Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

He really is that stupid.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Bark louder, little dog.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Thursday Morning Open Thread: Patchworking

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Patchworking

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A longish read [warning: autoplay], but rich in entertainment value:

… Advisers planning Trump’s first foreign trip, which begins Friday, canceled scheduled briefings on the matter to avoid having reporters milling about the West Wing. Vice President Mike Pence roared away in his motorcade.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s senior counselor who had been scheduled for an appearance on Fox News, abruptly canceled.

“It does seem a little chaotic over there, I gotta be honest with you,” said her would-be interviewer Tucker Carlson, a frank admission from a host who regularly defends the administration.

Into the night, the White House struggled to contain its frustration. Senior advisers told junior aides to focus on their work and compartmentalize the latest round of drama, which now the West Wing has even less control over.

The President and those around him saw again Wednesday night the limits of his own executive authority, a feeling presidents before him have bemoaned and he has witnessed multiple times in his four months in office.

One aide described the mood in two words: “Chaotically dark.”…

I think we can all agree with the following tweet:

What’s on the agenda as we buckle up for another day?
***********


===========

Golden oldie, newly relevant:

Reader Interactions

156Comments

  4. 4.

    different-church-lady

    Sure you weren’t working for Trump’s campaign?

    “Swear to God. Jail.”

    Probably the same thing by the time this is over.

  5. 5.

    PsiFighter37

    The McCarthy exchange has gotta be another big mark on the zombie-eyed granny starver. Their spokespeople both flat-out denied it until they were told the WaPo had audio recording. I hope they get roped into this investigation too.

    Part of me think that the GOP leadership in Congress stinks to high hell on this Russia stuff as well.

  6. 6.

    EBT

    Some day I am going to tell other people’s kids what it was like to live through these events.

    Until then I am going to go and not sleep in bed for a few hours until I can justify getting back up and getting back to work on my interactive fiction.

  7. 7.

    Iowa Old Lady

    The press warned us that if Clinton won the election, we’d be bogged down in scandal after scandal. And look! We gave her move votes and sure enough, scandals.

    I can’t imagine what will happen on the foreign trip. I thought Romney was clumsy and compared to Trump, he’s smooth.

  8. 8.

    Mary G

    Israeli sources complaining about Trump’s lousy travel planning:

    But the chaos and mixed messages continue to flow in, with White House staff constantly making changes to Trump’s two-day schedule, and forcing their Israeli counterparts racing to keep up. The White House announced it was moving the presidential speech from Masada — the hilltop fortress where first-century Jewish rebels are said to have committed mass suicide rather than die at the hands of encroaching Romans, and which has long symbolized Zionism as the victorious underdog — to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It was reportedly done because Trump realized that Masada, which is in the desert, will be hot.

  16. 16.

    Baud

    @Mary G:

    It was reportedly done because Trump realized that Masada, which is in the desert, will be hot.

    Wait until he finds out there are Jews in Israel.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    So no tweets this morning? Interesting.

    BTW, good on Dems for pushing the special prosecutor issue. ?

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    Run on cotton balls at the druggist to muffle the sound of so many shoes dropping.

  20. 20.

    Sheldon Vogt

    We need to push Congress to release Trump’s tax returns, and to get each Republican Rep and Sen. on the record of whether they approve of doing so

  21. 21.

    bystander

    So no humorous photos of a beached Trump flat out at Masada? I’m deeply disappointed. Unless some ancient cornice piece chunks him in the head in the Museum.

  22. 22.

    Anne Laurie

    @debbie:

    What is it with all this sudden love for Orrin Hatch?

    If Trump, Pence, and Ryan all end up in jail (or on the run), Orrin Hatch gets to be Acting President. But he’s in his 80s, and was already talking about not running for re-election — whereas Rep. Pelosi is bright-eyed and ready to SMASH!

  26. 26.

    Patricia Kayden

    @debbie: I hope there is no sudden love for that horrible man. He’d be easy to beat if somehow he becomes President though so I’ll love him for that one thing.

  29. 29.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    Damnit, I thought you said they had lots of juice there, Pence! How am I going to tell Bannon about this?

  30. 30.

    amk

    ezra klein is concern trolling about how watergate rallied conservatives to nixon. guess the liberals must just let it go. asshole.

  33. 33.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Sheldon Vogt: I heard one of the investigations, perhaps the NY grand jury, has the power to subpoena the tax returns. I assume that subpoena would go to the IRS, which gives T a lot less opportunity to stonewall.

  35. 35.

    Morzer

    @Baud:

    I am sure that the GOP has figured out that Trump can sign stuff just fine from the gurney on which his muzzled and bagged form currently resides.

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    @Anne Laurie

    If line of succession comes into play he would become President, not Acting President.

    And if Hatch demurs, next in line is Rex Tillerson.

    *shudder*

  38. 38.

    JMG

    @amk: Actually, the piece was accurate as far as history goes. But parallels are never exact. Conservatives, like everyone else, distrusted Nixon prior to Watergate. But 2017 conservatives except for a few op-ed writers already rallied around Trump after the Access Hollywood tapes. They can’t rally more.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: I hope they continue to, they need to painted with that orange marmalade for all eternity.

  41. 41.

    amk

    @JMG: Citing history is all fine if all that rallying had saved nixon. So, I don’t see the reason for his dire warning to liberals.

  43. 43.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    My friend Charles asked Cordray if Codray would come back to Ohio and run and Cordray said “I may have to”.

    So take that as you will :)

  44. 44.

    Betty Cracker

    Oh Christ. He’s tweeting again:

    What a fucking (illiterate) crybaby.

  48. 48.

    ThresherK

    Lost among Soundgarden and Audioslave is Chris Cornell’s go at a James Bond song.

    He performed* “You Know My Name”, and it’s just right for Bond’s story arc in that movie, and also the debut of Daniel Craig as Bond.

    (*And cowrote, and coproduced.)

  50. 50.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Betty Cracker: What illegal acts took place during the Obama administration? Keep in mind that President Obama governed with a Republican-controlled, hostile, obstructionist Congress.

    Waaahh, waaahh, waaahhh! Keep crying, Donnie. You’re going down.

  52. 52.

    Shalimar

    Is it 67 votes for impeachment, or 2/3rds? I could see a situation where 28 Republican cowards abstained and the 48 member Dem caucus was 2/3rds.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Conservatives decided telling their base everything was “illegal” or “unconstitutional” was a smart move, not realizing that there are real illegal acts and comparisons would be made.

    Trump is suffering in comparison to other Presidents because he’s worse.

  54. 54.

    Elizabelle

    @NotMax:

    if Hatch demurs, next in line is Rex Tillerson.
    *shudder*

    No. By that time, I would expect to see people out in the street, rioting.

    Why reward the corrupt party with the spoils? Fresh elections, or an overturned election, at that point. Ill gotten gains.

    You cannot prop up a system that would elicit such a ridiculous result. The process was flawed. Past time for a do-over.

    And strip Gorsuch of his USSC seat.

  55. 55.

    Shalimar

    @Betty Cracker: Single greatest witch hunt of a politician in history. Imagine how histrionic Trump will be when they move on from Flynn/Manafort and actually start targeting him.

  56. 56.

    Elizabelle

    @Betty Cracker: Jackass in Chief.

    Yes. That’s brilliant Donald. Let’s all take a few minutes to remember the Obama administration.

    And how Hillary was hounded over “emails” while you actually appointed a National Security Advisor you knew to be under investigation. At the time.

    Memory Lane is not your friend. Fake news, Donald. Even your supporters have started to get woke to you.

  57. 57.

    Kay

    @Elizabelle:

    I do feel like Trump casts a cloud on Gorsuch. People will say it doesn’t matter and maybe it doesn’t, but the process they used to get that seat taints him. He’ll always have a whiff of “stolen” around him to me. An end run.

  58. 58.

    OzarkHillbilly

    This put a smile on my face: Trump scandals create a hurdle for his rightwing media defenders

    When the New York Times reported that Trump had asked then-FBI chief James Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Tuesday evening, it presented a similar problem.

    But this time, rather than ignore the story, the Fox News channel lined up pundits and partisan show hosts to dismiss it. Jesse Watters, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity variously dismissed the Comey revelations as “a boring scandal” and an example of “hyperventilating” by the media. Hannity devoted much of his 10pm show to the Rich-WikiLeaks story, despite NBC and CNN having debunked the story on Tuesday afternoon.

    But, as Buzzfeed reported, there was an awkward juxtaposition between what Fox News’ pundits were saying and what the network’s reporters were saying.

    Chief political anchor Bret Baier told his audience that no Republicans had been willing to appear on Fox News to discuss the revelations, while chief White House correspondent John Roberts did not shirk from the Comey reports, noting that the White House’s response is “saying what [Trump] didn’t say, but we do not know what he did say”. Fox News’ chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge went a step further, saying a source had confirmed the Comey memo.

    They want to have their cake and eat it too.

  59. 59.

    Kay

    @Elizabelle:

    It seems like the news that Team Trump knew about Flynn means Flynn is talking, right?

    Boy, he could say a lot. I bet.

  61. 61.

    Oldgold

    He will never learn.

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    28m
    With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special councel appointed!

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    16m
    This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!
    View details ·

  62. 62.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Elizabelle: I fully expect to see Gorsuch serve as long as his cold, smug, black heart desires. And even if Fitzmas finally comes true, and all the twitter rumors play out the way partisan Democrats would want them to, we’re still looking at a President Orrin Hatch for a good three years or so. A new election is unlikely to happen unless public unrest shuts down the country. That might be what’s called for, but no matter what happens to Trump and everyone he’s cursed (dignity wraith indeed) that Republican Congress is still sitting there, rubbing its hands together at the thought of punishing sluts, starving orphans and seniors, and terrorizing brown people while rich folks get to reinforce their barricades with tax cuts. Trump leaving isn’t likely to make the next few years that much easier, just slightly less terrifying and unpredictable.

  63. 63.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Kay:

    Conservatives decided telling their base everything was “illegal” or “unconstitutional” was a smart move

    It starts to fall apart when they define everything that is done by their political opponents as illegal and/or unconstitutional. There was nothing that President Obama did that they didn’t challenge in those terms.

  64. 64.

    Lurking Canadian

    @debbie: If actual impeachments happen, a large number of Republicans will have to vote for it. At that point, you’re at “bipartisan come together to save the republic” time. Some kind of compromise that leads to Trump, Pence, Ryan, McConnell in jail and a bipartisan, caretaker executive (Hatch/Pelosi, Pelosi/Hatch, HClinton/McMullin, Hell even Obama/GWBush?) is how it would end in a Ludlum or Drury novel.

    (I almost wrote “Clancy” there, but Clancy would just nuke a joint session of Congress to give the top job to..Comey or McMaster or somebody.

  65. 65.

    Kay

    groups w/most negative views of Trump’s honesty: women college grads (17%-70%); blacks (3%-82%); age 18-34 (12%-63%)

    Oh, God. Older white men. Missing. Were they always such suckers? Who knew?

    They believe Donald Trump It’s like believing in Santa Claus.

  67. 67.

    Baud

    @Oldgold:

    This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!

    In fairness, Trump is probably the single greatest “witch” in American history.

    Somewhere in hell, Benedict Arnold is smiling.

  68. 68.

    Ian G.

    I don’t typically get upset about celebrity deaths, but I’m pretty bummed about Chris Cornell at the way too young age of 52. Soundgarden was basically THE soundtrack to my 90s teen years.

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: He will never be legitimate to me. He should resign in shame and then commit Seppuku.

  70. 70.

    Hunter Gathers

    @Patricia Kayden: More chum for his middle-class, white trash base.

    Nothing matches the rage of middle management making just shy of 6 figures.

    If their latest get-rich-quick scheme doesn’t pan out, their Special Snowflake C Student might have to go to State University. Teh Horror!

  71. 71.

    Kay

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Declarations of illegality and unconstitutionality drive me crazy. “Lock her up!” drove me crazy every time I heard it.

    I mean, really. How dare you? Who made them judge and jury?

    Fear not. I think it’s generally recognized Obama had a notably scandal-free tenure. He was the most scandal-free of my adult life. Trumpsters won’t be able to chip away at that. It’s too late.

  72. 72.

    gvg

    @Kay: I think that it’s now been documented by Sally Yates testimony that she told them. there may have been someone else too, I notice that a lot of things get told to Trumps lawyer that his team acts like they didn’t get told in turn. Don McGahn, i want to know more about him, his name has been coming up a lot.

  73. 73.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    This is pure speculation but my sense is SCOTUS justices care a lot about reputation and legacy. I hope it bothers him, how he got that seat. Fruit of the poisoned tree and all that.

  74. 74.

    Ian G.

    Also, today is the 37th anniversary of the day that one of the world’s most beautiful mountains, St. Helens, obliterated itself in a massive eruption that snuffed 57 lives.

    One was a 31 year old USGS geologist, David Johnston, whose remains were never found. I know, he’s just another gubmint bureaucrat for the GOP to shit on, but his bravery and sacrifice saved lives just as much as any police officer or firefighter or US army soldier.

  75. 75.

    Shalimar

    @Patricia Kayden: He is also inadvertently admitting he is at the ultimate target of the investigation. Which will be news to the FBI, who most likely haven’t made those connections yet.

  76. 76.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Kay: But he says what they FEEL Kay. All that crap about snowflakes, but whose feelings are most pwecious?

  77. 77.

    D58826

    @PsiFighter37:

    Part of me think that the GOP leadership in Congress stinks to high hell on this Russia stuff as well.

    Maybe nothing criminal but they were quite happy to remain silent if it helped their election chances. So still pond scum (with apologies to all of the upstanding pond scum in the world)

  78. 78.

    Elizabelle

    @Kay: If it can be proved that Trump was an illegitimate president from the get go (which has always been my take), then I would expect Justice Gorsuch to be forced to resign. The only reason he got the appointment was that Republicans obstructed the Democratic president from appointing a successor to dead Scalia.

    You cannot have Gorsuch sitting on the Supreme Court, a stolen nomination by an illegitimate president. He needs to go.

    Do not reward Republican obstructionism and criminality with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. I don’t care if the asshole is already there. Unseat his ass.

  80. 80.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Ian G.: Yeah this is a bummer to me too. Only big name left from that place and era among frontmen is Eddie Vedder, and maybe Jerry Cantrell can count as half a front man (co front man?).

  81. 81.

    TriassicSands

    No person, in all of human history, has been as unfairly treated as Donald Trump. Renowned historian, Donald Trump, informed us of this undeniable fact during his latest whine-fest when he gave a commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy. While he technically limited his remarks to all presidents, clearly in Trump’s inflated view of himself and everything related to himself, Trump must feel that he is the most unfairly persecuted human being ever.

    As always, Trump is clueless about just how ridiculous his comments make him look. Even Nixon couldn’t compare with Trump when it comes to self-pity. Apparently, when Trump makes comments like this he thinks people will actually believe him. That may be true for the majority of the people who were stupid enough to vote for him — they certainly haven’t gotten any smarter since the inauguration. Trump’s job approval is stuck at 38%. The question is what will it take to cause a significant — and thoroughly justifiable — drop in his job approval?

  82. 82.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Kay: That may be, but I don’t think ANYBODY manages to get loving looks cast their way by the likes of Ted Cruz by being honorable.

  83. 83.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Oldgold:

    This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!

    Or at least since 2016!

  84. 84.

    randy khan

    @Oldgold:

    Not that there was any chance he would show any restraint, but this is pretty remarkable for someone whose own Deputy Attorney General decided he needed to appoint the special counsel.

  86. 86.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Shalimar: That’s the beauty of Trump. He runs his mouth constantly and admits to missteps that a more intelligent person would be mum about. That’s what happens when you’re an idiot with a cell phone. Where is Ivanka to calm him down? LOL.

  89. 89.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Elizabelle:

    You cannot have Gorsuch sitting on the Supreme Court, a stolen nomination by an illegitimate president.

    That would be great but seems like something that would never happen. But who knows? I didn’t think we’d have a Special Counsel investigating Trump’s Russian ties so we never know.

  90. 90.

    Peale

    The question I guess is whether the confused left will bother to care that this all seems worse than paid speeches to investment bankers. That this does not seem to be the same may be lost on them. In my mind one party seems to be a lot more corrupt than the other, but ymmv.

  95. 95.

    Kropadope

    Unfortunately, America forgot rather quickly how corrupt and incompetent Republicans are.

    fortunately, America is remembering rather quickly how corrupt and incompetent Republicans are.

  96. 96.

    sdhays

    @Patricia Kayden: We’re now at the point where “Preznit Whiny whines about X” should not be “breaking news”. “No politician in history has been treated worse” isn’t even worth reporting since I sincerely wonder how many politicians, living or dead, he could actually name, let alone describe. I think if you asked him about Julius Caesar, he’d say, “Oh, yeah. Great hombre. He’s being recognized more and more. Wait, is he a Democrat?”

    News organizations should save “breaking news” for “Preznit Wannabe-Fascist admits to more serious high crimes while trying to defend himself to accusations of other high crimes.” Clearly, that will still keep them plenty busy…

  97. 97.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: They want to be seen as above politics. Gorsuch climbed down right into the slime with the rest of the GOP. He’ll never wash it off. Every opinion he writes is going to wear that stench.

  98. 98.

    Another Scott

    @Oldgold: Donnie is so great that everything around him is obviously the “greatest of all time”, also too.

    It’s going to be hard to top the hunt for traitors, and the conspiracy theories, after Lincoln’s assassination.

    But let’s see if Donnie is right – will it be the greatest of all time? Could be!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who hopes that Muller and the Committees follow the evidence, but aren’t distracted by the nutjob conspiracies.)

  99. 99.

    Kay

    @Comrade Nimrod Humperdink:

    I could see saying “he’s a liar but he’s MY liar” but that wasn’t the question. They were asked to rate his honestly.

    Jesus. The word has no meaning to these people. Trump is a proud, daily liar.

    This is how much trouble he’s in with a useless, cowed GOP Congress and nothing has happened! There was no crisis. He hasn’t had to handle anything other than his own self-created problems. Obama was on his 3rd Katrina by now.

  101. 101.

    Bruce K

    Trump thinks he’s the most maligned politician in US history? He should talk to Max Cleland. Or Tammy Duckworth. Or Gabrielle Giffords.

    No, check that. He should talk to Harvey Milk. Anyone know how to arrange a face-to-face meeting?

  102. 102.

    amk

    looks like roger fucking aisles is dead. good riddance. next up, rupie fucking murdok.

  105. 105.

    JMG

    Since Trump has no loyalty, those who chose to work for him have none either. I think Moeller will have no lack of very cooperative witnesses.

  107. 107.

    Elizabelle

    @GregB:

    Top of the Drudge Report:

    Statement from Elizabeth Ailes:

    I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back. During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life…

    Jingle bells. Jingle bells. OMG, if true.

  108. 108.

    hilts

    Anyone out there believe we have a legitimate chance to get this bloated, incompetent neanderthal removed from the White House before Christmas?

  109. 109.

    Elizabelle

    It’s still more of a tragedy to lose Chris Cornell.

    And will be, for all time.

  110. 110.

    efgoldman

    @Baud:@Anne Laurie

    May end up president.

    And i may end up a super bowl QB.
    Yes, he’s fourth in line of succession, but: In order for the Speaker of the House (Granny Starver) to succeed to the presidency. both the presidency and the VP have to leave both offices vacant on the same day.
    Otherwise the second clause of the 25th amendment applies: Whoever is left of Peach Pustule and Dense is president, appoints someone to fill in the VP, and that person mist be confirmed by majority vote in each house. That’s the person who becomes president next if whoever was president leaves office; he then appoints a VP….
    So in order for Hatch to be president (other than being appointed and confirmed) the presidency, VP, and speaker all have to be out of office at once.

  111. 111.

    GregB

    Breaking on CNN.

    This man more than any American is why America sits in this terrible nation shattering crisis.

    More than anyone else.

  112. 112.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost has Ailes death up as breaking news; statement from the widow.

    Nothing on NY Times or NY Daily News.

  114. 114.

    Elizabelle

    NY Daily News reports Chris Cornell death is being investigated as a suicide. Really? Found dead in a bathroom.

  115. 115.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    I’ve wondered what if Trump resigns, would President Pence preemptively pardon former Prez Trump, Manafort, Flynn, et al?
    I can’t imagine any of them have any loyalty to Pence, and would happily turn on him for a plea deal.

  116. 116.

    Elizabelle

    @amk: He was a patriot. Just not to the United States of America.

    He was plutocracy’s greatest patriot. Uh, one of them.

    Now I’m hoping one of the Koch brothers will take ill.

  117. 117.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Ian G.: We went to visit Mt. St. Helens three years ago (my wife, daughter and I) – my daughter has always been fascinated with volcanoes. She was really quiet about it for a couple of days, but when we got to Victoria to visit my brother and sister, they couldn’t shut her up about it – she just needed to absorb it all. The scope of the devastation, even all these years later, is simply amazing to behold.

    It’s also my cat’s birthday today (Elsa is 3)

  118. 118.

    Elizabelle

    What Christmas in May 2017 looks like.

    This headline, in big print, up on WaPost website.

    GOP leaders tried to keep concerns about Trump, Russia a secret

    And the red banner announcing Ailes’ family says Roger is dead above.

  120. 120.

    D58826

    @Shalimar:

    Single greatest witch hunt of a politician in history

    Well I guess if Der Fuhrer is impeached and convicted of treason it will be the hughest, bigglest story in US history so he does have that as a claim to infamy

  121. 121.

    Shalimar

    @efgoldman: If Ryan really wants to be president and saw Pence as vulnerable, he could push the freedom caucus to block whoever Pence chose as VP.

  122. 122.

    Wag

    The good news just keeps rolling in. WaPo is reporting that Roger Ailes has died.

    Enjoy your time in hell, Roger.

  124. 124.

    D58826

    Fox News founder Roger Ailes has died http://

    Man some people will do anything to avoid having to testify in court!!!!

  126. 126.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Kay: If Bush Jr had been handed Obama’s situation we would’ve possibly had another Great Depression. If Trump had been handed Obama’s situation, Mad Max films might be confused with documentaries by future historians.

  128. 128.

    gratutious

    Carlson is willing to admit that things in the Trump White House are “a little chaotic.” It was also a little damp on the Titanic, and the Hindenburg might be a wee bit combustible. “A little chaotic.” Fu-u-u-u-u-u-ck.

  129. 129.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Elizabelle: That’d be kind of surprising news to me. His death isn’t as shocking as say, Prince’s was, but he wasn’t a Cobain/Staley style trainwreck either. Seemed relatively healthy and well-adjusted as rock stars go.

  130. 130.

    efgoldman

    @Elizabelle:

    I would expect Justice Gorsuch to be forced to resign.

    You will be waiting a long time. Isn’t gonna’ happen. Unfortunately. there were no laws broken nor any constitutional violations in the process.

  131. 131.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    @Amanda in the South Bay: If things play out the way the twitter fever dreams project then Pence goes down too. I’d wager that the only way he’d get to hand out pardons is if Trump resigns and others go to jail before they get to Pence. Maybe Mother can help him orchestrate that, I’m not sure he’s clever enough to do it on his own.

  132. 132.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Mary G: Trump will be comparing himself in this scandal to the Jews at Masada. Oh this will beyond strange.

  133. 133.

    Lurking Canadian

    @Shalimar: This. As I posted in the other (dead) thread, what does “the House must confirm” a replacement VP mean? Is that like how the Senate must confirm a President’s nominees to the Supreme Court?

  134. 134.

    efgoldman

    @Shalimar:

    he could push the freedom caucus to block whoever Pence chose as VP.

    Then under the 25th amendment, Dense appoints someone else. It’s a game they can play forever, like filling any other confirmable post. Also confirmation requires only a majority of each house, not 2/3.

    Look. boys and girls, this isn’t hard. The language of that clause couldn’t be more clear. This ride is going to be wild enough without fantasy scenarios.

  135. 135.

    randy khan

    @Elizabelle:

    I guess the defenestration of Bill O’Reilly broke his heart.

    I actually kind of would have preferred that he lived long enough to see the demise of the Republican hegemony he wished for.

  136. 136.

    Ian G.

    @Just One More Canuck:

    I’ve been to St Helens twice. The devastation is quite the contrast with the glaciers and forests around other nearby volcanoes like Rainier and Hood. It’s also a bit creepy to look into the massive crater and think, “if I had been standing in this spot on that day….”

  139. 139.

    Lurking Canadian

    Then under the 25th amendment, Dense appoints someone else. It’s a game they can play forever, like filling any other confirmable post

    In other words, a determined Congress can keep the vice presidency vacant “forever”. Since “forever” includes “until they can impeach and/or force out the new guy” we seem to be loudly in agreement.

    It is not likely. Impeachment and conviction of a president is not likely either. But one is not more unlikely than the other.

  140. 140.

    Chris

    @amk:

    ezra klein is concern trolling about how watergate rallied conservatives to nixon.

    Yeah, how’d that work out for Nixon?

  141. 141.

    laura

    He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back.
    I’m calling bullshit!
    If ever there was a single individual who did more to advance the endumbing and angrifying of millions of Americans it was this vile, skidmark on our culture. Not a patriot. Not by a mile. Good riddance.

  143. 143.

    laura

    Fingers crossed that the cause of death was auto-erotic asphyxiation while clad in latex, from a door knob using a Donald Trump collection tie.

  146. 146.

    Jeffro

    @gratutious:

    [Tucker] Carlson is willing to admit that things in the Trump White House are “a little chaotic.” It was also a little damp on the Titanic, and the Hindenburg might be a wee bit combustible

    El
    Oh
    El

    “…the Death Star’s had a bit of a reactor glitch…”

  147. 147.

    Jeffro

    @Comrade Nimrod Humperdink:

    That’d be kind of surprising news to me. His death isn’t as shocking as say, Prince’s was, but he wasn’t a Cobain/Staley style trainwreck either. Seemed relatively healthy and well-adjusted as rock stars go.

    For the past decade-plus, anyway, on the “healthy and well-adjusted” bit. Shocking news. Playing Temple of the Dog here in the office this morning…sigh…

  148. 148.

    Jeffro

    Bret Stephens trying to make amends with liberals today in the NYT: The ‘Flight 93 Election’ crashes again.

    I’d never heard of the vile original theory – glad Stephens can at least state the obvious:

    …iif we’ve learned anything about Trump, it’s that his character isn’t just bad. It’s irrepressible.

    Hence the past 10 days of our national life. Firing Jim Comey. Threatening Comey. Lying about the reasons for firing Comey. Admitting to the reasons for firing Comey. Blabbing secrets to Sergey Lavrov. Denying that secrets were blabbed. Then blabbing about blabbing to Lavrov.

    No staff shake-up would have prevented any of this from happening. It would have descended on a hapless White House staff like a superheated pyroclastic flow from a presidential Pinatubo. And it will continue to descend, week after grim week, until Trump leaves or is forced from office.

    That is the Trump reality. A man with a deformed personality and a defective intellect runs a dysfunctional administration — a fact finally visible even to its most ardent admirers. Who could have seen that one coming? Who knew that character might be destiny?

    To reread “The Flight 93 Election” today is to understand what has gone wrong not only with the Trump presidency, but also with so much of the conservative movement writ large. In a word, it’s become unhinged.

  150. 150.

    hovercraft

    @Mary G:

    It was reportedly done because Trump realized that Masada, which is in the desert, will be hot.

    FFS, has anyone told this moron that the mid-east is hot and that everywhere he goes outside will be hot? I know it’s hard, but in this case you already have pictures, they’re called maps.

    At this point I think the “tantric schadenfreude” may overwhelm me, it’s just too much. I tried to make eye contact with Lenny our Twitler loving security guard this morning and he wont look me in the eye. Maybe I’ll go over and ask him how things are going.

  152. 152.

    J R in WV

    @Elizabelle:

    Did I not read somewhere that Chief Justice John Roberts has ruled that Gorsuch is recused from any court actions relating to Trump’s administration? Appropriate, and surprising, since Roberts is mostly a republican scarecrow.

  153. 153.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Wait a minute, there’s no Santa Claus?????

    Jeeheezypeezy, OH, if there was a Sanity Clause we wouldn’t have this imbecile in the White House.

  154. 154.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    @J R in WV: I don’t all the details of that, although I’d heard something along those lines.
    Rehnquist was appointed to the Court by Nixon and then recused himself on United States v. Nixon, because, unlike some, he had a sense of the appropriate.

    (Also, in checking that on Wikipedia, typing in “United States v N”, I see there was a case known as “United States v. Ninety-Five Barrels of Alleged Apple Cider Vinegar”. It had more to do with the Pure Food and Drug Act than Executive Privilege and presidential shenanigans…)

  155. 155.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @efgoldman:

    Look, boys and girls, this isn’t hard.

    Except for someone as willfully obtuse as you, ef.

    Fact: Agnew resigned the Vice Presidency on 10 October 1973.
    Fact: Nixon nominated Ford to the Vice Presidency on 12 October 1973.
    Fact: The Senate voted to confirm Ford on 27 November 1973.
    Fact: The House voted to confirm Ford on 6 December 1973, & he took the oath of office the same day.

    It took 57 days from the date of Agnew’s resignation to fill the office of the Vice Presidency with someone that everyone on both sides of the aisle in Congress knew & liked. What in the fucking hell makes you think the incumbent gaggle of Congresscritters would manage to shove through a replacement for a recently-elevated President [barf] Dunce on the same fucking day??

    C’mon, man, you lived through the Ford elevation as an adult, just like me. Only you seem to have forgotten about it. Funny, I thought short-term memory was the first to go…

  156. 156.

    No One You Know

    @hilts: Neanderthal libel. Neanderthals are now known to have buried their dead, made tools and art, and created intentional cave modifications.

    Trump is now believed to have embarrassed the nation, enriched his family, suborned the rule of law, and is busily working on variations of these themes.

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