Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

We still have time to mess this up!

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

The lights are all blinking red.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

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

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

How stupid are these people?

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Sliding Scale

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Sliding Scale

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Dogs, especially Golden Retrievers, are sweet & perfect.


.

Joy Reid is perfect, but not sweet…

Snarking on the Oval Office Occupant’s health, mixed bag…


.

Not perfect, certainly not sweet, but important:

When it comes to American politics, you can never go wrong by blaming the Republicans.

Apart from all that, what’s on the agenda for the day?

Reader Interactions

158Comments

  1. 1.

    Cermet

    When you say

    When it comes to American politics, you can never go wrong by blaming the Republicans.

    What? You mean that when it comes to responsibility, it IS always the republicans. There is no blame as much as the fact they are the source of what is both wrong and hateful in this country’s body politic.

  2. 2.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Doctor takes the blame for Trump’s slurred speech: “I had given the president some medication, specifically some sudafed over the days previous and dried up his secretions more than I intended to.”

    There’s nothing they won’t lie about.

    It’s obvious he was having trouble with some dental work that came loose. As to sudafed, I take it for hay fever. During the pollen season I will take 1 to 2 tablets per day. I have never slurred my speech.

    Fucking pathetic.

  3. 3.

    Anne Laurie

    @Cermet:

    What? You mean that when it comes to responsibility, it IS always the republicans. There is no blame as much as the fact they are the source of what is both wrong and hateful in this country’s body politic.

    Of course. But the tweets immediately above my comment are discussing how blame will be apportioned by low-info voters — and, for once, conservative analysts fear it will be the Repubs who get the blame for doing what Repubs always do.

  4. 4.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Aaron Booth @ActorAaronBooth

    Here is a breakdown of Democrats’ over performance tonight in all 4 contested special elections:

    SC #HD99: D+13.08%
    WI #AD58: D+24.90%
    WI #SD10: D+27.52%
    IA #HD06: D+20.44%

    That is an average Dem over performance tonight of D+21.49%

    That’s… significant.

    228 replies 4,621 retweets 11,669 likes

  5. 5.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    We flipped a red seat last night in Wisconsin

    Democrats have just pulled off the first election upset of 2018. In northwestern Wisconsin’s Senate District 10, Democrat (and reality TV show Wife Swap alum) Patty Schachtner defeated Republican Adam Jarchow 55-45 percent to flip a seat the GOP has held since 2000. Tuesday’s shocking upset arguably puts the Wisconsin Senate majority in play this fall (which is now 18 Republicans to 14 Democrats, with one vacancy).

    This supposedly safe Republican seat became open when GOP Sen. Sheila Harsdorf accepted an appointment to Scott Walker’s cabinet late last year. Despite the fact that SD-10 went 55-38 for Trump in 2016 and 52-46 for Romney in 2012, (link)

    republicans have held the seat for 88 of the past 100 years. 27 point flip in deep rooted red country. That’s a big fucking deal

  6. 6.

    satby

    It’s unfortunate that Dr.Jackson’s reputation is now toast just for being associated with those incredible (as in not credible) exam results. Up to now he seems to have spent a lifetime serving his country honorably. All swept away by one press conference. Wonder if he soon becomes part of the WH exodus.

  7. 7.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    They gave Drumpf the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test to assesses concentration, attention, memory, language, calculations, orientation, executive functions and visual skills.

    The Admiral says he got a perfect score. There’s no way he could even pass this test.

    You can take a look at it (here)

  8. 8.

    geg6

    I am over this fucking snow, ice and bitter cold. Just can’t take it any more.

    Thankfully, I have a distraction coming up starting tomorrow. My sister’s husband is going to Nashville for a few days on business. Our best friends are also free as one works at a country club that closes for the month of January and the other is retired. I am taking a day and a half personal time tomorrow and Friday and we’re going have an old fashioned girls’ sleepover at my sister’s tomorrow night. We plan to binge watch Big Little Lies (sister and I saw it but friends haven’t) and then work our way through the new season of Grace and Frankie on Friday. Much wine, food and hilarity will ensue. Weather is supposed to warm into the 50s over the weekend, just in time to go to the big march in Pittsburgh on Sunday where we will all meet up again.

  11. 11.

    Betty Cracker

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: As I said in a previous thread, I’m a Girther (i.e., I don’t believe for a minute that fat fuck weighs 236 or whatever and that he’s 6’3″ when his draft card and NY driver license say he’s 6’2″), but I do think it’s possible he passed that test. It’s pretty simple.

    I’m finding it hard to give a damn about Trump adding an inch to his height and shaving pounds off his actual weight to avoid being classified as obese, which he sure appears to be. Yes, it’s disturbing that the Trump administration lies about everything and corrupts virtually anyone who comes in contact with it, but this isn’t new information.

  13. 13.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Betty Cracker: the difference is that this lie is accessible to people who don’t obsessively follow politics. Any man of the same height or weight (and there are many) knows that those numbers are clearly lies. And I find corruption of the professions much more appalling than plain vanilla political corruption.

  14. 14.

    Zinsky

    Some people compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, but I don’t think that’s a fair comparison – Hitler had bigger hands, and hated Russia!

  15. 15.

    ThresherK

    @Betty Cracker: “Girther” is a term which has a brighter future in front of it that Trump does himself.

    Aside from William Henry Harrison, and Zachary Taylor, where does Trump finish in the game of Unhealthiest One-Term Presidents? Cheesy Petes, I’d put my money on Robert Taft being healthier.

  16. 16.

    satby

    @Bobby Thomson: yes, this. It’s an obvious and stupid untruth and people look ridiculous making it. And it’s non-partisan, he’s not being criticized for a conservative policy, just for lying so obviously about something most people honestly don’t care about. We don’t dislike Traitor Donnie because he’s a fat ass, we dislike him because he’s a racist, corrupt, petty dictator wanna-be.

  21. 21.

    cosima

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: So many beautiful ribbons and medals on the chest of that lying liar. All of the sacrifices that he’d have made, all of the good that we can presume he’s done in his decades of service, and now this infamy.

    I agree with others that it’s irrelevant whether or not a trumped-up medical report states he is obese (we can see that he is) or how tall he is (we can see that too), but it is important that we are being lied to about both of those things, and, in particular, about his mental health. Gaslighting. Reframing reality for the low-info/ignorant voters to maintain a hold on his 27%, which is just enough to do serious harm to the government, the country, to enable the worst elements, etc.

    So, whatever one thinks about how tall or fat he is, it’s the principle of the matter, and this deserves to be called out &/or ridiculed.

  22. 22.

    ThresherK

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Oh, sure, do that after the edit window lapsed!

    On your other post about Nazi Germany and the USSR bedfellowness, I’m reading a new book about the Beer Hall Putsch and its aftereffects. In chapter one, it’s discussed how some of the more “out there” right-wing* Germans wanted to go full international, and not only restore a Kaiser to replace the wimpy republic, but also restore the Czar.

    (*Yes, “out there” compared to the Nazis.)

  23. 23.

    Betty Cracker

    @Bobby Thomson: Well, if this particular lie resonates with the apathetic, huzzah, I guess. I don’t personally give a shit about it. I bet Melania was distressed by the medical report, though. In virtually every picture I’ve ever seen of those two together, you could place a thought bubble over her head that says, “With that gut, how can you still be alive?”

  25. 25.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mustang Bobby: The original formulation of sudafed contains Pseudoephedrine which is used to make meth. There is a OTC formulation that contains an alternative ingredient. If Trump was getting it from his doctor, I’m sure it contained Pseudoephedrine.

  28. 28.

    ThresherK

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: When you say “OTC” different-composition Sudafed, do you mean “show your license to the pharmacist” or “just there on the shelf with the Rolaids”?

    The rather suspicious nature of my perfectly honest question impels me to add: Asking for a friend.

  29. 29.

    Lapassionara

    @Betty Cracker: Yes. She is one unhappy person. OTOH, she is not in danger of being deported, as are many of her fellow immigrants.

    What a disheartening country we are becoming.

    Good morning all.

  31. 31.

    gene108

    Sad thing for RADM, Dr. Ronny Johnson is even if he was telling the truth, Team Trump has lied so much, we no longer believe anything they say.

    And if we are this skeptical, imagine how other countries are thinking, with regards to our trustworthiness. I am sure we are getting to the point, where the rest of the world just tunes us out.

  32. 32.

    Sloane Ranger

    @satby: Me too. I had to count down on my fingers for the deduct 7 from 100 question. I was never any good at mental arithmetic!

    It looks to me as if this is a test you can prepare for. I am wondering if they had him practising beforehand?

  33. 33.

    ThresherK

    @Amir Khalid: Better than Trump’s mental health before his inauguration. But, good question; I don’t know.

    This is an interesting piece about whether his ill-advised long speech, open carriage ride, and non-winter clothing, or the sanitation practices of the day, really killed him.

  38. 38.

    danielx

    @Sloane Ranger:

    I am wondering if they had him practising beforehand?

    Based on what I’ve heard and read, I suspect he doesn’t have the attention span to practice anything.

  41. 41.

    ThresherK

    @debbie: I figure he’ll go Bizarro Elvis style, if livestreaming were invented at the time: Bloated, on the toilet, while tweeting, but totally unlamented.

  42. 42.

    NotMax

    Repeating for the morning crowd (not often one gets a reason to link to the Siberian Times).

    There’s cold and then there’s on beyond effin’ fr-fr-fr-freezing.

    As temperatures sink to -60C in Yakutia, heroic Chinese tourists take a swim!
    [snip]
    A new electronic thermometer in the village – in Yakutia region, also known as Sasha Republic – showed it to be colder, at -62C.

    But then it broke – because it was too cold!

    Some residents recorded temperatures as low as -67C at their properties, in touching distance of -67.7C, the coldest-ever officially recorded for a permanently inhabited settlement anywhere in the world, and the frostiest in the Northern hemisphere. Source

    Talk about shrinkage!    :)

    (Many frosty pictures at the link.)

  43. 43.

    danielx

    WASHINGTON (AP) – House conservatives say there are enough Republican opponents to reject GOP leaders’ plan to prevent government shutdown.

    — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 17, 2018

    I’m having a Blazing Saddles flashback.

  47. 47.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Mustang Bobby: it’s true. if you buy the large tablets you have to fill out a form and present your valid ID. I had to do that once because they didn’t have the regular tablets in stock and I didn’t want to go to another store.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    People pushing Trump’s dementia remind me of people pushing mental illness instead of terrorism whenever the killer is white.

    Trump is rotten, not ill.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    @Yoda Dog: I think the argument is that we are fucked later. Not now. At some point we will be forced to be hypocrites when it comes to allegations of misconduct, because we can’t force elected officials to resign immediately every time they are accused of wrongdoing.

  59. 59.

    gene108

    @NotMax:

    So many people there do not cover their faces. I don’t get how your face does not freeze of, if it is not covered. Very hardy people. I could not live there.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Gonna be out of pocket for a few days. Heading down to NOLA. My youngest got runover (details are sketchy). Presumably he is still alive (have not heard from his wife since last night). He has displaced fractures in both legs. Hopefully, they can save them. I have no idea of what other injuries he has.

    Right now I am in emotional lock down. I feel nothing. I suppose that will change when I see him.

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    @ThresherK

    Still miss the old Haysma brand capsules (open shelf!) which contained real ephedrine (none of that pseudo stuff) plus acetanilid plus aspirin plus caffeine. Only thing that consistently knocked hay fever and assorted sinus flare-ups down for the count. Another now defunct one which worked (but not quite as well) was Dristan.

    Local establishment, Brown’s Pharmacy, used to whip up and bottle their own house brand of cold medicine (also open shelf), Dr. Brown’s Cold Tonic, which contained a hefty kick of codeine.

    Good times, good times.

  66. 66.

    Princess

    @Baud:

    People pushing Trump’s dementia remind me of people pushing mental illness instead of terrorism whenever the killer is white.

    Trump is rotten, not ill.

    Amen. I have no problems believing Dr. Jackson’s report. Do we think he was lying when he did Obama’s report? Jackson can’t reveal anything Trump does not want him to reveal, but I don’t believe he would lie for Trump. And I have never seen the evidence for cognitive decline in Trump others are so sure of. Everyone wants an easy way out of this mess. The only way out is through the ballot box.

    (As for the height question, he probably accepted Trump’s statement about his own height. My doctor does, rather than measuring me every time.)

  69. 69.

    Baud

    @Yoda Dog: They kind of did. Obviously, not a literal gun to the head, but the caucus told him he was done. It’s not like he just did it without provocation.

    What’s done is done. I am not suggesting any retaliation. I’m just saying the Franken precedent can’t be the precedent we always follow.

  78. 78.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Anne Laurie: At this point, who cares about low-info voters? They’d stick by Trump and Republicans no matter what they do. They’re lost.

    Republicans shutting down a government which it fully controls isn’t going to play well with the vast majority of Americans who cannot stand Trump. That’s all that matters.

  79. 79.

    Xenos

    I am now getting implicitly pro-republican emails from the “House Republican Conference” with the return email address of <>. This person is the Digital Director of the House Republican Conference.

    How is a partisan body allowed to use a *.gov account? Who can one complain to about this?

  80. 80.

    Princess

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: They are grasping at straws. He has a pretty small frame for a tall guy. And those big guts can be deceiving. My husband has one, and I don’t think anyone would believe he and I are the same weight, but we are. And who cares anyway?

  83. 83.

    Another Scott

    Morning all.

    Did the RADM release a 1-2 page summary of the results of Trump’s physical, the way he did for Obama? You know, with numbers and stuff?

    The most I’ve seen is stories like this.

    The more obvious reason for Trump’s use of Crestor, however, is his cholesterol. Trump’s LDL cholesterol levels (also known as “bad” cholesterol) are 143 milligrams per deciliter, or 43 milligrams above what’s considered healthy by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump’s diet — which reportedly includes fast-food, comfort dishes like meatloaf and spaghetti, and sweet treats like See’s Candies and ice cream — probably doesn’t help.

    It’s kinda pathetic, and indicates that he’s not in fabulous health, if Donnie won’t release comparable real numbers.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  84. 84.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: Amen to that. It’s a way to excuse Trump’s appalling incompetence and raging bigotry. It’s also a way to push under the rug the fact that he lacks the empathy and demeanor needed to be a good president.

    He’s just an awful person.

  86. 86.

    Another Scott

    @Xenos: Take a look at the full header of the message (“view source” or similar). They might not be using a .gov account. But they shouldn’t make it look like they are if it’s not “work” related, of course.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    Princess

    @Patricia Kayden: Yes, I have always felt there was something racist in the insistence that Trump is mentally ill, as if “sane” white people can’t be terrible racists and assholes with lazy intellects.

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Sloane Ranger:

    It looks to me as if this is a test you can prepare for. I am wondering if they had him practising beforehand?

    CoS Kelly: I’m sorry, Mr President, sir, but the middle animal, the one with a horn on his nose, is called a rhinoceros. Rhinoceros. RYE NAH SIR US. Thaaat’s right, Mr President. Very good. Now, this animal with a hump on his back? Do you know his name?….

  93. 93.

    Kay

    @Shantanu Saha:

    Did they even think of giving Obama this test?

    Trump never got the ordinary vetting that every other modern President got. He never served in any other public office. He released nothing. None of the 50,000 scandals in his life were ever pursued by media. What you’re seeing now is what ordinarily happens in the course of a campaign. He has to bring out what campaigns call “validators” because people really don’t know anything about him and all he’s done is lie since he was elected.

    He has to do this a lot. Half his tweets are defending himself by pointing to some hack he considers more credible to vouch for him. It’s really unprecedented. Obama didn’t have to point to other people to bolster his credibility because Obama had been investigated prior to being elected and Obama didn’t lie all the time. Normal Presidents don’t have to produce a witness to back up everything they say, but he does. They know it too. That’s why we get this parade of witnesses. Trump isn’t credible as to what Trump said in a meeting so there’s a mad scramble to find a witness and they come up with …Cotton.

  96. 96.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Trump’s physical; so Trump doesn’t have the excuse he’s sick or he’s got dementia.

  97. 97.

    Matt McIrvin

    @ThresherK: Real Sudafed that you have to get from the pharmacy counter contains pseudoephedrine. The other kind that doesn’t work contains a different ingredient. That’s the significant difference between them.

  98. 98.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Princess: I can’t recall the “mental illness” excuse being used for anyone who is non-White, to be quite honest.

    What I can’t wait for is Mueller’s grilling of Trump. His lies are finally going to have consequences when he lies in front of a grand jury. Mueller isn’t going to accept any excuses for his untruths.

  99. 99.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Kay:
    Doctor: “You’re not a danger to yourself or others.”
    Homer Simpson: “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me!”

  100. 100.

    MomSense

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Speaking only for myself, I think it is indisputable that trump has always been a racist. I think that was confirmed by the Nixon Justice Dept., his loathsome Central Park 5 actions, and his birtherism. He is also a narcissist, misogynist, etc. That we can all see that he is in cognitive decline is not an excuse and does not account for his racism, lack of empathy, narcissism, or abusive behavior. The problem is that his cognitive decline could exacerbate his personality disorders. I think he is an imminent threat to our safety and well being and not just because of his abhorrent views. Millions of people may have been spared catastrophe simply because he was golfing during the Hawaii false nuclear alarm.

  104. 104.

    Sloane Ranger

    @SiubhanDuinne: If we had a like button I’d use it. This is just what I was imagining!

    Next sentence by Cos Kelly, “That’s right sir. It’s a camel. Well done! Here’s a sweetie for you.

  105. 105.

    Kay

    @Shantanu Saha:

    Imagine this with any other President. “I’m 6′ 1″. Now let me introduce you to the credible person who will tell you that”

    He’s a year into this and he has to borrow the earned credibility of a whole cast of back-ups because you can’t believe a word he says. His administration knows this. They operate under the assumption that the President has no credibility.

    It’s a waste of time listening to him. We’re all waiting for the witness to verify, and then we judge that person’s credibility. Who’s more honest. Durbin or Cotton, is the question. Let’s put someone else under oath and ask that person! Like yesterday. She might not be a liar! Ask her! No one bothers believing Trump. That’s a joke from the get-go.

  106. 106.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Just got off the phone with my oldest son. CJ is in surgery now. So far the coin keeps flipping the right way and the news keeps getting better. Rare that that happens for this boy.

    Adios, Amigos, Amigas.

  109. 109.

    trnc

    @Shantanu Saha:
    @Kay:

    I suspect plenty of republicans dreamed of saying that Obama should take that test but knew he’d ace it and that only the Fox crowd would question those results. Meanwhile, I suspect if a poll with questions on the veracity of the DT results were taken, ONLY the fox crowd would say they believe them.

  112. 112.

    MomSense

    @Shantanu Saha:

    I don’t want to say much more but the more relevant question IMHO is why did they choose to give him this particular test. No MRI or CT imaging?

  114. 114.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That sounds promising. Thanks for updating us. I love the way we jackals all care for each other, and that’s never more true than when one of our number is in distress.

  115. 115.

    Emma

    As I have said in other threads, I am glad of these reports. It means he has no excuse of mental or physical illness. He is the racist, misogynist ignoramus he appears to be.

  116. 116.

    Kay

    @Matt McIrvin:

    We made this smooth transition where the idea that the President tells the truth simply disappeared and now it’s up to other people who haven’t completely shot their credibility to back him up. We just rolled this new standard in seamlessly and adjusted for it. He lies. Call the witness! Is the witness trustworthy? There wasn’t even a discussion on whether Trump would tell the truth about that meeting. Instead we were asking if Durbin would.

    We had to do something to correct for the lying and this what we came up with- we ask other people. Sometimes THEY lie but that’s okay because there’s always another witness so this plan is sort of barely working so far. Duct taped together and not working well but occasionally we get a fact.

    The thing about liars is talking to them is a waste of time, because their words don;t mean anything. We’re there.

  117. 117.

    trnc

    @Kay:

    Who’s more honest. Durbin or Cotton, is the question.

    You know, I sometimes worry about people like Cotton because he apparently did pretty well at Harvard, and intelligent people are the most dangerous liars. But then he works with Perdue to come up with the most ridiculous set of lies they possibly could, so I start breathing again.

  124. 124.

    Kay

    @trnc:

    There were validators for the witnesses. Some political media tweeted that Durbin isn’t a liar, which is nice.

    I just think we should examine what accommodations we have made for this President, how we have dealt with the lower standard. We simply removed him from the group of credible people and started looking elsewhere for facts as to what he says and does. That’s extraordinary. It’s ITSELF a lower standard. But we had to do something.

  126. 126.

    Adria McDowell

    I said it in Adam’s thread, and I will say it here: telling people that a man in his 70s is guaranteed good health for the next 7 years is stupid. That a damn rear admiral said it with a straight face is unbelievable. Just say “the President is healthy, and is taking steps to become even healthier.” That’s it. You don’t have to verbally give the guy a blow job in public or try and predict the future.

    Don’t get me started about the genes comment.

  128. 128.

    trnc

    @Adria McDowell:

    I said it in Adam’s thread, and I will say it here: telling people that a man in his 70s is guaranteed good health for the next 7 years is stupid.

    Especially when you have to follow it up with, “He really needs to exercise and lay off the red meat/fries/ice cream he gets every time he leaves the White House,” which is ALL THE FREAKING TIME. And, of course, having to add an inch to his height to get him under the obese BMI stat.

    Add another dignity wraith to the list.

  129. 129.

    MomSense

    @trnc:

    It’s such BS. Maybe we wouldn’t care so much except for the obvious lies – like trump getting taller as he ages. I saw an old photo of 6’3” ARod looking 2-3 inches taller than the much thinner trump standing next to him. When the doctor is willing to lie about his height, then everything else is unbelievable.
    Jesus we can look at the photos of the inauguration and see that trump is not taller than the 6’1” Obama.

  134. 134.

    rikyrah

    Uh huh
    Uh huh

    U.S. consumer bureau to reconsider payday lending rule
    Pete Schroeder

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said on Tuesday that it intends to reconsider a recent rule that would significantly curb payday lending.

    The rule, finalized in October under a President Barack Obama appointee and set to begin taking effect this year, would require lenders to determine if borrowers can repay debts and cap the number of loans that lenders could make to a borrower.

    The decision to revisit the rule, which applies to small-dollar advances typically repaid on the borrower’s next payday, could mark the beginning of the most significant policy shifts since the Trump administration took control of the agency at the end of November.

    Mick Mulvaney, the agency’s acting director and President Donald Trump’s budget director, had previously said he supported efforts by the U.S. Congress to undo the rule and was exploring his options for revisiting the rule as it takes effect.

    “The Bureau intends to engage in a rulemaking process so that the Bureau may reconsider the Payday Rule,” the CFPB said in a statement, noting that while the rule officially took effect Tuesday, lenders have until August 2019 to comply with most of its provisions.

  135. 135.

    rikyrah

    ??????
    NEWS: Democrats just FLIPPED a Republican held state Senate district (#SD10) in Wisconsin from red-to-blue.

    Patty Schachtner (@PattyforSenate) won seat that Trump won by 17 points in ’16 (55-38)

    What started in 2017 continues into 2018 #Midterms2018

    — Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) January 17, 2018

  137. 137.

    rikyrah

    FBI agents visited Bannon’s home last week to discuss the Russia probe subpoena, a source tells NBC News.

    Three people familiar with the probe suggested Mueller moved to subpoena Bannon to thwart any attempts by the W.H. to stop Bannon from cooperating. https://t.co/Ss5axSwnGI

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 17, 2018

  140. 140.

    rikyrah

    Civics 101, Boys and Girls.

    ONE party controls the House of Representatives.
    SAME Party controls the Senate.
    SAME Party controls the White House.

    DEMOCRATS.HAVE.NOTHING.TO.DO.WITH.THE.LOOMING.GOVERNMENT.SHUTDOWN.

    ………………………………

    Freedom Caucus Members Withholding Votes GOP Needs to Pass CR
    “The votes are not currently there to pass it with just Republicans,” Meadows says

    pdated 11:09 p.m. | While a majority of House Republicans appear ready to support a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open through Feb. 16, enough Freedom Caucus members remain uncommitted to make passage questionable.

    “The votes are not currently there to pass it with just Republicans,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said before a crucial House GOP conference meeting on the topic Tuesday night.

    After the meeting and a separate Freedom Caucus gathering, the North Carolina Republican said that view had not changed.

    While the 36-member caucus lacked the quorum needed to take an official position on the CR — their rules require 80 percent support — there were enough “no” and “undecided” votes to prevent Republicans from passing it without Democratic support or additional changes, Meadows said. He added that he planned to discuss possible changes with leadership and then continue discussions with his caucus Wednesday.

  142. 142.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense: or in that case I could skip the crazy pills altogether.

    I started back to work yesterday. It was good to be back with students. But today my son has a snow day, so I am hanging with him working from home. I probably should just stay off the inter-tubes….

  143. 143.

    MomSense

    @Immanentize:

    I’m home today with my son, too. We may try and go snowshoeing in the woods a little later once there is enough snow over the ice from the last storm.

  146. 146.

    rikyrah

    @MomSense:

    Maybe we wouldn’t care so much except for the obvious lies – like trump getting taller as he ages. I saw an old photo of 6’3” ARod looking 2-3 inches taller than the much thinner trump standing next to him. When the doctor is willing to lie about his height, then everything else is unbelievable.

    I understand,

    which is why the post being taken down was ridiculous.

    We get it..the Admiral wants to keep his nice government job. Nobody is blaming him for that. He just didn’t need to try and shill total bullshyt.

  150. 150.

    MomSense

    @rikyrah:

    It’s like USSR obvious lies or Saddam Hussein getting 96% of the vote. And the lying always goes hand in hand with the corruption. The payday lending changes are just total corruption. Can’t wait to hear how they spin this. Freedom to get ripped off? Lenders’ Choice?

  154. 154.

    J R in WV

    @Princess:

    At my physical, the RN puts me on the scale – since I know what I weigh I push the little weight to the correct place, way too far to the right! and then she puts the height thingy on my head, every year. Plus pulse, and BP with an original mercury-filled blood pressure gadget.T’was 174/77 IIRC, or something very like that.

  155. 155.

    J R in WV

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Keep in touch, please.We’re all thinking of you and your son. Sounds terrible but not life threatening, and with modern surgical methods and PT he will probably recover very well. Not the the PT will be fun…

    Best of luck for him, and you. Take care traveling!

  156. 156.

    Calouste

    @Adria McDowell: One thing I have not seen discussed is that the doctor said he spends time with the shitgibbon every day. Even if you have a personal physician, you wouldn’t spend time with them every day, would you?

  158. 158.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: Just heard about your son. Sending good thoughts, saying a prayer, crossing my fingers and sending love to you and your family. Trying to cover all the bases. Be safe.

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