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

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

I was promised a recession.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

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

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

This really is a full service blog.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

The new republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Early Morning Open Thread: Oh, Now They Find Some “Caution”

Early Morning Open Thread: Oh, Now They Find Some “Caution”

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  2. 2.

    TenguPhule

    CNN says the White House is examining impeachment procedures “out of an abundance of caution” as Trump leaves on his first foreign trip

    And you can tell that these are Trump employees because they only started now.

  4. 4.

    Applejinx

    GOP fears Trump will take the Republican Party down with him

    NO SHIT HE WILL. It’s not that he even is or has to be a clever Russian agent actively scheming to do that. He’s a Trump, directed as readily from Russia as from anywhere else, and they’re all fucking complicit.

    If my Birdie Senator turns out to be actively complicit to the extent of a Paul Ryan… as in, knowingly incorporating all the Russian energy into his calculus… I’ll be really sad and really disappointed. If it turns out he just accepted some of the urgings of Tad Devine (or whoever) who was complicit, and didn’t want to know more, I’ll be disappointed. But they’re ALL complicit. The way that high finance interacts with government and campaigning now, they’re all complicit, it just became how government got done.

    The reason it got this far is that since it’s campaign finance and we’ve swung so far in favor of making politics all about money, it became normal on both sides of the aisle (disproportionately on the Republican side, but our side got compromised as well and it became about not exposing that). Otherwise there would have been pushback. Otherwise disentangling it all would be easier and would be happening…

    They’re all complicit. Money doesn’t have borders or politics, still less Putin money when Putin is known to give money to all sides of the argument, is known to finance things like political movements specifically against him just to confuse things and delegitimize the movements. They’re all complicit and specifically the Republicans are in it up to the eyeballs, and a bunch of Democratic and hard Left folks are stuck with their bad, greedy choices. And it’s most certainly not ONLY the Republicans and hard Left. The Democratic Party would be moving more freely on all this if they weren’t trying to shield some of their own, and it’s all about the money. If nothing else, inconvenient donations… and you’d better believe the Republicans or at least Trumpites are getting prepped with information about who’s really behind various donations, various political consultants.

    Protecting the big money in Washington means protecting the Russian control at this point.

  5. 5.

    patrick II

    How lucky is Chris Christie that Kushner hated him and got him dumped as VP candidate and leader of the transition team?

  6. 6.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    What gets me is that the Republicans in particular have been telling the country for over 60 years how bad the Russians are. Then their presidential candidate turn around to the Russians for money and not a peep from them .I almost would feel better if it was some small pretty much unimportant country that poured money into Dolt for some favor. Panama or Myanmar or Swaziland but Russia?

  7. 7.

    lowtechcyclist

    Also from that Washington Examiner link:

    A Republican lobbyist who is actively raising money for the party said the complaints have been piling up from donors. They don’t think that the problem is media persecution or Democratic obstruction, they think the problem is the president.

    “People are feeling – it’s disgust, it’s shame, it’s you name it, all of the above,” the lobbyist said. Asked for examples of the complaints fielded, the lobbyist added: “When is this going to end? How can we recover? These are clowns.”

    This is what Republican donors are saying. In a story in a right-wing rag, because that’s what the Examiner is.

    The GOP would be hurt the least if they cut Trump loose now, and had a year and a half before the midterms for things to get back to normal. But they won’t. Dan Pfeiffer’s tweet nailed it: “Paul Ryan has neither the courage nor the conviction to ever impeach Trump no matter the crime.”

    Republicans fall in line. That’s what they do. Unless it gets to the point where even the Freedom Caucus is ready to impeach Trump, they’ll stick with “their strategy of frowning slightly while doing nothing to stop him” as Kevin Kruse said. Until they’re just about all ready to jump off that cliff, none of them will.

  8. 8.

    amk

    what a yuuuge turnout can and did achieve.

    Iran’s hardliners had pulled all the stops and mobilised all their resources to bring out as many people as possible to grab the last centre of power in Iran that was not under their control, namely the executive branch.

    Sensing an effort by the hardliners, supporters of President Rouhani who back his promises to steer the country toward moderation came out in big numbers too. Turnout has been unprecedented. In Tehran, five million people turned out to vote – twice as many as in 2013.

    This was a revenge of the people against the hardliners who intimidated them, jailed them, executed them, drove them to exile, pushed them out of their jobs, and discriminated against women.

    President Rouhani will now have a bigger mandate to push through his reforms, to put an end to extremism, to build bridges with the outside world, to put the economy back on track.

    Iranians have said a resounding Yes to President Rouhani who, in recent years and particularly during the last several weeks of campaigning, promised to expand individual and political freedoms and make all those centres of power, like the Revolutionary Guard, accountable.

  9. 9.

    SFAW

    Paul Ryan has neither the courage nor the conviction

    We know he’ll never have the courage to do anything but stomp on the innocent and non-wealthy, but I’m sure-as-shit hoping they can convict him of SOMETHING, although WHAT that would be remains hazy, so I’ll have to ask again later.

    Motherfucker should get retired early. Thanks, Wisconsin voters!

  10. 10.

    JPL

    Melania appeared in Saudi without a scarf. It seems just like yesterday, that Trump criticized Michelle for not covering her hair in Saudi.

  11. 11.

    Baud

    @amk:

    Sensing an effort by the hardliners, supporters of President Rouhani who back his promises to steer the country toward moderation came out in big numbers too. Turnout has been unprecedented. In Tehran, five million people turned out to vote – twice as many as in 2013.

    Didn’t they realize both sides are the same? Fools!

  15. 15.

    amk

    Trump may sow seeds for another 9/11.

    With United States President Donald Trump’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, the US expects to kick start an anti-Iran coalition.

    In Saudi Arabia, Trump will meet with 56 leaders of Sunni Muslim countries who have gathered in Riyadh.

    The conference marks the formation of a Sunni Muslim NATO, with a combined military force commanded by retired Pakistan army chief, General Raheel Sharif.

    It is an attempt to recreate the united Islamic armies of the past and usher in a caliphate led by Saudi Arabia.

    The US is expected to offer modern arms worth $100 billion to Saudi Arabia.

    The target of this Sunni Muslim-US combine are Iran and Syria.

    Sounds familiar? Cut to the 1980s.

    /

    Why are the Americans blind to the long term consequences?

    Part of the explanation lies in the composition of the Trump administration.

    Other than fashion designers or business tycoons, the only professionals in his administration are military men.

    Unfortunately, the last time the US fought a conventional conflict in which strategic acumen and geopolitical vision was necessary was in 1991.

    Ever since the US is mainly engaged in counter insurgency warfare, the so-called ‘Company Commanders’ war.

    The current US military leadership thus lacks strategic vision and is innocent of history or geo-politics. There are no General Eisenhowers or General Marshals in the US military. The last of this tribe was Colin Powell.

  16. 16.

    Chek

    @SFAW: Stomp on the innocent and non-wealthy? It’s all in a days work for Paul “Punch-Down” Ryan. How can these so-called “Christians” live with themselves with the way they shit on the less fortunate?

  17. 17.

    Baud

    According to media, the Saudis love Trump a lot more than Obama. But it seems that’s because the Saudis hate Iran so much, and want Trump to weaken them.

  19. 19.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Brilliant move to get the US even more deeply involved in an explosive sectarian conflict in the Middle East. What could possibly go wrong?

  20. 20.

    Keith G

    I am not optimistic. There are enough idiots around…and beyond them, others with microscopic attention spans…that Trump has a better than even chance of surviving this. Mueller’s writ is to find criminal behavior. I hope what Trump did is found to be criminal, but I see a chance that it won’t be. I also imagine a future where the greater GOP will view a wounded Trump as a sunk cost for 2018 and spend considerable energy muddying the waters with newly formatted attacks against HRC, BHO, and whoever else is approaching the top of the Democratic Party. Drive down voter participation with “both sides are….”

    I say this really based on nothing than the observation that as of now, rationality seems to not be a tool our society wants to use.

    The Democrats must keep the heat on Trump and they must build an easy to digest, non-Trump argument to energize voters.

  21. 21.

    JWR

    @amk: Not counting that your link is a Reddit link, this is what I’ve been really worried about: an absent presidency. (And boy, is this president ever absent!)

  24. 24.

    danielx

    Kind of funny the WH is further along in researching impeachment than Ryan or McConnell are.

    — Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 19, 2017

    No, actually, it’s not. Neither Ryan nor McConnell has any interest whatsoever in researching the topic. Whereas the White House has every interest in staving off any hint of the process.

    Speaking of the WH staff, I heard the sighs of relief from where I live when Air Force 1 went wheels up on Trump’s overseas trip.

  27. 27.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I gave the kid a gift membership to the Huntington Library and a friend a guest pass, we’re going to the Huntington later this morning. The kid can’t find her membership activation card and our friend can’t find his guest pass. I have one guest pass, they can fight over that, thought I’d give odds on the kid winning that one, she’s younger.

    ETA: I shot a pic tonight of the Milky Way from here in Glendale, it’s faint, but it’s there. Amazing.

  28. 28.

    danielx

    @amk:

    The current US military leadership thus lacks strategic vision and is innocent of history or geo-politics. There are no General Eisenhowers or General Marshals in the US military. The last of this tribe was Colin Powell.

    McMaster does possess a PhD in American history and is no fool.

  30. 30.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Can you believe a Neo-Liberal like Rouhani won?

    Sad!

    Bernie would have won.

  33. 33.

    bystander

    @Baud:

    According to media, Saudis love Trump a lot more than Obama.

    I think that’s a result of Obama being a “don’t f*ck with me, fellas” fellow, unlike his hand holding predecessors. Another example of how great Obama was as POTUS.

    And if I hear one more time that “Trump values loyalty above all else” from these sycophants, I’m going to hurl. Trump values hired guns willing to impale themselves on his behalf. There is no reciprocity on Trump’s part.

    I wonder if there’s any chance the Kushners will donate a wing to the White Collar Crime Prison the way they endowed Harvard. Jared could have a private suite that way.

  34. 34.

    danielx

    @amk:

    Well, yeah, there’s that. Pity he didn’t foresee how everyone in Trump’s orbit ends up spattered when the fecal material inevitably and invariably hits the rotary impeller.

  36. 36.

    bystander

    Watching Trump arriving in SA. Trump just went up an escalator holding the rail with a paper towel. As he exits the escalator, he backhands the used towel to a special towel disposal man.

    Melania got rid of her Hermes orange kid glove leather skirt in favor of Ruby Keeler’s rehearsal pajamas.

  38. 38.

    amk

    @bystander: the kenyan muslin actually knew the main actors behind islamic fundamentalism and kept them at arm’s length unlike the entire kkklowns party.

  39. 39.

    p.a.

    @danielx: Think it’s like the “I can change him/her” partner in a relationship. Because we all think we’re special, and people who have reached that level have an extra degree of self confidence/arrogance. Don’t forget a corollary of Dunning-Kruger is that intelligent people tend to make BIG errors when they are wrong.

  43. 43.

    sm*t cl*de

    “The White House insisted that … the president was simply attempting to elicit concessions from the Russians”

    I will say again, this is not an optimal negotiating strategy. Looking pathetic and expecting a pity-fuck DOES NOT WORK.

  45. 45.

    Spanky

    BREAKING NEWS!!!!! MUST CREDIT … uhhhhh ….. Jersey Man, I guess.

    BAYONNE — A Jersey City man was arrested last week after trying to steal more than $200 worth of bacon and Redbull from the local Walmart, authorities said.

    The 50-year-old man was arrested and charged with shoplifting on May 13 after attempting to shoplift 33 packages of bacon and two cases of Redbull, police said.

    Police arrested the man at the Walmart at 500 Bayonne Crossing Way at 8:45 p.m.

    Authorities said he tried to leave the store with $236.46 worth of merchandise.

    So much for the party plans for the weekend, Jersey Man.

  46. 46.

    bystander

    @Betty Cracker: We wouldn’t want to lose our POTUS to an infestation of Arab cooties do we?

    @Raven: Except for being handsome and a genius of sorts, same guilty conscience.

  47. 47.

    henqiguai

    @JWR(#3):

    Anyone else seeing this odd activity down in the lower left corner of Firefox?: “Waiting for http://www.ora.tv…” followed quickly by “Read http://www.google-analytics.com“, once every 6-7 seconds? (Firefox is all updated and sh*t.)

    Running a new Win10 system and latest version of Firefox. What I’m seeing, and it’s damned annoying, is a constant refresh of all balloon-juice tabs, apparently related to that it-can-bite-my-ass video off to the right; loops and loops and loops. Re-engaging Adblocker didn’t impact it. The annoying visuals aren’t as noticeable with Edge or Chrome, but I happen to like Firefox. By this afternoon I may be motivated to go looking for aggressor tools to blast the snot out of those things on my system.

  49. 49.

    Elizabelle

    @Betty Cracker: Did we ever hear anything further from greennotGreen’s family? If they’d share, I would appreciate seeing the obituary and any bio info on the late, great Ms. green …

    I’ve been holding off making my contributions in memory, because I’d love to attach a real world name to the donation. However, if the family prefers anonymity, that’s cool too.

    From Betty’s post, May 18, Rest in Peace, greennotGreen: — the blogpost has links to the 3 charities.

    greennotGreen’s favorite charities were the American Cancer Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Avielle Foundation, if you’d like to make a donation in her honor.

    Betty: I’d love if we put up a donations reminder (with links) in the early morning threads, or in On the Road (where it won’t get lost in 100+ comments) for the next three weeks or so. Show those charities some love, and get the word out about green’s passing. Make it easy for Juicers to find the online links.

    So, if we can ever attach a name to the charity request, that would be primo ….

  52. 52.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @henqiguai:

    What I’m seeing, and it’s damned annoying, is a constant refresh of all balloon-juice tabs,

    Same thing happening here. I thought it was the storms.

  53. 53.

    Steeplejack

    @henqiguai:

    The Ora.tv thing has been a problem in the past. You need to nuke it specifically with your ad blocker. I’m not at my computer right or I would tell you exactly how to do that. Let us know if you can’t figure it out.

  57. 57.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    Trump’s sure to receive a great deal of fanfare on all his stops, but I think it’s everyone trying to curry favor and stroke his ego in order to get as much out of him as possible before he’s gone. The next president will have a very difficult time cleaning up all the messes Trump leaves behind.

  62. 62.

    Elizabelle

    @satby: Good to hear. Suspect there are a lot of us, waiting to hear.

    And I am so coming to visit you IRL when I get back to the States. Will come to see some relatives in HoosierLand as soon as that becomes possible.

  63. 63.

    debbie

    @Steeplejack:

    Typical. That form-fitting dress/belt will also offend many Saudis. I wonder if they’ll pixelate Melania’s face like they did Angela Merkel’s?

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    @spanky

    Bayonne is seamy, smelly and skanky enough on its own.

    Imagine that being inside a Walmart in Bayonne one would have to look up to see the bottom of the barrel.

  66. 66.

    henqiguai

    @amk(#54): amk, steeplejack, ozarkhillbilly — thanks!

    @henqiguai: In FF, Tools>Adblockplus>Select an element to hide and select the ora.tv

    Not an option on the version of Adblockplus I’ve got installed; which means I need to do some investigation. But over on the Site Maintenance post, someone else had the same complaint and uBlock was recommended. That works, as well. Running that and no longer have that damned resource-sucking visually distracting ‘flicker’ going on.

  67. 67.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    @amk: what the actual fuck? NONE of the perpetrators of 9/11 were Iranian. Almost all of the were Saudis. And anybody dropping the “c” word (caliphate) is just….I can’t even. (Not saying you believe this shit, amk.) The last thing the region needs is a completely dominant Saudi.

    @OzarkHillbilly: as is Mattis, IIRC.

  68. 68.

    LurkerNoLonger

    This is the leakiest White House ever, I swear they should rename it The Russian Hooker House. Is there anything that goes on in there that someone isn’t willing to tell the press about?

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    @henqiguai

    Just FYI, another option – get and install Privacy Badger add-on for FF (free and highly recommended) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Click on the little badger icon and set ora.tv to be blocked (slider moved to the red). Privacy Badger flags ora.tv as a tracking site.

  72. 72.

    debbie

    @henqiguai:

    Try clickiing on AdBlock, select Block Element, and the box will tell you to right-click what you want to block. I’m on a Mac, so the screen went yellowish, I scrolled to the element, and then Control-clicked. Poof!

  73. 73.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Applejinx: Both sides do it – 25 years of Delay-McConnell-Trump level corruption is same as Dems’ meager Wall St./Corporate fundraising in response. /s Sorry, but WTF? Who passed new Wall St. regulations the last time they had the Congressional votes, and who’s threatening to repeal it now? It’s really that simple.

  74. 74.

    debbie

    @debbie:

    Hmm, can’t edit me. P.S. I’m using the free version, so this is probably a very basic thing to do.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    Myanmar or Swaziland Cannot afford Trump…Russia can only afford him because of the Oilgarchs’ grand theft of state operations as the Soviet Union crumbled. That and the oil money flowing like Niagara Falls.

    For Myanmar or Swaziland to afford Trump the owners of those poor countries would have to take a pay cut; Putin, owns Russia and can pay Trump out of petty cash.

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