Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

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

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

No one could have predicted…

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

“woke” is the new caravan.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Everybody saw this coming.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

… gradually, and then suddenly.

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

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Late Night Horrorshow Open Thread: Lyin’ Paul Ryan, Continuing to Debase Himself

Late Night Horrorshow Open Thread: Lyin’ Paul Ryan, Continuing to Debase Himself

by | 44 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , ,

(Jeff Danziger‘s website)
.

Reader Interactions

44Comments

  1. 1.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    As a historian, I’ll remind everyone that we consider some things “historic” because they were exceptionally *bad*.

    Indeed. Events in the Congo Free State were historic. The Great Depression was historic. Pearl Harbor was historic. 9/11 was historic.

    I’m not saying that the GOP’s tax bill would be as destructive as 9/11 was, mind you. Then again, I’m also not not saying that.

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    So, last night between 3-ish and 8:30 am. the power went bye-bye. One guess who happened to have a bout of rampaging insomnia at the same time.

    Internet connection has been going in and out all day, came back up steady only an hour ago.

    Planet seems to have eked out another day.

  5. 5.

    LurkerNoLonger

    So what happens if this tax “reform” goes through? Do they all jump ship? Or do they find another excuse to look the other way?

  6. 6.

    Brachiator

    @trollhattan: That’s very good.

    @LurkerNoLonger:

    So what happens if this tax “reform” goes through? Do they all jump ship? Or do they find another excuse to look the other way?

    Oh, they are just getting started.

  7. 7.

    Major Major Major Major

    I find myself in a dark and contemplative mood, saddened that it’s all come to this. Before bed, I leave you with one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs, Samson in New Orleans, from his 2014 album.

    You said that you were with me
    You said you were my friend
    Did you really love the city
    Or did you just pretend

    You said you loved her secrets
    And her freedoms hid away
    She was better than America
    That’s what I heard you say

    You said how could this happen
    You said how can this be
    The remnant all dishonored
    On the bridge of misery

    And we who cried for mercy
    From the bottom of the pit
    Was our prayer so damn unworthy
    The Son rejected it?

    So gather up the killers
    Get everyone in town
    Stand me by those pillars
    Let me take this temple down

    The king so kind and solemn
    He wears a bloody crown
    So stand me by that column
    Let me take this temple down

    You said how could this happen
    You said how can this be
    The chains are gone from heaven
    The storms are wild and free

    There’s other ways to answer
    That certainly is true
    Me, I’m blind with death and anger
    And that’s no place for you

    There’s a woman in the window
    And a bed in Tinsel Town
    I’ll write you when it’s over
    Let me take this temple down

  8. 8.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Funny how they spent years bitching about the deficit, screaming “we’re broke” and how grandchilden shouldn’t be left with debt. They wouldn’t even fund emergency hurricane relief without offsets. Now they’re salivating over increasing the debt by $2,200,000,000,000.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    Nah, not skewed by design at all. (/sarcasm)

    Online poll currently up on home page of the RWNJ-owned fishwrap that is the local newspaper:

    Do you think the tax code of the United States needs to be reformed?
    Yes, taxes should be cut for every bracket.

    Tax cuts should be lowered just for corporations.

    Taxes should be left alone — we need to cut the national debt.

    Tax cuts should go just to the middle class and working poor..

    Reform now apparently is an exact synonym for cutting.

  14. 14.

    Highway Rob

    Cilizza*, two weeks from now**: “Why hasn’t Hillary Clinton held a press conference on the ethics questions swirling around the Russia uranium deal?”

    Meanwhile, passage of the Trump tax cut is relegated to A-23.

    *-Not necessarily, but seemed as likely a choice as any. **-I hate to be this cynical, but I think two weeks might be generous.

  18. 18.

    jl

    The GOPers who have substantial support from upper income voters who will be hit hard by elimination of state income tax exemption are starting to squeak. Heard two of them whining about it on the news this morning. Seems like that should be a pressure point. Eliminating the exemption will hurt some blue state budgets hardest, but upper income GOPers will be hurt somewhat in every state.

    Is there any organized opposition to the GOP’s rich person’s tax slash? Or does it seem so hopeless that no one is organizing for a fight? The tax fight seems as important to me as the health care fight, so if anyone gives a link on who is doing something, I will look at it.

  19. 19.

    amygdala

    @jl:

    Is there any organized opposition to the GOP’s rich person’s tax slash? Or does it seem so hopeless that no one is organizing for a fight? The tax fight seems as important to me as the health care fight, so if anyone gives a link on who is doing something, I will look at it.

    Not that I’m aware of, but given the absurd Medicaid and Medicare cuts, I wonder if health wonk Twitter will summon the masses who called their Reps and Senators.

  20. 20.

    Highway Rob

    @(((CassandraLeo))): By a stunning coincidence, the monks at the beginning of the clip are me doing my morning scan of the day’s news.

    Unrelatedly, I wonder why Apple won’t offer me extended warranties on iPads anymore?

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    Big pile of grains of salt as it is the Daily Mail, but still….

    Former President George H.W. Bush APOLOGIZES after actress claimed he ‘sexually assaulted’ her from his wheelchair during this photoshoot – and insists his ‘attempt at humor’ was misinterpreted

    Actress Heather Lind made allegations Tuesday claiming when she met former President George H.W. Bush, 93, he ‘sexually assaulted’ her from his wheelchair

    She claimed the ‘assault’ happened during a photo-op with wife Barbara Bush standing by his side, and claims his wife saw the incident unfold

    The now 34-year-old actress also claimed that afterwards Bush’s security detail told her she shouldn’t have stood next to the former president for the photo-op

    Lind says this happened four years ago while she was promoting a movie

    In a statement to DailyMail.com the former president has apologized for the incident saying it was an ‘attempt at humor’ and not meant to offend Lind Source

  28. 28.

    Patricia Kayden

    Also historic: Trump failed to implement the sanctions against Russia on October 1st per the law he signed and Congress has been mum about it.

  30. 30.

    sharl

    OT, I did not know this:

    Zealandia, also known as the New Zealand continent or Tasmantis, is a nearly submerged mass of continental crust that sank after breaking away from Australia 60–85 million years ago, having separated from Antarctica between 85 and 130 million years ago. It has variously been described as a continental fragment, a microcontinent and a continent. The name and concept for Zealandia were proposed by Bruce Luyendyk in 1995.

    The land mass may have been completely submerged about 23 million years ago, and most of it (93%) remains submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of approximately 4,920,000 km2 (1,900,000 sq mi), it is the world’s largest current microcontinent, more than twice the size of the next-largest microcontinent and more than half the size of the Australian continent. As such, and due to other geological considerations, such as crustal thickness and density, it is arguably a continent in its own right. This was the argument which made news in 2017, when geologists from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia concluded that Zealandia fulfills all the necessary requirements to be considered a continent, rather than a microcontinent or continental fragment.

  31. 31.

    sharl

    Oh, goody, BBC’s Hard Talk snagged Joe Arpaio for their half-hour interview show. Great get, you guys! I guess Kellyanne Conway and that TPUSA diaper boy weren’t available.

  32. 32.

    hellslittlestangel

    I’ve known junkies better able to distinguish between long-term goals and short-term gratification than these Republicans.

  33. 33.

    sm*t cl*de

    @sharl:

    Zealandia, also known as the New Zealand continent or Tasmantis, is a nearly submerged mass of continental crust that sank after breaking away from Australia 60–85 million years ago,

    Even now scientists are drilling into it to see what UNSPEAKABLE ABOMINATIONS THEY CAN AWAKEN.

  34. 34.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @NotMax: Poppi has a history:

    Former President George H.W. Bush expressed his firm affection for Teri Hatcher yesterday with a kiss on the cheek — and a pat on the ass! Frisky for an 82-year-old, ain’t he?

    (link)

    Imagine the corporate media reaction if Jimmy was running around doing this.

  35. 35.

    barb 2

    Josh Marshall — TPM

    The Trump team wanted to deliver for Russia right out of the gate in January, a quick series of accommodations and a ‘grand bargain’ with Vladimir Putin. It was the investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia that got in the way and mainly prevented it. It’s clear that Steele’s research played a major role in that. Remember, the FBI found it so critical it agreed to continue funding Steele’s research. Without Marc Elias’s decision, that research may never have been conducted. The country owes him a debt of gratitude.

  37. 37.

    sharl

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I don’t think you actually have to imagine what the media would do to Jimmy Carter. They went bug-fuck insane over his 1976 “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust” statement.

    Then as now, there has never been evidence of Carter having cheated on Rosalynn, but just the same, it would have been better if Carter had gone with the option of silence. Not everyone was nuts: as I recall one observer noting back then – to paraphrase – ‘every man knows exactly what he means.’ An overly broad observation to be sure – ignoring the existence of gay men and those who aren’t very sexual – but that response was closer to being an educated and civilized response than what so much of the media offered up at the time.

  38. 38.

    sm*t cl*de

    @sharl:
    In other news of entertainment value to NZ residents (if no-one else), the recenty-defeated right-wing party has just been dinged NZ$600,000 for theft of intellectual property rights. In a previous election they stole an Eminem track to use in their advertisements, in order to Appeal to the Youf.
    They are not well-pleased about the court’s judgement, and the party’s representative is plaintively telling the media of all the effort they went to, covering their arses and shopping around for a legal opinion that they could get away with the theft.

    When I say “right-wing party” I mean “centre-left” by US standards.

  39. 39.

    Raoul

    One way things could get “historic” for watery-eye Paul. A historic wave election in 2018.

    Larry Sabato: “In 41 Democrat-versus-Republican races in federal and state legislative special elections since Trump’s victory last November, Democratic candidates have out-performed Hillary Clinton’s margin in their district by an average of 11 percentage points and have won eight of the 28 GOP-held seats that were up for grabs while not losing a single Democratic-controlled seat.”

    And I’ve been following Iron Stache Randy Bryce in the Janesville House dist. He’s raised over $1,000,000 as of the Sept quarter, 14 months before the election. Against a sitting US Speaker. Go ‘Stache!

    I would dearly love to see Ryan lose his Speakership. Not sure the CW says the GOP can lose the House. But I think they could. It’d be some rich, rich frosting on the cake if Ryan lost his actual seat, too. No matter what, he’ll have to fight hard to keep it.

  40. 40.

    sharl

    @sm*t cl*de: That seems to happen somewhat regularly with conservative U.S. politicians as well, although I don’t recall many cases of the courts levying fines; as far as I can recall, usually there are non-monetary consent agreements involved. I don’t know how our judicial system compares with yours as far as performance and turnaround; our courts are rather slow, which may explain the rare reports of court-mandated fines that might otherwise be contested by guilty politicians. Appeals by the losing side to a higher court can chew up a LOT of time.

    It’s possible politicians on the (American) Left are guilty of music thievin’ as well, but the most popular bands and artists tend to be lefties as well I think, so any transgressions are perhaps quietly dealt with or forgiven (again, assuming they actually happen to any significant degree).

    It was clearly a labor of love for whomever created that video in your second link, lol.

  42. 42.

    Matt McIrvin

    @sharl: In the US, by this point I think conservatives deliberately go out of their way to lift music from outspoken liberal artists without permission. They want to get them to complain. It’s a “piss off the liberals” move.

  44. 44.

    sm*t cl*de

    “I want to thank President Trump for his leadership,” @SpeakerRyan says

    It gives me a certain degree of schadenfreud to know that someone became such a spineless, degraded, bootlicking streak of sputum that he could bring himself to say those words without immediately drowning in his own vomitus.

Comments are closed.