? They might come in under Trump.

  211. 211.

    Another Scott

    @catclub: Treasury stopped 30 year bond sales in 2001, and brought them back in 2006. The arguments used then would certainly apply in 50 and 100 year bonds as well.

    I’m no expert, but since the Treasury is constantly selling and redeeming bonds of various maturities, having maturities beyond 30 years may not be worth the trouble.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  212. 212.

    catclub

    @Another Scott:

    Treasury stopped 30 year bond sales in 2001, [and that was stupid] and brought them back in 2006 [that was slightly smarter].

    having long maturities when interest rates start going up is a way to pay less in financing the national debt.

    Some nations have unlimited term bonds – England – consols.

    Having a liquid market is valuable, but the market is telling other bond issuers that it wants lots more long-term debt. The Treasury should sell more 30-year bonds, and even 50-year or 100-year bonds to meet that demand.

    Ireland, Belgium and Mexico have recently sold 100-year bonds. Ford F, -0.72% Disney DIS, +0.54% and Coca-Cola KO, +0.29% have sold 100-year bonds as well. The Canadian Pacific Corp. sold a 1,000-year bond.

    at marketwatch.

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