Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

The willow is too close to the house.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Don't Agonize - Organize / Monday Morning Open Thread: #Persistance

Monday Morning Open Thread: #Persistance

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Apart from wishing Mr. Mueller true aim and a strong arm, what’s on the agenda as we start the week?

***********
In the Washington Post, a male reporter complains that “Nancy Pelosi isn’t going anywhere”:

… “Let me just give you some hope,” the House Democratic leader told campaign donors on Oct. 17 at a private gathering on the patio of the Las Vegas Four Seasons Hotel. “Any time a president in office is below 50 percent in recent history, his party has lost the Congress in the next election.”

Her sample size was a bit small for comfort — in the past half-century, only the three most recent presidents have given up the House. But this was a pep talk, not an academic symposium.

Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who has raised her party more than $633 million over the past 15 years, was on a seven-city, eight-day tour to show that the 2018 midterm campaign was in full swing. The Democratic effort to retake the House and return from the wilderness would probably rise or fall on the performance of one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics…

After three decades in Congress, Pelosi, 77, makes an unlikely general to lead the troops into another change election. Her party, deemed elite and out of touch in 2016, is struggling to win back Midwestern working-class voters, and anger at Washington’s entrenched leaders is pretty much the only thing that unites the country.

But rather than shrink from the spotlight, Pelosi is once again in control — her party’s top fundraiser, senior midterm election strategist and top legislative negotiator, in partnership with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

She has for months led a rolling battle with the Trump agenda, setting a disciplined, pugilistic tone for her caucus and casting herself as the official face of the resistance. With substantial help from the opposition, she has been winning more than not, at least as measured by a growing number of competitive seats, her ability to outmaneuver Republican leaders on Capitol Hill and Trump’s low approval ratings.…

“Self-promotion is a terrible thing, but evidently someone has to do it,” she explained a few days earlier, sitting in her Capitol office for one of several interviews with The Washington Post over the past two weeks. “The minute you do better, they will come after you, and that’s why they come after me.”

No one doubts that Pelosi can put points on the board. In the three months that ended in September, she held 165 fundraising events in 35 cities, raising $38.9 million for House Democrats — helping top the committee fundraising haul of Republicans, according to her aides…

Behind the scenes, Pelosi has been working with Republicans to undermine the Trump agenda. In recent months, she has strategized with Republican governors over preserving key parts of the ACA. She described Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval as a “resource on persuading others” to resist Medicaid cuts, and aides said she also talked with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, an independent. A spokesman for Walker confirmed the conversations; the offices of Sandoval and Kasich did not reply to a request for comment.

She also has led her caucus to negotiating victories in Washington. The budget agreement this past spring failed to fund most Republican priorities, including a new border wall, while providing billions for medical research, disaster funding and college grants. “Even though they had the signature and two majorities, we ate their lunch,” Pelosi boasted. “That’s what we do.” …

The big task before Pelosi, the one that will ultimately seal or undermine her legacy, is the Democratic preparation for 2018. Her plan is much the same as in 2006: Keep her members focused on an economic message — “better jobs, better wages, better future” — raise a ton of money, recruit candidates and endlessly repeat her revolving databank of alliterative catchphrase trifectas.

“Money, message and mobilization,” she says to describe Democratic priorities. “Cronyism, corruption and incompetence” is another, which she invokes to describe the party of Trump, echoing a phrase she deployed against President George W. Bush…

She also maintains an unflinching focus on her historic achievement. One of the reasons Pelosi did not follow through with her plan to step aside after the last election, she said, was the realization that without Hillary Clinton in the White House, she remained the only senior woman in government.

“I am a master legislator. I just love it,” she said of her inherited appetites. “I consider myself a weaver, like I have a loom. And I bring all these different threads together.”

While Pelosi said she has never experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, she also believes that the unacceptable level of sexism in the culture has changed little since the 1980s. “No, it’s about the same: nick, nick, nick, nick,” she said, pointing with her hands to demonstrate how women’s power is undercut by the men. This is one of the reasons, she said, that she is so unabashed about pointing out her own abilities…

Despite the reporter’s obvious negative bias, it’s worth reading the whole thing; if there’s one thing Nancy Smash is used to dealing with, it’s jealous men trying to undermine her. May your shadow never grow less, Past-and-(hopefully)-Future Madam Speaker!

Reader Interactions

102Comments

  2. 2.

    Spanky

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I hope you don’t have to change your nym to “Merry Fitzmas”. I still expect today to involve only small fry, and it might not even be today. But an awful lot of people around here have their hopes up, and I have this nagging suspicion that we’re going to suffer a letdown.

    Then again, I’m quite a pessimist.

  4. 4.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Twas the night before Indictments,
    All through the white house,
    Not a person was tweeting,
    Not even the louse.
    He wandered the hallways, pulling his hair,
    In fear that indictments could lead to the chair,
    Conspirators huddled, sleepless with dread,
    While visions of Gitmo ran thru their heads.

  5. 5.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Spanky: I changed my nym cuz Drumpf brought back “Merry Xmas”.

    And with Halloween a day way,
    it’s no long politically incorrect to say,
    celebrate Christmas every day..

  7. 7.

    Betty Cracker

    Regarding the tone of the article on Pelosi, here’s a one-word summary of modern era Republican speakers (1995-present): grifter, pedophile, bagman and jellyfish. Yeah, I can see why so many folks are eager to shoo Pelosi out of her job.

  14. 14.

    TenguPhule

    Well, the papers are unusually silent as to what’s coming.

    They’re completely in the dark.

    Not sure if this is reassuring or ominous.

  15. 15.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    For those who aren’t religious, today is an Arrestivus for the rest of us.

  18. 18.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Spanky: Won’t be a letdown for me since this is just a first step. The very fact that this is happening shows how corrupt this regime is since we never saw this under President “No Drama” Obama. Shoes are dropping and I’m pretty sure that Mueller has many more indictments to go and that his investigation is tight.

  19. 19.

    Adria McDowell

    Debating on whether or not I should walk away from my masters with all but my thesis done. Mental health issues. I don’t want to walk away from all that work, but I don’t know how to salvage it at this point. :-(

  20. 20.

    syphonblue

    “Dubbed elite and out of touch” by a party of billionaires whose policies the vast majority of the country hates, and you their media enablers.

  22. 22.

    barb 2

    @Adria McDowell:

    Do you have a mentor or counselor who can advise you? Sometimes it helps to take a break — but find someone to talk to who understands your academic program before quitting.

  26. 26.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    “All men are created equal” ~ Jefferson

    “A house divided against itself can not stand” ~ Lincoln

    “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself” ~ FDR

    “We will not fight a war in which even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth” ~ JFK

    “It is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome” ~ LBJ

    “The path of grace involves an open mind, but more importantly, an open heart” ~ Obama

    “DO SOMETHING!” ~ Drumpf

  34. 34.

    Immanentize

    @Patricia Kayden: I agree that this will probably not be a huge indictment, just a start. But Mueller is savvy. I.am going with the theory that this indictment is basically Mueller’s insurance against firing.

  35. 35.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Desperate Citizen‏ @MargueriteInDC

    I feel like I should leave cookies out for Mueller tonight.

    66 replies 676 retweets 2,562 likes

  37. 37.

    satby

    As far as the news of the day, trying to keep my expectations modest. I hate all of them so much though, perp-walking even flunkies will make me happy. Though that’s when we’ll See the REAL obstruction and misdirection start.

  38. 38.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @OzarkHillbilly: send me an email and I’ll let you use my MLB online account for the rest of week. You can watch the remaining games live online and catch up on past games for the year.

  40. 40.

    BC in Illinois

    @Adria McDowell:
    Most of all, what OH said:

    You have to take care of yourself first.

    But also what other people said. Advice? Counselors? Alternatives?

    Listen to other people’s stories. My father never got his doctorate (in math) and went on to lead his life without it. He told me not to take a break in getting my masters. I did — twice, for reasons of what was going on in my life — and had to do some extra course work, but eventually got it.

    People’s stories may vary, be a caution, be an inspiration, but they are not your story. Take care of yourself first.

  42. 42.

    Kay

    John Boehner says mistakes were made. Not by him, though.

    They use No Child Left Behind as an example of the good old days of bipartisanship but NCLB was really pretty bad and they basically repealed it last year. The replacement was actually bipartisan- it was the joint creation of Patty Murray and Lamar Alexander and no one pays any attention to it.

  43. 43.

    Adria McDowell

    @Silent no more: Sadly, no. My advisor (who has been very patient with me and knows of my health issues) is retiring in December. I feel like all my effort will be for nothing, even if I finish. I mean, who will hire me to do anything? I’m a woman, rapidly approaching 40. I can’t imagine what people order than me go through. The only “career” I’ve ever had was my stint in the Army. It makes me wonder why I even tried for good grades my entire life.

    Sorry about the pity party. Just not feeling hopeful today. Thanks for all the advice and kind words everyone. I’ll be emailing my advisor this morning. We’ll see what he says.

  47. 47.

    debbie

    @Adria McDowell:

    Finish it. Then you can find other stuff to finish.

    P.S. I’m on my third “career.” Not liking it much, still missing my previous careers, but I’m not out on the street.

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    SlapStyx: TCM is providing an opportunity to compare and contrast some macabre fun for Halloween, airing both versions of The Old Dark House.

    8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the 31st is the 1932 film. James Whale directed this horror/suspense tale with comedic undertones. First film in which Boris Karloff received top billing, along with the likes of Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas and Raymond Massey.

    2:45 a.m. Eastern time on November 1 is the 1963 remake. William Castle directed this one more as a comedy with horror/suspense overtones. Stalwart character actors such as Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell and Peter Bull get ample chance to strut their stuff (plus grim ‘n’ loopy opening credits by Charles Addams!).

  50. 50.

    Ohio Mom

    @Adria McDowell: What is your field? Some careers you can manage without an advanced degree, others you can’t. Maybe all but thesis is enough.

    Also, considering your mental health issues, are you eligible for SSI or SSDI? I just found out that people with developmental disabilities can make a fair amount of money ($39,000) and still keep their eligibility and Medicaid, which is important if things go south. Maybe there are similar provisions for people with mental health conditions?

  51. 51.

    bystander

    Good news from Moanin’ Joe! Joe was in England this summer and they all,told,him Trump is not a problem. He’s just one person and when he’s gone the problem will be over. The Brits tho have a systemic problem with Brexit.

    I’m so glad to hear that Trump is not evidence of a systemic problem in the US. That makes watching the seeming complicity of the repub party in ignoring all twitler’s constitutional violations and the repubs’ general admiration of Putin so much more enjoyable.

  52. 52.

    Immanentize

    @Adria McDowell: I have a good friend who was a death penalty lawyer in Texas. That sort of burned her out and she went back to school to get her masters in social work and societal systems. She made it through her program at 42 and is now happily employed teaching at a really nice Chicago University. Being older creates more barriers but it also creates more options.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Brian Klaas:

    1. OK, so this is the summary of the Trump/Fox News argument this week. Let’s try to follow it. It makes absolutely no sense. Here we go:

    2. Clinton colluded with Russia to create a fake dossier she didn’t use, get hacked by Russia, and then (ingeniously!) lose the race. Nope.

    3. Bob Mueller, a Republican, appointed by a Republican, respected by all Republicans until recently, is now a Democratic stooge. Nope.

    4. The FBI investigation into collusion, which began in July 2016, was invented as an “excuse” for losing the November 2016 election. Nope.

    5. Clinton, who didn’t sit on a 9 member board that approved the Uranium One deal, is now solely responsible for it & should be jailed. Nope

    6. Mueller, who is qualified to lead the investigation precisely because of his experience in the FBI, should now resign because of it. Nope

    7. This is all crazy. It’s illogical. And it’s all a lie. Worst of all, it’s a lie intended to bury a very real threat to American democracy

    Welcome to Fox world.

  55. 55.

    Karla

    @Adria McDowell: If your advisor has been supportive, that’s good. Has s/he made it clear what the minimum is that you need to do to call it done? I don’t mean to make assumptions, but based on my experience in grad school and stories of others, it can be worth making explicit if you haven’t already. It will still be an MA/MS/MPh/MFA/Mwhatever even if it’s not all that you wanted it to be.

  61. 61.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    I would like to see a room with just a table and two chairs on opposite sides. Nancy Pelosi vs. Paul Ryan. She would decimate him.

  66. 66.

    satby

    @Adria McDowell: remember that when your emotions are in a whirl that you aren’t really seeing things clearly. I’m much older than you and have started over in different careers multiple times, as have a lot of us here. The days of one career for life have been gone a long time. Get the help you need for your health’s sake, and the other pieces will fall into place. It may be in a different order than you initially planned, but that happens a lot in life anyway. And it usually turns out not just ok, but sometimes better. I’m rooting for you.

  67. 67.

    MJS

    @Adria McDowell: I know this isn’t at the top of the list for what you’re dealing with right now, but with regard to “who will hire me”, if you qualify for veterans’ preference, there are many states and (I believe) the Feds that will definitely hire you. I’m in HR in one of those states, and I can tell you that a vet, with or without a Master’s, has a really good chance of being hired.

  68. 68.

    TS

    Latest tweet – now it’s Obama – must have run out of ideas on Hillary Clinton
    Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
    Report out that Obama Campaign paid $972,000 to Fusion GPS. The firm also got $12,400,000 (really?) from DNC. Nobody knows who OK’d!

  69. 69.

    SFAW

    @rikyrah:

    See, this is why those who call for Nancy Smash to step down can go pound sand.

    I think those wanting her out includes Seth Moulton (D-MA). That’s disappointing. He’s certainly less liberal than Pelosi (and I think less liberal than much of the MA delegation, outside of Steven Lynch), but I don’t get the idea that he’s a schmuck. Anne Laurie might say otherwise, since I believe she lives near his district, if not actually in it.

    Be that as it may: were I a praying sort, I’d pray for her continued good health, along with that of Notorious RBG.

  70. 70.

    sukabi

    @TS: pretty sure Obama didn’t run for anything in last election….although if he would/could have then the last 11 months wouldn’t have been such a fucking disaster…

  73. 73.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    @Adria McDowell: Get some advice from someone at your department or university on your options for finishing. I hate to see you throw that work away. One more year and you’ll be able to see more clearly.

    If you’re not getting treatment for the mental health issues, get that too. I used my university’s health service for post-partum depression when I was a grad student.

    Grad school is stressful. You have to please a teacher long past the time when an adult should have to do that. When I was teaching grad students, they all seemed to be on anti-depressants. They supported one another, which seemed to help.

    Having said all that, nobody needs a graduate degree to be happy or successful in this life. There are many ways to happiness and success.

  74. 74.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    @Adria McDowell: you’re under 40. U went to school with a wOman who was working on hwr bachelors at around your age. There’s a real need in a bunch of jobs because of boomers retiring. Talk to an advisor about finishing it up after a break.

  75. 75.

    Barry

    @Adria McDowell: “Debating on whether or not I should walk away from my masters with all but my thesis done. Mental health issues. I don’t want to walk away from all that work, but I don’t know how to salvage it at this point. :-(”

    Ask for a break. They will probably let you take a semester, or a year off.

  77. 77.

    TS

    @sukabi: I can’t work out who feeds him all these lies – does it solely come from Fox News or is there someone in the white house with a word bingo sheet and a calculator?

  78. 78.

    Baud

    @TS: Some idiot or bot on Reddit tried to BothSides Russian collusion and a bunch of folks jumped his ass. Probably more anecdote than trend, but it was nice to see.

  80. 80.

    mai naem mobile

    CNBC said MuEller has ordered Manafort and his assistant Gates have been ordered to surrender.

  81. 81.

    TS

    Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump
    Great job by MichaelCaputo on @foxandfriends.

    He’s watching the lies on Fox News – the president* of the United States – soon to leave on a critical overseas trip – is watching Fox News lie about Hillary Clinton – the latter being a private US Citizen who has ZERO input into the US government/administration.

  84. 84.

    mai naem mobile

    I had Flynn being first. Flynn must have flipped big time to save his ass and his moron sons ass as well.

  88. 88.

    sukabi

    @TS: my guess is both…they probably had a 2am throne room meeting discussing fox’s Hillary ‘coverage’ and noting it’s not having the desired effect, so went with drumpfs FAVORITE ‘villian’ Obama…

    Drumpf has probably set up an office of smears with its only objective being to make-up smear campaigns to deflect from the monumental corruption and garbage coming out of the WH.

  89. 89.

    dr. bloor

    @Adria McDowell: Never known a school not to offer medical leaves. In many cases, qualifying is quite literally no more complicated than getting a note from your doctor. If it’s ongoing and documented, you might also have rights under disability law.

    Check it out–you’re not alone in this. Universities have staff who work with these issues on a day-in, day-out basis, and they can tell you what your options are.

  90. 90.

    TS

    @Baud: Other than the White House & Fox (and of course the 30%) there doesn’t seem to be much support for “both sides”. Manafort indictment may further dilute the best attempts of trump & co.

  91. 91.

    bemused

    Anticipation, anticipation
    Is making me late
    Is keeping me waiting.

    I’m annoyed that this has been buzzing in my head since I woke up at 3 am, fell back to sleep and still can’t get it out of my head. The logical part of my brain is telling me to be cautious about any indictments news but my emotional side envisions a solid development in taking down the traitorous mob even envisioning mega bomb shells landing. Too much to hope for, I know. I’ve learned that no matter how horrible our situation is, I never completely lose all faith.

  93. 93.

    Adria McDowell

    @Ohio Mom: I don’t think I will be eligible for disability. Of course, I don’t know the criteria for Ohio (I live in the C-bus area). I am very lucky that I have health insurance through my husband, and that that health insurance is very supportive of mental health services.

    My thesis is in natural hazards (involving minority demographics and FEMA’s CRS program in Florida). Ironically, I really love taking classes, writing, and research, but I haven’t been able to focus on my work in over a year. I seriously considered going on to get my doctorate, but the longer I spend outside the work force the harder it will be for me. I only started therapy in February.

    P.S. I hope this is the beginning of the end for Trump. He’s a terrible person and an even worse president.

  96. 96.

    low-tech cyclist

    Nancy Pelosi got the ACA through the House, twice, and even got cap-and-trade through the House. She’s a brilliant legislative strategist, and if the Dems retake the House, she’s the one I want running the Dem caucus. We will need someone in that position who’s every bit as good at this game as McConnell is, and then some. She’s the one.

  97. 97.

    SgrAstar

    @Adria McDowell: Adria, totally sympathize. You’ve already done so much work- I’d try to finish if at all possible. Whem my advisor bailed to another institution, one of my committee members stepped up for me. Could that work for you?

  98. 98.

    low-tech cyclist

    @Matt McIrvin: And from your link, 20 of the white supremacists had the courage to go after one couple. Man, what a demonstration of Aryan toughness and virility. I’m so proud today to be white. :bleah:

  99. 99.

    Erin in Flagstaff

    @Adria McDowell: If you do decide to finish your thesis, give yourself permission to “half-ass” it. Aim for mediocrity. Your goal will be to complete it, but not stress yourself over the process. I know two co-workers who were not going to finish their Masters, but once they made this decision for mediocre work, they got it done. I bet your version of mediocre would still be better than a lot of people’s top-level work.

  100. 100.

    Sam Dobermann

    @Adria McDowell: Adria, I had the same problem, twice!
    Definitely had mental health issues. If you want to talk, send me an email to Sam.Dobermann at gmail dot com.

  101. 101.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:
    Same here. I’ve had 3 careers. And now, past retirement age, I’m back using the knowledge/experience from the first one of them to pay the bills.
    @Adria McDowell:
    First, very sorry that you are having problems. My advice, from one of those old people who has been in some situations and is on a completely different road than expected.
    1.Take care of your health first and for most.
    2. Take a break. It may not be the most desirable course of action from your current prospective but most often it is what works to get that perspective back.
    3. There is always a way. It may not be obvious to you now, that’s why you are asking.
    4. Continue to ask. Your advisor is retiring/leaving. Someone will have to take their place.
    5. Good luck. Ask questions, you might be surprised to learn how many people have been in your position, how they worked it out, how they moved on.
    6. We all need help once in a while. I’m a damn independent person, pretty self reliant, and I’ve needed plenty.

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