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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

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

I really should read my own blog.

“woke” is the new caravan.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

It’s a new day. Light all those Biden polls of young people on fire and throw away the ashes.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

In after Baud. Damn.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

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

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

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

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

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

Let’s finish the job.

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You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Open Thread: Nuclear Justice

Open Thread: Nuclear Justice

by Anne Laurie|  April 3, 20179:09 pm| 187 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality, Get Angry

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(Matt Davies via GoComics.com)
.

Good for the Democrats — they should keep fighting the Gorsuch charade, no matter how sad it makes the Media Village Idiots. Per the Washington Post:

Senate Democrats secured enough votes to filibuster the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, increasing the likelihood that Republicans will change the rules of the U.S. Senate to ensure his confirmation later this week.

Democratic opposition to Gorsuch has been building for days, and four more senators announced on Monday that they would vote against him and support a filibuster of his nomination. That gave Democrats the requisite 41 votes to put up a roadblock and compel President Trump and Senate Republicans to either withdraw Gorsuch’s nomination or change Senate procedure.

With Trump and Republicans vowing that Gorsuch will be confirmed despite any filibuster, a change in how the Senate does business — the so-called nuclear option — is expected by Friday…

The outcome of the panel’s vote was never in doubt — Republicans hold a majority of seats on the committee and Gorsuch was approved on a party-line vote. But the testy hearing foreshadowed what is likely to be a combative week over the merits of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and the way both parties have behaved during years of feuding over the makeup of the federal court system.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) indicated on Monday that they would oppose Gorsuch and vote against cloture — or the motion to end a filibuster that is required to hold a final up-or-down confirmation vote.

During an hours-long committee hearing, Leahy, the longest-serving member on the panel, criticized Gorsuch’s answers during his marathon confirmation hearing as “excruciatingly evasive.” He said that a GOP move to end filibusters of Supreme Court nominees would damage the Senate but argued that he had to vote his conscience, even if it pushes Republicans to change the rules.

“I cannot vote solely to protect an institution when the rights of hard-working Americans are at risk,” he said, “because I fear that the Senate I would be defending no longer exists.”…

The longer the spotlight shines on Gorsuch, the more threadbare his lying professions of absolute innocent impartiality show. The Repubs have been trying to turn the Supreme Court into their rubber stamp since at least the days of Richard ‘Mediocre people are entitled to a little representation too’ Nixon; if they insist on being rabid partisans, we can at least deny them the pleasure of hiding behind hypocrisy when they do.

McCain says he will vote for the rules change to confirm Gorsuch but says it's the beginning of the end of the Senate.

— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) April 3, 2017

9 steps to going nuclear — here's how it works. (Complete w/ GIFs!) via @ErinVKelly https://t.co/RaJgacb3Jc

— Paul Singer (@singernews) April 3, 2017

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Previous Post: « None of This is Normal
Next Post: Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, Working As Intended »

Reader Interactions

187Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    Let the Republicans own this shit show. They want to destroy everything in sight, the Democrats should give them no cover.

  2. 2.

    JPL

    April 3, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    What McCain failed to say is that the filibuster is a sham if you can’t use it. When Reid ended the filibuster for lower courts, the repubs had already used it hundreds of times.

  3. 3.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    Melania’s official portrait is finally here. I think that look’s called “the Zoolander”.

  4. 4.

    Baud

    April 3, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    Proud of Dems.

  5. 5.

    Suzanne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    Oh, John McCain needs to FOAD already. He’s going to vote for the rules change, knowing it’s a bad idea, because party before country. FU.

  6. 6.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    the Democrats should give them no cover.

    And who knows? Maybe Hatch or Murkowski or Grandpa Walnuts or Aquah Buddah thinks it’s more important to keep senate prerogatives than to confirm a particular justice.
    Or maybe not.

  7. 7.

    Origuy

    April 3, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    @smintheus: You know how they play “Hail to the Chief” when the POTUS enters? I want someone to play “Bird in a Gilded Cage” for Melania.

  8. 8.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    The world’s greatest deliberative country club.

  9. 9.

    dmsilev

    April 3, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    McCain says he will vote for the rules change to confirm Gorsuch but says it’s the beginning of the end of the Senate.

    Johny McMaverick to the bitter end, I see.

  10. 10.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Is the average age 75?

  11. 11.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    @dmsilev: On the other hand, McCain is such a liar you never know what if anything to believe from him. So maybe he won’t actually follow through on his threat, just to keep everyone guessing.

  12. 12.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    It isn’t going to be enough to simply impeach the 5 Republicans on the SC and kick them all off.

    Being a Republican is going to have to be an automatic rejection for consideration to the SC from now till the end of time.

    Anything less rewards treason.

  13. 13.

    SFAW

    April 3, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Johny McMaverick to the bitter end, I see.

    I started calling him a whore in 2000, when he gave W a tongue bath after Rove ratfucked him in South Carolina. But I should rethink that, because I expect there is some percentage of whores out there with more integrity than John “I’ll Be a Maverick As Long As It Doesn’t Cost Me Anything” McCain

  14. 14.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    @smintheus:

    McCain is such a liar

    I don’t know if he’s a liar, or just a confused old man.

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    McCain says he will vote for the rules change to confirm Gorsuch but says it’s the beginning of the end of the Senate.

    Longer McCain: This is the beginning of the end of one of the three branches of government, the one that I have devoted my (albeit miserable and pathetic) life to. So where do I sign?

  16. 16.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    @Origuy: Bird is too kind to her. She’s pretty poisonous.

  17. 17.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    @efgoldman: Yeah, he’s a liar. I speak from personal experience.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    Is there not a single statesman (or woman) in the republican party???

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    April 3, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    @smintheus:
    Somebody’s PS cloning tool burst into flame when they were done sanding her face. It actually does her a disservice but everything’s done through hubby’s lens.

  20. 20.

    opiejeanne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    @Origuy: My grandmother sang that at a church party when I was a kid. She was hilarious and none of us knew she could do that except Dad. It was for a play they put on, a melodrama complete with a mustache-twirling villain and a fainting heroine ala Pauline. Dad was the villain’s sidekick, a hunchback with really bad teeth, who had a fit of conscience and shot the villain before he could complete his dastardly plans. He had borrowed one of my cap guns but it didn’t make the right noise, so he just shouted “BANG!” That was his only line in the play. Grandma sang that song at the intermission. I was 8 so they had to explain why it was so funny.

  21. 21.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    @WaterGirl: No.

    This has been another depressing edition of SATSQ.

  22. 22.

    Miss Bianca

    April 3, 2017 at 9:27 pm

    @WaterGirl: ha! Dammit, how am I going to maintain my snarling jackal grimace if you all keep making me laugh??

  23. 23.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    @trollhattan: She does look like one of those Japanese humanoid robots in that picture. :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  24. 24.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    All we need is a Death Star and we can finally abolish that tired old relic of the Republic known as the Senate. Let the governors decide!

  25. 25.

    lamh36

    April 3, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    @WesleyLowery
    Big: Sessions orders review of all police consent decrees – potentially imperiling Obama era police reforms

    It could soon be very bad out there…smh…

  26. 26.

    trollhattan

    April 3, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    @WaterGirl:
    RINOs all, they’ve been driven into the sea. I often ponder what my Republican parents would make of this mess, but they more or less got the picture during the St. Ronaldus days.

  27. 27.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    April 3, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Good for the Democrats — they should keep fighting the Gorsuch charade…

    Yuuuuup… Gorsuch will get confirmed but I feel better seeing the Dems stand up and refuse to buckle…

  28. 28.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    McCain says he will vote for the rules change to confirm Gorsuch but says it’s the beginning of the end of the Senate.

    It was barely four months ago that McCain admitted to group of party donors that the blockade on Garland had nothing to do with any bullshit Biden rule or the last year of Obama’s term. They were going to stonewall President Clinton, too

  29. 29.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    April 3, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Yes…

  30. 30.

    crawdad

    April 3, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    The Democrats are gonna kill the filibuster for Gorsuch, and the next 2-3 Trump SCOTUS nominees will sail thru.

    Thanks, Harry Reid.

  31. 31.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    I would not so respectfully like to suggest to the folks commenting here about Melania Trump that you find another hobby. I especially dislike the statements and suggestions about her body and/or her appearance.

  32. 32.

    lamh36

    April 3, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    I’m finding myself seeking out great article about anything other than politics lately…so if it seems that I’m posting more about non-politics, it’s my way of practicing mental self care…self care will be important for the next 4 years at least…

    To that effect..

    Great Read!

    I am NOT a wrestling fan. I can’t tell you the last time I saw a tv wrestling match (although G.L.O.W. comes to mind and might age me some…lol). So for me to read this entire article, not only does it show the strength of the Rock star power, but also it’s just a well written article for anyone, even those of us who do NOT know wrestling.

    Dwayne Johnson has been wrestling with the politics of race and Hollywood for years http://undf.td/2nmkwKX

  33. 33.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    @lamh36: Lovely, just what we need, an impending Race War to top off the Russian agi-prop. Somehow I don’t think black and brown men and women are going to just let themselves be shot at by white police and other white gunnuts while white supremists are in charge.

    Sooner or later, fire is going to be returned. With interest.

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    Carswell, Bork, Meirs, Gorsuch.

    (Who am I forgetting? I don’t mean in forever, I mean within living memory.)

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    @trollhattan: Yep. This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: something like that

  37. 37.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    @crawdad: FO and door is to your right.

    Trolls and their lack of history lessons. I despair.

  38. 38.

    Parmenides

    April 3, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    Well, I guess if the Dems do not want this dude then death to unanimous consent.

  39. 39.

    Nora

    April 3, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    @crawdad: And what else should they have done, in your opinion?

    It’s not the Democrats killing the filibuster, it’s the Republicans. And if anyone has abused the filibuster, it’s been the Republicans, so let them destroy it. They’re not always going to be in the majority, you know.

  40. 40.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    @crawdad: Only the majority can change the rules. If they want to change the rules, there’s nothing the Democrats can do about it. Except work doubly hard to get the majority back again, and an important piece of that is making the GOP own their policies.

    So, no, the Democrats aren’t “kill[ing] the filibuster”. The GOP is – if they decide to do so.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  41. 41.

    TenguPhule

    April 3, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @Lizzy L: All’s fair when at war, luv. Preach unilateral disarmament to the Trumpsters and run along.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @JPL:

    What McCain failed to say is that the filibuster is a sham if you can’t use it.

    Yup, this. Freedom’s just another word, etc.

  43. 43.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Fortus.

  44. 44.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    @Miss Bianca: He can sing, too!

  45. 45.

    lamh36

    April 3, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    A Huge Sports Sex Abuse Scandal Is Unfolding, And You Probably Haven’t Heard About It

    USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar is accused of sexually assaulting over 100 girls and women

  46. 46.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    I’m not saying this isn’t a big deal but: 1) Did anybody think the filibuster would last till 2018? 2) The filibuster is not in the Constitution

  47. 47.

    jl

    April 3, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    I wonder what tides move the trolls to and fro. Whence they come and wither they go? Does anyone know?

  48. 48.

    Lee Hartmann

    April 3, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    There’s a “bothsidesdoit” thumbsucker in the NYT now. Gah.

  49. 49.

    gene108

    April 3, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    Went to an Indivisible meeting this evening. Seems like there is a lot of energy percolating now that is just beginning to take shape.

  50. 50.

    Lee Hartmann

    April 3, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Fortas.

  51. 51.

    MaxUtil

    April 3, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @crawdad: Yeah, there’s no way the Republicans would have thought to abolish the filibuster if Harry Reid hadn’t brought it up (despite the fact that they’ve been threatening to do it for years.) Republicans broke the filibuster by routinely blocking huge numbers of judicial appointments purely as partisan obstruction. The practice was doomed anyway. At this point it is just a matter of deciding when and where to draw the line in the sand and force the majority party to pull the trigger.

  52. 52.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Douglas Ginsburg , between Bork and Kennedy, because he had smoked the EVIL WEEEEEED! ! ! !

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Is there not a single statesman (or woman) in the republican party???

    Oh, WaterGirl, WaterGirl, WaterGirl. You’ve been here long enough to know not to tee up a perfect SATSQ like that.

    :: shakes head sadly ::

  54. 54.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    OMG YESSSS!! How could I forget him??

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    @lamh36: I think I mentioned this in a comment last year during the olympics.

  56. 56.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    @Lee Hartmann: That’s him.

  57. 57.

    opiejeanne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    @TenguPhule: I think the “run along” comment was uncalled for.

  58. 58.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 3, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    .

  59. 59.

    TS

    April 3, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    @Lizzy L: If she lived with her husband, or vaguely tried to fill a 1st lady role – you might have a point. Trophy wife is what she is and always will be – illegal immigrant – liar about her previous career – her life in the US has been defined by her appearance. It is what she is.

  60. 60.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    @lamh36:

    A Huge Sports Sex Abuse Scandal Is Unfolding, And You Probably Haven’t Heard About It

    CBS has done at least two or three major stories about it.

  61. 61.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 3, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    The Rethuglican Party has thoroughly embraced the meme of the party of treason. Fuck them all.

  62. 62.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 3, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    .

  63. 63.

    Baud

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Trolls are active tonight.

  64. 64.

    Mike J

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Carswell, Bork, Meirs, Gorsuch.

    Clement Haynsworth, Jr.

    Full list of votes: https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/nominations/Nominations.htm

    Anybody want to take a crack at editing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wolcott ? Says Wolcott lost by most. Bork lost by 16, Wolcott lost by 15, but there were only 33 votes. So largest percentage, but not largest vote.

  65. 65.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Douglas Ginsburg , between Bork and Kennedy, because he had smoked the EVIL WEEEEEED! ! ! !

    Clement Haynesworth; Tricksie appointed two failed nominees, Haynesworth and Carswell.

    ETA: Dammit! @Mike J:

  66. 66.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @jl:

    Trolls go in, trolls go out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that. You can’t explain why the trolls go in.

  67. 67.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @TenguPhule: Fuck off, luv.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Had entirely forgotten Haynesworth. Thanks!

  69. 69.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    Josh Marshall‏Verified account @ joshtpm 19m19 minutes ago
    Lol. Trump plunges to 34% in new IBT/TIPP poll. Now at 49% with white men

    one poll and all, but he got 63% of the white male vote, so I think we can safely call that a ten point drop

  70. 70.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    ???

    Fortas was confirmed, and served.

  71. 71.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    @Lizzy L: Sorry.

    I thought that trollhatten was referring to the way the portrait was over-processed. That was my take on it as well. The her humanity had been removed.

    At times, I have great sympathy for her. At times, I think she has her heart in the right place (e.g. doing a “greatest hits” version of Michelle’s speech). She is a beautiful woman in a bad situation (in many respects). But it’s not a good portrait of her – it looks fake.

    No offense was intended by my comment, and I’m very sorry it annoyed you.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  72. 72.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: He is embarrassing the men who are capable of being embarrassed.

  73. 73.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    @TS: You like to shoot fish in a barrel, too? I strongly disagree, but more than that, I don’t see the point of attacking her. Shits and giggles? It’s unnecessary, and it’s ugly.

  74. 74.

    raven

    April 3, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    @Lizzy L: You’re not from around here are you?

  75. 75.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 9:56 pm

    @crawdad: welcome, newbie! we are delighted that you joined our humble group for the sole purpose of trashing Democrats, then disappearing back to Eastern Europe/breitbart.com/your parents’ basement. Please be assured that your contribution to our discourse is considered valuable and has led many of us to rethink our liberal values and become staunch republicans/putinists. Well done!

  76. 76.

    mai naem mobile

    April 3, 2017 at 9:56 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: just as well, he died a few years ago. He wouldn’t have served that long on the court.

  77. 77.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 3, 2017 at 9:56 pm

    .

  78. 78.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:57 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Fortas was confirmed, and served.

    Right. Not for long, though. There was some mishegas where LBJ felt he needed him more… in the cabinet?

  79. 79.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 3, 2017 at 9:57 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Fortas (who already was on the court) was nominated to fill retiring Earl Warren in 1968, with Homer Thornberry filling Fortas seat on the bench. Fortas was filibustered, leaving Warren’s seat to be filled in 1969.

  80. 80.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:57 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Until he was nominated to go from Associate Justice to Chief Justice. His elevation to Chief Justice was filibustered and he ultimately resigned from the Court.

  81. 81.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    @Lee Hartmann: Fortas made it onto the Court. He didn’t get the promotion to Chief. He resigned under a cloud, sure – but he also was Gideon’s counsel in Gideon v Wainwright.

  82. 82.

    raven

    April 3, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    @efgoldman: Fuck LBJ

  83. 83.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 3, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: you mean this guy

  84. 84.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    @Another Scott: What exactly about Melania makes her sympathetic? Sure she’s married to a goon, but that’s her choice. She has backed him publicly in all of his most repulsive actions and statements, including his birtherism. She gets no pass for that.

  85. 85.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Please be assured that your contribution to our discourse is considered valuable and has led many of us to rethink our liberal values and become staunch republicans/putinists.

    Too late; s/he’s gone for a midair refueling of Cheetos.

  86. 86.

    raven

    April 3, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    @smintheus: The complaint is about objectifying her.

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    @Another Scott: I’m sometimes tempted to feel sorry for Melania, then I remember her hyperventilating birtherism

  88. 88.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    @smintheus: was it her choice? My usually reliable sources (that is to say, no one here at BJ!) tell me that she was a Slovenian escort who was given to trump by his Russian mafia money men as a gift.playtoy, but he went and married her, in a typically well thought out decision.

    Or maybe my sources are wrong, and it was true love.

  89. 89.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    @Another Scott: Thanks for this. Your comment didn’t particularly annoy me, but the hammering on Melania is seriously offputting. As I said in another comment, it’s unnecessary and it’s ugly.

  90. 90.

    mai naem mobile

    April 3, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    @Lizzy L: Melania isn’t some innocent little princess. She went right along with the birther theory. She’s more than happy to make money off the WH gig. She suing the London tabloid. She could offer to move to another residence in NYC where it wouldn’t cost the NYC and US taxpayer an arm and a leg to protect her and her kid’s gilded asses. But she doesn’t give a shit. She only gives a shit about herself. Maybe I would be a littleore sympathetic if the GOP hadn’t gone after Michelle Obama and HRC is such ugly ways.

  91. 91.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    @TS:
    If there was any decency to Melania Trump, she wouldn’t be married to Donald Trump. She knows what she married. She’s no innocent and deserves anything thrown at her.@Lizzy L:

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 3, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Ah, right, okay. I never specified parameters. You are correct.

  93. 93.

    Jeffro

    April 3, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    All we need is a Death Star and we can finally abolish that tired old relic of the Republic known as the Senate. Let the governors decide!

    The Senate is anti-democratic in multiple ways…I’d be okay with getting rid of it entirely. It serves about as much purpose as the Electoral College when it comes to cooling the passions of the majority, bucking ill-considered ideas, and holding off demagogues. All it does is serve as a brake on Democrats when they’re in charge, while at all other times it acts as a parliamenary rubber stamp – both insititutionally and in terms of mindset – for Republicans.

    And yes, I would like a pony, why do y’all ask?

    Still worth pushing for.

  94. 94.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I wonder if the Russia stuff is at last taking hold, or the Kushner stuff, or Meals on Wheels stuff, or the stumblebum incompetence stuff, or…

  95. 95.

    raven

    April 3, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    @Quinerly: It’s ok to hammer her being, just stay away from her caboose.

  96. 96.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    @raven: Yes. I have no issue with attacks on her politics.

  97. 97.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 10:07 pm

    @smintheus: I think I said that her taking Michelle’s speech for inspiration (and more) shows that she’s not a total monster like her husband.

    NY Times:

    In the prime-time address, Ms. Trump unfurled a sequence of life lessons — about how “your word is your bond,” about “your dreams and your willingness to work for them,” and the “integrity, passion and intelligence” of her parents — in the same sequence and using much of the same language that Mrs. Obama employed in 2008.

    Just like Mrs. Obama, Ms. Trump explained how she wanted to pass those lessons on to her children and the children of the world. And just like Mrs. Obama, she offered a gauzy invocation about the limitlessness of aspirations when they are matched by determination.

    […]

    It was Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser, who commissioned the speech from Mr. Scully and Mr. McConnell — and praised their draft. But Ms. Trump decided to revise it, and at one point she turned to a trusted hand: Meredith McIver, a New York City-based former ballet dancer and English major who has worked on some of Mr. Trump’s books, including “Think Like a Billionaire.” It was not clear how much of a hand Ms. McIver had in the final product, and she did not respond to an email on Tuesday.

    (On Wednesday, Ms. McIver released a statement taking blame for the lifted passages and calling them an innocent mistake in the early stages of drafting the speech. She said she had offered her resignation, but that Mr. Trump and his family had refused to accept it.)

    Research for the speech, it seems, drew Mr. Scully and Mr. McConnell to the previous convention speeches delivered by candidates’ spouses.

    The Trump campaign declined to say who or how many senior campaign officials read or reviewed the speech. But when Ms. Trump and her staff had finished revising the speech, virtually all that remained from the original was an introduction and a passage that included the phrase “a national campaign like no other.”

    There’s that name again… :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  98. 98.

    Just One More Canuck

    April 3, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: you’re even more concise than usual tonight

  99. 99.

    pattonbt

    April 3, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    @crawdad: Whatever, dude. In the end, Gorsuch was going through regardless (either through D complicity or the nuclear option). At least this way we can start to put the nails in the coffin of the “deliberative body” nonsense the Senate pretends to be. The D’s needed to stop expecting the senate to be something it hasn’t been for decades. I’m perfectly fine with open war – one side has been there for decades, it’s time for the other side to fight back.

  100. 100.

    different-church-lady

    April 3, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    @Another Scott: She, herself, appears to have been “overprocessed”.

  101. 101.

    seaboogie

    April 3, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    @Origuy:

    You know how they play “Hail to the Chief” when the POTUS enters?

    I want them to play this.…and show his big ol’ lady-butt golfing, and hair blowing sideways as he boards AF1.

  102. 102.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: This person is not new. I have seen this nym before.

  103. 103.

    Jeffro

    April 3, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    So…related to my earlier comments about how Fox News is essentially fear conditioning for its viewers…I managed the Herculean labor of…Googling “Fox News fear conditioning”

    And voila, came up with this interesting article (or rather a series of articles) from 2015 on Alternet.

    I’m going to read through the whole series, but the first one in the series essentially notes the one-two punch of 9/11 and the Great Recession has left half (or better?) of America quite susceptible to fear messages. Muslims are coming to blow you to smithereens. Mexicans are coming for your jobs and welfare benefits. Trans folks are just waiting to rape your kids in bathrooms. And so on.

    I don’t know any good cures for fears except openly talking about them, education, and then more talk (“sunlight”) and more education.

    We’re going to have to keep pointing this stuff out to the “economically anxious” until at least a few of them snap out of it, peel off, and help us find a majority again.

  104. 104.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    @mai naem mobile: Where did I say she was innocent? Nor did I ask anyone to feel sorry for her. I have no objection to attacks on her political positions. I think attacking her looks, including whether or not she’s had cosmetic surgery, is sexist bullshit. That’s all.

  105. 105.

    seaboogie

    April 3, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    @seaboogie: Sorry – bad link. It was Yakety Sax.

  106. 106.

    Trentrunner

    April 3, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @Lizzy L: Melania Trump is fair game. Her appearance is not, except to say “Melania Trump is as ugly on the inside as she is beautiful on the outside.” Thank you, Dan Savage.

  107. 107.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @raven:
    Would it be acceptable to point out that no previous portrait featured a diamond as prominent and as big? Poor taste. Just as I would expect. Rather queen like. I know exactly WHAT she is.

  108. 108.

    Trentrunner

    April 3, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    @Lizzy L: LOL “whether or not” Is there any doubt?

  109. 109.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 3, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @jl: Tides come in, tides go out; you can’t explain that.

  110. 110.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @Lizzy L: Her looks are her only qualification for the position she currently occupies, so they are fair game.

  111. 111.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @Quinerly: CZ is my guess

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    April 3, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @Nora:
    @Another Scott:

    What you guys said. Claiming that it’s the Democrats’ fault that the majority Republicans are going to blow up the filibuster is some of the stupidest victim-blaming I’ve seen in a while. Do the Republicans have no agency since everything they do is apparently the Democrats’ fault?

  113. 113.

    zhena gogolia

    April 3, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Elegantly put.

  114. 114.

    Fair Economist

    April 3, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @efgoldman:

    A Huge Sports Sex Abuse Scandal Is Unfolding, And You Probably Haven’t Heard About It

    CBS has done at least two or three major stories about it.

    Who watches network TV anymore?

  115. 115.

    Mnemosyne

    April 3, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    @Lizzy L:

    It did get a little weird because the comments started as a critique of the really crappy Photoshop job on the portrait and others turned that into a critique of her actual looks.

  116. 116.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Thanks!
    I am tired of hearing that Democrats have to play nice, sign on to Cassidy-Collins, not criticize Melania’s looks, while Republicans want to destroy us.

  117. 117.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:
    Wouldn’t surprise me.

  118. 118.

    dmsilev

    April 3, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Not only can I explain that, I can also answer ‘fucking magnets, how do they work?’

  119. 119.

    sigaba

    April 3, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @Mnemosyne: If everything you do is whatever the liberals hate, updated daily, by defintion you have no agency.

  120. 120.

    magurakurin

    April 3, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @smintheus:

    What exactly about Melania makes her sympathetic? Sure she’s married to a goon, but that’s her choice.

    this expresses my view in terms of sympathy for her. she deserves none.
    clerks: death star contractors

    But the advice to try and avoid attacking bad people about their looks is basically sound. As an example, Chris Christie would be an odious creature even if he was as skinny as a rail.

  121. 121.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I can, in one word, gravity.

  122. 122.

    smintheus

    April 3, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @Lizzy L: I said her official pose looks absurd in the way models posing often look absurd. I think that’s perfectly fair, and it has nothing to do with her gender.

  123. 123.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 3, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @dmsilev:

    I can also answer ‘fucking magnets, how do they work?’

    No one can do that. It’s one of life’s mysteries.

  124. 124.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:
    Nailed it at #109.

  125. 125.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 3, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Not if you know quantum mechanics.

  126. 126.

    'As You Know' Bob

    April 3, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    Donald Trump is a declared candidate for President (in 2020).

    McConnell has said (2016) that the Senate should not confirm a SCOTUS nominee during a Presidential campaign.

    Trump has started the campaign;
    therefore….

  127. 127.

    PPCLI

    April 3, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Douglas Ginsberg (nominated after bork. Withdrew in face of Repub. opposition when it came out he had been seen smoking a joint at a party). Also Haynsworth.

    ETA: I see many people got in before me…

  128. 128.

    Montysano

    April 3, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    @Lizzy L: Melania Trump arrived at her current station in life solely by trading on her looks. Not her education or her accomplishments or her record of public service or her brains. Her looks were her ticket. Why should that buy her a pass?

  129. 129.

    Keith P.

    April 3, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    Oh, man, Carter Page is gonna roll over so fast. That dude does not hold up well under questioning.

  130. 130.

    Beth Hanson

    April 3, 2017 at 10:36 pm

    @Another Scott: “She is a beautiful woman in a bad situation”…

    If only you had said “she is a woman in a bad situation”. But no. Her beauty gives her currency beyond the average woman, and earned your sympathy in her beauty. And she traded her genetic gifts for a gold penthouse with a douchebag, and espoused some of his beliefs in order to keep her place there.

    This is bullshit.

  131. 131.

    dmsilev

    April 3, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: The short answer is ‘because quantum’.

  132. 132.

    jl

    April 3, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    @‘As You Know’ Bob:

    Excellent point. I’ll remember that.
    But I’m waiting for what McCain has to say. He is the Straight Talk Express, so independent.
    He doesn’t follow the herd like some cynical crooked pol.

    Edit: might be some snark in that. Actually, when McCain almost got nailed with the Democratic crooks in that old S&L scandal, that was one of the bipartisan highlights of his career. Not many Senators can say that.

  133. 133.

    efgoldman

    April 3, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    @Fair Economist:

    Who watches network TV anymore?

    Old people of which I’m one.
    Or you could find it on that new fangled “webb” thingie.

    ETA: CBS has also been unsparing in reporting the grifting, lying, and disloyalty of this maladministration. They have called things what they are, and no beating around the bush.

  134. 134.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    @dmsilev: I can tell the difference between butter and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter

  135. 135.

    dmsilev

    April 3, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: But do you believe it’s not butter?

  136. 136.

    RealityBites

    April 3, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    She obviously has a deep interest in money, but it is also possible that being married to DT is starting to sour on her.
    One the one hand, I would not be surprised if he is emotionally or physically abusive; but even if she now hates his guts, he has a LOT of leverage over her. Things she presumably cares about – her son and being rich. And maybe her past is even more shady than we suspect and he has evidence. Maybe he has a strong prenup. But don’t ignore her. She can’t testify against him, and in the 10-11 years they have been together, she likely knows where a lot of the bodies are buried. It would be interesting to have some the legal experts on this blog inform us of the limitations of her not testifying, but Trump could be using her supposed lack of importance and her legal status as a cover for a lot of activities. Remember the con man’s strength is misdirection.

  137. 137.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    @dmsilev: he believes whatever fox news tells him to believe, and that is that butter is real and climate change is not!

  138. 138.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    @dmsilev: I’m agnostic on that question

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    @lamh36: I am most certainly not laughing about the subject matter at your links. But when I saw what you linked to, I did kind of laugh at the thought that you are posting about non-political stuff because it’s less stressful subject matter! :-)

    And now I’m off to be depressed by reading what some other sick bastard has done to over 100 women and girls.

  140. 140.

    Ian

    April 3, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    @TenguPhule:
    And should we disenfranchise their voters too? Your policy proposal is as disgusting as their policy proposals.

  141. 141.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: From an article in The WaPo: Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday”:

    Any expectation that Scott Pruitt, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, would be able to cruise through an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” over the weekend was dashed within about 10 seconds of the interview.

    “Good morning, Chris, how are you?” Pruitt asked host Chris Wallace.

    That would be the softest question raised in the entire segment.

    “Good,” Wallace replied quickly. And then, in the same breath, Wallace began grilling Pruitt about an executive order President Trump signed last week to dismantle President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which had required states to cut down on overall emissions and sought to limit carbon emissions from power plants.

    Wallace noted that the EPA, under Obama’s administration, had set a number of health milestones attainable by 2030 — if the Clean Power Plan were implemented. Those included 90,000 fewer asthma attacks, 300,000 fewer missed work and school days, and 3,600 fewer premature deaths per year.

    “Without the Clear Power Plan, how are you going to prevent those terrible things?” Wallace asked Pruitt.

    He didn’t let up.

  142. 142.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: My only excuse is that hope springs eternal.

  143. 143.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @Beth Hanson: I probably should quit digging….

    I really don’t care about her. I haven’t kept up with everything she’s said or done since she married Trump. She’s plainly miserable being around him. And he treats her very badly at times.

    I’m not inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt about her actions over the last 6 months or so (since the convention) because of her appearance, but because of the situation she’s in. She’s shown some signs of being a human being, unlike the brain damaged monster that she’s married to.

    Yes, she made her choices. But deciding to marry him on January 22, 2005 (their anniversary was 2 days after he was inaugurated) wouldn’t usually cause someone to think that she would be under a giant microscope 24 hours a day 12 years later…

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  144. 144.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 10:53 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: He still has the approval of nearly half of all white men. Wow, how sad is that as a statement about the human race. Or humans in this country. Or maybe it really is about race.

  145. 145.

    different-church-lady

    April 3, 2017 at 10:53 pm

    @dmsilev: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck…

  146. 146.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 3, 2017 at 10:53 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    some other sick bastard

    By which you mean other than Trump?

  147. 147.

    different-church-lady

    April 3, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @magurakurin:

    As an example, Chris Christie would be an odious creature even Scott Walker if he was as skinny as a rail.

  148. 148.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Is this your version of “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?”

  149. 149.

    dmsilev

    April 3, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    @different-church-lady: 42.

  150. 150.

    Tom_23

    April 3, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    Late to the b fest. What pissed me off this AM was listening to Nina Totenberg not even bring up the situation with Merrick Garland when reporting on the issue for the so called liberal NPR. BS

  151. 151.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 3, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    @different-church-lady: Q: How much wood would Chuck Woodson chuck if Chuck Woodson would chuck wood?

    A: All of it.

  152. 152.

    different-church-lady

    April 3, 2017 at 10:59 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    He still has the approval of nearly half of all white men. Wow, how sad is that as a statement about the human race white men.

  153. 153.

    Lizzy L

    April 3, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @Tom_23:

    Listening to Nina Totenberg

    Never do that.

  154. 154.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: He joined us in mid-november for the Pence / Hamilton thread:

    This kind of intolerant leftist douchebaggery is the reason Trump won. Keep it up.

  155. 155.

    different-church-lady

    April 3, 2017 at 11:01 pm

    @dmsilev: I think the problem such as it was, was too broadly based…

  156. 156.

    Christine Harrison

    April 3, 2017 at 11:03 pm

    The wringing of hands by some Democrats fearing who might be nominated next if Gorsuch is rejected makes absolutely no sense to me as it is clear Gorsuch will be approved anyway as Republicans will simply eliminate the filibuster, right? So why not make a stand now? It is the obstructionist Republicans who, determined to deny Obama his right to appoint judges, abused the use of the filibuster at unprecedented levels (not to mention what they did to Merrick Garland) so go ahead, let them eliminate it. Some day they will want it back and then we can play the tiny violin for them. If losing the filibuster would mean “the death of the Senate” as McCain warns, he can blame Mitch McConnell and the rest of the bullies in the Republican Party.

  157. 157.

    WaterGirl

    April 3, 2017 at 11:04 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: That woud be correct, sir!

  158. 158.

    Suzanne

    April 3, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    @Lizzy L: Can I mock the fact that they picked a “blue steel” expression for her official portrait instead of one in which she looks happy/well-adjusted/serious?

  159. 159.

    magurakurin

    April 3, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    lol

  160. 160.

    opiejeanne

    April 3, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    @smintheus: Don’t forget her mistreatment of Julia Ioffe by Melania’s anti-semitic fans whom she egged on.

  161. 161.

    Millard Filmore

    April 3, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    @RealityBites:

    She can’t testify against him [Trump]

    I get all my legal education from TV, so I am sure she cannot be FORCED to testify against her husband. The theory is that married couples are really a combined One in the eyes of God, so spousal chatter is really just talking to yourself. Thus by the 5th amendment, you cannot be forced to testify against yourself.

    That is for criminal cases. Pre-nup restrictions in civil cases have their own set of rules that TV shows do not really expound on.

  162. 162.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    @Tom_23:

    the so called liberal NPR

    Disabuse yourself of that notion tout de suite. NPR hasn’t been liberal since the 1980’s.

  163. 163.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    @Suzanne:

    one in which she looks happy/well-adjusted/serious

    has there ever been such a thing?

  164. 164.

    amk

    April 3, 2017 at 11:14 pm

    @crawdad: moran.

  165. 165.

    seaboogie

    April 3, 2017 at 11:18 pm

    @Another Scott: Replying under my nym – got lost signing in and my actual name appeared…

    Anyway – I fully appreciate what you are saying. And yet – we are more sympathetic towards beauty in women. I think that this is one of the very many reasons why Hillary took it in the shorts in November. Women – and our level of attractiveness and sexual currency – are held to a different standard than the sheer manly loveliness of Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump. I mean – the hair alone on those two!

  166. 166.

    Suzanne

    April 3, 2017 at 11:19 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Yes, there are plenty of pictures of her looking somewhat normal. But they intentionally picked one that looks model-y and like editorial fashion photography.

  167. 167.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    Quartz has a piece up about the Melania pic. Apparently, she is channeling Nancy Reagan!

  168. 168.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 3, 2017 at 11:24 pm

    @Suzanne: Because that’s what Donald wants her to look like. A model. It’s all a reflection on him, and he is the only thing that matters to Donald Trump.

  169. 169.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    Brian Williams, of all people, pretty WTF? on the Kushner portfolio

  170. 170.

    dww44

    April 3, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    @Tom_23: Well you shuda listened to Robert Seigel interviewing Sen. Maize Hirona of Hawaii on ATC this afternoon. He countered her explanation of why she voted No on Gorsuch in the Judiciary committee and would vote No on the Senate Floor with how she felt about Heidi Heitcamp’s plan to vote yes. It wasn’t the fact of the question it was the tone and approach. “If she’s voting to confirm, why can’t you?” is what he might as well have asked and announced that he was taking the GOP position. I guess they are all worried about being defunded and it’s the GOP with the power of the purse these days. Hence, more of the bowing and scraping. Golly, I don’t know how they sleep at night.

  171. 171.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    @Quinerly:

    Quartz has a piece up about the Melania pic. Apparently, she is channeling Nancy Reagan!

    You know, irregardless (j/k) of physical appearance, I actually prefer Melania to Nancy.

  172. 172.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    Bobby Ghosh of the Hindustan Times on Kushner: He might prove effective in the Middle East, as it’s perfectly normal there for powerful and influential people to have no qualifications other than being closely related to a strong man.

    The whole panel was pretty incredulous about the whole situation, using strong language to describe the confusion of foreign diplomats and the demoralizing effect on State Dept professionals.

  173. 173.

    Suzanne

    April 3, 2017 at 11:32 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: It’s weird. Like, STAAAAAAHP. She looks like she’s trying to sell me something. An official portrait is supposed to convey something about the person, and to create a sense of gravitas and personality. But DERP.

  174. 174.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 11:33 pm

    @Quinerly: the Trumps brought in a foreigner in to take an American job!

    The first official White House photo of Melania Trump, released Monday (April 3), is a gauzy, almost airbrushed-looking image that strikes a vastly different tone than recent first-lady images. It was photographed by Belgian Regine Mahaux, who has photographed the Trumps on multiple occasions. While the official portraits of first ladies have traditionally been taken by a White House Photo Office staffer, Mahaux was working as a “guest photographer” with the office, according to the White House.

  175. 175.

    Another Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    @seaboogie: I think there are at least two things going on with women’s appearances in politics:

    1) Beauty attracts attention.
    2) Beauty brings along a bunch of other cultural baggage that lets the beautiful person be easily dismissed.

    Hillary was relentlessly attacked for 30+ years (mostly) because she was more than attractive, she was (and is) brilliant and tough. She couldn’t just be dismissed as a politician’s wife. She was dangerous to the GOP.

    Trump’s people are more than happy to use Melania’s appearance to attract attention (especially among their male supporters), but it seems pretty clear that she has negligible influence on Trump or anything that his administration is trying to do. Trump only cares about her to the extent that the attention she attracts reflects upon him.

    Women do have it tough in politics because their appearance is relentlessly judged all the time, while men can look like homeless people, or like that Trivago guy who looks like he just got out of detox. ;-) Look at the hateful things said about Carly (by Trump, among others).

    Beauty can be a double-edged sword.

    The main constant seems to be that the GOP will attack any Democrat with any technique, fair or not, accurate or not, hateful or not. And lately they’ll turn their party over to a grifting brain-damaged incompetent who as surrounded himself with traitors of various stripes. They only care about winning.

    Grr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  176. 176.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 3, 2017 at 11:40 pm

    @Another Scott:

    Beauty can be a double-edged sword.

    Lord, don’t I know it….

    ETA: yeah, I know I shouldn’t post after the second bottle of wine

  177. 177.

    Quinerly

    April 3, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    Yep! Fell into that Quartz piece when I was looking for Bobby Ghosh. I had forgotten how much I liked him when he was at Time. His Wiki page hasn’t caught up with his new gig and still had him at Quartz. That piece on Tesla is worth a read too.

  178. 178.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 3, 2017 at 11:56 pm

    @Quinerly: that headline makes me very nervous– like Tesla is the Pets dot com of a new bubble

  179. 179.

    efgoldman

    April 4, 2017 at 12:04 am

    @Tom_23:

    listening to Nina Totenberg

    I knew her when. I also knew her father (a great violinist and a greater teacher). It’s sad what’s happened to her – she’s gone complete Villager.
    At least Mike Wallace’s kid, Chris, has decided to come back to reality a bit.

  180. 180.

    efgoldman

    April 4, 2017 at 12:11 am

    @Christine Harrison:

    it is clear Gorsuch will be approved anyway as Republicans will simply eliminate the filibuster, right?

    Maybe McTurtle has the votes, maybe not. Some of the old line Republiklowns, RWNJs though they be, feel very strongly about protecting senate prerogatives. Enough? Who knows.
    McTurtle has been making a lot of noise about it – like the animals on Planet Earth who make a big deal about displays but don’t actually attack. If he was positive he had the votes, he wouldn’t threaten, he’d shut up until time to act.

  181. 181.

    seaboogie

    April 4, 2017 at 12:16 am

    @Another Scott: I agree with you on all points, but I also belive that at a visceral level, it gets to be very much more reductive:

    1. She’s hawt and I want to f*ck her (all the ladies with their legs out on Fox News)
    or
    2. She reminds me of my mother/MIL/ex-wife… “f*ck her!”.

    GOP used #2 against Hillary for 30 years.

  182. 182.

    laura

    April 4, 2017 at 12:53 am

    @smintheus: Dan Savage covers why Melania doesn’t merit a pass on a recent Savage Love podcast. I appreciate his take. That said, opining about women’s looks is usually another variation on punching down. Mrs. Trump is attractive, but beauty is as beauty does. By that standard, she’s no beauty.

  183. 183.

    RinaX

    April 4, 2017 at 1:09 am

    @lamh36:

    FWIW, it’s gotten a lot of coverage on the People magazine site.

  184. 184.

    TenguPhule

    April 4, 2017 at 2:52 am

    @Ian: You can FO too. Trump supporters are guilty of being stupid and evil and deserve to be punished. Voting should be the least of their concerns.

  185. 185.

    AnonPhenom

    April 4, 2017 at 8:21 am

    Let him forever be referred to as “Justice ByHookAndByCrook”

  186. 186.

    Debbie1

    April 4, 2017 at 11:20 am

    @schrodingers_cat: You tell ’em. That’s basically what it is, you play nice while we punch you. F-that.

  187. 187.

    Debbie1

    April 4, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: That’s because the Kochs & other conservatives have bought their way into cash-strapped NPR’s ranks with BIG donations, and the only thing they asked in return was the right to present “alternative” facts about slavery, climate change, you name it. They are doing the same thing at universities too. Nice racket.

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