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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. don’t touch it.”

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

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

The willow is too close to the house.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

No Justins, No Peace

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

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

Let’s finish the job.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

The revolution will be supervised.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Hail to the Hairpiece / Thursday Morning Open Thread: One Can But Hope

Thursday Morning Open Thread: One Can But Hope

by Anne Laurie|  January 18, 20185:42 am| 140 Comments

This post is in: Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Television, Clown Shoes

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(Drew Sheneman via GoComics.com)
.

Man’s a known germaphobe, maybe he’ll get an urge to feel clean inside as well as out.

Or he could stroke out, after reading the latest from Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Wolff’s controversial Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is coming to television.

Endeavor Content — the financing and sales arm formed in October between sister companies William Morris Endeavor and IMG — has purchased film and television rights to the No. 1 best-selling book. The massive deal is said to be in the seven-figure range. Endeavor Content plans to adapt the book as a TV series. A network is not yet attached, as Endeavor will now begin shopping the project.

Wolff will executive produce the series, with veteran Channel 4 and BBC executive Michael Jackson — now CEO of indie producer Two Cities Television — also on board to produce…

… Fire and Fury debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, based only on the first two days of sales. In less than a week, the publisher reported more than 1.4 million hardcovers on order and 700,000 copies shipped, making it the fastest-selling nonfiction book in the company’s history.

To date, rights to the book have been sold in 32 countries. It is currently the best-selling book of any genre worldwide. (A Spanish-language edition is set for Feb. 28, with subsequent takes in Arabic, Albanian, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Japanese, French, German and other languages also planned.)

Fire and Fury comes to the small screen after HBO canceled a planned series based on the 2016 election in what was poised to be a Game Change sequel of sorts. The pay cabler scrapped the project after sexual harassment allegations emerged regarding source material co-author Mark Halperin, who was poised to pen the script alongside John Heilemann. That opened the door for a Trump tell-all, with demand high for Fire and Fury given Wolff’s cinematic writing and fly-on-the-wall detail…

My only question: Will there be a laugh track? Or is this more of a Stephen-King’s-It-remake deal?

Speaking of heartburn, not to mention scary tales for the GOP:

Trump says he plans to spend 4-5 days a week this year helping Republicans get re-elected https://t.co/bkhPudCnTo @jamesoliphant

— Caren Bohan (@carenbohan) January 18, 2018

This could really cut into Executive Time. https://t.co/KZtY0iKhHi

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) January 18, 2018

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Reader Interactions

140Comments

  1. 1.

    Magda in Black

    January 18, 2018 at 5:48 am

    Yet another example of why I do not own a television.

  2. 2.

    Waldo

    January 18, 2018 at 5:53 am

    He could spend 7 days a week helping Republicans get elected. By resigning.

  3. 3.

    JPL

    January 18, 2018 at 5:54 am

    good morning! Thinking of you Ozark.

  4. 4.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 5:55 am

    That’s one mighty clean desk. Reminds me of a sign one of my high school English teachers had on her’s, “A Clean Desk is the Sign of A Sick Mind”.

  5. 5.

    Gvg

    January 18, 2018 at 5:56 am

    I think all that executive time is because no one wants to see him. People have learned he doesn’t keep his word and even excessive flattery isn’t any use. Everyone is deciding to just work around him, especially world leaders. Lord, is he bad for US interests.

  6. 6.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 18, 2018 at 6:08 am

    Exclusive: Trump vows to campaign intensively for destroy Republicans

  7. 7.

    Quinerly

    January 18, 2018 at 6:09 am

    Ozark, thinking of you. We are all worried.

  8. 8.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 6:10 am

    Trump may still be popular among his smallish base but I don’t see how he will motivate anyone outside of his base to vote Republican. He’s an embarrassment to any rational human being. Which President tweets about “Fake News Awards”? Such a petty bully.

  9. 9.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 18, 2018 at 6:11 am

    Charlie Sykes ✔ @SykesCharlie

    Prominent WI Republican: “We are losing independent and educated women in droves.”

    9:10 PM – Jan 16, 2018

    137 137 Replies
    571 571 Retweets

    but, but…. I was told we should target white non college men.

  10. 10.

    rikyrah

    January 18, 2018 at 6:16 am

    Good Morning Everyone ???

  11. 11.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 6:17 am

    I put together this timelapse of the sunset last Friday from my favorite perch in Griffith Park.

  12. 12.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 18, 2018 at 6:22 am

    Quinnipiac Poll — Jan 17 — (link)

    ***Drumpf***

    Approve…………………..38%
    Disapprove………………57%

    ***Oprah Winfrey***

    Approve…………………..47%
    Disapprove………………33%

    ***Joe Biden***

    Approve…………………..53%
    Disapprove………………29%

    ***[Expletive Deleted]***

    Approve…………………..48%
    Disapprove………………38%

    Handsome Joe is the only one with positive numbers among white-non college (42-39). In the same demo Oprah is underwater (33-47) and [Expletive Deleted] is also underwater (35-51).

  13. 13.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 18, 2018 at 6:24 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: wow, look at pretty orange and soft blue hues.

  14. 14.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 6:28 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Thanks, it’s a great place to shot sunsets with West LA in the background.

  15. 15.

    Magda in Black

    January 18, 2018 at 6:28 am

    @Patricia Kayden:
    That “rational human being” thing is the sticking point, unfortunately.

  16. 16.

    Immanentize

    January 18, 2018 at 6:35 am

    @Quinerly: And thinking of his son and daughter in law. I truly feel for them and fear such an accident in my own family. Good luck to all.

  17. 17.

    The Thin Black Duke

    January 18, 2018 at 6:37 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Let’s hear it for enlightened self-interest. Sisters are doing it for themselves.

  18. 18.

    Immanentize

    January 18, 2018 at 6:38 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: And there it goes, over the edge of the disc to great Great A’tuin…. Very soothing, thanks.

  19. 19.

    Quinerly

    January 18, 2018 at 6:38 am

    May have been posted. Breaks my heart: http://news.gallup.com/poll/225761/world-approval-leadership-drops-new-low.aspx

  20. 20.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 6:41 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  21. 21.

    matt

    January 18, 2018 at 6:41 am

    I’m so old I remember Republicans flipping out about Obama campaigning whenever he did it.

  22. 22.

    Quinerly

    January 18, 2018 at 6:42 am

    @Immanentize: I’m trying to find out if our mutual St. Louis friend knows anything. She knows Ozark’s other son very well. Talked to her yesterday. She’s looking after my house while I’m gone. Saw Ozark’s post on a rest area stop late in the day.

  23. 23.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 6:43 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Oh, nice.

  24. 24.

    Chyron HR

    January 18, 2018 at 6:43 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    In the white non-college demo [Expletive Deleted] is also underwater (35-51).

    No, see, he’s their champion and they are his chosen people. They yearn for the democratic socialist policies that only he can provide. Republican voters only vote for Republicans because Democrats aren’t left-wing enough. He would have won.

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    January 18, 2018 at 6:44 am

    @Quinerly:
    Sending positive thoughts and prayers for your family ?

  26. 26.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 6:46 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: We’re no longer using Wilmer?

  27. 27.

    Immanentize

    January 18, 2018 at 6:46 am

    @Quinerly: I did not see the update. Did Ozark report the dice we’re still coming up good??

  28. 28.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    January 18, 2018 at 6:53 am

    @Baud: I’m just trying something different cuz too many people show up for the other word.

    beetlejuice! beetlejuice! beetlejuice!

  29. 29.

    debbie

    January 18, 2018 at 6:53 am

    @Quinerly:

    I wonder if that was published before the “shithole” remark.

  30. 30.

    Amir Khalid

    January 18, 2018 at 6:56 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
    Uh-oh. Oprah’s presidential campaign is already in trouble.

  31. 31.

    MomSense

    January 18, 2018 at 6:58 am

    OzarkHillbilly, thinking of you, your son and family.

  32. 32.

    Citizen Alan

    January 18, 2018 at 7:03 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    I find the Biden numbers exasperating. People don’t like Joe Biden. People like the amusing genial parody of Joe Biden that is seen in Onion articles and internet memes. In any actual race where Biden is the nominee, you would have to address his role in both the Anita Hill hearing and the passage of the bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005, both of which might will be deal breakers with certain parts of the Obama coalition.

  33. 33.

    debbie

    January 18, 2018 at 7:04 am

    Someone’s scared. Now tweeting that the Wall was never intended to be an unbroken, solid edifice, and Mexico is still going to pay for it.

    The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water…..— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018

    ….The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S. The $20 billion dollar Wall is “peanuts” compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018

  34. 34.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:05 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: really great! I love sunsets.

  35. 35.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:07 am

    @Immanentize: You’re welcome, I’m checking out some different programs to get these timelapses to work without flickering and reduce the amount of noise* in the pics.

    *You don’t see as much of the noise on youtube as I do since I look at the 4k mp4.

  36. 36.

    Amir Khalid

    January 18, 2018 at 7:09 am

    @debbie:
    The numbers wouldn’t have been that much different before l’affaire “shithole”, I think. It’s just one of the continuing series of President Trump’s assaults on America’s good name.

  37. 37.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:10 am

    @Baud: oh, it took me a minute to figure that one out. I think the name fits.

  38. 38.

    Raven

    January 18, 2018 at 7:10 am

    @Immanentize: he posted that things were looking fairly positive

  39. 39.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 7:10 am

    @Citizen Alan: Those numbers will change if he decides to run again.

  40. 40.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:11 am

    @Baud:
    @satby: Thanks, I’ve mod’ed my camera and evaluating software so I should be able to produce a much better product once I figure those two parts out.

  41. 41.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 7:11 am

    @debbie: My lord, he so didn’t write that.

  42. 42.

    debbie

    January 18, 2018 at 7:12 am

    @Baud:

    I hate that Twitter upped their character count.

  43. 43.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:12 am

    @Baud: Joe Biden as a theoretical candidate is much different than as a real candidate. He’s never gained much traction in any Presidential race he’s run in.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    January 18, 2018 at 7:13 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    So, more of a confirmation than a new insult. Sad!

  45. 45.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:13 am

    @Baud: I’m thinking Steven Miller wrote that.

  46. 46.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:13 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

  47. 47.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 7:15 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Or Kelly. Didn’t he meet with the Dems yesterday about the wall?

  48. 48.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:19 am

    @Baud: Not sure, could be.

  49. 49.

    Amir Khalid

    January 18, 2018 at 7:19 am

    I’m having a little trouble understanding this “Tide pod” thing. Are there really teenagers eating detergent sachets and getting sick?

  50. 50.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:20 am

    Adding my hopes that Ozark’s son is doing better and that things are heading toward recovery.

  51. 51.

    Lapassionara

    January 18, 2018 at 7:20 am

    Good morning, all. Hoping for good report from Ozark.

  52. 52.

    Peale

    January 18, 2018 at 7:20 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: and he’s too old now. Jesus. I’d end up having to vote for Oprah who at 63 is the whippersnapper.

  53. 53.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @matt: I’m so old I remember Republicans flipping out whenever President Obama went on vacation or golfing or when he read from a teleprompter. They have zero problems with Orange Bigot doing the same which is odd.

  54. 54.

    Peale

    January 18, 2018 at 7:22 am

    @Amir Khalid: yes. Thankfully it’s just hundreds.

  55. 55.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:22 am

    @Amir Khalid: Don’t know, but if they hear they can get high by doing it, teens will do it.

  56. 56.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:24 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Well after the shitshow currently squatting in the WH, I think Joe would do the best he’s ever done. I hope he doesn’t run, he’s too old, but he would be light years better than the other two polled.

  57. 57.

    Peale

    January 18, 2018 at 7:25 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: that’s the thing. They aren’t doing it to get high. There isn’t even a legend that you can get high from tide pods. If they could get high, I could understand the phenomena more.

  58. 58.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:25 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    They have zero problems with Orange Bigot doing the same which is odd.

    Funny, ain’t it?

  59. 59.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:26 am

    @Peale: That is rather odd then.

  60. 60.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:27 am

    @satby: That’s probably the case, but I agree he’s too old and we have better choices.

  61. 61.

    Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)

    January 18, 2018 at 7:29 am

    @Citizen Alan:

    In any actual race where Biden is the nominee, you would have to address his role in both the Anita Hill hearing and the passage of the bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005, both of which might will be deal breakers with certain parts of the Obama coalition.

    I had forgotten about that.
    While I would vote for Biden in the general, I would not be able to support him in the primary.

  62. 62.

    Betty Cracker

    January 18, 2018 at 7:34 am

    @Baud: Trump, or whoever is writing the tweets, is sub-tweeting Kelly, who rather insulting implied that Trump was talking out of his ass on The Wall during the campaign and “evolved” on the issue once he encountered reality.

  63. 63.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:35 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: just read that Madam is down with the flu. Sending my best wishes for a speedy recovery to her.

  64. 64.

    MJS

    January 18, 2018 at 7:38 am

    @Baud: Yes, I suspect it’s Kelly. He apparently told the Hispanic Caucus yesterday that candidate Trump was “uninformed” regarding the wall, there was no way it was ever going to cover 2100 miles, and that no, Mexico would not be paying for any portion of it. Based on what I read (and I don’t remember now where I read it), it sounded to me like Kelly was looking for an exit strategy for himself, that’s how diametrically opposed it was to everything Trump ever said about the wall.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 7:39 am

    @Betty Cracker: The World of Fire and Ice is too difficult to follow.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Sorry to hear about MadameinGlendaleCA.

  66. 66.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:39 am

    @satby: Thanks, we spent 3 hours at Urgent Care last night. I’m hoping I don’t get sick as well, big weekend coming up.

  67. 67.

    Chet

    January 18, 2018 at 7:39 am

    That Gallup poll is good data for refuting wingers who boast about ‘Merca being respected again. Wait, silly me.

  68. 68.

    bystander

    January 18, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @Patricia Kayden: You have to admit, tho, that when we found out Obama had paid off a porn worker to the tune of $130,000, the news was met with the same sophisticated equanimity accorded Trump. OTOH, the words Obama heard in church spoken by the minister, now, that was worth all the brouhaha.

  69. 69.

    James E Powell

    January 18, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    It will help Republicans because the local press/media will treat him like a celebrity and his arrival will be an event that crowds out all other stories. The coverage will feature interviews with local Trump supporters. He will definitely get his people to come out.

  70. 70.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @Baud: Thanks, she was in pretty bad shape. They gave her a chest x-ray, a shot in the arm and a script to pick up this morning. Hopefully it’ll get her feeling better by Sunday.

  71. 71.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @Chet: they never have a shit about being respected. They want this country to be the bully everyone is afraid of.

  72. 72.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 7:44 am

    @bystander:

    You have to admit, tho, that when we found out Obama had paid off a porn worker to the tune of $130,000, the news was met with the same sophisticated equanimity accorded Trump.

    Snarky truth.

  73. 73.

    bystander

    January 18, 2018 at 7:45 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    …”evolved” on the issue once he encountered reality…

    Obviously Kelly has seen those cartoons showing the devolution of fish to man to twitler.

  74. 74.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:46 am

    OT: If anyone wants to do light to moderate photo editing(and you know I encourage photo editing), I ran across this program(Photo Editor Pro by Polarr) earlier this month. It works on Windoze, Mac, Chromebook, and Linux and is not overly pricey at $20 right now(it was $10 over the holidays).

    ETA: While I use Lightroom and Photoshop since I’m a snob, I bought a copy when it was $10 and was quite impressed with it’s features and it’s ease of use.

  75. 75.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 7:46 am

    @Quinerly:

    The present situation represents a marked change in the status quo since Obama’s presidency, when the image of U.S. leadership remained relatively strong worldwide. In Obama’s last year in office, for example, the U.S. led Germany by seven points, China by 17 points and Russia by 22 points.

    The current rankings instead look more like a return to the status quo during the last year of the Bush administration — with Germany on top, followed by China, the U.S. and then Russia — except now, the U.S. has even more ground to make up.

    So now Angela Merkel is the Leader of the Free World. Good to know. By electing an egomaniac to the office of the Presidency, the U.S. has given up that role.

  76. 76.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 7:50 am

    @Patricia Kayden: So a woman became Leader of the Free World anyway, but her name is Angela and not Hillary.

  77. 77.

    MJS

    January 18, 2018 at 7:52 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Germany the leader of the free world? Oy. They’ve historically done poorly when seeking to lead. But America NOT the leader of the free world with Trump at the helm? I’m more than okay with that.

  78. 78.

    Jeffro

    January 18, 2018 at 7:53 am

    Funniest thing I read all morning (from the normally not-funny Dana Milbank): Is Trumpov’s Doctor Okay?

    Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson was so effusive in extolling the totally amazing, surpassingly marvelous, superbly stupendous and extremely awesome health of the president that the doctor sounded almost Trumpian. “The president’s overall health is excellent,” he said, repeating “excellent” eight times: “Hands down, there’s no question that he is in the excellent range. . . . I put out in the statement that the president’s health is excellent, because his overall health is excellent. . . . Overall, he has very, very good health. Excellent health.”

    And just how excellent is His Excellency’s excellent health, doctor? “Incredible cardiac fitness,” was Dr. Jackson’s professional opinion. “He has incredible genes. . . . He has incredibly good genes, and it’s just the way God made him.”

    Actually that was the only funny part. Then the questions began:

    Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN, making a rare house call to the White House briefing room, offered a second opinion. “He is taking a cholesterol-lowering medication, he has evidence of heart disease, and he’s borderline obese,” Gupta pointed out, citing Jackson’s own findings. “Can you characterize that as excellent health?”

    Oh wait…the really-not-funny part…

    Jackson has been a well-regarded doctor. But since finding himself in Trump’s orbit, he has adopted the hyperbolic style and excessive flattery of the boss that we see in other, previously respectable members of Trump’s court.

    We see it in the once-dignified Sen. Orrin Hatch suggesting Trump is on his way to being a better president than Lincoln or Washington, in Rep. Kevin McCarthy collecting pink and red Starburst candy for Trump, in the lies told by Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to cover for Trump’s racist outburst, and in the fawning public performances by White House officials Stephen Miller and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. What makes them trash their dignity?

    I put the question to Bandy X. Lee, the Yale Medical School psychiatrist who compiled the controversial book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” raising doubts about Trump’s mental fitness.

    Lee said the screening test Jackson gave Trump “gives the public a false sense of reassurance.” Indeed, Donald Trump Jr. used the results of the test in a tweet: “More #winning. 30 out of 30.”

    She said the test, though useful for detecting Alzheimer’s and the like, indicates little about “his high functioning, his frontal-lobe functioning, that we’re questioning.” To figure out what causes the worrisome traits President Trump exhibits — disordered decision-making, an insatiable need for affirmation, little impulse control, confusion about facts, difficulty foreseeing consequences — you’d need more extensive tests, a psychological exam and an MRI.

    But, in a sense, you don’t need a doctor’s diagnosis to see that there’s a lot of chaos and volatility in the presidential brain.

    That, Lee speculates, could explain powerful sycophancy that overcomes those who get close to Trump. “Those close to him are sensing this level of appeasement is necessary,” Lee speculated. They “feel they need to step in as a way to diminish his volatility and rage.”

  79. 79.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:54 am

    My trip is coming up fast and I feel like I’m just not ready. After the last two times I went anywhere and the per sitting disasters that occurred, I would rather not go. But I booked it in May of 2016, and I changed the date four times. I have to go or lose all the money I paid. Ugh.

  80. 80.

    JPL

    January 18, 2018 at 7:54 am

    @Patricia Kayden: MAGA

  81. 81.

    danielx

    January 18, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Supposed to warm up to the thirties today…I may wear shorts.

  82. 82.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 7:57 am

    @Jeffro:

    “Those close to him are sensing this level of appeasement is necessary,” Lee speculated. They “feel they need to step in as a way to diminish his volatility and rage.”

    Very reassuring.

  83. 83.

    CarolDuhart2

    January 18, 2018 at 7:59 am

    Too old? After Orange Cheeto I’m convinced nobody is too old anymore. About Biden’s runs: Back in 1988 he had the aneurysm, and in 2008 I heard he was running more for inner redemption, plus he was faced with Obama and Hillary, so he’s never gotten any real attention or traction.We have never seen Biden in a clear field with real funding and a real chance to make his case.

    Also, I think we underestimate Biden’s appeal to the Democratic base. Eight years of loyal service to Obama trumps a long-distant Anita Hill hearing and even the 2005 bill. As long as he apologizes for the first, and makes it clear there will be no repeat, and that if it makes his desk, a repeal/reform of the 2005 bill will be signed, he won’t have any trouble.

    It’s worth noticing that Trump really fears Biden. He can talk to those Pennsylvanian coal miner guys and the Obama coalition.
    Biden, the poorest Senator can call Trump out on his self-dealing, arrogant life, his bigotries, and his prejudice. Hillary had to be a lady. Biden has no such shackles around him.

  84. 84.

    bystander

    January 18, 2018 at 7:59 am

    Just heard a panel on Moanin’ Joe decrying the assault on democracy’s? Guess who’s to blame. Right, Congress. Not the repubs in Congress but both sides do it.

  85. 85.

    danielx

    January 18, 2018 at 8:01 am

    @satby:

    And I suspect it’s going to get worse. After November of this year, it’s almost guaranteed to get worse.

    The only consolation I derive from Trump’s election is that it will probably cause the demise of the Republican party.

  86. 86.

    PVDMichael

    January 18, 2018 at 8:07 am

    Does anyone else see Trump’s “hush-money”/NDA situations as evidence that one can successfully blackmail Trump in order to keep damaging information from being released?

  87. 87.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 8:08 am

    @danielx: Probably not.

  88. 88.

    satby

    January 18, 2018 at 8:08 am

    @danielx: and the clear unspoken statement is that they’re afraid of his volatility and rage, they know he’s unfit, and no one will do a damn thing about it. Including former military officers serving under him. Not a single patriot in the bunch.

  89. 89.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Is there something wrong with Trump’s Doctor? A better question would be is there something wrong with an administration which requires anyone remotely connected with it to lie their faces off?

  90. 90.

    NotMax

    January 18, 2018 at 8:14 am

    Cannot be repeated too often.

    This is not normal. This is not the “new normal.” This is aberrant and perverse.

  91. 91.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 18, 2018 at 8:16 am

    @Quinerly: What happened?

  92. 92.

    sherparick1

    January 18, 2018 at 8:18 am

    @Magda in Black: Time to throw mine out the window. Alternatively, I will just set it permanently on TCM and MLBNETWORK and go back and forth between old movies and baseball while waiting for the apocalypse.

    By the way, there is an article in the WaPo and MSN on line about the press not printing the Stormy Daniels story before the 2016 election. It ends with this self-congratulatory comment (which also shows how little the Village Media really understands the rightwingers and their mind set – that because you refuse to tell them the fables they want to hear, you guys (MSM) will always be the enemy).

    “…. Although voters were left in the dark about Trump’s alleged relationship with Daniels before the election, news organizations’ reluctance to publish the story suggests a high level of professionalism, said Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute.
    “It is not clear whether any news organization had the hush-money story [or the affair itself] in a verifiable form prior to the election,” he said. “In journalism, you shouldn’t publish what you believe to be true. You should only publish what you can prove.””

    Unless of course it involves the Clintons.

  93. 93.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 18, 2018 at 8:20 am

    @Citizen Alan: These 2 are ignored in discussions I have seen. They bother me.

  94. 94.

    PIGP

    January 18, 2018 at 8:21 am

    @The Thin Black Duke: where were they last November? Oh wait, I know that one. They were voting Republican.

  95. 95.

    Kay

    January 18, 2018 at 8:22 am

    The NYTimes has more horrible political coverage. They have a piece on how Democrats are going far Left based on their support of DACA. That’s far Left now.

    “Whites only” immigration policy is the centrist position, I suppose.

    Their political team is horrible and it will continue to be horrible for the foreseeable future including the midterms because they don’t see any problems with it, so get used to it.

    In a way it doesn’t matter, because decisions only matter if there’s an actual decision to make and IMO there isn’t one here. Democrats can’t support whites only immigration policy. They shouldn’t make that deal whether they get blamed for the shutdown or not. What’s popular in West Virginia can’t be the center position for Democrats on immigration.

  96. 96.

    NotMax

    January 18, 2018 at 8:22 am

    @sherparick1

    TCM is the only reason I have not cut the cable cord.

  97. 97.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 8:23 am

    We should stay vigilant but it’s looking up for Democrats in November. Thanks Trump!! Keep acting the fool.

  98. 98.

    rikyrah

    January 18, 2018 at 8:24 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    Hope that the Mrs. Feels better.
    I have had the bug. Lost my voice for most of last week. Still hacking up phlegm.??

  99. 99.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 8:27 am

    @Kay:

    They have a piece on how Democrats are going far Left based on their support of DACA. That’s far Left now.

    The vast majority of Americans support DACA so I guess we’re all far left now. **rolls eyes**

  100. 100.

    NotMax

    January 18, 2018 at 8:30 am

    Minor, but good news nonetheless. :)

    Cranked out a loaf of port wine and bleu cheese bread that is to die for. Wasn’t totally pleased with previous attempts. Upping the amount of flour recommended in the recipe by about 20% was the key to success.

  101. 101.

    Ladyraxterinok

    January 18, 2018 at 8:34 am

    @Jeffro: 1 brief video Isaw of doctor’s briefing, he looked like he had eaten something that tasted very bad.

  102. 102.

    BC in Illinois

    January 18, 2018 at 8:37 am

    @CarolDuhart2:

    I think we underestimate Biden’s appeal to the Democratic base. . . . It’s worth noticing that Trump really fears Biden. He can talk to those Pennsylvanian coal miner guys and the Obama coalition.

    We want Joe Biden on the campaign trail. At the side of every candidate for every office.

    In 2016, in St Louis, I heard Bill Clinton speak, I heard Hillary Clinton. Great rallies — they knew how to fire up the crowd. But the most fired-up crowd I heard all year was for a Jason Kander rally (at the “Pageant,” on Delmar), when Joe Biden spoke.

    Jason Kander (who has done magnificent work recently) was impressive, and I signed up that day to go knocking on doors for him. (I wasn’t very good at it.) But Joe Biden did more than impress us; he moved us. He speaks from a heart of conviction that this is all about real people’s lives. I would vote for him in a moment, but he’s seven years older than I am.

    I want him at the side of every candidate we run in 2018. Everywhere. I want someone to make a collection of videos of “the speeches of Joe Biden” and I want every candidate to watch it in their spare time.

    We WANT Joe Biden. We NEED Joe Biden. We will LOVE Joe Biden. On the stump. For everybody else.

  103. 103.

    Kay

    January 18, 2018 at 8:40 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    It’s that awful snarky coverage they used with Clinton all of 2016, where everything Democrats do is portrayed as cynical positioning.

    They portray Democrats as motivated solely by their efforts to run Left of each other, which on immigration is just not true. These are the same immigration positions Democrats have had for years. Corey Booker is pro-immigration. He’s never been anything BUT pro-immigration. The idea that Manchin is the “center” of the Democratic Party on immigration is nonsense, but it’s nonsense that helps Donald Trump, because it makes Trump’s position the national standard.

    Anyway. Doesn’t matter. They’ll have to overcome or get around the NYTimes leading crappy political coverage for another cycle because I don’t see them trading California for West Virginia. That’s not a compromise they can make. It’s akin to demanding Republicans all become pro-choice so they can win in …Connecticut. Ridiculous and not going to happen.

  104. 104.

    Baud

    January 18, 2018 at 8:44 am

    @Kay:

    they don’t see any problems with it, so get used to it.

    They see profit in it.

  105. 105.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 8:49 am

    @BC in Illinois: We also need the Obamas and the Clintons campaigning for our candidates. All hands on deck.

  106. 106.

    bemused

    January 18, 2018 at 8:49 am

    Rightwingers will leave no stone unturned when it comes to increasing their bank accounts.

    Jennifer Carnahan, the new chair of Minnesota Republican party sent out a memo Dec. 14 saying she want a 10% commission on large donations to the MNGOP. The memo didn’t specify the amount of “large” donations but included a chart which would result in immediate payout of $24,500 in addition to her current annual basis salary of $67,000. Campaign finance experts say they have never of such an arrangement.

    Tim Pawlenty who immediately became a wall street bank lobbyist when he left governor office making seven figures was asked by Fox news if he would run for Franken’s seat. Pawlenty said he is “very interested in public service and service for the common good” and “there are a lot of ways to do that but running for Senate in 2018 won’t be part of those plans.”

  107. 107.

    Peale

    January 18, 2018 at 8:53 am

    @Kay: why, I’ve never heard of a democrat supporting DACA until this week, I tell you. Those Democrats are sure shifty.

  108. 108.

    Kay

    January 18, 2018 at 8:53 am

    So as far as I can tell that Wisconsin state upset winner won on two things- funding and supporting local governments and institutions and being trustworthy. She said “trustworthy”, is where I got it. That’s a good word you don’t hear a lot.

    This isn’t “genius super maverick businessman” stuff. Seems like a lot of them could follow her lead state-level. She supports the schools, the senior centers and the libraries and she thinks local government should remain within the democratic form of government rather than being run from Scott Walker’s Koch bunker in his basement. We can pull that off :)

  109. 109.

    Weaselone

    January 18, 2018 at 8:56 am

    @Kay:
    I eagerly await the New York Times article calling out Democrats for going too far left due to their opposition to the Watering the Tree of Liberty with the Blood of Totally Unfair Fake News Reporters, No Really they’re Horrible, Believe Me Bill of 2019.

  110. 110.

    gvg

    January 18, 2018 at 8:56 am

    @satby: “Not one will do anything about him” is a problem statement. We are a democracy and we are supposed to act by majority votes and such. One of my concerns was Trump clearly didn’t get the Presidency’s real powers and limitations. Anyway, none of the people we are yelling at including most Senators can actually do anything by realizing alone and saying he is unfit. It will make things worse if they say he is unfit to in Trumps face before they have enough agreement among Congress people to actually act. So yes they should oppose him somewhat in public but getting more of them in agreement is how he will be removed and that would have to be somewhat secret…otherwise we will have to find out how self pardons and firing prosecutors actually works out and I am not fond of that risk. Trump could really go wild with illegal orders and attempts to do never done things before if he realizes things have reached the almost definite impeachment point.
    I was wishing Congress could just repeal the debt limit because I don’t like the constant next deadline crisis if Congress was seriously trying to remove him. He could screw things up even more if he decided he hated us all.

  111. 111.

    Kay

    January 18, 2018 at 9:00 am

    @Peale:

    They’re as evil and manipulative as Hillary Clinton, unlike that plain spoken NYC real estate heir. He speaks from his heart. Ignore the rough edges! He isn’t a “politician”. Underneath that racist, mean spirited exterior is a heart of gold.

    I don’t get the snarkiness. Why is that acceptable at that newspaper? The whole piece is the reporter rolling her eyes at how political they are. Poor Joe Manchin. He’s just try’in to get some stuff done and here comes that ambitious Corey Booker insisting his constituents be represented in Congress.

  112. 112.

    Lee

    January 18, 2018 at 9:02 am

    Here is the reason for Twitler’s tweets this morning.

    Apparently Kelly told a bunch of people that Trump wasn’t getting his wall.

  113. 113.

    PaulWartenberg

    January 18, 2018 at 9:02 am

    Of course we’re getting a government shutdown… because Republicans are already blaming Democrats for it even though REPUBLICANS CONTROL CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE! /rage

  114. 114.

    Jeffro

    January 18, 2018 at 9:03 am

    @Ladyraxterinok: probably the taste of whatever bribe, threat, or both that he had been offered 5 minutes before he went out there

  115. 115.

    Lee

    January 18, 2018 at 9:05 am

    Also regarding Trump’s doctor: My theory is was ordered to say & do exactly what he did. Either Trump ordered him as CiC or the doctor’s commander did it.

  116. 116.

    Amir Khalid

    January 18, 2018 at 9:12 am

    @bemused:
    How is it not corrupt of a state party chairman to claim for herself 10% of all large donations to the party? Even if it’s not illegal because a political party is a private organisation, it smells very wrong. If I were a party member, I would call for a vote of no confidence.

  117. 117.

    danielx

    January 18, 2018 at 9:13 am

    @bemused:

    Nice work if you can get it.

  118. 118.

    BC in Illinois

    January 18, 2018 at 9:19 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    We also need the Obamas and the Clintons campaigning for our candidates. All hands on deck.

    Yes. Oh, yes.

    We want the energy, the enthusiasm, the excitement . . . along with the solid, knowledgable depth of the Bidens, Obamas, and Clintons. The devotion to country and empathy toward and delight in all kinds of people.
    We want these at the side of every candidate. Everywhere.

    ( Now. Where will we find news media who are interested in solid, knowledgable depth, devotion, and empathy? Hard to say. )

  119. 119.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 18, 2018 at 9:19 am

    @gvg: Even if you got rid of the debt limit, Congress still hasn’t passed a budget in years and has been funding government by continuing resolutions, so a shutdown can still occur if there isn’t an authorization to spend money even if they have the money.

  120. 120.

    CarolDuhart2

    January 18, 2018 at 9:19 am

    But what if someone else doesn’t catch fire, isn’t ready to go? Would we really turn down old Joe? Yes, he’s old, but if he can reassure about health, or has a dynamic VP or could draw from a good field?

  121. 121.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 18, 2018 at 9:24 am

    @bemused: Carnahan has been motivated by her Commander-in-Chief who is gritting the hell out of his gig in the White House. He’s so inspirational.

  122. 122.

    bemused

    January 18, 2018 at 9:35 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    The MNGOP has spent the last 7 years struggling to pay for $2.2 million debt from 2010 guv campaign. Carnahan is touting that she has helped to pay the debt down to below $800,000 saying “the party’s finances are the brightest it’s been in over 6 years.”

    There has been blowback to the memo from both R’s and Dems. Republican chair of 8th district Lovdhal worried it could turn off a lot of big donors and said he has a “sickly feeling” the 14 member exec committee meeting this week will pass it.

  123. 123.

    bemused

    January 18, 2018 at 9:44 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I think there is a lot to that. When the GOP and Trump WH has taken self-dealing to unlimited levels that Republicans from previous eras would not have dreamed possible without major repercussions. They are all going to up their self dealing because their chances of getting wealthier are greater while the risks are at an historic low.

  124. 124.

    trnc

    January 18, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @debbie: So no one has been able to explain to dt how trade surpluses and deficits work. This is not a surprise.

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    January 18, 2018 at 10:49 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    So did you give up on the one by the bridge? This looks pretty good. I can see how easy it would be for thing to go sideways on those, any little thing and it looks jumpy.

  126. 126.

    J R in WV

    January 18, 2018 at 11:12 am

    @satby:

    OK, where are you going? Across the pond? Which parts?

    Jackals need to know, so as to know what to demand you report on!

  127. 127.

    J R in WV

    January 18, 2018 at 11:20 am

    @Ladyraxterinok:

    OzarkHillbilly’s younger son in New Orleans was run over by a car, both legs broken badly. Last report was guardedly optimistic, he was doing OK so far. Everyone would like to see an update, though, for obvious reasons.

  128. 128.

    J R in WV

    January 18, 2018 at 11:27 am

    @Lee:

    I suspect they handed him a script with “excellent” in it 7 or 8 times, which is what it took to get the script approved by Dump. That would put a sour taste in any doctor’s mouth, even an Admiral.

  129. 129.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 11:42 am

    @Waldo: or at least shutting his big mouth for the duration. Will candidates be clamoring for his valuable assistance, do you think?

  130. 130.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 11:44 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: My boss years ago at the Canadian Consolate said it was a sign that no work was being done.

  131. 131.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 11:53 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Yet comapred to Trump things might go differently. Still, I hope he doesn’t run. I’d, old though I am, prefer to see someone younger nominated.

  132. 132.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 11:54 am

    @Baud: Sure. Said Trump had “evolved”. Trump says: not so much.

  133. 133.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 11:57 am

    @Amir Khalid: I suspect not. We frequently get these “young’uns on the high road to hell” alarms. Possibility exists that someone did, though maybe not.

  134. 134.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    @bystander: The ones where homo sapiens says “Go back guys. We got it wrong?

  135. 135.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    @CarolDuhart2: I believe he has already apologized to Ms. Hill.

  136. 136.

    Gelfling 545

    January 18, 2018 at 12:22 pm

    @Lee: I wonder what the protocol would be if the doctor did actually discover a serious issue. Clearly he couldn’t just announce it at a press conference due to national security considerations. Would he have to keep it quiet until Congress had been alerted? Though, obviously he wouldn’t go out and cheerlead as this guy did.

  137. 137.

    VincentN

    January 18, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I’m having a little trouble understanding this “Tide pod” thing. Are there really teenagers eating detergent sachets and getting sick?

    My understanding is that this is just the latest of stupid internet challenges (e.g., the cinnamon challenge, milk chugging challenge) where people are essentially taking the dare to ingest things that either shouldn’t be ingested or at least not ingested so quickly to show how tough and ‘cool’ they are.

  138. 138.

    SFAW

    January 18, 2018 at 1:01 pm

    @J R in WV:

    Shit. I’ve been intermittent here, missed that.

    Ozark: best wishes to your son, you and the family. Keeping my fingers crossed for a full and complete recovery.

  139. 139.

    tychay

    January 18, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: The Doug Jones internal polling showed that whenever Trump opened his mouth there was a small but sizeable shift to Roy Moore. Because enthusiasm wins elections in this electorate, Trump can theoretically help Republicans in the midterms.

    However Trump focused all his resources and capital on a single election in a very Red state and still lost. The Republicans are going to be bleeding across the entire map in the midterms and Trump is famously lazy.

  140. 140.

    Bonnie

    January 18, 2018 at 7:47 pm

    Maybe the RNC should pay his salary and other expenses (golf, etc.) instead of the taxpayers.

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