Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

No one could have predicted…

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Second rate reporter says what?

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

T R E 4 5 O N

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

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

Let me file that under fuck it.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

You are here: Home / Economics / Free Markets Solve Everything / Open Thread: Social Notes from the Wingnut Wurlitzer Incubator

Open Thread: Social Notes from the Wingnut Wurlitzer Incubator

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Can’t be a good sign when your dream candidate would rather play footsie with Steve “Chaotic Evil, Only Less Competent” Bannon. Marc Short’s a tool (and not a sharp one); any locals want to tell us more about Tom Ricketts? From the Chicago Tribune:

The Heritage Foundation has narrowed its search for a new president down to a shortlist of finalists, a group that includes Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, and Marc Short, a senior Trump White House official, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

The conservative think tank’s trustees, however, remain torn over their decision. Kay Coles James – a Heritage board member who served as the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under former president George W. Bush and is close to Heritage founder Edwin Feulner – has been mentioned by several associates as someone who could serve in a temporary capacity if the board cannot settle on a candidate…

Heritage’s board includes many wealthy right-wing figures, including Steve Forbes, Rebekah Mercer and Thomas Saunders.

The top job at the influential conservative outpost has been open since May, when Jim DeMint, the Republican firebrand and former South Carolina senator, was pushed out, though Fuelner has been serving as the interim president. The search process is still in flux, and it is not clear if the top candidates under consideration have officially been contacted by the Heritage board – or would even accept the position…

Trump selected Ricketts to serve as deputy commerce secretary, but in April he withdrew his nomination from consideration, citing an inability to untangle his financial holdings to the satisfaction of the Office of Government Ethics.

Ricketts’ father helped finance Future45, a super PAC that spent lavishly for Trump in the final weeks of the campaign, giving the group at least $1 million through the end of September, FEC filings show. Joe Ricketts and his wife, Marlene, also contributed nearly $344,000 to support Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party. The Ricketts’ financial support for Trump was a dramatic reversal from the primaries, when Joe and Marlene Ricketts gave more than $5.5 million to Our Principles PAC, a super PAC that ran a slew of hard-hitting ads against Trump.

Short, the director of legislative affairs at the White House, comes with strong conservative credentials, previously leading Freedom Partners, the political operation for billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, and before that working for Vice President Mike Pence when was a rising star on the right during his days in the U.S. House.

It is unclear if Short has expressed interest in the job, and he has not met with the Heritage board. But if selected – and if he were to accept – he would represent yet another high-profile departure from Trump’s administration, which has already faced a steady stream of turnover and shake-ups…

Reader Interactions

93Comments

  1. 1.

    germy

    Vance? Christ, not that asshole again.

    There was a time when he was all over our public radio stations. They couldn’t get enough of him.

  3. 3.

    p.a.

    IIRC Heritage was formed because AEI was not considered conservative (read: nuts) enough. AEI agreed with CW at the time that a US SST was a waste of money. Heritage was birthed as a strong supporter of an American SST. Hence Heritage’s motto: ‘Heritage Foundation: Wrong From Day 1’.

  4. 4.

    lamh36

    Obama LIVE on CSPAN now at rally for Ralph Northam

    President Obama on Democrats during midterms: “Y’all get a little sleepy. Y’all get complacent.”
    “we’re at our best, not when we push people down, but when we try to lift them up.” Crowd chants “yes we can!”

  6. 6.

    Boatboy_srq

    What does it say that I would rather get hit on by Harvey Weinstein than shmooze with any of the hate-filled, wizened prunes at Heritage?

  8. 8.

    germy

    “Inside Edition” just did a story about fake Renoir paintings at drumpf’s place.

    His biographer said he saw a painting, and drumpf said “It’s an original Renoir!” The writer replied “No it isn’t” and told him the name of the art museum the original was hanging in. “No, this is an original Renoir” drumpf insisted.

    Either he was bamboozled by a crooked art dealer, or he is purposely trying to pass off cheap copies in his home as the real thing. Either way he’s an idiot.

  11. 11.

    Corner Stone

    @lamh36: Great. The damn fool should have stayed out of it from the beginning. Now we get to have a whole other round of flashpoints with the god damn BernieBros feeling the hurt in the bottom of their shorts.

  13. 13.

    lamh36

    Obama saying he’s related to Jefferson Davis…
    “You know he’s spinning in his grave on THAT.”

  20. 20.

    lamh36

    Obama: “With all of our flaws, our fate is in our hands. We decide. Not some king, some despot. It’s in our hands.” America goes forward.

  23. 23.

    Corner Stone

    Chris Hayes is very subtly dragging John Kelly in his intro. Will he bag his game? Let’s watch!

  24. 24.

    lamh36

    If you can def check out the rebroadcast of Obama’s rally speech in VA for Northam. It was classic Obama! Dinging Chump left and right, and NEVER mentioning Cheeto’s name!

    Ya already know…Cheeto gon be hot tweeting soon as he gets wind of it!

  29. 29.

    Ruckus

    Just have a sad note. A young guy I work with went home for lunch yesterday and then left home to go back to work. He never showed up, which is very much unlike him. All this morning everyone has been trying to find him to find out where he is. His mom had turned in a missing persons report. A few weeks ago he had a very strange bicycle accident and cut his leg very badly. He went to the doc the other day and the doc told him he has to be careful about clots. Yesterday his leg swelled up quite a bit but he didn’t get it checked out as best as I know. Friends found him dead in his truck, parked on the side of the road just after lunch today. There is a lot more to the story but suffice it to say that he was 27, a really good guy and it’s a bit tough at work right now and we closed early. We don’t know any specifics but a clot is the most likely. Damn.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: When I was on jury duty there was a guy that everybody took to and multiple people said “you should be the foreman”. His answer was that he wasn’t sure that would be the right thing to do because the jury was mostly female, and he encouraged us to select someone else.

    Surely by now it’s clear to Bernie that you shouldn’t want to president if you don’t have good sense and the ability to see further than the chair you’re sitting on.

  31. 31.

    Elizabelle

    @Davebo:

    No Sympathy for the Hillbilly
    Democrats need to stop trying to feel everyone’s pain, and hold on to their own anger.

    Gawd, that is brilliant. Thank you, Frank Rich. Will read it.

    @Ruckus: Oh, that’s a terrible story. How sad. My condolences.

    27? Heartbreaking.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    @germy: I nearly choked when read that Puerto Rico was his excuse! I feel certain that he’ll be feeding people and clearing brush and stuff like that. cough cough

  37. 37.

    Elizabelle

    @lamh36: Yesterday afternoon, I showed up at Coliseum for tickets — they seemed to be gone. (Coliseum was distributing tix for the convention center.)

    Assembled a list with phones and emails for the 20+ other people also seeking tickets. Turned it in to the campaign office, and the young man seemed to take it very seriously. He made a long phone call outside, and was going to try to find a few more tickets. I didn’t put my own name on the list; more excited about the others getting in.

    Excited to have Obama in town.

    I hope he goes by Mama J’s. (Excellent soul restaurant. Kehinde Wiley stops in when in town.)

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    ability to see further than the chair you’re sitting on.

    Difficult to see farther than that chair when your head and ass are in the same location.

  41. 41.

    Elizabelle

    @Boatboy_srq: (1) you’re not Harvey’s type and (2) Harvey’s got a sense of humor. Maybe you can distract him with movie talk.

    Not to make light of his assaults. I wish some of the women had just whipped out an iPhone and photo’d the goods and occasion, for all to see.

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    @Ruckus: What an awful thing to have happen. Cheeto is still running around trying to destroy the world and a good guy 27-year old dies.

  44. 44.

    Fair Economist

    @germy:

    So he’s going to Puerto Rico instead. Presidential!

    It kind of is, actually. Bernie could do a lot of good drawing attention there. He also has the opportunity to talk about how to handle the thorny Puerto Rico situation.

  47. 47.

    Boatboy_srq

    @Elizabelle: If only the scandal had hit one year later, and the otherwise-talentless ingenue would be the prime suspect. “Cast me, or I post your tiny privates on Pinterest!”

  48. 48.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this guy works for a Canadian paper

    Daniel Dale‏Verified account @ ddale8 1h1 hour ago
    The fact that Kelly attacked someone for accurately conveying the hurt of a Gold Star family is really not making its way into the coverage.
    Nor is the fact that Kelly conclusively confirmed the president was lying when he said Rep. Wilson had fabricated his comments.

    I think this may seep out over the next few days, I’m seeing more people on twitter say “Wait, what?” about his allusion to the Khans

  49. 49.

    Corner Stone

    The Gov of PR has zero political future left. He is going to get torched if they ever hold an another election on the island.

  53. 53.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Corner Stone: Yep. We need a way for liberals/progressives to detect posers more easily. Assange. Kelly. Vance. There’s got to be signs indicating that certain folks don’t pass the smell test.

  55. 55.

    germy

    @lamh36: Buddy Roemer funds his media empire, maybe he’ll fund his campaign. I’m sure the RWNJs would love to see him run.

  56. 56.

    trollhattan

    Does James Comey have a Twitter account? Experts disagree, but it could be.

    Back in March, Ashley Feinberg published an incredible piece in Gizmodo titled “This Is Almost Certainly James Comey’s Twitter Account.” It all began with an inadvertent hint dropped by the former FBI Director.

    A welcome diversion from…all that other stuff.

  57. 57.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Corner Stone: Apparently Puerto Ricans are leaving the island in droves. I wouldn’t be surprised if its Governor doesn’t want that job for much longer. Not sure how it’s going to pay off all that debt.

  59. 59.

    Davebo

    Kurt Schlicter admits he’s a racist

    I stood up for George W. Bush in the face of horrendous attacks and never questioned his motives even when he did things I didn’t necessarily agree with.
    He paid me back today by calling me a racist.
    George, you are Fredo to me.
    I don’t want to know you, or what you do.

  61. 61.

    Davebo

    @Patricia Kayden: Well, given we’re only offering paltry loans instead of federal disaster dollars like TX and FL got there could be an upside.

    Suck as much FEMA support as PR can, then declare independence and file the bankruptcy that’s needed that Congress made impossible.

  63. 63.

    Kathleen

    @Patricia Kayden: To me it’s simple. When the Mainslime Media fall all over them and uncritically repeat the favorable script adopted by PunditVille, with no context or background information be suspicious. Be very suspicious. I’m adding Wilmer and Greenwald to your list.

  68. 68.

    Chyron HR

    @lamh36:

    Considering that the Our Revolutionaries claim to be the champions of the white working master race in America’s heartland, it sure is weird how all they do is primary blue state Democrats.

  69. 69.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:
    I’m not sure, as far as I know I’ve never seen the inside of my colon without the use of a camera and a doctor. And I’d think I might remember.

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    OT

    Hunter Walker‏Verified account hunterw
    Somebody just mooned the president’s motorcade.

    I wonder if Pence was on the trip, and if Mother keeps smelling salts in her handbag for such occasions

  72. 72.

    boatboy_srq

    @Davebo: Don’t delve too far into the conversation there. It devolves far too quickly into the Benghazi-Pizzagate swamp.

  74. 74.

    Tilda Swintons Bald Cap

    @Kathleen:

    @davidfrum
    This experiment of inviting career military men to supervise and control a disrespected president may be even riskier than first thought…

  75. 75.

    A Ghost to Most

    From the Frank Rich article:

    After the debacle of 2016, might the time have at last come for Democrats to weaponize their anger instead of swallowing it? Instead of studying how to talk to “real people,” might they start talking like real people? No more reading from wimpy scripts concocted by consultants and focus groups. (Clinton couldn’t even bring herself to name a favorite ice-cream flavor at one campaign stop.) Say in public what you say in private, even at the risk of pissing people off, including those in your own party.

    This makes sense to me.

  77. 77.

    Ruckus

    Thanks everyone.
    I work in a small shop, 9 of us including the boss and this young man. He was well liked and a very fast and good learner. He had lots of friends, he will be missed.

  78. 78.

    Kathleen

    @Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: I think Haig pulled it off to some extent, but as others have said even Watergate coverage had boundaries and consensus that what Nixon was accused of was improper and unlawful. No such luck with the majority of TV “reporters” and pundits today.

  80. 80.

    Ruckus

    @A Ghost to Most:
    Ya know, if we have to know the candidates favorite ice cream flavor, I think we are the broken ones. drumpf revealed his worst secrets, which weren’t secret at all and are horrible and he gets elected, she gets shit for not revealing her ice cream preference………… I’m thinking that there is something so fundamentally wrong with this picture that maybe we should just fucking start all over.

  81. 81.

    chris

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s my man!

    If you’re not following Daniel Dale, @ddale8, you’re missing out. He’s permanently on a tab in my browser. Another Canadian to follow is William Gibson, @GreatDismal, the writer. He posts a lot of stuff beyond the outrage du jour, the stories that get lost in the noise.

  85. 85.

    A Ghost to Most

    @Ruckus: The Constitution was meant to evolve, despite the protestations of those people. After all this, it will need to evolve some more, I think. Still worth fighting for.

  87. 87.

    kindness

    Every single person mentioned above is an abominable one. And these are the schmucks that are our shadow masters? OMG we are so screwed.

  90. 90.

    Brachiator

    @Ruckus: Very sorry to hear this. My condolences to family and all those who knew and cared about this person. It brings to mind the loss of a coworker last year. He was also 27 when he died.

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    Not long after I started work at what turned out to be my longest employment up to retirement, I got to work on time, and there were people all around outside, holding each other, crying.

    Turned out a young manager, very popular with everyone, in a somewhat stressful position managing the unit issuing environmental permits had committed suicide the night before, using a hose from his car’s exhaust into the passenger cabin. His boss was always first into work and found him early that morning.

    Worse, when his fellow employees, in a pretty informal office, turned up at the wake, they learned that he had kept a diary, and in it every joke or jest was turned into a deliberate arrow into his heart. I worked with him as IT analyst asking him questions about data needs. We joked and chatted as friends, as did everyone. But the folks who worked for and with him at the wake were turned away.

    The next day there were armed security guards at work, first time ever.

    A few days later his parents came and met with his boss, a really good guy I worked with until he retired, Army Reserve Master Sargent and Director of the Office the victim had worked for. They apologized for the attitude at the wake, and realized that the diary was a symptom of his illness. The guards went away.

    He was such a good guy, bright, cheerful, amusing, but with something wrong somehow. Really sad. Way too young. Maybe the problem was that he was so successful so young? We will never know. This was in the 90s. so a long time ago. Your story brought it back like it was yesterday.

    Your guy is a newer tragedy, he didn’t go to his doctor, didn’t understand the danger, maybe didn’t care? That last would be closer to R’s tragedy back in the ’90s, a little. I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so hard when youngsters pass, it seems so wrong.

  92. 92.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:
    Anyone who ever said the world is fair is not to be believed about anything because they are full of shit. Life is anything but fair. Lots of days it’s anything but easy. We some times/all the time forget that it wasn’t very long ago that lots of people didn’t make it into adulthood, that life wasn’t just hard it was short and mostly miserable. It is better but still, for many that better is minor.

  93. 93.

    Ruckus

    @J R in WV:
    This kid was born with a physical disability. He’s endured numerous operations, and lived with some pain, and a smile on his face. He enjoyed life, worked at enjoying it, maybe worked too hard at it. But that’s not for me to say. He was under a doctors care for the wound, she even came to work one day to change the dressing. He wasn’t careless, he and I talked about health all the time, the doc that told him about clots had done an ultrasound on the area only days before. This was just such a major and weird wound that the risk of problems was pretty high. IOW he took care of himself, he understood risks, better than a lot of people his age. He’s had a tragic life that he lived as well as possible. He was a responsible adult human being. Can’t get a lot better than that.

    Not picking on you at all, just putting this out there. Some people come into your life and don’t make much of an impression one way or another. He wasn’t one of those.

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