Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

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

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

In my day, never was longer.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

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

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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281Comments

  1. 1.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    Reposting from the dead thread below about the shutdown:

    None of this will change until McConnell, Ryan, Kelly, and Miller get their heads literally shoved up their own asses. I mean, there has to be real consequences for this shit. Not just losing an election so they can get private sector lobbying jobs. Real consequences that leave them debilitated for the rest of their lives. I wonder if the people whose job it is to protect them hate their guts?

    I know how that sounds. I’m just so angry with their petty selfishness. Trump, the GOP and their voters are ruining everything about this country. I especially hate the voters because this is ultimately their fault. R voters don’t deserve to live here. They are the ones who should be deported, not the Dreamers.

    Reading above how they have worked to undermine our political system for decades made my blood boil. It’s wasn’t exactly anything I hadn’t heard before but all of it being there as spelled out as it was, put everything into full relief. I realized that we’re in for the fight of our lives as country.

    The GOP is my mortal enemy. For as long as I’ve been alive they have done nothing but try to make my life worse than it has to be. They’ll pay for it all. I swear.

  3. 3.

    TheOtherWA

    I love her. Everyone who’s ever been in the military is a much better fighter than Cheetolini so he’s in much more trouble than he knows.

  4. 4.

    dmsilev

    She apparently also called him ‘cadet bone spur’. Will be interesting to see who runs for the fainting couches upon hearing of this.

  5. 5.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    Sick burn. It really is a shame Trump didn’t go to Vietnam and catch some bullets. Granted, the GOP would still be what it is, Trump or no Trump, but I’ve never despised anyone so much in my life as I have Dullard.

  11. 11.

    lamh36

    @Corner Stone: like I said in previous thread…I think this is ALL strategic…Tammy directly calling out Chump…practically daring him to respond inapproprately…and let’s see John Kelly… try to wrangle Chump from responding.

  12. 12.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @dmsilev:
    There’s a first time for everything Donny Two scoops. Better watch out for Pence. I hear he’s angling for your job.

  15. 15.

    satby

    I saw that on your feed John and requested and put it on FB. I’ve been a fan of Tammy Duckworth since before she became a Senator. Proud to have cast a vote for her!

  16. 16.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    “And I have a message for cadet bone spurs: If you cared about our military, you’d stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger.”

  17. 17.

    trollhattan

    So glad she has advanced to the senate. Stay strong, your time in the majority will come and in the meantime, more of this!

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    @lamh36: Schumer went after his DealMaker(tm) self-image earlier today, calling him a pile of Jell-O who can’t close a deal.

    I have to assume at this point someone has ‘accidentally’ lost Trump’s phone at the bottom of a concrete slab or something.

  20. 20.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @lamh36:
    That didn’t work any better when we tried to blame the Republicans (even though we were right) during the last shutdown.

  21. 21.

    Corner Stone

    @lamh36: “Slanty Eye Tammy”? “Tammy Two Legs”?
    There’s no end to what may come out his butthole mouth via twitter.

  34. 34.

    dmsilev

    @Baud: I’m sure there’s some poor staffer who has to pretend to be impressed and swayed by his mighty DealMaking prowess. Maybe they take turns or draw straws.

  35. 35.

    Patricia Kayden

    @SRW1: Lol!! A toddler who needs to be severely disciplined lest he grow up to be an out-of-control, damaged adult.

  38. 38.

    Magda in Black

    I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Duckworth when she was my customer and my state rep running for Senate. She’s “real .” I told her how much I supported her .

  41. 41.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Patricia Kayden:
    The feeling I get from the general zeitgeist right now is that the Republicans are going to get their clocks cleaned this November. Liberals are energized and conservatives are wavering. The daily Trump Tsunami of BS is getting to be too much and the GOP has also been revealed to be their borderline fascist, venal selves to large swaths of the public. I think the Dems can win just by promising to end, or at least reduce, the insanity.

  47. 47.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Tammy Duckworth makes me want to move back to my home state of Illinois. I would SO love to have her representing me in the U.S. Senate.

  48. 48.

    SFAW

    @Yarrow:

    I love the nickname “cadet bone spurs.” Love it. Needs wide circulation.

    To whom? It’s kind of insider-baseball-y, most people will go “Hunh?”

  50. 50.

    Patricia Kayden

    @lamh36: Won’t work. Almost 90% of country supports DACA. Democrats aren’t fighting for murderous migrants. They’re fighting for Dreamers. That propaganda may work with their racist base but will fall flat with the majority of Americans who already hate Trump.

    Gillespie tried that nonsense with MS-13 and sanctuary city ads in Virginia. He’s not Governor.

  52. 52.

    debbie

    @lamh36:

    And Trump and the GOP are complicit (no quote marks needed) in all murders by Neo-N*zis, White Supremacists, and assorted White Christians.

  54. 54.

    frosty

    @SFAW: It’s very insidery. My wife, who’s almost as committed as me, didn’t understand it when I told it to her a few minutes ago.

  59. 59.

    Joy in FL

    @lamh36: I just called the number to hear it for myself. I called three times in a few minutes. Busy signals only. Such cowardice.
    Also had this thought after the Senate vote late last night: the VP is out of reach in case there was a tie. Interesting timing.

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    @lamh36: let them double, triple, quadruple down … democrats are completely united and every despicable thing that Trump and the Republicans do peels away just another small bit of their support.

    the lamentations, ve vill be hearing them…

  62. 62.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    The daily Trump Tsunami of BS is getting to be too much and the GOP has also been revealed to be their borderline fascist, venal selves to large swaths of the public. I think the Dems can win just by promising to end, or at least reduce, the insanity.

    Add “incompetent” on to that list. The reason why the GOP could indulge in all this BS was they were ridding the coattails of someone who could govern like Obama. All this crap like the shut down breaks the GOP image as the “Daddy Party”

  65. 65.

    Mike J

    Charlie Warzel @cwarzel 1h
    hello from the night for freedom gathering. just saw my first “go back to your shithole” hat. safe to say most of the maga internet (cernovich, okeefe, posobiec, etc) folks are here
    Charlie Warzel @cwarzel
    By far the most surprising guest here at the @Cernovich event: Chelsea Manning!

    Not that surprising.

  66. 66.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Corner Stone:

    “Like Jell-O”

    That’s gotta hurt.

    But, but, it’s the best Jell-O, the finest Jell-O! I will tell you this, you will have so much Jell-O you will be tired of all the Jell-O.

  67. 67.

    Jeffro

    Um…Joe Scarborough has a single ( as in a song, as in music ??) out…and it is dedicated to the women of the resistance ?!?

    Just how high AM I ?

  69. 69.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @lamh36: Not just dispicable but dumbassry from Team Trump as always; Schummer is just the head of the minority party and President Trump can’t do anything about him? It’s back to that shadow president nonsense.

  71. 71.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: Don’t be. She had well documented problems with women of color in positions of authority over her before and during her deployment.

  73. 73.

    Adam L Silverman

    Here’s the video:

  75. 75.

    magurakurin

    Aww, Cadet Bone Spurs didn’t get to go to his party, poor widdle guy. Maybe President Kelly will give him three scoops of ice cream tonight instead of two.

  76. 76.

    Mike J

    @Baud: The “maga internet” can be read as pro-Russia internet. Cardin released a report detailing Russian interference. Of course Manning is there.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    @Mike J: Fair point. Manning will probably be irrelevant to the Senate race, but I hope Cardin has beefed up his cybersecurity.

  83. 83.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Mike J: Chelsea Manning is hobnobbing with White Supremacists after being pardoned by President Obama. Good to know.

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    The House wants Mitch to go “nuclear” again. RollCall:

    “So if there is ever a case for a 50-vote threshold for appropriations, we saw that on the Senate floor,” Meadows added.

    House Republicans have long expressed their preference for the Senate getting rid of the legislative filibuster. Even Speaker Paul D. Ryan bemoans the 60-vote threshold for ending debate in the Senate.

    “You ask any House member about the filibuster, you’ll get an hour of frustration,” the Wisconsin Republican said at an event in his district Jan. 12.

    The topic comes up quite frequently in House GOP conference meetings, especially when the House is in danger of getting jammed by the Senate (a common occurrence).

    “If I had a dollar for every time it’s mentioned on the House side, I’d be a billionaire,” Meadows said.

    Changing the filibuster rules is pretty much the only escape hatch Republicans have for ending the shutdown without striking a deal with Democrats.

    “There are really two ways that you can end this shutdown very, very quickly,” Freedom Caucus member Andy Biggs said. “Number one, the Democrats come to their senses. Number two, the Senate just says, ‘We’re going to change the rules, and we’re going to make the rules constitutional so that every American gets the representation of their senator that they thought they were getting.’ That is to say, each senator’s vote has the same value, as opposed to this rule, which dilutes the value of some votes.”

    Asked which of those two options he thinks is more likely to occur, Biggs laughed and said, “Probably not the latter option.”

    Funny, haha, how Republicans compromising with Democrats doesn’t enter into their calculations. Huh. I wonder why that is… :-/

    I’m sure Schumer and Durbin and the rest have gamed out Mitch changing the rules yet again. It would make things difficult for the next 290 days, (oh, and the lame duck session), but imagine what a Democratic Senate and House could get done without the undemocratic need for 60 votes in the upper body. How much better the ACA would have been without the need for 60 votes. Etc., etc.

    Is Mitch smarmy enough to try it? Or are the House Republican leadership, yet again, screaming that it’s not their fault?

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  87. 87.

    SFAW

    @p.a.:

    How low will he go…?

    Is that a trick question? He’ll only go as low as his personal insult-o-meter can conceive. Meaning: he’s only limited by his “intellect,” not by any sense of decency.

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: She attacked her immediate superior in Iraq, a female junior NCO of color. Her superior had tried to prevent Manning from deploying for being unfit and a security risk. She tried to have Manning’s clearance pulled while deployed for being unfit and a security risk. Before deployment Manning attacked a superior. During the deployment she attacked this superior. Had the front line supervisor been listened to, no one would know who Manning is. Manning should never have made it out of basic, but because we needed bodies, was passed through despite failing to meet standards and inappropriate behavior. Manning should never been allowed to deploy, but was because we needed bodies. What Manning needed before she joined the Army, while she was in the Army, what she needs now is serious mental health counseling before she actually inflicts serious harm on someone.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: Manning should never have made it out of basic, but because we needed bodies, was passed through despite failing to meet standards and inappropriate behavior. Manning should never been allowed to deploy, but was because we needed bodies.

    See also: Bowe Bergdhal

  96. 96.

    But her emails!!!

    @Another Scott:

    They aren’t going to be able to kill the legislative filibuster to pass something that not even all Republicans want passed. They got 50 votes for cloture last night (it would have been 51 if the turtle hadn’t voted no for procedural reasons) and that included some Democrats who switched sides. Those Democrats wouldn’t support ending the filibuster and they’d probably lose even more Republicans. I doubt nuking the filibuster under these circumstances would muster 45 votes.

  97. 97.

    Another Scott

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yup.

    There really is value in one house of the legislature having a longer-term view of things, of being able to act slowly and deliberately and carefully. But McConnell and his enablers have twisted the rules to prevent – and reverse – progress. Progress going back 70+ years.

    Tradition and respect for them is valuable. But times change and institutions have to change when the rules are twisted to make progress impossible.

    Getting rid of the cloture/filibuster system (or making the threshold a majority, or whatever) needs to happen sometime soon. I would be much more comfortable about that happening when sensible people are back in the majority though…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  101. 101.

    debbie

    @frosty:

    It would be easy to make it mainstream by making it a FB meme. Get a photo of Trump making a goofy face and add a tag line like, “What? It’s not like I claimed bone spurs for all of my five deferments.”

  102. 102.

    Adam L Silverman

    @magurakurin: Okay, from what I can tell this is a two purpose offensive. The first is the Turks hitting a group of Kurdish fighters. The second is to try to limit US involvement and presence in Syria. The Russians, the Turks, Iran, and Assad have basically struck a deal to try to keep the US out of as much of Syria as possible. These Kurds have been trained and are backed by the US. The question now is whether the US forces are given permission to provide support or whether the Kurds will be left to their own devices. And despite what the US commanders on the ground might want, that decision is going to be made in DC.

  105. 105.

    Ken

    @Baud: Assume the Democrats who voted yes on Friday were doing it because they had cover, and would switch back under simple majority rules. They’d need all but one Republican for a tie, and I don’t think McConnell can get them. Flake wants DACA just like the Democrats and is pissed that McConnell refused. A couple of the other Republican “no” votes (Lee for one) are in full “burn it to the ground” mode.

    Not that I would mind McConnell proving he can’t control his own caucus…

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    FLImmigrantCoalition‏ @ FLImmigrant
    [email protected] CustomsBorder got on a Greyhound bus yesterday at 4:30pm in Fort Lauderdale and asked every passenger for their papers and to prove citizenship. Proof of citizenship is NOT required to ride a bus! For more information about your rights, call our hotline? 1-888-600-5762

    Is a driver’s license proof of citizenship? I don’t know how I would be supposed to answer this. Of course, I’m as white as skim milk, so i suspect it wouldn’t come up

  110. 110.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: And a bunch of others. I spent the better part of two years dealing with a chowderhead lieutenant colonel who, if we weren’t at war, probably wouldn’t have made it past captain. If you had 144 of him, you’d have had gross stupidity. He was so bad, but they needed the bodies, that he made lieutenant colonel without ever being required to attend Command and General Staff College, which is one of the requirements for promotion to that rank. He did 24 years and retired.

  112. 112.

    Jeffro

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    WTF?

    See, that’s what I said…and then also “pass the dutchie on the left-hand side”

    Joe Scarborough recorded a single. Dedicated to the Resistance.

    I’m just going to go and rock back n’ forth in the bathtub until I stop smelling colors and seeing flying pink elephants…

  114. 114.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud:
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8964543/Bradley-Manning-attacked-female-soldier-and-sent-picture-of-himself-as-a-woman.html

    Captain Casey Fulton, who served in the same unit, said on Sunday that during one late night shift in May 2010 she found Pte Manning pinned to the ground by his female superior, Specialist Jihrleah Showman.

    “[Showman] said he had struck her and she had a big red welt on her face,” Captain Fulton said.

  115. 115.

    magurakurin

    @Adam L Silverman: That seems to make sense. They must have been green lighted by Syria to fly 72 planes into Syrian airspace. I had heard a statement by Syria a few days ago that they would fire on Turkish planes, but that must have just been boilerplate. It also looks like the Syrian Arab Army is making great strides in some of the last rebel strongholds. Maybe this is endgame stuff and like you say the local players are taking the chance to reduce American influence. At least the Kurds and the Arabs seem to be talking and not fighting in Iraq. Too bad the U.S. doesn’t have competent leadership. Would probably be helpful right about now.

  116. 116.

    Felanius Kootea

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: No it isn’t. I had a driver’s license while I was on a J visa, an H visa and when I got my green card. Obviously, I wasn’t a citizen of the US at any of those times. I don’t know anyone (citizen or not) who carries their passport to ride Greyhound unless the bus is crossing over into Canada.

  120. 120.

    B.B.A.

    Help me out here. I’ve got a glibertarian on another board, smarming at me about how we don’t need a federal government and the fact that life will go on as normal during this so-called shutdown proves it. So I’m wondering what the key pain points would be if we don’t have another appropriation for, say, three years.

    Does Medicaid get cut off during a shutdown? I know it’s paid out of the general fund, unlike SS and Medicare. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I understand the “essential” employees like the military and law enforcement are working unpaid for the duration of the shutdown. How long before they start looking for jobs that will actually pay them?

    As an international traveler, I personally would find no passports or visas to be a big one, but obviously most people don’t travel internationally.

  121. 121.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Corner Stone: Overturned a table and threw it at the front line supervisor, then hit her. See comment 114. Of course I may be lying because a general officer asked me to do so. Hard to say.

  124. 124.

    Another Scott

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Plus, 2013 wasn’t an election year. The Republicans got burned when they shut down the government under Clinton – because it happened in an election year. They count on their voters forgetting. It won’t happen this year.

    Plus, there’s the debt ceiling coming up. Around the end of February (if not sooner, it tax payments under the new tax bill are less than anticipated)….

    Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate need to stay strong. If they can’t get a DACA-like bill now, the GOP will say they can’t do it in February because of the need to figure out the debt ceiling. And they can’t do it in March because … Schumer has a strong hand now and needs to use it, on DACA and SCHIP, and aid to Puerto Rico (and California and Texas), and ending the Budget Control Act in a sensible way, etc., etc.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  125. 125.

    Adam L Silverman

    @magurakurin: And I want to be clear: that has nothing to do with her decision to transition or being LGBTQ. There are serious issues there. Because of how the justice system works, including the military justice system, she likely got little to none of the counseling she needed while awaiting trial and then serving her time before the commutation.

  130. 130.

    Another Scott

    @But her emails!!!: Yup. But it makes a good diversion for the Teabagger House leadership, doesn’t it. “Not our fault!!11”

    Still, Mitch is crafty and would throw his wife in front of a bus if it would give him more power to screw over Democrats… :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  132. 132.

    B.B.A.

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: An “enhanced” driver’s license is proof of citizenship, acceptable for crossing land borders. Only a few states have them and they cost extra. For the 99.9% of people who don’t have them, the answer is no.

  133. 133.

    Adam L Silverman

    @magurakurin: Greenlit by the Russians. Assad does what his master tells him too. From the Russian perspective, what Putin is hoping is that the US tries to protect the Kurds and other Syrian rebel forces they’re training. Then you have a Turkey vs US incident, ripping NATO wide open. That’s the real military end state Putin wants to achieve: pulling NATO apart.

  135. 135.

    magurakurin

    @Adam L Silverman: It makes me hate Julian Assange even more. No doubt he was able to identify the vulnerability in Manning and use it for his own purposes. One of the saddest things of this current age is how many on the left fell for Assange’s bullshit. He is a snake and an evil man. I fell sorry for Manning, but Assange can burn in hell.

  136. 136.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @satby: They will. They are good people and deserving of any support anyone can give them. You may not like every position they take, but they have their principles and they stick to them. Here endeth the lecture.

  139. 139.

    Amaranthine RBG

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    IIRC it is accepted for INS (or whatever they are called now) to require proof of citizenship within 100 miles of any of the US’s international borders. So that includes about 2/3 of the American population.

    @Adam L Silverman:

    True that you are not required to carry it. But you can be detained until you prove citizenship when entering/leaving the country and, like I said, the “border” extend 100 miles inland.

    https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone

    edited to fix mistakes.

  140. 140.

    ruemara

    @Mike J: I was surprised. Double wtf.

    @Adam L Silverman: Oh, yes. I heard about that. *sigh* On the bright side, it means folks now can understand that being an oppressed minority does not grant you magic intersectional understanding.

  141. 141.

    mai naem mobile

    I know itn causes problems for a lot of people but i kind of want this to continue till the SOTU address so that Dolt45 can go off on ome of his crazy off the charts rants with Pence and Ryan sitting right behind him. Oh,please,please,please…we deserve that little but of entertainment after what we’ve had to deal with in the last twelve months. I hope Ronny Jackson is filmed watching it.

  142. 142.

    Leto

    @B.B.A.: Active duty military will be held to their contratual obligations. They can’t just walk out of it. Personnel like myself, Full Time Technician with the Air National Guard, I can submit my resignation and move on in two weeks. Any GS civilian can quit/resign at any time. I guess it depends on how long they want to work relying on either savings, or their partner/spouses income. Or local charity/relief/church agencies to clothe/feed/pay all bills for them.

    Personally this is something my wife and I are discussing atm. I believe in public service, but I also have to have a steady paycheck. With the GOP in control, that’s not guaranteed (as evidenced by yet, ANOTHER FUCKING SHUT DOWN).

  143. 143.

    Adam L Silverman

    @B.B.A.: Food inspections cease, and people get sick and die. Pharmaceutical inspections cease, and people get sick and die. The CDC has to go to skeleton manning, a major disease outbreak occurs, and people get sick and die. The Mississippi floods terribly because of the spring thaws after this whacky winter, most of Kansas City is flooded out, people get sick and die. FT Leavenworth is destroyed, etc. And there’s no funds or personnel or any other Federal response. Goods entering and leaving the US begin to stack up because port inspections are curtailed. The US dollar stops being the reserve currency. The Federal government is unable to continue to keep the red (taker) states afloat, essential state and local services outside of places like NY, NJ, CT, MA, and CA start to break down and cease. Infrastructure continues to disintegrate. Businesses, and the wealthy, flee the US because it is impossible to move goods and services around, as well as personnel, because our roads, airports, and train stations look like they’re modeled on Ramadi.

  144. 144.

    Gelfling 545

    @Patricia Kayden: I think it was pretty apparent at the time of the uproar that she was pretty eadily led. Her bad companions will lead her right back into difficulty.

  146. 146.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @ruemara: Besides being racist, I think Chelsea Manning isn’t very bright. And that’s why I won’t be surprised when her sorry ass winds up in prison again.

  150. 150.

    Leto

    @Adam L Silverman:

    because our roads, airports, and train stations look like they’re modeled on Ramadi.

    I take it you’ve been to PA and seen what the local infrastructure looks like, because you’ve described it to a T.

  152. 152.

    Adam L Silverman

    @magurakurin: It actually wasn’t Assange. The person that sold her out was another hacker that made the connection for Manning. Manning reached out to a hacker named Adrian Lamo. Mano basically took advantage of Mannning’s naivete and desperation and then sold him out. I’m not defending Manning breaking the law. But she was poorly served by her chain of command and by others she reached out to like Lamo.
    http://gawker.com/5821227/hacker-who-turned-in-bradley-manning-is-a-bigger-scumbag-than-we-imagined

  153. 153.

    Corner Stone

    If I tossed a table at someone, and/or hit them in the face. And then got pinned down by them I would have welcomed being run out of the service.

  154. 154.

    joel hanes

    @Ken:

    Flake wants DACA just like the Democrats and is pissed that McConnell refused.

    Close.
    Flake is pissed because during the tax bill thing McConnell promised Flake that DACA would happen, and then went back on his word.

  155. 155.

    Felanius Kootea

    @Felanius Kootea: @B.B.A.: Actually, anyone can apply directly to the federal government for a “passport card” (when it isn’t shut down). It’s the same size as a driver’s license. After Trump got elected, I applied for a US passport card. I carry that around with me in my purse everywhere which I never did with my regular US booklet passport. I haven’t been asked to show proof of citizenship within the US yet so I forgot that I now do this. Immigrants from shithole countries can’t be too careful these days. It still shows my country of birth but is proof that I’m a naturalized citizen.

  156. 156.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Amaranthine RBG: I’m aware. Kind of an interesting Catch-22 we’ve set up. Americans have freedom of movement and, as a result don’t carry proof of citizenship with them, but could/can be detained within 100 miles of the border until they can provide proof of citizenship. And 2/3 of Americans live within 100 miles of a US border.

  161. 161.

    joel hanes

    @eclare:

    I would certainly encourage you to work with your Dad to use the Social Security online site to get a replacement before attempting to do it over the phone.

  165. 165.

    B.B.A.

    @Adam L Silverman: He’s a glibertarian, he doesn’t want the government doing any of that shit anyway. Mississippi flooded? Your fault for not living on higher ground. No more port inspections? Just smuggle the goods in, it’s a victimless crime. And so on.

    @Another Scott: That’s what arbitration is for, silly.

  167. 167.

    joel hanes

    @Adam L Silverman:

    she likely got little to none of the counseling she needed while awaiting trial

    Boy, that’s an understatement.
    She attempted suicide, and got fourteen days solitary confinement.

  172. 172.

    Leto

    @B.B.A.: You’re never going to be able to convince the willfully stupid of how stupid their ideas are, regardless if you explain all of the short/long term impacts of their stupid ideas. You’ll have an easier time turning lead to gold.

  173. 173.

    Steve in the ATL

    @satby:

    @Omnes Omnibus: and who of us natural born citizens carry “proof of citizenship” with us? None.

    I once cleared customs in Miami with just pale skin, a Tennessee drivers license, and a southern accent.

    Pre-9/11, of course.

  175. 175.

    Another Scott

    @B.B.A.: Heh. :-)

    Ok, decent point. But I haven’t seen libertarians argue that there’s no need for courts.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Though they may argue that they can be fully funded by fees on the users or something…”)

  177. 177.

    frosty

    @Mike J: Here I thought I was going to be working for Casey in PA. Now it looks like I’ll have to split my time for Cardin in MD, too.

  180. 180.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Steve in the ATL: I’ve never had an issue at customs. Brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a look like if I am not an important person, I be related to someone who is. IOW, privilege.

  184. 184.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Another Scott: The only way to change the Senate rules with a simple majority vote (no cloture vote required, no 60 vote threshold, no filibuster) is at the opening session of a new Congress. The next one of those won’t be till January 2019. In order to do this now, McConnell would need 60 votes. He wouldn’t get them.

  187. 187.

    moops

    @Another Scott: To turn the government back on? they won’t go nuclear for that. Most of the people who are hurt by a federal shutdown are not them personally or their donors. So, no, they will work the refs and play the victims without agency and never even bring up their own turds in Congress that sent them a DOA budget.

  191. 191.

    Steve in the ATL

    @eclare: if not, there’s a guy off Summer Avenue who can get you what you need. Might as well pick up a medical marijuana card and a Canadian passport while you’re at it!

  192. 192.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman:

    He’s got a well known cover band with a bunch of friends that play regular gigs in NY.

    Gigs…that actual people pay actual money to attend?

    .

    .

    I’m serious, I’m short-circuiting here…

  193. 193.

    Adam L Silverman

    @satby: Here’s the product description from the website:

    Quick Overview
    We do not invoke this historical symbol lightly. The similarities of the current attitude of the legislative environment and the systematic persecution that this star represents are uncanny. There’s no difference. The “Pieces of Flair” patch is a strong reminder of how quickly an unarmed society can be toppled by a dictatorship. How have we reached this point? How has thepersecution of a single group of people become so socially acceptable? Well, to us, its not. Its time to remind these people of history. Line in the sand: drawn. This patch will fray nicely at the edges with usage (intentionally).

    There are several more even worse. Like this one:

    And this one:

  196. 196.

    Another Scott

    @moops: Yup. As usual, the actual rules don’t matter when it comes to them constructing their talking points.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Ryan and McConnell will be arguing that Calvinball rules apply any day now…”)

  197. 197.

    Gravenstone

    @Another Scott: That’s my favorite barb to use against glibertarians – how is your beloved court going to work without the power of a government behind it to enforce whatever rulings it might issue? They can’t quite wrap their heads around that one for some reason.

  199. 199.

    frosty

    @Felanius Kootea:

    Actually, anyone can apply directly to the federal government for a “passport card” (when it isn’t shut down). It’s the same size as a driver’s license.

    I’ve been thinking of getting that for my adopted sons. May have to get serious about it once the gov’t comes back.

  204. 204.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Felanius Kootea: @frosty: I have a passport card. Got it when I was in Detroit a bunch so I could pop across the river to Canada for some poutine and back bacon. Turns out Windsor is a fucking dump so I used it only once. Pro-tip: Windsor is best experienced as just the view from your hotel room window.

  206. 206.

    Jeffro

    @Gravenstone: I know, right? WHAT court? It’s you vs. them. What’s that? You want to join up with your fellow citizens to form a contract-enforcing agency with enough power to make everyone behave (or pay the penalty)? Why…I think that’s called a GOVERNMENT.

    Also too, how is “taxation = theft” if we’re all making each other pay our taxes by supporting our government via representative democracy? They never really want to ‘go there’ on that one…

  207. 207.

    Adam L Silverman

    @frosty: Fizzle? Pizzel? Pretzel? Spetsel?

    I miss living there. I liked Carlisle. Right now I’m waiting to hear on the next full time assignment, which is going to be delayed because of the shutdown.

  211. 211.

    fuckwit

    This is interesting. I applied for a new passport last month; my old one had expired.

    If the government shuts down for months, I’ll have no proof of citizenship, other than a birth certificate. Also can’t leave the country.

  212. 212.

    Millard Filmore

    @Another Scott:

    Even glibertarians see the need for courts to interpret contract disputes…

    How much does justice cost? I would dearly love to ask a Libertarian how a poor person, whose boss says “You don’t show up for work, you’re fired.” is supposed to use the courts. How many thousands does it take just to ante into a civil case? How many additional thousands for court fees, document copying fees, lawyers, depositions, experts … ?

    You’re poor? You want justice? You will have to get it on the cheap, as in 101 California, SF.

  213. 213.

    danielx

    Have I missed it? My bet on what his nutbar response would be was about like this:

    I like people who didn’t lose their legs in the service of their country.

  215. 215.

    frosty

    @Adam L Silverman: Drizzle came from a friend who was commenting on the weather, mostly. Although Western PA is worse. Winter in West PA: brown and gray. Oh, the sky is a different gray than the snow, and the trees are a different brown than the mud. Look, the salt on my car is a light gray, and the salt on the roads is darker.

    (apologies to Juicers around Pittsburgh)

  218. 218.

    Millard Filmore

    @Another Scott:

    (“Though they may argue that they [courts] can be fully funded by fees on the users or something…”)

    There are some communities that are giving that idea a go … like Ferguson, MO, for instance.

  219. 219.

    frosty

    @Adam L Silverman: I hope you get a posting where you want to be. My experience has been you can have the job you want, or live where you want, but it’s hard to get both. I finally landed there, sort of. I’d rather be in MD than PA, but at least that’s where I’m working.

  221. 221.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    this sounds… not quite right

    Natasha Bertrand‏Verified account @ NatashaBertrand
    The Trump administration expanded the list of officials authorized to receive the presidential daily briefing to 14 people because “everybody thought it was cool. They wanted to be cool.”

  224. 224.

    Adam L Silverman

    @frosty: We had more freezing rain or snow than just drizzle when I was in Carlisle. Even freezing fog. We had one event where everything iced over. The joke was “here at the Narnian War College, where it is always winter, but never Christmas”.

  226. 226.

    Adam L Silverman

    @frosty: I wanted to stay in Carlisle, but the table of distributions and allowances (TDA) amendment my commanding general had submitted to make my position permanent died one signature short of being finalized at HQ Department of the Army because of the sequester. It was what it was.

    Where I’m waiting to hear on is where I would like to be in terms of position. It is not my first choice for where I want to live, but I’ve made my peace with it. Hopefully it will all go well, but most of it is out of my control at this point.

  228. 228.

    Ruckus

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Had about 6 different ships captains during my onboard assignments in the navy. One was really good. Three were passable. One should never have been given a command, it obviously scared the shit out of him. One was horrible and should have been kicked to the curb long before he made O6. The ship I was on at the time was a sideways assignment for him that killed his career. Or better to say it told him his career was over. I think the Pentagon wanted him to resign. But of course he wouldn’t, because staying in gave him a chance to fuck up everything else he touched. He was a fun guy.

  230. 230.

    FlyingToaster

    FWIW, passports are still being processed, so long as the passport agency is not inside of a federal building. Since passports, like the post-office, are fee-supported, they’re still able to be produced.

  233. 233.

    Peale

    @Adam L Silverman: they have most of the states. They have all of the federal government. Waiting for Caitlin Flanagan, Megan McBargle, and Andrew Sullivan to write articles about how their culture of victimhood is imposing a great burden on us.

  234. 234.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    not at all humiliating as word of this goes ’round the world

    Eric Geller‏Verified account @ ericgeller
    “During a Jan. 4 phone call in which the South Korean leader briefed the American president on the plans for talks with North Korea, Trump asked Moon to publicly give him the credit for creating the environment for the talks…”

  239. 239.

    Steve in the ATL

    @raven: great show? I’m sure it was!

    One of my moments was when Camper Van Beethoven liked two of my Facebook comments. I put that on my linked in profile.

  243. 243.

    Mary G

    Much to my surprise, the Twitler administration has again behaved well with my household’s family. Her half-sister in Guatemala married a naturalized American citizen last summer and was about to go home because her application for a second visa was denied. She applied for a green card with little hope in September, and today got a letter saying “Welcome to America, you have been approved for permanent residence.” Her six-year-old son also, too. Much shock and joy around here tonight. I can’t decide if it’s because we’re in California, full of immigrants, or because the whole family are caregivers and even Stephen Miller can see their value.

  246. 246.

    raven

    @Ruckus: Ever read the Arnheitner Affair?

    In March 1966, off the coast of Viet Nam, Lieutenant Commander Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter was releived of command of the destroyer escort U.S.S. Vance. He hadbeen her captain for ninety-nine days. The dispute over what happened aboard the Vance during those three months grew into one of the major controversies in the United States Navy in over a decade — “The Arnheiter Affair.” This is the engrossing story.

  247. 247.

    Peale

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: if mexico didn’t exist, I think South Korea for some reason is for Trump number 2 on the list of countries who have somehow taken advantage of us and must be punished. Trump obviously doesn’t care how many of them would die we’re the war to restart. He talks to their leader like a servant.

  248. 248.

    sharl

    I’ve seen nothing yet that convinces me Chelsea Manning is suitable to hold elective office – even/especially after watching her YouTube video announcing her Senate campaign – but just to give her her due, she has responded on Twitter regarding her attendance at Weird Mike’s white nationalist shindig:

    crashed the fascist/white supremacist hate brigade party ? all selfies were denied ??? #CrashTheFash #WeGotThis #NightForFreedom pic.twitter.com/SpsbLfGunY— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) January 21, 2018

    learned in prison that the best way to confront your enemies is face-to-face in their space— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) January 21, 2018

    Dunno how this “confrontation” she speaks of is manifesting itself at this hootenanny, but maybe we’ll learn more in the following hours or days (for those who are interested).

    I report, u decide. ?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ??

  249. 249.

    efgoldman

    @Ken:

    Not that I would mind McConnell proving he can’t control his own caucus…

    I posted o a thread earlier today: Somewhere Sam Rayburn and LBJ are spinning in their graves.

  252. 252.

    Ruckus

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Zero defect military? Is that some sort of Pentagon joke? It certainly wouldn’t describe one moment of my time in. I felt lucky to have survived, and I was thousands of miles from any shooting. Of course doing refueling at sea was…. fun, being out at sea for weeks was…. fun, hand carrying 5in shells from the ammo dump to the magazine onboard was….. fun, working for people who had not one concept of what you did but told you how to do it anyway was…. fun, being on a ship at sea during a storm when the captain was greener than the water coming over the bridge was…..fun. I can go on like this for days. And this was as I said thousands of miles from shooting, and from the people I know, that was a lot worse. Zero defects? On what fucking planet?

  253. 253.

    Mike J

    @raven: I’ve seen both, but not together. Sounds like a good show.

    One of my all time favorite shows was CvB with Blake Babies opening.

  256. 256.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    I see that now. I hadn’t tried to log on till I saw your comment. I wonder if that’s because of congress/drumpf or something else. I thought that SS is not funded by congress and so is not affected. I could be and probably am wrong.

  261. 261.

    sharl

    @Steve in the ATL: She really REALLY loves emoticons. AFAICT almost all her tweets contain them, often in abundant quantity. ??♥️?♥️???????????♥️?♥️?????????
    …
    Hmm, though it would brighten up news from the Senate a bit. Maybe I will vote for her.
    ????????????????

  262. 262.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    Haven’t read it but just scanned the wiki page and he sounds like a fun guy. That may be why we didn’t see captains for very long, changing their assignments on a regular basis meant that they never really got that familiar with the crews or vice versa.

  263. 263.

    James E. Powell

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    There’s another reason. The next elections were midterms when Democratic and Democratic leaning voter turnout is usually low. And for the rest of the electorate, it wasn’t shutting down the government, it was standing up to that [insert racist epithet], so they loved it.

  265. 265.

    frosty

    @Adam L Silverman: My favorite was my father’s experience. He earned his Ph.D. and was then told “We don’t have a need for an engineer with a doctorate” and they laid him off. THE COMPANY HAD PAID FOR HIS DOCTORATE!!!

    The branch that did that folded a couple of years later.

  271. 271.

    Cacti

    The Dotard hasn’t had his ass spanked like that since Stormy Daniels rolled up a Forbes magazine.

  272. 272.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @B.B.A.: if that glibertarian is in Silicon Valley, tell them that once the Patent Office runs out of user fees, it will shut down as well and he won’t get any patents or trademarks.

  276. 276.

    cmorenc

    @Patricia Kayden:

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: The GOP didn’t suffer any consequences for shutting down the government in 2013. Wonder if things will be different now that they control the entire government.

    In 2013 the GOP got a huge assist in blame-deflecting by news within a handful of days of the completely dysfunctional roll-out of the Obamacare Exchange website. Although the Exchange website got fixed within 2-4 with the aid of the skilled tekkies from Silicon Valley (Google, etc) who took over from the hapless original contractor, the Obama Administration and Dems nevertheless lost control of the narrative, especially when the shutdown ended well before the Exchange software was sufficiently fixed to be functional.

  277. 277.

    gogiggs

    @debbie: Through their status as the political arm of the NRA, they’re complicit in every goddamn gun death in the country.

  278. 278.

    Matt McIrvin

    @satby: Under present circumstances I’d be afraid to show my passport to these guys on the bus for fear they’d just destroy it.

  279. 279.

    TerryC

    @Ruckus: As an E-4 in 1969 I was instrumental in having the commanding officer of my ship removed, overnight, from command. Still one of my proudest and most startling memories. The reason wasn’t incompetence, but it could have been. It appears that, historically speaking, my experience was effectively covered up. Interesting.

  280. 280.

    J R in WV

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Don’t forget, any airport that receives international travelers is ALSO a point within which everyone for a 100 mile radius may be asked to show proof of citizenship. So there are a lot of 200-mile-wide spots around cities with big airports, like St Louis, Denver, Chicago, DC, Charlotte, New Orleans, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Tucson (oops, already within about 25 miles of Mexico) probably a couple of dozen more, for sure.

    On a completely different topic: I want to stake my claim here and now, I pitched in to contribute to Tammy Duckworth when she first ran for election to the House. She looked to me like someone who would fight for Democratic principles, and sure enough, she is. I hit up a lot of women running that year, and most of them got elected. It was a good crop for we Democratic people!

  281. 281.

    john fremont

    @Adam L Silverman: Airliners and air freight aircraft will be delayed back in service from coming out of required heavy maintenance. This is due to the FAA Flight Standards Division having to cut back on inspectors and certification office staff.

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