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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Hail to the Hairpiece / Hapless Repubs Open Thread: Anybody Know Morse Code?

Hapless Repubs Open Thread: Anybody Know Morse Code?

by Anne Laurie|  January 9, 201812:59 am| 30 Comments

This post is in: Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Republicans in Disarray!, Russiagate, Assholes, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?

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Lindsey Graham on Trump: "I said he was a xenophobic, race-baiting religious bigot (during 2016 campaign). I ran out of things to say. He won. Guess what, he's our President." pic.twitter.com/dupQZIxtjE

— Axios (@axios) January 8, 2018

… because I think Lindsey Graham might be blinking out HELP ME…

I wonder how it sounded in the original Wehrmacht. https://t.co/o8LpNGkiOB

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 8, 2018

Weirdest part of Graham's recent 180 on Trump is his using Trump's particular "like a dog" phrase to describe his own humiliation at Trump's hands: https://t.co/ztz9cmFEj7 pic.twitter.com/s8RMmY4JSo

— Charles Homans (@chashomans) January 8, 2018

Of course some people say that Lindsey is just eager to be named Secretary of State once Rex Tillerson beats the clawback clause in his Exxon severance contract…

Sen. Lindsey Graham: If President Trump Doesn't Call Himself a Genius 'Nobody Else Will' https://t.co/y3bOcxbMSk

— People (@people) January 8, 2018

At least nobody without kompromat on them. https://t.co/o4ZO1Zpwla

— Schooley (@Rschooley) January 8, 2018

"@LindseyGrahamSC looks like a man possessed" – @RepSwalwell pic.twitter.com/ck8XTuRAR0

— Kasie DC (@KasieDC) January 8, 2018

Actually, my best guess is that @LindseyGrahamSC is being blackmailed, probably with something of a sexual nature. I’m just not sure whether it’s Trump or Putin who’s holding the dirt over his head.https://t.co/PEvcPuLbX9

— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) January 8, 2018

It's pretty telling that Congressional Republicans see only two options in the face of the massive corruption and incompetence of Trump: Help him cover up his potential crimes or resign from Congress

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 8, 2018

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Reader Interactions

30Comments

  1. 1.

    burnspbesq

    January 9, 2018 at 1:04 am

    Has anyone been to Raven’s house and removed all the potentially dangerous objects?

  2. 2.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 9, 2018 at 1:06 am

    I’m just not sure whether it’s Trump or Putin who’s holding the dirt over his head.

    What’s the difference?

    I tend to think that if Graham had ever had any kind of sex life, it would’ve leaked out by now. I think this is just the raw ambition of his unhinged war-mongering, and the silly belief that only he, Lindsey!, can make trump pivot into adulthood.

  3. 3.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 9, 2018 at 1:07 am

    Kompromat.

    It’s there somewhere, and it probably has nothing at all to do with Graham’s sexual orientation.

  4. 4.

    eyelessgame

    January 9, 2018 at 1:09 am

    he used “like a dog” *correctly*, which Trump does not – that is, “he beat me like a dog” is an actual saying.

  5. 5.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 9, 2018 at 1:12 am

    It’s crazy that Lindsay’s response to his own condemnations of Trump amounts to “Apparently Republicans are okay with that, so we’ve got to let him do anything he wants and that means he’s not crazy or racist.”

  6. 6.

    Sister Golden Bear

    January 9, 2018 at 1:15 am

    @MisterForkbeard: The base are xenophobic, race-baiting religious bigots, but hey, whatevah…

  7. 7.

    Duane

    January 9, 2018 at 1:15 am

    Graham folding like a lawn chair isn’t surprising. He’s a Republican. They’ve all fell in line. I hope they suffer complete humiliation for it.

  8. 8.

    John Revolta

    January 9, 2018 at 1:17 am

    “He’s got a lot on his plate”

    Extra fucking crispy, buddy

  9. 9.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 9, 2018 at 1:17 am

    @Sister Golden Bear: I mean, that’s the obvious takeaway. “I said he was a xenophobic, race-baiting religious bigot and then republicans voted for him. Therefore: Republicans approve of racism, xenophobia, race-baiting and religious bigotry.”

    But that’s just me.

  10. 10.

    jl

    January 9, 2018 at 1:24 am

    Who has ‘the win’ no matter what the cost? So, I’m not sure whether Graham smells a ticket to a cabinet position or he is being blackmailed, or more terrifying he thinks he can get himself a chance to gin up a war and get a bunch of people killed, but that approach to politics and governance is not that unusual in the contemporary GOP.

    Edit: anyway, I think Graham is very sincere in his talk about wins and getting beat like a dog. The question is why is he being so transparent, and in a way that I think will disgust the majority of voters, maybe not in GOP circles in SC, but surely for most in the US.

  11. 11.

    Duane

    January 9, 2018 at 1:26 am

    @MisterForkbeard: If that’s what Graham meant it’s the most truthful damn thing he’s ever said.

  12. 12.

    James E. Powell

    January 9, 2018 at 1:42 am

    @burnspbesq:

    I’m confident that Raven understands that in sports, as in life, there are ups and downs and that one must accept losses with quiet dignity and grace.

  13. 13.

    Markk

    January 9, 2018 at 1:45 am

    I was an 05D in the Army and we had to pass 20 gpm (20 groups of 5 characters per minute) of Morse Code and I still remember all of it even though I got out of military in ’81.

    Lindsey is blinking “Just because I’m gay, doesn’t mean I can’t be an evil liar.”

  14. 14.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2018 at 1:51 am

    Speaking of Morse Code, trains signal that they’re about to approach an at grade crossing by using their horn to say the letter ‘q’ in Morse Code.

  15. 15.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 9, 2018 at 1:53 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Any idea what they signal q? Is it for “qrossing”? :)

  16. 16.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2018 at 1:55 am

    @MisterForkbeard: It’s the only letter that has 4 sounds(- – . -) so it’s unique.

  17. 17.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 9, 2018 at 1:56 am

    “Donald Drumpf is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life”.

    ~ Lindsay Graham

  18. 18.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2018 at 1:57 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Sounds like a hostage video.

  19. 19.

    Mike J

    January 9, 2018 at 1:58 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: On a boat, when you come into a port from another country, you fly a Q flag (solid yellow) to tell the customs people you need inspection. Q was originally for quarantine. Which has nothing to do with trains. Except Q.

  20. 20.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    January 9, 2018 at 2:38 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: It’s a reference to The Manchurian Candidate.

    Oddly, Roy Cohn was the inspiration for Shaw’s mother. That’s one name that has certainly proved Shakespeare’s line about the evil men do.

  21. 21.

    raven

    January 9, 2018 at 2:39 am

    @burnspbesq: It’s not like that but it seems to be, yet another, sleepless night.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    January 9, 2018 at 2:41 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    Train whistle codes date from the days of steam. Modern locomotives, of course, use a horn in place of the whistle. Standardized U.S. signals:

    One short: Stop or stopping; apply the brakes
    One long: Approaching railroad station or junction (if moving), or apply air brakes and equalize pressure (if standing)
    Two short: A general answer signal or acknowledgement; identical to the “roger” or “10-4” radio terms
    One short, one long: Inspect the train
    One long, one short: Visibility obscured
    Two long: Train is about to proceed forward; release the brakes
    One long, two short: Additional section follows signaling train
    Two long, one short or two short, one long: Train is approaching a meeting or waiting point
    Two long, one short, one long: Train is approaching a grade level crossing (i.e. a road crossing). This is a widely used safety signal used to warn motorists and is blown at every grade level crossing, except where local noise ordinances prohibit it. Known in railroad rule books as rule ’14L’
    Three short: Train is about to proceed in reverse (if standing), or train is about to stop at the next station (if moving)
    Three long: Train cars have come unhooked; train has come apart
    One long, three short: Flagman, go protect the rear of the train
    One short, three long: Flagman, go protect the front of the train
    Four short: Request for signals
    Four long: Flagman, return to the train from the west or north
    Five long: Flagman, return to the train from the east or south
    Four short, one long: Fire alarm; fire on the train
    Multiple short: Danger, get off the tracks! Used to warn pedestrians or livestock who are on the tracks in front of the approaching train.

  23. 23.

    raven

    January 9, 2018 at 2:45 am

    @James E. Powell: Thanks

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    January 9, 2018 at 2:51 am

    Oh joy. USPS tracking system has been problematic all day, now is totally down.

    :(

  25. 25.

    ZyklonBeaArthur

    January 9, 2018 at 4:04 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Not sure if it’s okay to link, but gay site Datalounge has a bunch of threads about Aunt Pittypat’s fondness for twink rent boys. He’s so deep in the closet he can see Narnia.

    Putin’s definitely the one holding the kompromat—you know Trump can’t keep his mouth shut about anything.

  26. 26.

    Bruce K

    January 9, 2018 at 5:42 am

    I’m reminded of “Guards! Guards!”, the first of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series to focus on the Watch. For those who haven’t read: a secret society decides to replace the current government of the city of Ankh-Morpork by summoning a dragon and having it “dispatched” by someone who will then claim the vacant throne of the city, but will let the secret society call the shots from behind the scenes.

    Except that they can’t dismiss the dragon on cue, their puppet gets vaporized, and the dragon takes over the city, at which point the secret society is trapped in the dragon’s service. The reader almost feels pity for them, except for the niggling detail that they’re the ones who summoned the goddamned dragon in the first place.

    There’s a lot more to it, of course, and we have yet to determine how closely the plot of the story on the Discworld will parallel the story we’re watching unfold here on the Roundworld.

    I hope that Robert Mueller III properly takes up the role of Mister Vimes.

  27. 27.

    laura

    January 9, 2018 at 9:13 am

    youtu.be/Ygg2KlicnOQ

  28. 28.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    January 9, 2018 at 10:25 am

    The whole thing is just so fucking weird. There’s some crazy shit going on, and for fuck’s sake, this is our country, after all, and we have no fucking clue what the hell it is. We don’t know what the fuck is going on.

  29. 29.

    stinger

    January 9, 2018 at 11:40 am

    The things I learn on this blog. Thanks, BillinGlendaleCA, Mike J, and NotMax! (And MisterForkbeard for “qrossing”.)

  30. 30.

    Uncle Cosmo

    January 9, 2018 at 11:45 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Bull-Fucking-SHIT. During WW2 the Beeb signed on with the first 4 notes of Beethoven’s 5th – because it stood for the Morse code V-for-Victory ( . . . _ ). Four notes.

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