Rachel Maddow is on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone, and there’s a fascinating interview with her here (H/T: valued commenter Quinerly). An excerpt — her dead-on accurate (IMO) description of the Trump-Russia scandal:
Q: Let’s talk about the Russia story. You got on that very early, and stuck with it.
A: Well, I mean, I’m not keeping it alive for its own sake. There’s a lot of scandal associated with this new administration. Some of it is like normal political scandal – like Tom Price trading health stocks while he was in a public position to regulate those stocks. That’s a bad scandal, but it’s kind of normal political corruption. It’s almost quaint. Then, there are Trump-specific scandals, like we now have a ruling family where there’s a crowned prince who’s an adviser without remit, and we’ve got unqualified nepotistic appointments and conflicts of interest and Trump not disclosing his taxes. And then there is this third scandal, which is about the existence of this presidency. That’s an existential scandal. If this presidency is knowingly the product of a foreign-intelligence operation, that’s not Tom Price trading stocks that he was also affecting the price of as a public official, you know? That is a full-stop national crisis. Does that mean Russia makes the air every day, even if nothing appears new? No. But when there is something to say about it, I’m going to report it insistently. And I’m willing to do that even if it bothers people.
Maddow does allow that the story could be all smoke and no fire, but she says her guiding star for assessing the importance of a Trump-related story is what Trump does, not what he says. Seems like a good technique for a journalist dealing with a pathological liar.
Speaking of liars, Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich and the whole Wingnut Wurlitzer are shrieking like scalded stoats about special counselor Mueller. Here’s a tweet from this morning:
Muelleris now clearly the ti[p of the deep state spear aimed at destroying or at a minimum undermining and crippling the Trump presidency.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) June 15, 2017
Maddow is right to disregard what Trump says and focus on deeds. Trump isn’t strategic but rather an id lashing out. Gingrich, however, is a different sort of liar. I think he, Fox News and the rest of the Trump-enablement cooperative are setting the stage for Trump to fire Mueller. That play would indicate they have no other options.
Open thread!
lollipopguild
Newt is being SHRILL!
Jerzy Russian
I guess Newt thinks that undermining and crippling the Trump presidency is a bad thing?
Patricia Kayden
Why does anyone care what a failed politician and a hypocrite (cheating while condemning President Clinton for doing the same) says about anything? His wife got a position at the Vatican so we already know why he’s kissing up to Trump. His opinion means nothing.
Betty Cracker
@Jerzy Russian: Such hypocrisy too from the pol who pushed BlowJobGate. It’s a wonder his pants don’t spontaneously combust.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes
OT – in sports news, the NCAA report on my Louisville Cards is due at 11:00 am. Everybody’s on edge. I imagine most of my courts will recess for digestion and discussion prior to resumption.
Shit is serious bidness – banners may be coming down.
Jeffro
Newt, seriously: go. Fuck. YOURSELF.
Tokyokie
Betty, I also think it indicates that they all are, at the very least, accessories after the fact.
Betty Cracker
@Patricia Kayden: Gingrich’s blatherings are of interest as a tell, IMO. It seems the Trump propaganda complex, including Fox News and Trump surrogates like Gingrich, are running with a specific set of talking points. May just be an expression of frustration, but I think it might mean Trump really is going to fire Mueller. And if he does that, it means he knows allowing Mueller to continue the investigation will destroy him.
Jeffro
Also (since this is an OT): you just have to laugh
Corey Stewart is eyeing a Senate run against Tim Kaine in Virginia next year.
I’ll never again doubt that god loves me. DO IT, Corey! Go for it, big man. New-True-Blue Virginia is going to step on you like a BUG.
Tim C.
My bet it is sometime late tomorrow (Friday the 16th) Trump makes the moves he needs to to fire Mueller. Then it turns into Comey II: Electric Boogaloo. There will be on-the-face ridiculous reason given, maybe trying to make it about the shooting yesterday, followed by Trump himself giving away the game on twitter within 48 hours. GOP leadership will support Trump, because they can’t do anything else. He’ll drop about 3-5% in popularity and institutional infighting intensifies at the FBI and other agencies. No Trump resignation in near future, just more chaos.
sdhays
@lollipopguild: Or “hysterical”, even.
The Republicans are people who spent President Obama’s second term “investigating” Benghazi knowing full well there were no crimes there. I think they no longer conceive of the idea of an independent investigation. Investigations are started based on a pretext and executed solely for political purposes. So, if there’s an investigation going on into Trump, it’s “obviously” the Deep State attacking Trump for political purposes; actual laws are simply for the little people, a.k.a non-Republicans.
Jeffro
@Betty Cracker: Philip Rucker’s tweeted out the GOP’s actual talking points and you are correct…they’re going to try and do everything they can to discredit Mueller and all of the investigations.
OzarkHillbilly
-Josh Marshall
rikyrah
@Betty Cracker:
Yep yep yep
And, we will be smack dab in the middle of a Constitutional Crisis.
Jeffro
I love how Trumpov wants to pretend that since he was – at one point – told he wasn’t being investigated, that there’s no reason for the FBI, Senate, House, or anyone to be looking into Russia’s attack on our democracy AT ALL.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes
@OzarkHillbilly:
A name comes to mind – Spiro Agnew.
O. Felix Culpa
Yes, and if he fires Mueller, I don’t think any GOP “talking points” will save him. That is my hope, at least: that institutional (constitutional) integrity reasserts itself. And where’s my pony?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’ve always thought that what trump feared wrt Russia was more embarrassment than actual criminal activity on his part*, and keeping the gov’t and the press out of the trump org books and his tax filings. If there was collusion, I doubt he knew about it, at least to any extent that can be proven. It’s probably like the lie about 5 million fake votes, or the laughable buffoonery about the size of his inauguration crowds.
But then he bragged about firing Comey to stop the investigation. You have to willingly suspend disbelief, actually make an aggressive effort to ignore anything even resembling common sense, to say that’s not obstruction. Not that I’m waiting for Paul Ryan to admit it.
* this may be my own hate-fueled conspiracy theory, but I continue to believe deep in my bones that a thorough examination of Rudi Giuliani would uncover collusion between him, Chaffetz and the NYT FBI office, and quite possibly some Russian “businessmen” who help him keep Judi’s expensive handbags in their own first class airplane seats.
Ruckus
@Patricia Kayden:
His opinion does mean something. It’s not a good thing of course but it does mean something. For all his bullshit, and there is a metric fuck ton of it, he is listened to in far right circles. That his 4th or is it 10th wife has a position in this maladministration, is a big deal. It means he is a listened to, still respected member of the conservative side of the aisle. We may think he’s a has been, dried up, far worse than useless asshole (which he is) but he’s still listened to on the right. What it means is that there isn’t one redeeming quality about the right. Yes they gave that up long ago and it’s because he is one of the bellwether marks that makes that true.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes
@rikyrah:
To be a pedant, it will be no Constitutional crisis at all – Congress will refuse to act on it, so there is no inherently unresolved structural conflict.
At that point, the option will be a hopeful trip to the ballot box, and after that, the way of the stated principles of the Oafcreepers.
rikyrah
@OzarkHillbilly:
Like I wrote earlier….Marshall has been on Dolt45 from pretty much the beginning.
Bruce K
@Jeffro: Seconded, and I recommend that he use a steak knife and a corkscrew to accomplish the deed.
rikyrah
@Betty Cracker:
BWA HA HA HA HA H HA HAH AH A
Tokyokie
@Jeffro: I don’t think he was actually told he wasn’t being investigated, I think that’s merely how he chose to interpret what he was told. So the pretense is even more pathetic.
sherparick
Newt is an evil, corrupt man. He and the Conservative Movement see Trump as both an instrument and a cause. Since they believe in their bones in white patriarchy, they have no problem with an ultimate patriarchy, a transformation of the Presidency into an hereditary monarchy, with an oligarchy/aristocracy ruling beneath him that is the Republican Donor Class.
Chris
It’s fucking mind-boggling that we’ve reached a point where as prominent and long-serving a Republican as Newt Gingrich is mouthing off about “deep state.”
I mean, those people have spent nearly two decades now telling us what a repository of heroes and patriots our intelligence/security community is, that it was outrageous that people were trying to put any limits on Jack Bauer (literally, in Scalia’s case), and that the only problem was that our fucking politicians kept interfering with them.
Now, all of a sudden, we’re supposed to believe that the entire intelligence/security community has suddenly done an about-face and decided to become a Vast Conspiracy against Donald Trump, the Constitution, and the American people.
Corner Stone
I think he has to fire Mueller now. And I mean that both in the “after recent events” sense as well as the “as soon as possible” meaning. He can’t let Mueller really get started.
rikyrah
Would Trump fire Special Counsel Mueller during the investigation?
06/15/17 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen
………………………….
The comments caused quite a stir, and it was soon bolstered by a report from the New York Times.
…………………………
Possibility #1: Trump can’t go after Mueller now. Even if the president finds this confusing, someone from Trump World has probably told him that going after the special counsel, as some of his allies have recommended, would put his presidency in even more severe jeopardy. Nixon tried to pull this stunt at the height of Watergate with the “Saturday Night Massacre,” and if Trump did the same thing, this scandal would go nuclear. It’s not complicated: there’s little he could do to appear more guilty than firing the special counsel investigating him and his political operation.
Possibility #2: Trump will be desperate to go after Mueller now. Look, the erratic president, unconcerned with limits and norms, has already fired the director of the FBI, dozens of federal prosecutors, and the acting U.S. attorney general. The special counsel’s investigation is getting progressively closer to the Oval Office, making Trump himself the subject of a probe the president apparently sees as illegitimate. If he’s been “entertaining the idea of firing Mr. Mueller,” it stands to reason that urge will be even stronger now, consequences be damned.
OzarkHillbilly
@Tokyokie: I do believe he was told that he was not being investigated, what was left unsaid was that his campaign WAS being investigated, and he was not smart enough to realize there was a difference between the 2.
Walker
Firing Mueller requires cause. My understanding is that Mueller could sue to keep his job if he were fired.
feebog
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes:
Gotta disagree with this. There would be protests that would make the January 21 Women’s march look like a small quilting bee. I would expect several million people to march on the White House and stay right there until Mango Mussolini resigned or congress impeached.
Tokyokie
Fair enough. Both of us are assuming he (mis)interpreted whatever he was said in a manner that would put him in the best possible light. Which, it would seem, is how he filters everything.
Spanky
@Corner Stone: Mueller already has gotten started. He’s got some real bulldogs working the case(s), and I have no doubt the low-hanging fruit is well and truly plucked. Should Trump fire Mueller (if indeed he really can), what avenues are there to bring the collected evidence before a grand jury/the next Congress?
Jack the Second
@Chris: Honestly, I’m kind of viewing any sort of GOP / “deep state” conflict as a win-win scenario.
Jeffro
@Corner Stone: @rikyrah: As with all things Trumpov, it’ll depend on his mood of the moment, and whomever spoke to him last.
If Mueller gets fired and Congress doesn’t move to impeach (which I think they won’t), then it would not surprise me to see one of the Dems on the Senate or House committees breaking ranks and starting to talk openly about what’s already known about collusion and about Trumpov’s obstruction. And the IC would likely just leak (flood?) everything.
Major Major Major Major
There’s an image.
NCSteve
As David Frum pointed out in a tweet I think I read here, once you understand that “Deep State” is their code for “rule of law,” much of what they say makes sense.
OzarkHillbilly
@Tokyokie: Assuming this was for me, agreed, especially about how he filters things.
Jeffro
@Tokyokie:
I believe Comey testified that back last Nov and/or this Jan, he told Trumpov that he personally (DJT) was not being investigated for collusion with Russia. Not that Trumpov wasn’t potentially being investigated for other things (like financial crimes)…but that he personally wasn’t being looked at in regards to collusion. HIs whole campaign team and assorted creeps like Manafort, Stone, Page, Cohen? Sure. But not Trumpov.
And then he fired Comey, and flat-out admitted that it was to stop the Russia investigation, and well, that’s pretty much the definition of obstruction of justice right there.
Spanky
Taunting? That’s more than just a 15-yard penalty in this game, Cheetohead.
Jerzy Russian
@Betty Cracker:
I would pay good money to see that happen.
Jeffro
a little mod help please? my comment just disappeared
sherparick
Also, by the way, there is no doubt the following actual crimes were committed last year.
1. An extremely sophisticated entity hacked into the DNC, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and many other campaigns and stole e-mails and other documents. The unauthorized and illegal entry for malicious purposes, and the conspiracy to do so, are felonies. Both U.S., foreign, and private security agencies have concluded that the likely entities were Russian cyberwarfare agencies of the GRU and FSB.
2. Someone then provided strategic and tactical guidance to the hackers into how to release the material in the way as to cause maximum public relations damage to Trump’s rivals in the Republican primaries, to the Democrats in the fall campaign, and not just Hillary campaign but various House and Senate elections.
3. As for the alleged collusion and the response by Newt, Trump, et al., that there is no evidence of collusion, au contraire, we have it straight from the “Horse’s (ass)” himself. On July 27, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/trump-putin-no-relationship-226282 “…Donald Trump invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails on Wednesday, asking one of America’s longstanding geopolitical adversaries to find “the 30,000 emails that are missing” from the personal server she used during her time as secretary of state.
“I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican nominee said at a news conference in Florida. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.” Donald Trump often lies, but he also often on twitter and other forums make admissions against his interest because he is also an impulsive braggart.
During the campaign, both Trump and surrogates like Roger Stone made “predictions” that there would be more embarrassing emails dripping out. And within a few days the leaks would appear.
Also, since the election there has been Trump’s pro-Russian, anti-NATO, policy and posturing which has helped Putin tremendously. Actions, e
OzarkHillbilly
via –Kevin Drum.
Mike in DC
Remember that a government shutdown is looming in September, and Mitch needs Democratic votes to prevent that from happening. That is the strongest possible leverage point to demand reinstatement of the independent counsel and establishment of an independent commission. Now Mitch could nuke the legislative filibuster, but I think in that instance you’d start to hear blue states quietly contemplating secession, and other things taking a very dark turn on both sides of the crisis.
rk
@Jeffro:
I see to remember something similar being said about Trump. Look how that turned out. Never trust the people not to do the wrong thing.
Mezz
@Chris: I have a general question about the existence of the “deep state” just for the audience.
I think this is an actual, real thing – I think the “Deep State” exists and is real. It’s just not in the form of the paranoiac fetishism of the right-wing fantasies. Let me expand:
So in that sense, the “Deep State” IS very real. And in that sense, it is also a very real peril for That Man in the White House – because his entire administration* is predicated on the idea that public service is for saps and suckers, and the devil take the hind-most. Then you could say that the Deep State is a lethal threat to That Man’s presidency.*
(Also please note, that this is not a universal description of all public-sector workers. I work for the Commonwealth and am aware that not all people share the ideals of civic-mindedness.)
schrodingers_cat
This endless fucking speculation of will he or won’t he fire Mueller is tedious. As is the non stop talk about violence and civil war. What I liked about Balloon Juice was that it was solid and sensible not given to flights of fancy like many political blogs. I am reconsidering that evaluation. If you really believe that we are going to descend into an all out fascist state then the last thing one should do is express these opinions in a public forum.
Major Major Major Major
@sherparick:
I don’t know why this particular myth persists, but it was actually a very rudimentary spear-phishing hack.
gvg
My understanding was that Trump can’t fire Mueller because he chose to be hired under civil service rules so there has to be cause. I suspect that means the employee has hearings and there are lots of rules and it takes time. Which since Trump doesn’t have a reason that those rules allow means he won’t get fired. He may announce Mueller is fired, send a letter like he did Comey, but I think Mueller and all the lawyers he has hired (which I think could keep working even if Mueller was fired) and the institutions of the DOJ and the FBI would know to ignore. So then he will tell Rosenstein to fire him and Trump can fire him, so that will happen and maybe a few more…….and then we have a bigger scandal like the Saturday night massacre. Not sure what happens next but maybe take the opportunity to educate more people about why Bork didn’t get a Supreme Court seat.
Trump doesn’t seem to believe people who tell him how our laws work, how our government works. He has a temper and no self control.
slightly_peeved
@Walker: And firing Mueller without cause after the Washington Post story would be slam-dunk prima facie obstruction of justice. Never mind Comey’s notes – he would have committed an impeachable offense in plain sight.
sherparick
@OzarkHillbilly: And probably a Trump golf course and resort are in the works.
slightly_peeved
@Jeffro:
Would there be much to say about obstruction at that point? Given the Washington Post story, Trump would be knowingly and publicly firing the head of a criminal investigation into himself. The firing would be in itself the clearest case of obstruction of justice you could ever find.
rk
@schrodingers_cat:
When was that? i must have missed that brief period in its history.
Major Major Major Major
@schrodingers_cat:
What are some ones out there that are still like that? Open to new suggestions.
Bobby Thomson
Trump is the tip of the spear aimed at destroying his presidency. The mother fucker brags about obstructing justice.
schrodingers_cat
@rk: Comparatively speaking, of course.
OzarkHillbilly
@gvg:
The Hill
sdhays
@Jeffro: I love how he took being told that he wasn’t currently a direct target of any ongoing investigation as complete, perpetual exoneration. And, of course, if he really and truly believed that, he would have completely moved on and just ignored the whole thing instead raging about it for the entirety of his nascent Preznitcy.
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
You can’t forget his completely out of character subservience to Putin and Russia. He is deeply guilty of something, and he knows it. I honestly can’t conceive of what could possibly make Donald Trump that embarrassed, after all we’ve seen.
danielx
@schrodingers_cat:
Believe me, that thought has occurred to me on more than one occasion.
Bobby Thomson
@schrodingers_cat: you think it’s speculation that a really fucking stupid guy might fire the guy investigating him for obstruction, when he’s already bragged about the same obstruction? Whatevs.
Major Major Major Major
@Bobby Thomson: SC said ‘endless’.
Bobby Thomson
@Major Major Major Major: yeah, that’s not hyperbolic. Talk about rain on your wedding day.
Bobby Thomson
@danielx: if we reach that point, the repercussions for blog comments will be the least of our worries.
Chris
@Bobby Thomson:
Not to mention everything that was already written long before this.
Tim C.
@schrodingers_cat: I get what you are saying and I think you are half right. It still feels like there’s a lot of nonsense about violence and civil war II. We aren’t anywhere near the levels of political violence seen at many points in American history. Not even close. But Trump and his allies *are* at minimum trying to discredit the investigation. Firing Mueller is something he absolutely will do, in a heartbeat, if Trump thinks he can get away with it. Trump also has demonstrated shitty tactical skills and has a lousy advisory team. So talking about that is something that makes a lot of sense.
Mnemosyne
@Bobby Thomson:
I think it’s more that the endless speculation is pointless, because we can have no effect whatsoever on the outcome. It’s not like we can all call up Trump like we can Congress and he’ll listen to our outrage and not do whatever it is we’re outraged about. Trump’s gonna Trump and the rest of us can get fucked as far as he’s concerned.
Mike in DC
@schrodingers_cat:
I don’t particularly desire to contemplate a breakdown of the social contract our country was founded upon. However, we do have a scenario which is disturbingly plausible[Trump fires Mueller and Congress does nothing], and which would lead to a national crisis with few precedents, none of them good. Now, perhaps talk of extreme outcomes is unhelpful, and if so I apologize for that. I do believe, however, that discussion about what to do(within the legal and political process) in the event something both plausibly likely and awful happens, because that could happen any day now.
Chet
I’ve been a Rachel Maddow fan since about 2003 when I listened to her 5am Air America Radio program. Looks like I’ll be buying Rolling Stone this week.
Bobby Thomson
@OzarkHillbilly: this is like the family owned business where the staff tries to keep things running after the founder dies and the idiot son takes control.
low-tech cyclist
Has she sent five copies to her mother?
schrodingers_cat
@Mike in DC:
That would be a constructive conversation to have but that’s not what’s happening here. Its speculation about the worst possible outcomes with a dose of fatality and doom.
ETA: Your comment about the debt ceiling was the constructive kind not the gleeful anticipating of death and violence that I have seen too much of, off late.
Bobby Thomson
@Mnemosyne: well, if that’s the criterion for posting none of us should ever post ever again. Or vote. Or go to work.
Chris
@OzarkHillbilly:
So… first Trump tries to take credit for Saudi Arabia and Egypt isolating Qatar, which apparently was supposed to be inspired by his rousing speeches to them about getting tough on terrorism, which presumably would mean that’s what he thinks Qatar is into. And… today, he sells them F-35s?
Okay then.
@Mezz:
“Deep state” is real in the sense that a professional civil service with at least a few degrees of separation from politics and the electoral cycles is real. So, yeah. It’s not really an inherently sinister thing.
Chris
@Mnemosyne:
Every single thing we write on this blog is pointless, in the sense of not affecting the outcome of American politics. Everything except the fundraisers and “call your congressmen” posts.
JimV
I’m tired of waiting for a more relevant open thread, so here goes:
The NY Times recently picked the best 25 films of the 21st century so far, and guess which was #19?
“But anyway, this was not a close call. The best action movie of the 21st century – the action movie that sails into contention as one of the best movies, period – is “Mad Max: Fury Road.” By a dusty outback mile.”
(I feel vindicated.)
chris
Firing Mueller may not be so easy but then I am not a lawyer. What say you, legal people?
(Doesn’t mean Twitler won’t do it.)
Mnemosyne
@Bobby Thomson:
Only if you think that none of us should post, vote, or go to work ever again because an earthquake or tornado could happen at any moment.
As SC just said above me, prepping for the Trump disaster to come is worthwhile. Wringing our hands about it in endless speculation without actually taking any useful action isn’t.
Chris
@JimV:
It’s a solid entry, no question.
Mike in DC
@schrodingers_cat:
Well, I’m not fatalistic about it. We’re not nearly at “in case of emergency break glass” levels yet.
It seems to me that if Trump fires Mueller and Congress does not act, the people have to exert maximal pressure upon them. Our Democrats in Congress should fight their asses off to force action. The last, best option in that regard is the shutdown vote in September.
Beyond that, the congressional inquiries should push forward. The emoluments lawsuits will go forward. Maybe Mueller can sue to keep his job. Trump’s “strongly support” numbers are likely to drop steadily.
The midterms will be a monumental political showdown, effectively a public referendum on Trumpism. My concern is not that the outcome will be rigged, but that the GOP is going to do everything it can to preserve its House majority. Including fake news, various kinds of voter suppression, and maybe even continuing to do nothing about Russian influence operations. We should be prepared for that.
To be honest, the events of the past month have made me pretty optimistic that we may actually bring this guy down. But I think we should prepare for the worst in order to achieve the best.
Betty Cracker
@Chris: True. As an unpaid volunteer, I write about what interests me when I have the time and inclination to post. It won’t be interesting to every single reader every time, and it certainly won’t affect events in Washington DC. Shruggies.
But as a writer and a reader, I do make an ongoing calculation of the value I derive from the exercise vs. the inevitable negativity. On balance, I find the insight, camaraderie, entertainment, etc., worth it. If I didn’t, I’d move on. I assume everyone makes a similar calculation.
Mnemosyne
@Chris:
Some things are more pointless than others. I’m not really trying to attack Bobby, who’s kind of wandered into a conversation that’s been going on since yesterday, but we are all currently having a debate about how useful it is to endlessly speculate about what Trump might do since it seems to be causing some people to spin out into hopeless civil war scenarios that don’t help anyone.
(Well, except Goku, who’s writing a post-apocalyptic novel, but should we really be providing plot points for him? ?)
amk
@Chris: Yup. Blogs are for people to express their views, frustrations, anger, joy whatev. Tone policing does not help.
catclub
@rk: right after the Fitzmas celebrations kind of fizzled.
Jeffro
@rk: Wasn’t said by me (re: Trumpov).
I’m able to make a pretty safe prediction about VA, living here and seeing how things are going. The NoVA Dems drag every last D voter out of the woodwork, every cycle now. The Tidewater area’s just about as reliable, and the university towns help out as well. It would take a spectacularly bad D candidate, or an incredibly good R one, or both, to make it close in a statewide race.
Stewart’s a complete ass and the VA GOP is pretty deeply split. I like our chances in 2018 with the very popular former governor running for re-election to the Senate.
Jeffro
@Chris:”Every single thing we write on this blog is pointless, in the sense of not affecting the outcome of American politics. Everything except the fundraisers and “call your congressmen” posts.”
Technically true!
But there’s also the times when someone recommends a great read like “50 Ways to Love Your Country” https://www.amazon.com/MoveOns-Ways-Love-Your-Country/dp/193072229X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497539789&sr=8-1&keywords=50+ways+to+love+your+country which then leads to even MOAR ACTIVISM, and so on. =)
schrodingers_cat
@amk: First of all I am not here police tone or content.
.@Betty Cracker: I am expressing my opinion about the recent turn the comment section has taken, not being critical this particular post.
rk
@Jeffro:
I was never very confident about Hillary. I was reading Nate Silver and following the Guardian series about the rural and depressed areas where Trump was very popular. Plus there was a lot of Hillary hatred. But still did not expect Trump to prevail,being that he was such an obvious idiot. Here’s hoping you’re right about Virginia.
Wyatt Derp
@sdhays:
“You can’t forget his completely out of character subservience to Putin and Russia. He is deeply guilty of something, and he knows it. I honestly can’t conceive of what could possibly make Donald Trump that embarrassed, after all we’ve seen.”
The only thing he cares about is that people believe he is rich. Putin must have documentation that he would be flat broke but for Putin’s cash.
Corner Stone
@Spanky: That does seem to lead to further speculation as to if he will or will not fire Mueller.
Scotian
Rachel Maddow is one of the few national American political analysts/commentators/pundits on TV i have any respect for. Why? Because she is also one of the only decent and clearly passionate process geeks left out there on either side IMHO, and that matters.
Uncle Cosmo
Has Mrs. Grinch [sic] been confirmed as Ambassador to the Vatican yet?
I would luuuuuuuv it if when she showed up to present her credentials, Papa Frankie handed ’em right back & said
sdhays
@Wyatt Derp: I disagree (well, I agree that he cares about that, but I don’t think it’s remotely enough to explain what we’re seeing). He has done stuff with Russia that is illegal. Collusion to undermine our democracy, I don’t know, but definitely other stuff. He’s not constantly raging and panicking over the possibility that Twitter is going to taunt him for not being a billionaire. He’s afraid of ruin.
Mnemosyne
@rk:
You’ve heard my theory, right? I think Rove gamed the system to guarantee a Republican victory in the Electoral College, and he started doing it back in 2010, at the least.
Nobody could have predicted that Trump would be the nominee and not Rove’s buddy Jeb Bush, but by the time that happened, it was too late to undo the booby trap.
I think that’s why Rove has been laying low. He knows he caused this and he’s trying not to draw attention and blame to himself as his Permanent Republican Majority implodes.
Spanky
Not tone police! Not tone police! You’re the tone police!
WaPo has an article up now titled
“Dennis Rodman just gave Kim Jong Un ‘The Art of the Deal.’ And it may be a genius move.”
and I’m thinking I’m not going to click on it.
Here’s a thought: If Congress manages to screw us into a government shutdown, does that not shut down the Mueller investigation as well? And when this occurs to congresscritters on Both Sides, how does that affect their negotiating?
Mnemosyne
@Spanky:
I doubt it, if only because it would piss Mueller off. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you want to make angry.
Karen
@Uncle Cosmo: in the past the Vatican has refused those who either committed public adultery or were divorced. they paid big bucks to get that many marriages, between two them, annulled
Cheryl Rofer
@Spanky: I’m not sure whether a government shutdown would shut down the Mueller investigation. It depends on the funding. National laboratories, for instance, can keep operating through government shutdowns.
The hostile parties in provoking a government shutdown all seem to belong to the Republican Party. The crazies, as usual, want to shut down the government. The “moderates” do not. The Democrats seem to be standing back watching the Republicans melt down. But I’m not following it closely.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
Government shutdowns? I worked through many of them. You know what I did? Had fun, ran errands, etc. When it was over, went back to work, got paid for my time. NO ONE turned off the lights. The government actually functioned during the shutdowns. Did any politician pay a price for “shutting down” the government? We all know the answer. You should be worried about the Debt Celing.
Yutsano
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: I went through the long shutdown of 2013 just fine because we still got paid in the ensuing gap plus we got a nice fat cheque right after. Debt ceiling scares me more because that’s uncharted territory the whole way round. I have no idea how we recover from such a big mistake.
randy khan
@schrodingers_cat:
Just on the point about civil war, I think it’s just a couple of people. My suspicion is that every lefty blog has some of that right now.
randy khan
@Major Major Major Major:
And the irony is that the victim actually asked for advice from IT and – apparently due to a typo – got exactly the wrong answer.
sm*t cl*de
Courtiers gotta court. Newt and his ilk are currying favour in their different ways, trying to predict what Daddy will want next and pre-emptively grovelling in the appropriate way.
Quinerly
Just seeing this. Thanks for front paging it!