KKKeebler Elf brings his outraged honor act to the Senate Judiciary Committee — for an audience of one. Senator Franken isn’t taken in by the moonlight and magnolias act:
"We're moving the goal post every time." The full heated exchange between Franken and Sessions (via ABC). pic.twitter.com/PijoXBvpQ3
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 18, 2017
Franken rightly calls the pint-sized bigot out for moving the goal posts on campaign collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, which is what Team Trump has done from the beginning. First, they were all, “Russians? What Russians?” Then, they said, “Okay, some operatives may have talked to Russians, but no one close to the campaign.” Next, it was, “Well, not every single surrogate talked to the Russians.” And finally, “How dayuh you impugn mah honah, suh?”
Good God, what a clown show.
Jim Kelly
Love the amused aides/interns behind Al.
Corner Stone
Even more of a clown show if you watch the time in between the sessions. They are all shaking hands, clapping each other on the back, having a laugh about who knows what.
Then the bell rings and they go back to the dog and pony routine.
Elizabelle
Franken to Sessions: “Keep reading.”
I am going to LOVE this. Thank you, Ms. Cracker.
Mike in DC
Come back to the Intel Committee, Jeff. Sen. Harris would like another go at you.
Corner Stone
@Mike in DC: Not if the good Gentleman Burr has anything to say about it.
Kay
Why doesn’t anyone ever mention Al Franken for Prez? If Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown are in that category he should be too.
I’d happily back any of them.
Corner Stone
@Kay: I would certainly vote for any of those but do not necessarily want any of those three to be the D candidate.
Kay
@Corner Stone:
Okay, but why isn’t Franken in the “speculate on the Senators” club? He’s good! He might be very popular.
Corner Stone
Every single thing that comes out of Trump’s mouth is a lie. Or an insult. Or an insulting lie.
How many times can he say he has “proof” of something without the media demanding to see it before they move on to the next issue?
Kay
@Corner Stone:
The “proof” thing itself is bad, though. Presidents don’t say that because the working assumption is they aren’t constantly lying.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: I’d vote for Franken in a heartbeat. He’d be on my list, which won’t be unveiled until late next year. ;)
Corner Stone
OMG, her face is doing that thing it does. Her mouth makes the long circular motion that looks like The Scream. And both her eyebrows are going in different directions. At the same time.
PST
Franken has always denied interest in higher office, which of course everyone does, but he may have believed that some of the baggage from his SNL years could be overcome for the MN senate seat but not the presidency. Trump has exploded the whole idea of baggage and proven the overwhelming value of celebrity. I think Franken is great but never regarded him as a candidate. I quite like Sherrod Brown myself and could get enthusiastically behind quite a number of others, but maybe Democrats should think about Franken.
Brendan in NC
@Corner Stone: the “good Gentleman” Burr, is neither. I have the dishonor of having him as a Senator…
Corner Stone
John Roberts has really dropped off the cliff now that he’s at Fox. How pathetic.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
He’s very personable, as they say. I also like his speech- low and deliberate. He. Says. Every. Word.
Corner Stone
@Kay: What’s even better is that the WH is saying their “proof” is that several people were in the room during the call. Including John Kelly.
So not only does no one believe a word Trump says, he has now dragged every single person that backs his version that much further into one of the rings of hell.
Poor John Kelly. Poor, poor John Kelly.
bemused
Happy that Franken is my senator. I’m reading Giant of the Senate now. I’ve been going through pics from wayback deleting what I don’t want anymore and came across a pic of me with Franken. This I will save. Franken did his Air America show from UMD which we attended.
FlipYrWhig
It’s astounding to watch someone obviously caught lying continue to deny that he lied. Sessions keeps doing it here, and Trump does it like breathing.
Betty Cracker
@Corner Stone: I don’t even have to ask…Queen o’ the Possums. What a fitting mouthpiece for that flailing dumpster fire of an administration.
(((CassandraLeo)))
@Kay: I’ve been saying he’d be a good presidential candidate since, IDK, at least 2015. For awhile he considered himself unelectable (I assume because of SNL stuff) but I suspect he’s reconsidering in light of the shitgibbon. I do wonder how much IOKIYAR would apply to some of this stuff though.
bemused
@FlipYrWhig:
Lying is easy peasy when you’re doing it for God and white supremacy, Sessions or you’re a raging nasty narcissist, Trump. Both share compulsion to kick people under the bus.
geg6
@Kay:
I’ve seen him listed in several “hot take” lists of Dem possibles for 2020.
Roger Moore
@Corner Stone:
Fuck John Kelly for going along with Trump’s awful claims about Obama not calling him when his son died. And all the other evil shit he’s done, also, too.
Kay
@Corner Stone:
Well, it’s weird. No other President was up there promising witnesses every day to back up his “story”. That he says it so much means he’s very accustomed to credibility problems. He spends a lot of time doing things in this general vein “I was RIGHT” about some bullshit, like he’s used to having a whole crowd of people looking at him funny and saying “ah, I don’t know if you INVENTED that, really”
germy
OT
Watched Finding Your Roots last night. Wasn’t particularly interested in the guests, but I see that next week Ta-Nehisi Coates will have his roots found. I’m looking forward to this episode.
Corner Stone
Why does the Gov of Poo-hurto eh Reeko need to visit the WH to discuss what more is needed for assistance? Food, water, medical assistance and diesel fuel. Along with a buttload of troops and helicopters to distribute.
Psych1
@KayWhy doesn’t anyone ever mention Al Franken for Prez? If Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown are in that category he should be too.
That was always the plan of course. Bernie would have run with Warren and after 4 years Liz would have run with Franken and after 8 years of President Warren we would have 8 years of President Franken.
That is what could have been if not for the misguided “I’m with Her “
Kay
@geg6:
Good. He comes off as more affable than Sherrod Brown, who can appear impatient.
Corner Stone
The WH is getting ate up on Trump’s comments to the Sgt’s widow, the wife, that woman.
Man, they are using John Kelly like a shield and a battering ram on this.
oatler.
Let Jeff hang beside the other Confederate traitors along with Grassley (yeah I know he’s from Iowa but have you BEEN to that place??)
Chyron HR
@PST:
Quite the contrary, Trump has shown the media that they must hold Democratic candidates to much stricter standards of seriousness, honesty, and moral integrity to prevent such a terrible person from winning the Presidency again. Of course there’s no point trying to hold Trump to these standards, because horses and barn doors and all that and besides have you seen the ratings?
Chyron HR
@germy:
Special twist ending: He’s actually white!
Chyron HR
@Psych1:
Hey, remember when The Great One was losing African-American voters by 50% and his solution was to have you guys send death threats to John Lewis so he would fall in line?
Corner Stone
SHS isn’t denying that at some point in the conversation the phrase “he knew what he signed up for” was used.
rikyrah
BWA HA HA HA HA HA AH
Corner Stone
C’mon, Chris Jansing. Don’t drag Obama into this. He is not part of this “battle”. Trump lied about him, Obama didn’t step in to this circus tent.
dmsilev
@Corner Stone: Josh Marshall coined the term ‘dignity wraith’ for just this circumstance. Not only does Trump himself have nothing resembling dignity or grace, he actively sucks out any residual traces of such from all around him.
Mnemosyne
@Kay:
Narcissists create their own reality, and they pressure the people around them until they finally give in and go along. I think I’ve mentioned before that one story I read about someone’s narcissistic father was that he got into a car accident at her wedding and insisted that she (the bride!) had actually done it and should pay for the damage to the venue.
The kicker is that she came very close to doing just that to get him to STFU already. That’s how narcissists win — they wear down everyone around them with ever-shifting lies that always put the blame on everyone else.
Trump dimly senses that there was some kind of problem with what he said, but that problem can only exist because of the person hearing it, not because HIS words were wrong. So now he’s going to force everyone else to agree that he said notbjng wrong, and they will, because he will not shut up about it until they agree.
Corner Stone
Trump is completely bonkers. He has no idea what he said in the conversation and no idea who he called.
mai naem mobile
Franken/Patrick 2020 or the other way around.
Kay
@Psych1:
I’m not good at counterfactuals, what might have been. I’m a mover-onn-er. Shallowness has its rewards and that’s one of them.
Corner Stone
@dmsilev: Without a doubt. The Dignity Wraith has struck again and has allowed John Kelly to reveal who he is.
ETA not to mention, the SecState had to go on a Sunday show to confirm his nutsack was still there.
Chief Oshkosh
@bemused: The Audible version is even better (IMO), as he’s the reader.
Belafon
@Kay: Because he’s said he won’t run.
germy
@Mnemosyne: Neurotics build castles in the air. Psychotics live in them. Trump bankrupts them.
Matt McIrvin
@Kay: I like it. Franken is sort of an anti-Trump: the vulgar TV clown who turned into a hard-working statesman rather than a loathsome demagogue. He actually wrote a satirical memoir of his Presidential administration years ago in which he imagined himself as a President Trump-like figure.
I wouldn’t have thought he was a viable Presidential candidate until now. He still has the disadvantage of being kind of old, and the political advantages and disadvantages of being a white guy. But he’s one person that Trump could not roll over just by being outrageous. Al Franken knows outrageous. He wrote several books and countless TV sketches on outrageous. He will see your outrageous and raise you a sarcastic shiv in the ribs.
Mnemosyne
@Psych1:
Wow, you guys whine about Hillary wanting a “coronation” while you assemble an entire line of succession for your guy covering the next 20 years. Projection much?
dmsilev
A nice bit of news, both on its own merits and for pissing off the neo-Confederates:
(appalling of course that there ever was a Jefferson Davis Elementary School at all, and even worse that it’s in an almost entirely black area.)
d58826
totally OT. I ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon. One item was not in the package. I’m trying to get a refund/replacement. it’s only 8.00 but at this point it’s the principle of the thing. I had to return something a couple of weeks ago and just followed the clicks w/o a hassle.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to report a missing item or to talk/chat to a ‘human being’ (this being amazon) .
any ideas?
Gin & Tonic
@Psych1: Did Doug get tired of the LanceThruster persona?
rikyrah
Two weeks later, Trump still hasn’t addressed US deaths in Niger
10/18/17 12:42 PM
By Steve Benen
On Oct. 4, exactly two weeks ago, four American soldiers were killed in an ambush in northwestern Africa. Donald Trump, who routinely tweets a series of provocative thoughts in response to deadly terrorism said nothing. As the remains of the U.S. Special Forces soldiers started to return home, Trump again said nothing, golfing as the caskets arrived at Dover Air Force.
As the Washington Post reported today, the president has had plenty to say about a wide range of topics since the deadly attack in Niger – he’s apparently upset with protesting athletes, Democrats, the mayor or San Juan, and major American news organizations – but Trump has remained completely silent on the deadliest attack on U.S. military forces since he took office.
That seemed to change on Monday, when a reporter asked about his reticence, but even then, Trump’s answer covered a lot of ground – he’s impressed with his communications with family members of the fallen, and he’s taken some cheap and misleading shots at Barack Obama – without even trying to address the underlying question:
Why did these four Americans die?
Chief Oshkosh
@Mnemosyne: I thought that was satire. Psych was serious?
d58826
@Mnemosyne: Well can wish for that or winning the Irish sweepstakes. Might have better luck with the first choice.
geg6
@Mnemosyne:
My reaction exactly. Not to mention that I’m pretty sure that Senator Franklin would laugh in the face of this line of bullshit. Only someone who knows nothing about Al Franken could say something like this with a straight face. So I’m going with Russian troll.
Rihilism
I actually voted voted for Al Franken for president in 1988. This was, of course, a write-in ballot back when I was still a republican (I was young and stupid and haven’t been a repub since 1992 when I voted for Clinton) and couldn’t bear voting for George Bush senior. Al came to my alma mater in the town I still live in quite a few years back (b4 he was a senator, around 2000) but I wasn’t able to see him. My roommate at the time went to see him with my paperback copy of “Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot” and got it signed by Al. He signed it, “Thanks for your vote, Al Franken”. I still have it and treasure it. Waiting on a copy of “Giant of the Senate” from my local library. Can’t wait to read it! Would definitely vote for him as president again and think his slogan should be “Vote for me, Al Franken”.
Psych1
@Kay: not learning fromhistory and all—–
chopper
@Psych1:
riiiiiiight.
rikyrah
Sanders does not deny that Trump said those words to Sgt. Johnson’s widow, only says that Trump was “completely respectful”. pic.twitter.com/VfoVhG4ayt
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 18, 2017
Sanders on Trump call to widow of fallen soldier: “Just because POTUS said ‘your guy’ I don’t think that means POTUS doesn’t know his name.”
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) October 18, 2017
Gin & Tonic
@Corner Stone: Fuck Kelly. In the words of some minor political figure, he knew what he was signing up for.
chopper
@Mnemosyne:
dude, you don’t understand. wilmer was the messiah. he was going to usher in a golden age of permanent democratic governance, until the old battle axe stepped in and ruined it for everyone.
MCA1
Agreed with others that Franken has probably always thought of his comedic past as a ceiling on his ambitions – Minnesotans elected Jesse Ventura so it wasn’t going to be a hindrance there, but a national election is something else entirely. And he was running to fill Wellstone’s seat, so his unapologetic liberalism wasn’t the hindrance it could be in a presidential race, either.
But I suspect that while he no doubt noticed the non-politician/entertainer bar on the White House was broken last year, he also saw that the glass ceiling preventing a woman president remained fully intact, and he’s well aware of the similar lack of Jewish POTUS’s in our past. In fact, he probably recognized that misogyny was actually a motivator for a lot of the Drumpenproletariat, and is no doubt cognizant that his religion would be, as well.
That said, despite whatever ugliness his being the Democratic nominee might unleash from the other side, I would really look forward to Franken debating Trump. He’d be the most likely of anyone to just look at him with a bemused grin, go all Jed Bartlett on him and actually call him a compulsive liar and ignoramus.
bemused
@Chief Oshkosh:
Oh wow, I must look into this. Bet he chuckles a lot. I smiled at how he had/has a couple staffers that were designated “dehumorizers”, pushing the button when he got too sarcastically humorous. It had to be really tough for him to tone that down so he’d be taken seriously. And I knew he was completely serious about running for senator when so many others were skeptical and shocked, shocked. Easy to tell he was doing his homework from listening to his Air America show and before that.
Trump has no soul or heart. Franken is just the opposite. I’ve seen him tear up often as when talking about doing shows for troops in Iraq, etc. Big, soft heart.
Kay
@rikyrah:
Remember, too, the ONLY reason this is an issue for Donald Trump is because Donald Trump made it one.
Clinton and Bush and Obama never had to recite what they said to soldiers and call witnesses – because they didn’t LIE about the people who came before them.
Trump ruined the “President contacts deceased soldier’s family” thing because he ruins everything he gets near. There was no need to turn it into a gross pissing contest. None.
Another Scott
@d58826: They do bury it, don’t they.
Try Help -> Returns and Refunds then click on the Return or Replace Items button and take it from there.
You’ll usually get an e-mail response pretty quickly.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Scott.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Psych1:
Jesus Christ, here we go…
Just One More Canuck
@Corner Stone: He used to be a VJ on MuchMusic up here in Canada (our version of MTV). He reached the peak of his credibility then
jl
@Corner Stone:
” Trump is completely bonkers. He has no idea what he said in the conversation and no idea who he called. ”
Someone from one of the late soldiers families noted that Trump didn’t even seem to know the name of the fallen man. Which they found, understandably, hurtful. So, good chance Trump is out of his own loop on this.
I found the bios of the fallen men inspiring, especially Johnson. So hard to believe this lout Trump wouldn’t make sure he let the families know that he knew very well who these men were and how unique and heartbreaking their loss. But, that seems to be how Trump rolls.
Mnemosyne
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
Looks like the replacement Russian troll has arrived. I warned Lance that Dmitri was breathing down his neck and was going to get this sweet gig if Lance didn’t step up his game. Now Lance has been busted back down to MyDD.
ETA: Though I love the urban legend that “I’m With Her” was the campaign slogan. I guess the “Stronger Together” t-shirt in my drawer is imaginary.
geg6
@Just One More Canuck:
Seriously? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s hysterical.
bemused
@Matt McIrvin:
Franken is a pro at spotting phonies and loony narcissists after decades in the comedy/show biz scene as his earlier lying, liar books hilariously describe.
d58826
@Another Scott: Thanks. still seemed geared to the ‘return’ rather than ‘missing’ but added a comment with what I was trying to do. Will see what happens. In all the years I’ve order from Amazon, first time something was missing from a multi-part order.
Kay
@Matt McIrvin:
Me too. We have to adjust to Trump. We need someone creative :)
A Ghost to Not
@Psych1: prig.
MCA1
@rikyrah: She’s not good at this. There was such an easy way out of this whole thing, and they’ve completely missed it. All they had to do was say that that phrase was lifted completely out of the full context of the conversation. They could have just said that what Trump said in full was along the lines of “His bravery is to be commended and you should be proud of it. Special forces are a dangerous post, and only for the strongest of heart. That your husband knew what he was getting into and still, because his patriotism and love for country were so great, volunteered, is an incredible act. I want you to know that the nation does not take his sacrifice lightly.”
Instead, they seem to be playing fully inside the framing of that was a complete sentence on its own with no context. It may sound incredibly callous, but we assure you it was completely respectful.
NorthLeft12
@Corner Stone:
Sorry CS, but I would change your quote to “Fuck John Kelly. Fuck John Kelly.” He is an adult who does not need to keep this job [IMO] and could live very comfortably without it. At some point people have to look at Deadbeat Donald’s henchmen and understand that they are a big part of the problem too, and that they deserve all the scorn, derision, ridicule, and disrespect that everyone heaps on them for their enabling this monster.
Jeffro
I will of course vote for the Dem in 2020 (and 2024, and 2028…plus all the mid-term elections…VA gov when it pops up in between elections…you get the idea…)
However, as much as I love Warren, Franken, and Brown, I’d really prefer someone who’s younger and/or female and/or a person of color. It just makes sense: we are a diverse coalition, we stand for equality, and we represent the future.
NorthLeft12
@Just One More Canuck: Yes, I remember seeing him on Much Music and felt that he might be moving on to bigger and better things sooner rather than later. Kinda sad that he has sold out like this.
Frankensteinbeck
@chopper:
From listening to them talk, I believe it’s that Wilmer was going to lead the socialist revolution. They believe our whole situation is a class war, which leads to the belief that the vast majority of the population are waiting to act if they’re just explicitly pointed in the direction of tearing down the rich who are at fault for everything. Sanders was the first major politician they’re familiar with who delivered that battle call. Since the revolution did not happen, he must have been cheated somehow, and nobody could really have wanted to vote for Hillary. She wasn’t calling the rich evil!
Brachiator
@germy:
Very funny.
Amir Khalid
@Psych1:
“The plan”? Whose plan? Does any of these people you name support this plan? Has any of them agreed to run per this plan? Or is this plan roughly as real as a fantasy-football team?
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Mnemosyne:
I don’t think Pyscho or Lance are paid Russian trolls. Just useful idiots.
Honestly, some of the regulars are just as bad, what I call the “Republicans are invincible and will always win” brigade. Not very catchy, I know. It’s very disheartening to constantly see talk like that.
bemused
@MCA1:
Perhaps someone(s) tried to put a better spin on this and other Trump fiascos but I’d bet the fucking moron will have none of it. He only wants his beautiful words out there, only he can fix it.
jl
@NorthLeft12: Need to look for subtext in CS comments. Might be some snark there.
I think that if Kelly, McMaster, Mattis, Dunford, Tillerson and some others have decided to sacrifice their honor in order to keep disaster at bay, we should be grateful for their sacrifice, hope it is sufficient, and let them sacrifice their honor. Letting the honor go is part of the deal, and we don’t have to worry about their honor any more in any way. After Trump is out of office, and if not too many people have been killed or ruined through Trump’s dysfunction, then we can re-evaluate.
It’s one case where ‘that is what they signed up for’ is appropriate.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Corner Stone:
Fuck John Kelly. He willingly walked into this mess, and happily took on the mantle of one of “The Troops” for fetishization, and that includes him trading on the memory of his dead son.
He should have quietly faded off then, but was too wedded to adulation; he’s a disgusting narcissist in his own way, too.
Now the whole rotten edifice is a collapsing pile of semibaked shit bricks, and I don’t want him to escape the shame.
Just One More Canuck
@geg6: yup – he was JD up here, then became John when he became a serious journamalist
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2007-09-17-JDRoberts.JPG
germy
Trump offered a grieving military father $25,000 in a call, but didn’t follow through
d58826
oh fsm it gets worse
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-offered-a-grieving-military-father-25000-in-a-call-but-didnt-follow-through/2017/10/18/8d4cbc8c-b43a-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_hp-breaking-news%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar&tid=a_breakingnews&utm_term=.89aff32d1d8b
jl
@Amir Khalid: fantasy football is much realer.
Kay
Oh, no. No part of that is good. This is the thing- how did he get to be 70 and not know how to act? You pick things up! Not him.
Mnemosyne
@Amir Khalid:
As we have seen from the kerfuffle after the Women’s March organizers shot themselves in the foot, the Bros and Sises can’t imagine a world without their god’s benevolent guiding hand showing everyone what to do. If Wilmer doesn’t approve it, it cannot be done.
I’ve been reading Daylight Atheist’s breakdown of “Atlas Shrugged” over on Patheos, and marveling at how Rand formed a cult around the question of “What Would Ayn Rand Do?”
IMO the Wilmerites are well on their way to forming a full-on Objectivist-style cult where the correct answer to every question is “What does Wilmer say is correct?”
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@dmsilev:
Wouldn’t he be more of a dignity vampire or dignity succubus?
I have tended to call him President Breitbart Comment Section lately.
jl
@d58826: CS is right, some level of ‘bonkers’ has to be involved, besides Trump being a complete creep.
germy
Betty Cracker
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: That last sentence is sheer poetry! :)
@germy & @d58826: Fits the pattern, doesn’t it? The scumbag is always yapping about charitable donations that never materialize unless a reporter hounds him into it. This should morph into a HUGE scandal, even among our shell-shocked media herd. But these days, who knows?
Mnemosyne
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
Yeah, but it’s fun to needle them. And Lance has definitely drunk the Russian propaganda Flavor-Ade since he was extolling Russia’s kind assistance to Assad in Syria and gets pissed every time I mention how many times Russia has bombed Syrian hospitals in the last few months.
Gelfling 545
Speaking of clown shows, it seems Chris Collins (R-Clueless) finally has a challenger; an Iraq war vet, if the Buffalo News is to be believed. I don’t know much more about the gentleman except that I could walk down the block and the first stranger I met would probably be a better Congressman than Collins.
Ruckus
@d58826:
Google Amazon customer service phone number. They don’t like it but you do get a living person. I never tell them any more where I got the number and that cuts down their bullshit.
Mnemosyne
@germy:
Yes, I’m sure that the anti-Semitic white supremacist would have declined to attack Sanders on religion and stuck solely to the issues. Uh-huh.
Frankensteinbeck
@germy:
Eh. I care whether Bernard is encouraging his fans to believe the Democratic Party is against them. His wife can say Hillary eats babies for all I care. She has no influence.
Shalimar
@Mnemosyne: Under that scenario, Franken would be 83 by the time his 8 year term started. No one has ever even considered that scenario before troll1 just thought it up. He’s just yanking us around.
Mnemosyne
@Ruckus:
I’ve gotten to speak to a person through the Amazon website. You have to click through a bajillion menus, but there are links to do it.
Mnemosyne
@Shalimar:
Yup. That’s why I feel no guilt about yanking back and asking if he’s based in Moscow or Vladivostok.
The Golux
@mai naem mobile:
Hey, maybe he could tap Jill Stein as his running mate – the ads would write themselves!
“The Modern Prometheus Ticket!”
?BillinGlendaleCA
@d58826: “Where’s my Stuff” might work as well; they got back to me right away.
Yutsano
@MCA1:
Give me one indication that these people are smart enough to do this. I’ll wait.
germy
Mark Cuban is considering running for president.
But he makes no sense to me. He says less government is best and is pro-single payer healthcare.
No Drought No More
Franken did his best, and I’m sure he got through to some folks. Every little bit helps. But he’s too damn respectful of the opposition, and not quick or mean enough to get through to most Americans as he otherwise could. No doubt they’re in short supply, but those are the type of democrats the party now needs to carry this fight to the GOP in order to knock their lights out… to knock them over and out.
In other words, Stuart, don’t settle for rolling your eyes when any republican makes clear their contempt. If not for yourself, then refuse to stand for such insulting behavior towards your office and deign to feel insulted on behalf of the rank and file. You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and by gosh, democrats like you.
AnonPhenom
@Kay:
Franken gets asked all the time if he’s running in 2020.
And every time his answer is the same.
jl
@MCA1:
” they seem to be playing fully inside the framing of that was a complete sentence on its own with no context. ”
That may be because there is actually PROOF that it was a complete sentence on its own with no context.
Edit: otherwise I don’t see why the Congresswoman would be so pissed, and mother and widow would be so upset and shaken by the phone call. But this last bit is guesspeculation on my part.
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
I found that out but it’s a lot easier to just Google. Always has worked for me.
Betty Cracker
@Frankensteinbeck: Considering how toxic so many of the folks Sanders named to the “unity committee” have turned out to be, I suspect he feeds the paranoia. I’m also disappointed in Perez. I realize he’s in a tough spot, but damn, my county-level DP chair handled this shit better than he has.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Matt McIrvin:
That’s an excellent arguement for a Franken run or at the very lest having Fraken as a surregate for the 2020 canidate.
And if Fraken ran against Trump, hecould have the most awesome campaign motto ever “This time, dor right and vote for the professional clown”.
Ruckus
@Yutsano:
Helpful hint, don’t hold your breath.
El Caganer
@germy: I actually know a few single-payer libertarians. They’re pretty rare, though.
schrodingers_cat
I am the only one that thinks that T’s call to the widow was especially callous because the dead soldier was black? To T anyone who is not a white man is not a person.
schrodingers_cat
@germy: No just no. He is another botoxed billionaire.
Wapiti
@d58826: I’ve served as a “casualty assistance officer” when in the service, shepherding a family through the maze of benefits. I had a pair of 2″ binders detailing my role, and tips on how to deal with it, and phone numbers to the pros who deal with this almost every day.
One of the first rules was don’t get personally involved. The services have systems to have members designate beneficiaries, and periodically check to ensure that is still the intended person. If a soldier designates his mom rather than his dad as the person to get the payout, that’s the soldier’s wishes and the Army will respect that. Do families squabble? I’m sure they do, but from Uncle Sam’s position, there’s a signed document that says where the money goes.
I frankly believe that the President (especially this one) should be nowhere near this job. He shouldn’t make individual calls. Leave it to the services, to the professionals, and the NCOs and officers who have at least a smattering of training to prepare for it.
catclub
@dmsilev:
There are hundreds. To whom do I direct my suggestion that black newsreaders and TV personalities refer to any Jeff Davis Street, AVE, or School as Traitor Davis … boulevard, etc.
zhena gogolia
@d58826:
There’s an option on the site somewhere where they call you back. I’ve had good luck with it. I can’t remember how to tell you to find it, but it’s there.
Aimai
@Psych1: fuck you.
JPL
@germy: At least with single payer, you’d get rid of the those regulations causing the insurance companies pain. lol
At this point, I’d vote for anyone as long as they weren’t involved with the religious right.
Corner Stone
@Aimai: Your recent classwork seems to have helped you tighten up your prose.
catclub
@d58826:
of course it gets worse.
Trump should hand this job off to someone else, but to do that he would have to say out loud that he is unqualified to do it, and confessing to any flaw is not happening.
stinger
@oatler.: Yes. Yes, I have. For extended periods of time. You seem to be saying that Iowa is like the Confederacy. Iowa, whose caucuses put Barack Obama on the road to the White House, is nothing like the Confederacy. You, suh, ah an idiot.
trollhattan
I’d love to see Franken run, even as I don’t wish the experience on him or his wife. Limbaugh would obviously be an early supporter.
“But he’s only been married once, how can he be elected?”
Obviously he’s perfectly at east in front of a camera. I’ve never seen a stump speech and don’t know how he does in that medium. He’s phenomenally bright and knows his stuff. America seems to like none of those things. He also has experience playing former candidate Paul Simon and the bowtie.
FlipYrWhig
@d58826: Is it possible that Trump doesn’t really understand how money gets from one account to another? I’m thinking of how Montgomery Burns tries to call Smithers by dialing S-m-i-t-h-e-r-s on the telephone keypad.
debit
I think that even if Franken wanted to run, he wouldn’t because of the stress it would put on his wife. She’s a recovering alcoholic and I seem to recall some nastiness (regarding her) in his first election.
FlipYrWhig
@stinger: Iowa is NOTHING like the Confederacy! They elect Bible-bangers and clowns there!
Oh.
Aimai
@d58826: what a weird complaint for this father to make. The son signed his life insurance over to his mother. If he had been married ir had a kid they might be considered to have a legitimate claim but the father thinking the death benefits are to pay off for him, personally, is kind of disturbing. How is the army supposed to overrule the soldiers wishes? I get that trump is comepletely inappropriate about this but the fathers complaint is problematic.
trollhattan
@germy:
Pre-Reagan, Cuban would have been a prototype country club Republican. Today I’m not sure where he fits, but I’m not at all prepared to hoist a tech gazillionaire to the nation’s highest post. .
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: “I’d give it all up. For just a little more.”
jl
@catclub: From what I’ve read of GW and Obama, it means a lot for the families to just express simple condolences and thanks and concern. Be comforting and empathetic, let the person open up and speak their heart and mind, and then comfort them, even if what the bereaved person expresses is uncomfortable accusation, blame and pain.
Doing anything like that is completely beyond Trump
Aimai
@Corner Stone: Indeed, I’m typing this between classes so my time is short! My invective could be more recondite and prolix but I am forced to eschew the orotund.
Mnemosyne
@No Drought No More:
Wow, all the Russkies are coming out for this one. Greetings, comrade! How is fall in St. Petersburg?
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
@Psych1:
These fucking people.
Millard Filmore
@schrodingers_cat:
No, you are not alone. What color were the other soldiers?
zhena gogolia
@schrodingers_cat:
Uh, yeah, that is the elephant in the room.
jl
@FlipYrWhig: What state of any size does have at least a few crazy Bible thumpers and clowns in elected office? I’m in California and we have our share of clowns in Congress.
Including some Democrats, though they are a very different breed of clown than the GOPers.
geg6
@trollhattan:
But if it was Trump against Cuban? No contest for me, I’d vote Cuban. At least he knows and understands my neck of the woods.
FlipYrWhig
@jl: Well, touché.
Mnemosyne
@Wapiti:
The president is supposed to stick with condolence — I’m so sorry for your loss, thank you for your service.
But because Trump is a narcissist who thinks that money fixes everything, he impulsively offers money to people because that will fix what they’re upset about. That’s NOT HIS FUCKING JOB, but he’s an asshole, so he does it.
rikyrah
jl
@geg6: Since Trump won, been a fashion for prospective candidates and others, including pundits, to assume that a tamer saner, more moderate and demonstrably competent version of the generic Trump type in US political history would be a good choice.
I wonder if that would be a case of fighting the last war. The public might decide better to wait awhile until they again let a flashy ‘out-of-the-box’ billionaire showman fixer try his or her hand at setting things right all by him or herself.
germy
jl
@germy: Well, isn’t that how it works. The more prompted you are to recall specific things, the more forgetful, befuddled and utterly blank your mind becomes. Man, everyone will ID with the wringer that Sessions has been through /snark.
Mnemosyne
@germy:
At this point, I think the Democrats would be fully justified in announcing that they will vote “no” on all Trump nominees because he’s very bad at choosing personnel.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jl: Clowns frighten me, as they do with every right thinking person.
Roger Moore
@MCA1:
There are two problems with that approach:
1) The soldier’s family has already said they felt Trump was disrespectful, so it doesn’t properly address the issue.
2) Trump will undercut that argument if anyone tries it. I’m starting to think he does this deliberately to subordinates he feels have tried to spin and minimize what he said. He wants them to double down for him, and if they don’t, he’ll let them spin for a while and then undercut them by emphasizing he meant exactly what he said.
trollhattan
@geg6:
Oh sure, Trump “debating” an actual billionaire would be popcorn time and Cuban is probably better than 90% of Republicans, much less Dolt45.
I want a president who thinks governing itself is a worthwhile pursuit.
WaterGirl
@schrodingers_cat: I had that thought hours ago. I hope we are wrong.
billcoop4
At least our previous GOP entertainer Preznit could read from a script.
BC
Miss Bianca
@Kay: I think he’d be a great choice, myself.
Miss Bianca
@Psych1: Gods, I hope *you’re* not planning to be at the meet-up.
amygdala
@Miss Bianca: He’s 66, so it would have to be 2020 or never.
Miss Bianca
@d58826: contact the merchant directly – there should be a link on your order page to the merchant you got the item from, I’m thinking.
Corner Stone
@Miss Bianca: I disagree. Always go through Amazon’s resolution protocol. They are the ones with all the info and the big stick if they need it.
George Spiggott
@Kay:
Every road leads to Moscow and the hookers in the hotel room (and I have proof).
Villago Delenda Est
The Keebler elf has no honor to impunge.
He is an honorless cur.
He can go find a fire to die in.
WaterGirl
@d58826: It takes several clicks, but it’s easy to contact Amazon by phone.
For future reference:
Go to almost the very bottom of the amazon.com page.
You will see 4 columns of links. The last column is “Let Us Help You”.
Click “Help”, which is the bottom item under that column.
Click “Need More Help”, which is the bottom item on the left-hand side.
Click “Contact Us”, which is the second of 4 items that show up on the right-hand side after clicking Need More Help.
From there, you select your order and tell Amazon more about the problem.
I chose:
Problem with order
Missing Item or parts
Entire Item missing from shipment
Below that is “How would you like to contact us?”
I choose phone, and within a few seconds amazon has dialed my number and there is a human on the phone.
J R in WV
@Roger Moore:
Actually, I imagine President Obama called Lt Kelly’s widow, and then invited both General Kelly and Lt Kelly’s widow to that meal. And they sat with FLOTUS Obama. I think calling the surviving spouse is the tradition, for a married service member, not a parent.
Obviously some parents don’t deal with that tradition all that well, too bad.
Ruckus
@Aimai:
I doubt anything has changed about survivors benefits and how they are handled even in 40+ yrs. It was made very clear to me what every form meant and how things were handled. You would have had to have been completely, utterly illiterate not to get it. Because if you questioned anything it was spelled out for you until they were sure you understood. For all the faults that I can blame the military for this wasn’t one of them. I went through a year of electronics schooling in the military and never once did they fail to explain every detail to anyone in any class that had the slightest question. It actually was very well done. If you graduated a stage in training, you knew what you needed to know.
J R in WV
@dmsilev:
My niece and nephew attended Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia, just north of Richmond. Losers, both of ’em. Like Quisling U in Scandinavia.
satby
@d58826: I just had this issue, write to the customer service desk. I had an item that showed as delivered and it wasn’t, so I ordered a replacement and stated in the reason that it was never delivered so I couldn’t send it back. Customer wrote to me and corrected the reorder so I wouldn’t be charged.
polyorchnid octopunch
@Psych1: You guys are really sore losers.
Chet Murthy
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’m not going to go look up Josh’s posts, but I thought it was the -others- who are now Dignity Wraiths … as in “no dignity left”. Not Lord Littledick. I mean, yeah, he’s got no dignity either, but in his case, he likes it that way.
Reef
It struck me how old Sessions looks in this video. Not that I ever had the need to look at him closely.
Might he be the oldest serving/active US AG ever? He is now and was 70 when he took office. Not saying a 70 year old can’t handle the duties, but this one seems to have a really, really shitty memory. Or maybe he is just a lying racist a-hole.
I googled trying to find easy answers for oldest US AG and got nothing, but went to the wiki page for US AGs and looked at the past 30 or so and doing an eyeball of birth dates vs service dates I didn’t find anyone more than 65 while in service.
Not that it matters when IOKIYAR. I’m sure if Dems had a president or AG as old as trump it would be a nightly topic on Faux News.
Wallis Lane
@germy: Burlington College: We would have still been solvent
Tinare
@Corner Stone: John Kelly knew exactly what he signed up for, to paraphrase his boss.