Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

“But what about the lurkers?”

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

This really is a full service blog.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

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

Let there be snark.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Don't Agonize - Organize / Thursday Morning Open Thread: Blindsided!

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Blindsided!

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Once again, Nancy and Chuck privately stroke “President” Manbaby’s tender ego, and come away with a public promise he’ll do something which will anger all the noisiest members of his in-every-sense Base. And the dumb fekkers are blaming Paul Ryan! Could not happen to a more deserving Zombie-Eyed Granny Starver, per the Washington Post:

Democratic leaders announced late Wednesday that they agreed with President Trump to pursue a legislative deal that would protect hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation and enact border security measures that don’t include building a physical wall.

The president discussed options during a dinner at the White House with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that also included talks on tax reform, infrastructure and trade. Trump has showed signs of shifting strategy to cross the aisle and work with Democrats in the wake of the high-profile failures by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act…

In a sign of the potential trouble for the president, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an immigration hard-liner and early Trump supporter, wrote that if reports of a potential immigration deal are accurate, the president’s “base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible.”…

Congressional aides familiar with the exchange said that Trump and the party leaders agreed to move quickly on legislation to protect dreamers, though aides did not disclose whether they agreed that the goal should be for dreamers to eventually be offered a path to citizenship.

In a statement, Schumer and Pelosi said they had “a very productive meeting at the White House with the President. The discussion focused on DACA. We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides.”

In a letter to her Democratic colleagues in the House, Pelosi said she hoped the deal could be done “in a matter of weeks.”…

Pelosi and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) met earlier Wednesday to begin discussing the broad parameters of the forthcoming immigration debate. Ryan’s team signaled that despite the administration’s eagerness to quickly seal the deal, it will take awhile…

Ryan is already facing growing pressure from House conservatives who have begun to question his leadership and have even floated names of possible replacement as speaker. An agreement between Trump and Democrats on a bill to protect dreamers could potentially put Ryan in the position of having to decide whether to bring it for a vote with the prospects that it might pass with more Democratic support than among the GOP…

Of course the sumbitch doesn’t intend to carry through on his promise — he never does — but now the Democrats have a ‘permission slip’ to wave at all the Repub bigots who just wanna make ‘Murkca white again, like they remember it from 1950s sitcoms. And the more the GOP leaders shriek at him, the more Trump will dig in and insist that he did so intend to hang them up by their tiny thumbs, because they are not the boss of him.

And nothing that makes Paul Ryan squirm in public is a total waste of effort!

Reader Interactions

181Comments

  1. 1.

    Jeff

    Trump makes a deal. It means nothing. He’ll lie about whatever he agreed to when he welches on the deal.

  3. 3.

    Luthe

    Ok, jackals: I’m going to a Clinton book-signing on Saturday. If anyone has a message they’d like passed along to the great lady, email it to luthemeetshrc [at] gmail. I will put all the messages in a Word file and print them out to give to her.

    Note: I reserve the right to edit or omit any rude, nasty, or negative commentary. This is for good stuff only.

  4. 4.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    I got overly optimistic earlier this week. Dirk is still eating, but he’s vomiting most of it back up. He’s getting weaker, and by the time I left for work last night, he was having trouble even standing up. If he hasn’t improved by the time I get home, I’ll be calling the vet hospital to set up a time. I’d really like for it to be tomorrow, so that I can spend a last day with him, but if he’s kept going downhill overnight, that may not be fair to him.

  9. 9.

    different-church-lady

    @Luthe: I imagine myself saying, “I would like to call you Madame President, because we all know you won this thing.”

  13. 13.

    Betty Cracker

    I like Hannity’s last tweet of the night:

    If reports true 100%. I blame R’s. They caused this. They wanted him to fail and now pushed him into arms of political suicide–IF TRUE.

    LMAO! Trump is an erratic, unprincipled liar whose only motivation is self-aggrandizement. Pelosi and Schumer know this. Ryan and McConnell surely know it too. But the loose cannon ain’t careening around the deck of the SS Democrats.

  15. 15.

    raven

    @Betty Cracker: Our friends made it back to Gainesville yesterday. The have a room so they will light out for Ft Myers this morning. Their big old Golden is really struggling, she can’t get comfortable in the back seat and they had trouble getting her to their room. She was in bad shape when they go here and she recovered so here’s hoping.

  17. 17.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    I think we all owe Bernie thanks for his tireless and savvy leadership in forging this DACA deal. It couldn’t have been done without him.

    Oh wait…

  18. 18.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: Poor critter. I hope people and golden make it back home with minimal hassles and stress. It sure was nice of you to give them a refuge from the storm.

  21. 21.

    coin operated

    Known all along that Nancy SMASH had great political instincts…sometimes it’s just awesome watching it occur in real time. The ink on the debt ceiling deal isn’t even dry yet and she and Schumer are throwing Turtle and ZEGS off balance again.

  27. 27.

    Schlemazel

    while we sit around enjoying the wingnut meltdown rest assured there are folks out there who will say this is proof the Dems are sellouts and they must be destroyed so we can get real liberals elected

  32. 32.

    p.a.

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: So sorry things not looking positive.

    Savvy pols like Nancy SMASH & Schumer know if you lay down with dogs you get fleas, but to mitigate some really evil legislation and throw sand in the Rethugs gears it’s worth the risks. And Chuck probably needs a dip anyway, what with his Wall St connections…

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    Trump must’ve read Breitbart before tweeting this morning; he’s denying a “deal” was reached.

  38. 38.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself [with] other white supremacists,”

    “The height of white privilege is being able to ignore his white supremacy, because it’s of no threat to you. Well, it’s a threat to me,” she added. “… He is unqualified and unfit to be president. He is not a leader. And if he were not white, he never would have been elected.”

    -Jemele Hill

    “That is one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make and certainly is something that is a fireable offence by ESPN, I’m not going to speak for that individual but I know that the president has met again with people like Senator Scott who are highly respected leaders in the African American community. He’s committed to working with them to bring the country together. I think that’s where we need to be focused; not on outrageous statements like that one.”

    -Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

    Notice that Sanders never actually denies the accusation of racism.

  39. 39.

    CarolDuhart2

    Well, I got the domain carolduhart.com last night. Now to get it set up at the old site while trying to keep the site running until next week when I can pay the annual hosting fee.

  40. 40.

    Schlemazel

    @satby:
    I had to go back to work yesterday. After saying I should take a week off the Dr. decided I really was good enough to go back right away. We went for a 2 mile walk in the woods by the Mississippi Sunday and I had no problems. It really was a tiny tiny heart attack and not caused by blocked arteries. Thanks.

  43. 43.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    I don’t think it is fair to call Trump or his supporters white supremacists! Not even Dr. King himself has done more to prove that whites are not superior to anyone.

  45. 45.

    Amir Khalid

    @Jeff:
    Trump made a deal with Democrats. If he keeps up his end of it, and this improbable deal somehow gets through Congress, Schumer and Pelosi will have won something for America. If he goes back on his word, they’ll have something to beat him over the head with. If it fails in Congress, there’ll be one more grudge for Trump to hold against his party. In the meantime, it’s been the party’s policy since the turn of the millennium to keep Democrats out of the legislative loop whenever possible, and Trump just undid all that. There’s going to be an entertaining Republican party slap-fight over this business in the coming days, maybe even a brawl. Who’s got the popcorn?

  46. 46.

    Amir Khalid

    @Betty Cracker:

    Trump must’ve read Breitbart before tweeting this morning; he’s denying a “deal” was reached.

    I’m pretty sure Chuck and Nancy have the receipt.

  47. 47.

    Fester Addams

    I think I get it now: Pelosi and Schumer know these “deals” are bogus–Trump isn’t the one who decides what comes up for a vote, and his word isn’t worth anything anyway–but they’ve figured out the political equivalent of bringing a big truck to the White House for Trump to pretend he’s driving.

  48. 48.

    CarolDuhart2

    @p.a.: Teehee! My mild cardiac event back in July was scarring of some stents. 80% blockage was enough for four days in the hospital and back on blood thinner and seeing my cardiologist every 4 instead of 6 months now. It’s only mild in that I was able to go back to work and I didn’t stay longer in the hospital.

  50. 50.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    he’s denying a “deal” was reached.

    The article up top says that they agreed to “pursue” a legislative deal. So no contradiction technically.

    GOP is screwed because they lied that their concern with DACA was executive overreach rather than the actual policy.

  52. 52.

    magurakurin

    @Fester Addams: I think all the Dem Senators who want to run for president figured out the same thing for Sanders. They are letting him drive his big M4A truck around today. I suppose what’s good for the goose…
    Lot’s of talk about everyone knows it’s just a fantasy bill. Personally, I wish the bill from Sen. Shatz (D. HI) was getting some more focus…a Medicaid buy in as a public option. I’ve heard both good and bad about it from different articles. At some point the big truck pretend driving needs to stop and someone needs to work up a real live bill.

    also, too the Rethugs are still stirring for a repeal vote before the 30th. I hope the Dem’s don’t take their eye off of the ball too much watching Bernie pretend to drive that truck and let the Rethugs sneak something through. I think that in part was what Pelosi alluded too when she replied to a question about Sander’s bill, “I’m focused on protecting the ACA.”

  56. 56.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    You can see pictures of the place we hiked 4 days before the event in the thread below. The Dr. were positive I had a blockage but even an MRI could not find one. They sent me back to work right away. It really was less than no big deal.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    @magurakurin: As someone who isn’t at all a Bernista, I don’t necessarily agree that the first marker has to be a real bill. It’s not like we’re the GOP and we’re going to enact this thing with no thought or debate. But something has to get the ball rolling.

    On the other side, however, is our political problem that this is going to be a litmus test for some people, and the question is how many.

  59. 59.

    BruceFromOhio

    …the president’s “base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible.”…

    And that’s from one of the knuckle-draggers. My tears, they are real, as I play a tiny violin in a field empty of fucks to give.

    Ryan is already facing growing pressure from House conservatives who have begun to question his leadership and have even floated names of possible replacement as speaker.

    The laughter you hear is from John Boehner as he signals the barkeep for a refill.

  62. 62.

    magurakurin

    @Baud: John Coyners has been introducing a Medicare for All bill every year in the House since 2003. Funny, we never talked much about him before now…

    sort of tired of the meme that all things progressive and good spring forth from the well of Saint Bernard.

  63. 63.

    trnc

    Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an immigration hard-liner and early Trump supporter, wrote that if reports of a potential immigration deal are accurate, the president’s “base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible.”…

    It’s adorable that King thought DT would only lie the way he wanted him to.

  64. 64.

    Baud

    @magurakurin: Right. There have been different bills over the decades. But Bernie has been good at marketing it, so he gets the attention now. But he also gets the responsibility. I wonder if he realizes that yet.

  65. 65.

    Cermet

    And if after all the negotiations, the thugs and Dolt 45 demand money for a wall to pass a real Dreamers act, then that is fucking fine; the lives and future of 800 K teens/kids is worth such a trade. Whether the dems have too or not is irrelavent; getting a dreamers act passed is what matters.

  69. 69.

    Cheryl Rofer

    DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!

    Jeff at #1 is the winner!

    No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote.
    The WALL, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built.
    Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!…..
    …They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own – brought in by parents at young age. Plus BIG border security
    Am leaving now for Florida to see our GREAT first responders and to thank the U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA etc. A real disaster, much work to do!

    As usual, I don’t link because I don’t want to give him the stats. He has bots to do that.

  74. 74.

    randy khan

    @Betty Cracker:

    That’s actually good, from a political perspective. His base heard that he was willing to sell out The Wall to let foreigners stay, but to the rest of country it will look like he’s scared of the backlash.

  80. 80.

    SFAW

    @Luthe:

    I’m pretty sure she didn’t want to give any free advertising to your tell-all memoir.

    I don’t think HRC has to worry about plugging a “book,” the entire contents of which are: “What can I say? I lost. But watch me in 2020!”

  81. 81.

    msdc

    Nancy smashes again!

    Just last night, a friend of mine was ranting about how “maybe these leaders need to be replaced” (meaning Pelosi and Schumer) because they hadn’t yet signed on to one particular single-payer proposal.

    No, I think we’ll hold onto the shrewdest and most effective legislative leader in a couple generations, thank you. Amazing what she’s been able to accomplish with the hand she’s been dealt.

  87. 87.

    bystander

    @OzarkHillbilly: I was a little disappointed Shkreli’s parole wasn’t revoked for smoking pot. But I have to give him points for ingenuity. Who else could have tested the frontier of parole offenses by offering a reward to commit an assault? Makes drug violations look so prosaic, dull, even.

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rikyrah: I don’t know. It’s possible the Feds contract with local authorities (it does happen) but I suspect they have private facilities they contract out to. Gotta give that good gubmint money directly to some deserving entrepreneurs. Either way, it will be jail, which I have been told by those who know, is far worse than prison.

  90. 90.

    SFAW

    @rikyrah:

    He is the albatross around the GOP and needs to stay there

    I’d rather he were the 200 pound weight attached with chains and carrying live grenades with the pins pulled, but I’ll take what I can get.

  91. 91.

    rikyrah

    @magurakurin:
    I don’t believe that they have taken their eyes off the ball. I would love Medicaid buy in, but we have that state problem…the states most open to it have already expanded Medicaid. …while the others , led by sociopaths….well…

  93. 93.

    SFAW

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Yes, and Rhode Island, WTF?

    They thought that being so small, they could hide the up-arrow. Assholes.

    @Baud:

    Goddamit, Goldman. You had one job!

    He’s been off his game since Buddy Cianci died.

  100. 100.

    Lapassionara

    @randy khan: I wonder how the storms will affect Trump’s approval rating. FEMA’s response has appeared to be fairly effective, and for some reason, it seems to be one federal agency that is run by a qualified person and is not being hollowed out.

  102. 102.

    gene108

    put Ryan in the position of having to decide whether to bring it for a vote with the prospects that it might pass with more Democratic support than among the GOP

    The Horror. The Horror.

    A bipartisan piece of legislation that passes with some Democratic and some Republican votes.

  110. 110.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I’m confused what practical benefit there is in a deal between a President and the minority party, but I love that Nancy Pelosi has shown her effectiveness once again, in contrast with McConnell who supposedly held all the cards and got nothing.

    Still much of my days are consumed in anxiously wondering how much more damage these people can do before the criminal charges drop and (I hope) tie their hands a little.

  111. 111.

    Jeffro

    @Cheryl Rofer: I guess Lizza is referring only to the bros and the hardcore alt-right racists, because the evangelicals are going to give him a pass no matter what the hell he does.

    Trump Says Jump, His Supporters Ask, How High?

    In 2011, the Public Religion Research Institute asked voters if

    an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life.

    White evangelical Protestants were the least forgiving. Sixty-one percent said such a politician could not “behave ethically,” twice the 30 percent who felt that such a politician could manage it.

    Every other religious group was less judgmental. Catholics, 49 no, 42, yes; white mainline Protestants: 44 percent no, 38 percent yes; the religiously unaffiliated, 26 no, 63 yes.

    Are the moral convictions of white evangelical Protestants writ in stone? Apparently not.

  112. 112.

    randy khan

    @Lapassionara:

    Apparently it’s run by a competent person because Congress passed a law after Katrina setting out qualifications for the FEMA director. I guess we should give credit to the Administration for actually appointing someone.

  114. 114.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: Denying a deal, while simultaneously using Nancy’s and Chuck’s talking points. They’ve got his number.

    Unfortunately, the GOP still controls the House and Senate, so they do have a say in how this plays out. Recall that Bob Goodlatte killed the bipartisan Senate bill in his committee.

    Let’s not count our chickens (or ducks) yet, but savor this small victory. The battle isn’t won so we have to continue to fight them every single day…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  115. 115.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    So, of course, what do I find when I get home? Dirk moving around, albeit unsteadily and slowly. No sign of any vomit overnight. He polished off most of a 5.5 oz can of wet food and drank prodigiously. He’s now sitting on the bed “staring” at me; scare quotes since he’s almost totally blind. So, if he keeps this morning’s food down and stays mildly active, I panicked too soon.

    Something odd is going on with the food, because neither of the other two are showing any signs of interest in the wet food. I’d wonder if there was something wrong with it, except that I’ve served three different brands over the last 24 hours to the same results. I’ve been noticing a few tiny fruit flies in the house; not sure if that has anything to do with anything.

    I’m glad he’s feeling perkier, but I’m not sure how long I can take this roller coaster.

  116. 116.

    ThresherK

    @Luthe: “What’s it like to turn on the TV or pick up a paper and discover, via every pundit in America, that 65 million people all held their noses and voted for you?”

  118. 118.

    satby

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I hope he has some good days ahead, but people and animals often rally for a day or two before the end. It’s a chance to spend happy moments together and say our goodbyes, but it’s often mistaken for the beginning of a longer recovery. I don’t want to discourage you, but be prepared for the fact that this might be one of those temporary rallies. All the best to you and Dirk.

  119. 119.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Heh: Trump administration moves to ban all Indians: “They are taking wins away from hard-working American Leaguers”

    (SP) – White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee-Sanders announced today that President Trump is set to release an executive order that will ban all Indians from the United States due to the great number of losses being suffered by American League teams.

    “This is an America first president, and that includes the American League,” said Huckabee-Sanders. “The president has made it clear he wants to ban Indians, from the baseball kind to the dot kind and the feather kind, until we get this figured out.”

    Huckabee-Sanders then added, when pressed by reporters that her dot-and-feather comment was racist, that anyone who accuses the president of racism is merely seeking to divide the country. The president’s spokesperson also refused to comment on reports that Trump ordered the Indian ban after overhearing part of a report on Fox News about the Cleveland Indians winning an American League record 21 games in a row.

    “If the implication is that the president was scrolling through Twitter while taking a bowel movement, and Fox was on in the other room and he just heard a brief snippet about Indians beating Americans and then yelled out to Stephen Miller, while still on the toilet, to ban all Indians from our country,” said Huckabee-Sanders, “well, that’s all the time I have for questions today.”

    Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona said his team plans to continue to keep playing as long a they can.

    “Our motivation this whole streak is that the world is basically f–ked, so we may as well play our best until the whole thing goes to hell,” said Francona. “This executive order does nothing to change that point of view.”

    Well done Sports Pickle, well done.

  120. 120.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: As Max declined, he had his good times and bad. I took him to the vet to be diagnosed after 24 hours in which we had had some good time together. The vet’s diagnosis was that he wouldn’t get better. I decided then and there that it would be best to take that 24 hours and not put Max through any more.

  121. 121.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Baud: Sanders is good at seeing where we should go; he’s useless at seeing what we have to do to get there. I drives me crazy that his fans see the getting there part as unacceptable. They just want to know if we’re there yet and if we’re not, they’re going to kick the back of our seats

  122. 122.

    Bruce K

    If nothing else, it makes it clearer that Schumer and Pelosi are the adults in the room, willing to put aside animosity for the good of the country. Not their fault that McConnell and Ryan have gone all-in putting party before country, or that Trump can’t be trusted as far as you can throw him.

    And hey, if Trump keeps on flip-flopping more than a Slinky on an up escalator, he’s probably going to bleed some of the support that got him into the White House, and the smaller and less stable his base is, the easier it’ll be to throw him out of the White House.

  125. 125.

    Another Scott

    @Cheryl Rofer: This sounds similar to what happened with our Sophie a few years ago. She was pretty miserable (hemangiosarcoma) and had the prospects of a gruesome end (after weeks of not being able to walk up and down a few stairs to go out to pee, vomiting, etc.). We took her last Friday off from work, went for a car ride together that she enjoyed, but when we got home her tail was dragging (her tail never dragged on walks). It was time. :-(

    Good luck, TTP. You’ve done all you can. Condolences to you.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  129. 129.

    SFAW

    @Bruce K:

    Not their fault that McConnell and Ryan have gone all-in putting party before country,

    Now if only there were some organization with money to create some ads about that …..

    One that’s not too busy rigging the caucuses primary against Bernie, that is.

  132. 132.

    kindness

    Good for Chuck & Nancy. Hey, are the Liberal purity police still wanting to run Nancy out of town? I bet they do but they are being quiet about it now.

  133. 133.

    magurakurin

    @rikyrah: that state problem, was one of the criticisms I read about Shatz’s proposal. Even the positive comments admitted that the entire proposal is fairly small bore. Most agreed that what would be needed is an option for employers to buy into Medicaid for More.

  134. 134.

    Feathers

    @Lapassionara: After Katrina and Brownie, a law was passed requiring the head of FEMA to have disaster management experience. That law is surely saving Orangeo’s ass right now.

  135. 135.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: Well that makes sense because according to that map RI is east of St Louis. I think. Wait a minute… I gotta go find St Louis on my globe.

    Huh. According to my globe RI is actually west of STL.

  136. 136.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    I’m confused what practical benefit there is in a deal between a President and the minority party,

    I see it as Pelosi and Schumer going “trololololol” at the Republicans. I don’t expect the Democrats to directly get anything out of it, but breaking the bloc is useful.

  137. 137.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Another Scott: A few years ago we had to have two elderly and ailing cats put down within ten days of each other, for unrelated reasons. What hit me the hardest emotionally was that I hadn’t even fully realized how much of our time had been taken up by our caregiving routines for the two of them, and now that was just suddenly gone. There was some relief, but this big hole had opened up as well. But it’s all part of the deal.

  138. 138.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Wait, what, so the Republicans basically conceded control of Congress to the Democrats?

  139. 139.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Feathers: Trump’s approval rating is, in fact, up two or three points from where it had been a few weeks ago. It think it’s partly just that the hurricanes knocked Trump’s stupidity of the day off the front pages for a while. But he does win by comparison with Bush just by default (if that law hadn’t existed, surely he’d have appointed someone even worse than Mike Brown).

  140. 140.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Nobody could have seen this coming: AP: Ryan Backs Off Promises That GOP Tax Plan Won’t Add To Deficit

    WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan backed off months of promises that the Republicans’ tax plan won’t add to the nation’s ballooning deficit, declaring Wednesday in an AP Newsmaker interview that the most important goal of an overhaul is economic growth.

    Asked twice whether he would insist the emerging tax plan won’t pile more billions onto the $20 trillion national debt, Ryan passed up the chance to affirm that commitment. GOP leaders made that “revenue neutral” promise in a campaign manifesto last year and many times since.

    “We want pro-growth tax reform that will get the economy going, that will get people back to work, that will give middle-income taxpayers a tax cut and that will put American businesses in a better competitive playing field so that we keep American businesses in America,” the Wisconsin Republican told Associated Press reporters and editors. “That is more important than anything else.”

    I wonder whatever they will say after the economy crashes?

    /snark/

  141. 141.

    Matt McIrvin

    …though it’s also worth noting that Trump has denied a lot of federal disaster aid requests, including some from areas affected by Irma. It seems to be a thing that pleases him.

  142. 142.

    Jeffro

    @Bruce K:

    Not their fault that McConnell and Ryan have gone all-in putting party before country, or that Trump can’t be trusted as far as you can throw him.

    If you take a look at that article I linked to in #111, it does explain a lot of this dynamic. McConnell and Ryan really aren’t putting party first: they’re putting the Koch’s Randian agenda before either Trump’s Party or the country. The great thing is, Trumpov – as you noted – can’t be trusted to stick to that Randian playbook. He is, after all, the #1 Trump worshipper.

  143. 143.

    Jeffro

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Wait, what, so the Republicans basically conceded control of Congress to the Democrats?

    It’s sure looking that way. And can you imagine the articles/posts/screeds that would be written if Democratic majorities in both houses weren’t able to deliver anything due to their own incompetence and infighting? But it’s Republicans, so you know, not a whole lot of negative coverage there…

  146. 146.

    debit

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: The hardest decision always seems to be, for me, is “when is it the right time?” I hope you and Dirk have some good days together before then. I don’t know what you have arranged with your vet, but I have used MN Pets and plan on using them for all my pets when the time comes. They made Walter’s passing peaceful and gentle and I’m so grateful it was able to happen at home.

  156. 156.

    Cckids

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I’m sending you hugs and wishes for strength as you go through this with Dirk. I had to go through this with my Gryff early in July; it’s an agonizing decision, but a time comes when it is needed. You have given Dirk so much love; that is evident to me even over the internet. Hold onto that love as you say goodbye. I will be thinking of you both.

  158. 158.

    Steve in the ATL

    @rikyrah:

    The Evil One himself already told you…

    DEFICITS DON’T MATTER.

    When he said this, he meant specifically that deficits don’t matter politically, and he was absolutely correct.

    Do they matter economically? Old school republicans will say that they do, but I don’t think the answer is clear in a world of fiat currency. At least not for the US as long as our dollar is the world’s reserve currency.

    As noted above, however, the rules are always different for democrats.

  159. 159.

    geg6

    @Luthe:

    Just let her know that we wish we had done more, even though a lot of us did a lot. And that we deeply appreciate her fighting the good fight. And that she would have been an amazing president and none of us regret voting for her for a minute. And that we hope she enjoys her life now.

  160. 160.

    Barbara

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I was thinking about what Duncan Hunter reportedly told a group of his constituents in Southern California, that Trump might be an asshole, but he was their asshole. I envision that if Trump read that his reaction would come in two parts: I’m not an asshole and I’m not yours. Looking at Ann Coulter and Steve King going bananas over the latest DACA “deal,” I think this is probably how Marla Maples felt when he jacked her over the way he jacked his first wife over, without stopping to think that it might have been delusional to expect better treatment than anyone else in Trump’s life ever received. Rule number 1 through 100 in dealing with narcissists: You don’t make use of a narcissist. He makes use of you. Or not, if you are not useful.

  161. 161.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @Baud: But does he though? He’s getting credit because it’s a positive development now. But when it gets blasted by the CBO or mired down in the realities of advancing legislation through Congress, will anyone hold Bernie responsible? Certainly not his devotees. It will be Evil Dems fault for not being progressive enough and selling out to Big Pharma, etc., etc.

  162. 162.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @OzarkHillbilly: The correct reply from Hill should be how would Sanders possibly know what a firing offensive is since she’s never held an honest job in her life.

  166. 166.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Huh. According to my globe RI is actually west of STL.

    Can you check to see if Shitgibbon Tower is in Moscow? [Since the Tower is no doubt the yuuuuuuuugest tower ever constructed, it should show up.

  170. 170.

    Another Scott

    @Steve in the ATL: I’ve seen sensible arguments that it’s irresponsible not to run 2-3% of GDP annual deficits (unless the economy is overheating). It doesn’t “crowd out” private investment and it helps to maximize productive activity by the economy. It’s “leaving chips on the table” to not run deficits at the federal level (except when the economy is over-heating). It’s similar to a person or a family never taking out a loan – it unnecessarily restricts what a person could do with their lives. Deficit fetishists should be asked if they think that people should never take out a loan…

    [eta:] It was 3.19% for FY2016 and expected to be 2.92% for FY2017.

    Of course, it matters what the extra spending is spent on, also too.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  172. 172.

    Gelfling 545

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: My 17 year old kitty, Mewtant, looked like needing to be put out of his misery this winter. Big weight loss, no interest in food, vomiting etc. Turns out he has a couple of bad teeth which cause problems with his preferred kibble and he is not a fan of the gushy food. Canned tuna now, he’ll eat until he bursts – but not the cat type. I have currently outfoxed him by grating some cheese over his kitty pâté. He has gained back a bit of the lost weight. Given his age and that he has a heart beat irregularity they don’t recommend extracting the teeth. See if your guy will fall for the cheese trick.

  174. 174.

    WaterGirl

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Rough times. With my beloved kitty soulmate, there was a roller coaster ride for weeks with me thinking, okay, one more day of this and it’s time. And then he’d start eating like crazy. And then we’d start the whole thing all over again after a week or a few days.

    I didn’t worry about what I fed him – whatever he would eat was the right thing for me. Those little hard kitty treats with stars and other shapes that you can get even at the grocery store were a sure way to get him to start eating, and then once he would get some food in him he would start eating the other food. The other thing was to crumble up hamburger meat like I was going to make spaghetti or tacos, and feed him that slowly by hand. Turned out he needed protein and then his appetite would perk back up for other food.

    As the lows got lower and the good stretches got shorter, I started evaluating whether to let him go out on a high note or whether I should wait until it was obvious that the end was near. As it was clear that the end was going to come matter how much I willed it to be otherwise, I opted for letting him go out on a high note with him having a couple of really good days at the end.

    He was crazy for catnip and I bought him some catnip plants, and he got to say goodbye to all the people in my life that he loved, just short visits and love and pats and he felt good enough to enjoy that. Even though it was a good day for him, I swear he absolutely knew it was his last day. He did all the things that made him my sweet Quiver – he even groomed my hair which he always liked to do before he was sick. He didn’t do any of those things for very long because he wasn’t strong, but I will never be convinced that they were not part of his goodbye ritual. And all through that last night he was on the bed with me, sometimes sleeping between my legs, moving around a lot but always always always with some part of him touching me, even if it was just a nose or a paw. Very uncharacteristic as he would normally start out that way and then move to the foot of the bed. It was his goodbye.

    It’s been 7 years but not for one minute have I regretted letting him go out on a high note. Not saying that’s the right thing for you to do, but maybe you will want to give some thought to whether that would be right for you and Dirk.

    One last thought to share, in case it’s useful. When the vet came to the house, in the moment that my sweet boy passed, his jaw went slack and it was a terrible shock. I had only had dogs, and they always looked so peaceful once they are gone, but Quiver was my first kitty. Instead of looking peaceful, his gums where as pale as a ghost and I was able to see just how weak and frail and sick he had been. His big heart and his love for me had clearly kept him going long after his body had wanted to quit. Even when he was so sick, he was able to hide the worst of it from my sight, with his love and determination. Had I been able to see that sooner, I would have let him go earlier. Still, I treasured every single day we had together after he got sick, and I know he did, too, so maybe he got the bargain he wanted by hiding how sick he was so we got more time.

    My heat goes out to you and Dirk. We are here for you, no matter how hard it gets.

  176. 176.

    Shana

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: My greatest sympathies to you at this difficult time. I too tried to make it a few more days with our late lamented Lightning so our daughter could make it home from college at the weekend to say goodbye but the vet said his enlarged spleen could have burst at any time and if it did he’d be in agony. I couldn’t in good conscience take that chance. The timing is always hard to gauge. Be in peace with your decision when it’s made.

  178. 178.

    chopper

    Democratic leaders announced late Wednesday that they agreed with President Trump to pursue a legislative deal that would protect hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation and enact border security measures that don’t include building a physical wall.

    so schumer dusted off the gang of 8 bill from 2013 which passed the senate, showed it to trump and trump was all impressed?

    jesus, not only did schumer get what he wanted, he didn’t even have to fucking do anything!

  181. 181.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @Gelfling 545: I currently use the cheese trick and it works. I also heat up food for about 7 to 10 seconds in the microwaveand the cat likes that too. (touch to make sure it’s warm and not hot)

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